DayZ Alpha Released

The long-in-development standalone version of zombie sim DayZ is now out in the open. Creator Dean Hall just released an early version of the game on Steam’s Early Access program, and it’s availableon his website, too, although right now that’s getting hammered. This is the first official release of DayZ in non-mod form. Originally designed…

‘Reading Books Could Lead To Life-Threatening Blood Clots’

Some days, as I’m combing through the Internet and catching up on news, something interesting gets my attention. An article about video games. A catchy headline. “PLAYING VIDEO GAMES COULD LEAD TO LIFE-THREATENING BLOOD CLOTS.” Holy shit. Is this real? I open up the New York Daily News link to check. Nope—it’s just one of…

Audio-Technica ATH-M50S, Razer BlackWidow, G500s, 3DS XL [Deals]

It’s been a long time since the lead deal on Kotaku was a pair of headphones, but we can’t overstate our love for them, as evidenced by how many people in our office, including myself, are wearing them right now. We also can’t overstate what a great dealthey are for 97 bucks. [Amazon] Target has…

Golden Xbox One Will Cost You Just $9778.80

Have you ever thought to yourself, “Boy, I love video game consoles—I just wish they were more expensive, ostentatious, and tacky”? Today is the day for you, lucky shopper. British dream factory Harrods is selling this 24-carat-gold-plated Xbox One for just £6,000, or $9778.80, or the price of approximately 19 normal (peasant) Xbox Ones, but…

Assassin’s Creed IV’s DLC Offers a Very Different Kind of Rebellion

All those islands in the Caribbean that are plush vacation spots now? They used to be colonies, outposts for imperial powers that were replete with inhumane slave labor. Some of these places exploded—sometimes into self-rule—with violent uprisings and rebellions. The new add-on—out tomorrow—for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag puts you in the middle of one…

“Kill trading” in Battlefield 4’s PC version is among the glitches fixed in the latest patch DICE rolled out earlier today. A sound-loop bug that had been bothering a lot of people also should be cleared up, too. Many more details are here.

Just Cause 2‘s PC Multiplayer Mod Launches All Kinds of Mayhem Today

If you thought those mass BASE jumps in Battlefield 4 were cool, hum a few bars of the Just Cause 2 multiplayer mod for PC, which just came out of beta and goes live on Steam today. Group parachuting joins boat races, jet combat and demolition derbies among the activities awaiting you in the tropical…

The Steam Machine: Unboxed and Taken Apart

Valve recently sent 300 lucky gamers some prototype Steam Machines, and people are already getting to uploading pictures and video unboxings of the things online. And we’re not just talking taking it out of the wooden framing it came in. We’re talking unscrewing things and unplugging things inside the hybrid PC/console’s insides. If you missed…

Here’s what’s going on Talk Amongst Yourselves, our reader-written blog: GiantBoyDetective needs help assembling the lists of each platform’s exclusives for TAY’s Speaky Awards. NotGoodForYou compares Starbound and Terraria, because you kind of have to. And, because he wants to see the Pokémon in the next Smash Bros, Stormborn draws Mewtwo in typically great fashion.…

Here’s our first look at the colorful plastic world of LEGO The Hobbit. Announced officially late last month, the 2014 TT Games developed adventure will span the first two movie in the trilogy, paving the way for the inevitable complete version once the third film is out, followed by a bundle of both it and…

Minecraft Comes To The PlayStation 3 Tomorrow

According to a post on the PlayStation Blog, Mojang’s block-building sensation will be available for PlayStation 3 starting tomorrow, December 17. Minecraft: PlayStation Edition will include all the features present in other console editions of the game, barring platform-exclusive content packs. Mojang’s Owen Hill said downloadable texture packs and skins will be available soon after…

Final Fantasy X And X-2 HD Won’t Be Sold Separately On Vita

If you were thinking you could just purchase Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster on Vita and forego the game that opens with a stunning musical number, think again. In a post on the PlayStation Blog today which also detailed the PlayStation 3 Collector’s Edition, Square Enix confirmed the Vita version of the remakes are separate…

Battlefield 4 Hurts China’s Feelings

Electronic Arts’ Battlefield 4 has been out for some time now, but now it seems China’s got a problem with its portrayal in the game. An opinion piece in China’s patriotic military newspaper, Zhongguo Guofangbao, says that games such as BF4 portray China in a bad light and purposely mislead Chinese youth. Now, here at…

According to Masahiro Sakurai, the rumor that Smash Bros. for the Wii U/3DS is launching in Spring 2014 is not true. Sakurai did confirm that the game would hit sometime in 2014, though.

These Are China’s Top Five Home-Grown Cartoons

Modern animation in China has largely been dominated by foreign imports. Anime like Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece are extremely popular. However, China’s own animation industry is slowly getting better; here is a list of some of their best home-grown cartoons. Rainbow Sea [星游记] Released in 2011, Rainbow Sea is a fairly new and popular…

I Had No Clue Hedgehogs Were So Darn Cute

Blame Sonic. Or Ron Jeremy. Blame someone or something! Because, really, I didn’t know hedgehogs were this adorable. As a photographer (er, hedgehographer?), Tokyo-based Instagram userShota Tsukamoto has been documenting his cute pet Darcy. Via website DDN Japan, here are some of the most memorable pics: Sonic got it all wrong. We didn’t want a…