Gaming Newsletter - Issue #13: 11/19/24

Gaming Newsletter

Hi everyone! This is a new Series I've started. I'm working on doing this every Tuesday for now. If it sometimes comes out late, it will definitely still be weekly. Still working the schedule out! So, what's the Video Game News for this week?

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Microsoft News

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has confirmed the company is working on a major handheld gaming device, with prototypes currently in the development phase. Speaking to Bloomberg, Spencer described an expectation that Microsoft would “do something” in the handheld space, with that “something” still very much in the works.

The company is reportedly studying the handheld gaming market extensively, to determine where it can best implement a new vision. Notably, Spencer said the company was also focussed on improving the Xbox app for existing handheld devices, to ensure Xbox games can be played anywhere, on multiple devices. As Microsoft’s new marketing campaign claims, pretty much any modern tech can be an Xbox.

Looking to the future, Spencer made clear that a dedicated Microsoft-helmed handheld was still on the cards, despite this holistic approach. “Longer term, I love us building devices,” Spencer said. “And I think our team could do some real innovative work.”

Microsoft News

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PlayStation 5 Pro News

Digital Foundry tested the PlayStation 5 Pro's power consumption and discovered some surprising results. According to its three-way discussion piece on YouTube featuring Richard Leadbetter, John Linneman, and Oliver Mackenzie, the PlayStation 5 Pro consumes practically no additional power than the base PlayStation 5, despite featuring a significantly more powerful GPU.

Digital Foundry tested the PlayStation 5 Pro in Elden Ring, Spider-Man 2, and F1 24. All three games were compared to the launch model of the PlayStation 5, the refreshed variant dubbed the PlayStation 5 Slim, and the Pro model, with the Pro running the Pro-exclusive version of all three games with enhanced graphical capabilities.

PlayStation 5 Pro News

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Phil Spencer News

Xbox boss Phil Spencer says there are no "red lines" banning certain Microsoft games from being released on PlayStation, but it's too early to make decisions about tentpole franchises like Halo.

Speaking to Bloomberg, Spencer said that "the ball is moving in the right direction" when it comes to more open game platforms. "This idea of open platforms, where s have more choice, creators have more choice, you see the momentum, right?"

Pushed for specifics, Spencer says that he's pleased with the results of Microsoft's first games to come to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch - earlier this year, Sea of Thieves, Pentiment, Grounded, and Hi-Fi Rush made the jump, while Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will launch on PlayStation 5 a few months after its Xbox release despite original plans to the contrary. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, while also now a Microsoft game, got the multiplatform release that Call of Duty fans have come to expect over the years.

Phil Spencer News

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That's all for this episode. I hope you guys enjoyed! If I left anything out in the news this week that I might have forgotten about on this news week, please comment down below and I'd love to chat Video Games just like I love to 24/7! Thank you guys so much. Happy Gaming!

P.S. I know The Game Awards 2024 Nominees were announced today. But, instead of recapping it here, I'm gonna go over them in a Nominees Reveal Special Post coming later this week.