PlayStation 4 is losing one of the most popular free-to-play games in April 2026, possibly indicating an eventual forced migration from the platform.

MiHoYo has confirmed plans to end PS4 support for billion-dollar F2P giant Genshin Impact. The game will be pulled from PS4 in three phases: delisting the game (September 10, 2025), shutting down microtransactions (February 25, 2026), and pulling servers offline (April 8, 2026). After this, Genshin Impact will only be playable via PlayStation 5.

The free-to-play game has had a tremendous impact on PlayStation's service revenues. Genshin Impact was among the 10 games that generated over $10 billion in revenue on the PlayStation Store. To put it another way: These 10 games/franchises made up over half of annual PlayStation Store earnings every year for the past 5 years in a row.

Nintendo is raising the price on a multitude of Switch consoles and accessories, with some products like the Switch OLED seeing a +$50 increase.

On the heels of $80 games and a new $550 console, Nintendo fans will have to adjust to even more sticker shock. The company is raising prices on at least 17 different products ranging from the entire Switch 1 console lineup as well as Joy-Cons, Pro controllers, Amiibo, and even the Switch Online retro controllers. Nintendo is clearly serious about clawing back some of the tens of billions of yen in profit that will be eaten up by global tariffs instigated by the Trump Administration.

The new price hikes are principally centered around the first generation Switch, but the Switch 2 doesn't go unscathed--Joy-Con2's saw a price jump. The largest price increase by dollar amount was the Switch OLED, which was increased by $50 from the original $349.99 price to the new $399.99 baseline. For reference, that's how much a launch PS4 retailed for in 2013.

The age-old FPS war between Battlefield and Call of Duty is on this year, but Activision isn't worried about being knocked off course by Battlefield 6.

Battlefield 6 is on the horizon and EA aims to make a big explosive re-entry into the FPS genre. The competition looks to be fierce, yet new reports say that Activision isn't particularly fazed by DICE's new mayhem-inducing sequel.

Sources tell Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson that Activision believes Call of Duty is "too big to fail," likely referring to the billion-dollar multiplatform net that the franchise casts over the industry. The sources also say that Activision has annual Call of Duty games laid out for the next four years.

Rockstar is adding age verification into GTA Online, and now we have some previews on what that will look like.

Gamers living in certain parts of the world will soon have to prove their age in order to play games online. Video games publishers are re-working their games to comply with the UK's new Online Safety Act, which significantly tightens age restrictions on games and online content. Rockstar Games is one of the many publishers adding new age verification buttons into titles like GTA Online.

Longtime GTA leaker Tez2 recently shared early looks at what these age assurance screens will look like. GTA Online will have a new "verify age" section within the settings menu, and gamers will have to go through the steps in order to even play the mega-popular online mode.

Call of Duty Black Ops 7 will require hardware-based security like Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 in order to play, Activision has confirmed

Battlefield 6 isn't the only new shooter that will require system-level security. Black Ops 7 will require both Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 in order to play, which may require some users to upgrade or change up their hardware/BIOS setups.

"Neither TPM 2.0 nor Secure Boot are required to play currently available Call of Duty titles; however, both will be required when Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7 launches in 2025. Keeping these settings enabled ensures a fair and fun experience for all players."

The Battlefield 6 beta is almost here, with EA celebrating the unlocking of the title by posting several early access beta codes to the official Battlefield X account.

The Battlefield 6 beta will be unlocked for those who have obtained an early access key on August 7, while the open beta for the general public will go live on August 9. That beta weekend will run between August 9 and 10, but will be followed by a second weekend between August 14 and August 17. Notably, early access will run between August 7 and August 9.

For those who have obtained an early access key, it will need to be redeemed via EA's website, which requires a user to sign into their EA account and link the code to their preferred platform of choice. At the time of writing, EA is still handing out early access codes by directing people to content creators on Twitch who are streaming Battlefield 6.

NASA has accelerated its plans to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon's surface, as part of its broader strategy to establish a sustainable lunar presence through a base.

NASA's Artemis program is part of the space agency's effort to establish a lunar base on Earth's closest neighbor by 2030. One of the most critical components of such a base is sustainable power. The nuclear option seems the most viable, as solar won't work due to the Moon's rotation being so slow. There are two-week periods where the Moon is in darkness. Nuclear reactors will enable a round-the-clock energy supply needed to keep bases maintained at healthy operational levels, ensuring human survival.

According to a report from Politico, NASA's interim chief Sean Duffy is set to announce a new ambitious plan in the next week that will involve NASA soliciting industry proposals for a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor to launch by 2030, and that within the directive it states the first nation with a Moon reactor could "declare a keep-out zone, which would significantly inhibit the United States." The race for the first lunar-based nuclear reactor is between the US, China, and Russia, who announced a partnership to create their own lunar base.

Mario Kart World is a mega hit on Switch 2, where the game sold over 5.63 million copies in less than a month, representing a massive 96% attach rate.

The Switch 2 has done so well that it has broken two major milestones: not only is it the fastest-selling video games console of all time, but the Switch 2 also had the best-ever launch of all time by units shipped. Nintendo managed to sell over 5.82 million Switch 2 consoles in just 25 days, and Nintendo CEO Shuntaro Furukawa recently confirmed the system has reached 6 million sales in 7 weeks.

No console launch is complete without a bevy of new software, and the Switch 2 didn't disappoint; Nintendo sold a total of 8.67 million games during the new console's launch. More than half of these sales were from one singular first-party exclusive: Mario Kart World.

The Battlefield 6 beta is only a matter of hours away, and EA has thrown the public one last bone to unlock early access.

The Battlefield 6 beta begins on August 7 for those who have received an early access code, and for those who haven't, the open beta begins on the weekend of August 9. If you want to get into Battlefield 6 on August 7, you will need an early access code, and to acquire one of them, EA is advising you to watch 30 minutes of any creator streaming Battlefield 6 on Twitch. To acquire a code, previously players had to sign up to Battlefield Labs before July 31, or watch streamers during last week's multiplayer reveal event.

However, that has now changed as a new post on the official Battlefield X account has said anyone with a Twitch account can just open up a stream from any creator streaming Battlefield 6, leave the stream open for 30 minutes, even on mute, and then they will receive a code. Additionally, once a code has been received, it will need to be redeemed via the EA website, where you will need to sign into an EA account and link the code to your preferred platform. Redeem the beta code here.

The Battlefield 6 beta is right around the corner, and one of the biggest points of criticism is the title's Time-to-Kill (TTK) system, which was quickly pointed out by many following the multiplayer reveal event.

For those who are unfamiliar, a TTK system is a common phrase used in shooter games that refers to how long it takes to eliminate an enemy. For example, Call of Duty has a really short TTK. As with most weapons, it takes less than a second for an enemy to die from the moment the first bullet lands.

A notable contrast is Apex Legends, which has a significantly longer TTK compared to Call of Duty, as players are running around with armor. Which is better? Neither. Short TTKs are typically more punishing for new players as they promote fast, twitch-based gameplay, while longer TTKs result in more tactical engagements that last longer durations.

The beta for the highly anticipated Battlefield 6 is right around the corner, and we have just learned that if the servers are empty, which doesn't seem to be very likely at all, considering 12,000 people are currently waiting in queue at the time of writing, the empty player spots in a match will be filled with AI bots.

Battlefield 6's development team confirmed the news during the Battlefield 6 multiplayer reveal event in Hong Kong, with development director Anna Narrevia saying one of the goals of the upcoming Battlefield 6 is to enable as many players to enjoy the title together at any given moment. However, to achieve that goal, whenever there are empty slots in servers, they will be filled with AI bots. This feature isn't totally new for Battlefield 6, as Battlefield 2042 also took the same approach.

Unfortunately, as an avid 2042 player, I noticed a critical downside of the bots sometimes taking over the servers. What happens is that typically a large portion of bots are placed on one team, and the opposing side steamrolls their opposition to a point where they have taken control over many critical spots on a Conquest map. This means that when real players joined the match, they were joining a losing game as the real-life players had already dug in to the various locations that are great for holding down positions.

The early access beta for Battlefield 6 is just hours away. If you've secured an early access code and want to jump into the action, remember not to run DS4Windows when the beta launches, as it simply won't work.

After seeing users reporting that an error message was popping up when DS4Windows was running and the Battlefield 6 beta was launched, I proceeded to test it myself, and I was presented with the above error message. For those who don't know, DS4Windows is a collection of software utilities that enables the use of a PlayStation DualShock 4 controller with a Windows PC. Gamers typically use this software, which is quite popular, when the game they want to play doesn't come with native support for a PS4 controller.

The software works by emulating an Xbox 360 controller and enables the user to remap buttons and inputs on the controller. However, Battlefield's anti-cheat engine detects the software as malicious and will not allow a user to boot into the game if the PC is running the software when the game is launched, or if DS4Windows is launched after the game is already opened (the game will crash).

A couple of months ago there was a proposal from a US lawmaker that would mandate on-chip location verification and boot restrictions for AI chips, aiming to stop NVIDIA AI GPUs from being smuggled into China, and now NVIDIA has directly responded to this.

NVIDIA said in a recent blog post that "NVIDIA GPUs do not and should not have kill switches and backdoors" after some pundits and policymakers proposed requiring hardware "kill switches" or built-in controls that could remotely disable GPUs without user knowledge and content, with NVIDIA noting "some suspect they might already exist".

The company writes: "NVIDIA has been designing processors for over 30 years. Embedding backdoors and kill switches into chips would be a gift to hackers and hostile actors. It would undermine global digital infrastructure and fracture trust in U.S. technology. Established law wisely requires companies to fix vulnerabilities - not create them".

NVIDIA has just confirmed that Battlefield 6 will indeed feature DLSS 4 MFG, DLAA, and Reflex support, and it looks like these technologies will be available in the upcoming open beta which goes live in less than 24 hours.

In a new post on X by Jacob Freeman, GeForce Evangelist at NVIDIA, he simply noted: "The Battlefield 6 Open Beta is available for preload now. Supports DLSS 4 MFG, DLAA and Reflex!" When it comes to the game itself, Freeman noted that he's "really loving the look of BF6 so far, cannot wait. BF3 and BF4 were my favorite of the series. Easily hundreds (maybe thousands) of hours in these 2 games".

Battlefield 6 with DLSS 4 support is going to be a huge deal for GeForce RTX 50 series GPU owners, as we've already seen users running gaming PCs with an AMD Ryzen 9 9800X3D + GeForce RTX 5080 combo slicing through the Battlefield 6 beta at 1440p (native) at over 300FPS. That's without DLSS 4, just to be clear, so with DLSS 4 enabled, we should see even better performance.

With the arrival of the latest AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 25.8.1 driver for Radeon GPUs, the final piece of the puzzle is now in place. Yes, FSR 4 support is finally officially available in Cyberpunk 2077, with developer CD Projekt Red confirming that Radeon RX 9000 Series gamers can now enjoy the improved image quality of the AI-powered FSR 4 in-game.

So if you've got a Radeon RX 9070 XT, RX 9070, or RX 9060 XT GPU, you've now got the option to choose FSR 4 Super Resolution instead of the inferior FSR 3. As noted in our reviews of multiple RDNA 4 GPUs in recent months, FSR 4 presents a massive improvement to image quality, so much so that it's finally a worthy competitor to NVIDIA DLSS.

FSR 4 being added to Cyberpunk 2077 is something we've wanted to see for a while now, as the improved ray-tracing performance that you get with RDNA 4 GPUs like the Radeon RX 9070 XT means that owners can now enjoy the title's impressive RT Ultra quality setting at 1440p and 4K with noticeably better image quality.

Those who find themselves spending a lot of time playing racing games like Forza Horizon 5, F1 25, and the dozens of other high-octane titles out there will often find themselves looking toward picking up a racing wheel or even putting together a full simulation setup. Playing a racing game with a dedicated wheel and pedals is the sort of level-up similar to finding a legendary weapon in an RPG. One that replaces a sturdy but not all that exciting blue or yellow-colored sword, aka your controller.

This week, Turtle Beach has announced a new range of simulation and racing game accessories for Xbox and PC, aimed at those looking to get their first wheel as well as those serious about racing sims. First up is the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race KD3 ($449.99 MSRP, launching September 9, 2025), which includes a high-quality force feedback wheel with a direct-drive motor, 2,160° of rotation, magnetic paddle shifters, and dedicated pedals.

Turtle Beach says this one is for "serious racers," and the modular design is suitable for a range of setups, from desks and temporary tables to dedicated racing rigs. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there's the more affordable Turtle Beach Racer ($179.99 MSRP, launching September 9, 2025), aimed at "aspiring drivers looking to level-up their laps."

If you haven't picked up a new gaming keyboard in a couple of years, here's what you need to know. The rise in popularity of customizable boards with high-quality switches and acoustics has led to everyone stepping up their game. With the arrival of the newMSI STRIKE PRO WIRELESS gaming keyboard, MSI is stepping into the ring with its latest silent pro-grade keyboard.

The STRIKE PRO WIRELESS ships with Kailh Midnight Pro Silent switches that balance comfort, responsiveness, and silent performance. Rated for 70 million keystrokes, they're also hot-swappable with the STRIKE PRO WIRELESS, supporting all standard 5-pin switches. The keyboard also features three programmable M or macro keys, a smart scroll wheel, and dedicated media controls. It's also a full-sized board, with a numpad, so you've got wider productivity support than what you'd find on a TKL option.

Underneath the hood, the STRIKE PRO WIRELESS also sports multiple layers of sound-damping for ultra-quiet performance, as well as gasket mounting. As a wireless keyboard, it also offers tri-mode connectivity so you can seamlessly switch between wired, 2.4 GHz wireless, and Bluetooth modes. And the large capacity 4200mAh battery provides up to 1500 hours of usage between charges.

Apple is reportedly planning to unleash its next-gen iPhone 17 family of smartphones, including the new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, on September 9.

The company traditionally launches its new range of iPhones in September, with MacRumors reporting that this year will be no different for the iPhone 17. We are to expect the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Air, and flagship iPhone 17 Pro Max to be unveiled on September 9.

Apple will then open up pre-orders for the iPhone 17 on September 12, which will see Apple fans waiting around a week for pre-ordered iPhone 17 smartphones to reach them and get in-store. We should expect major markets like the US, Europe, China, Australia, and other countries to be included in that first week of iPhone 17 sales.

AMD's next-generation AM6 socket will house next-generation Zen 7 processors, and it'll feature 2100 pins with a higher pin density than the AM5 socket, but it won't be any bigger.

We're hearing about AMD's next-gen AM6 socket from the folks over at Bits and Chips, reporting that AM6 has a higher pin density than AM5, something that was pointed out in an AMD patent labeled "US20250149248". The new AM6 socket will have up to 2100 pins, up from 1718 pins on AM5, which is a 22% increase in pin density, all while retaining the same socket size as AM5.

This is great news for AM5-compatible coolers, as they should work, on the next-gen AM6 socket as well. It also technically means that AM4-compatible coolers should work with AM6, but that'll be harder as the next-gen Zen 7 family of CPUs could see cooling manufacturers needing to release new AM6-ready cooling designs depending on the chiplet layout of the next-gen Zen 7 chips.

Intel is reportedly struggling with its next-gen 18A semiconductor process that was meant to be one of the saving graces of the company but is delivering huge headaches for its next-gen processors.

In a new report from Reuters, the production process that Intel is using to work its way back into securing chip-making deals for high-end, high-margin chips is "facing a big hurdle on quality as it puts newer technologies to the test". Intel has been promising its investors for months now that it would be increasing manufacturing using its new Intel 18A process.

Intel has spent billions of dollars developing its new 18A process node, including the construction and upgrades of multiple semiconductor factories, where it wanted to take the fight to semiconductor dominator, TSMC. Intel wants to shift from solely designing chips that TSMC produces for them, to owning a competitive contract manufacturing business capable of rivaling TSMC.