GTA V makes $1 billion in three days, may be fastest selling entertainment product in history

Calling Grand Theft Auto V one of 2013's most anticipated video game releases would be a massive understatement, but if you wanted some sort of monetary proof of the claim, Take-Two interactive has it. According to a press release issued today, GTA V has cleared over $1 billion in sales in its first three days on the market; crunch the numbers, and that adds up to more than 16.5 million units sold. Take-Two says that it believes this makes it the fastest selling entertainment property in history -- the last major release to make that claim, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, took 15 days to reach the milestone. It's an impressive accomplishment, but it's potentially only the tip of the iceberg: GTA V is rumored to be ported to PC and next generation consoles, and has a literal product lifetime to hold down its sales record.

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Via: Joystiq

Grand Theft Auto V arrives tomorrow, read Joystiq’s review right now!

Grand Theft Auto V arrives tomorrow, read Joystiq's review right now!

Despite some early leaks, the vast majority of humans can't pick up Grand Theft Auto V until tomorrow, September 17th. Fortunately for our friends at Joystiq, though, they got to do a dive deep on the latest Rockstar Games flagship in an early review. In traditional GTA fashion, "You can run the streets of a fully-realized world, steal cars, cause chaos and attempt to flee from an extraordinarily irritable police force," Joystiq's Xav de Matos writes. New to the series this time around is heist missions, which task the game's three main characters (all playable) with, well, heisting valuables from a target (think: banks, jewelry stores, et cetera).

Though De Matos generally found the game worth his time, it sounds like the narrative beats are once again hampered by poor pacing and underdeveloped, over-the-top characters. "Since GTA V features three main characters with vastly different personalities, your time is split, and the narrative isn't given enough room to resonate," he says. There is of course much, much more to discuss, which you'll find in the Joystiq review, right here. We've also dropped five minutes of gameplay video after the break, should your fires not be stoked enough already.

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Source: Joystiq

Gamescom 2013: a recap of the week’s news

It's true -- we already gave Gamescom 2013 a quick wrap up, but now that the sun has finally set on the show's public days, it's time to look back on the past week and sift through the madness. Upon closing the Koelnmesse's doors, Gamescom announced the show's final numbers: over the course of five days 340,000 visitors from from 88 countries marched across 140,000 square meters of exhibition space. That's a 23 percent leap in attendance over the previous year, and it's hardly a surprise: the event was host to over 400 world premier announcements and gave many attendees their first look at Microsoft and Sony's next generation consoles. Combined with the more humble announcements that came out of GDC Europe, it turned out to be a pretty fantastic week for gaming. Read on for a breakdown of our time in Cologne, a look at the Gamescom 2013 show floor and a group chat between Joystiq and Engadget editors on the show's biggest announcements.

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Wrapping up Gamescom 2013 with Engadget and Joystiq (video)

There are still a few more days of Gamescom 2013 coverage coming to you from both us and our sister site Joystiq, but we're out of the thick of it and almost into the public days. Those are the days when nearly 300,000 people descend on quaint and historic Cologne, Germany for the largest public gaming event on the planet. It's pretty serious business! There's a campground and everything.

Anyway, we've gathered up a quartet of editors to tackle the past few days of big news: the PlayStation 4's launch date, Microsoft's Xbox One indie push, and EA's love for all things FIFA. Join us below for a casual look into the the latest major game industry event in video form.

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Engadget and Joystiq’s Sony PlayStation pre-event broadcast: live from E3

Been aching to find out what Sony's PlayStation 4 actually looks like? So have we. Fortunately, Engadget's Ben Gilbert and Joystiq's Alexander Sliwinski are right outside of the company's E3 press event, happily speculating on the box's potential shape -- not to mention what games we might see for it today. Head past the break to hear the pair's predictions for the show -- and of course, you can always follow along on our liveblog when they're finished.

Update: And that's a wrap! We'll update this post later with an archived video of the stream.

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Distro Issue 56 is here with smartphones, Windows 8 hybrids and the best of the rest from IFA 2012

Distro Issue 56 is here with smartphones, Windows 8 hybrids and the best of the rest from IFA 2012

Last week, the tech world focused on Berlin for IFA 2012. Those few days were jam packed full of 84-inch 4K televisions, super-sized smartphones and both Windows 8 slates and hybrids. In the latest edition of our weekly tablet mag, we take a look at the best of what IFA had to offer this time around -- including all of the devices that made a lasting impression. In case you've been napping, the last few days have been all about phones. In "Hands-on" we take a closer look at what Nokia and Motorola revealed in recent press events. On the review front, we put the Canon EOS-1D X and the Sony Reader PRS-T2 through the wringer and offer our detailed analysis. "Eyes-on" catches a glimpse of the Jambox Remix, "Weekly Stat" compiles smartphone screen sizes, "IRL" has even more of our daily gadgetry and meme maker Mr. Weebl admits in the Q&A that all he really wants is a keytar. This week's issue is bursting at its e-seams, so grab it via your download method of choice to get the weekend reading started.

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Distro Issue 56 is here with smartphones, Windows 8 hybrids and the best of the rest from IFA 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Distro Issue 55: a cautionary tale of the state-supported 38 Studios

Distro Issue 55 the cautionary tale of 38 Studios and state investments

In 2004, Curt Schilling and a badly injured ankle led the Red Sox to their first World Series championship in 86 years. That's right, he was the ace that helped break the "Curse of the Bambino" from the mound. Fast forward to 2010, where Schilling had hung up his cleats and lobbied for Rhode Island officials to give his video game outfit, 38 Studios, a $75 million loan guarantee. Just two years later, the studio filed for Chapter 7, leaving the state's taxpayers holding the tab. In this week's issue, Jason Hidalgo takes a look at what went down in New England and examines the risk of public funds being used to support private tech companies. We had folks on the ground in Berlin to monitor the happenings at IFA this week and a few notable gadgets from said event occupy "Hands-on". As far as full-on reviews go, we put the Archos 101 XS, Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE and Acer Aspire V5 through their paces. "Forum" is chock full of even more reads, eSports commentator John Sargent stops by for the Q&A, "Time Machines" kicks it old school and "Eyes-on" takes on 35mm, retro-style photography. The week is over, so hit the link that you fancy the most to grab your copy and let the relaxation begin.

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Distro Issue 55: a cautionary tale of the state-supported 38 Studios originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Distro Issue 54 arrives with the complete Engadget back to school guide!

Distro Issue 54 arrives with the complete Engadget back to school gear guide!

Well, friends, back to school season is in full swing. For some, it's a time of great sorrow, but for others it's a glorious time that usually means some new tech is on the way to combat the year's upcoming workload. Lucky for all of those in the latter group, the folks here at Engadget HQ have done our homework and compiled our picks in 14 different categories for your buying reference. In this issue of our weekly, we give you the full rundown on what to look for when you're in the midst of your back to school gadget shopping. As you might expect, some of the usual suspects are here as well for your weekend reading exploits -- including a closer look at the Wacom Cintiq 24HD touch, hands-on with a few of Gamescom's gadgets and a list of "Rec Reading" for the end of this seven-day period. Don't wait any longer, though. Hit your link of choice below to grab an end of summer guide of your very own.

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Distro Issue 54 arrives with the complete Engadget back to school guide! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Distro Issue 53: Will the S Pen-wielding Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 rise above its tablet foes?

Distro Issue 53 Will the S Penweilding Samsung Galaxy Note 101 rise above its tablet foes

The unfinished Galaxy Note 10.1 was cast into Android slate prime time at Mobile World Congress a few months back. Now the production model as arrived and we put it through its paces in this week's edition of our e-publication. If tablets aren't really your thing, we also give the Vizio Thin + Light and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon the in-depth review treatment this time around. "Eyes-on" takes a closer look at the B&O Beolit 12, "Rec Reading" offers a collection of Rudy Rucker's short stories, "Weekly Stat" catches a nice breeze and Red Hat's Chris Moody gives the Q&A a piece of his mind. Grab your S Pen (or other stylus of choice) and tap on the appropriate download link below to sort out your weekend reading.

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Distro Issue 53: Will the S Pen-wielding Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 rise above its tablet foes? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Distro Issue 52: Does the MakerBot Replicator signal the dawn of in-home 3D printing?

Distro Issue 52 Does the MakerBot Replicator signal the dawn of inhome 3D printing

Almost every day it seems like folks are finding a way to add to the number of practical uses for 3D printers. What was once a hobbyist's dream gadget is now being used to produce faux arteries for lab-grown tissue and Magic Arms. As the pricey peripherals work their way into the mainstream, are they soon to be found in most homes? That's the quandary we tackle in this edition of our weekly tablet mag as Brian Heater spends some quality time with the MakerBot Replicator at Engadget's NYC Headquarters. Not really into $2,000 output devices? No sweat. The Meizu MX 4-core, Toshiba U845W and Parrot Zik headphones all get the proper review treatment. "Hands-on" visits SIGGRAPH, "Weekly Stat" examines the shortcomings of our handsets, "Reaction Time" discusses THQ, "IRL" packs in three more of our gadget confessions and GameStop CEO Paul Raines admits his affinity for Jelly Bean in this week's Q&A. Go on and usher in the weekend by hitting up your download link of choice down below.

Distro Issue 52 PDF
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Distro Issue 52: Does the MakerBot Replicator signal the dawn of in-home 3D printing? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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