The 
PlayStation 4 won’t be the only console launching with a critical patch this year. The Xbox One is going to be similarly hobbled.
Actually, hobbled might be too kind a term. Without the update, you’ve essentially bought yourself a $500 brick.
Author Archives: Chris Morris
EA CEO talks Tiger Woods, NCAA football and Nintendo
When 
Andrew Wilson was named CEO of Electronic Arts in September, there were a lot of double takes.
He hasn’t been as prominent as other EA executives in his 13-year history with the company, but as analysts and gamers took a closer look at his resume, those double takes turned into knowing nods.
Activision ships $1 billion worth of Call of Duty: Ghosts to retail
Numbers 
don’t lie, but they can be massaged a bit.
Activision celebrated the launch of Call of Duty: Ghosts with its customary sales trumpeting, announcing that the game sold $1 billion in its first day of release. Sounds impressive — and it certainly is — but it’s not quite as stunning as you might think.
Food Network’s Cyber Reach
Even 
in the early days of the Food Network, officials knew it would be hard for home cooks to keep up with the chefs on TV. While viewers might be inspired to try something new in the kitchen, noting the recipes and optimal cooking methods posed a challenge.
That led to the 1995 launch of the Food Network website, an online presence that has continued to grow with its broadcast big brother. Today, the site leads the digital cooking division of Scripps Network, spawning several apps and inspiring the sites of sister networks like the Cooking Channel as well as food.com.
Call of Duty: Ghosts leaves critics cool
Is 
Call of Duty going to the dogs?
Activision has high hopes for Call of Duty: Ghosts, but critics aren’t particularly impressed with the latest installment of the industry’s largest franchise.
Wii Mini coming to U.S. later this month
The 
Wii may be winding down its life cycle, but the Wii Mini is just getting started.
Roughly a year after introducing the scaled-down version of the last generation console to Canada, Nintendo has announced plans to bring the Wii Mini to the U.S. in the coming weeks. Nintendo declined to give an exact release date, saying only “mid-November.”
The Search for the Next Microsoft CEO May Turn Inward
Less 
than a year ago, much of the world hadn’t heard of Julie Larson-Green.
Today, plenty of people are talking about her.
As the search for a new CEO at Microsoft continues, most eyes are focused outside the company. But those who are looking internally have Larson-Green on their radar. The person some insiders view as Steve Ballmer’s “heir apparent” has spent 20 years building a strong and respected presence within the company. Not bad for someone who was told “no thanks” the first time she applied at the company.
Nintendo suspends 3DS messaging service due to ‘offensive material’
Nintendo 
prides itself on being a family-friendly company, but it seems to have underestimated the libido of some of its customers.
The gamemaker has suspended Swapnote, the messaging app available for its 3DS handheld, after discovering that gamers have been using the service to exchange inappropriate pictures and other material.
PlayStation 4 won’t support external hard drives or YouTube sharing
Sony 
has cleared up the few remaining mysteries about the PlayStation 4, though the answers may not please everyone.
In an exhaustive FAQ posted on the company’s official blog, Sony addressed dozens of issues as it nears the launch date for the PS4.
It’s a pretty long list — and an even longer read — but here are the most notable highlights:
Didn’t pre-order? Here’s how to get an Xbox One or PS4
The 
launch of next-generation consoles generally means one thing: A retail feeding frenzy. And this year, with both the PlayStation 4 (Nov. 15) and the Xbox One (Nov. 22) hitting the market a week apart, it should be especially ferocious.
The best way to ensure you get one was to pre-order, but that ship, for the most part, has sailed. Microsoft says pre-orders for the Xbox One sold out quicker than either of its predecessors, and the PS4 has been red hot since E3. Antsy gamers snatched up pre-order allotments for both systems from sites like Amazon and GameStop.
There’s still hope nabbing a launch day system if you haven’t reserved yours, though it won’t be easy.
Chris Morris: Journalist 