If you’re anything like me, you’re extremely excited for November 22nd to roll around; that’s the day that the Xbox One is being released to the salivating masses. Today, Microsoft gave us a bit of a teaser into what the next-gen dashboard looks like and how it operates. Let’s just say that this only feeds the flames of desire.
This is like two juicy news stories in one … the first being that Microsoft has successfully leveraged its patent muscle and is earning a massive $2 billion annually from Android patent royalties across a range of handset makers, and the other is that huge operating losses from Xbox and Windows Phone consume all of that profit and more!
Rare has announced that Kinect Sports Rivals, Xbox’s answer to Wii Sports, will be available in a free trial form at the launch of the Xbox One on November 22nd. It will be called Kinect Sports Rivals Preseason. The “trial experience” will come with the wake racing event, one of the six events that Kinect Sports Rivals will eventually ship with.
Known to some as one of the ultimate mulitplayer experiences on Xbox, Halo 3 is now free to download for Xbox Live Gold subscribers until the end of the month. Originally released in 2007, Halo 3 quickly became one of the most popular multiplayer games on Xbox. Now, you can take part in Master Chief’s epic adventure for free.
Taking a rather disappointing turn, Ubisoft has decided today to delay the release of Watch Dogs until the Spring of 2014. It’s a gutsy thing for Ubisoft to do, but they have taken an admirable stance and won’t compromise the quality of the game in order to push out an unfinished product just to be ready for the holidays.
Video games and exercise don’t often go hand-in-hand, although attempts at calorie burning games by major consoles have been made in the past. However, with the new Kinect 2.0 technology included with the Xbox One, Microsoft is trying to lure us couch potatoes off of our favorite La-Z-Boy by combining videos by popular fitness instructors with Kinect’s new ultra-sensitive cameras.
November 22nd is right around the corner and the Xbox One will soon be one of the most fought over holiday gifts of 2013. There has been lots of discussion over the Xbox One hardware, Microsoft’s inclusion of and subsequent back-pedaling on DRM, and the bundled Kinect 2.0. But in my opinion, what makes a console successful are the games. Now that the Xbox One’s launch titles have been confirmed, it’s time to decide what game(s) you’ll be spending your hard-earned money on. There are also games that are coming out in 2014, but are still considered to be in…
Every time a new generation of gaming consoles is released, there tends to be great buzz and excitement as fans start pre-ordering their devices. As is the case almost every time, retailers start selling out of the first shipment of consoles very quickly. If you’re still looking to pre-order, check out NowInStock.net which can alert you when pre-orders become available. I, like many consumers, was on the hunt for an Xbox One pre-order. If you navigate to NowInStock.net’s Xbox One page, it lists all available packages, bundles, etc. and lets you know where you can order them. You’re also able to…
“The cloud” is a popular concept. We have terabytes upon terabytes of data stored in “the cloud,” which is really just a data farm of servers in the middle of nowhere. It’s a great way to keep personal files available wherever you are. What if you could stream Xbox games from the cloud? Word is, Microsoft is working on it. It appears that Microsoft is beginning to build it’s own cloud gaming service. Microsoft has begun internal testing of their service and showed it off in an internal meeting. The Verge tells us that the folks at Microsoft were streaming…
You might have heard of the Grand Theft Auto games, which are either the cause of all evil or just a video game depending on your perspective. The fifth entry (or 7th counting Vice City and San Andreas) was just released – and has already sold over $800 million during its first 24 hours of retail and digital sales. Wow. By comparison, GTA4 sold 3.6 million copies for $310 million on launch day – 2K games isn’t telling how many units of GTA5 were sold. And in the UK GTA5 replaced Call of Duty: Black Ops as the fastest selling…
The highly-anticipated open world epic drops tomorrow, 9/17, but it has already received some mighty praise today. With a video game as hyped and extremely controversial as GTA V, you might think that it may be hard to blow reviewers away, but you’d be wrong! GTA V hits stores tomorrow for $59.99 on Xbox 360 and PS3. IGN has rated Grand Theft Auto V a 10 out of 10, and call it a “Masterpiece.” The Verge calls GTA V the “best game in the series to date” in their highly praising review. Joystiq gave the fifth installment in the Grand…
Codemasters rocks the game racing world again with a free Demolition Derby Mode download for GRID 2. It’s available for Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3 versions of the game … and it is very cheap compared to the Mono edition. Enjoy GRID 2 Demolition Derby mode in single-player, split-screen, and in up to twelve player online races.This mode features the Jupiter Eagle Ray Mk 5 Demo Derby car and the Detroit Demolition Derby Stadium with two track setups. Players can create crossover jumps for extra excitement. The Xbox version (via Xbox Live) and PC version (via Steam) debuted last week while the PS3 version…
Yesterday Nintendo announced a couple of major developments meant to bolster their sagging console business. The first is a price drop on the Wii U system to $299 to compete with the upcoming Sony & Microsoft consoles. They also launched the 2DS, a non-3D system that will play all DS and 3DS games for just $129.99. Mike S did a great job running down the details of the announcements and also the game line-ups for Fall release for Wii U and 3DS systems. So what I wanted to do was run down some thoughts on the Wii U price cut…
Check out two new features in the upcoming Need for Speed Rivals racing video game coming to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on Nov. 19 and eventually the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Check out the preview video here. Get into gear! Electronic Arts revealed two new features in the upcoming Need For Speed: Rivals racing video game – personalization (returning) and a revised career progression – both built into the AllDrive gameplay features, which meshes all the game modes together so players can quickly jump among different gaming experiences. In Need For Speed: Rivals players will enjoy these two features on either side of…
Plantronics has a message to gamers: “If you’re into your games AND your mobile devices, we’ve got the headset for you!” The RIG headset and mixer audio system let you play interactive video games, take calls, and listen to music from your smartphone or tablet. It’s the first member of the RIG family of gaming devices, and it is coming this fall for $129.
Today 2K and Irrational Games released the first expansion (a.k.a. downloadable content (DLC)) pack for BioShock Infinite – BioShock Infinite: Clash in the Clouds on the PlayStation 3 ($4.99), Xbox 360 (400 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live), and PC ($4.99). Gear, Tears, Vigors, Sky-Lines, and weapons will help players conquer four new areas including the Museum, Emporia Arcade, and Duke and Dimwith Theater. BioShock Infinite: Clash in the Clouds is set in a unique arena shooter format with the main character Booker DeWitt and his companion Elizabeth as the playable characters. Players can also unlock exclusive content including voxophones, kinetoscopes,…
Electronic Arts (EA) launched the Origin content delivery service called Origin in 2011 to combat Steam in the exploding digital game delivery market. The big concern apparently wasn’t about games themselves as much as the highly profitable in-game DLC purchases. EA could deal with paying a chunk to market the main game – after all they’d been doing that with GameStop for ages. What they wouldn’t do was sacrifice any of the DLC profits – and that has proven to be a very strategic decision, only not related to Origin. In the most recent earnings call, Electronic Arts announced that…
The sci-fi, first-person shooter (FPS) game Titanfall is one of several highly anticipated Xbox ONE games releasing next year, and it will mark game developer Respawn Entertainment’s first game release. The studio’s founders,Vincent Zampella and Jason West, previously developed the highly popular Call of Duty game series. Respawn is slowly releasing more details about Titanfall and Electronic Arts will be publishing this game, which will also release on Xbox 360 and PC. The action packed preview video features footsoldiers/pilots and mechs/titans. Titanfall will have single player and multiplayer game modes and include team-based objectives. The impressive physics and action include some…
The Metal Gear game series/franchise expands with the fast and furious katana action mix with gunplay and special mechs in the speedy epic Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. The Hype METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE takes the renowned METAL GEAR franchise into exciting new territory by focusing on delivering an all-new action experience unlike anything that has come before. Combining world-class development teams at Kojima Productions and PlatinumGames, METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE brings two of the world’s most respected teams together with a common goal of providing players with a fresh synergetic experience that combines the best elements of pure action and epic…
The kids are out of school and summer time is in full swing. Look for these great console and computer game offerings when you need a break from the heat. You can keep that summer feeling on your down time with The Sims 3 Island Paradise on PC/Mac (also in limited edition with extra content). Construct and manage a five-star resort hotel; explore the endless ocean, and/or build and sail your own houseboat in this extensive expansion pack (requires The Sims 3). Other PC releases include Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded (PC/Mac) and Machines at War 3 (PC/Mac), the sequel to…
I just wrote about how Microsoft has done an about-face on much of the online-requirements and DRM associated with the upcoming Xbox One. The timing of their announcement was ironic, as I was about to write a post saying that in reality Microsoft was absolutely right in what they were doing with DRM, and that everyone is just getting wrapped up in ‘internet outrage’ that would pass, and they would buy the Xbox One come holiday time. Wait … WHAT?!?