Category Archives: Video Games
Microsoft Gives The Xbox One A Release Date– Coming November 22nd
We already knew the price and launch games but today Microsoft decided to announce the final missing detail about the Xbox One– it’s release date. The next Xbox will be here on November 22nd for the previously announced price of $499.99. Yes, if you ever wanted Black Friday to get any crazier then releasing a new Xbox the week before will give you your wish.
Xbox One available 11.22.13. Reserve now. http://t.co/XcgnGBxceD
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 4, 2013
Sure it’s a week later than the PS4, but it’s coming. And that’s all that really matters, right?
Here Are The Xbox One Launch Games
The PS4 isn’t the only new console making big news. While Sony was announcing the final missing details from the PS4’s launch– the November 15th release date and the launch games expected out around that time– Microsoft announced the launch games for their Xbox One.
Like the PS4, Microsoft has put together a pretty solid group of launch games of their own. As you’d expect, many of the games that will be available for the PS4 will also be available for the Xbox One at launch including:
Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts, FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, NBA 2K14, NBA LIVE 14, Need for Speed: Rivals, Just Dance 2014, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, Skylanders: Swap Force and Watch Dogs. In addition to those games the Xbox One will also have a few exclusive games like Fighter Within, Forza Motorsport 5, Killer Instinct, Lococycle, Peggle 2, Powerstar Golf, Zoo Tycoon, Zumba Fitness: World Party, Crimson Dragon, Dead Rising 3 and Ryse: Son of Rome.
Of course, unlike the PS4 which has a price and release date, the Xbox One still only has a price– $499 when it comes out sometime this fall. Microsoft still hasn’t said when exactly this fall that will be, though the latest rumors point to a November release around the same time the PS4 will be available. Then again, with all the changes Microsoft’s been making to the Xbox One these past few weeks (like with changing their stance on what you can do with your used Xbox One games) it is very possible that an exact release date still hasn’t been fully decided upon.
All we know is that it can’t get here soon enough.
More info: Xbox
Let The Games Begin: The PlayStation 4 Is Launching On November 15th
The next generation of console wars has a start date. We already knew it would have killer graphics, some impressive games and a great launch price of $399 ($100 cheaper than the Xbox One), but today Sony finally announced the last major missing detail on the PlayStation 4– it’s release date. Well, here it is: the PlayStation 4 will be available in the US on November 15th, or just under three short months from now.
On top of that Sony also said that the PS4 will have 33 games available by the end of the year. The games include Call of Duty: Ghosts, Skylanders Swap Force, Need for Speed: Rivals, Battlefield 4, Madden 25, FIFA 14, NBA 2K14, NBA Live 14, Killzone: Shadow Fall, #DRIVECLUB, Knack, Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag, Watch Dogs, Just Dance 2014, and LEGO Marvel Superheroes. As far as launch lineups go this is pretty solid.
Oh, and the PS4 wasn’t the only PlayStation product to get some attention today. Sony also said that the PS Vita has been given a nice price cut and will now be $199 (for both the WiFi-only and WiFi+3G versions). If you were looking for a deal on the Vita for back to school, here it is.
Amazon Is Bundling Free NFL Sunday Ticket With Pre-Orders Of Madden NFL 25 Anniversary Edition
With just under a month to go until football fully returns it’s time to start making sure you’re ready for the season. The latest version of Madden, Madden NFL 25, comes out on August 27th for the Xbox 360 and PS3 but this year it’s coming with a lot more than just the usual roster updates and improvements like better commentary and more realistic running. This year to mark the 25th anniversary of the legendary game EA, Amazon and DirecTV have done something different. If you pre-order the special edition Madden 25 Anniversary Edition for $100 on Amazon you’ll not only get the game and a subscription to the Ultimate Team add-on, but you’ll also get a code to get NFL Sunday Ticket for free for the 2013 season. Yes, even if you’re not a DirecTV subscriber you’ll still be able to access the full Sunday Ticket Package and the Red Zone channel from any computer, or phone or tablet (iOS and Android). The code won’t work with the Sunday Ticket app on the PS3, so to get the games on your big screen TV you’ll need to connect your device to your TV. Seeing as most laptops today come with an HDMI port that shouldn’t be too hard.
The regular edition of Madden NFL 25 costs $60 on its own, so for $40 more you’re getting something that usually costs another $300 (on top of subscribing to DirecTV and installing a satellite dish). If you’re going off to school and your apartment/dorm doesn’t have DirecTV or if you just want a cheap way to get Sunday Ticket, this is a pretty amazing deal. As Kotaku points out, you don’t even need to have an Xbox 360 or PS3 to use the code– its included in the box separately so you can use it for Sunday Ticket and then re-sell your copy of Madden to GameStop or some other place.
This deal is said to be limited so you better act quick if you want to take advantage. Pre-orders are available now on Amazon and Madden NFL 25 comes out August 27th.
Nintendo Is Bringing Some Of Their New E3 Games To Best Buy For You To Try
With the Wii U struggling and the Xbox One and PS4 slated to dominate the E3 news this year Nintendo has decided to try something new. Instead of holding their usual big E3 press conference and announcing a whole bunch of new games that will come out later this year, Nintendo has teamed up with Best Buy to allow you to try some of the new games right in your local Best Buy store. In the past demoing these new games were limited to only those who could make it out to California for E3, so its great to see Nintendo open this up for more people.
Now as with all good things there are a few caveats to point out. While Nintendo and Best Buy have teamed up to bring the demos to 89 Best Buy stores across the country, they will unfortunately not be available in every Best Buy store. The demo times will also be limited to 4-8 p.m. local time on Wednesday, June 12th, and 1-5 p.m. local time on Saturday, June 15th. Nintendo also hasn’t yet shared which new games will be available to try out though Best Buy says that list will be revealed on June 11th. For the full list of Best Buy locations participating in this event check out Best Buy’s site here.
All in all, if you’re near one of those Best Buy stores and are interested in checking out what Nintendo’s got planned this should be pretty great. And remember, E3 takes place in just under two weeks from June 10th through June 13th.
Here We Go: Microsoft Set To Reveal Next Xbox on May 21
The wait is almost over fellow Xbox fans. Get ready because in under a month Microsoft is expected to finally unveil the next Xbox, sending out invites today to an event at their Redmond, Washington headquarters on May 21st. The invite sent out today teased a “special unveiling” that will “mark the beginning of a new generation of games, TV, and entertainment.” According to Xbox’s Major Nelson (also known as Larry Hryb, the director for Xbox Live programming), the next Xbox announcement is really a two-part show. The unveiling of the next Xbox and sharing of some of Microsoft’s plans for the console will come on the 21st, while the full lineup of launch games will be announced 19 days later at E3 on June 10th.
In February Sony unveiled their next generation system, the PS4, but they didn’t actually give important details like what the system would look like or how much it will cost. Based on some of the responses to that announcement from Major Nelson and others on the Xbox team, it’s a pretty safe bet we won’t see the same thing happen here (at least when it comes to what the new Xbox will look like).
As for what we can expect, not much is known today but according to some of the more recent rumors expect a much more powerful system that is similar to the PS4 in graphics and specs, as well as updated versions of Kinect and the ability to use your Xbox to control your cable box. As for the name of the next Xbox, it’s still just as up in the air (online it’s been called everything from Xbox 3, to Xbox 720 to its codename “Durango”).
Like with recent Xbox events Microsoft will be streaming it live for all to watch on Xbox.com and Xbox Live as well as broadcasting it on Spike TV, and we’ll of course have what you need to know covered back here. So stay tuned– the next Xbox is almost here.
Could The Next Xbox Be Announced Next Month?
Back in February Sony officially announced the PlayStation 4 and showed off its new controller, graphics and social features. And while Sony didn’t show what the PS4 actually looks like or say how much it would cost, it did promise that their new console would be available in time for the holidays of this year. The PS4 and the Nintendo Wii U make two of the three next-gen consoles, and over the last year the anticipation has been building over when Microsoft would announce their next Xbox (also known as the Xbox 3, Xbox 720, and Durango). While it was long believed that Microsoft would wait until E3 in June to announce the new Xbox, according to some of the latest rumors our long wait for the next Xbox may end even sooner.
According to a recent reports by The Verge and Paul Thurrott (someone who follows Microsoft and would know about some of their plans), Microsoft may be planning an event to officially announce the next Xbox as soon as May 21st. E3 starts only a few weeks later on June 11th, and The Verge expects Microsoft to announce the next Xbox in May and then use E3 in June to fully show it off.
As for what can expect in terms of the specs for the new Xbox, think of something that will rival the PS4. The next Xbox is rumored to pack an 8-core AMD processor, 8GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive and a Blu-ray drive for playing games (games can also be downloaded from Xbox Live). By comparison, the Xbox 360– which still is a pretty great system with some impressive graphics– has a three core processor and 512 MB of RAM. If these rumored specs are true then expect the graphics on the next Xbox to pretty much blow your mind.
As with the 360, gaming is just one part of what the Xbox can do and the next Xbox is also expected to come with an updated version of Kinect that will allow for better use in smaller rooms, improved tie-ins with Windows 8 and Windows Phone, and the ability to control your TV and cable box. The next Xbox is expected to be available later this year and pricing is rumored to be in the $300-$500 range (or what the 360 was when it came out eight years ago).
All in all, between this and the PS4 it looks like the next video game console wars are finally almost upon us. As always, stay tuned.
Sony’s Shows Off The Future Of PlayStation– Meet the PlayStation 4
As expected Sony has taken some of the wraps off of their long-awaited next generation PlayStation, the PlayStation 4. While Sony showed off the PS4’s new controller and its great graphics capabilities, a lot remains a mystery to be solved at a later date. We still don’t know what the actual console will look like or how much it will cost.
However while we wait for that later day to arrive, let’s get you caught up on what we do know so far.
Could This Be The PlayStation 4’s New Controller?
Sure there are only 5 days left until Sony’s big PlayStation announcement, but that doesn’t mean the leaks on what Sony might have in store need to end. The PlayStation 4 looks to be all but guaranteed for an unveiling next week, and over the last few weeks there have been a lot of rumors about a new PlayStation 4 controller that looks a lot like older PlayStation controllers but with an added touchpad, similar to what the Vita has on its back. How this would look and work wasn’t really clear, but today we at least have our first idea of what it will look like thanks to a prototype leaked by the site Destructoid.
As you can see in the pic above, at first glance it looks a lot like the DualShock controller of the PS2 and PS3, but if you look closely you’ll notice a nice, large black touchpad above the PS button in the middle of the controller. Oh, and the big silver box the controller is plugged into? Well that is most likely one of the developer consoles for the PS4 (though don’t worry, the real PS4 will be a lot slimmer and better looking than that).
With February 20th so close all will hopefully be officially revealed very soon, but if there are any other big leaks before then we’ll make sure that you know about them. Stay tuned!
For more info on what we are expecting in the PlayStation 4 check out our earlier posts here.
Let The Countdown Begin: Sony Is Announcing the PlayStation 4 On February 20th
It’s been over six years in the making but the wait looks to finally be over. In just under two weeks Sony will join Nintendo in the next generation video game wars, announcing the long-awaited and highly anticipated PlayStation 4.
Late last week Sony sent out invites to the press for a PlayStation event in New York on February 20th. The invite was fairly vague, with the only text being “see the future” together with the equally vague YouTube video you see above titled #PlayStation2013. Thankfully, major news outlets like the Wall Street Journal (log-in required to view article) and Nikkei (a Japanese newspaper) have since confirmed that this event will indeed be the official unveiling of the PlayStation 4.
Now with an announcement so close, the rumors around what we might expect to find in the PS4 are only growing. The latest ones have the PS4 getting a controller that looks a lot like the PS3’s DualShock 3 controller but with an added touchpad for new types of gameplay (think something like the back of the Vita) and much improved online experience that should help the new system compete with Xbox Live (Sony bought a major online gaming company, Gaikai, last year). Oh, and the biggest rumors of them all– it will be out in time for the holidays of this year and be priced in the $400 range. Now $400 is a lot of money (you can get a PS3 today for around $270), but for everything the PS4 looks to be offering, we’re honestly just hoping that it won’t cost $500-$600 like the PS3 did was when it came out in 2006.
In terms of specs, the PS4 looks to be every inch the beast we’re hoping for. According to Kotaku, the latest PS4 development kits from January (a development kit is a special version of a console that game publishers use to create games to work with the new system) have a super powerful 8-core AMD processor– codenamed “Bulldozer”– with an equally powerful AMD graphics card, 8 GB of RAM (with 2.2 GB of RAM just for video), a Blu-ray drive, and 4 USB 3.0 ports. Basically, this will have all the power of a top of the line gaming PC and make the PS3 and Xbox 360 seem really old and slow.
Now as with all rumors things like the specs, pricing and availability are not confirmed and can change before the announcement. Of course with the announcement just 13 days away if they do we’ll find out soon enough. Get ready PlayStation fans– the PS4 is almost here.
More info: USA Today, The Verge, PlayStation
