Weekly Wrap Up! (3/18/16)

- Sony officially announced the release window and pricing for the PlayStation VR. The VR headset will cost $399 and is scheduled to release this October. The PlayStation camera is also required for the VR headset and is sold separately for $60. The PlayStation Move controllers will be required for some games and will also be sold separately. Sony has stated that 50 VR games will be playable this year and that more than 230 other developers are working on games for the VR headset.

- Microsoft revealed they will be provided cross-network play on the Xbox One. Microsoft previously announced that Xbox and Windows 10 games would be cross-playable, but this means that players gaming on Xbox One will be able to play games online with gamers on the PS4 or other consoles. Developers will have to allow the feature in their games, but this is definitely pretty exciting. Xbox Live gamers will also have the option to only play with other Xbox gamers if they choose to. Rocket League will be the first game to allow both Xbox and PC gamers to play together.

 - Platinum Games announced that their latest action game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan will officially release on May 24, 2016. The game will be available on Xbox One, PS4, PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.

- According to a report from Kotaku, a new PS4 may be in development. The new PS4 is being nicknamed "PS4.5", and is supposed to include enhanced graphic capabilities, support for 4K resolution, and enhanced games for PlayStation VR. No word on if or when the new PS4 will release.

- Bethesda announced the first of Fallout 4's DLC add-ons has a new trailer. The add-on is called Automatron and it looks like players will get to build different styles of robots and take part in some robot battle action. The Automatron DLC will release on Xbox One, PS4, and PC on March 22.

- Creator of Axiom Verge, Thomas Happ, announced that his 16-bit Metroid style game will be coming to the Xbox One and Wii U later this year. Axiom Verge is currently available on the PS4 and PC.

- The Division has beaten a 11 year record for the biggest first quarter video game launch in UK history. The record was previously held by Gran Turismo back in 2005.

- In more PlayStation VR news, Sony announced a bundle that will be available for pre-order starting Tuesday, March 22 for US and Canada. The bundle costs $500 ($700 CAD)  will include the VR headset, PS Camera, headset, two PS Move controllers, demo disc, and a copy of the PlayStation VR Worlds mini games.

- Fans of the dark first person shooter Metro 2033 will be glad to know that a movie based on the game is currently being made. No release window has been given at this time.

- The beta for Gears of War 4 will begin on April 18 on Xbox One. Anyone who has played Gears of War: Ultimate Edition on Xbox One or PC before April 11 will get a token for the beta that will be sent in waves. The early beta access will end on April 24, while selected players will be invited to continue playing the beta until May 1.

- Two new Xbox One controllers are arriving this month in the US and Canada, and they will arrive in other territories in April. The two controllers will be $70 and are called the Copper Shadow and Dusk Shadow. The Copper Shadow will be available at GameStop and the Dusk Shadow will be available at Best Buy for a limited time. Both controllers will also be available on the Microsoft Store.

- Ubisoft shared that The Division made $330 million in the first five days of launch globally which beat out the $325 million Destiny sold in its first five days of launch. They also shared that 1.2 million continuous gamers played the game over this past weekend, and more than 100 million hours were played within the first week.

- Bungie annouced that the next update for Destiny will release on April 12. The update includes new PvE challenges, increased rewards, new gear, and a new quest that contains the Blighted Chalice Strike. Bungie will share more details as the date gets closer, but will also be live streaming from their Twitch channel at 11:00 a.m. (PST) on March 30 and April 6. 

- Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford announced that Battleborn has gone gold and is ready for its May 3 release on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. A beta is still planned sometime before then.

- Bloodborne is being turned into a card based board game where players will compete to kill monsters in order to take their blood. No word on when the board game will officially release.

- Microsoft announced their esports platform known as Xbox Live Tournaments Program. This will be available on Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs to allow developers to easily create and integrate tournaments within Xbox Live.

- The remastered version of Shadow Complex is now available on Xbox One for $15. A PS4 version is set to release sometime later.

- A new trailer for the Xbox One and PC game Below was released this week. Below is scheduled to release this summer.