【新闻部】The Xbox One

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Sea of Thieves Technical Alpha Test Coming December 16

   

Announcing the Sea of Thieves Technical Alpha

At its heart, our upcoming shared world pirate game Sea of Thieves is all about you, your friends and the high seas adventures you’ll be embarking upon together. With this in mind, our ongoing approach to game design is to craft a wealth of features and systems suited to all manner of player motivations. Our intention is to get that content into players’ hands as soon as possible, giving us valuable feedback and insights into the diverse ways that people will play and experience Sea of Thieves.

As part of our commitment to pulling in player feedback throughout development, we recently launched our Sea of Thieves Insider Programme, inviting passionate fans to sign up and share their experiences and suggestions. Today, we’re excited to announce that our early Technical Alpha phase will kick off on December 16th with a series of scheduled playtests, and we’ll be inviting selected players from the Insider Programme to join us!

As with the rest of the Insider Programme, the contents of the Technical Alpha will be subject to the NDA all Insiders must agree to when signing up for the programme.

We’re powering into this phase of development with three main goals in mind:

1. We want to deliver on our promise to Insiders to help us test early game mechanics and services at a larger scale than anything we’ve delivered before.

2. We want to give our participating Insiders the opportunity to provide feedback about their experience.

3. We want to use this feedback and our data insights to make meaningful changes to our game.

Our first Technical Alpha play session will take place next weekend, from December 16th-18th. It’ll be available during several timeslots throughout the weekend, after which we’ll thank our participating pirates and give the servers a rest while we take on board everything we’ve learned, determining the best ways to apply it to Sea of Thieves’ development.

We’re overjoyed to see that thousands of eager gamers have already signed up for our Insider Programme, but the scale of the weekend’s session will be limited to around 1000 players only. This gives us the right scale and experience for our first test, and will allow us to focus closely on the feedback we receive. As we move on through the Technical Alpha phase, we’ll gradually increase the player base and frequency of sessions in line with the game’s evolution.

Ready to find out more? Watch the video to glimpse which new gameplay features will be included during this first round of the Sea of Thieves Technical Alpha. Fully convinced and ready to go? Jump in now and join our Insider Programme to be in with a chance to play – and check out our official Forums and the Sea of Thieves subreddit for all the latest news and updates!

seaofthieves.com

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New Microsoft Recon Tech Series Controllers for Xbox One and PC
微软公布全新Xbox手柄 军工科技灵感更强无线传输

　　“手柄大厂”微软最近又公布了旗下新一代“Tech系列”手柄。目前该系列的首款无线手柄侦查技术特别版（Recon Tech Special Edition）将在今年 4 月 25 号正式发售，目前其预售价为70美元。

　　该手柄在背面握把包有钻石形橡胶皮层，正面则是激光蚀刻材料。据微软介绍，这款手柄的设计灵感来源于军工技术并将为玩家提供更好的游戏体验。和其他微软 Xbox One 的手柄一样，这款手柄同样在 Xbox 相关的 APP 中支持按键自定义。







Introducing the Xbox Wireless Controller Tech Series

At Xbox, we’re committed to giving fans choices when it comes to games, services, and devices. Coming in holiday 2017, we’re bringing fans the most powerful console ever: Project Scorpio. Featuring 6 teraflops of graphical processing power, true 4K gaming, and compatibility with Xbox One games and accessories. Plus, later this spring, Xbox Game Pass will launch unlocking over 100 great games with endless play. Today, we’re excited to unveil the new Tech Series of Xbox Wireless Controllers. The first in the series is the Xbox Wireless Controller – Recon Tech Special Edition. This controller will be available for $69.99 USD and will start shipping to retailers worldwide starting April 25.

In developing this new controller series, the Xbox team was inspired by military technology and performance patterns, exploring concepts stemming from combat armor and sci-fi mechanical gear. Premium finishes like a laser etched texture on the front, gold accents and insignia are on the front of the controller. The back of the controller features textured diamond rubberized grip for added control and comfort. This specialized controller also has the same features you know and love of the Xbox Wireless Controller, including improved wireless range and Bluetooth technology for gaming on Windows 10 devices or Samsung Gear VR. You can also take advantage of the custom button-mapping feature through the Xbox Accessories App, available for download from the Xbox Store or Windows Store.

   

A great way to use this new controller on your Xbox One is with Copilot – a new console feature that allows any two Xbox Wireless Controllers act as if they were one. As part of our commitment to enhancing gaming for everyone, Copilot makes Xbox One more inviting and fun for new gamers or those needing assistance — whether it’s parents who want to help their kids play, experienced gamers looking to play with novice players, or gamers who need unique configurations to play (e.g. with hands apart, hand and chin, hand and foot, etc.). The Copilot feature will be available through the Creators Update later this year.

Please visit xbox.com, microsoftstore.com, Microsoft Store or your local retail store for more information.

news.xbox.com

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Digital Foundry: Exclusive Xbox Scorpio reveal this Thursday
Digital Foundry 预告将于本周四独家揭露 Xbox One 新主机「天蝎计划」详情

　　欧洲游戏网站 Eurogamer.net 旗下技术团队 Digital Foundry 于 4 月 4 日在官方 Twitter 预告（相关链接：https://goo.gl/53RTVN），将于英国时间本周四（4 月 6 日）下午 2:00（大马时间同日晚间 10:00）独家揭露 Xbox One 新主机「天蝎计划（Project Scorpio，开发代号）」详情。

　　「天蝎计划」是微软于 2016 年 E3 展前发表会宣布的 Xbox One 强化版新主机（开发代号，非正式产品名称），预计提供 6TFLOPS 的浮点数运算效能与 320GBps 的内存带宽，处理效能是既有 Xbox One 主机的 4.5 倍以上。 将支持真实 4K 分辨率游戏，并完全兼容于既有 Xbox One 游戏，同时提供既有 Xbox One 游戏画质提升的能力。

　　天蝎计划自去年 6 月发表以来，除了基本的处理效能与内存带宽等概略信息之外，就没有再公布过其他具体信息。 原本外界预料微软会在今年 E3 展揭露天蝎计划详情，不过日前 Xbox 总裁菲尔‧史宾瑟（Phil Spencer）曾表示今年 E3 展前发表会希望把更多时间留给游戏介绍。 如今则是确定微软将提前于本周四揭露天蝎计划的初步详情，并选择以专精游戏软硬件技术与效能分析的 Digital Foundry 为独家揭露媒体，提前展开这台新主机的营销宣传前哨战。

　　目前竞争对手索尼互动娱乐（SIE）已经于去年 11 月推出 PS4 强化版主机「PlayStation 4 Pro」，提供 4.2TFLOPS 的浮点数运算效能，是既有 PS4 主机的 2 倍以上，同样完全兼容既有 PS4 游戏，支持 4K 分辨率画面输出，不过主要是透过棋盘格式渲染来达成。 另一竞争对手任天堂则是于今年 3 月推出新一代主机「Nintendo Switch」，不走高效能路线，而是结合家用主机与掌上主机特性。 如今微软天蝎计划即将以目前最高的效能加入这一波新主机的战局，有兴趣的玩家不妨多多留意。





Microsoft will unveil Xbox One Project Scorpio this Thursday, April 6 at 6:00 a.m. PT / 9:00 a.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. UK.

Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry will have the exclusive on the reveal, as reported in their tweet.

Project Scorpio was first announced at E3 2016. It is the newest iteration of Xbox One and “the most powerful console ever built,” according to Microsoft, promising true 4K gaming and high-fidelity virtual reality. It will launch this holiday.

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Xbox One Project Scorpio Specs Revealed
Xbox天蝎座最终配置公布 12G DDR5内存+1T硬盘

　　外媒 Eurogamer 和 Digital Foundry 频道独家公布了微软天蝎座主机详情。正式公布了Xbox天蝎座的最终配置。

CPU：8颗定制的X86核心，频率2.3GHz
GPU：40个定制计算单元（AMD Radeon），频率1172MHz
内存：12GB GDDR5
带宽：326GB/s
硬盘：1TB
光驱：4K UHD蓝光
顶级散热系统

CPU方面，Xbox天蝎座仍然搭载了AMD美洲豹核心（而非Ryzen），和Xbox One，PS4、PS4 Pro一样。只不过Xbox天蝎座的CPU属于频率升级版，性能比XB1快31%。2.3GHz，高于PS4 Pro的2.1GHz和Xbox One的1.75Ghz，目前仍然是4MB L2高速缓存。

GPU方面，共有40组计算单元，比PS4 Pro的36多个4组。此外GPU频率提升到1172Mhz，高于PS4 Pro的911MHz，EG表示，Xbox天蝎座GPU能力超PS4 Pro 43%。

内存方面，微软Xbox天蝎座并没有使用GDDR5X，而是GDDR5。8GB留给游戏用，相比来说PS4 Pro只有5G。EG还透露，Xbox天蝎座使用的是384位宽的GDDR5 memory interface，12通道，每个通道是32位。内存方面共有12GB，其中系统占了4G，剩下的8G留给开发者。为了确保天蝎座能以原生4K标准运行系统菜单，Xbox天蝎座所占用的内存比Xbox One多了1G。

　　Eurogamer 表示 Xbox天蝎座的 GPU 频率仅仅比AMD北极星架构的RX 480显卡最高频率低94MHz，后者只有36组计算单元，而且后者在最高频率下需要一个很大的自定义风扇帮助其散热。

　　Xbox天蝎座是微软深度定制和优化的产品，在性能上将超过同等配置的PC。据报道，微软还根据已经发售的Xbox One游戏所存在的瓶颈，在制作Xbox天蝎座时进行回避。微软称天蝎座的GPU管线已经做了超过60个自定义，来排除可能会影响游戏表现的不利因素。

　　至于散热，天蝎座采用的是蒸汽室设计，和NVIDIA的GTX 1080、GTX 1080Ti的散热方案一样。这意味着Xbox天蝎座内部热量将通过背部完全排出，顶部不再有排气口。

　　Xbox天蝎座芯片共360平方毫米，拥有70亿颗晶体管。每个SE拥有11组计算单元。降低采用到1080P是一个非常重要的技术。微软已经要求所有开发商，Xbox天蝎座上游玩的所有Xbox One游戏，帧数必须和原版游戏保持一致或更高。电源方面 Xbox天蝎座采用的是245W通用电压PSU，微软表示这也是Xbox历史上最有效率的一个。天蝎座的电源布置和Xbox One S一样。

　　微软已经承诺 900P 和 1080P 分辨率 Xbox One 游戏将能在天蝎座上以原生 4K 分辨率运行。可以看到 GPU 使用率并不是太高，只有60-70%，显存占用了5G。Eurogamer 表示《极限竞速》Demo中刻意设定了最多数量的汽车，运行了全部的AI和物理模拟。这是一个非常大的压力测试。

　　据Eurogamer报导，《极限竞速》Demo在Xbox天蝎座上以4K分辨率、Xbox One同等画质设定运行时，能达到每秒60帧，而且非常流畅。此外天蝎座似乎还有多余的机能来渲染更多画质改进。EG表示尽管4K游戏是天蝎座的目标，但微软也非常关注1080P玩家，确保天蝎座支持所有游戏模式。

　　据微软透露，Xbox天蝎座内有一个开发者工具叫PIX（Performance Inspector for Xbox，Xbox性能检测），这将允许开发商及时追踪GPU数据。微软团队做了一个广泛的测试，确认任何900p或分辨率更高的游戏能轻松以4K分辨率在天蝎座上运行。

Microsoft has revealed the specifications for its upcoming Xbox One hardware upgrade Project Scorpio in cooperation with Digital Foundry.

Digital Foundry saw Project Scorpio running a ForzaTech demo (pictured), which is a stress test based on the Forza Motorsport 6 engine, running the maximum number of cars around a track with dynamic weather and “all the bells and whistles” turned on. According to the website, the demo ran at full 4K resolution and a perfect 60 frames per second. For the original Xbox One to do this at 1080p resolution uses about 90 percent of its power, but Project Scorpio only used 60 to 70 percent of its resources for this higher resolution demo. The graphic settings were then increased to the equivalent of ultra settings on the PC game Forza Motorsport Apex, and “Scorpio still didn’t break a sweat.”

Microsoft will require that all improved Project Scorpio modes for games be available regardless of the display that’s connected, meaning even those with a 1080p TV will be able to choose between performance modes that make the game run better, or resolution modes that will then “supersample” the 4K image down to your 1080p TV, giving you a smoother and prettier picture.

Digital Foundry says that all Xbox One games will run better on Project Scoprio, whether they’re patched with enhanced modes or not. That includes “more stable frame rates that hit their target more often; no screen tearing; maximum possible resolution at all times; nicer-looking textures; and faster load times.”

Digital Foundry has much more coverage of the technical aspects of the hardware through the following links:

Inside the next Xbox: Project Scorpio tech revealed

Analysis: Scorpio is console hardware pushed to a new level

Five ways your Xbox One and Xbox 360 games will be better on Scorpio

Why Microsoft is making Project Scorpio: Mike Ybarra speaks

Scorpio made simple: the next Xbox’s tech explained

Microsoft is expected to fully unveil Project Scorpio at E3 2017.

   

   

   

   

为什么微软开发Xbox天蝎座主机？Xbox副总如是说

随着今天Xbox天蝎座硬件及背后技术的曝光，我们已经知道了下一代Xbox的相关资讯。但微软为什么要去开发Xbox天蝎座主机呢？

Xbox天蝎座是Xbox One项目相对失败后Xbox的一个全新开始。微软需要推出一台全新的、强大的主机来振兴Xbox平台，以获得更大的利益。

微软Xbox与Windows游戏平台副总裁Mike Ybarra在与外媒探讨时称，微软开发Xbox天蝎座的一部分动机是为了在PS4与Xbox One发售后赢得开发者的回归。

Ybarra表示想要最好的游戏、软件运行在他们的Xbox主机上，以优质的硬件平台让游戏、软件开发商重新回到Xbox主机的开发，这就是开发Xbox天蝎座的目的。

PS4在之前较Xbox One主机性能更出色，而微软将借Xbox天蝎座逆转战局。Xbox天蝎座将赢得开发商的青睐，Ybarra表示微软将提供合适的开发工具，让开发商在Xbox天蝎座的平台开发出最棒的游戏。