What is Zelda Universe, Nintendo's latest online game registered with the ESRB?

Zelda Universe, a game registered by Nintendo, has appeared on the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s website and is listed as a game for the “online” platform.

The rest of Nintendo’s games are listed for specific platforms like the Nintendo DS and Wii — the company’s most popular consoles. The game doesn’t seem to be an online role-playing game like World of Warcraft, because those games are listed as games for the Macintosh and PC. Some … Continue Reading

Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley to leave Creative Artists Agency

Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley plans to leave Creative Artists Agency, where he ran the game department of the prestigious agency for Hollywood celebrities.

Blackley, who helped create Microsoft original Xbox video game console, reportedly plans to launch his own production company to develop new games. He will remain at the agency through the end of the year for a transitional period.

The CAA Games team will now by run by David Stelzer and Ophir Lupu. … Continue Reading

Amazon introduces store for Mac apps, games

Amazon has fired a shot at Apple with the opening of a download store focused on Mac applications and games. It will act as a direct competitor to the Apple’s Mac App Store, and offers a few big-name titles Apple does not.

The new Mac Software Downloads section on Amazon has about 250 applications and games for Macs that you can install without the need of a disk. Pricing doesn’t appear to be discounted. For … Continue Reading

Big names back Project Slice’s smarter shopping inbox

A new startup called Project Slice wants to make all those receipts in your email inbox genuinely useful. Similar to what Mint does for your personal finances, what TripIt does for your travel plans, and what services like Manilla do for your bills, the Palo Alto, Calif. company aims to make it easier to actually see all of your purchase information in one place, rather than struggling to find it on the right website or … Continue Reading

Major hedge fund player says Microsoft's Ballmer needs to go

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer needs to be kicked out, a well-known hedge fund investor said Wednesday.

David Einhorn, manager of Greenlight Capital, said Ballmer is stuck in the past and needs to give someone else a chance. “[Ballmer's] continued presence is the biggest overhang on Microsoft’s stock,” Einhorn said at the Ira Sohn Investment Research Conference in New York.

Chief among Einhorn’s concerns are that Microsoft is missing opportunities to better compete with Apple products … Continue Reading

Indian flash sales site Exclusively.In raises $16M

Exclusively.In, a site that offers deals on Indian-inspired fashion, just announced that it has raised $16 million in a second round of funding.

The company, which is based in New York and New Delhi, launched in June of 2010. When I talked to co-founder and chief executive Sunjay Guleria earlier this week, he told me he doesn’t see Exclusively.In as a niche site. It serves the Indian community in the US, of course, but he … Continue Reading

Will zombie and jewel games take PopCap to an IPO?

PopCap Games has been a consistent winner when it comes to making great games for casual audiences, or those who don’t consider themselves to be hardcore gamers. From Bejeweled to Plants vs Zombies, PopCap’s games are light-hearted and cartoonish, but they can be just as addictive as hardcore console titles. The difference is that they are lightweight snacks.

The beauty of PopCap’s titles is that they can be launched across a wide variety of platforms. … Continue Reading

Sony drops hint of PlayStation 4 as it reports game profits for fiscal year

Sony dropped a hint today that it is working on a PlayStation 4 video game console even as Nintendo prepares to announce the Wii 2 at the E3 trade show on June 7.

The PlayStation 3, which debuted in 2006, still has a lot of life left in it. But Sony has begun incurring increases in research and development costs. That means that we’re getting closer to the introduction of new game systems for the … Continue Reading

38 Studios reaches for action fans with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (video)

Fantasy worlds in video games are getting pretty intricate. Consider the upcoming game Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which is being developed by 38 Studios and will be sold by Electronic Arts. In this game, you can pick the pocket of a citizen in the world. Once you do that, you have to slink away because the character will start feeling his or her clothing for a wallet. When they don’t find it, they’ll whirl and … Continue Reading

Ashton Kutcher books extended stay with Airbnb

Airbnb, a service that pairs travelers seeking a unique experience with locals willing to rent out their spaces for a fee, is the latest startup to grab the attention of Ashton Kutcher.

The actor has invested a significant amount of money into the San Francisco based startup and will join its team as a strategic advisor, according to the company’s official blog. Kutcher’s role will involve enhancing Airbnb’s community engagement and expanding the service internationally.… Continue Reading

Internet advertising worth a record $7.3 billion in Q1, 2011

Internet advertising revenues in the U.S. hit $7.3 billion for the first quarter of 2011, a 23 percent increase over the same period in 2010, according to figures released today by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers. This is the highest first-quarter revenue level ever for the industry.

Considering the pretty woeful hit rate of most Internet advertising, that may seem surprising, but as traditional ad destinations like broadcast TV and print publications continue to … Continue Reading

Verizon debuts 4 new smartphones, including LG Revolution and Motorola Droid X2

Verizon Wireless is expanding its smartphone lineup today with four new products, and as usual, some are more notable than others.

First up is the $249 LG Revolution, the latest Android phone on Big Red to include blazing fast 4G LTE data speeds. The rest of the specs on the Revolution are mid-range for today’s Android phones, with a 4.3-inch screen with 800×480 resolution, a single-core 1-GHz Snapdragon processor, 16GB storage, a 5-megapixel camera, and … Continue Reading

Google steps into mobile payments with Google Wallet, integrates with Google Offers

Google today finally spilled the beans on its long-rumored mobile payments platform, Google Wallet, at a New York City event. Unexpectedly, Google also tied in some announcements about its Groupon competitor, Google Offers.

The two services will make up an open ecommerce platform, said Stephanie Tilenius, Google VP of commerce. “Our goal is to bring together all the pieces of the ecosystem. Your phone will be your wallet. Just tap, pay, and save,” she said.… Continue Reading

OnLive gets on exclusive demo for Red Faction Armageddon

OnLive will get the exclusive PC demo of Red Faction Armageddon, marking the first time that any major new video game will be available only to PC gamers through Onlive’s cloud gaming service.

That may not sound like a big victory. But OnLive, the games-on-demand service, has labored long to get the inside track with game publishers by pitching its ability to merchandise games in non-traditional ways. The Red Faction Armageddon demo shows that the … Continue Reading

Trion Worlds shows off giant battles in End of Nations

Trion Worlds’ Rift massively multiplayer online game is barely out the door, having shipped in March. But the Redwood City, Calif.-based online game publisher is already showing off the polished game play of its second major online game, End of Nations.

For fans of this genre, Trion is promising massive battles where online players can team up by the dozens in intense combat sessions. If the game is a success, Trion could find itself in … Continue Reading

Amazon reboots 99¢ Lady Gaga album deal, "this time we're ready"

If you somehow managed to miss out on Amazon’s 99-cent deal for Lady Gaga’s newest album on Monday, fear not. Amazon is now offering “Born This Way” for a buck again today — and this time, the company says its servers won’t collapse under the onslaught of rabid music fans.

Amazon’s initial Gaga album deal was a deft move to undercut the competition (the album is available for $11.99 on iTunes, $15.99 with “extras”), and … Continue Reading

Warner Bros' Bastion game comes from humble indie roots (video)

Never start a company with your friends. You’ll wind up hating each other. Amir Rao didn’t listen to that advice, and so far it’s working out for him.

Rao’s small startup, Supergiant Games, managed to create an original game called Bastion that is going to be published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the video game arm of the big movie company, on Xbox Live Arcade this summer and on the PC later this year.

Bastion … Continue Reading

As promised, PSN and Qriocity users get free identity theft protection from Sony

Sony has made good on its promise to offer free identity theft protection, including a $1 million insurance policy, to PlayStation Network and Qriocity users, the company announced on the PlayStation blog today.

The offer is a good gesture from Sony, following the April PlayStation Network attack that lasted nearly a month, wherein private user data (including credit card numbers and account passwords) was stolen from its systems. But it remains to be seen if … Continue Reading