The CW has begun shooting the pilot for its upcoming Powerpuff Girls live-action series, according to a report from TMZ. Filming for the series, simply titled “Powerpuff,” is underway in Atlanta. TMZ’s photo gallery shows actors Chloe Bennett, Yana Perrault, and Dove Cameron, who respectively play Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles for the show, in full Powerpuff regalia.
Donald Faison, who will play Powerpuff creator Professor Utonium, waves to the photographer in one photo, as well. These are set production shots, so things are pretty raw, with Bennett’s flight harness ropes clearly visible in the photos. Not spotted in any of the photos is Nicholas Podany, who will be playing the live-action version of Powerpuff villain Mojo Jojo.
The show picks up with the girls in their mid-twenties, disillusioned by a childhood of crime fighting and estranged from Professor Utonium. Sounds like HBO Max’s Titans, but with bright colors and fewer Batman-related swears.
Right now, Powerpuff is only set for a pilot, and has not yet been sent to series. Diablo Cody (Juno) and Heather Regnier (Sleepy Hollow) are writing and producing the series, along with CW stalwarts like Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. There’s no word yet on when–or if–we’ll see the Powerpuff pilot.
True 4K has become more achievable than ever thanks to advances in graphics cards with tech like Nvidia’s DLSS and the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. This technology has made 4K displays very desirable as we can finally take advantage of the better image quality and higher resolution. There is no shortage of great 4K monitors, and while that’s a good thing, it can be hard to choose the best one for you. Whether you’re using a monitor for gaming, work, or production, there are some excellent 4K monitors out there with high refresh rates, low response times, and anything else you could want in a monitor.
For more recommendations, see our guide to the best 4K TVs for gaming. Televisions have started to adopt 120Hz refresh rates and tech like FreeSync Premium, making them a fantastic choice for console or PC gaming. And for more on monitors, check out our complete guide to monitor technologies, which covers a wide variety of topics, such as HDR for monitors, FreeSync vs. G-Sync, and panel types, among other things.
The LG 27GN950-B is the best 4K monitor on the market today. It boasts a beautiful Nano IPS display with a 4K resolution and 144Hz refresh rate, backed up by FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync compatibility. It features a very nice 1ms response time and low input lag that makes games feel smooth and responsive. The incredibly thin frame makes it an excellent option for a dual-monitor setup, too. On top of that, it features HDR600 support and boasts gorgeous, vibrant colors.
With the 27GN950-B, you get one DisplayPort 1.4 port, two HDMI 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, and a headphone jack.
When it comes to budget 4K monitors, it’s hard to beat the Asus VG289Q gaming monitor. For $330, you get a 28-inch IPS display that boasts a 60Hz refresh rate, FreeSync with G-Sync compatibility, and a 5ms response time. It also features HDR support, though don’t expect an amazing experience. Its SDR performance, however, is very good for its price. It has two HDMI 2.0 ports, one DisplayPort 1.2 port, and a headphone jack.
If you’re looking for a bigger monitor than your typical 24- and 27-inch displays, the Asus ROG Strix XG438Q is a fantastic 43-inch gaming monitor at a fair price. Its VA panel boasts a 4K resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR600 support. It provides a nice image with beautiful colors, all of which is supported by FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync compatibility. These features come together to create an ultra-smooth experience on the attractive 43-inch screen. The Asus ROG Strix XG438Q has three HDMI 2.0 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, and a headphone jack.
The Acer Predator XB273K is an incredible 4K gaming monitor that features two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, two HDMI 2.0 ports, and four USB 3.0 ports. This gives you a lot of room for extra devices and peripherals. Its 27-inch IPS display also boasts a 144Hz refresh rate, a 4ms response time, and HDR400 as well as FreeSync Premium with G-Sync compatibility. It also comes with a built-in shade shield that keeps lighting from obscuring details and enemies in multiplayer games–though you can remove the shield if you prefer to play without it.
If you need a professional-looking monitor with 4K, great colors, and more USB ports, the Dell UltraSharp U2720Q monitor is the best choice. It features one HDMI 2.0 port, one DisplayPort 1.2 port, two USB 3.0 ports, and one USB-C/DisplayPort port. That means you can plug in a USB-C video cable from your USB-C output device into the monitor in addition to HDMI or DisplayPort. Unfortunately, MacBook Pros don’t output video via USB-C at this time, so you’ll still need a compatible docking station if you want to use a second monitor with your MacBook Pro.
Twitch has outlined more clearly its plan for addressing off-platform harassment and serious misconduct. In a blog post, the company categorized off-platform harassment into two sections: Harassment that occurs on Twitch and other platforms, and harassment that takes place entirely off-platform.
Category one covers cases where harassment takes place both on Twitch and off of it. Citing a specific example of what counts as the first category, Twitch stated that it would take related harassment on Twitter into account when investigating a reported misconduct incident during a Twitch livestream.
The newer part is category two: Twitch will now “enforce against serious offenses that pose a substantial safety risk to the Twitch community, even if these actions occur entirely off Twitch.” The platform goes onto enumerate what behaviors fall under this umbrella, including:
Deadly violence and violent extremism
Terrorist activities or recruiting
Explicit and/or credible threats of mass violence (i.e. threats against a group of people, event, or location where people would gather).
Leadership or membership in a known hate group
Carrying out or acting as an accomplice to non-consensual sexual activities and/or sexual assault
Sexual exploitation of children, such as child grooming and solicitation/distribution of underage sexual materials
Actions that would directly and explicitly compromise the physical safety of the Twitch community, such as threatening violence at a Twitch event
Explicit and/or credible threats against Twitch, including Twitch staff
Twitch has enlisted the help of a third-party investigative law firm to help support investigations. It also opened an email address, [email protected], where anybody can send evidence of off-platform misconduct that falls under behavior listed in the blogpost. The company noted that its investigative scope for off-platform incidents is limited: It can only deal with reported behavior that is explicitly listed under the sections listed in category two.
Banning people for off-platform behavior isn’t new for Twitch. The platform banned several individuals during a wave of sexual abuse allegations against popular Twitch streamers in 2020. Super Smash Bros. Streamer ZeRo was banned from Twitch after he admitted he sent sexually explicit messages to minors.
Twitch’s clarification of off-platform harassment policies comes after updating its Hateful Conduct and Harassment in January 2021. In the new changes, Twitch clarified what behaviors are not acceptable, citing specific examples such as “sharing hateful images or symbols” and “targeting others with repeated or severe personal attacks.”
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The 10% off code that works on several Dell and Alienware gaming monitors is still active for a little while longer. Like any proper gaming monitor, these feature low response times, high refresh rates, and G-SYNC compatibility. They’re good workstation monitors as well, since all of them boast either an IPS or VA panel for excellent image quality and wide viewing angles. If you’re for something even better, check out the 48″ LG CX OLED TV that’s also on sale. In my opinion, there’s no better monitor than that (provided your PC can drive 4K resolution).
Dell S3220DGF 32″ 2560×1440 Curved 4ms 165Hz VA Gaming Monitor
Use code: EXTRA10
This was one of the best selling gaming monitors during Black Friday for good reason (and it’s slightly less expensive today). The Dell S3220DGF is a huge 32″ display with a sharp 1440p resolution. It’s officially a FreeSync monitor but it has been confirmed to be G-SYNC compatible with RTX video cards. It also boasts HDR support and a blazing fast 165Hz refresh rate, perfect for gaming. The VA panel offers great image quality, better viewing angles and color fidelity than TN panels, and a lower response time than most IPS panels.
______________________________ Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends roughly 1/4 of his income on stuff he posts. Check out his latest Daily Deals Article and subscribe to his IGN Deals Newsletter.
Pokemon Go developer Niantic is rolling out a new feature that makes it easier to see which Pokemon may hatch from certain eggs. Tapping on one of the eggs in your inventory will pull up a list of all the Pokemon that may possibly hatch from it. Each monster is categorized by their rarity; Pokemon denoted with one egg icon will be most common, while those with five eggs will be rarest.
Eggs have been among the most controversial elements of Pokemon Go. Niantic has previously been criticized for the very low hatch rates certain Pokemon have, especially since some monsters–such as Happiny, which is available as a Shiny as part of the game’s spring event–can only be obtained by hatching them. This move should at least give players a somewhat better idea of how likely some eggs are to yield certain Pokemon.
We’re excited to share that all Trainers will now be able to see which Pokémon may hatch from Eggs in their Inventory! Tap an Egg to see a list of possible Pokémon and their rarity level.
The aforementioned spring event runs until tomorrow, April 8. As part of it, spring-themed Pokemon such as flower crown-wearing versions of Pikachu and Chansey are appearing in the wild more frequently. There is also a Spring Collection Challenge that tasks players with catching certain monsters before the event ends.
Following the spring event, April’s Community Day will take place this Sunday, April 11. This month’s featured Pokemon is Snivy, the Grass-type starter from Pokemon Black and White. After that, Niantic is holding a Rivals’ Week event from April 13-18. That will introduce several new Pokemon to the game, including the Gen 6 monsters Skrelp and Clauncher, as well as Therian Forme Landorus.
Bundles are always a great way to save money on an assortment of products, and a new one from online retailer Antonline comes with some great PC gaming goodies. The Lenovo gaming monitor bundle costs $1,180 and contains a Lenovo G27Q monitor, Ryzen 9 5950X processor, and three months of Xbox Game Pass for PC. This bundle is only available through April 9. The Ryzen 9 5950X processor is hard to come by at its regular price of $800, so this bundle is a good way to snag the new CPU without paying a premium to third-party sellers.
The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X processor has 16 cores with a base clock of 3.4GHz and a max of 4.9GHz. This is a powerful processor that will work great with a high-end gaming PC. Of course, you’ll need the appropriate components to go with the Ryzen 9–if you need help, check out our guide on how to build a gaming PC.
The Lenovo G27Q gaming monitor boasts a 27-inch IPS panel with a 1440p resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, and 1-5ms response time. For those that like pushing their frame rate as high as possible, it also comes with FreeSync Premium in addition to being G-Sync Compatible.
Last but not least, you get three months of Xbox Game Pass for PC, which offers a huge library of PC games you can download and play for as long as you’re subscribed. Some of the most noteworthy games featured in the service include The Outer Worlds, Skyrim Special Edition, and Fallout 4. All first-party Microsoft games are also available on the service on launch day.
Mythical Games, the studio behind the upcoming multiplayer title Blankos Block Party, has launched its own NFT Marketplace to allow players to trade in-game items for both traditional and cryptocurrencies.
The studio has been working on incorporating NFTs (non-fungible tokens) well before the current boom, with the idea to give players more control over in-game items they purchase. Mythical explains that the current market simply allows players to license content for in-game rewards, which remain tied to your account irrespective of if you continue using it or not.
With the Marketplace, Mythical hopes to give players more agency with their purchases. Not only will you be able to trade any in-game Blanko Vinyls you purchase, but you can also increase the level of cheaper, low-level items and eventually sell them at a profit. Since runs of vinyls are limited, especially those designed by some well-known artists, Mythical Games expects its 300,000 strong player base to start driving a communal economy that sees prices for some items fluctuate according to demand.
“Rolling out the Mythical Marketplace is the next big step for us toward creating true player-owned economies in games,” said John Linden, CEO and co-founder of Mythical Games. “With the recent boom of NFTs and digital assets in pop culture, we’re happy to be at the forefront of introducing these concepts to AAA games and leading the way to new sources of revenue and value creation for players and creators.”
Currently Blankos Block Party has allowed players to sell in-game items on secondary markets, but Mythical Games is launching its own Marketplace to make it easier to integrate with the game. The game is currently in open beta with an expected release on PC later in 2021, while the Marketplace is rolling out in an Alpha Phase to select users as Mythical continues building upon it.
IO Interactive CEO and co-owner Hakan Abrak has confirmed that the Hitman series is taking a break as the studio focuses on its new James Bond game. The Hitman series will continue, and more DLC is planned for Hitman 3 specifically, but you should expect Agent 47 to take some time off.
“Our thinking right now is, Agent 47 deserves a bit of a rest,” Abrak told IGN. “He’s been busy the last three games.”
January 2021’s Hitman 3 was positioned as the third game in a trilogy, so it makes sense that IO would give the franchise a rest for now. Abrak mentioned that IO remains committed to Hitman 3 and it plans to continue to update and support the game in the future.
Even if Agent 47 is taking some time off, Abrak said you can be sure the franchise will return at some point down the road.
“This is not the end of Agent 47. I just want to make sure everybody knows that,” he said. “As we talked about before, it’s synonymous with IO, it’s a very beloved franchise of ours and, of course, Hitman will continue. Agent 47, maybe, is going to take a bit of a rest, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not working on some cool, cool stuff within the World of Assassination. So, there’s definitely activity coming and I’m looking forward to talking about that sometime in the future.”
If Hitman 3 is the final entry in the main series for some time, Agent 47 heads off for some rest and relaxation on a good note. Hitman 3 launched in January to rave reviews and the best digital sales in franchise history.
Outside of the Hitman game series, a Hitman TV show is in the works. It’s a prequel to the games, and as such, Agent 47 will have hair.
IO’s next project is its new James Bond game, which appears to be in the early stages of development. IO is hiring 200 people to work on this game and others within the studio.
“Every Bond kind of defines a generation and it’s amazing how they kept reinventing themselves over so many years,” he said. “So, we’re not only inspired by one movie, or games and whatnot. We’re inspired by the whole thing, and just sucking things into us to make an original Bond, an original story, but that is absolutely true and recognizable in the values there is in Bond. I’m really looking forward to creating a new community that the gamers can call their own.”
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Deadly Premonition 2 is coming to Steam, according to publisher Thunderful Group’s annual report. It was previously only available on Switch. No date is known yet for when Deadly Premonition 2’s Steam listing will go live.
Deadly Premonition 2 is the 2020 sequel to the 2010 cult classic Deadly Premonition. The original survival horror game–through an odd combination of unpredictable storytelling and awkward game mechanics–captured an audience who enjoyed its absurdity.
The sequel continues to follow the original protagonist, FBI agent Francis York Morgan. Only this time, he’s disgraced and under suspicion by the very agency he once worked for. Another FBI agent, Aaliyah Davis, is tasked with investigating Morgan due to new findings from a past murder case in the fictional Louisiana city Le Carré.
Deadly Premonition 2’s critical reception was mixed and many reviewers thought that the followup wasn’t able to recreate the original’s off-kilter magical spark. Reviewer Kurt Indovina commented in GameSpot’s Deadly Premonition 2 review, “though the return of the original’s off-kilter writing, outlandish characters, and disturbing twists is an exciting prospect, it all feels diluted this time around, missing many of the flavor notes that defined its predecessor.”
He also noted the ” jarringly inconsistent frame rate of the open world,” but praised the game for its character writing and dialogue, as well as Francis York Morgan’s overall story arc.
Deadly Premonition 2 also landed in hot water for its treatment of a transgender character, Lena Dauman. The game’s characters repeatedly misgender her and call her by her dead name. In response to the criticism, director Hidetaka Suehiro promised to patch “that scene” and did end up releasing an update that removed Morgan’s lines that misgendered and dead named Dauman.
Indovina put it best in the ending line of his Deadly Premonition 2 review: “It’s a different brew of coffee from your favorite roaster, but one that’s more bitter than you probably hoped for.”
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