Gaming - Page 104

The Switch 2 debuted in the middle of Summer, an unconventional timeframe for a major console launch, and new reports indicate this timing was due to multiple hardware delays.

The Switch 2 could have launched sooner than it did (analysts also believe it could've been cheaper, too). Nintendo apparently pushed back the Switch 2's launch more than once, but for good reason.

Sources tell Bloomberg's Takashi Mochizuki that Nintendo was asked multiple times by its internal development teams to delay the system, chiefly so that they'd have enough time to make the games look and feel faultless on the new hardware.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is off to a staggering start, with the title almost reaching half a million concurrent players at the time of reporting.

Using data from SteamDB, we can see the original Hollow Knight achieved an all-time concurrent player count of 72,916, which was hit just yesterday. But Hollow Knight: Silksong, the most wish-listed game on Steam, has now finally released after fans of the franchise patiently waited seven years, and wow, the game has absolutely exploded in popularity with its all-time concurrent player count hitting 517,374.

SteamDB's metrics indicate Silksong beat the original Hollow Knight's all-time player count in just 15 minutes of the game being available to play. Silksong has also reached the top of the Steam Store's global top sellers, and of those nearly half a million players, the game has received 3,000 reviews as of writing and a Steam rating of 90.44%.

Surprising no one, Hollow Knight Silksong is a big hit, especially on PC where it has attracted over 400,000 players shortly after launch.

Hollow Knight Silksong released a few hours ago and the Metroidvania is already pulling in huge numbers. The demand for Silksong was so strong that the game's launch disrupted digital storefronts, including Steam, Nintendo's eShop, and the PlayStation and Xbox stores. Now that those hiccups seem to be evened out, gamers can actually jump in and play Silksong--and jumping in they are.

According to Steam DB, the early player counts are incredibly strong for an indie game. At the time of writing, Silksong set a 24-hour peak of 400,528 players, and that has been growing by the minute. Valve's own data shows that Silksong is the #1 top-selling game right now on Steam.

Batman fans are currently patiently waiting for LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, which was unveiled at Gamescom 2025, but there might be another Batman game to get excited about.

UploadVR noticed the voice actor for Commissioner Gordon confirmed Batman Arkham Shadow's sequel is currently in development in a recent interview with Culture Combine. The voice actor, Mark Rolston, who voiced Gordon in the previous title Batman Arkham Shadow, and is also known for playing iconic characters such as Norman Osborn in Marvel's Spider-Man series, along with Lex Luther in Injustice: Gods Among Us, said that work was being done on a sequel.

For those who don't know, Batman Arkham Shadow is a Virtual Reality game, and when asked about how the work was different between Blade Runner and Spider-Man 2, Rolston said that Spider-Man included "complete motion capture, voice and everything," while Blade Runner was just voice over. As for the upcoming Batman game, it appears it will be motion captured, as Rolston said that he has done the same for the Arkham Shadow sequel, saying "about to start another one of those."

PlayStation just wrapped up its State of Play dedicated to IO Interactive's 007 First Light, which fans mostly had a very positive reaction to. But some critics have described what they have seen of 007 First Light as a Hitman "reskin," to which the developers of the title, IO Interactive, have now responded.

In a recent interview with GamesRadar, senior licensing producer Theuns Smit explained that 007 First Light is going to be different from the Hitman franchise, and the team behind the project has grown since the announcement of the game, adding a fresh set of eyes and expertise. Additionally, Smit says that while IO Interactive is leaning into its strengths, it has developed over the course of making games for 25 years, 007 First Light is about creating a different experience for gamers that is different from the Hitman games.

What is possibly the biggest difference that can already be spotted between the Hitman games and 007 First Light is that players will be able to step into vehicles with Bond. This isn't possible in the Hitman games. IO Interactive doesn't have a lot of experience in this area of game development, and many of the new developers that joined the studio were dedicated to this area of development.

Today's the day: After years of waiting, Silksong finally comes out today...but there's just one problem: You might not be able to download it.

Hollow Knight Silksong is so popular that demand for the game is crashing digital storefronts. Too many gamers are logging in at once and trying to download Silksong, and it's basically throwing all the major stores out of whack. Users have reported issues with Steam, the Nintendo eShop, the Xbox store, and the PlayStation Store--all on Silksong's launch day. Coincidence?

Silksong looks to be one of the most anticipated games in recent memory--well, outside of Grand Theft Auto 6--based on today's trends alone, and at the time of writing, I can't even find Silksong when searching for it on the Xbox console storefront (I was able to download by going to the Xbox app on my phone and searching for Silksong that way). Things are certainly disrupted right now and I have to wonder what the Big 3 are thinking right now about Silksong, especially Microsoft, who nabbed the game as a day one drop on Xbox Game Pass.

Acer has unveiled a new range of gaming monitors intended for gamers looking for powerful, yet intelligent hardware that pushes the limit.

According to Acer's press release, the company is making some new additions to its Predator line-up of gaming monitors, with the introduction of the Predator X27U F8, a new 27-inch OLED 2560 x 1440p resolution display capable of an insane 720Hz refresh rate. The X27U F8 is a dual-mode gaming monitor, meaning it can easily switch between resolution and refresh rate. Acer states the X27U F8 is able to switch between 2560 x 1440p at 540Hz to 1280 x 720p at 720Hz.

The idea behind the dual-mode monitor is to provide a premium option for competitive gamers who simply want as many frames as possible in-game and don't necessarily care too much about the resolution of their display. While 540Hz is still an insane refresh rate that far exceeds the frame ceilings of most FPS games, some titles, such as Counter-Strike, can reach beyond that. That is where the 720Hz mode comes in. After the Counter-Strike, or whatever game that is capable of 720 FPS gaming sessions is done, the user can switch back to 1440p at 540Hz for a slower-paced, or cinematic title that benefits more from resolution.

Valve has filed a mysterious new trademark for something called 'Steam Frame,' and it may be the company's next hardware innovation.

Valve could be preparing for a big showcase of its next-generation hardware, perhaps even some sort of console-and-VR amalgamation combo. The company has applied to trademark the term Steam Frame on the USPTO, and the filings themselves give some clues on what the hardware could be. There is speculation that Steam Frame could be a next-generation platform, complete with Valve's next-gen VR headset alongside a new iteration of the failed Steam Machines PC-console concept.

Then again, if Steam Frame is Valve's next-gen Deckard headset, it won't include console hardware; Deckard is said to be a standalone VR headset coming in late 2025. Given the timing, it's possible that the trademarks are for the Deckard VR headset.

Final Fantasy Tactics could make a resurgence if the latest remaster sells well enough, and Square Enix developers say that they're willing and eager to work on more tactics-based games...hinting at potential sequels.

This month will see the release of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, a fully-fledged remaster of the late-90s strategy game. But this somewhat fringe series could live on with a remaster of the 2003 hit Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, or even a new sequel, should the Ivalice Chronicles meet Square Enix's initial sales targets.

In a recent interview with Inverse, Ivalice Chronicles game director Kazutoyo Maehiro says that everyone who worked on the game would "really like to see" Square Enix greenlight another Tactics game.

Marvel Rivals will come to PS4 with the arrival of Season 4: Heart of the Dragon, NetEase has confirmed.

As major billion-dollar live games announce plans to drop the PlayStation 4, NetEase is going the opposite direction and plans to bring its hot new MOBA Marvel Rivals to the last-gen platform with a new seasonal update. The Heart of the Dragon update launches September 12, and the fourth season's arrival will open a new doorway for Sony, NetEase, and Marvel to sell more battle passes and microtransactions.

Other live service titans like Krafton's PUBG and MiHoYo's Genshin Impact are leaving the PlayStation 4 (PUBG in November 2025 and Genshin in 2026). Final Fantasy XIV director Yoshi-P also hinted that Square Enix may be forced to drop PS4 support soon as well.

ShiftUp's latest semi-annual report gives an update on the Korean developer's plans, confirming a sequel to Stellar Blade as well as a new IP project.

Stellar Blade has proven to be a win for both Sony and game-maker ShiftUp, so it's not a big surprise that a sequel is currently in development. The news was spotted as part of the Korean developer's domestic filings.

"Building on these achievements, we are actively pursuing the franchise of the Stellar Blade IP, and are currently developing a sequel to Stella Blade," ShiftUp said in the report.

IO Interactive has released the first-ever gameplay footage for their new James Bond game, 007 First Light.

Sony's latest State of Play event went live today, highlighting gameplay for the big new James Bond prequel. The game is being made by Hitman developer IO Interactive, and the gameplay shows off the different stealth-based diversion tactics that players can use while trying to get into specific areas unseen.

There's Assassin's Creed-like parkour, wall climbing, and ledge-hopping traversal as James Bond flexes his youth--it is a prequel, after all. All throughout the sequences, Bond keeps a developing suave and cool, and the gameplay has a cinematic quality to it, complete with a high-quality authentic score tying everything together.

Microsoft has taken over the PlayStation Store thanks to exclusivity-breaking games like Forza Horizon 5 and Indiana Jones, and now Sony is doing the same to the Xbox store with Helldivers 2.

Like its competitor, Sony has also taken over its rival's storefront. Sony currently has more games on the Xbox store's top 25 paid best-sellers list than Microsoft does. Helldivers 2 is doing so well on Xbox that it is currently the #1 top-selling paid game on Xbox consoles, showing the allure of exclusive games and the continued multiplayer might of Arrowhead's live shooter.

Two versions of Helldivers 2 are actually in the top 5 Xbox store best-sellers: The standard $40 version, and the more expensive Citizen Edition version for $60. The new Helldivers 2 x ODST Legendary Warbond isn't included on this list--it's not a game but a premium add-on--so it's hard to say exactly how much influence the bundle had on purchases or adoption. Given it's a Halo crossover DLC, the Warbond probably helped sales quite a bit.

Ahead of Sony's scheduled dedicated State of Play for 007 First Light on September 3, the pre-order prices for the different editions of the game have leaked online.

Insiders Wario64 and bilbill-kun both shared links to the Amazon listings for 007 First Light, with the insiders posting links to the Xbox Series X version of the game, PC, PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2. Yes, 007 First Light is reportedly launching on all available platforms, with the leakers writing the Standard Edition will be priced at $69.99 for all platforms and the Collector's Edition will be $299.99, and seemingly only available on the PlayStation.

The State of Play for 007 First Light is scheduled to take place at 11 AM PT today, which means someone accidentally put these listings up too early, as typically the pre-orders go live for the title during the event or right after it's concluded. At the time of writing, all images from the listings have been pulled down, and the titles for the game on each of the platforms read as follows: "IOI Game V2".

Sony is slated to release a new PS5 Slim All-Digital console, but reports indicate that it will be slightly different than previous releases.

The PlayStation 5 was launched in 2020, and since then, Sony's console has gone through various hardware revisions under the moniker of "chassis". Each of these revisions introduced new improvements to the console, typically in the form of better cooling and power efficiency. Notably, the first-generation PS5, nicknamed the "Fat" PS5, had three chassis versions following it, then in November 2023, Sony officially introduced the first PS5 Slim with the launch of Chassis D.

As with every other Slim PlayStation before it, the PS5 Slim was a significant reduction in size and also introduced the 1TB SSD, a step up from the 825GB within the "Fat" PS5 models. The new 1TB standard was applied to both the digital and standard edition consoles.

Hell is Us is a brutal third-person action-adventure that features "intense melee combat" in a hostile world where you don't have a map, compass, or quest markers to guide you. It's out this week, and there's already a lot of buzz surrounding its release, thanks to favorable reviews from critics and the game's impressive visuals. On PC, it's launching with DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation support for GeForce RTX 50 Series gamers.

As seen in the Hell is Us DLSS 4 trailer above, the DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation push 4K performance into the 300+ FPS region, which exceeds the capabilities of modern 4K displays. This is the first game highlighted in NVIDIA's weekly DLSS round-up, with the second game also sporting some post-apocalyptic vibes, Bloober Team's Cronos: The New Dawn.

With a sci-fi survival horror look and feel that's both original and reminiscent of the iconic Dead Space, Cronos: The New Dawn is also out this week with ray-traced lighting effects and support for DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation. Check out the DLSS 4 and ray-tracing trailer below.

Halls of Torment, the autobattler that combines Diablo with Vampire Survivors, is coming to consoles after achieving a major sales milestone.

Indie hit Halls of Torment is heading to consoles after a successful run on Steam, where the stylish battler amassed a noteworthy 1 million sales. Developer Chasing Carrots is planning a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S launch alongside a new paid DLC expansion, the Boglands.

The game is a unique mixture of Diablo's isometric visuals and old-school pixellated style with the frenzied, bullet-hell chaos found in games like Vampire Survivors. Players go on 30-minute runs and essentially try to survive, collecting loot and gold in the process. The entire genre is an iteration on the classic starship games you'd find in video game arcades in the 1980s.

The latest free Voyagers update helps ignite No Man's Sky 24-hour player count to the highest point since the game's release.

Hello Games just released the new huge Voyagers expansion for No Man's Sky, and interstellar space adventurers are returning to the game en masse to check out the update. The influx of players is so large that Sean Murray took notice; No Man's Sky hit a 24-hour peak of 98,285 players on Steam on September 1, which is second only to the massive 212K players that the game achieved at launch.

The reason for this massive spark in players is two-fold. No Man's Sky is currently on sale for $24, sweetening the allure of jumping into the game; and the Voyagers expansion was so substantial that it attracted both new and returning players. Voyagers essentially lets players create and build their own custom starships while also commanding a crew with other players, adding a new level of online interactivity within the game.

Weapons horror movie director Zach Cregger talks about his next Resident Evil film adaptation, saying that it will resonate strongly with fans of the game.

A new Resident Evil movie is in the works with Weapons director Zach Cregger at the helm. Over the past few months, Cregger has revealed a few details about the pacing and tone of the movie, and how it aims to stay authentic to the mood of the games. In a recent interview with YouTuber Double Toasted, Cregger says the new zombie flick will make viewers feel like they're actually playing the games--something that's probably only possible if you're a die-hard fan, which Cregger is.

"I'm a huge fan of the games. Now, I've never seen a Resident Evil movie. I imagine if there are people out there that are rabid fans of the movie franchise, they're probably not really prepared for what I'm going to be doing. But I think the people who are fans of the games are probably going to be stoked," the horror maven said.

Microsoft's next-gen Xbox console could end up costing twice as much as Sony's next-gen PlayStation 6 console, due to AMD's semi-custom Magnus APU according to new leaks.

In a new post on the NeoGAF forums by leaker "Kepler_L2" we're hearing that the next-gen Xbox could be significantly more expensive than the PS6, and that the potential support for third-party stores that would drain a 30% cut of every game sold on the system going to Microsoft would be gone.

We've previously heard that AMD is working on custom chips for Microsoft that wouldn't just be used for the next-gen Xbox console, but new pre-built Xbox gaming PCs and gaming handhelds. What is new here is that only the Xbox console would be offering backward compatibility, which is mostly due to publishers not being happy with the idea of an Xbox game license being turned into a PC game license.