Xbox fans have been getting a lot of news at once over the past 48 hours. On Tuesday, Bethesda finally gave The Elder Scrolls VI a real name. Today, Microsoft’s smallest controller went on sale and picked up a new cloud trick on the same day, and Xbox Cloud Gaming started letting some players use their phone as a gamepad. In between, the November Game Pass lineup landed and Rockstar confirmed when Xbox players can start downloading Grand Theft Auto VI.
None of it is a new console or a price shake-up, but together it’s a good snapshot of where Xbox is heading this holiday: big Bethesda franchises, cheaper ways to play and a push to get cloud gaming onto more screens. Here’s what happened, what’s confirmed and what’s still unknown.
The Elder Scrolls VI finally has a name: Sentinel
More than eight years after that short mountain-range teaser at E3 2018, the sixth mainline Elder Scrolls game is officially called The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel. The reveal came on November 3 at the end of a video celebrating 40 years of Bethesda Game Studios, where Todd Howard looked back at the studio’s history before calling it the “perfect time” to share the title, as The Verge reported. Xbox Wire Editor-in-Chief Joe Skrebels then posted the official logo on Xbox Wire, and that’s really all there was. The post is essentially just the artwork.
The teaser’s description does drop a strong hint, though. It closes with an in-world quote attributed to “Yazar, Moth Priest to High Queen Iradne of Hammerfell,” followed by “Your next journey to Tamriel will be in The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel,” as Pure Xbox quoted it. Longtime fans will know Sentinel as a Redguard city in Hammerfell, the desert province fans have been predicting for years. Bethesda itself hasn’t officially said where the game is set, so treat Hammerfell as a very well-supported guess rather than a confirmed fact.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma congratulated the studio on X, calling Sentinel “the next chapter of The Elder Scrolls” and “an incredible way” for Bethesda to mark 40 years. The timing isn’t random either: Skyrim turns 15 on November 11.
Now for the reality check. There’s still no release date, no release window, no platform list, no gameplay and no pricing. Bethesda’s own support page for the teaser describes the game as “currently in pre-production.” If you were hoping a name meant a 2027 launch was around the corner, that phrasing suggests some patience is still required.
The Xbox Nano Controller is out, and cloud gaming gets two new tricks
The Xbox Nano Controller, first announced in October, went on sale today, November 4, for $49.99 in the US (£44.99 in the UK), according to Windows Central and Radio Times. Per Microsoft’s original announcement, it’s a little over 5 inches long and weighs 3.5 ounces, which makes it Microsoft’s smallest controller and lighter and shorter than most phones. It still has all 18 standard inputs, a rechargeable battery, a programmable Action Button for shortcuts like screenshots and clips, and both Xbox Wireless and Bluetooth.
Microsoft pitches it at younger players, smaller hands and anyone who wants something pocketable. It’s worth knowing what you give up, though. Windows Central notes there’s no rumble and no Hall Effect or TMR sticks, so $49.99 isn’t exactly an impulse buy when the full-size controller costs only a little more.
The more interesting news is what the Nano can do with the cloud. In a post on Xbox Wire today, Microsoft announced a US preview called cloud connect. Instead of pairing with your TV over Bluetooth, the Nano connects over Wi-Fi directly to the cloud server running your game. Microsoft says that “can help reduce input latency, so gameplay may feel more responsive.” If you’ve ever felt that extra bit of lag when streaming a shooter to a smart TV, this is aimed squarely at that problem.
Setup runs through the Xbox beta app on Android or the Xbox Accessories app on PC (the PC route requires Xbox Insider enrollment). For now, cloud connect works on supported smart TVs and the web, and Microsoft is clear that it “won’t work with every cloud gaming experience yet.”
The second preview needs no new hardware at all. On supported smart TVs, you can now use an Android or iOS phone as your controller. You scan a QR code on the TV, the controls open in your phone’s browser, and some games get layouts tailored to how they play. To try it, turn on Preview Features under Settings > Account in the Xbox app on your TV. When you launch a game with no physical controller connected, you’ll get the option to use your phone. That preview is rolling out in every country where Xbox Cloud Gaming is available.
Both features are labeled tests, and Microsoft says availability and supported games or devices “may be limited” while it gathers feedback. I wouldn’t plan a game night around touchscreen controls on a TV. Still, as a way to try a Game Pass game without hunting for a gamepad, it removes real friction.
Game Pass in November and the GTA VI countdown
The first November Game Pass wave is a busy one, even without a giant first-party release. Football Manager 27 is already on PC Game Pass, with the console version following on November 10. Void/Breaker hit 1.0 today alongside Vampire Crawlers. Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School, which bills itself as the first open-world escape room game, arrives day one on November 5 with online and local co-op. Warhammer Survivors and Tanuki: Pon’s Summer follow on November 10, Thronefall and Hope in the City on November 11, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando on November 12, and Don’t Nod’s Aphelion on November 17.
Game Pass Essential members get a real nostalgia hit on November 15: Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, Nuts & Bolts, Perfect Dark, both Viva Piñata games, Gears of War: Judgment and Halo: Spartan Assault. The flip side is that 13 games leave the same day, including GoldenEye 007, Wreckfest, 1000xResist, Moonlighter and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2. If any of those are in your backlog, this is your two-week warning.
Then there’s the game everyone’s clearing hard drive space for. Xbox Wire and Rockstar confirmed that Grand Theft Auto VI pre-installs start on November 10 ahead of its November 19 launch. According to VGC and GamesRadar+, the Xbox Series X|S preload opens globally at midnight GMT, which here in the US means 4 PM Pacific / 7 PM Eastern on Monday, November 9. PS5 players start at local midnight on the 10th instead. Rockstar says the download needs up to 212 GB depending on your device, and code-in-box physical copies reach stores on November 12. A 1 TB Series X fills up quickly, so it’s a good week to delete some old installs.
Cody’s take
This is a solid week for Xbox, but it’s mostly a week of promises. The Sentinel name is great for fans who have waited since 2018, but “pre-production” is a reminder that the game is still a long way off. The Nano is a nice, affordable controller with a clear audience, and cloud connect could turn out to be the most important piece of today’s news if it really cuts streaming lag on TVs. I’ll believe it once I see it working across more games, not just in a preview. The phone-as-controller feature is a smart, low-cost way to get more people to try cloud gaming.
If you’re deciding where to spend time or money right now, here’s my advice. Clear 212 GB before Monday night, grab Escape Academy 2 on Thursday if you have a co-op partner, and play GoldenEye or Wreckfest before November 15 if they’re on your list. Everything else, Hammerfell included, can wait for real details.
