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Sony Continues Its March Towards An All Digital Future As It Reportedly Kills Off Its Last 4K UHD Player

It's part of a larger push by the PlayStation maker to move away from making home electronics, like TVs

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Oct 22 • 4:41 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
How well have past GOTY winners sold?

We’re less than two months away from 2026’s The Game Awards, and what a year it’s been for fantastic games, including Resident Evil Requiem, Forza Horizon 6, Slay the Spire II, the Blood of Dawnwalker, and Control Resonant – just to name a few. So as we approach the end of the year, we thought we’d look back on our estimates for the GOTY winners of the past four years. In terms of revenue, Elden Ring (2022 winner), Baldur’s Gate 3 (2023), Astro Bot (2024), and Expedition 33 (2025) have generated a combined $3.8B via 73M copies sold: Let’s have a look, then. Elden Ring has generated $2B in revenue Elden Ring is a phenomenon in every sense. It’s sold a whopping 36.4M copies across Steam (50%), PS5 (35%), and Xbox (15% across console and PC). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Elden Ring also just passed an astronomical milestone: $2B in revenue. While PlayStation and Xbox account for half of Elden Ring’s copies sold across these three platforms, they account for 57.5% of revenue. This – as ever – is due to regional pricing and the higher relative share of PC gamers in lower-priced markets. For example, around 17.4% of Elden Ring’s Steam copies sold were in China, where the game costs about 26% less than the price in the States. There’s an … interesting narrative going around these days that console gamers are only interested in ball-and-gun games and have the patience for little else. Well, Elden Ring’s impressive sales prove that is simply not true, and across all platforms. What’s more, over 9.8M people have played Elden Ring for over 100 hours, with nearly 3.5M people getting all of the achievements and trophies. For reference, 10.9% of Elden Ring’s PlayStation players have the platinum trophy, while 10.5% of players on Steam and 3.9% of Xbox players unlocked all the achievements. Git gud, Xbox players! Of the 1.5M people who played Elden Ring on PlayStation last month, 4% also played Dark Souls 3 last month, 4% played Bloodborne, and 3% played Sekiro. There’s those Soulsborne diehards for you. By many accounts, including my own, Elden Ring is one of the best games of all time. It’s an evergreen seller that will continue to be a cash cow for Bandai and FromSoftware for years to come. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Elden Ring has sold another 2M copies across Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox this year, generating almost $110M. This means it’s outperforming many of this year’s high-profile releases. Even Elden Ring’s standalone run-based PvE spinoff, 2025’s Nightreign, has sold 7.8M copies and generated $282M in revenue. Baldur’s Gate 3 is another billion-dollar-plus banger Another cross-platform phenomenon is Baldur’s Gate 3, which has sold 23.2M copies and generated over $1.2B in revenue. About 18.7M of these copies (80.6%) are via Steam, 2.9M via PS5 (12.7%), and 1.6M (6.8%) via Xbox. Around 1.3M folks on Steam bought BG3 before it hit 1.0. The PlayStation version launched about a month after the PC 1.0 release, while the Xbox version came four months later due to technical issues around developing local co-op on the Series S. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Across platforms, Baldur’s Gate 3’s monthly active users have never dropped below 2M, including 2.2M MAUs last month (68.5% on Steam, 21.9% on PS5, and 9.6% on Xbox). And it still regularly brings in 280K to 400K players every day: About 1% of BG3’s Steam player base has played for over 500 hours! That’s a little under 200K people. Astro Bot is also an evergreen seller, albeit a more niche, family one Astro Bot, 2024’s winner, has now sold 4.7M copies and generated $291M in revenue. The budget, including marketing, is almost certainly under $100M, given the small Japan-based core team and three-year dev timeline. You can really see why the tides are changing toward less expensive hubs. Astro Bot is the only first-party winner on this list, but follows other first-party winners of The Last of Us Part II (2020’s winner), God of War (2018), and Breath of the Wild (2017). Around 46.6% of Astro Bot’s copies sold have been physical, which is far higher than the typical game. This makes sense for a couple of reasons: There’s a large family audience for this one, and physical boxes are an item to wrap when giving Astro as a gift. Astro has collector value for the PlayStation core (this is nostalgia-fueled platformer celebrating PlayStation’s history) Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Astro is another one of those games that continues selling over time, regularly selling more than 100K a month. It’s sold around 1M more copies this year ($60M in revenue) and is a popular title with families. We can see this using the Alinea platform’s MAU crossover tool: Astro Bot’s top #2, #3, and #4 games by crossover in any given month this year are Minecraft, Fortnite, and Roblox – without fail. The #1 title every month, though, is Astro’s Playroom, a pack-in with all PS5 consoles. For every month this year, between 20% and 30% of Astro Bot players also played Astro’s Playroom that month. So the free pack-in is a noice funnel for converting players to a full paid product. Expedition 33 sells 8.7M despite Game Pass cannibalisation Finally, we have last year’s winner – Expedition 33. The turn-based-RPG banger has generated $366M via 8.7M copies sold, with 58.8% on Steam, 35.7% on PS5, and 5.5% on Xbox. Xbox’s share of copies sold is this low due to Expedition 33 launching on Game Pass, where 4.3M people across console and PC accessed the game. A little under 700K Xbox players used their subscription to play Expedition 33 this year. That said, the game’s 1.5-year Game Pass deal ended last week on October 16, and we’re already beginning to see a positive trend on Expedition 33’s copies sold via Xbox (but the jury’s still out!). There’s understandably a lot of French pride behind this one, as France is the game’s #3 market on both Steam and PlayStation. Vive la France! One thing that stood out to me is that the GOTY winners aren’t $300M Hollywood productions made in the US. They’re mostly mid-budget studios outside the traditional AAA cost centres. Lots to think about there. Also, good games sell well; who’d have thunk it!? And there’s a whole load of them this year, with GTA 6 still to come, too. GTA just made the cutoff point for the VGAs this year. What a coincidence! Loading... Cool links and other stuff Our physical games newsletter from Tuesday was picked up by GameSpot, Eurogamer, TweakTown, and a bunch of others. We’re offering a free trial of our platform for games companies. Send us a message here, or reply right here on Substack/email, and we’ll set you up. Next week, we’ve got some exciting news regarding the future of our newsletter, so stay tuned! The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. Want to see why these companies (and many others) are subscribed to Alinea? Get a free platform trial! [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]

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Oct 22 • 1:02 PM EDT • Technology • alineaanalytics.substack.com
Marvel's Wolverine leads US September charts, achieves highest monthly dollar sales for a Sony-published title since Helldivers 2

PlayStation 5 spending rose 43% year over year, while unit sales increased 22%

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Oct 22 • 9:00 AM EDT • Technology • gamesindustry.biz
Phantom Blade Zero launch trailer, PS5 physical editions launch in 2027

S-GAME has released the launch trailer for Wuxia action RPG Phantom Blade Zero, as well as announced that physical standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate editions will launch for PlayStation 5 in 2027.

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Oct 21 • 10:11 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
PlayStation Store “Planet of the Deals” Sale Now Live With Over 3,500 Entries

Sony has launched a new PlayStation Store sale for November, and this one is called Planet of Deals. There are over 3,500 items in total for the sale, with a…

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Oct 21 • 4:39 PM EDT • Technology • mp1st.com
Xbox follows in PlayStation's footsteps, introducing AMD FSR 4.1, targeting better graphics and performance on Series X/S

Xbox Series X and Series S are getting a new AI upscaling technology comparable to PlayStation's QSSR.

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Oct 21 • 10:13 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
Sony Issues New PS5 Firmware Update as Jailbreak Race Heats Up Ahead of GTA 6 Release

Sony has issued a new PlayStation 5 firmware update amid the homebrew community's ongoing effort to jailbreak the console.

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Oct 21 • 5:36 AM EDT • Technology • ign.com
Resident Evil: Requiem made more money on PlayStation discs than on Xbox in total, reportedly, as Sony's march to a discless future continues

Single-player blockbuster PlayStation games still sell in notable quantities on disc, statistics show. In Japan, the desire for physical is even higher.

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Oct 21 • 5:21 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother launches March 18, 2027

Mystery solving adventure game The Apothecary Diaries: The False Imperial Brother will launch for PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Switch, and PC via Steam on March 18, 2027 worldwide, publisher Koei Tecmo…

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Oct 21 • 4:05 AM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
No, I’m not a Human coming to PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch in 2027

Publisher CRITICAL REFLEX and developer Trioskaz will release No, I’m not a Human, an anxiety horror thriller about paranoia in the End of Times, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch, and P…

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Oct 20 • 2:02 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
DreamWorks Shrek 2 Remastered announced for PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, Switch, and PC

Aspyr has announced DreamWorks Shrek 2 Remastered for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, Switch, and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store). It will launch on November 10 for $29.99.

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Oct 20 • 1:33 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
Villion: Code launches January 26, 2027 in the west

Compile Heart-developed action RPG Villion: Code will launchfor PlayStation 5, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam on January 26, 2027 in the west, publisher Idea Factory Internationa…

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Oct 20 • 12:01 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
GTA 6 Digital Preorders Already Topped 6 Million and $594 Million, With PlayStation Accounting for 74%, Sensor Tower Estimates

Analyst firm Sensor Tower estimates that GTA 6 already sold six million digital copies, eclipsing any other game in the past six years.

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Oct 20 • 10:00 AM EDT • Technology • wccftech.com
PlayStation Founder Understands Why Players Want to Keep Physical Media Alive

'I really understand that mentality'

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Oct 20 • 8:39 AM EDT • Technology • polygon.com
PS5 console jailbreak on latest 14.10 firmware shared before GTA 6 release date

PlayStation may have hoped it would take longer to compromise the current 14.10 firmware. However, a homebrew developer has found a way to exploit Sony's software. The PS5 console jailbreak could enable piracy of games like GTA 6 that require the update.

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Oct 19 • 10:04 PM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net
PlayStation founder Ken Kutaragi says discs became "metaphor for 'owning' games", and that upset at their discontinuation is a "mentality issue"

The founder of PlayStation has weighed in on Sony's decision to end game discs, saying it isn't "economically reasonable" to continue supporting them.

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Oct 19 • 12:07 PM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
PlayStation 6 RAM and Storage Alone May Cost $680, According to Leaker

The PlayStation 6 hasn't even been announced yet, but little rumors pop up now and then that add speculation on what to expect from Sony's next-gen console. The latest is a shocking claim that the RAM and storage configuration of the console will cost more than the entirety of the PS5.

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Oct 19 • 11:51 AM EDT • Technology • ign.com
An Xbox Series X can now run PlayStation 5 games, but there’s a catch

While PS5X can let Xbox Series X users play PlayStation 5 games, it only works in the console's official Developer Mode, and there's no public download yet.

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Oct 18 • 7:00 PM EDT • Technology • engadget.com
Sony’s PlayStation 6 Price Is Set To Surpass $1000, As RAM and SSD Costs Have Risen Over $680

PlayStation 6 RAM and SSD costs near $700, pointing to a PS6 price over $1000 and likely 32GB RAM / 2TB specs

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Oct 18 • 4:24 AM EDT • Technology • wccftech.com
PS6 RAM and Storage Alone Reportedly Cost Sony Over $680, Claims Leaker

The memory crunch looks like it is hitting the PlayStation 6 harder than expected. Hardware leaker KeplerL2 claims on NeoGAF that the RAM and NAND flash storage in Sony's next console alone cost over $680. He posted it as a reply to a forum member who floated $680 as a possible subsidized retail...

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Oct 17 • 7:33 PM EDT • Technology • techpowerup.com
'Father Of PlayStation' Ken Kutaragi Blames A 'Mentality Issue' For The Backlash To Killing Discs

The Sony veteran doesn't sound very sentimental about the end of physical media on the platform he spearheaded

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Oct 16 • 12:00 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Sony Has Caused 'Friction' Between It and PlayStation Fans Over Disc Mess, Says PS1, PS2, PS3 Creator

Kutaragi understands both sides of the argument

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Oct 16 • 10:00 AM EDT • Technology • pushsquare.com
Ken Kutaragi ‘understands’ why PlayStation fans don’t want to give up physical games

‘Father of PlayStation’ suggests game companies need to change sentiment around digital ownership…

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Oct 16 • 7:59 AM EDT • Technology • videogameschronicle.com
PEAK coming to PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch 2 on October 22

Aggro Crab and Landfall will release cooperative climbing game PEAK for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and Switch 2 on October 22, the developers announced.

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Oct 15 • 1:02 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
Physical media is here to stay

As society delves deeper into the digital age, physical media separates itself as its own niche. On July 1, PlayStation announced that production of physical video game discs would be discontinued from January 2028. From that point forward, all future releases would be available only digitally in the PlayStation store or retailers. PlayStation claims the...

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Oct 14 • 11:37 PM EDT • Entertainment • theskylineview.com
PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and Classics Catalog lineup for October 2026 announced

Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced the October 2026 Game Catalog lineup for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers, and Classics Catalog titles for Premium subscribers.

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Oct 14 • 11:42 AM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
The PlayStation 5 Can Finally Play Your Old PS2 Discs - Here's How

Your PlayStation 5 console can now finally play PS2 games from your existing discs, provided it meets a few requirements, including being jailbroken.

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Oct 13 • 6:17 PM EDT • Technology • bgr.com
Some Sony First-Party Games Have Been Delisted From the PlayStation Store

Some of Knack, Nathan Drake, and Kratos’ games were pulled due to what appears to be a pricing error

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Oct 13 • 5:15 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Sony Reveals Gorgeous New Playstation 5 Hardware

You may not be able to get your hands on it, though

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Oct 13 • 9:50 AM EDT • Technology • polygon.com
Former PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai used to ignore orders from Sony bosses, he reveals

Former PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai had a clever solution to navigating the bureaucracy of Sony's corporate world in the early 2000s.

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Oct 13 • 8:12 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
Byepervisor Reborn Cracks the PS5 Hypervisor on Firmware 13.60, but Developers Warn It’s Not Useful to Regular Users Yet

Byepervisor Reborn is a newly discovered PS5 exploit that could greatly expand what modified PlayStation 5 consoles can do on firmware 13.60.

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Oct 13 • 7:00 AM EDT • Technology • wccftech.com
PS5 Digital Edition Midnight Black Japan-only model launches November 19

Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Asia will release “PlayStation 5 Digital Edition Midnight Black (Console Language: Japanese Only)” on November 19 in Japan for 55,000 yen (tax inclu…

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Oct 12 • 9:24 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
Here's How Much A PlayStation Cost In 1996 Vs. 2026

When the PlayStation 1 launched in 1995, it cost $300 before Sony dropped its price to $200 the following year, while the PlayStation 5 costs $900 now.

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Oct 12 • 2:17 PM EDT • Technology • bgr.com
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction launches February 4, 2027

Side-scrolling beat’ em up game He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Ste…

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Oct 12 • 9:05 AM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
Here's how much the PlayStation 5 cost in 2020 vs. 2026

The PS5 has gotten more expensive since it arrived in 2020, thanks to a variety of factors. And we don't expect the price to drop anytime soon.

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Oct 11 • 9:45 AM EDT • Technology • engadget.com
PS2 Discs Now Load on Jailbroken PS5 Consoles Through PS5SX2 Emulator

Developer Sword has added physical disc support to PS5SX2, a native port of the PCSX2 PlayStation 2 emulator for jailbroken PlayStation 5 consoles. The feature arrived as a beta in version 2.01 on October 10, a day after Sword showed it off on X with a clip of a PS2 disc going into a PS5....

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Oct 10 • 7:43 PM EDT • Technology • techpowerup.com
PlayStation Hardware Sales Hit Lowest Point Since 2013 in US, and PS5's Price Is the Problem

Average selling price almost an eye-watering $600

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Oct 10 • 7:00 PM EDT • Technology • pushsquare.com
Jailbroken PS5s Can Now Emulate PS2 Games Using Discs

Support for PlayStation 3 discs appears to be on the way too

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Oct 10 • 3:51 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Xbox Sales At An All-Time Low With PlayStation Its Worst In 13 Years

Xbox and PlayStation are having their worst hardware sales in a a decade, if not ever, due to high prices of consoles and consumer indifference.

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Oct 10 • 9:21 AM EDT • Technology • forbes.com
Modders make PS5 play original PS2 discs, a feature Sony never added

PS5SX2 adds support for physical PlayStation 2 discs on modified PS5 consoles. The feature requires an existing game dump and is not yet confirmed to work in public builds.

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Oct 10 • 7:15 AM EDT • Technology • videocardz.com
As Xbox and PlayStation sales reach new lows, analyst says the "US hardware market has not been in a more precarious position since the early 80s"

Xbox Series X/S and PS5 price hikes have significantly slowed down sales, according to one analyst who's not too optimistic about the console market.

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Oct 9 • 2:51 PM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
High Console Prices Push Playstation and Xbox Sales to New Lows

Circana data found that PlayStation and Xbox console sales are hitting new lows in 2026.

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Oct 9 • 1:26 PM EDT • Technology • polygon.com
Gears of War: E-Day sells 230K copies

Gears of War: E-Day has sold 230K copies since its advance-access launch on October 1 and full release on October 6. Steam accounts for 168K of those, with Xbox (console and PC) selling 62K. But there’s more to this story, as Xbox makes up the bulk of revenue. E-Day is the best-reviewed Gears game in nearly two decades (and the best one ever made, in my opinion). The Coalition has made a banger here (it’s currently in my top 10 of the year). Despite E-Day’s undeniable quality, this is a soft result. And it’s down to the business model, really. E-Day has made $37M so far, thanks to the Premium upgrade On Xbox, Game Pass is cannibalising much of the premium revenue. Our estimates show that 1.7M folks accessed E-Day via their subscription rather than a copy. But Xbox is having it both ways – or having it halfway, at least – via its Premium Edition Game Pass upgrade. Game Pass subscribers could pay $30 (or their local equivalent) for up to five days of early access starting October 1. Our estimates show that of the 1.7M who accessed E-Day through Game Pass, 722K paid for the upgrade. Between the review embargo lifting on October 1 and the full release, E-Day managed to shift another 250K early-access upgrades – no doubt helped by the campaign’s rave reviews. So despite selling far fewer copies on Steam, Xbox accounts for almost three-quarters of the revenue (roughly $26M of the $37M, versus about $11M on Steam). So “230K copies” undersells the paying audience. Including the 722K upgrades, nearly 950K people actually paid something for E-Day. The $30 upgrade is a halfstep from cannibalisation, but will Xbox go all the way? While E-Day is a sublime game, these are soft numbers for a flagship when Xbox badly needs revenue wins. E-Day sold 62K copies on Xbox against 722K Premium upgrades, so for every one copy sold on Xbox, nearly 12 Game Pass upgrades were sold. The $70 premium SKU is – functionally – dead on Xbox. Normally you can’t see what a Game Pass player would have paid, because the game’s just there in the subscription. But the $30 early-access upgrade estimate shows that 722K people demonstrated they’ll spend real money on this game. In a world without day-one Game Pass, many of these folks would have bought E-Day at $70. They paid $30 for five days early access to something they don’t own. Xbox is, in effect, charging its most valuable customers the least, based on a hangover from a tried-and-exhausted strategy from a previous administration. Those 722K willing-to-pay players generated about $21.7M via the upgrade. If three quarters of this group – mostly US and European audiences – bought E-Day outright, that’s nearly $40M. Of course, Game Pass does bring in meaningful recurring revenue, and E-Day is adding value for hundreds of thousands of subscribers. However, Game Pass is no longer growing, so Xbox is at a crossroads. Xbox is reportedly looking to do a Netflix and bolt on an ad-supported tier to pad it further. But that will just set a new floor, and leadership keeps telling us the priority now is revenue growth, which is subscriber-speak for ARPU. Xbox has already pulled Call of Duty from day-one Game Pass after day-one inclusion hammered its sales, with new CoD titles now arriving on the service around a year late. We know that some Microsoft executives believe the service devalues games outright, and rumours (which Microsoft has dismissed so far, to be fair) suggest that day-one releases could be taken off Game Pass. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe When a game this well-reviewed does this softly on its home platform, the model – not the game – gets brought into question. What else E-Day’s early adopters have played (including this month so far) Looking at E-Day‘s players on Xbox, most have played the franchise before (86% have played Gears 5, 76% Gears 4), and every game on the crossover list is either a shooter or a title from an Xbox-owned studio (though Game Pass is inflating those numbers, of course, more on that later): As for what else Xbox’s E-Day players have played this month, the top three are Fortnite (16%), Roblox (7%), and Call of Duty (6%). Another 5% played Minecraft Dungeons II, which is also on Game Pass and launched a couple of days before Gears‘ advance-access date. Many Game Pass players are happy to check out most big new additions. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Over on Steam, the top crossover games are also mostly shooters (slightly more PC-coded ones), including Space Marine 2, which was itself heavily inspired by Gears: Looking at what E-Day‘s Steam players are into this month shows who they are – as subscriptions don’t skew the data. The top three are Wardogs (13%), Deadlock (12%), and CS2 (10%), so you’ve got the restless shooter crowd checking out the new hotness. A little further down are Helldivers 2 and Space Marine 2, your co-op PVE shooter players who’ll feel right at home in Horde mode. Game Pass is skewing the playtime distribution on Xbox Looking at the playtime distribution in our platform, E-Day players on Steam are – relatively speaking – playing for longer: 54% of E-Day players on Xbox have played for five hours or less (versus 32% on Steam) 19% of Xbox players played for over 15 hours (versus 33% on Steam) 14% of Xbox players played for over 20 hours (22% on Steam) The absolute number of people playing for over 15, 20, and 50 hours is, of course, bigger on Xbox, thanks to the sheer volume of folks who came in through Game Pass (upgraders included). None of that is cause for alarm. Game Pass is the reason Xbox playtime skews lower, as when a game is free to try, people try it and bounce without putting in even an hour (17% under an hour on Xbox versus 6% on Steam). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe The subscription brings in tourists alongside the committed, dragging down the average even when the game is excellent (but also perhaps winning over the uninitiated). It’s standard across every subscription-included title, on PS Plus too. Forza Horizon 6, for instance, had 11% of its Xbox players bounce under an hour, versus just 2% on Steam. So, Xbox’s crossroads So there we have it. Gears of War: E-Day is an incredible game whose revenues have been stifled by subscription inclusion and exclusivity. It’s the best-reviewed entry in the series in fifteen-odd years, but it still turned into one of the year’s softer flagship launches, not because players didn’t want it, but because Xbox’s own storefront gave its most willing buyers a reason not to pay. Which leaves Xbox at a crossroads. Will it keep making Gears games when the financial returns are this thin and the margins this low? And if it does, does the next one arrive off Game Pass at day one – the way CoD now does, or even on PlayStation? I think it should. Alright, back to E-Day for me! The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]

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Oct 9 • 11:49 AM EDT • Technology • alineaanalytics.substack.com
8 Beloved RPGs Arrive on PS5 Today in Exciting PlayStation Store Collection

PlayStation 5 now has a bundle of RPGs with eight games from a beloved franchise, along with platform exclusive bonuses.

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Oct 8 • 2:57 PM EDT • Technology • playstationlifestyle.net
Mafia III: Definitive Edition now available for PS5, Xbox Series

Native PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series versions of Mafia III: Definitive Edition are now available, publisher 2K and developer Hangar 13 announced. It is a free upgrade from the PlayStation 4 and Xbo…

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Oct 8 • 1:00 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
Sony seemingly closes the door on PlayStation VR as it sells more than 40 VR patents to Meta

Sony published two original games for the PlayStation VR 2…

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Oct 8 • 5:39 AM EDT • Technology • videogameschronicle.com
Crunchyroll dedicated hub announced for PS5

Sony Interactive Entertainment and Crunchyroll will release a dedicated anime hub for the PlayStation 5 home screen in spring 2027, the companies announced.

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Oct 7 • 5:48 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
PlayStation's PS5 to Launch New Crunchyroll Anime Hub

Sony's PlayStation will launch a new Crunchyroll anime hub within its PlayStation 5 gaming console's home screen next year.

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Oct 7 • 5:30 PM EDT • Technology • variety.com
The Jailbreak Floodgates Are Opening for Sony's Playstation

Whack! Whack! Whack!

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Oct 7 • 3:40 PM EDT • Technology • gizmodo.com
PlayStation Store Sale “Player’s Choice” Live on October 7

Sony has a new PlayStation Store sale live now, and it's called the "Player's Choice" promotion. In total it has 4955 items included, though this includes a game's different editions,…

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Oct 7 • 2:37 PM EDT • Technology • mp1st.com
12 Years Later, Canceled Kojima Game 'P.T.' Makes A Comeback

Before Hideo Kojima began developing OD for Xbox, he made an iconic PlayStation horror game meant to kick off a new Silent Hill era

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Oct 7 • 12:57 PM EDT • Technology • polygon.com
P.T. Native PC Port 1.0 Is Out Now With DLSS 4.5, Frame Generation, Ray Tracing, Mods, And More

Hideo Kojima,P.T.,PlayStation 4,LoreanXavier,Vulkan,Konami,NVIDIA DLSS 4.5,AMD FSR 3.1,Intel XeSS,Silent Hills

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Oct 7 • 11:58 AM EDT • Technology • wccftech.com
Resident Evil Requiem Writer Accidentally Reveals DLC Plans

We finally have a story direction to latch onto for Capcom's in-development Resident Evil Requiem DLC, expected to release next year.

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Oct 7 • 6:20 AM EDT • Technology • insider-gaming.com
Sources: Ape Escape revival in the works from Sonic Mania team

The studio behind Sonic Mania and Penny’s Big Breakaway will reportedly helm PlayStation’s Ape Escape revival…

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Oct 7 • 4:58 AM EDT • Technology • videogameschronicle.com
Leaked GameStop Memo Calls $1,399.99 Used PS5 Pro Pricing "Intentional"

GameStop is now reportedly asking $1,399.99 for a pre-owned PlayStation 5 Pro, which is $500 more than Sony's $899.99 list price for a new one. Consoles with the disc drive attached go for $1,499.99, and GameStop Pro members apparently get the base unit for $1,329.99. An internal memo shared on...

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Oct 6 • 7:58 PM EDT • Technology • techpowerup.com
PS5 Metroidvania Game Gets Perfect Reviews, New PlayStation GOTY Contender

An upcoming PS5 Metroidvania game has already won over critics while emerging as a Game of the Year contender.

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Oct 6 • 3:54 PM EDT • Technology • playstationlifestyle.net
Gears Of War: E-Day’s Performance Could Dictate The Future Of Xbox

'Gears of War: E-Day' is out today as an Xbox console exclusive, kept off PlayStation on purpose. But whether this works or not could dictate the brand's entire future.

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Oct 6 • 10:59 AM EDT • Technology • forbes.com
"If You Can't Own It, What Are You Buying?" – Former PlayStation Boss Questions Sony's Decision to Kill Discs

Ever since Sony decided to kill off PlayStation discs starting in 2028, the backlash has been pronounced to say the least. And, now, it looks like former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden is also questioning Sony's decision.

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Oct 6 • 10:53 AM EDT • Technology • ign.com
GameStop Is Now Selling Used PS5 Pros For $1400

That's about $500 more than a new PlayStation 5 Pro

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Oct 6 • 10:00 AM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Sony introduces AI upscaling to base PS5; Marvel's Wolverine and Ghost of Yōtei are first games to implement new tech

PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) remains exclusive to the PS5 Pro, which SIE says is the "gold standard"

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Oct 5 • 9:35 AM EDT • Technology • gamesindustry.biz
Psikyo Memories launches February 18, 2027

Psikyo shoot ’em up collection Psikyo Memories will launch for PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 on February 18, 2027, developer Edia announced. In its “Edia Game Catalog” distributed at…

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Oct 4 • 9:27 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
Sony brings AI graphics upscaling to the regular PS5

It will be available today in two games.

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Oct 1 • 12:53 PM EDT • Technology • theverge.com
Metro Redux coming to PS5, Xbox Series on October 29

Publisher Deep Silver and developer 4A Games will release PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series versions of Metro Redux—which includes Metro 2033 Redux and Metro: Last Light Redux—on October 29…

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Oct 1 • 11:52 AM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
Elta: Defy All Gods launches February 2, 2027, demo now available

“Adrenaline-fueled action platformer” Elta: Defy All Gods will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam on February 2, 2027, publisher Focus Entertainment and developer A…

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Oct 1 • 11:11 AM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
Sony Quietly Launched A New PlayStation 5 Model, And Its Key Changes Ensure System Longevity

Sony quietly launches a new PlayStation 5 Slim revision with a redesigned motherboard and improved liquid metal cooling.

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Oct 1 • 11:05 AM EDT • Technology • wccftech.com
PlayStation Plus October 2026 Free Games Lineup Officially Revealed

PS Plus subscribers get three games in October

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Sep 30 • 12:03 PM EDT • Technology • polygon.com
PlayStation Plus Free Games For October 2026 Revealed

PlayStation Plus subscribers get the following freebies in October.

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Sep 30 • 11:41 AM EDT • Technology • gamespot.com
'This Is Your Dreamcast Moment' — Former PlayStation Boss Offers New Xbox CEO Some Words of Advice

Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden has offered new Xbox CEO some words of advice as she resets Microsoft’s gaming business: “pick a lane.”

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Sep 30 • 11:18 AM EDT • Technology • ign.com
A new PS5 jailbreak works on almost every firmware version, and it already runs the latest games

Code hackers focused on the PlayStation 5 have just released another massive contribution to the homebrew scene for Sony's console. The "Relapse" exploit can be used to...

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Sep 30 • 10:53 AM EDT • Technology • techspot.com
The Witcher 3 Remastered Crushes GPUs With Path Tracing, but Free Mod Claws Back Up to 30% Performance

Following its surprise announcement during this year's gamescom Opening Night Live, The Witcher 3 Remastered is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. While the number of improvements to gameplay is staggering and well thought out, what most were looking forward to was the visual uplift, which includes very demanding path tracing support on PC. Thankfully, a mod has already come to the rescue, as it did after the launch of the Next-Gen update, optimizing both ray tracing and path tracing for better performance with minimal loss of quality. "Faster RT/PT in The Witcher […]

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Sep 30 • 6:07 AM EDT • Technology • wccftech.com
PS5 Pro Shortage Hits Japan As Sony Limits Console Purchases To Active Playstation Users Ahead Of GTA 6

A lottery system has been introduced in an effort to counter shortages while alleviating scalper concerns ahead of GTA 6

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Sep 29 • 10:32 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Amid PlayStation 5 Pro Shortages, Sony Implements Lottery System Based on Playtime

No one is exempt from the global DRAM shortage, and today Sony confirmed there might be a way for enthusiastic gamers to purchase the PlayStation 5 Pro console at MSRP. In Japan, Sony is running a lottery system that explicitly allows gamers with 60 hours of playtime to purchase the console....

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Sep 29 • 5:02 PM EDT • Technology • techpowerup.com
Xbox’s Mythic Achievements are here and they’re just like PlayStation Platinum trophies

Xbox testers can try out the new Mythic Achievements today.

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Sep 29 • 12:17 PM EDT • Technology • theverge.com
New PlayStation 5 Console Jailbreak Released for PS5 & PS5 Pro

A new PS5 jailbreak has dropped, which applies to both PS5 and PS5 Pro consoles and unlocks new (illegal) capabilities.

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Sep 29 • 9:06 AM EDT • Technology • insider-gaming.com
Metal Gear Solid Moves From PlayStation To ESP32

If you haven’t heard of Metal Gear, you probably haven’t played video games these last few decades. The original Metal Gear dates back to 1987 and launched on the MSX, but the real rise…

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Sep 29 • 4:00 AM EDT • Technology • hackaday.com
The Last of Us Day Reveals Ghost of Yotei Collab Content and Ambience Video as Fans Beg Naughty Dog for TLOU 3

Naughty Dog has revealed it's celebrating The Last of Us Day 2026 with Ghost of Yotei content, player avatars on PlayStation and Steam, and an hour-long ambience video as fans continue begging for any updates on The Last of Us Part 3.

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Sep 28 • 1:59 PM EDT • Technology • ign.com
How Much Would It Cost To Build A PC Equivalent To The PlayStation 5 Pro In 2026?

The cost of Sony's top-of-the-line PlayStation 5 Pro has risen significantly over the past year, but how does it stack up to a PC with similar specs?

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Sep 28 • 12:47 PM EDT • Technology • bgr.com
SURI: The Seventh Note launches October 30

PlayStation India Hero Project-supported rhythm action platformer SURI: The Seventh Note will launch for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam on October 30 for $19.99 / £15.99 / €19.99 / ¥3,190, develope…

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Sep 28 • 9:10 AM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
The Xbox Series X Can Now Play PlayStation 5 Games - Here's How

A modder named Devran Cosmo Uenal has created a special port of the KytyPS5 emulator for Xbox Series X, allowing some PS5 games to be played on the console.

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Sep 28 • 6:17 AM EDT • Technology • bgr.com
Experimental Emulator Brings Nintendo Switch Games to Jailbroken PS5 Consoles

An unofficial port of the Eden Nintendo Switch emulator is now running natively on jailbroken PlayStation 5 consoles. Developer BlackBearReloaded released ProsperoEden, which adapts Eden, itself a fork of the now-defunct Yuzu project, to run directly on Sony's hardware as homebrew rather than...

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Sep 27 • 3:03 PM EDT • Technology • techpowerup.com
PlayStation Plus Free Games October 2026: Reveal Date, Rumors, Predictions And More

he PS Plus October 2026 free games are coming soon. Here’s when Sony will reveal the Essential lineup, when the games release, plus leaks, rumors and predictions.

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Sep 27 • 9:00 AM EDT • Technology • forbes.com
Nintendo Switch emulator now runs natively on jailbroken PS5, Cuphead reaches 60 FPS

ProsperoEden is an experimental native PS5 port of the Eden Nintendo Switch emulator, with several games already reaching gameplay on jailbroken consoles.

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Sep 27 • 8:33 AM EDT • Technology • videocardz.com
Is It Worth Keeping Your PlayStation 5's Box?

You don't need to keep your PS5 box, but the original packaging can protect the console during moves or shipping and may help when reselling it.

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Sep 26 • 11:45 PM EDT • Technology • slashgear.com
Sony may reconsider plans to phase out physical discs for PlayStation.

The management of Japanese company Nippon Ichi Software and its Western publishing division NIS America announced that they are holding direct consultations...

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Sep 26 • 5:02 PM EDT • Technology • en.gamegpu.com
Long-Time PlayStation Publisher Says "The Discussion May Change" Around Physical Media

Rumors recently appeared about Sony potentially delaying its digital-only future due to pressure from Microsoft's Xbox Helix, although they were promptly shot down by industry insiders and frequent leakers who said that Sony was dead-set on killing its physical media production—despite data...

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Sep 26 • 12:40 AM EDT • Technology • techpowerup.com
PlayStation's Newest Survey Sparks Community Pushback Against Sony's Plans to End Physical Game Discs

PlayStation has released a survey that any member of the public can fill out, as long as they’re an adult — and players are using the opportunity to push back on Sony’s plans to end the production of physical game discs.

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Sep 25 • 4:11 PM EDT • Technology • ign.com
Sony reportedly surveying developers about PlayStation disc-ending decision - is it having second thoughts?

Sony's decision to end PlayStation disc production has been hugely controversial, seemingly even among developers. A rumoured survey suggests Sony has noticed.

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Sep 25 • 7:00 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
PlayStation Reportedly Polling Game Developers After Decision to Kill Discs Sparks Backlash

PlayStation is reportedly sending a lengthy survey to game developers with a question about how they sell physical games after their decision to stop producing physical game discs prompted intense backlash.

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Sep 24 • 7:30 PM EDT • Technology • ign.com
Xbox Says Its Share of GTA 6 Preorders Matches Its Share of the Console Market, Following PS5 Dominance Claim

Microsoft has stepped in to address a report that claimed GTA 6 preorders are “heavily skewed” toward PlayStation 5 over Xbox Series X and S.

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Sep 24 • 4:55 PM EDT • Technology • ign.com
Sony Allegedly Surveyed Game Developers on its Disc-Killing Plan for 2028, Hinting at a Possible Reversal amid Fan Boycotts

According to leaker MLID, Sony has surveyed game developers on its disc-killing plan, suggesting they may consider a shocking reversal.

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Sep 24 • 4:00 AM EDT • Technology • wccftech.com
Xbox’s Mythic achievements sound like PlayStation’s Platinum trophy

The Xbox Mythic achievement has its own unique unlock sound.

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Sep 23 • 11:45 AM EDT • Technology • theverge.com
Xbox's new Mythic achievement: full breakdown of the Platinum trophy rival

TrueAchievements can reveal more about Xbox's new Mythic achievement, an equivalent to PlayStation's platinum trophy, which will be rolling out to Xbox users soon.

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Sep 23 • 6:48 AM EDT • Technology • trueachievements.com
PS6 and Project Helix battle for worst new-gen feature as Xbox and PlayStation outline horrific new ideas

The next-gen is addressing all the wrong problems 🤦

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Sep 23 • 6:00 AM EDT • Technology • gamingbible.com
Acclaimed PS5 Metroidvania Game Arrives Today on PlayStation Store, Has Free Demo

An acclaimed PS5 Metroidvania adventure game is now available on the PlayStation Store and on other modern consoles and PC.

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Sep 22 • 3:25 PM EDT • Technology • playstationlifestyle.net
The Sims 4 Update: Official Patch Notes (Sep 22nd, 2026)

The Sims Team has just released a new The Sims 4 Update across PC, Mac, Xbox and Playstation supported consoles. The update includes over 95 bug fixes for the

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Sep 22 • 12:59 PM EDT • Technology • simscommunity.info
Sony appears to be testing PlayStation Store credit offers when you buy certain games

What looks to be an unannounced PlayStation loyalty programme of some kind has seemingly gone live for some, offering store credit.

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Sep 22 • 9:26 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
PS Wallet Credit program is live, offering $10 credit on game purchases

Sony was expected to replace its PlayStation Stars program with a Wallet Credit program that now seems to be live. There are a handful of games that have been listed on the PS Store with a limited-time store credit offer.

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Sep 21 • 12:34 PM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net
PlayStation Reveals New Limited-Edition Controller and Merch Collection With K-Pop Star Lisa

PlayStation has revealed a new collaboration with the K-pop star Lisa that includes a limited edition DualSense controller.

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Sep 21 • 11:02 AM EDT • Technology • ign.com
Unannounced PlayStation Rewards Program Live on PS Store

An unannounced PlayStation rewards program seems to have been rolled out on the PS Store. Here's what we've gathered so far.

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Sep 21 • 7:50 AM EDT • Technology • playstationlifestyle.net
This Week’s Japanese Game Releases: Silent Hill: Townfall, GOBBLE, more

Silent Hill: Townfall for PlayStation 5 and PC, and GOBBLE for PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Switch, and PC are the highlights of this week’s Japanese video game releases.

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Sep 21 • 12:42 AM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com