Publisher Focus Entertainment and developer Saber Interactive are thrilled to reveal John Carpenter's Toxic Commando, coming in 2024 to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via the Epic Games Store. Tag team with up to four players in this intense first-person shooter and battle massive hordes of mutated monstrosities to eradicate a supernatural outbreak before it's too late.

Watch the exhilarating reveal trailer, which premiered at the Summer Game Fest live showcase, for a first taste of the title's over-the-top gameplay and John Carpenter-inspired '80s vibes, packed with tons of action, humor and horror. "We're happy to team up once again with our historical partner Saber," said John Bert, Managing Director at Focus Entertainment. "After World War Z, Space Marine 2, Insurgency, SnowRunner, and many others, Toxic Commando is a new entry into the successful long-term relationship between Focus and Saber. We cannot wait to unveil more about this new amazing IP created by the talented teams at Saber and leverage Focus' expertise in turning new franchises into worldwide hits."

Today, during the Summer Game Fest live showcase, Ubisoft announced Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, an action-adventure platformer game set in a mythological Persian world. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown will release on 18th January, 2024 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, Amazon Luna as well as Windows PC through the Epic Games Store and the Ubisoft Store. Players can also subscribe to Ubisoft+ on PC, Xbox and Amazon Luna.

In this brand-new adventure, players will embody Sargon, a young, gifted warrior, and member of an elite group called The Immortals. As they are sent to rescue Prince Ghassan, they will explore Mount Qaf, a once wondrous place, now cursed and hostile. Sargon and his brothers-in-arms will soon discover that time itself will be a treacherous foe and that the world balance must be restored.

You've been wondering when you'll get your next look at FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH. That time is now! We've just released a new trailer for the game, and it offers a first glimpse at the gameplay and story of the highly anticipated new RPG. Not only that, we also revealed a fresh look at the upcoming mobile title FINAL FANTASY VII EVER CRISIS, including details of the upcoming closed beta test.

There's a lot to see in the new footage: A fully controllable Red XIII! Yuffie's part of the team! Massive-scale boss fights! Rideable chocobos! An expansive and beautiful world! You'll also get a glimpse at the gripping story, which sees Cloud Strife and his allies confronted by some shocking mysteries, along with some exciting ways for them to team up in combat. We think you'll agree it's a tantalizing taste of what you'll get to experience when the game releases. As for when that will be, we can tell you that FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH will launch in early 2024 digitally and physically for PS5.

Western Digital introduced the WD Black SN850P M.2 NVMe Gen 4 SSD for PlayStation 5 game consoles, which is an officially-licensed PlayStation 5 accessory. The drive can also used with PCs. It comes with a factory-fitted heatsink, and has been extensively tested for compatibility with the game console. The drive comes in three capacity-based variants—1 TB (WDBBYV0010BNC-WRSN), 2 TB (WDBBYV0020BNC-WRSN), and 4 TB (WDBBYV0040BNC-WRSN. All three models offer sequential read speeds of up to 7.3 GB/s, and while the 1 TB variant offers up to 6.3 GB/s sequential writes, the 2 TB and 4 TB ones are rated for up to 6.6 GB/s sequential writes. Their write endurance is rated at 600 TBW, 1,200 TBW, and 2,400 TBW, respectively. Western Digital is backing these drives with 5-year warranties. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Transcend brought its latest flash storage and PC memory products to Computex 2023. The company, much like Kingston and Micron, appears to be focusing on the high-volume mid-range of the market that it can sell both in the retail channel and to OEMs, without too much invested on niche high-end ones. To begin with, the company showed us its DDR5 UDIMMs and RDIMMs. Nothing flashy—these stick with JEDEC-standard speeds, such as DDR5-5600 (13th Gen native speed), and DDR5-4800.

The company doesn't have PCIe Gen 5 SSDs yet, but we were shown a handful Gen 4 ones meant for the DIY retail channel, including the PCIe SSD 250H (MTE250H), with its sporty heatsink, and extensive testing for PlayStation 5 compatibility; and its alter-ego without the heatsink, the PCIe SSD 250S (MTE250S). These drives come in capacities ranging between 1 TB to 4 TB, with sequential transfer speeds of up to 7.5 GB/s reads, and up to 6.7 GB/s writes. Also shown were a set of smaller NVMe Gen 3 SSDs in the M.2-2230 and M.2-2260 form-factors, the MTE300S and MTE400S, respectively. With capacities of just 256 GB and 512 GB for the MTE300S, and 256 GB thru 1 TB for the MTE400S, these drives are probably meant for hand-held game consoles, or low-cost desktop PCs, where OEMs or SIs buy them in large quantities.

I am steeped in the culture of fighting games so it feels like destiny that I get to introduce you to a project that I'm so incredibly fortunate to have helped create.My journey with fighting games started with Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat 1 back in the 90s, and my love for the genre has been a relentless engine in my life ever since.

Over the years, this passion led me to the frontlines of the fighting game community (FGC)/esports scene. Traveling to tournaments such as EVO, Combo Breaker, CEO, Tokyo Game Show, and more, I've been fortunate to make a career of it as well as developing peripherals for major players in the FGC community near and far. It's in this spirit that I'm thrilled to finally unveil a project that we at Razer have been passionately crafting the arcade controller that's poised to redefine the world of fighting games: the Razer Kitsune.

Insider Gamer's past predictions about a Remote Play-enabled PlayStation handheld rang true last week when Sony announced Project Q - teaser material points to this fancy accessory integrating into the PS5 ecosystem. Technical details were not explored in any depth during last week's Sony showcase, but it is clear that the controller and 8-inch screen combo will be capable of streaming content via WiFi from a host PS5 console.

Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson has gathered more details from his inside sources, and released leaked information about the remote play device's operation time on a single charge (late last week): "Prepare yourselves, because Insider Gaming understands that the Project Q battery life will be around 3-4 hours. Yup, you read that right. At least Project Q is on brand with the DualSense having a short battery life, I guess. If the retail version of Project Q does indeed have a 3-4 hour battery life, then the handheld might be a hard sell for Sony. Already people are skeptical of its success, with the handheld only being used with Remote Play." Henderson has been informed that the accessory is slated for a November launch, but he opines that Sony should carefully consider their pricing strategy in the interim: "Ultimately though, I think the success of Project Q will depend on its price. A $200 or less price tag could see the accessory sell in strong numbers, but PlayStation has been notorious for having high price tags on its products."

Get ready to spread peace and liberty with extreme prejudice - Katherine Baskin, Social Media and Community Manager at Arrowhead Game Studios states: "Hello, future Helldivers! I'm so excited to tell the world about Helldivers 2- our new cooperative shooter that packs in frantic, third-person action against massive enemy mobs. Arrowhead has been quietly, but furiously working on a sequel to our much-loved title Helldivers. Our vision for the next installment always needed to be bigger, better and more hellish! What you see in our first trailer will, we hope, excite you and blow your minds! Along with the trailer, we wanted to give you some details of what you can expect, so let's get you prepped for the fight."

Fight for Super Earth
Freedom. Peace. Managed Democracy. Your Super Earth-born rights. The key pillars of our civilization. These are under attack from deadly alien civilizations, conspiring to destroy the Super Earth and its values. You'll step into the boots of an elite class of soldiers whose mission is to spread peace, liberty, and Managed Democracy using the biggest, baddest, and most explosive tools in the galaxy. Team up with up to four friends and wreak havoc on the alien scourge that threatens the safety of your home, Super Earth.

Final Fantasy XVI is the all-new mainline entry in the Final Fantasy series, releasing on Thursday June 22. The launch trailer for Final Fantasy XVI, "Salvation," was revealed today as part of the PlayStation Showcase. With only around a month left until release, this outstanding trailer comes as we eagerly await the game!

The story of Final Fantasy XVI takes place in Valisthea, a land studded with Mothercrystals—glittering mountains of crystal that tower over the realms around them, blessing them with aether. People use the aether from the Mothercrystals to fuel the magicks they rely upon in their everyday lives, hailing Valisthea as "a land blessed in the light of the Mothercrystals." Yet now the aether begins to fade and the lifeless deadlands spread ever further. Such desperate conditions drive the nations towards conflict and strife.

Today we showed Bungie fans worldwide a glimpse of our future at the PlayStation Showcase, in the forms of two major game announcements. First up, we officially announced Marathon to the world! This is the first completely new project from Bungie in more than a decade. Marathon is a sci-fi PvP extraction shooter where players will embody cybernetic mercenaries known as Runners. Exploring a lost colony on the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV, Runners - working solo or as part of three-person crews - will fight for survival, for riches, and for fame.

We're incredibly excited to announce the game and to share our vision for the future. We know that you are curious to know more, and we will have much to say in the future. For now, know that Marathon is currently in development on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, featuring cross save and cross play. Check out the Marathon site to learn more about the game and follow Marathon on social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) to stay up to date. Below, don't miss a Q&A with Marathon General Manager Scott Taylor and Game Director Christopher Barrett, where they discuss debuting Marathon to the world.

Set forth on your grand adventure, Arisen! The PlayStation Showcase brought us the first footage of the much-anticipated action-RPG Dragon's Dogma 2, now in development for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. There's plenty to unpack in this trailer, and we look forward to sharing more in the future. For now, let's talk about a few of the elements we can reveal so far.

Whether you're new to the Dragon's Dogma series or a seasoned adventurer, well met, Arisen. Set in a vividly detailed fantasy world, Dragon's Dogma 2 is a single player, narrative-driven action-RPG that challenges players to leverage their creativity and curiosity to approach a wide variety of gameplay situations. Dragon's Dogma 2 begins in a subterranean jail, where the Dragon's voice echoes in the fog of lost memories. You play as the Arisen: set on a path to slay the Dragon, a symbol of the world's destruction as it soars through the sky on massive wings, breathing flames that scorch everything in its path. Set out on an epic journey to fulfill your forgotten destiny and claim the throne.

Games journalists are delving into Final Fantasy XVI preview code at the moment, and Square Enix is firing up its publicity drive ahead of the game's launch on June 22. Game Informer has recently conducted an interview with members of "Creative Business Unit III," a very formal label for the development studio responsible put in charge of making a sixteenth entry in the mainline Final Fantasy series. FFXVI's director Hiroshi Takai and producer Naoki Yoshida fielded numerous questions for a feature-length cover story, and Game Informer has chosen to release several primer pieces - one article focuses on the studio's apparent cautious approach to creating (potential) DLC or extra campaigns for Final Fantasy XVI.

Takai and Yoshida state that the immediate focus is to simply get the game over the finishing line, and emphasize that there is already a sizable adventure contained within the base offering: "It's a one-off game. We're asking players to pay the full price for this experience, and so we want an experience that's going to equal the amount of money that players are going to be paying and we want them to have satisfaction equal to what they paid or even more than that." Previous Final Fantasy series installments have received a plethora of extra (paid and free) content, so plans could shift based on XVI's popularity and players' tastes - Yoshida states: "We have no idea if people are going to fall in love with Valisthea and fall in love with Clive's story and want to see more of the world and more of its characters...So while we always want to consider DLC or spinoffs or those types of things where you can learn more about the game, first we want to see if Valisthea and Clive are really things players around the world want to see more of and then make that decision."

Jim Ryan, the current President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, has once again confirmed his company's committal to staggering the launch of PlayStation ports onto the PC platform. Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu published an interview last week, and western news outlets have spent time over the past weekend translating and analyzing this article. The contents/discussion focuses mostly on Sony Corporation's strategies for its PlayStation 5 console in their native market. Ryan addresses the interviewer's question about the growing popularity of gaming on PCs in Japan (the nation has historically favored home console platforms): "I think that's a very good thing. When considering the multifaceted development of game IP, PCs are indispensable for allowing more people to enjoy games in a variety of ways. I think (that) more is better."

Ryan was asked about the possibility of simultaneous first-party game launches on PS5 and PC platforms in the future - his answer points to the company not deviating from its normal operating strategy: "We also fully understand the importance of PS5 exclusive titles. As I mentioned earlier, PlayStation Studios' main responsibility is to make games for the latest PlayStation hardware that players will enjoy. We are increasing the number of PS5 exclusive games, and staggering the release of the PC versions." Ryan claims to have received positive feedback from gamers about this matter: "I often have the opportunity to ask game fans for their opinions, and when I ask them how they feel about the time lag, they often say they feel the release of a PC version two or three years after the release of the PlayStation version is acceptable. It's a community that we should cherish the most. We will continue to listen to the voices of game fans and develop various titles in a multifaceted manner."

While accessibility is an important topic year-round, May is always special as we celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day and recognize the strides made by the accessibility community and the games industry to make gaming more inclusive. At Sony Interactive Entertainment, we are committed to furthering that mission, so today we're excited to share new details and images of the Access controller for the PS5 console.

New details and product images
First revealed at CES this year as "Project Leonardo," the Access controller for PS5 is an all-new, highly-customizable accessibility controller kit designed to help many players with disabilities play games more easily, more comfortably, and for longer periods. Developed in collaboration with accessibility experts, the Access controller will include a wide array of swappable button and stick caps so players can freely create different layouts that work for their unique strength, range of motion, and physical needs.

MSI is announcing the launch of our flagship PCIe 4.0 lineup to its SSD product line - SPATIUM M480 PRO series. MSI SSDs refine our company's identity as a high-performance PC brand by expanding our ecosystem and covering the high-performance storage category. These SSDs are built with high-quality, high-density 3D NAND flash that deliver the ultimate PRO performance for PCIe 4.0 with up to 7400 MB/s sequential read and 7000 sequential write.

The SPATIUM M480 PRO boasts up to 60% faster random read/write speeds, enabling a supremely responsive experience and minimal latency in gameplay and productivity under heavy workloads for professionals, content creators, and gamers. Other performance-improving technologies include DRAM cache buffer and an SLC cache.

Guerrilla Games is celebrating its 20th anniversary as a AAA games developer, and has marked the occasion by releasing a very thorough story on the official PlayStation blog as well as an accompanying video (see below). The introduction states: "From our early days with Killzone to the growth of our studio with Horizon, we're grateful you've been on this journey with us so far. Thank you for an incredible 20 years." The first-party Sony PlayStation development studio has risen from humble origins prior to 2003 - as a producer of third-party Nintendo Game Boy titles under the guise of a smaller outfit called the "Lost Boys." The Dutch team had to step up their game in order to embrace the power offered by current-gen consoles at the time: "The year we formed Guerrilla, 2003, was an interesting time for gaming. The PlayStation 2 had launched three years earlier to critical acclaim. People were losing their minds over the technological feats being achieved with all the power it offered (six whole GFLOPS!)."

After working on the very successful Killzone first-person shooter franchise for over a decade, Guerrilla Games decided to move onto the creation of a new I.P - Horizon - and plenty of successful milestones, both critical and financial, have been reached since "Zero Dawn" debuted on the PlayStation 4 back in the Spring of 2017: "As of April 16, 2023, the Horizon franchise has sold through more than 32.7 million units worldwide, of which Horizon Forbidden West has sold through over 8.4 million units. Millions more around the world have discovered Horizon thanks to PlayStation's subscription services and initiatives, including PlayStation Plus, and Play at Home. All told, it's a milestone we never imagined possible twenty years ago when we first started making games."

Avalanche Software has released quite a big patch for Hogwarts Legacy, improving visual, performance, gameplay, and general stability. In addition to more than 500 bug fixes, it also brings the new Arachnophobia Mode.

Performance-wise, the newest patch resolves general crashes on the PC and various memory leaks, brings plenty of optimizations, fixes ray tracing issues, and more. It also updates minimum driver recommendation for NVIDIA graphics cards, updates NVIDIA DLSS to v3.1.2, AMD FSR to v2.2, and Intel XeSS to v1.1.

Today Electronic Arts Inc. and EA SPORTS announced that F1 23, the official game of the FIA Formula One World Championship, will be released on June 16 across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, via EA App, Epic Games Store, and Steam. Headlined with the return of the epic story mode Braking Point, F1 23 is home to every team, driver and circuit for the 2023 season, including the highly anticipated Las Vegas Grand Prix and Lusail International Circuit, Qatar. Building on the exciting new partnership with Max Verstappen, who now boasts EA SPORTS branding on the chin of his helmet, the back-to-back World Champion is confirmed as the cover star for the digital-exclusive F1 23 Champions Edition.

"The return of Braking Point allows players to immerse themselves in a racing story, which provides a unique look at F1 alongside the authentic race features our players know and love," said Lee Mather, Senior Creative Director at Codemasters. "Our close relationship with the teams has allowed us to refine our handling model, adding greater realism to pad-play, and implementing a new color encoding system used in film and TV creates a more true-to-life experience."

A couple of TPU readers will be happy to learn of more rumors relating to Sony's "in the works" PlayStation 5 Pro model - following on from last week's news about about a possible interim modular model - and curious commenters asking for additional information. Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson has been a notorious source of PS5-related leaks for a while - the aforementioned modular console variant has been leading topic for the guy and today he provides a small update on the matter: "You're probably already sick of hearing about the new PlayStation 5 with a detachable disc drive that should release later this year. Although reports have dubbed the new PlayStation 5 as the PS5 Slim, Insider Gaming understands that the console will be almost identical to the PlayStation 5 but feature a detachable disc drive. In fact, it's understood that the new PlayStation 5 will completely phase out the old design within a year."

His newly reformed and theorized PlayStation future timeline also contains an update about the PlayStation 5's "Pro" refresh - Sony is rumored to preparing this more powerful hardware variant for a Q4 2024 launch and Henderson insists that his past findings have been consistent and on point: "Our report in March was dismissed as being inaccurate by many when it was first reported and although the PlayStation 5 Pro could be canceled at any given time, Insider Gaming can report with a 100% degree of certainty that the PlayStation 5 Pro is currently in development." He claims that his industry sources have provided him with fresh batches of evidence: "Whilst we cannot report on any more specifics at this time, we understand that the first dev kit prototypes will be going to 1st party developers within the next couple of months, with 3rd party developers receiving them by the end of the year." Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are normally very guarded about development and prototype hardware, so very few developers (with access to these bits of kit) have been brave enough to break signed NDAs. Sony has once again chosen to be extremely secretive - no official information has been released about upcoming refreshed PS5 consoles or related accessories.

Sony PlayStation and Square Enix are engaged in the process of hyping up blockbuster action role-player Final Fantasy XVI, set for a worldwide release on June 22, and have recently announced some visually striking accessories and interesting hardware bundles - as part of the promotional cycle and eventual release of the sixteenth (mainline) Final Fantasy game installment. Their Japanese marketing teams are collaborating on a custom design PlayStation 5 DualSense controller and console faceplate/cover bearing Final Fantasy XVI-based artwork. The controller's Midnight Black + gold accenting combo creates a very macho aesthetic, which stands in sharp contrast to some of the recent special edition Xbox controllers in terms of color and finish.

The special edition controller and console plate will be sold separately and are scheduled to launch alongside the game and related console bundles on June 22. These Final Fantasy XVI-themed accessories could be exclusive to the Japanese domestic market - Sony and Square Enix have issued information related to pricing in Yen (¥8980 & ¥7980 respectively), and their North American and European sites only make mention of the standard white PS5 console FFXVI bundle being available on the game's launch day.

Sony has had a very good year when it comes to PlayStation 5 sales, as the company sold no less than 19.1 million units in FY22, which exceeded the forecasted volume of 18 million units by a fair margin. Sony's financial year runs from April to March, so the first three months of 2023 was the last three months of its FY22, during which the company sold no less than 6.1 million consoles. That's up from a mere two million units in the last quarter of FY21, which is no small increase and shows the popularity of the PS5. Sony also mentioned that they've caught up with demand and are able to deliver PS5s to customers without the need to pre-order or having to wait for their orders to arrive, in almost all locations globally. As for FY23, Sony is hoping to sell even more consoles, with a target of 25 million units. To date, Sony has sold around 38.4 million PlayStation 5 consoles.

That said, it's not all good news, as game sales were down from US$70.5 million to US$68 million a year ago quarter to quarter and dropped from 303.2 million to 264.2 million FY21 vs FY22. Sony also lost some four million users of its PlayStation Network service, but the company saw a slight increase in its PS Plus subscription base. Sony saw a boost in revenue in its Gaming and Networking Services business unit from US$4.9 billion in FY21 to US$7.9 billion in FY22. As a whole, Sony had sales of some US$29 billion, or 3.9 trillion Yen if you prefer, despite struggling with a weak Yen vs. the US Dollar.

Sony Interactive Entertainment has filed a patent that is now viewable to the public - as spotted by SegmentNext today - and the newly registered device could be designed to function as part of an updated variant of the PlayStation 5 home video game console. The 2020-era patent document showcases a type of detachable optical disc drive, and industry experts reckon that this mountable media reading device is destined, following past rumors, to feature in an upcoming PlayStation 5 hardware revision.

No reference is made to Sony's popular gaming console within the patent filing, but it is highly likely that the new optical drive will factor into the refreshed console's modular makeup - its overall shape shares design aesthetics with the PS5. Sony currently offers customers two variants of the PlayStation 5 - the more advanced model is fitted with an internal 4K Blu-Ray compatible disc drive, while the other one functions as a purely digital download device. The modular revamp is expected to arrive later this year, in a more compact form factor that industry insiders have called "D chassis" - it is not known whether this variant will outright replace the older models. A more powerful PlayStation 5 "Pro" model is expected to arrive after the modular redesign, with tipsters pointing to a launch window in mid-to-late 2024.

Following the release of the company's first headset officially licensed by PlayStation, the GXT 488 Forze for PS4, in 2020; Leading digital lifestyle accessories brand, Trust Electronics Ltd, today announces the brand new GXT 498 Forta Gaming Headset for PS5 consoles. Officially licensed for PS5 consoles, the Forta is well and truly a new generation headset for this top-of-the-range console. The Trust Forta Wired is available in Black and White from Smyths Toys and Very for £39.99.

Following in the footsteps of the Forze headset, which was the #1 best sold gaming headset along with receiving an average of 4.4 star reviews by end consumers†; the Forta marks an exciting new addition to Trust Gaming's portfolio. Specifically designed to work with PS5 consoles, the headset not only matches gamer's favourite consoles in style, but has unique features which provide them with their best gaming experience yet.

Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC ("SIE") announced today it has entered into an agreement with ProbablyMonsters Inc. to acquire Firewalk Studios, a studio of industry-leading creatives developing an original AAA multiplayer game for PlayStation 5 (PS5) and PC. Firewalk will collaborate alongside world-class development teams, including Bungie and Haven Interactive Studios, to define a new generation of live service experiences for PlayStation gamers.

Based in Bellevue, WA, Firewalk was formed in 2018 as part of ProbablyMonsters, an independent AAA game company founded by CEO Harold Ryan (former CEO, President and Chairman at Bungie) that builds sustainable game teams focusing on original AAA games. Firewalk's team of best-in-class developers, led by industry veterans Tony Hsu (Studio Head, previously GM and SVP of Destiny at Activision) and Ryan Ellis (Game Director, previously Creative Director at Bungie), have years of collective expertise on some of gaming's most successful and impactful multiplayer titles. ProbablyMonsters and Firewalk announced an exclusive publishing partnership with SIE in April 2021 and now Firewalk will be the 20th studio to join PlayStation Studios.

It's time to tune into the next chapter. OXENFREE II: Lost Signals will launch July 12, 2023! Make sure it's on your wishlist so you can be among the first to play. This game has been a labor of love and we've been fueled by the passion of our community. We're counting down the days until you have the game in your hands. We cannot wait for you to finally meet Riley and make life altering choices while overcoming supernatural challenges that threaten to destroy her future.

Five years after the events of OXENFREE, Riley returns to her hometown of Camena to investigate mysterious radio signals. What she finds is more than she bargained for. In the small coastal town, unnaturally occurring electromagnetic waves are suddenly causing interference with electrical and radio equipment. Reluctantly, Riley Poverly, an environmental researcher, returns to her hometown to investigate the mystery. As you go on this journey with Riley, you'll shape every step of the story through your choices. How you choose to deal with the supernatural events at hand will forever alter the future.