While I wait in vain for Rockstar to announce a sequel to Red Dead Redemption for next-gen consoles, the video game studio will be jumping into the next generation this year by releasing Grand Theft Auto V for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 as well as PC.  It will be the GTA V you know and love except with stunning next-gen graphics.  You can also port over your Grand Theft Auto Online character, and PC owners will also be getting “a video editor designed for advanced movie-making”, so expect more YouTube videos like this.  I liked GTA V a lot; not enough to buy it a second time, but if you decided to wait until it was re-released for next-gen consoles, your patience has definitely been rewarded.

Hit the jump to check out the GTA V PlayStation 4 trailer to get a sense of how good this game looks on a next-gen console.  Click here to pre-order the game on the PS4.  Grand Theft Auto V is due out this fall.

The next generation of consoles has finally arrived (yes, the WiiU was released last year, but no one really seems to care), and PlayStation 4 sold one million units in the U.S. and Canada when it was released this past Friday.  Sony is predicting three million units sold before the end of the year, and that’s a realistic target, especially since shoppers haven’t trampled each other yet for the Black Friday sales (the system won’t be discounted, but it will likely come with bundle offers from retailers).  We’ll see how sales of Xbox One match up when Microsoft’s new console is released this Friday.

However, there are still no must-own games for Sony’s system.  Then again, the PlayStation 3 also didn’t have any, and it cost $600 at launch as opposed to PlayStation 4′s $400 price-tag.  I, for one, would like to thank all the early adopters for discovering the system’s kinks and quirks, and for their willingness to buy games that are also coming out on the current generation of consoles.

Sony’s PlayStation 4 is due to arrive Stateside in less than two weeks, but it’s not just the $399 price tag that gamers will have to factor in.  For those who enjoy playing online games, Sony will be charging a monthly fee of $9.99 for access to online games through the PlayStation Plus portal.  Gamers can also pay $17.99 for three months or $49.99 for a year, but no matter which plan you pick, it’s going to cost you to play games online.  Hit the jump for more.

Click here to pre-order the PlayStation 4 from Amazon.  You will not be charged until the console ships.

After much speculation, Sony has announced that the PlayStation 4 will officially launch in North America on November 15th and in Europe on November 29th.  That gives the console a prime holiday release date, where it will launch with a $399 pricetag.  We previously learned that 100 PS4 games are set to be available within the console’s first year of release, which is necessary since the PS4 is not backwards compatible.  Additionally, Sony announced that the PlayStation Vita will be getting a price cut to $100.  Microsoft’s Xbox One doesn’t yet have a firm launch date, but it is expected to be released sometime in November as well.

Click here to pre-order the PlayStation 4 from Amazon.  You will not be charged until the console ships.

Was there really a chance of writing about something other than Man of Steel in this week’s opening paragraph? Well, maybe. I did really enjoy This Is the End. But, alas, this week is about Supes’ return to the big screen. I watched the film (in 2D) for the first time last night and, as far as superhero movies go, it elicited an emotional response from me that few in the genre have. Sure, there were times where the grand scale of destruction left me cold and the product placement took me out of the moment (if only to admire some beautiful appliances meeting their untimely demise). Nevertheless, the themes of love, sacrifice, acceptance, and trust were beautifully woven into the film’s text in such a way that it made me do something I’ve only done one other time (while reading Grant Morrison‘s excellent All-Star Superman run): become emotionally invested in the Man of Steel.

While this is undoubtedly Kal-El’s weekend, in addition to Man of Steel interviews and more, this week’s Top 5 also includes the first teaser trailer and poster for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, This Is the End interviews with Seth Rogen and more, the new Elysium trailer, and a recap of E3 2013 from the convention floor. Learn more about all of the above via a link and brief recap after the jump.

Earlier today, Microsoft announced the price and release date of the Xbox One.  Sony was quick to follow with information on the PlayStation 4 and finally unveiled the new design at E3.  The PS4 will sell for $399 when it is released later this year, $100 less than the $499 list price of the Xbox One.  You can now pre-order the console at Amazon—keep in mind they won’t charge you until it ships.  There are 140 games in development for the PS4, including 100 that are set to be available in the first year of release.

See the new design and video of the announcement after the jump.

I’m opening myself up to complete public failure here, but in the spirit of Oscar weekend I thought it might be fun to share with peers and readers alike my picks for tomorrow’s 85th Academy Awards. Worst case scenario, I figure, is that my picks are so woefully off base that I’m quickly offered a well-compensated position within the Republican Party as a polling analyst. High hopes, I know, but ultimately it’s all in the name of fun. Here’s to hoping you the reader will enjoy comparing your predictions against my own and sleeping better at night as a result of your superior Oscar guessing power.

My half-witted Oscar picks aside, this week’s edition features category previews plus Adam and Matt’s own predictions, Snitch interviews with Dwayne Johnson and more, a character guide to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, a roundup of recent Star Wars: Episode VII talk, and Sony’s PlayStation 4 announcement. Something that resembles a brief recap and link to each is starved for your attention after the jump.

Sony held a press conference in New York earlier today to announce their next-gen system, the PlayStation 4.  While Sony did reveal a fair amount of information as to the technology of the new console and the game developers who are expected to create software for the new system, there were no images of the console itself, no price points (though it’s been rumored at $429 and $529 for different models), and no hard release dates.  They did release a couple of looks at the new controller as well as a “Holiday 2013″ release window, but that was more than underwhelming for those who sat through the entire press conference.  Hit the jump to find out what we know so far.