Alex Cranz

ReviewsFirst Look

Apple Arcade Is Getting a Super Smash Bros.-Like Sports Game

Look, you can’t call yourself a big game system if you don’t have a sports game. Madden, The Show, FIFA, NBA Jam—they’re all games that have been critical to the platforms they appear on. Apple Arcade has been bereft of sports games and particularly bereft of licensed sports games. That means there hasn’t really been … Continued

io9Comic Book Shows

The Supers and Bats Were the Focus of Crisis Part 2 and It Was Perfect

Yesterday I complained about the breakneck speed of the CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths. The scope was incredible, the wide array of heroes on call was impressive, and the Easter eggs were plentiful. Yet there seemed something soulless at the heart of part one—it moved so quickly that the catastrophes never quite resonated. Instead, they … Continued

Tech NewsDecade's End

The Most Innovative Gadgets of the Decade

This decade we saw the smartphone move from overpriced gadget to something more necessary than a laptop or desktop. We saw the e-reader settle on a design so perfect it’s barely changed in seven years. We saw games systems that made us rethink how we game and laptops that made us rethink what a good … Continued

io9Comic Book Shows

RIP Everyone: A Whole Lot of People Died in the First Episode of CW’s Crisis

I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that “a lot of people died” in the first episode of Crisis on Infinite Earths, a five-episode miniseries of nearly a dozen DC universes where the plot is “everyone is gonna die.” We all knew going into the huge CW Arrowverse crossover that heroes and cameos would … Continued

Tech NewsNews

Plex Now Offering Over a Thousand Movies on Demand and for Free

Plex, the build-your-own-Netflix software suite, is adding over a thousand movies to the service for free. Films like The Terminator, Ghost in the Shell, and The Right Stuff will be available on demand for anyone who downloads the app to their device. Sort of like Netflix, only free. The news was announced today in a … Continued

Tech NewsGadgets

Is It Time to Upgrade Your Game Console?

Don’t do it. The deals will be plentiful, the money will be burning a hole in your pocket, and your shiny new 4K TV will be begging you to get a console worthy of it, but my friend, it is 2019 and you should not be upgrading your current PS4 or Xbox One to the … Continued

Tech News

I Would Eat Baby Yoda

When something as adorable as The Mandalorian’s little green gremlin floats into our collective conscious, we find ourselves wading through an overwhelming flood of emotions. Some of us whisper that they would kill for the tiny baby of indeterminate origin and species. Others, that they would sacrifice themselves, dying for Baby Yoda in an act … Continued

Tech NewsStreaming Services

Netflix Doing Something That Was Basically Illegal Until Last Week

Netflix has saved a well-known movie theater in New York City from imminent closure, and that is ostensibly a good thing. But something much more devastating lies beneath. The company that made streaming mainstream says it will rescue NYC’s Paris Theater. This comes on the heels of an announcement from the Department of Justice that … Continued

Tech NewsApple

Apple and Nvidia Are Over

The last vestiges of Nvidia and Apple’s long-term relationship are ending shortly. On Monday Nvidia published the release notes for the next update of its CUDA platform and noted that “CUDA 10.2 (Toolkit and NVIDIA driver) is the last release to support macOS for developing and running CUDA applications.” That means all future versions of … Continued

ReviewsVPN

Stadia Is a Glimpse Into the Future—But Maybe Not Yours or Google’s

When Stadia works perfectly, it feels like the future of gaming. Laptop, phone, and TV: Google’s new game streaming service works across all three with the press of a button or two. The simple controller knows what to connect to and does so with ease. With Stadia, you can slip into a game typically found … Continued

ReviewsFirst Look

Everything to Know About Disney+

Over a year after it was first announced, Disney+ is finally here and full of cartoons, superheroes, and space wizards for you to gawk at. Last week, Gizmodo got a chance to check out the new streaming service app in its final form and speak with the team behind Disney+’s launch. The time I spent … Continued

Tech NewsNews

We Finally Know What Games Are Launching With Stadia

The launch of Stadia is only a week away, so it’s extremely surprising that we’re only learning about its launch titles now—after pre-orders have already happened. But given the list of games available maybe it makes sense that Google held off so long. As launch lists go the Stadia one has me worried. When Stadia … Continued

Tech NewsApple

Bland Content Isn’t Apple TV+’s Biggest Problem

Apple has had a long slow crawl from hardware maker to entertainment service provider. First, there was iTunes and selling music online, then movies and TV shows. Later came Apple Music, a streaming service provided for a monthly fee, and earlier this year there was News+, a news service… provided for a monthly fee. Now … Continued

io9Comic Book Shows

Did We Need to See That Much of the Childhood of Batwoman‘s Villain?

Batwoman continues to be Arrow’s rightful successor—a grim exploration of superheroics with a lead that’s all charm, but hampered by their character’s sullenness. Only, where Arrow leaned into realism to the point of ridiculousness, Batwoman at least has the sense to embrace the comic book nature of its titular character. Every single week Batwoman fights … Continued

io9Comic Book Shows

Supergirl Completely Screwed James Olsen

James “Jimmy” Olsen got a raw deal. The character found on Supergirl was never the character from the comic books, and often never the same character from season to season of Supergirl. He was a soft and sweet love interest who wanted to keep Kara safe, until suddenly he was a grim vigilante or a … Continued

ReviewsHome EntertainmentSet-top Boxes

Nvidia’s Newest Set-Top Box Uses AI to Turn Content 4K

It’s not magic, but when the new Nvidia Shield works, it almost feels like it. The new tube-look revision of Nvidia’s already superb set-top box has taken away a few features, dropped the price, and packed in a new variant of the Tegra X1 chip. This chip is important because it allows the Shield to … Continued

ReviewsLaptopsChromebooks

Google’s Pixelbook Go Is Really Weird, But Holy Crap That Battery Life

The Pixelbook Go is the cheapest Chromebook Google has made to date. Google’s flagship Chrome OS devices typically start at $1,000, so the $650 price tag on the base-level Pixelbook Go is incredible. Compared to other Google-made Chrome OS devices, the Pixelbook Go is a fantastic budget alternative that gives you some of the best … Continued

io9Comic Book Shows

Sean Astin Made a Surprise Appearance on Supergirl

Man, Supergirl has been right up my personal alley the last few weeks. There’s been an entire storyline about augmented reality and an entire storyline about how CatCo needs to unionize, plus a kicky new look for the titular character that has me seriously contemplating bangs. Also, it’s been an extremely gay show, and possibly … Continued

ReviewsLaptops

Microsoft and AMD’s Surface Laptop 3 Is Something Special

The 15-inch Surface Laptop 3 might be one of the most portable 15-inch devices I’ve ever used. It’s thin, it weighs just 3.4 pounds, it has a big 15-inch display, and somehow it manages to be pretty powerful to boot. I’ve rarely used a laptop this big that feels so small when transported from home … Continued

ReviewsFirst Look

The Pixelbook Go Walks the Fine Line Between High Design and Great Value

The Pixelbook is the best Chromebook you can buy, but it’s also one of the most expensive Chromebooks you can buy. The big pitch for the Pixelbook Go is that it takes a lot of what you like about the Pixelbook and Google’s aesthetic in general, and charges only $650. That’s a damn fine idea, … Continued