Tech Culture

Sony's PS4 E3 conference: Join us Monday (live blog)

Hopefully, Sony will have a lot more to show off at its E3 press conference on Monday evening.

In February, Sony managed to hold a launch event for its next-generation Playstation 4 without actually showing off the console. The presentation, which touted the gadget's online capabilities, a new controller, and a lot more processing and graphical muscle, raised a lot of questions.

Maybe Sony will reveal more during its E3 event, which kicks off at 6 p.m. PT. Our live blog will begin 30 minutes earlier to field reader questions. We will also embed the E3 presentation into the live blog itself, so you won't have to go anywhere for your total Sony video game fix. … Read more

Microsoft's Xbox One E3 2013: Join us June 10 (live blog)

Editor's note: At its E3 event, Microsoft announced the Xbox One will be released in November for $499. For the key points from today's announcement, check out our summary post here. For more on the Xbox One games that Microsoft announced, go here. Also, see our story on the new, smaller Xbox 360.

Think of this as Microsoft's Xbox One presentation, take two.

Just weeks after Microsoft unveiled its next-generation video game console, the company is back at it again at this year's E3 conference. The press conference begins at 9:30 am P.T. on … Read more

Why Xbox One's used games policy doesn't need to be the end of gaming as we know it

Last week, Microsoft finally provided some additional information on how the "game licensing" policy will work for the company's newly introduced Xbox One. It was our first peek behind the curtain on how discs, digital downloads, game sharing, and Xbox Live accounts will work and interact on the upcoming game console.

The new policy explicitly states that the new system was designed so that "game publishers can enable you to trade in your games at participating retailers." But reading between the lines of that lawyery language, most gamers took that to mean that the aftermarket … Read more

'Quantum ATM' aims to make us all rich

If you've spent much time looking into the peculiar world of quantum physics and the notion of a so-called quantum superposition that theoretically allows a particle to be everywhere at once, you've surely thought of some ways that being able to manipulate such properties could be pretty awesome.

In my case, it's the strongest evidence I've found since turning 12 that the Santa Claus I grew up hearing about could actually exist.

But experimental philosopher Jonathon Keats is setting out to put quantum physics to a much more practical use, no matter how impractical the world of finance may find it.… Read more

Shock and awe: Faces of people trying Oculus Rift

Editor's note: We had originally planned to run this feature on Saturday, June 1, but found out the day before that Andrew Scott Reisse, a co-founder of Oculus VR, had just been killed in an accident. We are running the story now as a tribute to the product Reisse helped create, and we offer our condolences to the family, friends, and co-workers mourning his loss.

The Oculus Rift headset differs from most other wearable displays by adding the extra benefit of highly accurate head-tracking. This means that when a Rift wearer looks left in real life, the virtual view turns to that direction as well. This sense of realness is often a major surprise for those unfamiliar with the tech. … Read more

Sony still has a lot to prove at E3 2013

Heading into E3, Sony has more to prove with the PlayStation 4 (PS4) than its console-making competition. Microsoft has already shown that, in its quest to take over your living room, the Xbox One will offer more than just upgraded graphics and a new controller. And for good or ill (ill, for now), Microsoft's used games and always-on plans are on the table and it can now mostly concentrate on wowing the public with games. Assuming it has public-wowable games, of course.

CNET's live coverage of Sony's PlayStation 4 E3 event on Monday Nintendo is actually in … Read more

ICANN to shift around top-level execs

ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, is shifting around some key executives, the organization said in a blog posted Thursday.

Starting July 1, Akram Atallah, currently chief operating officer, will transition to a new role as president of the Generic Domains Division. Focusing on generic domain operations, the new division is considered necessary as ICANN's new gTLD (generic top-level domain) program will take on much greater responsibility moving forward, according to ICANN president and CEO Fadi Chehade.

ICANN's new gTLD program will expand the types of Internet extensions that are available -- such as .com, .… Read more

GamePop to get iOS games, too

BlueStacks' GamePop console for playing Android games on your TV announced on Friday that iOS-only games also will be available to its subscribers.

Using a new mobile-to-TV technology it calls "Looking Glass" to convert iOS games for play on non-iOS devices, GamePop has revealed that iOS-first Subatomic Studios will include its games as part of the console's $7 monthly subscription service. The console will sell for $130 when it's released later this year, but is free to early adopters at GamePop.tv through June 30.

Subatomic is known for the popular Fieldrunners game. While its games … Read more

Game industry spending stays flat in first quarter of 2013

The game industry's sales during the first quarter remained flat, new data from research firm NPD has confirmed.

During the first quarter of 2013, total game content spending in the U.S. hit $3.5 billion, matching what was spent during the same period in 2012. A total of $1.37 billion was spent on physical console and PC games (meaning discs) while used and rental spending hit $559 million. Total spending on digital content reached $1.59 billion.

"Digital spending fully offset the declines in physical format spend in Q1'13," said Liam Callahan, industry analyst … Read more