Video gaming systems news and discussions

[weatheriscool]

PS5 Sales Break Q1 Record & Target More
https://www.darkhorizons.com/ps5-sales- ... rget-more/
By
Garth Franklin
Saturday, April 29th 2023 7:27 am

With the long-standing supply chain issues from the pandemic resolved late last year, the first real look at how well the PS5 would sell came in the first quarter of this year, with the numbers announced this week.

Sony has revealed that the PS5 has sold 6.3 million units in the first quarter of this year – the highest number of Q1 consoles sales ever for any console across any generation.

The number brings total PS5 sales to 38.4 million, bringing it just shy of the PS4, which was around 41 million at the same time in its release cycle (without extreme shortages holding it back) before ultimately selling 117 million units across its lifespan.

[weatheriscool]

Microsoft announces new $350, 1 TB Carbon Black Xbox Series S
"Carbon Black" edition will launch worldwide on September 1.
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/06/ ... -series-s/
Kyle Orland - 6/11/2023, 2:23 PM

As much as we like the Xbox Series S as a cheap but powerful all-digital entry point into the Xbox console ecosystem, the machine's 500 GB of onboard storage can seem paltry when downloading and installing today's massive games. And while we like how the system's high-speed storage reduces load times, it also means expanding that storage can be expensive.

That's all preamble for today's announcement of the Carbon Black Xbox Series S, a version of the console with a full 1 TB of storage and a $349.99 MSRP. That's about $30 less than you would pay for the standard, 512 GB Xbox Series S and an additional 512 GB expansion card these days.

Aside from that storage capacity, the Carbon Black console, which will launch worldwide on Sept. 1, features the same hardware power as the original Series S. On the outside, though, the low-end console now comes in a brushed black finish like its larger Series X cousin. The design evolution brings to mind the Xbox 360 era, where the white launch consoles were eventually supplemented with a shiny black redesign and more storage years after launch.

[weatheriscool]

Sony Testing New PlayStation 5 Software, Adds Dolby Atmos and 8TB SSDs
The beta is only available to a small number of players right now, but it should be released globally in a few months.
By Ryan Whitwam July 31, 2023

There's a big update coming to Sony's PlayStation 5, which you can actually purchase now. Sony says its latest PS5 software adds Dolby Atmos, larger SSD support, and a raft of UI improvements. It won't arrive on most consoles until some months down the road, but some lucky gamers will get the chance to test it in beta starting today (July 31).

Dolby Atmos is by far the most popular 3D audio implementation, with support in TVs, audio receivers, soundbars, and more. With the new PS5 software, Sony's Tempest 3D AudioTech will gain Atmos compatibility. That means you'll be able to activate Atmos in the settings and enjoy immersive Atmos audio, including the height channel, with your Atmos-enabled speakers. Atmos support will apply to PS5 games, but that's not all. Developers will be able to update streaming apps with Atmos support on PlayStation as well.

The other big standalone improvement is high on many wishlists—support for 8TB SSDs. Currently, the PlayStation 5 only supports up to 4TB of expanded storage via an M.2 SSD. The update doubles that to 8TB, but the drives still need to meet the PS5's minimum requirements of 5,500 MB/s and PCI-Express Gen4x4. With games growing ever larger, the added space will no doubt be appreciated. The latest Call of Duty titles are creeping over 200GB in size, and 100GB+ is par for a AAA game.

https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/sony ... d-8tb-ssds

[wjfox]

PlayStation 5 supply issues finally fixed after three years, says Sony

1 hour ago

Supply chain problems that plagued the PlayStation 5 for three years have now been resolved, its maker Sony has said.

The global chip shortage which began in 2020 impacted industries from car manufacturing to credit cards.

Customers were frustrated at month-long waits for the PS5, with some queueing outside shops overnight, and others paying resellers sky-high prices.

The shortages steadily resolved through 2023, and Sony said its supply chain is now completely fixed worldwide.

That means the console is now not only readily available - but a surplus may lead to retailers competing for the sale.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-67226385

[weatheriscool]

Nintendo Switch 2 Could Feature Samsung OLED Display, Release Ahead of Schedule
Nintendo has reportedly reached out to Samsung Display in search of OLEDs.
By Adrianna Nine December 5, 2023

https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/nint ... f-schedule

The lore surrounding the technically unconfirmed but almost definitely in-development Nintendo Switch 2 is steadily expanding. A news outlet in South Korea shared Friday that Nintendo could offer an OLED version of its next-generation handheld right out of the gate. The Switch 2, as it’s unofficially called, could also hit shelves sooner than expected.

The first rumor comes courtesy of ChosunBiz. According to Friday’s report, Nintendo “asked Samsung Display to supply OLED panels” on Dec. 1, 2023. Nintendo reportedly planned to work with BOE, a Chinese consumer tech components supplier, but switched to Samsung Display instead. The move is thought to be related to Samsung Display’s pending patent infringement lawsuit against BOE, which it filed earlier this year to protect five patented OLED technologies.

If Nintendo is sourcing OLEDs from Samsung Display—and using those OLEDs for the Switch 2—it could mean gamers won’t have to wait for a new-and-improved screen like they did with the original Switch. Though the Switch debuted in 2017, it wasn’t until late 2021 that Nintendo offered a version with a bigger, bolder OLED display. This led some speculators to wonder whether Nintendo would adopt the same strategy with the Switch 2. Others, however, have predicted that Nintendo will launch two Switch 2 models simultaneously. While one leaker believes this is to provide room for a standard version and a digital-only version, it could be that Nintendo is preparing to offer both an LCD and an OLED version at launch.

[weatheriscool]

Nintendo Switch 2 Rumored to Have 8-Inch LCD
No OLED, but the screen is bigger.
By Ryan Whitwam January 26, 2024

The Nintendo Switch launched in 2017 to rave reviews, reversing Nintendo's Wii U-era slide. The Switch has outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X, but this handheld console is getting long in the tooth. Nintendo is expected to release the Switch 2 soon, and a new report claims it's taking a step back in display tech with an LCD.

This claim comes from Hiroshi Hayase, a display technology analyst working for Omdia. According to Bloomberg, the new Nintendo console will have an 8-inch LCD dominating the front. Hayase also reinforced that Nintendo will release the Switch 2 toward the end of 2024.

The Switch debuted with a 6.2-inch LCD, but the console was finally updated in 2021 with a 7-inch OLED screen (above). Years back, OLED screens had several notable drawbacks compared with LCDs, but this technology has since become the primary choice for handheld electronics. Modern OLEDs are thinner, brighter, more vibrant, and have higher contrast than LCDs. Naturally, the Switch OLED was a hit when it launched.

https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/nint ... 8-inch-lcd

[weatheriscool]

Nintendo Surpasses 139 Million Switch Sales
The ultra-successful console will be Nintendo’s ‘main business’ throughout 2024, according to the company's president.
By Adrianna Nine February 7, 2024
https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/nint ... itch-sales

Nintendo has officially sold more than 139 million Switch units since the console was introduced in 2017. The company published its Q4 2023 financial results on Tuesday, revealing the extent to which the Switch continues to dominate the console gaming market. The earnings report puts Switch sales at 139.36 million units as of Dec. 31, 2023. That’s a 6.9 million-unit increase from November 2023. Q4 often holds promise for video game companies as consumers hunt down holiday gifts; still, the report notes that hardware sales performed 3.3% better than Nintendo forecasted.

[wjfox]

Sony misses PS5 sales target as console enters ‘latter stage of its life cycle’

Feb 14, 2024, 9:46 AM GMT

Sony now expects to sell 4 million fewer PS5 consoles in its 2023 fiscal year ending March 31st compared to previous projections, Bloomberg reports. The revision came as part of today’s third-quarter earnings release which saw Sony lower the PS5 sales forecast from the 25 million consoles it expected to sell down to 21 million.

While PS5 sales were up in Sony’s third quarter, increasing to 8.2 million units from 6.3 million in the same quarter the previous year, Bloomberg notes that this was roughly a million units lower than it had previously projected. That’s despite the release of the big first-party title Spider-Man 2, strong sales of third-party titles, and the launch of a new slimmer PS5 in November.

In its third quarter, Sony’s gaming revenue was up 16 percent versus the same period the previous year, sitting at 1.4 trillion yen (around $9.3 billion), but operating income was down 26 percent to 86.1 billion yen (around $572 million) due to promotions in the third quarter ending on December 31st.

According to Sony, the company plans to emphasize profitability over unit sales as the console approaches its fourth birthday. “Looking ahead, PS5 will enter the latter stage of its life cycle,” said Sony senior vice president Naomi Matsuoka in comments reported by Bloomberg. “As such, we will put more emphasis on the balance between profitability and sales. For this reason, we expect the annual sales pace of PS5 hardware will start falling from the next fiscal year.” Sony added it has no plans to release “any new major existing franchise titles” in its next fiscal year.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/14/2407 ... 3-earnings



The original PS5 next to last year’s slimmer redesign. Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

[weatheriscool]

Lian Li Shows Off Gaming Desk With Built-in Transparent OLED Display
The see-through panel can function as a second display, or just something to set the mood.
By Josh Norem February 15, 2024

https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/lian ... ed-display

It's starting to look like 2024 will be the year that transparent OLED panels will come into prominence. Though we've previously heard of their arrival in both TVs and possibly even laptops, now Lian Li is showing off one built into the top of its new gaming desk. The desk also functions as a PC case that can hold two builds simultaneously, so adding an OLED panel on top takes it to the next level in gaming desks.

The company announced the new prototype version of its motorized gaming desk, DK-07. The previous version, DK-05, included the ability to toggle the glass on top of it from opaque to transparent. With the new version, it's been replaced by a transparent 30-inch OLED display from LG. The new display fits under the desk's glass—and it doesn't cover the entire area because it's not the same size, so it only covers the top portion. In a video promoting the DK-07, the display shows waves crashing atop the hardware installed below, creating a unique effect that's certainly a first for a desktop PC slash gaming desk.

[wjfox]

PlayStation to axe 900 jobs and close London studio

39 minutes ago

Sony has announced it will lay off 8% of PlayStation employees globally, amounting to approximately 900 people.

In addition to cuts in the US and Japan, the gaming giant said this would mean closing PlayStation's London Studio entirely.

In a blog post sharing an email sent to employees, boss Jim Ryan called the move "sad news" and said it was "a difficult day at our company".

"We have concluded that tough decisions have become inevitable," he said.

"The leadership team and I made the incredibly difficult decision to restructure operations, which regrettably includes a reduction in our workforce impacting very talented individuals who have contributed to our success."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-68404704

[weatheriscool]

We Finally Have Specs for the PS5 Pro
Though details leaked Thursday, additional sources are just now confirming the specs are accurate.
By Adrianna Nine March 18, 2024

https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/we-f ... he-ps5-pro
After two years of speculation and false starts, we finally have details about the PlayStation 5 Pro model's internals. The console's most powerful iteration is expected to launch sometime in Q4 2024, just in time for the holidays.

The PS5 Pro's specs first leaked Thursday via the YouTube channel Moore's Law Is Dead. According to the channel's sources, the upcoming "high-end version" of the PS5 (codenamed "Trinity") features a larger GPU with 45% faster rendering than the current console. Most notable, however, was the sources' assertion that the PS5 Pro would boast 67 teraflops of 16-bit floating point calculations or 33.5 teraflops of 32-bit floating point precision. Compared with the current PS5, that's a 45% rendering performance improvement—if the video's sources are correct.

[weatheriscool]

5 video games we wanna smell, now that it's kinda possible with GameScent
By Michael Irving
March 19, 2024

https://newatlas.com/games/gamescent-5- ... lds-smell/
Games are onslaughts of sight and sound, and with rumbling controllers, even touch. But have you ever wondered what all 1,000+ Pokémon smell like? Because we have. With the news of a weird device called GameScent, we’ve rounded up a list of which game worlds we’re most curious to get a whiff of – for better or worse.

With its hexagonal shape and gaudy lights, the GameScent itself looks right at home among other gaming peripherals. It’s basically a diffuser that puffs out different smell canisters based on what’s happening on screen – whether that’s games, or even just TV and movies. Scents vary from pleasant, like Forest, Ocean and Storm, to questionable, like Gunfire, Explosions and yes, Blood. The idea is to help immerse you in the game (or movie) world, apparently thanks to AI that figures out what smell is needed by listening to the audio.

[Tadasuke]

PS5 Pro with +40% performance, 16 GB of RAM and 2 TB SSD in November 2024 for $599.

Xbox something in November 2027 with 3x XSX performance, 32 GB of RAM and 3 TB SD for $599.

PS6 in November 2028 with 2x PS5 Pro performance, 32 GB of RAM and 4 TB SSD for $599.

Switch 2 in April 2025 with 10x Switch performance, 12 GB RAM, 7.2" screen and 256 GB of built-in storage for $399. It is going to be the most significant new console.

And forget about VR, it is not for Millenials, we were born too early.

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

Nintendo Switch 2 Could Be Announced This Week: Rumor
After an upcoming remaster was said to be compatible with 'Nintendo platforms,' fans began to speculate that the Switch 2 announcement would come before Nintendo's Nov. 5 earnings report.
By Adrianna Nine October 28, 2024

We could finally be mere days away from the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal we've been waiting for. Based on a Yooka-Laylee announcement and Nintendo's impending earnings report, fans believe the company is preparing to show off the successor to the beloved Nintendo Switch.

The rumor began Thursday with a trailer for Yooka-Replaylee, the remastered version of Playtonic's 2017 title Yooka-Laylee. Per Playtonic, the refresh integrates new challenges, world maps, and camera controls, as well as enhanced graphics. At the end of the trailer, though, the developer lists the game as compatible with Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC, and Nintendo—not Nintendo Switch. Playtonic's trailer also plops a pair of animated eyeballs on top of the Nintendo logo, indicating that fans should pay attention to its lack of console specificity. Other Playtonic marketing materials note that the game is compatible with "Nintendo platform

s."

https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/nint ... week-rumor

[weatheriscool]

Leaked PS5 Pro Manual Confirms 16.7 TFLOPS GPU and 16GB VRAM
The PS5 Pro launches on Nov. 7 with 50 enhanced games.
By Ryan Whitwam November 4, 2024
https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/leak ... -16gb-vram

Sony will officially launch the PlayStation 5 Pro on Nov. 7, but you don't have to wait to get all the details. Units have reached a few doorsteps early, and the internet has seen that the documentation has been spread far and wide. We now know the capabilities of the upgraded hardware, and Sony promises those improvements will be put to the test with 50 games enhanced for PS5 Pro on launch day.

The $699 PS5 Pro looks a lot like the existing versions of the console, save for the racing stripes down the side. That's not what makes the PS5 Pro fast, though. Most of the credit goes to the new processor. It's still based on the Zen 2 architecture, with eight CPU cores and 16 threads. The clock speed is higher, but the leaked document does not list the number. The integrated Radeon GPU is getting much more capable, with 16.7 TFLOPS of compute. That's a big jump over the 10.6 TFLOPS of the original PS5 but somewhat lower than previous leaks have claimed.

[wjfox]

Hope all the Gen Z'ers who voted for Trump are happy with this.

-----

Console prices could skyrocket by 40% due to Donald Trump’s victory; tariffs could make a PS5 Pro cost up to $1000 USD, experts say

23 hours ago

Donald Trump has once again won the presidency of the United States, and this has some gamers worried. The president has previously targeted this form of entertainment, but the current concern is different: some of his decisions could drastically raise the price of consoles and other gaming hardware.

During his campaign, the controversial politician and businessman made several promises, one of which involves the Chinese market, one of the largest in the world. Donald Trump stated that if he won, he would impose a 60% base tariff on imports from China.

As expected, this measure would immediately impact the price of various consumer products, including a wide range of electronics such as consoles. Experts painted a concerning scenario, claiming that the PS5 Pro could cost up to $1000 USD if Trump follows through on his promise.

According to reports, the tariffs on Chinese imports would affect the cost of laptops, which could see prices increase by nearly 50%. Gamers also have reason to be concerned, as consoles could experience a similar increase. It’s estimated that prices could rise by around 40%.

From Trump’s perspective, the fixed tax would help boost the U.S. manufacturing industry. However, it would impact the prices of products from China. In response, the Consumer Technology Association conducted a study to simulate and measure the potential impact of a 60% base tariff on electronics like consoles, computers, smartphones, and more.

https://www.levelup.com/en/news/810189/ ... xperts-say

[wjfox]

Nintendo Switch 2 release date rumours: January reveal and March 2025 launch for new console

Saqib Shah
3 hours ago

The Switch 2 rumour mill has reignited after months of quiet with a tantalising new reveal.

According to the latest rumours, Nintendo plans to announce its new console in January 2025 and release it in March.

The information comes from two online posts shared at the weekend by what appear to be separate accounts on the Famiboards gaming forum (a site devoted to Nintendo chatter and leaks) and the Chinese social media platform Weibo, respectively.

For its part, Nintendo has revealed little about the successor to its megahit Switch console. However, it has confirmed that it exists and will be released during the firm’s current fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2025.

https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/gami ... 96113.html

[weatheriscool]

Lenovo Announces New PC Gaming Handhelds: Legion Go 2, Go S
Arriving this May, the Legion Go S is the first authorized third-party handheld to utilize Valve's SteamOS.
By Adrianna Nine January 9, 2025

Lenovo has announced two new iterations on the Legion Go, a PC gaming handheld it released in October 2023. The Legion Go 2 will be a beefier—and likely pricier—version of Lenovo's first-generation device, while the Legion Go S will appeal to gamers interested in a lightweight and budget-friendly option. The Go S will also come in Windows 11 and SteamOS options, making it the first authorized third-party handheld to utilize Valve's operating system.
PC gamers with a soft spot for handhelds tend to like the first-generation Legion Go's detachable controllers and broad 8.8-inch QHD touch screen, so long as they're comfortable with the device's hefty 1.88-pound form factor. (For comparison, the Steam Deck OLED—itself considered fairly bulky—is 1.4 pounds.) Its AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor also helps it perform over the Steam Deck and puts it on par with the ASUS ROG Ally, a similarly-priced competitor. But Lenovo is playing with an even more powerful follow-up to the 15-month-old handheld. The Legion Go 2 is currently just a prototype, but it's got even speedier guts than its predecessor.

https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/ces- ... -go-2-go-s

[weatheriscool]

Leak: Nintendo Switch 2 GPU Could Hit 3.1 TFLOPS When Docked
This would put the console just below the Microsoft Xbox Series S, but DLSS could level the playing field.
By Ryan Whitwam January 15, 2025

https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/leak ... hen-docked
Despite its modest computing power, the Nintendo Switch has become the best-selling current game console. The upcoming Switch 2 will get a big speed boost, but don't expect it to leave other consoles in the dust. With a bit of data mining, one forum user has found processor specifications for the new console. If accurate, this confirms a big update over the original Switch.

The current Nintendo Switch is running on an Nvidia Tegra X1, an Arm chip the company originally designed for its Android-based Shield TV. This chip was blazing fast when it debuted a decade ago, but it's sluggish and inefficient by today's standards. The Switch 2 will reportedly have a new Tegra processor known internally as the Tegra 239, Nvidia's first consumer-facing Arm processor since the X1.

The newly uncovered information suggests the Switch 2 processor GPU will have a clock speed of 561MHz in handheld mode and 1,000MHz when docked. At peak speed, the Tegra chip in the Switch 2 should be able to pump out 3.1 TFLOPS of compute. The original Switch managed to hit around 500 GFLOPS (0.5 TFLOPS), so the Switch 2 is set to be much more capable.