e32014
Latest
YouTube headed to PlayStation 4 'later this year,' adds one-click sharing
Sony Computer Entertainment's new head, Shawn Layden, confirmed that YouTube is on its way to the PlayStation 4 this fall. Layden tossed out a few stats about the PS4's social reach with gamers, citing the over 95 percent of PSN-connected consoles and heavy use of the DualShock 4's Share button -- it's been pressed over 220 million times. To enhance the ease with which gamers can share via social, the dedicated YouTube app will allow for easy video uploads with a click of the Share button. If you prefer to watch, then that's alright too, since the app will be just like the one launched on PS3 that lets you easily browse videos and channels. Layden also followed up on last year's promise that PS4 gamers would be able to join a friend's broadcast session, saying that interactive ability will be added to PS4 soon.
PS4 owners will be able to play 'FarCry 4' with friends who don't own the game
Looking forward to playing FarCry 4 with your friends? Sony says if you buy it for the PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 3, you'll only need one copy between you. Taking the stage at the company's E3 2014 PlayStation event, Sony VP of developer relations Adam Boyes explained that folks playing the game on PSN would be able to invite their friends to play with them even if they don't own the game. How is this possible? Boyes didn't say, exactly, but it sounds like an ideal use case for PlayStation Now -- Sony's Gaikai-sourced cloud-streaming service. Sony doesn't say how many of your friends you can share this gratis multiplayer experience with, but as a Sony-exclusive feature, it's a pretty killer draw for folks on the fence about what platform to buy for.
Sony's PlayStation 4 ships in white this September, comes with 'Destiny' and 500GB for $450
Not only did Sony just announce that the beta of Bungie's next title, Destiny, is coming as a beta next month, but it also let the cat out of the bag that you'll be able to get the game bundled with a "glacier white" PlayStation 4 on September 9th. The new-hued console will come with 500GB of storage and a free 30-day membership to PlayStation Plus. Accompanying peripherals include a matching controller and stand available for purchase separately, and a grey/white "urban camouflage" DualShock 4. The cost for the bundle pack? A tidy $450/€439, while Europeans can pick up the system solo for €399. Follow our liveblog at Sony's E3 2014 conference for the latest updates!
Alienware's Steam Machine starts at $549 and launches this holiday season
Alienware is no slouch when it comes to cranking out high-end gaming PCs, but its approach to Valve's Steam Machine project is a bit different. The company is looking to deliver a high-quality PC gaming experience to the living room, but the execution doesn't sound much different from the experience that's already available for other machines running Valve's made-for-TV Big Picture Mode (BPM). The rub of the Alienware Alpha series is that the diminutive PC boots directly into BPM automatically after hitting the rig's power button. The problem with that is two-fold: Big Picture Mode doesn't do the best job of identifying which games are fully controller supported, and because Valve recently delayed its in-house designed controller (which essentially is a stand-in for a mouse), OEMs not delaying hardware of their own need to come up with work arounds.
Sony E3 2014 PlayStation liveblog!
With the Xbox One taking center stage this morning at Microsoft's press conference, Sony's trying to own the evening with its own PlayStation-focused event tonight. What's in store from the folks behind the PlayStation 4? We'll find out soon enough, but allow us to venture some educated guesses: a new God of War? Perhaps an update on the long-in-development The Last Guardian? A PlayStation Vita/PlayStation 4 bundle? We'll find out starting at 9PM ET!
'Burnout' developer Criterion is making another racing game
Criterion Games is working on another racing game; it isn't Burnout, however. This time it's not just about cars: It's about motorcycles, helicopters, wing-suits, jet skis and ATVs from the looks of early footage shown at Electronic Arts' press briefing. What's more, it's all from a first-person view (sort of like a GoPro POV) at all times. There are tricks too, and the team said that it's been largely influenced by action-sports footage it's seen online. Some very early gameplay footage and concept art was shown, but if we're being honest, the latter looked much better than the former -- often the case with in-development games. Given Criterion's pedigree, though, we're expecting pretty great things whenever it actually launches.
'The Sims 4' launches this September on PC
You like playing with people's lives, right? When The Sims 4 hits this fall, you'll be able to take that to an entirely new level. Your virtual people will have "heart," can die of laughter and you can import someone else's custom person (or house, even) directly into your game, pretty simply from the look of it. When and where does it all happen? September 2nd this year, and on PC.
Watch Electronic Arts' E3 press conference right here!
Electronic Arts is one of the largest third-party publishers in the video game industry, and if you aren't in LA you'll probably want a way to watch their E3 press briefing, right? Well you can do that right here. What's on tap? We're expecting news and footage of the next Battlefield game, lots of sports and even some Star Wars. And that's not all: Mirror's Edge 2, more on Dragon Age: Inquisition have been promised as well as a surprise from Criterion games -- the developer perhaps best known for the crashtacular Burnout racing series. The show starts at 3 pm Eastern or noon Pacific and you can catch it below!
Microsoft E3 2014 Xbox liveblog!
Microsoft's annual E3 press briefing on its Xbox business is, if nothing else, never a dull affair. Heck, last year, a car rose out of the stage! And one year, some of The Beatles showed up. What's gonna happen today? That's the question! We get the feeling that our friend the Master Chief will make an appearance in at least one Halo game announcement, the couch-sized men of the Gears of War universe are likely to show up, and we've got our fingers crossed for a hovercraft or some madness rising out of the stage this morning. We'll get started shortly after 9AM PT/12PM ET.
Watch the Xbox E3 2014 press conference right here!
It's that time of year again, can you feel it? It's E3! What will you be playing this fall on the Xbox One's first birthday? We'll find out today, and you can watch along as it happens. What should you expect? Probably more details on the Halo: Master Chief Collection, a heaping helping of the console's colorful (and from the looks of it, pretty wacky) shooter Sunset Overdrive and some of Forza: Horizon 2's fancy rides. But wait, there's likely more: you like Call of Duty, watching movies and TV shows on your Xbox and charming indie games too, right? Well, based on previous years we should see more news about those too. So be sure to check out our liveblog and follow along with the press conference that's embedded just below. It'll be fun! [Image credit: Flickr user 'Criisi']
Forza Horizon 2 is the next exclusive racer on Xbox One and 360
Now that Forza Motorsport 5 is dishing out realistic driving, it's time for the Xbox-exclusive series to swing back to open-world arcade racing: meet Forza Horizon 2. While the announcement at IGN doesn't show much (unless you really like box shots), it promises a few big upgrades for both Xbox 360 and Xbox One gamers, including a weather system that hasn't been in previous Forza titles. You'll also get an adaptation of Forza 5's Drivatar technology that should deliver slightly more authentic (read: mistake-prone) AI opponents based on your friends. Naturally, Xbox One players will get a visual upgrade at the same time. You'll have to wait until the fall to give Horizon 2 a spin, but we suspect that Microsoft and developer Playground Games will have more to say about it at E3 next week.