Starting October 26, 2023, Embark Studios is hosting the first cross-platform Open Beta for THE FINALS, the team-based, free-to-play shooter that pushes environmental dynamism, destruction, and player freedom to the limits. The test will run on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Steam and ends on November 5.

THE FINALS is the ultimate combat entertainment game show where you and your team fight for fame, riches, and the favor of generous seasonal sponsors, in hyper-realistic, fully destructible Virtual Arenas inspired by iconic real-worldlocations. The Open Beta introduces the brand new Skyway Stadium arena to the map
rotation, along with an all-new game mode—Bank-It. Additionally, the beta includes a free BattlePass with 16 exclusive, permanent rewards that players can
unlock and keep for launch. The beta features cross-play and cross-progression between PC and consoles.

Wizard With a Gun, Galvanic Games and Devolver Digital's upcoming magic-infused co-op sandbox survival game, was originally scheduled for release on PC tomorrow, Oct. 17. But then another game about mowing down hordes of monsters with magic in a dark fantasy world—something called Diablo IV, which we've never heard of, but apparently a lot of people love—decided it was going to release on Steam on the same day.

So we're releasing the PC version of Wizard With a Gun TODAY, a day early. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions will still be launching on Oct. 17 (sorry), but if you're a PC player, you'll be able to lock and load sooner than planned for the magically low price of $24.99. Set in a fractured post-apocalyptic world known as the Shatter, Wizard With a Gun sees you (and a friend if you don't want to face the horrors alone) crafting an arsenal of magical guns 'n' ammo to drive back the forces of Chaos and restore this realm to its former glory.

As the holiday season approaches, we are excited to share that we have a new PS5 model launching. To address the evolving needs of players, our engineering and design teams collaborated on a new form factor that provides greater choice and flexibility. The same technology features that make PS5 the best to play are packed into a smaller form factor, along with an attachable Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive and a 1 TB SSD for more internal storage.

The new PS5 has been reduced in volume by more than 30%, and weight by 18% and 24% compared to the previous models. There are four separate cover panels, with the top portion in a glossy look, while the bottom remains in matte. If you purchase the PS5 Digital Edition, you can add the Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive for PS5 later, as it will also be sold separately for 79.99 USD | 119.99 EURO | 99.99 GBP | 11,980 JPY.

The gates of the Burning Hells have opened once more, welcoming more of Lilith's children home. Diablo IV is a game about slaying nightmarish creatures and acquiring powerful gear, but also about forging memories with new and old friends. We want to break down barriers to make it easier for wanderers everywhere to defend Sanctuary. Which is why we're honored to announce…Diablo IV will be available to play on Steam starting October 17! The Diablo IV Steam page is live now, and the game is available to wishlist.

Diablo IV's presence on Steam is in addition to Battle.net, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4, so wanderers playing the game on any existing platform need not make any changes. Those wanting to play on Steam will need to first purchase the game on that platform, then connect Diablo IV to a Battle.net account (as we require for all platforms). This enables cross-platform play and more. Players using Steam will have access to features specific to that platform, such as Steam achievements, their Steam friends list, and the option to invite those friends to play in-game. We're looking forward to seeing more defenders of Sanctuary band together and welcome any feedback you may have.

The world of Horizon Forbidden West brims with life across its spectacular landscapes, fierce roaming machines, and thriving cultures that populate a renewed land once ravaged by the biomass-consuming machines of the Faro Plague. And though the wilds are breathtaking, and the machines are massive, Horizon's third essential element is its authentic tribal inhabitants. On her mission, Aloy meets a varied and colorful array of compelling characters, each with their own hopes, journeys, and motivations.

Weaving real personalities and genuine humanity into these characters was a feat accomplished together by many teams at Guerrilla. This article explores those processes, from the narrative foundations of character development to capturing the perfect performance and ultimately implementing them through cinematics and conversation design. Each stage is crucial to ensure the characters of Horizon are as realistic and full of depth as the world around them.

PlayStation gamers can now experience the speed and technology of Seagate's PCIe Gen 4 NVMe solid state drives (SSD) on their consoles. Today, Seagate Technology Holdings announced its officially licensed for PlayStation Seagate Game Drive PS5 NVMe SSD. The drive offers gamers the latest PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD technology and the fastest performance from the company's line of officially licensed for PlayStation storage products - bringing speed, endurance, and high capacity to PlayStation 5.

Delivering sequential read speeds of up to 7,300 MB/s, the Seagate Game Drive PS5 NVMe SSD catalyses PCIe Gen 4 power with transfer rates up to two times faster than PCIe Gen 3 SSDs. The drive is built with a Seagate-validated E18 controller and 3D TLC NAND to provide advanced speed and durability for console gaming. With a minimalistic heatsink that was designed to seamlessly fit the PlayStation 5 console, the SSD maximises gaming performance and protects the drive's storage from thermal throttling. With simple installation, gamers can play PlayStation 5 games directly from the drive.

EK, the premium water-cooling gear manufacturer, proudly announces something entirely new and unique: a full-cover monoblock for the Sony PlayStation 5. The EK-QuantumX CoolingStation Monoblock for PS5 covers the entirety of the PS5's PCB and cools all the critical components on the front and back of the PCB. This revolutionary water block for the PlayStation 5 stands as a beacon of coolness amidst a sea of heated gaming sessions. Your PS5 will shed no more sweat while it performs tirelessly to render your favorite fantasy realms on the screen. It is mounted via standard ATX stand-offs for motherboards, making mATX cases a perfect fit for a water-cooled PS5. The monoblock features rich D-RGB lighting on the front with a plexi cutout.

Play Games the Way They Are Meant to Be Played
Don't let the external noise of air-cooling fans disrupt your immersion in a fantastic cutscene or lead to your demise in a boss fight. Water-cooling your PS5 will enable you to maintain consistent temperatures with minimal fan speed fluctuations, resulting in hardly noticeable changes in noise. Thanks to the extensive surface area of a water-cooling radiator, lower fan speeds are enough to dissipate heat, resulting in reduced noise levels. An additional benefit is that all the electrical components will operate at lower temperatures, extending their lifespan.

It's time, Helldivers. This is Katherine from Arrowhead Game Studios bringing you the biggest announcement yet: Helldivers 2 launches on 8th February 2024! Pre-purchase for both the Standard Edition and the Super Citizen Edition of Helldivers 2 are now available—enlist today to fight for the liberty of Super Earth.

Be the hero of Super Earth, defender of Freedom, herald of Managed Democracy. Team-up with your fellow Helldivers and fight more than just bugs: now the Automaton faction has emerged to threaten our liberty. Descended from the Cyborgs, an old enemy familiar to our Helldivers community, these mechanized killing machines are determined to wipe out the Super Earth way of life. The bots are an intelligent and relentless foe, you and your squad will have to gather your most powerful weapons and strategize on how best to wipe them out.

Developers at Insomniac Games have confirmed that Spider-Man 2's ray tracing feature will be running as standard/by default within the PlayStation 5 version—a player's adjustments of graphical performance settings will have no bearing on this being turned on or off. Mike Fitzgerald, Insomniac's director of core technology, shared technical information in an interview with IGN, although he stopped short of making any promises for an inevitable PC conversion—gamers on that platform will likely be waiting another 18 months post-October 20. It is possible that Nixxes Software has been contracted to work on a port, given their recent-ish track record. The Insomniac dev cites advanced experience gained by working on past titles—notably Spider-Man Remastered, Miles Morales, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart—as the main factor behind the confident push into implementing an "always-on" ray tracing graphical feature. Fitzgerald stated: "We've really gotten to leverage everything we've seen in developing those games."

He continued: "Our performance mode for this title has ray tracing on by default. We've really expanded ray traced reflections throughout the game. It's on the water and the oceans and really gives a more realistic picture everywhere...For this game we're really able to deliver (ray tracing) as a baseline performance mode. There's no mode of this game that has the ray tracing turned off, no need for it. We've really figured out how to deliver what we feel like is the right Spider-Man visuals and we want to make sure every player is seeing that." Fitzgerald also praises PlayStation 5's storage solution—SSDs allow for "faster traversal" across the New York City environment. Players can look forward to traversing the urban landscape at about "three times as fast" as the pace experienced in Spider-Man 1.

We hope you enjoyed the exciting news from yesterday's State of Play, including the first glimpse of the new Deep Earth Collection joining the PS5 family of accessories. The collection introduces three new colors for the DualSense wireless controller and PS5 console covers, all with a smooth metallic finish: molten Volcanic Red, alluring Cobalt Blue, and sleek Sterling Silver.

To share more about the design and process behind this new and vibrant collection, here's Satoshi Aoyagi and Leo Cardoso from our design team. Aoyagi stated: "While crafting this new collection of DualSense controller and PS5 console cover colors, we drew inspiration from the beautiful and powerful hues found in the depths of planet Earth. We elevated the colors by adding a metallic finish for a touch of sophistication."

It's time, Helldivers. Katherine from Arrowhead Game Studios bringing you the biggest announcement yet: Helldivers 2 launches on PS5 and Steam on February 8, 2024! February will be here before we know it, which means we've got to get you officially enlisted! We start taking pre-orders for both the Standard Edition and the Super Citizen Edition of Helldivers 2 on September 22, 2023. It won't be long before you and 3 recruits can team up for online cooperative multiplayer with large-scale destructive power through stratagems, explore unique planets and complete objectives together, and upgrade your equipment through the deep progression system of Helldivers 2. Collect natural resources of alien origin and use them to enhance and unlock new stratagems aboard your ship.

Since pre-orders for Helldivers 2 are starting soon, you can begin planning for the fight. When you pre-order, you'll choose between the Standard Edition and the Super Citizen Edition of Helldivers 2, which includes some awesome additional content. The extra goodies in the Super Citizen Edition include a special DP-53 Savior of the Free armor set, and-because heroes wear capes-the Will of the People cape to make you stand out among the liberated. You'll also gain access to the MP-98 Knight submachine gun, which is a powerful primary weapon that tears through bots, bugs, and Helldivers too, thanks to friendly fire!

IMDA, Singapore's rating board, has evaluated a new version of Horizon Forbidden West—a website entry for an upcoming "Complete Edition" on the PlayStation 5 platform was uncovered late last week. This information was removed at a later date since, but several media outlets have preserved crucial details. Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition is M18 rated in that part of the world, thanks to gory content and sexual themes. IMDA's extended classification blurb implies that the base campaign as well as this year's Burning Shores DLC will be bundled together in a new package.

Dealabs leaker billbil-kun believes that a PC version is lined up for "imminent" release on Steam and the Epic Games Store—they cannot confirm an exact launch date, but it could arrive within a month based on potentially accurate data leaks. Sony tends to keep its flagship titles exclusive to PlayStation systems for 18 months—the base Horizon Forbidden West game arrived on PlayStation 4 and 5 last February...so the timing is about right for a converted edition to arrive PC-side. A State of Play presentation is scheduled for later today—billbil-kun recommends that folks check it out, given recent insights posted by Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb.

With the holiday season and a new wave of exciting game releases approaching, today we're pleased to roll out an all-new PS5 system software update globally. Thanks to support from our beta participants, this update includes a number of features from the latest PS5 beta. PS Remote Play is now supported on more Android devices, . Additionally, we're also introducing new features like support for PS Remote Play on more Android devices—providing new options to stream your favorite PlayStation games—alongside some new enhancements coming to PS App in the coming weeks.

Expect new accessibility features, such as using a second DualSense controller for assistance, new audio options that allow 3D Audio powered by Tempest 3D AudioTech to be enjoyed on compatible Dolby Atmos-enabled HDMI devices, new ways to connect with other players and customize your multiplayer sessions, and
support for larger-capacity M.2 SSDs (up to 8 TB).

Your reign draws near! Skull Island: Rise of Kong arrives on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on Oct. 17, 2023. Based on the series of novels featuring Skull Island developed by creator Joe DeVito and based on Merian C. Cooper's King Kong, this exhilarating, third-person action-adventure game lets you become Kong on a journey of vengeance as you fight to claim your rightful place as King of Skull Island.

Take on an action-packed quest to avenge the death of Kong's parents at the hands of the ultimate alpha predator: the saurian terror Gaw. Traverse the mysterious island and uncover its secrets across a variety of treacherous environments, discovering the power coursing through its exotic flora and fauna. Conquer waves of primal beasts, defeat unique bosses, and rise above all who stand in Kong's way to being King!

Independent developer Free Range Games and publisher North Beach Games today announced the release date for their highly anticipated co-op survival crafting title, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, which will welcome Dwarves into the storied mines on Oct. 24 with a digital release for the PlayStation 5 computer entertainment system and Windows PC version via the Epic Games Store. The game will see a physical release for the PS5 at retail on Dec. 5, and is scheduled to release for the Xbox Series X|S console systems in early 2024. Eager adventurers can pre-order the title digitally starting today on PC via the Epic Games Store or wishlist the game on the PlayStation Store for PS5. Set in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth, the epic fantasy world created by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria follows the Dwarves as they embark on unique adventures to reclaim and restore their Dwarven homeland of Moria.

The story of The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria takes players beyond the books and into the Fourth Age of Middle-earth, the fantastical world created by J.R.R. Tolkien. Summoned to the Misty Mountains by Lord Gimli Lockbearer, players take control of a company of Dwarves tasked to reclaim the lost spoils from the Dwarven homeland of Moria—known as Khazad-dûm or Dwarrowdelf—in the depths below their very feet. Their quest will require fortitude and teamwork, delving deep into the Mines of Moria to recover its treasures and in the hopes of one day restoring them to their former glory.

Today, Electronic Arts Inc. and Ascendant Studios launched Immortals of Aveum, a single-player, first-person magic shooter powered by the groundbreaking Unreal Engine 5.1 technology and set in an original fantasy universe. Developed by a new independent AAA studio made up of award-winning industry veterans and published under the EA Originals label, Immortals of Aveum puts players in a visceral and cinematic fantasy universe that combines modern characters and a story-driven campaign with intense magic-based action, world exploration and puzzle-solving. Summon your power, stop the Everwar, and save the realms starting now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via the EA app, Steam and Epic Games Store worldwide.

Immortals of Aveum tells the story of Jak (Darren Barnet), who discovers that he is a magically-imbued 'Unforeseen' and finds himself reluctantly caught in the middle of the raging Everwar. Recruited under the tutelage of the powerful General Kirkan (Gina Torres) and an elite order of battlemages called the Immortals, Jak must master all three colors of magic - blue, green, and red. With powerful magic-wielders and legions of soldiers on both sides of the Everwar, Jak and the Immortals must uncover the mysteries of Aveum's troubled past, if there's any hope for turning the tides of the Everwar and defeating Sandrakk, the powerful warlord of Rasharn and his mysterious lieutenant, simply known as The Hand.

Electronic Arts Inc. is creating the most intense NHL game yet with EA SPORTS NHL 24, coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on Oct. 6, 2023. Colorado Avalanche superstar defenseman Cale Makar, whose world class on-ice skills exemplify the type of hard-checking and game-changing features that will be a part of EA SPORTS NHL 24, has been named the cover athlete for this year's game.

NHL 24 feels like hockey and brings the rush and fatigue of high-pressure games to life. The brand-new Exhaust Engine - powered by Frostbite - includes the Sustained Pressure and Goalie Fatigue systems to let players experience concentrated moments of intensity that hockey is known for. Through the Sustained Pressure System, offensive players who keep pressure on in the attack zone are rewarded and will trigger the Sustained Pressure perk, lowering their opponent's attributes for a limited time and creating more space for movement and setting up plays. With the Goalie Fatigue System, the more pucks you put on net, the more fatigue the opponent's goalie will experience. This will affect the netminder's ability to react to shots as they wear down over time and upwards of 75 new goalie animations will help bring this in-game storyline to life.

With each PlayStation 5 system software release, we've introduced new features designed to enhance the many ways you can access your favorite content, navigate your console, or create new gaming memories with friends. Today, we're thrilled to roll out a new PS5 system software beta that introduces new accessibility features as well as audio options that allow 3D Audio powered by Tempest 3D AudioTech to be enjoyed on compatible Dolby Atmos-enabled HDMI devices such as sound bars, TVs, or home theater systems. The beta also includes more options to quickly find games and console tips, new ways to connect with other players and customize your multiplayer sessions, and support for larger-capacity M.2 SSDs (up to 8 TB).

While beta access will be limited to invited participants in select countries*, we plan to release the update globally later this year. If you're selected to participate in the beta, you'll receive an email invitation today when it's available to download. Some features available during the beta phase may not make it into the final version or may see significant changes. Without further ado, here are some of the highlights from the beta release...

We launched PlayStation 5 in November 2020 and the world was in a strange and different place than when we announced the console in 2019. Despite the unprecedented challenges of COVID, our teams and our partners worked diligently to deliver PS5 on time. We continued to face headwinds with the pandemic, and it took months for supply chains to normalize so we could have the inventory to keep up with demand. For more months than I care to remember, we kept thanking our community for their patience while working through these issues. But now PS5 supply is well-stocked and we are seeing that pent up demand finally being met.

With the support of PlayStation fans, we have reached a milestone of 40 million PS5 consoles sold through to gamers since launch. Thank you so much to our community of gamers - without you this would have been an impossible task. PS5 launched with the best catalog of games in our history and the momentum for great content keeps getting stronger. From innovative indie games to AAA blockbusters, there are more than 2,500 PS5 games now available, and it has never been a better time to experience PS5 In the last two months alone, we have seen incredible new games from our partners, including Final Fantasy XVI, Diablo IV, and Street Fighter 6.

PlayStation 5-related rumors have been flowing over the past week—Zuby_Tech was reportedly the main source responsible for leaking out Project Q footage, but the tipster has turned to his attention to an alleged new version of the host system. Yesterday's tweet makes reference to a refreshed PlayStation 5 model—the "CFI-1300 series"—with a revised 5 nm APU. The late-2020 launch model (CFI-1200) sported a 7 nm chipset, while 2022's die shrink granted the CFI-1202 series with a 6 nm SoC.

The tipster thinks that Sony will be dropping the PS5's liquid metal cooling system for its next iteration, thanks to a central 5 nm part offering greater efficiency and reduced thermal output. Previous reports have predicted that this refreshed "modular model" is marked for a late 2023 release window. Sony has been running a summer price reduction campaign—could this marketing incentive be clearing the way—i.e selling off older stock—in anticipation of the refreshed model's arrival? "CFI-1300" should not be confused with the heavily rumored PlayStation 5 Pro variant—Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson has reiterated multiple times that this major hardware upgrade is still a long way off from launching.

Sony has implemented a time limited price reduction for its PlayStation 5 Standard/Disc Edition console in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy—according to billbil-kun (writing for Dealabs magazine) the time limited summer promotion is going to reach Germany, Great Britain and the United States shortly. The campaign has been running since mid-July, and customers in eligible regions have (so far) enjoyed a €75 reduction, bringing the standard PS5 model's price down to as low as €450 (~$498). Dealabs believes that that some of these regional offers have already ended (as of July 24).

The article seems to source some insider information, with very specific discount figures presented for the next batch of participants—German customers are set to get the aforementioned standard European €75 reduction, bringing the PS5's price down to €474.99 (from €549.99). UK gamers get £75 off, so £404.99 total (reduced from £479.99). US folks are lined up for a less generous $50 cut—due to Sony not implementing PS5 price increases for that market—resulting in $449.99 (instead of $499.99). Billbil-kun reckons that the following retail outlets will be taking part in the campaign's next phase: PlayStation Store/PlayStation Direct, Amazon, MediaMarkt, Target and GAME UK. The timing of these temporary cuts could point to Sony responding to Microsoft's unpopular decision to jack up asking prices for the Xbox Series X console, as well as Game Pass subscription fees.

Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson has picked up some interesting insider knowledge about the long rumored PlayStation 5 Pro gaming console—his (side hustle) Key to Gaming article theorizes that a project codenamed "Trinity" has been in-progress since early 2022. Sony is apparently sticking to its tradition of using Matrix themed codenames for internal hardware projects—PlayStation 4 Pro was referred to as "Neo," and PlayStation VR's alias was "Morpheus." His inside sources claim that Sony has been showing off Trinity prototype units to game development studios, with refreshed dev kits lined up for the "majority" of interested parties by November 2023.

Henderson's sources provided scant info about Trinity's specs and performance goals: "Although the Pro's specs were difficult to pin down, (admittedly) due to my lack of technological prowess, sources have stated that Trinity with have 30 WGP and 18000mts memory. As for the consoles performance targets and as to be expected, the PlayStation 5 Pro will be targeting improved and consistent FPS at 4K resolution, a new "performance mode" for 8K resolution, and accelerated ray tracing. Whether or not a PlayStation 5 Pro console is desired enough in the current market remains to be seen, but as of writing, the PlayStation 5 Pro is in development and is targeting a November 2024 release date." The leaked information has been interpreted several ways by different outlets—mostly focusing on the improved AMD RDNA-powered GPU. I have included Zuba_Tech's updated spec sheet (see below), which seems to be a bit on the fanciful side of things (proposing 72 CUs). Others have theorized that the revised GPU could offer twice the performance of the base PS5 model's Oberon RDNA 2-based GPU (36 CUs).

What an exciting moment for PlayStation players, as the Insomniac team just wrapped up a captivating panel at San Diego Comic-Con with fantastic new reveals from Marvel's Spider-Man 2. This includes a first look at the PS5 Console - Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition Bundle, which features a custom PS5 console cover design and matching DualSense wireless controller.

We were thrilled to debut these stunning designs to our fans today because of how they capture the look and feel of Marvel's Spider-Man 2. The threat of Venom and the symbiote will be one of the most formidable challenges that our two Spider-Men will face in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. This is why we wanted to reflect the intensity of the symbiote and its capacity for transformation and power with a takeover design for the PS5 console and DualSense wireless controller.

A significant Sony Project Q leak has revealed an alleged prototype running on an undisclosed version of the Android operating system—the remote play-oriented handheld device was first revealed in late May's PlayStation showcase, but Sony's games division has so far kept stum about the Q's means of operation. Zuby_Tech has (prematurely) pulled back the curtain by uploading various images and video footage of a working unit.

A very simple version of Android seems to be displayed on the device's 8-inch 1080p LCD screen (a protective film is still attached), with a prominent QR code featured on its home window. The streaming device has the potential to be quite flexible, in terms of functionality, thanks to Sony's apparent wise choice of operating system selection. Zuby_Tech also took the time to open up their sample unit—without the screen in place, there appears to be not much going on inside there. Previous rumors have the Project Q accessory costing somewhere in the $200-300 region, with a battery life of 3-4 hours—this could be a tough one to market and sell, even to the most ardent of PlayStation platform supporters.

San Diego Comic-Con has always been one of the most exciting times for Marvel fans. We had an amazing time in 2018 with the original Marvel's Spider-Man, and we were thrilled to make a return trip to Hall H today to talk about Marvel's Spider-Man 2. For those of you who couldn't join us - here's a recap of what happened! We wanted to start the panel off with a bang, debuting our brand-new Story Trailer. Take a look (below)!

The trailer sets up our story in the game while also giving you your first full look at the monstrous Venom in Marvel's New York! Here's Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Senior Narrative Director Jon Paquette to offer a deeper look: "At the beginning of our story, our Spider-Men are at the top of their game," said Paquette. "But both Peter Parker and Miles Morales are struggling with their personal lives. Miles is trying to find time to write his college entrance essay, but he keeps procrastinating and focusing on Spider-Work instead. Meanwhile, Peter is underwater on payments for Aunt May's house, but he can't sell, it means too much to him. And just like Miles, Peter tries (and fails) to find balance with so many responsibilities. MJ wants to help Pete with the mortgage, but her job is on the line now that J. Jonah Jameson is back at the Bugle and looking to clean house. Our heroes have arrived at a confluence of crossroads, with uncertain futures, and some tough decisions ahead."