During Apple's annual Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC), the tech giant announced the long-rumored M2 chip during its keynote.

The M2 chip joins the M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M1 Ultra, with the M1 Ultra being announced just a few months ago during Apple's Peek Performance event in March. While the M1 Pro and M1 Max were announced last Fall.

Apple notes that the M2 chip has an 18 percent performance increase over the M1 chip which was released back in 2020. The M2 chip will use Apple's Arm architecture, the same architecture used in the M1 Ultra. The M2 also features 100Gbps of memory bandwidth and 24GB of uniified memory, offering more bandwidth than the M1 chip.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro (2022) and the MacBook Air (2022) models are confirmed to include the M2 chip, as Apple noted in its keynote. Both laptops will be available next month.

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

Netflix has announced that its live-action adaptation of The Sandman will premiere on August 5.

Revealed during the first day of Netflix's announcement-filled Geeked Week, the release date for the long awaited series was dropped at the end of a new trailer. The trailer shows off the titular charcater's escape from captivity, and a glimpse at the chaos it causes as a result.

THE SANDMAN
coming to Netflix
August 5 #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/3pslBEVSqG

— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) June 6, 2022

In it we see more of Tom Sturridge as Dream, Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne, and Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian within the horror and fantasy-blended world created by Neil Gaiman, Mike Dringenberg and Sam Keith. Though she was missing from this latest trailer, Netflix has previously released a poster featuring Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer (Brienne of Tarth in HBO's Game of Thrones) which also showed off comic-accurate visuals.

The comic's creepy atmosphere is brought into Netflix's adaptation, helped by Gaiman executive producing the series alongside Allan Heinberg and David Goyer, with certain scenes pulled directly from the comic.

While fans had a brief glimpse of The Sandman in the teaser trailer released last month, this is the first proper look since the initial trailer was revealed in September last year.

The Sandman focuses on Dream (also known as Morpheus amongst other names), the living embodiment of dreams and one of The Endless, a family of immortal and incredibly powerful, god-like beings.

Each represents a different aspect of reality, with Dream joined by Destiny, Death, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Today, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl received a significant update that adds voice acting and items to the game.

The new update is free for all players across PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. It'll come to the Nintendo Switch version of the game soon. The voice actor roster comprises both returning talent from the original shows, as well as some new voices.

Here's the complete list.

Returning talent:

• Jim Cummings - Shredder/Catdog (Cat)
• Tom Kenny - SpongeBob/CatDog (Dog)
• Bill Fagerbakke - Patrick
• Carolyn Lawrence - Sandy
• Richard Horvitz - Zim
• Fred Tatasciore - Reptar (Paramount+ reboot)
• Bentley Griffin - Lincoln Loud
• Jessica DiCicco - Lucy Loud
• Janet Varney - Korra
• Francesca Marie Smith - Helga
• Townsend Coleman - Michelangelo
• Cam Clarke - Leonardo
• Frank Welker - Garfield
• Billy West - Ren & Stimpy
• David Kaufman - Danny Phantom
• Janice Kawaye - Jenny

New talent:

• Alex Cazares - Oblina
• Jim Meskimen - Nigel Thornberry
• Vivian Vencer - Toph
• Dustin Sardella - Aang
• Abby Trott - April O'Neil
• David Kaye - Powdered Toast Man

Our next major FREE update is here - and it's a big one! We're super excited to announce that voice acting and items are available TODAY on PC, @Xbox and @Playstation. @Nintendo Switch coming soon! #NickBrawl pic.twitter.com/nTLK5T6zEG

— Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl (@NickBrawlGame) June 6, 2022

Voice actor Mark DeCarlo, the original voice of Hugh Neutron, also revealed that he'll be reprising his role as well for the game when the character drops later this summer.

As for the items, they include ones like the Krabby Patty from SpongeBob Squarepants, Sokka's boomerang from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Tommy's ball and Reptar toy from Rugrats, and the Log from Ren & Stimpy.

In our Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl review, we said, "Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a very respectable platform fighter that serves as a fun, though far less polished and less fully featured alternative to its competition." One of our main criticisms was that the game felt soulless without the voice acting, but this new update addresses it.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey

AMC has announced that Tales of the Walking Dead, the fourth show set in Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead universe, will premiere on August 14.

Rather than a serial show akin to the original Walking Dead, Tales of the Walking Dead is an anthology show made up of six one-hour standalone episodes, each of which focuses on a mix of both new and estabished characters from the universe.

Alongside the announcement of the August 14 at 9pm ET premiere, AMC also announced that the first two episodes will be available on AMC+ at the same time. AMC+ subscribers will also be able to watch the remaining four episodes a week early each, starting from August 21.

AMC has also revealed seven images from the show, which can be seen in the gallery above.

Among the show's stars are Olivia Munn, Samantha Morton, Terry Crews, Parker Posey, Anthony Edwards, Poppy Liu, Jillian Bell, Loan Chabanol, Embeth Davidtz, Jessie T. Usher, Daniella Pineda, and Danny Ramierez.

While The Walking Dead has officially finished filming, the end is not nigh for the zombie franchise. A Daryl spinoff is in production, although it recently lost popular character Carol from its roster. Another spin-off will see Negan and Maggie head to NYC.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.

Netflix has unveiled a new look at its incoming Resident Evil series, which includes several monsters straight from the first game - including what could be the Tyrant.

Revealed during day one of Netflix's Geeked Week, the trailer delves deeper into the series' two timelines, which follow the lives of Jade and Billie Wesker both before and after the world is overrun with zombies. Arriving in the seemingly idyllic New Racoon City, things soon go wrong for the sisters when the Umbrella Corporation (surprise, surprise) start experimenting with DNA, bugs, blood, and beyond.

the world ended a long time ago

take a look at the all new trailer for RESIDENT EVIL, only on Netflix July 14 #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/4PjjjlJxxC

— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) June 6, 2022

Though the eight-episode series does appear to have a fairly serious tone, with plenty of violence and heartbreak, it also seems to retain the sheer wackiness present in the Resident Evil video game series. Alongside hoards of zombies, the trailer also shows off zombie dogs, giant spiders, and Lickers from the original 1996 title.

The final shots of the trailer also seem to show us a glimpse of what may be the series' take on the Tyrant, an iconic monster from the original games. It may also be a clue as to how Albert Wesker (playerd here by Lance Reddick) is still alive, despite his canonical death by way of a rocket launcher and a volcano.

This may be the last good look fans get at the series ahead of its premiere date on July 14, with the trailer also giving further looks at the roles of Ella Balinska as Jade and Siena Agudong as Billie.

The Resident Evil series was first rumoured to be in production in February 2020 before Netflix finally confirmed its existence in August. The cast was announced at last year's Geeked Week, when the streaming service announced that Lance Reddick is playing Albert Wesker.

For more on Resident Evil, check out IGN's full teaser breakdown and and preview of Season 1.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Netflix has shared a first glimpse at its live-action One Piece series by showing off some of its incredible, life-size pirate ship sets.

The two minute clip is introduced by Iñaki Godoy (who plays protagonist Luffy) alongside showrunners Steve Maeda and Matt Owens before a reel of concept art is shown. The last image - the Baratie Bar from One Piece's East Blue story arc - is pulled away to reveal the massive ship being built in real life, keeping every wacky, colourful detail from Eiichiro Oda's manga.

Prepare to set sail with Luffy and his “Straw Hat Pirates” on their quest for the worlds greatest treasure, the mysterious One Piece, in this behind-the-scenes video from the live-action remake of the biggest manga series of all time. pic.twitter.com/o4vQsX7OHF

— ONE PIECE(ワンピース) Netflix (@onepiecenetflix) June 6, 2022

A timelapse and subsequent clips show the Baratie Bar being built piece-by-piece, from its gigantic fish head prow to the bar itself inside. A handful of other sets are shown too, including a rickety pirate town and brief glimpses at a couple of other One Piece ships, including Miss Love Duck and the Going Merry.

The creators explain that some of the sets have taken multiple weeks to build due to the sheer level of attention required. The Baratie Bar ship is also surrounded by floating docks and is described as a "massive" location.

The series only began production in February and Netflix didn't give any hint at a release date or window, so One Piece likely won't be released any time soon, though it was first announced in 2017 before being confirmed by Netflix in 2020.

Alongside Godoy as Luffy, Mackenyu plays Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd plays Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson plays Usopp, and Taz Skylar plays Sanji.

The supplementary cast also includes Morgan Davies as Koby, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino as Alvida, Aidan Scott as Helmeppo, Jeff Ward as Buggy, McKinley Belcher III as Arlong, and Vincent Regan as Garp.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Diablo: Immortal players are upset over the prevalence of microtransactions in Blizzard's latest action-RPG.

The free-to-play game launched on June 2 and brings a relatively complete Diablo experience to mobile (and now PC in Early Access), albeit with a few simplified systems. As is common in free-to-play games, however, there are many optional in-game purchases, and Diablo: Immortal's best loot is seemingly pretty hard to get without spending a lot of money – and even then it isn't guaranteed.

Players have taken to Reddit and Twitter to raise their concerns, and Legendary Gems are at the centre of the microtransaction controversy. These are essentially powerful upgrades, ranked from one to five stars, that players unlock by completing Elder Rift dungeons with added Legendary Crest modifiers. The best rated Legendary Gems can only be found by cracking open Legendary Crests.

The problem is, only three Legendary Crests are available each month unless players spend money, and they essentially act like randomised loot boxes. According to Forbes, players only have a 0.05% chance of getting a five star Gem for each Legendary Crest used.

Ok hold up, am I understanding this correctly for Immortal

Once you get a legendary gem to rank 10 you can further enhance that gem and its item’s power to the next level (Awakening) which needs a mat that literally only comes from the store for $15?

Bruh tell me this is wrong

— Ted Bacinschi (@Slootbag) June 5, 2022

The most efficient way to gain Legendary Gems is also very expensive – you'd need to spend $100 on the game's premium currency (which can't be earned under any circumstance except spending cash), which would net players 45 Legendary Crests, making each one about $2.20. There is apparently a failsafe feature that guarantees one Legendary Gem when the player buys 50 Legendary Crests, but Twitch streamer Quin69 spent close to $3,000 without seeing a single five-star Gem.

Other microtransactions are peppered into end-game content too, such as a $15 purchase being (currently) the only way to take Legendary Gems to their maximum potential, known as the Awakening Level.

Players don't need to spend money to enjoy most of the game (though it will ask you to repeatedly). However, to maximise a character in the endgame will seemingly cost either a lot of money, or a lot of time and luck – leading many to brand the game as "pay-to-win" after a certain point.

As noted in IGN's review in progress, the earlier hours of the game can seemingly be played with consistent and active progression. However, players report coming up against a wall at around level 35, requiring more grinding to get to the maximum level 60. After that point, in order to get the best gear possible (a common endgame goal for Diablo players), the microtransaction pressure seemingly really kicks in.

Blizzard has not yet publicly responded to the community backlash, but we've contacted the company for comment.

Diablo: Immortal was pulled from sale in Belgium and the Netherlands just a few days ahead of its launch date due to lootboxes being considered gambling in these countries. This idea was backed by the Norwegian Consumer Council, who also last week released a report backed by consumer councils in 18 countries that called lootboxes manipulative and exploitative.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Sony's re-release of Morbius struggled to make an impact at the box office once again despite the popularity of the memes that inspired its return to theaters.

Forbes reports that the movie made $300,000 across the 1,037 theaters it was screened in, translating to just $289 per theater. In contrast, Top Gun: Maverick earned $86 million at US theaters in the same weekend that Morbius returned to theaters, proving that the memes for the Jared Leto-led movie didn't do much to boost general audience interest.

The movie's theatrical re-release comes shortly after a barrage of Morbius-related memes gained traction across social media. Most notably, the Power Rangers-inspired "It's Morbin' time" parody catchphrase trended on Twitter for an entire week, and one dedicated fan streamed the movie repeatedly on Twitch until their stream was taken down.

Sony's latest superhero blockbuster, which tells the story of Spider-Man villain Michael Morbius, originally underperformed at the box office, pulling in $84 million worldwide during its opening weekend. That total put it behind Sony's two other pandemic-era comic book movies, Spider-Man: No Way Home ($260m) and Venom: Let There Be Carnage ($90m).

Morbius also received notably poor reviews — it currently sits with a critic score of just 17% based on 258 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. IGN awarded the movie a mediocre 5 out of 10, calling it an "origin story that lacks fangs and bite, marred by shoddy computer-digital fights and an overly serious tone that does the darkened flick no favors."

If you haven't seen it yet, you can watch the first nine minutes of Morbius here to get a taster ahead of the movie's 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD release on June 14.

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

Netflix has shared a first look at its Addams Family spinoff series, Wednesday during the first day of its Geeked Week showcase.

The 30 second trailer doesn't give away much but does reveal Jenna Ortega as Wednesday herself, complete with the iconic pigtails and black and white polka dot dress. As you'd expect, she accompanies a sparse soundtrack with some finger-clicks.

Thing (the disembodied hand) also appears in the trailer of what Netflix called "a twisted new series from the mind of Tim Burton", later adding that it's "coming soon".

Alongside Ortega in the leading role, Wednesday also includes Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, alongside Hunter Doohan, Georgie Farmer, and more.

Directed by Burton - who's previously delivered classics including Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and more - the series will run for eight episodes and follows Wednesday as she attends Nevermore Academy.

The coming of age story sees Wednesday learn to control her psychic powers, solve a mystery involving her marvellously mysterious parents, and deal with a number of murderous monsters too.

It was first announced in February last year but Netflix has said very little since outside of the slow but sure revealings of cast members.

With this first look revealing the series is "coming soon" though (and it was originally announced as a 2022 release), we should start finding out more and more about Wednesday before long.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

While plenty of comic book creators have turned to Kickstarter to crowdfund new projects, few can boast the sheer amount of creative muscle behind the upcoming graphic novel The Golem of Venice Beach. This new book features contributions from truly legendary creators like Bill Sienkiewicz (New Mutants), Mike Allred (Madman), Jae Lee (The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born), Paul Pope (Battling Boy), Nick Pitarra (Ax-Wielder Jon) and even Saga of the Swamp Thing's Stephen Bissette, who will be debuting his first interior artwork in 20 years.

With The Golem of Venice Beach now live on Kickstarter, IGN can exclusively debut several of Sienkiewicz's pages from the graphic novel. Check them out in the slideshow gallery below, along with a sampling of previously revealed artwork.

The titular character in The Golem of Venice Beach is Adam, a creature who was created 400 years ago in Eastern Europe. Nowadays, Adam soaks up the sun in Southern California and yearns for a way to end his long, lonely existence. He may just get that opportunity when he stumbles into a war between the police and a mysterious death cult.

The Golem of Venice Beach is written by Chanan Beizer, whose original script for the book won the inaugural ScreenCraft Cinematic Book contest in 2018. Vanessa Cardinali (Slumber) is the lead artist, responsible for roughly 100 pages of the 152-page story. The aforementioned artists are handling the remainder of the story, providing splash images or flashback stories that help flesh out Adam's long, painful life.

"What’s so great about Vanessa Cardinali’s artistry is her ability to not only create magnificent comic panels but also to make the whole of the page come alive," Beizer tells IGN. "An example is her portrayal of an intimate conversation between two main characters set amidst the famous Venice Beach Graffiti Walls. Most artists could easily make use of the colorful background. What sets Vanessa apart is the way she lends a skewed angle that gives a hint of character and balances the page itself. It enhances the cinematic intent I envisioned for the book. Add to that her penchant for color use in ways I’d never even thought to utilize. Her innate eye infuses a comic panel with a vibrancy that suits The Golem of Venice Beach perfectly."

In other comic book news, former editor-in-chief Joe Quesada is leaving Marvel after 22 years, and Dark Horse Books has revealed The Art of Horizon Forbidden West.

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