The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), following a months-long investigation, has declared the use of hoverboards -- and self-balancing scooters -- currently on the market to be unsafe. Consequently, retailers, manufacturers, and importers are now required to follow safety standards in order to sell current and future boards, lest they face legal action. Until now, no safety standards were in place. The news is expected to result in mass recalls.

Although it has admitted open flame was never achieved in its testing (which comprised examining hoverboard circuit boards, batteries, and burned hoverboards, as well as dynamometer tests), the CPSC witnessed enough melting and overheating to feel comfortable making their move. No doubt the 52 hoverboard fires constituting $2 million in property damage and killing two dogs and nearly three children -- all between December 1 and February 17 -- helped to that end as well.

New, certified hoverboards should start selling later this year.

Quantum Break has entered the time-honored state of matter known as "going gold" and we're now just waiting for it to hit physical and digital shelves. And of course, it's time to pop the cork on some expensive Champagne as well, because this release marks the banding together of the Xbox One and the PC in the gaming sphere.

If you haven't already you can pre-order the Xbox One digital version and receive the PC version plus a copy of Alan Wake and it's delightful DLC, American Nightmare, as a pre-order bonus.

The PC version is exclusive to the Windows Store, however, and won't be making an appearance on Steam. Thankfully, however, it'll be the first game that's DirectX 12 only as a result of only being available on Windows 10. Windows 7 users won't be able join in on the fun.

Master of Orion's voice cast has just been revealed by Wargaming.net, and it includes a whole lot of triple-A actors from a lot of different sci-fi franchises helping to bring it to life.

The full list is below but of note are Mark Hamill, Troy Baker, John de Lancie and Michael Dorn serving as your narrator. His deep, sharp yet refined voice is the perfect match for the futuristic space opera. He'll also fit in with the dry wit of the series.

"The original Master of Orion captured the hearts of gamers with solid gameplay and a rich, diverse universe where every choice makes a difference," Chris Keeling, Director of Product Vision at WG Labs, said in a statement. "Having some of the most iconic science fiction, horror and video game voice talent lending their skills to the game only helps us realize this amazing universe in even more exciting ways." The reboot of Master of Orion will be available in Early Access on Steam starting on February 26th.

Warner Bros. offshoot New Line Cinema is apparently hard at work developing a new feature film version of the classic anime 'Astro Boy' in live action - a first for the 60 year old, but much loved property.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has tapped 'San Andreas' writers Andre Fabrizio and Jeremy Passmore to come up with the film's script, in conjunction with Japan's Tezuka Productions. Famed Japanese animator Osamu Tezuka created the 'Astro Boy' character in 1952, and has gone onto to various incarnations in print, TV and cinema. The most recent incarnation of the character was portrayed in the 2009 CG animated film, which failed to generate much box office interest, (particularly in Japan) nor even recoup it's production budget.

Galactic Civilizations III: Mercenaries, the first full-blown expansion for its popular 4X space strategy game is now live on Steam. It adds a new campaign, Galactic Bazaars, new races, the ability to recruit elite units with special abilities, new ship parts, and much more.

In Mercenaries, you will be able to visit new Galactic Bazaars where you can hire mercenaries to assist in expanding across the galaxy. With several new mercenary ships and multiple Bazaars to discover on each map, the expansion offers hours of unique gameplay.

"Once they're gone, they're gone," said Paul Boyer, Lead Designer of Galactic Civilizations III. "When a mercenary is hired by a civilization in a game, it is no longer available to the others. You will need to act quickly and choose wisely in order to get the best mercenaries and leave your enemies without." The campaign for Mercenaries centers around the peaceful Torian race who have long been enslaved and farmed for their meat by the cruel Drengin. Explore and discover mercenaries, then hire them to aid in escaping the oppressors. Liberate the Torians and help them rebuild their shattered civilization while staying out of reach of the Drengin.

Roller Coaster Tycoon World is having the finishing touches put on it as it's successfully finished being beta tested by endearing fans. It's been a bumpy road as things haven't always had a positive impact on the community at large. There have been a few missteps, but the feedback gained is being take to heart and being taken very seriously.

We had a chance to ask a few questions with Matthew Labunka, a senior producer over at Atari whose working diligently on making sure Roller Coaster Tycoon World meets the expectations the series demands. They're very excited about the direction that it's taking and want it to be a game that everyone of every skill level can properly enjoy. You don't have to be a master architect or engineer to appreciate the complex tools, but if you want to make some intricate, physics-defying contraptions, you can do that too.

Let's delve into the conversation and see where this train (or roller coaster) is headed. The franchise is old, but there's plenty of innovation to be had.

It turns out that a proper Roller Coaster Tycoon game fits perfectly with VR. Just imagine creating your own rides and then putting on your headset to take them for a proper spin, literally. Roller Coaster Tycoon World will eventually incorporate VR into the game, though only when they can perfect the experience.

Speaking with Matthew Labunka, a Senior Producer at Atari, he told us that "VR does naturally lend itself to the simulation genre. We are working on designing the best experience for the platform. A solid VR experience takes time and we want to provide relevant game features that fit the platform." It really is a natural fit, because you can already take a ride on any ride you create, so why not make it more visceral. Even better would be the incorporation of a "4D" type of experience with a chair that moves with the ride.

We've seen the experience already with mobile games and other VR demos, but they were incomplete and didn't quite capture the full experience of speeding along a rickety track. Sound, too, is an important aspect of true immersion, and real VR audio solutions aren't quite among us yet, though those solutions are coming.

As Ubisoft shifts towards a new long-term player-engagement strategy, we may never see an annual Assassin's Creed release again.

"The goal is not to automatically come back to an annual cycle, but to come back on a regular basis. We can't say every year," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said during a company investor's meeting.

Ubisoft recently announced that Assassin's Creed will skip 2016 so it could "re-examine the franchise". Instead of a constant string of game releases, the publisher is now pushing a "live operation" business model based on multi-year engagement.

The 19th annual Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences DICE awards were last night, honoring games and developers themselves in their quest to create the ultimate in gaming entertainment. The Game of the Year was naturally Fallout 4, celebrating the brave new world it explored, despite the graphical downgrade that seemed to be the ire of so many.

During the event, Hideo Kojima was inducted into the Hall of Fame while the late president of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata was given a posthumous lifetime achievement award for his enthusiasm and dedication to the gaming community. The rest of the categories might surprise you with what came out on top. Perhaps not, however. You'll find the full list of nominees and their winners below.

As you might have heard, Hideo Kojima has signed up with Sony to make a PS4 exclusive. Details on the game have been few and far between, but the Metal Gear alum offered some teases during a DICE 2016 panel with Guillermo Del Toro.

Kojima started the discussion by saying he feels "extremely free" about the project, and after the year he's had with Konami, I'm not surprised. The beloved Japanese mastermind went on to say that the PS4 exclusive will be "big and extremely edgy", and promises he won't let the project become constrained by corporate overlords, a la Konami.

"I have no intentions of ever changing anything I do in order for it to be a hit, to sell more. That's something that I would want never do and I'm not going do," Kojima said, likely jabbing at Konami. "So I have to create something that I want to play, something that people want to play and, within that, figure out ways that it will be appealing to market, that it will be a successful game. But I can make those adjustments, I chose them so I feel extremely free."