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.
The PlayStation 4 is here! We have an almost ridiculous amount of content covering Sony’s latest console this week, and glimpses of the big launch party Thursday night. You’ll also find reviews for Contrast, Killzone: Shadow Fall, Resogun, and Knack as well as a teardown of the PS4 hardware revealing how much like a PC it really is.
In non-PS4 news, Nintendo will finally allow gamers to share their eShop balances between the Wii U and 3Ds, Nintendo also sold over 452,000 3DS handhelds in October, and the poor little Android-based GameStick is launching alongside the PlayStation 4 after missing its original release date on Nov. 8.
The PlayStation 4 cometh:
- The DeanBeat: The console wars start with small gestures
- PlayStation 4 teardown: Yup, it’s pretty much a PC (and very easy to repair)
- The scenery of the PlayStation 4 launch (photo gallery)
- Sony’s marketing chief on the PS 4 launch (video interview)
- Sony launches PlayStation 4, fans go nuts
- Watch the PlayStation 4′s New York City launch party live on Twitch
- Jonathan Blow didn’t mean to make The Witness one of PS4′s biggest games — but it might be
- Why indie devs find it’s ‘quite painless’ to bring games to the PlayStation 4
- Sony celebrates PlayStation 4′s midnight launch with trailer ‘for the players’
- How next-gen games are using the PlayStation 4 controller in clever new ways
- Survey says more people want a PS4 than Xbox One — and barely anyone wants a Wii U
- PlayStation 4 can only share recorded videos to Facebook at launch
- Here’s what you aren’t allowed to record with PlayStation 4′s built-in DVR
- PlayStation 4′s quick app switching is limited compared to Xbox One
- Sony beefed up Video and Music Unlimited so that you’ll use them instead of Amazon, Vudu
- New Injustice game shows what tech improvements we can get from PS3 to PS4
- What’s inside Sony’s PlayStation 4: Upgradeable hard drive, 8GB fast memory, internal power
- Why War Thunder works for PS4 — and not Xbox One
- How PlayStation 4′s play-as-you-download feature works
- Why the PlayStation 4 is slanted
- PS4 vs. the world: How Sony’s new console fits into the modern gaming market (interview)
Above: Dawn’s shadow jumping ability makes clever use of lighting, but the mechanic can cause a lot of bugs.
News:
- The DeanBeat: The next-generation console war starts out with small gestures
- Nintendo’s Miyamoto: Super Mario 3D World ‘doesn’t mean we’ll never make another’ Mario Galaxy
- Betfair secures waiver to launch real-money online gambling platform in New Jersey
- You can finally share one balance for the Wii U and 3DS digital stores
- Playnomics’ newest marketing tool predicts the lifetime of new customers and players
- Ninja Metrics aims to unlock the value of social gamers through predictive analytics
- Open-world games like Far Cry 3 and Assassin’s Creed boost Ubisoft’s profits by 5%
- Check out the cool little things that next-gen can do for zombie game Dying Light
- We’re finally getting that open-world The Lord of the Rings game we’ve dreamed about
- Next Nintendo Direct focuses on upcoming 3DS games
- Kabam will bring China’s biggest web game to the West, with a little retooling
- Disney Interactive exec leaves on the heels of Infinity’s financial success
Mobile news:
- No longer a clone house, Developer TinyCo raises $20M for free-to-play mobile games (updated)
- PlayStation App available now for iOS and Android
- Mobile game publisher Gamevil sees massive 108% boost in overseas sales
- Mobile publisher Gamevil finds new partners all across the world
- MyVegas Slots is the top free casino game on iTunes
- Indie hit FTL: Faster Than Light warping to iPad
Ruh-roh:
- Lego Marvel Super Heroes won’t make the Xbox One launch
- Lucky gamer gets Xbox One two weeks early; reveals new details
- Android-based GameStick moves its launch to Nov. 15 — the same day as the PlayStation 4′s debut
Tech:
- Xbox One can boot up in less than 15 seconds (video)
- Exclusive shots of Hauppauge’s new, portable HD gameplay recorder for Xbox One, PS4, & more
All this funding:
Earnings:
- Nintendo sells 452K 3DS consoles in October thanks to the 2DS (and Pokémon)
- October 2013 NPD: Pokémon powers 3DS to sixth straight month at top
Above: Knack and his crew aren’t the deepest characters, but they’re likeable enough to carry the action.
Reviews:
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds sits comfortably on A Link to the Past’s high pedestal (review)
- Contrast’s technical bugs and barren world keep this noir puzzle-platformer in the dark (review)
- PS4 platformer Knack is a fun adventure that fails to think big (review)
- Resogun: Next-gen graphics push a pretty shoot-em-up that quickly runs out of bullets (review)
- Killzone: Shadow Fall is a gorgeous, average soldier in the PS4′s launch unit (review)
- BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea’s Rapture is worth seeing, but Episode One is disappointing (review)
Pieces of flair:
- Good riddance: Here are the things we won’t miss about the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3
- How the Finns built their gaming startup hub in Helsinki
- Grand Theft Auto V’s homes would cost a combined $26 million in the real world
- Great tabletop games for video gamers: Memoir ’44
- Didn’t go to BlizzCon 2013? Here’s what you missed (gallery)
- 12 great current-gen games you didn’t play, handpicked by industry pros