Cobra Kai season 3 is officially moving to Netflix – but when’s the release date?

Enormously popular Karate Kid TV series Cobra Kai is officially moving from YouTube to Netflix, it's been confirmed. As well as streaming the first two seasons for subscribers, the unreleased Cobra Kai season 3 will be available to watch on Netflix.

No release date for Cobra Kai season 3 has been offered, yet, but previous reports suggest it finished filming back in 2019. The first two seasons will arrive later this year on Netflix, according to THR. We'd be surprised not to see the third season at some point later this year or early 2021.

Cobra Kai is a sequel to the Karate Kid movies, featuring original actors Ralph Macchio and William Zabka reprising their roles from the popular movies. Frankly, not calling it 'Karate Dads' was a missed opportunity. 

The pilot episode was watched more than 86 million times on YouTube. 

Why Cobra Kai solves a problem for Netflix

Netflix's run of TV shows has been incredibly consistent this year, but like everyone else in the entertainment business, the streaming service had to pause the filming of many of its originals during the coronavirus outbreak. 

There are signs that production is going to be restarted soon on many of these bigger shows, including The Witcher season 2, but at some point, it's bound to have an effect on how many series the streamer can push out. 

Cobra Kai is a pre-existing series that hasn't been exposed to Netflix's audience before. It's a good fit, considering the cross-generational appeal of the movies, and the built-in audience that'll likely follow it across to the streamer. 

It's something new-ish for its audience to watch, while many of Netflix's biggest productions get back on track.

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The Witcher season 2 will finally resume filming this summer, Netflix confirms

The Witcher season 2 will resume filming this August, Netflix has confirmed in a tweet. The fantasy drama has been on-hold since March, when new cast member Kristofer Hivju contracted coronavirus and the production of the series shut down. 

Shortly after, the entire live-action TV and film industry essentially went into shutdown, save for a lucky few series that finished filming before the global pandemic kicked into high gear (The Mandalorian season 2 and The Umbrella Academy season 2, for example). 

The Witcher season 2 was filming in the UK when the shutdown occurred. Here's the poem Netflix posted to mark the news, in the style of the cult favorite bard Jaskier:

The Witcher season 2 is expected to release in mid-2021 on Netflix. 

A Witcher animated movie is on the way, too

It's unclear if the production shutdown will affect the release of the previously-announced The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, which is about Geralt's mentor, Vesemir (who'll be played in season 2 by Killing Eve actor Kim Bodnia). 

It's possible Netflix will release this between the two seasons to tide people over until the show returns. Studio Mir (The Legend of Korra) is behind the animation on this movie, which will presumably be set in the canon of the main series.

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Do Star Wars games suddenly have a more hopeful future?

Why didn't EA make another Knights of the Old Republic game? 

Yes, I know EA has a nine year-old MMO called The Old Republic that features a ton of Star Wars-related content set in the same timeframe. But why didn't it make a new KOTOR game on consoles and PC? Why would you acquire the Star Wars license and not make that game, when you own BioWare, the series' original developer? 

I'm sure there are lots of real-world, practical reasons why: various BioWare teams were focused on developing Anthem, Mass Effect: Andromeda and continuing a frustratingly long road to finally making Dragon Age 4. And, yes, that MMO has had significant updates in the meantime, even as the genre itself has declined in popularity. 

Still, I can't think of a game that would make more sense in our current age of The Witcher and Skyrim selling endless copies than a high-fidelity Star Wars RPG. Really, though, KOTOR 3 feels like just one of many opportunities EA has left on the table in the seven years since it landed the Star Wars license. 

Now, though, I'm starting to wonder if EA has finally turned a corner with the Star Wars universe. The future doesn't look that bright – reports say three Star Wars games have been canceled in the last few years, most notably Project Ragtag, a story-driven third-person game from Uncharted's Amy Hennig and the long-defunct Visceral Games. But recent form from the massive publisher does suggest things are moving in the right direction. 

According to an earlier Kotaku report, EA is following up last year's smash hit Jedi Fallen Order with a sequel, which isn't unexpected. And this week, EA announced Star Wars: Squadrons, a game that seems completely against type: a 5v5 first-person space combat game that'll be released at a budget price, with full VR support. 

This follows more than two years of well-received Star Wars: Battlefront 2 updates, after a famously bad launch. I don't think that's a particularly good shooter, personally, but it's a very good Star Wars experience, and it's packed with characters and worlds from across the series' history. 

DICE and EA turned that game around, and its availability on PS Plus should keep the player base healthy for years to come. 

Has EA finally cracked Star Wars?

Jedi Fallen Order tells a surprisingly powerful story of trauma in the Star Wars universe.

EA has four console/PC games to show for seven years of owning the licence, then. It's not loads, but it's not too bad either: as many Battlefield games have been released in that period, but that includes Battlefield 4, which EA was working on for several years before it acquired the Star Wars licence, as well as the spin-off Hardline. 

Still, it feels like EA didn't quite capitalize on the peak of interest in Star Wars that occurred around 2015-2017, when The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi came out.

There probably wasn't enough time for EA to do much more than release its two Battlefront games in that time period, to be fair. It's telling, though, that when Jedi Fallen Order arrived in 2019, there was enormous appetite for a (mostly) great singleplayer Star Wars game, even in a year when the worst Star Wars film of the Disney age hit the big screen. 

Squadrons, meanwhile, almost directly recalls the golden age of Star Wars games. The Lucasarts X-Wing vs TIE Fighter games come to mind, when we're talking about a meticulous space combat game that even supports flight sticks on PC. I really hope it's as good as it looks, because it's too specific a choice of project to feel like a cash-in. 

EA's Star Wars agreement with Disney apparently lasts for ten years, but if the next three years deliver a selection of great games that tell compelling Star Wars stories, maybe EA's time with the license will be remembered for much more than just missed opportunities.

If it doesn't, maybe it's time to see what another big publisher can do with Star Wars.

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Why the Cyberpunk 2077 delay is both good and bad

Cyberpunk 2077 has been delayed twice now. At E3 2019, the game was set for release in April 2020. Earlier this year, that was moved to September 2020. And this week, the game was pushed back until November 2020.

The internet's immediate reaction? This must mean the game is releasing an upgraded version in time for next-gen consoles! But don't get your hopes up. Developer CD Projekt Red previously clarified that the game would look better on next-gen consoles at launch, but that a full next-gen upgrade – while free to owners of the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game – won't be coming until 2021. That was confirmed this week. 

Instead, the game's delay is down to numerous bug fixes and balance tweaks, which isn't unexpected for an RPG that's seemed unbelievably expansive in scope since the first trailer. It's not particularly surprising that the game had to be moved again, anyway, given the challenges posed to large-scale game development caused by the current health crisis. 

We're not too distraught by the delay. The Witcher 3 has proven to be this generation's defining RPG, in the way Skyrim or Oblivion were in the generation before. More than five years later, it still makes millions for CD Projekt, helped by an enormously popular Netflix show. And Cyberpunk 2077 is set to be its successor, with no other serious RPG contenders set to arrive in the first year of next-gen consoles, based on what we know so far.

We'll play Cyberpunk 2077 to death, we'll dissect its best and worst quests and we'll talk about its characters for years to come. That is, unless it ends up being disappointing, or we play it once and don't really discuss it all that much afterwards, like Fallout 4. 

I saw Cyberpunk 2077 demoed at two E3s, and in both cases I felt like I was looking at the most expensive open-world version of Deus Ex I could possibly imagine. The game promises multiple paths through levels, in-depth customization and a varied world based on the classic pen-and-paper RPG.

I'm looking forward to it, then, but I don't think the delay is only a bad thing. There are a few things to bear in mind with a decision like this. 

Here's one downside

Cyberpunk 2077 is meant to be done by now. In January, CD Projekt's Adam Kicinski admitted that some crunch would be necessary to finish the game. "We try to limit crunch as much as possible, but it is the final stage. We try to be reasonable in this regard, but yes. Unfortunately." 

Well... that final stage will now last for almost a year, rather than the intended three months. On paper, that does not look great at all. I hope those developers find that this delay makes their lives easier, rather than harder. 

Waiting is usually worth it, though

Game delays are extremely common. This year is exceptional in a lot of ways, but even before the pandemic, a whole bunch of games due out this year were pushed back, like The Last of Us Part 2, Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Marvel's The Avengers.  

It's nice when games hit release dates, but when projects the size of Cyberpunk 2077 arrive with a slew of bugs and annoying issues, it's simply a poorer experience. Waiting is always better. 

Timing-wise, it would've been nice to cap off this generation of consoles with Cyberpunk 2077 a few months before the PS5 and Xbox Series X got here. But missing out isn't the end of the world. 

The late summer admittedly looks a little fallow without it for major games, unless you've got a PS4 and you're planning on buying Ghost of Tsushima. If you're a PC player, too, Baldur's Gate 3 may release on Steam Early Access in August, which is another potential threat to your spare time. Everyone else can check out Marvel's Avengers on September 4.

This is just going to be a strange year for games

We've got a few major reveals coming up this summer, like Ubisoft's live stream and Microsoft's reveal of its first-party games in July. But it's hard not to see the second half of this year as being a little depleted, based on what we know about it. The PS5 is likely going to launch with Spider-Man: Miles Morales, but seemingly without any other major in-house exclusives. 

We'd argue, then, that whenever Cyberpunk 2077 does come out, it won't have to fight for people's attention. It also doesn't matter that it's a last-gen game launching at the same time as the new consoles without a next-gen edition to match. 

It's fully backwards compatible with PS5 and Xbox Series X, for one. But it's worth remembering that the last generation started just after GTA 5 released on the older PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles, and it was undoubtedly still the biggest event of that year regardless.

Even if Cyberpunk 2077 got delayed again until 2021, it would still be worth waiting for. Whatever's best for the game – as well as the people making it – is actually what matters here. 

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Star Wars: Squadrons gameplay trailer reveals a true X-Wing successor

EA has released a gameplay trailer for Star Wars: Squadrons, the space combat game revealed earlier this week. It's touted as 'the definitive Star Wars pilot experience', and it looks terrific. 

Here's the trailer:

It's played entirely in first-person for realism, with the entire HUD is presented in the cockpit of your starfighter. Ships are divided into classes, which are fighters, bombers, support ships and interceptors, and you'll get to try each of the game's eight ships before you get into multiplayer. You can unlock cosmetics and components to upgrade and customize your ship. The idea is you can adjust your loadout in line with the rest of your squad for great strategic play. 

The game starts with a brand new story, set after Return of the Jedi, that has a dual perspective narrative technique. You create both an Imperial and Rebel pilot, and once the singleplayer is done, you jump into multiplayer.

The two modes available online appear to be dogfight and fleet battles. The latter involves multi-stage combat, and you'll be able to co. You win a dogfight in the center of the map, then the next stage involves destroying a larger vessel, before moving onto the final phase of taking out another team's capital ship. If you hold the line, you can push back and extend the match in fleet battle mode. It sounds pretty intensive. 

Ian Frazier, developer Motive Studios' creative director, was on-hand to introduce the game. "I played all the flight games in the '90s and I got pretty obsessed with them," he says. The clear suggestion is that this project comes from a lot of love and nostalgia for the X-Wing and TIE Fighter games. Frazier even illustrated the X-Wing cockpit as a younger man, which was shown during the stream to demonstrate his credentials. The developers are pulling from the heritage of those classic games, which is very promising.

Motive worked on Battlefront 2, and wanted to build on the space combat element of the game. Like in the X-Wing games, you can control elements of your ship, like shifting your shields from front to back of the ship to cover rear fire from enemy fighters. 

Star Wars: Squadrons' release date is October 2 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

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Apex Legends is coming to Nintendo Switch – and crossplay is confirmed

First-person battle royale shooter Apex Legends is coming to Nintendo Switch and Steam, it's been announced by Respawn Entertainment during its EA Play Live stream. It's coming to both platforms this 'fall' (September through November). 

Apex Legends Crossplay will be added, too, uniting the player bases across the current and future platforms: PS4, Xbox One, or PC (and eventually Nintendo Switch). PC players on Origin can enjoy the game with those on Steam, too.

The newest Apex Legends season 5 event was announced, as well, which is called Lost Treasures, coming on June 23. A new limited-time event will focus on Crypto, introducing a drone that players can use to revive other players. Here's a trailer for that:

Apex Legends has reached over 70 million players to date, according to EA, and is free-to-play on all formats. Nintendo Switch owners are in for a treat. Hopefully this means Respawn can link up the formats, too, so players only need to buy the battle pass on a single platform. That's just wishful thinking until we learn more, though.

No more specific release date was given for each version other than fall of this year. 

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Here’s how the Star Wars Obi-Wan series could improve on the prequels

Star Wars actor Ewan McGregor says he's going to enjoy making the Obi-Wan series on Disney Plus more than the prequel trilogy, thanks to the advances in technology that have occurred since Episodes I-III were made.

McGregor was speaking to ACE Universe about working on the new series. He didn't talk specifics about the untitled TV show itself, which he jokingly said could be called "Hello There!", but he did discuss why the technology pioneered by The Mandalorian is likely to make filming the Disney Plus series more enjoyable than the prequels. 

"I think I am going to enjoy it all much more," McGregor explains. "We'd shot [The Phantom Menace] on film, and we shot [Attack of the Clones] in Australia on these new HD cameras, which are pretty primitive compared to what they've got now. It was quite technically complicated, I remember. It was all blue screen and green screen and it was hard to imagine, but nowadays, I think things have moved on so much, and I think a lot of what you see is gonna be what we see on the set."

The Mandalorian filming used virtual sets made in Unreal Engine 4, an effect that somehow made the show look just as good as the movies, even though the actors did few location shoots. It sounds like the Obi-Wan Kenobi-focused series is doing the same thing. 

"I don’t know if you’ve seen the behind-the-scenes of The Mandalorian series, but they employ that incredible screen...it's pretty amazing. If you're on set, if you're on a snowscape or something, you're going to see that. And it makes you feel like you're in the place. It's going to feel realer for us, for the actors. And I think we'll be using some of that technology on our show, which is untitled, as yet."

The series, which has no release date on Disney Plus yet, will surely benefit generally from offering actors a heightened sense of immersion on-set. The prequel films featured some pretty amazing CG aliens and worlds, but the films felt cold compared to the Original Trilogy's locations and characters. 

What do we know about the Obi-Wan series?

The Obi-Wan series has been discussed for a while, first rumored as a movie, before becoming a series on Disney's then-new streaming service. It's easily one of the most exciting projects in the works, and it'll be written by John Wick 3's Joby Harold, while Deborah Chow is directing. Chow directed two of The Mandalorian's best episodes (but weren't they all great?): 'Chapter 3: The Sin' (the one where Mando rescues Baby Yoda from Werner Herzog's The Client) and 'Chapter 7: The Reckoning'.

Filming on Obi-Wan is supposed to begin in January 2021, which means a 2022 release date is likely. Rumors have suggested Jar Jar Binks may feature in some capacity, but with some way to go until filming starts, we're not putting much stock in that. 

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Will Christopher Nolan’s Tenet save the summer blockbuster movie season?

Christopher Nolan's upcoming spy movie Tenet is one of the first major movies to release in theaters (or cinemas) around the world when it arrives on July 31. Last week, that date was pushed back from an initial target of July 17, which didn't change at the start of the pandemic even while a lot of other movies shifted around (Inception will be re-released on July 17 instead). Now, we might have an idea why.

According to a New York Times report, Warner Bros was keen to postpone Tenet, while director Nolan was keen to go ahead with its initial release date. The report characterizes the stand-off as a 'fraught moment' for Warner Bros, since his movies like Interstellar, Inception and the Dark Knight trilogy have all been enormously successful for the studio. 

Tenet is enormously passionate about the theatrical experience, and in March he wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post about how theaters are 'a vital part of American social life'. "The combination of that pent-up demand and the promise of new movies could boost local economies and contribute billions to our national economy," Nolan said, describing what'll happen after the crisis passes. We'd speculate it's likely, then, that Nolan sees Tenet as a key part of the recovery of this industry. 

Really, though, Warner Bros made a sensible move. While theaters from major chains like AMC (which owns Odeon in the UK) plan to start reopening in July, regional plans may vary. New York City, for example, might not reopen in time for the new Tenet release date, according to Variety. Movie theaters have started opening again in California, though. 

Our guess is that Warner and Nolan see Tenet as an ideal movie to kickstart the industry again, giving people a clear reason to go to theaters after almost three months without any movies on the big screen. Tenet looks like it's cultivating a similar 'mystery box' marketing tactic to Inception, where you're incentivized to see it because you want to know what the secret is behind all the strange imagery you're seeing in the trailers.  

That could be a powerful draw to get people watching movies again. 

Tenet isn't first, though

The situation around theaters reopening is likely to remain unpredictable for the time being, depending on where you are, and how badly hit your home is by the global pandemic. 

Tenet isn't the first movie to come to theaters post-lockdown. Instead, Disney's live-action version of Mulan will start to roll out on July 24.

Russell Crowe effort Unhinged also rolls out a little earlier on July 10. 

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The Batman and Wonder Woman 1984 will be part of DC’s online FanDome event

With San Diego Comic Con cancelled this year, DC Entertainment is hosting its own online event in 2020 where we'll learn more about The Batman, Zack Snyder's Justice League on HBO Max, Wonder Woman 1984, James Gunn's The Suicide Squad and many more. 

It's called the DC FanDome (check out more here), which just about passes as an acceptable pun, and it's a 24-hour virtual experience accessible to the entire world on August 22, 2020. It'll also casts and creators from movies like The Flash, Shazam! and Aquaman, and DC calls it the "largest gathering of talent, announcements and content reveals in the history of DC". Expect stars, creators and filmmakers to be heavily involved here.

Something Watchmen-related is also mentioned, but it's unclear if this relates to the HBO TV show that aired last year, or another multimedia project based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' graphic novel. 

DC TV series will be well-represented, with Batwoman, Black Lightning, DC Super Hero Girls, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, DC’s Stargirl, Doom Patrol, Harley Quinn, Lucifer, Pennyworth, Supergirl, Superman & Lois, Teen Titans GO!, Titans, Watchmen and Young Justice: Outsiders making DC's list of confirmed media properties for the event. 

Warner Bros Games will also participate, making the next Batman game a possible participant for the event. Comics fans will also learn more about DC's future plans. 

What's cool about this event is the international focus. DC FanDome will be available in the following languages: Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. It's totally free to watch. 

This is a great idea

In a summer that's been starved for entertainment news other than reports about movies shutting down production due to the global pandemic, this is a terrific idea. With no San Diego Comic Con this year, and the future of packed comic cons in general looking tricky, we'll happily take a Batman-related distraction from the real world.

At minimum, we expect new footage from Wonder Woman 1984, and probably a first proper look at Snyder's Justice League, which could come to streaming service HBO Max in several parts. 

Sometimes, film and TV companies save the really juicy reveals and trailers for people in the room at comic cons. This means only people who can afford to fly to San Diego or other expensive locations and pay for accommodation get to enjoy them. This brings down those barriers significantly, and maybe hints at a future of how these sorts of events could play out. 

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This Avengers: Endgame deleted scene theory suggests Thanos could live again

Avengers: Endgame finally saw the end of Thanos, the purple space demigod who wielded the Infinity Gauntlet and (temporarily) deleted half of all life in the universe. 

Spoilers ahead: Thanos was killed twice: once with Thor's axe at the start of Endgame, and again by Tony Stark with the Infinity Gauntlet, though the latter was an earlier version of Thanos.

But what if he could live again? An Avengers: Endgame fan theory suggests that Thanos isn't dead, and a newly-emerged deleted scene suggests Thanos was simply "willed out of existence" instead of killed. 

This was highlighted by The Independent, which points to an Avengers: Endgame deleted scene on Disney Plus between Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton).

Here's the dialogue from The Ancient One that's causing a stir: "If someone dies, they will always die. Death is irreversible, but Thanos is not. Those you've lost are not dead, they've been willed out of existence, which means they can be willed back. But it doesn't come cheap."

The theory, then, is that like the fallen Avengers at the end of Infinity War as well as half the universe's population, Thanos could still live again if someone willed it. 

Here's why it doesn't make sense

The stand-in Hulk in the deleted scene looks straight out of a PS2 game. 

To be honest, when you watch the scene, you can see why it was replaced. The dialogue feels rough and cheesy compared to the finished result, which is a careful and interesting exchange between two characters who have never met, played by two outstanding actors. There is no real tension in the scene, and it's packed with exposition.

But the real reason this theory doesn't work is that this is an 'alternate' scene to the one we see in the film. The scene was reshot to create more conflict between The Ancient One and Hulk, according to a commentary by directors Joe and Anthony Russo. They also thought it was overly complicated. 

It's possible that that this scene was altered to avoid this very theory being perpetuated.

This scene is not formally part of continuity, then, and therefore the MCU doesn't have to fulfil the rules that The Ancient One lays out here. 

Thanos is gone. But, if superhero comic books love anything, it's bringing a character back from the dead.

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Star Wars: Squadrons trailer pits X-Wing vs TIE Fighter – and reveals a release date

The Star Wars: Squadrons trailer is here, revealing the newest game set in a galaxy far, far away to be released by publisher EA. It's a first-person space dogfighting game between Rebel and Imperial ships, with 5v5 multiplayer. It'll be released on October 2, 2020, and you'll be able to play the entire game in VR.

Star Wars: Squadrons is described as an "authentic piloting experience" where you master the art of space combat, and you can apparently divert power between systems in your ship, which recalls the classic Lucasarts space simulator games X-Wing and TIE Fighter. 

You can modify your ship for battle, and EA describes it as a "fully self-contained experience from day one", complete with its own progression system. As well as multiplayer, a singleplayer story mode will be set towards the end of the war between the Empire and the Rebellion.

You'll see familiar faces from the Star Wars universe turn up, too: Wedge Antilles was spotted in the reveal trailer below. 

EA says the multiplayer element will allow you to "compete in intense 5v5 multiplayer dogfights or unite with your squadron to tip the scales in monumental fleet battles". To us, that latter part sounds like there'll be co-op if you're not interested in PvP, but we can't be sure about that until EA reveals more. 

No formats were mentioned in the trailer, but separately it's been confirmed that the game is coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC. It'll cost $39.99 / £34.99, which is on the lean side for a new game, and crossplay will be enabled across all formats. 

Check out the trailer below:

Will Star Wars: Squadrons come to PS5 and Xbox Series X?

Next-gen consoles weren't mentioned in the announcement release, which makes us wonder if this is just a current gen game. Either way, it's almost certain to be compatible with all next-gen hardware, so if you're picking up an Xbox Series X or PS5 console this year, you'll be able to check it out regardless.

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PS5 interface to be revealed soon – and it’s ‘a 100% overhaul of the PS4 UI’

The PS5 UI will be revealed soon, according to replies in a LinkedIn post by PlayStation's VP of UX Design Matt MacLaurin. As captured by Resetera (though we were able to verify this ourselves), McLaurin says "you'll see our stuff soon", and hinted a little at what the team at PlayStation has been working on. 

Seemingly describing the PS5 UI, MacLaurin says it's "a little more pragmative, but a 100% overhaul of PS4 UI and some very different new concepts."

"We'll show more of the OS soon!" MacLaurin says in response to another comment. 

There are some other interesting bits in MacLaurin's replies. One person asked why the PS5 console is bigger and bulkier. "'Thermals," McLaurin responded. "This gen is little supercomputers. While the 7nm process delivers amazing heat performance for the power, the power is very extreme." 

Someone else asked if the console comes in black like its previous models. MacLaurin responded with a "Maybe." We wouldn't put too much stock in that reply for now, though. Another person asked if the console comes in black, and MacLaurin was non-committal. 

"While this is the flagship / reference, you can count on even more beautiful (and hopefully radical) special editions. Also, leave the black rectangles in the media center and keep this one in the open."

A black PS5 feels like a dead cert at some point, but we'd be very surprised to see this in time for launch. 

A UI upgrade?

The PS4 menu interface

The UI change from PS3 to PS4 was widely hailed as a massive step up, so it'll be interesting to see what Sony thinks the PS5 needs to do better. It's likely, too, that we have a number of new hardware features coming with the PS5 that we don't know about yet, like how the PS4 included the Share button. They'll presumably factor into the UI design in some form. 

McLaurin's comment of "very different new concepts" perhaps points in that direction. During the PS5's next reveal, we expect to learn about price, release date and what else the hardware can do, but Sony hasn't offered any indication of when its next showing will be.

Still, it's nice to finally see actual information on the PS5 doing the rounds, instead of spurious nonsense. 

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GTA 5 on PS5 and Xbox Series X: release date, enhancements and what we know

GTA 5 will have released on three generations of consoles after it arrives on PS5 in 2021. Seven years after its first release, and 130 million copies shipped later, GTA 5 (and its multiplayer component, GTA Online) is still enormously lucrative for Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive. It makes sense, then, that the publisher wants to support that player base for many years to come.

GTA 5 will be 'expanded and enhanced' for next-gen consoles, according to the first trailer. If you want to keep playing GTA Online in future, you'll want to get the next-gen versions eventually. Rockstar suggests that some future GTA updates won't be supported on Xbox One and PS4, with the publisher promising "more new updates including additional GTA Online content exclusive to the new consoles and PC". 

Moving to next-gen consoles, then, should allow GTA Online to do some more ambitious stuff, particularly with a new standalone version of the online component in the works. Our hope is GTA 5 on PS5 will allow the online part of the game to offer more instantaneous matchmaking and loading. 

Here's what we know about GTA 5 on PS5 and Xbox Series X so far. 

GTA 5 PS5 release date: coming in 2021

GTA 5 is coming to 'new generation consoles' in the second half of 2021, Rockstar has confirmed. There was no specific mention of the Xbox Series X in Rockstar's press release, only PS5 (our guess is that this is a condition of a marketing agreement with Sony), but clearly the phrase 'new generation consoles' refers to the new Xbox as well. 

GTA Online will also release as a separate standalone edition in the second half of 2021. Could this be a deliberate move to reduce GTA's storage demands, and allow the multiplayer component to do more ambitious things? Or is it simply to position GTA Online as a continuous entity, even if another numbered GTA gets announced in the next couple of years? We'll have to wait and see.

PlayStation owners have a significant advantage in all of this. If you play GTA Online on PS4, you'll get GTA$1 million to spend in-game every month until the PS5 version of GTA launches. And when GTA Online's standalone edition arrives on PS5, owners of the console will have three months to claim the game for free after release.

GTA 5 PS5 trailer: "why did I move here?"

GTA 5 on PS5 was the first trailer revealed for the console during The Future of Gaming Event. Check it out above. The intro, featuring Michael saying 'Why did I move here? I guess it was the weather" parallels GTA 5's famous first trailer in 2011. 

GTA 5 PS5 enhancements: what are they?

"The new generation versions of GTA 5 will feature a range of technical improvements, visual upgrades and performance enhancements to take full advantage of the latest hardware, making the game more beautiful and more responsive than ever," is how Rockstar describes the upgrades for GTA 5 on next-gen hardware.  

Hopefully we'll finally have the option to run GTA 5 on consoles at 60fps, which is pretty easy to achieve on PC. We'd speculate that the game is likely to resemble the PC version as it runs on high-end hardware – though it's possible Rockstar is planning other tweaks we don't know about yet.

That doesn't quite explain how this edition is 'expanded' for PS5, as the trailer mentions, but Rockstar will discuss the new version of the game more down the line.

Why is GTA 5 coming to PS5, and where's GTA 6?

GTA 6 simply isn't ready yet. While we know almost nothing about the next entry in the series, these games are grand undertakings for massive worldwide development teams. Red Dead Redemption 2, of course, was Rockstar's last major project, and expecting GTA 6 so soon after that is unrealistic. 

In the meantime, GTA Online has an enormous audience, and the game is sustained by continuing sales of GTA 5 and in-game currency. Rockstar likely wants to maintain that interest between generations until GTA 6 is finally ready. 

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Yes, the PS5 can be placed on its side – here’s proof

During the console's reveal, the PS5's unusual shape led us to wonder whether Sony's newest hardware could be placed on its side. All previous PlayStation consoles could be placed on their side, even if the PS2, PS3 and PS4 were also designed to stand up next to your TV.

Well, the answer is, you can. Sony has even revealed what the PS5 looks like on its side with the following official image:

So, there you have it. While the unusual shape of the PS5's upper half might've made you wonder if the console was meant to be stood up in order to remain cool, that's seemingly not the case. 

You can still lay the PS5 down on its side, and stack both your Wii U and original Xbox on top of it (we're joking about that bit). 

A divisive design

The PS5 has such an unusual design, particularly the strange collar bits at the top, but we'd guess the console is shaped that way in order to keep the console as cool as possible. It's possible that making it a more self-contained black box isn't as feasible as it has been in previous generations. 

That's just our guess, though. In the meantime, enjoy this joke:

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Horizon Forbidden West PS5 release date, trailer and everything we know so far

Horizon Forbidden West is the long-awaited sequel to the critically-acclaimed Horizon Zero Dawn and was confirmed during Sony's PS5 games reveal in June. Coming exclusively to PS5, Horizon Forbidden West continues Aloy's story, and takes her to America's wild frontier, with a trailer that heavily suggests we'll be spending a good portion of the game underwater.

After Horizon Zero Dawn sold over 10 million copies on PS4, a sequel always seemed like a dead cert. Now, Guerrilla Games is returning to this fictional universe to give us another fancy technical showcase on PS5. Ashley Burch will return as Aloy in this entry, while the trailer also teases the return of Sylens (Lance Reddick) from the first game.

Here's what we know about Horizon Forbidden West on PS5 so far, including its release date, trailer and more. 

[UPDATE: Guerrilla Games has confirmed Horizon Forbidden West will release for PS5 in 2021. Read on to find out more.]

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The sequel to the critically-acclaimed Horizon Zero Dawn
  • When will it release? 2021
  • What platforms will it be available on? Exclusively PS5

Horizon Forbidden West release date

While the Horizon Forbidden West release date was notably absent from its announcement trailer, developer Guerrilla Games has since released a dev diary video (which you can watch above) confirming that the Horizon Zero Dawn sequel will release exclusively for PS5 in 2021.

Horizon Forbidden West trailer: first look at the PS5 exclusive

Sony and Guerrilla Games revealed the first Horizon Forbidden West trailer at the PS5 games reveal event on June 11. The above trailer offers a three-minute glimpse at the kinds of varied landscapes you'll explore in the second game, and which machines you can expect to fight (mammoths and alligators, by the looks of it).

We also get the sense that Horizon Forbidden West will be heavy on underwater gameplay, based on how much of a big deal the trailer makes of Aloy using her scuba gear at the 1:40 mark above, and the shots of underwater ruined cities. 

The Horizon sequel looks amazing, though it's hard to tell just how much of what's above is gameplay. 

Horizon Forbidden West screenshots: here's what the game looks like

We've put every official Horizon Forbidden West screenshot into the gallery below, so you can see what the game looks like outside of the trailer. 

Horizon Forbidden West story: what do we know?

The trailer hints a lot at the kinds of enemies Aloy will be facing in the next game, but not much else is known about the game's overarching story apart from the American setting. 

Still, this is the official description of the game from the Horizon Forbidden West trailer. "Horizon Forbidden West continues Aloy’s story as she moves west to a far-future America to brave a majestic, but dangerous frontier where she’ll face awe-inspiring machines and mysterious new threats."

Horizon Forbidden West news and rumors

Horizon Forbidden West

We've compiled all the latest Horizon Fordbiden West news and rumors below for your perusal:

Virtually no loading screens
During a dev diary video from Guerrilla Games, Horizon Forbidden West game director Mathijs de Jonge explained how the sequel with utilize the PS5's super-fast SSD.

"With the PS5's SSD, there will be virtually no loading screens," Jonge said in the video. "In an open-world game like Horizon Forbidden West, if you open up the map and fast travel from one end to the other, or restart from a checkpoint, it will be super fast. When you boot up the game, you're right there in the action." 

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