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Overlooking Sony & Microsoft’s Next Gen Consoles?

Prateek Jain
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Overlooking Sony & Microsoft’s Next Gen Consoles?

After months of anticipation and rumors, this week both Microsoft and Sony revealed details about the upcoming Next-Gen Consoles. This time around both Sony and Microsoft are aiming for big performance uplift over the previous generation. Unlike the previous generation which only aimed for mid-tier pc like performance, the upcoming consoles are looking forward to having high-end pc performance.

PS5 Spec Sheet Sony PlayStation 5
Photo Via: Sony

Both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will feature a custom APU with 8 core AMD Zen2 CPU and RDNA2 graphics with raytracing capabilities. Although on paper both consoles are using the same CPU and GPU architecture, the APU setup of both the consoles is way different.

A quick look over the specs will give Xbox an edge over PS in terms of raw power but one must remember that the real-world performance in consoles always depends upon optimization and OS. Let’s have a look into the specs and expand onto the performance capabilities of the upcoming consoles.

CPU

Xbox Series X processor
  • Xbox Series X – 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.8GHz (3.6GHz with SMT)
  • PlayStation 5 – 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.5GHz (variable frequency)

Xbox has a clear edge over PlayStation in terms of CPU speed. Even though both have the same Zen2 8 core CPU, the clock speeds on Xbox are higher with a fixed 3.8GHz speed ( 3.6GHz with SMT). Whereas Sony opted for variable speeds with up to 3.5GHz all-core boost with SMT always enabled.

GPU

Sony’s PS5 GPU
  • Xbox Series X – 12 TFLOPs, 52 CUs at 1.825GHz, Custom RDNA 2
  • PlayStation 5 – 10.28 TFLOPs, 36 CUs at 2.23GHz (variable frequency)

Again in terms of raw performance, Xbox again has a clear edge over PlayStation. With the 12TFLOPs on a 52 Compute Unit setup, the Xbox will easily handle upto 8K resolution and 4K 120Fps gaming. Raw power aside, the clock speeds on PlayStation’s 36 Compute Unit setup are higher and will translate to better frame times and in some cases more FPS at the same resolution.

Ram

  • Xbox Series X- 16 GB GDDR6 320-bit, 10GB @ 560 GB/s, 6GB @ 336 GB/s
  • PlayStation 5 – 16GB GDDR6 256-bit, 448GB/s

Both consoles feature similar 16GB GDDR6 memory, but the setup is drastically different. In the case of PlayStation, Sony follows the traditional unified memory setup with 448GB/s speed across the setup. Whereas in the case of Xbox, Microsoft used an untraditional memory setup where the 16GB GDDR6 memory is split in cluster of fast 10GB @ 560 GB/s and slightly slower 6GB @336GB/s. Talking about this unusual choice of split memory Microsoft said that the real-world performance will be similar to the unified setup and the developers will also have the ability to designate slower less complex work over to 6GB setup and keep the fast 10GB for complex and fast processes. Also, 2.5GB of slower 6GB memory will be reserved by the system at all times.

Storage

  • Xbox Series X – 1 TB SSD, 2.4 GB/s (raw), 4.8 GB/s (compressed)
  • PlayStation 5 – 825 GB SSD, 5.5 GB/s (raw), 8-9 GB/s (compressed)

Both the consoles will feature PCIe 4 NVMe SSDs. Here the difference lie in the implementation of the controller. Sony has opted for a custom 12 channel controller which enables PlayStation’s internal SSD to reach speeds as high as 22GB/s. Whereas, Microsoft has again opted for a constant speed setup with Xbox’s internal SSD fixed at 4.8 GB/s max speed. Clearly PlayStation will be faster in loading and overall OS speed, but one should remember the difference in speeds in real-world performance might only result in 0.4-0.6 sec faster loading on PS5 against Xbox Series X.

When compared to previous generations which featured slower SATA HDD setup, Next-Gen’s PCIe 4 NVMe SSD setup is way faster and fans of both consoles will see huge improvements in loading times and OS speeds.

Expandable Storage

  • Xbox Series X – 1 TB Expansion Card and USB 3.2 External HDD Support
  • PlayStation 5 – NVMe SSD Slot and USB HDD Support

Both consoles offer seamless storage expansion options. Although, Microsoft has opted for a proprietary Expansion Card tech which limits the ability to use off-the-shelf storage options. Sony played this one intelligently and will allow users to use any off-the-shelf PCIe 4 NVMe drive, although the performance will also depend on the quality of drive used.

Closing thoughts

Both the consoles are significantly better than the current generation consoles and offer enough performance uplift to warrant buying them over the current generation. The main selling point will come down to backward game compatibility and first-party exclusive games. The upcoming months will be exciting for gamers everywhere and with consoles also moving to newer technologies like faster PCIe 4 NVMe SSD, Raytracing, multi-core setup, etc; the game developers will be able to leverage these new technologies and efficiently use these resources to make a bigger and more detailed game environment which will offer a better overall gaming experience for everyone.

Rajasthan Royals star Riyan Parag abused on Instagram for posting CSGO clip on his story

Abhishek Bajaj
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Rajasthan Royals star Riyan Parag abused on Instagram for posting CSGO clip on his story

Esports has started transcending beyond the virtual boundaries that people had created for it. But, it is yet to go mainstream in India, with people still maintaining an adverse opinion on it. Riyan Parag of Rajasthan Royals recently found some tough love from one of his Instagram followers.

The 18-year-old Under-19 World Cup-winning star broke into the limelight after his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2019 and is tipped to be a future star. Riyan is also a CSGO enthusiast and is often seen playing the popular esport. Recently, he posted a 1v3 csgo clutch on the map de_vertigo on his Instagram story.

Alas, he was met with a message from one of his followers in his Instagram DMs, berating him for the same. The guy, who goes by the handle dighambar2345, went on a small rant whiel also advising Riyan to focus on his cricketing career.

We believe people like Riyan and every other Sportsperson has the right to do what he wants in their free time, especially at a time when Coronavirus has almost everything on lockdown. In fact, we like Riyan’s taste in esports.

CSGO bug randomly spawns player on the wrong side of the map

Souhit Dey
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CSGO bug randomly spawns player on the wrong side of the map

CS:GO like every other competitive game has fallen victim to many game-breaking bugs on multiple occasions, but Valve has always been quick in its response.

This time around a bug has surfaced in the game which can randomly spawn players into the wrong side of the map. Spawn is a very important aspect of Counter-Strike and the layout of spawns determines the flow of the game. A good spawn can effectively decide which site would be hit and who can get the first contact with the enemy. Sadly enough, the bug targets this major aspect of the game and spawns random players into the enemy side of the map.

Sometimes, you just have a bad spawn
by u/hamfraigaar in GlobalOffensive

The bug first came into public notice when a Reddit user going by the alias ‘hamfraigaar’ posted about one of his games where he encountered the bug. On March 17th, hamfraigaar was playing Dust 2 on the community servers when the incident happened. The enemy team was facing a player disconnection who joined the game in the next round, but to his dismay instead of spawning on his side of the map (CT) he ended up in the T base and got fragged off instantly at round start. This incident has been backed by many other players who claim to have faced the same bug on matchmaking servers, FACIT, ESEA, and other competitive platforms.

This bug was present earlier in the game too and this is definitely not new, so Valve must already be aware of it still existing in the game. Hopefully, Valve will take the right steps yet again and figure out a way to patch the bug off before it becomes a major issue for the players.

Cloud9 remove sixless from PUBG Mobile roster after Instagram controversy involving Indian players

Varun Parashar
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Cloud9 remove sixless from PUBG Mobile roster after Instagram controversy involving Indian players

Brandon “Sixless” Patterson, a player of Cloud9’s PUBG Mobile squad has been removed from the team following his stint with the Indian community. Brandon insulted India’s top player, Mortal along with Team Soul in a series of controversial content posted by him on social media. He also lashed out at the Indian community itself calling Indian fans as fickle-minded and toxic.

Cloud 9 has released a statement making it clear that this sort of behavior is against their expectations of policies and in turn, they have decided to remove” Sixless” from their active roster.

Photo via AFK Gaming

Brandon’s trash talk and bad attitude handed him a one-way ticket out of North America’s best PUBG Mobile squad. Indians did not take this issue lightly as Brandon is being criticized all over social media for his brash behavior. His inbox and comments section is full of Indian fans defending the players who were being targeted by Brandon.

Nothing justifies his actions but we, as Indians can make efforts to not prove him right. Letting go of the matter and moving on to focus on the positive sides of the community is the best way. By trolling, hating and being toxic over the internet, we will just end up proving “Sixless” right.

This plague of toxicity has haunted the gaming community for countless years and no organization or game developer can find a solution for this as the responsibility lies on the people’s shoulders.

Indonesia officially launches its first Esports Governing Body

Sarjyo Mukherjee
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Indonesia officially launches its first Esports Governing Body

Indonesia has formed a Governing body to take care of several operations revolving around the esports scene. The aim of the organization is to act as a regulatory body looking over the domestic Esports professionals and leagues.

device, olof among four Esports athletes named in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Europe

This organization is the first of its kind, headed by National Intelligence Agency chief Budi Gunawan. “We have a lot of works to do, one of them is to build an esports training center conforming to the international standard,” claimed Budi.

After the 2018 Asian Games welcomed Esports with open arms, it is widely being accepted like any other form of traditional sports.

Photo Via The Esports Observer

GIMP (Gerindra) politician Sandiaga Uno will be one of the executives to join the organization in its operations. Sandiaga will take charge as the deputy chairman of the advisory board.

“Esports has huge potential in this country, where there are 60 million active gamers. The value of esports industry has surpassed $1 billion and will continue to grow,” added Sandiaga.

The first thing on their agenda will be to draft esports regulations and guidelines that will assist Indonesian players and organizations to compete at the international level.

device, olof among four Esports athletes named in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Europe

Abhishek Bajaj
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device, olof among four Esports athletes named in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Europe

It seems the world is starting to take esports seriously with each passing day. Forbes released its 30 Under 30 list for Europe and to no one’s surprise, there was a healthy representation from the esports and gaming sphere in the list.

This is how MBA graduates could enter esports

Leading the way in Esports is Primary AWPer for Astralis, Nicolai ‘device’ Reedtz with fellow Scandinavian star Olof ‘olofmeister’ Kajbjer, who currently plays for FAZE Clan also joining him on the list.

While that is about it for CSGO, there were representations from Rainbow Six Siege and League of Legends. G2 Esports star Marcin ‘Jankos’ Jankowski is a jungler for the organisation in League of Legends and is widely recognised as one of the best players in the said role.

Rainbow Six Siege professional Niclas ‘Pengu’ Mouritzen, who also represents G2 Esports, made it onto the list, which was judged by a panel that included back-to-back and two-time TI winner Johan ‘n0tail’ Sundstein, who is the co-founder of Team OG along with G2 Esports co-founder Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodriguez, both of whom were named in the class of 2019 by Forbes.

Gamescom 2020 still going ahead despite Coronavirus outbreak

Pranav Nalawade
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Gamescom 2020 still going ahead despite Coronavirus outbreak

The annual gaming expo, Gamescom is still going ahead with its schedule despite the growing concern about the spread of Novel Coronavirus. Gamescom 2020 is scheduled to take place in Cologne, Germany in the last week of August starting from 25th and ending on 29th.

In a new statement yesterday, the Gamescom organizers confirmed that the event is still on schedule and is “currently not affected” by the lockdown placed by the German government which has banned all major events with more than 1000 participants till 10th April 2020. Since the Gamescom is scheduled for the last week of August it falls outside the ban window for now.

The organizer also assured its attendees that they are monitoring the situation on a day-to-day basis and if in case the ban is extended due to which the event is postponed or canceled the organizers will provide a full refund on tickets. The statement also stressed “the health of all trade fair visitors and partners” being the top priority of organizers.

This is how MBA graduates could enter esports

With other major events, such as GDC and E3 being postponed or canceled due to the coronavirus, the organizers of Gamescom received various enquires from ticket buyers as the ticket sale went live last week. In 2019, Gamescom saw approximately 600,000 visitors making it one of the most popular events of the gaming industry.

This is how MBA graduates could enter esports

Souhit Dey
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This is how MBA graduates could enter esports

Esports has come a long way from being a media mockery to one of the biggest upcoming industries of this century. The growth of esports has been exponential in the past few years and it is still booming. It has grown to be a billion-dollar industry which currently rivals the might of industries like movie, music, traditional sports and so on. Along with its growth, esports has seen major growth in jobs and opportunities around it too.

Today we will be discussing a few jobs for MBAs in the esports industries where they can capitalize on their skillset.

1) Esports Data and Analytics

Data and analytics is like the foundation of any good marketing drive. The esports industry relies heavily on data and analytics for cutting costs, gaining traction and interacting with the audience. John Knauss, MBA graduate from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, works as an esports data and analytics manager at the Tencent-owned Riot Games, whose game League of Legends is one of the most valuable eSports franchises globally. He says, “It’s about understanding the goals they have, and what they’re trying to achieve, and giving them the information and tools necessary to achieve these.”

2) Esports Consultant

To make efficient use of viewers and participants in events, the esports industry has built up a heavy demand for consultants who have a good understanding of how the entire business works. With that in mind, it is quite obvious that the advice of MBAs with a strong grasp on business efficiency might prove highly useful to esports organization and the industry in general. Many of the popular consultancies have setup separate branches to deal with the demands of industries like esports. Patrick Wittke, founder of Berlin-based eSports Consultants sees the role of consulting as part of the general movement towards organization and management of the esports industry. He says, “It’s becoming more and more professional. People have suddenly noticed it—that 100 million people are watching esports finals.”

3) Esports Marketing

Esports has a massive influx of viewers and participants worldwide. To effectively capitalize on the massive numbers and earn maximum profit, proper marketing drivers are called for. Marketing is a major part of the growing esports industry as it looks to engage more participants and viewers for optimal profit. MBA graduates must adapt the foundations of marketing to a new, younger generation of esports fans.

4) Esports Media

Image result for Media

The world esports viewership rivals the likes of NBA and NFL in its current state. These numbers are supposed to go even higher in the coming years. Currently, Media rights make up for a massive 14% of the total esports revenue and it is set to hit a spike of 40% by the end of this year. GAMURS is one of the leading esports news platforms, including titles like Dot esports. Director of operations and strategy Slobodan Gluvic, an MBA graduate from the Australian Graduate School of Management at the University of New South Wales Business School, describes exactly what they’re looking for in employees. In his words, the need of the hour is, “Someone who’s looking to take intelligent risks, serve the community, and to always challenge yourself and others.”

5) Esports Leagues and Events

Image result for Esports Leagues and Events

The esports industry is all about massive leagues and LAN events. To keep up with the needs of the fans and to keep them entertained, the industry relies on actively organizing leagues and events. Behind all the big tournaments, there are organizations that effectively plan them out and set them up perfectly from start to bottom. There is little to no room for error as the stakes are very high when it comes to big league and major events. David Jackson, a London Business School MBA graduate, is the head of strategy at the National University esports League (NUEL). He sees these leagues and events as crucial to the longevity of the industry. He says, “These leagues are about widening access and giving a voice to esports communities that already exist.”

Rivalry announces No Major No Problem online DOTA 2 tournament

Souhit Dey
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Rivalry announces No Major No Problem online DOTA 2 tournament

As the onslaught of coronavirus around the world brings about the imminent shut down of multiple esports events, fans are left without any good events to enjoy.

Dota 2 crosses 400k average players for the first time since November

Seeing this as an opportunity to bring something new to the table, many organizers have decided to carry out online tournaments to keep the community entertained. Rivalry joined the party when they announced No Major No Problem, a local South American event where eight local teams compete online for a prize pool of $5,000. The tournament will commence from today itself and will go on till March 22nd.

The participating teams are:

  • Thunder Predator
  • Team Unknown
  • Infamous Young
  • NoPing e-sports
  • Omega Gaming
  • Infamous
  • paiN Gaming
  • FURIA Esports

These eight teams will be split into a two divisions and each team will fight through their division to reach playoff stage.

From what it seems, online events will become a norm for a while till the restrictions regarding coronavirus are lifted off. To mitigate the damage caused to the industry and individuals, more and more organizations are focusing on conducting online tournaments to gain some easy profits.

Student commits suicide after being scolded for playing PUBG Mobile

Varun Parashar
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Student commits suicide after being scolded for playing PUBG Mobile

Another horrific incident involving the infamous battle royale title PUBG Mobile has come to light. 14 year Himanshu Kumar from Rajendra Nagar, Gopalganj has taken his own life after being rebuked by his family for overindulging in the game.

The incident took place on March 13th and is under the administration of the Gopalganj town police. Himanshu was a student of class 9th and the horrific deed was done in his own bedroom. Apparently, he was also disconsolate following a series of losses in the game and it all went overboard when the boy’s family lashed out on him. The air still seems hazy around the family’s aspect as an investigating officer added:

The family members are not cooperating with the police in the investigation and not willing to share more information. They are trying to conceal something.

A number of variables are involved in this case, right from the boy’s relatives agreeing with the parents’ stand to the family’s concealment of exact details. Although, it has been made clear that no note was found from the boy’s side.

Coronavirus: PUBG MOBILE Pro League Americas and World League postponed

This shocking incident reminds us of the dangers of overindulging, not just into games but into anything. It is the people’s responsibility to know their own limits and to be responsible enough while indulging in a particular game.

Prof. S Narayan, an anthologist addressed the issue of addiction to online games by adding:

The parents must pay attention to the changes in behaviour of their wards

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