↩ Accueil

Vue normale

'It Looks Like I Just Got a PlayStation 7' Streamer Northernlion Just Discovered His High Refresh Rate Monitor Was Still Set to 60Hz

7 février 2026 à 00:19

Picture this: You just got a new high-refresh-rate monitor, you've upgraded your graphics card or snagged a top-end gaming PC, you plug everything in and fire up your favorite game and think: "is this it?"

We've all been there. As has, apparently, popular streamer Northernlion, who just discovered his 165Hz monitor has been set to 60Hz for who knows how long, maybe even a decade.

"It looks like your display has a 165Hz mode, but is currently running at 60Hz. Using the highest refresh rate your display supports is generally recommended for an optimal gameplay experience," Northernlion said, reading a notification that popped up when loading into a game of Counter-Strike. "Is this good?"

"It's gonna change your life, in a good way," one of his teammates responded.

The clip appears in Northernlion's stream from today, starting at around the 1:44:25 mark. Upon updating his refresh rate both on the Windows level and in-game, NL was blown away by the upgraded visual experience – which his hardware had been capable of all along.

"This looks incredible!" he said, a few seconds into his first match with the settings fixed, "It looks like I just got a PlayStation 7."

While it's fun to enjoy some schadenfreud that even someone like Northernlion, who obviously has a lot of experience with the platform, can fall prey to one of the pitfalls of PC gaming, let this serve as a PSA of things to look out for:

Besides making sure your monitor's refresh rate is properly set, another common mistake is not enabling XMP, without which keeps your RAM shackled to its base speeds instead of the overclocked speeds advertised on the box. And perhaps worst of all, make sure your display cable is plugged into your graphics card, not the motherboard's video port. After all, if you've shelled out the cash for a discrete GPU, you want to make sure you're not bypassing the card entirely.

For more tech and hardware coverage, check out our guides to the Best Gaming Tech you can buy.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Bo Moore is IGN's Senior Manager of Tech. You can find him online @usebomswisely.

HBO Max Just Added a Hidden Gem of Adult Animation

6 février 2026 à 23:59

HBO Max just picked up one of the more unique animated movies from the past couple of years. Boys Go to Jupiter technically premiered back in 2024 at the Tribeca Film Festival before getting a limited theatrical release in late 2025. The film, which currently sits at a 93% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, features a stacked voice cast with the likes of Julio Torres (Problemista director and star) and Eva Victor (Sorry Baby director and star), but has gotten the most attention for its unique art style.

Boys Go to Jupiter is the first feature-length film written, produced, and directed by 3D artist Julian Glander, who has previously produced shorts for Adult Swim and graphics for artists like Clairo and Dua Lipa. He also happened to develop the indie game Art Sqool. If you’re familiar with any of these projects, you’ll recognize the trend of Glander’s surreal, almost plastic-like animation style.

While Boys Go to Jupiter had a relatively quiet initial release, trailers spread on X after the announcement of the streaming release date. Users were quick to remark that much of the movie’s unique animation style is reminiscent of the art we often see in indie games. Others saw a more glaring parallel with the “corporate art style” made infamous by company logos and presentation decks over the past decade.

Either way, it’s still a unique style to see from a feature-length film, and a welcome addition to HBO Max’s animation catalog.

In recent years, HBO Max has had a complicated reputation when it comes to animation. On the one hand, it notoriously removed a massive slate of Cartoon Network shows. On the other hand, it still maintains one of the widest streaming libraries for animation, including North American TV hits like Smiling Friends, and a relatively recent deal with GKIDS to bring rare anime movies to streaming for the first time.

The service picking up the streaming rights Boys Go to Jupiter, regardless of your feelings about its particular art style, seems like a good sign for the streamer’s support of animation. For the time being, at least. Warner Bros. is officially being acquired by none other than Netflix, a deal that’s expected to be finalized in the next year, which still leaves some questions about how exactly Netflix intends to handle the HBO Max catalog. For now, Netflix has confirmed (to some extent) that they will continue with 45- day theatrical releases for Warner Bros. films.

Blythe (she/her) is an Audience Development Coordinator at IGN who, when she isn't following streaming news, spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.

Save $600 Off the New Alienware Area-51 Ryzen X3D RTX 5090 Gaming PC

6 février 2026 à 23:55

If you're seeking the absolute best of the best in PC gaming performance, look no further than Alienware's flagship Area-51 prebuilts. Following CES 2026, Dell has discounted an Alienware Area-51 AMD Ryzen X3D Edition RTX 5090 gaming PC to $5,049.99 after a $600 discount. The Ryzen X3D Edition is essentially the second generation version of the Area-51 with a more powerful CPU replacement from AMD instead of Intel.

Alienware Area-51 Ryzen Edition RTX 5090 Gaming PC

The Alienware Area-51 is Dell's flagship gaming PC. Unveiled during last year's CES, the Area-51 is a super-sized upgrade to the mainstream Aurora R16 system. The significantly larger chassis features more premium build quality and a redesigned cooling system with greater net airflow. In fact, this is the only model that Dell feels comfortable enough to equip with the hot and power hungry GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card. The first wave of Area-51 systems featured Intel CPUs exclusively, with AMD X3D options only available since late November.

This particular configuration is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, 32GB or DDR5-6400MHz RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Additional system details include a 360mm all-in-one liquid cooling system for the CPU and a massive 1,500W 80Plus Platinum power supply that allows plenty of headroom for future upgrades.

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best gaming CPU for most people

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is considered to be one of the best gaming processors on the market and outperforms any Intel or AMD non-X3D chip in games thanks to AMD's 3D-V-Cache technology.

Although the 9800X3D is an absolute speed demon for gaming, it only has eight cores. If you regularly use your PC for non-gaming applications that benefit from as many cores as possible, then you can upgrade to an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D 16-core processor, which doubles the core count while offering similar gaming performance, for an additional $300.

The RTX 5090 is the most powerful graphics card ever

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 has emerged as the most powerful consumer GPU on the market. Although with this generation Nvidia has prioritized software updates, AI features, and DLSS 4 technology to improve gameplay performance, the 5090 still boasts an impressive 25%-30% uplift over the RTX 4090 in hardware-based raster performance. If you want the absolute best performance for your gaming PC, there is literally no other option from any other brand.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

The Best Dell & Alienware Deals and Coupons: Gaming Laptops, PCs, Monitors, and More

6 février 2026 à 23:50

Not everyone is the DIY type. If you're in the market for a prebuilt gaming PC, Dell is one of the best brands we'd recommend. Alienware desktops and laptops feature solid build quality, top-of-the-line gaming performance, excellent cooling (further improved on the newer models), aggressive styling, and pricing that is very competitive with other pre-built options. Best of all, there are plenty of sales that happen throughout the year, so it's not difficult to grab one of these computers at considerably less than their retail price.

Dell and Alienware Coupons

Alienware Aurora Gaming Laptop Deals

Alienware's newest mainstream gaming laptop 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 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 Cyber Monday 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 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.

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.

This Disney+ and Hulu Streaming Bundle Deal Drops the Monthly Cost to $9.99

6 février 2026 à 23:50

Disney+ pricing has been a bit all over the place recently. The service raised prices across all of its streaming plans (including Hulu) last October, before offering a pretty solid Cyber Monday deal in November. Over the holidays, the streamer returned to its aforementioned increased pricing.

Fortunately for anyone trying to cut down on subscription costs this year, Disney+ has been one of the first streaming services to offer a real discount in 2026.

Get 1 Month of Hulu and Disney+ for $9.99

New and eligible returning subscribers can get one month of ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu for $9.99, a solid $3 off the standard pricing of $12.99. A whole cup of coffee, I know. Eligible returning subscribers, in this case, means anyone not already subscribed to Disney+ or any of its many bundle options. And, yes, unfortunately the deal is only available for the version of the bundle with ads.

While not exactly an eye-watering discount, the couple bucks could certainly be worth it if you’re looking to test out the waters of a new streaming service or catch up on a particular streaming release. The discount lowers the bundle price to $2 less than standalone Disney+ or Hulu, so if anything draws you to either of those two services, it’s worth it to pick up both. Otherwise, the only way to get a proper Disney+ free trial is through Hulu + Live TV.

According to the Disney+ website, the discount lasts until February 17, giving you a couple weeks to think about what you could do with an extra $3.

What's on Disney+ and Hulu?

As a taster, new additions to Disney+ this month include the The Muppet Show reboot, which we said "deserves two flippers up and a Kermit flail" (positive, it rocks). Disney+ is also home to the MCU, and it’s a better time than ever to catch up on some homework ahead of Avengers: Doomsday. Of course, you’ll also get the full slate of Star Wars, Pixar, National Geographic, and all things Disney.

Hulu, on the other hand, has streaming exclusives like The Handmaid’s Tale, Shogun, and Only Murders in the Building. It’s also the streaming home for the Predator franchise, with exclusive releases like Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers. It’s a little all over the place, but there’s some value to that when you're trying to find new things to watch.

Blythe (she/her) is an SEO Coordinator at IGN who, when she isn't following streaming news, spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.

Masters of the Universe Director Calls Jared Leto's Live-Action Skeletor 'the Embodiment of Toxic Masculinity'

6 février 2026 à 23:47

Live-action Masters of the Universe movie director Travis Knight has teased that Jared Leto’s Skeletor is “the embodiment of toxic masculinity.”

The filmmaker behind the live-action adaptation opened up about how he and the cast are reimagining He-Man and other ‘80s icons during a recent interview with Empire. Knight says he worked with the controversial actor to bring the infamous cackling sorcerer to life without sacrificing the qualities that helped him stand the test of time.

“Skeletor was a really interesting villain,” the director said when describing the original Masters of the Universe cartoon. “He looked cool. He was scary. He was funny. He was insecure. And then of course he had this distinctive voice.”

“I wanted someone to craft their own version of that,” he added.

Leto seemed like the perfect fit, with Knight saying the Tron: Ares and Morbius actor approached the Masters of the Universe movie team first “because he loves Skeletor and has his own history with the character.” With the film’s only full trailer largely keeping the muscly blue villain out of the spotlight, it’s unclear exactly what his version of Skeletor walks, talks, and acts like, but the director offered a few teasers.

And ultimately we landed on something that I’m really happy with. Skeletor’s kind of the embodiment of toxic masculinity.

“He wanted to swing for the fences,” Knight said of Leto. “And ultimately we landed on something that I’m really happy with. Skeletor’s kind of the embodiment of toxic masculinity.”

Outside of Masters of the Universe, the actor has remained a divisive figure in the entertainment world for years. While moviegoers were left split regarding his portrayal of characters like The Joker and Michael Morbius, curiosity became concern when it was revealed that he once sent his Suicide Squad castmates items that ranged from questionable to grotesque.

The 30 Seconds to Mars vocalist then became embroiled in controversy in June 2025 after nine women came forward to accuse him of sexual impropriety, with some being minors when they met him. Leto denied their claims and led Disney’s Tron: Ares just five months later.

For now, it’s unclear how much of the actor’s face will appear in Masters of the Universe, with the trailer showing a Skeletor that adopts the skull head from his most iconic incarnations. His voice remains a mystery, too, though it sounds like Knight has at least done his best to steer away from something too radically different in the past.

“I said, ‘F**k that shit. Skeletor has a skull face,’” Knight told Empire when referring to a previous design with a golden skull mask. “That’s just the way it is. It’s a living, talking, emoting skull, and that’s that.”

Masters of the Universe stars Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man and is set to come to theaters June 5, 2026. For more, you can check out the Vintage Castle Grayskull playset that launched just last month.

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

New Super Mario Galaxy Movie Trailer Finally Shows Yoshi Eating Someone and Pooping Out an Egg

6 février 2026 à 23:27

Finally, Illumination and Nintendo have given people what they want out of teaser for the Super Mario Galaxy Movie: we've finally seen how the film handles Yoshi eating someone and pooping them out as an egg.

What, that wasn't your first question too when Yoshi was teased at the end of The Super Mario Bros. Movie? Okay, maybe I'm a bit juvenile. But it's a fun little stinger on the end of a new, 30-second trailer for the film released today. At the tail end of the trailer (see what I did there?), we see Yoshi face off with Kamek. As the two clash with each other in slow motion, Yoshi opens his big mouth and swallow Kamek whole, before turning his butt to the camera. We hear the "egg" sound effect, and then it cuts to a Yoshi egg wearing Kamek's glasses being flung into a cockpit, before Yoshi joints it in the driver's seat. It's very silly!

This wasn't the only new clip we saw. The trailer opens with Bowser Jr. yelling, "The great battle of my life draws near!", which we haven't heard before, followed by a clip of a bunch of airships (Bowser Jr.'s armada?) surrounding an ominous looking planet. We also get a brief look at Yoshi sitting on a motorbike saying "Vroom vroom".

Perhaps the most interesting bit apart from the egg is Peach and Toad getting a bit of a spotlight, journeying together in a neon-lit, cyberpunk city that appears to be just chock full of NIntendo references. The clips go by fast, so fans will have to do the detailed spotting work here in the coming days, but I immediately saw a big N64 logo in the shot of them peering over a balcony into the city.

Peach and Toad entering some sort of arcade-themed bar in a neon lit city, bar's largely full of Bowser cronies, looking out over the city, giant N64 logo spinning slowly on top of a building to the left side. There are also a number of pixelated figures in a bar (?) the pair visit just before, references to the old-school style of Mario games. Along with a gaggle of Bowser enemies all sitting around having a drink and looking astonished to see Peach and Toad burst in. I'm sure that'll go well for everyone.

Illumination and Nintendo have been trickling out the Mario excitement for several months now with teaser after teaser, giving us new voice actors, character appearances, and yes, tons and tons of references to just about any Mario game you can think of. We won't have to wait long for the rest, as the film drops April 3, 2026 in the U.S. and April 24 in Japan.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

❌