UK spending on video games plummeted by 29.4 percent during the first half of this year, while music and video sales grew.

Physical game sales fell by 40 percent to £111.7m compared to the first six months of 2023, while digital download sales fell 23 percent to £236.9m.

The numbers, reported by the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA), reflect a “soft new release schedule”, according to its latest report.

Newscast: Does the loss of day one launches make Xbox Game Pass pointless?

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Xbox has revealed a new “Cheeky Controller” in a Deadpool design to celebrate the new Deadpool & Wolverine Marvel film, with a rather prominent behind.

A peachy pair of these controllers will be part of the grand prize in a global sweepstakes, alongside other custom Xbox hardware – details of how to enter have been shared on social media site X.

It’s in Deadpool’s fetching red colour and seemingly offers a firm grip. Just mind where you put your fingers.

Newscast: Does the loss of day one launches make Xbox Game Pass pointless?

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If you’ve been hoping for another No Mans’s Sky universe refresh, today’s your day. The exploratory space sim’s latest update is all about bringing more variety to planets – and it’s chucking in angry Starship Troopers-esque bug hunts and a flamethrower mech too.

No Man’s Sky’s new Worlds Part 1 update owes at least some of its existence to developer Hello Games’ upcoming fantasy planet sim Light No Fire. “Over the last five years making the game, ” it explains, “we’ve learnt new things, and we’re feeding that back into No Man’s Sky”.

Some of No Man’s Sky’s freshly expanded variety comes from the way its new simulated systems combine. There’s new cloud tech that creates skies based on weather conditions, with planets now featuring their own wind patterns. Wat…