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Electronic Arts, like Sony and Microsoft, seem perfectly content to ride out the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for as long as possible, downplaying the need for a next generation of consoles any time soon. "Why would you even need one?," wonders EA's Frank Gibeau. More »
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Nintendo's successor to the wildly successful Wii looks like it's going to be officially revealed at E3 2011—if not sooner—based on numerous reports that the company's next generation console is real, really powerful and already in the hands of video game developers. More »
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Fresh off the surreptitiously filmed, embargo-breaking train, it's the video footage of the engine that we previously showed you only in stills. This is the engine Epic describes as beyond what modern consoles can do. It's just one of many signs that a new crop of consoles are coming 'round the bend. [VentureBeat] More »
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Epic Games isn't just showing off the latest improvements to the Unreal Engine 3 at GDC 2011. They're showing us what the next-generation of games should look like. Do the images hold up to the hype? More »
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THQ isn't ready for a new generation of consoles. Are gamers? That's the question commenter Jamaicanmecrazy ponders in today's installment of Speak-Up on Kotaku. More »
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Apparently I jumped the gun a bit last February when I announced that SouthPeak Games was brining Gaijin Entertainment's Oniblade to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC as X-Blades in late 2008. Turns out what the company really said was that they were brining it to the PC and next generation consoles, without mentioning any specifics, and I had just assumed they meant the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Now the company has sent out an official press release, clarifying exactly what they meant by next generation consoles. More »
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You may be familiar with top-shelf industry news site Next-Gen. They're the online reincarnation of a long-dead US magazine, which was basically the American version of respected British mag Edge. Being so close and all (both are run by Future publishing), for the past few months, Next-Gen have begun hosting Edge magazine's content, giving the magazine a decent online presence for the first time in its existence. A presence that's about to get a lot more prominent. Next-Gen will, come Monday, be rebranding their website, which will now be known as Edge. Just like the magazine. This is being done in an attempt to "emulate the respect and credibility of the print magazine online". Odd move, seeing as Next-Gen were already respected and credible, but so long as it doesn't affect either the magazine or the current site, everything should turn out just fine. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5023705&view=rss&microfeed=true Over at GigaOM, Wagner James Au argues that the mammoth launch success of Grand Theft Auto IV is "the beginning of the end" for the next-gen. If a launch that universally successful can't budge hardware sales - and GTA IV really didn't - then "drastic changes" may be to come, says Au:

Expect to see games made for lower budgets, targeted at wider audiences (ones that aren’t fixated on high-end 3D graphics) and delivered over broadband with a micropayment program in place. Don’t expect a follow-up to the 360 or PS3 anytime soon, either. In other words, the days when so-called “next-gen” gaming reigned supreme are coming to end — instead, the industry’s future will be shaped by games like Rock Band. More »
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This is pretty damn cool. More »
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A sharp-eyed reader points out that Blizzard added three new positions on their job openings page yesterday for a "next-gen MMO." More »
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I may be pretty satisfied with my DS, as is the entire nation of Japan, but Next-Gen calls the dual-screened handheld "half-done" and has a list of changes for the next version. Half-done? Maybe a little... extreme, but since author Eric-Jon R ssel Waugh labels Pictochat "the best IM program on the planet" it's clear he's not afraid of hyperbole. More »
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Next-Gen went to great lengths to provide perspective—via handy pie and bar graphs—on the top 100 selling games from last year. Editor Colin Campbell breaks down the sample set of one hundred best sellers by genre, publisher, release date, review scores and platform exclusivity providing an easy-to-read look at the sales landscape from a number of different angles. More »
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If you've been paying attention, you may have noticed that I love myself some VG Cats. I think Scott Ramsoomair either echoes my feelings on certain issues completely, or his work secretes some sort of pheromone that makes me agree with him. Take this week's comic on creating next-generation graphics for instance (click to see the full comic). More »
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Sega today announced that they have landed the Aliens franchise and are well on their way to bringing several next-gen games to market, including a first-person shooter and role-playing game. The first game is scheduled to hit in 2009. More »
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We outsiders will Nintard, Xbot, and Sony Defense Force each other to death, but what do people in the industry think of this year's newest consoles? With which next-gen system are they aligning themselves? Industry pub Gamasutra took the time to ask video game professionals across the industry what they'll be buying this holiday season. More »
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Screenshots, who needs 'em? Certainly not the developers of games like Marvel Ultimate Alliance or Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom. Both games got an intense grilling by message board graphics snobs when first screenshots were revealed. But seeing stills doesn't obviously tell the whole story. More »
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Sure, the Kotaku crowd knows that Sony dropped a $500-$600 bomb on us at E3 2006. And we're all kind of coming to terms with it. I've got the cash earmarked for a PS3 and I'm ready to spend. More »
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One of our friendly neighborhood Best Buy moles e-mailed us with some handy launch day info. If you're one of the unlucky millions to not have a Wii or PlayStation 3 already reserved, instead braving the line in a tent, sleeping bag, or on a warm metal grate, here's some more info that might make your camping a little easier. More »
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You know what's boring? Finance! But combine the ennui of finance with the FUN of gaming and you are presented with a magical recipe: slightly less boring finance! More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=210867&view=rss&microfeed=true I still remember Bill Gates stultifying speech at E3 earlier this year. The man is super smart, but that is weighed down by being super boring. The only thing that really woke me up during his speech was when he said the Xbox 360 was going to have a "10 million headstart" in the next-gen race. More »
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The PLAYSTATION 3 will conquer all, says Famitsu Editor-in-Chief and Enterbrain president Hirokazu Hamamura. For latecomers, Famitsu is Japan's most popular game mag, and the EIC is somewhat a celeb among game nerds like you and me. (Though, everytime I see Hamamura, he's usually standing around alone, looking lost.) In a recent seminar, he picked Sony's new console as the eventual console war winner. He contends: More »
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Just got back from my local EB Games. They sold out of their ten Playstation 3 pre-orders in ten minutes flat. The store took two for employees, though I only saw one guy in the store, and left the eight for the remaining nine people line-waiting. I was number eight, but gave up my spot to the guy behind me because I'm still planning on line-sitting at Best Buy or such. More »
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Remember how excited we were about "next gen" last year? We were blithering about this and that counting down the days until the next generation was inaugurated. Now, now we are jaded bastards. Not as jaded as game blog Unfettered Blather, who lists its Top Ten annoying things about next gen. Here's one that caught our eye: More »
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One of our eagle eyed Kotaku readers spotted one of the first PlayStation 3 billboards standing proudly erect in the great city of Los Angeles, not far from junk food institution Pink's Hot Dogs. While he didn't have kind words for it, I actually kind of like it. It's not as striking as the Play Beyond imagery that Sony had installed at the L.A. County Convention Center during E3, but it's not an eyesore either. At least they aren't using that garish Spider-Man typeface for everything. More »
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The full trailer of Rockstar's new next generation franchise is now up. The lighting looks spot on for this kind of noir title, though the music is curiously lifeless. Given how much amazing jazz is available from the period, available for practically free, I have hopes that this title is going to take a Grand Theft Auto style approach to licensing jazz and big band numbers from the 30's and 40's. Some Louis, some Duke, some John Kirby, some Jimmie Lunceford, some Peggy Lee, some Glenn Miller, some Django and Basie: now that would be an in-game radio playlist that would get this little jazz fan's wallet dry-heaving in anticipation of imminent regurgitation. More »
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Cash-for-game-reviews sham Famitsu asked Japanese retailers (we assume places like Sofmap, Yodobashi Camera, Laox, etc.) how they thought the next generation of consoles would fare this holiday season. They asked about the ones that matter anyway—PlayStation 3 and Wii. Sure, they threw Microsoft a pity mention, but we can only assume that Takashi Sensui slipped 'em a 5000 yen note to get it. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=204395&view=rss&microfeed=true An interactive crime thriller, murder mystery set in the 40s is Rockstar's next big game, the developer announced minutes ago. More »
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While Sony is being their typically tight-lipped selves as we near the big day for their Tokyo Game Show press conference (I hear there's going to be at least one bombshell dropped), the Japanese site for the PS3 has been updated with a list labeled the "Playstation 3 Title Lineup Tokyo Game Show 2006." Each game listed also has a mini-page with some screenshots and a description I can't read. More »
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According to a Lazard Capital Markets analyst Electronic Arts is hard at work on a new skateboarding game that will compete with Activision's Tony Hawk franchise. More »
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Expect to hear some kinda interesting news about a very interesting upcoming console at 12:01 a.m. EST Friday. The embargoed news was sent out to a bunch of newspapers and websites with the understanding that no one would print the information until first thing in the morning. More »
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Chris Williams, LucasArt honcho and project lead for the new Indiana Jones game that excites me so much (seriously), is on the docket for this year's GDC. More »
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Go Nintendo links to an interview in which Mercury News reporter Dean Takahashi talks about the Wii's chances at success. He says: More »
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Little known fact about me, I spent a big chunk of high school and college fencing. I wasn't great, but I was good enough to go to the Junior Olympics in two weapons and qualify for Nationals in all three. I also taught introductory lessons at Johns Hopkins. More »
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Despite the Xbox 360's "solid, but not spectacular" (read: crap!) sales figures in Japan, the console is selling through healthy numbers in the North American territory. Even better news for Microsoft? Initial shipments for Capcom's Dead Rising, a new IP for a Japanese company certainly not new to zombies, are targeted at 450,000 copies, with total shipments estimated at 800,000. That's good news for both companies. More »
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Sony Computer Entertainment America exec Kaz Hirai sat down with the kids at Gamespot this week to discuss the company's product line. After discussing Sony's take on the Yankee Group report that put Sony on top of MS and Nintendo in the forthcoming console war, Kaz let loose some details on the PS3 and PSP, as well as topics like UMD's and E3. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=195351&view=rss&microfeed=true Documentary In the Game is about halfway toward completion, according to William Young over at GoldenKnight Productions. More »
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Peter Molyneux will be talking about Lionhead Studios' research into next-gen fighting games at Liepzig next week. The description of the talk sounds very interesting: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=194964&view=rss&microfeed=true Is it just me or does it seem that most of the games hitting the original Xbox these day are sorta crap. Maybe I've forgotten a title, but I can't think of any for the old-gen system that I am looking forward to. And that's with 20 games or something ridiculous coming out for the system. On the other hand look at what the GameCube and PS2 have to offer. If nothing else Nintendo's got the next Legend of Zelda and the PS2 has Bully and God of War 2, both with potential to be the best games for the system. More »
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Opinionated and very bald Atari CEO Bruno Bonnell chewed the fat with game site Games Industry, talking next-gen. Bonnell revealed that the company won't have any games on the PlayStation 3 this year. That's understandable, seeing as how the shortages probably won't let up until next Spring or later. What does Bonnell think about the PS3? More »
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If you're riding steerage on the cruise to next-gen gaming, part of the "One Console Future" crowd, and your primary console is going to be the Nintendo Wii, you won't be joining the rest of us at Free Radical's ritzy Haze party. The Timesplitters and Second Sight dev says they're just going to require a little more horsepower under the hood for their next-gen FPS. More »
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