Epic 
Games, whose Unreal Engine has powered some of the biggest video games ever made, is making some major changes as we begin a new console cycle — and it could have a ripple effect on the rest of the industry.
The developer unveiled a new pricing strategy for its cutting-edge Unreal Engine 4 at the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, abandoning the traditional licensing model for a flat monthly fee and a small percentage of any retail sales.
Virtual 
reality just got a lot more real.
After months of whispers, Sony confirmed Tuesday evening that it’s working on a virtual reality headset for the PS4. And while it didn’t give any details regarding a release window or price, Sony’s entry into this market further raises the profile of so-called VR 2.0 devices, building on the momentum Oculus started with their anticipated Rift device.
Retailer 
launching large-scale program at 3,100 US stores, aims to disrupt second-hand market
While a few competitors have tried to make inroads over the years, when it comes to the better-than-$2 billion per year used game business, GameStop has had a pretty secure lock on king of the hill status. Starting March 26, though, the world’s largest retailer will be looking to steal a significant piece of the pie.
Walmart has announced plans to launch a large-scale video game trade-in program at 3,100 stores across America. Working in conjunction with CE Exchange, the store will allow consumer to swap games for store credit, which can be used to purchase anything that Walmart sells. Used games could be available to in-store shoppers as early as this summer.\
Look 
out GameStop. Here comes Walmart.
The world’s largest retailer has announced plans to begin offering store credit — good for anything it sells — for used video games. The program starts March 26 in 3,100 stores across America. By this summer, it hopes to begin re-selling those games to customers alongside new (more expensive) copies of the same title.
Middleware, 
post-mortems on game design, and discussions on ways to improve monetization in free-to-play titles generally aren’t the sorts of things that rev up players. And, on paper, the annual Game Developer’s Conference might seem a little too ‘inside baseball’ for the average person.
But in the detail-obsessed gaming world, GDC is one of the highlights of the year. It lacks the pomp and circumstance of E3 — as well as the big game announcements, generally — but it’s one of the best ways to get a sense of where gaming is going.
Typically, 
console prices obey the rules of gravity: they fall. But in Canada, things are just plain loony. Er, loonie.
Sony is reportedly raising the price of the PlayStation 4 by $50 in the country. DualShock 4 controller and PlayStation Camera prices are also on the rise, each climbing $5.
Everyone’s 
a critic. And when the subject is next generation consoles, they’re especially ferocious.
Sometimes that’s legitimate. Sometimes, it’s user error. (And sometimes, it’s an odd mix of both.) Fixya has dug through over 40,000 complaints to determine the most common problems with each of the new machines on the market.
Achievement 
unlocked.
It took eight years and three months, but insatiable gamer Raymond Cox has finally done what he set out to do: reach the unthinkable Xbox Live Gamerscore of 1 million.
Cox, who goes by the username Stallion83, hit the milestone late last night after finishing a game of Titanfall. It was a momentous achievement, but hardly the first for him.
You 
may think your kindergartner is pretty proficient at Mario or Angry Birds, but we’ve got some sobering news. Your kid can’t hold a candle to Cheetah.
A study in the American Journal of Primatology finds that chimpanzees are actually better at games than the average 3-6 year old.
Sony 
may have gained an early lead in the battle of the next generation consoles, but Microsoft is launching its counteroffensive—and it’s a big one.
“Titanfall,” a new game from the creators of the “Call of Duty” juggernaut, hits shelves on Tuesday. It’s expected to be one of the biggest games of 2014. And it’s exclusive to Microsoft systems.
Chris Morris: Journalist 