Respawn Entertainment's CEO has said that the PS5 Pro's controversial price is "not that bad" as he teases the next Battlefield game.

Speaking in a recent interview with IGN, the Head of Respawn & Group GM for EA Studios Organization Vince Zampella confirmed that the series' next major title will return to a modern setting.

"I mean, if you look back to the peak or the pinnacle of Battlefield, it's that Battlefield 3... Battlefield 4 era where everything was modern," Zampella said. "And I think we have to get back to the core of what Battlefield is and do that amazingly well, and then we'll see where it goes from there.

"But I think for me, it's that peak of Battlefield-ness is in that Battlefield 3 and 4 days. So I think it's nostalgic for players, for me, for the teams even. Those are kind of the heyday...although I would say 1942 also."

Zampella was then asked for his reaction to the PS5 Pro reveal and how EA will go about utilizing Sony's mid-generation console, saying that he's sure the Battlefield team could "do cooler things on it".

"I mean, we're not out yet, so does it really help us? Not right now," he said. "Can we do cooler things on it? Sure. I guess we'll see. As we see what the adoption is, we'll see how much it really affects us. We have to make a game that runs on everything, so it'll just be like, what can we plus up on something like that, pun intended."

In terms of the console's steep price, which will cost $699.99 / £699.99 - not including the additional disk drive accessory - the CEO admitted that it's expensive for some people but that it "makes sense".

"I mean, I think it's expected and anything that gets us better performance for the people that really love it," Zampella said. "To me, it's an amazing thing. I was watching something on it where the price... where they look at is it the most expensive. And it really isn't."

Zampella continued, saying that the PS5 Pro is just as expensive as older generation consoles and has probably been adjusted due to inflation.

"So it at first seemed a little shocking, but it's kind of like, it's actually not that bad. And if you get a $700 PC, you're not getting the same performance that you're getting out of it," he said.

"So I mean, it's a balance. Is it expensive for people? Absolutely. Not everybody will be able to afford it. Would it be better if it was cheaper? Sure. I want more people to have it. But it makes sense, really."

Sony has confirmed that the PS5 Pro will launch globally on November 7, 2024, with pre-orders set to begin on September 26.

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Corsair has announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the sim racing brand Fanatec.

The agreement was officially signed on September 16 with the deal set to formally close within the week, making Corsair the new owner of the hardware brand and all associated personnel, in an asset purchase from Endor AG.

Fanatec is one of the leading brands for dedicated sim racing hardware located in Landshut, Germany, specializing in steering wheels and wheelbases, pedals, shifters, and other accessories for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC-based racing simulators.

Corsair announced its plans to acquire the German company back in May, with Endor now reporting that Fanatec product sales were approximately $110 million for 2023.

"We have been a fan of the Fanatec brand for years, and I am thrilled that we were finally chosen to be the next home for Fanatec products," said Andy Paul, CEO of Corsair in a Business Wire press release. "We intend to use our extensive supply chain and logistics network to reduce operating costs, enhance users’ customer service experience, increase sales opportunities, and help the business return to profitability."

Fantatec has reportedly seen a massive growth in the last five years due to the ongoing interest in on-track racing and motorsports in gaming. According to Business Wire, industry analysts estimate that the Sim Racing components market is now at $1 billion, with an expected 20 percent annual growth rate.

"We intend to maintain the core business in Landshut while expanding its position as a world-class product development center for Sim Racing products," Paul continued. "With a strong two-decade legacy, Fanatec is recognized as a pioneer and a mainstay for racing enthusiasts across the globe, and we look forward to building on that heritage as we leverage Corsair’s long track record of product innovation and customer experience leadership."

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AMD has allegedly won out against Intel in the PS6 chip battle, meaning the manufacturer will continue to provide Sony with internal components for its next-generation console.

That's according to Reuters, who state in a new PS6 report that AMD has been contracted by Sony for the design and fabrication of the chip for the next generation of PlayStation console. Sources claim that the deal was secured in 2022, with AMD winning out against rival chip manufacturer Intel in the bidding process.

It seems like the decision making process eventually whittled down to both AMD and Intel. However, it's possible that backwards compatibility for PS6 may have been the deciding factor.

"Moving from AMD, which made the PlayStation 5 chip, to Intel would have risked backwards compatibility, which was a subject of discussion between Intel and Sony engineers and executives," says the report.

It continues: "ensuring backward compatibility with prior versions of the PlayStation would have been costly and taken engineering resources. Allowing PlayStation users to play games they have purchased for older systems is a feature Sony often includes in a next-generation system."

We don't yet know the extent of Sony's plans for backwards compatibility on PS6 yet, and we probably won't for a number of years yet. But according to the report, it seems that Sony is keen to carry over support for the best PS5 games and - hopefully - older generations including PS4.

Backwards compatibility aside, sticking with AMD seems like the safe bet here. The California-based manufacturer provided the chips for both PS5 and Xbox Series consoles. Thus, it's safe to say the company is more comfortable with console hardware.

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With the reveal of the PS5 Pro and its slated release date, you may be thinking the PS5 (now in its Slim form), along with the digital-only version, is poised for a price cut. 

This November will see the PS5 — and indeed its contemporary the Xbox Series X — reach its fourth year around the Sun. That’s not old in gaming console terms, but it’s not young either; we’re arguably right on the mid-generation point. But through the past quartet of years, we’ve not seen the PS5 drop in standard retail price. In fact, quite the opposite. 

Even after the introduction of the PS5 Slim, the console didn’t get a price cut, unlike similar models in the PS4 era. The PS4 Pro was launched at a price of $399 / £349 / AU$560, the same price as the launch PS4, and the original console was repackaged into a PS4 Slim and came with a reduced price of $299 / £259 / AU$560. So there was a choice of more power for the original price of a PS4, or the same graphics grunt for less. But that was back in 2016, and times were rather different. 

Skip to late 2020, and the vast demand for PS5 was compounded by people being stuck inside due to the coronavirus pandemic, and catalyzed by Sony struggling to make enough units due to COVID-19 restrictions and their effect on manufacturing — I remember seeing some ridiculous prices set by scalpers and resellers. 

So no price cut was on the cards during those dark years. Then came the sucker punch of a price rise in select regions: the U.S. avoided one, but in the UK and Australia the price jumped from £449.99 / AU$749.95 to £479.99 / AU$799.95. Heck, in Japan the PS5 has seen three price rises since 2020. 

Given the PS5 games library has arguably not expanded as rapidly as the previous generation’s and the myriad cross-gen games that were released well into the PS5’s current lifespan, this price jump stung. 

And I don’t think that sting is going away. 

Don't expect a big PS5 price cut

Rather we’re now in a sort of 'new normal' for consoles, games, and other consumer electronics that are now more expensive than ever and likely outpacing inflation.

The pricing of the PS5 Pro is evidence of that. It’s open to debate but Sony is asking a lot for a machine that’s not a next-gen console. The PS5 Pro pre-order price of $699.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,200 is around the price of an entry-level gaming PC, which offers a far more open gaming experience.

Equally, I think the PS5 Pro is aimed at 'serious' gaming and PlayStation enthusiasts who want the very best frame rates and graphics from consoles and those who want the most performant version of the platform of their choice. Think of people who've got setups with some of the best OLED TVs and best soundbars and want a powerful console as the gaming heart.

But I don’t see the PS5 dropping in price as a result of the Pro, especially given the price gap between it and the Pro, and who the latter is seemingly aimed at. Equally, Sony arguably doesn’t need to, as there’s still a healthy appetite for the PS5.

So is it all doom and gloom for people after a discount PS5? Well, not quite.

You could save a bundle on bundles 

Having covered this generation of consoles for the past few years, I think we’ll see deals, offers, and discounts on PS5 bundles. 

These could see healthy cuts in prices for sales events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, especially if retailers like Best Buy and Currys want to clear out bundles with older games. Take a look at the widget below that'll flag the best PS5 deals in your area. 

Equally, I’ve seen the PS5 occasionally get a $50/£50 discount. So I fully expect those to continue, maybe getting a little more generous and upping that to some $100 / £100 / AU$150, especially as we approach the Black Friday PS5 deals in November.

Yet I’m afraid the days of scoring a PlayStation for a couple of hundred dollars or pounds deeper into its lifecycle are over.

That’s a shame, but from my time with the PS5, I still think it’s a great console with a strong library, healthy back catalog, a slick interface, and a great and innovative controller that all make it worth the price. So if you’re after one, don’t fret too much about the deals and just grab a PS5 — I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

More on the PS5 Pro...

• PS5 Pro reveal analysis - 5 things we learned about the next PlayStation console
• PS5 Pro specs: how powerful the new PlayStation 5 console is, and how it compares to the PS5
• PS5 Pro games list: all of the PS5 Pro enhanced titles confirmed so far

FromSoftware has released a new update for Elden Ring which introduces a number of adjustments to Shadow of the Erdtree's final boss.

Promised Consort Radahn is generally considered to be the toughest foe in the expansion by players who have managed to come face-to-face with him, so some who have been having trouble with him will be glad to know that the final boss has now been considerably nerfed.

As detailed in the patch notes for version 1.14, FromSoftware has changed the action pattern of the boss when the battle first starts - which could mean he'll no longer dive headfirst towards you when you enter the arena - and some attack moves have also been adjusted, though it's not mentioned which ones.

Some of Radahn's attacks have also been reduced in damage and stamina, as well as the attack range of some non-weapon-based attacks, which could mean his phase three abilities, and the visibility of some attack effects have been improved.

Aside from the highlight of the patch, the update has also made adjustments to PvP equipment and skills, while a selection of base game equipment, incantations, and spells have received their usual tweaks.

Elden Ring - Version 1.14 Patch Notes:

Final Boss Adjustments

• Changed the action pattern when the battle starts
• Adjusted some attack moves
• Decreased the damage of some attacks
• Decreased stamina damage of some attacks
• Decreased the attack range of some non-weapon-based attacks
• Improved the visibility of some attack effects

PvP-exclusive balance adjustments

Equipment:

• Decreased the damage of Backhand Blades against other players (The Smithscript Cirque's throwing attacks are not affected by this change)
• Decreased the damage of Spears’ dual wield attacks against other players
• Decreased the damage of the Pata weapon against other players
• The “Spread Crossbow” weapon will no longer cause the headshot damage motion when hitting another player

Skill:

Scattershot Throw

• Decreased damage against other players
• This skill will no longer cause the headshot damage motion when hitting another player

Discus Hurl

• Decreased the damage animation value generated by this skill when hitting another player

Weed Cutter

• Decreased the poise value of follow-up attacks when using this skill against other players

General balance adjustments

Equipement:

• Increased the attack speed of the uncharged version of the first heavy attack for the following weapon types:
  Dagger / Throwing Blade / Straight Sword / Great Sword / Colossal Sword / Heavy Thrusting Sword / Curved Sword / Twinblade Sword / Katana / Great Katana / Axe / Flail / Great Spear(Except Serpent-Hunter) / Halberd / Reaper / Whip (Except Urumi) / Hand-to-Hand Arts / Beast Claw.
• After performing left handed attacks with weapons of the Great Katana category, cancelling into subsequent attacks using the right handed weapon will now take longer.

Hand-to-Hand Arts weapon type

• Increased damage
• Shortened the recovery time between some normal attacks and follow-up attacks

Colossal Sword weapon type

• Increased the move distance when attacking
• Increased the speed of the first normal attack

Backhand Blade weapon type

• Decreased the attack speed of normal attacks from a crouching position

Small Shield and Medium Shield weapon types

• Increased the damage negation of some shields when blocking physical attacks
• Increased the guard strength of some shields

• It will now take longer to be able to cancel into most actions after performing one-handed normal attacks with the Swift Spear.
• Extended the Smithscript Dagger’s throwing attacks range.
• Increased the attribute scaling of Rellana's Twinblade for lower Intelligence and Faith attributes.

Rellana’s Cameo Talisman

• Reduced the delay before the damage enhancement activates
• Increased damage enhancement

Weapon Arts

Light

• Increased attack speed

Darkness

• Increased attack speed

Dynastic Sickleplay

• Reduced stamina consumption
• Increased poise damage of follow-up heavy attacks
• Increased the movement distance of the first follow-up heavy attack
• Adjusted the damage animation recovery time when the second follow-up heavy attack hits another player

Shield Strike

• Cancelling other actions to perform this weapon art will now take longer

Moon-and-Fire Stance

• Increased the light wave range, poise damage, and attack speed of the stance’s normal attack
• Increased the poise damage from the stance’s heavy attack
• Adjusted the damage animation recovery time when a stance’s heavy attack hits another player

Devonia's Vortex

• Increased attack power
• Extended the attack range of the Great Hammer’s spin
• Increased poise value and poise generation speed
• Adjusted the damage animation recovery time when a charged attack hits another player

Spell

Rellana's Twin Moons

• Increased attack range for the first and second attacks
• Reduced the knockback distance of the second attack

Incantation

Aspects of the Crucible: Thorns

• Increased attack power
• Increased attack power, stamina attack power against guarding enemies
• The close-range hitbox now follows the movement of the player

Aspects of the Crucible: Bloom

• Increased attack speed, increased size of the hitbox
• Shortened recovery time between using this incantation and follow-up actions

Divine Bird Feathers

• Decreased the minimum delay between consecutive hits
• Increased range

Furious Blade of Ansbach

• Cancelling this incantation into rolls will now take less time
• Increased poise damage
• Increased enemy knockback distance

Midra's Flame of Frenzy

• Increased attack speed
• Increased Frenzy status buildup range against enemies
• Decreased Frenzy status buildup when using this skill

Bayle's Flame Lightning

• Increased attack power

Bug Fixes

• Black Pyreflies items will now correctly reappear when resting at a site of grace.
• Fixed a bug where performing a Light Greatsword heavy attack while jumping did not consume stamina.
• Fixed a bug where unintended Weapon Skills could be used when equipping the Ballista in the left hand.
• Fixed a bug that caused critical hit damage dealt to Taylew the Golem Smith when using certain weapons the be lower than intended.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the player from acquiring runes when an enemy was killed while holding a shield.
• Fixed a bug where casting the Inescapable Frenzy Incantation using the Staff of the Great Beyond would cause its hitbox to be generated incorrectly.
• Fixed a bug where whiffed backstabs with the Pata weapon had a smaller fist hitbox that intended.
• Fixed a bug where some attacks of the Lizard Greatsword weren’t registered as strike attacks.
• Fixed a bug where Euporia could increase the attack power of other weapons when its luster is restored.
• Fixed a bug where the restored luster effect of Euporia was sometimes displayed on different weapons.
• Fixed a bug where the power of some Weapon Skills of a right-handed Falx changed depending on the level of the weapon equipped in the left hand.
• Fixed a bug where the enchantment effects of certain skills were being applied to some attacks that did not use weapons.
• Fixed a bug that could cause incorrect player motions to be performed when using lock-on for the following Skills.
• Wild Strikes / Spinning Strikes / Unending Dance
• Fixed a bug that caused the Rolling Sparks Skill to go through some terrain.
• Fixed a bug where the Blades of Stone Spell did not hit targets at a different height level correctly.
• Fixed a bug where some attacks of the Bayle’s Tyranny Incantation did not hit multiple enemies.
• Fixed a bug that caused the attack of the Bayle’s Tyranny Incantation to go through certain terrain.
• Fixed a bug where Godfrey’s Icon Talisman did not apply to some Skills, Spells, and Incantations.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the player from becoming translucent when the Crepus’ Vial Talisman is equipped and the Unseen Form Spell is used.
• Fixed a bug where the hitboxes of some attacks of Rellana, Twin Moon Knight were different than intended.
• Fixed a bug where the “Leave” option could not be selected in the inventory menu for some equipment.
• Fixed a bug that made some Site of Graces difficult to touch under certain circumstances.
• Fixed a bug in some areas where the invasion spawn-in position was different than intended.
• Fixed a bug where the displayed name of certain areas was different than intended.
• Fixed a bug in which, under certain circumstances, the combat state was not released after defeating an invading NPC.
• Fixed a bug that prevented some effects from being displayed correctly.
• Fixed a bug where the Watchful Spirit Incantation’s attacks were sometimes invisible to other players in multiplayer.
• Fixed a bug where the effects of some tools and incantations were not correctly applied when trying to deflect or cancel.
• Several performance improvements and other bug fixes
• Corrected a descriptive error in the game’s credit that was incorrectly added in patch 1.12

Possible unstable performance fixes

• For the PS5 version of the game, unstable framerate may be improved by using the "Rebuild Database" option from the device’s safe mode. 
• In some PC versions, Ray Tracing may be unintentionally enabled and cause unstable performance. Please check the Ray Tracing setting in the "System" > "Graphics " > "Ray Tracing Quality" from the title screen or in-game menu.
• In the PC version, the message "Inappropriate activity detected" may appear without cheating. To fix this issue, please verify the integrity of the game's files before restarting the game.
• In the PC version, unstable framerate may be caused by third party applications that control mouse behavior.  Deactivating these third party applications may improve performance.

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BioWare has announced that Dragon Age: The Veilguard will feature photo mode at launch.

This makes The Veilguard the first game in the Dragon Age series to have photo mode at launch, a feature fans have been hoping for. This means players won't have to install third-party applications to capture their favorite moments in the upcoming game.

The new photo mode will come with all the tools that players may be familiar with from other modern releases, like Horizon Forbidden West and Spider-Man 2. It will feature a free-roaming camera, autofocus, the ability to hide the player, the party, enemies, and NPCs, as well as customize the screenshots settings like brightness and saturation.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard photo mode features:

• Free-roaming camera, tilt, focal length, and lens distortion
• Depth of Field
• Auto Focus
• Distance
• F-Stop, which lets you control the lighting
• Vignette mode, which darkens the edge of the screen and gives it a more cinematic look
• Bloom strength
• Saturation, brightness, and contrast
• The ability to hide the player, the party, enemies, or NPCs

Speaking to IGN, game director Corinne Busche gave The Veilguard's photo mode credit to Mass Effect: The Legendary Edition's technical design director Brenon Holmes, saying he helped implement it into the game.

"Not only did he drive this feature, he did a lot of the work to support it," Busche said. "What I really like is the tab that lets you hide various characters. So hide character, hide party, hide enemies, hide NPCs. You can really curate the shot to your liking...You might be mid-fight with a dragon, but there’s a character in the way, so you can clear them out."

Dragon Age: The Veilguard launches on October 31 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

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Developer Rebellion has revealed brand-new Atomfall merchandise ahead of its 2025 release.

The survival-action game may not be arriving until next March, but that doesn't mean fans can't already secure some exclusive merch ahead of time.

Today, the indie studio behind Sniper Elite: Resistance and Zombie Army announced the Atomfall Survival Pack, a unique merchandise bundle inspired by the upcoming single-player game.

Starting today and running until October 11, fans can preorder the bundle for £89.99 (around $116.99) to get their hands on some limited-time goodies that will ship when the game launches next year.

The Atomfall Survival Pack is bundled within a Tin Box Cache Replica and comes featured with some decorative items like a poster and postcards, a badge, a diorama, and more.

Those who preorder the limited-time pack will also receive exclusive downloadable content (DLC) including the metal detector cosmetic skin which can be redeemed at launch. It's important to note that the Atomfall Survival Pack does not come with a copy of the game.

Atomfall Survival Pack includes:

• Diorama – a 20cm diorama of the classic British red phone box
• Postcards – A perfect way to treasure your idyllic visit to the village of Wyndham with its rolling green hills and friendly locals.
• Tin Box Cache Replica – Store your survival necessities in this replica cache measuring 20 x 14 x 7cm
• The Old Bridge Beer Mat– A local favourite
• BARD Pin badge – An essential for any member of the British Atomic Research Department
• Poster – Help keep your community safe and educate your neighbours on the dangers of playing with robots
• British flag Rosette – Carry on and show your national pride
• 3 x Skill patches – Display your newly learnt skills
• Exclusive DLC – Cosmetic metal detector skin (will be emailed in March 2025 to a provided email address)

Atomfall, which was first announced as part of the Xbox Games Showcase in June, is coming to PS5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and is a first-person survival game inspired by the real-life events set five years after the Windscale nuclear disaster in Northern England.

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The latest PS5 software update is easily one of the current-gen console's biggest yet - adding customizable home screens, adaptive controller charging and much more. This is likely as a means to refresh the system's UI and features ahead of PS5 Pro's November 7 launch.

The details are available to read over at the official PlayStation Blog which states that the latest update will be rolling out worldwide over the coming weeks, beginning for select users in the US today.

Headlining the new additions is the all-new Welcome Hub. This is something of an improvement over the previous Explore tab which is now being phased out. The Welcome Hub acts as a fully customizable central point on your PS5's dashboard.

You'll be able to fill the hub with various widgets including Trophy tracking, a battery life monitor (for DualSense, DualSense Edge and PSVR 2 Sense controllers), friends list, wishlist and accessibility features. Better yet, the Welcome Hub will let you choose backgrounds for your PS5 dashboard. Sony says there are some animated presets, but you'll also be able to use a screenshot from your media gallery much like on Xbox Series X and Series S.

Another big feature is adaptive controller charging. This will be supported on PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro only (sorry, launch console owners), and lets users set how much charge will be supplied to controllers while the console is in rest mode. This new 'Adaptive' charge setting seems to only supply power to your controllers as long as they need charging, meaning it'll stop once they're fully topped up.

Other new additions with this update include 3D audio profile customization for PS5 headsets and earbuds, enabling Remote Play for specific users, and the ability to party share on external social media apps such as WhatsApp or Discord.

This latest PS5 update will be rolling out to all users over the coming weeks, according to Sony. So if you're not receiving an update today, it could be that you'll need to wait a little bit longer for it to roll out in your region.

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A new PlayStation handheld console could be in development.

Earlier this year, YouTuber Tom aka Moore's Law Is Dead released a video where he shared the specs for the PS5 Pro, and although they were later verified by IGN, at the time, the leaker's claims were generally considered unreliable.

However, now that we have confirmation of the leaked specs from Sony itself following the official reveal of the PS5 Pro, the information also lends credence to the YouTuber's other claims about a new PlayStation handheld that is supposedly in the works (via TheGamer).

In the same video, Tom also claimed that Sony was partnering with AMD to make a new handheld device that could potentially be the successor to the PS Vita.

The claims initially went under the radar when they were first reported back in March, but have now cropped back up following Sony's PlayStation 5 Technical Presentation.

At the time, Tom reported that the handheld had not been greenlit for launch, which means that the device could be scrapped before Sony makes the project public.

The YouTuber claimed that the console was in the 'High-Level Design' phase, suggesting that Sony is still considering the concept and has "not decided what it [looked] like", with Tom explaining that he could not guarantee a launch and that it could be two years away at least.

Tom also stated that he spoke to developers who said that the console "could utilize 18 CUs", meaning that it could run digital PS4 games, similar to the Steam Deck, and possibly some PS5 games if there was a "Pro-like patch".

Sony has yet to officially announce a successor to the PS Vita, but it has now confirmed that the PS5 Pro will launch globally on November 7, 2024, with pre-orders set to begin on September 26.

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Microsoft is laying off another 650 employees from its Xbox gaming workforce.

As reported by IGN, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer sent a memo to staff members today, September 12, informing them that the decision was made to "organize our business for long term success" and will mostly affect corporate and support functions.

"For the past year, our goal has been to minimize disruption while welcoming new teams and enabling them to do their best work," Spencer wrote. "As part of aligning our post-acquisition team structure and managing our business, we have made the decision to eliminate approximately 650 roles across Microsoft Gaming — mostly corporate and supporting functions — to organize our business for long term success.

"I know that this is difficult news to hear. We are deeply grateful for the contributions of our colleagues who are learning they are impacted. In the U.S., we’re supporting them with exit packages that include severance, extended healthcare, and outplacement services to help with their transition; outside the U.S. packages will differ according to location."

Spencer explained that the changes will also impact other team "as they adapt to shifting priorities and manage the lifecycle and performance of games", but confirmed that no games, devices, or experiences have been canceled, and no studios will be closing.

"With these changes, our corporate and supporting teams and resources are aligned for sustainable future growth, and can better support our studio teams and business units with programs and resources that can scale to meet their needs," the Xbox boss said.

"Separately, as part of running the business, there are some impacts to other teams as they adapt to shifting priorities and manage the lifecycle and performance of games. No games, devices or experiences are being cancelled and no studios are being closed as part of these adjustments today."

Spencer continued, writing that today is a challenging day and that the changes will be hard, "but even in the most trying times, this team has been able to come together and show one another care and kindness as we work to continue delivering for our players."

"We appreciate your support as we navigate these changes and we thank you for your compassion and respect for each other," Spencer added.

Earlier this year, Microsoft laid off 1,900 members of staff across Xbox, Activision Blizzard, and ZeniMax teams so it could align itself "on the best opportunities for growth" following its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year.

This was the beginning of a string of other job cuts as Microsoft later shuttered four Bethesda Softworks studios including Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, Redfall's Arkane Austin, Roundhouse Studios, and Alpha Dog Games.

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Despite the high price of the PS5 Pro, Sony's new mid-generation console could sell just as well as the PS4 Pro.

That's according to research firm Ampere Analysis (via VGC) that determined that the PS5 Pro sales will reach a similar level to the enhanced version of the PS4, and expects the console to sell up to 1.3 million units during its November 2024 launch window, compared to the PS4 Pro's 1.7 million in 2016.

"The price point of the PS5 Pro will inevitably cause a lot of commentary," said Piers Harding-Rolls, research director for games at Ampere Analysis. "The price point differential between the PS5 and PS5 Pro is between 40-50%, which is significantly more than the differential between the PS4 and PS4 Pro at launch.

"In the US, the PS4 Pro launched at $399 and the slim PS4 was $299 at the time, a 33% differential. Additionally, the slim PS4 had a retail price of $299 having dropped from the original PS4 launch price of $399."

Sony has confirmed that the PS5 Pro will cost $699.99 / £699.99 and around AU$1052.99, which represents a price gap of $200 / £200 / AU$253.99 between the Pro and the now-base version of the PS5. This will make it Sony's most expensive piece of gaming console hardware to date.

Harding-Rolls added that even though the PS5 Pro is costly, this won't stop PlayStation fans from buying the console, saying, "we expect the price point to soften demand with some consumers, but for PlayStation enthusiasts the pricing is less of a consideration."

The PS4 Pro's lifetime sales reached 14.5m units, around 12% of total PS4 sales and Harding-Rolls estimates a "similar dynamic for the PS5 Pro, with the expectation that it will sell-through around 13m units by 2029."

The PS5 Pro launches globally on November 7, 2024, with pre-orders set to begin on September 26.

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Microsoft is currently testing Xbox 360-style friend requests on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One.

Microsoft announced the news via its official Xbox X / Twitter account which stated it plans to reintroduce the older friend request system. Screenshots accompanying the post-show that there will be a menu within the 'People' tab that shows friend requests you've both sent and received. Players will also have the option to adjust friend requests via their privacy settings or turn the feature off entirely should they prefer.

The accompanying Xbox Wire post explains that this friend request system is currently being tested within the Xbox Insider program for Alpha Skip-Ahead users specifically, and Xbox expects to share more information on a full rollout of the feature sometime this year.

For those potentially worried about losing their friends lists when the update is made, Xbox reassures in a follow-up post that: "your existing mutual friends will update automatically with this change once we roll it out. You'll stay friends with people who had also added you as a friend previously and continue following anyone who hadn't."

Xbox confirms that the follower system will still remain in place and work as it always has. However, friend requests will act as a "two-way, invite-approved relationship," thus giving players a lot more control over their Xbox mutuals. I can imagine many disabling the follower features entirely in favor of a more tried-and-true friend request system.

In other news, Microsoft has revealed more details on its upcoming Xbox Game Pass Standard tier, which does away with 'day one' releases that'll now be exclusive to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier.

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