Microsoft’s Xbox cloud gaming service (Project xCloud) is currently available on Android devices, and one of the best controllers you can get is currently discounted. The Razer Kishi turns your Android phone into a handheld gaming device, complete with analog sticks, triggers, and more. Right now, the Razer Kishi is $80 at Amazon, down from its regular price of $100.
The Razer Kishi is compatible with all Xbox games including genres like racing games that specifically require analog triggers and first-person shooters that require clickable sticks. It fits most Android devices, thanks to its flexible yet secure design and connects via USB-C. Connecting a device to the Kishi occupies its USB-C port, though you can still charge it through the controller’s own port–just plug in your charger.
If you’re looking for more recommendations, check out our guide to the best Xbox xCloud controllers you can buy right now. There are some great options that work with a variety of phones.
The Xbox Series X‘s 1TB internal SSD is really fast, loading up some games in a matter of seconds–I tested this out in several games in my full console preview and got impressive results. But with 802GB actually free to use on the internal drive, you can fill it up quickly with the size of games today (and don’t forget the Xbox Series S only comes with a 512GB drive). So, what are some good solutions to expand your storage on the new Xbox consoles and how do they perform in comparison?
I used three different drives for the purposes of my tests: the 1TB Seagate SSD expansion card, a Samsung T5 portable SSD (500GB), and a Western Digital My Passport external hard drive (4TB). This covers the different tiers of storage options available for the Xbox Series systems. To test and compare speeds, I used Final Fantasy XV and The Outer Worlds for transferring whole games and recording load times. You can check the results in the video and text below.
Let’s start with the proprietary Seagate 1TB expansion card, built specifically for the Series X and Series S. This is the drive that plugs directly into the back of the console. You just insert it, and it’s immediately ready to use.
It interfaces with the Xbox hardware and takes full advantage of that Velocity architecture Microsoft has been flexing. In terms of speed, it’s technically the best solution since it works identically to the internal SSD. There’s virtually no difference in load times in the games I tested. However, it carries a hefty price tag at $220 USD.
The Xbox Series expansion card works just as fast as internal storage.
Before Getting Into USB Drives
An important thing to note is USB-based storage devices cannot play Series X- or S-specific games off the drive itself–that’s where this expansion card comes in clutch, especially once we start seeing more Series X/S-only games. USB external drives can store those games, but they would have to be transferred to the internal drive or expansion card in order to be played (at least transfer speeds are pretty fast, as you’ll see later in our results).
These conditions can also apply to certain Xbox One games that have received Series X optimizations, as was the case for me with Gears 5 and Gears Tactics. Otherwise, you can play Xbox One and previous gen backwards compatible games straight off the USB drive using a USB 3.0 cable (or better), and they’ll still use the Quick Resume game-swapping feature without a hitch.
Series X/S games will need to be on internal or expansion card storage in order to be played (message at the bottom right).
Samsung T5 External USB SSD
For an external SSD, I used a 500GB Samsung T5 with a USB-C to USB 3.1 cable. In terms of moving around data and loading games, the results were quite impressive.
The Outer Worlds, which is a 45GB game, took 2:54 to transfer onto the external SSD, and 2:05 to transfer back to the internal drive. When loading into the same save I used for our previous tests, it only took 13 seconds off the external SSD which is very close to the internal drive that took 11 seconds to load.
For Final Fantasy XV, an 84GB file, it took 5:50 to transfer onto the external SSD and just 3:56 to move back to internal storage. And the load time results were great as well, just taking 15 seconds compared to the 13 seconds of the internal drive.
Both Final Fantasy XV and The Outer Worlds are Xbox One games without Series X optimizations, so the results between the internal and external SSD are due to the fact the games are simply working with the raw speed of those drives.
There are other external SSDs out there, but the Samsung T5 in particular usually goes for around $110 for 500GB and $140 for 1TB.
The Samsung T5 SSD (top right) and the WD My Passport HDD (bottom right).
WD My Passport External USB Hard Drive
Moving onto a traditional hard drive, I used my WD My Passport external drive with a USB 3.0 cable. Things start to slow down of course, but it’s not all that bad.
To transfer The Outer Worlds from internal storage onto the external hard drive, it took longer: about 7:35. Transferring back to the internal drive took 7 minutes. However, in-game load times remained decent, taking 26 seconds to load up that same save I previously used.
With Final Fantasy XV, the transfer speed took longer as well, coming in at around 14:24 to move to the hard drive, and 12:55 to get back onto internal storage. Loading up save data remained reasonable though, taking 52 seconds for the same save file I used before.
It’s no surprise that a hard drive is going to be slower compared to an SSD, but these results aren’t bad at all. They’re actually faster than current-gen consoles, too: The Outer Worlds took 43 seconds and Final Fantasy XV took 1:11 to load saves when using the Xbox One X.
Considering that you get more space for cheaper with an external hard drive, this would be the cost-effective route for bulk storage or playing backwards compatible games if you don’t mind the slower load times. A Western Digital Passport goes for just $80 for 2TB and $110 for a whopping 4TB.
Summary Of Results
Data Transfer Speeds
Storage Drive (and scenario)
Final Fantasy XV (84GB)
The Outer Worlds (45GB)
Samsung T5 SSD (transfer from internal)
5:50
2:54
Samsung T5 SSD (transfer to internal)
3:56
2:05
WD Passport HDD (transfer from internal)
14:24
7:35
WD Passport HDD (transfer to internal)
12:55
7:00
Load Times
Storage Drive
Final Fantasy XV
The Outer Worlds
Xbox Series X (internal/expansion card)
13 seconds
11 seconds
Xbox Series X (Samsung T5 + USB 3.1)
15 seconds
13 seconds
Xbox Series X (WD Passport + USB 3.0)
52 seconds
26 seconds
Xbox One X (internal)
1 minute, 11 seconds
43 seconds
Which Storage Drive To Go With
So, what’s the best solution? Of course, it depends. For backwards compatible games, an external SSD would be ideal since you still get quick load speeds. And transferring data is quite fast, which is ideal if you’re frequently moving Series X-specific games back and forth.
If cheaper mass storage is more of a priority, an external hard drive is the way to go. Load times for backwards compatible games are still better than current-gen systems, though you will miss out on those sweet SSD speeds. Transferring data takes markedly longer, but the importance of the difference between 6 minutes and 14 minutes to move an 85GB file, well, that’s up to you.
The 1TB Seagate expansion card sure is nice, and $220 is a fair price when compared to other NVMe SSDs for PC, but that’s still pretty steep when looking at other solutions for the Series X and Series S.
Click To Unmute
Xbox Series X: The Final Preview
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
These are things you’ll have to consider, especially if you plan on getting the Xbox Series S since you have to work with half the internal drive space. Microsoft has said that smaller install sizes will be available for games loaded on Series S consoles, which could help tidy things up. But when looking at the ever-changing size of the larger ongoing multiplayer games like Call of Duty: Warzone (106GB) and Apex Legends (74GB), space is a premium even on the Series X. Regardless of your choice for expanded storage, it’ll be snappier than redownloading entire games.
For more on Microsoft’s next-gen consoles, be sure to read my full Xbox Series X preview that dives into performance, graphics, load times, and more. You can also check out two next-gen games in action with Yakuza: Like A Dragon and Dirt 5.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
The co-creator of Netflix’s I’m Not Okay With This, Jonathan Entwistle, has been tapped to helm a new connected universe of Power Rangers movies and TV adaptations.
Production company eOne was purchased by Hasbro last year and it’s become more and more involved in the development of Hasbro properties. Entwistle and eOne will helm new Power Ranger movies and a connected TV series, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter. Before this new deal, a Power Rangers movie was in the works from Entwistle but it was with Paramount Pictures. Entwistle is still involved but he’ll be working on the future of Power Rangers with eOne now. You can check out the new logo below.
“Jonathan has an incredible creative vision for this iconic and hugely successful franchise, and is hands down the right architect to join us as we reimagine the television and film worlds of this property,” eOne film president Nick Meyer and eOne global television president Michael Lombardo said in a joint statement to THR. “Across our slate, we are looking forward to working with the most talented storytellers as we take on Hasbro’s rich fan-favorite brands and build entertainment universes around them.”
Entwistle called this new Power Rangers project an unbelievable opportunity to deliver the property to both new and existing generations of fans. As for what any of this looks like, all that’s known at this time is that it will be a new universe of Power Rangers stories connected through the TV series and movies.
When the movie eventually hits theaters, it will be the first full feature film since the 2017 Lionsgate-produced Power Rangers. We thought that movie was good and you can read about why in our Power Rangers review where we gave it a 7 out of 10. Be sure to check out this unofficial Green Ranger concept art that shows what Tommy Oliver might have looked like if the 2017 film got a sequel. If you’re looking for some Power Rangers content to watch now, check out our list of the 25 best Mighty Morphin Power Rangers episodes.
[poilib element=”accentDivider”]
Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.
Can you believe 2020 is almost over? It’s been a wild year of not leaving your house and spending most of your time binging Netflix. As November rolls around, you’d probably be expecting plenty of new content revolving around Thanksgiving, right? So far, what’s been revealed for Netflix’s November list is a bit heavier on Christmas content. Hopefully, when the full list for November is dropped, we can get some movies about singing and dancing turkeys or something.
The most notable Christmas movie arrives at the end of the month on November 25. The Christmas Chronicles 2 takes place a couple years after the first movie where Kate (Darby Camp) and Teddy Pierce (Judah Lewis) saved Christmas. Now Santa (Kurt Russell) and Mrs. Claus (Goldie Hawn) need the kids’ help again with another adventure. Check out the trailer below.
Lastly, Season 4 of The Crown arrives in November. The show has covered the British royal family, and with Season 4, the series gets into more familiar territory for people in their 30s. A recent trailer shows the iconic wedding between Prince Charles and Diana–who will be played by Josh O’Connor and Emma Corrin respectively. New episodes will drop on November 15.
Below, you’ll find some of Netflix’s offerings for the month of November. This is not the complete list for the month, as the streaming service has not released all that info yet.
The 1988 adventure Willow was George Lucas’s next big fantasy movie after he’d wrapped up the Star Wars trilogy five years earlier. Although the film wasn’t a big box office hit at the time, it has since developed a cult following, and there have been various rumors of a potential sequel over the years. It’s now been confirmed that Disney+ is making Willow TV show.
As reported by Variety, the Willow series will be set many years after the film and will once again star Warwick Davis as Willow Ufgood, the film’s heroic main character. Ron Howard, who directed the movie, will executive produce, while Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu will helm the pilot. The showrunners will be Jonathan Kasdan, who co-wrote Howard’s Star Wars spin-off Solo, and Wendy Mericle, who was co-showrunner on The CW’s Arrow. The show will start production next year.
In a statement, Chu said, “Growing up in the ’80s, Willow has had a profound effect on me. The story of the bravest heroes in the least likely places allowed me, an Asian-American kid growing up in a Chinese restaurant looking to go to Hollywood, to believe in the power of our own will, determination and of course, inner magic. So the fact that I get to work with my heroes from Kathleen Kennedy to Ron Howard is bigger than a dream come-true. It’s a bucket-list moment for me. Jon Kasdan and Wendy Mericle have added such groundbreaking new characters and delightful surprises to this timeless story that I can’t wait for the world to come along on this epic journey with us.”
Willow also starred Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley, and focused on a quest to save a baby from an evil queen. The movie grossed $137.6 million worldwide from a reported $35 million budget. Discussions of a potential follow-up go back as far as 2005, when Lucas expressed an interest in making a Willow show. In 2018, Howard stated that there had been discussions about making a sequel.
In related news, The Mandalorian Season 2 premieres on Disney+ on October 30. A new trailer for the second season of the hit Star Wars show was revealed earlier this week. In addition, star Pedro Pascal and showrunner Jon Favreau have both weighed in on the possibility of a Mandalorian movie.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
October marks the scariest month of the year, and that means WWE will be getting the most spooky with its PPVs. And what’s the scariest PPV of all time? No, not Halloween Havoc or Great Balls of Fire! We’re talking about Hell in a Cell, a PPV where a giant red chain-linked fence encapsulates the ring.
On Sunday, October 25, the Hell in a Cell enters the Thunderdome. So it will be a cell, inside a dome, inside the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. This is dangerously close to WCW’s Tower of Doom match. Anyway, Hell in a Cell will feature a few matches from inside the titular cell, and here are the start times across the globe.
Start time:
5 PM PT
7 PM CT
8 PM ET
12 AM GMT (October 26)
11 AM AEDT (October 26)
Like most PPVs, there will be a Kickoff Show prior to the main card. However, you’ll be able to watch that on YouTube and on WWE’s Twitter page for free.
How to watch:
If you’re looking to watch WWE’s Hell in a Cell PPV, you’re going to have to sign up for the WWE Network, which costs $10 a month. The streaming service no longer offers one month for free, but there is plenty of other content on the service to keep you entertained and is well-worth the price of admission, like old episodes of Raw, Smackdown, WCW Nitro, PPVs, as well as original content. There is also a Free Tier, which you can watch the Kickoff Show of the PPV, but not the main card.
The match card is still coming together for the upcoming PPV, so we’ll keep you updated as more shows are booked. As of this writing, there are four matches on the card, and three of which are Hell in a Cell matches.
Match card:
Jeff Hardy vs. Elias
Bayley (c) vs. Sasha Banks (Smackdown Women’s Championship Hell in a Cell Match)
Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Randy Orton (WWE Championship Hell in a Cell Match)
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso (Universal Championship Hell in a Cell “I Quit” Match)
Hell in a Cell matches tend to be a bit longer, and WWE PPVs during the pandemic have been a bit shorter, so we don’t expect much more than seven matches in total to be on the entire card. Like everyone else on the internet, we have a few predictions of how this show will turn out.
Predictions:
Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso
It’s a Hell in a Cell and “I Quit” match. Remember when an “I Quit” match meant you quit WWE/WWF? Those were the days. Of course, the person who quit would just show up a month later anyway. As for the match at hand, I would love to see Jey Uso win this one, to further elevate him as a singles competitor. However, Reigns’ current storyline is all about his dominance over his competitors and even his family. Having Uso go over Reigns at a smaller PPV like this doesn’t make sense. What does make sense is Reigns beating his cousin so bad, he quits and becomes the Universal Champion’s follower.
We’ll have more predictions as more matches are booked for the card. Make sure to come back to GameSpot on Sunday, October 25 for live coverage of the Hell in a Cell PPV.
Fortnite players are ready for Halloween. A few risky players have gone trick-or-treating by ringing doorbells at random houses across the map, hoping they won’t get shot at once the door opens.
Two players rolled up to one house, built walls around them for protection, and then decorated their little enclosure with spider and spider web sprays in the clip above. They knocked on the door, emoted, and waited for the door to open. The player inside the house greeted the players with healing items.
“It’s great knowing that there are still players who want to have fun instead of killing you on the spot,” said Redditor ghosty300. Halloween has flooded the battle royale genre this week. Halloween decorations and limited time modes have popped up in Apex Legends, and Call of Duty: Warzone. It’s rumored that a Fortnitemares update, that will bring special challenges and modes, will come to Fortnite on October 21.
Pokemon Sword and Shield‘s Crown Tundra DLC is almost here. The expansion goes live on Thursday, October 22, and ahead of its release, the Pokemon Home service will temporarily go down for maintenance as it receives its own corresponding update.
According to an in-app notification, the maintenance period will begin on October 22 at 11 PM UTC (4 PM PT / 7 PM ET) and is expected to run until 4 AM UTC on October 23 (9 PM PT on October 22). The service will be inaccessible on both Switch and mobile during the entire maintenance period.
The Pokemon Company hasn’t shared any further details on what changes the Pokemon Home update will bring, but it is presumably making the storage service compatible with the new monsters coming in the Crown Tundra expansion. The notification notes that players will be required to update the app to version 1.3.0 to continue using it after maintenance concludes.
The Crown Tundra is the second part of Sword and Shield’s Expansion Pass, following The Isle of Armor DLC that released back in June. This expansion takes players to yet another new section of Galar: the eponymous Crown Tundra, an arctic expanse that’s home to many familiar and new Pokemon, such as Galarian Slowking. The update also introduces a new cooperative mode called Dynamax Adventures, as well as a helpful new item called the Ability Patch, which makes it easier to get a Pokemon’s Hidden Ability.
To celebrate The Crown Tundra’s release, The Pokemon Company is currently giving away eight free Pikachu to all Sword and Shield players. These special Pokemon can be claimed via Mystery Gift passwords, and each comes wearing one of the hats Ash Ketchum donned throughout the Pokemon anime.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Phasmophobia hackers are raiding lobbies, spawning in extra jump scares and often ruining the game, causing the developers to ask players to avoid modded lobbies as they work on a fix.
As reported by Gamespot, Kinetic Games posted an update to the game’s official Discord server, noting that they are aware of the issues and are working hard to combat them. “We are aware that there has been a number of games that have been using third-party tools (cheats) to modify the game,” the statement reads.
When hackers in phasmophobia broke the lobby .. there’s 15+ people and 100+ ghosts burping .. pic.twitter.com/6EwHRB51hO
Kinetic Games added that hacking changes include “changes such as increasing player limits, changing AI behaviour and simply increasing money or level. We cannot support this as it is causing a number of issues across the game, including the corruption of saved games and destabilizing the servers for other players.”
The developer has strongly advised players not to join modded lobbies, which are usually denoted by having more than four players in the browser, as well as unusual AI, multiple ghosts and teleportation in game.
Apparently, users “have been claiming to be developers” with game-modifying tools, but the development team have clarified that they are not using such tools in the public branch. “We are currently looking into ways to combat this but until then please avoid joining such games so your files are not corrupted and the servers can function normally!”
Letitia Wright has emphasized how difficult it is to think about filming Black Panther 2 without the late Chadwick Boseman.
In an interview with Net-a-Porter, Wright, who starred as T’Challa’s sister Shuri in the MCU movie, noted that it’s not the right time to think about the Black Panther sequel, as the cast and crew are focused on “trying to find the light” after the tragic loss of Boseman, who passed away on August 28 after a secret four-year battle with colon cancer.
“We’re just still mourning Chad, so it’s not something I even want to think about,” Wright said when asked about reprising her role as Shuri, the Princess of Wakanda, for the Black Panther sequel. “The thought of doing it without him is kinda strange. We’re just grieving at the moment, so it’s trying to find the light in the midst of it.”
Boseman portrayed T’Challa in four Marvel films, including Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, and he would have reprised the role again in Black Panther 2, which was previously planned for a 2022 release, though right now it is difficult to know when or if this film will move forward.
The ABC News special Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King – A Special Edition was also released on Disney+, under the “extras” section of Marvel Studios’ Black Panther film. The 40-minute special celebrates Boseman’s life, legacy, career, and the cultural imprint he made on and off-screen, with many more tributes from celebrities, political figures, and fans across the world.
[poilib element=”accentDivider”]
Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
