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Sony will reveal its virtual reality headset at GDC next week, during its "Driving the Future of Innovation" panel, Edge reports, citing developers that have the hardware in-hand (or on-head). The panel takes place on Tuesday, March 18 at 5:45PM PT, and it features SCEA R&D Senior Director Richard Marks, SCEA R&D Senior Software Engineer Anton Mikhailov and SCE Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida. Marks and Mikhailov worked on the PlayStation Eye and Move controller.

The headset doesn't offer much software at the moment, but the developers expect to see a game or demo from one of Sony's first-party studios at GDC, the site reports.

Sony has been looking into virtual reality since 2011 at least (that's where the above image comes from), and last year rumors hinted that Sony was preparing imminent hardware announcements.

Oculus Rift has recently dominated the virtual reality gaming space, and the company is working with Valve to create better prototypes, such as the LED-laden Crystal Cove, and it's opening an office in Seattle, near Valve HQ. Oculus has ceased production on its current dev kit, after shipping more than 60,000 units. There's no word on a launch date for a consumer version.

The reaper is coming on March 25, and to prepare, Blizzard is offering Diablo 3 for $20 on PC and Mac now through March 23. The Reaper of Souls expansion raises character level caps and features a new storyline arc with fresh endgame content, and an adventure mode that opens up all acts for exploration.

Grab Diablo 3 for $20 on PC and Mac right here, and watch our latest stream through Diablo 3 here. [Image: Blizzard]

Expansion to add more sects, more personalization, and more bad weather.

Infested Planet keeps drawing me back. ‘I’m not ready to write about it. I need to play it more before I decide what I think.’ Then the same thing happens as every other time. I play a mission, and it’s not hard exactly, but it is a slog. It’s a battle of attrition, territory claimed inch by inch against a skittering mass of Starship Troopers-inspired bug aliens. There’s thousands of them, and clearing them away feels like fighting a rising tide with a leaky bucket. I’m sick of it. I’m bored of it. I don’t want or need to play anymore.

Right as I’m about to give up, the tide turns. My five soldiers gain a foothold in the war for the map’s capture points, and I claim enough resources to defend my turf against counter-attacks using turrets. From there, I begin to rapidly advance, pummeling my enemy into submission with helicopter bombardments and rocket blasts. My troops mow down thousands, and it feels immensely satisfying to win a hard-fought battle against overwhelming odds. I’m thrilled by it. I’m confused by it. I need to play more.

This is wot I think. … [visit site to read more]

As the journal of Wall Street foretold, Machinima has received $18 million in funding from Warner Bros. Gamasutra reports WB's executive vice president of strategy and biz development Thomas Gewecke said Machinima was a "pioneer and category leader" on YouTube and that Warner is "impressed with Machinima as a distribution partner."

Multi-channel YouTube platform Machinima received $35 million from Google in 2012, but has struggled to find stability. The obvious current synergy between Machinima and WB is the publisher's big play for the esports demographic with its Infinite Crisis MOBA.

I’ve cracked it! I’ve discovered the formula for eternal and invincible perversion! I have, this day, established a way in which PC gaming website Rock, Paper, Shotgun can post about intriguing mobile games without the slightest concern that we’re stepping beyond our self-elected remit! Well, maybe a little, occasionally, hesitantly, sideways.

Three exclamation marks in that introduction. That’s how pleased I am that a program called Bluestacks has meant I’ve spent the morning playing Android games from the big-screen comfort of my computer. … [visit site to read more]

One day, all our jobs will crowdsourced into non-existence. For now, it’s just Steam Reviews doing it to the likes of me. For example, on the Steam page for Towerfall: Ascension, one Eric Raue writes that it is, “a masterclass example of intentional game design. Nothing feels out of place or missing. The controls and pacing have been fine tuned to create the best possible experience.” There’s no truer statement to be written about the local multiplayer 2D arrow-shooter.

There are only equally as true statements. Like “Towerfall: Ascension is out now” and “there’s an animated launch trailer below.” … [visit site to read more]

Monaco developer Pocketwatch have announced a new game, which they are currently calling “Armada”. This is, they stress, currently a working title, and the game is in the very earliest phases of development, having no real art to its name. But there is a strong concept, and they’re keen to talk about that.

I caught up with pocketwatch man, Andy Schatz, to talk about the new game, which he described as “an RTS you could play in a party setting.” Have a nose at that below.

… [visit site to read more]

MSI has unveiled a pair of gaming laptops powered by NVIDIA's brand new 800M series graphics cards.

Nvidia announces new laptop GPUs, new battery optimization software, and brings game streaming and recording tools to notebooks.

An interesting comparison of two Skyrims.

Razer's ultra-thin, ultra-light gaming laptop is back with a staggering 3200x1600 multitouch screen that tops Apple's Retina display.

Fract OSC is being released! The first-person puzzle game in which you explore the innards of a manipulable, functioning synthesizer is finally breaking out into breakbeats in April. This is good news, if you’ve ever wanted to solve puzzles in a Daft Punk-meets-Myst world, and if you’ve ever wanted to learn how to use real synthesizers but were stopped in your tracks by your inability to inhabit a synthesizer it and control it as all-encompassing machinery.

There’s a new teaser trailer below.

… [visit site to read more]

I’ve had my hands on a single mega-level from the forthcoming The Incredible Adventures Of Van Helsing II, which is due to arrive on the 17th April. With promises to make big improvements over the first game, this level gives a taste of how they plan to implement the tactical angle of the first game’s finale into the general levels. It seems to be working.

… [visit site to read more]

The upcoming MMO from Carbine will launch with two editions and some nice pre-order incentives.

We get down and dirty with every element of WildStar's player versus player content, including battlegrounds, arenas, and Warplots.

From soloers to hardcore raiders, the end game in WildStar has plenty to offer for every type of MMO player.

Titanfall is experiencing a range of issues on PC following its launch in North America.

Take-Two has issued a casting call for three characters, leading to speculation Mafia 3 is back on track and set in Louisiana.

Jim first dug up Proven Lands back in October, but now more than ever it’s looking like a game given life after an invasive scan of an RPS reader’s brain. The catchiest way to describe it would be “sci-fi Don’t Starve,” but that’s far, far, far too simplistic. Proven Lands is an infinite sci-fi sandbox with a Left-4-Dead-style AI/story director, archaeology of ancient ruins, unsettlingly bizarre alien flora and fauna, a functioning ecosystem rooted in actual science, an ambition/mood system, and catstronauts. CATSTRONAUTS. Goodness, I would like to see this game get made. There’s already a free proof-of-concept tech demo, and you can watch an impressively informative video below.

… [visit site to read more]

World of Warcraft's next expansion will be released before the year is out, according to the game's pre-order page.

No, Meer, no – do not disappear down the rabbit hole of researching dimly-remembered toys from your youth. There are books I could have read – books I could have written – during the wasted hours reading Wiki pages about Boglins and Visionaries and Inhumanoids. Don’t type in He-Man. Please don’t type in He-Man.

And don’t play this freebie He-Man fan game, because its careful recreation of the 80s cartoon look will only send you back to Wikipedia. In any case, Mattel will surely strike this side-scrolling beat ‘em up from existence any second now. … [visit site to read more]

Dark visions of the world to come, where everyday words are owned and rented out by whichever corporations have been quick enough and greedy enough to trademark them. We won’t stand for that sort of thing here on Big Stone, Pulped Tree, Short Range Firearm. You won’t catch us altering our vocabulary in order to dodge the dread eye of trademark lawyers.

That’s why we heartily endorse free, satirical browser game Trademarkville, a cheerfully dystopian commentary on last month’s Sugary Treat Violent Compression Long Story miseries. … [visit site to read more]

Its VP of PR says the fee is justified with 'significant' content.

IndieCade is accepting entries for this year's independent games showcase event ahead of its October debut in Culver City, California.

Developers interested in having their works featured and judged by IndieCade's panel of more than 100 industry judges can submit their entries here. Event organizers note that all types of games are accepted, "from video games to tabletop board and card games to experiential inventions." The deadline for entry is May 15.

This year's IndieCade Festival will kick off on October 9, and will extend through October 12. All developers who submit entries will be given access to IndieCade's IndieXchange Summit, a business-oriented workshop and panel discussion event on October 9.

[Image: IndieCade]

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, Blizzard's free-to-play digital card game, is available now for PC and Mac in North and South America. Support for iPad is on its way, followed by Android, iPhone and Windows tablets. The open beta for Hearthstone launched in January in America and Europe.

Anyone interested in playing Hearthstone can download it right here. The game begins with introductory missions against Hogger, Millhouse Manastorm, Lorewalker Cho and others, plus a boss fight against Illidan Stormrage. Then, players can challenge the AI and try to unlock all nine original World of Warcraft classes.

Blizzard announced Hearthstone at PAX East 2013. [Image: Blizzard]

Hello youse.

In the video game world, this is a big week. A BIG week. Dark Souls 2 is on its way, and it’ll be heading towards your PC not too long after. I’m such a huge fan of From Software’s work with King’s Field and Demon’s/Dark Souls. I think the games stand alone – they feel like truly unique experiences. I’ve been trying to come up with a board game design that captures the feel of these games for quite some time. But more of that later. AT THE MOMENT I thought it might be interesting to talk about some games that Dark Souls fans might enjoy. I’m talking dark, atmospheric, tough, mysterious board games that tell a great story.

ONWARDS … [visit site to read more]

The BBC has released a free online version of Infocom's classic PC text adventure The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the game's initial release.

Designed by "Hitchhiker's Guide" author Douglas Adams, Infocom's game mixes humor, sci-fi, and frequent player death for an experience many regard as a high point in the text adventure genre. The BBC's latest adaptation follows up on a previous 20th anniversary re-release, and boasts improved in-game navigation along with a virtual keyboard suited for touch screens.

If you plan to play through this one, remember to save frequently. That bulldozer is a killer.

[Image: Infocom / BBC]

The Arma series has a history of ‘real life’ mods, the designation of which suggests that ARMA isn’t already a relatively accurate recreation of real life activities. Soldiers are not a fictional character class. The Life mods aim to drop players into a world where earning a wage and shopping for groceries is as important as firing a gun. Rather than being a first-person multiplayer interpretation of The Sims (which I would definitely play), Altis Life is cut from the same cloth as GTA V’s online mode. Players can be civilians or cops, and the former are likely to come into conflict with the latter when they realise that forming a criminal gang is more fun than picking berries.

… [visit site to read more]

Oculus has scooped up Atman Binstock as its new Chief Architect; he's the former Valve virtual reality head and one of the leaders of the VR Room demo at Steam Dev Days. Binstock will head up a new Oculus R&D team in Seattle, Washington, which joins existing offices in Irvine, California, Dallas, Texas, and San Francisco, California. It's worth noting that Valve is based in Bellvue, Washington, roughly 15 minutes from Seattle.

Binstock says he began working on VR at Valve two years ago, after a pitch from Valve R&D leader Michael Abrash:

"Michael convinced me that this was basically the myth of technological inevitability: the idea that because technologies were possible, they would just naturally happen. Instead, the way technological revolutions actually happen involve smart people working hard on the right problems at the right time. And if I wanted a revolution, and I thought I was capable of contributing, I should be actively pushing it forward. I signed up."

Valve and Oculus are working together on the Oculus VR headset, and together they created the most recent Oculus prototype, the Crystal Cove. Valve doesn't plan on releasing an in-house VR headset, and will instead focus on helping Oculus.

In February, we learned Oculus was running out of dev kits because some components were no longer manufactured. Now, the company has closed sales in most regions and it's ramping down production. Oculus writes, "We never expected to sell so many Rift development kits and the fact that we're close to being sold out after 60,000 kits is nothing short of incredible - Thank you for your support!" There's no word on a new dev kit model. [Image: Oculus VR] Valve VR leader joins Oculus R&D with new Seattle team