A recent report from Jeff Sneider reveals the untitled movie has recently bagged a writer in Dolface writer Sam Jarvis. She’s the latest writer to join the project after Yoni Brenner and Kristy Hall, who wrote earlier drafts of the script. According to Sneider, the film’s directed by Kris Pearn (The Tiger’s Apprentice) and will be a wholly new entry in the franchise.
Sony first announced its plans to make an animated Ghostbusters movie back in 2016 with the initial premise of telling a film from the ghosts’ perspective. It’s currently unclear if this movie will still go that route, but the studio’s been trying to make new cartoons out of the property for a while now: a Netflix series was announced back in 2022 with little drops of information in the years since, such as it being in CG and animated by Legend of Aang studio Flying Bark. At time of writing, it’s also a question mark whether this animated movie and show will connect in any way.
And what about the next live-action movie after Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire? One may also be in the works at time of writing, so if you’re a fan, it sounds like you’ve got a good amount to look forward to in the near future…which will all end up on Netflix sooner or later since it and Sony are tight like that.
Sony Pictures Entertainment reported $2.3 billion in revenues for its fiscal third quarter, down 12% year over year. Operating income during the three months ending in December was $197 million, off 11%.
The news came Wednesday when parent Sony Group reported a 22% growth in profits during the quarter helped in part by its music, gaming and imaging divisions. Sales grew 1%. The Tokyo-based conglom also raised its outlook for its fiscal year that ends in March.
SPE in the year-ago quarter benefited from the theatrical success of Columbia Pictures’ Venom: The Last Dance, which grossed $478M at the worldwide box office. The best performing theatrical release of the most recent quarter was Sony/Crunchyroll’s Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, which grossed $117M globally through December 31.
Its operating income loss during Q3 was due the decrease in sales, offset by lower marketing costs for theatrical releases, the company said.
The division kept its full-year guidance steady.
Crunchyroll previously helped SPE in the second quarter ending last September, when Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle grossed an outsized $312M of its eventual $730M global gross.
In a landmark shift for the consumer electronics industry, Sony has announced plans to spin off its TV business into a new joint venture with Chinese giant TCL.
The move marks the end of an era for the Japanese firm, which has been a dominant force in the television market for decades.
The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint operation where TCL will hold a majority 51 percent stake, with Sony retaining the remaining 49 percent. The new entity is expected to begin operations in April 2027, following the finalization of binding agreements anticipated by March 2026.
Despite the shift in ownership, the “Sony” and “Bravia” labels will not disappear. The joint venture plans to continue using these iconic brands, leveraging Sony’s high-quality picture and audio processing technology, alongside TCL’s manufacturing scale and display expertise.
“The new company plans to advance its business by leveraging Sony’s high-quality picture and audio technology cultivated over the years,” Sony stated, while also utilizing TCL’s “vertical supply chain strength” and “end-to-end cost efficiency”.
Strategic Motives
Industry analysts suggest the move is a response to a stagnating TV market, with global shipments predicted to grow by less than one percent in 2026. Sony’s market share has recently trailed behind competitors like Xiaomi, leading to speculation that the company prefers to reallocate its resources rather than compete in a low-margin, slow-growth sector.
For TCL, the partnership represents an opportunity to elevate its brand into the premium market. By managing everything from product development and design to manufacturing and customer service for Sony-branded products, TCL can expand its global reach and move beyond competing primarily on price.
Elon Musk has suggested he could buy Ryanair and called for its chief executive to be fired amid a deepening spat between the pair. The budget airline on Tuesday branded the Tesla chief executive an “idiot”, and used the extraordinary row to promote its January sale. Musk and Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary have been trading insults over the past week after O’Leary rejected the idea of using Musk’s Starlink technology to provide wi-fi on flights. BBC
Hyundai is pulling the plug on its best-selling ICE-powered hatchback. Production of the i10 ended after an 18-year run, but a new entry-level EV is coming soon to take its place. After launching in Europe and the UK in 2008, the i10 became a hit for Hyundai thanks to its affordable price, modern tech, and comfortable interior. In its 18 years on the market, Hyundai has sold over 3.3 million i10 models globally. Over 370,000 were sold in the UK alone. The ICE-powered city car was particularly popular in the UK and Europe, but sales have fallen in recent years. Elecktrek
Sony wants to stop making televisions. The Japanese giant on Tuesday announced it’s signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese consumer electronics outfit TCL to advance talks on the creation of a joint venture that will take over Sony’s television and audio businesses. TCL will own 51 percent of the new venture and Sony will get the remainder. The JV will take over product development, design, manufacturing, sales, logistics, and customer service, but won’t have to develop new brands as Sony is happy for it to use existing monikers like the “Bravia” label it has applied to TVs for 20 years. The Register
After sharing 3D renders for the expected foldable iPhone’s design, Jon Prosser, aka the YouTuber and leaker who Apple is suing for spilling the beans on iOS 26 and Liquid Glass, is back at it again with another detailed unveil. This time, for the iPhone 18 Pro. Prosser corroborates previous reports that Apple will announce the iPhone 18 Pro (and 18 Pro Max) alongside the foldable iPhone. Prosser says they’ll look like the iPhone 17 Pros but come in new colors (he says Apple is testing burgundy, brown, and purple), include a faster A20 Pro chip, and the main camera will sport a “variable aperture,” Gizmodo
Artificial intelligence protections for performers could be implemented for the first time, as union negotiations to establish a framework progress. Last month, Equity members voted overwhelmingly to refuse digital scanning on set. With a turnout of over 75%, over 99% of those who voted said they would be prepared to refuse a set scan. Digital scanning is a process through which an actor’s likeness is captured for future use. Sky News
Mazda has reportedly delayed the launch of its first bespoke electric car until 2029, just months after mules of the SUV were spotted in the early stages of testing. The car was originally due to arrive next year, but the Japanese firm has instead decided to focus on new hybrid models and technology.. in response to stagnating EV sales and the resulting uncertainty in the market. Mazda currently has no EVs on sale after it axed the MX-30 EV six months ago. However, two EVs are on the way – the 6e saloon, which will arrive next month, and CX-6e SUV, due at the end of the year. Autocar
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the next entry in the 28 Days Later franchise and a sequel to 2025’s 28 Years Later, is out now in theaters. While the film retains many of its horror elements, it does feature some surprising twists that take the franchise in new directions, and could have big implications going forward.
What surprise twist in 28 Years: The Bone Temple makes the movie so good?
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple picks up almost immediately after the end of 2025’s 28 Years Later. Spike (Alfie Williams) is now a member of the Satanic group led by Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), and joins other children as a member of his “fingers.” Meanwhile, Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) continues his work of maintaining his titular Bone Temple, a makeshift memorial to the many people who were victims to the Rage Virus during its outbreak. It’s here that the film really shifts from what the franchise is best known for.
While much of the film does focus on Jimmy, his fingers, and the brutal things they do in the name of “Old Nick” (Satan) and Jimmy, the movie hangs heavily on Kelson and his relationship with Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), an Alpha leader of the infected who is introduced in 28 Years Later as a fully nude, incredibly strong zombie that leads all other infected. Throughout 28 Years Later, Kelson would sedate Samson with morphine, allowing him to freely interact with the Alpha zombie.
In The Bone Temple, this continues. Unlike 28 Years Later, which features Samson being subdued as he’s going to attack Kelson, Samson instead becomes addicted to the morphine and seeks out Kelson to get sedated. It’s here that things take a turn, as Samson begins to have flashbacks to his life before becoming infected with the Rage Virus. Kelson also begins to wonder if there is a potential cure or “fix” for the Rage Virus.
Toward the end of the movie, as Kelson’s supply of morphine dwindles, he plans to kill Samson in an act of mercy, but Samson shocks Kelson by speaking. It’s the first time we’ve seen an infected act like this in the entire franchise, and Kelson theorizes that the Rage Virus is a form of psychosis, which he thinks can be treated via antipsychotics. He soon begins trying to cook up a cure for the virus, which he gives to Samson. The cure seems to work, as Samson not only regains his consciousness but remembers his childhood in the process.
At the end of the movie, Kelson is stabbed by Jimmy, who himself is crucified upside down by Spike and Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman), another member of the group. As the two die, Samson returns, this time fully human, and takes Kelson with him, thanking him in perfect English in the process.
Although touching throughout the movie, the moments between Kelson and Samson are much bigger for the overall picture of the 28 Years franchise. Throughout the entire franchise, no cure or fix seemed to work for the Rage Virus, with the only method of containment being to fully quarantine places where the infected were. A potential fix for the Rage Virus existing changes not only what can be done about it, but also how the survivors left across England can fend for themselves from those afflicted by it.
In a franchise that has come to be known for its incredibly dour and sad moments, and one that shows off just how brutal things can be, it’s an incredible twist. Not only does Dr. Kelson’s optimism shine through, but it may also have been enough to come up with a potential cure for the virus itself. Of course, with Kelson no longer around, it’ll be interesting to see whether or not the cure for the Rage Virus ever comes up again, or if Samson is the only infected to ever be given the chance to be saved.
The past few years have seen Netflix get Sony movies after their theatrical runs—and exclusive access to some of the studio’s movies, like Fixed and KPop Demon Hunters. Even with the latter film’s ongoing (and now award-winning) success, Sony’s going to be keeping chummy with the streamer through the remaining 2020s and beyond.
The companies recently re-upped their partnership with a multi-year deal that’ll again put Sony movies on Netflix after they’ve ended their theatrical runs and left VOD. So when it’s time for, say, Spider-Man: Brand New Day,Beyond the Spider-Verse, or The Legend of Zeldato hit streaming, you’ll be able to find them on Netflix.
Netflix also has licensing rights to “select SPE feature film and television library titles,” meaning we could potentially end up with another KPop situation where something really takes off and it’s locked to streaming forever, aside from any special-event screening engagements.
According to Variety, this new deal doesn’t actually go into full effect until 2029, but Netflix and Sony got ahead on this before individual territory rights open up later in 2026. It might also be a pretty expensive deal: sources alleged to the outlet it’s above $7 billion in worth, over double the $2.5 billion deal they struck for domestic rights in 2021. Executives from both Sony and Netflix said the deal’s been a boon, with Sony’s executive VP Paul Littmann highlighting the attention films like Uncharted and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse get when they hit the streaming service.
Between its ongoing Sony deal and potentially owning Warner Bros., everything’s currently coming up Netflix. It may have hit studios and the licenses to media from studios it doesn’t own, but can it have any greatness of its own making?
Nintendo, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Microsoft continue to collaborate to improve player safety across our platforms. We believe gaming is for everyone and strive to provide experiences that are positive and enjoyable for all, especially for our youngest players. We work to accomplish this by pursuing a multidisciplinary approach, integrating advanced technology, research-driven insights, supportive community efforts, and skilled human oversight.
Since first announcing our shared commitment in 2020, we’ve partnered behind the scenes with Nintendo and Sony Interactive Entertainment on these efforts because we can accomplish more when we work toward the same goal. As we continue to invest in, adapt, and amplify our approaches to player safety, we have also evolved our shared principles to ensure they represent our constant efforts to keep our communities safe. Our latest shared principles reflect new innovations in player safety that have evolved with technological advancements, and new ways in which we collaborate through key industry initiatives and with trade associations.
Prevention: Empower players and parents to understand and control gaming experiences
We provide controls that let players customize their gaming experience. We support parents with the tools and information necessary to help them customize appropriate gaming experiences for their children.
We recognize that for safety features to be useful, they must be easy to use and understand. We promote the availability of our safety tools and provide guidance on how to use them through our platforms, support channels, services, on our websites, and in retail stores to reach more players and parents.
We inform our parents and players about our codes of conduct and terms of use to support positive gaming experiences for everyone. We enforce these policies through a variety of preventive and remedial measures. We design our products with transparency and player empowerment at their core, aiming to make experiences that are intuitive and respect players’ choices.
Partnership: We partner with industry peers, publishers, regulators, law enforcement, and our communities to advance player safety
Our commitment to safety is central, and we believe collaboration benefits the video game industry and all players by fostering safe gaming experiences.
We partner and engage with global and regional industry trade organizations, industry members, regulators, law enforcement, non-profit organizations, and experts to develop and/or advance online safety initiatives. These include Thriving in Games Group, the Family Online Safety Institute, and others.
We conduct shared research to inform policy decisions and to drive industry innovation. Individually, we have engaged with external research centers that study play and wellbeing.
We partner with our community to promote safe gaming behavior and encourage the use of reporting tools to call out bad actors, and we have tools and processes in place to support rapid response to emerging incidents.
We collaborate with ratings agencies such as the ESRB and PEGI, among others, to ensure that our games are rated for the appropriate audience, and work closely with the Entertainment Software Association and other trade associations to share trust & safety information designed to educate and promote positive play experiences.
We invest in leading technology and proactive collaboration to help thwart improper conduct and content. We participate in key industry initiatives, including the Tech Coalition and its Lantern program, that are dedicated to enhancing child safety through technology, knowledge-sharing, and transparency.
Responsibility: We hold ourselves accountable for making our platforms as safe as possible for all players
We make it easy for players to report violations of our codes of conduct and community guidelines, which we work to refine and evolve to support our player communities.
In addition to removing content not suitable for our services, we take appropriate enforcement actions for violations, including restricting players from using our services for misconduct, with escalating restrictions for egregious or repeat violations. We engage in responsible and transparent practices, including the ethical use of all data, and deploy process enhancement technologies with skilled human oversight.
We comply with all applicable laws in the places we do business and respond to legitimate requests from law enforcement. We promptly notify law enforcement if we observe unlawful conduct or where we believe a player is at risk of imminent harm.
We publish our rules and requirements, and we ensure that players who have been reported understand the requirements for continued engagement with our platforms.
This partnership reflects our dedication to collaborating on solutions that enhance player safety and ensure our games are welcoming for everyone. The video game industry has a strong legacy of prioritizing player safety, especially for children. At the same time, we recognize that these challenges require collaboration and shared values, and so we welcome others to commit to the safety and well-being of players everywhere.
Whenever my kids get stuck playing a game, they run around the house yelling for me to help them. Doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing. Making dinner, taking out the trash, going to the bathroom, nowhere is safe. I patiently try to explain to them that back in my day, there was no grownup to help me beat Snake Man in Mega Man 3 or find Excalibur in Final Fantasy IV. I just had to bash my head against the wall until I figured it out or give up until I got older.
They never find this paternal wisdom satisfactory, so there I am finding them Zonai devices in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or turning off damage in the Minecraft settings menu like a personal accessibility assistant. Will they do the same for their children? They might not have to. New AI “ghosts” might be able to do everything in the game for them. The games will, on command, be able to play themselves. Perfect for grinding crypto-currency in the Roblox mines while the oceans rise. RIP my future grandchildren.
A Sony patent for these AI ghosts has been making the rounds online today. As reported by VGC, the September 2024 registration documents which were publicized earlier this week reveal a technology that would allow people to get AI to help them beat games. These AI “ghost players” would be trained on existing game footage and either demonstrate the solution to an obstacle (“Guide Mode”) or beat it entirely (“Complete Mode”).
It’s not clear from the patent whether Sony actually plans to move forward with this new AI help tool now or in the future. People have made jokes online about how bad current AI is at hallucinating gameplay, showing you something that looks normal enough before shifting into surreal nightmare fuel just moments later. There are also concerns about how the AI “helper” would be trained, which would seemingly include footage shared on social media and YouTube.
the point of a movie is not to be done watching it. the point of a song is not to be done listening to it. the gamers’ obsession with completion as the only motivator to play a game has directly led to the medium’s worst traits. “AI gaming ghost” is a reflection of the lack of willingness to engage
Gaming has a long history of companies trying to help players overcome the difficulty that they themselves designed into their games. In the past there were hotlines and strategy manuals. More recently, companies have tried to embed guides directly into the games. Game Help on PlayStation 5 shows you videos of how other players have completed a particular section of a game. It’s a neat idea whose implementation is messy and incomplete. Microsoft is trying to go a step further and embed its Copilot AI into games to offer chatbot-style assistance as an overlay like a new version of Clippy.
Tools like this could be a boon for helping more people enjoy games or at least “unstuck” themselves before bouncing off in a fit of boredom or frustration. But there’s also a Black Mirror version where all of the friction of actually playing a game is offloaded to AI agents entirely. How many games would be improved by adding a skip button that lets you fast-forward your progression by 20 seconds or 20 minutes? How many games would you stop playing entirely if you could offload the drudgery entirely?
AI ghosts grinding AI optimized battle passes
Players love to optimize strategies and get one over on the games they’re playing. Sometimes that means doing a lot of work to grind as effectively as possible or craft the most broken build. Other times it means wrapping a rubber-band around an analog stick and going to sleep while the game does all the work for you. What would it be like to play Diablo 4 if those builds you had to look up online were automatically recommended inside the skill tree menu?
What would be the point if at any time you could put the mouse and keyboard down and let an AI agent, trained on YouTube or even your own play history, take the wheel and grind until all of that hyper-rare loot finally drops? Not everyone would go for it. Maybe some would. We already know what choice Elon Musk would make.
Experience-based games would probably be safe. The ones where you’re there for player choice or the story, though even fans of things like Dispatch might be tempted to have someone else handle all of the less engaging mini-games. Multiplayer games have faced an ongoing arms race with cheaters for years. Who wouldn’t be tempted to take credit for a duos Battle Royale win pulled off by their AI counterpart? None of this is in the Sony patent for AI help, but it’s all in the same Pandora’s box.
In fact, some of the most popular games of the past few years play with automating the player’s role to some degree until they are irrelevant to the outcome. That’s what made people obsessed with Vampire Survivors. It’s what helped Ball X Pit sell over a million copies. It’s what made Megabonk so popular, it ended up being nominated for an award at the Game Awards that the developer had to recuse himself from. Some games call upon us to embrace the moment-to-moment drudgery of simulated work. Others lure us with the siren’s call of participating in a high-score chase where the big reward is seeing our own participation incrementally diminished.
In 20 years, even that concept might sound as alien to my grandkids as calling something a “button masher.” By then, the computers will no doubt be able to read the inputs directly from their minds. What the AI chooses to do with those, well, that’s anybody’s guess.
Sony’s CES 2026 press conference is just days away, but this year has a twist: Instead of an overview of Sony’s electronics, video game and Hollywood studio plans for the new year, the presser will apparently have a more narrow focus: electric vehicles. That’s because the traditional end-of-press-day slot isn’t just Sony, but rather Sony Honda Mobility — the joint venture responsible for the Afeela 1 electric car that has been showcased at CES for the better part of a decade. This year, however, we’ll also apparently get to see a an all-new concept model at the event, too.
How to watch the Sony Afeela CES 2026 press conference
The event will be streamed live from Las Vegas on Monday, January 5 at 8PM ET via the Afeela official YouTube channel. (We’ll embed the stream here once it appears on the channel.)
What to expect from Sony Afeela at CES
What’s now the Afeela 1 has been shown in various incarnations since CES 2020, where it was originally announced as Vision-S. But so many more important details were confirmed in the past couple of years, including the price, which starts at a staggering $89,900. However, the earlier impressions were less than impressive, and as of CES 2025, that thought remains the same. Engadget’s automotive expert Tim Stevens said earlier this year that the EV “feels like a PlayStation 4 in the PS5 era,” and that “the car lost what little interesting styling it had while sticking true to some specifications that sounded good five years ago.” Ouch.
But the Afeela 1 won’t be the only vehicle on display. Its CES booth will showcase “several Afeela 1 pre-production vehicles in multiple color variations, alongside a new Afeela concept model,” Sony Honda Mobility said in a press release.
We’re hoping to hear about what’s new and improved at CES 2026, and we’re also excited to see its newest concept model. And between booth displays and press releases, we’re hoping we’ll get to see at least a few new Sony Electronics products on the docket for 2026, too.
Back in November, Sony started selling PS5 consoles as part of a Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotion. The deal officially sunsets at 3AM ET, so now is a good time to bite the bullet on a gaming console given that prices aren’t likely .
You can pick up a and a . The beefy PS5 Pro . All of these deals are active on Amazon, but also .
If the costs here still sound a bit high, that’s because Sony back in August. In other words, these $100 discounts are pretty much $50 discounts when factoring in that recent increase. Still, cheaper is cheaper. This puts the digital PS5 at the same price as an Xbox Series S and the disc-based version at the same price as a Switch 2.
Both standard PS5 configurations won’t arrive until December 28. The PS5 Pro, however, is available for same-day shipping if you’re jonesing for one last holiday gift.
The PS5 has a fairly large stable of exclusive titles made by Sony-owned studios. These include games like Horizon Forbidden West, Astro Bot, Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei.
Sony is paying approximately $460 milliion to purchase Peanuts [PDF] and its characters, including Snoopy and Charlie Brown, created by Charles M. Schulz. That’s a 41 percent stake Sony is buying from Canadian firm WildBrain. Since Sony bought 39 percent of the franchise back in 2018, this will give the company an 80 percent stake. The deal is still subject to regulatory approvals, but Peanuts will become Sony’s consolidated subsidiary once it’s closed. Schulz’s family still owns the remaining 20 percent stake in the franchise.
Schulz launched the Peanuts universe in comic strips 75 years ago, back in 1950. The franchise has grown massively since then, spawning animated series, cartoon musicals and movies that made Snoopy a household name. The company said that it has focused on expanding the Peanuts IP since it bought 39 percent of the brand years ago. “With this additional ownership stake, we are thrilled to be able to further elevate the value of the ʻPEANUTSʼ brand by drawing on the Sony Groupʼs extensive global network and collective expertise,” Sony Music Entertainment Japan CEO Shunsuke Muramatsu added.
Earlier this year Sony sued Tencent for copyright infringement over its Light of Motiram game, calling it a “slavish clone” of Horizon Zero Dawn. Then, earlier this month, Tencent agreed to stop promoting and publicly testing the game. Now, the two companies have reached a “confidential settlement” and the case has been dismissed, according to court documents seen by The Verge. Light of Motiram has also disappeared from Steam and Epic’s game stores.
“SIE and Tencent are pleased to have reached a confidential resolution and will have no further public comment on this matter,” Tencent’s spokesperson told The Verge.
When Sony first filed its lawsuit in July 2025, it said that Tencent’s game appeared to copy aspects of not just Horizon Zero Dawn, but other franchise games including Horizon Forbidden West and Lego Horizon Adventures. That included the post-apocalyptic setting with humans and machines coexisting, the visual appearance of characters and even the marketing materials — something Engadget certainly noticed when Tencent first announced the game.
This isn’t a list of the cheapest tech—in fact, some of these things aren’t even on sale for Black Friday. Instead, it’s a list of the best tech to give someone you actually like. These are product ideas that solve real problems and would be a welcome gift for any tech aficionado.
Image Credit: Jason Aten
The Paper Pro Move is just a few months old, and I’ve been reviewing it since it came out. I think it’s fair to say it’s the most thoughtfully designed “mini” device of the year. It shrinks reMarkable’s new color e-ink canvas to a 7.3-inch display—roughly paperback size—while keeping the adjustable front light, Gallery 3 color, and reMarkable’s signature paper-like writing feel. The pixel density jumps to 264 PPI, making text sharper than even the full-size Paper Pro.
If someone on your list takes field notes, travels light, or found the original 11.8-inch Paper Pro too unwieldy, this is the one to get. The catch: it’s brand new, so no straight discounts.
An Inc.com Featured Presentation
Who It’s For: Note-takers, creatives, commuters, field workers, and anyone who writes more than they type. Best Deal for Black Friday: The official bundle discount ($50 off) on the Move + Marker Plus + Type Folio.
2. Anker Nano Power Bank (10K, 45W)
Anker’s best pocketable charger is on one of its best sales ever. The Nano Power Bank has an integrated retractable USB-C cable—no more scrambling for cords—and a 10,000 mAh battery that can refuel most phones twice. The best feature is the 45W output, which is powerful enough to charge a MacBook Air or Nintendo Switch.
Who It’s For: Travelers, commuters, students, and anyone who lives out of a sling bag. Best Deal for Black Friday: $39.99 (down from $59.99) at Amazon and Anker.
3. Sony A7 IV
Sony’s A7 IV remains one of the most balanced, capable, and reliable full-frame cameras you can buy—especially for the price. It features a 33MP sensor, excellent low-light performance, industry-leading autofocus, and oversampled 4K video. It’s not the newest body in Sony’s lineup, but that’s the point: it’s the rare camera that’s good at everything without costing flagship money.
Who It’s For: Enthusiast photographers, hybrid shooters, vloggers, and anyone moving up from an APS-C camera. Best Deal for Black Friday: $1,998 for the body ($700 off), at B&H Photo.
4. Nespresso Vertuo Creatista
Image Courtesy, Nespresso
This year, the Nespresso Vertuo Creatista arrives on Black Friday with a compelling case: it blends the instant convenience of pods with a legit steam wand for lattes, cappuccinos, or flat whites. Not only that, but it all comes inside a polished stainless-steel body that looks more like a countertop espresso machine than a pod brewer. Its 2-liter water tank, auto-eject capsule system, and built-in frother make it a one-button way to satisfy both espresso and latte cravings. 
Who It’s For: Coffee lovers who want café-quality espresso, cappuccinos, and lattes at home without learning the art of tamping and pulling shots—ideal for apartment dwellers, new homeowners, or anyone upgrading from a standard drip pot. Best Deal for Black Friday: As low as $418.98 at Amazon (Down from $699.95 list price).
5. Sonos Arc Ultra + Sub
If it’s time to give yourself or someone you love a home-theater upgrade, this is the one. The new Arc Ultra shrinks the soundbar while improving its bass and clarity thanks to Sonos’s “Sound Motion” transducer tech. Paired with the Sub (Gen 4), it delivers room-filling sound and best-in-class dialogue enhancement. As a result, movies sound dramatically better, especially voices—the Arc Ultra’s center channel is exceptional.
Who It’s For: Movie lovers, home-theater enthusiasts, and anyone who struggles to hear dialogue. Best Deal for Black Friday: $1,499 for the bundle from Sonos and major retailers (about $500 off typical pricing).
6. EcoFlow 140W Rapid GaN Charger
EcoFlow has quietly become one of the most compelling accessory makers, and the Rapid 140W GaN charger is a perfect example. It’s compact, supports USB-C PD 3.1, and can charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro at full speed. Multiple USB-C ports (plus USB-A) make it a one-brick solution for phones, laptops, watches, and earbuds. Because it uses GaN technology, it’s also small enough to throw in just about any bag.
Who It’s For: Anyone trying to simplify their bag—or ditch the tangle of chargers behind their desk—will appreciate this. Best Deal for Black Friday: $74.99 at EcoFlow.com.
7. July Carry On Suitcase
Image Courtesy, July
July has become our favorite suitcase brand, and for good reason. The curved polycarbonate corners are more durable than standard designs, and the “SilentMove” wheels are among the smoothest—and quietest—of any carry-on. Seriously, they’re so good that they were the first thing my wife commented on when we packed for our recent trip to Lisbon in a July Carry-On. Not only that, but the CaseSafe models have built-in Apple Find My support, as well as an ejectable power bank.
Who It’s For: Frequent travelers, business flyers, and anyone upgrading from a cheap spinner. Best Deal for Black Friday: $220 for the Carry On Light.
8. M4 MacBook Air
Apple finally fixed the MacBook Air’s only real drawback by making 16GB of RAM standard. The new M4 chip is faster, more efficient, and supports dual external displays—a first for the Air with the lid open. For students, writers, office workers, and just about everyone else, this is the best all-around laptop you can buy. Right now you can get pretty great deals on the MacBook Air from Amazon and other retailers.
Who It’s For: Students, office workers, creators, and anyone replacing a laptop older than four years. Best Deal for Black Friday: $899 at Amazon and B&H.
9. AirPods Pro 3
AirPods Pro 3 look familiar, but the updates are pretty big: a built-in heart rate sensor, better waterproofing (IP57), improved bass, and 8 hours of battery life with ANC. The fitness-tracking alone makes them the easiest upgrade recommendation for any runner or gym-goer.
If you want to save just a little more money, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are on sale for only $110 online at Walmart.
Who It’s For: Fitness lovers, commuters, and anyone still using AirPods from 2019. Best Deal for Black Friday: $219.99 on Amazon.
10. Whoop MG
Image Credit: Jason Aten
The Whoop 5.0 MG is a significant upgrade for the platform, with 14-day battery life and new medical-grade features, including FDA-cleared ECG and blood-pressure trend monitoring via its conductive clasp. It keeps Whoop’s distraction-free design while offering excellent data accuracy for sleep, recovery, and strain. If you’re not into ECG and BP trend data, the standard Whoop 5.0 has the same long battery life for less.
Who It’s For: Athletes, sleep trackers, health-conscious users, and anyone who wants the most accurate data without wearing a smartwatch. Best Deal for Black Friday: $299 “Life” Membership (normally $359). If you don’t need the medical features, the standard 5.0 Peak membership is $199.
11. Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony’s WH-1000XM5 remain the gold standard for noise-canceling headphones. They deliver exceptional ANC, 30-hour battery life, lightweight comfort, and dramatically better microphone quality for calls. Sony’s tuning is warm, detailed, and fatigue-free—ideal for long flights or hours-long focus sessions. At their annual Black Friday price, they’re one of the best headphone deals you’ll find.
Who It’s For: Frequent flyers, commuters, remote workers, students, and anyone who needs silence on demand. Best Deal for Black Friday: $298 (down from $399) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target.
12. Kindle Paperwhite (2024 Signature Edition)
Amazon’s refreshed Signature Edition brings a faster processor, snappier page-turns, a larger 7-inch display, 32GB of storage, wireless charging, and an ambient light sensor that adjusts automatically. For pure reading, nothing beats the Paperwhite’s combination of screen quality, battery life, and portability.
Who It’s For: Avid readers, travelers, students, and anyone trying to get off their phone at night. Best Deal I’ve Found: $154.99 (normally $199) at Amazon.
13. Level Lock Pro
Image Courtesy, Level Lock
The Level Lock Pro keeps the same invisible, inside-the-door design as the Level Lock+, but upgrades nearly everything internally: native motion sensing for faster auto-unlock, full Matter-over-Thread support, and Door Sense—a physical status indicator that tells you if the door is open or closed. It remains the best “you can’t tell it’s a smart lock” option on the market and continues to support Apple Home Keys.
The Pro is new and isn’t on sale for Black Friday, but the Level Lock+ is. If you’re willing to sacrifice Matter support and Door Sense, it’s a great deal.
Who It’s For: Apple Home users, smart-home fans, minimalists, and anyone who hates bulky keypad locks. Best Deal for Black Friday: No discounts on the Pro itself, but the Level Lock+ is $229—saving you $120 if you don’t need the new hardware features.
14. Nanu Arc Alarm Clock
Image Courtesy, Nanu
The Nanu Arc is a design-forward, phone-free alarm clock with a mechanical chime—striking an actual metal bar—that creates a calming, gradual wake-up sound. It’s beautifully made, repairable, battery-powered (USB-C), and designed to keep your phone out of the bedroom without sacrificing elegance or functionality.
Who It’s For: A perfect gift for the “digital detox” crowd—or anyone who wants to stop waking up to their phone. Best Deal for Black Friday: $254 (normally $299), one of the only discounts Nanu products see all year.
The original Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses look like classic sunglasses but add surprisingly good open-ear audio, hands-free POV photo/video capture, and on-device Meta AI tools. The audio quality is surprisingly good, and being able to capture moments without holding up a phone changes how you record memories.
Who It’s For: Travelers, parents, creators, and early adopters who love capturing candid moments. Best Deal for Black Friday: $239 (20% off), for the original version.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
The PlayStation 5 is getting a major Black Friday discount, with $100 off all models. That brings the PS5 Digital Edition down to $399, the standard PS5 to $449 and the new PS5 Pro to $649. If you’ve been holding out for the right time to upgrade or buy your first console, this is the deal to beat. You’ll find the deals direct at Sony and from other retailers including Amazon and Walmart.
Sony’s flagship console remains one of the most popular gaming systems available, and this Black Friday discount makes it even easier to jump in if you haven’t already. The standard PS5 and the slimmer PS5 Digital Edition both offer fast load times, smooth frame rates and crisp visuals powered by the custom AMD Zen 2 processor and RDNA 2 GPU. The difference between them comes down to the disc drive — the standard model includes one, while the Digital Edition relies entirely on digital downloads.
For those who want top-tier performance, the PS5 Pro is also getting a rare $100 discount. It features upgraded specs and enhanced ray tracing for sharper graphics, along with improved cooling to handle more demanding titles. Whether you play cinematic single-player hits or fast-paced competitive games, the PS5 lineup remains one of the strongest options on the market for next-gen gaming.
Each console supports 4K output, 3D audio and access to PlayStation Plus, which unlocks online multiplayer and a rotating library of free games. The DualSense controller remains a highlight, with adaptive triggers and haptic feedback that make everything from racing to combat feel more immersive.
If you’re already set with a console, there are also a few solid accessory deals to consider for Black Friday. The DualSense Wireless Controller is down to $55, a $25 discount available in multiple colors. The premium DualSense Edge controller, which adds customizable buttons and replaceable stick modules, drops to $169 during Black Friday. Meanwhile, the PlayStation Portal — Sony’s portable Remote Player that lets you stream games from your PS5 — gets discounted to $179.
If you’ve been waiting to grab a PlayStation 5, this Black Friday deal is worth noting. Sony’s latest consoles are getting a $100 discount across the board, dropping the PS5 Digital Edition to $399, the standard PS5 to $449 and the PS5 Pro to $649. That’s one of the best prices we’ve seen on Sony’s hardware this year. You’ll find the deals direct at Sony and from other retailers including Amazon and Walmart.
Sony’s flagship console remains one of the most popular gaming systems available, and this Black Friday discount makes it even easier to jump in if you haven’t already. The standard PS5 and the slimmer PS5 Digital Edition both offer fast load times, smooth frame rates and crisp visuals powered by the custom AMD Zen 2 processor and RDNA 2 GPU. The difference between them comes down to the disc drive — the standard model includes one, while the Digital Edition relies entirely on digital downloads.
For those who want top-tier performance, the PS5 Pro is also getting a rare $100 discount. It features upgraded specs and enhanced ray tracing for sharper graphics, along with improved cooling to handle more demanding titles. Whether you play cinematic single-player hits or fast-paced competitive games, the PS5 lineup remains one of the strongest options on the market for next-gen gaming.
Each console supports 4K output, 3D audio and access to PlayStation Plus, which unlocks online multiplayer and a rotating library of free games. The DualSense controller remains a highlight, with adaptive triggers and haptic feedback that make everything from racing to combat feel more immersive.
If you’re already set with a console, there are also a few solid accessory deals to consider for Black Friday. The DualSense Wireless Controller is down to $55, a $25 discount available in multiple colors. The premium DualSense Edge controller, which adds customizable buttons and replaceable stick modules, drops to $169 during Black Friday. Meanwhile, the PlayStation Portal — Sony’s portable Remote Player that lets you stream games from your PS5 — gets discounted to $179.
Black Friday deals have come for Sony gear, and that means you can get some of the best noise-cancelling headphones on the market for less. The still-excellent WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones are down to $250, which is the lowest price we’ve seen them. Yes, the latest model, the XM6, have technically replaced these in Sony’s lineup. But if the latest flagships are out of your price range, these former Engadget favorites are well worth considering at this heavily reduced price.
Sony
We awarded the WH-1000XM5 a score of 95 in our 2022 review, praising the supremely comfortable redesign, sound quality and powerful ANC. Battery life is also very respectable at 30 hours. We found the punchy bass an improvement over their predecessors, and the overall sound deeper and more immersive than the M4 headphones. As for noise-canceling, Sony’s decision to double the number of microphones and processors used for ANC means an improvement in blocking higher frequency sounds, such as human voices. They aren’t entirely baby scream-proof, but then few headphones are.
Naturally, the WH-1000XM6 that this year replaced the M5 as Sony’s flagship model offers even better sound quality and noise cancellation, while remaining extremely comfortable throughout long listening sessions. But they’re also a lot more expensive at $450 — they’re on sale now for $398 for Black Friday, so you have the option to upgrade to the latest flagship if you’re willing to spend a bit more. However, we still think the XM5 deal is the best value for most people here.
Sony appears to be ready to announce another addition to its Alpha camera lineup. The company shared an image on the Sony Alpha Instagram account with the text “Chase your dream” and the date December 2 at 9AM EST, which could be a teaser for its next mirrorless camera.
It’s possible the company has something else in mind, but the giant “V” or Roman numeral five in the background of the image seems like a clear reference to an unannounced Sony A7 V, a follow-up to the Sony Alpha 7 IV. Considering there was around a four year gap between the release of the A7 III and A7 IV, releasing the new camera in 2026 would make the timing lineup, too.
Rumors suggest the A7 V could feature a new 33MP “partially stacked sensor” designed by Sony, along with the ability to capture 4K / 60 fps video. The company is also rumored to be announcing at least two new lenses to go with the new camera. Since the Alpha 7 IV started at $2,500, it seems safe to expect that these upgrades could cost even more when the camera is officially announced in December.
It’s Too Early for the lame turkey and family jokes that always start Black Friday deals posts, so I’ll just cut to the chase. Sony’s top-of-the-line mirrorless camera, the A7R V, is on sale at the lowest price we’ve ever seen. If you’ve been thinking of updating, now is the time to buy.
The A7R V isn’t our top-pick mirrorless camera, but that’s mainly because at full price it’s expensive relative to the rest of the market. At this price, though, it’s a steal, and while there is no truly best camera for everyone, the A7R V is unquestionably the highest-resolution camera you can buy. And I know, megapixels aren’t everything, but I have never taken an image with this camera and thought, darn, that’s just too many megapixels.
Courtesy of Sony
The massive 61-megapixel, full-frame sensor in the A7R V is the largest sensor you can get without moving up to a bigger, bulkier medium-format camera. If you want to go totally nuts, get this, landscape photographers: The A7R V can combine 16 shots into a single 240-MP image. It only works with static subjects, but if you ever worried if your images are hi-res enough to cover the side of a building in Times Square, well, you can rest easy with the A7R V.
Yes, the megapixel race is silly and mostly over, but I will say that I’ve shot quite a bit with the A7R C—which uses the same sensor—and images from this 60-MP sensor are noticeable sharper, and the dynamic range is visibly better than what I get from the A7R II (which has a 40-MP sensor). This is obviously the case onscreen, when pixel peeping, but I also notice the difference when I print images.
That the A7R V is $900 off does make you wonder if perhaps the A7R VI is on the horizon? Anything is possible, but I kind of doubt it’s coming imminently. The A7C R, which as noted above, is nearly identical in features, is still not on sale. Furthermore, rumor has it the A7 V (no R) is due before the end of the year, and Sony rarely announces cameras back to back.
What if you don’t want all those megapixels? They do make for huge files, after all (80-120 MB per image in my experience). The Sony A7 IV (9/10, WIRED Recommends, which uses a 33-MP sensor, is on sale for $700 less than usual.
Photograph: Sony
While the sensor has only about half the resolution of the A7R V, it’s plenty sharp and boasts a few video-oriented features you won’t find in the higher-resolution model. It has very nearly the same excellent dynamic range and one of the best autofocus system on the market.
Without getting too deep in the weeds of video technicalities, the A7 IV can record 4K/30p video by oversampling from a 7K sensor region. On the other hand, the A7R V employs what’s known as line-skipping to achieve the same 4K/30p recording. This method of recording results in reduced sharpness and sometimes causes aliasing issues.
The forthcoming Sony sequel film’s team took to Instagram on Wednesday to share the first photo of the franchise stars in costume following the recent start of production. Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Dwayne Johnson and Jack Black are featured in the image that includes the caption, “Look who’s on the loose.”
Among those posting the photo was Hart, who added the caption, “Back in action and loving it… I missed you Jumanji … This one will be our biggest!”
This film follows 2017’s Jumanji: The Next Level, which rebooted the franchise after Robin Williams starred in a 1995 feature version adapting Chris Van Allsburg’s 1981 children’s book. Jake Kasdan, who directed the 2017 movie and its 2019 sequel, returns to helm the untitled third film from a script he co-wrote with Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. It hits theaters Dec. 11, 2026.
The day prior, Johnson posted a video to Instagram of himself surprising fans on the Universal Studios backlot as he made his way to the set. “A little day one of Jumanji excitement,” the star said in the footage. “So good to be shooting in Los Angeles. I have not shot a film in Los Angeles in … I don’t know when, so it feels so good to bring a production back home to Los Angeles.”
He went on to reveal that his character will be wearing a necklace containing the dice that was used in the 1995 movie. “This is the dice from the original Jumanji with Robin Williams as a show of respect and a way of honoring Robin and this entire franchise that he started as we film our very last Jumanji,” Johnson explained.
The cast for the forthcoming film includes Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser’Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, Lamorne Morris and Danny DeVito.
Last week, Johnson posted footage and images to Instagram from the new movie’s table read. “Amazing to get the whole gang back together, and our jaws were hurting from laughing so hard,” he wrote.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle focused on a group of teenage friends getting trapped inside a video game as a collection of adult avatars. It hit theaters in December 2017 and surpassed $950 million at the global box office. The 2019 sequel, subtitled The Next Level, topped $801 million globally.
Nobody could have predicted the turbulent state that console gaming is in right now.
Five years ago, Sony and Microsoft both launched next-gen consoles with very similar PC-based architectures. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X (and its less-powerful sibling, the Series S) promised even bigger and more realistic gaming experiences with near PC-quality graphics and responsiveness. We were told that ray tracing—the recreation of realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows in games—would be worth spending $500 for a new box to plug into our 4K TVs.
On the fifth birthday of both consoles, I can tell you we were sold a lie. Jaw-dropping as ray tracing is, few games even support the graphics enhancement. Out of the more than 1,050 games in the PS5’s library, only 60-something games support ray tracing—that’s a measly 6%. As disappointing as that is, the PS5 has emerged as the winner against the Xbox Series X, outselling Microsoft’s game console by a huge margin. As of November 2025, the PS5’s crossed 84 million units shipped globally since 2020, versus the estimated 30 million that the Xbox Series X/S in the same amount of time.
There’s no telling what will happen in the future, but looking back at the past five years of PS5, it’s clear that Sony did good by gamers. Really f*cking good, for the most part.
I’ll admit that when I first saw the PS5, I was not into its curved panels or its massive size. Consoles are supposed to get smaller and more powerful, not larger—shrinkage is an easy and visible marker of technological progress. The original Xbox was disliked (especially in Japan) because it was such a behemoth. But it seems the PS5 design was just right, at least compared to the Xbox Series X, which is literally just a plain-looking black box. So out of the gate, Sony shipped hardware that looked like it was from the future—people really love gadgets that look materially new and different.
As the games (and exclusives like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Final Fantasy VII: Remake) rolled in, it became more certain to me that the PS5 was the better hardware for the long run. Though my launch-day PS5 only had 825GB of built-in SSD storage, it could easily be expanded with a standard M.2 NVMe SSD. The Xbox Series X has a proprietary storage expansion slot on the back, but for many years, only Seagate sold them, and they were really expensive. Sony chose the less evil path, and gamers like me appreciate that openness.
Even better than an affordable way to add storage to install the ballooning size of games were two hardware features I didn’t think would leave any long-lasting impression on me: the adaptive triggers in the DualSense controller and the “Tempest 3D audio.” Adaptive triggers provide more nuanced haptic feedback, like the ability to feel the resistance of a car gear pedal in Gran Turismo 7, the tension when pulling back a bow in Horizon: Forbidden West or switching a weapon in Resident Evil Village, or even the different surface materials in Astro Bot. Adaptive triggers add another layer of sensory immersion. Tempest 3D audio is less known, but almost every PS5 game supports it. Using a compatible headset, you can hear subtle sound effects like footsteps, gunfire, and rain (to name a few) coming from different directions. It works so well and is so underrated, but it really heightens things in the thick of a game. I never used a gaming headset with my consoles before, but on PS5, I almost always do.
The evolving nature of gaming also means it’s not enough for Sony (or anybody) to launch a console and just get as many games on it as possible. Those days are long gone. So Sony tried things; weird things that didn’t necessarily become big hits, but I’m still glad it took a stab at them because it’s kept the PS5 from aging out.
Peripherals like the PlayStation VR2, a second-generation version of the PSVR for PS4, opened up the console to more VR games and a 2D virtual screen to play PlayStation titles on. The PlayStation Portal, while not a standalone handheld on its own, let players stream their PS5 to it over Wi-Fi for remote play away from the console. A free software update has expanded the Portal’s functionality to allow streaming PlayStation games directly from the cloud instead of from a PS5. Sure, the PSVR 2 is largely a failure and the Portal doesn’t really compete with the Switch 2 or any handheld PC, but they gave the PS5 a moat. The Xbox Series X had no such thing.
The full-on hardware refresh with the slimmer PS5 and the more powerful PS5 Pro in 2024 has no doubt helped prop up the console as it enters its midlife. Does it suck that Sony hiked up prices for the PS5 and PS5 Pro a year later because of Trump’s nonsensical tariffs? Absolutely, but that doesn’t seem to have hurt PS5 sales as much as it has hurt Xbox Series X sales.
I’ll get to Sony bringing its PS5 exclusives to PC and what that means for PlayStation’s future in a second, but the one thing the company deserves more credit for is expanding the PlayStation brand beyond the console hardware.
A PlayStation will always primarily be a console that sits under your TV first, but it’s now also a family of devices that orbit it and any gaming PCs that can play its exclusive titles. Unlike Microsoft, which has leaned into Xbox being a service that can be played on any device, Sony sees PlayStation as an ecosystem and lifestyle gaming brand. In that way, it’s becoming more like Razer, which sells its own Blade gaming laptops, but also sells the peripherals designed for them.
When Sony announced its Inzone PC gaming brand of gaming headsets and monitors, which also worked with PS5, I knew it was only a matter of time before we got more. You didn’t need 20/20 vision to see that the Inzone products were heavily inspired by the PS5’s white and black design language.
This vast and growing ecosystem of PlayStation hardware only deepens and entrenches the platform as a place worth buying into. Like a sports team, consumers root for the companies and platforms they feel the general managers are growing. Sony is winning physical and psychological mindshare with PS5- and PC-compatible hardware, while Microsoft is… apparently trying to compete with TikTok and movies. In trying to make every device an Xbox, Microsoft has lost its focus on what console gamers crave—new consoles and the accompanying peripherals to make games more enjoyable—whereas Sony has only doubled down on core gamers.
PlayStation first, PC second
It’s such a strange thing to see once-exclusive Xbox games like Forza Horizon 5 and Gears of War: Reloaded on PS5, and Halo coming to Sony’s console in 2026. These franchises used to be fodder for taking sides, but not anymore. Now that Microsoft has prioritized publishing its games on as many platforms as possible, there’s almost no reason to be loyal to Xbox.
Time will tell whether chasing profits from games was worth sacrificing Xbox consoles at the altar, but Sony is facing the same challenge of rising game development costs. Bigger AAA games with more detailed graphics cost more money to make than ever before—hundreds of millions of dollars. So it only makes sense that publishing a game on as many platforms—even a competitor’s—is a more sustainable business model.
The difference is that Sony is not handing out its games to PC before it has milked them out on PS5 first. Well-reviewed games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 released on PS5 in October 2023, but only on PC in January 2025, and Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut came out on PS5 in 2021, but on PC in May 2024. Even remastered versions of old titles like the PS4’s God of War, launched first on PS5 in May 2021 before arriving a year later on PC in January 2022.
This friendliness for publishing its games for PC and even making so much PC/PS5-compatible hardware has many thinking that Sony’s taking steps to follow Microsoft and become an all-platform publisher, but that’s just not going to happen. In case all the PS5 peripherals didn’t make it clear, the first and main platform that Sony wants gamers playing its games is on its own PlayStation consoles. PC is not an equal citizen; it’s second-class. Sony is only publishing its games on PC to recoup losses (if a game bombs) or gain additional revenue later (once PS5 sales have tapered off). Remember that most of the work of porting a game from PS5 to PC has already been done, thanks to the similarities in x86 system architecture for both platforms, so it’s more cost-efficient than it would have been pre-PS4 era.
Looking ahead, Sony is in a good position to launch its next-gen PlayStation—let’s just call it the PlayStation 6—in a few years and cruise to victory. Rumors suggest that the PS6 could launch in 2027 or 2028, which would be in line with past console lifecycles; the PS5 launched seven years after the PS4. Microsoft says it’s committed to premium Xbox hardware, which is expected to launch around the same time, but with all the missteps it’s made, the Xbox faithful may not pull up.
It also doesn’t help that Sony’s PS6 could resemble the Nintendo Switch 2 with a hybrid design that can go from console to handheld and vice versa. Or if the PS6 is a traditional console and a separate handheld, that could be concerning, too. Such a hardware departure could leave whatever Microsoft has planned for its Xbox Series X successor looking outdated if it also doesn’t have some handheld component.
Sony’s biggest threat isn’t a new Xbox or the Switch 2—it’s Valve’s newly announced Steam Machine that’s launching in early 2026. The 6 x 6-inch console is basically a tiny gaming PC that runs SteamOS, which means it can play your full library of Steam games. Tech specs and first impressions from the media show the Steam Machine is a capable enough 1080p and 1440p gaming box, but it may fall short of the performance from the PS5 Pro. Specs-wise, Sony has the edge now, and will for sure eclipse the Steam Machine with the PS6, but it’s not just Valve’s box that it will have to compete with. The same way the Steam Deck opened the door to bigger and more powerful handheld PCs to the point where the market quickly became saturated, the Steam Machine will be a blueprint for third-party companies, big and small, to launch their own SteamOS-based consoles. When—not if—that happens, Sony will face assault from more directions than it ever has.
Game exclusives and an expanding hardware ecosystem helped catapult the PS5 to the top and leave Xbox maimed and confused. It’s also something that Sony shouldn’t lose sight of for the PS6 and beyond. A steady stream of exclusives always sells new hardware. It’s always been this way and always will be. Just look at Nintendo. Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon carried the Switch to over 150 million units shipped worldwide, and it’s going to do the same thing for the Switch 2, which is already breaking records. If the PS6 isn’t as successful as the PS5, it’ll be because there aren’t enough exclusive games.
