Xbox Fitness has provided an at-home workout with the help of the trusty game console and Microsoft's Kinect since 2013. However, the exercise option won't be around much longer. Microsoft Studios announced that the console-driven workouts would be shuttered July 1, 2017, citing the effort required to ship regular updates to keep the gym routines fresh. The company says it has "given much consideration to the reality updating the service regularly in order to sustain it."

Via: MSPowerUser

Source: Microsoft Studios

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Literary pop culture powerhouse Titan Books will publish four new novels in the Mass Effect universe between August 2016 and March 2018, as outlined in its 2016 Fiction Rights Guide. The books line up with the release of Mass Effect Andromeda in March 2017, but they'll tie into the entire Mass Effect series, serving as prequels and sequels to some events in the games.

"They will focus on key characters and answer the many questions fans have been asking," Titan writes.

The first novel, Mass Effect: Andromeda Initiative, is written by The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms author and three-time Hugo Award nominee NK Jemisin. The final novel will be penned by Mac Walters, creative director of the Mass Effect franchise.

Via: Polygon

Source: Titan Books

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​It all started about four years ago when I came into an old Sega Saturn system from the mid-90s. It was an entire console catalog that I completely skipped over back in the day. I hooked it up to my TV and soon I was knee-deep in classic fighting games like Street Fighter vs X-Men, and shoot-em-ups like Thunderforce V. The low-poly art style was gorgeously retro, but I quickly realized that the image was stretched and distorted on my HDTV. I googled "retro console fidelity" and that's where it all went wrong.

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Twitch, the popular game-streaming site, has a funding problem. Not related to the company -- it's owned by Amazon and is just fine -- but its streamers. Like on other video platforms, creators are paid based on ad views and subscriptions, and by all accounts not at a very high rate. While popular streamers make a living -- helped in part by sponsorship deals and the like -- it can be hard for smaller channels to make ends meet. That's why the sub-economy of donations and tips exists, and today, Twitch is trying to formalize that economy with a new feature it calls "Cheering."

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It's not often a soundtrack associated with a video game, let alone one that's not been released yet, is taken on tour and played to audiences all over the world. That's exactly what's happening with British band 65daysofstatic's No Man's Sky soundtrack, with a world tour beginning in October in the Netherlands.

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Want a beach-ready body along the stylings of Chun-Li or Daddy Ryu? Capcom is here to help. In curious exercise of branding, it's announced a selection of gym equipment (loosely) inspired by a few Street Fighter 5 challengers. You can pick from weighted gloves (Ryu or Ken 'flavors'), a training tube that has Guile's endorsement and an M. Bison inflatable punching bag, with targets for high middle and lower attacks. Naturally. There's also delightful yellow- and red-colored dumbbells for everyone's favorite hairy wrestler, Zangief, although a man of his size needed more than a 10kg bicep curl to get that swole.

Via: Engadget Japanese

Source: Capcom (Japanese)

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