Electronics accessory maker Dbrand has just released Darkplates 2.0 - its updated version of the original model of PS5 face plates, this time for PS5 Slim consoles.

Darkplates 2.0 ditches the four-plate setup of the PS5 Slim, consolidating that into just two plates - one for each side. They come in a sleek black finish and even feature circular vents on each side allowing air to pass through easier. This should help the console run cooler overall.

Darkplates 2.0 are now available to buy from Dbrand's store page. There are versions for both the standard PS5 Slim as well as the Digital Edition, both coming in at $69.95 (though they're currently at a $10 discount). A magnetic stand can be added to your purchase for $10 extra, as well as a middle skin (ranging from $24.95 to $49.90) and even light strips (from $11.95 to $19.95 depending on the complexity of the pattern). Overall, you could be paying anywhere between $69.95 and $100.85 (outside of the discount period) based on your choices.

Wave 1 stock is shipping now, with further waves releasing in November, December, and January. So if you're interested, there seems to be plenty of time and stock if you're looking to purchase what might be a huge improvement over the PS5 Slim's base faceplates.

And as you might expect from Dbrand, the website isn't short of venomous jabs at Sony. "Do you think oxygen can pass through a 3mm panel of uninterrupted plastic?" the site's product description reads. "If you answered 'no,' congratulations: you're qualified to be our next (and only) Fan Scientist."

If you're unfamiliar with it, Dbrand was initially sent a cease-and-desist from Sony a few years back. The company was required to "promptly and permanently cease" production of the original Darkplates. For Darkplates 2.0, Dbrand insists it's not encroaching on any patent infringements, so the accessory could be here to stay this time around.

You might also like...

• Former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden says relying on blockbuster games is "a death sentence"
• Pre-orders for the reimagined N64, the Analogue 3D, go live next week
• Unity 6 will allow developers to create games more quickly and efficiently, and it's now available worldwide

Ex-PlayStation executive Shawn Layden has shared his perspective on the current state of the games industry.

During a conversation at Gamescom Asia (via GamesIndustry.biz) with Raw Fury co-founder and chief publishing officer Gordon Van Dyke, Layden talked about the disappearance of AA studios and the negative impact it's had on the industry.

According to the former executive, who spent 30 years at Sony, there used to be more time spent looking at games than asking about a studio's "monetization scheme" or "recurrent revenue plan". He explained that he used to ask simple questions about a game along the lines of "Is it fun?" or "Are we having a good time", and if the answer was yes, the project would be greenlit.

"You didn't worry so much about the end piece, for better or for worse," Layden said. "Of course back then you didn't make a game for millions [of] dollars. So your risk tolerance was fairly high.

"Today, the entry costs for making a AAA game is in triple digit millions now. I think naturally, risk tolerance drops. And you're [looking] at sequels, you're looking at copycats, because the finance guys who draw the line say, 'Well, if Fortnite made this much money in this amount of time, my Fortnite knockoff can make this in that amount of time.' We're seeing a collapse of creativity in games today [with] studio consolidation and the high cost of production."

Van Dyke later asked Layden whether indie games can be a "beacon of hope" with the loss of AA studios and amid the current monetization trends in the industry.

To this Layden agreed, saying in the business there are blockbuster games like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto, and then there are the indie titles, but "that middle layer that used to be where Interplay, Gremlin, Ocean, THQ, all those companies, made their money... That middle piece is gone."

"If you [can become] AAA, you survive, or if you do something interesting in the indie space, you could," Layden said. "But AA is gone. I think that's a threat to the ecosystem if you will. So I'm looking at indie stuff… With the advent of technologies, like the latest Unreal Engine or what Unity can give you, I think we can all say that the standard quality of video games is pretty high now compared to ten years ago."

Layden said that thanks to advancements in tools, games have now increased in quality unlike 10 years ago, adding, "Now if we can just get a bit more interest and excitement and exposure for these lower budget, but super creative and super unusual [type] of games... I'd like to see more of that," he said. "Because if we're just going to rely on the blockbusters to get us through, I think that's a death sentence."

According to Layden, AA has a "natural niche" among the blockbuster titles and indie games, and that is to bring "the new thing" instead of "a dollar store version of God of War".

"If you're going to pitch me your AA game, and in the first two pages of your deck is your monetisation and revenue, subscription scheme, I'm out. Your first page has to be 'This game needs to be made and here's why'," he said.

"I want to see that fire, I don't want to see 'here's the chief accountant on the team that's going to explain to you the [game's monetisation]'."

You might also like...

• Pre-orders for the reimagined N64, the Analogue 3D, go live next week
• Unity 6 will allow developers to create games more quickly and efficiently, and it's now available worldwide
• Rare boss Craig Duncan to take over as Xbox Game Studios' head in November

Analogue has announced that pre-orders for its reimagined Nintendo 64 console, the Analogue 3D, will open next week.

The company shared the news in a lengthy blog post where it shared even more details about the Analogue 3D, including its specifications, the first images of the system, and its price.

A black and white version of the Analogue 3D will be available to pre-order and both will be priced at $249.99 (around £192.33) Controllers, designed by 8bitdo, will be sold separately from the console and will cost $39.99 (around £30.99).

Pre-orders will open on October 21 at 8am PDT / 11am EST / 4pm BST. The system was originally slated for a 2024 launch, but Analogue has confirmed it will now launch early next year in Q1 2025.

The Analogue 3D is a modernized take on the N64 featuring 4K resolution that will upscale the console's classic games. Analogue calls it "the greatest multiplayer system of all time" and is 100 per cent compatible with every original N64 title ever made.

It's also region-free, features Bluetooth, dual-band Wifi, four original-style controller ports, and an SD card slot, and requires no emulation.

"Analogue 3D represents a milestone in video game preservation," Analogue said. "It’s not just a reimagining of the N64 - it’s the first fully compatible, hardware-accurate recreation, fully compatible with the entire N64 game library.

"After nearly four years of dedicated FPGA engineering, Analogue 3D overcomes the limitations of software emulation—no input lag, no graphic or audio inaccuracies, no timing or frame rate problems. This is the N64, perfected and true to its core."

You might also like...

• Unity 6 will allow developers to create games more quickly and efficiently, and it's now available worldwide
• Diablo 4 fans, feast your eyes on iam8bit's exclusive vinyl collection
• Rare boss Craig Duncan to take over as Xbox Game Studios' head in November

If you're looking to play Black Ops 6 right when it launches on October 25, you'll want to have the game preloaded. This means knowing when the download goes live, and how big the file size is so you can make room. From what we played of the beta, Black Ops 6 certainly has a chance of ending up on our best FPS games list by the end of the year, so we'll certainly be preloading it as soon as possible.

Black Ops 6 is right around the corner, having already wowed players who jumped in to try out beta with its new movement mechanics and fast-paced combat. You'll be able to play on Game Pass this time as well, meaning that if you're a subscriber, you can jump in at no extra cost.

Here's everything you need to know about the Black Ops 6 preload, including when it goes live, as well as the file size on PC and consoles. We now have an exact time for when the preload goes live, so you can start clearing space for what is, predictably, quite a sizeable download.

Black Ops 6 preload release date

The Black Ops 6 preload goes live on October 21 at 9AM PT / 12PM ET / 5PM BST on all platforms. You'll be able to download the whole package at this point, including Multiplayer, Campaign, and Zombies ahead of the game's launch on October 25. For specific launch times, check out the infographic embedded above.

Black Ops 6 file size

Black Ops 6's file size has now been revealed - but only for PC. According to the released PC Specs, which you can see embedded above, you'll need to save 102GB for the download. This will likely include Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies. You'll need to reserve extra space for Warzone. Once we hear about the file sizes on console, we'll update this section.

You Might Also Like...

• Modern Warfare 3 review
• Best crossplay games
• Warzone mobile review

Unity has announced that Unity 6, the latest version of its cross-platform game engine, is now available worldwide.

Unity 6 can be downloaded here, and is the company's "most stable and best-performing version of Unity" yet that has been built, tested, and refined in partnership with game developers around the world.

According to Unity, the updated software will allow developers to create games much faster and more efficiently than ever before and comes with new features like end-to-end multiplayer workflows, tools that target the mobile web, alongside new graphics capabilities that move workloads from the CPU to the GPU, improving CPU performance by up to 4X in internal.

Unity has also shared its plans for the engine post-launch, confirming that it will be "dedicating long-term product and engineering resources to Unity 6" to enhance features and add new functionality, while continuing stability.

"We are relentlessly focused on delivering tools to help game developers build games more quickly and efficiently while also facilitating innovation," said Matt Bromberg, President and CEO of Unity. "We’re going to do everything we can to ensure that Unity 6 is at the heart of game development for years to come."

Alongside the launch of Unity 6, the company has also introduced some brand-new learning resources for developers, like Time Ghost, the latest Unity Originals real-time cinematic demo which includes advancements in environment building and character design, as well as Megacity Metro, a demo that showcases how to build a 100+ player cross-platform multiplayer game.

"Unity 6 gives our global multi-functional team the stability and scalability we need. The improved performance combined with features like the new WebGPU graphics API and the seamless live services integration make our workflow much more efficient and our production quality top-tier,” said Josh Loveridge, managing director of Stratton Studios.

"It's been a game-changer while developing PGA TOUR Rise. We’ve truly been able to push the boundaries of creativity at every step of the development pipeline."

You might also like...

• Rare boss Craig Duncan to take over as Xbox Game Studios' head in November
• PlayStation: The Concert is a new video game music show coming in 2025, and will feature famous scores from Sony's most iconic games like The Last of Us and God of War
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Modern Warfare 3, and Warzone are coming to Xbox Cloud Gaming next week

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."

You might also like...

• Best PC games 2024: the must-play titles you don’t want to miss
• Rare boss Craig Duncan to take over as Xbox Game Studios' head in November
• Xbox Cloud Gaming will reportedly let players stream their own games from next month

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.

You might also like...

• 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.

You might also like...

• The PS5 Pro version of Dragon Age: The Veilguard will feature ray traced ambient occlusion and other notable enhancements
• Rare boss Craig Duncan to take over as Xbox Game Studios' head in November
• The RIG 600 Pro HS gaming headset is getting a makeover thanks to a collab with Wicked Cushions

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.

You might also like...

• PlayStation: The Concert is a new video game music show coming in 2025
• There could be bad news if you placed a PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary Edition bundle pre-order at Argos
• PS5 Pro pre-order guide: the latest and best places to find stock

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."

You might also like...

• Everwild - everything we know so far
• Best Xbox Series X games 2024: smash hits for Microsoft's console
• Xbox Cloud Gaming will reportedly let players stream their own games from next month

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.

You might also like...

• PS5 Pro pre-order guide: the latest and best places to find stock
• Where to buy the PS5 disc drive and PS5 vertical stand: where to buy both PS5 Pro accessories
• The GameSir Tarantula Pro has one of the coolest features that I've ever seen on a controller

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

You might also like...

• PS5 Pro: everything you need to know
• PS5 Pro vs PS5: comparing specs, design, dimensions, features, and more
• Ghost of Yōtei: everything we know so far