The Cyberpunk 2077 PS5 and Xbox Series X update is now live - and it's about time.

Cyberpunk 2077 was first released back in December 2020 for PS4, Xbox One and PC, but its launch was turbulent, to say the least. Developer CD Projekt Red's open-world action-RPG received a mixed reception upon release, with critics praising its narrative and world-building. However, game-breaking bugs and performance issues (particularly on console) saw the game removed from the PlayStation Store , refunds being offered by the Microsoft and PlayStation Stores and the developer subject to class-action lawsuits over allegedly not being transparent about the game's technical issues.

In response to the controversy, CD Projekt Red officially apologized and has since rolled out a plethora of hotfixes and patches to the game (as well as publishing four different roadmaps). But perhaps the biggest update on the horizon is the release of Cyberpunk 2077 PS5 and Xbox Series X versions, which will bring give Night City a next-gen upgrade and will (hopefully) see all the pesky bugs and performance issues that have plagued the game finally ironed out thanks to a "major update" that will release alongside these versions.

That update is now here. Revealed by CD Projekt Red during a livestream on February 15, Cyberpunk 2077's 1.5 update brings a host of quality-of-life improvements, graphical tweaks, and new gameplay features, all ready for next-gen consoles.

Want to know more? Read on for all the details on the Cyberpunk 2077 PS5 and Xbox Series X update.

Cyberpunk 2077 PS5 and Xbox Series X: cut to the chase

The next-gen version of Cyberpunk 2077 is available now. If you own the game on PS4 or Xbox One, you can get the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S upgrade for free. Xbox players will see the update automatically roll out using the console's Smart Delivery system, while PS5 players will have to redownload the new version of the game from the PlayStation store.

The game's next-gen version is also expected to receive a standalone release sometime down the line, although CD Projekt Red hasn't said exactly when that will be.

CD Projekt Red released a next-gent update launch trailer when the Cyberpunk 2077 1.5 path first went live. You can watch it above.

The Cyberpunk 2077 next-gen update is a meaty one. Alongside making several quality-of-life improvements, it introduces a handful of graphical enhancements and gameplay tweaks to the action RPG.

On the graphics front, the new Ray-tracing Mode supports ray-traced local light shadows, but will lock the game to 30fps, while Performance Mode lets you play at 60fps with dynamic 4K scaling.

As for gameplay improvements, a selection of new weapons has been added to the 2nd Amendment store near V's apartment, the game's economy has been rebalanced, and romanceable NPCs reworked to add more opportunities for interaction during the game.

Additional customization options have been introduced, too, letting you re-do the appearance of V mid-game rather than having to settle with whatever face and hairstyle you'd chosen during initial character creation. You can also now change the appearance of V's apartment and purchase new pads around Night City.

The quality-of-life improvements include enhancements to crowd behavior, updated enemy AI, improved vehicle handling, and big changes to some of Cyberpunk 2077's UI. The map, in particular, has been altered for clarity.

PS5 players can now enjoy haptic feedback using the DualSesne controller, while users of both consoles can bathe in the sonic water of Spatial Audio via headphones.

This upgrade will be completely free on all platforms for anyone who currently owns Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox One or PS4. Players will also be able to transfer their saves without issue. It's an automatic process for Xbox players, while PlayStation users need to use PlayStation Plus Cloud Saves or a USB to import their files.

As well as releasing the PS5 and Xbox Series X update for Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red also released a free, five-hour trial of the game for next-gen systems. The demo should give you a taste of the game, and all progress you make will carry forward into the full game if you decide to purchase it.

Xbox Series S specs: how powerful is Microsoft’s pint-sized console?

A look at the Xbox Series S specs might initially give the impression that it’s not worth buying when compared to other consoles available this generation, such as its more powerful sibling, the Xbox Series X , as well as its competition in the form of the PS5 . However, when you consider the relatively lower price of the console, the Xbox Series S’s specs are a welcome surprise.

We’ve previously considered whether or not the Xbox Series S is still worth buying in 2022 where we briefly touched on the console’s specs and how they stack up against other systems. Now, we’ll go into a more comprehensive breakdown of the ins and outs of the pint-sized machine to help you understand if its specs line up with what you’re looking for.

Alongside the Xbox Series X, the Xbox Series S is one of the newest Xbox consoles you can buy, and as a result, it’s packing some seriously impressive specs that, while not quite as potent as its premium counterpart, is a good step above the Xbox One X and far outpaces the capabilities of the Nintendo Switch . The Xbox Series S could be viewed as a halfway house of sorts, then, featuring slightly pared down specs for its lower price.

The Xbox Series S features a custom version of AMD’s Zen 2 CPU. The custom Zen 2 8-core CPU boasts a clock speed of 3.6GHz, and is comparable to CPUs in AMD’s Ryzen 3000 series, such as the Ryzen 7 3800X 8-core CPU . That’s a slight step down from the Xbox Series X’s 3.8GHz clock speed, which can result in slightly lower frame rates in comparable games.

It’s the GPU where there’s a more noticeable difference between the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X. Microsoft has also opted for custom AMD architecture in both consoles, and the Xbox Series S’s custom RDNA 2 GPU features just 4 teraflops of power compared to the Xbox Series X’s more impressive 12.15 teraflops.

The Xbox Series S falls short in terms of graphical prowess not only to its counterpart, but also last generation’s Xbox One X, which was 4K ready and boasted 6 teraflops of power. By no means does the Xbox Series S underperform, though. It’s still capable of outputting a 1440p resolution at up to 120Hz, but it’s a major reason why the Xbox Series S costs so little in comparison to the beefier consoles.

The Xbox Series S also has less RAM than the Xbox Series X - just 10GB compared to 16GB. This is another reason why 4K visuals aren’t really feasible on Microsoft’s more affordable machine. Less of the console’s faster RAM isn’t available to developers , even less than the 4K capable Xbox One X. This is a big reason as to why 1440p is a more realistic target for the Xbox Series S.

Xbox Series S’s custom PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD is identical to Xbox Series X in all but storage space. While the Xbox Series X features an adequate 1TB of storage space, the Xbox Series S does struggle a bit at just 512GB without expandable storage devices like the Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card .

This means that space is going to get used up fast if you plan on installing and playing a decent amount of games, leaving the SSD feeling a little cramped. And if you subscribe to the stellar Xbox Game Pass service, you’ll likely find yourself deleting games semi-frequently to make space for new ones.

However, the Xbox Series S’s NVMe SSD picks up the slack when it comes to performance. The SSD is blazingly quick, and able to load content more swiftly and efficiently than last generation’s hard disk drives, which are positively glacial by comparison. Expect most loading screens, even in big-budget AAA titles, to last mere seconds. Even initial load times after booting up a game rarely stray above half a minute, meaning the Xbox Series S’s speed is a fantastic selling point.

Most current-gen games on the Xbox Series S can be played at 1440p resolution, with some particularly demanding games dropping to a still respectable 1080p, either by default or in a framerate-boosting Performance mode setting. There are some edge cases, though, such as with games like Ori and the Will of the Wisps or The Touryst, both of which can output a 4K resolution on Microsoft’s fairer priced machine.

In terms of performance, the Xbox Series S is remarkably slick. With a HDMI 2.1 cable, the Xbox Series S is capable of running supported titles at 120fps. Additionally, HDMI 2.1 grants variable refresh rate, an auto low latency mode to reduce input lag from wireless controllers and - thanks to the in-built AMD components - FreeSync technology for a much smoother, consistent framerate, free of screen tearing.

The Xbox Series X is still a very capable console, then. Not only can the machine target 120fps, it’s also capable of ray tracing in applicable games, and as demonstrated by The Matrix Awakens tech demo , is somewhat future-proofed for Unreal Engine 5 games.

One of the best aspects of the Xbox Series S has to be its form factor. With dimensions of 6.5cm x 15.1cm x 27.5 cm, it’s a much, much slimmer unit than the Xbox Series X and PS5. In fact, it’s the smallest Xbox ever made. This compact design is ideal if you’re looking for a smaller console as part of your home setup, or if you don’t have that much space in general.

Similarly impressive is the Xbox Series S’s weight of 4.25lbs. That’s just under 2kg, and means it’s less than half the weight of the bulky Xbox Series X, which comes in at a whopping 9.8lbs (4.45kg).

Overall, the Xbox Series S features a brilliantly minimal design that complements its pared down specs when compared to the bigger fish. Aspects of the Xbox Series S’s design can very much be viewed as a tradeoff, then. Yes, you’re not quite getting the 4K power of the Xbox Series X or PS5, but the silver lining there is a space-friendly unit that’s still capable of next-gen features and won’t break the bank.

Need a desktop PC or Chromebook? John Lewis has some great offers on HP devices powered by AMD

Are you thinking of buying a new computer? If so, you might want a laptop, or perhaps a desktop PC, but whatever your preference, there are a couple of great options from HP which are powered by AMD processors on offer at John Lewis right now.

These machines represent a good buy not simply because of the quality of the hardware, but also the affordable price tags of the HP Slim desktop PC and HP Chromebook 14 laptop, which are made all the more enticing by the discounts John Lewis is currently offering in its Winter sale.

Of course, it’s all well and good to say these are high-quality PCs, but let’s explore in-depth exactly why this is the case, and why you might want to take the plunge with either device, starting with that desktop model.

HP Slim DT: A compact AMD Ryzen™ 3 desktop PC

The HP Slim DT S01-aF0010na , to give the PC its full product name, is a slim and compact desktop tower which measures just 27 x 9.5 x 30.3cm (H x W x D). It’s powered by an AMD Ryzen™ 3 3250U Mobile Processor, which is a dual-core CPU (with 4-threads) offering boost speeds of up to 3.5GHz.

This Processor is highly power-efficient and has 4MB of L3 cache, which simply means it will be able to easily deal with any of your day-to-day computing tasks, such as web browsing, emails, watching videos. Plus it's even capable of handling a little light gaming courtesy of the integrated AMD Radeon™ Graphics.

The processor is backed up by 8GB of DDR4 system RAM and a hard drive with 1TB of space, giving you plenty of storage to fit in all your photos and videos, or music files, with lots of space left over to install apps (and maybe the odd game).

The compact and slim design of this PC means it can easily fit in anywhere, whatever room you want to use the device in, without looking bulky and out of place (the geometric pattern on the front of the device helps this jet-black computer to look pleasingly smart and more modern, too).

It’s a quiet-running machine as well, which always helps in terms of the PC being unobtrusive.

An added convenience is that the ports are all located on the front of the PC, for easy access, meaning this is a highly functional as well as nifty-looking device.

You get six USB ports, HDMI 1.4 as well as legacy VGA, plus an Ethernet connector. Oh, and this PC comes complete with a bundled full-size keyboard and mouse.

A final noteworthy point is that while this HP Slim desktop comes with Windows 10 installed, you’ll get a free upgrade to Windows 11 when that becomes available (Microsoft is in the process of rolling out its newest operating system to more and more devices).

HP 14" Chromebook Laptop: Created with an AMD Athlon™ Processor

If it’s a laptop you’re after, then look no further than the AMD Chromebook 14b-na0005na , although one thing to bear in mind upfront is that this is a Chrome OS notebook, meaning it doesn’t run Windows.

Google’s Chrome OS is a very easy to use operating system, capable of doing everything you need, but with a different (and more streamlined) way of working compared to Windows.

It’s also fast – quick to boot, and performant when running apps – plus this notebook is very secure, as Chrome OS is designed with security in mind from the ground-up. Furthermore, this Chromebook gives you access to Google’s famous Play Store which is crammed with popular Android apps that you can run and enjoy on this laptop.

The engine of this Chromebook is an AMD Athlon™ Silver 3050C Processor, which is a dual-core chip capable of boosting up to 3.2GHz. This processor, combined with the streamlined Chrome OS, will deliver plenty of oomph for whatever computing tasks you need to accomplish with this laptop, whether that’s browsing the web, doing homework, or streaming movies and TV shows.

Speaking of streaming films and the like, this Chromebook has a 14-inch screen with a Full HD resolution which benefits from very thin bezels on the left and right, so nothing distracts you from watching the movie.

The display is also anti-glare and an IPS panel which offers wide viewing angles, meaning the colours don’t fade badly when viewed from the side (if multiple people are gathered around watching).

Further bolstering this laptop’s strengths on the entertainment front is the fact that the audio is delivered via speakers tuned by Bang & Olufsen.

The AMD Athlon™ Processor is partnered with 4GB of system RAM and 64GB of storage, and a beefy battery which offers up to 10 hours and 45 minutes of (claimed) battery life.

Other bonuses include support for the latest wireless tech (Wi-Fi 6) and a privacy shutter for the webcam, which slides over the lens when the camera isn’t in use (that’s a much neater fix than a piece of sticky tape, naturally).

Head over to John Lewis for impressive discounts on these PCs now

Now that you have a good sense of what you’re getting with either this desktop PC or Chromebook laptop, as we mentioned at the outset, the great thing is that these affordable devices are now even cheaper in the John Lewis Winter sale.

That means if you’re thinking about replacing an old PC which is just feeling slower and slower these days, but you’ve not got the money to splash out on something high-end or premium, then these machines are perfect – representing seriously good value for money while providing all the power you need to accomplish everyday tasks (and a great screen for watching your favourite streaming content in the case of the Chromebook).

You can grab the HP Slim DT S01-aF0010na or the AMD Chromebook 14b-na0005na from John Lewis with not just cheaper pricing thanks to the discounts the retailer is offering, but you also get the benefit of a two-year guarantee and top-notch customer service.