• In November, Google finally launched a major gaming platform that was in development for years: Google Stadia.
• Instead of having to buy games on a disc or download them from a digital store, Stadia users stream games over the internet.
• The service launched with access limited to customers willing to pay $130 for the "premiere edition," but a free version named Stadia Base is on the horizon: It's scheduled to arrive "over the next few months," according to Google.
• The news comes amid criticism from some early adopters, who have slammed Google for being slow to roll out promised updates, and for a lack of communication with the community.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Nearly three months ago, Google made its first major push into the multibillion-dollar video-game industry with Stadia: a Netflix-like game service that streams games to a variety of devices, no game console required.

Google Stadia is not a game console, nor is it a game platform, really — it's a digital storefront run by Google where you can buy individual games.

Right now, to access that storefront, you have to pay $130 for the Stadia "premiere edition." That comes with a Stadia gamepad, a Chromecast Ultra streaming device, and three months of access to Stadia Pro, a monthly subscription service that provides free games each month, enables users to stream games at ultra-HD 4K resolution, and offers a few other bells and whistles.

In so many words: The only way to play Stadia games since launch in November has been to spend $130 up front. But that's about to change.

"Over the next few months, anyone in our 14 launch countries will be able to access Stadia for free," Google representative Patrick Seybold told Business Insider in an email on Wednesday.

Those 14 countries include: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States.

The news of Stadia's free tier going live in "the next few months," which was first reported by Protocol on Wednesday, is the first major news about Stadia since launch last November.

The addition can't come soon enough, as some of Stadia's early adopters have already started losing the faith. Google has come under fire from some Stadia fans for not delivering on some promises made when the service was first announced, and for what they see as a lack of communication over the future roadmap.

Notable features are still missing from the service — like the ability to play Stadia on the vast majority of smartphones, including Apple devices and non-Google Android smartphones — but establishing the free "base" tier is an important step for Google's fledgling service.

The company is promising a much bigger 2020, with "more than 120 games" scheduled to launch this year, over 10 of which are said to be exclusive to Stadia and launching in the first half.

It remains unclear when Stadia will support Apple devices, or when other promised features are coming. 

SEE ALSO: Some of the people who made an early bet on Google's ambitious attempt to revolutionize video games are losing patience

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• Sega is the Japanese video game company behind Sonic the Hedgehog. 
• In the '90s, it grew to immense fame by challenging Nintendo's dominance in the West.
• Sega has fallen out of popularity due to some self-inflicted wounds, but still produces games for other consoles.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Following is a transcript of the video.

Manny Fidel: Among fans in the gaming industry, there's something called the "console wars." Today it's a battle between Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft to see which gaming console makes fans wanna spend the most money. But before Microsoft entered the fray with the first iteration of the Xbox in 2001, there was another company that completed the holy trinity of gaming.

Sega is a Japanese video game company that exploded in popularity in the '90s. But it went from selling over 30 million Sega Genesis consoles at the height of its fame in 1993 to selling just 3 million units of its final console before pulling the plug on its hardware empire. So, what happened?

The year is 1988. "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson is the No. 1 Billboard hit, and Sony's Disk-Jockey CD player was selling for $400. It's also the year that Sega released the Sega Mega Drive in Japan. At the time, the worldwide video game industry was being dominated by Nintendo, whose Nintendo Entertainment System was by far the biggest gaming console on the market. With an iconic mustached plumber as its mascot and a family-friendly ensemble of video games, there was virtually no competition. By the early '90s in the United States, Nintendo held 94% of the country's $3 billion gaming market. It would be foolish to challenge that dominance, but that's where Sega enters the picture.

Sega had already made a name for itself in Japan by making arcade games, but its home console, the Sega Mega Drive, was struggling. That's when Michael Katz, the president of Sega of America, decided that in order to challenge Nintendo, Sega had to focus its sights on the west. The Mega Drive was rebranded as the Genesis in America. Katz proposed going for the jugular by attacking Nintendo's reputation with marketing.

Commercial: The Sega Genesis has blast processing. Super Nintendo doesn't. ♪ Genesis does what Nintendon't ♪

Manny: Sega's reputation as a cooler, more adult version of Nintendo started to resonate with fans. For example, because of internal restrictions, the Mortal Kombat series on Nintendo couldn't show blood. But on Sega...

In order to truly take the gaming crown from Nintendo, though, Sega had to come up with a mascot that could rival Mario, one that could easily appeal to American audiences. The company tasked artist Naoto Ohshima with the job, and he came up with a little guy named Sonic The Hedgehog. Sega's Sonic games featured a much faster-paced, action-oriented experience that a lot of Americans favored over the slow-moving Mario platformers. The boom in sales came when Sega decided to drop the price of the Genesis and include a copy of Sonic with new purchases. This tactic led to an additional 15 million units sold.

By 1992, Sega had matched Nintendo in sales in the US. From 1989 to 1993, Sega went from $800 million in sales to $3.6 billion. Sega solidified itself as a top contender and a force to be reckoned with.

And then...

Commercial: Hey! You still don't have a Sega CD?

Manny: The Sega CD was an add-on device for the Sega Genesis. It let you listen to music as well as play new choose-your-own-adventure games featuring live-action footage. But instead of investing its time into new, innovative games that could attract new customers, Sega opted for this add-on device. It couldn't increase its market share with this product because only people who already had Sega Genesis consoles could use it.

The Sega CD also suffered from terrible publicity after the release of its game Night Trap, which let the player watch "surveillance tape" of teenage girls trying to escape from bad guys who broke into their home. This particular bathroom scene was cited in a US congressional hearing led by Joe Lieberman in 1993. Lieberman said that Night Trap promoted violence against women and shouldn't be in the hands of children.

To make matters worse for Sega, Nintendo chairman Howard Lincoln testified at that hearing.

Howard Lincoln: I want to state that Night Trap will never appear on a Nintendo system.

Manny: Decades later, the game has actually been re-released for the Nintendo Switch. But that's beside the point.

All of this hurt Sega's credibility, which proved to be detrimental when it released the Sega Saturn in the US at the E3 conference in 1995. It had an impressive technical prowess, but at $400, it was expensive for a machine that didn't have many games yet. It also didn't help that a new player in the console wars emerged.

The PlayStation featured sleek 3D models, while the Sega Saturn still partially relied on 2D sprites. Finally, the PlayStation cost only:

Steve Race: $299. [audience applauding]

Manny: For $100 cheaper than the Sega Saturn, it was a no-brainer for gamers.

Sega's console aspirations went out with a financial whimper when it released the Sega Dreamcast in 1998. Sega of America's president at the time, Bernie Stolar, has since acknowledged the Dreamcast's mistakes.

He told Polygon that the company should've created a larger variety of games instead of focusing on providing internet connectivity to the few games that the Dreamcast had. Internet gaming wouldn't really take off until Microsoft released Xbox Live in 2002.

But it wasn't all bad news at first. The Dreamcast sold an impressive 372,000 units in the first four days. After a year, though, sales for the Dreamcast plummeted. From 1998 to 2001, the Dreamcast only sold 3 million units in the United States. In the last year of the Dreamcast's life, Sega lost over $200 million. With the PlayStation 2 coming right around the corner, it was the last console Sega would ever make.

Today, Sega exists as a video-game-making company only. It makes games for all the popular consoles. And while there's been a ton of rumors of Sega making a return to consoles, nothing has been confirmed.

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• The $50 Glorious Model O is an incredibly lightweight mouse weighing in at only 67 grams versus other wired gaming mice that weigh in over 100 grams. 
• Such a light mouse is great for fast-paced video games, especially first-person shooters like "Fortnite,""Apex Legends," and "Battlefield V."
• The cable is so light and airy that I barely sense it's there. The Model O is a wired mouse that feels wireless. 
• It has a high-quality sensor and a fairly basic range of buttons, but it should suffice for many gamers. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

There's a trend in the PC gaming world surrounding ultra-lightweight gaming mice, and as a gamer myself, I was curious to try one out.

For a while, many of the ultra-lightweight gaming mice were unfortunately expensive, and even hard to get. I first noticed ultra-lightweight mice from a company called Finalmouse, but they cost over $100 and were rarely in stock. And seeing as I already owned an expensive gaming mouse, I wasn't willing to drop over $100 on yet another mouse. 

Then came a mouse from the niche gaming-accessory company Glorious called the "Model O," which immediately tempted me with its $50 price tag. I bought one, and it's likely the last gaming mouse I'll buy — unless something significantly lighter comes along. 

Check out the Glorious Model O:

SEE ALSO: This odd-looking vertical mouse from Logitech should be the last computer mouse you ever buy

In many respects, the Glorious Model O is a pretty basic mouse for gaming, and even for general use. It has the usual variety of buttons, including two side buttons, and it's compatible for both left and right-handers.

To note, however, that the side buttons are only available on the left side, meaning it's probably best for right-handers who can click those buttons with their thumbs. 

Otherwise, the Model O feels sturdy and premium. There's no flex anywhere and no creaking plastic sounds. 

The main left and right click buttons feel solid too — not too light and not too heavy to press. 

The Glorious Model O's main attraction isn't its flashy lights, but its incredibly lightweight design, which explains all the holes.

The Model O is incredibly light at just 67 grams compared to other similarly priced and popular wired gaming mice that weigh over 100 grams. That's partly thanks to those hexagonal holes dotted around the exterior and bottom that help shed some unnecessary weight. 

For fast-paced games, especially first-person shooters like "Battlefield V,""Call of Duty: Modern Warfare,""Apex Legends,""Fortnite," and so on, having a light mouse can make a world of difference for fast mouse flick movements and accuracy, especially for those who like to play with lower mouse sensitivities. 

I should note that a mouse's weight is a subjective preference. Some mice actually come with extra modular weights if you want to add weight. 

I typically prefer wireless mice because cables feel heavy and drag me down, but that's not the case with the Glorious Model O. It's a wired mouse that feels like it's wireless.

To be as light as it is, the Model O had to go wired to avoid using heavy components like a battery. With that said, there are wireless mice out there that are incredibly lightweight, like the Razer Wireless Viper Ultimate that weighs in at 74 grams and costs almost $100 more. 

I was hugely skeptical about Glorious' claim that the cable gives the Model O an "almost wireless feel." I'm also incredibly sensitive to any dragging from a mouse cable, which is why I normally stick to wireless mice. 

Yet, with firm confidence, I can safely say that the Model O's cable does indeed feel almost wireless, if not totally wireless. As long as you give the cable some slack, there's no drag or weight from the cable at all. 

It uses a high-quality sensor for precision and accuracy.

One of the key differentiators between gaming mice and regular mice is the sensors. Gaming mice typically use higher-quality or more powerful sensors that offer better accuracy. 

The Model O uses the highly acclaimed Pixart PMW-3360 sensor, and I've had no issues with it at all. 

This button at the top lets you switch between different sensitivity profiles, and it makes it easy to switch sensitivities whether you want to start a game or when you want to work on your computer.

A lot of gaming mice have buttons that let you easily switch between different sensitivities, so there's nothing special here. I make a point of this because another excellent mouse I've been trying — Razer's Wireless Viper Ultimate — also comes with a sensitivity switch button, but it's on the underside of the mouse, which is less convenient. 

Having the button so easily accessible lets me quickly switch from low sensitivity for gaming to high sensitivity while working, or even within a game's menu, when I need to. It makes a difference in which mouse I choose to play games.

You can make adjustments on sensitivity and how the lights look with the Glorious Model O's software.

The Model O's lighting and sensitivity options can be adjusted in the Glorious mouse software, which works well, and isn't necessary to use the Model O. 

I confidently recommend the Glorious Model O to any gamer for its reasonable price tag, looks, comfort, and incredibly light weight that makes a difference for fast-paced games.

The Model O is on the larger side when it comes to mice, so it might only suit larger hands. Glorious has a smaller yet identical version called the Model O Minus that's almost 10 grams lighter for smaller hands or those who prefer a claw grip style.

• Sony and Microsoft are working on the next versions of the PlayStation and the Xbox: The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, respectively.
• Both new consoles are expected to arrive in the the 2020 holiday shopping season, but those plans may change due to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, according to a note from the financial services company Jefferies Group published this week.
• Sony and Microsoft both manufacture game consoles and accessories in China, which has been hit hardest by the virus.
• Apple's next iPhone and Nintendo's Switch, among many other products manufactured in China, are facing potential delays or constrained shipments due to the coronavirus outbreak. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

This holiday season, the next PlayStation and Xbox consoles are scheduled to arrive.

But the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X, just like much of the world's consumer electronics, are being manufactured in China. And China is currently the focal point of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. 

Of the more than 560 people who have died from the virus, all but two fatalities have been in mainland China. Over 28,000 people were reported as infected as of Wednesday. 

China's manufacturing sector, which is responsible for producing the vast majority of the world's consumer electronics, has been hit particularly hard. Foxconn, the manufacturing giant that produces the iPhone, is quarantining workers. At least one supply chain executive told Nikkei Asian Review that, "The [coronavirus] situation in China could affect the planned production schedule" of the next iPhone.

Similarly, as Microsoft and Sony ramp up production of their next-gen consoles, those launches could see delays or, at least, constrained launch supply due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"The video game sector is currently manufacturing, or beginning to, a once-in-several-years' product generation change for the 2020 holiday season," a note from Jefferies Group published this week says. "If [company] shutdowns exceed a month or so, game schedules will be delayed. New consoles may likewise suffer supply issues from a prolonged disruption, ahead of their Fall 2020 planned launches."

Put more simply: Next-gen consoles, and the games being produced for those consoles, may get hit with delays due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Though most major video games are made in North America, Europe, and Japan, large components of those games are outsourced to China. As much as "30-50% of art creation in western games is done in China," according to the note. In terms of the hardware itself, nearly 100% of the manufacturing takes place in China.

Notably, Nintendo has outright announced production delays due to the coronavirus outbreak — shipments of the Nintendo Switch console are delayed to Japan, the company announced this week. Both Sony and Microsoft didn't respond to request for comment on potential next-gen console delays due to the virus outbreak.

SEE ALSO: The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are both scheduled to arrive in 2020. Here's how they stack up.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: People are still debating the pink or grey sneaker, 2 years after it went viral. Here's the real color explained.

• This holiday season, both Microsoft and Sony are planning to launch next-generation game consoles: the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5, respectively.
• Though the two consoles compete directly, Microsoft is intentionally moving its Xbox business away from direct competition with Sony.
• "When you talk about Nintendo and Sony, we have a ton of respect for them, but we see Amazon and Google as the main competitors going forward,"Xbox leader Phil Spencer said in a recent interview with Protocol.
• Spencer said as much because of Microsoft's ambitious push into video game streaming, which is backed by Microsoft's Azure datacenters all over the world. The service is aimed at the billions of people who don't buy game consoles, and directly competes with Google and Amazon's gaming initiatives. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

This holiday season, both Sony and Microsoft plan to launch new, so-called next-generation versions of the PlayStation and the Xbox game consoles.

Goodbye, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One! Hello, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X!

It marks the fourth game console "generation" in which Microsoft and Sony have gone head-to-head, starting with the PlayStation 2 and the original Xbox around the turn of the century. Nintendo moved away from competing directly with Sony and Microsoft's consoles years ago, choosing instead to create consoles geared to a different audience with the launch of the wildly successful Nintendo Wii in 2006. 

These days, the "console wars" are a head-to-head between Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's Xbox. But in 2020, Microsoft is shifting its business strategy in a way that could end them for good.

"When you talk about Nintendo and Sony, we have a ton of respect for them," Xbox leader Phil Spencer told Protocol in an interview published this week. "But we see Amazon and Google as the main competitors going forward."

But why would Microsoft's Xbox division, which makes the Xbox game console line, be focused on Google and Amazon?

One word: streaming.

In the case of Google, the service is named Stadia — a Netflix-like game service that streams games to a variety of devices, no game console required. In the case of Amazon, there's no service just yet — but Amazon has a robust cloud infrastructure in Amazon Web Services (AWS) to compete with Microsoft's similarly robust Azure cloud infrastructure.

Neither Google nor Amazon has publicly announced plans to launch a game console, but both are positioned to compete directly with Microsoft's Xbox when it comes to what Spencer sees as the next great expansion in gaming. 

"Amazon and Google are focusing on how to get gaming to 7 billion people around the world," Spencer told Protocol. "Ultimately, that's the goal."

Though game consoles like Xbox One and PlayStation 4 sell in the tens or, in the case of PS4, hundreds of millions, the real potential market for gaming, Spencer believes, is in the billions of people on Earth who don't — or can't — own a game console.

"There are 2 billion people who play video games on the planet today. We're not gonna sell 2 billion consoles,"Spencer told me in an interview in June 2018. "Many of those people don't own a television, many have never owned a PC. For many people on the planet, the phone is their compute device. It's really about reaching a customer wherever they are, on the devices that they have." 

Sound familiar? 

Do you want to play games on an Xbox? A PC? Your phone? Microsoft wants to reach you there — ideally across all three.

It's a similar approach to the Netflixes and Spotifys of the world — reach people on whatever device they have, wherever they are, with the media they want to consume. 

To that end, Xbox has major initiatives across all three platforms: a new game console (Xbox Series X), a cloud gaming service (Project xCloud), and a Netflix-like gaming service (Game Pass).

"That remains core to what we're trying to do," Spencer told me in a more recent interview this past June. "To allow creators to reach the customers that they want, allow players to play the games that they want with the people they want to play with, anywhere they want. And it fits right into the opportunity ahead."

It's part of a broader effort at Microsoft to bring Xbox games to as many people as possible — even if those people don't buy a new Xbox console.

And it could mean the end of the console wars as we know them.

SEE ALSO: The next-generation Xbox has a much simpler name than you might think: It's actually just 'Xbox'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Inside the US government's top-secret bioweapons lab

• Sony and Microsoft are working on the next versions of the PlayStation and the Xbox: The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, respectively.
• Both new consoles are expected to arrive in the the 2020 holiday shopping season.
• Despite both consoles being months from launch, we know a surprising amount of confirmed information about the new consoles thanks to Sony and Microsoft.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

It's true: By this holiday season, a new PlayStation and a new Xbox will have launched.

For those of you keeping score at home, that's the fifth PlayStation and fourth Xbox generation. As such, Sony's next PlayStation is called PlayStation 5. Microsoft's next Xbox's name is a bit less straightforward — it's called Xbox Series X.

Though neither has gotten the full showcase treatment just yet, both Sony and Microsoft have detailed the consoles with a surprising amount of specificity. As such, we've broken down the similarities and differences below — here's how the two consoles stack up:

SEE ALSO: The next Xbox is scheduled to arrive in 'holiday 2020,' and it's named Xbox Series X — here's everything we know so far about Microsoft's next game console

DON'T MISS: The 9 most important details we already know about PlayStation 5, Sony's next-generation video game console

1. Specs.

Sony's next PlayStation and Microsoft's next Xbox are eerily similar, especially compared with past console generations.

They have similar chips powering them, similar amounts of memory, and similar storage levels. They both have disc drives (still) and are expected to launch during the 2020 holiday season.

Microsoft and Sony are employing AMD's Navi processors to make their consoles faster than ever and solid-state hard drives to cut down dramatically on load times. Both are using GDDR6 RAM for memory.

Sony has gotten slightly more detailed than Microsoft in one respect: The PlayStation 5 will apparently feature a Ryzen-based CPU from AMD.

Both Microsoft and Sony are touting the ability to produce 8K visuals and support for "ray tracing" (an improved lighting system for game visuals) with all those beefy specs.

The long and short is this: The next-generation Xbox console is using pretty similar tech to what Sony is using with the PlayStation 5 (and vice versa).

2. Features.

For the most part, Sony and Microsoft have detailed only the specs of their forthcoming consoles.

But there's one feature both are touting that's directly attributable to their solid-state hard drives: faster loading times.

Both Sony and Microsoft directly cite faster loading times as a tentpole feature of their next-gen consoles. Sony even demonstrated the feature in a video:

Both companies are also touting a new lighting feature, called ray tracing, that promises to make in-game lighting more detailed than ever.

And finally, both companies are saying their next-gen consoles will produce 8K visuals — a pretty meaningless promise at this point, given that the vast majority of consumers don't own a TV capable of handling 8K visuals, but it's intended as a means of future-proofing the consoles.

3. Games.

"Halo Infinite," the next game in the long-running first-person-shooter series, is scheduled to launch alongside the next Xbox. Additionally, Microsoft revealed "Sensua's Saga: Hellblade 2" as a new game for its upcoming Xbox Series X console, and a variety of games from first-party Microsoft franchises like "Gears of War" and "Forza" are expected to be in the works.

At least two other major games have been announced for unspecified "next-gen" consoles: "The Elder Scrolls VI" and "Starfield." Both games are in production at Bethesda Game Studios, the folks behind the "Elder Scrolls" and "Fallout" series, and, if we're being honest, both are likely to come to the next Xbox and the next PlayStation (and probably PC as well). Bethesda makes multiplatform blockbuster games, and that is unlikely to change with "Starfield" and "The Elder Scrolls VI."

Additionally, there are some logical guesses to make about other games in the works: The annual "Call of Duty" that arrives in 2020 will almost certainly come to the next Xbox and PlayStation, and the same can be said for "FIFA,""Madden," and the next "Assassin's Creed."

4. Services.

Services — by which we mean stuff like Xbox Live, PlayStation Plus, PlayStation Now, and Xbox Game Pass — are a big question mark.

There's no reason to believe that any of these services would suddenly cease to exist on next-gen consoles. Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus transitioned seamlessly from the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 to the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4, respectively. It seems likely that they'll do as much once again with Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

There is at least one confirmed service coming to the Xbox Series X: Microsoft's wildly popular Xbox Game Pass subscription service. Given that it's the foundation for Microsoft's plans for its future with Xbox, and that the service has been a source of seemingly universal praise for Xbox, it makes a lot of sense that it's moving over.

Additionally, we know that Microsoft's Project xCloud game-streaming service is expected to work on Xbox Series X. Moreover, it's expected to be paired with Xbox Game Pass at some point — a combination that would usher in the first ever Netflix of gaming-style service.

One crucial similarity: backward compatibility.

Something both Microsoft and Sony have stated outright is that both of their next-gen consoles will support backward compatibility: the ability to play games from previous console generations.

Microsoft has gone into a bit more detail than Sony in this regard. "The original Xbox games and Xbox 360 games that are backward compatible now on your Xbox One, those will play. Your Xbox One games will play, your accessories will play," Xbox leader Phil Spencer told me in a mid-June interview.

Sony, meanwhile, has said only that the PlayStation 5 would be able to play PlayStation 4 games — a more limited version of the backward compatibility offered on the next Xbox.

Still, both consoles supporting at least some form of backward compatibility is reassuring. 

Bonus: Microsoft has gone one step further than Sony, and revealed its console in detail during the 2019 Game Awards ceremony. Check out the video right here:

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• The PlayStation 5, Sony's next generation console that's deep in production, will arrive during the 2020 holiday season.
• The first details about the PS5, however, were actually revealed in an interview with Wired in April.
• As expected, the PlayStation 5 is promised to be more powerful than the existing PlayStation 4— but we've slowly been learning more about the next-gen console's new features.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

Who's ready for the PlayStation 5?

After months of speculation, Sony confirmed the name of the PlayStation 5 and set a release window for the 2020 holiday season in a blog post last October. The company first detailed the successor to the PlayStation 4 in an interview with Wired in April 2019, where it discussed the specific chips and hardware powering the console without revealing its name.

Sony setup a new official website for the PlayStation 5 but it doesn't have any details on the console as of yet. But the PS5 less than a year away, more information has started to trickle out about its new features.

Here are all the most important things we know about the PlayStation 5 so far:

SEE ALSO: A bunch of PlayStation 5 details just got unveiled: Here's everything we know

1. It will have much nicer graphics.

Unlike the PlayStation 4 Pro and the Xbox One X — half-step consoles that offered more power in the same console generation — the PlayStation 5 "allows for fundamental changes in what a game can be," Mark Cerny, Sony's lead system architect, told Wired.

Core to that mission is the new console's processing chips: a new central processing unit and a graphics processing unit from AMD. The former is based on AMD's Ryzen line, while the latter is part of Radeon's Navi GPU line.

What that means for you: The PlayStation 5 is built on chips that are yet-to-be-released.

2. It will have much faster — or almost non-existent — load times.

When you think of flashy new video game consoles, you probably don't think too much about hard drives — the thing you store games and game saves on. 

But Cerny told Wired that the next PlayStation's hard drive is "a true game changer." Why's that? Because, for the first time ever, the next PlayStation will come with a solid state drive. 

What's different about that? It's much, much faster than a traditional hard disc drive. In a demonstration of the new drive, 2018's "Marvel's Spider-Man" was loaded up on an early development kit for the next PlayStation — it demonstrated a reduction in load times from 15 seconds to less than a single second.

That indeed could be a game-changer. Just imagine all the time you've wasted waiting for games to load — now, imagine that being erased permanently.

3. It's capable of producing 8K visuals.

8K? Yes, 8K — as in "the next step for television resolutions after 4K." And yes, you probably just got a 4K television. (Even more likely: You still don't have a 4K television!)

That's fine. Though the PlayStation 5 will apparently be capable of producing 8K visuals, we don't expect that any games will take advantage of that for some time. After all, there are barely any 8K sets available for sale, let alone a large audience of people waiting for 8K content. And that doesn't even get into the absurd price tags on the 8K TVs that do exist.

This capability seems more like a measure of future-proofing against what will come next rather than a new standard for visual fidelity.

4. It can produce a new type of visuals, called "Ray Tracing."

Forget about 8K: What's this "ray tracing" business? 

The long and short is it's a jargon term for what is essentially "more detailed, accurate lighting." A core component of video game visuals — like all other visual mediums — is how lighting is applied.

To that end, the PlayStation 5 will support the emerging form of virtual lighting.

Read more: Sony's next-generation PlayStation will come with 'ray tracing' — here's what that looks like in action

5. It plays PlayStation 4 games as well as PlayStation 5 games.

Backwards compatibility is a hugely important feature of any game console, and it's one that the PlayStation 4 completely whiffed. Sony is correcting that with the PlayStation 5: Your PS4 games will outright run on the next PlayStation.

Whether this applies to your entire digital game library in addition to disc-based games remains to be seen, but we're betting it does.

6. It works with PlayStation VR.

There will almost certainly be a new, higher-fidelity version of Sony's virtual reality headset, PlayStation VR, for the PlayStation 5. When asked about a new headset, Cerny told Wired, "VR is very important to us," but wouldn't elaborate. He did confirm, however, that the existing PlayStation VR headset for PS4 will work on the PlayStation 5.

Sony didn't confirm this, but it stands to reason that the PlayStation 5 also supports PlayStation Move controllers and the PlayStation Camera — crucial components of the PlayStation VR system.

7. It will have a new controller with improved feedback and battery life.

In an October blog post, Jim Ryan, Sony Interactive Entertainment's president and CEO, shared new information about the PlayStation 5's controller.

The new controller will use haptic feedback instead of traditional "rumble," allowing developers to program more sensitive responses.

This is meant for players to feel different vibrations in their controller when they fire a gun or hold the wheel of a car. The PlayStation 5 controller will also have adaptive triggers that can be programmed to have a different level of tension depending on the action, the post said.

Patent images for the PS5 controller showed a USB-C charging port, and the apparent removal of the PS4 controller's colored light bar.

8. Sony will release the PlayStation 5 during the 2020 holiday season.

There isn't a set release date for the PlayStation 5 yet, but Sony plans to launch it during the 2020 holiday season. Sony has already sent development models out to game designers so they can start building games for the console's launch next year.

9. The PlayStation 5 might cost a lot of money.

The PlayStation 5 sounds like it could be a more expensive console than usual.

"I believe that we will be able to release it at an SRP [suggested retail price] that will be appealing to gamers in light of its advanced feature set," lead architect Mark Cerny told Wired's Peter Rubin.

When Rubin pushed on what that meant, Cerny demurred. "That's about all I can say about it," he said.

Given that the PlayStation 5 is running on brand new, yet-to-be-released processors and uses more expensive solid-state storage, it's likely to land on the higher side in terms of price. For context, the nearly three-year-old PlayStation 4 Pro model still costs $400 — the PlayStation 5 could cost even more.

10. The PlayStation 5 logo looks almost identical to the PlayStation 4 logo.

Sony revealed the PlayStation 5 logo for the first time in early January, during the company's keynote at the big annual tech show CES.  The PlayStation 5 logo — abbreviated as "PS5"— retains a very similar typeface to previous PlayStation consoles.

With the PlayStation 2, Sony established a distinct look for the PlayStation logo that's carried across handheld and home consoles, in addition to a plethora of PlayStation-branded services.

That look is once again carrying forward with the PS5.

• On February 7, a Resident Evil fan page's Twitter account posted a screenshot of Netflix's Media Center webpage as it appeared on the same day, with the synopsis clearly present on the webpage.
• "Presumably, the synopsis was uploaded because a reveal is forthcoming and somebody simply jumped the gun," Forbes wrote.
• It might have been uploaded by mistake and then leaked to the public. The synopsis appears to have been taken down since.
• Netflix was first reported to be working on a Resident Evil adaptation in January 2019.
• Resident Evil is one of the best-selling video game franchises ever.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

It looks like Netflix's much-anticipated "Resident Evil" TV series adaptation may be around the corner after a synopsis of the show appeared without explanation on Netflix's website.

On February 7, the "Resident Evil" Wiki's Twitter account posted a screenshot of Netflix's Media Center webpage as it appeared on the same day, with the synopsis clearly visible on the webpage.

"Presumably, the synopsis was uploaded because a reveal is forthcoming and somebody simply jumped the gun,"Forbes wrote a few days later, speculating it might have been uploaded by mistake and then leaked to the public. 

The synopsis gives relatively few details away, though the show will apparently take place in a fictional Maryland location dominated by three corporate "behemoths."

It can be viewed below, though it appears to have since been taken down.

Netflix was first reported to be working on a "Resident Evil" adaptation in January 2019, though an official announcement from the streaming giant hasn't yet materialized.

"Resident Evil" is one of the best-selling video game franchises ever. PC Gamer estimates that 94 million "Resident Evil" games have been sold since the first title was released in 1996.

It's held in high regard by critics, too: the PlayStation versions of the series' first and second titles hold 91% scores on Metacritic, while the most recent title in the series that's not a remake – "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard"– holds an 86% score.

Less well-regarded is a six-part, live-action movie series based on the games starring Milla Jovovich.

In any case, Netflix will likely view the upcoming show as a surefire money-spinner, as the live-action movies pulled in an estimated $1 billion worldwide.

Business Insider has approached Netflix for comment.

SEE ALSO: The opening scenes of 'Resident Evil 2' may give you zombie apocalypse nightmares — watch the first 20 minutes of the game, uncut Kevin Webb Jan. 25, 2019, 9:00 AM

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• The legendary game studio Insomniac Games is most well-known for its work on the "Ratchet & Clank" game series, but had its greatest success with 2018's excellent "Marvel's Spider-Man" on the PlayStation 4.
• Last August, Sony purchased the studio for a whopping $229 million, a new SEC filing reveals.
• The deal is already paying off for Sony: 2018's PlayStation 4 exclusive "Marvel's Spider-Man" has sold tens of millions of copies since launch.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The legendary studio behind 2018's smash-hit PlayStation 4 "Spider-Man" game received quite the payday when it sold to Sony last year.

Insomniac Games, one of the biggest independent game studios in the world, was purchased by Sony in August 2019. The price? A cool $229 million, according to a new SEC filing from Sony. The price was "mainly paid in cash," according to the filing.

Going forward, all of Insomniac's games will presumably be locked to Sony's PlayStation game consoles. "As a result of this acquisition, Insomniac Games has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony," the filing says.

The studio is most well-known in recent years for the excellent 2018 game "Marvel's Spider-Man," which was exclusive to Sony's PlayStation 4 console. But Insomniac is also responsible for the long-running "Ratchet & Clank" games, as well as the "Resistance" first-person shooter franchise. 

"We have enjoyed a strong collaborative partnership with the studio for many years, and are thrilled to officially welcome them to the Worldwide Studios family," PlayStation leader Shawn Layden said in the announcement release last August. "The addition of Insomniac Games to Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios reiterates our commitment to developing world class gaming experiences that can only be found on the PlayStation platform."

It's unclear what will happen to the one Xbox-exclusive game made by Insomniac, "Sunset Overdrive."

Insomniac founder and leader Ted Price took to the company's blog to reassure longtime fans that the purchase wouldn't change his studio's culture or mission. 

"We're excited to put Insomniac in the best position to deliver fresh experiences for our fans for many years to come," Price said. "Our structure and approach will remain intact across both Burbank and Durham, NC studios, and we will continue to cultivate our unique culture."

Insomniac's next project has yet to be announced, but the studio is expected to be working on a sequel to 2018's "Spider-Man."

SEE ALSO: I'm blown away by the virtual New York City of 'Spider-Man' on PlayStation 4 — here's how it compares to the real thing

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• PlayVS is a $96 million software startup that organizes high school and collegiate gaming competitions across the country and gives schools the tools they need to create their own esports programs.
• Founder and CEO Delane Parnell convinced the creators of popular games like "Fortnite" and "League of Legends" to allow PlayVS to organize high school and collegiate competitions.
• PlayVS now supports more than 13,000 schools and has worked with the National Federation of High Schools to establish varsity esports programs in 18 states.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

With multimillion dollar tournaments and live broadcasts on ESPN, professional gaming has entered the mainstream, but the growing esports industry still lacks the sort of professional pipeline and player development that has become standard for traditional sports.

Unlike traditional sports, companies working in esports need approval from video game publishers to profit off their games with events and broadcasts.

The publishers behind popular games like "Fortnite" and "League of Legends" run their own multi-million-dollar competitions for pro gamers and are typically defensive of their brands, but they've agreed to exclusive partnerships allowing a young startup named PlayVS to offer high school and collegiate esports programs

"In traditional sports we can go to Dick's Sporting Goods, buy a football or basketball and create our own league and no one's going to say anything. People assume that you can do that same thing in esports, and legally — you can't," PlayVS founder and CEO Delane Parnell said.

PlayVS has been a driving force for bridging that divide between esports and traditional sports. On Wednesday, it announced a multi-year agreement with "League of Legends" creator Riot Games that makes PlayVS the exclusive provider of high school "League of Legends" competitions in the United States. A month earlier PlayVS also announced a partnership with "Fortnite" creator Epic Games that establishes a national championship series at the college level.

PlayVS provides the tools for high schools and colleges to create their own esports programs. Founded in 2018, it has already raised $96 million in funding with a list of high profile investors that includes the NFL's San Francisco 49ers and rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs.

It now supports more than 13,000 schools and organizes online competitions across the country. The company has also partnered with the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) to establish varsity esports programs in 18 different states. Like other school sports, PlayVS separates the school year into Fall and Spring seasons. Schools compete against each other for eight weeks during the season leading up to a championship event.

"It was tough early on trying to convince the game publishers to work with us — we've only been around for two years," Parnell said. "I think they saw the value in our effective distribution to an audience."

PlayVS's new agreement with Riot builds on a prior deal between the two companies. PlayVS successfully piloted a seasonal program for "League of Legends" competitions last year. More than 80% of PlayVS's participating schools had at least one "League of Legends" team.

"Extending our partnership with PlayVS advances our mission to establish League of Legends as a generational sport," Matt Birris, Riot Games' Scholastic Program Lead said in a statement announcing the deal.

For video game publishers, funding high school and collegiate esports programs can encourage younger players to play older games and treat them like an ongoing sport. Riot Games recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of "League of Legends." Programs like PlayVS could help produce another generation of "LoL" players. Additionally, introducing young players and their parents to competitions will further legitimize "League of Legends" as one of America's most watched sports.

"Frankly, you're not going to be able to provide an optimal experience if you're not working with the company who owns the technology and the IP," Parnell said.

Partnering with Riot and other publishers gives PlayVS extra perks to pass on to players. For example, unlocking every playable character in "League of Legends" would cost more than $600 for a normal player, but PlayVS gives registered student players complete access to the full roster. PlayVS also has access to in-game data that gives players advanced stat tracking features.

"Player experience is at the forefront of everything we do," Parnell said. "This means not only bringing students access to the game titles that they love, but fully integrating with publishers to further improve the overall high school esports experience."

Mark Koski, the CEO of the National Federation of High Schools, said that PlayVS's education-first philosophy aligned with the organization's goals for high school sports, and could help prepare students for careers in the gaming and esports industry.

"As schools look to provide participation opportunities for high school students, esports is a great option on two fronts," Koski said. "First, esports may involve students who haven't been involved in a sport or activity in the past. Second, the costs to implement esports are minimal compared to starting a traditional sport, which can be extensive with equipment and facilities."

To participate in PlayVS, players must pay a $64 fee each season, giving them access to games and the PlayVS network of competitions. The registration deadline to compete in PlayVS's Spring championships is February 14, but schools can join the program on a rolling basis.

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• In the early 1990s, Nintendo partnered with Sony to develop a new CD-ROM console and attachment for the Super Nintendo system, resulting in a prototype fans call the Nintendo PlayStation.
• Sony's deal with Nintendo fell through, ultimately leading to the birth of Sony's massive PlayStation brand.
• The only remaining Nintendo PlayStation prototype that's been found intact is now up up for auction. The prototype is still capable of playing Super Nintendo cartridges, but no CD-ROM games were ever produced.
• The owner, Terry Diebold, told Kotaku he previously turned down an $1.2 million offer. Bidding on the Nintendo PlayStation prototype is now underway and will continue until the Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction in Dallas on March 6.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A doomed partnership between two of the biggest companies in the video game business gave birth to one of the most bizarre devices in gaming history — a rare console fans call the Nintendo PlayStation. After more than 25 years there's only one known prototype of the Nintendo PlayStation left, and it's currently up for auction.

In the early 1990s, Nintendo partnered with Sony to develop a new CD-ROM peripheral for the wildly popular Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

The SNES CD-ROM adapter, called the PlayStation, would stack on top of existing SNES consoles, and Sony planned to release a standalone version of the console as well. However, the relationship soured when Nintendo entered into a separate partnership with electronics giant Philips, Sony's leading European competitor, in 1991.

Sony ultimately decided to ditch Nintendo and launch the PlayStation on its own — a decision that would completely change the course of the video game industry.

While the final product never hit store shelves, Sony reportedly manufactured about 200 Nintendo PlayStation prototypes. However, the prototype available for auction is the only known Nintendo PlayStation that's still intact, and the owner told the video game outlet Kotaku that he's already been offered as much as $1.2 million for this one-of-a-kind artifact.

The current bid is $31,000 as of February 13, with more than three weeks left in the auction. Potential buyers can set their maximum bid on the website to prevent late bidders from winning the Nintendo PlayStation in the final moments of the auction. Heritage Auctions will showcase the Nintendo PlayStation at Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction in Dallas on March 6, when the bidding process will end. 

SEE ALSO: Nintendo and Sony made a hybrid game console 2 decades ago no one has ever seen — until now

The design of the Nintendo PlayStation looked much more modern than the standard Super Nintendo.

The incredibly rare video game console eventually resurfaced by chance, more than a decade after it was first produced.

Terry Diebold won the device in an auction when Advanta Corporation, his former employer, declared bankruptcy in 2009. Advanta was led by Olaf Olafsson, a former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, who resigned in 1996. Olafsson was essential in helping Sony launching its own video game business and apparently hung onto one of the Nintendo PlayStation prototypes long after his tenure ended.

Terry Diebold told Engadget that he paid $75 for the bin containing the Nintendo PlayStation at the Advanta auction, but Terry and his son Dan Diebold had no idea how rare the prototype was. Eventually, Dan came across a Reddit post detailing the history of the Nintendo PlayStation, and he casually announced that the prototype was in his dad's attic.

No CD-ROM games were ever produced for the Nintendo PlayStation — but it's not completely useless.

With the help of enthusiastic online community and hardware experts like Ben Heck, the Diebolds were able to prove that their prototype isn't just real, it's actually capable of playing Super Nintendo games.

Bidding on the Nintendo PlayStation prototype is now underway. You can follow the Nintendo PlayStation auction on the Heritage Auctions webpage until the item is sold at the Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction in Dallas on March 6.

• For the first time, all 20 teams in Activision Blizzard's Overwatch League will host matches in their home cities, bringing the professional video game competition to the United States, China, Canada, South Korea, England, and France.
• With its new traveling schedule, the Overwatch League has achieved Activision Blizzard's goal of creating an international esports competition, with teams willing to pay $20 million to create regional franchises.
• Each team will host at least two weekend-long events called homestands during the 28-week season. The first two, in New York City and Dallas on February 8 and 9, were fully sold out, with thousands of fans attending and more than 100,000 watching live. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

After two seasons based in Activision Blizzard's Burbank, California, studio, the Overwatch League has embarked on a traveling schedule with all 20 teams hosting events in their home cities. The first of these weekend-long events — which the professional gaming league calls "homestands"— showcased multiple matches in front of sell-out crowds in New York City and Dallas on February 8 and 9.

For Activision, the successful launch weekend was the culmination of years of planning, delivering the traveling esports competition that enticed investors to spend more than $20 million each for franchise slots in the Overwatch League.

The New York Excelsior kicked-off the league's third season at the Hammerstein Ballroom, a historic theater venue in Manhattan seating 1,600, while The Dallas Fuel held their homestand at Esports Stadium Arlington, a $10 million arena seating 1,900. Ticket prices ranged from $39 to more than $500 for VIP packages, and every match from both homestands was broadcast live for hundreds of thousands of viewers on Saturday and Sunday.

Pete Vlastelica, president of Activision Blizzard Esports and commissioner for Overwatch League, said the league would be watching closely to see how teams play host during the 2020 season. Each Overwatch League team will produce at least two weekend homestand events at a venue of their choosing during the eight-month season.

Homestands have all the trappings of a traditional sports event, including fan contests, autograph signings, and satellite events for fans to enjoy when they're not watching the competition.

"One of the exciting things for me, as I watch this season play out, is that every team is going to do things a little bit different, and some of it's going to work and some of it's not," Vlastelica said. "But the stuff that works will not only stick in that city, the other teams will learn from the things that work and that will speed up the evolution of what this local esports thing can be."

Vlastelica said that league owners were encouraged by the three homestand events Overwatch League held during the 2019 season, with sold-out venues in Dallas, Orlando, and Los Angeles. Activision Blizzard also launched the first season of the Call of Duty League with a traveling schedule in January; 10 Overwatch franchise owners have invested in Call of Duty franchises at a reported price of $25 million each.

"Overwatch" has been one of the most popular multiplayer video games in the world since 2016, and the Overwatch League offers a way for Activision to turn the game's massive online community into a live audience. The Overwatch League's transition to regional events is the final piece completing the company's vision of an international esports league. 

Andbox, the esports organization that owns the Overwatch League's New York Excelsior (NYXL) and the Call of Duty League's New York Subliners (NYSL), spent the past two years incubating the local esports community to make sure its teams have a passionate fanbase at home.

"It's been a dream since we purchased this franchise to bring the competition back to New York," Andbox cofounder Rohit Gupta told Business Insider. "So we've been working we've been hosting watch parties around the city since day one and we've been engaging our supporter friend groups as well."

Andbox planned a series of events for Overwatch fans to engage with the team outside of the competition during the homestand weekend. Two days before the competition, Gupta brought a former NYXL player to a meeting of the 5 Deadly Venoms Crew, the team's local fan group. The next night, Andbox held a welcome party for students at a local gaming center. After the matches on Saturday, Andbox sponsored a karaoke event at a Manhattan club, and Sunday morning included a brunch event for fans to meet up before heading to the homestand.

Gupta said, "We've been bringing our team into the market to do meet-and-greets with our fans. We've been supporting the collegiate [esports] circuit as well as the high school circuit. Those are just are some of the ways we we've been engaging the local community specifically around Overwatch."

The Overwatch League has been waiting for years to prove that it can generate the same passion that we expect from traditional sports, and so far, Activision's bet on regional esports has worked. The league has found a global fanbase and the teams have created an atmosphere that makes fans excited to come watch an online game in person.

The Overwatch League's international schedule will still create some challenges during the season — the league is already working to reschedule dozens of matches that were canceled due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in China. It's unclear if the league will return to China for those matches or play them during other homestand events. As it stands, the Chinese teams may not compete until March, weeks after teams based in North America and Europe debut.

With teams expected to make multiple trips between North America, Europe, and Asia during the season there has also been some scrutiny about the amount of stress players will face from frequent travel. Vlastelica remains confident that the league will be able to adapt to any issues during the course of the season.

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• A new movie starring one of gaming's most iconic characters debuts on Valentine's Day. "Sonic the Hedgehog" is the first-ever movie to star the speedy blue hedgehog, and it's a light, silly adventure that's clearly aimed at kids.
• After an initially rocky debut with a creepy-looking Sonic, the movie was delayed for a massive visual-effects design overhaul. The final product is thankfully free of creepy-looking cartoon hedgehogs with human teeth.
• More importantly: "Sonic the Hedgehog" enables Jim Carrey, as Sonic's perennial antagonist Dr. Robotnik, to embrace the infamously over-the-top comedy-acting style he's known for.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Hollywood may have finally — finally!— figured out how to turn iconic video game franchises into movies.

In "Sonic the Hedgehog," the new movie from Sega and Paramount that aims to set a foundation for a whole new series of Sonic films, little time is wasted.

The premise is simple, and presented immediately: Sonic is a speaking hedgehog who can run incredibly fast. His power is clearly unique, and that makes him a target for power-hungry villains. He's driven from his home dimension as a young hedgehog, and he escapes to Earth through a magical golden ring.

Do you need more explanation? I certainly didn't.

SEE ALSO: After a 'loud, clear' backlash, Sonic the Hedgehog got a major redesign for his upcoming film — here's how he looks now

How does Sonic get to Earth? Through a magical golden ring, of course.

Sonic is from another dimension where animals speak, and glittering golden rings open up portals to other universes. He's just a baby hedgehog, already imbued with unknown powers enabling him to — what else? — run super fast.

The movie expends virtually no time running through this brief origin story. The long and short is this: Sonic is on the run from forces looking to use his power for evil.

Unfortunately, after Sonic leaps through one of these magical golden-ring teleporters, he ends up in modern-day America — and the American military immediately learns about and begins seeking out the little hedgehog. 

Enter: Dr. Robotnik, as played by a throwback version of Jim Carrey.

Though Sonic is the namesake of the film, and he's portrayed hilariously by Ben Schwartz (of "Parks and Recreation" fame), the breakout role is Jim Carrey's portrayal of Sonic nemesis Dr. Robotnik.

Carrey channels the characters that lifted him to prominence so many years ago, from Ace Ventura to Stanley Ipkiss from "The Mask" to Fire Marshall Bill from "In Living Color," to turn Robotnik into an over-the-top, ultra-confident egomaniac.

What Will Ferrell's Mugatu was in "Zoolander," Carrey's Robotnik is in "Sonic the Hedgehog"— a megalomaniac with an aggressively silly sense of style. 

There's one particular scene where Carrey does lab experiments while garishly dancing around his facility that embodies the best aspects of the film: High-production quality lavished on very silly ends.

It is a miracle that Paramount went back and fixed Sonic's look — he's cute, cartoony, and endearing.

When the first trailer for "Sonic the Hedgehog" showed up last year, fans were horrified at how Sonic looked. He had human teeth! And tiny eyes! He looked, frankly, extremely creepy.

The reaction was so strong, in fact, that Paramount went back and re-did the film's visual effects for Sonic. "The message is loud and clear ... you aren't happy with the design and you want changes. It's going to happen,"director Jeff Fowler wrote on Twitter at the time.

That difference was critical, it turns out: The final version of Sonic is far cuter and furrier than the previous one. Instead of a humanoid Sonic, the movie has a version far closer to the rounded, animal-like Sonic we know from the original Sega Genesis game (and his many video game depictions since).

This is particularly meaningful when Sonic's cuteness is played for laughs, as it is repeatedly throughout the film. Those moments land, and he's genuinely cute — scenes that could've gone dramatically differently had Paramount stuck with the original, horrifying look.

"Sonic the Hedgehog" is largely an excuse for Ben Schwartz, who plays Sonic, and Jim Carrey, who plays Dr. Robotnik, to act silly.

If I have one complaint about "Sonic the Hedgehog," it's that the story takes far too long to introduce Sonic to Dr. Robotnik.

Schwartz and Carrey are clearly the driving forces of this movie, and it takes far too long for those two driving forces to begin interacting. Much of the movie's run-time has Sonic hanging out with a cop having a career crisis (James Marsden) while Robotnik torments his assistant (Lee Majdoub). 

Sonic's cop buddy and Robotnik's assistant are of course intended to act as the "straight men" to Sonic and Robotnik's over-the-top personalities, but the most interesting, hilarious interactions are between Schwartz' snarky Sonic and Carrey's egomaniacal Robotnik.

Though "Sonic the Hedgehog" is clearly aimed at kids, it incorporates enough old-school references and grown-up humor for parents to have a good time as well.

Chances are, lots of parents taking their kids to see "Sonic the Hedgehog" may come to the film with their own nostalgia for Sonic from childhood.

I'm 35, and I grew up playing the original "Sonic the Hedgehog" on Sega Genesis. I am here to tell you that, yes, the movie is rife with references to the game series. Sonic eats a chili dog. Someone, at some point, says "Gotta go fast." He does a spin dash to destroy something. There's even a special post-credits scene that people in my theater outright cheered at — a very specific reference to a very specific character that I won't spoil here.

But even if you come to the movie with zero nostalgia for the game series, "Sonic the Hedgehog" walks the line that the best kids movies do: There is humor that adults will appreciate alongside their kids, and there's humor that will go right over those same kids' heads that's intended for adults.

"Sonic the Hedgehog" launches on February 14. Check out the latest trailer right here:

Youtube Embed:
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• Celebrity fighter Ronda Rousey announced she will exclusively stream with Facebook Gaming.
• The former UFC champion is a huge video game fanatic, and she's the most recent big name to sign exclusively in the streaming competition between Facebook, Twitch, YouTube, and Mixer. 
• Her first stream will be on February 18 and feature Rousey playing "Pokémon Sword and Shield," and then she'll start streaming weekly, a Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Ronda Rousey may be best known for her fighting abilities, but she also loves video games. The former UFC fighter announced she's exclusively streaming with Facebook Gaming in a statement provided to Business Insider.

As major streaming platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Mixer compete for attention, signing big names exclusively has become the norm. Facebook Gaming has stepped up recently with signees like YouTube's "Vlog Squad" member  and former Twitch streamer Corinna Kopf, and now Rousey, who is making her streaming debut. 

The celebrity fighter has spilled details about her video game obsession in the past, including that she used to be a moderator for a Pokémon forum on GameTalk.com. She also voiced the character Sonya Blade in "Mortal Kombat 11"– although not everyone was a fan of her voice acting casting.

"As many of you know, I have been an avid gamer most of my life and if you don't know, now you know," Rousey said in her announcement video. "I'm super excited for us to geek out together, especially because we're starting with 'Pokémon Sword and Shield.' After this week we're going to be following a more set schedule, I don't know, Sunday or Monday mornings, we'll figure it out."

Rousey's first stream will take place on Tuesday, February 18 at 6:00 p.m. EST, and she said she would donate all the proceeds from her "Pokémon Sword and Shield" stream to Australian bushfire recovery efforts. 

"Gaming has always been a huge part of my life, and I can't wait to share that passion with my millions of fans on Facebook Gaming," Rousey said in a statement provided to Business Insider. "Through my streams, people can hang out with the real me, not the 'character' version of myself they're used to seeing, though the 'Rowdy One' can't always be contained!"

• Read more:
• Gamers say they're earning more money on Facebook's streaming platform than on Twitch and YouTube
• Facebook Gaming lands its biggest exclusive female streamer yet with 'Vlog Squad' member and former Twitch streamer Corinna Kopf
• UFC champ Ronda Rousey is completely obsessed with Pokémon
• Why the next star of women's MMA won't suffer the same cataclysmic downfall as her old training partner, Ronda Rousey

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• Sonic the Hedgehog went through some big changes during the process of the making of Paramount's 2020 movie.
• But since 1991, the classic SEGA video game character went through many other changes.
• Here's every version of Sonic the Hedgehog, from a cartoon rabbit to the "live action" version.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Following is a transcript of the video.

Narrator: Sonic the Hedgehog famously went through a drastic design change for his first Hollywood film.

Fans were so upset at this [screaming] that the filmmakers went back to the drawing board and came up with a much more familiar design.

But this wasn't the first time Sonic went through some growing pains.

So, how did we get from this to this?

The story begins in 1990.

♪ Sega ♪

Artist Naoto Ohshima and programmer Yuji Naka were tasked with creating a new mascot for Sega, a video-game company that was emerging as a popular contender to Nintendo. They held a competition within the company, which got them a bunch of characters to choose from, including this Teddy Roosevelt-looking man in pajamas who was ultimately used as the basis for Sonic's nemesis, Dr. Eggman.

Of 200-plus sketches submitted, this bunny rabbit in a bow tie was an early favorite. Naka imagined the rabbit picking up items with his ears and throwing them at enemies. You can easily see the rabbit's similarities to Sonic. Blue fur; big, round eyes; gloves; and pointy shoes.

However, when programming a demo version of the game with the rabbit, it was clear to Naka that players would be pressing too many buttons to control him, so he and Ohshima went back to square one. T

hey wanted a character that could use its own body as a weapon.

Because the Sega mascot needed to appeal to Americans, Ohshima took some designs to Central Park and asked random New Yorkers what they thought. New Yorkers had a dog, a hedgehog, and the Teddy Roosevelt character to choose from, and they overwhelmingly chose the hedgehog.

And his name was: Mr. Needlemouse.

Needlemouse is the literal translation of the Japanese word for hedgehog. But, thankfully, that soon changed to Sonic, as Naka was keen on making a game that featured supersonic speed.

Sonic's design was meant to be so simple that he could be drawn by kids, similar to Mickey Mouse. Ohshima said that this simplicity allowed Sonic to "transcend race and gender."

Sonic has rounded quills so he can ball up and pick up speed. He was given smooth blue fur to match the color of Sega's logo. His shoes with the buckle were designed to be like something Michael Jackson would wear, and the red and white color scheme was inspired by the album cover of Michael Jackson's "Bad" and Santa Claus.

He had one large eyeball with two black pupils and a bean-shaped nose. He wore white gloves and socks, and his body parts were round and cartoonish.

Then it came time to give Sonic a personality. Ohshima credited Sonic's cool "get it done" attitude to former President Bill Clinton, as Sonic's mission in the first few games is to free woodland creatures from capture.

Sonic also had an American girlfriend named Madonna, but an animal having a human love interest was deemed too weird by Sega. More on this later.

This version of Sonic the Hedgehog proved to last throughout most of the '90s. While Sonic's first game came out in 1991, the character's first appearance was in a racing game called Rad Mobile. He was the ornament on the rearview mirror, a miniature version of the classic '90s style.

Sonic went on to star in a number of sequels and spinoffs, like Sonic Spinball. While Sonic's head-to-body ratio was changed from Sonic the Hedgehog to Sonic the Hedgehog 2, his basic design stayed the same.

This version of Sonic was also featured in two popular TV shows at the time, "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Sonic the Hedgehog," as well as a series of comics from publisher Archie Comics.

Sonic wouldn't see a truly major design change until 1998, with the release of Sonic Adventure on the Sega Dreamcast. Sonic Adventure marks the first game that features a modern Sonic. Artist Yuji Uekawa was in charge of his makeover, and because of the Dreamcast's new technical abilities, he found himself with many challenges to overcome.

For instance, for most Sonic games before Sonic Adventure, Sonic is seen from the side. This time, though, the camera was behind him. It was clear to Uekawa that Sonic's proportions had to change so you could see his body more clearly.

His quills became sharper and doubled in size. His nose, arms, and legs got longer. Overall, he became more angular and less round, and he lost his potbelly. Sonic's smooth blue fur became a darker shade of blue, and his eyes became green to contrast with his skin.

Uekawa cites Akira Toriyama's line calligraphy as his influence. Toriyama is famous for having created the characters for "Dragon Ball Z" and is the reason this new Sonic looked, as Uekawa has said, more "graffiti-" or "street"-like.

Sonic was no longer cute. He was cool. To double down on this new Western coolness, Sonic Adventure 2 in 2001 gave Sonic shoes that looked more like American sneakers. Much like the old version of Sonic, this new version was featured in peripheral TV shows and comics.

Sonic games since then haven't delineated too much on his design. In 2006, however, Yuji Naka wanted to create a Sonic game with a more realistic tone. The game, simply called Sonic the Hedgehog, reintroduced the concept of another human love interest for Sonic.

Elise is a princess who has a secret power that Dr. Eggman wants to exploit. Sonic saves her time and time again. Because Sonic had to interact with Elise, a full-sized human, they made him slightly taller and more mature.

That game, let alone that relationship, was seen as a huge failure and prompted Sega to return to a lighter tone for Sonic games.

A 2008 game called Sonic Unleashed introduce a "werehog" version of Sonic in which he became furry and muscular.

And the Sonic Boom franchise launched in 2014. To make Sonic look more like what audiences recognize in a hero, art director Bob Rafei gave him bandages, tattered hair, and a scarf. This design gave us another radical deviation from the traditional Sonic design in that this version had blue arms instead of flesh-colored ones.

This franchise is seen as an outlier in terms of Sonic's appearance, though, as the modern Sonic is still being used in other games and media.

That leads us to "Sonic the Hedgehog," the film produced by Paramount Pictures.

Initially, the designers for the film created a Sonic that was supposed to resemble a realistic hedgehog. The eyes were small. He had creepy, humanlike teeth and generally looked like a small child in a onesie. It was a disaster.

Sonic fans hated the design so much that director Jeff Fowler promised he would change it to better reflect Sega's modern version of Sonic.

Paramount released a new, updated trailer in early 2020. The revamped Sonic looks much better, but there are still a few differences. The biggest one is his eyes. Paramount's version of Sonic has two eyeballs, whereas Sega's version famously only has one with two pupils. His arms are blue, like the Sonic Boom version, and the new design also fades Sonic's blue fur into his tan mouth for a slightly more realistic depiction. In the movie he has noticeable fur, versus the smooth skin on Sega's version of Sonic.

Paramount also gave its Sonic some cool new sneakers similar to the ones seen in Sonic Adventure 2.

Overall, Paramount's version seems to be a combination of all the Sonics we've seen thus far while sticking mostly to the '90s aesthetic.

Sonic has come a long way from Teddy Roosevelt and rabbits to the live-action form we see today. But the latest backlash just goes to show that fans prefer the Sonic they grew up with in the '90s and that change isn't always a good thing.

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• Disney has a long history of trying, and failing, to succeed in the video game business.
• But the past few years have produced a few notable exceptions in 2018's "Marvel's Spider-Man" and 2019's "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order." Both games were rare smash hits for Disney characters.
• Those successes were no accident: They're part of a years-long plan at Disney to put the company's most valuable properties into the hands of major game studios it doesn't own.
• "We want to tap into the power of creatives across the industry," Sean Shoptaw, senior VP of games and interactive experiences at Disney said during a talk this week in Las Vegas.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The world's largest entertainment company doesn't make its own video games.

Disney — the folks behind "Star Wars," Mickey Mouse, Disneyland, everything Marvel, ESPN, and hundreds of other iconic characters — instead licenses its incredibly successful properties out to other companies. It still makes mobile games, but Disney's out of the "big" game business; the stuff most people play on stuff like the PlayStation 4 and PC.

Across the past few years, that approach has seen massive success with two games in particular: 2018's "Marvel's Spider-Man" and 2019's "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order." 

The former, a PlayStation 4 exclusive game made by Insomniac Games, sold over 13 million copies. The latter, a multiplatform "Star Wars" game with original characters and story, is on track to sell 10 million by March. At approximately $60 apiece, each game is grossing nearly $1 billion in sales thus far.

Notably, neither game was actually made by Disney — a company notorious for keeping a tight rein on creative control.

Instead, the company farmed out work to established game studios: Insomniac for "Spider-Man," and Respawn Entertainment for "Star Wars." 

"We want to tap into the power of creatives across the industry," Sean Shoptaw, senior VP of games and interactive experiences at Disney, said during a talk this week in Las Vegas which The Hollywood Reporter attended. He made the call out during DICE 2020, an annual video game industry event where talks are given and awards are handed out.

"I'm here for one specific reason," Shoptaw said. "To empower you to do really unique things with our [catalog]."

It's a strategy that Disney established when it outright divested from the production side of the video game business back in 2016. "We feel like we're better off managing the risk that the business delivers by licensing instead of publishing," Disney CEO Bob Iger said in the investor call when the news was announced.

He had a good reason for the move: In the span of 10 years, Disney purchased and subsequently closed at least six game studios. Hundreds of employees lost their jobs, and countless games were canceled. It was bad for Disney's business, and bad for employees' livelihoods, and bad for Disney fans who wanted good games.

How did the world's biggest, most successful entertainment company completely fail at gaming? At the time, Business Insider spoke with several former employees who explained what went wrong with Disney's video game initiative; Disney declined to comment.

One common refrain emerged: Disney knows how to make movies, TV shows, and theme parks. The company also knows how to run media businesses, from ESPN to ABC to Pixar. But when it comes to video games, we were repeatedly told that a lack of institutional knowledge kept the company from ever really investing. 

In the years since, Disney has leaned into working with outside studios to produce games based on its properties — the upcoming "Avengers" game, for instance, is being overseen by Square Enix, the maker of "Final Fantasy." Not only has that approach paid off financially, but it's also been huge for quality: Both "Spider-Man" and the latest "Star Wars" are critically lauded titles. 

From Shoptaw's sentiments, it sounds like that approach isn't stopping anytime soon. Better still: It's been Disney's first major success with gaming in years.

SEE ALSO: Disney just shut down a huge project that was supposed to be worth billions — insiders reveal what went wrong

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• There are many movies inspired by video games out there and a lot of them have not been well-received by critics.
• A few video-game films have been praised by critics, including "Rampage" (2018), "The Angry Birds Movie 2" (2019), "Sonic the Hedgehog" (2020), and "Detective Pikachu" (2019).
• On the other hand, critics panned movies like "Street Fighter" (1994) and "Assassin's Creed" (2016).
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Video-game film adaptations have long been derided by critics for being too noisy, violent, or nonsensical, but in the past few decades, a select number of films have set themselves apart from the rest.

Here are some popular movies based on video games, ranked by critical scores on Rotten Tomatoes.

It's worth noting that the critic scores were up to date as of publication but are subject to change.

Many were dumbfounded by the lackluster "Street Fighter" (1994).

Rotten Tomatoes score: 11%

Summary: The Capcom arcade fighting game is brought to life in this action-packed adaptation starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia, and Ming-Na Wen.

The film follows a military commander (Van Damme) as he takes a fight against a malevolent dictator into his own hands. 

"While de Souza's arrested development makes him a likely suspect to adapt a video game for movies, the result ... is an empty exercise in hyper-stimulation," wrote film critic Jeff Shannon for the Seattle Times. "Or, to put it bluntly, a complete waste of time."

Some critics said that "Assassin’s Creed" (2016) suffered from an overstuffed plot.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 18%

Summary: Based on the Ubisoft video-game franchise, "Assassin's Creed" stars Michael Fassbender as Callum Lynch, a man who is able to access his genetic memories in order to usurp a secret guild of assassins that still exists today.

"'Assassin's Creed' is not the top-to-bottom disaster some of my peers have painted it as, nor is it bonkers enough to suggest a forthcoming critical re-evaluation," wrote film critic Scott Wampler for Birth, Movies, Death. "Either of those things would've been preferable to something this dour and repetitive."

Some reviewers felt that "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" (2001) was an incoherent mess.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 20%

Summary: Based on the Sega and PlayStation game of the same name, "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" follows the titular heroine (Angelina Jolie) as she recovers lost artifacts and goes head to head with sinister members of the Illuminati.

In his Rolling Stone review, Peter Travers wrote: "In the department of numbing ineptitude, the pacing runs a neck-and-neck race with the dialogue."

Some critics said "Need for Speed" (2014) was stale and slow-moving.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 23%

Summary: Adapted from the popular Electronic Arts racing game, "Need for Speed" stars Aaron Paul as a working-class mechanic who must race for his life when a NASCAR driver falsely accuses him of manslaughter. 

"Neither fast nor furious, 'Need For Speed' isn't a car crash," wrote film reviewer Christopher Preston for One Room With A View. "It's a $66 million pile-up, with no survivors."

Some critics said the schmaltz-filled "Super Mario Bros" (1993) lacked substance.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 23%

Summary: Loosely based on the iconic platformer arcade game, "Super Mario Bros." follows Mario (Bob Hoskins) and Luigi (John Leguizamo) as they attempt to rescue a princess from the dastardly grip of a reptilian villain who lurks in the sewers beneath Manhattan.

Los Angeles Times critic Michael Wilmington reviewed the film in 1993 and wrote, "The movie knocks your eyes out, at the same time it dulls the mind's eye. Ultimately, it's one more stop in the arcade, beckoning, waiting to soak up time and money."

Despite its impressive visuals, "Warcraft" (2016) was dubbed a waste.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 28%

Summary: Adapted from the global phenomena "World of Warcraft," this movie centers around an orc shaman who opens up a portal to the human realm and threatens to attack humanity with a powerful army. 

"All sorts of people are calling themselves nerds nowadays, but ['Warcraft'] supplies an easy test," wrote critic Jake Wilson for The Age. "If you can sit through this bombastic epic fantasy — and can give a coherent plot synopsis afterwards — then you surely deserve the title."

"Silent Hill" (2006) was derided for being senseless.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 31%

Summary: Based on the chilling horror game made for PlayStation, "Silent Hill" follows a family who find themselves transported to the isolated town of Silent Hill, where residents battle a growing darkness. 

"There are worse adaptations of video games out there," wrote film critic Adam Smith for Radio Times. "But this one will probably leave the PlayStation generation itching for their consoles."

"Resident Evil" (2002) was dragged as a gory schlock-fest.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 36%

Summary: Adapted from Capcom's best-selling video-game franchise, "Resident Evil" would become a six-film series centering around Alice (Milla Jovovich) and her fight against an evil corporation and its zombie agenda.

"An already thin story boils down to surviving invaders seeking an existent anti-virus," wrote Mike Clark for USA Today. "If only there were one for this kind of movie."

Some found "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (2010) shallow yet enjoyable.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 37%

Summary: Based on the action-adventure game series that follows the trials of a prince, "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Dastan, a prince gifted with a dagger than can turn back time. 

"As usual, the talent in Prince of Persia is generally top notch — from the cinematographer John Seale to parkour expert David Belle," wrote New York Times critic Manohla Dargis. "But the ingredients have been masticated so heavily the results are mush."

Critics and audiences mostly panned "The Angry Birds Movie" (2016).

Rotten Tomatoes score: 43%

Summary: Based on the puzzle game developed by Rovio Entertainment, "The Angry Birds Movie" follows birds and pigs as they unite to battle a common enemy. 

"There are far worse video game adaptations than 'The Angry Birds Movie,' but it commits the cardinal sin of animated films: it treats its young audience as an excuse for laziness," wrote critic Phil W. Bayles of One Room With A View.

Critics felt that "Mortal Kombat" (1995) was thin on plot but had plenty of fan-service.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 47%

Summary: Based on the fantasy fighting game of the same name, the action-adventure film "Mortal Kombat"  pits three reluctant fighters against deadly enemies in a martial-arts tournament for the ages. 

"The guys in the recording studio who made the 'ooofff! augghhhh!' sounds are the ones who really had all the fun," reviewer Lisa Schwarzbaum wrote for Entertainment Weekly.

Some critics called "Rampage" (2018) brainless, harmless fun.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 51%

Summary: Very loosely adapted from the 1986 Bally Midway arcade game, "Rampage" stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Davis Okoye, a primatologist who is suddenly caught in a race against time to stop giant, mutated animals from destroying cities across the nation.

"'Rampage' was never going to be a movie one would take seriously, and director [Brad] Peyton and the unstoppable charisma that is the [Dwayne] Johnson know their brand and how to work it accordingly," wrote film critic Peter Gray for This is Film. 

Most critics appreciated "Sonic the Hedgehog" (2020).

Rotten Tomatoes score: 64%

Summary: Based on the Sega video-game franchise of the same name, "Sonic the Hedgehog" is a live-action comedy about super-fast blue hedgehog Sonic (Ben Schwartz) as he adjusts to life on Earth while also trying to take down a villain. 

"Sonic the Hedgehog is a genuinely delightful and fun adventure for all ages," wrote critic Nicolás Delgadillo for Cultured Vultures. 

Critics seemed to enjoy "Pokémon: Detective Pikachu" (2019).

Rotten Tomatoes score: 69%

Summary: Based on the beloved "Pokémon" anime and video-game series, "Detective Pikachu" takes place in a world where humans and Pokémon work side by side.

When Tim (Justice Smith) is told that his detective father is presumed dead, his dad's Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) turns up out of the blue to aid him in solving his disappearance.

"There's something admirable about a film that isn't afraid to have some fun with a property so established — and beloved — by its core audience," wrote critic Vincent Acovino for NPR.

Critics seemed to enjoy "The Angry Birds Movie 2" (2019).

Rotten Tomatoes score: 73%

Summary: In this sequel film, a new threat puts Bird and Pig Island in danger and an unlikely group must team up to keep themselves and their friends safe. 

"The movie, directed by Thurop Van Orman, reminds us that finding a formula to appeal to both kids and parents for 90-odd minutes isn't rocket science," wrote critic Jocelyn Noveck for Associated Press.

Read More:

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• Every single Christian Bale movie, ranked

• A new movie starring one of gaming's most iconic characters debuts on Valentine's Day. 
• "Sonic the Hedgehog" is the first-ever movie to star the speedy blue hedgehog, and it's a light, silly adventure that's clearly aimed at kids.
• Though the film is for kids, it's chock full of references to the classic video game series it's based on, and that means fans of all ages will enjoy it.
• Moreover: There's a post-credits scene that you can't miss if you're a fan of the series.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The new "Sonic the Hedgehog" movie is a light, goofy adventure that's great for kids. 

But Sonic isn't a new character. He's a classic video game character that went head-to-head with Nintendo's own Super Mario as one of the faces of the so-called "console wars," which pit Nintendo's Super Nintendo against Sega's Genesis in the '90s.

As such, Sonic has his own rich history to draw from. That rich history is referenced heavily through the new "Sonic the Hedgehog" film — and a post-credits scene that's worth watching.

Let's dive in:

SEE ALSO: I saw the controversial 'Sonic the Hedgehog' movie, and it was a delightful kid's romp made far better by a classic Jim Carrey performance

The opening splash from Paramount? Instead of stars, there are golden rings.

Thankfully, the film isn't too heavy-handed with doling out references. 

Sonic eats a chili dog. He does a spin dash to destroy something. Someone, at some point, says "Gotta go fast."

And, of course, his main nemesis — played by Jim Carrey — looks an awful lot like the egg-shaped villain of the same name from the video games.

There's one particularly juicy reference that is held back as an Easter Egg until a post-credits scene.

It's so juicy, in fact, that I intentionally left it out of our review. So juicy, in fact, that I'm putting it below another image.

Spoilers ahead! This is your last warning!

After the end of the film and the credits roll, a new scene begins. 

Someone else has arrived on Earth through a portal, and they're looking for Sonic. Who could it be?!

In what will be a not-so-surprising twist to longtime fans, Sonic's co-star in "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" shows up for a very quick post-credits cameo.

Yes, of course, we're talking about Miles "Tails" Prower — most often known as just Tails, the twin-tailed fox:

The scene is brief, but hints at the future of the "Sonic the Hedgehog" movie franchise. Clearly, Tails plays a role in a forthcoming sequel. 

Notably, neither Paramount Pictures nor Sega has confirmed a sequel to the film just yet — but it's clear that potential plans are in place.

• Before Sony entered the video game business with its PlayStation line of consoles, the company had a partnership with Nintendo to produce a collaborative device.
• That partnership fell apart, but not before protoypes of the joint console were created.
• Though the prototypes were scrapped and the partnership dissolved, at least one prototype console managed to survive — and it's now available in an auction if you've got a few hundred thousand dollars to spare. It's the only known version of the game console in existence.
• At least one millionaire with a vested interest in video games is leading the auction: Palmer Luckey, who co-founded Oculus VR, created the Oculus Rift, and subsequently sold his company to Facebook for $2 billion.
• But even Luckey's struggling to win the auction. "I am currently the highest bidder on this,"he tweeted on Thursday. "Who are the other nutters who keep bidding against me?"
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Over 20 years ago, Nintendo and Sony weren't rivals in the video game console business – they were partners.

Sony had yet to introduce its now-famous "PlayStation" line of game consoles. Nintendo was looking to expand its wildly popular, but flagging, Super Nintendo console with a CD-ROM drive.

At the time – the late 1980s and early 1990s – Nintendo was facing increasingly serious competition from the likes of Sega and its "Genesis" console. Worse: it was rumored that Sega had a CD-ROM add-on planned for the Genesis. Sony, meanwhile, was looking to get more serious about the video game business, having developed a piece of the Super Nintendo's internals and seen a strong return on investment.

And thus, the "Nintendo PlayStation" was born.

In the end, around 200 prototype units of the Super Nintendo / PlayStation were created and subsequently destroyed.

Sadly, the device has never shown up on eBay (or Antiques Roadshow) ... until 2015, when Reddit user Dan Diebold found what you see above in his father Terry's attic. Sounds too good to be true, right? Ridiculous, even.

That it is, but the explanation is shockingly pedestrian.

Diebold's father, Terry Diebold, reportedly worked at Advanta Corporation — a now defunct banking company — in the early 2000s, under the leadership of president Olaf Olafsson. That last name is important: Olafsson was the former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, the group that became Sony's PlayStation arm. Olafsson had brokered the deal with Nintendo back in the late '80s, as well as the deal with Sega in the early '90s.

Olafsson is exactly the kind of guy who might have an extra prototype of the "Nintendo PlayStation" hybrid console.

When Advanta went out of business in 2009, Terry Diebold was tasked with disposing of a variety of company resources. In one box, Terry Diebold supposedly found the prototype seen in the pictures here, subsequently posted to Reddit by his son, Dan Diebold.

And now, five years later, the extremely rare Nintendo PlayStation prototype is up for auction.

As of Friday morning, the highest bid stands at $360,000 — and the auction continues for another 21 days. But who in the world has just shy of half a million dollars (or more!) to spend on a video game console prototype? 

"I am currently the highest bidder on this," Oculus VR co-founder and Oculus Rift creator Palmer Luckey tweeted on Thursday evening. "Who are the other nutters who keep bidding against me?"

Luckey is in the unique position of being a video game collector who has millions of dollars to spend as he wishes. That's because he founded a company in Oculus VR that Facebook purchased back in 2014 for $2 billion. Luckey, as co-founder, instantly became a millionaire in the sale. 

But even Luckey is facing stiff competition in the bidding, apparently.

"The Nintendo PlayStation is very, very cool,"he tweeted, "but I can only think of a handful of other people who think it is $300k worth of cool."

It is, of course, entirely possible that the auction price is being artificially inflated by people bidding the price up with no intention of paying.

It's also possible that some other wealthy people who care deeply about video games and technology are bidding against Luckey. Perhaps the creator of "Minecraft," Markus "Notch" Persson, who became a millionaire instantly when he sold his creation to Microsoft back in 2014? Or maybe the head of "Fortnite" studio Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, who is a billionaire? Or maybe Elon Musk, who loves video games?

That's not clear. 

What is clear, however, is that the price is sure to go up over the next 21 days of the auction.

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Seán McLoughlin, also known as Jacksepticeye on YouTube, has a massive following of 23 million subscribers.
• He started making videos in 2012, which have now racked up over 12 billion views. His massive following has helped him raise millions of dollars for charity.
• McLoughlin spoke to Insider about how these numbers have never felt real, and the importance of still being close to his audience.
• He's also learned over the years to take a step back from YouTube and not share everything online because that only leads to burnout.
• YouTube is "a very emotionally and mentally driven thing," he said, so it's important to remember your self worth comes from more than your channel and numbers alone.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Seán McLoughlin originally wanted to be a voice actor because he was obsessed with the characters in TV shows and games while he was growing up in County Offaly in the Republic of Ireland.

After a few years of casually commenting about them on YouTube videos, he tried filming some himself in 2012. This ended up being the start of his journey to becoming one of the biggest online creators in the world.

"I just wasn't really doing anything else with my time back then," he told Insider. "I was pretty miserable, so I wanted to do something with my time and my life, and I didn't have the motivation to do anything."

McLoughlin only made around $10 every couple of months when he first started, but back then "it was kind of a pet project to figure out how to edit and play games at the same time."

"I thought, 'Great, I'll just put that towards lunch,'" he said. "It was about a year and a half before I was making decent revenue I could actually rely on and could think about getting my own place and doing [YouTube] full time."

Jacksepticeye has one of the biggest audiences in the world

Now, eight years later, McLoughlin has just turned 30 years old and his channel Jacksepticeye has over 23 million subscribers and 12 billion views — numbers, he said, that haven't ever felt real.

"I was talking to friends about this a couple of times — after about 6 million, it all starts to feel like the same," he said. "I don't know why it's that number ... After that, you realize the number gets bigger and the views might grow, but the sense of doing it and how you feel kind of stays the same."

He said it's a bit like doing a presentation in front of 20 people versus 1000 people, then 15,000 people, and so on. Similarly to his friend PewDiePie— YouTube's biggest creator with 103 million subscribers — McLoughlin isn't enamored with the idea of being famous.

"It's gone beyond where I ever thought it would," he said. "So I just blanked out the numbers after a while and kept making videos because the numbers get scary very quickly."

McLoughlin's subscribers watch him play video games, vlog about his life and what's going on in the world, and even occasionally act. It's easy to see why they like him so much they've created an extensive collection of fan fiction, with his infectious positivity, lively "Top of the morning to ya laddies" and high fives to greet you at the start of his videos.

He even manages to make playing bizarre mobile life simulator games entertaining.

'If I can't get to everybody that doesn't mean I shouldn't get to anybody'

McLoughlin still feels connected to his fans even though they make up such an unbelievably massive group.

"I've been to conventions a few times over the years and I always see the same faces come back and see the same names on Twitter," he said. "Maybe [the connection] is not as strong as when the channel was smaller, but I still try and connect to at least someone.

"I always said that if I can't get to everybody that doesn't mean I shouldn't get to anybody."

Many creators fall into the trap of over-sharing on YouTube

McLoughlin has gone through a transition over the years about what to share with his growing audience. At first, he didn't think anyone would be interested in him as a person because "I personally didn't care about my self on a personal level that much."

"So [I] just tried to be entertaining and show people the best side of me," he said.

"Not in a fake fashion or made-up fashion, but this is me at my best when I'm recording these videos, and everything outside of that, I didn't think there was anything else people cared about."

He soon found that his fans did want to know more than simply the game he was playing that day, and started to open up more. He now does regular Q&As where people can learn more about him.

He's also experienced the pitfalls of sharing too much, though, and realized the more he was giving to his audience the less he had for himself, like spending time with his girlfriend, fellow YouTuber Evelien Smolders, or playing games without the pressure of filming them. He thought he would end up "conceding endlessly" sharing more and more, and there was no limit.

"I've kind of held back and kept some more stuff to myself lately because I don't think the internet should know every single tiny thing about me," he said.

"I think a lot of creators fall into wanting to share everything with your audience because they mean so much to you."

'I am more than Jacksepticeye, I am my own life outside of that'

All YouTubers slowly learn the value of balancing their work and private lives, and that balance is different for everyone, McLoughlin said. At one point he was uploading twice a day, but it started to take over his whole life.

"A lot of YouTubers and a lot of people in the community don't have a work-life balance," he said.

"Because your life kind of is your work, and it's so easy to just go home and get lost in the hours where you spend all day every day working on it, and making new content."

It was through therapy that McLoughlin realized he was working himself to the bone and took a step back so he didn't burn out completely. He took a break while he was in LA last year, and that meant no videos and no social media at all.

He returned a week later with an energy he didn't realize he'd been missing.

"For a lot of people, whatever you're passionate about, as soon as you start not liking what you're doing, and as soon as you're just doing it for the sake of doing it, it's probably time to figure out you're burnt out," he said.

"Your mental health is arguably more important than your physical health sometimes, and doing YouTube as a job is a very emotionally and mentally driven thing."

YouTubers can easily start getting their self worth from their channel and their numbers, he said, "so you realize that, when you step away, you are not your numbers."

Apart from the obvious complaints about YouTube like the ever-changing algorithms, and problems with monetization, McLoughlin said his biggest challenge has been overcoming the pressure and anxiety to keep uploading — something he's much better at now.

He's also learned to distance himself from what strangers say about him in the comments.

"It's easy to take it very personally," he said, "It's taken a long time to cope with that and realize that I am more than my channel — I am more than Jacksepticeye, I am my own life outside of that."

The community is everything

After joking that his favourite part of his job is "all the parties," McLoughlin said it's definitely connecting with his audience and talking to the people who love all the same things he does.

"Before I did YouTube I liked being in the community, it made me feel like I belonged and I was a part of something bigger than myself," he said. "I feel like if the audience wasn't there I would enjoy it probably 75% less."

His fanbase has helped him raise millions of dollars for charities like Child's Play. In one fundraiser stream for brain injury recovery in 2019, he was joined by "Game of Thrones" superstar Emilia Clarke.

McLoughlin said he likes to shine a light on causes that don't always get much attention because he didn't have much when he was growing up in Ireland as the youngest of five, scraping the money together to buy games.

"I was kind of a failure in that regard in my own head," he said. "I never felt like I amounted to much myself because I didn't really have a whole lot, so now that I have done a whole bunch on YouTube, I always want to try and give back and kind of make the world a better place if I can."

That's his take-home message: to stress out less and not get worked up by what people on the internet think when they don't know you in real life.

"Just be nice to each other online," he said. "There's so much s--- online these days and everyone's mad at each other and commenting. But everyone should not take things so seriously and just have fun with what we have."

Jacksepticeye will be attending this year's VidCon London as a featured creator, along with Hannah Witton, Tana Mongeau, and more.

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