Editorial / Éditorial — Gaming Friday
"The controller in your hand is a passport to worlds that don't exist yet — and this week, more of them just got announced."
What is up everybody — TGIF! Welcome to Gaming Friday / Vendredi Gaming on zack.coffee. I'm Zaki Qayoumi — known as "Zack" — Founder, CEO, Senior Project Manager, Director, President, and Editor-in-Chief of ZACK TECHNOLOGY LLC, your bilingual Franco-American hub for Technology, World Affairs, Electronic Music, Diplomacy, Mental Health, and today's headliner: Video Games.
This week was an absolute supernova for gaming news. Summer Game Fest 2026 just happened, Sony dropped a State of Play, Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3 finally has a title, God of War Laufey got its first look, and there is so much more to unpack. Grab your controller and let's get into it. 🎮
Also — a big congratulations to everyone graduating from High School and College/University this month! A special message for you is below. And yes, there will be more PS5 livestreams this weekend, including more LEGO Batman sessions — stay tuned on YouTube @iamzaki. Also — best of luck to the two teams in the NBA Finals! 🏀
On a personal note: I finally had my Veggie Ramen and Boba Tea after my birthday — very happy about that. Seafood Ramen is superior, but I'd been eating a lot of seafood lately, so the veggie version hit just right. 🍜 Stay cool out there — it is very warm, and my car's A/C is still busted, which is incredibly problematic. One more reason that Venmo donation would mean the world. 😅
🎓 Graduation Season PSA — From Zack
Celebrate Smart. Come Home Safe.
Congratulations to the Class of 2026 — High School and University alike. You earned this moment. Now here is how you protect it: celebrate with moderation, never drink and drive, and always wear your seatbelt. Your reaction time as a new driver is not what you think it is — a few years behind the wheel does not prepare you for loud passengers, distractions, or split-second decisions. When people are shouting in the car, when you are tired, when the energy is high — that is when mistakes happen. Red lights get run. Turns get missed. Freeways get entered recklessly. Your life and the lives of everyone in that car matter infinitely more than arriving five minutes faster.
And if you are still in Middle School — the High School parties are not for you. There is illegal alcohol and illegal substances at those gatherings, and you are far too young for any of it. You can also be taken advantage of in ways you cannot yet fully understand. Listen to your parents. Your time to celebrate freely will come at University — and it will be worth the wait. Stay smart. Get home safe. 🏠
🎮 This Weekend on PS5
More LEGO Batman Livestreams Coming — Stay Tuned!
The LEGO Batman sessions continue this weekend! Tune in live on YouTube @iamzaki for more PS5 gameplay — therapeutic, hilarious, and 100% brick-powered. As I've shared before, LEGO Batman is genuinely good for the soul: low-stakes, dopamine-rewarding, and endlessly fun. Come hang out. 🦇🧱
GameSpot
The full roundup is here. Summer Game Fest 2026 delivered wall-to-wall reveals, surprises, and trailers that are going to fuel gaming conversation for months. GameSpot's comprehensive breakdown is your essential starting point if you missed the show or simply want everything in one place. This was a landmark showcase — bookmark it.
KOTAKU
Kotaku's lens on SGF tends to cut through the hype and tell you what actually matters. Their complete rundown is worth reading alongside GameSpot's — different editorial perspectives on the same massive event give you a fuller picture of what the industry just signaled for the next two years of gaming.
PlayStation Blog
The first official look at God of War: Laufey is here, and the PlayStation Blog reveal confirms what fans have been theorizing: this entry goes deeper into Norse mythology with Laufey — Kratos's late wife and Atreus's mother — finally taking center stage. The visual direction looks stunning, and the narrative implications are enormous. This is the God of War chapter the community has been waiting for since Ragnarök.
Anime News Network
ANN's editorial take on the State of Play is sharp and a little cheeky — the headline says it all. The piece contextualizes the showcase's biggest reveals within the broader PlayStation strategy, including what the Laufey-centered God of War means for the franchise's evolving identity. Excellent critical read for anyone who wants more than just a trailer recap.
IGN
It is official. Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3 is titled Revelation, and it will launch simultaneously across all platforms — a major statement from Square Enix after years of PlayStation exclusivity windows. This is the conclusion of one of the most ambitious RPG trilogies in gaming history, and the simultaneous release means no one gets left out. The internet is already not okay, and rightfully so.
Gaming Bible
It is finally happening. Resident Evil: Code Veronica — one of the most beloved and long-overlooked entries in the franchise — is getting the full remake treatment, with a 2027 release confirmed. The reveal trailer is out and it looks exactly as atmospheric and terrifying as fans hoped. After the success of RE2, RE3, and RE4 remakes, Capcom is on a remarkable hot streak. Claire Redfield is back, and the Antarctic nightmare is coming with her.
PCGamesN
One of the biggest SGF surprises: Guild Wars 3 is confirmed and in development. ArenaNet is promising a "modern evolution of the MMO" — which could mean anything from live-service overhaul to a fundamental rethinking of the genre. Guild Wars 2 has one of the most loyal communities in online gaming. If GW3 delivers on that promise, this could shake up the entire MMO landscape heading into the late 2020s.
Polygon
Polygon went hands-on with Control Resonant for 2.5 hours and came out genuinely shaken — in the best possible way. The original Control was a cult masterpiece of surreal, Brutalist horror-action. If Resonant is truly bolder and more ambitious, Remedy Entertainment may be delivering one of the defining games of this console generation. This is on every serious gamer's radar.
PC Gamer
When a veteran PC Gamer writer calls something the most surprising reveal in years, you pay attention. Crossfire — formerly a massive name in Asian PC gaming markets — appears to be making a play for a completely new global audience with what sounds like a dramatically reimagined game. The piece is a fascinating first-person account of what it felt like to be in the room. Must-read for shooter fans.
Push Square
A big-budget, original Gundam game on PS5 from Bandai Namco — not a Dynasty Warriors spin-off, not a port. This is the real deal. Gundam is one of the most iconic mecha franchises in history, and a serious PS5 action game built around it has enormous potential. The "actually" in Push Square's headline captures the communal disbelief pretty well. Consider me very interested. 🤖
Xbox Wire
This Sunday, Microsoft drops the full Xbox Games Showcase alongside a dedicated Gears of War: E-Day Direct. This is their biggest annual moment, and with the Gears prequel getting its own dedicated presentation, expectations are high. Set your alarms. This is a must-watch weekend for gaming — between this and what we already saw at SGF, June 2026 is an all-timer for the industry.
Tom's Hardware
Valve just confirmed that both the Steam Machine and the Steam Frame are shipping this summer, alongside an expanded Verified program. This is Valve's most aggressive push into the living room gaming space since the original Steam Machines flopped a decade ago — but the Steam Deck's success suggests they have genuinely learned from that history. This summer is about to get very interesting for PC-to-couch gaming.
Apple Newsroom
The 2026 Apple Design Awards are out, and as always they serve as the best annual snapshot of what the App Store ecosystem is capable of at its highest level. These are the apps and games that Apple's own designers point to and say: this is what software excellence looks like. Worth browsing through — there are always hidden gems in the list that deserve to be on your device.
PC World
An important piece on a real trend: the mid-range laptop market — the $600–$1,000 sweet spot that most people actually buy — is being hollowed out from both ends by budget Chromebooks and premium ultrabooks. For consumers, students, and independent professionals like myself, this polarization is genuinely problematic. The article breaks down why this is happening and what it means for the future of personal computing.
ComputerWeekly
A familiar frustration made official: commuters and travelers on UK trains are overwhelmingly failing to get reliable internet connectivity. The report reveals how far behind rail infrastructure has fallen compared to the expectations of a mobile-first workforce. For a country that prides itself on rail heritage, this is an uncomfortable truth — and a policy failure worth taking seriously.
Razer
Razer's latest Rogue Backpack V4 is designed for the gamer on the go — built to carry a full laptop, peripherals, and your daily essentials without looking like you're about to raid a dungeon. The V4 iteration refines everything that worked about previous versions. If you're in the market for a durable, well-designed gaming backpack, this is worth a serious look via the Razer Creator link below.
🔥 Limited Sale
Steam
Bungie's Marathon is currently on sale on Steam for $27.99 for a limited number of days. If you have been on the fence about picking it up, this window is your moment. Marathon represents Bungie's most ambitious departure from Destiny in years — a return to their classic IP with a modern extraction-shooter twist. Don't sleep on this deal.
🎮 #RazerCreator — Official Affiliate Partner
Game Better. Game with Razer.
As a proud official #RazerCreator, I bring you the best in PS5 and PC gaming peripherals. Whether you are grinding this weekend's sessions, tuning in to the Xbox Showcase, or jumping into LEGO Batman — gear matters. Two products I personally back:
🕹️ Razer Raiju V3 Pro Controller — PS5/PC
🎧 Razer BlackShark V3 Pro Headset — PS5/PC
Shop Razer via zack.coffee/razer-creator →
💙 Community Support
Help Me Get My First Car — And Fix That A/C 🚗
It is very warm outside and my car air conditioning is completely busted — which is incredibly problematic heading into summer. After 25 years of work, including the last 8 years with zero paycheck from Big Tech and startups, and over 30,000 job applications with no offer, I am still here publishing for you every single day. An attorney is handling my Disability Paperwork now, with news expected later this Summer. Your donation helps keep the lights on.
- A working car with A/C means getting through a Sacramento summer without melting.
- Every dollar supports 14+ years of daily, independent, bilingual journalism.
- Help me reach interviews, medical appointments, and community events reliably.
- My dream is an Audi S8 — but any quality vehicle from 2020 or newer is welcome.
- You are backing a creator who has never stopped, even when everything said stop.
Donate via Venmo →
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📡 Find Me Everywhere — Retrouvez-moi partout
Until Next Time / À Bientôt
— Zaki Qayoumi aka "Zack" 🌰 #GoBucks
🇫🇷 🇺🇸
