Kinect No Longer Mandatory For Xbox One (But Will Still Come With It) [UPDATE]

Another backflip? Back in May, Microsoft said that you’ll need have the motion-sensing Kinect plugged in at all times in order for your Xbox One to function, but now they’re reversing course once again. We already knew that you could turn off the Kinect, but now Microsoft says it doesn’t have to be plugged in…

Get a League of Legends AmEx (It’s a Debit Card, Though)

Typical credit or debit cards offer incremental rewards for purchases—frequent flier miles, cash back, etc. American Express and Riot Games will offer a debit card that returns points for in-game purchases in League of Legends, the New York Times reports. The arrangement will be announced Wednesday, says the Times, and the incentive currency it returns…

DuckTales: Remastered Is Like Being A Kid Again

DuckTales: Remastered is exactly what it sounds like — A faithful recreation of the NES game with beautiful 2D animations, new music and, most importantly, achievements. Take a look at the shiny new game in the video above. You can start your adventures in Duckburg August 13th on PSN, WiiU and PC, and September 11th…

Tomb Raider Studio Layoffs Hit Non-Tomb Raider Team

Crystal Dynamics, the studio behind Tomb Raider and its upcoming sequel, has laid off a small team of staff, Kotaku has learned. These staff were not working on a Tomb Raider game, but a new IP. We confirmed the news with Crystal Dynamics’ parent Square Enix this afternoon. Here’s their statement to Kotaku: We’ve made…

You Can Only Get The Skylanders Swap Force Dark Edition At GameStop

Taking a break from marking up used games, GameStop announced today that preorders were open for the chain-exclusive Skylanders Swap Force Dark Edition Starter Pack, which replaces the normal pack’s milk chocolate with sumptuous dark… oh wait. *reads through the press release again* Oh! So this pack contains five exclusive Dark Edition Skylanders figures —…

Listen To A Tiny Fraction Of Final Fantasy X/FFX-2 HD‘s New Epilogue

The HD remakes of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2, which are coming to PS3 and Vita later this year, will come with an extra 30-minute scene. Here’s a sneak peek. Still no release date for the HD remakes yet, sadly.

If Disney Characters Were Pokemon Trainers…

…then these would be their pocket monsters of choice, according to artist Kuitsuku. Mind, these were drawn over the last few years, although they’re making the rounds now—and with good reason. They’re fantastic. Up above we’ve got Ariel and Magikarp. Here are some more pairings…think they’re a good fit for each other? Who would you…

There’s Just Something Sexy About This Week In Gaming Apps

I apologize in advance for any spontaneous swooning that might occur from watching the video portion of this Week in Gaming Apps. Yeah, I don’t know what I was doing there either. I was just kicking back in my chair with my trusty iPad, and the mood just hit me. It quickly faded, however, and…

Moneysaver: The Wonderful 101, Puppeteer, 3DS XL Black, PS3 Bundle

Shuffle up and deal. Deal Leaderboard Best Buy’s deal on discounted Playstation Plus memberships is still available Tomb Raider is $20 on the consoles 500GB PS3 w/ Assassin’s Creed III and 1 month of Plus ($230) | eBay (Buy.com) iTunes $60 for $48 | eBay (GiftCardMall) 1TB Toshiba USB3 Portable Hard Drive ($59) | Amazon…

Link Isn’t Smiling This Time

Reader Brady Goldsmith drew this rather grisly take on The Legend of Zelda. He writes: “This is my attempt at a realistic approach to Link—bloody, raw, gritty.” See more of his art at his Deviant Art page If you prefer a happier Link, there’s an upcoming Zelda game for you…

This Fantastic BioShock Infinite Cosplay Will Transport You To Rapture

Although we almost immediately saw cosplay of BioShock Infinite’s Elizabeth following the reveal of the Burial at Sea DLC, this take on the character by Aicosu goes even further than what we’d seen before—and that makes it awesome. Notice location of the shoot, Booker lighting a cigarette, the thimble—details matter! Here’s a couple of other…

Extreme GameStop Pricing Leaves Some Fans Calling Scam

GameStop is charging a whopping $90 for used copies of a Wii game—and it’s leading some fans to voice some serious suspicions about how it got back in stock. Xenoblade Chronicles, a Nintendo-published RPG that came out for the Wii in April of 2012, has become something of a collector’s item for several reasons: only…

Murder Room

I visit my friends house and all she wants to do is strangle me.

Mmmm Dat Wooden Box

I love that the recycled lines sometimes make your citizens say the silliest things. OH I COULDN’T POSSIBLY PASS UP SUCH A GREAT DEAL ON THAT…WOODEN BOX.

Coffee Addicts

I’ve turned everyone in town. They’re all coffee addicts. They howl at the Roost Café and everything. GIF form cause I’ve been having fun with it:

The Extremely Rare Mario Opera Returns For One Night Only Next Week

It’s okay if you didn’t even know that there was a rock opera based on Nintendo’s most popular character. The Mario Opera has only ever played once and that was eight long years ago. It’s coming back next week but you’ll need to be in New York City to see it. The stage show is…

What Is This Abomination That Moved Just Moved Into My Town

Pietro is a scary, creepy clown and I’m not sure if I should harass him to leave town or stay very far away for fear of DEATH.

The definition of “getting up on the wrong side of the bed”

Just drinkin’ some coffee

Just got the to-go option unlocked!

PC Game Helped NASCAR Driver Dominate Its Famous Road Course

NASCAR, commonly derided as turning left for 400 miles, does feature a couple of road courses in its top circuit. Reigning Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski has had unusual success at one of them, Watkins Glen International, and he attributes it all to playing a PC video game as a teenager. Keselowski won the Nationwide…