Best Black Friday 2020 TV Deals At Walmart, Best Buy, And More

There are so many great deals on video games and movies during Black Friday 2020, but to get the most out of that media, you’ll want a 4K TV to display them. With the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X and the closure of movie theatres, there’s never been a better time to invest in your home entertainment setup. Retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, and Target all have discounts on select 4K TV models, so you have a lot to choose from. That’s why we’ve collected all of the best Black Friday 4K TV deals this year and compiled them below. Keep in mind some deals won’t be live until next week.

If you’re looking for more Black Friday deals, check out all of the Black Friday ads released so far. They’ll give you a good idea of what to expect during the big sale week. There will be some fantastic PS5 and PS4 game deals as well as Xbox Series X and Xbox One game deals. And if you’re looking to snag a new console, Walmart has revealed a time and date for its next PS5 and Xbox Series X restocks. See our full roundup of the best Black Friday 2020 gaming deals for an overview of all the best offers.

Billionaire GameStop Investor Calls For Big Changes, Including More Store Closures

One of retailer GameStop’s biggest private investors has called on the company to make significant changes, and close stores, to help turn things around. The plan also includes a recommendation to scale down or close GameStop’s businesses in Europe and Australia.

Through his venture capital firm RC Ventures, Chewy Inc. co-founder Ryan Cohen holds a 9.8 percent stake in GameStop’s shares, making him one of the biggest investors. Cohen said in a letter that his attempts to discuss changes with management privately “yielded little progress,” he’s now reaching out to the board of directors to try to stir things up.

In the letter obtained by The Wall Street Journal, Cohen said GameStop “lacks the mindset, resources, and plan needed to become a dominant sector player.” Cohen called out GameStop for its “apparent unwillingness to pivot with urgency and grow with gamers.”

Stockholder value has plummeted in recent years, Cohen pointed out, adding that GameStop’s stock remains one of the most shorted stocks out there, “which speaks volumes about investors’ lack of confidence in the current leadership team’s approach.”

In Cohen’s eyes, GameStop has also failed to keep up with major changes in gaming in recent years, including the transition from physical hardware to streaming, the growth in mobile, and a change in buying behavior away from “mass retailers.”

GameStop has posted revenue declines and income losses in recent quarters, Cohen said, pointing out that this is particularly a problem because the gaming business across the industry is experiencing growth currently during the pandemic. GameStop may see an uptick in sales coming up thanks to the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and the enduring popularity of the Nintendo Switch, but Cohen said, “the next console cycle’s temporary sales bump is not a justification for complacency and glacial transformation.”

So what does Cohen want to do to turn things around? He said he’s confident that GameStop can evolve its business and become a market-leader again. To get there, Cohen said to the board that he advises that GameStop should close more stores.

“Now is the time to identify duplicative, underperforming stores and plan to forgo lease renewals,” he said.

For what it’s worth, GameStop has already closed nearly 400 stores in 2020 alone, and more closures are planned for the future.

Cohen also said GameStop should look to sell or “streamline” the company’s “non-core” operations in Europe and Australia to “reduce losses and potentially generate cash.” GameStop owns the EB Games stores in Australia.

“While the Australian market has shown signs of life, it is not nearly big or strong enough to offset the losses linked to the Company’s hundreds of stores across European nations,” Cohen said.

“Taken together, these factors can fuel the necessary investments that GameStop could be making to delight and retain gamers well into the future,” Cohen said. “Taking the right steps in 2020 and 2021 can enable GameStop to own a bigger share of the market when estimated industry sales explode to more than $200 billion per year in 2023.”

GameStop can use some of the freed up cash from these initiatives to help pay for various other, more profitable endeavors like upgrading the company’s e-commerce offerings. In turn, this could help “provide for greater revenue capture across larger gaming catalogs, digital content and community experiences, online trade-ins, streaming services, and esports.”

In closing, Cohen said he hasn’t supplied a strict or detailed “turnaround plan” in this notice because that job should be done by GameStop’s board of directors and the company’s CEO, George Sherman.

“In this spirit, we urge you to quickly provide stockholders with a credible and publicly-available roadmap for cost containment, prioritizing profitable retail locations and geographic markets, and building the e-commerce ecosystem gamers deserve,” Cohen said.

Cohen also said he is not seeking a seat on GameStop’s board of directors, and he concluded his note with one further jab at the company.

“Please be advised that RC Ventures is not interested in receiving a lone seat on GameStop’s ten-member Board. It is not enticing to become an isolated stockholder advocate on a Board that has overlooked years of digital revenue opportunities and presided over massive value destruction without assuming full accountability,” he said. “We want GameStop’s leaders to do their jobs and implement a strategy for bringing the Company into the 21st century.”

A spokesperson for GameStop told The Wall Street Journal that it has a goal of creating plan to benefit shareholders. The spokesperson also noted that it has invited Cohen to join the board of directors multiple times, but he turned it down every time.

Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime sits on the GameStop board of directors. Other notable members include PetSmart CEO James Symancyk, Washington Wizards co-owner Raul Fernandez, and former Crocs executive vice president Carrie Teffner.

The Ten Best Amazon Black Friday Deals (65-Inch Sony 4K OLED TV for $1599)

The top ten Amazon Black Friday deals have been updated today. There are some previously unseen Black Friday deals on hot ticket items like a 65″ Sony OLED TV, the newest Apple iPad and Apple Watch Series 6, the top-ranked Gloomhaven board game, and the most popular SSD on the market.

#1: 65″ Sony A8G 4K OLED Android TV for $1599.99

If you don’t mind getting a 2019 model, you can score a 65″ Sony OLED TV for only $1599. This is an outstanding TV that has scored very high marks from every review site out there. In terms of image quality, there is no difference between 2019 and 2020 models.

The Top Amazon Early Black Friday Deals So Far

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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 his latest Daily Deals Article and subscribe to his IGN Deals Newsletter.

PS5 Boss Refutes Report That It Considered More Expensive Games

It was recently reported that Sony considered releasing some of its PlayStation 5 games for more than $70, but this is a bunch of baloney, according to PlayStation’s top executive. Jim Ryan told The Telegraph, “I can say that that report that we were considering higher prices for first party games is categorically false.”

One of the marquee PS5 launch titles, the Demon’s Souls remake, carries a price tag of $70 USD, which is $10 more than most current-generation games. Ryan defended the higher price point, telling The Telegraph that he believes it is a fair price.

Yes, yes, I do. If you measure the hours of entertainment provided by a video game, such as Demon’s Souls compared to any other form of entertainment, I think that’s a very straightforward comparison to draw,” he said.

Ryan was asked outright if some of Sony’s future PS5 projects would also cost $70 USD, like the next game from Uncharted and Last of Us developer Naughty Dog. However, Ryan said it’s too early to discuss what might happen down the road.

“I’m not making any predictions about anything that might or might not happen in the future. I’m saying that the reports about discussions that we considered higher pricing for first party games in this launch window were categorically false,” he said.

While some major games have raised prices to $70 for next-gen, including Demon’s Souls, NBA 2K21, Godfall, and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, it remains to be seen if others will follow suit to make $70 the new norm.

For what it’s worth, the original Bloomberg report that said Sony considered raising prices beyond $70 did not offer much in the way of specifics. The report only stated, “At one point, Sony discussed going even higher before settling on $70,” and the quote was attributed to no one.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick defended NBA 2K21’s $70 price point by saying, “The bottom line is that we haven’t seen a front-line price increase for nearly 15 years, and production costs have gone up 200 to 300%.”

Before that, former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden remarked that the cost of developing games has increased by 10 times, and all the while, the price of new games has stayed steady at $60 USD. “If you don’t have elasticity on the price-point, but you have huge volatility on the cost line, the model becomes more difficult. I think this generation is going to see those two imperatives collide,” Layden said of the new generation of consoles.

Demon’s Souls Devs Tease Hidden Door Secrets And Something Else In Cryptic Tweet

Demon’s Souls on PS5 is a remake, but one new element that has been added has got a lot of people talking. The game now has a mysterious door that no one can figure out how to open. Now, as players inch closer to discovering the door’s secrets, Bluepoint Games has tweeted out a teaser–one that could have a cryptic second meaning.

The tweet in question, embedded below, is a postcard from within the room with “Wish You Were Here” embossed on it. But what’s really got people talking is the text alongside the image: “A symphony of rumors…”

This is a reference to another tweet, made a year ago, by the account. The tweet, embedded below, follows up “a symphony of rumors” with “not one, but two”.

A Demon’s Souls remake from Bluepoint Games was rumored for a long time before the game was unveiled as a PS5 launch title. What’s the second rumor? It’s not clear, but the item behind the door could hold the key.

YouTuber Distortion2–who is tagged in the Bluepoint games tweet–has found a way to reach what’s behind the door from the outside, but there’s a protective forcefield around it–meaning that while you can see the item behind the door, you can’t reach it. You can watch and listen to him explain that below.

It’s not clear if the door can be opened right now, or if it will unlock following an update. You can expect the game’s community to keep checking as updates arrive.

In GameSpot’s review of Demon’s Souls, critic Tamoor Hussain gave the game a 9/10. “It is a technical tour de force and a true showpiece for the PS5 and the power of Sony’s next-generation console,” he wrote. “But, more importantly, it’s also a creative marvel coming from a studio that is clearly showing the world it has its own voice.”

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Ori And The Will Of The Wisps Xbox Series X Review

Eight months after its initial release, Ori and the Will of the Wisps received some impressive technical upgrades on the Xbox Series X and Series S. The optimized version of the game hits an ultra-smooth 60-120 frames per second on both next-gen consoles at varying resolutions. It’s a huge comeback for a game that was initially subject to wonky technical issues. In the next generation, Ori sheds its graphical hangups and becomes more impressive for it.

Both consoles have frame rate-prioritizing “performance” and visually minded “fidelity” modes, but neither one feels like a compromise. On the Series S, you get to choose between 1080p with HDR at 120fps, or an upscaled 4K at 60fps. On the Series X, you can choose to play the game in 4K with HDR at a performance-focused 120fps, or goose the graphics in a supersampled 6K resolution, running at 60fps with HDR. Regardless of your settings, Will of the Wisps also benefits from enhanced load times and improved audio fidelity.

Supersampling, for anyone perplexed by the idea of playing an Xbox One-era game in 6K, processes an image at a higher resolution, then compresses it down to your TV or monitor’s resolution. You know how a screenshot gets blurry when you make it ten times larger? It’s kind of like the opposite of that… But happening in real-time because it’s a video game and not a static image. The thing you need to know is, when using 6K mode in Will of the Wisps, you aren’t actually playing in 6K, but what you are playing does get a nice visual boost over the standard 4K setting.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps on Xbox Series X
Ori and the Will of the Wisps on Xbox Series X

In anecdotal, eyeball-based terms, the colorful forests of Ori’s opening hours look better in the 6K mode. Environmental elements like flowers hanging off walls and thorny spikes stick out more sharply against the background. These are small enough differences that you probably won’t notice them during an intense platforming challenge. If you stop and look around, though, you’ll appreciate what you see. Will of the Wisps still looks incredible in 4K; it’s colorful, vibrant, and sharp. If you want to wring the absolute best visuals out of the Series X–or if, like me, you do not have a TV or monitor capable of rendering 4K and HDR at 120fps–6K is a nice little high-fidelity nudge.

Speaking of which, let’s talk about performance. When it first launched, Will of the Wisps suffered from some technical setbacks, including stutters and screen tearing due to inconsistent frame rates. Not only are those issues gone now, but the game now sets a high bar for technical performance. Its animation is silky smooth at 60 frames per second. In the first four hours, I didn’t see a single, momentary hitch. As I just noted above, I tested the 6K/60Hz mode but also ran the 4K/120Hz performance mode on a TV maxing out at 60Hz, so I cannot attest to how it fares when pushed in performance mode.

Beyond that, Ori and the Will of the Wisps remains an incredible action-platformer. As Steve Watts explained in GameSpot’s original review earlier this year, “While Ori is ostensibly a metroidvania, Will of the Wisps is less focused on exploration and backtracking than is typical for the genre. Your objectives are usually clear, straight lines, and shortcuts littered throughout the environments get you back to the main path quickly.” Will of the Wisps streamlines the exploration- and puzzle-heavy gameplay into something more straightforward. It retains the original’s tight, graceful platforming and brings the same precision to its expanded combat systems. “Around the mid-game I realized I had become adept at stringing together platforming and combat skills,” Watts said, “air-dashing and bounding between threats with balletic rhythm and barely touching the ground until the screen had been cleared.”

Gallery

Will of the Wisps was always an impressive visual showpiece, despite the technical flaws that initially held it back. It’s more straightforward, combat-heavy flow may still put off die-hard fans of the original Ori, but there’s that’s a small nitpick for a game that retains its identity while finding a new flow. Most importantly for the Series X and S upgrades, next-gen hardware turns one of Will of the Wisps’ original weaknesses into a point of pride, and that’s worth celebrating.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Multiplayer Has An Incredibly Overpowered Starter Weapon

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War released recently, and right now one weapon is absolutely dominating the online multiplayer. As PC Gamer reports, players have been complaining about the absolute domination of the MP5–a starter gun that far outpowers many of the later unlockable weapons.

The MP5, which has an incredible fire-rate with high damage and great range with little recoil, has become the favorite weapon of many players, and many are calling for a nerf.

According to professional player 100T Nadeshot, the MP5 “might be the most over powered SMG in Call of Duty history”. Right now there’s not a lot of variety in multiplayer because of how long it takes to level other weapons, he says.

It’s worth remembering, though, that any multiplayer game releasing in 2020 was developed in less-than-ideal conditions due to COVID-19, and testing for balance has been harder than ever. Lead designer Tony Flame has promised balance changes for the start of Season 1.

Another odd problem players have encountered is that their new PS5s are downloading the PS4 version. As with any console launch, there have been teething issues.

GameSpot’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War review is currently in-progress, but it’s currently sitting on an 8/10 thanks to a strong campaign.

Now Playing: Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – Campaign Impressions

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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Twitch Prime Freebies Include A Pigeon Skin For Your Raven

Subscribers to Amazon Prime can get some extra goodies for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, including a skin for your raven that turns the bird into a pigeon.

The Carolingian Dynasty Gear Pack includes a gear set, a mount, a shield, a weapon, and naval pro and skin sets. It also includes the aforementioned pigeon skin.

To unlock the content, you need to link your Ubisoft Connect and Amazon Prime accounts. Once you’ve done that, the gear will show up once you reach England in the game and create your own stable and shipyard. The DLC may take up to 48 hours to arrive.

You can visit the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla page on Amazon’s website to learn more about the promotion and how to redeem your goodies.

Valhalla enjoyed a very strong launch for Ubisoft, with the publisher reporting that the game sold through more units in its first week than any other game in the entire franchise.

GameSpot’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla review scored the game an 8/10. “It takes a little while to build momentum, but when it hits its stride, Valhalla is a confident Assassin’s Creed title that takes a few narrative risks which, as a whole, pay off,” reviewer Jordan Ramee said.

Now Playing: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Review

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Gears 5 Gets a Massive Operation 5 Update, Patch Notes Here

Following last week’s update to Gears 5, which added next-gen optimizations for the Xbox Series X / Series S, the game is getting perhaps its largest update yet. Alongside the launch of Operation 5: Hollow Storm, the patch introduces five maps, seven characters, and brings the Scorcher flamethrower back into the fold.

As revealed by the patch’s copious patch notes below, the nostalgia-themed update adds many new features and optimizations to Gears 5, including the return of several beloved characters from Gears 2 and 3, like Dizzy Wallin and Skorge. In addition, the game’s traditional multiplayer modes now run at a locked 120 frames per second on Xbox Series X/S.

Operation 5 also brings major changes to the game’s other multiplayer modes, particularly Horde and Escape. The update has decoupled character and class, meaning that you can pair any character with any class, instead of playing the character with the weapons and abilities you need to win. Finally, my all-Batista dream team can destroy all comers.

That previous update that brought more Dave Bautista to the game also gave it a New Game+ mode, so get back in the fight. It also improved input lag, which is definitely a boon to multiplayer.

Gears 5 Operation 5: Hollow Storm Patch Notes

General

  • Updates to PvP including deploying ‘Community Service’ model for quitters and new bonuses for Ranked matches. Here are the full details.
  • Added a new rarity level added above Legendary called ‘Heroic’
  • Major updates to PVE including decoupling Characters and Classes in for PvE. Here is a complete breakdown of all the changes.
  • Made various Store adjustments to improve navigation and more intuitive organization.
  • We know many of you are interested in hearing about our planned changes to re-ups. We will have more information to Re-up rewards in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

Gameplay

  • Fixed issue with characters briefly disappearing after being counter yanked while having a pistol equipped.
  • Fixed visual feedback inconsistencies with EMBAR firing.
  • Fixed issue with My Tour Objectives not updating after a user runs multiple matches in a row.
  • Fixed issue with incorrect character skins loading in Arcade Blitz and Arcade Deathmatch modes.
  • Fixed issue with xCloud TAK controls for the right joystick being nonresponsive during gameplay.
  • Fixed occasional spawning issue for users playing rolling matches of Golden Gun.
  • Fixed issue with team now appearing online in My Squad.
  • Fixed performance issues with RTX 2080ti.
  • Fixed issue that allowed players to matchmake into “Recruit” playlists after level 30.
  • Fixed an issue so Bastions now shield an enemy target when spawning and no longer use their self-destruct against players.

Characters

  • Fixed universal lip flap animation issue when coughing audio plays.
  • Updated Clayton Carmine with new knife prop.
  • Fixed issues with the venom bomb placement in lobbies for Armored and V-Day Sam, UIR Officer Male and Female, UIR Cosmonaut, and UIR Soldier Female.
  • Fixed issue with UIR Soldier Male and Female arm guards missing from the back of the characters.
  • Fixed issue with Commando Dom’s shoulder armor lighting.
  • Fixed issue with skin deformations on the Speaker’s skin while vaulting.
  • Corrected colored armor emissive lights for Kilo Squad Baird.
  • Corrected issue with Void RAAM’s head not turning while looking in cover.
  • Fixed secondary motion on the pouch and lower back for Armored and V-Day Sam.
  • Added light bleeding effect for Kilo Squad Baird’s shoulder strap emissive lights.
  • Added gore texture to Locust Drone’s holstered knife.
  • Updated Queen Myrrah’s face model on the gore mesh.
  • Fixed LOD popping issues on Murder Pool Lizzie’s severed hand and blood tubes.
  • Removed blood effect from Robot characters during execution.

Maps and Tiles

  • Fixed bug allowing players to walk on air after switching weapons while sliding down ramps in Icebound.
  • Fixed issue with users getting stuck behind a wall after going DBNO near a wall in Reactor.
  • Fixed minor light volume issues on windows in Vasgar.
  • Fixed issue with missing grenade collision on a wall in Checkout.
  • Fixed issue with glass rendering in front of smoke grenade smoke in Checkout.
  • Fixed VFX/SFX issues on computer screens and the couch on the tracks in Asylum.

Other

  • Fixed issue with Social Manager giving “Social Manager is having issues getting updates at this time…” error message that occurred intermittently when accessing the Social Manager.

Now Playing: Gears 5 Video Review

TBS’ Conan Coming To An End, New HBO Max Show In Development

After 28 years as a late-night host that included a much-publicized revolutionary move to a half-hour format in 2019, Conan O’Brien will be concluding his run at the end of his TBS’ show’s tenth season in June 2021. However, this is not the end for O’Brien–according to a release, the comic performer is already developing “a new, weekly variety series” for HBO Max. His Conan Without Borders travel specials, which also air on Netflix and HBO Max, will reportedly continue.

“In 1993 Johnny Carson gave me the best advice of my career: ‘As soon as possible, get to a streaming platform,'” O’Brien joked in the release. “I’m thrilled that I get to continue doing whatever the hell it is I do on HBO Max, and I look forward to a free subscription.”

Striking a more sober, celebratory, and decidedly corporate tone, HBO and HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys added, “Conan’s unique brand of energetic, relatable, and at times, absurdist, comedy has charmed late-night audiences for nearly three decades. We can’t wait to see what he and the rest of Team Coco will dream up for this brand new, variety format each week.”

It’s unclear how this move will impact, if at all, the burgeoning constellation of podcasts O’Brien has begun as an apparent measure to counterbalance the reduced television time the 30-minute format: Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend has been a fantastic source of insightful and entertaining interviews with other performers, and longtime Conan sidekick Andy Richter’s The Three Questions dabbles in similar tones with a heavier dose of philosophy.