Month: March 2020

Enlarge / This guy has actually been self-quarantining with his game console for the last decade or so. (credit: Piqsels)

Major online gaming platforms are dealing with a surge in demand as an increasing number of countries and localities force citizens to stay home in an effort to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Both Microsoft's and Nintendo's online networks went down briefly last week for many users around the world, and network tracker Downdetector noted numerous spikes in reported problems with the PlayStation Network throughout the week.

Microsoft Head of Xbox Phil Spencer confirmed via Twitter that "usage is up on almost everything" and thanked the employees working to get the servers back up. "So many people using gaming as a way to stay connected during these times," he said at the time. "Play is a fundamental human need. Proud to be part of an industry that can offer escape and fun right now."

Enlarge (credit: Ars Technica)

Today's Dealmaster is headlined by another round of deals on Amazon's Fire tablets, with the 8-inch Fire HD 8 down to $50 and the 10.1-inch Fire HD 10 down to $100. The catch is that these offers are only currently available to members of Amazon's Prime service.

If the recent coronavirus-induced shipping delays haven't led you to unsubscribe, though, these prices match the discounts we saw on Black Friday last year. Those interested in the cheapest slate possible can also get the Fire 7 for $40, though that's not an all-time low, and we generally think it's worth stepping up to the Fire HD 8 regardless.

We highlighted a similar discount for the Fire HD 8 just last week, so most of the same pros and cons we mentioned then still apply. The Fire HD lineup remains a step or three below Apple's iPads, with a more restrictive app library, slower processors, and cheaper-feeling hardware. At this price, though, the Fire HD 10 offers a fair amount for much less money. Compared to the Fire HD 8, the 10-inch tablet comes with a more versatile USB-C port, a faster processor, 2GB of RAM instead of 1.5GB, 32GB of storage instead of 16GB, a couple hours more battery life, and a sharper 1920x1200 display instead of the 8-inch model's 1200x800 display. The only trade-off is that it's bulkier, though both models still have to deal with the shortcomings of Amazon's Fire OS, which can't access the Google Play store without some extra work, and Android tablets as a whole, which for years have never come close to matching Apple's level of polish.

Enlarge / A pharmacy technician grabs a bottle of drugs off a shelf at the central pharmacy of Intermountain Heathcare on September 10, 2018 in Midvale, UT. (credit: Getty | George Frey)

A nationwide shortage of two drugs touted as possible treatments for the coronavirus is being driven in part by doctors inappropriately prescribing the medicines for family, friends, and themselves, according to pharmacists and state regulators.

“It’s disgraceful, is what it is,” said Garth Reynolds, executive director of the Illinois Pharmacists Association, which started getting calls and emails Saturday from members saying they were receiving questionable prescriptions. “And completely selfish.”

Demand for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine surged over the past several days as President Donald Trump promoted them as possible treatments for the coronavirus and online forums buzzed with excitement over a small study suggesting the combination of hydroxychloroquine and a commonly used antibiotic could be effective in treating COVID-19.

Enlarge / Byron Allen onstage during his 4th Annual Oscar Gala to Benefit Children's Hospital Los Angeles at the Beverly Wilshire on February 9, 2020. (credit: Getty Images | Greg Doherty)

Comcast has won a US Supreme Court case against Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios Networks (ESN), dealing a major blow to Allen's attempt to prove that Comcast's refusal to carry ESN channels was motivated by racial bias.

The key question taken up by the court was whether a claim of race discrimination under the 42 U.S.C. § 1981 statute can proceed without a "but-for causation." As the Legal Information Institute explains, a "but-for test" asks "but for the existence of X, would Y have occurred?"

The US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled in 2018 that the case could proceed because ESN "needed only to plausibly allege that discriminatory intent was a factor in Comcast's refusal to contract, and not necessarily the but-for cause of that decision." The Supreme Court ruling issued yesterday reversed that decision, saying that a "plaintiff bears the burden of showing that the plaintiff's race was a but-for cause of its injury, and that burden remains constant over the life of the lawsuit."