halo

In today's show, we're stretching our thumbs, looking to Venus and pondering iPhone popularity:

It's time to gear up for the year's big video game conference, E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The coverage begins around 9 a.m. Pacific, noon Eastern when Microsoft holds its press event. Expect talk of Halo 4 and new entertainment features tied to Xbox Live.

Sony will be holding a press event late Monday evening, and Nintendo will be having one Tuesday to reveal more on the Wii U, right as the show floor opens.

Google will be holding an event … Read more

Russ Frushtick from The Verge's Polygon gaming Zord joins us today for a preview of what's to come at next week's Electronic Gaming Expo.

Jeff and Russ will both be there to cover the show, and while casual gamers may still lament the lack of hardware announcements this year, there are still plenty of highly anticipated games to get their hands on, including "The Last of Us," "The Last Guardian," and the new "Tomb Raider."… Read more

Traditionally the first of the major video game console makers to host its annual E3 press conference, Microsoft sets the bar for Sony and Nintendo to follow.

In some years, that's an easy task, with new hardware such as the Kinect sensor or the slim Xbox 360 redesign. Other years, it's based on exclusive software, such as a new Halo or Gears of War game.

For 2012, the general feeling is that this will be another software-heavy year, with little or nothing said about any future generations of the Xbox console. The counterweight to that prediction, however, is … Read more

Nike is introducing a new RSVP system on Twitter to handle the release of its limited edition sneakers, and we think Microsoft and Sony should adopt a similar model for their new consoles so fools like Jeff won't have to camp out in the cold.… Read more

Halo 4 is launching in November, and Conan O'Brien's TBS show "Conan" will play a role in driving that news home.

Microsoft announced today that Halo 4 will be available worldwide on November 6. O'Brien will have a special segment on his TBS show tonight to promote the game and its launch, according to the company.

Larry Hryb, director of programming for Xbox Live and best known as "Major Nelson," tweeted yesterday that O'Brien's Team Coco will deliver Halo 4 news at some point today. The Verge followed that up with … Read more

Three companies have combined forces to take a look at the state of angel round investing.

The Angel Resource Institute, Silicon Valley Bank, and CB Insights have revealed in their first Halo Report, a study on the current state of early-stage investment across the U.S., that California is, as many might expect, the top destination for entrepreneurs looking to raise cash.

According to the study, 21 percent of all investments were secured last year in California. The Great Lakes region, including Ohio and Wisconsin, among other states, accounted for 15.9 percent of all angel investing in 2011. New … Read more

For millions of video game fans, the name Master Chief is all they need to hear to know they're in for hours of intense game play. And for years, through iteration after iteration, the Halo franchise has kept those fans glued to their Xboxes.

This holiday season, fans will get yet another crack at the world of Spartans, the Covenant, and John-117: Halo 4.

At its annual Spring Xbox Showcase last week, Microsoft gave the video game press their first look at game play from the next version of one of the industry's all-time best-selling games. And this … Read more

Have you ever committed yourself to a lover? Has that lover ever turned on you, trodden on your commitment, and crushed your dreams of a white picket fence and perfect baking every Sunday?

Then please take a seat. For I wish to bring you the story of a man who was in that very position and decided he needed to buy himself something nice.

It just so happens that the something nice was a Halo suit of armor.

I am grateful to an emotional Reddit reader who sent me a link to Bygone Bureau, a culture and travel magazine that … Read more

This holiday season, we're seeing a trend toward classic games presented in close-to-original form, but with their original graphics rerendered at the higher resolutions today's consoles and displays use. Is this a great way to make older games more accessible, or is it, like colorizing black-and-white movies, widely considered a bastardization of the original art?

Unlike film or music, video games age badly. Technology changes, screens get bigger, and the host games of even a few years ago look positively primitive to the jaded eyes of consumers. Despite this, we've still seen some vintage games enjoy a second, or even third life as iOS arcade classics, hermetically sealed retro downloads on GOG.com, or even those vintage-game-filled joysticks that plug directly into a television.

What we're seeing more than ever of this year is a little different: classic games presented in almost their original form, but with redesigned graphics, or at least with the original graphics rerendered at the higher resolutions today's consoles and displays use. … Read more