Page 697 – GadgetByte Nepal

Samsung Galaxy A2 Core Launched – Just the Core Functionality

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April 16, 2019

Samsung Galaxy A2 Core Launched – Just the Core Functionality

After an okay success of the Samsung Galaxy J2 Core, Samsung has launched another Android Go phone in the market. The new Galaxy A2 Core looks and feels very much like it’s predecessor, but there are a few subtle improvements. Since it’s not like a headline-making phone, the launch was very subtle.

Samsung Galaxy A2 Core Overview

The A2 Core looks and feels very much like its predecessor. Nothing bezel-less, or one with a notch. Just your regular old-fashioned bezels and small screen and stuff. You get a plastic body with removable back. All the makings of your old-fashioned phone.

This phone has 5″ screen with an IPS LCD panel. That is an improvement over the TFT display of the J2 Core. Still, the screen resolution is the same, with the same aspect ratio. The camera sees a downgrade, though, as it is 5 MP for both the front and rear. This phone runs on the Exynos 7870 with 1 GB RAM and up to 16 GB storage. But there is a microSD card slot in there as well. Also, there’s a 2600 mAh battery powering it and there’s also a headphone jack.

This phone runs on the Android Pie variant of Go edition. So, you’ll get the Lite versions of the apps. Don’t expect anything worth mentioning, though.

Availability

The phone launched in India for the price of INR.5290 for the 16 GB variant. There’s also an 8 GB version. The 16GB of Samsung Galaxy A2 core is available in Nepal for Rs. 8,499.

So, for those who are limited by their budget, this runs the latest software. So, this could be a good option for your grandparents!

Vivo Y17 surfaces with a triple rear cameras and a massive battery

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April 16, 2019

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Vivo Y17 surfaces with a triple rear cameras and a massive battery

Vivo’s Y-series of smartphones are usually budget-oriented. They are not quite popular as the V-series handsets but they have made a good mark, especially on the budget segment. And according to the new leaks, Vivo is expanding its Y-series lineup. Although the initial leaks cued the upcoming Y-series devices to launch with Y5 and Y3 and model name, the new leaks have something different to say. The upcoming Vivo phone will come as Vivo Y17 and feature a triple camera setup at its back.

Vivo Y17 Specifications (Leaked)

In terms of design, the phone looks more or less similar to the last year’s Vivo Y91. With dual-tone gradient finish on the back and a tiny water-drop notch on the top, Y17 shares an uncanny resemblance with the Y91. Although the V-series handsets leaped forward with the pop-up style selfie camera, we won’t be getting that here. The selfie shooter will dwell on a 6.35-inch screen and will make use of a 20MP sensor. The front camera is also said to come with AI capabilities.

But unlike the Y91, the phone enjoys triple rear cameras. However, there is no information regarding the resolution of the sensor and the type of lens used. But we can expect it to be a combination of a wide-angle lens, an ultra-wide-angle lens, and a depth sensor just like on the Vivo V15 and V15 Pro. And the triple rear camera setup will also be enriched with Artificial Intelligence.

On the performance side, there will be MediaTek Helio P35 chipset. And there will be 4GB of RAM to aid in multitasking. Talking about the internal memory, there will be 128GB of onboard storage to store all sort of files and photos.

The battery has to be the USP of the phone. We have seen Vivo pushing the battery capacity up to 4030mAh on the Y91. But this time Vivo went one step further and included a massive 5000mAh battery. And to make the charging process hassle-free, Vivo has also bundled Dual Engine fast charging technology.

Pre-order and Launch date

A poster from Indonesia highlights some major specs of the device. Apart from that, the poster has also clearly written the pre-order date of the device in the country. The device will be available for pre-order starting from 18^th of April and will last till the 30^th. Pre-bookers will also be getting a Bluetooth headset for free.

The device was also rumored to launch in India really soon. Indian Premier League (IPL) is also taking place in India, where Vivo is the title sponsor. So IPL seems like a good platform to unveil the device and Vivo could do the same. If that happens, launch on India and Indonesia may occur around the same time.

Google teases the launch of a Pixel Product on May 7: Maybe the Pixel 3a and 3a XL?

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April 16, 2019

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Google teases the launch of a Pixel Product on May 7: Maybe the Pixel 3a and 3a XL?

Since the beginning of Google’s Pixel series devices, the company has been bringing a maximum of two devices every year. Both of the devices carry top-tier specs. But mainly their cameras steal the limelight. But seems like Google is going with a new strategy this time around. The search engine giant might bring an affordable version of the Pixel devices this year to mark its spot in the midrange territory. And their yet unannounced Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL are creating quite a lot of buzz lately. Also, out of nowhere Google also teased that it will be launching a new Pixel product on 7^th of May. Connecting these two dots, many of us are expecting new affordable Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL devices to launch in that event.

Google teased the event with “On May 7, something big is coming to the Pixel universe”. May 7 is the first day of this year’s I/O developer conference in Mountain View. So there are many things, which Google could possibly bring in the limelight. But since Google has specifically mentioned “Pixel Universe”, the one clear idea that comes to the mind is the Pixel phones. However, the next flagship devices in Google’s lineup (possibly Pixel 4 and Pixel 4XL) are due to launch in October. So there are many possibilities of Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL to make a debut then.

Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL Specifications (Leaked)

There have already been a fair number of speculations regarding the Pixel 3a and 3a XL. Google is expected to differentiate the two devices primarily through the screen sizes. And in that case, the smaller 3a is rumored to pack a 5.6-inch display whereas the bigger one will sport a 6.0-inch panel. Both of these devices will come with an OLED panel enriched with Full-HD+ resolution.

Camera has always been the strong suit of the Pixel phones and that’s expected to continue in these new midrange phones. And there have also been a fair number of speculations that the device with the same 12MP rear camera found the flagship duo. If that comes true then it could surely be the best camera phone in the midrange territory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyJwQwSpgWM

On the performance side, Pixel 3a could come with Snapdragon 670 chipset whereas the XL variant will get the Snapdragon 710. Both of these devices are supposed to come with 4GB of RAM. But again, these are just the speculations. Since Snapdragon has recently announced some capable midrange chipsets like Snapdragon 665, 730 and 730G, Google can also make use of any of these chips. We should probably have to wait till the launch date for the confirmation.

In terms of build, these midrange Google phones are expected to come with the plastic back. But since the design will be identical to the last year’s flagship. In these upcoming phones, Google is also said to rejuvenate the 3.5mm audio jack. So it might as well please the audiophiles.

Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL Price

An article had also surfaced on the internet regarding the pricing of the Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL. In the post, the smaller variant (Sargo) was said to cost CAD $649, which translates to €430/$490. Similarly, Bonito (Pixel 3a XL) is said to demand a price of CAD $799 (approximately €530/$600).

The pricing for both of these devices is for the 4/64GB variant of the phone. Since there is no news regarding other memory variants of the phone. So it there might be a single memory configuration on both of these devices.

AMD just sold more desktop processors than Intel – Here is why!

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April 15, 2019

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AMD just sold more desktop processors than Intel – Here is why!

There are two brands synonymous with desktop processors, Intel and AMD. Both offer a number of great chipsets, some offer good value, some not so much. Intel has always been criticized as overpriced, but better performers. On the other end, AMD has been quoted “bang for your buck” multiple times and is a favorite among content creators. With that said, there is no surprise which one shipped more products in the last couple of years.

Thanks to numerous price cuts on multiple chipsets and Intel’s supply problems, AMD just managed to double market share. First, let’s clear a few things up, Intel CPUs aren’t exactly inferior to that of AMD. Because Intel cannot push out enough of its 14nm based chipsets, which affects both of it’s “Xeon” and “Core” lineup, there has been a few consequences. First of which is a hike in prices.

The already expensive chipsets are now receiving price hikes, and that’s not a good thing. What makes it even worse? AMD has been slicing off the prices from it’s already “value for money” products, and you probably get what I am saying. Increase in demand and decrease in supply will eventually result in price hikes. But when that happens, the demand actually decreases, and everyone moves to the next best thing.

Addressing this issue, Intel has started taking steps in order to fix this current situation. Here is the press release from Intel:

The surprising return to PC TAM growth has put pressure on our factory network. We’re prioritizing the production of Intel Xeon and Intel Core processors so that collectively we can serve the high-performance segments of the market.

That said, supply is undoubtedly tight, particularly at the entry-level of the PC market. We continue to believe we will have at least the supply to meet the full-year revenue outlook we announced in July, which was $4.5 billion higher than our January expectations.

To address this challenge, we’re taking the following actions:

We are investing a record $15 billion in capital expenditures in 2018, up approximately $1 billion from the beginning of the year. We’re putting that $1 billion into our 14nm manufacturing sites in Oregon, Arizona, Ireland, and Israel. This capital along with other efficiencies is increasing our supply to respond to your increased demand.
We’re making progress with 10nm. Yields are improving and we continue to expect volume production in 2019.
We are taking a customer-first approach. We’re working with your teams to align demand with available supply. You can expect us to stay close, listen, partner and keep you informed.

MSI launches two new “Modern” laptops in Nepal!

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April 15, 2019

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MSI launches two new “Modern” laptops in Nepal!

If you’re familiar with laptops, you’re familiar with MSI. The gaming laptops maker has a wide range of laptops. And did you know they make professional laptops too? I mean, those meant for work and editing stuff, rather than just gaming. Many did not, of course. Anyway, they are launching two new laptops from their MSI Prestige PS42 Modern lineup in Nepal, along with another gaming laptop.

Their Prestige lineup is meant primarily for people on the go. And this lineup comprises of slim and elegant devices – not your typical heavy gaming rigs. Ocean Computers, the authorized distributors of MSI products in Nepal have launched two Prestige laptops – PS42 Modern 8RA and Prestige PS42 Modern 8MO.

MSI Prestige PS42 Modern 8RA Overview

The PS42 Modern 8RA has a slim and lightweight chassis in an all silver color that weighs about 1.19 kg. It features a 14-inch Full-HD IPS LCD panel with very narrow bezels. There’s a Full-sized keyboard for better work as well. The laptop runs on 8th-gen Intel Whiskey Lake i7-8565U processor with a boost clock up to 4.6 GHz.

Combined with its 16 GB DDR4 RAM, your daily workflow should get on without a hitch. Plus, you also get MX250 graphics…which might be an entry level card but works for light gaming and editing stuff. And that’s what it is meant for anyway. For storage, you get a 512 GB NVMe SSD, so there’s no questioning its performance either. It also packs a 50 Watt-hour battery, and with its configuration, it should last up to 10 hours.

You get 2 USB-Cs, two USB-As, an SD card slot, and an HDMI port for I / O interfaces. This laptop is priced at Rs.149,000.

MSI Prestige PS42 Modern 8MO Overview

Another variant of the PS42 Modern 8RA is the 8MO. There are only a few differences between these two models. The primary one being the absence of a dedicated graphics card. Also, you only get the i5 variant, here in Nepal even though you can get an i7 version overseas.

The PS42 Modern 8MO packs a 14-inch Full-HD display as well. It also has a full sized keyboard and weighs about 1.18 kg. It runs on 8th-gen WhiskeyLake i5-8265U processor with a boost clock up to 3.9 GHz. There’s about 8 GB RAM in it, and the same 512 GB NVMe SSD. It also has the same kind of battery and the same number of I / O ports. The price is Rs.115,000.

In addition, Ocean Computers also launched the RTX variant of the MSI GE63 Raider, for a price of Rs.292,000.

Realme 3 Pro Coming soon: Rumors anyone?

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April 15, 2019

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Realme 3 Pro Coming soon: Rumors anyone?

Now we’ve already got a bunch of people asking us when is the Realme 3 Pro due. And the answer to that is…soon. The Realme 3 Pro is the successor to the Realme 2 Pro, which was very well received. And this one, the Realme 3 Pro, comes at just the right time to give the Redmi Note 7 Pro some competition! Who knows? Maybe they launched the phone to do just that?

Realme 3 Pro Rumors

Anyway, the Realme 3 Pro is launching very soon in India. The company is targeting India as its primary market, where the Redmi Note 7 Pro reigns supreme. But for now, the specs of this phone are still in its rumors stages. For a phone that’s launching on April 22, these rumors might very well be the real thing. But hey, since there is no official word about this, let’s call them rumors.

So, according to rumors, the phone features a 6.3″ Full HD+ display, just like its predecessor. It probably will come with the same water-drop notch too. It will also pack dual cameras. And one will be 48 MP – to take on the Redmi Note 7 Pro’s camera. No word on the selfie camera, though…except that it will be somewhere between 12 MP and 25 MP. We’re probably looking at a 16 MP unit.

Underneath, it will be powered by the Snapdragon 710 as compared to SD 675 of the Note 7 Pro. Also, it will have 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. Of course, they won’t miss out on a microSD card. It has already been listed on Geekbench, and it scores 1483 on Single-core tests and 5900 on Multi-core.

In addition, this phone will pack a 3960 mAh battery and run on ColorOS 6 based on Android Pie. No word about any kind of Fast Charging technology, but there will be Bluetooth 5.0 and a 5 GHz WiFi.

So, that’s all about the Realme 3 Pro rumors. No official word on pricing just yet. We can only guess. But since it’s launching in India, we might see it launch very soon in Nepal as well. So, what do you think about this? Will this be exciting enough?

Also Watch: Realme 2 Pro Review!

Samsung Galaxy A20 Launched in Nepal – Better than the Redmi Note 7?

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April 15, 2019

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Samsung Galaxy A20 Launched in Nepal – Better than the Redmi Note 7?

After it’s “e” version hit the international market, the Samsung Galaxy A20 has finally arrived in Nepal. The device offers a slight improvement over the Galaxy M20, more noticeably the AMOLED display. This alone might justify its steeper price tag, but then again, the A20 offers a low res display. There are a few other things to keep in mind as well, which we will get into. But for the price of Rs 19,490, the smartphone goes head to head with the Redmi Note 7 or the Vivo Y91i, one of which poses a serious competition.

Samsung Galaxy A20 Overview

Samsung Galaxy A20 sports a 6.4-inch 720P AMOLED display. It is powered by the Octa-Core Exynos 7884 chipset which is better than the Exynos 7904 found on the Galaxy M20. On the back, you get dual rear cameras like seen on the M20. There’s 4000mAh battery with 15W fast charging done via a USB-Type C port.

The Galaxy A20 sports an 8MP selfie camera. It is running on Android 9.0 Pie with One UI layered on top. There’s Dual SIM slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. On the memory front, you get 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.

Should you buy the Galaxy A20? Is it a better option over the M20 or the Redmi Note 7? Well, it’s not really a simple question to answer, and it all depends upon you. If you want performance, Redmi Note 7 is the way to go, but if you want the best display, even with a low res 720P panel, the A20 takes this one. It also enjoys an upper hand when it comes to the software, so what about the cameras?

As for the Redmi Note 7, it’s definitely the strongest competitor to the Galaxy A20. This isn’t a bad thing, you won’t regret buying either of these phones. But what’s better is that competition is back, Samsung is trying to enter a market where Xiaomi has enjoyed dominance for the past few years.

Also Read: Best smartphones under Rs.20,000 in Nepal

Specifications:

Display: 6.4-inch (1560 × 720 pixels) HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-V display
Processor: Octa-Core Exynos 7884 (Dual 1.6 GHz + Hexa 1.35 GHz) processor
RAM: 3GB
Storage: 32GB, expandable up to 512GB via micro SD card
OS: Android 9.0 (Pie) with Samsung One UI
Rear Camera: 13MP with LED flash, f/1.9 aperture, 5MP secondary camera with f/2.2 aperture
Front Camera: 8MP, f/2.0 aperture
Dimension: 158.4 x 74.7 x 7.8mm
Others: 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio, fingerprint sensor
Connectivity: Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS
Battery: 4,000mAh
Price: Rs. 19,490

Samsung Galaxy A20 Price in Nepal & Availability

You can purchase the Samsung Galaxy A20 in Nepal for a price of Rs. 19,490. It is available from the nearest Samsung retail stores all over Nepal.

Model Name	Price in Nepal	Availability
Samsung Galaxy A20 (3/32GB)	Rs. 19,490	Out of Stock

Now Daraz starts selling bikes: Online giant offers freebies & discount to lure customers

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April 12, 2019

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Now Daraz starts selling bikes: Online giant offers freebies & discount to lure customers

Daraz, the leading e-commerce website of Nepal is bringing offers one after another. For the New Year 2076, Daraz is offering discounts on various products, which extends up to 60%. This offer already sounds lucrative. On top of that, there is the Shake That A** offer, where it’s showering the vouchers. These offers are definitely tempting. However, these offers were valid only for electronics devices, fashion items, sports items, and accessories. But Daraz stepped up its game and brought offers on automobiles as well. This is the first time Daraz has introduced any sort of deals on the automobile front. The deal is already live and users can grab this offer while purchasing two-wheelers from TVS and NIU.

Daraz Offer on NIU’s two-wheelers

For those of you who are unaware, NIU is one of the manufacturers of electric two-wheeled vehicles. Their electric scooters are quite popular. And because of their research and innovation on the electric vehicles, they have also garnered a fair number of awards and accolades. It’s been a few years since NIU stepped its foot on Nepal. With their eco-friendly tech and pollution-less scooters, they have also made quite a mark amongst the environmentalists and environment-conscious individuals.

So if you were making a resolution to make an effort to save the environment and planning to buy an electric scooter, the deal on NIU scooters can please you. Daraz is offering free accessories worth Rs. 15,000 on the purchase of any of the NIU scooters. Currently, there are N-series, M-series, and U-series electric scooters available for the purchase. The N-series and U-series are double seater scooters whereas the M-series is a single seater scooter.

This New Year deal on the electric scooters sounds quite interesting. And any users dwelling inside the Kathmandu valley can order it for themselves.

Daraz Offer on TVS’ two-wheelers

In the case of TVS, Daraz is offering a flat discount of Rs. 10,000 on all of the listed two-wheelers. Daraz has enlisted various models of Apache, Phoenix, and Stryker motorbikes. On the scooter side, Ntorq, Jupiter Classic, and Wego are kept on the shelf of Daraz’s online store. Apart from the discount, Daraz is also giving away a helmet for free on the purchase of any of the TVS’ wheelers. Although the deal sounds interesting, it is limited only for users inside the Kathmandu Valley.

TVS is also running “Saat Cha Hamro” Scheme for offline users. The offers grant a hassle-free discount of Rs. 7,000 on the purchase of any of the TVS’ motorbike or scooter. So the initiation of the Daraz on bringing a better deal for the online users looks quite commendable.

Daraz’s Payment System

Purchasing goods from Daraz is easy and hassle-free. However, the payment is the part where it gets complicated. Despite being an online shopping platform, it used to accept payments via cash on delivery. But starting the new year, Daraz is accepting payments from Visa Debit/Credit cards.

Samsung Galaxy A20e – How many are they going to make?

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April 11, 2019

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Samsung Galaxy A20e – How many are they going to make?

Samsung is really looking forward to completing its A-series of smartphones. We have all A-something phones except for an A60 and an A90. And while that is already an overwhelming number of phones, we also have a Samsung Galaxy A20e. What drove Samsung to make a smaller version of an already affordable mid-range phone? We don’t know. But it’s here.

The Samsung Galaxy A20e is a slightly toned down variant of the Galaxy A20. The A20e is smaller in size, meaning, it has a smaller display, but the same resolution. And that it has a smaller battery because of its small size. But other than that, there are no differences. Which leads to the same question: Why did they make it?

Samsung Galaxy A20e packs a 5.8″ IPS LCD display, but with HD+ resolution, and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9, just like the bigger model. Also, the dual rear camera setup at the back comprises of the same 13 MP primary lens and a 5 MP ultra-wide angle lens. Also, its selfie camera is the same 8 MP.

More similarities include the use of the same chipset, the Exynos 7884. It also sees the same amount of RAM, i.e. 3 GB. In addition, even the storage is the same at 32 GB! Both make use of a micro USB port. The only other noticeable difference is the size of the battery which is 3000 mAh, due to its small size. But it still features the 15W Fast Charging.

Samsung Galaxy A20e Specifications:

Display: 5.8-inch HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-V display, (1560 × 720 pixels)
Rear Camera: 13 MP rear camera with LED flash, f/1.9 aperture, 5 MP secondary camera with f/2.2 aperture
Front Camera: 8 MP with f/2.0 aperture
Processor: Octa-Core Exynos 7884
RAM: 3 GB RAM
Storage: 32 GB, expandable up to 256 GB via micro SD card
OS: Android 9.0 (Pie) with Samsung One UI
Sensors: Rear-mounted Fingerprint sensor
Connectivity: Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS
Battery: 4,000mAh battery with 15-Watt Fast Charging

So, that was the Galaxy A20e. A smaller variant of phones makes sense for flagships. Just like the Galaxy S10e made of the Galaxy S10. There are quite a few differences. This, to me, does not make sense at all! Why did they make it? I just hope, they don’t make another one like this too soon. It’s going to get pretty confusing.

PUBG Banned in Nepal – How much sense does it make?

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April 11, 2019

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PUBG Banned in Nepal – How much sense does it make?

The most popular mobile game, PUBG (Players Unknown’s Battle Grounds) just now, saw a ban imposed on it! Yes, you read that right… The Central Investigation Bureau directed the Nepal Telecommunications Authority to impose a ban on the game. And that has come into action.

This widely popular mobile game recently came under siege due to some events and accidents. The world saw some quite bizarre actions from the players. More so, in India. And it seems that has followed its way to Nepal as well. Concerned guardians of some players sought the police for help after seeing their children developing disorders due to the game. They claimed that apart from not being able to concentrate on anything else other than the game, the children also faced sleeping disorders like shouting “maar maar” while sleeping!

The game can be, honestly, quite addicting. And many who got addicted became victims of unfortunate circumstances. If you google “Most bizarre PUBG related accidents, you’ll find some really unpleasant stuff. Some have gone through divorces, while some have left their family. As for others, less severe cases, they’ve become so addicted to the game – staying late in the night, and sometimes, until wee hours of the morning playing the game, and neglecting studies or jobs.

The game is now banned in China and sees a partial ban in India. It is not playable for more than 6 hours in India, and police there have arrested quite a few youths for playing the game. And there were instances like a youth losing consciousness after continuously playing the game as well. And after a case lodged at the Kathmandu District Court, the game is now banned in Nepal as well.

Right now, NTA has currently directed all the ISPs to ban the game on their networks. The ban, once live, will not let you download or play the game. While this can be revised in the days to come, is this really the solution?

Many argue that the game destroys mental health, and introduces addiction never before known. I, however, do not believe this. And many of you might share the same perspective. While there are arguments on whether video game addiction is even real, a certain study found this to be a real problem among very few people. But then again, most people who are into gaming don’t exhibit such behavior.

Here’s an interesting take regarding the ban of the game. Gaming addiction, are most likely, a result of some other underlying mental or social problems – as a Dutch study suggested. And a ban is not really a solution to these problems. There are things like VPN, and even if they ban the servers, there are plenty of other video games.

PuBG is addictive, yes. I, too, have found myself, playing the game continuously. However, one should learn to keep oneself in check. To get addicted to a point where you can no longer socially function, is not a fault of the game, but maybe the player? Of course, it’s not his / her “fault”… but there must be an underlying cause. So, instead of banning the game so that a whole lot of healthy players suffer, maybe monitoring your child’s health or keeping yourself in check could be the solution?

What are your thoughts on this? We get that this could be a sensitive topic for some, and controversial for others. But do let us know your thoughts on this.