Grand Theft Auto 6 has been delayed again, this time to November 2026. That will cause problems for all sorts of fall 2026 games, such as Halo: Campaign Evolved, Gears of War: E-day, Fable, Wolverine, and more. Let's dig in on this week's Next-Gen Console Watch. This weeks show is Daemon Hatfield, Max Scoville, Ryan McCaffrey and is produced by Nick Maillet

Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch. This week Daemon, Max, Logan, and Ryan discuss Halo coming to PlayStation and what seems to be the end of Xbox having any notable exclusives going forward. When you combine this with Microsoft’s current messaging that everything is an Xbox, the fact they let someone else make the first Xbox handheld, and heavy hints from leadership that the next Xbox console will basically be  a PC that can play a bunch of PlayStation games, it kind of looks like Xbox is just done competing with Sony on a hardware level. Is this the end of an era? Are the console wars actually over? Plus we have last week's poll results and a new poll for you to vote on at IGN.com.

Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch. This week Daemon and Ryan are joined by producer Nick Maillet to talk about the ROG Xbox Ally X, which Nick had quite a bit of hands-on time with lately. The handheld PC has just launched, and though it's powerful, the $1000 price tag could be too high of a barrier to entry for most people. But is it worth the price? And who would really benefit from a handheld PC of this caliber? Plus we have last week's poll results and a new poll for you to vote on at IGN.com.

Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch! This week Daemon, Max, and Ryan take a look at Microsoft's recent comments committing itself to another generation of gaming console hardware. The Xbox brand had a pretty rough week recently, when they announced a price hike on their Game Pass Ultimated service, on top of the already-announced hardware price hike. Fan response was, as expected, not great, with the Game Pass membership website reportedly crashing due to the number of people logging on to unsubscribe. Does another generation of Xbox hardware make sense for Microsoft? And how can they go about fixing the Game Pass service?

Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch! The gaming world is reeling from yet another Microsoft price hike, this one hitting Game Pass and raising the price from $19.99 to $29.99 a month for the Ultimate plan. It's a signifiant jump of 50% — the largest single increase in the service's history. While the Ultimate plan still gives subscribers access to hundreds of games and some major first-party titles on Day 1, at what point is it not really worth it? Even if you love the service and all it provides, how many games a month are you actually playing? Plus we have last week's poll results and a new poll for you to vote on at IGN.com.

Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch! This week Daemon, Max, and Ryan take a look at this week's big reveals, starting with the Sony State of Play that dropped on Wednesday. We have a first real look at the (very M-rated) Wolverine game, gameplay of Housemarque's Saros, and more. On the Xbox front, there's a brand new trailer for Hideo Kojima's OD starring a very scared Sophia Lillis, and a teaser for Forza Horizon 6. And speaking of Xbox, the crew give their thoughts on the second price increase for Xbox hardware this year. Plus we have last week's poll results, and a new poll for you to vote on at IGN.com.

Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch! This week Daemon, Logan, Max, and Ryan look back at the Nintendo Switch 2's first hundred days. The system is Nintendo's fastest-selling to date, with strong third-party support and a slate of upcoming first-party titles that should sustain the console's momentum through the holidays. But Nintendo has raised eyebrows with their game pricing strategy ($80 for Mario Kart World is nuts), and the tariff situation in the United States could threaten to slow down the Switch 2's impressive sales pace. Plus we have last week's poll results, and a new poll for you to vote on at IGN.com.

Star Wars Outlaws has arrived on Nintendo Switch 2 and it’s a fantastic port. Which makes the rough shape that Elden Ring is in on Nintendo’s new console all the more confusing. We’ll dig into that plus look into some more current-gen ports on their way to the Switch 2.

Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch! This week Daemon, Max, and Ryan discuss the latest PlayStation 6 rumors, which predict Sony's next gaming hardware to be a handheld like the Switch 2. Nintendo's Switch changed the gaming landscape, ushering in a wave of handheld competitors like the Valve Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and more. Now with Xbox officially jumping into the ring with the ROG Xbox Ally X, is it time for Sony to follow suit? No, the PlayStation Portal doesn't count. And what would benefit them more, a dedicated handheld like the PS Vita, or a hybrid with a dock like the Switch? Or maybe just stick with a powerful console and leave the handheld market to Nintendo?

Welcome to a special gamescom edition of Next-Gen Console Watch, our show following everything happening with the latest gaming hardware. I’m Daemon Hatfield and I’m joined by Max Scoville and Jada Griffin from Podcast Beyond. And there’s been a lot of news this week as it relates to this very show. We have the release date for the Xbox ROG Ally X handheld. It’s less than two months away but they haven’t revealed the price, yet. Not a good sign. There is apparently consensus among developers here at gamescom that they have to start making games faster. Music to my ears. But let’s start with some PlayStation news this week. PlayStation isn’t here at gamescom but it did have an announcement to make

Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch! This week Max and Daemon are joined by Nintendo Voice Chat's Logan Plant to discuss Nintendo's recent price hikes on Switch 1 hardware and some accessories. They also look at the sales race between the Switch 1 and the PlayStation 2, for the title of Most Units Sold. The PS2 currently sits at just over 160 million consoles sold over its lifetime, with the Switch 1 in second place with around 153 million. Did Nintendo fumble their chances of catching up to, or even beating Sony? Plus we have last week's poll results, and a new poll for you to vote on at IGN.com.

Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch! With Grand Theft Auto 6 now coming sometime in 2026, the gang takes a look at what else is coming this Fall, and it's still a surprisingly deep release window. Sony's Ghost of Yōtei, Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Nintendo's Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and more headline a stacked schedule. Plus we have last week's poll results, and a new poll for you to vote on at IGN.com.

Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch! This week the team discuss IGN's first 10 out of 10 game of the year: Donkey Kong Bananza. Nintendo Voice Chat's Logan Plant, who reviewed the game, stops by to elaborate on his glowing score. We also look on the PS5 and Xbox side to see what would be those consoles' definitive "killer app" titles. Plus we have last week's poll results, and a new poll for you to vote on at IGN.com.

Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch! This week Ryan and Max try and make sense of the latest round of layoffs fro Microsoft, which saw the company dismiss over 9,000 staff across multiple subsidiaries. Arkane Studios founder Raphael Collantonio recently blamed Game Pass for the megapublisher's financial belt tightening, but recent sales data suggests Game Pass isn't hurting game sales; in fact, five of the top seven best-selling games of May 2025 were Microsoft-published titles, and all available on Game Pass. This suggests that those games are selling very well on other platforms, like PlayStation. So what's really to blame?

This week on Next-Gen Console watch, we take a look at the state of games exclusive to one console, . Between Sony’s expansion into the PC gaming space, and Microsoft putting more and more Xbox Game Studios games topping the charts on competitors’ platforms, it seems like Nintendo is the only console maker keeping its games in one place, and Donkey Kong Bananza is shaping up to be one of the Switch 2’s first killer (gorilla) apps. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Ryan McCaffrey, Logan Plant, and is produced by Nick Maillet

Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch! This week, Daemon, Ryan, and Max analyze Xbox's recent announcement that they're partnering with AMD on multiple pieces of hardware, including the third-party ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X handhelds, and the likely successor console to the Series X and S. What does this mean for Xbox's hardware future? How does this connect to their push for cloud gaming? And how does this affect Sony's future with the PlayStation 6? Plus we go over last week's poll results and we have a new poll for you to vote on at IGN.com.

Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch! After a week off because of IGN Live, Daemon, Max, and Ryan take a look at the Nintendo Switch 2's launch and dive into what worked, and what didn't. Nintendo is touting the launch as their most succesful, outselling the original Switch over the same four-day period. Some analysts are already hailing the Switch 2 as the fastest-selling console of all time, which is great, but the common criticism, is there's not exactly a "killer app" akin to Breath of the Wild for the Switch 1. We also have last episode's poll results, and a new poll for you to vote on at IGN.com.

IGN Live is nearly here and we have a limited number of complimentary tickets for it! Head here and use the code "NGCWGUEST" to get a complimentary GA ticket for Saturday or Sunday: www.ign.com/live . Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch! This week, Logan is on a very special assignment, so it's just Daemon, Max, and Ryan. The topic: their biggest hopes and deepest fears for the Nintendo Switch 2. We're hoping the Switch 2 can maintain momentum with third-parties, especially considering the Switch 2 is closer in parity to the other current-gen consoles, than the Switch 1 was to the PS4 and Xbox One. And we're all worried that everyone Switch owners biggest fear could return: Joy-Con drift. We also ahve last week's poll results, and a new poll for you to vote on at IGN.com. And don't forget to buy tickets to IGN Live happening in Downtown Los Angeles next week, June 7-8. Go to https://www.ign.com/live/ for the full schedule, and use promo code NGCWGUEST for one free ticket!

Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch! We have a full squad this week, with Max Scoville, Logan Plant, and Ryan McCaffrey going over their predictions for each major console's upcoming summer showcases. Nintendo already gave us a showcase when they full unveiled the Switch 2 along with the launch window lineup, but of course Sony and Xbox need to have their time in the sun, too. PS5 has a couple of high-profile games still slated for this year, including Ghost of Yōtei and Marathon. Xbox needs to show off the next project from Double Fine, along with deeper dives on the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 4, the Gears of War remaster, and more. What are you hoping to see from this summer's showcases? Let us know in the comments. And it's not too late to get tickets for IGN Live! Head over to ign.com/Live and use promo code NGCW for a discount.

Welcome back to Next-Gen Console Watch! This week we speak with Nintendo Voice Chat host Logan Plant about visiting the new Nintendo Store in San Francisco, and interviewing Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser. In that interview, Bowser explained the benefit of having game-key cards that don't actually have the game on them, and we discuss how Nintendo is setting up the Switch 2 for success in its first year. Plus we have last week's poll results. And don't forget to secure your tickets to IGN Live, our second annual in-person event being held in downtown Los Angeles next month. Get tickets at ign.com/live and use promo code NGCW for a discount.