gamestop

Stupid Andy sits in the guest seat and he has a bone to pick with Cinavia today. I'm warning you that this discussion is technically the first time we've nerded out about DRM systems so hard, but it's relevant in terms of resale, personal file backups, and the rumor that the next PlayStation console won't allow used games.… Read more

Amazon wants to be the Netflix of books, and we can't wait. The 9/11 Memorial uses tech to honor the victims memory. If you just use Twitter to lurk, you're not a bot, we're paging Dr. Watson and we want your Android OS name ideas!

The Wall Street Journal devastates Hewlett Packard in one incredibly accurate editorial that compiles all the mistakes of the past year or so. And well ... it hurts. In that "oh so true" way. Speaking of hard truths, Eric Schmidt says Google + is an "identity service" and not a social network, and if you don't want to use your real name, don't use G+. Respect. Less respect for the possibility that Larry Page knew about the rogue Canadian pharmacy ads that were posting on Google. Hmm.

Update: Joystiq reports that GameStop is now offering a $50 store credit and a two-for-one used game offer for customers affected by the Deus Ex: Human Revolution coupon controversy.

Before this week, if you mentioned OnLive's cloud-gaming service to dedicated gamers, you'd hear lots of skepticism. Whether it's doubts about OnLive's responsiveness or reservations about the absence of a local copy of games that have been paid for, OnLive has met with plenty of consumer resistance (although we like it) since it emerged in 2009.

This past week, though, OnLive seems to have earned itself some good will. At the start of the week, gamers discovered a coupon for a free OnLive version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution in their boxed copies of the game's PC version. Putting the service, and a copy of a well-received fan favorite game, in the hands of gamers who risk nothing by giving OnLive a spin can only help win fans.

Then, a few days into the week, news broke that retailer GameStop was pulling the OnLive coupon from its Deus Ex copies on the grounds that OnLive is a competitor to GameStop's own forthcoming streaming service, due to hit beta later this year. That move, of course, met with outrage from the gaming community.… Read more

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

YouTube may start offering original content on new channels

Toyota will use Microsoft's Azure technology in its electric vehicles to establish a cloud platform by 2015

LinkedIn lets you access and sign into other sites with your LinkedIn account, much like Facebook Connect

A new version of Final Cut Pro may launch next week

GameStop may create a gaming tablet

Netflix acquires the rights to stream the "Mad Men" TV series

The next NBA Jam game will be called NBA Jam: On Fire Edition

Netflix reportedly will pay about $100 million to stream every episode of Mad Men: chump change, if predictions of an $800 million streaming TV market turn out to be true. Also, it seems that everyone wants to get in on the tablet market, but given reported XOOM sales of only about 100,000, it's possible the only tablet market there is is for iPads. Plus, AT&T iPhones and their dropped calls, and Obama goes to Facebook. -- Molly

With the advent of services such as Valve's Steam and Microsoft's Games for Windows Live, not to mention Blizzard's continued support, PC gaming--considered dead a few years back--isn't showing any signs of slowing down.

The platform has continued to successfully offer exclusive experiences you won't find on a console, while at the same time playing host to some of console gaming's biggest blockbusters, like the Call of Duty and Mass Effect series. Editors' note: Eric Franklin is aware that the Call of Duty series was begotten on the PC. He was there, he played … Read more

Like film, the horror genre is a staple in video games. With Halloween just a few short days away, we've handpicked 10 just-released or soon-to-be-available titles guaranteed to make you jump out of your seat.

It seems developers have cranked up the gore this year with a follow-up to last year's underrated Saw game, a reboot of the Splatterhouse franchise, and one of the scariest games for PC and Mac we've ever played.

So turn off the lights, keep the flashlight handy, and dive right into our ghastly Halloween gaming roundup.

Still feeling brave after checking out … Read more

Call of Duty: Black Ops, the latest title in the venerable Call of Duty franchise, has hit higher preorder levels than its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Gamestop announced yesterday.

"GameStop is tracking to all-time, record reservations on Call of Duty: Black Ops," GameStop senior vice president of merchandising, Bob McKenzie said in a statement. "We are ahead of where we were with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 last year, which previously set the industry standard."

If Call of Duty: Black Ops stays on its course and potentially outsells Modern Warfare 2, it … Read more