Hollywood & Games returns to Los Angeles on December 10, bringing together 250+ executives, founders, investors and decision-makers at the Grammy Museum's Clive Davis Theater. Explore the business of entertainment's biggest partnership through independent, journalist-led conversations on IP, investment, storytelling and new opportunities across gaming and Hollywood. Space is limited. Secure your seat today.
If you follow VentureBeat but don’t regularly check our GamesBeat site, here’s a list of the best video game stories we ran over the last seven days that you may have missed.
The PlayStation 4 is here! We have an almost ridiculous amount of content covering Sony’s latest console this week, and glimpses of the big launch party Thursday night. You’ll also find reviews for Contrast, Killzone: Shadow Fall, Resogun, and Knack as well as a teardown of the PS4 hardware revealing how much like a PC it really is.
In non-PS4 news, Nintendo will finally allow gamers to share their eShop balances between the Wii U and 3Ds, Nintendo also sold over 452,000 3DS handhelds in October, and the poor little Android-based GameStick is launching alongside the PlayStation 4 after missing its original release date on Nov. 8.
The PlayStation 4 cometh:
- The DeanBeat: The console wars start with small gestures
- PlayStation 4 teardown: Yup, it’s pretty much a PC (and very easy to repair)
- The scenery of the PlayStation 4 launch (photo gallery)
- Sony’s marketing chief on the PS 4 launch (video interview)
- Sony launches PlayStation 4, fans go nuts
- Watch the PlayStation 4′s New York City launch party live on Twitch
- Jonathan Blow didn’t mean to make The Witness one of PS4′s biggest games — but it might be
- Why indie devs find it’s ‘quite painless’ to bring games to the PlayStation 4
- Sony celebrates PlayStation 4′s midnight launch with trailer ‘for the players’
- How next-gen games are using the PlayStation 4 controller in clever new ways
- Survey says more people want a PS4 than Xbox One — and barely anyone wants a Wii U
- PlayStation 4 can only share recorded videos to Facebook at launch
- Here’s what you aren’t allowed to record with PlayStation 4′s built-in DVR
- PlayStation 4′s quick app switching is limited compared to Xbox One
- Sony beefed up Video and Music Unlimited so that you’ll use them instead of Amazon, Vudu
- New Injustice game shows what tech improvements we can get from PS3 to PS4
- What’s inside Sony’s PlayStation 4: Upgradeable hard drive, 8GB fast memory, internal power
- Why War Thunder works for PS4 — and not Xbox One
- How PlayStation 4′s play-as-you-download feature works
- Why the PlayStation 4 is slanted
- PS4 vs. the world: How Sony’s new console fits into the modern gaming market (interview)
News:
- The DeanBeat: The next-generation console war starts out with small gestures
- Nintendo’s Miyamoto: Super Mario 3D World ‘doesn’t mean we’ll never make another’ Mario Galaxy
- Betfair secures waiver to launch real-money online gambling platform in New Jersey
- You can finally share one balance for the Wii U and 3DS digital stores
- Playnomics’ newest marketing tool predicts the lifetime of new customers and players
- Ninja Metrics aims to unlock the value of social gamers through predictive analytics
- Open-world games like Far Cry 3 and Assassin’s Creed boost Ubisoft’s profits by 5%
- Check out the cool little things that next-gen can do for zombie game Dying Light
- We’re finally getting that open-world The Lord of the Rings game we’ve dreamed about
- Next Nintendo Direct focuses on upcoming 3DS games
- Kabam will bring China’s biggest web game to the West, with a little retooling
- Disney Interactive exec leaves on the heels of Infinity’s financial success
Mobile news:
- No longer a clone house, Developer TinyCo raises $20M for free-to-play mobile games (updated)
- PlayStation App available now for iOS and Android
- Mobile game publisher Gamevil sees massive 108% boost in overseas sales
- Mobile publisher Gamevil finds new partners all across the world
- MyVegas Slots is the top free casino game on iTunes
- Indie hit FTL: Faster Than Light warping to iPad
Ruh-roh:
- Lego Marvel Super Heroes won’t make the Xbox One launch
- Lucky gamer gets Xbox One two weeks early; reveals new details
- Android-based GameStick moves its launch to Nov. 15 — the same day as the PlayStation 4′s debut
Tech:
- Xbox One can boot up in less than 15 seconds (video)
- Exclusive shots of Hauppauge’s new, portable HD gameplay recorder for Xbox One, PS4, & more
All this funding:
Earnings:
- Nintendo sells 452K 3DS consoles in October thanks to the 2DS (and Pokémon)
- October 2013 NPD: Pokémon powers 3DS to sixth straight month at top
Reviews:
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds sits comfortably on A Link to the Past’s high pedestal (review)
- Contrast’s technical bugs and barren world keep this noir puzzle-platformer in the dark (review)
- PS4 platformer Knack is a fun adventure that fails to think big (review)
- Resogun: Next-gen graphics push a pretty shoot-em-up that quickly runs out of bullets (review)
- Killzone: Shadow Fall is a gorgeous, average soldier in the PS4′s launch unit (review)
- BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea’s Rapture is worth seeing, but Episode One is disappointing (review)
Pieces of flair:
- Good riddance: Here are the things we won’t miss about the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3
- How the Finns built their gaming startup hub in Helsinki
- Grand Theft Auto V’s homes would cost a combined $26 million in the real world
- Great tabletop games for video gamers: Memoir ’44
- Didn’t go to BlizzCon 2013? Here’s what you missed (gallery)
- 12 great current-gen games you didn’t play, handpicked by industry pros