Handheld gaming PCs have made PC gaming more relevant than ever before. One of the greatest advantages of gaming on a PC as opposed to a console is the nearly inexhaustible library of games. Unlike consoles, which eventually lose backwards compatibility at some point in their life, even the oldest of PC games can be revisited. At this point, there are literally tens of thousands of PC games for you to choose from. The tradeoff, in the past, was mobility; either you had to settle for an immovable desktop computer, or lug around a gaming-worthy laptop. Not so anymore.
With the advent of gaming PC handhelds, your entire library of PC games is at your fingertips. Now you can play Clair Obscur, Hades, Silksong, or Baldur's Gate on a device that's not much bigger than a Switch console. Some of these handhelds are pretty expensive, and the highest end models can cost upwards of $1,000. Fortunately, a couple of SteamOS models happen to have major discounts for Black Friday, including one of our favorites. SteamOS is more intuitive to use on a handheld than Windows and anyone who wants an easy, bug-free plug and play experience that "just works" should stick with this over a Windows-based handheld.
Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme SteamOS Edition
Best Buy's Black Friday Sale has officially kicked off with some great deals on gaming hardware. Possibly the very best deal I've found so far is on the Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme SteamOS handheld gaming PC, which has dropped to just $649.99 after a $250 instant discount. This is the more powerful model with the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip and it is easily one of the best Steam-based gaming handhelds currently available. It's essentially a souped up Steam Deck. Check out Jackie's Legion Go S review, in which she concludes that it is one of the "best handheld gaming PCs on the market, and a legitimate Steam Deck alternative."
Lenovo Legion Go S Z2 Go SteamOS Edition
Also on sale is the Legion Go S Z2 Go Edition, which is currently $449.99 after a $200 discount. Despite the fact that the AMD Ryzen Z2 Go is a 2nd gen chip, it's less powerful than the Z1 Extreme, but more powerful than the Steam Deck's APU. Since this version also runs SteamOS, you'll get generally better performance out of it, especially if you knock the resolution down to 1280x800. There are other advantages over the Steam Deck, such as a bigger 8" display with smoother 120Hz refresh rate, storage capacity that matches the most expensive Steam Deck models, and a faster charging rate.
Steam Deck 256GB LCD Edition
For Black Friday, Steam has discounted its base model with a 7" 1280x800 LCD display and 256GB of storage to $319.99, a 20% discount from its $400 list price. If you're pinching pennies, you won't find a less expensive gaming handheld PC. Every Steam Deck is equipped with the same processor, so the base model will still run games just as smoothly as the highest end $650 system. You can also upgrade the storage yourself with some technical know-how.
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.
If you're in the market for a new gaming PC or laptop, Alienware should top your wishlist. The brand has been around for ages and has always been considered a premium option that features bold aesthetics, powerful performance, reliable warranty, and, unfortunately a price tag to match. Fortunately, the prices are not so "premium" during Black Friday.
Dell officially kicks off its greater Black Friday Sale today and it covers the latest and greatest Alienware gaming laptops and desktops. This is the best opportunity to stretch your dollar and get the most powerful gaming PC your budget allows. Play the latest games like Battlefield 6 or Ghost of Yotei in glorious 4k with buttery smooth framerates, but also future-proof your PC for the next generation of games. If you're looking for even deeper discounts, check out some incredible price drops on refurbished "Like New" computers at Dell Outlet.
Alienware Aurora R16 Gaming PC Deals
The Aurora R16 is Alienware's bread and butter gaming PC. It can be equipped with an Nvidia RTX 5060 graphics card all the way up to an RTX 5080 and the prices for Black Friday are extremely competitive with other brands. For example, currently Alienware has the least expensive prebuilt RTX 5080 gaming PC that I've found anywhere. Most of these systems are customizable, however it's not difficult to upgrade your own RAM and storage yourself.
Alienware Area-51 Gaming PC Deals
If you're seeking the absolute best of the best in PC gaming performance, look no further. Dell unveiled the new Alienware Area-51 gaming PC at CES 2025. The chassis is a super-sized upgrade to the Aurora R16 system with aesthetic and cooling redesigns. The internal components have been refreshed with a new motherboard, faster RAM, and bigger power supply to accommodate the new generation of CPUs and GPUs. With a high-end system like this, it's only fitting that it be equipped with an RTX 5080 or RTX 5090 graphics card, so these are the configurations I've listed here. Note that Dell Outlet refurbished PCs come with the same warranty as buying new.
Alienware Aurora Gaming Laptop Deals
Alienware's new mainstream gaming laptop for 2025 is dubbed the "Alienware Aurora" and it replaces the previous generation's x16 and m16 series of laptops. It comes in two models: the 16 and 16X. The 16 is the more economical model, but gamers should definitely opt for the higher-end 16X model. If you're looking for build quality and performance on par with the previous generation m16, then the 16X is its spiritual successor. It features an anodized aluminum lid and base, a higher quality display, a more powerful CPU, and a GPU that isn't throttled for maximum gaming performance.
Alienware Area-51 Gaming Laptop Deals
Alienware 18 Area-51 (18")
Alienware 16 Area-51 (16")
The Area-51 is Alienware's new flagship gaming laptop for 2025. It features an anodized aluminum shell for both the lid and bottom chassis with a gorgeous iridescent finish. The frame is made of a durable and lightweight magnesium alloy. Cooling has been upgraded with generous amounts of copper and a new thermal interface material to better transfer heat away from your hottest components as well as more fans and bigger cutouts for greater airflow. Dell claims that the laptop can handle a higher power ceiling of up to 240W TDP without raising acoustics.
Design-wise, the Area 51 has a sleeker, more contoured shape compared to previous models, with rounded edges and soft corners replacing the traditional squared off design. The hinges are internally positioned so that they're near invisible. There's a transparent window on the undercarriage to show off the internal components. As befits an Alienware laptop, there's plenty of RGB illunimation, although most of it can be turned off if you want your laptop to be a bit more subtle.
Gaming Monitor Deals
Dell makes some of the highest quality gaming monitors around. They're easily on par with the best that other brands like Samsung, LG, and Asus have to offer. For Black Friday, they're also incredibly well-priced. For example, the venerable 34" Alienware AW3423DWF Qfor $499.99 is the lower price I've ever seen for a 34" OLED monitor. By the way, if you do opt for a Dell or Alienware OLED monitor, you also get a 3 year warranty that includes OLED burn-in protection.
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.
Lies of P director Choi Ji-won says the team is "working really hard" on Neowiz's next game, promising: "I will not disappoint you all."
Talking to GamesRadar+ after winning a Golden Joystick award for best expansion — "I'm so happy that I'm lost for words right now" — the director explained how the team approached Lies of P's DLC Overture, saying, "we didn't just view it as just pure expansion, but almost as a sequel and a brand new project."
And now, looking ahead to the studio's next project, Ji-won says "you can expect the most fun that we can achieve within the game."
"Please stay tuned for it; we are working really hard, and I will not disappoint you at all," the director added.
We had a good time with Lies of P, awarding it 8/10, and Overture itself also secured a 8/10. "Even if it’s clearly dancing on the same old strings, Lies of P: Overture is an excellent expansion that adds a whole lot more to a game that was already great," we wrote, although since then, the DLC has been patched to reduce monster difficulty in repeat playthroughs and "adjusted stats" for some of the field monsters you encounter in your first playthrough of Overture.
While Choi Ji-won failed to specify which game he's talking about here, it seems likely that it is the Lies of P sequel he already confirmed was in the works in November 2023. At the time, Choi said: “Our highest priority is developing the DLC and working on our sequel. The dev team is putting in significant effort, brainstorming and exploring different aspects of the projects.”
If you're hunting for the best offers this week, we're actively rounding up the strongest Black Friday deals on video games, tech, and more. You can find all our top picks and price drops in our full Black Friday hub, or check out our relevant pages for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox deals.
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.
Nintendo has announced plans to fully acquire Bandai Namco Studios Singapore, a developer it has previously used to bolster its work on key franchises such as Splatoon and Pokémon.
In a statement to investors, released this morning, Nintendo said it had entered into a share transfer agreement with Bandai Namco for the studio — which it will now rename as Nintendo Studios Singapore.
Initially, Nintendo will purchase 80% of Bandai Namco Sinapore Studio shares on April 1, 2026. It then plans to gobble up the remaining 20% of shares "after a certain period," Nintendo said, "once the subsidiary's operations have stabilized."
Nintendo does not typically trumpet the external development studios it partners with to work on its own franchises, but video game credits have shown that the Singapore-based outfit has contributed to 2022's Splatoon 3, and was the lead developer behind 2021's New Pokémon Snap.
Reportedly, the studio was also briefly tasked with working on Metroid Prime 4, before Nintendo restarted development at Retro Studios. And more generally, Bandai Namco overall has enjoyed a close relationship with Nintendo in recent years, with other teams within the company working on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Pokkén Tournament.
It's relatively unusual for Nintendo to acquire other developers, though recent years have seen the company acquire a steady stream of external teams it has built a history of collaboration with.
At the start of 2021, Nintendo reached into its wallet for Vancouver-based Luigi's Mansion 3 maker Next Level Games. In February 2022, Nintendo bought long-time development partner SRD. And in late 2024, Nintendo upped its stake in Xenoblade and Zelda co-developer Monolith Soft, to now 100% own the company.
As for Bandai Namco Studios Singapore — or rather, Nintendo Studios Singapore — it's unknown what the company is working on now. But it's a fair bet its team may be assisting development on Splatoon once again, with the upcoming mysterious Splatoon: Raiders now announced for Switch 2.
If you're hunting for the best offers this week, we're actively rounding up the strongest Black Friday deals on video games, tech, and more. You can find all our top picks and price drops in our full Black Friday hub, or check out our relevant pages for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox deals.
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 Japan Commercial Broadcasters’ Association issued a statement against OpenAI’s Sora 2 and other similar AI video generation models, warning of the dangers that their unregulated use poses, both to Japan’s content industry and society as a whole. It demanded that OpenAI and other AI start-ups take action to prevent unauthorized training of AI models on Japanese anime and other copyrighted content, calling on AI companies to take proactive steps to remove copyright-infringing AI-generated content from the internet.
OpenAI publicly released Sora 2 on September 30, and people were soon sharing 20-second clips generated using the new model across social media. Many of these clips contain the likenesses of Japanese anime and video game characters (including popular characters like Mario and Pikachu), prompting concerns about copyright infringement. A couple of weeks later, the Japanese government made a formal request to OpenAI, calling on the American tech company to cease infringing upon Japanese IPs. This was followed by a statement on October 28 from Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Association (a group representing companies including Bandai Namco, Square Enix, and Studio Ghibli), which demanded that OpenAI stop unauthorized training of Sora 2 on the copyrighted IPs of its members.
On November 26, the Japan Commercial Broadcasters’ Association, which consists of 207 companies including Japan’s major TV channels, also issued a statement regarding Sora 2 and generative AI. As reported by Asahi Shimbun, the group expressed concern over copyright infringement, as well as the negative impacts of generative AI video models on Japan’s creative industries and news broadcasters.
The statement points out that Sora 2 has generated “video content that is identical or highly similar to anime and other content owned by our members,” adding that “we believe this to be the result of Sora 2 learning from content, to which our members own the rights, during its training and development period.” It argues that the very act of training an generative AI model on copyrighted content without permission, and then making it so that said model can be used by people to generate similar content that can be distributed on the internet, "constitutes exploitation for commercial purposes."
Acknowledging OpenAI’s offer to allow companies to retroactively “opt out” of their content appearing in Sora 2’s AI videos, the association argues that “opt out measures cannot prevent copyright infringement” (as the infringement has already occurred).
The statement goes on to highlight the economic and personal damage that generated videos featuring copyrighted characters can cause, mentioning that this negatively impacts many people in creative industries (including original authors, screenwriters, lyricists, performers and producers). It also points out that such AI generated content can also defame or cause damage to a brand, character or person depending on the nature of the video, highlighting concerns that as gen-AI technology improves, viewers might not be able to tell the difference between officially produced content and AI generated content. The association says that gen AI models’ reproduction of copyrighted IPs ultimately has the "potential to destroy Japan's content production culture and ecosystem."
The statement also warns against the threats to society posed by deepfake videos, particularly highlighting the dangers posed by fake disaster footage, convincing-looking fictional news reports featuring real newscasters, imitations of politicians, and videos designed to stir up hate towards foreign residents. The broadcasting association says that “such content can stir up public anxiety, distort people’s judgement and severely undermine the value of fair broadcasting by broadcasters.” They express concern that deepfake videos featuring trusted newscasters and personalities from current affairs programs could also be used by criminals (such as by fraudsters to entice people to invest in schemes).
The Japan Commercial Broadcasters’ Association finished their statement by “strongly urging generative AI developers” to cease training their models on copyrighted content without permission. They also call for AI companies to take measures to prevent the generation of content resembling copyrighted works and to make proactive efforts to remove existing AI generated content that infringes on IPs, “particularly from sites operated by the AI developers themselves.” They also call on companies like OpenAI to “respond sincerely to claims made by member companies in regard to copyright infringement caused by generative AI.”
Last month, Nintendo took the unusual step of issuing an official statement seemingly in response to comments from Satoshi Asano, a member of Japan’s House of Representatives. In a deleted social media post he subsequently apologized for, Asano accused Nintendo of “avoiding using generative AI to protect its IP” and "engaging in lobbying activities with the government" over the increased use of generative AI in the gaming industry.
Nintendo denied this, but did warn it would take “necessary actions against infringement of our intellectual property rights.”
“Contrary to recent discussions on the internet, Nintendo has not had any contact with the Japanese government about generative AI,” Nintendo said. “Whether generative AI is involved or not, we will continue to take necessary actions against infringement of our intellectual property rights.”
Disney and Universal have sued the AI image creator Midjourney, alleging that the company improperly used and distributed AI-generated characters from their movies. Disney also sent a cease and desist letter to Character.AI, warning the startup to stop using its copyrighted characters without authorization.
“A lot of the videos that people are going to generate of these cartoon characters are going to infringe copyright,” Mark Lemley, a professor at Stanford Law School, told CNBC. “OpenAI is opening itself up to quite a lot of copyright lawsuits by doing this.”
If you're hunting for the best offers this week, we're actively rounding up the strongest Black Friday deals on video games, tech, and more. You can find all our top picks and price drops in our full Black Friday hub, or check out our relevant pages for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox deals.
Photo by: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
Prospective VR gamers, there's no better time to immerse yourself in real next-gen gaming. The best Black Friday deals on Meta Quest VR headsets are now live. Both the Meta Quest 3 and 3S are on sale for the next few days, although different retailers currently have the best deals for each of the two models.
Starting with the more premium model, the official Meta Store on eBay is selling refurbished Meta Quest 3 512GB VR headsets with extended 2 year warranty for just $359.99 (was $500) after an extra 20% off coupon "CYBERWEEK20".
If that's out of your budget, Amazon has discounted both Meta Quest 3S models ($249 for the 128GB model and $329 for the 256GB model) and is also throwing in a bonus $50 Amazon credit with either purchase. That's basically getting a Quest 3S headset for as low as $199. You also get a free game with purchase: Gorilla Tag for the 128GB model and Batman Arkham Shadow for the 256GB model.
Refurb Meta Quest 3 with 2 Year Warranty for $359.99
The Meta Quest 3 is the best standalone consumer-oriented VR headset and is a significant upgrade compared to its less expensive Quest 3S sibling. The two share the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor, Touch Plus controllers with inside-out tracking, and mixed reality passthrough. However, the Quest 3 has a higher resolution, higher FOV display with a much wider focused sweet spot thanks to its superior pancake lens design. The Quest 3 also has much more onboard storage. For VR veterans who are sure to benefit from a better display, I would highly recommend the Quest 3 over the 3S. I own it myself (and I reviewed it for IGN) and have logged over a thousand hours in Beat Saber alone.
Meta Quest 3S Starting at $249.99 Plus $50 Amazon Credit
Also at Best Buy for $249 with $50 gift card
Also at the official Meta eBay Store for $212.49
The Meta Quest 3S is the best standalone consumer-oriented VR headset under $300. It retails for 40% less than the Quest 3 and yet retains most of its hardware and functionality, including the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor, Touch Plus controllers with inside-out tracking, and mixed reality passthrough. However, whereas the Quest 3 has been updated with a new pancake lens design, the Quest 3S retains the Fresnel optics of the Quest 2. Although obviously not as good as the Quest 3, the Quest 3S still very much offers an immersive visual experience that is sure to impress. I myself logged in hundreds of hours on the Quest 2 before I moved on to the Quest 3. For newcomers who want to try out VR gaming without investing tons of money, of for people who want to give this as a gift to someone who's never tried VR, I would recommend the Quest 3S over the Quest, especially at this price.
TL;DR:
Quest 3 has sharper resolution (2064x2208 vs 1832x1920)
Quest 3 has better lens array (pancake vs fresnel)
Quest 3 has lower FOV (104°/96° vs 96°/90°)
Quest 3 has higher storage capacity (512GB vs 128GB)
Same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor
Same Touch Plus controllers
Same 120Hz refresh rate
Same Mixed reality passthrough functionality
Same tetherless and tethered functionality
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.
Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino has said The Hunger Games “ripped off” Battle Royale, and expressed surprise that the Japanese writer of the cult classic original didn’t sue The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins.
Speaking on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, the Oscar-winning director of the likes of Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Django Unchained, said that book critics failed to call out The Hunger Games, whereas film critics did.
Battle Royale, released in 2000, was directed by Kinji Fukasaku from a screenplay by Kenta Fukasaku. It was based on the 1999 book of the same name, by Koushun Takami, and stars Beat Takeshi as a school teacher who ends up putting his unruly students through a fight to the death.
The Hunger Games is a series of novels written by American author Suzanne Collins that kicked off in 2008. It follows teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, who similarly battles with other children in a fight to the death. The Hunger Games movie, starring Jennifer Lawrence, came out in 2012 and was a global hit.
Speaking on the podcast, Tarantino hit out at The Hunger Games novels. “I do not understand how the Japanese writer didn’t sue Suzanne Collins for every f***ing thing she owns,” Tarantino said. “They just ripped off the f***ing book! Stupid book critics are not going to go watch a Japanese movie called Battle Royale, so the stupid book critics never called her out on it. They talked about how it was the most original thing they’d ever fucking read. As soon as the film critics saw the film they said, ‘What the f**k! This is just Battle Royale except PG!'”
Tarantino’s criticism of The Hunger Games is a long-standing one, and his comments here have sparked a debate among fans about where inspiration for creative works like novels truly comes from. Collins has talked about the creation of The Hunger Games in interviews before. In a 2008 interview with School Library Journal, Collins said The Hunger Games was based on the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, which she read when she was eight years old.
“I was a huge fan of Greek and Roman mythology,” she said, when asked how she came up with the idea. “As punishment for displeasing Crete, Athens periodically had to send seven youths and seven maidens to Crete, where they were thrown into the labyrinth and devoured by the Minotaur, which is a monster that’s half man and half bull. Even when I was a little kid, the story took my breath away, because it was so cruel, and Crete was so ruthless.
“The message is, mess with us and we’ll do something worse than kill you—we’ll kill your children. And the parents sat by apparently powerless to stop it. The cycle doesn’t end until Theseus volunteers to go, and he kills the Minotaur. In her own way, Katniss [the heroine of The Hunger Games] is a futuristic Theseus. But I didn’t want to do a labyrinth story. So I decided to write basically an updated version of the Roman gladiator games.”
Collins went on to say she was inspired to write The Hunger Games while channel surfing between reality TV programs and actual war coverage.
“On one channel, there’s a group of young people competing for I don’t even know; and on the next, there’s a group of young people fighting in an actual war,” she said. “I was really tired, and the lines between these stories started to blur in a very unsettling way. That’s the moment when Katniss’s story came to me.”
Of course, Battle Royale also inspired a new genre of video game, which ended up spawning the likes of PUBG, Fortnite, and Warzone. Tarantino's comments are especially ironic as he is now partnering with Fortnite itself.
If you're hunting for the best offers this week, we're actively rounding up the strongest Black Friday deals on video games, tech, and more. You can find all our top picks and price drops in our full Black Friday hub, or check out our relevant pages for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox deals.
Photo by Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images.
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.
Are you the owner of a spankin' new Nintendo Switch 2 console? Have you been holding off on a memory card upgrade until prices have dropped to a more reasonable level? If you answered "yes" to both questions, then you, my fellow Nintendo gamer, are in luck. Nintendo Switch 2 compatible MicroSD Express cards have dropped to the lowest prices of the year for Black Friday, from the modest 256GB to the mega 1TB capacities.
If you haven't heard already, a recent surge in demand for memory has caused DRAM (specifically DDR5 RAM) to increase in price. To a lesser extent, according to Tom's Hardware, this has also affected NAND flash storage, including MicroSD Express cards. If you're holding out in hopes that memory card prices will drop even further within the next few months, you'd be taking a gamble. If I were a betting man, I'd say that you'd have to wait until mid to late 2026 before prices stabilize again. If you can swing it, I'd recommend just getting in on the deals now so you don't have to worry about running out of space.
The Best 1TB Memory Card Deal Right Now
The Best 512GB Memory Card Deal
The Best 256GB Memory Card Deal
As you may know, the Switch 2 console will only accept MicroSD Express cards. If you have a standard MicroSD card from your previous Switch, you sadly won't be able to use it to store games in the Switch 2. Although the two might look similar, MicroSD Express cards are much, much faster than their precedessors, with speeds of up to 800MB/s. Most MicroSD cards cap out at well under 200MB/s.
Are Switch 2s on Sale for Black Friday?
Sadly, no (although we'd love to be proven wrong tomorrow). In fact, Nintendo recently raised prices on Switch 2 accessoriesand warned that the console itself might see a price hike in the near future. So, although there are no Switch 2 console deals live for Black Friday, if you don't yet own one and are looking into buying, now might be the right time to get one. It's now in stock everywhere, including on Amazon, and without any invitation required anymore. The only way to get a Switch 2 for a cheaper price would be buying an import model from AliExpress or used consoles from eBay or other marketplaces. If you're still unsure if Switch 2 is worth your investment this holiday season, check out our Nintendo Switch 2 review first for more insight before you buy.
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.
Even after all these years, the Nvidia Shield Android TV Pro sits atop the throne as the best Android-based streaming box on the market. For Black Friday, you can get it on sale for just $169.99 after a 15% off discount. This is the best deal I expect to come out of Black Friday, especially since I haven't seen it discounted even once this year. According to Amazon, it's selling out quickly, so get in on this deal quick or you might have to wait until the end of 2026 to get it on sale again.
Nvidia Shield Android TV Pro for $169.99
The current generation Nvidia Shield Android TV Pro was released back in 2019 and uses the same Nvidia Tegra X1 CPU found in the Nintendo Switch console. Despite the fact that it's several years old, Nvidia still officially supports this device and regularly releases updates for it. The 3GB of onboard RAM and 16GB of built-in storage might sound outdated, but make no mistake the Shield TV Pro blows the Roku, Apple TV, Fire Stick, Chromecast, and just about every other media player out of the water in terms of performance and functionality. It's capable of handling 4K video with Dolby Vision HDR from all of your favorite streaming apps as well as Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Plus audio support.
The Shield TV Pro is also one of the only streaming devices that supports GeForce Now, which allows you to stream your PC games to your TV without having to own a gaming PC. A remote PC handles all of the intensive GPU load, so all you need is a fast internet connection. The Shield TV Pro even has a built-in Plex server so you can organize all of your digital media in one centralized location. Seriously, what more can you cram into this device?
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.
Plants Vs Brainrots is a Roblox experience similar to Plants vs Zombies. It combines elements of tower defence with mechanics from Roblox's two most visited and played games – Grow a Garden and Steal a Brainrot. You'll buy seeds (when they're in stock), place them in your garden, and then wait for your plants to attack brainrots as they make their way down the catwalk.
As well as combining gameplay elements from both experiences, Plants Vs Brainrots also has codes. So, if you're getting ready to plant crops, earn brainrots, and fuse them, here are some codes to give you a little boost.
Working Plants Vs Brainrots Codes (November 2025)
These are the currently working codes for Plants Vs Brainrots:
STACKS - 1x Lucky Potion
frozen - 1x Frost Grenade
based - $5,000
Expired Plants Vs Brainrots Codes (November 2025)
There are currently no expired Plants Vs Brainrots codes.
How to Redeem Plants Vs Brainrots Codes
When you launch into the Plants Vs Brainrots experience, these are the steps you need to follow to redeem codes:
Complete the tutorial of buying a seed and placing a brainrot
This will unlock the Shop icon on the left of the screen. It's red and looks like a shopping basket.
Scroll down to the bottom of the shop and click "Codes" under rewards
Enter the code and press Claim!
Why Isn't My Plants Vs Brainrots Code Working?
Codes for Roblox experiences are usually case-sensitive, so the best way to ensure you've got a working code is to directly copy it from this article. We check all codes before we upload them, so you can guarantee they're working. Just double check that you haven't copied over an extra space!
When is the Next Plants Vs Brainrots Update?
The next update scheduled for Plants Vs Brainrots is on Saturday November 29.
Lauren Harper is an Associate Guides Editor. She loves a variety of games but is especially fond of puzzles, horrors, and point-and-click adventures.
The official Black Friday sales have been going on for a full week already, but today is finally Black Friday time for real now. Thanksgiving is traditionally when all of the sales go live, and arguably the best time to get some deals shopping in.
The IGN Deals team has been hard at work finding the best deals happening today so we can deliver them to you at your leisure. We've gathered discounts from across major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and more to help you get the best prices possible.
Our Top Black Friday Deals Picks Today
Our picks for the top deals today include a mix of tech, games, movies, and toys that all have one thing in common: They're really good deals! The one exception to that is the Nintendo Switch 2 bundle, which is really only there because stock is going fast. We've also included couple of notable promotions here that are worth checking out. The fist is Amazon's usual "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" sale that includes tons of 4K movies, books, and vinyl. You can also get Audible for only 99 cents right now for three months (on top of a $20 credit).
Shop by Retailer
Best Video Game Deals
If you're looking for deals on games, our Senior Commerce Editor Robert Anderson has been all over these deals so far. Both the PlayStation and Nintendo Black Friday sales have been going on all week and some games have gone in and out of stock at various retailers. Here's the best Black Friday video game deals that are still live and where to find them:
Nintendo Switch Deals
The most notable discounts are on Mario Switch games, but there a few other really good deals in here. There aren't and new Switch 2 console deals, unfortunately, but you can still pick up the Switch 2 bundles from a few different retailers and save a little bit.
PlayStation 5 Deals
PlayStation has really done the most for Black Friday this year and pretty much everything is on sale, including a ton of popular PS5 games. Almost every DualSense controller is on sale right now, and you can even get a rare discount on the PlayStation Portal everyone seems to love. There are also console deals available on both the PS5 Pro and special edition bundles. PlayStation fans are feasting on discounts this year.
Xbox Deals
The Xbox Black Friday sale hasn't been quite as good as PlayStation, but there are still a lot of discounts to be had. There are quite a few Xbox games on sale right now as well as price cuts on Xbox controllers. Unfortunately, there have yet to be any sort of console deals available.
PC Game Deals
If you're looking for PC games specifically, there are are number of places to go. Most notably, Steam launched its first Black Friday sale this year, so that's definitely worth a look.
Apple Deals
Almost all of the Apple devices are on sale right now, with the exception of the iPhone 17. All of the AirPods have been dropping to new low prices all week and MacBooks and iPads are getting price reductions as well. The best prices are at major retailer like Amazon and Walmart, but Apple did announce its own Black Friday sale plans for 2025 as well. Starting tomorrow, you'll be able to get up to $250 in Apple gift cards when you make select purchases fromt eh Apple Store.
LEGO Deals
There are already a ton of great LEGO deals going on all over the internet right now, and our official LEGO Editor Chris Reed has hand picked the best of the best. One of our favorite discounts so far is on the LEGO Ideas Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory set that is only available at Target. We built this set back in September when it first came out and it's absolutely awesome. There are also a ton of LEGO sets set to retire soon that are seeing final disocunts before they're gone.
4K Blu-rays Deals
Black Friday is one of the best times of the year to buy 4K and Blu-ray discs and that's on full display this year. There's recent releases, like the new Superman movie, that have dropped all the way down to only $12.49. You can also get full trilogies like The Lord of the Rings or the Harry Potter movies for surprisingly cheap.
PC Gaming Deals
If you're looking for PC gaming hardware deals, our Commerce Manager Eric Song has been actively looking for the best discounts all week long. There are some great prices available for PCs and gaming laptops equipped with the latest GPUs as well as massive discounts on gaming monitors. Here are the best deals we've found for each category in 2025 so far:
Gaming PCs
Some of the best discounts are on hardware direct from Lenovo and Dell, both of which are currently having their own sales. You can also find some surprisingly low prices at Walmart and Best Buy for iBuypower and CyberPowerPC gaming rigs.
Gaming Laptops
Similar to gaming PCs, almost all of the best discount here are direct from the manufacturer's own Black Friday sale. The Dell sale has the Alienware 16 Aurora for under $1,000 and Razer has the 2025 Razer Blade 14 down to its lowest price ever as well. There's also some good discounts from HP, Walmart, Lenovo, and Best Buy worth checking out.
Gaming Monitors
There are quite a few gaming monitors available, with some prominent Alienware options available directly from Dell. LG Ultragear monitors are seeing some solid price reductions across various retailers, and there are som good budget monitor options available on Amazon. Some of our favorite gaming monitors are included in this sale.
Gaming Chairs
We've found some pretty solid Black Friday gaming chair deals so far this year on some of IGN's top-reviewed gaming chairs. Our top pick, in terms of overall value, is the Razer Iskur V2 X. It's the best budget chair and is discounted an extra $50 on top of that. Both Secretlab and Andaseat also have their sales live and you can save a decent chunk of change there as well.
TV Deals
While we expect thee to be more Black Friday deals tomorrow and through to Cyber Monday, there are a lot of great options available right now, especially if you're looking for a good gaming TV. You can get a 77-inch LG TV for under $2,000 and receive a free soundbar right now when you buy directly through LG. There are also a handful of discounts at Best Buy and Walmart on some truly massive televisions.
Headphone Deals
The Black Friday deals on headphones are as good as it gets this year. You can currently get the latest pair of Apple AirPods for only $69, and even the recently released AirPods Pro 3 are getting discounted. For over-ear headphones, there's the Beats Studio Pro headphones that have dropped to only $150. And for top of the line, there's the new Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones now at the lowest price we've ever seen (outside of used models).
Streaming Deals
All of the best streaming deals are now live for Black Friday, and our streaming expert Blythe Dujardin has been tracking them all. The most popular deal is the Disney and Hulu bundle, which drops the price down to $4.99 per month for an entire year. There are also discounts on standalone subscriptions like Crunchyroll, Apple TV, and HBO Max that are definitely worth checking out. For anyone looking for a sports streaming option, Disney also still has the discount available on the ESPN Unlimited bundle as well.
Board Game Deals
There are some really good board games on sale right now, with a spread of deals on family board games and modern classics. The latest edition of Catan is only $24.99 and a must-have for anyone starting a board game collection. There's also classics like Sorry! and Connect 4 selling for only $5 each.
Book Deals
There are a lot of individual books on sale, but the best overall book deal right now is Amazon's buy 2, get 1 free sale. Most notably, this sale includes popular box sets like The Lord of the Rings books and Harry Potter. It's worth diving into the sale yourself and just searching for the books you'd want.
When Do Black Friday Sales End?
Black Friday start dates were pretty scattered this year, but the actual end of the sale is the same for pretty much every retailer. Black Friday sales end when Cyber Monday sales begin. That means you have until November 30 to shop the deals before the inevitable switchover to Cyber Monday happens on December 1. There are a lot of similarities between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but you can expect exclusive new deals for each sale.
Cyber Monday Deals Begin on December 1
It's true that a lot of the discounts will be the same on Cyber Monday as they were during Black Friday, but you can expect one major difference: Cyber Monday deals will mostly be online. Brick-and-morter locations like Target and Costco will only be offering these deals online. The exception to that rule is Best Buy, which will have discounts both in stores and online that day.
Tips for Black Friday Shopping Online
It may seem silly to start planning your Black Friday shopping right now, but doing so can help you save a lot of money when it comes time to actually start making purchases. Here are a few Black Friday tips that you should consider ahead of the event:
Set a Budget – Keeping track of how much money you can actually spend is important to avoid overspending. When everything is on sale, it can be easy to buy more than you really should just because things are at their lowest price of the year.
Create a Shopping List – Knowing exactly what you're trying to find discounts on is a great way to avoid making unnecessary purchases. It can also make it easier for you to compare prices between retailers or set price drop alerts ahead of time.
Compare Prices – Retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart make it really easy to do all of your shopping there. That being said, those retailers don't always have the best price on the items you're looking for. Make sure to compare prices across the web before you buy something for more than you have to.
Research Before You Buy – If you're making an expensive purchase, make sure you do at least some research before you buy it. This means looking for independent reviews or testimony from trusted sources about those products. You shouldn't necessarily trust Amazon reviews, for example.
Be Wary of Search Results and AI Summaries - Search platforms, such as Google, have a tendency to be flooded with sponsored links in the results as well as AI summaries that are potentially biased. Be careful to avoid clicking on a sponsored ad if you're looking for reviews or searching for specific products by price.
The creator of Dragon Quest, Yuji Horii, believes Final Fantasy X was "ultimate perfection" when it released back in 2001.
In an interview with Game Informer, Horii talked about his experience developing Dragon Quest, which at the time was up against the Final Fantasy series as Square and Enix had yet to merge. While he didn't really think of Final Fantasy as "competition" per se — while they're both RPGs, their approaches to storytelling are quite different — he did acknowledge that he was "definitely paying attention to it."
"Way back then, when Final Fantasy originally came out, I was definitely paying attention to it because it was something we needed to look out for," Horii said, reflecting on how the games differ. "But there's one key difference that I really saw back then: the protagonists in the Final Fantasy titles, they speak a lot. Whereas for Dragon Quest, the key objective for [the games], or the experience it offers for the player, is that the player becomes the protagonist themselves.
"In Final Fantasy, you kind of observe the protagonist, but you're not necessarily becoming the protagonist in the games. So I thought that was a really interesting and stark difference between Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, but I didn't necessarily see them as a rival back then."
That may have changed when Final Fantasy X came along, however.
"Final Fantasy, again, [the protagonists] just talk a lot," Horii added. "I do like Final Fantasy, though. When I first saw Final Fantasy X, I recall feeling this was the ultimate perfection of Final Fantasy."
Don't forget that Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake released at the end of October. We thought it was Amazing, awarding it 9/10, writing: "Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake beautifully concludes this trilogy, recapturing the retro magic of the originals while giving them a modern facelift."
If you're hunting for the best offers this week, we're actively rounding up the strongest Black Friday deals on video games, tech, and more. You can find all our top picks and price drops in our full Black Friday hub, or check out our relevant pages for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox deals.
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.
Halo fans, here is something for you today. Modders ‘Froddoyo’ and ‘Lydran’ have released a mod that brings the Halo 3 multiplayer experience to Counter-Strike 2. This is a must-have for all Halo and CS fans. So, let’s take a closer look at it. Project Misriah is a collection of Halo ported maps and assets … Continue reading Project Misriah, Halo 3 Mod for Counter-Strike 2, Available For Download→
The second part of the Worldsoul Saga and the 11th overall expansion for Blizzard's MMORPG, Midnight will take you to new and reimagined zones, let you try out new abilities, and face "all-new Delves, dungeons, and raids."
Applications for the beta test are now open, and over the course of the test, Blizzard will be "inviting community veterans, press, fansies, friends, and family" to check out the upcoming expansion.
Players who have bought the Epic Edition will also get the chance to participate in the beta, as well as get three days' early access, which means they can get stuck in from February 27.
You also don't have to wait until March to set up home if you've purchased any edition of the Midnight expansion — don't forget that Housing Early Access will kick off next week on December 2, so you'll be able to select a neighborhood, choose a house, and start making it cosy weeks before the expansion drops.
Blizzard provided a roadmap to its expansions plans back in BlizzCon 2023. The second of three expansions announced at the time, Midnight follows last year's The War Within, and will take place in Azeroth's "Old World" in Quel'thalas, where Void forces have invaded and are trying to destroy the Sunwell and plunge the world into darkness.
We played the first 10 hours last month, writing in IGN's World of Warcraft: Midnight preview: "There's still a lot of the Midnight alpha to see. Try as I might, they wouldn't even let me into the mysterious realm of Zul'Aman! But having played it basically every waking hour since I got access, which was about 10 hours ago as I write this, I am certainly impressed with the new zones and the customization housing allows, and I'm excited to see where the story of the Worldsoul Saga goes next."
If you're hunting for the best offers this week, we're actively rounding up the strongest Black Friday deals on video games, tech, and more. You can find all our top picks and price drops in our full Black Friday hub, or check out our relevant pages for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox deals.
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.
If you're looking for an excellent multiplayer shooter to play over the holidays, this is it, and it's the best price we're likely to get on it for a long while.
Only releasing in October this year, Battlefield 6 has offered a true return to form for the long-running shooter franchise and has pretty much finally outdone Call of Duty at its own game, selling some almighty big numbers.
While we didn’t love the campaign, there’s no denying it’s a gorgeous-looking shooting gallery, but as with any Battlefield game, the real draw is multiplayer. Whether you’re looking for infantry combat, the opportunity to fly a jet or helicopter, or you just want to pile into a tank with your friends and bring down buildings, there’s something for everyone.
Reviewer Justin Koreis gave the multiplayer an 8 out of 10, saying, “Battlefield 6’s multiplayer action is expertly crafted, wrapped in a wonderful layer of destructibility that both looks great and materially affects the flow of combat. The gunplay is excellent, with weapons that are accurate enough to reward skilled shooting, but have just enough sway to promote a bit of careful thought while you take aim.”
Battlefield 6 is currently in the middle of its first season of post-launch content, including new maps and modes, while the RedSec Battle Royale mode is also available as a standalone free-to-play game. Given how successful the game has been for EA, you can likely expect new seasonal updates well into the future.
EA and Battlefield Studios have also recently launched the first Battlefield 6 free trial week, giving new players on PC, PS5 and Xbox the chance to try Season 1 multiplayer maps and modes from November 25, at 4 a.m. PT / 7 a.m. ET to December 2 at 4 a.m. PT / 7 a.m. ET.
Only Amazon has the deal right now, so if the deal gets nuked, then I'm afraid it'll be Black Friday FOMO for you. Fingers crossed Walmart and Best Buy price match it soon. Apologies for the tough love, but if BF6 has been on your wishlist, this is the best possible deal we're getting, and blows any other deals out of the water.
It's such a good offer, it properly rivals my previous best PS5 game deal recommendation in Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater for $30 at Amazon and Walmart. You might have already seen my $20 or less roundup, which is still packed with heavy hitters from the last few years and perfect if you want maximum bang for your buck. I also recently covered the best games under $30 right now, sporting MGS as my top pick.
Just like BF6, that's likely to sell out fast as well. I've also got you covered if you're looking for a more comprehensive roundup of the best video game deals for Black Friday. In summary, snag these games as soon as you can, and have a great Thanksgiving.
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.
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