Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 Review: Best of Ryzen and Nvidia combined

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 is the company's most decked out gaming laptop, purpose made for those of you who are either into e-sports or looking to get into the genre. These machines usually carry the best hardware, and in our case, we get a machine that's powered by the the pariing of an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 with 17GB VRAM. Our testing concludes that gaming on this machine is in every way a total treat, but there are a few caveats. For starters, no game currently leverages the 16GB VRAM on the RTX 3080. Second, while the display is definitely great from a gaming perspective, it lacks colour accuracy and proper colour management. Given its wide-gamut nature, there is no way to lock it into sRGB mode, making colour treatment difficult.

Last year, Asus made big bets by committing their most unique form-factor to AMD’s Ryzen 4000 series processor, but it’s a bet that paid off real big. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 was received rather well world over, however, our own review was marred by a unit that got as hot as a toaster. Regardless, this year, Asus is doubling down on its bets, giving AMD a significant presence across its entire laptop portfolio. One laptop of particular note is the e-sports-centric Scar 15, which comes powered by the newest Ryzen 5000 series processors and finally, high-end Nvidia GPUs. Our unit is completely decked out, with an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, 32GB DDR4 memory, 2TB NVMe storage and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 with 16GB VRAM. There’s also a 1440p 15.6-inch IPS-Level panel, with a refresh rate of 165Hz. On paper, this machine is every bit a beast, but how does it translate to real-world performance? You could watch the video below or read our essential analysis.

Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 Performance Review

While the specs on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 are impressive, of particular note here is the GPU. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 we have here comes with 16GB of GDDR6 memory and a TGP of 115W with an addition 15W of boost. We put it against the MSI GS66 Stealth we have in our labs some months ago to give you a clear picture of where the Scar 15 stands.

What we find to be rather surprising is that the MSI GS66 Stealth, with its Intel Core i7-10875H processor takes the edge over the Scar 15 in come games, despite having a the same GPU, but with a lower TGP. We also noticed another interesting, but distressing occurrence. In all of our game testing, at both 1440p and 1080p resolutions, we never saw the GPU VRAM usage go over about 8GB. We reached out to Asus to figure out if this was a localized machine-based issue. They investigated our data logs and ran their own tests, concluding that our findings are indeed correct. At the time of testing, no game was able to leverage the massive VRAM pool, which honestly, feels like a waste of resource.

Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 Display Review

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 comes with an IPS-Level display with Asus claiming 100 percent DCI-P3 coverage. Our analysis of the panel right out of the camera reveals that the panel has 96.1 percent DCI-P3 coverage, which isn’t bad. The display showed a peak brightness of 333 nits, but a black luminance level of just 0.35 nits, yielding a contrast ratio of 935:1, which isn’t bad by any means for an IPS display. However, where the display falters really bad is the out-of-the-box calibration. It has a very strong blue-boas, with an average colour temperature of 7558K, and extremely poor Gamma tracking. Our ColourCheckr analysis also reveals an average DeltaE of 4.7 and a maximum error of 9.5. Pretty much all the colours on the gamut are shifted by a notable marging, except a few shades of light blue. We tried calibrating the display a number of times, but didn’t get a much different result, leading us to believe that this is not the right panel for content creators or anyone wanting to do colour-sensitive work. This is a real pity because the 16GB VRAM on the Nvidia RTX 3080 could have easily been leveraged by content creators, but due to the panel’s poor accuracy, its not something we recommend.

Calman Analysis for Colour Gamut

Calman Analysis for Colour Accuracy

Calman Analysis for greyscale and gamma tracking

 

Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 Thermals

It is no secret that the Scar series is some of the most robustly cooled machines in Asus’s portfolio. These have to be well cooled since they’re aimed at e-sports players, who cannot be bogged down by any kind of throttling. And this is where the Scar 15 gives mixed results. In all our testing, neither the Ryzen 9 5900HX nor the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 throttle, but the Ryzen 9 chip did hover around the 98-101 degree Celsius range for a large duration of our gaming sessions. Surface temperatures, however, were a little bit more of a concern. The area just above the keyboard registered 48 degrees while the center of the keyboard recorded a temperature of 46.4 degrees C. Perhaps the most concerning was the 41.8-degree on the WASD keys.

Conclusion

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 is an impressive spec’d laptop and the top-tier variant that we've reviewed here definitely sheds a light on the future of portable gaming. The proliferation of high-resolution high-refresh-rate displays is definitely commendable. The Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 packs the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, a beefy 8-core 16 thread processor that's bound to find favours with anyone who needs peak performance. However, what was sorely disappointing was no game being able to take full advantage of the 16GB VRAM on the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080. Hopefully, this would change in the future, but for now, it is what it is. The display, while impressive for gaming, has very poor colour accuracy and no way to switch between the DCI-P3 and sRGB colour spaces, making colour management for colour sensitive tasks a no-go.

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Netflix announces fourth and final season of Castlevania, will premier on May 13

Netflix has really upped the ante on anime content on the platform, From Ultraman, Kengan Ashura, Godzilla and the might Castlevania, Netflix has acquired some excellent shows and movies. And, to that end, the company has now just announced that we will be getting a fourth and final season of Castlevania. Netflix released a new trailer for the fourth season of Castlevania and from what we can see, it looks to follow the violent and dark tale of the Belmonts. In our review of season 3, we stated that “Castlevania was always a show that really caught the attention of the hardcore geek and nerd. It appealed to the anime crowd as well as the gaming community as the series is based on one of the most celebrated gaming franchises of all time. Castlevania, with its violent action and adult, mature themes quickly rose in popularity to warrant 3 whole seasons.” You can check out the new trailer below. 

As you can see, the animation quality has really been taken up a notch. The action looks smoother, fast-paced and more visceral. We also get a look at a new kind of armour that as a Berserk fan, looks eerily similar to the Berserk armour from that acclaimed manga. Not taking anything away from the show, the fact that it’s been influenced by Berserk is a good thing. I mean, we wouldn’t have the Dark Souls franchise if it wasn’t for Berserk. We also get a brief look at Alucard and Issac and how their stories will intersect with the main characters. There’s also a brief tease of the return of Dracula for the final season. We can’t wait for May 13. 

This is what Netflix has to say about the fourth and final season of Castlevania, “Wallachia collapses into chaos as factions clash: some attempting to take control, others attempting to bring Dracula back from the dead. Nobody is who they seem, and nobody can be trusted. These are the end times.”. Other reports have also stated that Netflix could continue with the Castlevania anime with a different set of characters set in the same universe. When that will take place has not been announced yet. 

 

 

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Among Us Will Be Releasing on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 Soon

Among Us developer InnerSloth and Sony confirmed that the game will be releasing on PlayStation consoles soon. However, there is no information regarding the release date. PlayStation players will get exclusive Ratchet and Clank-themed skins for their character sprites.

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Sonys State of Play event shows off tons of gameplay from Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart for the PS5

Since the launch of the PS5, the one thing gamers had been asking for is more games. In fact, as we’ve reported earlier, the console has already sold 7.8 million units since it was launched in November last year. Sure, we’ve got the excellent Demon’s Souls remake, Spider-Man: Miles Morales (review), Returnal (review) and a few more. But it’s been six months since the console’s release and we have not seen any new games yet. But that’s about to change as Sony announced Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart for the PS5 at the latest State of Play event. The showcase was mostly centred around the exclusive PS5 title, showing off the world, graphics and a bit of gameplay. You can check out the presentation and gameplay below. 

And, right off the bat, you’ll notice that the way the game looks is absolutely stunning. The world-building and all the crazy detail everywhere is just astounding. We really have come such a long way in terms of visual fidelity in games, it’s crazy. The game still captures the feel and emotion of the earlier games but has had a shiny, slick coat of visual paint slapped over it. The combat also looked great with new mechanics combining with old ones, to create something visually and tactically new. One such feature being the Rift Tears, which you can use to teleport all over the battlefield. If the showcase is anything to go by, the game is going to be great. 

Sony also showed off a bit of Subnautica: Below Zero, an expansion of the original game as well as the announcement that Among US will be coming to PlayStation. There wasn't much else really as Sony decided to really show off Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. It looks like Sony is banking on the game to be a hit on the PlayStation 5. Stay tuned to Digit.in for more gaming news and reviews. 

 

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Redmi Smart TV X65 Review: Does size matter

Xiaomi has an interesting offering with the Redmi TV X65 for Rs 57,999. What it brings with it is support for eARC for home theatres, ALLM for gaming and support for a variety of HDR formats. While the overall picture quality is good for the price, HDR 10+ content still has some issues. SDR content playback is good. The HDMI 2.1 setting is switched off by default and getting to it involves jumping through some hoops when connecting the PS5. 

Xiaomi launched the Redmi Smart TV X Series back in March 2021. The Redmi Smart TVs are available in three screen sizes - 50-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch, priced at Rs Rs 32,999, Rs 38,999 and Rs 57,999, respectively. The TVs bring almost all the features found on the Mi QLED TV 55-inch (review) we saw launch back in December 2020. The most significant difference, of course, is the backlighting. While the Mi QLED TV has a Quantum Dot layer between the backlighting and the panel, the Redmi TV has the traditional direct LED backlighting. It also has three HDMI 2.1 ports with support for eARC and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) for gaming. 

The 65-inch variant of the TV brings with it a pretty large screen size of 58K. But the 58K price point is a decent budget to get a 50 or even 55-inch TV with different features. So, the question remains, should you consider the 65-inch Redmi TV or consider a 50-inch or 55-inch TV at the same price point with better features?

Redmi Smart TV X65 specs at a glance

Panel Size: 65-inch (available in 55 and 50-inches as well)  Panel Type: VA and IPS options available with D-LED backlighting Panel Resolution: 3840 x 2160 - 4K Panel Refresh Rate: 60Hz HDR 10 support: Yes HDR 10+ support: Yes Dolby Vision Support: Yes Weight: 18 kgs HDMI Ports: 3 USB Ports: 2 Bluetooth: Yes Wi-Fi: Yes Ethernet: Yes Speakers: 30W Built-in storage: 16GB Price: MRP: 57,999

Redmi Smart TV X65: Display Panel and Picture Quality

Kicking things off with the display, the Redmi Smart TV X65 comes with an IPS and VA panel option, but there is no way of choosing one over the other when purchasing the TV. You can check which panel you have by pressing the display with some content on it. If you see rainbow-like colours where you press the display, it is a VA panel. If you don't, then it's an IPS panel. 

The Redmi Smart TV X65 has D-LED backlighting, and Xiaomi has not disclosed the brightness of the TV in nits nor the contrast ratio. The TV does not have any dimming zones. The TV has a 4K resolution with support for all popular HDR formats, including HDR 10, HDR 10+, HLG and Dolby Vision. It also supports Dolby Atmos via the eARC port. 

The TV claims to cover over 85% of the NTSC colour space and 92% DCI-P3 colour space. In addition to traditional picture modes and picture controls like brightness, contrast, hue, colour temperature, gamma, etc., it also lets you choose colour space such as DCI-P3, BT 2020, BT709, etc. allowing you to customise your content consumption experience. Let's dive deep into the performance of the TV. 

Redmi Smart TV X65: 4K and HDR performance

We played our usual slew of Dolby Vision and HDR 10, 10+ content on the TV and found the overall experience good. In Dolby Vision content from Netflix, we have shows like Altered Carbon, Our Planet and more, and the colour reproduction in these scenes was good. The unit we received has an IPS panel with good viewing angles but compromises on the black levels. Consuming content in a room with biased lighting should help with the greyish blacks in some sequences. While the TV can get decently bright, it lacks the punchy brightness one would expect when we see an explosion on-screen or when Gandalf reveals himself in the Two Towers. You have two settings for Dolby Vision - Bright and Dark, and I recommend keeping the setting at Dolby Vision bright all the time. This may lead to blacks looking quite grey in some dark sequences, but the details are retained, making the content easier to consume. 

With HDR 10+ content, we played a bunch of shows from Amazon Prime Video. In a show like the Grand Tour, we have many cars whizzing in a bright desert. There are some sequences where the camera is looking at the driver, and from the driver's window, we can see other cars. Some of the cars here were merged with the background or looked burnt. This isn't something you’ll notice if you haven't seen the same sequence on another TV. You will see a bright desert thinking it's the sun, and that's ok, especially since these sequences are no more than a few seconds at a time. 

In a show like Jack Ryan, there is a slight green tint to the colour, and we’ve noticed this on other TVs like the Mi QLED TV and playing HDR 10+ content. Sadly, there is no different “picture mode” you can switch to when playing HDR 10+ content via the native apps on the TV. Changing the colour temperature to cool or 'user' removed the green tint. Still, it also loses the natural colour effect which comes with the “Warm” colour temperature when consuming HDR content. 

When playing HDR 10 content from YouTube, you have access to picture presets like HDR Standard, HDR Movie and HDR Vivid and in our experience, the HDR Standard preset was the best for consuming content. 

Overall, considering the price of the TV, the Dolby Vision and HDR 10 content looks good on this TV, with some room for improvement with HDR 10+ content. The brightness in some HDR scenes doesn’t have the same impact we saw on the Philips 50-inch (50PUT8215/94) (review), but considering the price point, the performance is good. 

Redmi Smart TV X65: SDR performance

The SDR playback from streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video is also good. We saw a bunch of content from Spider-Man Homecoming to Mission Impossible and even Young Sheldon. While the content looks crisp and good, the performance isn't at par with, say, the Philips 50-inch (50PUT8215/94). 

When switching between the Standard and Vivid mode on the Redmi TV, people's skin tones also get accentuated along with the other colours making them appear too yellow. When using the Vivid mode on the Philips TV, we saw that while the colours and the environments were highlighted, skin tones look natural. 

You should know that for the price of the 65-inch Redmi TV, you get the 50-inch Philips TV. So, while this isn't an apple-to-apple comparison, it should give you some idea of content reproduction. 

Overall, for SDR playback, the Standard and Movie presets gets the job done quite well. 

Redmi Smart TV X65: Gaming

This is where things get interesting. The Redmi Smart TV X65 supports HDMI 2.1, but it can only run games at 60Hz. The feature it offers is ALLM, and while we don't have any way of measuring the actual input lag, Xiaomi claims an impressive 5ms input lag on the TV. 

We played a bunch of games using a PS5 (review), and the results are interesting, to say the least. A game like Returnal (review) has a lot of fast-paced action where every millisecond counts, and from a gameplay perspective, the game was quite enjoyable. The first environment in the game is a dark forest with the enemies shooting many glowing projectiles at you. On an OLED TV, the contrast this brings is absolutely incredible. But on the Redmi TV, the dark black environments have a grey tint to them, and this is because the panel doesn't have local dimming and is trying to simulate the colour black. Nonetheless, considering the price, you can still get it by playing Returnal. At least it doesn't look dark and low lit. 

In a game like Spider-Man Miles Morales (review), Spider-Man's black outfit has a hint of grey in it, but the rest of the environments look good. The soft winter sun looks warm and inviting in the game, and once you get into the heat of the action, you will be hooked—the same for a game like Dirt 5 (review). 

If you are on a tight budget and want a TV for gaming, you could consider it. Most of the games we played on this TV worked well, and for the occasional game that felt dimmer, you can change the settings from HDMI 2.1 to 1.4 to play in SDR, which could work well for some games. 

Redmi Smart TV X65: Audio Performance

The Redmi TV comes with 30W of sound output, taken care of by two 15W drivers in the TV. It doesn't have the 6-driver setup we saw on the Mi QLED TV but then again, look at the price point. The TV has decent sound and surprisingly decent performance when watching movies with a lot of mixed audio. Ready Player One is a great example of this. The race at the 13-minute mark is filled with cars whizzing by each other, explosions and King Kong trying to destroy everything. While I have heard better sounding speakers on a budget TV, these get the job done. Sure, there is no bass, but the vocals are clear. Even when gaming, the sound of the guns in Returnal to the thuds of your punches in Spider-Man, it's all clear. 

Redmi Smart TV X65: UI

Like the Mi QLED TV, the Redmi Smart TV offers Android TV 10 and its own PatchWall UI. There are dedicated buttons on the remote control to bring up PatchWall and Android TV to make navigating between the two UIs quite easy.  

PatchWall aims to put content before the service. So, if you see content on the home page, be it The Boys, or the Mandalorian or even Tenet, you don't need to worry about which service provider has this content. As long as you are logged into the streaming service, you can jump straight into the content without navigating the particular streaming app.  

PatchWall also helps with discovering content with lists such as “Dolby Vision”, “HDR 10+”, “Recently added,” “India Top 10 Today”, and more. This UI is great if you are subscribed to many services and consume a lot of content without worrying about navigating the apps.

There are 2 problems I have with the UI. The first is with the Prime Video app. When you enter the picture settings when using Prime Video and press back to exit the settings, you exit the app completely. That can get quite annoying if you tinker with the settings. 

The second is when you connect the PS5. If you have enabled CEC on the TV and the console, pressing the centre OK button on the remote control doesn't bring up the input menu on the TV to change the HDMI format options. It would be best if you disabled CEC to bring up the menu to change the HDMI settings from 1.4 to 2.1. While this isn't a setting you'd change often, it’s still an annoying process to go through to get to the setting. 

The UI is what we’ve seen on previous Xiaomi TVs, and Xiaomi has done a lot to distinguish the UI from the crowd.

Redmi Smart TV X65: Remote control

The remote control you get with the Redmi TV is the same one we’ve seen on other MI TVs and even the Mi Box 4K (review). It's quite a minimalistic remote with a power button, Assistant button, hotkeys for Netflix and Prime Videos and dedicated buttons for Android and PatchWall UI. There is no dedicated mute button on the remote control, but you can double-tap the volume down button to mute the TV quickly. 

Redmi Smart TV X65: Build and design

The TV has a plastic frame and two plastic feet holding it in place. Unlike the Mi QLED TV, which had a premium build, this one has a budget build, and that’s ok, considering the price point. 

Despite having a budget build, the TV has an ingenious arrangement for the ports. Traditionally we’ve seen large screen budget TVs house the ports at the back, in the centre. That isn’t the case here. The ports on the Redmi Smart TV X65 are closer to the edge of the panel at the back, making it easier to reach. We also have the three HDMI ports, two USB ports and the headphones port facing outwards while the other ports face down. The ports facing outwards makes it easy to access. The ports facing down include the AV port, Optical port and ethernet port. There is also a small plastic clasp at the back of the TV to help with cable management, which is nice. 

Redmi Smart TV X65: Bottom Line

Xiaomi has an interesting offering with the Redmi TV X65 for Rs 57,999. It brings support for eARC for home theatres, ALLM for gaming and support for various HDR formats. While the overall picture quality is good for the price, HDR 10+ content still has some issues. SDR content playback is good. The HDMI 2.1 setting is switched off by default, and getting to it involves jumping through some hoops when connecting the PS5. At the end of the day, the question you need to ask yourself is - Does size matter? If you have a budget of 60K for a 65-inch TV, you have a bunch of options to choose from before making your purchase decision. These include the Nokia 65-inch Smart TV with Onkyo speakers and the TCL P615, and more (both of which we haven't reviewed). If your budget is 60K and you don't mind a smaller screen size (say 55-inch), you can check out Xiaomi’s own Mi QLED TV, the TCL P715 QLED (review) and the Philips 55PUT8215, to name a few.

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Microsoft to Take Smaller Cut From Video Game Developers: Report

Microsoft will cut its charges for video game developers who publish games in its online store, starting August, the New York Times reported.

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Ace the Search and Destroy mode in Call of Duty: Mobile with these handy tips

Call of Duty: Mobile isn’t lacking when it comes to different game modes. Besides standard deathmatch modes, the game also offers a host of other game modes designed to keep things fresh and interesting. These modes challenge players to think beyond simply running and gunning. One of the trickiest to master is Search and Destroy.

Counter-Strike veterans will be quite familiar with Search and Destroy as the mode is lifted straight out of the game. It sees up to 10 players divided into teams of attackers and defenders. Attackers are given a bomb that they need to plant and subsequently destroy at one of two sites. The defenders need to defend both sides till the clock runs out. The teams can also win by eliminating all of the opposing players as there is no respawn till the round ends. After three rounds, the roles will reverse.

As you can see, Search and Destroy is quite different from other modes. Here are five tips that you can use to achieve victory.

Stick together

The lack of a respawn system means that staying alive is more important than ever. Sticking together, especially as attackers’ is vital for victory. Defenders should also try and break off into teams so that they have one teammate covering them or vice versa. Attacks should also cover the bomb carrier as much as possible.

Play the objective

It’s easy to lose yourself and try to play this mode as you would in a team deathmatch or frontline. However, that’s just asking for trouble. Playing the objective means that more often than not, your opponent will come to you. This means securing bomb sites, planting the bomb, defending dropped bombs and so forth. 

Keep an eye on where your team is dying

Defenders can be on the back foot as they will most likely have to split up to cover the sites. However, they can use the game’s own mechanics to their advantage. The game marks the location where a teammate dies. This can give you a rough idea of where the enemy team is and give you the option to sneak up behind them or flank them. 

DA BOMB!

The bomb is the most important prop in search and destroy. If the defenders manage to kill the bomb carrier, they can camp around the bomb and wait for the remaining attackers to come to them. On the flipside, attackers can designate one player as the bomb carrier and the other players can move to protect that player. But whatever happens, attackers should never let a bot pick up the bomb. 

Don't rely on Scorestreaks or Operator Skills

Another thing to keep in mind is that Scorestreaks are pretty much non-existent in the same way as the Scorestreaks are refreshed with each round. So if you’re good, you might just unlock a low-level scorestreak during a round, but it will only be available for that round only. Operator Skills are also disabled in this game mode. So you can only rely on your weapon and skills to win.

You can also check out our loadout suggestions for Hardpoint and Headquarters modes here. 

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Netflix launches the Play Something feature globally, making sure you almost never leave your couch

We’ve all been there, sitting in the dark just scrolling endlessly through a cascade of movies and TV shows on Netflix. Sometimes, it’s incredibly hard to pick what to watch on a streaming platform. With the endless amount of movies, shows and content on the various platforms, sifting through it all can be a little overwhelming. This is why Netflix has now rolled out its ‘Play Something’ feature for TVs and living room devices, globally. This means that the feature is not yet available for mobile devices or browsers. If it’s actually popular, then we could see it on other platforms. We earlier reported that Netflix was testing out a shuffle feature and this could be the final version of it. 

The feature works by combing through your profile for movies and shows you have watched and then recommends personalized content. If you don’t like what’s been suggested, there’s a ‘Play Something Else” button that will take you to the next show or movie. Think of it like the early days of cable TV where the content was fresh and new and you always landed on something cool while channel flipping. In a blog post, Director of Product Innovation, Cameron Johnson stated that “When finding your next story, let the story find you. Whether you’re in the mood for a new or familiar favourite, just ‘Play Something’ and let Netflix handle the rest. Easy.”. 

The Play Something button can be found on the profile selection screen, under your name. It will also be available on the Navigation menu as well as the tenth row of your personal Netflix homepage. The feature will also support Text-to-Speech functionality and can be set up on Netflix’s Accessibility page. 

 

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PlayStation Plus Free Games Announced for May: Battlefield V, Stranded Deep, Wreckfest

PlayStation Plus subscribers will get their hands on three free games in May — Battlefield V, Stranded Deep, and Wreckfest. While the first two titles will be available for all users, Wreckfest will be a PlayStation 5 exclusive. Check out more details on the free titles.

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Sony sells 78 million PS5 globally, Indian gamers left in the dust

As most of you know, it has been hard for PlayStation fans to get their hands on the PS5 (review) in India. The PS5 was launched worldwide in November of last year and went on pre-order in India on January 12. It launched in India on February 2. With the hype surrounding the PS5, the console sold out in a short period of time, leading to acute shortages. A lot of people had to resort to the grey market to get their hands on the console. But, from the latest reports, it seems that the PlayStation 5 has sold around 7.8 million units worldwide. It’s clear that demand is far outstripping supply, but 7.8 million consoles in 5 months is still an impressive number, no matter how you look at it. 

For fans in India though, it hasn’t been smooth sailing all the way. Sony shipped around 4.5 million consoles by the end of 2020, which means that Indians saw none of that supply. By the end of March 2021, Sony had shipped 3.3 million more consoles, of which Indian gamers saw a pie of. In a report on IGN India, the estimated figures of consoles sold in India was about 4000 to 5000 units only. That is a rather dismal amount for a country that has a sizeable and dedicated gaming community. A smarter move would have been an allocation of a minimum of 10,000 units, which we honestly think would have sold out in minutes as well. 

Well, if you’re one of the lucky few who has a PS5, then we’ve got a few games you should check out that are releasing this month. Or, if you’re more of an Xbox kind of guy, you can check out our review of Microsoft’s competitor, right here. We did speculate that the PS5 could see a restock in April in India but that has really not happened yet. When Sony does restock the console, we’ll be sure to let you guys know as soon as they do. 

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Among Us Getting 6 New Colours, Enhanced Art Style, 15-Player Lobbies, More

Among Us developer InnerSloth is updating its popular game. The game will get new features including 6 new colours, enhanced art styles, and more, along with various bug fixes and improvements.

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PUBG Lite Will Not Be Playable Anymore From Today, April 29; Player Support Ending on May 29

PUBG Lite has reached its end of service as of today, April 29 and players will no longer be able to play the game like they did. The player service will remain active till May 29 and the Facebook page will remain live till further notice.

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Truecaller launches COVID-19 Hospital directory for Android users in India

Truecaller has launched a COVID-19 Healthcare directory in the app that will allow users to quickly find the contact details of hospitals in their area. The rising number of Coronavirus cases in India has led many people to look for hospital beds for themselves or for family, friends and acquaintances. The directory is currently only available for beta users on Android and will be rolled out to all Truecaller Android users soon.

The Truecaller COVID-19 hospital directory includes contact details and addresses of hospitals that have been designated for the treatment of COVID-19 across India. Do note, however, it does not display if there are any beds available in a particular hospital. The hospital directory will allow you to check the contact details of the hospitals in your city and it is being expanded to include as many COVID-19 hospitals as possible.

“We wanted to quickly introduce a simple directory of important numbers for Covid-related services. We have started with this hospital list and we’re working to add more verified sources soon. This is one among the many ways we’re helping with Covid relief efforts. We offer the support of the entire organisation and the Truecaller platform, for anyone that we can help,“ said Rishit Jhunjhunwala, MD India, Truecaller.

There is a search button that lets users find the contact details of the hospitals in your city in a jiffy. Truecaller has sourced this data from the different official government websites across India. “The Covid Healthcare Directory is launching today. We will be updating it every day and making sure that as many hospital phone numbers from as many areas in India are available,” Truecaller said in a blog post.

As mentioned above, only Truecaller beta users will currently be able to see and use this COVID-19 hospital directory. It will be gradually rolled out to all Android users soon.

Also Read: List of online COVID-19 resources in India

 

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Sony Has Sold 7.8 Million PlayStation 5 Consoles Since Launch, 3.3 Million in Q4 2020

Sony has sold a total of 7.8 million units of PlayStation 5 console since its launch in November, the company has announced in its annual earnings for Financial Year 2020 (FY2020). In terms of revenue, Sony’s Game & Network Services (G&NS) segment, which consoles, games, and network services, brought in JPY 2,604,713 million (roughly Rs. 178,171 crores). Sony also s...

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Dell Latitude 7320 detachable 2-in-1 launched with 11th Gen Intel Core i7 vPro processor & a 13-inch FHD+ display

Even though Dell's XPS and G-series line up overshadows their other laptops, the Latitude series of laptops remains a fan-favourite. Dell's Latitude notebooks are still selling like hotcakes and the company is doing its best to keep them updated and giving us fresh new options.

Now, the company has launched a new 2-in-1 under the Latitude series. It's the new Latitude 7320 detachable 2-in-1 laptop. Here's everything you need to know about this new 2-in-1 notebook - 

Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Specifications

The Dell Latitude 7320 features a 13-inch FHD+ display which has a peak brightness of 500 nits and Corning Gorilla Glass DX protection. Intel's 11-gen Core i7 vPro processor is at the heart of this laptop and it also comes with up to 16GB of LPDDR4X SDRAM clocked at 4,266MHz and up to 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD.

The Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable 2-in-1 laptop comes with options of Windows 10 Pro, Windows 10 Home, and Windows 10 Enterprise (Windows as a Service or WaaS). Connectivity options on the laptop include WiFi 6, Bluetooth v5.1, optional mobile broadband with Qualcomm Snapdragon X20 chipsets, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and an audio jack. There's also an optional fingerprint scanner.

The laptop also has two stereo speakers with Waves MaxxAudio Pro technology and two dual-array microphones. Inside the Latitude 7320, there's a 40Whr battery that supports ExpressCharge 2.0 to keeps the lights on. The laptop also comes with a 5MP webcam that supports 1080p resolution. And since this is detachable, there's also a rear-facing 8-megapixel camera.

Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Pricing & Availability

The Dell Latitude 7320 detachable starts at $1,549 which is roughly Rs 1.15 lakhs for the base configuration. You can get it in a single grey colour variant starting April 27 in the US. As of now, there's no info about its availability on the international markets.

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Realme postpones upcoming anniversary launch on May 4 due to increasing COVID-19 cases in India

Realme has postponed its upcoming anniversary launch on May 4 which would have seen the company launch a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 powered phone along with a new Realme TV and AIoT products. As per rumours, the company would have unveiled the Realme X7 Max in India which is expected to be a rebranded Realme GT Neo. Realme CEO Madhav Sheth had previously announced that the company will be hosting a launch event on May 4 to celebrate its third anniversary in India where it will also launch some new products. However, given the surge in the COVID-19 cases in India, the company has decided to postpone the event for now.

Madhav took to Twitter to reveal that Realme has decided to postpone the launch of its upcoming smartphone and AIoT products and will not be hosting the anniversary celebrations on May 4. The CEO also asked everyone to follow the relevant COVID-19 safety protocols. As of now, Realme has not revealed when it plans to host its launch event in India.

After careful consideration, #realme has decided to postpone the upcoming smartphone and AIoT products' launch along with anniversary celebrations. In these difficult times, let’s focus on contributing as much as possible. Stay home, Stay strong! We will be back soon. pic.twitter.com/uHWXt503gi

— Madhav108MP (@MadhavSheth1) April 28, 2021

Realme was expected to announce a phone powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 processor in India alongside a new Realme smart TV and some AIoT products. While the company did not officially reveal the name of the upcoming phone, Madhav did tease the phone at the end of the Realme 8 5G launch which was held on April 22.

As per the rumours, Realme could launch the Realme GT Neo as the Realme X7 Max 5G in India as it is the only such product in its arsenal right now. The phone is expected to be the first phone powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 122 processor in India.

The Realme X7 Max 5G is expected to feature a 6.42-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with support for a 120Hz refresh rate. The phone will be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 5G processor and is expected to run on Realme UI 2.0 based on Android 11 out-of-the-box. It could have triple rear cameras headlined by a 64MP primary camera, 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera and a 2MP macro camera. The Realme X7 Max 5G could have a 4,500mAh battery that supports 50W fast charging.   

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Garena Free Fire unveils new Theatre of Torment Elite Pass

As the month comes to an end, Garena Free Fire players can look forward to a brand new Elite Pass. This time around, players can look forward to a new theme called the Theatre of Torment. This circus-themed EP introduces another new lore to the game as quell as a bunch of goodies players can earn. Garena describes the new EP as “funny and lighthearted overall while also appearing dazzling and mysterious.”

Garena Free Fire Theatre of Torment EP: Story

The Theatre of Torment tells the story of two performers in a circus. The first is a magical named David, while the other is a beast-tamer named Mysty. The event talks about how the performers in the circus use their abilities to battle each other. This is said to help improve the performance while also helping members stay protected. 

Garena Free Fire Theatre of Torment EP: Rewards

Players who purchase the EP can earn multiple rewards. This includes David’s Cursed Magician Bundle or Mysty’s Cursed Beast Tamer Bundle. Other rewards include the Horror Clown box skin, the Torment Cage backpack, the Torment Throttle surfboard skin, and a Theatre of Torment skin for the grenade, SPAS12, and motorcycle.

In related news, Garena Free Fire recently announced a new tournament called the Free Fire City Open. The tournament will the top 12 teams from across the nation battle it out for a prize pool of Rs 60 lakh. 10 of the top 12 teams will be from 8 states and have been named after their major city. This includes Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Lucknow and Visakhapatnam. The two remaining teams will be ‘wildcard entries will hail from outside these regions. Those interested in participating can sign in via the Free Fire Cup (FFC) mode. Registrations will be open till April 30.  You can learn more about the tournament here. 

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List of online COVID-19 resources in India for Hospital beds, Medicines, Oxygen supply availability and more

The COVID-19 pandemic has gripped India with a steep rise in new cases over the past few weeks. This has led to many people scrabble for basic needs to combat the Coronavirus pandemic that has affected the whole country at large. Several individuals and volunteer groups online have been amplifying SOS requests for the necessary requirements for patients affected with COVID-19. In the past week alone, there has been an influx of posts across different social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram looking for resources such as the availability of beds in hospitals, oxygen supply, plasma from recovered patients, important medicines and more. Here's an exhaustive list of both official and crowd-sourced COVID-19 resources that could be helpful.

Also Read: How to register for COVID-19 Vaccination - Step by Step Instructions

Checking Hospital beds availability online and government COVID-19 websites

There are several websites set up by the governments across different states and cities in India that provide real-time data on the availability of hospital beds. This can be helpful if you are looking for a bed, ICU, oxygen or ventilator support in a hospital for someone.

1. Andhra Pradesh: Check real-time availability of beds here: https://ift.tt/3ezY6lW

Helpline number: 0866-2410978

2. Arunachal Pradesh: While the Arunachal Pradesh government does not have an active website for monitoring the availability of beds, it has started providing updates through Twitter. Additionally, a COVID-19 control room has been set up which can be contacted on 0360-2214216/2214238 and +91 9485 236 624/9436 055 743 (https://twitter.com/MyGovArunachal)

3. Assam: The government in Assam has set up a dedicated COVID-19 resources website that monitors the number of cases in the state. Apart from this, the website also lists dedicated COVID hospitals and their contact details. Visit the website here: https://ift.tt/2JV1oBr

Helpline: 6913347770

4. Bihar: The state of Bihar currently does not have a website that monitors the real-time availability of beds. There are reports, however, that it will be launched later this week. For now, there is a dedicated COVID-19 website where helpline numbers for different districts are listed: https://ift.tt/3b07exr

5. Chandigarh: While Chandigarh does not have an active COVID-19 bed monitoring system online, here is the link to the COVID-19 website created by the government which has contacts of hospitals, guidelines and helpline numbers: http://chdcovid19.in/

Helpline: 9779558282

6. Chhattisgarh: Check out the bed availability details in Chhattisgarh hospitals here: https://ift.tt/2QeIlsm

Additionally, the government has released a district helpline for COVID-19 which can be reached at 104 and 0788-2210772/73.

7. Dadra And Nagar Haveli And Daman And Diu: Check out the availability of beds here: https://ift.tt/32WaUxK

8. Delhi: The Delhi government has set up a dedicated COVID-19 dashboard for providing details about the availability of beds. The website can be visited at: https://ift.tt/2Xn8nKV

Helpline: 011-22307145

9. Jammu and Kashmir: The helpline numbers are: 01912520982, 0194-2440283

10. Ladakh: There is a dedicated COVID-19 website that offers details on the new cases, guidelines and helpline contacts: https://ift.tt/3gKnUib

Helpline: 01982256462

11. Goa: The state of Goa is providing details about the availability of beds in hospital through its COVID-19 dashboard and releases a media bulletin every day that you can check here: https://ift.tt/2A2rmSh

12. Gujarat: Check out the bed availability details in hospitals of Gujarat here: https://ift.tt/2xSfP6I

For Ahmedabad, you can check out the availability of COVID beds here: https://ift.tt/3aAZOCs

For Vadodara City: https://ift.tt/3gFHImv

For Surat: https://ift.tt/3sZT47E

13. Haryana: Check out the dedicated website for availability of beds in hospitals in Haryana: https://ift.tt/3eEADQC

For Gurugram: https://ift.tt/3t2vg2O

Helpline: 8558893911

14. Himachal Pradesh: Visit here for up to date information on details about the availability of beds in Himachal Pradesh: https://ift.tt/3tZYKzV

15. Jharkhand: There is an official COVID-19 website by the government however it does not list the real-time availability of beds. The website has helpline numbers for people to call and know more details: https://ift.tt/3sTrdWE

16. Karnataka: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has a website dedicated to the status of hospital beds that you can visit here: https://ift.tt/3x6ARZm

17. Kerala: Check the availability of hospital beds across Kerala here: https://ift.tt/2Qu4L9v

Helpline: 0471-2552056

18. Madhya Pradesh: The government of Madhya Pradesh has a dedicated website for checking the availability of beds: https://ift.tt/32XZCsG

19. Maharashtra: In Mumbai, COVID-19 war rooms have been set up which are taking care of providing information about the availability of beds. The central helpline number is 1916 and there here are the contact details on a Ward basis. Also, check out the official Twitter handle of BMC Mumbai which is providing regular updates on COVID-19. (https://twitter.com/mybmc)

Apart from this, there are some cities in Maharashtra that are maintaining a dedicated website for the availability of beds: Navi Mumbai (https://ift.tt/3eS88iL) Pune (https://ift.tt/3t0CULn) Thane (https://ift.tt/3gDYi6h) Nagpur (https://ift.tt/32RHBMw) Nashik (http://covidcbrs.nmc.gov.in/home/hospitalSummary) 

Helpline: 020-26127394

20. Manipur: There isn’t an official website that is monitoring the availability of beds in hospitals of Manipur but the government has a COVID-19 website that offers details on the COVID designated hospitals in the state. The COVID-19 helpline for Manipur is 1800-3453-818 and 3852411668.

21. Meghalaya: The government of Meghalaya has an active COVID-19 website that displays the availability of beds in the state. Check it out here: https://ift.tt/3dY1E2o

22. Mizoram: The state of Mizoram has an active COVID-19 website but that does not offer real-time status on the availability of beds. (https://ift.tt/2XKmmKX) However, the government has issued a bunch of helplines for people. The toll-free number is 102. COVID-19 helpline is 0389-2323336/2322336/2318336. The COVID-19 Control room contact is 1070/0389-2342520/7629072785. Alternatively, people can reach out to the control room via WhatsApp on 9366331931.

23. Nagaland: There is an active website providing details about the spread of COVID-19 in Nagaland and contact details but it does not offer details on the availability of beds in hospitals. That said, the government has set up a COVID-19 war room which can be reached at 0370-227003 (https://ift.tt/2AghCE2)

Helpline: 7005539653

24. Odisha: The state of Odisha has an active COVID-19 website that provides information about the spread of the disease in the state. It lists the details about the COVID hospitals but does not offer real-time data on the availability of beds. The COVID-19 helpline for people to reach out on are 1075 / 104 / 011-23978046 / 9439994859 (https://ift.tt/3aLfenD)

25. Puducherry: Here is the link to the COVID-19 website made by the government which keeps a track of new cases, bed availability in hospitals and provides necessary contact details: https://ift.tt/37fxwuA

26. Punjab: The state of Punjab has an active COVID-19 website that provides information on the designated COVID-19 hospitals. However, there is no real-time data for the availability of beds. Alternatively, people can contact the COVID-19 helpline at 8872090029.

27. Rajasthan: The state of Rajasthan provides details of hospital bed status and also maintains a COVID-19 website. You can check the availability of beds in hospitals of Rajasthan here: https://ift.tt/3u3SIxW

Helpline: 9439994859

28. Sikkim: The government of Sikkim maintains a dedicated COVID-19 website where it provides up to date information regarding the new cases. However, it does not offer real-time data on the availability of beds in hospitals. The COVID-19 helpline for Sikkim is 104 and people can also reach out to the control room at 204996 (East)/ 234538 (North)/ 250999/250633 (West)/ 264442/263722 (South).

29. Tamil Nadu: The government of Tamil Nadu maintains a COVID-19 website that provides details regarding the availability of beds in hospitals as well. You can check it out here: https://ift.tt/2Vi0q7t

Helpline: 044-29510500

30. Telangana: The Telangana government has a dedicated COVID-19 website that offers details and resources on the cases in the state. The COVID-19 helpline number is 104 and the control room numbers are also listed on this website. As for the availability of beds in hospitals, you can check out this separate website made by the Health Department of Telangana: https://ift.tt/3sXctpx

31. Tripura: There is a dedicated COVID-19 website by the government but it does not list the availability of beds in hospitals. Alternatively, people can reach out to the COVID-19 control room by the helpline numbers: 0381-2315879/2412424/2413434/2410111/2411622 and 8414-969-592.

32. Uttar Pradesh: The Uttar Pradesh government has recently launched its real-time bed availability tracker in hospitals. It is expected to be up and running with more data on all the hospitals by the end of this week. Meanwhile, the official COVID-19 helpline for UP is 1076/1070 and 1800-180-5145. You can check out the availability of beds in hospitals here: https://ift.tt/3tXTVHi

33. Uttarakhand: The state of Uttarakhand has a dedicated COVID-19 website that keeps a track of new cases and also offers details about the availability of beds in hospitals. You can check it out here: https://ift.tt/32KR0Wt

34. West Bengal: The government of the West Bengal Health and Family Welfare department’s website keeps a track of the new cases in the state and provides information on the availability of beds in government and private hospitals every day. Alternatively, the Check it out here: https://ift.tt/2wVh4Nf

Helpline: 1800313444222, 03323412600

List of crowd-sourced websites and social media handles to follow

Many crowd-sourced social media handles are amplifying SOS calls in India providing COVID-19 related assistance. Do note however that these are individuals and volunteer groups who have taken to the task of collating requirements of people suffering from COVID-19 and connecting them to resources offline. Although these groups/pages/profiles/handles are sharing verified leads, given the scale of calamity, the veracity of the information shared should be cross-verified by people looking for assistance related to COVID-19.

Websites:

https://ift.tt/3aLxvBp

https://ift.tt/3u2xuR7

https://ift.tt/3aGFZd5

https://ift.tt/3dTjcg2

https://ift.tt/3vnE7ha

https://ift.tt/3nufnRR

https://covidfacts.in/

https://covidwin.in/

https://covidkhoj.in/

https://ift.tt/32UYOVx

https://ift.tt/3dY1F6s

https://ift.tt/3xxn1PW

https://ift.tt/3aO6BZM

https://ift.tt/3aHX3iD

https://ift.tt/3dY1Gaw

https://fastaid.in/

https://ift.tt/3gJyHZI

https://ift.tt/2QwkX9Z

https://dhoondh.com/

Social Media handles:

Covidairresources

Cov.id911

Covidresourceindia

Covidhelpindia

Covidbangalore.support

Punefightscovid19

Knocksenselucknow

Kolkatafightscovid19

Jharkhandcovidhelp

Ahmedabad_fights_covid19

Things2eatinmumbaii

Hemkunt_foundation

HumanKind Global

World Maratha Organization

Pune Covid Support Group

Gurgaon Helpline

Telegram: @ICLUcovidresponse

 

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Pokemon Go Fest 2021 to Be Held Globally as a Virtual Event in July: All the Details

Pokemon Go Fest 2021 has been scheduled for July 17 and July 18. The event will be held virtually on a global scale, akin to the 2020 edition of the fest.

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Apple fined 12 million by Russian antimonopoly agency because of alleged App Store dominance

It seems that Apple is in hot water again, this time the company has run afoul of the Russian government. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) announced that because apps were distributed through Apple’s iOS operating system, it gave Apple's own products a competitive edge over other companies. Apple has been fined $12 million by Russia but says that it “respectfully disagreed” with the ruling and plans to appeal it. 

The Federal Antimonopoly Service fines Apple $12 million

The FAS had determined that Apple has used its position to reject third-party apps from the App Store giving its own apps a push in the eyes of users. This incident took place back in August 2020 and since then Apple has been fined $12 million by the Russian government. This news comes at a time when Western tech companies are making inroads into Russia and are facing requests and orders to delete content on their platforms. All of this essentially began when  Kaspersky Lab, a cyber-security company filed a complaint against Apple. Kaspersky alleged that a new version of its Safe Kids app had been declined by Apple. 

$12 million isn’t a lot for a company like Apple but it does cause a small dent in its finances. Not to mention a hit on the public image of the brand. But, it does go to show how different countries approach Big Tech companies like Apple, Microsoft etc. Social media companies have also been feeling the brunt of expansion, with Facebook and Twitter having to remove content and posts at the behest of various governments. 

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Microsoft Rides Cloud Strength to Post Sales Growth; Windows, Xbox Businesses See Strong Demand

Microsoft met analysts' quarterly sales expectations and beat profit estimates, but its shares fell slightly reflecting some scepticism about one-off benefits included in the results and high hopes after a year-long rally.

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Sonys State of Play to take place on 29 April featuring new footage from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

With the Sony PlayStation 5 cementing itself as the must-have console of this generation, fans have eagerly been waiting for new games and content for the platform. Sony usually rolls out game info and more during its State of Play events. Sony did skip out on the event in March but has now confirmed that the latest State of Play event will take place sometime this week. The February event showed off new games like Deathloop, Returnal and more. This time though, Sony has taken the initiative to give users a sneak peek at what they can expect at the latest State of Play. 

Introducing Rivet! See the mysterious Lombax in action in today’s Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart trailer, then tune in to State of Play on Thursday at 2pm PT for extended gameplay from @insomniacgames – plus updates on a pair of upcoming indie titles: https://t.co/f0IEfDx3c6 pic.twitter.com/mASOmXl4H2

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) April 26, 2021

We’ll see more footage from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart along with an unnecessary character called Rivet being introduced for no good reason. But, hey, it’s still a ratchet and Clank game. Apart from the bit of a tease, Sony has not announced what it will be showing off at this month’s State of Play event. We could see more footage from games like Returnal and maybe even more gameplay from games like Sifu. As of right now, Sony has only announced that it will be showing off Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart so do not go expecting any news about God of War; Ragnarok. 

With the PS5 in such short supply, fans and gamers have resorted to the grey market to get their hands on the console. From what we here at Digit.in have deduced, we could be seeing an official restock of the console in India in April. And yes, we do know that it’s the 27 of the month but there are still three days to go. If you do want to know more about the PS5 restock, you can head on over here. 

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