PlayStation 5 Pro Max Ultra (2)
Five years later, Sony’s PlayStation 5 still feels like a brand-new console, blossoming from its infancy. And yet, the rumour geyser has sprung a new “leak” that reckons the PlayStation 6 is closer than you might imagine. Not that we should be surprised. PlayStation’s consoles typically spend seven or so years in the limelight before the hot new thing takes its rightful place atop the throne.
According to KeplerL2 in the NeoGaf forum, a known ‘tipster’, Sony’s next big thing – the PS6 is “design complete” and “in pre-si validation already, with A0 tapeout scheduled for late this year.” He went as far as to say that the Zen6 design is complete (and some of it is on N2) and would theoretically provide the future console with a major boost. He also mentions that the “GPU is an early fork of gfx13,” otherwise known as AMD’s RDNA5.
KeplerL2 didn’t dive into any more specs, nor reveal where he unearthed the information, so it’s worth taking with a pinch of salt, though the tipster has provided accurate pre-release info in the past. We’re still at least two years away from any official announcement should Sony stick to the 2027 release.
Threads gets the big bucks
The prophecy was true. Meta’s Threads, Zuckerberg’s way of sticking it to X, is officially getting ads. What Instagram head Adam Mosseri has labelled a “test” will initially involve Threads users in the U.S. and Japan, before ushering yet another ad-fueled experience to rival that of… everything else under Meta’s banner.
“We’re starting a small test for ads on Threads with a handful of brands in the US and Japan. We know there will be plenty of feedback about how we should approach ads, and we are making sure they feel like Threads posts you’d find relevant and interesting. We’ll closely [monitor] this test before scaling it more broadly, with the goal of getting ads on Threads to a place where they are as interesting as organic content,” he said.
Threads, at first, resisted boarding the ad train in a desperate bid to convince users the platform was cool, hip, and worth their valuable time. Meta is now happy with where its user base currently stands – currently boasting 300 million monthly active users – and is ready to take the next step: sucking every available cent out of those eyeballs.
The WH-1000XM6 is real
It’s about time Sony’s flagship headphones, the WH-1000 series got an upgrade, right? It’s been nearly three years since Sony debuted the WH-1000XM5, focusing instead on its similarly named buds and mid-range headphones, the WF-1000XM5 and WH-ULT900N respectively. But a return of the flagship cans is reportedly on the cards for 2025, after a listing for the XM6 was spotted passing through the FCC.
The headset is reportedly described as a “Wireless Noise Canceling Stereo Headset” (no surprises there) and features the same battery rating as its predecessor – 3.8V. It’s not yet known whether it’ll include a larger battery than the XM5’s 1,200mAh. The biggest addition, however, is revealed through the image above. The XM6 will include detachable earpads, though the method (magnets or clips) remains to be determined.
That’s on top of Bluetooth 5.3 and a new “inverted-F Antenna” as opposed to the XM5’s “chip antenna.” As for when the device might turn up, it could be soon. Real soon. The FCC filing lists the ‘short term confidentiality’ end date as 22 July 2025, after which internal and external images will be released online, alongside the manual. Sony has a history of announcing before this date, meaning we could have an XM6 announcement shortly.
Gamers’ Library of Alexandria is coming
Keeping the memory alive of those games of yore is of great importance. The Video Game History Foundation, a non-profit organisation founded by Frank Cifaldi in 2017, has spent these last few years doing that, slowly preserving the history of video games. And now, for the first time, it’s making its library of content public, allowing anyone to access the Foundation’s “exciting special collections.”
“After years of collecting, cataloging, and digitizing video game history materials, the VGHF is finally opening the virtual doors to its library – wherever you are,” the Foundation said in a statement (via VGC).
Although the exact contents of this rather extensive vault are unknown, we’ll find out what’s inside as soon as this Thursday, 30 January 2025. The VGHF also teased that the library would include “never before seen game development materials” and “artwork, press kits and promo materials from iconic video games,” on top of the over 1,500 video game magazine relics offered.
Oh, and it’ll all be text-searchable. In a post on Bluesky VGHF head Cifaldi showed off the functionality, asking the library to find every magazine in the collection with the word “Metroidvania” in chronological order. It’s a passion project years in the making, striving to preserve the deep and rich history of the world we love so much – and it’s finally bearing fruit.
