DIGITAL LIFE

Gamescom 2012 is officially under way, with press conferences from two of the biggest names in the video game industry already finished. Capcom and Electronic Arts have showcased their current projects in the works, but there are still two days left of the European interactive entertainment trade fair

Video game delays are nothing new to the industry, but the year 2102 has certainly scene its share of disappointing setbacks. From title launches, to DLCs and full console releases, gamers shouldn’t hold their expectation too high for some of these release dates.

“Battlefield 4,” the latest entry in EA/DICE’s smash hit shooter franchise will keep the modern-day setting popularized in titles like “Battlefield: Bad Company 2” and “Battlefield 3,” reports The Verge.

Blizzard Entertainment, the developer behind PC gaming sensations “Diablo” and “World of Warcraft,” has warned players that personal information may have been leaked. The company was recently targeted by a network hack, but no financial information is believed to have been stolen.

Just over a week after BioWare announced that “Star Wars: The Old Republic” was going free-to-play, BioWare Austin, lead developers on the high-profile massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), have lost their General Manager, Dr. Greg Zeschuk. Zeschuk is one-half of the founding members of BioWare (along with Dr. Ray Muzyka), a company that specializes in immersive storytelling with their “Mass Effect” and “Dragon Age” franchises.

The release date for Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 is set to come at the end of this month, but those expecting the smartphone-tablet hybrid to come with Android’s Jelly Bean may be disappointed. The Galaxy Note successor will reportedly launch with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Impossible Studios, owned by Epic Games, is ready for business, Kotaku reports. The new company, located in Hunt Valley, Md., will be home to the team working on "Infinity Blade: Dungeons" under the direction of studio head Sean Dunn.

“Assassin’s Creed 3” won’t be released until the fall, but the game’s box art has revealed that PlayStation 3 owners will be getting a special bonus. Those playing on Sony’s video game console will receive an exclusive downloadable content that will not be available for the PC, Xbox 360 or Wii U.

As promised, the new multiplayer trailer for “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2” has been revealed, giving gamers a glimpse at what’s to come in the next installment of the widely-successful franchise.

“DayZ,” the popular “Arma 2” mod will be getting its own standalone game, according to Rocket’s Development Blog. The mod sees players squaring off against the undead in the super-realistic world of “Arma 2,” where a single bullet can be the difference between life and death. The initial game, “Arma,” is heavily rooted in the reality of gunplay, something most first-person shooters aren’t known for. One bullet can kill, and in the case with “DayZ,” zombies are introduced into the mix to make ...

“Insane,” Guillermo Del Toro’s first foray into video game development, has been canceled at troubled publisher THQ, according to The Escapist. This news comes less than a month after new THQ head Jason Rubin stated in an interview with Game Informer that Del Toro’s title was “still under production.”

With the iPhone 5 rumored to be released in this September, Samsung is taking a new approach in encouraging customers to switch by offering a rebate of up to $300 for old smartphones.

Fans of “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” finally got what they were waiting for when the “Dawnguard” DLC launched at the end of June. However, PlayStation 3 players are still waiting for the vampire-themed add-on to reach their gaming systems.

According to Kotaku, ?Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" content season will be coming to a close in September. This paves the way for the release of ?Call of Duty: Black Ops 2,? due for release on Nov. 13.

Google?s next operating system update, known as Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, is being rolled out for a number of mobile devices, one of which being the Nexus 7 tablet. At Google?s I/O developer?s conference at the end of June, the company showcased the new operating system along with its fresh self-branded tablet.

Video game developers are hailing the Oculus Rift, a hardware attempt at making 3-D and virtual reality gaming accessible and functional for the consumer.

When Facebook first launched its new Timeline feature, allowing users to migrate from the traditional Facebook layout to a more dynamic view of their lives via the social networking site, there was a bit of outrage and confusion. Now, according to Techcrunch, Facebook will be forcing those who have yet to adopt the new layout to accept the Timeline, as the original Facebook layout is being eliminated.

After Bethesda Studios finished ?The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim,? the team took a week to create whatever they pleased using the game?s development tools. This is the same video eager fans looked to for clues on the current ?Dawnguard? DLC before it was unveiled, and now revisiting it could provide insight for the future.

Gaming site GamaSutra reports that, after less than a year of release, BioWare?s Star Wars MMO ?The Old Republic? is going free to play.

A development kit for Microsoft?s next-generation console, rumored to be called the Xbox 720, had leaked on to a developer forum for a price of $10,000.Both fans and critics alike were left wondering whether or not this is in fact involved with the upcoming Xbox release.

Just days after the Ouya developers announced that their Kickstarter-sponsored console will be launching with OnLive support, Square Enix Japan becomes the first major developer to sign a deal with the Ouya.

Players of "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" will now be able to update to the 1.7 patch via Steam, Bethesda has just announced on Monday. Console versions of this update are being submitted to manufacturers this week, according to the official Bethesda Blog.

According to EGMNow.com, the PEGI software ratings system found on video game titles in Europe is now officially a legally binding law in the UK.

According to gaming site Polygon (via The Verge), the Electronic Entertainment Expo will remain in Los Angeles for at least the next three years. The trade show dedicated to video games has been around for nearly twenty years, and with this new commitment to the LA Convention Center, which is in proximity to the Staples Center. The trade show draws upwards of fifty thousand attendees every year, and though common opinion is that the show has (in recent years) been a bit on the weak side, with fe...

After Twitter went down yesterday, there are reports of a new malware virus being spread under the guise of picture-posting, according to Naked Security. The virus apparently tweets at various users, stating "It's you in photo?" After the grammatically incorrect dialogue, there is a link to the supposed image, where your computer is then infected via a Blackhole exploit.

The release date for Windows Phone 8, said to be code-named “Apollo,” is likely to come in the fall, but some of the smartphone’s features have already surfaced online. On Wednesday, the software kit for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 leaked via Chinese website WPXAP, and revealed new camera improvements and 3D maps.

The Ouya is getting sexier by the minute, with the announcement that the console will include OnLive support. OnLive, the game-streaming service that allows players to play hundreds of games on your PC over an internet connection, will support the open-source game console, according to The Verge. This potentially allows players (who pay a subscription fee, of course), access to hundreds of games on day 1 of their Ouya console purchase.

According to gaming site GameRevolution, Apple has patented a dual-shock gaming controller. Back in April, Kotaku speculated that Apple was secretly developing a video game console that was similar, in concept, to Microsoft's Kinect console add-on. This would mean that their console would support movement, and, in typical Apple fashion, would work in harmony with Apple's touch-screen television.

Nintendo is expected to push out between four and five million Wii U units during the gaming console’s launch period, ComputerAndVideoGames.com has reported.