In FIFA 23 the Team of the Season casts its big shadow ahead and you can now vote for the Premier League TOTS. How it works and which players are up for election, you can find out here.
Soon it will be time, finally the Team of the Season in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team starts. And after the voting for the Community TOTS has already taken place, now it is time for the Premier League TOTS voting.
You can determine the best Premier League players of the ongoing season and contribute to the voting so that they land in the right Team of the Season.
What is the Team of the Season at all? The Team of the Season is probably the biggest event in FUT and spans several weeks, during which each league receives its own TOTS, with incredibly strong special cards.
The special feature is that many of the TOTS cards are even affordable and players can significantly improve their teams.
When does the TOTS event start? EA has not yet announced an exact start date for the TOTS. However, since the Trophy Titans event is currently still ongoing, we expect the TOTS to start on Friday, April 21 at 7:00 PM.
FIFA 23 Premier League TOTS Voting – You can vote for the players
These are the candidates: There are no major surprises in the selection for the Premier League TOTS. For Haaland, Salah, Kane, Rashford, De Bruyne, Odegaard, Martinelli, or Casemiro can be voted for.
However, some professionals are also missed. For example, Granit Xhaka or Bruno Fernandes are missing.
How to participate in the voting: The voting for the Premier League TOTS can be found here (via EA). You still have time until Thursday, April 20 at 7:00 PM, then the voting is officially closed.
You can see all candidates here:
Goalkeepers:
Nick Pope – Newcastle United
Aaron Ramsdale – Arsenal
Alisson – Liverpool
Bernd Leno – Fulham
Kepa – Chelsea
Defenders:
Gabriel Magalhães – Arsenal
William Saliba – Arsenal
Kieran Trippier -Newcastle United
Sven Botman – Newcastle United
Oleksandr Zinchenko – Arsenal
Thiago Silva – Chelsea
Lisandro Martínez – Manchester United
Ben Mee – Brentford
Luke Shaw – Manchester United
Cristian Romero – Tottenham Hotspur
Rúben Dias – Manchester City
Midfielders:
Martin Ødegaard – Arsenal
Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City
Casemiro -Manchester United
Rodri – Manchester City
Bruno Guimarães – Newcastle United
Alexis Mac Allister – Brighton & Hove Albion
João Palhinha – Fulham
James Maddison – CAM – Leicester City
Solly March – Brighton & Hove Albion
Kaoru Mitoma – Brighton & Hove Albion
Rodrigo Bentancur – Tottenham Hotspur
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – Tottenham Hotspur
Forwards:
Erling Haaland – Manchester City
Bukayo Saka – Arsenal
Harry Kane – Tottenham Hotspur
Gabriel Martinelli – Arsenal
Jack Grealish – Manchester City
Marcus Rashford – Manchester United
Mohamed Salah – Liverpool
Miguel Almirón – Newcastle United
Ollie Watkins – Aston Villa
Kai Havertz – Chelsea
Riyad Mahrez – Manchester City
Darwin Núñez -Liverpool
What do you think of the selection? Do you miss important players? Feel free to tell us in the comments!
If you want to know which RTTF cards can still receive upgrades, then take a look here:
Diablo 4 offered many hours of gaming fun during its beta, allowing heroes to unleash their skills. However, the important aspect of the test was the feedback, which Blizzard is taking to heart. One important thing that the developers want to adjust right away, as it has annoyed many players.
What annoyed the players? Those who participated in the beta of Diablo 4 could test a large part of what players can expect on full release. The Character Creator and story impressed many players, but one thing immensely disrupted the immersive feeling and that is the sans-serif font.
A dark world filled with demons and monsters doomed to end, with lots of blood and terror, and then items appear that are labeled with a similar font to Arial? This not only seems inappropriate, but also hurts the eyes significantly. Many players have expressed their frustration about this (via reddit.com), but Blizzard is promising a change at release.
Start video
In Diablo 4 you can play with players from all over the world – All information about multiplayer
Blizzard is quick to make adjustments
What will change? Blizzard has taken the community’s feedback to heart and wants to change its font at launch. First, a sans-serif font was chosen. This will now be changed to a serif font at launch (via wowhead.com).
Diablo 3 was also adjusted with the DLC “Reaper of Souls” – Here with serifs in the font
Diablo 3 experienced this at its release as well. Players complained that Blizzard had chosen a sans-serif font. This negatively affected the immersive feeling. Consequently, with the release of Reaper of Souls, the font was changed to one with serifs.
What are serifs? Fonts often have fewer or more embellishments. There is mainly a distinction between fonts with serifs and without serifs. Serifs are finishing strokes added at the ends of letters. This makes some fonts appear more classic.
Left Arial without serifs – Right Times New Roman with serifs
Diablo 4 takes place in a medieval setting with fantasy elements. A font without serifs or embellishments appears more modern and thus rather inappropriate. This abruptly pulls many players out of the game during their loot runs.
What do you think about the change? Do you like it or did you already find the font in the beta suitable for Diablo 4? Let us know in the comments!
21-year-old Kai Cenat is one of the biggest streamers on Twitch, but for several weeks now, rumors have been circulating about a possible switch to the competing platform Kick. Now Twitch has banned its star, and a German streamer is immediately on the scene.
What kind of streamer is he? Kai Cenat has only been streaming since early 2021, but during this time, he has already risen to become one of the biggest streamers on Twitch. In September 2022, he overtook former Overwatch professional Félix “xQc” Lengyel in terms of paid subscriptions. Even back then, he felt not adequately supported.
With his Subathon in February 2023, Kai Cenat broke two records on Twitch: as the first streamer, he reached over 300,000 concurrent subscriptions and pushed previous record-holder Ludwig Ahgren off his throne.
Moreover, Kai Cenat is important for Twitch, as there are relatively few black content creators with his reach, and he represents an identification figure for young black viewers.
What is the problem with Twitch? Despite these undeniable successes, Kai Cenat apparently feels abandoned by Twitch. Even the well-known musician Drake advocated for an exclusive contract for the 21-year-old.
Instead, Twitch only gave him a pair of purple shoes. On top of that, a ban has now been imposed, which is now the fifth for Kai Cenat – and the last, according to a German streamer.
Start video
The 5 biggest Twitch bans that caused a lot of commotion
Twitch bans its star
Why was Kai Cenat banned? Currently, only speculation can be made about this. What is certain is that he was banned on April 17 for an unknown period, as the automated Twitter account StreamerBans reported.
Possible reasons include statements about white people that rapper Lil Yachty allegedly made in a stream of Kai Cenat. Alternatively, a clip from a recent stream is being discussed, in which the 21-year-old rides a dirt bike through his room and promptly crashes into his desk.
For Kai Cenat, it is the fifth ban, as the fourth one occurred just at the end of January this year, after he consumed too many edibles in a stream and allegedly lost consciousness. If Twitch follows the pattern, it could once again be a three-day suspension.
The platform, as usual, does not publicly justify its decision. The streamer himself merely posted “BANNED” in capital letters on his Twitter account. Some viewers suggest a switch to the new streaming platform Kick, and a German streamer also chimes in.
“It’s time for Kick”
Who is calling for the switch? Among the voices calling for Kai Cenat’s switch to Kick is also the German streamer Theo “Scurrows” Bottländer. He became famous on Twitch with role-playing in GTA V but mainly showed the gambling category Slots in 2022.
After the gambling guidelines from Twitch, valid since October 2022, had cost Scurrows and other casino streamers many viewers, he began streaming on Kick at the beginning of 2023 and became a fervent advocate of the platform.
Under Kai Cenat’s tweet, Scurrows wrote: “It’s time for Kick”:
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But Scurrows is by no means the only one thinking in this direction. The comments are full of suggestions to turn their backs on Twitch. That Tyler “Trainwreck” Niknam, a gambling streamer and figurehead of Kick, is also involved is less surprising (via Twitter).
However, a hint like that from the legendary Minecraft YouTuber Dream might have been less expected:
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How does Kai Cenat react? He has not commented further on the ban or a possible switch. However, rumors that he might be in talks with Kick have been circulating since he compared a pair of green sneakers, the color of the streaming platform, with the Twitch version (via Twitter).
Kick streamers are currently busy recruiting for their platform. Because Kick lures with a generous sub-split and a rather lenient interpretation of the rules, which, however, should be worked on. This is precisely what makes the platform attractive for streamers, who often operate at the edge of what is permitted or may have already received a permanent ban from Twitch.
A new game in the familiar wizarding universe has been announced. With Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, a multiplayer title centered around the wizard sport will be released.
However, a crucial element of the wizarding world was missing in the action role-playing game: the wizard sport Quidditch.
In 2003, Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup was released as the first game that focused entirely on the sport. Now, a new title has been announced that promises fast-paced matches on flying brooms.
Here you can see a trailer for Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions:
Start video
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions
Warner Bros. Games announces fast-paced Quidditch matches against other players
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions will be a competitive multiplayer game focused on the quick sport of wizards.
You can play the game solo or online with others. Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions promises a competitive multiplayer mode where players can face off in Quidditch and experience “other broomstick adventures” with friends (via quidditchchampions.wbgames.com).
The game is published by Warner Bros. Games under the Portkey Games label. The Unbroken Studios have been working on Quidditch Champions for several years as developers.
If you want to get an early look at the game, you can already sign up for the playtest. Go to the official website of the game and provide your date of birth and email address.
However, registering for the playtest does not guarantee participation, as access is limited. However, by signing up, you have the chance to participate in current or upcoming playtests.
For which platforms will Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions be released? There will definitely be a PC version. Additionally, the game is expected to be available on consoles as well. Which ones exactly is still unknown.
When is the release of Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions? So far, there is no exact release date for the new Harry Potter game.
Frederik “NoWay4u” Hinteregger is the largest German Twitch streamer in League of Legends. He is currently on a special challenge that has now been extended. His goal: to reach the highest ranking in all 5 roles of the game in a relatively short time. Only a few legends can claim this title.
What kind of challenge is this? NoWay started his “Tyler1-Challenge” in February. The goal was to reach the Master rank in all 5 roles of the game – Toplaner, Midlaner, ADC, Support, and Jungler – by mid-April.
This is the third highest rank in LoL and is currently achieved only by the top 0.62% of players on the EUW server.
5 brand new accounts to Challenger as a trained Midlaner
How has the challenge been so far? The German streamer started in mid-February with 5 brand new accounts provided by Riot Games for the event. These accounts were directly at level 30, but started in ranked matches with a matchmaking rating of Silver 1, as it is typical for new accounts.
With all five accounts, NoWay almost effortlessly reached the Master rank – with impressive numbers:
On his Jungler, he played 130 matches with a win rate of 62.3%
On his Toplaner, he played 156 matches with a win rate of 61.5%
On his Support, he played 133 matches with a win rate of 63.2%
On his AD Carry, he played 146 matches with a win rate of 63.7%
Somewhat apart is his Midlaner, as that is the actual main role of the streamer. There, he played 135 matches with an astonishing win rate of 68.1%. He has already reached the Grandmaster rank and is among the top 0.29% in Europe.
Interestingly, he plays a different role every day of the week, such as Support Sunday or Midlane Wednesday.
NoWay himself says that he is having a lot of fun with the challenge and that it has rekindled his passion for LoL. He needs such challenges and events to still enjoy the game he streams almost daily on his Twitch channel.
What happens next? Initially, the 5 accounts were supposed to be deleted at the end of the challenge in April. But the streamer has negotiated an extension with Riot Games.
He wants to reach his new Challenger goal by the soft reset in summer – likely July – when the rankings will be reset midway through the season this year.
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Why is the challenge so special? Most players in the Challenger area focus on one or two positions they are particularly strong in. From these positions, it is easier for them to control matches and win.
The German streamer impresses many mainly with his calm demeanor. He remains almost always positive, does not give up on matches, and does not insult other players. During his challenge, he received a brief chat ban, but only because he mistyped. He actually wanted to write “big,” but hit the “n” as the first letter.
Moreover, he explains an incredible amount and answers dozens of questions from his community, which he also keeps an eye on during ranked matches.
He is thus the exact opposite of Tyler1, who mainly draws attention with his toxic attitude, even though he is said to be very friendly in real life, as NoWay himself has reported.
In Pokémon GO you can complete the special research “A Wise Hero.” However, some trainers have now lost their progress.
What kind of task is this? “A Wise Hero” is the name of research that you could have received since the start of the eponymous event on April 13, 2023.
The special research “A Wise Hero” consists of four steps, during which you can receive rewards such as stardust, candies, balls, and more. At the very end, there is a meeting with the special Blanche-Lapras.
Important: Special researches do not have a time limit once you have received them for the first time, unlike, for example, “Timed Research.” They are therefore not tied to the end of an event.
However, this event end suddenly surprised some trainers. Because they found out: Part of their progress has been lost.
Level 3 of “A Wise Hero” is suddenly back to zero – trainers have to start walking again
This is the problem: On social media like the subreddit “TheSilphRoad” for Pokémon GO, trainers are sharing that their progress at level 3 of the research was suddenly reset with the end of the event.
This consists of the tasks:
Land 3 great throws
Earn 5 candies by walking with your buddy
Develop 10 Pokémon
But apparently trainers received the message “Streak broken” at the end of the event, after which the progress was lost. Even in the editorial office, we could confirm the progress deletion.
User AuckZealand on reddit shared the following screenshot:
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As the user describes, he had already collected the reward for great throws and evolutions, so he only had the candies from walking left open.
But when the event ended, he suddenly was back to zero everywhere and has to start over. In terms of research completion, this is unfortunate, but the trainer at least had the advantage of being able to collect the rewards again.
This is how other trainers are reacting: Many trainers are joining the post and reporting that their progress has been deleted. There are also more posts on the topic in the Pokémon GO subreddit “pokemongo” itself (via reddit).
Especially trainers who already had progress but have not yet been able to collect rewards are now upset. They have to start all over again.
“About 20 minutes ago everything was fine, I just reopened the app because it was frozen and now my progress is reset. When I logged back in, I received the “Streak broken” message 3 times and then checked that it had been reset. I was also only about 1 km away from the last candy,” writes user DanRose001 (via reddit).
“Yep. As if the 5-candy task wasn’t annoying enough, for a bad reward” (via reddit).
“I am angry. What a waste of candies for the evolutions. I was at 9/10.” (via reddit).
“Damn, I just needed one more great throw” (via reddit).
In the comments, some write that they hope that developers Niantic will address the issue. So far, however, the support channel on Twitter has not published anything in that direction. Should that change, we will keep you updated here.
Recently, Pokémon GO in general caused dissatisfaction when changes to remote raid passes were implemented. In a survey, we want to hear your feelings about the current game. The survey on Pokémon GO and raid passes can be found here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
XDefiant is the new arena shooter from Ubisoft, which is currently being extensively tested in its closed beta. We will now show you how to get a code for the beta for free and how you can redeem it afterward.
However, since it is closed, not every player can participate. Therefore, we will show you two methods to securely obtain a code to test the beta for free.
Here we have an overview trailer of XDefiant for you:
Start video
XDefiant Game Overview Deep Dive Trailer
Twitch Drops: Get and redeem codes for the beta – Here’s how
Update on 04/22/2023: The Twitch drops for the beta key have ended, and there are only skins available through streaming. Currently, it is unknown when beta codes will be distributed again. However, you can try your luck at the official Ubisoft website and register for the beta.
Get a beta code with Twitch Drop: A reliable but time-limited source to obtain a beta code is Twitch. Here’s how to proceed:
Log in with your Ubisoft account and select your platform
Now enter your code and submit it to Ubisoft
You will then receive a code by email for your selected platform
How long does the Twitch promotion last? The promotion with the Twitch drops lasts until April 18. You need to act quickly to test the shooter. After that period, you will no longer have a chance to participate in the beta.
Alienware: Get and redeem codes for the beta – Here’s how
Update: The giveaway at Alienware has ended.
Get a beta code with Alienware: Alienware is also participating and continuously giving away some codes for the beta of XDefiant for free on their site. Here’s how you can get one:
An artist won the Sony World Photography Awards, but he refuses the prize. Because the image is not from him, but from an AI.
The German artist Boris Eldagsen participated and won last week at the “Sony World Photography Awards” with the image Pseudomnesia: The Electrician in the creative open category. The “Sony World Photography Awards” are among the most important prizes in photography.
However, the German artist declined the prize. He explains that the photo was generated by AI and was not taken by him at all. He says about the award ceremony (via pcgamer.com):
I applied as a cheeky monkey to find out if competitions are prepared for the participation of AI images. They are not.
(…)
AI images and photography should not compete for an award like this. They are different things. AI is not photography. Therefore, I will not accept the award.
What are the reactions? A spokesman for the Sony Photography Awards stated to the BBC that they excluded Eldagsen from the competition. Since he declined the award, they separated from him at his request.
However, this approach is heavily debated: There are currently no clear rules regarding AI images or artworks. That is why there are often artists and people who want to point out the lack of certain regulations with actions like the competition.
You can redeem codes for Genshin Impact through various ways: You can secure free rewards on mobile, PC, PS4, or PS5. Here you will find guides for iOS, Apple, PC, and console. We also explain what to do if the redemption doesn’t work.
Here you will find a guide on how to redeem Genshin Impact promo codes (also: redeem codes) across the different platforms.
Mobile and PC players can redeem promo codes both in the game itself and through the redeem code website.
PS4 and PS5 players can redeem promo codes in the game itself.
[toc]
Start video
Genshin Impact: Version 3.6 „A Parade of Providence” Trailer
How to redeem Genshin Impact codes – This is how you can enter the code
How to redeem Genshin Impact codes – Via mobile and PC
If you want to redeem your promo codes via mobile or PC, you have two different options: through the official Genshin Impact website or directly in the game itself.
How do I redeem the code via the website? Through this link, you will reach the redeem code page of Genshin Impact. Log in with your game data and enter the promo code.
How do I redeem a code in the game? To secure rewards in Genshin Impact, follow these steps:
Step 1: Go to settings
Step 2: Click on account
Step 3: Under the gift code, click on “Redeem Now”
Step 4: Enter the promo code in the field and then also click “Redeem”
Here you will find an overview of all valid promo codes in Genshin Impact that we update regularly:
Patch 1.20 of Minecraft is nearing completion. We reveal what’s in the next update – and which great features will soon be introduced.
Meanwhile, several months have passed since the last update for Minecraft was released. The Patch 1.19 named “The Wild” elicited mixed feelings. While many innovations were well-received, there was also criticism that the update did not live up to its grand name.
With the upcoming Update 1.20, Mojang took a different approach and revealed the name only when the number of features was established. Update 1.20 will be titled “Trails and Tales”, which translates to “Pfade und Geschichten” in German. This is because the patch primarily brings features related to world building while also making it easier for players to tell and document their own stories.
Of course, the “Trails and Tales” update is also packed with new features for explorers and collectors. The large cherry groves are particularly eye-catching and are likely to be highly sought after.
When will Patch 1.20 be released? There is no exact release date yet for Patch 1.20. However, since the major features are now fully known, only final adjustments should take place in the coming weeks and months. As soon as there is a reliable release date, we will update this information. So far, only the release in 2023 has been confirmed.
Start video
The Story of Notch – The Man Who Invented Minecraft
New Biome: Cherry Grove
If you have a penchant for Asian aesthetics or simply think that Minecraft could use more pink, you will be pleased with the new biome full of cherry trees at their peak bloom. The relatively smaller trees with large, flat canopies can be easily recognized from a distance due to their color.
You can already recognize these trees from a large distance.
Cherry wood is a brand new type of wood with which you can create your structures. If you want to plant cherry trees near your home, you can find saplings and plant them at home. Pigs, sheep, and bees can be found in large numbers here. Generally, it is a relatively peaceful biome.
How frequently this type of forest occurs is still unclear – it is likely to be a rather rare sight.
With cherry wood, you will create soft, pale pink colors.
New Mob Type: Sniffer
The Sniffer (probably translating to “Schnüffler”) was chosen in 2022 as the mob that will be added to the game. To the surprise of many, the Sniffer is significantly larger than the player.
Sniffers are passive mobs – they never attack, even when provoked. In the wild, the animals “sniff” at regular intervals, thereby locating seed grains. Occasionally, they find seeds for the “Torchflower”, which, as a complete flower, is the Sniffer’s favorite food. The seeds can be planted and harvested after a while.
The “Sniffer” – it is huge, but gentle and, according to the developers, “ancient”.
Like most animals, you can breed the Sniffer by feeding two specimens, in this case with a “Torchflower”. This will result in a Sniffer baby, which takes a few days to grow up.
The Torchflower can be used to create orange dye, otherwise has no use aside from breeding Sniffers, and serves merely as new decoration.
A “Sniffer” in motion – leisurely.
If you kill a Sniffer, it can drop a moss block, which can otherwise only be found in special caves.
You won’t encounter Sniffers in the wild. You need to find an egg via archaeology in “suspicious sand” and then hatch it. As a small “Snifflet”, it takes a while to grow.
New Feature: Archaeology
Archaeology has long been announced as a feature for Minecraft, and with Patch 1.20, it is finally here. Here you can create a brush with 3 threads and 2 sticks. With the brush, you can search for “suspicious sand” – which is mainly found near desert pyramids and desert wells.
With the brush, you can work on the suspicious sand and uncover archaeological finds. These can be valuable materials like diamonds, emeralds, or even TNT, but also vessel shards with patterns – and even an intact Sniffer egg.
Brush and clay pots are part of the archaeology feature.
Four of these shards can then be transformed into decorative clay pots. Depending on which clay shards are used, there are different patterns from the Minecraft world – such as a jewel, the skull of a skeleton, or a cheering person.
The feature gives the impression that it could be easily expanded in the future with new “excavations” and treasures.
Cosmetic Armor Customizations
Are you tired of all players in Minecraft wearing the same armor? That is likely to change with the next patch. Because in various buildings and structures in the Minecraft world, you will soon find “smithing templates”. With these, you can modify existing equipment to create your own design. There are 11 different customizations, each with 10 different color options. This allows for 110 different options, so you can choose a special uniform for your group of players.
Colored armor like this provides more individuality.
Especially on PvP servers, this is likely to be well-received to visually distinguish your faction from the rest, but in general, a uniform or individual look in armor is a welcome change.
Netherite Tools Are Harder to Obtain
Netherite weapons and tools are the “be-all and end-all” in Minecraft – and currently too easy to obtain. Therefore, in the upcoming update, it will be more difficult to obtain the sought-after items. You will need, in addition to the Netherite ingot, a smithing template to carry out the corresponding upgrade. You will only find these templates in the ruins of bastions in the Nether – so you will need to search for a while to obtain the best equipment.
In addition to the new larger gameplay features, there are, of course, also a number of new blocks and objects that can be built to beautify the game world and create new looks. These new items include:
Bamboo Wood: 9 bamboo pieces can now be combined into a bamboo block. From this, you can create wooden planks and then all other types of wood products, such as stairs, slabs, fences, doors, and so on.
Chiseled Bookshelf: An expanded form of bookshelves where you can store books and enchanted books. You can now fill an entire library with your stories and enchantments without needing to set up chests.
Brush: The brush is needed for conducting archaeology in deserts. You can use it to search for gems and relics in suspicious sand.
Pink Flowers: These are small flowers that occur naturally only in the cherry blossom forest. You can collect them and place up to 4 on a dirt block (similar to sea cucumbers). With bone meal, you can create more flowers. From the flowers, you can directly obtain pink dye.
Hanging Signs: You will soon be able to make signs that not only stand on the ground or “stick” to walls but also hang down. This creates interesting new possibilities, such as creating street signs and building labels. Creative minds can surely build other structures from this.
Note that most major features already mean a variety of visual changes for Minecraft. The implementation of two new types of wood (cherry and bamboo) alone ensures that you have many more color options.
Are you looking forward to the new Minecraft update?
The Xbox Game Pass offers players the ability to play numerous games through a subscription. In some cases, the subscription service even includes new games right at their release. Using the Game Pass for 40 years for free actually sounds pretty good, but a gamer from the USA saw it differently.
What kind of prize is that? The Reddit user “Elvite” reports in a post on the social network that he won a lifetime membership for the Xbox Game Pass in a Microsoft Rewards sweepstakes and declined the prize (via reddit).
However, Elvite’s lifetime prize is not really lifetime but limited to 40 years. Elvite is American and says that Microsoft must report the value of the prize to the US tax authorities. To do this, “lifetime” is supposed to be specified with a year designation, in this case 40 years.
Why did the player decline the prize? According to his own statement, Elvite declined the prize because in the USA the value of a sweepstakes prize must also be taxed.
In his post on Reddit, he says that by accepting the prize he would have an additional taxable amount of $7,300 for the year 2023. The sum represents the value of the prize that a 40-year “Xbox Game Pass” subscription would cost.
Of course, I declined the offer. […] If I live less than 10 years from now, I lose. I wish the prize wasn’t lifetime but something that would make the tax bill easier to digest, like 10 years of Game Pass Ultimate.
According to Elvite, there are $1,752 in taxes on the value of $7,300 that he would have to pay in 2023. Additionally, he cannot transfer his prize to another person or take cash instead of the subscription.
Moreover, Elvite calculated that the Game Pass subscription would only be worth it for him after 10 years since he could buy 10 years of Xbox Game Pass with the money he would have to pay in taxes upon accepting his prize.
With Microsoft Rewards, you can also secure a month of Xbox Game Pass outside of a sweepstakes and won’t have to pay taxes on it:
We from MeinMMO want to know your opinion about our site. That’s why we created this big survey, and you are all warmly invited to participate.
Here’s what it’s all about: Every day, thousands of readers visit our site. Among them are old hands who have been with us since the beginnings of the site, casual readers who stop by from time to time, and completely new readers who find us for the first time.
Each of you has your own preferences, interests, and things that move you, and we from MeinMMO would like to learn more about them.
So, we now say: Hello everyone and welcome to our big user survey. This survey is all about MeinMMO:
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In this big survey, you can therefore share your opinion on various areas of MeinMMO, because you are our community, and without you, we wouldn’t exist.
Whether you are part of our regular readership and the familiar faces we see every day in the comments, or whether you are completely new users who stumbled upon our site. We want to know your different perspectives on MeinMMO, so go ahead!
This is the goal of the survey: One of our goals at MeinMMO is to provide you, our community, with cool new content every day. We’re always looking for new exciting news and topics related to gaming.
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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Pokémon GO, the spotlight hour with Knacklion takes place today, on April 18th. We will show you everything about the shiny, start, and bonuses of this short event.
What kind of event is this? In Pokémon GO, Tuesday evenings are reserved for the spotlight hours. These are hour-long events that focus on a Pokémon selected by Niantic and are accompanied by a bonus. Pokémon and bonuses change from week to week.
Today, you can expect Knacklion from the third game generation along with a bonus that affects your experience points.
Spotlight Hour on April 18th: Start, Shiny, and Bonuses
When does it start? As you may know from these events, the spotlight hour today starts at 6:00 PM. An hour later, at 7:00 PM, the event will be over again.
What bonuses are there? During the event, you will encounter Knacklion almost everywhere in the wild. The creature can evolve into Vibrava and eventually into Libelldra. If you want to increase your encounters with Knacklion even more, you can activate a smoke.
You will also receive double the amount of experience points for evolving Pokémon.
Today’s event is the third spotlight hour in April. Another event of this type is still available for you this month:
Can you catch Shiny Knacklion? Yes, the shiny form of Knacklion has been activated in Pokémon GO and is catchable. However, keep in mind that the chances are not increased during a RL hour. You will need a lot of luck.
Is the spotlight hour worth it today? Looking at the family of Knacklion, the final evolution Libelldra is the most useful. In PvP, it plays in the lower middle tier in the Super League and even in the upper middle tier in the Hyper League.
If you are looking for strong attackers for raids, then today’s spotlight hour is not ideal for that.
How do you like the spotlight hour today? Are you joining in and catching many Knacklion or are you just taking advantage of the XP bonus for evolving Pokémon? Share your thoughts here on MeinMMO in the comments.
All events in April 2023 for Pokémon GO in overview with dates and details. We will show you all known bonuses and which events are particularly worthwhile.
What does the overview show? The Niantic team revealed some dates for events running in April 2023. In our overview, you can see all theme events like “Spring into Spring” or “Eco Week”, raid bosses, spotlight hours, the normal and classic community day, as well as the research breakthrough in April 2023.
We regularly update our overview for you as soon as there is new information about the upcoming events.
Update from April 18: We have updated the article with new links in the table for Eco Week and Community Day featuring Quiekel.
All events in April 2023 in overview
In April, you can expect four spotlight hours and four raid hours. In the raids, Pokémon such as Tornadus (Incarnate Form), Tapu Koko, Mega Blastoise, and Mega Latios will be available. In addition, the five theme events “Spring into Spring”, “Top Raids”, “A Wise Hero”, “Eco Week”, “Limited Research”, and two Community Days will be held.
We present the events here in the overview. Below, we will discuss the dates that could be particularly worthwhile for you.
Date
Event
March 1 to June 1
Research breakthrough with Paras, Pinsir*, Snorlax*, Spheal*, Swablu* and Viscora
Pokémon marked with a star (*) can be caught as Shiny
Which events are particularly worthwhile in April 2023?
They could be worthwhile: Most events have been announced by Niantic so far without details and only with their name. Based on experiences from previous years, it is already clear what could be good.
As soon as there are more details about the upcoming events, we will add them to the overview so that this article remains current for you.
Have you already found a favorite among the upcoming events that you definitely want to participate in? Please share your opinions here on MeinMMO in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Chaos under your desk and nasty pets that love to climb over your cables? MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann was annoyed by this and had to come up with something. He bought cable boxes. And they work surprisingly well.
If you want to connect your gaming PC, monitor, lamps, and other devices, you eventually have a bunch of cables lying and hanging under your desk. Our cats love that and regularly climb through the cables. I panicked every time because I feared one of the animals would eventually turn off the power strip.
What was my solution? Annoyed, I ordered a so-called cable box. That’s the part where the cat is sitting in the title image. These are normally large boxes where you can put the power strip inside and store the cables of most devices as well.
By now, I’m so enthusiastic about the part that I’ve packed all the cables in the living room into such boxes. Privately, I bought boxes from HAMA (1-set, 20 Euros) and from DARKOH ELEMENTS (2-set, 40 Euros):
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Another tip is a practical seat cushion that I also can’t do without anymore and accompanies me every day in the home office:
Three advantages: Less chaos, less dust, less fighting with pets
What do these boxes bring? The models are normally absolutely inconspicuous in everyday life. A white box hardly stands out next to a white cabinet.
All cables coming out of the back of the cable box are additionally in a cable channel from IKEA. The remaining free cables hang down from my desk and then run into the box. I can’t really secure them because they need some leeway due to the height-adjustable desk.
I find the result pretty genius and significantly nicer. You can see how it looks with and without the cable box in the following image gallery:
Cable chaos without cable boxCable chaos with cable box and cat
Another advantage is that the cables and the power strip inside the box no longer collect a lot of dust. There’s also a third advantage: the cat no longer sits between the cables, but on the cable box. There, it can’t break much.
In fact, I liked the organization so much that I also ordered such a cable box for the bedroom and living room. This way, almost all cables have now disappeared into such boxes.
Another cable box: This time black with a bamboo lid. Looks nice and makes cables disappear.
What does it cost and what is available?
The prices start at around 15 Euros for simple plastic boxes and go up to about 40 Euros for 2-set.
The boxes differ partly in design, look different, and some products come with bamboo lids.
Many models also come in different sizes, depending on how big your power strip is. In boxes with a length of 40 cm, you can fit power strips with 6 sockets, sometimes even 8 sockets.
Some models also offer additional holes for cables or extra air supply. Most boxes, by the way, are not waterproof and not suitable for outdoor use.
Before purchasing, it took me about 15 minutes to measure my power strips and any cables. This effort is definitely worth it and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to acquire something like this.
Do the cables and the strip get warm? I couldn’t measure significant heat development. The box stays cold, and most cables also run in a cable channel. I also don’t “stuff” any cables into the box.
Through the power strip, a maximum of 1,000 watts is used when my desktop PC is running, as I have a lot of small stuff connected to the strip. So, a lamp, USB charger for the phone, and a USB hub with power supply.
Another tip for the desk is a lamp that I purchased some time ago. This has proven to be a really good tip for my everyday life and accompanies me daily when I sit at the desk:
The new game in the Monster Hunter series is called “Now” and is coming to your smartphones. You can register now for the upcoming beta test.
What kind of game is this? With Monster Hunter Now, Capcom and Niantic are launching a new “real-world game”. As you may know from Pokémon GO, you use your smartphone and explore the real world. On your display, you will see various monsters that you know from the franchise in the streets and parks.
We will show you everything about the release, beta, and gameplay that we know so far.
Monster Hunter Now: Release, Beta, and all content
When is the release? The game will be released in September 2023, with a worldwide launch planned.
Where can I download it? The game will be available on the App Store and also on Google Play.
How do I sign up for the beta? If you’re interested, you can register now for a beta test of Monster Hunter Now. To do this, visit the official website of the game (Monsterhunternow.com).
On the page, you will find the button for “Closed Beta Test Sign-Up”
Sign up there with your email and other information
With a bit of luck, you will then be selected for the test
Invitations will be sent out via email at the start of the beta phase
When does the beta end? The test phase begins on April 25, 2023. How long it will be active is still unclear. They want to invite about 10,000 players to test it. You will not be able to carry over your progress from the beta to the final game.
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This is what you can expect: In Monster Hunter Now, you play as a hunter who embarks on adventures with monsters in the real world. Alone or together with friends, you have access to the AR technology of Niantic that allows you to see the monsters in the real world. Niantic demonstrates this capability with their game “Pokémon GO“, which has been running since 2016.
However, in Now, the focus is on battling monsters in action-packed encounters. You can equip and craft various weapons or shields, depending on your play style.
You can expect many different monsters, hunts, and cooperative gameplay.
As you may know from Pokémon GO, a location-based technology is used for the game. On the screen of your smartphone, you will see streets and important places that you can also see directly in front of you.
Monster Hunter Now also works horizontally
By the way, you can also play in horizontal mode if you prefer to experience the full width of Monster Hunter Now.
What do you think of the prospect of Monster Hunter Now? Is this a title from the series that interests you, or can you not imagine hunting with your smartphone in the real world? Please share your opinion about the game here in the comments on MeinMMO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Blizzard does not abandon its fans and reveals more information about its upcoming hack & slash before the release of Diablo 4. This time, it’s about the PvP mode, which is not for the faint-hearted.
What is it about? The news site gamesradar+ (via gamesradar.com) was invited to a roundtable interview with Blizzard. During this, numerous questions were raised regarding the PvP feature “Fields of Hatred”.
The main focus was to examine the mechanics and functions of PvP in Diablo 4 more closely. Blizzard explains that the Fields of Hatred are not places to be fair. Anything goes, and only the best and most ruthless player can win.
If you want to learn more about the endgame in Diablo 4, we have a video for you:
Start video
Diablo 4: Insight into the Endgame
The Fields of Hatred are merciless and dangerous
What has Blizzard revealed? One question centered around how Blizzard intends to ensure that no low-level players are torn apart by max-level players. Lead Game Producer Kayleigh Calder clarified that no matchmaking exists in PvP; however, all present players will have similar power and item levels. There will be “some variations,” but not so many that experienced players can team up and crush beginners.
For the sake of combat and how players can win, Associate Game Director Joseph Piepiora has more information. According to him, there are no fights where only certain classes can win. Any player can devastate everything and everyone with the right build.
The Fields of Hatred are barren and stained with blood
However, Joseph emphasizes the tactics of players. Anything goes, so a surprise attack might be the better strategy to let your opponent bleed out. In this regard, the developer says, “This is not a duel system. That is not how the Fields of Hatred work, you know? The Fields of Hatred are murder zones; this is not a place of honor.”
It’s clear then that if you want to play PvP, you should be careful. Enemies lurk everywhere, and it’s only a matter of time before the pieces start flying.
How do the developers react to overpowered players? The developers have little doubt that players will create builds that are very strong. However, that’s not a problem because fun should not be nerfed.
Fans who now lead too powerful builds will be thrown onto the fields with equally matched players. No hero should have less fun in the fields just because they are too strong or unfair. Nerfs, therefore, are unlikely regarding the fields.
That was all the important information regarding the Fields of Hatred and how Blizzard plans to turn you into a soulless beast. What do you think about PvP? Will you test the feature or prefer to ignore it? Let us know in the comments!
Pokémon GO has released the Community Day Classic for April 2023. This brings an absolute top attacker of the Ice & Ground types with Swablu, as well as some bonuses.
What is the Community Day Classic? The Community Day Classic focuses on a special Pokémon for 3 hours, which then appears everywhere in the game – basically like a normal Community Day.
The special thing about the “Classic” variant is that a Pokémon is brought back that has already had a Community Day. In April 2023, it will be Swablu. After it had its C-Day in February 2019, it is now returning.
Those who missed the event back then, or started playing afterward, can now catch up on the Swablu day. This can be worth it, as its evolution Altaria is among the best attackers for raids in Pokémon GO.
In addition, there are still some bonuses. We summarize here what you can expect.
Community Day Classic with Swablu – Dates, Content, Bonuses
When does the Community Day Classic start? The event runs on Saturday, April 29, 2023, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM local time. You have three hours to secure the monster and the bonuses.
The Classic variant of the Community Day does not bring any special raids after the event. But a few other bonuses are included.
All bonuses of the Swablu day: On one hand, Swablu will spawn more frequently in its shiny variant. If you are missing its evolution line as shiny, this is your opportunity. Here’s what it looks like:
Shiny Swablu and its evolutions
Further bonuses include:
Triple catch Stardust
Three hour duration for incense and lures during the event
Attack “Ancient Power” for Altaria, if you evolve Swablu to Altaria from event start until 7:00 PM.
Field research around Swablu will yield Sinnoh Stones for evolution as well as Stardust, Ultra Balls, and other rewards.
A timed research will also provide up to four Sinnoh Stones.
There will be a ticket research for one euro in the shop.
Is the event worth it? Altaria is one of the top ice-type attackers, its shadow variant is at the top of the list. Also as a ground attacker, it is extremely strong. So you should definitely secure a strong Altaria if you don’t have one yet – or the necessary candies to power up shadow-altaria.
If you already have enough Altaria, you might be able to skip the day. However, the stardust bonus is also a good reason to participate in the event and secure this important resource.
What do you think about the Community Day Classic with Swablu? An exciting event for you, or not? Tell us in the comments!
We remember the release of its predecessor, Diablo 3, and look back at a big mistake Blizzard made back then. A mistake whose absence can ensure that Diablo 4 has a significantly better start.
Start video
Diablo 4 Beta: Performance and fun are on point, but important questions remain unanswered – The conclusion of the MeinMMO editorial team
The auction house tarnished the core gameplay of Diablo
What was that mistake? When Diablo 3 was released in May 2012, it featured an auction house. In this auction house, you could buy and sell found items for the in-game currency “gold” or for real money. Blizzard itself took a cut of the money paid in transactions between players.
The problem with the auction house, however, was that a Diablo player’s goal is usually to farm better gear. The principle of the auction house contradicted the core gameplay of Diablo – fighting monsters and collecting loot:
You didn’t have to run dungeons for days to find a specific piece of equipment. You could just buy it.
Afterwards, one completed the endgame content a few more times and then the game lost its charm.
There was no longer a goal to be achieved because you couldn’t find loot that was better than the purchased gear.
This is also described by the Reddit user skylights1 in a comment from 4 years ago:
The ‘real money auction house’ turned ‘vanilla Diablo 3’ into an auction house simulator with an ARPG side game. It was no longer a game that you played for hours to get better and complete increasingly difficult content. Instead, it became a game where the goal was to collect the best loot to auction it off in the auction house. If you were lucky, you could earn enough money in the auction house to make your money back for the game and then buy a better game.
Players stopped with Diablo 3 after spending money in the auction house
What do Diablo players say about the auction house? How accurate skylights1’s description was can be seen from the stories of various players. The Reddit user SeiriusPolaris wrote, for example, a year ago that three of his friends stopped playing Diablo 3 after buying gear in the auction house (via Reddit). Another user says on Reddit:
I had a friend who joined and spent 100 dollars on gold and items to go from a level 1 barbarian to level 60 in just a few hours, with everything he could ever wish for… We ran a few things, he played for about 2 more days and said he saw no point in playing anymore.
About 1.5 years after the release of Diablo 3, Blizzard realized that the auction house was not a good idea and announced its shutdown. In March 2014, just under 2 years after the release of Diablo 3, the auction house was closed.
With Diablo 4, Blizzard wants to return to the core gameplay of the series, avoid past mistakes, and focus on defeating monsters and collecting loot.
Therefore, Diablo 4 should also not feel like an MMO despite the shared world, where players need healers or tanks in their ranks to defeat a boss. It should again be about farming the best gear and dealing massive damage like the best damage dealers.
In League of Legends, there was now an exciting record: The Czech Matyáš “Carzzy” Orság (21) has broken the record for the most kills in a game of the LEC. The twist: He set the record against Rekkless from Fnatic and thereby knocked the team out of the playoff race. The 26-year-old Swede had set the record in 2014 for Fnatic.
What kind of record is that?
The record is for the most kills in a game of the LEC.
The old record was held by Martin “Rekkles” Larsson. He set it in the summer of 2014. On July 17, 2014, the Swede achieved 18 kills. He made the killing blows back then with Fnatic against “CW” – playing Vayne with a clean 18/0/3.
However, Carzzy was able to collect 19 kills on Jinx and at the same time inflict a painful defeat on Fnatic. However, the record does not look as clean as Rekkles’: it was 19-5-8 in the end. The game was balanced, a pretty chaotic bloodbath.
Start video
LoL: Video shows the relationship between rank placement, MMR and league points
Bloody match with 65 kills seals the end of Fnatic
What kind of match was that? It was a “Best of Three” series. Both teams had lost their first encounters and were therefore against the wall. The losers would be eliminated from the Spring Split.
The first game of the encounter was clearly won by Mad Lions, but game number 2 was equally decisively won by Fnatic.
Match 3 was then a relatively balanced, chaotic game with many kills on both sides. Mad Lions won in the end with 38-27-99.
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How do the two react? Rekkles takes the defeat in stride. On Twitter, he shows a picture of himself with a bandana and observes: Even the buff from this magical piece was not enough.
Carzzy, on the other hand, seems to be on a high. He was already quoted before the match: “It’s great to wake up as the biggest EU ADC who has ever played the game.” He seems to be on the hunt for a pentakill now.
