The Game Awards will kick off on Thursday evening, promising loads of accolades for the year's best alongside new game reveals and other announcements. If you want to watch live, you can tune in right here on GameSpot starting at 8:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM PT / 1:30 AM GMT (Friday) / 12:30 PM AET (Friday).This year's Game of the Year nominees are Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Celeste, God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man, Monster Hunter World, and Red Dead Redemption 2. Three of those--God of War, Spider-Man, and Red Dead--are also up for Best Game Direction. God of War and Red Dead are generally regarded as the frontrunners, given that they both lead for number of nominees at eight apiece. Other notable categories include Best Ongoing Game, Games for Impact, and a variety of Esports categories. You can see everything in the full list of awards and nominees.Sharing the spotlight with the awards will be a slate of game announcements. Host Geoff Keighley has already announced that we can expect ten new game announcements along with several updates on current games. Obsidian has teased that we'll see whatever it has in store at the show too. We can also expect celebrity guests, such as Avengers 4 directors the Russo brothers.Last year's Game Awards attracted 11.5 million viewers according to Variety, and hosted announcements of games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, In The Valley Of Gods, and Bayonetta 3.Info from Gamespot.com

Calling all Xbox One owners who either don't have Gold subscriptions or have let them lapse. If you're a Fortnite fan who wouldn't mind having three months of Xbox Live Gold, here's a fantastic deal that's available right now. You can get a three-month subscription to Xbox Live Gold, plus 1,000 V-Bucks in Fortnite, for just $10 / £6. The only catch is that the deal is only open to new subscribers, or anyone who canceled their Gold membership prior to October 1, 2018. You can take advantage of the deal on Xbox.com.Assuming you're eligible, this deal can save you a heap of money. Normally, a three-month Gold subscription costs $25 on its own, and 1,000 V-Bucks costs $10. But instead of dropping $35 on this collection of digital goodies, you only have to pay $10.The deal is even better in the UK, where it will only set you back £6, because 1,000 V-Bucks normally runs £7. That means you get the Fortnite cash and the Gold subscription for less than the V-Bucks would regularly cost on their own.Now is a particularly great time to get those V-Bucks as well, because Fortnite Season 7 starts on December 6. Assuming the pricing stays the same, buying Season 7's Battle Pass--which comes with in-game seasonal items and unlocks new challenges each week--will cost 950 V-Bucks. That will leave you with 50 V-Bucks to spend on in-game outfits, emotes, or other cosmetics.As for Xbox Live Gold, not only does the service let you take your paid games online, but it also gets you free Xbox One and Xbox 360 games each month. This is a fantastic deal, so consider taking advantage if you're eligible.Info from Gamespot.com

To celebrate 100 episodes, The Flash is doing something it's been very fond of over five seasons. Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) is going back in time--again--and will hopefully not screw up the timeline--again. In a trailer for the momentous episode, "What's Past is Prologue," it's revealed that Barry will be revisiting the biggest villains from the show's past, and he's not doing it alone. This time, his speedster daughter Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy) is along for the ride.The Flash isn't simply relying on old faces for its 100th episode, though. Instead, as Tom Cavanagh--who directs the installment--told GameSpot at the 100th episode red carpet event, "What's Past is Prologue" is more about the show's future than anything else."I do have to say I'd be remiss if I didn't admit that [the fans] figured into it in a massive way because you can you know, you want to have a certain celebration on the screen," he said. "You do not want to be indulgent. You also don't want to do a greatest hits episode because in some ways it's almost too easy."So instead of letting the show's past be the star, every element Barry sees once more helps to push forward a multitude of current plots, from the battle against Cicada (Chris Klein) to his relationship with Nora. "The idea that the writers had to have Norah and Barry Allen go... back in time to get a few things that they need to defeat the current villain, I thought it was genius," Cavanagh admitted.And in the end, it's true to how he and the rest of those involved view the show as; a comic book come to life. "The thing that got us to 100 was trying to do a comic book every time out," he explained. "You know, we succeed and we fail but we're always trying. And to not do that for the 100th felt wrong."The 100th episode of The Flash airs Tuesday, December 4 on The CW. After that, the "Elseworlds" crossover, which sees The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl meet up with Batwoman (Ruby Rose) for the first time kicks off on Sunday, December 8. Make sure to check out our photos and teasers for the "Elseworlds" event.Info from Gamespot.com

[Update] Service has been restored. [Original Story] PlayStation Network services are currently offline, which means online gaming, shopping, and communication is currently unavailable on the PS4. The PlayStation Network service status page states account management, gaming and social, PlayStation Now; Vue; Video; Store; and Music are all inaccessible."You may have some difficulty launching games, applications, or online features," a message on the site reads. "Our engineers are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible, and we thank you for your patience."Based on messages directed at the various PlayStation support accounts on Twitter, it looks like the outage is widespread, with users both in the US and Europe reporting issues with connectivity. Sony has not provided a timeframe for when it expects services to be up and running again. The actual cause of the issue has also not been detailed.With any luck, the problems won't be severe and the service should be up and running again soon. Of course, outage at this time of the year immediately sparks memories of 2011, when PlayStation Network was severely compromised by hackers. In that situation, services were not restored for a significant length of time.Downtime is fairly common with online network services, however, so as mentioned previously in most cases issues are resolved fairly quickly.Info from Gamespot.com

Red Dead Redemption 2's multiplayer mode, Red Dead Online, launched in late November as a beta--and Rockstar had said from the start that players should expect bugs and other oddities. Players have indeed discovered the experience to be less-than-optimal in some areas, one of which is the in-game economy. Players quickly found out that baked beans are more valuable than gold rings, based on Red Dead Online's economy--and that's probably not right.Rockstar has now acknowledged the problems with Red Dead Online's economy, stating on Twitter that it is working on getting the economy in a better place "to ensure all activities are appropriately rewarding and fun." The studio needs more time to work on balancing to get this right, it said.Red Dead Online Beta Status update: pic.twitter.com/ljZziKDgnj — Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) December 3, 2018Outside of the in-game economy, Rockstar is also planning to address some of the "persistent bugs" related to players getting kicked out of sessions."The game has been developed so that we will be able to quickly make any adjustments like these," Rockstar said. The first updates for Red Dead Online are expected to launch at the end of the week at the soonest, with more updates coming next week.You can send feedback about Red Dead Online directly to Rockstar here. There is no word on how long the game will remain in beta form, but keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.Red Dead Online features new story missions set before the events of the single-player campaign that can be played solo or with others. It also features a variety of co-op and PvP modes, including Red Dead's own battle royale mode.Rockstar says to expect "lots more updates to the Red Dead Online beta in the coming weeks and months." It hasn't shared much about what to expect in terms of future updates to the game, though Grand Theft Auto V's extensive array of free GTA Online expansions suggests there's plenty in store.A future update for Red Dead Online will add the ability to purchase the in-game currency gold with real money. Gold can also be earned by playing, and it's used to buy certain weapons and other items, as well as a shortcut to lower your Honor level.If you pre-ordered the game or bought a special edition, here's how to access your bonus content.For more on Red Dead Online, check out GameSpot's recent opinion piece, "Red Dead Online's Beta Misses What Makes RDR 2 Great." Info from Gamespot.com

The first instalment in Battlefield V's free DLC campaign will not make it out on schedule. Developer DICE said on Twitter that it found an unspecified "issue" with the first Tides of War content, Chapter 1: Overture, and as such, the release is being held back beyond its announced December 4 launch."Rather than create issues in the game, we're holding the update for the time being," DICE said. The studio added that it will report back with an update as soon as possible, but for now the developer said it does not anticipate "a long delay."The new Panzerstorm mapWhereas previous Battlefield games charged money for extra content, Battlefield V is giving it away for free through the live service element known as Tides of War. Chapter 1: Overture adds a new map, Panzerstorm, which is set in 1940 Belgium. As its name suggests, it is a tank-focused map--and DICE says up to 17 tanks can duke it out at once on the map.The Overture update also adds the fifth War Story single-player chapter, The Last Tiger. This missions sees you playing as a Nazi soldier who is fighting not only Allied forces but also "their own doubts about doubts about the ideology that led them to their now-inevitable defeat." You can see a brief tease for the campaign in the video below.What's more, Overture introduces a new training mode called Practice Range, a tutorial mode of sorts that teaches you the basics of weapons and vehicles. Additionally, the update introduces new challenges that reward players with things like soldier outfits and weapon skins, while the game also adds cosmetic customisation options for tanks and other vehicles.On a further-out timeline, Battlefield V will introduce a battle royale mode called Firestorm in March.Info from Gamespot.com

The latest chapter in the Great Fallout 76 Canvas Bag Fiasco Of 2018 has unfolded. Those who received a nylon bag instead of the promised canvas bag in the $200 Power Armor Edition will indeed receive a canvas bag, the publisher confirmed in a statement."We are finalizing manufacturing plans for replacement canvas bags for the Fallout 76: Power Armor Edition," the publisher said.Those who bought the special edition can submit a ticket here to request a canvas bag. Bethesda did not say when the bags will be ready, but you need to submit a ticket by January 31.The controversy began when purchasers of the Fallout 76 Power Armor Edition noticed the bag delivered was nylon instead of canvas as advertised. One fan reached out to Bethesda support, and received a succinct reply that the company was "not planning on doing anything about it." The company subsequently apologized for that response, and blaming the change on "unavailability of materials."Bethesda initially announced it would compensate purchasers with 500 Atoms for Fallout 76, but players quickly roasted Bethesda for this, as it only amounts to $5 worth of compensation.It is good to see Bethesda do right by players over the collector's edition issue, but Bethesda isn't exactly out of the woods yet as it relates to public perception. The game had a rocky launch, and reviewers generally did not like the game. What's more, a law firm is investigating Bethesda over its Fallout 76 refund policy. Bethesda has acknowledged some "frustrating issues" surrounding the game and has committed to supporting it long-term. It has already laid out a roadmap of upcoming changes. Info from Gamespot.com

The Halo TV series, which has been in the works for years now, may take even longer to finally get going. It was announced today that director Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) has left the project due to a change in the production schedule."It's with great disappointment that changes to the production schedule of Halo prevent me from continuing in my role as a director on the series," Wyatt said in a statement (via THR). "My time on Halo has been a creatively rich and rewarding experience with a phenomenal team of people. I now join the legion of fans out there, excited to see the finished series and wishing everyone involved the very best."The Halo TV show will air on Showtime, whose parent company, CBS, also owns GameSpot. Network president of programming Gary Levine said in his own statement that the Halo show is "evolving beautifully with rich characters, compelling stories, and powerful scripts."The production demands for the Halo TV show are "enormous," Levine said. As such, Showtime needed to add more time to the production schedule, and this meant that Wyatt had to drop out. Showtime said previously that Halo is the network's "most ambitious series ever," and that's notable given Showtime is behind some massive productions such as Homeland, Shameless, Billions, and more recently the Jim Carrey show Kidding.The Halo TV show will feature Master Chief in some capacity, but it remains to be seen if he is the lead, or what other characters might join him. Kyle Killen (Awake) will serve as writer, showrunner, and executive producer.Showtime has ordered 10 hour-long episodes of Halo for its first season. The Halo show was originally announced back in 2013 with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television set to produce, which it still is.The new Halo TV show, which doesn't have a name yet, follows 2012's series Halo: Forward Unto Dawn that starred Chronicles of Narnia actress Anna Popplewell.A Halo movie was at one point in the works with Neil Blomkamp set to direct and Peter Jackson producing, but it never happened. It wasn't a totally sad story, however, as Blomkamp and Jackson created the acclaimed sci-fi film District 9 out of Halo's ashes.As for the Halo video game franchise, the next instalment is Halo Infinite for Xbox One and PC. There is no word on when the game is coming out, and all we've seen so far is a trailer for the game's engine, not the game itself. Info from Gamespot.com

The new Twilight Zone TV anthology series has big shoes to fill. Rod Serling's original is regarded as one of the best shows of all time, and part of what made the program great was its excellent writing and performances.The new version is assembling some excellent talent, too, with news today from THR that John Cho (Star Trek, Searching), Allison Tolman (Fargo, Castle Rock), and child actor Jacob Tremblay (Room, Wonder) have joined the cast that already includes Adam Scott, Kumail Nanjiani, and Sanaa Lathan in starring roles.Cho, Tolman, and Tremblay will star in an episode called "The Wunderkind." No further details about the episode or the story were divulged. The new Twilight Zone officially entered production in October,One of the best episodes of the original Twilight Zone featured a child actor as well. The episode "It's a Good Life" features a six-year-old boy who terrorises his community with his ability to read minds and manifest anything he wants.The original Twilight Zone featured numerous actors who went on to become very famous, including William Shatner, Ed Wynn, Cloris Leachman, Don Rickles, and Robert Duvall, among many others.The new Twilight Zone comes from the mind of Jordan Peele, who entered a new stratosphere and success after his acclaimed 2017 film Get Out, for which he won an Oscar. It's incredibly exciting to think about what Peele, who is narrating, may bring to the table with the new Twilight Zone. The show airs in 2019 on CBS All-Access.Disclosure: CBS owns GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

It's going to be a big week for Epic's battle royale game Fortnite. In addition to the launch of Season 7, Epic has an announcement teed up for The Game Awards.Show organiser Geoff Keighley said there will be some kind of Fortnite announcement and a "world premiere" at The Game Awards on Thursday night. Epic's own Donald Mustard will be on hand at the event to drop the news, apparently.I can't stress enough how much we have going on this week. Geoff isn't talking about Season 7 launch here. Tune in! https://t.co/K2gwZoizqa — Nick “Unusual Spending” Chester (@nickchester) December 3, 2018Epic PR lead Nick Chester confirmed in his own tweet that the announcement lined up for The Game Awards is not related to Season 7. "I can't stress enough how much we have going on this week," Chester said.Keighley's cryptic teaser mentioned that Fortnite fans will want to "keep your game close," which sounds like a suggestion that something will happen in the game.Avengers directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who are big fans of Fortnite, will be presenting an award at The Game Awards this week. However, it remains to be seen if the directors will have any news to share during the show.The pair played Fortnite during downtime during of the editing process of Infinity War, they told EW this year. Joe Russo personally called Mustard to get a conversation going about about the Thanos limited-time mode that eventually came to Fortnite. More recently, Anthony Russo wore a Fortnite t-shirt during an Infinity War Q&A just last week, so their appreciation for Fortnite seemingly continues.As for Fortnite Season 7, Epic recently released a new teaser that teases, "A bitter ice spreads," which follows previous rumours and reports about the seventh season having a wintry, cold theme. Season 7 begins on December 6, which is the same day as The Game Awards.A bitter ice spreads... 3 days to Season 7. pic.twitter.com/yj70svBXti — Fortnite (@FortniteGame) December 3, 2018The Game Awards 2018 take place on December 6, starting at 8:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM PT. That works out to 1:30 AM GMT and 12:30 PM AET on December 7. There are more than 10 new game announcements on tap, one of which is the next RPG from the makers of Fallout: New Vegas. You'll be able to watch the show on GameSpot, while we'll have a rundown of all the big news as well.Info from Gamespot.com

In your daily scroll through the Netflix carousel, you've probably noticed a new Netflix-exclusive Christmas movie starring veteran actor Kurt Russell called The Christmas Chronicles. As it turns out, while the movie flew somewhat under the radar, the film has been extraordinary successful.Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said this week that the film generated 20 million views in its first week. According to Sarandos, that would work out to a $200 million opening if The Christmas Chronicles was released traditionally in theaters."If every one of those [20 million streams] was a movie ticket purchase, that's a $US 200 million opening week," he said, as reported by Business Insider. "Even movies that go on to $US1 billion don't typically do that in the first week."According to Sarandos, The Christmas Chronicles is Russell's biggest opening ever for one of his movies. "Even in his successful career, he's never had that many people see one of his movies in the first week ever," he said. "That's a testimony to what we can bring to the market for storytellers today that we couldn't have ten years ago."Importantly, it's unclear how many of the 20 million first-week streams for The Christmas Chronicles are repeats. But whatever the case, it is clear the movie has been popular, and while Sarandos is spinning the numbers in a way that makes Netflix look better, he's of course absolutely right that Netflix is shaking up the film world.Russell, who has been acting for decades, recently appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which made $146.5 million over its first three days and $183 million in its first week, according to the report.The Christmas Chronicles stars Russell as Santa, along with Judah Lewis and Darby Camp as the brother and sister who caused Santa's sleigh to crash. Together, they must all save Christmas.The movie, which was released at the end of November, was directed by Clay Kaytis (The Angry Birds Movie) and produced by Harry Potter and Home Alone director Chris Columbus.Info from Gamespot.com

As expected, a new trailer for Marvel's next big super hero movie, Captain Marvel, premiered tonight during Monday Night Football on ESPN. This trailer provides the best look yet at the Brie Larson-starring movie and offers up new insight into the story.The trailer also shows off a better look at the Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, Jude Law as a Kree commanders, and the two-eyed, digitally de-aged Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. We also see Annette Bening's character for the first time--she's a Kree. You can check out the full trailer in the embed above.Captain Marvel is set to premiere in March 2019. The first Captain Marvel trailer came online in September, and just like we did that for one, we'll have a in-depth breakdown of this newest trailer covering all the big takeaways.In addition to Larson, Law, Mendelsohn, and Jackson, the movie features Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser, and Gemma Chan as Minn-Rrva. You can see a full breakdown of who's in the movie here.Larson, who won the Best Actress Oscar for his role in Room, will play Captain Marvel again in 2019's untitled Avengers 4.Image credit: Marvel on Twitter Info from Gamespot.com

Star Wars is such a cultural phenomenon that the major characters and story beats seem to soak in by osmosis before watching a single film. On the off chance that a young new fan might need to catch up, though, Disney has launched a new "Star Wars Kids" YouTube channel with a series of impressive shorts that summarize some major events in the original trilogy.The Galaxy of Adventure shorts are only about a minute long apiece. They feature some light narration, but seem mostly built upon audio effects and voices from the original trilogy. Despite that, it does take some slight liberties to take advantage of the medium, like allowing Luke some more kinetic animation upon first activating his father's lightsaber or playing up the manic, comic haplessness of Han and Chewie desperately trying to fix the Falcon. In one short featuring Darth Vader, the animation appears largely based on a scene from Rogue One.Other shorts feature scenes revolving around R2-D2, Luke's encounter with a Wampa in The Empire Strikes Back, and Vader's entrance set to the Imperial March. The animated shorts are complemented by brief "Fun Facts" videos that intersperse animation and original film clips, introducing both characters and starfighters.The animation style is really something to see for newcomers and seasoned fan alike, and it's left plenty of room for other vignettes. So far, popular characters like Leia, Yoda, The Emperor, and Boba Fett are no where to be found, so we can probably expect more on the way. Check out a sampling of the shorts below.Info from Gamespot.com

Tis the holiday season, or at least it will be very soon, and that usually means streaming services pump out some classic holiday movies. However, Netflix's new arrivals in December feels a little light on holiday fair, but at least the family can curl up next to the fire to spend the morning watching Friday After Next. Here are the new movies, TV shows, and originals hitting Netflix in December 2018.December may be a bit light on theatrically-released movies coming to the service for the final month of the year, but it has plenty of Netflix original films and series revolving around the holidays to keep you happy. On December 7, Nailed It! returns for a holiday special, where cooks around the world try their best to recreate beautiful-looking baked deserts and always fail miserably. Sabrina returns on December 14 for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: A Midwinter's Tale.In addition, there are a few non-holiday specials to keep your eye on as well. Andy Serkis' Jungle Book adaptation Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle heads to Netflix on December 7, which was announced it would be coming to the streaming service during the summer. December 14 is a big day for Netflix originals, and aside from Sabrina, Netflix will be revealing new seasons of Fuller House, Voltron, Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons, and Travelers.Netflix also has a nice present for you on December 25, Christmas day. Avengers: Infinity War is coming to the service, so you and your family can come together to watch Thanos try to snap everyone out of existence. That same day, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations: Season 11 will be released as well.Sadly, there are plenty of movies leaving Netflix in December as well. On December 1, all of Sons of Anarchy will be removed, along with Groundhog Day, Hellraiser, and Cabin Fever. There are a few more notable titles to watch before they leave Netflix like Battle Royale (December 10), Moana (December 20), and Troy (December 30).Below you'll find everything coming to and leaving Netflix for the month of December.Coming In DecemberAvailable 12/1/188 MileAstro BoyBattle-- NETFLIX FILMBride of ChuckyChristineCloudy with a Chance of MeatballsCrossroads: One Two Jaga-- NETFLIX FILMFridayFriday After NextHellboyMan vs Wild with Sunny Leone: Season 1Meet Joe BlackMemories of the Alhambra (Streaming Every Saturday)-- NETFLIX ORIGINALMy Bloody ValentineNext FridayReindeer GamesSeven PoundsShaun of the DeadTerminator SalvationThe Big LebowskiThe Great British Baking Show: Masterclass: Season 5 MasterclassesThe Last DragonThe Man Who Knew Too Little12/2/18The Lobster12/3/18Blue Planet II: Season 1Hero Mask-- NETFLIX ORIGINALThe Sound of Your Heart: Reboot Season 2-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL12/4/18District 912/6/18Happy!: Season 112/7/185 Star Christmas-- NETFLIX FILMBad Blood-- NETFLIX ORIGINALDogs of Berlin-- NETFLIX ORIGINALDumplin'-- NETFLIX FILMFree Rein: The Twelve Neighs of Christmas-- NETFLIX ORIGINALMowgli: Legend of the Jungle-- NETFLIX FILMNailed It! Holiday!-- NETFLIX ORIGINALNeo Yokio: Pink Christmas-- NETFLIX ORIGINALPine Gap-- NETFLIX ORIGINALReMastered: Who Killed Jam Master Jay?-- NETFLIX ORIGINALSuper Monsters and the Wish Star-- NETFLIX ORIGINALThe American Meme-- NETFLIX ORIGINALThe Hook Up Plan (Plan Coeur)-- NETFLIX ORIGINALThe Ranch: Part 6-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL12/9/18Sin senos sí hay paraíso: Season 312/10/18Michael Jackson's This Is It12/11/18Vir Das: Losing It-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL12/12/18Back Street Girls: Gokudols-- NETFLIX ORIGINALOut of Many, One-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL12/13/18Wanted: Season 3-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL12/14/18Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: A Midwinter's Tale-- NETFLIX ORIGINALCuckoo: Season 4-- NETFLIX ORIGINALDance & Sing with True: Songs-- NETFLIX ORIGINALFuller House: Season 4-- NETFLIX ORIGINALInside the Real Narcos-- NETFLIX ORIGINALInside the World’s Toughest Prisons: Season 3-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL Colombia, Costa Rica, Romania and Norway.Prince of Peoria: A Christmas Moose Miracle-- NETFLIX ORIGINALROMA-- NETFLIX FILMSunderland Til I Die-- NETFLIX ORIGINALThe Fix-- NETFLIX ORIGINALThe Innocent Man-- NETFLIX ORIGINALThe Protector-- NETFLIX ORIGINALTidelands-- NETFLIX ORIGINALTravelers: Season 3-- NETFLIX ORIGINALVoltron: Legendary Defender: Season 8-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL12/16/18Baby MamaKill the MessengerOne DaySpringsteen on Broadway-- NETFLIX ORIGINALThe Theory of Everything12/18/18Baki-- NETFLIX ORIGINALEllen DeGeneres: Relatable-- NETFLIX ORIGINALTerrace House: Opening New Doors: Part 5-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL12/21/183Below: Tales of Arcadia-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL7 Days Out-- NETFLIX ORIGINALBack With the Ex-- NETFLIX ORIGINALBad Seeds-- NETFLIX FILMBird Box-- NETFLIX FILMDerry Girls-- NETFLIX ORIGINALDiablero-- NETFLIX ORIGINALGreenleaf: Season 3LAST HOPE: Part 2-- NETFLIX ORIGINALPerfume-- NETFLIX ORIGINALSirius the Jaeger-- NETFLIX ORIGINALStruggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski-- NETFLIX FILMTales by Light: Season 3-- NETFLIX ORIGINALThe Casketeers-- NETFLIX ORIGINALWolf (BÖRÜ)-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL12/24/18Hi Score Girl-- NETFLIX ORIGINALThe Magicians: Season 312/25/18Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown: Season 11Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War12/26/18Alexa & Katie: Season 2-- NETFLIX ORIGINALYOU12/28/18Instant Hotel-- NETFLIX ORIGINALLa noche de 12 años-- NETFLIX FILMSelection Day-- NETFLIX ORIGINALWhen Angels Sleep-- NETFLIX FILMYummy Mummies-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL12/30/18The Autopsy of Jane Doe12/31/18The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned From a Mythical ManComing in DecemberWatership Down: Limited Series-- NETFLIX ORIGINALLeaving In DecemberLeaving 12/1/18Cabin FeverCabin Fever 2: Spring FeverGroundhog DayHappily N'Ever AfterHappily N'Ever After 2: Snow WhiteHellbound: Hellraiser IIHellraiserSons of Anarchy: Seasons 1-7Spider-Man 3Spy HardStephen King's Children of the CornSwept UnderThe CovenantThe GameLeaving 12/4/18Air Bud: Seventh Inning FetchAir Bud: Spikes BackAir Bud: World PupAir BuddiesCars Toon: Mater's Tall TalesSpooky BuddiesTarzan & JaneThe Brave Little Toaster Goes to MarsThe Brave Little Toaster to the RescueThe Crimson Wing: Mystery of the FlamingosThe Search for Santa PawsTinker BellTinker Bell and the Great Fairy RescueTinker Bell and the Lost TreasureLeaving 12/7/18TrollsLeaving 12/10/18Battle RoyaleBattle Royale 2TeethLeaving 12/15/18Step Up 2: The StreetsLeaving 12/16/18Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, SpyLeaving 12/17/18Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2Leaving 12/19/18Ip Man: The Final FightLeaving 12/20/18Disney's MoanaFood, Inc.I Give It a YearLeaving 12/22/18SpotlightLeaving 12/25/18Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black PearlLeaving 12/31/18Troy Info from Gamespot.com

The Switch may appear to live in the same family as tablets and smartphones at first glance, but Nintendo, perhaps wisely, has kept those comparisons at arm's length. The Switch OS doesn't react when you pivot the system from landscape to portrait orientation, and the vast majority of Switch games feature only minimal support for touchscreen interaction. These limitations aren't generally an issue, but there is a subset of Switch games that may cause you to question Nintendo's apparent rigid view of the system's identity.Thanks to the efforts of developers such as Hamster Corp. and Digital Eclipse, the Switch plays host to numerous arcade ports, a large number of which were designed to be played with the screen rotated 90 degrees. Playing them that way, of course, requires you to disconnect the Switch's Joycons so you can prop up the system. That's all well and good if you're in a suitable environment, but the process is easier said than done on the go. Thankfully, the $12 Flip Grip has arrived to pick up where Nintendo's design team left off.Inexpensive, straightforward, and hugely impactful in the right situation, the Flip Grip quickly feels like a must-own accessory once you start using it. Simply disconnect the Joycons, rotate and insert your Switch into the Flip Grip, put your Joycons into the tracks on both sides of the bracket, and you're basically ready to go.One caveat of an attachment like Flip Grip in a world where Nintendo isn't concerned with portrait mode is that navigating the system requires a bit of roundabout thinking on your part. Because the Flip Grip will obstruct access to the power button and the volume toggle, you will have to resort to pressing the Home button and using menus as an alternative means of powering off the system and adjusting your audio. Once in a game, you will also have to enter a menu to rotate the image into portrait mode. There is a bit of an adjustment period while you get these habits down, but once you're used to the process it's hard to imagine playing certain games on Switch without Flip Grip.Arcade ports like Punch-Out and Donkey Kong go from using a small portion of the Switch's display to filling up the entire screen, and rather than sitting away from your Switch with a controller in hand, you get to be up close and personal with it while you play--the way Nintendo originally intended. It's not only a more enjoyable experience, but when playing vertical shooters like Ikaruga or Gunbird 2, the larger viewable area makes it easier to navigate complex bullet patterns and live to fight in another level.While you're enjoying your newfound appreciation for Switch, it's easy to take the Flip Grip's finer details for granted, but they are worth noting both for piece of mind and for the added appreciation of the accessory's thoughtful nature.The Flip Grip is a simple yet versatile Switch accessory that, for the right person, is worth far more than the modest asking price.The inside of the bracket's support wall features four felt pads that prevent scratches and smooth out the insertion process. Nearby is a flexible plastic tab with a rubber stopper that helps secure your Switch in place by slotting into one of the two speaker grooves on the back of the system. Releasing it requires just a little tug from the backside of the Flip Grip, but not so little that you'd disengage the stopper by accident.Most important of all, long gaps along the inside edge of the Flip Grip allow for sound and air to move relatively unimpeded. And while you may not realize it at first, you can also slot a plastic card into one side for a makeshift vertical stand.With adequate safety measures, thoughtful design considerations, and a very modest asking price, there's almost no reason to think twice about Flip Grip if you have interest in the Switch's current and upcoming vertically oriented games. The only other minor considerations to keep in mind are that the Joycons won't be able to charge while you play and that the OS isn't built to support the Flip Grip the way some games are. These grievances aside, 12 bucks is a trivial cost for an improved gameplay experience. The Flip Grip will make you think twice about what the Switch is capable of--and perhaps wonder why Nintendo hasn't capitalized on an obvious opportunity.Click here for an updated list of supported games, and check out Fangamer's trailer on the Flip Grip's pre-order page.Editor's note: An early production model of the Flip Grip was provided to GameSpot courtesy of Fangamer. Info from Gamespot.com