Corolla’s Timeless Style

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The Corolla has been a staple of America roadways for 45 years, and Toyota wants car owners to know that style never goes out of style. The different eras of Corolla are accompanied by period appropriate music, like Edwin Starr’s Twenty Five Miles, Chic’s Le Freak!, Herbie Hancock’s Rockit, Soundgarden’s Rusty Cage and Shy Kidx’s Orion.

 

‘GTA V’ Nabs $1 Billion In Launch Sales

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We previously reported how Grand Theft Auto V was breaking sales records in its first 24 hours with $800 million in units sold. This weekend, Take-Two Games reported yet another record for the game, as it has managed to break the $1 billion sales mark in just three days’ time.

“We believe this marks the fastest that any entertainment property, including video games and feature films, has reached this significant milestone,” stated the company.

The previous game to break the billion dollar mark was Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II, which sold that amount in 15 days.

“Grand Theft Auto is a cultural phenomenon and Rockstar Games continues to redefine what can be achieved in interactive entertainment,” said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two. “We are incredibly proud of the extraordinary critical and commercial response to Grand Theft Auto V.”

The game is available now for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A PC version is rumored to arrive later this year as well.

Source: GamesIndustry International

Sony Talks Game Streaming

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When Sony initially announced the PlayStation 4 earlier this year, it indicated that, while the system wouldn’t be backwards compatible with existing PlayStation 3 games physically, it would have a way to stream them through its acquired Gaikai service. Over the past week at the Tokyo Game Show, the company clarified this plan a bit, giving us an ideal of when to expect it.

During a roundtable discussion, Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida said that the service would launch sometime next year for the United States, with a few titles available at launch. Though specific titles weren’t mentioned (big hits like Uncharted 3 and The Last of Us are very likely), Yoshida said that the library would expand over time, and would not only allow users to play them on PlayStation 4, but also the PlayStation Vita and the recently announced PS Vita TV.

In an interview with Dengeki Online, Yoshida provided further info. “We previously spoke about PlayStation going from hardware to something closer to a service, regardless of the device,” said Yoshida, “Speaking of the ultimate goal, we would like to deliver PlayStation games to all devices. So we’re considering various things like PC, TVs, Blu-ray players, smartphones and tablets. We hope to continue to expand not only to Sony devices, but even to devices other than Sony’s.” Yoshida also noted that the possibility of this expansion is “still being studied.”

No other markets have been confirmed for the streaming services yet, but plans should be announced shortly.

Source: Polygon

Xbox Live Users Are Heavy Streamers

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Xbox Live doesn’t just provide access to some of the best games out there – it also gives access to various video viewing options, including Netflix, Hulu and ESPN. A lot of viewers, it seems, enjoy such options.

According to Microsoft’s Kevin Turner, 42 percent of Xbox Live subscribers watch a lot of video on their consoles and mobile devices. We’re talking 30 hours of video content each month, including movies and TV shows. This might explain why Microsoft has been pushing the non-game features on the Xbox One, including the ability to interact with live television.

In addition, Turner also revealed that 40 percent of the Xbox Live audience in general is female, taking advantage of the many apps available.

Xbox Live Gold, the subscription required to access most of these apps, should remain in place with the Xbox One, as the company has “no plans” to remove the pay wall. However, to the company’s credit, it is working on ways to offer more original content for the next-generation system when it launches on November 22.

Source: Shacknews

 

 

Christmas Is Coming For Old School Gamers

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When it was unveiled earlier this year, Hyperkin’s RetroN 5 console turned a few heads, not only because of the multiple classic game platforms it supported in one cohesive unit, but also because it would present them with high-definition options for the first time ever.

Following some popular showings earlier in the year, Hyperkin has finally announced a release date for the system — it will be hitting the market on December 10 for both Europe and the U.S., retailing for $99.99. The system allows players to use games from a number of formats, including Nintendo Entertainment System, Super NES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy and more.

“RetroN 5 will be the most amazing classic game console.” said Steven Mar, Hyperkin’s Executive Director. “We thank everyone who has been patient and supportive of Hyperkin during development.

The system will be available for pre-order through Amazon soon, and more information is available at Hyperkin.

Source: Engadget

 

PS4 Will Sell At A Loss

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Sony is putting forth a huge push for its PlayStation 4 console, which will launch in several markets this November. The company is expecting to sell the console at a slight loss when it hits stores, but expects to make the money back through its launch titles, both digitally and in physical retail form.

While speaking with Eurogamer, Sony Japan executive Masayasu Ito didn’t go into detail on the system cost, but did state that an “average” customer’s initial purchase of games would cover the gap, no matter which format they preferred. The loss per unit is expected to be around $60, which would be the cost of a full retail release such as the above pictured Killzone: Shadow Fall.

Considering that Microsoft is selling the Xbox One at break-even or perhaps a small profit, Sony certainly hopes that the games pay off when they start shipping the PS4. Of course, profits from continuing software purchases should be considerable, and if customers regularly purchase games and other media Sony will turn a nice profit in short order. Initial losses on the PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles when they first launched were much larger than $60. Market research firm iSuppli estimated that Sony was losing over $300 on each PS3 initially, and Microsoft was losing over $125 per Xbox 360 at launch.

The PlayStation 4 launches in the U.S. on November 15.

Source: GamesIndustry International

Pinning Down Monetization

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Pinterest has grown quite a bit over the last four years, to the point that the company is working on a plan for monetization – one that will involve ads.

CEO Ben Silberman stated on the Pinterest Blog that “we’re going to start experimenting with promoting certain pins,” mainly because “it’s so important that Pinterest is a service that will be here to stay.” This will not only show growth on the web, but also the web front.

These ads will come up in a certain way, however. They’re pre-set to come up during search results and categories feeds submitted by users. It’s a similar process to what Facebook and Twitter use as far as their search tools are concerned, not overloading the user with pop-up ads.

Regarding the push to mobile, a spokesman stated, “The world is going mobile and we’re excited about that trend. Traffic continues to grow, breaking records consistently month over month and week over week. Mobile usage became the majority of traffic last summer and continues to grow in absolute numbers and as a percentage of traffic, which may account for third party discrepancies in measurement.”

Source: TechCrunch

GamesBeat Conference Adds Speakers

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The editors of GamesBeat, a division of VentureBeat, have announced the “Battle Royal” as the theme of GamesBeat 2013, its fifth-annual conference on disruption and innovation in the video game market. The event,which attracts the gaming industry’s top 500 movers and shakers, will be held on October 29-30 at Hotel Sofitel in Redwood City.

“It’s a confusing time for gamemakers. Where should they take their games What platforms will provide the best gaming experiences Who will make them the most money ” said Dean Takahashi, Co-Organizer, GamesBeat 2013 and Lead Game Writer, GamesBeat, the gaming news division of VentureBeat.

Takahashi told the [a]list daily that two new speakers have been added to the lineup. Veteran Designer Will Wright will moderate a Q&A with Victor Kislyi, the CEO of Wargaming. Wright has become addicted to World of Tanks, explained Takahashi, so this should be an interesting session. Also added is Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley, who will sit down for a fireside chat with Takahashi.

“With this conference, we will create a forum that will enable various stakeholders to navigate an uncertain terrain,” Takahashi said. “You’ll meet executives and developers from the big game companies and the startups that matter. They’ll share their 360-degree perspectives on the business of gaming and give you a glimpse of what’s to come. We’ll also have invaluable insight from venture capitalists, investors, support firms, marketers, and more.”

Key participants in the event include Bing Gordon, partner at KPCB; Frank Gibeau, President of EA Labels; John Riccitiello, former EA CEO and private investor; Kevin Chou, co-founder & CEO of Kabam; Robin Hunicke, founder of Funomena; Tim Chang, partner at Mayfield Fund; Tony Bartel, president of GameStop; and Geoff Keighley, host of GTTV on Spike TV.

GamesBeat 2013 will be held at Hotel Sofitel in Redwood City, Oct. 29-30. The event information says “Whether you’re an executive, game publisher, investor, developer, retailer, or analyst, GamesBeat will help you make sense of market challenges, and like all VB events, you’ll benefit from plenty of high-level networking opportunities.”

For tickets and special early-bird pricing, along with the complete list of participants, go here.