Microsoft refutes reports about Xbox One used game sales

Ever since the Xbox One unveiling Tuesday, gamers have wondered how Microsoft will handle the resale of used games for the system.

In the absence of a clear answer, speculation and rumors have flooded the Web.

Microsoft is now telling gamers that the speculation and rumors aren't true. But it's not saying what the new policy will be.

"The ability to trade in and resell games is important to gamers and to Xbox," Larry Hryb, director of Xbox Programming (better known by his gamer handle Major Nelson), wrote on his blog Friday. "Xbox One is designed to support the trade in and resale of games. Reports about our policies for trade in and resale are inaccurate and incomplete. We will disclose more information in the near future."

Hryb didn't say which reports were inaccurate. But earlier Friday, the gaming news site MCV, citing information from "retail sources," reported that Microsoft and gaming publishers will get a cut from each game resale. MCV also reported that when gamers sell a title, the game will be erased from their online account so they no longer can play it.

It's unclear when Microsoft will reveal its policy regard game resales for Xbox One. The company is holding a press conference on June 10 at the giant E3 gaming convention in Los Angeles.

[Report] Xbox One Will Talk Back, Allow Friends To Play For You

A new report from Polygon reveals a couple of Kinect features Microsoft hasn't previously disclosed about its new console.

According to the report, Kinect will recognize when someone new enters the room, and check against saved profiles. If it doesn't know the person yet, it will ask the newcomer to identify himself/herself. The Xbox One will have a voice, but that function might not be ready to roll at launch.

Furthermore, gamers will be able to enlist the assistance of friends when playing games. Via the integrated Skype chat, players can cede control to friend. How this will impact achievements is, as of yet, unknown.

New service delivers passes for Apple's Passbook via text message

Pass providers can plug into Skycore's SaaS platform and APIs, allowing for secure transmission of passes to a user's messaging inbox. Those passes can then be transferred to the user's Passbook app. Skycore also allows for mobile-optimized email and mobile landing pages, but the company believes the MMS feature gets content to users faster and more reliably. 

The service also allows pass providers to monitor MMS delivery receipts and confirmed installs, which can be helpful in determining the success of a campaign. 

Skycore can currently deliver MMS passes to U.S.-based AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon customers. The service is built to work with Apple's Passbook, but if a customer is on an Android phone, Skycore's MMS device detection can send a message presenting alternative storage options, such as PassWallet for Android. 

Launched as a feature within iOS 6, Apple's Passbook feature has seen considerable adoption by a range of service providers. Discover uses the feature to deliver cardholder rewards, American Airlines allows more than a million users to store boarding passes with it, and a number of Major League Baseball stadiums allow users to store tickets in the app. 

Other smaller pass providers have used the feature to drive coupon campaigns and drum up new business. Filings from last year indicate that Apple may be looking to integrate Passbook with near-field communications technology in the near future.

Verizon Cloud comes to iOS devices

Following up on an announcement made at the end of April, Verizon has begun rolling out its Verizon Cloud storage solution to iOS devices today. Verizon Cloud offers Verizon users a free 500 MB of cloud storage to backup their photos, videos, contacts, music, call logs and text messages. Users who want more storage can buy it at a monthly fee of US$2.99/month for 25 GB, $5.99/month for 75 GB, and $9.99/month for 125 GB.

The Verizon Cloud service lets users stream music and sync data between devices, including photos, videos and documents. Users can also access their files via the web and desktop applications. On the iPhone users can manage their Verizon Cloud account through the free Verizon Cloud app.

AT&T adds the iPhone to its GoPhone prepaid service

iPhone owners will finally be able to tap into all the benefits of AT&T's prepaid GoPhone plan.

As of Friday, GoPhone customers who activate an iPhone will be able access data over the network. The same holds true for those who activate 4G devices as GoPhone will also now support AT&T's 4G and HSPA+ networks. Previously, iPhone owners who subscribed to GoPhone didn't have access to network data.

To hop onto the plan, subscribers must already own an off-contract iPhone or 4G device or buy one through AT&T at the full retail price. The GoPhone service allows users to avoid contracts and down payments by opting for a pay-as-you go plan.

Customers can choose among three different monthly plans. The $65 plan includes data access as part of the package. The $50 and $25 plans require separate data packages for them to be activated.

Existing GoPhone subscribers who own an iPhone or 4G device will automatically get updated with the network data access on June 21. However, they can call AT&T customer care to activate the feature before that date.

AT&T is also throwing in Visual Voicemail for iPhone and 4G device owners who use GoPhone.Visual Voicemail allows users to see a list of all their voicemails and pick the ones they want to hear or delete.

Pre-Order FIFA 14 & Get Gold

EA Sports has just announced the current-gen pre-order bonus for FIFA 14, and it will give you more than a leg up on your Ultimate Team in the game.

Pre-ordering a current-gen version of the game (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC) will get you 24 Ultimate Team gold packs doled out once a week for 24 weeks. The packs will consist of 12 cards each, and be the usual mix of players, contracts, a rare item, etc. In the Ultimate Team mode you collect cards for players and other items in order to build a team that you then play in the game against the AI or online.

No word as to what the pre-order bonus(es) for the next-gen versions of the game might be, although EA says you will be able to pre-order them soon. The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of the game will come out sometime in the next year, and the Xbox One edition features unspecified exclusive Ultimate Team content.

FIFA 14 for the current-gen platforms comes out on September 24.

Ninja Theory's Fightback Coming To Mobile Platforms

Chillingo has announced that it will be publishing a new mobile title from DmC Devil May Cry studio Ninja Theory. Fightback will be coming to iOS and Android this summer.

{Game Informer} reported earlier this morning that Ninja Theory had trademarked the name "Fightback" earlier this month and that a related URL (fightbackgame.com) had also been scooped up. It turns out the title is a free-to-play action title that derives its aesthetic from the neon 80s. Ninja Theory's first mobile title will be on display for media at E3.

[Report] HTC One 'Google Edition' in the works

HTC is planning to take a page out of Samsung's book by launching a new, Google Edition, of its One smartphone.

That's the word, at least, from unidentified sources for Geek.com, who claim that HTC is planning to launch its flagship handset, the One, with a stock version of Android 4.2.2. The current model available to customers is running an HTC-modified version of the software.

By launching a "Google Edition," HTC is following the lead of the company it's chasing in the mobile space, Samsung. At the Google I/O Conference earlier this month, Samsung's Galaxy S4 was shown off with a stock version of Android, responding to those customers who don't want the fancy software that sits atop the standard Android.

According to Geek.com's sources, the device will be available first in the U.S. Those sources say that the handset will be announced within the next two weeks, and hit store shelves this summer.