Tag: Hardware
News PS5 Sales Still Trending 8% Ahead of the PS4 in USA
Despite initial shortages and high prices
Despite doom and gloom surrounding the console market, the PS5 is still trending around 8% ahead of the PS4 launch aligned in USA, despite its higher price point and pandemic-induced stock shortages. Given the challenges of the global economy, Sony will consider this a success. Mat Piscatella confirmed the...
News DualSense Edge, Pulse Headphones Reportedly Getting Black Variant
Yes
According to a reliable source, the PS5's premium controller, the DualSense Edge, as well as the Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore wireless headphones, will reportedly come in black. Sadly, images were not forthcoming; you'll just have to use your imagination with the above base DualSe
News PS5 30th Anniversary Bundle Will Be Back in Stock in the US Later Today
Update: Queue now live!
Update: A queue has now appeared on PS Direct in the US, allowing fans to try their luck at getting 30th Anniversary PS5 Slim. Join here: <products id="28074" region="USA"> Please note that the system has not reappeared for purchase in Europe – the link above will only work for those in the US. Original Article:...
Rumour Next-Gen AMD Tech to Power Supposed Sony Handheld as Well as PS6
UDNA architecture for PlayStation GPUs
An otherwise fairly dry rumour has brought up the possible existence of another Sony handheld gaming device. A Chinese hardware leaker who goes by zhangzhonghao has posted some supposed information about Sony's next-gen PlayStation consoles, which are already rumoured to be a handheld machine as well as the...
News Disgruntled PS5 Pro Owners Campaign to Disable Support After Slew of Shoddy Patches
Not a good look
PS5 Pro is generally posting really positive results in games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Hogwarts Legacy, but as with all things in life, there are inconsistencies. It’s worth underlining that it’s down to individual developers to get the most out of Sony’s hardware, and not all of them are doing a good job. We’ve...
News In USA, the PS5 Pro Launched with Similar Sales to the PS4 Pro
Despite being much more expensive
Early indications are that the PS5 Pro is finding its audience as Sony intended. This week we learned that, despite costing twice as much, the PS5 Pro sold around 13k more units than the PS4 Pro at launch in Japan. And in the USA, the first data from Circana analyst Mat Piscatella is that it’s keeping pace with...
News PS5 Pro Enhanced, PS Store Situation Devolves into Confusing Mess
It was always going to be this way
We love order, systems, and routines, everything in its proper place. Using the PS Store for anything meaningful, then, has always been an exercise in frustration. We allowed ourselves to think that perhaps in the age of the PS5 Pro, the PS Store page specifically set aside for games enhanced on Sony's new machine...
News PS5 Slim Price Drop Confirmed, $380 Until 24th December
Knocks $70 off until Christmas Eve
Sony has announced by way of a new PS5 advert that the base PS5 Slim console will be available on sale at $380 until 24th December 2024. It hasn't confirmed on what date the temporary price cut will take place, though previous rumours have suggested 22nd November, or around Black Friday, is when the sale will be...
News PS5 Pro Pre-Orders Are Stronger Than PS4 Pro, But Scalpers Are Losing Money
All according to keikaku
While we all ranted and raved about the PS5’s unavailability at launch, tech enthusiasts tend to act like unless a product is completely sold out and being sold at a significant mark-up on reseller websites, it’s a failure. That of course is not the case, and if a manufacturer has produced the right amount of stock to...
News Sony Ships 65.5 Million PS5 Consoles, in Line with PS4
77.7 million PS5 games sold
Sony has confirmed via its Q2 results for fiscal year 2024 that it's now shipped 65.5 million PS5 consoles, with a total of 3.8 million systems sold within the quarter itself. The company sold 1.1 million fewer PS5 boxes this quarter compared to the same one for the previous fiscal year, but sales of games are on the...
News PS Store Makes Launch Day Easy with Dedicated PS5 Pro Category
Enhanced on PS5 Pro
If you've got yourself a fancy new PS5 Pro, we've painstakingly put together a list of all the games that are enhanced on Sony's mid-gen upgrade. But if you want it right from the source, the PS Store now has a dedicated PS5 Pro category, live as soon as you boot up. Pulling up the PS5's PS Store, tab over to the "Latest"...
News Hypnotic PS5 Pro Boot Screen, Background Worth the Upgrade
Better than therapy
Today's the big day, with the PS5 Pro making its way into the hands of those willing to shell out for Sony's pricey mid-gen upgrade. While the main reason to pick one up remains the robust, muscular graphical gains the system provides, there is another: PS5 Pro owners can exclusively enjoy a fancy animated boot screen and...
News PS5 Pro Does a 'Much Better Job' of Enhancing Games Than PS4 Pro Did, Says Tech Experts
"The most powerful, forward-looking console on the market"
PS5 Pro finds itself in somewhat of a strange situation. The nature of the tech industry right now means it’s priced absurdly high at £700/$700, and while its jump is substantial, it lacks that obvious selling point of 1080p to 4K, which the PS4 Pro had. System architect Mark Cerny...
News PS5 Pro Has a Remarkable Impact on Unpatched Games
Power to the players
Update: Digital Foundry has now followed through with its more extensive verdict on PS5 Pro Game Boost, discussing the enhancements on games not specifically patched to support the hardware. In almost all cases, you’re getting a smoother experience. Titles like Elden Ring run much closer to 60fps in Quality Mode, although...
News More and More Games Tag on PS5 Pro Support Before Launch
Slitterhead! UFC 5! More!
The number of all PS5 Pro enhanced games is growing by the day, and several titles have tagged on support in the penultimate day before the supercharged system’s launch. We’ve been keeping track of everything in our guide, but as an additional heads up, the following titles have had their PS Store pages updated to...
News In the UK, You Can't Buy a PS5 Pro Disc Drive without Paying a Premium
Scalpers having a field day
As you are all likely already aware, the PS5 Pro doesn’t come with a disc drive. While this adds an unnecessary expense for those who still buy physical media, Sony at least does offer a solution, in the form of an optional disc drive accessory. The problem is, you can’t buy one. While stock is still available in the...
News PS5 Goes for the Kill with Fortnite Console Bundle This Christmas
Will have its price slashed for Black Friday
Sony is lining up a Fortnite console bundle just in time for Christmas. The package – due out on 22nd November – includes a console, 1,000 V-Bucks, and a download code for eight in-game cosmetics, featuring the following: Cobalt Snowfoot Outfit (with LEGO Fortnite alternative) Cobalt Crash...
News PS5 Pro Packaging Flaunts Its Disc-Free Nature
Adorably all-digital
PS5 Pro is beginning to appear in the wild, with some sections of media and even customers receiving their consoles. While the package has very few surprises about it, one amusing feature is in the top-right corner, as the device proudly declares itself “disc-free”. There’s a picture of a Blu-ray with a line through it...
News PS5 Pro was a '5-Year Project', In Development Before PS5's Launch
Always part of the plan
The PS5 Pro will be released next week, on 7th November, but the road to this point has been long. According to Sony Interactive Entertainment co-CEO Hideaki Nishino, Sony's mid-gen refresh has been in the works since before the base model launched on 19th November 2020. Speaking to Variety (thanks, VGC), Nishino explained...
News Sony Says the Best Time to Get a PS5 Is Now
Do you agree?
Sony’s released a new PS5 commercial which boldly declares the best time to get a console is now. The ad – which covers the whole brand but hinges heavily on first-party giga-seller Helldivers 2 – touches upon topics such as PS Portal, customisable covers (which won’t fit PS5 Pro
News Gaze in Awe at Official PS5 Pro Enhanced Label, Gracing Physical Game Boxes Soon
*PlayStation Pro Enhanced features vary by game
As we near the ordained PS5 Pro launch date of 7th November, the hype for Sony's souped-up PS5, admittedly muted initially, is fast becoming real. If you weren't already frothing at the mouth, endlessly re-watching Mark Cerny's most recent power hour, we've now been given our first glimpse of the...
News PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary Console Restock Expected Today in the US
Get em' while they're hot
It looks like Sony is restocking the PS5 Slim Digital—30th Anniversary Bundle in the hours to come, but so far, this replenishment is for American customers only. Spotted by the ever-watchful billbil-kun (thanks, VGC), it looks like additional inventory will b
News Like It or Not, This Is Why PS5 Pro Doesn't Have a Disc Drive
Digital ratio increases again on PS5
Update: Games Industry.biz’s Chris Dring has added to the US data points below with trends in Europe. While the methodology is not identical to the one employed by Mat Piscatella and excludes some countries like the UK, he reports that around 68% of “AA and AAA” PS5 game sales were digital in Europe this...
News PS5 30th Anniversary Orders Screwed Up by Argos in the UK
Mass cancellation occurs
As beautiful as PS5’s range of 30th anniversary hardware is, limited edition items such as this inevitably always lead to anxiety. Last week, Sony made the PS5 Slim Digital Edition console available to third-party retailers, which resulted in an influx of pre-orders. Unfortunately, UK retailer Argos has screwed them up...
News One Year On, Plucky PS Portal's Sales Remain Strong
PlayStation's best-selling accessory in 2024
While many PlayStation faithful (ourselves included) were initially sceptical of the plucky PS Portal, it has become a strong seller for Sony. The PS5 streaming handheld has reportedly managed to edge out the Midnight Black DualSense, making it the best-selling accessory (in dollar sales) in the U.S. for...
News PS5 May Soon Be Unchallenged by Xbox in Some Regions
Microsoft could be pulling its consoles from some countries
As the sales of Xbox Series X|S continue to collapse, it’s beginning to look like PS5 may have a free run at some markets as Microsoft effectively exits them. While it’s still an evolving story with many mixed messages, it sounds like the Redmond firm will cease shipping consoles to...
News PS5 Pro Prompts Sony's Disc Drive to Rocket Up the Charts
Physical fever
PS5 fans want physical media, and Sony is giving them a means to use it. In the aftermath of the PS5 Pro’s announcement, we reported how the Japanese giant’s universal Disc Drive accessory was selling out, and now we have data in the UK of just how well it performed. According to a sweeping analysis of September 2024’s hardware...
News PS5 Pro Will Reportedly Boost PS4 Games, and Reduce PSVR2 Motion Sickness
Miracle machine
While future games sound interesting in theory, we already have plenty of older games in our backlog. Oddly, that might be another reason to pick up Sony's shiny mid-gen refresh, the PS5 Pro. PlayStation product manager Toshimasa Aoki has indicated that a specific setting will enhance certain PS4 games and that the extra, boosted...
News PlayStation Fans Gleefully Snitch on 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro Scalpers
For the players
In a strangely cathartic piece of news, annoyed and disgruntled PlayStation fans who were unable to secure preorders for the undeniably gorgeous 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro bundle have been mass-reporting the scalpers who did. Many of these sordid trades happen on eBay, and the retailer has reportedly been unusually responsive in taking...
News 'PS5 Pro Is a Really Good Investment,' Argue Tech Experts After Hands-On
But it's for a specific type of player
Tech experts Digital Foundry have finally gotten hands-on time with the PS5 Pro, and their verdict is overwhelmingly positive – especially if you’re the type of player who appreciates blistering frame rates, high fidelity visuals, and ray tracing. In an exhaustive hour-long analysis, which you can watch in...
News Scalpers Want $10k to Try to Buy You a 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro
That's bold
Scalpers are taking things to a new level. Usually, limited edition items like the upcoming 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro bundle will command a premium purely due to their scarcity – but some plucky swindlers are taking to auction sites to sell their services attempting to buy one of the 12,300 units for you. They want $10,000 for the...
News A Massive 75% of UK Game Sales Were Digital Last Month
Up 10% from the previous August
Despite major publishers swearing never to go all-digital, physical game sales continue to slow as more and more people seemingly choose convenience over collection. A massive 75% of all game sales in the UK last month, 1.74 million, were digital, up 10% year-over-year since last August. This occurrence was noted by...
Rumour PS6 Could Span a Console and Handheld Device
Sony allegedly has two chips in-development
It seems like we’re slowly reaching that point in the generation where PS6 speculation starts to pick up pace. Earlier this week a report from Reuters revealed Sony had explored a potential relationship with Intel to manufacture the chip for its next-gen console, but ultimately opted for AMD once again...
News PS5's Building Insurmountable Lead Over Rival, Outselling Xbox Almost 3:1
Game over
The buttoned-up folks over at the Wall Street Journal recently published a report on the current state of console gaming (thanks PSLS) and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the PS5 has a commanding lead over its main rival, the Xbox Series X|S. The situation looks completely insurmountable for Microsoft at this point and unlikely to change,...
News Jaw-Dropping 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro Console and Accessories Will Bankrupt You
Start saving
Just when you thought you were out, Sony goes and pulls you right back in. The platform holder has announced a series of absolutely jaw-dropping 30th anniversary consoles and accessories, including a PS5 Pro, PS5 Digital Edition, DualSense Edge controller, DualSense controller, and PS Portal. Pre-orders will open on 26th September, so...
News Despite Price Point, Analyst Firm Expects PS5 Pro to Sell Like PS4 Pro
Does 13 million units by 2029 seem doable?
With today's bombshell reveal of the PS5 Pro at $700/£700, many of the PlayStation faithful feel that the asking price is too high, especially in these uncertain times. Despite the sticker shock, Ampere Analysis is projecting that it expects sales of the plucky Pro to reach a similar level as the PS4 Pro...
Gallery PS5 Pro Is Looking Sleek in These Official Shots
Go faster stripes
As you'll know doubt have seen, the PS5 Pro is official after months of rumours and speculation. Not only do we have information about the souped-up console's enhanced hardware and its price, but Sony has done us the good grace of showing us what the thing looks like. It teased the PS5 Pro's design a few days ago, and now we have a...
News PS5 Is Selling Twice As Fast As PS4 in China
On the move
While there’s a lot of doom and gloom surrounding consoles lately, largely due to flattening growth and spiralling costs, it’s perhaps worth remembering that there are still plenty of success stories that can be attributed to the PS5. One of which pertains to the Chinese market, where Sony’s system is selling two times faster than...
News PS5 Pro Is Seemingly Starting to Appear in Source Code
Pro tip
More speculation about the imminent arrival of the PS5 Pro is circulating on social media, where it appears the source code for No Man’s Sky’s newest update includes a reference to the supercharged hardware. Eagle-eyed data miners spotted references to a graphics profile named ‘Trinity’, which is the rumoured codename of the new...
News Sony Wants Non-PS5 Owners to Use Its Accessories
Beyond boundaries
While it’s generally been a smaller story within the overall PlayStation narrative this generation, there’s no doubt Sony has quietly increased its focus on accessories for the PS5. The mix of products available is really good, spanning the official pro controller DualSense Edge, the streaming handheld PS Portal, and various...
News PS5 Sales Reach 59.3 Million as Sony Falls Just Short of Fiscal Year Forecast
Happy new (financial) year
The PS5 is doing fantastically overall, although the console's results for the final quarter of Sony's fiscal year 2023 means it's fallen slightly behind the company's already-lowered forecast. The machine managed to ship 4.5 million units in the three-month period ending 31st March, 2024, bringing its total for FY23 to...
News Sony Sings PS Portal's Praises with Accolades Trailer
"...Feels fantastic..."
PlayStation's plucky little PS5 remote option, the PS Portal, continues to be a pleasant surprise for everyone involved, Sony included. The initially iffy-sounding device has proven to be wildly popular, and PlayStation has released an accolades trailer to remind us of the fact, featuring glowing quotes from some of the most...
News Google Engineers Responsibly Report PS Portal Exploit, Ending Potential PSP Emulation
Inevitably
In February, we brought you word of a group of Google engineers who, apparently just for fun, managed to hack Sony's streaming PS Portal to run emulated PSP games offline. Being courageous White Hat types, the group "responsibly reported" the issues to Sony. The exploit was quietly fixed in patch 2.0.6, which also seems to have improved...
News PS Portal Update Appears to Have Quietly Improved Video Quality
Read between the lines of the patch notes
PS Portal owners may have noted that system update 2.0.6 is now available, requiring the usual restart rigamarole. The patch notes for the update are incredibly sparse but potentially quite profound, reading simply: "We've improved system software performance and stability." In the hours since, players have...
News Devs Allegedly Pondering the Point of Sony's PS5 Pro Upgrade
"Many feel they're not making the most out of PS5 yet"
There have been two big stories on the ground at GDC this year: Xbox’s flatlining brand and the purpose of the PS5 Pro. Speaking as part of a podcast, GamesIndustry.biz’s well-connected reporter Christopher Dring noted that he didn’t meet a “single person” at the show that understood...
News PS Portal Is Proving Everyone's Predictions Wrong
A whole new world
Prior to its release, few predicted PS Portal would be successful. Many were baffled by Sony’s decision to release the Remote Play handheld, which streams gameplay directly from a PS5. But as the months wear on, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that Sony’s added a permanent fixture to its hardware portfolio, with the device...
News PS5 Pro's Proprietary DLSS-Esque Upscaler Sounds Superb
4Kin' get in
The days of developers pushing for native resolutions feel like they’re coming to an end. The reality is that it’s a waste of resources, especially as upscalers like DLSS (or Deep Learning Super Sampling, to give it its full name) get better and better. It’s no surprise Sony is exploring similar technology with PS5 Pro, and it...
News PS5 Pro's Rumoured Spectral Super Resolution Tech Could Be Transformative
A long-term play
According to all rumours and reports, Sony is working on its own reconstruction technology similar to DLSS, or Deep Learning Super Sampling. The feature, named PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution according to Insider Gaming, seems like a long-term play by the platform holder, with the first iteration planned for the PS5 Pro...
News Temporary PS5 Price Cuts Target Europe As Sony Makes Final Push for Goal
We go again
Sony may have revised its PS5 sales estimate for the current financial year, which will end on 31st March. But unsurprisingly it still wants to sell as many systems as possible, which means it’s going to make one last push for that all-important 21 million units target it’s been eyeing. And how does it intend to do that? One last...
News Google Engineers Hack PS Portal to Run Emulated PSP Games
Finally
PlayStation's plucky little handheld streaming solution, the PS Portal, has already been hacked, taking a couple of Google employees about a month of effort. Their work is not intended to be released for general consumption anytime in the "near future", but the hack is "all software-based", meaning no hardware exploitation is required. Andy...
