Those who redeemed Final Fantasy VII Remake on PlayStation Plus back in March 2021 will finally be able to upgrade to the PS5 version of the game at no extra cost on Wednesday, December 22.

Square Enix revealed the news on Twitter while also sharing that Final Fantasy VII Remake's Episode Intermission starring Yuffie Kisaragi will also be 25% off on the same day for a limited time.

When Final Fantasy VII Remake was announced to be joining PlayStation Plus in March 2021, many were surprised and upset to discover that it was only the PS4 version. Furthermore, those who downloaded it would not be able to upgrade to the PS5 version that came with improved textures, fog effects, better lighting, faster load times, a new photo mode, DualSense support, and more.

This also meant that players could not purchase Episode Intermission to play Yuffie's new story as it is not even available for PS4 owners.

In our review of Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade - Episode Intermission, we said that it "serves as a tantalizing tease of Yuffie's inevitable meeting with Final Fantasy 7's core cast, and an excellent reason to return to Midgar to experience her new exhilarating style of combat and entertaining side activities."

This news arrives just after Final Fantasy VII Remake was released on PC. Unfortunately, the port appears to have some major issues, including limited graphics options, stuttering and framerate issues, and more.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Those who redeemed Final Fantasy VII Remake on PlayStation Plus back in March 2021 will finally be able to upgrade to the PS5 version of the game at no extra cost on Wednesday, December 22.

Square Enix revealed the news on Twitter while also sharing that Final Fantasy VII Remake's Episode Intermission starring Yuffie Kisaragi will also be 25% off on the same day for a limited time.

When Final Fantasy VII Remake was announced to be joining PlayStation Plus in March 2021, many were surprised and upset to discover that it was only the PS4 version. Furthermore, those who downloaded it would not be able to upgrade to the PS5 version that came with improved textures, fog effects, better lighting, faster load times, a new photo mode, DualSense support, and more.

This also meant that players could not purchase Episode Intermission to play Yuffie's new story as it is not even available for PS4 owners.

In our review of Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade - Episode Intermission, we said that it "serves as a tantalizing tease of Yuffie's inevitable meeting with Final Fantasy 7's core cast, and an excellent reason to return to Midgar to experience her new exhilarating style of combat and entertaining side activities."

This news arrives just after Final Fantasy VII Remake was released on PC. Unfortunately, the port appears to have some major issues, including limited graphics options, stuttering and framerate issues, and more.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

In another example of how bad the ongoing global chip shortage is, Microsoft couldn't even secure enough Xbox Series X consoles for Halo Infinite's first Halo Championship Series tournament and instead had to use a mix of retail and development consoles.

Tahir Hasandjekic, the Halo esports and viewership lead at Microsoft/343 Industries, shared the news on Twitter, saying open bracket players would be playing on Xbox Series X development consoles. Fortunately, there is no need for these players or fans to worry as they are "functionally identical" to retail Xbox Series X hardware.

"Heads up open bracket players - you'll be playing this weekend on Series X development consoles," Hasandjekic said. "They're functionally identical and will be operating in 'retail' mode so it's the exact same experience, they just look a little different. Why? Global supply chain shortage is real."

Yes, even Microsoft can't find enough consoles for the first major tournament for Halo Infinite.

For those unaware, dev kits are the systems used by game developers when creating the games we know and love. They are generally not made available to the public and it's rare to ever see one at an official tournament.

This chip shortage is impacting many beyond Microsoft, as Nintendo cut its Switch production down 20% due to it and Sony reportedly cut production of its PS5 consoles by one million. A recent report said that this shortage affecting gaming "will remain very tight" until at least September 2022.

The first Halo Infinite Halo Championship Series tournament features runs from December 17-19 and features 272 teams competing for a prize pool of $250,000 + Crowdfunding.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

In another example of how bad the ongoing global chip shortage is, Microsoft couldn't even secure enough Xbox Series X consoles for Halo Infinite's first Halo Championship Series tournament and instead had to use a mix of retail and development consoles.

Tahir Hasandjekic, the Halo esports and viewership lead at Microsoft/343 Industries, shared the news on Twitter, saying open bracket players would be playing on Xbox Series X development consoles. Fortunately, there is no need for these players or fans to worry as they are "functionally identical" to retail Xbox Series X hardware.

"Heads up open bracket players - you'll be playing this weekend on Series X development consoles," Hasandjekic said. "They're functionally identical and will be operating in 'retail' mode so it's the exact same experience, they just look a little different. Why? Global supply chain shortage is real."

Yes, even Microsoft can't find enough consoles for the first major tournament for Halo Infinite.

For those unaware, dev kits are the systems used by game developers when creating the games we know and love. They are generally not made available to the public and it's rare to ever see one at an official tournament.

This chip shortage is impacting many beyond Microsoft, as Nintendo cut its Switch production down 20% due to it and Sony reportedly cut production of its PS5 consoles by one million. A recent report said that this shortage affecting gaming "will remain very tight" until at least September 2022.

The first Halo Infinite Halo Championship Series tournament features runs from December 17-19 and features 272 teams competing for a prize pool of $250,000 + Crowdfunding.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

While many were very excited when Final Fantasy 7 Remake finally arrived on PC after a year and a half from its original release date, it was quickly discovered that this port has some major problems that will hopefully be addressed in a future patch.

As reported by PC Gamer, Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Graphics Settings list on PC is surprisingly bare and offers "no variable framerate option, no way to tweak anti-aliasing, toggle VSync, or control effects like motion blur." There is also no way to control resolution scaling to help balance image quality and performance.

Speaking of performance, there have also been reports of framerate drops and instability when simply moving the camera.

I never really do this, since I usually cover this in a video, but @oliemack is going to be on this when I am on holiday. But this is just one brief moment in the first 5 minutes of the game. Spinning the camera causes a sustained drop and then a big stutter. RTSS does not see it https://t.co/pvTAML3dEX pic.twitter.com/UgDWzO9Iav

— Alexander Battaglia (@Dachsjaeger) December 17, 2021

Digital Foundry's John Linneman and Alexander Battaglia noticed these issues, even when capturing using "an RTX3090 and 10900k at just 1080p." Linneman called it "a mess," saying "the smooth presentation was central to [FF7 Remake's] story telling and this version compromises it."

This was a bit of a surprise as other Square Enix PC ports, including Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3, all had far more options than Final Fantasy 7 Remake currently has.

There has been no word as of yet from Square Enix regarding these issues, but PCGamingWiki notes that "The game can drop fps from 120 to below 30 fps when texture settings are set to high on a GPU with 8GB of VRAM or less." While this very well may be a problem, it does not account for why Battaglia's 3090 - which has 24GB of VRAM - is still stuttering.

Fans are even more upset as Final Fantasy 7 Remake on PC is one of the first PC games to cost $70, a practice now seen in this new PS5 and Xbox Series X/S generation.

Hopefully, these issues are resolved, because Final Fantasy 7 Remake was considered by many, including IGN, to be a success in bringing FF7 to the modern era. In our review on PS4, we said that its "dull filler and convoluted additions can cause it to stumble, but it still breathes exciting new life into a classic while standing as a great RPG all its own."

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

While many were very excited when Final Fantasy 7 Remake finally arrived on PC after a year and a half from its original release date, it was quickly discovered that this port has some major problems that will hopefully be addressed in a future patch.

As reported by PC Gamer, Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Graphics Settings list on PC is surprisingly bare and offers "no variable framerate option, no way to tweak anti-aliasing, toggle VSync, or control effects like motion blur." There is also no way to control resolution scaling to help balance image quality and performance.

Speaking of performance, there have also been reports of framerate drops and instability when simply moving the camera.

I never really do this, since I usually cover this in a video, but @oliemack is going to be on this when I am on holiday. But this is just one brief moment in the first 5 minutes of the game. Spinning the camera causes a sustained drop and then a big stutter. RTSS does not see it https://t.co/pvTAML3dEX pic.twitter.com/UgDWzO9Iav

— Alexander Battaglia (@Dachsjaeger) December 17, 2021

Digital Foundry's John Linneman and Alexander Battaglia noticed these issues, even when capturing using "an RTX3090 and 10900k at just 1080p." Linneman called it "a mess," saying "the smooth presentation was central to [FF7 Remake's] story telling and this version compromises it."

This was a bit of a surprise as other Square Enix PC ports, including Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3, all had far more options than Final Fantasy 7 Remake currently has.

There has been no word as of yet from Square Enix regarding these issues, but PCGamingWiki notes that "The game can drop fps from 120 to below 30 fps when texture settings are set to high on a GPU with 8GB of VRAM or less." While this very well may be a problem, it does not account for why Battaglia's 3090 - which has 24GB of VRAM - is still stuttering.

Fans are even more upset as Final Fantasy 7 Remake on PC is one of the first PC games to cost $70, a practice now seen in this new PS5 and Xbox Series X/S generation.

Hopefully, these issues are resolved, because Final Fantasy 7 Remake was considered by many, including IGN, to be a success in bringing FF7 to the modern era. In our review on PS4, we said that its "dull filler and convoluted additions can cause it to stumble, but it still breathes exciting new life into a classic while standing as a great RPG all its own."

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Spider-Man: No Way Home has swung to a record-breaking $253 million domestic weekend box office debut, and it earned another $334.2 million internationally to claim a global total of $587.2 million.

As reported by THR, Spider-Man: No Way Home has secured the third-biggest domestic opening of all time, pandemic or otherwise, and the third-best global opening ever, not adjusted for inflation.

The latest Spidey film surpassed Star Wars: The Force Awakens' $247 million domestic opening, but failed to reach the heights of Avengers: Infinity War's $257 or Avengers: Endgame's $357 million.

No Way Home was also the first film in the COVID-19 era to earn over $100 million in its domestic debut. Venom: Let There Be Carnage was the closest before this film, as it earned $90 million during its launch.

Additionally, No Way Home has already grossed more than than the entire run of any other film during the pandemic era. Previously, Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings had the highest run with $224.5 million.

“This weekend’s historic Spider-Man: No Way Home results, from all over the world and in the face of many challenges, reaffirm the unmatched cultural impact that exclusive theatrical films can have when they are made and marketed with vision and resolve," Sony Pictures' Motion Picture Group Chairman and CEO Tom Rothman said. "All of us at Sony Pictures, are deeply grateful to the fabulous talent, both in front of and behind the camera, that produced such a landmark film. Thanks to their brilliant work, this Christmas everyone can enjoy the big screen gift of 2021’s mightiest Super Hero —your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.”

Fans also flocked to IMAX theaters to see the latest MCU film, as No Way Home earned $36.2 million globally at IMAX, making it the sixth-best opening for that particular format.

No Way Home also performed considerably better than the impressive domestic weekend box office debuts of Spider-Man: Homecoming's $117 million and Spider-Man: Far From Home's $92 million.

In our Spider-Man: No Way Home review, we said that it "bounces from hilarious to hurt with ease as both the darkest and funniest MCU Spider-Man entry to date."

For more, check out our explainer of the ending and post-credits scenes, our 10 biggest WTF questions after leaving the theater, and just what No Way Home may mean for the future of Venom.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Spider-Man: No Way Home has swung to a record-breaking $253 million domestic weekend box office debut, and it earned another $334.2 million internationally to claim a global total of $587.2 million.

As reported by THR, Spider-Man: No Way Home has secured the third-biggest domestic opening of all time, pandemic or otherwise, and the third-best global opening ever, not adjusted for inflation.

The latest Spidey film surpassed Star Wars: The Force Awakens' $247 million domestic opening, but failed to reach the heights of Avengers: Infinity War's $257 or Avengers: Endgame's $357 million.

No Way Home was also the first film in the COVID-19 era to earn over $100 million in its domestic debut. Venom: Let There Be Carnage was the closest before this film, as it earned $90 million during its launch.

Additionally, No Way Home has already grossed more than than the entire run of any other film during the pandemic era. Previously, Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings had the highest run with $224.5 million.

Fans also flocked to IMAX theaters to see the latest MCU film, as No Way Home earned $36.2 million globally at IMAX, making it the sixth-best opening for that particular format.

No Way Home also performed considerably better than the impressive domestic weekend box office debuts of Spider-Man: Homecoming's $117 million and Spider-Man: Far From Home's $92 million.

In our Spider-Man: No Way Home review, we said that it "bounces from hilarious to hurt with ease as both the darkest and funniest MCU Spider-Man entry to date."

For more, check out our explainer of the ending and post-credits scenes, our 10 biggest WTF questions after leaving the theater, and just what No Way Home may mean for the future of Venom.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Spider-Man: No Way Home star Willem Dafoe had one condition when it came to returning as Norman Osborn – he wanted to do the action scenes.

During an interview with Mulderville, the 66-year-old Spider-Man: No Way Home star revealed why he wanted to make sure he joined in with the action.

“To do this physical stuff was important to me,” he said. “One of the first things I said to Jon and Amy, basically when they pitched it to me, before there was even a script, was, 'Listen, I don't want to just pop in there as a cameo or just fill in in close-ups. I want to do the action because that's fun for me’.”

It sounds as though Dafoe, who played Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin in the 2002 Spider-Man movie alongside Tobey Maguire, had some doubts about picking up the iconic mask once more.

“I just was concerned about how contrived it was or whether it was just like a power cameo, a reference” he said. “I really was worried that I wouldn't have something to do.”

Ultimately, he was convinced to return. But Dafoe insisted on joining in with the action sequences and would not settle by just being the guy who stood on the side-lines.

“It's really impossible to add any integrity or any fun to the character if you don't participate in these things because all that action stuff informs your relationship to the characters and the story, and also it makes you earn your right to play the character.”

It’s certainly great to see Dafoe back in the role. And he’s not phoning it in, either – his performance is already winning over fans and critics alike.

Spider-Man: No Way Home stars Tom Holland as the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. The film is directed by Jon Watts and based on a script by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.

Spider-Man: No Way Home opened in theaters in December 17, 2021.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Spider-Man: No Way Home star Willem Dafoe had one condition when it came to returning as Norman Osborn – he wanted to do the action scenes.

During an interview with Mulderville, the 66-year-old Spider-Man: No Way Home star revealed why he wanted to make sure he joined in with the action.

“To do this physical stuff was important to me,” he said. “One of the first things I said to Jon and Amy, basically when they pitched it to me, before there was even a script, was, 'Listen, I don't want to just pop in there as a cameo or just fill in in close-ups. I want to do the action because that's fun for me’.”

It sounds as though Dafoe, who played Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin in the 2002 Spider-Man movie alongside Tobey Maguire, had some doubts about picking up the iconic mask once more.

“I just was concerned about how contrived it was or whether it was just like a power cameo, a reference” he said. “I really was worried that I wouldn't have something to do.”

Ultimately, he was convinced to return. But Dafoe insisted on joining in with the action sequences and would not settle by just being the guy who stood on the side-lines.

“It's really impossible to add any integrity or any fun to the character if you don't participate in these things because all that action stuff informs your relationship to the characters and the story, and also it makes you earn your right to play the character.”

It’s certainly great to see Dafoe back in the role. And he’s not phoning it in, either – his performance is already winning over fans and critics alike.

Spider-Man: No Way Home stars Tom Holland as the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. The film is directed by Jon Watts and based on a script by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.

Spider-Man: No Way Home opened in theaters in December 17, 2021.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.