News::Australia: Steam's old no-refund policy broke the law

Were you unhappy that Valve didn't offer refunds on Steam until last June? Neither was Australia. The country's Federal Court has ruled that Valve violated consumer law by denying Steam gamers refunds under any conditions. You're entitled to get your money back on shoddy products, the court says, whether they're digital or physical. The penalty has yet to be determined, but it may be muted given that Valve has already changed its tune.

Via: Gamasutra

Source: ACCC

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News::'Quantum Break' live action trailer introduces its villains

Remedy's Quantum Break is an ambitious project, and we wouldn't blame you if you're still in the dark when it comes to the game's time travel-focused plot. Who's Paul Serene? Why is Jack Joyce trying to stop him? You aren't going to get all the answers just yet (that's why you're supposed to buy it), but the developer at least wants to give you an inkling of what's going on. It just released a trailer from the live action side of the title that helps illustrate the sinister machinations of Serene (played by Aidan Gillen from Game of Thrones), his right-hand man Martin Hatch (Lance Reddick from Fringe) and Monarch Corporation.

Source: Xbox (YouTube)

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News::'Killer Instinct' arrives on PCs

The PC hasn't exactly had a wealth of top-tier fighting games (Street Fighter V is more the exception than the rule), but that's changing today. As promised way back in June 2015, Double Helix has released Killer Instinct for Windows 10 gamers alongside Season 3 of the Xbox One title. Both versions share the same combo-laden fighting game mechanics and characters (including new additions like Halo's Arbiter), and players on one platform can duke it out with rivals on another. Like you might expect, though, the PC version can look as good as your system allows -- it'll run at 4K if you have both the display and graphics hardware to match.

Via: Destructoid

Source: Xbox Wire, Microsoft Store

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News::Razer made a game capture card designed for livestreaming

Livestreaming games is a big business these days, and Razer knows it. The gear designer has unveiled the Ripsaw, a capture card that's all about sharing your console and PC gaming exploits on the likes of Twitch or YouTube. It's built to work "out of the box" with common streaming apps like Open Broadcaster Software and XSplit, and its combination of a USB 3.0 connection and audio inputs should do justice to both the video (you'll get uncompressed 1080p, 60FPS footage) and your commentary track. You get all the cables you need, too. The aim is to create a box that meets the needs of veteran streamers, but won't intimidate newcomers.

Source: Razer

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News::Run for president in Sandra Day O'Connor's educational game

If you think it's too late to change careers, consider 86-year-old former senator and Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who recently became an app developer. Her educational company iCivics has launched a new version of Win the White House, a timely game that teaches kids how presidential campaigns work. Unlike the real-life Jerry Springer-like primary, the game teaches pupils how to run civilly on issues from gun control to alternative energy. "A quarter of students cannot demonstrate a proficient knowledge of how our government works," Day O'Connor told the New York Times.

Source: iCivics, The New York Times

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News::Nintendo's Miitomo app launches in the US on March 31

Nintendo has announced that Miitomo, its first smartphone game, will be launching in the US and Europe on March 31st. The company had previously promised a "March" release outside of Japan, so, with only a few days remaining, we were starting to wonder if the app had been delayed. Clearly there was no need to worry. It'll be available on iOS and Android, with the option to import a Wii U or 3DS Mii using a QR code.

Source: Nintendo (PR)

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News::Pre-order your PlayStation VR core bundle at 10AM ET

Already have the camera and controllers you need to make full use of PlayStation VR? Your moment is at hand: as of 10AM Eastern Time today, March 29th, you can pre-order the PlayStation VR core system ahead of its October launch. Plunk down $400 and you'll get the headset, a demo disc and nothing else. Sony has warned that hardware is likely to sell out quickly, so you'll probably want to move fast if you're bent on trying the PlayStation 4's VR experience as quickly as possible.

Source: PlayStation.com

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News::'Quantum Break' has an audio setting just for streamers

YouTube and Twitch have come under fire for overzealous blocking of copyrighted music in video games, but Quantum Break developer Remedy Entertainment has a way around that. For folks who want to stream its latest game and not get their videos flagged for violations on YouTube, or have the audio muted wholesale on Twitch, there's a setting in the game's audio options that allows you to turn off licensed music playback. This is something that's been done on the indie scale before, but perhaps not in a AAA tentpole game like Quantum Break and not one published by Microsoft.

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News::Fans persuade Blizzard to pull sexualized 'Overwatch' pose

Sometimes a beta test is more than a glorified demo that the marketing department pushes for to drum up pre-orders. Fans of Overwatch, Blizzard's colorful new shooter, discovered just that recently. Over on the game's official forums, a user noticed that one of Tracer's -- more or less the figurehead for the game -- victory poses put her in a position that forum-goer "Fipps" thought wasn't befitting of the character. In it, she's glancing over her shoulder, her butt framed by a few straps over her leggings.

Via: Polygon

Source: Battle.net

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News::Spin-jump your way to 'Flappy Bird' in 'Super Mario World'

To date, we've seen the infamous Flappy Bird show up either cloned or otherwise in roughly 853 different places. That's a slight exaggeration, but you probably weren't expecting to find it in a game that's rapidly approaching 30 years in age. YouTube user "SethBling" says that by executing a glitch on a standard Super NES with no modifications, he was able to trick the game into letting him upload code for the airborne fowl's namesake game into Super Mario World. Your homage in Super Mario Maker just got even less impressive.

Source: SethBling (1) (YouTube), (2) (Google Doc)

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