NEWS: Gears Of War 4 Launches Worldwide On October 11

In a post over at Xbox Wire, Adam Fletcher, Director of Community from the Coalition, announced the release date for Gears of War 4:

Gears fans, mark your calendars, as the next chapter in the Lancer-revving Gears of War saga is set to begin on Oct. 11 with the release of Gears of War 4.

It’s been almost a year since Gears of War 4 made its global debut at E3 2015, and today’s announcement is set to ignite a chain of upcoming revelations about what’s in store for JD Fenix and the next generation of Gears heroes.

Gears of War 4 marks the beginning of an epic new saga for one of gaming’s most celebrated franchises, as a new band of heroes rises to confront a fearsome new threat. Harkening back to the dark and intense roots of the original classic, fans can expect a familiar, yet distinct evolution of gameplay, including brutal and intimate action, a heart-pounding campaign, genre-defining multiplayer and stunning visuals powered by Unreal Engine 4.

Eager to get a taste of Gears of War 4 before October? Don’t miss the multiplayer beta kicking off this month!

Beginning on April 18, fans who’ve played Gears of War: Ultimate Edition on Xbox One or Windows 10 will be able to join the beta on Xbox One, which will expand to all Xbox Live Gold members on April 25. For more information on what to expect from the beta, check out our recent announcement highlighting the full details, and stay tuned to Xbox Wire and GearsofWar.com for more exciting news in the coming weeks and months.

BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE: Outland and Gunstar Heroes are now Xbox One Backward Compatibility

Outland and Gunstar Heroes are now available on Xbox One Backward Compatibility.

As always, those that own these games digitally will be able to download them again for free from the "Ready to Download" section of the Xbox One. If you own Alan Wake on disc, you can also put this in and the necessary files required to make it work will be downloaded.

Click to buy from MS Store

The award-winning studio Housemarque, maker of Super Stardust HD, has teamed up with Ubisoft to create an ambitious platformer inspired by epic adventures such as the Prince of Persia® series. Each player’s adventure will take him between light and darkness and force him to adapt to an ever-changing world.

Click to buy from MS Store

The Gunstar 9 planet was peaceful for many years until the vicious dictator, Colonel Red, kidnapped the Gunstar twins' older brother and used mind control to make him his slave. You'll face many different enemies and bosses as you battle to stop the dictator from unleashing “Golden Silver the Destructor” with apocalyptic consequences!

NEW RELEASE: DiRT Rally Xbox One

DiRT Rally

DiRT Rally is the most authentic and thrilling rally game ever made, road-tested over 80 million miles by the DiRT community. It perfectly captures that white knuckle feeling of racing on the edge as you hurtle along dangerous roads at breakneck speed, knowing that one crash could irreparably harm your stage time. Every stage tests you differently, as you race on the edge of control across snow, ice, tarmac and dirt and tackle a variety of weather types. As the car suffers attrition and stages string together, your dedicated rally team tries to keep you competitive and each rally becomes a marathon-like test of concentration and skill.

NEW RELEASES: Quantum Break Xbox One

Quantum Break

 In the aftermath of a split second of destruction that fractures time itself, two people find they have changed and gained extraordinary abilities. One of them travels through time and becomes hell-bent on controlling this power. The other uses these new abilities to attempt to defeat him – and fix time before it tears itself irreparably apart. Both face overwhelming odds and make dramatic choices that will determine the shape of the future. Quantum Break is a unique experience; one part hard-hitting video game, one part thrilling live action show, featuring a stellar cast. Your choices in-game will affect the outcome of this fast-paced fusion between game and show giving the player a completely unique entertainment experience.

DEMO: PLATINUM DEMO – FINAL FANTASY XV

PLATINUM DEMO – FINAL FANTASY XV

PLATINUM DEMO — FINAL FANTASY XV whisks players away to a fragmented dreamscape, introducing an original story with a few unique twists. Join young Noctis and his magical guide as you explore the fantastical world of his dreams.

Free

BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE: Saints Row IV is now Xbox One Backward Compatibility

Saints Row IV  is now available on Xbox One Backward Compatibility.

As always, those that own these games digitally will be able to download them again for free from the "Ready to Download" section of the Xbox One. If you own Alan Wake on disc, you can also put this in and the necessary files required to make it work will be downloaded.

The epic conclusion to the game that changed all the rules! The Saints have gone from the crackhouse to the White House—but the Earth has been invaded and it’s up to you to free the world from Overlord Zinyak and his alien empire. With homies new and old by your side, and an arsenal of superpowers and strange weapons, you must save the world in the wildest open world game ever!

NEWS: Background music and more coming to Xbox One

An Excerpt from the Windows 10 Anniversary Update

4. UWP apps come to Xbox through a Unified Windows Store and every Xbox One can become a dev kit

Gaming gets better with the Windows 10 Anniversary update, including background music and Cortana coming to Xbox One. Cortana can become your personal gaming assistant and help you find great new games, new challenges or tips and tricks. On Xbox One, we’re continuing to deliver on top fan-requested features like support for multiple GPUs and the ability to turn off v-sync. Game developers have access to a fully open ecosystem with the Universal Windows Platform, making it easy to bring the games people love to both Xbox One and other Windows 10 devices. With the Anniversary Update, any Xbox One can be a developer kit with Xbox Dev Mode, enabling anyone to develop for the living room. And, the Windows Store will offer a unified store experience for all developers, creating new opportunities to reach millions of new customers.

Source

NEWS: Starting today, anyone can turn their Xbox One into a dev kit for free

Microsoft today made good on a nearly three-year-old promise, unlocking the ability for all retail Xbox One consoles to become development kits.

Xbox Dev Mode is available starting today as a preview and will be finalized as a full release this summer. The mode will allow anyone to build, test and experiment with Universal Windows Program (UWP) development. Converting a console to Dev Mode requires no special equipment or fees, though to fully access the abilities, a user will need to create a Dev Center account for $19.

"Now the Xbox isn't just for playing, but also for creating awesome content," said Chris Charla, director of ID@Xbox. "We're excited to open the Xbox One to everyone so anyone can get started developing."
While the preview of Dev Mode is available to anyone now, Charla stressed that most people should wait until its full release later this summer.
"You might run into issues now," he said.

The preview only offers access to 448 MB of the Xbox One's 8 GB of RAM. When Dev Mode comes out of preview, Charla said, developers will have access to the full 1 GB of RAM supported for UWP Xbox games.

"It's also a preview," he added. "And we want to be able to test things still in the preview."
Dev Mode Demo

In a short demonstration over Skype earlier this week, Charla showed how easy it is to switch a retail Xbox One into one that can be used for testing UWP apps and games.

First, a user has to download the Dev Mode activation app from the Xbox Games Store. Launching the app kicks off a welcome screen and a link to documentation that details what to expect when you switch over from retail to a dev kit, as well as the requirements.

The requirements include that you:

• Join the Windows Insider Program
• Are running Windows 10 on your PC
• Have a wired connection to your PC from your Xbox One
• Install the latest Visual Studio 2015 and Windows builds
• Have at least 30 GB of storage free on your console

The introduction also warns that once you've converted your console over, you may occasionally run into issues running retail games. In addition, the introduction says, leaving Dev Mode will require resetting your console to its factory settings and uninstalling all of your games, apps and content.

Upon agreeing, you're given a code that can be entered on your computer once you sign into your Dev Center account. The activation can take awhile and usually requires updating your console. Once it's complete, the console restarts and returns you to your standard startup screen.

Read More at the Source

BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE: Dead Space is now Xbox One Backward Compatibility

Dead Space is now available on Xbox One Backward Compatibility.

As always, those that own these games digitally will be able to download them again for free from the "Ready to Download" section of the Xbox One. If you own Alan Wake on disc, you can also put this in and the necessary files required to make it work will be downloaded

When an immense mining ship, the USG Ishimura, comes into contact with a mysterious alien artifact in a remote star system, its communications with Earth are mysteriously cut off. Engineer Isaac Clarke is sent to repair the Ishimura's communications array, but he arrives to find a living nightmare-the ship is a floating bloodbath, the crew unspeakably mutilated and infected by an ancient alien scourge. Clarke's repair mission becomes one of survival as he fights not just to save himself, but to return the artifact to the planet ... at any cost. 

NEW RELEASE: Killer Instinct: Season 3 Xbox One And Windows 10

Killer Instinct: Season 3 Ultra Edition

The Ultimate Season 3 Bundle! Get early access to fighters! Includes 8 new fighters – including Rash from Battletoads, Arbiter from Halo, Kim Wu, and Tusk! Includes VIP Double XP Booster, 8 retro costumes, accessory sets, bonus retro character colors, and 18,000 KI Gold (limited time only). Rash, Arbiter, Kim Wu, and Tusk available now – all other content to be released over the season.

Everything you already own, earned or purchased (characters, costumes, accessories, etc.) can be accessed on either the Xbox One or Windows 10 version.

The windows 10 version can be purchased/downloaded from the Windows Store