Skip to main content

Digital Trends Live: Xbox Series X, Oculus Quest VR headset, and more

 

On this episode of Digital Trends Live, host Greg Nibler talks the top tech of the day, including using tech to detect and combat coronavirus, Airbus’ “smell sensors,” the Xbox Series X boot screen, the Oculus Quest VR headset, and more.

David “iPodKingCarter” Carter

Nibler then speaks with David “iPodKingCarter” Carter, who has been uploading NBA2K content to YouTube for the last decade.

Pia Toscano

Next up. recording artist Pia Toscano talks about her journey from American Idol to sharing the stage with the likes of Andrea Bocelli and David Foster.

It’s then time for Awesome Tech You Can’t Buy Yet, where we take a look at the best upcoming Kickstarter projects, including the Ovo Nova portable fitness gym and the HydraCell Power Cube.

 

Finally, we discuss some home technology that’s been on Americans’ minds lately: Bidets. Are they really that much better than using traditional toilet paper?

Todd Werkhoven
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Todd Werkhoven's work can be read at numerous publications and he co-authored a personal finance book called "Zombie…
Turn your Xbox Series X into a Starfield machine with this console wrap
The Starfield Xbox Series X Console Cover.

Microsoft announced that official Xbox Series X Console Wraps will come out later this year. Three of these are already available to preorder, including one based on Bethesda Game Studios' highly anticipated Xbox console exclusive Starfield.
Following in the footsteps of customizable PlayStation 5 console covers, Microsoft is finally giving people more options to customize their normal Xbox Series X series. That comes in the form of Xbox Series X Console Wraps, which Microsoft says are "made with solid panels and an engirdled fabric," and are "designed to perfectly surround your Xbox Series X" without blocking the console's vents and airflow like some of the other current third-party options. The first Xbox Series X Console Wrap to release is based on Starfield and will come out on October 18.

Its design lines up with the special Starfield headset and controller and is based on the avionics modules players will encounter during the game. The Starfield Console Wrap will cost $50 when it launches in October, but two more Consoles Wraps launching a month later will come in slightly cheaper at $45.
Those two Console Wraps use soft microfiber fabric and feature designs based on camouflage, with the Mineral Camo Console Wrap using blues and purples and the Artic Camo Console Wrap featuring gray and white tones. Both Camo Console Wraps release on November 10, the three-year anniversary of the Xbox Series X launch.

Read more
Square Enix commits to release more games on Xbox, starting with Final Fantasy XIV
A screenshot of Final Fantasy XIV running on Xbox.

During Final Fantasy XIV's FanFest today, Square Enix not only confirmed that its popular MMO would finally come to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in spring 2024, but that it will commit to bringing more of its games to Xbox going forward.

Over the past decade, Square Enix tended to partner with PlayStation a lot more than Xbox. In 2023 alone, Final Fantasy XVI launched as a PS5 exclusive, while other Square Enix games, like Octopath Traveler 2 and Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, avoided launching on Xbox entirely. That all seems to be changing, though.
Following a reveal at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival in Las Vegas today that the Dawntrail expansion is coming in summer 2024, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer and Square Enix CEO Takashi Kiryu came out on stage to discuss Square Enix's future with Xbox.
First, we learned that Final Fantasy XIV itself is finally coming to Xbox Series X/S with faster loading and 4K support. An open beta test will be held alongside the launch of Patch 6.5x, while a full release is planned for spring 2024.
This partnership is not just for one game, though. "Starting with today's announcement and whenever possible, we are planning to bring our games to Xbox for players to enjoy," Kiryu said while on stage, according to X account Nova Crystallis. This sentiment is reflected in an Xbox Wire post about the port, where Square Enix PR director Luke Karmali states that "this is just the beginning of our journey together."
Final Fantasy XIV is available now for PC, Mac, PS4, and PS5. It comes to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in spring 2024.

Read more
Your Xbox Live Gold subscription will turn into Xbox Game Pass Core this September
Xbox Game Pass Core's logo over a library of games.

Microsoft finally made the decision to move on from its monthly online-access subscription service Xbox Live Gold. On September 14, Xbox Live Gold will transform into Xbox Game Pass Core, with current Gold subscribers automatically gaining a Game Pass Core subscription.

An Xbox Live subscription tied to online play has existed in some form since Xbox Live launched in 2002, but Xbox Live Gold as we now know it truly came into form in July 2013 when Microsoft started the Games with Gold program that gave subscribers free games each month in addition to that online access. Although Microsoft rolled back some online restrictions in 2021, Games with Gold continues to this day. That will all end when Game Pass Core launches.

Read more