Xbox Newsbeat – 22 May 2015
Casey Hudson Joins Microsoft as Creative Director at Microsoft Studios
There is a new Creative Director in town!
We’re proud to announce that Casey Hudson has joined Microsoft in the role of Creative Director at Microsoft Studios, where he’s working on Microsoft HoloLens, Xbox, and other awesome projects. He reports directly to Kudo Tsunoda, CVP of Next Gen Experiences, in this new role and he’s currently busy relocating from Edmonton, Canada to his new home in Redmond, WA.
Over the course of his 15 years at BioWare/EA, Casey has led the development of several of the industry’s biggest and best titles. He has brought a natural leadership style to his role at the helm of teams that have included over 200 developers, providing a vision for the creative, technical, and business aspects of some of gaming’s most important franchises. His role as Project Director placed him in charge of the creative and operational vision for development of franchises such as Mass Effect and Star Wars, while his responsibilities as Executive Producer involved a broader business strategy for expansion to other media. Since 2000, Casey has led teams in the development of major “event titles” that went on to achieve both critical and commercial success, giving him one of the most outstanding track records in the history of AAA game development.
With a degree in Engineering and a passion for art and music, Casey applies a full-spectrum approach to his pursuit of delivering the most exciting and memorable entertainment experiences in the world. We recently sat down with him to discuss his new role at Microsoft, and the exciting things that he will help us achieve with Xbox and HoloLens as we look to 2015 and beyond.
Xbox Wire: What can you share about your new role?
Casey Hudson: As Creative Director at Microsoft Studios, my primary focus will be the creative direction of HoloLens Experiences. I am extremely passionate about the potential of this kind of technology, as anyone who’s talked with me over the last couple of years can attest. I feel that the work being done at Microsoft on mixed reality and holographic computing will have a tremendous impact on how all of us interact with technology in the coming years. It’s an honour to be able to join such an incredibly talented team, and to work on something that will fundamentally advance the role computers play in our daily lives.
I will also be working with innovative new Xbox titles, helping them to find success through clear direction and creative vision. I will be involved in driving a creative focus for Xbox and Windows gaming, and I couldn’t be more excited to be involved in that. The projects I’ve seen in development so far are amazing, and it’s going to be an awesome experience helping these teams cross the finish line.
Xbox Wire: What are you most excited about in coming to work for Microsoft?
Casey Hudson: I’ve been an Xbox fan since I first learned about it during the development of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The games I’ve worked on have found the greatest success on Xbox, and it’s my preferred way to play games. I’m also a lifelong PC player, and I feel like I grew up with the advent of the personal computer. Given all that, coming to work for Microsoft is a special honour for me.
But in addition to the privilege of working for Microsoft and Xbox, I am particularly excited about working on HoloLens. I was fortunate to try an early prototype of HoloLens before it was announced, and I was blown away by the technology and what it was already capable of. Walking on Mars while sipping coffee in an office setting, Skyping with a friend who can draw on the walls of my environment, sculpting an object in 3D modelling software while a hologram of it sits on a table next to me… These first experiences cemented my belief that holographic computing was where I needed to be. There’s no end to the potential of this technology, and I look forward to being able to influence the full-spectrum experience on HoloLens, from hardware to OS, to applications and games.
Above all, I’m most excited about how much I will be able to learn from the team at Microsoft, who have already accomplished so much with HoloLens.
Xbox Wire: When you’re not working, what do you like to do for fun?
Casey Hudson: Naturally, I love playing video games, whether on console, PC, or mobile. I tend to enjoy the extreme ends of the spectrum most: the biggest AAA blockbusters, and the tiniest, most experimental indies. Playing games with my two young sons is a particularly good learning experience – not just because they’re often better at it than me, but because of how the next generation views digital entertainment having grown up in the age of digital downloads, touchscreens, and mobile games. Seeing things through their eyes helps me build a vision of where things are going next.
I also try to get away from digital and virtual worlds as much as possible when I’m away from work. As a private pilot, I like the challenge of a whole different set of problem-solving and communication challenges, where the stakes are much more real. Music is another outlet for me (guitar, keyboard, and saxophone), as is art (be it painting concepts in Photoshop or simply drawing on a sketchpad). I have deep passions in both the arts and sciences, and the more I do of one, the more I crave the other. And ultimately, that’s what led me to do the kind of work I do today – a balanced approach where I’m able to work with amazingly talented team members across a wide spectrum of abilities. So while I dabble in a lot of different things and have an appreciation for many disciplines, it only gives me a deeper appreciation for the world-class experts I’ve had the privilege to work with in my career.
Check out the Xbox Wire for further details.
New Xbox Features Now Available in Preview
Jump in to these great new features!
The Xbox experience across devices is becoming more robust this week as we begin to roll out a host of new features. You’ll notice some old favourites—like avatars—making a comeback, and brand new features—like testing streaming—setting the stage for bigger things to come.
Xbox on Windows 10
Here’s a closer look at the great new features coming to Xbox on Windows 10 with this month’s Xbox app preview:
- Avatars – You can now download and launch the Avatars app from within the Xbox app. To do this, from your profile, select Customise > Customise your avatar. If the Avatars app is not installed, you will be directed to the Windows Store (Beta) to install it. After the app is installed, select Customize > Customize your avatar to launch the Avatars app and edit, dress up, and buy new items for your avatar. There is a new colour picker that pops up as a horizontal toolbar for colourable items, which allows you to choose between different items and colours, without having to bounce back and forth between pages.
- Friends updates – We’re making it easier to add friends, designate them as favourites and share your name from the Xbox app. Click on a friend’s profile in your friends list and click on More > Change friendship to make them a favourite, or from anyone’s profile to add them as a friend. The friends list will now also show you which of your friends are in a party, playing multiplayer games, or broadcasting. You can also now report or block people from the Xbox app.
- Game hubs – Similar to Xbox One, you can now view the game hub for an Xbox One game and view the activity feed curated by the game’s community manager. Click on any game tile, under Home > Recently played or elsewhere in the Xbox app, and you will be taken to the game hub. There you can also see friends who have played the game, your achievement progress and more easily get the details on the game’s achievements.
- Game DVR – You can now alter the keyboard shortcuts used for opening the Game Bar, starting and stopping recording, taking screenshots, and more. Select Settings > Game DVR > Keyboard shortcuts to make changes. Highlight the Your shortcut box and use your desired new key combination to create your new shortcut. Also, you can now view and manage your cloud-based game clips from the Xbox app by selecting Game DVR > Shared.
- Testing streaming – The Xbox team needs your help in providing information about your PC’s performance and connectivity characteristics as we prepare to enable game streaming from Xbox One to Windows 10 PCs. To do this, connect your Xbox One to your Windows 10 PC using the Xbox app: from the Connect menu, select your Xbox One console then choose Connect. Once connected, click on Test streaming to anonymously send the team diagnostic information about your PC and network settings. The team would greatly appreciate if you did this once on each of your Windows 10 devices.
- Turn On/Off your Xbox One Console – The Connect menu in Xbox app has been updated to let you power your Xbox One on and off from your Windows 10 devices when they are on the same home network as your console.
The Xbox app on Windows 10 PCs will automatically update to the May preview version when it becomes available in the Windows Store. Once you receive the update, your version number should be 5.5.20022.00000 or higher. You can verify the version number of the Xbox app under Settings.
The Xbox app will sign in using your primary Microsoft Account and associated gamertag that you use to sign into Windows 10. If you want to sign in with a different gamertag, you will need to set up a second Microsoft account on your Windows 10 PC. The ability to sign into the Xbox app with a different Microsoft Account/Xbox Profile will be re-enabled in a future update.
Xbox One updates
The Xbox team is gearing up quickly for E3 in June and we’ve got some exciting things to share with you there, but first, this month we’re continuing to preview a few things while we gather feedback and work toward making them available to everyone.
- Wireless Display app – We appreciate all the great feedback you’ve sent us and the team continues to make improvements to the Miracast functionality in the Wireless Display app based on that feedback. Keep it coming!
For a closer look at the new features, please visit the Xbox Wire.
Forza Horizon 2 Pre-Order Car Pack Available Now on Xbox One
These four amazing cars can now be yours
The Forza Horizon 2 Pre-Order Car Pack has arrived on Xbox One. Previously only available exclusively to Forza fans who pre-ordered Forza Horizon 2, the pack includes two dream rides from Italy – the 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo LP-570-4 Superleggera and the 2008 Ferrari California – and a pair of amazing examples of German engineering in the 2013 BMW M6 Coupe and the 2013 Audi RS 4 Avant.
The Forza Horizon 2 Pre-Order Car Pack on Xbox One is now available via the Xbox Live Store, which includes:
- 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo LP-570-4 Superleggera
- 2013 BMW M6 Coupe
- 2008 Ferrari California
- 2013 Audi RS 4 Avant
For more on everything Forza, and media assets for the latest car pack please visit the Xbox Wire.
As always, please get in touch if you have any queries.
Many thanks,
Ewen
Ewen Doddrell
Senior Account Executive
Xbox@Ogilvy, Ogilvy House, Level 2, 72 Christie St, St Leonards, NSW 2065, Australia
T: +61 (02) 8281 3859 | M: +61 416 753 240 | E: ewen@xbox.ogilvy.com.au
Twitter: @spewen
Gamertag: Wholemealspewen
Hi Andrew
Welcome to this week’s Xbox Newsbeat from Microsoft, outlining the latest news and announcements for Xbox One and Xbox 360. Please get in touch if you require any further information regarding today’s Newsbeat which includes:
- Casey Hudson Joins Microsoft as Creative Director at Microsoft Studios
- New Xbox Features Now Available in Preview
- Forza Horizon 2 Pre-Order Car Pack Available Now on Xbox One
Casey Hudson Joins Microsoft as Creative Director at Microsoft Studios
There is a new Creative Director in town!
We’re proud to announce that Casey Hudson has joined Microsoft in the role of Creative Director at Microsoft Studios, where he’s working on Microsoft HoloLens, Xbox, and other awesome projects. He reports directly to Kudo Tsunoda, CVP of Next Gen Experiences, in this new role and he’s currently busy relocating from Edmonton, Canada to his new home in Redmond, WA.
Over the course of his 15 years at BioWare/EA, Casey has led the development of several of the industry’s biggest and best titles. He has brought a natural leadership style to his role at the helm of teams that have included over 200 developers, providing a vision for the creative, technical, and business aspects of some of gaming’s most important franchises. His role as Project Director placed him in charge of the creative and operational vision for development of franchises such as Mass Effect and Star Wars, while his responsibilities as Executive Producer involved a broader business strategy for expansion to other media. Since 2000, Casey has led teams in the development of major “event titles” that went on to achieve both critical and commercial success, giving him one of the most outstanding track records in the history of AAA game development.
With a degree in Engineering and a passion for art and music, Casey applies a full-spectrum approach to his pursuit of delivering the most exciting and memorable entertainment experiences in the world. We recently sat down with him to discuss his new role at Microsoft, and the exciting things that he will help us achieve with Xbox and HoloLens as we look to 2015 and beyond.
Xbox Wire: What can you share about your new role?
Casey Hudson: As Creative Director at Microsoft Studios, my primary focus will be the creative direction of HoloLens Experiences. I am extremely passionate about the potential of this kind of technology, as anyone who’s talked with me over the last couple of years can attest. I feel that the work being done at Microsoft on mixed reality and holographic computing will have a tremendous impact on how all of us interact with technology in the coming years. It’s an honour to be able to join such an incredibly talented team, and to work on something that will fundamentally advance the role computers play in our daily lives.
I will also be working with innovative new Xbox titles, helping them to find success through clear direction and creative vision. I will be involved in driving a creative focus for Xbox and Windows gaming, and I couldn’t be more excited to be involved in that. The projects I’ve seen in development so far are amazing, and it’s going to be an awesome experience helping these teams cross the finish line.
Xbox Wire: What are you most excited about in coming to work for Microsoft?
Casey Hudson: I’ve been an Xbox fan since I first learned about it during the development of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The games I’ve worked on have found the greatest success on Xbox, and it’s my preferred way to play games. I’m also a lifelong PC player, and I feel like I grew up with the advent of the personal computer. Given all that, coming to work for Microsoft is a special honour for me.
But in addition to the privilege of working for Microsoft and Xbox, I am particularly excited about working on HoloLens. I was fortunate to try an early prototype of HoloLens before it was announced, and I was blown away by the technology and what it was already capable of. Walking on Mars while sipping coffee in an office setting, Skyping with a friend who can draw on the walls of my environment, sculpting an object in 3D modelling software while a hologram of it sits on a table next to me… These first experiences cemented my belief that holographic computing was where I needed to be. There’s no end to the potential of this technology, and I look forward to being able to influence the full-spectrum experience on HoloLens, from hardware to OS, to applications and games.
Above all, I’m most excited about how much I will be able to learn from the team at Microsoft, who have already accomplished so much with HoloLens.
Xbox Wire: When you’re not working, what do you like to do for fun?
Casey Hudson: Naturally, I love playing video games, whether on console, PC, or mobile. I tend to enjoy the extreme ends of the spectrum most: the biggest AAA blockbusters, and the tiniest, most experimental indies. Playing games with my two young sons is a particularly good learning experience – not just because they’re often better at it than me, but because of how the next generation views digital entertainment having grown up in the age of digital downloads, touchscreens, and mobile games. Seeing things through their eyes helps me build a vision of where things are going next.
I also try to get away from digital and virtual worlds as much as possible when I’m away from work. As a private pilot, I like the challenge of a whole different set of problem-solving and communication challenges, where the stakes are much more real. Music is another outlet for me (guitar, keyboard, and saxophone), as is art (be it painting concepts in Photoshop or simply drawing on a sketchpad). I have deep passions in both the arts and sciences, and the more I do of one, the more I crave the other. And ultimately, that’s what led me to do the kind of work I do today – a balanced approach where I’m able to work with amazingly talented team members across a wide spectrum of abilities. So while I dabble in a lot of different things and have an appreciation for many disciplines, it only gives me a deeper appreciation for the world-class experts I’ve had the privilege to work with in my career.
Check out the Xbox Wire for further details.
New Xbox Features Now Available in Preview
Jump in to these great new features!
The Xbox experience across devices is becoming more robust this week as we begin to roll out a host of new features. You’ll notice some old favourites—like avatars—making a comeback, and brand new features—like testing streaming—setting the stage for bigger things to come.
Xbox on Windows 10
Here’s a closer look at the great new features coming to Xbox on Windows 10 with this month’s Xbox app preview:
- Avatars – You can now download and launch the Avatars app from within the Xbox app. To do this, from your profile, select Customise > Customise your avatar. If the Avatars app is not installed, you will be directed to the Windows Store (Beta) to install it. After the app is installed, select Customize > Customize your avatar to launch the Avatars app and edit, dress up, and buy new items for your avatar. There is a new colour picker that pops up as a horizontal toolbar for colourable items, which allows you to choose between different items and colours, without having to bounce back and forth between pages.
- Friends updates – We’re making it easier to add friends, designate them as favourites and share your name from the Xbox app. Click on a friend’s profile in your friends list and click on More > Change friendship to make them a favourite, or from anyone’s profile to add them as a friend. The friends list will now also show you which of your friends are in a party, playing multiplayer games, or broadcasting. You can also now report or block people from the Xbox app.
- Game hubs – Similar to Xbox One, you can now view the game hub for an Xbox One game and view the activity feed curated by the game’s community manager. Click on any game tile, under Home > Recently played or elsewhere in the Xbox app, and you will be taken to the game hub. There you can also see friends who have played the game, your achievement progress and more easily get the details on the game’s achievements.
- Game DVR – You can now alter the keyboard shortcuts used for opening the Game Bar, starting and stopping recording, taking screenshots, and more. Select Settings > Game DVR > Keyboard shortcuts to make changes. Highlight the Your shortcut box and use your desired new key combination to create your new shortcut. Also, you can now view and manage your cloud-based game clips from the Xbox app by selecting Game DVR > Shared.
- Testing streaming – The Xbox team needs your help in providing information about your PC’s performance and connectivity characteristics as we prepare to enable game streaming from Xbox One to Windows 10 PCs. To do this, connect your Xbox One to your Windows 10 PC using the Xbox app: from the Connect menu, select your Xbox One console then choose Connect. Once connected, click on Test streaming to anonymously send the team diagnostic information about your PC and network settings. The team would greatly appreciate if you did this once on each of your Windows 10 devices.
- Turn On/Off your Xbox One Console – The Connect menu in Xbox app has been updated to let you power your Xbox One on and off from your Windows 10 devices when they are on the same home network as your console.
The Xbox app on Windows 10 PCs will automatically update to the May preview version when it becomes available in the Windows Store. Once you receive the update, your version number should be 5.5.20022.00000 or higher. You can verify the version number of the Xbox app under Settings.
The Xbox app will sign in using your primary Microsoft Account and associated gamertag that you use to sign into Windows 10. If you want to sign in with a different gamertag, you will need to set up a second Microsoft account on your Windows 10 PC. The ability to sign into the Xbox app with a different Microsoft Account/Xbox Profile will be re-enabled in a future update.
Xbox One updates
The Xbox team is gearing up quickly for E3 in June and we’ve got some exciting things to share with you there, but first, this month we’re continuing to preview a few things while we gather feedback and work toward making them available to everyone.
- Wireless Display app – We appreciate all the great feedback you’ve sent us and the team continues to make improvements to the Miracast functionality in the Wireless Display app based on that feedback. Keep it coming!
For a closer look at the new features, please visit the Xbox Wire.
Forza Horizon 2 Pre-Order Car Pack Available Now on Xbox One
These four amazing cars can now be yours
The Forza Horizon 2 Pre-Order Car Pack has arrived on Xbox One. Previously only available exclusively to Forza fans who pre-ordered Forza Horizon 2, the pack includes two dream rides from Italy – the 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo LP-570-4 Superleggera and the 2008 Ferrari California – and a pair of amazing examples of German engineering in the 2013 BMW M6 Coupe and the 2013 Audi RS 4 Avant.
The Forza Horizon 2 Pre-Order Car Pack on Xbox One is now available via the Xbox Live Store, which includes:
- 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo LP-570-4 Superleggera
- 2013 BMW M6 Coupe
- 2008 Ferrari California
- 2013 Audi RS 4 Avant
For more on everything Forza, and media assets for the latest car pack please visit the Xbox Wire.
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