Vita drop test goes surprisingly well if you're not taller than 4 feet

We've dissected the Vita from almost every angle imaginable, reviewing its hardware, software, design, mechanics and games, but there's one thing that we forgot to test out -- how well it will hold up during an earthquake. Or tsunami. Or anything that makes the ground unstable and people/tables prone to dropping things. Thankfully, these fellas above have that covered, conducting a thorough drop test on the Vita, which it somewhat surprisingly passes with flying colors. Er, flying Vitas.

DICE Looking To Expand Beyond The Battlefield Boundaries

DICE is well-known for their esteemed Battlefield franchise. Last
year's Battlefield 3 was certainly one of the year's best.
And while you can definitely expect more series installments in the
future,the developer has plans involving otherprojects. That's good
news, considering the last full game they created that didn't have
"Battlefield" in the title was 2008's Mirror's Edge .
DICE general manager Karl-Magnus Troedsson told Joystiq that the team
has an "ongoing plan" to step outside the Battlefield boundaries.

The ‘Starhawk’ beta is coming to a close this month, but Lightbox has just released the latest update. Version 1.3 brings a new map, larger battles and two new vehicles

 

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These days betas get a bad rap for being nothing more than a glorified demo, but if one game has bucked the trend, it’s Lightbox Interactive’s Starkhawk. The game has just entered version 1.3, bringing new vehicles, more players and a sweet trailer.
If you haven’t already booted up the Starhawk beta, you’ll be prompted to download the 1.3 update. This update will add two new vehicles to the game: the Ox Tank and the Sidewinder Jet Bike. The tank has a bit more of a futuristic look than what we’ve seen inWarhawk; it has six wheels as opposed to treads and two fire modes to boot.

Sony: 90 Million PSN Accounts, Best Royalty Rate

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It always helps when it's free.

The PlayStation Network remains free to access for everyone and the new PlayStation Vita just launched; it's only at 1.2 million sold now, but that number will certainly grow in the near future.

The bottom line is that according to Sony, speaking at GDC and as reported by Develop, there are 90 million confirmed PSN accounts around the world. SCEA Developer Relations Manager Ted Regulski said the numbers were compiled from accounts registered on the PS3, PSP, and the freshly released Vita. He also said Sony was "the only major console publisher to allow self-publishing."

"There are others but they have publishing rules that aren’t much fun, and there are no weird limits you have to hit in order for us to pay you."

Regulski added that the PSN offers a better royalty rate than either Microsoft or Nintendo, which of course is incentive for developers. As for the total number of PSN accounts, there's no doubt that users find ways to have multiple accounts on the same machine, so perhaps we should take "90 million" with a grain of salt. Still, there's no denying just how far the PSN has come in five short years.

Engadget goes hands on with Angry Birds Space

While we were talking to Rovio's Mighty Eagle Peter Vesterbacka, our good friends atEngadget were speaking with Rovio's Ville Heijari, who gave them a thorough run through of Angry Birds Space's new gravitational elements and horrendously difficult Danger Zone, the latter of which is exclusive to Samsung's massive 5.3 inch Galaxy Note smartphone.

We had a chance to play the game as well, albeit briefly, and we can report that not only are these birds still very upset, but that the pigs' space program is far, far more advanced than we had anticipated. We also had no idea there were so many planets in the solar system, but who are we to correct NASA?

Assassin's Creed III: Hero, Setting, And Gameplay Info

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Oh man, we're pumped.

Assassin's Creed III is on the tips of a great many tongues, and that's because a whole lot of information has been hitting the Internet over the past 48 hours. Thanks to Game Informer and GamingBolt, a veritable wealth of information has appeared.

The developers wanted to remain true to the franchise's roots while still trying something new, and if you want the full rundown and early screenshots, click through the link above. Here are a few of our favorite factoids:

-- The development cycle was the longest compared to any Assassin’s Creed game. It seems the game was developed simultaneously with the other spin-offs (Brotherhood and Revelations). According to Ubisoft’s CEO, AC3 has been in development for three years.

-- The game tells a story of Templars vs Americans. It’s not about winning the war, but a story based on the main protagonist’s life.

-- The game runs on a brand new version of the Anvil engine.

The new Assassin is the son of a Native American woman and a British soldier. He calls himself Connor, but his birth name is Ratohnhaké:ton. Born into the Mohawk, he eventually crosses paths with the Assassins in his search for righteousness.

-- Settings will include Boston, New York and a large countryside. The countryside will be the setting of about 1/3 of the game, and will be the location of many events during the game. The countryside will be about 1.5 times as big as Rome in Brotherhood.

-- The protagonist will fight on the American side, with primary allies being George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Charles Lee. However, this does not mean that the Americans are the good guys and the British are the bad guys. Templars are everywhere.

-- There will be seasons in the game, meaning that the sun will shine during summer and the landscape will be covered in snow during winter.

-- Fighting and stealth will be completely re-innovated, with Connor being compared to a “predator”. The player will be able to climb trees and other natural elements, and dual-wielding weapons such as a dagger and a tomohawk is now also an option.

-- Desmond will go into the new Animus 3.0 and will find himself going into “significant events."

-- 100% sync in memories returns, though this time you will be rewarded when you complete memories to 100%. Checkpoints will also be introduced to mission replay, meaning you don’t have to replay an entire mission to get that 100% sync.

-- There is a fast travel system. The game is quite larger than Brotherhood; approximately 1.5 times bigger.

-- Expect Uncharted level of character interactions with 2.5 hours of scenes recorded.

YES...PLEASE.

Rumor: Assassin's Creed 3 screens leaked

Four screenshots claiming to be from Assassin's Creed 3 have surfaced on Reddit, and while we haven't been able to completely verify their legitimacy, they looked convincing enough for us to pass along to you, our dear readers. You're invited to draw your own conclusions, but from where we're sitting they sure as hell look like the real deal.

Is our new assassin hunting that moose? What role in the revolution does that dog play? Why is that dude standing like Napoleon? Is he having his portrait painted? Why doesn't the painter see the assassin running up with his series-branded tomahawk? These are the questions.

Assassin's Creed 3

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Your Mass Effect 3 PC pre-order lets you pre-load the game now

You're no procrastinator. You plan things ahead of time like a responsible member of society. And now you may prepare for Tuesday's launch of Mass Effect 3 by pre-loading the game through EA's Origin platform, freeing up valuable time this weekend to stock up on the cuisine of the future: Mountain Dew and Totino's Pizza Rolls.

If you've pre-ordered Mass Effect 3, all you have to do to pre-load the game is log into your Origin account, head on over to the Game Library section and click the "Ready to Download" button on Mass Effect 3.