Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has been out for almost a week, and it's won over both fans and critics. It currently sits at a 90% Critic Rating and 100% Player Rating on OpenCritic, and is setting itself up to be one of the contenders for this year's Game of the Year.

The PS5 exclusive from Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima is a follow-up to his 2019 game, telling the story of Sam Porter, who is trying to reconnect the United States of America after the world was decimated by the souls of the dead roaming the Earth. Death Stranding 2 improves on many aspects of the original, but it appears that some players are having issues with the game, causing their PS5s to shut off.

A Reddit thread on the Death Stranding subreddit asked if other players were having their PS5s overheat while playing the game.

Death Stranding 2 – PS5 Overheats Only on Map Screen? from r/DeathStranding

"I’ve been playing the game on a base PS5 and overall it runs great—the graphics are stunning and I’ve had no issues during regular gameplay," the poster wrote. "But as soon as I pause the game and the map screen comes up, the fan suddenly goes into overdrive, and I get an overheat warning. It’s strange because everything else runs smoothly, even during long gameplay sessions. But the moment I bring up the map and start planning a route, the fan suddenly goes crazy and I get an overheating warning."

Kojima Productions didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about this problem.

Players on the thread who experienced this problem mentioned it came when they pulled up the map in the game. One poster suggests that because the map screen has an unlocked framerate, it causes the system to go into overdrive, thus raising the internal temperature. According to the comments, it appears to be affecting only the standard PS5, not the PS5 Pro or PS5 Slim, and it doesn't seem to matter if the PS5 is vertical or horizontal.

Some individuals suggested not leaving the map screen up for that long, as the longer it stays up, the more likely the PS5 will overheat.

One of the key designs for the PS5 was to address cooling, as the PS4 was notorious for having loud fans kick on whenever the console started to heat up. Sony made use of a double-sided fan, a sizable heatsink with heat pipes, and liquid metal between the heatsink and the SoC to make sure the heat is transferred properly.

The PS5 normally runs between 65°C and 75°C (149°F and 167°F) for most games. There is a point where the system determines that the temperature is too hot and will bring up the overheat warning.

A PS5 overheating can lead to a number of problems if it's not addressed, according to tech care firm Asurion. It can slow down the console, wear down components, and even lead to the PS5's breakdown.

A couple of easy tips to help prevent a PS5 from overheating include making sure the console is in a well-ventilated area, adding a cooling accessory, or opening it up to do some light cleaning.

On June 5, Sony filed a notice of opposition with the United States Patent and Trademark Office against a trademark application by a small Hong Kong-based app developer. The reason? Naughty Cat Co., Limited, the App Store developer in question, was in the process of applying to trademark the name "Naughty Cat."

This otherwise simple trademark application is now subject to Sony's legal team, as the company alleges the name "Naughty Cat" is too similar to Sony's game development studio, Naughty Dog.

To Sony, the age-old debate about which pet is superior just doesn't exist (and it shouldn't; the answer is cats), because it's just too hard to spot any differences between the two. But whether that will hold up at the U.S. Patent Office or not may require a deeper look into Sony's reasoning.

Naughty Dog vs. Naughty Cat: what you need to know

Naughty Cat only has two apps listed on the App Store, and both are gambling games that promise real cash rewards. We're not talking about a AAA game developer here, just your run-of-the-mill app developer.

On the other hand, Naughty Dog is a video game developer founded in 1984 and is responsible for some of the most well-known Sony game franchises ever. From Crash Bandicoot, to Jak and Daxter, to the Uncharted series and, of course, The Last of Us, many of Sony's most enduring exclusive game titles have been created by the Naughty Dog studio.

As you'd expect, Sony is rather protective of its trademarks, Naughty Dog being one of many, especially one relating to a first-party game studio for PlayStation consoles.

Sony's argument for opposing Naughty Cat's trademark registration, according to documents reviewed by IGN, states that the "Naughty Cat trademark is 'confusingly similar to the Naughty Dog trademark' it owns in overall commercial impression and connotation.”

Sony does not have a trademark registered for the word "naughty," likely because you can't trademark random words. The US Patent and Trademark Office requires that a word or phrase has to "indicate the source of your goods and services." So you can trademark Sony, PlayStation, and Naughty Dog, but not the word "Naughty" alone.

Regardless, Sony alleges that Naughty Cat's trademark construction is too similar. "The first, dominant element of the two marks, NAUGHTY, is identical," Sony claims in its filing.

“The second elements, DOG and CAT, are highly similar in that both refer to house pets and are likely to mislead consumers into believing, mistakenly, that Naughty Cat is affiliated with SIE [Sony Interactive Entertainment] and/or Naughty Dog or that its goods are licensed or approved by SIE and/or Naughty Dog.”

What this legal dispute means for gamers

Sometimes, legal filings are absurd. This is one of those times.

Regardless of whether or not Sony wins out in this trademark opposition, it's unlikely to impact gamers much.

If you do play one of Naughty Cat's two games (Cash Trip: Solitaire & Bingo and Bubble Bravo - Win Real Cash), you probably didn't even register the name of the app developer when you downloaded the game. So if Naughty Cat has to change its name, very few people are likely to notice.

Sony's argument that the two trademarks are too similar because they use the word "naughty" before an animal name is a bit much. Not a single person has looked at my cat and said, "That's a good dog."

T.S. Elliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats even jokes about it. In the "Ad-dressing of Cats," Elliot writes, "How would you ad-dress a Cat?/ So first, your memory I'll job,/ And say: A CAT IS NOT A DOG." This joke even made it into the musical Cats, in the final song of the show.

It's beyond understatement. The comedy is that it's just facts.

Perhaps the most compelling argument Sony could form about possible confusion between the two lies in its own behaviour: claiming to be a Naughty Dog while acting so catty. Meow.

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Looking ahead, 2027 is expected to be the big year for console gamers, with the next-generation Xbox and PlayStation systems both looking to hit the market that fall.

Last week, Microsoft confirmed that the next-gen Xbox console will be powered by custom AMD hardware. On Monday, new rumors indicated Sony's next-gen PlayStation will also feature a custom AMD APU.

In fact, both consoles will reportedly have the same UDNA graphics chip.

Is this an indicator that the console wars are finally over? Will the next console you buy be less about specs and hardware, and more about design and game collection? And is all this AMD hardware actually a good thing for gamers?

Let's take a look.

AMD custom APUs are powering the next generation Xbox and PlayStation

Despite sounding unlikely, Xbox and Sony's next-gen consoles won't be the first to share a link in being powered by custom AMD APUs.

In 2013, both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 were powered by AMD's Jaguar CPU architecture.

And, in 2020, both the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 consoles were powered by custom hardware with AMD's Zen 2 architecture.

Clearly, the hardware similarities between Xbox and PlayStation haven't ended the console wars so far, meaning it's likely the console tribalism will continue even up to and beyond 2027.

After all, having the same hardware doesn't make the consoles equal in terms of performance, user interface, or game library. Both Xbox and Sony are still very much looking to go head-to-head in 2027, and keen for one of them to come out the victor, regardless of how much it may sound like the two are aiming for a hardware tie.

AMD's Ryzen Z series powers most gaming handhelds

AMD's gaming dominance isn't just in consoles. AMD's Ryzen Z series CPUs power most handheld gaming PCs, from our beloved Asus ROG Ally X to the Lenovo Legion Go 2 and upcoming Xbox handhelds.

In fact, the MSI Claw 8 is even getting an AMD variant with the Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, making it a less unique handheld in the process.

Instead of offering a bevy of choices between various systems, the handheld gaming PC market is more like a palette swap. Choose your preferred color/aesthetic, and call it a day.

Of course, there are some other differences in optimization between the various handhelds, but with just the MSI Claw, MSI Claw 7 AI+, and MSI Claw 8 AI+ offering Intel CPUs, the handheld market feels very one-note.

Even in the more typical laptop and desktop PC space, AMD's X3D CPUs have taken over. At least as far as sales go. Things are a bit less grim for Intel on the laptop side, since there aren't as many laptops offering AMD CPUs, making a full CPU comparison difficult.

However, AMD's dominance isn't as cut and dry when looking at general laptop performance.

Is all this hardware homogeneity good for the gaming market?

On the one hand, having fewer hardware versions to optimize for makes things easier for game developers.

However, we're coming up on the third generation of home consoles with AMD APUs, and we still get games that are broken or nearly unplayable at launch. So clearly, the benefits there are not enough to counteract the gaming industry's development crunch issues.

While AMD fans are, naturally, excited to see their brand dominate the market... being at the top isn't always for the best. As competition decreases, advancements in tech tend to stagnate.

Ultimately, complacency is the death of innovation.

Intel's proven that pretty handily over the last several years, and is now playing catch-up on the PC side. Team Blue has had some recent successes, but there's still a way to go.

We can only hope AMD continues to see Intel and Nvidia as worthy competition, so gamers don't suffer from sheer entropy.

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Worried about those PlayStation performance downgrade rumors? Things aren't quite as grim as they appear.

Last week, reports surfaced that Sony is briefing developers on a new "low energy" mode for the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro consoles. While these rumors do appear a bit concerning for the future of Sony consoles, they could actually hint at the upcoming PlayStation 6 handheld.

As we've previously reported, the PlayStation 6 is rumored to come in a home console and a handheld variant.

Thanks to the initial report from Moore's Law is Dead and follow-up comments by veteran AMD leaker KeplerL2, we now know more about the AMD APU that will be powering the rumored PlayStation handheld. And it looks more cutting-edge than expected.

But don't just take my word for it. Here are the PS6 handheld specs we know so far.

Sony's performance "downgrade" hints at a cutting-edge handheld instead

The PlayStation handheld will be powered by an upcoming AMD APU that will have AI upscaling features, with 16GB of DDR5 onboard memory, and 4MB of L2 cache and 16MB of MALL cache on the APU's graphics tile.

The unnamed AMD APU will allegedly be based on the gfx13 (RDNA5/UDNA) architecture.

"But, Madeline", you ask, "what does that actually mean?"

AMD's current-gen Radeon RX 9000 GPUs use RDNA 4 graphics architecture. The PlayStation 6 APU's use of the next generation of AMD architecture aligns well with the console's expected launch date in fall 2027.

The AMD APU powering the current gen of PlayStation consoles (PS5 and PS5 Pro) has 4MB of L2 cache, but no MALL cache.

So, even with a constrained 16GB of memory bandwidth, the PS6 handheld would have additional graphics power, thanks to the 16MB MALL cache, which can reduce the need for a large memory bandwidth on a GPU. Essentially, it gives the PlayStation handheld more leverage over its lower RAM specs.

Based on these initial specs, it does not appear that the PS6 handheld will be powered by AMD's recently updated Ryzen AI Z2 lineup. Instead, this will likely be a next-gen chipset.

When can we expect the new PlayStation handheld console?

Earlier reports pegged the PlayStation and Xbox "Gen 10" launch to 2028, though new rumors have moved that timeline up. Currently, the PlayStation 6 console is expected to launch in September 2027.

The alleged PlayStation handheld is expected to launch in tandem with the home console.

Of course, none of this is confirmed, and we're over two years from the expected launch date, so plans can always change.

Sony could even go the same route as Microsoft and cancel its plans for a proprietary handheld console.

However, Sony is far less likely to work with a PC manufacturer like Asus on a Windows handheld, so there is a higher chance that Sony will come out with a proper handheld console.

It wouldn't be the first Sony handheld by far, after all.

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Sony surprised us all this week during its State of Play event when it unveiled the company’s first-ever official wireless arcade fight stick. Codenamed Project Defiant, the fight stick is built for the PlayStation 5 and PC. But beyond simply joining the fray, Sony’s aiming to redefine the fight stick experience from the ground up.

A bold first move into the fight stick arena

Built around Sony's proprietary PlayStation Link wireless tech, Project Defiant promises ultra-low latency and performance solid enough for competitive play — a claim that’ll surely be put to the test by the fighting game community.

But whether you’re a die-hard fighting game enthusiast or just a casual contender, Sony wants their new fight stick to be your weapon of choice for games like Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and the upcoming Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls.

With a slated 2026 release lining up alongside a resurgence in fighting titles, Project Defiant is a timely and tactical strike against third-party giants like Razer and Hori.

And if Sony plays this right, it might not be just another new controller, but the new meta.

Precision engineering by PlayStation

At first glance, it might seem easy to write Project Defiant off as nothing more than an attempt by Sony to cash in on nostalgia. A retro-inspired nod to the arcade games, like its PS1-themed DualSense. But look below the surface and you’ll find that the engineering tells a different story.

Sony's digital stick is custom-designed and paired with mechanical switches across every button for that tactile snap fighting fans swear by. But what stands out is the toolless gate swap system: Square, circle, and octagon options are all included, and they store right inside the controller.

That kind of customization is rare in a first-party product, and it's clearly a nod to the high expectations of competitive players. Throw in a DualSense-style touchpad and full PlayStation button array — yes, including L3, R3, Share, and a PS Link button — and you’ve got a stick that doesn’t compromise ecosystem integration just because it’s built for brawling.

And then there’s the connectivity: wireless with ultra-low latency when used on PS5 via PS Link and wired USB-C for tournament-grade reliability. PC compatibility is here, too, though wireless perks stay locked to Sony’s platform, a reminder that this is, first and foremost, a PlayStation product.

Designed to travel, built to win

Project Defiant is made to move. It includes a specialized sling carry case, complete with lever gap protection and space for all your restrictor gates. That’s a nice touch for anyone who’s ever juggled parts in an airport security line.

Sony’s also putting thought into the ergonomics. The chassis balances traditional arcade styling with comfort, and a black-and-white color scheme ties it visually to the PS5. It’s lighter than you’d expect and looks nothing like a budget brick. This is a premium product, with premium intentions (and let’s face it, probably a premium price tag — but let’s wait and see!)

There is one caveat: Battery life and thermal performance, while not fully known, could become sticking points for a wireless-first controller in marathon sessions. Sony still has time to iron that out before its 2026 debut, and given the community-centric approach to its announcement, tuning based on beta feedback seems likely.

Sony’s new competitive edge?

Sony entering the fight stick market might not sound seismic, but there’s no ignoring how incredibly rare it is for a platform holder to challenge an entrenched third-party niche. But with fighting games surging in popularity and cross-play standardizing online play, the timing couldn’t be better.

If Project Defiant can deliver on its promise of low-latency wireless performance, customization, and ecosystem synergy, it could become the gold standard, not just for PlayStation, but for fighting games in general.

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• Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford's $80 "real fan" price tag overlooks one long-term cost

Randy Pitchford doesn’t mince his words. When asked on social media about the rumored $80 price tag for Borderlands 4, the founder of software firm Gearbox replied, “If you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen.”

He even compared it to buying an $80 Sega Genesis cartridge in 1991 while working minimum wage.

The backlash was immediate and loud.

Gamers, developers, journalists — all pointed to the same problem: It’s not just about the number, it’s about the mindset. Pitchford’s “real fan” remark felt like a guilt trip disguised as nostalgia.

In a year where AAA games launch half-finished, GPUs cost more than rent, and “early access” is code for “paid beta,” telling players to “find a way” sounds less like passion and more like pressure. And yet, inconveniently, he’s not entirely wrong. Below is his original comment:

He later apologized:

Games cost more to produce, but that’s not on players

There’s no way to hide the fact that blockbuster games are getting absurdly expensive to make. Grand Theft Auto VI has reportedly cost Rockstar over $1 billion in development costs so far, which, if true, would make it the most expensive video game of all time.

Meanwhile, Star Citizen has raised more than $800 million via crowdfunding, and it’s still technically in alpha after over a decade of development.

The thing is that games aren’t just games anymore: They’re digital mega productions, cinematic in scale, with orchestras, voice talent, facial capture, handcrafted worlds, and real-time lighting engines. They take several years to complete, even as development teams have ballooned into the thousands.

So, it seems inevitable that prices were always going to increase. The $60 standard held for nearly two decades. But if we’re moving to $70 or $80 (and increasingly, we are), then players deserve more than “scope.” They deserve finished products, stable performance, accessible gameplay, and not broken launches or monetization rabbit holes.

What higher prices get you now

Let’s be real about what $70-$80 often buys these days. It’s not a guaranteed polished experience. It’s an access ticket to a staggered content rollout.

Redfall launched at $70 with frame rate caps and AI so bad it became a meme. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League also launched at $70, along with lukewarm reviews and a delay in its promised seasonal content. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III was criticized for feeling like an expansion pack at a full premium price.

And in too many cases, you’re also paying for the privilege of not getting the full game. DLC plans are announced before the base game even hits shelves. Battle passes are layered on top. Day-one patches are expected, not the exception.

The shifting hardware ceiling

Eighty dollars is just the beginning. In some cases, you can’t even play the game well unless you’ve dropped another $500-$1,000 on hardware, as minimum system requirements inch closer to high-end specs.

Recent and upcoming titles like Starfield, Alan Wake II, and Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty DLC recommend an RTX 3070 or higher for stable 1080p performance. Some Unreal Engine 5 games, like IO Interactive’s upcoming Project Fantasy, may require an RTX 4070 to play comfortably.

That’s not “minimum viable hardware” anymore. It’s serious gear. And it’s not just PC gamers feeling the pinch.

Laptop users are getting boxed out, too. New performance leaks from Nvidia show the company is testing 120W APUs designed to match RTX 4070 performance in thin laptops, but those rigs won’t be cheap, and they aren’t here yet. Until then, playing new releases at acceptable frame rates on anything under $1,500 is a roll of the dice.

This is leaving players behind — those who aren’t hardcore hobbyists, the folks who maybe game a few hours a week after work or school, the ones still running a GTX 1660 Ti because that used to be enough.

Charles, one of our readers, tells Laptop Mag this in an email:

“Now, years later, I am reading the minimum specs of the still not finished game [and it needs] a 4060 at least.”

Charles contacted me in response to our recent article on Star Citizen, adding that while he could have gotten into Star Citizen years ago when it was “cheaper to enter,” he’s glad that he didn’t, because it would have cost him thousands more in hardware upkeep just to play without lag. Charles certainly won't be alone in that regard.

Right message, wrong tone, worse timing

If the $80 game becomes the norm — and all signs are pointing that way — publishers need to recognize what that means. Not everyone can keep up. And that’s not on them.

Pitchford might have been trying to be nostalgic. He may even believe that “real fans” support what they love. But he glossed over the economic reality of gaming in 2025: Rising living costs, wage stagnation, and tech that’s evolving faster than consumers can follow.

Pitchford’s “real fans” comment implies that anyone not willing to stretch their finances to play Borderlands 4 isn’t a true believer. But what he misses, and what publishers often ignore, is that fandom isn’t tied to income. People can love a franchise and still not be able to afford the hardware jump, the deluxe edition, the season pass, and the extra cosmetics.

Yes, games are more expensive to make. And yes, price increases were probably inevitable.

But if $80 is going to be the new baseline, then that price should come with guarantees, not gambles. That means no broken launches, no missing features, no predatory monetization models. It means optimization that respects mid-range hardware, not just $2,000 rigs.

“Real fans will find a way”? Maybe. But they shouldn’t have to fight for it.

They already bought the game. They shouldn’t also have to buy the patch notes, the DLC roadmap, and a whole new GPU just to enjoy it.

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Sony is reportedly back in the handheld game — for real this time.

Not another streaming-only companion like the PlayStation Portal, but a full-fledged portable gaming system that could launch alongside the PlayStation 6.

And while that might seem far off, early rumors suggest this isn’t some speculative skunkworks concept: Sony wants a piece of the handheld game currently dominated by Nintendo’s Switch and a wave of powerful Windows handhelds like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally.

But in a market that has changed so much in just a few years, simply showing up with a new console isn’t enough.

The Switch 2 is launching on June 5 with significant performance gains and full backward compatibility.

Valve’s next-gen Deck is likely already cooking. And even Xbox is reportedly exploring its own handheld ambitions. So, what does Sony need to get right, and what could give its new device an edge?

A real PlayStation handheld

The PlayStation Portal was a fascinating experiment, but it wasn’t the successor to the PSP or PS Vita fans were hoping for.

Limited to streaming PS5 games over Wi-Fi, the Portal was tethered to your home console like an overgrown remote. It didn’t run games natively, didn’t support Bluetooth audio, and lacked the flexibility that gamers expect from handhelds in 2025.

Now, multiple sources suggest Sony is finally prepping a true gaming handheld with onboard processing power, local game playback, and a tighter connection to the PlayStation ecosystem.

One leaker claimed it’s a “full-blown” handheld, not a companion device, and it may even be slated to launch alongside the PS6 in 2027 or 2028.

That kind of timing matters. It means Sony is potentially designing this handheld as part of its next-gen console strategy, rather than bolting it onto the aging PS5.

PS4 power on the go?

According to reports, Sony’s new device could land somewhere between a PS4 and a PS4 Pro in raw performance, making it powerful enough to run modern games like God of War (2018), Spider-Man, and Final Fantasy VII Remake natively.

That would already place it in the ballpark of the current Steam Deck and ROG Ally running similar titles on Windows.

More intriguing is the suggestion that Sony could lean heavily into streaming for newer PS5 titles. This is similar to how the Portal operates, but presumably with more robust hardware and faster connectivity (Wi-Fi 6E or 7, anyone?).

The idea would be to offer a hybrid experience: Local play for compatible games and high-fidelity streaming for next-gen blockbusters.

This model could also help keep costs down. Without needing to cram PS5 silicon into a portable form factor, Sony could offer excellent performance with better battery life and thermals than Windows-based devices, which often burn through a charge in two to three hours.

The bar is set high

The handheld gaming space is already fiercely competitive, and things are only just heating up.

Nintendo’s Switch 2 is launching on June 5, bringing a huge power upgrade to the best-selling hybrid console of all time. Features include a custom Nvidia chip with DLSS upscaling, ray tracing, and a 120Hz-capable 1080p display.

That’s a massive leap from the original Switch’s 720p screen and aging internals.

More importantly, it will support swathes of the existing Switch library on day one, meaning games like Breath of the Wild to Tears of the Kingdom, will be playable out of the box.

Sony’s rumored handheld won’t be able to match that legacy content catalog, but it could hit back with something Nintendo can’t offer: Raw performance and cinematic PlayStation titles.

If it really can run PS4 games locally and PS5 titles via streaming, it puts Sony in a strong position to offer high-fidelity gaming on the go, an area where Nintendo’s hardware lags behind.

Then there are Windows handhelds. The Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, and Lenovo Legion Go have proven that there’s a real appetite for portable PC gaming. These devices let you play AAA titles, access massive storefronts, and even stream via Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation’s PC ports. But they aren’t without flaws: They’re bulky, often confusing for casual players, and drain battery fast when pushed hard.

Even Valve’s Steam Deck struggles to hit four hours of gameplay in some titles

That’s where Sony can shine. By building a closed, console-optimized system it could offer more stability, better battery life, and a user-friendly interface. Unlike Windows-based handhelds that require constant tinkering, a PlayStation handheld could just work.

Has Sony’s PC strategy hurt its exclusivity?

One lingering question is whether Sony’s aggressive PC porting undermines the appeal of a PlayStation handheld. Titles like Horizon Zero Dawn, Spider-Man, and The Last of Us Part I have all made their way to Steam, often within a couple of years of their console debuts.

That means gamers with a Steam Deck, or any PC for that matter, can already (eventually) play PlayStation games portably.

If Sony’s handheld doesn’t offer compelling day-one access to new first-party games, its value proposition shrinks. Why buy another device if your PC already does the job?

Still, Sony seems committed to keeping new titles console-exclusive for at least a year or two. And if its handheld integrates tightly with PS6 it may have enough differentiation to win over fans who want the full PlayStation experience in a more flexible form.

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Days after Rockstar Games announced Grand Theft Auto 6 would be pushed to May 26, 2026, the publisher gave fans a bit of a consolation prize.

GTA 6 was set to be the biggest game release of 2025, which is already a big year for video games with the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 in June. However, the game is simply not ready, according to last week's announcement. Even though it's not ready, Rockstar dropped a new trailer and more details about the game on Tuesday.

The new trailer, titled simply "Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2," featured more of the characters and story of the game, unlike the first trailer, which was a simple introduction to the new title.

The trailer was published at 9 a.m. ET, and in less than two hours, it already received more than 1.5 million likes. Rockstar's page dedicated to the new game featuring more details about the locale and character shortly crashed after the release of the trailer.

What is GTA 6 about?

The new trailer introduces Jason, who appears to be the boyfriend of Lucia and was previously unknown until this new trailer. Lucia is getting out of prison, and Jason is the one to pick her up.

As is the case with any GTA game, the heroes of the game will find themselves getting into some criminal activity.

"Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive," the description fo the trailer says.

Leonida is the parody version of Florida, home to Vice City, which is the fictional version of Miami. There will be other locales to explore in the game as well, including Leonida Keys, a version of the Florida Keys; Grassivers, a likely parody of the Everglades; Port Gellhorn, based on Panama City; and two other cities that don't have a clear real-world counterpart: Mount Kalaga and Ambrosia.

While the second trailer is longer than the first, it's still only showing cinematics for the game, not actual gameplay.

When will GTA 6 come to PC?

PC gamers, unfortunately, will have to do some waiting before they will be able to play GTA 6.

So far, Rockstar has only confirmed that GTA 6 will come to the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles. There was some hope that the year-long delay would provide more time to make a PC version of the game, however, there is no word, as of yet, on when GTA 6 will make its way to PC.

If Rockstar repeats the release strategy it used for GTA 5, which launched on consoles in 2013 and on PC in 2015, then PC gamers could face a two-year wait before they can play the new GTA game.

It does appear that Rockstar might even have a special arrangement with Sony for GTA 6. The trailer footage was captured on a PS5, and there is one shot in the trailer showing what looks like a slim PS5.

GTA 6 will come out on May 26, 2026, but the price has not yet been confirmed. If there is a game that could command a price higher than the traditional $70 for a new title, it would be GTA 6. The game is speculated to have a budget close to $1 billion, and to make up for that money, Rockstar could give the game an $80 price tag, similar to the price of Mario Kart World.

Nintendo revealed its Switch 2 earlier in April, and it will officially launch on June 5. The company's newest handheld is estimated to have the graphics power that puts it between a PlayStation 4 Pro and a PlayStation 5.

Sony appears to be looking to go all-in with handheld gaming as well. The company released its PS Portal back in 2023, but that device is only dedicated to streaming games from a PS5 or the cloud. With the PlayStation 6, however, Sony's strategy is to put a lot of power into a handheld console, although it might not be as much as the current PS5.

A known leaker who goes by the name "Kepler_L2" posted on the NeoGAF forums about the upcoming PS6 portable, according to a report from TweakTown. The system-on-chip reportedly being used in the handheld will use 28 to 32 compute units (CU), the processing cores that handle most of the graphics work. This number, if correct, would be lower than the current PS5, which has 36 CUs.

The PS6 will reportedly have a home console version and a handheld version. The console will reportedly have more power than the PS5, but it's unclear by how much.

As for when the PS6 will come out, that is still unknown. Sony hasn't made any official announcement for its next PlayStation, but it's clear that there is work behind the scenes for the upcoming console.

Speculation on the release of the PS6 is 2027 or 2028, which would make sense as Sony has seemingly adopted a seven-year gap between consoles.

The future of gaming is handheld.

Nintendo started the handheld gaming trend when it released the original Switch back in 2017, but it was the release of the Steam Deck in 2022 that really showed what handheld gaming can do. Valve is also already looking to put together its Steam Deck 2.

Since Valve released its Steam Deck, other copycats have come along from tech companies such as MSI, Asus, and Lenovo. These newer handhelds come with more graphics power than the Steam Deck, but they have yet to create the same user experience that comes with a SteamOS handheld. Lenovo realized that and recently came out with its Lenovo Legion Go S, which is the first non-Steam Deck to make use of the Steam OS.

Nintendo apparently understood the importance of the user experience and kept the same Switch layout for the Switch 2.

Microsoft is reportedly working with Asus to deliver a user experience similar to the Xbox. This handheld will not be the next Xbox, which Microsoft already has in production. The next Xbox will be similar to the PS6 in that there will be a home console version as well as a handheld unit.

The PlayStation 5 is one of the best-selling video game consoles. Having just passed its fourth anniversary, Sony’s latest console has already sold more than 75 million units as of February.

Even with so many consoles sold, there are still plenty of people without a PS5, and they might feel the urge to play on one. In the UK and Japan, there is a new service to scratch this itch, and it's surprisingly popular.

PS5 rental services are up and running in the UK and Japan, with the latter being a huge hit.

Geo, a popular video game store in Japan, began renting out PS5s last month, as first spotted by Automaton West. Those interested can rent the system for 980 yen, approximately $6.62, for eight days, seven nights. So far, the company's calendar is fully booked, likely due to the release of Monster Hunter Wilds on Feb. 28. The Monster Hunter series is incredibly popular over in Japan, and with the PS5 getting a price increase in the country to 79,980 yen, approximately $540, last August making renting a console a more financially sensible option..

Sony UK partnered with tech rental service Raylo to lease PS5s. The service is slightly different as the rentals are either for 36 months, 24 months, 12 months, or month-to-month. Renting a PS5 for 36 months starts off at £10.99, or just over $14 a month, for a PS5 slim. The price ramps up with the shorter terms, with month-to-month lease costing £21.95 a month, or approximately $28. This might seem not ideal financially, but a PS5 disc edition costs £479.99, approximately $618.41, in the UK. Sony UK also rents out PlayStation Portals and PlayStation VR 2 units.

There are PS5 rentals in the U.S., but those rentals are typically done via businesses such as Rent-a-Center, which has been the subject of class-action and federal lawsuits.

Maybe renting is a good thing?

If you're not much of a gamer, but have an urge to play a certain PS5 game, then this service could be a practical option. It could actually thrive later this year when Grand Theft Auto 6 releases, as fans of the older games would maybe want a console just to play that one game.

Another reason this service makes a bit of sense is with the rise of cloud gaming. GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming let subscribers play many games without the need of a PC or Xbox. However, PlayStation streaming is limited to either streaming from your console or using a PlayStation Portal, which supports cloud gaming. So rent a PS5 for a short term to play some PlayStation exclusive, could also make sense.

What doesn't make much financial sense is renting a PS5 until the release of the PS6. Sony has given no hint of the next console releasing anytime soon. Former Sony PlayStation exec Shu Yoshida said in an interview last month that he doesn’t expect the next PlayStation to launch until 2028.

One of the major downsides of console gaming is the pricey push to migrate to new hardware at the end of each generation. Thankfully, each console generation has a fairly generous lifespan — even if mid-cycle refreshes like the PlayStation 5 Pro can complicate matters for gamers seeking maximum performance and the best visual experience.

Having released in November 2020, the PlayStation 5 is steadily approaching the same seven-year generation window that both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 enjoyed, with its successor the PlayStation 6 rumored to arrive as early as 2027.

While that still leaves another two years of quality gaming on the table for PlayStation owners, is it enough to justify a console purchase by late adopters, or is it better to hold off for now and invest in Sony's 10th-gen console in two years' time?

There is, of course, no definitive answer to such a question, with a console's real worth and value stemming from the enjoyment you gain from it on an individual basis. However, late adopters wondering if they've left it too late to enjoy the PlayStation 5 may be spared some potential buyer's remorse after former Sony PlayStation exec, Shu Yoshida, shared what year "feels right" to expect the PS6 to release during a recent interview.

Shu Yoshida's PlayStation 6 release date prediction "feels right"

Yoshida, a 38-year veteran of Sony, was recently interviewed by GamesBeat, sharing a retrospective look at the 31 years he spent working on PlayStation Projects dating back to the original PlayStation launch in 1993.

Since then, Yoshida has been involved with multiple hardware releases and featured as an executive producer for games like The Legend of Dragoon, Ape Escape, and Gran Turismo, before taking the helm as SIE Worldwide Studios President between 2008 and 2019.

While Yoshida left SIE in January, there are very few people who can claim to have the same familiarity and experience with Sony PlayStation, and the insights he shared about the PlayStation 6's eventual may have shed some light on a potential launch date for Sony's future console.

When asked about the lifespan of Sony's console generations, Yoshida said, "It’s getting longer. The last cycle was seven years. If it’s seven years, we’ll see a new one in 2027."

While he was quick to temper expectations by stating, "I have no information about the next PlayStation," Yoshida also pointed out, "It feels a bit too early for me to say. The PS5 generation was slowed down because of manufacturing issues. If the next PlayStation comes out in 2028, that feels right to me. Microsoft had their leak about a 2028 plan. Maybe both of them will come out then."

While Yoshida's initial predictions for the release of the PlayStation line up with previous reports, his thoughts on Sony expanding the PS5's lifespan would make it the company's longest-serving flagship console to date.

Pushing the release of the PS6 to 2028 could also give Sony longer to work on its rumored handheld, with Bloomberg reporting in late 2024 that the company was in the early stages of developing a new portable game console.

Is it worth buying a PlayStation 5 in 2025?

Whether the PlayStation 5 has three or four more years ahead as Sony's flagship console, there are still plenty of reasons to pick one up, with upcoming PlayStation-exclusive titles like Death Stranding 2, Marvel's Wolverine, Ghost of Yotei, and Naughty Dog's Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet all still the arrive on the platform — not to mention former Xbox exclusive games like Forza Horizon 5 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle also on their way.

Regardless of when the PlayStation 6 arrives, console gaming's 10th generation may have a very different feel than others, with Xbox seemingly ready to pull back from the rivalry that has persisted since the original Xbox and PlayStation 2 went head-to-head in 2001.

During a recent episode of the XboxEra Podcast, CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer hinted at a shift in the company's perspective on how its games will be made available in the generations ahead, declaring, "I’m not trying to move them [PlayStation and Nintendo owners] all over to Xbox anymore. People were all so invested in where our games are. Let’s just allow more people to play."

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Sony confirmed Saturday evening, 24 hours after it went down, that the PlayStation Network is back up. The original report of the outage can be found below.

The PlayStation Network suffered a massive outage, and it doesn't appear to be coming fully back up anytime soon.

Some unknown issue caused PSN to go down Friday evening, according to the PSN status website. The outage is affecting all network functions, including online play, the PSN Store, and account management.

"You might have difficulty getting PlayStation Video content. We're working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience," reads the message posted on the website.

Sony didn't immediately respond to an email about the outage.

The last official update from Sony came Friday evening on the Ask PlayStation account on X.

"We are aware some users might be currently experiencing issues with PSN," the post said.

• Sony's new PS1-inspired PS5, PlayStation Portal, and DualSense controller are the blast of '90s nostalgia I've been waiting for
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First reports of PSN being down began at 6:14 p.m. Eastern on Friday, according to reports on DownDetector. The number of reports skyrocketed to more than 70,000 not long after at 6:43 p.m. Eastern DownDetector's map of the outage shows it spans the U.S., but there are some PlayStation gamers who have said their service has returned while most are still unable to get online.

The outage is affecting not only online play or buying a game from the PSN Store, but it's also preventing gamers from playing certain digital games on their PlayStation devices. Those games that require a license check via the network will not load up because of the network being down.

PlayStation Portal owners are significantly affected by the outage. With no network to connect to, they are unable to do the two main functions of the device, which are to play their PS5 remotely or stream PlayStation games from the cloud.

This outage also appears to be affecting PC gamers. In recent years, Sony began porting its PS5 flagship games like God of War Ragnarök and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 to PC. These games used to require access to PSN in order to play, but Sony changed its stance on that requirement at the end of January. It does appear, however, that some gamers are unable to play their PC games due to the network being down although the reason why is unknown.

PlayStation gamers are no strangers to PSN outages.

Back in 2011, PSN went down not for a few hours, but for a few weeks. A massive cyberattack took down the network for 24 days, and it took Sony months to fully fix the issues. Sony's servers were breached during the attack, resulting in millions of PSN subscribers' information being stolen. The fallout from the hack was significant for Sony. It settled a class action lawsuit for $15 million and paid for 12 months of identity theft protection services for subscribers.

Chipmaker AMD quietly revealed on Tuesday that it had passed a mind-boggling gaming milestone, but the announcement came amid less-rosy numbers about its overall gaming business.

The Santa Clara-based company released its fiscal year earnings report for 2024, revealing the company surpassed 100 million shipped units during the quarter that ended in December. Those units are semi-custom processors that power most of the gaming consoles on the planet.

AMD makes custom chips for the Sony Playstation 4 and PlayStation 5, the latest Xbox consoles, the Asus ROG Ally, the Lenovo Legion Go, the Acer Nitro Blaze, and the Steam Deck.

The milestone may be overshadowed by the news that AMD gaming revenue was down 59% year over year in the fourth quarter.

During the three months ending December 2024, AMD's gaming segment earned $563 million, compared to $1.4 billion in the same period in 2023.

Even though the gaming revenue beat estimates of $498 million for the quarter, that's still a massive drop.

AMD CEO Lisa Su said that in the months ahead, she expects gaming revenue to be down from the previous quarter but less down than other parts of AMD's business.

"We would expect gaming business will be down a little less [than the corporate average]," Su told investment analysts during a Q&A session following the release of earnings.

"That's a little atypical from a seasonality standpoint, but we’re coming off of a year when there was a lot of, let’s call it, inventory normalization, and now that inventory is normalized, we would expect [gaming revenue in Q1] would be down a little bit less than the corporate average."

(Inventory normalization can be understood as a reduction in the production of chips, perhaps because of lower demand).

Is the gaming console market cooling off?

So, is the gaming console market cooling off? Let's look at Sony.

In November, Sony executives told analysts during an earnings call that they were forecasting selling 18 million PS5s during the 2024 fiscal year, despite questions about the price of the PS5 Pro. (Sony's 2024 fiscal year ends on March 31, 2025.) In the 2023 fiscal year, Sony sold 20.8 million PS5s.

The PlayStation 2, the top-selling console of all time at 160 million units sold, was equally as successful as Sony says the PS5 will be in 2024: Sony shipped 18.07 million PS2s for the fiscal year ending in 2001.

Essentially, the numbers show that demand remained largely the same regarding PS2 in 2001 as it does the PS5 in 2024.

And in business, if you're not growing, you're cooling. Su and AMD's forecast for gaming revenue in Q1 — that it will be down slightly from the previous quarter — may be the latest signal that the console cooldown continues.

The upshot of this news is the flurry of new handheld gaming PCs — many of which use semi-custom AMD processors — that are coming onto the market. Almost the power of a gaming laptop in a handheld form factor could usher in a new era of gaming that relies less on the console and is more about the handheld.

And if you're feeling the console cooldown, you could always try Laptop Mag's preferred device, the gaming laptop.

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I recently made a $700 bet on the PS5 Pro, hoping that the games would be elevated by this beast of a console. So where did that actually land? How does it compare to the standard PS5? And more importantly, which is the better PS5 Black Friday deal?

Well, the PS5 Slim is currently on sale at Amazon for $374. That's a decent discount, at $75 off. So where does the PS5 Pro fall on Black Friday. The PS5 Pro is currently available on Amazon for $699. Yep, you read that right. The PS5 Pro is not on sale but instead its full price.

That means that you're paying nearly double the price when jumping from the PS5 Slim to the PS5 Pro. Is that really worth the money? If you haven't already been forced to decide by your budget, then you may want to consider which is best.

There's no deal on the PS5 Pro, but is that price gap still worth it? Let's find out.

PS5 vs. PS5 Pro: Which deal is best on Black Friday?

Let's break it down quick.

Reasons to buy a PS5 Pro: You want the latest and greatest tech. You want to play more games at 4K, 60fps. You want to be prepared for the latter half of the generation when games like Ghost of Yotei launch (games will be more graphically involved) You want more storage (2TB). You want to experience better ray tracing.

Reasons to buy a PS5: You are a casual gamer. You don't play too many games (smaller SSD). You play on performance mode. You don't have a 4K monitor or TV. You don't mind 30fps gameplay. You play indie games.

Only hardcore gaming enthusiasts should buy the PS5 Pro. I got the PS5 Pro and I am getting the most out of it right now because of that 2TB of storage. And I will be a happy camper when Ghost of Yotei launches. As far as the increased graphics performance, I haven't played any games that have applied to it. And if you're not playing graphically intensive games, then you'll find yourself in the same position.

My overall recommendation, especially for folks purchasing the console for family members over the holidays, just get the standard PS5 Slim at Amazon for $374. That is, unless, that relative REALLY cares about their graphics.

More PS5 deals

We're just a few short days away from the PS5 Pro launch, scheduled for November 7. The PS5 Pro might be the most powerful console ever, but it also has a steep launch price of $699. Still, if you play a lot of PS5 exclusives, the upgrade could be well worth $700 (or $780 if you'd prefer to add on a disc drive).

Pre-orders for the upcoming console opened on September 26 via PlayStation and on October 10 at other retailers. Stock was limited at first, but it seems to have leveled out now and is plentiful at many major retailers.

If you're on the fence about splurging on a PS5 Pro, we've got you covered with a quick comparison of the new console with the older PS5 Slim models. Otherwise, scroll further for quick pre-order links at the most popular retailers.

PS5 Pro vs. PS5 Slim: Specs

Sony says the PS5 Pro is "the most visually impressive way to play games on PlayStation," but how exactly does the upcoming console compare to the one-year-old PS5 Slim? Thanks to specs shared by EuroGamer, here's a look at each console's price and specs side by side.

The PS5 Pro sports the same processor as both the Standard and Digital PS5 Slim models, but it comes with a beefier GPU, capable of up to 16.7 TFLOPs of compute performance rather than the PS5 Slim's 10.3 TFLOPs.

In addition to the 16GB of GDDR6 memory the PS5 Pro shares with PS5 Slim models, it has an extra 2GB of DDR5 RAM. The new console also has a 390W power supply, up from the PS5 Slim's 340W power supply, indicating it's a more demanding (and more powerful) console.

Lastly, storage gets doubled. The PS5 Pro comes equipped with a custom 2TB SSD, helping slightly justify its hefty price increase. When you include the price of a disc drive, the PS5 Pro is $280 more expensive than the PS5 Slim Standard.

For a more in-depth comparison of these two consoles, check out our PS5 vs. PS5 Pro face-off to what Laptop Mag's resident PS5 gamer thinks.

If the boosted graphical prowess of the PS5 Pro and increased storage is worth it to you, here's how and where to pre-order Sony's new console.

Where to pre-order the PS5 Pro

Because pre-orders opened up over a month ago, stock seems to be relatively stable at multiple popular retailers, so no need to frantically scramble to click 'Add to cart' and rush through checkout.

If you missed out on the last round of Sony's limited edition 30th anniversary PS5, you've got another chance to nab the retro-inspired console.

On October 29th, the PS1-inspired PS5 Slim console with the old-school rainbow PlayStation logo will be available through PS Direct. The $499 Slim digital edition bundle and the $79 gray 30th Anniversary Dual Sense controller will both go on sale.

As Sony will be selling the console and controller directly, the sales will go live at 10 am Eastern (7 am Pacific) and 2 pm GMT.

Where to buy the 30th Anniversary Edition PS5 Slim

The PS5 30th Anniversary Digital Edition bundle comes with a PS1-inspired PS5 Slim console (the one without a disc drive) with 1TB of internal storage, one 30th Anniversary DualSense controller, and a one-year warranty. The bundle costs $499.99.

Since this sale is running through PS Direct, you’ll only be able to purchase one console per order. You can find more information on the PS Direct pre-order system here.

If you’ve been down the PlayStation 5 pre-order rabbit hole before, you know these restocks can be difficult to nab. We’d recommend pre-loading the deals page, logging into your PlayStation account, and ensuring you have a valid credit card saved on file ahead of time to help your chances of taking home one of these slick retro console bundles.

Where to buy the PS5 30th Anniversary DualSense controller

The 30th Anniversary DualSense controller comes in a classic PlayStation 1 gray colorway and costs $79.99 on its own. If you just want a new controller or if you need a second controller for local co-op, you can pick up the retro-style DualSense tomorrow through PS Direct.

Since this sale is running through PlayStation Direct, you’ll only be able to purchase one controller per order. You can find more information on the PS Direct pre-order system here.

If you’ve been down the PlayStation 5 pre-order rabbit hole before, you know these restocks can be difficult to nab. We’d recommend pre-loading the deals page, logging into your PlayStation account, and ensuring you have a valid credit card saved on file ahead of time to help your chances of taking home one of these quirky PS1-inspired controllers.

Will we see more restocks?

In case you miss this restock and don’t want to take your chances with scalpers, there is a chance we’ll see more console restocks for the 30th Anniversary Edition. We haven’t seen the PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary bundle on sale for a while, and with a release date of November 21, 2024 it is entirely possible we’ll see either bundle hit the digital shelves again before launch. So keep your eyes on all the retailer listings and keep some feelers out, because this may not be your last chance.

But just in case, we recommend doing the usual PS5 restock prep to ensure the retro-style console of your dreams ends up in your hands on launch day.

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Black Friday is still a few weeks away, but one reliable internet tipster has given Fortnite players something special to look forward to after reportedly revealing a new PS5 Slim bundle — over a month ahead of its official showing.

Featuring exclusive skins, a V-Bucks boost, and the option of Standard or Digital models of the PS5 Slim console, this Black Friday bundle will launch later in the month for as low as €374.99 / £314.99 / $374.99. Here's what we know so far.

Fortnite PS5 Slim bundle: What to expect and when to expect it

The upcoming PS5 Slim bundle, known as the Fortnite Cobalt Star bundle, was revealed by French site Dealabs this week, giving us a very early look at how Black Friday will look for PlayStation fans looking to switch to the Slim.

This PS5 Slim bundle will net you a PS5 Slim (Standard or Digital) with a host of Fortnite goodies from November 22, 2024, in European and American markets.

The standard pricing for both bundles will be $499 for the Standard bundle and $449 for the Digital version.

However, for a two-week period spanning both Black Friday and Cyber Monday, there will be a $75 launch discount applied to each, bringing the prices down to the following:

• PS5 Slim (Standard Edition, with disc drive) Fortnite Cobalt Star bundle: €474.99 / £404.99 / $424.99
• PS5 Slim (Digital Edition, without disc drive) Fortnite Cobalt Star bundle: €374.99 / £314.99 / $374.99

No matter which of these bundles you choose, you'll still receive the same enticing extras which are said to be eight exclusive Fortnite skins with an estimated value of 5,000 V-Bucks and a healthy injection of 1,000 V-Bucks to spend as you please in-game.

• Sony PS5 Slim console (Standard Edition or Digital Edition)
• Sony DualSense controller
• 8 exclusive Fortnite skins (Est. value 5,000 V-Bucks)
• 1,000 V-Bucks in-game currency

Sadly, unlike the recent PlayStation anniversary collection, this bundle isn't expected to feature any unique Fortnite-inspired design elements.

It's just a straight-up bundle of Sony's PS5 Slim console with some digital goodies for Epic Games' ever-popular, best-in-class Battle Royale title.

Is it the real deal?

The poster of this deal, billbil-kun, has a strong history of providing early information on upcoming deals, especially when it comes to Sony's PlayStation console.

While all leaks should be taken with a grain of salt, billbil-kun's track record does lend a healthy dose of credibility to the news, as he's been right about similar bundles in the past like the PS5 Slim NBA 2K25 bundle which was released last month.

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Hello there, proud non-owner of a PS5 here. Not because my allegiance lies with Xbox or Nintendo, but because I've been lying in wait like a soap opera villain, waiting to menacingly cackle at those foolish enough to spend $499 on Sony's ninth-generation console — and when the PS5 Pro launches on November 7, that wait finally comes to an end.

I've been a console gamer for decades now, and that kind of historical knowledge has allowed me to see one thing quite clearly: The writing is on the wall, game consoles are falling off.

But stick with me, because there is an alternative.

Game consoles: How the mighty have fallen

What was once the bastion of uncomplex gaming, consoles are now adopting all of the laborious elements of maintaining a well specced PC, though somehow losing out on any of the benefits.

Game consoles used to be simple, a multi-year platform that required you to put as much thought into upgrades, specs, and graphics settings as you would to blinking, breathing, or improvising the next logical kitchen utensil you'll use to eat cereal with when all the spoons are dirty (it's a fork, you can drink the milk once you're done).

The most mentally taxing part of owning an Xbox or a PlayStation was thinking up replies to mean-spirited PC gamers who would mock you for your limited frame rates and lower resolutions on social media.

Nowadays, the game console landscape has shifted considerably. The pustule of paid online multiplayer has proliferated and spread, snowballing into microtransactions, $70 games, and digital-only consoles that shirk the responsibilities these platforms held as the final stand for physical media.

Yes, it may eventually work out better for the environment to some degree (though there are arguments to be made about the impact of server upkeep for digital downloads versus the once-and-done production of plastic cases and computer discs), but if a few dolphins have to die every year to make sure I can play Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (and the myriad of other de-listed games of the digital era) as and when I please, then so well be it.

Mid-cycle console refreshes: The straw that broke this camel's back

Perhaps the most egregious of sins in the modern era is the mid-cycle refresh — a way for some console kings to mock their most loyal subjects by rewarding their crucial support during an initial launch window with the option of buying a new, more expensive model at an even larger asking price (or accept their fate as owners of a second-class console).

Take away its improved graphical potential that developers will be hamstrung to take full use of thanks to the existence of the base PS5, the option to make all of your games faster and fuzzier thanks to Sony's DLSS-like PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution or its enhanced ray-tracing, and what's left?

I'll tell you what. A $699 hardware remake of a console that came out four years ago (sans optical drive) that will let you buy remakes of games that you bought and completed ten years ago which were originally released on a console you previously bought that came out 11 years ago.

Or, if you're really gullible, all of that, wearing the skin suit of a beloved console that was released 30 years ago, including themed controllers and a PlayStation Portal for the low-low price of just $1,000 — while stock lasts.

It feels like Sony's playbook for making money this generation is short enough to fit inside a fortune cookie, and if we were to crack it open and unfurl the note inside, we'd be met by only one word: "Nostalgia."

Handheld gaming PCs are everything consoles used to be

However, this corruption of the game console market has me feeling nostalgia for something entirely different — the youthful nights of hiding under my duvet and searing away my corneas into the early hours while glued to my Game Gear.

While something like the PS5 Pro has me turning away from consoles, I'm finding myself more and more attracted to the prospect of owning a handheld gaming PC like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally X.

Handheld gaming PCs now represent everything consoles have lost or failed to implement, they're open, untethered from the living room setup, offer customizable gaming experiences through a wider selection of mods, and won't lock you into any one platform or ecosystem.

Furthermore, they have a library of games that dwarf other platforms, while giving access to them at much lower prices from multiple sellers. And if that's not enough, PC gamers get treated to all the free spoils from storefronts like Good Old Games and the Epic Games Store on the regular.

There will never be a gaming PC 2 like there might be a PlayStation 6

Before you call me out for it, I'm already well aware of my own hypocrisy. While I can look at the PS5 Pro and be turned away from mid-cycle refreshes, handheld gaming PCs like the original ROG Ally are already receiving their own just one year on in the form of the ROG Ally X.

Well, to counter that: There'll never be a gaming PC 2 that I have to worry about sneaking up over the horizon like I would the PlayStation 6. Something that completely switches up the ecosystem and leaves me needing to adopt a whole new game library that features exclusive titles I won't have access to.

Plus, while I admit that the fast and frenzied releases in the handheld gaming PC world can make it a little harder to know when it's safe to jump on the bandwagon, I can say that, whether I were to wait to invest in the upcoming Lenovo Legion Go 2 or pick up the slightly aging but reliable Steam Deck, I know that either way I'm buying a gaming laptop lite.

I won't be expecting the performance found in the best gaming laptops, but I will be expecting console convenience with a gaming PC foundation to fall back on.

What's next

For the moment, I'm done with consoles. In their place, I'm holding up handheld gaming PCs as my recommended go-to. Until the industry churns things up and out so thick and fast that their products turn to butter and slip through the interest of consumers, anyway.

Even if a new refresh comes along that tempts me, I feel like there's more value in a gaming handheld. Those upgrading to a PS5 Pro from the PS5 will have potentially paid around $1,200 to do so.

Meanwhile, paying similarly for a handheld gaming PC and its refresh, the money you'd save on game purchases and PlayStation Plus membership alone would likely see things work out as the much wiser investment within a year.

Sure, I may miss out on those expanded resolutions and faster frame rates. But what can I say? I'm a console gamer. I've had plenty of fun without all that in the past, and I'll have plenty more in the future.

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A re-stock of Sony's limited edition 30th anniversary PS5 is upon us.

On Thursday, October 10, the gray PS1-inspired console — complete with the rainbow PlayStation logo — will return to retailers, this time in a $500 Slim digital edition variant, as opposed to the nearly $1,000 Pro bundle sold previously.

This article was updated at 9:55 a.m. Eastern to add more details about Walmart+ and the PS5 Pro re-stock.

If you were left out in the cold during the initial 30th-anniversary launch last month via PlayStation Direct, now is your chance to scoop one up, even if it's not the Pro model.

All sales will go live at 10 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, so be ready to relive your '90s PlayStation nostalgia in next-gen fashion.

Unlike the first 30th-anniversary preorder event on September 26, which limited the PS5 Pro to 12,300 individually numbered consoles, the restock set for Thursday seems to only apply to the 30th-anniversary edition of the PS5 Digital. The PS5 Pro consoles set for restocking on Thursday are the standard white-and-black models.

Unless you want to bargain with scalpers for ungodly sums of money in the secondary market, you'll have to be on time and cross your fingers.

Where to buy a 30th anniversary PS5 Slim

Okay, let's cut to the chase. If you want to buy a PS5 Slim 30th anniversary console, you'll need to head over to one of a few retailers. While these pages for orders are currently live, you won't be able to actually start using them until the aforementioned time.

If they're anything like the previous PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary bundles, you can expect them to sell out fast.

Luckily, you'll have more chances this time around since not everything is being funneled through PlayStation Direct. If you're really determined to get in on the nostalgia, I recommend opening all off the below retailers and taking a shotgun approach.

A major note if you're ordering from Walmart: you'll only be able to preorder the PS5 30th Anniversary console if you have a subscription to Walmart+. That's a bummer if you don't feel like shelling out the $13 subscription fee to Walmart, but also it should help mitigate the success of bots and raise your chances of actually snagging a console.

Additionally, if you just want the PS5 Pro and not the 30th Anniversary edition, you can order from all the same retailers. I suspect that competition won't as high there — the $700 PS5 Pro isn't limited edition and lots of people may not want to shell out that much money for a performance upgrade.

Either way, it's going to be a mad dash, so happy hunting.

Walmart

Best Buy

Target

Amazon

Where to buy the PS5 30th Anniversary DualSense controller

If you're not in the market for a whole console, but still want to snag the corresponding PS1-inspired DualSense controller, you can also check the same retailers tomorrow to see if there are new shipments back in.

The controller retails for $79.99 which is a lot to spend on a regular controller, but this is limited edition after all, so paying a premium is expected.

• PS5 30th Anniversary Dual Sense controller at Amazon
• PS5 30th Anniversary Dual Sense controller at Best Buy
• PS5 30th Anniversary Dual Sense controller at Target
• PS5 30th Anniversary Dual Sense controller at GameStop

On September 10, Sony announced the PS5 Pro, and while the $700 price tag wasn’t wholly unexpected, no one was happy about it. But I couldn't stop thinking about those upgraded graphics on my beloved Sony exclusives. You can see where this is going... I bought the PS5 Pro.

I bought it primarily for convenience, as I am donating my current PS5 to my wife. But to be honest with myself, I would have bought it anyway. I’m invested in PlayStation exclusives and console gaming in general. Microsoft isn’t releasing a Pro model of the Xbox Series X, so the only option is the PS5 Pro.

But how far is Sony taking its PS5 Pro Enhanced games? It was tough to tell when watching a crunchy video live stream. I won't know buyer’s remorse until I get my hands on those games and try them for myself. However, considering the games ahead and what developers have said about the PS5 Pro, I’m excited.

This is why I placed a $700 bet on the PS5 Pro as my main gaming experience.

PS5 Pro Enhanced gameplay

The PS5 Pro delivers a stronger GPU, advanced ray tracing, and AI-driven upscaling, but what does that look like for the average consumer? Well, developers jumped on the PlayStation Blog to paint a better picture. All of them claim better visuals, but I want to discuss the measurable facts.

Capcom weighed in about Resident Evil Village, one of the series' best titles, which will now offer a setting for 120 frames per second. It's currently locked at 60fps, so that's an impressive leap. This is a great example of what the PS5 Pro can offer. Is the GPU 2x stronger? No. But because of the way video games are implemented (fps caps) and how the PlayStation Spectral Super Solution operates, you may find your games running at double the frame rate.

With Dragon Age: The Veilguard, BioWare Studio Technical Director Maciej Kurowski stated that the PS5 Pro will feature Raytraced Ambient Occlusion (RTAO) in the 60-fps Performance mode. RTAO measures and replicates the amount of indirect light that reaches a surface. That feature was available only in 30-fps Fidelity mode on the base PS5 model.

For Alan Wake 2, Remedy Entertainment Communications Director Thomas Puha confirmed that the 60-fps Performance mode now supports a 4K resolution. Previously, you could reach 4K only in 30-fps Fidelity mode. I usually opt for Performance mode, but I played Alan Wake 2 on Fidelity because the character models looked so sharp. It’s wild that we can get that same Fidelity along with high performance.

All of these games have launched or are launching before the PS5 Pro even releases. But what comes after? That’s where I’m most excited.

The future of the PS5 Pro

We got our first taste of what the future of the PS5 Pro looks like with the Ghost of Yōtei trailer. This is the first of many games to benefit from the PS5 Pro on day one. Let’s not forget that huge titles like Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Grand Theft Auto VI, and Doom: The Dark Ages. 

We know very little about the technical aspects of the aforementioned titles. However, we do know that they’ll launch during the PS5 Pro era, and it’s all but guaranteed they’ll come Enhanced. We don’t know what kind of special treatment these games will get compared with the base PS5. However, enabling Ray Tracing or a 4K resolution on the 60-fps Performance mode would align with some of Sony's other claims.

With that said, I'm worried about Grand Theft Auto VI. Digital Foundry Technology Editor Richard Leadbetter suggests that there’s no way that GTA 6 will run at 60 fps on the PS5 Pro. That begs the question, what can the PS5 Pro do? And worse, what can’t the base PS5 do? I hope we don’t run into a classic Cyberpunk 2077 situation (Sony pulled it off the PS Store because it ran poorly). 

We’ll likely get three to four good years out of the PS5 Pro. But it might be tough as we come up to the end of the console cycle, especially if studios like Sony Santa Monica and Naughty Dog are pumping out heavy hitters. The last thing that any gamer spending $700 on the PS5 Pro wants is to get stuck playing games at 30 fps. Even bumping up to 45 fps would be a significant improvement.

Outlook

If you want the most out of your PlayStation gaming experience, then the PS5 Pro is the best way to go. Yes, the PlayStation exclusives are going to look the best, and you’ll get them first. But all AAA games will get massive upgrades. Plus, $700 is still much more affordable than buying even one of the best cheap gaming laptops.

However, only time will tell if those $700 were worth it. I have a good feeling about this one (a betting man’s last words), but don't worry, if you aren't ready to make this bet with me, I'll be back to tell you whether I won or lost.

Earlier this month, Sony announced the upcoming PS5 Pro, along with a pretty steep price of $699. Yes, it is more powerful than the standard PS5 — but powerful enough to justify a $200 price hike? That remains to be seen.

A few weeks later, the company debuted a gorgeous, PS1-inspired PS5 lineup, and it's even more expensive. There's limited stock of these consoles and controllers, but the sticker shock was worse than I thought it'd be.

Sony's 30th Anniversary PS5 lineup might break the bank

The PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Edition bundle pre-order was available for a staggering $999.99. Granted, it comes with a lot:

• A limited edition PS5 Pro console with 2TB SSD, Wi-Fi 7, and matching limited edition accessories
• DualSense wireless controller, DualSense Edge wireless controller, DualSense charging station, and a console cover for a disc drive
• A vertical stand
• A PS1-inspired cable connector housing
• 4 PlayStation-shaped cable ties
• A PlayStation sticker
• A limited edition PlayStation Poster — there are 30 designs in total
• And finally, a PlayStation paperclip

And considering the prices of individual PS1-inspired gear and the $699 PS5 Pro, the bundle would actually save you a little bit of money. 

For reference, the standard PS Portal retails for $199, the DualSense controller for $74, the DualSense Edge controller for $199, and the PS5 Slim Digital for $449.

If you're willing to splurge on a bundle or an individual PS1-inspired controller, you'll have to fight the virtual lines. Right now, all stock shows as currently unavailable on the PS Direct website. However, it's possible Sony is releasing limited edition stock in waves throughout the day. For ease, here are direct links:

• PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Bundle
• PS Portal 30th Anniversary Edition
• DualSense Edge 30th Anniversary Edition
• DualSense 30th Anniversary Edition
• PS5 Digital (Slim) 30th Anniversary Edition

Where to pre-order the PS5 Pro

If you still want to get your hands on a PS5 Pro console, regardless of whether it looks like a boring old PS5 or a cool PS1-inspired console, you can still pre-order the PS5 Pro for $699 via PS Direct.

Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and Amazon are also set to open up pre-orders soon, so mark your calendars for October 10 for the best chance of getting your hands on a PS5 Pro early.

Prime Day is ripe with deals, and we've seen the greatest on gaming laptops, but if your main gaming rig is your PS5, you might want to consider an expansion to your storage.

My PS5's storage is always filling up, and it's especially a struggle because I play so many online multiplayer games that would be incredibly inconvenient to uninstall, so it's time to turn toward another SSD solution.

There are plenty of PS5 SSDs currently on sale, including the internal Samsung 990 PRO w/ Heatsink 2TB SSD for $149 ($115 off) and the external Samsung 4TB SSD for $284 (50% off). You need to figure out how much storage you need and how much you're willing to pay for said storage.

Here's a better look at the best PS5 SSD deals for Prime Day.

Today's best PS5 SSD deals

A YouTube video from Moore's Law is Dead leaking PS5 Pro hardware specs has been taken down from the site due to a copyright claim by Sony Interactive Entertainment (as spotted by Tom Warren on X).

It's not uncommon for hardware manufacturers to take action in squashing leaks as soon as they hit the web, but this only raises suspicions. If the leak were inaccurate, it would likely be ignored like many others. However, PlayStation's copyright takedown adds credibility to the accuracy of the information showcased in the original video.

Sony has been keenly aware of this leak for a month now, with Tom Henderson on X reporting that the company has launched an "Internal investigation" into how it happened. In the past, these leaked specs have been corroborated by Insider Gaming and The Verge, but this latest development is the icing on the cake.

PS5 Pro specs leak gains credibility after DMCA takedown

While Sony did take down the video, we still can't say for certain what its motives were. Remember, the following information is still a rumor and should be taken with a grain of salt. That aside, let's jump into some of the video's claims about what the PS5 Pro will be capable of.

The now-removed video, citing a leaked document containing information about Sony's mid-generation upgrade, highlights two major, easy-to-understand improvements reportedly arriving with the PS5 Pro.

The first is an enormous boost in ray tracing performance—anywhere from 2x to 3x faster than the base PS5. The leaked document goes as far as to state that improvements may reach as high as 4x in some cases. This is thanks to a "More powerful ray tracing architecture."

The other is in the form of greater GPU performance, allowing for a 45% increase in rendering speed when compared to the original PS5. The PS5 Pro's GPU is also stated to be "larger" and use "faster system memory." 

It's even set to feature machine-learning capabilities with 300 TOPS (Trillions of Operations Per Second) of 8-bit computation, or 67 TFLOPS of 16-bit floating point. Which is likely in place to support PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), a new performance-friendly upscaling and anti-aliasing solution.

PSSR is an improvement over the current Temporal Anti-Aliasing Upsampling (TAAU) solution and works similarly to how DLSS or FSR do on Nvidia and AMD GPUs. It will be Sony's proprietary Multi-Frame Super Resolution (MFSR) implementation, unlocking its performance gains through generating "color buffers" up to a maximum of 4K resolution at 120 fps, with later plans to implement 8K at 60 fps.

More from Laptop Mag

• PS5 Pro rumors — everything we know so far about my next favorite console
• PS5 review: The future of gaming has arrived
• PS5 'Slim' vs. PS5: Here's what's changed

There's a good chance we'll see the PS5 Pro launch later this year, right around the long-awaited launch of GTA VI. While this is great news for fans who want to upgrade to a slightly more powerful console, it's also a strategic move from Sony to boost declining hardware sales.

In a recent chat with CNBC (via Wccftech), analysts expressed a high likelihood that Sony would release a PS5 Pro this year to combat its decreased profits. Mid-cycle "Pro" launches like this are common for consoles to renew interest, boost sales, and give players a little extra performance power to tide them over until the next major console iteration.

CEO of Kantan Games, Serkan Toto, told CNBC "There seems to be a broad consensus in the game industry that Sony is indeed preparing a launch of a PS5 Pro in the second half of 2024." He continued, "And Sony will want to make sure to have a great piece of hardware ready when GTA VI hits in 2025, a launch that will be a shot in the arm for the entire gaming industry."

Sony's sales might still decrease, even with a PS5 Pro launch

During Sony's recent company earnings call, an executive said that the company was expecting a "gradual decline" in unit sales. Sony adjusted its hardware sales forecast from 25 million units to 21 million units for the fiscal year ending in March.

Introducing a PS5 Pro now, about three years after the PS5's initial launch in November 2020, wouldn't be abnormal for Sony. The PS4 Pro, for example, launched right around three years after the PS4's initial launch. Even Microsoft follows this mid-cycle launch strategy, with the Xbox Series X "Brooklin" update and Series S "Ellewood" update likely slated for later this year as well.

In the past, a Pro model launching from Sony has typically meant lower prices for the original console. But Omdia analyst George Jijiashvili thinks that might not be the case, telling CNBC that Sony's near decade-low profits might mean that the company wouldn't cut the price of the current PS5 even when the PS5 Pro comes out. 

He went on to say, "Therefore, a scenario where Sony launches a PS5 Pro, but still experiences declining year-on-year hardware sales is very much within the realms of possibility." 

Launching the PS5 Pro right before GTA VI is estimated to release in early 2025 is a strategic move, but it might not be enough. If the game will be playable on PS5, and there isn't much of a boost in performance on the PS5 Pro then players might just skip the upgrade and stick with their PS5 console instead.

More from Laptop Mag

• PS5 'Slim' vs. PS5: Here's what's changed
• PS5 review: The future of gaming has arrived
• PS Vita 2: Everything we know so far

Sony will be hosting a PlayStation State of Play stream today. This particular stream will focus on Square Enix's "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth", which is due to launch at the end of this month. The game is the second part in the "Final Fantasy VII Remake" series which reimagines the classic game with updated graphics, combat, and an even more confusing story.

This State of Play will only cover "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth" so don't expect any other announcements, but it will provide an extended look at the game. In addition to extended gameplay footage, we can also expect to find out what will happen to Aerith, a character whose fate in the 1997 original was a major shock to players at the time.

Additionally, The Verge is reporting that a demo will be coming sometime after the stream, so we'll likely get details on that during the conference. So far, the leaks indicate the demo will allow players to control either Cloud or Sephiroth.

How to watch PlayStation's Final Fantasy VII Rebirth —State of Play

If you want the catch the State of Play stream while it's live, you'll be able to watch it at home on PlayStation's official YouTube, Twitch, or TikTok channels.

The event kicks off at 3:30 p.m. PT/ 6:30 p.m. ET for those in the US and Canada. For those further abroad, we've done the time zone calculations for you below

• US & Canada: Tuesday, Feb 6 @ 3:30 p.m. PT / 6:30 p.m. ET
• United Kingdom: Tuesday, Feb 6 @ 11:30 p.m. GMT
• Europe: Wednesday, Feb 7 @ 12:30 a.m. CET
• India: Wednesday, Feb 7 @ 5:30 a.m. IST
• Australia: Wednesday, Feb 7 @ 10:30 a.m. AET
• New Zealand: Wednesday, Feb 7 @ 12:30 p.m. NZDT

If you've been behind on "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth" news, here's a handy primer of everything we know so far. So you can be caught up in time for all the new details sure to come in today's State of Play stream.

"Rebirth" is one of our most anticipated games of 2024 (so far), and with the release coming soon this one is certainly worth a watch.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is one of the most hotly anticipated handheld gaming consoles to date, but that may be a title it soon has to share as information has emerged that Sony is reportedly working on a new portable PlayStation device of its own following the success of the PlayStation Portal.

News of a new PlayStation handheld game console comes by way of reputable hardware leaker and YouTuber Moore's Law is Dead, who claims that Sony are in active development of the console, dubbed the PS Vita 2, in partnership with AMD.

PlayStation Vita 2: Sony's handheld hopes

The leak points to the PS Vita 2 being an incredibly powerful handheld device making use of a custom AMD APU with 18 compute units (CUs). That's a similar level to the PlayStation 4, and for good reason. Moore's Law is Dead claims that this is to ensure backwards compatibility with all PS4 digital titles.

While that number of CUs is half of that found in the current PS5, it doesn't rule out the potential of native support for PS5 titles — especially when you consider Sony's mid-generation upgrade pattern. This has resulted in graphical scaling across PlayStation games already, meaning the new PS Vita 2 would potentially be able to run select PS5 games with reduced graphical performance.

According to the leak, Sony and AMD are currently in the high-level design stage, meaning that no final design or plan for release has yet been decided upon. 

This makes it entirely plausible that Sony could still pull the plug on this project before it ever sees the light of day. However, should this stage of development result in something the blue-brand feel confident in, then you could be laying hands upon the PS Vita 2 by 2026 at the earliest.

That being said, Moore's Law is Dead also mentions that the Vita 2 may be a part of the "PlayStation 6 family." Meaning, should Sony give the final project the green light, it could arrive alongside the PlayStation 6, which, given Sony's seven-year console generation lifespan, would likely arrive in 2027.

Outlook

While this leaves the market free for Nintendo dominate over the next few years with its upcoming Switch 2 console, Sony's PS Vita 2 is part of a wider push by the gaming hardware industry to target handheld consoles and portable gaming PCs.

Last year saw the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go emerge as successful portable PC gaming options, and 2024 is set to continue this trend with the release of the MSI Claw, and potentially a rapid-fire release of a second generation ROG Ally.

Even Microsoft are reportedly exploring the possibility of launching a handheld Xbox device of its own, with Windows Centrals' Jez Corden pointing to sources familiar with Microsoft's plans and leaked court documents that highlight an Xbox handheld as one of the many potential directions for the green-brand to head in.

For breaking news and updates on everything handheld gaming and more, follow Laptop Mag on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and Flipboard. 

PlayStation just hosted its latest State of Play, with extended looks at Death Stranding 2, Rise of the Ronin, Stellar Blade, Sonic x Shadow Generations 2, and far more. While we didn't get a word on Elden Ring: Shadows of the Erdtree, it was still an exciting show nonetheless. Here's everything you missed!

We're a little under two hours away from PlayStation's January State of Play. Be sure to tune in on YouTube, Twitch or TikTok to catch the show. If you can't make it for whatever reason, keep up with this article as we provide live updates!

PlayStation's State of Play 2024 is live now! Be sure to tune in on YouTube, Twitch or TikTok to catch the show. If you can't make it for whatever reason, we'll update you on everything happening at the show!

PlayStation started the show with a look at at Helldivers 2, which is launching pretty soon. We see four pals obliterating squads and squads of alien insects across tons of planets. It's what you expected from the first Helldivers, but now thrust into third-person rather than top-down.

We also saw a huge mech which is set to come after launch. Helldivers launches February 8th.

The next game to be shown off was Stellar Blade, which was delayed from 2023 to 2024. It opens with melancholic music playing over various scenes of the protagonist before we get introduced to its post-apocalyptic view of Earth. The human race has fled to an off-world colony, and Eve, the main character, must save the planet by defeating the invading species.

However, Eve is not alone, as she meets Adam and Lily, two additional characters she meets throughout the world. Lily provides technical support and upgrades the character.

The player will also interact with Xion, who frequently refer to Eve as "Angel," and her objective to help rebuild the city. Players can engage in side-quests in this hub area, and these quests will take the player all around the wasteland where they must battle against ruthless beings. Camps are placed around the world where you can take a rest to regain health, upgrade equipment, and purchase items.

But not all survivors are friendly, as hostile humans will ambush Eve during key moments, alongside bizarre monstrosities that look like mutated animals. Afterwards, the trailer showcased plenty of clips against bosses, NPCs chatting, and each scene features Eve in many different outfits.

Stellar Blade launches April 26.

The next game shown off was a new Sonic game, seemingly taking the player through tons of classic Sonic Adventure areas before Shadow suddenly jumps into the scene with his heavier rock music. Of course, he is associated with darker, more apocalyptic arenas and gigantic tentacle monsters.

Sonic x Shadows Generations launches Autumn 2024.

Hoyoverse's latest game was shown off, featuring tons of intense scenes of gigantic bosses fighting against anime characters. Zenless Zone Zero is in development for PlayStation 5.

Starting February 6th, players can get their hands on Foamstars through PlayStation Plus, and the company showed off a sneak peak at what season one will look like.

We then saw a new look at Dave the Diver, which is seemingly coming to PlayStation this April. And it also is doing a crossover with Godzilla, revealing the monstrous kaiju appearing from the depths of the ocean. That DLC will launch May 2024.

V Rising, a top-down action game where the player cuts down trees, builds vampiric fortresses, and explores tons of different biomes was shown off. It seems to features plenty of boss fights and action gameplay. It's coming to PS5 2024.

A new Silent Hill game was shown off during the showcase. It's a first-person game where the player is exploring a series of terrifying interior locations as plenty of trippy stuff happens before a monster suddenly starts chasing the player. The monster designs seem terrifying. The game is called Silent Hill The Short Message and it's free to play.

It's available today as a PlayStation 5 free-to-play title.

We then saw a new look at Silent Hill 2's remake, featuring the protagonist walking throughout a fog-filled city, battling bizarre monstrosities, shooting enemies, and trying to pull them off by spamming X. Tons of action-packed gameplay footage of third-person shooter gameplay was revealed before a pretty epic rock soundtrack is thrown into the mix.

Ghost Story games showed off Judas, the upcoming game from Ken Levine, the legendary director of Bioshock. We saw plenty of stills showcasing cinematic moments in the story's history before we see a snippet of the main character's actions. We then see snippets of gameplay, with the player traversing this space station and battling against a series of robotic creatures. Unique powers are used to defeat enemies, but no release date is given.

We see snippets of a PlayStation VR2 horror game produced by Deep Silver, which seems to be in the Metro series, with the player traversing tons of sectors of underground locations. It's called Metro Awakening VR and launches 2024.

Another PS VR2 game was shown off, featuring first-person combat in a fantasy world against skeletons, breaking chairs and punching them in the face, blacksmithing, deflecting fireballs with a shield, and destroying several parts of the environment with these weapons. There's also spellcasting and multiplayer capabilities.

The game is titled Legendary Tales and launches February 8.

Capcom showed off more footage of Dragon's Dogma 2, revealing a massive dragon appearing from the sky against a stunning strings soundtrack. We saw consistent gameplay footage against a dragon, with the player using different builds against diverse enemies with their parties by their side. Ice magic, great swords, bows, light magic, and explosives are a few of the things we saw.

It launches March 22.

Rise of the Ronin was the next game shown off during the showcase, given a full gameplay demonstration. We witnessed a third-person demo where the player is running throughout a part of Japan which has undergone a fascinating mix of Japanese and western influences. We see the player fly into the air with their glider before jumping on a horse, alongside an intense combat system utilizing different stances. The combat is unsurprisingly reminiscent of Nioh.

There's also a good bit of stealth action, with the player sneaking behind a tower and grapple-hooking an enemy to their death. Players can also acquire a flamethrower, rifle, and pistol.

After the explanation of gameplay, we see plenty diverse scenes revealing the world at large, cutscenes, gameplay snippets, boss fights, and plenty of moments where players are getting help from other players. There's also certain structures which are destructible. It launches March 22.

PlayStation then showed off a first look at a game by Ballistic Moon. It reveals a set of dark locations with terrified individuals screaming about things being "just a prank." Torture devices are a big part of the presentation, as it reveals that Until Dawn is being remastered for PS5.

We then see a new look at Death Stranding 2, with the expected degrees of unbelievable, bonkers aesthetic philosophies Kojima is known for. The smallest snippets of a monstrous cat made of black ooze walking around, and two characters breaking a character out of their fleshy shell. And having to pull these needles out from under its skin.

We then see a scene of the classic baby that seems to spit out a ship as we see a blue Norman Reedus on said ship. The ship is called Drawbridge, and the player can outfit themselves and use weapons.

Like always, the player needs to bring the world together, alongside the existence of a talking puppet man accompanying the player throughout the world. In this game, it seems we're exploring a whole new region of the world across Mexico. We see deserts and more unique terrains than originally seen in the first game, alongside new weather conditions, showcasing a flood destroying a bridge. 

It looks absolutely bonkers and my jaw has dropped at least three times during this trailer. It's also no surprise that this trailer is full of spoilers and gives us a first look at the return of a classic villain.

Death Stranding 2 launches 2025.

We're also seeing a new IP, which will begin after Death Stranding 2, in the action espionage genre. We didn't hear much about it, but Kojima said it will be a culmination of his work. It's both a movie and action game at the same time, and he hopes to "transcend the barrier" between the two mediums.

State of Play will return on February 6 with an extensive look at Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

PlayStation's first showcase of 2024 is finally here, planned for Wednesday with a proper 40-minute State of Play covering over 15 games for PS5. While State of Play conferences are usually less extravagant than a PlayStation Showcase, there's still lots to look forward to, including footage of Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin.

There's also plenty of other things we're hoping to see at the show, including Elden Ring: Shadows of the Erdtree. Is that me being a little too hopeful? Of course it is! But I'll never stop hoping it's at every upcoming showcase.

How to watch PlayStation State of Play 2024

PlayStation's latest State of Play will go live on Wednesday at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 10pm BT and can be watched on YouTube, Twitch and TikTok. It's expected to last about 40 minutes, so be sure to cut out a decent chunk of your day to keep up with the announcements.  If you can't make it for whatever reason, stay tuned with Laptop Mag's coverage as we'll providing live updates on everything going on at the show.

What to expect at PlayStation State of Play 2024

PlayStation has already provided a few details on what to expect at its upcoming State of Play, including a runtime of over 40 minutes. Games confirmed to appear at the show include Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin, both of which we've already known about for a good while. 

Stellar Blade was meant to launch in 2023, but has been pushed to 2024, and we'll hopefully get a somewhat early launch date for it. Rise of the Ronin launches on March 22, so we'll probably see an expanded gameplay demonstration for it today.

Otherwise, 15+ games will be present at the showcase, ranging from PS5 to PS VR2 titles, each of which will be launching in 2024 and beyond. It's possible that one of those PS VR2 titles is the long-anticipated sequel to Astro Bot Rescue Mission, which was widely praised as one of the best games on the original PS VR. 

But what else could we see at this show? Many fans are praying that Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will make an appearance and receive a release date. It's been almost two years since Elden Ring originally launched, meaning it might be time to finally see it. If not, the expansion might take far longer than expected to get in our hands.

Otherwise, Hideo Kojima shared an image of the State of Play on Instagram, which could mean he's a part of the show. Alternatively, it could just imply he's enthusiastic about the show, especially since he's pretty frequent on social media.

Regardless, for everything happening during today's State of Play, stay up to date with Laptop Mag's coverage to see everything you might miss.

Wondering how to connect a Bluetooth headset to a PS5? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. For all the PlayStation 5’s improvements and accomplishments, optimal Bluetooth support isn’t one of them.

That’s not to say you can’t use a pair of Bluetooth headphones with your PS5, it’s just to say in doing so, you may miss out on the ideal performance that Sony had in mind when it comes to the PlayStation 5.

This guide will explain how to connect your Bluetooth headset to a PS5, but also give some insight on why it’s not so straightforward in the first place. Because, while it might be slightly inconvenient, and potentially a little annoying, Sony’s decision not to natively support Bluetooth connections isn’t entirely without reason.

Why can’t I connect Bluetooth headphones to my PS5? 

To ensure you receive the best possible PlayStation experience, and with your immersion fully intact along the way, native Bluetooth connectivity is solely restricted to connecting the PS5’s DualSense controllers. This reserves the available bandwidth and eliminates any possibility of input lag or performance issues likely to occur due to device interference.

Bluetooth Audio connections are prolific bandwidth gobblers, especially when it comes to high bitrate and multichannel streaming. Having a Bluetooth headset and the DualSense controller on the same connection could cause them to butt heads over bandwidth and cause anything from audio delays to misregistered inputs. That’s why Sony prefers for PlayStation owners to use headphones with a 2.4GHz wireless adapter, or make use of the DualSense’s 3.5mm audio jack with wired headphones.

If you’ve yet to buy yourself a headset, or are now contemplating an upgrade, then there are a number of options out there to choose from. Take a glance at our best gaming headsets page and you’ll notice that Sony’s Pulse 3D PS5 wireless headset is more than a safe bet thanks to its detailed and immersive 3D spatial audio, affordability, and impressive comfort. 

Can I still use my Bluetooth headphones with the PS5?

With all that said, if you’re dead set on using a pair of Bluetooth headphones with your PS5, then there is a fairly simple way of doing so: purchase a third-party Bluetooth adapter.

Considering the price of buying a new pair of headphones, a cheaper and simpler option is to use a Bluetooth adapter. However, this will have its drawbacks. Connecting your headset in this way can’t guarantee the same level of compatibility or performance that a wired or 2.4GHz wireless headset is capable of.

You’ll also need to pay close attention to the type of Bluetooth adapter/dongle that you buy because while many look similar, their performance can vary wildly. Some reliable brands to keep an eye out for in your search include Creative and Avantree, with the latter’s DG80 Bluetooth transmitter being an ideal candidate thanks to its aptX low latency connection and hassle-free setup. You can grab the Avantree DG80 for just $29.99 at Amazon. 

How to connect Bluetooth headphones to a PS5

Once you have a compatible Bluetooth adapter to hand, you’ll be able to start the task of pairing it with your headset. The following instructions should help guide you through the process.

Step 1: Connect your Bluetooth adapter/dongle to one of the USB Type-A ports found on the front or back of the PS5 and turn your console on.

Step 2: Place the Bluetooth adapter/dongle into pairing mode by holding the pairing button for around seven seconds, or until you see a blue flashing light. 

Step 3: Turn your Bluetooth headphone on and place it in pairing mode by following the same steps.

Step 4: Both devices should quickly identify each other and pair. If this doesn’t happen right away, try bringing the two closer together. Once a connection has been made, the light will stop blinking and remain blue.

Step 5: On your PS5, accept the confirmation of the connection.

After this, your Bluetooth headset should be paired and ready to go. 

Want to connect a PS5 controller to PC and play games in style? Who could blame you? Sony’s DualSense controller is one of (if not the) best game controllers you can buy thanks to its immersive haptics, adaptive triggers and iconic twin-stick layout augmented with a modern ergonomic design.

Thankfully, PC support for the DualSense is a class above what was on offer for Sony’s previous controller, the DualShock 4. Whether you’re using a laptop or PC, connecting the DualSense controller is a breeze and can be done with a cable or via Bluetooth.

How to connect a PS5 controller to PCs and laptops: Before you begin

Sony’s DualSense is compatible with Macs running macOS Big Sur 11.3 and Windows PCs running Windows 10 and up. You can also use your PS5 controller with iPhones, iPads, and Apple TV with iOS/iPadOS/tvOS 14.5 and up installed, as well as Android smartphones and tablets running Android 12 and up.

However, not all games will offer the full features of the DualSense controller wirelessly via Bluetooth or USB connections. So, it may be worth checking which games support the controller’s advanced haptics and adaptive triggers to best decide how to connect your DualSense ahead of time.

With all that said, let’s dive into how you can connect a PS5 controller to PC or laptops and get you making the most of your game library.

How to connect a PS5 controller to PCs and laptops by USB cable

Connecting a DualSense controller to a PC or laptop couldn’t be simpler, you just need to make sure you have the right cable to hand. Depending on your available ports, you’ll either need a USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable, or a USB Type-C to USB Type-A cable.

Once you have the correct cable to hand, the follows steps should have you up and running:

• Step 1: Connect your cable to an available port on your PC or laptop (USB Type-C or USB Type-A), and then the USB Type-C port on your DualSense controller.
   
• Step 2: As a Plug-and-Play device, your machine should automatically recognize the DualSense controller and set it up automatically as a gamepad.
   

It’s as simple as that! You should now be able to use the DualSense controller across any gamepad supporting title, though more advanced functions such as Adaptive Triggers and Haptic Feedback are restricted to titles that support them. 

How to connect a PS5 controller to PCs and laptops by Bluetooth

Connecting a DualSense controller to a laptop via Bluetooth is fairly routine, as most modern laptops come with Bluetooth support out of the box. If you’re looking to connect your controller to a PC via Bluetooth, then you may need to invest in a Bluetooth adapter if your system doesn’t feature the wireless option natively.

We recommend the Avantree DG80, available for $29.99 at Amazon. It's inexpensive, reliable, and a great option if you also want to connect a Bluetooth headset to your PS5 in future.

Once you have everything ready, the following steps are all you need to hit the ground running:

• Step 1: Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your current device.
  
  For Windows users, type “Bluetooth” into the search bar and choose “Bluetooth & other devices” from the results. From here, make sure the switch for Bluetooth is set to “On.”
  
  Mac users can similarly head to the Apple Menu > System Settings > Bluetooth and check Bluetooth is currently turned on.
   
• Step 2: Make sure that the player indicator on your DualSense controller is off. This is the light below the touchpad. To turn it off, press and hold the PS button on the bottom-center of the controller until the light goes out.
   
• Step 3: Press and hold the “Share” and “PS” buttons on your DualSense controller until the lightbar begins to blink.
   
   

• Step 4: Back on your PC or laptop, click “Add Bluetooth or other device” and follow the on screen instructions, or choose the controller from the device list on Mac and click “Connect.”
   

Once pairing is complete, the light bar on the controller will blink and the player indicator will light back up. From here, you should be able to use the DualSense controller in any gamepad supporting title. However, once again, access to advanced features will vary from title to title. Enjoy your gaming!

Black Friday week is upon us and PlayStation Black Friday deals are far better than what we saw last year. You can even save some money if you are looking for a PS5 console with a number of excellent Black Friday PS5 console bundles available.

Right now, you can get the brand new Call of Duty Modern Warfare III PS5 Console Bundle for $499 at Walmart. This bundle includes: a PS5 console, a PS5 DualSense Wireless Controller, and a free full game download of Call of Duty Modern Warfare III ($60 off). If you need an extra controller, the PS5 DualSense Wireless Controller is on sale for $49 ($20 off).

Black Friday 2023 is Nov. 24, however, PS5 console bundle deals are already available at just about every game retailer. See our favorite discounts below and visit our Black Friday deals hub for more discounts on gaming, mobile tech, and more. 

PS5 Black Friday console deals

• Final Fantasy XVI PS5 Console Bundle: $559 @ Walmart
• PS5 VR2 Horizon Call of the Mountain Bundle: $599 @ Dell

With the holiday season approaching, Sony has a new, slimmer version of its popular PS5 console on the way. Since the PlayStation 5 consoles originally launched in 2020, they've already dropped in weight twice, and this new PS5 version will be both lighter and smaller than the current model.

Sony isn't officially calling this the 'PS5 Slim,' but that's what the public has dubbed it because historically Sony has always released a 'Slim' version of its consoles. Unlike other 'Slim' versions of past-gen consoles, this one doesn't look like it's equipped with too many improvements. Let's take a look at the biggest differences between the standard PS5/PS5 Digital consoles and the upcoming PS5 'Slim' consoles.

Where to buy PS5 and PS5 Slim consoles

At the time of writing, the PS5 'Slim' hasn't launched yet, and even the original PS5 is still difficult to get your hands on. That said, you can regularly check for new stock of the PS5 standard version at Target, Best Buy, Gamestop, Amazon, Walmart, or the PlayStation website. Or, here are links directly to the PS5 Digital version at Target, Gamestop, Walmart, and the PlayStation website.

These consoles will be replaced with the PS5 'Slim' version, so it's unclear whether there will be new links for the 'Slim' version or if they'll merge together on one page as the old consoles sell out.

PS5 vs. PS5 Slim: What's the difference?

When it comes to internal specs, you won't see much difference between the standard PS5 and PS5 Digital consoles and the new PS5 'Slim' and 'Slim' Digital consoles. All the consoles are equipped with the same CPU, GPU, memory, i/O throughput, performance targets, and additional storage options. The biggest differences are with internal storage, the disc drive, and overall form factor.

YouTuber Dave Lee (via Kotaku) recently uploaded a hands-on impression with the new PS5 model and the original 2020 launch versions. He noted that the console did feel lighter, but it didn't feel that much smaller in-hand. Kotaku notes that perhaps this is the reason Sony's choosing not to market this new version as the 'PS5 Slim.' 

According to Sony's blog post, the new PS5 version "reduced in volume by more than 30% and weight by 18% and 24% compared to the previous models." In the side-by-side comparison of the two consoles, it certainly looks slimmer, but not by much.

Sony's new PS5 models sport a unique change: a detachable disc drive. In the video, Lee demonstrates how the disc drive comes out using a tab-release design rather than screws. This detachable disc drive is the reason why the new design splits the main panel into two pieces.

If you purchase the new PS5 Digital console and want to add Sony's Blu-ray Disc Drive later, you can buy it separately for $79.99 once it's released, and install it just using the same mechanism that's on the new PS5 Disc model. 

Lee also points out that the USB-A port on the front is being replaced by two USB-C ports. He also shows some unattractive transparent plastic pegs that improve the console's stability when horizontal, but look a bit out of place on the console. The top heat exhaust features plain vents, no longer sporting a spiral design, and the internal SSD layout looks different.

Though you can still add the same amount of storage via the internal SSD slot, the amount of built-in storage is increasing slightly with Sony's new console. Rather than the 825GB SSD that's been with the PS5 since it launched in 2020, new consoles will feature a 1TB SSD. For some users, this "extra" space will be eaten up with one game, but it's at least something to justify the price increase.

PS5 vs PS5 Slim availability

Sony estimates the new PS5 model will be available in this November. The price of the PS5 Disc version will remain the same at $499.99, but the PS5 Digital will increase by $50 for a new retail price of $449.99. Once the old 2022 versions of the original PS5 console sell out, this new 'Slim' version will be the only model you can purchase new.

Bottom line

Spider-Man 2 officially launches this Friday, and if you haven’t read my review, I loved it. Its excellent new gadgets, abilities, and traversal tech made me desperate for more. But a few elements of this journey could bring new players to uncertainty.

Beyond just how Spectacular difficulty can be a bit challenging, ‌I wish I approached the game a bit differently to start. Simple things like not rushing the side-content and being patient enough to learn parry timing come to mind. Alongside jumping back and forth between Fidelity and Performance, completely unsure of which one I liked best.

So if you want some spoiler-free tips, here are five things to keep in mind before tackling Spider-Man 2’s now-expanded New York City.

1. Patience is required 

Spider-Man 2 requires more patience than the previous entries. If you decide to play on the Spectacular Difficulty, you will get rocked to the core. You’re not just dealing with the occasional rocket blowing you to bits, as enemies now have attacks that can only be parried, dodged, or jumped over. 

If you expected to coast through this game without a care in the world, you’re in for a rude awakening. You can’t just spam the dodge button and expect to come out the other side unscathed. You need to wait patiently to catch an enemy when they do an attack you can parry, and then absolutely demolish them.

Bosses are especially brutal, requiring a careful mix of dodging, parrying and jumping to survive their onslaught. This is balanced out through a relatively forgiving healing and checkpoint system, but if you don’t pay attention, you could get destroyed quickly.

2. Use gadgets and abilities as often as possible 

Spider-Man 2’s difficulty can be rough, especially on the Spectacular setting. A great way to circumvent that is to forego all shyness in utilizing every ability and gadget in Spider-Man’s arsenal. Relying exclusively on defensive measures isn’t the only way to break enemies out of unblockable or unparryable attacks, as many skills can interrupt even the most terrifying bosses.

I spent a good chunk of my early game forgetting that abilities even existed, focusing on swinging, brawling, and dodging throughout the city. But at some point I realized just how fun unloading them can be. Figuring out the best points to launch a concussive blast or grab every foe in the vicinity before slamming them against one another is pure bliss. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you miss out on this.

3. Invest in traversal skills

For those who struggle with Spider-Man’s combat, you might think it’s not worth investing into the traversal skill tree. After all, anything to improve your chances within a fight is surely worth it, right? However, please reconsider this.

Movement is half of the game in Spider-Man 2, and considering some of the most fun you can have while exploring Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens is by going super fast and performing new tricks, we highly recommend trying them out. Abilities like super-jumping in mid-air, swinging around buildings, a powerful dash forward and more are just some of the things that make tackling NYC so fun.

4. Side-objectives can wait 

I played Spider-Man 2 by putting the campaign on-hold whenever new side-missions appeared, but that was unnecessary. This is the type of open-world game where much of its optional content only opens up when proceeding through the story, and if you take the approach I did, you might burn yourself out.

You don’t have to finish everything as it opens up to you. If you take your time by completing a balance of story content and optional missions side-by-side, you’ll have way more fun. Some side missions are less repetitive and feel more narrative-driven, so you can do those right away. But none of the collectibles, mini-games, and hideouts have to be binged immediately.

5. Fidelity is your best choice

I struggled for a long time between Fidelity and Performance mode, jumping between the two to see which I enjoyed more. But after a bit of testing, I believe you’re doing yourself a disservice by playing on Performance. While 30-fps may be a bit hard to get used to at first, I had no problem whatsoever adjusting after thirty-or-so minutes of playtime.

If you get your eyes too used to the Performance mode, it’ll be even harder to swap back, but just try Fidelity out for a bit and see how it works for you. I found that NYC looked far cheaper without Fidelity on, and considering the game defaults to that setting when you launch it up, I imagine Insomniac also wants its players to experience Spider-Man 2 this way.

My history with Insomniac’s output over the previous two PlayStation generations has been somewhat mixed. Ratchet & Clank’s movie-tie-in reboot, while fine, disappointed in its lack of creativity. Marvel’s Spider-Man and Miles Morales’ spin-off were big steps up, but I still found that they fell short of excellence.

While everyone sang high praise for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, it failed to spark my imagination in the same way PS2 and PS3-era Insomniac did. I believed Spider-Man 2 would fall prey to the same fate, and while I figured I’d really like it, I had no reason to think it would reach greatness.

Yet regardless of my numerous gripes, including an occasionally exhausting open-world, immersion breaking flaws in presentation, and the writing sometimes missing its goals, I was terribly wrong. Spider-Man 2 exceeded expectations, offering an emotional narrative surrounded by superb traversal tech and joyous brawler combat.

Spider-Man 2 is Insomniac Games’ greatest effort in over a decade, and while the developer’s approach to open-world design has yet to hit the bullseye, this campaign showcases its expertise with a compelling story and unforgettable spectacle. It is one of the best PS5 games in the console’s growing library.

Everyone deserves a second chance 

Heroes don’t kill people. Our two Spider-Men have always tried to adhere to this, but when lives are at stake, why shouldn’t they act? Is that stubbornness the result of a childish delusion? Does the concept “killing is inherently evil'' hold up even when the death of one villain could save exponentially more innocents?

If you think anything like me, Spider-Man’s refusal to kill can be frustrating. That inability to act has resulted in the deaths of people he loves throughout comic books, cartoons, film and other games. Prior to Spider-Man 2, I sincerely believed he was wrong.

But through a gripping tale revolving around the necessity of redemption, forgiveness, and letting go of your hatred, Insomniac has taken a chisel to my pessimistic worldview. Spider-Man 2 shows first-hand why that core facet of any Spider’s moral compass is vital. It’s the most I have ever sympathized with the “no killing” conviction seen throughout many superhero stories.

This is a narrative about second chances, and for that reason, Kraven the Hunter acts as the perfect catalyst. His hunt of other villains brings the question of whether they deserve saving into focus. That question isn’t exclusively explored through the main story either, as it is visible within optional missions and side-character arcs.

It only makes sense that this was the best game to introduce Venom—the notorious symbiote that infamously bonds with Peter Parker before he begins to lose his sense of self. Most of us know the basic threads of this plotline, but how Insomniac treats Venom as more than just a terrifying alien is part of what makes the story so powerful.

Venom is a tool to comment on the importance of our humanity. That aforementioned refusal to give up on people even when they’re at their lowest is vital when the protagonist themselves is at their lowest. This script rises above the titles of hero and villain to tell a narrative about the people underneath the mask.

The near unbreakable love that Harry Osborne and Peter Parker share—including Miles Morales’ internal struggles regarding the fate of a character I won’t name—culminates into an emotionally poignant narrative, focusing on the most human aspects of any superhero’s impossible job.

While Venom’s inclusion is inherently wrapped up in Peter Parker’s story, Insomniac did a phenomenal job giving Miles Morales his big moments. It takes a little while before it comes into view, and I won’t give away how the developer ties that central theme to his character arc, but it is brilliant and results in one of the game’s best moments.

Script shortcomings 

While Spider-Man 2’s heartfelt exchanges are phenomenal, the story is at its worst when characters act casually. Moments when they crack jokes with one another, callback to nostalgic memories, or chat about mundane things feels forced.

Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson lack chemistry and it’s hard to believe that the two are actually in a relationship. The immersion is sometimes shattered when idle banter of best friends or lovers comes across as overly scripted. Not all of it is awkward, but there are a few scenes in the game’s first half that made me think “this isn’t how human beings speak.”

Peter Parker sounding like an edgy, pubescent teen while bonding with Venom is a little silly. Some of his dialogue is absurd, as can be seen during Spider-Man 2’s gameplay reveal back in May: When the two Spider-Men are considering going after Dr. Connors, Peter claims he can do it alone. Miles then responds, “Are you sure? He’s got big teeth,” only for Peter to say “So do I.” Some might find this to be charming, but it took me out of it. 

Feel good brawlin’ and swingin’ 

Spider-Man 2’s excellent mechanical additions ensure the player’s traversal of a now-expanded New York City is equal parts swift and satisfying. Soaring across the city without a care while using the wingsuit is a highlight. New web-swinging tricks that catapult the Spider-Men into the sky, super jump mid-air, hook onto buildings to swing around, dash forward in a dazzling burst of speed, and swiftly dive downwards before flinging back upwards with tons of momentum contribute to this fantastic feeling movement.

Now that Brooklyn and Queens are part of the picture, Insomniac responded with this larger map by exponentially increasing the player’s potential speed. I frequently returned to the game’s ability screen to remind myself how to perform specific tricks early on. Combining those new abilities together successfully always felt great, even though it took a bit to get used to.

Each new gadget is crafted with satisfying sound design and visual flair. I can’t help but smile whenever launching a volley of electric bolts that thrusts enemies into the air, absorbed by the intense vibrations of each discharge. My favorite contraption grabs every foe and object in the vicinity before slamming them together with a hilarious amount of force. Hearing the sound of boxes break and barrels crash as Spider-Man’s enemies bonk their heads is euphoric.

Special abilities are no different. One lets Peter grapple onto an enemy, double-kick them into the air, and emit a shocking eruption that launches other foes in the area. Half of the time I use that ability because I adore the sheer visceral force of its explosion. Another has Miles summon a chain lightning bolt that jumps between enemies and sends them flying. Nearly everything is accompanied by a similar degree of intensity, and even though these skills are necessary for practical reasons, they feel fantastic to use just for fun.

There is no shortage of abilities throughout the game, either. Miles and Peter each get eight at least, which are unlocked at different points in the narrative. There are only four gadgets though, so you won’t be picking which ones to use in battle, but you can upgrade them in fun ways. Players also have web shooters, an ultimate ability, and the focus bar that allows for either finishers or self-heals. All of that is built upon an excellent foundation where you zip between enemies while performing unique combos. 

I binged Spider-Man 2 within a three day period, and ever since finishing, I have itched to swing, soar, and fight my way through NYC again. 

Spectacular difficulty 

I played Spider-Man 2018 and Miles Morales on the Spectacular difficulty, but neither were as intense as this. I once tried taking out a hideout webs blazing but was so overwhelmed by heavy enemies that require quick reflexes and varied methods of defense that I died immediately. A couple of more tries didn’t help, so I resorted to subtlety. This wasn’t a problem in the other games, as I would either engage in the stealth mechanics or fight depending on my mood. 

A rogue rocket was the hardest thing to deal with beforehand, but in Spider-Man 2, heavy enemies can be brutal. Even standard foes can block your punches before following up with a devastating strike that cannot be dodged.

Forcing the player to juggle between unique defensive inputs like jumping, parrying or dodging depending on the type of attack forced me into a new game awareness that was never quite present in the previous games, especially against bosses. If it wasn’t for Insomniac setting your checkpoint whenever a new health bar appears during those fights, I would have struggled far more.

This isn’t to say Spider-Man 2 is hard, but it required me to play consciously. As the player levels up, those aforementioned special abilities and gadgets are vital towards making boss fights and other difficult encounters less challenging. However, it doesn’t change that many fights forced me to unleash everything I had to come out of the other side. I love a game that encourages the player to use their arsenal in full.

Inconsistent animation 

Spider-Man 2’s presentation jumps from consistently fluid to occasionally poor. Facial animations are the biggest offender here, as Peter Parker and MJ look stiff. Kraven, Harry and Miles don’t share these issues, but those two aforementioned characters look uncanny (pun not intended) when showing complex facial expressions.

I briefly looked at Spider-Man 2018 cutscenes to see if the same issue was present with MJ and Peter, and while the new faces are more complex during still shots, the older faces expressed in natural ways. It’s hard to say if this is an issue that can be fixed with an update or if it’s just a result of playing an early copy of the game, but it was distracting throughout my 27-hour playthrough.

Some scenes also feature environments with a lack of detail, in particular one of the first cutscenes set in a classroom. The room was poorly lit with models missing shadows, while Miles and Peter’s movements throughout were robotic. These issues go away later in the game, but it was a startling opening.

Spider-Man 2’s Coney Island mission, while adorable on paper, is especially messy. MJ got stuck in walls while walking, Harry’s head detached from his body when descending some stairs, and I got trapped next to a bathroom as Peter (which forced me to restart from checkpoint). The camera during roller coaster rides lacked dynamic angles, and the ability to raise your arms or cheer in the middle of dialogue is awkward.

NYC brought to life 

It’s no secret that a majority of Spider-Man’s video game adaptations take place in New York. There are exceptions, but both Insomniac’s first game and Miles Morales’ spin-off already gave us a run through the developer’s vision of NYC. Repurposing this setting was sure to get old, so the developer builds upon it with the additions of Brooklyn and Queens.

Swinging through Brooklyn yielded a bustling city-life with thinner streets, a little more greenery, shorter skyscrapers, and condensed rows of houses that made me feel right at home. I couldn’t help but get nostalgic traversing Coney Island and the Brooklyn Zoo. While seeing this borough from high-up is one thing, do yourself a favor and drop to the ground level. It’s wonderful to take a stroll and absorb the scenery.

Queens is similarly beautiful. I loved swinging above its train tracks, massive forest, and calmer city streets. I even took some time to walk through its suburban neighborhoods, and it brought back childhood memories of taking trips to visit cousins. Those peaceful streets with spread-out homes, gorgeous backyards, and stunning foliage contrast beautifully against the chaos of traditional NYC. Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens each have their own unmistakable feeling in real life, and Insomniac stays true to that.

While experiencing New York’s gorgeous vistas on your own is great, the city comes to life in main missions. When exploring murky sewers, dimly lit construction sites, or Peter’s old high school, Spider-Man 2 proves it’s more than willing to implement a diverse locale that stands out from its open-world.

It would have been easy to design main missions around already-built parts of NYC, especially when an astounding amount of love and detail has been put into every street and building. But main missions feel crafted and precise thanks to their cinematic lighting and unforgettable degree of detail.

An improved yet still flawed open-world 

Insomniac goes back to the drawing board with its open world and focuses on tighter, shorter-form side-content spread out evenly between main missions. Crimes are no longer mandatory for completing districts, while a majority of those smaller stories focus on characters. Rarely do I take the time to 100% a game, but I was invested enough in Spider-Man 2 to do so. 

Detailing the fate of certain villains (while introducing new ones), teaming up with old friends, and helping the people of NYC in small yet memorable ways are a few of the highlights here. Slight spoilers, but one mission has Peter Parker reminisce about getting his first job at the Daily Bugle, forced to bike across Manhattan before James Jonah Jameson finishes his coffee. There are other missions like this that plastered a big smile to my face, while some brought me to tears.

Unfortunately, there were three optional objectives I did not enjoy. One takes the player through NYC to snap photos, another has mini-games throughout the city, and the other hides an absurd number of spider-bots on buildings. At some point I got exhausted and felt like I was engaging in repetitive content for the sake of completionism, alongside wanting to see if it would end in an exciting little cutscene or new optional mission. By the end of all three, I wasn’t particularly satisfied, as only one ended on a cutscene and it was nothing more than a tease.

Other sets of missions have a repetitive structure but are more enjoyable because they highlight the game’s strengths. One mission series has the player chasing a drone at high-speeds, having to dodge explosions and lasers while gliding with Spider-Man’s new wingsuit. There are also combat challenges, battles throughout the city, and hideouts to either fight or stealth through. Kicking butt or gliding through NYC is far more fun than scanning every nook and cranny for hidden collectibles.

Banger after banger 

Spider-Man 2 has a slow start. Its first-half introduces new characters, develops their relationships, and lays the tracks for its villains while focusing on two Spider-Men at once. But as soon as that second half hits, the main missions become something else entirely. Each is a massive event, not due to length or area size, but because their impact on the story is enormous. Fantastic set-pieces, cinematic boss fights, incredible plot developments, and a sense of pacing that had me clamoring for more result in an exhilarating campaign.

While I dreaded the inevitable Mary Jane gameplay that I never much enjoyed in the original Spider-Man, Insomniac knocks it out of the park. Rather than giving up in the face of criticism, the developer has put even more of a focus on it. Through tight stealth mechanics and expansive areas that are traversable in interesting ways, I loved the first two Mary Jane levels. But when it turned into a cheap-feeling arcade shooter on the third mission, it completely lost me.

Bottom line 

In an age of superhero oversaturation, I had grown cynical. Spider-Man 2’s opening hours were full of doubt as I questioned if these sorts of stories were even for me anymore. Although this was heightened by presentation mishaps like flawed facial animations, it went beyond just that: I’m exhausted of tales revolving around hero versus villain.

But Insomniac did the most appropriate thing for a Spider-Man story. By focusing on people instead of titles, alongside themes questioning the nature of what lies beneath the mask, the developer has chipped away at that aforementioned cynicism. I always expected Spider-Man 2 would be fun, but I had no reason to believe it would reignite my admiration for what this genre can accomplish.

Shortly after the launch of the PS5, Sony provided a jarring revelation that PlayStation would be attempting to publish more than 10 live service games by 2026, with Bungie overseeing the company’s transition and acting as a support team.

Sony’s move here is likely an attempt at making substantially more money than the company could ever dream possible with microtransaction-free single-player titles. However, a recent report from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier puts this problem into perspective and how the company has its hands full with a monumental task. 

How are Sony’s live service plans doing today? 

Sony’s attempts at live service aren’t going well. With Schreier reporting that Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us live-service title was being “scaled back,” alongside the company’s recent PlayStation Showcase failing to show gameplay of announced multiplayer games like Fairgame$, Marathon, and Concord. We have yet to see good news regarding Sony’s future in live-service. 

But recently, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan stepped down from the company after being in this position since 2019. Schreier provided an in-depth explainer on why gamers were cheering about Ryan’s departure, but one snippet of the article is being focused on throughout the internet.

Schreier claims that “some insiders are worried about the company’s lack of coherent vision,” in particular concerned about “misplaced bets on service games.” It’s a vague quote, but if the insiders are referring to Sony employees, it means that people within the company have no more faith in this future than any of us do. Unfortunately, this statement was not the focus of the article, so it’s all we have right now.

It’s also possible that these claims are being hyper-fixated on and that was not quite what the article meant, but for now, it seems as if PlayStation employees are equally worried. And even then, is that much of a surprise? Sony exceeded expectations during the previous generation, and it has begun this one with a similar degree of success.

The company’s attempts to shift its focus should make anyone worry, especially when it’s with something as volatile as the live-service market. All too often does a big multiplayer game from an AAA publisher come out and get shut down within months. And nowadays, games like Sega’s Hyenas are being canceled before they even launch. Not everything can be Fortnite, and if PlayStation continues to chase after that miracle of a success, the result might not be pretty. 

A ransomware newcomer is advertising its recent hack of all Sony systems. Reported by Cyber Security Connect, this ransomware group “has racked up an impressive amount of victims” despite starting operations as Ransomed.vc only a month ago. 

If the ransomware group’s claims are to be believed, Sony is the latest victim. Unlike the 2011 Sony hack that left personal details of 77 million PlayStation Network users exposed, this hack includes all Sony systems, not just the PlayStation sector. Sony hasn’t confirmed yet whether its systems were hacked by Ransomed.vc, but here’s what we know so far.

The proof behind the hack isn't substantial

Ransomed.vc is claiming they’ve “successfully compromissed [sic] all of sony systems,” but the proof to back up this claim is lacking. There are screenshots of an internal login screen and an internal PowerPoint presentation with test bench details. Then, there’s a file tree of the stolen data, which includes less than 6,000 files. 

Among these files, there are build log files, some HTML files, and various Java resources. For a hack that involves “all of sony systems,” the number of stolen files used as proof is pretty small. After all, Sony is a multinational conglomerate corporation with a ton of divisions, subdivisions, and employees, so the company likely has millions of files—not just 6,000.

Of course, these 6,000 files used as proof-of-hack information could just be a snippet of what Ranssomed.vc stole, but we won’t know for sure until Sony confirms or denies the attack. In the message attached to the leaked attack, Ransomed.vc adds “We won’t ransom them! We will sell the data. Due to Sony not wanting to pay. DATA IS FOR SALE.”

According to Cyber Security Connect, Ransomed.vc listed a “post date” of September 28. There’s no price attached to the stolen data, but the ransomware group left its contact details. If the data doesn’t sell before the posted date, the group will likely publish it wholesale rather than wait for an individual buyer.

It's worth mentioning again that Sony hasn't officially confirmed this ransomware attack, but the company has been hacked before. In the meantime, if you're worried about how ransomware works and how it could affect you, check out our helpful guide. 

Slowly but surely, it seems like Apple is starting to care about gaming — from its huge push on iPhone 15 Pro’s GPU capabilities with A17 Pro to the Game Porting Toolkit in macOS Sonoma.

Speaking specifically of the iPhone 15 Pro, the team at Cupertino announced a few console games coming to the phone, which was one of the bigger surprises of the September event for sure. 

But as a natural skeptic, I had two simple questions: how well will they actually play on the device itself? And more curiously, how would the iPhone 15 Pro perform when you plugged it into an external display to play? Thanks to YouTuber Vincent Zhong, we have our answer.

The Village people

In Zhong’s review, he plays Resident Evil Village on the 15 Pro both on-device using a detachable game controller (looks like a GameSir X2), and on an external display with the PS5’s DualSense pad. The former, I assumed to perform decently. Apple’s not going to green light something to back up its gaming credentials, only to have the game not perform well. But I was most intrigued by the latter.

You see, there are workarounds to make games like this work on such a small device. That includes bringing the resolution down (because you don’t need 4K on an up to 6.7-inch panel), and Apple’s DLSS-esque MetalFX Upscaling. But how do these look when you blow them up to a big display?

In short, based on what we see in Zhong’s video (start at 13:48), much better than I ever expected. Sure, there are compromises — the game’s resolution is locked at 1560 x 720, and in his own words, the “screen mirroring effect” doesn’t match what you get on the phone. But with a steady framerate locked at 30FPS, this is a far better gameplay experience than anticipated when you want to quickly plug your iPhone into a display.

Outlook

Could this be the time that Apple finally starts to give a damn about gaming? I’ll reserve that judgement for seeing how many developers jump on board, and make the most of Metal to bring their titles to iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

But based on Zhong’s gameplay, on both the phone itself and a bigger screen, I’m confident that Apple is heading in a really good direction to bring some serious gameplay credentials to its devices. The only thing left to test now would be if you can get low latency results by using AirPlay to a TV, but that’s something to follow up on in my own upcoming review…

As for my MacBook, I can only pray that this leap forward for the iPhone spells good fortune for gaming on this device too — especially when you take into account what the A17 Pro says for the exciting possibilities of M3.

Extended Labor Day sales this week include Sony PlayStation 5 (PS5) deals you normally only see on Black Friday. Not only is the once elusive PS5 console attainable, it's also bundled with a freebie.

For a limited time, get a free $75 Dell eGift Card when you buy the Sony PS5 from Dell for $499. You can spend your free digital cash on PS5 accessories at Dell.com. Snag a spare DualSense wireless controller, a game or headset. This is one of the best gaming deals we've seen outside of the holidays. 

Today's best PS5 console deal

Sony's PlayStation 5 is one of the best gaming consoles to buy. The tech brand's best gaming system yet, it features fast loading, a speedy SSD, and great backwards compatibility. 

In our PS5 review, we gave it a solid 4.5 out of 5-star rating and our coveted Editor's Choice Award. During real-world testing, we were floored by its incredibly powerful components and revolutionary controller haptics. We also praised its revamped user interface with innovative features and stunning 4K graphics. 

Haptic feedback gives you a more precise physical response for an immersive gaming experience. For example, when you're playing God of War Ragnarök, each of you'll feel the rumble during battle. Additionally, the PS5 DualSense works on gaming laptops and PCs, with some haptic feedback-enabled games.

Dell PS5 deals tend to sell out quickly so we recommend you act fast. This deal expires Sept. 9.

Since the dawn of online gaming, you needed the best gaming headsets available to not only get an edge on your competition but to enjoy the encompassing sounds that modern gaming provides.

As we cut our cords and turn to the wireless side of gaming, headsets struggled between 2.4GHz Wireless Type-A or Type-C inputs and Bluetooth, separating where headsets could be used. But fast-forward to 2023, and wireless headsets can work with all modern consoles and PCs — well, except for Xbox… sometimes.

Modern consoles and PCs all feature 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth support save for the Xbox Series X, which clings to Microsoft’s wireless proprietary technology. This makes purchasing gaming headsets an absolute nightmare for people who also have an Xbox console.

Is Xbox going to die on this hill?

From cross-play to cloud-gaming, Xbox has been the loudest voice in the gaming space to advocate for more accessibility and opportunities to work together across different brands. However, with the company’s proprietary wireless technology, it won’t budge. What gives?

Having a closed ecosystem in terms of wireless devices might net Xbox some more sales in accessories, but is that really worth the headache for consumers? Why does Xbox’s accessibility standards get thrown out of the window for its wireless solution?

I asked Anshel Sag, Principal Analyst for Moor Insights & Strategy, and they said that Bluetooth has failed to provide the low-latency communication that Xbox desires and that there is interference in a crowded 2.4GHz band. However, Xbox wireless still has a dependency on Bluetooth, with a minimum spec of Bluetooth 4.2 for its headsets.

Much to my surprise, it doesn’t seem to be about the money, but the experience.

What are gaming headset manufacturers doing?

Xbox is posing a frustrating problem not only to the consumer, but the manufacturers as well. There are headsets like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless that come in PC, PlayStation, and Xbox variants, but there’s virtually no difference between the PC and PlayStation one. Arguably, the Xbox model is the best one because it not only connects wirelessly to all modern consoles, but also to Xbox’s proprietary wireless system. There are three variants when there should really be only one. Is this a good or bad thing for gaming headset manufacturers?

Sag states that Microsoft actually makes it harder for third parties to deploy compatible technologies and accessories. “The best thing would be for the industry to unify around a low-latency solution that is unified across Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. However, headset manufacturers instead have to support different proprietary standards.”

Sag explains that the limitations of Bluetooth and the need of a dongle stop Xbox from moving over despite it still using the SBC codec. “There are better lower latency and higher quality codecs out there.” 

It’s also interesting to think about how Xbox’s proprietary wireless in the Xbox 360 controllers are completely useless with current-gen consoles. So where does this road lead? Will Xbox continue to support its proprietary wireless solution? History says no. And if that's the case, I don’t see how this is sustainable.

What should you do?

Well, we have little choice in the matter. Even if you don’t own an Xbox, the safest purchase in a gaming headset is likely going to be an Xbox version of it — because it offers wireless connection to everything.

Not all headsets feature dual-compatibility like the Arctis Nova 7 or the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro Headset. There are even a few wireless gaming headsets that are exclusive to Xbox, like the HyperX CloudX Flight.

It’s tricky to purchase a true wireless gaming headset that works with absolutely everything — but they exist, you just have to read the fine print. For example, the Arctis Nova 7 Xbox version clearly states and even reveals in photos that its dongle has a built-in switch for Xbox Wireless and 2.4GHz wireless.

Outlook

From the PS5 and PC to the Nintendo Switch and every other Type-C compatible device, the tech world has united to ensure consumer devices work across each other’s services. Even Apple has slowly, but surely adopted the Type-C port, but Xbox is still lagging on the wireless front.

Xbox is advocating for latency over accessibility. But how much quicker are you experiencing your games? Do you notice a latency difference hopping between an Xbox to a PlayStation? As someone who dabbles in both, I certainly don’t.

Rocket Science ran a test between PlayStation and Xbox controllers, and the Xbox Series X had an average input lag of 5.9ms whereas the DualSense clocked in at 4.9ms (lower is better). It’s different from headsets, but Xbox uses the same wireless tech for its controllers, and if a Bluetooth DualSense could beat it, I’m not sure Xbox is getting its time and money’s worth out of its proprietary tech. And even if it was Xbox on top, 1ms is not worth sacrificing accessibility.

We reached out to Xbox for comment about the stance on its wireless tech, but a representative stated that Xbox doesn't have anything to share at the moment. If the company does share something, we'll update this article accordingly.

The hunt for better latency seems to be more trouble for everyone involved than it is helpful. Xbox needs to change its ways in the next cycle, lest it damns a sea of wireless tech to uselessness.

As someone who owned a PlayStation Portable and then a PS Vita, the whispers of a new handheld from Sony were tantalizing. No, I didn't think they could squeeze PS5 performance into a handheld, but Sony often pushed the boundaries with its handhelds and I hoped to see that again.

Sadly, that is not an apt description of the PlayStation Portal, which Sony has now announced will arrive later this year starting at $199. Now if you've considered a Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, or even a Nintendo Switch OLED you are probably thinking that sounds like a steal.  You're not entirely wrong, it's a nice-looking piece of hardware for $199, but it's crucial to understand that, unlike those others, this is purely a PS5 accessory.

Portal to PS5 gaming

I own a PS5, but between my son's hostile takeover of the console and my own limited time for gaming, I only infrequently find the time to use it. A new PlayStation handheld could fix all of that. (Ok I still probably wouldn't have time and my son would likely take that over too, but let me have my dream.)

So it was with wrapt attention that I checked out the early first impressions that a few had of the PlayStation Portal. At first glance, I was thoroughly impressed with the design, but as we dug into the actual features I found myself sorely disappointed. You see the PlayStation Portal is strictly a Remote Play device, there is absolutely nothing happening on the handheld itself. Now to be fair it looks like the best possible Remote Play device with a high-resolution 8-inch display, built-in DualSense controls, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C port, and a pair of speakers, however, it's still dependent on running off of your PS5.

Outlook

Now this isn't bad for everyone, if you are the sole user of your PS5 this could be a nice little extension of your console for when you want to game in bed, in your kitchen, in a bath (no, probably don't do that one), or away from home if you have a good enough connection in both locations. It even has the ability to power on your PS5 by simply turning on the Portal, every other Remote Play device is dependent on your having left the console on or in Rest mode.

For me, I simply wanted more. At a minimum, I would have hoped the console could stream games from PlayStation Plus Premium, but no you are only able to play games that you have installed on your PS5. We do have some outstanding questions about the Portal as well, Sony hasn't offered any guidance on how long it will last on a single charge. Overall I can see the appeal of the Portal for some users, but for those of us who had dreams of a new PlayStation handheld, this isn't it.

I've had my PS5 since launch and while my son has a larger claim to it now, it remains in heavy rotation after almost three years, but one major flaw has limited our PS5 gaming over the last few months: overheating. 

This isn't entirely new, a little over a year in we first started to encounter issues with the PS5 randomly shutting off. It was always during more intensive PS5 games, so I was reasonably sure that overheating was to blame, and cleaning it out proved effective. That is until a few months ago when even our freshly cleaned PS5 would refuse to play PS5 games for more than 10-15 minutes. We were sticking to PS4 games, and while I appreciate the backward compatibility, it's not exactly what you have in mind for your cutting-edge console.

That brings us to a week ago when a device that was the potential solution to our piping-hot PS5 problem arrived.

Fan-tastic PS5 cooling

The cure for my console cooling conundrum took all of 5 seconds to install and now we're back to taking the PS5 to its limits with any game in our library. So what was the solution? Just a simple snap-on fan accessory. 

In my case the SCRY Artic PlayStation 5 Cooler. While the company bills it as "The World's Most Advanced PlayStation 5 Cooler," it's exceedingly simple to set up. There are two plastic hooks at the top that slide into the gap near the top of your PS5, then you align the USB Type-A plug on the Artic with the top USB-Type A port on the PS5 and seat it in place with two clips at the bottom then snapping firmly into place to make sure it doesn't go anywhere. If you are exceedingly careful about it the whole process may take 10 seconds, but that's it, this is the definition of plug and play.

Once it's attached and your PS5 is powered on the SCRY Artic kicks into action with 6 fans whirring at high-speed to keep your PS5 cool as a cucumber. While there's no RGB lighting, they do have white LEDs to give your PS5 a little bit of extra gaming panache.

Overall I'm thrilled with the SCRY Artic, not being able to play PS5 games on our PS5 was more than a little irritating. We are well beyond the warranty so it was going to be a question of buying a new PS5, which doesn't feel right after less than 3 years. 

My one complaint is that it is reasonably loud, notably louder than the PS5's built-in fans. It's not a dealbreaker by any means and depending on where you have your PS5 it will be more or less of an issue for you. It's just worth noting as they claim "As Quiet As Library Operation" and I will promise you that a librarian would be hushing the SCRY Artic until they passed out.

The other catch is that the SCRY Artic is on Kickstarter. Standard warnings apply that Kickstarter is not a store and there is risk in backing any project. I can at least attest in this case that it's not vaporware, the model I received came in what looks to be final packaging and at least dozens of others received the same model, so they can and have produced the product already. SCRY claims that shipping will start in September or October depending on the options you choose. The Super Early Bird tier is still available as of this writing for ~$29 (51% off their projected retail price).

If you are dealing with the same problem and can't wait that long there are other options in the market, just search for PS5 cooling fan on Amazon and you'll find dozens of options. If you want a full stand that also includes a charger for your PS5 controller there are some interesting options there, but I do like how minimal the SCRY Artic is while also giving you maximum added cooling.

I'm just happy that my son and I are back to being able to play the best PS5 games rather than having to rummage through the PS4 classics bin.

Once hard to get your hands-on, the Sony PS5 is easier to find in stock these days. Even better, the once elusive gaming console is seeing a rare discount. For a limited time, you can get the Sony PS5 for $449 at Best Buy. It usually costs $499, so that's $50 in savings and the PS5's lowest price ever. The Sony console itself rarely goes on sale — not even on Black Friday. This is one of the best gaming deals in town.

Best Buy also offers the PlayStation 5 Call of Duty Modern Warfare II Bundle for $489 ($50 off). This bundle includes: a PlayStation 5 console, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II game voucher, and a DualSense wireless controller.

Today's best PS5 deal

Sony's PlayStation 5 is one of the best gaming consoles to buy. The tech brand's best gaming system yet, it features fast loading, a speedy SSD, and great backwards compatibility. 

In our PS5 review, we gave it a solid 4.5 out of 5-star rating and our coveted Editor's Choice Award. During real-world testing, we were floored by its incredibly powerful components and revolutionary controller haptics. We also praised its revamped user interface with innovative features and stunning 4K graphics. 

If you need an extra controller, swing over to Walmart to get the Sony PS5 DualSense Wireless Controller for just $49 ($25). It features dual analog sticks, a d-pad, and game buttons. There's also a built-in mono speaker, mic array and six-axis motion sensor system incorporated into its design. 

Haptic feedback gives you a more precise physical response for an immersive gaming experience. For example, when you're playing God of War Ragnarök, each of you'll feel the rumble during battle. Additionally, the PS5 DualSense works on gaming laptops and PCs, with some haptic feedback-enabled games.

PS5 deals this good typically sell out fast, so don't hesitate too long. 

More PS5 deals

iOS 17 is teeming with brand-spankin’ new features that will improve students’ workflow, networking skills and personal relationships. NameDrop, for example, is one of the most striking perks, allowing users to instantly swap contact information by tapping their iPhones together. You can also use this gesture to initiate SharePlay, allowing you to play games, watch movies, or listen to music with another classmate.

iOS 17 Visual Look Up is another noteworthy upgrade. First introduced in iOS 15 as Apple’s answer to Google Lens, Visual Look Up can now decipher an abundance of new symbols from the Photos app, from the confusing icons on your car’s dashboard to the hieroglyphics-esque laundry labels on your clothing tags. (It’ll also come in handy for botany majors because Visual Look Up is excellent at identifying flowers and other plants.) Hell, Visual Look Up even works with paused videos now, too.

However, there are a wealth of lesser-known new iOS 17 features, including updates to Safari, Notes, and Focus, that are worth highlighting, too. Here are 5 secret iOS 17 features that will help step your game up as a student this fall.

1. Silence notifications just by locking your iPhone

This cool feature was once available for iPhone users, but it was nixed with the introduction of Focus Mode. Fortunately, it’s now back by popular demand. You can now toggle on an option that only silences notifications while your phone is locked. (Before, it muted all notifications, whether you were actively engaging with your iPhone or not.)

This will come in handy while you’re attending a lecture or studying for exams. You can simply lock your iPhone to mute notifications, and when you’re available again, you can unlock your device. Follow the steps below to enable this feature.

1. Go to Settings.

2. Tap on Focus.

3. Tap on Do Not Disturb.

4. Tap on Options.

5. Select “While Locked” under Silence Notifications.

2. MarkUp (iOS photo-editing feature) has new tools 

MarkUp is the UI that pops up when you want to edit your photos with your own finger strokes. This feature will be useful for anyone who wants to make quick marks and notations on screenshots of notes, educational pages, and more. Thanks to iOS 17, MarkUp has new tools, from a fine-line pen to a calligraphy utensil. If you’re one of those students who love to add organized annotations to their work, this should be right up your alley. 

1.  Choose a screenshot or picture in the Photos app. 

2.  Tap on Edit.

 3.  Tap on MarkUp (pen-tip icon). 

4.  Check out the new MarkUp tools at your disposal, including a new fine-line pen, an airbrush tool, a crayon, and a calligraphy utensil.

3. You can now add links to Apple Notes 

The Notes app is a convenient tool when you don’t have time to whip out your laptop, but your iPhone is within reach. You can simply fire up the Notes app, type in what you’d like to save for later, and move on with your day. With iOS 17, the Notes app has a few tweaks, including a new option that lets you add links to any word, sentence, or paragraph. You can also link to other existing notes. I’ll show you how to do this below.

1. Open the Notes app.

2. Type in your word, sentence, or phrase.

3. Highlight the portion you’d like to hyperlink.

4. Scroll through the carousel menu that appears and tap on Add link.

5. Enter the URL (you can also link to another note by typing its title) and hit Done.

 4. New ‘Adaptive’ noise control with AirPods  

Before iOS 17, you could choose between only two Noise Control options on your iPhone: Transparency and Noise Cancellation. Now, there’s a new feature: Adaptive. This blends both Transparency and Noise Cancellation modes into one. Your AirPods will swap between modes depending on the external noise, which is useful if you’re studying, but you don’t want to be completely isolated from the real world. Keep in mind that this new feature only works with AirPods Pro 2.

1. Connect your AirPods Pro 2 to your iPhone.

2. Go to Settings and tap on your AirPods Pro 2.

3. Under Noise Control, select “Adaptive.”

5.  Autofill one-time passcodes from email 

One of the most convenient iPhone features just got more useful. When you get one-time passcodes (OTPs) for two-factor authentication from texts, your iPhone will typically autofill that passcode into the field. This way, you don’t need to switch between apps. Now, iOS 17 is kicking it up a notch. It now autofills OTPs you get from your emails, too. As a student, you likely have several accounts that require 2FA, so this will be a welcomed new feature.

No instructions required. iOS 17’s new autofill feature will kick in when you need it.

Outlook 

While these are some of the lesser-known iOS 17 features, I can’t help but shed some light on some of the most highly anticipated perks coming to iPhone this fall. Aside from the Visual Look Up and NameDrop updates mentioned at the outset, look out for Check In. This new feature lets your friends and family track your journey and make sure you’re home safe after traveling from school or a late-night event. 

Apple Vision Pro was only revealed a couple of months ago, yet an endless flurry of fascinating news continues to follow it. Now, it seems like one of the biggest criticisms towards the Apple Vision Pro, its lack of easy compatibility with those who need prescription lens to see well, is being tackled in their latest patent.

This Apple patent will ensure that no glasses user has to purchase separate prescription lens, nor will they have to stuff their pair of glasses under the headset. But unfortunately, it is highly unlikely we'll be getting it with the launch of the Apple Vision Pro, as it was only just recently filed.

Apple Vision Pro could fix a massive issue in the future

Glasses wearers have been worried ever since Apple unveiled its vision for the Vision Pro, as one big question is at the back of everyone's mind: What happens if you can't see all that well to begin with? Wearing glasses behind certain Virtual Reality headsets is total plausible, with the PSVR 2 more than capable of accommodating glasses wearers.

In the case of Apple Vision Pro, however, it is not remotely compatible with spectacles. In fact, it is directly recommended against, with Apple's official press release stating that "users with vision correction needs will use ZEISS Optical Inserts to ensure visual fidelity and eye tracking accuracy." And all the way at the bottom of the fine print, we see "ZEISS Optical Inserts are sold separately."

This means you'll have to spend more than the base $3,500 already expected of you just to get these Optical Insert lens added to your package, but Mark Gurman made matters worse by claiming that these prescription lenses for the Vision Pro could be as expensive as $300-600 a pair. The design flaw of incompatibility with glasses is already a huge problem in accessibility, but this high cost reveals a whole new level of absurdity.

A new Apple patent is seemingly trying to fix this issue by adding lenses to the headset that are controlled by the circuitry and allow it to have different levels of optical power to conform to the user's prescription. Essentially, users would put the headset on and do a series of tests at different focus levels until they're able to see properly. This would come automatically with the headset, and it would be perfect for glasses users who don't want to have to spend tons of extra money for the sake of their own comfort.

Unfortunately, you should not expect this to come with the initial Apple Vision Pro launch. As this patent was only just approved on July 18, it's likely that we won't get it for quite a while. Until then, lets hope the ZEISS lens are nowhere near as expensive as Gurman claimed.

With Amazon Prime Day 2025 approaching, it's time we reviwed the best gaming monitors, which, as any gamer will tell you, can transport us to another world.

And whether you're rocking an affordable or high-end gaming setup, you'll need something satisfying. Gaming monitors come in all shapes and sizes, and they're really useful for providing more display real estate for games and freeing up your laptop screen for guides or Twitch chats.

However, you should know a few things before buying one of the best gaming monitors. You'll have to choose between 4K, which gives you sharper images but lower refresh rates, and 1080p, which favors responsiveness over resolution—everything in between lands in the middle of the spectrum. High Dynamic Range (HDR) also nets you better color and brightness but at a higher cost.

You'll also have to choose a panel type: IPS (in-plane switching) and OLED (organic light-emitting diode). The former is cheaper, while the latter features better colors and true blacks while also hitting your wallet harder. Nvidia G-Sync or AMD FreeSync, which is designed to sync up to your GPU for smoother frame rates (go with whichever branded GPU you have), is also essential.

Quick list

The best gaming monitors in 2025

Best overall gaming monitor

The Alienware 32-inch 4K QD-OLED (AW3225QF) gaming monitor is the best you can buy now. With its 240Hz refresh rate, immersive 1700R curvature, stunning 0.03 millisecond response time, and compatibility with Nvidia G-Sync, you're not going to find a better product if you're willing to dish out $1,199.

Its ports include a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-B port, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 FRL port with eARC, a regular HDMI 2.1 FRL port, and a DisplayPort 1.4 at the back. At the front of the display, there's also a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port and a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port.

It's also important to remember that the monitor does not have built-in speakers. Most gamers will likely use their gaming headset anyway, but if this is a dealbreaker for you, you'll want to look at another gaming monitor.

While our reviewer believed it was a bit dim at 240 nits, it should be bright enough to handle any office space without natural sunlight. Alternatively, you can use its HDR 1000 setting, but we found that this greatly sacrifices the color depth to make the screen brighter, effectively washing out its vibrancy for the sake of up to 1000 nits. As a result, we recommend sticking with SDR for gaming content, but again, this might be a bit dim.

Otherwise, its impressive 128.8% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut means it's vibrant enough to satisfy even the most color-hungry individuals. The deep, inky blacks of its OLED panel will turn every scene into something so immersive you'll never want to look away. We have no doubt that most gamers will fall in love with it.

See our full Alienware 32-inch 4K QD-OLED (AW3225QF) review

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Best budget gaming monitor

The ASRock Phantom Gaming PG34 monitor is perfect for individuals who are desperate for an ultra-wide gaming experience but don't want to spend a fortune. With a lovely 3440 x 1440-pixel panel, 165Hz refresh rate, and 1ms response time, it covers the basics well enough for most at just $275.

But how does it do with regard to the nitty gritty? In our lab tests, 90.4 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut on Standard Mode is phenomenal for such an affordable monitor. When kept at 50 contrast and 70 brightness, we were amazed by how in-depth the image could look while gaming and watching TV. Its biggest flaw is that it seems a bit dim, and even if you push it past our recommended 70 nits of brightness, you're sacrificing the depth of its color, as it will add a layer of green to the image that washes out the display.

While we don't expect many gamers to use built-in speakers, it's good to remember that the PG34's sound is tacked on. It's flat and hollow and should only be used if you have no choice. Its port selection is also a tad limited, which isn't surprising for a monitor at this price, featuring two HDMI 2.0 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4, and an audio jack.

If you're not in a room that is too bright and can handle a slightly dim display, we highly recommend the ASRock Phantom Gaming PG34 for anyone needing a high-quality ultrawide display that doesn't break the bank. It's gorgeous, affordable, and higher quality than other budget alternatives.

See our full ASRock Phantom Gaming PG34 review

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Best 360Hz gaming monitor

If you're looking for a powerful OLED gaming monitor with a phenomenally high refresh rate, we recommend checking out the Alienware 27-inch 2K QD-OLED (AW2725DF). You won't be disappointed by its 2560 x 1440-pixel resolution, Quantum Dot OLED panel, 360Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro compatibility.

These specs make it ideal for competitive gamers who need the highest refresh rates for intense shooters and strategy titles. However, it's important to remember that you'll need the hardware to match 360Hz. If your rig isn't powerful enough to hit high framerates, you would have wasted your money on a refresh rate this high.

That can also depend on the game, as it's far easier to reach framerates to compliment this refresh rate at lower resolution in titles like DotA or Valorant. In contrast, you might have trouble demanding single-player games like Cyberpunk 2077. This is why you probably won't be able to fully use the 360Hz panel if you exclusively enjoy AAA titles.

Its port selection includes two DisplayPort 1.4 slots for up to 360Hz refresh rate, an HDMI 2.1 port for up to 144Hz refresh rate, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type B, and two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports. A USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port and another USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A are on the bottom. Those in need of a diverse port collection won't be disappointed.

It also comes with a stunning color profile, covering 130.6% of the DCI-P3 color range on standard mode, featuring stunning blacks that suck you right in. And while its 242 nits on standard mode might put some off, it's a pretty good number if you plan on playing in a dim room that isn't destroyed by sunlight.

See our full Alienware 27-inch 2K QD-OLED (AW2725DF) review

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How to choose the best gaming monitor for you

When shopping for a gaming monitor, there are things you must consider beyond just hardware, as what your rig is capable of will inform your options:

Size: How to find the right size for you.

27 to 32 inches will satisfy most gamers, but you can always go larger if you want something truly spectacular. Otherwise, gaming monitors can range from 24 inches to massive 55-inch monstrosities that could be mistaken for a TV. Determining which size is right for you depends on how much space you have. Most desks accommodate something as large as 55 inches, but we highly recommend measuring your desk to discern what you can and cannot fit.

If you want multiple monitors (I currently have three on my desk), you'll need to be conscious of how they sit side by side and what your viewing angle will look like. It's important to keep in mind that if a monitor is 27 inches, that's its diagonal measurement. You'll need to check to see its exact horizontal measurements (and base measurements) to ensure it can fit on your desk.

Refresh rate: 120Hz should be your minimum

Gaming monitors can feature refresh rates anywhere from 60Hz to 500Hz, but every gamer should at least strive for a 120Hz panel. From there, the power you can output should play a significant part in making this decision, as you won't be able to enjoy a 360Hz refresh rate with weaker specs.

While 120Hz should be your floor, safe bets for most gamers lie anywhere from 165Hz to 240Hz refresh rate. Both of these fast panel speeds will make most of the games you play smooth. If you're into competitive gaming and need something that can accommodate absurdly high frame rates, consider at least 360Hz.

Resolution: 2K is great for most

If you have a budget gaming rig (RTX 3050/3060/4050), you probably won't need much more than 1080p, and it'll mean you can achieve higher framerates in the games you play. If you have a capable gaming rig (RTX 3070/4060/4070), 2K should be more than acceptable for most titles, but you will have to take a hit performance for a crisper image. If you have a high-end gaming rig (RTX 3080/3090/4080/4090), you can consider 4K resolution, but it will still tank performance in the biggest AAA games.

We recommend sticking with 2K unless you're sporting a budget build if you're unsure which one is right. If so, 1080p is fine.

Budget: Fantastic affordable options exist

Gaming monitors might scare you when they soar above $1,000, but only a select few will have any reason to spend that much money. You can pay less for something high quality. If you're looking for a solid budget monitor, you can get a great ultra-wide at 2K resolution for less than $300, and plenty of trusted brands sell products at this price.

If price matters less to you and you're willing to invest in the best of the best, expect to pay over $1,000. These monitors can have as high as a 360Hz refresh rate, 4K resolution, and a stunning OLED panel; they are larger than life. Since monitors complement a gaming rig, your budget should be decided by what you can run. There's no need to spend that much money on 360Hz and 4K if you can't even run games at framerates or resolutions that high.

If you want great, affordable options, check out our best cheap gaming monitor deals, best gaming deals, and best computer monitor deals pages to score a good gaming monitor for a low price.

How we test the best gaming monitors

We put each gaming monitor through our standard benchmark testing by using a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness, sRGB, and DCI-P3 color gamut of its display. Then, we evaluate each aspect of the gaming monitor, including its ports, performance, design, and speakers.

Regarding the display, we typically play around three games of varying genres to get a feel of what each kind of game looks like on the display. We’ll also watch a movie trailer to see how watching live-action stuff is presented on-screen. We go through the modes and settings during our testing to determine which is best for each viewing experience.

Not every display is going to be super gorgeous and colorful, so we consider the price of the gaming monitor before we determine our scores and impressions.

If you've been juggling your PS5 storage since day one like me then you are probably more than ready to spend a little money to fix that problem. 

You can grab the WD_BLACK SN850X 1TB SSD with heatsink for just $66 — a whopping 63% discount and the cheapest we've seen the Sony-approved PS5 SSD. Banish the endless waiting as you download and install a game for the 15th time as you try to make do with the built-in PS5 storage.

Grab the WD_BLACK SN850x 1TB PS5 M.2 SSD with heatsink for $119 at Amazon. It's the best PS5 SSD to pick up thanks to its fast random read/write performance and solid sequential read/write speeds across all capacities. Don't miss out on expanding your PS5's storage for over half the price. Plus, check out how to install an M.2 SSD in a PS5 with our handy guide.

While we called the PS5 the "future of gaming" in our review and awarded it an outstanding 4.5 out of 5 stars, the somewhat limited 825GB of built-in storage is something that I've run up against since pretty much day one.

Adding this 1TB SSD will stop me from having to constantly juggle my games library. I'll look forward to the day that we have instantaneous file transfers or pure lag-free cloud gaming, but until then this gets me a little bit closer to gaming nirvana for just $66.

Check out our main Amazon Prime Day deals if you are still on the hunt for some other last-minute savings before the deals end tonight.

I love the Xbox Series S, and right now, you can pick one up for under $250 in (arguably) the best Prime Day deal of the day. As for my fellow Brits, you can snap one up £25 off.

Thanks to an ever-increasing Game Pass library (complete with Starfield coming later this year), the value of this system is ever-increasing. Plus, it's bonkers to see this is actually cheaper than the Nintendo Switch on Prime Day. 

Why you should buy the Xbox Series S

I’ve written loads about the Xbox Series S, from my one-year review (and yes, at over two years, it’s still fantastic), and how you can transform it into a great emulation machine. But I can boil down this question to two reasons: value for money and games.

Sure, it’s not as powerful when compared to the Xbox Series X, or the PS5. But with a similar architecture to its bigger brother — a 3.6-GHz AMD Zen 2-based processor with 10GB of RAM, a 4-teraflop AMD RDNA 2 GPU with 20 compute units, and 512GB of storage — it’s more than capable of playing the same latest and greatest games.

And looking at what’s on the horizon for Xbox Game Pass, you’re going to be feasting hard throughout 2023 with the likes of Starfield, Forza Motorsport, and so much more. At the precipice of Xbox Game Studios bringing the heat, this is the perfect time to buy.

Whether you’re looking for the ultimate gaming gift, treating yourself to a new console, or you’ve always played Playstation (like me) and you want to dip your toes into Xbox Game Pass, this is the saving you’ve been waiting for.

The PS5 Slim could be arriving later this year if leaked court documents relating to Microsoft’s tug-of-war with the FTC are accurate. Microsoft, by hook or crook, seemingly has the skinny on the PS5 Slim, including a release window potential retail price. 

A casual outing

The leaked court documents cite Sony’s upcoming console in an effort to tackle the FTC overlooking Nintendo when measuring up the console market. Seemingly, the FTC focuses solely on the Xbox and PlayStation consoles due to their “high-performance consoles” — and is therefore making judgments based on only the top-tier offerings from Microsoft and Sony.

To counter the FTC’s judgment, Microsoft brings attention to the less “high-performance” Xbox Series S and its similar pricing to the Nintendo Switch, alongside the Blu-ray-less PS5 Digital Edition’s $399 price tag before casually dropping the news that “Sony is expected to release a PlayStation 5 Slim later this year at the same reduced price point.”

The PS5 Slim has been widely anticipated ever since the PS5’s release, with many hoping to see Slim and Pro options appear on store shelves within the same three-year window as the PlayStation 4’s Slim and Pro options. Seemingly, Microsoft has gone ahead and confirmed that at least one of those devices is likely heading our way, with a Playstation 5 Slim potentially making its way to stores this year for $399.

Outlook

There are no solid details about what to expect when the PS5 Slim is eventually unveiled by Sony, but the information from the document would line up with previous rumors indicating a September 2023 release.

In terms of hardware, beyond a smaller frame and reduced weight, some rumors suggest it could include a detachable USB-C disc drive available within PS5 Slim bundles or sold separately.

If the PS5 Slim is making an appearance this year then we would expect it to follow the PS4 Slim’s announcement and release pattern. That means it’s likely that we would see an announcement sometime in September and a release shortly thereafter or within October.

You may remember I expressed my frustration that no company has managed to nail cloud gaming yet. Turns out Sony may have been listening, as the company has launched a test of cloud streaming PS5 games — an enticing glimpse into the future of what we could see from PlayStation in this realm.

This test is small in scale, but its implications are massive for the future of PlayStation Plus and its new cloud gaming arm. Let’s see what Sony is up to.

PlayStation Game Pass?

“We’re currently testing cloud streaming for supported PS5 games – this includes PS5 titles from the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and Game Trials, as well as supported digital PS5 titles that players own,” says Nick Maguire, VP of global services, global sales, and business operations at Sony Interactive Entertainment. 

Did you see it? The five words at the end there: “PS5 titles that players own.” Sure, it’s prefaced with saying select digital titles that are supported, but this is a big step in the right direction. This would be a nice workaround to the dreaded DRM issues, which gives you immediate access to everything you own alongside a separate library of new titles to try.

One piece of bad news, though. Maguire went on to say that “cloud game streaming for supported PS5 titles will be available for use directly on your PS5 console.” For anyone expecting the full cloud gaming roll-out, hold your breath for now. But Sony is making all the right moves for it.

Putting my hopes sky high

Of course, there are some more immediate reasons behind this shift. With the Project Q streaming handheld on the way later this year, it’s logical that Sony would want to sharpen up its cloud gaming offering for use with this device.

However, the move is a lot bigger than that — one of a company that is finally realizing that remote play (for all its strengths in reducing latency) is not the right direction. Through remote play, you can stream PS5 games to PCs and Macs, as well as smartphones, but your PS5 needs to be turned on and have these games installed to work.

But given that PlayStation chief Jim Ryan teased “quite aggressive plans” for cloud gaming, it’s not far out of scope to speculate that more could be coming, such as mobile cloud gaming (that Backbone One PlayStation Edition would be perfect for it) and an in-browser option too — none of which require games to be pre-installed on your PS5.

There’s a long way to go yet, but this jewel of potential reopens a lot of my dreams for what a true cloud gaming element of PlayStation Plus could look like.

PlayStation’s future is bright

My wants for the perfect cloud gaming service are simple:

• Something that gives you immediate access to the games you own (either online or disc-based).
• Has additional tiers for access to a ‘Netflix for gaming’ style catalog.

From the way Sony is talking in its blog, and its current game streaming offering, PlayStation seems to have lined up all its chess pieces for quite an aggressive attack on Xbox’s current cloud gaming dominance.

And it has everything it needs to run fast. Now we just need to start seeing cloud gaming tested in browsers and on phones, and this could be a formidable offering for PlayStation Plus subscribers.

Cloud gaming has been talked to death for a couple years now. So why hasn’t any company been able to nail it?

While it’s true these systems are developing nicely (outside of PlayStation and Remote Play, but we’ll get to that), there are still some fundamental problems that make any service hard to recommend right now.

It's frustrating because, outside of the technological restrictions, some of these problems are self-inflicted and so easy to fix.

The latency problem persists

That’s not to say I have slow internet. Thanks to Virgin Media, I get a solid, stable connection with rapid speeds (300 Mbps down/80 up), and still I see controller latency and framerate stuttering. Of course, this situation is further compounded when you try to do Xbox Cloud Gaming on the iPhone 14 Pro Max over 5G.

This comes down to a whole host of issues that come with the nature of trying to get a beast like this up and running – distance from the servers, reliability of the connection to said servers, etc.

However, the truth of the matter is that cloud gaming is still a beta service until these issues can be figured out. A lot of these problems will be solved with time, as these services expand in their server locations and mobile data speeds improve.

Remote Play is not the answer

PlayStation has seemingly gone in the wrong direction when it comes to cloud gaming. Remote Play is not the solution to this problem — I can’t say that any louder.

There technically is a game streaming,  but with the service only able to stream on a console or PC, the Remote Play is extremely limited. That is even more frustrating when you take great devices like the Backbone One - PlayStation Edition into account. As you also saw in the recent showcase, Sony is launching its own handheld (codenamed Project Q) later this year.

But without nailing the actual cloud gaming bit, these devices are kind of pointless when it comes to playing PlayStation games. The idea of keeping your PS5 turned on for the sake of Remote Play is bonkers — especially in a time of drastic inflation.

Access to the games you own

The one thing that Remote Play does get right is the fact it gives you access to the games you own. There is a catch, which is that if you have a disc-based game, that disc has to be in the drive for it to work.

Ownership of content is important in the digital age (otherwise known as the dreaded DRM), and putting them behind a subscription paywall like Xbox Game Pass means you have no direct control over what games are available. One particularly frustrating example was the progress I made in Two Point Hospital, only to find out it was removed the day before I planned to finish the final level. I know this is par for the course for a subscription-style service, but it’s still a pet peeve.

Nvidia and its GeForce Now system are the closest to nailing this, as it syncs your various libraries from Steam and Epic Games with its library of games to provide access to cloud-based versions. There are still problems, such as the inability to sync game save progress, and the limited library of titles (to Nvidia’s credit, it is expanding rapidly). But this is at least approaching the  system we deserve.

This is the right answer

There are some unavoidable problems that will be fixed over time. But at its core, no company has the right answer to cloud gaming, which is annoying because the answer is really simple.

What you need is a service that:

• Gives you immediate access to the games you own (either online or disc-based).
• Has additional tiers for access to a ‘Netflix for gaming’ style catalogue.

The closest options are GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming, but the real solution would be a combination of the two. This gives players the versatility of being able to access their own games, while enjoying a wider library too.

PlayStation isn’t even playing in the same ballpark as Nvidia or Xbox, and it paints the likes of its new Project Q handheld in a negative light. But the moment any company starts seeing sense and making the damn thing, it will be a money printing machine.