California has told out-of-state online retailers to start collecting sales tax for customers residing in the state Beginning July 1. This includes Amazon.com, Overstock.com, and GameStop.com. Beginning Friday this new requirement for retailers takes effect, along with a 1-percentage-point drop in the tax. The new tax collection scheme is projected to raise $317 million a year in new state and local government revenue.

Besides the slight cost to California customers, there are other adverse effects for companies connected with Amazon and similar retailers. Amazon and online retailer Overstock.com have reportedly told thousands of California Internet marketing affiliates that they will stop paying commissions for referrals of click-through customers. This is due to the fact that the new requirement applies only to online sellers based out of state that have a connection to California, such as workers, warehouses or offices. Read More

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Earlier this week Capcom responded to complaints about the "one save" scheme it implemented into its 3DS game, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, saying that it was not a way for the company to combat used game sales. On its official Unity blog the company said that it was in no way meant to lessen the game's overall experience and that it was designed to be like an Arcade fighting game. From the page - here's the official statement from Capcom: Read More

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Episode IX - The MyCheats Crew heads to the old 1UP office for the last time.

A new DBZ fighter is coming this fall to the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Another franchise celebrates an anniversary in this trailer for the Might & Magic series.

The history of id and the introduction of John Carmack's id Tech 5 are discussed in this behind the scenes clip for the shooter RAGE.

The HD ports of Resident Evil: Code Veronica and Resident Evil 4 are almost here for the series' 15th anniversary in this trailer for the PS3 and Xbox 360 ports.

I wanted to let you know that I am headed out of town this week for vacation/holiday. I’ll be sailing the high seas on a cruise, so my online time will be limited. That means a few things:

• The updates here on the blog will be sparse until I return. In the meantime, litheon may jump in and make a post or two as needed.
• Will I be Tweeting? Probably a little bit through out the week, but much less than normal.
• I won’t be reading or responding to email until I return.
• No podcasts for Sunday July 3rd or the 10th. We’ll record a show when I return and get that posted as quickly as possible since we’ll probably have a lot to discuss by then.

If you need help with your Xbox 360 or Xbox LIVE, be sure to ask our award winning Twitter Support team @xboxsupport They’re ready to help.

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A new survey conducted by MCV UK finds that a majority of gamers in the United Kingdom believe that the never-ending stream of security breaches has seriously hurt consumer confidence. While hacking groups like Lulz Security may be retreating from attacking game-related websites and services, gamers surveyed say that the damage is already done.

MCV surveyed 633 UK gamers who use digital services such as PlayStation Store, iTunes, Steam, and other digital distribution. They found that 34 percent had doubt that most publishers are capable of protecting the personal data of users. Another 20 percent said that they don’t trust download services at all. Read More

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The ongoing legal war between Apple and Samsung continues to escalate with Samsung's latest move: the company has asked that sales of iPads and iPhones in the U.S be blocked. The action is a strong counter to Apple's claims that Samsung is copying its product in six different countries. Samsung made its request to the International Trade Commission.

The latest action by Samsung is an attempt to fight back against Apple's lawsuit over the design of its smartphones and tablet computers by firing a barrage of litigation around the world. Analysts believe that this is Samsung's way of forcing Apple to eventually settle its original patent claims against Samsung.

Meanwhile, Apple has decided to move forward with a legal move to get a preliminary injunction in the initial case it filed in April in a federal court in San Jose, CA. If successful, this might limit Samsung's ability to sell its smartphones and tablet PCs in the U.S. Read More

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