It looks like layoffs at Xbox have started, with a number of developers at South of Midnight developer Compulsion Games now looking for new opportunities. The layoffs come as part of a massive shakeup at Xbox under new CEO Asha Sharma, which will reportedly see multiple Xbox Game Studios either closed or going independent once more.

The fate of Compulsion as a studio is still unclear. Reports from earlier in June suggested that Xbox was preparing to close the studio, though Compulsion leadership was said to be in discussions with Xbox over potentially spinning the studio off on its own.

News of the Compulsion layoffs comes from individual developers' posts on LinkedIn announcing that they are no longer with the studio, as compiled by reporter Mr Rebs.

https://twitter.com/mr_rebs_/status/2069959570877812839?s=46

Compulsion is based in Montreal and was founded in 2009. After developing Contrast and being at work on We Happy Few, it was acquired by Microsoft in 2018 as part of a flurry of studio purchases.

The Compulsion layoffs may be only the start for Xbox, with CEO Asha Sharma lining up big changes in an attempt to get Xbox "healthy" again, promising a "reset" on the business. Bloomberg reported that layoffs would likely occur after June 30, after the end of Microsoft's fiscal year.

Alongside Compulsion, multiple other studios including Double Fine and Ninja Theory are also reportedly in negotiations with Xbox to get their studios out from under Microsoft's ownership to avoid complete closure. There's been no recent update on how those talks are going--other than a single, not-so-promising emoji posted to Double Fine's X account.

After being announced in a Nintendo Direct two weeks ago, Deltarune Chapter 5 is live now and pushing Toby Fox's episodic RPG to new levels of hype. The update saw Deltarune's Steam concurrent player count jump to 291,816, more than double the game's previous peak.

As fans check out the new chapter, Deltarune has jumped into the top 10 most played games on Steam--an unusual feat for a single-player RPG with concurrent players normally in the low five figures. The game's previous all-time peak was 133,930 players last June, when the first four chapters were released as a paid game on Steam. The jump in popularity around the Chapter 5 release has also seen Deltarune reach number 13 on Steam's top sellers list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5y22LUfetA

Of course the Steam numbers only give part of the story--Deltarune is also available on PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Switch 2, meaning there's probably a whole lot more players getting stuck into the new chapter right now.

Deltarune's fanbase is going off on social media, as fans have been waiting a year for the new content to share their theories, secrets, guides and more. Plenty of players have also shared their praise of the new chapter through Steam reviews, where Deltarune enjoys a 98% positive rating.

Deltarune's first chapter was released for free back in 2018, with intermittent releases of new chapters in the years since. With just over a year since Chapter 3 and 4's joint release, the wait for Chapter 5 has been the shortest yet.

Toby Fox still has more chapters to release to complete Deltarune's story, signing off Chapter 5's release announcement with a promise that the team will return to to working on the next chapter. According to the game's Steam page, Chapter 6 is currently planned for a 2027 release.

Rockstar has officially announced the pricing and preorder information for Grand Theft Auto 6, and alongside this news, the studio has also shared plenty of new screenshots and artwork from the game. GameSpot's Jake Dekker broke it all down, and though Rockstar likely didn't intend to offer too much concrete information about about the Leonida setting or its story, we did uncover several tidbits.

Two of the weapons available in the $100 Ultimate Edition are the Hawk & Little Morgan Revolvers. They're "his and hers" revolvers, each etched with the name of their owner, so Lucia Caminos and Jason Duval will each get their own. The "Morgan" part of the name could very possibly be an Easter egg referring to Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2, as well.

Speaking of Red Dead Redemption, President Hardin--who previously served in office and also appeared on a $100 bill in GTA Online--is visible in one of the images, once again on some cash.

It remains to be seen what the gameplay dynamic will be between Lucia and Jason, but we noticed the two are together in a screenshot showing off the Shitzu Squalo watercraft. Presumably you'll be able to switch between them as freely as you could between Michael, Trevor, and Franklin in GTA 5, so this may be showing a story-centric moment.

One bit tucked away in the description for the '67 Vapid Dominator Buggy mentions that the Paradise Garage location features "a secure place to deposit stolen goods to be fenced." This would be a departure from past games, which don't really focus on stealing anything but cash--could the cops break down your door and find your collection of stolen cars? We can only hope so.

For even more nitty-gritty details, check out the full video above. Grand Theft Auto 6 arrives to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on November 19.

Microsoft released an update for Xbox Insiders today to test several new features coming to Xbox Series X|S. The update brings changes to Gamertags and more, but the most useful of these features allows players to use cloud gaming to play updating titles, fixing one of user's biggest annoyances with the console.

An Xbox Wire post broke down these new features in more detail. Typically, games that are updating on consoles become unplayable, and that wait can get quite long for large, high-fidelity AAA titles. However, this update makes it so that, if the game is part of the Game Pass catalog and you have a subscription, you'll now be able to boot it up via cloud gaming and play it while the update downloads.

If you have the internet bandwidth to support it, this update is extremely alluring. It also shows Xbox is still putting some focus on cloud gaming, even as it recenters its strategy around consoles like the upcoming Project Helix.

There are plenty of other updates for those who don't like cloud gaming to look forward to as well. Game hubs for Xbox 360 games will now show achievements, and a wishlist option will be added to game cards for ones you don't own. Those are small UI tweaks, but they do add things I'm surprised weren't already supported.

In 2019, Microsoft's last big overhaul of Xbox Gamertags limited them to 12 characters at most. Seven years later, it's finally upping the limit to 15 characters. Maybe it's finally time for me to change the Gamertag I've had since I was eight years old.

Xbox Insiders who are part of the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring are the first to have access to these updates. These updates will roll out to other Xbox Insider tiers in the future before eventually being released to all Xbox Series X|S owners.

The news that Grand Theft Auto 6 won't get a traditional physical release and will include a code in a box rather than a disc isn't sitting well with many on the internet. At least two retailers are joining the dissent, announcing their intent not to sell GTA 6.

Video Games Plus (VGP), a Toronto-based retailer, stated that it will not be offering GTA 6 under the company's policy of not selling games that only contain digital codes. VGP added that it would be "pleased" to carry and support the game should Rockstar release it on disc.

"We want to be clear that this decision is not a reflection of the game itself," VGP's statement on X reads. "We have tremendous respect for Rockstar Games and the incredible achievement that Grand Theft Auto 6 represents."

https://twitter.com/VideoGamesPlus_/status/2069773098295910714?s=20

According to VGP's official website, the retailer was founded in 1990 and entered the online marketplace through eBay before launching its own website. VGP has one brick-and-mortar location in Ontario.

Similarly, Delaware-based video game store Loot Box Gaming (LBG) said that while the company is still awaiting further details about GTA 6's release, it will not sell the game if the physical edition is just a code in a box.

"If a product can’t honor the people who pay their hard-earned money to purchase it, then we have no business trying to sell it to our customers whom we value above anything else," LBG's statement read.

LBG is an online-only retailer that also has roots in eBay, but the store's website states that it plans to expand with a retail storefront in the future.

https://twitter.com/LootBoxGamingUS/status/2069756247507624039?s=20

Both VGP and LBG emphasized game preservation in their social media posts.

These two retailers are small compared to superstores like Target and Walmart, so it's hard to imagine these developments will have much effect on GTA's launch and sales. Still, replies to their statements are largely complimentary and respectful.

Meanwhile, GameStop has been silent so far, which is somewhat surprising considering how annoyingly online its social media pages are, especially in the wake of massive games industry news such as this.

GTA 6 is scheduled for a November 19 launch, and as expected, it "features a single-player experience," leading many to wonder what the game's online plans will be.

GTA 6: 241 Screenshots To Ease The Wait View Images

After announcing the release date for the Steam Machine earlier this week, Valve sneakily also confirmed that the latest version of its Linux-based operating system, SteamOS 3.8, would be the first to be available for download for all hardware configurations, letting you turn your existing desktop into your own Steam Machine.

SteamOS 3.8 is out now, meaning you can download the official operating system image and try it out for yourself. For now, you will have to be using an AMD graphics card as Valve continues to work on Nvidia support for an official release in 2027. Your first step is creating a bootable device with a USB stick and your downloaded image of SteamOS, which you can do in the following ways:

• Windows: Use the Rufus utility. Select the SteamOS file and write it to your USB drive (this will format your USB drive).
• MacOS/ Linux: You can use Balena Etcher to write the SteamOS file to your USB drive.

When you boot into SteamOS for the first time, you'll land on a desktop environment. Navigate to the "Re-image Device" option to start the installation, after which your machine will reboot. Note that you will need to disable Secure Boot to install SteamOS, which you'll need to do in the BIOS. You can find where this is located in the documentation for your respective motherboard maker.

After those few steps you'll be up and running SteamOS, giving you an identical living-room PC experience to the Steam Machine. Valve notes that discrete AMD GPU support is still technically in beta, so expect updates to come in thick and fast after the next few weeks. But given how much work has been done to prepare for the Steam Machine, never mind the years of development on the Steam Deck, you can probably rely on it being stable enough for daily use. It is, however, always a good idea to keep a backup of your current operating system (on an entirely different drive) in case you run into issues.

The Steam Machine goes on sale on June 30 exclusively through Steam, with Valve deploying a new method for orders that should hopefully avoid the same issues that plagued the launch of the Steam Controller.

Rockstar Games confirmed the price of Grand Theft Auto 6: A trip to Vice City will cost you $80 for the standard version of the game and $100 for the Ultimate Edition.

Preorders for the highly anticipated open-world game start June 25 at midnight local time, but the retail cost is sparking chatter online. As you can imagine, people are incensed at the precedent that Rockstar is perceived to be setting (though $80 games are already a thing), but it doesn't help that the physical edition of GTA 6 is only a download code in a box.

https://bsky.app/profile/marcdachamp.bsky.social/post/3mozylucpsk2a https://bsky.app/profile/frogcass.bsky.social/post/3mozrni6yic2o https://twitter.com/winterweather/status/2069740260490351005?s=20

Many who closely follow trends in the games industry, including journalist Imran Khan, aren't surprised by the development.

https://bsky.app/profile/imrankhan.bsky.social/post/3mozysfcljk2o

Even if this outcome were predictable, the trend of rising costs has been a downer for many gaming enthusiasts.

https://twitter.com/wesleytypes/status/2069739547898880102?s=20 https://twitter.com/TheNCSmaster/status/2069743935786786994

Those who read the fine print of what's included in the Ultimate Edition seem particularly irked, arguing that the features from that version of the game (namely activities and locations) should be in the base game.

https://bsky.app/profile/darylsurat.bsky.social/post/3mp2262s2xk26

But for those who were never interested in GTA 6, the $80 price point and all of the trappings around its launch are even more justification not to buy the game. One social media user lightheartedly compared GTA 6 to the upcoming Rhythm Heaven Groove on Switch, though it's admittedly a compelling case.

https://twitter.com/IvyfulWorld/status/2069777638244434119

Grand Theft Auto 6 launches on November 19, with pre-loads available starting November 12. Physical copies with download codes will be available on that date as well to allow players to pre-load the game ahead of launch.

It remains to be seen what form GTA Online will take in the years to come, but at least initially, it will not be included with Grand Theft Auto 6. Rockstar has confirmed the upcoming game "features a single-player experience" for its November 19 launch date.

That nugget of info was shared as part of the pricing and preorder-date announcement. As it's 2026, you're still going to need the internet to play GTA 6, at least initially, as the game's "physical" edition will actually contain a download code.

Not launching with online multiplayer actually puts GTA 6 in the same boat as GTA 5, which didn't receive its GTA Online component until a few weeks after launch back in 2013. Of course, there was already a plan in place for that, whereas with GTA 6, it remains very unclear how online multiplayer will function in some future iteration of GTA Online, assuming there is one. Preorders include a free month of GTA+, which comes with GTA Online content, and Rockstar says it's "the best way to get the most out of its ever-evolving world," but we'll have to wait and see if that's still the case a year from now.

As many expected, GTA 6 will be expensive. It launches on November 19 for $80 on both PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, but the $100 Ultimate Edition contains a whole bunch of additional content, including extra story missions. Preorders open June 25.

Ahead of the preorders launching tomorrow, June 25, Rockstar has detailed the bonuses for the GTA 6 Ultimate Edition that will be available. Crucially, there will be no traditional physical copies of GTA 6, even in the shipped versions of the game. Instead, players will receive a download code. Preorders will launch at midnight local time on June 25.

Preorders will also receive a free month of GTA+, which adds $500,000 to your bank balance and gives access to a selection of classic Rockstar titles via the GTA+ Games Library.

In This Article

• How much will GTA 6 cost?
• Can you preload GTA 6?
• Ultimate Edition
  • '95 Grotti Cheetah
  • Hawk & Little Morgan Revolvers
  • Personalized Variants
  • Vice City Style
  • Jason's Safehouse Vehicles
  • Ganado Retro Build
  • Rideout Customs
  • Sara's Unisex Salon
  • Shitzu Squalo
  • Stock 305
  • '67 Vapid Dominator Buggy
  • Electric Fang Tattoo
  • One-Eyed Willie's
  • Goodtime Gear
  • Pit Youngin$ Illegal Goods Store
  • Classic Car Collection
• Vintage Vice City Pack
  • '55 Vapid Stanier
  • Outfits and Hairstyles
  • Weapon Pattern

How much will GTA 6 cost?

Via Business Wire, Rockstar Games has announced that GTA 6 will cost $79.99 for the standard version and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition.

Can you preload GTA 6?

Yes, a preload for GTA 6 will begin on November 12, 2026. This is to "ensure [players] are able to play at launch on November 19." Physical versions will contain a download code, and will be available from November 12 to support pre-loading.

Ultimate Edition

The GTA 6 Ultimate Edition comes with an "extensive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action," including several bonus items. Rockstar says that those bonuses are "threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia's story," and that new items can be uncovered with each chapter of the game.

'95 Grotti Cheetah

A signature mid-90s sports car and an ode to Shore Drive, the '95 Grotti Cheetah has a minimalist aesthetic. It's very clearly based on the Ferrari Testarossa, with some influence from the Ferrari F12 BB and Ferrari 328. You can see the resemblance thanks to the wedge-shaped profile, side vents from the doors into the rear quarter panels, flat nose, broad rear end, and narrow rear windows. The Cheetah is present in GTA Online, but this version has slightly altered proportions and a more retro aesthetic.

Hawk & Little Morgan Revolvers

Rockstar describes this duo weapon as "his and hers" versions of a powerful revolver with classic Vice City stylings from the Vercetti Estate. It has palm trees etched into the grips, engraved detailing, and a "high-performance scope." It seems heavily inspired by the Colt Python, especially since it has engraved and custom variants.

Personalized Variants

Ultimate Edition owners will get personalized sidearms with detailed engravings for Jason's Girardi ES9 pistol and Lucia's Klose K17 pistol. Jason's is engraved with "Sue Sponte," which is Latin for "Of one's own accord," while Lucia's has a tattoo-inspired flower and her own name in script.

Vice City Style

Exclusive outfits, tattoos, and accessories will be available in an authentic Vice City aesthetic for Ultimate Edition owners. Lucia appears to sport tiger-print calf-length boots and a red double denim co-ord, while Jason has a printed shirt with lots of florals, and a horseshoe hand tattoo with tinted glasses.

Jason's Safehouse Vehicles

Ultimate Edition owners can take to the wheel of an "Army fatigue-tinged" Dinka Enduro motorcycle, or the Crest Kayak. The Dinka Enduro is returning from GTA 5 and GTA Online, and is based on the Honda XL650V Transalp. This army green version is far more authentic to the game's aesthetic than the real-world sports liveries often seen on the bike, though.

Ganado Retro Build

This mod kit allows you to add some muscle and classic stylings to Jason's Vapid Ganado pickup, and the mods are exclusive to Ultimate Edition owners.

Rideout Customs

Detailed interiors, rims, and "donk stylings" are available to Ultimate Edition holders. In the image, we can see rims with Ace of Spades-shaped cutouts, glitter paintwork, red speckled interior, and more.

Sara's Unisex Salon

This hair salon for both Jason and Lucia will include facial hair, makeup, and nails for the duo respectively. It's only open to Ultimate Edition owners--but we're unsure at the moment whether that means the entire salon, or just these specific styles.

Shitzu Squalo

The Shitzu Squalo watercraft is "perfect for casting in Gambit Bay," adding to our theories that fishing might be one of the GTA 6 activities. Its pink and blue gradient is so very Vice City, and will be docked at Washington Beach with an explosives-laden weapons crate for good measure.

Stock 305

Stockyard's premiere destination for streetwear is exclusively available for Ultimate Edition owners. You can find unique and exclusive looks there, including patterned bandanas and tracksuits for Jason, and a fetching furry spotted coat for Lucia.

'67 Vapid Dominator Buggy

This off-road vehicle can handle the back roads of Mount Kalaga and beyond. It can be stored at the Paradise Garage in Watson Bay, which also features a weapons locker and a secure place to stash your stolen goods. This looks a little less like a real-world carbon copy, but it does seem like Rockstar saw a '67 Mustang Fastback and decided to turn it into an off-road monster.

Electric Fang Tattoo

This tattoo place is open for Jason and Lucia to enjoy a series of over 50 tattoos designed by the artist collective FAILE. FAILE is a real-world Brooklyn-based collection of artists who have contributed to the tattoo designs in Electric Fang.

One-Eyed Willie's

A mod shop in Lake Leonida, exclusively for Ultimate Edition owners. The shop specialized in modifications and hand-painted custom art for off-road vehicles.

Goodtime Gear

This capsule collection of clothing and accessories is inspired by the Goodtime State's hit TV show character, Macca the Gator. Macca the Gator isn't a real character, but of course, he's an alligator considering the game's setting.

Pit Youngin$ Illegal Goods Store

Southside Vice City's "loudest and most socially active gangs" have a compound that Ultimate Edition owners can exclusively raid. Grab some special items and distinct contraband here.

Classic Car Collection

Ultimate Edition owners can also track down abandoned classic and project cars before restoring them to their former glory in a special commission from local fixer, Wyman.

Vintage Vice City Pack

Preordering will get you unique benefits that "flash back to when the neon burned brightest" in this Vintage Vice City Pack. Expect to grab a timeless '55 Vapid Stanier sedan, garage on Ocean Beach, outfits, hairstyles, and a weapon pattern. Preorder before November 20 to guarantee these items.

'55 Vapid Stanier

This classic sedan is the ideal vehicle to cruise Shore Drive, and can be stored at the Shore Court personal garage, which features a weapons locker and a secure place to store your stolen goods. It certainly looks like Vice City's take on the Ford Crown Victoria--a car regularly used as a cab in American cities.

Outfits and Hairstyles

Jason's linen suit, Lucia's red sequin mini dress and curled locks, and more can be yours as part of the preorder bonuses.

Weapon Pattern

Tommy Vercetti's icon palm-tree button-up can now be applied to most guns as a weapon pattern. Vercetti, of course, was Vice City's playable protagonist.

GTA 6 preorders will go live at midnight local time on June 25.

• Wishlist GTA 6 on Xbox Series X|S
• Wishlist GTA 6 on PS5

With the GTA 6 release date looming and preorders going live tomorrow, June 25, there are a number of fans who expect that the third trailer will release alongside the preorder launch. However, if Rockstar follows its own precedent, the third trailer may not appear this week at all.

During the marketing for the launch of GTA 5, Rockstar opened preorders on November 5, 2012. Alongside the preorders, which were a whole 10 months ahead of the release date versus GTA 6's five-month window, Rockstar announced that a new trailer for the game would be coming soon.

Nine days later, on November 14, 2012, the character trailers for protagonists Franklin, Trevor, and Michael were released.

For GTA 4, the box art was revealed on November 28, 2007, but the third trailer didn't become public until December 6, 2007, a whole eight days later.

It takes a bit of working out, but GTA 6 Trailer 3 could be a while away yet.

If Rockstar is following a similar marketing pattern for GTA 6, we may not see another official glimpse at the game until the first week of July.

There was a 378-day gap between the first and second trailers for GTA 5, and a 168-day gap between the second and third. For GTA 6, that has already been surpassed, with a huge 519-day gap between the first and second trailers. At the time of writing, it has been 414 days since the second trailer.

That's not to say that a third trailer, character trailers, or even a story trailer won't drop alongside preorders. Red Dead Redemption 2's third trailer came a whole month before preorders were available, so it seems Rockstar isn't sticking to one specific marketing approach across its portfolio.

The second season of Marathon is only a few weeks old, but Bungie is already providing players with the early word about next month's mid-season update. One of the changes coming to the game is Vault Breaker, a new experimental PvE mode.

As shared on Bungie's official site, Vault Breaker will let players explore the endgame Cryo Archive map and plunder its many "vaults" as either a crew, a duo, or solo, without the threat of running into other players. Each vault is described as "progressively challenging" and players will experience a progression that's unique to Vault Breaker as they approach "the final vault and the mysterious entity within."

To enter Vault Breaker, players need a special Sponsored Kit, and they will also have to leave behind any gear they find in the vaults when leaving, so that the new PvE mode doesn't flood the game with the high-end loot players usually have to fight each other for in Cryo Archive. Vault Breaker also introduces a new currency, Vault Data, which can be taken out of the mode and used to upgrade Vault Breaker Sponsored Kits or gear that can be used in other modes.

The mid-season update is brings the first new iteration on the Cradle Evolution system, which allows players to upgrade their characters with improvements that persist between runs. Players will be able to reset their Cradle back to zero after maxing it out in order to earn another maximum Energy point and other "unique cosmetics." Bungie notes that the cosmetics will be available later in the season, but can be earned ahead of their in-game debut. The Cradle's progression speed is also set to increase with this update.

Marathon's Season 2 mid-season update will launch on July 21, with further quality-of-life changes to be announced closer to that date. Looking even further ahead, Bungie announced that Marathon Season 3 will start on September 22. Season 3 will have "big changes to the early game experience," as well as new weapons, equipment, a fresh Runner shell, and more.

Bungie previously shared its plans to broaden the appeal of Marathon during Season 2. The game even briefly had a free trial earlier this month. Meanwhile, the impending end of Bunge's Destiny 2 has drawn even more concurrent players than Marathon for the game's final update.

The 35th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog is arriving later this year, and one of the ways that Sega is celebrating the event is a new ARG game called Chaos Hunt. Fans have been invited to hunt for some missing Chaos Emeralds, but players should probably check out the fine print before they take part in it.

As noted by user Luna Leo on social media, the terms of service for Chaos Hunt requires players to agree to AI model training and to sharing their details with third-party AI vendors.

https://bsky.app/profile/vampsonic.bsky.social/post/3moxze67czk2l

The terms note that "We use reasonable efforts to prohibit [third-party] providers from using any of your personal information for the purposes of developing and improving their AI models." It also adds that the third-party providers have to secure and protect the data they collect from players.

As part of the event, Sega released the following video featuring Sonic Creative Officer Takashi Iizuka's in-universe announcement that the Chaos Emeralds were stolen by Sonic's nemesis Dr. Robotnik ahead of the opening of Club Chaos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSNi9KBdvz8

Three grand prize winners will win a trip to New York City to join the fun at Club Chaos. Everyone else can purchase tickets for Club Chaos starting on August 28. The other prizes in the Chaos Hunt game are listed below:

Leblon Delienne statue

Lego Sega Genesis

Sonic 35th anniversary letterman jacket

Sonic Crossbody bag

Sonic 35th anniversary plush

King Ice pendant

Signed artwork

Sonic video game bundle

Additionally, Sega is teaming with iam8bit for 35th anniversary Sega Genesis cartridges for both Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Meanwhile, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is going to feature crossover collaborations with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Godzilla, Avatar Legends, and even Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Valve's Steam Machine is finally launching next week, but the journey to this point hasn't been easy. The living-room PC has found itself at the center of an ongoing RAM crisis--one that has forced Valve to turn every Steam Machine into a little bit of a memory lottery if you do happen to get one.

Regardless of which Steam Machine you decide to purchase, each one will ship with 16GB of RAM. You can, however, get one of two configurations: either two sticks of 8GB each, or a single 16GB stick. If you're familiar with PC gaming, you'll likely see the issue. A single stick of RAM will limit those Steam Machines to single-channel memory speeds, which can have a negative impact on gaming performance.

The lottery was discussed between Gamer's Nexus and a pair of Valve engineers, who were quick to reassure prospective buyers that the difference in performance was negligible. The difference is entirely down to supply issues, with Valve forced to use whatever memory it was able to procure, with suppliers forcing the company to take what stock it had, at whatever price it was selling it at, or "never hear from them again."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66QzlDewigE&t=2270s

It's a grim reflection of the state of the PC industry, but also creates some differentiation between Steam Machines that you won't be able to discern at checkout. The only upside to getting stuck with a single stick is that you have a free slot ready for an upgrade, which might have been an advantage if not for the price you'd need to pay for it.

There haven't been extensive tests yet showing whether or not the different SKUs impact gaming performance in a meaningful way (Gamer's Nexus says it plans to conduct its own tests in the future), but given how tricky it's going to be to get a Steam Machine with Valve's new preorder system, you won't really have a choice but to accept what you get.

Lords of the Fallen 2 is not going to make it out on time. Developer CI Games has announced that the game is shifting from 2026 to Q1 2027 (January-March 2027).

CI Games CEO Marek Tyminski said feedback and tests showed that there are "meaningful opportunities" available to "further refine and strengthen the overall experience" with more time.

"These enhancements will benefit from additional integration, iteration, and polishing time, enabling the team to deliver the highest possible quality at launch," he said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYLhemzhhZI

Delaying to 2027 also gives Lords of the Fallen 2 a better chance to shine, outside of what he described as a "competitive holiday period." That's no doubt a reference GTA 6, which is set for release on November 19.

"The team remains fully energized by the strong response to our recent reveals and is deeply focused on delivering a standout dark fantasy action-RPG and a worthy successor to the Lords of the Fallen franchise," Tyminski said. "We are grateful for the continued passion, feedback, and support from our community, and we look forward to sharing more updates in the coming months."

Epic Games had a licensing agreement for Lords of the Fallen 2 to make its PC edition exclusive to the Epic Games Store, but that deal was canceled. Despite its name, Lords of the Fallen 2 is actually the third game in the series, following Lord of the Fallen (2014) and Lords of the Fallen (2023).

EA executive Laura Miele, the president of enterprise development at the publisher, has commented on the role of AI in game development. She said in an interview that she has seen a "real rise of creativity" at EA thanks in part to developers using AI tools and systems to do "tedious" tasks that in turn frees them up for more creative pursuits.

Miele was asked by The Game Business if using AI technologies can help speed up game development, and she said, "Perhaps in some parts they will."

She went on to say one of his ambitions is to help developers "remove friction" from their workflows, and adopting AI is helping already, she said.

"I always have kind of wanted to be a hero to them and help them create career-defining experiences. And I think that AI--what I've seen--how AI has enabled removing friction from our pipelines and our tools and our workflows, has been pretty exciting," she said. "It's removed some tedium out of their jobs."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM0xXRHuKcQ

Without citing specific examples, Miele said she's witnessed faster prototyping thanks to EA's developers using AI. She also said she's seen "faster creativity" and faster timelines for when creative ideas get implemented.

"So we're seeing it. I think there is a real rise of creativity that comes from removing some of the tedious tasks out of development," she said.

Developers using AI for mundane tasks to free them up for more creative pursuits has been a key talking point from executives in the gaming industry. Before this, The Witcher 3 director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz said using generative AI for early-stage development on The Blood of Dawnwalker was essential to making the game. Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick is also optimistic about the potential for AI to be used in non-creative areas for game development. Jeff Kaplan, known for his work on Overwatch, has also said AI has a place in certain areas of game production.

Crucially, much of the talk about implementing AI into workflows has been from executives and bosses, not the people actually doing the work. In terms of how actual developers feel, a GDC study found that more developers than ever believe generative AI is hurting the games industry.

Diablo 4's next crossover collaboration will be with Blizzard's own Overwatch, bringing the looks of iconic heroes like Reinhardt, Mercy, Kiriko, and others to the dark-fantasy ARPG.

The collab will come as part of Diablo 4's upcoming Season 14, Death Awakening, and will mostly be a "shop-focused collab," according to Diablo 4's design director for live services Dan Tanguay. There will, however, be a free reliquary where players can unlock two Overwatch-themed weapon cosmetics, a mount trophy, player emblems, and the game's first earnable armor dye at no cost.

As for the Overwatch appearances players will be able to buy from Diablo 4's in-game shop, a teaser image for the collab shows armor sets inspired by Genji, Reaper, Brigitte, Mercy, Moira, Reinhardt, Kirkio, and Roadhog. Two pets, Kiriko's spirit fox and a Pachimari, also appear in the image.

A look at what all is new in Diablo 4 Season 14.

A crossover between the optimistic, near-future sci-fi setting of Overwatch and the bloody, demon-ravaged world of Sanctuary doesn't exactly sound like a perfect pairing given the wildly different tone of the two universes (though there are plenty of Diablo skins to be found in Overwatch) already. Previous crossovers have included Berserk, Blizzard's own Warcraft and StarCraft, as well as Doom: The Dark Ages.

Blizzard is aware that Overwatch isn't as snug a fit as something like Berserk. Tanguay said the Diablo team looked to only adapt certain aspects of Overwatch for the collab, including both the darker and lighter corners of the hero-shooter's universe it thought would fit best.

However, the Overwatch crossover also marks a shift in how Blizzard is approaching Diablo 4 collabs going forward. Blizzard previously stated collabs in Diablo 4 would be with universes that meshed well with its grim fantasy setting, but now that the game has entered its third year of live service, that is starting to change, Tanguay said.

"As we continue to evolve as a live-service game, we are going to look to broaden up the tone of our collabs a bit more," Tanguay said. "I don't think we're ever going to be at a point where suddenly Diablo 4 is lighthearted and cheery as a base game … But there should be opportunities for us to bring in some lighter things on occasion as the game gets more mature."

Diablo 4 Season 14 and its Overwatch collab launches June 30, and will bring controversial changes to Mythic items alongside adjustments to War Plans, a new Lair Boss, and a solo-self-found mode. 

Games Like Diablo To Loot Your Way Through In 2026 View Images

Diablo 4 Season 14 is set to be one of the biggest shakeups for the ARPG in quite some time, even as Blizzard deals with what it described as "issues compounding issues."

The upcoming season, titled Death Awakening, is bringing controversial changes to Mythic items, weakening many build staples players have become accustomed to while opening the door for any of the game's 100+ Uniques to become "Mythic" quality with a 30% boost to the item's Unique power. This major update to items and how players construct builds isn't just for the season, but is intended to come to the game in its entirety as a permanent change.

At first glance, it looks like a win on paper. Less one-item-fits-all solutions and more build diversity, a frequent ask from the community, sounds like a good thing. The issue has stemmed from Blizzard's approach. It added a heavy dose of randomness to the game's best items, first to Uniques in Lord of Hatred, then to Mythics as part of proposed changes for Season 14. A Unique or Mythic item could have completely undesirable affixes, making the dopamine thrill of getting what is supposed to be one of the best items in the game instead feel like Blizzard is playing a cruel practical joke. While players do have some control over adding and modifying affixes via the Horadric Cube, it felt like far more work (and luck) was required to get a usable item that will last long term, much less a great item that will last an entire season.

Blizzard knows it's stuck between a rock and a hard place. Following a playtest of the new season on Diablo 4's public test realm and feedback from a concerned community, Blizzard is now meeting players halfway. There is still some randomness to be found, but Unique and Mythic items will now have two set affixes instead of only one. Crafting Mythics via the cube will also be more focused. Instead of receiving a largely random item when upgrading a Unique into a Mythic, it will now match the slot of the original item. It's a step in the right direction, but it remains to be seen how players will react to the season overall once it arrives in full.

Making Mythics Mythic items will see their biggest changes yet in Season 14.

It's all in service of ensuring Diablo 4's long-term health, Dan Tanguay, design director for live services on Diablo 4, said in an interview with GameSpot. One of the main goals behind the changes was to make it so a handful of the game's current Mythic Uniques--must-have items like Heir of Perdition or The Grandfather--don't continue to dominate.

"There's a handful of them that just become best-in-slot," Tanguay said. "Once you can earn that, you get lucky enough to roll it, drop it, or craft it, that's it--you're never going to worry about that slot again. And it kind of narrows the types of builds that players will pursue, especially if they're reading Maxroll or Icy Veins or something like that. We really want to increase the possibilities at the end of the game for what your build can be, and we need to look at mechanics that allow us to do that."

The fix the team came up with, and one it was excited about, Tanguay said, was to make regular Uniques more competitive by having them become Mythic and amping up their power. At the same time, the choice was made to bring down the power of the game's existing Mythics, now referred to as Iconic Mythics, by inserting a level of randomness.

Random affixes for Uniques in Lord of Hatred did not go over well, but were done to combat how easy fixed-affix Uniques were to get and to increase the length of their "item journey," Tanguay said. Work on Season 14 was already well underway by the time Diablo 4's second expansion launched and Blizzard started to receive negative feedback surrounding the Unique change. That led to what Tanguay called a "perfect storm" in regards to the Season 14 PTR, where Blizzard looked to test its proposed revamp.

"We had started getting this feedback that people weren't happy with some of these changes to Uniques, and we were like 'Oh boy, well, we were building on top of that for [Season] 14,'" Tanguay said.

That was, and still is, the plan, though Blizzard is having to roll with the punches and "split the difference" based on feedback from the community. Now, Diablo 4 Season 14 is dealing with what Tanguay described as "issues compounding issues," as Blizzard looks to incorporate player feedback regarding Mythics and Uniques while still pursuing its goals for the game's future.

"We really need to address both of those things right now while still making sure long term we have fewer best-in-slot problems and we've got a lot more build diversity at the end of it." 

Regardless of how Season 14 is received, Tanguay made clear Blizzard still had work to do in order to arrive at a consensus point where both players and Blizzard are happy with where the game is headed.

"We need to keep iterating at it, until we arrive at something that we think is good for the long-term health of the game and that players really like," he said.

Breach And Clear Realmwalkers are back in Season 14, but don't worry, you don't have to follow them.

Changes to Mythic items may be the biggest change for Season 14, but there's more to a season than just itemization changes. Death Awakening also brings the return of a previous seasonal mechanic, Realmwalkers. Unlike their first appearance in Season 6, players won't have to follow the lumbering giants around, but will instead battle waves of enemies and close rifts in order to open breaches to even more challenging encounters, including a new Lair Boss. 

"We looked back at how we used the Realmwalker previously … and we felt we didn't really do the Realmwalker justice in that case," Tanguay said. "You had to follow along, it would spawn enemies every so often, and you got a portal. It felt a little anticlimactic, so we really wanted to take another crack at the Realmwalker and make it a proper boss fight--something that could challenge our players."

Mephisto's defeat in Lord of Hatred will play directly into the threat of the new Risen enemy type in Death Awakening, offering more of a direct story thread than previous seasons, where seasonal storylines were largely disconnected from the game's campaigns or even previous seasons.

"Even though Mephisto is dead, his impact is still felt across Sanctuary at this point," Tanguay said. "It gives us the opportunity to explore some new ideas … that there are unintended consequences of Mephisto's passing and now we need to deal with those." 

Plans Within Plans A look at everything new coming in Season 14.

Of Lord of Hatred's new features, War Plans was among the most impactful: a new endgame system where players can choose between different activities, level them up, and be rewarded for it. There were, however, some issues, most notably when playing in a group. War Plans don't currently sync between party members, meaning players in a group have to spend time rerolling their plans in an effort to try to make their individual plans match up as closely as possible.

That is, thankfully, no longer the case in Season 14, with War Plans now able to be synced between party members alongside tweaks like increased activity XP. Party sync is something Tanguay said the team acted on "very quickly" to ensure it made it into the season and was an "oh shit" moment the team realized it needed to take care of immediately.

Other changes players have asked for, like realm-wide War Plans progression or some kind of catch-up mechanic for subsequent characters, are still being thought about, Tanguay said.

"That's something we didn't want to rush into, just because it would have some unintended consequences if we just quickly did it," he said. "We want to make sure there's still a lot of legs for the War Plans system, and as soon as you make it account-wide, it's a little less frustrating but then we lose some playtime associated with it."

He said there is currently lots of feedback and ideas surrounding War Plans, including how they could be modified to reflect a given season's theme. Blizzard also needs to address the issue of what happens when a player has maxed out each War Plans activity. Any kind of account-wide unlock system or catch-up mechanic would likely be implemented alongside larger changes that would address that question, he said. 

Diablo 4 Season 14 launches June 30, and will bring with it an unexpected crossover with Overwatch. The season will also add a long-awaited solo mode, for those who are up for the challenge of being unable to group or trade with other players.

Amazon's big Prime Day sale is now underway, but the online retailer is not the only store offering up deals right now. Walmart's Deals & More event is also live this week from June 22 through 28, and one of the deals is a great discount on the "Hatchin' Yoshi" interactive toy inspired by the cute little dinosaur's appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Walmart is selling the figure for $30 during the event, which is 50% off its normal $60 price.

See at Walmart

Walmart is selling the figure for $30 right now, which is 50% off its normal $60 price.

The Hatchin' Yoshi is pretty much what it sounds like. Inside the box is an egg that rocks side to side and eventually cracks open, to reveal Yoshi inside, complete with a "Yoshi" sound effect. Once Yoshi hatches, you can use the bottom half of the egg as a display stand. You can pat Yoshi's nose and head to make its eyes light up and move his head.

You can see the toy in action in the video below, featuring Charlie Day and Brie Larson, who voiced Luigi and Rosalina in the movie. Donald Glover voiced Yoshi in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IsLrTNbNiE

Prime Day (and related deals from competitors) will continue throughout the week, so be sure keep checking GameSpot's Prime Day hub throughout the to stay up to date on the latest discounts.

Prime Day (and related deals from competitors) will continue throughout the week, so be sure keep checking back with GameSpot for more. You can bookmark our Prime Day hub to stay up to date.

Amazon Prime Day 2026 (June 23-26)

Video games, Blu-rays, Lego, and tech for the lowest prices of 2026.

See at Amazon

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Game developer Hideo Kojima has shared new details about one of his upcoming games, the horror title OD that he's making in partnership with Xbox. In addition to calling it "a new game system," he said it includes a feature for people who might get too scared by it.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Kojima said his aim with the game was to "do something new" and "do something different." He said he first came up with the concept for OD when he was making the original Death Stranding years ago.

"I can't reveal much detail, but it's something that no one has ever seen before. A new game system," he said. A new image has been released as well.

https://twitter.com/KojiPro2015_EN/status/2069283202657824878

Kojima went on to say he pitched OD to "many people," including "the big companies" and "the up-and-coming companies." Every company he pitched to told him the same thing. "They said that I'm crazy, and that they really don't understande the concept--that they will not be able to do it," he said.

The game was greenlit at Xbox under the leadership of former Xbox boss Phil Spencer. Asha Sharma is now Xbox CEO, and she called OD a "deeply moving game," going on to say it "represents another kind of game."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7LCmySghGM

OD will be a scary game, and that's plainly obvious from seeing the trailer, and it will be a single-player game. Kojima said the aim is to make the game "as scary as possible," but he's also come up with a system for scaredy cats.

"For those that might stop playing when it gets too scary, I have thought of a system that will allow them to keep going. I can't say much more, because it'll give too much of a hint on the system, and I could get in trouble for saying too much," he said.

Sharma also went on to say that OD is an example of how Xbox has "not reached the boundary of games" just yet. She said one of her goals as Xbox CEO is to make sure Xbox is a platform that is "sufficiently open" to developers of all types, so that "the next Kojima" could potentially have success on Xbox.

OD features celebrity actors, including Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer, and the late Udo Kier. In addition to OD, Kojima is making the espionage game Phsyint for Sony.

AMD has announced that owners of RDNA 3 GPUs can now enjoy the benefits offered by its latest version of AI-powered upscaling, FSR 4.1. This comes a few weeks earlier than its July estimate, with the promise for more devices down the line, too.

FSR Upscaling 4.1 functions similarly to other upscaling technologies on the market, and comes much closer to the performance and quality of Nvidia's market-leading DLSS than previous iterations. It's the same technology that underpins the PlayStation 5 Pro's PSSR 2, with Sony layering on its own work on top of what AMD has engineering here.

https://twitter.com/jackhuynh/status/2069059207383720091

The upscaling suite was previously exclusive to the company's latest GPUs, the RX 9070 and 9070 XT, but will now be available to many, many more RDNA 3 GPUs, such as the popular 7800XT and XTX. You'll need the latest version of AMD's Adrenalin software, which you can grab here.

Devices with RDNA 3.5 APUs, such as Valve's Steam Machine and the Xbox ROG Ally X, will eventually get FSR 4.1 support, with AMD working on lightweight AI models specific to the lower memory bandwidth of these and similar devices.

AMD has also committed to supporting even older RDNA 2 cards with FSR 4.1 sometime in 2027. That, unfortunately, isn't likely to include the one in Valve's Steam Deck, which might have given more life to the aging, and now more expensive, handheld gaming PC.