PlayStation | The VergeThe Verge is about technology and how it makes us feel. Founded in 2011, we offer our audience everything from breaking news to reviews to award-winning features and investigations, on our site, in video, and in podcasts.2026-04-21T13:39:37+00:00https://www.theverge.com/rss/sony-playstation/index.xmlhttps://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/verge-rss-large_80b47e.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1Tom Warren<![CDATA[PlayStation’s age-gating restrictions are coming to UK consoles]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=9154482026-04-21T09:39:37-04:002026-04-21T03:11:34-04:00
Sony is starting to comply with the UK's Online Safety Act by notifying PlayStation players of its age verification requirements today. PS4 and PS5 owners in the UK and Ireland won't be able to participate in voice chats, messaging, parties, or other third-party communication services from June unless they verify their age.
"Beginning June 2026, if you have not completed age verification, you can continue playing on PlayStation, but some features won't be available until you verify your age," says Sony in a support note. Age verification will also be required for broadcasting features or sharing gameplay to YouTube or Twitch from a PlayStat …
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Cameron Faulkner<![CDATA[A YouTuber channeled his distaste for the PS5’s design into slick console covers]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=9040862026-04-08T12:00:19-04:002026-04-01T10:00:00-04:00
The PlayStation 5's curvy design is divisive. The Verge's Andrew Webster called it a "robotic clam" in his 2020 review, which is actually kind of endearing. Personally, I kind of got over hating it sometime during the past almost-six years of its existence. Small form factor PC enthusiast Devyn Johnston is someone who did not get over it. He was so not over it that he made and is now selling BoxPlates, $89.99 snap-on console covers that fundamentally change how the PS5 looks.
With the BoxPlates on, the PS5's design goes from curvy to flat. There's an unmistakable infusion of the Xbox One S / X design language in the plates. About 60 percent …
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Cameron Faulkner<![CDATA[Today is the final day to save up to $150 on a PS5 before the price goes up]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=9046142026-04-01T09:22:44-04:002026-04-01T09:21:21-04:00
Behold, the PlayStation 5 Pro. | Photo: Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
The cost of the PlayStation Portal and every PlayStation 5 console is going up tomorrow, April 2nd, by as much as $150 in some cases. That means time is running out if you want to save yourself the money you’d soon have to spend to secure a PS5, which is why I’m going to point you in the right direction to get a console before the changes take effect. I also found a deal if you’re okay with buying a refurbished model.
If you want the slim PS5 console with or without a disc drive, there’s no need to pay full retail price. Right now, you can grab a refurb model (with minor cosmetic imperfections but tested to perform like new with a one-year warranty) from Sony’s PlayStation Direct storefront starting at $399. That’s how much the Digital Edition costs, while the slim version with the disc drive is going for $449. Both are $100 lower than the retail cost as of April 1st. Sony is also selling the original model with a disc drive (and a smaller 825GB SSD compared to 1TB in the refurbished slim versions) for $399. You’ll find those options below.
At this point, I see little reason to suggest spending more at retailers for a new console; once the price increases on April 2nd, you’ll have figured out a way to save $200 compared to buying new, maximizing the leftover cash you would otherwise spend on games and accessories. But, hey, it’s possible that you might have a gift card or another motivating factor to buy from a different retailer. If so, don’t let me stop you!
If you want to pick up a PS5 through traditional retailers, the slim Digital Edition (now with 825GB of storage, following a downgrade in October) is available for $499 from Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Sony, and GameStop. The model with the disc drive, meanwhile, is available through the end of today for $549 from Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop, and Sony.
If you’re hoping to snag a refurbished PlayStation 5 Pro, you’re out of luck, as there’s currently no refurb option available via Sony. You’ll need to buy it new to get Sony’s most powerful console, which will cost you $749 until April 2nd ($899 afterward). It’s available in its usual 2TB configuration from Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and Sony.
Lastly, today is your last day to save on the PlayStation Portal, which will jump from $199 to $249 tomorrow. You can buy it at its regular price at Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop, and through Sony via PS Direct. Sony has been steadily enhancing the handheld remote player’s capabilities since its 2023 debut, and what started out as a gadget you could use strictly over Wi-Fi to view and control your PS5 games now offers cloud-based streaming with a PS Plus Premium Plus subscription. Sony also recently rolled out an option that can push a higher-bitrate 1080p resolution to the handheld from your PS5, assuming your Wi-Fi connection can handle it.
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Cameron Faulkner<![CDATA[SteelSeries’ feature-packed Nova Pro Wireless headset is $80 off]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=9026432026-03-27T17:54:16-04:002026-03-28T11:00:00-04:00
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless came out almost four years ago, yet it’s still one of the best gaming headsets you can buy. Turns out, it’s not easy for other companies to duplicate all that SteelSeries got right with this one — mixing multiple audio sources, active noise cancellation, a retractable mic, hot-swappable batteries, and more. Normally priced at $379.99, it’s down to $299.99 at Amazon during the company’s Big Spring Sale that lasts through April 1st at 2:59AM ET. The deal is also happening at Best Buy and from SteelSeries directly.
The Nova Pro Wireless is a unique product in that two Verge staffers tested the headset when it launched. Sean Hollister and I each received units and co-published an in-depth review because there were a lot of features to cover, and there was a lot to say about this fantastic headset.
In late 2025, SteelSeries launched a more premium version of this model called the Nova Pro Elite. Save for its more premium build materials, improved wireless signal and hi-res audio, there’s not a ton else to justify spending the whopping $599.99 it costs. We think the Nova Pro Wireless that costs literally half the amount is pricey enough as is, and definitely good enough for most people.
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Emma Roth<![CDATA[Sony is raising PS5 prices by $100 in April]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=9022242026-04-08T09:09:25-04:002026-03-27T08:20:19-04:00
Sony is raising the price of its PlayStation 5 consoles globally starting April 2nd. In an announcement on Friday, Sony says that the standard PS5 will now cost $649.99, up from $549.99. Meanwhile, the PS5 Digital Edition now costs $599.99 instead of $499.99, and the PlayStation 5 Pro will cost $899.99 instead of $749.99.
Along with these changes, Sony is increasing the price of its PlayStation Portal as well, going from $199.99 to $249.99.
This is the second time in less than a year that Sony has raised the price of its PS5 consoles, as the company hiked prices by $50 for all three models last August. Sony cites "continued pressures in th …
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Sean Hollister<![CDATA[Future Sony PlayStation games will use AI to imagine new frames]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8982832026-03-20T17:10:19-04:002026-03-20T15:46:23-04:00
Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro, told Digital Foundry that ML-based frame generation tech is coming to "PlayStation platforms" in the future, letting the game console use AI to imagine new frames between the ones it's actually rendering, which can create smoother perceived image quality while (typically) introducing some amount of lag. At least, that's how it works on PCs, where critics call them "fake frames."
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Andrew Webster<![CDATA[Starfield is coming to the PS5 and getting a pair of major updates in April]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8953042026-03-17T11:24:24-04:002026-03-17T11:10:29-04:00
After lots of rumors, it's now official: Bethesda's sci-fi epic Starfield is coming to the PS5. It'll launch on Sony's console on April 7th, and that day will also see the debut of two major updates for the game - one paid, one free - a combination that Bethesda describes as "the biggest update to the game since launch."
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Emma Roth<![CDATA[Sony’s AI graphics upscaling for PS5 Pro games is getting a big update tonight]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8953962026-03-16T14:58:50-04:002026-03-16T14:07:30-04:00
Sony's upgraded PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) technology is rolling out to several titles on the PS5 Pro, including Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Silent Hill 2, and more. Digital Foundry got a chance to test some of them and found that the "new upscaler delivers the kind of upgrade we were looking for from PS5 Pro." Problems with shimmering, flickering, and other visual artifacts have been addressed, and they said it now delivers crisper and more consistent in-game graphics.
This is the first upgrade we've seen from AMD and Sony's combined Project Amethyst work on improving the effect of rendering a game at a lo …
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Terrence O’Brien<![CDATA[Sony appears to be testing dynamic pricing on PlayStation games]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8910852026-03-07T12:52:49-05:002026-03-07T12:52:10-05:00
A site calledPSprices has been tracking prices on Sony's digital game store and noticed something unusual: some games were being offered at different prices to different users. What's more, those offers are tracked in the PlayStation API with experiment identifiers like IPT_PILOT and IPT_OPR_TESTING.
Dynamicpricing is nothing new and is used across a number of industries. But it's often met with backlash and isn't typically found in online game stores. According to PSprices, Sony is running A/B testing on prices for over 150 games in 68 regions, though the US doesn't currently appear to be part of the experiment. For now, at least, Sony i …
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Andrew Webster<![CDATA[PlayStation is reportedly moving away from PC ports]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8889082026-03-04T09:03:35-05:002026-03-04T09:03:35-05:00
It sounds like PlayStation is putting its focus back on console exclusives. According to a report in Bloomberg, Sony's gaming division is moving away from porting PS5 games to PC, which reportedly includes cancelling plans for a PC port of Ghost of Yōtei.
It's a big change from a few years ago, when Sony said it wanted half of its games available on PC and mobile by 2025. As part of that goal some of the brand's biggest franchises, including The Last of Us, Horizon, and God of War, made their way to PC. This month alone will see the launch of PlayStation-backed PC titles including the multiplayer shooter Marathon and Kojima Productions' Dea …
