Trainers know the struggle with Pokémon TCG right now. A new set drops, you wait maybe 30 minutes too long to buy it, and suddenly every scalper on eBay is selling it for double MSRP with no remorse. But this week?

Things are different. Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart have restocked some of the most in-demand Pokémon TCG sets at retail price. No fighting over the last box at Costco, no sketchy third-party Amazon sellers charging a premium, just pure, untainted Pokémon goodness straight from the source.

Best Pokémon Day Deals 2025

One of the big catches here is Pokémon TCG 151 Booster Bundle, which comes with six booster packs from the Scarlet and Violet 151 set. I'm dying to fill my binder with some of the best cards from 151, like the gorgeous Special Illustration Rare Charizard or Venusaur ex, an absolute tank and playable. It's been one of the hardest sets to find sealed at MSRP, and I don't expect it to stay in stock long.

Another solid investment right now is Shrouded Fable. The Elite Trainer Box and Booster bundle are in stock at the time of writing and are both set to climb in value before the year is out. It's overlooked by the community right now, but with it being a mini set much like 151, it's a good idea to snap Shrouded Fable packs and boxes up now whilst it's still available.

Pokémon: TCG Scarlet and Violet - 151 Booster Bundle

If there's one arena where Kate Hudson is an undisputed all-star, it's the comedy genre, and the new Netflix series Running Point certainly provides the court for the actor to perform her charm offense. Yet it's somewhat wasted in a series attempting to blend the idealistic gusto of Ted Lasso with the witty familial tensions of Succession, while doing justice to neither.

Running Point takes place in the hypercompetitive world of professional basketball, where Hudson's tough-but-messy female protagonist Isla Gordon is thrust into the role of president for the LA Waves, "the greatest basketball franchise in the history of the game" and a business her family has run for decades. With the support of Ali (Brenda Strong), her sassy best friend and chief of staff, she has to prove herself in the sexist world of men's sports and break that glass ceiling for extremely rich, reformed party girls everywhere – an overly sympathetic depiction of a difficult-to-relate-to character type that rarely offers any meaningful commentary on the wealth and comfort Isla otherwise lives in.

From the get-go, Hudson's narration and flashbacks to a childhood of being overlooked by her formidable (and long deceased) father make it very clear that she's an expert on the game. But as she tries to secure team sponsorships and broadcast deals, rally players and turn the Waves’ losing season around, her expertise and decision-making are constantly questioned and disrespected This is mostly because she's a glamorous girl who likes to wear unbuttoned blouses and keeps banging into glass doors – a running gag that quickly wears out its welcome.

As with Succession, Isla is the only daughter among her father’s children – but unlike that modern HBO classic, each of those brothers suffers from stock character syndrome. Ness (Scott MacArthur), a player-turned-Waves general manager, is a sweet but idiotic dude bro. Sandy (Drew Tarver) is her uptight, gay half-brother and the Waves’ chief financial officer. Cam (Justin Theroux) is the Type A eldest brother whose secret drug addiction lands him in trouble in the first episode, freeing up the Waves presidency for him to offer Isla – just so she can keep his office warm while he's in rehab.

Then there's affable and naive Jackie (Fabrizio Guido), who starts out selling concessions for the Waves before learning he has a more personal connection to the team: His late mother had an affair with Papa Gordon, who was Jackie’s biological father. Jackie’s scenes dangle awkwardly off the first couple of episodes, and then he spends the rest of the season trying to connect with the dysfunctional family he never knew he had. Ultimately, he serves as a tool to humanize these self-involved assholes, especially towards the tail end of the season when Ness, Sandy, and Isla let the sibling rivalry go and begin opening up to each other about each of their half-baked romantic subplots.

Of course, it couldn't be a series about a woman leaning in without a personal cost, and from the minute Isla's pediatrician fiance Lev Levinson (Max Greenfield) is introduced, the sign-posting that they aren’t built to go the distance is egregious. Like the Gordons, Lev's characterization is thin – he’s generically nice, Jewish, and little else – while Greenfield and Hudson's chemistry is so tepid that it's a real struggle to ever invest in their relationship. Especially with how often the camera lusts over the Waves’ divorced head coach, Jay Brown (Jay Ellis), who’s thrown in as a hot, zen romantic rival to Lev. Ellis and Hudson certainly generate more heat, but Running Point never establishes a more intimate connection that might explain their attraction. As a result, this workplace romance comes off as trite.

Theroux’s screentime is limited, but his blunt delivery and cut-throat attitude make him the MVP of Running Point. He sharpens the comedy notes as Cam tries to undermine Isla and secure his release from rehab. Theroux earns extra laughs with his curt requests for drugs and attempts to fast-track his recovery; unfortunately, the writers are so desperate to make the other Gordons likeable that they pull their punches. There are some amusing slapstick scenes – namely involving Ness' moronic behavior and comments towards his siblings and wife – but the show rarely provides the type of biting dialogue that could puncture the family’s arrogance or entitlement.

And for a show that makes a song and dance about its female lead being an authority on basketball, Running Point really shortcuts how Isla manages to take the Waves from zeroes to heroes. Instead, the writers offer undercooked subplots about a redneck player with a painkiller addiction, a rookie struggling to score free throws, and a stoic star stepping up to lead. It does, however, outdo Ted Lasso when it comes to shooting some of its game sequences – which, considering the soccer action on that Apple TV+ comedy, is admittedly a low bar. Still, there are pick-up games on TikTok that offer more athletic thrills than Running Point.

Amazon is offering the lowest price I've seen on a massive 8TB solid state drive. Today, Amazon is offering the WD Black SN850X 8TB PCIe Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSD for $533.10 shipped. That's about $42 less than the best deal we saw during Black Friday and an excellent price for that much storage crammed into a single flash-based drive.

WD Black SN850X 8TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD for $533

I've read all of the Harry Potter books multiple times over and they are always just as good as I remember, even after all these years. However, it is always fun to experience the story in a new way. The Harry Potter movies are one way to do that, but the illustrated editions of the books are arguably more enticing. Although the series has yet to receive a complete set of illustrated books, there is a new interactive edition of the Goblet of Fire arriving in October that you can preorder right now.

Not to be confused with the books illustrated by Jim Kay, the interactive editions of Harry Potter feature wonderful illustrations as well as paper-engineered elements that pop off the page. You can currently preorder the new book at Barnes & Noble and Amazon, both discounted by 20%.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Interactive Illustrated Edition Preorder

Last Breath opens in theaters Friday, February 28.

I love watching movies about terrible jobs. Anything that involves watching people do impossible, dangerous, potentially deadly tasks to earn their living is good entertainment in my book, especially when I get to watch the proceedings while nestled inside a movie theater recliner or under a blanket on my couch, peeping through my fingers. Amazing news for anyone who shares the same sentiment: Last Breath, the thriller where Woody Harrelson tries to save a guy who is freezing and suffocating to death at the bottom of the ocean, is about what I would consider the worst job in the whole world.

Part of the fun of watching a movie like Last Breath (and, despite its subject matter, it’s still pretty fun) is in seeing how a filmmaker depicts everything that goes into preparing for an extremely complex and perhaps even dangerous job. In this case, it’s deep-sea saturation diving, which, going into Last Breath, I knew very little about – and, now that I’ve seen it, I feel like I’m an expert. The actors bandy about sci-fi-esque terminology like “heliox” and “umbilical tether” while sealing each other inside metal tubes where their insides will be pressurized according to the atmospheres they’ll be working under at depth. It’s an utterly fascinating process, and a relatively easy way to make sure your audience is locked in for whatever happens next.

It also has the added benefit of being about something that actually happened not that long ago: a real-life accident in which diver Chris Lemons’ connections to air, heat, and communications systems onboard his support vessel were severed, marooning him at the bottom of the North Sea with only a small backup supply of oxygen. His fellow divers Duncan Allcock and David Yuasa embarked on a daring mission to get Lemons back to the surface, not knowing if it would be a rescue or a body recovery.

Last Breath plays things by the book, a typically tense survival drama with all the terrifying missteps and inspiring moments of human endurance that go with it. The trio of leads is a study in stock character types: Lemons (Finn Cole) is the youthful newbie determined to prove himself to the pros. Allcock (Harrelson) is the paternal veteran trying to get the most out of his last assignment before retirement. Yuasa (Simu Liu) carries himself with the zen-like intensity one could expect from someone whose day job is trying not to die at the bottom of the ocean. It’s savvy to keep things feeling this familiar, given the wild reality Last Breath dramatizes.

And, boy, is it wild. We get a front-row seat to the inner workings of saturation diving: Actors are constantly yanking heavy diving suits on and off, and a large portion of the action was filmed underwater. Scenes aboard the support vessel’s bridge (captained by Cliff Curtis – I always love seeing him) are bookended by vertigo-inducing shots of the prow plunging into troughs between 50-foot swells. Director Alex Parkinson reuses some of the real footage he gathered for the 2019 documentary he made about the accident (also called Last Breath, and co-directed by Richard da Costa), including one truly awful shot of an unconscious Lemons going into oxygen deprivation shock. There are times when what’s onscreen feels overwhelming, and then you remember that all of this genuinely happened. That knowledge adds a real sense of awe that a completely made-up story just wouldn’t be able to conjure.

Last Breath mainly succeeds because of what it’s about. The actors are capable, the script keeps things simple, and the direction from Parkinson is very good (props to the underwater filming crew). That’s really all it takes for a movie like this – my only real gripe is that the archetypal anxious girlfriend character (Bobby Rainsbury) is little more than that, a character type that’s more frustrating for how ubiquitous it is in this sort of movie. I was just happy to be watching a bunch of people running around on the ocean floor trying not to freeze to death And I was even happier not to be down there with them.

If you’re a deals-minded games aficionado, I’ve got the only article you need to read today. This week’s lineup of discounts is packed with must-have titles and hidden gems across all platforms. Personally, I’m all about Gris being available for a mere four bucks. That’s an absurd price for an artistic masterpiece whose watercolour visuals were inspired by Spanish artist Conrad Roset’s distinct style. It’s just the tip of the top deals spear, though; get scrolling to start saving on more.

This Day in Gaming 🎂

Today I'm raising a mid-morning vodka martini to the 21st birthday of Everything or Nothing, the best Bond game this side of GoldenEye 007. Considered a continuation of Die Another Day and technically the last mission of Pierce Brosnan's Bond, this third-person cover shooter boasted actual appearances from Judi Dench as M, John Cleese's Q, and, weirdly because we last saw him in 1979, Richard Kiel's Jaws. I also have very fond memories of smashing out the bespoke 2-player split-screen co-op campaign with a chum. Remaster worthy.

Panther Vision, a purveyor of hands-free LED lighting products, is offering a 30% off sitewide coupon code "FEB30" with very few exclusions. Combine it with free shipping on orders over $60. They sell a wide assortment of practical and portable gear that would serve you well during emergencies or the great outdoors, including LED flashlights, headlamps, lanterns, lighted beanies, and hand warmers. They're also available on Amazon and, depending on the product, may be less expensive there even with the coupon code applied.

Flateye Rechargeable FRL-280 Flashlight

If you're looking for a Bluetooth tracker akin to an Apple AirTag but you don't use an iPhone, then check out the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag 2. Right now Amazon has a single pack for $15.96. That's nearly 50% off the list price. Shipping is delayed by up to a month; there's a good chance you'll get your order much sooner (Amazon's delivery estimates are wildly inaccurate), however this is a strong indicator that this deal is not going to last for much longer.

Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 Bluetooth Tracker for $16

Steelcase is one of the most respected brands in the world of office furniture. Having been in business for 113 years, it’s safe to say that it knows a thing or two about making a quality office chair that can also excel for everyday use and gaming. The Think is one of the most popular chairs in the company’s lineup, offering a minimalist but refined appearance with plenty of customization options to make it your own. It also features several signature Steelcase features, like its LiveBack back support system. Starting at $1,008 and extending to $1,175, it’s a premium option and best suited for those who don't mind losing some features in exchange for its elegant style.

Steelcase Think – Design and Features

The Steelcase Think is a mid-back office chair that is subtly but definably a cut above most other options you’d come across in an office. It's subtle enough that you might not notice at first glance, but when you look close, there are lots of small details that highlight that there’s something more going on here. It’s not your average Staples computer chair.

There's an elegance to its design. It's the kind of thing that is easy to miss or quick to write off, but that actually makes a noticeable difference in its quality. The backrest, for example, has a natural contour to support your lower back and promote good posture. It's not just the outward curvature, however. It also is scooped to guide you toward its center, as is the seat, which tapers off to a waterfall edge to promote proper circulation to your legs. In this way, it subtly guides you toward proper positioning, better posture, and better comfort over time.

The version I’m testing here is a simple black and gray and would fit right into any modern office. In fact, I was recently walking past the local realtor's office, which happens to have a bay window that looks directly into their conference room. Around the desk were eight identical chairs to the one I configured myself. I think it looks great. Kind of a sleeper chair. One that you can initially ignore but then sit in for a while and quietly claim as your own from the conference room. Not that any of those upstanding realtors would do such a thing.

You don’t have to stick with such low-key colors, however. In true Steelcase fashion, you can customize about every part of its design to match your personal tastes. There are a total of 30 different colors spread across three fabrics for the upholstery. A handy online configurator allows you to see each one on a real time 3D model, so you’re not shopping blind. Fabric differences can be a bit harder to tell, but helpful tooltips break down the differences between each. You can also choose from three different frame colors (black, grey, and white). The wheelbase and armrests can also be customized from a selection of a half dozen more hues. Each change carries a higher or lower cost, but the range is between $1,008 and $1,175 from what I can tell, or you can save a little bit of money with a preconfigured version through Amazon, though you’re not buying directly from Steelcase when you shop there.

No matter which you choose, it's important to know that you’re buying into the upper echelons of desk seating. The Think exists in a higher category than your average big box or gaming chair. Steelcase, with its long history in industry, has been a staple of office life around the country for decades. They're made to be used, and heavily, all day, every day. Because of this, they offer impressive 12-year warranties and build quality that you can immediately tell is robust and made to last. Just as importantly, they're designed to be ergonomic and supportive, warding off typical office place injuries and the aches and pains that can come from long hours seated at a desk.

The Think checks all of these boxes, though I have to admit there are fewer adjustments than I expected here. The Think is not the company's flagship chair. It exists in the middle of the stack. It's still very comfortable and can still be customized to match your body, but you're missing a couple things, like the highly adjustable armrests of the Gesture. And compared to the Amia, which I reviewed previously, I do find it to be a touch less comfortable (though both are a far sight above most gaming chairs).

It takes a different approach to ergonomics and support than either of its sibling chairs, however. Its backrest uses a LiveBack system, which lines the frame with flexible strips. Any time you twist, stretch, or lean, the backrest is able to flex and move with you, keeping its support in place. A more rigid seat, like a cold cure foam gaming chair, isn’t able to do this. Similar movements cause your back to shift and be unsupported at intervals. A separate lumbar support runs on rails and can be moved up and down to target a specific point of curvature unique to your body. Visually, the system looks interesting and helps it stand out from other chairs, and there’s a silver badge on the lumbar that looks quite slick.

It also uses weight activation for tilt instead of using a tensioning knob to adjust its resistance and how much the backrest pushes back against you. This is an important feature and one that isn’t going to work for everyone. Below the seat, its single knob can be twisted to one of four settings. The first locks the back upright. The second provides a small amount of tilt before hitting a wall. The third unlocks the recline completely and provides stronger resistance, while the last is essentially a free tilt.

You can also adjust the depth of the seat with a lever under the seat edge. You can easily slide the seat in and out even while seated, which is refreshing after testing so many mesh chairs that force you to get up to slide or to awkwardly scoot back and forth, trying not to let the casters roll.

Other standard adjustments are also present. A lever on the recline knob unlocks the gas piston to adjust its height. The armrests can also be moved up and down, in and out, angled, or adjusted for depth. They have the same free-floating design as the Amia and Leap where the cushioned pad can slide along the top of the armrest to make adjustments. There’s no lock, however, and they’re fairly easy to shift by accident.

The build quality is expectedly excellent. Its metal frame is heavy, durable, and well-finished. The backrest uses plastic for its flexors, but it’s necessary for their function and they feel solid and shouldn’t break with normal use (and are covered by Steelcase’s warranty, just in case).

I also love the upholstery. The three fabrics to choose from span from exceptionally soft (Era) to still-soft but felt-like (Billiard Multi-Use) for added robustness. My sample was sent with the latter and the quality is just exceptional. From the impeccable stitchwork to simply how nice it feels to touch and sit on, it’s excellent. The seat padding isn’t exceptionally thick, but I found that it hid the frame well so I couldn’t feel it in normal use (for context, I’m about 175 pounds). The armrests are also padded in soft but rubbery foam to prevent elbow soreness from leaning.

Taken as a whole, it’s less adjustable than some of the other chairs in Steelcase’s lineup but is still very good and has a lot to appreciate, especially if you spend long hours at your desk.

The final thing to note: assembly. It’s minimal and just about anyone can do it within five minutes. The chair comes almost completely assembled straight out of the box. The only portion that needs to be assembled is the wheelbase, which is as simple as pressing the casters into place, dropping the gas cylinder in, and putting the top of the cylinder into the slot in the bottom of the chair. I was able to do it by myself with ease and most other users should too.

Steelcase Think – Performance

I’ve been testing the Think in regular rotation for both gaming and day to day work at my office. Throughout that time, I've sat in it for everything from quick play sessions to extended hours of work. There's a lot to love about this chair, and I've enjoyed it and found it quite comfortable, but it's not the one I would choose from Steelcase's lineup if I was shopping today. That may be different for you, so, allow me to break down my impressions a bit further and explain that while also acknowledging that this is a high-quality chair that has rightly earned its place as one of the company’s best sellers.

Testing chairs for a living, I've been able to experience a handful of options from the brand at this point, and I think it's safe to say that it has ergonomics dialed in. The backrests on each of the four Steelcase chairs I've tried at this point have all been very supportive with pitch perfect contouring that allows the small, rather simple lumbar support to dial in its focus right where you need it the most. It’s a bit like pulling focus on a camera: the smart contouring of the backrest gets you most of the way there while the adjustable lumbar piece brings its support into clarity.

That’s the case here on the Think, though this type of design inherently means that the experience will be a little different between users. Someone that has a long back may find the experience different than someone with a shorter one. The chair has other things going for it that could still make it a good fit for taller users, including that adjustable lumbar slider, but the point is that when compared side by side, it's pretty likely that different individuals will lean toward different models based on exactly how that back is contoured. While I can sit in the Think all day without discomfort, there's something about the Amia that just matches my body a bit better, making it my preferred chair.

There are a number of things about the chair that I really enjoy, however. The armrests, like the Amia and Leap before it, are excellent. There's a nice height range to support different sitting postures, and the floating cushion caps are easy to adjust and have a wide range of movement to get them exactly where you need them to be. The Gesture is still the hands down winner in that department with its monitor arm like armrests, but these are excellent and soft enough that you can actually use them for extended periods of time when necessary. I also found that, while I wish I could get them even more out of the way, they do depress far enough that I could have an acoustic guitar in my lap without them making me feel crowded.

For gaming, it works exceptionally well. The seat has flexible sides, so you can cross your legs underneath you and adjust your sitting position without feeling any hard edges pressing into your skin. The adjustability of the armrests also makes transitioning from a mouse and keyboard to a controller effortless. Most importantly, the cushioning, fabric, and support are all aligned to make a comfortable long-term sitting experience that doesn't fatigue your body, even if you're gaming for several hours at a time.

Like all ergo chairs, however, it's important that you take the time to dial it in. That includes the height, armrests, seat depth, and lumbar. The one area where you can't do that is the tilt tension, and that's a shame. While Steelcase asserts the benefits of the weight-activated responsive recline, what it amounts to in practice is less adjustability. I found that the tighter recline setting worked well enough, but I would have preferred a bit more pushback and that wasn’t an option.

The ideal here is that the chair should essentially make you feel like you’re floating. You can lean back naturally to any depth and the chair will hold you there, not fighting to push you back and not just falling back as far as it will go. For this to be the case, it really needs to be matched to each individual user, and the Think limits you to two settings.

While support and build quality are clearly the most important qualities in a computer chair, I do think it’s worth highlighting its appearance. The Think is a much sharper looking chair than the Amia, which really doesn't look all that different from any other office chair. The open backrest and silver plate on the lumbar adjustment, as well as the stitching on the backrest, really do make it look and feel more premium. And when you’re paying $1,000 or more for a chair, I think it’s reasonable to expect classy looks.

If you're in the market for a new PlayStation 5 console and bottom-line pricing is your utmost priority, here's a deal worth consideration. AliExpress is currently offering a Sony PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console for only $336.83 after a hefty $69 off coupon code: "IFPJIKZ" is applied during checkout. This is a genuine PlayStation console that's imported from another country; region locking is determined by your PlayStation account, not by console, so this system will play in the US without any problems. You'll also be able to select English as your default language just like any console you buy here. This product is stocked in a US warehouse, so it ships free and arrives within about a week.

New PlayStation 5 Slim Digital Console (Import) for $337

The Microsoft Surface line has been one of the go-to options for students, workers, and anyone who needs the versatility of a tablet with the app support of Microsoft Windows. The Surface Pro 11 is the latest generation and brings with it new Snapdragon X processors, display capabilities, all-around better specs, and higher performance than any generation before it. Starting at $799 and extending all the way to $1,999 fully kitted out, it presents compelling options for a wide range of budgets, and is definitely worth considering for productivity and if you don’t mind streaming your entertainment.

Microsoft Surface Pro 11 – Design and Features

Like the generations that came before it, the Surface Pro 11 is, at its core, a Windows tablet. You can purchase an optional keyboard case and stylus with it, but the base pricing is for the tablet experience. Both the keyboard and stylus accessories cost extra – $280 and $100 respectively – but whether you choose the official accessories or opt for aftermarket alternatives, picking up a set allows the Surface to offer a full laptop experience.

If it's been a while since you've used a Windows 2-in-1, you'll be reassured to know that all of the touch controls are integrated into the standard Windows 11 operating system and it works intuitively. If you’re familiar with Windows – and who isn’t? – along with the basic gestures from smartphones, you should feel right at home. This is especially true if you opt for the official Surface Pro Keyboard case, as it uses a mechanical clasp and is automatically recognized so you don’t need to go through any extra menus to start using it like a laptop.

One aspect of the Surface line-up that has existed in the past, at least in my opinion, is that the display and hardware were always pretty modest compared to the competition. That officially falls by the wayside with this release, as Microsoft has prepared options for anything from an $800 to $2,000 budget, with every version offering quality screens and tiers of hardware that are very competitive for the form factor and pricing.

There are two performance tiers, largely classed based on their display and processor. At the $800 level, you’ll be getting a 13-inch LCD screen with a 2,880 x 1,920 (2.8K) resolution and 3:2 aspect ratio. Bumping up to the $1,200 price point upgrades that to an OLED panel. Both have the same 120Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 600-nits, but the OLED offers much better contrast for deeper blacks and wider dynamic range.

Both versions come with new Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors. The company has been making the highest performance mobile CPUs for years but this is its first-ever release for consumer PCs, bringing much-needed competition to Intel and AMD. The technology (ARM) is fundamentally different from what either of those companies offer (x86), and is more power-efficient, though we don’t see that pushed to its fullest here, as I’ll demonstrate later.

The entry-level Surface Pro 11 comes with the Snapdragon X Plus while the OLED version comes with the Snapdragon X Elite. Both are very capable CPUs, but the Plus version offers 10 cores while the Elite offers 12 and a higher processing speed. For day-to-day productivity, you won’t notice a big difference, but for more demanding tasks, like video rendering, the Elite will be faster. Each offers a built-in Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with 45 TOPS of performance (making this a Co-Pilot+ PC) and Adreno graphics, though I wouldn’t get any grand ideas about gaming on this thing.

The display and processor are much more competitive than last-generation offerings, but depending on how much you’re willing to spend, you can outfit it with some pretty killer specs. Every version comes with 16GB of memory – and thank goodness for that because 8GB was too little five years ago – but that’s where the LCD version tops out. The OLED version, on the other hand, can be equipped with up to 64GB. For storage, the LCD offers either 256GB or 512GB, but the OLED model offers anything from 512GB to 1TB.

Microsoft also sent along the Surface Pro Keyboard and Surface Pen for my testing. I found both to be very good. Starting with the keyboard, it connects magnetically with a strong pull and snaps into place. The keyboard receives its power from the tablet, so you don't need to worry about charging it separately if you don't want to. There's a built-in slot for the pen as well. You can move the keyboard around an inch closer to or further away from the screen to adjust the typing and viewing angles. It also comes with an integrated touchpad with haptic clicks that are quite nice.

It comes in different colors, black or sapphire blue, to match the different finishes available for the laptop itself (platinum, sapphire, dune, and black). In a particularly premium touch, Microsoft has trimmed the keyboard case in Alcantara. It's soft and velvety, and even extends onto the keyboard deck itself. Typing on the deck has more flex than I like, but I didn't find it distracting. And there is modest tactility beneath the keys without feeling mushy. Overall, I think it's very well done, but whether it's worth $280 is in the eye of the beholder.

The frame and body of the Surface Pro 11 is made out of aluminum and is smooth and feels robust. There isn't any flex to the tablet in any kind of normal use, though I wouldn't recommend trying to bend it to see. Like prior models, there's a large built-in kickstand that can prop the screen up rather than rely on folding the case. It works well, and tucked behind it is a magnetic panel that hides the SSD. If you need more storage, you won’t need to worry about prying the back panel off and voiding your warranty. It’s the most easily-accessible upgrade I’ve encountered on a notebook.

Given that you'll probably be using this for work or school, it's important that it has reliable connectivity and high-quality microphones and cameras. For networking, it offers support for Wi-Fi 7, which is backwards compatible, and it should work with any Wi-Fi network accessible today. It also supports Bluetooth 5.4 for headphones and headsets.

Following the shock news that Amazon has taken full creative control over James Bond, with long-term 007 producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson stepping back, a new report has shed light on the next steps from the franchise — and a surprising revelation about one high-profile director who was snubbed.

Amid speculation that Amazon may decide to go with a Bond TV series, Variety reported that a new Bond film is still the “top priority.” As for what’s next, Amazon will allegedly first look for a producer for the franchise. Apparently David Heyman, who shepherded the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films with a cohesive vision, is the kind of producer Amazon is looking for.

Meanwhile, the report alleges that Christopher Nolan “expressed interest” in directing a Bond movie after Tenet, but Broccoli insisted no director would have “final cut” while she was in charge of the franchise and turned him down. Nolan went on to make Oppenheimer, which made nearly $1 billion at the global box office and won the best picture and best director (Nolan) Oscars.

Fans are particularly keen to know who will play Bond next. While some are calling for the likes of Venom star Tom Hardy, the MCU's Idris Elba, Professor X actor James McAvoy, Magneto actor Michael Fassbender, and Kraven’s Aaron Taylor-Johnson (who was previously rumored to be top of the list) to be given the role, the clear fan-favorite is Superman and The Witcher star Henry Cavill.

According to Variety, Amazon is unable to hire anyone on Bond until the closure of its Broccoli-Wilson deal, which is expected at some point this year. The news followed an explosive report that alleged the future of the James Bond franchise was “on pause” amid what was described as an “ugly” stalemate between the Broccoli family and Amazon.

The behind-the-scenes battle between Barbara Broccoli, who had retained creative control over Bond and decided who played the iconic British spy, and Amazon, which acquired the right to release Bond movies after it bought Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in a deal worth $8.45 billion back in 2021, had left Bond “trapped,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

Amazon and Eon have yet to issue a comment.

Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

The Blade Runner franchise has truly found a second life on the printed page, with Titan Comics greatly expanding the scope of this cyberpunk universe through various spinoffs and prequels. Currently, Titan is in the midst of publishing Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus, a series which has the distinction of being the first Blade Runner story set in Japan.

As part of IGN Fan Fest 2025, we had the opportunity to chat with writers Kianna Shore and Mellow Brown to dig deeper into the new series and find out how they brought the Blade Runner aesthetic to a new corner of the globe. Check out the slideshow gallery below to see exclusive artwork showing how the series went from script to fully realized artwork, and then read on to learn more:

Again, this is the first Blade Runner story we’ve seen set in Japan, despite Tokyo being the backdrop of seminal cyberpunk stories like Akira and Ghost in the Shell. We were curious how the writers envisioned the Tokyo of this alternate universe version of 2015, and how it compares to the rainy, neon-soaked Los Angeles most Blade Runner fans are familiar with.

“Brainstorming Tokyo in the Blade Runner universe was such a fun process!” Shore tells IGN. “I was lucky enough to have lived in Japan (coincidentally in 2015) and more recently I was able to visit some interesting exhibits in Tokyo on “envisioning the future.” I wanted Tokyo to look and feel different from Los Angeles since their histories, experiences, and socioeconomics are completely different. My goal was to make a hopepunk Tokyo.”

“I've always appreciated how Los Angeles (in Blade Runner) is a pretty broken, decrepit and fracturing place on its last legs and that the neon is sort of hiding all of that. But, if you ever turned it off, everyone would quickly see they're in a hellscape,” Brown says. “So, our Tokyo works in parallel. It is this beautiful utopia where people feel like they're on a short leash. And if you disobey the laws of this “paradise,” it will eat you alive. It is just as scary, just in a different way.”

Interestingly, both writers made a point of not homaging the aforementioned Akira and Ghost in the Shell, but instead looking to other media and to contemporary Japanese life for inspiration in crafting their version of Tokyo.

Shore says, “Although I watched the greats for inspiration, it was important for me to understand how Japanese media depicts the future after the 3.11 Tohoku Disaster, so I watched anime such as Your Name, Japan Sinks 2020, and Bubble.”

“I actually had a personal goal to not iterate on the anime that have already been inspired by Blade Runner. Like Bubblegum Crisis or Psycho-Pass” Brown says. “When you write cyberpunk, you often are reflecting how you think your own environment will go into the future (which is why LA has an ‘80s theme and fear of Japan becoming a superpower from the original series). So, I wanted to reflect on the fears and hopes of Japan's society today. And what would go wrong or right if dangerous people had their way with it.”

The Blade Runner timeline spans the 21st Century, but this particular series is set in 2015, a few years before the events of the original film. We were curious how much Tokyo Nexus connects to the larger franchise. Will fans find certain similarities to the movie to latch onto, or is this really a whole new ballgame given the Japanese setting?

“Tokyo Nexus is a standalone in setting, time, and story,” Shore says. “Of course, it wouldn’t be Blade Runner without the seemingly omnipresent Tyrell Corporation influencing the characters’ actions or a mystery to solve. There are some fun nods and easter eggs alluding to the Blade Runner films, but someone without BR knowledge can also enjoy the comics.”

Mellow adds, “We are continuing to build our story that has been advancing since Blade Runner: Origins and just a short time before Blade Runner: 2019. We've been excited to answer some complex questions in the universe, like ‘What was the Kalanthia War?’ and ‘Why is Tyrell the only company that makes Replicants?’ All of these are building towards a massive, secret, civil war with Blade Runners of different organizations fighting for dominance. And it's exciting to see how this book, Tokyo Nexus, has the origins of one of those organizations we'll see ascend to a global superpower in that war.”

Tokyo Nexus is unique in that it revolves around a partnership between a human named Mead and a Replicant named Stix. As you might expect, their close-knit dynamic is at the core of the series, which paints them as two battle-scarred veterans who only have each other to rely on in this hellish landscape.

“Mead and Stix are best friends and platonic life-partners,” Shore says. “They have been through hell and back, bled together, wept together. They only want to protect one another, and sometimes that means from themselves. Their goal is to survive, but in order to do that they must be willing to trust again.”

“It is beautiful in how unhealthy it is. Haha,” Brown says. “We wanted to play with the ‘We're More Human Than Human’ quote of the franchise. And how that happens. While Stix is a Replicant with a constant thirst for life, Mead is a human who has been grinded down by systems and is very mechanical and economic in her reasonings. They need each other to make it through life. And they've survived a scenario so horrible together, this partnership has become a codependency that could shatter them both.”

As the series unfolds, Stix and Mead end up getting swept up in a conflict between Tyrell Corp, the Yakuza, and a Japanese group called Cheshire. The writers tease that Cheshire holds a very interesting place in the Blade Runner universe, as they’re a company trying to muscle their way in on Tyrell’s monopoly of the Replicant market.

“Cheshire is trying to compete in the business of Replicant manufacturing,” Shore teases. “Their newest Replicant is a military model, made for war. Supposedly stronger and faster, built on the bones that Tyrell fashioned.”

Mellow adds, “Cheshire is a crime organization with ambitions beyond shaking down Mom & Pop shops. When they get a hold of refugee Tyrell Scientists who have escaped to Tokyo, they suddenly discover that the stars are the limit for what they're now capable of in this universe…”

Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus Vol. 1 - Die in Peace is now available in comic shops and bookstores. You can also order the book on Amazon.

Also as part of IGN Fan Fest 2025, we got an early look at IDW's new Godzilla shared universe and a sneak peak of an upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog storyline.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Starting today, Amazon has dropped the price of the official Xbox Series X|S wireless controllers to $39 with free shipping. Four different color options are available: Carbon Black, Robot White, Shock Blue, and Velocity Green. Not only is this still the de facto standard controller for Xbox, it's also one of the best PC gaming controllers as well.

Xbox Controllers for $39

Aesthetics aside, these Xbox wireless controllers are identical to the one that's bundled with the Xbox Series X and S console. Standard features include textured grips, hybrid D-pad, button mapping with the Xbox app, a 3.5mm audio jack that works with any wired headset, and a Share button to upload screenshots and video.

The controller supports both Xbox wireless and Bluetooth connectivity. That means you can use it for your PC or mobile device. In fact, we think this is the the best PC controller you can get. If your PC doesn't have Bluetooth, you can still use it in wired mode with a USB Type-C cable or go out and buy a Bluetooth or Xbox wireless adapter.

WD Black C50 1TB Expansion Card for Xbox for $109.99

Not all cards are meant to be played with. If you’re into collectibles already or just starting to collect trading cards, you may have a big enough collection that warrants some extra care or bulk storage. Some of your cards may even have significant value or will continue to grow in value, depending on what cards you collect and how you store them. As an investment, many serious collectors go to significant lengths to protect their cards such as sleeving or even double-sleeving them. However, even if your cards aren’t worth much monetarily, they are still nostalgic and special to you; whether it be Pokémon TCG, Yu-Gi-Oh, sports cards, MTG cards (shoutout the new Final Fantasy collection), X-Men cards, or others. That said, you should consider the right dedicated storage option for your type of collection and your budget.

Jump to:

Fortunately, just like with video game storage, there are all sorts of carefully crafted containers you can use to protect your trading cards these days. If you’re just getting into collecting now, starting to collect more, or you simply want to upgrade your storage option from the old ring binder you’ve been using since the 1990s, this (unranked) list is for you.

While some focus on security above all else, many others are stylish and portable too, making it easy and fun to tote your cards out and about. For all of you card collectors, see our picks below of the best trading card storage options for every situation, collection size and budget. Happy collecting!

1. Quiver Time Quiver Card Case

Best All-Around Pick

Quiver cases are almost universally adored in the card gaming community, and it’s easy to see why. Whatever your storage needs, it’s quite possible a single quiver case will fit the bill. It’s big enough to hold over a thousand unsleeved cards, yet it’s also sturdy and portable, coming with wrist and shoulder carrying straps, a tough shell with a water-resistant faux-leather finish and a secure zip closure. So it’s just as useful whether you’re storing cards in the home or carrying them out to play.

Perhaps the best thing about Quiver Time, though, is the stylish design and attention to detail. They come in a variety of colors to suit your preference and have all sorts of thoughtful little extras. There’s a sheath to keep the zip tabs closed, fully adjustable straps, some card sleeves and removable acrylic dividers and corner cushions to help keep your cards organized. And perhaps most thoughtful of all, 1% of the asking price goes to charity.

More TCG Accessories From Quiver Time:

2. GameGenic Dungeon 1100

Best for Bulk Collections

If you’ve got a bigger collection of cards and want a solid and well-designed stackable box to keep them in, then look no further. Each GameGenic Dungeon can hold a thousand double-sleeved cards, or a few more if you’re happy to box them up “naked”. There’s a middle divider to keep them better organized and make it easier to search through your collection when you need to.

The lid goes on via a convenient magnetic mechanism which makes it simple to pop on and off but holds strongly and securely when not in use. It also allows for complete removal, making it simple to access all your cards. There’s room above the cards to keep a game board, rules or accessories, and it’s a stylish solution with a smooth exterior and a soft microfibre lining to cushion your cards.

3. Quiver Time Bolt Card Case

Best Case for Portability

While Quivers are fantastic all-round cases, they’re a little on the bulky side if you carry your cards around a lot. If you’re just after a case to take out to clubs and tournaments then they make a smaller option, the Bolt, for that very purpose. It holds a little more than half the capacity of its bigger sibling, but that also means it has half the weight and size.

In all other respects, it offers the same high quality build and styling of the Quiver, meaning your cards are just as well-packed and protected, only on a smaller scale. And you still get a free pack of card sleeves and 1% of the price to a children's orphan-based charity as well.

4. VaultX Exo-Tech Zip Binder

Best Binder

Boxes are not always the best option for storing your cards, not least because it’s difficult to flip through your collection and find the cards you need. Binders make a great alternative: although they hold fewer cards, they fit nicely onto shelves or cupboards and most options contain transparent pages with pockets into which to tuck your cards.

This binder from VaultX not only contains 20 such pages that hold 9 cards each, but boasts a protective padded cover and heavy-duty zip to keep your cards safe and secure. The standard version is standard black, but it comes in a variety of colors, sizes, and closures, so you can be sure to find one that fits your needs.

5. Casematix Graded Card Storage Box

Best Protection

Depending on how valuable your cards are and where you take them, you might feel the need to have a super-secure option to keep them safe. And they don’t come much safer than this Casematix case, with extra-durable hard shell exterior and customisable foam inserts that you can tear to ensure a perfect fit for your most prized cards.

The case closes with a secure mechanism that also ensures its waterproof and airtight for maximum protection. And if that’s not enough for you, it’s designed to take cards in their own protective plastic slabs and there’s also a padlock ring so you can lock things down even tighter with added layers of your own security.

6. VaultX Exo-Tech Side Loading Deck Box

Best Deck Box

Often, it’s fine to keep your cards in whatever container or case you can rustle up at home, but what you really want is a small, sturdy, premium-build box that you can use when taking a single deck of your precious cards out and about to play. Many brands have starter packs that come with suitable deck boxes for free, but they’re often flimsy cardboard affairs, so it’s better to invest in something a bit more durable.

Enter this excellent option from VaultX. It’s available in a variety of stylish single-color finished, made of water-resistant microfibre. The lid doesn’t clip or slide on and off, as is common, but is held in place with strong magnets, making opening and closing super convenient. And the lid also flips round and magnetizes to the bottom of the box, tidying it out of the way and offering a stable platform to access your cards. You can also mix and match lids and boxes of different colors if so desired.

7. Fageverld Trading Card Storage Box

Best Budget Option

For all the fancy protective cases you can buy for trading cards, fundamentally all you actually need for them is a box of some kind. And a box can be as basic as a piece of packaging that came with some other order: four sides and a lid will keep your cards in order just as well as a golden chest. There’s no need to spend a fortune if you don’t want the style and features offered by premium brands.

But that doesn’t mean there’s not something to be gained by spending at least a little on a storage option. Rather than a discarded cardboard box, you could get a specialized option like this. It’s sized just right to protect trading cards, comes with some dividers to keep things organized and has a top-loading lid so it’s easy to peruse your cards. Multiples will also stack neatly on your shelves to keep your cards together.

How to Pick the Right Storage Option for You

Anyone who has been a collector over the years knows binders may be the easiest and most convenient way to store cards, but can harm the cards over time. So, if you have any high-value cards or potentially high-value cards, it’s recommended to store them in sleeves or penny sleeves and put them in top loaders or boxes versus binders.

Depending on your budget, size of your collection, and value of your cards, you can start with a convenient option like a D-Ring binder, and work your way up from there. Based on the categories listed in the product options above, we're confident you'll find something affordable to get you started. What you choose will be based on many factors. For example, you may collect or play with Pokémon TCG cards and you just want to turn a stack of cards into an organized storage solution like using a cute, simple Pokémon card binder.

Tip: look for 'Acid-Free' and 'Soft-Backed' in the descriptions while shopping around. Also, consider your preference on matte versus glossy pocket pages. According to a recent Reddit poll on the subject, the majority of votes landed on glossy sleeves based on pros and cons of visibility, shuffling, quality and texture.

What is the Rarest Trading Card in History?

According to Guinness World Records, the title of 'world's rarest trading card' is tied between the 1996 World Champion and MTG's Shichifukujin Dragon cards, in which only one specimen of each card exists.

More Storage Recommendations

If you’re a collector or gamer in organization mode currently (it seems like you might be!), you may want to browse our other storage and display guides. We'd recommended checking out top video game storage ideas, top board game storage options, best cases to display LEGOs, and the best display cases for action figures. Keep an eye out on IGN for even more collectible and trading card news and guides including new MTG pre-orders like the AC Cards or LOTR Cards from the nerdiest corners of IGN.

Matt Thrower is a contributing freelance board game and video game writer for IGN. (Board, video, all sorts of games!)

If you’re shocked and appalled by the notion of a slasher movie headlined by a Mickey Mouse lookalike, you must have missed Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (parts 1 and 2), The Mean One, and Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare. We’re living through a flood of rushed-to-the-screen horror made possible by the public domain, parody law, and the fluke success of Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s buzzworthy “Poohniverse” (a.k.a. Twisted Childhood Universe), and it’s finally come for Walt Disney’s most famous creation. Unfortunately, director Alejandro G. Alegre’s I Heart Willie has less to offer than some of the blunders mentioned above: Its reimagining of Mickey’s Steamboat Willie persona (the first version of the character to lose its copyright protection) is overthought, undercooked, and not in the business of payoffs. It’s an exploitation of our familiarity with Mickey Mouse and little else.

William “Willie” Cross (David Vaughn, who also wrote and produced I Heart Willie) is a deformed German man rumored to be half mouse, half human, and the supposed inspiration for Disney’s pioneering effort in sound cartoons. He’s your typical slasher villain with a tragic history – a local legend with a habit of skinning trespassers – distinguished by the fact that he dresses like a paddle-steamer-piloting rodent. When a quartet of ghost hunting vloggers chooses Willie’s turf for their next episode, I Heart Willie flimsily sets up cheap flesh-flaying thrills that never stray far from convention.

Vaughn’s story mixes up a confusing cocktail of Natural Born Killers and Nosferatu, garnished with Hostel-style mutilation. Once paranormal investigator Nora (Maya Luna) confesses that she has a romantic connection with Willie, it’s clear that her colleagues are done for. She’s pulled toward Willie like an obsessed fan; they’re bonded by a past encounter, but this shared backstory lacks the clarity that’d smooth over the bumpiness with which it’s revealed. Similarly unpolished: Willie is a mouse boy who doesn’t look all that mousey. Aside from his milky eyes, it’s the gruesome burn scars that define the character’s design. His affinity for Steamboat Willie and cut-rate cosplay – black leg paint, ugly gloves, grimy white shorts, and flimsy mask – link I Heart Willie with its animated inspiration, but they’re hardly the makings of a murderous romantic lead.

This is a shambling production: The lighting levels are inconsistently balanced, causing twitchy auto-focus adjustments while the cast drone on and on. The editing is reckless and abrupt, cutting awkwardly away from the violent onscreen action and plowing any momentum I Heart Willie might have into a brick wall. The sound occasionally bottoms out, and the hum of background static sometimes downs out the dialogue.

Whereas Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 strives to fulfill its audience’s expectations for extreme kills and memorable grossness, Alegre can only push so far. While we see Willie scalping his victims and carving away bits of their flesh, anything beyond that happens off-camera. A dismemberment, a joint stabbing, and other heinous acts are portrayed only through sound design and the spurts of blood that make Willie’s getup black and white and red all over.

I Heart Willie masquerades as a traumatizing tale of fated lovers, but remove its mask and you’ll find no real personality beneath. This is neither the first nor the last horror movie to be inspired by Steamboat Willie, but it doesn’t do much to stand out from competition that includes David Howard Thorton trading Art the Clown’s tiny little hat for a pair of mouse ears aboard the decommissioned ferry owned by Colin Jost and Pete Davidson. (Now that’s an unexpected combination of recognizable pop-culture icons.) Instead, I Heart Willie fades into the background, unable to do anything more than scribble some blood and guts in the margins of Disney’s blueprint.

Update: Price has gone back up to $10.

For a limited time, you can pick up a digital copy of The Wild Robot in 4K UHD at Amazon for only $4.99. That's 75% of the normal list price of $19.99 and the same cost as renting it. If you haven't yet watched this movie, you're missing out. This is a fantastic film for movie watchers of all ages and a worthy addition to your digital library.

The Wild Robot (4K UHD) for $5

2025 is shaping up to be a huge year for DC Comics, and perhaps no upcoming project is bigger than the long-awaited Batman: Hush 2. It's not every day that DC's President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee takes the reins of a monthly Batman comic. Kicking off in March's Batman #158, this storyline acts as a direct sequel to the critically acclaimed Hush saga that originally ran from 2002 to 2004.

DC has released a new extended preview of Batman #158, along with an early look at Batman #159 and a glimpse of the many variant covers appearing as part of Hush 2 (or H2sh, if you prefer). Check it all out in the slideshow gallery below:

While DC has published several Hush-centric storylines in the years since the original wrapped, Batman: Hush 2 is the first to be handled by the original creative team. Hush 2 reunites writer Jeph Loeb and artist Jim Lee, along with inker Scott Williams, colorist Alex Sinclair, and letterer Richard Starkings.

Hush 2 builds on the recent epilogue story printed in Batman: Hush 20th Anniversary Edition. The Dark Knight has discovered proof that his childhood friend Tommy Elliot survived their final battle, paving the way for a new mystery as Hush manipulates the Dark Knight's circle of allies and enemies.

Hush 2 will be published in the pages of Batman #158-163, with issue #158 hitting stores on March 26. We recently learned that DC will then relaunch the series with a new #1 issue and new costume, as writer Matt Fraction and artist Jorge Jimenez begin a new era for the Dark Knight.

For more on DC's upcoming slate, check out what to expect from DC in 2025 and see our most anticipated comics of 2025.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Here are the best deals for Wednesday, February 26. Highlights include The Wild Robot in 4K UHD for just $5 (half price compared to yesterday's deal), a PS5 digital console for under $350, a 15" laptop backpack for $12, Xbox controllers for $39, a massive 8TB WD Black SSD for the lowest price ever, and more.

Check out "the best deals under $30" for any impulse buys on items that you never knew you needed until you visited this page. Read on lower for some great deals that cost over $30 and may require a bit more involved decision-making.

Xbox Wireless Controllers for $39

Amazon has dropped the price of the official Xbox Series X|S wireless controllers to $39. Four different color options are available: Carbon Black, Robot White, Shock Blue, and Velocity Green. Not only is this still the de facto standard controller for Xbox, it's also one of the best PC gaming controllers as well. It can connect to your PC via Bluetooth (if your PC is Bluetooth enabled), an Xbox dongle (sold separately), or wired via USB Type-C.

New PlayStation 5 Slim Digital Console (Import) for $337

Japanese superstar musician Ado is gearing up to embark on her second world tour, which is titled Hibana, and you can win tickets to see her live through IGN Fan Fest.

Ado's newest tour, Hibana, is powered by Crunchyroll and it kicks off on April 26, 2025, in Saitama, Japan. She'll continue on to travel the world and will make her first U.S. stop of the Hibana Tour on July 10 and you can win a chance to be there.

All you have to do is head to IGN's Rewards Hub and you'll can enter to win one of three pairs of tickets that are good for the following shows;

• July 10, 2025 - Tacoma Dome (Tacoma, WA)
• July 19, 2025 - Footprint Center (Phoenix, AZ)
• July 24, 2025 - Gas South Arena (Duluth, GA)
• July 29, 2025 - CFG Bank Arena (Baltimore, MD)
• July 31, 2025 - United Center (Chicago, IL)

“If my first world tour embodied my ‘Wish,’ then my second will ignite the spark I want to light in the world,” Ado said. “I named this tour ‘Hibana,’ meaning ‘spark’ in Japanese, to carry my heritage with me on this journey. I aim to show my growth since the ‘Wish’ tour and deliver my best performances yet.”

For those unfamiliar, Ado made her big debut at the age of 17 in 2020 with the song 'Usseewa,' which reached the top of Billboard Japan Hot 100. Since then, she has been the singing voice of Uta in One Piece Film Red, the Spy x Family Season 2 second opening theme, and much more.

For more, check out the rest of the dates for Ado's Hibana World Tour and everything else from IGN Fan Fest.

Prize Values: Tacoma, Phoenix, and Duluth - $110/ticket, Baltimore - $119.25/ticket, Chicago - $78/ticket (upper bowl only). All prizing subject to availability.

Deadlock, the MOBA-meets-hero shooter mash-up from Valve, has been in a perpetual state of quiet build-up over the last year. But that hasn't stopped Valve from making massive, tectonic changes, like cutting down the number of lanes.

Yesterday, February 25, Valve published the Map Rework Update for Deadlock. Chief among the changes was a redesign of Deadlock's core map around three lanes, rather than four. For those who don't dabble in MOBAs, these "lanes" are the central focus of gameplay; minions spawn at each team's base and surge down them, attempting to push the battle lines into each other's territory. Players take up residence in the lanes, fighting over the killing blow on minions to accrue money and experience they can use to power up.

It's one big game of tug-of-war, and reducing the number of figurative ropes from four to three has pretty drastic implications. It cuts down on one source of resources and reduces the number of fronts in the ongoing battle. It also means, for the 6-on-6 battles of Deadlock, that previously "solo" lanes will more often be duo lanes.

"Definitely going to be missing four lanes," one commenter said on the Deadlock subreddit. "I always thought that was one of the more unique aspects of Deadlock. Oh well, learn and adapt I guess."

Despite some of the worried hyperbole over map shifts, there is a degree of trust — though not absolute or unflinching — and voicing measured feedback. "It’s just a test guys chill," said one commenter. "If it works well it stays, if it doesn’t work then it will go away like mid urn." (A former game mechanic.)

A decent amount of this trust stems from the fact that IceFrog, the pseudonymous developer behind Dota 2, is also working on Deadlock. Dota 2 is fairly infamous for massive overhauls and game-changing updates, wiith patch notes that felt like getting whiplash from spreadsheets. Old memes stretching back to the early days of Dota 2, encouraging players to trust in IceFrog's changes, have already been resurfaced for modern Deadlock players.

"Dota 2 has seen so many massive overhauls and changes and the game still thrives," a commenter said. "As long as Deadlock's core gameplay doesn't drastically change (which definitely isn't a guarantee since its currently in development) then people will play the game regardless."

Map changes aside, Valve took the wrench to a lot of Deadlock with this recent update. Soul Orbs, which are released from enemies upon death and can be shot by players to either secure their rewards or partially deny them from the enemy team, also got a hefty rework. Sprinting has been tuned, flex slots and economic considerations have been made to adjust for the new three-lane set-up, and there's the usual slew of quality-of-life and hero changes.

For some, especially the long-time Dota players, Deadlock's update feels par for the course. (Dota 2 even got its own massive overhaul just last week.) While it will certainly shift the way players approach the game, part of the long-term appeal of a MOBA like Deadlock is the ways the game shifts over time, in response to both developer changes and community reactions. If handled well, it can result in years of vibrant competition. If not, well, hopefully there's a rewind button somewhere. History has shown that not all major updates are made in stone, even for huge games like Overwatch.

With not even a week out yet in Deadlock, players will need to dig in and figure out just how the reduced lanes shifts the game, suss out the intended change, and find new ways to open up gameplay through it. On at least one positive note, players with solo lane anxiety can breathe a sigh of relief.

Deadlock is still flagged as being in early development, and Valve warns players it's filled with "temporary art and experimental gameplay." Access is currently limited to friend invite via playtesters, and there's no release window announced.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

Whether you're looking to save on games, storage, or accessories, there are plenty of Nintendo Switch deals to check out right now. We've gathered up some of the best Switch deals currently available, including a selection of Switch games discounted at Woot like Super Mario RPG down to just $29.99. Check out our favorite deals at the moment below, and for more updates on the latest discounts, follow @IGNDeals on Twitter/X.

When Is the Nintendo Switch 2 Expected?

At long last, the Nintendo Switch 2 has been revealed. While we don't know when this console will officially be released, we do know that there'll be a Nintendo Switch 2 Direct in April that'll hopefully end with some preorder information. If you simply can't wait for that day, though, we have good news: you can register your interest at Best Buy. This is a smart idea so you can stay up to date on preorders in the coming months via email. For more information on preorders and what to expect from the Nintendo Switch 2 this year, check out our Nintendo Switch 2 buying guide.

Best Nintendo Switch Game Deals

There are quite a few Nintendo Switch game deals we're excited about right now. Mainly, there's a selection of great games on sale at Woot, including Super Mario RPG, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, and many more. You can also score 50% off the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1 at Best Buy. You can see these deals and many more below.

Best Switch Micro SD Card Deals

The best Switch SD card should be fast, reliable, and as future-proof as possible. That last one is important, especially with the Switch successor on the horizon. Therefore, you're going to want to opt for the latest in SD card tech, which is a micro SDXC UHS-I U3 A2 V30 memory card. That's a lot of random letters, so to save you a bit of time we've left our top suggestions and deals below for your convenience.

Best Switch Power Bank Deals

Looking for a new power bank? Amazon Prime members can score a great deal on the Anker 25,000mAh 165W power bank. While it normally retails for $109.99, it's marked down 14% right now to $94.99. Another great deal that's worth jumping on is on the Anker 737 power bank, which is 40% off to $89.99 at the moment.

When it comes to Android, the Google Pixel line has some of the best phones on the market. The Pixel 9 series that was released just last year has one of the greatest cameras on any smartphone currently on the market and AI features that are really quite fun to play around with. The price point on the "Pro" versions of these phones also makes them a great budget option for anyone looking for a good iPhone alternative.

If you're in the market for a new phone, Amazon has currently dropped the price of the Pixel 9 Pro XL lower than ever before. The price of the best overall phone from the latest generation has officially dropped below the lowest-ever price we saw on the standard Pixel 9 Pro earlier this year.

The Best Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Deal at Amazon Today

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl actress Michelle Trachtenberg has died aged 39, according to The Post.

Trachtenberg’s death is not being investigated as suspicious, police sources told the publication.

ABC News reported that her mother found Trachtenberg dead on Wednesday in her New York City apartment, near Columbus Circle. Trachtenberg reportedly recently underwent a liver transplant and may have been experiencing complications, according to ABC News.

Trachtenberg is believed to have died of natural causes and no foul play is suspected, ABC News added, with an autopsy set to determine the cause and manner of death.

Speaking to USA Today, a representative for Trachtenberg confirmed her death "with great sadness." "The family requests privacy for their loss. There are no further details at this time."

"Criminality is not suspected," the NYPD said in a statement issued to the BBC. "The medical examiner will determine the cause of death. The investigation remains ongoing."

Sony has announced its list of PlayStation Plus March 2025 games, revealing plans to bring Dragon Age: The Veilguard (PS5), Sonic Colors: Ultimate (PS4), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection (PS4, PS5) to subscribers next week.

A breakdown for each of next month’s heavy hitters was published in a PlayStation.Blog post today. All three titles will be available to download for Essential, Extra, and Premium members starting March 4.

It’s a notably strong month for PlayStation Plus subscribers of all tiers, but the main highlight here is EA and BioWare’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The big-budget RPG launched October 31, only four months ago, and received strong reviews from critics (we gave it a 9/10 in our review).

But EA said the latest Dragon Age title wasn’t able to “resonate with a broad enough audience in this highly competitive market,” and BioWare saw a restructure and layoffs. A patch from late last month delivered quality-of-life changes and bug fixes and signalled the end of content support.

Even if RPGs aren’t your thing, Sonic Colors: Ultimate provides a rush of speed, action, and, well, color. This remaster of one of the more beloved entries in the Sonic franchise launched in 2021, adding more content to blaze through as players refamiliarized themselves with the Blue Blur’s sci-fi-inspired abilities and story. We gave it an 8/10 in our review.

Rounding out the pack is a collection of 13 remasters of Konami’s classic TMNT spinoff games. It’s a bundle that includes new and improved versions of beat ‘em up titles like TMNT: Turtles in Time, the original TMNT arcade game, and more, all under one roof. Although it wasn’t without its issues, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection still provides PlayStation Plus subscribers with an easy way to experience old-school fan favorites.

“TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection is a treasure trove of Turtle games, but our online experience was barely functional when matchmaking,” we said in our 7/10 review. “Couch co-op fares a lot better, but some may notice an increased input delay over the originals. All said this is still a great collection for fans.”

PlayStation Plus subscribers can add Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Sonic Colors: Ultimate, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection from next week until April 1, 2025. While we wait for the March titles to drop, be sure to nab February’s PlayStation Plus games, which include Payday 3, High On Life, and Pac-Man World Re-Pac, before they disappear from the service next week.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor 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).

In the wake of Monolith Productions' closure, CD Projekt's GOG has moved up its timeline for preserving one of Monolith's classics. F.E.A.R. Platinum will join the GOG Preservation Program by next month, and may also be the first of more Monolith games to hit the program.

The inflential 2005 first-person shooter is getting moved up on GOG's timeline for the Preservation Program to "properly recognize Monolith's contributions to gaming." The Preservation Program is GOG's initiative to keep classic games playable on modern systems, maintaining the titles in DRM-free form and with dedicated tech support.

GOG has previously featured everything from Heroes of Might and Magic 3: Complete, to the original Resident Evil trilogy, to I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream. It's an eclectic spotlight of games preserved in playable form, available on GOG's storefront, and F.E.A.R. Platinum — which includes the base F.E.A.R. and both expansions — will soon join the lineup.

It may not be the last Monolith game there, either. GOG said that other Monolith icons will "join eventually as well." The storefront also teased more news to come about the Preservation Program tomorrow, February 27.

The preservation effort is a nice recognition of Monolith Productions' legacy in the wake of its sudden closure. Bloomberg's Jason Schreier broke the news yesterday that Warner Bros. had canceled its planned Wonder Woman game and shuttered three studios: Monolith, Player First Games, and WB San Diego.

Warner Bros.' games division has been in a difficult spot for some time. While Hogwarts Legacy chalked up a commercial win for the publisher, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League spurred a double-digit decline in revenue, and the financial failure of Smash-alike MultiVersus piled on the misery.

Furthermore, David Haddad is set to leave the company after 12 years of helming Warner Bros. Games, and the division is rumored to be considered for-sale.

Monolith had a legacy dating back decades, with games like Blood, Condemned: Criminal Origins, No One Lives Forever, and The Matrix Online on its resume. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor became an instant hit, spurred on by its inventive "Nemesis System," which Warner Bros. held in a vice-grip with its patent.

Though Monolith may be closed, it's nice to see other companies acknowledge the effect one studio has had on the medium. Hopefully we see more of Monolith's classics preserved for years to come.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

Here’s a deal for fans of easy-to-learn card games. Target is running a sale on Uno and all kinds of Uno variations, including Show ‘Em No Mercy, Giant Uno, and more. You save 20% off the whole mess of Uno card games, so scroll through and pick up any that look appealing.

Save 20% on UNO at Target

Uno is a family friendly game, but it has enough light strategy to appeal to people of all ages. The rules are so simple as to be nearly self-explanatory. But once you’ve mastered them, you can pick up one of the many Uno variations that are also on sale right now at Target.

Uno: Show ‘Em No Mercy is probably the hottest one at the moment; it’s on sale for $7.99, down from $9.99 at Target – though, if you want to buy it at Amazon, you’ll have to drop $14.99 because it comes in a tin, apparently. So this Target deal is a good one on a particularly nasty (in a fun way!) variation of the formula. Show ‘Em No Mercy adds new cards that deal out extra damage beyond what’s available in the base game.

New cards make you (or your victims) have to draw up to 10 cards from the discard pile. There’s also a new Skip Everyone card that’s particularly fun to play. New rules make players swap hands with another player any time a 0 or 7 is played. Another rule that prevents the game from lasting forever is the Mercy Rule: if a player ever has more than 25 cards in their hand, they’re out of the game. It’s like Uno, but meaner.

Additionally, other more pleasant variations are also on sale, like a retro-style one, a party game one, an all Wild Card edition, and more. Plus, the similarly engaging card games Skip-Bo and Phase 10 are also on sale. Check them out and pick up whatever ones you want before the sale ends. Which could happen at any time.

More Family-Friendly Card Games

Chris Reed is a deals expert and commerce editor for IGN. You can follow him on Bluesky @chrislreed.com.

Keen-eyed Marvel Rivals players have spotted an in-game reference that seems to suggest that Season 2’s theme and characters will revolve around the classic Marvel comics storyline, the Hellfire Gala.

Information on what NetEase Games could be planning for its next seasonal content drop was first spotted and shared by Reddit user DynamiteDynamo10. Their post includes a screenshot of the "Plans Within Plans" Gallery Card included in the in-game event page in Season 1, containing dialog and story details tied to the current season. It’s a lengthy entry in what is already a game brimming with lore, but what’s interesting is how it ends.

“Now, if you will excuse me, Doom has a gala to attend,” the post concludes.

It’s not exactly an all-out reveal that Season 2 will follow a story set around Marvel’s well-known gala event, but it is at least a suspicious mention that you’ll need to dig to find. Meanwhile, other players are using Doctor Doom’s gala reference as fuel to the fire that are the rumors that X-Men regular Emma Frost will soon join Marvel Rivals.

Seemingly leaked Emma Frost voice lines were shared online by X0XLeak this past weekend, kicking off speculation that the diamond-skinned character could be added sooner rather than later. She also happens to play a part in the original Hellfire Gala storyline along with a laundry list of other Marvel icons. Voice lines like this are suspicious on their own, so coupled with the reference to the gala, these details have some players already plotting out how Emma Frost could break apart the current Marvel Rivals meta.

While the development makes sense for many, others are saying the reference isn’t enough to confirm which Marvel names will join the Marvel Rivals roster in Season 2. If the next content drop, which is expected to arrive mid-April, is truly set to add content themed around the Hellfire Gala, then the Gallery Card is the first time NetEase has said anything official on the matter. So, even if we assume Season 2 centers around the Hellfire Gala, the story could include Emma Frost or go a different path completely.

Meanwhile, so many other players have spent the entirety of Marvel Rivals Season 1’s vampire-themed romp expecting to see Blade join as the next playable character following multiple in-game appearances. Some have suggested that this could mean we see the Daywalker join for one half of the season while Emma joins in another, while others theorize that Emma may not join until Season 3. At the least, NetEase has said it plans to deliver at least one new character every half-season, so Season 2 is sure to surprise players one way or another.

All of these details are based purely on speculation; we won’t know what NetEase has planned for at least another few weeks. Until the team has more to share about the future of Marvel Rivals, you can check out how it chose to include a reference to an infamous Moon Knight meme as part of its mid-season update. You can also read up on some of the other rumored heroes and why NetEase had to tell fans that it isn’t actually planting leaks.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor 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).

Although Black Friday is still the best time to buy almost everything, many other seasonal sales events have become almost as big in recent years. With pretty much every retailer planning some sort of way to attract customers throughout 2025, there are plenty of sales to look forward to this year.

If you're hoping to save some money at any point this year, there are a few different sale dates worth marking on your calendar. We've gathered some of the biggest upcoming sales events we know about to help you plan out your online (or in-store) shopping in 2025 and beyond.

1. Amazon Big Spring Sale (Late March)

The next big sale you can look forward to in 2025 is Amazon's Big Spring sale. This sale first began just last year and ran for a total of five days at the end of March. It was similar to Prime Day, but with a bigger focus on spring fashion and outdoor gear. Many other popular items were discounted, however, and overall it is the first really big sale in spring.

We don't yet have a date for the Amazon Big Spring Sale in 2025, but last year the sale began on the second to last Wednesday of the month. If the retailer follows a similar pattern this year, that would put the start date around March 19 this year.

2. Tax Day Sales (April 15)

After a fairly long break between sales events, the next time you're guaranteed to find some discounts is on tax day. While this isn't exactly a holiday or a specific sales event, it is the time of year that taxes are officially due in the U.S. and many retailers will offer discounts to take advantage of people either receiving or finding out what their tax return will be that year. Keep an eye out for price drops on things like TVs, electronics, and LEGO sets during this time.

3. Star Wars Day Sales (May 4)

Although May the Fo(u)rth is more of a play-on-words holiday than an actual celebration, it's become a surprisingly good time to find deals on Star Wars merchandise, like LEGO Star Wars sets, movie collections, board games, and other collectibles. There is also usually some sort of discount on popular Star Wars games as well. If you're a fan of the franchise, it's worth doing some shopping on this day in particular.

4. Mother's Day Sales (May 8–11)

Similar to Valentine's Day, Mother's Day is a good time to find discounts on popular gift items. This will usually mean things like flowers, jewelry, watches, and chocolates, but sometimes you'll find discounts on other merchandise. It's another time of year when retailers know people are more likely to be buying gifts for mothers and you can expect prices to drop at least a little bit, even if not to Black Friday levels.

5. Memorial Day Sales (May 22–26)

The next big sale of 2025 is Memorial Day sales. Similar to Presidents' Day or Labor Day, the fact that a lot of people will have a three-day weekend during this holiday means retailers will be jumping at the chance to offer discounts. Some of the most popular discounts you'll find during this time are on things like mattresses, clothing, appliances, laptops, and furniture. That being said, big online retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy will all have a sales event around this time discounting much more than that. Memorial Day always falls on a Monday, but you can expect the Memorial Day sales to begin sometime the week before as consumers head into the weekend.

6. Dads and Grads Sales (June 1–15)

The beginning of June is a great time to find one of the biggest sales mashups of the year. Graduations usually take place sometime in the first week of June and Father's Day lands right in the middle of the month. The result of this is retailers targeting both graduating students and dads with some sort of promotion. During this time you can usually find discounts on big-ticket items like TVs, laptops, PCs, furniture, and a variety of others things. It's a great time to find deals on electronics before the summer season kicks off and (the first) Amazon Prime Day rolls around later in July.

This is arguably the best time to buy a new laptop or a shop for a gaming PC if you're looking for the best possible discount.

7. 4th of July Sales (July 1–6)

Falling into the three-day weekend category of holiday sales, the 4th of July is a surprisingly great time to find discounts on a lot of things. Last year we saw price cuts on major electronics like TVs and gaming monitors that were just as good as Prime Day or Black Friday. All of the usual product categories that offer holiday discounts will also offer price cuts, so things like mattresses, major appliances, furniture, and clothing will all go on sale. Since it is also the first true official summer sale, you'll also usually find some good deals on things like sporting equipment and grills that you won't see again until Labor Day weekend.

You can check out some of the bigger 4th of July sales we saw in 2024 for an idea of what to expect this year.

8. Prime Day (Mid-July)

Amazon Prime Day is the first major sales event of the year and has grown to rival even Black Friday in terms of overall discounts. Although this event originally began as an Amazon-only sale, it has quickly grown into an event that practically every other retailer participates in. Last year we saw retailers like Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and even Kohl's offer some sort of counter sale to compete with Amazon. It's one of the only times of the year where it's a good time to look to buy just about anything you would need or want.

Although we don't know exactly when Prime Day 2025 will take place, we can take a guess based on last year. If it follows the same pattern as 2024, we'd expect this year's Prime Day to start on Tuesday, July 15 and run through Wednesday, July 16. Other retailers will usually have slightly different dates before or after Amazon.

9. Labor Day Sales (August 25–September 1)

Following Amazon's Prime Day sale, August will have a variety of back-to-school sales. However, the final version of this, and the overall best time to shop, is when retailers switch over to Labor Day sales marketing. Similar to Memorial Day, you can expect to find great discounts on things like mattresses, clothing, LEGO sets, laptops, PCs, Apple products, outdoor gear, and just about everything else you can think of. Not only is Labor Day weekend a holiday, it is also when most students are heading back to school. Because of this, it's one of the best times to shop before Black Friday comes around in November.

Although Labor Day always falls on Monday, the actual sales usually start the week before.

10. October Prime Day Sales (Mid-October)

Although it's a fairly new thing, Amazon has started offering a Prime Day-like sale in October ahead of Black Friday deals. The online retailer doesn't call it a Prime Day sale (this sale is "Prime Big Deal Days"), but that's essentially what it is. This first started in 2022 when Amazon announced a big fall sale to get ahead of the Black Friday shopping season and has since been adopted by other major retailers.

We don't yet have a date for the sale, it usually takes place during the second week of October and runs for a couple of days. You can check out our coverage of the event in 2024 for an idea of what to expect.

11. Black Friday Sales (November 1–30)

Black Friday is the best time to buy pretty much everything, regardless of the category or retailer. It's the single biggest shopping event and if there are discounts to be had, it's almost definitely going to be sometime during this sale. Although Black Friday 2025 itself lands on November 28, the actual sale has a much larger window than that.

You can expect the first Black Friday deals to start arriving shortly after October Prime Day sales are concluded, but the general rule of thumb is that all of November will have Black Friday pricing happening everywhere. Many of the best deals will still take place on Thanksgiving and the Friday afterwards.

In terms of when major retailers will start dropping their official Black Friday sales in 2025, we will have to wait for confirmation sometime in late October. But usually, you can expect those to begin the weekend before actual Black Friday – that would mean around November 21 this year.

12. Cyber Monday Sales (November 30–December 5)

Cyber Monday began back in 2005 as a way to offer shoppers online discounts after Thanksgiving weekend so they could avoid the in-store madness. With the majority of holiday sales moving to an online platform, it has since become just as big as Black Friday. Although there are sometimes differences between Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, they are generally the same thing. The only difference is when they actually happen.

You can expect Cyber Monday sales to kick off Sunday of Black Friday weekend, rather than actual Cyber Monday. And although the best deals will likely be on November 30 through December 1, many retailers extend their sale through the week by labeling the deals as part of Cyber Week.

13. Green Monday Sales (December 8–23)

Green Monday is actually a sales event created by eBay back in 2007. While it isn't nearly as big as Black Friday or Cyber Monday, it essentially represents the last stretch of sales before Christmas. The day itself was originally created as a way to promote the last day you could buy something online and get it shipped to you before the holidays, but thanks to faster shipping every year, that isn't necessarily as much of a problem for the bigger retailers.

In 2024, you can expect Green Monday sales to stretch pretty much right up until December 24 and maybe even through Christmas. Many retailers will label these as "last-minute" sales, but we've lumped them all into the same category.

14. New Year's Sales (December 26–January 1)

The final sales event of 2025 is centered around New Year's, but it usually starts just after Christmas. These discounts are a chance for retailers to take advantage of shoppers who are returning unwanted gifts and are now flush with extra cash. You can also expect some surprisingly good deals on older tech as these same retailers look to unload older models to make way for newer ones. Late December and early January are actually some of the best times to buy a TV or find a deal on a gaming monitor every year thanks to the proximity to CES, the annual Consumer Electronics Show.

Jacob has written for various different publications over his career covering commerce, tech, games, and entertainment. You can find the bulk of his previous work at Digital Trends and The Manual where he covered tech deals, Netflix, and food.

Looking to get into virtual reality? Meta Quest 3 represents a significant step forward in virtual reality (VR) and a great starting point for everyone. The Meta Quest 3S also offers a cheaper price tag for the model, making it an easier starting point for your wallet, too. It's the best way to get into VR, and even offers exciting exclusive games like the Batman Arkham Shadow game, which requires a Meta Quest 3 or 3S to play.

We're keeping an eye out on any Meta Quest discounts as they appear. While there aren't any available at the moment, we've included where you can buy Meta Quest 3S and 3 headsets below. It's also worth noting that if you buy a Meta Quest 3 or 3S, you'll get a free copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow and a free three-month trial of Meta Quest+.

Meta Quest 3S Deals

Best Meta Quest 3 Deals and Bundles

• See at Amazon (512GB) - $499.99
• See at Best Buy (512GB) - $499.99
• See at Walmart (512GB) - $499

Following the reveal of the Meta Quest 3S, the company phased out the 128GB model of the Meta Quest 3, but the 512GB is still available with an excellent price tag of $499.99. This is a whole $150 off its original list price and also comes with Batman: Arkham Shadow and a three-month trial of Meta Quest+ for free with your purchase.

We gave this VR headset a 9/10 in our Meta Quest 3 review. Writer Eric Song stated that, "The Quest 3 continues Meta’s legacy of offering a cost-effective headset that doesn’t require an expensive gaming PC, but can still benefit from one if you have it." He continued on to say that, "The Quest 3 goes even further by offering us a ticket to mixed-reality gaming with a full-color passthrough mode that’s sharp enough to read things in the world around you, the lightest and most precisely tracked controllers available, and more."

Best Meta Quest 3 Accessory Deals

In addition to the hardware itself, there are some great Meta Quest 3 accessory deals at the moment. You'll get the most bang for your buck with a battery-equipped head strap that adds both comfort and playtime to your VR experience.

What Games Are Available on Meta Quest 3?

It's interesting that you ask; eight years after the last Batman: Arkham game, Warner Bros. announced the next installment: Batman: Arkham Shadow. This VR game is exclusive to the Meta Quest 3 and is developed by Camouflaj, the creator of the Iron Man VR game, and Oculus Studios, in collaboration with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC.

Otherwise, we have a handy list available of all the games available on the VR headset via IGN Playlist. Highlights include games like Asgard’s Wrath 2 and Assassin's Creed Nexus, alongside more titles like Metal Hellsinger VR or Metro Awakening.

Batman: Arkham Shadow Is Great

In case you're wondering whether a new Batman Arkham game works in VR, the answer is "yes." While it was develped by Camouflaj rather than Rocksteady, it offers almost all of what fans of the core series appreciate about it. From our Batman: Arkham Shadow review:

"Batman: Arkham Shadow does an admirable job of adapting almost everything I love about the Arkham series to work in a full-fledged VR game, and it’s impressive looking for a game that’s exclusive to the standalone Meta Quest 3 headset. There are a few hitches and aggravating bugs that mean some parts don’t work quite as well as others, but its vigorous brawling, exploration, tricky puzzle solving, and stealth are all in full effect as you sneak and punch your way through Blackgate prison in a twisting undercover pursuit of a mysterious cult leader where just about everybody’s a suspect. It’s certainly smaller in scale than any full game since Arkham Asylum, but it’s far larger and more built-out than you might expect after Batman: Arkham VR, and a return to an enclosed prison setting makes it feel dense and intricate."

What Types of Deals Are There on Meta Quest VR Headsets?

Meta Quest offers usually fall into three kinds of discounts. Events such as the holiday season, Prime Day, Black Friday and announcements of newer models tend to push prices down, alongside:

• Discounts: Direct price reductions are the most common deals, especially during major sales events or as part of clearance sales, to make room for newer models like we're seeing right now.
• Bundles: Occasionally, retailers bundle a Meta Quest with popular VR games or essential accessories such as additional controllers, charging docks, or travel cases. These bundles provide extra value and enhance the VR experience out of the box.
• Refurbished Units: These units have been returned and restored to like-new condition. They typically come at a reduced price and include a warranty, offering a way to save money without compromising on quality too much.

What to Consider Before Buying a Meta Quest VR Headset

Unfortunately, Virtual Reality isn't for everyone. Those with severe eye health issues or those who suffer from motion sickness might have problems using this particular bit of kit. Meta Quest 3 focuses more on pass-through VR, which overlays virtual reality elements on real-life surroundings. Here are some more points to consider:

• Compatibility: Ensure any additional accessories or hardware purchases are compatible.
• Space Requirements: VR gaming requires physical movement, so ensure you have adequate space to use the device safely.
• Future Models: Make sure to check out the features and specs on newer models before buying older ones to ensure it's a good fit.

We're keeping track of all things VR on the dedicated IGN VR hub, including the latest game releases. We're also keeping the VR hardware market on lockdown with our best VR headsets guide, which is worth a look for those who want to shell out on the latest VR tech.

Christian Wait is a UK-based freelancer for IGN, you can follow him @ChrisReggieWait on Twitter/X.

Includes contributions from Robert Anderson and Hannah Hoolihan.

“Why did you stop being a vigilante?,” Wilson Fisk asks his old nemesis Matt Murdock in the first trailer for Daredevil: Born Again. “A line was crossed,” Matt cryptically responds as the trailer depicts Daredevil’s cowl falling from the roof of a building. But, as the Marvel show’s tagline promises, the devil’s work is never done.

What made Matt Murdock hang up his horns and billy club (even if just for a brief while)? Daredevil: Born Again will explore just that when the first two episodes of the series launch on Disney+ March 4 at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET.

As part of this year’s IGN Fan Fest, our own Scott Collura interviewed Daredevil: Born Again leads Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock/Daredevil) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Wilson Fisk/Kingpin) and directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead about this hotly anticipated revival. (Yes, it is a revival. Cox says the new show is “100%” set in the same continuity as the original Netflix series, which is now MCU canon, with D’Onofrio going so far as to label it the fourth season they never got.)

Produced by Marvel Television, Daredevil ran for three seasons on Netflix before it was canceled in 2018. While Cox says he thought that was it for his time as Ol’ Hornhead – his Matt Murdock would later be brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home before appearing in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Echo – but D’Onofrio says he was always confident he and Cox would one day officially join the MCU.

“I just thought that we all knocked it out the park with the Netflix show. My sons turned me on to all these Avenger movies that the MCU was making. And I just figured there must be a bunch of clever people over there, they're knocking it out of the park every movie. Why wouldn't they recognize good stuff when they see it?,” D’Onofrio tells IGN.

While the Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again appropriates the name of a classic Frank Miller storyline from the Marvel Comics, Netflix’s Daredevil Season 3 had already largely adapted that tale for the screen. This Daredevil is “Born Again” for a very different reason that neither the stars nor the directors obviously want to spoil before the show premieres.

“The entire season, (Matt), and also, in some ways, Fisk, is denying a part of their true selves,” Moorhead explains. “There's an extremely pivotal event that happens, that causes him to put (the Daredevil persona) away. And the event has to be huge. It has to be incredibly important because it's going to change a core piece of who he is. And so, we wanted to make sure that we told that story right.”

Benson said one of the keys of the original show’s success was that it made Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk human beings. “There was consequence to everything. And it wasn't just in the drama, it wasn't just in the tragedy, it was in the consequence of violence.” Expect Born Again to similarly delve into the broken humanity and violent natures that Murdock and Fisk both struggle to reckon with.

However, Daredevil: Born Again was almost a very different show, having been greenlit as an 18-episode series that was reportedly more of a legal procedural than its Netflix predecessor was. In 2023, Marvel Studios execs reviewed the footage of what had been shot thus far and decided to reverse course about halfway through production. Punisher’s Dario Scardapane took over as showrunner, replacing head writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman. At the same time, Benson and Moorhead – who previously directed episodes of Loki and Moon Knight – were brought in to direct what became a creative reboot. The episode count of the season was also trimmed from eighteen, half-hour episodes down to nine hour-long ones. (A potential second season of Born Again could depict parts of the original story that were dropped in the overhaul.)

“It's no secret that there was a slight shift in direction halfway through. And one of the things that we'd tried to do early on, which we have all discussed, and we totally understand, that an admirable thing to try and do was something a bit different,” Cox says. “We're lucky that we work for a studio and we work for bosses who were willing and excited to do that, and also able to see when it wasn't quite working and pivot. I don't know many companies that would throw the extra money and necessity at that to make the changes. So we're very, very grateful for that.”

Cox continues: “One of the things with the show in its first iteration was to distance ourselves a little bit from the history, just a little bit, maybe just to not reference it as much. And so when the pivot was made, and these guys [Benson and Moorhead] were brought in to help us bring all the previously-shot material together with new material that had been written and was being added, [it] was to tie the history back into the show. And so, doing that early on in the first episode, in the new pilot that Dario wrote, our showrunner, was one of the first things that was talked about and needed.”

Click to enlarge this IGN Fan Fest exclusive photo of Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again:

Moorhead hails the “really specific tone” of the Netflix series – “It's really hard to hit because it's about people and it also is about heroism. And often, those two things start feeling arch if you start doing it wrong.” – as well as the supporting cast members, Matt Murdock’s friend and colleagues Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), neither of whom were in the initial version of Born Again but were brought back when the project was reworked.

Moorhead says it was important that viewers get “the feeling that you have in the very beginning of a warm hug, of seeing the characters we love back together, and seeing that they've evolved in some ways, and trying to get that out of the way. … It was really important because it is called Born Again and we're going to blow all that apart. It is a new story.”

“It's a new path. And Aaron's right, we blow it up, the past. But it's there and it's connected,” D’Onofrio concurs. “I think it needed the connection to the Netflix show. It needed the other characters to come back, everybody, it needed all the familiar faces. I think what Aaron just said about the warmth, that hug that we needed to create, it needed to be there. And the other iteration wouldn't have had that. It was a straight up, ‘Hey, forget what you just saw. This is what we're doing.’”

So if Matt Murdock (temporarily) retires Daredevil due to a line being crossed, it seems his old foe Wilson Fisk will slowly but surely draw him back into (superhero) action when he is elected Mayor of New York City. A decade of costumed vigilantes running loose on the streets has left some New Yorkers uneasy with the chaos they bring. That’s where a law-and-order candidate like Fisk – even with his checkered past – seems like the solution to their fears.

Fisk, we learn, has been struggling since we last saw him falling out with his protégée Echo, who he claimed to love like a daughter. The Fisk that viewers first see in Daredevil: Born Again may seem like a changed man, but once a Kingpin …

“I think he was trying to live in the daylight. And I think he'll continue to try, but I think the struggle gets harder and harder,” D’Onofrio explains. “But the guy is on a mission. His mission is to stretch out his reach as far as it will go until he's stopped somehow. And he's accomplishing that in this first new season. And there's nothing but badness that's going to happen.”

And when badness happens, a hero will need to be there to stop it. Truly, the devil’s work is never done.

Daredevil: Born Again streams on Disney+, beginning March 4 when the first two episodes launch.

In the meantime, we’ll have an action-packed exclusive clip from Daredevil: Born Again – along with highlights from our video interview with the cast and directors – running as part of IGN Fan Fest this Friday, February 28.

IGN’s full roundtable video interview with stars Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio and directors Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead will be published Saturday, March 1st, at 6am PT.

BioWare has built up several legendary series across its run as a game development studio, like Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age. The lesser-known martial arts RPG Jade Empire could have made the list too, though it sounds like its chances were spoiled thanks to a rough launch window and some bad advice from Microsoft.

Over on the My Perfect Console podcast (as spotted by GamesRadar), BioWare co-founder Dr. Greg Zeschuk discussed one of the regrets he'd had; specifically, launching Jade Empire at the end of the original Xbox's life cycle. The RPG hit Xbox on April 12, 2005, several months before the November 22, 2005 launch date for the Xbox 360. And according to Dr. Zeschuk, Microsoft advised BioWare to launch it then, rather than later.

"And Microsoft's like, 'no no, you should release it now, right at the end of the cycle, because it's a great time,'" Dr. Zeschuk said. "It was like, the worst advice. Like, absolute moronic advice from them. It was the stupidest thing ever."

If BioWare had pushed the project back a bit, putting Jade Empire on the Xbox 360, Dr. Zeschuk speculated that the studio could have "rezzed it up," and had it ready to go. It might have cost some more money, but could have put Jade Empire in a better place.

"Give us six months, give us the chance to make it a launch title for the 360 and we'd have another franchise," Dr. Zeschuk said. "And I mean, who knows where... like, I just think it would have been a way more successful product at the beginnning of a cycle, versus the end."

Granted, the BioWare co-founder also acknowledged that the combat of Jade Empire "wasn't as good as it could have been." In theory, though, it would have given Microsoft an RPG closer to, or even within, the 360's launch window. While the Xbox 360 had games like Condemned: Criminal Origins, Perfect Dark Zero, Project Gotham Racing 3, and the immaculately titled Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, it was short on role-playing games.

The Xbox 360 would become a defining console for BioWare, especially its current era. Mass Effect and Dragon Age would both launch on the Xbox 360, eventually becoming the dual pillars of modern BioWare. Could Jade Empire have been a third? There were once rumors of a Jade Empire 2, and visions of a canceled spiritual successor to Jade Empire surfaced a few years ago.

As it is now, BioWare is in a precarious position. After layoffs and several project lead departures, Dragon Age: The Veilguard fell short of Electronic Arts' expectations. The studio was restructured earlier this year, with some developers moved to other EA projects, while others were laid off.

Now, all of BioWare's efforts are pinned on one of those aforementioned pillars: the next Mass Effect. Announced at The Game Awards 2020, we've seen only a few teasers in the years since. Whether Jade Empire might have offered another pillar or not, it's still interesting to consider how an Xbox 360 launch might have changed the games' appraisal, and BioWare's history as a whole.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

Capcom has confirmed the global release times for Monster Hunter Wilds.

Generally, players can play Monster Hunter Wilds on console (PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X and S) from 12am on Friday, 28 February local time and on PC later in the day. However, those on Pacific Standard Time (PST) can play on console and PC from 9pm on Thursday, February 27.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that physical copies of Monster Hunter Wilds require a 15GB update to play, according to Capcom. If you’ve pre-ordered the digital version, you can download the latest update now so you’re good to go when Monster Hunter Wilds goes live on February 28.

Monster Hunter Wilds is of course Capcom’s hotly anticipated next game in its hugely successful monster hunting video game franchise. IGN’s Monster Hunter Wilds review returned an 8/10. We said: “Monster Hunter Wilds continues to smooth off the rougher corners of the series in smart ways, making for some extremely fun fights but also lacking any real challenge.”

Check out our How Long Is Monster Hunter Wilds? page to find out how long it took various members of the IGN team to beat the game. Preparing for the hunt? Take a look at our list of every confirmed monster in Monster Hunter Wilds, and our guide to all 14 weapon types in the game.

If you've been looking to add some Spider-Man action figures into your collectible collection, Marvel Legends is releasing new figures based on Marvel's Spider-Man 2 game that are up for preorder. At the moment, the figures available to preorder are of Miles Morales in his Brooklyn 2099 Suit, Miles Morales' Upgraded Suit Style, Black Cat, Peter Parker in his Black Suit, Miles Morales in his Boricua Suit, and Peter Parker in the Anti-Venom Suit Style.

Each of these is listed for $24.99 and is set to release on June 1 this year. Head to the links below to get your preorders in today.

Preorder Marvel Legends Spider-Man Figures

Each of these figures comes with different parts and items so you can customize and pose them the way you want. This includes a variety of alternate hands, webbing, and more. For Marvel fans, and those who loved Marvel's Spider-Man 2 game, these figures are a great addition to your collectible collection.

If you're on the hunt for even more gaming items outside of these preorders, it's worth having a look through our roundups of the best PlayStation deals, the best Xbox deals, and the best Nintendo Switch deals. These cover the best discounts we've found across each platform for games, hardware, and accessories, so you can save big on items for your favorite console.

Or, if you'd prefer an overall look at the best gaming deals of the moment, both our roundups of the best video game deals and the best deals of the day are worth a look. While the former focuses on game deals, our deal of the day breakdown will provide an even bigger look at the best offers across games, tech, and movies if you want a little bit of everything instead.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

Marvel Rivals developer NetEase Games made an infamous Moon Knight meme canon as part of its Season 1 mid-season update.

Marc Spector’s history in the Marvel universe includes serious and not-so-serious stories. He’s a complex character who has appeared in comics and video games for decades and even managed to pop up on small screens in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series Moon Knight in 2022. Although he’s evolved to take on many names through the years, it’s not his ties to the moon god Khonshu that he’s best known for. Instead, the one line of dialog thousands of fans associate him with involves the hero calling Dracula a “big f***ing nerd.”

Moon knight crashing out on Dracula over 5 dollars is the best piece of lore I’ve seen for a character in a long time pic.twitter.com/wAnwM6F89P

— Flare_G (@_Flare_G) February 24, 2025

This unofficial gag has circulated comic book spaces for a while, showing Moon Knight as he hunts down the vampire king in hopes of collecting the debt he’s owed. It’s one of the more well-known (and funnier) Marvel memes, and it’s also managed to trick a few unfamiliar fans into thinking Moon Knight truly does have a grudge against Dracula. Now, however, Marvel Rivals has made Moon Knight's debt-collecting side feel a little more real.

When the mid-season update dropped for Season 1 last week, Marvel Rivals players were treated to a new map — Empire of Eternal Night: Central Park — to help cap off its vampire-themed season. Like every other map included in the hero shooter, it’s packed with Marvel references, but those who play as Moon Knight on the stage have the chance to run into a specific treat.

The Duelist hero will sometimes allude to Dracula’s debt depending on where your team is at in a match. He’ll occasionally mention that it’s “time for Dracula to pay up” while pushing the Central Park payload, for example, but he’ll also go as far as to say “Dracula’s here? Good, that bloodsuckin’ nerd owes me big.” The NetEase team essentially goes as far as it possibly can without full-on quoting the meme, and we can’t believe it’s real.

He actually says more about Dracula and it's really great https://t.co/zUDqQYePh1 pic.twitter.com/6P9ovT5xMR

— Prince Caim 🦇 (@boltboutamon) February 23, 2025

Triggering Moon Knight’s meme voice lines isn’t easy, as it means you’ll need to at least have the character on your team while attacking at Central Park. Thankfully, there’s another reference to Dracula being flakey tucked away in Moon Knight’s in-game Lore tab. The Dusk of the New Moon Hero Story entry, which predates the most recent Marvel Rivals update, sees Marc confessing his grudge against Dracula during a conversation with Khonshu. When the moon god asks him what he knows of vampires, Moon Knight replies: “That they suck. And that Dracula owes me money.”

Physical copies of Monster Hunter Wilds require a 15GB update to play, Capcom has said.

If you’ve pre-ordered the digital version, you can download the latest update now so you’re good to go when Monster Hunter Wilds goes live on February 28, Capcom added in a social media post.

Social media account Does it play?, which advocates for physical media, said this update is not required to play offline, but this patch looks to improve a few shortcomings on the technical/visual side that can certainly impact your enjoyment.”

Capcom has yet to announce details of any changes or improvements, or patch notes.

Monster Hunter Wilds is of course Capcom’s hotly anticipated next game in its hugely successful monster hunting video game franchise. IGN’s Monster Hunter Wilds review returned an 8/10. We said: “Monster Hunter Wilds continues to smooth off the rougher corners of the series in smart ways, making for some extremely fun fights but also lacking any real challenge.”

Check out our How Long Is Monster Hunter Wilds? page to find out how long it took various members of the IGN team to beat the game. Preparing for the hunt? Take a look at our list of every confirmed monster in Monster Hunter Wilds, and our guide to all 14 weapon types in the game.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

When Survivor premiered in the summer of 2000, Jeff Probst had no idea that the show would be chugging along nearly a quarter century later. Now, more than 700 castaways and dozens of immunity idols later, the long-running series’ host and Executive Producer stopped by IGN Fan Fest to debut the first five minutes of the 48th(!) season and dive deep into Survivor’s enduring legacy.

‘Survivor Is Us.’

“I knew that in 2000 when (show creator) Mark (Brunett) hired me that this was going to be the greatest experience of my life,” Probst says. “I didn't think it would last 25 years. I thought it might get a few seasons, but I just knew at the core of the game was this study of human behavior and how we justify our ethics. I love nothing more than watching people try to navigate their way through this. And the fact that it's still on, I think says more about us than it does the game because Survivor is us.”

While the show has continually evolved over 47 editions to date, with new twists, player advantages, and locations, one thing has remained key to the show’s success: casting the right players. Probst says the new group of castaways is no different.

“The one word I would use to describe this group would be dynamic. Just big personalities, players that are willing to make a mark early.”

New for Survivor 48, we see the players’ reactions upon learning they’ve been cast on the show. Debuting exclusively as part of IGN Fan Fest, the first 5 minutes of Survivor 48 give us a glimpse at the castaways’ personalities before they even make it to the island.

New castaways include Kamilla, whose parents were convinced she’d be the first player voted out, autistic PhD candidate Eva – who was the first woman at her college to play on the men’s hockey team, and David, who Probst describes as having “so much confidence that it is literally bursting through gigantic biceps.”

While Season 48 premieres tonight and Survivor 49 debuts later in 2025, Probst (and fans) are already hyped for the show’s landmark 50th edition.

Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans will see viewers at home voting on everything from tribe colors, whether tribes are given or have to earn rice, if they get a machete and other tools, and the location of the Survivor 50 finale (live in Los Angeles or pre-taped from Fiji). Fans can log on starting tonight to weigh in on numerous aspects of the game.

“It's our way of celebrating Survivor and also saying thank you to our fans for 25 years of loyalty,” Probst says. “I'm very excited about this and it starts tonight with the premiere (and) our first four categories. Fans have a week to vote on it. Then there will be four more elements later in the season.”

‘You've Already Lost. So Play to Win.'

Shifting back to Survivor 48, Probst believes the key ingredient to any successful Survivor season is innovation, and Season 48 is no different.

“We center all of our creative around one word: uncertainty, because uncertainty is terrifying. It's almost like accepting the fact that you're probably going to lose because almost everybody loses. You've already lost. So play to win. What we're constantly trying to say to the players (is) “Play the first time like you're playing for the second time. Swing for the fence. That's how you win.”

While Survivor started off as a relatively simple concept: win challenges, earn immunity, vote your enemies out of the game, the show has grown more complex over the years. Hidden advantages and twists are now standard; a practice that goes all the way back to Season 3, where a handful of players were surprised by the first-ever tribe swap.

“(That was) really the very first time the game took a tiny pivot,” Probst says. “The players were shocked and not happy. And I remember the players' faces and thinking, 'Did we go too far? Is this okay?' (But) there is no rule book or right or wrong. We never think our ideas are the correct idea. We just think they're an idea. And once we have an idea whether it's how to change a challenge or create a new twist, we commit to it. If it doesn't work, we'll get rid of it, but let's make sure we give it a fair chance.”

A 'Cookie Jar That May Snap Your Hand Off'

As gameplay quickly evolved, Probst and the team behind Survivor realized that evolution was key to keeping the show interesting.

“If you go back to Season 1, the gameplay was very simple. If there are seven people, you want to have four, and then you're in charge. So you have to start interjecting things that make a 4-3 situation more difficult to achieve.”

And in order to make things both exciting and difficult, the producers consistently created new roadblocks and advantages for players including hidden immunity idols, Redemption Island, Exile Island, “Beware” advantages, and “Shots in the Dark.” Probst hopes viewers find that uncertainty exciting… and dangerous.

“(With) the new era, everything became about dangerous fun. Just know that every time (a player) reach(es) into that cookie jar, it may snap your hand off. So I think the biggest evolution is just 'we’ve” gotten more and more dangerous.'"

Survivor 48 premieres February 26, 2025 on CBS. Be sure to check out the rest of our interview with Jeff Probst Friday, February 28 at IGN Fan Fest including what he considers to be the quintessential Survivor story arc and how Survivor stacks up against other series with 50 seasons.

If you're looking for Ninja Time codes, IGN has you covered! In this article, you'll find the latest active and working Ninja Time codes in February 2025 that can be redeemed for free rewards in Roblox, such as Clan Tokens and Element Tokens.

Active Ninja Time Codes (February 2025)

You'll find all of the currently active and working Ninja Time codes in February 2025 below:

• 77KLIKES: 6x Clan Tokens, 6x Family Tokens, 6x Element Tokens (can only redeem in new servers) (NEW!)
• 15MVISITS - 6x Clan Tokens, 6x Family Tokens, 6x Element Tokens (NEW!)
• 150KFAVS - 6x Clan Tokens, 6x Family Tokens, 6x Element Tokens (NEW!)
• 70KLIKES - 6x Clan Tokens, 6x Family Tokens, 6x Element Tokens (NEW!)

All Expired Ninja Time Codes

The following Ninja Time codes have expired and no longer work:

• 60KLIKES
• MAYBEPERFORMANCE
• MORENPCFIXES
• 55KLIKES
• BYTE1K
• BYTE2K
• 10M
• 9M
• 8M
• MOBILEMOUNTS
• SORRYFORTROUBLE
• DATARECONCILE
• ILOVEMOBILES
• MOREMOBILESFIX!
• STFIX
• THX100KDISC
• THX100KFAV
• RELEASE

How to Redeem Ninja Time Codes

Follow the steps below to redeem Ninja Time codes and claim your free rewards in Roblox:

1. Open Ninja Time via the Roblox Player.
2. If it's your first time playing, you'll need to select a village and create a character.
3. Once on the main menu, select "PLAY" to enter the game.
4. After loading in, select the "Menu" button in the top left.
5. Click on "Extra Menu."
6. Select "Codes" to open the codes menu.
7. Input your code into the "..." field and then hit the orange "Redeem" button.
8. If successful, your Ninja Time code will be redeemed.

Why Isn't My Ninja Time Code Working?

If your Ninja Time code isn't working when you're trying to redeem it in Roblox, it's likely due to one of two reasons:

• The Ninja Time code is expired and can no longer be redeemed.
• The code is spelled wrong.

When inputting a Ninja Time code into Roblox, make sure it's spelled correctly, there are no accidental spaces either before or after the code, and that it's in the correct case (some codes are case sensitive).

All the codes on this page have been tested by IGN and work at the time of submission, so we recommend copying and pasting codes directly from this article to avoid any errors. If the code still doesn't work, it's expired and no longer works.

How to Get More Roblox Ninja Time Codes

The fastest way to get more Ninja Time codes is to join the official Ninja Time Discord server, where you'll be notified as soon as they go live. Alternatively, bookmark this article as we update it with new codes regularly.

Meg Koepp is a Guides Editor on the IGN Guides team, with a focus on trends. When she's not working, you can find her playing an RPG or making miniatures.

The world of portable monitors is jam-packed with copycat products. A quick search on Amazon will reveal dozens and dozens of displays with almost no discernible differences. Given how crowded the market is, anything that hopes to stand out as a truly great portable monitor needs to do something special – the Espresso Display 15 manages to do so. It’s certainly not the cheapest option at $299, but with an emphasis on simplicity and versatility, it stands out as one worth considering especially if you put an emphasis on picture quality.

Espresso Display 15 – Design and Features

The Espresso Display 15 is the latest model from the Australian brand Espresso and is intended to be its most versatile product to date. Thus far, the company has made its name on the high-end positioning of its products, offering portable monitors that are premium-priced while also bearing a measure of quality that’s difficult to find in the oversaturated market today. When I first discovered the brand, it was with the Espresso Pro 17, an $800 4K portable monitor that left me wondering how it could possibly be marketable at that price. Now that I’ve had my hands on it, and the Display 15 which is the subject of this review, Espresso strikes me a bit like the Apple of portable monitors.

While it’s clearly unafraid to charge a premium for its products, the Espresso Display 15 is its cheapest to date. Retailing for $300 ($500 for the touch version), it’s still more expensive than many other 15-inch 1080p monitors you’ll find on sites like Amazon and Newegg, and what it’s offering isn’t going to be worthwhile for those who just need extra screen real estate. Instead, it’s a display for those who want a high quality screen that, while not as color-accurate as a great laptop screen or high-end monitor, can act as a worthy secondary display that requires absolutely minimum of setup.

The Espresso Display 15 comes in simple, but stylish packaging, complementing the sleek design of the monitor itself. How much does that matter when you’re likely going to be throwing the box out afterwards? Probably not that much, but good presentation is a nice touch when you’re paying top dollar.

Inside the box, you’ll find the display, a foldable magnetic stand, a purple USB Type-C cable (so you’ll never mix up which cable goes with the monitor), and a microfiber cleaning cloth. There’s no sleeve or carrying case and no screen protector included, which is disappointing at this price. Much cheaper options at least include a folio cover to keep the screen from getting scratched in a bag, but if you want either, you’ll need to pay $50 a piece if you’re buying directly from Espresso.

The monitor itself makes a great first impression with a chassis made entirely out of metal. It’s exceptionally thin at only 0.2 inches (5mm) and has a large glossy screen – it certainly sports a very premium look and feel. The stand does, too, which is also made entirely out of metal. It comes attached to the back of the case with strong neodymium magnets, showing rather than telling you how it mounts.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d still prefer it if the monitor came with a folio or some other kind of travel case, but for holding the monitor upright, the Stand+ is leagues better. Most folio cases that come packed with its competitors fold into a little base the display tilts back against, similar to a tablet. The Stand+ is much closer to a traditional monitor stand like you’d find with a full-size monitor but with a smaller footprint and the ability to fold for easy storage. When it’s compressed down, it’s a thin square that can easily drop into a messenger bag.

Like the Espresso Stand and Stand Pro, which cost $49 and $99 respectively, that square unfolds into a heavy base, an extendable neck, and a flat, magnetized panel topped with non-slip silicone to hold the monitor securely in place. The Stand+ has a new trick up its sleeve: the base unfolds a second time, splitting into a pair of “Plus Mode” legs that lend the display around four inches of extra height, just enough to position it behind a 15-inch laptop to create a pair of stacked displays. If you prefer, you can use it on the side or even in portrait mode (the screen auto-rotates to match).

After spending some time with it, however, it’s clear that Espresso designed the display to be used above a built-in laptop screen. It measures in at 14.1” x 10.1”, which leaves quite a bit of unused real estate from its 16:9 aspect ratio. The side and top bezels are vanishingly thin, but between the tall bottom chin and another 0.88 inches of black space below the actual screen, it’s a noticeable blank space on an otherwise elegantly designed monitor. It actually looks a little strange at first, like it’s supposed to use a 16:10 or 3:2 aspect ratio. I had to double check the resolution when I used it for the first time, but this is by design.

Check out our roundup of the best ergonomic mice!

Since it’s not outright designed for gaming, it only supports a 60Hz refresh rate. This is fine, but you won’t get the same buttery smooth movement that you would with a 120Hz or 144Hz gaming-grade portable monitor. There are no overdrive settings, so ghosting can be an issue. Still, for most games, it works fine – just don’t expect it to compete with actual gaming monitors for responsiveness and features.

There are no onboard controls whatsoever. It picks up on power delivery through the USB-C port and turns itself on once it’s plugged in and stays on until it’s unplugged. There are two USB Type-C ports and support for power passthrough. You only need a single USB cable for full functionality on most modern laptops (Windows or Mac), but the second port can be used for a charger or adapter for older systems that don’t provide enough power or display out over USB-C.

All of the picture settings reside in the EspressoFlow software. It’s a lightweight tool that you can use to align your monitors, lock the orientation, and adjust brightness and contrast, enable night mode, as well as choose from three picture presets – Work, Play, and Create. It allows you to quickly create workspaces to partition your displays into defined quadrants that can be saved as layout profiles.

The three picture presets are noticeably different from one another. The Work preset offers a cooler color temperature, while Create is a bit flatter and warmer, akin to an sRGB mode. The gaming preset is confusing, however, because it really just seems to make the picture overly warm and unappealing.

While I appreciate that the company is providing a lightweight software option, I still wish there was a way to make some picture adjustments on the monitor itself. If you happen to use it with a laptop provided by a school or employer where you can't freely download software, you just won't have access to these features. A small low-profile button would be a welcome addition and could handle both power and navigate settings on a theoretical OSD. For now, though, configuration is relegated to software that’s download-only.

Espresso Display 15 – Performance

Espresso says that each panel is calibrated at the factory, so you can confidently use it straight out of the box. It looks great to the naked eye and I, of course, put it through a gamut of tests. Espresso is positioning itself as a higher quality alternative to the masses of other portable displays that are out there, and in many ways, it succeeds. I would choose the Espresso Display 15 over a generic monitor in a heartbeat. Espresso even over-delivers in some aspects, but it's also clear where some of the limitations come in.

Comic writer Gail Simone has revealed she worked on Warner Bros.' beleaguered Wonder Woman game before it was shelved yesterday.

Simone, known for being the longest running female writer on Wonder Woman comics to date, praised the "dream team" working on the video game, insisting everyone she worked with from the now-shuttered Monolith and Warner Bros. was "enthusiastic and supportive."

"I was asked to do long-term consulting on the game, and I was thrilled to do it, it was a perfect storm of stuff I adore," Simone wrote on social media. "Wonder Woman, video games, and one of my favorite games studios: Monolith, who produced the Game Of The Year Mordor games, that I was completely addicted to.

"The game was gorgeous and expansive. It was beautiful to look at. I am not going to give details for a number of reasons, but every effort was made to make this not just a great game, but a great Wonder Woman game. A showpiece epic.

"And all of that was because of the team. Everyone who worked on it brought their A-game. Programmers, artists, designers, everyone. I don’t know that I have ever worked with a team that cared more about making sure the end product was perfect."

"It was a dream come true. Wonder Woman had a dream team and they put their all into it," Simone concluded.

"They made sure it had WW and DC lore on every aspect of the game. It was a thrill and honor to work with them. I know there’s a lot of finger-pointing going on, but everyone I worked with from Monolith and WB both was enthusiastic and supportive. Everyone wanted to make the best game ever."

Announced in December 2021 with a brief teaser trailer and description, Wonder Woman was a single-player action adventure set in a “dynamic” open-world in which players became Diana of Themyscira in an original story set within the DC universe.

Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Wonder Woman was in trouble after reportedly rebooting and switching directors early last year. It had already cost more than $100 million and was reportedly still years away from release.

Monolith’s reimagined Nemesis system (it developed the much-loved Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel) would have seen Wonder Woman befriending enemies, but the system was ditched in favor of a more traditional action adventure game.

Yesterday, Warner Bros. announced the end of development on Wonder Woman and the closure of three of its studios: Monolith Productions, MultiVersus developer Player First Games, and WB San Diego.

It followed a troubled year for Warner Bros.' video game division, first with the catastrophic release of Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, then the disappointing release of Smash Bros.-style brawler MultiVersus. The company said Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s failure contributed to a $200 million hit to its business, with MultiVersus adding another $100 million on top. Warner Bros. Games' only other recent release, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, also failed to make an impression.

Meanwhile, fans of Monolith’s much-loved Nemesis System are now lamenting its "wasted potential."

Here’s Warner Bros.’ statement:

We have had to make some very difficult decisions to structure our development studios and investments around building the best games possible with our key franchises -– Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC and Game of Thrones. After careful consideration, we are closing three of our development studios – Monolith Productions, Player First Games and Warner Bros. Games San Diego. This is a strategic change in direction and not a reflection of these teams or the talent that consists within them.

The development of Monolith’s Wonder Woman videogame will not move forward. Our hope was to give players and fans the highest quality experience possible for the iconic character, and unfortunately this is no longer possible within our strategic priorities. This is another tough decision, as we recognize Monolith’s storied history of delivering epic fan experiences through amazing games. We greatly admire the passion of the three teams and thank every employee for their contributions. As difficult as today is, we remain focused on and excited about getting back to producing high-quality games for our passionate fans and developed by our world class studios and getting our Games business back to profitability and growth in 2025 and beyond.

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.