Shadow of the Erdtree ‘The First and Last’ Elden Ring DLC, FromSoftware Boss Hidetaka Miyazaki Confirms

FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki has confirmed that Shadow of the Erdtree will be the only expansion released for beloved role-playing game Elden Ring.

As reported by GamesRadar, Miyazaki told Chinese publication Zhihu that, unlike previous FromSoftware titles such as Dark Souls 3, the developer plans to release just one chunk of downloadable content for Elden Ring due to the nature of its open world.

“[Shadow of the Erdtree] is the first and last DLC, and we have no plans to add more content to Elden Ring,” Miyazaki said, via machine translation.

“[Shadow of the Erdtree] is the first and last DLC, and we have no plans to add more content to Elden Ring.

“Elden Ring emphasizes exploration and adventure in a big world. In order to provide such an experience, a vast and huge setting is inevitably needed. Therefore, instead of splitting it into several parts, it was better to simply make one big [expansion]. If they were sold separately, the freedom of exploration and sense of adventure would be reduced.”

Shadow of the Erdtree, which launches June 21, 2024, may not be fans’ final taste of The Lands Between, however, as Miyazaki didn’t shut down the possibility of a full sequel. When asked about the future of the franchise, he commented that FromSoftware deliberately leaves the end of its games open to potential sequels, and it seems Elden Ring will be no exception.

Miyazaki suggested in March 2024 that FromSoftware hadn’t made a decision on a sequel yet, but similarly spoke to the desire to keep its options open. “We don’t want to say this is the end of the Elden Ring saga for now,” he told IGN.

“We said a similar thing at the end of Dark Souls 3. We didn’t want to flatten those possibilities or put a pin in them just at that time. And it’s a similar story with Elden Ring. We don’t want to discourage the possibilities for that. There might be more ideas in the future.”

The success of Elden Ring may encourage FromSoftware to make a sequel, as the game had swelled to a colossal 23 million units sold as of February 2024.

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

Bethesda’s Todd Howard Addresses Mixed Reception to Starfield

Bethesda development chief Todd Howard has commented on the mixed reception to its expansive space game Starfield, suggesting some of the criticism stemmed from the game being different from the likes of Fallout and Skyrim.

Starfield came out in September 2023 and, boosted by its inclusion in Microsoft’s subscription service Game Pass, enjoyed more players at launch than any previous Bethesda game. It also held up better than most other Bethesda games in terms of performance.

But Starfield had a mixed reception from critics and players. IGN’s Starfield review returned a 7/10, with what we called “disjointed space travel, nonexistent maps, aggravating inventory management, and a slow rollout of essential abilities” holding it back from getting a higher score. Starfield currently has a ‘mixed’ user review rating on Steam, with negative reviews pointing out the extensive loading involved with space travel, empty spaces on planets, and a lack of people or enemies to encounter.

In an interview with Kinda Funny Games, Howard addressed the mixed reception to Starfield, or as interviewer Greg Miller put it, the “polarizing” Starfield. Howard began by pointing to Starfield’s stability at launch, which he said the studio was delighted with, as well as the reviews on the higher end of the scale. But throughout his response is the suggestion that Starfield suffered in part because it was unlike Bethesda’s previous games, Fallout and Skyrim, and he insisted: “Each of the franchises should be its own thing.”

“What’s new is it’s a new IP, so you know that we’re going to be doing some things differently than we’ve done before, and obviously we had people who love the game both on the review side and people who liked it less,” Howard said.

“I think the majority of our reviews were in the 90s, which, look, that’s great. I don’t want to ever be in a world where that is not a great place to be in terms of critical reception, particularly in a year where there were so many amazing games out.

“But obviously, look, we see the feedback, we see a lot of players saying, this is what I want out of a Bethesda game, which is to explore a world in a certain way and Starfield didn’t give me that, I prefer the way it’s done in Fallout or Elder Scrolls. And perfectly understandable right, in terms of, hey this is a different experience.”

Howard continued by discussing the “trade-offs” Bethesda was willing to make in order to realize the fantasy of landing on a huge number of planets and exploring each one in-game. Ahead of release, Bethesda touted Starfield’s 1,000 explorable planets, although many players found them to be lacking in content.

“I do think, for us, particularly me going into a science fiction game, I want to be able to land on all the planets, I want the game to say yes to us knowing that that content is going to be different than you’ve seen from us in the past when you’re exploring a landscape,” Howard said. “And that’s some of the trade-offs we’ll make to do what we think makes a science fiction game like this, that’s based in this kind of fiction and reality, to make it what it should be. Each of the franchises should be its own thing.

“Obviously, look, there are areas that… the maps or some other things, gameplay options, that we’re adding, other display modes on console that people have asked for, and we want to do all that stuff, it takes some time but we’re excited to get stuff out there.”

Howard’s comments, already much-discussed online, come as Bethesda is in the process of releasing a significant update for Starfield that makes the Xbox Series X version playable in 60fps, among many other things. It will be interesting to see if the update sparks renewed interest in the game, with the Shattered Space expansion due out in the fall.

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.

Helldivers 2 Patch 1.000.301 Improves Performance After This Week’s Big Balance Update

The Helldivers 2 patches are coming in thick and fast, this time with a fix for performance problems triggered by the previous update.

After this week’s release of patch 01.000.300, which tweaked a long list of weapons, stratagems, and enemies, some Helldivers 2 players experienced performance issues. Arrowhead later confirmed there was indeed a problem, and has now issued a fresh patch to deal with it.

Patch 1.000.301, out today, May 2, is much smaller than the update released earlier this week, but, crucially, makes the promised performance improvements, as well as sorts out a number of crashes.

Arrowhead has also updated its helpful ‘known issues’ list to give players an idea of what the studio is working to fix. One line of note: “Helldiver may be unable to stand up from crouching when surrounded by enemies.” And here I was thinking that was a feature, not a bug!

Yesterday, IGN reported on Arrowhead’s plan to tweak the Eruptor after a community investigation revealed a ricochet and shrapnel issue caused by this week’s patch. It doesn’t look like that fix is in place yet.

If you’re looking for more on Helldivers 2, check out IGN’s feature on the Let Me Solo Her of Helldivers 2, a player who has answered over 100 SOS Beacons as part of a mission to help others.

Helldivers 2 update 01.000.301 patch notes in full:

Overview

For this patch, we have addressed some crashes as well as performance improvements following the decline from the last patch:

  • Performance improvements
  • Crash fixes

Fixes

  • Fix for a crash that could occur during the post mission end screen
  • Fix for crash which could occur when destroying automaton tanks.

Known Issues [Unchanged since patch 1.000.300]

These are issues that were either introduced by this patch and are being worked on, or are from a previous version and have not yet been fixed.

  • Damage-over-time effects may only apply when dealt by the host. We expect to have this fixed in the next patch.
  • Reinforcement may not be available for some players who join a game in progress.
  • Helldiver may be unable to stand up from crouching when surrounded by enemies.
  • Game may crash if the host leaves while dead and rejoins the same play session.
  • Game may crash if the player changes the text language while on a mission.
  • Various issues involving friend invites and cross-play:
    • Friend Request cannot be accepted when the requesting player changed their username before the request was accepted.
    • Cross-platform friend invites might not show up in the Friend Requests tab.
    • Players cannot unfriend players befriended via friend code.
    • Players cannot unblock players that were not in their Friends list beforehand.
  • Players may experience delays in Medals and Super Credits payouts.
  • Enemies that bleed out do not progress Personal Orders and Eradicate missions.
  • Scopes on some weapons such as the Anti-Materiel Rifle are slightly misaligned.
  • Arc weapons sometimes behave inconsistently and sometimes misfire.
  • Spear’s targeting is inconsistent, making it hard to lock-on to larger enemies.
  • Stratagem beam might attach itself to an enemy but it will deploy to its original location.
  • Explosions do not break your limbs (except for when you fly into a rock).
  • Area around Automaton Detector Tower makes blue stratagems such as the Hellbomb bounce and be repelled when trying to call them down close to the tower.
  • Planet liberation reaches 100% at the end of every Defend mission.

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.

Sony Is Pulling Horizon: Zero Dawn From PS Plus Amid PS5 Remaster Rumors

Sony has signaled its intention to pull Horizon: Zero Dawn from PlayStation Plus later in May, fueling rumors the company is set to announce a PlayStation 5 remaster of the game.

Redditor Melodic_Cake_3344 spotted a new message on the PlayStation dash warning Horizon: Zero Dawn’s inclusion in the PS Plus Extra Game Catalog ends on May 21. As verified by Eurogamer, this specifically relates to Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition, which includes the Frozen Wilds expansion.

Sony’s decision to pull one of its biggest first-party games from PS Plus has only fueled rumors it is set to announce a PS5 remaster of Guerrilla’s much-loved action adventure, first released as a PlayStation 4 exclusive in 2017 before coming to PC in August 2020.

Reports of a Horizon: Zero Dawn remaster emerged in October 2022, when VGC said an updated version of Aloy’s first adventure on PS4 was set for PS5. We haven’t heard anything since, but the removal of Horizon: Zero Dawn from PS Plus may indicate the impending arrival of its remaster, possibly even shadow dropped as part of a May State of Play showcase.

According to VGC’s report, the Horizon Zero Dawn remaster features improved visuals to bring it up to par with its sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, with new character models, lighting and animations. It will also have added accessibility features, graphics modes, and quality of life improvements to gameplay. Sony has yet to comment on the reports.

Following the news, some questioned the need for a Horizon Zero Dawn remaster, given the PS4 game is currently playable on PS5 with a 4K, 60 frames per second update. But it’s worth noting that Sony has form when it comes to remasters of its games, most recently releasing a remaster of Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man, a remake of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part I, and a remaster of The Last of Us Part II.

Sony has said it will not release any major existing PlayStation franchise games before April 2025, leaving ‘second-party’ exclusives such as Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2, Team Ninja’s Rise of the Ronin, and Shift Up’s Stellar Blade to plug the gaps this year. Remasters and remakes are also in-line to keep PlayStation going until a raft of significant exclusive PS5 games hit in 2025.

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 Anker PowerCore 737 25,6000mAh Power Bank Deal Includes a PD Wall Charger

Amazon is offering Amazon Prime members an older generation Anker PowerCore 737 25,600mAh USB Power Bank, which also includes a 65W USB PD wall charger for only $79.99 shipped. That’s a nearly 40% price drop from its original $130 MSRP. This is close to the highest capacity power bank you’re allowed to bring on airplane carry-on, and it also boasts 60W of USB power delivery to charge your Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or ASUS ROG Ally gaming handheld.

Anker PowerCore 737 25,600mAh Power Bank for $79.99

Includes a 65W USB PD wall charger

The Anker PowerCore 737 can be used like any other power bank; it does a fine job of charging any of your standard mobile electronics. It has two USB Type-A ports and one USB Type-C port. This is one of the largest capacity power banks that can be brought onto an airplane as carry-on. It can charge a Nintendo Switch OLED over 5 times, iPhone 15 Pro Max over 5 times, Steam Deck over 4 times, and an ASUS ROG Ally over 9 times. The power bank is physically larger than smaller capacity ones and weighs in at 1.3 pounds.

The USB Type-C port supports up to 60W Power Delivery. That’s enough to charge the Steam Deck (35W) and Nintendo Switch (18W) at their maximum charging speed. It’s also very close to the maximum charging speed of the ASUS ROG Ally, which caps at 65W. The two USB Type-A ports support up to 18W of total charging, which is enough to fast charge a Nintendo Switch.

What’s unique about this deal compared to some other similar deals we’ve posted is that this one also comes with a USB Type-C wall charger that supports 65W of Power Delivery. There’s no need to buy another wall charger or scavenge one from another power bank you might have sitting around.

The Anker 737 is our pick for best Steam Deck / ASUS ROG Ally charger

We picked the newer Anker 737 as our favorite portable charger for the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally portable gaming handhelds. Both the ROG Ally and Steam Deck suffer from a short battery life when gaming on the go. For instance, when playing most games at 60 FPS, you’re likely looking at four hours of battery life, at most. We even found games like God of War or Spider-Man would tap out in under 2 hours on the Steam Deck. At the end of the day, you’ll never get the full potential out of your Steam Deck or ROG Ally if you’re not equipped with a decent portable charger.

Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth Sales Are Fine, but It’s No Dragon’s Dogma 2

It’s natural that everyone’s been a little antsy about Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth lately. For weeks, analysts and fans have been discussing the game’s potential underperformance compared to its predecessor, Remake, amid worries this might impact the future of the 7 Remake trilogy. Today, we got a little more data on what’s really going on here – though the jury is still out on how publisher Square Enix is looking at the numbers.

Today, Circana published its monthly video game consumer spending report for March, which offers insight on the U.S. market calculated by dollar sales. One of the more notable games in the rankings this month was Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, which reports have suggested isn’t selling as well as Square Enix would like despite critical acclaim. Without actual sales figures, it’s difficult to tell, and our analysis a few weeks ago indicated that it’s doing….eh, fine, just not gangbusters.

Today’s Circana report paints a similarly perplexing picture. Rebirth is still the fourth best-selling game this year so far, but it’s also the 14th best-selling Final Fantasy game ever – well behind Final Fantasy 15 in first place, Final Fantasy 7: Remake in second, and the original Final Fantasy 7 in third place. Granted, it’s only had two months on the market on a single platform while the others have had multiple years on multiple platforms, so we can give it some grace there.

We asked Circana analyst Mat Piscatella for a bit more context on what’s going on with Rebirth’s U.S. sales. He told us that Rebirth sales in the U.S. are down a double-digit percentage when compared to both Remake and Final Fantasy 16 over the same time in market – so that’s not great. But he also noted, again, that Remake launched “at basically the best time to launch a video game in history, and on a different installed base, with all that built up anticipation.” And he called the game’s performance “not amazing, but also nowhere near terrible.” Which is roughly what other experts have described to us before, and what U.K. sales numbers seem to suggest as well.

Still, it’s impossible to say whether “not terrible” will be enough for Square Enix. The publisher has announced it’s preparing to take a $140 million hit in “content abandonment losses” due to canceled games in the last fiscal year, and it remains unclear how much of this will impact Final Fantasy 7’s remake trilogy, if it will at all. And it’s admittedly a little jarring to see Rebirth in light of Circana’s reported sales for fellow action RPG Dragon’s Dogma 2, which pulled 11x the amount of dollar sales the original Dragon’s Dogma did, and has already surpassed the combined life-to-date sales of both Dragon’s Dogma and Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen combined. It’s only been out for a month, and it’s the second-best-selling game of the year in the US. That’s a pretty stark difference…but again, Dragon’s Dogma 2 released across three platforms: PC, Xbox, and PS5. Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth is PS5 exclusive.

As for the rest of the month in video games, Helldivers 2 is still the best-selling game of the year so far and is the 7th best-selling Sony-published game of all time, after just two months. Dragon’s Dogma 2 was the best-selling game of March, followe dby Helldivers 2, MLB The Show 24, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Rise of the Ronin in order. Princess Peach: Showtime! debuted at No.6 (digital sales excluded as usual), Unicorn Overlord debuted at No.8, and WWE 2K24 debuted at No.9 (digital sales excluded). Also notably, Horizon 2: Forbidden West saw a massive jump in March from the No.107 best-selling game in February to No.14, likely thanks to its launch on PC. Stardew Valley on PC and Sifu on PS5 also saw significant player spikes in March.

In total, video game sales were up 4% year-over-year largely thanks to mobile content, while hardware sales dropped 32% year-over-year with all console platform spending down 30% or more. The PS5 remained the best-selling console in both unit and dollar sales.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Nintendo Switch 2 Handheld Mode Said to be Clocked ‘Crazy Low’ for Better Battery Life – Rumor

Nintendo’s next console, dubbed the Switch 2 by fans, will feature some changes to potentially improve its battery life if new rumors are to be believed.

The latest details regarding how the Mario company might tackle its next console generation comes from a conversation between YouTube channel Moore’s Law Is Dead and content creator The Phawx on the Broken Silicon podcast. When explaining that they anticipate Xbox Series S-level ray-tracing functionality on the new tech, Moore’s Law Is Dead teased that they’ve heard that the Switch 2 will be “clocked faster than we expect” in docked mode but “undocked it’s going to be clocked crazy low.”

They add that the goal with this strategy is to give players longer battery life when playing on the go, one complaint more than a few Nintendo fans had with the original Switch. The Phawx expands on this potential strategy further, guessing that Nintendo is interested in both extended battery life as well as a low RPM fan.

Though Nintendo has its fair share of adult followers, the Switch has proven to be extremely popular among younger audiences, and we’ll likely see the same trend with the Switch 2. It’s because of this that Nintendo might be creating a device that doesn’t overheat too easily when kids leave the console lying around.

What this means for gaming fans is that, like the original Switch, games will look and run better when running in docked mode. Undocked, things might not be quite as impressive, but you’ll at least be able to enjoy Nintendo’s experiences for a longer amount of time.

For reference, in 2018, we noted that the original Switch offered about 2.5 to 6 hours of battery life undocked. That life was extended to up to 9 hours with the release of new models in 2019, with the OLED model lasting around the same amount of time before needing a recharge.

Details on the power of the Switch 2 aren’t the first rumors to spread about Nintendo’s new console. Other allegedly leaked details have suggested that the device will feature magnetic versions of the Joy-Cons and maybe even allow players to use their old controllers, too. If these recent rumors are to be believed, you’ll also be able to enjoy your physical and digital games on the Switch 2.

Keep in mind that it’s best to keep expectations at a minimum until Nintendo is ready to reveal official information on its next console. For more on what may eventually become the Switch 2, you can read everything else we know about the company’s next console.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

Hasbro Ambitious Post-Baldur’s Gate 3 Plans Include More Than $1 Billion in Internal Game Development

Hasbro has already invested over $1 billion in its internal studios as part of an ambitious long-term strategy, according to Wizards of the Coast head of game studios and publishing Dan Ayoub.

“Video games are an integral part of Hasbro’s strategy going into the next 100 years and we have to make sure that everything that comes out is top quality, is authentic, and is something we can build upon,” explained Ayoub in an interview with gamesindustry.biz at the Game Developer’s Conference in March. “Because we’re talking about a couple studios and a couple games right now, but we have much larger ambitions for that.”

Hasbro’s IP licensing strategy has been extremely profitable for the toy-maker in recent years, with Larian Studio’s runaway hit Baldur’s Gate 3 netting the company an impressive $90 million on its own following its 2023 release. Despite this success, the multi-national conglomerate has invested huge amounts of money to establish a clutch of internal game development studios with which to handle its many IPs, and create entirely new ones.

“The biggest thing to takeaway, which is honestly a little surprise to a lot of people, is that Hasbro is in fact making video games,” explained Ayoub. “And we have a considerable investment in our studio structure, we’ve got over $1 billion in games right now being developed.”

According to the industry veteran, Hasbro’s $1 billion investment in its four existing AAA studios is part of a “very, very deliberate plan”, which would incorporate facets of the company beyond game development.

It’s not just Dungeons & Dragons

Hasbro’s current AAA stable includes the North Carolina-based studio Atomic Arcade, which is developing a G.I. Joe Snake Eyes game, and Invoke Studios, which is working on another title anchored in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Skeleton Key, and Texas-based studio Archetype Entertainment round out the quartet, the latter of which is developing a brand new IP starring Matthew McConaughey called Exodus, which draws inspiration from both Mass Effect, and Knights of the Old Republic.

One of the great things we took from the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 is that people really, really like a great, well-executed D&D game

“What we’re trying to do there is have the tail wag the dog a little bit and have things going the other direction for the company, which would be something new, where we can create a new IP through video games and then take advantage of the size and scale of Hasbro to do other things with it as well,” said Ayoub.

He also made a point of highlighting Hasbro’s emphasis on quality and authenticity when it comes to its game development approach, while lauding the example set by Larian Studios’ hit RPG Baldur’s Gate 3.

“One of the great things we took from the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 is that people really, really like a great, well-executed D&D game, so we’ve got something like that,” said Ayoub. “And with Snake Eyes, while it’s not a new IP, it’s hopefully going to be a shot in the arm to the G.I. Joe franchise and we can do some new things and express it in different ways in video games than we have traditionally.”

Back in March Larian founder Swen Vincke made the shock announcement that the developer had no plans to release expansions or DLC for Baldur’s Gate 3, and that it was instead moving on from the D & D setting to explore something new. With Larian out of the picture, Hasbro is patiently searching for new partners with whom to shape the future of the franchise.

In the recent G.I.Biz interview, Ayoub highlighted Hasbro’s deep well of IPs, which “goes much, much larger than anything we’re talking about right now”, and ensured that games developed by internal studios wouldn’t be rushed, and that “everything is going to stay in the oven as long as it needs to”.

In December last year Hasbro announced a mass layoff that affected over 1,000 staff, accounting for around 20 percent of its total workforce, while citing the need to “modernize” the company, and make it “leaner” in order to position it for future growth. The redundancies came as Hasbro sought to save $300 million annually up to the year 2025, as it pivots to focus on “fewer, bigger brands”.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer

Best PS5 and PlayStation Deals Right Now (May 2024)

There are some amazing PS5 deals to check out right now, including the surprise hit PlayStation Portal is back in stock at Best Buy for $199.99. It’s sold out everywhere else — so if you want one, you’d better grab it quick, as it’s not likely to stay in stock for long. There’s also the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1 for just $30, an incredible deal that’s well worth taking advantage of. Below, you can also find other deals on everything from consoles to SSDs and even information on where to buy a PS5 now.

TL;DR – Best PS5 Deals Right Now

Navigate to:

PlayStation Portal Back In Stock (Limited Time)

Best PS5 Video Game Deals: Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1 for $30

One of our absolute favorite physical PS5 deals right now is on the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1, which is down 50% to just $30! This is absolute worth investing in, especially at this price. If you want to see even more of our favorite PS5 deals at the moment, check out the links below.

More PS5 Video Game Deals (Physical):

Perfect PS5 4TB SSD with Heatsink for $239.49 at Amazon

Looking to completely maximize your PS5 storage capabilities? Then this is the deal for you. For a limited time only, this PS5 4TB SSD is available at Amazon for just $239.49 (see here). It has an MSRP of $699.99 which is rather dramatic, but in reality, this and many other 4TB SSDs have been sitting around $280-$300 recently. The 1TB version is also down to just $71.49 as well, the best price you can find on a PS5 SSD at the time of writing. Again, we’re unlikely to see better deals than this until Prime Day in the summer. You can also check out the more PS5 SSD deals here.

More PS5 SSD Deals:

Score a Spider-Man 2 PS5 Slim Bundle for $449 (20% Off MSRP)

This deal has been one of our favorites for quite a while (since last year’s Black Friday, actually!) and it’s been selling out at a variety of retailers. Thankfully, Walmart and Best Buy still have some stock, so if you’ve been hoping to grab one of these PS5 Slim bundles, now’s your chance to do so. Who knows how long it’ll stick around for, so act fast! Normally, it retails for $559.99, but it’s been marked down to $449 for a while now which is an excellent deal.

Best PS5 Headset Deals: 20% Off the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro & More Headset Deals

There’s no shortage of PS5-compatible headsets. If you’re constantly having to turn down the volume when you play, you might want to pick up one of these, then you can listen to your games as loud as you darn well please. And if you’d like to see even more options that are worth buying, check out our collection of the best gaming headsets.

More PS5 Gaming Headset Deals:

PlayStation Deals: Budget to Best

It doesn’t need to have a massive discount to be a good deal, so we thought it would be a great idea to pick out our absolute favorite PS5 and PlayStation offerings that would be relevant to buy no matter the time of year, or the sales going on. From the latest DualSense controllers, to the very best PS5 SSDs on the market, we’ve got it all right here.

More PS5 Budget to Best Picks

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Best Time to Buy a PS5

Generally, the best time to buy a PS5 console is during major yearly shopping events such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the various Amazon Prime Day sales. Although PlayStation consoles rarely go on sale, you can often scoop up limited-time bundles that include additional an additional game or two, and more.

How to Trade in Your Old PlayStation Consoles

If you’re looking to trade in your old PlayStation consoles, you can do so at select retailers in-store and online. Often, the most widely available retailers are GameStop and Best Buy. However, you can also trade your used devices online at retailers such as Amazon and Microsoft.

Some retailers will offer you cash for your used goods, while others may provide you with a gift card that can be used in-store and online. This is a great way to offload your old gaming gear and get some money that you can put towards a newer console and games.

While trading devices in at retailers will often net you the lowest amount for your used consoles, there are also online marketplaces such as eBay, Craigslist, and OfferUp that may fetch higher prices, but you’ll often be responsible for packing and shipping costs, or be required to meet someone in person for the transaction, the latter of which poses its own risks.

With how expensive gaming is getting in 2024, we’re trying to save you as much money as possible on the games and other tech you actually want to buy. We’ve got great deal roundups available for all major platforms such as Switch and Xbox, and keep these updated daily with brand new offers. If you’re trying to keep costs down while maintaining your favorite hobby, stay tuned for more incredible discounts.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

Starfield Gets Big Update That Adds Detailed Surface Maps, Ship Decoration, and 60fps on Xbox Series X

Starfield is set for a significant update in May that adds a number of highly requested features to the space game.

The update, currently in Steam Beta before going live for all players on May 15, finally adds detailed surface maps. In the patch notes, Bethesda acknowledged players have called for improved maps ever since Starfield came out in September last year. “We’ve heard your feedback, and we’ve made some big improvements to surface maps, so you’ll always know just where to go and no longer ‘get lost’ on the way to your parents’ place (and they weren’t buying that excuse anyway, you should really go visit them),” Bethesda joked.

Elsewhere, there are new difficulty options in the settings menu, the addition of ship decoration to the interior of ships, and added display settings for Xbox Series X to prioritize Visuals or Performance. This adds the ability to run Starfield at 60 frames per second on Xbox Series X only (Xbox Series S does not have this feature.)

Speaking to IGN in June last year, Bethesda development chief Todd Howard said the company’s controversial decision to lock Starfield at 30fps across both Xbox Series X and S was to ensure “consistency” of performance.

Speaking now as part of the May update patch notes, Bethesda said it had “heard from many that you’d like to have more control over the graphic fidelity and performance on Xbox, similar to how PC players can customize their experience.” The studio continued: “We’re now enabling that on Xbox Series X with a few options that you can use to find the best fit for your playstyle and display.”

Here’s how it works, per Bethesda:

For each of these, we highly recommend a Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) Display running at 120hz, and to verify your Xbox is setup to use it. If you have it setup this way, Starfield will now default to a frame rate target of 40, while keeping the priority for full visuals.

  • Frame Rate Target: You can now choose between 30, 40, 60 or an Uncapped frame rate on VRR displays. If you do not have a VRR display running 120hz, you will still be able to select from 30 or 60. Screen tearing may occur at times when selecting 60 on a non-VRR display.
  • Prioritize: You can now prioritize between Visuals and Performance while trying to maintain the frame rate target. If you’re choosing a frame rate target of 60 or above, we recommend changing this to Performance. Prioritizing Visuals keeps the highest resolution while maintaining full detail for special effects, lighting, and crowds. Prioritizing Performance lowers internal resolution and detail for special effects, lighting, and crowds. Both modes may adjust internal resolution dynamically when scenes or action get heavier as well. When switching between modes, you will see the lighting change briefly as the system catches up to the new mode.

In a recent interview, Bethesda development boss revealed that Starfield’s Shattered Space expansion is due out this fall. A subsequent report claimed it will launch in September. If true, it would arrive one year after Starfield launched as a much-hyped Xbox game and the first new intellectual property from Bethesda in years. IGN’s Starfield review returned a 7/10. We said: “Starfield has a lot of forces working against it, but eventually the allure of its expansive roleplaying quests and respectable combat make its gravitational pull difficult to resist.”

Starfield May 2024 update patch notes in full:

BUG FIXESGENERAL

  • General Stability and Performance improvements.
  • General improvements for Character fleeing, avoidance and pathfinding.
  • Fixed various issues with object placement.

GAMEPLAY

  • Fixed an issue that could cause a ship’s maximum shield capacity to appear decreased after loading a save with certain assigned crew.
  • Fixed an issue where invisibility could persist on a companion’s weapon after invisibility effect ended.
  • Scanning flora/fauna XP is now also awarded via harvesting/killing.
  • Resolved an issue with unintended harvest items appearing in flora from blended biomes.
  • Addressed an issue that prevented repeated docking with a previously commandeered ship.
  • Fixed an issue with Class C flight behavior after entering targeting mode while boosting.
  • Addressed an issue that could occur when attempting to dock with a ship as it grav jumps away.
  • Fixed a ship scanner issue that could occasionally display incorrect hostility or crew count.
  • Fixed an issue where docked ships would appear to overlap after loading a save while boarding.
  • Stunned Characters should no longer display the option to talk to them.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause apparel to not display as intended on mannequins.
  • Helmets placed on Mannequins should no longer cull the neck and torso section.
  • Addressed an issue that could cause weapons to duplicate when looting and enemy.
  • Addressed a rare issue that could cause characters to not exit dialogue when attacked.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the dialogue camera to quickly shift focus when exiting conversations.
  • Neon and Ryujin security should be more diligent on arresting the player for criminal behavior.
  • An Autosave should now be created when fast travelling to the player ship if Save on Travel is enabled.
  • Fixed an issue with sandstorm hazards not working as intended under certain conditions.
  • Fixed an issue with weather changing incorrectly when entering a ship.
  • Addressed an issue related to using the Starborn Power ‘Inner Demon’ on certain Robot models.
  • Resolved a few issues related to loading a save after using ‘Phased Time’ power.
  • Fixed an issue with lip-sync while ‘Phased Time’ was active.
  • Fixed a rare issue that could cause legendary Starborn weapons to lose their special effects.
  • Resolved an issue that could prevent storing items in containers aboard the Razorleaf.
  • Addressed an issue that could cause the player to appear as if they were in zero gravity after completing a temple.
  • Fixed an issue with Rifle Certification skill that could prevent faster reloading benefit.
  • Resolved issue with certain weapons not being able to fire immediately after they were aimed.
  • Resolved and issue that could cause melee attacks to occur without animation.
  • Fixed a visual issue with the Laser sight emitted from an enemy Magshear.
  • Resolved a weapon visibility issue that could occur when opening the hand scanner with ‘Toggle Iron Sight’ setting enabled.
  • Fixed a weapon visibility issue that could occur when switching between weapons of different types.
  • Addressed an issue with how the Subtitles from the ECS Constant were displayed.
  • Addressed an issue with gaps appearing on the character when previewing helmets in the Transfer Menu.
  • Resolved and issue that could cause clothing to be seen through the spacesuit after aiming with a scope.
  • Addressed and issue that could cause enemies to receive unintended force when killed.
  • Fixed an issue that could occur when killing a seated character.
  • Loading save should retain camera settings.
  • Addressed an issue that could cause quests to have a much longer cooldown than intended.
  • Resolved an issue where UC ships could still send friendly hails to a member of the Crimson Fleet.
  • Fixed areas of Moara’s ship where player could become stuck.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the desk inside the Ship Services building in Akila to disappear.
  • Fixed an issue that would prevent random ship encounters from landing on planets in some situations.
  • Fixed an issue with the turn counter on the persuasion minigame when dealing with the Star Parcel Freighter.
  • Ship Service Technicians should now return to their normal location if they had previously wandered away.
  • Players who find their way into Benjamin Bayu’s penthouse should now be able to exit properly.

GRAPHICS

  • Exterior ship lights should now appear as intended in Photomode and during travel sequences.
  • Fixed various shadow issues (flickering and precision).
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the galaxy map to zoom out to an incorrect extent. (PC).
  • Fixed a rare issue that could cause the ocean to not blend smoothly with the shore.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the screen to be stretched on 16:10 and 32:10 screens with FSR3 in the character editor (PC).
  • Improved the look of depth of field in specific cases.
  • Fixed subtle flickering that could occur on some on highlighted parts in the ship editor.
  • Improved the look of lighting and shadow under trees.
  • Improved wind direction consistency.
  • Fixed an issue causing the glow of stars to be slightly visible through planets.
  • Fixed a few visual artifacts with some VFX.
  • Improved the look of rain ripples on water.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause missing fog to occur while landing in Neon.
  • Improved flickering artifacts sometimes present with upscaling techniques DLSS, FSR, XeSS (PC).
  • Fixed a few flickering and ghosting issues for FSR3 (PC).
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the game UI to disappear after changing the Borderless Full Screen option when using FSR3 (PC).
  • Fixed an issue that could occasionally cause artifacts during camera transitions.
  • Fixed a rare issue that could cause missing object highlights in the hand scanner.
  • Fixed a rare issue that could cause visible rain effects inside a spaceship.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause water to turn white in New Atlantis when using a particle beam.
  • Adjusting a setting option that read as “Off” to now read as “Low Quality” for motion blur.
  • Adjusted the default value for Ship Third Person FOV.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause weapons on racks or in containers to disappear or change upon re-entering the player’s ship.

OUTPOSTS

  • Fixed an issue that could cause robots to appear unassigned after deleting the Outpost Crew Station.
  • Addressed an issue with Cargo Link parts not updating orientation after moving a structure at an Outpost.
  • Removed red outline that could sometimes remain on objects after they were repaired at an outpost.
  • Fixed an issue where changing greenhouse flora types in Outposts could disconnect the water input.
  • Resolved an issue with environmental hazards persisting inside outpost structures built in hazard areas.
  • Fixed an issue where greenhouse plants sometimes didn’t move correctly when the greenhouse was relocated.
  • Fixed issues where stairs could sometimes be deleted when deleting objects placed on them at an outpost.
  • Addressed an issue that allowed the player to reach unintended locations by stacking furniture in Outposts.
  • Resolved an issue with storage container auto foundations appearing where stackable containers already exist in Outposts.
  • Fixed an issue with Outpost wires not moving correctly when a wired structure was moved.
  • Addressed an issue that could cause habitat modules to float when supporting structures were removed.
  • Fixed an issue that could unintentionally affect the ambient audio of Outpost items.
  • Fixed an issue with inner-system cargo ships not unloading resources to capacity.

QUESTS

  • Back to the Grind: Fixed an issue that could cause the camera to unintentionally return to first person when exiting the interview seat with Imogene.
  • Breaking the Bank: Fixed an issue where unselected Dialogue options would incorrectly gray out when talking to Chief Purser Murata.
  • Breach of Contract: Resolved the issue where Dr. Keala may not have been present at the intended location.
  • Crew Encounter: Resolved an issue that could cause Betty Howser to not appear in Jake’s bar to be hired.
  • Echoes of the Past: Fixed a rare issue that could cause Delgado to get stuck while traversing the canyon.
  • High Price to Pay: Fixed an issue where progression could halt if a United Colonies character was hit during the escape.
  • Hostile Intelligence: Resolved the issue that could cause the Steam Tunnels to become inaccessible if the mission area was left for a long time.
  • Into the Unknown: Addressed an issue that could cause Vladimir to no longer give the Player Temple locations.
  • Into the Unknown: Fixed a rare issue where the temple location would not populate when receiving the “Go to” objective.
  • Legacy’s End: Fixed an issue that could cause Huan Daiyu to not be positioned as intended at the end of the mission.
  • Legacy’s End: Fixed in issue that could cause the Crimson Fleet Prisoners to have incorrect idle lines while standing in the Brig of the Vigilance.
  • Legacy’s End: Resolved an issue with returning to the Key if a freed prisoner was killed.
  • Loose Ends: Addressed an issue that could cause the scene between Neshar and Neon Security to not occur as intended.
  • No Sudden Moves: Fixed a rare issue that could cause Petrov to get stuck walking to the artifact.
  • One Small Step: Addressed an issue that could cause Vasco to appear stuck in the floor of a commandeered Crimson Fleet ship.
  • One Small Step: Miners should no longer fire on the player in the Vectera mines.
  • One Small Step: Resolved an issue that could prevent fast travel to the ship from the world boundary.
  • Rook Meets King: Addressed an issue that could cause idle animations to play on a corpse.
  • Sabotage: Fixed an issue that could cause manipulated characters to move in an unintended way.
  • Start-up Stopped: Addressed an issue that sometimes caused the quest not to initiate.
  • The Best There Is: Fixed an issue that could cause player to incorrectly receive and unintended objective.
  • The Devils You Know: Improved where characters were looking in some scenes.
  • The Mantis: Fixed a rare issue that could cause the Razorleaf to disappear.
  • The Old Neighborhood: Addressed an issue that could occur when using area of effect attacks in Moara’s ship.
  • War Relics: Addressed an issue that could cause Unit 99 to appear stuck.
  • Left Behind: NPCs will no longer talk about being attacked by wildlife on lifeless planets.
  • Legacy’s End: Resolved an issue that could cause NPCs to be culled depending on where the player is located.
  • Grunt Work: The Terrormorph should no longer get stuck if lured into the room Hadrian is hiding in.
  • One Small Step: Miners should no longer fire on the player in the Vectera mines.
  • One Small Step: Resolved an issue that could prevent fast travel to the ship from the world boundary.
  • Rook Meets King: Addressed an issue that could cause idle animations to play on a corpse.
  • Sabotage: Fixed an issue that could cause manipulated characters to move in an unintended way.
  • Start-up Stopped: Addressed an issue that sometimes caused the quest not to initiate.
  • The Best There Is: Fixed an issue that could cause player to incorrectly receive and unintended objective.
  • The Devils You Know: Improved where characters were looking in some scenes.
  • The Mantis: Fixed a rare issue that could cause the Razorleaf to disappear.
  • The Old Neighborhood: Addressed an issue that could occur when using area of effect attacks in Moara’s ship.
  • War Relics: Addressed an issue that could cause Unit 99 to appear stuck.
  • Left Behind: NPCs will no longer talk about being attacked by wildlife on lifeless planets.
  • Legacy’s End: Resolved an issue that could cause NPCs to be culled depending on where the player is located.
  • Grunt Work: The Terrormorph should no longer get stuck if lured into the room Hadrian is hiding in.

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.