Microsoft’s ‘Project Mountain’ puts $700 million into data center powering Xbox One and Office 365 cloud

Microsoft really, really doesn’t want your Xbox One’s online services going offline. In a near $700 million investment ($677.6 million), the company’s opening a new data center in Iowa specifically aimed at powering Xbox Live and Office 365. Microsoft’s Christian Belady told Iowa’s Des Moines Register that the data center “supports the growing demand for Microsoft’s cloud services” — a much lauded function of both the Xbox One and Office 365 . Alongside the $700 million investment, the company’s getting a $6 million tax rebate from the state to move in, effective for five years. As for Microsoft’s cloud, we’ll assuredly hear more about it — for both Xbox One and Office 365 — this week at Build . Filed under: Gaming , Internet , Software , Microsoft Comments Via: NeoGAF Source: Des Moines Register

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Microsoft’s ‘Project Mountain’ puts $700 million into data center powering Xbox One and Office 365 cloud

Xbox Live will offer two free games per month starting July, includes Assassin’s Creed 2 and Halo 3

Kicking off Microsoft’s announcements, the company has said that Xbox Live will start offering free Xbox 360 games for its paying members, starting this July. In the run-up to the Xbox One’s launch, you’ll be able to pick up two titles each month, gratis — if you’re an Xbox Live Gold member. If it sounds familiar, it’s because it sounds faintly similar to what Sony’s PS Plus has offered its subscribers, albeit in a limited run. The Live UI on the older Xbox 360 console will also be getting a refresh, catching up with the more modern styling we’ve seen teased on the Xbox One. Follow our liveblog for all of the latest news from E3 2013. Filed under: Gaming , Microsoft Comments

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Xbox Live will offer two free games per month starting July, includes Assassin’s Creed 2 and Halo 3