Microsoft wasn't the only big console maker hoping to bring its games to phones. The Verge said it has obtained a document from Epic Games' lawsuit against Apple indicating the iPhone maker had learned Sony was planning a "mobile extension" of PlayStation Now in 2017. The service would stream over 450 PS3 games at first, and follow up with PS4 titles.

Apple mentioned the PlayStation Now expansion as it was in the early stages of developing Apple Arcade, its answer to Sony's service as well as Xbox Game Pass. While Arcade didn't launch until 2019 and still doesn't include streaming, Apple saw PlayStation Now as indicative of a broader shift toward gaming subscriptions.

Provided Apple's scoop was accurate, it's unclear why Sony still isn't streaming games to smartphone owners. A hybrid of PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus is reportedly due in spring 2022, but the relevant rumor didn't make mention of mobile access. Sony has already declined to comment.

There may have been a few factors at work. Sony might not have wanted to test Apple policies effectively blocking cloud gaming apps — Microsoft had to use the web to get around that limitation. There are also familiar technical challenges, such as adapting gamepad-focused titles to touchscreens or ensuring reliable streams on cellular connections. Either way, this suggests Sony was at least considering a more ambitious version of PlayStation Now than the service you see today.

Mercedes-Benz has issued a server-side update to fix an oversight that had allowed owners of its EQS EV and recent S-Class sedans to watch video content on the 56-inch MBUX Hyperscreen displays found in those cars while they were in motion. In a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration filing spotted by Consumer Reports editor Keith Barry, the automaker says it found an “incorrect configuration” on its backend server in November that may have been installed on some vehicles. It estimates nearly 227 cars were affected by the oversight. And while Mercedes is not aware of any crashes, it’s moving forward with a recall.

News of the decision comes in the same week that a report from The New York Times said Tesla recently updated its vehicles to allow passengers to play select games even while their car was moving. “Solitaire is a game for everyone, but playing while the car is in motion is only for passengers,” the company’s infotainment system says after someone launches the title. It’s possible for the driver to bypass that warning and then play the game. It’s a feature NHTSA says it’s in contact with Tesla about.

“The Vehicle Safety Act prohibits manufacturers from selling vehicles with design defects posing unreasonable risks to safety,” a spokesperson for the agency told Engadget. In 2019, NHTSA said 3,142 people in the US died in crashes involving distracted drivers.

Piepacker has added five Atari titles to its catalog of retro games. Starting this week, you can play the PlayStation versions of Pong, Asteroid, Breakout, Centipede and Missile Command online with your friends. As with every other game available through the platform’s catalog, all you need to play is Chrome. You can use any controller you have available to you. A keyboard works too. If you decide to play with your friends, there’s built-in video chat with support for augmented reality masks. You can also chat over text, if anyone is camera shy.

Every game you see on Piepacker is fully licensed. Its library currently includes more than 60 titles. There aren’t too many familiar names, but you’ll still find gems like Windjammers and Earthworm Jim. One thing to note is the platform is still in open beta, so expect some amount of jank.

PUBG: Battlegrounds, which kickstarted the battle royale craze that swept the gaming world over the last few years, is going free to play (F2P), much like many of its rivals/copycats. The switch will take place on January 12th, almost five years since it debuted as PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.

While casual players will be able to earn chicken dinners for free, newcomers will still have to pay up for the competitive Ranked Mode. Publisher Krafton is introducing an optional Battlegrounds Plus upgrade. For a one-off payment of $13, you'll get access to Ranked and custom modes, an XP boost, in-game items and other perks. Those who have already paid for the game will get Battlegrounds Plus and extra goodies.

“As PUBG: Battlegrounds pioneered the battle royale genre and has grown into a globally influential game IP, this is the perfect time to transition to F2P and welcome new players to the game,” Krafton CEO CH Kim said. “Transitioning to F2P is the next step in our journey to widen the scope of the PUBG IP through content that both new and veteran players will love.”

PUBG: Battlegrounds, which Krafton says has sold more than 75 million copies, is still immensely popular. At any given moment over the last month, an average of more than 146,000 people were playing the game on Steam alone. That figure often more than doubled at peak times. The free-to-play switch will likely boost the player count even higher.

Microsoft has rebranded one of its game subscription services. Xbox Game Pass for PC is now just PC Game Pass. 

The move could help to avoid some confusion, since Xbox Game Pass is a separate plan with a different library of games. It should also be clearer that games on the PC plan aren't necessarily playable on consoles.

Xbox Game Pass includes more than 100 console games, with Xbox Game Studios titles joining on release day. PC Game Pass has its own selection of games, including first-party titles and access to EA Play.

Meanwhile, Game Pass Ultimate offers the best of both worlds. It includes PC and console games, Xbox Live Gold (which console gamers need for multiplayer titles that aren't free-to-play), EA Play access and cloud gaming. 

The PC Game Pass logo still includes an Xbox icon, though. That makes the connection to Xbox and Microsoft clear, but some folks might still call it "Xbox PC Game Pass." C'est la vie.

In addition, Microsoft revealed a few more games are coming to PC Game Pass on their release day: Sniper Elite 5, Pigeon Simulator, the gorgeous-looking samurai side-scroller Trek to Yomi and an unannounced Hugecalf Studios game.

On the heels of Denis Villeneuve's Dune, a new 4X strategy game set in Frank Herbert's seminal sci-fi universe is coming to Steam Early Access next year. Shiro Games, the studio behind real-time strategy game Northgard, is on development duties. Like Civilization or almost any other 4X game, you'll choose one faction to lead. Naturally, you can pick House Atreides or House Harkonnen, though there will be other two factions to choose from as well. It's then up to you to lead them to victory on Arrakis.  

There hasn't been a new Dune game since 2001's Emperor: Battle for Dune, which was one of the last projects legendary real-time strategy developer Westwood Studios worked on before EA shut it down in 2003. Dune also has a special place in the RTS genre. Alongside Blizzard's Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, Westwood's Dune II helped establish many of the of tenets the genre. 

After a dearth of games, Star Trek fans have something to look forward to in 2022. Sometime in the spring, ViacomCBS will release Star Trek: Resurgence, a new third-person adventure game from Dramatic Labs, a studio made up of former Telltale Games developers, including individuals who worked on The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead.

Set after the events of The Next Generation, Resurgence will feature two playable lead characters: First Officer Jara Rydek and Crewperson Carter Diaz. In a setup that sounds like classic Star Trek in the best possible way, it’s up to them to unravel a mystery involving two alien races that are ready to go to war with another. Dramatic Labs said Resurgence will also feature appearances from “returning” characters. It also noted its building the game in the Unreal Engine, which hopefully means the game won’t have the jank Telltale’s games were known for in the studio’s later years.

We’ll have to see how Resurgence turns out, but based on the talent involved, Star Trek fans can at least be cautiously optimistic. That’s not something that’s been true in recent years. Outside of Bridge Crew, there haven’t been many great Star Trek games since the early 2000s when titles like Bridge Commander and Elite Force did the universe justice.

Star Trek: Resurgence will arrive in spring 2022 on PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Windows. On PC, it will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store.

Starting next year, Google Play Games will be available on screens far beyond its current confines of Android and ChromeOS devices. Google executives announced on stage at the 2021 Game Awards that, come 2022, the app service will be available on Windows PCs as well.

“Players will be able to experience their favorite Google Play games on more devices: seamlessly switching between a phone, tablet, Chromebook, and soon, Windows PCs," Greg Hartrell, Product Director, Games on Android and Google Play said in a release. The company was quick to note that this is not a partnership between the two tech corporations but rather a new product altogether "This Google-built product brings the best of Google Play Games to more laptops and desktops, and we are thrilled to expand our platform for players to enjoy their favorite Android games even more.” 

Details are still scarce as to when exactly the new functionality will be made public and, more importantly, if our existing controllers will be cross-compatible. But given how quickly gamers embraced playing on Chromebooks, providing Windows users with access the same access to one of the world’s largest gaming ecosystems could prove a lucrative venture for both companies. 

We finally know what Keiichiro Toyama has been up to since leaving Sony. At The Game Awards, Toyama's Bokeh Game Studio revealed Slitterhead. It's a horror-action game that will see you fighting grotesque skeletal monsters. Beyond that, the first trailer the studio shared didn't reveal much about the game's plot. Toyama is best known for his work on Silent Hill and more recently the Gravity Rush series. Also working on the project is Devil May Cry character designer Tatsuya Yoshikawa. 

Slitterhead does not have a release date currently.

Quantic Dream, the developer ofDetroit: Become Human andBeyond: Two Souls, is working on a Star Wars game set in the franchise's High Republic era. That's a sentence we never thought we would ever write, but here we are. Lucasfilm Games announced the title at The Game Awards. Host Geoff Keighley said the game is in "early development." The publisher also shared a cinematic trailer, showing off locations that will be familiar to anyone who has seen the prequel trilogy. Spoiler warning: Jar Jar Binks sadly does not make an appearance in the trailer.

Star Wars: Eclipse does not currently have a release date.