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EA appears to be contemplating the revival of the Star Wars: Battlefront franchise. While the publisher/developer conglomerate has promised tounveil its Star Wars plans during E3, CFO Blake Jorgensen has already teased one of the possible titles -- Battlefront 3. "The opportunity to do a newBattlefront, for example, which is one of the very popular Star Wars games, or some of the other traditional games that were made, is very exciting," Jorgensen said during the Stifel 2013 Technology Conference. Star Wars: Battlefront 3 has had one of the more ugly development stories. Despite never being announced, the game was reportedly 99% complete before it was scrapped due to "financial reasons." That report was later disputed by a former LucasArts employee who estimated Battlefront 3 to be "75% of a mediocre game." Since the war of words, we've since seen several videos showing apparent footage of the game while it was still in development. While I personally wasn't blown away with anything I saw, there seems to be plenty of demand for a newBattlefront game. I'd like to see DICE work their FPS magic on a new Battlefront game. What about you? Check out more gaming news at GameZone > Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

One of the most anticipated "features" of the PlayStation 4, for me, is Sony's willingness to work with independent publishers. Why, you ask? Simply put, it's not always about the money with them. Yes, a profit is nice, but as you can see from the attitude of current PS4 developer Jonathan Blow, the gameplay experience comes first. As it should. In a Sony blog "Conversations with Creators" post, Jonathan Blow, who is currently developing The Witness for the PlayStation 4, explains a point-of-view that I think many of the larger publishers seem to forget -- it shouldn't always be about the money. "With that independence that we have the ability to be free in what project we choose, we also have the freedom not have to make a huge profit if we don't need to. I would definitely like to make our money back on this game and I would like to make a profit on it, but it's not actually the number one priority," said Jonathan Blow. Check out the rest of the interview > Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Target has lowered the price of the basic Wii U by $60 and the deluxe by $10. It would be hard to ignore a deal like this. Check out more deals here. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Are the images in your Pinterest feed not quite manly enough for you? If you think the virtual pinboard site is a little too feminine, you’re not alone In a recent Pew study of social media users, 25% of women said they used Pinterest, compared to a meager 5% of men. Since Pinterest’s creation, a number of similar websites have popped up that offer pins in what they consider manlier topics. While the men who use these sites abandoned Pinterest because of what they saw as a lack of subjects they could relate to, a number of Pinterest’s power users are actually men. If you look hard enough, you can find everything from power tools to men’s fashion on Pinterest. Some of the site’s most popular categories, like food and drink, also have broad appeal across genders. Read more...More about Social Networks, Photos, User Generated, Bacon, and Pinterest

It's World Turtle Day, hooray! Today, we finally get to celebrate the awesomeness of the shelled reptiles of the planet. These chill dudes really don't get the recognition they deserve, constantly being out-cuted by puppies and cats and singing goats But we know what's up — turtles are just swell with their rock-hard shells and affinity for helping lost fish SEE ALSO: 20 Ridiculously Photogenic Animals Image courtesy of Tumblr, 50-shades-of-sassiness. Throughout time, several things have tried to imitate the greatness of the turtle but have failed miserably. Here are 10 things masquerading as part of the turtle genealogy that really can't live up to the reptile. Read more...More about Cute Animals, Turtles, Watercooler, and Pics

Can an airplane flying during the day and night really cross the United States running only on solar power? The team at Solar Impulse is setting out to prove it's possible — and Mashable spoke with one of the pilots live as he flew from Phoenix to Dallas. Solar Impulse pilot André Borschberg talked with us via in-cockpit satellite phone about keeping focus during the approximately 18-hour stretches of flight. We also chatted about the alternative power revolution that he and fellow pilot Bertrand Piccard want to inspire with their potentially record-setting aeronautical quest. Borschberg landed in Dallas-Fort Worth Thursday morning after an 18 hour, 21 minute flight from Phoenix, Ariz. The 832-nautical-mile trip was the second in Solar Impulse's five-leg odyssey from California to New York. Read more...More about Aviation, Solar Impulse, Us World, and Us

You might think that Nintendo, beleaguered by falling revenues, minuscule profit and the almost-but-not-quite-failed launch of the Wii U, already has enough problems to worry about. And you would be wrong, as Nintendo itself set out to demonstrate last week by going out of its way to alienate a bunch of its fans on YouTube. The fans in question make YouTube "playthrough" videos about, well, video games — features that combine elements of commentary, review, tutorial and walk-through. Some of these commentators reach millions of subscribers, and many support themselves in full or in part by running ads against their videos. The Empire Strikes Back This, apparently, Nintendo could not let stand. So last week, the game company began making mass copyright claims on YouTube gameplay videos — in particular, on the the popular "Let's Play" series of playthrough videos. Nintendo did so via YouTube's "Content ID" system, which allows the company to robo-claim ownership of videos that contain footage of its video games. Nintendo isn't trying to take down the commentary videos. But by asserting copyright, the game company can then run its own ads against the commentaries — and thus, of course, deprive the video creators of revenue. In effect, Nintendo has put those video creators on notice that, while it will tolerate them for now, it won't let them make money from their efforts. It doesn’t matter if the post is a detailed review, a think piece on the art style, or a tutorial for a difficult level, all of which involve a substantial additional effort on the part of the video creator. Insofar as Nintendo, is concerned, any ad revenue those efforts raised now belongs to... Nintendo. Nintendo released this statement to the gaming-news site Gamefront last week: As part of our on-going push to ensure Nintendo content is shared across social media channels in an appropriate and safe way, we became a YouTube partner and as such in February 2013 we registered our copyright content in the YouTube database. For most fan videos this will not result in any changes, however, for those videos featuring Nintendo-owned content, such as images or audio of a certain length, adverts will now appear at the beginning, next to or at the end of the clips. We continually want our fans to enjoy sharing Nintendo content on YouTube, and that is why, unlike other entertainment companies, we have chosen not to block people using our intellectual property. For more information please visit http://www.youtube.com/yt/copyright/faq.html ReadWrite also contacted Nintendo for comment. A spokeperson replied that the company is "looking into" the mass copyright claims, but offered no further statement. Mass Unhappiness Ensues Let's put this simply: Nintendo's move is one of the most egregious marketing mistakes ever committed by a major video-game company. It is going to come back to bite Nintendo. Hard. Playthrough videos such as Let’s Play do a lot to fuel the commercial videogame complex, every bit as much as magazines and blogs. With their ad revenue diverted to Nintendo, however, these Internet-famous gamers have no commercial incentive to play, or talk in-depth about, any Nintendo games ever again. Some are already boycotting Nintendo. Take, for instance, Zack Scott, a prolific creator of Let's Play videos: Since I started my gaming channel, I've played a lot of games. I love Nintendo, so I've included their games in my line-up. But until their claims are straightened out, I won't be playing their games. I won't because it jeopardizes my channel's copyright standing and the livelihood of all LPers. Dozens of videos by angry gamers have started to populate the site, and comment sections across YouTube are exploding. "I've bought, played and enjoy several games simply because I heard about them and saw gameplay on YouTube," one individual using the pseudonym TelaranRogue wrote in the comments to a new anti-Nintendo video (titled, cleverl

Jawfish Poker is an iOS release from Jawfish Games. It’s available now as a free download from the App Store and carries additional in-app purchases. There are a ton of poker games on the market, and few manage to stand out. For every successful poker app, there’s a handful that follow the same formula and fail to pick up any momentum. The lack of diversity found in poker games creates an opening for games that are able to follow the basic concept of poker, but add its own spin. Jawfish Poker is a wonderful example of taking a popular idea, making a tiny change, and feeling a major impact. Jawfish Poker is based around Texas Hold’em. Players are each given two cards, five cards are placed in the middle, and whoever can make the best five-card poker hand will win the round. Jawfish Poker takes that popular idea, and makes a change to one of the biggest parts of the game — betting. Real poker features a level of competitive betting every time new hands are dealt and new cards are shown. Jawfish Poker removes the deep level of strategy that comes from large groups and frequent betting. Instead, the system is based around one-on-one matchups where players get two choices: fold or go all-in. Serious poker enthusiasts may find this setup to be odd or downright childish, but casual fans who crave fast-paced gameplay may find exactly what their looking for. There are two main modes to Jawfish Poker: Tournaments and King of the Hill. Tournaments are a series of head-to-head hands where players bet all or nothing and the last remaining competitor wins. There are three entry fee levels for tournaments, using in-game gold. The more gold players pay up front, the larger the prize pool is. Players who want to fight for the largest possible prize will be more interested in King of the Hill. This mode works similar to tournaments, but players can enter with various amounts of gold. The goal in King of the Hill is to continuously earn gold and battle to the top of the leaderboard in order to win the jackpot once the timer runs out. Competition is fierce in King of the Hill and users with large amounts of gold have a distinct advantage, but wisely playing the odds gives everyone a fair shot. Jawfish Poker’s monetization comes through two forms of in-game currency: gold and diamonds. Gold is used to enter tournaments and can be won from placing high in tournaments. Diamonds are generally used alongside gold to enter King of the Hill matches and re-enter tournaments after elimination. Diamonds are useful for players who frequently enter King of the Hill, while gold is almost a necessity. Gold is so important that Jawfish Poker will occasionally give players 1,000 gold when they’re running low. Players who want more gold and diamonds can buy some for as little as $0.99. Players who wish to re-enter tournaments but lack gold or diamonds will have the option to purchase re-entry for about $1.99. The in-game currency is very reasonably priced, but there’s enough free gold given out to keep non-monetizing players happy. Jawfish Poker may not appeal to serious poker fans. The all or nothing style relies heavily on weighing the initial odds and hoping luck is on your side for the rest. That said, the fast pace tournaments will appeal to a variety of casual poker fans and those who simply want to learn about the basic ideas to poker. You can follow Jawfish Poker’s progress with AppData, our tracking service for mobile and social games and developers. PLAY Jawfish Poker takes the basics of Hold’em Poker and implements a fun high-risk, high-reward system.

This sponsored post is produced by Dealzon. Earlier today, Square-Enix tweeted August 27th as the release date for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn on the PS3 and PC. Although current owners of the original FF XIV on PC can download the new version for free (and thus should disregard the next few sentences), new potential players on PC can take advantage of lower-than-usual list prices as well as a 20% off preorder deal on GMG. The digital Standard Edition for preorder comes to $24 after coupon, while the Collector’s Edition costs $20 more. All preorders includes pre-launch access to the game servers, a Mog cap to wear around Eorzea, and a Cait Sith Doll Minion who joins your party as a pet. Although the digital Collector’s Edition preorder omits the numerous physical bonus items associated with the DVD version, you’ll still receive the Helm of Light, a Baby Behemoth Minion, a Coeurl Mount, and even Behemoth Barding armor for your Chocobo as in-game bonuses. Announced just two days ago, Metro: Last Light – Season Pass for PC download also has the 20% discount after coupon at Green Man Gaming. The Pass includes four DLC packs: Faction Pack, Tower Pack, Developer Pack, and Chronicles Pack. Assuming the packs will cost $5 each as they release, the final price of the Pass represents a 40% discount off what you’d otherwise pay. Accordingly, fans of the Metro franchise certain to buy the additional DLC would be wise to grab these in the Pass. Hot deals & recent releases Aug. 27: Final Fantasy XIV: Realm Reborn (PC Dowload) — $24 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. If you already own the original FF XIV on PC, don’t pay twice – it’s free for you to download. Otherwise, be thankful for the lower $30 list price, 20% off coupon, and preorder bonuses. Tuesday’s release: Metro: Last Light – Season Pass (PC Download) — $12 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. Save 40% off what you’d pay if you were to buy the packs individually as they’re released. Tuesday’s release: Resident Evil: Revelations (PC Download) — $40 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. This “slighty buggy [but] fun” transition from a successful 3DS title to the bigger screen has a 75/100 Metacritic rating so far. Yesterday’s release: Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (PC Download) — $11.99 at GameFly after coupon. Pay respect to the Old West with a bounty hunting title getting solid reviews thus far. Next best is $15 at Amazon. Wii U Console 8GB Basic Set — $239.99 plus $6.55 shipping at Target. Cheapest we’ve seen for the basic Wii U console, with other retailers still selling for the usual $300. Freebie PC games at Amazon 16 Bit Arena (PC Download) — FREE. If you miss vintage graphics in turn-by-turn battles, your nostalgia won’t cost you a thing. List price is $10.   Stronghold Kingdoms + Stronghold Crusader HD (PC Download) — FREE. While Stronghold Kingdoms has been free for a while now, Stronghold Crusader HD is usually $10. PC download deals Guild Wars 2 Digital Edition (PC Download) — $39.99 at Green Man Gaming. Since its release last year, GW2 has had its up and downs, but the core community is still relatively strong.   Sleeping Dogs (PC Download) — $6.25 at GamersGate. A cheap safe bet for fans of open world action adventure. Next best is $30 at Amazon.   Space Battle Weekend Sale: Games and DLCs (PC Download) — up to 75% off at GamersGate. Includes a whopping 63 space-related games and content to download, including Sins of a Solar Empire, Endless Space, and classics like Master of Orion.   PC Physical DVD Preorders June 4: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Legendary Edition (PC) — $49.99 at NewEgg. Don’t let MSRP be your ‘arrow to the knee’ – save $10 after coupon instead and get the base game, 3 DLCs, and other new features.   Last Monday’s release: Battlefield 4 (PC DVD) — $49.99 at NewEgg after coupon. Recently announced to include the provocatively named ‘China Rising̵

Google is now making it easier for users to find their own photos using Google Search. On its Inside Search blog, the company explained that users can now search for and through their photos hosted in Google+ Photos. Searching for the query "my photos" offers up this result, personalized with your own Google+ photographs. But it gets better. The system actually uses machine learning so that you can target your queries to be more specific. Searching for "my photos of food" or "my photos from Orlando" will provide results tailored for those specific instances You can also search these photos directly from Google+ Photos. Read more...More about Google, Search, Gmail, Google Photos, and Tech