However, this isn’t the first time this issue has been raised. Motorola’s first claim was filed in November of 2010. The company claimed that Xbox consoles used Motorola-made technology that allows set-top boxes to work with both the Motorola Droid2 and DroidX. Microsoft’s rebuttal was that if the ban were enacted upon one third of the console gaming market would disappear in the United States.

Motorola, to no surprise, also was in disagreement over the potential reparations over this issue. The phone maker demanded that the bond would be worth 100 percent of unsold Xbox inventory. Microsoft said this was ridiculous as Motorola was unable to prove that people bought Xboxes over Droid devices due to the technology that Motorola had developed.

Judge Shaw’s recommendation could turn the tide in the ITC’s decision on the subject and should they put it up for serious consideration it will be up to the President to decide the ultimate fate of the Xbox 360.

If you were one of those gamers who held off on running through the sands of Banoi in Dead Island just to see if a better version of the game would release, your non-work has paid off. Deep Silver has announced that a Game of the Year Edition for Dead Island will release this summer, making all of your zombie-infested dreams come true. The game will be available in the US on June 26^th and in Europe on July 6^th.

This edition of the game will include the Bloodbath Arena DLC as well as the Ryder White storyline. You’ll also get The Ripper weapon blueprint so you can saw your way through hordes of undead. With both DLC packs this will be everything you need to drift the summer away.

I really enjoyed Dead Island. To be honest, I’m kind of glad this edition is coming out and I may even pick it up to replace my older copy. Despite its online co-op issues in the beginning, Dead Island managed to stay fun and had a lot of players enthralled. I think it’s a game that is getting us closer to the true zombie apocalypse idea where we need to actually forage for things to survive instead of just having guns with endless ammo to blow away the undead.

Microsoft seems to be in quite the giving mood lately. Yesterday we reported that the company was once again starting up their initiative to give free Xbox 360′s to college students who buy a new computer. The deal today isn’t quite as good, but it could shave off almost half the price of a new game.

Halo 4 is making its way to stores this fall, and Microsoft wants you to buy it directly from them. They aren’t offering up gimmicky DLC or silly costumes. Rather, they’re going to give you some cold hard….store credit. If you pre-order the game from the Microsoft Store, you’ll get a code for $25 off of your next purchase.

The offer is good until November 5th, though the earlier you do it, the better. Sometimes these deals disappear if you don’t jump on them. The code will be emailed to you within 10 days after the game is released, and you’ll have until December 31st to redeem it. Sounds like a good way to get a cheap Christmas present for someone, if you ask me.

When the Xbox Live version of Minecraft was released, it quickly became the fastest selling game on the XBLA service. However, there was a small group of people that weren’t too happy with the game. It turns out that if you wanted to play the split-screen multiplayer, you needed to have an HD-TV, and nothing in the games description ever made mention of that fact.

Well, after hearing the numerous complaints, and perhaps even threats of some sort of class-action lawsuit (that may or may not have had a chance of succeeding), Microsoft is now offering refunds for people who bought the game and only own SD-TV’s. All you have to do is contact customer support and tell them that you bought the game and you don’t have an HD-TV, and you should be able to get your money back. That doesn’t seem too hard.

Of course, Microsoft has closed the little loophole to prevent you from getting a free copy of the game. They’ve updated the XBLA listing for Minecraft to say “To experience split-screen functionality a high-definition television is required.” Now, with all that being said, I have to wonder, how many Xbox 360 players still play on SD-TV’s?

If you’re a fan of the GameStop PowerUp Rewards program, this would be a good time for you to listen. Fans will know that by signing up for the program you’ll be able to get an issue of Game Informer every month as long as you’re signed up. To some gamers these magazines are collectible, while some just read them for the reviews. Of course, there are some players out there who don’t want to bother with print issues, so they choose to go digital. That’s where the change comes in.

It looks like the company isn’t too happy about the amount of digital subscriptions that’s standing and wants to change it. Of course it costs more money to make print issues than digital, so it would make some sense when trying to cut costs to push digital. From now on when you sign up for the PowerUp Rewards program, or renew your subscription you will automatically be set to receive only digital copies. Even if you’ve been getting print for however many years, it will roll you over unless you say something.

GameStop employees have been instructed not to mention this to customers (which I find aggravating), so unless you specifically tell them when you sign up/renew, they will set you to receive digital copies. While for some this may not be an issue, for those like me who keep the issues it will most certainly be frustrating. As an alternative you can call in to Game Informer customer support to have your subscription changed without any hassle. I haven’t seen the digital issues, but from what I heard they’re not even .pdf files. What you get is a digital arrow pointing to the Game Informer website and that’s no fun. If you want to continue getting your print copies, make sure you lock down your decision and make note when you renew.

Remember last year when Microsoft started offering free Xbox 360′s to students who purchased a new computer? Well it looks like the promotion was a success, because the company has decided to bring back the deal this year.

The promotion is already in full swing, and allows anyone in the US purchasing a computer (desktop or laptop) valued at $699 or more to get a free 4GB Xbox 360. Our friends to the north can also get the same deal, but they need only spend $599 to earn their free console. You’ll need to buy your PC at a participating retailer, such as Best Buy, Dell, Fry’s Electronics, HPDirect, Microsoft Stores, and NewEgg.

Microsoft hasn’t specified a cutoff date for the deal, but last year it ended on September 3rd. Regardless of the cutoff date, you’ll want to get in on this sooner, rather than later. The company always reserves the right to end the promotion when supplies are exhausted.

Many people were angry over the ending of Mass Effect 3. They felt that no matter what you did in the previous games, you were basically given a choice of 3 different options, which were essentially all the same. Well, BioWare, the developer for the game, heard your grumblings and decided that they’re going to release a free bit of DLC to better explain the ending.

In an interview with G4, it was confirmed that the voices for Admiral Hackett and EDI, actor Lance Henriksen and actress Tricia Helfer, are recording more lines for the game. Henriksen had this to say about what he’s doing: “I just did another session with them…They were saying there’s a little bit of a problem with the abruptness of the ending, so we did a whole series of things to add to the end of the game, to live up to the quality they’ve been doing.”

Also included in the list of voice actors making a return is Raphael Sbarge, the voice of Kaidan Alenko. Considering how you have to make a choice concerning Kaidan and Ashley’s fate in the original Mass Effect, it won’t be surprising to see Ashley’s voice actress make an appearance as well. The thing I have to wonder about at this point, though, is that are these characters going be performing the in present, so to speak? Will they be saying stuff that’s going on as you’re playing the game to help better explain the ending? Or will they be used for exposition after the “ending”, giving a recap of what exactly happened after Shepard defeated the Reapers?

Freddie Wong, a notable maker of awesome videos on Youtube, has been working hard on his newest project, which has been a webseries. The new series is called Video Game High School and, as you expected, it’s frickin’ sweet. Freddie has been working with Rocket Jump to make the series possible and so far it’s worked out flawlessly.

The series follows a kid by the name of BrianD who is an upcoming competitive gamer. He finds himself called upon by his fellow team mates, though chores pull him from the battle. Escaping back to the warzone BrianD is met with an unfortunate fate. His reflexes kick into action at the last minute and, thinking fast, BrianD pulls out of the peril, all while eliminating the world’s most elite player in the process. The next day he sees an invitation at his door welcoming him to VGHS – a gamer’s heaven on Earth.

The second episode is up now, and you can watch it here. When I first heard of the series premiere I was a bit apprehensive, I’ll admit. After I sat down and watched it, however, I was surprised. Rocket Jump and Freddie have done a great job piecing the series together with the first two episodes and it’s not the cliche I expected. Check out the second episode yourselves and strap in for when the rest of the series releases.

One of the biggest stories in the gaming industry follows ex-Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella in their fight against Activision. In case you’re unaware, Activision tried firing the duo after some heat between them sparked. Now, some time after the initial event, West and Zampella are seeking out a hefty amount of cash in paid damages. They’re asking for one billion dollars to be exact.

One billion dollars. Just say it, say that number over and over again three good times. That’s a lot of money. Notes on the amount were spotted once the publisher released a financial filing which the SEC picked up on. In the text, it states:

“After concluding an internal human resources inquiry into breaches of contract and insubordination by two senior employees at Infinity Ward, the Company terminated its employment of Jason West and Vince Zampella on March 1, 2010.

On March 3, 2010, West and Zampella filed a complaint against the Company in Los Angeles Superior Court for breach of contract and wrongful termination, among other claims. In their complaint, West and Zampella alleged damages, including punitive damages, in excess of $36 million, an amount they have since significantly increased during discovery to over $1 billion, as well as declaratory relief.

On April 9, 2010, the Company filed a cross complaint against West and Zampella, asserting claims for breach of contract and fiduciary duty, among other claims. The Company is seeking damages and declaratory relief.”

This case will set out before judges on May 29^th and that’s not far off. Just recently there was some news regarding an accusation of Activision making attempts to hack into West and Zampella’s company email, which isn’t looking too good. Word is that Activision even conjured up the idea of faking a fire drill to get everyone out of the building so they could send someone in to crack the codes on the duo’s computers. If this is true, Activision really has some things to answer to. We’ll see what happens when the case goes to court.

 Source

Pay attention all you Vault Hunters out there! 2K Games has just announced the special editions for the upcoming Borderlands 2 game. That’s right, there’s more than one! You’ve hit the jackpot, kids!

The first bundle is the Collector’s Edition. It’s called the Deluxe Vault Hunter’s Collector’s Edition and it will cost you $99.99. You’ll pick up a Marcus Kincaid bobblehead, an art book, a sticker set, a digital comic book download code, in-game content, and a Pandora map. There’s plenty for the taking!

If you’re one of those die-hard hunters, though, there’s another edition especially for you. The second bundle is the Ultimate Loot Chest Limited Edition and it will set you back $149.99. It includes all of the items listed above, as well as a scaled replica of a red loot chest, steel book case, lithograph postcards, “Creatures of Pandora” ID chart, Sir Hammerlock’s field notes, a Pandora cloth map, and some in-game items such as the Golden Key, Vault Hunter’s Relic, the Gearbox Gun Pack, and access to the Mechromancer class.

Each edition has its own perks, though I’d personally want the replica chest. I know there’s no way it will be the actual size because it’s scaled, but it would still look awesome on my desk. I imagine everything will be packaged inside it as well. Alright, I’ve talked myself into it. I’m going to pre-order my Ultimate Loot Chest Limited Edition right now.