A new rumor suggests that PlayStation 4 is due this November and will be available at two price points. According to Kotaku, anonymous sources say the PlayStation 4 is currently planned for two SKUs at $429 and $529 respectively, though “that could change.”

The source also suggests that “you’ll also be able to control the PS4 remotely from your tablet or smartphone. You’ll be able to use a mobile device to chat with your PS4 friends or buy games which are then automatically downloaded to your machine.” The second half of that rumor seems to be in line with Sony’s recent changes to the accessibility of the PlayStation Store, which expanded to browsers last month.

Finally, the source suggests “that every PS4 will come with a PlayStation Eye; that a new spectating feature will let you watch other friends play games from your console’s dashboard, even when you don’t own the game they’re playing; and that the console will support local network play via Vita.”

Stay tuned for more updates post the event.

Christmas goodies come a calling for PSN  Plus users this time with Arkham City – this includes the Catwoman Bundle as well.

One of the perks of paying for PlayStation Plus is the free games that come with membership. In a post on the PlayStation Blog, it was announced that Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition is now free for PlayStation Plus members.

Last week, BioShock 2 joined the Instant Game Collection, so Plus members are getting all kinds of goodies this December.

In addition to that, the Devil May Cry Demo is also out for download!

Could a Job Opening at Rockstar mean something? Obviously it does according to their website.

The ad puts the call out for an experienced programmer “to focus on core engine development”.

Rockstar San Diego, the team behind Red Dead Redemption and the RAGE engine powering the developer’s recent titles, also seems to be staffing up for work on a new engine.

A listing on its site advertises a physics programmer role for which the successful candidate will be expected to “work closely with game teams to integrate new technologies”.

A second opening at Rockstar San Diego hints that the company intends to sew online connectivity deeper into the main GTA 5 campaign.

“Rockstar San Diego is looking for a networking programmer who specializes in the synchronization of the wide range of gameplay mechanics found in a Rockstar open world game.

“This position involves extensive collaboration with gameplay programmers and designers, so good communication skills and the desire to work closely with others are a must.”

Of course we’re assuming the project in question is GTA 5, but it could also be another unannounced Rockstar title, such as the rumoured Red Dead Redemption sequel.

We’ve gathered together all the first GTA V details, including a breakdown on each of the game’s three main characters, dynamic missions, and more.

Rockstar has previously confirmed that the GTA V release date will fall in spring 2013 on consoles. It recently kicked off GTA V pre-orders.

Epic Games have just released the campaign trailer for next year’s Gears of War prequel, Gears of War: Judgment.

It doesn’t look to shake up the status quo much, but for the Gears of War rabid faithful, it has everything they could want; guns, gore, locust and enough testosterone to re-float the Titanic (or what’s left of it anyway).

Embrace the manliness of it all after the break.

Source: http://www.thegamingvault.com

Nintendo is hoping its new Wii U console will catapult it back to pole position in the video game sector, but almost everyone is skeptical on whether the Japanese gaming titan can reboot its fading glory.

Last month, Nintendo released the long-awaited follow-up to its hugely successful Wii in the lucrative US market, selling an eye-popping 400,000 units in the first week alone as fans cleared store shelves.

At Amazon.com, Wii U consoles were being offered at opening prices hundreds of dollars above list prices of $300 for basic models and $350 for “deluxe sets”.

The firm is shooting for a similar reception in its fiercely competitive home market, where the Wii U was released Saturday. Nintendo and rivals Sony and Microsoft, makers of the PlayStation and Xbox, are battling for control of a sector worth about $44 billion annually, according to industry figures.

“If we had made more consoles, we could have sold more,” Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told Japan’s Nikkei business daily, referring to brisk US sales.

“It’s important for us to keep the sales boom through next year.”

But as the trio face tough economic conditions in their key US and European markets, they are also fending off a challenge from cheap — or sometimes free — downloadable games for smartphones and tablets.

Daiwa Securities analyst Satoshi Tanaka is not convinced the Wii U will cement Nintendo’s long-term momentum as millions turn to the likes of the wildly popular Angry Birds.

“Given the rapid progress in smartphones and gaming software for those kind of gadgets, the question remains: can Nintendo provide products tempting enough for people to pay for both hardware and software?” he said.

The original Wii consoles, launched in 2006, were a runaway success as they lured legions of “casual gamers” into the video game world with the introduction of motion-sensing controls.

Holiday sales this year will mark a key chapter in Kyoto-based Nintendo’s bid to climb back on top, with the gaming giant aiming to sell more than five million Wii U consoles by March.

It has sold nearly 100 million of the original Wii console since its release.

But a strong yen and disappointing sales of Nintendo’s 3DS game console weighed on results. The firm in April reported an annual loss of 43.2 billion yen ($524 million), its first yearly shortfall since becoming a public company in the early sixties.

The company slashed the price of the 3DS, the world’s first video game console with a 3D screen that works without special glasses, following its lacklustre debut in a bid to boost Christmas sales.

Nintendo — which invented Donkey Kong and Super Mario, one of the best-selling video games of all time — has also scaled back its sales and net profit forecasts for the current fiscal year to March 2013.

But red-hot US demand for the Wii U suggests there are still plenty of casual gamers willing to fork out hundreds of dollars on a console, and more to buy games, said Etsuko Tamura, analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities.

“The customer base for mobile game software and that for stationary game consoles is different,” she said.

“Support for home video games from core game fans is still intact, and if Wii U consoles keep up strong sales through next year, it would help Nintendo’s profit recovery.”

Nintendo has vowed to start a trend in “asymmetrical play” that lets players using GamePad tablets have different in-game perspectives and roles than those using traditional wand controllers.

The new console is also portable — offering a challenge to smartphone games — but still offers players the option to jump, shift and shout as they wriggle their bodies to move the action onscreen, like the original Wii.

“The Wii line is the only game console that a whole family can play together,” said Yusuke Tsunoda, analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Centre.

“That’s the strength of the product.”

Last year’s Spike TV Video Game Awards was the reveal of The Last of Us, one of the biggest PlayStation 3-exclusive action game set in a post-apocalyptic world. And as anticipated The Last of Us reveal took place at tonight’s VGAs ceremony: the game’s release date. After a year of having a vague 2013 window, The Last of Us now has a firm release date of May 7, 2013.

The Last of Us is the story of Joel and Ellie, two survivors trying to make their way through post-apocalyptic ruins filled with people infected by a deadly fungus. The new IP from the Uncharted developer will have gunfighting and melee combat, with the father-daughter-like relationship between the two main characters being an important element of the story.

Naughty Dog’s next adventure was one of our favorite games of E3 2012. Hopefully the completed game can live up to our early impressions; there are only five months to go until we find out.

Watch the trailer here: