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Microsoft announces Kinect-less Xbox One for $400

In a move that will almost certainly push another batch of holdouts to join the next generation, Microsoft has announced that, starting June 9, a less expensive model of the Xbox One will be available that does away with the bundled Kinect motion sensor. Microsoft’s flagship system currently retails for $500 with the Kinect, and this new option shaves an ample $100 off that price, bringing it down to a much more palatable $400. 

The innovative motion sensor has been a fascinating platform for hackers and experimentation since its introduction with the Xbox 360, but in many ways it has failed to gain traction with the general gaming population. Giving consumers the option to skip the Kinect with Xbox One and perhaps buy it seperately makes the system much more appealing to budget-minded buyers who just aren’t sold on the sensor’s utility.

 
Will Fulton
Former Staff Writer, Gaming
Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…
Microsoft trained an AI to play (and maybe develop) games
A screen of gameplay from the game Bleeding Edge

Today, Microsoft announced its first World and Human Action Model, or WHAM, a generative AI capable of generating game visuals and controller actions. Nicknamed "Muse," this AI was built in collaboration with Microsoft Research Game Intelligence and Teachable AI Experiences alongside the game studio Ninja Theory.

Muse is designed "to effectively support human creatives," according to Microsoft. The AI was trained onĀ Bleeding Edge, a multiplayer arena battler, but the intended applications go far beyond just creating an AI-controlled character (although that is one possible outcome.)

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ROG Xbox Ally: release window, specs, features, and more
The xbox rog ally floating in the air.

Between the Switch 2, the Steam Deck, and even the PlayStation Portal, handheld gaming is bigger than ever. Despite having some amazing games on the Xbox Series X and S, console sales this generation have been lackluster at best. Xbox has made a lot of gambles to try to stay competitive, such as Game Pass and making the biggest acquisition in gaming history with Activision Blizzard, but the question still remains how it will manage to regain its foothold in the industry after falling so far behind. One idea that has been teased many times concerns a dedicated Xbox handheld device that has many fans intrigued. After tons of rumors and speculation, Xbox finally revealed a dedicated Xbox handheld made in partnership with ROG. We don't have all the details just yet, but we can fill you in on all the latest information available for the ROG Xbox Ally.
ROG Xbox Ally release window
ROG Xbox Ally World Premiere Reveal Trailer | Xbox Games Showcase

The ROG Xbox Ally was officially revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 and given a release window of holiday 2025. That generally means somewhere between October and December, but we will keep this post updated as soon as a specific date is given.
ROG Xbox Ally specs
The ROG Xbox Ally is based on the ROG Ally, but is an upgrade over the last version. Just like there is the Xbox Series X and S, there are also two versions to pick from: the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally. The X will be the slightly more powerful version, but here's a full breakdown of how the two compare, taken directly from the official Xbox website.

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Xbox Game Pass is coming to your LG smart TV
Key art for Cloud Gaming through the Xbox app.

At CES 2025, LG and Microsoft announced that an Xbox app is coming to LG smart TVs sometime this year.

The Xbox app is already available on newer Samsung TVs, and it lets people try out Game Pass Ultimate titles via cloud gaming, even if they don't own an Xbox Series X or S console.

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