Jay-Z Gives Skylar Diggins A New Mercedes CLS
WNBA star, Skylar Diggins who also happens to be Jay-Z's first Roc Nation Sports client, graduated from Notre Dame this past weekend and her gift from Roc Nation was a brand new Mercedes-Benz CLS 63. The car was sitting outside waiting for Skylar as a surprise after the ceremony with a big red bow. Skylar posted this photo to her Instagram to thank "Jay" and Roc Nation. Must. Be. Nice.
Shout out to Ken for the tip!
Source: http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201305/jay-z-gives-wnba-player-new-car-graduation
New Xbox Announcement Coverage – Article
Sony have had their big day, now it's Microsoft's turn. With just 3 weeks to go until E3, Microsoft are about to officially announce and reveal the next Xbox gaming console.
You can watch the reveal yourself via Xbox.com, Xbox Live, Spike TV, or GameTrailers.com.
Here's the expected timetable:
This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - New Xbox Announcement Coverage - Article
Kevin Conroy Will NOT Return to Voice Batman in Arkham Origins – News
It was widely reported yesterday that veteran voice actor Kevin Conroy, who has been voicing Batman across various media including Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Batman: Arkham City, would be returning to the role of the Caped Crusader for this fall's Batman: Arkham Origins.
However, this appears to not be the case. Today, Warner Bros. revealed that Roger Craig Smith (best known for his performances as Ezio Auditore in Assassin's Creed and Chris Redfield in Resident Evil) would be taking on the iconic role. Perhaps even more interesting, it was also announced that Troy Baker (Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite, Jake Muller in Resident Evil 6) will be portraying the Joker.
This announcement seems contradictory to Conroy's statements yesterday at Dallas Comic-Con that he was working on the "next Arkham game." So, which is it? Many speculate that Conroy will be portraying an older Batman (Arkham Origins is a prequel to the first two games in the series). It's also worth noting that Conroy never explicitly stated that he was working on Origins, just the "next Arkham game." Is it possible that Conroy just inadvertently revealed the existence of a future Batman: Arkham title?
In any case, it remains to be seen what Conroy's involvement will be in Arkham Origins. Conroy, who most recently portrayed Batman in last month's Injustice: Gods Among Us, is considered by most to be THE definitive Batman, so I'm sure he'll return to this series in some capacity.
This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Kevin Conroy Will NOT Return to Voice Batman in Arkham Origins - News
Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery: Episode 1 (PSV) – Review
Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery is a story-laden puzzle game akin to the tales of Professor Layton. However, like the titular character himself, this game has a bit of growing up to do before it can stand toe to toe with its rival.
Jacob Jones is a young boy who lives with his parents while they're trekking into the wilderness to discover new species. Unfortunately that kind of lifestyle doesn't allow for much of a social life so his parents send him to summer camp in hopes that he'll get some friends his own age. Like most kids in this situation Jacob is wary at first but soon resigns himself to his fate and does his best to get used to his new surroundings. The premise is somewhat reminiscent of Double Fine's Costume Quest, with its small children as central characters and relatively family friendly content. Even though my comedy tastes are decidedly not family friendly, there were nonetheless still a couple laughs to be had over the course of Episode 1. My favorite moment is when the kids at camp stumble upon an old record and are totally clueless as to what it's for.
There's nothing really riveting about the narrative but it is cute and enjoyable nonetheless, and a major reason for this is the presentation. Visually, the world of Jacob Jones is charming with a kind of hand-made appeal that comes through well. The characters that inhabit the world have some oddities to them, like walking animations which seem to move much faster than the character's actual leg movements should allow, and a vertical seam that gives the impression they were all cast from plastic, but the design is still great for the most part. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the technical aspects of the presentation; I noticed numerous framerate hitches, even to the extent that the visuals randomly pause for a split second. The soundtrack is unmemorable, but the voice acting is surprisingly robust and well done for a budget title like this. Walking around and talking to the campers and the counselors reminded me quite a bit of Psychonauts' charm (yes, another Double Fine game).
This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery: Episode 1 (PSV) - Review
Nippon Ichi Sponsors Local Soccer Team – News
Nippon Ichi Software, the Japanese developer behind such titles as Phantom Brave, La Pucelle: Tactics, and the Disgaea series, have done a civic duty for their base of operations, the Gifu Prefecture of Japan. They announced that they have become the official sponsor of the local soccer team, F.C. Gifu.
Gooooal, dood!
F.C. Gifu finished 21st in J. League Division 2 this season, second to last, and currently sits in last place this season. The last place team at the end of the season will be relegated to Division 3. J. League Division 2 is the second of three divisions in the Japanese professional soccer system.
This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Nippon Ichi Sponsors Local Soccer Team - News
PlayStation 4 Teaser Video (Sort of) Shows Off the Console – News
Gamers have tomorrow circled on their calendars, awaiting the reveal of the next generation of Xbox. But Sony is also releasing a new console this year, called the PlayStation 4, and they don't want you to forget about that! So with the next Xbox presentation imminent, Sony released this little teaser video of what the PlayStation 4 will look like:
Well, sort of. It's safe to assume it will look nicer than a blurry black box. Oh, look at all those really quick shots of various parts of the console!
The PlayStation 4 will release this holiday season. Exact release dates and prices are not yet known.
This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - PlayStation 4 Teaser Video (Sort of) Shows Off the Console - News
$65B Spent on Gaming, Fastest Growing Entertainment Sector
Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg spoke on Major Nelson's podcast about the video game industry as a whole and how well it is performing when compared to other entertainment industries.
Gamers spent $65 billion on video games in 2012, with consoles leading the industry. $28 billion have been spent on console gaming, which is 42 percent of the total sales. The PC sector just edges out the Mobile / Tablet sector with $12 billion in sales, compared to $10 billion. Handheld gaming, which includes the 3DS and PlayStation Vita accounts, accounts for $8 billion in gaming sales. The Social / Browser sector has caught up with handhelds at $8 billion.
The home console sales have grown consistently since the 5th generation, PlayStation 1 and Nintendo 64. There were 150 million home consoles sold in the 5th generation, while sales grew 30 percent to 200 million in the 6th generation. The 6th generation includes the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. Console sales skyrocketed in the 7th generation with 300 million units sold to date. The 7th generation includes the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The 7th generation is on track to double the sales of the 6th generation.
Microsoft has also released their projections for the 8th generation which includes the next Xbox, PlayStation 4 and Wii U. The 8th generation is expected to grow 28 percent from the 7th generation, to 385 million consoles sold.
As a whole the video game industry is on track to become the biggest entertainment sector. It is currently growing at 7 percent per year which is higher than any other entertainment sector. TV subscriptions are growing at 6.8 percent per year, TV ads by 4.6 percent, Radio by 3.2 percent, Music by 1.9 percent, and film by 1.7 percent. The Newspaper, Magazine and Book industries have been showing a slight decline, though less than one percent.
The video game industry has surpassed the film industry when it comes to blockbusters. Call of Duty II: Black Ops II reached $650 million in sales in just five days, while the Avengers film made $373 million in 10 days. More recently Iron Man 3 produced $285 million in sales in its first 10 days. In the US, the Home Console market has reached the US Box Office market in 2012 with $11 billion in sales each.
Other figures include more than one billion people playing games online worldwide and video game software sales have made $12.1 billion in profit.
Top 10 in Sales – Grand Theft Auto
Welcome to the ‘Top 10’ weekly feature. Each week we will be taking a look at the top 10 selling games in a particular genre, platform, most recent month, even sprinkling in the top 10 selling games from a past year. All sales specified will be worldwide, unless stated otherwise. If there is a particular top 10 you want to see leave a comment and it may be featured in a future top 10.
This week we will be looking at the top 10 selling Grand Theft Auto games. Last week we looked at the top 10 selling games in April 2013 and the week before that the top 10 selling Tomb Raider games.
Looking at the top 10 bestselling Grand Theft Auto games, two of the games were released in the 1990’s and eight of the games were released in the 2000’s. Grand Theft Auto V which is set to be released later this year will be the first in the franchise to be released in the 2010’s.
The two games released in 1990’s, Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto II, sold a combined 5.98 million units or 5.4 percent of the total games sold in the top 10. It wasn’t until the release of Grand Theft Auto III on the PlayStation 2 in October 2001 that it became one of the top selling franchises in the industry. The majority of the games sales have occurred since them. In the top 10 alone, 94.6 percent of the sales occurred since the release of Grand Theft Auto III.
The top 10 bestselling Grand Theft Auto games sold a combined 110.82 million units. The top three titles sold more than 20 million units and the top five titles sold more than 10 million units. The top six titles sold more than five million units, the top eight titles sold more than three million units and all the games in the top 10 broke the two million mark.
Take-Two has published all the games in franchise, while Rockstar has been the main developer for the franchise.
The top 10 bestselling Grand Theft Auto games as a graph really shows how the franchise has only gotten more popular with each main release, other than Grand Theft Auto IV. Grand Theft Auto 2 outsold the original by 25 percent, while Grand Theft Auto III outsold the first two titles in the franchise combined and multiplied by three. Vice City outsold Grand Theft Auto III by 3.06 million units or 15 percent, while San Andreas out sold Vice City by 3.23 million units or 14 percent.
The majority of the sales for Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City and San Andreas came from the PlayStation 2. However, Grand Theft Auto IV sales were pretty even between the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The Xbox 360 version sold 10.25 million units, while the PlayStation 3 version sold 9.71 million units. It is also the second bestselling Grand Theft Auto game of all time with combined sales of 20.69 million units. It only recently passed Vice City.
Of the top 10 titles, all 10 were released on a Sony platform, whether it is the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, or PSP. Five of the games were released on a Microsoft platform, whether it is the original Xbox or Xbox 360. Only two of the titles were released on a Nintendo platform, the Gameboy Advance and DS.
Note: The Rockstar Games Double Pack bundles counted towards both games. For example the Xbox double pack for Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City sold 2.49 million units, therefore 2.49 million units were added to each games total above.
Contact VGChartz at wdangelo@vgchartz.com
Rumour: Resident Evil 7 Set for E3 Reveal – News
If this E3 2013 promotional poster that leaked today is real then it looks like Resident Evil 7 is about to be announced:
Naturally, it's not much to go on at this stage, and VG 24/7, who are reporting on the supposed leak, are urging caution; after all, it's not that difficult for anyone to design a semi-decent promotional poster. Still, it wouldn't come as a great shock for Capcom to announce it at E3.
The last mainline numbered entry in the series, Resident Evil 6, released last October on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 to a somewhat mixed reception.
This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Rumour: Resident Evil 7 Set for E3 Reveal - News
Alex Gerrard Picks Up A Panamera
Alex Gerrard can have just about any car she wants. Between her Bentley, new Range Rover Overfinch, Mercedes CLS, and her Aston Martin you'd think she'd be pretty content but last week she was spotted driving a new Porsche Panamera.
D-Wade Rolls Up To A Party In A Porsche Turbo
Miami's newest premier exotic car rental agency, Lou La Vie held their grand opening party recently and Dwyane Wade showed up in his Porsche 997 Turbo cab.
Ray J’s Rolls Royce Unveiled At DUB
If you follow us on Facebook then you already know we were checking out the DUB show down in Miami yesterday. The Auto Firm had a few of their celebrity projects on display along with Ray J's Rolls Royce Ghost. The car has definitely been through a lot of different looks (even a chrome wrap at one point) but the newest look was unveiled to Ray J yesterday at the show. Do you like the before or after look?
Ray J's Rolls Royce before:
Ray J with his Rolls Royce after:
Gumball 3000: Following Josh Cartu and Jon Olsson
Of course there will be lots of great cars in this years Gumball 3000 rally but so far my favorites have been from Josh Cartu and Jon Olsson. Like you can see in the video posted the other day of Cartu's Gumball rides, team "House of Cartu" is all set with the Ferrari F12, Ferrari 458 Spider, and the Rolls Royce Phantom Series II EWB. Meanwhile, Olsson will be rolling in his Rebellion R2K.
What ride would you want to take on Gumball?
2013 Year on Year Sales and Market Share Update to May 11th
Here we see data representing the global sales through to consumers and change in sales performance of the four home consoles and four handhelds over comparable periods for 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Also shown is the market share for each of the consoles over the same periods.
Year to Date Sales Comparison (Same Periods Covered)
Market Share – 7th Generation (Same Periods Covered)
Market Share – 8th Generation (Same Periods Covered)
2010 – (Week beginning January 3 to May 15)
2011 – (Week beginning January 2 to May 14)
2012 – (Week beginning January 1 to May 12)
2013 – (Week beginning December 30 to May 11)
Total Sales and Market Share for Each Year – 7th Generation
Total Sales and Market Share for Each Year – 8th Generation
"Year to date" sales for 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 sales are shown in series at the top of the table and then just below a comparison of 2013 versus 2011 and 2013 versus 2012 is displayed. This provides an easy-to-view summary of all the data.
Microsoft
Xbox 360 - Down Year-on-Year 6,206, Year to Date -16.0%
Sony
PlayStation 3 – Down Year-on-Year 855, Year to Date -17.4%
PSP - Down Year-on-Year 8,573, Year to Date -7.4%
PlayStation Vita – Down Year-on-Year 9,395, Year to Date -30.3%
Nintendo
Nintendo Wii - Down Year-on-Year 27,746, Year to Date -54.9%
Nintendo DS - Down Year-on-Year 16,330, Year to Date -56.9%
Nintendo 3DS - Up Year-on-Year 19,750, Year to Date -7.8%
Nintendo Wii U – n/a
Contact VGChartz at wdangelo@vgchartz.com
Emily Blunt Runs Errands In Her Audi
Emily Blunt was spotted stepping out of her Audi Q5 in Los Angeles recently. At least know we know she drives something other than her Prius.
Weekly Sales Analysis, 11 May – Lifetime PS3 Sales Right Behind X360
Overview
There were adjustments to the sales figures this week. Most notable were the increases in the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Vita hardware sales. The PlayStation 3 is now just 50,000 units behind the Xbox 360 and will become the second bestselling home console of the 7th generation in the next couple of weeks. The PlayStation Vita was adjusted above 5 million units.
Overall hardware sales decreased by 13 percent week-on-week. Week-on-week sales are down across the board. Overall year-on-year sales are down four percent. Also the 3DS is the only platform to be up year-on-year. However, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are only slightly down. The DS has dropped by 50 percent year-on-year, the biggest by percent.
No games debuted in the top 30 this week.
There are no software milestones this week in the top 30.
Worldwide Hardware
Hardware home console sales week-on-week are down across the board. PlayStation 3 sales are down 12,240 (-9%) to 127,649 units sold. Xbox 360 sales are down 1,991 (-2%) to 92,388 units sold. The Wii sold 30,249 units, a decrease of 1,228 (-4%). The Wii U sold 26,864 units, a decrease of 5,547 (-17%).
Handheld sales week-on-week has dropped across the board. The 3DS sold 138,079 units, which is down 29,753 (-18%) week-on-week. The PSP is down 5,576 (-10%) to 50,273 units sold. The Vita sold 31,794 units which is down 17,690 (-36%) compared to last week. The DS is down 30 (0%) to 16,641 units sold. Total week on week sales are down 74,055 units (-13%) to 513,937 units sold.
The 3DS is the only platform up year-on-year. The PlayStation 3 is down 855 (-1%), the Wii is down 27,746 (-48%), and the Xbox 360 is down 6,206 (-6%). The PSP is down 8,573 (-15%), the DS is down 16,330 (-50%), the Vita is down 9,395 (-23%) and the 3DS is up 19,750 (17%). Year on year sales are down 22,491 units (-4%).
Home console hardware sales for the Xbox 360 for three weeks, the PlayStation 3 for six weeks, the Wii for two weeks, and the Wii U for one week. The PlayStation 3 has led for the last 20 weeks. Wii and Wii U sales have been nearly identical for the last five weeks.
The PlayStation 3 has a 51 percent market share for the seventh generation; the Xbox 360 has a 37 percent market share; and the Wii has a 12 percent market share. Compared with ten weeks ago all for home consoles are down.
Handheld hardware sales have decreased for one week for the 3DS and Vita, two weeks for the PSP and six weeks for the DS. The gap between the 3DS and Vita has decreased this week to 107,000 units this week, down from 118,000 units last week.
The PSP has a 75 percent market share this week for the seventh generation handhelds, while the DS has a 25 percent market share. The 3DS has an 81 percent market share for the eighth generation of handhelds, while the Vita has a 19 percent market share. Compared with ten weeks ago all four handhelds are down.
Worldwide Software
No games debuted in the top 30 this week.
Here are the other games in the top 10 that are not debuts: Tomodachi Collection: Shin Seikatsu (3DS) is at the top of the charts with sales of 103,410. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS) is at number two with sales of 95,590. LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins (3DS) is at number three with sales of 61,775. Dead Island: Riptide (X360) is at number four with sales of 50,505. Injustice: Gods Among Us (X360) is at number five with sales of 37,791.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II (PS3) is at number six with sales of 36,128. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (X360) is at number seven with sales of 34,783. New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS) is at number eight with sales of 31,852. Dragon’s Dogma (PS3) is at number nine with sales of 29,146. Dead Island: Riptide (PS3) rounds out the top 10 with sales of 28,181.
Software home console sales week-on-week are down across the board. The PlayStation 3 sold the most games this week with sales of 962m291, a decrease of 183,610 units (-16%). The Xbox 360 sold 994,918 games this week, a decrease of 119,540 units (-12%). Wii software sales are down 42,589 units (-8%) to 460,707 games sold. The Wii U sold 95,004 games, a decrease of 17,882 (-16%).
Handheld software sales week-on-week are down across the board. The 3DS sold 576,868 games, which is down 248,860 units (30%). The DS sold 303,614 games, a decrease of 34,769 units (-10%) week-on-week. The PSP sold 100,225 games, a decrease of 31,277 (-24%). Vita game sales are down 61,309 units (-39%) to 95,568 games sold. Total combined software is down 739,836 games units (-18%) week-on-week to 3.48 million.
Year on year software totals are up for the 3DS and Vita, and down for everything else. The PlayStation 3 is down 372,253 units (-28%), the Wii is down 353,900 units (-43%) and the Xbox 360 is down 312,482 units (-26%). The DS is down 120,002 units (-28%), the PSP is down 73,903 units (-42%), the 3DS is up 302,836 units (111%), and the Vita is up 9,142 units (11%). Total combined software is down 825,558 units (-19%) games sold year on year.
Home console software sales have decreased for one week for all four home consoles. Software sales between the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 remain within 200,000 of each other for the second straight week.
The PlayStation 3 has a 42 percent market share, the Xbox 360 has a 38 percent market share, and the Wii has a 20 percent market share. Compared to ten weeks ago the Wii U is up, while the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii are down.
The 3DS sold the most software for a handheld for the 21st straight week. The 3DS and DS have remained above their rivals, the Vita and PSP respectively. The 3DS sold more than six times as many games as the Vita. The DS sold more than three times as many games as the PSP.
The DS has a 75 percent market share for the current generation handhelds and the PSP has a 25 percent market share. The 3DS has an 86 percent market share for the next generation handhelds, while the Vita has a 14 percent market share. Compared with ten weeks ago the 3DS is up, while the DS, Vita and PSP are down.
The Top 75 can be seen below or click here to view the full chart.
Contact VGChartz at wdangelo@vgchartz.com
Assassin’s Creed Film Release Date Set – News
Ubisoft and 20th Century Fox have slated the Assassin's Creed film for May 22nd, 2015.
That's memorial day weekend, one of the biggest movie blockbuster dates of the summer, so clearly the filmmakers have a lot of confidence behind the project. The Assassin's Creed film is not only being made in direct conjunction with game developer Ubisoft, but is being produced by Michael Fassbender, who is also set to star.
This will put Assassin's Creed in box-office competition with Marvel's The Avengers 2, set to release just a couple weeks earlier, as well as, potentially, Star Wars Episode VII.
That's some staggering competition to go up against. It's still quite ways away, but how do you guys think Assassin's Creed will fair? I actually really dug 2010's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, another Ubisoft adaptation, so I have high hopes for this one.
This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Assassin's Creed Film Release Date Set - News
Josh Cartu All Wrapped Up For Gumball 3000
Gumball 3000 is right around the corner and based on the three cars Josh Cartu has brought along I would say the bar has been set pretty high. I haven't been all that excited for a Gumball in a few years but based on all the cars I'm seeing it looks like it's shaping up to be one of the best Gumball's of all time.
I can't wait to see what Maximillion brings out.
EA: “No Games in Development for the Wii U” – News
Earlier this week, EA confirmed what everyone long suspected; the third-party giant has turned its back on the Wii U.
"We have no games in development for the Wii U currently," EA spokesperson Jeff Brown told Kotaku. There was no mention of whether EA would ever resume Wii U development.
The confirmation of EA's abstinence is the latest chapter in a bizarre story that began with EA vowing to have an "unprecented partnership" with Nintendo and the Wii U back at E3 2011. The company launched Mass Effect 3, Need for Speed Underground, Madden NFL 13 and FIFA 13 at or near the console's launch, but there have been no EA games released since then. (Brown also told Kotaku that these games were EA delivering on the aforementioned partnership.) Various rumors and reports have found their way around the internet, ranging from a response to low Wii U sales to EA not being allowed to run Origin on the Wii U. Whatever the reason, EA has given Nintendo the cold shoulder, meaning the Wii U is now without one of the biggest third-party developers in the industry. Time will tell what affect that has on Nintendo's fledgling console.