The Best Buy Presidents Day Sale starts this week, and one of the best deals is a great fit for anyone who likes to listen to tunes while running. Right now you can save $60 off the Shokz OpenRun Pro wireless sport headphones, now just $99.99, a savings of nearly 40% off. The OpenRun Pro is the best non-earbuds headphones for running. It uses bone conduction technology which is tailor-made for situations where you need to be fully aware of your surroundings.
Shokz OpenRun Pro Sport Headphones for $99.99
The SHOKZ OpenRun Pro is more headphone than earbud, with a lightweight titanium band connecting the two ear pieces and wrapping around the back of your head. It does an excellent job of keeping everything in place, which is important because the buds need to be positioned precisely. Instead of the traditional method of sending sound vibrations to your eardrums, the OpenRun Pro uses bone conduction technology to send vibrations through your cheekbones directly to your inner ear. As such, the headphones are actually placed in front of your ear instead of on your ear. The biggest advantage is that you can fully hear your surroundings; if you like running on the street, for example, you'll be aware of everything that's going on around you and still be able to hear your music perfectly well.
The OpenRun Pros offer more bass than the standard OpenRuns. They're IP5 rated to withstand sweat, dust, and grime. You'll get up to ten hours of continuous playback on a single charge. They also feature multipoint Bluetooth pairing, which means that you can pair it with up to two different devices simultaneously.
I have a pair of AirPods Pro that I use regularly, but I always set them aside for the OpenRun Pros when I run. I can hear my surroundings better than the "Transparency" mode on the AirPods Pro. They also stay in place well even when I develop a good sweat and the sound quality and bass response is quite good.
The updated Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 is also on sale
Best Buy has also dropped the price of the newer Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 to $129.99. The OpenRun Pro 2 features some notable upgrades over its predecessor. The biggest QoL update is the switch from a proprietary magnetic charging cable to the USB Type-C standard. The second big update is improved bass. The new OpenRun Pro 2 utilizes Shok's DualPitch technology to virtually eliminate vibrations so that bass response is cleaner. Smaller changes include slightly increased battery life and improved noise cancelation for the microphone.
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.
Wuthering Heights opens in theaters on February 13.
Three years after Wuthering Heights was first published under the pen name Ellis Bell, Charlotte Brontë, the sister of its true author, Emily Brontë, issued a correction in its new edition. "The immature but very real powers revealed in Wuthering Heights were scarcely recognised," she wrote in 1850. "Its import and nature were misunderstood."
That sentiment holds up with the arrival of “Wuthering Heights”, writer-director Emerald Fennell's fast and loose adaptation of the beloved book. I now understand why she opted to put the title in quotation marks, because this is by no means a faithful homage. It's shallow fan fiction that has more in common with E.L. James's Fifty Shades of Grey than Brontë's unflinching portrait of obsessive love, vengeance, the violence of class, racism and generational trauma. If, as Fennell has said, this is her teenage recollection of Wuthering Heights, then it speaks more to the white affluence of her upbringing than Brontë's novel.
The writer-director dispenses with the book's beginning and end, as well as multiple characters who fully contextualize the toxic atmosphere of the eponymous estate. Instead, she opens with black and the grunting sounds of a man. Is he having sex? No, he's being strangled to death in a contrived public hanging scene, gleefully watched by young heroine Catherine Earnshaw (Charlotte Mellington), as other kids laugh at his "stiffy" and the camera follows some common folk engaging in promiscuity. This sets the highly sexualized tone for the rest of the film, charting Cathy's sexual awakening from child to "spinster," as her father, Mr. Earnshaw (Martin Clunes), calls her, once Margot Robbie takes over the role.
There's been valid criticism of the whitewashing of "dark-skinned gipsy" orphan Heathcliff, a role shared by Owen Cooper and Jacob Elordi, who washes up at Wuthering Heights via Mr. Earnshaw – no longer the novel's loving adoptive parent but redrawn in, from the book, Hindley Earnshaw's revolting, drunken likeness (Hindley being his son, who doesn't appear in the film). But Robbie's casting is equally ill-fitted. The novel's Catherine is a dark-haired, dark-eyed teen, whose unruly stubbornness and violent love that she shares with a similarly-aged Heathcliff speaking volumes for their juvenile nature.
Robbie looks amazing for 35, but here her age works against the authenticity of Catherine's youthful recklessness. She struggles to exude the naivety of a teen who thinks she can have her cake and eat it, by having both Heathcliff and the social status of wealthy Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif), after he moves into the nearby Thrushcross Grange and proposes.
It all feels too forced, like a sales bin, smutty romance novel come to life, working too hard to hide the erasure of Brontë's far more complex ideas.
Robbie and Elordi are obviously very attractive people, and with the number of steamy sex scenes shoehorned in, you'd be forgiven for thinking this amounts to palpable chemistry. But it all feels too forced, like a sales bin, smutty romance novel come to life, working too hard to hide the erasure of Brontë's far more complex ideas about the hell of societal convention.
That's due in large part to the script, which ignores the Gothic supernatural elements and too often paraphrases Brontë's earnest, expressive dialogue in key scenes. Fans hoping to hear Catherine's "If all else perished, and he remained" speech will be left wanting. It also strips away the compelling social commentary about Heathcliff's ethnic ambiguity and sanitizes the brutality of his revenge narrative, softening Heathcliff's aggressive cruelty into something coldly charismatic. His Yorkshire accent isn't bad, but Elordi's performance recalls his Euphoria character, Nate, more than Brontë's antagonistic antihero.
Supporting players like Nelly (Hong Chau) and Isabella Linton (Alison Oliver) fare better. While Nelly's backstory is changed from servant to bastard companion, Chau affords Nelly a quiet composure as a vulnerable witness to (and sometimes meddler in) Catherine and Heathcliff's destructive romance. As Edgar's ward (she's his sister in the book), Oliver nails Isabella's sickly sweet innocence. Even as the film weirdly pushes Isabella to evoke the spirit of Brontë's Catherine, she brings a deviant edge to her infatuation with Heathcliff. It's a wonder they didn't just cast the Irish actor as the lead.
The same could be said for Latif, who, as a mixed British-Pakistani actor, better fits the profile of Heathcliff. The novel even describes him as a "little Lascar," the name for a sailor from the Indian subcontinent. Where Brontë's Edgar is laced with snobbish hostility towards Heathcliff, thus becoming a mighty catalyst for the low-born lad to exact revenge against him, Latif's iteration barely registers. He rarely engages with his rival and, as with the silk wallpaper modelled after Catherine's skin, serves merely as window dressing. His color blind casting ticks the box for diversity, but Fennell gives him little character to work with.
Her approach to the class divide feels somewhat hackneyed, too. The lilt of the Yorkshire accent is relegated to the lower class, where Fennell throws in sexual deviancy as a marker, too. Film and TV frequently stereotype the Yorkshire accent this way, but the Earnshaws aren't landed gentry; they didn't require posh accents like the Lintons to reinforce the upstairs-downstairs dynamic.
Cinematographer Linus Sandgren does capture the tumultuous beauty of the Yorkshire Moors and the stormy atmosphere of the Heights estate, but the production design of Thrushcross Grange is jarringly anachronistic. It becomes a Gothic Barbie Dreamhouse (derogatory), with the costuming, though beautiful, more in keeping with an Alice in Wonderland film. Throw in Charli xcx's pulsating original songs and Anthony Willis's overwhelming score, and you've got a bombastic world that does more to distract than solidify the emotional journey of these iconic literary figures.
I don't believe all book-to-screen adaptations need to be carbon copies. And maybe if you haven't read the novel, "Wuthering Heights" will work for you. But I must have read a different book in my teens than Fennell, because her vision obscures my memory of it – as it will for many Wuthering Heights fans out there.
Sonic fans, here is something really cool for you today. A team of modders has just released a new version of Sonic Megamix Mania. Sonic Megamix Mania is a mod for Sonic Mania Plus that aims to carry the torch of the discontinued ROM hack, Sonic the Hedgehog Megamix. For those who did not know, … Continue reading Sonic Megamix Mania V1.0a has just been released on PC→
Team Jade, the team behind the recent Delta Force game, is currently working on a new PvPvE tactical squad-based FPS called Project Spectrum. Project Spectrum will be released on PC, and below you can find its first gameplay footage. Project Spectrum is a free-to-play tactical horror shooter with squads, monsters, and AI enemies. It mixes … Continue reading Gameplay footage revealed for Project Spectrum, a new PvPvE tactical squad-based FPS→
With both the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro, the visual experience on Sony’s console is incredible, especially when paired with the right TV for gaming. Playing games at 4K resolution and 60fps on the PS5 Pro is fantastic, but to really get into it, you need the audio experience to match. You’ll do justice in a home theater setup with the proper 7.1 speakers or a great soundbar, but you probably don’t want to be rattling your walls at all times. That doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice sound quality – one of the most important PS5 accessories is a good gaming headset, and there are plenty out there.
I’ve rounded up my recommendations for the best PS5 headsets you can buy now. I’ve also split my picks into several categories to make the choice easier since prices vary and each headset emphasizes different features and qualities that may matter more to you than others. For example, the Pulse Elite is one of the best picks for PS5 since it’s a Sony first-party product that features some nice platform integration. But if you’re willing to spend more for pure audio quality, the newly updated Audeze Maxwell 2 is an easy choice, while the recent BlackShark V3 Pro put Razer back in the conversation with excellent noise cancellation. If you want to ditch having something clamping over your head entirely, the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds elevate earbuds to the headset levels of performance.
TL;DR - These Are the Best PS5 Headsets
When it comes to our picks, you may notice some crossover in our best overall gaming headsets roundup since many of them have PS5-specific models that take advantage of the console’s specific features. There are also a few first-party options that make the most of the PS5 with features like Tempest 3D spatial audio and further customization that’s native to the platform. Regardless of what you go for, you’ll end up with something great, which I can attest to since I have first-hand experience with every product I recommend. Everything from sound quality and comfort to ease-of-use and feature set are all factors in deciding which headsets get my stamp of approval. Below, you can read my detailed explanations behind each pick to help you decide which one is right for you. As new headsets come out and I test more of them, I’ll update this list to make sure you’re looking at the top picks.
1. SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro
The Best PS5 Headset
It seems like everywhere you look for headset recommendations, you’ll come across someone singing the praises of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro – us included. It’s the current top pick in our overall best gaming headset roundup and it’s also tremendous when using it on the PS5. You still get all the great features with some new technology including active noise cancellation and improved audio all around. Using a hybrid noise-canceling system with four mics, you can drown out harsh noises from outside your room to the ambient hum of loud fans. But it's the full compatiblity with the PS5’s Tempest 3D audio that give it the edge, which is one of console-specific perks you should expect from a top-end headset such as this one.
Most importantly, the Nova Pro offers some fantastic sound quality out of the box with bold and balanced audio for those PlayStation-exclusive single-player cinematic experiences. Its positional audio is great as well, so it's easier to hear enemy footsteps around the corner or gauge the distance of action happening in a competitive shooter like Call of Duty Warzone or Apex Legends.
The Arctis Nova Pro represents the biggest design shift since the start of the Arctis lineup. Its telescoping arms on its adjustable headband better accommodate larger head sizes and proper fitment. The earcups are also slimmer and sleeker, giving off less of a gaming headset vibe and more of a look akin to wireless headphones without sacrificing the comfort SteelSeries headsets are known for. And one of our favorite features remains intact with a few upgrades: the hot-swappable rechargeable battery system. This means that when the battery runs low during a gaming session, you can quickly change it out without having to plug in, giving you wireless freedom indefinitely.
The Arctis Nova Pro is one of the best headsets you can buy right now, regardless of platform but especially for PS5. It’s well-rounded with uniquely robust features, great sound quality for gaming, and comfort to keep you going. Take our word for it – in our Arctis Nova Pro headset review, it earned a rare 10 for all the aforementioned reasons and more.
2. PlayStation Pulse Elite
Best First-Party PS5 Headset
The PlayStation Pulse Elite wireless headset turned out to be an absolute beast when we reviewed it, which didn’t come as much of a surprise considering its more affordable counterpart, the Pulse 3D, was already a fantastic headset. It has some versatility with Bluetooth connectivity, but when connected to the PS5 with the USB dongle, you can access EQ settings and 3D audio natively. Additionally, you’re able to get audio feeds from both the PS5 and a Bluetooth device simultaneously. With a sleek unibody design, its on-device controls are easy to use since it’s easy to distinguish each button.
But at the end of the day, it’s all about audio quality, and the Pulse Elite delivers on that front. The planar magnetic audio drivers help minimize distortion and provide tremendous sound quality that’ll get the most out of your games. There’s strong bass that doesn’t overpower other frequencies, and playing games at loud volumes doesn’t sound harsh when it comes to the mids and highs. Especially when you use the right EQ settings, the Pulse Elite sounds tuned just right for each game. Sony's own Tempest 3D audio is the cherry on top, and a single-player game that takes advantage of this feature gives the experience of an immersive soundstage few headsets can pull off right.
For $150, you’re getting a lot for your money. It’s priced well below other high-end headsets, yet performs on par with many of them. It’s also packed with several extra features that make the most of the PS5 as a platform. For all that and more, the Pulse Elite is one of the best PS5 headsets you can get today.
3. Sony InZone H9 II
Best PS5 Headset for 3D Audio
The new Sony InZone H9 II gaming headset impresses on many fronts even with its relatively heftier price tag, but above all else, its positional audio is outstanding. It's built for competitive gaming and by extension, the implementation of Tempest 3D audio on the PS5 is some of the best I've experienced. While the overall sound quality struggles to compete with others in its price range, it's well ahead of the Pulse 3D and Pulse Elite headsets with booming bass and clean mids and treble.
When I reviewed the InZone H9 II headset earlier this year, I concluded, "There's a lot I like about the Sony InZone H9 II gaming headset, especially in its lightweight and unassuming design. It's one of the most comfortable options out there complemented by soft fabric earpads and low clamp force. And when it comes to competitive gaming, the audio profile you get is both punchy and detailed, but it'll take some adjustments to get the best sound out of them for music and other games – once it's set, it shines. ANC performance is fantastic, although it'll emphasize the relatively short battery life. At this demanding of a price tag, you have plenty of great options at this upper echelon of gaming headsets – however, if you're willing to mess with settings to get the most out of it for different listening scenarios, I have no trouble recommending the InZone H9 II."
4. Audeze Maxwell 2
Best High-End PS5 Headset
Although our overall top pick is the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro and the Pulse Elite on the more affordable end of things, the Audeze Maxwell 2 wedges itself in by prioritizing pure audio quality above all else. Relatively speaking, it's not quite as feature-rich or user-friendly (given how heavy and big the headset itself actually is), but playing any of PlayStation's first-party games or a competitive shooter with the Maxwell 2 will show you why it outclasses other headsets in its price range. It's easy to point to the 90mm planar magnetic drives as the standout spec, but Audeze fine-tuned it based on the already fantastic original Maxwell. I often describe the listening experience as having a home theater strapped to your head because not only does every frequency come through cleanly at loud volumes with strong bass, but you also get a spacious sound profile. It's something headsets tend to struggle with, often due to the nature of
Sony owns Audeze, and while there aren't features that go above-and-beyond on the PS5, you get a great implementation of Tempest 3D audio and this is a fantastic option for single-player games. Virtual surround can be hit-or-miss on headsets, but the Maxwell 2 executes on it well. It also nails core aspects you need from a headset; super-long battery life upwards of 80 hours from a full charge, a solid microphone with good noise isolation, and great comfort to wear for long sessions (despite the heavier weight). The USB-C dongle lets you use it natively on PlayStation and PC to make connectivity easy, and it can be used as a wired headset, too.
Spending $300 or more on a gaming headset can be intimidating, but if you're interested in making the jump, you won't be disappointed by the best-in-class sound quality, which is the biggest reason it earned a 9 in my review of the Audeze Maxwell 2.
5. Razer BlackShark V3 Pro
Best Noise-Canceling PS5 Headset
The latest headset from Razer took me by surprise with how much it genuinely improved over its previous model. With the new BlackShark V3 Pro, you get a rare combo of top-notch audio performance, long-term comfort with sports mesh padding, and powerful active noise cancellation. Even with the sports mesh upholstery on the earpads, which typically doesn't create as good of a seal for natural sound isolation compared to leatherette, it is impressively strong at blocking outside noise through ANC. While many other headsets come with some noticeable distortion with ANC enabled, the BlackShark V3 Pro still comes through with clean and detailed sound quality. So, if ANC is of utmost importance, Razer is doing it better than most here.
While every model of the BlackShark V3 Pro will work on the PS5, there is a white color scheme with blue stitching to match the platform's aesthetic, and it looks fantastic. More importantly, its expansive feature set helps it stand out from a crowded lineup; wired analog audio, Bluetooth, ANC, great microphone clarity, fine-tuned EQ profiles, solid battery life, smart implementation of 3D audio, sensible onboard controls, and the lowest latency (on paper) from a wireless headset thus far. Razer paid attention to the little things, and it paid off in a worthy flagship product.
There was a lot to praise in my review of the BlackShark V3 Pro, even though it comes in at a whopping $250 at retail price. It has a fairly balanced audio profile, but can really sing with punchy bass and clean mids when tuned right, which was apparent in the many rounds of Call of Duty Warzone I played when I was reviewing it. When you stack it against the likes of the Audeze Maxwell and SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro recommended above, it easily competes with those high-end juggernauts, making it one of the top gaming headsets for PS5 and one of Razer's best yet.
6. Turtle Beach Stealth 500
Best Budget PS5 Headset
Years of solid headsets proves that Turtle Beach knows what it's doing, and its high-end offerings have been competitive options for a while now. But as I go down the pricing hierarchy, there are still impressive headsets like the Stealth 500 that punches above its weight. Although it’s quite bulky in its physical build, I find the Stealth 500 to be smartly designed with a super flexible headband that's durable and lightweight, which also translates to solid comfort that’s easy on the ears.
What's most important is sound quality, and what you get from the Stealth 500 is nothing to scoff at. While it may struggle in higher frequencies, which tend to sound a bit crunchy at louder volumes, its strong bass and clear mids make games sound full without coming across as artificial. With the Swarm II software’s Signature Sound profile, you’ll be set without having to fiddle with too many settings. Its positional audio was great as well, which I sussed out while playing ranked matches of Counter-Strike 2, so you don’t really need to shell out the big bucks to get that kind of advantage in competitive games on PS5.
Even at this price point, you get Bluetooth capabilities and can swap between devices with the press of a button. While the mic isn’t anything to boast about, it’s serviceable and can be customized in the software as well. It’s no surprise that there are compromises that need to be made in budget-level headsets, but it gets the essentials right, which earned it an 8 in my Stealth 500 review.
7. HyperX Cloud III
Best Wired PS5 Headset
No matter which version of the HyperX Cloud headset you go with, you'll be getting a quality product. If you’re running on a budget and want to get the most bang for your buck, I always recommend the wired HyperX Cloud III, which can often be found below its $100 base price. It punches above its weight with impressive sound and mic quality and great comfort. Plus, it’s built like a brick house so it’s not going to fall apart through years of use.
Out of the box, the Cloud III impressed me with its build and durability – its aluminum frame can be flexed and contorted in any which direction without ever feeling like it’s going to break. Stretching the headset out to fit on your head is super easy and you can toss them on your desk without worrying about damaging them. It's built for comfort as well with dense foam earpads wrapped in a leatherette (just be aware it tends to get a bit sweaty), although its clamp force may be a bit much for some.
At the end of the day, it’s all about sound quality and the Cloud III handles various frequencies wonderfully. In my Cloud III headset review, I felt comfortable tracking enemy footsteps while playing a ton of Valorant and enjoyed the balanced audio in Final Fantasy XIV, which this more budget-friendly headset handled gracefully. Assuming you’re on a budget, you probably don’t want to spend extra on a decent microphone – luckily, the mic clarity on the Cloud III was equally as impressive.
While there is a wireless version of the Cloud III available, the wired model presents some of the best value and performance. Something like the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro is a current analog favorite, but since you're plugging into the DualSense when you're using a wired headset on PS5, it somewhat limits what you can get out of said headset. Thus, the Cloud III strikes the better value proposition.
8. SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds
Best PS5 Earbuds
Gaming earbuds are a fairly recent trend with the notable peripheral companies like Razer, Asus, and PlayStation making their own that are suited for games. It's tough because of the limited driver size and battery life, earbuds tend to make sacrifices in one way or another. But the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are so impressive because of how uncompromising these little rounded buds are.
On top of having solid foundations of sound quality, battery life, and long-term comfort, SteelSeries has one of the most robust software suites, which is easily controllable through a mobile app. This takes out the inconvenience of having to flip through PS5 menus to customize the earbuds, while also letting you access its 100+ custom-tuned EQ profiles easily.
Although there are a few minor inconveniences with how some of its quality-of-life features work (autoplay when taking it on and off, connecting through Bluetooth reliably), the GameBuds do all the important things extremely well. While you should definitely use these as your primary earbuds to listen to music on your phone, they really shine in games with the kind of bold audio experience you expect from a headset. For all that and more, I gave a 9 to the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds in my review, and they'll pair nicely with your PS5.
At $160, these have cheaper base price than the Razer Hammerheads I previously recommended. While I still think the Hammerheads have a very slight edge in sound quality, it's the battery life, software support, and overall comfort that make the GameBuds the best all around.
Best PS5 Headset Changelog
2/6/26: Updated our high-end pick from the Audeze Maxwell to its successor, the Maxwell 2. It's a bit heavier, but has an updated strap alongside its outstanding battery and sound quality.
8/6/25: The newly released Razer BlackShark V3 Pro replaced the Alienware Pro as the top pick for best noise-canceling headset, which just edged it out with its ANC performance, feature set, and overall sound quality. My former pick is still a great headset, however, which I outline in my Alienware Pro review.
PS5 Headsets FAQ
How do you determine sound quality on a gaming headset?
There are ways to extract audio data from a headset to get a look at how they handle various frequencies, like artificial ear and audio analyzing software, but that alone won’t be able to tell you what the actual audio experience is like. Admittedly, it can be quite abstract to have someone describe what games, music, or movies sound like. Paying attention to descriptors like distortion, drowning, cleanliness, or balance when talking about frequencies are common ways to explain the sound quality of a device, and at some point you need to trust the reviewer’s trained ear.
There’s also the factor of driver size, the actual hardware that delivers the audio. Generally, bigger drivers means better potential for cleaner and bolder sound, but again, that alone isn’t going to determine whether or not a headset sounds good. Quality can also come down to spatial or positional audio which gives the impression of sound effects having distance and direction – it’s important for competitive settings but can make for audio more suited for cinematic games.
As I talk about further down, the PS5 in particular has embraced 3D audio in a way other platforms have not. It may seem like a gimmick at first glance, but when done right, it can give you a genuinely immersive experience – not just for direction and distance, but also verticality in the sound design. This gives headsets like the Pulse Elite and Pulse 3D an advantage when picking out the best PS5 headset since 3D audio definitely affects how good games can sound.
What makes gaming headsets different from headphones?
Gaming headsets tend to pack additional features that support the actual gaming experience, some of which may be gimmicky, but many that I would call essential. Not everyone wants to have a standalone microphone, for example, but the key feature that separates a headset from headphones is a built-in microphone. While most headset mics are passable in terms of clarity that can suffice for in-game communication, some go the extra mile to provide better clarity or mitigate ambient noise spilling through.
Good gaming headsets are generally tuned to pick up on certain sound effects and have a more intimate sound profile since you’re an active participant in the experience rather than a passive observer (especially in competitive games). When it comes to wireless capabilities, most gaming headsets come with 2.4GHz USB dongles for the lowest latency possible – something that wireless headphones rarely include. As you’ll see in the next section, software suites for USB-based headsets (wireless or otherwise) have gotten sophisticated and sometimes offer a level of customization for specific gaming scenarios.
Should I go wired or wireless for a gaming headset?
Of course, it depends on your needs. On PC, I still gravitate towards wired headsets and headphones since I tend to prefer the sound profiles of a properly-tuned analog audio device (I also tend to forget about charging devices until it’s too late, but that’s a me-problem). However, battery life and latency of modern gaming headsets have come so far that you rarely, if ever, see them being issues on the latest releases. Good software suites and apps can also help you get more out of your headset by letting you customize EQ settings or swap sound profiles for certain games.
Wireless headsets are also sometimes capable of multi-device connectivity and simultaneous Bluetooth, which makes them versatile and opens them up to more use-cases (especially swapping to a mobile connection within seconds). Even though they tend to be more expensive, there’s a lot of upside to going with a wireless gaming headset, just be sure you know what you’ll be getting out of it.
On PS5, you're better going off with a wireless headset, though. Since 3.5mm analog wired audio devices have to go through the DualSense controller's, there's an upper limit to how good they can sound. Don't get it twisted, though – headsets and headphones can still sound great when fed through the DualSense, but it'll be diminishing returns when using audiophile-type gear. After all, the console experience is best when free of wires.
Is 3D audio worth it?
Made specifically for the PS5, Tempest 3D AudioTech to simulate 360-degree audio in supported PS5 games. That means you can tell the direction the audio is coming from, be it a helicopter overhead or enemy fire coming from whichever direction, it's an experiential marvel more so than an advantage. It’s similar to Windows Sonic on the Xbox Series X/S, but Sony has embraced it to greater extent and its implementation on the PS5 is a really neat perk. And to boot, plenty of the best PS5 headsets support Sony’s 3D audio, including the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7P, Sony Pulse 3D, and PlayStation Pulse Elite wireless headset.
The Sony Pulse 3D does a good job showing off the PS5’s next-gen 3D audio tech, whereby noises and sounds are emulated to appear in a 360-degree space around your ears, and even expressing a greater level of verticality to positional sound in some instances. It’s straightforward to set up, comfortable, and surprisingly affordable for an official PlayStation headset, and a great choice if you want to see exactly what the PS5’s 3D audio can do.
Do you need a Bluetooth adapter for your PS5?
If you're hoping to connect wireless headphones and headsets to your PS5, you will need a compatible Bluetooth adapter. The PS5 does not currently support direct pairing with any Bluetooth headphones for audio output. However, when it comes to latency, you're best served using headsets with 2.4GHz dongles, which all our recommended headsets come with.
What is PlayStation Link?
PlayStation Link is Sony’s latest wireless connectivity standard that provides a lightning-fast connection, lossless audio, and ultra-low latency with easy switching between different devices. The PlayStation Portal is the only gaming device with the technology built-in. So, you’ll need the PS Link USB dongle when using the PS5, PS5 Slim, PS5 Pro, and PC. Still, at the moment, only a couple of Sony’s peripherals have this technology, including the PlayStation Pulse Elite wireless headset in this guide.
Michael is the tech reviews editor at IGN, but regularly contributes to games coverage with reviews, features, and news.
The Crunchyroll Store has officially launched its annual Warehouse Sale, which typically features some of the best deals of the year on anime media and merchandise. New items will go on sale each week, but plenty of these are limited stock collectibles that will sell out before the next cycle of deals. Leading up to Valentine’s Day, we’re already seeing up to 70% discounts on anime Blu-rays and figures as well as clothes and accessories.
Crunchyroll Launches Massive Warehouse Sale on Anime Merch
These discounts are spread across the Crunchyroll Store, with specific sections dedicated to figures and physical media. Starting on Thursday, the store will also unveil weekly “Super Steal” deals that only last 48 hours.
On top of the general selection of deals, each week will also highlight media and merch from specific anime series, with this week’s headliners being Jujutsu Kaisen and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (which happen to be airing new seasons), as well as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Dragon Ball, and Naruto.
Plenty of deals extend beyond those series. For example, forever my top pick, Crunchyroll’s exclusive steelbook edition of the 1996 Berserk anime, has dropped below $50. The Solo Leveling Collector’s Omnibus Novel has also gotten a solid 50% discount, and a relatively clean One Piece sweater has dropped under $20.
As always, Crunchyroll member discounts may be stacked on top of eligible deals. Free shipping is also available through the Mega and Ultimate Fan tiers, and is otherwise automatically applied on any orders over $75.
A lot is going on in the world of anime streaming. Crunchyroll recently increased prices on its streaming service relatively soon after removing the option for free streaming with ads. The increase also followed the launch of the digital service Crunchyroll Manga. Since the hike, the anime hub has announced that it will be developing its own line of original video games for inclusion in the Crunchyroll Game Vault.
Blythe (she/her) is an Audience Development Coordinator at IGN who spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.
Ah, the Big Game. An annual chance for football fans to root for their team (frequently, if you happened to grow up in New England in the dynasty era like I did), take in some world-class entertainment at the halftime show, and load up not just on dairy and carb confections, but that most delectable of American treats… advertising! Lots of those immaculately produced commercials are there to remind you of products and services you already love (horse beer! Sports gambling app!), but ‘round the ol’ IGN, we get especially excited for the sneak peeks of upcoming movies and TV shows.
Super Bowl LX featured previews of some of 2026’s most anticipated releases. We got new looks at Supergirl, Disclosure Day, Scream 7, Hoppers, The Adventures of Cliff Booth, Minions and Monsters, Project Hail Mary, and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Studios, networks, and streamers use Super Bowl ad space (and the truckloads of money it takes to buy it) to let general audiences know what they’ve got cooking, and why you and everyone else you’re watching the game with should be getting jazzed for it. Hell, Netflix even dropped a whole-ass Cloverfield movie on us during one of these spots a few years ago, and a lot of people who may not have otherwise cared ended up watching it because of that hype… even if popular opinion has settled into that whole-ass Cloverfield movie being kinda half-assed. Point being: You can drive a lot of eyeballs to your movie or show with a well-placed Super Bowl ad.
But there was one ad this year for a summer 2026 release that put a pit in my stomach.
The Mandalorian and Grogu just used 30 very expensive seconds of Sam Elliott voiceover and the bones of a Budweiser advertisement to incept Silver Man and Green Boy back into your brains without showing off more of the $150 million-plus budgeted movie the two star in, which releases in just a few months.
I have a bad feeling about this.
In the early days of The Mandalorian’s meteoric popularity on Disney+, it seemed like the idea of eventually wrapping up the show’s story with a big summer blockbuster could be rooted in a desire to legitimize the streaming series as just as worthy of a theatrical release as any of the other Skywalker Saga or legacy-heavy spinoff movies. Sentiment around the show has wavered over the years, and even still, I don’t consider myself one of those people who believe the show’s gone off the rails. Largely, I haven’t minded The Mandalorian’s shift into exploring Mandalorian culture from perspectives other than Din Djarin’s, even if I do agree that it’s kept the narrative from feeling as cohesive and punchy as it did in the earlier days. Has the Disney era of Star Wars been perfect? Of course not. But at the end of the day, I’m just a boy, holding his broom aloft, looking out at the sky and hoping to see a good Star War.
So why isn’t Disney showing us more of the new Star War?
In these complicated times, I’m a big fan of the philosophical frame of “Occam’s razor,” or the idea that the simplest explanation is usually the right one. The first (and, to date, only) trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu debuted at D23 in August 2024 and, naturally, leaked online immediately after that. Those trailers are supposed to be special, “you had to be there” moments for attendees of those kinds of events, but even through the off-screen recordings, it was clear that this first look wasn’t evoking much sense that Din Djarin and Grogu were getting all that much of a glow-up in their transition to the big screen. No, the overwhelming response has seemed to be some version of “it just looks like an episode of the show” or, more succinctly, “...that’s it?” Not even the additional footage added in the official release of the trailer late last year, not even Jeremy Allen White’s stronkboy Rotta the Hutt has seemed to be enough to move the needle on fan excitement. At least not that I’ve been able to see on my scanners and radars.
But Disney’s still got a movie to sell. So what do you sell when you’re seemingly averse to selling the movie itself? Based on the Big Game spot, it seems like the answer is nostalgia… for a 6-year-old branch of the Star Wars tree. Super Bowl ads are a hefty investment. Just 30 seconds of ad space costs $8 million. I can’t imagine Disney spent any less than a million bucks on sledge-bearing tauntauns, getting Sam Elliott into a VO booth, and getting Grogu out of his trailer. A drop in the bucket for Disney, sure, but it’s still a lot of money, and you’ve gotta wonder what the Mouse House was looking to buy with it.
To make an educated guess on that, let’s check out the component parts of the ad: Sam Elliott’s gravelly voiceover – a mainstay of American advertising – intoning about how “sometimes we choose our path,” and that we’re “driven by a deeper purpose.” Pair that with the distant sight of majestic creatures running through the snow, and eight seconds into this thing, visions of classic “yearning for simpler times” ads from beer or automotive companies are likely dancing through your head. It becomes clear right around then that these are tauntauns as Elliott mentions all that rugged individualism being guided by an “unseen force,” just as Grogu takes the reins from Din Djarin… with the unseen Force. The first half of the trailer gets your nostalgia juices boiling, the second half reminds you how damn cute that puppet is. The logo for the movie comes up, and we’re back to watching the Seahawks defense absolutely stymie the Pats.
Really, the full text of the ad’s voiceover makes this all as clear as Cerveza Cristal:
Sometimes we choose our path. Other times, the path chooses us.
Through it all, we keep pushing forward:
Driven by a deeper purpose, guided by an unseen Force.
The journey never gets any easier; the bond just gets harder to break.
This is the way.
Only in theaters and IMAX May 22.
WHAT DOES ANY OF THAT EVEN MEAN!? Look, I may be thinking a little too much about this, but if none of this has been rolling around in your noggin in the last 24 hours, I’d encourage you to think about it just a little more critically. From how Disney has chosen to frame this ad, the only conclusion I can draw from The Mandalorian and Grogu spot is that Disney sees value in letting us know the movie’s coming, but not in letting us see more of what the movie actually looks like.
Disney’s spent the last decade working out how best to serve its multi-billion dollar investment in the Star Wars franchise and do right by the fans at the same time – they’ve had unquestionable successes in that space. New leadership will inevitably revitalize and push that effort in different directions, and I’m optimistic it will lead to even more great Star Wars stories. Hem and haw about how scared you are about the potential Filonification of Star Wars, but after “somehow, Palpatine returned” and the trainwreck of Rise of Skywalker which followed, I’m happy to give Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan the benefit of the doubt. Fear leads to the dark side, after all. But the dawn of the New Lucasfilm Order has not yet touched the horizon: There’s night yet to journey through, and a commercial spoof’s not convincing me that we’re going to make it through the darkness unscathed.
Good or bad, I just wish The Mandalorian and Grogu, the first new Star Wars movie to hit theaters in seven years, wasn’t being treated like a dirty little secret. Because “unseen Force” is a phrase I want to associate with that which surrounds and binds us, not the Rotten Tomatoes consensus the Monday after the movie comes out. I’m going into it with a wary mind, but an open heart.
As the ad says, The Mandalorian and Grogu releases in theaters on May 22.
Tom Jorgensen is a senior video producer at IGN, where he also regularly reviews movies and interviews creative people. You can check out more of Tom's stuff on his Instagram (@jomtorgensen), X (@tom_jorgensen), and Bluesky (@tom-jorgensen.bsky.social) accounts, where he promises to never refer to himself in the third person like he has to in this very text box right here.
Full spoilers follow for Primal Season 3, Episode 5, “The Dead Cast No Shadow,” which is available on Adult Swim and HBO Max now.
We’re at the halfway point of this season, and all of our main cast members are now reunited: Mira, Fang, Fang’s little ones, and of course, Spear. Or rather zombie Spear.
But look, zombie Spear is Spear deep down, even if it’s not obvious at first. And this episode is about Mira figuring that out, after their surprising reunion at the end of last week, even if it’s proving more difficult for Fang to come to terms with this new incarnation of her best friend.
Mira always sort of represented the best of the best of us, even by anachronistic pre-history standards, and so while it’s clear that she knows this is a (somewhat) revived Spear, she also seems willing to accept him for what he is now, even if he can’t quite form words or, well, sit down without some difficulty. (Also, his arm literally is falling off by episode’s end.) But, where it counts, he’s still the Spear she used to know, namely when putting himself on the line to save those he loves. That’s what got him in this whole being an undead zombie situation in the first place, after all.
And so in “The Dead Cast No Shadow,” when the threat of the week arrives – detestable baboon-type things – Spear wastes no time doing whatever he needs to in order to protect his people. This is clear in the neat moment when he has to go back and try two or three times to run up a tree in order to throw himself across to another tree branch. He gets it eventually, but he wasn’t giving up until he did (which certainly can’t be helping with the whole body falling apart situation).
As for Fang, look – who can blame the old girl for being confused and upset by this reunion? When Spear basically retells his story, in pantomime, of what’s happened since his resurrection, right down to the grasshopper funeral he performed two weeks ago, it’s sad to see how close and yet how far he is from being normal again. But it’s also a howling, disturbing freak show, so it’s no wonder that Fang would back off – and want to keep her babies away from Spear as well. Fang is an animal, don’t forget, and zombie Spear surely doesn’t have the same scent that living Spear did. He looks different too, and he’s threatening in his manner at times. Fang’s guard is up.
As for Fang, look – who can blame the old girl for being confused and upset by this reunion?
The close-ups of Mira and Spear as they try to reconnect are so expressive that it’s that much sadder when Spear can’t comprehend that Mira is carrying his child. When he scrawls all over her dirt drawing of a pregnant woman, it’s disappointing for Mira and the viewer, but also… what is Spear drawing exactly? It seems like it’s more than just scribbles.
By episode’s end, this family is fully reunited, if dysfunctional, with Fang still suspicious of the new Spear. But her pups love him, plopping down in his lap to cuddle – what other sign of approval do you need? – and Mira has accepted his new state, for now anyway. And yet, it still feels like things are going to come to a head between the former partners Fang and Spear…
Questions and Notes From Anachronistic History
Pour one out for the last two members of Mira’s rescue party from her village who were big into magic and rituals, but not great at staying alive. They were primed to become the sort of Abbott and Costello of this season, but alas, they didn’t make it.
Blueface and Redhead, aka Blue and Red Jr. – that’s what I’m calling Fang’s pups for now on, or at least until we get official names for them – are hungry all the time, and it’s hilarious.
Spear out-hunting Fang is reminiscent of that Season 1 episode when Fang kept out-hunting Spear shortly after they met.
Does it seem like the animals we’re encountering in Season 3 are a bit closer to modern creatures than in previous seasons?
Now is the time to retire that pedal-powered bike of yours and upgrade to electric. The price of electric assisted bikes has plummeted over the past year. Nowadays you can find a decent bike for well under $500. To kickstart the new year, AliExpress is offering the 5th Wheel AB17 500W 375Wh Electric Bike for a rock bottom price of $291.24 after you apply $30 off coupon code "USSS30". This bike ships locally from a warehouse in the United States, with most orders being delivered within a week. That means you don't have to worry about tariffs, import fees, or egregiously long shipping times.
5th Wheel AB17 500W 375Wh Electric Bike for $291.24
The 5th Wheel AB17 bike is an adult electric bike featuring a 500W (700W peak) motor that can get up to speeds of 23mph. The 36V 375Wh lithium battery provides up to 25 miles on electric only mode and up to 45 miles on pedal-assist mode. The actual distance is dependent on other factors like your speed, terrain, elevation, and so forth. The frame is made of carbon steel so it's on the heavier side at about 50 pounds, but it also has a generous weight capacity of 265 pounds. The bike comes 85% preassembled and includes a 1 year warranty. It's also UL 2849 certified for safety.
There are plenty of bikes out there that offer high-quality components, a more powerful motor, better upgradeability, and/or domestic customer support, but only if you're willing to shell out hundreds of dollars more. The 5th Wheel AB17 bike will stay within anybody's budget. It offers a perfectly respectable assisted ride that will satisfy most casual bikers.
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.
Control and Alan Wake developer Remedy Entertainment has named Jean-Charles Gaudechon as its new CEO.
The company’s board of directors announced the news with a post on its website today. Co-founder Markus Mäki will continue to serve as interim CEO until the leadership change takes effect March 1, 2026.
“I’m excited and honored to join Remedy at a pivotal time,” Gaudechon said in a statement. “The studio has a unique creative identity and a strong pipeline. My commitment is to protect what makes it special, deliver exceptional games, and scale Remedy in a way that builds lasting value.”
Mäki took over as interim CEO after former Remedy CEO, Tero Virtala, resigned from his position in October 2025. It was a sudden shakeup that arrived after the studio’s summer multiplayer FPS and its first self-published game, FBC: Firebreak, failed to impress on a commercial and critical level (we gave it a 6/10). Virtala was with Remedy for just over nine years, leaving the Espoo, Finland-based game company to search for a long-term replacement.
We now know Gaudechon has been picked to fill the role. His experience in the industry has seen him serve at EA as a studio head and executive producer over titles like Battlefield Heroes, as well as a general manager and executive producer for Eve Online developer CCP Games. Now, he’ll oversee a company he says “has the voice and the ambition to be a pillar of the industry’s future.”
“We will stay close to players, earn their time and trust, and strengthen our independence in how we build and publish our games, while continuing to work closely with the partners who have supported us along the way,” the soon-to-be CEO added. “I will be moving to Finland with my family and I’m incredibly excited about getting to work directly with the team at the studio.”
Meanwhile, fans of Remedy’s work are looking forward to its mind-bending sequel, Control: Resonant. Announced at the 2025 Game Awards, the follow-up is expected to launch sometime this year for PC and consoles. Max Payne 1 and 2 remakes are also in development and expected to launch at an unspecified point in the future.
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).
Brandon Sanderson recently revealed he's struck a deal with Apple TV to adapt his massive Cosmere universe for streaming. This has been huge news for those already in love with his books, but for those who aren't already familiar with Sanderson's literary works it may be the final push to finally they need to dive in and start reading. And with Amazon's current 'Buy 2, save 50% on 1' sale going on right now, there's never been a better time to start your journey into the Cosmere.
Not all of the details of the Apple TV collaboration have been revealed just yet, but Sanderson has confirmed he's writing the screenplay for a Mistborn movie and will be co-showrunner on a Stormlight Archive series. Those projects will be adapted from his most popular series' in the Cosmere universe, both of which currently have box sets included in Amazon's sale.
Brandon Sanderson Box Sets are Buy 1, Get 1 Half Off
There are quite a few different entry points into Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere universe, none of which require any prior reading to jump into. I'd personally suggest starting with the Mistborn trilogy, which are some of my favorite fantasy reads of all time. This trilogy represents Mistborn Era 1, which is essentially the first set of books on the timeline for the world of Scadriel. There's also a Mistborn Era 2, which takes place in the future, but as far as we know it's the first trilogy that Sanderson will be adapting into feature films.
The other box set featured here is for The Stormlight Archive. The set only includes the first three books in the series, but it's an excellent starting point into Sanderson's biggest series in all of the Cosmere. Each of these books are quite long, but they are deeply immersive and absolutely worth diving into. It's this series that is currently being looked at for an Apple TV series.
How to activate Amazon's BOGO sale
Amazon's buy 1, get 1 half off sale is pretty straightforward. Unlike some Amazon coupons that require you to check a box, all you need to do is add two eligible items to your cart and the most affordable of the two will be 50% off at checkout. This sale includes books, movies, and board games, all of which can be mixed and matched to get the discount.
Todd McFarlane Productions have announced a brand new miniseries in the Spawn Universe, She-Spawn, written by Gail Simone(Uncanny X-Men, Birds of Prey), and illustrated by Ig Guara (Batman: Arkham Knight, Teen Titans). The mini-series will consist of five issues, with the first one releasing on May 6.
She-Spawn will focus on Jessica Priest, who has been a lead in Image Comics' The Scorched comic series for close to 50 issues, which features Spawn, Gunslinger, Redeemer, Medieval Spawn, and She-Spawn. Priest has an assassin and superhero background, and the miniseries will draw from her history as a whole rather than from a standalone event – something that will help give a deeper view of her character, according to Todd McFarlane Productions.
In a press release sent to IGN, Todd McFarlane promised fans they won't be disappointed and addressed Simone's creative abilities with storytelling.
“Writer Gail Simone has been on my (and thousands of other folk’s) radar for quite some time. I’ve admired her taking many different heroes and characters into worlds that feel like I’ve met that personality before. So, to now have the chance to get her to bring that talent to the Spawn Universe was an opportunity I wasn’t going to pass up. Her enthusiasm for her story of the Jessica Priest character along with her advocating for the artistic skills of the wonderful Ig Guara made this a creative team I am anxiously awaiting to see myself as a comic book fan."
Simone shared how she got the opportunity for penning the series saying, “It’s a thrill to be chosen specifically by one of the iconic founders of Image to create in his playground. Apparently, he’d read a DC book I’d done and was impressed by the dialogue, which was incredibly gratifying. The next thing I know, I was having hour-long conversations with Todd McFarlane – not just about She-Spawn, but about his passion for storytelling and character. Each one felt like a masterclass. He asked a lot about my process, with genuine and heartfelt curiosity, and it was one of the nicest and most collaborative introductions I’ve ever had with a publisher. I’m proud to get to write part of the Spawn Universe, and grateful to Todd and his team for making this connection happen. I also want to give credit to Erica Schultz, writer of the Incredible Rat City Spawn series for helping me pave the path for She-Spawn."
Going into specifics about She-Spawn as a character, Simone added, “I love her. I see her as one of the few supernatural badasses who drives a pick-up truck and has a family cabin in the woods. She goes up against a religious sect to save a child, making her a bad person fighting for something good, with stakes she couldn’t possibly imagine. Ig Guara did meticulous, gorgeous work, with typically beautiful classic Image coloring by Robert Nugent. It just looks stunning. It’s a story with no-seat belt and the engines on high – violent, a little kind, a little mean, about an exploration of the country and a character’s soul.”
She-Spawn issue #1 will be available to purchase in comic shops and digitally on May 6, with variant covers by Francesco Mattina and Brett Booth. The full cover options that will be available are below:
She-Spawn #1 CVR A by Ig Guara
She-Spawn #1 CVR B by Francesco Mattina
She-Spawn #1 CVR C Blank Sketch
She-Spawn #1 CVR D by Brett Booth
She-Spawn #1 CVR E Virgin B&W Variant by Brett Booth
Jessie Wade is Associate Director of Editorial Programming at IGN. You can find her playing cozy games on her Switch or watching the latest fantasy and drama shows, as well as getting lost in way too many books and comics.
If there is a theme running through my game deals of today, it's confidence without chaos. Games that know exactly what they are, respect your time, and quietly reward commitment rather than demanding obsession. I've played almost all of these, and in every case the discounts meaningfully shift the value conversation. So get amongst 'em before they're gone.
In crusty gamer news, I’m summoning sweary imps to bake a 14-shaped cake for The Darkness II. Though I didn't adore this as much as the non-cel-shaded, Starbreeze Studios original at launch, how could I not greedily devour any game starring Jackie Estacado, the best “dark hero” this side of Spawn. Basically, this was a power fantasy of an FPS where akimbo pistoles held as much importance as your heart-eating demon tentacles and black hole conjurations. Also, the idea of having Jackie tell us gruesome mobster factoids during loading screens? Absolute chef’s kiss.
Pokemon Pokopia (-23%) - A$85 Similar to Animal Crossing, Pokopia looks set to offer a chill experience where you gradually learn and utilise Pokémon abilities to create a Xanadu for yourself and your fellow Pokemans.
Donkey Kong Bananza (-19%) - A$89 Classic platforming confidence with just enough modern polish. Still built around timing and momentum, and still happiest when you stop overthinking jumps.
Dragon Quest Treasures (-53%) - A$40.20 A lighter, loop driven take on the series that trades epic scale for constant forward motion. Charming, repetitive, and best enjoyed in short, deliberate sessions.
Celeste (-75%) - A$7.50 Still the gold standard for fair difficulty. Every death teaches something, every retry feels earned, and the emotional beats land without ever slowing the climb.
Crysis Rem. Trilogy (-60%) - A$30 A technical flex turned historical artefact. The ideas still hold up, even if the shooting occasionally reminds you how far design has moved on.
Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time (-45%) - A$55 Tighter and more demanding than nostalgia suggests. Brilliant level design, but it expects precision and will happily punish sloppy muscle memory.
Like a Dragon Ishin! (-69%) - A$30.80 Familiar systems in historical dress, delivered with confidence. The combat is serviceable, but the real joy is watching the studio indulge itself without apology.
Borderlands Leg. Col. (-80%) - A$17.90 An absurd amount of shooting for the money. The humour is uneven, but the loot loop remains dangerously effective if you enjoy numbers going up.
Atomic Heart (-70%) - A$32.30 Visually striking and mechanically inconsistent. Worth seeing for the world alone, even if the moment to moment play never fully settles.
Streets of Rage 4 (-65%) - A$13.10 Still one of the cleanest modern beat em ups. Tight inputs, readable chaos, and a soundtrack that does more work than it needs to.
Xbox One
Digimon Survive (-72%) - A$20.60 More visual novel than tactics game. Slow, wordy, and occasionally brilliant if you are here for tone rather than constant interaction.
Shovel Knight Treasure Trove (-60%) - A$22.90 A masterclass in restraint. Tight controls, smart callbacks, and expansions that respect the original without diluting it.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater I + II (-56%) - A$30.80 Muscle memory comes roaring back. The remake understands exactly what to modernise and what to leave untouched.
Gran Turismo 7 (-41%) - A$73.30 Still meticulous to a fault. The experience on PS VR2 is peerless, but progression systems remain oddly hostile to anyone without endless patience.
Tekken 8 (-48%) - A$44 Aggressive, readable, and finally welcoming without dumbing down. A rare fighter that rewards newcomers without losing its edge.
No Man’s Sky (-29%) - A$49.30 The redemption arc is real. Systems now stack cleanly, exploration feels purposeful, and the sense of scale still quietly impresses.
Visions of Mana (-45%) - A$54.40 Colourful and earnest, sometimes to a fault. Combat shines when it flows, but the pacing assumes you are happy to linger.
Death’s Door (-75%) - A$7.40 A compact action adventure with real bite. Simple on the surface, quietly emotional underneath, and respectful of your time.
PS4
Two Point Hospital Jumbo Ed. (-48%) - A$28.40 Management chaos with a dry sense of humour. Systems stack fast, and it shines once you stop trying to play efficiently.
Trials of Mana (-44%) - A$43.20 A faithful remake that values vibe over reinvention. Combat is breezy, story is earnest, and expectations should be calibrated accordingly.
Sonic Superstars (-70%) - A$28.40 Fast when it works, frustrating when it does not. Momentum is king, and patience is required when physics disagree with intent.
Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater (-50%) - A$58.40 A respectful rework of a classic that still feels wonderfully strange. The pacing is deliberate, and that is part of the appeal.
Stellar Blade (-45%) - A$76.90 Slick combat and immaculate animation carry it far. The challenge curve is honest, but the tone will not be for everyone.
Doom The Dark Ages (-71%) - A$35.30 Familiar aggression with heavier armour. It rewards confidence, punishes hesitation, and never pretends subtlety is the goal.
Death Stranding Dir. Cut (-75%) - A$13.70 Finally feels complete. Meditative, occasionally obtuse, and deeply committed to its own rhythm.
Dredge (-65%) - A$12.70 Cozy fishing with a creeping sense of dread. The loop is simple, the atmosphere does the heavy lifting, and it lingers longer than expected.
Adam Mathew is a passionate connoisseur, a lifelong game critic, and an Aussie deals wrangler who genuinely wants to hook you up with stuff that's worth playing (but also cheap). He plays practically everything, sometimes on YouTube.
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