A single new feature in Warzone 2 is already changing how the game is played. Proximity chat, or the ability to hear the mic chatter of nearby enemies, is now on by default in all Warzone modes. You’ll know you’re hearing an enemy when you see a red chat indicator on the left of your HUD.

In the first hours of Warzone 2’s launch day, proximity chat encounters are ranging from surprisingly wholesome to heartbreaking tragedy. Players are utilizing their freedom of speech to negotiate truces, form temporary alliances, taunt each other from afar, and of course, stab each other in the back.

The makers of the popular RimWorld mod Combat Extended (opens in new tab) have formed a studio, Vivid Storm Interactive, and have been hard at work making their own game. Ascent of Ashes (opens in new tab) is a colony sim set on an alien planet where you can build a base, grow crops, tame alien creatures, explore a procedurally generated post-apocalyptic landscape, and salvage technology to beef up your defenses. 

Along with growing and managing your colony on a hostile alien world, you’ll engage in real-time tactics combat, a lot of which you can see in the reveal trailer above. Despite being real-time with pause, it’s got a definite XCOM feel to it as you draw a path to guide your warriors in and out of cover, rush attackers for close-range or flanking shots, and throw grenades. 

It looks like the only place we’re going to see Xbox’s console-less game streaming device is on Phil Spencer’s shelf. In an interview on The Verge’s Decoder podcast (opens in new tab), the Microsoft Gaming CEO gave a status update on Keystone, the codename for an Xbox game-streaming device, and explained why the company doesn’t plan on rolling it out any time soon.

Spencer told the Verge that Keystone was “more expensive than we wanted it to be when we actually built it out with the hardware that we had inside.” Despite never officially announcing the device, the company shifted its focus away from Keystone to get Xbox Cloud Gaming working on Samsung TVs (opens in new tab) and other devices like the Logitech G Cloud (opens in new tab).

I got a chance to try out the Xbox Cloud Gaming (opens in new tab) via the Xbox App on a new Samsung TV a few months ago and was shocked at how well the games ran.

Call of Duty: Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2’s social menu seems to be broken on the launch day of the battle royale sequel. Players are reporting that clicking on the social button on Call of Duty’s main menu currently boots players right back to the main menu, locking them out of viewing their friend lists or grouping up.

I’m encountering the same issue, but thankfully, players have already figured out a reliable workaround (as shared by Netoxicky (opens in new tab) on Reddit) to invite friends to a group. It turns out the social tab isn’t the only way to view your friends list—channels can do the trick, too.

Here’s how to party up in Warzone 2 until this bug is sorted out:

1. Click on the Channels button in the upper right of Call of Duty’s main menu (it’s the headphones icon)
2. By default, you’ll see an existing channel for your party at the top. Click it, then select “Invite to channel”
3. You’ll be taken to a friends list. Select who you’d like to invite and hit send

The practicality of most video chat features is debatable—this is Rich Stanton, joining the meeting from the bridge of the Starship Enterprise—but I still didn’t expect the latest Microsoft Teams feature: videogames.

The Games for Work app (opens in new tab) will allow bosses worldwide to add a game to a Teams meeting. The current games are Microsoft IceBreakers, Wordament, Minesweeper, and Solitaire—all of which are ad-free and playable in multiplayer with support from two to 250 players.