Online Gaming News

Microsoft Unveils Xbox One May 21 @ 9 PM source

Today at a press conference leading up to E3, Microsoft unveiled its next-gen games/entertainment console, the Xbox One. Their stated goal for the Xbox One is to have a single device provide "all of your entertainment." One of the big changes is increased support for voice and and gesture input. You can turn the console on by voice, and it will recognize you and automatically login. Swiping to the side with your hand will browse through menu pages, and saying "Watch TV" will bring up the TV app very quickly. The same with music, internet, and movies. The new console also supports multitasking — for example, while watching a movie, you can bring up your web browser in a side panel and surf the web at the same time. There is also a built-in TV listings app that responds to channel names — saying "Watch CBS" will switch to CBS without giving it an actual channel number. By this point, you're probably asking: does it play games? Yes. Hardware specs: 8-core CPU/GPU, 8GB RAM, a Blu-ray drive, a 500GB HDD, USB 3.0, and Wi-fi Direct. (They didn't provide the CPU frequency, instead saying it had 5 billion transistors.) The Kinect sensor got an upgrade: 2Gbps of data capture has finer skeletal visibility, can detect minor orientation changes in hands and fingers, and can even calculate your balance and weight distribution. The new controller looks slightly bigger, and is designed to play well with Kinect. They've also updated Smartglass, the remote control software that runs on mobile devices, but they didn't explain much about it. The new Xbox Live will have 300,000 servers powering it, up from 15,000 this year — though, of course, no details were provided about server specs. The console will have native game capture and editing tools — essentially, a game DVR. Saved games will be stored in the cloud, and they have new matchmaking capabilities that operate in the background. Update: 05/21 17:50 GMT by S : Halo is getting its own live-action TV show, for some reason. They'll be collaborating with Steven Spielberg. Microsoft is also partnering with the NFL for live broadcasts and interactive experiences, such as split-screen Skype chats and fantasy league updates. Xbox One will be out "later this year." No price information.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Report: Yahoo's board approves $1.1 billion Tumblr acquisition May 19 @ 11 PM source

Yahoo Inc's board has approved a deal to buy blogging and social networking site Tumblr for $1.1 billion in cash, the Wall Street Journal cited people familiar with the matter as saying on Sunday.

Syrian army pushes assault on rebel-held town May 19 @ 4 PM source

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Syrian troops backed by tanks and warplanes launched an assault Sunday on a strategic rebel-held town near the Lebanese border, pounding the area with airstrikes and artillery salvos that killed at least 30 people and forced residents to scramble for cover in basements and makeshift bunkers, activists said.

Activists: Rebel groups clash in northern Syria May 18 @ 3 PM source

A wave of tit-for-tat kidnappings between rival Islamic militant groups in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo risks sparking large-scale internal fighting between rebels.

'Harry Potter' first edition annotated by author up for auction May 18 @ 8 AM source

Ever wondered what went through author J.K. Rowling's mind when she wrote the first "Harry Potter" novel?

Used Game To Survive? EA Plans To Drop Online Pass May 16 @ 7 PM source

Krazy Kanuck writes "Introduced in 2010, Online Pass was marketed as a way to 'preserve' online content or DLC as titles were sold in the used game market. Many saw this as a way to cut out the second hand game market. EA has now decided to end this program 'partly because the players didn't like it.' Unfortunately this appears to only be for future released games, those previously released will still be subject to this feature. Activision and Ubisoft still use this form of content control, it will be interesting to see if they follow suit."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

U.S. broadcast TV ratings slide pressures ad rates at 'upfronts' May 13 @ 6 AM source

U.S. broadcast networks head into their biggest ad-selling season this week, competing with streaming services like Netflix and fending off hits starring zombies and duck hunters on cable.

Disney's ABC to start first streaming of live broadcast shows May 13 @ 6 AM source

Disney's ABC network will become the first broadcast network to stream its shows live online through an ongoing service, starting with viewers of its TV stations in New York and Philadelphia.

Seth Meyers taking over 'Late Night' from Jimmy Fallon May 12 @ 10 PM source

The "Saturday Night Live" takeover of NBC's late night lineup continues. With Jimmy Fallon leaving "Late Night" to host "The Tonight Show" next year, the network has tapped his former "SNL" castmate Seth Meyers to sit in his chair.

Chinese air their cases by petitioning White House May 12 @ 9 AM source

The poisoning of a college student 18 years ago recently re-emerged as a hot topic in China, but censors soon squelched the politically sensitive online discussions over whether the culprit may have eluded punishment because of Communist Party connections.