Microsoft has officially ceased production of all Xbox One consoles to "focus on production of Xbox Series X /S", the company has confirmed.
In a statement to The Verge , senior director of Xbox console product marketing Cindy Walker revealed that Xbox One production actually ended in 2020.
Previously, we knew that Microsoft had discontinued the Xbox One X and digital-only Xbox One S just before launching the Xbox Series X in November 2020. Now it appears that retailers were quietly left to sell through any remaining Xbox One S units as well.
However, despite ending Xbox One production, the tech giant has managed to consistently keep the newer Xbox Series S in stock at certain retailers across the US and the UK.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer told The Verge shortly after the Xbox Series X/S launch in 2020 that Microsoft had built more Xbox Series S chips with the belief that the more affordable Series S would win out at retail.
“We can actually build more of the Series S [chips] in the same [chip] die space as we can the Series X,” said Spencer.
Microsoft's decision to discontinue its older console line is the opposite of Sony's alleged strategy with the PS4. A recent Bloomberg report said that Sony has increased PS4 production in a bid to offset the demand for PS5 consoles and to "keep gamers within the PlayStation ecosystem."
According to Bloomberg, instead of ceasing production of PS4 units, Sony has instead ordered assembly partners to produce additional PlayStation 4 consoles throughout the end of 2022, which superseded the company's initial plans to "discontinue assembly at the end of 2021."
As a result, about a million PS4 consoles will hit store shelves this year alone. This means consumers will still have a chance at enjoying older titles from Sony's catalog of PlayStation titles without having to find a PlayStation 5 in stock. Over a year into the PS5's life cycle, buyers are still struggling to find the console, with demand continuing to outpace supply.
Analysis: should Sony have made an Xbox Series S-like console?
Even though the PS4 is a more economical alternative for players who may be looking to dive into the PlayStation library, it still isn't a viable alternative to the PS5. It also isn't that easy to buy a PS4 right now.
Microsoft is at least offering players a way to experience the newer titles players are clamoring for with its digital-only Xbox Series S, as the more affordable Xbox is still a capable next-gen console .
Though there are a few sacrifices to be made when opting for the more affordable Series S, like its lack of disc drive and storage space, it’s still an excellent option for anyone looking to partake in the buffet of gaming options and services that Microsoft offers like Xbox Game Pass .
With supply issues likely to drag on throughout this year, securing an Xbox Series S might become a more appealing alternative to those who want a more next-gen experience and aren't willing to wait.
How to watch Snowpiercer season 3 online from anywhere
Seven years after the world froze over, there's light at the end of the tunnel. As Layton and his small band of rebels set out in search of life beyond the tracks, a lone wanderer's emergence from the wasteland raises hope and a deep sense of suspicion. Read on to find out how to watch Snowpiercer season 3 online wherever you are in the world.
*Warning: Potential season 2 spoilers*
Where's Melanie? What's Wilford going to do with Ruth? How much more exasperating can Miss Audrey's antics possibly get?
All, we hope, will be answered in due course, along with the mystery of Asha, who steps out from the barren snowscape, claiming to be a survivor from a verdant place called New Eden. Can life really exist out there, or is there something distinctly Wilfordian afoot?
The man himself lies in wait on Snowpiercer, preparing for war once Layton and his crew return, but Layton, Till, Josie and Alex think that they and their 10-car pirate train can get the jump on the old schemer.
It's full speed ahead for the third instalment of this pulsating post-apocalyptic drama, so read on as we detail how to watch Snowpiercer season 3 online where you are.
Is Snowpiercer on Netflix?
Yes - but not universally. While many major Netflix markets like the UK, Canada and Australia are home to Snowpiercer and all-new season 3 episodes, it's not available on Netflix US due to TNT's exclusive broadcast rights to the show.
Fortunately, Netflix global subscribers can access their home account from all over the world. Here's how.
How to watch Snowpiercer from outside your country
If you’re abroad when Snowpiercer season 3 airs, you won't be able to watch the show as you normally would at home, because of annoying regional restrictions.
Luckily, there’s an easy solution. Downloading a VPN will allow you to stream it online no matter where you are. It's a simple bit of software that changes your IP address, meaning that you can access on-demand content or live TV just as if you were at home.
Use a VPN to watch Snowpiercer season 3 from anywhere
How to watch Snowpiercer season 3 online in the US
How to watch Snowpiercer season 3 online in the UK
How to watch Snowpiercer season 3 online in Canada
How to watch Snowpiercer season 3 online in Australia
This is why Dune didn’t feature The Mandalorian's giant LED displays
Dune and The Mandalorian cinematographer Greig Fraser has revealed why the innovative LED display technology used in the latter wasn’t also used on the set of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic.
Season 1 of Jon Favreau’s Star Wars series marked one of the first major productions to utilize LED wall panels, which allow actors to exist in virtual movie worlds without the need for traditional green screens.
The high-spec technology – also used in George Clooney’s The Midnight Sky – features LEDs small enough to function as individual pixels, meaning directors can control set surroundings without moving between locations or constructing expensive building projects that typically eat into large portions of a movie’s production budget.
Given that these LED displays convincingly simulate several Dune-like environments in The Mandalorian, it seemed plausible that Villeneuve might attempt to implement the same technology in his construction of Arrakis.
But in an exclusive interview with TechRadar to promote Dune’s release on digital download (January 17), 4K UHD and Blu-Ray (January 31), Fraser revealed that both timing and authenticity were the reasons behind Villeneuve’s desire to shoot on location, where possible.
“Well, here's the thing,” he said. “We were still filming The Mandalorian as we were prepping Dune. So The Mandalorian was a practice exercise [for that technology]. We were still trying to work out the bugs in the system. That prep was happening concurrently with Dune.
“Also, you can’t just say, ‘hey, let's do some [LED] screens.’ You've got to pick a path [in advance], but the path wasn’t forged yet because The Mandalorian was in the process of forging it. So it wasn't a possibility really, and it wasn't a viable option.”
Fraser then clarified that Villeneuve would likely be against the idea of using LED displays on Dune even if the option were available to him at the time.
“I will say that I think Denis wanted this film to be more tactile than we could ever have possibly achieved using LEDs,” he told us. “He wanted to shoot for real. So what did we do? We went to Abu Dhabi. We got up at 3am. We went out to the desert as the sun was rising, we shot the scene, and then we left and came back at sunset.
“So I think that was the difference between [the two methods] – that tactility which occurs when you're really getting sand in your mouth.”
A preference for practical
In a separate interview with TechRadar, Dune’s Visual Effects Supervisor, Paul Lambert, echoed Villeneuve’s preference to shoot in-situ for practical reasons: “We had discussed using LED screens [on Dune], because Greig [Fraser] had done the first season of The Mandalorian using that technology. But we knew we couldn’t get that harsh intensity of light with an LED screen.”
“Also,” Lambert added, “Denis has got this saying: nature supersedes the storyboards. He adapts the scene when he turns up on set. It’s a very organic process. So trying to set up everything prior to shooting doesn’t really work with him, because he likes to think on his feet. It’s terrifying – but also exhilarating.”
Incidentally, Dune’s Head of Production Design, Patrice Vermette, also told TechRadar that “it was important for [his team] to try and be as original as [they] could, staying away from things like Star Wars, which was obviously so much influenced by Dune.”
Perhaps if Dune had adopted the display technology used in The Mandalorian, then, the opposite would, for once, be true.