Alongside Xbox reiterating its commitment to making games more accessible for the "estimated more than 400 million gamers with disabilities across the globe," 343 Industries has given a sneak peek at some of the accessibility features coming to Halo Infinite.

These updates and many more were part of Microsoft's Xbox Accessibility Showcase, and 343 Industries' Paige Johnson stopped by to share some of the accessible and customizable features that will be part of Halo Infinite when it is released on December 8, 2021.

The team's goal was to "make the newest journey into the Halo universe more accessible to as many gamers as possible." This includes veterans of the series and those who "struggled to play due to barriers that hadn't previously been accounted for."

Some of these new features, as detailed by 343 Industries, include;

• For Subtitles:
  • Adjust the font size
  • Adjust the background opacity
  • Enable color coding of dialogue per speaker
  • Choose whether you’d like subtitles for all dialogue or just dialogue related to the narrative in Campaign
• Customize menu and gameplay font size
• Menu narration with adjustable narration speed for those who commonly utilize screen readers
• A new mode called “Linear Navigation” that lets users navigate through the UI without the need to visually see how controls are positioned on-screen to access them
• Option of changing the friendly and enemy colors to include more options than just red versus blue
• More UI settings, such as HUD (Heads-up Display) and reticle opacity to make it easier to identify information in the HUD
• Text-to-speech and speech-to-text options for players that want to participate in Voice Chat and either need to send synthesized voice or receive voice chat as synthesized text
• New customizations for players to control their sound experience with different volume sliders for a variety of sounds in the game
• Customizability for both controller and Keyboard and Mouse to rebind keys, adjust sensitivity, and change to taps and toggles versus holds
• A new Movement Assisted Steering feature, which lets you use additional controls to help steer wheeled vehicles rather than just the classic “look-to-steer” mechanic

343 also strongly believes that "representation in gaming matters." To live up to that mantra, it has worked with such organizations as Warfighter Engaged to "offer new prosthetic options for gamers to customize their Spartans."

According to 343, "accessibility is a journey," and it promises to continue to update Halo Infinite "in ways that empower as many people as possible to battle alongside the Master Chief."

Microsoft also revealed some of its plans to improve accessibility on Xbox, including adding new Game Accessibility Feature Tags on the Microsoft Store to help the Gaming & Disability community know what games have any of a list of 20 accessibility features implemented. These include "Narrated Game Menus, Subtitle options, Input Remapping, Full keyboard support, and Single Stick Gameplay."

There will also be other new features launching on Xbox soon, including Quick Settings, Color Filters, Night Mode Display, Globalization of Speech-to-Text / Text-to-Speech Chat Settings, and more.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Alongside Xbox reiterating its commitment to making games more accessible for the "estimated more than 400 million gamers with disabilities across the globe," 343 Industries has given a sneak peek at some of the accessibility features coming to Halo Infinite.

These updates and many more were part of Microsoft's Xbox Accessibility Showcase, and 343 Industries' Paige Johnson stopped by to share some of the accessible and customizable features that will be part of Halo Infinite when it is released on December 8, 2021.

The team's goal was to "make the newest journey into the Halo universe more accessible to as many gamers as possible." This includes veterans of the series and those who "struggled to play due to barriers that hadn't previously been accounted for."

Some of these new features, as detailed by 343 Industries, include;

• For Subtitles:
  • Adjust the font size
  • Adjust the background opacity
  • Enable color coding of dialogue per speaker
  • Choose whether you’d like subtitles for all dialogue or just dialogue related to the narrative in Campaign
• Customize menu and gameplay font size
• Menu narration with adjustable narration speed for those who commonly utilize screen readers
• A new mode called “Linear Navigation” that lets users navigate through the UI without the need to visually see how controls are positioned on-screen to access them
• Option of changing the friendly and enemy colors to include more options than just red versus blue
• More UI settings, such as HUD (Heads-up Display) and reticle opacity to make it easier to identify information in the HUD
• Text-to-speech and speech-to-text options for players that want to participate in Voice Chat and either need to send synthesized voice or receive voice chat as synthesized text
• New customizations for players to control their sound experience with different volume sliders for a variety of sounds in the game
• Customizability for both controller and Keyboard and Mouse to rebind keys, adjust sensitivity, and change to taps and toggles versus holds
• A new Movement Assisted Steering feature, which lets you use additional controls to help steer wheeled vehicles rather than just the classic “look-to-steer” mechanic

343 also strongly believes that "representation in gaming matters." To live up to that mantra, it has worked with such organizations as Warfighter Engaged to "offer new prosthetic options for gamers to customize their Spartans."

According to 343, "accessibility is a journey," and it promises to continue to update Halo Infinite "in ways that empower as many people as possible to battle alongside the Master Chief."

Microsoft also revealed some of its plans to improve accessibility on Xbox, including adding new Game Accessibility Feature Tags on the Microsoft Store to help the Gaming & Disability community know what games have any of a list of 20 accessibility features implemented. These include "Narrated Game Menus, Subtitle options, Input Remapping, Full keyboard support, and Single Stick Gameplay."

There will also be other new features launching on Xbox soon, including Quick Settings, Color Filters, Night Mode Display, Globalization of Speech-to-Text / Text-to-Speech Chat Settings, and more.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Due to the rising COVID-19 rates in Romania, Valve has made the decision to cancel the in-person event for Dota 2's The International 2021 tournament and will instead host a digital-only event.

Valve shared the news in a blog, confirming that all ticket sales will be refunded for those who were planning on attending the event in person.

"We have been carefully evaluating the continued rise of Covid rates in Romania, as well as the resulting introduction of new local restrictions in Bucharest," Valve wrote. "To ensure the safety of all players, talent, and production staff participating in the event, we have decided to refund all ticket sales for The International 2021.

"We wanted nothing more than to welcome fans live to the event, but we can no longer do so in a way that allows us to prioritize the health and well-being of both audience members and participants. Those who purchased tickets will be issued a full refund automatically.

"The International 2021 will begin as planned on October 7, and we look forward to welcoming the best Dota teams in the world to the stage and sharing the experience online with millions of fans around the world."

As reported by Reuters, these new restrictions were put in place in Romania following new COVID-19 infections reaching 12,032 on Thursday, September 30. The country also has the second-lowest vaccination rate in the European Union.

Assuming everything is still "as planned," The International 10 - Dota 2 Championships' Group Stage will run from October 7 -10 and Main Stage play will begin on October 12. On October 17, the two top Dota 2 teams will "face off for the Aegis and their shares of the $40,018,195 prize pool that awaits."

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Due to the rising COVID-19 rates in Romania, Valve has made the decision to cancel the in-person event for Dota 2's The International 2021 tournament and will instead host a digital-only event.

Valve shared the news in a blog, confirming that all ticket sales will be refunded for those who were planning on attending the event in person.

"We have been carefully evaluating the continued rise of Covid rates in Romania, as well as the resulting introduction of new local restrictions in Bucharest," Valve wrote. "To ensure the safety of all players, talent, and production staff participating in the event, we have decided to refund all ticket sales for The International 2021.

"We wanted nothing more than to welcome fans live to the event, but we can no longer do so in a way that allows us to prioritize the health and well-being of both audience members and participants. Those who purchased tickets will be issued a full refund automatically.

"The International 2021 will begin as planned on October 7, and we look forward to welcoming the best Dota teams in the world to the stage and sharing the experience online with millions of fans around the world."

As reported by Reuters, these new restrictions were put in place in Romania following new COVID-19 infections reaching 12,032 on Thursday, September 30. The country also has the second-lowest vaccination rate in the European Union.

Assuming everything is still "as planned," The International 10 - Dota 2 Championships' Group Stage will run from October 7 -10 and Main Stage play will begin on October 12. On October 17, the two top Dota 2 teams will "face off for the Aegis and their shares of the $40,018,195 prize pool that awaits."

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

While it has yet to premiere in North America, No Time to Die has already earned $119.1 million in 54 markets in its international debut and has become the first Hollywood film to cross $100 million in its overseas launch without China during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As reported by THR, the 25th James Bond film earned $11.4 million in the U.K. and Ireland on Saturday, earning it the records of the highest box office single day for any Bond film and the highest single-day earnings for any movie in the pandemic era.

It is expected to also achieve the "third-biggest weekend of the Bond franchise with $34.8 million, and the sixth-biggest for any film."

No Time to Die has been a huge success in IMAX as well, as it set the best opening weekend for a Bond film in 24 countries and was the best pandemic-era opening in 21 markets, including the U.K., Hong Kong, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which earned $13.8 million in its international debut in Russia only, also broke a pandemic record with a $90.1 million opening in North America. In its third weekend internationally, Dune earned another $13.7 million to surpass $100 million overall.

No Time to Die will premiere in North America on October 8 and will be the fifth and final film starring Daniel Craig as James Bond. In 2022, the search for the next James Bond will begin.

For more, check out our No Time to Die review, our explainer of the ending, and how Daniel Craig hopes that James Bond has "changed a lot" while he has played him.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

While it has yet to premiere in North America, No Time to Die has already earned $119.1 million in 54 markets in its international debut and has become the first Hollywood film to cross $100 million in its overseas launch without China during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As reported by THR, the 25th James Bond film earned $11.4 million in the U.K. and Ireland on Saturday, earning it the records of the highest box office single day for any Bond film and the highest single-day earnings for any movie in the pandemic era.

It is expected to also achieve the "third-biggest weekend of the Bond franchise with $34.8 million, and the sixth-biggest for any film."

No Time to Die has been a huge success in IMAX as well, as it set the best opening weekend for a Bond film in 24 countries and was the best pandemic-era opening in 21 markets, including the U.K., Hong Kong, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which earned $13.8 million in its international debut in Russia only, also broke a pandemic record with a $90.1 million opening in North America. In its third weekend internationally, Dune earned another $13.7 million to surpass $100 million overall.

No Time to Die will premiere in North America on October 8 and will be the fifth and final film starring Daniel Craig as James Bond. In 2022, the search for the next James Bond will begin.

For more, check out our No Time to Die review, our explainer of the ending, and how Daniel Craig hopes that James Bond has "changed a lot" while he has played him.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage set a pandemic record with its $90.1 million domestic box office debut, surpassing Black Widow's $80 million performance earlier this year.

As reported by Variety, Venom: Let There Be Carnage also opened in Russia with $13 million in ticket sales and will premiere in Latin America next week before its major international rollout.

“We are also pleased that patience and theatrical exclusivity have been rewarded with record results,” Sony’s chairman Tom Rothman said. “With apologies to Mr. Twain: The death of movies has been greatly exaggerated.”

While it broke the record held by Black Widow, it's important to remember that Black Widow was also released on Disney+ Premier Access on the same day it arrived in theaters and earned another $60 million on Disney's streaming platform. Venom's sequel, on the other hand, is only available in theaters.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage also was able to secure a bigger opening than the original film from 2018, which opened to $80 million pre-pandemic. Venom went on to gross $213 million in North America and $856 million globally.

Behind Venom, The Addams Family 2 took second place at the domestic box office with ticket sales equaling $18 million and Shang-Chi's four-week streak at #1 came to an end with it placing third with $6 million.

Shang-Chi also passed $200 million at the domestic box office, making it the first film to do so in the pandemic with its current total of $206 million. Globally, the latest MCU film has generated $386 million.

The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark took fourth place with $5 million and Dear Evan Hansen rounded out the top 5 with $2.4 million. The Many Saints of Newark, which is also available to all HBO Max subscribers, cost $50 million to produce.

For more on Venom: Let There Be Carnage, check out our review of the film, the biggest WTF questions we have after watching it, and our explainer of the end credits scene and the movie's ending.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage set a pandemic record with its $90.1 million domestic box office debut, surpassing Black Widow's $80 million performance earlier this year.

As reported by Variety, Venom: Let There Be Carnage also opened in Russia with $13 million in ticket sales and will premiere in Latin America next week before its major international rollout.

“We are also pleased that patience and theatrical exclusivity have been rewarded with record results,” Sony’s chairman Tom Rothman said. “With apologies to Mr. Twain: The death of movies has been greatly exaggerated.”

While it broke the record held by Black Widow, it's important to remember that Black Widow was also released on Disney+ Premier Access on the same day it arrived in theaters and earned another $60 million on Disney's streaming platform. Venom's sequel, on the other hand, is only available in theaters.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage also was able to secure a bigger opening than the original film from 2018, which opened to $80 million pre-pandemic. Venom went on to gross $213 million in North America and $856 million globally.

Behind Venom, The Addams Family 2 took second place at the domestic box office with ticket sales equaling $18 million and Shang-Chi's four-week streak at #1 came to an end with it placing third with $6 million.

Shang-Chi also passed $200 million at the domestic box office, making it the first film to do so in the pandemic with its current total of $206 million. Globally, the latest MCU film has generated $386 million.

The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark took fourth place with $5 million and Dear Evan Hansen rounded out the top 5 with $2.4 million. The Many Saints of Newark, which is also available to all HBO Max subscribers, cost $50 million to produce.

For more on Venom: Let There Be Carnage, check out our review of the film, the biggest WTF questions we have after watching it, and our explainer of the end credits scene and the movie's ending.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier, the upcoming battle royale game for mobile devices from Square Enix, will be released in November, producer Tetsuya Nomura revealed during a livestream special during the Tokyo Game Show on Sunday. Pre-registration will start later this month.

The title was first announced in February, and the team has been using the feedback from a closed beta held during the summer to make adjustments. Producer Shoichi Ichikawa mentioned that controller compatibility was by far the most requested feature after the beta and it has now been added to the game.

“Lots of people want to be able to play on PC or console,” Ichikawa said. “We’re not at that point yet, but we hope this will bring players closer to that experience.” As of now, there are no plans to port the game to other platforms.

Other improvements include a revamped tutorial, which will feature both a mode to help players new to battle royale games learn the basics and a mode to help players get the hang of the gameplay. A new training map has also been added to allow for practice in combat settings.

Ichikawa said 75 percent of respondents from the beta said the game met or exceeded their expectations. The game’s controls and balance have been updated in response to feedback — with a number of respondents singling out the warrior class as needing polish.

The piece exchange system that proved popular with beta testers has been tweaked and expanded. Players can collect pieces from secret boxes and by defeating monsters and trade them for items. The items available will change each season.

There will be both standard and ranked matches within the game. Players can receive items for reaching each of the game’s seven ranks and those at the top at the end of each season will receive a special codename to inform others of their feats on the battlefield.

Ichikawa said there won’t be any system that rewards players for spending money and that matches will come down to players’ skill.

There is a third mode featuring three characters who will tie into the story, though there is no actual story mode.

The game’s background will be familiar to those who have played Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy VII: Remake. The game is set in a VR sim used by Shinra to train SOLDIER candidates and many of the locations mirror those found in Final Fantasy VII: Remake.

The latter half of the livestream was devoted to a match between a team of guest streamers facing a team of developers. The match provided a brief look at the ninja class, which has been added to the game and joins the warrior, sorcerer, monk, and ranger classes. Each class has its own skills and abilities.

The ninja class provides a flexible experience where players can perform melee attacks or use ranged weapons. The class is extremely useful for stealth gameplay, as it comes with an ability to become invisible for a short time.

The new trailer for the game that was released during the Square Enix livestream on Saturday showed players riding chocobos during a match. The series’ signature bird also made an appearance during Sunday’s stream. Two players can ride a chocobo, and the bird can fly a very short distance and perform a kick.

There are also other vehicles that can be used and while you can’t run over an ally, you will be able to damage enemies.

Players can level up during matches by fighting monsters to earn experience

“It wouldn’t be a Final Fantasy without experience points and leveling up,” Ichikawa said.

Players feeling overwhelmed can take on monsters in order to get stronger. There will be monsters in parts of the map and some will engage even if the player is in the middle of combat with another player.

During the team match being played on Sunday, Ichikawa mentioned there are also missions that can be accepted during matches that provide more experience points.

The match showed the teams fighting near the abandoned church in Sector 5 where the player encounters Aerith in Final Fantasy VII and its remake.

Regarding summons, it seems they act in differing ways. Ifrit, Ichikawa said, will fight alongside you, while Shiva casts Diamond Dust around the area. There are also more summons planned for the game.

The team has promised more updates as the game approaches its release next month for iOS and Android devices.

Jason Coskrey is a writer based in Tokyo. Find him on Twitter at @JCoskrey

Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier, the upcoming battle royale game for mobile devices from Square Enix, will be released in November, producer Tetsuya Nomura revealed during a livestream special during the Tokyo Game Show on Sunday. Pre-registration will start later this month.

The title was first announced in February, and the team has been using the feedback from a closed beta held during the summer to make adjustments. Producer Shoichi Ichikawa mentioned that controller compatibility was by far the most requested feature after the beta and it has now been added to the game.

“Lots of people want to be able to play on PC or console,” Ichikawa said. “We’re not at that point yet, but we hope this will bring players closer to that experience.” As of now, there are no plans to port the game to other platforms.

Other improvements include a revamped tutorial, which will feature both a mode to help players new to battle royale games learn the basics and a mode to help players get the hang of the gameplay. A new training map has also been added to allow for practice in combat settings.

Ichikawa said 75 percent of respondents from the beta said the game met or exceeded their expectations. The game’s controls and balance have been updated in response to feedback — with a number of respondents singling out the warrior class as needing polish.

The piece exchange system that proved popular with beta testers has been tweaked and expanded. Players can collect pieces from secret boxes and by defeating monsters and trade them for items. The items available will change each season.

There will be both standard and ranked matches within the game. Players can receive items for reaching each of the game’s seven ranks and those at the top at the end of each season will receive a special codename to inform others of their feats on the battlefield.

Ichikawa said there won’t be any system that rewards players for spending money and that matches will come down to players’ skill.

There is a third mode featuring three characters who will tie into the story, though there is no actual story mode.

The game’s background will be familiar to those who have played Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy VII: Remake. The game is set in a VR sim used by Shinra to train SOLDIER candidates and many of the locations mirror those found in Final Fantasy VII: Remake.

The latter half of the livestream was devoted to a match between a team of guest streamers facing a team of developers. The match provided a brief look at the ninja class, which has been added to the game and joins the warrior, sorcerer, monk, and ranger classes. Each class has its own skills and abilities.

The ninja class provides a flexible experience where players can perform melee attacks or use ranged weapons. The class is extremely useful for stealth gameplay, as it comes with an ability to become invisible for a short time.

The new trailer for the game that was released during the Square Enix livestream on Saturday showed players riding chocobos during a match. The series’ signature bird also made an appearance during Sunday’s stream. Two players can ride a chocobo, and the bird can fly a very short distance and perform a kick.

There are also other vehicles that can be used and while you can’t run over an ally, you will be able to damage enemies.

Players can level up during matches by fighting monsters to earn experience

“It wouldn’t be a Final Fantasy without experience points and leveling up,” Ichikawa said.

Players feeling overwhelmed can take on monsters in order to get stronger. There will be monsters in parts of the map and some will engage even if the player is in the middle of combat with another player.

During the team match being played on Sunday, Ichikawa mentioned there are also missions that can be accepted during matches that provide more experience points.

The match showed the teams fighting near the abandoned church in Sector 5 where the player encounters Aerith in Final Fantasy VII and its remake.

Regarding summons, it seems they act in differing ways. Ifrit, Ichikawa said, will fight alongside you, while Shiva casts Diamond Dust around the area. There are also more summons planned for the game.

The team has promised more updates as the game approaches its release next month for iOS and Android devices.

Jason Coskrey is a writer based in Tokyo. Find him on Twitter at @JCoskrey