Your Wednesday Roundup
Your Wednesday Roundup
Catching you up on console news.
System updates, Burger King, and updates on your favorite console brands.
Read time: 9 minutes
Quick Tidbits
Here are small and developing stories you should keep your eye on.
Microsoft working around Apple?: it was only a matter of time. A few weeks after Amazon’s Luna was announced, as well as sharing its approach to working around Apple’s IOS guidelines, Microsoft is working on the same solution. Microsoft developers have been working on a web-browser-based application that is intended to work for iPhones, with the launch planned for sometime next year. Before this, Microsoft’s only solution to getting its xCloud system on Apple products was to submit each game within its service individually. It wasn’t realistic, and it left many people within Microsoft frustrated, as well as consumers that own an Apple product but wanted to try xCloud. With that said, don’t expect Apple to sit on its hands and let Amazon and Microsoft execute these workarounds. Apple has already shown a willingness to change its guidelines as situations evolve, which was true with the latest updates regarding cloud gaming. As most of these cloud gaming services are still developing, Apple could point to the fickle nature of this growing market as a reason for additional guideline changes. But at this point, it’s all speculation. The only thing we can do is wait and see how Apple chooses to respond.
Prime Day Deals: we’re in the middle of Amazon’s annual Prime Day, a deal event that’s exclusive to Amazon Prime members. The event kicks-off holiday season shopping and many of the best deals advertised have already been sold out (I missed out on a great pair of shoes *sighs*). Gamers, in particular, have a wonderful selection of deals to choose from, as some notable games, consoles, and accessories are seeing steep discounts. It’s a bit stunning to see titles like The Last of Us Part II, Breath of The Wild, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses selling at a crazy affordable $40. If you want a full list of the best deals in gaming, make sure you check out The Verge’s Prime Day deals guide. I’ve been using it to help shape my buying decisions, and I know you’ll find the same value in it as well. The guide is a live article, as The Verge staff are consistently updating it with new deals, as well as marking out deals that have sold out. Make sure to act quickly, as Prime Day ends today and some great products have already been sold out. Oh, and make sure to keep your eye on other stores too, as places like Best Buy are price matching some of its products to compete with Amazon.
Burger King + PlayStation: a few days ago, we were treated to an odd video from Burger King via its Twitter account. It showed the King opening an abnormally large BK bag and being greeted by blue light and a start-up jingle, followed by the date 10/15 at the end. Many people speculated that this was a clever announcement to a PlayStation and Burger King partnership, as Xbox had already teamed up with Taco Bell earlier this year. Turns out these speculations were correct, as multiple reports have confirmed that PlayStation is partnering with the fast-food burger joint and creating a month-long promotion leading up to the console’s release. From October 15 (tomorrow) to November 22, people will be able to earn tokens through Burger King purchases that give them a shot at winning a PS5 console, copies of Sackboy: A Big Adventure and Demon’s Souls, or a three-month subscription to PlayStation Now. Basically, the more tokens you have, the higher your chances are of winning any one of the prizes. But it’s not just one copy of each product. Sony has provided Burger King with 1,000 units of the PS5, 2,000 copies of Sackboy: A Big Adventure and Demon’s Souls each, and 1,000 codes for PlayStation Now. You can view the terms and conditions of the promotion here, but make sure you start ordering some Burger King! It’ll be hard to find a PS5 this holiday season, as many stores are sold out for the foreseeable future, so this might be your best chance at getting a console.
Console Updates
The current major console manufacturers are Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. This list may change as new competition arises but, for now, these three reign supreme.
Sony
The PlayStation is shaking up the UI for its console and the PlayStation store.
The 8.00 software update for the PS4 is being released today, and with it comes a host of small, quality of life changes.
The most notable change will be the adjustments to the Party and Messages features, as well as the removal of the Communities option. Party and Messages have been altered to become a more unified experience, as players will now be able to use the same group of people when using the voice chat and text message features. This is a stark contrast to before when PS4 users had to set this up with different groups across two apps. As for the Communities feature, the removal comes as no surprise, as not many PS4 users were utilizing it. With that said, users that did create a private community can still access it, but they will no longer be able to create new ones.
The other changes include:
New pre-set avatars to select
Ability to “mute all mics” from the quick menu
Easier and flexible Parental Controls
Enhanced two-step verification
Updates to remote play on mobile and PC
Although not the biggest changes, it’s clear that much of these changes are in anticipation of the upcoming PS5. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see more updates coming in the days and weeks leading up to the console launch.
Quick Thoughts: thank goodness for the mute all mics feature and the integration of the Party and Messages apps. Although a lot of games now provide options to mute people you play with, I have encountered situations where people “fall through the cracks.” Knowing that I’ll be able to mute everyone, regardless if they just joined a game or not, will be a much-needed solution. As for the Party and Messages app, it makes life a little easier, as I do find myself using the Message’s option a lot more frequently compared to other gamers. Having both options available on one app is a welcomed change, and I can’t wait to see how it’s implemented later today.
Microsoft
Current Xbox owners and future Series X/S owners won’t have to wait long to see and feel what it’ll be like to own a next-gen console.
During the evening, Xbox devs pushed a new update that completely revamped the Xbox’s UI, providing their current-gen consoles with a fresh look and smoother feel. Although many people already knew what the UI would be, as Microsoft had revealed the design earlier this year, this update will finally give consumers a chance to experience it themselves.
The design already has many people clamoring, and it’s been met with excitement and acceptance. Along with faster loading times, consolidated apps, and easier ability to find and start games, users will also be able to enable light and dark mode, much like what you see on Apple products and social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram.
According to Microsoft, this will be the standard design for all consoles within the Xbox family moving forward, so expect to get this same look and feel when the Xbox Series X and S come out next month.
The update is now available to download.
Quick Thoughts: after nearly a month of crazy news coming from Microsoft, it’s nice to get something simple, even if it’s just for a week.
I really enjoyed the video Xbox put out a month or so ago regarding the UI design, and it seemed like a lot of thought and hard work went into it. I’ll have to see how the UI looks and feels whenever my partner starts her Xbox up. I definitely see myself messing with this for a few minutes.
Although many of us don’t spend a lot of time on our console’s start-up screens, it’s great to see that Xbox and PlayStation are thinking about these smaller details. And with everything moving in a digital direction, it’s likely that we’ll be spending more time in the console menus, so a re-dedication to console UI is coming at a great time.
Nintendo
With all the news about the upcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, one would assume that the leading console sale numbers would come from either next-gen console, right?
Not exactly.
According to Mat Piscatella, an NPD industry analyst, the Nintendo Switch is projected to be the best selling console this holiday season.
“[The] Switch will also be a hot holiday gifting item with more households picking up multiple Switch consoles in the fourth quarter. The lack of available inventory of new PlayStations and Xbox systems will leave [the] Switch as an appealing available option [this holiday season].”
The Switch has already experienced tremendous numbers this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the additional time people have at home. It’s overall affordability, mobility, and access to stellar titles such as Breath of The Wild, Super Smash Brothers, and Fire Emblem have made the console a popular option for consumers. And with the lack of PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles available, it certainly makes sense that the Switch will see strong numbers once again this holiday season.
Quick Thoughts: I’m a bit surprised, but it definitely makes sense. The Switch is an awesome console to own, especially to a more general consumer.
You get to play quality titles, game on the go, and setting it up on a bigger screen takes up very little space and time. It’s what people want, and they’ve shown exactly that by buying the Switch like hotcakes. It also makes sense that people would opt for the Switch if a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S isn’t available, especially if a consumer isn’t particularly picky about how they want to game.
With that said, I still find it surprising. People have been buying the Switch like crazy over the past two years (I even bought one last holiday season), so you’d think that most people interested in it already own it. And with Prime Day going on right now, it’s safe to assume even more people will purchase it.
My thought was that everyone that wants a Switch already owns one, but it seems like I’m way off on that belief.
Optimistically, I’d also like to think that more PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles will be available post-launch, especially around Christmas time. I’d be shocked if either console was sold-out for long, especially with all the hype and excitement Sony and Microsoft have built around their respective consoles.
But regardless of what happens, this has been an extremely strong year for Nintendo and the Switch, and it looks like they’ll be capping it off with a bang.
Nintendo Cease-and-Desist
Nintendo has once again slammed the hammer on someone inappropriately benefitting from their product.
Fortunately, it’s a lot tamer when compared to that cringe-worthy Princess Peach game.
Digitalprincxss, formally known as Pokeprincxss, was issued a cease-and-desist order from Nintendo for using the Pokemon brand and imagery. Evident not only in her social media handles but her products as well, Digtalprincxss was forced to completely rebrand her business.
Although Nintendo isn’t against people using the names of its products or services for financial benefit (Pokimane is a perfect example), they do want that person to stick close to what they deem appropriate.
Although Digtalprincxss is an influencer, she’s also an adult entertainer and runs an NSFW account on OnlyFans. It seems like that was enough for them to issue the cease-and-desist order.
You can find the full breakdown of this story here.