Gamescom 2013: all the news that’s fit to play – The Verge

PS4 is a return to the spirit of the early PlayStation days, says the man who built it

2013-08-22T10:00:54-04:00

Mark Cerny of Sony (verge stock)

Even if you weren't familiar with Mark Cerny before the start of this year, you'll have been hard-pressed not to hear his name after he was announced as the PS4's lead system architect. The man in charge of specifying how much oomph Sony's next black box will need to carry on the storied PlayStation heritage was in Cologne, Germany, this week to participate in Sony's Gamescom activities. He sat down with us in the midst of the gaming show maelstrom to discuss the work he's been doing over the past five years and where he hopes it'll take Sony's home console over the next decade.

Let's start off with your Gamescom press conference. While Mic …

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Xbox One and Kinect won’t be sold separately, Microsoft confirms

2013-08-22T02:24:27-04:00

via cdn2.sbnation.com

Microsoft has changed several key Xbox One policies to better compete with Sony's PlayStation 4, but this much is still guaranteed: every Xbox One will come with a Kinect. They won't be sold seperately. That's the word from Microsoft corporate vice president Phil Harrison. At Gamescom, he told CVG that as far as the company is concerned, Xbox One and Kinect are two parts of a single whole:

Xbox One is Kinect. They are not separate systems. An Xbox One has chips, it has memory, it has Blu-ray, it has Kinect, it has a controller. These are all part of the platform ecosystem.

Microsoft originally announced that not only would every Xbox One c …

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Microsoft previews Xbox One dashboard, reveals console can control your home theater

2013-08-21T11:26:37-04:00

Xbox One

Despite having seen plenty of impressive Xbox One games in action, we're decidedly less familiar with the console's user interface. To this point, Microsoft has only demonstrated the UI in small doses, both at the Xbox One unveiling and later E3. Aside from brief glimpses of a live programming guide, snap functionality, and other features, Microsoft has largely focused its promotional efforts elsewhere. Thankfully the company is putting a larger spotlight on the Xbox One dashboard at Gamescom 2013. The software shown off to journalists today was non-final, but paints a clear picture of what gamers can expect this November. The flat menu desi …

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‘The Sims 4’: hands-on with the most detailed Sim creator yet

2013-08-21T10:17:45-04:00

the sims 4

Maxis' fourth Sims title is scheduled for a 2014 release, but a limited alpha version of the game is playable here at Gamescom in Cologne. Gamers at the show can mess around with The Sims 4's character creation tool, which does a great job of showcasing the renewed focus on deeper and more flexible customization. While you've always had a rich set of options for tailoring your Sim's traits and attire, the new game ratchets up the level of fine-grained control to pretty much unprecedented levels.

Almost every setting has a deeper level of control to explore. Thus, not only can you select between three different voice styles, you can also set …

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‘Titanfall,’ the best thing at Gamescom 2013

2013-08-21T05:47:59-04:00

titanfall

Respawn Entertainment's debut title won more than 60 awards when it was unveiled at E3 this year, and now that I've played it for the first time, I can see why. Titanfall remixes the familiar first-person shooter with elements from other game genres and, thanks to some meticulously balanced gameplay, delivers a cohesive and refreshingly original experience.

There are two main protagonist classes in the game: the agile and quick Pilots, equipped with Jump Jets to facilitate wall running and double jumps, and the titular Titans, which are slow and graceless, but pack devastating firepower. Those are then further differentiated on the basis of …

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Sony announces one-click broadcasting for PlayStation 4 with Twitch streaming service

2013-08-20T16:14:55-04:00

twitch playstation 4

Twitch began its life as one of many channels on the streaming video service Justin.tv. But the video-game vertical quickly became bigger than the service that spawned it, and spun off into its own business. Today Sony announced that Twitch will be built directly into the new PlayStation 4, allowing users to broadcast their games live by simply clicking the share button on their controller.

"Five or six years ago it was a real pain in the ass to stream from home," says Rod Breslau, who has been competing, casting, and covering the world of eSports for over a decade. "You needed a capture card; video cameras were more expensive, and there wa …

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PlayStation 4 will have 33 games by the end of the year

2013-08-20T15:39:46-04:00

ps4 game lineup stock 1020

Sony just announced a November 15th release date for the new PlayStation 4, and following Microsoft's lead, the company's also revealing the full set of games it expects to deliver shortly after the launch of the game console. Unlike Microsoft, however, Sony isn't promising these games on the actual day of launch, merely "before the end of the year." Still, the company claims we'll see 33 different games before December 31st, 2013, and many more in the future.

Here's the full launch window lineup:

Blu-ray and PS Store Digital Download:

Assassin's Creed Black Flag
Battlefield 4
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Driveclub
FIFA 14
Just Dance 201 …

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Sony announces PS3 to PS4 game upgrade plan, will offer ‘significantly discounted’ digital copies

2013-08-20T14:52:33-04:00

Sony PlayStation (verge stock)

Retailers are already devising their own upgrade programs to let consumers jump from current-gen games to their technically superior Xbox One and PS4 counterparts. But Sony is taking things into its own hands. At the company's Gamescom 2013 keynote, SCEA president Andrew House announced that Sony will offer an upgrade path for customers that purchase select PS3 titles and later wish to upgrade to a PlayStation 4 version of the same game. "We see this as a great way to reward PS3 gamers for their loyalty when transitioning to PS4, ensuring that it is as simple and accessible as possible," he said.

Sony will offer the PS4 releases digitally a …

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PlayStation 4 coming November 15th for $399

2013-08-20T14:31:02-04:00

Playstation 4

At Gamescom 2013, Sony answered the final big question about its next-gen console: the PlayStation 4 will go on sale November 15th in North America. The European release will follow two weeks later on November 29th. Priced at $399 / €399 / £349, the PS4 will do battle with Microsoft's $499 Xbox One, which is also scheduled for a November release. Sony plans to release 33 different games for the PS4 by December 31st, 2013.

November 15th for North America, 29th in EuropeSony has already received over one million pre-orders for the PlayStation 4, which will be launching in 32 markets in total. Last week, Microsoft announced a reduction of the n …

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‘Fez,’ ‘Minecraft,’ and ‘Borderlands 2’ are coming to PlayStation Vita

2013-08-20T13:32:25-04:00

Fez

At its Gamescom press conference today, Sony announced a few big new titles coming to the PS Vita, and leading the way are the handheld debuts of both Borderlands 2 and Fez. Unfortunately, few details were revealed about the new games, so it's unclear when they'll be available for Sony's portable device. Fez is just the latest title in Sony's current indie gaming push, and according to studio Polytron it will also be coming to both the PS3 and PS4 at some point. However, in the wake of developer Phil Fish's recent cancellation of Fez II, the port will be handled by an outside studio, Blit Software.

Minecraft+Sony=true
- Markus Persson (@notc …

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