Ouya gaming console is cool for hackers and indie fans, but not yet ready for the mainstream

If you’ve come here wondering whether you should buy the Ouya, let me answer that straight away: no, you shouldn’t. At least not yet.

Instead, let the hacker-types, tinkerers, and the extreme hard-core gamers be the guinea pigs for the Android-based console, because it currently needs all the testing it can get.

With any luck over the next six months, the Ouya's software library will grow to a much more compelling state, bugs will get fixed, the interface will have much-needed features added, and native nongaming content will be released. Harder to address will be the cheap … Read more

Nvidia delays Shield to July, due to 11th-hour dilemma

Just when you thought it was out, they pull it back in. Nvidia has delayed its Shield portable gaming console just one day before its original June 27, 2013 (that's tomorrow for you skimmers out there) shipping date to an as-yet undetermined date in July.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the company cites a "mechanical issue" as the culprit:

During our final QA process, we discovered a mechanical issue that relates to a third-party component. We want every Shield to be perfect, so we have elected to shift the launch date to July. We'll update … Read more

Xbox One vs. PlayStation 4

We've still got about five months before the new Xbox One and PlayStation 4 launch in North America, and already blood has been spilled.

From Microsoft gathering an arguably more impressive stable of exclusive games, to Sony revealing the lack of restrictions on PS4 games and a $100 lower price -- to Microsoft now doing a complete 180 on its DRM policies, this next console launch may be one of the most exciting and brutal yet.

And I can't wait to comfortably watch from the sidelines, praising Thor I'm not in either of their shoes.… Read more

Microsoft changes DRM policies, slates Xbox One for November at $499 (hands-on)

Unless you've recently taken up residence under suitably large slab of earth, you're likely already aware of Microsoft's new Xbox One console. If not, buckle up, because there's an endless supply of details coming your way -- now.

The Xbox One will have a $499 starting price when it hits stores this November, and with a price that high, it's clear Microsoft is targeting the well-to-do consumer with the new device -- at least at launch. By comparison, the Sony PlayStation 4 will cost $399 -- although its optional PlayStation Eye camera and motion detector … Read more

Mad Catz MOJO Micro-Console runs Android, features console-quality controller

Stop me if you've heard this one before: company plans to release a "micro-console" in 2013 as an alternative to the mainstream consoles from Sony and Microsoft. Said console to run Android.

The Mad Catz MOJO Android Micro-Console is the latest such device to be deemed press-release-worthy and hopefully worth your attention as a gamer. Micro-console is a name given to a number of alternative video game systems using the Android operation system although that's not necessarily a requirement. The consoles have thus far featured much smaller-than-usual form factors. Hence the term.

If you've been … Read more

Why Xbox One and PS4 may be the final generation of consoles

Excited about the high-tech look and feel of the upcoming Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4? Better enjoy them while you can, because this might be the final generation of big, dedicated living room game console hardware.

Based on the cheers and jeers coming out of this week's E3 video game trade show about the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, you'd think we were about to enter a new era of cutting-edge game machines, complete with a new arms race of processors, GPUs, and other features. But if you look at how media consumption has changed rapidly … Read more

The tech behind Kinect and how it will control your living room

LOS ANGELES -- At first I thought I had misunderstood him, so I made sure to reply slowly. "So you're saying Kinect is going to blast IR signals at your living room, and they're going to reflect off walls and stuff and bounce back to control all of your devices?"

"That's correct," Marc Whitten said.

"Whoa," I replied.

"Kinect has a really powerful management of that energy," he explained. "It's just light," he went on, "but it just exists in a different spectrum." I … Read more

Xbox One and PS4: Two peas in an E3 pod

Who won E3 so far? Was it the Xbox One? Or, was it the PS4 that kicked its butt? Did Sony dominate, totally smack down Microsoft, and run away with Best in Show?

All I know, from a distance, is this: boy, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 look a lot alike.

The picture above is from a classic "Star Trek" episode featuring two different alien races that fought bitterly but were more alike than they dared to admit. Sound familiar?

The moment the PS4 was unveiled, in its boxy glory, you couldn't help but be reminded … Read more

Microsoft's Marc Whitten on why Xbox One offers a better value

LOS ANGELES -- Marc Whitten thinks the Xbox One provides an overall better value than the competition.

"I believe we're delivering an immense value," he explained to me at a meeting within Microsoft's booth at E3 2013. The Microsoft corporate vice president and chief product officer for Xbox believes that when you consider everything Xbox One is offering -- with its lineup of exclusive titles and ambitious live TV integration -- there's enough justification for spending the extra $100 come this holiday season.

The company's direct console gaming competitor, Sony, undercut Xbox One by $… Read more

PlayStation history shows PS4 can beat the Xbox One (video)

Sony stunned the gaming world this week by divulging that its new PlayStation 4 console will be significantly cheaper than its major rival, the Xbox One. But does it stand a chance against the might of Microsoft?

To find out, watch as we plunge headlong into the rich history of the PlayStation, from its humble beginnings as a failed co-project with Nintendo, to the might of the all-powerful PlayStation 2.

Along the way we'll slap you about the cheeks with nostalgic treats, from old-school adverts to one particularly creepy T-Rex. Spinning up to the present day like an educational … Read more