Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing services grew 50%, the second quarter of acceleration in a business where the global pandemic benefited its investment on working and learning from home.
Think Michelangelo vs Da Vinci. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Batman vs Superman. Another epic rivalry is rejoined this week when Sony and Microsoft go head to head with the next generation of their blockbuster consoles.
The Xbox Series X is billed as the most powerful videogame console ever made. But with a meagre line-up of games this year, that promise won’t mean much for a while.
Microsoft said on Monday it plans to acquire ZeniMax Media, owner of the storied videogame publisher Bethesda Softworks, for $7.5-billion, its biggest videogame purchase ever.
Sony said its next-generation PlayStation 5 console would launch in November priced at $499.99 and $399.99 for a version without a disc drive, as it squares off against rival Microsoft’s new Xbox console.
At a time when its collection of businesses are all declining, Sony had one bright spot on the horizon: a new games console. Now the company, and its investors, will need to wait a little longer for that fresh high.
Microsoft’s two-tiered strategy that attempts to make next-generation console gaming more affordable misses the mark. The company seems to have forgotten the most important videogame industry lesson.
The next-generation Xbox game console finally has a price and release date: The Series X will be out on 10 November worldwide for $499.99 – it will cost R11 999 in South Africa – Microsoft said on Wednesday.
Microsoft has said its next-generation Xbox console will be its “most powerful console ever”, with processing technology four times more powerful than the Xbox One.
Microsoft showed off its new game console, the Xbox Series X, for the first time, confirming the machine would go on sale in the 2020 holiday period.