biteho.com

Guillermo del Toro has a new horror anthology series coming to Netflix appropriately titled Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. To help him in this endeavor, he’s enlisted a who’s who of horror talent for his eight-episode series.

As an anthology series, each episode will tell a different story ranging from “macabre to magical, gothic to grotesque or classically creepy.” Del Toro has created two original stories for the season and will serve as executive producer, creator, and co-showrunner for the series.

Essie Davis, Andrew Lincoln and Hannah Galway star in an episode written and directed by Jennifer Kent (The Babadook; The Nightingale), based on an original story by Guillermo del Toro. pic.twitter.com/RtOAvEDPan

— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) September 2, 2021

As for who else will lend their talents to the Cabinet of Curiosities, Netflix has provided a thorough breakdown of the actors, writers, and directors involved with each episode.

• Essie Davis (The Babadook), Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead), and Hannah Galway (Sex/Life) will star in an episode based on an original story by Guillermo del Toro and directed by Jennifer Kent (The Babadook).

• F. Murray Abraham (Mythic Quest, Amadeus), Glynn Turman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), and Luke Roberts (Black Sails) will star in an episode written by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight) based on a short story by Michael Shea, and directed by David Prior (The Empty Man).

• Tim Blake Nelson (Watchmen), Elpidia Carrillo (Predator), Demetrius Grosse (Fear The Walking Dead, Lovecraft Country), and Sebastian Roché (The Man in the High Castle) will star in an episode written by Regina Corrado (Deadwood) based on an original story by Guillermo del Toro and directed by Guillermo Navarro (Narcos).

• Crispin Glover (American Gods, Back to the Future) and Ben Barnes (Shadow and Bone, The Punisher) will star in an episode written by Lee Patterson (The Colony) based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft and directed by Keith Thomas (The Vigil).

• Peter Weller (Naked Lunch, Robocop) will star in an episode directed by Panos Cosmatos (Mandy) written by him and Aaron Stewart-Ahn.

• Mika Watkins (Black Mirror) will write an episode based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft and directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Lords of Dogtown) with a cast to be announced

• Dave Hewlett (The Shape of Water) will be in an episode written and directed by Vincenzo Natali (Splice, Hannibal) based on a short story by Henry Kuttner.

• Haley Z. Boston (Brand New Cherry Flavor) will write an episode based on a short story by Emily Carroll and directed by Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, The Bad Batch) with a cast to be confirmed.

This is a lot of talent and folks will likely be happy to see familiar faces like Lincoln back on the screen, or Kent behind the camera for more horror goodness.

Del Toro has had an ongoing relationship with Netflix having produced several animated films aimed towards children. But along with Cabinet of Curiosities, del Toro is also directing a stop-motion Pinocchio movie for Netflix starring Ewan McGregor as the Talking Cricket.

His next film is a live-action thriller called Nightmare Alley starring Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

We already knew that Apple is hard at work on its own augmented and virtual reality headset. But a new report today suggests that the upcoming hybrid headset may rely on another Apple device to take advantage of all the features available on the device.

In a new report by The Information, the outlet claims that the headset is designed to communicate or be tethered to a host device via a wireless connection, such as an iPhone or another Apple device.

The reliance on another product within the Apple ecosystem is due to the headset’s custom 5-nanometer chips, which Apple recently completed. Though these chips are not as powerful as chips used in other Apple devices, reporting that it lacks a neural engine for AI and machine learning abilities.

Yet, the headset still includes a CPU and GPU, so there’s a chance the device may have some limited features available without another Apple device connected. This chip is also rumored to offer better wireless data transmission, video compressing and decompressing, and energy efficiency features.

This would not be the first time Apple relies on users to be integrated more into its own tech product ecosystem. The Apple Watches with only Wi-Fi connectivity require an iPhone to function. Facebook is another big tech company that was criticized for requiring Quest 2 owners to have a Facebook account in order to use its standalone VR headset.

Alongside a VR/AR headset, Apple is also working on a pair of AR smart glasses with a 2023 launch window.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Today Amazon is offering price drops on two of the best controllers for the Xbox Series S|X consoles. The Forza Horizon 5 controller is one of the best looking controllers out there and has a few quality of life upgrades like textured controller and trigger grips. The Xbox Elite Series 2 adds another layer of adjustability for those of you who require more precision. In other deal news, the Zelda & Loftwing amiibo is back in stock on Amazon, the new 31-disc Middle Earth 4K and Blu-ray Ultimate Collector’s Edition is up for preorder, the WD SN850 SSD with heatsink (the most highly recommended SSD upgrade for your PS5) is now available at the WD Store, and more.

Forza 5 Limited Edition Xbox Controller

This wicked looking Xbox controller went up for preorder last week for $74.99. Today, it’s on sale on Amazon for $69. This is one of the best new Xbox controllers out on the market. There’s much attention to detail in this controller, like the transparent yellow finish with candy colored splatter, custom-colored, visible rumble motor and lighting effects, color shifting hybrid D-pad, asymmetrical thumbsticks in different bold colors, and textured controller grips.

Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller

This is the controller to get if you want the most precise and customizable Xbox controller on the market. This professional-grade controller features adjustable tension thumbsticks, shorter hair trigger locks, wraparound textured grips, interchangeable thumbsticks and paddle shapes, custom profiles saved on your controller itself, and included USB Type C cable with charging dock. It boasts up to 40 hours of battery life and is compatible with the Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, and PC.

Zelda & Loftwing amiibo

This amiibo is finally available on Amazon. It’s been sold out on Amazon for a while while occasionally coming back in stock at other vendors, but scalpers were selling this at way higher than MSRP. Let’s hope Amazon keeps it in stock for the long term. If you’ve been wanting this amiibo to round out your collection, better to get it now just in case.

Preorder the Middle Earth 6-Film Ultimate Collector’s Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital)

This impressive Middle Earth Collector’s Edition includes both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies over a whopping 31 discs. That’s because there are separate 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs for both the Theatrical Editions and the Extended Editions. You also get digital HD copies for free, and they are compatible with MoviesAnywhere so you can merge it into your digital library. As far as extras go, you get a Special Features Blu-ray disc, a 64-page booklet, and 7 travel poster art cards. All the discs are stored in collectible foil sleeves.

Back in Stock (Including 1TB Model): WD Black SN850 M.2 SSD with Heatsink

The Western Digital official storefront has all models of the SN850 SSD with heatsink in stock right now, and that includes the extremely hard to find 1TB model. This is currently the most popular (and probably the best) SSD to get for your PS5 storage upgrade. It’s blazing fast drive with transfer speeds rated at up to 7,000 MB/s and a PCIe Gen4 interface and it comes preinstalled with a heatsink. It’s also confirmed by Western Digital themselves to be compatible with the PS5.

50% Off Atgames Legends Gamer Mini (Standalone Arcade Console)

The Atgames Legends Gamer Mini is a wireless arcade control top that also serves as a standalone arcade console (with the included puck). Plug the puck in and you get to play over 100 licensed built-in arcade classics without ever having to buy a separate arcade cabinet. The Gamer Mini connects via Bluetooth or via USB (hard-wired). You can also use it as a controller for your PC, streaming device, or gaming console.

Intel Gamer Days Deal: Dell XPS Intel Core i7 RTX 3060 Ti Gaming PC for $1499

True high end gaming on a budget. There is one of the best deals we’ve seen for an RTX 3060 Ti equipped PC. The RTX 3060 Ti is a very powerful video card; it’s better than the previous generation’s RTX 2080! It’s a big upgrade from the 3060 non-Ti model and the one to get if you’re going to play games at resolutions of 1440p or higher. This is the best Intel Gamer Days deal that Dell is offering so far, but there are a couple of other good deals as well.

Intel Gamer Days Deal: CyberpowerPC Intel Core i7 RTX 3080 Gaming PC for $2199

If you play games at 1440p or less, you can get away with an RTX 3060 or 3070, but if you want to game in 4K, then you’re going to want to splurge for the RTX 3080 video card. It’s the first card that really lets you play games at 3840×2160 without worrying about your framerate. This CyberpowerPC is equipped with an RTX 3080 video card, an unlocked Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and both SSD and HDD storage.

Lenovo Intel Gamer Days Sale: Save on Legion Gaming Laptops and Desktop PCs

Lenovo’s “Legion” series of gaming PCs and laptops offer the latest and greatest gaming performance at a very reasonable cost. They’re equipped with the newest RTX 30 series video cards, which offer huge speed gains compared to the previous generation’s RTX 20 series cards, along with new technology like DLSS 2.0 (very useful) and ray tracing (not as much). Alongside these new GPUs are your choice of either AMD’s Ryzen 5000 series or Intel’s Rocket Lake/Tiger Lake processors. Lenovo also offers one of the best customer service experiences compared to other prebuilt PC makers, which is especially important if you haven’t built the PC yourself. Lenovo’s sale events can be hard to navigate, so we’ve conveniently rounded up a list of the best Legion deals going on right now.

New Lenovo Legion AMD Ryzen RTX 30 Series Gaming Laptops Also Discounted

The Intel Gamer Days Sale obviously covers Intel equipped gaming laptops and PCs, but that doesn’t mean AMD is out for the count. Lenovo has AMD Ryzen 5000-series gaming laptops that are just as powerful as the latest Intel Core i7 processors, are equipped with the same RTX 30 series video cards, and are also marked down to a very competitive price.

$2,100 Off Lenovo ThinkPad 15″ 4K RTX 3080 Laptop

Lenovo ThinkPad laptops are known for their best-in-class ruggedness and reliability, and even if it ever breaks down, Lenovo offers the best customer service in the business. Usually, that level of build quality and support usually comes at a steep price. Add an RTX 30 series video card to the mix and you’d expect a cost that most people would balk at. Take this laptop for example. It’s retail price is nearly $5,000. However, there is a coupon today that drops the price way down to under $2900. If you’re looking to purchase a ThinkPad that’s got the power to do some serious gaming, you won’t find a price like this anytime soon.

Blue Microphones Yeti X USB Mic Warcraft Edition

The Yeti X improves upon the original Yeti with a 4-capsule microphone array, a multi-function smart knob that controls mic gain, mute, headphone volume, a customizable 11-segment LED meter to visualize your voice level, and Blue Voice broadcast vocal effects. The Warcraft Edition features gold accents, laser-etched runes on the LED meter and base, voice modulation with Warcraft presets, and hundreds of Warcraft HD audio samples.

New Release: Oculus Quest 2 VR Headset with More Storage, Same Price

The Oculus Quest 2 has so far been the best value when it comes to VR gaming. It’s hundreds of dollars cheaper than its competitors, it has phenomenal tracking, it doesn’t need to be tethered to a PC, and it boasts a huge library of games (even Half Life: Alyx is easily playable on the Quest 2). It’s also the best VR headset for Beat Saber. Now, Oculus has re-released its Oculus Quest 2 VR headset with double the storage (128GB vs 64GB) for the exact same price. There’s even less of a reason now to pick something else.

Amazon Prime Student Members Get 3 Months of Free Audible Premium Plus

If you’re an Amazon Prime Student member, you get a lot of pretty amazing perks like 6 months of free Amazon Prime membership followed by 50% off your Prime membership for up to 4 years, Amazon Music Unlimited for $0.99/mo, and more. Now, there’s yet another perk exclusive to Amazon Prime Student members; get 3 free months of Audible Premium Plus (normally $14.95/mo). If you’re a current student or faculty, you’re eligible for an Amazon Prime Student membership.

Video Game Deals

More Daily Deals for September 2

Paradox Interactive, the developer-publisher behind a titles including Stellaris, Hearts of Iron, and Crusader Kings, is currently in the midst of an unexpected change in leadership after its CEO resigned due to the company’s future strategy.

As announced by Paradox, Ebba Ljungerud is stepping down from her duties as CEO at the publisher. The company has said that her departure from the role will take place with immediate effect although she will continue working with Paradox for a period of time to “ensure a good handover”.

According to the publisher, Ljungerud’s decision to leave the role comes “due to differing views on the company’s strategy going forward.” Despite her resignation, it seems as though the decision was amicable, with Paradox praising the now-former CEO for the ‘fantastic job’ that she carried out during her tenure at the company.

“During her leadership the organisation, player base and our game projects have been strengthened and grown which give the company a strong base for future growth.” reads a statement from Paradox. “We regret that she has decided to resign but wish her all the best in future endeavours, says Håkan Sjunnesson, Chairman of the Board.”

No details have been offered as to what those differing views are, and why they became irreconcilable enough that the CEO felt she should resign.

Ljungerud’s time as CEO at Paradox was certainly filled with a number of notable moments. During her tenure, the company acquired a number of new studios, brought its first-ever grand strategy game to console, revealed Victoria 3 and launched Crusader Kings 3, which went on to garner high praise. Following her departure from Paradox, Ljungerud briefly looked back at her time with the company on Twitter before thanking both the studio and its fan base.

What a ride it has been ❤️ but now it is over and the CEO torch goes back to Fred. Thanks to @TheWesterFront @PdxInteractive and all of our amazing players for these years, I look forward to new great things to come for the games and the company!

— ebba ljungerud (@EbbaPDX) September 1, 2021

In light of Ljungerud’s resignation, Fredrik Wester, who served as CEO of Paradox for a number of years before stepping down in 2018, has foregone his role as Chairman of the Board at Paradox to take over as CEO once again. Wester’s appointment will take place with immediate effect with the company veteran confirming on Twitter that the new role is permanent.

Make sure to read our review of Paradox’s latest entry into the Crusader Kings franchise. We awarded the title a full 10/10 and said that it “takes the throne as the new king of historical strategy by expanding on and deepening the best parts of what made its predecessor memorable and unique.” Alternatively, for more on Crusader Kings 3, why not check out this article that details how the game will be coming to consoles.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

After Cyberpunk 2077’s disastrous launch, CD Projekt made a promise to change how it markets its games, including talking about the games closer to their launch. The company’s latest investor calls saw it keeping that promise, as it refused to offer dates for the next-gen versions of Cyberpunk and The Witcher 3 – and wouldn’t even guarantee that they won’t be pushed into 2022 if necessary.

Both Cyberpunk and Witcher 3 are due to receive new console upgrades during late 2021, something CD Projekt reconfirmed during its latest financial reports. During an H1 2021 Earnings live stream, an investor asked the company to be more specific about when those next-gen upgrades would arrive, or if they could feasibly be delayed into next year.

SVP of business development Michał Nowakowski refused to be drawn on the questions, making clear that it was part of CD Projekt’s new philosophy: “Our target is to release the next-gen version of [Cyberpunk 2077] late this year […] At the same time, keeping in mind the lessons we have learned during the past year, and taking into account the fact that this project still remains in deveopment, we can’t say with full certainty that the production schedule will not change, of course.

“And with The Witcher 3, the situation is slightly different in a way that this is being tackled by the external team mainly, which is Saber Interactive, the company we have worked [with] before on Switch and also the updates in the past. As with Cyberpunk 2077, our goal is to release that game still in late 2021. However, similarly, [the] development process is ongoing, and we cannot be absolutely certain that the release schedule will not change. But for the time being, we definitely are aiming with both titles for late 2021 and I don’t want to be more specific at this moment in time.”

CD Projekt is clearly being very careful about messaging when those new versions of games will arrive but, at least in the case of Cyberpunk, the company is working towards a specific 2021 date, not simply making the new version without a deadline. In a separate webcast, CEO Adam Kiciński explained:

“Following our promise to start communication closer to actual releases, we don’t want to say anything more about the next-gen edition [of Cyberpunk 2077] other than that it is planned for the second half of the year. Of course, we have a specific date in mind internally, but it’s too early to say anything about this.”

After a botched launch that continues to cost CD Projekt a lot of money, the company has repeatedly said it’s learned huge lessons about how to approach launching games, With the company now gearing up to work on Cyberpunk and The Witcher simultaneously, we do at least have tentative signs that those lessons are being learned – hopefully leading to games that arrive on the dates promised, and to a sufficient level of quality.

Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].