This Week in the Business: The TV Turn-Off

What’s happened in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “TV, TV, TV. That couldn’t be further from the truth, it’s completely the wrong direction.”—Tameem Antoniades, Ninja Theory co-founder, on why the Xbox One and PS4 are on the wrong path QUOTE | “Day One is certainly very important, but maybe…

​A Zelda Violin Performance Worthy Of The Hero Of Time

Just in time to get me psyched about the excellence of Zelda music all over again. Here’s violinist Taylor Davis with a rousing performance of both Song of Time and Song of Storms from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. She plays violin in the rain, man. It doesn’t get any more dramatic than…

Two Grown Men Re-enact A Justin Bieber/One Direction Fan Argument

You gotta love dramatic readings—they make even awful YouTube comments not just bearable, but downright hilarious. Yes, even when it comes to Bieber and One Direction fans. You just gotta watch this ridiculous argument that happened on YouTube, read by two full grown men from Dead Parrot. It’s something else. Off-Topic is our nightly open…

An Xbox One Achievement That People Are Selling On Ebay

They say that everything has a price—and this axiom apparently includes Xbox One achievements, judging from recent eBay listings. Thing is, these achievements are extra special—they come bundled with the limited number of ‘Day One’ editions of the Xbox One. As the name suggests, these are consoles made to commemorate the launch of the Xbox…

Xbox One Sprints to a Million: Calling it “The biggest launch in Xbox history,” Microsoft informs us that they’ve sold more than one million Xbox One consoles worldwide in less than 24 hours. They also say that more than 3.6 million Forza miles have been driven and more than 60 million Dead Rising zombies have…

Look At These Dogs And Cats Confused By Xbox One

Let’s say you have a pet and just got a new Xbox One. And let’s say you wanted to celebrate both of them in picture form. What do you do? Take photos of them together, of course. And that is what many pet-and-Xbox-One owners did today with the release of Microsoft’s newest console. Here are…

Rocky launches: EA recognizes that both Battlefield 4 and NBA Live have had problems following their launches, and promises not only a number of updates and improvements, but in the case of BF4, some in-game bonuses too. [NOTE: That link is not working right, and we’re not sure why. Please go here to find Wilson’s…

​What Do You Think Of Your New Next-Gen Console?

The Xbox One is now on store shelves. The PS4 has been out for a week. Maybe you picked one of those consoles up. Maybe you even got both! We’ve already told you what we think of them. What do you think? Weigh in in the comments below with your tales of next-gen gaming. Here…

Being A Sexy Green Alien Babe Can Be Tough

The exotic yet tantalizing alien babe that humanity fetishizes is a well-known sci-fi trope—surely, you’ve come across it before. Typically, games like Mass Effect let us seduce these characters. But in Redshirt, you can play as that sexy blue alien—and you can see first-hand why this fantasy that is sometimes peddled by sci-fi can suck.…

Microsoft Has No Clear Solution For Xbox One Disc Drive Issues

If you got an Xbox One today and your disc drive isn’t working, Microsoft has no answer for you yet—they say to contact their customer service people for help. Microsoft doesn’t have a fix yet for the issue, which has caused Xbox One Blu-ray drives to make a horrible grinding noise when they try to…

Super Mario 3D World: The Kotaku Review

Super Mario 3D World is a terrific video game. It’s just not a very good Wii U game. I can’t remember the last time Nintendo needed a game to be so good so badly. Super Mario 3D World is the first really big game for the company’s beleaguered Wii U, the kind of game that…

PS4? Xbox One? He’s Getting a Wii U

Our pal Brian Barrett over at Gizmodo has sized up the Xbox One and the PS4. His decision of what new console to get? He’s going for the Wii U. Find out why. (We’ll be providing our own one-year-later take on the Wii U next week.)

Doom Co-Creator John Carmack Leaves Id Software

John Carmack, co-creator of iconic first-person-shooter Doom and one of the smartest minds in video games, has resigned from the development studio he helped co-found. As seen as on IGN, Carmack is stepping away from the company where he served as lead programmer on Wolfenstein 3D, Quake and Rage. Id’s official statement, via parent company…

Disney’s Computer-Simulated Snow Basically Looks Real

First we had mind-blowing water simulation. Now we can add another delightfully realistic simulation to the mix: snow. The GIF above comes from a Disney animation presentation on new snow simulation techniques used for the upcoming holiday film, Frozen. Some of the concepts might go over your head, but no worries: it’s evident they’re making…