
Tito Perez of Macho Nacho Productions spent months staring at a grainy photograph of Microsoft’s 2000 Xbox prototype. A 40-pound X carved from solid aluminum, polished so it mirrored the room like a dark mirror, and topped with a glowing green diamond. The original is kept away at Microsoft headquarters, a relic that no one could touch. So he created his own, a version that could actually play games.

Halo: Campaign Evolved, set to be released in 2026, transports you directly to the sandy beaches of Installation 04, where the waves crash stronger and Covenant dropships hum with dread. Built from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5, this rendition of the original 2001 campaign delves deeper into what made those levels linger with you for decades.

Two helicopters carve a path through the warm Miami night, and in one of the choppers, Emmanuel Rodriguez (aka “Master” – the man behind Team Ninja’s community outreach) gripped a controller tight with one hand. Swae Lee the rapper (you probably know his voice from hits like “Sunflower”) sat beside him and they were both completely locked in to a game that needed lightning-fast decisions and reflexes. What happened next engraved Ninja Gaiden 4 into the record books – literally.

Holiday decorations are frequently locked in traditional patterns – snowmen, reindeer, and lines of dazzling lights that have illuminated living rooms for generations. But Hallmark’s latest Keepsake ornament mixes things up in a really exciting way. The ornament resembles an old Xbox 360 console – yep, the one from nearly two decades ago – and is 3.25 inches tall, perfectly capturing late-night gaming sessions and heroic fights against extraterrestrial opponents.

In a plain cardboard box delivered to a Parisian flat is the ROG Xbox Ally X, a shiny black slab of gaming goodness that ASUS and Microsoft have been teasing for months. The delivery label says September 30, 2025, 16 days before the real October 16 launch date. For one Redditor, this is an early Christmas present.

Photo credit: SpawnPoiint
Preorders for Microsoft’s new portable gaming push began today, along with the prices for the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. Both will be available on October 16, but the pricing has already sparked some concerns. These handhelds, priced at $599 for the base model and $999 for the X, are more comparable to high-end laptops than the consoles that many gamers are accustomed to.

In a world of gaming gear where new designs follow every trend, Hyperkin’s DuchesS Wired Controller, priced at $34.24 (down from $49.99), is a throwback to what worked best from the start. This takes the classic shape of the first Xbox controller and adds just enough new to fit into the 2025 lineup.

Microsoft has raised the prices of its Xbox Series consoles again, and this time it’s U.S. gamers who will feel the pinch starting October 3. This isn’t the first price increase this year, but it’s a big one, with prices going up $20 to $70 across the board. Let’s break it down, model by model, and what it means for anyone looking to buy a new Xbox.

Handheld gaming PCs have always promised portability with power, but Microsoft’s new Xbox Mode for Windows 11 takes that to a whole new level. Discovered by Windows enthusiasts and leaked before its official release, this feature turns devices like the Asus ROG Ally and MSI Claw into something closer to a dedicated gaming console.
 
				
		 
				 
				 
				 
				 
				 
				 
				
 
				 
				