Double RP, special weapons, and bonus GTA dollars up for grabs.
It may be late November, but that isn't stopping Rockstar from inviting us to a big old beach party on Vespucci this weekend. You'll have to bring your own keg, but Rockstar are bringing a limited run of vanity license plates for you to win, along with the chance to rack up double RP, obtain special weapons, win real life prizes and score some extra in-game cash. Oh, and the usually secretive studio will be livestreaming the whole thing from their end too.
Watch out, it's a 4MB GIF - gunplay, telekinetic powers and melee.
New footage of Quantum Break, Remedy's mystery Xbox One exclusive, has surfaced care of the Xbox One launch proceedings (and the gentlefolk of NeoGAF). The GIF below may take a while to load, and obviously doesn't represent the game's visuals at their best and brightest, but is surprisingly revealing.
"This is really just one day in the calendar and then tomorrow it is back to work.".
Have you got one yet? Can I stop calling it a "next gen" console now? At what point do we start talking about the next next gen? And if you haven't got an Xbox One yet, will you be able to buy one at Christmas? Here's European Microsoft Studios head Phil Harrison with answers to precisely one of those questions, for (as a certain Mr Lambert would say) there can be only one.
A new game is coming (apparently).
Happy Xbox One day guys. Did you wait out in the cold last night, or are you awaiting the delivery of your new console right now? It may only be half nine, but I can already tell it's going to be a good day. Know how I know? Only good days start with the news that Telltale Games, the developer behind The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us, may be working on a Game of Thrones adaptation.
The loudest, angriest, screamiest, mostiest launch trailer you'll see.
Killer Instinct's launch trailer wants a word in your ear about forthcoming character reveals. You might want to stuff your ear with toffee before hitting play, however, because good grief does this game love to scream. Besides footage of the free-to-play game's six launch characters - Sabrewulf, Thunder, Sadira, Orchid, Jago and Glacius - strutting their stuff, the trailer contains release windows for the upcoming Spinal and sinister-looking Fulgore.
Budget-friendly digital future not manifest at launch.
The gentlefolk of Eurogamer have done the world a solid by posting a list of Xbox One digital game prices (incomplete, but reasonably comprehensive). In the process, they have revealed that Angry Birds: Star Wars - a game that presently costs 69p on iOS - is worth #163;35.19 when you buy it for a next generation console. There's a word for that kind of thing. Several words, actually, and they are: not on your life, sunshine.
"Really on a month by month basis, you're going to have something you can go out and play.".
Already weary of Xbox One's launch line-up, and wondering about what the future will bring? Good grief, hold your horses. You don't even have the console itself yet. Learn to kick back and smell the roses. Oh go on, if you must - here are a few words of reassurance from Microsoft Studios head Phil Spencer, who suggests that there won't be a "dry" period following the initial glut of Xbox One titles.
#163;15.99 gets you 25,000 Gold.
The early bird catches the worm - where "bird" equals "digital content strategy" and "worm" equals "release day purchasing frenzy". Ryse: Son of Rome already has DLC in the form of the Praetorian and Damocles Gladiator skins, which cost #163;3.19 each and weigh in at 7.51 MB. Tempted?
"Maybe VGX would be a good place for that," says Spencer.
If you're hoping for a last-minute shock announcement to tip you over the edge of an Xbox One purchase, I bring disappointing news. There will be no eleventh hour game reveals before the console's global launch tomorrow, according to Microsoft Studios boss Phil Spencer, though Microsoft does have "some things to say" at the Spike VGX awards on 7th December.
"I know people are disappointed, but we will have it".
A few Xbox One reviews that hit the internet yesterday mentioned that the console's digital optical output only allows headset sound in stereo, and this has made quite a few people understandably upset, as it means that expensive headsets would not be performing to their full potential.
No pre-order? No problem.
So then. Amazon.com are offering new Xbox One pre-orders today and over 100 Tesco Extra stores will be selling consoles on a first come first served basis from tomorrow night. But what of the specialist stores? Can we expect any stock for the Day One Edition to be set aside for sale tomorrow night? GAME says yes.
Consoles will be offered on a first come first served basis.
Alright you guys, it's time to put your money where your mouth is. If, like me, you weren't fast enough in putting in an Xbox One pre-order, Tesco is throwing you a lifeline. From midnight tomorrow, over 100 select Tesco Extra stores will be selling consoles on a first come, first served basis. Better bring a thermos.
"It's so hard to keep a secret these days!".
A few days ago, a listing was spotted on Amazon's Italian site that seemed to indicate the existence of a next gen version of this year's Tomb Raider reboot, named "Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition."
If you're in the US, this is your last chance to secure a Day One Edition.
Lucky you, potential-early-Xbox-One-adopter-who-lives-in-the-US-but-hasn't-yet-secured-their-pre-order. Today is your day. Amazon.com has just announced that new stock of Xbox One Day One Editions is about to go live on their site. Might want to bookmark that now.
"That's a process that's been done through the industry for many years".
Yes, yes. We're all a little bit bummed that we have to hold out another couple of months for Titanfall, but hey, some things are just worth waiting for - and a console exclusive is certainly one of them.
You'll be able to view Twitch streams, but not create them for the moment.
The Twitch app on Xbox One won't actually support live streaming at launch, according to an official blog post, though you'll still be able to watch streams - and earn Twitch Achievements - from day one. Gamerscore for vegging out in front of Salty Bet? Now I've seen everything. Well, except for a flying panda bear.
Videos can be shared "without any restrictions or limitations".
Microsoft has released a new video walkthrough for Upload Studio on Xbox One, revealing that users will be able to store their clips on the free SkyDrive service, in addition to sharing them over Xbox Live itself. According to Major Nelson, "once these clips are in the cloud, you can share them however you like, without any restrictions or limitations".
"We will have to consider the open world much more like a platform that we could sustain for years.".
Ubisoft will go over "the edge" with Assassin's Creed 5 for next generation consoles - that's to say, the next game in the series won't just be a cosmetic update that crams additional textures, lighting effects and the like into what's fundamentally the same experience as on Xbox 360.
GTA 5 1.06 update weighs in at 64 MB.
Rockstar has released the free GTA Online Beach Bum pack on Xbox Live. You can download it here, providing you've got 33.12 MB to spare.
Exact sums "should approximately reflect the amount spent on those items.".
Thought the release of the GTA Online Stimulus package marked the end of Rockstar's technical difficulties? Think twice. A number of players have apparently been hit by progress loss following the GTA 5 update in question, obliging the developer to get its virtual wallet out once again.
