Microsoft announces Surface, a Windows 8-powered tablet

Posted on June 19, 2012 by John Scalzo

Microsoft’s big announcement yesterday was the unveiling of Surface, a new line of tablets that will be powered by Windows 8 (and its mobile variant, Windows RT).

Currently, two models have been announced: Surface for Windows RT will feature an ARM processor designed with Microsoft’s new “Metro” interface in mind while Surface for Windows 8 Pro will ship with a full version of Windows 8. Each Surface tablet includes a 10.6″ screen and a 3mm magnetic touch cover that doubles as a keyboard.

The Surface for Windows RT tablet will be available this Fall, alongside the release of the Windows 8 operating system. The Surface for Windows 8 Pro tablet release will follow about 90 days later. Pricing wasn’t announced, however Microsoft did say the Surface tablets would be comparable in price to an Intel Ultrabook ($800-$1,500).

A complete list of Surface specs can be found after the break.

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in Mobile, News, PC |

Sega pushes Anarchy Reigns into 2013

Posted on June 18, 2012 by John Scalzo

It looks gamers in North America and Europe will have to wait a bit longer to play Anarchy Reigns. Sega has announced (via Twitter) that the release of the multiplayer brawler has been delayed. The Platinum Games-developed title will now be released in early 2013:

Sega still plans to release Anarchy Reigns in Japan on July 5 as scheduled.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Blizzard wants to remind us that StarCraft: Ghost is “on hold,” not “cancelled”

Posted on June 18, 2012 by John Scalzo

As Blizzard continues to toil away on an “unannounced” console version of Diablo III, it’s important to remember that the RPG isn’t the company’s first foray into console development.

Way back in 2002, Blizzard announced StarCraft: Ghost for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Ghost would have eschewed the birds-eye view of StarCraft for a more personal view of the battle as a psychic warrior named Nova. However, players would never get the chance to play this stealth action title as Blizzard put it on “indefinite hold” in 2006. In the years since, the company has always been quick to point out that the game hasn’t been cancelled.

Fast forward to today, and a Kotaku interview with StarCraft II Lead Designer Dustin Browder. When asked about Ghost, Browder confirmed that no one at Blizzard is talking about it, but he assures us that could change in the future:

“There are no plan. I’m not saying we won’t ever, but I’ll tell you what I do know: There are no meetings going on. There is no team. No one talks about doing it.

It doesn’t mean that in two years from now, we won’t have those meetings, the team won’t be formed, but there is literally nothing happening around that game right now that would indicate that there’s any likelihood that it will happen.”

So there you have it, StarCraft: Ghost is still comatose, but not dead. Thanks for the update, Blizzard!

Posted in News, Retro | Tagged , , ,

Daily Scoop: June 18, 2012 – Another Monday

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Here we are, yet another Monday. Do they ever stop coming? I would love to declare a ceasefire in my war against it, but it’s just so despicable most weeks. Can’t we ever just start the week on a Wednesday? It would be so much more pleasant!

Anyway, onto the deals! Amazon’s got a few up its sleeve today:

Also, if you buy Max Payne 3 right now, you get Max Payne Mobile and Max Payne 2 for free. Whew. That’s a lot of deals!

Just one gaming t-shirt for you today:

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 |

Weekly Warp-Up: Dad’s Day Edition

Posted on June 17, 2012 by John Scalzo

No, that’s not a typo. Welcome to the Weekly Warp-Up, your weekly wrap-up of the biggest and the best articles posted at Warp Zoned this week…

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! Did you get anything cool from Warp Zoned’s Summer 2012 Geek Gift Guide? I hope you did. Also, I want to give a special thanks to my dad. When I was a little kid, he probably bought that Atari 2600 that I thought was mine for himself. But I don’t think he had any idea that playing Pole Position with him would change my life so completely. I miss you.

Since the 2012 E3 Expo was held from June 5-7, this week has little in the way of big news. But there are a lot of rumors floating around. For exmaple, for the next 3DS Zelda game, legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto wants to create a Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask remake or a remake of/sequel to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (he isn’t sure which). I’d go with the second one.

Another rumored game I wouldn’t say no to is a Retro Studios-developed Star Fox title for the Wii U. The leaked images are likely fake, but we can dream can’t we?

Finally, an internal memo from Microsoft (that may or may not be real) has been leaked detailing the Xbox 720‘s 2013 release. If true, it’ll include a built-in DVR, native 3D support, a Blu-ray drive, and hardware-based backwards compatibility for all Xbox 360 games.

Hit the jump to view more of this post-E3 edition of the Weekly Warp-Up.

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in News |

Rumor: Internal Xbox 720 memo outs 2013 release, Kinect V2, AR glasses, cloud gaming

Posted on June 16, 2012 by John Scalzo

UPDATE: The memo has been removed from Scribd at the request of Microsoft’s lawyers. While this move certainly lends credence to the “It’ real!” theory, it also makes perfect sense for Microsoft to remove a fake as well.

A 56-page memo that is purported to be an internal memo detailing their plans for the next Xbox has surfaced on Scribd. The document is pretty consistent with previous reports about what the Xbox 720 will contain. There’s just one problem, the document continuously refers to the system as the “Xbox 720,” which Microsoft executives have gone out of their way to avoid using.

Does that mean its fake? Not necessarily. But here’s what it claims:

  • The Xbox 720 will launch in 2013 at $299. The system itself will be “six times” more powerful than the current Xbox 360 and include a Blu-ray drive, native 3D support, a built-in DVR, and hardware-based backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 games.
  • The system will also be bundled with a more advanced version of the Kinect sensor (Kinect V2).
  • The console will also feature tablet-enhanced gaming, which echoes their E3 announcement of Xbox SmartGlass.
  • “Fortaleza” augmented reality glasses will be available in 2014.
  • And Cloud-based gaming on “any screen” will be available in 2015.

As I said, it’s not necessarily fake. And the extensive focus on Kinect titles over all else is a pretty good indicator that it’s real. But it’s also old (2011 is considered the future throughout the memo) and who knows if it’s anything more than a bored intern’s busywork.

E3 2013 will be very interesting, that’s all we really know for sure.

Posted in News, Xbox One |

New Releases: Pokemon Conquest, Lego Batman 2, Brave, More

Posted on June 16, 2012 by John Scalzo

This week’s new releases are for the kids as Pokemon Conquest (that wild Pokemon/Nobunaga’s Ambition crossover on the DS), Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (3DS, DS, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360), and the game adaptation of Pixar’s Brave (DS, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360) will all be available in stores this Tuesday.

Also available this week is the Kinect-powered Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor and an all new Civ V expansion, Civilization V: Gods and Kings.

Hit the jump for a complete look at this week’s new releases.

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , ,

that(multiplatform)gamecompany… new funding leads to new opportunities

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Andrew Rainnie

The geniuses behind Flow, Flower, and, most recently, Journey have announced today that they have raised enough funding to allow them to develop and release their games independent of Sony Computer Entertainment America, with whom they have now concluded their three-game deal.

Jenova Chen, founder and CEO of thatgamecompany, confirmed that the new investment of $5.5 million comes from Benchmark Capital, specifically Mitch Lasky, who has been a long supporter of Chen.

Lasky spoke to VentureBeat about his new partnership: “Jenova has a chance to be the John Lasseter [head of Pixar] of the video games business. I feel privileged to be riding shotgun with him. The ambitions for thatgamecompany are very exciting to me… We are at a point in the video game industry that the industry is hollowed out. It is out of touch with the zeitgeist, creating sequels and formulaic games over and over again. The energy comes from the indies.”

Lasky has also helped find funding for Riot Games, makers of the free-to-play League of Legends, as well as Meteor Entertainment, which is making the free-to-play game Hawken, due for release later this year.

While there was no specific details about thatgamecompany’s next title, Chen did reveal that the game is in development, and that it will be a cross-platform affair: “We got so many emails from fans saying they wished they could play our games on other platforms. We make games for human beings, not just gamers. Young, old, men, women, and from all countries. We want to change the concept of what a game is and show society what a game can be.”

Posted in News, PS3 |