Gaming - Page 14

Following news that Sony is officially ending physical game production in January 2028, the gaming community is ablaze with criticism of the decision, which is now being followed by rumors that Xbox is walking the same path, and now thousands of gamers are casting votes in hopes of making Sony reconsider.

Sony confirmed via a recent blog post that it was ending production of physical game discs in January 2028, meaning beyond that date new Sony games won't be arriving on physical discs, and as if a gamer walked in to a store to buy a new PlayStation game they will be given the plastic cover of the game and within it a redeemable code for the title - no disc.

Sony and PlayStation are undoubtedly facing heavy backlash for this decision, with the company explaining the transition to purely digital is inevitable, and that currently physical disc sales only make up a fraction of its total game sales. Despite Sony's purported inevitability, fans have rushed to renowned media outlet and tech expert channel Digital Foundry to pledge a vote the channel is running, which gives an anecdotal insight into how the gaming community is feeling about Sony killing physical media.

PC hardware has never been more expensive, and the ongoing memory crisis deserves most of the credit for that. Cinder City, an upcoming open-world third-person shooter from NC and Big Fire Games set in a dystopian near-future Seoul, recently made headlines as the first PC game to recommend 64GB of RAM. It has since walked that back.

The game's Steam listing originally recommended 64GB of RAM alongside an RTX 4060, a combination that baffled just about everyone. 64GB is more RAM than a PS5, an Xbox Series X, a PS5 Pro, and a Nintendo Switch 2 combined. Only 4% of Steam users have that much, and a 64GB DDR5 kit currently starts at around $800 on Newegg.

NC and Big Fire Games have now updated the listing. The recommended GPU has been bumped from an RTX 4060 to an RTX 4070, which at least makes more sense for a game billing itself as a visually ambitious open-world title. The recommended RAM, however, has been dropped all the way down to 32GB.

One analyst says that gamers inadvertently led Sony to the decision to retire physical PlayStation game discs.

Yesterday, Sony shocked the world by announcing it would stop producing new physical PlayStation game discs in January 2028. Sony was immediately vilified, leading to millions of negative responses--the tweet alone has nearly 80 million views at the time of writing.

In reality, gamers have essentially taught Sony to come to this conclusion by shifting more to digital, although the company certainly fed, accelerated, and encouraged this process through significant multi-year investment. Bernstein analyst Robin Zhu asserts this accurate view in a recent interview with The Financial Times.

Sony recently announced it was ending production of physical disc games, and while Microsoft hasn't announced anything, it's likely only a matter of time before Team Green follows suit.

We have already heard from an Xbox insider that Project Helix, Xbox's next-generation console, won't release with a built-in disc drive, which Sony's PlayStation 6 is also teeing up to do. However, a new report from The Verge's Tom Warren now says sources have informed him that Microsoft has been quietly working on a disc-to-digital feature that will allow Xbox owners to digitize their current physical game collections.

If these sources are correct, this would mean Project Helix won't, in fact, release with a disc drive, and that Xbox will be following PlayStation's lead in phasing out physical media altogether. Warren reports that Xbox employees are currently testing this new feature, which, funnily enough, seems extremely similar to the "enable Disc2Digital" feature discovered in the Xbox PC app codebase back in May.

Xbox's upcoming cost-cutting is inadvertently affecting third-party studios, leading to layoffs at a partner company.

Shortly after the reports that Microsoft planned mass layoffs at Xbox, third-party studio IO Interactive has made a surprising announcement: the 007 First Light dev is making layoffs as a result of Xbox's big new reset.

It turns out the rumors were true: Microsoft was indeed backing IO Interactive's new ambitious game, Project Fantasy. Microsoft pulled the funding on the project, directly reducing IO Interactive's revenue, triggering layoffs at the studio. Interestingly enough, Microsoft has since confirmed that it is not actually reducing its overall investment spending but instead being more careful in which projects that are funded.

With today's news that PlayStation will stop making game discs after January 2028, new reports from The Verge say that Microsoft is preparing its own disc-to-digital program in preparation for an apparent digital-only Project Helix console.

Microsoft's next-gen Project Helix console is rumored to be digital-only, and that makes sense for a number of reasons. Removing a component from Helix's bill of materials (BOM) will reduce manufacturing costs and improve margins--should Microsoft actually sell Helix at a profit this time. Consumers are also buying much fewer physical games, especially the Xbox userbase, which has been converted to digital for some time now.

To ensure gamers don't simply lose their entire physical disc catalog, Microsoft is prepping a software conversion program that will transfer the rights entitlements from a game disc to a user's digital account. Sources tell The Verge's Tom Warren that Xbox's disc-to-digital initiative will only work with discs from Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, and not Xbox 360 or original Xbox game discs.

PlayStation has announced it will be ending production of physical game discs in 2028, which is now perceived as the new placeholder date for the earliest we will see the PlayStation 6.

Sony announced in a new blog post that PlayStation is ending production of physical disc drives for new games in 2028, and all physical games that release beyond the January 2028 cutoff will be digital only, meaning physical copies of new games will contain a code. Sony clarified the announcement doesn't affect any games planning a physical release before January 2028.

Now, this 2028 cutoff is quite an important piece of information, as Sony informing developers/publishers now that it will no longer be supporting physical discs beyond this date soft confirms that its next platform, which will be due for release by that time, won't have a physical disc drive. By doing this, Sony can reduce the cost of materials for the new console, which was only recently rumored to be currently exceeding $1,000 for the standard PlayStation 6.

In what is undoubtedly a shock move by Sony, PlayStation has announced it is ending physical game production in 2028, and that all new games sold in physical retailers will come with a code that can then be used to activate the copy on an account.

Sony Interactive Entertainment explained that digital media significantly outpaces physical discs, and that these changes don't affect any games that have already been released, or are planned to be released on disc format before the January 2028 cutoff. Now that we know when PlayStation won't be producing game discs, it begs the question as to when Xbox will also make the leap into the entirely digital realm.

Windows Central editor and known industry insider, specifically with the inner workings of Microsoft and Xbox, Jez Corden, responded to the announcement from PlayStation in an X post, writing, "Don't expect Xbox Helix to have a disc drive either btw." It would make sense for Helix to also follow suit, especially with Game Pass being such a focus for the Xbox brand, and how Xbox is looking to reduce expenditure as much as possible following waves of layoffs and studio closures.

GTA VI could take over a day to download for millions of UK gamers, according to new broadband analysis from Uswitch, who looked at a range of UK internet speeds and revealed which will be waiting the longest to jump into Rockstar's highly anticipated GTA 6.

UK households using standard copper ADSL connections at 10Mbps could wait up to 6 days and 6 hours to download a 676GB file, or over a day for a 120GB version. With 90% of games now sold digitally, the potential for launch-day frustrations is high. Rumors are currently circulating that GTA 6 will be as big as 676GB, but those remain just rumors, and if history is anything to go by, it would be incredibly unusual for Rockstar to release a game that requires more than half a terabyte of storage.

Uswitch's broadband experts modeled download times across a range of UK internet speeds, revealing big differences between ultrafast and slower connections. The UK's average broadband speed of 170.2Mbps could result in around 1 hour and 34 minutes for the smaller 120GB file, but gamers with sub-100Mbps connections will be waiting for hours.

Sony is pulling the plug on PS3 and PS Vita storefronts starting next month as the company lays out plans for the PS6.

Sony made two bombshell announcements today: First, Sony confirmed that they would stop making physical PlayStation game discs for new games starting in 2028. The second bit of news concerns legacy hardware like the PS3 and Vita.

The company has confirmed that these older systems will be disconnected from the PS Store as soon as next month--starting in August, PS3 and PS Vita will lose PS Store access across Central America. All other global regions will lose access in July 2027, Sony has confirmed.

Sony is officially shutting down production of physical PlayStation game discs for new titles in January 2028, the company today announced.

It's happening: Sony is finally pulling the trigger to end physical disc production. The PlayStation 6 generation could be all-digital by default, forcing users to buy newly-introduced products in a digital format, which leads to higher margins for the PlayStation business. The news comes after Sony sold 70 million game discs in FY25, representing 22% of total sales.

"As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital, physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028," Sony writes on the PlayStation blog.

GTA 6 is not only the biggest game release on the horizon, but arguably it's shaping up to be the biggest game launch of all time when it debuts on November 19 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. Of course, PC gamers will have to wait for the inevitable PC version, but it's starting to look like we can add Nintendo Switch 2 gamers to the mix.

Of course, the biggest hurdle or technical roadblock for bringing Grand Theft Auto 6 to the Nintendo Switch 2 would be its hardware. The handheld is powered by a custom NVIDIA chip with an Ampere GPU somewhat comparable to the GeForce RTX 3050. That said, with optimization and RTX technologies like DLSS, developers have already proven that PS5-era games can run on the console and deliver an impressive portable experience. Case in point, Capcom's Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata combo.

According to a new post from Nash Weedle, who first reported that a GTA 6 port for the Nintendo Switch 2 was in development late last year, the "technical hurdles" to bring the game to the handheld "have been overcome."

If you've been following the recent news surrounding the goings on at Xbox, you're probably aware that the situation for the developer, publisher, and hardware maker is pretty grim. In the past week, we've heard several rumors from multiple credible sources that Xbox is set to close or part ways with several of its first-party studios.

In the past day alone, we've heard that acclaimed developer Arcane, who's working on Marvel's Blade, is on the list, alongside Xbox cutting ties with IO Interactive by pulling funding on the fantasy RPG the studio was working on for Xbox Game Studios. IO Interactive has confirmed that last one, and according to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, the studio is now looking elsewhere for funding.

And when you add in studios like Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory, Double Fine, and Undead Labs into the mix of impending Xbox studio closures, you definitely get the impression that Xbox is looking to save money or turn around its recent financial downturn, where the Xbox division is reportedly only delivering a profit margin of 3%. However, in that same Bloomberg article, a Microsoft representative claims that the company isn't reducing its "overall investment in games."

GTA 6 pre-orders went live on June 25, and scalpers were on eBay within hours. But what makes this particular wave of scalping unusual is that there is genuinely nothing to scalp. GTA 6 is a digital-only launch at release, meaning supply is effectively unlimited, yet confirmed sold listings show people paying well above the $79.99 retail price anyway.

The standard edition of GTA 6 is available digitally right now at $79.99 with no stock limit from the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, and major retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, GameStop, and Target. The Ultimate Edition is $99.99 and available directly from the platform stores. A physical boxed version also exists for both editions on PS5 and Xbox Series X, but that box contains a download code and no disc. Rockstar appears to be sticking with a digital-only release, with the latest reports suggesting a December 2026 physical edition is no longer happening.

Despite all of that, completed eBay listings tell an odd story. One buyer paid $120 plus $9.54 in shipping for a standard PS5 copy. Some listings were spotted asking as high as $168 for the same thing. UK listings are similarly absurd, with some asking £156.70 for a game that retails for £69.99.

Digital Foundry has weighed in again on GTA 6's console performance, and the outlook for 60 FPS isn't improving. Analyst William Judd argues that the level of detail Rockstar has shown so far, particularly the simulation-heavy elements such as traffic, NPC density, and physics, would be extremely difficult to scale down for a smooth 60 FPS experience on current hardware.

The PS5 Pro doesn't change much here. Judd notes the console barely improves on CPU performance over the base PS5, with most of its upgrade coming from a stronger GPU, better ray tracing, and PSSR upscaling support. None of that helps with the kind of CPU load GTA 6 is expected to demand. So even on Sony's most powerful console, a 30 FPS or 40 FPS mode looks far more realistic than a true 60 FPS option.

This lines up with what TweakTown has reported since 2024, when Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter made a nearly identical CPU-bottleneck argument. A former Rockstar animator also said something similar last year, expecting Rockstar to lock the game at 30 FPS and worry about higher frame rates after launch, much like it did with GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Microsoft may close up to five Xbox studios as part of next month's brutal layoffs, sources tell The Verge's Tom Warren.

Following years of underperformance, and a disastrous annual 3% profit margin, Microsoft is making extreme cuts to try to save its business. Gamers and fans just didn't know how bad things were at Xbox, but the new guard is exposing hard truths: Xbox has to change or die. High levels of cost cutting are expected, and reports say that Xbox may shut down, spin off, or sell five game studio groups in a mass layoff starting July 6--Compulsion Games, Undead Labs, Double Fine, Ninja Theory, and Arkane could be affected.

Sources tell The Verge's Tom Warren that these five game developers are being targeted in Microsoft's aggressive cost-cutting. There's been rumblings that the cuts will be a "bloodbath" for Xbox, and management has commented with a memo issued on June 10 that strongly indicates layoffs are part of Xbox's new process.

Sony clearly tells consumers that it won't take major losses with its next-gen PlayStation 6, potentially preparing users for sticker shock.

New reports suggest the PS6's bill of materials, or BOM, is now close to $1,000, fueling speculation of a high-priced Gen 10 console from Sony.

While nothing has been officially confirmed regarding pricing, Sony management has put out a new Q&A with PlayStation boss Hideaki Nishino that briefly discusses what gamers can expect from the future. In short, Sony has no plans to heavily subsidize the PlayStation 6, meaning Sony doesn't want to produce its next-gen console at a major loss.

The console rumor mill is abuzz with the idea that Nintendo could be using a new panel for the Switch 2, leaving some gamers hopeful that maybe it might address the complaints around ghosting issues with the handheld.

As it stands, the Nintendo Switch 2 reportedly has an Innolux panel, but as VideoCardz highlighted, based on a post by Nintendo Patents Watch‬ on Bluesky, there could be a different one, made by Sharp, being used now.

Or at least the model number indicates it's manufactured by Sharp, with a Chinese reseller showing the LCD on its site. As Nintendo Patents Watch pointed out, the "exposed circuit, connector, and cables are significantly different" compared to the Innolux panel. That suggests this isn't a small revision, but a fully updated design that could pack some meaningful changes.

Sony management explains what's next for PlayStation, says that profit is now the #1 main goal for the brand as the company navigates the new normal of high-cost hardware production.

The ongoing RAMpocalypse is forcing console-makers to re-think their business strategies. PlayStation, the market-leader by revenue, now says that it will focus more on immediate profits than grand long-term goals. This is an interesting thing to say when PlayStation just reported its best-ever yearly operating profit in history with over $3.10 billion profit made on $31 billion gross sales--a triumphant return to double-digit USD-converted profits with a 10% margin.

In a recent Q&A with investors, Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Hideaki Nishino highlights PlayStation's current business priorities. The group is shifting its focus away from raw monthly active user (MAU) growth and more towards making more profit on a per-user basis--this metric is called LTV, or lifetime value, and represents how much money a PS5 owner spends over a period. Sony says that the typical PS5 customer's LTV was $846 as of March 2025, and the company seeks to increase it.

Sony's foray into first- and third-party "live service" games for the PlayStation 5 generation has been widely reported on and criticized by fans for its impact on cinematic single-player games. Case in point: the studio behind Uncharted and The Last of Us, Naughty Dog, spent several years working on a Last of Us live-service multiplayer game that was subsequently canceled. The thinking here is that it could have invested that time into a third single-player game or something else.

Throw in recent high-profile failures like Concord, the lukewarm response to Horizon Zero Dawn spin-off Horizon Hunters Gathering, and the 'competitive heist game' Fairgame$ being missing-in-action, and you get the impression that Sony is probably looking to adjust its approach to focusing on massive live-service games. Or, at the very least, realize how difficult it is to create a live service smash hit, as Bungie's Marathon (pictured above) continues to draw a small but passionate fanbase.

In a recent interview with Japanese publication Famitsu (translated), Hideaki Nishino, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), was asked about the company's live-service game strategy with the context of Concord and Marathon failing to make an impact or meet expectations.