{"id":1923036,"date":"2026-05-07T17:08:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T14:08:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1923036"},"modified":"2026-05-07T17:08:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T14:08:32","slug":"more-to-share-on-next-gen-console-later-in-2026-xbox-says-as-first-game-dev-update-show-airs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1923036","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;More to Share&#8217; on Next-Gen Console Later in 2026, Xbox Says, as First Game Dev Update Show Airs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-cy=\"article-content\" class=\"jsx-2870106660 article-content page-0\">\n<section data-cy=\"article-subtitle\" class=\"article jsx-3932497636 article-section jsx-28683165 news\" data-autopogo=\"true\">\n<section class=\"article-page\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Microsoft has moved to set expectations ahead of <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/next-gen-console-project-helix-headlines-first-xbox-game-dev-show-later-today\">today&#8217;s first Xbox Game Dev Update show<\/a>, with word on when fans will hear more details of the company&#8217;s next-gen console, codenamed <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/tech\/project-helix-next-generation-xbox\">Project Helix<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jronald\/status\/2052403448398909450\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">post<\/a> on X\/Twitter this morning, Xbox hardware chief Jason Ronald said that Microsoft would share more details of its under-wraps machine &#8220;later this year.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;For those who have asked, this is a recap of our announcements from GDC for those who weren&#8217;t able to make it,&#8221; Ronald said of the Project Helix section in today&#8217;s Xbox Game Dev Update show. &#8220;We will have more to share about Project Helix later this year.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Today&#8217;s Xbox Game Dev Update dropped on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LsSGn_wDZ2Q\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YouTube<\/a> at 9am Pacific \/ 12pm Eastern time, and we&#8217;re watching it now for new announcements.<\/p>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"jsx-2228525885\"><\/button><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">The 100 Best Xbox Games of All Time<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"What is an Xbox? Microsoft has spent 25 years trying to answer the question, but for fans, the answer is easy: \u201cXbox\u201d evokes one-eared headsets wired into the memory card slots of massive controllers with breakaway cords. A dashboard with gleaming skeuomorphic blades and avatars adorned in earned accessories. That sound that plays when a hard-earned Achievement finally pops. \u201cXbox\u201d means heavy-duty hardware. Tactile sensations. Friends connecting for the first time. And that\u2019s before we even get to the games.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\nIt may be that the very idea of an Xbox game is coming to an end. Microsoft has undeniably shifted its tactics, with a new focus on multi-platform releases, handheld Xboxes that are actually miniature Windows computers, and the potential that future Xbox consoles may simply be gaming PCs. So now seems as good a time as any to look back at the entire history of Microsoft\u2019s console journey and rank the best Xbox games, with help from our friends at Outside Xbox, the multimillion-subscriber channel that serves up weekly videos about video games and video game-adjacent things&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\nWhen we say \u201cthe best Xbox games,\u201d we mean the ones that most evoke that weighty sense of \u201cXboxness.\u201d Some are first-party, most are exclusives, and all of them are indelibly tied to the legacy of and fondness for a platform that\u2019s left a massive mark on gaming. These are the 100 Best Xbox Games of All Time. We'll be updating this list daily with 25 games at 7am PST\/10am ET\/3pm GMT from Tuesday, 20th January to Friday, 23rd January, until number one is revealed.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3381835873 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\" style=\"background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-list\" class=\"scrollbar jsx-2072772685 jsx-4243969252 images-list\"><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;b&gt;100. 1 vs. 100&lt;\/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nA large-scale, online multiplayer game show, played in real-time by actual players who could win actual prizes? It was a bold idea, and Microsoft's 1 vs. 100 actually did it. Adapted from the TV show of the same name, players were randomly dropped into one of three pools whenever the show went live: the Crowd, the Mob, and the One, with the One competing against the Mob in trivia rounds where reaction times were just as important an ingredient to victory as the correct answer to the question being asked. Prizes ranged from 80 Microsoft Points ($1) to a free Xbox Live Arcade game, to 10,000 Microsoft Points ($125). 1 vs. 100 was a true social and technical experiment in the world of gaming, and here's the thing: it worked! Sadly, it was canceled after two &quot;seasons&quot; and can't be played now, but it lives on in the memory as one of the best and most innovative Xbox games ever made.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"rounded jsx-412047461 overlay progressive-image jsx-2338608387 expand\" data-cy=\"slideshow-image-overlay\">\n<div data-cy=\"element-caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490\">View 101 Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;b&gt;99. Conker: Live and Reloaded&lt;\/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nWhen Microsoft acquired Nintendo's second-party darling Rare for $375 million, the possibilities were endless. One of the first games Xbox got from the British studio was Conker: Live and Reloaded, a remake of N64's Conker's Bad Fur Day that added online multiplayer. And while that competitive play was quite fun, thanks in part to the juxtaposition of over-the-top violence and adorable characters on screen, it was the technological level-up from the N64 original that was truly stunning. The action-platformer was now &quot;fur-shaded,&quot; giving the manes of Conker and his buddies a unique &quot;next-gen&quot; new look. Ironically, Live and Reloaded was actually more heavily censored than Bad Fur Day, but both campaign and multiplayer were nevertheless a great way to introduce Rare to its new Xbox player base.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;b&gt;98. Top Spin&lt;\/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nBelieve it or not, there was a time when EA didn't support Xbox Live. And so Microsoft started building its own sports games that would take advantage of its online service, and of those titles, Top Spin was by far the best. It was a tennis sim featuring a career mode full of real-life pros, but what made Top Spin memorable \u2013 in addition to its core gameplay being so pitch-perfect, of course \u2013 was its online play. You'd create your character, build them up, and take them online, pitting yourself against other players in ranked matches that, if you won, would move you further up the global rankings. It all worked perfectly (and even tied in XSN, if you remember that little experiment), and made Top Spin the best tennis game the Xbox has ever been served up.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;b&gt;97. Binary Domain&lt;\/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nThe Xbox 360 was a treasure chest full of those \u201c7 out of 10s\u201d that you just couldn\u2019t put down; those rough-around-the-edges cult classics that kept us more than entertained for a weekend before we moved on to the next. Binary Domain is a perfect example \u2013 a third-person shooter from Yakuza developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, this sci-fi story didn\u2019t play too differently from established cover shooters such as Gears of War, but came with its own unique quirks. Direct control of your squadmates was chief among these, with the ability to command them in six different languages via a headset or the Kinect sensor, a fun little gimmick that took advantage of the Xbox\u2019s ultimately doomed experiment with its camera peripheral. Binary Domain may have never fully reached the heights of its lofty ambitions, but it still finds a place in our hearts.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;b&gt;96. Steel Battalion&lt;\/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nThe original Xbox was a maximalist, brutalist brick of post-Y2K design and Steel Battalion is the purest expression of its commitment to inconvenience. The Capcom-developed mech game is arguably nothing special by itself, but the humongous HOTAS horror with which it came bundled has earned it Xbox immortality. Weighing in at a whopping 17 pounds, boasting three panels, three foot pedals, and industrial-grade divorced dad energy, Steel Battalion is the video game equivalent of \u201crolling coal:\u201d an excessive, magnificent, indulgent peripheral that cost $200 in 2002 money. Xbox is a burly, hefty console that demands a burly, hefty experience, and Steel Battalion more than fits the bill.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;We were really proud to announce Project Helix at GDC, direct to developers,&#8221; said Xbox veteran Chris Charla, kicking off a recap of the console&#8217;s formal announcement back in March. This was made by Jason Ronald, Xbox&#8217;s VP of Next Generation, who now has full oversight over Project Helix&#8217;s development.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/microsofts-gdc-2026-keynote-live-report-building-for-the-future-with-xbox\">IGN was in the audience for this presentation and reported it live at the time<\/a>, which you can read for a rundown of its most important talking points. This was the presentation where Ronald confirmed Project Helix would play both Xbox and PC games, and that developers would receive alpha versions of the console in 2027. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Up next in today&#8217;s Xbox Game Dev Update was a section led by Travis Bradshaw, principal product lead for Xbox&#8217;s developer onboarding program. Bradshaw discussed developments designed to allow studios to ship games on Xbox faster and easier, and on every type of device players are using. This includes an easier workflow for studios wanting to use Xbox developer tools, and get started in as little as an hour. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Another focus here is Xbox&#8217;s support of gameplay across multiple devices \u2014 such as on PC or handheld as well as consoles \u2014 through Xbox Play Anywhere. Bradshaw said that more than half of Xbox users play on multiple devices, and that Xbox Play Anywhere titles are played 2.2 times longer.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Next up was Shawn Hargreaves, who leads Microsoft&#8217;s DirectX team. There was a recap of DirectX features shipped in 2025, and a look ahead at how DirectX is improving ray-tracing capabilities, and adding machine learning tools into its rendering pipeline. Here, Hargreaves made clear that this meant work on things such as upscaling, frame generation, and texture compression, rather than fully generative AI.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Another segment was helmed by Brady Woods, principal product lead in the Xbox commerce team, to talk about the Xbox Marketplace. Unsurprisingly, the launch of the ability to buy games via your smartphone led to an increase in revenue and number of transactions among players. This success is an example of how Xbox is operating more effectively to improve Xbox Marketplace tools and consumer experiences, so developers get their games in the hands of the players who will want to buy them.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Wishlists will be simpler to set up for developers, and can notify players when games hit their launch day. Game Previews, meanwhile, will get a dedicated channel on the store for easier discovery. Promotional offers, essentially sale prices, are also being made easier to set up for developers to take advantage of key moments \u2014 such as when a game is suddenly featured by a content creator.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The Xbox Game Dev Update show&#8217;s debut today follows a series of changes from freshly-installed Xbox boss Asha Sharma. This has included a notable recommitment to the brand&#8217;s next-gen console plans, the removal of the division&#8217;s corporate-sounding Microsoft Gaming branding, <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/xboxs-shiny-new-logo-available-today-as-a-dynamic-background-and-more\">a shiny new look for the Xbox logo<\/a>, and a <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/microsoft-drops-price-xbox-game-pass-ultimate\">cut to the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate<\/a> (while booting new Call of Duty games from the subscription on day one).<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">As for when we&#8217;ll hear more on Project Helix, the suggestion that more will be revealed &#8220;later this year&#8221; suggests we have some months to wait. Could Xbox hold its own dedicated unveiling show, or is the company set to make an appearance at a pre-existing industry show \u2014 Gamescom in August, or The Game Awards in December? Time will tell. As for today, that was a wrap for the first Xbox Game Dev Update show.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em><\/em><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"accent-divider\" class=\"jsx-3449795453 divider jsx-2786329600\"><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Tom Phillips is IGN&#8217;s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/tomphillipseg.bsky.social\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@tomphillipseg.bsky.social<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<p><span class=\"stack jsx-1475529924\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-2155806329 adunit-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jsx-2155806329 bobble bobble-1 pogocnt pg-article\">\n<div data-mix-name=\"secondaryMedrec\" data-pos=\"1\" data-pogo-hide=\"1\" class=\"jsx-343126785 pogo-slot\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<section class=\"article-page\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Microsoft has moved to set expectations ahead of <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/next-gen-console-project-helix-headlines-first-xbox-game-dev-show-later-today\">today&#8217;s first Xbox Game Dev Update show<\/a>, with word on when fans will hear more details of the company&#8217;s next-gen console, codenamed <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/tech\/project-helix-next-generation-xbox\">Project Helix<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jronald\/status\/2052403448398909450\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">post<\/a> on X\/Twitter this morning, Xbox hardware chief Jason Ronald said that Microsoft would share more details of its under-wraps machine &#8220;later this year.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;For those who have asked, this is a recap of our announcements from GDC for those who weren&#8217;t able to make it,&#8221; Ronald said of the Project Helix section in today&#8217;s Xbox Game Dev Update show. &#8220;We will have more to share about Project Helix later this year.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Today&#8217;s Xbox Game Dev Update dropped on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LsSGn_wDZ2Q\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YouTube<\/a> at 9am Pacific \/ 12pm Eastern time, and we&#8217;re watching it now for new announcements.<\/p>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"jsx-2228525885\"><\/button><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">The 100 Best Xbox Games of All Time<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"What is an Xbox? Microsoft has spent 25 years trying to answer the question, but for fans, the answer is easy: \u201cXbox\u201d evokes one-eared headsets wired into the memory card slots of massive controllers with breakaway cords. A dashboard with gleaming skeuomorphic blades and avatars adorned in earned accessories. That sound that plays when a hard-earned Achievement finally pops. \u201cXbox\u201d means heavy-duty hardware. Tactile sensations. Friends connecting for the first time. And that\u2019s before we even get to the games.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\nIt may be that the very idea of an Xbox game is coming to an end. Microsoft has undeniably shifted its tactics, with a new focus on multi-platform releases, handheld Xboxes that are actually miniature Windows computers, and the potential that future Xbox consoles may simply be gaming PCs. So now seems as good a time as any to look back at the entire history of Microsoft\u2019s console journey and rank the best Xbox games, with help from our friends at Outside Xbox, the multimillion-subscriber channel that serves up weekly videos about video games and video game-adjacent things&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\n\nWhen we say \u201cthe best Xbox games,\u201d we mean the ones that most evoke that weighty sense of \u201cXboxness.\u201d Some are first-party, most are exclusives, and all of them are indelibly tied to the legacy of and fondness for a platform that\u2019s left a massive mark on gaming. These are the 100 Best Xbox Games of All Time. We'll be updating this list daily with 25 games at 7am PST\/10am ET\/3pm GMT from Tuesday, 20th January to Friday, 23rd January, until number one is revealed.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3381835873 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\" style=\"background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-list\" class=\"scrollbar jsx-2072772685 jsx-4243969252 images-list\"><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;b&gt;100. 1 vs. 100&lt;\/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nA large-scale, online multiplayer game show, played in real-time by actual players who could win actual prizes? It was a bold idea, and Microsoft's 1 vs. 100 actually did it. Adapted from the TV show of the same name, players were randomly dropped into one of three pools whenever the show went live: the Crowd, the Mob, and the One, with the One competing against the Mob in trivia rounds where reaction times were just as important an ingredient to victory as the correct answer to the question being asked. Prizes ranged from 80 Microsoft Points ($1) to a free Xbox Live Arcade game, to 10,000 Microsoft Points ($125). 1 vs. 100 was a true social and technical experiment in the world of gaming, and here's the thing: it worked! Sadly, it was canceled after two &quot;seasons&quot; and can't be played now, but it lives on in the memory as one of the best and most innovative Xbox games ever made.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"rounded jsx-412047461 overlay progressive-image jsx-2338608387 expand\" data-cy=\"slideshow-image-overlay\">\n<div data-cy=\"element-caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490\">View 101 Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;b&gt;99. Conker: Live and Reloaded&lt;\/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nWhen Microsoft acquired Nintendo's second-party darling Rare for $375 million, the possibilities were endless. One of the first games Xbox got from the British studio was Conker: Live and Reloaded, a remake of N64's Conker's Bad Fur Day that added online multiplayer. And while that competitive play was quite fun, thanks in part to the juxtaposition of over-the-top violence and adorable characters on screen, it was the technological level-up from the N64 original that was truly stunning. The action-platformer was now &quot;fur-shaded,&quot; giving the manes of Conker and his buddies a unique &quot;next-gen&quot; new look. Ironically, Live and Reloaded was actually more heavily censored than Bad Fur Day, but both campaign and multiplayer were nevertheless a great way to introduce Rare to its new Xbox player base.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;b&gt;98. Top Spin&lt;\/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nBelieve it or not, there was a time when EA didn't support Xbox Live. And so Microsoft started building its own sports games that would take advantage of its online service, and of those titles, Top Spin was by far the best. It was a tennis sim featuring a career mode full of real-life pros, but what made Top Spin memorable \u2013 in addition to its core gameplay being so pitch-perfect, of course \u2013 was its online play. You'd create your character, build them up, and take them online, pitting yourself against other players in ranked matches that, if you won, would move you further up the global rankings. It all worked perfectly (and even tied in XSN, if you remember that little experiment), and made Top Spin the best tennis game the Xbox has ever been served up.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;b&gt;97. Binary Domain&lt;\/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nThe Xbox 360 was a treasure chest full of those \u201c7 out of 10s\u201d that you just couldn\u2019t put down; those rough-around-the-edges cult classics that kept us more than entertained for a weekend before we moved on to the next. Binary Domain is a perfect example \u2013 a third-person shooter from Yakuza developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, this sci-fi story didn\u2019t play too differently from established cover shooters such as Gears of War, but came with its own unique quirks. Direct control of your squadmates was chief among these, with the ability to command them in six different languages via a headset or the Kinect sensor, a fun little gimmick that took advantage of the Xbox\u2019s ultimately doomed experiment with its camera peripheral. Binary Domain may have never fully reached the heights of its lofty ambitions, but it still finds a place in our hearts.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;b&gt;96. Steel Battalion&lt;\/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nThe original Xbox was a maximalist, brutalist brick of post-Y2K design and Steel Battalion is the purest expression of its commitment to inconvenience. The Capcom-developed mech game is arguably nothing special by itself, but the humongous HOTAS horror with which it came bundled has earned it Xbox immortality. Weighing in at a whopping 17 pounds, boasting three panels, three foot pedals, and industrial-grade divorced dad energy, Steel Battalion is the video game equivalent of \u201crolling coal:\u201d an excessive, magnificent, indulgent peripheral that cost $200 in 2002 money. Xbox is a burly, hefty console that demands a burly, hefty experience, and Steel Battalion more than fits the bill.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2021719738 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;We were really proud to announce Project Helix at GDC, direct to developers,&#8221; said Xbox veteran Chris Charla, kicking off a recap of the console&#8217;s formal announcement back in March. This was made by Jason Ronald, Xbox&#8217;s VP of Next Generation, who now has full oversight over Project Helix&#8217;s development.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/microsofts-gdc-2026-keynote-live-report-building-for-the-future-with-xbox\">IGN was in the audience for this presentation and reported it live at the time<\/a>, which you can read for a rundown of its most important talking points. This was the presentation where Ronald confirmed Project Helix would play both Xbox and PC games, and that developers would receive alpha versions of the console in 2027. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Up next in today&#8217;s Xbox Game Dev Update was a section led by Travis Bradshaw, principal product lead for Xbox&#8217;s developer onboarding program. Bradshaw discussed developments designed to allow studios to ship games on Xbox faster and easier, and on every type of device players are using. This includes an easier workflow for studios wanting to use Xbox developer tools, and get started in as little as an hour. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Another focus here is Xbox&#8217;s support of gameplay across multiple devices \u2014 such as on PC or handheld as well as consoles \u2014 through Xbox Play Anywhere. Bradshaw said that more than half of Xbox users play on multiple devices, and that Xbox Play Anywhere titles are played 2.2 times longer.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Next up was Shawn Hargreaves, who leads Microsoft&#8217;s DirectX team. There was a recap of DirectX features shipped in 2025, and a look ahead at how DirectX is improving ray-tracing capabilities, and adding machine learning tools into its rendering pipeline. Here, Hargreaves made clear that this meant work on things such as upscaling, frame generation, and texture compression, rather than fully generative AI.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Another segment was helmed by Brady Woods, principal product lead in the Xbox commerce team, to talk about the Xbox Marketplace. Unsurprisingly, the launch of the ability to buy games via your smartphone led to an increase in revenue and number of transactions among players. This success is an example of how Xbox is operating more effectively to improve Xbox Marketplace tools and consumer experiences, so developers get their games in the hands of the players who will want to buy them.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Wishlists will be simpler to set up for developers, and can notify players when games hit their launch day. Game Previews, meanwhile, will get a dedicated channel on the store for easier discovery. Promotional offers, essentially sale prices, are also being made easier to set up for developers to take advantage of key moments \u2014 such as when a game is suddenly featured by a content creator.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The Xbox Game Dev Update show&#8217;s debut today follows a series of changes from freshly-installed Xbox boss Asha Sharma. This has included a notable recommitment to the brand&#8217;s next-gen console plans, the removal of the division&#8217;s corporate-sounding Microsoft Gaming branding, <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/xboxs-shiny-new-logo-available-today-as-a-dynamic-background-and-more\">a shiny new look for the Xbox logo<\/a>, and a <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/microsoft-drops-price-xbox-game-pass-ultimate\">cut to the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate<\/a> (while booting new Call of Duty games from the subscription on day one).<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">As for when we&#8217;ll hear more on Project Helix, the suggestion that more will be revealed &#8220;later this year&#8221; suggests we have some months to wait. Could Xbox hold its own dedicated unveiling show, or is the company set to make an appearance at a pre-existing industry show \u2014 Gamescom in August, or The Game Awards in December? Time will tell. As for today, that was a wrap for the first Xbox Game Dev Update show.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em><\/em><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"accent-divider\" class=\"jsx-3449795453 divider jsx-2786329600\"><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Tom Phillips is IGN&#8217;s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/tomphillipseg.bsky.social\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@tomphillipseg.bsky.social<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Microsoft has moved to set expectations ahead of today&#8217;s first Xbox Game Dev Update show, with word on when fans will hear more details of the company&#8217;s next-gen console, codenamed Project Helix. In a post on X\/Twitter this morning, Xbox hardware chief Jason Ronald said that Microsoft would share more details of its under-wraps machine [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,243],"class_list":["post-1923036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-ign-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1923036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1923036"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1923036\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1923036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1923036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1923036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}