"Good morning. I've got some great news for you. Today, yes today, is Friday. Tell everyone you know. Spread the word. Friday is back, baby. And on this wonderful Friday, I welcome you to the latest edition of Morning Checkpoint, Kotaku's daily round-up of video game news and other stuff you might care about. Today, we wonder what happened to a good Black Ops 7 map, learn more about why Hytale is skipping Steam, and ponder high console prices."
"Over on Reddit, people are shaking their heads in disbelief at the state of used game console prices. In 2025, Microsoft is selling refurbished Xbox Series X consoles for $550. In 2020, I bought an Xbox Series X at launch for $500. Microsoft is also selling used Xbox Series S consoles for $330. At launch, the smaller machine was just $300, and you could often get it for less if you found a deal."
"Call of Duty: Black Ops 7′s first season is now live, and while it has added a lot of new content to the online FPS, it has also removed something: the fan-favorite map Blackheart. This was one of the original maps to launch with Black Ops 7 and quickly became one of its most popular. But it's gone now. Activision says it was removed "temporarily" from both private and public map pools as it investigates an undisclosed "issue."
Today is Friday. Used Xbox consoles are selling at unusually high prices in 2025, with Microsoft offering refurbished Xbox Series X units for $550 and used Series S units for $330, both above their 2020 launch prices. Several factors—tariffs, inflation, AI effects on demand, and corporate profit goals—are contributing to higher console costs. This generation is the first where PlayStation and Xbox machines are more expensive five years after launch, and prices are expected to rise further. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 removed the popular map Blackheart temporarily from public and private pools while investigating an undisclosed issue. Hytale will skip Steam.
Read at Kotaku
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