Tencent to buy British video game company Sumo in $1.3 billion deal

Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings will buy video game company Sumo Group in a deal that values the British firm at 919 million pounds ($1.27 billion), the companies said on Monday.

Sumo's shareholders will get 513 pence in cash per share, Tencent said. The offer is at 43 percent premium to the Sumo's last closing price of 358 pence. The share has risen multifold since its listing on LSE's junior market AIM in 2017 at 100 pence.

Tencent has an 8.75 percent stake and is the second-biggest stakeholder in the company, which has 14 studios in five countries with more than 1,200 employees.

"The Board of Sumo firmly believes the business will benefit from Tencent's broad videogaming eco-system, proven industry expertise and its strategic resources," Sumo's non-executive chairman Ian Livingstone said.

-reuters

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang blasts off

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino mobile gamers get a chance to showcase their skills in gunning for victory on the battle arena in the new national competition called “Momentum eSports TV Battle League” set to blast off April 21-May 19.

The league will feature 64 teams of six amateur and professional players each who will slay for honors in the hugely popular game “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.”

MLBB is among the games to be contested in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, giving non-pros more reason and motivation to strive for excellence and aspire for future stints in big-time international competitions.

“Our main goal is to provide an avenue to all local players, especially those from small communities who are denied of this opportunity and have limited means to hone and showcase their skills,” Joanna Paola DV Ang, executive producer of Momentum, said during Thursday’s presscon.

Momentum eSports TV Battle League, which will see players with rankings of 100 to 300 stars competing for a total pot of P60,000 and 12,000 diamonds from MLBB’s developer, Moonton, will be aired live daily from 4-8 p.m. by the Manila Times Digital TV on www.manilatimestv.com, Facebook and other social media platforms.

Ang was joined in the presscon for the new league by Jennifer Jones, assistant station manager, Marc Christian Jarlego, operations manager for Momentum eSports, and Thea Rosalyn Faustino, executive administrative assistant for Momentum.

They said Filipinos had already shown their world-class form in eSports, with TNC Predator winning the DOTA2 tournament at the World Electronic Sports Games last year in Chongqing, China.

source: philstar.com

GOTTA CATCH ‘EM SERVERS | Pokemon Go Australia log-in complaints grow

Growing numbers of Pokemon Go players in Australia, one of three countries where Nintendo Co’s smash-hit mobile game is available, are complaining they’re having trouble logging in, raising concerns the Japanese firm may not be able to roll the game out globally as quickly as planned.

Shares in Nintendo fell nearly 6 percent in Tokyo early on Wednesday after a three-day surge on the successful U.S. launch of the augmented reality game last week added 1.2 trillion yen ($11 billion) to the company’s market value. Based on the 1990s Japanese franchise, the augmented reality game topped Apple Inc’s free app charts.

By 0220 GMT on Wednesday, a total of about 1,300 Pokemon Go users had reported problems accessing the game in Australia over the last two days, according to website aussieoutages.com, which tracks digital service disruptions.

The game has only been released in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and Nintendo has said launches for other countries including Japan – one of the world’s biggest gaming markets – are due soon.

Both Nintendo and Niantic, which developed the game in tandem with Pokemon Co, declined to comment. Nintendo owns a third of Pokemon Co and has an undisclosed stake in Niantic.

Some gamers in Australia have speculated servers were overloaded because players in the United Kingdom, where the game is not yet available domestically, were trying to log on.

“When Pokemon Go servers experience issues, so do I,” a user with the handle @_emilymcc wrote in a post on the aussieoutages.com website.

The reported disruption adds to a flurry of headaches Nintendo is facing with Pokemon Go.

Security researchers raised concerns about the vulnerability of users’ data after finding that Pokemon Go players signing into the game via a Google account on an Apple operating system device unwittingly gave “full access permission” to Google accounts.

Meanwhile cases of armed robberies and injuries involving Pokemon Go players have also been reported.

source: interaksyon.com

Sony’s PlayStation 4 sales top 30 million consoles

TOKYO — Sony Corp on Wednesday said sales of its PlayStation 4 video game console exceeded 30.2 million units as of Nov. 22, as global price cuts ahead of the year-end holiday season bolstered demand.

The PlayStation 4, which went on sale in late 2013, has been Sony’s fastest-selling game console, the Japanese electronics manufacturer said. It hit sales of 20 million consoles in March.

The console helped Sony book its highest second-quarter operating profit in eight years.

source: interaksyon.com

‘Call of Duty’ video game blitzes on debut

SAN FRANCISCO, California — The latest “Call of Duty” video game boasted an opening weekend that blew away any other game, film, book or music debut this year, the company behind it said Wednesday.

“Call of Duty: Black Ops III” racked up more than $550 million in sales in the three days after its release on November 6, according to California-based Activision Publishing, a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard.

“Call of Duty’s millions of passionate fans have shown us, yet again, the strength of their commitment to this enduring franchise,” said Activision Blizzard chief executive Bobby Kotick.

It was “the biggest entertainment launch this year in any medium, and bigger than any theatrical opening weekend ever,” he added.

Fans played the game online for more than 75 million hours, setting a new record for the blockbuster franchise.

Black Ops III is the 12th game in the series, testimony to its longevity and ability to reinvent itself, all the while earning it a loyal following of tens of millions of fans.

“Our fans are engaging more deeply with the franchise than ever before,” said Activision Publishing chief executive Eric Hirshberg.

“Call of Duty is more than a game, it’s a year round passion for a growing base of millions of fans and it’s only gaining momentum.”

The latest mission in the first-person shooter franchise sends players into a “dark and twisted future.”

For Activision Blizzard, the latest revamp of its gaming megahit aimed to revive stagnating sales and came hot on the heels of an announcement that it is buying the maker of the addictive “Candy Crush Saga,” King Digital Entertainment, for $5.9 billion — tapping into a market of half a billion gamers worldwide.

Zombie mode

This time the action is set in the year 2065. Climate change has spawned fierce competition over scarce resources. Highly effective anti-aircraft systems mean fighting is on the ground, and often in covert or “black” operations.

The game launched across an array of consoles and PCs.

“Call of Duty: Black Ops III is off to a great start,” said Bob Puzon, senior vice president of merchandising for US retail chain GameStop.

“The game’s story line, new features and intense zombie mode have helped make it our most successful title launch so far this year.”

“Black Ops III” was created by Treyarch studio and published by Activision.

And while the latest incarnation harks back to recent episodes, notably with shades of 2014′s Advanced Warfare, it is a far cry from its debut based on World War II action.

Advances in consoles mean that for the first time the “Campaign” — the main narrative of the game — can be played with friends. It also features women soldiers.

As usual the game offers over-the-Internet multiplayer battles as well, not to mention “Zombies” mode as gamers look to survive attacks from hordes of the living dead.

Activision uses three developer studios so a new “Call of Duty” title is available each year.

source: interaksyon.com

Sony’s PS4 tops Xbox One as gamers’ holiday choice: poll

SAN FRANCISCO — More U.S. shoppers prefer Sony Corp’s upcoming PlayStation 4 than Microsoft Corp’s Xbox One, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, as the industry’s two leading videogame console makers prepare to do battle this holiday season.

Asked about their interest in dedicated game devices, 26 percent of 1,297 people surveyed online last week say they are likely to purchase the new PlayStation 4 when available, versus 15 percent opting for the Xbox One.

The rift widens among those below the age of 40. Of that group of 408 people, 41 percent picked Sony’s PS4 versus 27 percent for Microsoft’s Xbox One, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from Sept 23 to Sept 27.

Though based on a limited sample, the results potentially point to a lopsided battle during the crucial holiday season, with Microsoft and Sony hoping to get their newest consoles into U.S. households. Apart from games, they act as conduits for living-room entertainment, from TV shows to music.

Microsoft came under fire from gamers after initially saying it would set restrictions on used games, and require an Internet connection to play. After a flurry of complaints, the company reversed its policies in June. In contrast, Sony has consistently touted support for used games and offline gameplay at industry events. And the PS4 comes $100 cheaper.

Sony said at video game industry trade show in Germany that it had received more than 1 million pre-orders for its upcoming console, while Microsoft has revealed only that preorders for the Xbox One exceeded those of its predecessor, the 360, eight years ago.

Microsoft “couldn’t make up their mind and Sony hadn’t wavered from the beginning,” said 26-year-old gamer Christopher Turner from Salem, Alabama, who intends to spend his cash on the PS4. “The PlayStation 4 is for both hardcore and casual gamers.”

But 56-year-old participant Jon Leigh, who plays six to 10 hours of video games a week and lives in Harlan, Kentucky, thinks the Microsoft controversy won’t sway Xbox fans.

“People who use Microsoft products will continue to use them, he said. Leigh will go with the Xbox One because of its upgraded “Kinect” motion sensor, and because he’s more familiar with the Xbox than the PlayStation.

The $399 PS4 and $499 Xbox One represent the first major upgrades of mainstream gaming hardware in years, setting game developers scrambling to put out new releases that take advantage of better graphics and faster processors.

They are scheduled to hit store shelves from mid-November, about a year after Nintendo’s slow-selling Wii U. Of the 1,297 respondents, only 3 percent said they now played games on the Wii U, versus 20 percent on the Xbox 360, 20 percent on computers, and 18 percent on Sony’s PlayStation 3.

Reversing the tide

More broadly, the shrinking videogames industry hopes the advent of the two new game consoles can breathe fresh life into a sector battered by the proliferation of free games on mobile devices and PCs, as well as on social networks like Facebook Inc’s.

Indeed, 64 percent of total respondents said they would not buy any new game hardware at all this season, when posed with choices ranging from the Xbox and PS4 to Nintendo’s 2DS and Valve’s Steam Box.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll underscored strong interest in Activision Blizzard Inc’s “Call of Duty: Ghosts,” slated for November, which will try and take on Take-Two Interactive Software’s mega-hit, “Grand Theft Auto V.”

GTA V, the latest in the critically acclaimed series that helped ignite a nationwide debate about violence in the media, became the fastest game to hit the $1 billion sales-mark, just three days after sales began on Sept 17.

About a quarter of 715 participants who owned gaming devices said they were likely to buy GTA V, while 22 percent said they would pick up a copy of “Ghosts,” the latest from Activision’s money-spinning Call of Duty franchise.

Analysts say GTA V, which won rave reviews, benefited from pent-up demand as the first major game from the franchise in five years. In contrast, Activision spits out a new Call of Duty game annually. Last year’s “Call Of Duty: Black Ops II” raked in $500 million on its first day.

Ubisoft’s historical action-game “Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag” came in third place in the poll with 19 percent expressing interest. Electronic Arts’ “Madden NFL 25″ and shooter “Battlefield 4″ were the participants’ fourth and fifth choices, respectively.

source: interaksyon.com

Buffett's Dividend Secret

CHIBA, Japan — The latest version of blockbuster videogame Grand Theft Auto may have stoked a worldwide buying frenzy, but the ultra-violent offering is likely to be a minnow in Japan’s vast gaming market.
Shoot-em-up offerings from abroad often struggle to gain traction in the multi-billon-dollar Japanese videogame sector where fantasy-style games reign supreme and sell in the millions — though many in the West have not heard of them.

They include the hugely popular Monster Hunter franchise, which has sold 23 million copies and counting since its debut a decade ago.

“But most of them were sold in Japan even though we did make an English version,” said a spokeswoman for game creator Capcom.

Language translation problems and cultural differences were among the reasons cited for the struggles of foreign game operators in Japan, a rift that was apparent as gamers flocked to the Tokyo Game Show this week.

Over 600 games titles were on offer at the four-day extravaganza that wraps up Sunday.

Though Japan once dominated the worldwide market with the likes of Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, the country appears to be looking increasingly inward.

“The main trends of the videogame market in Japan are divided into two categories: major worldwide successes like Pokemon, Final Fantasy or Biohazard, and games that are specifically designed for core Japanese gamers,” said the Asia Trend Map institute, pointing to the “overwhelming dominance of games made in Japan”.

A blockbuster offering based on the popular comic book “Shonen Jump” reflects a common theme in which many Japanese games are centred around a character well known in multiple media platforms, from so-called manga cartoons and movies to music and television series.

Namco Bandai’s AKB 1/149 Renai Sosenkyo, a popular dating simulation game, is the kind of title known to most at home but with little name familiarity abroad — AKB48 is the name of a well-known girl band.

“The title isn’t suited to foreign markets,” said Namco Bandai spokesman Toshiaki Honda.

Even Japanese giant Sony is releasing its PlayStation 4 abroad before its hits store shelves in Japan — a first — with executives saying that titles expected to be hits at home won’t be ready in time.

Eiji Araki, senior official of mobile social game maker Gree, added: “We’ve learned that characters and visuals favoured in the United States are different from those in Japan.”

For some, the unique character of Japan’s gaming market encapsulates the country’s so-called Galapagos Syndrome in which firms concentrate almost solely on the domestic market.

The take up in Japan on Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones trailed huge sales abroad as many mobile carriers focused on homegrown flip-phone offerings.

While iPhone is now selling well in Japan, a ride on the Tokyo subway underscores another unique aspect of the nation’s gaming market — a love of handheld gaming devices.

Commuters on the city’s vast transportation network are frequently seen thumbing away on portable devices to pass the time while, at home, consoles outpace the rising popularity abroad of playing games on personal computers

For one official at Japan’s Computer Entertainment Rating Organisation, the love of fantasy and role-playing games in low-crime Japan stands in stark contrast to Grand Theft Auto’s brutal depictions of urban violence.

“Japanese consumers prefer family-use games to those with violent, anti-social or extreme expressions of sexuality,” she said.

A report by Internet firm GMO Cloud characterises the difference as “self-escapism versus self-expression”.

True or not, Grand Theft Auto is undoubtedly violent, especially when compared to Nintendo’s award-winning “Animal Crossing: New Leaf” in which players take on the role of a mayor running a rural community.

By contrast, past versions of Grand Theft Auto have included simulated sex with prostitutes and drunken driving, along with profanity-packed dialogue. Carjacking, gambling and killing are the staples of a game in which players take on the role of a psychopathic killer in fictional Los Angeles.

When Grand Theft Auto IV was released five years ago it blew away videogame and Hollywood records by taking an unprecedented $500 million in the week after its release, and it shows few signs of slowing with the game’s fifth incarnation released days ago.

Despite its foreign pedigree, Hisakazu Hirabayashi, of Tokyo-based consultancy firm InteractKK, said he still expects the newest Grand Theft Auto to have relative success among Japanese consumers, at least “for a Western game”.

source: interaksyon.com

Grand Theft Auto V starts strong with $800 million in first-day sales

SAN FRANCISCO — “Grand Theft Auto V,” the fifth installment of the video game that became a focal point of debate about gratuitous violence and explicit content in the media, came out guns blasting with $800 million in global first-day sales.

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc’s most lucrative franchise went on sale at midnight on Tuesday.

The sales figure marked a first-day record for the Grand Theft Auto series in which players freely roam, mainly via automobiles, in a game world based on real-life locations such as Los Angeles.

Take-Two shares closed up 1.2 percent at $17.20. The stock has climbed 12 percent since July when the company raised its fiscal 2014 forecast and the buzz grew louder around the game’s September release.

Retail revenues of $800 million would translate to sales of about 13 million to 14 million units of the game, analysts estimated.

“The last major Grand Theft Auto title sold just under 13 million in the course of the year. This did that in a day,” said Daniel Ernst, an analyst at Hudson Square Research. The sales beat his expectations.

The 16-year-old Grand Theft Auto franchise has won numerous awards and become embedded in popular culture over the years. The criminal drama and action-adventure series has also stirred its share of controversy over the violent and adult nature of its content.

The game, which costs $60, has been given a “Mature” rating by the industry group that rates video game content in the U.S, meaning it can only be purchased by gamers older than 17.

“Grand Theft Auto IV” was released in 2008, and gamers had eagerly awaited the fifth installment. It took more than five years to be developed by Take-Two’s Rockstar Games studio, at a cost of between $200 million and $250 million, according to some analysts’ estimates.

The debut now ranks as among the industry’s strongest. Last year, Activision Blizzard Inc’s “Call Of Duty: Black Ops II” raked in $500 million on its first day.

Other blockbuster titles from top-selling franchises such as “Call of Duty” and Nintendo’s “Mario” games sell more than 20 million copies in a year, Ernst said.

“We’re looking for 23 million units of games sold by March 2014 and we won’t change that, but $800 million in the first day is phenomenal,” said Mike Hickey, an analyst at the Benchmark Company.

Does it have legs?

Game fans flocked to retail stores around the world at midnight before the game’s release on Tuesday. Analysts had estimated that more than 7 million units had been pre-ordered before the release.

“Grand Theft Auto V” is available on Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 consoles, owned by over 160 million gamers.

The video game industry, which has been struggling with flagging sales, is awaiting the November release of Microsoft Corp’s Xbox One and Sony Corp’s PlayStation 4, in the hope that new hardware will boost sales.

Take-Two has yet to announce a version of “Grand Theft Auto V” for those next-generation consoles. The arrival of the new technology could create a “friction point” for continued sales, Benchmark’s Hickey said.

“The focus should now be about the sustainability and whether the title has legs,” Arvind Bhatia, a Sterne Agee analyst, said. “Indications are it probably does, as critics and consumers love it, retailers are supporting it in a big way and the installed base of current-generation consoles is very large. But we’ll have to see in coming weeks.”

source: interaksyon.com

Sony faces challenge with new PlayStation

SAN FRANCISCO — When Sony pulls back the curtain on the next-generation PlayStation videogame console, the world will see how much the Japanese consumer electronics titan has been paying attention.

Sony could double-down on hardware to power even more realistic graphics and rich game play than the impressive specifications of PlayStation 3 consoles nearing the end of a life cycle started in 2006.

Or, Sony may step toward a vision outlined by chief executive Kazuo Hirai by introducing an improved console as part of an ecosystem that weaves the company’s film, music, games and electronics together with the trend toward getting home entertainment online.

“Sony needs a living room experience,” Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said while discussing expectations that a PlayStation 4 will be showcased at an event being hosted by Sony on February 20 in New York City.

“They need more software, not more hardware.”

The PlayStation 3 launched as an engineering triumph complete with Blu-ray high-definition disk player capabilities only to see rival Microsoft score with Xbox 360 consoles for gaming as well as online films, music and more.

“Sony can’t build a company on those few people who are hardcore gamers, so they have to figure out how to bridge to the all-purpose consumer who likes games, which is most of us,” McQuivey said.

“If they emphasize how this is really a television set-top box with your favorite channels and Netflix, it will mean Sony has paid attention.”

Sony has remained mum, but that hasn’t stopped talk of hardware upgrades such as improved graphics and controllers with touchpads, and chatter of Sony announcing its own cable-style service to route film or music content to PlayStation consoles.

Sony needs to adapt to changing lifestyles while not alienating videogame lovers devoted to its hardware.

Low-cost or free games on smartphones or tablet computers are increasing the pressure on videogame companies to deliver experiences worth players’ time and money.

New generation consoles are typically priced in the $400 to $500 range, and blockbuster game titles hit the market at $60 each.

“Sony is under a lot of pressure,” said National Alliance Capital Markets analyst Mike Hickey. “Gamers are desperate for innovation and better games.”

While Sony is tethered to “legacy” hardware, companies such as Apple and Google are driving innovation with tablets, smartphones, and ways to route Internet offerings to television sets, according to Hickey.

While ramping up content and services for PlayStation, Sony also needs to motivate people to upgrade from the current model.

“If Sony wants to win it, they need to show some killer games to get people to go out and spend a lot of money for the core game experience,” Hickey said.

He blamed a dearth of compelling titles as a reason for disappointing sales of Nintendo’s innovative Wii U consoles introduced late last year.

“The Wii U is a case study you can’t ignore,” Hickey said. “Sony at least has to nail it with the games; the core market can drive the mass market.”

Industry tracker NPD Group reported that just shy of $9 billion was spent in the United States last year on purchasing or renting video or computer games.

Another $5.92 billion was spent on game downloads, subscriptions, and play on mobile games or at social networks, according to NPD.

French videogame star Ubisoft reported that sales surged 23 percent overall in the final quarter of last year with hit installments of its “Assassin’s Creed” and “Far Cry” franchises while online revenue leapt 143 percent.

“People are gaming more now than they ever have,” McQuivey said. “More minutes on more devices over more types of games from consoles to mobile phones.”

“Console gaming is going to face challenge because you can pull out your tablet and have some pretty amazing gaming experiences for $1.99 or free with ads,” he added.

Forrester predicts that while US households will turn increasingly to accessing the Internet through videogame consoles and smart televisions, games on smartphones and tables will “negatively impact” the console market.

“Tablets are in every household and the computing power of tablets is going up every year,” Hickey said. “Eventually, the tablet could very well become the console.”

Analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities expected Sony to remain mum about pricing and specific release date while unveiling the PS4 later this month.

“The new console will clearly be more powerful,” Pachter said. “How they will use that power is unclear.”

source: interaksyon.com

Pioneering videogame firm Atari gets lifeline

PARIS — Atari, the pioneering video game company mired in bankruptcy proceedings in both France and the US, said on Tuesday it had found a last minute buyer after the latest leading shareholder gave up on turning the company around.

Atari SA “supports the proposed acquisition of the BlueBay Funds’ interests in the Atari group by a longtime videogame professional and a fund advised by Alden Global Capital,” the videogamer said in a statement.

Atari was born 40 years ago in California and jumped to fame by bringing the arcade game experience to living rooms worldwide with games such as Pong and Centipede.

The key buyer of the embattled company is Frenchman Frederic Chesnais, a former Atari executive, who is picking up 25 percent of the Atari SA’s capital through his own fund Ker Ventures for 400 euros with hedge fund Alden providing financing.

“I made this move because I love the team, I know about games, I love the brand and in the past we have all spent nights and days to make it shine,” said Chesnais who becomes Atari chief executive with the deal.

“I am just given a few weeks to put the Company back on track and I have to give it a try,” Chesnais said.

In the buyout which includes taking over debt, Alden and Ker Ventures agree to pump 5.0 million euros ($6.7 million) in Atari’s US activities where the company hopes to break through.

source: interaksyon.com

Video game to aid children to lose weight

A video game in development will encourage children to strengthen their action-hero characters by logging miles walked, U.S. researchers say.

Cynthia Carter Ching, J. Bruce German and Sara Schaefer, of University of California, Davis, and Marta Van Loan of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, teamed with Play4Change, a non-profit led by Ariel Hauter that develops serious games for social causes.

"Gamers project their identities into game play in various ways already, but we are particularly interested in what might happen if the avatar in a game is tied directly to the gamer's body and his or her actions outside the game," Ching said in a statement.

The game is scheduled to be in use by health educators in select Sacramento schools next spring for 11- to 14-year-old students for the initial development and testing.

The students will wear activity-monitor devices that measure such things as steps walked, floors climbed and calories burned. These data, along with diet logs and health and nutrition information they receive prior to play, inform the choices youth make and their rate of progress in their journey through the game, Ching said.

For example, a student who records more physical activity on a given day may find that their avatar is faster and stronger the next time they log in to the game and as a result, the student can see short-term positive rewards for their healthy actions -- such as not eating a dessert or walking after school -- long before they lose weight or change sizes, Ching said.

source: upi.com

Wii U Launch Day Resource Round-Up

A new era of video game consoles kicked off at midnight with the launch of the Nintendo’s dual-screen wielding platform, the Wii U. Whether you’ve already run to the store and picked one up, or still aren’t sure whether you see a new Nintendo console in your future, you probably have a lot of questions about it: “What exactly can this thing do?” “What games should I buy?” “Do I really need to download that day-one patch?”

First of all, the answers to those three answers are: ”Right now, it plays video games.” ”Generally, speaking stick to console exclusives like Super Mario Bros U. and ZombiiU.” Lastly; “Technically no, but without the patch you won’t be able to play online, buy games via Nintendo’s E-Shop, or play Wii games, among other things.” Those answers, however, barely scratch the surface of everything you should know about the platform, so we’ve compiled a list of resources so you can all of the answers you need.

1. A Nintendo history lesson, as a prologue to the Wii U (Wired)
2. What can Wii U do before you download that massive day-one patch? (Polygon)
3. A complete list of every Wii U game available today and in the near future (GamesRadar)
4. How To: Transfer your Wii game saves to your Wii U (IGN)
5. An inside look at the guts of the Wii U gamepad (Twitch.TV)
6. Nintendo’s terms of service for MiiVerse are hilarious (Kotaku)
7. Jeff Ryan, author of Nintendo’s corporate biography, picks apart the Wii U (Kill Screen)

Now that many of your questions have been answered, (we hope) it’s time to tackle the big question: Should you buy a Wii U? Reviews of the console have been a mixed bag. Positive or negative, every review so far comes with a serious caveat; that Nintendo’s inability to ship a fully-functional console isn’t indicative of a company that will make good on their promises of significantly improved third-party support and comprehensive online features. While Joystiq’s JC Fletcher liked what he saw, but concedes that the console “doesn’t feel exactly like the ‘next generation.’” One of the few scored reviews from a gaming site, Polygon gave the box a 6.5 out of 10.

Interestingly enough, hardware-centric tech sites like Gizmodo and TechCrunch have generally been a little more lenient than their gaming counterparts, though they’ve taken issue with their own set of problems. Both The Verge and Engadget, for example, are concerned with the quality of the gamepad’s construction.

For all the negativity, however, there was also plenty of optimism about the console’s core features. Apparently the act of “cutting the cord” and playing Wii U games solely on the portable gamepad screen works so well, that some reviewers may prefer playing games that way. Kotaku editor-in-chief Stephen Totilo, calling the console “a bold new player” is excited that Nintendo has finally made a machine that has the same features as the competition, while showing the potential to become something more.

In the end, the thing that will determine whether or not you buy a Wii U, at least this year, will be your love Nintendo and their games. As with the Wii, the best thing Nintendo has to offer right now is the promise of their own unique games. Though that may change as more features and new games become available, as of today the Wii U is a Nintendo product for Nintendo people.


source: geekosystem.com

Black Ops 2: Gamers claim they got early copies

Gamers have told Newsbeat they've managed to get copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 more than a week before its release.

The title is not due out until 13 November but on Friday three gamers showed Newsbeat copies of the game which they claimed were genuine.

They also said they knew a lot of people who already had it.

It's also been reported that it's become available to illegally download via torrent sites.

Gameplay videos have appeared on YouTube in recent weeks.

Cadz, 22, and Abdul, 25, said their physical copies of the game were genuine and claimed to have a receipt.


The pair said they got six copies from a friend and that "shops break release dates sometimes".

Newsbeat tried to contact Activision but they didn't want to comment on pirate copies or early releases.


Last month, Microsoft banned gamers caught with pirated versions of Halo 4 on the Xbox Live.

You've been commenting on this topic on Newsbeat's Facebook page. Here's a selection of your posts:

Ross Overton said: "Had Halo 4 about three weeks before it came out.

"These gaming companies should keep things more locked up then maybe people would not take advantage of getting it early and cheaper."

Sammy Tranter said: "I got a legit copy on Saturday from a PS3 retailer. Hooked on it already.

"Getting it early certainly does not mean getting it cheaper, as a few of you have speculated."

Joe Marshall said: "It's a joke, everyone should get it all on the same day, make the playing field even.

"I could have bought it early from a source but chose to wait as there was no point... I only play online too, which you can't do if you have it early."

source: bbc.co.uk