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Phil Spencer (Microsoft)
Phil Spencer (born January 12, 1968) is an American business executive and the CEO of Microsoft Gaming. Starting his career at Microsoft as an intern in 1988, Spencer has worked in various sectors within the company, including developing Microsoft's first CD-ROM-based titles. He joined the Xbox team in 2001. Career Spencer joined Microsoft in 1988 as an intern and has worked in a number of technical roles, leading the development of Microsoft's first CD-ROM-based titles (such as ''Encarta''), development manager for Microsoft Money, and general manager of Microsoft's online and offline consumer productivity products including Microsoft Works and Microsoft Picture It! During his early time at Microsoft, he was known by other employees to be an avid gamer, playing games such as Ultima Online in the office. With the launch of the Xbox (console), Xbox in 2001, Spencer joined the Xbox team and served as general manager of Microsoft Game Studios EMEA, working with Microsoft's Europe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ridgefield, Washington
Ridgefield is a city in northern Clark County, Washington, Clark County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 10,319 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and according to 2023 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 15,027. Located within the Portland metropolitan area, Oregon, Portland metropolitan area, Ridgefield is notable for the significant Native Americans in the United States, Native American history and connection to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It is also the headquarters of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, a primary reserve for migrating waterfowl on the Pacific Flyway, and the home of the Ridgefield High School (Ridgefield, Washington), Ridgefield High School "Spudders" (reflecting the area's potato-farming heritage). History The area has important ties to the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804–1806, being close to the Chinookan peoples, Chinookan town of Cathlapotle, then a settlement of 700� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xbox Live
The Xbox network, formerly known and commonly referred to as Xbox Live, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Gaming for the Xbox brand. It was first made available to the original Xbox console on November 15, 2002. An updated version of the service, adding the Xbox Live Marketplace, became available with the Xbox 360 console launch in November 2005, and a further enhanced version was released in 2013 with the Xbox One. The service is used on the latest Xbox Series X and Series S and, in addition to a Microsoft account, is the account for Xbox ecosystem; accounts can store games and other content. The service was extended in 2007 across the Windows platform, named Games for Windows – Live, now defunct, which made most aspects of the system available on Windows computers. The Microsoft Store and Xbox app are now used to cross over the Xbox ecosystem into PC gaming, in addition to handhelds and mobile phones ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xbox Adaptive Controller
The Xbox Adaptive Controller (XAC) is a video game controller designed by Microsoft for Windows PCs and the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S video game consoles. The controller was designed for people with disabilities to help make user input for video games more accessible. History According to Phil Spencer, Microsoft had started to take more interest in accessibility features for gaming following the Kinect motion sensing input device first introduced in 2010. While it was successful on the Xbox 360, the Xbox One version, released in 2013, failed to make as strong as an impression, and Microsoft eventually dropped Kinect for gaming areas, though has continued to use its technology in more productivity-related applications. However, the company was contacted by parents of disabled or impaired children that positively commented on the ability of the Kinect to help their children enjoy video games without need of a traditional controller. Matt Hite, an engineer for Microsoft, spott ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xbox Game Pass
The Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service as part of Xbox and offered by Microsoft Gaming. Launched on June 1, 2017, the service allows users to download and play video games via video game consoles, Microsoft Windows, Android, iOS, iPadOS, web browsers, smart televisions, and cloud. Game Pass contains a rotating library of games, with the games remaining accessible as long as the user has an active subscription. Game Pass subscribers also receive discounts on purchases of games from the service's library and their respective downloadable content (DLC). The service consists of two products; the flagship Xbox Game Pass for the Xbox One and Series X/S, and PC Game Pass for PCs running under Microsoft's Windows brand exclusive to the Windows 10 and Windows 11. Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass are available as separate subscription products. A premium tier known as Game Pass Ultimate includes access to both services, in addition to Xbox Cloud Gaming, an on-demand cloud gami ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minecraft
''Minecraft'' is a 2011 sandbox game developed and published by the Swedish video game developer Mojang Studios. Originally created by Markus Persson, Markus "Notch" Persson using the Java (programming language), Java programming language, the first public alpha build was released on 17 May 2009. The game was continuously developed from then on, receiving a full release on 18 November 2011. Afterwards, Persson left Mojang and gave Jens Bergensten, Jens "Jeb" Bergensten control over development. In the years since its release, it has been Video game port, ported to several platforms, including smartphones, tablets, and various video game consoles. In 2014, Mojang and the Minecraft (franchise), ''Minecraft'' intellectual property were purchased by Microsoft for billion. In ''Minecraft'', players explore a procedurally generated, three-dimensional world with virtually infinite terrain made up of voxels. Players can discover and extract raw materials, Glossary of video game terms ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks LLC is an American video game publisher based in Rockville, Maryland. The company was founded by Christopher Weaver in 1986 as a Division (business), division of Media Technology Limited. In 1999, it became a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media. In its first 15 years, it was a video game developer and self-published its titles. In 2001, Bethesda spun off its in-house development team into Bethesda Game Studios, leaving Bethesda Softworks to focus on publishing operations. In March 2021, Microsoft acquired Bethesda's parent company ZeniMax Media, maintaining that the company will continue to operate as a separate business. Part of the Microsoft Gaming division, Bethesda Softworks retains its function as the publisher of games developed by the different studios under ZeniMax Media. History 1980s Before founding Bethesda Softworks, Christopher Weaver was a technology forecaster and a communications engineer in the television and cable industries. After finishing Pos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mojang
Mojang AB, trading as Mojang Studios, is a Swedish video game developer based in Stockholm. A first-party developer for Xbox Game Studios, the studio is best known for developing the sandbox and survival game ''Minecraft'', the best-selling video game of all time. Mojang Studios was founded by the independent video game designer Markus Persson in 2009 as Mojang Specifications for ''Minecraft''s development. The studio inherited its name from another video game venture Persson had left two years prior. Following the game's initial release, Persson, in conjunction with Jakob Porsér, incorporated the business in late 2010, and they hired Carl Manneh as the company's chief executive officer. Other early hires included Daniel Kaplan and Jens Bergensten. ''Minecraft'' became highly successful, giving Mojang sustained growth. With a desire to move on from the game, Persson offered to sell his share in Mojang, and the company was acquired by Microsoft in November 2014. Persson, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Backward Compatibility
In telecommunications and computing, backward compatibility (or backwards compatibility) is a property of an operating system, software, real-world product, or technology that allows for interoperability with an older legacy system, or with Input/output, input designed for such a system. Modifying a system in a way that does not allow backward compatibility is sometimes called "wikt:breaking change, breaking" backward compatibility. Such breaking usually incurs various types of costs, such as Switching barriers, switching cost. A complementary concept is ''forward compatibility''; a design that is forward-compatible usually has a Technology roadmap, roadmap for compatibility with future standards and products. Usage In hardware A simple example of both backward and forward compatibility is the introduction of FM broadcasting, FM radio in stereophonic sound, stereo. FM radio was initially monaural, mono, with only one audio channel represented by one signal (electrical engineerin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cross-platform Play
In video games with online gaming functionality, also called cross-compatible play, cross-platform play, crossplay, or cross-play describes the ability of Gamer, players using different video game hardware to play with each other simultaneously. It is commonly applied to the ability for players using a game on a specific video game console to play alongside a player on a different hardware platform such as another console or a computer. A related concept is cross-save, in which the player's progress in a game is stored in separate servers, and can be continued in the game but on a different hardware platform. Cross-play is related to but distinct from the notions of cross-platform development, cross-platform releases, cross-buy, and cross-platform save game cloud synchronisation. Cross-platform play, while technically feasible with today's computer hardware, generally is impeded by two factors. One factor is the difference in control schemes between personal computers and console ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Proposed Acquisition Of Activision Blizzard By Microsoft
On January 18, 2022, Microsoft announced its intent to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. The acquisition was completed on October 13, 2023, with its total cost amounting to $75.4 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft brought Activision Blizzard under its Microsoft Gaming business unit as a sibling division to Xbox Game Studios and ZeniMax Media. With it, Microsoft gained ownership of several franchises under Activision, Blizzard Entertainment, and King, including ''Call of Duty'', ''Crash Bandicoot'', ''Spyro'', ''Warcraft'', ''StarCraft'', '' Diablo'', ''Overwatch'', and '' Candy Crush''. As of 2023, the acquisition is the largest video game acquisition by transaction value in history. Following shareholder approval of the acquisition, the merger was reviewed by several national anti-trust bodies, with early approvals granted by the European Commission and China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), among others. The United State ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Game Awards
The Game Awards is an annual awards ceremony honoring achievements in the video game industry. Established in 2014, the shows are produced and hosted by game journalist Geoff Keighley. After working on its predecessor, the Spike Video Game Awards, for over ten years, Keighley worked with several video game companies to create the show. In addition to the awards, the Game Awards features premieres of upcoming games and new information on previously-announced titles. The show's reception is generally mixed: it has been lauded for its announcements and criticized for its lack of acknowledgement of events, use of promotional content and treatment of award winners. The ceremony is held in the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California. Keighley has declined several offers from television networks to air the show. The Game Awards has a committee composed of representatives of companies such as Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony. They select over a hundred video game press organizations eli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
DICE Summit
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is a non-profit organization of video game industry professionals. It organizes the annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain Summit, better known as D.I.C.E., which includes the presentations of the D.I.C.E. Awards. History Andrew S. Zucker, an attorney in the entertainment industry, founded the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences in 1991 and served as its first president. AIAS co-promoted numerous events with organizations such as the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Directors Guild of America, and Women in Film. Their first awards show program, ''Cybermania '94'', which was hosted by Leslie Nielsen and Jonathan Taylor Thomas, was broadcast on TBS in 1994. While a second show was run in 1995 and was the first awards program to be streamed over the Web, it drew far fewer audiences than the first. Video game industry leaders decided that they wanted to reform AIAS as a non-profit organization for the video ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
