 | Microsoft: Xbox One controller $60, headset $25 Jul 29th 2013, 15:15 Official Microsoft Store lists prices for next-generation console accessories; play-and-charge kit bundle will be $75. 
[UPDATE] Following the publication of this story, a Microsoft representative confirmed that all Xbox One accessory pricing information through the Microsoft Store is correct. "Yes, official pricing for Xbox One accessories at Microsoft Stores is accurate," the representative said. The original story is below. The official Microsoft Store has been updated with pricing information for a range of Xbox One accessories, revealing extra controllers will go for $60 and additional headsets for $25. An Xbox One wireless controller with play-and-charge kit will sell for $75, while the play-and-charge kit alone will go for $25. It is not clear if the Xbox One accessory pricing information is final. GameSpot has reached out to Microsoft for comment. All Xbox One units include one wireless controller, though the system will not come bundled with a pack-in headset. Players can still use voice commands out of the box, though, thanks to Kinect. Competitor Sony will offer extra DualShock 4 controllers and PlayStation Eye units for the PlayStation 4 at $60 each. The Xbox One ($500) and PS4 ($400) launch later this year. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Little Big Planet dev's next game delayed Jul 29th 2013, 14:50 Media Molecule's PlayStation Vita game Tearaway shifts from mid-October to November 22. 
Little Big Planet developer Media Molecule today announced that its next game, PlayStation Vita title Tearaway, has been delayed to November 22. The game was originally scheduled to launch in mid-October, but studio director Siobhan Reddy explained on the PlayStation Blog that Media Molecule needed more time to finish it. "We are now in the final stages of development, and have come to the realization that we need a little more time than we anticipated to finish the game; to tie all of the mechanics, story and amazing visuals together into the adventure that we want you to play," Reddy said. Reddy said Media Molecule is "really, really sorry" for the delay. "Thanks for being patient, please don't be too cross with us, lots of love, Mm xxxx." Tearaway, a papercraft platformer, was announced last year and will make use of numerous PS Vita features, including the system's cameras and rear touch pad. Media Molecule revealed an all-new experimental PlayStation 4 game at the console's announcement event in New York City in February. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Miyamoto explains why 3DS Pikmin prototype was canned Jul 29th 2013, 14:46 Handheld versions of Nintendo's strategy series Pikmin couldn't work because of control issues, says Miyamoto. 
On the eve of Pikmin 3's release on Wii U, legendary games designer Shigeru Miyamoto has explained why Nintendo canned a handheld prototype of the strategy series for DS and 3DS. "The truth is we were doing prototype tests of Pikmin for the DS and 3DS but it turned into unit management with only the touch pen and no matter what it just didn't seem like Pikmin," explained Miyamoto to 4Gamer (translated via ONM). The problem, according to Miyamoto, is in the game's controls. "We concluded that Pikmin is a game that revolves around action based on its controls and the strategy sits on top that. Although there are elements that are built on the strategy, there are other overall things that have to be well considered. This complete experience is an important element of Pikmin." While the Pikmin prototype didn't meet Miyamoto's expectations on 3DS, the designer says the Wii U's GamePad makes the latest entry in the series accessible. "[Pikmin 3] may seem difficult on first glance but once you try the controls, it's easy. Even if you find using the pointer difficult, there is a control method using the GamePad similar to the previous GameCube titles that we'd like people to utilize. To that end, we hope people are able to look at this as a carefree, easy action game." Pikmin 3 will be released in North America on August 4. The game is already available in Europe, Australia, and Japan. Pikmin 3 landed at No. 2 in the UK charts after its first weekend on sale. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Analyst: The Bureau: XCOM Declassified will come up short Jul 29th 2013, 14:29 Cowen & Company's Doug Creutz believes new game from 2K Marin will sell fewer than 250,000 copies in US through end of the year. 
A long development for The Bureau: XCOM Declassified won't be rewarded with strong sales, according to Cowen & Company analyst Doug Creutz. In a note to investors today, Creutz said 2K Marin's game is "unlikely to generate any significant sales." This will be fewer than 250,000 units in the United States through the end of the calendar year, he said. Creutz's estimation is based on the results of an internal analysis of upcoming titles stemming from the number of preorders for the seven weeks since E3. The Bureau: XCOM Declassified was originally announced in 2010 as a first-person shooter called XCOM. After numerous delays and years of silence, 2K Games announced in April that the game would release August 20 under its new name for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC as a full-price, third-person shooter. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Apple manufacturer faced with new labor violation claims Jul 29th 2013, 13:45 New report from China Labor Watch says iPhone maker's Taiwanese supplier Pegatron Corp. uses underage workers, doesn't pay enough, and forces overtime. 
A new report from the China Labor Watch (CLW) has alleged Apple's Taiwanese supplier Pegatron Corp. uses underage workers, pays "insufficient" wages, and forces overtime. Overall, Pegatron factories are "even worse than those at Foxconn," executive director Li Qiang said in a statement, as reported by Bloomberg. Foxconn is one of the world's largest contract manufacturers of electronic components and products for companies like Apple, Dell, HP, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, among others. The CLW found 86 labor rights violations during investigations at three Pegatron factories from March through July. Apple spokesperson Carolyn Wu told the site that though the company had been in close communication with the CLW, some of the claims are "new to us." "We will investigate these new claims thoroughly, ensure that corrective actions are taken where needed, and report any violations of our code of conduct," Wu said. "We will not tolerate deviations from our code." Pegatron itself will also investigate the claims, president and CEO Jason Cheng said in a statement. Apple said it conducted 15 audits of Pegatron factories since 2007, with the most recent survey of employees finding those making Apple products worked an average of 46 hours per week, Wu said. The CLW does not agree, saying average weekly working hours were between 66 and 69 hours, a violation of China's 49-hour limit. "Apple has not lived up to its own standards," the CLW said in a statement. "This will lead to Apple's suppliers abusing labor in order to strengthen their position for receiving orders. In this way, Apple is worsening conditions for workers, not improving them." Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Nintendo will survive 100 years and outlive Zynga, says Oddworld creator Jul 29th 2013, 12:57 Oddworld Inhabitants founder Lorne Lanning praises Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, and says the company will survive the next 100 years. 
Oddworld Inhabitants founder and Abe's Oddysee creator Lorne Lanning has said he believes Nintendo will outlive some of its competition and still be around in a hundred years. "When I look at the history of Nintendo, I say, 'Nintendo is gonna be here in 100 years.' I have no doubt," said Lanning in an interview with VentureBeat. "I doubt Microsoft will be here in 100 years," he added. "I know Zynga won’t be here in 100 years. I’ve been here longer than Zynga." In the short term, many games industry analysts have called the potential of the Wii U into question, with the console being forced up against PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in the coming months. The company is currently experiencing rude health with the 3DS, however, and has billions of dollars in its cash reserves. For the Wii U, the Mario maker has currently lined up The Wonderful 101, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, Mario Kart 8, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Bayonetta 2, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Super Mario 3D World for release across 2013 and 2014. Nintendo, which is a 124-year-old company, was founded in 1889 as a producer of playing cards, but attempted to diversify its business in the twentieth century. Before arriving at family-friendly video games, the company attempted to get rich with instant rice, nude playing cards, and discreet love hotels. Lanning also praised Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, saying "Satoru Iwata came out and said people were asking him, 'When are you gonna lay off your development staff?' I don’t remember exactly what he said, but it was basically, 'Laying off development is not going to solve our problems. Building great games is what we do and we’re going to continue doing it.'" "When he said that, in my opinion, he was immortalized in the creative community. I would work with him in a second. When a man in that type of position, in a world where the golden rule is the rule and that’s what’s expected at public companies, he stood up and said, 'That’s not what we’re about. We’re about building great stuff. We have great people to build great stuff. We’re gonna do that." Speaking about his current development projects, Lanning added that "we’re still building what we set out to build. Now we have to be clever and smaller in how we think, but we’re more self-empowered than we’ve ever been." Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Disney registers Star Wars Attack Squadrons domains Jul 29th 2013, 12:55 Developer Electronic Arts also picks up related domain names, suggesting title for new game has been revealed. 
Disney's LucasFilm division recently registered a slew of new domain names related to a mystery project called Star Wars Attack Squadrons. Some of the names include StarWarsAttackSquadrons.com, AttackSquadrons.com, and StarWarsSquads.org. It's not clear right now if Attack Squadrons is the name of a new film, game, both, or something else entirely. But as Fusible points out, Electronic Arts currently owns the domain names AttackSquadron.com and AttackSquadron.net, suggesting the company is involved in the project. In early May, Disney and EA signed a multiyear agreement that gave the Battlefield publisher the exclusive rights to games for the Star Wars franchise. The first title out of the partnership, a next-generation Battlefront game, was revealed during E3 2013 last month. That game is in development in Sweden at DICE. Dead Space developer Visceral Games is also working on an all-new Star Wars game, though no details on this project have been announced. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | PS4 friends list limit double that of Xbox One Jul 29th 2013, 12:16 Sony's new console will allow players to have 2,000 virtual friends, while Microsoft will support 1,000; PS4 party chat confirmed. 
The PlayStation 4 friends list limit will be double that of the Xbox One, Sony has confirmed in a new PlayStation Access video today. A Sony representative confirmed that the PS4 will allow players to have up to 2,000 friends, while the Xbox One will support 1,000 friends. Currently, the maximum number of friends a PlayStation 3 user can have through the system is 100, the same figure for the Xbox 360. Elsewhere in the video, Sony confirmed that the PS4 will support party chat, though this functionality was not detailed at any length. In addition, it was confirmed that the PS4 will be available in jet black at launch, support 3D games, and allow players to carry over their PlayStation Network IDs and avatars. The PS4 will launch globally later in 2013 for $399/€399/£349. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Sony confirms PlayStation 4 developers can use flexible memory Jul 29th 2013, 10:51 Sony confirms earlier report that PlayStation 4 will feature 'flexible' memory for developers, but does not clarify further specifics. 
PlayStation 4 developers will be able to use a mix of direct and flexible memory for making games, Sony has confirmed. A report last week said that the PlayStation 4 would reserve 3.5GB of its 8GB of GDDR3 RAM for the OS--leaving 4.5GB to developers--with another 1GB of "flexible" memory potentially available for developers from the operating system's share. Sony's statement, issued to Digital Foundry, said that "we would like to clear up a misunderstanding regarding our 'direct' and 'flexible' memory systems." "The article states that 'flexible' memory is borrowed from the OS, and must be returned when requested--that's not actually the case." According to Sony, "'Direct Memory' is memory allocated under the traditional video game model, so the game controls all aspects of its allocation" whereas "'Flexible Memory' is memory managed by the PS4 OS on the game's behalf, and allows games to use some very nice FreeBSD virtual memory functionality." "However this memory is 100 per cent the game's memory, and is never used by the OS, and as it is the game's memory it should be easy for every developer to use it," added Sony. The developer would not confirm whether the PlayStation 4 would indeed use 3.5GB of its memory for the operating system, or what functions any allocation of memory would be used for. Sony will launch the PlayStation 4 this year for $399/€399/£349. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | UK Chart: Minecraft blocks Pikmin 3 from No. 1 Jul 29th 2013, 09:27 Nintendo's Pikmin 3 debuts in second place in the UK charts, behind a resurgent Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition. 
Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition has denied the Wii U its first taste of the top of the UK charts, with a 74 per cent jump in sales securing it the lead over Pikmin 3. Nintendo's GameCube predecessor, Pikmin 2, debuted at 32 in the UK chart back in 2004. Another new release on Wii U, the disc-based edition of New Super Luigi U, debuted in the chart at 13. The game had previously been made available digitally on the Wii U eShop. The Last of Us slips to third, ending its unbroken six-week run at the top of the charts. Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Mario and Luigi: Dream Team Bros are in fourth and fifth, with FIFA 13 in sixth. Far Cry 3 is seventh, Skyrim eighth, and Tomb Raider ninth. LEGO Batman 2 rounds out the top ten. The top 20 UK chart for the week ending July 27: 1. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition
2. Pikmin 3
3. The Last of Us
4. Animal Crossing: New Leaf
5. Mario and Luigi: Dream Team Bros.
6. FIFA 13
7. Far Cry 3
8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Legendary Edition
9. Tomb Raider
10. LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
11. Assassin's Creed III
12. Grand Theft Auto IV
13. New Super Luigi U
14. Max Payne 3
15. LEGO The Lord of the Rings
16. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
17. Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
18. Dynasty Warriors 8
19. Battlefield 3
20. Need for Speed: Most Wanted Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Aliens: Colonial Marines was "kind of passionless" - actor Michael Biehn Jul 29th 2013, 08:48 Actor preferred his role in Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon because of creative director's "interesting and creative presence". 
The highly panned Aliens: Colonial Marines struck Terminator and Aliens actor Michael Biehn as "kind of passionless" when he reprised his role as Corporal Hicks in the game, according to a Game Informer interview. "I think in movies, television, and the gaming world, you get some people that are really, really passionate, and some people that are just going through the paces. [Sega and Gearbox Software] think that because they have a brand name they're going to get a hit game or hit movie out of it. That certainly was the situation on [Aliens: Colonial Marines]," he said. The actor compared his role on A:CM with Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon in the piece. He described his work on the latter with the game's creative director, Dean Evans, as a great experience thanks to Evans' "interesting and creative presence." "Dean is such an interesting and creative presence. He was talking to me about the game and the fact that it was an '80s throwback, and there would be a lot of lines that were Arnold Schwarzenegger-like, that were [Sylvester] Stallone-like, Bruce Willis, myself. Those kind of lines, that kind of vibe, and the fact that it was going to be a throwback to the '80s was something that I thought was interesting. But really it was his passion, man." Aliens: Colonial Marines was heavily criticized for its campaign mode, dated visuals, and in-game bugs. A lawsuit was recently filed against Gearbox Software and Sega, accusing the companies of misrepresenting the game to consumers with false advertising. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Extra quiz section omitted from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies DLC Jul 29th 2013, 08:41 Capcom says that extra section omitted due to in-depth knowledge Japanese culture required for the quiz. 
While Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies and its Turnabout Return DLC will be arriving in North America and Europe later this year, the game's extra quiz DLC will not. According to an official post on the Capcom Unity site, Capcom senior community manager Chris Antista said that this is because the three-part deduction quiz "requires an in-depth knowledge of Japanese culture." Beyond that, everything else in the Turnabout Return DLC will be intact. PW:AA - Dual Destinies will be out in North America and Europe later this year exclusively on Nintendo's eShop. The game is out now in Japan. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Kingdom Hearts 3 will end story arc, but not overall series Jul 29th 2013, 08:38 Game director Tetsuya Nomura says that upcoming sequel's gameplay will take inspiration from Kingdom Hearts 3D. 
Square Enix game director Tetsuya Nomura has said in an LA Times interview that the current Kingdom Hearts story arc will end with Kingdom Hearts 3. However, the franchise will continue after the release of the third game. Nomura explained that Kingdom Hearts 3 isn't part of a "trilogy," but added that story elements that were introduced in 2002 will be wrapped up and come to a close. "There was never a plan [at first]. As a core game, this is finally the third, and 10 years have passed. I couldn't call this a trilogy. There have been so many spinoffs. In Kingdom Hearts 3, the battles that the characters have been fighting for the past 10 years will come to a conclusion. But the series will continue. Only the particular enemy they have been fighting the past 10 years will come to an end," he said. Nomura hinted that Kingdom Hearts 3 will head in the direction of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance from a gameplay perspective. The game's combat system was an early guide for the upcoming PS4 and Xbox One action role-playing game. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Street Fighter producer does not want main series to stop at IV Jul 29th 2013, 07:43 "I don’t want to stop Street Fighter’s main numbered series at IV,’ series producer Yoshinori Ono says. 
Street Fighter series producer Yoshinori Ono has made it clear he does not want the main Street Fighter series to end at number IV. An interview with 4gamer (translated by Siliconera) quotes the Street Fighter series veteran as stating, "Personally, I don't want to stop Street Fighter's main numbered series at IV." "Realistically speaking, developing a title for next-gen consoles requires a huge amount of staff members, and a large sum of money. The issue of money also applies to everyone else, as it'll be required to invest in a new console, game, and arcade stick." Ono said. The issue of money has been brought up in the past, when Ono tweeted that he had no budget for a Street Fighter V on next-generation consoles. "I don't have R&D budget and staff," he said in response to a fan who asked if he was secretly working on Street Fighter V for next-gen. He further explained that his team is now focused entirely on Ultra Street Fighter IV, which was announced at EVO this year. Ultra Street Fighter IV is in development for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC with no plans to bring the updated game to next-generation consoles. The game includes five new characters, six fresh stages, and a host of gameplay tweaks. For more information, check out GameSpot's interview with Capcom about the pack. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Saints Row IV ban upheld in Australia Jul 29th 2013, 07:40 Appeal for reclassification of original, unedited version of game rejected by Classification Review Board; edited version still under review. 
When Saints Row IV was initially banned in Australia last month, there was still some hope that an unedited version of the game would eventually make it out Down Under following an appeal by publisher Koch Media. But that hope has now been squashed, with the Classification Review Board today unanimously upholding the Refused Classification tag for Saints Row IV, meaning it will be illegal to sell the game in Australia. The game was initially refused classification due to implied sexual violence (specifically pertaining to Saints Row IV's alien anal probe weapon) and the use of illicit drugs referred to as "alien narcotics." The Review Board convened this week in response to an application from Koch to reconsider the Classification Board's original decision. And while it seems that the Review Board considers the alien anal probe weapon as allowable under Australia's R18+ classification, the drug use remained problematic. While a full report of the appeal has yet to be released, a statement from the review board has outlined that Saints Row IV "could not be accommodated within the Australian R18+ classification as drug use related to incentives and rewards is not permitted." In the original Classification Board report, the issue with drug use stemmed around an optional mission where players needed to obtain and smoke the alien narcotic drugs. "Smoking the 'alien narcotics' equips the player with 'superpowers,' which increase their in-game abilities, allowing them to progress through the mission more easily. During the mission, onscreen prompts guide the player to 'Go to deal location' and 'Get drugs,'" the report stated. "In the board's opinion, there is insufficient delineation between the 'alien narcotic' available in the game and real-world proscribed drugs. The board notes that the label 'narcotics' is commonly assigned to describe a class of real-world drugs that include such proscribed substances as cocaine and heroin’this game therefore contains drug use related to incentives and rewards, and should be refused classification." Despite today's news, there is still a chance Aussies will get to play Saints Row IV, albeit a slightly different version than the rest of the world will receive. An Australian spokesperson for Koch has confirmed to GameSpot that an edited version of Saints Row IV has been submitted to Australian censors for classification, although there's no indication when a decision about the edited version will be made. GameSpot will update this story as more details emerge. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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