The PS5 will mark the first time that the X input is the default selection button in Japan, after 26 years of the Circle button being used to confirm selections. The news emerged as part of a raft of Japanese media PS5 previews, which covered games, hardware, the DualSense controller, and more. While the X button has always been western players' selection button, Cirlce has been used for the past four generations of PlayStation consoles.

Wow, this is big news for UI/UX. PlayStation 5 will use the X button to confirm by default for ALL REGIONS including Japan, who previously used O to confirm for the past 26 years. Muscle memory frustration for the nearly 10M PS users in Japan coming up.https://t.co/Heo7XaWjsk

— Kenji Iguchi (@needle_e) October 4, 2020

Twitter user Kenji Iguchi, makes clear what a major change this is, noting that muscle memory will be hard to overcome for many Japanese players. He notes that in Japan, the Circle symbol is associated with "Good, Ok, Correct." This and the placement of the A button on the far right of the popular SNES controller are said to have influenced Sony's initial decision to offer a different control scheme for the PlayStation in Japan. This is also why on the Nintendo Switch, the A button is on the right and the B button is at the bottom, which may take some getting used to for Western players. However, in 2020, it seems that Sony has decided to standardize the control scheme across all regions, starting with the PlayStation 5. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-playstation-5-games&captions=true"] A Famitsu preview makes clear that Japanese games themselves continue to use the Circle button to confirm, while the system uses X. It seems likely that players will be able to remap buttons in the system settings, but that's not confirmed as yet. In other PlayStation 5 news, here's a rundown of the PS4 to PS5 save game transition situation. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

The PS5 will mark the first time that the X input is the default selection button in Japan, after 26 years of the Circle button being used to confirm selections. The news emerged as part of a raft of Japanese media PS5 previews, which covered games, hardware, the DualSense controller, and more. While the X button has always been western players' selection button, Cirlce has been used for the past four generations of PlayStation consoles.

Wow, this is big news for UI/UX. PlayStation 5 will use the X button to confirm by default for ALL REGIONS including Japan, who previously used O to confirm for the past 26 years. Muscle memory frustration for the nearly 10M PS users in Japan coming up.https://t.co/Heo7XaWjsk

— Kenji Iguchi (@needle_e) October 4, 2020

Twitter user Kenji Iguchi, makes clear what a major change this is, noting that muscle memory will be hard to overcome for many Japanese players. He notes that in Japan, the Circle symbol is associated with "Good, Ok, Correct." This and the placement of the A button on the far right of the popular SNES controller are said to have influenced Sony's initial decision to offer a different control scheme for the PlayStation in Japan. This is also why on the Nintendo Switch, the A button is on the right and the B button is at the bottom, which may take some getting used to for Western players. However, in 2020, it seems that Sony has decided to standardize the control scheme across all regions, starting with the PlayStation 5. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-playstation-5-games&captions=true"] A Famitsu preview makes clear that Japanese games themselves continue to use the Circle button to confirm, while the system uses X. It seems likely that players will be able to remap buttons in the system settings, but that's not confirmed as yet. In other PlayStation 5 news, here's a rundown of the PS4 to PS5 save game transition situation. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

When Netflix first started airing original series, the platform only had a handful to its name and there was actually a mild running joke about how the streaming giant didn't cancel things. In fact, aside from Eli Roth's Hemlock Grove, which still lasted three seasons, the site's acclaimed shows House of Cards and Orange is the New Black both lasted six and seven seasons, respectively. Things changed for the company a few years later when the heavily-hyped and massively-produced Marco Polo got an unceremonious axe after two seasons. Then the hammer fell on Bloodline, The Get Down, The OA, and many more - to the point now where, if you aren't Stranger Things, which is Netflix's biggest breakout hit of all time, you probably won't go more than two or three seasons. Four, if you're very lucky. Sure, the numbers are great for recent entries The Witcher and Umbrella Academy (which still hasn't gotten a Season 3 renewal, by the way), but once those numbers start to decline or flatten, in the slightest, it could be curtains. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/11/how-does-netflix-choose-which-shows-to-cancel"] In 2020, Netflix canceled Altered Carbon, I Am Not Ok With This, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, V Wars, Messiah, and many more while also announcing final seasons for Ozark, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (a huge initial hit), Dead to Me, and The Crown. Obviously, there are a few logical reasons for why Netflix now seems to cut shows' lives extremely short. One is that they have far more original series than any other studio so it stands to reason they'd have more cancellations. But Netflix - which barely promotes most of its shows as dozens land per month on the site with little to no heralding - also doesn't seem to be at all invested in giving shows a chance to grow. A recent Wired article, however, digs a bit deeper into why the biggest streaming service in the game is now in the business of pulling the rug out from most of its shows after only a couple of seasons. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-tv-show-cancelled-or-announced-to-be-ending-in-2020&captions=true"] Plainly put, the first reason a Netflix show gets canceled is a traditional one. It's "based on a viewership versus cost of renewal review process, which determines whether the cost of producing another season of a show is proportionate to the number of viewers that the show receives." This is like any other streaming service or network, really. But this is also where the audience, no matter how much we love a show, or recognize the fervor of the show's fandom, have to take Netflix's word for it because the company doesn't release ratings numbers. The second way Netflix decides if a show will continue is based on some viewership data points. Specifically, it "looks at two data points within the first seven days and first 28 days of a show being available on the service. The first is ‘Starters’, or households who watch just one episode of a series. The second data point is ‘Completers’, or subscribers who finish an entire season." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/02/new-to-netflix-for-october-2020"] So the bulk of Netflix's decision-making is based on data from the first month of the show season's life. It's crucial. The final metric is Watchers, which "is the total number of subscribers who watch a show." Netflix, which employs a "cost-plus model, which means that it pays a show’s entire production costs, plus a 30 percent premium on top" is even more wary when it comes to possibly losing money - despite its reputation for throwing gobs of cash at the likes of Ryan Murphy ($300 million for five years), Adam Sandler (most recently $275 million for four more movies), and Chris Rock ($40 million for two specials). But, as Tom Harrington, an analyst at Enders Analysis, states, shows on Netflix "are more expensive after season two and even more expensive after season three, with the premiums going up each season." “They have to give [a show] more money per series, and if they decide to recommission it, it becomes more expensive for them to make,” he says. “Because of that, so many more shows are cancelled after two series [seasons] because it costs them more.” Now here's one more thing to consider, and it's totally tethered to the subscription streaming model. As Deadline explains, "if a show hasn’t grown significantly in popularity over seasons two or three, then Netflix thinks that it’s unlikely to gain any new viewers." So when a show stops growing, in viewers and/or pulling in new subscribers -- and that doesn't necessarily mean dropping, it can just mean plateauing -- then Netflix doesn't see a reason to keep it. So a show could be acceptably popular, and hold a large fanbase, but if it's lost its initial swell, and doesn't bring in new eyes, it'll be gone. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-netflix-original-movies-and-tv-shows&captions=true"] Note: This story has been updated to include a video version. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

When Netflix first started airing original series, the platform only had a handful to its name and there was actually a mild running joke about how the streaming giant didn't cancel things. In fact, aside from Eli Roth's Hemlock Grove, which still lasted three seasons, the site's acclaimed shows House of Cards and Orange is the New Black both lasted six and seven seasons, respectively. Things changed for the company a few years later when the heavily-hyped and massively-produced Marco Polo got an unceremonious axe after two seasons. Then the hammer fell on Bloodline, The Get Down, The OA, and many more - to the point now where, if you aren't Stranger Things, which is Netflix's biggest breakout hit of all time, you probably won't go more than two or three seasons. Four, if you're very lucky. Sure, the numbers are great for recent entries The Witcher and Umbrella Academy (which still hasn't gotten a Season 3 renewal, by the way), but once those numbers start to decline or flatten, in the slightest, it could be curtains. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/11/how-does-netflix-choose-which-shows-to-cancel"] In 2020, Netflix canceled Altered Carbon, I Am Not Ok With This, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, V Wars, Messiah, and many more while also announcing final seasons for Ozark, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (a huge initial hit), Dead to Me, and The Crown. Obviously, there are a few logical reasons for why Netflix now seems to cut shows' lives extremely short. One is that they have far more original series than any other studio so it stands to reason they'd have more cancellations. But Netflix - which barely promotes most of its shows as dozens land per month on the site with little to no heralding - also doesn't seem to be at all invested in giving shows a chance to grow. A recent Wired article, however, digs a bit deeper into why the biggest streaming service in the game is now in the business of pulling the rug out from most of its shows after only a couple of seasons. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-tv-show-cancelled-or-announced-to-be-ending-in-2020&captions=true"] Plainly put, the first reason a Netflix show gets canceled is a traditional one. It's "based on a viewership versus cost of renewal review process, which determines whether the cost of producing another season of a show is proportionate to the number of viewers that the show receives." This is like any other streaming service or network, really. But this is also where the audience, no matter how much we love a show, or recognize the fervor of the show's fandom, have to take Netflix's word for it because the company doesn't release ratings numbers. The second way Netflix decides if a show will continue is based on some viewership data points. Specifically, it "looks at two data points within the first seven days and first 28 days of a show being available on the service. The first is ‘Starters’, or households who watch just one episode of a series. The second data point is ‘Completers’, or subscribers who finish an entire season." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/02/new-to-netflix-for-october-2020"] So the bulk of Netflix's decision-making is based on data from the first month of the show season's life. It's crucial. The final metric is Watchers, which "is the total number of subscribers who watch a show." Netflix, which employs a "cost-plus model, which means that it pays a show’s entire production costs, plus a 30 percent premium on top" is even more wary when it comes to possibly losing money - despite its reputation for throwing gobs of cash at the likes of Ryan Murphy ($300 million for five years), Adam Sandler (most recently $275 million for four more movies), and Chris Rock ($40 million for two specials). But, as Tom Harrington, an analyst at Enders Analysis, states, shows on Netflix "are more expensive after season two and even more expensive after season three, with the premiums going up each season." “They have to give [a show] more money per series, and if they decide to recommission it, it becomes more expensive for them to make,” he says. “Because of that, so many more shows are cancelled after two series [seasons] because it costs them more.” Now here's one more thing to consider, and it's totally tethered to the subscription streaming model. As Deadline explains, "if a show hasn’t grown significantly in popularity over seasons two or three, then Netflix thinks that it’s unlikely to gain any new viewers." So when a show stops growing, in viewers and/or pulling in new subscribers -- and that doesn't necessarily mean dropping, it can just mean plateauing -- then Netflix doesn't see a reason to keep it. So a show could be acceptably popular, and hold a large fanbase, but if it's lost its initial swell, and doesn't bring in new eyes, it'll be gone. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-netflix-original-movies-and-tv-shows&captions=true"] Note: This story has been updated to include a video version. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

IGN serves a global audience, so we will be covering films that may be available theatrically in some countries but not others due to local COVID-19 restrictions. Read more on IGN's policy on movie reviews in light of COVID-19 here. IGN strongly encourages anyone considering going to a movie theater during the COVID-19 pandemic to check their local public health and safety guidelines before buying a ticket. If in doubt, stay home — keep yourself and others safe. [poilib element="accentDivider"] With No Time to Die, Black Widow, and Wonder Woman 1984 being further delayed due to COVID, news rolled in on Friday about an expected partial shutdown of the second largest theater chain in the U.S., Regal. Per Deadline, Christopher Nolan's Tenet, which made $2.7 million in its sixth weekend for a cumulative $45.1 million domestic total, had a 12-week booking at most theaters - and now Regal is temporarily closing 115 of its "300-400" currently open theaters, with 65 closing down temporarily starting Monday and another 50 keeping weekend hours. It's not known at this moment if Regal will wind up closing all its locations as the ones being affected right now are the lesser-performing sites. Reporting further, Deadline says that if Regal closes down fully it will be an "18% blow to the domestic box office." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=igns-best-reviewed-movies-of-2020&captions=true"] Right now, Cineworld/Regal hasn't stated anything publicly. Yet still, the pushing back of No Time to Die also has Cineworld considering shutting down, possibly indefinitely, all its screen in the U.K. and Ireland. Cineworld is the U.K.'s biggest cinema operator. If you've seen Tenet, check out our Tenet review along with this explainer of Tenet's mind-blowing ending. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/02/a-brief-history-of-time-in-christopher-nolan-movies"]

IGN serves a global audience, so we will be covering films that may be available theatrically in some countries but not others due to local COVID-19 restrictions. Read more on IGN's policy on movie reviews in light of COVID-19 here. IGN strongly encourages anyone considering going to a movie theater during the COVID-19 pandemic to check their local public health and safety guidelines before buying a ticket. If in doubt, stay home — keep yourself and others safe. [poilib element="accentDivider"] With No Time to Die, Black Widow, and Wonder Woman 1984 being further delayed due to COVID, news rolled in on Friday about an expected partial shutdown of the second largest theater chain in the U.S., Regal. Per Deadline, Christopher Nolan's Tenet, which made $2.7 million in its sixth weekend for a cumulative $45.1 million domestic total, had a 12-week booking at most theaters - and now Regal is temporarily closing 115 of its "300-400" currently open theaters, with 65 closing down temporarily starting Monday and another 50 keeping weekend hours. It's not known at this moment if Regal will wind up closing all its locations as the ones being affected right now are the lesser-performing sites. Reporting further, Deadline says that if Regal closes down fully it will be an "18% blow to the domestic box office." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=igns-best-reviewed-movies-of-2020&captions=true"] Right now, Cineworld/Regal hasn't stated anything publicly. Yet still, the pushing back of No Time to Die also has Cineworld considering shutting down, possibly indefinitely, all its screen in the U.K. and Ireland. Cineworld is the U.K.'s biggest cinema operator. If you've seen Tenet, check out our Tenet review along with this explainer of Tenet's mind-blowing ending. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/02/a-brief-history-of-time-in-christopher-nolan-movies"]

Japanese media and YouTubers recently had a chance to go hands-on with the PlayStation 5, and their previews showcased the PS5's hardware, games - including Astro's Playroom and Godfall - the DualSense, and more. AV Watch was one of the Japanese publications that was able to test out the PlayStation 5, and even though Sony still wasn't willing to show off the PS5's UI, we did learn a couple interesting facts. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480"] Source: AV Watch[/caption] One of these is that the Sony has made the decision to make "X" the standard confirm button for all regions. In the past, "O" was always the confirm button for Japan, while in North America and Europe, "X" was always chosen. This could usually be changed in the menus, but it appears Sony Interactive Entertainment has decided to create some consistency with the regions around the world. It was also noted how quiet the PlayStation 5 was in action, which will be a welcome change from how some of the most taxing games make the PS4 sound a bit like a jet engine. Furthermore, AV Watch mentions that the DualSense's buttons also make less noise when pressed as opposed to the DualShock 4. Speaking of the DualSense, 4Gamer gave us a glimpse at how its new light bar looks with various colors, including blue, red, green, and purple. [caption id="attachment_2416549" align="aligncenter" width="528"] Source: 4Gamer[/caption] All the publications touched upon how the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback feel, how quickly the SSD allowed games to cut down on load times and get you instantly back into the game. We also got a good look at the PS5 hardware itself, and these previews show up-close images of the PS5 vertically and horizontally. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="800"] Source: Dengenki Online[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640"] Source: Dengeki Online[/caption] The lucky few Japanese YouTubers, including ファミ通TUBE, 花江夏樹, ポッキー, and SANNINSHOW, shared footage of Astro's Playroom and Godfall in action, and you can check out the footage by clicking the links above. The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition will be released on November 12 in the US, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea and November 19 in all other territories. The PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition will cost $499 USD and $399 USD, respectively. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/16/spider-man-miles-morales-gameplay-trailer"] For more on the PlayStation 5, check out our PS5 preorder guide, the list of known launch games, and what to know about the PS4-PS5 game save confusion. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Japanese media and YouTubers recently had a chance to go hands-on with the PlayStation 5, and their previews showcased the PS5's hardware, games - including Astro's Playroom and Godfall - the DualSense, and more. AV Watch was one of the Japanese publications that was able to test out the PlayStation 5, and even though Sony still wasn't willing to show off the PS5's UI, we did learn a couple interesting facts. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480"] Source: AV Watch[/caption] One of these is that the Sony has made the decision to make "X" the standard confirm button for all regions. In the past, "O" was always the confirm button for Japan, while in North America and Europe, "X" was always chosen. This could usually be changed in the menus, but it appears Sony Interactive Entertainment has decided to create some consistency with the regions around the world. It was also noted how quiet the PlayStation 5 was in action, which will be a welcome change from how some of the most taxing games make the PS4 sound a bit like a jet engine. Furthermore, AV Watch mentions that the DualSense's buttons also make less noise when pressed as opposed to the DualShock 4. Speaking of the DualSense, 4Gamer gave us a glimpse at how its new light bar looks with various colors, including blue, red, green, and purple. [caption id="attachment_2416549" align="aligncenter" width="528"] Source: 4Gamer[/caption] All the publications touched upon how the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback feel, how quickly the SSD allowed games to cut down on load times and get you instantly back into the game. We also got a good look at the PS5 hardware itself, and these previews show up-close images of the PS5 vertically and horizontally. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="800"] Source: Dengenki Online[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640"] Source: Dengeki Online[/caption] The lucky few Japanese YouTubers, including ファミ通TUBE, 花江夏樹, ポッキー, and SANNINSHOW, shared footage of Astro's Playroom and Godfall in action, and you can check out the footage by clicking the links above. The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition will be released on November 12 in the US, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea and November 19 in all other territories. The PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition will cost $499 USD and $399 USD, respectively. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/16/spider-man-miles-morales-gameplay-trailer"] For more on the PlayStation 5, check out our PS5 preorder guide, the list of known launch games, and what to know about the PS4-PS5 game save confusion. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

To celebrate the 42nd anniversary of Stephen King's landmark novel, The Stand, which terrified unsuspecting readers when it landed back in 1978, CBS All Access dropped a quick new teaser on social media to hype its upcoming 9-part adaptation of the book starring James Marsden, Greg Kinnear, Whoopi Goldberg, Amber Heard, Ezra Miller, Heather Graham and Alexander Skarsgard. From The New Mutants' Josh Boone, The Stand is a supernatural epic that takes place in a dystopian future where 98% of humanity's been decimated by a plague and the remainders are embroiled in an elemental struggle between good and evil. The fate of mankind rests on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abagail (Goldberg) and a handful of survivors. Skarsgard, seen in the tease here, plays famous King villain Randall Flagg - aka the "Dark Man" - a demonic figure who's been featured in nine of King's books, including the Dark Tower series.

42 years ago today, Stephen King gave us #TheStand. On December 17th, his classic book comes to life as a new limited event series, only on #CBSAllAccess. pic.twitter.com/p0KCDkV5kp

— CBS All Access (@CBSAllAccess) October 3, 2020

The first episode of The Stand will debut Thursday, December 17 on CBS All Access. New episodes of will continue to air weekly every Thursday, including a brand new finale storyline written by King himself. Back in April, star James Marsden revealed his pandemic binge list to IGN, and The Stand was one of his picks. For more Stephen King morsels, find out all the novels you need to read (including The Stand) to fully appreciate the Dark Tower saga. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-stephen-king-remake-so-far&captions=true"]

To celebrate the 42nd anniversary of Stephen King's landmark novel, The Stand, which terrified unsuspecting readers when it landed back in 1978, CBS All Access dropped a quick new teaser on social media to hype its upcoming 9-part adaptation of the book starring James Marsden, Greg Kinnear, Whoopi Goldberg, Amber Heard, Ezra Miller, Heather Graham and Alexander Skarsgard. From The New Mutants' Josh Boone, The Stand is a supernatural epic that takes place in a dystopian future where 98% of humanity's been decimated by a plague and the remainders are embroiled in an elemental struggle between good and evil. The fate of mankind rests on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abagail (Goldberg) and a handful of survivors. Skarsgard, seen in the tease here, plays famous King villain Randall Flagg - aka the "Dark Man" - a demonic figure who's been featured in nine of King's books, including the Dark Tower series.

42 years ago today, Stephen King gave us #TheStand. On December 17th, his classic book comes to life as a new limited event series, only on #CBSAllAccess. pic.twitter.com/p0KCDkV5kp

— CBS All Access (@CBSAllAccess) October 3, 2020

The first episode of The Stand will debut Thursday, December 17 on CBS All Access. New episodes of will continue to air weekly every Thursday, including a brand new finale storyline written by King himself. Back in April, star James Marsden revealed his pandemic binge list to IGN, and The Stand was one of his picks. For more Stephen King morsels, find out all the novels you need to read (including The Stand) to fully appreciate the Dark Tower saga. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-stephen-king-remake-so-far&captions=true"]