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Microsoft Lays Off Another 650 Staff From Its Video Game Workforce, Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Sends Memo to Staff

Microsoft is laying off a further 650 staff from its gaming business, according to a memo sent by Xbox chief Phil Spencer to staff today, September 12, and obtained by IGN.

In the memo, Spencer said the roles affect mostly corporate and support functions, and were made “to organize our business for long term success.” He clarified that no games, devices or experiences are being canceled and no studios are being closed as part of these cuts.

These latest layoffs mean Microsoft has let go of 2,550 staff from its gaming business since acquiring Activision Blizzard for $69 billion in 2023.

Phil Spencer’s email to staff is reproduced in full below:

For the past year, our goal has been to minimize disruption while welcoming new teams and enabling them to do their best work. As part of aligning our post-acquisition team structure and managing our business, we have made the decision to eliminate approximately 650 roles across Microsoft Gaming — mostly corporate and supporting functions — to organize our business for long term success.

I know that this is difficult news to hear. We are deeply grateful for the contributions of our colleagues who are learning they are impacted. In the U.S., we’re supporting them with exit packages that include severance, extended healthcare, and outplacement services to help with their transition; outside the U.S. packages will differ according to location.

With these changes, our corporate and supporting teams and resources are aligned for sustainable future growth, and can better support our studio teams and business units with programs and resources that can scale to meet their needs. Separately, as part of running the business, there are some impacts to other teams as they adapt to shifting priorities and manage the lifecycle and performance of games. No games, devices or experiences are being cancelled and no studios are being closed as part of these adjustments today.

Throughout our team’s history, we have had great moments, and we have had challenging ones. Today is one of the challenging days. I know that going through more changes like this is hard, but even in the most trying times, this team has been able to come together and show one another care and kindness as we work to continue delivering for our players. We appreciate your support as we navigate these changes and we thank you for your compassion and respect for each other.

Phil

These cuts follow the already eye-watering 1,900 layoffs Microsoft made to its gaming business earlier this year, and continue the video game industry’s torrid time of late. Microsoft closed Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall developer Arkane Austin as part of those cuts. Speaking to IGN in June, Spencer said: “I have to run a sustainable business inside the company and grow, and that means sometimes I have to make hard decisions that frankly are not decisions I love, but decisions that somebody needs to go make.”

While Spencer has insisted Microsoft’s video game franchise “are getting stronger”, and Xbox console players “are as high this year as they’ve ever been,” the gaming business is now bringing a number of its games to rival platforms, including PlayStation 5.

Speaking in August, Spencer said that Xbox’s multiplatform push is in part about bringing in more money to Microsoft’s gaming business — with the pressure now on to deliver following Microsoft’s eye-watering $69 billion acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard last year.

“And we run a business,” Spencer said. “It’s definitely true inside of Microsoft the bar is high for us in terms of the delivery we have to give back to the company. Because we get a level of support from the company that’s just amazing and what we’re able to go do.

“So I look at this, how can we make our games as strong as possible? Our platform continues to grow, on console, on PC, and on cloud. It’s just going to be a strategy that works for us.”

Microsoft is set to launch Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in October as the first mainline Call of Duty game to hit its Game Pass subscription service day-one. It is heavily rumored to be preparing an Xbox handheld for release, and has announced plans to release next-gen Xbox consoles.

Image credit: Microsoft.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Big PS5 Update Adds Welcome Hub, Party Share, and More New Features

Sony has released a significant update for the PS5 that adds a Welcome hub, Party Share, and more new features. Unfortunately the update does not add themes or folders, two of the most-requested features from PS5 owners.

VP of product management at Sony Interactive Entertainment Hiromi Wakai unveiled PS5 system software update 24.06-10.00.00 on the PlayStation Blog, with its patch notes, below, published to the PlayStation website.

The Welcome hub is a new personalized space with customizable widgets and backgrounds in your PS5 home screen. Welcome hub is a reimagined version of the Explore tab, Wakai said, which was previously only available in the U.S. It will roll out globally over the next few weeks, starting today for select players in the U.S.

Elsewhere, Party share will roll out globally in the coming weeks. This will allow you to invite a friend you’re chatting with on any messaging app to join your party voice chat, even if you haven’t added them to your friends list on PlayStation Network.

To create a party link, open the voice chat card in the Control Center on PS5, select [Invite Players], then click [Share Party link] to generate a scannable QR code. Recipients can open the link on their mobile device and seamlessly join the party on their PS5 or from PlayStation App.

Wakai outlined more features released as part of today’s update, previously tested in beta:

  • Personalized 3D audio profiles for headphones and earbuds
  • Adjust Remote Play settings per user and choose who is allowed to connect to your PS5 console using Remote Play
  • Adaptive charging for your controllers (available for the slimmer PS5 model and PS5 Pro when it’s available)

This PS5 update comes hot on the heels of Sony’s controversial announcement of the PS5 Pro, which launches November 7 priced $700. The PS5 Pro, which does not come with a disc drive, has sparked a sales jump for the existing PS5 Disc Drive.

PS5 system software update 24.06-10.00.00 patch notes:

  • The Welcome hub is now available in the home screen. For users in North America, this enhancement replaces the Explore hub.
    • You can customize the Welcome hub with widgets and backgrounds.
    • Widgets display information like storage, battery levels, online friends, and more.
    • Widgets can be added, removed, resized, and moved one by one. You can also choose from preset widget layouts based on your preferences.
    • A limited number of users will receive the Welcome hub in this update. All users worldwide will receive this enhancement within 1-2 months.
  • You can now create a personalized 3D audio profile for your headphones that’s optimized to each user’s ears. This allows for a more immersive 3D audio experience than ever before.
    • Each 3D audio profile is uniquely optimized for each user, created by taking detailed measurements of how you hear 3D audio throughheadphones.
    • To create a personalized 3D audio for your headphones, go to Settings > Sound > 3D Audio (Headphones).
    • You can still select from 3D audio presets like before.
  • Adaptive charging for your controller is now available for when your PS5 (CFI-2000 model group)is in rest mode.
    • Adaptive charging allows the duration of power supply during rest mode to adjust depending on how much battery your controller has left, helping save power.
    • To use adaptive charging, go to Settings > System > Power Saving > Features Available in Rest Mode, and then select Supply Power to USB Ports > Adaptive.
    • Adaptive charging is supported on the PS5 CFI-2000 model group, using the USB Type-C port. Adaptive charging works with the DualSense wireless controller, DualSense Edge wireless controller, PS VR2 Sense controllers, and Access controller.
    • After your PS5 enters rest mode, if a controller isn’t connected, the power supply to the USB port will stop after a certain period of time.
  • When you’re in a party, you can now share a link to that party. Share the link with players using other services to invite them to that party.
    • This feature will be gradually rolled out after this system software update is released.
  • You can now set which users can connect to the PS5 using Remote Play.
    • Go to Settings > System > Remote Play > Enable Remote Play, and select the users who can access your console through Remote Play.
  • The restore licenses feature has been improved, and you can now restore one license at a time.
    • Go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Restore Licenses to select the license that you want to restore.
    • To restore a license from the home screen or Game Library, go to the game, press the options button, and then select Restore License from the menu.
  • We’ve added a friendly recommendation about your storage space that you’ll sometimes see in Settings > Storage.
  • We’ve made it simpler to access the most popular activities from game hubs.
    • Game hubs now only display activities that are currently in progress.
    • To play a specific activity, start the game first and find it using in-game menus.
  • The Invite to New Game option, which is available from multiple locations, is no longer available when sending game invites.
    • To invite friends to a game session, start the game first, then send the invitation to the session.
  • We’ve updated the device software of the DualSense and DualSense Edge wireless controllers, PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers, and Access controller to improve stability.
  • We’ve improved system software performance and stability.
  • We’ve improved the messages and usability on some screens.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Former id Software Execs: Space Marine 2 Is Selling Faster Than Any of Their Games, Including Doom and Quake

Space Marine 2 is off to a great start. Yesterday, Saber Interactive announced that its Warhammer 40K action game reached 2 million players, and it has retained consistently high concurrents on Steam.

Now Saber Interactive CEO Tim Willits, who served as studio director at id Software until 2019, is claiming that Space Marine 2 is selling many of the games in id’s famed franchises. He’s backed up by former CEO Todd Hollenshead, who departed id Software in 2013 and currently works with Willits at Saber.

“Todd Hollenshead (former CEO of id Software) and I believe that Space Marine 2 is the fastest selling game we’ve ever worked on, including all the Quake, DOOM, Wolfenstein, and RAGE games over the years,” Willits claims.

IGN has reached out to id Software for a response.

Todd Hollenshead (former CEO of id Software) and I believe that Space Marine 2 is the fastest selling game we’ve ever worked on

Willits departed id Software in 2019, meaning he would have had at least some oversight over 2020’s Doom Eternal. Both Willits and Hollenshead spent many years at id Software, joining in 1995 and 1996 respectively, which was the heyday of games like Doom 2. In the years that they were with id Software, the studio developed the Quake franchise, various Doom sequels and reboots, and Rage and its sequel.

While the actual sales data around its various games are a bit hazy, 2016’s Doom was able to sell at least 2 million copies by 2017. Doom Eternal, meanwhile, was estimated to have reached 3 million at launch.

One way or another, Space Marine 2 is doing well for itself, buoyed by strong reviews and player sentiment. We recently called it an “Xbox 360 shooter in the best way possible,” writing in our review: “Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a terrific third-person shooter with a compelling story, loads of weapons that are a blast to use, and a healthy variety of enemies to use them on,” It once again borrows many of its ideas from the Gears of War series, but they’re good ideas, and Space Marine 2 does a fine job of making them its own.

“And while the Operations PvE mode that accompanies it doesn’t currently offer enough to keep me coming back, the deep customization options for your Space Marine do look promising if it’s supported in post-launch updates as planned. Besides, when you’re eviscerating aliens on planets as pretty as these, it’s hard not to leave satisfied.”

For more, be sure to check out guide to Space Marine 2’s multiplayer as well as campaign tips and tricks and much more. Space Marine 2 is out now on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake: The Final Preview

I find the word “cozy” to be dreadfully overused when assigning genres to video games these days, but it’s hard to find another adjective that so perfectly captures what I love about Dragon Quest. Straightforward but rewarding turn-based combat paired with a classic hero’s journey told in a picturesque fantasy world result in a wonderfully traditional RPG experience I’ve always found so comforting. So when I was given the choice at a recent preview event to try out Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake on either PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch, the choice to settle in on the couch in the Switch’s handheld mode was an easy one.

And rest assured, Switch owners, Dragon Quest 3 looked and ran great on the aging Nintendo system. Square Enix’s other HD-2D games like Octopath Traveler and Live A Live were perfect for playing in short bursts before bed, and Dragon Quest 3 is looking to fit that mold as well.

Unlike our first look at Dragon Quest 3’s remake which showed off how faithfully it’s sticking to the roots of the 30-plus-year-old NES RPG, the hour I played Dragon Quest 3 was spent with some of the remake’s brand-new additions. And so far, I’m extremely pleased with the new content that spruces things up without unrecognizably transforming the original experience.

First, I hung out in the revamped Monster Arena, where you can send monsters you’ve defeated and recruited throughout the game to do battle against other teams of creatures. In the original Dragon Quest 3, you could simply bet on the outcome of fights in the Monster Arena, but this remake lets you get in on the action yourself. Monster collecting has been a big part of both the main Dragon Quest games and the Monsters spinoff series for decades, and it’s great to see that legacy continue here.

I entered the arena with a preset team of a Slime, Healslime, and Spiked Hare, but this side mode is clearly set up for me to make my own teams with monsters I recruit across the main game. You don’t directly command your team in the Monster Arena tournament, but rather set how they should act in battle from four distinct options: Show No Mercy, Fight Wisely, Focus on Healing, and Don’t Use MP.

For the first few rounds, I instructed my Healslime to focus on healing its allies while the Slime and Spiked Hare dealt all the damage, but once I realized I had this fight in the bag, I had my whole team go all out. This monster auto battler seems like a fun distraction from the main adventure, and I can see myself swinging by regularly to fine-tune my team and enter them in tournaments.

While watching my team do battle I found myself mesmerized by the enemy character models. I’ve felt that Dragon Quest and the HD-2D art style were a match made in heaven since this remake’s initial reveal, and seeing it in action confirmed how much I love seeing these classic enemies in Square Enix’s enticing art direction. The killerpillar (an evil caterpillar, if you couldn’t guess) I faced in my first fight had a very detailed idle animation where it bounced back and forth, and the way it wriggled its entire body when gearing up for an attack made the whole turn-based fight feel so much more dynamic.

I’ve felt that Dragon Quest and the HD-2D art style were a match made in heaven since this remake’s initial reveal, and seeing it in action confirmed how much I love seeing these classic enemies in Square Enix’s enticing art direction.

The same can be said of the awesome character models for Robbin’ ‘Ood and his set of Robbin’ ‘oodlums, the boss fight I faced at the top of Skyfell Tower. Ascending the tower was a classic, atmospheric dungeon experience filled with random encounters. Here, I was impressed with how flexible Dragon Quest 3’s combat system is. Remember those four preset orders I could assign to my team in the Monster Arena? In Dragon Quest 3’s core combat, those presets are still available to you, with the added option of “Follow Orders”. This means you can rip through the low-stakes random encounters in a dungeon by telling all four of your party members to Show No Mercy, but when a challenging boss fight begins, you can take control of every decision to ensure you emerge victorious. This, combined with the ability to crank up the battle speed whenever you like, adds to that cozy, relaxing game feel I mentioned earlier. It’s enjoyable to kick back and watch the experience points roll in during the low level fights that only take a few seconds at max speed, but when I reached the top of the tower to face off against Robbin ‘Ood, I wanted to make every choice myself.

And it’s a good thing I did take control of the boss fight, because it was a nail-biter. I had to use my Priest to heal my party several times, while my protagonist and Monster Wrangler – which is a new class introduced to the remake – dealt the heavy blows. I let out a big sigh of relief when Robbin ‘Ood finally fell to the ground, and it just made me want to rush straight to the next dungeon to face off against the next big boss.

I imagine players will have a ton of fun customizing their party and making changes to it throughout the game.

I also want to shout out this remake’s new party customization feature. The party members in Dragon Quest 3 are blank slates, but the remake revamps Patty’s Party Planning Place, a tavern where you can design your own party members, choosing their class, name, appearance, hair color, and voice. There aren’t very many customization options, but enough to make a rudimentary version of myself that I inserted into my party. I imagine players will have a ton of fun customizing their party and making changes to it throughout the game.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is out November 14 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake arriving sometime next year.

The Xbox Series X Sky Cipher Edition Controller Is 30% Off, but It Won’t Last

Lenovo is offering $15 off select Xbox controllers, including a few limited edition ones, when you apply coupon code “SAVEACCXTRA“. It stacks with instant discounts as well. The limited edition controllers – Sky Cipher Edition and Nocturnal Vapor Edition – haven’t been discounted, ever, so it’s possible that they are unintentionally eligible. In any case, if you’ve been eyeing one of these controllers, do not hesitate or you’ll probably experience FOMO. They are compatible with Xbox Series X and S consoles as well as your PC (via Bluetooth, USB Type-C, or Xbox wireless dongle).

Xbox Controllers Currently on Sale

You can quickly browse through all of the listed controllers that are currently on sale above. We picked out the best deals or most interesting products worth mentioning below.

Sky Cipher Special Edition

The Sky Cipher Edition is an absolutely gorgeous controller, with a translucent electric blue body, solid blue textured rubber grips, metallic triggers and D-pad, and metallic accents within the body.

Nocturnal Vapor Special Edition

The Nocturnal Vapor Edition sports a more understated style, with a light and dark green color swirl that’s unique to every controller, textured rubber grips, and green triggers and D-pad.

Blue

Step up with the Xbox Elite Series 2 Core wireless controller, which offers pelnty of pro gaming features like adjustable-tension thumbsticks, wrap-around rubberized grip, and shorter hair trigger locks. It’s a superior option to the standard Xbox controller. The only significant difference betweeh this and the original Elite controller is that the Core model doesn’t come with as many accessories. You can purchase them separately as a component pack for $59.99.

Deep Pink

This model features a deep pink body color with matching thumbsticks. The back is white.

Shock Blue

This model features a blue body color with matching thumbsticks. The back is white.

Electric Volt

This model features a bright lemon-lime color with matching thumbsticks. The back is white. This is a good option if you lose your controller often and need some kind of visual indicator for help.

Check out the best Xbox deals today for more discounts on popular Xbox controllers on Xbox Series X accessories.

PlayStation Plus Game Catalog Additions for September 2024 Revealed

Sony has revealed the full line-up of PlayStation Plus Games Catalog additions for September 2024, which includes The Plucky Squire, Far Cry 5, and more.

Announced on the PlayStation Blog, a total of 13 games are joining the library, nine on the PlayStation Plus Extra tier and four on the PlayStation Plus Premium Tier through the Classic Games Catalog and PSVR2 offerings. They’re available September 17.

September perhaps doesn’t have as many heavy hitters as last month, which included The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Wild Hearts, Ride 5, Watch Dogs 2, Cult of the Lamb, and more.

PlayStation Plus Games Catalog Additions for September 2024

The Plucky Squire is certainly the headline game this month as it launches straight onto PlayStation Plus, letting players explore its blend of 2D and 3D gameplay elements. “The Plucky Squire follows the magical adventures of Jot and his companions, storybook characters who discover a three-dimensional world outside the pages of their book,” reads the official synopsis.

Under the Waves is a narrative driven adventure game about grief, set in the North Sea in a techno futuristic 1970s. Players are offered the chance to not just explore a deep and dark surreal underwater landscape but also the very depths of the human psyche.

Adventure and exploration game Night in the Woods is up next, letting PS Plus users who haven’t already experience the 2017 game. “Night in the Woods’ exploration of young adulthood manages to be charming, funny, and devastatingly sad all at once,” IGN said in our 8/10 review.

Very different, Chernobylite is promised to be a science-fiction survival horror experience, mixing the free exploration of its disturbing world with challenging combat, unique crafting, and non-linear storytelling. It was released in 2021 and has a sequel on the way.

The football version of NBA Playground arrived in 2023 as Wild Card Football. Its developer Saber Interactive said it “takes the fun and excitement of football over the top with exciting arcade action and features a massive roster of hundreds of real-life football players with detailed player models and animations.”

One for science fiction and grafting fans, Space Engineers is a sandbox game about engineering, construction, and the maintenance of space works. It was announced a decade ago but only arrived in 2019, and joined PlayStation Plus rival Xbox Game Pass in February 2024.

Looking to be as wild and wacky as some real road trips, Road 96 lets players travel through a procedurally generated adventure again and again. “Road 96 is a fascinating and frequently tense adventure that manages to keep its story on track despite the odd bump in the road,” IGN said in our 8/10 review.

Players may be able to complete Ben 10 faster than they can say “it’s hero time” but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a lot of fun, right? “As Ben Tennyson, it’s up to you to save the world,” reads the synopsis. “Take on some of Ben’s most infamous enemies, including Zombozo, Queen Bee, and the Weatherheads.”

The penultimate (for now) entry in Ubisoft’s open world first-person shooter series, Far Cry 5 takes players to the deep south of the U.S. as they look to escape from and destroy a doomsday cult attempting to take over the entire country. It also earned an 8/10 in IGN’s review: “Far Cry 5 is another wide-open playground with all the necessary ingredients for causing a real ruckus: loads of enemies and allies, temperamental wildlife, and plenty of explosions.”

Pistol Whip is September’s virtual reality game as it gives PSVR2 users an action packed rhythm game blended with the first person shooter genre. “Pistol Whip is a VR highlight with fast-paced rhythm shooting, an exciting soundtrack, and an enticingly abstract art style,” IGN said in another 8/10 review.

Did you know Clank, of Ratchet and Clank fame, had a secret agent alter ego? No? I guess that’s the point! Secret Agent Clank is a PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable game from 2008 making its way to the PS Plus Classic Games Catalog. IGN’s 6/10 review said we don’t hate the game, but are just disappointed in it.

Sky Gunner is a third-person combat flight simulator from 2000, originally released on the PlayStation 2. It’s now been enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters, however, clearing the runway for takeoff in the modern era.

Though perhaps not quite as iconic as Crash Bandicoot or Spyro the Dragon, Mister Mosquito still pulled in a decent review. “It’s a little short and about $10 more that [we’d have cared] to pay for it, and it has a few camera and control problems, but the game’s creative premise, it’s brave completion, and the phenomenal amount of laughter and fun to be had here shouldn’t be ignored,” IGN said in 2002.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Will PS5 Pro Run GTA 6 at 4K60? Probably Not, Say the Experts

The PS5 Pro is now a fast-approaching reality. The $700 mid-generation upgrade arrives on November 7, approximately a year in advance of the game that will likely push the four-years-old base PS5 to its very limits: Grand Theft Auto 6. But how essential will the PS5 Pro be to enjoying GTA 6 at its very best? It’s a question more complicated than it first seems.

“I think there’s good evidence to suggest that the [GTA 6 trailer from last year] was running on either PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X,” says Richard Leadbetter, technology editor at Digital Foundry. As such, the impressive level of graphical detail seen in that trailer should be achievable using the power of the original 2020 model PlayStation 5. It stands to reason, then, that the new PS5 Pro will be more than capable of delivering what we saw in that short glimpse of Vice City.

Frame rates, though, are an entirely different thing. When asked if GTA 6 could realistically run at 60 frames-per-second on the PS5 Pro, Leadbetter is blunt in his analysis: “No. Grand Theft Auto games have always run complex simulations that push the CPU hard, which is why every GTA game has initially launched on their target platforms at 30fps (or lower!).

“The PS5 Pro uses the same CPU as the PS5 and it would be extremely challenging to hit 60fps if the base PS5 version is targeting 30fps,” he explains. “This isn’t a GPU problem, it’s a CPU problem.”

There’s a multitude of simulation work running concurrently and constantly in GTA to keep its open world ticking. Every street is, at the very minimum, a stage for complex traffic and pedestrian simulations – AI routines and physics calculations that bring those roads and sidewalks to life. GTA 6 will very likely feature one of the most realistic depictions of city life we’ve seen in a video game, and so will be significantly taxing on the CPU as it renders all sorts of NPC behaviours. That leaves little bandwidth to boost those frame rates.

Grand Theft Auto games have always run complex simulations that push the CPU hard, which is why every GTA game has initially launched on their target platforms at 30fps.

Still, thanks to the PS5 Pro’s other enhancements, GTA 6 will undoubtedly look better on the new console. It just likely will not be the 4K 60fps experience many will be expecting following Sony’s boastful presentation. “What you will get will be higher quality visuals, but likely still running at similar frame-rates [to the base console],” says Leadbetter. “If GTA 6 can’t sustain a locked 30fps (GTA 4 and GTA 5 couldn’t on PS3 and Xbox 360), PS5 Pro can run the CPU with a 10 percent bump to clock speeds – so you may get more stable performance.

“Of course, all bets are off if Rockstar is targeting 60fps on the standard PS5 – but we’ve seen no evidence so far to suggest it is.”

While it seems unlikely that the PS5 Pro will run GTA 6 at 4K 60fps, there’s still reason to believe the new console will prove an impressive machine. Right now, though, there’s little evidence of its transformative abilities. “I think the hardware’s certainly capable, but the actual presentation confused me,” says Leadbetter. “Nine minutes just isn’t really enough to describe in depth the features the machine has and the philosophy behind the design.”

Leadbetter also notes that the games showcased during the presentation were already fantastic graphical showcases in their original forms, and so were not ideal demonstrations of the Pro’s machine learning-based upscaling technology. Why was it the already gorgeous Horizon Forbidden West and Spider-Man 2 being shown off when we could have seen how transformative PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution could be for games that have shaky image quality on the standard PS5?

“Combine that with poor presentational techniques and YouTube’s inadequacies as a video delivery platform and you didn’t see much of an improvement,” says Leadbetter.

While Sony has chosen to so far only preview enhancements to games that barely require them in the first place, we can at least be relatively confident that those titles in desperate need of a performance boost will be catered for. The PlayStation Blog states that up to 8,500 games will be improved thanks to the PS5 Pro Game Boost feature.

We might even finally get Elden Ring locked to 60 frames per second.

“I think [the improvements will] be quite cool actually, assuming the extra 45 percent of GPU power is fully available to existing games,” enthuses Leadbetter. “Many titles have dynamic resolution scaling. You should see clear image quality improvements there. Similarly, a lot of games have frame-rate issues in their 60fps performance modes – I’d expect those to be cleaned up. We might even finally get Elden Ring locked to 60 frames per second.”

One thing Leadbetter thinks is less likely to make an impact is the Pro’s 8K capabilities. While he foresees a very small number of tech-focused developers, like Gran Turismo 7 creator Polyphony Digital, making 8K resolution options available for PS5 Pro, he doubts other studios will work on such modes “because the audience out there is vanishingly small.”

“I had an 8K screen for four years, but even as an RTX 4090 owner, I have little interest in 8K gaming when high frame-rates at max 4K are so much more desirable,” he says.

Talking of Nvidia’s RTX graphics cards, PC gaming has been the much-debated topic following Sony’s reveal of the PS5 Pro’s eye-watering $699.99 price tag. I’ve seen several suggestions across social media that it’s better value to just save up a ‘little extra’ money and buy a PC that will prove more powerful than the PS5 Pro. It’s an argument I personally think is flawed – a strong 4K, high frame-rate PC will set you back notably more money than the cost of the new console. And, when it’s built, it simply won’t be capable of doing the thing many prospective PS5 Pro owners want: playing GTA 6 at launch with the best possible graphics. (GTA 6 will ship on console first, remember.)

Leadbetter has a similar outlook. “You will struggle to get that kind of visual quality on a similarly priced PC,” he says. “The closest GPU on the market now with that kind of feature set and performance is the RTX 4070 – which is a fair bit better, I’d say. But your base cost there is $540/£480. And then you need to factor in CPU, motherboard, memory, storage, power supply and case.

“You could offset the extra cost against the fact that you don’t need extra subscription costs over time, I suppose, but I think you’re missing the fundamental point of what PS5 Pro is and who is going to buy it.

“It’s a console, not a PC – and there are still key differences there, not least in a viable living room experience. I’d also say the Pro is designed to appeal to core PlayStation users with a library built up over many years. That library will not transition over to PC so those users are effectively starting from scratch.”

Of course, that’s not to say that the PS5 Pro is a ‘good deal’. “That user base likely has a physical game library, too – so the notion you don’t even get a disc drive for your £699/$699 is nuts,” Leadbetter concludes.

There may be other people looking at the PS5 Pro and failing to see a good value proposition, too, although for entirely other reasons. “I think Phil Spencer watched the presentation and felt vindicated in the decision not to make a ‘pro’ console for this generation,” Leadbetter theories. “Xbox players already have a great way to play high-end Xbox games – and that’s on PC, where the enthusiast has more freedom to pick and choose the kind of hardware they want.”

It’s true: Microsoft has been running three different platforms from the very start of the generation, offering a solution for players of all tastes and budgets. It is arguably Xbox’s biggest advantage over PlayStation. Who needs a Series X-X when you can play Starfield at 4K60 on a PC? Avowed’s 30fps lock simply isn’t a problem if you’ve already shelled out for an RTX 40-series graphics card.

But, as we’ve already said, the PS5 Pro is not a PC. It’s a different beast entirely. Is it the console the PlayStation hardcore needs, though? Let’s see how fast it flies off the shelves this November.

Matt Purslow is IGN’s Senior Features Editor. Additional reporting by Alex Simmons.

This Week’s Space Marine 2 Patch Is the ‘First Quick Fix’ — Bigger Patch Due Later in September

Space Marine 2 has its first patch following its record-breaking launch, but don’t expect big changes — those are coming in a larger update due later in September.

Publisher Focus Interactive announced that a small hotfix (hotfix 2.1) is out now for the Saber Interactive-developed Warhammer 40,000 action game across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S (check out the patch notes below).

It focuses on crashes and bug fixes, with a PC-only optimization for behavior on high-end CPUs thrown in. The big, hotly anticipated patch that Focus has already confirmed adds the much-needed ultrawide support and private PvE lobbies is due out later this month.

We’ve got plenty more Space Marine 2 coverage, including details on its post-launch roadmap, the upcoming addition of class matching for co-op after players found themselves locked in a class standoff ahead of Operations mode missions, and a report on those creepy flying babies you keep seeing on the Battle Barge.

IGN’s Space Marine 2 review returned an 8/10. We said: “Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 may not break the third-person shooter mold, but it looks amazing, makes good use of its Warhammer lore, and has brutal combat that just feels great.”

Space Marine 2 hotfix 2.1 patch notes:

Crashes and bug fixes

  • Fixed some rare possible crashes when starting the game
  • Fixed a rare possible crash that occured during the first cutscene
  • Fixed several other rare crashes
  • Fixed several rare bugs that were causing soft locks in the story mode

PC Only

  • Optimized CPU behavior on high end CPUs

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

This Year’s Pokémon TCG Trick or Trade Boosters Are The Best We’ve Ever Seen

The Pokémon TCG Halloween Trick or Trade BOOster Bundle is back, bringing a spooky twist to your collection on All Hallows Eve. With 35 mini boosters in each bundle, you’ll have plenty of chances to pull some of your favorite Pokémon, all with a cute Pikachu Halloween stamp.

It’s a brilliant product for collectors, kids, or anyone looking to hand out something cooler than sweets this year. Plus, the whole set of 30 cards can be completed with just one bundle, which is perfect for those who like a challenge but don’t want to break the bank.

If you’re after a fun, seasonal Pokémon product that’s easy to collect, the Trick or Trade BOOster Bundle 2024 is it. It’s only $15 for 35 mini boosters (see here), and this year’s is one of the best ever, with cards like Okidogi, Munkidori, and Gengar making appearances, it’s a great mix of reprints and new faces. Check out our full preview of the 2024 set right here.

Rather than a than a hardcore gaming set, consider the Trick or Trade boosters as more of fun collectible for all ages. The focus here is on the Halloween aesthetic, with reprints like Pikachu and Gengar looking extra spooky with their new stamps. However, you’d be surprised at how many of the cards still have solid abilities for casual play. Plus, you’ve got new cards from the Scarlet & Violet set, like Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti, to add a fresh vibe.

Each set is packed with 35 mini boosters, containing 3 cards in every “mini-booster”. The entire set of 30 cards can be completed by grabbing just one bundle. Unlike regular packs, these cards aren’t about game-changing pulls or competitive play but more about celebrating Halloween with a collectible twist. The nine Cosmo holo cards add a bit of shine to the whole experience, making cards like Pikachu and Mimikyu even more special. We love the 2024 set, and highly recommend it for anyone Pokémon fans getting into the Halloween spirit.

Our Top Trick or Trade Pulls, and How To Play Them

Darkrai 136/197 OBF

  • 130 HP (Dark)
  • [D] Dark Slumber 20: Your opponent’s Active Pokémon is now Asleep.
  • [D][D][C] Night Cyclone 120: Move all Energy from this Pokémon to your Benched Pokémon in any way you like.
  • Weaknesses: [G] x 2
  • Resistances: N/A
  • Retreat Cost: [C] [C]
  • How to Play: Start using Dark Slumber to disrupt your opponent’s Active Pokémon, especially if they rely on big attacks. Then, follow up with Night Cyclone for a solid hit while moving your Energy to a fresh attacker on your bench. This keeps your momentum going even if Darkrai is knocked out.

Fezandipiti 096/167 TWM

  • 120 HP (Psychic)
  • Ability: Adrena-Pheromone: If this Pokémon has any [D] Energy attached and is damaged by an attack, flip a coin. If heads, prevent that damage.
  • [P] Energy Feather 30x: This attack does 30 damage for each Energy attached to this Pokémon.
  • Weaknesses: [S] x 2
  • Resistances: N/A
  • Retreat Cost: [C]
  • How to Play: Load Fezandipiti with energy and let it rip. The more energy attached, the more devastating it becomes. Its ability makes it a frustrating opponent, as it can dodge attacks.

Flutter Mane 078/162 TEF

  • 90 HP (Psychic)
  • Ability: Midnight Fluttering: As long as this Pokémon is in the Active Spot, your opponent’s Active Pokémon has no Abilities, except for Midnight Fluttering.
  • [P][C] Hex Hurl: Put 2 damage counters on your opponent’s Pokémon in any way you like.
  • Weaknesses: [S] x 2
  • Resistances: N/A
  • Retreat Cost: [C]
  • How to Play: This card works best to cripple Ability-based decks. Use Flutter Mane early to control the board and stack damage across your opponent’s team with Hex Hurl.

Gengar 057/091 PAF

  • 130 HP (Dark)
  • Ability: Night Gate: Once during your turn, you may switch your Active Pokémon with 1 of your benched Pokémon.
  • [D][C] Nightmare 100: Your opponent’s Active Pokémon is now asleep.
  • Weaknesses: [F] x 2
  • Resistances: N/A
  • Retreat Cost: [C]
  • How to Play: Gengar’s Night Gate ability gives you flexibility in battle. Its high damage output and sleep effect make it a solid attacker that’s tough to counter.

Mimikyu 037/031 PAF

  • 70 HP (Psychic)
  • Ability: Safeguard: Prevent all damage done to this Pokémon by attacks from your opponent’s Pokémon ex and Pokémon V.
  • [P][C] Ghost Eye: Put 7 damage counters on your opponent’s active Pokémon.
  • Weaknesses: [S] x 2
  • Resistances: N/A
  • Retreat Cost: [C]
  • How to Play: Mimikyu’s great against ex-heavy decks. Its Safeguard ability keeps it safe while Ghost Eye quietly racks up damage.

Munkidori 095/167 TWM

  • 110 HP (Psychic)
  • Ability: Adrena-Brain: Once during your turn, if this Pokémon has any [D] Energy attached, you may move up to 3 damage counters from 1 of your Pokémon to 1 of your opponent’s Pokémon.
  • [P][C] Mind Bend 60: Your Opponent’s Active Pokémon is now confused.
  • Weaknesses: [D] x 2
  • Resistances: [F] – 30
  • Retreat Cost: [C]
  • How to Play: Munkidori excels in control decks. Use its ability to spread damage across your opponent’s Pokémon while keeping your side healthy. The Confusion effect from Mind Bend can throw off your opponent’s strategy.

Okidogi 111/167 TWM

  • 130 HP (Fighting)
  • Ability: Adrena-Power: If this Pokémon has any [D] Energy attached, it gets +100 HP, and the attacks it uses do 100 more damage to your opponent’s Active Pokémon (before applying Weakness and Resistance).
  • [F][F] Good Punch 70
  • Weaknesses: [P] x 2
  • Resistances: N/A
  • Retreat Cost: [C] [C]
  • How to Play: This card is a tank. Stack it with [D] energy to boost its HP and power its punches. Combine it with cards that can recycle [D] energy to keep Okidogi in fighting form.

Pikachu 018/091 PAF

  • 70 HP (Electric)
  • [C] Growl: During your opponent’s next turn, the Defending Pokémon’s attacks do 20 less damage (before applying Weakness and Resistance).
  • [E][C] Pika Bolt 30
  • Weaknesses: [F] x 2
  • Resistances: N/A
  • Retreat Cost: [C]
  • How to Play: Pikachu’s all about early-game setup. Use Growl to buy time while you charge up Pika Bolt or set up your bench.

Sinistcha 022/167 TWM

  • 70 HP (Grass)
  • [G] Put 4 damage counters on your opponent’s Pokémon in any way you like.
  • [G] Spill The Tea 70x: Discard up to 3 [G] energy cards from your Pokémon. This attack does 70 damage for each card you discarded in this way.
  • Weaknesses: [F] x 2
  • Resistances: N/A
  • Retreat Cost: [C]
  • How to Play: Sinistcha is great for spreading damage and unloading a massive hit. Use its first attack to soften your opponent’s bench, then spill the tea for huge damage.

Teal Mask Ogerpon 024/167 TWM

  • 110 HP (Grass)
  • Mountain Stroll: Search your deck for up to 2 Basic Energy cards, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
  • [G][C] Ogre Comeback 20+: This attack does 20 more damage for each of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon.
  • Weaknesses: [F] x 2
  • Resistances: N/A
  • Retreat Cost: [C]
  • How to Play: Teal Mask Ogerpon shines in battles where your opponent builds a wide bench. Use Mountain Stroll early to stack energy in your hand, then unleash Ogre Comeback when your opponent has a full bench for severe damage. It’s best used in the middle of a match when your opponent will likely have more Pokémon on the bench.

Looking for more Pokémon cards? We’re busy updating our Pokédex of Pokémon TCG daily deals to grab trainers bargains on boosters, elite trainer boxes and more, so make sure to swing by our Best Pokémon TCG deals or the full release schedule for Pokemon TCG in 2024. We’ve also recently previewed the upcoming Stellar Crown sets, and the pull rates are fantastic.

Christian Wait is a UK-based freelancer for IGN, you can follow him @ChrisReggieWait on Twitter/X.

Most of Those Creepy Flying Things in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Aren’t Lobotomized Babies — the Truth Is Much Weirder

Space Marine 2 has broken free from the shackles of its Warhammer 40,000 setting and made inroads into the gaming mainstream, and that means there are plenty of players new to its grim dark far future.

For them Space Marine 2 is a somewhat bewildering experience, as it leans on much of the lore that Warhammer 40,000 owner Games Workshop has built over decades, with hundreds of novels, rule books, and magazine articles fleshing out the background fans know intimately.

Warhammer 40,000 fans have enjoyed seeing newcomers react in shock at just how grim and dark Space Marine 2 is. And it’s not just the extreme gore, mass death, and terrifying alien enemies that appear in the game either. Perhaps the most disturbing element of Space Marine 2 that newcomers are seeing for the first time are lobotomized babies.

A tweet from Forbes writer Paul Tassi, below, sums up the reaction to Space Marine 2’s winged babies, who seemingly fly about the Battle Barge, the spaceship on which the Space Marines live and plan their missions, performing monotonous busywork.

On the face of it, the apparent “good guys” of Space Marine 2’s story have lobotomized babies cleaning up their mess. Sound messed up? Welcome to Warhammer 40,000’s Imperium of Man, a fascist regime always on the brink of extinction and an extreme vision of the far future in which pretty much anything goes.

Warhammer 40,000 is intended to be grim and dark, and so stuff like this is par for the course (lobotomized babies aren’t close to being the most disturbing thing in the setting, if you fancy some light reading, check out what the Drukhari get up to in their spare time). Space Marine 2’s far future is a truly miserable place to be, a place in which countless humans die every day from all manner of horrors, be those alien, demon, or humans themselves. Humanity, bogged down by excruciating bureaucracy and religious fanaticism, has collapsed. There is no respite, no joy, only inevitable death.

With that in mind, Warhammer 40,000 fans are used to things like a “lobotomized church menial cyborg flying baby,” as X/Twitter user ChronoTheHarlequin pointed out. The thing is, with this one in particular, it gets even weirder.

As the unofficial Warhammer podcast Adeptus Ridiculous clarified, most of these things aren’t actually lobotomized babies. Most are built from the ground(?) up as flesh automatons with computers for brains (A.I is banned in the 40th millennium because of… reasons). Why do they look like babies? Apart from Warhammer 40,000 being all heavy metal and gothic, according to the lore, it’s for “ceremonial purposes.”

I’m loving Space Marine 2 and its attention to detail. The developers at Saber clearly love Warhammer 40,000 and made the effort to capture its oppressive, soul destroying atmosphere. I’ve particularly enjoyed the flavor dialogue you hear from the humans who are charged with keeping the Battle Barge afloat. Some bemoan a lack of sleep because of how hard they’re forced to work. Others express concern at the prospect of making even a single mistake. Given the truly miserable galaxy in which they live, these chaps are the lucky ones. And don’t get me started on the servitors.

We’ve got plenty more Space Marine 2 coverage, including details of its first patch, its post-launch roadmap, and the upcoming addition of class matching for co-op, after players found themselves locked in a class standoff ahead of Operations mode missions.

Image credit: Games Workshop.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.