Blog Posts by Ben Silverman

(Credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft came out swinging Tuesday with a highly-anticipated hour-long reveal event for their next-gen home console, the newly minted Xbox One.

Unfortunately, it seems they weren’t connecting.

The event focused on the console’s ability to support live television, its reworked Kinect motion control system, and Microsoft’s deep relationship with massive mainstream brands like EA Sports, Call of Duty and the NFL. Though they touched on a few games as well, the company is holding back the bulk of the software for the E3 trade show coming up in June.

(Credit: Microsoft)Over the past few months, the hottest hot-button issue in gaming concerns always-on internet connections. Requiring users to be online to play offline games isn’t popular among gamers, to put it mildly, particularly after tech issues surrounding this very topic pretty much doomed the anticipated SimCity back in March.

So when rumors began swirling that the next Xbox (now called the Xbox One) would indeed require an always-on connection to function properly, the web went nuts. Would such a seemingly draconian practice really be part of Microsoft’s future?

We finally got some answers today, though they’re still a little confusing.

Microsoft's Don Mattrick showing off the Xbox One (Credit: Microsoft)The next-gen console war is on.

Putting an end to weeks months years of rumor and speculation, Microsoft formally pulled the wraps off its Xbox 360 successor during a media gala at its Redmond HQ on Wednesday. It’s called the Xbox One, and according to the company, it’s an “all-in-one home entertainment system” aimed squarely at taking over your living room. No specific release date or price was announced, though it will be available worldwide later this year.

(Credit: Activision-Blizzard)All is not well in Azeroth.

Approximately 1.3 million subscribers have left World of Warcraft’s fantasy universe in the past three months, Activision-Blizzard reported in an earnings call Wednesday.

One of the oldest names in first-person shooting is making a comeback. Again.

On Tuesday, Bethesda Softworks announced that Wolfenstein: The New Order is coming to consoles (current and next-gen) and PC later this year.

(Credit: Josh Stearns)Most of us think of LEGO as one of the family-friendliest companies on the planet, but one eagle-eyed dad spied a not-so-friendly product in the company’s catalog.

As reported on The Consumerist, the saga began when journalist Josh Stearns noticed a curious set of LEGO construction worker stickers while shopping for his son. The problem? That would be the creepy, catcalling construction worker labeled “Hey Babe!”

Keyboard Cat vs. Keyboard Cat (Credit: Charles Schmidt/Warner Bros Interactive)Sue their pants off, Keyboard Cat.

First uncaged back in 2007, the musically-gifted kitty remains one of the web’s biggest viral hits. But to the owner of the feline sensation’s trademark and copyright, you don’t get to play with “Fatso” for free.

Charles Schmidt is suing Warner Bros. Interactive and game developer 5^th Cell for including Keyboard Cat in the ‘Scribblenauts’ game series without permission, reports Gamasutra. He’s joined in his suit by Christopher Orlando Torres, the owner of fellow cat meme “Nyan Cat,” who also alleges the game used his cash-kitty illegally.

Call of Duty: Ghosts (Credit: Activision)The next installment in Activision’s blockbuster Call of Duty franchise is on its way, though you might not see it coming.

On Wednesday, the company announced Call of Duty: Ghosts, the tenth official game in the billion-dollar shooter series. Set for release on November 5, the game will be available for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC as well as next-generation systems.