Star Wars Celebration Is Still On (For Now)

With event cancelations due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic still rolling it, the future is looking mighty uncertain for some of the big mainstays of the pop culture convention world. San Diego Comic-Con recently canceled for the first time in its fifty-year history alongside Anime Expo, one of the largest anime conventions in the United States. Now, Star Wars Celebration is fielding the possibility of canceling their event, which is scheduled to be held in August.

Celebration released this statement via email today for fans, confirming that, as of right now, the event is still scheduled to take place as planned, but due to the fluid nature of the current situation, decisions are still being made.

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Best Steam Game Deals In New Golden Week Sale

Every year, Japan’s Golden Week brings a slew of games sales across PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, and while Golden Week 2020 certainly looks different for many Japanese residents–they’re being asked to hunker down at home during what is normally the busiest travel season of the year–there are still plenty of online bargains floating around. Steam’s Golden Week 2020 Sale just kicked off, bringing hundreds of deals on popular Japanese-developed titles and franchises. The sale runs until May 6 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET.

The Steam Golden Week Sale brings markdowns on most Final Fantasy games, which is perfect timing for those who just finished playing Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4 and want to check out the older titles. You’ll also find great discounts on Resident Evil 2 Remake, which is $20, and Resident Evil 7, which is down to $15. Meanwhile, Dragon Ball FighterZ is also discounted to $15, and Devil May Cry 5 is on sale for $20.

Visual novel fans should take advantage of the great deals on all three Danganronpa games, with the first two going for $8 each and the third game discounted to $16. The popular series revolves around a group of high school students who find themselves trapped in a sinister killing game. Another great visual novel, 428: Shibuya Scramble, is down to just $10, normally selling for $50.

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The Walking Dead: You Can Watch Previous Seasons For Free, Starting In May

While we wait for the Season 10 finale of The Walking Dead, which has been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, you’ll soon be able to catch up on older episodes of the hit series on Pluto TV. This is thanks to a new deal between the streaming service and AMC Networks.

The two companies made the announcement on April 30 that starting May 1, the first five seasons of The Walking Dead will be on Pluto TV (via The Wrap). That means you can watch the incredible first season of Rick waking up in the zombie apocalypse and trying to reunite with his family. Or relive all the moments as Rick hangs out on Hershel’s farm–for a whole season. This will also include the Governor saga and the adventure to Terminus.

Additionally, this deal between Pluto TV and AMC will see IFC shows like Comedy Bang! Bang! and Documentary Now arrive on the streaming service as well.

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Keep Your Data Backed up and Secure Wtih the Best NAS Devices

Everyone should be backing up their data – yes, even you. And if you’re using multiple computers on a network, or just happen to have a huge media library you want to protect, NAS (network-attached storage) devices are the way to go.

There are heaps of NAS options out there, so we’ve rounded up the ones we consider to be the best. From the premium storage options with integrated processors and RAM to budget backups, these are our top picks right now. And if you’re not satisfied with our recommendations, we’ve also included a quick guide about what you should look for in a network-attached storage solution.

TL;DR – These are the Best Network-Attached Storage Solutions:

1. Synology Diskstation DS218+

Best Network-Attached Storage

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With two drive bays and zippy-fast write speeds, the Synology Diskstation DS218+ offers a lot for a reasonable price. Inside you’ll find a dual-core 2.0 GHz Intel Celeron processor and 2GB of DDR3L memory, which is expandable up to 6GB.

Like most NAS devices, it comes running a Linux-based interface called DiskStation Manager which is pretty easy to navigate, and Synology has its own apps for streaming media through. You can also use Synology’s cloud service to access your files remotely. Overall it’s fast, reliable, and easy to operate.

2. Synology DS120j

Best Budget Network-Attached Storage

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If you’re looking to start off small or have more meager needs, we recommend the Synology DS120j. Firstly, it’s just $100, making it the cheapest NAS device on our list. Secondly, it’s super easy to use, making it a great pick for NAS first-timers.

It’s a single-bay device, so it’s also more limited than others on this list. There’s also no hardware-based video transcoding (which means some files will need to be converted beforehand), nor does it work with Plex. In sum, there are much better options if media streaming is your priority; but for more basic use, the DS120j does the job nicely.

3. Asustor AS5202T

Best Network-Attached Storage for Power Users

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Two drive bays. Two 2.5Gb LAN ports. A 1.0GHz Intel Celeron J4005 CPU. And yes, a big price tag – but the Asustor AS5202T is perfect for heavy users thanks to its sheer power. The 2GB of DDR4 RAM can be expanded up to 8GB, and there’s 4GB of flash memory to play with. Plus, the LAN ports give you the option of link aggregation for zippy 5Gb Ethernet, too.

We also like the Asustor Data Master operating system, which has heaps of apps for media and productivity. The drawbacks? It’s very expensive, and there are no drives included.

4. Synology Diskstation DS1618+

Best Multi-Bay Network-Attached Storage

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Ok, this is the juggernaut, but if you have a media library that’s grown out of control then it’s absolutely warranted. There’s a powerful quad-core 2.1GHz CPU and 4GB of memory inside (expandable up to 32GB), but the big story is the six-bay drives you get with it. Theoretically, you could pump this thing with up to 84TB of storage.

That’s obviously going to be an insane amount for most people, but it’s good to know it’s there. We also really like the Synology DSM operating system, which is jam-packed with apps and functionality.

5. WD My Cloud

Best Network-Attached Storage With Included Disks

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Available in a variety of drive sizes, The WD My Cloud NAS comes with its disks built-in, meaning everything is ready to go out of the box. There’s USB 3.0 support (for adding more hard drives) and it’s ready to work with both PC and Mac from the get-go.

Overall, it’s good value, but you can also pick up the Mirror version, which comes with two drives and will create a copy of the backup on each (hence the name).

6. QNAP TS-251A

Best Network-Attached Storage for Media Streaming

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If media and streaming are your chief reasons for buying a NAS device, we recommend the QNAP TS-251A. It’s a powerful machine, with a dual-core Intel Celeron N3060 processor and 4GB of DDRL3 RAM (in the configuration we recommend, but you can get it with 2GB).

But it’s the media tricks that really impress us. Chiefly, it comes with a remote for playback control, which is unusual for a NAS device. It offers 4K media transcoding, and there’s an HDMI out so you can connect it directly to your 4K TV. Works great as a Plex server and won’t look out of place on your TV stand either. You will have to purchase the drives separately, however.

What to Look For in Network-Attached Storage

Not everyone needs Network-Attached-Storage, but it can be used to cure certain networking headaches. Do you and your family/housemates all share the same network? A NAS device allows you to share files with all of those computers from one central unit. Don’t want to backup all of your family’s computers individually? A NAS device gives you a way to do it all on one drive.

What are you using it for?

If either of the above scenarios resonates with you a NAS device may be worth considering. If you find yourself in a situation where multiple devices in your home need to access the same tools or files, a NAS device can do that. So it’s not just about storing things but accessing them too.

The other reason for a NAS device is that you have a huge media library that you’d like to be able to access from multiple computers/TVs/tablets/etc. You could turn your NAS into a Plex server, so everyone in the home has swift access to the same movies, TV shows, and music.

Go diskless? How many bays?

You’ll find that most NAS devices come without disk drives, which means you’ll need to purchase them separately. There are exceptions to this, however, such as the WD My Cloud Personal Network Attached Storage – which considering it’s made by Western Digital, makes a bit more sense.

But in many cases NAS makers don’t make hard drives, so they’ll sell their device without any disks included. You may already own some disk drives, in which case a diskless system poses less of a problem, but check the manufacturer’s recommendations as some brands of disks may work better than others.

Bays are what the disk drives go into, so the higher the number of bays the NAS has, the more potential capacity there is. Generally, two or more bays are best; multimedia systems will often have more.

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Hugh Langley is a tech journalist who’s fascinated by wearables, health tech, the smart home, and more. You can find him tweeting (often nonsense) over at @hughlangley.

6 Free Games Amazon Prime Members Can Snag In May

May is nearly here, which means a new month of freebies from all of your various subscriptions. Amazon has revealed next month’s free PC games for Twitch Prime users, all of which will be available starting May 1. They include the great puzzle-platformer, Snake Pass; the stunt racing Trials-like Urban Trial Playground; and the rhythmic music game, Avicii Invector. The rest of the free Twitch Prime games are Pankapu, The Little Acre, and Fractured Minds.

All six of these games can be claimed on the Twitch Prime hub. You’ll also need to have the Twitch PC client to install and play them. The Twitch Prime hub is also home to all of the bonus loot you can claim throughout the month, so it’s worth keeping an eye on this page as we make our way through May. These free games are available to anyone with an Amazon Prime account; all you need to do is link your Twitch and Amazon accounts, and you’re good to go.

On Steam, all of these games have positive user ratings, except for Urban Trial Playground, which sits at a Mixed rating. Avicii Invector stands out with an Overwhelmingly Positive review rating. It was a project started by Hello There Games and late music producer Avicii back in 2015 and was finished after his passing in 2018. In Invector, you hit notes as you fly through various soundscapes set to the music of Avicii.

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Watch Tron Actor Reunite With His Light Suit Four Decades Later

“Oh my God, hello old friend. Greetings, program.”

That’s the surprised reaction Tron actor Bruce Boxleitner had after being reunited with his light suit from the 1982 Steven Lisberger classic in Disney+’s new docuseries Prop Culture. In the exclusive clip below, you can watch Boxleitner have a heartfelt reunion with the iconic Tron costume, which he hadn’t seen in years.

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Made of lycra, leather, canvas and plastic, the costume was in such delicate condition that Boxleitner and Prop Culture’s host, movie prop collector Dan Lanigan, needed to wear plastic gloves to handle it. In the clip, Boxleitner reflects on how the costume was made and what it was like to star in a Disney movie that became such a fan-favorite.

“It is amazing holding this because working on a Disney movie for a kid like my age group, this is what we grew up on,” said Boxleitner. “To actually be in a Disney movie was pretty thrilling, I’ve got to say.”

Prop Culture follows Lanigan as he learns more about the extensive collection of movie props he’s collected over the years by talking to the people who made them, while also going into the Disney archives and exploring its treasures. Episodes will focus on a number of Disney titles, including Nightmare Before Christmas, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mary Poppins, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Honey, I Shrunk the Kid, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and, of course, Tron.

All eight episodes of Disney+’s Prop Culture will be available Friday, May 1st. Check out our full guide to everything coming to Disney+ in May 2020. If you don’t have the streaming service, you can sign up for a free 14-day Disney+ trial here.

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Terri Schwartz is Editor-in-Chief of Entertainment at IGN. Talk to her on Twitter at @Terri_Schwartz.

Disney Live-Action Remake Of Hercules In Development–Report

The production of many Hollywood movies might be currently suspended, but films continue to be put into development. Disney has had much recent success with live-action remakes of its classic animated movies, and it’s now been reported that a new movie of Hercules is in the works.

According to Variety, the live-action version of the 1997 film Hercules will be produced by Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo. The site states that the project is in “early development,” and that Dave Callaham has been hired to work on the script. Callaham’s previous credits include The Expendables, Godzilla, and Zombieland: Double Tap, as well as the upcoming superhero movies Wonder Woman 1984 and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

The animated Hercules hit theaters in June 1997, and while it was a modest box office success, it fell short of the likes of The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, which had preceded it. The voicecast included Danny DeVito, James Woods, and Tate Donovan.

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Summer GDC Now Fully Digital As Coronavirus Pandemic Continues

Game Developers Conference (GDC) organizers have announced that the planned GDC Summer event in August that was meant to replace the original March conference will now be all-digital as the public continues to grapple with coronavirus.

In a short blog update, GDC organizers announced that they will be moving forward with the GDC Summer event but as a digital-only affair. GDC traditionally runs as a live event in San Francisco during March. But plans were halted after the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States.

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Organizers later announced a shorter replacement event that was to run from August 4 to 6 at its traditional site, the Moscone Center in San Francisco. However, those plans have now changed again.

While GDC is primarily an event for game developers, there are usually talks hosted by industry leaders that give greater insight into some of the year’s biggest games. Developers like Hideo Kojima were slated to give keynote talks at this year’s GDC before the shows were postponed.

GDC also hosts the annual Game Developers Choice Awards which honor some of the year’s biggest and critically-acclaimed games.

Other game shows have been impacted this year due to the pandemic including E3. For a full rundown of video game shows impacted by COVID-19 check out IGN’s master list here.

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Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.