Hasta La Gadget!

Call of Duty: Black Ops II – which is scheduled to launch next week and will undoubtedly be one of the biggest games of the year – has leaked. The Xbox 360 version made it onto the Internet over the weekend, and as a result, gameplay videos have been popping up all over the place. The game is due out on November 13, which means that Activision nearly made it to release without the game leaking.

An impressive feat to be sure, especially when you consider that Halo 4 releases tomorrow and was leaked a month ago. Treyarch game design director David Vonderhaar mentioned the leak on Twitter, and didn’t seem too upset over the idea that the game had leaked, instead taking a shot at the people streaming gameplay videos. “If you are going to live-stream the game early, which I don’t remotely recommend, you could at least be good at it. :P,” he said, followed by, “I’m really glad people are excited for the game. Legit streams coming up later this week and early next. Watch this space.”

Eurogamer tracked down one of these videos, which shows off the game’s new zombie mode. We’ve posted it below as well, but be warned: you probably shouldn’t click the play button on that video if you don’t want things spoiled ahead of release. If you’re finding it hard to resist the temptation, just remember that there’s only a week left to go before legitimate copies of Black Ops II are available for everyone to play.

Truth be told, we’re not surprised that Black Ops II became the victim of a leak before its release, but we are surprised that Activision managed to keep it from leaking for this long. Then again, it could be that Activision was the one that leaked it in the first place, attempting to hype the game even more before it launches on November 13. Since Activision apparently doesn’t want to talk about the leak, it looks like we’ll just have to settle for conspiracy theories instead. Who’s picking up Black Ops II on launch day?

Black Ops II suffers a leak ahead of release is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The perennial Facebook phone rumor has resurfaced, with chatter that the HTC Opera UL will be the social site’s first “official” smartphone as it attempts to tighten its slack in mobile. The Opera UL, as HTC has internally called it, is an OEM device “made for Facebook” a source tells Pocket-lint, while leaked benchmarks suggest it will have a 1.4GHz processor and run Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean.

The exact identity of that processor is unclear, though since it’s paired with a Qualcomm Adreno 305 that does narrow the field somewhat. So far, we’ve seen that GPU used with various iterations of the Snapdragon S4 Plus (though not the S4 Pro, as in the LG Nexus 4), each with a dualcore CPU.

Other tidbits from the NenaMark2 benchmark leak include a 1280 x 720 display, which is in keeping with other recent high-end devices from HTC. Although HTC has flirted with both full-touch and QWERTY form-factors in its own-brand Facebook handsets before – the Salsa and the ChaCha – with a resolution like that, unless it’s a slider, then our guess would be touchscreen-only.

According to the insider, we shouldn’t necessarily expect to see the Facebook phone any time soon. “Apparently it’s been delayed” the source said; with no public release timescale, mind, the exact impact of that “delay” can’t really be judged.

Although Facebook has long denied that it intends to release an own-brand device, rumors of the work-in-progress have circulated nonetheless. Whispers from inside the company indicate Facebook has been reworking Android for its own web-centric purposes, much as Amazon refettled Google’s OS for the Kindle Fire.

Facebook’s software and hardware efforts at its modified Android approach have been accelerating in recent months, according to other sources, with ex-Apple engineers supposedly poached to work on the project. More than six ex-iPhone engineers and an ex-iPad engineer, with a mixture of hardware and software skills, were tipped to have quietly joined the company midway through this year.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg again dismissed chatter of a dedicated device back in September, but did emphasize that Facebook is focusing on mobile users moving forward, as they increasingly comprise its most active userbase. Back in pre-IPO days, Facebook filings to the SEC publicly voiced the company’s fears that it might see revenues fall should users begin to favor the mobile interface, which has been less monetized than the desktop view.

Zuckerberg’s Facebook Phone is the HTC Opera UL claims insider is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

A lot of people are excited for Grand Theft Auto V, there’s no doubt about that, but it seems that a couple of retailers might be a little too excited. Retailers aren’t supposed to open up Grand Theft Auto V pre-orders until November 5, but today images of pre-order bonuses are popping up all over the Internet. One of these pre-order bonuses, a little photo viewer, actually gives away some of the new locations in the game, so in a roundabout sort of way, we’re actually learning more about the game itself through these leaks.

The photo viewer is small enough to fit on a keychain, and is branded with a “FlyUS” logo – likely one of the businesses found in Grand Theft Auto V. The viewfinder’s five slides show a handful of different locations, including Zancudo River, Del Perro Pier, Grapeseed, Vespucci Canals, and finally, Vinewood Hills. We have to say, this is one of handiest pre-order bonuses we’ve ever come across.

GTAGaming originally posted the first slides and the image of the viewfinder, while over at Joystiq, a poster for Grand Theft Auto V is being shown off. Those who pre-order the game starting on November 5 will get both a poster and the viewfinder, though it’s difficult to tell if the poster over at Joystiq is an actual pre-order bonus or if it’s promotional material. In any case, it’s certainly doing its part in getting us excited for Grand Theft Auto V.

Earlier this week, Rockstar confirmed that Grand Theft Auto V will be arriving in spring 2013. The studio didn’t give a specific release date, and we’re thinking that it will keep the exact launch date a secret until we’re into 2013. Keep it tuned here to SlashGear, and we’ll let you know if any new details leak out!

[via Official PlayStation Magazine]

Grand Theft Auto V pre-order goodies leak is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Sony is shipping a new version of its PlayStation 4 development kit, insiders claim, codenamed “Orbis” and  based on AMD’s A10 Accelerated Processing Units. Described as “a modified PC” by VG247‘s sources, the APUs at the heart of the console-analog is supposedly a “derivative” of the A10 combined CPU and GPU Trinity chips AMD launched back in March, and is paired with “either 8GB or 16GB of RAM.”

There’s also set to be Blu-ray, in the final console at least, along with a 256GB drive “as standard.” The developers briefed by Sony this week did not say whether that would be an HDD or SDD, but it’s worth noting that 256GB as a capacity is more typically associated with solid-state drives.

Connectivity includes both WiFi and ethernet, along with an HDMI output, and in general there’s no difference in ports between Orbis and the existing PS3. Sony supposedly told developers that the goal was a machine that would be capable of satisfying “today and tomorrow’s market,” such as running 1080p60 games in 3D, but while still being “very affordable”; that challenging balance could well explain the apparent use of closer to off-the-shelf components than the Core chips at the heart of the current-gen console.

The latest machine is apparently the second in what’s expected to be a four system roll-out for developers with early access to Sony’s hardware. The first model was “essentially just a graphics card” while this second-gen version dresses that up in a PC. A third machine, expected in January, will supposedly be near to the final PS4 specifications, followed by the final version due “next summer.”

In addition to the introduction to new hardware, Sony is also using the Orbis developer system to demo the PS4′s updated interface, it’s claimed. “They’re trying to make it as fluid as possible” it’s said of the new UI, with the ability to jump out mid-game and use any other feature before returning, such as to leap into the PS Store and buy extra game content before heading back into play to actually use it. Sony expects the PS4 to be perpetually left in standby, with (optional) downloads in the background.

Orbis, as Sony is insisting on calling the PS4 in these early briefings, is expected to be announced just prior to E3 2013.

[Image credit: Tai Chiem]

Sony PS4 “Orbis” based on tweaked AMD A10 tip devs is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Facebook is reportedly testing a Craigslist challenger, with a combination of paid and free adverts, housing requests, and projects, that would promote focused sharing rather than being a global message-board. The work-in-progress, currently known internally as “Marketplace” so sources tell The Daily, would allow Facebookers to use the same promoted posts technology for a one-off advert, with a sub-$5 listing fee, with visibility in news feeds. However, it’s not just a classifieds system, the insiders claim.

Instead, there would be distinct sections for jobs, projects, and housing, along with items for sale. The housing listings would be free, it’s claimed, and only shown to those within the specific target area users give. For instance, only those friends in a certain location would initially see the advert, though they could re-share it to others.

The filtering system would apparently step up a gear when it comes to job adverts. As well as focusing visibility by area, the ads could also be set to only show up when users’ qualifications meet a certain standard; so, if your job demanded a candidate with a masters degree, it would not be seen by those who don’t have such a qualification listed on their profile.

For Facebook, it might also have a useful side-effect of encouraging users to share more information about themselves, so that they see more appropriate adverts and don’t miss out on opportunities.

As for projects, that’s described as a collaborative working tool, with users able to publish guides and tips – a little like Instructables, perhaps – as well as publicize ongoing projects they’d like assistance with. That could range from a party to a fledgling startup business.

According to the sources, Marketplace – a name which was previously used for a similar listings service, passed over to Oodle in 2009 – is “on a fast track” to launch, though specific timescales are unknown.

Facebook resurrecting Marketplace as Craigslist challenge tip insiders is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.