Xbox

Elon Musk should buy Xbox. Yes, really

Elon Musk is hardly lacking for toys. He can spend the morning digging vast tunnels with Hyperloop, the afternoon launching rockets with SpaceX and spend the evening posting on his very own X social media network. Even so, there is one gadget that could still tempt Musk: Microsoft’s increasingly error-prone Xbox. It was reported this week that the Xbox division would be axing 3,200 jobs, the equivalent of a fifth of its workforce. The company is also selling four of its game development studios. Xbox has suffered from slim profit margins, spiraling hardware costs and sluggish growth for Xbox’s Game Pass subscription service. And Xbox fans have been outraged at leaks suggesting the company may remove the disc drive in its upcoming machine.

elon musk

The best video games to buy for Christmas

If there is one thing this cursed year of lockdown has been good for, it’s been video games. The right game — in a way that a box set cannot — will give you a sense of steady progress and achievement, a series of goals; and a world more forgiving and expansive than the four walls of your living room. My kids, for instance, have become very good indeed at Mario Kart Wii and have built vast empires in Minecraft; and I don’t dare look at my own total playing time on World of Warcraft.  With the prospect of the tier system continuing well into the new year, now is a good time to stock up on the best new goodies. The big news in gaming this autumn has been the release of the latest generation of consoles.

video games