Hasta La Gadget!

How do you close out a console generation? By reclaiming your crown. According to NPD’s October figures, Microsoft is back on top: The Xbox 360 is once again the best-selling home console. It’s hardly surprising — Microsoft has dominated home console sales for years, losing out to the PlayStation 3 for the first time in ages just last month. It almost wouldn’t be notable, save for the fact that this month’s numbers are the last NPD figures before the industry moves on. The PlayStation 4 launches at midnight tonight, and the Xbox One will be available in just a few days. You can almost see the anticipation in the numbers. Hardware sales totaled $171.7 million for the month, 8 percent less than the same period last year and over $10 million less than the previous month. Business as usual, really. Care to take stab at who will take the cake in generation eight’s first NPD report? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Filed under: Gaming, HD, Sony, Microsoft

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Source: Joystiq

If you’re already looking for a more worthy Grand Theft Auto 5 adversary than a computer can generate, here’s the dirt: you can now play it online. Whether your battleground of choice is PlayStation Network or Xbox Live, only a “small title update” should be required to get online. Of course, that is assuming the game’s servers can handle the load. With over 16.5 million copies already in circulation Day 1 connectivity could land somewhere near the Sim City end of the scale, and Rockstar’s Social Club backend has already experienced some strain loading up pictures and stats from the single player edition. Assuming everything goes to plan however, players should be creating their avatars, forming online crime syndicates and visiting each other’s houses.

The Content Creator tool that will let players design their own heists is one of the features scheduled to launch later this fall, for more details on what is available right away, check out this blog post. Access appears to be open on both PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, although we’re already seeing reports of connection issues and “Rockstar cloud servers are not available right now” on both sides.

Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD

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Source: Rockstar

Microsoft seems intent on sanding away the Xbox brand’s rough edges before launching the One this November. Following the recent switch from its arcane points system to local currency for digital purchases, Redmond has subtly changed up where you’ll spend that money. What we used to know as the Xbox Live Marketplace is now the Xbox Game Store. It’s clean, simple and we’re pretty sure Sean Parker would approve. Oddly, in the US the web storefront reads “Xbox Games,” but it says “Xbox Game Store” in the UK. Whatever — as long as we can buy real-world presidents for Saint’s Row 4, we’re not too worried about the name of the store.

Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft

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Source: Joystiq, Xbox

Goodbye, Microsoft Points. Hello, local currency. A new Xbox 360 update, debuting today, has finally made official the long-awaited switch from Microsoft’s own virtual currency, allowing you to spend your hard-earned pennies on Xbox Live content. If you’ve still got Microsoft Points laying around, never fear. As we’ve previously reported, existing point balances will be converted to their equivalent cash value. According to the company’s FAQ, prices are now listed in whatever your local currency happens to be, plus tax. It’s worth noting that purchases made with converted money will not be taxed for the time being, and said currency is good until June 1, 2015. For more details, check out Microsoft’s breakdown of the switch at the source link below.

Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft

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Via: Polygon

Source: Xbox

During EA’s press event at Gamescom 2013 in Cologne, the outfit revealed that FIFA 14 seasons that start on current-gen systems will easily be transported over to next-gen consoles when they arrive this fall. Saved seasons, FIFA Ultimate Teams, Virtual Pro and EA Sports Football Club info can all be carried to the shiny new Xbox One and PS4 as soon as that pre-order arrives or you’ll able to nab one off the shelves. You’ll be able to step foot on the pitch soon as the title launches around the globe next month.

Filed under: Gaming

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