Microsoft's Xbox division is facing more layoffs soon. That's according to a report from Bloomberg, which said "major" layoffs at Xbox could be announced next week.

This would be just the latest round of cuts at Xbox, following 1,900+ layoffs after the Activision Blizzard deal closed and hundreds more job reductions after that. These cuts, and the ones reportedly planned to be announced next week, are believed to be part of a wider cost-cutting program at Microsoft that has resulted in many thousands of layoffs over the past two years.

Tom Warren of The Verge reported earlier this month that Xbox would face more layoffs at the end of June. The timing is seemingly not random, as Microsoft's current fiscal year ends on June 30. Today, The Verge reported, citing a source, that "Microsoft is restructuring Xbox distribution across central Europe, resulting in some Xbox operations ceasing in some regions."

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Since I fell into Phasmophobia when it debuted on consoles last Halloween, I've likened the game to PUBG--which might seem strange, but if you've played them both, I bet you can see it, too. Though Phasmophobia is a cooperative, first-person paranormal investigation game about hunting ghosts and PUBG is a military sim battle royale, they're both extremely immersive experiences that express their strengths so well that some of the obvious jank they come with winds up feeling more charming than frustrating. There's a whole culture of online videos dedicated to Phasmophobia's lovable rough edges.

That's a rare balance to strike, but it's also not one that needs to stick around forever. Phasmophobia's Chronicle update, which launches today on PC and consoles, is the ghost-hunting game's next step toward deepening and improving its gameplay systems, and the results make it both more immersive and scarier for anyone trying to 100% their investigations.

Previously, players who wanted to go beyond simply identifying the ghost in their investigations to earn a perfect round would need to capture 10 three-star photos that provide evidence of the haunting. These could be pictures of the ghost itself, an item that was just recently moved by the spirit, or footprints in salt, among other things. But this system leaned on the photo camera exclusively, leaving the other evidence-gathering tools to languish--until now.

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Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny is an isometric action game that pairs Hades-like combat with a mashup of Nickelodeon's roster of colorful characters. We recently learned the de facto Face That Runs The Place, SpongeBob, is joining the game's roster, but he's not nearly alone. Exclusively revealed here on GameSpot, the next Dice of Destiny character comes from a series that's beloved by fans of all ages.

Avatar: The Last Airbender's Katara is the next hero to be announced for Dice of Destiny, unleashing a full kit of spellcasting abilities on the four-player co-op game. Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the most prestigious cartoons Nickelodeon has ever produced, with all three of its seasons earning perfect 100% scores on Rotten Tomatoes.

The character reveal also provides a closer look at the game's art style. SpongeBob's typical look didn't have to change much, as it ports well into Dice of Destiny. Katara, meanwhile, has been reimagined as a shorter, squishier character to suit the game's aesthetic, much like how the game handles Leonardo, the Ninja Turtle, who is also making his way to the family game as seen below.

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Video game development veteran Masahiro Sakurai, who is best known for creating the Kirby franchise and for his work on the Super Smash Bros. series, has said the current model of large-scale game development is "becoming unsustainable."

He told ITMedia as translated by IGN, "I think it is becoming unsustainable to continue producing large games on the scale that companies currently do, as it requires too much work."

Sakurai added that independent game developers are facing challenges, too. He said indie developers "need a lot of luck, effort, polish, and stand-out elements to succeed in the market."

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Movies about undead or infected monsters have been around for many decades, but many have connected 28 Days Later and the video game The Last of Us. Director Danny Boyle is among them, as he said in a new interview that he likes to joke that he and writer Alex Garland deserve a piece of the royalties for The Last of Us and The Walking Dead for inspiring those works.

Speaking to IndieWire, Boyle said one of the reasons why he and Garland decided to make a third entry in the series, 28 Years Later, was because of the ongoing popularity of the undead genre thanks to The Last of Us and The Walking Dead.

"It was clear that it had sustained its popularity. Not only the original film, but obviously the stuff like that that builds on the popularity of the idea. We always used to joke that we wish we'd got a percentage of The Walking Dead and The Last of Us and all this kind of stuff," he said.

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Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition

$400 | Limited Availability

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Xbox and Meta are teaming up for an Xbox-themed edition of the Quest 3S VR headset. The Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition has the same tech specs and features as the standard Meta Quest 3S 128GB model, but sports a new black and green color scheme on the headset and Touch Plus controllers. The limited-edition headset is available exclusively at Best Buy and Meta in the US. The Quest 3S Xbox Edition is only being sold in a $400 bundle with matching editions of Meta's Elite Strap and the official Xbox Wireless Controller as well as 3-month memberships for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Meta Horizon+.

That's actually a pretty good deal. The regular Meta Quest 3S 128GB retails for $299 and normally only includes the headset and Touch Plus controllers. The other four items in the bundle--Xbox Wireless Controller ($65), Elite Strap ($70), Game Pass Ultimate ($60), and Meta Horizon+ ($24)--are valued at $219, meaning you're "saving" $119 with this bundle. And that's without factoring in the special-edition designs of the controllers and headset. Xbox and Meta say supplies are limited, and once it sells out, it's gone for good.

Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition $400 | Limited Availability

Aside from the Xbox-themed skin and accessories, the model included in the bundle is identical to the standard white Quest 3S that launched last fall. That said, this is still a compelling bundle, even if you aren't currently in the Xbox ecosystem. The Quest 3S supports Xbox Cloud Gaming, which means you can stream hundreds of Xbox games while using the headset's lenses as a personal display. Xbox's streaming library is locked behind Game Pass Ultimate. The 3-month subscription included here is a prepaid voucher, not a trial, so anyone can redeem it, even active members.

With the subscription and official Xbox Wireless Controller, this bundle has everything needed to play many of Microsoft's biggest games--provided you have a stable Wi-Fi connection. An actual Xbox system isn't necessary, but console owners have the added benefit of streaming their full game libraries via remote play.

Along with the vast library of games offered by Xbox Cloud Gaming, new Quest 3S owners will be able to claim and keep two virtual reality games each month from the Meta Store with Meta Horizon+. So you'll get six free games throughout the trial. Similar to Game Pass, a rotating library of Quest games is also available to active subscribers.

See at Best Buy See at Meta Store Meta Quest 3S Xbox EditionGallery

The Meta Quest 3S is a standalone VR headset, meaning it's equipped with all the necessary hardware to play or cloud stream games without the need for an external gaming console, PC, or smartphone. That said, you can also easily connect the Quest 3S to your PC to play VR games that require more hardware power; you just need a compatible high-speed data cable.

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Unlike Sony or Microsoft, Nintendo doesn't appear to be interested in bringing its games to anything other than a Nintendo console. That hasn't stopped fans from unofficially porting some of Nintendo's older games to PC. Now, Mario Kart 64 is the latest classic title to make the leap to PC.

As reported by VGC, the fan programming team known as Harbour Masters has shared its Mario Kart 64 port, which has been dubbed SpaghettiKart. Harbour Masters and its "vast number of contributors" reverse-engineered Mario Kart 64's original code and added modern graphics options including support for ultrawide screens, 4k resolution, and higher frame rates.

Mario Kart 64: now on PC, thanks to an unofficial fan port, with 120fps and ultrawide support.https://t.co/QG5WnApwSI pic.twitter.com/3pFfTW2mVU

— Andy Robinson (@Andy_VGC) June 22, 2025

SpaghettiKart also has new features including the ability to create customized race courses and increasing the difficulty of the CPU drivers. Harbour Masters has previously created PC ports for Star Fox 64, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. These games have "clean codes" that don't borrow or use any of the original code from the original N64 games. However, these PC ports still require players to have legally-sourced ROMs in order to use them.

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Embark on an inspiring mission of human connection beyond the UCA. Sam - with companions by his side - sets out on a new journey to save humanity from extinction. Join them as they traverse a world beset by otherworldly enemies, obstacles and a haunting question: should we have connected?