Minecraft fans can already have a good time on Xbox One, but just in case they want something a bit blockier, there's a special new console design on the way. The 1TB Xbox One S included in the Minecraft Limited Edition Bundle has a grassy dirt design on the front and a shiny redstone circuit on its semi-transparent backplate. Clever!
Maybe if you attach some extra redstone repeaters you can power it up to an Xbox One X? Or at least turn it into a giant calculator. Anyway, the bundle includes codes for both Minecraft and the Redstone Pack, a month of Xbox Game Pass, and two weeks of Xbox Live Gold. Just in case you want to remember all your lovely creations being blown to bits every time you pick up your gamepad, the bundled-in controller has a special Creeper design with a blotchy green face staring out at you from between the thumbsticks.
If you prefer the company of a friendly swine, you can grab a limited edition Minecraft pig controller. Bonus points for the little curly tail on the battery cover. Both the creeper and pig controller will go up for sale starting on September 12, and the Minecraft Xbox One S will be available as of October 2 in the UK and October 3 in the US.
Minecraft can keep you going for a long time, but you'll get the hankering for extra games eventually; when you do, check out our list of the best Xbox One games and keep on playing.
With Designated Survivor set to return next month, ABC has released a teaser promo for the upcoming second season of the political drama series which you can check out here…
Kiefer Sutherland stars as Tom Kirkman, a lower-level cabinet member who is suddenly appointed President of the United States after a catastrophic attack on the US Capitol during the State of the Union. Kirkman will struggle to keep the country and his family from falling apart, while navigating the highly-volatile political arena and leading the search to find who is responsible for the attack.
Designated Survivor season 2 is set to premiere on September 27th on ABC.
No man is more experienced at rescuing a troubled America than, of course, original 24 star and Canadian action hero Kiefer Sutherland, which is why ABC's Designated Survivor has had such an entertaining first season. And since it's coming up on the end of its first season, it's time to think about whether Designated Survivor will return. Well, I have some good news: Designated Survivor was renewed for Season 2 just days before its Season 1 finale. So there's no reason to be nervous that when the end of the season cliffhangers roll around, that you won't get to know the answer. Unfortunately, though, that doesn't mean that Designated Survivor Season 2 will be arriving soon. The series will likely premiere in September 2017 — it should once again be a fall premiere, and if its time slot doesn't change from Wednesday nights, there shouldn't be anything to delay the next premiere.
EARLIER: But once Designated Survivor does go off the air, what can fans expect from the upcoming second season? Obviously, knowing more won't make the summer-long hiatus any shorter, but maybe it will be more bearable having some idea about where the series is going. And it may be heading in a slightly different direction, because in the second season, Designated Survivorwill have a new showrunner — for the fourth time in its short history, the show is changing hands. According to Deadline, Keith Eisner, formerly of The Good Wife, is taking over. According to Cinemablend, “creative differences” were allegedly behind some of the past showrunner changes, and Suthterland's creative influence may have impacted the series, including orchestrating his reunion with former 24 bad guy and Designated Survivor confidante Mykelti Williamson.
But even a new showrunner won't totally change the ongoing story of Designated Survivor. All season long, a conspiracy has been mounting: Who is behind the massive attack that took out the highest elected officials in the United States, making the lowly Secretary of Housing and Urban Development the President? Agent Wells has been the stealth hero of the series, investigating the attack and suspecting from the beginning that there could be another, subsequent one. Turns out, she was right, now she's been kidnapped by the conspirators, there's a traitor in the White House, and everything that Kirkman attempts winds up getting blocked by either normal political gridlock or some other aspect on the ongoing conspiracy.
Personally, I'm slightly nervous that Wells could be the first season's last casualty, but it seems possible that someone else who lives in the White House could be the next target because of the mole — maybe even Kirkman's family. Certainly, Designated Survivor is basically nothing like the real world or real politics. So, since the series takes such liberties with political institutions, it's leading its upcoming second season in a very exciting new direction.
There are a few subtle differences in the pre-order version of the Xbox One X. “The Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition features a custom design with the words ‘Project Scorpio' printed on the console and the controller, and we’ve incorporated a sophisticated and dynamic graphic pattern across the exterior,” corporate Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Xbox, Mike Nichols, said in a blog post about the console. And yes, the vertical stand is included.
To be clear, the Xbox One X isn't the next version of the Xbox line of game consoles.
It's considered part of the Xbox One platform, meaning that all games on the original Xbox One function on the Xbox One X (and vice versa). It's a more powerful iteration of an existing game console: the Xbox One. So what makes it worth $500 when a standard Xbox One — brand new — costs just $250?
For starters, it makes most games look far prettier than they already do.
“Metro: Exodus” is gorgeous; it was showcased as a major Xbox One X 4K game during E3 2017, the game industry's annual video game trade show.4A Games
The Xbox One X is capable of powering so-called “4K” gaming — the next step up in graphical fidelity after HD — as well as 4K Blu-ray discs. It's got “six teraflops” of processing power, which means it's far more powerful than the current models of Xbox One and PlayStation 4 — even the new, more powerful PlayStation 4 Pro. It also takes advantage of HDR lighting, which makes visuals “pop”; colors are more vibrant and shadows are more detailed. You'll need a 4K TV with HDR support to take full advantage of all that power.
The console is being touted as the most powerful game console ever made, and Microsoft says it's also the smallest Xbox ever made.
Left: Xbox One X | Right: Xbox One S (the “S” model is the original Xbox One hardware in a smaller, more efficient box)Microsoft
Rather than launching the Xbox One X as a successor to the original Xbox One, the Xbox One X joins the slimmer iteration of the original Xbox One (known as the Xbox One “S” — are you confused yet?) seen above.
Though games and movies will look better than ever on the Xbox One X, Microsoft has a mandate that any games on the Xbox One X must be playable on all other Xbox One consoles as well. This is part of Microsoft's ongoing push toward a unified gaming ecosystem across various Windows 10-powered devices; like millions of PCs around the world, the Xbox One and the Xbox One X are powered by Windows 10.
“Forza Motorsport 7” is an especially attractive highlight of the Xbox One X game catalog.Microsoft
Regardless of the “limited edition” console, there's something else that's important to remember here: When the console arrives this November, it's likely to be in short supply.
Rather than fighting holiday crowds at your local retailer, you can pre-order the console starting today at all the usual places: Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and more.
Microsoft appears to be about to unveil a special edition Xbox One S. While the software giant has previous bundled Minecraft with a white Xbox One S, a video posted to Facebook reveals that the company is introducing a limited edition console with Minecraft blocks etched into the device. It’s a mixture of the brown and green you’d expect to see on a Minecraft console, and even the controller is a blocky mix of green and black.
Minecraft fans will love it, and it’s an impressive limited edition if you like custom consoles. An Italian blog first spotted a video promo for the new console on an official Minecraft Facebook page, and Microsoft is expected to unveil it later today at the company’s Gamescom event in Germany. There’s no information on pricing or storage for the custom Minecraft console, but we’ll likely hear about both later today. Microsoft is also expected to unveil a Project Scorpio limited edition version of the new Xbox One X.
The console itself is obviously distinct. The 8-bit style is intentionally reminiscent of the block-by-block nature of “Minecraft.”
Microsoft
In “Minecraft,” you literally build a world block-by-block. It's a game about securing resources — from dirt to wood to stone to diamond, and much more — and then using those resources to survive. That means building houses, and weapons, and tools, and creating irrigation systems and the other staples of human life.
Thus, the “Minecraft” edition of the Xbox One S is a nod to the very nature of the game.
The reference goes far deeper when you flip the console over. This is what's known as a “Redstone circuit.” It's the electricity system within “Minecraft,” essentially.
Microsoft
The idea with this reference is that this the Redstone circuitry that's powering the Xbox One S. It's a relatively deep cut, and it's one that you'll only ever see when you look at the bottom of the console — a nice, very fan-servicey reference for folks who know. It's also strong incentive to put the included vertical stand to use (it's normally sold separately, unbelievably).
Beyond the console, the new “Minecraft” Xbox One S bundle comes with a fantastically creepy gamepad.
Microsoft
Do you see it? How could you not see it?
Yes, the gamepad is a face — and not just any face, but the face of the notorious Creeper. For those unfamiliar, the Creeper is a diabolical enemy in “Minecraft.” You'll find him lurking in underground caverns, or sneaking up on you when you least expect it. Before you've been exploded by him, you'll hear the quiet hiss of dynamite. And then: Whammo! Creepers explode, of course, thus killing you in one shot. They're real jerks.
Which is why it's hilariously satisfying to use their faces as gamepads! There's even a little TNT box on the back of the gamepad — an allusion to the inner nature of Creepers.
These gamepads are also being sold separately, of course — they cost $74.99 and arrive on September 5.
But maybe that isn't enough “Minecraft” stuff for you? There's a pretty fantastic, extremely porky gamepad that's also available — it's sold separately for $74.99.
Microsoft
Yes, that is a curly tail on the rear of the gamepad. And yes, that is an amazingly pixelated pig face on the front. It's sold separately, but also it's perfect in every way. Whether you care about “Minecraft” or not, this gamepad is probably worth your money.
The Xbox One S in the bundle comes with a 1 TB storage drive, a vertical stand, and digital codes for “Minecraft” and the Redstone expansion.
