Best Buy's official sale runs from Nov. 20 to 29, and will likely carry most of its deals to the Cyber Monday sale from Nov. 30 to Dec. 1 as well. Here's what's up for grabs today, now that the sale is live.
Best Buy’s Black Friday Deals Are Live
I'll leave some of my favorite deals in the sale just above, but it's totally worth having a proper gander through Best Buy's full sale to ensure you don't miss a thing. There are discounts on 4K TVs, laptops, games, tech, and a whole lot more.
But, the clear standout in the sale kick-off is the Apple AirPods Pro 3, down to $219.99, a $30 reduction from its $249.99 MSRP. Released only a couple of months back, this is the first major discount we've seen on the new premium earbuds.
Unfortunately, it's a one-day-only sort of dealio, and will expire by the end of the day, November 20. So, don't hang around on this one, as there's no certainly it's going to come back.
Discounts on recently released Konami games are another highlight, including Silent Hill f and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, both $20 off and down to $49.99 in the sales. We're expecting other retailers to price match these today, but for now they can only be found at Best Buy.
It's worth checking out Best Buy's Doorbuster deals as well, especially if you're a Plus or Total member. Members get a $5 bonus reward for every $50 spent on Doorbusters, up to $25. That includes $40 off EA Sports games, such as FC 26, Madden NFL 26, College Football 26, and more.
While it's already been live for a few days, it's also still worth mentioning that the Meta Quest 3S 128GB model has dropped to $249, while the 256GB is down to $329.99.
On top of that, Best Buy is throwing in a bonus $50 gift card with your purchase of either headset. Great for those who are looking to play the new Deadpool VR game or Batman: Arkham Shadow.
For now, the next big wave of discounts lands on November 21, when the PlayStation Black Friday sale finally goes live. Expect Best Buy to mirror almost everything Sony puts on the table, including cuts on PS5 consoles, first and third party games, and accessories.
Nintendo already confirmed its own schedule, with its official Black Friday sale kicking off November 23. Translation, don’t hold your breath for meaningful Switch game discounts before that date. Most of the worthwhile deals you’re seeing right now are coming from GameStop’s early Black Friday push, and while it’s a decent start, the heavier hitters are still a few days out.
If you miss the window in November, Best Buy will roll out its Last-Minute Savings event from December 15 to 24. Sure, it’s an option, but you’re better off wrapping things up earlier. Stores get packed, deliveries get sketchy, and leaving it that late is asking for trouble.
Outside of games and consoles, you’ve probably noticed the LEGO situation is pretty bleak in this first wave of Amazons Black Friday deals. That’s no accident. The LEGO Store’s own Black Friday event doesn’t actually kick off until the day itself, so Amazon isn’t going to blow out its inventory early. You’ll see a few scattered discounts creep in beforehand, but the real drops should land on November 28.
If you’re hunting for toys in general, keep an eye on Walmart. Its Black Friday sale starts November 25, and that’s usually when the bigger toy markdowns show up. In short, don’t panic about the empty shelves yet, the better deals just aren’t scheduled to hit until next week.
Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN's resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.
18 years ago, NASA lost an asteroid. Officially designated 2007 FT3, the Empire State Building-sized rock was tracked for around 24 hours before it slipped back into the solar system's darkness — and it hasn't been spotted since. It remains the fourth-largest space object with a better than 1-in-2 million chance of smashing into Earth, but scientists remain unsure where it is now.
This year, the internet has taken great interest in 3I/ATLAS — only the third interstellar object ever detected, though also the third since 2017. (The overwhelming scientific consensus suggests 3I/ATLAS is a comet, though one rogue astrophysicist has sparked endless online speculation by suggesting it is an extraterrestrial spacecraft.)
Now, as NASA unveils fresh images of 3I/ATLAS this week and as the hunt for 2007 FT3 continues, one thing is certain: we are finding more things flying through space than we used to. That's a good thing, YouTube scientist and author Hank Green tells IGN — as it shows we're getting better at spotting them. But how prepared are we for something on an impact trajectory with Earth, and should we be getting worried that space is actually far busier than we thought?
"The first thing is we're way better at spotting them than we've ever been," Green begins, when IGN asks why new asteroid and comet discoveries seem more prevalent now than ever. "Literally, like as of two weeks ago, Vera Rubin went online [Chile's new observatory which contains the biggest camera ever built]. We've got three different systems for detecting different threats now, to the point where if we were going to be hit by a really big rock, like a dinosaur-sized rock, we'd know. Which is amazing. We had all of this ignorance leading up to now, and now we have certainty.
"But once in a while there's enough uncertainty about a particular rock, that's big enough that if it hit in the wrong spot would be really bad," he continues. "And there are way more of those than there are the big ones. So we have to continue to be vigilant and we have to figure what we would do if we actually spotted one that might cause a problem."
"Once in a while there's enough uncertainty about a particular rock..."
Earlier this year, Green was contacted by Supercell, the maker of hit smartphone game Clash of Clans, with a novel idea. The city-building strategy app was planning an in-game event where it threatened players' hard-built bases with destruction by an asteroid. And not just any asteroid: it would be the long-lost 2007 FT3.
Months later, and the event is now live, fronted by a flashy trailer that sees the mystery of 2007 FT3 seemingly explained. In the world of Clash of Clans, the rock's disappearance is revealed to be Green's doing, as he zaps the asteroid away from Earth by digitizing it — sending it careening towards the Clash of Clans universe instead. Now, all these years later, the asteroid has finally loomed close enough to Clash's world that it's become your problem.
"There's an element of just the cleverness of using this old science story that I thought was clever," Green says of his involvement, sparked by the hunt for 2007 FT3. "But it was mostly like, 'I've never done anything like this before, I've never gone out to LA to make a little movie.' It was like, directors and third assistant directors and everybody was on it. It was wild. I feel like I learned so much just about how things get made and also what I'm capable of.
"Also," he adds, referencing the prosthetics he wore to make himself briefly look over a decade younger, "that was my first experience with spirit gum."
Sadly, however, aiming a giant laser at the sky and digitizing an asteroid isn't an effective method of stopping doomsday rocks in the real world. Not yet, at least. So what could we do if do spot a dangerous-looking space object given enough warning?
"We've started to do that work," Green says. "We've sent probes to smash into asteroids to change their trajectory very slightly, and the nice thing about that is if you get them when they're very far away, a very slight change of trajectory is enough. We've done the first of those missions and we've shown that we can."
All of this still relies on finding the rock first, but Green is pretty confident. "There's a chance that something could come from a weird interaction somewhere out in the far reaches of the solar system, and a comet could get surprise flung in and we can track those less well, but as far as asteroids go, the big ones are easy to spot."
"They've been flying through the solar system the whole time..."
Comets are trickier, as typically they have longer orbits and spend a lot of time lurking in the outer solar system (or beyond, as 3I/ATLAS appears to show). But Green isn't overly worried here either. ATLAS was spotted by an asteroid detection system (on explaining this, he pulls up the comet's acronym, which stands for the Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Last Alert System that found it). And the other thing Earth has going for it? Well, space is really, really big.
"When we turn on Vera Rubin for real, we'll probably start detecting even more of these interstellar objects, and we'll kind of understand they've been flying through the solar system the whole time," Green says, estimating that a single-digit number of interstellar objects will be discovered passing through each year.
"But as far as them being a potential threat, the odds are just so tremendously... there are so many rocks already in the solar system that could get close enough to be a potential problem and none of them are, because Earth is very small in comparison to the size of the solar system," Green affirms.
All that's needed are a few fragments of location data and scientists can begin to model if any object may become a problem over the coming decades or centuries, Green explains, "because the solar system is pretty much Newtonian, it's pretty much just doing physics."
Or, back in Clash of Clans, all you need is to hit things with hammers — which seems a lot more convenent. Happily, the game's ongoing event has progressed to the point where players have successfully completed a meteor catching device, though at least one meteor shard has landed, helpfully bringing with it a new Town Hall.
"It can be quite intimidating at first because you can see some of the things people have done and think 'I will never get there'," Green says of the game. "It's like seeing someone do a backflip and think, 'well that's great for you but I am really far away from that.' But the great thing about the structure of it is it does keep you engaged and pulls you from that early [gameplay] when your Town Hall looks like a villager's house."
Will the real 2007 FT3 ever be found? Green seems confident it will. NASA has lost asteroids before, and typically it catches sight of them again within a few decades — and none of those were on a collision course either. "As we've seen, we were able to detect 3I/ATLAS fairly early on in the process," he concludes. "But I'm certainly in favor of having a system ready to go, just in case."
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Marvel will acknowledge the never-ending release of new superhero movies and TV shows in Wonder Man, the latest new superhero TV show of its own.
Set within Hollywood, the Disney+ series will follow young actor Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) as he attempts to get cast in a big new superhero movie. The twist? Williams secretly has superhero powers himself.
Speaking to Empire, Abdul-Mateen said Wonder Man would show Marvel happy to poke fun at itself, with meta commentary on audiences' current "superhero fatigue" that has seen Marvel's own movies and series falter.
"We're doing something that, tonally, feels much different than really any other Marvel show, or any other films," Abdul-Mateen said. "We're doing something that's fresh, and a bit tongue-in-cheek, a bit self-aware." Indeed, Marvel itself recently announced the casting of Frozen star Josh Gad in the series — playing a fictional version of himself.
But as well as knowing nods to Hollywood production headaches and jokes about the current glut of superhero franchises, Abdul-Mateen suggested that Wonder Man also had a strong heart: its focus on the central relationship between Williams and Sir Ben Kingsley's returning MCU character, the veteran actor Trevor Slattery.
"The show is self-aware, without looking directly into the camera," Abdul-Mateen continued. "There'll be commentary about superhero fatigue and things like that, but to me, it's just dressing. That's not really the aim of the show. The focus of the show is about an actor's journey. It's about a journey of friendship."
Disney will release all eight episodes of Wonder Man via Disney+ on January 27, 2026, kicking off a big year for Marvel. Daredevil: Born Again's second season will launch on March 4, with WandaVision sequel VisionQuest set to debut later in the year. On the big screen, Spider-Man: Brand New Day launches July 31, before Avengers: Doomsday arrives on December 18. Now, what was that about superhero fatigue?
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
The stars of Disney's Frozen franchise will earn an enormous $60 million payout to return for both Frozen 3 and Frozen 4.
Kristen Bell, Josh Gad and Idina Menzel, who play Princess Anna, Olaf and Elsa, will each pocket one of the highest fees for an animated role in history.
The payout includes an upfront lump sum as well as further awards tied to each sequels' box office performance, The Wrap has reported. (Disney declined to comment.) Still, the $60 million figure on the table for each of the trio has raised eyebrows, as it is far higher than the $15 million earned by each actor for Frozen 2.
Disney has high hopes for Frozen 3, following the breakout success of the franchise's original two films. The first Frozen earned $1.28 billion back in 2013, an amount then topped by Frozen 2's $1.45 billion run in 2019.
Disney has released no details of Frozen 3's plot, though has suggested the film's story will be big enough to spread across two movies — with Frozen 4 set to wrap up the tale at some point after. Fans have long been hoping that Frozen 3 will finally give Elsa a love interest, while there's an expectation that the movie will also show Anna and Kristoff married.
"Coming out of Frozen 2, we still have some questions," writer and director Jennifer Lee teased back at D23 Expo last year, after showing off the movie's first concept art. "A lot of questions actually. Now, you see why we need two films to tell this story."
The image, above, shows Elsa and Anna riding through a forest, with Olaf perched on the back of Anna's horse. A floating city in the sky can be seen, which the two look to be headed towards. An ominous horned figure holding a spear is also visible in silhouette.
Frozen 3 is currently still two years away, and set for release on November 24, 2027.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Embark Studios — the team behind blockbuster hit Arc Raiders — has confirmed it's ending last-gen support for The Finals next year.
While Season 10 will kick off as planned across all other platforms on March 18, 2026, the game will be retired from the only last-gen system, PS4, at that time to allow the team to "focus our support on current generation hardware."
This means PS4 players will lose all access to the free-to-play shooter little more than a year after it launched in December last year, a year later than PC and current-gen systems. While sometimes players can keep playing on discontinued software for a limited time, in this instance it appears the PS4 game will stop responding completely on the deadline.
"From that point on you'll need to play [on current gen systems] to keep enjoying the game. Your progress and purchases will be stored in your Embark ID and will transfer to anywhere you choose to play," Embark wrote on social media.
"We're incredibly grateful to everyone who's been part of the PS4 community. See you in the Arena!"
We had a good time with The Finals, awarding it 8/10, but we've been having a lot of fun with the studio's latest offering, Arc Raiders, too, which returned an 'Amazing' 9/10. Interestingly, Arc Raiders didn't release on PS4 at all.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
The trial that may determine the future of hit video game franchise Subnautica has ended with a number of serious allegations made by Korean mega corp Krafton against the ousted former bosses of developer Unknown Worlds.
Unknown Worlds co-founders Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, and Ted Gill sued Krafton, claiming the company fired the trio to avoid paying an allegedly owed $250 million bonus, despite, the founders say, Subnautica 2 being ready for an early access launch this year. They now want to be reinstated at Unknown Worlds.
Krafton claims the co-founders had already downed tools long before they were fired, while also insisting Subnautica 2 was not ready for release this year. Krafton also alleges the executives stole information relating to Subnautica while still at the company in anticipation of subsequent legal action.
Former CEO of Unknown Worlds, Charlie Cleveland, appeared in a Delaware court on Wednesday, November 19 to answer questions from Krafton’s legal team as part of a cross examination.
During the trial, a document titled ‘Litigation Help’ was shown to the court. In it are notes written by Cleveland relating to advice given to him by Owen Mahoney, who was CEO and President of South Korean video game company Nexon, for a decade (2014–2024), as part of an alleged plan drawn up by the Unknown World co-founders to take on Krafton in court.
The notes, dated June 28, 2025, contain a number of phrases Krafton alleged were “racist views toward Korea and Korean people.” During cross examination, Cleveland admitted writing the notes, but insisted they were a transcription of advice issued by Mahoney only, and not words he himself said. IGN has asked Mahoney for comment.
"So these are not my words,” he said. “These are all transcriptions from what we were advised by — advised to do. Like these are words coming out of two other people's mouths not mine.”
And: "Again every single word as far as I know in this document is something that Owen said, not what I said."
And: "... I'm writing down what Owen told us. So it has nothing to do with my opinions at all."
Key excerpts from the ‘Litigation Help’ document, reviewed by IGN, include:
“Delaware? Oh, they’re f***ed. You don’t even need a Korean lawyer.”
“We just need a list of things from them. We’re playing the house’s money and we’re the home team. We don’t need to worry about these guys or our reputation. History will remember that Krafton was bad. Even the Reddit crowd hates them because of Dark & Darker.”
“Korea — they are the Joe Pesci of countries. Charming until they’re incredible nasty. It goes to 11 quickly. No filter. It can be emotionally draining dealing with this, especially as male westerners. Males might be more problem-solvers and bring less emotion — they’re biological reasons for this.”
“It’s small and nasty. Every year some big film star commits suicide because of sex, drugs or something, hounded by press.”
“Delaware will say this is a bunch of Sadistic Korean assholes (like Samsung — John Pleasance). They’ve cast as villains and it’s done.”
Krafton accused Cleveland of writing in the notes that Delaware courts could be disadvantageous to Krafton, “suggesting a lack of judicial fairness toward foreign companies.” Krafton also alleged that Cleveland “referenced racist views toward Korea and Korean people, speculating on biological reasons for Korean men to be ‘less emotional.’”
Krafton said Cleveland’s notes “devolve into name-calling and prejudicial views, suggesting biases that could prevent Krafton from receiving fair treatment in a Delaware court.”
Krafton also alleged that in the notes, Cleveland “outlines a plan to pursue $1 billion through litigation — a figure far exceeding the $250 million earnout initially agreed upon.”
“Don’t just go for the earn-out,” the notes read, “go for $1B in emotional distress and damage. This is the mindset we need to have. Nuclear.”
Again, during the trial Cleveland responded to the document to say: “These are all transcriptions from what we were advised by — advised to do. Like these are words coming out of two other people's mouths not mine.”
“Remarkably, the notes made public appear to be a collection of real time messages, focused on and prepping litigation even before his employment at UW was terminated,” Krafton said in a statement issued to IGN.
“In further exchanges that raise questions about Cleveland’s character, he repeated racist views against Koreans and repeatedly discussed trying to get as much money as he could from Krafton.
“Further, in sworn testimony on Wednesday, Cleveland reiterated that he was not interested in creating games for Unknown Worlds, considered himself semi-retired, wasn’t actually working hard on the Subnautica movie, looked to delete his own ChatGPT records and flirted with starting a new company. The testimony came from cross examination where he was often asked to respond to his prior statements.”
On this point, here’s the relevant exchange between Krafton’s attorney, John Del Monaco, and Unknown Worlds co-founder Charlie Cleveland, during cross-examination at the trial:
Q. On the right-hand side you wrote, "Quick reminder: check your company ChatGPT account to make sure there's nothing incriminating there." Right?
A. Yes.
Q. So in addition to indiscriminately downloading all of the company's files that you could get your hands on, you were also checking to see what incriminating information might be out there; right?
A. Like I said, I wanted to make sure we knew how they were going to attack us.
Q. You were getting ahead of the game is your testimony?
A. We wanted to look and see what was up there, yes.
Later in the day, Krafton called on Aaryn Flynn, current CEO of Inflexion Games, maker of Nightingale, and former General Manager at Mass Effect and Dragon Age developer BioWare, as an industry expert witness. Flynn testified that the actions of the former Unknown Worlds bosses were not in keeping with industry norms, and they did not meet the expectations the industry would expect of people in their roles.
With the trial now at an end, January 9, 2026 was set as a post-trial argument date. Following that, the delivery of the judgment is expected. All the while, the two parties may settle out of court.
“We are grateful to the court for its thorough commitment to understanding the facts, and we are confident we have demonstrated our commitment to delivering the best game possible to our fans,” Krafton said. “We made clear to the court that we were forced to make a change when the former leaders showed little interest in the development of Subnautica 2, which has always been our top priority.
“Now, this trial comes down to plaintiffs asking to be restored to jobs they were not doing, said they had no interest in doing, and had previously declined requests that they come back and do those jobs. We look forward to receiving a decision. We have made incredible progress in the past few months, and we are excited to share with all the Subnautica fans.”
Amid the high-profile legal spat, fan concern over the fate of Subnautica 2 remains, with many within the game’s community worried that it will not meet their expectations due to the legal drama surrounding it — no matter when it is released.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Dispatch, the superhero workplace comedy from former Telltale devs, has topped two million players.
Hailing from AdHoc Studio, which was founded by several former Telltale Games devs, Dispatch sees you manage a dysfunctional team of misfit heroes and strategize who you send to emergencies around the city, all while balancing office politics, personal relationships, and your own quest to become a hero.
It stars a solid mix of traditional Hollywood actors and video game- and streaming-adjacent talent including Aaron Paul, Laura Bailey, Jeffrey Wright, Erin Yvette, Jacksepticeye, Moistcr1tikal, Alanah Pearce, Travis Willingham, Joel Haver, Lance Cantstopolis, Matthew Mercer, and Thot Squad, and has made quite a splash, having been nominated for Best Debut Indie Game at next month's The Game Awards.
And now, in a tweet, AdJoc has revealed that while there's no new episodes this week, the team wanted to thank "the two million players that have joined us so far."
"Wouldn't be here without you," the tweet added, appending an image designed by art director Derek Stratton.
We're also sad there are no new episodes this week, but thank you to the 2 million players that have joined us so far. Wouldn't be here without you.
— AdHoc Studio - Dispatch OUT NOW! (@theAdHocStudio) November 19, 2025
IGN's Dispatch review returned a 9/10. We said: "Dispatch is a sharp-witted workplace comedy that charms with its smart dialogue choices, great writing, and lovably aggravating cast."
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
EA’s football franchise has gone beyond the FIFA license in recent years, and EA Sports FC 26 is another solid entry that die-hard soccer/football fans will no doubt have flocked to already.
As for what’s included in this year’s game, EA has promised it’s more community-driven than ever before. As a result, it refines a lot of pain points from recent years, like AI defender positioning, improved goalkeepers, and more responsive dribbling. It's already seen some sizeable patches to adjust gameplay based on continued feedback, too.
You can pick between Competitive preset, which features similar gameplay to what’s come before, or a more realistic-feeling Authentic option that’s closer to the real game. Player Archetypes are also new, letting your player grow into the next world superstar by following a rough stats template.
Live Challenges keep Manager Career fresh, while you can also see managers move clubs for the first time ever.
In our review, Ricky Frech gave the game 7 out of 10 and said, “EA Sports FC 26’s on-pitch gameplay is the best it's been in a long time, but its overly aggressive Season Pass is also EA at its most money-hungry yet.”
Playing offline in Career modes helps sidestep that issue, though, and hey - you can use the 50% you've saved on Ultimate Team points, right? RIGHT?
You Don't Need a Prime Membership to Shop These Sales
Amazon doesn't require you to have a Prime membership to access its Black Friday sale. Unlike Prime-exclusive events like Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days, Black Friday is open to everyone. There are some exceptions to that, and you may run into some deals marked "Prime Deal", but for the most part you shouldn't run into any issues if you don't have a subscription.
There are quite a few benefits available to Prime members that can be helpful during Black Friday shopping, however. Most notably the free shipping comes in handy if you're buying anything for less than $35. There are a couple of different free trial options available to new subscribers you can check out during this sales event, with the base option giving you 30-days free.
There was also the Nintendo Black Friday announcement a few weeks back, that stated the official Nintendo sale would be starting on November 23, so there's unlikely to be many Switch games on sale until then.
Most of the video game deals available now are thanks to GameStop's early Black Friday sale starting this week, but rest assured that more are on their way.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He's a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife's dismay.
Omelet You Cook, a roguelike cooking game on Steam, has been having a great early access it seems. It recently passed 500 player reviews, and every last one of them was positive, making it one of a rare few games on Steam to have 100% positive reviews.
Until today.
As pointed out to us by developer Dan Schumacher of SchuBox Games, the game received its first negative review today. And sure, negative reviews are just part of the deal when releasing a game on Steam. But what really bothered Schumacher is that according to the text of the review, the reviewer didn't actually dislike the game. They played for 0.8 hours total, 0.2 hours when they posted the review, and wrote the following:
"Game is amazing. I just like to be different."
IGN reached out to the reviewer for further comment ahead of this piece but didn't hear back.
The community appears to have sprung to Omelet You Cook's defense, as the game has received almost 40 new positive reviews in the 14 hours since the negative review was posted, and a number of people have commented scolding the negative reviewer for ruining the positive streak just for kicks, though some of those comments are unfortunately far harsher than the negative review itself.
"Seeing this review was very draining for us," said Schumacher to IGN. "We knew 100% wouldn't last forever but it hurt to have the streak ended by someone who in their own words thinks the game is amazing. Emotionally I think I'd feel better if it was someone complaining about bugs, or design choices, or just feeling the game isn't for them."
A single negative review is hardly the end of the world for SchuBox Games, but it does make a difference. There are very, very, very few games on Steam with perfectly positive reviews, or at least in meaningful amounts like this. The more you get, the more likely it is someone will have something bad to say. There's a game called Shooters, Ready! on Steam that's only available in Japanese and similarly has over 500 positive reviews and 0 negative ones. But at least using the built in search by user reviews, there don't seem to be any others.
According to Schumacher, having no negative reviews actually did afford him some benefits, too:
"Having 100% positive reviews was a huge benefit for us because it's extremely abnormal for a game with hundreds of reviews," he told IGN. "People see 100% and become curious enough to read through some of the reviews to understand why it's so beloved or to check out the demo for themselves. We've had multiple people join our Discord or leave their own review and mention that they gave the game a chance because they couldn't believe it was maintaining 100% for so long.
"...The biggest impact this will have on Omelet You Cook is losing that mystique of a perfect 100%. That led to some opportunities for Omelet You Cook to be mentioned because it was atypical. But honestly for players coming across the Steam page, I don't think 99% vs 100% makes any difference at all. Some users like to filter by negative reviews to understand where the pain points are and I have to appreciate that this negative review frames Omelet You Cook in a very positive light."
It's long been known that engagement with games on Steam in the form of Wishlists and reviews can be a massive boon, especially for small developers. There are simply too many games, and getting attention on such a crowded storefront is impossible if you don't already have a built-up audience or a lot of advertising money. Having lots of positive reviews and few negative ones gets games like Omelet You Cook visibility when searching under certain filters or ranking systems, including third-party ones. That's certainly been the case for Omelet You Cook
"We're very fortunate and grateful to have reached 507 positive reviews before our first negative," Schumacher said. "We worked incredibly hard to achieve that with 15 content updates over 5 months. But we also got incredibly lucky and it's nowhere near a flawless game. There's plenty of valid reasons somebody might have a negative experience with the game and we're grateful to all 507 chefs who took the time to write a positive review. Each one helps Omelet You Cook reach a wider audience."
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Amazon has officially kicked off its Black Friday sale of 2025, a full week early, and the discounts so far are actually quite good.
As part of the IGN Deals Team, I have been covering the early Black Friday sales all November long, and these discounts are the first I've seen that truly give off Black Friday vibes.
If you're planning on doing some deals shopping this year, there's really no reason not to start right now.
Amazon released a preview of what deals to expect a couple of weeks back, so there aren't many surprises here. Amazon's own devices have all dropped in price, headphones are getting big discounts, and there are TV deals pretty much everywhere.
To help you sort through all of these early deals, I've cut down the list to only the top 30 discounts I think are worth your time. Each of these products (or services) is currently at the lowest prices of 2025 and is unlikely to drop any further as we get closer to Black Friday proper.
And if reading isn't really something you have time for right now, the classic Audible deal has returned and you can get that service for only $0.99 per month for the first three months. I'd definitely recommend trying that out, even to just listen to the new full-cast Harry Potter Audiobook, which I thought was actually really good.
Some of the surprising deals here are on gaming PCs and gaming laptops. Dell kicked off its Alienware sale earlier this week, but these are the first decent Amazon deals we've seen all month. I'd definitely expect these deals to go quickly, so jump on them now while they are still available.
Will there be more Amazon Black Friday deals later?
While it's true that this is Amazon's official Black Friday sale, not all of the deals are live yet. Amazon and Best Buy are the only two retailers who have launched "official" sales so far, so what we're seeing here is only the first round of big deals before Black Friday proper.
The next round will actually start tomorrow when the PlayStation Black Friday sale officially begins. Amazon will most likely price match all of those deals, which include discounts on PS5 consoles, games, and accessories.
There was also the Nintendo Black Friday announcement a few weeks back, that stated the official Nintendo sale would be starting on November 23, so there's unlikely to be many Switch games on sale until then. Most of the video game deals available now are thanks to GameStop's early Black Friday sale starting this week, but rest assured that more are on their way.
What we're seeing here is only the first round of good deals before Black Friday proper.
Outside of video games and consoles, you may have noticed that there is a significant lack of good LEGO deals in this round one of Amazon's Black Friday sale. That's most likely because the LEGO Store Black Friday sale doesn't actually begin until actual Black Friday.
You Don't Need a Prime Membership to Shop These Sales
Amazon doesn't require you to have a Prime membership to access its Black Friday sale. Unlike Prime-exclusive events like Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days, Black Friday is open to everyone. There are some exceptions to that, and you may run into some deals marked "Prime Deal", but for the most part you shouldn't run into any issues if you don't have a subscription.
There are quite a few benefits available to Prime members that can be helpful during Black Friday shopping, however. Most notably the free shipping comes in handy if you're buying anything for less than $35. There are a couple of different free trial options available to new subscribers you can check out during this sales event, with the base option giving you 30-days free.
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 7 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.
Amazon is kicking off its Black Friday sale with some of the best Kindle deals we've seen all year. Pretty much every model is now on sale at the lowest price of 2025, so if you've been hoping to pick up a good e-reader at a discount, now is the time to do so. I've had my Kindle Paperwhite for over a year now and it's one of the only devices I use every day. If you do a lot of reading, I highly recommend getting a Kindle for yourself and changing your life for the better. It's literally thousands of books in the palm of your hand.
There are four core models currently discounted in Amazon's Black Friday sale: The Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Colorsoft, Kindle Scriber, and the standard Kindle.
The Best Kindle Deals at Amazon Today
The last time I saw Kindle prices drop this low was during Prime Day in July, and Amazon has matched or gone lower for each model for Black Friday this year. The Kindle Paperwhite is currently IGN's top pick for the best reading tablet, and it is currently matching its lowest price ever at $124.99. Perhaps the overall best discount here, however, is on the Kindle Colorsoft. Amazon's full color e-reader has dropped to a new low price of $169.99, which is a full $80 off its usual price. The standard Amazon Kindle has also dropped to its lowest price ever at just $79.99, which is getting into dangerously affordable territory.
Which Kindle should you buy?
With multiple models discounted, it's worth considering the advantages and disadvantages of each before you buy. If all you need is a regular e-ink reading tablet that can function as a replacement for physical books, then it mostly comes down to a choice between the Kindle Paperwhite and the standard Kindle. I've used both myself and the only real difference is in the size of the screen itself. The Kindle Paperwhite has a 7-inch screen while the regular Kindle is only 6-inches. I personally like the additional reading room, but since you can change the font size easily it isn't necessarily worth the extra $45 in this case. Both options also include the adjustable backlight, so reading at night is super easy either way.
The Kindle Colorsoft is what I'd recommend for anyone planning on reading digital comics and manga. The standard Kindles can load comics and graphic novels, but only in black and white. The Colorsoft will allow for full color, making it the best overall option for anything with pictures. An iPad is probably a better choice for comics, but it's a lot more expensive and doesn't feature the same soft e-ink display as a Kindle does.
Lastly, there's the Kindle Scribe, which is essentially an e-ink digital notebook. It can function as a normal Kindle, but with the added benefit of allowing you to write and take notes on it as well. It's great for anyone who is looking to quickly jump between reading a book and being productive in an instant, though it is the most expensive option here.
Kindle Unlimited Is Also on Sale
If you're a new subscriber, it's also worth noting that Amazon is running a promotion for Kindle Unlimited during Black Friday as well. During the sale period, you can get the service for just $0.99 per month for the first three months. I took advantage of this promotion last year and have been paying full price for it ever since. I'd only recommend trying out Kindle Unlimited if you're someone that reads a lot of books every month though. It works out great for me because I read a ton of LitRPG books and almost all of them are included with Unlimited, but if you're primarily reading new releases or a series that isn't included, then it's definitely not worth the price.
The IGN Deals team has more than 30 years of combined deal-hunting experience. We've been finding discounts long before it was even our job to do so and will continue to do so long after we retire. The art of saving money is something anyone can learn to do, but only a select few have the dedication and drive to truly master it.
Thankfully, our team of experts will be doing most of the deal-hunting for you during Black Friday season this year. We'll be using various tricks of the trade to seek out the best deals each day to help guide you toward discounts on the things you actually want to buy this holiday season.
Eric started his professional deal hunting career at Techbargains back in 2007, later taking on additional managerial roles at LogicBuy and ExtremeTech. In 2016, he assumed his current position as 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. The best deal he's recently found was a LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon 751982 kit for about $200 (normally $800) thanks to a Target price error. When he's not racking up freemogems in Genshin Impact or attempting to lose weight with Beat Saber, Eric's out in the Pacific ocean on his kayak fishing for salmon and halibut.
Robert has been with IGN for almost seven years, first starting his career writing about broadband and mobile phone contracts in the UK. He's since gone on to be IGN's resident gaming deals expert, and has lent his bargain hunting skills to a handful of IGN's sister sites like Eurogamer, RockPaperShotgun, VG247, PCMag, and Mashable. Alongside his knack for gaming deals, he loves a dive deep to find elusive discounts on TCGs like Pokémon or Magic, 4K UHD Blu-rays, comics, and a plenty more. When he's not writing for IGN, you'll find him playing Darkest Dungeon on his Steam Deck with a piping hot cup of tea. Cheers!
Chris has been writing professionally for 15 years. It all started when he got an iPod Touch and started looking for games and thought, “I could review these things.” In short order, he got a job as a mobile gaming editor before moving on to cover console and PC games at sites like The Cheat Sheet and GameSpot. He’s always had an eye out for a good deal, so joining IGN as a commerce editor was an easy fit. He’s covered Black Friday and Cyber Monday for seven years and counting, digging up all the best deals available at any given moment.
Seth has been writing about video games professionally since 2009, starting at 1UP.com and moving to IGN as a news freelancer in 2014. He was hired on full-time in 2018 as Tech & Commerce editor before moving to Executive Editor, IGN Commerce and now Sr. Social Producer, Commerce. Since the start of 2025 he's grown the IGN Deals social commerce accounts by 38,000 followers, an almost 11% increase YoY. A mixture of up to the minute deals, clever graphics, and timely postings have pushed this growth. He also shows up in a lot of IGN's video content, due to his boyish charm.
Jacob has been writing professionally for a little over eight years now, but he's been clipping coupons his entire adult life. He first got his start working at Digital Trends where he naturally fell into commerce coverage around tech deals and discounts. There, he led the team's Black Friday and Cyber Monday coverage for two years before moving into a broader role. Since he's been at IGN, he has continued to work on larger content projects, but still helps assist with sales event coverage throughout the year. Jacob's role on the IGN Deals Team during Black Friday this year will be covering broad sales trends at major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and Target.
Blythe is the newest member on the IGN Deals team. After two years at a digital marketing agency, she arrived at IGN in 2024 to support general coverage strategy while pitching in during major sales events. She largely handles streaming coverage because she suffers from extreme FOMO any time she misses a discount. Over Black Friday, she’ll be keeping an eye on Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, and Crunchyroll in particular. As a collector herself, Blythe’s also always looking for physical media deals from major retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Her major points of interest are books, DVDs, and TCGs like Magic: The Gathering.
Lindsey (she/her) has a background in digital marketing, SEO and audience development, spanning over 10 years. She has worn many hats in her career, but has most recently been overseeing the affiliate business at IGN, ensuring IGN's audience gets the best shopping guidance on all of the cool tech, gadgets, toys and games every day. She will be very hands on during Black Friday, supporting the team any way she can to optimize and promote IGN experts' deals during the craziness that is Black Friday week. On a personal level, Lindsey grew up thrift shopping with her mom, so bargain hunting is in her blood. (She even had a fashion blog at one point.) That said, she's a big fan of resale sites like Depop and eBay.
Get a jump start on your 2026 New Year's resolution to get fit or build muscle with Speediance. Speediance is a revolutionary fitness brand offering AI-powered gym systems designed to keep you on top of your goals, all from the comfort of your own home. From weight training to cardio, these unique, smart workout machines deliver results—and help ease some of the guilt from all the yuletide delights you’ll be enjoying in the coming months.
Now’s the time to buy one of these awesome home gym systems, as Speediance’s Black Friday sale is live. You can score up to $1,200 off its machines, including the all-in-one Gym Monster and Gym Monster 2. That’s up to 33% savings. IGN also scored an exclusive code: MEDIA120, which can be stacked on top of the current deal, knocking off an additional $120. However, supply is limited, so once the product is gone, it’s really gone.
Save Up to $1,200 on Speediance Home Gym Equipment
Chances are good you won’t see sales this great again this year, but there is a 60-day price match guarantee if a Speediance machine happens to become cheaper (excluding flash sales). And to sweeten the deal even further, the Gym Monster and Gym Monster 2 include exclusive free accessories with purchase to elevate your workout, such as hooks, straps, docks, and handles.
Speediance Smart Gym Lineup
The Gym Monster and Gym Monster 2 are Speediance’s flagship gym equipment. These systems keep relatively compact dimensions while delivering up to 220 pounds of resistance, adjustable by one-pound increments. The versatility is unmatched, allowing it to be transformed into a squat rack, pulley machine, dumbbell, rower, and beyond. However, the standout feature is the 32-inch monitor, which is packed with training sessions, curated workouts, real-time feedback, and more. Using AI enhancements via Speediance’s Wellness+, you can even enjoy extremely personalized insights into your fitness.
The all-in-one Gym Monster and its accessories aren’t the only equipment Speediance offers. If you like the sound of the Gym Monster, but are pressed for space, there’s a more compact option, Gym Pal, which delivers up to 200 pounds of resistance and offers ample training opportunities.
Speediance also has the VeloNix, an indoor bike equipped with AI insights, ample adjustability for the perfect fit, and excellent simulation to bring the outdoor riding feel inside. Best of all, the Black Friday discounts also apply to the VeloNix and it comes with a few free accessories.
Anyone who’s been looking to grab new fitness equipment should act now. Deals this good won’t last long. Be sure to check out some other great Black Friday sales that have already dropped and big deals to anticipate.
Danielle is a Tech freelance writer based in Los Angeles who spends her free time creating videos and geeking out over music history.
Ahead of Black Friday, Lenovo is offering a really, really good deal on one of its highest end laptops. For a limited time (and maybe not until Black Friday), you can pick up a Lenovo Legion Pro 7 Gen 10 gaming laptop, equipped with a 16" OLED display, AMD Ryzen 9 X3D CPU, and RTX 5080 GPU, for just $2,301.69 with free shipping when you apply two stackable coupon codes "LEGIONRMN6" and "EARLYHOLIDEAL". The Ryzen 9 X3D is the most powerful mobile gaming CPU on the market, easily besting anything that Intel has in its repertoire, and the GeForce RTX 5080 GPU is no slouch either.
Lenovo Legion Pro 7 RTX 5080 Laptop for $2,300
After codes "LEGIONRMN6" and "EARLYHOLIDEAL"
The Legion Pro 7 is Lenovo's highest end 16" gaming laptop and a pretty hefty upgrade from its more mainstream Legion Pro 5 laptop. It features a more premium build thanks to a full metal chassis (both lid and body), gorgeous OLED display with 2.5K 189ppi resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, HDR 1000 True Black certification, and 100% DCI-P3 color range, and a more robust vapor-chamber cooling system.
This particular configuration is equipped with a 16" OLED display, AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 GPU, 32GB of DDR5-5600MHz RAM, and a 1TB SSD. This 2025 model has been updated with Wi-Fi 7. Connectivity options include a Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort 2.1, a USB Type-C port with up to 100W of Power Delivery, three USB Type-A ports, an RJ45 ethernet port, and an HDMI 2.1 port. The 99Whr battery can charge to 70% in just 30 minutes.
The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D is the most powerful laptop gaming CPU
The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D processor is a recently released cutting-edge Zen 5 CPU with 16 cores, 32 threads, and a max boost clock of 5.4GHz. This is an X3D processor with AMD's 3D-V-Cache technology specially tailored for gamers. It easily outperforms any other mobile CPU in gaming, especially at lower resolutions and CPU-bound games. There is no better processor to pair with a powerful GPU like the 5080.
The GeForce RTX 5080 mobile GPU is better than the RTX 4090 mobile
The RTX 5080 is roughly 15%-20% more powerful than the RTX 4080 GPU that it replaces. In fact, it's slightly more powerful than the RTX 4090, which was the previous generation's flagship card. It will run even the newest demanding games like Ghost of Yotei, Battlefield 6, and Borderlands 4 at frame rates of 60fps or higher on the 1600p display. You could even enable ray tracing and still get playable frames, something that was unheard of in laptops just a few years ago.
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.
The holiday season is here and AliExpress is kicking off is early Black Friday Sale with some incredible deals on hundreds of its locally shipped products, including best sellers like electric bikes and scooters, gaming handhelds, imported Switch 2 and PlayStation 5 consoles, brand name 3D printers, and more. These deals are roughly 10%-20% cheaper than previous lows thanks to a combination of coupon codes and a Retailmenot cash back offer. All the products listed below ship from a local US warehouse, which means you don't need to worry about tariffs or obnoxiously long shipping times.
AliExpress Coupon Codes (Tested and Verified)
Most of these deals are made better by using one of these tiered coupons:
AEUS04 ($4 Off Orders $20+)
AEUS06 ($6 Off Orders $30+)
AEUS08 ($8 Off Orders $40+)
AEUS10 ($10 off Orders $50+)
AEUS12 ($12 Off Orders $60+)
AEUS20 ($20 Off Orders $100+)
AEUS26 ($26 Off Orders $130+)
AEUS32 ($32 Off Orders $160+)
USDEAL44 ($44 Off Orders $220+)
AEUS56 ($56 Off Orders $280+)
AEUS64 ($64 Off Orders $320+)
AEUS80 ($80 Off Orders $400+)
AEUS100 ($100 Off Orders $500+)
Extra 15% Cash Back at Retailmenot
Early Black Friday Deals
Portable Gaming Handhelds
AliExpress is widely regarded as the best online store to pick up a portable gaming handheld at an outrageously low price. These portable gaming handhelds feature small 3.5" displays, 32-bit or 64-bit processors, and usually run off Android or Linux. Despite the low price, these gaming handhelds are well built and feel like a professionally engineered product.
1,000W Electric Bikes Starting at $276
Not long you you wouldn't be able to find an electric bike for under $1,000. Although there are still plenty of "premium" brands that still sell ebikes for well above this threshold, it's no longer an accurate blanket statement. As we enter the Black Friday and holiday season, you can pick up an entry level ebike for as low as $319. The three deals below stand out for the following reasons: (1) they're a lot less expensive than buying the exact same bike off Amazon, (2) they're all shipped from a local US warehouse so you don't need to worry about tariffs or shipping delays, and (3) they're sold by reputable vendors with plenty of reviews and sales to back them up.
350W Electric Scooters Starting at $109
Scooters have some major advantages over bikes. They're lighter, more compact, and usually less expensive. Electric assisted scooters give you more range and speed for less effort, and the brushless motor is pretty quiet. You'd think upgrading to one would cost you a lot of money, but that doesn't have to be the case. You can pick up a LADPED LP80 350W electric scooter for just $127.14 with coupon code "AEUS26". Alternatively, the LADPED LP60 350W electric scooter, which has a smaller battery, is $109.53 after code "AEUS20". Both feature a 350W brushless motor that can push the scooter at speeds of up to 19mph.
Arzopa Portable USB Monitors Starting at $50
A portable USB monitor has many practical uses, such as a secondary display for your laptop or a travel-friendly screen for your Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck handheld gaming PC. Ahead of Black Friday, Arzopa is hosting some big markdowns on its popular lineup of portable USB monitors via its official AliExpress storefront. Combined with some general AliExpress coupon codes, these deals are the lowest prices I've seen all year long. All of the portable monitors listed ship free from the United States, which means you don't have to worry about tariffs or long shipping times.
3D Printers Starting at $163
AliExpress is known for being one of the best online shops to pick up a 3D printer at the lowest possible price. I'm not talking about obscure, unvetted models. Some of the most popular 3D printer brands, including Creality (arguably the most well-known), Anycubic, and Flashforge, have official storefronts that carry some or all of their product lineup. With coupons applied, you can pick up a fully-assembled 3D printer for as low as $170.
Power Stations Starting at $88
With the winter season approaching, you should seriously consider picking up a power station in case of emergencies. Fortunately for you, the best time to score a great deal on a power station is during Black Friday. AliExpress has already come out of the gate early with the lowest prices I've seen all year on several power stations from trusted brand names like Allpowers and Bluetti. The deals I've listed below are sold by the manufacturers' official seller accounts, so you're sure to receive a genuine product with full warranty. These power stations also ship free from a local US warehouse, which means you don't need to worry about tariffs or obnoxiously long shipping times.
Imported Nintendo Switch 2 Consoles, Controllers, and Games
If you still haven't yet picked up a Nintendo Switch 2 because it's too expensive, there is an opportunity to get one at a discounted price. AliExpress is offering a Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World console bundle for as low as $4100 (normally $500). It ships free locally from the United States (which means no tariffs and no obnoxiously long wait times).
Note that the console is a Hong Kong import. All international Switch consoles are region unlocked, meaning they can be used in the US without any problems and without any modification. Likewise, all Switch 2 hardware (like controllers) and physical games are also region unlocked.
Sofirn SP36 Pro 8,000-Lumen EDC LED Flashlight
Check any popular flashlight forums and you'll see that Sofirn is a very well known brand that carries a wide range of flashlights at extremely affordable prices. They're one of the best selling flashlight brands on Amazon, but you can get the exact same models for a much lower price at AliExpress. In fact, Sofirn even has its own official seller account there. The SP36 Pro is a popular 5" EDC model that currently sells for over $60 on Amazon. The emitter uses four SST40 LEDs that can deliver up to 8,000 lumens. It takes three 18650 batteries which are included.
Licensed JoyToy Warhammer 40K Figures
JoyToy is well known for its huge collection of pre-painted Warhammer 40K figures. In my opinion they are better detailed than the ones from McFarlane and Bandai, with the exception of limited edition figures that cost hundreds of dollars apiece. JoyToy figures are also (justifiably) more expensive and building out an extensive Warhammer collection of figures can easily add up in price. Lucky for us, JoyToy happens to host its own official storefront on AliExpress. It also licenses its toys out to several other resellers on AliExpress. These are all genuine models shipped in retail packaging and best of all, much cheaper than getting it anywhere else.
Who Is AliExpress?
AliExpress, an offshoot of Alibaba (one of the world's largest online retailers), is a one-stop shop for everything under the sun, from video games, consoles, and electronics to home decor, apparel, toys, and sporting goods. It operates as an online marketplace for Chinese-based sellers looking to sell their products to international customers. This is a great resource for US-based shoppers because prices on AliExpress are more often than not lower than the exact same product at a US retailer, including Amazon marketplace. These include officially licensed products from Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and more. If you're willing to overlook some caveats (for example, imported models without a US warranty) and exercise basic internet common sense, then AliExpress offers a great opportunity to save tons of money.
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.
Audible's Black Friday deal has already kicked off, and it's one of the best I've seen in quite a while. Starting now and running through December 1 (Cyber Monday), new and returning Audible subscribers can sign up for three months of Audible Premium Plus for just $0.99 per month. Even better, you also get a bonus $20 in Audible credit that you can use on any audibook of your choice. Finally, as part of the Premium Plus subscription, you also get a free audiobook of your choice every month, and you get to keep it indefinitely even after your subscription expires.
Since this is an Amazon Prime exclusive deal, you'll need to be logged into your Prime account to see this promotion. As long as you're not a current subscriber, you should be eligible. After the three months is up, your subscription will convert to the standard $14.95/mo, so make sure to cancel beforehand if you don't want to continue with the service. I haven't confirmed this, but you could potentially use your bonus Audible credit to get one more free month of Premium Plus.
3 Free Months of Audible Premium Plus
Audible is a subscription service that gives you access to hundreds of thousands of the best audiobooks without ever having to purchase them. There are two paid membership plans: the lower tier Audible Plus ($7.95/mo) and the higher tier Audible Premium Plus ($14.95/mo). The biggest difference between the two is the size of the audiobook library. Whereas Audible Plus only lets you listen to a selection of about 10,000 audiobooks, the Audible Premium Plus plan gives you access to a whopping 500,000 audiobooks.
Premium Plus includes other perks as well. Every month Premium Plus members get to pick one audiobook to keep in their library indefinitely, even after the membership expires. Also, Premium Plus members can get 30% off any additional audiobooks they wish to purchase in addition to exclusive limited-time discounts.
If you were already planning to purchase a couple of audiobooks, then it makes more sense to pay less than $3 to get three audiobooks you get to keep indefinitely and enjoy all the benefits of Audible Premium Plus for three months. This deal only pops up a few times per year, so don't waste your "first-time subscriber" eligibility status on a short 30-day trial.
Catch up the the latest novel releases, audiobook style
Several best-selling new and recent releases are available in an audiobook format and part of Audible's Premium Plus subscription plan. Sunrise on the Reaping, the latest Hunger Games novel, is narrated by Jefferson White, who you may already know from Yellowstone where he played Jimmy Hudstrom. The audiobook has a listening time of about 12 hours and 48 minutes. Stephen King released his Never Flinch crime novel in May 27 and it's also available as a nearly 15-hour long audiobook narrated by veteran Jessie Mueller. If you're a fan of Brandon Sanderson, check out Wind and Truth, book five of the popular The Stormlight Archive series. It was released in December of 2024 and runs an epic 63 hours long.
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.
Epic Games is teasing an explosive return to Fortnite story content with a Chapter 6 Zero Hour Finale Live Event teaser trailer that packs in heavy-hitter cameos ahead of the inevitable launch of Chapter Seven.
The description for the new Fortnite story video teases that some familiar faces will “assemble in the final endgame to save reality,” and the footage proves it. In just 30 seconds, we see Jonesy dodging giant tentacle monster attacks as Godzilla, King Kong, and Star Wars X-Wings battle overhead. Naturally, a giant, half-naked Homer Simpson then shows up before Uma Thurman’s Kill Bill character, The Bride, swoops in, with the trailer then finally telling players to expect the Fortnite Chapter 6 Zero Hour Finale event to take place November 29 at 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET.
It’s an unveiling that will also surely reinforce rumors that Tarantino himself is involved in some of Epic’s upcoming festivities, with some believing the filmmaker directed its new cinematic. There’s been no official word on what exactly the big finale has in store, but with some eagle-eyed fans already spotting a Fortnite-related premiere at Tarantino’s The Vista Theatre in Los Angeles, the evidence is only getting harder to deny.
As everyone from Godzilla to Homer stomps in for what is poised to be one of the biggest Fortnite events ever, fans can’t help but look forward to how Chapter Seven may shake up the long-running live-service experience’s formula. Some believe Epic is dropping hints that The Seven, a star-studded group that has largely been MIA from Fortnite story content for years, could somehow make a comeback for the Seven-themed Chapter, for example.
Should The Seven return to Epic’s grand video game multiverse, it would likely mean the stars who play them, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Brie Larson, would be back, too. We should find out more about the Fortnite Chapter 6 Zero Hour Finale and Chapter Seven in the coming weeks
In the meantime, players have spent November gallivanting around none other than The Simpsons’ Springfield, as the long-running animated series made its debut with themed skins, Easter Eggs, and more. It’s a crossover that’s been particularly successful for Epic, with players also enjoying the new Sidekicks feature and the return of the Omniverse.
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).
HP just unloaded an excellent deal on one of the most powerful gaming laptops currently available. The OMEN MAX 16 RTX 5080 gaming laptop starts at just $2,309.99 with free shipping after applying 30% off coupon "OMENMAX30". The RTX 5080 is an absolute monster of a mobile GPU that surpasses the previous generation's top performer, the RTX 4090.
OMEN MAX 16 RTX 5080 Gaming Laptop for $2,309.99
New for 2025, the OMEN MAX 16 is an upgrade to the OMEN 16 both in terms of build quality and cooling potential. Unlike the OMEN 16, the OMEN MAX 16 is almost entirely constructed of aluminum, including both the top lid and chassis. The exception is the palm rest, which is still plastic so that it doesn't get too toasty for your hands. The OMEN MAX 16 also features a new OMEN Tempest Cooling Pro design that combines vapor chamber cooling, redesigned fan configuration, and an improved thermal interface material to maximize heat transfer. Not only does this keep the OMEN MAX 16 cooler during gaming marathons, it also allows for the current-generation graphics cards to perform optimally without throttling.
This particular configuration features a 16" 2560x1600 display, Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, GeForce RTX 5080 mobile GPU, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Both the memory and storage can be user-upgraded.
The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a top performing CPU
The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor has 24 cores and a max turbo frequency of 5.4GHz. This is the second most powerful Intel mobile CPU currently available (the Ultra 9 285HX has a slightly higher clock speed) and goes toe to toe with AMD's flagship Ryzen 9 9955HX processor. This is an excellent CPU to pair with a powerful GPU like the 5080.
The GeForce RTX 5080 mobile GPU is better than the RTX 4090 mobile
The OMEN MAX 16 can accommodate an RTX 5080 mobile GPU without throttling it. The RTX 5080 is roughly 15%-20% more powerful than the RTX 4080 GPU that it replaces. In fact, it's slightly more powerful than the RTX 4090, which was the previous generation's flagship card. It will run even the newest demanding games like Ghost of Yotei, Battlefield 6, and Borderlands 4 at frame rates of 60fps or higher on the 1600p display. You could even enable ray tracing and still get playable frames, something that was unheard of in laptops just a few years ago.
From 11/16 - 11/26 IGN users can use custom discount code OMENMAX30 at checkout to receive a 30% discount price on OMEN MAX 16 laptops. See below for coupon terms and conditions definitions.
Non-stackable 30% off select OMEN Max 16 gaming laptops for IGN only, GS only - Coupon Definition
OMENMAX30 30% off coupon valid on HP.com internet, mobile, and call center purchases only. Coupon code is limited to one (1) redemption up to one (1) product in cart by a single customer email, per customer account, per coupon code, per checkout. Coupon is not combinable with other promotional offers. Coupon valid from November 16 to 26, 2025, or while supplies last. Coupon vaild on HP.com General Store only. Coupon valid on OMEN Max 16 gaming laptops only: A4NQ6AV_1, A4SL1AV_1, B64BNUA#ABA, B86WQAV_1, B96R7UA#ABA, B96S7UA#ABA, CG6Y7UA#ABA.
Coupon not valid on HP Employee Purchase Program, Corporate Employee Purchase Program, Business Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze Clubs, select consumer and business private stores. Coupon not valid on all printers and all supplies as defined by HP, refurbish products, third party products offered by HP, bundle products, select consumer and commercial laptops, desktops, All-In-Ones, mobile and desktops workstations, monitors, peripherals, and accessories.
Any unused portion will be forfeited. Offer void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Non-transferable. Not retroactively valid on previously purchased items. Not valid for any resale activity as defined by HP.com. Coupons may not be used to purchase gift cards. May not be permitted with certain bundle offers. Products and support acquired by customer under these terms are solely for customer's personal use and not for immediate resale or sublicensing. Contract and volume customers not eligible. These exclusions and terms and conditions are subject to change without notice.
As a fighting game fan, I’ve grown to enjoy the process. Spending extended amounts of time in training mode learning the timing of memorized button presses in the hopes that, when it really counts, that practice will pay off. This might be why I found Forestrike, a 2D martial arts inspired roguelite that lets you plan out your approach to solving a gauntlet of combat encounters before executing upon them for real, so uniquely appealing. It successfully evokes the feeling of classic kung fu fight choreography by mixing straight up hand-to-hand combat with clever moments of using the environment to your advantage, or turning an enemy’s own weapon against them, or causing friendly fire simply with an effortless step to the side, all on a 2D plane with minimalist spite art. The precision and memorization needed to accomplish these impressive looking feats can be brutal, especially considering how easy it is for one mistake to cascade into many more, eventually cratering a run, but this clever concept still manages to pack a heck of a punch.
Forestrike puts you in control of Yu, a young martial artist who is part of the Order of the Foresight, a faction dutifully devoted to serving their Emperor, and one that becomes dedicated to the mission of saving said emperor from the manipulation of a being known as The Admiral. There’s a surprising amount of dialogue in Forestrike as we learn more about The Order and the various masters that guide Yu along his journey in between each run. In that way, it’s a lot like the intermissions between runs of Hades, but instead of always looking forward to the new things characters had to say, I generally found myself eager to get on with it so I could get back to fighting. A complete lack of voice acting certainly contributed to this, but the writing and characters themselves also just weren’t strong enough to keep my interest for very long.
Once you’re in an actual run, Forestrike flexes its muscles. It’s structured like a gauntlet of combat encounters against increasingly difficult foes, but before the actual fighting starts you’re able use your foresight technique to essentially do a practice run. That lets you find the right combination of attacks, dodges, and techniques to defeat all of the enemies in the most efficient way possible. Defensive resources like blocks and dodges are extremely limited, and it’s rare that you’ll go into an encounter with more than one of either. At first it felt rather frustrating as I just continuously found myself being forced to burn my dodge or block against the first tough enemy, which meant I wouldn’t be able to avoid the attacks of the last one. Eventually, though, a visual language started to develop as I learned how enemies would react to my actions and how I could use those predictable tendencies to my advantage.
If one enemy was charging me from the right, I could use my dodge resource to move an enemy on my left to the other side, putting him right in the way of that attack. If I was up against an enemy with spikes on the front of their body, I could look for a type of puppet enemy that drops its head when killed, which could then be picked up and thrown to kill the spiked foe from a distance. Figuring out this visual language organically was super satisfying, and I felt like I was getting further and further in my runs not because my character was becoming more powerful, but because I was simply getting better, which is always a great feeling in a roguelite.
I was getting further because I was simply getting better, which is always a great feeling in a roguelite.
What really makes the gameplay sing are the different martial masters that you take along with you in each run, which dictate what techniques you’re able to use. There’s Talgun, who is the master of the Leaf style, which focuses primarily on redirecting enemy attacks so that your foes take each other out; Nodai of the Cold Eye style, which focuses primarily on blocking, restoring health, and brute force; and my favorite, Monkey, who utilizes a wild fighting style that relies on surprising foes with dropkicks, bananas, and resting on the floor so that enemy attacks go right over and slam into the foe behind you.
Each style requires a completely different approach to solving the puzzles of combat, and I loved jumping between them and seeing the many different techniques that unlock the further you get in a run. Each time you beat the boss of one of the four regions, you unlock more techniques that get added to the pool of randomly selected rewards, which essentially acts as the permanent progression that helps give you the extra edge you’ll need to conquer each of the four regions of the campaign.
The one big issue with this formula is that the amount of precision required in some of the later stages can get pretty out of control, especially considering how quickly things can go off the rails with just one error. I’ve had multiple combat encounters where all of my practice runs went flawlessly, but on the actual attempt I was just a hair off on the timing of a single strike, which would essentially cause my whole plan to break down and force me to improvise the rest of the way, which usually leads to either death or near death. That’s just part of the design, but it doesn’t stop it from being extremely frustrating to lose an otherwise great run to what ultimately amounts to being off by just milliseconds one time.
The sprite based art style is intentionally minimalist – much like Skeleton Crew Studio’s previous game, Olija – and for the most part is very charming. The sprites themselves are surprisingly expressive despite their lack of detail, the 2D art is fantastic, and the actual combat animations are great – but for whatever reason the same attention was not given to the walk and run animations, which are some of the most awkward I’ve seen in 2D pixel art. It’s not a huge deal since Yu only really walks and runs in between runs at the monastery, but it’s still a very strange quirk in a game that otherwise looks great.
Not only is Reiner Knizia certainly the most prolific designer in hobby board games, but The Hobbit: There And Back Again isn’t even his first (or second, or third) game based on Tolkien's book for children. First was a 2010 game where players were the hobbit’s dwarf companions, helping on his adventure and trying to escape with as much gold as possible. Then came two 2013 cooperative games. None were particularly well-received, especially when you consider how many Knizia titles could count among the best games of all time. So now he’s back for a fourth bite at the hobbit’s ample table, with an all-new design.
What’s in the Box
The actual box contents are very straightforward. There are four big flip-books of dry-wipe pages and an accompanying marker, one for each player. The books are a fantastic idea, sturdily bound and much more convenient than the mess of loose playsheets that dominate in dry-wipe games. You also get a standard 12-sided die and five custom printed six-sided dice bearing a variety of shapes and symbols. Finally there’s a sheet of punch out tokens representing various resources you can collect on your adventures: bread, swords and, in a wholly unnecessary nod to a famous scene from the book, pine-cones.
What’s more interesting to discuss is the art style. Interpretations of Tolkien tend toward the meticulous and lavishly detailed, as befits the rich setting he created. But The Hobbit was originally conceived as a children’s book, separate from the legendarium he was creating in his spare time: its incorporation into those invented myths came later. And this seems to be the inspiration behind the illustrations here, which are chunky, cartoonish, and occasionally silly. This is likely to be divisive – it increases the family-weight appeal of the title, but might annoy fans who take their Tolkien lore more seriously.
Rules and How It Plays
The Hobbit: There and Back Again is fundamentally a path-drawing roll and write game. However many players are competing, someone rolls the five dice, three of which will come up with path symbols that draw a line, often with turns and branches, across one, two or three squares. The other two roll resources, like bread and swords. There are eight scenarios in the game, each with its own page in the included flip-book, and in most of them the goal is to use path symbols to draw a line from a starting point to an end goal, ideally hitting certain squares and avoiding others along the way.
The art is likely to be divisive – it increases the family-weight appeal of the title, but might annoy fans who take their Tolkien lore more seriously.
This being a Reiner Knizia game, however, there is a great deal more to this than first meets the eye. For starters, most games of this kind see all the players sharing the results of the roll, marking them up on their own sheets. But this involves dice-drafting so, on your turn, you pick one and remove it from the pool. Instantly this makes the decision more interesting as you’re not only picking to optimize your own route but potentially deny it to other players. For this reason the game works best as a 2-player board game, as it’s easier to keep a close eye on what others are doing. It’s still fun with more, but loses a bit of that interactive edge.
Every scenario also has its own specific requirements to explore. A couple of them are too similar, but for the most part they’re impressively diverse, given the relatively simple core rules. In the first, for example, you have to link 12 starting squares, containing the dwarfs heading to Bilbo’s unexpected party, to his hobbit-hole at Bag End. The second sees you trekking a single route across a dangerous, troll-filled wilderness on your way to the elves at Rivendell. Following adventures involve picking shapes determined by a die roll to surround specific squares, filling in flight routes for eagles to rescue stranded dwarfs, and using paths to rescue burning houses while shooting arrows at the marauding dragon, Smaug.
Further tricksiness is baked into the scoring that determines the winner. In the first adventure you’ll score points for each dwarf that you successfully link to Bilbo’s home, but get a bonus if you have a bread resource ready to feed them first. Except if you look at the available scores closely, you’ll note that might not always be the best idea. You can also get extra points if you connect and feed Thorin, the dwarf leader, and the wizard Gandalf except, crucially, the scenario ends for all players as soon as one of them collects the other 12 dwarfs. There’s also extra score available for collecting sword icons, even though they’re useless in completing the scenario. So there’s a constant temptation to cede ground in the race, fishing for those tasty bonuses.
As you can probably imagine, this setup turns every scenario into a race, with the catch being that you don’t always want to finish first, if falling behind gets you enough extra points to take the win. There are mini-races, too, with a pot of glory points available for the first player to reach particular sub-objectives, like surrounding each riddle symbol in the Gollum chapter. Between the various chases, the random dice rolls, and the uncertainty of who’s going to pull what in the draft, The Hobbit: There and Back thrums with excitement and uncertainty right down until the points are totted up at the end.
Where the game begins to get into stickier territory is replay value. Once you’re played through a scenario and worked out the best way to approach it, the appeal of going through it again begins to drop. But the game has yet another smart twist to try and maintain your interest: unlike most path-making games you can partially draw over previous paths, using your selected shapes to add new bends and junctions, allowing you to reach new areas of the map.
This enriches the spatial puzzle of each scenario tremendously, because there’s no one best route, and you have enormous scope to change up your path each time. When connecting the dwarfs to Bilbo's hole, for instance, you can draw individual paths but you can also link several dwarfs together and then connect them to the hole as a group. Most maps also have squares that give you bonus resources or points, and other squares that you’re discouraged or outright banned from entering. So even when you’ve figured out the scoring, the way the dice fall creates a novel challenge, and there’s always the thrill of the race to anticipate.
What you definitely don’t get is anything other than path-drawing. You can collect wizard hat symbols to unlock one-off extra paths or resource rewards, and if there’s really nothing to do with a die you can assign it to Bilbo the burglar for a wild extra, but this isn’t deep decision-making. And the game is pretty minimal in its evocation of the Hobbit’s narrative. Each scenario tips its hat to Tolkien in visual and spatial terms, but it’s pretty hard to imagine surrounding a troll icon as watching it turn to stone with the break of dawn, especially when the same mechanic is used later to answer riddles.
I was driving my daughter home from seeing Wicked: For Good last night (a pretty enjoyable experience in my book - the very last shot of the movie is going to stick with me for quite a while) and loaded up Apple Music, as I often do on long car rides in the dark when my 8-year-old passenger is conked out after two-plus hours of binging M&M and Icees. About halfway through the drive, a song I put into heavy rotation more than a decade ago came on: “O Children,” a 6-minute 50-second ode to life, sorrow, and the slow march of time, by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.
I’m not what you would call a huge Nick Cave fan. I haven’t spent a ton of time listening to his catalogue. I find his music enjoyable, but it’s not something I seek out on a regular basis. Except for “O Children.”
I ended up adding the song to my music library for one reason alone: it was featured prominently in 2010’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (in my book the second-best Harry Potter film, runner-up only to Alfonso Cuaron’s masterpiece Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). I remember seeing the movie in a theater the day it was released exactly 15 years ago today and immediately Googling “What song do Harry and Hermione dance to?” on my Blackberry.
A decade and a half after the movie’s debut, that scene, a 2-minute non-canon sojourn that barrels through grief, joy, and the heavy burden of young adulthood, stands as the single best moment of the entire eight-film Harry Potter cinematic experience.
Let’s set the scene: six-and-a-half movies in, Voldemort is on his way to complete and total power. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) have discovered that the surest way to defeat the Dark Lord is by hunting down and destroying six Horcruxes, physical objects containing pieces of Voldemort’s soul. They find and steal one - a locket - early in the film and take turns carrying it while trying to figure out how to destroy it. After wearing the locket, Ron’s mood darkens as his jealousy of Harry and Hermione’s relationship surges. And so he disapparates and leaves his friends behind.
Harry and Hermione sit alone in a tent, despondent and searching for what to do next. Slowly, “O Children” begins playing on a staticky radio - a jarring moment given that “real-world” music and other media (outside of a few news reports) haven’t appeared in the Harry Potter universe thus far. Harry removes the locket from Hermione’s neck and pulls her into a dance. Their faces slowly morph into smiles and they take turns spinning each other around as the music crescendos.
O children
Lift up your voice, lift up your voice.
Children
Rejoice, rejoice.
Hey, little train, we are all jumping on
The train that goes to the Kingdom.
We're happy, Ma, we're having fun
And the train ain't even left the station.
Hey, little train, wait for me!
I once was blind, but now I see.
Have you left a seat for me?
Is that such a stretch of the imagination?
Hey little train, wait for me!
I was held in chains, but now I'm free.
I'm hanging in there, don't you see?
In this process of elimination.
Hey little train, we are all jumping on.
The train that goes to the Kingdom.
We're happy, Ma, we're having fun.
It's beyond my wildest expectation.
As the song fades out, Harry and Hermione embrace and slip back into the reality of the challenges ahead. The scene is exceptional not just because it lets the audience off the hook for just a moment from the relentless strife of the movie’s central conflict, but also because it grounds the entire film.
Harry and Hermione’s dance reminds the audience that trauma and death (magical or otherwise), political violence, and just being a human being in the world have real stakes, both physical and emotional, that affect adults, children, and teenagers alike.
The entire Harry Potter series is fantastical and escapist - that’s kind of the point. But the brilliance of the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 dance scene is in its normalcy. Tasked with an impossible mission and weighed down by far-reaching and everyday burdens alike, Harry and Hermione do what teenagers do: they look for an escape, however brief, and dance.
I’ve seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 at least 50 times - probably more - over the past 15 years, but I rarely start it up on purpose because the film comes on TV all the time, especially during the holidays. The movie is so familiar and comforting that it often serves as background noise when my wife and I are cooking dinner or folding laundry or wrangling kids before bedtime.
But when that somber tune from Nick Cave comes on, I almost always stop and stare at the screen for a few moments, rapt by the routine brilliance of two friends dancing to a damned good song. In today’s age of second screens and casual viewing, that’s no small task.
Fallout fans have a whole lot to be excited about these days. From Season 2 of the hit Amazon Prime Video series dropping next month to Fallout 4 coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and Fallout 76 getting a Burning Springs expansion, we’re spoiled for content. Fallout Day on October 23 brought even more announcements. With everything that’s coming, there are tons of fun new collectibles and memorabilia to buy or pre-order in anticipation.
IGN Store is stocked up on awesome Fallout exclusives; there’s even a functional, true to the TV series Pip-Boy Die-Cast replica and Lucy's Vault 33 Backpack, both of which would be any cosplayer’s dream. Bethesda’s Gear Store already has the 15th Anniversary Fallout: New Vegas bundle up for preorder, along with mementos from the Mojave Wasteland. Or grab my personal favorite, a decorative, rocket-shaped Nuka Mix bottle to create your own Nuka Mix Station at home.
TL;DR: Top Fallout Gear Any Fan Will Love
Take a look at this curated list of top Fallout gear any fan would love, alongside a handy blurb about each. With the holidays quickly approaching, these items also make great gifts for all the Wastelanders in your life.
Fallout Desert Sandtrack Flea Die-Cast Replica
Chryslus Motors classic Fusion Flea got a wasteland makeover with a sick camouflage livery and a rear wheel swapped for tracks, ensuring it’s ready to take on the unforgiving dunes. The Desert Sandtrack Flea is a 1:18 scale replica from The Wand Company, and an IGN Store exclusive that has a limited run of just 1,500 units available for preorder right now. With a mix of die-cast metal, thermoplastic rubber, and engineered plastics, it’s built to last. The attention to detail, from the steerable front wheels and tinted windshield to the engine and its glowing nuclear core, makes this military-ready hot-rod a great addition for any collector.
Fallout: New Vegas 15th Anniversary Bundle
Bethesda has a brand new Fallout: New Vegas Bundle available for pre-order from its Gear Store for the 15th Anniversary. In addition to getting the Ultimate Edition of the game via a digital code, which includes all the officially released DCL expansion packs and two weapons packs, it comes with a bunch of cool memorabilia that every Courier will want.
An 8-inch PVC Victor Statue is ready to watch over Good Springs, while one pin and two patches let you represent the Mojave Wasteland anywhere. It even comes with Doc Mitchell’s evaluation cards, allowing you to do a psychological evaluation of friends in the real world. Everything then comes packaged in a retro display box created exclusively for this 15th Anniversary Edition. This bundle doesn’t drop till June 2026, but it’s perfect for any New Vegas fan.
Fallout Pip-Boy 3000 Replica
Fans of Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 3 will want to get their hands on, or rather arms into, this 1:1 replica of the Pip-Boy 3000. Each detail of this wrist-mounted computer remains faithful to the game. A fully functional IPS display delivers that vintage cathode ray tube look, complete with screen glitches and a huge gallery of media, including the Atomic Command minigame. The Wand Company spared no expense when creating this replica, from its die-cast metal front casing and memory foam cuff with a spacer to a rechargeable LiPo power cell and LED torch. It’s sure to elevate your cosplay to another level, but the included machined metal stand is ideal for displaying this exhibition-grade collectible — or using the Pip-Boy 3000 as an alarm clock; yes, it does that too.
Fallout New Vegas Ranger Statue
The detail is incredible on this 8.4-inch resin statue of a New Vegas Ranger. It’s clear he’s a veteran warrior with his battle-worn armour, instantly recognizable Desert Ranger trench coat, gas mask, and dark red eyes. He’s combat-ready with his finger on the trigger of a meticulously decorated revolver. Anyone looking to add an iconic figure of the Mojave Wasteland to their collection will love this statue.
Fallout Official Vault 33 Hoodie
Represent Lucy and the rest of the vault dwellers in Vault 33 from the Prime TV series with this official Vault 33 hoodie. Featuring the signature blue and yellow color scheme with an embroidered “33” on the front and a bold patch across the back, there’s no mistaking your commitment to a brighter tomorrow. The 60/40 cotton-poly blend on this heavyweight zippered hoodie is sure to keep you cozy, especially during the cooler months ahead.
Fallout Nuka Mix Glass Bottle & Caps
Take a piece of the dreamy post-apocalyptic soda fountain from Fallout home with your very own Nuka Mix glass. The 12-ounce bottle features that iconic rocket shape and comes with 10 brown tinplate bottle caps ready for your own Nuka blends. It’s for display purposes only, so you can’t actually drink (or enjoy the gameplay buffs and weird side effects) from this bottle. Nuka Mix isn’t the only Nuka-Cola flavor available; Bethesda’s Gear Store has a bunch of other kinds for an epic Nuka Mix Station at home.
Fallout Desert Ranger Battle Wearable Helmet
Before the New California Republic Rangers formed, there were the Desert Rangers, and you can grab a piece of their history with a durable plastic helmet modeled after one found in Fallout: New Vegas. It’s hand-painted with weathered detail to make each helmet unique. A green glow even comes from the eyes, thanks to the inclusion of LED lights. Best of all, this helmet is wearable for some epic cosplay, and it comes with a stand for displaying. An enamel pin of a completely geared-up Desert Ranger is also included. You can pre-order the Desert Ranger Battle Helmet now, with shipping expected to begin in December.
Fallout Lucy's Vault 33 Backpack
While you might not be navigating the Wasteland like Lucy, you can accessorize similarly to her in the real world with this remarkably accurate replica rolltop backpack. While it’s brilliant for cosplay, this bag is well-built, durable, and surprisingly big, making it a great option for everyday use. You’ll find a 20L interior compartment, a laptop slot, pockets for various accessories, and, of course, the thick signature yellow blanket that rests on top. Given that this backpack is from the minds at The Wand Company, even the patterns and materials to create it are specially sourced to match what’s used in the show.
Fallout Bottlecap Series: Sunset Sarsaparilla with Collectible Tin
While you can’t use these bottle caps for currency in the real world, they do make for one fun keepsake. The Mojave Wasteland is known for its abundance of Sunset Sarsaparilla, and this pack of 20 tinplate caps and collectible tin with a cowboy on the lid will please any New Vegas fan. You might even luck out and find a few caps with a blue star underneath.
Fallout Vault Boy Resin Plaque
The most iconic figure in the Fallout franchise is Vault Boy, and you can preorder a plaque to display Vault-Tec’s cheerful mascot at home. This 200 x 198mm full-color, embossed resin sign comes with hardware to display it on a wall, or plop it on a shelf with the included stand. It’s perfect for game rooms, adding a touch of retro flair to your space.
Danielle is a Tech freelance writer based in Los Angeles who spends her free time creating videos and geeking out over music history.
The Alienware 16 Area 51 may just be the most unique gaming laptop I’ve reviewed this year. Its sci-fi-inspired styling immediately makes it stand out from the pack, but its great gaming performance and surprisingly heavy weight – nearly 10lbs with the power adapter included – make this more of a desktop replacement than a typical 16-inch gaming laptop. Its size and weight return with better cooling, high in-game fps, and a luxurious user experience.
The Alienware 16 Area 51 embodies so much of what makes a great gaming laptop, it’s hard not to fall in love – with a couple exceptions. But if you can live with a few trade-offs, what you’re left with is a portable gaming rig that looks, feels, and plays every bit of its $3,000 price point.
Design and Features
Alienware’s designs aren’t always winners, but no one could accuse the brand of playing it safe. I’ve come to expect a healthy dose of science fiction from Alienware products after years of Alien-inspired designs. The last few years in the gaming laptop space have seen the brand strike a middle ground between uniqueness and general good looks, and the Area 51 is one of the best examples.
It’s available in a single colorway, a deep teal which makes up most of its lid. It’s not a common color for gaming laptops but looks beautiful in contrast to the black used throughout the rest of the case. It’s not a machine that will pass for a business laptop anytime soon, unless business laptops start shipping with glowing alien heads on the lid and full RGB keyboard decks, but it’s not garish enough to be distracting if you turn off the lighting.
There are two less-common display upgrade options to choose from, and I recommend taking advantage of both. When you customize your own system, you can choose between a 4K and 1080p webcam and, surprisingly, there’s no price difference between them (though, presumably, the 4K camera will have a small impact on battery life, but I wasn’t able to test this to confirm). You can also choose between a standard or fully mechanical gaming keyboard with Cherry Ultra-Low Profile switches for an additional $50.
I was surprised to find that Dell didn’t outfit the system with an OLED display like the Razer Blade 16 and other close competitors around its price. Instead, it uses a 16-inch WQXGA IPS display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. Though it can’t deliver anywhere near the same black levels as an OLED, it looks very good and delivers a crisp picture thanks to its 2560x1600 resolution and esports-ready 240Hz refresh rate. It also doesn’t carry the same risk of burn-in or reduced performance over time and still offers great colors and 500 nits of peak brightness for use during the day.
The system is a chunker, though. On its own, it weighs in at 7.49lbs and is 1.1 inches thick at its tallest point. If you actually plan on gaming and want the best performance, you’ll also need to lug around the bulky power brick, which adds another couple of pounds. Frankly, it’s not the kind of system I personally want to carry around every day. You feel every bit of its weight, even without the brick, which makes this system feel much more like a desktop replacement rather than something you’d actually carry with you throughout the day. But you can, so for the intermittent gaming marathon at a friend's house or the campus library, it could still be a compelling option.
It comes with a generous port selection, so connecting peripherals or a docking station won’t be an issue. And I have to commend Alienware for making good use of its added thickness by putting most of that I/O around the back where it won’t get in the way of a mouse. There are three USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, two Type-C Thunderbolt ports (version four for the RTX 5060 and RTX 5070 and Thunderbolt 5 for everything higher), and a full-size HDMI 2.1 video-out for connecting a monitor. Thunderbolt 5 is a major upgrade here, offering up to 80Gbps of bi-directional bandwidth to support the highest resolution external monitors. The power brick also connects around the rear and uses a straight plug that doesn’t get in the way of other cables. The only other ports are on the left side. There, you’ll find an SD card reader and an audio combo jack.
The system also makes good use of its size for cooling. There are plenty of vents to bring cool air in and exhaust it out the back, away from your hands. The keyboard gets warm when gaming but doesn’t get hot or uncomfortable to use. The vent right above it does, but it’s away from your fingers. I recorded a peak temperature of 86°C after benchmarking for a good hour, which is well away from the range of thermal throttling. The system also didn’t get excessively loud, though like other high-performance gaming laptops, its fans are loud enough to warrant headphones if white noise bothers you – or you could just crank up the speakers.
The sound quality on the built-in speakers is surprisingly full-bodied compared to what you would usually expect from a gaming laptop. It uses dual two-watt speakers for bass, complete with their own amplifier that’s separate from its pair of two-watt tweeters. This isn’t common in gaming laptops, or even full-size gaming PCs, and allows the system to sound louder and more full as a result. Watching Netflix or listening to music with the included speakers is a no-brainer. For gaming, I would still opt for a gaming headset due to the loud fans.
My sample was sent with the Cherry mechanical keyboard, and it is 100% worth the cost to upgrade. Though it’s a little louder than a membrane keyboard, Cherry’s ultra low profile switches are sublime to type on with great tactility and the classic precision feel iconic to mechanical keyboards. They’re also per-key backlit and fully programmable, so you can change colors and assign macros to your heart’s content.
The trackpad also stands out by not being oversized like most other gaming laptops. It measures 4.5 by 2.5 inches, which I prefer to the massive trackpads on most gaming laptops. It may not offer as much real estate for gaming, but it stays out of the way for typing and, let’s be real, who uses a trackpad for serious gaming anyway? Like the keyboard, it’s also backlit and able to deliver a convincing RGB wave of its own.
The 4K webcam on my sample was also excellent. It handled challenging lighting well and its sharper quality was immediately noticeable. But since most teleconferencing apps still limit you to 1080p, whether it’s a real benefit over the FHD version will depend on how you plan to use it. There’s no privacy shutter, which is a bummer, but it does support Windows Hello and worked reliably for me throughout my testing.
There’s another interesting feature around the bottom of the system. Like the Razer Blade 18, Dell has added a window into the bottom panel giving you a peek into its internals. The pane is made of Gorilla Glass for durability and scratch resistance, and is surrounded by a protective lip, but I could still see this getting microscratches over time.
Software
The Alienware 16 comes with the Alienware Command Center for system configuration. It’s a very polished suite that’s designed to be easy to use, so newcomers don’t need to worry about being overwhelmed. At the same time, it offers more depth for advanced users that may want to try their hand at overclocking.
Opening it up for the first time, you’re given a brief introduction to its different capabilities and then dropped into the Command Center home page. This page provides you with a quick overview of system diagnostics like CPU and GPU utilization and temperature data. The same panel allows you to change your current performance mode, launch games, and, by clicking on the graphic of the laptop, customize the lighting of the keyboard, trackpad, and logo on the lid.
If you click into the Performance tab, you’ll be treated to a much larger view of the diagnostics from the home page. Along the top are six different modes: ExpressCharge for quicker charging, Quiet, Balanced, Performance, Overdrive, and Custom. Clicking a tooltip to the right shows details for each mode in both a star ranking and in text, so you know exactly how each balances performance, temperatures, and battery life.
The game launcher is a nice addition, but I personally never use systems like this. It essentially doubles up on Steam and other launchers. I could see launching a game from here if you had it open anyway, but otherwise, it just adds another piece of software running in the background.
Performance
The Alienware 16 Area 51 has a lot going for it in the design department, but that doesn’t amount to much if the laptop doesn’t hold its own when it comes to gaming. The system definitely does, and I suspect it has to do with its cooling system, but there’s more to the story than pure numbers.
Before getting into facts and figures, a quick reminder about our testing procedure at IGN. Every system we test is put through a series of synthetic and in-game benchmarks, all with the same settings and matching conditions, so we can provide the best comparisons possible. While the synthetic benchmarks we use are all standardized, in-game benchmarks offer many more options. To keep things consistent, we set all of our games to high or max settings and demonstrate the performance with different levels of upscaling and frame generation. Our settings are disclosed in the charts.
For this review, I’m presenting the Alienware 16 in comparison to the Gigabyte Aorus Master 16, which uses the same processor and graphics card. I’ve also included the Razer Blade 16, which utilizes the AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370 CPU and the higher performance RTX 5090, but in a thinner and more portable design.
The Alienware 16 Area 51 I reviewed is a high-performance configuration with a steep $3,000 price point to match, but you don’t need to spend that much if you’re willing to scale back on some of the components. Dropping to an Intel Core Ultra 5 255 HX and an RTX 5060 graphics card drops the price all the way to $1,849 when ordered direct from Dell.
To its credit, the company provides plenty of configuration options to help you dial in the system for your needs. In addition to the two processor options, you can choose any Nvidia laptop GPU up to the RTX 5090, and choosing anything from the RTX 5070 Ti up also nets you the higher performance CPU. It can be configured with up to 64GB of memory and 12TB of NVMe storage, both of which are user upgradeable.
Beginning with synthetics, the Alienware 16 comes out swinging, eking out higher scores across the board compared to the Aorus Master 16. Every score is close, as you would expect from a system with the same core components, but the consistently higher performance definitely points to a better implementation from Dell. The Blade 16 bests both in 3DMark’s Speed Way and Steel Nomad benchmarks thanks to its higher-performance RTX 5090. The results of the Procyon Office Productivity benchmark highlight the advantage the Intel Core Ultra 9 275 HX offers over the AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370.
The Alienware’s performance advantage remains consistent when we move to in-game benchmarks. Performance remains expectedly close between it and the Aorus Master 16, but it still pulls the same or slightly better performance across everything but Assassin’s Creed Shadows with frame generation disabled. The difference is small enough to not be noticeable and potentially a result of a process spinning up in the background.
At the laptop’s native 1600p resolution, the trend continues. With the exception of Assassin’s Creed, the Alienware 16 pulls a consistent, if small, lead over the Aorus and both of them match or beat the Razer Blade 16 more often than you might expect.
The Alienware 16’s cooling system may be the cause, as the Aorus Master reached a peak of 93ºC in my testing. It could also be how Dell has configured power delivery for the laptop. Either way, it offers impressive performance even in demanding games.
When it comes to use as a daily driver, it’s mostly excellent. The keyboard is the best I’ve ever used on a gaming laptop, even topping the MSI Titan 18 HX AI which also has a Cherry ULP mechanical keyboard. The trackpad has also been one of my favorites. I prefer a smaller trackpad in general, but the accuracy and reliability it offered were fantastic. This is one of the only laptops I’ve tested where I didn’t misclick or activate it by accident even once, despite cranking out thousands of words in the time I’ve had it.
The biggest issue facing it is how heavy it is and just how much it needs its power brick. Gaming performance takes a big hit the minute it’s unplugged and battery life plummets. This goes with the territory for gaming laptops, of course, but most others with this size display aren’t tipping the scales as heavily as the Alienware 16. The Aorus Master 16, for comparison, is almost two pounds lighter while offering similar performance and a nicer OLED screen. Battery life tanks when it’s unplugged too, of course, but at least it’s easier to carry with the power brick.
For pure productivity, it works well and you’ll be able to get a few hours out of it for mixed use. But, in that case, you can also take advantage of its Thunderbolt ports and charge it with a much smaller 100W GaN charger. Just be warned, it’s not enough to overcome the power draw when you’re gaming, or to unlock its full performance, so it’s a solution that only works some of the time.
When it comes to battery life, the Alienware 16 was able to last just over six hours in Procyon’s battery life test with the screen set to half brightness. I personally find this is a bit too dim for my own use, even indoors, but that comes down to preference. At that brightness and with mixed use between Google Docs, Sheets, web browsing, and Microsoft Office, it lasted closer to four hours with Energy Saver mode turned on.
Ahead of Black Friday, the Bose Outlet eBay store is offering some huge discounts on certified refurbished speakers. That includes the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar, Bose's biggest and most impressive soundbar speaker with Dolby Atmos and Bose TrueSpace Technology. It normally retails for $1,000 new, but you can get a certified refurbished model for just $550.00 with free delivery. That's 45% off and it even comes with a 2 year AllState warranty.
Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar for $550 (was $999)
Certified Refurbished
The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar is the highest end sound bar speaker in Bose's product lineup. The soundbar measures 41" long and houses a 5.1.2ch array consisting of nine total speakers. Two of these are upward firing dipole speakers for spatial audio and Dolby Atmos supported content. The soundbar also incorporates Bose's TrueSpace technology, which does a great job of simulating a 3-dimensional soundscape even though internal speakers in soundbars are crammed together.
Popular amongst home theater setups nowadays is "A.I. Dialogue Mode". This feature automatically balances voice and surround sound so that you don't need to turn up the volume to deafening levels in order to hear what everyone is saying.
As befits Bose's flagship soundbar, the Smart Ultra boasts great build quality and premium materials, and is the only Bose soundbar fitted with a tempered glass top. It supports several wireless protocols including Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, and has a microphone to accept voice commands. App-based setup is easy as well.
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.
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