We're excited to announce that Xbox Series X Console Wraps are launching this year, and pre-orders have already started. We know gamers want to be able to customize their consoles and show support for their favorite games, and we are delivering an option that's more affordable and more sustainable than purchasing a special edition or limited edition console. With the launch of Series X Console Wraps, you can customize the console you already have. There are three striking designs to choose from - complete your Starfield setup with a Starfield design that pairs perfectly with the recently released Starfield Controller and Headset, and we are also launching two camo colors to choose from, Arctic Camo and Mineral Camo.

The wraps were designed specifically for Series X and have a custom, precision fit. Every detail was taken into consideration to ensure your console performance is preserved- vents are all clear, and small feet were added to the bottom of the wraps to ensure air can flow freely through the console. Made with solid core panels that are layered with high-tech fabric finishes, the wraps are folded around your console and secured with a hook and loop enclosure. The interior of the wraps are printed with silicone designs that keep the wrap in place.

September is shaping up to be one of the hottest months of the year for Xbox players, with a ton of new releases, including some of the year's most anticipated games, several of which will be available with Game Pass on day one (Starfield, Lies of P, Payday 3 - just to name a few). Plus, with the release of the 1 TB Xbox Series S in Carbon Black on September 1 and Xbox Game Pass Core launching on September 14 you will have even more options on what to play and where to play it.

Xbox Series S - 1 TB
With the release of so many new games this month, it's a great time to join Xbox or upgrade your console, so you can enjoy games that only run on Xbox Series X|S and PC like Starfield, Forza Motorsport, and more. Plus, September 1 marks the release of the new Xbox Series S - 1 TB, which was announced earlier this year at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023. This console features the same next-gen speed and performance of our 512 GB Series S, now with double the storage so you can download even more of your favorite games to your console where they'll be ready to play when you are. Xbox is always exploring ways to use less new materials and reduce waste - our new 1 TB Series S incorporates Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) resins, mirroring the practice established in 2021 with our white Series S in a new color. The bold Carbon Black color is the same sleek, modern matte finish as Xbox Series X and the Xbox Wireless Controller. Make the most of every gaming minute with features like Quick Resume, lightning-fast load times, and support for gameplay of up to 120 FPS.

Intel Graphics has released the latest version of the Intel Arc GPU Graphics drivers, version 101.4672 Beta. Although a bit late to the party, the new drivers brings optimizations for Bethesda's Starfield game, with reduced game load duration, instability and visual artifacts fixes, as well as Game On support for NExT Studios' SYNCED game.

The new 101.4672 Beta drivers do not appear to bring any further improvements or fixes and appear mostly focused on supporting the Starfield game. There are still plenty of issues with Starfield but Intel notes that further fixes are coming in future driver updates.

DOWNLOAD: Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers 101.4672 Beta

This coming week, one of the most hyped AAA games of the year will launch and early previews of the game suggests it might just manage to mostly live up to the hype. However, the rest of this week is rather slow, maybe because all of the other publishers know most people will be busy playing their fancy new space game and won't be interested in what else might launch this week, although some appear to be riding on the wave of said space game. That said, there are still some minor releases this week, with at least a couple that might appeal to some of you.

Starfield / This week's AAA title / Wednesday 6 September
Starfield is the first new universe in over 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity's greatest mystery. In the year 2330, humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. You will join Constellation - the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy - and navigate the vast expanse of space in Bethesda Game Studios' biggest and most ambitious game.

Starfield Premium owners now have access to the game in full and are testing their internet download limits with its massive 120 GB file size, but a few hopeful gamers are going to have to wait regardless of how much they paid in advance. Intel Arc GPUs currently cannot play Starfield, with varying symptoms ranging from the game not starting to it taking 30-40 minutes before presenting the player with a jumbled cacophany of texture mayhem. Users report that the executable does launch in the background, and that during the half-hour that it's visible in Task Manager it can consume as much as 30 GB of system memory, before either crashing or finally presenting the game menu. If one does manage to get to anything resembling gameplay, their time is short as the game will crash to desktop within only a few minutes.

Intel stated they were aware of the issues shortly after advanced access began opening up, but hopes of a quick fix are not high. In a post by @IntelGraphics on X they state that they are working to improve the experience by the game's full release date on September 6th, roughly a week away. As one might imagine, many Arc owners were not pleased by this. Starfield is an AMD sponsored game and both Bethesda and Microsoft have received some criticism for this. Accusations that this sponsorship "locked out" developers at Intel's graphics division from working on usable drivers have been thrown around the likes of Reddit and X, but no evidence to support them has so far surfaced. Many will be quick to point out that NVIDIA released a preliminary driver for Starfield as early as August 22nd, so such interference is unlikely.Update: Intel has just released its Arc GPU Graphics Drivers 101.4672 Beta, adding support and fixes for Bethesda's Starfied game.

Elgato, a subsidiary of CORSAIR, is thrilled to announce a new line of custom hardware for content creators. Made in collaboration with Bethesda Game Studios, the line celebrates some of gaming's most beloved franchises. For its first release, fans can collect limited-edition gear inspired by Starfield, Bethesda Game Studios' first new universe in over 25 years. And there are more drops to come, spanning the publisher's award-winning lineup of IPs from The Elder Scrolls to Fallout.

Officially licensed by Bethesda Game Studios, the Starfield Wave:3 microphone and Stream Deck make ideal companions for any explorer. Sporting an iconic design, Wave:3 ensures creators always sound loud and clear, whether they're directing squad fire or chatting with their crew. Meanwhile, Stream Deck empowers them to control any workflow, from piloting their starship to managing a livestream. And with a bonus digital kit, gamers can download free icons to personalize their Stream Deck in Starfield style—no matter which device or model they have at home.

AMD today released the latest version of the Adrenalin software for Radeon RX GPUs. Version 23.8.2 WHQL comes with optimization for "Starfield" almost a week ahead of its September 6 release. This is probably because "Starfield" has a brand partnership with AMD, which includes the game being optimized for Radeon GPUs and Ryzen processors, as well as AMD selling or giving away special editions of its Radeon RX 7000 series and Ryzen 7000 series products. In terms of numbers Adrenalin 23.8.2 WHQL offers up to 16% increase for "Starfield" at 4K Ultra HD over the previous version, as tested using the RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT GPUs. With this release, AMD has addressed just the one issue—an application crash or driver timeout when playing "Baldur's Gate 3" with DirectX 11 renderer on certain Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Software Adrenalin 23.8.2 WHQL

Starfield is the most hotly anticipated title of the season. The space-opera action RPG by Bethesda has a high degree of optimization for AMD hardware, including Ryzen 7000 processors and Radeon RX GPUs, with AMD even announcing special edition SKUs of its processors and graphics cards. The company formally launched its Radeon RX 7800 XT and RX 7700 XT graphics cards today, with product availability slated for September 6. You know what else is coming up on that day? Starfield! AMD announced that both RX 6000 series and RX 7000 series will include the game. Competitive pricing and performance now have a deal-sweetener.

Sometimes you want a chill game that lets you explore sorrow (in game, I don't want to explore sorrow IRL). Sometimes you want to explore wild environments while exploring mysteries, escaping flesh monsters, or even be the monster yourself. Some highly specific things you might want, and what a crazy happenstance, we've got just those games coming soon. Let's take a look!

Available Today
Everspace 2 (Cloud and Xbox Series X|S)
Step into the pilot seat in this fast-paced single-player space shooter where brutal challenges stand between you and epic loot. Embark on a sci-fi adventure where massive, handcrafted areas are packed with secrets, puzzles, and perils! Level up, craft, and loot better gear to survive on the edge of space.

As a part of its promotional deal with Bethesda for the upcoming Starfield game, AMD has announced a limited edition release of both its Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics card and its Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU. The latter is in all fairness a bit dull as far as limited editions go, as the only thing really limited is the packaging the CPU comes in. Despite being a limited production run of only 500 units, AMD didn't bother adding any extra marking on the CPU itself, making it less of a collectors edition than it could've been.

On the other hand, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX Starfield Special Edition gets a custom white shroud with a lot of little quirky bits of text on the card and an overall different feel to it compared to AMD's reference design cards. Again, we're looking at a limited run of 500 cards here too and it's not clear if these will be numbered or not. Neither product will be available to buy though, so the only way to get your hands on one or the other, is to enter one of multiple giveaways that either AMD or its partners will host in the near future. There's a video after the break with more details.

Xbox is coming to Gamescom 2023 in full force, showing 30 titles in three blocks. Starfield, Forza Motorsport, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Ara: History Untold, PayDay 3, Mortal Kombat 1, are just some of the titles that will be at the Xbox Gamescom booth.

Running from August 23rd to August 27th, Gamescom 2023 will definitely have some pretty big names from the game industry, and its Opening Night Live will be live on August 22nd, hosted and produced by Geoff Keighley.

Bethesda Game Studios' upcoming RPG Starfield imagines a world where humanity inhabits the vastness of space. These stunning animated stories offer a glimpse into three of the major cities in the Settled Systems. Follow a delivery pilot in New Atlantis seeking the exciting life of the elite; a stranded orphan looking for a way out of Akila City; and two street rats struggling to survive in the underbelly of Neon.

SUPRA ET ULTRA
In the city of New Atlantis, capital of the United Colonies, Kent, a courier pilot, aspires to live in the most desirable part of the settled systems. After joining the UC Vanguard and working his way up to the Capital's elite, Kent quickly realizes the adventures waiting for him off-planet are what he truly longed for.

It's been a little over a month since fans around the world enjoyed the Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct and we're delighted to say that, within seven days of the broadcast, we saw over 92 million views across our first ever double feature, trailers, and segments from the shows - a 38% rise in viewership over last year's show. It's become the highest rated and most-viewed show for Xbox, ever! We can't thank you enough for being a part of that, and we hope you're as excited as we are for Xbox's future.

From our own games - like Starfield, Forza Motorsport, Hellblade II: Senua's Saga, Fable, South of Midnight, Avowed, Clockwork Revolution, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Towerborne, and more - to those coming to Xbox from our partners around the world - Star Wars Outlaws, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Cities: Skylines 2, 33 Immortals, and more - our show aimed to bring something for every kind of player. Whether you're an RPG obsessive, an indie curio collector, a PC player, a console owner, or even brand-new to gaming, we like to think there was something that piqued your interest.

AMD and Bethesda have officially launched the Starfield Game Bundle today—this promotion has been leaked several times recently, with Team Red's Taiwanese operation revealing (late last week) that the campaign would be starting on July 11. That date also applies to the vast majority of global territories—company web presences are showing that the new game bundle has gone live with their offer of "Get Starfield when you buy select AMD Ryzen processors, AMD Radeon graphics cards, or a gaming system that contains both."

Bethesda's Starfield is scheduled for release on September 6—prospective AMD hardware buyers are invited to select Standard or Premium Edition tiers, depending on the choice of qualifying Ryzen or Radeon products. The entry point comprises Ryzen 5 7000 series CPUs or Radeon 6600 GPUs. Premium 5-day early access is made available to buyers of Ryzen 9 7000 CPUs or Radeon cards starting with RX 6700 models.

American online retailer, Newegg, has perhaps jumped the gun a little by readying CPU listings for an "AMD Starfield Game Bundle Promotion." The store page was noticed by some eagle-eyed folks over the weekend, and news sites were soon tipped off to the early announcement. AMD was revealed as Starfield's exclusive partner on PC last week, but upcoming promotions/bundles were not mentioned during presentation proceedings. Newegg's mini-site only functions as a promo product container (at the time of writing) for all available Ryzen 7000-series CPUs—individual SKU pages are void of any Starfield material, and the previous Star Wars Jedi: Survivor campaign ended on June 30.

The Newegg promo page includes everything in the mainstream Zen 4 lineup—from the entry-level Ryzen 5 7600 model going all the way up to the flagship Ryzen 9 7950X3D, but internet sleuths were unable to track down anything representing an equivalent campaign for AMD's latest Radeon RX graphics cards. Team Red's Zen 4 and RDNA 3 technologies got plenty of shout-outs in last week's partnership presentation: "Making this game even more special, is the close collaboration between Bethesda and AMD to unlock the full potential of Starfield. We have worked hand-in-hand with Bethesda Game Studios to optimize Starfield for both Xbox and PC with Ryzen 7000 series processors and Radeon 7000 series graphics. The optimizations both accelerate performance and enhance the quality of your gameplay using highly multi-threaded code that both Xbox and PC players will get to take advantage of."

AMD and Bethesda have today revealed that Starfield will be best experienced on a Ryzen processor and Radeon graphics card-equipped PC. Team Red has been announced as the giant open world game's official graphics and GPU partner, but its Xbox Series hardware also gets a couple of friendly shout-outs. Todd Howard, director and executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios, stated in the video presentation: "We have AMD engineers in our code base working on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) 2.0 image processing and upscaling and it looks incredible. You're going to get the benefits of that obviously on your PC but also on Xbox. We're super excited and can't wait to show everybody more."

Jack Huynh, Senior Vice President and General Manager of its Computing and Graphics Group at AMD, added: "Making this game even more special, is the close collaboration between Bethesda and AMD to unlock the full potential of Starfield. We have worked hand-in-hand with Bethesda Game Studios to optimize Starfield for both Xbox and PC with Ryzen 7000 series processors and Radeon 7000 series graphics. The optimizations both accelerate performance and enhance the quality of your gameplay using highly multi-threaded code that both Xbox and PC players will get to take advantage of."

Bethesda has unveiled the first gameplay trailer for Starfield during the Starfield Direct after the Xbox Games Showcase yesterday, showing some impressive graphics from this upcoming sci-fi RPG. Shortly after, we got the confirmation from the Game Director, Todd Howard, that the game will actually be locked at 30 FPS, which does not sounds surprising, especially after the full PC system requirements got revealed.

Bethesda has put a lot of effort into Starfield, and it shows it the seen trailer. The team is also claiming that this game will have "the fewest bugs of any Bethesda game ever shipped," according to an interview that the Xbox Game Studios Head, Matt Booty, gave to Giant Bomb. He also added that there are a lot of people internally playing Starfield, and Phil Spencer, head of Xbox Games Studio, told the same outfit that the game had a much earlier release date, and was delayed twice, so hopefully we'll have a solid game at launch. Unfortunately, Todd Howard, also confirmed that the game will run at full 4K on the Xbox Series X and at 1440p on the Xbox Series S, but will be locked at 30 FPS on both consoles.

Embark on a journey into the stars with the Starfield Limited Edition wireless controller and headset, essential navigation pieces in every voyager's collection. The crisp, clean designs are inspired by real world spacecraft, and are custom built to transport you right into the cockpit of a true space explorer. The Xbox Wireless Controller - Starfield Limited Edition features transparent triggers with visible bronze rumble motors underneath, full side and back grips designed to resemble spaceship panels, and a sleek Constellation-inspired color mark around the Xbox button. With up to 40 hours of battery life, you'll have more than enough fuel for your voyage into the deepest reaches of space.

Experience superb audio and chat quality with the Xbox Wireless Headset - Starfield Limited Edition. Secure your space fit with the Constellation red-and-white striped headband, communicate with your crew using the transparent mic boom, and feel fully immersed with audio tones custom made for your adventure. Enjoy ultra-soft large earcups that make for a comfortable experience with convenient on-ear controls for all your exploration needs.

This weekend, at Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct, we showed the exciting future for players and game creators - dozens of new games, a new 1 TB Series S console and new ways for players to get their games anywhere with PC Game Pass coming to NVIDIA GeForce NOW later this year. After our double feature, Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox Creator Experience, Sarah Bond, Head of Xbox Game Studios, Matt Booty, and Game Director at Bethesda Game Studios, Todd Howard also addressed the future of gaming at Microsoft in our What's Next for Gaming event.

Players are discovering and playing games like never before - we have reached new records for monthly active users and monthly active devices, and just last quarter we saw a 46% increase year over year in people playing PC games on Game Pass. Game Pass continues to grow - our revenue from subscriptions overall reached nearly $1 billion last quarter. We're excited about the future of Xbox, and we see the opportunity to grow not only our own business, but the entire industry as a whole - through creating groundbreaking new games, inviting creators to build their dream projects on our platform, and opening gaming up to everyone, no matter where they are in the world. These are our key pillars to help continue that growth.

Starfield players can now explore the depths of gaming - and open space - while making Constellation proud. Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ: STX) today announced the company's Starfield Special Edition Game Drive and Game Hub for Xbox, taking Seagate's popular line of storage for gamers to the next level. The new external hard drives deliver speed and high capacity to make the Xbox gamer's journey through the universe unforgettable.

Officially licensed by Bethesda and wrapped in exclusive artwork commemorating the explorers from Constellation, the Game Drive and Game Hub display a design that feels pulled directly from the Settled Systems of Starfield. Featuring customizable RGB LED lighting, the drives bring the majesty of the stars to the gamers' ecosystem. Available with up to 5 TB of capacity, the Game Drive is lightweight in design, making it easy to take an entire library on-the-go. The Game Drive and the Game Hub are connected and powered with high-speed USB 3.2 Gen 1, and the Game Drive does not need a separate power cord, making it easy for gamers to play from anywhere. Designed to work with Xbox Series X|S or Xbox One, both drives are easily installed through Xbox OS in under two minutes so gamers can launch into action.

We're delighted to announce that the Xbox Games Showcase will be livestreamed on June 11 at 10am PT (local time zones below). Immediately after the Showcase, we'll be airing Starfield Direct, a deep-dive into Bethesda Game Studios' highly anticipated sci-fi RPG. Join us for some new surprises and first-looks from our incredibly talented internal studios, and our many creative partners around the world. This is the day gamers have been waiting for to see what is coming to Xbox, PC, and Game Pass.

Starfield Direct will invite you inside Bethesda Game Studios to learn much, much more about Starfield, with tons of new gameplay, developer interviews, and behind-the-scenes insider information. Like last year, we'll also have our follow-up stream, Xbox Games Showcase Extended airing June 13 at 10am PT, with in-depth interviews focused on the news from our Xbox Games Showcase as well as game updates from our partners.

Starfield's official launch date has been revealed in a brand-new enigmatic trailer, followed by a special message from Game Director Todd Howard. Players can look forward to the deepest dive yet into Bethesda Game Studios' latest epic at the Starfield Direct, coming June 11, 2023.
Xbox also confirmed its plans for an Xbox Games Showcase on June 11, 2023. It is set to air before the Starfield Direct.

25 years in the making, Starfield introduces an entirely new frontier to explore—space. In 2330, you join Constellation, the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy. Venture through the stars and get to know a memorable cast of characters on a quest to answer humanity's greatest question—what is out there? Where will Starfield take you?
Starfield arrives exclusively on Xbox Series X|S and PC on September 6, 2023. Play it day one with Xbox Game Pass.

The Federal Trade Commission is seeking to block technology giant Microsoft Corp. from acquiring leading video game developer Activision Blizzard, Inc. and its blockbuster gaming franchises such as Call of Duty, alleging that the $69 billion deal, Microsoft's largest ever and the largest ever in the video gaming industry, would enable Microsoft to suppress competitors to its Xbox gaming consoles and its rapidly growing subscription content and cloud-gaming business.

In a complaint issued today, the FTC pointed to Microsoft's record of acquiring and using valuable gaming content to suppress competition from rival consoles, including its acquisition of ZeniMax, parent company of Bethesda Softworks (a well-known game developer). Microsoft decided to make several of Bethesda's titles including Starfield and Redfall Microsoft exclusives despite assurances it had given to European antitrust authorities that it had no incentive to withhold games from rival consoles.

Microsoft's console and gaming division, Xbox, has been working closely with game studios and game developers for years now, and in return for supporting the creation of games, the company gets its platform exclusivity, where the game is only available on Xbox series of consoles. Today, Xbox has decided to unveil a hefty list composing out of AAA titles exclusive to the Xbox Series X|S consoles. Starting off, we have the Forza Horizon 5 game, which delivers the experience of the open world of Mexico, while allowing you to drive the world's greatest cars. The game is set to become available on November 9 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass, PC via Steam on Windows, and Cloud Gaming service, which is in Beta.

Next up is a collaboration with 343 Industries game studio, which has unveiled its next-generation Halo shooter gameplay. Dubbed Halo Infinite, the game is a massive experience set in the world of Halo, which also includes a free-to-play multiplayer element aiming to bring millions of people together across Xbox consoles, cloud, and PC to join the fight. When it comes to new franchises, we have seen the announcement of Redfall, a co-op first-person shooter that sets you in a small island town of Redfall, which has now fallen to the pandemic of vampires, and your goal is to put it to the end. Coming from Arkane Austin, the developers of Prey and Dishonored, the game is sure to be a quality one.

Bethesda has confirmed that they will be having their own presentation even before the actual E3 (Entertainments and Electronics Expo) kicks-off. Bethesda's presentation, which will be live on June 9th, will, according to Bethesda, offer an "in-depth look at DOOM Eternal plus much, much more." The company also teases that they want to "be together" with the community this year - likely because of one particular interstellar journey that dwells in such a team - perhaps in the form of Starfield?