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Learn to live in a State of Decay with Undead Labs' new survival guide
There's a lot to consider when you're stuck in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Do you have enough food? Will your shelter hold up against the endless legions of undead? Do you have enough of that ammo that makes zombie heads explode? Thankfully, Undead Labs is here to help make State of Decay players' transitions to the post-apocalypse as simple as possible. The studio has released a day-by-day survival guide written from the viewpoint of characters within the game's universe. The guide provides a flavorful look at some of the features players will be utilizing to survive in State of Decay. Players will learn how to construct a defensible stronghold, how to scavenge for supplies, and of course, how to defend themselves against zed onslaughts. It's quite a read, but a very worthwhile one for anyone who would prefer to remain on the side of the living in the war against the undead.
Razer Sabertooth Xbox 360 controller ups the ante on tourney gaming, we go hands-on
Razer's Onza Xbox 360 controller is very, very nice. Sure, it's got an unbelievably long, non-detachable wire sticking out of it, but its build quality is top notch and its ultra-clicky face buttons are a pleasure to use. In the company's second Xbox 360 controller -- the Sabertooth -- Razer's focusing on the tournament gaming crowd rather than simply outfitting its Onza with "Tournament Edition" specs. That aside, the Sabertooth retains the quality we've come to expect from Razer products. Oh, and that crazy long wire is thankfully detachable! It's apparent from first glance that the Sabertooth is intended as such, given the six extra (programmable) buttons found on the shoulders and back of the controller, and the tiny OLED screen found along the bottom (allowing for the programming of said buttons). Considering that a regular Xbox 360 controller comprises 12 (!!) buttons not counting the d-pad, adding another six and an OLED screen is ... intense, to say the least. While we didn't have occasion to test the programmability, we can definitively say that the Sabertooth's other functions are just as solid as with the Onza. The analog sticks are as good or better than a standard Xbox 360 controller, the d-pad is an improvement over the Onza (which was already an improvement over the dismal d-pad included on most Xbox 360 controllers), and the triggers / shoulder buttons are appropriately springy and responsive. There's even a silly backlight for several face buttons, should you be playing video games in a cave (you can opt to turn off the backlight, too -- we certainly did). Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Guardians of Middle-Earth brings competitive MOBA gaming to consoles
It seems as if the world has gone MOBA-mad in recent years, with Dota 2 launching the first ever million-dollar competitive tournament and League of Legends becoming the most played game in the world. While there are plenty of PC games following in the competitive footsteps of classic DotA, the console market has remained largely untested. Today that changed with the launch of Guardians of Middle-Earth, the first 3-D console MOBA to be designed for classic DotA-style competitive matches. Guardians of Middle-Earth gives players control of iconic characters from the Lord of the Rings lore, like Gandalf and Gollum. Each character has an array of special abilities, and teams of five players battle against each other in short competitive matches. A streamlined item system and directional attacks adapt the game for the controls and faster pace of gameplay console gamers expect, but it remains to be seen whether the console audience will form a hardcore competitive tournament scene. The game went live on the Playstation Network today and goes live on XBox Live Arcade tomorrow.
Rhapsody now available on Xbox Live, brings on-demand music to Microsoft's console
The Xbox 360 certainly isn't suffering from any shortages in the entertainment department, but that's not to say Microsoft's not willing to welcome new app additions to its growing, decade-old ecosystem. Today marks Rhapsody's turn to join the likes of Hulu, Netflix, Crackle and, most recently, WatchESPN on Redmond's Dashboard, bringing its known on-demand music streaming service to Xbox Live -- and, naturally, it'll be available at no additional cost to current Gold and Rhapsody subscribers. Rhapsody is set to arrive on Xbox Live today, but fret not if you don't see the application right away, as it may take a little while before it pops up on your console.
ESPN on Xbox Live updated with all live ESPN content
Previously Xbox Live was a good place to see some of ESPN's more fringe live content, like log racing, plastic cup stacking and the occasional tennis match. Today all live ESPN content is streaming through your Xbox 360, including Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Baseball and more top draws from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, Buzzer Beater and Goal Line – granted only if you're an Xbox Live Gold subscriber, that is.The updated app on Xbox 360 still features all of the familiar Kinect gesture and voice commands required by Microsoft law, and lets users stream multiple events in split-screen format, set reminders for big games and track their favorite sports through a customizable menu. Next month, SmartGlass functionality will also be added to the app.You can download the improved app right now, simply by booting up the old app or heading to the appropriate section of your Xbox 360 dashboard.
Toys 'R' Us offers 'buy one, get one for $1' game sale, lots more on Black Friday
Toys 'R' Us' Black Friday ad is 32 pages of red and green deals, and as usual, the toy store's got plenty of gaming deals ready for purchase, including a few deals on consoles.The biggest hook is a big "buy one, get one for $1" sale going on, with dozens of games available for a buck each when you buy one at a standard price. In addition to lots of great DSi games, even modern Xbox 360 and PS3 games are on the list, including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more current titles like Dishonored and Need for Speed: Most Wanted. All Wii U games are also "buy one, get one 40% off," so if you want to fill out your library for Nintendo's new console, there you go.Read on for more choice Black Friday offerings. For the complete list of Toys 'R' Us deals, check out the retailer's Black Friday flyer.
Xbox SmartGlass app turns your iOS device into a remote control
If you have an Xbox 360 and an iOS device, congratulations, Microsoft has offered you a free touchscreen remote control! Well, not literally, but the new Xbox SmartGlass app turns your iPad or iPhone into a do-it-all control center for your game console, and it's actually a pretty slick experience. Once you've connected your SmartGlass app to your console -- by syncing the devices via the Internet using a short code -- you can do pretty much everything using your iOS device that you would normally do with your controller, aside from playing games. You can compose messages, browse your achievements and launch apps such as Netflix with just a tap. But the most useful feature is linked with the recent addition of Internet Explorer to the Xbox dashboard. Using your phone as a virtual mouse, you can navigate web pages by moving your finger around on the screen. It works quite well and happens to be much more enjoyable than surfing your favorite sites using the Xbox controller. Unfortunately, since the app is connected to your Xbox over the Internet rather than using Bluetooth there is a noticeable lag between your input and the on-screen action. It's not a dramatic delay, but it's enough that you might end up overshooting a tab you were aiming for or scrolling further on a web page than you would have liked. There's also no way to turn on your console using the SmartGlass app, so if you're on the couch and want to browse the web on your TV, you're going to have to grab your controller anyway. This is perhaps the app's greatest weakness, since it's hard to argue that it's a good alternative to using your controller for non-gaming tasks when it can't even turn the console on. Still, it's a neat, free way to try out SmartGlass using your iPhone or iPad, and it elevates the Internet Explorer Xbox app to the realm of usability.
Xbox SmartGlass for iOS hits the App Store
Just in time for today's launch of its blockbuster sci-fi shooter Halo 4, Microsoft has debuted its Xbox SmartGlass app for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. The free app acts as an interactive second screen for the Xbox 360, allowing you to browse content on your console and launch it, then use your phone or tablet as a touch-based controller. More importantly - and exciting - though, the SmartGlass app provides additional game-related information and input methods when used with certain Xbox 360 titles. Major game releases that currently support SmartGlass include Halo 4, Dance Central 3, and Forza Horizon. Apps on the 360 that can be controlled via SmartGlass include Internet Explorer, Xbox Music, Xbox Video, Netflix, and more.
State of Decay demonstrates the virtues of stealth
Pop quiz, apocalypse survivors: You desperately need to get into a nearby gun store to complete a mission, but it's surrounded by a small horde of zombies. Running through them and shooting your way in are both undesirable options, so what do you do? What do you do? In a short alpha video from Undead Labs, a State of Decay player instead uses tricks and stealth to achieve his goal. He tosses some fireworks from a nearby water tower, prompting the zombies to investigate and leave the scene. Following that, it's a quick dash in and out to trigger a job well done. You can watch this nail-biting footage after the jump, and don't forget to check out Massively's report on the game from PAX.
Xbox SmartGlass now available in Google Play, brings console integration to Android
Hot on the heels of the Dashboard update for the Xbox 360, Microsoft's SmartGlass integration is now a reality for Android 4.0 users. The companion app branches out from the earlier My Xbox Live app for Android and allows direct control of some console features from Google-powered gear. While Windows Phone users will find the tightest integration of all, the Android port still lets users steer through the Dashboard, input text, browse the web (with zooming), search for local content, and control media playback. Players can still chat with their friends and modify their Xbox profile if they're not planning to lurk around the system all day. The interface is strikingly similar to past releases (including Android) and still demands at least an 800 x 480 screen for admission -- sorry, Wildfire S fans. You'll find a full roster of features after the break, and can hit up Google Play at the source link below for your own remote. Jon Fingas contributed to this report.
Microsoft expands subsidized Xbox 360 offer to 250GB model, from $99
Microsoft has thrown an additional two Xbox 360 models into its subsidized subscription deal. Accompanying the original 4GB console at $99, a 250GB option will also be priced at $99, accompanied by two years of Xbox LIVE Gold at $15 per month. Throw in a Kinect, and this rises to $149, initially. The company hasn't revealed whether the new models will be accompanied by additional retailers alongside Best Buy and Gamestop, but there is a holding page that promises to offer a "full list of participating retailers" soon.
Editorial: The most exciting Xbox SmartGlass application isn't what you'd think
In Microsoft's ongoing battle to alter your association between "Xbox" and "Video Games," SmartGlass is its latest volley. Employing your favorite mobile device -- Windows Phone 7.5/8, Android, and iOS devices are all supported -- SmartGlass enables you to control your Dashboard experience, explore the web, input text, and much more. But what Microsoft's really banking on is its "second screen" functionality, essentially enabling another layer of interactivity with video, music, games, and the Xbox 360's other, less ballyhooed service: sports. It's this final layer that I found most enticing during a recent hands-on meeting with Microsoft. Could sports be the "killer app" that MS needs to get SmartGlass out of its tiny niche and into the hands of the masses? I think so.
Xbox SmartGlass goes live alongside first Windows 8 tablets on October 26 with several supported apps
SmartGlass functionality may already sort of exist on Xbox 360 per the console's latest Dashboard update, but Microsoft's making it a full-on reality on October 26. As it stands, the Xbox 360 allows for SmartGlass support, but without an update to Microsoft's 360 companion app, there's no way to use it -- when Microsoft's Surface RT and other Windows 8 tablets launch on the 26, that functionality will come built in to the "Games" section of the new OS. That of course begs the question: "When will I be able to use SmartGlass with my iOS/Android/Windows Phone 7.5 devices? And how?" The date isn't certain, but functionality will arrive on other platforms "soon" after the October 26 launch of Surface, Microsoft reps tell us. When it does, it'll come in the form of an update to your existing, "My Xbox Live" mobile app (which also renames the app to, "Xbox SmartGlass") or Games tab (per WP7.5), and it'll be more or less identical with the Windows Phone version. The only missing functionality, we're told, are two somewhat basic bulletpoints. "We have deeper integration in the Windows Phone," Microsoft tells us. "That's something we don't have on iOS or Android, it's just within our application. Same on Windows -- the integration in Windows is 'last playing' or 'now playing,' being able to present that information." The other, more interesting item, is the lacking ability to "send" whatever website you're using up to the Xbox 360's Internet Explorer browser. Regardless of which mobile device you're on, SmartGlass can "send" websites from the 360 to said device -- it won't work the other way around, however, if you're using a non-Windows 8 device. Not what we'd call a huge deal, exactly, but a bummer no less. Regardless, you'll soon have the opportunity to put SmartGlass through its paces from the comfort of home when support devices launch on October 26. For a full list of applications available at launch and partners beyond that plus a quick walkthrough video, head past the break.
'Defiance' blends basic cable sci-fi, MMO shooter action when it launches in spring 2013
With shows like Battlestar Galactica, all of the Stargates and even Eureka on ice, where will Syfy go when it runs out of places and/or marginal celebrities to tell ghost stories about? One answer may be a show slated to debut next spring called Defiance, which will depict an Earth populated by humans and aliens alike trying to pick up the pieces after years of war between the two have left the planet in pieces. The twist here is that the show will run along concurrently with a massively multiplayer shooter being developed for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 from the makers of RIFT that takes place in the same world. The team behind it has been posting content about the making of both sides of the project recently (check out Massively by Joystiq's coverage for more info), as well as a trailer for the TV show, which you can check out after the break. We're not sure if this will go over with any more of a splash than Syfy's usual Saturday night monster-of-the-week flicks, but at least they're trying. We'll be keeping an eye out for this one in April one way or another because really what else would we do, watch Revolution?
Microsoft 'retiring' Facebook and Twitter Xbox 360 Dashboard apps
Eagle-eyed gamers may have already noticed that the Xbox 360's dedicated Twitter and Facebook apps have gone missing after the latest Dashboard update, and now Redmond has confirmed it's put the applications out to pasture. According to a Microsoft representative that spoke to IGN, the firm is "retiring the Facebook and Twitter apps" as it works to streamline functionality. When asked if the pair of apps will ever make a comeback, Ballmer and Co. didn't comment. Still crave to update your friends on your latest gaming exploits through the console? Spreading the news on the digital grapevine is still possible, but you'll have to access the social networks through the freshly added Internet Explorer app -- an experience we hope Xbox SmartGlass will improve.
Microsoft announces Q1 earnings with $5.31 billion in profit, braces for Windows 8 surge
It's Microsoft's turn at quiet-before-the-storm quarterly results, and that's evident in the fiscal first quarter earnings it just dropped on our laps. The Redmond team is reporting $16.01 billion in revenue, but a more modest than usual $5.31 billion in profit over the summer -- while it's healthier than the Q4 loss stemming from the aQuantive write-off, it's not as impressive as the $7.2 billion profit from a year ago. While a tough PC market is partly to blame, it's equally hard to say that Microsoft couldn't have done better. There's a real chance that some of its customers have been holding back on purchases in anticipation of the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 launches; it's already setting aside $1.36 billion in revenue for Windows and Office upgrades. The company is unquestionably preparing itself for a giant spike in demand once at least Windows 8 rolls around later this month, so we'd say that the real litmus test will be the results we get after the holidays.
Delta Six controller gets redesigned, Kickstarted
Most video game controllers sporting a firearm form factor are a far cry from realistic -- bright colors, odd shapes and obvious thumbsticks leave many accessories looking more like toys than weapons. Not David Kotkin's Delta Six. This gun-shaped controller's first prototype looked so much like a real rifle, Kotkin told us, it had to be redesigned. An orange tip, whitewashed body and a few less authentic looking components don't make the Delta Six look any less believable as a digital soldier's modern musket, but it does make it less likely to be mistaken for the real McCoy. The peripheral's internals haven't changed though -- an accelerometer to help players aim and turn, cheek-sensing pressure sensors (for looking down the scope), faux-recoil and its assortment of modular components are still all on target. Like all budding hardware projects these days, the Delta Six is looking towards the crowd to source its production. According to the peripheral's Kickstarter page, the Delta Six will be available between July and August next year, boasting compatibility with the Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U and even the OUYA. Pitching in $89 buys the basic submachine gun body (with a free rifle attachment for first-week buyers), and subsequent levels tack on additional attachments, bonus items and more. Kotkin needs $500,000 to make his rifle-shaped dream a reality. Like-minded FPS gamers can join him at the source link below. Not a dreamer? Feel free to read on for the official press release (plus a video and an additional image), instead.
Microsoft announces Xbox 360 holiday bundles and $50 off promo for US market
With this year's holidays being just around the corner, it's only natural for companies to start tempting potential customers with cash-saving, too-good-to-pass deals. With that in mind, Microsoft, via the informative Major Nelson, announced earlier today its 2012 Xbox 360 holiday bundles in hopes of luring some folks in; among these are a 250GB console with Kinect, Dance Central 2, Kinect Sports, Kinect Adventures and one month of Xbox Live for $400, while there's also a 4GB, $300 option that comes with the same Gold subscription, Redmond's motion-tracking peripheral, Kinect Disneyland Adventures and Kinect Adventures. In addition, the Surface maker said retailers should start offering the console for $50 off MSRP, and that this limited time deal will also apply to the Halo 4 bundle which is due to come out on November 6th. Better yet, these new bundles and promos are available now -- so, for those living in the US, now could be a good time to snag one of Microsoft's renowned consoles.
PSA: Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard update rolling out today
Your chance to shout voice commands at Engadget is coming today, as Microsoft is rolling out its Fall Dashboard update to the Xbox 360 today, headlined by the inclusion of Internet Explorer. The update also adds a version of its popular "pinning" functionality, a variety of specialized sports apps (NBA, NHL, and Monday Night Football from ESPN), the ability to recommend and rate content, and some UI tweaks across all of the 360 Dashboard's categories. Xbox Music is also in there, as is SmartGlass support, though the latter won't have any functionality until October 26, according to Microsoft's Major Nelson. The update may not come immediately, as it's being rolled out gradually across various regions. 3 million folks get in this week, while others may not see it until a week or two from now, says Microsoft. We've got a full hands-on right here for you to read in the meantime, of course.
Xbox 360 Dashboard update hands-on (fall 2012)
Is it Fall again already? Must be time for another Xbox 360 Dashboard update. Every year Microsoft Drops the console a little bit of code to match the descending leaves, delivering new features, interface tweaks and additional content to hide behind the Xbox Live Gold paywall. Redmond's latest update isn't quite the overhaul it gave the gaming rig last year, but minor changes can have big effects. Join us after the break to see the machine's latest update, and what it means for you. %Gallery-168426%
