F651AT ILLUSTRATION – A boy plays “Fifa 15” on his xbox 360 S. The photo was taken on 06 January 2015 in Dresden (Saxony). Photo: Thomas Eisenhuth[/caption]
A POPULAR TV feature on Xbox has been shut down in a blow for 28 million gamers.
Microsoft has suddenly shut its movies and TV store on Xbox consoles and Windows PCs.
Microsoft has suddenly shut its movies and TV store on Xbox consoles and Windows PCs[/caption]
You can no longer purchase new movies and TV shows from the Microsoft store on Xbox or Windows.
But you will still be able to access previously purchased content on your devices.
Microsoft said: “Downloads will continue to be available on Windows and in HD max resolution.”
You’ll have to continue using the Movies & TV app on Windows or Xbox to play the content you own, rather than accessing it from another service.
Microsoft isn’t offering a refund for purchases either.
Ever since Microsoft shut down its Groove Music service in 2017, this change has been nervously anticipated by Xbox and Windows users.
The company had originally launched a movies and TV storefront with Zune Marketplace in 2006.
It was then replaced by Xbox Video in 2021 and then morphed into the Movies & TV app and store in 2015.
A decade later and its gone.
Microsoft is now leaving it up to Amazon, Netflix, Apple TV and other streaming services to cater for movies and TV content on Windows and Xbox.
They will continue to provide support for any issues with previously purchased content.
Users will be hoping the company keeps its servers online for years to come yet.
The Sun also reported last month how millions of Xbox owners have been left with a bad taste in their mouths after the latest console update bombarded them with ads.
While the new updates fix some long-standing issues, the Xbox user experience has also been impacted.
In the update, Microsoft had finally fixed the heavily complained-about bug where video game box art and thumbnails were stretched or distorted on the home screen, following a previous update in July 2024.
What first felt like an exciting change for the retro console, has left some gamers disgruntled.
Elsewhere, Microsoft is also set to replace the iconic blue screen of death after 40 years of filling people with dread.
In a bittersweet announcement, the tech giant said it is “streamlining the unexpected restart experience”.
“This change is part of a larger continued effort to reduce disruption in the event of an unexpected restart,” David Weston, Microsoft’s Vice President of Enterprise and OS Security revealed.
A part of that is slashing the downtime during the worrying unexpected restart to about two seconds for most people.
The blue screen of death will be replaced by a simpler black screen of death instead.
