• Apple Announces New 14 and 16-Inch MacBook Pro Models

    Apple has announced new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models as part of its second fall hardware event.

    As the rumors suggest, the new MacBook Pro models are powered by Apple's in-house M1X chip. The new model refreshes include an SD Card slot, one HDMI port, and three Thunderbolt 4 ports. The MacBook Pro 2021 models feature a liquid retina display, smaller bezels, a notch on top of the device, a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Both laptops have a 1080p webcam, but Apple did not confirm whether or not Face ID is supported with the latest MacBooks.

    Apple notes that the MacBook Pro 16-inch with the M1 Max and M1 Pro chip have a significant performance boost compared to previous MacBook models with machine learning have five times the performance than the Intel-based 16-inch MacBook Pro. While the 14-inch MacBook Pro has four times the CPU performance compared to its Intel counterpart.

    As far as battery life goes, Apple claims that it offers up to 17-21 hours of video playback between the 14 and 16-inch MacBooks. Both laptops also include fast charge with both getting a 50% battery life in just 30 minutes, according to the tech giant.

    These are the latest Arm-based MacBook Pros Apple has made since debuting the 13-inch MacBook Pro powered by an M1 chip released last year, but Apple will not discontinue the 13-inch M1-powered MacBook Pro from its rotation. The 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros price starts at $1,999 for the 14-inch. 16-inch is $2,499. You can order both MacBooks today with shipping beginning sometime next week.

    Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

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    Square Enix Reveals Why Kingdom Hearts On Switch Will Be Limited to the Cloud

    The Kingdom Hearts series is coming to Nintendo Switch, but there's a catch: the beloved games will only be available on Nintendo's hybrid console through cloud versions. Now, we're learning why Square Enix hasn't committed to full downloadable versions on Switch.

    Speaking to Nintendo Life, series producer Ichiro Hazama said the decision to make cloud versions of Kingdom Hearts was due to the Switch's storage capacity.

    "For some time, our director Tetsuya Nomura had expressed his desire to deliver the Kingdom Hearts series to Nintendo Switch players, him having seen and heard the demand, and so a great deal of consideration went into this internally," Hazama said. "Bringing these titles to Nintendo Switch proved to be quite difficult for various reasons, including the storage capacity of the hardware, but we’re excited that we were able to make it happen for the first time ever by utilizing the Cloud service."

    Kingdom Hearts III, for example, needed a lot of storage space to install on PS4 and Xbox One, a feat that may not be easy to pull off on Switch. However, Hazama also said they haven't completely ruled out production for native versions of some of the Kingdom Hearts games on Switch.

    "At this moment in time, the production of a native version is undecided," Hazama said. "We believe that the Cloud version is currently the best way to deliver the Kingdom Hearts series to Nintendo Switch players, but we are always excited to hear to feedback from our fans and want to thank them for all their support."

    The Kingdom Hearts cloud versions were originally announced earlier this month, as part of the final Sakurai Presents event. In that video, we also learned Sora is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's final DLC fighter. Sora releases today as part of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Version 13 update.

    Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

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    Apple Announces Third-Gen AirPods with a New Design

    After missing in action during Apple's September event, the tech giant has finally unveiled the long-awaited third-generation model refresh of its AirPods.

    Succeeding the second-generation AirPods, released back in 2019, the third iteration of Apple's entry-level wireless earbuds offers a redesign, bearing some similarities to the higher-end AirPods Pros. While not a direct replacement for the Pro, the third-gen AirPods do include some Pro features, most notably spatial audio in addition to water and sweat resistance. Though active noise cancellation is still something that remains exclusive to the AirPods Pros.

    Battery life has also been extended with Apple claiming the third-generation AirPods have an extended battery life of six hours, with total listening time up to 30 hours, according to the tech giant. The new AirPods are also compatible with Apple's MagSafe charging system.

    The 2021 AirPods offer $179 — $50 more than the second-generation AirPods are currently retailing for. Orders beginning today and will release sometime next week.

    Alongside the announcement of new AirPods, Apple also announced a slew of new products, including two new M1 chips and redesigned MacBook Pros. For more information on everything announced during today's event, check out our roundup of everything announced during Apple's second fall hardware event.

    Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

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    Rob Zombie Shows Off a Glimpse at His Rebooted Munsters

    Rob Zombie has shared a first look at The Munsters reboot cast, spotlighting three of the movie's main characters outside the iconic Mockingbird Lane mansion.

    The photo officially confirms three of the new movie's cast members, who were rumoured to be starring in the reboot, with Jeff Daniel Phillips making an appearance as Herman Munster, Sheri Moon Zombie in the role of Lily Munster, and Dan Roebuck taking his seat as Grandpa Munster in front of the family's gothic residence at 1313 Mockingbird Lane.

    "Since Halloween is rapidly approaching, I thought it was the perfect time to MEET THE MUNSTERS!" Zombie announced in the caption of the photo, which he posted on Instagram during the spookiest season of the year. "Direct from the set in good old Hungary, I present Herman, Lily and The Count sitting in front of the newly completed 1313 Mockingbird Lane."

    The characters appear to be wearing their daytime wardrobes as opposed to their nighttime attire, as the filmmaker previously revealed a look at the sleepwear that will be worn by the matriarch and patriarch of the Munster clan. The sketches showed Lily in a floor-length dress and a tattered black robe, with Herman in a striped sleepshirt and matching nightcap.

    Zombie has been sharing photos and updates from the Munsters set for months now, but this is the first time we're seeing some of the reboot's cast members in character. Jorge Garcia, Richard Brake, and Cassandra Peterson are also rumored to be part of the movie's cast, however, their roles haven't been officially announced just yet.

    Rumors of The Munsters reboot were floating around for a while before the official announcement arrived in June that Zombie would be making a modern adaptation of the TV classic. He has continued to post behind-the-scenes snaps on his social media account, including some location scouting photos in Hungary's capital of Budapest.

    Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

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    Real Hero Shit: A Fantasy Graphic Novel With Fun and Sex Appeal

    If you like your fantasy stories with a healthy amount of adult humor and sex appeal, then you'll want to keep an eye out for Real Hero Shit. This upcoming graphic novel from cartoonist Kendra Wells (Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Seven Seas) promises to put a fresh, hilarious and even raunchy spin on the classic questing formula.

    With the Kickstarter drive for Real Hero Shit launching today, IGN can present an exclusive preview of this hilarious new comic. Check it out in the slideshow gallery below [warning – some slightly NSFW content ahead]:

    Real Hero Shit is being published through Spike Trotman's Iron Circus Comics. Trotman herself is famed for the long-running web comic Templar, Arizona and the Smut Peddler anthology series, and is among the most prolific comic publishers on Kickstarter.

    Here's the official description for the book:

    In REAL HERO SHIT, people are going missing in a small mountain town, and the city guards are blocked from a real investigation. The notorious Underguild has assigned Michel a secret mission: find the missing villagers and bring whatever kidnapped them to justice. Unfortunately for Michel and his fellow adventurers, Ani and Hocus, they’re short a fighter and need one more party member to foil this plot. Even more unfortunately, the only volunteer seems to be the arrogant, ostentatious, purple playboy Prince Eugene looking to cure his boredom.

    Covert is not a concept that Prince Eugene is familiar with, and let’s just say his commitment to the mission is questionable. Every day is basically spring break for Eugene, but outside the palace walls he crashes into a hard reality: the system that kept him safe in his silk-sheeted bed isn't particularly concerned with the well-being of anyone who isn't him. Eugene will have to level-up his awareness if he means to be a real hero, and time is running short!

    The Real Hero Shit Kickstarter is live now and runs through the end of October.

    If that's not enough to satiate your desire for goofy fantasy, we recently got a closer look at Amazon's Critical Role animated series at NYCC. Alongside their new animated show, the Critical Role team will begin their third campaign this month, October 21.

    Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

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