Microsoft needs help from Sony

Hi there, Xbox Insiders! Winter Is Coming Soon The chill of winter’s grasp is fast approaching those of us north of Earth’s hula hoop, and it’s times like these I look back fondly on my sojourn at our Fargo Campus. The days are short, the snow is freshly powdered, and it hasn’t yet gotten so cold that your eyelashes freeze over walking to your car. (A completely foreign phenomenon having grown up in a climate where all four seasons can happen in a single day.) Much like Fargo itself, things are slowing down around the office as everyone prepares for the upcoming holiday season. This means December’s update is a little on the light side, but we did want to keep everyone informed on a few things as we close out 2023. All Things Set Aside The big news this month is that, as with previous years, all new game and update flighting across Xbox Insider platforms will be temporarily paused sometime during the week of December 15th. This will continue through the end of year and into January to ensure that everyone is able to have reliable and enjoyable gaming experiences throughout the holidays. (Plus, it eases the load on a smaller contingent of engineers.) But worry not dear reader! Our teams will still be working on next year’s improvements, features, and content throughout this period, as well as having resources available to make sure any issues that may arise don’t impact this heavy season of gaming. The other main topic this month is a small revision to our planned decommissioning of Feature Fridays on the subreddit. The plan is still moving forward; however, the timeline might go beyond my initial projection for end of year. I want to ensure this change is something that will be a net positive for the community and not simply changing for change’s sake. As such, my research / proposals have gone a tad longer than anticipated for finding the next platform. Included in this was some great feedback from the subreddit, so please keep sharing your thoughts, opinions, and critiques! [re]connect Speaking of sharing your thoughts, since things will be a little quieter than normal this month, I wanted to do something fun with Xbox Insiders. So next week, on Tuesday, December 12th, we’ll be hosting an AMA* on the subreddit. It’ll mostly be me answering questions, but other members of the team might stop by and pop their heads in as well. *Disclaimer: “Anything” in this context doesn’t include items we aren’t able to discuss publicly. (inb4whenTESVI) All Eyes Look Ahead As I said at the top, this is a shorter update as we’re still working fastidiously toward the big 10-year anniversary celebration in February of next year. There’s still a ton of work to be done, and I’ll actually be spending the next few weeks building my presentation for the team to start the new year. What does everyone think of my title slide? I hope everyone enjoys this issue of XIP Community Update, and has a wonderful month ahead. If you haven’t already, drop us a follow @xboxinsider or head over to our official subreddit r/XboxInsiders. Wy\nn/ The post Community Update December 2023 – Virtually Optimized Month appeared first on Xbox Wire. View the full article

In September, Konami announced it was going back to Contra's 2D roots with a sort of reimagining of the NES original dubbed Contra: Operation Galuga. The game, developed by Wayforward, features six playable heroes, and a new trailer runs down each one and what they bring to the table. The trailer also provides another look at Operation Galuga’s modernized run-and-gun action, which harkens back to the classics with up to four players working together to blast apart enemies. Operation Galuga serves as a reimagining of the first Contra game with a roster of heroes bringing the fight to the Red Falcon terrorist faction, which Konami breaks down below: Bill Rizer: Field leader of the Contra unit, possessing exceptional physical strength, agility, and mental fortitude. Proficient in all manner of armaments and well-versed in military science.  Lance Bean: An expert marksman adept with machinery. Was active as a guerrilla fighter before being recruited into the Earth Marine Corps by Bill Rizer. Ariana: A tremendously skilled warrior from the Galuga Archipelago. After her village was nearly wiped out by Red Falcon's attack, she wages a one-woman war against the enemy forces.  Lucia: Deputy commander in the Earth Marine Corps and also a talented field operative. She is equally proficient at combat missions and covert intelligence. Lt. Stanley Ironside: A veteran who leads an armored platoon in the GX Army. He wears a powered Hercules exosuit to supplement his already formidable combat skills. Probotector: Autonomous training robots used by the Contra Unit. Utilizing cutting-edge tech,  they are every bit as capable in the field as their human counterparts. Each character can be bolstered with up to two perks purchased from an in-game shop using virtual credits (with Konami stating these are not microtransactions). Perks include respawn invulnerability or starting stages with a specific weapon.  Contra: Operation Galuga will feature a story campaign, arcade mode, and a 30-mission challenge mode. It’s slated to release early next year for PlayStation and Xbox consoles, Switch, and PC View the full article