With new console launches from Sony and Microsoft mere months in the rear view mirror, we won't blame you if you buy into the hype and consider 2014 to be a golden age for gaming machines; a veritable Renaissance for living room gaming. But the endless TV ads and Best Buy displays that are selling you this fantasy are devoid of one thing: sales numbers. And as TechCrunch has reported today, they're not good.Referring to leaked NPD data on North American console sales for January 2014, TechCrunch paints a fairly dismal picture for the living room market as a whole - one in which only 16 million next gen consoles have sold to date. At fault, in their opinion, are a myriad of factors - including casual gamers moving to mobile and hardcore gamers moving to PC.As the editor of a site primarily focused on mobile and PC gaming, I hate to say I told you so, but… you're gonna let me have this one, right?
Peggle may have been born on the PC, but its sequel isn't looking to share a common set of roots. PopCap has entered into a deal with Microsoft to launch both title on Xbox One first, with other platforms to follow.
Among the many questions gamers had going into today's Microsoft XBox press conference was how the new console's relationship with indie games would change. Because while the 360 was a haven for indie games through Xbox Live Arcade and the Xbox Indie Games program, it certainly appeared that the Xbox One might be moving away from indies in "It's not you, it's me" fashion.
Following an endless wave of hype, rumors, pomp and circumstance, Microsoft unveiled the third generation of Xbox earlier today at their headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Though I suppose the location didn't matter too much. Press and gamer alike, you could watch it from anywhere - whether streamed to your desktop or sent straight to your TV via your soon-to-be-last-gen Xbox 360.