Earlier this month, Nintendo received a lot of negative attention for an end-user license agreement (EULA) update granting the company the claimed right to render Switch consoles "permanently unusable in whole or in part" for violations such as suspected hacking or piracy. As it turns out, though, Nintendo isn't the only console manufacturer that threatens to remotely brick systems in response to rule violations. And attorneys tell Ars Technica that they're probably well within their legal rights to do so.

Sony's System Software License Agreement on the PS5, for instance, contains the following paragraph of "remedies" it can take for "violations" such as use of modified hardware or pirated software (emphasis added).

If SIE Inc determines that you have violated this Agreement's terms, SIE Inc may itself or may procure the taking of any action to protect its interests such as disabling access to or use of some or all System Software, disabling use of this PS5 system online or offline, termination of your access to PlayStation Network, denial of any warranty, repair or other services provided for your PS5 system, implementation of automatic or mandatory updates or devices intended to discontinue unauthorized use, or reliance on any other remedial efforts as reasonably necessary to prevent the use of modified or unpermitted use of System Software.

The same exact clause appears in the PlayStation 4 EULA as well. The PlayStation 3 EULA was missing the "disabling use... online or offline" clause, but it does still warn that Sony can take steps to "discontinue unauthorized use" or "prevent the use of a modified PS3 system, or any pirated material or equipment."

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has officially dropped its case against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The FTC filed an order to dismiss its complaint on Thursday, just days after it lost an appeal for a preliminary injunction to prevent Microsoft from finalizing its acquisition.

“The Commission has determined that the public interest is best served by dismissing the administrative litigation in this case,“ says the FTC in its filing. The filing brings an end to the FTC’s fight to try and block Microsoft’s $68.7 billion deal, nearly two years after it originally sought a temporary restraining order and injunction from a US federal district court.

Today’s decision is a victory for players across the country and for common sense in Washington, D.C. We are grateful to the FTC for today’s announcement. https://t.co/nnmUI76q0l pic.twitter.com/KgLxhZppx3

— Brad Smith (@BradSmi) May 22, 2025

Microsoft won its FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard in July 2023, and the deal was completed several months later, in October, nearly two years after the acquisition was first announced. The FTC had appealed the ruling nearly two years ago, but an appeals court panel affirmed the denial of an injunction earlier this month.

“Today’s decision is a victory for players across the country and for common sense in Washington, DC,” says Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith. “We are grateful to the FTC for today’s announcement.”

Microsoft has announced that a new “Retro Classics” collection is now available to Game Pass subscribers. Reminiscent of the Nintendo Switch Online classic games library, the collection includes Pitfall, Grand Prix, and more than 50 other Activision titles from the 1980s and 1990s. It’s not as many titles as the 1,300 retro games that Antstream, Microsoft’s partner in the offering, has available on its streaming service, but it won’t cost Game Pass subscribers any extra.

Retro Classics, which Microsoft writes is part of its “commitment to game preservation and backwards compatibility,” is available on Xbox consoles, PC, or via Xbox cloud gaming on compatible devices like some LG and Samsung smart TVs and the Meta Quest headset. Other games included in the collection include Cosmic Ark, MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat, and Atlantis.

Based on screenshots, it looks like the collection will include titles from the original PlayStation, the SNES, MS-DOS, and more. Players will be able to collect achievements and participate in events like tournaments and community challenges as well.

Microsoft says this is only the start; the collection will expand to include more than 100 games from Activision and Blizzard eventually. Like Nintendo’s retro collection, you’re out of luck if you don’t have Microsoft’s gaming subscription, as the titles in the collection aren’t available for sale separately.

Antstream Arcade separately announced a temporary deal for Game Pass subscribers. Until June 4th, members can sign up for a year of access to Antstream’s library, which includes more than 1,300 games, for $9.99 via the Microsoft Store.

Here is the full collection of launch titles for the Retro Classics collection, which Activision’s Dustin Blackwell sent to The Verge:

• Activision prototype #1
• Atlantis
• Atlantis II
• Barnstorming
• Baseball
• Beamrider
• Bloody Human Freeway
• Boxing
• Bridge
• Caesar II
• Checkers
• Chopper Command
• Commando
• Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood
• Cosmic Ark
• Crackpots
• Decathlon
• Demon Attack
• Dolphin
• Dragster
• Enduro
• Fathom
• Fire Fighter
• Fishing Derby
• Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist
• Freeway
• Frostbite
• Grand Prix
• H.E.R.O.
• Kaboom!
• Laser Blast
• MechWarrior
• MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat
• Megamania
• Pitfall II: Lost Caverns
• Pitfall!
• Police Quest 1
• Pressure Cooker
• Quest for Glory 1
• Riddles of the Sphinx
• River Raid
• River Raid II
• Robot Tank
• Sky Jinks
• Space Quest 2
• Space Quest 6
• Space Treat Deluxe
• Spider Fighter
• Star Voyager
• Tennis
• The Adventures of Willy Beamish
• The Adventures of Willy Beamish
• The Dagger of Amon Ra
• Thwocker
• Title Match Pro Wrestling
• Torin’s Passage
• Trick Shot
• Vault Assault
• Venetian Blinds
• Zork I
• Zork Zero

Update, May 21st: Added list of Retro Classics launch titles.

Microsoft’s Ninja Theory studio is bringing Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II to the PS5 “this summer.” Set in a dark ninth-century Iceland, Hellblade II originally debuted on Xbox Series S / X and PC last year, and it’s now making its way to Sony’s console just over a year later.

Hellblade II is the latest Xbox game to make its way to PS5 this year, with Microsoft bringing Forza Horizon 5 to Sony’s rival console soon, alongside Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and the Age of Mythology: Retold release on PS5 in March. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle also arrived on PS5 this spring, with Doom: The Dark Ages following on May 15th. The original Gears of War is also coming to PS5 in August as a remastered version, and Microsoft also released its Oblivion remaster on PS5 recently.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is coming to PlayStation 5 this summer with some exciting new features.

These features will also be available at the same time as a free update for players on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC and Steam.

We look forward to sharing more details soon. pic.twitter.com/iKcwUL7X5U

— Ninja Theory (@NinjaTheory) May 21, 2025

The original Hellblade was a timed console exclusive for the PS4 in 2017, before it arrived on Xbox One the following year. Hellblade II is part of Microsoft’s wave of Project Latitude titles, which see the software giant evolving the Xbox platform to bring more games to rival platforms.

I revealed last year that Hellblade II was under consideration for a PS5 release, alongside other titles like Gears of War, Halo: Combat Evolved, and Microsoft Flight Simulator. Microsoft is also working on some Xbox ports for Nintendo’s Switch 2, which I expect we’ll hear about soon.

Metaphor ReFantazio — a game that combines innovative turn-based combat with a story timely for our current political moment — is coming to Xbox Game Pass later this month. In fact, the Game Pass line up for the rest of May is actually pretty sweet.

Metaphor, Atlus’ best RPG since Persona 5, arrives on Game Pass next week on May 29th. Another fave, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, an afro-futuristic metroidvania that deals with grief and loss and a heaping helping of African folklore, is also heading to Game Pass tomorrow on May 22nd. I’m also really excited to see that To a T, the quirky and cute new game from Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi, is launching day and date on Game Pass on May 28th.

Venturing outside the realm of RPGs, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 arrives on Game Pass on May 27th and if you just gotta have something new to play today, there’s Monster Train 2, a deckbuilding roguelike from Devolver Digital, out right now. Check out the full list of late May Game Pass additions here and there’s also a list of games coming to the Cloud Gaming Beta too so maybe something will catch your interest.

A year ago Xbox president Sarah Bond revealed that Microsoft was planning to launch a new Xbox mobile web store in July 2024. That never happened. I’ve been wondering what the hold up has been over the past year, and it seems we might have an answer: Apple.

Microsoft filed an amicus brief late on Tuesday, in support of Epic Games’ ongoing fight with Apple’s control over the App Store. The brief takes issue with Apple’s attempt to overturn the injunction that allows Epic and other developers to freely advertise alternative payment methods in their apps, and not have to pay Apple additional fees for purchases made outside of apps.

It’s a key ruling that has already allowed Fortnite to return to the App Store in the US, complete with the ability for Epic Games to link out to its own payment system inside the game. Microsoft has wanted to offer a similar experience for its Xbox mobile store prior to the ruling, but it says its solution “has been stymied by Apple.” Here’s how Microsoft explains it:

The district court’s injunction allows Apple to maintain its in-app exclusivity but at least should have enabled Microsoft to offer consumers a workable solution by launching its own online store — accessible via link-out — for in-app items to be purchased off-app and used in games or other apps. And that is what Microsoft wants to do. But even this solution has been stymied by Apple. Prior to the district court’s most recent order, Microsoft had been unable to implement linked-out payments (or even inform customers that alternative purchase methods exist) because of Apple’s new anti-steering policies that restrict Microsoft’s communication to users and impose an even higher economic cost to Microsoft than before the injunction.

The court ruling makes it possible for Microsoft to now launch its Xbox mobile store, but it’s clear that the software giant also wants to ensure Apple’s appeal against the ruling isn’t successful. If Microsoft did launch its Xbox mobile store and then Apple won a temporary stay, it may have to pull that store pending the appeal process.

Microsoft even notes in its filing that “Apple makes no argument that the technical or policy changes cannot be undone,” so it’s urging the ruling to be enforced pending Apple’s appeal. “Microsoft’s own experience managing app stores confirms that Apple’s policies could be restored if Apple ultimately prevails on appeal.”

The court ruling also impacts Microsoft’s main Xbox mobile app. “Similarly, Microsoft has long sought to enable Xbox app users on iOS to both buy and stream games in the app from the cloud or their other devices,” says Microsoft in its filing. “Apple’s policies have restricted Microsoft’s ability to offer these functionalities together; the injunction allows Microsoft to explore this possibility.”

Microsoft started rolling out the ability to purchase games and DLC inside the Xbox mobile app last month, but it had to remove the remote play option to adhere to Apple’s App Store policies. You can’t currently buy an Xbox game in the Xbox mobile app on iOS and then stream it inside that same app. You have to manually navigate to the Xbox Cloud Gaming mobile website on a browser to get access to cloud gaming.

Sarah Bond also announced plans to let players purchase and play games within the Xbox app on Android in October, just days after a court ruled that Google must crack open Android to third-party app stores. The feature was supposed to arrive in November, but Bond then blamed a “temporary administrative stay” for holding it back.

Microsoft is going to allow Xbox owners to pin apps and games directly to the Home UI. The latest change to the homescreen section of the Xbox dashboard will be available to Xbox Insiders this week, alongside options to hide system apps, choose the number of apps and games listed, and modify the size of the tiled UI.

You’ll soon be able to pin up to three of your recently played games or apps to the homescreen. “These pins will stay near the front of the list as you launch other things, giving you quick access to your go-to titles,” explains Eden Marie, principal software engineering lead for Xbox experiences.

If you don’t want to see system apps listed on the homescreen, you’ll be able to disable these to focus solely on games and apps. If you really want to take customization a step further, you’ll also soon be able to reduce the number of visible tiles in the recently played games and apps list. Microsoft says it’s “refining this setting” and it’ll be available to Xbox Insiders soon.

Microsoft is making these Xbox Home interface changes because fans have requested more customizability. “We’ve heard from many of you that Home should feel more like your space,” says Marie. “Whether it’s surfacing your favorite games, hiding what you don’t use, or simply making Home feel less crowded, this update is a direct response to that feedback.”

Microsoft previously tested a big overhaul of the Xbox Home UI in 2022, before shipping it broadly to Xbox owners in 2023. The software maker made more room for backgrounds, quick access to games, the store, and settings as part of the UI overhaul.

If you've spent any time on the internet, you may have seen the "what I expected vs. what I got" memes. If I could make one for Doom: The Dark Ages, in my expected column I'd reference the earlier Doom games - Eternal and the 2016 soft reboot of the franchise. But for the "what I got column" there'd be an unexpected mix. Those earlier Doom games would still be there as in most respects The Dark Ages is very much like its predecessors. But I'd also throw in Band of Brothers, Pirates of the Carribean, Pacific Rim, The Necronomicon, and a collection of the best bodice ripper romance books literature can provide.

For The Dark Ages, id Software takes the story way back to the early days, to a time before the demons invade Mars and Earth. The Doomguy, known as The Slayer, is a supersoldier enhanced by aliens who have styled themselves as humanity's gods. When those gods and their human collaborators are besieged by the legions of Hell, the Slayer gets to doing what he does best: ripping and tearing until it is done.

The Slayer has an arsenal of weapons to aid him in his quest. The series' time-honored favorites, like the super shotgun, make an appearance. But in this old time-y prequ …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The 'John Wick' filmmaker has signed on to helm the movie based on the hit Xbox video game franchise.

Sony says it may also move manufacturing to the U.S., but we have our doubts.

Microsoft announced on Tuesday that it’s laying off more than 6,000 employees, around three percent of the company’s entire workforce. These are the biggest job cuts at Microsoft since it laid off 10,000 employees in 2023, and will impact employees across Microsoft’s businesses.

“We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace,” says Microsoft spokesperson Pete Wootton in a statement to The Verge.

I understand that the job cuts will impact all levels at Microsoft, including Microsoft-owned LinkedIn and some international offices. The cuts come just weeks after Microsoft CFO Amy Hood hinted at reducing the company’s management layers. “We continue to focus on building high-performing teams and increasing our agility by reducing layers with fewer managers,” said Hood on April 30th. Microsoft also started ”performance-based” cuts earlier this year, which have targeted hundreds of employees.

The latest job losses come more than a year after Microsoft laid off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees, and then in May 2024 the company closed several game studios, including Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall developer Arkane Austin. Tango Gameworks later returned thanks to a deal with Krafton.

Microsoft also laid off 650 more Xbox employees in September, as part of a restructuring related to the company’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Microsoft also cut around 1,000 employees from its HoloLens and Azure cloud teams in June.

The Asus ROG Ally 2 may include a dedicated Xbox button, plus some contoured grips.

The first photos of the Asus ROG Ally 2 have surfaced online thanks to regulatory listings, but with a twist: there are two versions of the gaming handheld, and one features a dedicated Xbox button.

We reported two months ago that Microsoft was working with Asus to develop an Xbox-branded handheld codenamed “Project Kennan,” and this appears to be it. It’s a black version of the otherwise almost identical white ROG Ally 2, with a small button in the top-left corner bearing an engraved Xbox logo. That button is blacked out on the regular ROG, though will likely be replaced or removed in its production version.

91mobiles found listings for the ROG Ally 2 at the Indonesian certificate, and VideoCardz linked those to an FCC listing for the Wi-Fi module included in the two devices, which includes photos of the hardware. That listing also reveals some limited specs, which include a 7-inch, 120Hz LCD display — about the same as the first generation — with an 8-core, 36W AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme CPU included in the Xbox edition, and a less powerful 4-core, 20W chip in the white version.

The design has also been altered, with more molded controller grips on each edge, rather than the blocky, sloped design of the ROG Ally. That leaves the hardware as a whole looking thicker than before, but perhaps it’ll be more comfortable to hold.

With certification already under way, it’s likely that a release is around the corner. Asus often launches hardware at Computex, which begins on May 20th — just one day after Microsoft’s own Build conference begins on May 19th.

More than a year after Microsoft announced plans to start releasing games on rival platforms, the publisher seems to have hit its stride on PlayStation. Sony released its monthly most-downloaded charts for PS5 games, and for April, the top three titles in both Europe and North America all came from Microsoft. No sales numbers were included, but the top games were Minecraft, the Oblivion remaster, and Forza Horizon 5, while Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 charted as well.

This comes as Xbox just announced another multiplatform remaster with the original Gears of War, and ahead of the launch of Doom: The Dark Ages next week. What started as a trickle of Xbox games on the PS5 has turned into a flood.

This, of course, is a great thing for players, with major game releases available on more platforms. But it’s also part of a slow and steady shift for the platform holders, which once heavily relied on exclusives as a means to move hardware. That’s still largely the case for Nintendo — don’t expect to see Mario Kart World anywhere but the Switch 2 — but Microsoft and Sony have been steadily pushing in another direction.

While Sony has yet to release a first-party game on a rival console, it has made the PC a major part of its current strategy, with notable releases like Spider-Man 2 and soon The Last of Us Part II launching on PC after their PlayStation debuts. Part of the goal, according to Sony, is to use these PC games to eventually lure players back to their console.

Microsoft’s strategy has similarly been gradual, but more expansive. It started with four smaller titles, including Grounded and Hi-Fi Rush, last February, and covered both the PS5 and Nintendo Switch. And at the time Xbox chief Phil Spencer told The Verge that “I don’t want to create a false expectation on those other platforms that this is somehow the first four to get over the dam and then the dam’s going to open and that everything else is coming, that’s not the plan today. I also don’t want to mislead customers on those other platforms.”

Well, the dam seems to have burst. Major Xbox releases like Age of Empires and Indiana Jones have made their way to the PS5, while upcoming games like Doom, Gears, and The Outer Worlds 2 are also launching on Sony’s console. Not every first-party Xbox game has been announced for the PS5 — Avowed and South of Midnight are still Xbox exclusives, for now, as is Starfield — but many of the heavy hitters have, including the likes of Gears, which has long been heavily associated with the Xbox brand.

It seems pretty clear that Microsoft is still in something of an experimentation phase, seeing how different kinds of games perform on different platforms. And as selling increasingly expensive hardware becomes less of a focus for the publisher, the success of those games will be key. Last year, when this initiative was still getting started, Spencer said that the long-term goal was “a future where every screen is an Xbox.” Based on the current sales charts, it seems that now includes a PlayStation.

Microsoft just announced Gears of War: Reloaded, a remaster of the original game that’s launching on August 26th for Xbox Series X / S, PlayStation, and PC for $39.99. 

“Gears of War: Reloaded is a celebration of one of gaming’s most iconic franchises,” according to an Xbox Wire blog post. “Featuring 4K resolution, 120 FPS support, and the ultimate multiplayer experience with cross-progression and cross-play, across all platforms, this is the definitive way to experience the game that started it all.”

The game will have the “full breadth of content from the Gears of War: Ultimate Edition” and “players will gain immediate access to all post-launch downloadable content at no additional cost,” including “the bonus Campaign act, all multiplayer maps and modes, and a full roster of classic characters and cosmetics unlockable through progression.”

Gears of War: Reloaded will have two-player co-op for the campaign and 8-player multiplayer. And if you owned Gears of War: Ultimate Edition ahead of Monday’s announcement at 12PM ET, you’ll get Reloaded as a free upgrade.

Last year, Microsoft announced a new game in the series, Gears of War: E-Day, which doesn’t yet have a release date. 

Microsoft increased the price of Xbox Series consoles by up to $100 earlier this week, but thankfully, not all retailers have raised the price (yet). Dell, for instance, is still offering the digital-only Xbox Series X (1TB) for $449.99, saving you $100 on the new MSRP. The smaller, 512GB Xbox Series S is also available at Walmart for just $273.99 ($106 off), while the 1TB model is going for $347 ($83 off) at Walmart.

In case you need a refresher, the Series X is more powerful and capable than the smaller Xbox Series S. The Series X offers support for native 4K resolution, for example, while the smaller Series S is primarily designed for 1440p gaming. Microsoft’s higher-end console also offers 1TB of storage, double the base Series S, along with faster performance thanks to an expanded 12 teraflops of GPU performance.

Both the disc-less Xbox Series X and Series S lack an optical drive, meaning they’re limited to playing digital titles. That being said, they can play all of the same titles, including those offered through Xbox Game Pass — including newer RPGs like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, along with former exclusives such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

Read our Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X reviews.

If $80 games are already rocking your world, analysts have suggested GTA VI could cost even more.

An Xbox Series X now starts at $550, and you can expect $80 games to arrive soon enough.

Microsoft announced price increases on Thursday for its Xbox consoles, controllers, and some games. The affected consoles, which include Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S models, will increase in price between $80 and $100 each, depending on the console. These consoles were first released almost five years ago, with the basic Xbox Series S […]

Microsoft is raising the prices of its Xbox Series S / X consoles, Xbox controllers, and even some new Xbox games around the world. Starting today, Microsoft says it has adjusted its recommended retailer pricing for its Xbox consoles and controllers, with the Xbox Series X being bumped by $100 to $599.99. Microsoft is also planning to adjust the pricing of some of its new first-party Xbox games this holiday season up to $79.99.

Microsoft’s Xbox Series S (512GB) model is moving from $299.99 to $379.99, a price hike of $80. The Xbox Series S 1TB model is moving to $429.99, and the Xbox Series X digital edition will now be priced at $549.99, with the 2TB galaxy black special edition model now an eye-watering $729.99.

Xbox wireless controllers and headsets are also having their recommended retail pricing adjusted in the US, with the base controller moving to $64.99 and the Xbox wireless headset now at $119.99. You can already find both of these accessories at this type of pricing right now.

Some new Xbox games are moving from $69.99 to $79.99 this holiday, in a move that matches the more expensive pricing of Nintendo’s top Switch 2 launch titles. Xbox Game Pass pricing will remain the same, though.

The Xbox console and controller price increases will also impact European countries, including the UK, as well as markets like Australia. In Europe and the UK the Xbox Series S (512GB) will now be priced at €349.99 / £299.99, with the Xbox Series X (1TB) rising to €599.99 / £499.99. Sony also increased the price of its PS5 consoles in Europe and the UK earlier this month.

Microsoft last hiked the price of its Xbox Series X console in June 2023, as part of price increases that also impacted Xbox Game Pass. The subscription service also saw a price increase last year, alongside the launch of a new standard tier.

The price rises come amid uncertainty over the Trump tariffs, and just a day after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed that Microsoft “ended the quarter as the top publisher by preorders and preinstalls on both Xbox and PlayStation Store” during the company’s Q3 fiscal earnings call. Microsoft also saw PC Game Pass revenue increase by 45 percent year-over-year.