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Tag: consoles

  • HBO GO Comes to the PS4, Finally

    HBO GO Comes to the PS4, Finally

    Almost a year to the day after HBO GO came to the PS3, it’s finally coming to the PS4.

    It wasn’t already on there, you ask. No. No, it wasn’t.

    HBO GO is notoriously slow to arrive on new consoles and other streaming hardware. It didn’t launch on the Xbox One until November of last year.

    And it didn’t land on Amazon’s Fire TV until last December, nearly eight months after the device’s launch.

    “The app functions just like the PS3 version. After you authenticate your PS4 with your current cable/satellite service through HBOGO.com/activate, you’ll be able to watch every episode of every season of HBO’s best shows, including True Detective, Silicon Valley and Game of Thrones,” says Phil Rosenberg on the Playstation blog.

    The HBO GO app will be available to download at some point today, March 3. Happy GoT‘ing, everyone.

    Image via Game of Thrones, Facebook

  • Xbox One Price Slashed to $399 Without Kinect

    In yet another huge Xbox announcement from Microsoft, the price of the Xbox One will soon be cut to just $399. This price brings Microsoft’s new console down to the same price as Sony’s PlayStation 4.

    The new $399 Xbox One will be sold in all territories where the console is currently released starting on June 9 – the day before this year’s E3 conference is scheduled to begin.

    The new package will not include the Kinect, which had been bundled in with the console since its launch. The mandatory inclusion of the Kinect with every Xbox One had been a sticking point for many gamers who see the peripheral as a gimmick.

    The price cut announcement was made by Microsoft’s new head of Xbox, Phil Spencer.

    “There’s a lot about Kinect that I really love, but we’ve also heard from people that they just like to play games with a controller in their hand and they play multiplayer through Xbox Live,” said Spencer. “What we wanted to do is for those people make sure that there’s a version of Xbox that really meets the exact needs that they have.”

    Last November Xbox One sales got off to an impressive start with Microsoft selling 2 million of its new consoles in less than one month. Since that time sales of the Xbox One have been steadily falling behind the PlayStation 4, which has been consistently selling out across the world for months.

    Sony took this early lead in the console generation largely due to mistakes Microsoft made promoting the Xbox One before its launch. At Microsoft’s big Xbox One announcement one year ago, executives heavily touted the console’s ability to display TV and revealed severe always-on DRM policies for the console’s games.

    Though Microsoft backed down from its DRM plans, the console was dealt another blow at last year’s E3 when Sony announced the PlayStation 4’s price would be $100 less than the price of the Xbox One. The pricing disparity contributed to calls for Microsoft to drop the Kinect sensor from the Xbox One package, as the peripheral was seen as a major factor in the console’s higher price.

    Back in February Microsoft announced a smaller Xbox One price cut for the U.K., dropping the price to just £400. A Titanfall bundle was also announced with no price increase, essentially giving a copy of the game away with every new Xbox One sold.

    Today’s announcement puts the Xbox One almost exactly where its critics said it should be last November. With a competitive price, no Kinect, and less emphasis on TV in Xbox One marketing, Microsoft’s console is now poised to compete with the PlayStation 4 on almost every level except for the Xbox One’s lower hardware specs.

    With this price cut, Microsoft is demonstrating yet again that its original plans for the Xbox One were not what gamers wanted. The move is almost certainly related to slowing sales of the new console and is a sign that Titanfall was not the major Xbox One-selling title that Microsoft had hoped.

    Image via Microsoft

  • Xbox One Launching in China in September, a Year After Lift on Console Ban

    Fourteen years ago, China enacted a console ban as the Ministry of Culture derided both the political and violent content in many games. Sure, black market console sales skyrocketed–but it was technically illegal to sell consoles like the Xbox 360 and PS3 in China.

    Last September, the country officially lifted the ban. Game consoles are now allowed to be sold in a free-trade zone in Shanghai, upon first being pre-approved by the Ministry.

    And now, we know which console will be the first of its kind to enter the trade.

    Microsoft has announced a deal with BesTV, a Shanghai Media Group subsidiary, to bring the Xbox One to China. The two companies’ joint venture, E-Home Entertainment, was the first to be approved and registered inside the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

    “Launching Xbox One in China is a significant milestone for us and for the industry, and it’s a step forward in our vision to deliver the best games and entertainment experiences to more fans around the world,” said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president, marketing and strategy, Devices and Studios, Microsoft. “BesTV has a rich history of delivering innovative entertainment content. It is the ideal partner with which to bring the Xbox business to China.”

    China has a pretty solid PC (online) and mobile gaming culture, as Microsoft says that half a billion Chinese gamers are now active. Of course, Microsoft wants to tap into that in a big way by offering their new console up to what they hope will be console-hungry gamers.

    “The launch of Xbox One here will bring distinction as the first-ever game console with OTT functionality in China,” said Dazhong Zhang, senior vice president, Shanghai Media Group, and chairman, E-Home Entertainment Development Company Ltd. “The launch of Xbox is a milestone for our company in the family entertainment market and will create profit growth opportunities. Furthermore, we will continue our investment and support into research and development for gaming content together with Microsoft. Via our cooperation with the world’s leading team, we will continue to develop video games fused with Chinese culture and provide further distribution support for locally produced Chinese video game content to the world.”

    Microsoft says that pricing and availability details are forthcoming.

    Image via Microsoft Xbox, YouTube

  • Xbox One Proves A Huge Success For Microsoft

    It’s been a great year for gaming. After sitting on the success of the Xbox 360 since 2005, Microsoft finally launched Xbox One back in November, selling more than 1 million consoles in its first 24 hours. The console, with a starting price of $499, hit shelves in 13 countries worldwide and sold 3.9 million copies.

    Microsoft also revealed that the Xbox One was the best-selling gaming console in the US this past December, selling close to 1 million in the states alone. Combined with 640,000 Xbox 360 units, it was the highest grossing gaming system of the holiday season. (However, when comparing total worldwide sales for all of 2013, Microsoft’s competitor, Sony, just barely won out with its Playstation 4. The PS4 sold 4.2 million consoles worldwide, compared to Xbox One’s 3.9 million.) Regardless, these numbers are huge for Microsoft and a step in the right direction.

    The Xbox One sales were a defining factor in Microsoft’s total quarter results, with Xbox sales overshadowing both the Windows phone and Surface tablet. According to PC World, Microsoft’s total yearly revenue was reported at $4.7 billion, a signifcant increase from the $2.8 billion the company reported in 2012.

    “We’re grateful for the excitement and support of our fans – many purchasing their next Xbox console and many joining the Xbox family for the first time,” said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft VP for Xbox. “It’s been incredible to see Xbox One selling at a record-setting pace for Xbox, and we were honored to see Xbox One become the fastest-selling console in the US,” he said. “Since our launch, demand for Xbox One has been strong.”

    Post by Xbox.

    Image via Wikmedia Commons

  • Sony Sold More Than 4.2 Million PlayStation 4s Last Year

    Microsoft announced yesterday that it sold more than three million Xbox One consoles before the end of 2013. Now Sony has weighed in with its latest PlayStation 4 sales figures, and it seems that the PlayStation brand is back on top.

    At Sony’s big Consumer Entertainment Show (CES) event Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House announced that more than 4.2 million PlayStation 4 consoles had been sold to consumers as of December 28, 2013. The figure shows that Sony was able to sell around 1.2 million more of its new video game consoles than Microsoft was in the last few weeks of 2013. The announcement also demonstrates that Sony has been able to manufacture and distribute the PlayStation 4 at a breakneck pace, as the console currently sells in 53 different countries.

    Along with the PlayStation 4 hardware, it seems that Sony is off to a good start in software sales for the new console. Sony estimates that more than 9.7 million PS4 games were sold before the end of 2013. Top PS4 games include big yearly titles such as Call of Duty: Ghosts and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, as well as Sony’s own Killzone: Shadow Fall.

    Adding even more good news, Sony revealed that subscriptions for its PS Plus service have increased by 90% since the PlayStation 4 launched on November 15. The service is required for PlayStation 4 users to play multiplayer games online – a requirement that is absent for PlayStation 3 consoles.

    The PlayStation 4’s streaming capabilities, which could easily have been dismissed as a gimmick when they were announced last year, also seem to have resonated with gamers. Sony estimates that 1.7 million broadcasts have been sent from PlayStation 4 consoles and Twitch has stated that 20% of its broadcasters own a PlayStation 4.

    “The momentum of the PS4 system keeps getting stronger and we couldn’t be more thrilled gamers worldwide are enjoying the incredibly immersive gaming experiences along with deep social capabilities and entertainment provided by our network,” said House. “After a remarkable launch, we look forward to bringing even more exciting content and continuing to explore the power of the PS4 system by adding new features and services, including PlayStation Now, in 2014.”

  • Microsoft Sold More Than 3 Million Xbox One Consoles Last Year

    Months away from the launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles in November, both Sony and Microsoft are now settling in for a long console competition in the coming years.

    Microsoft today announced that it sold over 3 million Xbox One consoles between the device’s November 22 release date and the end of 2013. The company called the reaction from its fans “mind-blowing” and cagily claimed that the Xbox One had been “selling out throughout the holidays at most retailers worldwide.” Though the Xbox One is clearly in stock at retailers such as Amazon, GameStop, and Best Buy, Microsoft promised that it would “work hard to deliver additional consoles to retailers as fast as possible.”

    This latest Xbox One announcement is another in a growing line of announcements about PlayStation 4 and Xbox One sales from both Sony and Microsoft. Both companies boasted of over one million day-one console sales at launch. Sony later followed that up with the reveal that it had sold 2.1 million PlayStation 4 consoles during the device’s first 18 days on sale and Microsoft quickly shot back with the announcement that it had sold 2 million Xbox Ones in that console’s first 18 days on sale.

    Oddly, Microsoft did not use its announcement to update everyone on how many achievements Xbox One owners have earned or how many zombies have been dismembered in Dead Rising 3. Instead the announcement praised Xbox fans, stating that Microsoft is “proud to have the most passionate, engaged, and simply the best fans in the world.”

  • Xbox One Hits Store Shelves; Here Are Its Future Games

    Xbox One Hits Store Shelves; Here Are Its Future Games

    Microsoft’s new Xbox One console is officially on sale in North America. While ostensibly a dedicated video game device, Microsoft is positioning the Xbox One as a living room entertainment hub complete with TV overlay capabilities and voice-activated UI elements.

    Like Sony did one week ago, Microsoft held a large midnight launch party in New York City. Where the Sony launch was full of game previews and game-related announcements, the Microsoft launch party was full of theatrics. Actors dressed as zombie from the game Dead Rising 3 could be found wandering the streets of New York last night, as could actors dressed as a Roman legion inspired by the game Ryse: Son of Rome.

    Microsoft’s launch party contained only one gaming-related announcement, which was actually an announcement of an announcement. Developers from Respawn’s Xbox- and PC-exclusive Titanfall announced that something about that game will be revealed at the VGX video game awards show in December.

    Other than that, the Xbox One’s gaming news was consolidated into a three-minute preview video for games that have been confirmed for Microsoft’s platform. In addition to a couple of seconds of new footage from Kingdom Hearts III and Quantum Break, the video also reveals that Metal Gear Solid V and The Division will be getting some sort of exclusive content for the Xbox One:

  • Xbox One Tops Analyst Console Assessment

    The launch of Sony’s PlayStation 4 console is less than one month away, and Microsoft’s Xbox One will follow close behind. As video game fanboys continue to argue over the merits of each console and Microsoft desperately tries to re-educate casual gamers after their initial blunders, a new analyst report has assessed the competitive merits of each next-generation console.

    Market research firm ABI Research has released a new report, part of which details its competitive assessment of the next-gen console race. The assessment rated each console on a number of factors, including “innovation” and “implementation.” Contrary to the zeitgeist of current gamers, the firm puts Microsoft’s Xbox One at the top of the competitive heap.

    ABI stated that the Xbox One got the top ranking due to Microsoft’s demonstration that the console can function on “the broader entertainment front.” The Xbox One’s TV capabilities were heavily touted when the console was announced, and though Microsoft has been mocked for its broad focus, ABI believes the console might actually appeal to those outside the gaming hobby.

    Sony’s PlayStation 4 came in a close second in the evaluation. ABI bumped it down the list in part because one of its most promising features, Gaikai streaming, will not roll out until next year.

    Nintendo’s Wii U was relegated to third place in ABI’s assessment. Nintendo has been struggling to sell the console since its debut last fall.

    “With the hardware specs between Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PS4 so similar this leaves Nintendo’s Wii U on the outside,” said Michael Inouye, senior analyst at ABI. “If not for Nintendo’s wider distribution network, console heritage, and first party titles it would start to find itself in closer competition with many of the new market entrants.”

  • China Ends Video Game Console Ban

    Back in July, a Chinese newspaper reported on a proposed policy that would lift the long-time Chinese ban of video game consoles. The plan reportedly had the backing of the Chinese Premier.

    This week, China officially announced that it has ended the console ban – but with a few caveats. The Wall Street Journal today reported that video game consoles can now be sold within the free-trade zone in Shanghai. Each console manufacturer that wishes to sell its hardware in Shanghai will have to seek approval from the Chinese Ministry of Culture.

    The Shanghai free trade zone itself is new, and will grow over the next three years. According to the Journal report, the Chinese government gave no specific date for when consoles may be available inside the zone.

    China’s console ban went into effect 13 years ago. At the time, the ban was promoted due to the political and violent content seen in some games. There is no word on whether the Ministry of Culture might call for censorship in some games, as other countries such as Australia have done.

    Though consoles are banned in the country, the prohibition has made the country’s black market console sales some of the highest in the world. More relaxed rules on official console sales within the country could deal a blow to this black market and could help switch more Chinese gamers (who play games mostly on PC) to console gaming.

  • Console Launch Rumors: 10M PS4s, 7-9M Xbones

    It’s now less than three months until November, the month Microsoft has tied to the launch of its next-generation console, the Xbox One. Rumors have even begun to surface this week that Sony may launch its PlayStation 4 even earlier. The excitement surrounding the new consoles is extreme, and it appears this fall will see two of the biggest console releases in history.

    Taiwanese publication DigiTimes today reported that demand for both the PS4 and the Xbox One are holding steady, despite launch-day console pre-orders being sold out. The reports unnamed sources from component manufacturers are cited as stating both Microsoft and Sony have ordered more components for manufacture in September and October. More orders for November and December are expected, based on significant pre-order numbers. Orders for next year are expected to stay high next year as well, as the console makers expand their launches to more countries.

    The sources went on to provide estimates for launch console numbers that seem almost unbelievable. The estimates place PlayStation 4 launch console units at 10 million, and Xbox One launch console units at 7 to 9 million. If accurate, these numbers would mean both Sony and Microsoft will sell more consoles in one day this fall than Nintendo has sold of its slow-selling Wii U console in an entire year.

    A survey last month put the demand for the PlayStation 4 ahead of the Xbox One. The survey was of gamers in both the U.S. and Europe, with the demand in the U.S. shown to be slightly closer between the consoles.

    (via DigiTimes)

  • Amazon Developing an Android Video Game Console [RUMOR]

    The success of video games on mobile devices has begun to drastically affect the video game industry. Free-to-play game pricing has begun to invade both PC gaming and console gaming, and nearly every large game publisher is now putting out games for iOS and Android. The success of the Ouya Kickstarter has shown that there is some demand for more casual Android games on a larger screen.

    Now, it appears that Amazon is looking to enter the video game console market. Game Informer is reporting that Amazon is developing an Android video game console. According to the report’s unnamed people “who have knowledge of the in-development hardware,” the console will be released by the end of 2011 – perhaps as soon as Black Friday. A newly designed controller is also rumored to be in development.

    Amazon has reportedly been gathering veteran game developer talent into its Amazon Game Studios team for months. The studio was announced late last year, and it has already released more than one game, including the mobile game Air Patriots..

    Though the Ouya Kickstarter campaign was wildly successful, reviews of the console have been lukewarm, largely due to the lack of exclusive games for the device. If Amazon is able to launch its console with a variety of great original games, then the company’s already established base of Kindle Fire gamers, the incredible marketing power of the Amazon home page, and a price far lower than Sony’s or Microsoft’s new consoles could make an Amazon gaming console a real player in the gaming industry.

    (via Game Informer)

  • Nintendo Has Sold Over 600 Million Devices Since Its Launch

    Say what you will about Nintendo and its place in modern gaming. While the Xbox and PlayStation may be the dominant software when it comes to the news cycle, the fact that their handheld devices continue to dominate the hardware sales charts gives us an indication that the company is still very much a player in the video game industry. The folks at VGChartz demonstrate this quite well:

    VG Chartz

    As you can see in the image, while the Nintendo Wii may have fallen off in the overall scheme of the video game industry, it was so popular when it launched, it rode that popularity to the tune of almost 100 million units sold. With that in mind, perhaps the information revealed in their annual report should not come as a surprise. According to Nintendo, since their initial launch way back in the Famicom days, they have sold 268.97 million consoles and 385.15 million handheld gaming devices. Naturally, these figures include such gems as the NES, the Super NES, and the Gameboy. They even created graphics to spread the news:

    Nintendo Consoles

    Nintendo Handhelds


    These impressive numbers, however, almost serve as a marker of Nintendo’s place in the history gaming, instead demonstrating a position of dominance. A quote from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata concerning the company’s earnings indicates as much:

    Nintendo posted an operating loss for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. However, we strive to regain “Nintendo-like” profits for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014 by providing many people with fascinating games and services. We continue to make brand-new and unique proposals, and make efforts for the growth of the home entertainment industry with a mission that is to pleasantly surprise people and put smiles on the faces of everyone Nintendo touches.

    Is there still a place for Nintendo as the power consoles put out games with flashier graphics and more adult storylines? To be sure, Nintendo’s legion of fans will remain resolute in their support, but will a few million 3DS fans ensure the company’s long-term future? Whatever the case, since we’re enjoying Nintendo’s accomplishments, here’s a highlight reel with some of the best old school Nintendo commercials:

  • Nintendo to Release Black 3DS XL in August

    Though Nintendo’s Wii U console is struggling to sell, the company’s handheld 3DS console is gaining even more traction than ever. While the home console market release schedule has slow down in anticipation of next-gen consoles, already this year 3DS owners have seen the release of instant-classics such as Fire Emblem: Awakening, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, and Animal Crossing: New Leaf. While Dark Moon sits at #15 on Amazon’s top-selling video game list (ahead of BioShock Infinite and Tomb Raider), Nintendo is preparing to unleash Pokemon X & Y, which will further push 3DS hardware sales.

    To keep interest high between now and the October release of Pokemon, Nintendo is releasing a new color for its 3DS XL console. The company announced that a black version of the handheld will be available starting August 11. The color will join blue, red, and pink as 3DS XL colors sold in the U.S.

    The release date is the same one as the upcoming Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, though no official bundle has been announced. Dream Team is an RPG-style Mario game in the spirit of the Paper Mario games.

  • ‘Xbox’ Was the Best Choice at the Time, Proves Rejected Names List

    Say what you want about the name Microsoft decided to give its groundbreaking gaming console back in 2001 – but “Xbox” sure beats “M-PAC” (Microsoft Play and Action Center). Today, we get confirmation that whatever you think about the name “Xbox,” well, it could’ve been a whole lot worse.

    We get that confirmation from Xbox engineer Seamus Blackley, who discussed the console naming process in a interview with Edge.

    “When we got the first approval, Kevin [Bachus] was told we had to get a new name, because ‘xbox’ wasn’t legally sound, so against his judgment he did so, and got the phase two, or ‘car’ names. These were so bad we didn’t even save them, but I remember making fun of one of them by calling it the ‘Microsoft Bunduss’. Then we got the ‘acronym’ phase from the naming geniuses,” said Blackley.

    Everything else they came up with was so bad, apparently, that they just stuck with Xbox – or DirectX Box.

    Without further ado, here’s a giant list of things you could’ve had to call Microsoft’s console for the last 12 years. Yo, dude, you wanna go play some TAC?

    • MAX (Microsoft Action Experience)
    • AIO (All In One)
    • MIND (Microsoft Interactive Network Device)
    • FACE (Full Action Center)
    • MITH (Microsoft Interactive Theatre)
    • XON (Experience Optimised Network)
    • MVPC (Microsoft Virtual Play Center)
    • TAC (Total Action Center – discs/games could be called TACs)
    • MARC (Microsoft Action Reality Center)
    • LEX (Live Entertainment Experience)
    • M-PAC (Microsoft Play and Action Center)
    • RPM (Real Performance Machine)
    • MOX (Microsoft Optimal Experience)
    • E2 (Extreme Experience)
    • MTG (Microsoft Total Gaming)
    • VIP (Virtual Interactive Player)
    • PTP or P2P (Powered To Play)
    • VIC (Virtual Interactive Center – disks/games could be called VICs)
    • MARZ (Microsoft Active Reality Zone)
    • TSO (Three, Six, Zero)
    • EHQ (Entertainment Headquarters)
    • O2 (Optimal Ozone or Optical Odyssey)
    • MIC (Microsoft Interactive Center)
    • R&R (Reality and Revolution)
    • MEA (Microsoft Entertainment Activator)
    • AMP (Active Microsoft Player)
    • VPS (Virtual Play System)
    • MAP (Microsoft Action Play)
    • MEGA (Microsoft Entertainment & Gaming Attendant or Microsoft Entertainment & Gaming Assembly)
    • CPG (CyberPlayGround)
    • VERV (Virtual Entertainment & Reality Venture)
    • OM (Odyssey of the Mind)
    • P2 (PowerPlay)
    • IS1 (Interactive System In One)
    • MET (Microsoft Entertainment Technology or Microsoft Entertainment Theatre)

    Yikes.

  • ‘Pulp’ Launches as the First Xbox-Exclusive Movie

    ‘Pulp’ Launches as the First Xbox-Exclusive Movie

    Pulp, a british indie “comedy about comics,” debuts today as the first-ever Xbox 360-exclusive film.

    As streaming and downloading options continue to expand, this is a first for the popular console. The film’s creators cite the growing cost of theatrical distribution as a motivator for the unusual release strategy.

    “Theatrical distribution, nowadays, costs on average about £2 million per movie for marketing, prints and advertising…For a film like Pulp, that doesn’t have bankable stars with a track record, it’s a challenge for any distributor to take that gamble,” says director Adam Hamdy.

    Here’s your official summary:

    Thunder Racers, Infinite Finity, Rat Warriors. Junk Comics’ titles have been referred to as ‘the worst printed material since Mein Kampf’. Tony Leary, the nice-guy owner of Junk Comics, is gearing up for one last roll of the dice. His new superhero title, The Sodomizer, launches at the British International Comic Show, and nothing will stop Tony from making it a success. Nothing except a gang of Geordie criminals who are using a comic company to launder their dirty money. Tony is drafted by the police to identify the culprits and bring them to justice. Aided by his trusty geek sidekicks, Rick and Keith, Tony must defy the odds if he is to become a real life hero.

    Pulp is available today, March 4th, for 1120 Microsoft points or 1420 Microsoft points if you want to splurge and watch it in HD.

    You can expect more films like this – Microsoft says that they will be distributing more films via the Xbox console in the future.

    [BBC via The Verge]

  • Ouya Consoles Begin Shipping on March 28

    The Ouya console has been quite the success story. The Google Android-powered game console began as a Kickstarter campaign asking for just under $1 million from people who would like to own a more open home video game console. The campaign earned its goal in less than one day and went on to raise over $8.5 million from tens of thousands of backers.

    When the campaign ended in August 2012, a tentative release date of March 2013 was set. Though six months seems like very little time to develop a new game console, the Ouya’s developers seem to have followed through on their promise.

    Ouya today announced that Ouya consoles will begin shipping to those who backed the Kickstarter campaign on March 28. Production of the consoles is already progressing and will ramp up throughout the next month. As the company announced earlier this month, gamers who didn’t have a chance to back the Kickstarter campaign can expect to see the console hit retail store shelves sometime in June.

    Though the launch lineup of games for the Ouya may be sparse, the company used the launch date announcement to reveal several titles that will be coming to the console. In particular, an exclusive projects for the Ouya is being created by Quantum Conundrum developer Airtight Games, and Papo & Yo developer Minority Media will release an “adventure puzzler” for the console this fall.

    In addition to the games, Ouya also announced that Thatgamecompany co-founder Kellee Santiago has joined Ouya as head of developer relations. Thatgamecompany is best known for developing Flower and Journey, which ended up on many game-of-the-year lists for 2012.

  • Wii Mini Coming to the U.K. on March 22

    Wii Mini Coming to the U.K. on March 22

    Sales of Nintendo‘s Wii U haven’t haven’t been quite as high as the company had been hoping. In January, fewer than 100,000 Wii U’s were sold worldwide and Nintendo recently revised down its quarterly sales estimates.

    So what’s Nintendo to do now that it appears to have a console flop on its hands? It could release exclusive games, of course, and the company did announce an exciting lineup at the end of January, but that doesn’t solve the problem in the near-term. There’s simply no compelling reason (other than maybe LEGO City Undercover) to buy a Wii U until titles such as the Yoshi Yarn game, Bayonetta 2, and the mysterious “X” are out.

    In the meantime, it appears that Nintendo will be leaning on its consoles that have actually sold well. More specifically, Nintendo today announced that the redesigned Wii Mini will be released in the U.K. on March 22. The red, top-loading console was released in Canada last holiday season.

    Despite the slim design of the box, the Wii Mini comes with a huge drawback: it has no Wi-Fi, and no other way to connect to the internet. That means no Virtual Console and no online Mario Kart. The Wii Mini is only for consumers who are fine with local multiplayer only, or who are only looking to catch up on the Wii’s singe-player experiences, such as Mario and Zelda titles or Xenoblade Chronicles.

    In conjunction with the console announcement, Nintendo has also announced that it is adding new games to its Nintendo Selects titles. Mario Party 8, Wii Sports Resort, Mario Power Tennis, and Super Paper Mario will be available at the Nintendo Selects price when the Wii Mini launches.

  • PlayStation 4 Unveiled: Watch the Full Presentation Here

    If you couldn’t catch Sony‘s big PlayStation 4 announcement last night (or you fell asleep before it was over), you’re in luck. The full presentation – all two hours and five minutes of it – is now online and can be viewed below.

    Can’t spare two hours to listen to game developers talk about how great things will be in the future? We’ve got you covered with quick run-downs of the PlayStation 4 hardware, the new DualShock 4 controller, and all the next-gen games that were announced for the console during the event.

    If you don’t even have time to read the highlights and watch the trailers, you can check out the satirical 3-minute abridged version of the presentation created by VideoGamerTV. It’s surprisingly accurate for how funny it manages to be.

  • PS4 Controller Unveiled With Touchpad, Share Button

    Though Sony didn’t show off the look of its new console at last night’s big PlayStation 4 unveiling, the new controller for the console was heavily featured.

    The controller, named the “DualShock 4” resembles Sony’s previous generation controllers, but with some significant twists. For one, the middle section of the controller has been stretched and now features a touchpad similar to those found on the back of the PlayStation Vita. Sony didn’t comment or mention what the touchpad will be used for, but developers are sure to come up with some creative uses for it.

    Another difference is the “share” button located to the left of the touchpad and the “options” button to the right of it. The options button simply takes the place of the old “Start” and “Select” buttons, but the share button will unlock some powerful new sharing features built into the PS4. Pressing the button allows gamers to broadcast their play session – even gameplay that has already taken place. The PlayStation 4 will keep a buffer of gameplay that can be shared or streamed to websites such as Ustream. The button can also enable the sharing of in-game items between gamers or upload images and video to Facebook.

    The backside of the DualShock 4

    The back of the DualShock 4 features a glowing six-axis sensor that enables motion control, and the L2 and R2 triggers have been changed from past DualShock designs. Sony stated that the analog sticks on the controller have also been redesigned for “better precision plus improved surface materials…for more delicate manipulation.”

  • PlayStation 4 Announcement Streaming Live Online; Here’s Where You Can Watch it

    [UPDATE] Sony’s announcement can also be seen via the PlayStation channel on TwitchTV, or live on this very page:



    Live video from your iPhone using Ustream

    Mere hours remain until Sony is expected to unveil its next-generation video game console at a major event in New York. The excitement is building while the rumors and leaks surrounding the console have filled gamers’ imaginations this past week. Sony itself has even added to the hype with a series of retrospective videos on past consoles and games that have been posted to the event’s web page.

    This evening the speculation will end and Sony will either usher in a new era of video games or disappoint millions of gamers across the world. The company is obviously confident, as the presentation will be streaming live online. Sony clearly wants the entire world to be watching.

    The presentation will be streaming in several different locations. The event website will, of course, host the stream, as will the latest PlayStation Blog post about the event. The PlayStation Facebook page will also have a stream available, and PlayStation 3 owners can watch the presentation live on their consoles through the PlayStation Home app or through the “What’s New” section of the PS3 Media Bar.

    The presentation begins at 6 pm EST / 3 pm PST / 11 pm GMT, which is also 10 am in Sydney and 8 am in Tokyo on February 21, for those gamers on the other side of the world.

    Don’t be late. Console announcements don’t come often.

  • New PlayStation Could Offer Cloud Gaming [RUMOR]

    Backwards compatibility is a popular feature for new game consoles. The ability to have one console under the TV that can play multiple generations of games is valuable for a certain kind of gamer.

    The rumored hardware architecture of Sony’s new PlayStation and Microsoft’s new Xbox makes it unlikely the new consoles will be backwards compatible. The Wall Street Journal, however, is reporting that Sony’s new console may provide backwards compatibility by streaming games through the cloud.

    Citing “people familiar with [Sony’s] plans,” the Journal states that the next PlayStation console will offer PlayStation 3 games and stream them to users online.

    This rumor seems credible because Sony last year purchased cloud gaming company Gaikai for $380 million. At the time, Andrew House, president of Sony Computer Entertainment, said that the company would use Gaikai to “deliver a world-class cloud-streaming service that allows users to instantly enjoy a broad array of content ranging from immersive core games with rich graphics to casual content anytime, anywhere on a variety of internet-connected devices.”

    If the rumor is true and the next PlayStation console does include streaming games, the challenge for Sony will be keeping server and bandwidth costs down. Just last year, Gaikai competitor OnLive had to re-form its company and lay off half of its staff as a measure to stave off bankruptcy.