Hasta La Gadget!

With the newest update to the game Street Fighter IV, you’re going to see five new characters, four of which have been revealed this afternoon. While the creators of Tekken aim to add a fighting salmon to the arena, four of the five new characters coming to Street Fighter IV have been revealed to be fan favorites. While we’re not expecting a handheld seafaring creature to be attacking our heroes in this season’s upgrade, the creators of this game have promised an addition “never seen in street fighter before.”

With the addition of Hugo, Poison, Elena, and Rolento to the mix, the folks at Capcom’s Evo 2013 panel have thrown a bit of a curve-ball the audience’s way. While each of these first four characters have appeared in previous editions of the game on multiple platforms, the fifth will be one never before played by a user in the wild. At the moment it’s not clear whether this means the character will be entirely new or a translation of a character from the Street Fighter universe to a real fighter as never executed before.

The update will also be bringing on more than just the five new characters. Also in store for users are all previously released costume packs – so good thing you hesitated! This update will also be adding on special costumes designed by Udon Entertainment for each of the five new characters – but only if you pre-order the update before it’s out on the market.

This update will be released through all standard channels and through the NESiCAxLive arcade network in Japan soon. Both Super Street Fighter IV and the still relatively new updated Arcade Edition will have the ability to add this DLC to their iterations of the game. Stay tuned for the rest of the details – including a release date – soon!

UPDATE: This update will be appearing for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC for a cool $15 USD, and you’ll be seeing it in early 2014.

UPDATE 2: Gameplay video released!

VIA: Shoryuken!

Street Fighter IV DLC brings five new characters to the fold [UPDATE] is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Microsoft announced at E3 last month that they would be getting rid of its Microsoft Points currency system and using real money for transactions for now on. Today, Microsoft announced that Xbox Live Rewards will be doing the same thing, although it’s not yet determined how the new Rewards system will work now that it won’t be using Microsoft Points.

Starting on August 1, Xbox gamers will no longer be able to earn Microsoft Points through Xbox Live Rewards, but Microsoft says that “you’ll continue to be rewarded for doing the things you love on Xbox Live.” The company hasn’t yet announced what they’ll be using on Xbox Live Rewards, but they say that they’ll be revealing the new system on September 1.

Furthermore, Microsoft will deposit all of your pending Rewards points into your account on August 7. If you also happen to have Microsoft Points in your Xbox account when Points are retired, they’ll be transitioned to real-money currency, and you’ll be able to use them as normal, such as buying digital games and items.

Microsoft announced the demise of Microsoft Points during E3 last month ahead of the Xbox One’s launch later in November. We still have yet to hear an exact date for the switchover, but today’s Xbox Live Rewards announcement provides some hints as for when we might see the official switchover.

Microsoft Points have been the main form of currency in Xbox Live for ages, and gamers were able to buy them using a credit card, or purchasing them physically at retail stores. The ousting of Microsoft Points looks to eliminate a step in that process by switching to real money, making the process easier for gamers to buy stuff on Xbox Live.

SOURCE: Xbox Live Rewards

Xbox Live Rewards transitioning from Microsoft Points next month is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Rockstar Games released the first gameplay video for GTA V yesterday. It was merely just a introduction to the game with narration in the background, but it was the first time we ended up seeing actual gameplay footage of the upcoming game. We saw the usual Grand Theft Auto shenanigans, but there’s so much more that you may have missed during the gameplay video.

Of course, you already know that GTA V will consist of three main characters that you’ll be able to switch between freely in the game. These characters include Michael, Franklin, and Trevor, all of whom have vastly different personalities, but they seem to work together nicely in the game.

However, during the character introductions in the video, you have spotted a quick look at a Rottweiler dog following Franklin around (pictured above). Does this mean that players will be able to have pets in the game? Further along in the video we also see gameplay footage of a dashcam ride-along in one of the police cars during a pursuit. Does this mean that players will be able to act as police officers and attempt to catch one of the characters. It doesn’t really seem plausible, but we’ll see what happens.

As for things you can customize in the game, Rockstar gives us a peek at the customization options of cars, including getting a new paint job and new wheels. There’s also a bar graph in the lower-left corner that shows you the car’s performance ratings, such as top speed and acceleration, hinting to the possibility that you’ll also be able to upgrade performance and add things like turbochargers and upgraded air intake kits. There’s certainly a lot more you can do with your car than what Pay ‘n’ Spray offered in past GTA titles.

You’ll also be able to buy new clothes, which we’ve seen in past GTA titles, but the quick glimpse that we received of this feature looks as if buying new clothes will be a lot more immersive than previous GTA iterations, and it seems there will be a lot more styles to choose from to get just the right fashion look.

As for different activities that you’ll be able to do in the game, the video reveals a handful of them, including golf, tennis, cycling, base jumping (or it could be skydiving), and even hunting. You can even meditate in the game, which sounds weird, but we’re guessing that all of these various activities have an effect on your characters health and overall stat points, so by doing these activities and sports, you can improve your characters.

We also get a quick look at multiplayer in Grand Theft Auto V, which Rockstar is calling Grand Theft Auto Online. The gameplay video doesn’t show much — merely just a guy looking out from a building at all these other players while a fighter jet passes by. And yes, it looks like multiplayer will allow the ability to fly fighter jets.

Other tidbits that we see in the video include the ability to buy stock in companies (Ammu-Nation, for example, allows you buy stock in the company), and players can even get into the real estate business to look for a property to buy. The game includes many features that we’ve seen in past GTA titles, but they’ve all been cranked up to 11 to include more options and immersiveness.

Grand Theft Auto V will be released on September 17 this year for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. No word yet on if the game will be heading to PC, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed. Rockstar also didn’t mention availability for next-generation consoles, but that doesn’t seem like that’s in Rockstar’s plan as of now.

Grand Theft Auto V official gameplay video breakdown is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Microsoft has thrown open applications for its next Xbox Live beta, giving Xbox 360 gamers the opportunity to have early access to the new Microsoft Points replacement and more. The 2013 Xbox Live Update for Xbox 360 Public Beta will see a trial switch-over to local currency for downloads and purchases, Microsoft’s Major Nelson writes, in addition to performance improvements.

The switch away from Microsoft Points to gamers’ local currencies was announced last month, with the company saying that any existing credit in a player’s account would be converted over to currency “of at least equal value.” The change comes ahead of the new Xbox One, which will go on sale alongside the Xbox 360 rather than directly replacing it.

Membership of the public beta is only open to limited numbers – Microsoft hasn’t said how many will be accommodated – and, for the first time, will be accessed via the Xbox Live dashboard itself. Xbox 360 owners should look out for a new Xbox Beta Program tile on the homescreen.

Initially, any gamer in an Xbox Live market will be able to take part, barring Japan. Those Japanese gamers who want to get involved will have to wait until “a later date”, Major Nelson says. Those in the public beta will also have to sign an NDA, though in previous years those non-disclosure agreements have generally failed to stop details leaking.

Despite the new, next-gen console on the way, Microsoft isn’t giving up on its existing model. The company announced a redesigned version of the Xbox 360 back at E3, and has promised “hundreds of new games” over the next few years.

Xbox Live Public Beta for new Xbox 360 dashboard and Points replacement opens is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Former Xbox chief Don Mattrick left his post at Microsoft and joined Zynga as the company’s new CEO. This left a vacant hole over at Microsoft, for which CEO Steve Ballmer is currently stepping in for the time being. However, it’s been reported that current Windows head Julie Larson-Green could be the successor to Mattrick and take over the Xbox division as well.

According to Bloomberg, Microsoft is said to be in the planning stages of reorganizing the company’s execs, and Mattrick is believed to have left Microsoft because of that. As for who will do what, it’s said that Skype president Tony Bates will be put in charge of acquisitions and relationships with software developers for Microsoft, and Larson-Green will oversee all hardware engineering for the company.

This means that Larson-Green would oversee hardware engineering for all devices, including Xbox consoles and Surface tablets. Furthermore, Windows Phone software chief Terry Myerson would be given more responsibility, and will oversee Windows operating system engineering.

Sources say that these shuffling moves aren’t finalized, and it’s possible that Ballmer will make changes before Microsoft officially announces the reorganization. This means that it’s possible that Larson-Green won’t end up getting the Xbox division under her authority, but seeing as how the Xbox One is merging ever so closer to the Windows platform, it makes sense to put the two together under the same boss.

As for Mattrick, it’s said that he was a contender for the hardware chief position before he left Microsoft, but knowing that the company would be going through a reshuffling, Mattrick probably didn’t want to get caught up in the changes. Of course, Mattrick isn’t heading to any steadier waters, as he’ll be responsible for picking up the broken pieces of Zynga and trying to put them back together.

VIA: CVG

SOURCE: Bloomberg

Windows chief rumored for Xbox lead position after Mattrick departure is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.