Blizzard Entertainment and iam8bit have announced a Diablo 4 vinyl soundtrack release.

Pre-orders for the Diablo IV 4xLP box set are now live at the iam8bit official online store and will set you back $100 (around £77).

The four LPs will feature the iconic music from the game from Leo Kaliski, Ted Reedy, Ryan Amon, and Derek Duke. The discs included showcase designs that pay homage to some of the game's classes and named have colors named after classic moves: Grizzly Rage Gold, Grim Harvest Green, Frost Nova Blue, & Rapture Red.

Artist Ryan Brinkerhoff has crafted the album art, celebrating Diablo 4's fighters, with each sleeve paying tribute to a different class’s strength and iconography. The entire set is wrapped up in a gorgeous outer album box.

In addition to four LPs, the box set will also feature an exclusive code for an in-game Mount Trophy that can be redeemed via Battle.net and can be used by all classes.

"Getting around Sanctuary’s no easy task, but it’s a hell of a lot better when you’re looking your best - and nothing’s swankier than a precious ornament for your ride," iam8bit teases. "Whether you’re playing co-op with a friend or fighting online foes, you’ll be able to show off your devotion in style.

The exclusive Diablo IV 4xLP is expected to ship in Q2 2025, meaning buyers should expect their pre-orders to arrive between April and June next year.

Diablo IV launched last year for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. TechRadar Gaming rated the game five out of five stars, with writer Cat Bussell calling it a " meticulously crafted action RPG" that "sets a new standard for isometric, open-world adventures."

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Team Asobi has just released the first Astro Bot DLC level as a completely free update. And better still, there will be more to follow over the next few weeks.

Announced in an official PlayStation Blog post written by director Nicolas Doucet, it's confirmed that the first DLC speedrun level, Building Speed, is available now and should appear in-game when you next update it. In the level, you'll use the Barkster bulldog bot power-up to launch Astro through crates and across precarious platforming challenges.

What's more, Doucet also confirms that four more speedrun challenge levels will arrive one per week over the next month. The release schedule for these is as follows:

• October 17: Building Speed (that's today!)
• October 24: Let it Slide
• October 31: Spring-loaded Run
• November 7: Helium Heights
• November 14: Rising Heat

Being speedrun levels, the goal is naturally to get through them as quickly as possible. Team Asobi has added a new online leaderboard to support this, so you and your PlayStation friends can have fun seeing who can get through each stage the quickest.

Although you will probably want to take your time and smell the mechanical roses on your first outing in these levels, because new bot cameos are being added to each one. In Building Speed, players can expect to run into cute bot renditions of the Helldivers and EVE from Stellar Blade. Doucet teases that more cameos will arrive in future levels, but is remaining understandably tight-lipped on who those could be for now. Though, we may already have an idea if Astro Bot's credits sequence is anything to go by.

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• New Xbox Series X models seem to be slightly more energy efficient according to teardown
• The PS5 Pro version of Dragon Age: The Veilguard will feature ray traced ambient occlusion and other notable enhancements
• The RIG 600 Pro HS gaming headset is getting a makeover thanks to a collab with Wicked Cushions

A teardown video of the two new Xbox Series X models highlight a number of interesting changes, including a smaller system-on-a-chip (SOAC) size and better energy efficiency.

The teardown comes from popular tech YouTuber Austin Evans (via The Verge). In the 16-minute video, Evans highlights an entirely redesigned motherboard inside both the Xbox Series X 2TB model and the digital-only white 1TB model. The consoles' chip has also been reduced in size to just 6 nanometers.

There is also a new cooling system in place for the chip, swapping out the older 1TB model's vapor chamber for a copper heat pipe design that more commonly used in consoles and devices like this. This on its own won't mean much to the average consumer, but something you may find of interest is that both new models seem to be slightly more energy efficient overall.

Evans notes that the original Xbox Series X model operates at 167 watts during gaming sessions. That's been reduced to 156 watts for the all-digital console and - interestingly - a further reduced 151 watts on the new 2TB model. While on standby, the 2TB model consumes 51 watts of power, while the all-digital model sits at just 38 watts. That's an improvement in both cases over the original Series X's 61 watts while idle.

That doesn't sound like a huge drop in the grand scheme of things, but it does point to both consoles being more energy efficient over a longer period of time. Furthermore, it's likely to be a cost-saving measure on Microsoft's part; if the Series X has a good few more years left in its lifecycle, the company will be able to manufacture more over a longer period of time.

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The PS5 Pro version of Dragon Age: The Veilguard will have some enhancements compared to the version on the base console, developer BioWare has confirmed.

The news comes from a blog post on EA's official website written by studio technical director Maciej Kurowski. In addition to global release times and system requirements for its PC version, Kurowski broke down what enhancements players can expect from Dragon Age: The Veilguard on PS5 Pro.

"The game’s Fidelity and Performance modes will both see improvements on the hardware," Kurowski wrote, "including improved resolution in 30fps Fidelity and 60fps Performance modes. Additionally, there will be various improved visual settings across 30fps Fidelity and 60fps Performance mode."

So far it's all things we expected from an enhanced PS5 Pro version, then, but Kurowski goes on to suggest the team is leveraging tech exclusive to Sony's beefed-up $700 console. Here, Dragon Age: The Veilguard will feature "upgraded image quality thanks to Sony’s new AI-based upscaler, PSSR." Kurowski also confirmed the team has "enabled Raytraced Ambient Occlusion (RTAO) in the 60fps Performance mode, which previously was only available on the base PlayStation 5 with 30fps Fidelity mode."

In summary, Dragon Age: The Veilguard players on PS5 Pro will not only be able to make use of Pro-specific features like PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution for a bump in image quality. They'll also benefit from having technically demanding features like RTAO available at higher framerates. Seemingly, then, you could be getting an experience on PS5 Pro that's similar to that of a fairly high-end PC.

Do take this with a pinch of salt, though; it remains to be seen just how well the game runs on PS5 Pro with all these extra enhancements enabled. There's still a chance for uneven performance even on more powerful hardware; hopefully, BioWare is able to provide an experience fitting of the pricey mid-gen upgrade.

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Craig Duncan, head of Sea of Thieves studio Rare, will take over as the Xbox Game Studios boss later this year.

According to GamesIndustry.biz, Xbox Game Studios' current boss Alan Hartman will retire from the company at the end of November after being in the position for one year.

Duncan, who had led Rare for almost 14 years, has not only worked on the popular first-person, live-service pirate game but also the studio's Kinect titles. He has previously worked at multiple studios like Sumo Digital, Midway, and Codemasters, in different leadership roles over the years.

As the new head of Xbox Game Studios, Duncan will oversee Microsoft's Xbox teams, including the recently renamed Halo Studios, The Coalition, Turn 10, Playground Games, Rare, Obsidian, Ninja Theory, Compulsion Games, The Initiative, Double Fine, InXile, Undead Labs, World's Edge and more.

In his new position, Duncan will report to the president of Game Content and Studios, Matt Booty.

Sea of Thieves executive project, Joe Neate, and Rare studio director, Jim Horth, will replace Duncan at Rare following his departure.

Neate joined the Rare in 2013 after also working at Sumo Digital and Midway, while Horth has worked in several positions at the studio for over 20 years.

"Alan's career has been marked by innovation, dedication, and an unwavering passion for gaming," Booty said in an email to staff.

"Starting as a contractor at Microsoft in the fledgling CD-ROM group in 1988, Alan has worked on a variety of projects in his time here, from Age of Empires, to Brute Force as the studio head of Digital Anvil, to the founding of Turn 10.

"Over the years, Alan, Turn 10 and Playground Games delivered 13 Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon games, building Forza into one of the top racing franchises in the world and regularly pushing the capabilities of our hardware.

"His work to advance accessibility in gaming has set a benchmark for the industry and under his leadership, Xbox Game Studios has shipped multiple critically acclaimed titles this year and set the stage for highly anticipated games like Avowed, South of Midnight, Fable, and more."

Hartman also shared a statement on his LinkedIn, saying, "Being a Studio Head in Gaming is one of the most rewarding and challenging roles in entertainment. I believe it is the best job at Microsoft. I always knew we had immense talent across XGS, but I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy spending time with our studio leaders and their teams.

"It has been an honor to represent XGS, and I truly mean this - a pleasure getting to spend time with all of our studios."

Talking about Duncan's new position as head, Booty added, "In his new role, Craig will continue to focus on helping our studios deliver high-quality, differentiated game experiences that can grow into successful franchises and reach more players by investing in new IP."

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One of the comfiest gaming headsets I've ever tested - the RIG 600 Pro HS - seems like it's about to get even comfier in a new collaboration with ear pad manufacturer Wicked Cushions.

This partnership with Nacon has led to the creation of the RIG 600 Pro HS Acid Camo edition. It's largely identical to the original model, albeit with a slick yellow-on-black camo style paint job and the addition of Wicked Cushions' 'WC PadZ' ear cups.

The RIG 600 Pro HS Acid Camo edition is due to launch on November 1, costing $89.99 which is actually 10 bucks less than the original model. It's also slated to be a GameStop exclusive product, meaning it'll be limited to shoppers in the US at least at launch.

In my review, I named the RIG 600 Pro HS one of the best PS5 headsets of last year, citing superb audio quality, an impressively detailed bass profile and superb comfort as major plus points. Especially as all that came in at a reasonable sub-$100 / £100 retail price. If you live in the US and you're looking for an excellent mid-range headset for less, this might be the model to go for as it's even cheaper than the base model.

Aside from the new paint job and those Wicked Cusions pads, you can expect bass boosted 40mm drivers, 18 hours of battery life via 2.4GHz (or 24 hours via Bluetooth), a flip-to-mute mic and compatibility with the RIG Navigator app for further customization and equalizer settings. While a PS5-facing headset, it's also compatible with PC, mobile, and Nintendo Switch via Bluetooth.

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Sony has announced PlayStation: The Concert, a world tour kicking off next year and featuring music from some of its biggest games.

In collaboration with RoadCo Entertainment, GEA Live, Senbla, and RG Live, PlayStation: The Concert will tour UK arenas in April 2025, calling at Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow, and London.

The global tour will begin with its premiere on April 15, 2025, in Dublin, Ireland, before heading to over 200 cities across Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, and further.

The live music event will feature a state-of-the-art production, merging music and visual technology, and showcase soundtracks from multiple Sony titles, including God of War, The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, and the Horizon series.

Scores from the games' respective composers - Bear McCreary, Gustavo Santaolalla, Ilan Eshkeri, and Joris De Man - will "reach new heights, offering fans a unique, deeply immersive live concert experience."

Attendees will be faced with a multi-screen design, combining advanced LED and projection technologies that will enhance the event's music and imagery.

"Coupled with surround sound, the show delivers breathtaking visual and audio depth, creating an immersive experience that will allow the audience to relive their gaming adventures like never before," Sony said.

Tickets for PlayStation: The Concert are set to go on sale on October 18, 2024, at 3pm BST here. VIP packages will also be available. You can check out the UK Tour dates below.

PlayStation: The Concert - UK Tour Dates:

• Birmingham Utilita Arena - April 21, 2025
• Manchester Co-op Live - April 22, 2025
• Leeds First Direct Arena - April 23, 2025
• Newcastle Utilita Arena - April 24, 2025
• Glasgow OVO Hydro - April 25, 2025
• London OVO Arena Wembley - April 27, 2025

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Xbox Cloud Gaming will welcome three Call of Duty games to its service this month.

In a recent blog post, Microsoft announced that Black Ops 6 will be playable in Beta with Xbox Cloud Gaming for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members at launch and will begin rolling out to players on October 25.

It also revealed that it will be bringing Xbox Cloud Gaming support to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Call of Duty: Warzone for Game Pass Ultimate members on the same day.

"This is a first for the Call of Duty franchise, and a win for the community," the company said.

"Players will be able to access multiple Call of Duty games with Xbox Cloud Gaming for the first time, and Game Pass Ultimate members will be able to enjoy Call of Duty in more places than ever before."

These places include consoles, like Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, PC, mobile devices, select Samsung TVs, Amazon Fire TVs, and Meta Quest devices.

"This opens up even more ways to play Black Ops 6 starting on day one at launch," Microsoft added.

Microsoft announced earlier this year that Black Ops 6 would be a day one Xbox Game Pass release when it launches on October 25.

This makes the game the first new Call of Duty title in the series to be added to the subscription service following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is also coming to PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS4, and Xbox One.

In other news, Microsoft is reportedly preparing to expand Xbox Cloud Gaming to allow users to stream owned games that are not part of Xbox Game Pass. The update is claimed to begin in November.

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Microsoft is reportedly expanding Xbox Cloud Gaming in November to allow users to stream owned games that are not part of Xbox Game Pass.

According to a recent report from The Verge, sources familiar with Microsoft's plans told the publication that the company is preparing to test the new update as part of a project called "Project Lapland" where it will expand its Game Pass Ultimate offering.

Starting next month, members who are signed up for the Xbox Insider program will be able to test the new feature, which will allow the Xbox Cloud Gaming servers to support the streaming of thousands of games.

Streaming is expected to be released to more Xbox users at a later date after testing.

Xbox Cloud Gaming was supposed to launch with game library streaming in 2020, and Microsoft later announced it would support the game library on the service in 2022.

The feature didn't launch that year, however, with The Verge claiming that the work has been "complicated by having to prepare key infrastructure for thousands of games, instead of the hundreds that currently exist on Xbox Game Pass."

It's also said that publishers will withhold some games due to licensing requirements or ongoing deals.

Elsewhere, Microsoft is reportedly releasing a brand new Xbox wireless headset this month that is more expensive than the current model.

Seemingly called the "Xbox Wireless Headset Refresh", the hardware is claimed to launch in Europe on October 22 and the US on November 5 and will cost $109.99 / £99.99 / AU$163.56.

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Nintendo could be working on a new wave of GameCube controllers.

That's according to Resetera user RandomlyRandom67, who shared component shipment details in a recent post that they believe are for the Nintendo Switch 2 and a new product that could be a GameCube controller (via NintendoLife).

Dataminer LuigiBlood was the first to identify the supposed new GameCube controller earlier this year, however, RandomlyRandom67 indicates that the hardware is now in active production.

The user points out that there are several components that are similar to those featured in current GameCube controllers, including LED light covers and trigger covers.

But it's the rumble motor TRW1230 shipments that are the most notable, and are apparently connected to an unreleased Nintendo controller called the HGU0480 project.

The rumble motor TRW1230 is the same component used in current GameCube controllers and the Nintendo Switch Online N64 controller.

Last week, Nintendo announced that it will perform a playtest on October 24 for a mysterious new Nintendo Switch Online feature.

Although unconfirmed at this time, it's entirely possible that the reports of a new GameCube controller could be linked to a new GameCube library for Switch Online, expanding the subscription service further.

Currently, Switch Online allows subscribers to play from a catalog of games from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance, so it would make sense for GameCube to be next in line.

Even if the supposed new GameCube controllers aren't intended for a new Switch Online library, then perhaps they're in production for the Switch 2.

Nintendo hasn't revealed its next handheld console just yet, but a release date announcement is confirmed before the end of 2024, and it's expected to launch in 2025.

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There's a new Xbox Partner Preview presentation happening this week, showcasing several upcoming games and expansions from developers like of Sega, Remedy, and much more.

The presentation was announced via Xbox's official X / Twitter account, confirming that it will be showing off Alan Wake 2: The Lake House, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers among other titles. The accompanying Xbox Wire post confirms a run time of "around 25 minutes" during which "over a dozen new trailers" for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC games will be shown.

You'll be able to watch the Xbox Partner Preview presentation live on Thursday October 17 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST. It can be watched over on the official Xbox YouTube channel or the Xbox Twitch channel. It's also worth noting that the YouTube version will be broadcast at 4K 60fps, while the Twitch stream will be limited to 1080p 60fps.

The presentation will have subtitle support for a large selection of languages. A version with American Sign Language (ASL) will also be broadcast on Xbox's YouTube channel as well as the XboxASL Twitch page. A British Sign Language (BSL) version will also go live at the Xbox On YouTube channel.

So beyond the games and expansions that have been announced thus far, what else do we expect to see? 

Well, given it's a Partner Preview, it's likely that we won't see anything first party from Xbox Game Studios. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing some updates for games I'm personally excited for, including Dynasty Warriors: Origins and of course Monster Hunter Wilds. We'll just have to wait until October 17 before we know for sure.

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LG's UltraGear products have long set the standard for gaming monitors. And LG's 2024 UltraGear monitors have raised the bar so high it's gone into orbit. With up to 30% brighter OLED displays than rival monitors, astonishingly fast refresh rates for stunning performance and a choice of sizes from compact to all-encompassing, there's an UltraGear for everyone.

The most advanced OLEDs around

The 2024 LG UltraGear OLED range features MLA+ technology to deliver groundbreaking brilliance of up to 1,300 nits, up to 30% brighter than the competition, so you never need to worry about being left in the dark. That makes your UltraGear a great gaming monitor and an amazing display for your movie watching too.

Serious speed in every environment

LG continues to dominate the industry with its world-first innovations in the gaming monitor market. Where some displays are pretty chuffed with refresh rates of 144Hz, the LG UltraGear W-OLED leaves them in the dust with its refresh rates of 240 to 480Hz. That's astonishingly fast and you can really see the difference: it means silky-smooth performance compared to the competition, delivering speeds that give you the edge in every environment. The LG UltraGear OLED delivers up to 480Hz at 1080p and 240Hz at 4K.

The big display that thinks even bigger

LG's 45-inch UltraGear isn't just big. It's bigger than some 48-inch displays. That's because while some 48-inchers have a total screen size of 4,059cm2, LG's 45-inch model clocks in at a massive 4,550cm2. That's 12% more gaming goodness. And it's more immersive too. LG's 45-inch model delivers 22% more space than Samsung's 49-inch display, delivering a truly exceptional in-game experience.

Vivid visuals without dead space

The thing with some big gaming monitors is that your eyes can't take them all in: their size and more importantly their shape means that there's dead space of as much as 13.9%. That's space you can't see when you're absorbed in the game, so if the game UI or HUD is living in those dead spaces you're potentially missing key information that could give you the edge.

With LG's 45-inch model, the 21:9 aspect ratio guarantees an optimal image with just 6% dead space – so you can see more and win more.

Made for the games you want to play

By delivering an industry standard 21:9 aspect ratio instead of going for something more gimmicky, LG UltraGear monitors give you a longer list of games to choose from. Where just 51 of the top 107 games support aspect ratios such as 32:9, 88 of them run beautifully in 21:9.

Monitors you won't want to stop watching

LG has thought about something many rivals don't: comfort. Gaming can be particularly hard on the eyes because it's hard to tear yourself away from a particularly intense session. And because so many of us love to play in the dark, in low light or with atmospheric lighting around us, that can make some monitors very tiring. Not the LG UltraGear. Its 35% anti-glare, low reflection display gets rid of glare for clear viewing even in low light, and its UL Low Blue Light Platinum certification means it emits 22% less potentially harmful blue light than the competition. That doesn't just mean more alert eyeballs. It also means better resolution and less colour distortion too.

Don't take LG's word for it: ask the experts

LG takes its quest for gaming supremacy so seriously that it's asked the Gen.G Academy, which runs LCK's first 4-peat champions Gen.G, to rate the LG UltraGear. The conclusion? The academy has certified it as the very Best Gaming Monitor. High praise indeed.

Whether you're looking for a compact 24-inch gaming monitor for work as well as play, the 32-inch dual-mode display with Pixel Sound or the astonishing 45-inch models for the most immersive gaming experience ever, every LG UltraGear gaming monitor takes your gaming to the next level.

Click here to find the perfect LG UltraGear for you.