Sonic Limited-Edition Movie Collection Is 40% Off For A Limited Time
You can grab both Sonic The Hedgehog live-action movies in a limited-edition collection for just $29 at Amazon (was $48). The deal is running alongside Amazon’s Big Spring Sale event that runs until March 25, but supplies are limited and may sell out much sooner.
The Sonic The Hedgehog two-movie collection includes both Sonic movies in 4K and standard Blu-ray formats, plus tons of special features, including a new animated feature starring Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, deleted scenes, a commentary track for the first movie featuring director Jeff Fowler and Sonic voice actor Ben Schwartz, and more. The set comes in a special-edition steelbook case.
The Sonic the Hedgehog movie sees Sega’s famous blue mascot transported to our world, where he teams up with Sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) to take down the evil Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carey), who plans to capture Sonic and use him to power his army of robot drones. The sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, introduces other characters from the Sonic video games, including Miles “Tails” Prower (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles the Echidna (voiced by Idris Elba). A third movie is planned to release later in 2024, so this collection is a great way to catch up on the trilogy ahead of time.
Plenty of other movie and video game deals are also available at Amazon right now, including Sonic Superstars on Nintendo Switch for $29 (was $30). You can also grab discounts on collectible figures, PC hardware, and more, so be sure to check out all the deals in Amazon’s Big Spring Sale while they’re still available.
Razer Iskur V2 Review – Where You Want To Be
My natural inclination when hearing a phrase like “adjustable 6D” lumbar system, one of the signature features of the Razer Iskur V2 gaming chair, is to be skeptical. It sounds like a marketing line meant to sound incomprehensible but appealing–that’s more Ds than my current chair, surely, so it must be better. Although I can’t claim to know whether the technology on display here justifies such an ornate descriptor, the Iskur V2 is nonetheless a terrific chair with an impressive number of customization options.
I’ve spent the last several weeks with the Iskur V2, putting it through heavy use–long work days where I don’t stand as often as I should that segue into evenings sitting at the same desk to play Helldivers 2. As with my previous chair, the Razer Enki, I initially experienced some back discomfort as I adjusted to the new setup. But whereas the Enki offered no adjustments to its lumbar support, the Iskur V2 allows you to both tweak the lumbar curve as well as the height of it to match people of different sizes. That meant experimenting to figure out what actually felt right, which took some time–was I experiencing some back pain because I was becoming accustomed to proper support, or because I had mispositioned that support?
Eventually, I sorted this out and found a good level of comfort. But what I came to appreciate most about the Iskur V2’s 6D lumbar support is the way in which the back moves with you from side to side. I spend a lot of time in my chair each day, and invariably I fidget. I unconsciously want to lean to the side, sit on a leg, or do something to disrupt the proper posture. The Iskur V2 seems to facilitate these compulsions nicely: The wide base is very comfortable and ensures I can cross a leg to mix up my seating position, and as I lean from one side to another, the back leans with me, offering me some degree of lumbar support even when I am not sitting perfectly upright. Should you spend a ton of time deviating from the recommended posture? Probably not, but many of us are going to do so anyway, and I’m glad the chair doesn’t get in my way of sitting where and how I want to.
Also offering a welcome degree of flexibility are the armrests. I was a big fan of the 4D armrests on the Enki, and that remains true here. Being able to have a great deal of control over their height and being able to move them forward and backward, left and right, and point them in or out allows you to find an option that works for your desk setup. If you’re like me, most of these settings are something you’ll set up initially and then rarely touch again. I have found, much to my surprise, that I enjoy angling my left armrest inward, providing more surface area for my arm to rest on as it sits on my keyboard. Doing the same with the right one during longer typing sessions was also pleasant, but the trouble here is in developing the habit of making that adjustment–a lifetime of armrests facing directly forward typically causes me to forget this is even an option.
Similarly, the ability to recline at up to 152 degrees landed more in the “nice to have” category than something I found any regular use for. When seated at my desk, I’m usually directly engaged with a keyboard and mouse, meaning I want to be relatively upright. Being slightly reclined when playing the occasional game with a controller in my lap is handy, but being able to go back the full 152 degrees seemed impractical for my purposes–aside from the few minutes I spent basking in sunlight streaming through my window for the purposes of this review, my office is not a place that I have any desire to be almost laying down.
That said, as with the Enki, I was impressed with how well the chair supported my weight even in this fully reclined position. It could be unnerving to go back that far–it just feels like a motion you’d only experience if your chair were tipping over backwards–but once I was there, I had no concerns about ending up on the ground. Depending on your setup or needs, this added versatility could make the Iskur V2 an even more appealing option. Reclining in this way was the only time my head regular touched the included memory foam head cushion; during normal use, my head and neck rarely go back far enough. That’s just as well, as I found my shoulder could push the cushion off the chair, due to it simply being strapped around the headrest (as opposed to through an opening that kept it in place, as on the Enki).
Long-term durability isn’t something that can be effectively evaluated over the course of a few weeks. Despite the heavy usage during that time, I’ve seen no indication of any wear on the seat, and given how well my Enki has held up over more than two years, I’m optimistic about the Iskur V2. As with other Razer chairs, the look is relatively minimalistic; my particular model was adorned with Razer’s signature green highlights that might make it stand out in an office, but it’s far from gaudy. Leather and fabric options are available, though only the leather model has a choice of color (black and green or just black).
The materials are well-made (at least on the leather model), and the entire thing is sturdy, as you’d expect from a chair that can recline so steeply. The armrests are firm but have some give, making them comfortable during most use. However, they aren’t plush cushions, and I do find that, during intense gaming sessions, I tend to push my elbows down into them, and as with the Enki’s seemingly identical armrests, that can cause some discomfort. It’s possible that’s just a fluke of my atypical way of positioning my arms that won’t impact most people, and that it could be addressed through additional armrest pads, though the prospect of spending more on a chair that already costs $650 is not appealing.
Setup was quite easy, and more than doable as a single person, despite the two-person suggestion. As with the Enki, the Iskur V2 comes with a much nicer hex tool than you typically see, along with gloves and a box adorned with some hilarious illustrations of things not to do. A three-year warranty covers defects to the chair’s parts, though any wear and tear you do encounter is not.
The Iskur V2 is ultimately a chair I’d strongly recommend, though your need to spend the $650 on it versus something like the $500 Enki will certainly vary. I found the Enki more than up to the task of handling my heavy usage without causing me any pain, and I’ve remained more than happy with it after using it for 2 1/2 years. But if you’re particularly tall or short and thus can benefit from the lumbar adjustments, need a wider base than the original Iskur’s, or like the idea of the lumbar support moving with you from side to side, then the Iskur V2 is well worth consideration as your next gaming chair.
The good
- Adaptive lumbar provides ample support
- Extremely comfortable, even during long seating sessions
- Armrest customization ensures a wide range of supported positions
- Stable even when steeply reclined
The bad
- Armrests may cause some elbow discomfort, depending on how you push into them
Razer Iskur V2 specs
- Recommended Weight: < 299 lbs (136 kg)
- Recommended Height: 5’3″ – 6’6″ (160cm – 200cm
- Upholstery/Color: leather (black and green), leather (black), fabric (dark gray)
- Frame: steel
- Adjustable Back Angle: 152 degrees
GameSpot received a Razer Iskur V2 from Razer for the purposes of this review.
Some Of Samsung’s Most Popular Monitors Get Big Price Cuts In Amazon’s Big Spring Sale
A bunch of great computer monitors are on sale during Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, including 20 monitors from Samsung’s impressive catalog. Whether you’re shopping for a monitor for your home office, gaming PC., or anything in between, there’s a good chance it’s currently discounted at Amazon.
If you’re just looking for a nice all-around monitor for general productivity, the Samsung 23.5-Inch Curved Gaming Monitor, which boasts a 1080p resolution and 60Hz refresh rate, is now just $110. Typically sold for $140, that’s the lowest price ever for the popular monitor at Amazon. Along with its curved display, it gets you a fast 4ms response time and ultra slim design that’s great for even the most crowded desktop.
Looking for something more premium? Consider the Samsung 27-Inch ViewFinity S80PB Series Monitor (4K, 60Hz) for $400 (down from $580) or the Samsung 34-Inch ViewFinity S65TC Series Ultra-Wide Monitor (2K, 100Hz) for $450 (down from $800). Both get you a great refresh rate that’s ideal for gaming, while the S65TC gets you a nice 2K resolution.
There are plenty of other Samsung monitors on sale, including the Samsung 49-Inch Odyssey G9 Series Curved Gaming Monitor (2K, 240Hz), which is getting a big $500 price cut. So if you’re not sold on anything above, you’ll find even more options below.
Amazon Big Spring Sale – Samsung monitor deals
- Samsung 23.5-Inch Curved Gaming Monitor (1080p, 60Hz) — $110 ($
140) - Samsung 24-Inch SR650 Series Computer Monitor (1080p, 75Hz) — $140 ($
200) - Samsung 27-Inch CR50 Frameless Curved Gaming Monitor (1080p, 60Hz) — $130 ($
230) - Samsung 27-Inch Odyssey G32A Gaming Monitor (1080p, 165Hz) — $157 ($
230) - Samsung 27-Inch Curved S39C Series Gaming Monitor (1080p, 75Hz) — $167 ($
230) - Samsung 27-Inch Odyssey G30A Gaming Monitor (1080p, 144Hz) — $180 ($
230) - Samsung 27-Inch ViewFinity 4K Monitor (4K, 60Hz) — $280 ($
430) - Samsung 27-Inch ViewFinity S80PB Series Monitor (4K, 60Hz) — $400 ($
580) - Samsung 27-Inch Odyssey G65B Curved Gaming Monitor (2K, 240Hz) — $400 ($
700) - Samsung 32-Inch M80C Smart Computer Monitor (4K, 60hz) — $400 ($
700) - Samsung 32-Inch ViewFinity S80PB Series (4K, 60Hz) — $480 ($
680) - Samsung 32-Inch Odyssey G70B Series Gaming Monitor (4K, 144Hz) — $601 ($
1,000) - Samsung 34-Inch ViewFinity S65TC Series Ultra-Wide Monitor (2K, 100Hz) — $450 ($
800) - Samsung 49-Inch Odyssey G9 Series Curved Gaming Monitor (2K, 240Hz) — $800 ($
1,300)
Fortnite Adds A First-Person Mode Later This Year
If you’re one of the people who yearned to see Fortnite through a first-person perspective, Epic Games has some good news for you. Announced during the State of Unreal livestream during GDC 2024, the developer stated that you’ll be able to play Fortnite in first-person later this year.
As part of a public roadmap, the item “First Person Camera” appeared in the Q4 2024 period of a presentation slide. You can watch a clip of the camera in motion around an hour and four minutes into the livestream. While short, it looks much more detailed than the camera that appears when aiming down sights with some specific scopes in the current version of the game.
In the same roadmap, a few other upcoming additions to creation tools are proximity chat, text chat, item trading, and custom quests. There’ll also be Fall Guys assets and animations available for folks to make obstacle courses sometime in the future.
During the presentation, Epic shared that creators have been paid more than $320 million since the launch of the Unreal Editor for Fortnite. In addition, starting today, the developer is also releasing templates and devices of Rocket Racing to build your own race tracks, in a similar fashion to the Lego toolset. Elsewhere in Fortnite, don’t forget to check out the Rise of Midas event for some free rewards and a floor is lava mode.
Collectible Figures And Toys Are On Sale In Amazon’s Big Spring Sale
Collecting figures can be an expensive hobby, but sale events like Amazon’s aptly named Big Spring Sale are the perfect time to fill in your shelf space without emptying your savings. Amazon’s Big Spring Sale runs until March 25, and dozens of toys, figures, and other collectibles are discounted during the event.
Some of the best deals are for anime figures, especially mecha. You can grab Tamashii Nations’ version of the great granddaddy of modern mecha anime, the RX-78-2 Gundam, for just $38 (was $55), and its common grunt suit foe, the Zaku II, for $47 (was $60). Both posable figures are from Tamashii Nation’s Robot Spirit line and come preassembled and painted, and include numerous accessories like weapons and swappable armor pieces.
Several figures from that other extremely popular mecha anime, Evangelion, are also part of the sale. One notable discount is for the sprinting EVA Unit 02 statue from Bandai Spirits, which is down to $62.70 (was $85). The giant robot collectibles aren’t limited to just famous mecha anime, however. A few Transformers action figures are on sale like this auto-transforming Optimus Primal from Transformers: Rise of the Beasts for just $47 (was $125).
Star Wars fans will want to check out Amazon’s deals, too, since a few gems from the Black Series and Vintage Collection figure lines are available at lower prices, including two-pack sets like the Ahsoka Tano and Hk-87 Assassin Droid bundle for $28 (down from $60) and the Amazon-exclusive Purge Trooper and NED-B droid for $47.70 (was $75).
Plenty of other figures from popular franchises like Avatar, Warhammer 40K, Super Mario Bros., Dragon Ball, and more are also available in Amazon’s Big Spring Sale. Check out the list below for a selection of some of our favorites, or hit up Amazon to browse all the toy, figure, and collectible deals. Just make sure you grab any that catch your eye soon–not only do these deals end on March 25, but some may even sell out before then.
Amazon Big Spring Sale Figure Deals
Diablo 4 Will Soon Let You Trade Legendary And Unique Items (But Not The Very Best Ones)
Diablo 4 is revamping how it handles items, and part of that overhaul means players will soon be able to trade some (though not all) of the game’s most powerful items.
As detailed in the most recent Diablo 4 Campfire Chat, Blizzard is looking to focus on quality, not quantity, when it comes to Diablo 4’s items come the release of the game’s Season 4 update on May 14. That means reducing the number of Legendary and Rare items that drop and the number of affixes on them, but increasing both the strength and the relevancy of the affixes on items that players do find. Playing on World Tier 3 will now always reward Sacred items (instead of only sometimes) and World Tier 4 will always reward Ancestral items, which should make progression smoother. The changes are game-wide, and not just to the game’s Seasonal Realm.
That is all to say that items in Diablo 4 are about to become individually much more powerful and more consistently relevant for a player’s chosen class and build. It’s for that reason it’s a little surprising that Blizzard additionally announced players will soon be able to trade Legendary and Unique items, something that has been reserved for Rare items since launch. Making any crafting modifications to the items will still make them account-bound, but base-level Legendary and Unique items will be tradeable.
“This is a big change for us…We think this does a great job of making sure the trade economy is still interesting and that when you’re looking for a specific item or an item has dropped for you that a friend can use, this is going to be a lot easier for you to hand those things around now,” Joe Piepiora, Diablo 4 associate game director, said during the livestream.
There is one caveat to Legendary and Unique item trading: Uber Uniques, the game’s most powerful and hardest to find items, will still not be tradeable.
“Those are the most powerful items, and if you want those, you’re going to have to go find them yourself,” Charles Dunn, Diablo 4 class game designer, said.
That’s probably for the best, as changes are coming to Uber Uniques, too. They’ll soon be able to drop from monsters level 55 and up, which will go nicely with recent endgame charges that make it so specific Uber Uniques can be target-farmed and new Uber Uniques can be crafted from unwanted ones. There will even be a new Uber Unique coming in Season 4, Tyrael’s Might: a chestpiece that causes skills to unleash a barrage of holy damage while at full life.
Being able to trade powerful items, though not the most powerful ones, is a major shift, but there are plenty of additional item changes coming to Diablo 4 as well. A new crafting system, Tempering, will let players add affixes to items, and yet another endgame crafting system, Masterworking, will increase the power of those affixes. Major tweaks to salvaging equipment, gems, and crafting materials are also coming as part of Season 4 to reduce the amount of inventory clutter and simplify the experience. One nice change for min-maxers is that there will be a gold cap added to rerolling item affixes at the Occultist. While the max-price will still be high, the amount of gold needed to continue shooting for a perfect stat roll will no longer scale infinitely.
As revealed during the livestream, Diablo 4 Season 3 will be extended for several weeks and last until May 14, the same date Season 4 starts. The change is to allow the development team more time to implement feedback from the game’s new public test realm ahead of Season 4’s release. Diablo 4 will launch on Xbox Game Pass on March 28, the first Activision Blizzard title to do so following Microsoft’s acquisition of the publisher in 2023.