In the News

Microsoft just added Oculus Rift support as a free update to Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta. A team from Microsoft collaborated with a team from Oculus Rift to make this update possible. Users can now explore, create and play Minecraft in virtual reality with their Oculus Rift devices. Minecraft has been available in VR on Gear VR headsets. On the Windows 10 Edition, there is support for controllers, as well as a keyboard and mouse setup. The update is only available on Windows 10, and is an experimental feature.

Windows 10’s usage share growth sank after Microsoft ended the free upgrade it had offered customers for the past year. According to analytics vendor StatCounter, Windows 10’s week-over-week gains in the first two weeks of August were 0.13 and 0.15 percentage points, respectively. The increases were the smallest of any two-week span this year, with the exception of two different times, in April, again in July, when Windows 10’s share fell from one week to the next.

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich announced what the company is calling “merged reality” experiences during the opening keynote of the 2016 Intel Developers’ Forum event in San Francisco. Merged reality envisions an immersive world as delivered by a fully self-contained headset developed under the name “Project Alloy”. Krzanich also invited Terry Myerson, Executive Vice President of the Windows and Devices Group, Microsoft, on stage to talk about how the two companies are collaborating. Microsoft refers to such experiences as “mixed reality”, and is working on a set of specifications so that everyday Windows 10 PCs can be used with head-mounted displays such as Microsoft’s own HoloLens.

The much anticipated Battlefield 1 open beta finally has a release date. August 31 is when fans will be able to jump into this test on their Xbox Ones, PCs or PS4s. Those who register as Battlefield Insiders and select their platform of choice before August 21 will be eligible for getting early access to this beta. Electronic Arts has announced through a press release that the Battlefield 1 open beta will come equipped with two modes, namely Conquest and Rush. It will however, include just one map which will be the Sinai Desert map showcased in the fresh gameplay trailer.

LinkedIn recently announced the third edition of the Power Profiles campaign in India. Girish Mathrubootham, Founder and CEO of Customer Support software provider, Freshdesk is among the most viewed Tech CEO’s, and is followed by Rajan Anandan, Vice President, Google South East Asia and India. Women CEOs too have made an impact with Navita Yadav, Chief Executive Officer ITCL on the third spot and Harmeen Mehta, Global CIO at Bharti Airtel.

Wipro said it has launched its Managed File Transfer as a Service (MFTaaS) platform on Microsoft Azure. The software as a service (SaaS) platform will help enterprises in seamless digital integration and cost-effective collaboration with their clients, partners and employees. “Wipro’s MFTaaS platform is a good example of how the power of Microsoft Azure is being leveraged to solve critical customer business problems. We are excited by the work we are doing with Wipro, helping our clients accrue the true benefit of the cloud,” said Victor Morales, Vice President for Enterprise Partners Group, Microsoft.

It seems that the PS4’s reign at the top as the highest selling console every month in the US was broken in July. With the latest NPD monthly report out, Microsoft’s Xbox One console has emerged at the top, handily beating out Sony’s PlayStation 4 console. “We’re honored that Xbox One was the best-selling console in the U.S. in July, and that total gaming hours on Xbox consoles globally were up 18 percent over last year, reaching 1.55 billion hours,” Xbox marketing boss Mike Nichols said in a statement provided to GamesBeat.

It looks like the launch of the Xbox One S has been really successful for Microsoft all around. MCV are reporting that its launch has caused a sales spike of 75% for Xbox One consoles in the UK. As of right now, the 2TB SKU seems to have sold out in the UK entirely

Microsoft Office for the iPhone now supports handwriting, without the use of the stylus. You can now, “use your finger to write, draw, and highlight with the tools in the new Draw tab.” The Draw tools include a pen with adjustable line thickness and color, a highlighter, and an eraser. You can use any of these tools to make annotations directly on any document, slide, or spreadsheet cells.

The Israeli army’s C2 Systems Department recently purchased two HoloLens glasses from Microsoft. The commander of the head programming department, Major Rotem Bashi, intends to develop the technology to improve battlefield strategy and train field personnel. HoloLens is Microsoft’s bid to lead in the augmented reality market, in which 3D images are blended with the user’s real-life surroundings.