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LEGO Minecraft Sets Are Getting Big Discounts as the New Minecraft Movie Hits Theaters

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, IGN

LEGO and Minecraft fit together perfectly. The popular game is all about using your imagination to build just about anything out of digital blocks, and LEGO is the ideal medium to bring that into the real world. There are already a ton of LEGO Minecraft sets out there and more are on the way. Now that A Minecraft Movie is in theaters, Amazon is offering some pretty steep discounts on older sets that are actually really cool.

Although there were some newer Minecraft Movie LEGO sets released earlier this year, none of those have gone on sale. If you’re a fan of the game itself and not just interested because of the new movie, however, the sets that are on sale are worth a look.

The Best Minecraft LEGO Sets on Sale at Amazon Today

Although there are other LEGO Minecraft deals available on Amazon, the two options we’ve featured here are the best overall savings. First there’s The Sword Outpost set, which is recognizable by the massive sword backdrop, of course. At just over $30, this is the lowest price we’ve seen on this set all year and close to the lowest-ever price on Amazon. It also comes with quite a few minifigures, including Skeleton and Creeper mobs. With only 427 pieces, it’s fairly easy to put together in an afternoon and can be easily displayed or played with once you’re done.

The second discount we’ve highlighted here is The Deep Dark Battle Set. At $44.49, this is the lowest price we’ve ever seen on this LEGO Minecraft set. This particular set takes you to the Deep Dark and offers some cool functionality for kids. There’s a knob included in the build that lets you raise and lower the Warden. The tower can also “explode” with a built-in switch. You only get two minifigures with this set, but each one comes with armor and weapons you can equip them with.

See more popular LEGO Minecraft sets

What About the Minecraft Movie LEGO Sets?

There have only been two Minecraft Movie LEGO sets released so far: The Ghast Balloon Village Attack and Woodland Mansion Fighting Ring. Both of these sets reflect specific scenes from the movie and include minifigures of the characters, including Jack Black as Steve.

You Can Play as the Moo Moo Meadows Cow in Mario Kart World and the Internet Is Thrilled

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, IGN

I’m sorry to everyone who was in earshot of me when the Mario Kart World trailer dropped at yesterday’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. Because when I saw this, I screamed:

Yes, if you somehow haven’t heard/didn’t notice, Mario Kart World has gone absolutely nuts on what characters are allowed to drive motor vehicles this time around. While Super Smash Bros. has taken the path of adding characters from every Nintendo-adjacent franchise imaginable to its roster, Mario Kart has gone the other way by digging deep into Mario lore and adding every single goofy little guy you’ve ever seen to the line-up of kart racers. Right down to one of the cows populating Moo Moo Meadows in Mario Kart 8.

The Moo Moo, or just Cow as they’re referred to in the official roster, is getting special attention online from the community. Already, people are drawing up fanart to celebrate this cute, goofy, seemingly random edition to a line-up that, up til now, has largely included the Mario series’ most famous and beloved characters.

Cow-kun By @risumilk
byu/ToonAdventure inmariokart

[OC] Mario and Moo Moo Meadows cow doodle
byu/SteamedHammios98 inmariokart

Cow from Mario Kart World. 🐮 By @eto2d
byu/ToonAdventure inMario

They’re also, predictably, making all sorts of of memes:

Cow Cow Cow Cow
byu/KuSauXe inmariokart

The addition of Cow has also led to some… interesting speculation. For instance, in one shot in the trailer, Mario consumes a burger. Will Cow also consume a burger at some point in the game? What does this mean, philosophically, for Cow?

Imagine if the cow gets a transformation costume.
byu/Shinuto94 inmariokart

What’s more, does this mean we’ll get to see Cow wearing a variety of costumes like the other characters? Can we race as Cow in Moo Moo Meadows? How do all the other cows feel about this? How did a Cow get a driver’s license anyway?

We just went hands-on with Mario Kart World at a special Nintendo event, and yes, we did play as Cow. Cow was one of our favorite playable characters, and we’re excited to find out more about some of the other unlockable weird little guys we’ve seen on the courses, and potential funky costumes we might eventually see Cow donning. Hopefully Cow doesn’t have to eat a burger first.

We’ve got everything you need to know about Mario Kart World and the Nintendo Switch 2 here at IGN, from tons of new details about both, to why the hardware and games are so dang expensive.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

The 5 Best Gaming Laptops: IGN’s 2025 Picks for PC Gamers

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, IGN

If you want a gaming PC that can follow wherever you may roam, a gaming laptop is likely your best bet. While desktop parts will usually still beat out a gaming laptop, the best of them offer excellent performance in the latest games. Best of all, some models are able to offer peak performance while still remaining thin and light, like the Razer Blade 16, which is my pick for the all-around best gaming laptop of 2025 so far.

TL;DR – These Are the Best Gaming Laptops:

The first thing I always recommend to people hunting for a new gaming laptop is to consider is what PC games they actually hope to play. The second is what settings they hope to play them at. These two questions can guide your purchase to higher- or lower-end hardware and what trade-offs you’re willing to make. Now more than ever, gaming laptops come in every shape and size, from thin and light devices to moderately heavy powerhouses like the Gigabyte Aorus Master 16. Larger performance-driven laptops (like the ones that come with a 4K display) achieve their enhanced performance with more powerful, and power-hungry, components, which means sacrificing on portability, battery life, and fan noise.

There are countless to choose from a ton of different gaming laptop brands, and finding the best for you can be more than a little daunting. I’ve tested dozens over the years, and I have a deep understanding of what it takes for a laptop to ascend to greatness for different types of gamers and can confidently say: These are the best gaming laptops of 2025 so far.

Looking for discounts on laptops like these? Check out our guide to the best gaming laptop deals.

1. Razer Blade 16 (2025)

Best Overall Gaming Laptop

Let’s get this out of the way: The Razer Blade 16 isn’t the most powerful RTX 50-series laptop. Instead, this notebook earns my top pick because of sum of its parts. See, the team at Razer understood that a huge crosssection of laptop gamers carry their machines with them every day, and flat-out making it nicer to use while also being powerful can dramatically enhance the use experience. And, as an extra, if you’re willing to invest in Razer’s laptop cooling pad, you can unlock the full wattage for performance that goes toe-to-toe with other RTX 5090 laptops.

Make no mistake: The Razer Blade 16 is still a gaming beast. In my review, I threw everything and the kitchen sink at it and there was nothing it couldn’t run well on its crisp 1600p OLED screen. While running those games and benchmarks, the system stayed surprisingly quiet. This is a gaming laptop you could use in a school library without attracting attention.

It’s true that a high-powered RTX 5080 like the Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 also recommended in this guide will get you similar, if not better, performance. What most other laptops can’t offer, though, is the Blade 16’s level of portability and noise.

Measuring just 0.59 inches at its thinnest point, it’s a marked improvement from its predecessor and, well, most gaming laptops with such powerful hardware. It also weighs only 4.7lbs; you won’t forget it’s there, but it won’t leave your back and shoulders sore from lugging it around every day. That portabilty makes it more appealing as a daily carry, so I didn’t second guess taking it with me every day even when I might not actually need it.

The Blade 16 does a great job of feeling like the premium product it is. The chassis is milled from a single block of aluminum and feels solid and robust. It also helps with heat dissipation, but solid engineering ensures that the keyboard never gets more than warm while gaming. Its screen is also excellent with impressive factory calibration and multiple professional color modes that allow it to be used for creative applications straight out of the box. It’s per-key RGB keyboard is completely programmable, complete with SOCD (Snap Tap) and macro support to better emulate a dedicated gaming keyboard.

On top of that, it also offers great battery life while gaming. Thanks to the new advancements in how the RTX 50-series handles power management, you can play games for around two hours instead of one or less like last generation.

The Razer Blade 16 is an excellent laptop that, while pricey, is something special in this space. If you want a great gaming laptop that will impress you with its portability, look no further.

2. MSI Thin A15 AI

Best Budget Gaming Laptop

The MSI Thin A15 AI offers great FHD gaming performance at a reasonable price. At less than $1,000, it offers an impressive array of specs that are more than up to the task of 1080p gaming and even open the door to streaming and content creation. Best of all, as you might have guessed from the name, it does this in a package that’s comparatively thin and light for a gaming laptop.

Its portability might lead you to believe it wouldn’t be able to keep up with the latest games, but in fact, the opposite is true. By going for a 1080p screen (that runs at a smooth 144Hz), its Nvidia RTX 4060 is perfectly suited to dialing up settings and enjoying the bells and whistles your games have to offer. It also comes with an AMD Ryzen 9 8845HS processor that includes eight cores and 16 threads and is able to hit a peak clock speed of 5.2GHz. The laptop also comes with 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB NVMe SSD, ensuring that you won’t run short on memory or storage.

It’s a killer machine that I recommend for anyone on a budget, but there are some trade-offs you make to bring home this kind of performance sub-$1,000. Foremost is cooling. More to the point, noise. Thin gaming laptops often have roaring fans to dissipate the heat, and the A15 is no exception. It also has static backlighting for the keyboard, so your customization options are more limited. In my opinion, the hardware you’re getting in exchange is more than worth the sacrifices it takes to get there. If you go for it, I recommend pairing it with one of the best laptop cooling pads.

3. Gigabyte Aorus Master 16

Best High-End Gaming Laptop

In reviewing the Gigabyte Aorus Master 16, this laptop surprised me. Coming hot on the heels from testing the Razer Blade 16, my top pick for this guide, the size and weight of this laptop put me off, but there’s no arguing with how great it performs. The RTX 5080 in our test sample outperformed the Blade 16’s RTX 5090 in every one of our formal tesst, blowing my socks off in the process.

I don’t mean that literally, but I could, because running its hardware as intensively as it does generates a lot of heat that the system needs to exhaust. It gets loud, but it works well, allowing this laptop to perform at its top potential for long periods of time. Keep the vent cleared and gaming headset on, and you’ll be all set to enjoy a top-tier PC gaming experience on the go.

Its performance in games lies in its combination of high-performance hardware and the way its engineers have designed it. In addition to the RTX 5080, it comes with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, a 24-core beast that hits a top speed of 5.4GHz. Its core count and clock speed ensure that you can multitask to your heart’s content and that the processor will never bottleneck what the GPU is capable of.

The added thickness has allowed Gigabyte to implement a high performance Windforce cooling system with chambered, high-fin fans, and a vapor chamber to pull heat away keep temperatures in operable levels. While some of its competition, like the Razer Blade, has opted to lower the GPU’s power draw (and thereby performance) to use a thinner, quieter design, the Aorus Master 16 puts performance at the forefront.

If you’re not super techie, don’t worry. The laptop comes with an AI-enhanced configuration suite called GiMate. Built into this system is an AI chatbot that can talk to you using natural language and configure the system to match what you’re up to. Tell it that you’d like to play a game and it automatically sets the system into its highest performance mode. Tell it you’re going into a meeting and it will ramp the fans down while leaving performance in a balanced state that can handle virtual meetings and presentations without sapping the battery with needless options. It’s user-friendly and perfect for beginners.

The Aorus Master 16 is hardly perfect, but it so effectively punches above its class in gaming performance that it’s hard not to love it. If Gigabyte can find a way to slim it down a bit, it would come close to perfect for a huge amount of laptop gamers.

4. Asus Zenbook S 16

Best Work/Gaming Laptop

If you’re looking for a gaming laptop that’s slim, light, and professional enough for work, the Asus ZenBook S16, which I’ve reviewed, is the laptop for you. This isn’t the laptop to turn to for the absolute best in gaming performance, but when you need something that balances professionalism, capability, and responsiveness in everything from spreadsheets to solos in Call of Duty, this is the laptop to choose.

The Asus Zenbook S 16 is a beautiful laptop. It’s exceptionally thin, measuring 0.47 inches at its thinnest point, and weighs only 3.31lbs. You can carry it through an entire workday and barely notice it’s there until you need it. It features a bright 500-nit OLED touchscreen that is vibrant, crisp, and offers deep contrast for a killer HDR experience. It’s also a touchscreen, so you can easily interact with it in the way that’s most natural for you in the moment. For gaming, the screen is also able to reach 120Hz, ensuring smooth gameplay with a minimum of motion blur.

In most circumstances, a laptop like this couldn’t be considered a gaming laptop at all. While it’s true that’s not the S 16’s main purpose, I was surprised to find just how great it was for gaming in my testing. That’s because its AMD Ryzen 9 Al HX 370 CPU features Radeon 890M graphics. As of this writing, it’s one of the highest performance integrated GPUs out there, topping many of the handheld Windows gaming PCs available to date. It also allows you to take advantage of AMD’s performance-enhancing graphics features, including FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) and frame generation. When both aren’t available, you’ll need to lower the resolution and graphics settings, but if you’re willing to do that, the S 16 is able to run a wide array of games at playable frame rates.

Just as importantly, it offers excellent battery life with up to 15 hours for day-to-day work tasks. Once you boot up games, this drops substantially because of how demanding they are, but it makes this the perfect laptop to get through your workday and then kick back for some PC gaming in the evening.

Connectivity is also strong with two USB Type-C ports capable of power delivery and video, a full-size USB-A port that’s perfect for a gaming mouse, and a microSD card reader. You won’t need to carry around a bulky charging brick, either. The included charger is small and lightweight, but it also works with aftermarket GaN chargers too, which can be even smaller.

Your coworkers will be none the wiser to the ZenBook S 16 is one of the most stylish and elegant laptops I’ve ever tested. It features the company’s new Ceraluminum lid, which is a composite of ceramic and aluminum alloy for a durable, fingerprint-resistant finish. It genuinely looks stunning, and no one will second guess whether your laptop is a suitable fit for professional work.

The biggest drawback to this laptop is that its surface temperatures can get quite toasty. Since it emphasizes quiet performance, much of its heat transfers into the case, making it best suited for use on a desk or laptop stand. Even with this issue, the S 16 is a remarkably strong pick from anyone that needs a laptop for both work and gaming.

5. Asus TUF Gaming A14

Best Gaming Laptop for Students

If you’re a student, the Asus TUF Gaming A14 is an excellent pick that I simply adored in my review. It’s surprisingly thin, exceptionally quiet, and offers impressive battery life. If you need a notebook you can carry between classes, and that also lets you sneak away into the library to play your favorite games (shh!), look no further: This is the laptop for you.

While “thin and light” might be the watch words for productivity laptops, the design pays dividends for students that want to enjoy some games in their downtime. At only 3.2lbs and 0.78 inches at its thickest point, it’s compact enough to fit into any bag without weighing you down. When it’s time for gaming, its 8th-gen high-performance AMD Ryzen processor and Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU are well-matched to its 1600p display, though I’d recommend dropping the resolution to 1200p to push the frame rate even higher. The picture stays crisp on its 14-inch display and the higher fps really make the most of its 165Hz screen.

The biggest nitpicks I made about this machine really had to do with its expandability and relatively high price for the level of hardware it features. While you can’t expand the memory, the overall balance between performance, portability, and noise that Asus struck here is pitch perfect for on-the-go students.

How to Pick the Best Gaming Laptop

Gaming laptops have come a long way in relatively little time. Power, portability, and price have all seen dramatic improvements in just the last five years, and somehow gaming laptops are getting thinner and adding even more features.

Portability and Form Factor

Where will you be taking this gaming laptop? If you’ll be taking it out every day, you’ll want something portable, such as a 15-incher or even smaller. Users who just want a laptop to live at home as more of a desktop replacement should go for a 17-inch rig or bigger for the larger screen size and greater power.

Weight is another consideration if you’ll be carrying the laptop around all day. Anything more than 5lbs is going to be very noticeable. This can be an issue because gaming laptops have a tendency to be a bit bigger than competing options that don’t need larger and more advanced cooling solutions. It’s not impossible to find thin and light gaming laptops with great performance, but you should definitely take the time to consider what you’re comfortable with and if you’re willing to trade performance for portability.

With integrated GPUs, with the integrated graphics on modern processors getting to be so good, it’s also possible to find gaming laptops in form factors that just didn’t work before. The ROG Flow Z13 is a prime example; it is essentially a 2-in-1 gaming laptop that can double as a tablet for artists and students, but offers impressive gaming performance thanks to its AMD Ryzen AI MAX processor.

The point is, you don’t need to limit yourself to bulky clamshell designs in the same way you used to. Depending on your budget and performance needs, there are more options than ever out there.

Power

The newest gaming laptops come equipped with the latest Nvidia RTX or Radeon RX graphics chips. These mobile chips are nearly as capable as their desktop version, plus they support the latest ray tracing, DLSS, and frame generation technologies.

On that front, it can also be important to consider what games you plan on playing, their minimum and recommended specifications, and what advanced features they might support. If the game is equipped with the latest version of Nvidia’s DLSS, for example, and supports frame generation, you can probably get away with a lower-powered, lower-cost graphics card since the tech will improve your frame rate even on a cheaper card. As you get into higher tiers of laptop GPUs, prices skyrocket quickly.

Choosing the latest processor isn’t quite as necessary, but it’s nice to have and can help ensure that it doesn’t bottleneck the potential performance of your GPU. If you’re looking at a laptop with an Intel processor, be sure that the processor isn’t more than a couple generations behind. Both Intel and AMD offer gaming processors with built-in neural processing units for enhanced AI performance. For Intel, these are referred to as Core Ultra processors while AMD dubs its lines AI and AI MAX. Both can offer great gaming performance.

If you only plan to take part in light gaming, a recent Core Ultra or AI Max processor can also take the place of a dedicated graphics card and save you hundreds in the process. Both of these chips feature powerful integrated graphics, and so long as you’re willing to adjust settings and resolutions, can deliver playable frame rates. They’re also great if you plan on streaming your games through the cloud through services like Xbox Cloud Gaming or GeForce Now.

Price

If you’re set on a gaming laptop and just need to decide which one to get under a certain price point, then your choices will be narrowed down based on your maximum budget. If that’s you, you’ll probably want to explore our full list of cheap gaming laptops we’d recommend instead, but here’s our top budget pick right now:

Most gaming laptops are only as portable as the nearest electrical outlet. All that power comes at a price, though. The general rule of thumb about gaming laptops is that their battery life stinks. In general, you should plan on plugging in your laptop before loading a game. Playing on battery power typically lasts an hour or less and also delivers worse performance due to the power limits the laptop imposes on the graphics card and processor. It’s just not ideal, but may still be better than lugging around a heavy power brick, depending on what you’re playing.

One recent exception to this is Nvidia’s RTX 50-series laptop GPUs. These new chips feature enhanced power management features, so you can count on closer to two hours instead of one.

Another consideration when choosing a gaming laptop versus a gaming desktop is its price. It costs quite a bit more to stuff all those components (i.e. the built-in trackpad, keyboard, speakers, and display) into an easy-to-carry shell.

Depending on how tech-savvy you are, You can save some money by choosing a laptop with less memory and storage at checkout and upgrading these components yourself. It’s usually much cheaper to do so. However, you’ll want to research carefully to ensure that both are upgradable at all and, if so, are easily accessible. Some laptops hide components inside, beneath others, making them especially difficult, if not impossible, for anyone other than an expert to access. Bear in mind, however, that a laptop in general is much less upgradable than a desktop gaming PC. Outside of memory and storage, changing out other components likely means buying a whole new PC.

Gaming Laptop FAQ

Should you buy a gaming laptop or a gaming PC?

When considering a gaming laptop over a gaming desktop, ask yourself: Is the premium price worth it for the luxury of portability? In virtually every case, you’ll pay more for a gaming laptop with similar on-paper specs to a well-matched gaming desktop. It doesn’t stop with the cost: Just because two graphics cards have the same name doesn’t mean that they’re the same in all circumstances. Laptop versions of same-name GPUs usually offer reduced performance due to their thermal and power limitations. Gaming desktops provide more bang for your buck, are less expensive to upgrade and repair, and last longer before they go obsolete. See our guide to gaming PCs vs. gaming laptops for a deeper comparison.

Is the CPU or GPU more important in a gaming laptop?

Both are important, but you should consider the graphics card more than the processor. Even though a slow processor can throttle the graphics card and lower your fps, usually this is much less of a concern than simply having an underpowered GPU. Remember, it’s the graphics card that renders your games and is the single most influential component to gaming performance.

Do I need a dedicated graphics card in my gaming laptop?

Not always. This depends on what you’re hoping to achieve. If you’re interested in running the latest games at high graphics settings and resolutions, you definitely need to invest in a laptop with a great graphics card. If you only plan to do light gaming, enjoy older games that aren’t very demanding or stream your games from the cloud. A modern processor with integrated graphics can also be a good way to save some money. With that in mind, relying on an integrated graphics card hasn’t always been as possible as it is today. As such, I would recommend this only for gaming laptops with AMD Ryzen 7000-series or Intel Core Ultra processors.

Do you need a laptop cooling pad?

Many modern gaming laptops come with ample cooling solutions baked into the chassis. But given their much smaller form factor than traditional desktop gaming PCs, thermal throttling can occasionally be an issue. If you are experiencing a downgrade in performance or your device seems a little too hot to the touch, a laptop cooling pad could be a simple, affordable solution. Laptop cooling pads often feature fans and ventilation slots or mesh for better airflow than when your laptop rests on a gaming desk or your lap, helping to ensure your device is working to its full potential and can even increase its longevity. If you’re looking to keep your gaming laptop cool on the cheap, the Havit HV-2056 is an excellent option.

Christopher Coke has been a contributor to IGN since 2019 and has been covering games and technology for more than a decade. He has covered tech ranging from gaming controllers to graphics cards, gaming chairs to gaming monitors, headphones, IEMs, and more for sites such as MMORPG.com, Tom’s Hardware, Popular Science, USA Today’s Reviewed, and Popular Mechanics. Find Chris on Twitter @gamebynight.

Image Credit: Annalee Tsujino is a multi disciplinary designer and illustrator. Check them out on Instagram @antsu_illustrations.

The New 2025 Samsung Neo QLED and OLED Smart TVs Are Now Available, Including 4K and 8K Models

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, IGN

Several of the new 2025 Samsung TVs that were showcased earlier this year at CES are now available for purchase at Samsung’s official online store. Select Samsung Neo QLED and OLED TVs are currently in stock and they ship out immediately for as early as April 9-10 delivery. Alternatively, you can pick up select models at your local Best Buy. Not every TV has been released yet, but I expect more models to become available soon.

The 2025 Samsung TVs That Are Available Starting Today

Samsung showcased several of their top models during CES 2025. Here’s a quick rundown of the biggest highlights. At the moment, exact pricing for each model is unknown.

2025 Samsung Neo QLED Mini LED TVs

Samsung revealed a total of six Mini-LED TV models for 2025, and three of the models are available for purchase starting today. The Neo QLED QN990F and QN900F are true 8K TVs with some incremental improvements like the new anti-glare tech, the One Connect wireless transmitter box, and access to Samsung’s Art Store, which was previously retricted to the Frame TVs. The Neo QLED QN90F, QN85F, QN80F and QN70F are the new 4K Mini-LED models. The highest end model is the QN90F and it will feature the same 165Hz refresh rate, Gen 3 processor, and anti-glare coating as the S95F. The mid-range QN85F will be Samsung’s first 100″ TV.

2025 Samsung OLED TVs

The new OLED TVs – the S95F, S90F, and S85F – feature several incremental upgrades over its predecessors. The S95F, Samsung’s flagship model, boasts a new NQ4 AI Gen 3 processor, a faster 165Hz refresh rate, an improved anti-glare coating, and an upgraded QD OLED panel that promises up to 2,000 nits of brightness. The S90F will also feature the Gen 3 processor, 144Hz refresh rate with VRR, and a QD OLED panel with up to 1,300nits of brightness (for TV models 55″ and up). The S85F remains the “budget” OLED TV with a Gen 2 processor and is the only model that’s available now.

2025 Samsung The Frame Pro Art TV

Not yet released

The Frame Pro will make its debut this year alongside the standard Frame TV. The Frame Pro finally features the superior Neo QLED Mini-LED panel for richer and brighter colors, a faster 144Hz refresh rate, the new anti-glare tech, and wireless hookups in the form of a “One Connect” box that can be stowed away discreetly. The standard The Frame TV will still be available too, at a significantly lower cost I assume.

AI and Anti-Glare Tech Are the Highlights for Samsung

Like just about everyone else in the industry, Samsung is going all in on AI. Samsung’s new tech for 2025 is their “Vision AI”, which can recognize the content you’re watching, including specifics like the actors or setting, and display relevant personalized commentary in real-time. In addition, more TV models this year will be equipped with AI Upscaling Pro and AI Motion Enhancer Pro which work in tandem to optimize image quality on the fly. Other features include Active Voice Amplier Pro, which uses AI to isolate and enhance voices, AI Optimization, and AI Energy Mode.

Samsung is also decisively moving many of their TV panels to the matte-like anti-glare coating we saw on the S95D in 2024. This anti-glare anti-reflective tech doesn’t desaturate like we typically see with anti-glare coatings from other brands, and yet reflections are minimized to the point that you’ll never notice them..

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

Marvel Rivals Dev Says It’s Feeling Social Media Pressure to ‘Keep the Game as Exciting as It Has Been Since December,’ Announced Big Season 3 Shake-Up

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, IGN

NetEase Games is fundamentally changing its Marvel Rivals post-launch roadmap to shorten its seasons and deliver at least one new hero every month as it battles to maintain live service momentum with its players.

It’s a major update to the existing content release schedule that was teased during the new Marvel Rivals Season 2 Dev Vision Vol. 5 video. Included in the 15-minute upload were details about how Season 2 will introduce its new Vanguard, Emma Frost, at launch April 11, as well as Ultron, whose class will be revealed closer to his mid-season launch. Both promise to keep Marvel Rivals fans on their toes with new abilities, but the real changes to how playable heroes will impact matches truly begin in Season 3.

In Marvel Rivals Season 3, which is currently without a release date, NetEase will shift season lengths from being three months long to just two months. It means major content updates will progress rapidly without changing the team’s initial promise to drop at least one new hero every half-season. So, while you’ll have to wait a month and a half to play as Ultron after Emma Frost launches next week, that wait will be cut down significantly after the hero after that drops.

“Since the launch of Season 1, we’ve been deeply contemplating how Marvel Rivals can continuously deliver fun and engaging experience for you all,” Marvel Rivals creative director Guangyun Chen explained in the Dev Vision video. “During this time, several discussions on social media have certainly added some pressure on us to keep the game as exciting as it has been since December. To a certain extent, we agree.”

With our goal of keeping the audience’s excitement alive just like our opening months, the real adventure with Marvel Rivals is just beginning.

Chen went on to explain that NetEase wants Marvel Rivals “to fulfill everyone’s fantasies about Marvel Super Heroes,” and that means exploring new modes and flooding the scene with a dense roster of varied characters. Following what he called “extensive internal discussions and thorough evaluations,” NetEase will adjust its systems to account for the increased flow of content. More information on how this will affect players will be revealed before the launch of Season 3.

“With our goal of keeping the audience’s excitement alive just like our opening months, the real adventure with Marvel Rivals is just beginning,” Chen added.

NetEase pulled back the curtain on Marvel Rivals Season 2 just hours ago, revealing that it will soon swap out its vampire takeover theme in favor of a new storyline that focuses on the Hellfire Gala. That means new fancy outfits, maps, and characters are on the way, with more information primed to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Marvel Rivals was a smash hit when it launched in December, securing 10 million players in three days. NetEase’s free-to-play superhero team-based PvP shooter launched on December 6 across PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. On Steam the launch was particularly huge, with 480,990 concurrent players. January’s Season 1 then drew an incredible 644,269 concurrent players, making Marvel Rivals the 15th most-played game ever on Valve’s platform.

But those concurrents have been on a downward slide ever since, which may have sparked the drastic roadmap change from NetEase. Still, Marvel Rivals remains hugely popular, and is one of Steam’s most-played games. The launch of Season 2 will no-doubt prove a shot in the arm, and again with Season 3.

For more on Marvel Rivals, be sure to check out the patch notes for update version 20250327 as well as why Disney decided to scrap an idea for a Marvel Gaming Universe.

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).

Pokemon Scarlet/Violet Is on Sale and Getting a Free Update for Switch 2 Later This Year

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, IGN

I started playing Pokémon Scarlet when it first came to the Switch back in November 2022. I was excited to get back into the usual Pokémon formula again after Legends Arceus mixed it up. The open world gameplay combined with the standard gym battle progression had me feeling like a little kid again.

Unfortunately, when the game first launched it was riddled with problems. In IGN’s Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Review, we loved a lot of things about it, but found that it just ran terribly. The game has since received various patches and updates to help resolve the major issues, but it’s the free Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade that is likely going to finally bring this game to its full potential.

Nintendo has listed the games that will be receiving free updates to improve performance or add extra features on the Nintendo Switch 2 console, and both Scarlet and Violet are on there. Additionally, Amazon is having a sale on physical copies of these games that brings the price down to well below many of the upcoming Switch 2 editions of older games. If you’re a Pokémon fan who has been on the fence about the latest games in the series, now is the time to buy before the new console arrives.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Deals at Amazon

The discount on these games aren’t exactly massive right now, but with the price of Switch 2 games being revealed at $70 and above, they feel actually reasonably priced. Both of these games are currently sitting at full price a the Nintendo eShop, and it’s unlikely that prices will drop much further than they are now once the free Switch 2 upgrade drops on June 5. If you are planning on getting the new Switch console at launch, you should check out our Switch 2 preorder guide for all of the details.

What Pokémon Games Are Coming to Switch 2?

Nintendo has stated that the Switch 2 will be compatible with most Nintendo Switch games. This means that you’ll most likely be able to play the full library of Pokémon Switch games on the Nintendo Switch 2 when it comes out in June. Only Scarlet and Violet will be receiving the free upgrades, however. Outside of those games, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the next announced game and will be coming to both Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. There will also be a Switch 2 enhanced version of the game that will offer better resolutions and frame rates.

See more Pokémon Switch games

The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender Is the Official Title of the New Animated Film

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, IGN

Paramount revealed the new title for their upcoming Last Airbender animated feature film coming to theaters January 30, 2026 and it’s The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender.

The studio made the announcement at their CinemaCon presentation on Thursday. No footage was shown but the film’s logo was revealed.

The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender’s voice cast includes Eric Nam as Aang, Dave Bautista (as a villain), Dionne Quan, Jessica Matten, Román Zaragoza, and Steven Yeun.

Lauren Montgomery, who worked on Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, directs what will reportedly be the first of the three Last Airbender films.

For more airbending, read up on Avatar: Seven Havens and the new Last Airbender box set.

For more CinemaCon coverage, find out what we learned about Superman, Mortal Kombat II, Resident Evil, Spider-Man: Brave New Day, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, John Wick 5, Jurassic World Rebirth, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, Masters of the Universe, and The Beatles.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom Are Getting Achievements on Nintendo Switch 2

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, IGN

Both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are getting Nintendo Switch 2 versions for the new console. Alongside the in-game upgrades, Nintendo’s adding a number of additional features through the new Zelda Notes option in its Nintendo Switch App, including achievements.

The Nintendo Switch App (formerly known as the Nintendo Switch Online App) will get an update adding Zelda Notes, a game-specific service exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2 versions of both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

This app was shown off in the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, allowing players to use GPS-style navigation to reach landmarks in the Zelda games. For achievements, the app will track your play data and allow players to earn in-app medals based on their records. These account for opening chests, earning rupees, and more.

In the Achievements section, Nintendo lists categories such as “Quests and Adventures Cleared,” “Shrines of Light Cleared,” “Locations Visited,” “Lightroots Unlocked,” and others. Alongside tracking those numbers, the app will also let you see how you match up with other players on a global scale.

While the achievements seem geared towards completion, it’s interesting to see Nintendo experiment with these options. Granted, they exist in a phone app rather than on the Switch 2 console by itself, but I am curious to see whether other games get similar treatments in the future.

Other features of the Zelda Notes app include a Daily Bonus option for helpful resources, a Voice Memories section which adds more story and lore to the world as you explore, and an Autobuild Sharing tool. These do seem like handy tools, and especially geared towards people playing through this Zelda duology for the second time on their Nintendo Switch 2.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has a launch date set for June 5, 2025. Both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will have Switch 2 editions at launch, alongside a slew of other games both new and refreshed. Previews dropped this morning for some of the launch window games for the Nintendo Switch 2, including Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and general hands-on impressions of the console.

If you’re looking for everything announced at the Direct for this upcoming console, be sure to check out our recap of all the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct news here.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

Save 40% Off This Arzopa 16″ 1080p Portable USB Monitor (Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck Compatible)

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, IGN

Arzopa is offering an excellent deal on this 16″ 1080p USB Type-C portable monitor. The Arzoa Z1C is normally listed at $129.99, but you can get it for $79.99 after you clip a $10 off coupon on the product page. This is an excellent way to boost your productivity by adding on a secondary display with minimal hassle and at an affordable price. It also works well as a portable standalone display for Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, or even the upcoming Switch 2 console.

Arzopa Z1C 16″ 1080p USB-C Portable Monitor for $79.99

The Arzopa Z1 is a 16″ monitor with both USB Type-C and mini HDMI ports to connect to a laptop, tablet, or gaming handheld. It can work as a standalone or secondary display. If your device is equipped with a USB Type-C output with Power Delivery, then a single cable can be used for both video and power. Otherwise, you’ll need two cables: a mini HDMI or USB Type-C cable for video and a second USB Type-C cable to a wall charger for power. USB Type-C cables are provided, however you’ll have to supply your own HDMI cable and wall charger.

The monitor is designed to be portable. It weighs just under 1.7 pounds and measures 0.37″ thin. It sports a sturdy metal frame and includes a smart cover that has a built-in kickstand. The 16″ display features a 1080p resolution (136ppi) with 60Hz refresh rate, an IPS panel with 100% sRGB color gamut, wide great viewing angles, and an anti-glare matte surface. It even has built in speakers for the times you need audio in a pinch.

Compatible with Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck

This monitor works quite well paired with a gaming handheld like the Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck. You will have to use the two-cable setup (one USB cable to the handheld, one USB cable to a wall charger) for this to work properly. The S1’s 1080p 60Hz panel is a great matchup particularly for the Nintendo Switch, since the Switch only supports up to 720p @ 60Hz anyway. The Steam Deck can support higher resolutions and refresh rates, but at that point you’re really taxing your system, and 1080p/60Hz is an ideal balance between visual fidelity and playability.

If you’re looking for other USB monitor options, here are our top picks for the best portable monitors of 2025. For other gaming peripherals, check out the best Nintendo Switch deals and best Steam Deck deals.

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

These Nintendo Switch 2 Screen Protectors Have Dropped to Just £3.99 at Amazon (UK)

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, IGN

After you’ve spent at least £395 on Nintendo Switch 2 preorders today, you’d better be able to better protect your shiny new console with the amFilm Tempered Glass Screen Protector for only £3.99 over at Amazon UK using code AQDWCMHS for 50% off.

Designed specifically to fit around the Nintendo Switch 2’s 7.9” screen, with listed specs showing that this handy protector is the ideal combination of intrusive yet durable.

That’s because while packing a highly durable and scratch-resistant 9H-level hardness, the new amFilm screen only has an ultra-thin 0.3mm in thickness.

What’s more, amFilm is promising visuals that remain as glossy and vivid as the Nintendo Switch 2 intends, still providing 99.9% screen transparency. When paired with the oleophobic coating that reduces the appearance of fingerprints, you wouldn’t even realise you’ve got a screen protector attached.

In exchange, your Nintendo Switch 2’s LCD screen will be protected from any scratches or cracks that might occur otherwise following bumps and knocks that might occur during the many times you’ll be playing Mario Kart World or Donkey Kong Bananza at home or on the go.

If your screen-saving protector does take the brunt of a drop and becomes cracked, you don’t need to worry about buying a replacement right away, either; then, amFilm has bundled in two protectors instead of one.

Also included in the pack is an easy-to-follow installation guide so you can apply it to your Switch 2 without slip-ups, wipes and a microfibre cleaning cloth to remove any rare fingerprints that show up. And hinge stickers to make the application even easier.

If you plan on travelling a lot with your Nintendo Switch 2, there are already a bunch of decent cases available or on sale at Amazon UK as well, with varied extra bells and whistles depending on what you’re looking for.

This new cover from amFilm will exclusively fit on the Nintendo Switch 2, so you can’t repurpose the second cover for your original Switch you might want to keep as a back-up. Luckily, you can also buy a 2-pack screen protector made for the 2017 Nintendo Switch’s 6.2” screen for £6.99 on amFilm’s same Amazon UK product page.

Ben Williams – IGN freelance contributor with over 10 years of experience covering gaming, tech, film, TV, and anime. Follow him on Twitter/X @BenLevelTen.

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