May 21
Your cat gets to do whatever it wants everywhere else in the house, so why not give it control of the iPad, too?
May 21
We’re just a few hours away from Microsoft revealing its next-generation gaming console, but Sony is trying to take a bit of the attention away from that. Yesterday, the company teased its PS4 console in a video that showed the box itself from various close-up angles, and it has created some chatter amongst the PlayStation
May 20
Back in February during Sony’s PS4 reveal, the company didn’t show off the console itself because it’s merely “just a box.” Instead, we were treated with a look at the DualShock 3 controller, as well as a glimpse at some upcoming games that we can look forward to playing once the console is released. Today, however, Sony has teased the console itself, with several close-up angles that really don’t tell us much in the end.
The teaser video, which you can watch below, gives us a very blurry view of the PS4 console box itself, although it doesn’t look like much through an unfocused lens. Throughout the video, we get treated with quick flashes of various close-up angles of the console, including its edges, corners, vents, and logos (which we’re guessing the image above is a new logo of some sort).
At the end of the teaser, we’re treated with a date of June 10 at 6 pm PT, which is during Sony’s press conference at E3, meaning that we’ll get treated with the full PS4 treatment at E3, including more details about the hardware, as well as a release date for the console. Microsoft is also expected to show off its next-gen console at E3 this year.
Speaking of Microsoft, the company is set to announce their next-generation Xbox console tomorrow, so we’re pretty sure that today’s teaser from Sony was strategically timed to attempt to take a bit of day-before excitement away from Microsoft. However, come tomorrow, all eyes will be on the Redmond-based company and their new gaming console.
The PS4 is planned to release in time for the holiday season, and we can only expect Microsoft to do the same with their console. However, it’ll be up in the air on who out-shines who when Santa comes to town. Needless to say, it’ll be nice to have the console wars heated up again after neither company has released a new console in quite some time.
PS4 console teased ahead of full E3 hardware details is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 17
Microsoft may be prepping to unveil it’s next-generation Xbox next week, but the Xbox 360 is still going on strong. Keeping up with its staggering consistency, the Xbox 360 has remained at the top of the best-selling consoles list for the month of April in the US selling 130,000 units throughout the month and capturing a 42% market share during April.
However, 130,000 units is a far cry from March and February, when Microsoft sold 261,000 and 302,000 consoles, respectively. Total revenue brought in for the Xbox 360, including hardware, games, and accessories, adds up to $208 million, which is also more than any other gaming console for the month of April. However, its more than half of what Xbox 360 sales were a month previous, when March brought in $402 million.
During April, the Xbox 360 also held six out of the top 10 console games, which include NBA 2K13, Dead Island: Riptide, BioShock Infinite, Defiance, Injustice: Gods Among Us, and Call of Duty: Black Ops II. NBA 2K13, BioShock Infinite, and Call of Duty: Black Ops II were also on the list during March.
The steep drop in sales could be a result of the impending announcement of the so-called Xbox 720, which Microsoft will unveil on May 21. However, the console most likely won’t actually release to the public until later this year in the fall, meaning that if sales are slipping already, it’s going to be a long summer for Microsoft and its Xbox 360.
As for the latest gaming console that has hit the public pipeline (the Wii U), sales aren’t doing so well either. The console has missed Nintendo’s expectations, and it seems many developers and publishers are beginning to rethink their strategy to makes games for the new console, including EA, who has said that they don’t have anything in the making for the Wii U, which could potentially hurt the console even more.
SOURCE: Official Microsoft Blog
Xbox 360 sales dropping drastically, still remains top-selling console is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 16
We’ve heard about the Angry Birds movie before, but Rovio has just announced today that the film will be released on July 1, 2016 and will be distributed by Sony, which will be available worldwide. Rovio says that “several major studios pursued the global film rights” to the movie, but Sony ended up being the winner.
The movie will be completely developed, produced, and financed by Rovio, with John Cohen and David Maisel hopping on board to help out. Cohen is best known for his role as producer for Universal’s Despicable Me, and Maisel is the former Marvel Studios chairman and executive producer for the Iron Man series, as well as The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America.
Overall, Cohen isn’t a huge name in the movie business, other than his role in Despicable Me, but he did have an executive role in several animated movies, including two Ice Age films and the 2007 remake of Alvin and the Chipmunks. He also served as vice president of production at Twentieth Century Fox Animation, and he also contributed to Horton Hears a Who and Robots, the former of which is a classic Dr. Seuss children’s book.
This will mark the first time that Angry Birds has ventured out into the movie entertainment business. The series recently scored its own animated web show, and has passed out merchandise licensing to several companies to make T-shirts and even plush toys of popular Angry Birds characters. Needless to say, the movie is expected to bring in a lot of sales.
The Angry Birds film first came to light back in 2011 when Maisel joined Rovio, which hinted to the possibility that Rovio was in the act of acquiring movie-focused talent. As for the plot of the movie, we’re left without any details and how the levels of Angry Birds will tie into a full-length film exactly, but Rovio said it will retain “full creative control” over the project by working outside the traditional studio system.
SOURCE: Rovio
Angry Birds movie set for 2016 debut by Sony is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 16
Similar to Microsoft’s reward and achievement system for the Xbox, Valve has come out with their own reward system for PC gamers on Steam, and they’re calling it Trading Cards. It’s launching in beta and it lets you earn rewards for playing Steam games. The Trading Cards will add to your “Steam Level,” as well as the ability to earn rewards by collecting achievements.
The FAQ to the new Trading Card system is a bit confusing, and we recken you’ll have to try it out first before you can really understand it, but Valve says that Trading Cards can be collected in order “to earn items that help you customize your profile and show off your gameplay.” Each game has its own set of trading cards, for which you can earn up to half of them by playing the game, and the other half need to be collected by trading with other users.
Each user will also have “badges” on their profile, and these represent the trading card sets that you’ve collected. Badges also earn you rewards, like profile backgrounds, emoticons, and the chance to earn coupons for things like game discounts and DLC. Whenever you earn another complete set of trading cards, you can “upgrade” your badge.
For the time being, Trading Cards is only available for a select number of games, which include Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Team Fortress 2, Dota 2, Portal 2, Half-Life 2, and Don’t Starve. However, as with any beta program, more games will be added on in the future over the next few months, with eventually all Steam games hopefully supporting Trading Cards, although there was nothing said about support for all games.
Frankly, we’re surprised that Valve has taken this long to introduce a rewards system for Steam. In the past, the company has introduced items that you can trade with other users, including nifty hats in games like Team Fortress 2, but a rewards system is a long time coming. Even if it’s something a bit strange such as Trading Cards, Valve is hoping that gamers will become a bit more invested in their Steam accounts.
VIA: Ars Technica
Steam Trading Cards is Valve’s reward system for playing games is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 15
Sure, Mountain View may be bolstering its gaming efforts on mobile platforms and the web, but it’s seen fit to give Google+ Games the pink slip. After June 30th, the game section on the titan’s social network will go dark, but Page & Co. note that some titles will still be playable on other sites. Depending on developer support, folks who’ve turned hard-earned cash into in-game credits may still be able to spend unused coin during a grace period or when playing the same games through other websites. It’s not entirely clear why Google is sunsetting the portal, but it could certainly be part of its grand plan to focus on fewer things.
Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Google
Source: Google
May 15
It wouldn’t be Google I/O if the company didn’t talk about all the fun stuff that they’re doing for education. Luckily, they announced Google Play for Education, which is a new section in Google Play that includes apps and games that are meant specifically for the classroom in order to help students learn in a more interactive way.
Google says that Google Play for Education includes apps that have been recommended by teachers themselves, so other teachers will know right off the bat that every app in the Education section has some sort of value in the classroom, and having teachers approve and recommend the apps also cuts down on inappropriate apps from making their way in.
Educators and students can browse apps based on different categories that have been set in place, including searching for apps by type, age, etc. The new platform also integrates Google+ groups, so when a teacher downloads an app for his/her students to try, they can push the app to all of the students in the classroom at once.
Individual schools or even school systems can also create a central Google billing account, so when teachers go to buy apps, they’ll be automatically charged to that central account, which cuts down the need to have teachers buy the apps themselves and be reimbursed for them, which can be confusing, and it saves a lot of hassle in the long run.
It’s not just limited to apps and games, though. Teachers can also purchases books and movies that are of educational use. Currently, six schools in New Jersey are trying out Google Play for Education, and it seems to be working out quite well, as over 500 apps were downloaded and used in a single day. Google plans to release the new platform in the fall in time for the start of the school year.
Google Play for Education brings Android to the classroom is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 15
It’s been rumored multiple times that Microsoft would be ditching its Points system for something a bit more real, and as we get closer to the company revealing its next-generation Xbox console, rumors have started to pick back up again. Now it’s reported that Microsoft will ditch its Points system for all of its services in favor of real currency and a gift card system.
According to The Verge, sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans for Xbox have said that the Points virtual currency will be shut down, and real currency will be brought in, as well as a new gift card system that is said to be similar to iTunes. Normal cash transactions using credit and debit cards are said to be supported alongside the gift cards.
The new currency system will supposedly work across Microsoft’s various services, including the Windows Store, Windows Phone Store, and Xbox Live, however it’s not said if it will be a universal system that will seamlessly integrate all of these services together (for instance, buying a gift card in the Windows Store, but using it in Xbox Live).
As for when Microsoft plans to unveil this new system, it’s said that it could be as soon as E3 next month, with an official launch later this year that will either coincide with the Xbox 720 launch or just right before the new console’s release. There was no mention of revealing the new system at the company’s May 21 event later this month, so it looks like Microsoft will be keeping some of its new details until E3.
Microsoft will be spreading out its announcements of its next-generation console throughout the year, with the first unveiling of the Xbox 720 on May 21, followed by more details at E3 2013 in June, and an appearance by the company at Gamescom in August, where it’s expected that Microsoft will unveil more games for the new console.
SOURCE: The Verge
Microsoft tipped to ditch Xbox Points for gift card system is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 15
While Jordan Mechner’s Karateka burst back onto the scene through its 2012 remake, that wasn’t good enough for purists who really just wanted a port of the 1984 original. Consider their wish granted, as Karateka Classic is coming to both Android and iOS on May 16th. The release goes the extra distance to recreate much of the Apple II-based fighting experience, warts and all — would-be warriors can even choose a monochrome screen palette or hear a floppy drive churning away. About the only concessions to modernity are touch control, playing tips and a Sands of Time-style rewind feature. At 99 cents, Karateka Classic is undoubtedly a cheap nostalgia trip… even if it does trigger that fear of birds we thought we’d cured ages ago.
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming
Source: Karateka
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