Microsoft acquires home-automation company R2 Studios to beef up Xbox January 3, 2013 6:51 AM Devindra Hardawar Devindra Hardawar LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Google Plus Profile Recent Stories: Microsoft reportedly gives up on buying Nokia’s phone biz — a wise decision NYC’s next billion-dollar startup: Fab raises $150M at $1B valuation Nvidia’s bold plan to conquer new graphics territory: Licensing its chips Microsoft's Xbox unit is getting an intriguing home-automation boost.