Star Wars: Battlefront 2 progression system tweaked in response to beta

The Star Wars: Battlefront 2 beta occurred a few weeks ago and since then many gamers have provided feedback to EA regarding the progression system.

If you had enough spare funds, you could easily become the most powerful player around by collecting Epic Star Cards from crates. Luckily, the company decided to make some much-needed changes so that the game is fair for everyone. The changes as a result of the beta are listed below.

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Ubisoft details November's Assassin's Creed Origins content

Assassin's Creed Origins launched a few days ago and Ubisoft is already planning a number of changes in November.

Not only will the game get a new mode, but there are plenty of costume packs coming as well. Here's everything you should expect in Assassin's Creed Origins in November.

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Minecraft: Story Mode - Season Two Episode 4 gets new trailer

Telltale Games and Mojang have shared a new trailer for the fourth episode of Minecraft: Story Mode - Season Two.

Episode Four, called Below the Bedrock, will be available for download on November 7, 2017 on Xbox One, Windows PC, PlayStation 4, and a range of other devices.

Minecraft: Story Mode - Season Two has been rather thrilling so far. After narrowly escaping from the Administrator's prison, our hero Jesse and the remaining fugitives discover not just a forgotten city, but an entire hidden world buried deep beneath the bedrock. The team quickly learns that the hidden world isn't abandoned. They'll have to win over the inhabitants, face new challenges, and find out the truth behind the Administrator's origins.

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Microsoft brings Office 365 to 96 new markets around the globe

Office 365 is now available in an additional 96 markets around the globe.

The majority of new markets are concentrated in Africa, with additional new markets in South America the southwestern Pacific.

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PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds now marketed as 'console exclusive' on Xbox One

Microsoft appears to have shifted marketing for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, referring to the game as "Xbox One console exclusive."

Earlier this year Microsoft picked up PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds for the Xbox One, marking its console debut after an unmatched wave of success via Steam's Early Access program. When first revealed for the platform, Microsoft carefully marketed the game as a "console launch exclusive" – an ambiguous term, which pointed toward a wider rollout at a later date.

It now appears that Microsoft has begun shifting away from this phrase, with recent changes across Microsoft's site following the unveiling of the game's Xbox One debut date. The PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds page on the official Xbox site now frames the game as "Xbox One console exclusive" – a change from the previous marketing of the game. This comes after reports that Microsoft was in talks to extend the exclusivity period on its platform.

Microsoft now refers to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds as an "Xbox One console exclusive" on Xbox.com

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8-Bit Adventure Anthology Vol. One review: Three classic adventure games for Xbox One

Three classic eighties adventures return.

Retro game collections allow players to experience classic games on modern platforms, often with welcome enhancements. 8-bit Adventure Anthology collects three classic NES/Mac point-and-click games: Shadowgate, Uninvited, and Déjà Vu, in a simple package. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better example of adventure game history on Xbox One!

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Preorders now live for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds on Xbox One

Preorders for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds physical Xbox One release are now live, priced at $29.99.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has become one of the biggest success stories of 2017 – launching via Steam's Early Access program and soon climbing the charts as one of the biggest names in PC gaming. Microsoft recently picked up the title as a console launch exclusive too, with an Xbox One release on track for later this year via its Xbox Game Preview program.

Microsoft recently unveiled that PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is now on track for December 12, delivering an in-progress version on console prior to its final release. It now appears that preorders for the physical version of the game are now live on the Microsoft Store, priced at $29.99. While preorders for the digital version are yet to surface, it's safe to assume these will shortly follow.

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Dark Souls-like The Surge to get amusement park expansion

Dark Souls-like The Surge is set in a dystopian future as Earth nears the end of its life.

Those who remain in overpopulated cities must work to survive as social programs become saturated by an aging population and increasing environmental disasters. The world is bleak and individuals have to head out to the suburbs seeking jobs. In order to increase their productivity, exoskeletons are fused onto individuals. This is where the problems begin for Warren on his first day on the job. Unlike other such games, The Surge focuses on targeting particular body parts on your enemies. If you're able to slice them off, you can equip them.

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Amazon Prime Video now available globally on Xbox One

Amazon Prime Video is coming to six new markets on Xbox One.

Microsoft has announced that Xbox One owners in Canada, Mexico, France, Italy, Spain, and India can now download the Amazon Prime Video app from the Microsoft Store and start streaming on Xbox One.

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PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds for Xbox One drops Dec. 12, 2017

Microsoft is working with Bluehole to bring PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) to Xbox One, and finally, we have a launch date.

PUBG will hit the Xbox One and Xbox One X with 4K enhancements on December 12, 2017, as part of the Xbox Game Preview program.

Bluehole also revealed that "version 1.0" of PUBG is still on track for a December launch for PC, while acknowledging that they'll continue bringing the same community-driven development cycle to both Xbox and PC versions of the game.

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Get spooky (and win) with our Halloween stream playing The Evil Within 2

Join Windows Central this Halloween for an especially spooky (and horrifying) journey in The Evil Within 2 for Xbox One.

It's that time of the year again – things are about to get spooky with Windows Central's Halloween live stream! Deviating from our regular streaming schedule, later today we'll be hosting a special Halloween stream on Microsoft's streaming network, Mixer. Join our Xbox Editor, Matt Brown and Senior Editor, Zac Bowden, for a gruesome and intense journey in The Evil Within 2 – the latest survival horror game from Bethesda. And yes, they're very bad at dealing with horror (especially Matt).

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Fast-paced arcade racing game Onrush hits Xbox One in 2018

Recently, Codemasters and Deep Silver announced a brand new arcade racing game called Onrush.

Onrush will bring all-action, gravity-defying racing back to consoles when it launches on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in Summer 2018. The game is developed by the team formerly known as Evolution Studios, the game makers behind Sony's Driveclub, After their closure, Evolution Studios was acquired by Codemasters and that team is making Onrush.

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Microsoft executive Julie Larson-Green leaving company after 25 years

Julie Larson-Green, a Microsoft executive who has served in several posts during her tenure, is leaving Microsoft after 25 years.

ZDNet reports that Larson-Green made the announcement in a Facebook post, saying that she is "leaving Microsoft to pursue new adventures in building great teams and customer-first products."

Larson-Green has filled a number of different roles during her 25 years with Microsoft. She previously worked in user interface design for Microsoft's Office apps before heading to the Windows team under Steven Sinofsky.

Once Sinofsky departed in 2012, Larson-Green led Windows engineering before later being tapped to also lead Microsoft's Devices Group. She later became chief experience officer at Microsoft's services group before adding Office to her purview in 2015.

As ZDNet points out, Larson-Green stepped down from her executive role earlier in 2017 following an injury.

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Best Ultrawide Monitors for Your PC

Ultrawide monitors are ideal purchases should you be after something a little more than a single display, but do not wish to fork out on and have the hassle in setting up two or more monitors. Ultrawide screens generally sport resolutions that cover two or more displays with an aspect ratio of around 21:9. We take a look at why they're worth considering and a few options should you be interested in picking one up.

• Why go ultrawide?
• LG 25UM58
• LG 29UM68-P
• LG 34UC98-W
• Dell UltraSharp U3415W
• Acer XR 34
• ASUS ROG SWIFT PG348Q

Why go ultrawide?

So why should you choose ultrawide over a single or multiple monitor setup? As touched on above, these wide load screens offer an immense amount of real estate without the need for multiple monitor purchases, configuring Windows with said setup and having to put up with a gap between the two instances. An ultrawide screen allows you to see a great amount of content on a single unit.

Generally, you'll be looking to pick up a monitor with a resolution of 2560x1080 or 3440x1440, depending on the model. These advanced resolutions aren't just for work either — they're also excellent for gaming. Titles like X3, Grand Theft Auto V, and others look insanely good on ultrawide displays when compared to a single or multi-screen setup.

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Microsoft launches dedicated Xbox Insider blog

Microsoft is giving Xbox Insiders their own space to check out what's new with the Insider program.

Microsoft explains that the new Xbox Insider blog will be a dedicated spot where it can ensure "all Xbox Insider-related news is in one convenient location.

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Show off your Halloween shopping skills & you could win a $100 gift card!

Reminder that you only have a few hours left to enter! This contest ends at 11:59PM PT tonight. Good luck!

Our friends at Thrifter are holding a Halloween contest.

They challenge you to create the coolest, thriftiest Halloween ever this year. Show them how you decorate your home or dress up for trick-or-treating, all while saving money. Repurposing common items for your costume? Thrifty pumpkin carving? Secondhand mantle decorations? The possibilities are endless!

To enter:

1. Upload an image of your creation to Instagram
2. Let Thrifter know in the caption how much you spent, any deals you took advantage of, etc.
3. Use the hashtag #ThrifterHalloween in your caption
4. Tag @thrifterdaily in the photo
5. Make sure your Instagram is public and upload the image to enter!

The Thrifter team will pick their favorites on November 1st. The grand prize winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card, the second-place winner will receive a $75 Amazon gift card, and the third-place winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.

Random entries will win $10 Amazon gift cards and standouts might even get some cool Thrifter swag.

You have until 11:59PM PT on October 31st to enter. Good luck!

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Mixer is getting a complete overhaul on Android and iOS

The Mixer app for Android and iOS is getting a complete overhaul.

Mixer has announced a revamped version of its mobile app is now rolling out to beta testers on Android and iOS.

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The Ultimate GPU Buyer's Guide

It's not rocket science, but purchasing a GPU can be a rather daunting task. Here's our buyer's guide to help you make the perfect choice.

Should you wish to not only work but play on your PC, you'll need to look at investing in a capable GPU. The Graphics Processing Unit is responsible for rendering everything you see on-screen, as well as taking workloads off the CPU when working through calculations. The last thing you want to do when purchasing a new GPU is to waste your money on an old one or one that's not powerful enough to do what you need.

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Trekstor bringing its WinPhone 5 to Kickstarter in November

Image Credit: WindowsUnited.de

Trekstor is apparently gearing up to bring a new Windows phone to market in Germany.

The Trekstor WinPhone 5 was initially spotted in a listing on the German Microsoft Store in September after being on display at IFA 2017.

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Watch an engineer's tour of the new Surface Pro with LTE Advanced

Take a look at some of the engineering work that went into the new Surface Pro with LTE Advanced.

Microsoft today announced that the long-awaited Surface Pro with LTE will be available starting in December for business customers.

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The ultimate Windows 10 Fall Creators Update resource guide

Do you still have questions about the new features and changes in the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update? Here are the answers.

Windows 10's Fall Creators Update (version 1709) has been officially out since October 17, 2017, and it's gradually rolling out to millions of compatible devices across the globe.

In this new release, Windows 10 brings a new set of small and big features and improvements, including visual changes, support for emoji, and even a better handwriting experience. OneDrive Files On-Demand brings placeholders back. You can now link your phone to your PC for a new cross-device experience. Microsoft Edge gets vastly improved. You can now shut down your device with voice commands, there are better accessibility tools, and much more.

Whether you're already running the latest version of Windows 10 or you're planning to install it soon, in this guide, you'll find answers to the most common questions to get to know everything that is new with the Fall Creators Update.

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Core i7 Surface Laptop now available and shipping in more colors

Microsoft has added a little more color to its Core i7 Surface Laptop lineup.

If you've been holding off on picking up Surface Laptop in anticipation of more color options on the top-end models, the wait is over.

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Top 15 scariest Xbox enemies

As we celebrate all things spooky and scary this Halloween, it would be criminal not to look back upon some of the terrifying and fear-inducing foes Xbox users have faced over the years.

Horror is a genre that has been an entertainment staple for decades. Whether in literature, film, or television, it's a genre that has become dear to our hearts. Video games are not an exception to this, and thus, the genre has flourished in the Xbox market. This Halloween, I asked myself, "What are the scariest Xbox enemies in history?"

This article is my answer to that question. Here's my list of the top 15 spookiest and most frightening foes ever encountered on the Xbox console.

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Learn Arduino through projects with this $15 bootcamp!

Arduino is one of the leading open-source software and hardware companies around, offering a way for users to create projects using microcontrollers. Sitting down and attempting to work with an Arduino board likely won't result in much unless some training is involved.

Start building with Arduino with this $15 bootcamp! Learn more

If you're looking for a focused Arduino course that also includes the hardware required to build your own digital devices, Windows Central Digital Offers has a deal for you. Right now, you can get this Arduino Bootcamp for just $15. That's 85 percent off the regular price of $100.

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