Sony plans to boost R&D spending in gaming and focus that extra money on Fortnite-style live service games and mixed reality, Nikkei has reported. It will invest $2.13 billion for the segment in fiscal 2023, accounting for about 40 percent of R&D spending company wide — over double what it spent in 2020. The aim is to better compete in cloud gaming and VR, particularly if Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition goes through. 

Sony has traditionally relied on relied on story-led blockbuster titles like God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn, but live service games use a different model. Instead of developing one game and moving on to the next, companies build titles that can be updated over time, generating revenue with new content like seasonal maps, skins and weapons. Overwatch and League of Legends are examples of those. 

The company lags behind rivals in that area — it had just one live service game in 2021, but plans to have 12 in its portfolio by March 2026. To that end, it plans to spend 55 percent of PS5 game development on live service games by March 2024, and 60 percent by March 2026. It plans to use its Bungie acquisition to further that aim, according to the report. 

Meanwhile, Microsoft is trying to acquire Activision Blizzard, which would give it access to a powerful portfolio of live service games (World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, Destiny 2, etc.). Microsoft also holds a considerable lead in live-streamed games with Xbox Cloud Gaming, while Sony has only started testing PS5 game streaming. 

At the same time, Sony wants to invest more in the so-called metaverse by boosting development in extended reality (VR, AR, mixed reality etc.). To do so, it aims to combine the resources of nine overseas game studios it owns in whole or in part, including Epic Games, whose Unreal Engine helps power augmented reality apps. That's in light of the upcoming release of Apple's Vision Pro headset, and Sony's recent launch of its own PSVR2 headset. 

The increased investment shows the importance of gaming to Sony's overall portfolio. Its game & network services segment now makes up a large part of the company's earnings, far and above segments like imaging, movies, TVs and more. It also shows Sony recognizing that it must adapt to the reality that game development is shifting away from the traditional model — meaning it will be a lot more dependent on owning game-development studios.

After a couple years of Xbox and PlayStation stock shortages, it's now fairly easy to get your hands on a current gaming console. Now might be the ideal time to snap up the Xbox Series X, Microsoft's most powerful console, as it's on sale. You can pick up an Xbox Series X for $450, which is $50 off the regular price.

When the Xbox Series X debuted in late 2020, we gave it a score of 87 in our review, though Microsoft has improved the experience since then with new features and updates. At the time, we appreciated the power of the hardware and the console's ability to run demanding games while keeping the fan quiet. With the help of a solid state drive, load times are minimal and the useful Quick Resume feature swiftly helps you keep playing from where you left off. Backward compatibility with hundreds of previous-generation Xbox games is a major plus, as is the addition of HDR to older titles.

One of our key complaints at the time of our review was the lack of compelling games. That's less of a problem these days, as Microsoft has just about something for everyone on Xbox Series X/S, with titles such as Forza Horizon 5, Hi-Fi Rush and Microsoft Flight Simulator in the lineup. The highly anticipated Starfield will arrive in September, and there are a ton of other intriguing games from both Xbox's studios and external developers in the pipeline.

One of the Xbox Series X's strongest selling points is Xbox Game Pass integration. Although Microsoft just increased the price of the subscription service, it includes access to every single Xbox first-party game on the day it's released. The library includes an extensive selection of third-party games as well, meaning players have hundreds of titles at their fingertips. Grand Theft Auto V just returned to the service, for one thing.

Opt for a Game Pass Ultimate membership and you'll get all of that along with access to a bunch more EA titles and the option to play the service's games via the cloud and on PC. Thanks to save data that's stored in the cloud, you'll be able to play a game on your Series X and continue where you left off on your phone, tablet or computer. You can try Game Pass Ultimate for $1 for your first month.

There are some drawbacks to the Series X compared with the competition. You have limited options for expanding the storage, as Microsoft opted for a proprietary card that only two manufacturers are making. The PlayStation 5 has a more immersive controller due to features like adaptive triggers and the remarkable haptic feedback. Unless you have a PS5 as well, you'll also need to consider which of each console's exclusive games are more compelling to you before taking the plunge on a Series X.

Microsoft might be raising the price of Xbox subscriptions in most countries, but it's sweetening the deal for newcomers. The company is once more running a promo that offers the first month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $1. The PC Game Pass is also discounted to $1. You'll have to pay the usual monthly rate afterward ($17 for Ultimate on console, $11 for PC), but the introductory price could help you get a feel for the services without making a full commitment.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes a catalog of "hundreds" of games you can play on console, PC and through cloud gaming. First-party titles arrive as soon as they launch, and there are member-only perks that include discounts, in-game DLC and a handful of EA games. PC Game Pass doesn't include streaming or the EA selection but is otherwise similar.

This comes just weeks after Microsoft raised the price of Game Pass Ultimate for new subscribers from $15 to $17. This is the first time the price has gone up since Ultimate debuted in 2017. Microsoft pins the increase on changing "competitive conditions," but it's also a reflection of an evolving strategy. Both Microsoft and its rival Sony are increasingly dependent on subscriptions for revenue, and the Game Pass Ultimate hike could help on that front.

You'll have some good choices for summer gaming if you have an Xbox Game Pass subscription. Microsoft has revealed that Capcom's dinosaur shooter Exoprimal will be available to Game Pass members on Xbox, PC and the cloud when the title launches July 14th. If you were hesitant to buy the hybrid PvE/PvP game sight unseen (or weren't sure about the beta), you won't necessarily have to.

Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto V is also making its third appearance on Game Pass, albeit only for Xbox and streaming — sorry, no PC downloads this time. There's not much more to add about the decade-old classic at this point, but it's likely worth checking out if you somehow haven't played GTA V before or simply miss the escapades of Michael, Franklin and Trevor.

Other additions include adventure game pioneer Ron Gilbert's The Cave (July 18th for cloud and Xbox), Insurgency: Sandstorm (July 11th for PC), McPixel 3 (July 6th for all platforms), Common'hood (July 11th for all platforms) and the preview for Techtonica (July 18th, all platforms). You may want to play Spelunky 2 soon, though, as the side-scrolling cave explorer is leaving Game Pass on July 15th.

These arrivals aren't necessarily as sweet as Sony's free PlayStation Plus games for July, which include Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Alan Wake Remastered. That's not true every month, though, and it's clear there are different objectives this time around. Microsoft is hoping to reel in people who look for launch day games and long-time favorites. Sony, meanwhile, is choosing well-known games that shine a spotlight on Microsoft's attempt to buy Activision Blizzard.

Sony blocked Roblox from PlayStation consoles because it was worried about inappropriate content reaching children. The revelation comes from a 2022 document, first reported byAxios, uncovered in the FTC’s Microsoft trial. However, Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Jim Ryan said at the time that the company’s stance was softening, leaving the door open to an eventual PlayStation port for the viral user-generated platform.

Ryan explained the decision to withhold Roblox to investors early last year. “Historically, because of the large number of children that play on the PlayStation, we have been very careful with regards to opening them up to anything that could potentially exploit them,” he said at the time. But he struck an optimistic tone for investors eager to see Roblox on Sony consoles. “Over the last couple of years, however, we have reviewed those policies and relaxed a little on this. We have been conservative for too long, and now we are currently engaging with people at Roblox. We hope that the situation will change.”

Despite making the comments over a year ago, Roblox still isn’t on PlayStation consoles. The beloved title, which lets users create, share and play user-created content, is available for Xbox, iOS, Android, Windows and macOS. Nintendo hasn’t commented on Roblox’s lack of availability for Switch, but the console maker has also historically erred on the side of caution in keeping inappropriate content away from kids.

Roblox introduced a content rating system in 2021 to help parents better control the user-created games their children play. More than half of the platform’s daily users are under 13. Although it forbids content displaying sexual activity, illegal substances and swearing, occasional rule-breaking content can slip past moderation in user-created titles. In addition, Roblox is working to hang onto its users as they grow, now allowing content for players 17 and older. It says the 17 to 24 age range is its fastest-growing segment.

Nintendo has a bad reputation for its online infrastructure, often being ridiculed for lagging behind in adopting the latest technologies or features (such as requiring a smartphone for voice chat). This includes transitioning user data between your old console and a new one. Fortunately, it sounds like Nintendo is at least looking into making that easier before the launch of its next console.

In a shareholder meeting late last week, when asked if your Nintendo Switch purchases would carry over to future game consoles, President and CEO Shuntaro Furukawa says (via Google Translate), “In the transition from Nintendo Switch to the next-generation console, we would like to make every effort to ensure that customers can make the transition smoothly while using their Nintendo account.” This seems to imply that Nintendo is at least looking into possibly allowing current Nintendo Switch titles purchased through the eShop to be carried over to whatever comes next. Of course, Nintendo doesn’t make comments about future hardware that hasn’t been announced yet, so take this with a grain of salt.

As a reminder, previous-generation Nintendo Wii U games did not carry over to the Switch. This is in stark contrast to Sony and Microsoft, where most last-generation console games work on new consoles. And unlike Microsoft and Sony, Nintendo likes to spice up its controller design with virtually every new console. So sometimes it’s impossible to make a game work on both the new and old console generation.

At the very least, Nintendo is considering making improvements for its future console. It’s always been a major disappointment, especially for digital game buyers, that previously-owned titles did not carry over to the new console. It’s especially infuriating when the PlayStation 5 can play most PlayStation 4 titles, and Xbox Series S and X can play most Xbox One titles and in some cases Xbox 360 titles. And in Microsoft’s case, the company lets you carry over certain physical titles as well. So, Nintendo has a few options on the table for carrying over existing games. Regardless of what Nintendo’s next console is like, hopefully it’ll work with all the Switch games people have amassed over the years.

It's no secret that Microsoft's purchase of ZeniMax was bound to affect cross-platform releases, but there are now hints gamers might be missing out on some major releases. Under questioning from a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawyer seeking an injunction against the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard deal, Bethesda VP Pete Hines has revealed that Disney had a deal with ZeniMax to release MachineGames' Indiana Jones title on multiple consoles. After Microsoft bought ZeniMax, however, the deal was amended to make it an Xbox console exclusive.

The FTC also believes Bethesda's sci-fi epic Starfield was headed to the PlayStation 5 before the Microsoft buyout. Bloomberg previously reported that Bethesda axed the PlayStation version of Redfall, although that's not as worrisome given the vampire shooter's lousy reception.

Indiana Jones was made an exclusive due to the nature of the Disney license, Hines claims. Disney had a "ton of feedback" on the project that limited development time, and an Xbox exclusive would keep the game on track while providing a "degree of clarity," the Bethesda executive says. Games like Starfield and Redfall are originals.

We've asked Bethesda for comment. In 2021, Xbox chief Phil Spencer said Microsoft's control of ZeniMax would deliver "great exclusive games." Some titles still in progress at the time, such as Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo, were still headed to PlayStation due to contractual obligations.

The revelations won't necessarily cement the FTC's effort to block Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard. However, they don't look good — they suggest that some players are losing out on high-profile games that were previously destined for their console of choice. Microsoft has promised to release Call of Duty on multiple platforms for years to come in a bid to secure regulatory approval, but that might not help if officials are still concerned about other exclusives.

It's no secret that Microsoft's purchase of ZeniMax was bound to affect cross-platform releases, but there are now hints gamers might be missing out on some major releases. Under questioning from a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawyer seeking an injunction against the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard deal, Bethesda VP Pete Hines has revealed that Disney had a deal with ZeniMax to release MachineGames' Indiana Jones title on multiple consoles. After Microsoft bought ZeniMax, however, the deal was amended to make it an Xbox console exclusive.

The FTC also believes Bethesda's sci-fi epic Starfield was headed to the PlayStation 5 before the Microsoft buyout. Bloomberg previously reported that Bethesda axed the PlayStation version of Redfall, although that's not as worrisome given the vampire shooter's lousy reception.

Indiana Jones was made an exclusive due to the nature of the Disney license, Hines claims. Disney had a "ton of feedback" on the project that limited development time, and an Xbox exclusive would keep the game on track while providing a "degree of clarity," the Bethesda executive says. Games like Starfield and Redfall are originals.

We've asked Bethesda for comment. In 2021, Xbox chief Phil Spencer said Microsoft's control of ZeniMax would deliver "great exclusive games." Some titles still in progress at the time, such as Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo, were still headed to PlayStation due to contractual obligations.

The revelations won't necessarily cement the FTC's effort to block Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard. However, they don't look good — they suggest that some players are losing out on high-profile games that were previously destined for their console of choice. Microsoft has promised to release Call of Duty on multiple platforms for years to come in a bid to secure regulatory approval, but that might not help if officials are still concerned about other exclusives.

If you've been interested in picking up an Xbox Series X, it may be wise to do so by the end of July unless you're in the US, Japan, Chile, Brazil or Colombia. Microsoft confirmed to Engadget that it's increasing the price of the console in most other countries.

Starting on August 1st, the Xbox Series X will cost $650 CAD in Canada, £480 in the UK, €550 in most European countries and $800 AUD in Australia. The increases are roughly in line with the PS5 price changes Sony made in most markets last year.

“We’ve held on our prices for consoles for many years and have adjusted the prices to reflect the competitive conditions in each market,” Xbox communications chief Kari Perez told The Verge. “These Game Pass price adjustments are not related to the Activision Blizzard deal and are intended to match local market conditions."

The Xbox Series S pricing is staying the same in all markets at $250 (or the local equivalent). Microsoft will soon introduce a black model with 1TB of storage for $349.

Microsoft's own studios are no longer making games for the Xbox One. If you don't want to buy a Series X or S, you can still stream upcoming games like Starfield and Fable to the older console through Game Pass Ultimate. But guess what? That service is getting a price hike too, including in the US.

Xbox Game Pass will soon cost $11 per month, an increase of $1. Game Pass Ultimate is getting a bigger jump, from $15 per month to $17. The Verge has a list of the price increases for other markets. The price of PC Game Pass (which doubled from $5 to $10 per month in 2020) is not changing, while Xbox Game Pass won't be going up in Norway, Chile, Denmark, Switzerland or Saudi Arabia.

The price changes will take effect for new Xbox Game Pass members on July 6th. It won't apply for existing subscribers until August 13th (September 13th in Germany). If you happen to have access to Game Pass through an annual code, the price changes won't affect you until it's time for you to renew.

This is the first time that Microsoft has increased Game Pass pricing since it introduced the service in 2017 as part of a transition away from Xbox Live Gold. Still, it was inevitable that the prices would go up at some point. The importance of Game Pass to Xbox's business model was undoubtedly a factor in the decision.

Conversely, you might have expected the price of the Xbox Series X to drop at this point in its lifecycle, not to increase. Microsoft can't pin the blame on a console shortage — Xbox head Phil Spencer recently said the company had increased the supply of Xbox Series X/S. Instead, Microsoft suggested the Series X increase is due to market conditions such as inflation and currency fluctuations.

Almost three years into the Xbox Series X/S lifecycle, Microsoft says it is no longer making games for the Xbox One. While the company will continue to support ongoing previous-generation titles like Minecraft and Halo Infinite, no Xbox Game Studios teams are working on new titles for the older console. "We've moved on to gen 9," Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty told Axios, referring to the Xbox Series X/S consoles. The company also makes its games for PC.

This move had to happen at some point to avoid newer and more complex games being hamstrung by the hardware limitations of the decade-old Xbox One. Still, it'll be possible for those clinging onto an Xbox One to play Series X/S titles such as Starfield and Forza Motorsport through Xbox Cloud Gaming. “That’s how we’re going to maintain support," Booty said.

The news comes in the wake of a strong showing for Xbox at its big annual showcase last weekend. It announced new titles such as Compulsion's South of Midnight and InXile’s Clockwork Revolution, while providing fresh looks at the likes of Fable, Avowed and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II.

The move away from Xbox One will free Microsoft's teams from the shackles of the previous generation. However, some third-party developers have raised concerns that the Xbox Series S, which is less powerful than the Series X, is holding them back too.

Booty conceded that making sure games run well on the Series S requires "more work." Still, he noted Microsoft's studios (particularly those working on their second games for this generation of consoles) are now able to better optimize their projects for the Series S.