Tag: pc

Fallout Games Surge as Prime Video TV Series Helps Drive Close to 5 Million Players in a Single Day

Fallout games have seen renewed interest since the release of the Fallout TV series on Amazon Prime Video earlier this month. Just as the show has received acclaim and attracted new viewers to the world of Fallout, new and returning players have been flocking to the role-playing games from Bethesda. Now, the studio has confirmed that Fallout titles have received almost five million players in a single day, including one million in Fallout 76 alone.

The official Fallout X account posted the milestone early Wednesday, thanking one million players who tried out Fallout 76 in a single day. “Thank you to the over one million of you who adventured with us in #Fallout76 in a single day…,” the post read. Additionally, close to five million players have been registered across all Fallout games in a single day, Bethesda said in a follow-up post.

Fallout 76 also broke its all-time peak concurrent player count on Steam recently. With the success of the Fallout TV series, players have flocked to the game to experience its post-apocalyptic wasteland first-hand. Fallout 76 is currently the 23rd most played game on Steam, with 31,547 active players at the time of writing, according to SteamDB. The game has gone past its previous all-time peak this week, registering a new peak of 73,368 concurrent players.

Fallout 4 is faring even better. The 2015 RPG is currently the ninth most played game on Valve’s service, beating popular titles like Grand Theft Auto 5, Destiny 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3. At the time of writing, Fallout 4 has 62,738 active players, with a 24-hour peak concurrent player count of 120,870.

These numbers only reflect Fallout players on PC, with PlayStation and Xbox platforms also likely experiencing a surge in player numbers. PS5 and Xbox Series S/X consoles are set to receive more Fallout 4 players soon, too. Earlier this month, Bethesda announced that Fallout 4 would get a free next-gen update on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X on April 25.

Starting tomorrow, players on those consoles will get native game applications, with new features like Performance mode and Quality mode settings, stability improvements and bug fixes. The next-gen update for Fallout 4 will support higher resolutions and up to 60fps performance. Some new Fallout 4 features and improvements are also arriving on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Last week, Fallout 4 also became Europe’s best-selling game following the launch of the TV series. According to a report from GamesIndustry.biz, sales of the RPG jumped 7,500 percent week-on-week across the continent.

It’s worth noting that both Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 are available to play for free to PS Plus subscribers on PlayStation and the entire Fallout series is available at no additional cost to Game Pass members on Xbox and PC.

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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Announced With Visceral Reveal Trailer, Will Arrive Later This Year

Kingdom Come: Deliverance, 2018’s meticulous medieval action-RPG, is finally getting a sequel. Publisher Plaion has announced Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, set for release in 2024 across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X. Developed by Warhorse Studios, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 promises to be a “true sequel” to the first game, bringing visceral first-person melee combat and a deep RPG experience.

The game was announced with a 14-minute-long reveal video late Thursday, with developers Warhorse diving into gameplay details and features. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 also received an announcement trailer that showcased the story, combat and detailed visuals.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is set in a war-torn 15th century central Europe and continues the story of Henry of Skalitz from the first game. Henry, son of a blacksmith and a simple peasant, was thrust into a saga of revenge during the events of the first game, where he learned and rose through the ranks to become an able warrior.

In the sequel, players will get to continue Henry’s journey amidst a raging civil war, meet new characters and take on new adventures. “In this gripping sequel, players will traverse a meticulously crafted medieval landscape, from the humble confines of a blacksmith’s forge to the grandeur of royal courts, all while navigating the treacherous currents of a kingdom torn apart by civil war,” a press release from Plaion said.

The trailer showed off improved and polished visuals over the first game and highlighted realistic first-person sword combat. Plaion said that the sequel features two new maps, double the size of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, featuring detailed real-world locations. Aside from a focus on role-playing mechanics and combat, the game also promises to offer a detailed story, just like its predecessor.

The combat has been revamped as well, with Plaion opting for more accessibility. Aside from melee and ranged weapons like swords and bows, the sequel adds crossbows and early gunpowder weapons to the mix. The first game’s immersive RPG elements are being brought back, as well. Players can take various routes to completing a quest and their choices impact the story and characters.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 arrives six years after the first game was released on PC, PS4 and Xbox One in 2018. The game was recently ported to Nintendo Switch, as well. With its flexible and detailed RPG experience, an affable protagonist and an engaging story, Kingdom Come: Deliverance found a niche audience of players. The sequel promises more of the same in an updated package for current-gen consoles and PC.

There’s no concrete release date yet, but Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is set to arrive sometime later this year. There are no details about pricing and editions yet, but the game is currently available to wishlist on Steam.

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Google Play Games for PC to Expand Support for Native PC Games This Year

Google Play Games was released for Windows in 2022, bringing a diverse lineup of select Android games to PC. Google’s gaming service, first announced in 2021, was launched in Beta in India last year, as well, offering optimised Android games for PC. Google recently announced that it will expand support for native PC games on the platform, offering more bespoke PC titles on Google Play Games, in addition to Android games.

At its 2024 Google for Games Developer Summit held last week, the company announced that it will bring more PC games from top developers to Google Play Games app on Windows. “Google Play Games will expand support for native PC games. This means you’ll be able to discover and play a larger selection of games designed specifically for PC directly through Google Play,” the company said.

Expanded support for native PC titles will be coming this year, Google said. Google Play Games on PC features over 3,000 titles in over 140 countries, with the service bringing 35 percent more playtime for developers, according to Google’s internal data.

While it’s unclear if Google intends to bring triple-A PC games from developers to its storefront, the announcement certainly opens doors for new PC titles on the platform. Currently, Steam and Epic Games Store remain the two most popular PC games storefronts. It’s unlikely that Google is looking to disrupt the space and compete with Valve and Epic, two firms involved in the games industry across different aspects of developing, publishing, and selling games.

Google Play Games storefront on PC already offers a few native PC titles like Lineage2M, Odin: Valhalla Rising, Genshin Impact, and Dragonheir: Silent Gods, but it promises to “offer players more ways to experience top games across mobile and PC.”

The Android parent has also asked developers to fill up a Google form to express their interest in making their native PC games available on the service.

Google Play Games for PC beta launched in India last year, offering native PC games support on Windows. Users logging in with their Google account also get seamless syncing between devices. The platform is accessible in both English and Hindi in India.

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Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut Announced for PC, Will Launch on May 16

Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut, the open-world action-adventure game from Sucker Punch, is coming to PC, continuing the trend of first-party PlayStation titles releasing on Windows. The game will launch with the expected suite of PC features on May 16. The port, predictably, is helmed by veterans Nixxes Software, the Sony-owned studio that has previously worked on PC ports for first-party PlayStation titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

Nixxes made the announcement on the PlayStation Blog Wednesday, adding the studio had been working on the port for the past year. The Director’s Cut version of the game will include the full game, the Iki Island expansion, and the cooperative online multiplayer Legends mode.

The PC version of Ghost of Tsushima will get platform-specific features like unlocked frame rates, a full range of graphical settings and presets, and customisable mouse and keyboard controls. Nixxes also confirmed ultrawide monitor support, with the game fully optimized for 21:9 and 32:9 resolutions, and an overkill 48:9 resolution for triple monitor setups.

Additionally, Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut will be aided by performance boosting technologies like Nvidia DLSS 3, AMD FSR 3, and Intel XeSS with AI upscaling and frame generation options. Those with high-end hardware can also opt to use Nvidia DLAA or FSR 3 Native AA to improve image quality even further.

The PC port of the game promises extensive controller support, as well, but a PlayStation DualSense controller will bring more immersion with haptic feedback and adaptive trigger features.

Ghost of Tsushima was released in 2020 as a PlayStation exclusive on the PS4. A Director’s Cut version of the game, which includes the Iki island story expansion, came out in 2021 for PS5 and PS4. The game, set during the first Mongol invasion of Japan, puts players in the shoes of Jin Sakai, a samurai on the path of revenge.

Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is currently up for pre-order on Steam and Epic Games Store, priced at Rs. 3,999. Pre-ordering will unlock in-game items like the New Game+ Horse, Traveler’s Attire, and Broken Armor dyes from Baku’s shop when the game launches on May 16.

Nixxes is also set release the PC port of PlayStation exclusive Horizon Forbidden West, with the Complete Edition of the game set to release on March 21. The studio revealed the detailed list of PC system requirements for the game this week, confirming that the graphically demanding title would need at least 16GB of RAM to be played on PC.

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Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition PC System Requirements Confirmed Ahead of March 21 Launch

Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition is set to arrive on PC on March 21. Ahead of its launch, developer Nixxes Software has released a detailed list of PC system requirements for the game. The studio, tasked with porting the PlayStation exclusive to PC, has also detailed the customisation options that will be available at launch. Horizon Forbidden West is one of the best-looking games on PS5, but Nixxes has opted for an approach that would allow the visually demanding game to run “on a wide variety of PC hardware.”

In a post on the PlayStation Blog Tuesday, Nixxes Software confirmed that Horizon Forbidden West on PC would include graphics presets ranging from very low to very high. “This allows gamers with the latest hardware to push their systems, while also providing a great experience on less powerful PCs,” the developer said.

Nixxes also said that the wide-ranging graphical customisation options would allow the game to run on portable gaming devices. This means that Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go owners should not face problems while playing the game on their handheld device.

It’s worth noting that the Horizon Forbidden West PC port would require at least 16GB of RAM to play across all graphical presents. The game will also require SSD storage of 150GB and Windows 10 64-bit (version 1909 or higher) operating system. For the higher end of the performance spectrum at 4K resolution, Nvidia’s RTX 40 series or AMD 7000 series cards would be needed.

Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition PC system requirements

Minimum

  • Processor: Intel Core i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
  • Memory: 16GB
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB or AMD Radeon RX 5500XT 4GB
  • Performance: 720p at 30 fps (Very Low)
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-8600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600
  • Memory: 16GB
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 5700
  • Performance: 1080p at 60 fps (Medium)

High

  • Processor: Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
  • Memory: 16GB
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 or AMD Radeon RX 6800
  • Performance: 1440p at 60 fps / 4K at 30 fps (High)

Very High

  • Processor: Intel Core i7-11700 or AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
  • Memory: 16GB
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 or AMD Radeon RX 7900XT
  • Performance: 4K at 60 fps (Very High)

Nixxes has also promised a wealth of graphical customisation settings to tweak the visuals of the game. Horizon Forbidden West on PC will include individual quality settings for textures, level of detail, shadows, water, terrain and more. The game will also feature a field-of-view (FOV) slider and settings for effects like motion blur, film grain, radial blur, lens flares, bloom and vignette.

Horizon Forbidden West was announced for PC last month, setting a March 21 release date. Nixxes Software, the Sony-owned studio that has previously worked on PC ports for first-party PlayStation titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, had also confirmed some of the PC features of the port like support for Nvidia DLSS 3, AMD FSR and Intel XeSS upscaling techniques and ultra-wide resolutions. The Complete Edition of the sci-fi open-world epic will include the Burning Shores expansion from 2023. The game is currently available to pre-order on Steam and Epic Games Store, with the price set at Rs. 3,999.

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Sony Testing PC VR Games Support for PS VR2; Will Be Available in 2024

PlayStation VR2 is set to get support for VR games on PC this year, Sony has announced. The company confirmed Wednesday that it was testing the ability for PS VR2 to play PC VR games in addition to the already supported titles available via PS5. The PS VR2 launched in international markets in February 2023, and it made its India debut in December. The virtual reality headset is currently only compatible with the PS5 and does not support PS VR content from the previous generation.

Sony provided the update on the PlayStation blog, alongside details on a host of PS VR2 titles coming to the platform. “We’re pleased to share that we are currently testing the ability for PS VR2 players to access additional games on PC to offer even more game variety in addition to the PS VR2 titles available through PS5,” the blog said. “We hope to make this support available in 2024, so stay tuned for more updates.” it added.

There’s no concrete release date for PC VR games support yet, but when that arrives, it is bound to expand the PS VR2 games library, which remains limited at the moment. Other details surrounding PC support, like compatibility, platforms, and performance are yet unconfirmed. For example, would PS VR2 users be able to access and download PC VR games via compatibility with SteamVR? These details should be clearer in time. PS VR2 launched on February 22, 2023, with over 40 titles available in its library. More games were added over the course of the year, including Resident Evil 4 VR.

PlayStation also announced the launch of a new PS VR2 title, The Wizards – Dark Times: Brotherhood, an action-adventure spellcasting game, which puts players into the shoes of a wizard and allows them to cast spells with hand gestures. The VR game can be played solo in a single-player mode or experienced in up to three-player co-op. The game is now live on PlayStation Store for PS VR2 users.

The blog revealed launch dates, DLCs, new announcements for a host of other VR titles on the platform. Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate, a time-travelling action VR title from Mighty Eyes, received a new gameplay trailer and a release date. The game is out June 27. Additionally, Little Cities Bigger, a city-building game from Purple Yonder, was announced for PS VR2, set to arrive March 12.

Zombie Army VR, the VR version of the popular Sniper Elite spinoff Zombie Army series, is also coming to PS VR2 this year. Meanwhile, Arizona Sunshine 2 received new free updates, which include an in-game Corgi companion and three new Horde mode maps. The Corgi companion is available now and can be added as sidekick via the newly added Cosmetics Screen. The three new multiplayer maps will arrive one each month, starting March.

Finally, the blog revealed new screenshots and details about the core mechanics for Soul Covenant, the upcoming narrative action JRPG from Thirdverse. The VR title will launch sometime in 2024.

Sony’s VR updates follow the reveals of two VR titles, Metro Awakening and Legendary Tales, for PS VR2 at last month’s State of Play showcase. Metro Awakening is story-driven first-person VR title from the Metro series, set for PS VR2 launch this year. Legendary Tales, on the other hand, is VR action-RPG from Urban Wolf Games, which launched February 8.

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Palworld Crosses 25 Million Players on PC and Xbox, 15 Million Copies Sold on Steam

Palworld, the action-adventure survival title that broke player count records on Steam at launch, has sold 15 million copies on Valve’s platform. Developers Pocketpair announced Thursday that the game’s total player count had gone past 25 million, with 15 million players on Steam and 10 million players on Xbox. Since its release last month, Palworld has become a phenomenon, becoming one of the most played games in Steam history even as it has attracted plagiarism accusations over its Pokémon-style in-game creatures that players can capture, train and utilise in combat.

Japanese studio Pocketpair, makers of Palworld, confirmed in a post on X Thursday that the game had crossed 25 million players overall, with 15 million copies sold on Steam. The survival title also has 10 million players on Xbox, though a chunk of that number is likely to be players accessing the game via Xbox Game Pass.

Last month, Microsoft had confirmed that Palworld was the biggest third-party Game Pass launch ever and the most played game on its platforms. Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe had called the player response “tremendous” at the time. “This is just the beginning for us and Palworld, and the feedback we’re gathering while in Game Preview will allow us to continue to improve the experience for Pal Tamers across all platforms,” he had added.

Currently, Palworld is the fifth most played game on Steam, with 206,401 concurrent players at the time of writing, according to SteamDB charts. It’s all-time peak player-count on the platform sits only behind PUBG: Battlegrounds.

While Palworld’s player count has ballooned, the game has been a subject of controversy over the design of its in-game creatures, called Pals. Several players, developers and commentators have accused the game of plagiarising creature designs from Pokémon.

The Pokémon Company had issued a statement last month addressing the plagiarism accusations and confirming it intended to investigate any alleged instances of copyright infringement. “We have received many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024. We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokémon intellectual property or assets in that game,” the company had said in its statement.

Palworld released in early access on January 19 and is available on PC (via Steam), Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X and is also included with Xbox Game Pass. The game features Pokémon-style animals, or Pals, that can be captured and tamed for combat, traversal and base building in the game’s open world.

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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Sets June 21 Release Date, Gameplay Trailer Reveals New Story, Map, Bosses

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, the first major expansion for the acclaimed action RPG, received a gameplay trailer, detailing a new story, characters, and a new map, and a release date. The DLC will launch June 21 across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X, with preorders for the game now live across all platforms. Shadow of the Erdtree, which will focus on the story of Miquella, brother of Malenia, is FromSoftware’s largest expansion to date and will task players with uncovering a new mystery.

The DLC will take place in the Land of Shadow, a new region that will take players beyond the Lands Between. “The Land of Shadow. A place obscured by the Erdtree.
Where the goddess Marika first set foot. A land purged in an unsung battle.
Set ablaze by Messmer’s flame. It was to this land that Miquella departed. Divesting himself of his flesh, his strength, his lineage. Of all things Golden. And now Miquella awaits the return of his promised Lord,” FromSoftware’s description reads.

The three-minute-long gameplay trailer, though cryptic as ever, showcased plenty of new enemies, bosses and the new setting, giving fans enough fodder to come up with theories for the central mystery. The trailer opens with the withered arm of Miquella dangling from his cocoon. “Come, now. Touch the withered arm, and travel to the realm of shadow,” the trailer later says, suggesting that the new Land of Shadow region will be accessed by touching or holding Miquella’s arm.

The trailer also introduces a new villain, Messmer the Impaler, who seems to be the final boss of Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Messmer rules the Land of Shadow, which has been left in ruin from his flame. FromSoftware has not revealed any details about the new character, but it likely won’t be long before fans pick apart the trailer and find all the hidden clues.

Shadow of the Erdtree will feature a chunky new story, taking players on a new adventure through the Land of Shadow. “Guided by Empyrean Miquella, players are beckoned to the Land of Shadow, a place obscured by the Erdtree where the goddess Marika first set foot,” the DLC’s story description reads. “In these strange new lands, players discover the dark secrets of the world as they meet others who follow in Miquella’s footsteps with ulterior motives.”

The Land of Shadow is a completely new world within Elden Ring, separate from the Lands Between from the main game. While the size of the new map is yet unknown, FromSoftware says the “vast” new region will allow players to seamlessly travel back and forth between different sections. Just like the Lands Between, the new map will be diverse, with players encountering new mysteries, enemies, situations and dangerous dungeons.

In addition to new lore, enemies and bosses, the expansion will bring new weapons, equipment, weapon skills and magic previously not seen in Elden Ring, with FromSoftware promising a deeper RPG experience.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC will be available separately in a standard edition and a Premium Bundle that includes a digital artbook and the original soundtrack. The expansion will also be available as part of a bundle with the base game. And finally, there’s a Collector’s Edition, available in limited quantities, which includes the expansion, a 46cm statue of “Messmer the Impaler,” an art book and a download voucher for the original soundtrack.

Shadow of the Erdtree is currently available for pre-order across Steam, PlayStation and Xbox storefronts, with a release set for June 21. Bear in mind that the base game would be required to play the expansion.

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Microsoft Announces 4 Xbox Exclusives for PS5 and Nintendo Switch, Activision Blizzard Titles on Game Pass

Four Microsoft first-party games will launch on Sony’s PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch, the company confirmed late Thursday after weeks of speculation over its exclusive titles releasing on rival platforms. The announcement came on the Official Xbox Podcast from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, who also shed further light on the reasons behind Xbox’s business decision and confirmed that the next generation of Xbox consoles were in development. Microsoft has not yet revealed the four Xbox exclusives coming to PS5 and Nintendo Switch, but The Verge reported that said games would be Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves and Grounded.

Spencer addressed the rumours about Microsoft first-party titles and the future of Xbox exclusivity head on, confirming that contrary to reports, Triple-A Bethesda releases like Starfield and the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will remain as Xbox and PC exclusives. “We’ve made the decision that we’re going to take four games to the other consoles, just four games,” the Xbox chief on the podcast. He confirmed that Xbox won’t be fundamentally changing its exclusives strategy, explaining the decision to port the four unnamed games over to rival consoles. “We think this is an interesting point in time for us to use what some of the other platforms have right now to help grow our franchises,” he said.

While Spencer refrained from naming the four Xbox exclusive titles slated for launch on PS5 and Nintendo Switch, a report from The Verge, citing sources privy to Microsoft’s plans, claimed that these would be Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of the Thieves and Grounded. The first three of these were previously reported to be coming to Sony and Nintendo’s platforms, too. There are no specific release dates or launch windows for these games, but Spencer said that their respective developers have plans for announcements that are “not too far away.”

Hi-Fi Rush has been rumoured to come to PS5 and Nintendo Switch
Photo Credit: Bethesda

The Xbox chief, however, did elaborate on the process of picking the four yet confirmed games for multi-platform transition. The company considered games released over a year ago that have been on Xbox and PC for a while. Two of the selected games are community-driven games, Spencer said, while the other two are smaller games that weren’t built to be platform exclusives. “As they’ve realised their potential on Xbox and PC, we see an opportunity to utilise the other platforms as a place to just drive more business value out of those games, allowing us to maybe invest in future iterations of those, or sequels to those, or just other games like that in our portfolio,” Spencer said. “And we don’t damage Xbox and we can grow our business using what other platforms have to help us with that. We’re gonna do that.”

Spencer, however, cautioned players on rival platforms that the change in Microsoft’s strategy did not mean that all or several Xbox exclusives going forward would arrive on PS5 and Nintendo Switch. No other games besides the four already confirmed titles are currently being considered for a multi-platform launch.

In the wide-ranging podcast, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty also reiterated that Game Pass would only be available on Xbox on PC. Additionally, Xbox president Sarah Bond also announced that Activision-Blizzard games would soon arrive on Xbox Game Pass, starting with Diablo IV on March 28. Microsoft acquired Call of Duty maker Activision-Blizzard late last year in $69 billion deal after a long running regulatory battle with the US’ Federal Trade Commission and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority. Bond also confirmed that Xbox Game Pass had reached 34 million subscribers.

Reports from earlier this month about Microsoft first-party games making their way to PS5 and Nintendo Switch had left the Xbox community unsettled, with many questioning the future of the platform. Major exclusives like Bethesda RPG Starfield and the recently announced Indiana Jones game were reported to be under consideration for a PS5 launch.

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Samsung Sees Smartphone and Tech Devices Demand Recovering in 2024 After Record Chip Loss

Samsung Electronics flagged a continued recovery in memory chips and tech demand in 2024, after reporting a 34 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit despite a memory price rebound as consumer demand remained weak in many businesses.

The world’s biggest maker of memory chips said it expected mobile and PC makers to place more, better chips in devices as use of artificial intelligence expands, while the need to replace older servers would also aid a gradual demand recovery.

“In 2024, the memory business expects the market to continue to recover despite various potential obstacles, including interest rate policies and geopolitical issues,” Samsung said in a statement.

Samsung said operating profit fell to KRW 2.8 trillion ($2.11 billion or roughly Rs. 17,522 crore) in October-December, versus KRW 4.3 trillion (roughly Rs. 26,790 crore) a year earlier.

For the full year, its chip business swung to a record loss of KRW 14.9 trillion in 2023 (roughly Rs. 92,845 crore) from a KRW 23.8 trillion (roughly Rs. 1,48,273 crore) profit a year earlier, hit by an unprecedented downturn caused by weak demand for gadgets that use chips.

However, fourth-quarter losses shrank to 2.18 trillion won in the fourth quarter, lower than every other quarterly loss in 2023 in the business that has historically been Samsung’s cash cow as Chinese PC and mobile makers began to restock chips and memory chip prices rebounded.

Cross-town rival SK Hynix also said last week chip prices would improve this year as clients would need to restock and manufacturers would continue to cut legacy chip production.

Samsung said its memory business would focus on cutting-edge chips including high bandwidth memory (HBM) and server products used for generative AI this year.

Looking to catch up with SK Hynix in memory chips used for generative AI, Samsung held its 2023 capital spending steady on the previous year partly to expand production capacity of those chips, while SK Hynix and Micron cut investment.

SK Hynix was first to develop the latest version called HBM3 and has AI-chip leader Nvidia as a client, but Samsung is working to bring yields up for its HBM3 and future HBM3E products, analysts said.

“Given it said it is set to produce those advanced chips in the first half of this year, the market will be watching for how much of a meaningful presence Samsung can secure this year,” said Ko Yeongmin, analyst at Daol Investment & Securities.

Mobile rebound

The mobile devices business booked a 2.73 trillion won operating profit in the fourth quarter, up from 1.7 trillion won a year earlier on stronger demand for pricier smartphones, more tablet shipments with new product releases and demand for wearable devices during the peak holiday season.

In 2023, Apple ended Samsung’ 12-year run as the world’s top seller of smartphones, snaring a 20 percent market share as demand for premium phones outpaced those of more affordable models, according to a report from International Data Corp.

However, Samsung plans to grow annual flagship smartphone shipments at a double-digit rate this year, helped by its latest premium smartphones with AI functions in a push to challenge Apple.

It also plans to solidify its lead in foldable phones, as competitors like Alphabet’s Google, Motorola and China’s Honor and Oppo increase their foldable offerings.

Among the businesses that remained vulnerable to weak consumer demand were Samsung’s chip contract manufacturing, TV and home appliance units.

Samsung’s share price fell 1.4 percent in morning trade versus a 0.3 percent drop in the benchmark index after earnings results from its customers Microsoft, Alphabet and AMD missed expectations, analysts said.

Its shares rose 42 percent in 2023 on expectations of improved memory chip demand but have fallen about 5 percent year-to-date.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 alongside the Galaxy Tab S9 series and Galaxy Watch 6 series at its first Galaxy Unpacked event in South Korea. We discuss the company’s new devices and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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