This week, Microsoft revealed the Xbox One is launching Nov. 22 (a week after the PlayStation 4), gamers spent $2.88 billion on games in the second quarter, and video production studio Area 5 releases its I Am Street Fighter documentary on YouTube. We also take an in-depth look at what the Xbox One’s cloud features will be good for, and what it might stink at.
You’ll also find reviews for Puppeteer, Outlast, Rome: Total War II, and Killzone: Mercenaries.
News:
- The DeanBeat: Cloud gaming gives companies more room to maneuver
- Microsoft and Sony finally put their console cards on the table
- Pokémon Bank enables players to store pocket monsters in the cloud
- Xbox One launches Nov. 22; Microsoft boosts console CPU speed
- Watch ‘I Am Street Fighter’ — the beloved fighting-game franchise’s 25th anniversary documentary
- Beyond Madden: Microsoft, ESPN, and NFL turn the Xbox into a football box
Mobile news:
- Activision releases Call of Duty: Strike Team for iOS
- SGN goes on a hiring spree as it expands into mobile games
- Analysts expect China’s mobile game market to surpass $1.2B in 2013
- Kabam to publish Chinese hit Wartune on mobile in the West
Announcements and reveals:
- NPD report: U.S. gamers spent $2.88 billion on games in the second quarter of 2013
- GamesBeat 2013 speaker highlight: Oculus VR’s Brendan Iribe to address disrupting the traditional game cycle
- Saints Row IV’s dubstep gun gets additional tracks in downloadable content
- Creative Assembly to release patch to improve Total War: Rome II’s performance
- New Pokémon X and Y-themed 3DS XL systems launch later this month
- Xbox One’s Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare is $40 and multiplayer only
Tech:
- Xbox Video getting improved content discovery from Jinni movie search engine
- What Xbox One’s cloud is good for — and what it might stink at
- Microsoft shows its Xbox One consoles are rolling off the production line
- Researcher says a neurogame can improve multitasking skills
- PlayStation 4 VR: Rumor claims Sony is working on virtual-reality headset
- The PS4 can do voice recognition through the PlayStation camera
All this funding:
Acquisitions incorporated:
Trailer hoedown:
- Xbox One video demonstrates NFL features on Microsoft’s next-gen console
- 14 minutes of open-world Watch Dogs gameplay
- Xbox One’s Ryse features combat with ‘rhythm and flow’
Reviews:
- Puppeteer’s endearing whimsy makes it worth the price of admission (review)
- The inmates are running the asylum in Outlast, and they’re terrifying (review)
- Killzone: Mercenary brings console quality first-person shooting to the Vita (review)
- With Total War: Rome II, you can conquer the world and watch the replay
Pieces of flair:
- Dr. Wily’s castle from Mega Man would cost $113 million if it were real
- 14 must-read survival tips for Splinter Cell: Blacklist’s ‘Spies vs. Mercs’
- 11 notable MOBAs of the past, present, and future
- BioShock Infinite’s Columbia re-created in Disney Infinity
- Ultima Forever’s missing women warriors are a sign of Mythic’s future improvements