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Augmented story time: A closer look at Wonderbook: Book of Spells

Augmented story time A closer look at Wonderbook Book of Spells

If you're going to demonstrate Wonderbook, it really should be done in a living room. Or, in Sony's case, in a fake living room set up on the second story of an E3 booth. We joined Sony senior producer George Weising – sitting cross-legged on our fake living room rug, naturally – and got a dose of Harry Potter-infused, Move-enabled virtual magic, courtesy of Wonderbook: Book of Spells.

'Portal 2 In Motion' DLC incorporates PlayStation Move

Portal 2 players who opted for the PS3 version will get some bonus DLC later this year. Available on the E3 show floor, Portal 2 In Motion is a DLC pack featuring the same missions previously exclusive to the Razer Hydra peripheral now optimized for PlayStation Move, Polygon reports. We've inquired with Valve for more information and will update as soon as we hear back.

Harry Potter Wonderbook trailer brings childlike joy to your E3 week

Image Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is contributing to Sony's Wonderbook franchise, an AR system that uses the PS Eye, an oversized book and, at times, Move. The trailer above introduces Book of Spells and the one below has an overview of Wonderbook itself. ... Continue Reading

Sony reveals a PlayStation Move Racing Wheel at E3 2012

Sony has announced that it's releasing an official, very nice looking racing wheel for the PlayStation Move later on this year – you may recall a patent surfacing online recently. The whole design, as you can see above, is much more active than motion controller wheels we've seen so far: It's got not only a motion controller mount, but full buttons and a D-pad, and even vibration feedback. The sticks on the sides can flip up to move into a motorcycle steering mode, and the controller is compatible with both current and future PS3 racing games.

Looks slick! The wheel will be out in the fall for an MSRP of $39.99.

Live from Sony's E3 2012 press conference [Update: It's over!]

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We're here at Sony's E3 press conference, which is set to go down at 6PM PST. So far, we've seen food trucks and someone who may have been Ron Gilbert. Stick around for our liveblog once the action starts.

[Update: We're having some technical difficulties - hold tight!]

Sony's 'Wonderbook' makes reading more like TV with PlayStation Eye, includes J.K. Rowling's magic

Sony's 'Wonderbook' makes reading more like TV with PlayStation Eye
The Wonderbook uses augmented reality to turn a physical book into a 3D pop-up book, Sony announced today at its E3 presser.

Harry Potter writer J.K. Rowling has contributed Book of Spells to Sony's Wonderbook endeavor, using the Move controller as a wand. Sony demoed Book of Spells, showing off a few spells and features such as earning house points and unlocking poems about unfortunate Hogwarts students. Wonderbook launches this holiday and is one of many books Sony has planned.

Book of Spells will build off of Pottermore, the Harry Potter multimedia social and fan site.

Another title for Wonderbook is Diggs Nightcrawler.

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Join us in watching Sony's E3 2012 press conference, right here

Join us in watching Sony's E3 2012 press conference, right here

What's that? You couldn't afford a plane ticket to Los Angeles, but you really, really wanna see your buddy Jack Tretton? Well you're in luck, friend, as Sony's got a handy livestream of the whole goings on. What's more, we've embedded that stream just above. Go ahead, give it a shot. Pretty nice, right?

Live from Ubisoft's E3 2012 press conference [Update: It's over!]

Live from Ubisoft's E3 2012 press conference
Ubisoft's E3 2012 presser begins at 3 p.m. PST here in Los Angeles, and by coincidence that's also when it starts for everyone else in the world. We'll be here, liveblogging the whole thing. Keep your eyes peeled!

Sports Champions 2 takes a victory lap on PS Move this fall

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You probably ended up with a copy of Sports Champions if you purchased a PlayStation Move, either because it was bundled or because you're required to own at least one sports minigame collection per motion controller (it's the law).

Today, Sony revealed a followup to its obligatory sports game, due this fall. Sports Champions 2 includes skiing, boxing, tennis, golf, bowling, and "a fully updated Archery experience." Sony also promises tweaks like simpler calibration, more opportunities to customize your avatar, and multiple user profiles.

The new "Party Play" mode lets users set playlists of matches, then compete for score. "You can create your own match playlist, see photos and voices from each player during the game, and draw something humiliating (or nice!) on the hapless loser," says producer Jeremy Ray. He probably means in the game. You always had the option of drawing on your friends.

Now Playing: May 28 - June 3, 2012

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Fight for the survival of humanity this week with Resistance: Burning Skies...

Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:

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Snapshot: Sorcery

There are so many games out there we couldn't possibly review them all. Welcome to Snapshot, where we highlight games that might fall outside our usual coverage but are still something we think you should know about. Today: Sorcery for PS3.

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Having been announced along with the PlayStation Move in 2010, Sorcery bears the burden of high expectations. This was supposed to be the game that showed what the Move could add to a non-party, non-minigame, and full-sized adventure in which your Move wand enabled you to fire magic bolts in any direction.

It is, of course, unfair to judge the game by the expectations around its announcement. Such lofty circumstances make an enjoyable, if lightweight, game seem more disappointing.

However, I will say that if Sorcery is to act as a Move ambassador, it is not up to the task. While there were certainly times I didn't mind using the motion controller, there were precious few times I was glad to; my experience aiming the in-game magic wand was, in equal parts, hitting the target accurately, flailing uselessly, and recalibrating.

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Babel Rising should've been named 'Babel Falling,' this trailer suggests

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What would life be like if you could fell entire civilizations with a flick of your wrist, crush hordes of men with a downward swat and destroy worlds with a ridiculous, wide-armed downhill skiing motion? You'd either be Lord Voldemort, or you'd be playing Babel Rising on Kinect, like the stylish young man in the video above.

Babel Rising is set to launch in June for PlayStation Move and Xbox 360's Kinect.

Now Playing: May 21-27, 2012

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Become a high-tech warrior in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier...

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Sorcery kicks off new pre-purchase functionality on PSN

Who has time to accumulate cash then wait for a game to launch before actually paying for it? In this work-a-day world, we need to prepare for such things; we need lead time. And if you're of a similar mind, it may please you to know that Sorcery will be the first game to kick off a new pre-purchase feature on PSN.

Right now, you can log onto PSN and pay for Sorcery, triggering a download granted you have auto-download enabled. Once you have the game pre-loaded, you can play as soon as Sorcery launches next week on May 22.

Sorcery is the only game you can pre-purchase through PSN right now. We've inquired with Sony about future games.

Snapshot: Datura (PS3)

There are so many games out there we couldn't possibly review them all. Welcome to Snapshot, where we highlight games that might fall outside our usual coverage but are still something we think you should know about. Today: Datura for PS3.

Standing amongst fallen leaves in an unknown forest, a face stares at me from the side of a tree. It's not a real face, of course, only a mask. Expending considerable effort, I pry the mask from the tree, revealing a hollow behind it. Housed within the hollow is a small pickaxe. Upon grasping the handle, I black out.

I wake up in the middle of a frozen wasteland. Crawling along the hard surface, I clear away some snow with my forearm, exposing the ice underneath. It's not a wasteland at all; it's a lake. Beneath the ice is a golden chalice. A noise from behind prompts me to clear away more snow, exposing a horror underneath: A woman is trapped below the ice, and she's still alive.

The pickaxe still rests in my hand, so I immediately go to work, chipping away as the woman squirms against the surface. My heart pounds as the axe falls again and again, slowly cracking the ice. Finally, the ice gives way – directly beneath me – and I tumble into the chilly abyss, sinking down as I watch the light of sky recede into nothingness. Again, I awake in the forest, the mask in my hand, which I quickly discard.

This is a moment pulled directly from Datura. Did I do something wrong? Something right? I haven't got a clue.

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I Am Alive tops April 2012 PSN downloads; Escape Plan still atop PS Vita list

The full PlayStation downloads list for April – as opposed to the sneak peek we got thanks to Pulse earlier this month, where the list is not segregated by platform – has been released and Ubisoft's I Am Alive was indeed the top download. On the PS3 and PSN list, thatgamecompany's Journey followed Ubisoft's long-awaited title. Reverge Labs' debut Skullgirls managed to snag the third spot.

On the PS Vita side, Escape Plan continued to dominate – no surprise since there's not much else for the PS Vita right now, though that changes today. Modern Warfare 3's Content Collection #1 drop on PSN also did well, topping out the PS3 add-on category. Finally, Final Fantasy VII was the top PSOne Classic, but then again you already knew that because it's always Final Fantasy VII.

PSN Tuesday: PixelJunk 4am, Sonic 4: Episode 2, Rock of Ages

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PixelJunk 4am drops its sick beats on PSN today, daring anyone to look cooler or make prettier sounds come out of a TV than mixmaster Baiyon. Seriously, launching this game is a dare in itself – to create something beautiful and share it with the world – so don't be a wuss. Today PSN also gets Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2, Prototype 2 and Rock of Ages for download on PSN.

PlayStation Plus members get Rock of Ages for free, Goldeneye 007 Reloaded for half price ($30) and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Complete Edition for 40 percent off ($15). The entire run-down of content, free, discounted and just-launched, is available on the PlayStation Blog.

THQ sees net loss of $239.9 million, still in business

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THQ saw a net loss of $239.9 million for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012, $100 million more than the previous fiscal year's loss of $136.1 million.

"We have made significant changes to our business, and are on track to execute our strategy of delivering quality connected core gaming experiences, beginning with the sequel to the award-winning Darksiders in August," president and CEO Brian Farrell said in a THQ earnings statement.

THQ has seen a rough year, with plummeting revenue despite the success of Saints Row: The Third and WWE '12. THQ laid off 240 employees, slashed the salaries of its head honchos and cut its "kids' licensed video games" department earlier this fiscal year, following quarter losses of nearly triple the previous period.

THQ has sold through 84 percent of its shipped uDraw tablets and expects to sell its remaining inventory in fiscal 2013. The company's "future kids' license commitments" have been reduced by $30 million, THQ reports.

THQ describes its emergency layoffs, salary cuts and company rehashing as follows: "The company exited the traditional kids' licensed games business, and streamlined its product line, organization and cost structure to support a smaller company positioned for sustained profitability."

Ubisoft profits in 2012, 'core gamers' drive rise in sales

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Ubisoft ended the 2012 financial year on the up, reporting a gross profit of €718 million ($917 million) and sales up 2.1 percent to €1 billion ($1.4 billion) year-over-year, according to its financial results for 2011-2012.

Ubisoft ended fiscal 2011-12 with net income of €37.3 million ($47.6 million), up from a net loss of €52.1 million ($66.5 million) in the 2011 fiscal year.

Sales from "core gamers" in Assassin's Creed Revelations, Rayman Origins, Driver San Francisco and free-to-play title The Settlers Online generated €578 million ($738.1 million) in revenue, Ubisoft reported. Casual games brought in €483 million ($616.8 million) in revenue, mainly from Just Dance, Rocksmith and free-to-play title Howrse.

Core and casual titles contributed to a 110.8 percent jump in online and digital sales, bringing that figure to €80 million ($102.1 million), Ubisoft reported.

Ubisoft's net cash position is down from €99.2 million ($126.6 million) in 2011 to €84.6 million ($108 million) in 2012, while current operating income rose 90 percent to €56 million ($71.5 million) year-over-year.

PixelJunk 4am launch trailer is here to inspire you

Image PixelJunk 4am arrives on PlayStation Network this week, allowing any Move owner to turn his or her living room into an audiovisual, experimental performance space and look just ... almost ... okay, nowhere near as cool as Baiyon doing it. There are still some things that require a professional. ... Continue Reading

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