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Super Smash Bros. pre-loads on Wii U next Tuesday
As announced in late October, digital pre-loading on Wii U will start with the home console version of Super Smash Bros. Nintendo recently elaborated on how the pre-loading service will work for the upcoming fighting game. Starting on Tuesday, November 18, Nintendo will send a download code to those that pre-ordered the game through its online store. Redeeming the code will allow players to download most of Super Smash Bros. to their Wii U systems right away. Starting at 12:00 a.m. ET on the day of its official launch, Friday, November 21, a small update will be available to download that unlocks the game. Alternatively, players will be able to complete the same process by purchasing Super Smash Bros. for Wii U from the system's eShop directly, or by obtaining a download code from another retailer. Pre-orders for Super Smash Bros. surpassed that of Mario Kart 8 according to Nintendo, which expects "the impact on hardware will be similarly dramatic" to that of Smash. [Image: Nintendo]
Pre-load GTA5 on Xbox One, get $1 million in-game cash
If you plan on upgrading to the Xbox One version of Grand Theft Auto 5, you've got a hefty 42.44 GB download to look forward to. Snag the digital Pre-Order Edition, though, and you can queue up your download immediately, giving you instant access to criminal shenanigans following next week's launch. The Pre-Order Edition also includes $1 million in-game cash to spend in both Grand Theft Auto 5's single-player campaign and the Grand Theft Auto Online multiplayer component. The new-gen Grand Theft Auto 5 boasts an exclusive first-person mode, along with performance tweaks, new missions, and other bonus content. Grand Theft Auto 5 hits the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on November 18. [Image: Rockstar]
Nintendo to introduce digital pre-loads with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Wii U and 3DS owners will soon have the ability to download games prior to their release in order to play them immediately at launch, Nintendo announced as part of its investor-facing quarterly financial report this week. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will be the first game to offer pre-downloads starting next month. Nintendo 3DS pre-download support will be introduced next year. Several Xbox One and PlayStation 4 games have allowed players to pre-load purchased content over the past year, including The Evil Within and the upcoming Dragon Age: Inquisition. The feature is also common on PC digital platforms like Steam and Origin. Nintendo additionally announced plans to introduce an automatic download system for its consoles, giving players the option of downloading games via SpotPass while shopping at nintendo.com. [Image: Nintendo]
Dragon Age: Inquisition pre-loading now available on Xbox One
The Xbox One version of BioWare's action-RPG Dragon Age: Inquisition is available for pre-ordering and pre-downloading on the Xbox One starting this week, EA and Microsoft announced. Players who pre-purchase Inquisition on the Xbox One can download the game in full and have it primed to unlock immediately at launch. PlayStation 4 pre-order customers will automatically download the game in the days leading up to its release while the console is in standby mode, and PC pre-loading via Origin will likely be available soon. Digital versions of Dragon Age: Inquisition will unlock when the retail edition launches on November 18. [Image: EA]
PSA: The Evil Within Xbox One digital pre-load goes live
Here's a heads up for those who want to get the earliest possible scare from Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami's latest project. The Xbox One version of Tango Gameworks' The Evil Within is now up for pre-order on Xbox Live, granting immediate pre-loading access to early adopters. The Evil Within's installation weighs in at around 40 GB, making it a good idea to start your downloads early. Publisher Bethesda notes that digital pre-loading will be available for the PlayStation 4 and Steam editions as The Evil Within approaches its launch on October 14. [Image: Bethesda]
Pre-order Destiny on Xbox One, pre-load it before launch
Building on a trend set by the recent launch of Madden NFL 15, those who pre-order the Xbox One version of Bungie's open-universe shooter Destiny will be able to download the game's data prior to its September 9 debut. Earlier today, Microsoft unveiled its digital Xbox Live Marketplace listing for Destiny, which offers prospective players a choice of two versions of the game for pre-order: the relatively spartan $60 "Destiny Pre-Order Edition" which features the game and Vanguard Armory access, or the $90 "Destiny Digital Guardian Edition" which includes the game, a reservation for two upcoming expansions and a host of other bonus items. Regardless of which version you choose, your pre-order will allow you to download Destiny to your Xbox One console at some nebulous point before the game's official release date. You won't be able to play it early, but you'll have everything ready to go the moment the game's servers open to the public. [Image: Activision]
Destiny opens pre-orders and pre-loading
Looking forward to getting into Destiny when it launches on September 9th? Then go ahead and pre-order it on your PlayStation 4, and you'll be able to pre-load the game before launch. No, really; Destiny is the first title on the PS4 to support pre-loading, allowing you to have the game installed and ready to play once the launch happens. It's in the PlayStation Store on both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 as of today. Players who pre-order the title will also have access to the game's beta once it starts up in July. Theyll need to also sign up at Bungie.net and link their PSN ID to keep informed about the beta and be eligible for participation. Keep your eyes peeled for more news as we approach the start of beta.
Sorcery kicks off new pre-purchase functionality on PSN
Who has time to accumulate cash then wait for a game to launch before actually paying for it? In this work-a-day world, we need to prepare for such things; we need lead time. And if you're of a similar mind, it may please you to know that Sorcery will be the first game to kick off a new pre-purchase feature on PSN.Right now, you can log onto PSN and pay for Sorcery, triggering a download granted you have auto-download enabled. Once you have the game pre-loaded, you can play as soon as Sorcery launches next week on May 22.Sorcery is the only game you can pre-purchase through PSN right now. We've inquired with Sony about future games.
Your Mass Effect 3 PC pre-order lets you pre-load the game now
You're no procrastinator. You plan things ahead of time like a responsible member of society. And now you may prepare for Tuesday's launch of Mass Effect 3 by pre-loading the game through EA's Origin platform, freeing up valuable time this weekend to stock up on the cuisine of the future: Mountain Dew and Totino's Pizza Rolls.If you've pre-ordered Mass Effect 3, all you have to do to pre-load the game is log into your Origin account, head on over to the Game Library section and click the "Ready to Download" button on Mass Effect 3.
Star Wars: The Old Republic opens up pre-loading for early players [Updated]
It's almost the time that many players have been waiting for -- the opening of the gates for Star Wars: The Old Republic. According to the most recent news posts, mail will be sent out starting on December 13th to notify players of when their early access period will begin. But why wait that long when you can download the client now, making sure that you're patched up and ready to go when your early access goes live? The pre-order page for player accounts now includes a link to download and install the client, assuming that you've entered the code you received when you ordered. Curiously, this latest announcement says that players can receive up to seven days of early access, although that may well be a typo. If you'd missed previous announcements, players who took part in a beta weekend prior to November 24th will need to reinstall the game, so go ahead and download the updated client and get ready for the early launch in a few days. [Update: Darth Hater has collected several forum and Twitter posts that confirm the December 13th date is not a typo and is "different from previously advertised." Early-early-access, here we come!]
PSA: Rage is ready for pre-load on Steam right now
Have you been feeling acutely cheery recently? Is your constantly joyful attitude destroying your daily life? Do people on the streets gasp in disgust and pull their children away from your positively delighted strut? Then it's about time you got your Rage on -- beginning today, people who pre-ordered Rage on Steam can begin pre-loading it in preparation for its Tuesday launch. Or you could save it all for Tuesday and really feel the hatred as you wait for the 25GB load.
Dropbox joins arms with Sony Ericsson and Softbank, looks to expand elsewhere
By Dropbox's own numbers, its base has grown from five million to 25 million users in the last year, and now claims paying customers in 175 countries. Not content with this explosion, however, the company is establishing partnerships in the mobile arena to kick its growth into hyperdrive. Sony Ericsson is the first willing participant, and several of its phones (including the Arc and Play) will ship preloaded with the software throughout ten European countries. On the mobile carrier side, Tokyo-based Softbank will soon include the blue box on a handful of its Android devices, and Verizon is being courted by Dropbox, too -- nothing definite between these two, however. Good first steps, but if the company really wants to get rolling, it might want to pair up with a phone that has world domination in mind. Just a thought.
Aion's 1.9 patch available for early download
Those of you rubbing your hands together in anticipation of Aion's forthcoming 1.9 patch can now get the jump on the mere mortals who will be stuck downloading the mammoth update on launch day. In a notice posted on the game's official website, the Aion community team clues us in on the option to download portions of the patch well in advance of the scheduled release (currently Wednesday, June 2). "You can already prepare for this by pre-loading the patch and have it ready for installation on launch day. Your NCsoft Launcher will now begin to incrementally download the update over the next couple of days leading up to launch," reads the notice. You can also get a sneak peak at the 1.9 patch by logging into the Aion Public Test Server.
