Weekly Recap: PS4 Pro and Slim Models Announced, Mario Finally Coming to iPhone, Xbox One Outsells PS4 Again

It might have been a shorter week with the Labor Day holiday on Monday, but this was a big week for big news, with huge stories from Sony, Apple, and Nintendo.

THE BIG STUFF:

Sony put rumors to rest on Wednesday during its PlayStation Meeting when it officially confirmed not only the PlayStation 4 Slim, but a brand-new console called PlayStation 4 Pro. The Slim model comes out next week, priced at $300, while the Pro version lands in November for $400. Read all our coverage here.

Sony's briefing wasn't the only big one on Wednesday, as Apple held its latest announcement event to reveal the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. And the rumors were right: no more headphone jacks. The phone announcement is obviously a big deal, but Nintendo's own Shigeru Miyamoto appeared on stage to announce Super Mario Run, an auto-runner-style game coming out in December for iOS devices.

Also during the briefing, Apple announced that Pokemon Go reached a staggering 500 million downloads and that a version of the game will be available for the Apple Watch.

In other news, some NPD numbers for August 2016 came in this week, with Microsoft announcing that the Xbox One was the top-selling console in the US for the second month in a row. August was the debut month for the slimmed-down Xbox One S, the release of which may have helped sales improve.

THE OTHER STUFF:

Here's a new Titanfall 2 trailer that uses a cover of the famous Beatles song "Come Together." The reference here is that Pilots and Titans are...coming together more than before for the sequel. Take a look:

How does the PS4 Slim stack up against the Xbox One S? IGN has put together a detailed breakdown that compares the two systems. Check it out here.

It's only September, but Game Informer's October 2016 issue is out and its cover story is on Killzone developer Guerrilla Games' hugely ambitious PS4 action-RPG Horizon: Zero Dawn. You have to subscribe to GI to get the full story, but here's a breakout about the depth of its gameplay.

The 2016/2017 NFL season starts this weekend and to celebrate, Microsoft released a silly video featuring Von Miller, Antonio Brown, Russell Wilson, and Ndamukong Suh. This is all to promote the NFL app on Xbox One--and it's pretty funny. Check it out:

Game developer Interplay announced this week that it has started the process of selling off its video game franchises and IP, spanning some 70 titles and "dozens" of characters. Some of these include Earthworm Jim, Freespace, Giants, Kingpin, Messiah, MDK, Run Like Hell, Sacrifice, Battlechess, Clayfighter, Dark Alliance, and Descent." You can read more about the sale here.

Nintendo has made progress in its efforts to reduce its sourcing of conflict minerals. GI.biz reported this week that 72 percent of smelters in refiners in Nintendo's supply chain are now certified as not contributing to crimes against humanity. A further 7 percent are now in the process of becoming certified. Get the full story here.