Black Friday deals season is fast approaching. It's the biggest shopping holiday of the year and overall the best time to find discounts on just about everything. If you're hoping to save some money on gifts and essentials in 2025, this upcoming sales event is your best bet.

With that in mind, Black Friday has evolved well beyond a single day of deals. While plenty of shoppers still tend to do the bulk of their actual shopping over Thanksgiving weekend, you will definitely be able to find deals well before then.

When Do Black Friday Sales Actually Start?

Black Friday is November 28 this year, but we expect sales to drop much earlier than that. Based on last year, we expect all of the major online retailers to start offering "early" Black Friday disounts at the beginning of November and continue through the week before Thanksgiving. Right after that, the "official" Black Friday sales start going live.

Last year, Amazon was one of the first retailers to kick off the sale on the Thursday before Thanksgiving weekend. If the company follows a similar pattern in 2025, that would put the official start date of Black Friday sales somewhere close to Thursday, November 20 this year.

No major retailers have made an announcement about sale dates just yet, but it's probably safe to say that you'll be able to do most of your online Black Friday shopping the weekend before Thanksgiving in 2025. Foor many brick-and-mortar stores, you may be able to expect the full discounts even earlier.

What Deals to Expect From Major Retailers

With the ongoing tariffs and recent price increases in the U.S., it's difficult to predict exactly what discounts we'll see during the 2025 Black Friday season. Tthe IGN Deals team has been covering shopping events all year and we have a decent idea of what you can expect, even if the prices will be higher than what we saw last year.

Amazon Black Friday

Amazon has one of the biggest Black Friday sales every year and tends to have discounts on just about everything. Based on previous Amazon sales like Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days, you can expect the same discounts on Amazon devices we saw earlier this year. The lowest prices will most likely be on Kindles and Fire TV sticks, as well as Echo speaker bundles. Amazon has also been pushing a pretty steep discount on the Luna controller and subsequent bundles during every major sale this year. These particular discounts will most likely be exclusive to Prime members.

Outside of Amazon devices, the online retailer will also automatically match prices on popular products that are offered at other retailers. That means you can expect discounts on things like Apple devices, LEGO sets, laptops, TVs, and just about every other brand not exclusively owned by another major retailer. Amazon's Black Friday sale will usually be offering the same low price (or lower) as any of its competitors for these types of items.

To get a better idea of what to expect this year, you can take a look at last year's Amazon Black Friday ad.

Walmart Black Friday

After Amazon, the next biggest Black Friday sale you can expect is at Walmart. These discounts will be both in store and online, but the online savings should start a bit earlier. Walmart usually has some of the best deals on Apple devices like iPad and AirPods. You'll usually also find some of the lowest prices of the year on Walmart-exclusive products like Onn electronics, select Vizio TVs, some gaming PC configurations (see: the recent GeForce sale), and certain home appliances.

In the past, Walmart has also had some great Nintendo Switch deals that Amazon wasn't able to offer. We'd expect to see this again this year, most likely on newer Switch 2 games or Pokémon cards. Expect some of these discounts to be available early for Walmart+ members, which has been the case for other major sales this year.

In addition to popular tech and games, Walmart also tends to have deals on groceries, clothing, and toys. Walmart has been especially known to offer particularly good LEGO discounts, but stock tends to be fairly limited.

You can check out the full Walmart Black Friday ad from last year for more information.

Best Buy Black Friday

The Best Buy Black Friday sale is usually the best collection of tech deals during the holiday season. Many of these discounts will be price-matched by Amazon and Walmart, but it will still likely have all of the same Apple devices, TVs, and video games on sale as everywhere else. You can also likely expect some sort of video game console deal on the PS5/PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X. With the continued price increases, this could just mean getting a free Best Buy gift card with your purchase, but it will still be a better deal than paying full price with no additional benefits.

In addition to consoles, video games, and video game accessories, Best Buy also tends to be one of the best places to buy handheld gaming PCs and laptops. With the recent release of the ROG Xbox Ally X, Best Buy has been the only retailer to keep stock. You can likely expect price cuts on the previous generation ROG Ally devices at Best Buy this year, as well as other popular handhelds. We also expect competitive pricing around newer laptops with the latest 50-series GPUs.

For more information on what to expect, check out the Best Buy Black Friday ad from last year.

Target Black Friday

The Target Black Friday sale is usually pretty similar to Walmart's Black Friday sale every year. Expect similar discounts on video games, toys, Apple products, and appliances that you'll find everywhere else. Where Target tends to differentiate from competitors in its exclusives. The retailer has partnered with a bunch of different home brands and is usually the only place you'll be able to buy those items at a discount during Black Friday shopping season. This makes it a great place to do your shopping if you're planning on buying any decor upgrades for your home.

Target has also been consistently offering some unique discounts on select toys that Amazon hasn't been able to price match. The most recent example is a LEGO sale on new 2025 sets. Amazon did match prices on a few of the sets, but not all of them. We'd expect this to happen on Black Friday too, so you'll need to check prices between retailers on the more popular toy items.

For more information on what to expect this year, check out the Target Black Friday ad from last year.

Costco Black Friday

Costco is a bit of a wildcard during the Black Friday season. The Costco Black Friday sale will usually have some of the best deals anywhere, but it's less consistent in what savings it offers each year. What we do know is that Costco always offers some steep discounts on furniture, jewelry, and electronics. The same discounts you find at Amazon for select TVs and video games will likely also be available at Costco. You can also expect steeper warehouse discounts, like on the Kirkland Signature jewelry or various furniture items that are only featured for a limited time.

In addition to things like toys, gifts, and household items, Costco usually has some pretty decent grocery deals during the holiday season. You can usually find these ahead of Thanksgiving on things like turkey, snacks, and various other items. You will still need to buy in bulk, but the stacked savings on top of that are usually worth it.

For more information on what to expect this year, check out the expansive Costco Black Friday ad from last year.

Tips for Black Friday Shopping Online

It may seem silly to start planning your Black Friday shopping right now, but doing so can help you save a lot of money when it comes time to actually start making purchases. Here are a few Black Friday tips that you should consider ahead of the event:

1. Set a Budget – Keeping track of how much money you can actually spend is important to avoid overspending. When everything is on sale, it can be easy to buy more than you really should just because things are at their lowest price of the year.
2. Create a Shopping List – Knowing exactly what you're trying to find discounts on is a great way to avoid making unnecessary purchases. It can also make it easier for you to compare prices between retailers or set price drop alerts ahead of time.
3. Compare Prices – Retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart make it really easy to do all of your shopping there. That being said, those retailers don't always have the best price on the items you're looking for. Make sure to compare prices across the web before you buy something for more than you have to.
4. Research Before You Buy – If you're making an expensive purchase, make sure you do at least some research before you buy it. This means looking for independent reviews or testimony from trusted sources about those products. You shouldn't necessarily trust Amazon reviews, for example.
5. Be Wary of Search Results and AI Summaries - Search platforms, such as Google, have a tendency to be flooded with sponsored links in the results as well as AI summaries that are potentially biased. Be careful to avoid clicking on a sponsored ad if you're looking for reviews or searching for specific products by price.

Borderlands 4 is a looter shooter that revolves around… loot. But what happens when you can’t get your hard-earned Legendary drop because it got trapped out of bounds or behind an invisible wall? Desperate Borderlands 4 players are running into that exact problem and are now pleading with developer Gearbox for a fix.

If you’ve played Borderlands 4 you’ll probably know the feeling. It’s the europhoria that comes from a Legendary drop among the confetti-like explosion of loot that erupts from a downed boss. This is something the Borderlands series has always done well, perhaps better, even, than any other looter shooter. When Gearbox chief Randy Pitchford recently said if more developers better understood why gamers love loot, then Borderlands would have “good competitors,” most agreed with him.

But if that Legendary flies off and lands out of bounds, the frustration is just as intense as the euphoria that proceeded it. Double the intensity if the Legendary spirals away after a particularly difficult boss fight.

This has been a problem with Borderlands 4 since launch, but it was exacerbated this week with the weekly endgame content reset, which rotated The Oppressor into this week’s Big Encore boss fight. The problem here is The Oppressor is a flying enemy (flying enemies in shooters are almost always more annoying to fight than any other), which means it darts about the sky, sometimes over areas the player can’t reach. And what happens when you land the killing shot as it’s in the air? The loot flies sometimes lands on a roof, behind an invisible wall just out of reach, or off the map entirely.

Players are, understandably, infuriated. “Do not waste your Eridium on this week's Big Encore Boss Opressor unless you want to lose loot,” declared redditor PuzzleheadedDust8094. “If you value your Eridium and dislike getting screwed out of your items because Gearbox can't seem to prevent your loot from flying outside of the arena or through walls, you absolutely should avoid fighting this boss UNTIL THEY FIX THIS.

“I have lost so much loot to bosses dropping stuff in places you can't get to because it's a giant death pit or because of bogus invisible walls. This week’s Big Encore boss might just be the biggest offender yet. I've lost (and I wish I was joking) 7 OUT OF 10 Big Encores worth of loot. That's 700 hard earned Eridium down the drain.”

On October 21, most Hulu and Disney+ plans (including bundles) are increasing by $2 to $3 a month. You can see the breakdown of all those price increases here. This is the third time Disney+ has raised prices in three years, which makes it a valid time to debate keeping the subscription at all.

If you are dedicated to the land of Disney, which has become a cornerstone of family households as well as any fans of the MCU and Star Wars, it's worth looking at potential workarounds ahead of the price hikes. A couple of dollars a month can add up.

Last Chance to Grab Annual Disney+ Subscriptions at the Lower Price

We may take it for granted today, but imagine telling a younger version of yourself that one day there will be a magical app that will gather everything Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, and National Geographic in one place you can watch whenever and wherever you want. That's what Disney+ is, in large part thanks to all of the companies Disney owns.

However, there are so many streaming services out there and it can be tough to keep them all, no matter how much they claim to offer. With Disney+ announcing a new round of price hikes (for the third time in three years) that go into effect next week, you might be rethinking your current slate of subscriptions. You can still sign up for annual subscriptions at the lower cost, but otherwise, this guide will provide you with everything you need to know about the current Disney+ subscription plans, bundles, and more.

Everything You Need to Know About Disney+

As of October 2025, Disney+ offers two standalone plans - Disney+ Basic and Disney+ Premium - and the main differences between the two are whether you get ads, if you are able to download content to watch on the go, and if you get Dolby Atmos.

Another big decision is whether you're interested in one of the many Disney+ streaming bundles. The newest streaming bundle includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited, but you can also bundle Disney+ and Hulu with HBO Max. We break down what's included in all of these options below, and hope it helps make the decision of joining or not an even easier one!

Does Disney+ Have a Free Trial?

Disney+ does not currently offer any sort of free trial for new subscribers. One potential work around for this is to sign up for a Hulu + Live TV free trial, which grants you access to Disney+ as a bonus bundle. This is also the best way to try out the new ESPN Unlimited service. Otherwise, there are quite a few other streaming services that do offer a free trial.

Disney+ Plans and Prices (As of October 2025)

All Disney+ plans increased in price on October 17, 2024 and will increase again on October 21, 2025. This next round of price hikes increases pretty much every subscription by around $2-$3. Disney+ also recently announced its merger with Hulu starting in 2026, which has led to the Hulu and Disney+ bundle becoming the "de facto" subscription the streamer recommends you.

The following information has been updated to reflect these changes. Below is the most up-to-date information we've found from the Disney+ help page.

Disney+ Basic - $9.99/month ($11.99/month starting October 21)

• Steam Disney+ with ads
• No downloads
• Supports up to 5.1 audio
• Up to 4K UHD video quality
• Watch on four screens at once at no extra cost
• Over 300 titles in 4K UHD and HDR

This is the cheapest Disney+ option and is excellent for those who don’t mind watching a few ads and don’t feel the need to have movies and shows ready for those times when no Wi-Fi or cellular service is available. If you travel a ton or have kids and want to load up some episodes of Bluey or Spidey and His Amazing Friends on a tablet for a vacation, you may want to consider an upgrade to the premium plan.

It’s also important to note that, while Disney+ Basic does offer over 300 titles in 4K UHD and HDR, it does not offer Dolby Atmos like Disney+ Premium does.

Disney+ Premium - $15.99/month or $159.99/year ($18.99/month or $189.99/year starting October 21)

• Stream Disney+ with no ads
• Unlimited downloads on up to 10 devices
• Watch on four screens at once at no extra cost
• Over 300 titles in 4K UHD and HDR
• Dolby Atmos

There are only two tiers of Disney+, and this is the top one. With the increase in price, you get everything Disney+ Basic offers, but you also don’t have to sit through ads and can download as much as you want on up to 10 devices.

Another big benefit you get from upgrading to Disney+ Premium is the addition of Dolby Atmos, which is one of the leading surround sound technologies on the market. In addition to having sound enveloping your room, Dolby Atmos features spatial audio that allows creators to place sounds in specific places and fully immerse you in your favorite stories.

Disney+ Bundle Options

Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic - $10.99/month ($12.99/month starting October 21)

• Disney+ with ads
• Hulu with ads
• No downloads
• Watch on four screens at once at no extra cost
• Over 300 titles in 4K UHD and HDR

This bundle is for those who want to watch everything Disney+ and Hulu have to offer, but don’t mind watching ads and don’t need to download content to their devices. With Hulu merging with Disney+ in 2026, this has essentially become the "standard" Disney+ plan.

In the last few years, the base iPhone has been pushed to the sidelines as Apple reserved the flashiest upgrades for the Pro models. This time, against the redesigned Pro and new Air, the gap appeared even wider. Except, while the new iPhone 17 looks the same as before, it not only catches up on last year’s Pro additions, but also goes toe-to-toe with the 17 Pro in more ways than one.

The iPhone 17 brings several long-overdue features that were missing on its predecessor and have been available on budget Android phones for generations. Most notably, the screen now has a variable refresh rate, which means it’s smoother and can always remain on. Paired with other quality-of-life upgrades, like faster charging and a smarter and sharper selfie camera, this year’s entry-level iPhone feels far more premium than ever, and at the same $799 starting price, an excellent value among the best smartphones you can buy.

Apple iPhone 17 – Design and Build

Design is the one aspect that’s a constant reminder that the iPhone 17 is the base variant of Apple’s 2025 lineup. Unlike the Air and the Pro, the iPhone 17’s exterior is nearly indistinguishable from the 16. The two cameras on the back are still laid out vertically on the top left corner, and the body is composed of the same brushed metal sides sandwiched between a glossy front glass and a matte rear one.

Look closer, however, and there are a handful of giveaways. The iPhone 17 is a hair taller, courtesy of the larger screen, and a touch heavier. Because of the thinner bezels up front, though, this bump up in size doesn’t affect its ergonomics, and it continues to be a comfortable form factor for most people. I do wish, though, that Apple had figured out a way to make it less wobbly when lying on a flat surface. I’m not a fan of the new color options, either, which are not as punchy as before.

One other difference is that the glass over the display is now stronger, and as per Apple, three times more resistant to scratches. That seems to match my experience – when I dropped the 17 on a hard surface, it came out unscathed.

While unchanged, the iPhone 17 looks clean and charming, but I do hope Apple updates the design next year.

Apple iPhone 17 – Display

As an iPhone 16 user, the iPhone 17’s screen felt like a significant step-up. While it has the same sharp resolution as before, it’s now bigger at 6.3 inches, and since the bezels have been slimmed down further, watching content feels more immersive. It also gains a higher 120Hz refresh rate, making everyday operations, like scrolling and playing compatible games, far smoother.

Even though it seems like a cosmetic upgrade, the 120Hz screen makes a huge difference in day-to-day experience. Previously, when I returned to the iPhone 16 after spending days with a 120Hz-capable phone, its display felt like a relic and just not as fun to use.

More importantly, the screen can lower the refresh rate down to 1Hz to preserve battery life, and enable, at long last, an always-on lockscreen – an ability that’s remained exclusive to the Pro for the last four years. In this mode, once you lock the phone, it dims the screen and continues to show you the time, notifications, widgets, and wallpaper. This cut down how often I unlocked my phone, as I could just glance at the time and other information without picking it up while it’s on my desk.

The one feature that I didn’t expect to appreciate as much as I did was the screen’s new anti-reflective coating. Coupled with the improved max brightness of 3000 nits, the iPhone 17’s screen now matches its Pro peers and is much better for reading outdoors under direct sunlight.

Apple iPhone 17 – Software

The iPhone 17 ships with iOS 26, which overhauls the software’s interface with a fresh design language called Liquid Glass. It replicates the “optical qualities of glass,” bringing translucent elements that refract light and colors beneath them and react playfully to your input. I wasn’t sold on iOS 26’s look when it first arrived, but over time, I’ve come to appreciate how entertaining it is to operate. I also like that in certain ways, it makes the UI more practical, such as relocating the Settings app’s search bar to the screen’s bottom.

What’s surprising, though, is that iOS 26 doesn’t dramatically upgrade the iPhone’s AI tools. Siri, in particular, still feels like it’s stuck in a pre-AI era and redirects the more complex queries to ChatGPT, which can take multiple steps. AI editing in the Photos app, too, isn’t as powerful as Google’s or Samsung’s counterparts, and struggles to erase objects from complicated scenes.

The two highlights from my iOS 26 experience were the new call screening tools. With Hold Assist, for example, the iPhone waits in line for you on a customer support call and notifies you when the live agent is ready. Similarly, the “Call Screening” bot answers unknown callers on your behalf, and once it collects details, like their name and reason for calling, it lets you know, and you can decide whether you want to pick it up. While these additions are not revolutionary and have been available on competitors for years, they are handy to have, and I relied on them at least a couple of times a day.

Apple iPhone 17 – Performance and Battery Life

Even after a year, my iPhone 16 has hardly shown signs of slowing down, but that hasn’t stopped Apple from equipping the iPhone 17 with an upgraded A19 chip.

The new processor isn’t all too different from the 16’s A18, barring a couple of exceptions. Its GPU is outfitted with Neural Accelerators to boost AI tasks, and it shows in real-life testing: the iPhone 17 takes less time to process AI queries, like cleaning up photos and analyzing scenes via Visual Intelligence. Though it has the same 8GB of RAM, the base storage has been doubled to 256GB.

In addition, the iPhone 17 runs on a new Apple-designed wireless chip, the N1, which enables better Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as improves the performance of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop. These upgrades were sorely needed, as both AirDrop and hotspot, at times, refused to work on the iPhone 16. The 17 also gains the Pro model’s dual‑frequency GPS for ensuring location services work better inside buildings.

Apart from that, you’d be hard-pressed to find a task that fazes the iPhone 17. In day-to-day use, from multitasking to scrolling resource-heavy websites, the A19 ran without breaking a sweat. Gaming performance isn’t as strong as the Pro's, and though it can smoothly run the majority of games on the App Store, some of the heavier ones, like Assassin's Creed Mirage, can stutter at the highest graphic settings. The lack of a Pro’s vapor chamber cooling system was apparent, too, as the iPhone 17 routinely got overheated and uncomfortable to hold during longer gaming sessions and wireless charging.

Speaking of which, faster 40W wired charging has trickled down from the Pro to the iPhone 17 as well this year. The iPhone 17 now takes just 20 minutes to go from empty to 50%, compared to the iPhone 16’s 30 minutes. Wireless charging, on the other hand, has largely remained identical. You can top it up from zero to 50% in 30 minutes on a MagSafe/Qi2 wireless charger.

Thanks to the A19’s improved efficiency and a slightly larger battery, the iPhone 17 also has longer endurance. On a single charge, it can comfortably last a day and a little more, with around five hours of screen time.

Apple iPhone 17 – Cameras

The iPhone 17 inherits its predecessor’s 48-megapixel main camera, but swaps out the 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor for a higher-res 48-megapixel one. In most scenarios, the iPhone 17 captures sharp and natural-looking photos. While its HDR isn’t as aggressive as the Google Pixel's, it produces a balanced dynamic range that handles bright backgrounds well, without unnecessarily overexposing the frame. I didn’t notice a whole lot of difference in the ultrawide camera’s quality, but it shows up in low-light scenes, where the higher-res lens comes in handy to better capture details around the edges.

At night, the iPhone 17’s camera still, unfortunately, struggles with moving subjects and indoor lighting, where images lack sharpness and color accuracy. More importantly, against bright light, it still annoyingly produces flares in shots. No dedicated telephoto lens either, yet, unlike Google, which added one to the Pixel 10 this year. Apple’s “optical-quality” 2x crop, though acceptable for quick zoomed-in snaps, is no match for the depth or detail you get from a physical lens.

The upgraded 18-megapixel selfie camera, however, is another story. It now sports a square sensor, which allows it to shoot a wider field of view -- ideal for group selfies. Its AI also automatically detects when more people join the frame and expands the field of view, like rotating from portrait to landscape, without forcing you to play finger gymnastics. The addition of Center Stage is a welcome change, too, and on video calls, the iPhone 17’s camera will track your movement to keep you in frame.

On the iPhone 17, you can also record videos on the front and rear cameras simultaneously, albeit it limits you to 30fps. It’s a nice party trick, and my friends and I had fun with it at a sports event, but since then, I mostly forgot about it. It will likely appeal more to professional content creators.

The Camera Control button is still here, too. Apple hasn’t made any modifications to its flimsy mechanism, so I continue to just use it to open the camera app and never to actually control it.

For this weekend only, Lenovo has dropped the price on one of its most popular gaming laptops to its lowest price ever. The Legion Pro 5i Gen 10 gaming laptop, equipped with an OLED display and RTX 5070 Ti GPU, is down to $1,717.49 after two stackable coupon codes: "BUYMORELENOVO" and "EXTRAFIVE". That's over $750 off in combined savings. The RTX 5070 Ti is a powerful mobile GPU that will easily run game you throw at it on the display's 1600p resolution.

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Gen 10 RTX 5070 Ti Laptop for $1,717

Who's your starter Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Z-A? Wait, wait, let me guess: is it Totodile?

Odds are, I was correct, at least based on a poll we've conducted surrounding the launch of Z-A yesterday. Our poll's been up for 22 hours and has over 11,000 votes from IGN readers, and it reveals that of the three Z-A starter Pokémon, over half of IGN's audience is picking Totodile over Tepig or Chikorita.

At the time this piece was written, water-type Totodile had 56% of the vote, with 24% choosing grass-type Chikorita, and only 20%, one-fifth of our readers, picking fire-type Tepig -- and we agree with the winner: Totodile is the best pick, stats-wise, with some caveats we go over in our Pokemon Legends: Z-A Best Starter Guide. Update: At 32K votes, Totodile remains locked at 56%, Chikorita at 25.3%, and Tepig at a tepid 18.7%).

This might not be a shock to anyone, though, as Totodile has long been a fan-favorite. Just look at the bitey boy! Chikorita and Tepig have historically gone less-loved, and Tepig in particular is an outlier in this trio as both Totodile and Chikorita hail from Johto, while Tepig was a starter in Pokémon Black, White, Black 2, and White 2.

That said, while I personally went with Chikorita (having picked Totodile in Generation 2 every single time and wanting a change-up), I gotta say, Tepig by far has the best final Mega Evolution of the three. All members of this trio get new Mega Evolutions in Z-A, and while I won't spoil them here, Meganium's was rather disappointing and Feraligatr's just looks weird. Emboar though? Looking awesome.

Don't overthink it though. All three starters are perfectly viable for the entirety of Z-A's campaign, and it's very easy to catch all three Pokémon for your PokeDex once you hit the endgame, so you won't be missing out.

You can learn more about the starter Pokémon and their evolutions in our Wiki guide if you're still on the fence. Then check out our in-progress Pokémon Legends: Z-A Walkthrough, plus our Side Missions List to make sure you don't miss anything. We've also got a Pokémon Legends: Z-A Pokedex, and most importantly, a guide to All Clothing Stores and Clothing in Pokémon Legends: Z-A so you can catch 'em all in style. And my review-in-progress of Pokémon Legends: Z-A is now live, if you want to check out my impressions of the first 24 hours, with a full review coming next week.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Hulu has been around for a while and, for our money, it's one of the absolute best streaming services available. From great movies like Anora and Predator: Killer of Killers to excellent television series like Shogun, The Bear, and Alien: Earth, there is always something awesome to watch.

Given recent news that Hulu will soon be fully integrated into the Disney+ app, now's a great time to check out a bundle that includes both Hulu and Disney+. On the other hand, both services will be getting price hikes this month, making it worth doing some research before locking in a new subscription. Below, we've detailed all of the best Hulu deals and bundles so you can get started on your streaming adventures with its library right away.

Our Top Pick: The Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Streaming Bundle

Battlefield 6 movement is top of mind for EA, Battlefield Studios, and players, as the community’s latest debate has formed around the topic of “zoomers” vs. “battledads.”

Few gaming communities take movement mechanics as seriously as first-person shooter fans. As gamers new and old now drop into what has become one of the most popular Battlefield games ever, everyone's talking about what kind of player Battlefield 6 should cater to.

Apparently I'm a "Battledad" now cuz I enjoy playing games slower and don't want to always be zooming around.

It's ok young one, it'll hit you too one day. You'll get it and understand why it's still fun.

— CRREAM (@CrReaM) September 18, 2025

While FPS games like Call of Duty have ramped up movement shooter mechanics with things like jet packs, wall-running, and, more recently, Omnimovement, players have long seen Battlefield as the yin to that yang, offering a more methodical approach to the tactical military shooter sub-genre. So, when the August Battlefield 6 beta revealed mechanics that leaned more into movement shooter territory than the series had ever experienced before, longtime fans – often not-so-lovingly referred to as "battledads" – were quick to ask for changes.

EA and BF Studios obliged, announcing that Battlefield 6 movement had been tweaked to “create a more balanced and traditional Battlefield experience,” later that same month. Changes included reduced horizontal speed and a hit to jump momentum that many had used to dance around others. Shooting while jumping or sliding was also nerfed, thus causing a stir amongst newer fans — often called zoomers — who typically favored movement shooters, such as Call of Duty. You can probably see where this is going.

Battlefield 6 developers have removed building momentum and bunny hopping, and yeeting yourself 10-30 feet off ledges and cover.

DICE has introduced aim penalties when sliding and shooting, jumping and shooting and trying to spam movement.

Movement community is in shambles. https://t.co/FDiALnPDxU pic.twitter.com/3szUfUcFzT

— Xfactor Gaming - Battlefield 6 (@rivaLxfactor) September 18, 2025

“Another AAA studio gutting movement to cater to people that play games one hour a week that will never run into people utilizing movement tech anyway,” content creator and X/Twitter user @Reave said at the time.

“Oh go fly a kite, bro,” content creator and X user @TeioStreams replied. “If you want movement in your shooter go play COD. Battlefield’s a different kind of game.”

This is where the line in the sand remains for fans today, now months later. Launch has come and gone, and while many of those same battledads and others feel the movement is just right, those on the zoomer side are asking for Battlefield 6 movement nerfs to be reverted.

As pointed out by PC Gamer, EA and BF Studios fall somewhere in between.

We're looking at adjustments for sure to find a good in-between, we already have some changes that are cooking on our side and monitoring the feedback for more🙂

— Florian - DRUNKKZ3 (@DRUNKKZ3) October 12, 2025

DICE principal game designer Florian Le Bihan remains active on social media as players parse out the best path for Battlefield 6. His recent comments may disappoint players on both sides, as he teases smaller adjustments without impacting base movement speed.

“We won't go back to Open Beta movement but we are working on some slight adjustments that will help with some parts that feel a bit clunky,” Bihan said when asked for a proper return to Battlefield 6 movement from the public August build earlier this week. “We'll share more about that as soon as we can!”

The zoomer crowd is on the edges of their seats, waiting to see just how close they can get to a return to the fast-paced Battlefield 6 movement they enjoyed. Battledads aren’t quite as enthusiastic, with some sharing fears of “overcorrection.”

Go back to your CoD slop if you think the movement now is worse than in the beta. Beta was fine but now it is even better

— Clemens S (@MrCleman1) October 12, 2025

“My main concern is they’ll over-adjust again, just like what happened with [Battlefield 2042],” one popular Reddit post says. “They went from massive maps that felt too open to mostly small or mid-sized ones only. It was a total overcorrection. Don't repeat the same mistake with movement DICE.”

We’ll have to wait to see how substantial any upcoming movement changes end up being, but one week removed from launch, one thing is certain: the Battlefield 6 team is moving quickly. New hotfixes for community requests and glitches have been published nearly every day, with recent examples including the reduction of Conquest ticket sizes (which was promptly walked back following fan outcry) and a fix for spotty hit registration. Upcoming updates promise changes to Battlefield 6’s pesky lighting system, as well as a crackdown on XP farms.

Battlefield 6 launched for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S October 10 and sold 7 million copies in its first three days. For more on Battlefield 6, visit IGN's Battlefield 6 guide for a complete list and video of all campaign collectible locations, tips for getting an edge in multiplayer, and more.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is finally here, and what makes this handheld gaming PC special is its ability to run multiple game launchers within the Xbox Full Screen Experience. This makes the device much easier to use than other handhelds that force you to deal with the Windows Desktop on a touchscreen. The only real downside here is that most of the third-party launchers that Microsoft is currently allowing within the Xbox app haven’t been optimized for controllers. So, for most of them you will still have to poke at your screen a little bit. But hey, at least you can download and install the apps themselves without having to launch a web browser.

Xbox

Because the Xbox Ally X is a Windows 11 device – at least by default – you will have to sign into a Microsoft account to even use the handheld. When you boot up into the Xbox app for the first time, it’ll ask you whether or not your current Microsoft account is the same as your Xbox account. For most people the answer to this will be yes.

If not, under where it says “Use a different account,” scroll down to “Microsoft account” with the D-Pad and hit the A button – or you can just tap it with your finger. Then, hit “Continue” then follow the instructions on-screen to get signed into your Xbox account. Once you’re signed in, a screen showing your Xbox profile picture will appear with a big green button that says “Let’s Go”. Click that and then you’ll be in the Xbox app.

Once you’re all signed into your Xbox account, use the controller to navigate over to the Library tab – it’ll look like a bunch of books on a shelf. Once you’re there, tab over to “My Apps” and you’ll see the other apps you can install.

Steam

Within “My Apps,” find the Steam Logo and then navigate over to it and hit the A button or just tap it with your finger. It should already be installed, and it’ll open in a new window. As soon as you open the program, it’ll start by checking for updates, and then it’ll open into Big Picture Mode, where you’ll have to pick your language and time zone.

Once that’s done, you’ll see the sign-in page. Either enter your user name and password, or if you’re like me, and you use Steam Guard, scan the QR code with the Steam mobile app. There’s also a “create Steam Account” button under the QR code if you don’t already have an account. Once you’ve signed in, Steam will download your user data, then walk you through a tour of Big Picture Mode. And, there you go, you’re signed into Steam and ready to download your games.

Epic Games Store

Go back to the Xbox app, then navigate to “My apps” and click on or tap the Epic Games Store option. Unlike Steam, you’ll have to download it, but the Xbox app will take care of that for you. Just wait for the green spinning circle to stop and then follow the on-screen instructions to navigate through the installation wizard. It’s likely you’ll have to use the touch screen a couple times throughout this process.

Once the Epic Games Store is installed, you’ll get the sign-in screen. There are several options to sign in, especially if you’ve already linked your account to your PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo account through something like Fortnite – or you can just sign in with an email and password. Once you’ve signed in, and you get past the two-factor authentication, you’ll be able to download your games. However, keep in mind that Epic has not implemented gamepad controls in its app, so you’ll have to use the touchscreen to navigate the app, and it’s not the best experience. But, hey, it works!

Battle.net

Just like the Epic Games Store, you can download the Battle.net app by finding it in the “My apps” section, tapping it or clicking on it. Once the app is downloaded, you’ll be asked to select a language. Once that’s selected, the app will go through its installation process. Just hit yes when it asks you for permission and you’ll get through it.

Once the app is installed, it should show a very skinny vertical sign-in page. If it doesn’t, and it kicks you back to the library in the Xbox app, just re-open the Battle.net app and it’ll bring you to the login screen. From there either sign into your account or create a new one, and then it’ll bring you to the app. However, just like the Epic Games Store, Blizzard hasn’t worked in controller support, so you’ll have to use the touch screen to navigate the program.

GOG

Go back to the Xbox app and navigate to the “My apps” page again. Then, click on or tap the GOG Galaxy logo to install the new app. Once it’s downloaded, you’ll be guided through the navigation process, and you will probably have to use the touch screen to get through it. Once it’s done, make sure “launch GOG Galaxy” is checked and hit finish. Then, you’ll get another narrow login screen. From there either enter your email or password, or use one of the other sign-in methods.

Once you’re signed in, the app will open, and you’ll be able to download games from GOG. However, just like Battle.net and Epic Games Store, you won’t be able to use the gamepad to navigate the app, beyond setting it to Desktop mode to emulate a mouse.

Ubisoft Connect

Again, like the other third-party launchers, go back to the Xbox app and navigate to the “My apps” tab of the library page. Once you’re there, navigate to the Ubisoft Connect logo and click it, or tap it with your finger. Like with the other launchers, this will download the app and start the installation process. Then, use the touch screen to get through the installation process. The app will go through a couple of splash screens where it’ll check for updates, and then it’ll send you to the login screen.

Simply enter your email and password, and then tap “login” with your finger. Once that’s done, you’ll be in the Ubisoft app, where you can navigate your library and download games. However, unlike a lot of the third-party platforms, you can navigate this app with the controller, which makes it one of the easiest launchers to actually use.

Everything Else

Any other game, app or launcher that isn’t immediately displayed in the Xbox “My apps” tab will need to be installed and used in desktop mode. That’s not ideal, but you can access the desktop in two ways. The easiest is to hold down the Xbox button and then navigate down to the Windows Desktop button and hit the A button. Or, you can just use your finger to swipe up from the bottom of the screen and tap the Desktop button.

Once you’re in Desktop mode, you can use Microsoft Edge to download and install whatever your little heart desires. Though, keep in mind that with the way the Xbox app works right now, you won’t be able to add other apps to the Full Screen Experience, which can be a pain if it’s an app you need to use regularly. Hopefully Microsoft either changes this or simply adds way more apps that you can download in the Full Screen Experience. We’ll just have to wait and see for that, though.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra

Atari, which has heavily mined its early consoles for nostalgia dollars with re-creations like the Atari 2600+ and the Atari 400 Mini, has now also exhumed the corpse of one of its earliest competitors: The Intellivision. The company has announced the Intellivision Sprint, a modern take on that console with 45 built-in games that you can play on your HDMI-capable TV. Atari also released an overwrought video announcement with an admittedly sick Waveshaper & Oscillian track.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's what you need to know: The Intellivision was released in 1979 to compete with the underpowered-by-comparison Atari 2600. It featured two controllers that docked into slots in the top of the console and were connected to it by these coiled cables that I would compare to a phone cord, but I guess that's a dated reference at this point, too. IGN has a brief history of the Intellivision that you can read for more.

The Intellivision Sprint includes one HDMI port and a pair of wireless controllers that recharge by docking them in the top of the console. The full list of built-in games includes B-17 Bomber, Boulder Dash, Snafu, and Astrosmash. As noted by The Verge, the Sprint won't work with game cartridges, but there is a "USB-A port for library expansion," according to the press release about the Sprint.

In addition to an HDMI port and that USB-A expansion port, around the back you'll find a USB-C port for power and two more USB-A ports labeled "Port1" and "Port2" – Atari's product page for the console says those support original Intellivision controllers, if you can track down the appropriate adapters. A quick Google search revealed a number of them, though I've never tried one and can't tell you which is worth buying. The $149.99 Intellivision Sprint is up for preorder now and ships starting on December 5th in the US.

Wes is a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they call him) who has covered technology, gaming, and entertainment steadily since 2020 at Gizmodo, Tom's Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and most recently, The Verge. Inside of him there are two wolves: one that thinks it wouldn't be so bad to start collecting game consoles again, and the other who also thinks this, but more strongly.

The LEGO Icons Pirates of the Caribbean Jack Sparrow's Pirate Ship set splits the difference between toy and collector’s item in a delightful way. It’s detailed, complicated and a great display piece, but still includes a eight character minifigures to place around the build. This set represents LEGO's current goal of enticing older audiences by presenting a more difficult, adult-focused build that still appeals to their sense of whimsy and play.

As someone who absolutely adored the Pirates movies as a child, I really enjoyed this build and felt it was surprisingly challenging in a way I didn’t expect from LEGO. If you’re a long-time fan of the film franchise like me, but with an adult budget to spend, this may be the perfect set to tackle next.

The set comes with 22 numbered bags, a packet for the fabric sails, a few bags containing the mast pieces and rigging, and seven large pieces loose in the box that make the foundation of the hull.

You start the build with the hull pieces, connecting them and reinforcing the base, then building up from there. This actually ends up being the middle “slice” of the hull, which allows you to build on a flat surface as opposed to a stand like some of LEGO’s other ship builds.

This first stage is what takes the longest, or at least feels the longest. Starting with the large hull pieces, you build up, creating the lower deck and all of its details. This includes laying the foundation for the moveable cannons – of which there are 16 total – and the walls that support the build above.

A quick note on the rods and moving parts: when building the sliding pieces that create the canon barrage above, ensure none of your pieces are bent and the white L brackets are slotting correctly into the sides so the overall motion is smooth. A few of my pieces were a little bent out of the bag which made the motion on one side of the ship a little stiff and hard to use while the other side was smooth.

Back to the cannons. Now that the foundations are in place, it's time to build out the armaments on the lower deck. The original Black Pearl from the film has nine gun ports on the lower deck, plus more above, but thankfully the LEGO version cut that number down. This Black Pearl is equipped with 16 moveable cannons total (8 on each side) which you are instructed to build over the course of multiple bags. This was a bit of a slog after I realized how many I had to build. The set does spread out the building process over multiple bags, but I still found it a repetitive process, even if I did get treated to a new minifigure every time I started a new section.

The labor is worth it though because in the end it creates a very cool visual effect as the cannons slide out of the gun ports in unison and I played with them constantly as I continued building.

After you finish the bulk of the hull, the build speeds up significantly. This is due mostly to the fact that you start to get into the details, including one of my favorite parts of the whole build: the curves on the bow of the ship. I’m always delighted when a LEGO set includes curved details; to me it feels novel and unexpected in a brick building system like LEGO, and the bow of the ship exhibits that perfectly. Its curving lines emulate the in-movie version well and I found it to be a really creative solution to accomplish those specific curves and angles.

On to the next stage, which I consider to be the real showstopper of this set: the Captain’s Quarters. After a few quick steps building the upper deck and connecting the second movable element – the steering wheel – you get to dive into decorating the captain’s quarters at the rear of the ship. Designed to mimic the iconic dinner scene with Barbosa and Elizabeth from Curse of the Black Pearl, this area includes delightful little details like a stack of maps, goblets, and of course the iconic (definitely not poisoned) green apple.

This section again establishes that balance between collector’s item and toy. The back and roof of this room are easily detachable with bars and clips, perfect for posing characters in a scene, but able to be reattached securely for displaying the ship as a whole.

The rear wall of the ship itself is an incredible show of LEGO’s engineering. Using clear 1x1 blocks and curved pieces originally designed to be a car fender, you create the illusion of elaborate arched windows. Black filigrees clip in above to mimic the Pearl’s elaborate carved woodwork while three clear, domed lanterns sit above. Overall, it's stunning and I admired it often while I continued on.

A few bags is all it takes to assemble the underside of the ship and the two stand pieces the whole ship rests on. It is a little tricky to make sure everything is aligned in order to join the massive – and at this point pretty heavy – hull with the now assembled keel and stand. I had luck gently laying the hull on top and then moving just the front of the ship around, as it's a little less cumbersome to not have to support its weight at the same time, until it clicked in place. After this step, you’ll have most of the build done!

Next, you’ll finish the details on the top deck and sails. There’s a lot of “fiddly” pieces here which I had a little trouble with and may be something to keep in mind when considering this set if you have different dexterity or hand mobility. The masts themselves aren’t too tricky to assemble, but the sails can take some time, so patience is encouraged at this step! Also note: when you are retrieving your sail pieces from their packet, double check you have the right size. There are 5 or 6 different sizes and shapes – all of which are the same black cloth – so double check you’ve collected the correct item before proceeding, unlike me!

The final step of the build is the last details on the deck, including the two movable anchors that sit on the bow of the ship, the angel masthead, and the removable cover for the front deck which also houses the ships single dinghy. With all those pieces in place, you have a complete Black Pearl!

Overall this set took longer than expected to build, clocking in at around 10 hours, but I love the final product and I appreciate that the process felt appropriately challenging at times and actually took some effort. That’s a defining feature of these sets geared towards older audiences and I would say the Black Pearl definitely warrants its 18+ age range. The look of the ship itself is a faithful representation of the iconic ship from the beloved Pirates franchise and it’s a great addition to any collector’s home.

LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship, Set #10365, retails for $379.99, and it is composed of 2,862 pieces. It is available exclusively at the LEGO Store.

Streaming services are getting increasingly bloated, more competitive, and more convoluted, and many people are realizing it's actually more expensive than a standard cable subscription if you want to have it all. However, if you're looking for a simple solution that offers live TV, sports, news, plus a massive back catalog of content that includes just about everything from Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and more, then Hulu + Live TV just might be the perfect service for you. And if you don't care about live TV, then the Disney+, Hulu, Max bundle is what you're looking for instead.

Does Hulu + Live TV Have Free Trial?

Hulu + Live TV features over 95 channels in the base service including local network affliliates and news from ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. Additionally, it features popular channels such as Comedy Central, ESPN, FX, Food Network, Disney Channel, HGTV, The History Channel, ID, Lifetime, MTV, NFL Network, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, and more.

Can You Watch Live Sports on Hulu + Live TV?

Yes! You can watch many of the most popular sports on Hulu + Live TV including NFL, NCAA, NBA, MLB, NHL, international soccer, UFC, and more. Whatever's airing live on TV will be available to watch, so if you're looking to watch your favorite non-local team, you may need to subscribe to a premium service to catch those games. However, there are a number of sporting events regularly available on local channels as well as CBS Sports Network, NFL Network, ESPN, and FS1, just to name a few. It's one of the best overall streaming services for sports.

This means that you can watch MLB and stream NFL games with this service as well.

Matthew Adler is a Commerce, Features, Guides, News, Previews, and Reviews writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.

If you're looking to cut the cord with cable, then Hulu + Live TV is one of the best alternatives right now. Hulu + Live TV is a complete streaming package that combines the base Hulu subscription with over 95 live TV channels as well as Disney+ and ESPN. For a limited time you can get your first 3 months of $64.99 with no hidden fees to worry about. Afterwards, you'll be enrolled into the standard $82.99 rate plan unless you choose to cancel before your subscription ends.

Hulu + Live TV deals don't come around often and they don't last very long. This particular promotion ends at 3pm PT on October 23. New subscribers and anyone who hasn't had an active subscription in the past month are eligible. Current subscribers of Hulu, Disney, or ESPN are not eligible.

Hulu + Live TV Deal Expires 10/23

Lenovo's most powerful Legion gaming PC just dropped to a new price low for this weekend only (this deal probably ends on Monday). The Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 10 gaming PC equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor and RTX 5090 graphics card is marked down to $3,859.99 after two stackable coupon codes "SPOOKYLEGION1" and "BUYMORELENOVO". That's over $1,300 off in combined savings. This configuration is exclusive to Lenovo direct and you won't be able to find it at traditional retailer sites like Amazon, Newegg, or Best Buy.

Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 10 RTX 5090 Gaming PC for $3,860

Maintaining a tidy desk area doesn't have to be labor intensive or expensive. Compressed air canisters used to be the standard but nowadays there is a more versatile and cost effective solution. Amazon is offering the JVSCAM Cordless Rechargeable Electric Air Duster (Air Blower) for just $19.99 after you apply coupon code "U6C8Z5P7". Most electric air dusters under $50 on Amazon are pretty much identical, so if you're looking for an air duster in that general price range, I'd recommend just getting whichever one is least expensive. There are other more powerful and better built options like the Wolfbox MF100, but they cost 3x-5x more.

JVSCAM Cordless Electric Air Duster for PC for $19.99

Back to the Future was such a cultural phenomenon — but interestingly enough, there’s still mystery surrounding the production. Michael J. Fox, who played Marty McFly, recently published his memoir Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum, and in it he detailed something of an on-set feud with Crispin Glover, who played McFly’s father George.

As reported by ScreenRant, Fox claimed that that Glover “created friction” with his acting style on set. "Nobody puts Crispin in a box,” he explained. “But that didn’t prevent the camera crew from literally building a box around him."

The actor had "his own ideas as to how and where" his character should move, which created some tensions with the crew.

"As Crispin approached the camera, he was meant to stay in a lane between the clothesline and me. But Crispin had a different plan,” Fox wrote. “My guess is that he saw George as a wanderer, a free spirit who traveled in random patterns — in this case, perpendicular to the camera."