Tron: Ares is one of the most anticipated movies of 2025, acting as the first Tron movie in 15 years. While it first entered development in 2010 following Tron: Legacy, Disney decided to have the film serve as a reboot in 2017, tagging Jared Leto to lead. While Tron: Legacy is loved for its sci-fi elements, the one thing unanimously loved by both fans and critics was the soundtrack, composed by Daft Punk.
The electronic duo split in 2021, leading the way for Nine Inch Nails to take over for Tron: Ares. Announced this week, Amazon has opened preorders on the Tron: Ares 2xLP Vinyl Soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails. Set to release in mid-September ahead of the film, this is the perfect item to prepare for the next chapter of Tron.
Preorder the Limited Edition Tron: Ares Vinyl at Amazon
This vinyl release is a limited edition featuring exclusive white discs and cover art, so it's likely that there will not be reprints of this variant once inventory is gone. A total of 24 tracks are included across this 2xLP release, which we've outlined below.
Formed in 1988, Nine Inch Nails is no stranger to the rock scene. The duo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross has sold over 20 million records worldwide, with 13 Grammy nominations across the years. While both artists have created scores for films in the past, Tron: Ares marks the first time that the Nine Inch Nails name will be credited. Previously, the duo composed scores for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, The Social Network, and Soul.
The limited edition Tron: Ares 2xLP Vinyl is set to release on September 19, 2025.
Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.
Everyone’s favorite athletic canine is coming back for a sequel with Air Bud Returns next summer.
The dog lovers behind Air Bud Entertainment and Cineverse announced another sequel in its line of sports-playing dog movies today. It’s an announcement of distribution rights for the latter that will see Air Bud Returns bouncing its way to theaters sometime in the summer of 2026.
Air Bud Entertainment and Cineverse say their goal is for the new Air Bud movie to spark a “potentially long-term collaboration,” but the two entities stop short of spelling out what other projects could arrive in the future. while no plot or casting details have been revealed, we at least know Air Bud Returns will tell a unique story in the puppy-centered cinematic universe, and, most importantly, it stars a Golden Retriever.
“In Air Bud Returns, 12-year old Jacob has always dreamt of being a star basketball player,” an official description says. “After the passing of his father, that dream felt even more impossible. But everything changes when he and his mom move into his dad's childhood home in Fernfield. There, Jacob discovers an original VHS of the Air Bud movie in his father’s belongings and has a chance meeting of a stray golden retriever he names Buddy. Together they embark on a journey of healing, unite a team of misfits, and chase a championship. Through it all they learn to play from the heart, believe in each other, and always take the shot!"
Robert Vince, producer for the original 1997 Air Bud and all of its many sequels, has stepped up as writer and director for Air Bud Returns. In a statement, he teased a film that tells a “deeply human story” with themes of “adaptation, redemption, and teamwork.”
“Air Bud Returns isn’t just another sequel or remake — it’s a unique story,” Vince said. “This movie will engage nostalgic Air Bud fans while introducing a new generation to the beloved basketball-playing golden retriever, Buddy. It builds upon the legacy of the OG Air Bud with all the fun, the magic, heartwarming scenes, and Buddy playing basketball.”
Air Bud emerged as the movie world’s first basketball-playing Golden Retriever in the late ‘90s and quickly spawned a litter of sequels. These range from its original 1998 follow-up, Air Bud: Golden Receiver, all the way to the Air Buddies spinoffs, which include projects like 2009’s Space Buddies, 2012’s Treasure Buddies, and 2013’s Super Buddies. Including the Santa Paws franchise, there are 14 films in total, with Vince writing and directing 10 of them.
Air Bud Returns has no release date outside of its summer theatrical 2026 window. For more, you can read our 6/10 review of the original movie’s Special Edition DVD release. You can also see where Air Bud falls on our list of the 13 best basketball movies.
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).
Fans attending San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday got their first look at the upcoming animated film Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires during the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment panel where the first trailer for the movie was revealed.
Weren’t able to make the panel? Don’t worry because IGN can exclusively share the trailer for Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires with you here. Watch it via the player above or the embed below.
From Warner Bros. Animation, Ánima and Chatrone, Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires reimagines the Batman mythos through the lens of Mesoamerican culture.
According to the official synopsis, the film “unfolds within the vibrant and fierce culture of 16th century Mesoamerica. In the time of the Aztec empire, tragedy strikes Yohualli Coatl, a young Aztec boy, when his father is murdered by Spanish conquistadors. To warn King Moctezuma and his high priest, Yoka, of imminent danger, Yohualli escapes to Tenochtitlán.
There, he trains in the temple of the bat god Tzinacan with his mentor, developing equipment and weaponry to confront the Spanish invasion and avenge his father’s death. Along the way, he encounters key figures like the fierce Jaguar Woman and the enchanting Forest Ivy.“
Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires will be available in the US exclusively on digital on September 19 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on September 23. It will be available in both Spanish and English-language versions.
The English voice cast features Jay Hernandez (Hostel, Suicide Squad) and Raymond Cruz (Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy), while the Spanish version — Batman Azteca: Choque De Imperios — features the voices of Horacio García Rojas, Omar Chaparro, and Álvaro Morte.
Juan Meza-Léon directs from a screenplay by Ernie Altbacker. José C. García de Letona, Fernando De Fuentes S., Carina Schulze, Aaron D. Berger, Jim Krieg, and Kimberly S. Moreau are producers. Sam Register, Tomás Yankelevich, and Michael Uslan serve as executive producers.
The movie runs 89 minutes and is rated R for some violence and bloody images.
The physical and digital releases of Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires will include the following special features:
The Battle Cry of Aztec Batman – Go behind the scenes and inside the voiceover booth with Jay Hernandez as he fulfils a childhood dream and reveals the creative process of becoming Batman.
The Batman Mythology and Aztec Inspiration – Screenwriter Ernie Altbacker and Jay Hernandez reveal the film’s approach to melding the historically accurate world of the Aztecs with the iconic cast of Batman conic book characters.
Amazon has just announced two new Kindle models, both of which are available to buy now. These aren't new devices necessarily, just slightly altered versions of the Kindle Colorsoft Amazon launched back in 2024. The latest 16GB model and the first Kids edition have joined all of the other latest Kindle editions on the market right now.
The main draw of the Kindle Colorsoft is that it offers full-color reading, rather than the black and white e-ink you'd get from the Kindle Paperwhite. The addition of color adds to the overall cost of the device, however, and it's one of the most expensive Kindles available. The new 16GB version does cut down the price a little bit, but at $250 it's hovering around the same price as an iPad.
New Kindle Colorsoft Models Available Now
So what's actually new here? The real difference is in the amount of storage and the total cost. The original Kindle Colorsoft is $280 with 32GB of storage. So the newer version has half the storage for only $30 less. For those who don't want to pay more for storage they won't use, this is now the Colorsoft to buy. Though at $250, it's worth considering alternative reading tablets that are capable of doing more. Especially if you plan on reading a lot of comics digitally and need that extra storage space.
The other new item here is the first-ever Kindle Colorsoft for kids. The kids editions of any of the Kindle models are essentially the exact same device, but with a fun cover included and a 12-month subscription to Kids+ rather than Kindle Unlimited.
Regardless of the differences that make these e-readers "new", the prices are still fairly high so soon after Prime Day. Just earlier this month Amazon dropped the price of the 32GB Kindle Colorsoft down to just $179. With that discount happening so recently, it's hard to recommend this lesser model for $80 more. I'd suggest waiting for another round of Kindle deals to go into effect before picking up one of these newer models. It's highly likely prices will drop back down to Prime Day levels during Black Friday this year.
The cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps recently gathered to try out Marvel Rivals for the first time, and the actors' reaction to Invisible Woman’s skimpy Malice skin has the internet in tears.
Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm), and Joseph Quinn (Human Torch) recently gathered to play NetEase Games’ popular hero shooter with YouTuber Loserfruit. The resulting video is quite funny, showing the new Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) family as they fumble through a few matches as their in-game counterparts.
Meet the family! ✨Marvel Studios The Fantastic Four: First Steps cast's genuine reactions as they try out Marvel Rivals! 😄 pic.twitter.com/sq8lwMh7pp
It's goofy and occasionally hard to watch as Pascal flails his stretchy arms at enemies, but the highlight is no doubt the Fantastic Four cast’s reaction to Invisible Woman’s infamous Marvel Rivals Malice skin. Fans of the game had already taken the time to see everything the shockingly revealing outfit had to offer when it made its debut with Season 1 in January. On the eve of the new Fantastic Four movie’s premiere, though, the cast is only just seeing it for the first time.
Kirby is the first to joke about the skin: “Thank you. This is my favorite bit of her as well,” she says of the video game version of her Fantastic Four character. “This is my favorite bit. Guys, watch out, like I said, for the sequel. You better watch it.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps, of course, has yet to receive the green light for a proper MCU sequel, though we do know at least some of its major characters will make an appearance in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Invisible Woman’s evil black-and-red Malice skin probably won’t make it into the MCU, but the slack-jawed Pascal still shared some of his thoughts.
“Here we go,” Pascal said. “Costume designer, take notes.”
Loserfruit’s video also includes the Fantastic Four cast’s reaction to other Marvel Rivals cosmetics, including Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman’s The Life Fantastic wedding skins. Of course, it’s how all four actors reacted to the Malice skin that has started to achieve viral status. You can see the group's reaction at 4:40 in Loserfruit's video and then see how it's spread to the internet below.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps officially lands in theaters tomorrow, July 25, and will introduce the first new live-action take on Marvel’s First Family in a decade. Meanwhile, a crossover featuring movie tie-in skins will arrive in Marvel Rivals starting tomorrow.
Screenshot via I Play Marvel Rivals with the Fantastic Four Cast by Loserfruit.
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 a surprising turn of events, Indiegogo, one of the largest global crowdfunding platforms second only to Kickstarter, has been acquired by board game crowdfunding site Gamefound.
In a joint announcement, Gamefound revealed it will be integrating its technology to enhance the Indiegogo platform, offering creators and backers more powerful tools than ever before. These include over 20 payment options, a full-featured mobile app, built-in marketing tools, and more robust pledge management. Indiegogo will also adopt Gamefound's flat 5% fee structure, putting more money in creators' pockets.
“It’s time for crowdfunding to be a forward-facing industry again,” said Julie dePontbriand, CEO of Indiegogo in the official release. “Gamefound’s technology is unrivaled, and we’re thrilled to bring it to Indiegogo’s diverse community. Together, we’re making crowdfunding more innovative, creator-friendly, and exciting than ever before.”
The two sites will continue operating independently for now, with Gamefound remaining focused on tabletop games and Indiegogo continuing to promote tech, film, and other creative projects. In the near future, Gamefound campaigns will also be discoverable through Indiegogo, opening the door to a much broader audience.
Indiegogo is one of the original crowdfunding pioneers, having launched over 17 years ago. In that time, it has amassed 38 million members and raised more than $3 billion for projects across the globe. By combining Indiegogo’s global reach with Gamefound’s cutting-edge infrastructure, the partnership might finally give Kickstarter a run for its money.
What does this mean for the board game industry?
Overall, this acquisition is a massive win for the board game industry. Gamefound will soon be cross-promoting its tabletop campaigns through Indiegogo, allowing creators to get in front of millions of new customers.
With fewer fees and more native tools to help promote projects, creators may finally start shifting away from Kickstarter for new campaigns. Since Gamefound doesn't have a paid promotion feature like Kickstarter Boost, it levels the playing field for smaller creators, too.
Matthew Adler has written for IGN since 2019 covering all things gaming, tech, tabletop games, and more. You can follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.
Chromebooks can offer amazing value for the money, whether you're looking for a laptop for studying, work, or just casual web browsing. There are even Chromebooks for gaming (and they're more impressive than you might expect). Don't let the low price tags on these laptops fool you – they're little workhorses. Keep an eye out for Chromebook Plus models in particular. They feature more advanced hardware and stronger performance compared to basic Chromebooks. They also come with perks like a free 12-month Google AI Pro subscription, which includes access to Google Gemini and 2TB of Google Cloud storage.
TL;DR – These Are the Best Chromebooks:
Chromebooks aren't a perfect fit for everyone, though. Keep in mind these laptops can't run Windows or Mac apps, so depending on what your must-have apps are, you might be better served with one of the best laptops or MacBooks. With that said, Chromebooks are a great choice if you mainly use web-based tools like Google Drive or only need a laptop for basic tasks like web browsing and word processing. They also make great budget laptops – every Chromebook I picked is well under $1,000.
1. Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14
Best Chromebook
The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 has a lot going for it, but where it really shines is battery life, lasting up to 17 hours. That's incredible for any laptop, but it's especially impressive considering this one costs less than $800. That might be thanks to the MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 CPU, which is designed to offer great power efficiency.
As if the stellar battery life wasn't enough, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 also sports a stunning OLED display and a sleek, ultra-portable design. It weighs less than three pounds, making this a great pick for students, commuters, and frequent fliers.
With 16GB of RAM (as opposed to the more common 8GB in Chromebooks), you'll also be able to run more resource-intensive apps and games. Like most Lenovo laptops, the Chromebook Plus 14 also has a top-notch keyboard. What's not to love about this Chromebook?
2. Acer Chromebook Plus 514
Best Budget Chromebook
The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 packs a lot of value into its ultra-affordable price tag. It normally costs $350, but frequently goes on sale for much less, even dropping below $300.
For that low price, you get a capable Chromebook that's perfect for studying or basic everyday tasks like web browsing. There are two models available, one with an AMD processor and another with an Intel chip. They're comparable in terms of processing power, so it's really a matter of which manufacturer you prefer and which you can find for the lowest price.
The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 also offers surprisingly strong battery life, considering how affordable it is. You can get around 10 to 12 hours of battery life per charge, which is easily enough to get through a full day of school or work. The only downside is that this Chromebook only has 128GB of storage – though it is a Chromebook, so you won’t need to store much locally anyway.
3. Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus
Best Chromebook for Students
If you're looking for a Chromebook for getting schoolwork done, you need something that balances solid performance with an affordable price. That's exactly what the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus offers.
It features a versatile 2-in-1 design, a decent display, a snappy backlit keyboard, and plenty of ports for connecting all the accessories you need. The inclusion of a microSD card slot is a pleasant surprise and makes this an especially good pick for students who want to get some creative work done on their Chromebook or use it to back up photos to Google Cloud. The 2-in-1 design is also perfect if you want tablet mode functionality for tasks like drawing or taking handwritten notes with a stylus.
Expect to get around 8 to 10 hours of battery life per charge, which should be enough for a full school day for most students. The only real downside with this Chromebook is the storage – 128GB may be low for some students, but you can always supplement it with Google Cloud or another external storage medium.
4. Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE
Best Chromebook for Gaming
Chromebooks aren't known for being gaming beasts, but this one might surprise you. If you want to get into gaming on a tight budget or want a Chromebook that offers gaming-focused features, the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE is the way to go. It's a great Chromebook in its own right, but its stellar display, RGB backlit keyboard, and surprisingly strong processor make it a stand-out choice for gamers.
The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE is mainly meant for cloud gaming with services like Nvidia GeForce Now or Boosteroid. Cloud gaming looks and feels great on this Chromebook thanks to its sharp, vivid 120Hz display, which is a joy to game on.
However, you might be surprised to hear that you can also play games on Steam on the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE. While you're limited by its hardware (including an underwhelming 8GB of RAM), you can play lightweight titles like Hollow Knight or Stardew Valley locally through Steam thanks to Valve's Proton compatibility layer, which allows certain Windows games to work on Linux and ChromeOS. Unfortunately, battery life isn't this Chromebook's strong suit – expect to get around 8 hours of use per charge, and less if you're gaming.
5. Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714
Best 2-in-1 Chromebook
The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 is a sleek, premium 2-in-1 with a vibrant display, stellar speakers, and great all-around build quality. The keyboard is a joy to type on, too, which makes this Chromebook a good pick for students and writers.
The design is the real star of the show. The metallic gray chassis feels sturdy and premium, especially with the stylish bronze accents on the hinges and around the edges of the display. The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 looks and feels much more expensive than its $799 price tag (which often goes down below $600 during sales) would suggest.
The touch screen is wonderful, as well, with good color and contrast. It's responsive enough to keep up with precise touch controls in games or even with a stylus for tasks like drawing or writing. However, the battery life on this Chromebook is a bit underwhelming at around 9 to 10 hours.
How to Choose the Best Chromebook
Choosing the right Chromebook starts with deciding on a budget and one or two must-have features. The vast majority of Chromebooks cost well under $1,000, with higher-end models ranging from around $600 to $800, mid-range models landing between $400 and $600, and budget options covering anything less than $400.
Beyond price, battery life and design are often deal-breaker features. Ideally you don't want to settle for less than 8 hours of battery life unless you're on a very tight budget. Even then, it may be worth saving a little extra money to get a Chromebook that can hit 8 hours. If you travel frequently or commute, it's a good idea to aim even higher, ideally around 10 hours or more.
Design comes down to whether or not you care about 2-in-1 functionality. Chromebooks mainly rely on the Google Play Store for apps, which can be a drawback but also means you can use apps designed for tablets if your Chromebook has a tablet mode. For instance, Goodnotes is a great notetaking app designed for tablets that could come in handy for students with a 2-in-1 Chromebook.
It's also important to consider how much storage you'll need. Most Chromebooks include 128GB or 256GB of storage. It's possible to find some with 512GB or more, but those models are less common and more expensive. Also keep in mind that if you get a Chromebook Plus model, you'll get a free year of Google AI Pro, which includes 2TB of Google Cloud storage.
Chromebook FAQ
Can Chromebooks use the same apps as Windows?
No, Chromebooks can't use Windows apps, but some Windows apps may have ChromeOS versions. Chromebooks are mainly limited to apps from the Google Play Store. Even then, not all apps on the Play Store are designed to work on Chromebooks. So, it's a good idea to double-check that your must-have apps are available on ChromeOS before switching from Windows or MacOS.
Can Chromebooks run Steam?
Some may be surprised to hear that Chromebooks can run Steam and play certain Windows games from Steam through Valve's Proton compatibility layer. Steam for Chromebook is currently available as a Beta app, but has the full Steam experience. Unfortunately, not all Chromebooks are eligible, so check Google's list of hardware requirements and supported Chromebook models to see if yours qualifies.
What is the difference between a Chromebook and Chromebook Plus?
Chromebook Plus laptops are a collection of Chromebooks with more powerful hardware, allowing them to handle more advanced apps and run Google's Gemini AI. Most new Chromebook Plus laptops also come with perks, like a free year of Google AI Pro, which gets you full access to Google Gemini and 2TB of cloud storage.
Stevie Bonifield is a freelance tech journalist who has written for IGN, PC Gamer, Tom's Guide, and Laptop Mag, covering everything from custom keyboards to gaming on Linux.
Books are great, obviously. They're also bulky space eaters – just ask the piles of books sitting around my apartment that don't fit on my already overstuffed bookshelf. If you have space for a real home library, how lucky for you! If not, do yourself a favor and get a good reading tablet. You'll miss out on the tactile joy of reading, but they make building out a personal library so much more accessible – including books you can read for free without leaving home – and far less messy. We found a few of the best tablets to make reading anywhere a bit easier.
TL;DR - These Are the Best Tablets to Read on:
Reading tablets come with varying capabilities. E-readers, like our top pick, the Kindle Paperwhite, are geared towards book formats, often featuring screens that attempt to mimic pages. These devices are more limited in what they can do – don’t expect to be scrolling socials or streaming shows when taking a break from reading. On the other hand, your more typical tablets, like the iPad Mini, can do a lot more, but the displays may strain your eyes and batteries deplete quicker. Notetaking functionality, like the Kobo Libra Colour offers, is also handy for students or people who like to write freely in book margins. Deciding which is best for your needs is a personal preference.
1. Kindle Paperwhite
The Best Kindle and Best Reading Tablet
If all you want to do is read, the Kindle Paperwhite is hands-down the best tablet for the job. This e-reader keeps things simple, so don’t expect a colorful screen, stylus support, or access to emails, apps, and notifications. Instead, it eliminates outside distractions with a simple, easy-to-read display that prevents eye strain and helps conserve battery life. You'll very rarely need to charge it, even if you read all day long.
The latest edition of Kindle Paperwhite gets a slight bump in screen size, opting for a 7-inch e-ink display with a 300ppi resolution that should help reduce blue light and glare. It also comes with a new thin-film transistor to improve contrast. That, along with the 19 LEDs that wrap around the screen make for easy reading in just about any type of light, whether it's at the beach or in a dim tent on a camping trip. Adjusting the warm backlight in darker spaces is easy, but if you want automatic adjustments and a few other improvements, grab the Kindle Paperwhite Signature. You'll also want to pick up a decent case for it to take full advantage of the device.
Compared to its predecessor, the new Kindle Paperwhite has a 20% performance boost, making for speedy page turns and smooth scrolling through a library of books. Its 16GB of storage may seem light compared to other tablets, but that’s plenty of space for thousands of books. Audiobooks will eat up more room, but cloud storage is available in the unlikely event you’re running low on space. Other features include text and font adjustments to skip readers and an easy-to-access dictionary. If you're a Libby user, you won't be able to download the app directly to your Kindle, but you can send borrowed books to your Kindle from the Libby app installed elsewhere.
The Kindle Paperwhite features a plastic build to keep things thin compared to your typical hardcover book, so forget about arm and wrist fatigue. Although it might not seem like the most durable design, it's sturdy and waterproof. Even with the compact dimensions, this e-reader manages a wild 12-week battery life on just a 2.5-hour charge. It’s easy to see why this is our favorite Kindle model.
If you like the idea of a Kindle, but want something with a full-color display, you can check out the Kindle Colorsoft for a higher price. Amazon just recently released two new models, including a kids' version.
2. iPad Mini (7th Gen)
Best iPad for Reading
The majority of Apple’s iPads have displays pushing 10 inches or more. For bookworms, those dimensions are a little too big, and iPhone screens are just a little too small. Enter the iPad Mini. The 8.3-inch tablet is about the size of a paperback and weighs 10.4oz. It’s easy to cart around just about anywhere and can be comfortably held in one hand when lying down and relaxing. Best of all, it still can do everything the top iPad models can, including play iPad games.
Readers will gravitate towards the stunning Liquid Retina display with adjustable brightness and True Tone technology, ensuring a pleasant viewing experience from just about anywhere. Just be prepared for some glare. Pairing an Apple Pencil makes for easy annotations while you’re reading. However, that bright, colorful screen will deplete battery life far quicker than the e-ink display on the Kindle Paperwhite, lasting only 10 hours.
The latest generation of iPad Mini runs on an A17 Pro chip, the same one found in the iPhone 15 Pro. While that silicon is not as powerful as the M-series processors in the iPad Air and Pro models, it has plenty of oomph for the compact device and brings support for Apple Intelligence. Using all the top reading apps, like Apple Books, Amazon Kindle, comiXology, Libby, and Scribd will be breezy. Of course, it’s perfectly capable when you want to take a break from the pages, as scrolling socials, streaming, and performing everyday tasks will be just as zippy.
3. Apple iPad Pro (2024, M4)
Best Tablet for Reading Comics and Manga
Looking to escape into the colorful world of comics? Maybe you want to start creating your own? Apple’s top-of-the-line tablet, the iPad Pro, is the best one for the job. Even with the massive 11-inch or 13-inch display, the device still manages to remain thin and lightweight.
It’s hard not to fall for the gorgeous OLED display on the iPad Pro. It’s a first for an iPad, and once you lay your eyes on it, it’ll be hard to go back to anything else. Vivid, accurate colors are complemented by excellent contrast, making just about any image pop. In IGN’s review of the iPad Pro, Jackie Thomas was particularly enamored with the display while devouring the Star Wars: The High Republic comics. Though it will of course work just as well for reading Batman comics or Spider-Man comics online.
Such a stunning display requires a whole lot of processing power, and the iPad Pro’s M4 silicon is up to the task. It can easily take on heavy workloads, including gaming or design, with its 8GB GPU. Those looking to get creative by making comics or graphics novels of their own will find this tablet to be the perfect tool, as it’s designed to do just that.
The Apple Pencil Pro support could also take your artistic work to the next level while slapping a keyboard on the iPad Pro makes it a viable laptop replacement. Just be prepared for extras to add up quickly on this already pricey machine.
Apple isn’t the only brand pumping out capable reading tablets. OnePlus, the company behind some of our favorite smartphones, has an excellent option. The OnePlus Pad 2 offers up a spectacular 12.1-inch, 3K display with 10-bit color depth and HDR support. Beyond being crisp, vibrant, and clear, in our hands-on review of the OnePlus Pad 2, our tester could easily see the screen outside in the morning sunlight, thanks to an upgrade to brightness.
The OnePlus Pad 2 can hang with the best Android tablets, as it’s running on a snappy Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and 12GB of RAM. That’s plenty of oomph for the average user. Page turns should be instantaneous while scrolling through a library of books and swapping between reading apps will be butter-smooth. With 256GB of storage, this device can be packed full of novels, comics, audiobooks, and more. An included AI toolbox can also summarize articles or assist in writing to make life easier, while stylus support allows for simple annotations.
Given the dimensions and premium build of this tablet, it’s a bit weighty, so holding it one-handed for long periods isn’t comfortable. But it does manage to squeeze in an impressive 9,510mAh battery that lasted 12 hours in our testing. Even if the Pad 2 runs low on juice, support for 80W charging means it should be back to 100% in less than 75 minutes.
5. Kobo Libra Colour
Best Reading and Writing Tablet
The Kobo Libra Colour is an e-reader that goes toe-to-toe with Amazon’s Kindle lineup. Its 7-inch display is the perfect size for reading, with plenty of room in the margins. Wider bezels on one side of the screen and a lightweight design make it easy to hold the device single-handed, while two buttons allow for simple page turns. Of course, it's possible to switch pages using the touchscreen as well.
Kobo opted for an E-Ink Kaleido 3 display offering a 300ppi resolution in black and white or 150ppi resolution in color. Unlike traditional tablets with bright, vibrant colors, this e-reader’s hues are more subdued, giving off the look of a newspaper. Still, graphics novels and comics will look great, as it adds a bit of life to the screen while allowing for easy viewing and minimal glare in bright sunlight. The ComfortLight Pro also makes for a pleasant experience when reading in darker spaces and helps to reduce blue light.
Inside the Kobo Libra Colour is a dual-core 2.0GHz processor that’s plenty responsive for most tasks. Page turns are snappy and navigating is an absolute breeze. Even taking notes is surprisingly fluid. The integration with the OverDrive library is also a nice perk. However, this e-reader is exclusively for reading and writing, so don’t expect to scroll socials or check emails.
Writing is supported on Kobo Libra Colour, as it’s compatible with the Kobo Stylus 2. Every Kobo book can be scribbled on with the stylus, while colorful highlighting of important passages can be done using a finger. Beyond marking up books, Kobo offers various notebooks for jotting down notes and sketching. Some are even capable of turning handwriting into text. If you want a larger display for notetaking, the Kobo Elipsa 2E is an excellent grayscale alternative.
How to Choose the Best Reading Tablet
Choosing the best reading tablet requires careful consideration of several factors to ensure that the device meets your specific needs. Whether you're an avid reader of fiction, a student reviewing textbooks, or a professional keeping up with all the PDFs your boss keeps sending, selecting the right tablet can significantly impact your reading experience.
One of the main things you have to look into is the display's quality. The screen is where your eyes will spend most of their time, making display quality paramount. Eye comfort is also crucial, especially for extended reading sessions. Tablets with blue light reduction features or e-ink technology, which mimics the appearance of paper, can help reduce eye strain. E-Ink screens are easier on the eyes, but LCDs are more versatile if you want to use the same tablet for multiple purposes.
Long battery life is essential for uninterrupted reading, especially when on the move. Looking into tablets with a solid battery life will ensure that you can enjoy your books, magazines, or documents without constantly worrying about finding the next power outlet.
Lastly, size and weight affect how comfortably you can hold the tablet for long periods. While larger screens provide more immersive reading experiences, they should not compromise the device's portability. A lightweight, slim design makes it easier to carry your tablet in a bag or even hold it with one hand.
Best Tablets for Reading FAQ
What is the best tablet for reading according to Reddit?
If you're hoping to look to Reddit for advice on which tablet is best for reading, users on the r/androidtablets subreddit have point out a few clear winners. The top commenter points out that the Aldocube 50 Mini and Mini Pro are great options for reading due to being lightweight with good screens at a decent size for reading. Other commenters recommended Barnes & Noble's Nook because the e-paper technology offers more of a similar reading experience you'd get from an actual book.
Are tablets good for reading books?
Sure they are, but you’re going to find that regular LCD screens will tire your eyes much faster than an e-ink model. Battery life is also something you’ll want to keep in mind because most standard tablets don’t last as long as a Kindle, for instance, since their hardware is more demanding.
Do you need a Kindle subscription to read ona Kindle device?
You don't need a Kindle Unlimited subscription to read books on a Kindle. There are other ways to downlaod e-books on your Amazon device or you can simply purchase books directly from the Kindle storefront with no subscription required. The benefits of a subscription are more if you plan on reading a lot of books and don't want to purchase them all. This is especially true if you're a fan of LitRPG books, which tend to be included with a subscription.
What is the best tablet for reading outside?
If you're looking to read your tablet on the beach or sitting at the park, the Kindle Paperwhite is what you want. Unlike many tablets, this e-reader features an e-ink display, which acts and looks similar to printed paper. That means battling severe glare, brightness, eye strain, and battery life will be far less of an issue compared to LCD screens. The Kindle Paperwhite is also IPX8 water-resistant, unlike many tablets, so getting splashed poolside or caught in the rain won’t slow the device down.
During his panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, Robert Kirkman announced that Matthew Rhys voices Dinosaurus in Invincible Season 4, and committed to a 2026 release window.
Warning! Potential spoilers for Invincible Season 4 follow:
Rhys, who played Philip Jennings in The Americans, plays Dinosaurus in Invincible. Dinosaurus is expected to be the next major villain to appear after Conquest, and in the comics seeks to heal the world from the toxic effects of human civilization.
Meanwhile, Kirkman said all of Thragg’s lines have been recorded, but stopped short of announcing the voice actor. Grand Regent Thragg is the true main villain of the Invincible saga, and the ruler of the Viltrumite Empire.
With Season 4 set for release in 2026, fans are wondering what Kirkman’s master plan is for Prime Video's Invincible adaptation. During the panel, he said 7-9 series will be needed to tell the story from the comics.
“Roughly seven to eight to nine seasons I think would be necessary to do the complete arc from the comics of Invincible,” he said. “So we’ll see. Hopefully we get there. We get a tonne of support from Amazon Prime and couldn’t be more thrilled with how things are going. So, very excited and hopeful for it.”
As fans know, Invincible has at times seen a large gap between season releases, and during the panel he joked that Season 5 will be out in 2032, adding: “You can quote me on that.” Perhaps it’s more likely he’ll get close to completing the Invincible comic arc by then!
And finally, Kirkman addressed a complaint about the animation quality of Invincible, insisting it was improving with each season.
Outside of the Prime Video adaptation, Kirkman used his panel to reveal Battle Beast as a playable character in the upcoming Invincible VS video game. That’s a fighting game, but some fans are hoping for an open world Invincible game. Kirkman addressed this request, too, pointing to the massive budgets that would be required to make such a game a reality. Smaller scale Invincible games sound more realistic, based on Kirkman’s comments.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
For the longest time, the prevailing advice (and sometimes requirement) for students buying laptops was to get something like a MacBook Air or even a Chromebook, two devices that are more than capable of lightweight research and writing workloads and are pretty affordable to boot. However, as more workloads become accelerated by GPUs, workstations and gaming laptops are becoming necessary for some college students – especially if you’re in a field like engineering or design.
It’s more important than ever to take a close look at your syllabus and find out the apps you’re going to be using in order to make a better call on your school laptop. You don’t want to put yourself in a situation where you are holding yourself back because your laptop struggles to handle the work. But you also don’t need to fork over thousands of dollars for some serious workstation when a more affordable gaming laptop can do the same kind of tasks.
What Even Is a Gaming Laptop These Days?
I’m old enough that when I think of gaming laptops, I instinctively think of thick, garish machines made of plastic and bright LEDs. But gaming laptops have come a long way in the last 10 years, and it's probably because manufacturers have realized that people are using them for more than just gaming.
You don’t even have to look far to see the impact of this. The new Razer Blade 16 is a gorgeous laptop that trims down its footprint to be nearly as thin and light as a MacBook Pro. This has come at the expense of some performance on the high-end, as Razer needs to limit the TDP of the GPU to make sure it doesn’t, like, melt, but the result is something that is more attuned to creative professionals than the gamers that made Razer a household name.
Likewise, the entire Asus Zephyrus lineup used to be marketed as high-end gaming devices. And while they’re still certainly capable of playing Cyberpunk, something like the Zephyrus G16 doesn’t really look like a gaming laptop – and that’s because it kind of isn’t. Instead, laptops like this that would have traditionally been known as gaming laptops come with Studio drivers pre-installed and are marketed more towards their AI and creative workload capabilities – plus it looks like it belongs in a board room. This kind of laptop is more akin to a portable workstation than what I’d call a ‘gaming laptop.' So what even is a gaming laptop in 2025?
It used to be that any laptop with a discrete GPU was a gaming laptop – quite simply it was a laptop that could play games. But as creative and AI workloads have ramped up in complexity, that distinction has become more muddled. There are plenty of laptops out there that have high refresh rates and high-end GPUs, but come preinstalled with Nvidia Studio drivers and are marketed and priced as creative workstations.
The fun part, though, is that you can install those Studio drivers on any Nvidia GPU, so you can unlock that creative or AI performance in a more affordable gaming laptop like the MSI Cyborg A15. It won’t be as pretty, or as easy, to carry around campus, but if you have a limited budget, it might be the best way to unlock the extra performance you need for your schoolwork.
The GPU Demands for STEM Work
To be clear, when I was in school studying philosophy, I didn’t really need a powerful laptop – in fact, I did most of my schoolwork in the campus computer lab because I didn’t even have a laptop. But if you’re using, I don’t know, Blender for schoolwork, you really don’t want to depend on a run-down school PC to get your final project out the door.
You also don’t need to drop thousands of dollars on a top-end workstation to get that work done. If you’re studying in a STEM field, it’s just important that you get something with a discrete GPU. Every time I’ve benchmarked Blender on a CPU, it is exponentially slower than on a discrete GPU, whether it’s on a desktop or a laptop. Likewise, if you’re creating AI models during your coursework, training it is going to take forever on an integrated GPU. Even a low-end discrete chip is going to significantly boost performance.
Gaming laptops aren’t going to be the right fit for every student, though. If your coursework primarily focuses on research, writing, or even diving into Excel, a MacBook or Chromebook is still going to be the way to go. Then again, having a device that lets you play PC games is a nice bonus.
Gaming In Your Downtime
There are plenty of students who can take advantage of the extra power of gaming laptops for their work, but also gaming laptops are just awesome. PC gaming is better and more diverse than ever before, and even a low-end gaming laptop is able to run most games. An English major isn’t going to need a GPU to boost their writing skills, but a gaming laptop is the best way to play games on campus – especially if you’re shacked up in a dorm room.
Because dorms aren’t really known for their spacious layouts, the more any single device can do, the better. A solid gaming laptop can also be an all-in-one schoolwork and entertainment device. No need to get a tiny TV and a PS5 if you can just play games on your laptop, after all.
You can technically play PC games on any laptop with a decent internet connection, too, thanks to services like Game Pass Ultimate or GeForce Now, but I wouldn’t recommend relying on your school’s Wi-Fi. Playing games on dedicated hardware is just going to be a better experience.
Take the Asus TUF A14 we reviewed last year, for instance. With its RTX 4060 – a last-gen part, mind you – this laptop was able to play everything in our test suite above 60fps. And that includes Cyberpunk 2077, one of the hardest PC games to run. RTX 5060 laptops have started trickling out, too, and while we haven’t had the chance to review one yet, you can probably expect similar performance out of them.
Battery life in gaming laptops also doesn’t take as much of a hit as it used to, either. Mostly thanks to the AMD chip in the TUF A14, the laptop lasted nine and a half hours in the PCMark 10 battery test. Now, you won’t get that kind of longevity while you’re actively playing games, but when you’re going around campus doing schoolwork, the laptop should last most of the day.
Plus, who doesn’t want the option of pulling up a game during a boring lecture that you’re not learning anything from anyways?
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra
If you’re hoping to get in on the fun through full episodes instead of clips on Twitter/X and Bluesky, here’s how you can watch new South Park episodes online.
How to Stream South Park Season 27 Online
The new season of South Park is airing live on Comedy Central at 10pm ET/PT every Wednesday. New episodes will stream exclusively on Paramount+ the day after they air.
Paramount+ recently rebranded its own streaming subscriptions, with the ad-supported Paramount+ Essential plan starting at $7.99 and Paramount+ Premium (which still includes Showtime) starting at $12.99, ad-free. Both plans offer a seven-day free trial, so I won’t blame you if you wait to binge the whole season.
If you want to watch the new season live, Comedy Central is available through live TV subscriptions like Hulu + Live TV. Assuming there won't be any doubled-up episodes, here’s the full schedule for Season 27:
Episode 1: “Sermon on the Mount” - July 23
Streaming - July 24
Episode 2 - July 30
Streaming - July 31
Episode 3 - August 6
Streaming - August 7
Episode 4 - August 13
Streaming - August 14
Episode 5 - August 20
Streaming - August 21
Episode 6 - August 27
Streaming - August 28
Episode 7 - September 3
Streaming - September 4
Episode 8 - September 10
Streaming - September 11
Episode 9 - September 17
Streaming - September 18
Episode 10 - September 24
Streaming - September 25
The first episode of Season 27 premiered on July 23, after Paramount delayed it by two weeks from its original release date. Matt Stone and Trey Parker certainly had some complaints about the delay, which happened in part because of Paramount’s merger with Skydance.
The new deal with Paramount gives the streaming service the rights to South Park for the next five years, including 50 new episodes, meaning you won't have to wait too long to see more from Cartman and the gang.
How to Catch Up on Previous Seasons
Aside from Paramount+, which will be the home for all future seasons, all 26 previous seasons of South Park are streaming on HBO Max. Individual episodes and seasons are also available to purchase through Prime Video, but if you’re that dedicated, I’d try and get your hands on one of the many DVDs and box sets you know for sure no one can ever take away from you.
Legendary Jazz musician, composer, and King of the Hill regular Chuck Mangione has died at 84.
TMZ reported on the famous brass artist’s passing today, saying that he died of natural causes in his Rochester, New York, home. The Bartolomeo & Perreto Funeral Home adds (viaRochesterFirst) that Mangione died in his sleep Tuesday.
Mangione’s career in music traces back to the 1960s, where he managed to kick off his life as a professional musician alongside his brother, Gap, with records like Hey Baby! and Spring Fever. Mangione emerged as one of the most notable, recognizable jazz musicians of the century thanks to ‘70s hits like Give It All You Got, Bellavia, and, most famously, Feels So Good.
Feels So Good is no doubt the Grammy-winning flugelhorn player’s biggest song, coming in as his most-listened-to track at more than 21.7 million plays on Spotify. Since its 1978 debut, the track has been featured in Friends, Zombieland, South Park, Doctor Strange, Life After Beth, and so much more.
Jazz isn’t quite the mainstream success it was 50 years ago, but Mangione still managed to find his way to the public eye despite letting his jazz playing do the talking for decades. While he guest-starred in projects like Magnum, P.I., as well as Canadian children’s television series Sharon, Lois & Bram’s Elephant Show in the ‘80s, it’s King of the Hill that might be his crowning achievement in terms of on-screen work.
Mangione appeared in multiple episodes of Mike Judge and Greg Daniels’ classic Texas-set show, showing up as a spokesperson for the fictional superstore, Mega Lo Mart. It was a recurring role that put jazz front and center, sneaking in references to tracks like Feels So Good while giving him a speaking role on more than one occasion.
It’s unclear if Mangione returned to play any kind of role in Hulu’s King of the Hill revival, which is slated to premiere August 4, 2025. In the meantime, fans of his work have taken to social media to celebrate his life and mourn his passing with segments of his music and highlights from his appearances on the show.
Chuck Mangione, the flugelhorn legend behind “Feels So Good,” has passed away at 84. His music made jazz joyful, hearts lighter, and even King of the Hill cooler. Rest easy, Chuck — your melodies will play on forever. pic.twitter.com/wttT6FVEwG
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).
Let’s be straight with each other: when it comes to what’s under our desks, pretty much anything can become a footrest, right? For most of my adult life, I’ve had a philosophy of “whatever’s around.” Some days it’s a printer. Others it’s the UPS my computer is plugged into or maybe one of my kids’ balls that happened to roll under there. It’s the PC user’s equivalent of the “if it fits, I sits” mantra adopted by cats around the world. But, even though it works, it’s not ideal and isn’t nearly as comfortable over time as something dedicated to that purpose might be.
That’s where the Secretlab Otto comes in. It’s an adjustable leg rest designed to serve as everything from a gentle support while sitting upright to the end of your gaming-chair bed when you recline for a cat nap. I’ve been testing it for a couple of weeks and it’s mightily comfortable – and you don’t have to have a Secretlab gaming chair to use it! You do have to have deep pockets, however, because at $300, this one doesn’t come cheap.
Secretlab Otto Adjustable Legrest – Design and Features
We may as well get this out of the way first: the Secretlab Otto is just about the definition of a luxury item. Nobody needs this. It's functional in the way a Lamborghini is functional: it'll get you where you need to go, but nobody really needs a Lamborghini. It's overkill for getting from point A to point B, and it costs an arm and a leg, but you sure might want one.
At its core, the Otto is just what its name implies: it's an ottoman, themed after Secretlab's Titan Evo line of gaming chairs, and much more thoughtful and comfortable than most footrests aimed at PC gamers. And it’s adjustable to support different sitting styles, but at the end of the day, you put your feet and legs up on it.
When you get past that base functionality, however, it’s clear to see that it’s very much a step above pretty much any other option in this space. Most often, the footrests you see coming out of gaming chair brands are the simple, plastic or metal tilting stands that are mostly copy-pasted between brands. Others are this weird amalgamation of parts, Frankenstein-like creations that look like a gaming chair seat perched atop a wheelbase and definitely not a way for the company to get rid of spare parts. The Otto, on the other hand, actually looks like a footrest; a product designed from the ground up for this one purpose.
There are a few parts to this leg rest, so let's start with the cushion. Secretlab has positioned itself as a premium, even a luxury, brand in the gaming space and the Otto fits this description to a tee. Like the company's armrests and neck pillows, it's made of its PlushCell memory foam and is upholstered with a very stylish and, forgive my eloquent vocabulary, fancy-looking pattern of interlaced triangles. The fabric is soft and velour-like, and the entire thing is contoured to avoid hard edges (like the corner of a printer or a UPS). It’s the kind of design that just makes you want to touch it, which speaks to the appealing nature of its design.
Like Secretlab’s armrests and neck pillows, it's exceptionally soft with a slow rebound when you remove pressure. I review chairs for a living and can say confidently that Secretlab's memory foam material is genuinely some of the best and most comfortable in the business – and I'm comparing it against the cushions on some of the biggest brands and most expensive chairs you can buy this side of being a CEO. It just cradles you, giving way around your weight but not pressing in on you once you’re settled. Secretlab lushly pads the Otto; there’s more than what you need, but it’s a darn good pillow for your legs.
It’s also adjustable in a way most others aren’t. Thus far, the only adjustment I've seen on competing footrests from gaming brands has been the aforementioned tilt on the hard, low stationary footrests and height on the rare Frankenstein models. One or the other, usually, but the Otto gives you both. Using levers on either side, you can raise or lower the chair three inches to match the height of your chair and sitting posture. The opposite lever unlocks its angle adjustment, allowing you to choose from 0°, 7.5°, 15°, 22.5°, or 30° support angles. Secretlab also includes distance as an adjustment point and, sure, you can pick it up using convenient handles on either side to make sure it supports your preferences (pun intended).
But, to be clear, those flat, floor footrests and ottomans like the Otto aren’t trying to be the same thing. They’re made for different purposes and if that’s what you’re after, Secretlab has a whole product line dedicated to that. In this space, the one that’s about supporting your legs and encouraging you to kick back with your feet up, usually all you’re getting is height adjustment, so the Otto is inherently more versatile for combining those two worlds.
These adjustments also allow it to fulfill multiple roles, which the company highlights in its included usage guide. If you move it close to the chair at its steepest angle, you get bloodflow-encouraging leg support and a more comfortable sitting experience while working or playing a game with a mouse and keyboard. Move it further away with a shallower angle and it fills the role of a full-on recliner.
But wait – Secretlab already has a product for that: the Secretlab Recliner. It’s an attachment that clamps onto the underside of your gaming chair (Secretlab only) and extends by pulling a lever. That accessory, which I loved when I reviewed it and still love to this day, tucks away under your chair and, by necessity, uses a much narrower pillow that can only support your calves. The Otto is bigger and the better choice if you prefer support for the whole leg instead.
With that, it doesn’t attach to the chair itself and instead stands on an X-shaped glass-reinforced nylon base. Its adjustable arm is made of metal and feels rock solid. I also dig the red accent just below the telescoping arm that raises the cushion.
Assembly, as you might imagine, is dead simple. The arm comes attached to the cushion, so all you have to do is slot on the base and tighten four screws with the included driver. I spent far more time cutting up and disposing of the packaging than I did putting it together, so don’t worry about needing to be handy to put this one together.
Secretlab Otto Adjustable Legrest – Performance
Earlier on, I mentioned how thoughtful the design of the Otto is, and because this is so clearly a luxury product, it's worth examining that when we analyze whether or not it's worth investing in.
Given its $299 price point, I expect the utmost when it comes to build quality, and it checks every box. The fit and finish is excellent. The stitching is impeccable. The small touches – like clean, tight cuts at the end of stitching runs so there’s no dangling strings – to the precision of the embroidery to give an almost royal, chevroned appearance. The top layer, where you touch, is slightly thicker than the sides, so you have a more durable, yet still soft, surface layer. Each lever is custom molded and sleekly labeled, and has a glossy accent badge. The red ring on the extending arm mentioned before adding its dash of color. Or the fact that the legs facing the chair on its base are shorter so you can tuck it right in without interfering with the chair’s movement… These are things that give it an intentionality of design and quality of execution befitting its high asking price.
And though you can use it with any gaming chair and aren't limited to Secretlab's catalog, if you do use it with a Titan Evo, you'll find that the contouring of the footrest is made to complement the contouring of the chair's seat. This makes sense both from a brand uniformity standpoint, but also because the contours of both have been designed to promote proper posture, pressure relief, and blood flow for long sitting sessions.
The versatility of its adjustment points allows the Otto to be more of a daily companion than a traditional footrest. Tucking it in close when typing allowed my legs to have a very slight angle, something so small that you wouldn’t think would make a difference. In practice, it’s obviously more comfortable right away. Moving it further away and using it like a traditional ottoman when reclining with a controller is just as good, and lends it more support than the existing recliner add-on due to its size.
This type of design gives it a larger footprint, however, so you'll need space under your desk. The X-shaped base and tilting mechanism allow it to almost slot-in in front of the chair, so you won’t need to give up nearly as much room as any other kind of ottoman. It’s much closer to the impact of a stationary floor footrest, which is impressive considering how much bigger this is. TL;DR: you’ll be able to tuck your chair in just fine as long as you have a little extra room under your desktop, but you will need a foot or so of free area.
Invincible VS will feature Battle Beast as a playable character.
Confirmation comes direct from Invincible creator Robert Kirkman’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, where a new trailer, below, showing Battle Beast in action was revealed.
Invincible VS is the upcoming 3v3 tag fighting game set in the Invincible universe. It’s developed by Skybound Entertainment’s first in-house game studio, Quarter Up. Already confirmed Invincible VS characters include Mark Grayson (Invincible), Atom Eve, Thula, Bulletproof, and Rex Splode. Check out IGN’s Invincible VS preview from June for more.
Here’s the official blurb on Battle Beast:
Battle Beast enters the arena with all the rage, strength and brutality fans know and love. His insatiable bloodlust has led him across the arena, using massive attack range and Super Armor to overpower opponents. Though slower in speed, his sheer power makes him a dominant “anchor” fighter capable of turning the tide of battle.
Warning! Spoilers for Invincible Season 3 follow:
In the Season 3 of Invincible, Battle Beast survives a brutal battle against a Viltrumite in space after a prison break. In the season finale he is found frozen and adrift by a ship from the Coalition of Planets and revived, setting the stage for his potential involvement in the Viltrumite War. He wants “more!”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
The minds behind South Park are feuding with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration after the long-running Comedy Central show aired an extended segment mocking the leader’s behavior and politics, among… other things.
Clips from last night’s South Park Season 27 premiere, titled Sermon on the ‘Mount, flooded social media feeds today as fans of all kinds gathered to see how creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone chose to pick apart the 47th President. While the heavily stylized, satirical series is known for its ruthless takedowns of celebrities, politicians, and everyone in between, its criticisms of Trump feel especially fierce.
The 22-minute episode begins quietly enough as the citizens of South Park seek answers from a president who can “only arrest and sue people” while making everyone’s lives far worse. After the entire town bands together, the show’s new take on Trump is revealed to be a much more accurate depiction of the sitting U.S. president.
Many familiar photographs of Trump, including what appears to be an edit of his infamous 2023 mugshot, are used to portray the character, who has a funny-yet-familiar voice and mouth that separates his chin from the top of his head. This version of Trump then proceeds to take flak for inflicting tariffs on Canada, bombing Iran, and more, calling direct attention to real-world events that have transpired since 2025 began.
Parker and Stone only heat up their criticisms from there, as the show follows a Trump that laughs while threatening to sue White House artists for painting him in a particular way.
“Why is my dick so small?” South Park Trump asks the artists at one point during the Season 27 premiere.
A similar jab can be seen multiple times throughout the episode, as Trump can then be seen taking all of his clothes off before getting into bed with Satan. On more than one occasion, South Park Trump’s behavior, voice, actions, and dialogue also suggest the character is a new version of the South Park movie’s Saddam Hussein, who features many of the exact same traits.
Trump White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers released a statement addressing how the South Park Season 27 premiere depicted the President.
“The Left’s hypocrisy truly has no end — for years they have come after South Park for what they labeled as ‘offense’ [sic] content, but suddenly they are praising the show,” Trump White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Rolling Stone.
“Just like the creators of South Park, the Left has no authentic or original content, which is why their popularity continues to hit record lows. This show hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention. President Trump has delivered on more promises in just six months than any other president in our country’s history — and no fourth-rate show can derail President Trump’s hot streak.”
It’s unclear if future episodes of South Park will continue to lambast Trump and his actions, but Parker and Stone do include one last stinger toward the end of the new episode. Just before its conclusion, one of 50 of what are called the “South Park Pro-Trump” PSAs is played. In the clip, what appears to be a live-action deepfake of Trump can be seen shuffling through the desert before removing all of his clothes.
“His penis is teeny tiny, but his love for us is large,” the PSA voiceover says.
So can we talk about how Cartman saying "I love you man" to Butters during the end credits was actually Trey saying that to Matt in case it's all over for South Parkpic.twitter.com/oiK2i08EVt
As the episode comes to an end, Eric Cartman (Parker) and Butters (Stone) deliver one last line that seemingly pokes fun at fears of cancelation following its criticisms of Trump. It’s one of a few other moments from the premiere touching on the controversy surrounding its parent company, Paramount, and the lawsuit it recently settled with Trump for $16 million.
The case saw the President sue Paramount based on accusations that CBS News had deceptively edited an interview with 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The deal had previously faced criticism from Stephen Colbert of The Late Show, which CBS announced was coming to an end after 33 years on the air just last week. Colbert had called the settlement “a big fat bribe” just days earlier.
“I didn’t want to come back and be in the school, but I had to because it was part of a lawsuit and the agreement with Paramount,” South Park’s Jesus Christ says through clenched teeth in the Season 27 premiere. “The guy can do whatever he wants now that someone backed down, OK?”
The character continues: “You guys saw what happened to CBS? Yeah, well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount! Do you really wanna end up like Colbert?”
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).
Let's make this simple: You want to know if there are any post- or mid-credits scenes in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The answer is yes, there's both.
There’s a lot riding on The Fantastic Four: First Steps. It’s the film that finally introduces the iconic team to the MCU (even if they aren’t on the right Earth just yet). It’s a film that’s striving to do big box office numbers in a very crowded summer movie season and coming off the heels of two underperforming Marvel movies. And, of course, it’s directly laying the foundation for 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday and the rise of Robert Downey, Jr.’s Doctor Doom.
We'll get into the specifics of how First Steps ends and how it does (or doesn't) set up Doomsday when our full Ending Explained breakdown drops tomorrow. But for now, there's one all-important question that needs to be answered.
Does The Fantastic Four: First Steps Have Any Post-Credits Scenes?
Come on, this is a Marvel movie. Of course it does.
Sticking to the traditional MCU formula, First Steps includes both a mid- and a post-credits scene. They're both worth sticking around for, albeit for very different reasons.
So there you have it. Check back here on Friday for our full ending explained update.
IGN's Clint Gage gave The Fantastic Four: First Steps a 7 out of 10 in his review, writing, "With The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Matt Shakman directs a film that’s for sure interesting to look at even if it doesn’t quite rise to the scale of its planet-eating antagonist, a force of cosmic nature that doubles as a metaphor for parenting in a way that makes me feel seen as a father. These First Steps might not be the great strides I was hoping for, but they are sure footing for the Fantastic Four to officially leap into the MCU."
If there is one moment of real connection in director and co-writer Joseph Khan’s frenzied horror-comedy Ick, it occurs less than three minutes before the ending credits begin to roll. After managing to escape a lengthy tentacle monster attack during what ends up being a rather deadly prom, a surviving teen asks, “Are we done now, or…?” After nearly an hour and a half of being whisked from half-baked scene to half-baked scene, watching absolute bedlam practically materialize out of thin air, and struggling to recall any details from prior scenes that could help me understand how we arrived to certain seemingly major developments, I found myself asking the very same thing.
Early peeks at this nostalgia-fueled alien thriller promised commentary on the dangers of mass apathy shrouded in big laughs and pulpy action, all to the tune of early 2000s radio royalty like All-American Rejects and Wheatus. Instead, Ick skips past any sharp satire with its almost punishing pace and a broken jukebox approach to sentimentality with needledrops so on-the-nose that they’re rendered ineffective. To make matters worse, the actual storytelling isn’t comprehensive enough (nor are the jokes funny enough) to save any of it with memorable characters or any sort of payoff at the end.
Ick follows (or, more accurately, attempts to keep up with) Hank Wallace (Brandon Routh) a former high school football star who endures a rather lengthy rough patch between his teen years and middle-aged adulthood, when he eventually becomes a science teacher at his old high school. This rough patch, I must add, is fully documented in a whirlwind montage that crams far too much backstory in the almost eight minutes before the title card even appears. The wall-to-wall, whooshing quick cuts feel visually reminiscent of Shaun of the Dead or Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (where Routh also appeared in a funny cameo). But unlike those instances, where speedy cuts were only sparsely and strategically used as scene transitions, this panicky pacing carries on throughout the entirety of Ick.
It’s consistently overwhelming, downright sloppy in places, and there doesn’t appear to be a good enough reason for the breakneck tempo in the first place: it doesn’t effectively enhance the story’s comedic or frightening qualities. It does, however, add to the confusion by trying to pack more into 90 minutes than that timeframe can accommodate, making the whole ordeal feel much longer than it actually is.
There isn’t any explanation as to where the Ick came from or why it suddenly needs to attack at all.
Ick’s bewildering temperament is made more aggravating by the story’s near-refusal to dig below the surface of anything, even when the dormant creature known as the Ick inexplicably reaches a critical mass and begins attacking the town. There isn’t any solid explanation as to where the Ick came from, how this small town has managed to coexist with it for decades (while it was dormant, its slimy tendrils were still visibly everywhere), or why it suddenly needs to attack at all. Perhaps it’s just a visual ode to iconic horror, or commentary on how time and complacency has desensitized the general public amid serious danger, but failing to metaphorically tie this tentacled blob to any societal ill feels like a missed opportunity.
The same lack of exploration also applies to the town’s occupants, who are nothing more than thinly rendered high school archetypes. Routh, for his part, seems to loosen up halfway through and lean into the foolishness when he’s not attempting to play the part earnestly, but those scenes don’t last long enough to allow his or anyone else’s performance (such as the criminally underwritten Mena Suvari as Hank’s high school girlfriend) room to breathe. Ick also doesn’t appear to press all that hard against the well-worn cliches that Hank represents beyond the fallen hometown hero. Early scenes touch on the hypersexual nature of ‘90s-era high school thrillers and the desperation to cling to former glory, but not enough to make any hearty observations or even crank out a few cheeky digs.
Ick’s younger cast, led by Malina Pauli Weissman as the Gen Z voice of reason, Grace, largely exist to lampoon #wokeness. Some of it works, like in the case of Harrison Cone’s Dylan, who weaponizes his feigned social awareness to get away with being a creep and a bully. Beyond that, the angle doesn’t yield any creative jokes or insights that might’ve at least made the pokes at basic empathy worth it. Even Grace’s supposed twist of a storyline feels like an haphazardly inserted afterthought amongst the mayhem that goes nowhere.
To its credit, Ick’s special effects are mostly serviceable.
As the Ick ramps up in presence, the action mainly remains one-note: Inky roots creep up the bodies of victims, seemingly siphons their life force, then fully possess their new host, lather, rinse, repeat. To its credit, Ick’s special effects are mostly serviceable, even if the action they support is largely forgettable. Sprawling and invasive, the monster does look fairly menacing, even in its dormant state. There are definitely scenes when the attacks reach peak aggression and the quality begins to look strained, but as a nod to the classic creature features of yesteryear (which Kahn clearly harbors an appreciation for) it actually fits.
Still, Ick’s big, climactic moments aren't particularly memorable and we aren’t given a reason or chance to care enough about the characters to feel anything about their fate, positive or negative. At most, the mounting danger results in a refreshing cameo from Debra Wilson, who lands the movie’s best wisecracks as an overextended and ultimately unhelpful military leader. She also delivers on one of the more overt themes: the ineffectiveness of government during times of real crisis. The commentary’s a little light, but it is there, for what it’s worth.
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of Ick is its failure to really nail the nostalgia beyond a somewhat predictable soundtrack, a misstep that really only matters when nostalgia is a central part of the story. Film and TV are rife with examples of well-placed music – Netflix’s Beef, for instance, is a buffet of expertly deployed early 2000s bops that bring heft or energy to its more emotional moments. Ick, on the other hand, opts for the spray n' pray method of musical direction, throwing the era’s most obvious pop-rock tunes into a blender without much thought other than to say, “Hey, remember Hoobastank?” The choices aren’t terribly inspired or all that exciting, which is especially baffling considering Kahn’s extremely diverse videography as an award-winning music video director. It’s a soundtrack you’ve heard time and time again, and putting it in this context doesn’t merit a revisit.
So much of this would be forgivable – the one-note characters, the exaggerated visual cues, even the myopic view of the era’s music – if Ick actually took the time to say anything meaningful. But if Kahn has any real perspective on the state of our society or the era of film this is meant to reflect, it’s almost entirely overshadowed by chaotic editing and a startling lack of cohesion.
Connexion
