Hasta La Gadget!

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.

Action-RPG Dark Souls has sold an estimated 2,367,000 copies worldwide, according to the executive director of “From Software” (Dark Soul’s publisher in Japan), Eiichi Nakajima. The sales have amazed From Software so much that it decided to launch an Xbox 360 version of the game in Japan. While the game was released for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 overseas, it was only limited to the PS3 in Japan.

According to From Software’s data, over 375,000 copies of Dark Souls was purchased for the PlayStation in Japan. Overseas, over 1.3 million copies of Dark Souls was purchased for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 combined. From Software had a separate chart for copies of Dark Souls with the “Artorias of the Abyss” expansion. The expansion was included in the PC edition of Dark Souls, and was released as a DLC for PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 users. 137,000 copies with the expansion sold in Japan for both the PC and the PlayStation 3, while 555,000 of the copies sold overseas for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

These figures come shortly after gameplay footage of the game’s sequel, Dark Souls II, was released. Dark Souls II will feature the same gameplay mechanics as Dark Souls, but will feature a world that is twice as big. The game will still keep its challenging gameplay renown in the series since Demon Souls. Yui Tanimura, co-director of Dark Souls, states,

“We do not plan on having an Easy Mode since we are creating this game with a thought that challenge and difficulty are core elements of the game.”

Dark Souls II will again be released by From Software in Japan, and like Dark Souls, will be released by Namco Bandai in North America. It will be available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the PC for both countries, and will continue on the same momentum as its predecessors. While Dark Souls took place in the kingdom of Lordran, Dark Souls II will take place in a completely new setting. The game will once again revolve around a character seeking out a cure for a curse he has been afflicted with. Check out the 12-minute Dark Souls II gameplay video above.

[via NeoGaf]

Dark Souls sells over 2.3 million copies worldwide is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Xbox 360 is continuing its dominance as the best-selling console in the US. Microsoft has announced that they sold 302,000 consoles in February, making it the 26th straight month that the Xbox 360 has been on top in the US. Meanwhile, though, Nintendo Wii U sales continue to slump, with only 64,000 consoles sold during the month of February.

The Wii U had a really rough January, seeing sales as low as 57,000, but while February sales of the new console saw a jump by 40%, that only means that the Wii U sold 64,000 units, which is still lower than the lowest that the PS3 or the Xbox 360 has ever gotten. It’s said that January was a particularly bad month for the Wii U due to holiday backlash and people returning the console to stores.

However, as for the Xbox 360 console, it holds 41% of the market share among current-generation consoles, and the total money spent on the Xbox 360 in February — including hardware, software and accessories — was the most for any console in the US. Some pretty impressive numbers considering that Microsoft hasn’t lost the number one spot in over two years.

Total video game sales for February topped out at $810 million, which is actually down 25% from the same time last year. Console sales racked up $244.2 million, video game sales reached $369.9 million, and accessories rang in at $213.9 million while also boasting just a 3% drop from last year, while all other categories dropped 25% or more.

[via Gamasutra]

Xbox 360 best-selling console in US for 26th straight month, Wii U struggles is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The new Tomb Raider is set to come out within the next few days and it has a lot of gamers eager to test it out. Many game critics have given the series reboot positive reviews saying that a refresh to the Tomb Raider franchise has been a long time coming. The game, however, has been receiving some concerned feedback on one aspect, and that’s the 18+ maturity rating it’s labeled with. This reboot is the first game in the entire Tomb Raider series to have an 18+ rating.

Despite the feedback about the maturity rating, the game developers for Tomb Raider do not believe they were wrong when they added more violence to the game. They also said that they were not influenced into adding more violence to the game because of games like Call of Duty. President of Eidos Interactive, Ian Livingstone, stated that gamers have a desire for “gritty realism”, which is exactly why the developers included all the gore, traps, hunting, and more in this game. His point is proven in this Tomb Raider trailer when we see everything that Lara Croft has to go through in order to survive.

Livingstone stated, “A decision was made to make it 18+ because of the combat involved, the graphics involved, and that gritty realism. It’s definitely the correct decision.” He stated that Eidos wanted to improve the fighting elements of Tomb Raider, because it always seemed to be placed on the back burner while the puzzle elements were front and center. While the game still follows the elements of exploration, adventure, and puzzle solving, there will be a lot more combat in this reboot.

This Tomb Raider reboot will take you back to the origins of Lara Croft and how she became who she was in the previous games. The game is set to be released world wide on March 5th via its publisher, Square Enix. In this game, you can take part in Lara Croft’s first human kill, as well as her transformation from a scared, young girl to the tough, fearless tomb raider she is in the 1996 series.

[via The Guardian]

Eidos Interactive defends Tomb Raider’s Age 18+ rating is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The streak continues once again. Microsoft has announced that their Xbox 360 gaming console has been the highest-selling console for the 25th straight month, beating out the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii U for the month of January. The Redmond-based company sold 281,000 consoles last month, with gamers spending a combined total of $338 million on Xbox consoles, games, and accessories in January alone.

Overall, Microsoft maintains 44% of the marketshare when it comes to current-generation console sales. If you count all gaming consoles, games, and accessories, the NPD says that people spent a collective $834.7 million on all that alone during the month of January, with Call of Duty: Black Ops II being the best-selling game last month.

Rounding out the top five highest-selling games in January include Far Cry 3, Just Dance 4, NBA 2K13, and Madden NFL 13. What’s perhaps most interesting is that Far Cry 3 ranked second-highest in terms of sales, which marks the first time since January 2002 (with Final Fantasy X) that a December launch has ranked second in the following January.

As far as specific sales for the PlayStation 3 and the Wii U, Sony and Nintendo have yet to announce their sales figures. The Wii U released three months ago, and while a just-released console should technically be receiving all of the sales glory, it hasn’t beaten the Xbox 360 yet in sales. However, according to Gamasutra, Wii U sales for January are “well under” 100,000.

Xbox 360 best-selling gaming console for 25th straight month is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.