Microsoft is taking applications for Kinect for Windows developer program; $399 payment required.

The Xbox One Kinect for Windows is now available for preorder by developers, Microsoft has announced.

Revealed on the Microsoft website, the Xbox maker is taking applications from those who wish to take part in the Kinect for Windows developer kit program.

Accepted participants will receive a prerelease sensor and tools to assist with building applications when the program kicks off in November this year.

The program costs $399 (or "local equivalent") and includes:

é Access to the Kinect for Windows engineering team private forum and webcasts
é Early SDK access (alpha, beta, and any updates along the way to release)
é Access to all API and sample documentation
é Pre-release/alpha sensor
é Final sensor at launch

Applications close on July 31, 2013, at 9:00 a.m. PST, with successful participants to be notified in August.

The Kinect 2.0 will be included with the Xbox One, Microsoft's next-generation console. For more on the latest Xbox One news, be sure to check out GameSpot's Xbox One hub.

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Two-time player of the year Lee "Flash" Young Ho announces his StarCraft II team KT Rolster will be sponsored by Razer and will stream events on Twitch.

Considered to be the best StarCraft: Brood War player of all time, South Korea's Lee "Flash" Young Ho has announced his StarCraft II team KT Rolster will be sponsored by Razer and that he will begin streaming on Twitch.tv.

Known by his nicknames "The Ultimate Weapon" and even "God," Flash has an extensive list of accolades including ten major individual titles and two team titles. He was also voted "Player of the Year" twice. He and his StarCraft II teammates will now gain the support from Razer, which sponsored the team's League of Legends squad earlier this year.

"It's no secret how seriously I take my gaming hardware and it's truly an honor for me to use gaming equipment produced by Razer," said Flash. "Of all equipment manufacturers in global gaming, Razer products mean I am fully prepared to win. The way I can find subtle advantage and a feeling of stability in Razer product is very special and allows me to concentrate on the game and winning as I must."

"KT Rolster are one of the most enduring and prestigious names in eSports and StarCraft as a whole, so bringing them on board alongside our other Korean teams such as FXO and MVP made sense," Razer Associate eSports Manager Drew Holt-Kentwell told GameSpot on why the company decided to sponsor KT Rolster over other teams.

"We've worked closely with KT Rolster and their League of Legends teams for a while now too, so extending our support to include the StarCraft roster was a natural step for us both. Overall, we've been super impressed with the commitment they have to the game and eSports as a whole so working alongside them has always been a pleasure. Oh, and then there's Flash. Heés pretty good at StarCraft."

This will mark the first time that a player from the Korean eSports Association (KeSPA) will live-stream their games on Twitch. Known for intense all-day practice regimens and various team restrictions, professional players in South Korea under KeSPA have not been able to live stream their games as players in the West have done, or even fellow South Korean players not under KeSPA's rule. Former KeSPA player Lee "Jaedong" Jae Dong was the first player of that group to start streaming, only after leaving the umbrella to sign with the Western organization Evil Geniuses.

"We're nothing short of ecstatic to see Flash start streaming practice games live on Twitch for the masses of StarCraft II fans to enjoy," Twitch's Senior Manager of Partnerships Ben Goldhaber told GameSpot. "I know I'll be tuning in to study Flash's innovative build orders and crisp timings. Can't wait to see you all in chat as Flash takes Twitch by storm!"

"It's great to see more and more players of Flash's caliber streaming for the first time and we're strong believers in the players we work with being able to connect with and reach out to their fans," added Holt-Kentwell. "While some degree of mystery is always great to keep people excited, we wanted to encourage this so the community feels like they're getting something back. It's also important to us that the teams we work with in Korea can become experienced and self-sufficient in reaching an international audience themselves, too."

As part of the new agreement with Razer, Flash and other KT Rolster players will participate in more western events.

Flash is currently conducting an extensive live interview on eSports talk show Live On Three with GameSpot's own Rod "Slasher" Breslau, Twitch's Marcus "djWHEAT" Graham, and StarCraft II Commentator Dan "Artosis" Stemkoski.

Watch live video from OneMoreGame.TV on www.twitch.tv

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Todd Hollenshead departs Doom studio to pursue "other personal interests."

id Software president and former CEO Todd Hollenshead has left the Doom studio after 17 years with the company, publisher Bethesda has confirmed.

"After many years with the studio, Todd Hollenshead decided to leave id Software to pursue other personal interests," Bethesda said in a statement.

"While Todd was not part of the development teams, he was an integral part of id Software's success as the business head of the studio, and we wish him the very best in his future endeavors."

Hollenshead joined id Software in 1996 as CEO, before taking on the role of president in 2009.

The most recent new release from id Software was 2011's Rage. The studio is currently working on Doom 4, which has been rebooted.

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Gaming portable's release delayed to July due to mechanical issue discovered in last-minute quality assurance testing.

Portable gaming device Nvidia Shield has been delayed into July, one day before it was scheduled to launch.

Explaining the delay, project manager Jason Paul said a mechanical issue was detected during last-minute quality assurance testing.

"The issue relates to a third-party mechanical component, and we're working around the clock with the supplier to get it up to our expectations," Paul said.

"We apologize to those who have preordered Shields and to all those who are waiting for them to go on sale. But we want every Shield to be just right," he added.

Just last week, Nvidia announced that the Shield would launch June 27 for $300, a $50 markdown from the portable's previously announced $350 price tag.

Paul said at the time that the new price point will make the device a "home run."

The Nvidia Shield gives gamers access to an array of gaming avenues, including Nvidia TegraZone, Google Play, and Steam. The system runs on the Tegra 4 processor and boasts 16GB of memory, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, a mini-HDMI output, a microSD storage slot, and a headphone jack.

The device also features a five-inch, 720p multi-touch display. For more on the Nvidia Shield, check out GameSpot's preview of the device from the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year.

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BioWare releases first image from Frostbite 3-powered role-playing game.

BioWare has released the first official screenshot for Dragon Age: Inquisition. The scene may look familiar, as it was featured in the game's E3 trailer (below).

BioWare previously released Dragon Age: Inquisition concept art, showing off castles, dungeons, and open fields.

Dragon Age: Inquisition runs on the Frostbite 3 engine, the technology also behind upcoming games Battlefield 4 and Need for Speed: Rivals.

The role-playing game was recently delayed one year. It is now due out in fall 2014 for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC.

EA recently explained that its decision to drop the "III" from the game's title was for both marketing and story purposes.

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PopCap Games pushes iOS title from July 18 to "later in the summer"; no rationale provided for delay.

PopCap Games today announced that Plants vs. Zombie 2 will not meet its previously announced July 18 release date.

The downloadable game is now slated to launch "later in the summer," PopCap said on Twitter, noting more detailed will be shared in the future.

No reason for the delay was provided.

Plants vs. Zombies 2 was announced earlier this month as a free download exclusive for iOS devices, though PopCap has plans to bring the game to other platforms.

The game has been designed "from the ground up" as a live service and will feature new worlds, levels, plants, zombies, and ways to play--including a time travel mechanic.

According to PopCap, every zombie and every level in the Plants vs. Zombies 2 gameworld is playable for free. At the same time, players will also be able to purchase unspecified upgrades and other in-game items, though specific pricing details were not given.

In addition to Plants vs. Zombies 2, PopCap is working on Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, an all-new shooter for consoles and PC.

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Sources say Sony originally planned $500 PS4, but scuttled plans to include camera with every unit to bring price down below Microsoft.

Multiple sources have told IGN that Sony originally planned to launch the PlayStation 4 at $500.

However, in the months leading up to E3, Sony reportedly abandoned plans to include a PlayStation Eye camera with every unit, thus bringing the price down to $400--a full $100 below Microsoft's Xbox One.

Sony did this quietly, the sources said, telling retail partners only about the removal of the camera and not mentioning the lower price to keep Microsoft in the dark.

PlayStation Eye cameras will be sold separately for $60.

By comparison, every $500 Xbox One unit will include a Kinect 2.0 camera. Microsoft has touted the new Kinect as an integral component of the Xbox One, unlike the Xbox 360 scenario, where the Kinect is an optional accessory.

A Sony representative was not immediately available to comment.

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Sledgehammer Games seeking Assistant Dialogue Specialist to help create new sound experiences for upcoming project.

Call of Duty developer Sledgehammer Games is currently seeking an Assistant Dialogue Specialist to help the studio create a "fresh new AAA aural experience" for the company's next game.

A successful applicant for the temporary position "will be involved in general audio production, including every aspect of game dialogue development, alongside one of the most passionate and experienced audio teams in the industry."

A previous Sledgehammer Games job listing indicated the studio was aiming for "hyper-realism" for its in-development and unannounced Call of Duty title.

In 2009, Sledgehammer Games was working on a third-person action adventure Call of Duty game. However, this project was put on hold after Sledgehammer Games was directed to help Infinity Ward finish Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in the wake of that studio's high-profile meltdown.

Sledgehammer Games is not contributing to this year's Call of Duty: Ghosts, though Infinity Ward is being assisted by other Activision-owned studios including Raven Software and Neversoft Entertainment.

Call of Duty: Ghosts arrives November 5 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Versions for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are in development but don't have release dates yet.

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"If you do a focus group of a gazillion people and you show them two prices for two competitive products, 100 percent always prefer the lower price," says Activision CEO.

Activision has entered the discussion about Microsoft's decision to price the Xbox One at $499, with CEO Eric Hirshberg saying that platform holder will need to "convince" gamers that the console is worth the money.

"It's up to [Microsoft] to win the value argument," said Hirshberg in an interview with GamesIndustry International. "If you do a focus group of a gazillion people and you show them two prices for two competitive products, 100 percent always prefer the lower price."

"I think from a first impression standpoint the win goes to Sony, at least as it relates to pricing. Microsoft is going to have to win the hearts and minds and convince people that the higher price point is worth it, and that it provides really meaningful capabilities that will be meaningful to consumers. And it's a long game, so I am sure that's what they intend on trying to do."

Sony has priced the PlayStation 4 at $399, but Microsoft's higher price also includes its latest motion-sensing Kinect peripheral. Does Hirshberg think the Kinect 2.0 will make a long-term difference to the Xbox One's chances? "I think it's the same answer; I feel they have to show why that's a good thing and why it's worth the premium and deserves inclusion and why it's something that gamers are going to come to really value and appreciate."

"It's going to be a fun battle to watch, but I think they definitely have to win hearts and minds in terms of the value of it," concluded Hirshberg.

Activision has an timed exclusivity deal with Microsoft for Call of Duty DLC, and the third-party publisher also took to the stage during Microsoft's Xbox One reveal event in May to show off Call of Duty: Ghosts. The publisher has also signed an exclusivity deal with Sony for content on Bungie's upcoming shooter Destiny.

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Just Cause studio founder Christofer Sundberg says it is easy to get distracted as projects grow in size, but success comes from passion.

Avalanche Studios founder Christofer Sundberg has a message to studio leaders: success comes from passion.

As part of a wide-ranging GamesIndustry International feature on studio growth, Sundberg warned of the perils of putting aspirations for money ahead of making great games.

"In terms of nurturing the studio, I'd like to encourage studio heads to not lose touch with games development, which was probably (hopefully) the reason they started their studios in the first place," Sundberg said. "I know it's easy to get detached as the budgets and projects grow, as bigger publishing partners and investors join, but without the passion for game development you will fail."

"Finally, everyone wants to make money, but I have always said that the day we start focusing on being a business rather than a game development studio, we've lost our soul and our right to exist," he added. "Passion for games is everything. If you find yourself flat broke (I've been there) and still feel motivated to create the game of your dreams, you're a winner."

Sundberg made headlines recently for saying most games today are too short and that's why they are traded in.

The latest project from Sundberg and Avalanche Studios is Mad Max, which will be released in 2014 published by Warner Bros. The car combat-focused game does not feature any multiplayer.

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