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Without a quality gaming PC or competent console, the only other option for modern gaming is to do so in an internet browser. Thankfully, the demand for these free and easily accessible games has led many independent developers to create games that can run in browsers worldwide. This list is here to inform the community of browser games that are still worth playing, and their quality if they are. This list will cover only the following: Games that are easily accessible, free, and can still be played Games that don't require an excessive amount of technical knowledge to enjoy Games that can run on a low-end device well enough to provide a pleasant experience Note: This list does not include mobile game versions. If you have a phone and need to play a game, go to your OS app store and download something. 10. slither.io slither.io  (Steve Howse, 2016) is an arcade-style action game in which you control a snake, known as a "slither". As this snake, you have one goal: be the biggest slither. You accomplish this goal by forcing enemy players to run into your side by blocking their path and collecting colored dots they drop upon death. You must avoid being trapped by or running into other worms, which becomes significantly more difficult as the game progresses due to the player snake becoming increasingly larger. As a saving grace, however, you may lap over yourself, allowing you to escape what would otherwise be a sticky situation. This game seemingly lacks public online multiplayer, instead having players face off against AI-controlled worms. However, there are ways to play with real-life players, and the game's AI is convincing enough for most people to never notice that fact. slither.io  is not the first "become the biggest" style arcade game, but it is one of the most popular. Similar games include the older Agar.io , the ad-infested Paper.io , Hole.io , and countless others. They are a fun way to get that oft-desired adrenaline rush if that's what you look for in your games. If you're looking for something to play to pass a bit of time, this is a good place to start. 9. slowroads.io Slow Roads is a relaxing driving simulator. The game is fully customizable, allowing players to drive how they want to drive. This is less of a game and more of a relaxation tool, but it is quite fun to take your choice between one of three vehicles cruising down an infinite road. If you want to use it as a screensaver or for some other purpose, you can toggle a setting so that the vehicle will drive on its own. This game is by far one of the most beautiful for browser. It can run on a wide range of devices, and you can fully customize the graphical quality of the game. You can make the game feel as though you're driving through a lush forest or a hot desert, among many other scenarios. The level of detail (namely, flora) is also customizable, and the game uses seeded generation the likes of which are seen in games such as Minecraft or Terraria. 8. yorg3.io Tower defense-style games are by no means uncommon, especially as Web games. After all, in the late 2000s, the world was blessed with the legendary Bloons Tower Defense when Adobe Flash was a commodity. YORG.io 3 (Tobias Springer, 2019), the sequel to YORG.io (there is no YORG.io 2, sadly), is a base building/tower defense game that revolves around protecting your Crystal from zombies at night. These same concepts have been explored by other browser games such as Zombs.io , Taming.io , and MooMoo.io , to name a few. What YORG.io 3 does differently is, well, multiple things. The game features an online multiplayer mode allowing you to collaborate with or play against friends or strangers. It also features resource automation, similar to games like Factorio. Its performance is optimal even on older machines, and it features game modifications to further enhance the experience. Its only drawbacks are a lack of replayability, high difficulty spikes, and a small player base, though you can help with the latter. It is also available on Steam, though like a later entry in this list, that version is not free. 7. Infinite Craft The only game on this list to be released this year, Infinite Craft  (Neal Agarwal, 2024) is rather unique. Its gimmick is combining items, similar to games like Little Alchemy  and others. However, in Infinite Craft , there is no limit to the number of items you can create as the game's code features Artificial Intelligence to determine its items. Despite this, though, item combinations are not random - combining the same items always returns the same result. Infinite Craft , like many browser games, suffers heavily from a lack of replayability. There is no defined goal in this game, as it is purely a sandbox for combining items. You can be the first to discover an item, but this has become significantly more difficult to accomplish since the game was released. Beyond that and a small but dedicated community, there isn't much keeping players playing this game. 6. Clicker Heroes Idle/Incremental games are one of the most common genres for browser games, and Clicker Heroes (Playsaurus, 2014) is one of the most successful in the genre. You play as an unnamed, seemingly omnipotent being, on a quest to kill monsters and earn a profit. You attain your goals by first killing things by hand, and with subsequent levels, hiring Heroes to do the killing for you. As you progress through the game, progression becomes significantly more difficult, requiring players to Ascend to restart their journey but in a more powerful form. The game has no set ending, instead being defined by silly things like strange mathematical concepts and limitations and the existence of the word "Infinity". If you had to choose one idle game to dedicate yourself to, I strongly recommend Clicker Heroes if you don't need to finish a game to be satisfied. I find great pleasure in watching numbers go up, and making deals with deities is always a fun endeavor when it has no real-world consequences. There is even a limited form of online multiplayer so you can play it more efficiently with your friends! The game is still updated semi-regularly, and it has console releases and a sequel on PC. My only gripe is that you can pay money to advance more quickly. 5. NationStates.net By far the oldest game on this list, NationStates  (Max Barry, 2002) is a simulation game where you run your own country. You can select its ideals and answer Issues to develop statistics and policies. You can collect Trading Cards of other nations to build a collection and partake in the in-game economy. You can join regions full of like-minded players, and you can use it as a creative writing outlet to publish fictional works about your nation. There is also a massive community that you can engage and interact with, leaving many possibilities for roleplaying and other group activities. Today, there are nearly 300,000 (!!) concurrent players, and the game has not ceased in growth. While being one of my favorite browser games, NationStates  is high on this list because it is very difficult to maintain engagement with and learn the ropes. Like a select few other games on this list, I have written a comprehensive strategy guide for the game, allowing newcomers to more easily enjoy the game. NationStates  is a very dense, complex game that, despite being simple to navigate and play, has an unholy amount of underlying features and hidden systems that, once delved into, are nice to game. If you don't have the time to sink into this slow-burn game, though, then this isn't for you. 4. Wordle Puzzle games are one of the most common browser game genres, and Wordle  (Josh Wardle / The New York Times, 2021) is most definitely one of those. Wordle is a game you can play once a day to attempt to solve the day's word in six guesses or fewer. If you've a thorough comprehension of the English language, then this game can be a fun commitment. Unlike some of the other games on this list, it forces you to think, and most people agree that brain games are healthy. That was why Brain Age  was one of the most popular games on the Nintendo DS, right? If you struggle with word games, you might not get the most fun out of this stellar but simple game. However, I have written a comprehensive strategy guide for it right here on Glorbo, so you can get help here if need be. This game's only flaw is that it is dreadfully slow-paced; it is one five-letter word every twenty-four hours! Thankfully, many knockoffs available on the Web have circumvented this, allowing you to play practically infinite Wordles in a day. Go solve today's Wordle - it's a good habit to make. 3. Friday Night Funkin' Do you enjoy rhythm games? Have you ever gone to your local arcade, played Dance Dance Revolution , and said "Man, I really  would like to play something like this on my antiquated, dusty laptop"? If so, then this is the game for you! Friday Night Funkin' (Newgrounds, 2020) is a DDR-like rhythm game with a story and an immense amount of natively implemented modifications. This game has all the internet humor of the standard Newgrounds game while making callbacks to previous works and remaining unique. Friday Night Funkin' is a rhythm game featuring a small set of songs in the base game, experienced through a sort of story mode. These songs range in difficulty from a beginner level to mind-numbingly difficult. In addition to the base game, there are hundreds of quality game modifications (hosted in-house at Newgrounds) allowing you to use the game's mechanics to play new - or old - songs. If you like difficulty (or enjoy pain), many of these mods pride themselves on being practically impossible for a newcomer to complete. Even four years after the game's release, the modding scene is still active, and the game is still fun - especially if you haven't played it before. I recommend giving it a try if you've some free time. 2. Cookie Clicker While Clicker Heroes  has already been covered in this list, Cookie Clicker (Dashnet, 2013) is one of its few predecessors. This game was coded in JavaScript in a single evening way back in 2013 and has evolved a lot in the eleven years since its release. It has become iconic and is by far the most popular incremental game on the Web. It had 50,000 players on its first night, and millions more have played it since. Orteil - the game's lead developer - has kept up with the times and is rather active in the community. He maintains the game well, implementing community suggestions and working on updates even to this day. I placed Cookie Clicker  above Clicker Heroes due to its popularity, lack of pay-to-win content, and the fact that this game can be completed much more easily than its counterpart at number 6. While it does take a while, it is possible and even feasible to attain 100% completion in Cookie Clicker . It is tedious and requires consistent effort over some time, but if you think you can handle a small, simple, fun commitment, then this game is for you. The game even supports mods, though it is not as official as the above entry in this list. There is also a Steam release for $5 with a wonderful soundtrack composed by C418 (best known for the Minecraft soundtrack). If you want an idle game to waste time in, then there isn't any better idle game than Cookie Clicker  available in your browser. 1. paper-io.com Though Cookie Clicker  may be by far the best idle  browser game, Paper.io 2 (Voodoo, 2019) is our pick for the best overall. In this game, you control a colored square with your mouse (or arrow keys) on a large, round sheet of blank paper. Your goal: take control of as much of the map as possible while leaving nothing for your opponents. You face off against AI-controlled enemies with the option to play with your friends via the Party feature in standard modes. There are many non-standard modes available, including fan favorite World Domination where you play as a real-life territory (like Germany or Canada) and earn points for your country's team. These points are tracked on a leaderboard, which resets often enough to deter cheaters. Paper.io 2 's website has the game and its various modes alongside hosting the original Paper.io and a few other minigames to pass the time. No matter your computer's performance, this game will most certainly run well on it. There are many adjustable settings to guarantee full compatibility between devices, and the game's mostly offline nature allows you to play it even with limited connectivity. There is no in-game chat or toxic usernames like other entries on this list, and the advertisements are minimal, serving only to ensure the site can run independently. If you're looking for a game to play for free in a web browser, this should be your first pick if you need to try something new. It even has mobile and console releases! Of course, this list is purely subjective, and your favorite game might not be here. Regardless of whether you see something you know here or not, I implore you to try these games at some point. It'll be worth your while. Also, kudos to my buddy Cameran for his help in finding the best games for this review. We've spent several years playing loads of these browser games, and these are - in my opinion - the best we've found (though not our favorites). Enjoy the read. Honorable Mentions (in no particular order) Websites such as Kongregate , Coolmath Games , Newgrounds , and many others host loads of independently developed games that can be played in your browser. If you want something unique instead of something mainstream, I recommend checking these sites out. Showdown! (best known as Pokémon Showdown) is a Pokémon battle simulator where you can create teams and battle against other players. That's about all you can do with it, but the strategizing is remarkably deep and the gameplay is entertaining. Grindcraft   and other games developed by Playsaurus (the developers of Clicker Heroes, number 6 on the list) are all quality experiences and can provide loads of fun...if you can get them to work or find them on the internet. Ninja.io is an entertaining, fast-paced 2D shooter featuring a wealth of weapons and - most notably - online multiplayer. However, like other online shooters, its concurrent player count is steadily diminishing. Bonk.io  is a competitive physics game. It is fun, though lacks depth and has the same player count issues as Ninja.io . BrainChef is a dying/dead MMORPG that is very simple to play and resets once a month... when the servers are being paid for. Right now, the game's URL returns a server error, which is quite sad - I enjoyed the game. Defly.io is a fun one. You control a helicopter on a 2D plane (pun intended) and your objective is to build a base and control as much of the map as you can. It is similar to Paper.io  in that way, but the main difference is that your helicopter is weaponized. This has been a comprehensive list of some quality browser games that anyone can easily play for free. If you're looking for something free to play to pass the time, then I strongly recommend picking something from the above list. Thank you for reading.

In the past week, there's been a lot of buzz around Sony's new multiplayer shooter, Concord . Surprisingly, the chatter isn't about the game’s success but rather its lack of players. While it's common for some games to underperform at launch, Concord ’s particularly poor debut has drawn attention because it’s a high-profile Sony first-party title. The game’s launch on August 23 saw just 697 concurrent players on Steam, and the numbers haven't improved much since. As of now, only about 130 people are playing the game on Steam—a shockingly low figure, even for a title with average reviews. While low launch numbers can sometimes be misleading, that doesn't seem to be the case here. Liam Deane, a principal analyst at Omdia, stated, "The Steam numbers are so bad that even without exact PS5 data, it's clear the game is doing very poorly." Other analysts provided some insight into the PlayStation side as well. Mat Piscatella from Circana, using data from Circana’s Player Engagement Tracker, noted that on August 26, Concord  ranked 147th among US PS5 daily active players, with less than 0.2% of active PS5 users playing the game that day. Simon Carless, who writes the GameDiscover.co newsletter, estimated that Concord has sold around 10,000 units on Steam and about 15,000 on PlayStation as of August 28, 2024. As it turns out, creating a fun, high-quality shooter isn’t enough in today’s crowded live-service market. Several analysts pointed out that Concord had been in development for years, with significant financial and time investment from Sony. The game was well-produced, and as Rhys Elliott from Midia Research mentioned, it’s enjoyable to play. The $40 price tag also hurt the game, especially since its main competitors are free-to-play. As Carless pointed out, multiplayer shooters face an uphill battle unless they can persuade entire groups of friends to switch games. Players are often reluctant to abandon their current games, where they’ve invested time and money in cosmetics and other perks. This issue also extends to content creators, who risk losing their audience if they switch to a new, unproven game. Free-to-play games allow players to try them out without financial commitment, but Concord 's $40 price makes that unlikely. Van Dreunen mentioned that this is particularly problematic near the end of a console cycle when players are more cautious about spending on new games. Timing also played a role in Concord ’s struggle. It launched on August 23, just three days after Black Myth: Wukong , a much-hyped game that overshadowed Concord  in terms of marketing and sales. Concord ’s release date was announced five months after Black Myth: Wukong ’s, but Sony didn’t adjust the timing to avoid this clash. Concord ’s failure has drawn attention because it contrasts starkly with its status as a Sony first-party title in a popular genre, yet it launched to an almost complete lack of interest. But the reasons behind its failure are straightforward. Sony chose not to heavily market the game, set a high price point despite fierce competition from free-to-play titles, and failed to offer something truly unique in an overcrowded market. Even if these factors had been different, Concord  was always facing an uphill battle—one that will only get tougher as more multiplayer shooters are released in the coming years.

Andrew C. Greenberg, the co-creator of the seminal Wizardry RPG series, has passed away at 67. His death was announced on Facebook by his Wizardry collaborator, Robert Woodhead, and also shared on Twitter by game developer and design professor David Mullich. Greenberg and Woodhead's contributions to RPGs and PC gaming are immeasurable. Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord  was one of the first recognizable RPGs available on home computers. It brought the experience of tabletop RPGs and games designed for the powerful PLATO mainframes found on college campuses to the Apple II, a home computer. Wizardry was groundbreaking in many ways, including being one of the earliest RPGs to allow players to control a full party of characters, each with unique abilities and traits. Players explored a vast, first-person, wireframe labyrinth, uncovering hidden doors, evading traps, and facing formidable enemies. At the dungeon's end awaited the "Mad Overlord" Werdna⁠—a playful nod to Greenberg’s own name, Andrew, spelled backward. Greenberg continued to use this moniker long after his gaming career, adopting it as a personal email handle and the username for a YouTube channel where he documented his work on a bowling scorecard program. The impact of Wizardry, alongside the Ultima series, was profound throughout the 1980s, with both games and their sequels being ported to major personal computers like the Commodore 64 and MS-DOS PCs. Wizardry's influence was particularly strong in Japan, where it contributed significantly to the birth of the JRPG genre. Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii has frequently cited Wizardry as a major influence and recalled in a 2022 tweet meeting Robert Woodhead, remarking, "When I think back, it all started 40 years ago when I got really into Wizardry." After developing the Star Saga games in 1988 and '89, Greenberg transitioned from the gaming industry to a legal career, initially specializing in intellectual property law in Florida before becoming general counsel for the renewable energy company Xslent. Despite his career shift, Greenberg's passion for programming endured, as evidenced by an archived version of his personal website and his active YouTube channel. A 1999 letter shared on a Wizardry fan site reveals that Greenberg married Sheila McDonald, a Wizardry playtester, and the couple had two children. Though Greenberg left the gaming industry long ago, his legacy continues in modern RPGs, from Baldur's Gate to Persona. His work on Wizardry is still accessible today, especially through Digital Eclipse’s recent remaster of the original game, which includes a picture-in-picture view of its classic 1-bit graphics and was developed with input from the Wizardry creators.

PlayStation is set to take offline the newly released live service game Concord, developed by Firewalk Studios, this Friday, only two weeks after its August 23 launch. Alongside the shutdown, the company will be issuing refunds to all players. Concord, a team-based first-person shooter, has struggled to attract a significant player base since its release on PlayStation 5 and PC. According to SteamDB, a third-party PC gaming data website, the game had just 30 active players at the time of reporting on Tuesday. At its peak, “Concord” reached 697 concurrent players—a notably low number for a new PlayStation title—and it ranked near the bottom of PlayStation’s weekly sales charts. Often compared to the popular multiplayer shooter “Overwatch,” “Concord” allows players to form crews of Freegunner space outlaws aboard the spacecraft Northstar, competing in online matches between two teams of five. However, the limited number of players made finding matches increasingly difficult, detracting from the overall gaming experience. In a blog post published by PlayStation on Tuesday, Ryan Ellis, game director at Firewalk Studios, addressed the situation. “Concord fans — we’ve been listening closely to your feedback since the launch of Concord on PlayStation 5 and PC and want to thank everyone who has joined the journey aboard the Northstar. Your support and the passionate community that has grown around the game has meant the world to us. However, while many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended. Therefore, at this time, we have decided to take the game offline beginning Sept. 6, 2024, and explore options, including those that will better reach our players. While we determine the best path ahead, Concord sales will cease immediately and we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased the game for PS5 or PC.” According to PlayStation, customers who purchased Concord from the PlayStation Store or PlayStation Direct will receive a refund to their original payment method. Players who bought the game through Steam, the Epic Games Store, or physical retailers will receive refunds through those respective platforms. Once refunds are processed, players will no longer have access to the game.

Despite some pre-release criticism, Star Wars Outlaws  has been a major success since its August 30th launch, with community backlash toward Ubisoft seemingly having little impact on its popularity among mainstream audiences. Even with just one day on the weekly sales chart, Star Wars Outlaws  claimed the number one spot, highlighting both Ubisoft's prowess as a developer and the enduring appeal of the Star Wars  brand. Kay Vess, a newly introduced character to the Star Wars  universe, is a central figure in the game, which has captivated fans. However, one notable absence from the video game charts is Black Myth: Wukong . Despite its massive launch, which saw over 2 million concurrent players on Steam and 10 million sales in its first three days, it didn’t chart. This is likely because the physical PS5 release didn’t include a disc, offering only a digital activation code, prompting most players to purchase directly from online stores. Had it included a disc, its absence from the charts would be surprising given its immense popularity. It will be interesting to see how Star Wars Outlaws  fares on the U.S. sales charts when those figures are released in a few weeks. Last month, College Football 25  and its MVP Bundle, which included Madden 25 , dominated the charts in the top two positions, with College Football 25  quickly becoming the best-selling game of 2024, dethroning Helldivers 2 . As we approach Autumn, the gaming world braces for the arrival of heavy hitters like Black Ops 6 , The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom , and Assassin’s Creed Shadows .

The success of Black Myth: Wukong  continues to soar, with a new Bloomberg report confirming key details about the action RPG, which has set records on Steam and received glowing reviews. Game Science has officially announced that the game has sold 18 million units to date, with a production budget of around $70 million. Gaming budgets are skyrocketing, and Black Myth: Wukong  demonstrates how the industry can navigate these financial challenges. Already a fan-favorite, Black Myth: Wukong  was developed over six years, during which Game Science expanded its studio and prepared for AAA-level production. The $70 million price tag is notable, as most AAA games typically cost much more. Despite this modest budget, the game has been praised by fans and holds its own against titles that cost over $100 million. Thanks to its efficient production, Black Myth: Wukong  has been highly profitable. With 18 million copies sold, it has generated close to $1 billion in revenue, prompting the studio to confirm plans for DLC. No one expected China’s first AAA game to perform this well, but Game Science is continuing to aim high, promising even more immersive experiences in the future. With the game’s overwhelming success, all eyes are on Game Science to see where the story of the Destined One will go next.

The upcoming Nintendo Switch successor, referred to as the Switch 2, is rumored to include backward compatibility, according to the latest reports. Industry insider Nate the Hate has revealed through his sources that the Switch 2 will support backward compatibility. He shared this insight following news that Hosiden, a key assembler for Nintendo, invested 2 billion Yen in production equipment and 1 billion Yen in automation in March 2025, likely linked to its major client, Nintendo. Backward compatibility seems like a logical feature for the Nintendo Switch 2, and this isn't the first time it has been mentioned. Previously, Nate the Hate shared on the gaming forum Reset Era that partner developers are already testing this functionality on the new, unannounced hardware. However, the extent of any graphical improvements that may come with backward-compatible games remains unclear. Nate had earlier expressed skepticism regarding substantial performance enhancements for older games, predicting that developers might re-release titles with updates instead of issuing free patches to save costs. In an October 2023 interview, Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser hinted at the likelihood of backward compatibility for the Switch 2. When asked about easing the transition for current Switch owners, Bowser highlighted the importance of the Nintendo Account system. Unlike past consoles that required new account setups, the Nintendo Account is designed to carry over to future platforms, potentially making the transition to the Switch 2 smoother for players and preserving their content investments.

The collaboration between Sony and Arrowhead Game Studios has sparked controversy. While the Japanese publisher played a significant role in elevating Helldivers 2  to unexpected heights, some decisions have also contributed to the game's decline. However, Arrowhead views the partnership positively, attributing much of the responsibility for the game's challenges to themselves. In a recent discussion on the official Helldivers 2  Discord server, Arrowhead Game Studios' CEO, Shams Jorjani, addressed concerns surrounding the recent blog post outlining the 60-day roadmap. Among the questions raised, one key issue was the Escalation of Freedom  update, which sparked backlash leading to the roadmap announcement. Jorjani acknowledged that “Escalation of Freedom was a bit underwhelming, and the flamethrower overshadowed much of the good content." This led them to admit that “the marketing for the update might have been overhyped, given it wasn’t a massive content drop,” though Jorjani emphasized that “90% of the update was good.” In defense of Sony, Jorjani added, “Sony did their job. It was us who didn’t deliver enough.” Both companies have faced criticism regarding Helldivers 2 . Earlier this year, Sony was criticized for requiring players to link a PSN account, which resulted in players from 180 countries being unable to purchase the game due to unavailable services in those regions. This led to over 154,000 negative reviews. Arrowhead has also faced backlash for its approach to updates, particularly reactionary nerfs based on weapon popularity, which has driven some players away from the game. Whether Arrowhead Game Studios can recover remains to be seen, but players won’t have to wait long. The first update from the 60-day roadmap is scheduled for release on September 17th, with Jorjani teasing that the patch notes will span "6-8 pages," signaling significant changes—hopefully for the better.

PlayStation’s venture into live-service games began a few years ago, leading to major releases like Helldivers 2  earlier this year. However, the company's efforts in this space have been less successful than anticipated. When examining the lineup of games released and announced, it’s evident that Helldivers 2  is an outlier. Over half of PlayStation's live-service projects have either failed or been canceled. PlayStation has likely invested millions into these projects. Concord  alone had a budget exceeding $100 million, and these setbacks could pose long-term challenges for the company. Many of these projects are either still in development or have been canceled, with six major cancellations so far. Among them, Spider-Man: The Great Web was scrapped early on, while Naughty Dog’s multiplayer ambitions for The Last of Us 2 were halted much later, and London Studio was recently shuttered. Deviation Games also faced layoffs, resulting in another canceled title. Leaks suggest that Twisted Metal  is no longer in production, and Payback —a Destiny  spin-off by Bungie—was canceled early in its development. Meanwhile, both Concord  and Destruction All-Stars  flopped post-launch. Although Foamstars  was not a first-party title, it was marketed as a PlayStation exclusive. After a lukewarm reception, Square Enix transitioned the game to a free-to-play model. In total, 9 out of 16 live-service projects have failed. Sony acquired Bungie for its live-service expertise, but even Bungie’s upcoming project Marathon is reportedly facing difficulties. Meanwhile, Fairgame$ seems at risk of following Concord’s trajectory, though PlayStation still has time to adjust its strategy. As for titles from Guerrilla Games and Bend Studio, little is known at this point. PlayStation’s live-service efforts haven’t panned out as hoped, and it seems the company is scaling back its ambitions. Moving forward, PlayStation plans to release six major live-service titles by 2026.

Sony has officially unveiled the PlayStation 5 Pro, a mid-generation upgrade for its current gaming console. During a technical presentation led by system architect Mark Cerny, Sony announced the PS5 Pro's release date, price, specifications, and more. The presentation, lasting just 9 minutes, covered all the key details about the new PlayStation. The brief video, available on YouTube, showcases the PlayStation 5 Pro in great detail. Touted as the "most powerful console" PlayStation has ever created, the PS5 Pro introduces PSSR upscaling, enhanced ray-tracing, an upgraded GPU, and additional improvements. R elease Date Sony has confirmed that the PlayStation 5 Pro will be released on November 7, 2024, just in time for the holiday season. This comes four years after the original PS5, a year longer than the three-year gap between the PS4 and PS4 Pro. Specifications In addition to the release date, Sony confirmed the long-rumored specs of the PS5 Pro, which significantly enhance the base model. Here are the official specs: Storage 2TB SSD CPU 8 Core AMD Zen 2, boost-clocked up to 3.85 GHz GPU RDNA 2 GPU with 60 Compute Units RAM 13.7GB (shared between system and games) Bandwidth 576GB/s Ports HDMI 2.1, USB-C x 2, USB-A x 2 (10Gbps) Expansion Slots NVMe SSD slot, USB HDD/SSD support via USB 3.1/USB-C 3.1 Connectivity Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 Price The PS5 Pro will retail for $699.99/£699.99/€799.99. For comparison, the original PS5 launched at $399.99 for the Digital Edition and $499.99 for the Standard Edition, making the Pro a pricier but more advanced option. Design The PlayStation 5 Pro closely resembles the current PS5 Slim in terms of design. As previously leaked, it features a tall white chassis with three black stripes on the side. Notably, the PS5 Pro does not include a built-in disc drive. Players who wish to use physical media will need to purchase an external disc drive, which Sony will sell separately.

This year has been tough for the gaming industry, and Microsoft's gaming division appears to be no exception. After a significant 8% staff reduction earlier this year, a new report reveals that an additional 650 jobs have been cut from the company's gaming sector. According to an internal email from Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft's gaming division, these layoffs primarily impact corporate and support roles, particularly within Activision-Blizzard, following the $69 billion acquisition in October 2023. “As part of aligning our post-acquisition team structure and managing our business, we have made the decision to eliminate approximately 650 roles across Microsoft Gaming—mostly corporate and supporting functions—to organize our business for long-term success," Spencer explained in the email. He emphasized that these cuts will not affect Xbox leadership or the gaming teams, and no games, devices, or experiences will be canceled. This latest wave of layoffs adds to the already substantial job cuts seen across the gaming industry this year. Microsoft had previously laid off 1,900 employees, impacting various roles, and also shut down several studios, including Tango Gameworks. Fortunately, Tango was later acquired by Krafton, along with its Hi-Fi Rush IP. We hope those affected by these layoffs are able to find new opportunities soon.

OpenAI has unveiled a new series of AI models called o1, specifically designed to enhance problem-solving abilities and improve complex reasoning skills. According to OpenAI, o1 represents a major advancement in AI technology, offering a more human-like approach to tackling challenges. But does it truly live up to this claim? Pygame, a game engine built on the widely accessible Python programming language, is often a gateway for beginners learning game development. Given its relatively straightforward nature, it’s the perfect testing ground for an AI model’s coding abilities. In a video shared on X, researcher Jason Wei gave the o1 preview a prompt: "Use Pygame to make a game called 'Squirrel Finder.'" He described the game's core mechanics, what should appear on the screen, and even provided a few PNG images for use as graphics. OpenAI o1 produced functioning game code, albeit basic, which could be pasted into a text editor and run using the Pygame engine. One standout feature of the o1 models is their ability to take more time to contemplate before responding. This allows them to refine their approach, identify errors, and deliver more precise solutions. In extensive testing, the o1 models have excelled in fields like science, coding, and mathematics. As OpenAI explains: "OpenAI o1 thinks before it answers and can generate a long internal chain-of-thought before responding to users." Though still in its early stages, the o1 series has already outperformed earlier AI models in reasoning. OpenAI has even reset its naming system to emphasize the significance of this leap in AI capabilities. Safety and ethics have been central to the development of the o1 models, which is crucial given the rising concerns about AI technologies. OpenAI has implemented a new safety training approach that relies on the models’ reasoning to ensure adherence to ethical guidelines. To minimize risks, rigorous testing and evaluation protocols are in place. If developed responsibly, the o1 models could mark a major milestone in AI's evolution.