I'm going to teach you to love hidden object games
Or at least to respect them. I'd settle for that. And if you feel like embarking on a journey of discovery, I can help with that, too.
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Recent gaming stories collected from established gaming publications. Each story links to the original publisher.
Or at least to respect them. I'd settle for that. And if you feel like embarking on a journey of discovery, I can help with that, too.
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The danger of skimming patch notes.
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It looks like Sony has quietly revised the PS5 console once again, with new internal changes across the (mother)board. It's not clear when these new models came into service, but they seem to have entered circulation around the same time Sony released limited-edition Marvel's Wolverine PS5 consoles. Spotted by Modyfikator89, longevity and repairability appear to be the key areas that Sony has focused on. The redesigned motherboard offers easier access to the CR2023 battery, the streamlined internal layout makes repairs less risky, and the hardware takes a page from the PS5 Pro playbook with refined liquid-metal containment and revised heatsink materials. In theory, the updated barrier around the processor die should keep the liquid metal better contained over time, ensuring stable thermal transfer performance even under intensive loads. https://twitter.com/Modyfikator89/status/2105382987755814984 Sony has also moved to a newer, lower-cost HDMI retimer chip, which likely cuts down bill-of-materials costs and improves display signal stability. Overall, this will likely lower production costs while maintaining higher assembly yields, at a time when sourcing components has become more challenging. Companies routinely make stealth revisions to cut manufacturing costs, but unlike previous console generations that shrank and became cheaper over time, the PS5 has only gotten more expensive since it launched in November 2020. When it first launched, the entry-level PS5 Digital Edition had an MSRP of $400, but in 2026, you can expect to pay $600 for one. The base model PS5 with a disc drive has increased from $500 to $650, while the PS5 Pro has shot up from $700 to $900. Sony is aiming to make the PS5 a better value proposition as it heads into the lucrative holiday season, after recently launching a new AI-upscaling technology for its base-model PS5s. Only two of its exclusive games support it currently--Marvel's Wolverine and Ghost of Yotei--and the technology will be released to more developers soon. By enabling the base PS5 to deliver sharper visuals through Quick Spectral Super Resolution, Sony offers a visual upgrade in select games without having to splash out on the more expensive PS5 Pro.
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The NBA's Miami Heat have announced that they will wear GTA 6-inspired jerseys when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on November 18, a day before the game releases. Additionally, the game will take place on a "never-before-seen court," and it'll be inspired by GTA 6 and Vice City. The Heat play at the Kaseya Center in Miami, which was recently adorned with "Vice City" signage, airlifted in by helicopter. The game will air on ESPN on November 18. Tickets are on sale now. https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/2106007519545974792 There will also be "special activities" and "unique game night activations" on November 18 that the team will detail later. The new Heat jerseys and court design will also be revealed later. As for what's available now, the Heat have rolled out a "Vice City Collection" of merch, including a $55 t-shirt that says, "Went to Vice City and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" and a $45 shirt that says, "I love Vice City." You can see the full collection at the Heat's online store. The November 18 matchup is also notable because Heat star Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing against his former team, the Bucks, where he had spent his entire career until this season. Rockstar is spending big money to advertise GTA 6 in Miami, and some local officials have expressed concerns. GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game has reportedly already sold close to 6 million copies, generating more than $570 million in pre-sales. Also this week, Rockstar revealed that GTA 6 will have more than 170 animal species, including cane toads and monkeys. We also learned that GTA 6 has a new dynamic weather system.
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Naoki Hamaguchi discusses the final chapter of Square Enix's elaborate remake project.
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A prominent World of Warcraft: Forever streamer has been banned following comments made on stream encouraging his viewers to buy gold on his behalf. Forever, which is currently in beta ahead of the MMORPG's full launch in November, is currently mired in a gold buying and real-money transaction (RMT) controversy. Players buying gold from third-party websites that use bots to farm the game's primary currency has been a problem for the entirety of WoW's existence and has always been against the game's terms of service. What's changed is that developer Blizzard has made comments that it's looking to more aggressively punish gold buyers in Forever, even going as far to admit its been too "lenient" on the matter in the past. That more hardline stance against gold buyers was put to the test earlier this week when WoW: Forever streamer Ziqo was seen on stream accepting suspiciously large amounts of gold from strangers in the lead-up to a $100,000 prize pool PvP tournament he and many other streamers will be competing in. Given the huge sums of gold being traded, many believed there was little chance the gold had been acquired naturally through farming and was likely bought by a third party and then given to Ziqo as a gift. https://youtu.be/dvueCoFTkCk?si=YqPAFYzvWt5J5WiC Almost immediately, the Forever community was up in arms demanding Blizzard take action. In a forum post seemingly issued in response to the Ziqo controversy, Blizzard stated that it would increasingly punish not only gold sellers, its standard practice, but also those buying the gold. In addition, accounts accepting large amounts of questionable gold could also be punished by having the illicit gold removed, their account suspended, or even permanently banned. Blizzard encouraged players not to accept "suspicious" transactions to avoid these consequences. Even if Ziqo wasn't the buyer, according to Blizzard's own words, he could in theory be punished for taking what many viewed to be ill-gained gold. That same gold in question was later removed from Ziqo's account by Blizzard, though the streamer was not banned or suspended, as many players called for. https://www.reddit.com/r/classicwow/comments/1wtnmfr/i_never_hid_the_fact_that_i_wanted_my_chat_to_buy/?share_id=zh96vvQnxd9xojUBRfqN7&utm_content=share_button&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1 The same can't be said for another WoW streamer looking to participate in the game's upcoming tournament, Payo. Amidst the Ziqo drama, Payo said on stream he hadn't been shy about the fact he is more than okay with members of his community buying gold on his behalf. "I never hid the fact I want my chat to use their credit cards to fill my bags," Payo said on stream. Those comments look to have caught Blizzard's ire, as it was only a few days later that Payo's account had been banned from the game. He has since apologized and said he's never bought gold personally. He said he was "happy" about the ban, because it shows Blizzard is serious about the RMT problem. Though his main account was banned, Payo was not banned permanently and was allowed to create another account and continue streaming Forever. "I learned from my mistake, and I will never ever promote gold buying again, that's for sure," Payo said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKtc_UCcmZA In the wake of Payo's ban, Blizzard issued another warning shot of a forum post. Community manager Kaivax in a post on October 1 said Blizzard has continued to take action against botting accounts and those who have bought or "knowingly received illicit gold." In addition, Kaivax announced Blizzard will be adding a warning to Forever that will appear when trading with strangers. The warning that will appear is as follows: "Be wary of accepting gold from unknown or suspicious sources. If the provider is engaged in Real Money Transactions, you could put your account at risk of closure." Kaivax concludes by making Blizzard's stance on RMT "crystal clear:" "Any account belonging to any player that is found to have participated in generating, selling, buying, or receiving illicit gold is subject to the gold being removed, account suspensions, or permanent account closers." Some players on places like the WoW Classic subreddit are still skeptical. Blizzard has always talked a big game about banning bots, for example, but as any WoW Classic player can tell you, botting is still a major issue. More than a few in the community point to the fact that Payo and Ziqo weren't permanently banned as Blizzard still being too lenient, especially towards streamers. For others, Blizzard going as far as adding an actual in-game warning about the dangerous consequences of engaging with RMT is a major escalation in the war against gold buyers and sellers. "Players are being given plenty of warning," user Dessiato said in a post discussing Kaivax's forum post. "I look forward to the reckoning." Whether Blizzard lives up to its word remains to be seen, but there's no doubt the Forever beta is putting WoW in the spotlight in a way that hasn't been seen since the launch of WoW Classic in 2019. Blizzard developers have commented that the Forever beta is breaking records, with the Forever beta population cap needing to be raised multiple times since its launch on September 17. The beta, which requires the purchase of the $60 Skyborne Heroic pack in order to gain access, will run until October 21. WoW: Forever launches in full November 4.
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