Games

GTA V to ship on two discs for Xbox 360; one for PS3

Grant Theft Auto V will ship with two discs for the Xbox 360, according to the game's developer.

Rockstar Games on Tuesday posted a question-and-answer page on its site, responding to queries from fans. The company confirmed that due to the size of the upcoming title, the Xbox 360 version will ship with two discs. The first disc will need to be inserted into the console at startup. That disc will install game files onto the console. The second disc will then be used to play the game. No switching will be required once the file is installed on … Read more

Facebook mulls plan to become game publisher -- report

Facebook is considering getting into the gaming business as a publisher, a new report claims.

The social network is currently working with a few mobile-game developers to iron out a deal that would see their titles published under the Facebook brand, TechCrunch is reporting, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the discussions. The mobile games would generate revenue through Facebook's ad platform, and the world's largest social network would share a cut of that revenue with developers.

Developers and publishers are two very different entities in the gaming space. Developers actually create the game, while publishers … Read more

Nintendo loses bid to take control of WiiU.com

Nintendo has failed in its bid to obtain the rights to WiiU.com.

Late last month, a panel of arbitrators ruled that Nintendo could not obtain the rights to WiiU.com, as shown by a case summary originally obtained by GamesIndustry.biz. Nintendo had hoped to take control over the domain, which currently houses ads and a search bar from which the owners are ostensibly generating revenue.

It's not clear from the filing why Nintendo's request was denied, but it appears likely now that in order for the company to take control over that domain, it'll need … Read more

At long last, Microsoft launches Xbox Music for the Web

More than a year after Microsoft announced its Xbox Music service, the company has finally brought it to the Web.

Microsoft's Xbox Music platform is now available for users in the browser. Customers can head over to its page and stream "millions of songs" from within the browser. Microsoft last week told CNET that the subscription, storage, and track-purchasing service would be coming to the Web, and it has officially made good on that promise.

Microsoft claims to offer "millions of songs" through Xbox Music and allows users to download tracks they purchase to a … Read more

Intergalactic Exchange Bureau converts sci-fi currency

Few things are more embarrassing than landing your Millennium Falcon in Westeros, walking into an inn, and not having exact change for your flagon of wine. That's almost as bad as Harry Potter arriving at DS9 and trying to figure out how many galleons he owes to park his broom.

Sci-fi and fantasy characters no longer need to worry about making financial faux pas when crossing over from world to world. The Intergalactic Exchange Bureau is here to help convert a variety of fictional currencies into other fictional currencies, or into dollars, pounds, or euros.… Read more

BlueStacks' new Android console is (almost) free forever

BlueStacks really wants to see Android spread across all the disparate screens in the universe, and it's willing to hand out a free gaming console based on Google's mobile OS to help achieve that vision.

Today the company behind the BlueStacks app player, which brings Android apps to other platforms like Windows, and the $129 Android-based GamePop mobile gaming console and service announced the GamePop Mini, a free version of the console available to subscribers who pay a $6.99 monthly fee. … Read more

Time Warner Cable to bring 300 channels to Xbox 360

Time Warner Cable and Microsoft have inked a deal to bring scads of TV channels to the Xbox 360.

Later this summer, Time Warner Cable will launch its TV application on Xbox Live, bringing up to 300 live TV channels to the Xbox 360. The service will be available only to those who are current Time Warner Cable customers and who subscribe to Xbox Live Gold.

According to Microsoft, Time Warner Cable's channel offerings will include AMC, Bravo, Comedy Central, and CNN. The app will also work with voice controls through the company's Kinect sensor.

Microsoft has been … Read more

Microsoft nixes fees on developers to patch Xbox 360 games -- report

Microsoft has put an end to fees it was charging developers who wanted to patch their Xbox 360 games, according to a new report.

Microsoft no longer charges Xbox 360 developers of both Xbox Live Arcade titles and full retail games to send out updates, game news/reviews site Eurogamer reported Thursday, citing multiple sources who claim to have knowledge of the move. The Xbox maker used to allow developers to update a title once for free and then charged them thousands of dollars for subsequent patches, according to Eurogamer's sources.

According to Eurogamer, Microsoft actually changed its policy … Read more

Sony releases PS3 firmware update to fix last week's fiasco

Sony has released a patch to fix the buggy 4.45 firmware update that left some people with crippled PlayStation 3 consoles.

Complaints flooded in last week after Playstation users downloaded and installed the 4.45 update, which was designed to let users turn trophy notifications on or off. According to the PS3 forum, users found that after they rebooted, the installation left their consoles "bricked," or frozen, locked, and unplayable.

Sony apologized to its users, pulled the update offline, and promised an investigation, apologizing "for the inconvenience."

The new patch, firmware update 4.46, promises … Read more

Angry Birds trilogy to swoop onto Nintendo Wii and Wii U in August

A flock of Angry Birds is heading for Nintendo this summer.

Starting August 13, the Angry Birds trilogy of Angry Birds, Angry Birds: Seasons, and Angry Birds: Rio will take off for the Nintendo Wii and Wii U consoles.

Angry Birds maker Rovio revealed the news in a promotional video posted on YouTube on Wednesday. The promo dives into the usual angry gameplay but caps off by displaying boxed sets of the trilogy for both of Nintendo's game consoles.

Rovio promises 140 hours of gameplay across 30 episodes, while the promo touts 40 hours of "bonus" gameplay. … Read more