The wait is finally over. This is Yang Bing, as the creator of Lost Soul Aside, I couldn't be more excited to share some big news—our action RPG will officially launch on PlayStation 5 and PC on May 30, 2025! What started as a one-person dream (me, a computer, and endless late nights) has evolved into a sprawling adventure full of breathtaking visuals and adrenaline-pumping combat. Let me take you behind the scenes to explore the heart, soul, and sweat poured into this game. Whether you're here for the stylish combat or the gripping story, there's plenty to dive into. Let's get started!

A world that lives and breathes
Creating the world of Lost Soul Aside was like painting with imagination on a sci-fi fantasy canvas. You'll traverse landscapes that feel alive: sunlit plains, mysterious ancient ruins, and alternate dimensions that buzz with energy. This world isn't just eye candy—it's filled with secrets, monsters, and unpredictable events that keep you interested. But let's talk about what really defines the experience—combat.

Just over a year ago, at The Game Awards 2023, Sega teased the revival of several legacy franchises. Today we are excited to formally announce the first of those games: Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. Yesterday's State of Play provided a first look at the game which will release August 29, 2025 on PC and consoles.

There is more to be shared in the coming months, but for now we wanted to bring you a Q&A with the game's producers at Sega of Japan and Lizardcube, who have teamed up to bring the game to life. We discuss the motivation to revive the franchise, how this new installment pays tribute to the original entries, and what players can expect from the full release. We hope you enjoy this first look behind Shinobi: Art of Vengeance!

State of Play is back tomorrow, February 12! Tune in live for news and updates on great games coming to PS5. The show celebrates a creative and unique selection of exciting games from studios around the world. The 40+ minute show begins February 12 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET | 11pm CET / February 13 at 7am JST on YouTube and Twitch, and will be broadcast in English and Japanese. See you tomorrow!

Regarding co-streaming and video-on-demand (VOD)
Please note that this broadcast may include copyrighted content (e.g. licensed music) that PlayStation does not control. We welcome and celebrate our amazing co-streamers and creators, but licensing agreements outside our control could interfere with co-streams or VOD archives of this broadcast. If you're planning to save this broadcast as a VOD to create recap videos, or to repost clips or segments from the show, we advise omitting any copyrighted music.

Audio-Technica, a leading innovator in transducer technology for over 60 years, is expanding its headphone offerings with the new R-Series line of professional open-back models. The former flagship ATH-R70x has been upgraded to the new ATH-R70xa, and is joined by the new ATH-R50x.

ATH-R70xa
The ATH-R70xa is Audio-Technica's new flagship pair of professional open-back reference headphones. Whether mixing, mastering, or creating, the ATH-R70xa is the perfect production tool, delivering accurate and dependable reference across stereo, surround, and immersive formats. This enhanced version of the ATH-R70x delivers the natural and balanced sound of its predecessor but with refined accuracy and detail, providing a heightened listening experience with precise imaging and depth for realistic sound staging. While the ATH-R70x utilized damping and its acoustic design for added low-frequency emphasis, the fully open-back sound of the ATH-R70xa relies solely on the performance of the driver—each diaphragm movement translates directly into sound without reliance on acoustic cavities or resonance for frequency enhancement and minimizing distortion.

Japan's central government will adjust its control over cutting-edge chips and quantum computer-related technology—a Japan Times news article proposes that new regulations will come into effect by the end of May. The report suggests that the nation's governing body is expanding its list of export-controlled items to include: "advanced chips, lithography equipment and cryo-coolers needed for the manufacture of quantum computers." The publication has gathered this information from revised foreign exchange laws. According to economy ministry officials, companies will be required to apply for external trade licenses—extra measures are being put in place to prevent the export of cutting-edge items to foreign military organizations. The updated terms are viewed as another step in tightening the supply of advanced semiconductor products to mainland China. Recent global events have paved the way for a new wave of AI chip-related restrictions.

Naturally, China has expressed concern regarding upcoming changes—they anticipate problems affecting supply chains and normal commercial exchanges between enterprises. According to the Japan Times report, the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing: "hopes Japan will make sure the measures don't hinder the economic and trade development between the two countries." The two nations have enjoyed a cordial semiconductor-centric trade relationship, skewed more in favor of Japan. Industry watchdogs believe that Chinese manufacturers have generated significant demand for Japanese-made production equipment. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has updated its documents. According to the latest report, 42 new entities worldwide have been added to a list of: "foreign companies and organizations that would be subject to export oversight on any dual-use items. The additions come into effect on Feb. 5, it said. A total of around 110 Chinese companies, research institutions and other entities are on the list."

Last month, Sony Japan announced an upcoming retirement of Blu-ray Disc media and other physical media formats. On January 23, the company's Recording Media department addressed its "valued customers" via a short press release. At some point in February (2025), production of "Blu-ray Disc media, MiniDiscs for recording, MD data for recording, and MiniDV cassettes" will cease. Reports from late January suggest that the Recording Media division's last factory will face closure in the coming weeks, signalling the end of commercial supplies. Additionally, Sony disclosed that no "successor models" will be released. Naturally, fans of optical media formats did not welcome Sony's announcement regarding the retirement of these products.

Rival manufacturers have taken the opportunity to offer their fares—fresh news reports have pointed to an interesting Verbatim Japan office-issued press release. The Taiwanese storage specialist and I-O Data pushed out a joint statement, assuring that they: "will live up to the trust of customers through stable supply and continued sales of optical discs in the Japanese market." The two companies appear to be seizing the moment, but their announcement did not name or shame Sony: "the domestic optical disc market is currently at a major turning point, with some manufacturers withdrawing from manufacturing and sales businesses and other trends that are shrinking the supply system. Under these circumstances, Verbatim Japan is working closely with I-O DATA to continue to provide high-quality optical discs to the Japanese market, with stable supply as its top priority."

Nintendo fans will be looking forward to the release of Switch Part Deux in the coming months, but a certain subset prefer to look back into the past with great fondness. Retro gaming connoisseurs have a soft spot for often unsung older hardware—the Nintendo GameCube home console is a prime example. Hardcore collectors have spent countless hours in search of special editions, unusual color variants, developer kits and prototypes. Donny Fillerup—founder and owner of Consolevariations—hit the jackpot around mid-2023; he managed to track down an extremely rare demonstration model. "Space World" units are highly-coveted—only a handful still exist—due to unique origins. Nintendo officially introduced its GameCube console at Space World 2000—a first-party-oriented annual trade show (defunct since 2001).

Vintage console curators believe that Nintendo repurposed many of its initial batch of "Space World" prototypes, but a few examples have escaped into the wild. Fillerup's ownership of a "one-of-a-kind legendary" indigo sample is seemingly coming to an end—mid-week, gaming press outlets received tip-offs regarding an eBay auction (de-listed at the time of writing). The Consolevariations boss is engaged in fundraising endeavors—according to the item's description, he wants to turn his hobby into: "a foundation business. A Gaming place where the entire family can enjoy, people can meet other people, talk with people who feel uncomfortable with other people, and make the visitors feel young again." Fillerup's asking price was $100,000, with a required $1 fee for economy-class shipping. His prized-possession sports some "battle damage" and is completely non-functional—a Consolevariations blog entry does an effective job of showcasing the "ins and outs" of this "First Announcement Model." The eBay listing did not mention any bundling-in of a matching Space World-era controller, another treasured rarity.

Tune in live on February 4, 2025 at 2pm PT for a Capcom doubleheader! Join us for a 20-minute Capcom Spotlight followed immediately by a 15-minute Monster Hunter Wilds Showcase! In Capcom Spotlight, get the latest info on Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Capcom Fighting Collection 2, and MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics! Then, producer Ryozo Tsujimoto delivers the latest Monster Hunter Wilds information to you, including a new trailer and more info about the second Open Beta Test.

Bringing you back-to-back info about all that's coming from Capcom! First get the scoop on upcoming games from Capcom Spotlight, then tune in to the Monster Hunter Wilds Showcase for all the latest info! Both events will have subtitles available in 13 languages! The broadcast is planned to be approximately 35 minutes. Date and time may change without notice. These broadcasts contain age-restricted titles.

HYTE, a leading manufacturer of cutting-edge PC components and peripherals, is thrilled to collaborate once again with the hololive team, represented by the COVER corporation from Japan, on the production of the hololive 4th Generation Keycap Set ahead of its upcoming 6th fes - Color Rise Harmony and SUPER EXPO 2025.

HYTE is an official sponsor of hololive's 6th fes SUPER EXPO 2025. Like with HYTE's prior collaborations, the hololive 4th Generation Keycap Set will prominently feature hololive's talent lineup participating in 6th fes on March 8-9, 2025, in Japan. These include Amane Kanata, Tsunomaki Watame, Tokoyami Towa, and Himemori Luna.

Japan's Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun newspaper believes that Rapidus will be installing a grand total of ten "extreme ultraviolet (EUV) exposure tools" at two cutting-edge semiconductor production sites. Government subsidies have assisted in boosting Japan's semiconductor industry to new highs—Rapidus is reportedly catching up with the likes of TSMC. Its 2 nm-class process node could be up and running by 2027, at the currently under-construction Innovative Integration for Manufacturing One (IIM-1) facility. This location welcomed its first ASML NXE:3800E EUV lithography machine last December—this occasion marked the debut deployment of said technology in Japan.

The Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun report cites statements made by Rapidus CEO, Atsuyoshi Koike—according to the boss, ten new machines will be distributed across two fabrication facilities: at the aforementioned IIM-1, as well as IIM-2. The second location is expected to come online not long after the completion of IIM-1. It is not clear whether the foundries will be installing more examples of ASML's NXE:3800E model, and an exact timeframe was not disclosed. An older Nikkei article suggests that a trial run—utilizing 2 nm generation gate-all-around (GAA) technology—will begin around April (2025) at the primary Rapidus fab. A theorized schedule proposes that initial samples are due for shipment to Broadcom (in the USA) by mid-year.

Goodwill Nagoya Osu—a Japanese PC hardware store—has devised a lottery ticket system for potential buyers of GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards. Earlier today, the shop's social media announced a strict set of rules—providing a preview of this Friday's buying experience. Several retail outlets (around the globe) are preparing various anti-scalping measures ahead of a predicted bloodbath—a particularly brutal example was highlighted recently. AutoBuy, a Taiwanese store, demands that customers purchase almost an entire build's worth of pricey PC components—just to get onto a waiting list for GeForce RTX 5080 graphics cards.

Goodwill Japan's prize draw looks quite reasonable in comparison. Their announcement reads as follows: "the next-generation GPUs—which will go on sale from 11:00 on January 31—will be sold by lottery at the Nagoya Osu store. Lottery tickets will be distributed from 10:20. Those who are in line at 10:20 will be eligible for the lottery." Industry experts believe that high-end graphics card enthusiasts will experience long-term shortages—possibly up to three months after this week's international rollout. Goodwill Nagoya Osu will not reveal their (proverbial) full deck of cards until tomorrow night—available products and quantities will be announced at 11:00 PM.

When you ask fans, "What's the quintessential action game?" the NINJA GAIDEN series is one of the legendary names that is guaranteed a mention. With roots as far back as the original 1988 arcade game NINJA GAIDEN (Ninja Ryukenden in Japan), the series has captivated fans in various forms over the years, from 2D to 3D, with its focus on swift traversal, eye-catching swordplay, and ninjutsu techniques, all jam-packed into exhilarating action gameplay.

In particular, the Xbox version of NINJA GAIDEN, released on Xbox consoles in 2004, stood out for its smooth controls and elegant action, earning its place as a revolutionary action game. The series' biggest allure lies in deeply satisfying and challenging battles featuring its iconic lead character, master ninja Ryu Hayabusa. The NINJA GAIDEN series has gained a reputation for being notoriously difficult, but with a near-unmatched sense of accomplishment upon clearing levels and defeating bosses that drives players to persevere. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Team NINJA, the studio behind the majority of these iconic titles, has declared 2025 to be "The Year of the Ninja."

SNK CORPORATION has announced an Open Beta test for FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves. The beta for SNK's highly anticipated fighting game will be available from February 20 to February 24 (PST) on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam. Participation in the beta test does NOT require an active PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass Core/Ultimate subscription. FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves is set to release on April 24, 2025.

Rev Up for Open Beta
From February 20, 2025 (12 AM PST) through February 24, 2025 (11:59 PM PST), PC and console players can choose from eight total characters and throw down with friends in three online modes: Ranked Match, Casual Match, or Room Match. Those eager to hone their skills and learn dynamic combo routes can practice in the offline Training mode. FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves introduces a stunning, comic-inspired art style that's a visual treat for series fans, combined with fights fueled by the cutting-edge REV System to deliver dynamic matches. The open beta offers the public their first opportunity to experience the modernized action of City of the Wolves at home, featuring two distinct control schemes tailored to engage both newcomers and seasoned pros.

Sony Japan's Recording Media department has announced the retirement of several physical media formats—most notably Blu-Ray Disc—in a very brief notice addressed to "valued customers." Mid-last year, the Japanese multinational conglomerate revealed that it would stop production of consumer-grade recordable Blu-ray discs (BD-RE and BD-R)—citing a decline in demand and the format's inability to meet "business goals." As pointed out by Tom's Hardware, today's announcement indicates (via machine translation) that both "regular and recorded" product lines are affected—the publication has reached out to Sony for comment/clarification.

Optical media enthusiasts/preservationists will, undoubtedly, be angered by this news—manufacturing activities will cease at some point next month. The corporation's message contains a lot of finality: "thank you for your continued patronage of Sony products. We will end production of all models of Blu-ray Disc media, MiniDiscs for recording, MD data for recording, and MiniDV cassettes as of February 2025. There will be no successor models. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our many customers for their patronage to date."

⚙️Fuga: Melodies of Steel 3 coming May 29th, 2025! The new journey reaches for the sky! Fuga: Melodies of Steel 3 offers a new and exhilarating strategy-based battle system for its epic conclusion! Unveil the Source of the World's Despair! Check out the official website for details and future updates! Also, the game's Steam store page is open! Add to your wishlist and follow for the latest info!

The Fuga: Melodies of Steel series has reached its epic conclusion! Dive into this dramatic RPG featuring a brand-new, strategic battle system, enhanced Taranis training during intermission, and tactical route progression and event battles! Unveil the Source of the World's Despair!

Fujitsu is a name that we hear less often nowadays, at least in the consumer technology sector. However, the prominent Japanese brand is by no means dormant, and has now unveiled a brand-new laptop that is shockingly light - in fact, it is the lightest laptop available on the market right now that features CoPilot+ functionality. Dubbed the FMV Note U, the ultra-light laptop tips the scales at just around 848 grams, which roughly equates to around 1.87 lbs.

The laptop is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V or 258V "Lunar Lake" processors, paired with 16 or 32 GB of LPDDR5X-8533 memory. The chip is plenty fast, and will easily suffice for almost any moderately intensive workload thrown its way. There is, unsurprisingly, no room for discrete graphics, which means the admirably performant Arc 140V iGPU has to bear all the weight for GPU tasks. A 64 Wh battery is also present, which, paired with Lunar Lake's commendable efficiency, should allow for decently long runtimes away from the wall.

LUNAR fans, mark your calendars! The epic adventure to save the world from the forces of evil with old friends Alex, Hiro, and more, begins April 18, 2025. Wishlist it on Steam right now! Dive into the enchanting worlds of LUNAR: Silver Star Story Complete and LUNAR 2: Eternal Blue Complete, two beloved JRPGs that have captured the hearts of gamers for generations. LUNAR: Silver Star Story introduces Alex, an aspiring Dragonmaster who bands together with his friends to combat the perilous emergence of the Magic Emperor and stop him from taking over the world.

LUNAR 2: Eternal Blue picks up a thousand years later, and follows Hiro and his friends as they set out in search of the Goddess Althena alongside an enigmatic girl named Lucia. On this grand quest, fend off enemies like Borgan and White Knight Leo, who hunt down the group to eradicate what they deem to be the "Destroyer of Lunar." This definitive remastered edition features enhanced graphics, audio, and quality-of-life improvements that will satiate that hunger for 90s nostalgia--better than you remember! Embark on these two adventures with updated language support, now available in English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, French, and German.

Marvelous Games has announced Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. This new entry in the series will launch globally on the Nintendo Switch system and Windows PC via Steam on May 30, 2025. A new gameplay video showcasing Guardians of Azuma's action combat, relationship system, and seasonal village life is also now available to watch below. The latest entry in the popular action-RPG and life-simulation series introduces the Eastern territory of Azuma, a land of Japanese-inspired visuals and unique twists on familiar gameplay elements from the Rune Factory franchise.

Pre-orders for the Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Limited Edition are now available at participating retailers here for an RRP of €99.99. This stunning collection comes in a custom outer box and includes a physical copy of the game, an original soundtrack CD, an art book, an Azuma-inspired folding fan, the "Seasons of Love" DLC bundle, additional DLC costumes for your protagonists and their divine sidekick Woolby, and a plush Woolby keychain. The standard edition of the game is also available to pre-order for an RRP of €59.99. Details on digital editions will be announced later.

The semiconductor industry is expected to start 18 new fab construction projects in 2025, according to SEMI's latest quarterly World Fab Forecast report. The new projects include three 200 mm and fifteen 300 mm facilities, the majority of which are expected to begin operations from 2026 to 2027.

In 2025, the Americas and Japan are the leading regions with four projects each. The China and Europe & Middle East regions are each tied for third place with three planned construction projects. Taiwan has two planned projects, while Korea and Southeast Asia have one project each for 2025.

Welcome to the first full week of the new year and the month of January. This week's major release involves building pointy buildings in the desert, just south of the Mediterranean. The rest of this week's new releases involves getting imprisoned by aliens, making steampunk chocolate, work as a robot assassin, purging the land and doing hard time in a futuristic version of Japan.

Builders of Egypt / This week's major release / Wednesday 8 January
In Builders of Egypt, you can explore the land of the pharaohs through the ages, from the Nile Delta to Nubia. Build cities, manage trade, economy, and resources, make strategic decisions, control armies and engage in battles, foster religious development, and ensure the well-being of your citizens. Play through a complete campaign or unleash your creativity in Sandbox mode. Steam link

Rapidus Corporation, a manufacturer of advanced logic semiconductors, today announced the delivery and installation of ASML's EUV lithography equipment at its Innovative Integration for Manufacturing (IIM-1) foundry, an advanced semiconductor development and manufacturing fab currently under construction in Chitose, Hokkaido. To commemorate the installation, a ceremony was held at Portom Hall in the New Chitose Airport.

This is a significant milestone for Japan's semiconductor industry, marking the first time that an EUV lithography tool will be used for mass production in the country. In addition to the EUV lithography machinery, Rapidus will install additional complementary advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment, as well as full automated material handling systems in its IIM-1 foundry to optimize 2 nm generation gate-all-around (GAA) semiconductor manufacturing.

After the fiasco surrounding the cancelled press previews and delayed upcoming launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows, it appears that Ubisoft is doing something of a redemption tour in order to garner hype for the latest installment in the Assassin's Creed franchise. Previously, news about AC Shadows's simultaneous console and Steam launch was quite positively received. Now, Ubisoft has given us a full overview of what's to come regarding the combat mechanics in Assassin's Creed Shadows. While the weapons and unit types in Shadows are certainly interesting, perhaps the most important take-away is that timing will be an important aspect to combat.

One of the most important mechanics behind Assassin's Creed Shadows's combat seems to be the character and weapon choices. The samurai, Yasuke, and the shinobi, Naoe, will supposedly come with their own versions of stealth, defensive, and offensive attacks, and each will have their own weapons, to bring some diversity to the gameplay of each character. It looks like each of the different weapon classes will be locked to either character and play style. At launch, Naoe will have three weapons to choose from, and Yasuke will have a broader selection of five weapons to choose from.

The Biden administration is set to announce new, targeted restrictions on China's semiconductor industry, focusing primarily on emerging chip manufacturing equipment companies rather than broad industry-wide limitations. According to Bloomberg, these new restrictions are supposed to take effect on Monday. The new rules will specifically target two manufacturing facilities owned by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) and will add select companies to the US Entity List, restricting their access to American technology. However, most of Huawei's suppliers can continue their operations, suggesting a more mild strategy. The restrictions will focus on over 100 emerging Chinese semiconductor equipment manufacturers, many of which receive government funding. These companies are developing tools intended to replace those currently supplied by industry leaders such as ASML, Applied Materials, and Tokyo Electron.

The moderated approach comes after significant lobbying efforts from American semiconductor companies, who argued that stricter restrictions could disadvantage them against international competitors. Major firms like Applied Materials, KLA, and Lam Research voiced concerns about losing market share to companies in Japan and the Netherlands, where similar but less stringent export controls are in place. Notably, Japanese companies like SUMCO are already seeing the revenue impacts of Chinese independence. Lastly, the restrictions will have a limited effect on China's memory chip sector. The new measures will not directly affect ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), a significant Chinese DRAM manufacturer capable of producing high-bandwidth memory for AI applications.

Welcome to the last week of the month of November, which is a weak week for new game releases. The biggest release this week combines steampunk with magic in a fantasy world. This is followed by some sin slaying, some neon coloured blood, a Japanese inspired shop, a scary enigma and finally some parkour in an unexpected environment.

New Arc Line / This week's major release / Tuesday 26 November / Early Access
Take a stand in the eternal conflict between Arcane Magic and Steampunk Revolution and tip the uneasy balance between sorcery, elves, dwarves and mysterious monsters on one side and steampunk gadgets, zeppelins, and tesla guns on the other in this single-player, party-based, story-rich RPG. Steam link

The EUV lithography machine from ASML ordered by Rapidus is expected to arrive in Japan in mid-December, according to information from Nikkei cited by TrendForce. This marks the first deployment of EUV technology in Japan, an important step for the country's semiconductor industry as it seeks to establish itself as a major player. Rapidus is currently building a factory in Chitose, Hokkaido, and plans to start mass production of 2 nm chips in 2027. The company also plans to purchase several EUV devices if the 2-nanometer chip production is successful, and intends to build a second production facility specifically for 1.4 nm chips. To support these operations, ASML will establish a service center in Chitose City.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang hinted at the possibility of outsourcing AI chip production to Rapidus. As of October, construction progress on the Rapidus facility, which began in September 2023, is up to 63% and remains on track. In addition to Rapidus, Micron's Hiroshima plant is scheduled to install EUV equipment in 2025, allowing for mass production in 2026. JASM, a TSMC subsidiary in Japan, plans to integrate EUV lithography with a second wafer plant in 2027 that will have a 6 nm production line.