A selection of links, hand-picked by the Guardian games writers.
Oculus appoints John Carmack as CTO | Develop
Id software co-founder and technical director John Carmack has joined Oculus as its chief technology officer.
Carmack will work from the virtual reality company's new office in Dallas, which the firm is currently in the process of staffing up.
The story goes on to add:
Update: Id Software has said John Carmack is not leaving the company, and will "continue to provide leadership" for its games in development.
This is an interesting coup for Oculus, and it'll no doubt add to the technology's status going forward. A momentum is clearly building behind the device, which has so far been largely confined to the hardcore gaming sector. Having the creator of Doom onboard, ramps things up. And, of course, he brings yet more technical genius to the platform.
Xbox One Game DVR restricted to Gold subscribers | CVG UK
Xbox One owners will need to subscribe to Xbox Live Gold if they hope to make use of the console's new Game DVR functionality.
According to an Xbox Live promo page on the official Xbox website, the feature is among a list of benefits offered exclusively to Xbox Live Gold accounts holders, suggesting that non-subscribers will find the feature completely disabled.
Surely this makes sense: gamers who record footage will no doubt be wanting to share it with their Xbox Live buddies – so they'll need a connected account anyway. Plus, multiplayer footage will no doubt figure highly in the output.
Nintendo still selling Wii U at a loss | GamesIndustry International
Those holding out hope for a Wii U price cut to combat system launches from Microsoft and Sony may want to brace for disappointment. A Nintendo representative confirmed for GamesIndustry International today that the company's hardware is still being sold at a loss.
New PlayStation 4 pre-orders no longer guaranteed for launch | Eurogamer.net
Sony can no longer guarantee that if you pre-order a PlayStation 4 in the UK you'll get it at launch.
A directive was sent to a number of UK retailers including Amazon and ShopTo.
ShopTo displayed the message first: "Sony have confirmed all PlayStation 4 pre-orders placed from 6th August will now not be guaranteed for launch. You can still pre-order PS4 with us in case we receive cancellations and can fulfil your order for launch."
Ubisoft Signs Console Game Deal with Hasbro | IGN
Ubisoft has signed a deal with toy-giant Hasbro, allowing the publisher to develop and publish console games based on popular Hasbro board game properties for current and next-gen hardware.
Monopoly, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Risk, Battleship, and Cranium are among the brands confirmed by the recently announced deal.
EA held the license before Ubisoft and did make that passable version of Scrabble that let you use your smartphone as your letters board – but then it hasn't released a Hasbro title in some time. What can Ubisoft bring to these classic board games?
Maybe some cross branding... An Assassin's Creed version of Monopoly? Splinter Cell Risk?
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