Peacock Coming To Samsung Smart TVs Starting June 8

Peacock has announced that starting June 8, the streaming service will be available on Samsung Smart TVs. This is the first major new platform supported by Peacock since adding Roku last September–and will mean that the streaming service will in full be available on Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, Chromecast, Xbox, PlayStation, iOS, Android, Xfinity X1 & Flex, and all major Smart TV platforms from LG and VIZIO.

“Samsung is a powerful platform and we are excited to bring Peacock to millions of their dedicated streamers across the country,” said Maggie McLean Suniewick, president of business development and partnerships for Peacock. “Samsung users will now enjoy seamless access to many of the biggest programming events of the year, as well [as] Peacock’s massive catalog of the best movies, TV shows, news, and sports.”

The release also emphasizes Peacock’s Samsung rollout being strategically timed to be available in advance of the Tokyo Games–still slated to begin in July and run through August. Peacock is set to air a series of live shows covering this summer’s Tokyo Olympics. As of this writing, those broadcasts will include four shows every day throughout the Games.

Earlier this year, it was also announced that NBCUniversal’s streaming service had 42 million sign-ups during its Quarter 1 2021 investor call. NBCUniversal did not indicate how many of that number are paid subscribers, which is an important distinction as Peacock has a free, ad-supported tier, but much of Peacock’s content–including all of its original content–is behind the Premium and Premium Plus paid paywalls. Check out what Peacock has in store for the rest of this month.

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How to Watch In the Heights

In the Heights is the next major motion picture that’s coming to theaters and HBO Max on the same day. The movie hits theaters and the ad-free version of HBO Max on June 10. In the Heights is a musical based on the stage musical of the same name from Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes. The movie stars Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie, Grace, and more.

If you want to see what our critic thought of the movie (or why we deemed it “one of the best films of 2021”), check out our In the Heights review.

Subscribe to HBO Max to Watch In the Heights

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You’ll need an ad-free HBO Max subscription to watch In the Heights at home. It costs $14.99 a month, and you can cancel any time.

When Does In the Heights Release?

In the Heights comes out on June 10, both in theaters and on HBO Max. Like all of the 2021 Warner Bros. releases, it will be available on HBO Max for 30 days.

In the Heights Trailer

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What is In the Heights?

In the Heights is the film adaptation of a stage musical about a bodega owner named Usnavi who dreams of a better life. It takes place on a New York City block called Washington Heights and features music and lyrics written by Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda. The movie is directed by Jon M. Chu, who also helmed Crazy Rich Asians. It’s rated PG-13.

What Else is on HBO Max?

HBO Max has tons of truly excellent content. Of all the streaming services, it arguably has the best collection of movies and TV shows. It has HBO shows, ranging from classics The Sopranos and Sex and the City to newer ones like Mare of Easttown and Watchmen.

All of Warner Bros.’ 2021 theatrical releases are also arriving day-one on HBO Max. This includes movies like The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do it (available now), plus upcoming movies like Dune and The Matrix 4.

Additionally, you get access to tons of DC superhero movies and shows, TCM classic movies, Adult Swim and Cartoon Network content, Studio Ghibli, Looney Tunes, Crunchy Roll collection, and more. Subscribe here.

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Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

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Google Stadia Comes To More Android Devices And TVs Later This Month

Google Stadia is making its way to Chromecast with Google TV and some Android TV systems on June 23. Google has officially announced that Stadia, its game streaming service, will be on Chromecast with Google TV later this month. Previously, the only compatible device for Stadia on TVs was the Chromecast Ultra. This update comes about a year and a half after the service originally launched, which seems like a long time to wait for a Google service to come to a Google device. On the other hand, Stadia only got a search bar back in April, so this shouldn’t be surprising.

Starting on June 23, Stadia will launch on a limited number of TVs that use an Android operating system, although most TVs using an Android-based OS will be compatbile through Stadia’s experimental support. While mileage may vary for TVs not listed, the service should work according to Google’s announcement. The Stadia app will be available in the Google Play Store, with Stadia and compatible Bluetooth controllers working with the TV app.

Now Playing: The Rise And Fall Of Stadia Games And Entertainment

Here is the list of newly supported devices:

  • Chromecast with Google TV
  • Hisense Android Smart TVs (U7G, U8G, U9G)
  • Nvidia Shield TV
  • Nvidia Shield TV Pro
  • Onn FHD Streaming Stick and UHD Streaming Device
  • Philips 8215, 8505, and OLED 935/805 Series Android TVs
  • Xiaomi MIBOX3 and MIBOX4

Recently Google has reiterated that Stadia is “alive and well” with over 100 games coming to the service during 2021. This comes a couple of months after Google shut down its internal games studios which were supposed to make first-party titles for Stadia.

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New Deal Alert: Alienware m15 RTX 30 Series Gaming Laptops Are On Sale at Dell

Just a week after its Memorial Sale, Dell has decided to drop the prices on select Alienware RTX 30 series gaming laptops. These are far better than the RTX 30 series deals we saw during Memorial Day. In fact, although Alienware is known for its premium cost, these prices are actually in-line with what we’re seeing from other brands. In the case of the RTX 3080 equipped Alieware laptop, it’s one of the least expensive RTX 3080 laptops we’ve ever seen. These prices will most likely expire on Thursday, so get your order in sooner than later.

Alienware RTX 30 Series Gaming Laptops On Sale Now

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Your budget might still now allow for an Alienware laptop. If that’s the case and yet you still want to jump onto the RTX 30 series bandwagon, Dell is also offering its G15 gaming series laptop with RTX 3060 graphics at a reduced price. The RTX 3060 mobile GPU is no slouch; performance-wise it stands toe to toe with the previous generation’s RTX 2070.

Dell G15 Gaming Laptops On Sale Now

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Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends roughly 1/4 of his income on stuff he posts. Check out the IGN Deals articles and subscribe to the IGN Deals Twitter page.

CoD: Warzone Leakers Reveal Unreleased Ural Mountains Map

Leakers have released an eight-minute video showing off what appears to be an unreleased Call of Duty battle royale map from Treyarch. The video was tweeted out by the group of Call of Duty leakers known as the Cheezeburgerboyz, and the footage gives a full tour of the previously leaked Ural Mountains map that was said to be designed for either a follow up to Black Ops 4’s Blackout or a new Warzone map. We’ve had partial map images and images leak prior to Black Ops Cold War‘s integration into Warzone, but this is the first full video to surface.

The video shows a player running across the map, and they periodically show the overhead view of the full Ural Mountains map. The footage shows perks and ground loot scavenging that is very similar to how it worked in Blackout.

Some of the points of interest shown in the video are also pretty familiar, as they are the Ural Mountains-based maps currently found in Black Ops Cold War’s Fireteam multiplayer playlist, and the same maps are also used for the Zombies Outbreak mode. In addition to those familiar locales, we also see new areas like Zoo and Mines, which haven’t arrived in Cold War, but they could be maps we see in future seasons.

We might never see this massive Ural Mountains map as a playable battle royale map in Call of Duty, but I’d be excited to see more of the locations arrive in Outbreak. Maybe we’ll see one as early as Call of Duty’s Season 4, which is set to get a world reveal on Thursday June 10 during Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest.

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Bayonetta 3: What We Want At E3 2021

Bayonetta 3 highly anticipated heading into E3 201, as it was first announced as a Nintendo Switch exclusive back at The Game Awards 2017 more than three years ago, and since then, we’ve received ports of the first two games for Switch but basically no news on Bayonetta’s long-awaited third game. Platinum Games has confirmed it’s still in development, but much like Metroid Prime 4, the Nintendo Switch game remains a complete mystery. That’s why we’re crossing our fingers for a big re-reveal at E3 2021 during the Nintendo Direct presentation, and here’s what we hope to see from the game.

What We Know So Far

It’s the next Bayonetta game. It’s called Bayonetta 3!

Beyond that, we know basically nothing about Bayonetta 3. It’s coming to Nintendo Switch, following the ports of both previous Bayonetta games, and it’s still developed by Platinum Games and published by Nintendo. On the game’s official website, it’s described as “Climax Action,” which certainly sounds like the over-the-top gameplay we’ve come to expect from the series.

The news from Bayonetta 3 has been even more nonexistent than it has been from other nebulous E3 2021 games such as Metroid Prime 4 and Starfield. We know Bayonetta 3 is still in active development and series creator Hideki Kamiya wants to share more information this year.

What’s Confirmed For E3 2021?

A whole lot of nothing. Nintendo’s E3 2021 Nintendo Direct presentation will be focused entirely on software, with much of it releasing in 2021 and we expect a whole bunch will be exclusive. It’s unclear if Bayonetta 3 will make an appearance, but it certainly sounds like the right place for it if Kamiya is sticking to his earlier comments.

What We Hope To See At E3 2021

Something. Anything. In four years, we have only gotten a logo. Bayonetta 3 needs a substantial showing during E3 2021, preferably with both a trailer showing the story as well as gameplay footage. It’s a game that probably wouldn’t even exist without Nintendo’s input, so Nintendo would be wise to have the game make its big re-appearance during the show.

If gameplay is shown, we need to see the game running at a smooth 60fps on the Switch, and we hope Platinum Games shows how the action has evolved since the last game released in 2014. Since then, action games like Devil May Cry 5 have arguably set a new standard, so Bayonetta 3 will have to come out swinging–literally–and show the innovative steps it’s taking to regain the crown.

And please, no forced motion control or touch control segments.

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Hood: Outlaws & Legends Update 1.4 Is Live, Nerfs Assassinations

The thiefly multiplayer game Hood: Outlaws & Legends received a new patch recently, and it makes some minor but significant changes to the game. These shifts include assassination behavior, how stunlocking and staggers work, as well as several bug fixes.

First, Patch 1.4 nerfs the assassin pretty significantly. Assassinations can now be interrupted if players manage to do damage to the assassin above a certain threshold. According to the patch notes, most basic attacks meet that threshold, so assassins need to be a bit stealthier if they want to get that backstab.

Now Playing: Hood: Outlaws & Legends Video Review

Similarly, players can avoid getting staggered more consistently by dodging and blocking now. Seems the developers felt that there were too many situations where players were getting stunlocked to oblivion, so this change should help alleviate that.

Additionally, “The Ballad Unfolds” and “The Ballad Ends” Trophies should be working now, though players who already fulfilled their requirements won’t have it automatically unlocked. According to the patch notes, that fix will be coming in the next update. Also, Epic Game Store players can now invite Steam players to their play groups.

Hood: Outlaws & Legends 1.4 Patch Notes

Balancing

  • Assassinations can now be interrupted if damage to assassin exceeds a certain threshold (read more here) TLDR: most basic attacks interrupt it now.

Combat

  • Players can now exit stagger/stun more consistently through dodging/blocking, to reduce situations where players would get stunlocked

Matchmaking

  • Players on EGS can now invite players on Steam to their group.
  • After the end of a match, players are moved back to the hideout, but remain in their squads. This should reduce matchmaking times because before, players were leaving the automatic queue in order to return to the hideout, which had a negative impact on queue times.
  • Rank is no longer displayed in the lobby.

Winch

  • Improved ability to interact with winch when standing close to it
  • Added feedback alert for when an enemy team reaches a new winching notch

Trophies

  • “…The Ballad Unfolds” and “…The Ballad Ends” trophies can now be unlocked. It won’t be automatically unlocked for those who already fulfilled the requirements. This fix is coming in the next update.

Challenges

  • Fixed challenges that involve tagging

Voice Chat

  • [Xbox One, Xbox Series] Fixed mute not applying when a user had been muted via their gamercard during gameplay.

UI

  • Fixed Ctrl appearing when trying to bind a key to Right Shift or Alt Gr
  • Added missing home spawn icon on Citadel for both teams
  • Tweaked some texts in the post-match screen for clarity
  • Fixed the respawn timer sometimes appearing blurred as if in the background

Other Bug Fixes

  • Fixed the tag not being removed for enemy players when a Marianne used her ability after getting tagged by an AI
  • Fixed collision pushing mechanic forcing characters to rotate in certain instances
  • Fixed visual effect of Gold coins falling out of chest when it was dropped
  • [Xbox One, Xbox Series] Fixed black screen when returning to Hideout
  • Fixed Tooke’s weapon disappearing if he used his ability right after climbing down a rope
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Sports Story Developer: “Everything Is Coming Together Now”

Sidebar Games, the developer of Golf Story and the upcoming Sports Story, has provided a very brief update on the upcoming RPG. Sidebar Games put out two tweets, the first one stating “Sports Story Update: Everything is coming together now. Please look forward to more updates going forward, we have much to share!”

The second tweet has a screenshot of what appears to be an in-game tennis training game, where the player hits a tennis ball off a brick wall with the caption “Everybody wants to know the first step to turning pro. Wall Bounders is that first step.”

Sports Story was originally announced as a 2020 title but was delayed due to it becoming “more ambitious” than the developer had originally planned. Sidebar Games did not give a new release window when it made the delay and has not announced when it intends to release the game. However, Sidebar Games publicly stating that the game is coming together the week before E3 makes it seem like an announcement may be imminent. Considering that Golf Story was an indie darling on the Nintendo Switch when it launched in 2017, it is possible that Sports Story could appear at Nintendo’s E3 Direct presentation on June 15.

Sports Story was one of GameSpot’s most anticipated titles of 2020 (back when we thought its release was imminent following its announcement) and while we don’t yet know when the game will release, we do know that Sidebar Games is making good progress.

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The Baltimore Ravens Are Launching An Esports League And Tournament Series

Over the last few years, sports teams have taken an increasing interest in esports, and many have created or bought esports teams. Today, the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens have announced its own esports initiative, called the Ravens Gaming League.

According to a press release, the Ravens Gaming League sounds like a combination of a tournament series and an esports community. It will hold frequent competitions and provide rewards; the first tournament scheduled is in Fortnite, and the winner will receive $500 in cash and a “Ravens VIP home game experience” that includes hotel, transportation, gear, and tickets to a Ravens home game. Registration for the tournament is open to the public.

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The Ravens organization has partnered with Esports Gaming League (EGL), an established company in the esports industry that provides a platform for holding competitions and facilitating audience interactivity. Although this is the first NFL partnership for the EGL, it’s not the first time that an NFL team has launched a similar initiative. Back in December, the Philadelphia Eagles announced a tournament series of its own in partnership with the Esports Entertainment Group.

As esports have grown in popularity, established sports teams have taken notice and branched into the industry. One of the most high-profile examples is the Overwatch League, which includes teams owned by the organizations that also own the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Flyers, Arsenal Football Club, and Los Angeles Rams, among others.

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The Art Of Apex Legends Gets Huge Preorder Discount At Amazon

Apex Legends fans can discover new information and admire the captivating art in the newly announced The Art of Apex Legends book from Respawn Entertainment. The book is a collection of art ranging from legendary skins to weapons, and even the arenas of the much-loved FPS battle royale game from the world of Titanfall.

The Art of Apex Legends is categorized as an “oversized hardcover volume” on publisher Dark Horse’s website. Other than the artwork, the book contains commentary from the developers. There’s no word on how up-to-date the information and art will be in the book.

A month after the game’s release in 2019, Todd Sue, the previous Apex Legends Art Director from Respawn Entertainment, shared a blog post on ArtStation Magazine. The blog post displayed a handful of art deriving from a variety of talents in their Art Department. However, the upcoming art book is a hefty 192-pages.

Earlier this year, Dark Horse published a lore and art book called Pathfinder’s Quest. It followed the story of Pathfinder, a robot character from the game, as he interviewed several Legends on his journey to find his creator.

Apex Legends is free-to-play on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series.

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