Thus far, those who are blind without prescription glasses have been unable to partake in the creepfest that is Meta’s smart glasses. That’s about to change, with a Bloomberg report claiming that Meta’s next two pairs will place greater emphasis on prescription lenses.

“While the company’s glasses — sold in tandem with EssilorLuxottica SA — have long supported prescription lenses, this will mark the first time the companies are introducing Ray-Bans designed specifically for that cohort, according to people with knowledge of the matter,” Bloomberg wrote.

That’ll result in two new pairs of Meta’s glasses, sold in rounded and rectangular styles, which are expected to be sold only through “traditional prescription eyewear channels.” Those are codenamed ‘RayBan Scriber ‘ and ‘RayBan Blazer’, and were first spotted in US Federal Communications Commission filings by The Verge. As for when we might see Meta’s prescription-focused glasses land, or what sort of features they might offer, that’s still unknown.

Source

Apple’s Siri could open itself up to even more AI chatbots

We’ve heard a whole lot about Siri’s AI makeover, but we’ve yet to actually see anything tangible from the Fruit Company in that regard. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman believes that will change at Apple’s WWDC in June. Now, though, it seems that Apple will “open up” Siri’s internals to even more rival AI chatbots, using an extension that plugs right into Siri. That’s assuming the third-party chatbot in question allows the merge with Siri.

“That means, for instance, if users have Alphabet Inc.’s Google Gemini or Anthropic PBC’s Claude installed, they’d be able to send queries to those services from within the Siri voice assistant, just like they have been able to with ChatGPT since Apple Intelligence launched in 2024.”

Source

It’s only a matter of time before… Ocarina of Time

The Switch 2 may finally justify its existence — beyond just 60fps support for two of the best Zelda titles ever made. Prominent leaker NatetheHate reckons Nintendo is readying a remake of 1998’s The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time — generally regarded as the greatest of Link’s adventures. NatetheHate has cred, too. On top of the many Directs he’s alerted us to in advance, he gave a reliable launch date for the Switch 2 last year.

All that to say, if NatetheHate speaks, he’s rarely wrong. And he said, in his podcast, that an Ocarina of Time remake was coming. Not a remaster, as Nintendo has done before, but a remake. He also teased a 2026 launch, which aligns with Nintendo’s plans to release a Zelda annually. “As to the scope and ambition of the title, I do not know,” he continued, unsure whether it would be a 1:1 remake.

A 1:1 remake might be simpler for Nintendo to pull off. But with the Tears of the Kingdom engine just sitting there — unlikely to be roped in for the next mainline entry — we could see the company putting it to good use here. If that’s the case, that means it’ll be a good while before we see the next mainline Zelda break cover.

Of course, until Nintendo confirms an Ocarina of Time remake, it’s all hearsay. Grab a pinch of salt.

Source

It’s only getting worse for console gamers

Of course, if you don’t already have a Switch 2, you might miss out on that Ocarina of Time remake. After Sony confirmed major price hikes for its consoles this week, it seems Xbox and Nintendo may follow suit. That’s to be expected, considering the current state of the world.

At least, that’s what Ampere Analysis’ Piers Harding-Rolls thinks, who said as much while speaking to Eurogamer:

“It is likely that Sony had price protections for its components for a set period, and this may well have come to an end,” Harding-Rolls said. “With no sign of prices easing largely due to demand for AI infrastructure, Sony will have made the move to protect its slim hardware margins. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Microsoft and Nintendo followed suit in the not-too-distant future.”

What that hike, if it were to come, would look like, nobody knows. Sony has set a precedent, driving its five-year-old console prices up by 18% in the US. Nintendo and Microsoft now have a blueprint and could take a similar path. Harding-Rolls called it an “awkward time” for Sony and Microsoft with GTA 6 right around the corner.

“Both companies will want to take full advantage of the positive impact of this system seller release,” Harding-Rolls said. “Likewise, it’s awkward for Nintendo as it won’t want to raise the price of the Switch 2 when it is trying to establish the new platform.”

Source

The post Light Start: Meta frames expand, Siri bots on demand, Ocarina of Time remake planned, and console prices go unmanned appeared first on Stuff South Africa.

Too Pro for the Sony bro?

“With continued pressures in the global economic landscape, we’ve made the decision to increase the prices of PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal remote player globally. We know that price changes impact our community, and after careful evaluation, we found this was a necessary step to ensure we can continue delivering innovative, high-quality gaming experiences to players worldwide,” it said.

It’s as if the PS5 consoles weren’t already gouging South African’s wallets at current prices. As it stands, a PlayStation 5 Slim (Digital) will run you R14,000 without any deals to spare you. Knock it up to a PS5 Pro (Digital), and you’ll be stuck footing a R21,000 bill. Then there’s the PS Portal handheld, running you R5,800.

The PS5 Pro will see an even larger increase of $150 (∼R2,500), while the Portal sees a smaller $20 hike (∼R350). What these hikes will look like in South Africa, we’re still unsure. We’ve reached out to a local representative of South Africa’s PlayStation distributor, Koodoo, for some clarity on the situation. We hadn’t heard back by the time of publication. We’ll update this article if we hear back soon — hopefully before 2 April.

Sony didn’t mention any other peripherals on the chopping block. With the trend of new DualSense gamepads costing what they do, the company probably doesn’t feel it necessary. We shudder to think how storage solutions will fare in the coming months. The world being what it is, a single terabyte of PlayStation-branded NVMe SSD storage will set buyers back R4,900 — more than the 2TB model we reviewed a little over a year ago.

The post Sony confirms a massive global $100+ price hike for PS5, PS5 Pro, and PS Portal this April appeared first on Stuff South Africa.

Sony’s feeling anti-PC

That doesn’t mean PC gamers would be left out in the cold entirely. Speaking on the Triple Click podcast, Schreier revealed that while single-player games may go back to being exclusive to the PlayStation ecosystem, Sony’s live-service multiplayer games could survive the shift. Yeah, because that worked out so well for Concord, right?

“I think the sense I’m getting is that they’re backing away from putting their exclusive console stuff, like traditional single-player titles, on PC,” he said, noting that Ghost of Yōtei could skip a PC launch, too. If that’s the case, PC gamers best start saving up for a PS5 if they’re serious about digging into Wolverine later this year.

Read More: Sony reportedly got Gran Turismo 7 running on the Switch 2, just for the fun of it

It wasn’t long before NateTheHate, another industry insider with a decent track record, corroborated Schreier’s comments, stating “Sony is shifting their PC strategy, absolutely.” Schreier later backed up his own comments while speaking on ResetEra: “I mean, it’s not speculation, but sometimes topics come up on the show before I’m quite ready to publish a story about them. More to come soon I’m sure.”

It’s unclear where Sony’s sudden interest in restoring its exclusive hierarchy came from, though the company likely saw its console sales dwindling in the wake of its decision to bring its exclusives to PC. The strategy has clearly worked for Nintendo in the past, boosting sales of the Switch 2 for continued (official) access to its IPs.

Source

The post Sony ponders a dramatic restructure that would see fewer single-player PC ports appeared first on Stuff South Africa.

It’s always AI’s fault

The news comes less than a month after Nintendo threw its customers a bone by knocking the local price down a grand to R11,500. The rumours of a price hike stem from “people familiar with its plans,” Bloomberg said. It isn’t clear what the hike could look like for consumers, so we’d suggest grabbing the console sooner rather than later.

As AI data centres gobble up the world’s already short supply of memory chips, Bloomberg points out that “supplies are running dry even before the AI giants really get going” with their larger plans. It’s an issue that’ll likely force Sony to put off the next PlayStation’s release by a year or two past the expected 2027 release.

Interestingly, the delay may actually prove to be the ‘right’ move for Sony — shortage or not. The PS5 hasn’t strayed into ‘dated’ territory, especially with the protracted timeline game developers currently assign to their games. Gamers may feel like they haven’t got the most out of their PS5 — or PS5 Pro — yet. And with Xbox’s sales plummeting, Sony likely feels it can afford to ditch the tried-and-true seven-year release schedule.

Source

The post The PlayStation 6 faces internal delays as Switch 2 eyes price hike – report appeared first on Stuff South Africa.

We’ve amassed all the biggest reveals, announcements, and trailers from the night. We realise we may have missed a couple of things from the full list, and that’s okay. We’ve skipped over some of those titles we’ve already seen at other such showcases, or those upcoming games that didn’t really stand out to us, as we dragged ourselves over the finish line at 01h00. That means no Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, or even Saros.

007 First Light

If you weren’t excited for IO Interactive’s 007 First Light, then the story trailer showing off this Bond’s exploits in Iceland that get him noticed by the MI6 probably won’t do the trick. It lacks the suave, witty dialogue we’d expect from a proper James Bond adaptation. We’d hoped for an evolution of the Hitman formula, but with James Bond replacing the bald, barcoded Agent 47. This… doesn’t look like that. We’ll reserve judgment for now, however.

Coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC on 27 March 2026.

Control Resonant

Infinitely more captivating was the first gameplay reveal for Control Resonant, and what a reveal it was. A deeper look at the game’s melee combat and the gravity-bending mechanics were both shown off as we got a look at the alternate-reality Manhattan teeming with things to kill. It promises to be a tight second coming of Remedy Entertainment’s Control, and the gameplay trailer hasn’t done anything to contradict that thought just yet.

Coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC in 2026.

Darwin’s Paradox

More than a year after it was announced, we finally have a release date for the octopus-toting puzzle-platformer known as Darwin’s Paradox — 2 April. That might be just around the corner, but Sony isn’t letting us go home empty-handed, so to speak. The Tactical Octopus Action demo (inspired by Metal Gear Solid) drops today.

Coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC on 2 April 2026.

God of War: Sons of Sparta

It was no secret that Santa Monica Studios had a side-scrolling God of War metroidvania in the works, and now here’s the proof. God of War Sons of Sparta is that side-scrolling action adventure platformer that follows Kratos when he was just a boy, making his way in Sparta. The action looks compelling, even if the pixel-art style just doesn’t get the blood flowing where we’d like it. There’s no wait. It’s out today on PS5.

That wasn’t all from Santa Monica Studios, either. We got confirmation that a God of War remake was in “early development”, with no release window on the horizon. We’ve omitted the ‘trailer’ here to spare you seeing the minute-long footage of an HD Omega. Rest easy knowing there’s a fully-fledged remake coming… eventually.

John Wick

You’ll never hear us complaining about more Keanu Reeves in our lives, particularly when he’s dressed in his John Wick get-up like he is in Saber Interactive’s latest triple-AAA venture. John Wick is still technically untitled and follows the Baba Yaga before we ever get a look at him on the big screen. It’ll expand the universe further with an original script and “jaw-dropping camera work” that’ll make it feel like a movie come to life.

Coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC one day.

Kena: Scars of Kosmora

We never expected Kena to ever see a proper sequel, but here we are. Kena: Scars of Kosmora follows an older, wiser Spirit Guide Kena as she travels to the mysterious island of Kosmora. The trailer gave a peek at some raw gameplay, with combat and navigation, in particular, being the highlight.

Coming to PS5 and PC in 2026.

Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered

This one’s for you, Brett. Legacy of Kain returned to the State of Play with a look at Defiance Remastered, a dark fantasy classic that inspired a generation. It features refreshed graphics, controls, and camera design that’ll titillate a modern audience without alienating the real ones who were there in 2003. That’s the idea, anyway. The deluxe edition will even pack in a playable demo of Defiance’s cancelled sequel, Dark Prophecy.

Coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC on 3 March 2026.

Metal Gear Solid Collection Vol. 2

No longer will Metal Gear Solid IV be shackled to the PlayStation 3 on which it was released. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 picks up the slack and sticks the title on the PS5 alongside MGS: Peace Walker. We’re only a little bummed that Revengeance couldn’t sneak into the collection, but with Kojima off 3D-scanning Elle Fanning’s feet every chance he gets, it’s probably safest if Sony keeps something in its back pocket.

Coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition 

It’s been thirty years since Rayman graced our screens, and now it’s time for Ubisoft to cash in on that pent-up nostalgia. The 30th Anniversary Edition, developed by Digital Eclipse, lets you play “multiple versions of the original,” with more than 120 new levels pulled from the bonus level packs to dive into. Not to mention the entirely reimagined soundtrack by Christophe Héral, or the interactive documentary that’s baked in.

Coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC today, 13 February 2026.

Spider-Man 2 comes to PlayStation Plus

Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man 2 might be old news at this point, but its arrival on the PlayStation Plus catalogue certainly isn’t. Perhaps Sony has seen one too many cancellations over the past few months and decided to let up on Spider-Man 2 to lure folks back in. Hey, if it’s forcing us to reconsider our subscription, it’ll do so for everyone else. Unfortunately, Spider-Man 2 is reserved for PS Plus Extra and above customers and arrives in March.

The post PlayStation State of Play delivers: God of War, John Wick, and more revealed appeared first on Stuff South Africa.

A fool’s State of Play…

Oh, and it’s taking place on Thursday, 12 February. This is the part when you add it to your calendar if you’re at all interested in checking out what’s in store for the year ahead. Daring Saffas will technically want to mark down 00h00 on the morning of Friday, 13 February. Or, just let Stuff watch the thing and save you all the hassle.

As for the where, Sony will host the hour-long show on YouTube and Twitch at the time we mentioned. There’s already a countdown up on the company’s YouTube channel — and we’ve embedded the stream below, too.

Don’t let the State of Play branding fool you. Sony may have ditched the official Showcase branding that typically meant viewers were in for a stacked line-up, but all signs point towards this being one of those times. For one thing, the company hasn’t given us an hour-plus showcase of any kind for more than three years. And for another, now would be the ideal time to give players a peek at what’s going on at Insomniac Games and Naughty Dog.

Read More: PlayStation takes drastic action, vanishing more than 1,000 shovelware titles

See, Wolverine is, apparently, still coming out in the big ’26. If that’s still the case, Sony will want to get that well out of GTA VI’s path, which looks set to compete against itself and whatever Devolver Digital has cooked up for  Q4 2026. That should put Wolverine on course for a Q3 (Jul-Aug-Sep) release if we’re lucky. Of course, there’s always the possibility of a delay…

As for the rest of the slate, it seems that Santa Monica Studios has something lined up inside the God of War universe, according to leaker Shinobi602. Still, we wouldn’t get our hopes up. It seems far more likely that we’ll get a new trailer for Death Stranding 2’s PC port, and possibly something related to Marathon, which debuts in March. Saros, too, is due another teaser, as is Phantom Blade Zero.

One thing is for certain: A Bloodborne remaster

The post PlayStation is back with a 60-minute State of Play – where and when to watch appeared first on Stuff South Africa.

PlayStation Sixtch?

The handheld, dubbed Project Canis internally, would be a separate entity from Sony’s PlayStation 6 and is not the PS6 itself. With vastly different specs between the two, it seems Sony will want developers to keep the hardware limitations of its handheld in mind. According to YouTuber Moore’s Law is Dead (MLID), that’s exactly what Sony is doing with the new ‘Power Saver’ mode that recently hit certain games on the PS5.

Additionally, one doc talking about CPU optimizations mentions that there are new Low Power Modes coming eventually, and directly suggests that your games should be runnable on only 8-Threads…it even at one point states: ‘new operation modes may be supported in the future and applications may run in environments with different available CPU configurations’…Sony is definitely preparing a Canis Handheld!

Read More: Sony and AMD tease new hardware for the next PlayStation

MLID’s source reckons that Sony wants these ‘low-power’ updates even more than it wants PS5 Pro updates, which suggests Sony is far more invested in the future of its hardware than any short-term profits it might gain by upgrading Ghost of Yōtei to run more smoothly on the console-maker’s latest bit of kit. That’s all well and good — for Sony. For Sony’s most loyal fans, it’s got to be a punch to the gut — larger than the R19,500 it cost.

While Sony has yet to officially confirm the existence of the PS6 or any handheld consoles, it seems more and more likely that the company has something in the oven. As for when we might see it come to market, we can’t be sure, but judging by the PS5’s release in 2020, a 2027 release isn’t out of the question.

Source

The post New leak points to PlayStation prepping a proper handheld Switch rival appeared first on Stuff South Africa.

Chasing the Mirage

Unfortunately, unlike PS Plus’ ‘Essential’ subscription, you won’t get to keep these titles long-term. Instead, AC Mirage alongside games like Planet Coaster 2 and Skate Story will turn up on the Game Catalogue, where they’ll be available to subscribers for an undisclosed amount of time — six months at least, before they’re yoinked again.

If you’ve already dived into Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which returned the series to its stealth roots after a pretty significant rough patch, then you might be up for a journey into Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. That one comes from Team Ninja, and takes players on a journey through Chinese mythology, with a bunch of boss battles in the way.

Here are all the games arriving in December’s PS Plus Extra and Deluxe drop:

• Assassin’s Creed Mirage (PS5, PS4)
• Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (PS5, PS4)
• Skate Story (PS5)
• Granblue Fantasy: Relink (PS5, PS4)
• Planet Coaster 2 (PS5)
• Cat Quest III (PS5, PS4)
• Lego Horizon Adventures (PS5)
• Paw Patrol: Grand Prix (PS5, PS4)
• Paw Patrol World (PS5, PS4)

Lego Horizon Adventures again? Really? Even PS Plus’ Essential customers could pick that one up for free in December, but including it in the Game Catalogue for Extra and Deluxe customers (who already have access to Essential) feels like a slap in the face. Regardless, you’ll be able to secure all of these via PS Plus come 16 December, aside from Skate Story, which landed as a day-one release on the service earlier this month.

The post Assassin’s Creed Mirage leads the PS Plus Extra December lineup  appeared first on Stuff South Africa.

Christmas come early?

The only issue is that the games included aren’t what we’d call respectable. Don’t get us wrong. We’ve looked for an excuse to try out Lego Horizon Adventures since it launched just over a year ago, and Neon White looks like a genuinely terrific puzzle-platformer that’ll entertain for a couple of hours. But the rest? Eh…

If you aren’t tired of the Horizon franchise by this point, headliner Lego Horizon Adventures reimagines the first game, Horizon Zero Dawn, but in a kid-friendly way. Killing Floor 3 is likely the roughest of the lot, experiencing a patchy launch back in July this year. Its arrival here this soon could be an indicator of quality.

Read More: Rockstar seeks redemption as it brings Red Dead Redemption to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and mobile

The Outlast Trials is December’s third game, and may actually be worth your time, even if it may have fared best back in October. It’s a first-person horror title that can be played solo or with up to three mates as you work to secure your freedom. Synduality Echo of Ada plays like a PvPvE extraction shooter as you and your mech suit cut through alien slime. Neon White is all about vanquishing demons in a fast-paced action platformer.

You’ll have ’til 1 December to claim the current November titles, which include Stray, WRC 24, and Totally Accurate Battle Simulator. Yeah, we said it was rough. As of 2 December, the new month’s games will be added to the mix. And if you’re a Premium or Deluxe subscriber, you’ll also have Red Dead Redemption to look forward to.

The post December’s PS Plus Essential lineup dishes out a few more free games for the holidays appeared first on Stuff South Africa.

It’s no GTA VI, but we’ll take anything we can get

No, really. The game is headed to all the devices we mentioned on 2 December. Players who previously purchased the PS4, Xbox One, or Switch version of the 2010 Game of the Year will get the upgraded version on newer hardware as part of a free update. Or you could pick it up on the PS Plus ‘Extra’ catalogue on the same day.

Players on PlayStation and Xbox can expect “up to” 4K graphics, “enhanced image quality,” 60fps, and HDR support. Nintendo Switch 2 owners won’t be so lucky, with Rockstar taking “full advantage of this new hardware with support for DLSS, HDR, mouse controls, and the same fluid 60 frames per second gameplay at high resolution.” Honestly, for a console packing that sort of power, it’s about the best you could hope for.

Read More: Valve revives the Steam Machine, and it might stick the landing this time

Players can carry their Red Dead Redemption progress over and continue the journey with improved performance and visuals. There’s nothing to carry over for the mobile players, who will have to make do with a fresh save and on-screen touch controls. Rockstar also confirmed that all versions of the game will receive the Undead Nightmare expansion.

Anyone with an active Netflix subscription can get hold of the mobile Red Dead Redemption from that 2 December date. Like the game’s arrival on PS Plus, there’s no telling how long it’ll stick around on the platform, with Rockstar likely yanking its title in a few short months — especially if it’s hurting sales.

The post Rockstar seeks redemption as it brings Red Dead Redemption to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and mobile appeared first on Stuff South Africa.