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Video games are about to get more expensive as the console wars return – CNBC

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Game enthusiasts and industry personnel walk between the Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation exhibits at the E3 trade show on June 16, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
Christian Petersen | Getty Images

LONDON — Gaming can be an expensive hobby. Blockbuster video games typically cost around $60 at launch. Now, as gamers race to get their hands on a shiny new console this year, the industry is betting they’ll be willing to pay even higher prices for their games.

Microsoft and Sony are set to ship their respective next-generation machines next month. Consumers are already rushing to preorder them, with units quickly selling out within hours of listing. As a refresher, both Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Sony’s PlayStation 5 cost around $500, while they’re also releasing cheaper versions without disc drives. Sony’s digital-only PS5 retails at $400 while Microsoft’s more affordable Xbox Series S costs $300.

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Both consoles’ manufacturers are promising much more powerful performance and better quality graphics than their predecessors. For example, each comes with storage devices called solid state drives to enable faster load times, as well as a feature known as ray tracing which offers ultra-realistic graphics by simulating how rays of light bounce off of objects.

But with those premium specs, game publishers are expected to bump up their prices due to additional development and marketing costs. Take-Two Interactive, which owns the well-known Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead series, was early to the party, announcing in July that it would price its upcoming NBA 2K21 title at $70 on Xbox Series X and PS5. Then, earlier this month, Sony confirmed a price ceiling of $70 following the announcement of its PS5 release date and price.

“Our own Worldwide Studios titles will be priced from US$49.99 to US$69.99 (RRP) on PS5,” Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan said in a blog post earlier this month. Such a price increase would end the standard $60 that has been the industry norm for 15 years.

Microsoft hasn’t comment on what Xbox’s first-party games will cost yet, but Xbox chief Phil Spencer said in an interview with the Washington Post he thinks “the customer will decide what the right price is for them,” adding: “I’m not negative on people setting a new price point for games.” Microsoft wasn’t immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.

Could higher prices put gamers off?

Bartosz Skwarczek, CEO and co-founder of video game reselling marketplace G2A, said increasing the price of AAA games “risks jeopardizing gaming for a new generation of young gamers.” He warned that higher prices, coupled with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, may put cash-strapped consumers off buying new titles.

“I think this is not a good idea to increase prices when people are suffering and the economy is suffering because of coronavirus and the economic crisis that we have,” Skwarczek told CNBC. “I think that could be played with a little bit more empathy towards gamers.”

Nine in 10 gamers believe a new video game should cost less than $60, according to a survey undertaken for G2A by research firm Censuswide. The study, which surveyed 1,031 Americans in August, found all respondents think a price of more than $60 is too much for a single game, while 59% say gaming has become too expensive.

Those figures make grim reading for the industry’s gamble that consumers will be willing to pay an extra $10 for their games. But some experts highlight there are now many more ways to access video games, sometimes without paying a penny.

Free-to-play games are a common sight now thanks to Fortnite, and there are plenty of subscription services on offer that allow gamers access to a library of content for a monthly fee. Microsoft for example has been heavily marketing Xbox Game Pass, which offers access to a catalog of over 100 games and is being bundled in with monthly financing plans for the new Xbox consoles. Sony, meanwhile, has its PlayStation Plus service that gives players access to two free games each month.

Microsoft’s subscription offering also includes cloud gaming, meaning users might not even need a console to play their favorite titles. Companies from Amazon to Google are launching their own game-streaming services, however the space is still emerging. And some industry leaders are skeptical, with Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick recently saying cloud gaming won’t be “nirvana” for the industry.

Is now the right time to raise game prices?

Many in the video game industry argue a price increase is well overdue. Call of Duty 2, credited with setting the current $60 standard when it launched in 2005, would cost almost $80 today, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ inflation calculator.

“There’s no good time for a price increase,” Steve Bailey, principal games analyst at research firm Omdia, told CNBC. “But saying that, there may be times where it’s more suitable for there to be a price increase, and I think this is quite a suitable time.”

“If you have to bite the bullet with a change like this, it’s best to do it in sync with major transitions,” he added.

Bailey said the gaming market has changed significantly over the years, with free-to-play games, digital discounting and subscription services now widespread on console. There are also “special edition” versions of games that cost an extra few bucks for additional content. According to Bailey, major game publishers already “have the data” on gamers’ reception to charging extra for different tiers.

Plus, given the demand the sector has seen during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s clear why big publishers are making such a gamble. Gaming companies have reported rising earnings this year as a result of government-enforced lockdowns, while video game research firm Newzoo forecasts the global games market will generate revenues of $159.3 billion this year.

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Model doesn't feel safe wearing designer clothes in Canada's biggest city | Canada – Daily Hive

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A model says she feels like a “sitting duck” wearing designer clothes in downtown Toronto amid a general state of unease in the city in response to an uptick in violent crimes.

Hanya Kizemchuk posted a video on Instagram and TikTok where the local model claimed that she sprinted two blocks to her car after a recent modelling shoot in Toronto after being overcome with the sense that her expensive attire read as “a stop sign screaming ‘rob me.’”

In the video, Kizemchuk describes the scene on a cold, rainy night after finishing a shoot, explaining, “I wrapped my head in my Louis Vuitton wrap. I had my Louis Vuitton duffle bag with all my shoes and makeup and whatever I need for that job. I was wearing my Gucci crossover and I was wearing my black leather Burberry coat.”

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“And as I jumped out onto the street, I have to say that I realized for the first time ever in the city of downtown Toronto, I was truly like a sitting duck and that this is no longer okay to be running around like this, that I need to be a little more downplayed so that I don’t attract attention.”

Kizemchuk says she was “a little unnerved” and felt compelled to run “two blocks to my car and continuously check to see if anyone was popping out from somewhere because I was like a stop sign screaming, ‘Rob me.’”

“And that’s how I felt for the first time ever in this beautiful city of Toronto, which I grew up in and don’t recognize anymore.”

A few chimed in, sharing comments siding with Kizemchuk.

Others questioned why she would run away without identifying any specific threats and then make a post online about feeling unsafe.

One user pointed out how this video is another example of wealth inequality and the ever-growing divide between the rich and poor in Toronto.

According to Toronto Police data, major crime indicators have spiked year-to-date in several categories during 2024, including assault (+10.9%) and robbery (+19.7%).

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Forged by friendship, this year's Stampede boots pay tribute to Stoney Nakoda iconography – MSN

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If not for Duane Mark and Lloyd Templeton’s budding friendship, this year’s Calgary Stampede boot design would have never existed.

While the boot was only constructed in recent months, the process began when Templeton, a Calgary-raised artist in his early 20s, approached Mark with a request to use images of the Stoney Nakoda teepee-holder and educator for artwork he was preparing for the Calgary Stampede.

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The two clicked from the get-go. By November, after hours together, Templeton’s piece featuring Mark — dressed in full regalia standing in the foreground of the Calgary Tower among a diverse group of parade participants — was chosen as the 2024 Stampede poster artwork.

On Thursday, Templeton’s art was unveiled as the design for this year’s Stampede boot — now the second product of their friendship that’s been produced for this year’s 10-day rodeo and fair.

“What comes to mind is the growth of a young man named Lloyd,” Mark said, when asked what he sees in this year’s boot design.

The artwork on the exterior reflects key Stoney Nakoda First Nation and Treaty 7 iconography, Templeton said at Thursday’s unveiling. Stitchings of Alberta’s mountain range and the golden eagle flying through a rising sun — two important symbols for the First Nation’s culture — line the outside of the boot.

The boot’s interior has the words Oyadé Gichiyabi, Ahogichopabi Îyûhabith inscribed, which roughly translates in Stoney language to “be empowered to foster peace and respect,” which was selected at Mark’s recommendation.

A recent graduate from the Alberta University of the Arts, Templeton is becoming a household name in Calgary’s arts community at a pace that’s not lost on him.

“Just last year I was making school projects, and a year later, there’s going to be people wearing my art. That’s nuts,” he said.

Working in three dimensions was a new challenge for Templeton. To start, he would tape paper to the back of the boot to get a feel for the shapes he needed to produce. He then drew the designs by pencil, scanned them into his computer and produced it into a special file that allowed it to be etched by laser onto the boots.

“My poster was oil paint, a very traditional process,” he said. “I was kind of making it up on the go to see what worked. I liked the challenge of that.”

Margaret Holloway, the Stampede’s 2024 First Nations Princess who also provided input on the boot design, said she was “breathtaken, speechless” when she first saw the design. Breaking from tradition, this year’s design will be available on five different shades of boot. Alberta Boot normally creates one special boot for each Stampede.

The 22-year-old jingle dancer is the first person from Stoney Nakoda to be named First Nations Princess in more than 20 years.

Holloway’s family teepee at the Elbow River Camp has three large eagles on it, she said.

“Back home, we see the eagles fly and we feel blessed by their presence, and we feel amazed just by their beauty of soaring in the skies. To see that on this year’s Stampede boot was absolutely unbelievable.”

With their latest creation publicly revealed, Templeton and Mark’s friendship will extend far past their artistic collaboration.

“He’s the coolest dude. We have a lot in common — a good sense of humour, listen to the same music and movies. We make a lot of the same jokes,” Templeton said.

Mark said he’s watched the young artist grow and mature in front of his eyes. Over the past year they’ve discussed “deep Indigenous philosophy,” which Templeton has evidently absorbed into his own life, he said.

“We became the best of friends and will continue to be the best of friends,” Mark said.

mscace@postmedia.com

X: @mattscace67

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Huawei's new Kirin 9010 brings minor CPU improvements – GSMArena.com news – GSMArena.com

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Huawei announced the Pura 70 series today, and once again offered no details regarding the chipsets. However, early benchrmarks confirmed they feature a new platform called Kirin 9010, which has an 8-core CPU, identified by apps as 12-core unit due to hyperthreading.

Hyperthreading is nothing new in the chipset industry, as the Taishan cores have been supporting the technology for some time; it has been part of the Kirin 9000s and now is a part of the 9010 as well.

First Geekbench results revealed a minor improvement in raw performance, coming from slightly faster core speeds. The numbers show improvement single digit percentage improvements in both single core and multi core tests.

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Kirin 9000S on Geekbench

Kirin 9010 vs Kirin 9000S on Geekbench

The actual octa-core combination of Kirin 9010 is as follows: one 2.30 GHz Taishan Big, three 2.18 GHz Taishan Mid and four 1.55 GHz Cortex-A510. The GPU remains Maleoon 910 at 750 MHz.

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