Xbox SmartGlass app turns your iOS device into a remote control

If you have an Xbox 360 and an iOS device, congratulations, Microsoft has offered you a free touchscreen remote control! Well, not literally, but the new Xbox SmartGlass app turns your iPad or iPhone into a do-it-all control center for your game console, and it's actually a pretty slick experience.

Once you've connected your SmartGlass app to your console -- by syncing the devices via the Internet using a short code -- you can do pretty much everything using your iOS device that you would normally do with your controller, aside from playing games. You can compose messages, browse your achievements and launch apps such as Netflix with just a tap.

[Source: TUAW - Click here to read the full story]

Xbox 360 USB storage quietly doubled from 16GB to 32GB in latest dashboard update

It seems that Microsoft's latest dashboard update to the Xbox 360 was little more than a trojan horse for a super secret USB storage update from the original 16GB cap to 32GB -- you can't fool us, Microsoft! Er, at least you can't fool the vast swaths of people using their Xbox 360s, who tipped our superfriends at Joystiq on the update. Microsoft confirmed the storage limit change as intentional and explained its purpose in a statement: "The more our customers use their profile and download digital content, the larger the file size necessary to store that content and move it between consoles gets. Therefore we increased the size of the memory to enable our customers to take more of their Xbox profile with them on the go." So, there you have it! If you'll excuse us, we'll be over here loading our entire history of game saves to USB sticks for mobile gloating.

[Source: Engadget]

GameFly's digital distribution client officially exits beta, celebrates with free copies of Bioshock

After nearly a year of testing, GameFly is ready to pull the beta qualifier off of its PC game distribution client. The desktop software serves not only as a digital storefront for PC games, but also as a queue management program for subscribers to GameFly's game-by-mail service. Active members get free access to a few hundred "Unlimited PC Play" titles as well -- offering subscribers a wide range of games from Diner Dash to Assassin's Creed. The official release doesn't differ from the beta in any significant way, but GameFly and 2K games is celebrating its launch by doling out free copies of Bioshock to anyone willing to give the platform a test drive.

[Source: Engadget]

PlayStation: The Official Magazine being shuttered, will say farewell with holiday issue

The publisher of PlayStation: The Official Magazine has confirmed to Game Informer that the Sony-minded periodical will board up its doors by year's end. This isn't the first gaming zine that publisher Future US has called it quits on this year -- news of Nintendo Power's closure broke this August. Just like the Nintendo-centric themed publication, the PlayStation mag's last issue will be its holiday edition. However, unlike Newsweek's leap to a purely digital existence, there's no indication that the magazine could see life online.

[Source: Engadget]

Curiosity lands at the App Store, in the massively multiplayer cube-chipping category

Peter Molyneux's first creation since Lionhead, is now live on the App Store, presenting gamers with a humungous cube composed of billions of tiny cubelets. Curiosity's virtual block needs to be stripped down layer by layer through collective effort, to reach the center and reveal "something life-challengingly amazing". There's no sign of the expected tear-inducing paid DLC; instead, you pay for power-ups using coins earned by tapping away at the game. 100 of those coins will let you see the stats screen, while 3 billion will reward you with the Diamond Chisel -- the ultimate tool for block-whacking. Based on our brief time at the grindstone, it's safe to say the game's impact won't be as profound as that of the other Curiosity, but its social aspects have some interesting potential -- not least using Facebook to locate friends who are playing and compare each other's progress. The game is available free at the App Store if you'd like to leave your mark.

[Source: Engadet]

Redesigned PlayStation Store now live in North America

PS3 owners: do not adjust your TV sets, the PlayStation Store has received a makeover. Sony's new revamped media portal is now available in the US, Canada, Mexico and Brazil. If you're experiencing a case of déjà vu, the update was originally set to hit back on October 23rd, but was sidelined after its UK launch was derailed by some early performance hiccups. Now that it's here, users will be treated to a snazzy new UI along with Most Popular charts, streaming videos on item pages, improved filters and an enhanced search engine. If you haven't already, you can grab this update by firing up your PS3 and directing the XMB to the PlayStation Store icon.

[Source: Engadget]

Amazon Game Studios releases its first mobile game, Air Patriots, for iOS, Android and Kindle Fire

Amazon made its first push into in-house game development this summer with the launch of Amazon Game Studios and its first title, the Facebook-bound Living Classics, and its now made its second big move. The company announced today that its first mobile game, Air Patriots, is now available for iOS, Android and Kindle Fire devices (and free on each, albeit with in-app purchases). Not surprisingly, Amazon has paid particular attention to the Kindle Fire version, taking advantage of GameCircle to track achievements and high scores, as well as Whispersync to let you save your progress on one device and pick up where you left off on another. As for the game itself, Amazon says it's a "new kind of tower defense game," with players drawing a path for the planes to fend off the oncoming tanks. Head on past the break for a quick video.

[Source: Engadget]

Valve opens Steam for Linux beta registration, wants pros only

Right on schedule (ahem), Valve has begun requesting applications for the first Steam for Linux beta test. There are only 1,000 spots available, but the company is looking for "experienced Linux users" only -- presumably, ones that will be better at debugging than spilling zombie brains. So, if you've got a rig running Ubuntu 12.04 or above and decent Linux knowledge, head to the source link to register your interest.

[Source: Engadget]

Nintendo Wii U to be sold at a loss, 3DS starts to turn a profit

Mario's alma mater may be looking at its next big console to bolster its stumbling net income, but it won't be raising its bottom line on hardware alone: Nintendo says the Wii U is going to be sold at a loss. While this is par for the course for most game consoles, loss leader products are somewhat of a new trend for Nintendo, which only started selling hardware at a loss recently. On the upside, company CEO Satoru Iwata says the 3DS is back in the black, finally selling for a tidy (though unspecified) profit after dropping its price late last year. Nintendo expects business to pick up down the road, but says circumstances will keep it from attaining "Nintendo-like" profits in this fiscal year.

[Source: Engadget]

Nintendo reports continued first-half losses for 2012, is waiting on the Wii U

Nintendo's reported its financial results for the first of half of the year, and things are still a little rocky. Net sales in the last six months have decreased 6.8 percent compared to the same point last year, while net income continues to drop, this time by 27,996 million yen. As of September 2012, Nintendo has now sold over 22 million 3DS units (three million more since last quarter), while the Wii remains just shy of the 100 million milestone, settling at 97.2 million units sold. Nintendo looks to be in a similar position to last year, with customers still waiting for the company's next big console to appear -- and the gamesmaker hoping they will. Laying blame at the strong yen, the company has dramatically cut its forecast for the rest of the year, down from 20 billion ($250 million) to 6 billion yen ($75 million), pinning its hopes on 3DS sales ahead of the Wii U's global launch later this year.

[Source: Engadget]

Digital Storm Bolt stuffs full-power graphics into a mini gaming desktop, stretches laws of physics

Attempts to create truly small gaming desktops usually involve at least some kind of performance hit. Even HP's category-bending Firebird, one of the few stand-out examples, had to use toned-down graphics to succeed in a tiny enclosure. Digital Storm might have broken the trend towards sacrifice with its new Bolt desktop: although it's just 3.6 inches wide and 14 inches tall, the Bolt can cram in as much as a GeForce GTX 680 and will even let gamers upgrade the graphics like they would in a full-size PC. The seemingly logic-defying (if also finger-defying) case still allows room for as much as an overclocked 4.6GHz Core i7, 16GB of RAM and storage options that meld a spinning hard drive with up to two SSDs and a DVD burner. Digital Storm isn't even setting an absurd base price, but it's in the cost that we finally see the catch to the miniaturization tricks. The $999 entry-level Bolt carries a modest 3.1GHz Core i3, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive and GeForce GTX 650 Ti, while it takes a staggering $1,949 to get a fully decked-out Core i7 system with a GTX 680. Those prices might be worthwhile for anyone who has ever strained while lugging a traditional tower to a game tourney.

[Souce: Engadget]

Microsoft 'retiring' Facebook and Twitter Xbox 360 Dashboard apps

Eagle-eyed gamers may have already noticed that the Xbox 360's dedicated Twitter and Facebook appshave gone missing after the latest Dashboard update, and now Redmond has confirmed it's put the applications out to pasture. According to a Microsoft representative that spoke to IGN, the firm is "retiring the Facebook and Twitter apps" as it works to streamline functionality. When asked if the pair of apps will ever make a comeback, Ballmer and Co. didn't comment. Still crave to update your friends on your latest gaming exploits through the console? Spreading the news on the digital grapevine is still possible, but you'll have to access the social networks through the freshly added Internet Explorer app -- an experience we hope Xbox SmartGlass will improve.

[Source: Engadget]