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Microsoft claims the game remains in development. Microsoft has cut ties with Darkside Games, the studio responsible for the new Xbox One game Phantom Dust , resulting in the studio's shutdown, according to a new report by Kotaku . The Florida-based independent studio reportedly laid off its staff after Microsoft canceled the version of Phantom Dust it was working on. In a statement to GameSpot, a Microsoft spokesperson didn't address the closure, stating, "Microsoft partnered with Dark side Game Studios in the development of Phantom Dust, but our working relationship has now ended. We have great respect for their studio and their work in the industry." The spokesperson then went on to confirm that Phantom Dust is still coming: "While we do not have anything new to share on Phantom Dust at this time, we can confirm that development of the title continues. We look forward to sharing more details on the game as we get closer to release." As for wh...

Microsoft has started rolling out the November Update for its Xbox One gaming console. The system update, which was outlined by the company last month, is now available for download; adding a number of noteworthy new features to the console. The features which are coming aboard the Xbox One console as a result of the November system update include customizable themes and backgrounds, gamer profile additions, the ability to Tweet gameplay clips via the Share button, among others. The introduction of customizable backgrounds that can be added on the dashboard is one of the main features of the latest system update rolled out for Xbox One. The feature allows the users of the console to import custom images from a USB memory stick or connect to their PC files via the Media Center. Furthermore, users can also use solid colors or any unlocked achievement picture as their background. Gamer Profile updates now come with the option of including location and bio as part of a profile. ...

Michael Freedman directs Station Q. Microsoft’s Quantum Mechanics        Can an aging corporation’s adventures in fundamental physics research open a new era of unimaginably powerful computers?    By Tom Simonite on October 10, 2014 In 2012, physicists in the Netherlands announced a discovery in particle physics that started chatter about a Nobel Prize. Inside a tiny rod of semiconductor crystal chilled cooler than outer space, they had caught the first glimpse of a strange particle called the Majorana fermion, finally confirming a prediction made in 1937. It was an advance seemingly unrelated to the challenges of selling office productivity software or competing with Amazon in cloud computing, but Craig Mundie, then heading Microsoft’s technology and research strategy, was delighted. The abstruse discovery—partly underwritten by Microsoft—was crucial to a project at the company aimed at making it possible to build immensely po...

Rumors abound – just don't expect an Apple-esque Internet takeover.   Image via Creative Commons/Robert Scoble/CC-BY No one’s camping outside of Microsoft stores. Your techie friends probably aren’t going crazy. And there’s very little official hype –there's nothing on Windows' official twitter  account, either. But it’s happening. What Windows users everywhere have been waiting for, even if they don’t know it. On September 30, at an invitation-only event, Microsoft will be introducing their new O.S. – codenamed “Threshold”, but being called Windows 9 by many technology bloggers. Here’s what you can expect tomorrow. The Event During the Windows 9 announcement event in San Francisco tomorrow, Microsoft executives will reveal “ what’s next for Windows and the enterprise .” In a strategy that couldn’t be much futher from Apple’s live-streamed announcement earlier this month , Windows has reportedly sent out invitations to about 50 journalists and analysts. ...