GamesBeat weekly roundup: Everything you need to know about the PlayStation 4 and more

If you follow VentureBeat but don’t regularly check our GamesBeat site, here’s a list of the best video game stories we ran over the last seven days that you may have missed.

The PlayStation 4 is here! We have an almost ridiculous amount of content covering Sony’s latest console this week, and glimpses of the big launch party Thursday night. You’ll also find reviews for Contrast, Killzone: Shadow Fall, Resogun, and Knack as well as a teardown of the PS4 hardware revealing how much like a PC it really is.

In non-PS4 news, Nintendo will finally allow gamers to share their eShop balances between the Wii U and 3Ds, Nintendo also sold over 452,000 3DS handhelds in October, and the poor little Android-based GameStick is launching alongside the PlayStation 4 after missing its original release date on Nov. 8.

The PlayStation 4 cometh:

• The DeanBeat: The console wars start with small gestures
• PlayStation 4 teardown: Yup, it’s pretty much a PC (and very easy to repair)
• The scenery of the PlayStation 4 launch (photo gallery)
• Sony’s marketing chief on the PS 4 launch (video interview)
• Sony launches PlayStation 4, fans go nuts
• Watch the PlayStation 4′s New York City launch party live on Twitch
• Jonathan Blow didn’t mean to make The Witness one of PS4′s biggest games — but it might be
• Why indie devs find it’s ‘quite painless’ to bring games to the PlayStation 4
• Sony celebrates PlayStation 4′s midnight launch with trailer ‘for the players’
• How next-gen games are using the PlayStation 4 controller in clever new ways
• Survey says more people want a PS4 than Xbox One — and barely anyone wants a Wii U
• PlayStation 4 can only share recorded videos to Facebook at launch
• Here’s what you aren’t allowed to record with PlayStation 4′s built-in DVR
• PlayStation 4′s quick app switching is limited compared to Xbox One
• Sony beefed up Video and Music Unlimited so that you’ll use them instead of Amazon, Vudu
• New Injustice game shows what tech improvements we can get from PS3 to PS4
• What’s inside Sony’s PlayStation 4: Upgradeable hard drive, 8GB fast memory, internal power
• Why War Thunder works for PS4 — and not Xbox One
• How PlayStation 4′s play-as-you-download feature works
• Why the PlayStation 4 is slanted
• PS4 vs. the world: How Sony’s new console fits into the modern gaming market (interview)

Above: Dawn’s shadow jumping ability makes clever use of lighting, but the mechanic can cause a lot of bugs.

Image Credit: Compulsion Games

News:

• The DeanBeat: The next-generation console war starts out with small gestures
• Nintendo’s Miyamoto: Super Mario 3D World ‘doesn’t mean we’ll never make another’ Mario Galaxy
• Betfair secures waiver to launch real-money online gambling platform in New Jersey
• You can finally share one balance for the Wii U and 3DS digital stores
• Playnomics’ newest marketing tool predicts the lifetime of new customers and players
• Ninja Metrics aims to unlock the value of social gamers through predictive analytics
• Open-world games like Far Cry 3 and Assassin’s Creed boost Ubisoft’s profits by 5%
• Check out the cool little things that next-gen can do for zombie game Dying Light
• We’re finally getting that open-world The Lord of the Rings game we’ve dreamed about
• Next Nintendo Direct focuses on upcoming 3DS games
• Kabam will bring China’s biggest web game to the West, with a little retooling
• Disney Interactive exec leaves on the heels of Infinity’s financial success

Mobile news:

• No longer a clone house, Developer TinyCo raises $20M for free-to-play mobile games (updated)
• PlayStation App available now for iOS and Android
• Mobile game publisher Gamevil sees massive 108% boost in overseas sales
• Mobile publisher Gamevil finds new partners all across the world
• MyVegas Slots is the top free casino game on iTunes
• Indie hit FTL: Faster Than Light warping to iPad

Ruh-roh:

• Lego Marvel Super Heroes won’t make the Xbox One launch
• Lucky gamer gets Xbox One two weeks early; reveals new details
• Android-based GameStick moves its launch to Nov. 15 — the same day as the PlayStation 4′s debut

Tech:

• Xbox One can boot up in less than 15 seconds (video)
• Exclusive shots of Hauppauge’s new, portable HD gameplay recorder for Xbox One, PS4, & more

All this funding:

• Nokia Growth Partners invests $6M in Sweden’s MAG Interactive, maker of Ruzzle

Earnings:

• Nintendo sells 452K 3DS consoles in October thanks to the 2DS (and Pokémon)
• October 2013 NPD: Pokémon powers 3DS to sixth straight month at top

Above: Knack and his crew aren’t the deepest characters, but they’re likeable enough to carry the action.

Image Credit: Sony Japan

Reviews:

• The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds sits comfortably on A Link to the Past’s high pedestal (review)
• Contrast’s technical bugs and barren world keep this noir puzzle-platformer in the dark (review)
• PS4 platformer Knack is a fun adventure that fails to think big (review)
• Resogun: Next-gen graphics push a pretty shoot-em-up that quickly runs out of bullets (review)
• Killzone: Shadow Fall is a gorgeous, average soldier in the PS4′s launch unit (review)
• BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea’s Rapture is worth seeing, but Episode One is disappointing (review)

Pieces of flair:

• Good riddance: Here are the things we won’t miss about the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3
• How the Finns built their gaming startup hub in Helsinki
• Grand Theft Auto V’s homes would cost a combined $26 million in the real world
• Great tabletop games for video gamers: Memoir ’44
• Didn’t go to BlizzCon 2013? Here’s what you missed (gallery)
• 12 great current-gen games you didn’t play, handpicked by industry pros