u/n1ght_watchman

According to Windows Central, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told staff at an internal town hall that Microsoft is planning multiple devices for its next generation.

A dedicated console remains the priority, but Sharma also highlighted players who want to game on the go. Microsoft plans to manufacture some hardware itself and work with partners on other products.

She also said the operating system is progressing well. The comments don’t identify specific devices or confirm a new Xbox handheld.

Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-ceo-asha-sharma-speaks-at-internal-town-hall-we-must-strengthen-for-cxbox-series-x-s-xbox-helix-and-xbox-game-pass

Other confirmed details: a re-engineered weather system that's localised and persistent, so it can be pouring in one part of the map while another stays clear, plus full storms with high winds and lightning. Over 170 animal species, including 60 types of bird. Activities include scuba diving, kayaking, mini golf, base jumping, jet skis, airboats and street and off-road racing.

Sony reportedly sent developers one of its largest surveys yet, with questions indirectly asking whether ending physical game sales could create problems for studios.

The company is currently expected to stop manufacturing new PlayStation game discs from 2028, but according to Moore’s Law Is Dead, Sony is now actively gathering feedback from developers about that decision.

This comes after reports that some developers were already unhappy with the move, while physical copies are still accounting for a meaningful share of sales for major PlayStation releases.

Source: https://beebom.com/sony-reportedly-surveyed-developers-on-killing-physical-discs/

Source: https://gtaforums.com/topic/1006665-the-jack-of-hearts-waiting-lounge-mk-lxvii/page/177/#comment-1072810578

Meta has officially revealed its new Meta VR Glasses, launching in Spring 2027 for $1,299.99.

The interesting part isn't really the price or even the display. It's how Meta approached one of VR's biggest problems: weight.

Instead of putting the processor, battery and storage on your head, the glasses contain mostly the displays and sensors, while a separate roughly 300g puck clips to your pocket or bag and connects through an optical cable.

Some of the main specs:

• Around 100g on your head
• 2412×2288 micro-OLED display per eye
• 37 PPD
• Up to 120Hz
• Snapdragon Reality Elite
• 12GB RAM / 128GB storage
• microSD expansion
• Around three hours of media playback
• Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos
• Full-color passthrough
• Eye tracking, hand tracking and voice control

Meta says more than 75 games at launch can be played purely through hand gestures.

The device also runs the same OS as Quest, meaning Quest content remains compatible. Touch Plus controllers are supported separately, while Xbox Cloud Gaming will offer hundreds of streamed games.

Source

According to reputable AMD hardware leaker Kepler_L2, Sony's PlayStation 6 is reportedly targeting around 40 TFLOPs, while Microsoft's next-generation Project Helix could reach around 56 TFLOPs.

Kepler also claims that both chips have already taped out, meaning their designs have reached a major milestone ahead of manufacturing and testing.

A few important details:

• PS6 / Orion: ~40 TFLOPs
• Xbox Project Helix / Magnus: ~56 TFLOPs
• That would give Helix roughly 40% more theoretical FP32 compute
• Kepler says PS6's 40 TFLOPs figure already accounts for AMD's dual-issue calculations, pushing back against recent 80 TFLOPs claims
• Previous leaks have suggested roughly 52–54 CUs for PS6 and around 68 CUs for Helix
• Both are expected to use next-generation AMD CPU/GPU technology

Obviously, TFLOPs alone won't tell us how these consoles actually perform. Ray tracing, memory bandwidth, cache, clocks, AI/neural rendering and software optimisation will likely matter much more than they did in previous generations.

Still, if these numbers are accurate, Microsoft appears to be targeting a substantially larger and more powerful chip with Helix, while Sony may once again be aiming for a more balanced console design.

As always, none of these specifications have been officially confirmed by Sony, Microsoft or AMD.

Source

• Xbox executive vice president and chief content officer Matt Booty has announced another round of layoffs and studio reorganizations as part of the continuing "reset" of Microsoft's gaming division
• Xbox has cut an additional 268 employees "across Halo Studios, other first-party studios, and the XGS management and central functions layer," which Booty says brings the company "roughly three-quarters of the way" to completing its downsizing plan that previously put 1,600 people out of work in June
• Activision is now developing the next Halo game with "a new, purpose-built team," and will also oversee Rare and Age of Empires developer World's Edge
• Obsidian will be folded into Bethesda, and will continue its current projects like Grounded and the previously-announced "new Fallout project made in collaboration with Bethesda Game Studios"
• Playground and Turn 10 will be "formally" merged into one studio after being "creative and franchise partners for over a decade"
• Candy Crush developer King will be "uniting" with Microsoft Casual Games
• While Compulsion, Double Fine, and Undead Labs have been transitioned to independent or new publisher ownership, Xbox says it's now moving towards the studio closure of Ninja Theory after two attempted divestiture agreements "fell through"
• A buyer for Ninja Theory has fallen through and Xbox will now close Ninja Theory.

Sources: PC Gamer, Geoff Keighley

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzzdyORdg80

Source: https://x.com/Pure_PS/status/2099834882193272835

I'm expecting a live service title, likely with competitive multiplayer. Hopefully with PvE and not purely PvP.