Everything you need to know about Battlegrounds Mobile India

Fans of good ol’ PUBG Mobile should be quite happy as their favourite mobile game is coming back. While it may be called Battlegrounds Mobile India, it’s still PUBG Mobile and should deliver the same action that players have come to expect from the series. Obviously, you’re going to have a lot of questions. So we’ve tried to answer as many as we could, with the information at hand.

So, who is developing the Battlegrounds Mobile India?

While Tencent was responsible for PUBG Mobile, it looks like Krafton Inc. will be taking over from them. One of the reasons why PUBG Mobile was banned in the first place was due to its Chinese links. However, Krafton Inc. is wholly South Korean. This should please the Indian Government.

What about my privacy and security? Is my data going to be safe?

A few months back, Krafton had announced that it would be working with Microsoft to ensure personal data protection through Azure. The company noted that Azure offered state of the art security and the most comprehensive set of compliance offerings of any cloud service provider. In its press release, Krafton also notes that all data collection and storage will be in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations in India.

What about the gameplay? Will it remain the same?

Well, it is still way too early to say anything, to be honest. All we have to work with is one teaser image that shows the logo. From what we can gather, the gameplay will follow the same battle royale formula as before. It should also be noted that the characters are jumping into a desert map, which might just be Miramar. This might hint at the possibility that Battlegrounds Mobile India will offer the same set of maps as the global version of PUBG Mobile. 

Will I be able to play with foreign players?

In a word, no. Battlegrounds Mobile India will only work in India. As such, it should work in a manner similar to the Chinese version of PUBG that was re-released as Game For Peace. As  a bonus, players will get a lot of India-specific in-game events, and maybe even unlock India-specific characters

On the flip side, the game is limited to India. Players will not be able to compete with global players and teams. As a result, Indian teams will not be able to compete in global tournaments like the PUBG Mobile Club Open. To counter this, it looks like Krafton Inc plans to build an esports ecosystem in India. In order to achieve this, it has already heavily invested in Indian esports company, Nodwin Gaming. As such, expect a host of domestic Battlegrounds Mobile India tournaments, but nothing much in terms of international exposure.

OK… Do we know when we can play from?

No idea yet. Krafton has not yet revealed any information regarding the game’s launch. To be fair, even speculating on the launch is tough. Back in November, Krafton had announced PUBG Mobile India with the intention to launch it soon. But we all know what came of that. So for now, you are left better off waiting for an official announcement.

I’m already seeing a bunch of APKs online. Can’t I just sideload those and start playing?

Those APKs are not officially endorsed by Krafton Inc. As such they could feature malware or might just be used to steal personal information. In other words, stay clear of any APKs that you may see online and wait for any official announcement from Krafton regarding the availability of the game. 

Fine! At least tell me that I can pre-register for the game?

You’re in luck! Krafton Inc. noted in its press release that the game will have a pre-registration period before launch, this means that you can download the game the moment it becomes available. However, we still have no idea when the pre-registration period will begin. 

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PSA: Dont download any Battlegrounds Mobile India APKs that are currently available online

The announcement of Battlegrounds Mobile India by Krafton Inc. created quite a bit of storm. The game will be the new incarnation of PUBG Mobile in India and will give mobile gamers in the country a chance to win ‘chicken dinners’ after many months. However, in their excitement to get their hands on the game, they might just end up losing everything. 

A number of websites promising the APK files for Battlegrounds Mobile India have popped up, all promising the same thing. Early access to the game. However, it should be noted that Krafton Inc. itself has not posted anything about the launch of the game. In fact, Krafton has noted that there will initially be a pre-registration period for the game. In other words, the APK files posted on such websites are not genuine.

What will happen if I download and install some of these fake APK files?

Downloading one of these fake APK files leads to a whole host of problems. If you are slightly unlucky, you’ll end up with a cheap, knock-off game that is riddled with advertisements. If you are lucky, you’ll end up installing the Korean, Chinese or global version of PUBG Mobile. This will do pretty much nothing and the developer makes a bit of change from ad revenue. But, things can get much worse.

There is a chance that the APK might create a fake login screen and use that to phish for your login details. This can lead to hackers stealing your PUBG account or worse, your social media details where they might be able to try and scam your friends. There is also a chance that the APK could be malware or spyware, which can then be used to steal emails or bank account details. 

As always, remember to only download potentially dangerous files such as APK files from trusted sources like the Play Store. And keep an eye out for any official announcements from Krafton Inc. before making a call. 

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PlayStation 5 Will Remain in Short Supply Till Next Year, Warns Sony

PlayStation 5 (PS5) will remain in short supply till next year, a top Sony executive has said. Chief Financial Officer Hiroki Totoki said at a briefing that supply wouldn’t be able to catch up with the demand even next year, according to several people who attended and asked not to be named as it wasn’t public.

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Apple Days sale on Flipkart offers great discounts on iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and more

If you have been wanting to buy Apple's current-gen iPhone 12 or any other iPhone in the series, then now is a very good time. Flipkart is currently running the 'Apple Days' sale under which the company is offering a handsome discount on the iPhone 12 series.

Apple Days sale, in case you are wondering, kicked off today and it will end on May 14. During this time, customers can avail of an instant discount of up to Rs 6,000 on the purchase of the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 mini. In addition to that, you can also get an instant discount of Rs 5,000 on the purchase of iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Essentially, you'll be able to pick up the iPhone 12 at Rs 71,900 down from its original price of Rs 79,900. This is after the instant discount of Rs 6,000 on purchases made through HDFC Bank cards and EMI transactions. The same can also be availed on 128GB and 256GB variants.

Similarly, the iPhone 12 mini is available at Rs 61,900, including the instant discount offer. It's down from its original price of Rs 69,900. You can do the same for the 128GB as well as the 256GB variants as well.

Moving on to the iPhone 12 Pro, it is available at a starting price of Rs 110,900 which includes the instant discount offer. It's down from its original price of Rs 119,900 for the 128GB storage. Lastly, the top-of-the-line iPhone 12 Pro Max model is available at Rs 120,990 for the 128GB model, down from its original price of Rs 129,990.

If you don't fancy the newer iPhone 12 models, then you can also get the older iPhones like the iPhone 11 at Rs 48,999, the iPhone XR at Rs 36,999, iPhone SE 128GB model at Rs 33,999, and the iPhone 11 Pro at Rs 74,999. As mentioned earlier, the Apple Days sale will be live till May 14, so be sure to keep an eye on the same. It's worth making a note that the iPhone listings show the normal price before the discount. The customers will have to select the HDFC Instant discount offer on the checkout page to avail the offer.

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WhatsApp will not let you access your chat list if you dont accept its new privacy policy after May 15

WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy is set to come into effect from May 15 but users who are yet to accept it will soon lose access to their chat list. Earlier this year, WhatsApp released an update to its terms and privacy policy for users and business but faced critical backlash from users and the Indian government. This led WhatsApp to postpone this update by three months and on May 15, the new policy will be enforced. WhatsApp’s new privacy policy details how it processes users data for businesses and how it is working with Facebook for deeper integration across other Facebook-owned products.

As per the newly released guidelines by WhatsApp, the popular instant messaging app clarifies that it will not delete any account on May 15 after the new privacy policy update comes into effect. For the past few months, WhatsApp has been reminding users to accept the new terms and privacy policy but users have the option to dismiss that pop-up. 

After May 15, the reminder to accept the new terms will get more persistent and its frequency will increase. Until now it's limited to once or twice every day but from May 15 onwards this pop-up notification will become regular until the user accepts it. 

What happens if you don’t accept WhatsApp's privacy policy?

Even after persistent reminders, if a user does not accept WhatsApp’s new terms, the company will start to limit the features for users. While the company has revealed that it won’t be limiting features from May 15, however, if a user does not accept the privacy policy, they will eventually lose access to WhatsApp. 

After weeks of persistent reminders, WhatsApp will limit access to the chat list which means that users will not be able to check their messages or reply to them by opening the app. WhatsApp will still allow incoming voice and video calls and users will be able to respond to messages from the notifications but users will not be able to create new messages.

After a few weeks of limited functionally, WhatsApp will not allow any incoming calls or messages and notifications and will curb all features that it normally allows. This means that users who will not accept WhatsApp’s new terms and privacy policy will lose all access to WhatsApp. The Facebook-owned company has not detailed a timeline for curbing the functionality for users who do not accept its new policies. 

WhatsApp users will lose access to their accounts but the company will not delete these accounts immediately. However, such accounts will be deleted after 120 days of inactivity.

 

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Sony says the PS5 will remain in short supply through 2022 as demand shows no signs of slowing down

Sony's PlayStation 5 console has remained out of stock, for the most part, this year too. While a lot of people have managed to get a taste of the console in markets like the US, it's been fiendishly difficult to get one in places like India. The PS5 restock was a mess in 2020, and it has gotten even harder to buy one this year.

It turns out, things are going to remain more or less the same throughout this year and the next one. According to Sony, the shortage of console units isn't going to end unless the demand declines. And the demand, as we all know, isn't showing any signs of slowing down. We're pretty sure a lot of you reading this article are desperate to buy the console.

Speaking to investors, Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki confirmed that it has been challenging to keep up with strong demand. He noted that in addition to the global semiconductor shortage, there are "other factors" contributing to the scarcity. Totoki didn't dive deep into the details about these other factors that are in play, but we are assuming one of them may be the global shipping crisis right now due to the pandemic.

That being said, Sony is still trying to achieve more sales figures for the PS5 than it did with the PS4. 

"As I said earlier, we’re aiming for more sales volume than the PS4, but can we drastically increase the supply? No, that’s not likely. The shortage of semiconductors is one factor, but there are other factors that will impact the production volume. So, at present, we’d like to aim at second-year sales of 14.8 million, which was the second year of PS4," Totoki said.

So, what does this mean for an average consumer looking to buy the PS5? Well, it's going to be very difficult to grab a PS5 this year and most likely in 2022 as well. Sony has left the door open for the supply to increase in 2022, but it's best to assume that the PlayStation 5 won't be readily available to pick up from stores until 2023. 

The demand is only going to increase as more PS5 exclusive games drop on the market that can't be played even on the PS4. Sony may have to eventually tap 6nm AMD chips as per the rumours, but let's not speculate just yet and hope for the best.

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Call of Duty: Mobile developers working on a way to offer Hatchi sword for free to players

Call of Duty: Mobile may soon give players the chance to earn the Hatchi katana sword for free. At the start of the Season 3 Tokyo Escape update, many players assumed that the game would offer them a chance to earn the sword. However, we are now towards the tail end of the season and there is no sword in sight. This is obviously pretty strange considering the Japanese-theme of the update and the prominent depiction of katanas in the accompanying comic. 

In a post on Reddit, the developers note that they have received requests for a free sword. While the developers did say that the Hatchi sword would be included in Call of Duty: Mobile's in-game Credit Store update, that turned out to be an error. However, they note that their teams have been trying to find a good opportunity to provide an earnable path to a Hatchi via seasonal challenges or events. However, since plans are locked in advance, it is unlikely that this would happen soon. The developers have assured players that they are working towards that goal. 

The Hatchi was initially a part of The Ancestors Crate, which was added to the game last year. As such, players would have to spend CP in order to get the weapon. Even then, they weren’t guaranteed to get the weapon on the first try. 

Those interested in trying out the Hatchi for themselves can do so via the new Swords and Stones mode that was recently added to the game. The mode arms all players with a Hatchi and challenges them to kill a set number of enemies. The first player to reach the kill number wins. 

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