All posts tagged: console games

‘Saros’ Shows Off the PS5’s DualSense Tricks

‘Saros’ Shows Off the PS5’s DualSense Tricks

Published by skeptic

Spoiler for the very first thing you see in the upcoming game Saros: It’s a bunch of words. The letters type out one by one onto the screen, spelling out some world-building that gives context to kick off the game’s story. I don’t remember what any of it said, because I was so focused on the tactile vibrations coming from the controller in my hands. There is a sharp haptic buzz for every letter, and it immediately feels very clicky-clacky. From the very beginning, Saros makes its intentions clear—this is a story you’ve got to feel. Since the launch of the PlayStation 5, Sony’s DualSense controllers have enabled haptic feedback that developers can use to make the controller vibrate in just the right way to communicate the feel of what is happening on the screen. Maybe it’s letters typing across the screen, little patters of rainfall, or a big rumble when shooting a gun or whacking something with a melee weapon. Adaptive triggers add resistance to the main triggers, meaning the difference between feathering the …

Sony’s PS5 Price Hikes Prove This Console Generation Is Far From Over. Good.

Sony’s PS5 Price Hikes Prove This Console Generation Is Far From Over. Good.

Published by skeptic

If you’ve been holding off on picking up a PlayStation 5 in hopes of a price cut, bad news: the cost of every model of Sony’s all-conquering console has instead just gone up considerably. It’s a move that breaks with decades of tradition (or at least consumer expectations) and is undoubtedly a blow for anyone hoping for a discount, five years into the current console generation. However, it’s also a sign that the current generation is likely to stick around for a while yet—and that may be a good thing, for the industry and players alike. Historically, at this point in a console generation, incumbent hardware sees steep discounts. For example, the PS4, which launched for $400 in 2013, was retailing for $300 by 2018, a 25 percent decrease. Even if hardware is loss-leading, it’s a pricing trajectory that’s usually win-win for manufacturers and customers alike. Production and component costs will typically have dropped over that half-decade, allowing companies to drop the retail price, often alongside slimmed-down hardware revisions. At the same time, players who …

Best Game Controllers for PC, Switch, PS5, and Xbox

Best Game Controllers for PC, Switch, PS5, and Xbox

Published by skeptic

Other Game Controllers to Consider There are so many game controllers out there, but not all of them are good enough to make the list above. These are the other controllers we have tested recently. Photograph: Simon Hill Nacon Revolution 5 Pro: This highly customizable PS5 controller boasts Hall Effect sticks and triggers, programmable back paddles, and a great D-pad. You can tweak the weight, stick length and grips, and even the trigger actuation. It boasts a 10-hour battery life, and you can connect your headset via Bluetooth or plug-in. Unfortunately, it’s expensive, and you don’t get the haptic feedback or adaptive triggers that you’ll find in Sony’s excellent DualSense controllers. Courtesy of Logitech Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel: WIRED editor Parker Hall raved about Logitech’s racing wheel accessory, and racing game fans with deep pockets will love it. It adds a layer of reality to your in-game driving with force feedback and vibrations that help you feel every surface. The gear shift paddles have Hall Effect sensors. There is also an OLED display that …

Gamers Hate Nvidia’s DLSS 5. Developers Aren’t Crazy About It Either

Gamers Hate Nvidia’s DLSS 5. Developers Aren’t Crazy About It Either

Published by skeptic

After a day of widespread, overwhelming pushback, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang doubled down and said gamers are “completely wrong” about DLSS. (You know how much gamers love being told that they’re wrong.) But developers at Capcom and Ubisoft say they didn’t even know what the tech demo would look like and, according to Insider Gaming, found out about it the same time everyone else did and were just as surprised. (Nvidia, Ubisoft, and Capcom did not immediately get back to our request for comment.) “I think the reaction from gamers is understandable,” Marwan Mahmoud, a game developer at Incrypt, wrote in an email to WIRED. “Some games started relying too heavily on these technologies instead of focusing on proper optimization. From a developer perspective, it feels a bit different, because you see DLSS as a tool that helps rather than a core solution.” The problem for many people, developers included, is the one-size-fits-all approach of a technology that can adjust visuals across various game types. “The artist has a style, the artist has an art …

Gamers’ Worst Nightmares About AI Are Coming True

Gamers’ Worst Nightmares About AI Are Coming True

Published by skeptic

The gaming community freaked out last week when Seamus Blackley, the original creator of Xbox, claimed the console was sunsetting in an interview with Gamesbeat. However, if you read the interview or his comments on Bluesky, you’ll realize he meant that something at the core of Xbox feels off: The console he built is in “distress.” Blackley speculated that the February shuffle of Asha Sharma from AI executive to executive vice president and CEO of Microsoft Gaming means the product is in “palliative care.” Xbox is not shutting down, but many were quick to believe the headlines, as there’s a dark cloud over the industry right now. What happened? While gaming experienced an unprecedented high during the pandemic, artificial intelligence crept up behind it. AI’s proliferation in the gaming industry is already accelerating job loss and cheapening the work of developers at studios now scrutinized by anti-AI gamers. Data centers have siphoned RAM from the industry, resulting in a global memory shortage. This has driven up the costs of hardware required for consoles, stalling releases …

Best Nintendo Switch 2 Accessories (2026): Controllers, Cases, and More

Best Nintendo Switch 2 Accessories (2026): Controllers, Cases, and More

Published by skeptic

Other Switch 2 Accessories to Consider Photograph: Matt Kamen iMP Tech DLEX+LED Multi-Function Charger Stand for £35: Perfect for streamers or desk-bound players, this will keep your gaming space tidy and your controllers fully juiced. It has charging slots for four Joy-Con 2s and four original Joy-Cons on the main base unit, all with charge indicators, while two pop-out USB-C cables at the rear allow you to connect more conventional joypads, like the Switch 2 Pro Controller. Power is provided through the charging adapter you already plug into your console’s dock, which is in turn locked in place on the DLX2 with a dual USB-A block that feeds the power through. It’s compatible with the Switch 2, original Switch, and the Switch OLED, and the two USB slots you lose on the dock itself are replaced with pass-through ports on the left of the base for other accessories. Organizationally, the stand gives you somewhere to hang your headset, while a spring-loaded tray on the right holds and hides up to nine Game Carts. It can …