Xbox users in the US face price increases up to 50 percent on their monthly gaming subscription, making it a great time to check if you're on the right tier or if you even need to subscribe at all. Like it or loathe it, we live in a subscription economy. Music, movies, meal boxes, and more are no longer things you buy once. Gaming is no exception, and while every major player in the sector has some form of sub for players--from PlayStation Plus and Nintendo Switch Online for consoles to Apple Arcade on phones--none of them offered quite as much for a modest monthly fee as Xbox Game Pass. Depending on the subscription tier, the service gave players access to a significant library of titles and was available on Xbox consoles, PC, or via cloud gaming.

April's new Xbox Game Pass arrivals give you Lego racing, Lara Croft and a Lil Gator. Subscribers can play the Mario Kart-like Lego 2K Drive starting on Wednesday, the trilogy-wrapping Shadow of the Tomb Raider on April 11 and the charming stop-motion adventure game Harold Halibut on April 16. Lego 2K Drive, launched in May 2023, lets developer Vision Concepts (known for the NBA 2K and WWE 2K series) take the reins from Travelers' Tales to create its first Lego game. We were quickly pulled in by its charming vehicle transformations and quirky fun in a game that draws equally from Mario Kart and Forza Horizon 5. Our gripes (no quick way to restart races and a suspicious nudge toward microtransactions) will be easier to see past when you can download it for free with your Game Pass subscription. Lego 2K Drive will be available to Game Pass members on April 3 for cloud and Xbox consoles. Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition wraps up Lara Croft's Survivor Trilogy origin story, which rebooted the series as an Uncharted-esque cinematic epic.

Microsoft has begun rolling out a new update for Xbox consoles. Among the more notable features the February release adds is the " carbon aware" functionality the company began testing last month. When your Xbox has access to the internet, you can set it to schedule game, app and operating system updates based on local carbon intensity data. According to Microsoft, doing so may lead to your console producing fewer carbon emissions because it's programmed to download files when more renewable energy is likely available. It may also save you money on your electricity bill.

If you've been shopping for new PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, the latest flagship consoles from Sony and Microsoft, respectively, you've no doubt noticed they're almost impossible to track down. But if you're looking in the Xbox corner, it's important to note that Microsoft has another current-gen gaming console--the all-digital Xbox Series S. The Series S is not only easier to find right now, it's also quite similar to the Series X in many ways for $200 less. Amongst Xbox gamers, holding out for the powerful Series X or springing for the more affordable Series S has been a point of debate. Amongst parents, it's been a point of confusion. Microsoft even has a "Help Me Choose" tool to help illustrate the differences.

In 2014, Microsoft bought Minecraft's developer Mojang for what seemed, at the time, an eye-popping figure: $2.5bn (£1.8bn). It was the first in a series of bullish video-game studio acquisitions by the tech giant, whose games division has been led by executive Phil Spencer, a long-time advocate for video games within Microsoft and the wider business world, for the past eight years. More studios followed, for undisclosed amounts: beloved Californian comedy-game artists Double Fine, UK studio Ninja Theory, RPG specialists Obsidian Entertainment. It seemed that under Spencer's leadership, Microsoft was cementing its commitment to the Xbox console and the video-games business by investing in what makes games great: the people who make them. Then came 2020's deal to acquire Zenimax (and with it Bethesda), for a properly astonishing $7.5bn.

Microsoft Corp. agreed to buy Activision Blizzard Inc. in a $68.7 billion deal, uniting two of the biggest forces in video games to create the world's third-biggest gaming company. In its largest purchase ever, Microsoft will pay $95 a share in cash for one of the most legendary gaming publishers, known for titles like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft but which is also grappling with a cultural upheaval over its treatment of women. Activision Chief Executive Officer Bobby Kotick will continue to serve in that role only until the deal closes, a person familiar with the deal said. It's unclear what position, if any, he would take afterward. Once the transaction is completed, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil Spencer, who was promoted along with the deal to CEO of Microsoft Gaming.

Gamers will be able to get their hands on the next-generation Xbox consoles from November 10, Microsoft has confirmed. The flagship Xbox Series X is priced at £449, while the compact version, the Xbox Series S, will retail at £249. Pre-orders for both consoles, which are both part of Microsoft's ultra-powerful fourth-generation range, will begin on September 22. The devices will also be made available through its Xbox All Access programme, allowing players to split the cost across 24 months from £20.99 a month. The deal includes Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the top tier of its gaming subscription service, and Xbox Live to play online.

Microsoft's low-end Series S console will retail for $299 (about £230) and looks like a hi-fi speaker. An official image revealed by the company on Tuesday shows a distinctive black circular vent on a slim white body. Series S, which appears to come without a disc drive, is cheaper, smaller and less powerful than the Series X console, the company's official fourth-generation Xbox. The image had leaked on several US websites late on Monday before Microsoft decided to'make it official' today. Series S is the'smallest Xbox ever', according to Microsoft, which promised it would reveal more details soon.

Microsoft wants to make Cortana more human-like. The software giant announced it's acquiring artificial intelligence startup Semantic Machines to help its voice assistants and chatbots carry on more natural conversations with humans. Microsoft didn't disclose how much it paid in the deal, but said Berkeley, California-based Semantic would bring a'revolutionary new approach to building conversational AI'. Microsoft's Cortana is about to get smarter. The firm said it bought Semantic Machines to make its digital assistant more human.