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AnyPS5 is an open-source tool that converts PS5 executables into Windows and Linux formats and recompiles shaders into SPIR-V for Vulkan, acting as a compatibility layer rather than a traditional emulator. Its GitHub page notes test builds have booted some games to the main menu, with a few reaching gameplay with audio, though a public build has not been released.
Current-gen consoles including all PlayStation 5 models and the Xbox Series X and Series S are engineered to operate in either vertical or horizontal orientation. The key consideration is airflow, along with placing the units on stable surfaces, away from walls, and out of cramped cabinets to avoid overheating and dust buildup.
A Sony patent published September 17, 2026 (filed March 2025) describes a PlayStation controller with NFC capability that could let users tap a phone or swipe a card against it to make purchases. The filing outlines uses including buying games, adding funds via gift cards, transferring player IDs, letting guests join multiplayer sessions, and sending screenshots or recordings to a phone.
A Sony patent published September 17, filed in March 2025, describes a system letting a PlayStation controller accept payments when a user taps it with a credit card, smartphone, or gift card. Diagrams show scenarios like confirming a game purchase or redeeming a gift card directly through the DualSense, using NFC or Bluetooth. The patent illustrations depict existing PS5 hardware rather than any new console or controller.
Sony has filed a patent describing a cloud-based AI system that continuously monitors consumer devices like PlayStations, TVs, and headsets to detect software problems. When an issue arises, the system can generate a diagnostic tool, analyze the results, and either write and deploy a fix automatically or escalate the issue to a human technician. The patent indicates the cloud 'brain' would select from multiple large language models to write and upload firmware or OS-level updates, potentially without notifying the user.
Sony's new PlayStation 5 system software update (26.06-14.00.00) turns on the 'Enhance PSSR Image Quality' setting by default for PS5 Pro owners. This applies Sony's newer, upgraded PSSR upscaling algorithm to games originally built around the first version of PSSR, without users needing to manually toggle it. The enhanced PSSR itself launched in March as an optional setting, not a new PSSR 2.0 release.
A developer working on a project to run Linux on the PlayStation 5 has dropped the effort after Sony patched the underlying exploit, which had reportedly been surfaced with the help of AI tools. The fix closed off the vulnerability the project relied on to gain low-level access to the console.
Xbox's new disc-to-digital feature, which converts physical game discs into digital copies by inserting them into a console, stems from a plan Microsoft made ahead of the Xbox One's 2013 launch to embed unique identifiers on discs. Sources say Microsoft was already exploring broader digital ownership concepts back in 2011, including gifting, recycling and swapping physical games for digital versions, though most of these ideas were shelved after backlash over the Xbox One's always-online requirement.
After a four-year effort, researcher DiscoStarslayer, working with developer Libby, successfully decapped and optically dumped the firmware of the PS2's MechaCon chip, a feat no one had achieved in the console's 26-year history. The pair used an exploit Libby discovered to extract the firmware and are now documenting metadata and hashes, with a full technical write-up promised soon.
Cloud gaming platforms from Nvidia, Microsoft, Sony and Amazon have survived a decade of tepid adoption since Google's Stadia collapsed in 2023, but rising demand for AI computing power is now driving up data center costs sharply. That surge is undermining the original pitch of cloud gaming: cheap, leased compute that let players skip expensive consoles or PCs.
Employees of Build A Rocket Boy have posted on LinkedIn that their jobs are ending, and Kotaku reports the studio is shutting down entirely. The closure follows the disastrous June 2025 launch of MindsEye, which prompted PlayStation refunds, multiple layoff rounds, and founder Leslie Benzies' claims of internal and external sabotage.
Sony has reached a preliminary $7.85 million settlement in Caccuri v. Sony Interactive Entertainment, a class-action lawsuit accusing it of eliminating competition in digital game sales by discontinuing vouchers that let PlayStation users buy games from other retailers. The case claims this forced customers to overpay by shopping only through the PlayStation Store. A final court hearing is set for Oct. 15 to approve the payout and distribution plan, though Sony denies any wrongdoing.