The Xbox One is ready to release in only under two weeks on November 22. As such, Microsoft is now starting its marketing machine to be sure everybody knows the following generation of Xbox is sort of here.

In the primary TV spot for Xbox One, Microsoft turns the trope of the gamer couple on its head. Usually, the fellow is seen playing some “core” game while the lady opts to play some “casual” game or watch “The Next Top Model.” Here is all done on the behest of a few marketing guy who still thinks that the sole folks that play “core” games are the 18-34 male demographic. Microsoft throws this cheap marketing tactic to the curb in favor of a lady who knows what she wants – killing zombies and a few beer.

Besides the above TV spot, Microsoft has also shared a brand new online ad that mimics its Surface unveiling videos featuring the hot game console on an elevated podium in a room filled with lights. The fact is, it seems like they shot the ad within the very same room, but who’re we to guage cost cutting measures inside the ad department.

[Image: xbox/YouTube]

Microsoft today announced that its upcoming Xbox One console could have SkyDrive capabilities when it launches on November 22. Customers may be capable of view photos and videos that they add to their SkyDrive using their Microsoft Account at the console.

The SkyDrive app at the Xbox One was specifically created by Microsoft’s SkyDrive team to exploit the console’s unique features.

The app will, for sure, benefit from the hot Kinect, that’s bundled in with every Xbox One. Users should be in a position to navigate SkyDrive at the console by flailing their arms around and using voice commands reminiscent of “Xbox – visit SkyDrive.” For larger photos the app may have the facility to zoom out and in , though it kind of feels users should use the Xbox One controller to try this.

Users can be ready to share their photos and videos using the Xbox One.

It was not made clear in Microsoft’s announcement whether Xbox One owners will be ready to add screenshots or videos taken of games to their Skydrive using the console.

With Microsoft positioning the Xbox One as an all-in-one lounge entertainment hub instead of only a online game console, it’s not surprising that a lot of Microsoft’s services will become at the Xbox One. As well as Skydrive, Skype was heavily integrated into the console, allowing Xbox One owners to reply Skype calls on-the-fly and snap the decision alongside other console tasks.

Journalists could be in Big apple this week for the launch of the PS4, but that’s not where Sony goes to carry the launch party for its newest console. Instead, our friends in California can be partying all night with Sony before the PS4 launches on November 15.

Sony announced today that it’ll be holding a launch event for the PS4 in San Francisco on November 14. Rather than holding it at among the company’s many Sony Stores, however, it is going to be holding it on the GameStop on 830 Market St.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a celebration without activities and food, and Sony has all that and more. For those attending the launch event, Sony will hook you up with PS4 demos & contests, food trucks, a variety of prizes and more.

Here’s everything which you could win on the event:

If you can’t make it out to the San Francisco event, Sony says that multiple stores might be open at nighttime for his or her own PS4 launch parties. Those retailers include Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart, Meijer and Sony’s own shops.

For those folks getting their consoles through Amazon, relish the truth that you can still get some sleep on November 14. Make sure that you awaken in time for the UPS/FedEx delivery.

The unboxing video has now become somewhat of a convention for brand new consoles. Before the recent hardware officially launches, a more robust up in the company will unbox the console and allow you to see what you’ll get day one with the hardware. These are frequently pretty banal affairs, but Sony decided to kick it up a notch.

In the official PS4 unboxing video, Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida unboxes the PS4 on a hard and fast that was ripped straight out of an 80s sci-fi film. Yoshida himself is veiled in darkness until the tip as viewers are treated to a mystery man complete with leather gloves handling each PS4 component as though he was handling gold bars from Ft. Knox.

As it’s an unboxing video, we’re also treated to all of the stuff you’ll get day one with the console. As previously noted, the box comes with a 500GB PS4, DualShock 4, HDMI cable, USB cable, mono headset and a PSN voucher worth $10.

Since it’s rather a lot fun to check, you could possibly investigate cross-check the official Xbox One unboxing video here and Wii U unboxing video here. Some may chide Sony for needlessly going all out with its unboxing video, however the Sony faithful are guaranteed to appreciate the additional effort the corporate is putting into its marketing.

After being unveiled in February, the PS4 finally launches this Friday on November 15.

Back when Valve first announced SteamOS, it said that users could be ready to either play PC games by itself Steam Machines hardware or stream games from another PC in the home to the tv. While Steam Machines won’t go on sale until next year, Valve is now letting interested users register for the Steam In-Home Streaming beta.

Valve recently unveiled the community for the Steam In-Home Streaming beta. You’re required to sign up for this Steam Group on the way to perform the In-Home Streaming beta as participants may be chosen at random from the crowd later this year.

While the Steam Group doesn’t divulge any details as how Steam’s In-Home Streaming works, screen caps of the beta client were uncovered by Polygon. It appears like a gorgeous standard set-up where users can stream gameplay from any connected devices on their local network. It also has a lot of settings to assist improve performance, from limiting bandwidth and framerate to disabling hardware acceleration.

As for the alternative Steam OS projects, Valve should be soon be shipping out 300 Steam Machines to those that won a raffle to check the company’s beta hardware. These machines could be powerful enough to play PC games on a television without the desire for streaming. They are able to, however, be used to stream content out of your main gaming PC. If truth be told, some Steam Machines would be marketed as cheap streaming boxes on your main PC.

You can be conversant in the above icon that pops up out of nowhere during game play in your Xbox 360; it always implies that the player has achieved some notable feat or challenge (i.e. points). The numbers and letter signify that 1000 game points has been achieved, which contribute to the user’s Gamerscore.

What that allows you to transcend that? What in case you wanted simply be rewarded for watching TV shows and ads? Don’t worry, Microsoft has you covered – and the more involved you’re with the media that your Xbox One provides, the more you may get out of it.

Major Nelson, the Director of Programming for the Microsoft gaming network Xbox Live, said in July that, “Other Xbox One applications comparable to video and music apps can now use Achievements to bring you awesome sneak peek content, early access, or subscription extensions.”

Not only that, but you are going to be known to your actions, as Xbox One gives you digital medals and badges to which a user can proudly display to their online buddies, or whoever they need to ask over.

The Xbox Wire Staff said on November 8th in a statement that, “Xbox One is empowering partners to bring media achievements and exclusive Snap experiences, in addition to many other things to entertainment apps, offering everybody the chance to realize badges or rewards for the media they consume as well as gaming.”

So how do you precisely earn these medals? Microsoft provided an example of earning the “n00b” Achievement for commencing the Machinima app for the primary time; you get the “addict” Achievement for launching it ten times in 30 days. If you’re tinkering with Amazon Instant Video, you’re able to earn the achievement that involves watching 10 titles before the top of 2013, or “watch[ing[ an Amazon Original pilot with the second one letter of the Greek alphabet”, sound fun already?

In an announcement given to Ars Technica, Microsoft noted that Achievements might be unlocked by customers because of “watching TV shows and films or rating content” on apps including “Netflix, Hulu Plus, Crackle, Amazon Instant Video, and Redbox Instant.”

These points shouldn’t be going towards an Xbox One user’s existing Achievements and Gamerscore, so hardcore players won’t ought to worry about couch potatoes racking up points that reflect upon a user’s gaming skills. “Don’t worry, watching a zillion hours of House of Cards won’t impact won’t impact your Gamerscore. We all know it really is sacred.” Said Microsoft.

Xbox One comes out November 22nd.

In a year from now, we’ll be approaching the 10th anniversary of worldwide of Warcraft. For such an event, you’ll expect Blizzard to maybe announce a brand new MMO, however the venerated game developer has decided to stay to its guns and release another expansion for its almost decade old game.

At BlizzCon 2013, Blizzard announced that the subsequent expansion to hit World of Warcraft can be called Warlords of Draenor. This latest expansion will introduce characters and locations from the 1st three Warcraft RTS games into the sector of Warcraft universe. The growth also will raise the extent cap to 100, and instantly raise one player character to level 90 a good way to immediately access the recent content.

“Warlords of Draenor gives players a raffle to take a commanding role in a single of the Warcraft series’ most necessary conflicts,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “This expansion also includes features that make it easy for anyone to leap right into the action, whether they’ve played WoW sooner or later up to now or are only setting foot in Azeroth for the 1st time.”

In classic Blizzard fashion, the debut trailer is pretty amazing.

Besides introducing characters from the older games into the MMO, this latest expansion also allows players to construct and upgrade garrisons. Blizzard says the garrison will act as “expandable, customizable stronghold that may function each player’s personal base of operations within the process the growth.” Players shall be ready to recruit NPCs à la Suikoden and feature them deal with the garrison while they’re out and about.

All in all, Blizzard looks to have another hit on its hand in order to ensure WoW stays alive for plenty more future years. Because the developer has reportedly delayed its next MMO until 2016, Blizzard could need to maintain WoW alive for no less than a couple of more years.

There’s no launch date for the newest WoW expansion, but you can most likely expect to peer it sometime next year.

[Image: World of Warcraft/YouTube]

Blizzard Entertainment, the most popular online game publishers on the earth, is holding its annual BlizzCon event this weekend. The publisher is understood for making big announcements on the events, and this year isn’t any exception.

Blizzard has finally taken the wraps off its new MOBA game, previously codenamed Blizzard All-Stars. The title is now Heroes of the Storm.

Heroes of the Storm is Blizzard’s tackle the DOTA-style MOBA genre, which began as a mod for Blizzard’s Warcraft III. Though Valve has taken up the DOTA brand and Riot Games’ League of Legends is the most well liked within the genre, Blizzard’s Heroes is, perhaps, the sole one of the recent MOBA games that stands an opportunity of developing a competitive audience.

The game will feature characters from Blizzard’s biggest franchises – Warcraft, Diablo, and Starcraft. Characters include World of Warcraft‘s Malfurion Stormrage, Starcraft‘s Sarah Kerrigan, and Diablo himself. The multiplayer maps can be taken from various locations in those game franchises.

Blizzard is already taking beta sign-ups for Heroes of the Storm on the game’s new website.

Blizzard today also released three video previews of Heroes of the Storm. The primary is a classic high-quality Blizzard cinematic trailer, featuring loads of action and animation that rivals Pixar:

The second video is a real gameplay trailer for Heroes of the Storm. Unsurprisingly, it looks a whole lot like DOTA:

The third is a behind-the-scenes check out Blizzard’s development of Heroes, detailing a number of the decisions they’ve made about how the sport will play:

Resolutiongate – that’s the term given to the present controversy regarding Call of Duty: Ghosts being rendered at 720p at the Xbox One and 1080p at the PS4. Although both versions look nearly identical, that is apparently an enormous deal to those that don’t have anything better to do with their time than simply yell at strangers on the web all day. Well, you better strap yourselves in because EA could have just started another comparisons race.

EA decided to share gameplay of Need for Speed: Rivals running on both the Xbox One and PS4 today. While we should always be excited to look the most recent Need for Speed title running at the Xbox One for the 1st time, it can inevitably become a petty argument over which version looks better. So let’s just get it over with, we could?

Here’s Need for Speed: Rivals seems like at the Xbox One:

Wow, that’s a gorgeous racing game. I’m sure those picking up at the game on November 22 for his or her latest Xbox One could be more than pleased with the title.

Now, let’s look at some new footage released today of the PS4 version:

Would you analyze that – they’re nearly identical.

Now i do know that a few of you’ll immediately begin to compare the videos side-by-side searching for anything that sets both apart. Due to the fact it truly is compressed flash video of a game normally rendered at 1080p on a big screen, you’re squandering precious time. Just wait until Digital Foundry comes out with their head-to-head comparisons before you begin covering the web together with your self-righteous corporate loyalty.

So please, just drop “resolutiongate.” It’s a dumb name anyway.

[Image: GamersPrey/YouTube]

Earlier this week, Microsoft unveiled the 1st episode of a live-action mini-series in line with the approaching Xbox One launch title Ryse: Son of Rome. Titled The autumn, the series depicts the video game’s protagonist, Marius Titus, in a kind of prologue so that it will lead as much as the events of the sport.

Today, the second one episode within the series has already hit the Machinima Youtube channel. The third and fourth parts of the four-part mini-series are set to be released next Tuesday, November 12.

The first episode itself served as just a little a prologue for The autumn. It depicted a massacre and the reveal of Titus, who would soon set out for revenge for the death of his family.

The second episode depicts Marius as a legionnaire inside the Roman army. He tells the legend of Damocles to an inexperienced soldier, for sure foreshadowing the tale of revenge it’s to come back inside the online game: