Tag:

raising

Sony Is Raising The Price Of Every PlayStation 5 Model Tomorrow, August 21

by admin August 20, 2025

Rising video game and console prices have frustrated consumers this year, and today, Sony is adding its flagship console to the list of products getting price hikes. In the United States, the PS5, PS5 Digital Edition, and PS5 Pro are each increasing in price by $50.

According to a blog post from Sony Interactive Entertainment vice president of global marketing, Isabelle Tomatis, the change is due to “a challenging economic environment.” This brings the new prices for each device to the following:

PlayStation 5 – $549.99
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – $499.99
PlayStation 5 Pro – $749.99

As of today, prices remain unchanged in other countries, but many of them faced price hikes earlier this year. This news comes a few months after Sony said it was considering raising its prices in the US, but it might not affect consoles. That was, obviously, not the case. Other instances of companies increasing prices lately include Nintendo increasing Switch 2 accessory prices, and Xbox raising its console and game prices back in May. Across the board, it’s a rough time to be paying for new games and hardware.

Meanwhile, Xbox announced its new handheld’s release date today, but won’t reveal its price quite yet, citing “macro-economic conditions.”

Source link

August 20, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Sony Raising Price On PS5 Consoles In America Tomorrow

by admin August 20, 2025

Sony has announced that it is raising prices on all versions of the PlayStation 5 in America. The increased prices go into effect on August 21, giving folks little time to plan ahead of the price hike.

All new PS5 consoles will now cost $50 more in the United States. Here are the new prices:

PlayStation 5 – $549.99
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – $499.99
PlayStation 5 Pro – $749.99

“Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment,” said Sony in a very short blog post announcing the news. “As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to increase the recommended retail price for PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. starting on August 21.”

This is a developing story…

Source link

August 20, 2025 0 comments

Marathon is the new game from Destiny creators Bungie

Esports

Kickstarter game placed on “indefinite pause” after raising $340k

by admin June 21, 2025

A game partially funded by over 5,000 backers on Kickstarter has been placed on “indefinite pause” after raising more than $300,000, its developer has confirmed.

Developed by Studio Camelia, Alzara Radiant Echoes is described as a “3D turn-based RPG inspired by Japanese classics” on the game’s Steam page, which, as of June 21, 2025, still lists Alzara as “coming soon.”

In a post on Alzara’s Kickstarter page, the developer confirmed that “It is with deep sadness that we announce the closure of Studio Camelia.” In a section addressing the potential for development to recommence, Camelia explained that liquidation of the company took place on April 28, 2025 and that “various legal procedures” are still ongoing.

Article continues after ad

Camelia’s Kickstarter campaign for Alzara raised €294,428 ($339,000 USD) from 5,089 backers.

“Radiant Echoes is now on indefinite pause,” the message continued, adding, “There is a slim chance that a third party might one day step in and offer to take over the project.”

Article continues after ad

The game is still listed as “coming soon” on its Steam page.

The final straw

Camelia explained that, despite members of the team investing their own money and funds from Kickstarter, they needed more to see the game to fruition, which meant investment from a partner.

After attending gaming events to showcase a demo of Radiant Echoes and numerous “in-depth discussions” with potential partners failed to yield any investment, Camelia said they “tried to hold on as long as we could.”

Article continues after ad

Refunds for failed Kickstarter projects are not provided. “Kickstarter is not a store, and we do not issue refunds. When you back a project, you’re supporting a creator’s right to make something new,” the site’s FAQ reads.

While individual project creators can opt to provide refunds in such circumstances, Camelia stated that “Neither the studio nor Kickstarter is able to refund your contribution to the project, and we are truly sorry for that.”

Article continues after ad

Source link

June 21, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Just 1 year after raising $340,000 on Kickstarter to make a ‘vibrant’ new JPRG, Studio Camelia abruptly closes

by admin June 17, 2025

After raising nearly $340,000 on Kickstarter in a crowdfunding campaign that ended in June 2024, Studio Camelia, the developer of “a vibrant tribute to the golden age of JPRGs” called Alzara Radiant Echoes, has announced that it’s shutting down.

In a Kickstarter update (via Game Developer), Studio Camelia said that despite the success of the crowdfunding campaign, it’s been unable to secure further financing and thus cannot continue development.

“We started the studio with our personal savings and managed to convince business angels, banks, and institutions who believed in our vision and supported us,” the dev team wrote. “We were even honored to be accepted into Microsoft’s Developer Acceleration Program.

“With all this support, we had half the development of the game covered, and only needed to secure the other half through an industry partner. However, as you know, the videogame industry is currently going through a crisis. Many studios have been forced to close due to lack of funding, and over 20,000 workers have lost their jobs. Investors are now operating in a market where taking risks is discouraged, and they can afford to wait before committing to a project in order to reduce risk.”

Studio Camelia said it went to Kickstarter to help reduce that perceived risk by demonstrating the level of interest in the game, and the campaign was indeed a major success, pulling in nearly triple its €100,000 ($115,000) goal over a 31 day campaign and becoming one of the biggest videogame Kickstarters of 2024.

And that’s where things get a little hairy: Those funds were apparently used to develop a new demo for Alzara, which the studio showed to potential partners at various conferences—none of which resulted in a deal. With no prospect of further funding, the studio was formally liquidated on April 28, and Alzara Radiant Echoes is now “on an indefinite pause.”

There’s a “slim chance” Alzara might eventually see the light of day if a third party offers to take it over, Studio Camelia wrote, although that would mean the game “would inevitably take a different direction than what was presented during the campaign.” For now, though, Kickstarter backers are simply out of luck. There will be no refunds offered, because there is no money to pay for them—if there was, the project wouldn’t have to be cancelled.

ALZARA Radiant Echoes | Reveal trailer – YouTube

Watch On

Backers are, understandably, not happy. There are numerous angry complaints that the Kickstarter campaign said nothing about using the funds to develop a demo that would be used to secure even more funding, which as far as I can tell is accurate.

The only hint that the campaign was actually intended to facilitate further fundraising is a line in the FAQ saying the studio opted for Kickstarter “to showcase the demand for Alzara Radiant Echoes,” rather than to, y’know, make the game.

But the campaign also claimed that Studio Camelia had “meticulously planned every aspect of the game’s development to adhere to strict budgets and timelines,” strongly implying that those fundamentals were already in place.

There’s also clear upset among backers over the fact that the Kickstarter campaign raised triple its goal—these things aren’t linear but if you could do what needed to be done with €100K, you should be able to do it really easily with €300K, right?—and that there was no hint of possible problems or financial issues prior to the studio closure announcement. In fact, a February 2025 Kickstarter update indicates Studio Camelia was continuing to take “late pledges” until February 17, just a couple months before its closure and liquidation.

Some complained that they won’t even get to play the demo that was made with the Kickstarter funds: Studio Camelia released a “pre-production demo” video showing excerpts of demo gameplay but said the demo itself “cannot be shared publicly for copyright reasons, and the company’s liquidation prevents us from releasing any game content.”

ALZARA Radiant Echoes | Pre-production demo – YouTube

Watch On

“I’m honestly at a bit of a loss here,” one backer wrote. “I backed this project thinking it was for a complete game, and something that already seemed well along in development. But after reading the latest update and watching the video, I’m left confused. There’s no real demo to speak of, just disjointed snippets of gameplay. And to make matters worse, the gameplay quality is actually lower than what is shown in the GIFs used in the campaign, which now feel more like short animations with a UI layer on top.

“I would have expected significantly more progress after a year. From what was shown in the video, it seems like most of the assets were already in place during the campaign, with maybe a few minor additions. Honestly, it just doesn’t add up. It feels like the funding may have been used for things completely unrelated to what was promised, not even to build this demo, which we can’t see or play ourselves.”

It’s really not hard to understand where the anger is coming from. Alzara’s presentation looks fully formed and fleshed out with gameplay clips, animations, character details, and promised collaboration with composer Motoi Sakuraba and character artist Yoshiro Ambe. Nothing about it, as far as I can see—aside from that one little bit in the FAQ—points to this being anything beyond a straight-up “give us money so we can make our game.”

I’m pretty pro-Kickstarter overall: I’ve backed quite a few campaigns over the years, and thus far all but one have worked out. (Even the one that didn’t work out was released, it just really sucked.) But they are always a risk, even when they look like sure things, and the ugly failure of Alzara Radiant Echoes is a reminder we haven’t had for a while: Never put more into a Kickstarter than you can afford to lose without hurting, because there’s always a non-zero chance that you might just lose it all.

Source link

June 17, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Bitcoin (BTC) Treasury News: GME Raising Another $1.75B

by admin June 11, 2025

GameStop (GME), the embattled video game retailer turned meme stock, announced Wednesday a $1.75 billion convertible senior note offering.

Proceeds will be used at least in part for “making investments in a manner consistent with GameStop’s Investment Policy,” per a company press release. Said investment policy is to add bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset, according to a March release from the company.

Today’s offering, only open to qualified institutional buyers, includes an option for purchasers to buy an additional $250 million in notes within two weeks of the initial issuance,. The notes carry no regular interest and will mature in June 2032 unless they are converted or repurchased earlier.

Following the March announcement of the bitcoin treasury strategy, GameStop raised $1.3 billion through another convertible note offering. The company subsequently purchased 4,710 bitcoin for roughly $500 million during May.

GME shares were lower by 10% in after hours trading.

Source link

June 11, 2025 0 comments

Dogecoin breaks out, Ripple targets $3, new DeFi coin raises about $1 million

GameFi Guides

New AI coin enters stage 3 ICO after raising $2m; Will it outshine DOGE, ADA?

by admin June 9, 2025

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

Unilabs’ unique AI-backed DeFi asset management platform sparks presale demand; Dogecoin prepares for a rebound, while Cardano tumbles 10%.

Despite the bold Dogecoin forecasts and the soaring Cardano price, Unilabs Finance is in the spotlight. Popular for its novelty, the pioneering AI-backed DeFi asset manager is among the new DeFi protocols to watch out for this year.

At the heart of the ecosystem will be the UNIL token, currently in presale and selling out fast. Over $2.2 million has been raised in early funding, priced at $0.062 in the third ICO stage. Hailed as a future top 100 coin, it is a strong contender against DOGE and ADA.

Experts see Dogecoin soaring high

Despite the recent downturn in the Dogecoin price, 15% in the past week, the 9-HMA and Williams Percent Range (14) suggest a rebound. At $0.18, a retest of $0.20 could push DOGE above its 30-day high of $0.25.

Additionally, a new all-time high isn’t out of the question. Down over 70% from the 2021 ATH of $0.73, the current Dogecoin price presents a great entry, positioning it among the leading tokens to buy.

While Hcpxbt targets a rally between $0.50 and $0.60 in its next leg up, many top analysts predict a jump above last cycle’s peak. ProTheDoge, popular for their bullish stance, believes the Dogecoin price could climb past $2 this year. Although one of the top tokens to buy in this bull run, experts consider UNIL more attractive due to its AI narrative and higher growth prospects.

Cardano tumbled 10% in the past week

Like many top altcoins, the Cardano price is in a downtrend. It nosedived by 10% on the 7-day chart, trading at $0.6. However, its long-term outlook remains promising, especially considering growing adoption and institutional interest.

At the same time, technical indicators point to a bounce in the Cardano price, the Williams Percent Range and Stochastic RSI Fast are key signals. Its next jump could push the price above the monthly high of $0.8608, positioning it among the top DeFi tokens to buy.

Meanwhile, its long-term outlook is even more promising. Despite recent market downswings, Crypto_Twittier is optimistic, predicting a range between $3.80 and $5.60 this year, a bold Cardano price prediction. However, experts believe its upside pales in comparison to Unilabs’ UNIL token, considered a more compelling alternative.

Unilabs Finance: The first AI-backed DeFi asset manager

Unilabs Finance (UNIL) is a new DeFi protocol that intersects with traditional finance and artificial intelligence. Fundamentally solid, experts believe it could be the year’s breakout project. Also, its native utility coin, UNIL, is considered a strong contender against ADA and DOGE, one of the leading DeFi tokens to buy this cycle.

A hot topic within the crypto community is its novelty, which revolves around being the first AI-backed DeFi asset manager in the world. Designed to democratize access to alpha and unlock institutional-grade opportunities for everyday retail investors, it intends to level the playing field for small-scale investors.

With its utility coin, UNIL, currently in presale, it has been selling out quickly. A token costs only $0.0062 in the third stage of the ICO, with early investors positioned for significant gain during the presale and post-launch. Other perks to holding include staking, periodic airdrops, exclusive access to high-potential opportunities, voting rights and redistribution of 30% of the total platform-generated fees to holders.

Closing thoughts

In its early stages, UNIL is one of the leading DeFi tokens to buy due to its upside potential and budget-friendliness. Presenting a lower entry than the current Dogecoin price, investors don’t have to break the bank before positioning for gains. Despite experts’ bold Cardano price prediction, its small market cap leaves plenty of room to run.

To learn more about Unilabs Finance, visit the website and Telegram.

Disclosure: This content is provided by a third party. crypto.news does not endorse any product mentioned on this page. Users must do their own research before taking any actions related to the company.

Source link

June 9, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Cooler Master Hyper 612 Apex review: raising the bar for silent performance

by admin May 26, 2025

Why you can trust Tom’s Hardware

Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

I first heard that Cooler Master’s Hyper 612 air cooler had impressive performance from users in China, but I had no idea quite how much it would impress me. Despite its medium size, it provides performance competitive with larger dual-tower air coolers. Cooler Master claims its performance is enabled by new superconducting heatpipe. And while normally I would ignore such claims as marketing fluff, the Hyper 612 Apex has the performance to back it up!

Will the Hyper 612 Apex make our list of the best CPU coolers? It certainly has the performance to warrant consideration. But the price of $79 is higher than most of the air-cooled competition, especially from tough competitors like Thermalight. Let’s take a look at the specifications and features of the cooler, then we’ll go over thermal performance with both Intel and AMD CPUs, as well as noise levels.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Cooler specifications

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Cooler

Cooler Master Hyper 612 Apex

Colors

Black or white models

MSRP

$79.99

Radiator Material

Aluminum

Lighting

None

Warranty

5 years

Socket Compatibility

Intel Socket LGA 1851/1700/1200/115x AMD AM5 / AM4

Unit Dimensions

127 (L) x 114 (W) x 159mm (H)

Maximum TDP (Our Testing)

>245W with Core i7-14700K >242W with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D

Today’s best Cooler Master Hyper 612 Apex deals

Packing and included contents

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The packaging features Cooler Master’s dark purple and pastel design, showcasing the product in the center. Inside, the packaging is separated into two separate parts.

Features of Cooler Master’s Hyper 612 Apex

▶️ Heatsink Design

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

At first glance, you might think this is a thick single tower cooler – but look again!

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

If you take off the top cover, it becomes apparent that the heatsink isn’t as large as it might appear – almost half of the unit’s thickness is from the fans that come with it.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

▶️ High-quality Cryofuse

Cooler Master includes its Cryofuse thermal compound with the cooler, which offers good performance only a couple of degrees away from the best pastes we’ve tested – but as you’ll see in our benchmarks below, it really doesn’t an edge from its thermal paste!

▶️ Sturdy metal backplate

For users of Intel platforms, a sturdy metal backplate is included that won’t bend under pressure.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

▶️ Six superconducting copper heatpipes

The design of this unit’s heatpipes are interesting. Cooler Master has mentioned that the company was using machine learning to improve its heatpipes in the past, and this cooler appears to be the first to utilize these advances.

(Image credit: Cooler Master)

Looking at the cross-section of the Cooler Master image above, you can see that the heatpipes have been staggered to evenly spread heat through the aluminum fins of the tower. Cooler Master makes some interesting claims about the heatpipes themselves. I’ve included one of the marketing slides below.

(Image credit: Cooler Master)

And here’s a bottom photo of the sample we were sent for testing, showing how the heatpipes are weaved for maximum heat dissipation.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

▶️ Complete RAM Compatibility, no matter the size of DDR5

Unlike liquid coolers, which generally don’t interfere with memory DIMMs on a motherboard, many air coolers overhang the DDR5 or DDR4 slots, creating compatibility concerns. This is not an issue for Cooler Master’s Hyper 612 Apex, which does not overhang them in any manner, ensuring compatibility no matter how short or tall your RAM sticks are.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Real world testing configuration – Intel LGA1700 and AMD AM5 platform

My results may differ from others because I emphasize results that are comparable to real-world use. This means that I test CPU coolers inside a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods.

Many will test CPU coolers outside of a case, on an open test bench. Open benches have lowered ambient temperatures, which makes weak coolers appear stronger than they are. Some publications have also used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions. I reject both of these methods because they don’t accurately reflect the real-world conditions where a CPU cooler is typically used.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

CPU

Intel Core i7-14700K

GPU

ASRock Steel Legend Radeon 7900 GRE

Motherboard

MSI Z790 Project Zero

Case

MSI Pano 100L PZ Black

System Fans

Iceberg Thermal IceGale Silent

My previous reviews have tested Intel’s latest platform, using the Core Ultra 9 285K Arrow Lake CPU. But we’re retiring this from our testing suite. Between BIOS changes and Windows updates, Arrow Lake’s thermal characteristics have changed in some scenarios, rendering much of our previous testing data useless.

With today’s review, we’re also testing AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. This is a beast of a CPU, providing the best gaming and multithreaded performance on the market. It can prove quite challenging thermally when PBO is enabled for overclocking.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

CPU

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

GPU

MSI Ventus 3X RTX 4070Ti Super

Motherboard

MSI X870E Carbon Wifi

Case

MSI MAG Pano 100R PZ

AM5 and 1851 installation

The installation of this cooler is simple for both Intel and AMD CPUs.

1. You’ll first need to apply the included backplate if you’re using an Intel CPU. AMD users will need to remove the default mounting mechanism.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

2. Next, you’ll need to install the standoffs against the mounting holes.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

3. Take the support bars and place them on the mounting standoffs, and secure them with a screwdriver.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

4. Apply the included thermal paste to your CPU. If you have any questions on how to do this properly, please refer to our handy guide on how to apply thermal paste.

5. Mount the heatsink on top of the CPU, using a screwdriver to secure the screws on each side of the tower.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

6. Slide each fan into the appropriate spot against the heatsink

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

7. Place the cover on top, and then use the included PWM splitter cable to connect the fans to your motherboard.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Cooler Master Hyper 612 Apex: Price Comparison

Source link

May 26, 2025 0 comments