Retailer no longer accepting online pre-purchases for Microsoft's $500 next-generation console.

The official Best Buy product page for the Xbox One (via IGN) indicates that the retailer has sold through its stock of the next-generation console and is no longer accepting online purchases.

The $500 console remains available for pre-purchase at retailers like Wal-Mart, Amazon, GameStop, and Target, among others.

A Microsoft representative declined to comment on whether or not it plans to replenish stock.

The news comes just days after GameStop stopped accepting PlayStation 4 preorders "due to high demand." The $400 machine remains unavailable at the retailer, though other outlets have units in stock.

The Xbox One and PS4 both launch this holiday season.

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Rockstar Games confirms newly released trailer for open-world game captured with footage from PlayStation 3 version of the title.

Footage from the debut gameplay trailer for Grand Theft Auto V released yesterday was captured on the PlayStation 3 version of the game, Rockstar Games has confirmed.

"Just to clarify for those asking, this particular video was captured with footage from the PS3 version of the game," Rockstar Games said on its website.

The nearly five-minute video (below) details the game's new three-protagonist system and introduces players to a range of new locations, items, and activities. The video was captured entirely from in-game footage.

GTAV launches worldwide September 17 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. PC and Wii U versions are "up for consideration," while Rockstar is reportedly hiring programmers to bring its "latest titles" to PC.

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Game to soft launch in Australia and New Zealand this week.

The launch of the upcoming PopCap title Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time was delayed so the developers could test the title through numerous servers, senior producer Allen Murray said in an interview with Polygon.

Australia and New Zealand will be getting their hands on some zombie genocide later today, but the rest of the world will have to wait.

The company wants to test the game's foundations including its back end server capacity, cloud saving system, and cash shop options, before releasing the game widely. Murray said that while the game does not require an internet connection, gamers can take advantage of its numerous features if connected online. "You can save your progress and share accounts across multiple devices--and we need to make sure those systems, along with our ability to stream that content to players, works."

Murray said that PopCap needs to stabilize and tweak its pricing models. Gamers who are participating in the soft launch in Australia and New Zealand later today will see price fluctuations in the cash shop.

Murray said the soft launch was set in those two countries because the company does not know how stable the backend servers are. "If we had more players than we could account for, some of the systems might fall over. We want to be double confident, so we're testing it in a smaller region. This allows us to have a more controlled testing player base and determine how to keep the game healthy, then map that to the expected growth when we launch worldwide."

Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time had a release date of July 18 before getting pushed back to late summer.

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Booth to feature hands-on for Ryse and Killer Instinct, as well as panels for Halo and Dead Rising 3.

Microsoft has announced its Xbox offerings for the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con event from July 18 to July 21.

Killer Instinct and Ryse: Son of Rome will be playable at this year's Comic-Con.

Gamers will be able to play preview builds of upcoming Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles like Ryse: Son of Rome and Killer Instinct at the Xbox booth (#100) all day during the event. Fans can also check out the Xbox Lounge located at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego from July 18 to July 21 for a hands-on with more titles from publishers like 2K Games and Capcom.

Attendees can also check out some Xbox panels. These include a Halo-related talk from 343 Industries producers and developers called "Inside The Looking Glass: Building 'Halo' Worlds and Wonders", a presentation on the future of Xbox One, and a Capcom Vancouver panel on Dead Rising 3 called "The Video Game Culture of Zombies". Gamers can check out the full list of shows on Xbox Live director of programming Lawrence "Major Nelson" Hryb's website.

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Following a two-year beta period, Dota 2 officially becomes free to play on Steam; initial launch period to introduce new users in waves.

After two years in beta, Dota 2 has been officially launched by Valve as a free-to-play game via digital distribution platform Steam.

According to an announcement made on the official Dota 2 blog, the game currently holds the largest active community on Steam. Due to the size of the user base, Dota 2“s official launch will be conducted in waves.

Players who are interested in picking up the free-to-play game can access it via the Dota 2 Steam page and join the launch queue, which is introducing new players in waves to accommodate anticipated server spikes.

Valve expects to start rolling out entry for new users “this week“.

Dota 2 combines action and real-time strategy elements in multiplayer matches that pit teams of player-controlled heroes against one another. The game includes integrated voice chat and the option to play against AI-controlled heroes.

Valve“s Dota 2 eSports tournament "The International 3" accrued a prize pool of more than $2 million due to contributions from the community. The prize pool will go towards the event, which is the third in a series of annual tournaments and will run from August 7-11 in Seattle this year.

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[Update] Super Smash Bros Melee reinstated in fighting game tournament; matches will not be streamed online as planned.

UPDATE:

Evo co-founder Joey “MrWizard“ Cuellar has just tweeted, saying Super Smash Bros Melee will be reinstated. “We won! Smash is back baby! #Evo2013 #hype,“ his tweet read.

An update has also been added to the story on Shoryuken. ““I“ve just received word from Nintendo that the Evo Smash Bros. Melee stream will be allowed to proceed. We will be restoring the original stream and tournament schedules. Obviously this is a huge [relief] for all of us here and we“re thrilled that the world will get to see the best Smash players fight it out this weekend. Thanks to everyone online who supported both Evo and Smash.“

Fans were upset about Super Smash Bros Melee“s removal from the stream schedule earlier today, particularly after supporters helped raise almost $95,000 for charity earlier this year to see the game included in the tournament.

The original story is below.

Nintendo of America has denied organisers the rights to broadcast Super Smash Bros Melee gameplay as part of the Evo 2013 fighting game tournament being held in Las Vegas this weekend.

A news update on the Shoryuken website by a member of the event organisation team said, "Regrettably, we've just been informed by Nintendo of America Inc that we do not have permission to broadcast Super Smash Bros Melee for Evo 2013."

Persona 4 Arena and King of Fighters XIII will now take Super Smash Bros Melee“s place, and while the GameCube brawler will still be included in the competition, its finals have been moved to Sunday at 2 p.m., and will no longer be streamed online for viewers.

Major League Gaming (MLG) faced similar restrictions from the Japanese company, when it was denied broadcast rights for Super Smash Bros Brawl ahead of its Orlando event in 2010.

In May this year, Nintendo began claiming advertising revenue for user-created YouTube videos that included the company“s games.

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Multiple sources say Steve Ballmer will officially announce significant restructuring plan July 11; Julie Larson-Green reportedly in line to lead Xbox business.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will formally announce the rumored company restructuring plan on Thursday, multiple sources have told The Wall Street Journal's All Things D.

Various issues are "still up in the air," the site notes, cautioning that specific timing for the announcement is not necessarily set in stone.

As was previously reported, the rumored organizational shift, in addition to solidifying Microsoft as a devices and services business, aims to simplify the company's management.

The move, according to the sources, aims to create "functional coherence" at Microsoft, though this is reportedly an internal term and will not be shared publicly.

As part of the company-wide shift, various executives will reportedly shuffle to new positions. This includes 19-year company veteran Julie Larson-Green, who is supposedly in line to take over management of all devices at Microsoft, including the Xbox division.

Larson-Green currently heads up Microsoft's Windows team as corporate vice president.

Don Mattrick recently vacated his position as president of Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Business, joining Farmville studio Zynga last week to become the social game company's CEO.

Larson-Green's appointment to replace Mattrick matches up with a Bloomberg report from last week, which suggested she would take over the open position.

One concerned insider told All Things D, "If this is all about an org chart and not how to build great products, it does not matter what org chart Ballmer presents. Consumers buy products, not a management structure."

The Xbox One launches in November for $500.

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Publisher files motion claiming $941,710.93 over Steam preorders for real-time strategy game after THQ bankruptcy.

A new filing in the THQ Claims Registry reveals that Sega is seeking $941,710.93 from the bankrupt publisher over Company of Heroes 2 preorders through Valve's online store Steam.

Sega purchased the Company of Heroes franchise--and developer Relic Entertainment--for $26.6 million during the THQ bankruptcy auction in January.

Of the $941,710.93 total, Sega claims $508,877.85 as priority under United States bankruptcy laws 11 U.S.C. § 364 (a), 503 (b)(1)(A), and 507 (a)(2). This figure is derived from preorders made after THQ's official bankruptcy filing on December 19.

Sega's filing in the THQ Claims Registry also includes an itemized statement showing a detailed summary of exact preorder figures through Steam--information neither Sega nor THQ ever released.

According to the document, through January 24, 2013, gamers preordered a total of 20,755 copies of Company of Heroes 2 through Steam. Most popular was the standard edition of the game, moving 14,068 units in all after chargebacks/returns.

A full breakdown is available in the chart below.

Company of Heroes 2 was, of course, not only available through Steam. The game, prior to its launch late last month, was available for preorder at Sega's own online store, GameStop, Amazon, and other major retailers.

The Sega filing also reveals information regarding its revenue sharing contract with Valve-Steam.

Net Steam sales for all 20,755 copies of Company of Heroes 2 reserved through the distribution service totaled $1,345,301.29. The cut Sega claims it is owed--$941,710.93--is 70 percent of the total, meaning Valve-Steam took 30 percent.

Sega is far from the first to lodge a claim against THQ. In the time since THQ went bankrupt last year, the company's creditors at large have claimed hundreds of millions in owed money. A long list of companies like Mattel, Microsoft, Double Fine, and Codemasters, as well as former executives like Jason Rubin and Brian Farrell have all filed claims against the company.

GameSpot has reached out to Sega for additional comment.

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Guerrilla Games working with David Harewood and Jamie Gray Hyder on upcoming PlayStation 4 shooter.

Beyond: Two Souls is not the only upcoming PlayStation exclusive to feature Hollywood talent.

Guerrilla Games announced today that David Harewood (Blood Diamond, Homeland) and Jamie Gray Hyder (True Blood) will play roles in the upcoming PlayStation 4 first-person shooter Killzone: Shadow Fall.

Harewood will play Vektan Security Agency director Sinclair, while Hyder has been cast as Echo, an intelligence operative for the Helghast. Both actors are lending their physical performance, voice, and likeness to their respective roles.

Killzone: Shadow Fall is a PS4 launch title set 30 years after the events of Killzone 3. It takes place in a new world and puts players into the boots of an all-new hero, the Shadow Marshal.

As for Beyond: Two Souls, that game launches exclusively for the PlayStation on October 8. It features the performance and voice work of Ellen Page (Inception, Juno), and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, The Boondock Saints).

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Nintendo and 49 other Japanese publishers win $1m in damages from three companies selling DS flash cartridges in Tokyo.

A judge in a Japanese court case has ruled that three companies distributing illegal R4 flash cartridges for the Nintendo DS must pay Nintendo and dozens of other developers almost $1 million in damages.

Nintendo Japan announced that the three Tokyo-based resellers of the piracy-enabling R4 cartridges, Seafort Japan, Mediaforce, and Magical Company, are guilty of the Unfair Competition Prevention Act and must now pay ¥95,620,005 (approx $945,873/£635,774) in damages.

Nintendo and the 49 other plaintiffs make up almost all of Japan's major publishers, including Capcom, Namco Bandai, Konami, Square Enix, and D3.

The Japanese government ruled in November 2012 that, after years of attempting to block the devices from sale, all R4 devices are illegal in Japan.

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