Microsoft Xbox Game Pass Expanded to Offers Exclusive Games on Launch Day

In a way to attract more gamers, Microsoft has announced that all the exclusive games published by Microsoft Studios will be released into Xbox Game Pass on the same date as their global release. Sea of Thieves, which is launching on March 20, will be the first title to receive the new treatment, while the Redmond company has plans to bring its renowned franchises such as Halo, Forza, and Gears of War to Xbox Game Pass subscribers right on the same day of their launch. Xbox Game Pass was released back in June last year as Microsoft's paid service to offer over a 100-title bouquet at an as low monthly charge as Rs. 699.

Microsoft has confirmed that alongside the upcoming Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2 and Crackdown 3 will be the first few titles that will debut for Xbox Game Pass in line with their official launch schedules. Certainly, all this is likely to get even bigger with the arrival of titles from franchises including Halo and Gears of War. "We've only scratched the surface of the opportunity this new model brings to the industry and what we can deliver to our fans. We firmly believe Xbox Game Pass will be a catalyst to create new opportunities for game developers and publishers to innovate in the way games are developed and delivered, leading to entirely new ways to play," said Phil Spencer, Executive Vice President of Gaming, Microsoft, in a statement.

Apart from expanding the library, Microsoft has launched a six-month Xbox Game Pass subscription card that will be available in the US through select retail partners at $59.99. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed Gadgets 360 that the six-month Xbox Game Pass subscription card will be available in India at Rs. 4,194. The company will continue to sell the one-month subscription at Rs. 699, and a 14-day free trial will be available for all, the spokesperson added.

Also known as "Netflix for Xbox", Xbox Game Pass is presently limited to Xbox One consoles. It originally included access to over 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles.

On Tuesday, Microsoft launched the Xbox One X in India with a price tag of Rs. 44,990. The new game console is taking on the Sony PlayStation 4 Pro and offers a 4K gaming experience. It is available for purchase through Amazon, Flipkart, Croma, Landmark, and Microsoft India stores, in addition to over 100 speciality gaming stores in the country.

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Bitcoin Wallet Devices Vulnerable to Security Hacks: Study

Devices used to manage popular digital cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have security weak spots, say scientists who have found a way to provide better protection against hackers.

Bitcoin is a form of digital currency that is supposed to provide a secure and private alternative to conventional money.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in the UK carried out an in-depth security analysis of the communications system used in popular models of Bitcoin wallet.

They created a simple harmful software, or malware, which was able to intercept messages sent between hardware wallets and computers - where users manage their Bitcoin accounts.
The tests revealed that users' privacy is not protected.

They also showed how easy it is to access Bitcoin funds managed by such devices and divert them into a different account.

Based on the findings published in the journal Information Security, researchers proposed a fix for improving the security of such systems. This would encrypt particular messages sent between Bitcoin wallets and computers, making them much more secure.

Their fix could be incorporated into all models of Bitcoin hardware wallet to offer better protection against hacks, researchers said.

"A wallet should protect not only our money, but also our privacy. It was surprising to discover how easy it is to access a user's funds, even when sophisticated hardware is incorporated," said Andriana Gkaniatsou from the University of Edinburgh in the UK.

"Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet when it comes to protecting financial digital assets - we need to ensure that all components of the system are equally protected and interact in a secure way," said Gkaniatsou, who led the study.

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