Halo: Nightfall To Star Mike Colter As Agent Locke
Mike Colter has been announced as the protagonist of live-action miniseries Halo: Nightfall. Colter is best known for his role in the CBS drama, The Good Wife. He will play the character Agent Jameson Locke.
Agent Jameson Locke on the Halo 5: Guardians teaser. Source: GameSpot.com
Xbox One and Xbox 360 Ship 1.1 Million Consoles Combined From April-June
Microsoft sold in a total of 1.1 million Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles during its fiscal fourth quarter (April 1 - June 30), the company announced today as part of its quarterly earnings report.
As has been common with the sales numbers Microsoft has provided for its gaming consoles this year, it's important to note that "sold in" refers to the number of consoles shipped to retailers. This is as opposed to the number of consoles actually sold through to consumers--a figure we haven't been updated on since Microsoft announced 3 million Xbox One consoles had been sold to consumers as of December 31.
The 1.1 million consoles shipped is a steep drop compared to the prior three months, when Microsoft shipped 2 million consoles (1.2 million of which were Xbox Ones). The company noted that it "drew down channel inventory" during this most recent quarter, referencing plans it announced in April to slow shipments in order to allow retailers to sell the consoles they already have on store shelves.
Without providing any specific figures, Microsoft announced last week that Xbox One sales had "more than double[d]" in June (as compared with May) following the release of the $400 Kinect-less model. That system went on sale on June 9 and brought the system's price down to that of Sony's PlayStation 4, which has outsold the Xbox One to date. As of April 6, the PS4 had sold 7 million units worldwide.
As part of its earnings report, Microsoft renamed its Devices & Consumer Hardware group, which will now be known as the Computing and Gaming Hardware group. Despite the name change, it will continue to include both Xbox and Surface. During Q4, the group posted revenue of $1.44 billion, a 23-percent year-over-year increase. That was thanks in part to a 14-percent increase in revenue for the Xbox platform (which accounts for the Xbox One and Xbox 360). Revenue for Microsoft as a whole was up 18 percent to $23.4 billion.
CEO Satya Nadella recently offered a showing of support for Xbox, though the platform was not completely unaffected by the layoffs outlined last week. Most notably, Xbox Entertainment Studios--the group responsible for developing original TV programming for Xbox--is being shut down. A select number of its projects (including Halo: Nightfall, the Halo TV series, and Quantum Break) will be unaffected.
In a formal statement today, Nadella briefly discussed the decision to refocus on gaming with Xbox One. "With our decision to specifically focus on gaming, we expect to close Xbox Entertainment Studios and streamline our investments in Music and Video," he said. "We will invest in our core console gaming and Xbox Live with a view towards the broader PC and mobile opportunity. I hope you can see that we have bold ambitions and we have made a lot of progress."
Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @TheSmokingManX
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com
Source: GameSpot.com
Sentris: The Evolution of a New Kind of Music Game
"I had never thought about it in those terms before, because my core mission was always to smash these ideas together into a game in which you have to do both to finish the game. But since he said that, I've noticed that people's attention would shift back and forth between, 'I'm gonna start out just pushing the button and make something and see how it sounds,' and 'Oh, there are some targets here, I'll try to solve the puzzle.'" Kalman says that the different types of puzzles in the game encourage different kinds of play. "The pitch-based puzzles are the game part, you have to solve the puzzles, but the rhythm puzzles are the other part of it." These, she said, give players the opportunity to focus more on what sounds good to them.
I think that Sentris' emphasis on player freedom and creativity could make it an important entry in the world of music-focused games. Kalman is eager to see how players respond to it when it becomes available on Steam Early Access in August. This release is just the next step for Sentris, though; there's still more work to be done. "Depending on how large the community becomes," she said, "I'm expecting to be in Early Access for about six to eight months, and be finishing features, adding many more levels and more music, high-quality recordings of all these analog instruments, and figuring out the right shape for the game, before launching it early next year."
Source: GameSpot.com
Grab Injustice for $8, Batman: Arkham City for $5, and More on Xbox 360 This Week
July is a slow month for big game releases. That means that there's time to catch up on some older games you might have missed. Luckily, there are some good sales going on to make catching up even easier. This week's Xbox Live Deals With Gold offering has been announced alongside some other discounts that don't require an Xbox Live Gold subscription, and they discount a number of Xbox 360 games.
Good news if you're a fighting game fan: Injustice: Gods Among Us is only $8, and Marvel vs. Capcom Origins is $7.50. Batman games are also on sale, with Batman: Arkham City and Arkham Asylum available for only $5. You can get Arkham Origins Blackgate for $10, as well.
Here's a list of all the featured deals this week.
Deals With Gold:
Injustice: Gods Among Us -- $7.99 (Was $19.99)
Injustice: Gods Among Us Season Pass -- $5.99 (Was $14.99)
Which games interest you? Let us know in the comments!
Alex Newhouse is an editorial intern at GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @alexbnewhouse
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com
Source: GameSpot.com
Comic-Con 2014: Custom Xbox Ones With Halo, Dragon Age Designs Up for Grabs
If you're in the market for an Xbox One system that looks nothing like the ones that you can find in stores, San Diego Comic-Con later this week is the place to be.
Microsoft has announced the "Collectible Console Sweepstakes" that will see it give away a number of uniquely designed Xbox One consoles, each featuring a different game or game franchise. Among these consoles are Halo, Titanfall, Sunset Overdrive, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and Forza Horizon 2 systems. You can see all of them below.
Entering to win is relatively simple, provided you're attending SDCC or know someone who is. All you need to do is visit the Xbox Gaming Lounge at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, where you'll find all of the exclusive consoles up for grabs, and tweet a picture of your favorite using the hashtags #XboxOne and #XboxSweeps. 20 people will then be selected to win an Xbox One and accompanying Kinect.
If you're not able to make it, there is an alternative way of entering which involves mailing your entry info to Microsoft. Full details on how to do so are outlined here. Additionally, a Nerdist-branded system will be given away online through the official Xbox Twitter account.
Microsoft has only officially released the standard black Xbox One to consumers. A special all-white system was given away to Microsoft employees who worked on the system prior to its launch, and a few were later sold on eBay for charity. It's rumored that the company will eventually sell the white version publicly, but it has announced no formal plans to begin doing so.
GameSpot will be bringing you coverage straight from SDCC, which kicks off this Thursday, July 24, and runs through July 27. For some idea of what to expect from the show's gaming presence, check out our roundup of all the gaming panels, tournaments, and playable titles that will be at the show here.
Which of the systems below would you most like to get your hands on? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: GameSpot.com
Cheap Deus Ex, Hitman, and Just Cause Headline New Humble Bundle
Another Humble Bundle went live today, and this one features games from several Square Enix franchises. The popular pay-what-you-want bundle program publishes collections of games that allow you to choose your own price and donate to charity. The Humble Square Enix Bundle discounts Hitman, Deus Ex, and Thief games among others, and it is raising money for the GamesAid and Make-A-Wish charities.
Like other Humble Bundles, this one will last two weeks and has multiple tiers of games. The different options are outlined below.
Pay at least $.01 (or at least $1 to get Steam keys) and you will receive:
Thief Gold
Daikatana
Mini Ninjas
Anachronox
Hitman: Codename 47
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
If you spend more than the average price for the bundle (at the time of this writing, the average is $6.09) you will also get:
Deus Ex: Invisible War
Deus Ex: The Fall
Hitman: Absolution
Nosgoth Veteran Pack
Battlestations: Midway
More to be announced soon
Finally, pay more than $14.99 and you'll get five more games:
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut
Just Cause 2
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
When you decide to buy the bundle, you're given the option to split your money between three different groups. Your money can go to the developer, Humble Bundle, or the charities. This bundle is benefiting GamesAid, an organization that raises money and democratically chooses to distribute it among other charitable organizations, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants children with life-threatening conditions opportunities to fulfill their dreams.
All of these games are available on PC, and Hitman: Absolution and Deus Ex: Human Revolution are also compatible with Macs. Which games interest you? Let us know in the comments!
Alex Newhouse is an editorial intern at GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @alexbnewhouse
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com
