Category: Gamespot

The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset had a big presence at E3 this year, and Oculus VR recently announced its retail iteration and its controllers. Recently, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Oculus’ parent company Facebook, said that the Rift is only the beginning of VR tech. He claims that virtual reality will grow to be a huge part of everyday communication.

In a Q and A on Facebook, Zuckerberg took a question about his views of how the world will look in 10 years. In response, he stated that Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus VR came about because he is convinced that VR will change the way we talk and compute.

“We’re working on VR because I think it’s the next major computing and communication platform after phones,” he said. “In the future we’ll probably still carry phones in our pockets, but I think we’ll also have glasses on our faces that can help us out throughout the day and give us the ability to share our experiences with those we love in completely immersive and new ways that aren’t possible today.”

Additionally, Zuckerberg talked about his company’s research into artificial intelligence, mentioning how Facebook is focusing on language and image interpretation to make personalized internet experiences more possible and more effective.

Facebook bought Oculus VR for $2 billion back in March 2014. Oculus recently announced that the Rift will launch in the first quarter of 2016, and you can read all about Oculus’ pre-E3 announcements here.

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Outspoken critic of the video game industry, former California State Senator Leland Yee has pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering, the United States Department of Justice announced. Yee was arrested as part of a sting operation in March 2014 and initially pleaded not guilty the following month.

Now, things have changed.

As part of the guilty plea, Yee, 66, admitted his participation in two “criminal enterprises” related to his 2011 mayoral campaign and his Secretary of State campaign, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. You can see a summary of what Yee admitted to below.

• Accepted $10,000 in exchange for using his influence as a state senator to assist in the process of obtaining a grant from the California Department of Public Health
• Conspired to extort money from individuals by suggesting he would cast favorable votes for specific legislation only if the money were paid
• Accepted a $11,000 bribe in exchange for arranging a meeting with another state senator to discuss specific legislation
• Conspired with others to purchase weapons in the Philippines and import them illegally into the United States
• Provided more than $6,000 in cash to a campaign aid knowing the aid would launder the money by arranging to convert the cash into checks made payable to Yee’s Secretary of State campaign.

Yee was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2015. As part of his new plea agreement, Yee pleaded guilty to the racketeering charges mentioned above, while other charges–including conspiracy to traffic in firearms–have been dismissed, according to the release.

“Mr. Yee must now live with the consequences of betraying the trust that was placed in him when he became a public servant,” US attorney Melinda Haag said in a statement. “It is particularly disappointing and troubling when our elected officials violate their obligation to fairly represent their constituents. This office will continue to devote the resources necessary to ensure that our elected officials govern within the law.”

“Senator Yee’s admission of guilt today brings some measure of justice to the true victims of his crimes: the people of the state of California,” FBI special agent David Johnson added. “When a public official uses his office for personal gain and as a platform for illegal activity, he not only betrays the people who elected him to office, but undermines the core principles of our system of government.”

Yee is currently free pending a sentencing hearing. Sentencing will take place on October 21, 2015 in San Francisco. Yee faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Some of Yee’s other former associates have also pleaded guilty to racketeering charges and more. More information about the cases, including full court documents, are available here.

Yee is best known to gamers as the man who put forth the much-publicized violent game law that the United States Supreme Court struck down in 2011.

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The first of July’s free Xbox games through the Games With Gold promotion are now available on Xbox Live, including Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag for Xbox One and Plants vs. Zombies on Xbox 360. Of course, you’ll need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to pick up the free games.

If you’re at school or work, you can use the links below to queue up your downloads right now.

• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
• Plants vs. Zombies

As announced last week, Microsoft’s Games With Gold promotion will now include two new Xbox One games every month. This month’s other free Xbox One game is So Many Me.

You can see the full rundown of July’s Games With Gold titles for Xbox One and Xbox 360 below.

Considering the recently announced Xbox One backwards compatibility for Xbox 360 games, it’s a good idea to pick up the last-generation offerings this month. Even though these specific games aren’t playable yet on the Xbox One, Microsoft is planning to support more titles in the coming months.

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The long-awaited releases of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in china may not yield the kind of sales that both Microsoft and Sony had hoped for, according to one Asia business analyst group.

Sales monitor Niko Partners has published data that suggests the official sales of both systems in China would reach fewer than 550,000 units, combined, in 2015.

With an estimated population of 1.35 billion and a growing middle-class, China is considered to potentially be the world’s largest market for video games. In April, the electronics giant Apple revealed that iPhone sales in China had surpassed those in the US for the first time, offering further indications of a growing base of Chinese consumers with a disposable income.

However, the release of both consoles across the region has come with complications.

While Microsoft had previously spoken of its ambition to “earn millions of fans in China,” and while it was rumoured that the console sold some 100,000 units at launch, Microsoft has yet to publicise sales figures.

According to PC World, Microsoft has since dropped the price of the system from 3699 Yuan ($600) to 2999 Yuan in order to stimulate sales.

The PS4, meanwhile, was initially delayed just days before its expected release in January, though finally shipped in March.

Key games, such as Grand Theft Auto V and editions of Call of Duty, have yet to be released across the region, likely due to sensitive laws on mature content.

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Fans of Star Wars Battlefront have begun to share new details about DICE’s multiplayer shooter by peeking at the Alpha download file that is set to be deployed on Thursday.

Fresh information about the game–which re-enacts key battles from Star Wars Episodes IV, V, and VI–was first published on the forum NeoGAF. The website lists a range of weapons and vehicles that appears to be accessible to players under certain conditions.

Meanwhile, a rough video of gameplay has emerged on YouTube.

It is not clear how the data had leaked just hours before publisher Electronic Arts launches an alpha test of the game. The Battlefront Alpha is only available to a select few who registered their interest in late June.

From the files contained within the alpha download, weapons available in-game include the E11, A280, DH17, DL44, DLT19, DLT20a, EE3, Rocket Launcher, SE14c, and the T21. Some weapons may be locked to special characters, such as the EE3, which is likely tied to Boba Fett.

None of the data should be considered as a guarantee of the content that will appear in the final game, which ships on November 17.

Vehicles, meanwhile, include the T-65 X-wing, the Tie Fighter, Lambda Shuttle, Y-wing, Tie-Bomber, Corellian Corvette, Nebulon B Frigate, Imperial Star Destroyer, Mon Calamari Capital Ship Home One, AT-ST, AT-AT, Tie Interceptor, 74-Z Speeder Bike.

Among other notes taken from the alpha files, it appears that players will have a range of emote animations to select, such as an SOS signal, as well as a standard applause.

Storm Troopers, meanwhile, might be able to be customised and tweaked, though this has not been confirmed.

Meanwhile, the Tatooine map has both midday and dawn versions.

Star Wars Battlefront has been pitched by EA as its most important game release of 2015.

In a recent interview with GameSpot, DICE general manager Patrick Bach discussed the pressure of fan expectations placed on the studio.

“You want Battlefield to be as good as the films, which means that if we don’t do that, players will be very upset. They will be very clear about that fact,” he said.

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Sony has released a new PlayStation 4 system update, but don’t expect any new features or services.

PS4 System Update 2.55 is a mandatory update that should improve system software stability, according to its official description (via NeoGAF). Check out the one-line update notes below.

The most recent major PS4 patch, 2.5, was released at the end of March. It delivered a host of new features, including the Suspend/Resume mode, 60FPS remote play, verified accounts, and more.

What new features would you like to see come to PS4? Let us know in the comments below.

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