Microsoft is testing giving users more control over what games appear in their Xbox achievements and tweaking how achievements look when they're earned. The changes are being introduced via the company's free-to-join Xbox Insiders program, and will presumably roll out to all Xbox owners at some point in the future.

Coming later in April, select Xbox Insiders will be able to hide games from their achievement list, whether they've completed them or not. Hidden games will still count towards users' Gamerscore, but the option should serve as another way to curate your public profile. Microsoft is also experimenting with changing how it displays achievements. Xbox Insiders will receive redesigned achievements with new animations and notifications that match the custom color they've chosen for their Xbox interface. Games where Insiders have earned 100 percent of the achievements will also be highlighted in their achievements list, and insiders will be able to filter their list to only view the games they've fully completed.

Being able to hide games from the achievement list has been "one of the most requested features" from Xbox Insiders, according to Microsoft. The company's March update that allowed users to selectively exclude games from the Xbox's Quick Resume feature was similarly long-requested.  It would likely be wrong to characterize these changes as being downstream of new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma's stated desire to "recommit" to the Xbox, but they don't hurt when it comes to winning over fans — especially if the company's continued presence in the console space ends up hinging on an expensive box that plays PC and Xbox games.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/youll-soon-be-able-to-hide-games-from-your-xbox-achievements-list-184719290.html?src=rss

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Nintendo Switch 2 owners will have to wait a bit longer to check out IO Interactive's stab at a James Bond game on the console. The Hitman developer has delayed that version of 007 First Light until later this summer. The game is still slated to hit PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on May 27, which itself is a delay from the previous March release date.

"We're excited to see players discovering James Bond's reimagined origin story," IOI wrote on X. "[We] are looking forward to bringing you the best game experience possible across all platforms."

Earlier this year, IOI suggested that PC players would need quite a beefy rig to meet the recommended specs for 007 First Light. A week later, the publisher updated the specs with more modest requirements and apologized after eagle-eyed observers spotted inconsistencies in the original version. IOI said the error was "due to an internal miscommunication leading to an older version of the specs to be shared." Meanwhile, Sony has announced a limited-edition 007 First Light DualSense controller.

Developers and publishers have had difficulty in porting certain games to the Switch 2, as Kotaku notes. Gearbox Entertainment delayed — and ultimately shelved — a version of Borderlands 4 for the system. The long-awaited Switch 2 port of Elden Ring was delayed until sometime this year after the game had severe performance issues in a public demo at Gamescom 2025. Reports suggest the game is in better shape on Switch 2 now, but there's no firm release date for that version as yet.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-version-of-007-first-light-is-delayed-until-later-this-summer-151524487.html?src=rss

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Sony's upgraded PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) tech is rolling out as part of the PlayStation 5 Pro system update that's available today. The company had teased last month that this update was in the works. These improvements should be a better reflection of why you might pay a premium price for the more powerful console if you value peak image quality in gaming.

For a very surface-level definition, PSSR is Sony's upscaling tech. It uses an AI library for a pixel-by-pixel analysis to display a game with better visuals even while running at a lower resolution. Today's update revamped the algorithm and neural networked in use, which in practice means that "image reconstruction is more precise, motion stability is improved, and developers have greater flexibility to balance performance and fidelity on PS5 Pro," according to the latest blog post from the company. For those who want more technical definition, you'll likely be familiar with the folks at Digital Foundry, who have a more detailed analysis with comparisons between the old and new upscaling on four titles. 

The improved PSSR is only available for supported games, but several familiar Sony partners are already on board. PS5 Pro owners can enable the enhanced PSSR image quality for all supported titles via a toggle in the Screen and Video settings menu. The following games are joining Resident Evil Requiem in offering the better upscaling experience:

• Silent Hill 2

• Silent Hill f

• Dragon Age: The Veilguard

• Control

• Alan Wake 2

• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II

• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

• Nioh 3

• Rise of the Ronin

• Monster Hunter Wilds

• Dragon’s Dogma 2

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sonys-enhanced-pssr-upscaling-arrives-on-ps5-pro-today-201020423.html?src=rss

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Sony is pulling a U-turn on its multi-platform strategy, with Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reporting that first-party PS5 games soon to become exclusive once again, at the expense of PC players.

Sony started releasing some of its biggest games on PC in 2020, when Horizon Zero Dawn came to Steam. A number of other titles have followed suit since, including The Last of Us Part I, Ghost of Tsushima, God of War Ragnarök and the Marvel’s Spider-Man games. But the company appears to have had a major change of heart, with high-profile titles like Ghost of Yotei and the upcoming Saros set to launch on PS5 only.

Schreier was told by anonymous sources that Sony-published online games like Marvel Tokon and the imminent Marathon will remain multi-platform releases as planned, and Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding 2, which launched last year as a PS5 exclusive, is still set for a PC release in 2026. But while Sony could always change its mind again, it looks unlikely that the tentpole single-player epics that PlayStation has become known for since the PS4 era will receive PC ports going forward.

There are likely several reasons for this strategic shift. The most obvious one is the poor sales performance of PS5 games on PC, with ports generally not arriving on Steam until at least a year after their console launch. This is in stark contrast with Microsoft, which will launch first-party titles such as Fable and Forza Horizon 6 on Xbox, PC and PS5 at the same time later this year. It would see Sony return to a more Nintendo-like approach, with the latter famously (and extremely successfully) holding firm on console exclusivity for the likes of Mario, Zelda and Pokémon.

PlayStation insiders also told Bloomberg that some people within the company fear that releasing PS5 games on PC is detrimental to the brand, and could harm sales of future PlayStation consoles. Schreier also points out that with the next Xbox expected to be a proper Windows-powered PC that would presumably be able to run Steam and other launchers, Sony might be acting now to ensure that the versatility of such a machine doesn’t enable Xbox players to play future PS5 games on it. (It’s probably galling enough to the suits at Sony that people are already doing this with Steam’s current library of PlayStation games on the Xbox-branded ROG Ally X handheld.)

A PlayStation spokesperson declined Bloomberg’s request for comment.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sorry-first-party-playstation-games-arent-coming-to-pc-anymore-152128980.html?src=rss

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© Sony Interactive Entertainment

Another major antitrust lawsuit has launched in the UK. This time its against Sony, which could be on the hook for almost £2 billion ($2.7 billion) for overcharging PlayStation users. 

A class action case for about 12.2 million users argues that Sony "occupies a dominant position in relation to the digital distribution of PlayStation games and in-game content and that it has been unfairly charging its UK customers too much for digital games and in-game content purchased through the PlayStation Store."

It argues that Sony "has a near monopoly" on add-on content and digital games through the PlayStation store, allowing it to set the prices and take a 30 percent commission.

The class action encompasses anyone in the UK who owned a PlayStation console and purchased digital games or made in-game purchases through the PlayStation store between August 19, 2016 and February 12, 2026. It's being run as an opt-out lawsuit, so anyone meeting the criteria can qualify without taking any action. If the lawsuit is successful then each person could receive about £162 ($217). 

Sony has argued that allowing downloads from third-party stores could bring security and privacy risks, according to the Financial Times. It further states that the digital sales commission makes up profits lost for selling their consoles with minimal profit. 

This lawsuit follows the success of a similar class action decided in October. The UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal found that Apple had been abusing its dominant market position and overcharging App Store users. In December, Apple filed an appeal against the £1.5 billion ($2 billion) fine. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/sony-faces-a-27-billion-antitrust-lawsuit-in-the-uk-114113889.html?src=rss

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© Mat Smith for Engadget

Microsoft has announced that its rolling out support for streaming games at 1440p on Xbox consoles. Game streaming is a key benefit of paying for a Game Pass subscription, and as of 2025, now also includes games players own that aren't part of the larger Game Pass library.

The higher bitrate streaming option will let subscribers with an Xbox Series X or S, Xbox One X or Xbox One play their games at a higher resolution, provided the game and their display supports it. Microsoft previously only offered 1440p streams on select Fire TVs, LG TVs, Samsung TVs, web browsers and the Xbox PC app. At least for now, 1440p is only available to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.

Beyond the new streaming option, Microsoft is also making improvements to the Xbox PC app and the Xbox experience on ROG Xbox Ally handhelds. On PC, the Xbox PC app now includes "navigation sounds" that play when you use the app's interface with a controller. These new sounds are supposed to make controller input feel more responsive and intuitive. On the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, meanwhile, Microsoft is making it even easier to format removable storage like microSD cards, and updating drivers to improve compatibility on select games.

The last week has been particularly tumultuous for Microsoft's gaming division. Former Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer announced his retirement on Friday, alongside the appointment of Asha Sharma, the President of Microsoft's CoreAI division, as his replacement. Opinions differ as to whether Sharma's new position will be good or bad for Xbox, but more changes are likely on the way.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-consoles-now-support-1440p-streaming-204115304.html?src=rss

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Sony is closing Bluepoint Games, the studio behind the Shadow of the Colossus and Demon's Souls remakes, Bloomberg reports. Bluepoint's last major project was God of War: Ragnarok from 2022, which it co-developed with Sony Santa Monica. 

According to Bloomberg, Sony decided to shut down the studio following "a recent business review." Around 70 employees will lose their jobs as part of the studio closure, which will officially happen in March. "Bluepoint Games is an incredibly talented team and their technical expertise has delivered exceptional experiences for the PlayStation community," Sony said in a statement to Bloomberg. "We thank them for their passion, creativity and craftmanship."

Following their work on Ragnarok, Bluepoint was reportedly tasked with developing a live-service game set in the God of War universe. That title was cancelled in 2025, alongside another game from Bend Studio. In the context of Sony's other live-service failures, the decision wasn't surprising. Sony shut down the servers for multiplayer shooter Concord just two weeks after its release. Not long after, it also closed Firewalk Studios, the developer behind the game.

Bluepoint Games was originally acquired by Sony in 2021, when it seemed like the studio's expertise in remaking and remastering classic PlayStation games could be a major asset going forward. Why that changed isn't entirely clear, but Sony's mismanagement of its pivot into and out of publishing premium online multiplayer games may have played a role. Some of Sony's studios are still experimenting with live-service mechanics. Guerilla Games recently announced an online co-op game set in its Horizon universe. Destiny 2 developer Bungie is also releasing its extraction shooter Marathon in March.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sony-is-shutting-down-the-studio-behind-the-demons-souls-remake-195234213.html?src=rss

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Volume two of the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection will arrive on August 27, publisher Konami announced today during Sony’s latest State of Play presentation. The bundle will feature 2008’s Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the HD remaster of 2010’s Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and a selection of bonus content, including Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, which was originally released for Game Boy Color in 2000. All told, that’s a smaller selection of games than Konami made available with Vol. 1 of the Master Collection, but Metal Gear fans will be excited nonetheless, if only for the fact it will mark the first time MGS4 will be officially playable on a platform other than the PlayStation 3.

That it has taken Konami nearly two decades to release the conclusion of Solid Snake’s story on more systems has to do with the nature of the game as a PS3 exclusive. MGS4 took extensive advantage of the console’s unique Cell architecture, a fact that made it difficult (and expensive) proposition to port to more recent x86-based systems. In recent years, it’s been possible to emulate the game on a powerful PC, but not everyone has that kind of hardware.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.2 will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.

Update, February 12, 6:30PM ET: This story was updated after publish to add details about Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.2’s launch platforms.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-next-metal-gear-solid-remaster-collection-arrives-this-summer-231711005.html?src=rss

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With over 155 million sold, Nintendo’s Switch is officially the company’s biggest console hit ever. It’s been a long road to surpassing the DS, which reached 154 million consoles over its seven-year lifespan. The Switch, meanwhile, is a year shy of its 10-year anniversary. 

We’ve seen the original console, the non-hybrid Lite and the OLED versions of the Switch over the decade, but despite being replaced by Switch 2, the original is still selling at a strong pace: 1.36 million units in Q3. Just think how many Joy-Cons it sold/replaced?

Next goal: try to be the best-selling console of all time. Currently, that’s the PlayStation 2. 

Nintendo is just shy of five million units to go. 

— Mat Smith

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Explained: Moltbook, the social network for AI agents

Are they talking about us behind our backs?

TMA

Moltbook is a “digital petri dish,” a Reddit-style forum populated entirely by AI agents that post, follow and even gossip about their owners in dedicated submolts. Built using vibe coding, it’s a surreal experiment in autonomous socialization — though there’s no shortage of user-data security flaws. Is Moltbook a profound look at the dead internet theory or just a very loud AI echo chamber? Or something in the middle? Karissa explains it all. (Sorry, Karissa.)

Continue reading.

Nintendo’s Virtual Boy is a niche slice of gaming history.

Lean in.

Engadget

Nintendo’s worst-selling console was probably the Virtual Boy. It sold less than 800,000 units, with only 22 games in Japan and 14 in North America. And it didn’t even have the guts to launch in Europe or Australia.

But Nintendo doesn’t care. It’s brought the Virtual Boy back, baby, as an add-on for the Switch 2, in all its red monochrome ’90s-tech glory. And we finally got to test it. 

It even includes the original bipod, which you use to prop it up and lean into it. Yes, you still can’t just wear the thing like modern VR headsets. The Switch 2 console, sans Joy-Cons, then slides in, acting as display, battery and processor. 

It seems more of a historical nod than anything else. This is pretty much 30-year-old VR tech, as-is. But… I still want one as a gaming objet d’art. A hundred bucks is a fair chunk of change for that, though. Read on for our full impressions.

Continue reading.

Surprise! Google teases the Pixel 10a

Pre-orders open later this month.

Google

Google posted a teaser video revealing its new entry-level smartphone, the Pixel 10a, in a lovely lilac colorway. We don’t know much more, however. You can see it’s another dual-camera Pixel, with that same flush body — which I like. (How does that already seem retro?) 

Leaks suggest a 6.3-inch display and a large 5,100 mAh battery. It otherwise looks and seems like the Pixel 9a, although Google promises that there’s “more in store.” Last year’s A-series launched at $500 — will this land at a similar price? You can pre-order the Pixel 10a on February 18. 

Continue reading.

AMD suggests a 2027 launch for next-gen Xbox

Shouldn’t Microsoft be saying this?

AMD CEO Lisa Su revealed on the company’s latest earnings call that Microsoft’s development of an Xbox with a semi-custom SOC from AMD is “progressing well to support a launch in 2027.” Maybe Microsoft can chase that best-selling console crown too?

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-the-switch-is-officially-nintendos-most-popular-console-ever-121500738.html?src=rss

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Nintendo has lined up its first showcase of the year. The next Nintendo Direct is taking place on February 5 at 9AM ET, the company has announced. It will run for around 30 minutes.

As previous reports suggested, it will focus on third-party titles from partners instead of first-party games from Nintendo itself. So if you were hoping for new Mario or Zelda announcements, that may not happen during this event. Still, you can expect to hear about new games that are coming to Switch and Switch 2. You can tune into the Direct via the YouTube video embedded above.

FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods, a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, is slated to arrive this year, so we may get another look at that (or the Switch 2 version of Elden Ring, for that matter). Meanwhile, Resident Evil Requiem will hit the console later this month, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Capcom making an appearance during this Direct.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendos-first-direct-showcase-of-2026-is-scheduled-for-february-5-141931154.html?src=rss

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Microsoft could launch the next-generation Xbox console sometime in 2027, AMD CEO Lisa Su has revealed during the semiconductor company’s latest earnings call. Valve is on track to start shipping its AMD-powered Steam Machine early this year, she said, while Microsoft’s development of an Xbox with a semi-custom SOC from AMD is “progressing well to support a launch in 2027.” While it doesn’t necessarily mean Microsoft is releasing a new Xbox console next year, that seems to be the company’s current goal.

Xbox president Sarah Bond announced Microsoft’s multi-year partnership with AMD for its consoles in mid-2025. Based on Bond’s statement back then, Microsoft is embracing the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in future Xbox games. She also said that the companies are going to “co-engineer silicon” across devices, “in your living room and in your hands,” implying the development of future handheld consoles.

Leaked documents from the FTC vs. Microsoft court battle revealed in the past that Microsoft was planning to make the next Xbox a “hybrid game platform,” which combines local hardware and cloud computing. The documents also said that Microsoft was planning to release the next Xbox in 2028. Whether the company has chosen to launch the new Xbox early remains to be seen, but it is possible when the Xbox X and S were released in 2020, and they haven’t sold as well as the Xbox One.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/amd-suggests-the-next-gen-xbox-will-arrive-in-2027-052707822.html?src=rss

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Another first-party Xbox game is making the leap to PlayStation 5. This time around, Obsidian’s Avowed — one of our favorite games of last year — is crossing the great divide. The fantasy action RPG will hit Sony’s console on February 17, one day shy of the game’s first anniversary. 

As it happens, an anniversary update is set to go live on all platforms at the same time. This includes a new game+ mode (allowing those who have beaten the RPG to replay it with all their gear and upgrades from their previous run), a photo mode, a new weapon type and more. 

Avowed is set in the same universe as Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity games. It tasks you with investigating a fungal plague that has infested the world. “The writing is stellar throughout, though the sidequests that reveal your companions’ backstories are particularly poignant," Engadget senior reporter Jessica Conditt wrote. "Avowed is gorgeous, its combat systems are fully customizable, its characters are intriguing and its encumbrance limit is generous. There’s a real sense of magic about the entire game — and no, that’s not just the mind-altering mushrooms talking."

Microsoft has brought a string of first-party Xbox games to PS5 over the last couple of years, freeing them from console exclusivity. Forza Horizon 5, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II and Sea of Thieves are among the games that have crossed over to PlayStation. Later this year, you’ll even be able to play a Halo game on PS5, something that was utterly unthinkable not too long ago. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/xbox-is-bringing-avowed-to-ps5-120000035.html?src=rss

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