The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench into nearly every major event this year, and among the countless number of cancellations and delays is Amazon Prime Day, which, you may have noticed, didn’t happen in July as usual this year. Despite multiple delays, Prime Day 2020 is indeed happening this year, and Amazon has confirmed the dates: October 13 and 14.
Despite happening later than usual this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Day is sure to bring steep discounts on some of the best games for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Prime Day is also an excellent opportunity to snag consoles and PC hardware at a discount, and you’ll also find sweet deals on gaming accessories, merch, Blu-rays, collectibles, and practically anything on your wishlist. Prime Day is known for having deals on par with Black Friday–and this year, the two events will be happening nearly back to back–so for gamers on a budget, October is sure to bring some of the best prices of the year.
The key to snagging the deals you want on Amazon Prime Day is to go in prepared. To help you out, we’ve assembled a guide with everything you need to know about Amazon Prime Day 2020, including exactly when it starts, the best deals to expect, and more.
Prime Day is a massive sale Amazon puts on each summer (usually in July) for Prime members. It all began in 2015, when Amazon had a sale to celebrate its 20th birthday. In the years since, Prime Day has grown into a shopping extravaganza in its own right, with deep discounts on all kinds of items across the whole store.
When is Amazon Prime Day 2020?
Amazon Prime Day 2020 will kick off at midnight PT / 3 AM ET on Tuesday, October 13, and end at 11:59 PM PT on Wednesday, October 14 (2:59 AM ET on October 15). The event will last a full 48 hours as it has in recent years.
How much is Amazon Prime?
The catch, of course, is that you have to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of Prime Day deals. The annual price of a Prime membership is $119 / £79, or you can get a one-month membership for just $13 / £8. Having to buy a subscription is a bummer, but there are ways around dropping cash just to take part in Prime Day. If you’ve never been a Prime member before, you can get a free 30-day trial just by signing up. Students get an even better deal: the Prime Student membership begins with a free six-month trial.
Even if you’re a lapsed Prime member and you can’t get the free trial, signing up for a one-month membership may be worthwhile, depending on what Prime Day deals you want to take advantage of.
Early Prime Day deals
Some early Prime Day deals are kicking off as Amazon begins to build hype around the upcoming sale. As usual, these focus on Amazon-branded hardware and other aspects of the Prime membership, such as Prime Video and Kindle Unlimited. You can check out some of the best early deals happening now below.
Memberships
More Prime Day deals to expect
Practically anything under the sun will be on sale for Prime Day 2020, but some deals are much better than others. The largest discounts tend to be on Amazon’s own hardware, and the company just announced a slew of new devices ahead of Prime Day, including a redesigned Echo Dot and cheaper Fire Stick. We’ll likely see the first discounts on those during Prime Day. You’ll also find big savings on video games, VR headsets, gaming accessories, 4K TVs, other electronics, apparel, outdoor gear, baby products, and nearly anything else you can buy at the online retailer.
Both PlayStation and Xbox are launching next-gen consoles this holiday season, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, so their current-gen consoles will likely drop even cheaper as retailers attempt to clear out their remaining stock. That said, both the PS4 and Xbox One have been hard to find in stock during the pandemic due to a greater number of people gaming, so deals on those consoles may be extremely limited. The Xbox One X and Xbox One S All-Digital Edition have officially been discontinued, but the Xbox One S will still be sold, so we may see some solid bundles for less than $200 this Prime Day. The popular PS4 Slim Only on PlayStation bundle from last Black Friday (which featured three great console exclusives) was sold for $200, and it’d be great to see a similar bundle return for those who couldn’t–or didn’t care to–preorder the PS5.
Instead, we expect to see more deals around games–hopefully some that come with free next-gen upgrades–and online memberships. With Microsoft consistently pushing its Xbox Game Pass subscription rather than forcing people to upgrade to the Xbox Series X, it’s more likely we’ll see a great deal on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which will be worth taking advantage of if you’re primarily an Xbox gamer. PlayStation Plus usually drops to around $40 during sales like Prime Day, so look out for that as well.
Prime Day Nintendo Switch deals
As Nintendo fans are well aware, discounts on the brand’s games and hardware aren’t common, and both the Switch and Switch Lite have consistently been sold out for months due to the pandemic. Because of that, we don’t expect to see any discounts on Switch hardware during Prime Day. Instead, you’ll likely be able to snag some of Nintendo’s first-party titles, like Super Mario Party or Pokemon Sword and Shield, for at least $20 off. Seeing Switch games on sale for $40 is becoming more common throughout the year, so we’d love to see Switch games drop to $30 this holiday season.
Prime Day VR deals
Those interested in VR gaming should keep an eye out for VR headset deals during Prime Day as well. The excellent PSVR five-game mega pack from Black Friday may get discounted to $200 again for Prime Day and offers the best value of any PSVR bundle on the market. The new Oculus Quest 2 releases on October 13, the day Prime Day begins, so don’t expect any discounts there. The original Quest has been discontinued.
Prime Day game deals
Finally, expect thousands of game deals during Prime Day, not only at Amazon but also at other retail stores like Best Buy and Walmart as well as digital game stores like Steam, PSN, Xbox Live, and the Nintendo Eshop. While it’s hard to say exactly how low each game might go, you’re sure to find whatever’s on your wishlist at its best price during Prime Day. All the biggest games from the past few years are sure to be discounted. Sony and Microsoft always offer the steepest discounts on their first-party games, like God of War (PS4) or Gears 5 (Xbox One).
How will coronavirus affect Amazon Prime Day deals?
The biggest effect we expect to see is longer shipping times on some products, which is why you may want to do your holiday shopping on Prime Day rather than waiting until Black Friday this year. Available stock may be more limited as well, so if you see a great deal available on Prime Day, don’t wait to snag it.
The New York Times reported in February that Amazon was concerned it may not be able to meet demand during this year’s Prime Day, so the company has been taking measures to combat product shortages for months now, contacting third-party sellers early to discuss stock availability for Prime Day. The delayed event day has allowed Amazon more time to acquire the goods it needs to host the shopping event, but we still expect to feel the effects of COVID-19 during this year’s Prime Day. We expect Amazon will also emphasize certain categories like home office equipment or loungewear–things people will be looking for as they continue to work from home and minimize going out.
Best tips for Amazon Prime Day
To get the most out of Prime Day, it’s best to know exactly what you’re shopping for. Otherwise, it’s easy to get sucked down the rabbit hole of Amazon’s endless lineup of deals. While Black Friday offers you a lot of time to plan for the exact deals you want to take advantage of, Prime Day deals are generally kept secret until the event kicks off, so you’ll want to be ready at your computer that day to snag anything you want. The best deals are sure to sell out quickly.
There are different types of Prime Day deals to be aware of, and understanding what these are can help your planning. Prime Day will kick off with early access or countdown deals, which will appear on Amazon in early July. Throughout the event, you’ll also see spotlight deals–these run for 24 hours and can take place during the lead-up to Prime Day as well as the event itself. Lightning deals tend to be some of the best discounts of Prime Day, but these are limited-time, limited-stock items that will sell out fast. The best way to keep up with those is through the Amazon app on your phone as well as the upcoming deals page on Amazon. Hit “watch this deal” to get notified when it starts. Finally, there will be thousands of Prime Day-exclusive deals that run the entire duration of Prime Day, which will likely be 48 hours this year. These offers are still likely to sell out if they feature popular items, like the Nintendo Switch.
Check out our guide to the best Prime Day tips to ensure you don’t miss out on the hottest deals. Plus, stay tuned to GameSpot during Amazon Prime Day 2020 as we cover the best gaming, tech, and entertainment deals, and be sure to follow GameSpot Deals on Twitter for up-to-date info on lightning deals and more.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The tiny Mideast nation of Kuwait has banned the release of the video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6,” which features the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and is set in part in the 1990s Gulf War.
The video game, a first-person shooter, follows CIA operators fighting at times in the United States and also in the Middle East. Game-play trailers for the game show burning oilfields, a painful reminder for Kuwaitis who saw Iraqis set fire to the fields, causing vast ecological and economic damage. Iraqi troops damaged or set fire to over 700 wells.
There also are images of Saddam and Iraq’s old three-star flag in the footage released by developers ahead of the game’s launch. The game’s multiplayer section, a popular feature of the series, includes what appears to be a desert shootout in Kuwait called Scud after the Soviet missiles Saddam fired in the war. Another is called Babylon, after the ancient city in Iraq.
Activision acknowledged in a statement that the game “has not been approved for release in Kuwait,” but did not elaborate.
“All pre-orders in Kuwait will be cancelled and refunded to the original point of purchase,” the company said. “We remain hopeful that local authorities will reconsider, and allow players in Kuwait to enjoy this all-new experience in the Black Ops series.”
Kuwait’s Media Ministry did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press over the decision.
“Call of Duty,” which first began in 2003 as a first-person shooter set in World War II, has expanded into an empire worth billions of dollars now owned by Microsoft. But it also has been controversial as its gameplay entered the realm of geopolitics. China and Russia both banned chapters in the franchise. In 2009, an entry in the gaming franchise allowed players to take part in a militant attack at a Russian airport, killing civilians.
But there have been other games recently that won praise for their handling of the Mideast. Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed: Mirage” published last year won praise for its portrayal of Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age in the 9th century.
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