Some sales are good, and some are the kind I instantly DM my dudes about to become The Voice of Unsolicited FOMO. Today’s spread falls firmly into the latter, with discounts on games that blend brilliant design with genuine replay value. There are big-name blockbusters, genre-defining indies, and a few hidden gems that deserve the spotlight.

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I’m using a rusty shiv to cut a 21-candle cake baked for The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, a mouthful of a stealth shooter that proved movie tie-ins didn’t have to be shovelware. Back in 2004, equipping the goggles and gravel voicebox of Vin Diesel's Furyan felt like nothing else. Unfortunately, the hype surrounding the launch of Halo 2 overshadowed this absolute sleeper hit.

Launch day me was mighty surprised to find that its brand of FPSing was smoother than a drag of KOOL menthols. The eye-shine-assisted stalking was addictive, the melee was raw and responsive, and the world of Butcher Bay oozed menace. This was the kind of slick, confident package that hinted at the brilliance its developers (many of whom would go on to form MachineGames) would later bring to a Wolfenstein reboot. Two decades later, it still stands tall as one of the most atmospheric and inventive licenced games ever made.

Alien: Earth premieres with two episodes on Tuesday, August 12, and drops one episode per week after that.

FX dropped the first two episodes of Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth, and it’s clear from the beginning what this series is trying to do. It all at once pays homage to the original Alien film while also carving its own niche into the lore of a decades-old franchise which is not an easy trick to pull off. And so, episodes 1 and 2 of the series are all about merging the new and the old. Sometimes it’s in the way a cross dissolve subtly connects two images, but other times it’s literally a spaceship crash-landing into a densely populated futuristic city. The fact that both approaches work so well in Alien: Earth is a testament to everything we have to look forward to in this series.

To begin with, the broad strokes of this review are simple. This is a very good show. It’s well-crafted, well-written, well-acted and just fun to be around. But seemingly determined to skip straight to the part where his new show bursts out of the franchise’s chest, Hawley and his team immediately merge those new and old influences in episode 1’s very first scenes. The crew wakes up, lights a cigarette before they’re out of the cryopod, have a laugh over breakfast in the mess as the camera floats down the familiar hallways of a Weyland-Yutani owned interstellar cruiser. It’s not just Noah Hawley proving he’s a fan who’s seen the movie before, though. It serves two really important functions.

Number 1, okay, yeah, it proves the behind-the-camera team has seen the movie before and that they like it as much as we always have. But Number 2, it’s the setting. Wordlessly and without any other connectivity, we as viewers are put back into the place and time around the original film. It’s a signal, along with the mustache on one of the crewmembers and the logos on their uniforms and the '70s-era “old-monitor” based tech in the production design, that this takes place alongside 1979’s film.

So it starts as a more or less shot for shot re-imagining of Ridley Scott’s original film, until they start to chop it up a little bit. The edit includes several visual asides, bouncing around in time, hinting that there’s more story to this crew and these surroundings than simply “oh that looks just like the Nostromo that Ripley was on!”

That’s the savviest thing about these premiere episodes and the truly exciting thing about Alien: Earth. A lot of ink has been spilled about how this fits in with the franchise and which parts of the canon are being accounted for. But this opening sequence is crafted in such a way that Hawley and his team are saying “yes” to all of it. There is a familiar setting, in a familiar timeline, but they’re doing some new things within that structure.

One of those new things is the Peter Pan allegory at the center of this season’s story. Samuel Blenkin’s Boy Kavalier, Earth’s youngest trillionaire and chief creep of the premiere episodes, is taking the final steps in a quest for a type of immortality. Sydney Chandler’s Marcy, meanwhile, the first terminally ill child to transition into a synthetic body, takes on the name Wendy, Peter Pan’s friend that’s destined to grow up, unlike the lost boys. It’s a fitting metaphor for a franchise built on a creature whose defining trait is that it evolves into something else, and a show within that franchise about children’s consciousnesses evolving into something else as well.

But there’s one scene in particular where the form and function of the story line up in a very cool way. After Marcy becomes Wendy, there’s a lovely little TV on the Radio needle drop, and a peaceful scene where Wendy looks truly happy, looking out over the sea with not a worry in the world. A far cry from the Marcy tethered to an IV stand in the previous scene. But it’s just one achingly slow cross dissolve away from a truly eerie shot of Wendy tromping through the jungle, happy as a clam. It’s unnatural in slow motion, there’s something clearly off about it, and the coolest part about that juxtaposition is that the show doesn’t let you linger in any sort of celebration for long. Every time there’s some light of discovery, Alien: Earth hits you with a bit of darkness as a reminder that none of what’s happening is all good.

Meanwhile, Morrow, the security officer aboard the Maginot played incredibly by Babou Ceesay, is set up to be the most fascinating character in the show. He’s a cyborg, just a regular dude who chose to be augmented. Morrow is, as we’ve seen with synthetic characters like Ash and David from elsewhere in the franchise, a company man through and through. He had the agency to become this way, which paints his decision making in a whole new light. He’s not a complete synthetic created and programmed to carry out company protocol, but he does serve that function we’re all familiar with from the Alien films. He’s cold and calculating and just as terrifying as any artificial person has ever been in the franchise.

The other real win for the premiere episodes is the scope of this show. In terms of episode 1s (or in this case episode 1s and 2s), it does an incredible job of communicating the type of scale we can expect from the series. A god damn spaceship crashes into the middle of a city and it looks like a war zone. But wouldn’t you know it, Hawley isn’t just employing that scale for the sake of it. The search and rescue team making their way through the wreckage go back and forth between the old familiar Nostromo-style ship, and the new environment here on Earth. In episode 2, we get some incredible haunted house style sequences that echo the original, with the xenomorph stalking our main characters. The highlight for me though, is the xenomorph interrupting some kind of Elizabethan Bacchanal where a bunch of obliviously entitled rich folks refuse to evacuate the building. It doesn’t end well for any of them.

The xenomorph itself, though, is another example of the classic iconography of this franchise meeting a new menagerie of beasties. The old reliable xeno gets its chance to shine in a typically monstrous way, metal teeth bared and stabby tail at the ready. There’s nothing new about him or the way Hawley is deploying his KY covered carapace. The xenomorph is playing the hits, as it were. But this very purposefully leaves room for the new aliens, however; an inventive bunch of creepy crawlies including an eyeball octopus that, I’m calling it now, is going to be the standout of the show when the dust settles.

Credit Roll Needle Drop Check In

One of my favorite little details about the series is the hard rock tracks Hawley uses over the credits. I wrote in my full season review about the loose connections the tracks make lyrically to the action on screen. I, quite frankly, adore the fact that they’ve pointedly decided to choose heavy metal tracks to communicate a vibe, so I can’t help but write a quick note about these songs in each of my weekly reviews.

Episode 1 ends with “The Mob Rules” by Black Sabbath. From 1981, the track comes from the Ronnie James Dio era of Sabbath, and features just a hint of ‘80s glam along with it’s speedier flavor of metal. As episode 1 ends with the Lost Boys on their way to the crash site and Wendy determined to save her brother's life, the first riffs from “The Mob Rules” highlights our hybrid protagonist’s edge and an attitude that’s lurking under the surface. But the lyrics that open the song are a metal warning of what’s to come.

Close the city and tell the people that something’s coming to call.

Death and darkness are rushing forward to take a bite from the wall.

Depending on how you want to take these lyrics, they could be referring to the xenomorph or the dystopian future of a corporate controlled team of hybrid children, emotionally ported into nearly impervious supercomputer bodies. Which, if my math is correct, is awesome.

Episode 2 meanwhile wraps up with the feedback build up of Tool’s “Stinkfist.” From 1996’s Aenima, the track features the band’s signature Drop-D tuned brand of heavy darkness. However, they edit around the opening verse of the song that is, ostensibly, about anal fisting, and jump straight to the more metaphorical chorus.

It’s not enough, I need more, Nothing seems to satisfy.

I don’t want it, I just need it, to breathe, to feel, to know I’m alive.

In this moment Wendy, who’s participated in more than one conversation about whether or not she’s still human to this point in the show, has found her brother and had him whisked away again. There’s a determination in her not seen in the other Lost Boys, and this mid-90s heavy metal classic features these lyrics that underline this part of her character, while being a compositionally spooky piece of music to play while a half-robot child is left tending a bunch of xenomorph eggs in a crashed spaceship.

Anyway, over-thinking these song choices is going to be a feature of these reviews, so… you know… get used to it.

eBay is offering a great deal on a well equipped RTX 5070 Ti gaming laptop. Antonline (via eBay) has listed the Asus ROG Strix G16 RTX 5070 Ti gaming laptop for $1,999.99 with free shipping. In addition to the powerful graphics card, this laptop features the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX processor, which is one of the most powerful AMD mobile CPU available right now.

Antonline is an authorized Asus reseller, so you'll be getting the same 1 year warranty as buying from Asus direct. Their official eBay store has over 300,000 reviews with a 98.9% positive feedback rating. This laptop is currently in stock and will be delivered to you within 2-4 days. Antonline also offers free returns within 30 days.

Asus ROG Strix G16 RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Laptop for $1,999.99

Here's a great deal on a 3-in-1 power bank that you don't see every day. Amazon is currently offering an Iniu 10,000mAh 30W Power Bank with foldable plug and USB cable for just $16.79 after you apply 40% off coupon code "8LGHJN3V". It's available in six different colors, although the black one will get you the cheapest price by about $1. This power bank will more than double the total battery life for your Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, Apple iPhone, or Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

Iniu 10,000mAh 45W Power Bank for $12.39

I must admit, Magic: The Gathering’s new Edge of Eternities surprised me. I felt it was going to be a relatively soft follow-up to the game’s most popular set ever, Universes Beyond: Final Fantasy, and yet it feels like another home run.

A great new setting, unique designs, and some big chase cards have seen stock selling out fast, particularly when it comes to Collector Boosters. As a result, you can still find them, but you’ll need to brave the secondary market - and pay over the odds, sadly.

Where To Find Magic’s Edge of Eternities Collector Boosters

Because they contain a higher chance of opening chase cards worth hundreds (and maybe even thousands), Collector Boosters cost more than Play Boosters and are also unlikely to be reprinted. Once they’re gone, there’s a good chance they’re gone for good.

That’s why a single pack can cost you as much as $40, with Collector Booster boxes going for over $400.

Thankfully, Play Boosters are looking much more likely to be found closer to MSRP for months. The set is standard legal for a long time yet, meaning you can reasonably expect Play Boosters (and the set’s pair of Commander Decks) to be reprinted pretty regularly.

Play Boosters can be found for as little as $6, with boxes up for around $150. In fact, we’ve already seen Play Booster boxes receive discounts at retailers like Amazon.

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.

Last weekend, a number of gaming fans traveled to Tampa, Florida to attend the National Gaming Expo. The convention, in its first year, promised encounters with actors such as the casts of Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Mortal Kombat, as well as the former voices behind Nintendo's Peach and Bowser, Donkey Kong composer Grant Kirkhope, and a lot more.

Instead, convention attendees were treated to empty halls, missing talent, a no-show photographer, and...camels?

The National Gaming Expo took place from August 8 through 10 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. The official website claims it expected around 30,000 people in attendance, and promised talent signings, photograph opportunities, vendors, and a cosplay contest. On social media, accounts such as Celebrity Talent Booking and voice actors like Ned Luke (GTA V) and Rob Wiethoff (Red Dead Redemption) promoted their appearances at the convention. Wiethoff, who plays John Marston, whipped up a particular fervor with some initial teasing of "exciting news" that got fans excited for some kind of franchise news - but it turned out he was just talking about a reunion of the Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 casts at the expo.

However, that reunion was...disorganized, to say the least. The entire convention was disorganized. Despite the National Gaming Expo's lofty promises, fans paid $40 for a single-day ticket, $90 for the weekend, and showed up to a pretty barren event, as revealed in various photos and videos on social media:

So this was my first con and didn’t what to expect but this was definitely not it. Don’t support Mike wittenberg, because I was at the national gaming expo and it was so awkward and unorganized 😬 pic.twitter.com/vgi2D7DWvD

— Plapapus 🫧 (@plapapus) August 11, 2025

The National Gaming Expo was a disaster. The con floor was empty, maybe 10 vendors. The only panel that even happened was such a mess, Ned Luke took the MCs job cause he was doing such a bad job. They screwed over the celebs. And now they’re deleting their social media. @ngeshow pic.twitter.com/3KjP8tBzci

— Dan 🎸✝️ (@Husbeep) August 10, 2025

Accounts on social media lament the dismal number and assortment of vendors and booths, as well as a lack of security. One Reddit comment complained there were health insurance and T-Mobile vendors and barely any to do with gaming. "It was the equivalent of walking into a Best Buy searching for a game, seeing the shelves filled with broccoli, dish soap, and various car parts. Then somewhere in the back of the store there’s an open box VCR for $600," said another commenter.

Inexplicably, one attraction that was present at the expo was...a petting zoo, featuring a camel and a few other farm animals:

The National gaming expo has gotta be the worst convention ever produced all they got is a camel and no games pic.twitter.com/WhOExks6Ha

— funkonoki (@funkonoki) August 9, 2025

The convention didn't just look barren. Apparently, a lot of talent that was supposed to be there either didn't show up at all, or showed up late or sporadically in a way that made it challenging for fans to encounter the actors they wanted to see. Several attendees who claim they went to the show on Friday said that the Red Dead Redemption cast wasn't there at all, and were told there was some mistake made with their agency. Others did report that they got to meet the Red Dead Redemption crew later, but complained that paid photo opportunities with them and other talent were canceled due to the one photographer allegedly hired by the convention not showing up.

As a result, attendees have been making their feelings known to the National Gaming Expo organizers in whatever way they can. The convention's official Instagram page has been deleted and its Facebook event page has been locked, but the Facebook comments on the Florida State Fairgrounds' post for the event are filled with upset attendees. Many posters are issuing warnings about the event's organizer: CEO of NGE Event Production Michael Wittenberg.

Adorama is clearing out its inventory of older MacBook Pro laptops and offering some huge discounts on brand new, fully warrantied units. Right now you can pick up a Apple MacBook Pro 14.2" M3 Pro laptop for just $1,499 after $700 off in instant savings. This is an excellent deal on a powerful MacBook that can handle heavy duty workstation tasks and it's equipped with a healthy dose of memory and storage to power through all of your back to school needs.

MacBook Pro 14.2" M3 Pro (18GB/1TB) for $1499

Blizzard's Story and Franchise Development team (SFD) has voted in favor of unionization with the Communications Workers of America, according to a press release shared today.

SFD consists of Blizzard workers producing in-house cinematics, animation, trailers, promotional videos, in-game cutscenes, and other narrative content across Blizzard franchises, in addition to archival workers and historians.

These workers join thousands of others at Microsoft and specifically within Activision Blizzard who have voted to unionize with their departments and teams under Microsoft's labor neutrality agreement in the last few years. Just last year, the entire World of Warcraft team unionized, and the Overwatch developers followed just this past May. Other unions within the company include Raven Software workers who just won their first contract earlier this month, Zenimax QA workers who got a contract in May, the Bethesda union, and several others.

“After more than a decade working at Blizzard, I’ve seen all the highs and lows," said organizing committee member and principal editor Bucky Fisk. "For years, Blizzard has been a place where people could build their careers and stay for decades, but that stability’s been fading. With a union, we’re able to preserve what makes this place special, secure real transparency in how decisions are made, and make sure policies are applied fairly to everyone.”

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

A great wireless gaming mouse allows you to enjoy an untethered experience from your gaming PC. Many of them also feature wired connections, so you can continue to game while the mouse is charging. Wireless mice, however, are far more versatile – gone are the days of wireless lag, so you can continue to experience reliable, accurate clicks and consistent tracking without the wires.

TL;DR – These Are the Best Wireless Gaming Mice

Like many of the best gaming accessories, investing in a wireless gaming mouse doesn’t have to be expensive. Of course, there are premium options out there with high polling rates, high DPIs, RGB lighting, programmable keys, and so on. But, there are also some seriously good contenders if you’re looking for a budget gaming mouse too.

Additional contributions by Kevin Lee, Georgie Peru, and Danielle Abraham

1. Razer Deathadder V4 Pro

Best Wireless Gaming Mouse

2. SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless

Best Budget Wireless Gaming Mouse

3. Logitech G903

Best Ambidextrous Wireless Gaming Mouse

4. Logitech G502 X Lightspeed

Best Ergonomic Wireless Gaming Mouse

5. Corsair Ironclaw RGB Wireless

Best Large Wireless Gaming Mouse

6. SteelSeries Prime Mini Edition

Best Small Wireless Gaming Mouse

The Logitech G Pro is a great wireless mouse from Logitech designed for esports, or people who just want a mouse with great battery life and swappable side buttons. Like the G903 you add magnetic side buttons to whichever side you like.

It uses the company's newest sensor, the Hero 25K, so it's got plenty of range to fit anyone's needs, and you can also drop the USB transceiver into the bottom of the mouse too, so you won't lose it when you travel. The best part is it's also compatible with the company's wireless charging system, but it's an optional add-on.

Whether you want all the buttons you could need readily available at your fingertips to conquer in MMOs and MOBAs or you just want one of the best gaming mice you can get your hands on, the Logitech G604 Lightspeed is well worth your time. It offers a dazzlingly long battery life even in its high-performance mode, but can last months at a time if you're using it in Bluetooth mode.

In addition to six thumb buttons that are super easy to use, the mouse has two extra buttons by the edge of the primary mouse button, as well as a clickable scroll wheel that can also click to either side. It may not have any fancy RGB lighting like many other mice on this list, but that brings the price so much lower. Better still, its price didn't prevent the G604 Lightspeed from getting the HERO sensor, which is a performance champ.

If your workstation or gaming desk requires more USB ports and AC outlets for charging, here's an inexpensive solution to your problem. Amazon is offering a Baseus 4-Port 6-Outlet Desktop Charging Station for just $29.99 after a 40% off instant discount. Even better, get a 3.3ft 100W PD USB Type-C cable for free simply by adding it to the same order and checking out (discount should be applied during checkout). This tabletop charger features both USB Type-A and Type-C ports as well as AC outlets for the ultimate versatility.

Baseus 4-Port 6-Outlet Desktop Charger for $29.99

Get a free 6ft 100W USB Type-C cable as well

GameSir has released the G7 Pro, a new wired and wireless pro-style controller for Xbox, PC, and Android that comes with battery-sipping, drift-resistant "Tunneling Magnetoresistance" (TMR) sticks and four customizable macro buttons – two on the back and two mini bumper buttons. The controller is available in two colors, a white and a black-and-red gradient, for $79.99 from Amazon, Best Buy, and GameSir’s website.

Before you rush out to grab a crispy new D7 Pro, some awkward caveats: It’s wired-only for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, wired or 2.4GHz-only for PC, and Bluetooth-only for Android. There’s a switch on the back for toggling between these modes, and it comes with a 3-meter USB-C cable for wired mode, a generous length. Also, its gyro control feature only works on PC games. The controller sports a 1,200mAh battery, rechargeable via USB-C or using an included charging cradle that uses the same design as the one that came with my 8BitDo Ultimate 2C Bluetooth controller.

If you can get past the connectivity limitations, there are things to like about the G7 Pro. Its use of TMR sticks should mean more battery efficiency and better precision, and its hall effect triggers come with micro switch trigger stops, so you can tweak how far they travel before registering a button press. The circular D-pad uses mechanical micro switches and is swappable for a more traditional style four-way cross option that’s included in the package. Its three-piece magnetic faceplate is removable, so you can customize that, too, including by reusing the one-piece options from previous G7s. Or, heck, leave the faceplate off if you like the slick translucent plastic underneath.

At $79.99, the G7 Pro is pricier than GameSir’s G7 controller and its followups, which range from $44.99 to $49.99, but a lot of these features – like customizable trigger stops, TMR sticks, and mini bumper buttons – are new to the G7 Pro. It’s a shame about its lack of Xbox wireless support, though.

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

Alienware's new for 2025 Aurora laptop replaces the m16 models from last year and comes in two models: the 16 and 16X. The 16X is the superior of the two and is on sale right now during the Dell Back to School Sale. You can pick up an Alienware 16X Aurora gaming laptop equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and GeForce RTX 5070 mobile GPU for $1,599.99 after a $300 instant discount. This is the best price I've seen for an Aurora 16X RTX 5070 laptop by $200.

Alienware 16X Aurora RTX 5070 Gaming Laptop for $1,599.99

The Pixel 9a is currently at a new low price ahead of the imminent release of the Pixel 10, with many retailers chopping a full 20% off Google's most budget smartphone.

With the Pixel 10 set to be revealed at the Made by Google event on August 20, Google seems eager to get more Pixel 9a units sold by offering an enticing $100 discount. The device normally retails for $499, but you can currently pick it up for only $399 on the Google Store or from retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. This is the lowest price we've seen on this phone so far.

Google Pixel 9a Sale at Amazon

I’ve been going down a gaming handheld rabbit hole for the last few years, spurred on by the Steam Deck back in 2022. While these PC handhelds definitely existed before that – usually with laptop chips not really designed for this kind of device – they really didn’t capture my attention until this modern crop of streamlined versions. Even after reviewing basically every major handheld that’s launched in the last couple of years, I still find myself bundling up in blankets and playing games on the ROG Ally X or Legion Go S.

There is a downside to these machines. Because of the amount of cooling and power required to run a chip like the Z1 Extreme, most gaming handhelds are inherently bulkier than something like the Nintendo Switch 2. And while that might make the obvious answer “just play the Switch,” I’m just not going to do that. I mean, I already own hundreds of games on Steam, and Nintendo games have largely never appealed to me.

Because I spend so much time reading, writing, and talking about PC gaming handhelds, the algorithms have caught on to my little obsession. I started getting ads for the Mechanism Gaming Pillow – a silly little accessory that’ll hold your handheld up for extended gaming sessions. Then, of course, I reached out and got a sample just to see if it was a) real and b) actually as cozy as it looked. The answer to both was yes.

What Is the Gaming Pillow?

The Mechanism Gaming Pillow is more of a bean bag/monitor arm hybrid than what I would typically call a pillow, but the “pillow” portion is soft and holds its shape. More importantly, it’s flexible and will conform to basically anywhere you put it. That’s tucked into a plastic base, which is then latched down to keep it secure. The top of this plastic base has a nice, soft fake-leather fabric attached to it, so it doesn’t feel hard or uncomfortable – softness is the name of the game here.

A little plastic pillar rises from the base with a connector at the end of it, which doesn’t connect directly to anything but is compatible with Mechanism’s vast array of accessories. The company sells attachments for pretty much every handheld under the sun, which are essentially custom-molded braces that fit snugly on the device. The brace has a slot that you can lock into the stand to keep it secure. And the company even offers files that'll let you 3D print your own attachments.

It took me some trial and error to get it right though. Attaching the brace to the ROG Ally X in a way that it didn’t snap off when I put any pressure on it took a few tries. The brace has two little forks at the top that go into the edge of the vents on the top of the Ally, as well as a piece on the bottom that snaps into place across the bottom of the device. The only problem was that it’s an extremely tight fit, and you have to pretty firmly slide that bottom lock into place on the device.

Once that was done, I didn’t experience many issues with the actual mounting solution, but getting the device at an angle that was comfortable playing with was, well, another adventure. The stand has three points of articulation: one at the bottom, one at the top, and one little knob where the device is mounted. The last of those is easy enough to manipulate – you just adjust a small latch that screws onto it, and you can rotate your device in almost any direction. However, the other two control the tilt of the device and the height of the stand. Both of these require an Allen key to adjust.

That means trying to find the perfect angle and then locking it into place is something that you have to do a minor ritual to complete. However, it does make the stand feel extremely secure, which is probably what Mechanism was going for. I just tend to move around a lot when I’m relaxing, which is the only reason this is an issue.

But once I dialed in my perfect position for the ROG Ally X, I spent several hours over multiple days cuddling up to this silly gaming pillow playing Final Fantasy X. It made a device that’s best in short bursts into one of the most comfortable gaming experiences I’ve had in years. It was so comfy that it made grinding out Wakka’s Celestial Weapon into a pleasant and relaxing experience – if you know, you know.

Modularity Is Key for Gaming Accessories

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this Pillow is how flexible it is. Mechanism has dozens of different attachments for sale, which’ll mount anything from a Steam Deck to an iPad. It means that even if you swap to a different device, you don’t have to buy an all-new gaming pillow – though you’d have to fork over an extra $20 for a new grip.

But those grips are also compatible with Mechanism’s other mounts. I haven’t tested any of those, so I can’t speak to their quality, but the company seems to be building an entire ecosystem of different mounts for your hardware.

I do like the wide compatibility inherent to this kind of system. It reduces waste and stops you from having to waste money buying a different mount whenever you make an upgrade. However, it does kind of lock you into Mechanism’s products, and these grips don’t exactly play nice with third-party cases. I generally don’t put cases on anything – a mistake given how clumsy I am – but I know a lot of folks do, and incorporating this kind of system on top of a case might end up being more of a hassle than it’s worth.

OK, But Why Is This Actually Necessary?

Let’s talk about dimensions. You see, even the relatively small Steam Deck measures nearly a foot long and is 2 inches thick. That’s a lot of plastic to hold, and while its weight of 1.41 lbs doesn’t sound like a lot, it can definitely start to weigh you down over long gaming sessions. For comparison, the new Switch 2 – which is significantly larger than the original – weighs just 1.18 lbs with the Joy-Cons attached.

The Steam Deck is on the lighter side of all the PC handhelds out there. Some are much bulkier than the Steam Deck, like the Lenovo Legion Go at 1.88lbs with its controllers attached. And while I love the larger screen offered by that handheld, I’ve settled into the Ally X, which actually has a smaller footprint than the Steam Deck, but is a bit heavier at 1.48lbs. (I don’t know how Asus did it, but I frequently find that the Ally X lasts far longer than any other handheld, which makes it a mainstay in my little arsenal of gadgets.) But it does start to weigh me down after a little bit.

In the past I solved this by basically propping the Ally up against a pillow when I’m laying in bed playing games. This largely solves the issue, except for when I inevitably doze off and drop the handheld on the ground, or worse, on my forehead. The Mechanism Gaming Pillow largely solves that – even if it has a few issues.

At the end of the day, the Mechanism Gaming Pillow probably isn’t for everyone, especially if you don’t spend a lot of time playing your Steam Deck – or other handheld – at home. But, the combination of gaming handheld and gaming pillow is quickly becoming one of my favorite ways to play games. Now, I just need more companies to come out with their takes on this idea, because while it seemed silly at first, it’s probably one of my favorite Steam Deck accessories now.

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

Razer just recently released the newest version of its flagship gaming headset. The BlackShark V3 Pro is now available at Best Buy for $249.99 with free delivery. This headset is compatible with the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC and is available in black or white variants.

New Release: Razer BlackShark V3 Pro Now at Best Buy

Google is set to reveal new devices next week, with the Pixel 10 family of smartphones confirmed to be among them. Much like last year's Pixel 9, this new release of Google's popular Android phone looks like its going to be iterative rather than substantially different from what fans have come to expect. Still, users can expect some small but meaningful improvements that may make it worth the upgrade.

The Pixel 10 lineup will be shown off at the Made by Google event on August 20 alongside new versions of the Pixel Watch and Pixel Buds. Until then, here's what we know about the Pixel 10.

Pixel 10 Release Date

Google has confirmed the preorder date for Pixel 10 phones is August 20, 2025. The phones will be officially revealed at the Made by Google event that same day, where the company will share all of the details about the full family of devices and their upgrades over previous models. It's worth noting, though, that a report from Winfuture states that supply chain problems could delay the release of the Pixel 10 Pro Fold to October 9.

You can visit the Pixel 10's Google Store page now, which shows an image of the back of the standard Pixel 10 phone. There's also a button there to sign up for emails to receive an "exclusive offer" for new subscribers, offering a single-use discount for an eligible device from August 20 - September 4 when buying the phone via the Google Store.

Pixel 10 Models and Prices

The Pixel 10 will come in four models: Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold. This is pretty standard stuff in terms of historical Pixel releases, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone already invested in the Google ecosystem.

For those who want the best of the best, the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL will sport better cameras with up to 8K video support and a whopping 16GB of RAM compared to the Pixel 10's 12GB. The Pro will maintain the 6.3" screen of the standard Pixel 10, while the XL is expected to be handful with its 6.8" screen.

Meanwhile, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold will come out swinging with a 6.4" one-handed screen that can be opened into an 8" Super Actua Flex interior screen, which is considered the phone's main display. It also sports 16GB of RAM, which should help to make it a multi-tasking powerhouse.

Expected pricing

While Google won't reveal the official pricing for the Pixel 10 family until August 20, here's the expected pricing for each of these devices:

• Pixel 10 - $799
• Pixel 10 Pro - $999
• Pixel 10 Pro XL - $1,199
• Pixel 10 Pro Fold - $1,799

Of course, it's worth pointing out that these prices are for the base models of each device. If you need more storage than what comes standard, you'll be looking at increasingly higher prices.

Pixel 10 New Features

The Pixel 10 family isn't looking to diverge too dramatically from what's been working for it, but leaks have revealed a handful of notable upgrades.

Perhaps the most notable change is that the standard Pixel 10 appears set to receive a triple rear camera, which has historically been reserved for the Pro models. This telephoto 5x optical zoom lens joins the usual main and ultrawide lenses—but it comes at a cost.

It appears that the standard Pixel 10's main lens has been reduced from 50MP to 48MP, while the ultrawide sensor has been reduced from 48MP to 13MP. Google is allegedly using the same sensors for these two cameras as the Pixel 9A, so the hope is that improvements to the AI software will offset the downgrades.

Elsewhere, the Pixel 10 will also introduce Google's Tensor G5 processor, which should provide a reasonable improvement to processing power. So, it's a good thing that a larger battery is also expected for each version of Google's new lineup. The standard Pixel 10 should receive a 4,970 mAh battery, while the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL will score 4,870mAh and 5,200mAh batteries, respectively. In addition to 27W wired charging, leaks have indicated that the Pixel 10 is likely to support 25W Qi2 wireless charging.

Pixel 10 Colors

As for what colors will be available at launch, known tipster Evan Blass has shared renders of every Pixel 10 device's colors on Monday. These renders included the long-rumored Jade option that adds a nice, natural green to the mix. Additionally, back in July, Android Headlines claimed that the Pixel 10 Pro Fold will be ditching the black and white models and replacing them with Moonstone and Jade versions.

Here are all of the alleged colors for each device:

• Pixel 10 - Obsidian, Indigo, Frost, Limoncello
• Pixel 10 Pro - Obsidian, Porcelain, Moonstone
• Pixel 10 Pro XL - Obsidian, Porcelain, Moonstone, Jade
• Pixel 10 Pro Fold - Moonstone, Jade

It's worth noting that rumors have stated that the base Pixel 10 Pro is also expected to receive the Jade colorway, but the renders from Blass didn't include that combination. It seems we'll have to stand by for Google's confirmation on August 20.

Krafton has issued a response to a recent lawsuit filed by the former leads of Subnautica 2, offering rebuttals to the developers' claims and alleging they "resorted to litigation to demand a multimillion-dollar payout they haven't earned."

This comes in reply to a legal complaint filed by former Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill, and fellow co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, last month. In it, the former leads alleged that Krafton went out of its way to hinder Subnautica 2's development, delay the game, and ultimately fire them from their roles all in an effort to stop them and other employees from collecting a $250 million bonus payment that would have kicked in if the game's early access released on time later this year and reached certain sales milestones.

In its response, Krafton says the game was planned for a Q1 2024 release. However, "Cleveland and McGuire abandoned their roles as studio-wide Game Director and Technical Director to focus on their personal passion projects and quit making games for Unknown Worlds entirely. And Gill, who remained, focused on leveraging his operational control to maximize the earnout payment, rather than developing a successful game."

Krafton goes on to allege that by 2023, Unknown Worlds' development director had commented on the founders being "checked out," and that Cleveland in particular had stated publicly he had abandoned video games to pursue filmmaking. The release date of Subnautica slipped to 2024 and then 2025. "An internal assessment of the first playable in March of 2024 made clear that the team had failed to deliver on their promise of developing sufficiently new content. But rather than roll up their sleeves and make the game they had promised, the Key Employees blamed others and overhauled the team." Krafton also says that the leads continued reducing the scope of the game over time.

The response says that by spring 2025, Krafton was trying to stop them from releasing the game, saying it was not ready. However, Krafton alleges the leads tried to release it anyway in order to get their maximum earnout.

"Krafton, fearing how an underbaked EA Subnautica 2 would be received by both existing fans and the broader market, urged Cleveland and McGuire to return to their posts to generate a market-ready product that would not disappoint fans. Cleveland and McGuire declined. In response to Krafton's request for the Key Employees to return to lead the development of Subnautica 2, Gill stated that '[t]here's no coming back to a job they didn't have.'" Krafton further alleges that the leads said they would self-publish the game without Krafton, and that they downloaded "massive amounts of confidential information" from Unknown Worlds.

The Key Employees' insistence on releasing the game immediately was singularly driven by self-interest in obtaining the earnout. At every turn during development, the Key Employees were laser focused on avoiding "a timeline that doesn't tank the earnout opportunity" and scheduling the release to maximize their payments. Conversations throughout the post-acquisition period make clear the Key Employee's [sic] focus was on their payday, and not on the game. As early as 2022, an employee who was due to receive a portion of the earnout stated that despite the significant delays in the game, he was confident "Ted [Gill] will concoct a scheme to get us that earnout." [emphasis Krafton's]

The response goes on to issue answers to every claim in the founders' lawsuit, paragraph by paragraph. Krafton asks the court to rule in its favor, deny the founders' claims for relief, and award Krafton costs, including attorney fees.

This saga began in July, when Krafton seemingly out of the blue announced it would replace Unknown Worlds' leads with former Striking Distance CEO Steve Papoutsis. In the weeks that followed, reports emerged surrounding the $250 million bonus promised to staff amid questions as to whether that payout would be honored. While the Subnautica leads claimed in various statements and in their lawsuit that Krafton had tried to delay Subnautica 2 and ultimately fired them to avoid paying them the bonus, Krafton accused them of neglecting their duties, saying Subnautica 2 was not ready to launch. That final claim remains up in the air, with leaked documents since verified by Krafton confirming that Unknown Worlds was receiving feedback from the publisher that the game was not ready for early access launch. However, a report from Bloomberg suggests this may not have been wholly true.

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

Last year’s Alien: Romulus brought one of the best sci-fi franchises of all time to a new generation of audiences. Now, 45 years after the original Alien movie, the franchise is experiencing something new: a TV series. In his 9/10 review of the full season, critic Clint Gage goes so far as to say, “Alien: Earth matches an apex of late ’70s cinema in look and feel, while blowing out the world to create a new context with which to view the franchise.”

If you’re hoping to tune in to Alien: Earth, here’s the rollout for the entire season.

Alien: Earth Premieres Tonight – Here’s When to Expect New Episodes

As the Alien franchise heads into new territory -- both thematically and format..ily -- with the TV series Alien: Earth, we're Weylin' our Yutanis at the seven Xeno-movies that have landed in theaters. Yes, we're gonna rank them all from worst to best, from wasteful to masterful. Did your top Alien film make it to number one? Find out below...

Read IGN's review of Alien: Earth here!

Also, are we going to completely ignore the AvP movies from 20 years ago? You bet your butt-o-morphs we are. Not only did the Alien films that followed disavow everything that was in them, but Fox considers AvP -- the movies, books, and comics -- to be a separate franchise with its own canon.

Check out our very own Alien franchise guide -- movies, games, comics, and books!

When Daniel Dae Kim was a kid, he loved Superman so much that he injured himself jumping out of a window. The actor, whose resume includes cultural touchstones like Lost, 24, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and now KPop Demon Hunters wanted to be the iconic superhero so much that he he decided to “teach himself how to fly” at six years old by leaping from the window sill of his New York apartment. The adventure left him bloodied to the point that his father had to stitch up Kim’s chin without anaesthetic. “I still carry my homage to Superman to this day,” Kim says, pointing to his chin.

That spirit of adventure is part of what led Kim to his new Prime Video series “Butterfly”– a spy thriller in the mold of J.J. Abrams’s Alias based on the Boom! Studios graphic novels. In the show, both Kim’s character David and his fictional daughter Rebecca (Reina Hardesty) are caught up in a world of covert organizations, high-stakes action, international locations, and lots of family drama.

You can check out some of that action and drama in the exclusive clip below, in which David and Rebecca disarm a group of law enforcement officers.

The father-daughter relationship is what drew Kim to the project. “I thought, well, that is actually something that I'm interested in exploring,” Kim says.”You automatically have emotional stakes when you're talking about family, and I know what it's like to be a dad as well as a son. So it was a really nice entry point into the whole story. Regardless of what country we're in or what race we are, we all know what it feels like to be a parent or a child. And every parent makes mistakes, whether they want to or not.”

Kim, who also has a role in Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, is proud to be riding the K-wave as Korean culture continues to gain international appeal.

“You have visionary directors like Bong Joon Ho who are making incredible cinema, and it's of such a high quality that the world has to take notice,” Kim says. “And I think that's appropriate because it's not just cinema, it's music and beauty and food now. So I feel very fortunate to contribute something to that conversation because I don't think (Butterfly) could have been made even 10 years ago.”

Kim says it was important for him to bring a sense of Koran authenticity to the series. In addition to learning how to make hotteok (a type of Korean pancake) Kim also endured brutal shoots in extreme weather conditions during the show’s South Korea-based production. “If you know anything about Korean weather, you know that it's brutally cold in the winter and stiflingly hot in the summertime. We shot through three seasons. (We were shooting) sometimes (in) minus 10 (degrees). And I had one layer on because we're playing the whole season as if it happens in the spring. So you're seeing me acting and doing my best to pretend like I'm not freezing cold.”

Beyond locations and authentic food, Kim says he hopes the originality of Butterfly resonates with audiences. “There are a lot of things that you haven't seen before in our show like having actors with faces like ours at the center of it. That kind of originality is a sign of progress. I want to see stories personally from all over the world because I want to learn about different cultures. That’s how we create understanding among cultures. Instead of thinking about the world as ‘us versus them,’ the more we can start thinking about a global community, the better off we'll be.”

Butterfly premieres August 13 on Prime Video.

Special Illustration Rares from Temporal Forces have seen significant movement since their highs earlier in the year. Cards like Raging Bolt ex, Iron Crown ex, and Walking Wake ex were once among the most sought-after pulls from the set, but all three have dropped from their spring peaks.

Raging Bolt ex is down 11% from its May value of $82.36 and now trades around $73.45, while Iron Crown ex has fallen 13% in the same timeframe, moving from $55.74 to $48.30. Walking Wake ex has taken the hardest hit of the trio, losing 20% since May, with its price sliding from $50.37 to $40.45. This downturn mirrors a wider cooling in the set’s high-end singles as both players and collectors reassess their priorities.

Twilight Masquerade has seen a more mixed picture, with some cards losing steam while others continue to gain. Perrin has eased down 11% from March, moving from $106.43 to $94.87, and Carmine has dipped the same percentage since June, going from $78.70 to $69.99. Both are Special Illustration Rare Supporters that enjoyed early interest thanks to their unique effects, but neither has become a fixture in competitive lists, leading to softer demand.

At the same time, the set’s Illustration Rares and certain Pokémon ex cards are climbing in value as interest from both casual and competitive buyers grows.Gastly has risen 13% since June, from $35.74 to $40.99, helped by its role in Gengar evolution lines and appealing artwork.

Greninja ex has climbed 17% since January, from $18.44 to $21.59, thanks to its versatile attacks and solid HP. Sinistcha ex and Tatsugiri have each moved up 10% since April, now priced at $21.59 and $18.48 respectively, while Eevee has gained 10% from early August to reach $21.59. These changes highlight how certain cards can gain value steadily over months due to competitive experimentation, collector interest, or them just being stunning cards. Let's break this all down:

Pokémon Card Crashers

Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has reflected on his work running the BBC's flagship sci-fi show, and said that ultimately his "heart" was fondest for the series he had personally created.

Speaking while promoting his new TV drama Tip Toe, Davies mentioned his time in charge of Doctor Who — by far his most-watched work, and the longest he has dedicated to any single project — but suggested that his career would instead be remembered for his own creations.

"I love Doctor Who, but I don't own it," Davies told The Big Issue, via Deadline. "It's not mine. So in the end, my heart will always be with the things that I own."

"It is the strongest thing I've written," Davies continued, discussing Tip Toe, which he has described as a mix of his series Queer as Folk, and Years and Years. "I do believe Queer As Folk, Cucumber, It's a Sin and Tip Toe are the ones that will be on my gravestone."

Davies has remained tight-lipped over the future of Doctor Who and his own role as showrunner over the past few months, after previously signing off from his regular column within Doctor Who Magazine on a distinctly gloomy note.

"We don't know what's happening yet," Davies admitted back in June, "and while everyone works that out, I'll take a pause on this page... Hopefully, we'll have news soon."

The production hiatus follows a tumultuous couple of years for Doctor Who with Russell T Davies back at the helm, following his original tenure during the show's David Tennant-led heyday.

Davies' most recent season reportedly delivered the worst viewing figures of the show's modern era, down year-on-year from Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa's initial run of episodes in 2024, which itself was lower than the series' previous era featuring Jodie Whittaker.

Criticism of the series' writing and story arcs has persisted, with even Doctor Who actor and writer Mark Gatiss recently suggesting the show was in need of a rest.

And as for the Doctor themselves, the series was seemingly left without a new permanent inhabitant of the TARDIS, after Gatwa departed in a reshot ending to the season, and Billie Piper was drafted in as an unexplained stand-in.

Addressing the future of the show with fellow fans, former Doctor Who Magazine editor Tom Spilsbury recently said viewers should "adjust their expectations" for the series' immediate future, as the wait for official news on the series' Disney co-funding deal renewal drags on. With a potentially lengthy search for a new production partner on the cards should Disney indeed no longer be on board, Doctor Who could remain off-air for the rest of the decade, Spilsbury wrote.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

With Alien: Earth launching today, FX has released a new trailer fans of the original Alien movie are sure to enjoy.

FX has remade the original Alien movie trailer with material from Alien: Earth, complete with similar shots, the same sounds, and re-jigged effects.

In the original trailer for Ridley Scott’s seminal 1979 sci-fi horror movie, we see the word ‘Alien’ appear bit by bit as a xenomorph egg comes into view over an alien landscape. The egg cracks open alongside scary sounds, with footage from the movie showing Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley and the rest of the crew of the Nostromo looking increasingly desperate before we close out on a shot of the Nostromo in space and that iconic tagline: "In space no one can hear you scream."

This Alien: Earth trailer is very similar. It begins with the words 'Alien Earth' appearing bit by bit, as they do in the original trailer, except Earth itself is the egg. Earth then cracks open with the same visual effect, and we get similarly frantic footage from the show. Where Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley was running inside a spaceship corridor, we see new Alien star Sydney Chandler as Wendy, the first hybrid, running in a similar shot.

Some of the shots we see are certainly not for the faint of heart, although they are in keeping with prior Alien: Earth trailers. Where the original Alien trailer showed Ripley’s cat, Jonesy, we see another cat in this Alien: Earth trailer, and, well… let’s just say that poor cat will never be the same again.

The new trailer ends with a new tagline: "We were safer in space."

For a side-by-side comparison, check out the video below:

Alien: Earth is full of homages to the original film - and this latest trailer is one of them! pic.twitter.com/Gnk3xnyhUb

— IGN (@IGN) August 12, 2025

There’s a lot of excitement among fans for Alien: Earth, from Fargo creator Noah Noah Hawley. It reportedly has a bigger scale than fellow FX series Shogun — and the production to go along with it.

Alien: Earth revolves around the mysterious deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot, which crash-lands on earth. Wendy (Sydney Chandler) and a group of tactical soldiers make a “fateful discovery” that puts them face-to-face with the xenomorph fans know well, but also a number of never-before-seen alien species. Some of these look disgusting, which is of course in-keeping with the Alien franchise’s sci-fi horror roots.

Alien: Earth is set just a few years before the events of Alien, which famously debuted the xenomorph. At this point in the Alien timeline, Earth is governed by five corporations: Weyland-Yutani, Prodigy, which owns the city the Maginot crashes into, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshold. Cyborgs and synthetics coexist with humans, but then the boss of Prodigy invents hybrids (humanoid robots with human consciousness). Wendy is the first hybrid prototype, and is part of the established push for immortality that is a running theme in the Alien franchise.

Alien: Earth premieres its first two episodes on August 12 on Hulu at 8pm ET, and on FX and Disney+ at 8pm PT / ET (August 13 in the UK and internationally on Disney+). New episodes of the eight-episode season debut each following Tuesday.

In January last year, Hawley explained why he is not using the backstory provided in Prometheus for Alien: Earth, saying he likes the "retro-futurism" of the original films. Hawley said he spoke to Alien chief Ridley Scott about "many, many elements" of the Alien series, including its ties to the prequels, but ultimately decided to cut loose and move away from the bioweapon backstory because he preferred the lore of the original films.

Check out IGN's Alien: Earth review to find out what we think of the show.

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.

KPop Demon Hunters has taken Netflix by storm since its release on the platform back in June — and now, you can take your fandom to the next level with an upcoming weekend of special sing-along screenings in theaters.

Netflix just announced that the animated musical fantasy will head to theaters nationwide and in Canada on August 23 and August 24, with tickets going on sale tomorrow, August 13, at 9am ET.

Tickets can be acquired at SingKPopDemonHunters.com, which is also where the full list of theaters and showtimes can be found.

KPop Demon Hunters is currently the most watched Netflix animated original film of all time and holds several records for the streamer. The movie is currently ranked fourth for Netflix’s most watched English language films, and is also Netflix’s most watched animated film in general.

Plus, the soundtrack has also done well for itself on the Billboard charts. With over 3 billion global streams to date, the album is currently holding the No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200 for the week of August 9.

KPop Demon Hunters was directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans from a script by Kang, Appelhans, Danya Jimenez, and Hannah McMechan. The film stars Arden Cho, May Hong, Ji-young Soo, and boasts an exciting supporting cast featuring Ken Jeong, Liza Koshy, Joel Kim Booster, Daniel Dae Kim, Ahn Hyo-seop, Yunjin Kim, and Byung Hun Lee.

The film — which comes direct from the creative home of the Spider-Verse, Sony Pictures Animation — is streaming now on Netflix.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.