(Credit: Getty Images)While there's no shortage of cheap TVs, affordable laptops, and bundles of DVDs on Black Friday, it's also an incredible time to buy new video games.

This year in particular is seeing some amazing prices. As the industry struggles to boost its retail sales and two console systems hit their twilight years (we're looking at you, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3), publishers are slashing prices left and right. It might mean a few hours of lost sleep, but for savings like these, that's not a tremendous sacrifice.

The next-gen console will come with beefier hardware and a slew of other enhancements, says the magazine.

By Lance Whitney, CNET

Microsoft's Xbox 720 will unveil a new version of Kinect, a Blu-ray drive, and an A/V port for watching and recording broadcast TV, at least according to details leaked by Xbox World.

(Credit: Xbox World)Promising "next-gen secrets inside," the latest issue of the U.K.-based magazine dug up several reported specs on Microsoft's next console.

First off, the Xbox 720 will introduce Kinect 2.0.

Microsoft has been as publicly mum about the next version of Kinect as it has about all details concerning the new Xbox. But a company document leaked in June touted a higher level of accuracy, stereo imaging, better voice recognition, and the ability to track four players at once.

(Credit: UTMB)Be careful mocking a teen playing video games. He or she may well be in a position to save your life someday.

A study at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston decided to pit a number of groups against each other to see who performed better using virtual surgery tools. The contestants? High-school sophomore gamers, college gamers and medical residents.

Okan Kaya (Credit: 4Cabling/Facebook)Okan Kaya's passion for Call of Duty: Black Ops II is one for the record books.

On Monday, the sales manager at the Sydney-based online retailer 4Cabling set a Guinness World Record for the longest video game marathon ever by playing over 122 135 hours of blockbuster first-person shooter Black Ops II.

System launches from Nintendo tend to be smooth running affairs, but the ambitious nature of the Wii U has presented a few stumbling blocks for the company.

(Credit: Nintendo)Within hours of the next generation console's debut, new owners were grumbling about a system update that kept them from playing for an hour or more, sporadic system outages and anticipated features that were delayed at the last minute.

It's a notable blunder for Nintendo, whose corporate philosophy has historically been in line with that of Apple: A system should be easy to set up and work straight out of the box.

Technically, the Wii U does work. Anyone who buys one can play a single player game as soon as they get it home and set up, but Nintendo has touted the system's multiplayer and social aspects as a big part of its marketing. And to access those, owners were forced to download and install a sizable patch (which some reports say was as big as 5 GB).

Six years after changing the game with the release of the Wii, Nintendo is aiming to give the game industry a much-needed shot in the arm with the ambitious Wii U. To do so, they're waggling goodbye to living room calisthenics and taking a bold step into the future of dual-screen gaming.

Releasing Sunday, the system's chief selling point is the GamePad, a wireless tablet-like controller that boasts a 6.2-inch touchscreen. This might seem like an innocuous gimmick, but the built-in second screen opens the door to a wealth of interesting features, including several that reach beyond the console's gaming focus.

Unfortunately, focus has been missing from Nintendo's attempts to explain what the Wii U can and cannot do.  This wasn't an issue for the original Wii: you picked up the controller, you swung it around, you hit a tennis ball, you smiled, you did it again. The Wii U seems to have everyone a bit baffled. What, exactly, is this new gaming gadget, and should you get one?

The launch of the Wii U is upon us, and if you're one of the early adopters who either pre-ordered a system or braved the crowds to pick one up Sunday, you've probably got some ideas for which games to grab as well.

So do we. We've already spent some time with the majority of the Wii U launch lineup, and, like all launch lineups, it's a little hit or miss. Some games do a terrific job of showing off the system's unique features, while others will likely be forgotten in a few short months.

Which are the keepers? Start with these five:

(Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)NEW YORK (AP) — Some of the entertainment features on Nintendo's new Wii U won't be available when the game machine goes on sale Sunday.

Nintendo didn't give a reason for the delay in Friday's news release. In a statement, the company said it wanted the service "to be the best possible experience for all consumers." Nintendo said it was still working to "make it available as soon as possible."