Hulu Live TV Will Cost More Starting In December

Just as Netflix did recently, Hulu has announced it will be increasing its prices. According to the green-flecked streaming service itself, Hulu with Live TV will be increasing its price to $65 a month, an uptick that will cost as much as YouTube TV once it goes into effect on December 18.

This marks a $10 monthly increase for current customers, and the cost increase will impact both new and current customers. The last time Hulu increased costs for subscribers was last year, when the price similarly went from $45 to $55, again, on December 18 back in 2019.

Were it not for the pandemic and cost-cutting measures families all over the US might be considering, a $10 increase for streaming services might not seem like that big of a deal. However, it’s worth remembering that these types of cord-cutting packages were meant to entice people who wanted to avoid cable bills for all sorts of unwanted channels. But as each ecosystem wants to compete and offer exclusive or exclusively licensed content, costs have been climbing annually. Considering that $65 per month–an 18% increase–still gets you access to Hulu’s programming with ads (the ad-free tier will cost $71), it is worth pondering the costs and overall value.

“Price changes are never easy to stomach,” Hulu said in a blog post (via CNBC). “We know that many people don’t watch live television year-round, so we’ve made it easy for Hulu subscribers to switch back and forth between our plans to best suit their needs.”

PS5 Firmware Update Improves Performance, Out Now

Sony has released the first firmware update for its recently launched PlayStation 5, bringing “system performance” improvements with it.

The patch notes for system update 20.02-02.25.00 don’t specifically state what areas of the console are being addressed, simply stating, “This system software update improves system performance.” The entire download is just shy of 900MB and is available to download now.

The PS5 launched in the US, Canada, and other regions on November 12, with the launch in Europe taking place this Thursday, November 19. Since launching the console has had numerous reports of widespread issues, ranging from bugs preventing PS5 game downloads and requiring a format to numerous instances of technical issues with the console’s Rest Mode. Many GameSpot employees have encountered these issues personally, too.

The PS5 could also benefit from a change that removes PS4 versions of games from the default downloads, which takes up unnecessary space on the console’s already small SSD. There’s also a few smaller tweaks that we would like to see implemented in the future, based on our time with the console thus far.

That isn’t to say the console isn’t impressive elsewhere. In our PS5 review, critic Mat Paget found a lot to love about Sony’s latest console, from the striking rumble in the DualSense to the incredibly fast loading times. “Sony has laid strong foundations for its new generation of gaming,” writes Paget. “But it’s now up to developers to use all the tools laid out for them to build upon it.”

Now Playing: PlayStation 5 Video Review

New Lego Super Mario Sets Coming January 2021

The Lego Super Mario collaboration is getting a big expansion early next year. The Lego Group announced a series of new level sets, character packs, and Mario costumes that will hit stores on January 1, 2021.

The highlight of the new additions is the Master Your Adventure Maker Set, which offers a set of customization tools to make the Mario courses your own. The Customization Machine included in the set lets you change the variables on three included Special Bricks. It also includes a new type of Start Pipe, which decreases the time to finish a course but increases your reward payout if you complete it.

The other sets include the Chain Chomp Jungle Encounter set, the Piranha Plant Puzzling Challenge set, and the Wiggler’s Poison Swamp set. Alongside those, you can collect two new suits: Penguin Mario, which lets him slide on his belly, and Tanooki Mario, which lets you do a spin move. There will also be Series 2 of the blind-bag character packs, which will include a Huckit Crab, Spiny Cheep Cheep, Ninji, Foo, Parachute Goomba, Fly Guy, Poison Mushroom, Para-Beetle, Thwimp, or a Bone Goomba.

All of the sets are compatible with the previous ones released in August, and you’ll need the base set that includes Mario to make use of any of the stage-building gameplay. The Lego Super Mario sets let you run through customized Lego courses as Mario, as the figure keeps track of your life, enemies, and coin total.

You can check out the full list of the new sets below, and check out our roundup of the best Lego gifts.

  • Lego Super Mario Master Your Adventure Maker Set — $59.99 USD/EUR
  • Lego Super Mario Wiggler’s Poison Swamp Expansion Set — $39.99 USD/EUR
  • Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant Puzzling Challenge Expansion Set — $29.99 USD/EUR
  • Lego Super Mario Chain Chomp Jungle Encounter Expansion Set — $19.99 USD/ 24.99 EUR
  • Lego Super Mario Penguin Mario Power-Up Pack – $9.99 USD/EUR
  • Lego Super Mario Tanooki Mario Power-Up Pack — $9.99 USD/EUR
  • Lego Super Mario Character Packs – Series 2 – $4.99 USD/3.99 EUR

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The Batman TV Spin-Off’s Showrunner Quits

A TV spin-off from Matt Reeves’ upcoming DC movie The Batman was first announced in July, with Boardwalk Empire creator Terence Winter set to be showrunner and main writer. However, it’s now been reported that Winter has quit the show.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Winter has left the HBO Max series because his “vision for the drama did not match what Reeves and other producers had in mind.” The site states that producers are now looking for a replacement showrunner. The series will focus on the corrupt police department in Gotham City.

When Winter was announced, Reeves described the opportunity to work with him as “an absolute dream,” and stated that he had “written so insightfully and powerfully about worlds of crime and corruption.”

The series will be a prequel to The Batman. During DC FanDome in August, Reeves revealed it will be set a year before the movie, during Batman’s first 12 months in Gotham. “The idea is we go back to year one,” he said. “Year one is the first appearance of this masked vigilante that starts to unsettle the city, and you start to see the story through the point of view of these corrupt cops and one in particular. The story is actually a battle for his soul.”

The Batman is currently in production in the UK ahead of its March 2022 release. The movies stars Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight, plus Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Colin Farrell as Penguin, Paul Dano as Riddler, Andy Serkis as Alfred, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone. The first trailer was revealed during FanDome.

For more, check out GameSpot’s guides to every upcoming DC movie and TV show we know about to date.

Now Playing: The Batman Teaser Trailer Breakdown: 22 Things You May Have Missed

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Winter Update Coming This Week

The holidays are getting near, and a new update will let you celebrate the festive season in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. A free winter update on November 19 will add holiday events like Turkey Day and Toy Day along with other evergreen gameplay features.

Turkey Day (November 26)

The Animal Crossing equivalent of Thanksgiving will take place on November 26, with an appearance from Franklin the turkey chef. Franklin will need your help gathering ingredients for the dishes he’s making for the feast. If you help him properly prepare for the holiday, he’ll give you a special gift.

Toy Day (December 24)

In December, Toy Day will take place on Christmas Eve. It’s very much modeled after the actual Christmas holiday, with decorated trees and an appearance from Jingle the reindeer. You can help Jingle deliver presents to receive a gift from him.

But like Human Christmas, the celebration actually lasts all month long. From December 1 through 25 you can purchase toys from Nook’s Cranny and don a Santa cap or other holiday clothing from the Able Sisters shop. Plus the Plaza will get progressively more decorated for Christmas throughout the weeks leading up to the holiday.

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New Year’s Eve

Between December 26 and December 31, you’ll be able to buy festive New Year’s Eve items. Then on New Year’s Eve itself, you can take part in a countdown event starting at 7 PM. Ring in the new year with your animal buddies.

New Reactions and Hairstyles

The update will also add nine new reactions and six new hairstyles, available through the Nook Miles program. You’ll be able to purchase a Hip Reaction pack or a Stylish Hairstyles pack to unlock the new cosmetics. A trailer showed off some of them in action, including a Yoga and Ta-Da reaction, and several of the hairstyles.

Home Storage, Random Dreams, And Save Transfers

Packrats will be able to store more in their homes with a Storage Upgrade, thanks to a new option available through Nook Services. The Home Storage expansion will bring you from a max of 1600 items to a whopping 2400, which should help you store all those holiday gifts.

You’ll also be able to visit random islands in Dreams, so you’ll no longer need a code to see what other villagers have been up to. To celebrate Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp turning three years old, you can claim a themed smartphone model by linking both games to your Nintendo account.

Finally, a new Island and Resident Data Transfer will let you move all of your save data, island, and residents to another system. The feature will also let individual users who aren’t the Resident Representative move their data to another system.

Another update is planned for late January, according to the teaser video.

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Immortals Fenyx Rising Crosses Over With Adventure Time In A New Trailer

Ubisoft has released a new trailer for Immortals Fenyx Rising, featuring an unlikely crossover with the duo of Finn and Jake from Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time. In the video, the pair run afoul of Cerberus, and not even a combination of shapeshifting powers and youthful exuberance can slay the beast. Fortunately, Fenyx arrives to save the day, which you can see in the trailer below:

While Ubisoft hasn’t mentioned if there’ll be an Adventure Time crossover in Immortals Fenyx Rising, the Cartoon Network series is making a comeback on HBO Max. Having wrapped up the main series in 2018, a new mini-series was announced, with the first episode airing in June. A second episode, Obsidian, will premiere later this week.

Immortals Fenyx Rising releases for Xbox Series X and Series S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Stadia on December 3. Similar to Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, there’s a massive world to explore, as well various mysteries, puzzles, and secrets to uncover as you guide Fenyx in a quest to save humanity and the Greek pantheon of gods from the titan Typhon.

If you’re planning to play on PC and you want to see if your hardware can handle the game, you can check out the minimum and recommended requirements.

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Stephen King’s The Stand: New Trailer For CBS All Access Show Teases Fight Against Evil

Stephen King’s post-apocalyptic 1978 novel The Stand is one of the writer’s most revered works, and a new eight-episode TV adaptation premieres on CBS All Access next month. A new trailer has now been released.

The latest promo focuses on two of the show’s iconic characters. Mother Abagail–aka the Prophet–is a 108-year-old woman played by Whoopi Goldberg, who warns of “the Dark Man.” This is Randall Flagg, played by Alexander Skarsgård, the demonic figure who threatens the survival of what’s left of the human race. Check the trailer out below.

The Stand will debut on December 17 and run weekly through to February 18, 2021. The show also stars Jovan Adepo as Larry Underwood, Heather Graham as Rita Blakemoor, Owen Teague as Harold Lauder, and Odessa Young as Frannie Goldsmith. King himself has written the final episode, as well as a new coda that takes the story beyond the end point of the novel. Check out the first trailer here.

In a recent interview with Variety, showrunner Benjamin Cavell spoke about how the themes and story of The Stand, which deals with the after effects of a global pandemic, were so relevant to life in 2020. “When I came aboard this project in early 2018, I told [CBS All Access head of programming] Julie McNamara how eerily relevant I found this story even then,” he said. “Not because I had any idea we’d be facing our own pandemic, but because I felt we were starting to question so many things we all grew up taking for granted about the structure of human civilization.

“What better moment for a show that imagines that civilization torn down to the studs, forcing our characters to confront questions about the very foundations of government, what society owes the individual and vice versa, what we all as humans owe to one another [and] what we’re willing to sacrifice in terms of personal liberty in order to feel safe and protected?”

For more, check out GameSpot’s guide to the biggest upcoming TV shows of 2020 and beyond.