| Xbox One pricing 'key' to platform's success, says analyst May 24th 2013, 14:54 Robert W. Baird industry watcher says Microsoft expected to subsidize next-gen platform, potentially through partnerships with media companies like Comcast. 
Xbox One pricing will be "key" to the next-generation platform's success, Robert W. Baird analyst Colin Sebastian said in a note to investors this week. Microsoft shared numerous details for the Xbox One during its reveal event on Tuesday, but pricing for the system was not among them. Sebastian said he believes Microsoft will subsidize the Xbox One, potentially through partnerships with media companies like Comcast, but did not provide a price point estimation. Microsoft specifically name-dropped Comcast during its demonstration of how the Xbox One can stream live television this week. In addition, a Comcast Xfinity viewing app for the Xbox 360 is currently available. However, no new partnerships from the companies have been announced. Not all agree that Microsoft will offer a subsidized Xbox One. Noted Windows blogger Paul Thurrott said earlier this week that Microsoft's plans for a subsidized system have been scrapped, but did not elaborate any further. He expects the Xbox One to launch at $500. Microsoft currently offers a subsidized Xbox 360 through its official stores. Gamers can grab a system for $99 if they commit to a two-year Xbox Live Gold subscription at a cost of $15 per month. According to comments from GameStop management, the Xbox One will launch at a lower price point than the Xbox 360 did in 2005. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
|  | SimCity 4.0 update detailed May 24th 2013, 14:53 Latest overhaul to city-building game adds Launch Park for early adopters, Edgewater Bay region, and various bug fixes. 
SimCity developer Maxis has detailed the game's 4.0 update, expected to go live shortly. The update adds the new Launch Park (available only for SimCity early adopters), as well as the Edgewater Bay region, and various tweaks and bug fixes. With the update applied, SimCity players will be able to see their current server in the options menu and have "more detailed" rollover information on whether or not Sims received happiness from a park or from shopping. Previously, this information was generic, Maxis said. SimCity launched in March and was beset by widespread server woes. Despite its initial struggles, the game has sold over 1.6 million copies to date. The full SimCity 4.0 update details are below. New: SimCity Launch Park, an exclusive new park just for our dedicated fans who were early adopters.
New: Region: Edgewater Bay. Seven city sites in one cluster around a beautiful bay with one great work site.
New: Your current server will now be shown in the options menu.
New: More detailed rollover information on buildings telling player’s if their Sims received happiness from a park or from shopping. Previous to this fix, this information was generic.
Re-Enabled Feature: Global Market prices now dynamically change during gameplay.
Re-Enabled Feature: Leaderboards will be active on EU West 3, Pacific 1 and Pacific 2 at the release. We will enable them on additional servers throughout the day.
Re-Enabled Feature: Region filters are now enabled on all SimCity servers. Players will be able to search for open games by Map Name, Sandbox Mode, and Abandoned Cities.
Rain Clouds: Fixed an issue where some cities would not have rain clouds to replenish their water table. If you had a city with this issue, you will start seeing clouds again within a game day.
Fire: Improved response time of fire trucks to fires. Improved the time it takes for a fire signal to reach a fire station.
Mission updates: Tuned Metals HQ and Community College missions. These were appearing too early, making them difficult to complete. They now appear later in a city’s development.
Solar Farm Great Work: Reduced fire risk at the Solar Farm Great work. Local fire engines were spending too much time at the Solar Farm.
Messaging: Improved pre-requisite messaging for Trade Port, Casinos, Smelting Factory and Oil Refinery. It should be clearer on how to unlock these buildings.
Graphics: Fix for flickering low wealth buildings on NVIDIA graphics cards.
Education: Fix for an issue some cities experienced where commuting students did not return from a neighbor’s city. This was causing a problem where students would disappear from a city in some cases.
Tuning: Sims will lose a small amount of happiness if they don’t have a place to shop. Cities without places to shop will see complaints and feel the effect of unhappy Sims. This will emphasize the importance of commercial zones.
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| | Turtle Beach making Xbox One headsets May 24th 2013, 14:28 Headset manufacturer working with Microsoft to bring "advanced audio solutions" to gamers. 
Turtle Beach and Microsoft announced a new partnership this week that will see the headset maker become one of the first to create Microsoft-licensed headsets for the Xbox One. Official products, pricing, and release information will be announced in the coming weeks, though Turtle Beach promised its technology will bring "advanced audio solutions" to gamers. Turtle Beach currently offers a suite of headsets for the Xbox 360. Microsoft has not announced any first-party Xbox One headsets, but said earlier this week that more details on accessories for the platform will be shared next month during the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo. Microsoft's E3 2013 press briefing is slated for Monday, June 10. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Microsoft: core gamers 'incredibly important' for Xbox One May 24th 2013, 13:35 Xbox exec says company's new platform will appeal to broad range of people; Kinect 2.0 is a "game-changer" for the system. 
The Xbox One is not only aimed at core gamers, though this group remains "incredibly important" for the next-generation platform, Microsoft has said. Speaking with VentureBeat, Microsoft executive Phil Harrison said because the Xbox One is not only a game console, but also an "all-in-one" entertainment device, a new set of consumers are opened up to the system. "By making it simple and instant and complete, it means we can get men, women, old, young to enjoy playing and interacting with the device. It's not just about core gamers; although, they are incredibly important to our future," Harrison said. "It's also about finding entry points for all members of the household." Harrison explained that the barriers for entry are being knocked down with the Xbox One, due in part to the updated Kinect 2.0 sensor. He said that not enough attention is being paid to the Kinect automatic identity system, which can detect who is playing--without any manual input--and assemble games and content specific to them. "One of the things that I don't think we truly understand the significance of yet is automatic identity through Kinect. If your wife or your daughter or your son or yourself starts interacting with the machine, it instantly switches to their choice of content, their profile, their personalization, their recommendation," he said. "That alone, that simplicity, is going to dramatically increase the number of people who want to interact with Xbox One. " In fact, Harrison said he believes the most impactful element of the Xbox One is that Kinect is included with every system, as opposed to being an optional peripheral, which is the case for the Xbox 360. "That made it difficult for developers to invest against 20 percent of the installed base or whatever it was. Having it as 100 percent--that’s a game-changer," Harrison said. The Xbox One launches later this year, though pricing information and specific launch timing has not been divulged. According to comments from GameStop management, the Xbox One will launch at a lower price point than the Xbox 360 did in 2005. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Call of Duty: Ghosts has Kinect voice commands May 24th 2013, 13:05 Activision says updated version of sensor will make gameplay better in latest shooter; current-gen version will be "superb experience." 
Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Ghosts will feature Kinect-enabled voice commands, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg has confirmed with VentureBeat. The executive explained that the updates Microsoft has made to the Kinect 2.0 sensor will lead to a level of "responsiveness and detail" that was not possible before. Hirshberg said more information about Kinect integration for Call of Duty: Ghosts will be revealed at a later date, and made clear that Infinity Ward believes the technology will better the game. "We've always made sure that we don't just use new technology for novelty's sake," Hirshberg said. "We always make sure that it makes the gameplay better. In this case, we think it will." Also in the interview, Hirshberg commented on the cross-generational nature of Call of Duty: Ghosts. He said gamers who pick up the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions will enjoy a "superb experience" that will include many of the gameplay ideas, including dynamic maps and character customization, promised for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions. To achieve this vision, Hirshberg said it was decided early on that Call of Duty: Ghosts for current-generation platforms would be developed alongside the next-generation versions at Infinity Ward instead of being ported by an outside studio. For more on Call of Duty: Ghosts, check out GameSpot's previous coverage. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Devil May Cry dev reveals free-to-play iOS, Android game May 24th 2013, 12:18 Ninja Theory partners with Chillingo for its first mobile game, Fightback, an action title with an 80s movie vibe. 
Enslaved: Oddysey to the West and DmC: Devil May Cry developer Ninja Theory has partnered with Chillingo for a free-to-play iOS and Android game called Fightback, the companies announced today. It is the United Kingdom studio's first mobile game and is described as an action game with a "striking 80s action movie vibe and a revolutionary touch-based combat system." Yesterday, Ninja Theory said it would have "something new to show" today. Ninja Theory product manager Dominic Matthews explained that the mobile and tablet game market has become too prevalent to ignore. "Mobile and tablet gaming is a phenomenon that we just couldn't ignore as a studio and we're very proud to be working with one of the industry's heavy-weights on bringing Fightback to market," Matthews said in a statement. Fightback will launch this summer. The game will be playable next month during the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Bungie considering Destiny PC version May 24th 2013, 12:02 "We haven't said yes, and we haven't said no," developer says about bringing shared-world shooter to PC; "complexities" hurting possibility of save files transferring across platforms. 
Bungie's all-new shooter Destiny may be released for PC, though the developer is not ready to confirm anything just yet. Speaking with IGN, Bungie senior writer and community head Eric Osborne said developing for more platforms means more work and Bungie is unwilling to develop for one platform at the expense of another. "We haven't said yes, and we haven't said no," Osborne said. "The more platforms we take on, the more work it ultimately becomes, and what we don't want is to compromise the core experience on any platforms. We have a lot of people who play on PCs. We have a lot of appetite to build that experience. We haven't announced it yet, but we're looking forward to talking more about that kind of stuff in the future." A PC version of Destiny previously appeared on Bungie's website. Destiny will be a multiplatform game, launching on next-generation platforms like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, as well as current-generation systems including the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Asked if save files will be transferable across platforms, Osborne said currently there are "complexities" that must be resolved to make it possible. "For us, [platforms] are purely agnostic," Osborne said. "Any data on our back-end servers and services, like Bungie.net, are ours. We control it, we can do a bunch of fun stuff on that side. So for us, we want to absolutely do the right things for players. But there are some complexities we have to solve that are outside our control. But we're absolutely pushing to solve some of those things. We don’t have anything to announce, but hopefully in the future we will." Destiny's worldwide gameplay reveal will take place during Sony's 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo briefing on June 10. The game's first first live-action/CGI trailer, directed by Iron Man director Jon Favreau, launched yesterday. It features Breaking Bad star Giancarlo Esposito. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Xbox One preorder plan revealed? May 24th 2013, 11:42 Retail sources claim Microsoft and publishers will take a percentage of every used game; rumored preowned activation fee could be ’35. According to retail sources speaking with MCV, retailers will be able to charge whatever they want for secondhand Xbox One games, but Microsoft and publishers will receive a cut of every transaction. The information leak comes after Microsoft reportedly briefed "key" partners on its plans for the secondhand market as it relates to Xbox One, something Microsoft has been coy about. The system will reportedly work as such: consumers can trade in physical Xbox One game discs only at retailers that have agreed to Microsoft's terms and conditions and have integrated the company's cloud-enabled Azure preowned technology into their own. The traded in title is then registered on Microsoft's systems as having been re-sold and the data files will be cleared from their Xbox One account. Such a system would explain Microsoft's position that the Xbox One must "check in" with its servers once every 24 hours. Retailers are then able to re-sell the used game at whatever price point they see fit. As part of this initiative, the publisher of the game will automatically receive a cut of the sale, along with Microsoft. The rest is revenue for the retailer. It is unclear what this percentage will be, though Consoledeals.co.uk claims the portion paid to retailers will be ten percent, well below the margins retailers have come to expect from secondhand games. This could negatively impact retailers like GameStop, which rely on the secondhand market for a healthy portion of their overall business. During an earnings call yesterday, GameStop management brushed aside questions regarding the Xbox One and used games, instead saying it will allow Microsoft to announce plans in due time. The site also suggests, based on information from a senior employee at "one of the UK's largest video game retailers," that the rumored Xbox One preowned activation fee will be £35 ($52). It is unclear if this fee will be an additional cost on top of the sticker price for secondhand games. Microsoft's official stance on the Xbox One used game scenario is that the platform has been designed "to enable our customers to trade in and resell games at retail." "We know there is some confusion around used games on Xbox One and wanted to provide a bit of clarification on exactly what we've confirmed today," Microsoft said earlier this week. "While there have been many potential scenarios discussed, today we have only confirmed that we designed Xbox One to enable our customers to trade in and resell games at retail." "Beyond that, we have not confirmed any specific scenarios." Sony has also dodged questions regarding used games on the PlayStation 4. The company has confirmed that preowned titles will play on the next-generation system, but said decisions about activation fees will be left up to individual publishers. "It's a publisher decision," Sony said in February. "We are not talking about it. Sorry." Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Joe Danger 1 and 2 coming to Steam in 2013 May 24th 2013, 11:18 PC port coming to Steam with Big Picture and Workshop support, as developer Hello Games calls the PC Joe Danger's "spiritual home". 
Joe Danger and its sequel Joe Danger 2: The Movie will be released on PC in 2013, UK-based indie studio Hello Games has confirmed. Both games will be coming to Steam individually, with support for Steam's Big Picture mode and support with Steam Workshop for user-created levels. Additional levels for the PC versions of the game are also promised. The original Joe Danger launched in 2010 as a PlayStation 3 exclusive, only to find its way to Xbox Live Arcade. 2012 follow-up Joe Danger: The Movie is currently available on PS3 and 360. ’Actually, PC is Joe Danger’s spiritual home,’ said Hello Games boss Sean Murray. ’I coded my first ever PC engine when we started making the original Joe Danger back in 2009, because we couldn’t get hold of console devkits. So it’s incredibly exciting to be finally able to release it.’ ’We have a rule that whenever we put our games onto a new platform we have to add something. We can’t just do a quick and dirty port," added Murray. "We have some more surprises to announce for the PC editions of Joe Danger as we lock them down." GameSpot awarded the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Joe Danger 2: The Movie an 8.0 back in 2012, calling the game a "stimulating ride that throws everything at you at once--in a good way." Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Grid 2 gets '125,000 special edition May 24th 2013, 09:07 The UK-exclusive Grid 2: Mono Edition comes with an actual supercar. 
Codemasters has announced a single £125,000 special edition of Grid 2 that comes with its own supercar. The Grid 2: Mono Edition will be available for only one customer in the UK and is being sold at Game. Alongside the included British-made BAC Mono, which comes customised with a Grid 2 livery, the customer gets their own racing suit, boots, gloves, and Bell racing helmet. A day at the BAC factory is also thrown in, along with a PlayStation 3 console. A copy of Grid 2 on the PlayStation 3 is also included. The road legal supercar is made from carbon fibre with a 2.3 litre, 280bhp four-cylinder engine that can go from 0-60mph in 2.8 seconds. Codemasters says it has submitted the Grid 2: Mono Edition for inclusion in the Guinness World Records as the world's most expensive special edition. Grid 2 will be released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on May 31 in the UK. For more information on Grid 2, check out GameSpot's previous coverage. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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