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With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier

Xbox news recap: Beam rebrands to Mixer, Far Cry 5 reveal completely changes the franchise and more

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Published onMay 27, 2017

published onMay 27, 2017

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Welcome to our weekly Xbox news recap series, where we go over the top stories of the past week in the world of Xbox. Let’s get started.

Beam becomes Mixer, mostly for legal reasons

Beam, Microsoft’s streaming service with a small but loyal base of users,has been rebranded as Mixer. The rebrand has gotten a mixed reception so far, with many loyal Beam users upset that the service has been so dramatically changed overnight. Unfortunately, therenaming occurred becauseMicrosoft “had to change the name because we couldn’t use the Beam name globally,” according to a Tweet from Mixer’s Matt Salsamendi. Only time will tell how dramatic of an effect the new brand has.

Far Cry 5 revealed, showing new direction for the franchise

Far Cry 5 wasrevealed this week by Ubisoft, showing us an entirely new direction for the Far Cry series. The franchise has mostly been defined up until this point by its themes of wilderness and throwing people into a wild, untamed land – but the new series takes place in a contemporary American setting. This time around, it looks like the game takes place in a Montana town called Hope County, and features a villain in the way of a religious cult. Several trailers were released, and they’re all worth watching.

Mixer getting huge changes in the near future

Mixer’s new brand means that the service is really doubling own on making its own identity in the world of streaming services, and that comes withnew features. Mixer has been very transparent about what they plan to be adding in, and it’s actually pretty promising. The list includes Dynamic Stream Recaps, Sub Anniversary Announcements, Channel Editors, Scheduled Live Streams, Team Based Interactive Games, Voice Chat Commands, Co-Streaming, and so much more. No word on when this stuff comes out, but it’s all looking great.

Here’s the list of features:

Mixer may be coming to Playstation, and maybe Switch

Mixer’s mostly aimed at people who are Xbox/Windows 10 diehards, but as a service itneeds to be available for everybody. A Twitter user recently reached out to Microsoft’s Phil Spencer about the plans for Mixer, noting that he’d heard that there were plans to bring Beam to “other platforms,” including Playstation. Phil Spencer answered the question about as simply as possible, by just saying “Yep.” I’d say that’s as close to confirming Mixer on PS4 as he can get, without saying it in plain English.

Yep.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3)May 25, 2017

Mixrosoft’s E3 event will be broadcast in 4k – only on Mixer

Microsoft is going to be broadcastingtheir briefing at E3 on Mixer, giving Xbox fans who have the ability to watch 4K content the broadcast necessary to do so. While it doesn’t really strike most people as a big deal, this means several big things. First of all, you’ll be able to see new trailers released at E3 in their clearest quality (minus any compression.) Second – and possibly the most important – this will be the first real showing of streaming in 4K. This feature is missing from Twitch, and seeing it in action might get some people to consider trying out Microsoft’s service instead.

@Xboxwill be broadcasting the#E32017briefing in 4K Ultra HD, with a special edition#Mixer4K broadcastpic.twitter.com/5E6W8euoVf

— Yusuf Mehdi (@yusuf_i_mehdi)May 25, 2017

Thanks for joining us. To keep up to date with all the latest Xbox news, keep a close eye on ourXbox One tag.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).

For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.

Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.

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With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low#

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app#

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities#

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount#

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier#

Xbox news recap: Beam rebrands to Mixer, Far Cry 5 reveal completely changes the franchise and more#