Gaming August 2026
Global headlines curated by our intelligent agents.
Latest News
Apple Vision Pro Was Almost Called 'Reality Pro'
The Vision Pro headset was internally called "Reality Pro" for a significant stretch of its development before Apple settled on the name it ultimately shipped with, according to the prototype collector and leaker known as "Kosutami". In a post on X, Kosutami wrote that the "Apple Vision Pro was originally called Reality Pro" during the early stages of development, pointing to an internal string, "realityprorealityosdev".
Save $800 Off This Top-Tier iBuypower Gaming PC With AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU and 5090 GPU
Decked out config with 32GB of DDR5-6000MHz RAM, massive 4TB SSD, and 3 year warranty.
Double Fine Owns IP and Publishing Rights for All of Its Games Following Xbox Split, Psychonauts Studio Confirms
Psychonauts and Brutal Legend developer Double Fine Productions has confirmed it has regained the IP and publishing rights for all of its games released under Microsoft following its split from Xbox.
The 8BitDo Ultimate 2C Is One of the Best PC Gaming Controllers Under $50, and It's Less Than Half That Price
Compatible with Windows PC, Android, and Steam Deck.
The 256GB Nintendo Switch 2 Memory Card Drops to the Lowest Price I've Ever Seen
Officially licensed by Nintendo and made by Samsung.
The 27" ASRock Phantom 240Hz QD-OLED Gaming Monitor Drops to $279 With Free Shipping at Newegg
The new lowest price I've seen for a 27" 240Hz OLED gaming monitor.
Apple is laying off staffers working on the Vision Pro and Siri
What is the future of the Vision Pro?
Apple Guts Vision Pro Gaming and Immersive Video Teams, Trims Siri Staff
In addition to cutting dozens of Vision Pro employees who worked on features like immersive video and gaming, Apple is laying off people who worked on Siri and AI, reports Bloomberg. Apple is "largely shutting down" the Vision Pro team focused on gaming, and it is paring down the team that makes immersive video content. Approximately 100 employees who were part of the Vision Products Group have been laid off, with Apple also cutting 100 people from its Siri and software groups.
Apple's latest layoffs extend past just Vision Pro development teams
A day after we broke the news of about 60 layoffs across the Apple Vision project, there are reportedly more in the Siri team too.
Today’s Top Deals: Pokémon Mega Zygarde ex Premium, $12 Star Wars Outlaws, Samsung Gaming Monitor
And don’t miss plenty of other excellent discounts heading into the weekend
Save 50% Off Razer's Premium 14-in-1 USB 4 Docking Station for Gaming Laptops
There's no such thing as having too many USB ports.
This Awesome LEGO-Like Original Xbox Building Kit Is Still Available to Preorder (But It's Sold Out at Amazon)
Mattel has announced a LEGO-like building kit for the original Xbox game console in celebration of its 25th anniversary, but it's selling out fast.
Samsung's Absolutely Massive 57" Dual 4K Gaming Monitor Drops to the Lowest Price I've Ever Seen
Bigger is better.
Marvel's Wolverine: 6 Comics to Read to Prepare for the Game
If you're impatiently waiting for the release of Marvel's Wolverine on the PS5, these six essential X-Men comics will help you prepare.
13 Movie, Game, and TV Trailers You Might Have Missed This Week
Keeping up with the deluge of trailer drops is a near-impossible task. The watch list never shortens, digital Sisyphus. To cut through the noise and turn the slog of keeping up with the neatest-looking stuff, I’m starting this column with the goal of collecting the most notable video game, movie, and TV show trailers from the past week (or so), in no particular order. I’ll (mostly) avoid teasers and announcements that give nothing, highlight under-the-radar things that look particularly cool, and generally curate a list of short-to-mid-form videos that are legitimately worth your time. Behold, then: trailers!D23: Avengers: Doomsday, VisionQuest, Ahsoka Season 2, and MoreIt’s literally the first time I’m doing this trailer roundup, so I’m giving myself some grace on the span of time I’m covering considering Disney’s big marketing fan event, D23, was last weekend. The company dumped a whole bunch of trailers for upcoming projects, including another look at Avengers: Doomsday, Disney+’s VisionQuest and Season 2 of Ahsoka, and a whole bunch more. The most disturbing of the bunch: 3D Bluey. Check out everything that was announced at D23.More D23: Kingdom Hearts IVYet another notable trailer out of D23: Our first look at the new Kingdom Hearts in an almost 4-minute gameplay overview, which drops into the world of Coco (cute) before Sora busts in, Keyblade a-swinging. Another juicy morsel from the panel: Kingdom Hearts will be getting an anime adaptation on Disney+ next year.Check out our replay of the Kingdom Hearts IV panel.Dune: Part 3I’m being generous here, calling this 33-second teaser to sell tickets to Dune: Part 3 a “trailer.” Really, anytime the Fremen War Chant starts up, I’m tuning in. It did at least give us a first, tiny look at the voice of Spacing Guild Navigator Edric. Congrats to those who managed to snag a ticket to an IMAX showing.Dune: Part 3 hits theaters December 18, with early access for IMAX and 70mm screenings on December 14.The Pitt Season 3Time to get back to it.Season 3 of #ThePitt premieres in January on HBO Max. pic.twitter.com/R7Dkbb9MCM— HBO Max (@hbomax) August 21, 2026 Fresh off the presses, it’s a (substantial) teaser for the next season of The Pitt. Seems like Dr. Robby did indeed survive his motorcycle sabbatical; season 3 will cover his first day back at work. Of course, it’s a doozy.The Pitt Season 3 will air weekly on HBO Max starting in January 2027.WhalefallSince the first teaser came out two-ish months ago, I’ve been calling Whalefall the 4DX experience of the fall. The new trailer has only made me dig in; I’m so right. Austin Abrams: stuck in the belly of a whale with an hour of oxygen left in the tank, haunted by the sagacious voice of his father, played by Josh Brolin. (The fellas reunite post-Weapons; no fighting this time!) Whalefall hits theaters October 16.Blue Eye Samurai Season 2"I choose revenge."Blue Eye Samurai returns JANUARY 2027. pic.twitter.com/i7aNyTZuYO— Netflix (@netflix) August 20, 2026 It’s been nearly three years since the first season of Blue Eye Samurai. This first trailer for Season 2 did not disappoint, with Mizu setting off to London on the rough seas. The clip came courtesy of Netflix’s big slate of reveals at Anime NYC, which also included Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2, Bass X Machina, and Fool Night — honestly, not a dud in the mix.Check out everything that Netflix revealed at Anime NYC.Silent Hill Townfall Gameplay TrailerI still have no damn idea what Silent Hill Townfall is about after watching nearly 19 minutes of gameplay. Main character Simon pulls himself out of the ocean before wandering around St. Amelia. There’s turmoil in the community? A nurse who does organ transplants? You have to pay your breaker directly to use electricity? What's with that straightjacketed creature with a plank through the middle of its head??? Honestly, whatever: The atmosphere is freaky as hell. 2026 is the year of the spooky New England island (also see: Widow’s Bay).Silent Hill Townfall releases on PS5 and PC September 24. Golden Axe“Whoa, like the game? Heck yeah!” Well, I never expected to see an adaptation of SEGA’s Golden Axe, let alone think it could be kind of good? Matthew Rhys, Danny Pudi, Danny Pudi, Liam McIntyre, and Carl Tart make up the voice cast, and the trailer highlights the somehow-not-annoying meta tone of the series.Golden Axe streams on Paramount+ starting September 16.Black Myth: Zhong Kui Gameplay TrailerGame Science’s Black Myth: Wukong successor got its first major reveal since last year’s Opening Night Live this week in the form of a 15-minute (!) gameplay trailer. It’s captured in a wild 21:9 aspect ratio, but otherwise is looking pretty slick. We particularly like the parry mechanics.Black Myth: Zhong Kui releases… eventually. It currently has no date window or platforms announced.Never After DarkI watched this one because Stephen King said it was good, and I’ve gotta agree with the guy. Never After Dark looks pretty good! Starring Moeka Hoshi — who you’ll recognize from Shogun — as a medium who snips off pieces of her hair to commune with the other side, Never After Dark is about her latest exorcism that seems to go very badly.Never After Dark hits theaters September 25.Slow Horses Season 6 Not everyone will make it out of Slough House alive.#SlowHorses Season 6 premieres September 16. pic.twitter.com/uznKQ0VSAE— Apple TV (@AppleTV) August 18, 2026 If you aren’t on the Slow Horses train, you’re missing out on one of the top spy things happening in the entertainment biz right now. Best of all, Apple TV cranks out seasons basically every year, a pace rare in television these days. Anyway, this new trailer for Season 6 looks great, but includes a fairly shocking spoiler right at the end that might have been better saved for the show itself.Slow Horses Season 6 streams weekly on Apple TV starting September 16.WildwoodI absolutely despise the dramatic orchestral Avicii cover soundtracking this. However, the animation looks so stunning that I can (almost) forgive the music selection in this look at a sister’s journey for her missing younger brother in a deep fantasy forest. Laika doesn’t miss!Wildwood hits theaters October 23.Club Kid Club Kid was one of the hottest breakouts from the Cannes Film Festival this year, and now I can see why in its funny, tender trailer. Jordan Firstman (I Love LA, the internet) wrote, directed, and stars in this (extremely Bushwick NYC) film about a club promoter who learns he has a son.Club Kid gets a limited release November 6.What trailers did YOU watch and enjoy this week?Leanne Butkovic (she/they) is an Editorial Project Manager at IGN, where they've also written about TV, movies, and games.
Spend £69 on Video Games and Get an Extra £10 Back at Amazon This Weekend
You can save £10 on top PS5, Switch 2, and Xbox games at Amazon UK when you spend £69 or more this weekend. Nice!
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Hits Record Low Prices on PS5 and Switch 2
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is down to a record-low $19.99 on PS5 and $34.99 on Switch 2 at Amazon, featuring an exclusive Magic: The Gathering promo card bonus for those buying on Switch 2.
Rock Band Was a Multiplayer Experience Truly Unlike Anything That Came Before or Since
Rock Band remains, to this day, the most unique and physically satisfying gaming experience I’ve ever had. And at Official Xbox Magazine, we played it so much that we ended up pissing off our sister magazines in the building.
Microsoft's Special Edition Translucent Green Xbox Series X Pricing Details Have Leaked, and It's Just as Costly as We'd Feared
Pricing details for Microsoft's special edition 25th anniversary Xbox Series X have leaked online — and the translucent green console is just as expensive as we'd feared.
Double Your PlayStation 5 Storage With This 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD for Just $136.39 Shipped
Near-essential PS5 upgrade.
Newegg Has a 512GB Nintendo Switch 2 Memory Card for Just $95 With Free Shipping
Triples your total Switch 2 storage capacity.
Today’s Best Deals: Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, CAP Dumbbells, and LEGO Mario Kart
And Best Buy’s 60th Anniversary Sale brings even more incredible deals on gaming and tech.
The 27" Samsung OLED Gaming Monitor Drops to $265 for Select Customers, But You Can Game the System
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