Beyond

Once again, Sony has raised the price of PlayStation hardware, with a PS5 base model selling for $150 more than its 2020 launch price. The PS5 Pro, which had a hefty pricetag to begin with, is now 899.99. Usually, at this point in a console’s life-cycle, hardware is at least half the price it was at launch, but the PS5 has increased by almost a third. So, what does this mean for PlayStation 6? It’s supposedly still a ways off, and really, we can’t argue with that, but it makes us wonder if these current gen prices will come down, or if they’re just paving the way for a $1000+ next-gen console. In other absurd financial news, Sony and Honda’s PlayStation-enabled Afeela electric car has been officially scrapped ahead of its planned release later this year, and Capcom publicly audits the Resident Evil 4 Merchant’s business dealings, which don’t really seem like they’re panning out. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 00:23 - Sony has raised the price of PlayStation hardware 16:44 - Sony & Honda Just Ain't Afeelin' It Anymore 40:14 - The RE4 Merchant Needs A Financial Audit 46:05 - Brian Went to Japan 53:31 - Final Thoughts This weeks show is hosted by Max Scoville and Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NOTE: due to some technical issues, this week’s episode is audio only. After almost 20 years, Sony is reportedly retiring The PlayStation Network’s name and logo. What they’ll call it now is anyone’s guess, but it’s as good an excuse as any to take a look back at the 2011 debacle that led to Sony getting hacked, millions of users having their data compromised, and the PSN being taken offline for almost a month. In other news, Valve made a weird change to Counter Strike 2 that not everyone’s wild about, which has us thinking about how much games are a moving target, from Crimson Desert’s rapid post-launch updates to Fornite’s gradual transformation since its early access days, before it was even a battle royale. Some games we’ve been playing include Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s shiny new PS5 upgrade, Romeo is a Dead Man, Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties, and High on Life 2.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nintendo merged its handhelds and consoles into one device with the Switch, Microsoft loosened the definition of an Xbox to include mobile devices, smart TVs and PCs, and Valve is about to bring PC gaming into the console space with the Steam Machine. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Project Helix is bridging the gap the other direction, bringing the next-gen Xbox into PC territory instead. In the middle of all this, Sony seems like the only console manufacturer that’s just focused on making consoles the old fashioned way. Will this continue with the PlayStation 6? We’ll have to wait and see. In other news, Sony showed off some upgraded PSSR tech for the PS5 Pro, which subtly improves the graphics of certain games. We’ll happily take that over NVIDIA’s DLSS 5 AI-powered video game makeover technology, which attempts to make games more realistic, but seems to pave over their original appearance. Leon and Grace were already very pretty, this was not necessary. Maybe AI can be used to make that big spider in Resident Evil Requiem less scary? We weigh in on the arachnophobia factor of one of the game’s creepiest crawliest boss fights. It also turns out that theres a Yakuza Live-Action Miniseries Debuting on IGN! Cool. Finally: Leprechauns, mythical nuisance, or just a legendary pest? We have thoughts. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 00:43 - A Very Important Discussion 04:50 - AI Upscaling in Games Needs to Scale it Back 10:25 - Nvidia DLSS 5 Doesn't Look That Great... 25:29 - Is PlayStation The Only “Normal” Console Left? 40:16 - Resident Evil Requiem has a Scary Spider 51:09 - Yakuza Live-Action Miniseries Debuts on IGN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week there’s plenty to talk about in the world of PlayStation: our first look at live-action Kratos and Atreus in Prime Video’s God of War series, as well as rumors of Sony Santa Monica developing a spin-off that follows their late wife/mother Faye. Meanwhile, the most obvious thing in the world seemed like a Bloodborne remake from the now-defunct Bluepoint Studios, and the reason we didn’t get one is frustrating - as is the news that no version of Bloodborne will likely ever come to PC, following Sony’s move back toward console exclusivity for all first-party single player games. Multiplayer’s fine, though, and Nick has some thoughts about his time with Marathon ahead of its cross-platform launch - but most importantly, the biggest question: how much does it cost to steal Leon S. Kennedy’s look, and how much are they paying him to be able to afford it all? We have some questions. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 01:03 - Here’s How Much it Costs To Be Leon Kennedy 16:10 - Prime Video’s God of War Series Makes an Interesting First Impression 25:40 - New God of War Game Rumors 30:03 - A Bloodborne Remake Was Pitched... What Happened? 36:09 - Sony Has Reportedly Returned to Console Exclusivity 50:28 - Nicks Thoughts on Marathon 59:43 - Last Weeks Poll Results 01:13 - IGN Finds This weeks episode was hosted by Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and Nick Maillet. It was produced by Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Resident Evil Requiem is almost here, and we’ve finished it. Well, one of us has - and as someone who’s been with the series since day one, Brian Altano has some strong feelings on the matter he’s eager to share. How does it compare to previous attempts to mix horror and action? Does it feel like a sequel to Village, Resident Evil 4, or something else entirely? How does it balance being a legacy sequel while also the start of something new? We discuss all this while steering clear of spoilers, as well as our thoughts on Reanimal, and the release date for Wolverine, which we’re so excited for we can’t read numbers anymore. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 00:25 - Resident Evil Requiem Is One Hell of a Resident Evil 13:15 - Is Grace another Ethan? 20:53 - Which RE game should you play before RE9? 28:46 - Leon Drives A Porsche 32:02 - This Weeks Poll 34:10 - Our Thoughts on Reanimal 42:43 - Wolverine Has A Release Date 44:45 - An IMPORTANT Update On Alfred Chicken 46:51 - Last Weeks Poll Results This weeks show is hosted by Max Scoville and Brian Altano. It was produced by Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, this sucks: Sony has closed Bluepoint, the semi-recently acquired studio behind some of the best remakes of PlayStation games to date, like Demon’s Souls and Shadow of the Colossus, plus a slew of remasters and ports like the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, as well as bringing Gravity Rush from Vita to PS4. The last project we heard the studio was working on was a God of War live-service project, which seemed like the wrong fit, and even more so after the announcement that a remake of God of War’s original Greek trilogy is, in fact, in development. That remake is still a mystery, aside from a logo reveal and some tidbits of information from Kratos’ voice actor Christopher Judge (who is not in the remake.) Despite a complete lack of information, plenty of debate has sprung up around whether or not this eventual God of War Remake should include the sex minigames. A straight remake would be remiss to not include them, and a reboot would be likely need to retool them a bit. We’ll have to wait and see. Anyway, we also talk about Alfred Chicken, because it’s Friday and we’re a little loopy. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 00:25 - If Remakes Are The Safest Bet, Why Close The Studio That Does Great Remakes? 31:14 - God of War 50:22 - Poll Results 52:22 - They Should Make an Alfred Chicken Reboot 52:53 - The Alfred Chicken Hotline 54:25 - More Poll Results 55:55 - Bubsy 3D This weeks show was hosted by Max Scoville and Brian Altano. It was Produced by Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Sony’s first State of Play presentation of 2026, we got more than 30 trailers, gameplay reveals and announcements, plus plenty of release dates and even a surprise shadow drop of the 2D retro-styled God of War Sons of Sparta. This is a nice treat to hold us over until Kratos gets a fresh coat of warpaint in the remake of the original trilogy of games set in ancient greece. We also got a few surprises like Kena 2: Scars of Kosmora, Saber’s John Wick, and Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. Really, Konami is in top form lately, with Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 2 coming later this year, and yes, that means Metal Gear Solid 4 is FINALLY off of the PlayStation 3 and landing on to the PS5, Silent Hill Townfall looking seriously creepy, and Darwin’s Paradox sneaking in some MGS references. Meanwhile, Project Windless is an epic open-world action RPG based on a Korean fantasy series, and we can’t wait to be a big chicken. Beyond! This weeks show is hosted by Max Scoville, Nick Limon, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After months of rumors, Horizon Hunters Gathering has finally been revealed: a cooperative multiplayer game set in the same universe as Aloy’s adventures, but not to be confused with the free-to-play Horizon Steel Frontiers. Hunters Gathering has a bold, cartoony art style that breaks away from the usual realism of the non-LEGO games, but we can’t help but feel like between these games, plus Zero Dawn, Forbidden West, and Call of the Mountain, Sony’s really putting a lot of focus on this particular series, despite having a deep bench of long-dormant properties. In other news, there’s a State of Play happening tomorrow at 2PM Pacific, and we’ll have a lot more to discuss after that, but in the meantime, Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties seemed like it should’ve been a home run, but it has the Like a Dragon fanbase very angry for a long list of reasons. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 00:41 - The Next Sony State of Play 02:58 - WHO is headed to Marvels Wolverine? 04:38 - Horizon Hunters Gathering Gives a Realistic Open-World Game a Cartoony Multiplayer Spin 11:23 - Is Aloy the new Sony Mascot? 26:21 - New Poll! 27:14 - Planet Pokemon 28:13 - Ep 932 Poll Results 34:19 - We dont need a PS6 yet 36:05 - Whats going on with Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties? 49:24 - Beyond Update! This weeks show is hosted by Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The PlayStation 5 will have been out for six years this fall, which is usually when console manufacturers start looking ahead to next-gen hardware. But that might not be the case for Sony anytime soon, as one industry analyst claims a variety of factors will see the PlayStation 6’s launch pushed to 2029 or later. We have mixed feelings about this, but ultimately, we don’t really feel like the PS5 has hit its stride quite yet, and while it’s a great machine, there are plenty of players still able to play some of the most popular games on PS4. So, maybe the solution on the hardware front isn’t a new generation of powerful hardware, but some different iterations of current gen that take into account how people are playing. After all, 7% of PS5 owners in the US also picked up a PlayStation Portal, which suggests they’d be willing to sacrifice fidelity and screen real estate for a more intimate gaming experience. In other news, a new set of PlayStation accessories for Figma action figures includes a 1:12 scale replica of Bloodborne, and yet more evidence emerges that Assassin’s Creed Black Flag is getting a remake any day now, and it’s such an open secret, even Ubisoft is making jokes about it. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 00:41 - Bloodborne for Ants 08:06 - Another Possible Assassin's Creed Black Flag Leak 23:17 - A PS6 Logo? 25:24 - We Don’t Need PlayStation 6 Yet 51:32 - Episode 931 Poll Results and a New Poll 55:42 - Thank you Iceland Go to https://surfshark.com/beyonddeal or use code BEYONDDEAL at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN. This weeks show is hosted by Max Scoville and Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, Xbox held a Developer Direct showing off four-awesome looking games that are also coming to PlayStation: Forza Horizon 6, Fable, Kiln and Beast of Reincarnation. Considering Forza Horizon 5 was one of the best-selling PS5 games of 2025, it's safe to assume that we aren’t the only ones excited about the next open-world arcade racer, and we’re just as excited that this new cross-platform approach means we can talk about it on this show! In other news, Highguard’s weird reveal at The Game Awards and somehow even weirder launch have us reflecting on just how much the live-service game landscape has changed, and how games that launch to a mediocre or negative reception often turn themselves around, which makes them something of a moving target for criticism. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 02:19 - PlayStation's Top Selling Games of 2025 13:40 - Forza Horizon 6 Is Our Most Anticipated Xbox Game of 2026 Coming to PS5 28:57 - Every Other Xbox Game Headed to PlayStation This Year 38:35 - Is Highguard Another Concord or The Next Apex Legends? 56:34 - Cory In The House This weeks show is hosted by Max Scoville and Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices