News written by James Delahunty (August, 2015)

A number of Popcorn Time users have been sued in a U.S court for viewing and sharing a film using the popular BitTorrent-based app.

The complaint was filed in an Oregon District Court, identifying 11 IP addresses allegedly used while downloading and sharing "The Cobbler". All IP addresses are linked to Comcast customer accounts. The complaint seeks a permanent injunction against the defendants ordering they halt pirating movies, and up to $150,000 in damages.

More than likely the alleged pirates will receive a settlement offer in time, as is common with BitTorrent users sued for sharing content without consent. Popcorn Time doesn't resemble a BitTorrent client, but it does connect to BitTorrent swarms to download the content in the background.

In another interesting case linked to Popcorn Time, two men were arrested this week in Denmark for operating websites that provided information about Popcorn Time.

What makes their arrest interesting is the fact that their websites offered no copyright-infringing content at all, nor did they even host Popcorn Time apps for visitors to download. Instead, the sites posted updates about Popcorn Time and provided instructions and tips on using the apps.

Seagate has teamed up with Microsoft's Xbox team to make the first external drive designed exclusively for Xbox One or Xbox 360.

The green external device packs 2TB of extra storage to load up with games and other data, and supports USB 3.0 for top performance with Xbox One. Ditching discs and downloading games is convenient in many ways but can present a problem when it comes to capacity. The latest generation of consoles come with at least 500GB of internal storage, but upgrades are necessary sooner than you might think.

The simplest solution is an external storage device. The Seagate Game Drive for Xbox One and Xbox 360 will be ready for data transfer and storage in a matter of seconds, just plug and play.

"Free up space on your console's internal drive while consolidating 50+ Xbox One games into a single location," Seagate's product page reads.

Game Drive goes on sale later this month from Gamespot, Amazon and the other usual suspects, with a MSRP of $109.99 USD.

Are you still waiting for your free upgrade to Windows 10? It may take days or weeks to be ready for you, but if you don't want to wait then maybe this can help.

NOTE: These instructions require that you edit the Windows registry in Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, and that you have been offered (and have reserved) your free upgrade. You are completely responsible for your actions. Please also remember that these instructions do not guarantee a flawless upgrade to Windows 10, so make sure to backup ALL of your personal files and be ready to deal with a recovery operation if necessary. All you will learn to do here is force Windows to start the update for you, rather than waiting. We are not responsible for any mistake you make or problem you might encounter.

With that aside, there are several methods floating around that allow you to bypass the waiting period in Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, meaning you can begin the upgrade to Microsoft's shiny new consumer OS now. The method shown here only requires that you add or edit a registry value. It worked for us on multiple systems, but we can't guarantee it on every system.

STEP 1 - Open RegEdit and Navigate to OSUpgrade Key

Microsoft has revealed that the sequel to the Halo Wars real-time strategy game will drop during the Fall of 2016.

It is being developed by Creative Assembly (Total War) and will be available on both Xbox One and Windows 10 next fall. Microsoft used its Gamescom media presentation to show off a short video that doesn't provide much information, but we are told it will tout fast-paced action, massive battles, and an all-new Halo story.

The original Halo Wars was released in 2009, developed by the now-closed Ensemble Studios.

Check out the short video:

From the developers of Max Payne and Alan Wake, Quantum Break will arrive on April 5, 2016 and features a star-studded cast.

Quantum Break is part video game, part in-game live-action show, where your in-game choices will affect the outcome of the fast-paced fusion between game and show, "illustrating one story perceived in many ways for a completely unique entertainment experience."

It is being developed by Remedy Entertainment (Max Payne, Alan Wake) and published by Microsoft Studios, and set around a time travel experiment that has gone horribly wrong forcing time itself to break down. The story's three main characters (Jack Joyce, Beth Wilder, and Paul Serene) gain some time manipulation abilities.

It is broken up into segments of gameplay that are followed by an episode of the show.

Quantum Break features a really impressive cast that you will recognize instantly from TV shows:

• Shawn Ashmore ("X-Men: Days of Future Past") as Jack Joyce
• Dominic Monaghan ("Lost") as William Joyce
• Aidan Gillen ("Game of Thrones") as Paul Serene
• Lance Reddick ("Fringe") as Martin Hatch
• Marshall Allman ("True Blood") as Charlie Wincott
• Patrick Heusinger ("Black Swan") as Liam Burke
• Mimi Michaels ("The Ugly Truth") as Fiona Miller
• Amelia Rose Blaire ("True Blood") as Amy Ferraro
• Brooke Nevin as Emily Burke
• Courtney Hope as Beth Wilder
• Jacqueline Pinol as Sofia Amaral
• Jeannie Bolet as Kate Ogawa
• Sean Durrie as Nick Marsters

In this first look at Crackdown 3 we are shown a virtual environment vulnerable to total destruction at the player's will!

Microsoft and developer ReAgent gave a first glimpse of Crackdown 3 at Gamescom 2015 earlier today, in which we can see entire buildings being demolished and causing considerable destruction to their surroundings. The game will feature 100 percent destructible environments, we are told.

The demo shown today included pre-alpha in-game footage, with a 2016 release schedule still the goal.

Give the video from Gamescon a view.

Microsoft has announced a special edition Xbox One bundle to launch a week ahead of Halo 5: Guardians, available to pre-order immediately.

The bundle will be released on October 20, a week ahead of the Halo 5 launch. It includes a uniquely designed Spartan themed Steel Book containing a full game download of Halo 5: Guardians (which can be downloaded immediately but not played until October 27), Warzone REQ Bundle, FOTUS-class armor and multiplayer emblem. It features custom Halo sound effects too.

Inside is a 1TB hard drive to store games and other data, while an Xbox One Chat Headset is also included. The bundle also features a Guardian model by Metal Earth, Halo: The Fall of Reach - Animated Series, and Spartan Locke's Classified Orders.

It is available to pre-order now for $499.99.