Daily Archives: May 14, 2020

The PGA Tour is returning to video games with former Alabama All-American Justin Thomas as the front man.

Thomas was announced as the cover golfer for 2K Sports PGA Tour 2K21 on Thursday.

Being chosen to be the first-ever cover athlete for the premiere PGA Tour 2K game is a tremendous honor, Thomas said. Im excited to join the 2K family and challenge players everywhere on the digital links. This is a great opportunity to introduce the PGA Tour experience to a larger and younger audience who love video games. Im very happy to be a part of that.

The PGA Tour has been out of gaming since EA Sports Rory McIlroy PGA Tour in 2015. The Golf Club 2019 was a 2K Sports product, but it didnt feature PGA Tour players.

Thomas is one of the 12 PGA Tour pros that players can hit the course as in PGA Tour 2K21. It also features 15 PGA Tour courses.

PGA Tour 2K21 will release Aug. 21 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Steam and Google Stadia.

Thomas said the courses are the best part of the game.

To be able to play some of these amazing courses in a video game, and how realistic they are nowadays and how realistic PGA Tour 2K21 is, you feel like youre there, Thomas told the Washington Post. So then Im out in this tournament, I have the same shot. And as crazy as it (sounds), but its really the world we live in these days, its like: Ive had that shot. Or I see that shot in the video game and hes screwed. Hes got no chance. Its just another way for fans and other people to be able to relate to us and get as close as they can get.

Thomas said some facets of the game can help his preparation for a course.

It can help little things, like the slopes on the greens, Thomas said. Thats all very, very realistic and accurate. Bunkers, maybe, when youre down in there, what you see, when you dont see anything. Its like, all right, stay out of that or that type of thing. But, obviously, the lies, the feel of the wind on one direction of your body, that kind of stuff, you obviously cant replicate it in any video game.

The PGA Tour halted its schedule on March 13 after the first round of the Players Championship because of the coronavirus pandemic. The PGA Tour will resume on June 11 with the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.

Thomas had won two of the eight official PGA Tour events hed entered and ranked second in the FedEx Cup standings this season when the schedule stopped. Thomas won the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges on Oct. 20 and the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Jan. 5.

Thomas will return to play at No. 4 in the World Golf Ranking, behind McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka.

At Alabama, Thomas was the National Player of the Year in 2012 and a member of the Crimson Tides national-championship team in 2013.

Thomas has 12 career PGA Tour victories, including the PGA Championship in 2017, when he was the PGA Tour Player of the Year and captured the FedEx Cup.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.

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Justin Thomas out front in PGA Tours return to video games - AL.com

PCMag teamed up with IGN to run a survey on VPN usage while PC gaming. From April 14 to 22, we asked 770 readers of IGN and PCMag to tell us how and why they're using VPNs (virtual private networks)that all-important software that helps keep your online activity privatewhile playing games on PC. But some of their answers revealed that a number of gamers (and probably the rest of us) might have a fundamental misunderstanding of the kind of protection a VPN provides.

First, most respondents78.6 percentsaid they were not using a VPN while gaming. Of those who do, 58 percent said the reason is to "protect my privacy," which is all well and good.

Several respondents clarified that they run a VPN while gaming but aren't using it for gaming: Some just leave their VPNs on or forget to turn them off, but others have isolated their games out of the VPN. Thats possible when your VPN supports split-tunneling. According to Max Eddy, PCMag's senior security analyst and VPN guru, split-tunneling "marks which apps send data through the VPN connection and which apps communicate in the clear." And thats totally fine: According to Eddy, most gamers don't really need to use VPNs specifically for gaming.

This has to do with the way most online games are structured. A majority of the respondents, for example, stick with RPG/MMORPG games such as Skyrim or World of Warcraft, which facilitate multiuser play over their own online services. The privacy of the connection is essentially baked in. Using a VPN with a game like that is a hindrance, adding overhead to the connection. Issues with speed, performance, and lag in such cases are why many PC gamers eschew a VPN entirely; our colleagues at IGN will dive into that even more.

Those PC gamers who do keep VPNs on while they play should check our review roundup, The Best VPNs for Gaming. We test latency as well as upload and download speed changes, so you can see which VPNs will impact your PCs performance the least.

Ultimately, are PC gamers safer with a VPN than without? Undoubtedly, if they feel they can handle the performance hit. Of our respondents, 60.9 percent said speed was their top criteria in picking a VPN. Around 51.3 percent said security features, but the price was even more important than security: 58.6 percent cited cost. Most won't pay over 40 bucks a year for a VPN subscription.

But are they safe from trolls? Not from the taunting. Nor can one expect total privacy, depending on how much you share. After all, a VPN's not going to prevent players from social-engineering one another.

The VPN could potentially help fend off a distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attack. Eddy says, "There are all kinds of dirty tricks people use to win." A VPN would help hide your public IP address and mitigate a DDOS. Nearly 12 percent of respondents singled that out as a reason to use a VPN while gaming.

Perhaps the best use of a VPN is hidden in that second chart, aboveit lets gaming go international, allowing access to games in regions you can't otherwise reach and playing with people in different countries. One respondent gave us more detail: "Can't play [Rainbow Six] Siege/Overwatch with people in same household. Constant disconnects otherwise." Another specific reason was given by a player on active duty and stationed in Asia who wanted to connect to servers at home.

Ultimately, its about comfort. The feeling one gets from a VPN security blanketit makes 66.7 percent feel somewhat to very safeis what really matters.

Methodology: 770 US respondents who read PCMag and/or IGN who game primarily on a PC were surveyed from April 14 to April 22, 2020, via Google Forms survey.

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Here's What PC Gamers Have to Say About VPNs - PCMag

The International Olympic Committee expects to bear costs of up to $800 million for its part in the organisation of the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, now due to be staged next year, IOC President Thomas Bach said on Thursday.

In March, the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government decided to delay the Games, which were due to start this July, for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed 300,000 people worldwide.

We anticipate we will have to bear costs of up to $800 million for our part and responsibilities in the organisation of the postponed Games Tokyo 2020, Bach told a conference call at the end of the IOCs executive board meeting.

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He said out of the amount that would be set aside $650 million would go towards the organisation of the Games next year and $150 million to support international federations and National Olympic Committees.

International federations rely on the Olympic Games contribution every four years, and with a ban on sports competitions worldwide all of their major sources of revenue have dried up in recent months.

We are discussing with international federations the consequences of the postponement... and the postponement of the share of the international federations from the commercial success of the Games, Bach said.

We are very well advanced in these discussions and we will continue to assist, he said.

The figure announced by Bach does not include any costs Tokyo Games organisers and the Japanese government have to incur due to the 12-month delay of the worlds biggest multi-sports event.

We are assessing and continue to discuss jointly the respective impact caused by the postponement, he said. What you have seen today, this envelope of $800 million, is the assessment for the IOC side.

This discussion with the (Tokyo Games) organising committee will continue in the way we have agreed.

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The IOC last month was forced to remove a comment from its website that referred to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe when discussing costs for the postponement, following objections from the Games organisers.

Bach noted that the first priority now was to secure the Olympic venues, including the athletes village and the media centres, for another year.

This is not an easy undertaking. Our Japanese friends are working with full force on this, he said.

Bach declined to speculate on a possible new delay to the Games if the coronavirus is still a major concern next year.

More than 90 vaccines are currently being developed globally, with eight in the clinical trial phase. But experts say the process could take years and may not happen at all.

We are now working with full engagement for the success of Tokyo 2020 in 2021 and to have these Games in a safe environment for all participants, Bach said.

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We are one year and two months away from the opening of these postponed Olympic games. We should not fuel any speculation on any future development.

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IOC expects costs of up to $800-million for delayed Tokyo Games - The Globe and Mail

Its not surprising that the man behind Ludo King lived and breathed video games as a teenager.

In 1991, when local administrations decided to shut down gaming parlours, 17-year-old Vikash Jaiswal from Patna had only one desire: to buy a video game machine of his own and play all day long.

Homegrown gaming app Ludo King ranks as Indias #1 gaming app, on both Android and iOS.

Vikash Jaiswal, Founder and CEO of Gametion Technologies (Ludo King)

Ludo King, which adds a modern touch to the royal game of Pachisi, which used to be played between Indian kings and queens in ancient times, has surpassed top gaming titles like Candy Crush Saga, PUBG, Clash of Clans, Subway Surfers, Temple Run, and others in monthly active users in India.

Vikash grew up in a humble home in Patna. He was two years old when he lost his father; the family survived on his fathers pension.

As he grew up, he realised that IT engineers earn well, and decided to take up computer engineering.

Greeting card created by young Vikash

Vikash melds creativity and technical skills. He recalls that he used to make hand-made greeting cards when he was preparing for engineering entrances.

Carving, cutting, designingeverything. I used to give them to a local stationary shop and tell them to sell, he recalls.

It took him a couple of years to get through a desired computer engineering course, and till then he signed up for animation, graphic design, and 3D classes in Patna. He got through a college in Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh in 1999, and studied computer engineering.

Vikash recalls that buying a computer was a big deal at that time, but his mother and brother managed to get one when he asked for it. He says he never wasted their investment.

Other people used to watch movies and listen to songs on the PC in my hostel, but I always used it for studies, he says.

In one such CD, Vikash found free gaming software, which brought back his childhood dream of creating his own game.

Almost overnight, he developed a game, Eggy Boy, which went to receive theGame of the Month' title from various magazines. Even boys in my hostel used to play the game, he says.

Towards the end of his engineering course, Vikash took a day off and went to a nearby cyber cafe (20 kilometres away) that allowed one-hour of internet access for Rs 100. The internet was a luxury, he says.

After Eggy Boy, Vikash knew that he wanted to work in a gaming company. So, at the cyber caf, he sent a mail and his CV to various gaming companies. In 2004, he got an interview call and the job at Mumbai-based IndiaGames, a venture by Vishal Gondal, the man who gave us GOQII.

When the blog money touched his salary amount, he decided to quit his job and pursue entrepreneurship full time. At that time, people's advice was to work for at least one more year in the current job to get the gratuity amount, he laughs.

But that was not to be.

Vikash quit IndiaGames, and started developing games and websites independently.

In 2010, Vikash formally started Gametion with a seed amount of Rs 2 lakh from his savings. He opened a small office in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, with a few computers and six team members.

At that time, my aim was to earn more money. So, the engineers and graphic designers helped me to make better games and sell them better, he says.

The Ludo King chief says his team at that time was only three people-strong, including himself. The programmer in the team had never played Ludo in his life. So, Vikash conceptualized the game from scratch himself.

The basic idea at the time of developing Ludo King was simple rules and quick actions. Ludo has different rules in different places, but I wanted to be easy and quick, Vikash says.

Ludo was launched in early 2016 and has since then been on top of the popularity charts. It is the only Indian game that has been on top since the last couple of years, Vikash says.

He may have conceptualized the game himself, but he attributes its success to his 70-people team, which includes his wife, Soni Jaiswal, who looks after management and other games such as Carrom King.

Ludo King team

After the coronavirus-led lockdown was announced on March 24, Ludo King started growing, in terms of installs and user base.

Ludo King used to see a sudden spike immediately after the telecast of Ramayan on Doordarshan. After 10.30 pm, people would come to play Ludo on our app, and our server started crashing, he says.

Vikash says the Gametion team worked on scaling up its IT system and servers for three to five days at a stretch. The scaling up is evident from the number of servers: from eight before the lockdown to 200 servers now.

Now, we are stable to handle any amount of traffic, Vikash says. It all happened with a team working remotely, day and night.

In terms of business, monetisation has increased five times for Gametion on the back of ad revenues.

Gametion is a bootstrapped startup, and Vikash says the company has been profitable since the beginning. We closed FY19 with a turnover of $6 million and are expecting to close FY20 with three times increase, Vikash says.

(Edited by Teja Lele Desai)

How has the coronavirus outbreak disrupted your life? And how are you dealing with it? Write to us or send us a video with subject line 'Coronavirus Disruption' to editorial@yourstory.com

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Meet the man behind Ludo King, which has smashed all mobile gaming records - YourStory

Tencent logo seen displayed on a smartphone.

Omar Marques | SOPA Images.| LightRocket | Getty Images

Tencentshares soared to a more than two-year high on Thursday after reportingfirst-quarter earnings that beat expectations.

However, the Hong Kong-listed shares of the Chinese technology giant gave up some gains to close 0.23% higher, after a volatile session that saw its stock price swing between positive and negative territory

Tencent shares had earlier hit an intra-day high of 447 Hong Kong dollars ($57.67), putting the shares around 4% higher from Wednesday's closing price.That was the highest level since an intra-day high of $458.96 Hong Kong dollars on March 22, 2018.

On Wednesday after the Hong Kong market close, Tencent said revenue for the March quarter totaled 108 billion Chinese yuan($15.2 billion) representing a 26% year-on-year rise.Profitattributable to equity holders of the company hit 28.9 billionyuan. Both figures beat analyst forecasts.

The coronavirus epidemic swept across China earlier this year leading to the country effectively being locked down. People stuck at home turned to smartphone games for entertainment which gave Tencent a boost as the country's largest game maker.Online games revenue grew 31% year-on-year to 37.3 billion yuan in the first quarter, with the bulk of that coming from mobile games.

Meanwhile, Tencent's advertising business, which was a worry going into the earnings report, held up well.

However, the company flagged some potential headwinds going forward.

In a statement, Tencent said it expects "in-game consumption activities to largely normalise as people return to work" adding that it sees "some headwinds for the online advertising industry."

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Tencent shares hit a more than 2-year high after smartphone games led to an earnings beat - CNBC

The month of May is offer some of the best gaming deals of the season from laptops to headsets. And with Memorial Day 2020 approaching, we expect to see even bigger discounts accross every gaming platforms.

Whether PC gaming, console gaming or Switch handheld gaming is your bag, we've got you covered. We're scouting out the most notable gaming discounts for every system.

Frugal gamers usually rack up on gaming gear on Black Friday and even Amazon Prime Day. However, retailers currently offer some excellent deals on gaming laptops as well as games and accessories this spring. In fact, in some instances, deal prices best even the top gaming deals we saw during the holidays.

If you're looking for a PC game deal, you can preorder Cyberpunk 2077 for PC for just $49 ($10 off) from Amazon. This highly anticipated first-person action/RPG lets you act as a brilliant hacker, deadly sharpshooter, suave conversationalist, and just about anything in-between. Preorders ship to meet Cyberpunk 2077's September 17 release date.

In the meantime, here are the best gaming deals right now from gaming laptops to gaming headsets.

Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop (AN517-51-56YW): was $879 now $779 @ Best BuyThe Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptops offers solid specs for the price. This machine packs a 17.3-inch (1920 x 1080p) IPS display, 9th Gen Intel Core i5-9300H CPU, 8GB of RAM, 512 SSD and a GTX 1650 GPU with 4GB of graphics memory.View Deal

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 for PC (Digital): was $39 now $1 @ AmazonThe battle for suburbia grows to crazy new heights in Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2. Download this hilarious, action-packed shooter game for just $1.View Deal

MSI Alpha 15: was $999 now $749 at NeweggThe MSI Alpha 15 delivers solid graphics performance and has a colorful, 15.6 inch 144Hz display. It packs a Ryzen 7 CPU, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD, and an RX 5500M GPU with 4GB of graphics memory. Now $250 off, it's one of the best gaming deals of the season.View Deal

Asus ROG Zephyrus G 15.6": was $1,199 now $949 @ Best BuyThe Asus ROG laptop is built for gaming. It packs a 15.6 inch 1080p display, 2.3GHz AMD Ryzen 7 3750H quad-core CPU, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and a GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q GPU.View Deal

Alienware 25" Gaming Monitor: was $709 now $399 @ DellThe new Alienware AW2518H gaming monitor is currently $310 off. This top of the line display packs a 240Hz refresh rate, G-Sync support and custom AlienFX lighting. It's one of the best gaming monitor deals we've seen all year.View Deal

Logitech Gamepad F310 Gaming Pad: was $24 now $19 @ Best BuyThe Logitech F310 is easy to set up and use with your favorite games thanks to XInput/Direct Inputthe two most common input standards.

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Cyberpunk 2077 (Preorder): was $59 now $49 @ AmazonIn this first-person action/RPG, you can be a brilliant hacker, a deadly sharpshooter, a suave conversationalist or anything in-between. Preorder now and save $10 in this Amazon gaming deal.View Deal

Apex Legends Lifeline Edition: was $19 now $10 @ Best BuyPick your Legend and join forces with other players, combining your unique skills to form the ultimate squad. Now 50% off, it's one of the best gaming deals you can get.View Deal

Wolfenstein: Youngblood Deluxe Edition: was $39 now $24 @ Best BuyThis gaming deal takes $15 off Wolfenstein: Youngblood, the co-op adventure from award-winning studio MachineGames. This Deluxe Edition includes Buddy Pass, which lets you and a friend to play the entire game together, even if they don't own the game.View Deal

The best gaming deals we're seeing for the Nintendo Switch platform are on games and accessories. Switch Lite consoles are going in and out of stick at Best Buy, so we recommend you keep an eye on the link.

Fire Emblem Warriors: was $59 now $32 @ Best BuyClash with legions of enemies as Marth, Xander, Corrin, Chrom, and other Fire Emblem warriors by unleashing over-the-top-powerful Dynasty Warriors-style moves.View Deal

Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for Switch: was $59 now $49 @ AmazonThe Complete Edition of Witcher 3: Wild Hunt contains every piece of downloadable content released for the game, including story expansions: Hearts of Stone & Blood and Wine. For a limited time, you can save $10 on this Switch game deal at Amazon.View Deal

NBA 2K20 for Switch: was $29 now $19 @ Best BuyNBA 2K20's enhanced MyCareer mode packs a star-studded cast including Idris Elba, Rosario Dawson. And for the first time, all 12 WNBA teams and over 140 players are in the game. At just $19, it's one of the best Nintendo Switch game deals we've seen outside of the holidays.View Deal

Animal Crossing: New Horizons for Switch : for $59 @ Best BuyIf you plan on doing some Nintendo Switch Lite gaming, Animal Crossing is a must have game. It's all about building furniture, collecting trinkets, reshaping landscapes and making friends.View Deal

PowerA GameCube Style Wireless Controller: was $49 now $36 @ AmazonPowerA Enhanced Wireless controllers feature Bluetooth 5.0 technology for lag-free gaming. This GameCube design is a must have Switch accessory for nostalgic Nintendo fans.

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PowerA Enhanced Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch (Mario Silhouette): was $49 now $38 @ AmazonThis wireless controller for Nintendo Switch features an ergonomic design, standard button layout with motion controls and delivers up to 30 hours of gameplay on two AA batteries.View Deal

Hestia Goods Nintendo Switch Carrying Case: was $26 now $12 @ AmazonThis hard shell protective case will keep your Switch and accessories organized and safe. It's must have Switch accessory.View Deal

SanDisk 128GB Memory Card: was $34 now $27 @ AmazonAdd up to 128GB of additional space to your Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch Lite gaming console. High speed transfer rates up to 100MB/s ensures fast game loads.View Deal

NBA 2K20 for Xbox One: was $59 now $19 @ Best BuyNBA 2K20's enhanced MyCareer mode packs a star-studded cast including Idris Elba, Rosario Dawson. And for the first time, all 12 WNBA teams and over 140 players are in the game and ready to run in Play Now and Season modes.View Deal

WWE 2K20 for Xbox One: was $60 now $29 @ GameStopGet pumped for Money in the Bank with this WWE 2K20 gaming deals. Its roster is packed with WWE Superstars, Legends, Hall of Famers, and NXTs best. Step inside the ring with your favorite sports entertainers now and save $40.View Deal

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order for Xbox One: was $60 now $49 @ AmazonDeveloped by Respawn Entertainment, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is an action/adventure game that casts you as one of the few Jedi that survived the horrific events of Order 66.View Deal

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: was $15 now $1 @ MicrosoftFor one low monthly fee, you get Xbox Live Gold and over 100 high-quality games. For a limited time, discover new favorite games for just $1 a month. View Deal

Mortal Kombat 11 for PS4: was $59 now $24 @ AmazonMK11 is the biggest, bloodiest and best Mortal Kombat yet. This latest series installment has an overhauled fighting engine and immersive story mode.View Deal

NBA 2K20 for PS4: was $29 now $19 @ Best BuyNBA 2K20's enhanced MyCareer mode packs a star-studded cast including Idris Elba, Rosario Dawson. And for the first time, all 12 WNBA teams and over 140 players are in the game.View Deal

WWE 2K20 for PS4: was $59 now $29 @ Best BuyWWE 2K20's roster is packed with WWE Superstars, Legends, Hall of Famers, and NXTs best. Step inside the ring with your favorite sports entertainers now for just $19. It's one of the best gaming deals you can get right now.View Deal

Marvel's Spider-Man GOTY Edition:was $39 now $29 @ Best BuyMarvel's Spider-Man: Game of the Year Edition offers a thrilling traversal system and fluid dynamic combat. Immerse yourself in this unique superhero narrative set in a realistic open-world New York City.View Deal

Sony PS4 DualShock 4 Controller (Titanium Blue): was $64 now $54 @ NeweggThe DualShock 4 features a clickable touchpad for new gameplay possibilities. There's also a built-in speaker and 3.5-millimeter jack for compatibility with most headsets.View Deal

Sony PS4 DualShock 4 Controller (Red Camo): was $64 now $54 at NeweggThe DualShock 4 features a clickable touchpad for new gameplay possibilities. There's also a built-in speaker and 3.5-millimeter jack for compatibility with most headsets.View Deal

Sony PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset: was $99 now $84 AmazonWith stunning 7.1 virtual surround sound built-in, the Sony PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset puts you in the game. An array of hidden noise-canceling microphones let you chat with friends during multi-player gameplay.View Deal

PowerA PS4 Charging Station:was $25 now $17 @ AmazonThe PowerA PS4 Charging Station charges two controllers at once, so you'll never run out of power during gaming sessions. For a limited time, you can snag one for less.View Deal

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Best gaming deals of May 2020 - Laptop Mag

Best Buy is hosting a one-day sale on tech in practically every category. Weve picked out a few that are currently in stock, including a bundle containing Microsofts new Surface Go 2 and a Type Cover is $474. Usually, the tablet is $400, and the Type Cover will cost you at least another $100 on top of that, so this is a modest $25 discount on the package. The chances are good that youre looking for a Type Cover with your new Surface Go 2, so you might as well save a little money.

Corsairs Dark Core RGB Pro SE gaming mouse with multiple wireless modes (2.4GHz, Bluetooth), a USB-C charging port and Qi wireless charging support is $80 at Best Buy. This mouse was originally priced at $140, though it has recently sold for $90. So while this is a small discount, its worth checking out if youre looking for a gaming mouse with some attractive hardware features.

The AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT desktop graphics card from manufacturer XFX is $190 (usually $220). This GPU has 8GB of GDDR6 memory and PCIe 4.0 compatibility. This model costs $10 more at Amazon, and this is generally as affordable as it gets for the 8GB version of the card. For context, the more expensive RX 5600 XT is more powerful. It can run most games at 1080p / 60fps with their settings set to maximum, so expect a little less from the 5500 XT. However, if you want to upgrade to the 5600 XT, that option will run you an extra $80 ($269) at Best Buy.

Lastly, over at Walmart, the Final Fantasy VII Remake is $10 off for PS4. At $50, this isnt much of a price drop, but its certainly worth taking advantage of if you were already planning on picking it up. Walmarts version of the game includes three double-sided art cards of Final Fantasy VII characters.

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Best Buys sale includes the Surface Go 2, gaming accessories, and more - The Verge

Neutral-site games are navigating unprecedented times, and many are standing on an island waiting to see how the dominoes fall elsewhere before deciding whether their multi-million dollar games will be played in the fall.

The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic, one of the premier neutral-site events, has scheduled three games inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first two weeks of the season. Those games are threatened by the novel coronavirus pandemic, and like many, the event's staff is waiting for health officials to guide conference commissioners, who will then decide when and whether games will be played this fall.

"As it relates to the upcoming Kickoff Games we will host over the first two weeks of the college football season, right now everything is still in place for the games to be played as scheduled, and that is everyones intent at this time," Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl CEO and president, told 247Sports in a statement.

"We are aware that various contingency plans for the college football season are being discussed, but no decisions have been made. We expect to learn much more about the virus and how to fight it in the coming months and will continue to monitor the situation closely. If in that time the conferences and universities discuss alternative plans for the start of the college football season, then we will work closely with our partner teams and conferences and address them at the appropriate time."

The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic Kickoff Series is scheduled to host games Sept. 5, Sept. 7 and Sept. 12 in Atlanta. The matchups are regional in nature, with ACC, Big 12 and SEC teams involved in the annual series.

West Virginia and Florida State will meet Sept. 5 and Virginia and Georgia will follow up on Sept. 7. North Carolina and Auburn will meet in Week 2 of the season Sept. 12.

Total team payouts average $5.2 million, according to the CFA.

Rumors surrounding the viability of USC and Alabama meeting in Arlington, Texas for its Week 1 matchup at the AdvoCare Classic caught fire this week, with SEC Network personality Paul Finebaum reporting Alabama and TCU were exploring a game to replace USC on the schedule.

USC athletic director Mike Bohn refuted the rumors.

"I enjoy regular conversations with [Alabama athletic director] Greg Byrne," Bohn said on Twitter. "We have every intention of playing our game against Alabama. Id like to remind all our fans that this is an uncertain time and there will be much disinformation. We continue to explore every model for the 2020 football season. We will certainly communicate relevant updates when we have them."

Ole Miss and Baylor are scheduled to play Sept. 5 in the Texas Kickoff inside NRG Stadium in Houston.

Meanwhile, neutral-site events are practicing protective measures as recommended by health officials.

"Currently our primary concern is to make sure our team members and their families are safe and healthy," Stokan said. "We are continuing to follow all social distancing and mitigation guidelines and we are electing to continue to work remotely during this challenging time.

"Additionally, we have joined the fight against the Coronavirus by supporting Governor Kemp and his effort to increase testing by donating $1,090,300 to fund the Augusta University ExpressCare App. The App provides a quick and easy solution to increase COVID-19 screening and testing in Georgia. As college footballs most charitable bowl organization, it is our mission to give back to our community in times of great need."

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What will happen to neutral-site games amid COVID-19 pandemic? - 247Sports

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Sony has developed a new umbrella brand to unite its first-party PlayStation titles.

The PlayStation Studios brand will go live in PlayStation 4 and 5 games later this year, and will only be featured on games developed and managed by Sony Interactive Entertainment's Worldwide Studios organization.

Alongside the logo, PlayStation has created a new opening video that will appear at the start of its games. The video features characters from Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet, God of War, Ratchet & Clank, Horizon: Zero Dawn and The Last of Us. You can check out the video below.

"We are really excited about this," says Eric Lempel, senior vice president and head of global marketing at Sony Interactive Entertainment. "Over the last few years -- and even the last decade -- the strength of the titles coming out from our studios has been stronger than ever. We have been thinking about how we unite all of these great games under one brand, and really the purpose of that is to make the consumer understand that, when they see this brand, they're getting ready for a robust, innovative, deep experience that they've come to expect from games coming from PlayStation. So we came up with PlayStation Studios.

"You've seen the animated asset that will exist primarily during the beginning of our titles, but the brand will exist in a lot of different places. There are different, shorter animations that will exist in trailers... It will exist in advertising. It will be in any other creative assets, such as the game packaging and the game discs themselves.

"We think this is a good way to let consumers know that, if they see it, then the quality games they've come to expect from us are here. And this brand will exist for well-known existing franchises, as well as brand new franchises that we have yet to explore."

The logo will appear on marketing, box art and discs

The PlayStation Studios branding won't be ready in time for the launch of The Last of Us: Part II or Ghosts of Tsushima, which are both due to arrive this summer. It will also miss the launch of Horizon: Zero Dawn on PC, although Lempel says that any future games it releases on other platforms will also carry the branding.

There will be variations on the video asset, Lempel tells us. And although the clip may look like something you would see before a Marvel movie, the inspiration for the branding came from the games themselves.

"What we really wanted to do was create a way to bring the consumer into the world," he says. "When they play our games that's the nice robust piece that happens, and then you're transported into an adventure with rich worlds, old characters, and really captivating stories. We're all huge Marvel fans. One of our biggest games of all time has a Marvel character in it with Spider-Man. But this is really about doing something specific for our games and our industry.

"The cinematic you've seen is the one that has multiple games in it. But over time, as we introduce well established franchises, we can tailor that opening a bit to possibly show the franchise over the years, new characters that have come into play... There's a lot we can do that we're really excited about."

"For the average consumer, it's not always clear what games come directly from our Worldwide Studios"

Alongside games developed by Sony's first-party studios -- such as Naughty Dog, Insomniac, Santa Monica Studio, Media Molecule and Guerrilla Games -- the PlayStation Studios brand will also apply to games made by work-for-hire developers under Sony's direction.

"If our studios are managing the production of these games and working with an external developer, it will still come out under the PlayStation Studios brand," Lempel details. "It doesn't mean that we outright own the developer, but it just means we brought it up as a first-party. In a lot of cases we don't own the developer."

PlayStation's first-party line-up has proven to be a big selling point over the lifecycle of PlayStation 4. The company has become known for its story-driven, single-player games, with the likes of Uncharted 4, Spider-Man, God of War and Horizon: Zero Dawn winning awards and selling in excess of ten million units worldwide. Yet Lempel says that the average consumer isn't necessarily aware that these games all come from Sony.

"It's something we've thought about for a while, and especially as we move towards the next-generation we really want to back our games in an even bigger way," he explains. "We've done everything in terms of massive robust marketing campaigns, and this is an even better way to bring together these games, united, in an easy way for fans to understand what they're getting into."

He concludes: "We've never had any problem getting people to play these games. They're usually critically acclaimed, award-winning franchises that are games of the year, but for the average consumer it's not always clear what games come directly from our Worldwide Studios. And to your point, they've come to understand in many cases that these are really robust, innovative, single-player experiences. Of course, there is a variety of other games that don't fit into that mould, but nonetheless we wanted to make sure people know that these are the games coming from our Worldwide Studios."

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PlayStation Studios brand will launch alongside PS5 - GamesIndustry.biz

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The NFL repeatedly has said that it plans to play all 2020 regular-season games. The league hasnt said much about its plans to proceed, or not, with preseason games.

Teams are beginning to fill that void, setting specific dates and times for preseason games that were unveiled softly last week, as part of the announcement of the regular-season schedule.

With so many questions unanswered for the regular season, even more questions exist as to the preseason. On one hand, even if fans arent present, the process of playing practice games in a fan-free environment will help prepare the various teams for the games that count. On the other hand, for the games that wont be nationally televised, the cost of playing the games may outweigh the benefit.

Given the thirst for sports generally and football specifically, its possible that the league will expand the slate of nationally-televised preseason games, giving the networks sports content to broadcast and giving every team at least one true preseason game before the season commences. Whether and to what extent the networks would pay more for that content remains to be seen; possibly, those extra games would be made available on Amazon Prime or some other streaming option that the league would monetize without relying on a model driven by ad sales, which may be shrinking significantly over the short term.

Regardless, the preseason is due to begin in fewer than three months. The clock as to those games necessarily is ticking more loudly than the clock as to the regular-season games.

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Teams begin announcing dates and times for preseason games - NBCSports.com