We've made it, friends. The last month of the year has arrived, and it's bringing a handful of new PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and PC games to see us through until the new year. Most (but not all!) of the biggest games of 2025 have already arrived, but a few more are yet to come. This month we get games like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Octopath Traveler 0, and perhaps most importantly, Terminator 2D: No Fate. Read on to see release dates for all the biggest games and expansions coming out this month and beyond. Let's have a look.
If you're the preordering type, you can click the links for the platform of your choice to see the game at Amazon (if available).
Post Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Lenovo continues to dish out great deals on its Legion gaming lineup thanks to some coupon codes that are still live. For example, you can pick up this Legion Tower 7 RTX 5080 gaming PC for just $1,979.99 after you stack two coupon codes: "EXTRAFIVE" and "LENOVOHOLIDEAL". If you're looking for a future-proof system, this PC is powerful enough to set you up for high-fps 4K gaming for years to come.
Lenovo Legion Tower 7 RTX 5080 Gaming PC for $1,980
The Legion Tower 7 is Lenovo's top-end desktop computer, boasting a well-ventilated chassis with a mesh front panel housing six total 120mm fans and a 850W 80Plus Gold power supply. Lenovo uses non-proprietary parts and the chassis offers toolless entry, so it's pretty easy to go in and upgrade the memory and storage capacity yourself.
This particular configuration features an Intel Core Ultra 7 265K processor, GeForce RTX 5080 16GB graphics card, 32GB of DDR5-5600MHz of RAM, and a 2TB PCIe Gen 4 M.2 SSD. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a 20-core CPU with a max turbo frequency of 5.5GHz. It's a great gaming chip and you'll find no (gaming) uplift moving to a Core 9 CPU. It's cooled by a robust 360mm all-in-one liquid cooling system.
The RTX 5080 is the second best Blackwell graphics card, surpassed only by the $2,000 RTX 5090. It's about 5%-10% faster than the previous generation RTX 4080 Super, which is discontinued and no longer available. In games that support DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation exclusive to Blackwell cards, the gap widens. This is an outstanding card for playing even the latest games at 4K resolution with high settings and ray tracing enabled. Read more in our RTX 5080 GPU review.
Why Choose Lenovo?
Lenovo Legion gaming PCs and laptops generally feature better build quality than what you'd find from other prebuilt PCs. For desktop PCs in particular, people like the fact that Lenovo does not use proprietary components in its computer systems, so they're easier to upgrade with off-the-shelf parts. Although we haven't yet reviewed the new 2025 models, we have reviewed last year's Legion 7 desktop and really liked its build quality and performance.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
For TV/gaming enthusiasts on a budget, we live in a remarkable time: A 65" 4K television can be had for as little as $300. Before you get too excited, we’d argue that this Big Box Retailer Special class of TVs is compromised in so many ways that the gaming experience is simply not good enough. At best, you'll be getting a dim TV with poor viewing angles, limited color depth, no high refresh rates, and lackluster pixel response times.
These TVs don't look much different from a mid-range TV pulled straight out of 2016, and they likely won't last anywhere near as long. Can you play games on it? Sure, but based on our testing, we’ve found the true entry point for gaming TVs really starts around $650. That’s where we finally get access to tech that was just barely creeping into very expensive, high-end sets a decade ago. I'm confident enough to say that our winner for the best budget gaming TV, the TCL QM6K, has met and/or exceeded that previous top-end performance.
But first, a bit about our criteria.
All candidates in the budget gaming TV category had to meet three specific requirements:
Full array local dimming
Quantum dot or other enhanced backlight
120Hz + refresh rate with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support
There are a lot of “decent” televisions out there that meet some of these criteria ($300 buys you none), but in 2025, great HDR gaming requires all three. Edge-lit TVs can’t show the stark local contrast that makes HDR content pop, and they suffer from serious blooming, especially off-angle. Standard LED backlights also fall well short of covering the DCI-P3 color space, leaving pictures dull and lifeless. And with modern gaming consoles fully supporting 120Hz “performance” modes with VRR, a fixed 60Hz refresh rate means the gaming experience is tarnished with the tearing and judder associated with typical V-Sync behavior.
We know that $650 seems steep for a budget category, but we’re honestly impressed with TCL’s ability to deliver high-end features – ones that make HDR gaming quite literally a game-changing experience – into a package that only costs $650. TCL isn’t alone, though; Hisense is also incredibly competitive at the entry level, and its U65QF was right up there in contention for the win. Both are great sets (the U65QF is brighter and more colorful), but the QM6K gets the nod because its motion performance – critical for blur-free gaming – is stand-out better.
Speaking of motion performance, LG’s entry-tier B5 OLED, with its perfect response times, is still the superior option for gamers who demand the best, pure gaming experience, but at $1,000 for the 65” version, it represents a serious hike in price, stretching the bounds of our budget category.
TL;DR: These Are the Best Budget Gaming TVs
1. TLCL QM6K
Best Budget Gaming TV
At a budget price point, don't expect to be blown away by the HDR experience from any television, but TCL's QM6K is a very respectable performer: OK brightness, excellent colors, a 144Hz max refresh rate with VRR/AMD FreeSync Pro, coupled with excellent pixel response times makes it a win for PC/console gamers on a budget.
In our review, we were very impressed with the QM6K. That sentiment still stands, making the QM6K our definitive pick for Best Budget Gaming TV. Especially impressive was its ability to handle HDR highlights without significant blooming or haloing, given its limited zone count. Color performance is also excellent, helped by the KSF phosphor in its backlight. For watching movies and playing games, we also found off-angle viewing to be great, with limited loss of contrast and color saturation even well off-center.
TCL also has a knack for finely tuning the response time performance of its HVA panels: The QM6K has excellent response times and presents a smooth and judder-free gaming experience at any framerate thanks to its 144Hz max refresh rate and support for VRR, FreeSync Premium Pro, and ALLM. Two full-speed HDMI 2.1 ports allow simultaneous connections for both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles, leaving the other HDMI ports available for lower refresh rate devices.
Below $650, though, concessions have to be made. Fullscreen brightness isn’t particularly good; this is not a TV that will “wow” you with bright highlights. This isn’t helped by TCL’s decision to use a glossy screen coating with no real anti-reflective treatment. If your primary viewing environment is brightly lit, the QM6K might not give the pop you’re looking for. We also found the Google TV interface slow and laggy.
Still, TCL has somehow delivered a very respectable performer with the QM6K, making it our budget gaming TV to beat.
2. Hisense U65QF
Second-Best Gaming TV
If only Hisense paid a bit more attention to its response time tuning, the U65QF would be the easy choice for budget gamers. Smeary motion lets down an otherwise brilliant, high refresh rate screen: 1,000 nits at entry level, deep, vibrant colors, and well behaved local dimming with 300 zones make HDR really pop.
Let’s get it out of the way: the U65QF would have taken top spot over the QM6K in our budget recommendation if Hisense spent more time cleaning up and tuning the panel’s pixel response times.
Preliminary results from my upcoming review are done, and the measurements indicate that Hisense has all the necessary ingredients for a great HDR gaming display: I measured 1,000-nit highlights over 25% of the screen, 300 backlight zones from a 30x10 array keep blooming and haloing in check while keeping blacks seriously dark, and its KSF enhanced backlight delivers excellent coverage of the DCI-P3 color space. This means it’s both brighter and more colorful than the TCL.
The two sets are otherwise remarkably similar. Both support 4K 144Hz via two primary HDMI 2.1 ports, have VRR and ALLM for stutter free gaming, and have low input lag in their Game modes. They also share similar weaknesses. Their semi-gloss screens don’t do a great job of reducing reflections in bright rooms, and both share limited viewing angles, inherent to VA LCD technology, although we were impressed with the QM6K’s ability to maintain saturation and contrast off-angle.
TestUFO pursuit shots of the Hisense, though, paint a scary picture for gamers. The long trails behind the aliens are the result of very slow gray-to-gray transitions, often in the 20-30ms range. Hisense, unlike TCL, hasn’t implemented any type of overdrive to speed up some of these transitions, so gaming will look a lot like the TestUFO shot above: smeary. It’s such a shame, too, because Hisense is so close to delivering a real budget winner for gamers.
If you’re a stickler for motion performance like I am, the QM6K is the clear winner for the budget gaming category. TCL’s effort and work tuning their pixel overdrive simply makes it the better gaming display. But if you do more than just game, Hisense’s U65QF offers a better HDR experience for TV and movies – one that’s unmatched at this price point. Just be prepared to tolerate a little blur when gaming.
3. LG B5 OLED
Best Stretch-the-Budget Gaming TV
Budget gamers who demand the best motion performance should really take a look at LG's entry level OLED, the B5. While not particularly impressive in bright rooms, in a dedicated (read: dark) gaming room, the B5 simply offers a far better experience than LCD competitors.
I know, $1,000 is a tough pill to swallow for a supposedly “budget” pick, but in spite of Herculean efforts by major LCD manufacturers, the chasm between the pixel response of LCD and OLED has not been overcome and will likely never be; smudging, smearing, trailing, overshoot, and inverse ghosting are all, to some degree or another, part-in-parcel with LCD tech. Not so with OLED. OLEDs are also immune from the distracting loss of contrast and color off-axis typical of VA LCD panels.
OLED is the alternative for those sensitive to these foibles, and LG’s B5 is the lowest priced entry into large format OLED displays, with the 65” version currently on sale for $1,000. But dropping a grand buys you perfect, square wave response times for sample-and-hold limited clarity in games, no matter the frame rate, with the requisite support for G-SYNC/FreeSync VRR. If you haven’t played a 120fps title on an OLED, I really recommend giving it a try.
It also buys you excellent, punchy HDR highlights north of 800 nits. While this isn’t quite as bright as something like Hisense’s U65QF (1,000+ nits), the B5 has far superior local contrast: 8.3 million pixels, “zones” that can be individually controlled. The Hisense has 300. Even TVs with 10x that zone count still aren’t fully immune from bloom and haloing.
Biggest downside (and this is a big one) is fullscreen brightness, where the B5 is particularly weak: 150 nits. To get an idea of just how dim this is, the image above shows the stark difference in a bright room between 780 nits and 250. If your space looks anything like my living room, the B5 is a no-go if you were planning on doing any gaming during the day. LG’s higher tier C5 and G5 models get substantially brighter if you’re willing to pay a premium, but I just wish the B5 wasn’t given such short shrift.
My intention isn’t to be too harsh on the B5; if you can control the lighting in your space, it really does offer a better gaming experience than the other two budget LCD picks. As a gamer, I’m a “convert to the OLED” team. Samsung’s S90F, our best overall gaming TV, convinced me, and I devote a decent portion of that review to explaining why. Yes, the B5 is more expensive than our budget winner, TCL’s QM6K, but if you’re anything like me, the jump to OLED is more than worth it.
The Lenovo Legion Go S was on sale for most of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This was far and away the best deal I saw on any handheld gaming PC. Fortunately, the deal is still available for just a little while longer. Lenovo is currently offering the Legion Go S Ryzen Z2 Go SteamOS handheld for $449.99 with free delivery after a $200 off instant discount. I'm not sure how long this deal will last, but once it's gone, it won't come back at least for 2025.
$200 Off Lenovo Legion Go S Z2 Go SteamOS Edition
This particular Lenovo Legion Go S is equipped with an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor, 16GB of RAM, 512GB storage capacity, and it runs off SteamOS instead of Windows. The Z2 Go processor is a bit more powerful than the Steam Deck's custom APU, which means you'll get a little better performance out of it. Graphics also look sharper with more fluid movement, thanks to a bigger 8" 1200p display with a higher 120Hz refresh rate. The Legion Go S also supports a much higher maximum charging rate (up to 100W vs 40W for the Steam Deck).
At the current sale price of $449, it's $100 cheaper than the closest Steam Deck configuration, which has also has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $549. The Steam Deck does come with an OLED display, but I'd personally prefer a bigger, higher resolution, higher refresh rate display.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
Harry Potter is one of those sprawling franchises that has fans in just about every age group. There are the adults who have core memories of the series as well as youngsters who are just now discovering the books and movies for the first time. I myself have been a fan of the Harry Potter franchise since I was first able to read full novels. I remember waiting in line at my local Barnes & Noble for each new book in the series and devouring every word as soon as I got my hands on it.
Now that Harry Potter has infiltrated almost every medium and not just one of the best-selling books of all time, there are enough gifts for Harry Potter fans out there to fill the depths of Gringotts. If you're looking for the perfect Potter thing to buy for yourself or the fan in your life, I've gone ahead and narrowed it down for you with some of my top gift picks from over the years, all of which are great for Christmas.
Gifts for LEGO Fans
Harry Potter and LEGO have been fitting together in perfect harmony for quite some time. There are a ton of different Harry Potter LEGO sets you can choose from, but my top recommendation would be the Hogwarts Castle and Grounds set. We actually had the chance to build this set ourselves and loved it. It's also surprisingly affordable compared to some of the other sets of this size. For more great options, we've gathered more of our top picks for all ages below. There's also a new Book Nook Hogwarts Express that released in June alongside a bunch of new Harry Potter sets like the interactive Choming Monster Book of Monsters I had the chance to build myself
For fans of the Harry Potter books specifically, there are a surprising number of options available. The items we'd most recommend are the illustrated editions. These are beautiful works of art illustrated by Jim Kay that bring the magic of the story to life. Only the first five books have gotten this treatment, but they are a wonderful gift to give that I have actually even purchased for myself. It was announced just this year that a new artist will be working illustrating the final two books in the series, so you'll eventually be able to finish your collection if you start one.
Outside of that, there are actually are interactive illustrated editions of the series that include both artwork and papercraft. The first three of those books are available now with artwork by MinaLima, and there was a fourth released in October from a new artist. You can also check out our guide to books like Harry Potter for recommendations outside the series or dive into more gift recommendations below.
Gifts for Fans of the Movies
For fans of the Harry Potter movies specifically, the top gift I'd recommend is this 4K UHD and Blu-ray film collection. It includes all eight of the original movies in both glorious 4K and Blu-ray and comes packaged in one set. Although you can currently watch all of the films on Max, it's always good to have physical copies on hand. Separately, the three-film collection of the Fantastic Beasts movies is a worthy addition. We have more suggestions below that are great for any fan of the films, including a replica of the Elder Wand and a movie poster puzzle that covers all of the films.
Gifts for Gamers
There have been more Harry Potter games than most people even realize, but if you're looking for the absolute best option in 2024, Hogwarts Legacy is the way to go. This game actually takes place long before Harry was even born, but is still set in Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and the castle grounds. I personally found it's worth playing just for the ability to roam freely around the castle, and IGN actually gave it a glowing review when it first came out thanks to it's expansive world. Outside of this game, we recommend the LEGO Harry Potter video games that were remastered for modern consoles. There's also a slew of Harry Potter board games that are fun for the whole family and one of the coolest chess sets you'll ever play chess with.
Gifts for the Home
If you're looking for a good Harry Potter gift for someone that seems to already own everything Potter-themed, home decor items are a great way to go. My top pick is an item that I've actually purchased for my brother already. This Marauder's Map throw blanket is super soft and doesn't have to be displayed anywhere – but it's there when you want to bundle up and be warm. We've also included some additional home decor gifts below that are fairly innocuous, like the small Golden Snitch lamp and a mug.
Gifts for Puzzlers
If you're looking for a good gift for the chronic puzzler in your life, there are a surprising number of options. I've seen a ton of different Harry Potter puzzles throughout the years, but the Herbology scientific poster jigsaw puzzle is my favorite. It depicts a hand-drawn classification of different ingredients you'd find in your standard Herbology class at Hogwarts and is a more subtle nod to the franchise that is fun to put together.
Outside of this particular option, there are plenty of other cool Harry Potter puzzles to choose from for fans of any age.
When Does Harry Potter Merch Go on Sale?
If you're looking to save as much money as possible on gifts, there are a few different times of year when we'd expect to find discounts on Harry Potter merchandise. For 2025, the biggest sales are alreaady done. That included Amazon Prime Day, Prime Big Deal Days sale in October, and of course, Black Friday season. These are two of the best times of the year to buy gifts. Amazon will be looking to unload stock of older items with it's fall sale in preparation for November when we expect most things will start going on sale to some degree.
Outside of major sales, there's also Back to Hogwarts Day which took place in early September this year. This was essentially a short series of announcements timed to coincide with the same time of year when youg witches and wizards would be receiving their letters and heading back to the magical castle for the school year. This year there were some surprisingly good deals on LEGO sets as well as a new Hogsmeade set.
Jacob Kienlen is a Senior SEO Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor's degree in communication and over 8 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different topics -- from TV series to indie games and popular book series and LEGO sets.
Warhorse Studios has released Hotfix 1.5.2 for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table. Hotfix 1.5.2 brings stability improvements, fixes to quests and visuals, and addresses various bugs reported by the community. Going into more detail, the patch fixes a bug … Continue reading Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Hotfix 1.5.2 Released – Full Patch Notes→
Modder ‘Luke JC’ has released a must-have mod for all Just Cause 3 fans out there. This mod brings a lot of tweaks and changes to the game. As such, it’s a must-have for everyone who wants to replay it. Going into more details, Just Cause 3 Unlimited Edition makes a lot of gameplay changes. … Continue reading Just Cause 3 Unlimited Edition Is the Definitive Way to Play the Game on PC→
Are you one of the lucky deal hunters who score the Ninteno Switch 2 Cyber Monday console deal (if you haven't, it's still available)? Have you been holding off on a memory card upgrade until prices have dropped? If you answered "yes" to both questions, then you, my fellow Nintendo gamer, are in luck.
On Black Friday and Cyber Monday, a couple of Switch 2 compatible MicroSD Express cards went up for sale. Most of these deals are now expired, save for the most popular one. Amazon is still offering the 512GB Samsung P9 MicroSD Express card for $74.99. This is still the best price I've seen to date for a 512GB Switch 2 memory card and you should get it now before it expires. You'll probably need to expand your storage down the road anyway, so you might as well do it while it's on sale. It would also make an excellent gift idea for any Switch 2 owner.
Samsung P9 MicroSD Express Memory Cards
Nintendo Switch 2 compatible
As you should already know, the Switch 2 console will only accept MicroSD Express cards. If you have a standard MicroSD card from your previous Switch, you sadly won't be able to use it to store games in the Switch 2. Although the two might look similar, MicroSD Express cards are much, much faster than their precedessors, with speeds of up to 800MB/s. Most MicroSD cards cap out at well under 200MB/s.
Is the Nintendo Switch 2 console on sale for Black Friday?
YES! For Cyber Monday, Amazon and Walmart dropped the price of the Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World console bundle by $50 from $499 to $449. This was completely unexpected and, best of all, it's still available right now. If you're been eyeing this console, you should get it quickly before it goes back up in price.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
Big Pokémon plush energy is back on the menu, with major price cuts on premium-level plushies at both Walmart and Amazon.
Both retailers have quietly rolled out fresh discounts on the wildly popular 24-inch premium Pokémon plush line, with prices slashed as low as $20, marking savings of up to $78 depending on the Pocket Monster.
No matter what kind of Pokémon fan you are, there’s a giant cuddle-monster waiting to be adopted at a price that feels almost suspiciously generous.
These oversized plushies, officially licensed and produced by Jazwares, have become something of a big hit thanks to their exacting anime-style details, ultra-soft material, and massive amount of plush for your buck.
Each plush stands a full two feet tall, meaning scale accuracy has been tossed out the window in favour of pure, unrepentant huggability.
The standout deal once again goes to everyone’s favourite feline, Sprigatito, whose usual premium price hovers close to triple digits. Walmart now have the Grass Cat Pokemon listed for just $20, making it the best bargain of the bunch.
Pikachu, Psyduck, and Dragonite are also joining the price-cut parade, matching the same low $20 offer depending on retailer availability. If you’ve ever wanted Psyduck’s derpy face on your couch or Dragonite’s comforting dad-energy by your bedside, this is the bargain for you.
What makes these plushies so appealing altogether, though, is the craftsmanship. Embroidered faces, reinforced stitching, and dense, pillow-like stuffing give them that ‘premium but still huggable’ feel that cheaper character plushies just can’t replicate. They’re durable enough for kids, fir for display by collectors, and cosy enough for anyone who needs a reliable nap companion.
We don’t expect all of these to last long, especially for Sprigatito, so grab one now rather than later if you’re keen.
Ben Williams – IGN freelance contributor with over 10 years of experience covering gaming, tech, film, TV, and anime. Follow him on Twitter/X @BenLevelTen.
Amazon appears to have removed an English dub track that featured AI voices from the anime series Banana Fish after fans spotted that there was an “AI beta” of an English dub included in the ‘Audio Languages’ option on the streamer.
A video that highlighted the AI voices used in the dub made its way through social media and led to some serious criticism from subscribers, fans, influencers, and more. “Amazon has started using AI to add English Dubs to anime like BANANA FISH,” one streamer wrote on Twitter/X alongside a clip with the dub included. “It’s really quite terrible and shows how important real actors are.”
It appears as though Amazon saw the blowback and pulled the option from the Prime offering — and because of the removal, there is now no English language dub option at all.
This isn’t the first time anime has been the target of AI controversies lately. The upcoming series Sekiro: No Defeat recently came under fire for alleged usage of AI art, but Crunchyroll went on to go on the record and state that the show, which will arrive in 2026 will be “a fully hand-drawn 2D animation” project.
The company and streamer also went as far as to recently confirm that they won’t use AI in their creative process, which includes hiring real voice actors.
"We consider them to be creators because they are contributing to the story and plot with their voice," Crunchyroll CEO Shams Purini told Forbes in an interview back in April. Let’s hope other streamers start to see it the way Crunchyroll does.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday may be over, but Sonos has decided to continue the deals extravaganza with a new 48-hour Cyber Sale. For Tuesday and Wednesday, you can score some new discounts on select certified refurbished soundbars, speakers, and subs. Sonos refurbished products come like new, in pristine packaging with all the original accessories. They even come with the same one year warranty as a brand new product.
Sonos Era 100 Smart Speaker
The Sonos Era 100 retails for $219 new, but you can pick up a certified refurbished model for just $134. This is Sonos' most popular and most versatile speaker. Despite its compact size, the Era 100 houses two tweeters, a mid-woofer, and three class-D digital amplifiers to produce precise, distortion-free audio even at high volumes. It has a built-in microphone for smart functionality. Because of its flexibility, it's often paired with a sound bar or a second Era speaker.
Sonos Arc Soundbar
Sonos doesn't discount its flagship Arc lineup of speakers very often, so it's a wise investment to jump on a good sale when you see one. The Sonos Arc was discontinued last year to make way for its successor, the Arc Ultra. The release of the Arc Ultra doesn't make the Arc any less of an outstanding speaker. It's a better value than picking up the Arc Ultra, currently not on sale for $1,100.
The 45" soundbar houses eleven precisely engineered internal speakers, including three tweeters and eight midwoofers each paired with Class-D amplifiers. It's capable of room filling audio by itself, but you'd still benefit from a separate subwoofer to round out the low end. Unlike the Sonos Beam, which only has virtual height channels, the Arc has two physical height channels for true Dolby Atmos support. The Arc also has a built-in microphone.
Sonos Beam (Gen 2) Soundbar
The Sonos Beam is a great option for someone who requires a more compact sound bar or simply doesn't want to spend too much money on a speaker system. It's attractively priced right now at just $299, so $100 less than the Arc. The Beam (Gen 2) is a 26-inch long, 5.0-channel soundbar with one tweeter and four mid-woofers for natural, balanced sound and four passive radiators to help with the low end. Although the Beam doesn't have physical height channels, it has two virtual height channels for Dolby Atmos support. There's also a built-in microphone for smart functionality.
Sonos Sub 3 Subwoofer
The audio savvy knows that a single speaker isn't enough to reproduce an entire soundstage. If you could pick only one other speaker to supplement your existing one, then a subwoofer would make the most meaningful impact. If you want to add ground-shaking bass to your Sonos setup, there's still nothing better than a separate standalone subwoofer. The Sub 3 boasts plenty of power in the form of dual inward-facing 5"x8" woofers and a ported design that allows for a louder and deeper low-end.
Why Sonos?
If you're looking for an easy solution to add great sound to your home, then you've probably already heard of Sonos. Sonos speakers are very easy to set up, don't take a large amount of space, and most importantly, offer distortion-free room-filling audio. They're definitely pricier than budget options, but the sound quality is comparable to speakers that cost hundreds more or take up much more space.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
Last week, we reported that disturbing horror game Horses had been banned from Steam, with developer Santa Ragione claiming that Valve refused to provide a clear reason for the ban or discuss it further with the studio. Now, at the last possible minute before the game was set to release widely across other PC store fronts, Epic Games Store has also banned Horses.
This news was shared with us by Santa Ragione, who passed on a press release stating that Epic informed them 24 hours before the game's release that it would not be distributing Horses, despite the studio's build being approved for release weeks earlier. Per the developer, no specifics on what content was at issue were provided, "only broad and demonstrably incorrect claims that it violated their content guidelines." The studio has shared the text of the email sent to them from Epic banning the game, which an Epic Games Store representative has confirmed is accurate. It is as follows:
We are unable to distribute Horses on the Epic Games Store because our review found violations of the Epic Games Store Content Guidelines, specifically the ‘Inappropriate Content’ and ‘Hateful or Abusive Content’ policies. The ‘Inappropriate Content’ policy prohibits content which “contains explicit or frequent depictions of sexual behavior or not appropriately labeled, rated, or age-gated.” The ‘Hateful or Abusive Content’ policy prohibits content that promotes abuse and animal abuse. This content is prohibited by our Guidelines and cannot be distributed on the Epic Games Store. Additionally, when we [Epic] filled out the IARC Questionnaire based on the content that we reviewed, it received an Adult Only (AO) rating. Products with AO ratings cannot be distributed on the Epic Games Store (the only exception is for products in cases where an AO rating was applied solely due to the usage of blockchain or NFT technology). You have some options on how to move forward: 1. You can make updates to your product to ensure compliance and resubmit it for review. 2. If you believe we made a mistake, you also have the ability to appeal this decision. You can appeal by replying to this email or creating a private discussion on our Developer Support site. Select "Epic Games Store" as the topic. 3. You cannot change the title or content to repurpose it for another game. If you choose not to move forward, we'll refund your submission fee for this product.
When Santa Ragione appealed, the studio says it was denied 12 hours later "without further explanation." Notably, the studio has also stated on social media that its own IARC Questionnaire submission came back with an "M" for "Mature" rating rather than "AO". It is unclear what caused the discrepancy.
As Santa Ragione explains the situation:
Epic's decision comes after the overwhelming support Santa Ragione received last week upon the disclosure of Steam's ban, including the public announcement by Epic's and Steam's competitor GOG that they would promote and support the game. We do not know what triggered Epic's sudden decision. Following the announcement of Steam's ban, Horses became highly visible online, with strong support and a small but vocal opposition. It is difficult not to wonder whether this visibility played a greater role in Epic's choice than any newly discovered issue with the game itself.
IGN asked Epic Games for comment, and received the following statement from an Epic Games spokesperson: "We set clear guidelines for the content that can be distributed on the Epic Games Store and found violations of those guidelines during our extensive review."
Horses was previously revealed several years ago, and has made appearances in showcases like The Indie Horror Showcase and Day of the Devs. It's gained some attention for its deeply unsettling premise: a young man travels to a remote horse farm to work for several weeks over the summer, only to find the farmer's "horses" are actually enslaved, naked humans with horse masks affixed to their heads. Horses, says Santa Ragione, is meant to be upsetting: it's at least partly a commentary on what sorts of morally horrifying things people will accept or even participate in without pushback, a subject we found was executed artfully, if upsettingly, in our 7/10 review of the game.
And yet, the game has been banned from now both Steam and Epic. Last week, we reported that developer Santa Ragione said it was rejected from Steam after the team submitted an unfinished but playable build of the game in order to create a store page, an unusual request that Valve said was necessary. Valve then rejected Horses, generally citing its Steam Onboarding Documentation, as well as the sentence, "Regardless of a developer’s intentions with their product, we will not distribute content that appears, in our judgment, to depict sexual conduct involving a minor."
Santa Ragione has since guessed this was in relation to a scene in the game at the time that depicted a fully clothed child "riding" one of the horses on their shoulders. However, the studio says it has since changed that scene to involve an adult instead of a child, and that all characters in the game are clearly adults in their 20s and up, a fact that has remained true in the final version of the game that IGN reviewed, ironically, on the Epic Games Store. Santa Ragione says it was not given the opportunity to resubmit a build to be reconsidered by Valve, and remains unsure if this scene was even what triggered the ban in the first place. The studio claims that without being able to reach Steam's much larger audience, it is likely it will have to shut down following the launch of Horses.
In response, Valve issued a statement claiming it "gave the developer feedback about why we couldn’t ship the game on Steam, consistent with our onboarding rules and guidelines" and that its internal content review team discussed a re-review "extensively" but decided against it.
PlayStation hardware architect Mark Cerny has recalled his time working at Sega in the late 1980s, a period in which he likened conditions at the company behind Sonic the Hedgehog to a "sweatshop."
Speaking on the My Perfect Console podcast, Cerny made clear he was talking about Sega's Tokyo office during a specific period of time, when the company was under immense pressure to compete with the hugely dominant Nintendo, and teams sizes across the video games industry were tiny compared to the projects worked upon today.
"Atari had been one person making a game, maybe two or three," Cerny recalled. "By this point there were actual teams, it tended to be about three people at Sega making a cartridge. So you'd have a programmer — that was me — a designer and an artist.
"I've got to caveat this," Cerny continued. "I'm only talking about the second half of the 1980s at Tokyo office. But man, Sega was a sweatshop. Three people, three months, that's a game. And, you know, we would sleep at the office. And this is because [former Sega president Hayao] Nakayama's idea was, 'Why is Nintendo successful? They have 40 games. So what are we gonna do? We're gonna have 80 games for the Master System, and that's going to be our path to success.'"
In short, Sega's boss wanted to flood the market with games to simply outnumber the range of titles available on Nintendo's top-selling NES. But this was the wrong approach, Cerny said, arguing that Sega should have narrowed its focus and encouraged its employees to work in larger teams on fewer, but more impressive titles.
"If you look at the history of games I think if you're trying to sell a console, you need about two good games, and that sells you your console," Cerny said. "Like Nintendogs and Brain Training, I think that's what sold the DS, if I remember that properly for Nintendo. So the bulk software thing is not the approach."
Ultimately, Sega did allow a particular game more resources: Sonic the Hedgehog. But even then, and alongside its huge success, Cerny says that Sonic's creator Yuji Naka was berated for going hugely over budget.
"The pressure was to make a game that could sell a million copies. Sega actually had — this was another one of Nakayama's brainstorms — the Million Seller Project," Cerny continued. "Sonic was terribly controversial — part of the idea there was, let's put much more resource on the project than usual... They were going to do, if I remember properly, three people, 10 months. But they ended up needing four and a half people for 14 months — I'm a little hazy on the numbers these days. And though it was a success, they blew their budget so badly... that Yuji Naka was just getting yelled at, and quit the company."
Asked whether Sega ultimately learnt its lesson from Sonic's success, Cerny noted that while the game's huge sales paid off "fantastically" for Sega, "Yuji Naka was pretty tired of the situation by that point." According to Cerny, Naka had been "making $30,000 a year" at the time of Sonic 1's success, though this was increased that year because he got the "president's bonus."
"I guess that is interesting, how could he be yelled at but get it [the bonus] as well? It was an interesting environment, I have to say," Cerny mused. "It probably doubled his salary. So, we're talking about somebody who's a top-level creator making $60,000 in their best year and getting yelled at a lot. And he'd had it. And so that's what led to Sonic 2 being developed in the States."
Cerny also discussed some happier moments from his time at Sega, and noted that his "room of 40 people back in 1987" had included some luminaries of the games industry, including Naka and the late Rieko Kodama, who would go on to create the beloved Skies of Arcadia. Still, Cerny did not stick around long-term, moving back to the U.S. in 1991 (and working on Sonic 2) before eventually beginning his long partnership with PlaySation, for which he is now most famous.
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