Gaming Roundup: PS6 Rumors Spark Cost Concerns, Modern Warfare 4 Redeems Itself, and Steam Next Fest 2026 Goes Big
October 20, 2026 — By Vito Ruocco
The gaming industry never sleeps, and this past week has been nothing short of eventful. From jaw-dropping rumors about the PlayStation 6”s component costs to the surprising return-to-form of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, there”s plenty to unpack. Add to that the massive Steam Next Fest 2026 kickoff, Arc Raiders” explosive comeback, and some thought-provoking commentary from PlayStation”s founding father — and you”ve got a week that encapsulates both the excitement and anxiety of modern gaming. Let”s dive in.
💰 The PS6”s Memory and Storage Alone Could Cost More Than $680
Perhaps the most shocking story of the week comes from well-known hardware leaker Kepler_L2, who dropped a bombshell on NeoGAF: the PlayStation 6”s RAM and NAND storage components alone reportedly cost over $680. To put that in perspective, that”s more than the entire retail price of a PS5 Digital Edition at launch.
The leaker, who has a strong track record with hardware predictions, suggested that the console”s total bill of materials has climbed to nearly $1,000 — up significantly from earlier estimates of around $760 back in June. This isn”t just inflation; it”s a perfect storm of global factors hitting the semiconductor industry hard.
What”s driving these astronomical costs?
- AI datacenter demand: The proliferation of AI training infrastructure has gobbled up vast quantities of high-bandwidth memory and advanced NAND flash, driving prices through the roof.
- Geopolitical instability: The ongoing conflict in Iran has disrupted supply chains for key raw materials used in semiconductor manufacturing.
- Memory price-fixing allegations: SK Hynix, Micron, and Samsung are facing lawsuits over alleged price collusion in the memory market.
- Samsung”s production warnings: The company has already signaled that memory shortages will continue through 2027 and into 2028.
Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino told investors back in June that the company does not intend to sell hardware “at significant losses.” That statement, combined with these component cost estimates, paints a grim picture for the next generation”s price tag. If Sony can”t subsidize the PS6 heavily — and with component costs this high, they may not be able to — we could be looking at a $700–$900 console at launch.
The implications are massive. For everyday gamers, a console approaching four figures is a hard sell — especially in an economic climate where disposable income is under pressure everywhere. For Sony, it means walking a tightrope between delivering meaningful generational leaps and keeping the machine affordable enough to build a user base. And for the industry at large, it signals that the days of $400 console launches may be a thing of the past.
Couple this with Sony”s aggressive push toward an all-digital future — Kutaragi”s remarks about discs (more on that below) align perfectly here — and the PS6 generation is shaping up to be the most expensive and most digital console cycle yet. Expect the disc drive to be a separate, premium add-on — if it”s offered at all.
🗣️ PlayStation Founder Ken Kutaragi Says Discs Are a “Mentality Issue”
Speaking of the all-digital future, PlayStation founder Ken Kutaragi has weighed in on the heated debate about physical media — and his comments are drawing strong reactions from the community.
In an interview with Video Games Chronicle at the Game Republic New Horizons event, “The Father of PlayStation” acknowledged that physical discs have become a “metaphor for owning games” for many players. He expressed understanding for that sentiment — but stopped short of endorsing continued disc support.
“I understand that physical discs have become a metaphor for ”owning” games. I really understand that mentality… But nobody thinks physical media is necessary for a networked device like a smartphone, for example, because people feel that they will keep their content. So it”s a mentality.”
— Ken Kutaragi, founder of PlayStation
Kutaragi, who retired from Sony in 2007 after the PS3 launch, acknowledged that his views may not represent the current company line — but hinted that he still has close ties. He described the economic reality of continuing to produce physical media as “not economically reasonable” for Sony, calling the emotional attachment to discs “a mentality issue.”
The timing is notable. Sony has remained firm in its commitment to phasing out physical media by 2028, despite significant consumer backlash. The company has already experimented with disc-less console variants and pushed digital-only special editions of major titles.
Kutaragi also used the platform to criticize the rising cost of console hardware — which ties directly into the PS6 cost rumors above — and offered a predictably futuristic solution: “Harness AI and cloud computing to their full potential and we won”t need any console.” It”s a vision that will likely divide gamers, but coming from the man who brought us the original PlayStation, it carries weight.
🎯 Modern Warfare 4”s Campaign Shocks Everyone With 92% Positive Rating
After weeks of pre-launch drama — including a rocky beta period and vocal community backlash — Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has done something nobody expected: it launched a genuinely well-received campaign. On Steam, the game currently holds a “Very Positive” rating at 92% based on over 3,100 user reviews. IGN awarded the campaign an 8/10.
This makes Modern Warfare 4 the highest-rated Call of Duty on Steam in over a decade — a stunning reversal for a franchise that”s been on a downward trajectory in terms of critical and community reception. For comparison, last year”s Black Ops 7 sits at a dismal 37% “Mostly Negative” rating on Steam, and even 2022”s Modern Warfare 2 managed only a mixed 45%.
What changed?
Infinity Ward seems to have focused on what made the original Modern Warfare reboot in 2019 special: tight, cinematic set-pieces, compelling character work, and a campaign that respects the player”s time. With a roughly six-hour runtime, the 2026 entry doesn”t overstay its welcome — every mission feels purposeful and polished.
But the real test is yet to come. DMZ, the game”s extraction shooter mode, unlocks for pre-order players today (October 20), followed by the full traditional multiplayer launch on October 23. That”s when we”ll see if the positive sentiment holds, or if — as some skeptics warn — the early reviews are colored by the fact that it”s mostly the most dedicated fans who”ve played the campaign so far.
Either way, this is a much-needed win for a franchise that”s taken some serious lumps in recent years. If Infinity Ward can deliver on the multiplayer front too, Modern Warfare 4 could be a genuine turning point for Call of Duty.
🎪 Steam Next Fest 2026 Launches with 8,200+ Demos — But How Much Is AI Slop?
Steam Next Fest 2026 kicked off today, and the numbers are staggering: over 8,200 playable demos are available — more than double last year”s event. On paper, that”s incredible. For indie developers and curious players alike, Next Fest has historically been one of the best ways to discover hidden gems before they hit the market.
But there”s a growing shadow over this digital festival: generative AI. Last June, roughly 17% of Steam Fest demos disclosed the use of generative AI — and the actual number was almost certainly higher due to undisclosed usage. This year, with AI tools more accessible than ever, the problem has only intensified.
The AI problem, in three parts:
- Cloned games: A troubling trend has emerged where entire games are being cloned using AI tools and republished on Steam before the original developers can release theirs. Alliance Arts, the team behind the horror game Drunken Goddess Reflux, actually cancelled their Next Fest demo out of fear that AI copycats would replicate their work and release it first.
- Discoverability nightmare: For legitimate indie developers, competing against thousands of demos — many of which are low-effort AI-generated products — makes the festival far less useful as a discovery tool. Your game could be the best thing on Steam, but if it”s buried under a mountain of slop, nobody will find it.
- Needle in a Haystack situation: Another popular indie, Needle in a Haystack, is now suffering a flood of AI-generated copycat games. The developer”s original vision is being diluted by imitators, and there”s currently no recourse on Steam beyond manual reporting.
This raises an uncomfortable question for Valve: can Steam remain a viable platform for genuine indie creativity when the marketplace is being flooded with AI-generated content at an exponential rate? The company has taken steps — requiring AI disclosure, for example — but enforcement remains inconsistent, and the sheer volume makes moderation nearly impossible at scale.
For players, the advice remains the same: dig deep, check developer profiles, and be skeptical of games that seem too generic. The gems are still there — they”re just harder to find than ever.
🚀 Arc Raiders Hits 1.7 Million Daily Players After Frozen Trails Update
Embark Studios” extraction shooter Arc Raiders is proving that the live-service model can deliver genuine success stories when developers invest in their games properly. The Frozen Trails 2.0 update — released on October 8 — has triggered a massive resurgence, with the game hitting 1.7 million daily active users on October 14.
How did they do it?
Embark deployed a multi-pronged strategy: a huge content drop (Frozen Trails adds a new map, new weapons, new mechs, and sweeping gameplay changes), a free weekend to lure new players in, and a 50% price cut to $19.99. The numbers speak for themselves: the game sold 150,000 copies in the three days following the free trial, generating roughly $3 million in revenue excluding microtransactions.
Even more interesting, the peak actually came after the free weekend ended — suggesting that the content quality was enough to convert trial players into paying customers. That”s a far cry from the “spike and crash” pattern most live-service games see after promotional events.
Executive producer Aleksander Grøndal has also hinted that the team is open to permanently splitting Arc Raiders” PvEvP gameplay into separate PvE and PvP modes — a move that could attract even more players who are intimidated by the extraction shooter genre”s high-stakes nature.
And in a sign of just how far Arc Raiders has come, the production company behind this summer”s hit horror film Backrooms is working to adapt both Arc Raiders and The Finals into film and TV projects, with Embark Studios involved in development.
⚔️ Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Will Let You Play Hard Mode From the Start
Square Enix has revealed that Final Fantasy 7 Revelation — the third and final chapter of the FF7 Remake trilogy, launching April 8, 2027 — will allow players to access Hard Mode from the very beginning of the game. This is a welcome change from Remake and Rebirth, which required players to complete the entire game before unlocking the tougher difficulty.
Director Naoki Hamaguchi explained that the change is driven by Revelation”s open-ended world design. Early in the game, Cloud and company gain access to an airship that can take them anywhere — meaning players can fly straight to the toughest battles right away, if they”re brave enough.
“Hard Mode is selectable from the very start of this game. Therefore, players who want to tackle challenging battles and high-difficulty gameplay right from the beginning can enjoy that experience from their very first playthrough.”
— Naoki Hamaguchi, FF7 Revelation Director
For completionists, the game is shaping up to be a beast: estimates suggest it could take over 100 hours to fully complete. Having Hard Mode available from the start means veteran players don”t have to sink 50+ hours into a Normal playthrough before getting to the real challenge, as was the case with Rebirth.
A Dynamic Mode will also be available at launch — similar to Rebirth”s — offering scaling difficulty that keeps battles challenging throughout. And Hamaguchi confirmed that the team has rebalanced the mini-game difficulty system, in a clear nod to the notoriously frustrating Moogle challenges from Rebirth.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation launches on PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X/S on April 8, 2027.
🏗️ CD Projekt Red”s “Biggest Project Ever” — Project Hadar — Is Still Years Away
CD Projekt Red has dropped some intriguing details about its mysterious new IP, codenamed “Hadar,” confirming it”s the studio”s “biggest project to date” — while simultaneously cautioning that it”s still a very long way from completion.
The Polish developer — currently riding high on the success of Cyberpunk 2077”s final updates and the ongoing development of The Witcher 4 — described Hadar as an entirely new universe, not connected to The Witcher or Cyberpunk. It represents the studio”s first ground-up IP creation, and they”re treating it with the seriousness it deserves.
“We”re not quite at the pre-production stage yet.”
— CD Projekt Red on Project Hadar
That statement alone tells you everything you need to know about the timeline. With The Witcher 4 (codenamed Polaris) and the smaller Sirius project from The Molasses Flood both in active development, Hadar is being positioned as the studio”s long-term future. This is a studio that learned hard lessons from Cyberpunk 2077”s rushed launch, and they”re clearly not going to repeat that mistake.
The revelation that Hadar is their “biggest project to date” is tantalizing but vague. Does “biggest” refer to scope, budget, team size? All of the above, presumably. We likely won”t see anything concrete for another 3–5 years.
🌌 Lucasfilm Games Opens Doors to Smaller Developers
In a shift that could reshape the Star Wars gaming landscape, Lucasfilm Games has announced it”s now “more flexible” about who it takes pitches from — opening the door for smaller studios to work on the galaxy far, far away.
This year has already given us two excellent Star Wars games: Star Wars Outlaws from Massive Entertainment and an unannounced but critically praised title from a smaller team. According to Lucasfilm Games, this is by design. The company is actively seeking pitches from a wider range of developers, rather than limiting itself to the AAA giants who”ve traditionally handled the IP.
“We”re exploring all kinds of things, large and small,” a representative told Eurogamer. This is a welcome departure from the Lucasfilm of old, which famously kept the IP tightly controlled and only licensed to a handful of studios.
The implications are exciting: could we see a Star Wars Metroidvania? A narrative-driven RPG from a smaller studio? A Star Wars game in the style of Hades or Stardew Valley? The creative possibilities are suddenly much wider than they”ve been in years.
📋 Quick Hits: Other Stories Worth Your Time
- God of War Laufey”s $130 Collector Box — doesn”t include the game. Yes, you read that right. A $130 collector”s box with a statue, art book, and steelbook — but no disc or code. The community is not impressed.
- The Witcher 3 Switch 2 Patch — CD Projekt Red”s open-world masterpiece gets resolution and visual clarity improvements on Nintendo”s new console. A great excuse to revisit Geralt on the go.
- Battlefield 6”s “Secuty” Typo — DICE confirms they”ll fix the embarrassing typo on a skin, but the infamous five-pistol outfit was apparently intentional. Battlefield fans are having a field day.
- Analogue Revives Mega SG and Super Nt — The premium retro console maker is bringing back its FPGA-based Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo clones with modern enhancements. Pre-orders open next week.
- Fortnite Coming to Linux — A massive development for Steam Deck owners, as Epic Games prepares to bring its battle royale juggernaut to Linux with Easy Anti-Cheat support.
- Liquid Swords” Samson Studio Closes — The founder of the studio behind the brutal action game confirms the studio has closed, despite his best efforts to keep it afloat.
📅 What to Watch This Week
- October 20: Modern Warfare 4 DMZ early access begins for pre-order players
- October 20–27: Steam Next Fest 2026 — 8,200+ demos to try
- October 23: Modern Warfare 4 full multiplayer launch
- Ongoing: Arc Raiders PvE test through October 20
- Next Week: Analogue Mega SG and Super Nt pre-orders go live
🎮 Final Thoughts
This week in gaming has been a microcosm of the industry”s current state: incredible creative highs alongside uncomfortable economic realities. Modern Warfare 4 reminds us that a well-crafted single-player campaign can still win hearts. Arc Raiders proves that live-service games can be saved with the right updates. And the PS6 cost rumors serve as a sobering reminder that the hardware business is getting harder, more expensive, and more complicated by the year.
The AI question — whether in Steam Next Fest flooding or voice acting concerns — is the thread that ties many of this week”s stories together. It”s the challenge the industry will have to solve in the coming years. But if this week has shown us anything, it”s that when developers focus on craft, quality, and community, the players show up.
See you next week, gamers.
— Vito Ruocco