Disney is reportedly considering keeping their theme parks and resorts, such as Disneyland in Anaheim and Disney World in Orlando, closed until at least the beginning of the new year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Disney parks remain indefinitely closed at the moment.
According to the Los Angeles Times (via ScreenRant), the global financial advisory firm UBS informed their clients Monday that the “Walt Disney Co. is likely to wait until Jan. 1 to open its theme parks.”
And once they do, UBS predicts that Disney “will see only about 50% of 2019 attendance” and that they can expect reduced profitability until there’s a vaccine for the coronavirus. Disney’s stock dropped earlier this week following a downgrade from UBS.
Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger recently said Disney parks and resorts will implement new screening measures and health precautions once they reopen, including possibly taking visitors’ temperatures, in order to ensure employee and customer safety.
Disney is reportedly losing upwards of $30 million a day as a large swath of their businesses remain closed, a downturn in the media giant’s fortunes that has seen their rival Netflix become more valuable than them.
There have been some great gaming laptop deals over the past couple of months, and now, Newegg has a new one for a limited time. You can snag an Asus Tuf gaming laptop for $1,000, down from its original price of $1,300. This deal is valid for less than 12 hours, so you’ll need to act fast. It boasts an RTX 2060 graphics card, a Ryzen 7 R7-3750H processor, and a 1080p 144Hz display, which makes it an excellent choice for PC shooter fans that want the freedom a laptop provides.
The Asus Tuf laptop’s specs are powerful enough to run all of today’s most popular shooters at medium-to-high settings, from Fortnite and Valorant to Call of Duty: Warzone and Rainbow Six Siege. though you may want to lower your settings if you want to take full advantage of the 144Hz refresh rate. This means that the screen can display up to 144 frames per second, which makes it much easier to react to things happening on your screen, such as an enemy coming around a corner.
Asus Tuf gaming laptop with RTX 2060 and 144Hz display
$1,000 ($1,300)
Asus Tuf gaming laptop
The laptop also comes equipped with a 512GB SSD, which is enough space for a handful of games depending on the size. Two of the largest games, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Rainbow Six Siege, weigh in at 168GB and 110GB respectively, while games like Fortnite and CS:GO take up around 20GB of space.
If you want to become a streamer on Twitch or a content creator on YouTube, then a capture card is essential. These handy devices can help you record and stream PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and even PC gameplay, and if you want to create high-quality videos, you’ll need a great capture card to do so. That’s why we’ve tested several capture cards to figure out which ones will help you make the best videos and streams possible, whether you’re on Twitch, YouTube, Mixer, or anywhere in between.
What to look for in a capture card
There are a few key things to consider when shopping for a capture card. The first thing you need to ask yourself is whether you want a portable capture card or an internal capture card that you insert into your PC’s motherboard. They both achieve the same results, though the internal capture cards don’t need to take up any extra space to get their job done and are generally easier to use if you want to capture your own PC’s feed. If you have a laptop, however, you’ll need an external capture card. You may also want to take your capture card with you on the go, whether that’s to events, on vacation, or a friend’s house. Once you figure out what your needs are, the choice is even easier.
Next, you should consider what the device is capable of capturing–this includes the max resolution, refresh rate, HDR, and more.
Refresh rate is actually quite simple. A screen with a 60Hz refresh rate is capable of showing you 60 images per second–or 60 frames per second. The vast majority of capture cards can only capture up to 60 FPS, so you don’t need to worry too much about this–though if you’re playing on a PC, you may still want to enjoy your ultra-high refresh rates while recording. This is where passthrough comes in.
You’ll notice that each device has a different range of passthrough. This refers to the signal that the capture card is able to “pass through” itself and on to your own screen while recording. In some cases, devices are capable of capturing certain resolutions and refresh rates while passing through higher resolutions and refresh rates–for example, capturing 1080p and 60Hz but passing through 1440p and 144Hz. The passthrough capabilities of each device are different, so be sure to think of your setup and what device can accommodate you.
Thankfully, if you’re strictly playing and recording your consoles, then you’re covered on all fronts. The PS4 Pro and Xbox One X are capable of resolutions up to 4K with 60 frames per second, something multiple capture cards are capable of recording. Several consoles also feature HDR support, and while you may want to record everything you’re able to see from your console, HDR capture isn’t necessarily something you should worry about. HDR stands for high-dynamic range, which refers to the range of colours a device and game are able to display. TVs and content that support HDR often have beautiful bright colours, making a huge impact on the overall image quality. Capturing HDR footage is an appealing prospect, but it requires expensive equipment and only people with HDR-capable screens will be able to enjoy it. If you still want to experience your console’s HDR for yourself, then you’ll want to keep an eye out for devices capable of HDR passthrough.
There are quite a few professional-grade capture cards out there that are made for filmmaking and cameras. These can work with consoles and your PC, but they’re very expensive and totally gratuitous for the content most YouTubers and Twitch streamers make. We’ve left these types of products out and focused on the best capture cards that will be most useful for video game content creators.
The best capture cards we’ve tested
As we try out more capture cards, we’ll be sure to update this list with any we find exceptional. In the meantime, be sure to check out the best capture cards we’ve already tested and vouch for below. Plus, see our full guide to the best streaming accessories, from microphones to webcams, if you’re looking to start creating content on Twitch, YouTube, or elsewhere.
Note: The prices shown below indicate a product’s standard list price and may not reflect any current discounts or other fluctuations.
Quick look: Best capture cards for 2020
Elgato 4K60 S+ | $400
The best high-end capture card
The Good:
Capture up to 4K and 60 FPS gameplay
4K HDR and 60 FPS passthrough
High-end encoder makes recording beautiful footage a breeze
Record footage to a PC or straight to an SD card
Connects to PC via USB-C
Single-button device makes recording easy
The Bad:
Does not support 1080p240 and 1440p144 passthrough
High price tag
Elgato’s new 4K60 S+ is the most exciting capture card on this list, thanks to its on-board video encoder and the ability to capture footage directly to an SD card. All you have to do is plug in your console via HDMI, press the capacitive touch button, and you’re recording–no PC needed. And considering its portable form factor, the Elgato 4K60 S+ makes for a great option when going to events like PAX, where you might be able to capture footage of games before they release. It features 4K HDR and 60 frames per second passthrough as well as no noticeable lag, making it something you can leave plugged in at all times. Unfortunately, unlike Elgato’s internal 4K60 Pro card, it does not support passthrough for 1080p and 240Hz or 1440p and 144Hz.
The price can also be a deterrent for casual content creators. There’s no doubt that the portability, SD card recording, and video-encoding capabilities are attractive features, but they come at a price–one that’s actually quite high. If you don’t absolutely need everything the 4K60 S+ has to offer, then you may not want to shell out the extra cash required to pick one up.
Elgato HD60 S+ | $200
The best 1080p60 capture card
The Good:
Capture up to 1080p and 60 FPS gameplay
4K HDR and 60 FPS passthrough
Connects to PC via USB-C
Easy to set up
The Bad:
Requires a PC
If you’re looking for a cheaper portable capture card, then Elgato’s HD60 S+ is a great option. It’s capable of capturing up to 1080p and 60 FPS and passthrough of 4K HDR and 60 FPS. This makes it a great capture card that you can keep plugged in at all times, though you will need a PC to record your gameplay–the HD60 S+ does not have an SD card slot. This capture card is perfect for Twitch, YouTube, Mixer, and any other streaming or video platform you want to create for.
Razer Ripsaw HD | $160
An excellent 1080p60 capture card for a cheaper price
The Good:
Captures up to 1080p and 60 FPS gameplay
Supports 4K and 60 FPS passthrough
3.5mm ports are perfect for gaming headset
The Bad:
Doesn’t support HDR passthrough
Requires a PC
Razer, known for its excellent gaming keyboards and mice, also makes a great capture card. Slick and discrete, it’s easy to place anywhere on your desk and keep a low profile, while capturing up to 1080p and 60 FPS with passthrough for 4K and 60 FPS. It unfortunately does not support HDR passthrough. Its unique feature allows you to plug in a 3.5mm microphone and headphones to record your voice and monitor your audio respectively–this is perfect if you plan on streaming with a gaming headset.
Elgato 4K60 Pro | $250
The best internal capture card
The Good:
Perfect for nearly every platform out there
Captures up to 4K and 60 FPS as well as HDR
Supports up to 1080p240Hz and 1440p144Hz passthrough
Internal PCIe card lets you set it and forget it
The Bad:
Requires a PC
The Elgato 4K60 Pro is the best internal PCIe capture card out there. It’s capable of capturing gameplay up to 4K and 60 frames per second, and it’s easy to set up, too: All you have to do is plug it into your motherboard and download the drivers to get it working. It can capture HDR and passthrough up to 1080p at 240Hz and 1440p at 144Hz. These passthrough capabilities are particularly useful if you’re going to use this card to capture your own PC’s gameplay, as you won’t have to sacrifice your own experience while recording or streaming. It also works seamlessly with the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. With some third-party accessories, I was even able to capture retro platforms like the Nintendo GameCube.
Elgato HD60 Pro | $180
A great capture card for 1080p60 gamers
The Good:
Captures up to 1080p and 60 FPS
Supports 1080p and 60 FPS passthrough
Internal PCIe card lets you set it and forget it
The Bad:
Isn’t suitable for PS4 Pro or Xbox One X
Requires a PC
The HD60 Pro is a version of Elgato’s internal PCIe card that supports capture and passthrough up to 1080p and 60 frames per second. It has fewer features and capabilities than the 4K60 Pro, but it also comes at a much cheaper price. If capturing in 4K HDR isn’t something that interests you, then the HD60 Pro is more than enough to handle your streaming and recording needs, especially if you’re an aspiring streamer or YouTuber.
Good news, anime fans: Funimation and Square Enix are teaming up to offer a 30-day free trial of the Funimation Premium streaming service. All you have to do is enter promo code MANAFANS20 when you sign up. The normal free trial lasts 14 days, so the promo code gets you an extra two weeks and change of free (and ad-free) streaming.
The promotion is to celebrate the launch of Trials of Mana, which is now available on PS4, PC, and Switch. (If our Trials of Mana review is any indication, it’s quite good.) You can use the month-long trial to find out if Funimation Premium is a service you want to stick with. If it is, cool. If not, you can cancel the subscription before being billed; you won’t be charged a dime.
Funimation Now offers a large library of anime TV and movies to stream, including exclusive access to popular series like Dragon Ball Z and Fairy Tail. It also has the newest seasons of shows like My Hero Academia, Black Clover, and One Piece.
There is a free option for streaming Funimation Now, but it includes ads and doesn’t give you access to the full library. For that, you’ll have to subscribe.
The baseline paid plan is Premium, which costs $5.99 per month and lets you view the entire library ad-free, with subs and dubs, and two simultaneous streams. Alternately, you can pay for a year in advance. That method costs $59.99, which breaks down to $5 per month.
Premium Plus ($7.99/month) offers all that, but with five simultaneous streams, plus downloads for offline viewing on supported devices, members-only offers and events, early access to special sales in the Funimation Shop, and free shipping on orders over $20. Pay for a year in advance, and it’s $79.99 which, if you do the math, is $6.66 per month.
Finally there’s the Premium Plus Ultra plan. It’s only available at the annual price of $99.99, which breaks down to $8.33 per month. It includes everything in Premium Plus, but with free shipping on all orders, as well as a yearly anniversary gift and two free rentals per year.
That’s a lot of options, so maybe start with the cheapest one and upgrade only if you feel like you need to.
For even more streaming options, check out our big roundup for all the best streaming video free trials available now.
For almost six years, Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods have delighted audiences and put on spectacular performances as the tag team The New Day. In modern-day wrestling, being on the same team for six years is a huge accomplishment, especially considering how quickly sports entertainment moves. Recently, the team beat The Miz and Jey Uso to reclaim the Smackdown Tag Team Championships–sort of. In reality, Big E beat The Miz and Jey Uso in a triple threat match for the titles. They are a team that has consistently been at the top of WWE, regardless of the situation they’re in.
However, when the New Day first formed and became a tag team, they needed to learn how to work together in the ring–and with an audience that wasn’t very interested in the beginning. While they had all been involved in tag team action separately, they needed to figure out their own style as a trio, and the three did their research.
“We definitely watched a lot of stuff, and honestly, we watched the Young Bucks stuff,” Big E told GameSpot. “Absolutely, Young Bucks. We watched the other contemporaries, the older teams. As a bigger guy, I watched Legion of Doom. I don’t know if you look at my work like, ‘Oh there’s LOD. I see that influence.’ One of our biggest things is we didn’t necessarily want to be like, ‘Oh, you know, Doom is great. We want to be like them.’
“We wanted to be unique. How do we become unique? How do we separate ourselves from our peers? How do we offer something that no one else is offering right now? And those were always the biggest things. I think we can fill that niche or fill a void that’s not currently being filled by anyone else. And you do it well, you can have a spot for years.”
When it comes to being unique and having a spot for years, there’s arguably one one team that’s been able to do it as well as New Day and that’s The Usos, who they’ve been feuding with off-and-on for a very long time. “It’s my favorite rivalry,” explained Big E. “It’s got to be my favorite rivalry in my career. Those guys are incredible in the ring. Man, I was so proud of them for the way they reinvented themselves. When they got to SmackDown, they were guys who were off doing the facepaint stuff. They’re still killing it, and having great matches. They realized their career was floundering, and the way they turned things, the way they stepped it up, they killed it. I remember they moved to SmackDown, and we were just watching those guys from home do their thing. I was super proud of them for just being incredible with the way they turned things, and put on great matches too.
“But I feel like we bring the best out of each other. The way those guys see our industry, the way they look at matches, and what it means. We’re just eye-to-eye on everything in that aspect. So those guys are incredible. We’ve been fortunate enough to work a lot of really great talented tag teams, but no disrespect to anyone else, but Usos are on another level, and it’s been so cool to see people show them the love they deserve for the last two years.”
While a number of states in the US are preparing to phase out stay-at-home orders and allow nonessential businesses to reopen, AMC Theaters is taking a more cautious approach. The company released a statement Friday indicating they won’t be reopening movie theaters until closer to the release of major summer blockbusters like Christopher Nolan’s Tenet.
Via The Hollywood Reporter, AMC released a statement indicating the company’s first priority is the well-being of its employees and customers. Additionally, given the lack of new releases between now and July, the company sees little point in reopening theaters until films like Tenet (scheduled for release on July 17) and Mulan (delayed until July 24) can drive ticket sales.
AMC’s statement reads: “As we plan our reopening, the health and safety of our guests and associates is our absolute highest priority. To be able to open, we also need a line of sight into a regular schedule of new theatrical blockbusters that get people truly excited about returning to their favorite movie theaters. Those blockbusters are scheduled to return this summer, beginning with Warner Brothers’ Tenet and Disney’s Mulan, with many more major titles scheduled immediately thereafter.”
The statement also indicates some AMC locations may undergo a soft reopening of sorts, with theaters slowly opening in the days and weeks leading up to Tenet’s release and relying on “creative programming of immensely popular previously released films.”
Google is hosting another Stadia Connect on Tuesday, April 28, at 9am PT/12pm ET/4pm GMT on YouTube, and those who tune in will “hear from the team and see a few new games coming to Stadia.”
A short teaser accompanied the announcement on Google Stadia’s Twitter, but no further details were given as to what can be expected from the presentation.
It’s time for another #StadiaConnect! Tune in this Tuesday 4/28 9AM PT / 6PM CET on YouTube to hear from the team and see a few new games coming to Stadia. pic.twitter.com/Fuao6QvHF3
Those who sign up also earned two free months of Stadia Pro, which costs $9.99 and gives subscribers free games like Destiny 2 and the ability to stream games at 4K/60fps and with HDR.
It may be too early to hear from some of them, but Google Stadia has been building up its first-party studios with moves like hiring former God of War executive producer Shannon Studstill to lead a new Google Stadia Games and Entertainment studio in Playa Vista, California.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who can’t wait and is so excited he just can’t hide it. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
Paramount Pictures has announced another wave of release date changes due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with the upcoming back-to-back Mission: Impossible sequels among the films affected.
Mission: Impossible 7 was poised to shoot a major sequence in Italy when that country went into lockdown and production on the Tom Cruise film was shut down indefinitely. With the resumption of filming still unclear, Paramount has changed the wide release of Mission: Impossible 7 from July 23, 2021, to November 19, 2021.
Mission: Impossible 8, previously scheduled for wide release on August 5, 2022, has now been pushed to November 4, 2022.
Meanwhile, the Chris Pratt-led sci-fi/action film The Tomorrow War was originally slated to open this December before being pulled. Now Paramount has scheduled the film for a wide release on July 23, 2021.
Paramount also set a new release date for their Dungeons & Dragons movie — yes, there’s a new DnD movie in the works! — with the fantasy film shifting from November 19, 2021, to May 27, 2022.
Finally, the studio also rescheduled their Paw Patrol movie to August 20, 2021, and has taken Spell (previously scheduled for August 28, 2020) off their schedule pending a new release date.
For more on Paramount’s upcoming films, find out when Top Gun: Maverick and A Quiet Place: Part II are now coming out.
If you’ve been looking to expand your games library, and save some cash while doing it, I have excellent news for you. GameStop is running a B2G1 on pre-owned PS4 and Xbox One games, including some of the best games ever released on either console.
From the exceptional Final Fantasy VII Remake to Red Dead Redemption 2, Mortal Kombat 11, God of War, and Persona 5 Royal, and many more, there is something for everyone. The B2G1 sale lasts until Sunday, but you should definitely strike while the iron is hot, before the games you want are gone.
Final Fantasy VII is arguably the most iconic, influential RPG of all time, and Final Fantasy VII Remake takes almost everything that made the original great and expands on it.
With more detailed environments, a focus on character development, and excellent hybrid real-time action / menu based system, battles are more tense and satisfying than ever before. If you haven’t played FF7R yet, now is the time. Buy two other games and you can get it for free, and what could be better than that?
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare for $54.99 (B2G1 Free)
What can be said about Call of Duty that hasn’t been said 1,000 times by everyone else? It’s become the gold standard of first-person shooters for good reason, it sells massive amounts of copies every year, and the MP suite draws more players than almost everything else on the planet. If you haven’t jumped in, you can get it for free now as part of the GameStop Buy 2, Get 1 Free sale.
Persona 5 Royal Steelbook Launch Edition for $54.99 (B2G1 Free)
Persona 5 Royal is an even better version of the excellent Persona 5. With roughly 30 hours of additional content, improved battle mechanics, more teammates, Confidants, and Social Links, this is the definitive version of Persona 5. And if you can get it for free with two other excellent games? Even better.
Brian Barnett writes wiki guides, deals posts, features, and much more for IGN. You can get your fix of Brian’s antics on Twitter and Instagram (@Ribnax).
Catwoman actress Zoe Kravitz jokes that she might need a bigger catsuit by the time self-isolation is over and The Batman can resume production. Although she credits “food, wine, and weed” with getting her through quarantine, Kravitz is training virtually with her trainer to remain in tip-top shape to play the DC Comics femme fatale.
In an interview with Vanity Fair (via Batman-News), Kravitz was candid about the challenge of maintaining actorly discipline in regards to staying in shape when stuck at home for weeks on end with food and wine. Kravitz had already been training “four or five months” for her role as Selina Kyle when The Batman shut down roughly a quarter of the way through production.
“I mean, it’s not like the studio called and said, ‘Don’t get fat, bitch,'” Kravitz said. “The first couple weeks that I self quarantined, I remember texting the director, I texted Matt [Reeves] and I was like, ‘We might have to make the cat suit a few sizes bigger when this is over.’”
Kravitz then said she started training virtually with her trainer, David Higgins, five days a week. She credits this with providing her some kind of structure during self-isolation and said “it’s actually been really great just for my mental health.”
The actress, who’s currently starring in Hulu’s High Fidelity, is nevertheless “definitely eating whatever the f*** I want. But yeah, try to stay in decent shape so I don’t have to start from scratch.”
The Batman, now moved to an October 2021 release, isn’t Kravitz’s first time playing Catwoman. You may recall she voiced the character in 2017’s The LEGO Batman Movie.
