© Tyrone Siu/REUTERS
© Jenny Kane/AP
© Tyrone Siu/REUTERS
© Jenny Kane/AP
C’est grâce à l’association 3 Hit Combo (dont NoFrag est membre) que l’on a découvert que le Centre tchèque de Paris proposait Infinite Universes – Czech Games and Their Global Success, une exposition sur les jeux tchèques entre le 5 décembre 2025 et le 14 mars 2026. Vous allez nous dire qu’on n’en a rien à foutre, mais on s’est rendu compte que certains développeurs tchèques se retrouvaient souvent dans nos colonnes. On peut notamment citer Warhorse Studios pour Kingdom Come: Deliverance et Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Bohemia Interactive pour la série Arma, MADFINGER Games pour Gray Zone Warfare ou le développeur solo Spytihněv pour HROT. On ne peut pas faire plus dans le thème !
D’après la description sur le site officiel, il ne s’agit pas que d’une mise en avant des jeux, c’est aussi une exploration du processus créatif, des thèmes ou des méthodes artistiques employées. On a un peu de mal à savoir ce qu’il y aura derrière cette présentation un peu pompeuse, mais si on se base sur l’édition de Londres, il y a l’air d’avoir quelques jeux à manipuler. Ça semble tout de même moins interactif que l’excellent musée du jeu vidéo de l’association MO5 à Arcueil, mais il y a plus de FPS, alors pourquoi pas ?
Si ça vous intéresse, vous pouvez faire un tour à l’exposition Infinite Universes – Czech Games and Their Global Success au Centre tchèque de Paris, du jeudi au samedi de 13 heures à 19 heures.
La semaine dernière, nos réseaux se sont agités autour de la sortie d’un mod pour Quake intitulé Quake Brutalist Jam III. On n’a plus trop l’habitude de parler des mods, parce qu’on n’a déjà pas le temps de parler de tous les jeux qui sortent. Mais là, c’est un peu spécial : il s’agit d’une anthologie de niveaux créés pendant un an par une communauté de moddeurs. Et le résultat est assez massif, puisqu’il propose 77 maps remplies de nouvelles armes, nouveaux monstres et nouveaux power-ups.
On est évidemment allés tester, et le feeling est toujours aussi bon. Aucune raison de ne pas l’essayer si vous aimez les fast-FPS. En plus, pas besoin d’avoir Quake, il est possible d’installer un standalone, qui intègre le portage sur Ironwail engine, un moteur open source.
Si ça vous intéresse, vous pouvez récupérer Quake Brutalist Jam III en version mod ou standalone en vous rendant sur Slipgate Sightseer, un site a priori dédié aux mods de Quake. Encore plus niche que NoFrag. Incroyable.
© Ian Willms for The New York Times
I'm actually seeing more deals on prebuilt gaming PCs and solid laptops than usual, which is very strange considering we're in the middle of a chip shortage where RAM, DRAM, and solid-state storage are concerned. Whilst component prices are shooting up, products already on the market are dropping, and I've got some cracking examples in today's Daily Deals to build on from yesterday's finds.
Laptops and PCs focused on gamers are currently available for every kind of budget, and with people looking at older GPUs and RAM to put into their builds to save money, this is the time to push the button on a new build or laptop before newer models come in with that AI-fuelled price increase. I've never known a time like this in the PC gaming space; it's like buying a Pokémon card whilst the price is low but you know it's about to skyrocket.
I've also found even more deals on gaming accessories, CPUs, gaming monitors, gaming TVs, and some hot Apple MacBook and iPad deals. Let's get into it:
The best gaming laptop for the money here is the MSI Vector 16 HX AI for $1,648. Granted, the processor isn't as good as the $2,099.00 ROG Strix, but it's still more than capable at backing up the packed-in RTX 5070 Ti laptop GPU and rocks 16GB DDR5, which is plenty for solid high-frame 1440p gaming. The 512GB SSD isn't ideal, but it's an easy upgrade down the line. You could, of course, double your RAM, get a better CPU, and get a 2TB M.2 SSD with the ROG Strix G16, but I don't personally think it's worth the extra $450 to get there.
The Alienware Aurora is the cheapest build here, but it's only got an RTX 5060 Ti. That's fine if you just want a 1080p gaming machine for Fortnite, but frankly, you're paying some brand tax even after a cheeky discount.
Whilst I'd love for everyone to have $2.6k to spend on a liquid-cooled Radeon RX 9070 XT build, I'd go with the HP OMEN 45L for $2,284.99. 32GB DDR5 RAM is going to be relevant for years to come, and that also means your motherboard is good for any DDR5 or Intel CPU upgrades down the line (check that socket type before you do!). With DLSS 4.5 and 6x Frame Generation either just dropping or coming later this Spring, an RTX 5070 Ti is going to be plenty of power for a solid 1440p experience. You could even try and push to 4K with some lower settings, but 1440p is 100% the sweet spot for PC gaming with ridiculous frame rates.
If you're more about the Apple ecosystem, hats have to go off to their unified memory and M4/M5 SoCs. They're bloody rapid and perfect for all kinds of productivity and creative work, but gaming not so much. Any opportunity to shave off some Apple brand tax is a good deal, and I personally love iPad Pro M5s combined with an Apple Pencil for 3D sculpting, drawing, and painting. It's a seamless and smooth experience that rivals dedicated drawing tablets.
If you're wanting to put a Threadripper into your gaming setup, then you're wasting your money. But if you need some of the fastest rendering times, run complex simulations, manage engineering workloads, or run compile farms (and yes, fine-tuning, inference, and data pre-processing AI/machine learning), this is the CPU to get. It will also unlock support for large Gen 5 PCIe lanes, ECC DDR5 support, and AVX-512 acceleration. If none of this makes sense to you, this likely isn't an investment you need to make. But for the right person, all of these Threadripper deals are a steal.
PC gaming belongs on gaming monitors, mostly due to them supporting far higher frame rates, G-SYNC/FreeSync support, and low latency. You won't be playing Fortnite at 170 FPS on any TV in 2026, sadly, but a gaming monitor will get you there depending on your budget.
That's not to say TVs aren't getting close. TCL is knocking out 120–140Hz on some of their latest panels up to 98 inches. They're more than capable of handling PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Switch 2, and PCs too. It just depends on how you want your setup to look and how you want to play.
It's the most expensive on this list, but SteelSeries gear really is quality. Every keyboard and mouse I've tried from them felt amazing and purpose-made for my fat sausage fingers. In all honesty, every product listed is fantastic, but I personally would always go for SteelSeries. You've got their magical HyperMagnetic switches, which feel super responsive with a lovely bounce-back, and my Apex Pro TKL Wired Gen 3 handles absolutely everything from writing the words you're reading to Diablo IV to Fortnite.
If you want a prebuilt gaming PC with legs and room for larger GPU upgrades down the line with ample cooling, I'd go with the Skytech Shadow Gaming PC. It's a good entry point for 1080p, high frame-rate gaming. Unlike the Storm and Crystal models, you're getting DDR5 RAM and an RTX 5060 Ti, which boasts higher performance over the standard 5060 and 5050 GPUs. Plus, the cheaper models only have a DDR4 RAM motherboard. If you're looking for a cheap build before RAM, GPU and SSD prices skyrocket, Skytech Shadow is a fair price by parts comparison and sets you up for future GPU upgrades without the worry of also replacing RAM and the motherboard.
If you'd prefer a gaming laptop, I'd 100% pay the extra $120 to get the Ryzen AI 9 270 CPU and RTX 5070 Mobile GPU. Yes, you're getting the same 32GB DDR5 RAM and 1TB SSD, but you're getting far better performance from the CPU and GPU.
Gaming keyboards all do the same job more or less; it mostly comes down to the different type of switches and keycaps you prefer. If you like a low-profile laptop keyboard, Razer Joro is a good pick. If you want clicky button presses, wireless functionality and all the bells and whistles you could possibly want on a keyboard, ASUS ROG Azoth Extreme Wireless is $100 off right now.
A solid mid-range pick would be the Razer BlackWidow V4 Mini HyperSpeed Wireless. It has a massive 200-hour battery with quiet orange switches and pudding keycaps. For a budget gaming keyboard, I'd highly recommend Glorious GMMK for a cheeky 10% off right now. It has brown mechanical switches, which serve as a great hybrid for work and gaming. Plus, it's modular, making it a great modding platform.
Again, it really comes down to preference when it comes to gaming mice. I prefer having something I can grip with some curves built into the sides. When it comes to a cheap wired option that's built well and has some RGB to make me game faster, I'd go for Glorious Model D (Minus) at a reasonable $28.68.
If we're talking wireless, I'd shell out $99.99 for ASUS ROG Keris II. The battery life is a respectable 127 hours, has up to 42K DPI alongside tri-mode connectivity. It's a versatile and responsive bit of kit with the ergonomics I look for in gaming mice.
Half the challenge of going to the gym is getting into the mindset to get in there and put some graft in; it's intimidating for a lot of people. Luckily, there are a couple of ways to get a fantastic workout at home. The first route is equipment with a service, specifically Peloton. The deal is you can either pick a treadmill or exercise bike, grab a subscription and get that personal trainer experience in the comfort of your own home with all the bells and whistles of the latest high-tech, gym-quality equipment.
If you just want to go at your own pace whilst having quality gym equipment at home, EVKRun’s treadmill is $180 off right now at $399.98. It supports up to 400lbs, has 3.5HP and reaches speeds of up to 8.5MPH. If you're more interested in toning up over cardio, Pooboo's Power Cage is a squat rack, lateral pull-down system backed by a dual pulley cable configuration. It also includes various strength training attachments at a tidy $400 discount down to $1,199.99.
Even if you're just looking for a power backup that you can charge at the wall, Portable Power Stations are products that you think you don't need until you get a power cut or you need some electricity whilst camping for a number of reasons.
I use an Anker SOLIX Power Station as a fail-safe for my office and gaming setup. If I have a power cut or surge, I have absolutely nothing to fear. Not only do I have that added protection of the Power Station keeping the electricity flowing as it should to my PC, but it gives me backup power to save my work or game progress before using it for something really important, like keeping my kids warm.
Picking a solar panel option makes sure you can stay powered on when camping or sitting in a field doing nothing whilst ignoring nature and gaming. Perfection.
Amazon is putting out some decent pricing, with my favorite pick here being the "Game Edition" of Cloud Strife-themed Limit Break Commander Deck. It's around the same price as TCGPlayer, making it market value, with the artwork being based on in-game moments instead of the traditional MTG artwork.
The same can be said for the Marvel's Spider-Man Play Booster Box containing 30 booster packs with the following:
• 14 Magic: The Gathering cards
• 1–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher
• 3–6 Uncommon cards
• 6–9 Common cards
• 1 Land card (Traditional Foil Land replaces a Land in 20% of boosters)
• 1 card of any rarity is Traditional Foil; Foil Showcase Mythic Rare in 1% of boosters
Meanwhile, TCGPlayer is the place to go for MTG preorders. It's the cheapest for the Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box and Bundle, with the next Universes Beyond entry Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Play Booster Box, Turtle Power! Commander Deck and Bundle, the latter being over $15 cheaper than Amazon.
There's some gorgeous Final Fantasy scene boxes coming in cheaper than Amazon too, not to mention the standard Limit Break Commander Deck being just under $5 cheaper on TCGPlayer. It pays to shop around for sure.
This beast is loaded with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, 32GB DDR5-6400MHz RAM, and a 1TB SSD. That alone sells this system with the custom cooling that makes Alienware's Area-51 builds worth the premium. The good news is we're seeing a rare discount on something that has an RTX 5090 in it, a solid 10%, or $550 off, knocking this build down to $5,049.99. What's not to love?
Thanks to my kids destroying countless USB cables over the years, I know what makes a USB-C charging cable that lasts. Braided wins out over rubber cable every day of the week due to its flexibility and durability. Thick caps on either side protecting the port will also be a lifesaver, but getting 240W-capable cables can sometimes cost a fortune.
Not today! You can get Lisen’s 6.6ft double pack for a ridiculously reasonable $5.60. These will handle fast charging for pretty much everything you can think of, from a mobile phone or Switch 2 to a MacBook. Even if you don't need a new cable, it's worth buying spares when deals like this crop up.
Cleaning dust or crumbs out of your keyboard is a pain. No-one likes doing it and it takes ages to brush them all out. I was in the "Why the hell do I need an electric duster" camp, but then I bought one and I’m using it quite a lot.
I use mine to clear out vents, fans, GPU and more inside my PC, and even use it to get to hard-to-reach places in the car and on my desk. They're very handy to have in your desk drawer and it’s a great deal for $20.
Well, the good news is you can get the Phantasmal Flames Elite Trainer Box with Prime delivery without getting stung. It has nine booster packs, a gorgeous Charcadet Illustration Rare promo, Mega Charizard X–themed sleeves, card dividers, a tournament-legal coin, alongside some nice-looking dice.
Cynthia’s Garchomp ex Premium Collection has four Journey Together and two Destined Rivals booster packs, so if Trainer Pokémon cards are your thing, you’re good to go.
If it were me making a choice from the TCGPlayer selection here, I’d go for the Destined Rivals Booster Bundle. It’s $13 cheaper than Amazon right now and works out at $4.66 per booster pack, which is one of the best prices I’ve seen for Destined Rivals booster packs recently.
If you want a decent Mega ex card for your Grass-type deck, I’d recommend the Mega Venusaur ex Premium Collection. If you run Meganium alongside it from Mega Evolution, you can double your Grass Energy value while being able to move a Grass Energy from one Pokémon to another thanks to their abilities. That means you can set up and use Mega Venusaur ex’s “Jungle Dump” attack for 240 damage in one turn (it costs four Grass Energy).
You’ll also get the following booster packs:
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.
© Rajah Bose for The New York Times
I went in intending to bookmark one or two deals and came out with a full-blown identity crisis about my free time. This list is stacked with more than a few all-timers, some are deeply silly, and a few are dangerously cheap for how much of your soul they will consume. Consider yourself warned.
Contents
In retro news, I’m celebrating the 22nd birthday of Street Fighter Alpha 3 on GBA, a near impossibly good take of the PS One version. Though the BGMs and voice SFX weren’t always authentic, and the fighters had fewer animation frames, Crawfish Interactive otherwise shoryukened this shoehorned-down port out of the park. I got much RSI of the thumbs playing this on the go (especially using the “portable only” fighter additions of Yun, Eagle, Ingrid, and Maki). That progressed to early-onset arthritis when a mate got his own cart and a Ryu/Ken rivalry ensued via Game Link Cable.
Aussie birthdays for notable games.
- Street Fighter Alpha 3 (GBA) 2003. Redux
- Story of Seasons (3DS) 2016. Get
Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.
Xbox One
Or just invest in an Xbox Card.
PS4
Or purchase a PS Store Card.
Or just get a Steam Wallet Card
Adam Mathew is a passionate connoisseur, a lifelong game critic, and an Aussie deals wrangler who genuinely wants to hook you up with stuff that's worth playing (but also cheap). He plays practically everything, sometimes on YouTube.
The Dungeon Crawler Carl series is getting a new entry this year and you can already preorder yourself a copy. The popular LitRPG series has been seeing an explosion in sales over the last few years, but for those of us who have been reading since the very beginning, the wait for book eight has been the longest yet. The new book from Matt Dinniman is officially titled "Parade of Horribles" and is set to release on May 12, 2026.
Preorders for this book are now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and pretty much every other online bookstore available. Cover art has yet to be revealed for the hardcover edition.
If you're looking to get your preorder in early, your overall best option is Amazon. Not only is the hardcover edition cheapest there already, Amazon also offers a preorder price guarantee that ensures you'll pay the lowest price no matter when you place your order. That means if you preorder now and Amazon drops the price even further before May 12, you'll pay that lower price when your book actually ships. Amazon also offers free release day delivery, so you'll be able to read your copy on the day it comes out.
If you prefer to listen to books rather than read them yourself, the audiobook will be coming out on May 12 as well. The audiobooks are very much worth your time if you haven't already listened to them. Voice actor Jeff Hayes does an incredible job voicing all of the different characters in the Audible version and he's back for the latest book once again. You can test out the first book with an Audible free trial and see for yourself.
We don't yet have any official information about what Parade of Horribles is about, but we do know that Carl and Donut are officially moving on to the next floor (Floor 10) and the Dungeon AI is officially expanding its reach. While we don't know what exactly to expect on the next floor of the Dungeon, the voice actor for the audiobooks did a live read of a boss battle in the upcoming book that features a Kangaroo with a bad Australian accent. So do with that what you will
Jacob Kienlen is a Senior Audience Development Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor's degree in communication and over 8 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different pop culture topics -- from TV series to indie games and books.
Kathryn Hahn (Agatha All Along, The Studio) is reportedly in talks to play Mother Gothel in Disney’s live-action Tangled remake.
Information about a popular fancast potentially coming true originates from a Deadline report. The site says Hahn hasn’t yet locked down the role of the villain for the reimagining of the Disney animated classic, but if she does, it will make a lot of fans online very happy.
Hahn, who is known for her work with Marvel, the Glass Onion Knives Out follow-up, The Visit, and more, has long been picked as the fan-favorite to play Mother Gothel. The conniving, evil parent to Rapunzel was at one point set to be played by another Marvel veteran with Scarlett Johansson, but she departed the project after talks for her joining The Batman 2 heated up. When the spot became vacant once again, fans were quick to bring Hahn back into the conversation.
With Hahn now in the mix, it’s clear Tangled is picking up steam as it climbs its way to an eventual theatrical release. The project was first announced in 2024 as the latest live-action Disney retelling but was later temporarily paused after Snow White failed to impress audiences. No release date is set for Tangled yet, but just yesterday, it was announced that Disney had found its Rapunzel and Flynn Rider in Teagan Croft (Titans) and Milo Manheim (Zombies).
It’s unclear how the live-action Tangled remake will update the 2010 animated film. What is clear, however, is that Hahn fans are already getting their hopes up for a casting confirmation.
WE ARE ABOUT TO WIN! According to Deadline Kathryn Hahn is in talks to play Mother Gothel in the new upcoming “Tangled” Live-action movie.
— Kathryn Hahn Updates (@hahnupdates) January 8, 2026
🔗: https://t.co/T20hojTUo2 pic.twitter.com/cUfXAQ72GQ
im against this movie as a concept but a kathryn hahn performance of mother knows best… https://t.co/Nz4JDOufCg pic.twitter.com/ECBnzWSEJb
— sarah 🧟 (@spideyysarah) January 8, 2026
We’ll hopefully learn more about the Tangled remake in the months ahead. In the meantime, you can read our Tangled review of the original film. You can also check out our list of the 25 best animated Disney films of all time and read up on a remake centered on Beauty and the Beast villain Gaston.
Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
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The Mexican American artist was scheduled to give two concerts for young people on February 7
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