STACK #264 October 2026

CONTENTS

ISSUE 264 OCT

MOVIES & TV 06 A generation transformed: Transformers: The Movie 07 More than meets the eye: Meet the Primes 08 Take 5/Cinema highlights/Charts/ Bob J's Film Buff Bafflers 09 Get lost in Backrooms / Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition 10 Jackass : Growing old, not up!/ Lights, camera, mayhem: Minions & Monsters 12 The end of their time: Outlander Season 8 13 4K all the way 14 Reel classics: New from Imprint Films 16 Bob J: Blood Simple 17 What's out this month? TECH 20-28 Getting out and about with the right camera 30 Huawei Watch GT 7 Pro: What's new? 32 Soundtrack your run with new Shokz headphones 34 How Sonos's new Ultra sound gear works together 36 Mix and match with the Beats 360 headphones 38 Feel the bass with Sony's new party speakers 40 Fresh juice made easy by Breville 42 A KitchenAid icon gets a glow up 44 Turbo charge your daily blend with Nutribullet 46 Tefal turns up the heat on air fryers 48 Why premium smart fridges are cool and clever 52 The best family-sized fridges 54 Chill out with these summer entertainers 56 The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE brings flagship grunt 58 Google Pixel 11 series: What's new? 60 Dell XPS 13 laptop review 62 Lenovo's big reveal at IFA 2026 63 Is the HyperX Omen 16 your new gaming laptop? MUSIC 64 Take 5/My first album/ STACK exchange 66 New albums: Nickelback - Everything Under the Sun /Fontaines D.C. - Dopamine Chamber 68 New albums: Troye Sivan - She's the Best / The Avalanches - No Bad Memories 70 New albums: The Beatles - Rubber Soul / Cameron Winter - Live at Carnegie Hall 74-75 What's out this month?/Vital vinyl: Alex Lloyd - Watching Angels Mend GAMING FLIP MAG AND READ FROM BACK 4 Take 5/Charts/Q5/Wham, bam, game exam! 6 This is the modern way: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 interview 8 Lob island! Nintendo Switch Sports Resort preview 10 E-Day to remember! Gears of War: E-Day Q+A 12 Total Control! Control Resonant interview 14 You are a toy! Toy Story: Retro Roundup! + Toy Story 3 Complete Edition preview 16 Grid expectations! Logitech G RS50 McLaren Racing Bundle 18 Triple threat! Logitech G PRO X3 SUPERSTRIKE Mouse, PRO X2 RAPID Keyboard, PRO X3 LIGHTSPEED Headset 20 Ready, Yeti, Go! Logitech G Blue Yeti 2 USB Microphone 22 This Clipper is a little ripper! Corsair Clipper Pro Mini 60 Hall Effect Gaming Keyboard 24-25 What's out this month?

2026

WELCOME

Forty years ago, two rival alien robot factions rolled, flew, and transformed onto screens for the very first time. What began as a toy line built to sell Hasbro figures became a saga of good versus evil, loyalty, and sacrifice - set to a theme tune still lodged in the brains of anyone who grew up in the '80s. Transformers has endured because it never stood still. From the original cartoon and Marvel comics through to Michael Bay's blockbuster reinvention, the Unicron Trilogy, Bumblebee's soulful reboot, and today's steady run of games, toys, and animated spin-offs, the franchise keeps finding new ways to appeal to fresh audiences. And it does this without losing what made it work in the first place: Optimus Prime's quiet, unwavering moral compass. The appeal of Transformers transcends generations – plenty of fans today weren’t even born when Optimus first rolled into frame. So this issue, we're marking 40 years of Autobots and Decepticons, the toys that started a war, and the stories that turned those toys into genuine pop culture mythology. Paul Jones, Editor-in-Chief

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Founder Nic Short Editor-in-Chief Paul Jones Tech Editor Scott Hocking

Music Consultant Mike Glynn Marketing Manager Fleur Parker Chief Contributors Gill Pringle, Bob Jones Contributors Jeff Jenkins, Billy Pinnell, Bec Summer, Dan Nicholson, Trista McConville, Michael Caverzan

Social Media Manager Glenn Cochrane Production Manager Craig Patterson Correspondence STACK editor@stack.com.au

Games & Online Editor Amy Flower Movie & TV Editor Glenn Cochrane Creative Director Gary Siewert Movies Consultant Kerrie Taylor Games Consultant Sachi Fernando

RATINGS GUIDE

Parental guidance recommended

Recommended for mature audiences

Not suitable for people under 15. Under 15s must be accommpanied by a parent or adult guardian

Restricted to 18 and over

General

Disclaimer STACK is published by Scribal Custom Pty Ltd (ACN 092 362 135). © Copyright Scribal Custom Pty Ltd, 2026 All rights reserved. All material appearing in this publication is copyright unless otherwise stated or it may rest with the provider of the supplied material or advertisement. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of Scribal Custom Pty Ltd. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of advertisements or information. Whilst care has been taken in the research and preparation of this publication, the publishers, writers or anyone else associated cannot accept any responsibility for any loss, injury or hardship arising from the content contained herein or reliance therefrom, howsoever caused, and it remains your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any such content. Views expressed are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher or the editor. By the very nature of this publication, things change daily and we cannot take responsibility for any changes or inaccuracies that occur subsequent to going to press.

Available at

4 OCTOBER 2026

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