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Inside Xbox Episode 3 News Recap

Earlier today Inside Xbox Episode 3 aired, continuing to pull back the curtain on Team Xbox to celebrate our games, features, and fans. This episode was full of a variety of projects Xbox is working on, like new content coming soon to Sea of Thieves and updates to The Master Chief Collection, as well as the official reveal of a specially designed controller allowing more gamers to enjoy video games despite any restrictions they may have. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at some of the biggest news coming out of this month’s episode of Inside Xbox.

First Look at Sea of Thieves: The Hungering Deep

Sea of Thieves hit the open water just two short months ago, starting us off on a grand pirate adventure. Since then we’ve traversed storms, explored sunken ships, and (if we were lucky) faced off with a kraken. Now it’s time to prepare for even greater dangers and adventure in The Hungering Deep later this month in Sea of Thieves. Stay tuned to Xbox Wire and the official Sea of Thieves site for more details on The Hungering Deep as we get closer to launch.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Desert Map Launch Date Revealed

Having been available to Xbox players on the PUBG test servers for a few weeks, we’re excited to reveal that May 24 will be the public launch date of the Miramar map – also commonly known as the Desert Map. A huge thank you to those players who have helped the development team squash bugs and provide feedback. We can’t wait to drop in on this new map!

State of Decay 2 Community Q&A

Richard Foge, Jeff Strain, and Wonder Russell from Undead Labs stopped by take community questions about the soon-to-be-released zombie apocalypse survival game State of Decay 2, covering such topics as four-player co-op, including the benefits for players joining another friend’s game, how the world simulation builds dynamic, emergent gameplay, and what opportunities and challenges fan can expect to face in the world.

Revealing the Xbox Adaptive Controller

One of our biggest features of today’s episode of Inside Xbox was an in-depth look at our newest piece of hardware which we believe will enable and empower even more Xbox One and Windows 10 gamers across the globe: The Xbox Adaptive Controller.

In this segment, we learned how the team at Microsoft took an inclusive design approach, and considerations of gamers who might not be able to reach all the bumpers and triggers or hold a controller for an extended period, designed a controller that provides a way for more fans to enjoy gaming.

The Xbox Adaptive Controller has been years in the making and has been a passion project for people around the world, both inside Microsoft and beyond. The team was thrilled to introduce it to the world today, tell the story behind it, and take what they have learned to inform future initiatives in inclusive design.

No Man’s Sky Details

Hello Games took to the stage here at Inside Xbox to give some more details on the Xbox One version of the upcoming No Man’s Sky, including the first details on multiplayer, additional content coming to the game, as well as what work was put into making the game Xbox One X Enhanced. We’ll have more details to share on No Man’s Sky: Next in the coming months here on Xbox Wire.

Forza Motorsport 7 Update

Brian Ekberg from Turn 10 Studios joined us to talk about quite a few exciting updates and features coming soon to the award-winning racing game Forza Motorsport 7. The team outlined a brand-new series of features for multiplayer, including the new Forza Race Regulations, which not only create a more fair, skillful online experience but also teach players how to improve in online competition. This includes new track limits, which highlight when you’re about to go off-track.

Based on community feedback, the team is also introducing Time Attack back into Forza Motorsport 7, with every track, ribbon and class having a time attack associated with it.

Turn 10 also announced that the team is experimenting with a new drag-race mode, including custom stats and mechanics, such as free rev, to help create a true, simulated drag racing experience. This experience is still early in development, so keep your eyes here on Xbox Wire for more information as it becomes available.

New Halo Arcade Experience and Halo: The Master Chief Collection Update

Brian Jarrard and James Monosmith from 343 Industries came to the show today to talk about a brand-new Halo arcade experience called Halo: Fireteam Raven, built in partnership with acclaimed arcade-game developers Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix. Sporting a 130-inch, 4K screen experience and four turret-mounted multipurpose machineguns, Halo: Fireteam Raven is set to offer a Halo adventure unlike any other. Fans can play it first this summer at Dave & Buster’s in the US and Canada, and expanding to more locations this Fall. In addition, Brian and James provided the latest details of the Halo: The Master Chief Collection update, following through on the team’s commitment to make this the definitive Halo collection with improvements to multiplayer functionality and Xbox One X enhancements.

The Gears Pro Circuit and Halo Championship Series Join Forces

Joining us to talk competitive gaming was Tahir “Tashi” Hasandjekic, Lead Esports Producer at 343 Industries, about teaming up with The Coalition and Major League Gaming to bring Halo and Gears of War together for a unique esports event in New Orleans on July 13-15. The event will feature hundreds of players, two main stages, multiple feature stations and two open bracket areas – and both tournaments will feature a $250,000 prize pool! More details are available at Halo.gg and Gears.gg.

A Look at Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition

Michael Douse from Larian Studios to share with us a look at one of the most critically acclaimed RPGs in Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition, which is available now via the Xbox Game Preview program on Xbox One.

Thanks to everyone who tuned in! We hope you enjoyed the show and we can’t wait to tell you all about next month’s episode in a few weeks.