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The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S both have a new, improved controller that features a Share button. This new button, located under the Menu and View buttons, allows you to instantly capture moments of gameplay, without the need to scroll through menus or use any voice commands. Need to know exactly how it works? IGN is here to help.

By default, tapping the Share button once will immediately take a 4K screenshot of whatever is on your screen at that moment. Holding the Share button for a few seconds will record a 1080p video of the last 30 seconds of gameplay, a feature known as ‘Record what happened’. You’ll know when these functions have triggered as an Xbox notification will pop up to tell you that the screenshot/clip has been saved to your library.

You can quickly find your newly saved screenshots and clips by opening the Capture & Share menu. Tap the Xbox Guide button on the controller to open the Guide Menu, and you’ll see a notification indicator over the tab on the right of the window that features the same logo as seen on the Share button. This is the Capture & Share menu, and if you scroll over to it you’ll be able to see your new screenshot/clip in the ‘Recent Captures’ section.

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The Capture & Share menu can be used to take screenshots and capture a clip of gameplay, too, if you’d rather not use the Share button. It can also be used to start a recording if you plan on capturing a longer session than the few seconds saved by the ‘Record what happened’ function of the Share button.

Xbox Series X’s Quick Resume feature, which is also available on the Xbox Series S, is arguably its most ‘magical’ new offering. It allows you to quickly swap between multiple games without booting them up fresh, and resume playing from where you left off. It's perfect for getting a few rounds of Halo in with your friends between longer stretches of a big campaign game, without losing progress. The best bit, though? Quick Resume remembers where you were even if you unplug the console.

So how do you use it? Quick Resume doesn’t require any set up. It’s part of the default feature set of the Xbox Series X|S, and works from the moment you open a game. To ‘engage’ Quick Resume, simply stop playing a game and head back to the Dashboard. Boot up a second game, play around with that for a while, and then re-open your previous game. A ‘Quick Resume’ logo will appear in the upper-right corner of the screen as the game loads, which takes around five or so seconds. You’ll then find yourself in exactly the same spot as you were when you left the game. Recent games primed for Quick Resume can be identified in the Guide Menu by a small icon next to the game name.

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You can have multiple games ‘stacked’ in Quick Resume, but there is a limit. While Microsoft has not revealed an upper limit, I find that the system caps out at five games, with the game I haven’t played in the longest time being the one that has to boot from scratch again. It may be that this limit depends on the games being stacked, though.

There’s never been a console like the Xbox Series S. Not to be confused with the Series X, this much smaller and much cheaper next-generation Xbox doesn’t just sacrifice an optical drive, it’s significantly less powerful than its bigger sibling and aims for upscaled 1440p resolution instead of true 4K. The results are mixed. Depending on how you plan to play, the S might make a ton of sense, and it’s only $300 instead of $500 for the X. But for anybody who’s serious about gaming on Xbox, its shortcomings may leave you kicking yourself for not springing for the Series X instead.

The difference between the S and the X is, well, black and white. It’s significantly smaller, even smaller than the Xbox One S, but there’s no disc drive, so there’s no way to install disc-based games or watch Blu-rays. I wouldn’t call it ugly, but its shape and appearance is slightly awkward, in a sort of adorable way. The large black air vent on the top makes it resemble a speaker more than a console. On the front there’s the offset power button and one USB 3.2 port. On the back it has all the same ports as the Series X: the HDMI out port, two more USB ports, an ethernet port, a storage expansion slot, and of course power – thankfully there’s no brick! Of course, sharing ports with the Series X means there’s none of the Xbox One’s TV passthrough or optical audio here, either.

They say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – and 2010’s Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit definitely ain’t broke. On the one hand, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered is about as barebones as remasters come: other than sprucing up the visuals, adding a few more decorative objects around the tracks, and introducing a garage for showing off cars between events, there isn’t much surprising or new here. But on the other hand, that’s a big part of why this is a straightforward remaster done right, giving a much needed tune up and a fresh coat of paint to an already awesome arcade racer.

Criterion Games came out swinging when EA first handed it the reigns to the Need for Speed franchise a decade ago. As its first outing, Hot Pursuit brought the sense of reckless speed and excitement that Criterion was known for from its Burnout games, revitalizing the Need for Speed series and still standing as one of its best games. It says a lot about just how great it is that, with minimal changes, Hot Pursuit feels and plays just as good today as it did back then.

The Xbox Series X sneaks up on you. It’s a minimalist block with precisely one curve on the entire thing. And when you turn it on, the dashboard looks almost identical to the one that Xbox One gamers have been using for years. Even the power button makes the same beeps, and the packed-in controller is barely changed. It’s not until you fire up a game and are launched into smooth, native 4K amazingly quickly that the Series X justifies spending $500 to upgrade. This console makes few compromises and, even though there’s no killer app out of the box that immediately screams “This is next gen!” after just a short while with it, going back to even an Xbox One X would be agonizing.

Arcade1Up, the makers of retro arcade cabinets and other accessories, has introduced their first sit-down arcade driving cabinet. Check out the trailer below.

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The cabinet includes 1986’s Outrun, 1989’s Turbo Outrun, 1992’s Outrunners, and 1988’s Power Drift. Most notably, rather than having to stand to play it like a normal arcade cabinet, the package includes a custom matching bench seat, just like the arcades of days gone by. Check out the gallery below.

Arcade 1Up's Outrun cabinet also includes a steering wheel, brake, and pedal peripherals, a 17-inch LCD screen, a variable volume switch, dual speakers, and a light-up marquee. Like most of Arcade1Up’s offerings, the cabinet is a little smaller than the more bulky machines you’d find in classic arcade, but definitely not by much this time around. The Outrun cabinet measures 45.8 inches in height, while the bench seat measures: 38.5” x 19.8” x 18.5”. The box itself measures 6.75” x 47.75” x 23.75”.

Weighing in at a spritely 113lbs, this mini Outrun is a blessing to backs everywhere, considering the original cabinet could reach 350lbs, according to VintageArcade.

Remedy has been playing the long game. Ever since the release of Alan Wake in 2010, the studio has been teasing the tortured writer’s return through sneaky easter eggs, retrospective references, and alternate reality games. But with Control: AWE and the official launch of the Remedy Connected Universe, the studio’s methods have pivoted into something far more surreal.

Remedy regained the publishing rights for the Alan Wake franchise back in 2019. Then, in March 2020, the studio signed a deal with Epic Games to publish two next-gen titles. The first is a AAA multi-platform game already in pre-production – which plenty of fans are hoping is a sequel to 2010’s cult hit Alan Wake – and the second is a smaller-scale project within the same franchise. Remedy is also working on a live-service multiplayer title called Vanguard.

Narratively, the team’s most recent release – the AWE expansion for Control – has raised far more questions than it answered, and we’re going to do our best to piece together Remedy’s fractured web of interconnected worlds, stories, and games.

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SPOILER WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS FULL SPOILERS FOR CONTROL, ALAN WAKE, QUANTUM BREAK, AND THE AWE EXPANSION

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Building off their previous work on “The Park” and “The Neighborhood” modes, NBA 2K developer Visual Concepts has announced new NBA 2K21 social multiplayer hub dubbed “The City” for next-gen consoles. Check out the trailer below.

Visual Concepts says the City will be “many, many times larger” than previous Neighborhoods. The City is comprised of four different districts, each run by a rival Affiliation. Visual Concepts adds that “hundreds” of players will populate each City.

“The City is our most ambitious execution of a virtual basketball community...ever,” Visual Concepts executive producer Erick Boenisch said in a lengthy blog post.

Players all start out in Rookieville, a dock community where they must prove themselves against other MyPLAYERS before actually gaining access to the City. The four Affiliation-controlled Burroughs each have their own aesthetic and unique basketball courts that promise new MyPLAYER progression.

The City also houses an Event Center area, a giant shining monolith where all new and returning events will be hosted, as well as competitions between Affiliations. LED screens and lighting will change the mood of the Event Center depending on the occasion.

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• PS4: 95GB
• PS5: 133GB
• Xbox One: 93GB
• Xbox Series X|S: 136GB
• PC 125GB (Full Game on Ultra Graphics), 82GB (Full Game), 35GB (Multiplayer Only)

The Yakuza games have always been about smacking people in the face with traffic cones, bicycles, and street signs, but the development team behind Yakuza: Like a Dragon has taken arguably the boldest swing in the series to date. A shift from the reflex-testing beat-’em-up action of previous games to a more structured, turn-based JRPG-style combat system seemed like a genuine gamble when it was first revealed, but the end result successfully manages to introduce a more tactical form of team-based street fighting without sacrificing any of the series’ signature flair and offbeat humour. A lengthy late-game level grind made completing its story more of a drudge than it needed to be, though, meaning that although I found Like a Dragon to initially be as refreshing as a can of Suntory Highball, by the end I felt as weary as someone who’d had a few cans too many.

Breakout ghost hunting game Phasmophobia has been so successful that its developer has had to ‘reconsider’ their original plans for the game’s future in Early Access, taking more time for bug fixes and new content before hitting a ‘full‘ release.

Kinetic Games is made up of a single developer – going by the name Dknighter – who created the game as a debut solo project, with no formal development training. As such, the initial plans for the game’s Early Access were fairly limited: “I was originally planning the Early Access to be short”, Dknighter tells me in an email interview, “where I just add a few more maps, ghost types and equipment. However, due to the game’s popularity, everyone's expectations are increased so I am going to have to reconsider my plans for the game’s future.”

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Dknighter doesn’t go into detail about the details of the new plans, but it seems the game will remain in Early Access for longer than planned, and may well be more ambitious in the additions it makes. For now, however, the developer's focusing on existing features, rather than new ones.

“At the moment my only focus is getting the major bugs fixed before I begin working on new content. These bug fixes would usually be sent out when they are ready but, due to me having to update a lot of the game’s code, a lot of new systems need testing, so the next update will be a big stability and bug fix update. After these bugs are fixed the new content will likely get bundled together in big updates. All new updates can be played on the beta version of the game, which everyone can access through Steam.”

Square Enix has released a 10-hour demo for Dragon Quest XI S - Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition (say that five times fast) on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Even better, Square Enix says all your progress will transfer over to the full game if you decide to purchase it.

One might be shocked to hear that a game’s demo can last 10 hours, given that some games last all of six. Considering Dragon Quest XI players can easily rack up 100+ hours before hitting the ending, it’s a little more understandable.

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Square Enix announced the demo in a blog post. You can get the PS4 version here, the Xbox One demo here, or the Steam demo here.

“To be frank, calling this a demo is kind of underselling it,” Square writes. “The download lets you play through the entirety of the opening chapters - a gargantuan chunk of game that could take you around 10 hours, depending on how you play.”

Square Enix also added that players who complete the demo will receive a “little treat” for players who complete the demo, although they’re not revealing what it is.