If you follow VentureBeat but don’t regularly check our GamesBeat site, here’s a list of the best video game stories we ran over the last seven days that you may have missed.
This week, Microsoft revises its plan on always-on Internet connections and used games for the Xbox One, PlayStation 3 firmware update 4.45 renders some consoles inoperative, and Valve may be considering a game-sharing system for Steam games.
You’ll also find reviews for Neverwinter as well as previews for Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, Destiny, Titanfall, and Call of Duty: Ghosts.
News
- The DeanBeat: My favorite games of E3 2013
- Xbox Live is down (update)
- Why Call of Duty veteran Robert Bowling abandoned free-to-play for his next game
- Zynga pushes for real-money casino gaming with buy of Spooky Cool Labs
- Sony: ‘We apologize’ for busted update that’s bricking PlayStation 3s
- Nintendo CEO takes blame for poor Wii U sales
- Valve may enable game sharing on Steam
- PlayStation 3 firmware 4.45 update reportedly bricking consoles (Updated)
- BioShock Infinite mastermind Ken Levine writing new ‘Logan’s Run’ screenplay
- Xbox One’s Project Spark may actually live up to its ‘be anything you want it to be’ billing
- Nintendo: No plans to change the price of Wii U
- The demo for Wolfenstein: The New Order was amazing — here’s why
World of Xbox
- Xbox One still ‘committed to the cloud,’ but it loses digital-game sharing
- Always listening: Microsoft doesn’t resent vociferous fans
- Microsoft abandons Xbox One used-game and DRM polices
Mobile news
- Elite Beat Agents studio releases Eden to Green on iOS and Android
- Disney’s Where’s My Mickey? combines physics puzzles with new cartoons
- 2K Games wants $20 for XCOM: Enemy Unknown on iOS
Tech
- I kinda hate my Ouya
- Nvidia’s Shield Android console drops to $299, coming June 27
- Nvidia’s bold plan to conquer new graphics territory: Licensing its chips
- EA Sports Ignite is the multisport star of game engines
- The best technology demos of E3
- Logitech iOS 7 iPhone gamepad photo leaked
Serious business
- Social publisher King’s potential IPO is probably not Zynga 2.0
- Good to be King: Candy Crush Saga developer plans IPO
- EA cuts a few more jobs as part of continuing realignment
- Candy Crush Saga pushes King past Zynga as top social developer
- May 2013 NPD: 3DS sells well on strength of Donkey Kong and Luigi
All this funding
Trailer hoedown
- Respawn drops some new Titanfall footage in behind-the-scenes video
- Latest trailer for The Bureau: XCOM Declassified reveals tactical mechanics
- Slick PlayStation 4 video shows off new interface, video sharing, and more
Previews
- Enjoy B-movie zombie bloodletting in Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z
- Hotline Miami 2 leads the pack of indie sequels you should watch for in 2013
- The world of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is dark and full of terrors (preview)
- Finding old-school charm in Xbox One’s new-school Killer Instinct (preview)
- Titanfall’s gameplay justifies the hype for the upcoming shooter (first impression)
- Call of Duty: Ghosts brings Splinter Cell-style stealth and a drone-like dog (first impression)
- Bungie needs to show more about what will make Destiny unique (first impression)
Reviews
Interviews
- Why Call of Duty veteran Robert Bowling abandoned free-to-play for his next game
- Final Fantasy Online director defends monthly subscriptions in the golden age of free-to-play (exclusive)
- Twitch blazing a path to livestreaming ubiquity with its updated SDK (interview)
- Nexon exec: the game war will be won in digital online markets, not consoles (interview)
- Ryse: Son of Rome captures the exciting and bloody parts of Roman history (interview)
Pieces of flair
- The state of Mario: How Nintendo attempts to make its beloved mascot relevant in 2013
- Our favorite swag from E3 3013
- E3 2013: The year of the open world
- The real (and imaginary) vehicles of E3 2013 (gallery)
- 9 confusing photos from E3 2013 (gallery)
- GamesBeat’s E3 2013 Game of the Show … plus staff picks
- 5 must-play indie games from E3 2013
- Retro at E3: The Video Game History Museum (gallery)