BAFTA's 2024 Breakthrough Cohort includes game dev talent from the UK, US, and IndiaSpans specialisms from production, performance, editing, directing, and game designImage credit: BAFTA/Manuel Vazquez News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Nov. 21, 2024 A number of video game developers have been celebrated as part of BAFTA's 2024 Breakthrough cohort, including contributors to Black Myth: Wukong, Baldur's Gate 3, and Pacific Drive.BAFTA Breakthrough is described as BAFTA's "flagship new talent initiative to accelerate extraordinary people working in games, TV and film who are on the cusp or in the midst of a breakthrough moment or year" in the UK, US, and India. It offers a year-round programme of support and professional development opportunities.This years Breakthrough UK cohort was selected by five specialist sub-committees comprising of representatives "from the world of film, television, craft and tech, unscripted and games with BAFTA and Netflix representatives." BAFTA Breakthrough 2024 UK | Image credit: BAFTA/Manuel VazquezThe following game developers and actors were amongst those celebrated:Abhinav Chokhavatia, Game Producer - Down and Out (India)Jennifer English, Performer - Baldur's Gate 3 (UK)Elaine Gmez, Creative Director - Blink Land (US)Nicole He, Creative Director - The Crush House (US)Fred Hoffman, Art Director - Paper Trail (UK)Sophie Knowles, Lead Artist Viewfinder (UK)Neeraj Kumar, Producer/Lead Developer - Artifice: War Tactics (India)Beth Park, Lead Performance Director - Black Myth: Wukong (UK)Karrie Shirou Shao, Game Writer/Lead Designer - Pacific Drive (US) BAFTA Breakthrough 2024 US | Image credit: Jessica Chou/BAFTA BAFTA Breakthrough 2024 India | Image credit: BAFTA/Vikas Gotra"BAFTA Breakthrough, now in its 11th year, spotlights a host of emerging and talented 'must-watch' creative practitioners working across film, games and television," said Jane Millichip, BAFTA CEO."This year we have an amazing roster of casting directors, producers, writers, performers, lead artists, cinematographers, lead developers, and more. We urge the industry to take note. A huge thank you to Netflix, whose support makes BAFTA Breakthrough possible."

Bandai Namco subsidiary Bandai Namco Online to be dissolved and merged with parent companyExisting IP will transfer to Bandai NamcoImage credit: Bandai Namco News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Nov. 21, 2024 Bandai Namco Online is to be dissolved and merged with its parent company.In a brief press statement, Bandai Namco called it an "absorption-type merger" that will see subsidiary Bandai Namco Online - which was established back in 2009 to drive Bandai's online portfolio - shut down and its business transferred to Bandai Namco.It's unclear if staff will be transferred to the parent company along with its games.Bandai Namco said the merger comes as a result of changes across the industry but expects to continue to deliver high quality games that "exceed" the expectations of fans like Idolish7, SD Gundam Operations, and Gundam Tribe.The merger will complete on April 1, 2025.Earlier this year, Bandai Namco announced it will shut down the Japanese servers for Blue Protocol in January 2025, and cancel its Western release entirely.The company also reportedly cut its workforce last month following the cancellation of "several titles due to lackluster demand." It's alleged 200 of its 1300 employees have been moved into these "expulsion rooms" or "oidashi beya" and almost half of these have since voluntarily resigned. The company denies the claims.

Justin Carter, Contributing EditorNovember 21, 20242 Min ReadImage via Valve.At a GlanceDevelopers are now required to be more transparent about what's in a season pass and when its content is ready for players.New rules have been established for developers using Steam to sell their games' season passes. In its posting, Valve put studios on the hook for delaying post-launch content, and said offering a season pass is "promising future content. You will be asked to commit to a launch timing for each content release in the Season Pass, [which is] is a commitment to both players and Steam.""If you aren't ready to clearly communicate about the content included in each DLC and when it will be ready for launch," it continued, "you shouldn't offer a Season Pass."These changes only pertain to season passes specifically: in its FAQ, Valve explained how a battle pass can be "similar, but different: an in-game character or skin is already predetermined and become unlockable at specific gameplay milestones, usually depending on a player's pace. In this instance, Valve defines a season pass as developers choosing "when the content is released to [players], and that release is not based on gameplay milestones."So, an Apex Legends or Diablo IV battle pass is exempt from this, but a season pass for Borderlands 3? That needs to play by Valve's rules.As part of the new guidelines, season pass listings must now include a complete list of what will be bundled in, a basic description of each DLC, and the expected release date for each piece of content. Whether the date is specific or somewhat vague ("Winter 2025" or "January 2025," for example), Valve said the listing must have some kind of windowand in the event of a delay, developers can push back the season pass date by up to three months, but only that one time.Valve warned that if the release date has been missed, and it was not directly contacted about a delay longer than three months beforehand, it will delist the season pass from Steam and refund players for that specific DLC or the entire pass. Refunds will also be conducted if a DLC within that season pass ends up canceled.Additionally, season passes for already-released games must have at least one DLC that is already out when it's made available for purchase. Exceptions are made in the case of pre-ordering a game's deluxe edition.More information on Steam's new season pass rules, including how to set up a season pass on the storefront, can be read here.Read more about:ValveAbout the AuthorJustin CarterContributing Editor, GameDeveloper.comA Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.See more from Justin CarterDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

On April 1, 2025, Bandai Namco will dissolve and absorb Bandai Namco Online (BNO), its subsidiary studio focused on online games.Bandai Namco Online was established in 2009 with the express goal of developing MMO titles based on the company's properties for PC and consoles. Over the years, the developer released titles such as Dragon Ball Z: X KeeperZ, Gundam Evolution, and the Amazon Games-backed Blue Protocol.In its translated post, Bandai Namco explained it was absorbing BNO due to "recent changes in the environment surrounding the game business, and with the aim of strengthening the business management system of the entire digital business." Gundam Evolution shut down just a year after its 2022 release, and Blue Protocol was scrapped this past August.Before Blue Protocol's closure, BNO was facing insolvency, in part said to be owed to ballooning development costs. The game itself was only playable in Japan before its end, and Amazon was to handle its wider global release for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S as part of its continued MMO focus alongside its internally made New World.According to its parent company, Bandai Namco Online's current titles, such as Gundam Tryve and Idolish 7, will be run by Bandai Namco proper after the absorption is complete. Even with losing one of its studios, Bandai Namco said it still aims at "providing high-quality content and diverse entertainment that can be played for a long time."

Snap says the basis of a scathing lawsuit suggesting it systematically recommends teens accounts to child predators is backwards the company is now accusing the New Mexico attorney general of intentionally seeking out such accounts before recommendations were made. The company says the AGs case is based on gross misrepresentations and cherry picks from Snaps internal documents. RelatedIn a motion to dismiss filed Thursday, Snap says AG Ral Torrezs complaint makes patently false allegations, and particularly misrepresents its own undercover investigation, in which the AGs office created a decoy 14-year-old account. Torrez alleges Snap violated the states unfair practices and public nuisance laws by misleading users about the safety and ephemerality of its disappearing messages, which he says have enabled abusers to collect and retain exploitative images of minors. But Snap claims that contrary to the way the state described it, investigators were the ones who sent friend requests from the decoy account to obviously targeted usernames like nudedude_22, teenxxxxxxx06, ineedasugardadx, and xxx_tradehot. And Snap says it was actually the governments decoy account that searched for and added an account called Enzo (Nud15Ans) which allegedly went on to ask the decoy to send anonymous messages through an end-to-end encrypted service rather than the reverse, as the state alleges. The state claims that after connecting with Enzo, Snapchat suggested over 91 users, including numerous adult users whose accounts included or sought to exchange sexually explicit content.Snap also says the state repeatedly mischaracterizes its internal documents, including blaming Snap for choosing not to store child sex abuse images and suggesting it failed to provide them to law enforcement. In reality, according to Snap, its not allowed to store child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on its servers under federal law, and says it of course turns any such content over to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as mandated.Lauren Rodriguez, director of communications for the New Mexico Department of Justice, says Snap wants to dismiss the case to to avoid accountability for the serious harm its platform causes to children. In a statement, she says, The evidence we have presentedincluding internal documents and findings from our investigationclearly demonstrates that Snap has long known about the dangers on its platform and has failed to act. Rather than addressing these critical issues with real change to their algorithms and design features, Snap continues to put profits over protecting children.The company is seeking to dismiss the lawsuit on several grounds, including that the state is attempting to mandate age verification and parental controls that violate the First Amendment and that the legal liability shield Section 230 should block the suit. Snap also says that the AGs claims of Snaps alleged misrepresentation of its services is centered around puffery-based catchphrases (e.g., that Snapchat is a worry-free platform) and aspirational statements regarding Snaps commitment to safety, neither of which remotely guarantees that Snap would (much less could) extinguish all potential risks posed by third parties.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to finalize new spectrum rules that will push cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communications technology forward. C-V2X will use existing cellular networks to send messages from vehicle to vehicle, vehicle to infrastructure, vehicle to cyclists, or vehicle to pedestrians to warn of each other's presence for safety purposes. It could cross-alert for hazardous road conditions, including speeding cars, weather, or traffic congestion.FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the agencys efforts will drive innovation in wireless and transportation economies and keep us safe on our roadways when we walk, ride, and drive. The decision on the proposed rule promotes efficient use of 30 megahertz of spectrum dedicated to Intelligent Transportation Systems, or ITS, in the 5.9GHz band. And it also codifies C-V2X technical parameters, including power and emission limits, technical parameters, and message priorities.Companies like Ford have been chasing C-V2X technology for years with the idea that its cars and trucks could audibly alert drivers of a cyclist approaching or vice versa assuming a cyclist is paying attention to their phone.In 2022, the FCC won control over what should happen to the spectrum in the 5.9GHz band, which could be partially used for other technologies, such as Wi-Fi expansion. Automotive industry petitioners wanted the entire band, but the ruling judge determined they failed to point out any significant developments in the field of yet-to-arrive technologies.

The Khronos Group, the consortium managing such important projects as OpenGL, WebGPU, OpenAL and Vulkan just announced a major new imitative, the Slang shader language. Khronos Group just made the following tweet:Details from the press release:Beaverton, OR November 21, 2024 The Khronos Group, an open consortium of industry leaders in interoperability standards, has announced the launch of the new Slang Initiative. This initiative will oversee and advance the open-source Slang shading language and compiler, building on 15 years of research, development, and deployment experience. Supported by NVIDIA since 2017, Slang has been widely adopted in production projects across the industry.Slangempowers real-time graphics developers with innovative features that complement existing shading languages, including modular code development, portable deployment to multiple target APIs, and neural computation in graphics shaders. Hosting under multi-company governance at Khronos will enable and foster industry-wide collaboration to drive Slangs continued evolution.Slang is now a significant shading language option for graphics developers everywhere, as all are enabled to directly influence and participate in its ongoing development, saidNeil Trevett, president of The Khronos Group and vice president developer ecosystems, NVIDIA. Khronoss innovative Slang governance structure blends open-source development agility with the patent safeguards of open standards. Slang is freely available for any platform or API to use, including Khronos, which will leverage Slang in the Vulkan ecosystem while ensuring SPIR-V remains responsive to Slangs requirements.NVIDIA will continue its longstanding investment in Slang, which is designed to meet the needs of todays graphics developers while paving the way for the neural graphics revolution, saidNicholas Haemel, vice president of graphics and system software, NVIDIA. With Slang in open governance at Khronos, the graphics community can collaboratively advance and harness the advantages of cross-platform support, scalable graphics systems, reduced compile times, and enhanced modularity.In terms of what Slang brings to the table:Slang is designed to address the evolving needs of real-time graphics developers, especially those working with large-scale shader codebases. By supporting modular development with features like modules, interfaces, and generics, Slang simplifies shader creation and maintenance while significantly reducing compilation times.Many developers must currently rewrite shader code to run on multiple target APIs and platforms or use complex translation or recompilation toolchains. The Slang compiler directly supports multiple backend targets for portable code deployment across diverse APIs and platforms, including SPIR-V for Vulkan, HLSL for Direct3D, GLSL for OpenGL, WGSL for WebGPU, and Metal Shading Language for Apple platforms. For example,Autodeskuses Slang in theAurora path tracing rendererto enable a single-source ray tracing codebase.The Slang compiler enables ingestion of existing HLSL and GLSL shader codebases for developers who wish to incrementally migrate to Slangs modern language features. For example,Valvecompiled the entire productionSource 2HLSL codebase with Slang while modifying only 10 lines of code.Slang supportsautomatic differentiationas a first-class language feature, making it ideal for integrating neural computation into graphics shaders. Slang can automatically generate both forward- and backward-derivative propagation code for complex functions to easily make existing rendering codebases differentiable, or to use Slang as the kernel language in a PyTorch-driven machine learning framework viaslangtorch. For example, Slang is used in theSlang.D Gaussian Splatting Rasterizer, a unified platform for real-time, inverse, and differentiable rendering which can compile to rendering code for diverse platforms.Key LinksPress ReleaseSlang Project HomeSlang GitHub RepositorySlang PlaygroundYou can learn more about the Slang Shader Programming Language and about the Khronos Group announcement in the video below.

Recent advancements in video generation models have enabled the production of high-quality, realistic video clips. However, these models face challenges in scaling for large-scale, real-world applications due to the computational demands required for training and inference. Current commercial models like Sora, Runway Gen-3, and Movie Gen demand extensive resources, including thousands of GPUs and millions of GPU hours for training, with each second of video inference taking several minutes. These high requirements make these solutions costly and impractical for many potential applications, limiting the use of high-fidelity video generation to only those with substantial computational resources.Reducio-DiT: A New SolutionMicrosoft researchers have introduced Reducio-DiT, a new approach designed to address this problem. This solution centers around an image-conditioned variational autoencoder (VAE) that significantly compresses the latent space for video representation. The core idea behind Reducio-DiT is that videos contain more redundant information compared to static images, and this redundancy can be leveraged to achieve a 64-fold reduction in latent representation size without compromising video quality. The research team has combined this VAE with diffusion models to improve the efficiency of generating 10241024 video clips, reducing the inference time to 15.5 seconds on a single A100 GPU.Technical ApproachFrom a technical perspective, Reducio-DiT stands out due to its two-stage generation approach. First, it generates a content image using text-to-image techniques, and then it uses this image as a prior to create video frames through a diffusion process. The motion information, which constitutes a large part of a videos content, is separated from the static background and compressed efficiently in the latent space, resulting in a much smaller computational footprint. Specifically, Reducio-VAEthe autoencoder component of Reducio-DiTleverages 3D convolutions to achieve a significant compression factor, enabling a 4096-fold down-sampled representation of the input videos. The diffusion component, Reducio-DiT, integrates this highly compressed latent representation with features extracted from both the content image and the corresponding text prompt, thereby producing smooth, high-quality video sequences with minimal overhead.This approach is important for several reasons. Reducio-DiT offers a cost-effective solution to an industry burdened by computational challenges, making high-resolution video generation more accessible. The model demonstrated a speedup of 16.6 times over existing methods like Lavie, while achieving a Frchet Video Distance (FVD) score of 318.5 on UCF-101, outperforming other models in this category. By utilizing a multi-stage training strategy that scales up from low to high-resolution video generation, Reducio-DiT maintains the visual integrity and temporal consistency across generated framesa challenge that many previous approaches to video generation struggled to achieve. Additionally, the compact latent space not only accelerates the video generation process but also reduces the hardware requirements, making it feasible for use in environments without extensive GPU resources.ConclusionMicrosofts Reducio-DiT represents an advance in video generation efficiency, balancing high quality with reduced computational cost. The ability to generate a 10241024 video clip in 15.5 seconds, combined with a significant reduction in training and inference costs, marks a notable development in the field of generative AI for video. For further technical exploration and access to the source code, visit Microsofts GitHub repository for Reducio-VAE. This development paves the way for more widespread adoption of video generation technology in applications such as content creation, advertising, and interactive entertainment, where generating engaging visual media quickly and cost-effectively is essential.Check out the Paper and GitHub Page. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. If you like our work, you will love ournewsletter.. Dont Forget to join our55k+ ML SubReddit. Aswin Ak+ postsAswin AK is a consulting intern at MarkTechPost. He is pursuing his Dual Degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He is passionate about data science and machine learning, bringing a strong academic background and hands-on experience in solving real-life cross-domain challenges. Read this AI Research Report from Kili Technology on 'Evaluation of Large Language Model Vulnerabilities: A Comparative Analysis of Red Teaming Techniques'

As part of the Amazon Black Friday Sale, you can pick up the Anker PowerCore 737 24,000mAh 140W Power Bank at the best price I've ever seen. Right now theprice is down to $79.99 after a nearly 50% off discount. This is one of the best Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally X chargers you can get. I've actually owned this power bank for over a year now for ROG Ally and my kids' Switches; it has been on multiple flights and road trips and is still lasting strong.Anker 737 24,000mAh 140W Power Bank for $79.99Anker 737 PowerCore 24K 24,000mAh Power Bank with 140W USB Type-C Power DeliveryThe Anker 737 is a hefty power bank, measuring 4.6"x2.2"x2" and weighing in at 1.4lbs. This is something you'd put in your travel bag or backpack instead of your pocket. It has two USB Type-C ports and one USB Type-A port. The USB Type-C ports support a maximum of 140W of power delivery. That means a single port could deliver 140W, or both ports will deliver a combination of 140W depending on which devices are plugged in (for example, 70W + 70W or 100W + 40W).In terms of gaming handhelds, the Steam Deck supports up to 38W of charging, the Asus ROG Ally up to 65W, the Asus ROG Ally X up to 100W, and the Nintendo Switch up to 18W. That means the Anker Prime can easily charge all three gaming handhelds even the ROG Ally X at their maximum rate; you'll even be able to play and charge simultaneously.A 20,000mAh battery equates to a 74Whr capacity. An 80% power efficiency rating (which is about standard for power banks) gives you about 59Whr of available charge. That means this power bank will charge a Steam Deck (40Whr) or Asus ROG Ally (40Whr) from empty to completely full 1.5 times, an Asus ROG Ally X (80Whr) 0.75 times, and a Nintendo Switch (16Whr) about 3.7 times. You can see here why we think a 20,000mAh capacity should be the bare minimum for more power hungry gaming handhelds like the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally (and especially the Ally X).The Anker 737 is TSA-approvedTSA states that power banks must be under 100Whr in capacity for carry-on (check-in is not allowed under any circumstances). This Anker Prime is safely under that at 74Whr. You might get checked simply because the Anker 737 is a hefty-looking power bank, but you shouldn't have any problems getting it cleared. I've gone through plenty of airport checkpoints and have only been checked once at Tokyo NRT and cleared without a problem.Alternative Deal: Anker Prime 20,000mAh Power BankAnker Prime 20,000mAh 200W Power BankClip the 40% Off CouponAmazon is also offering the Anker Prime 20,000mAh USB Power Bank for only $77.99 after you clip the 40% off coupon on the product page. This is the best price we've seen for 2024 (the previous lowest price was $89.99 on Amazon Prime Day). The Anker Prime is the successor to the Anker 737 with a couple of noticeable upgrades like a higher power delivery output (200W vs 140W) and a higher charging rate through USB Type-A (65W vs 18W).The Asus ROG Ally X Is the Best Windows Gaming HandheldNew ReleaseAsus ROG Ally X 7" 1TB Gaming HandheldThe Asus ROG Ally X was just released this past summer and has claimed the title as best Windows-based gaming handheld. It improves on the original ROG Ally in several ways, the biggest upgrades being a much bigger 80Whr battery with nearly the runtime, more RAM, a beefier cooling system, double the storage capacity on the base model, and better controls. It's not inexpensive starting at $799.99, but it's definitely an incredible piece of hardware.Should You Buy Now or Wait for Black Friday?Black Friday is only about a week away and in most cases it's better to wait to buy tech accessories. However, it's very unlikely that these two specific deals will get any better. Both the Anker 737 and the Anker Prime are already at their lowest historical prices, so we don't expect any further discounts to happen this year. However, if you're looking for a slimmer, smaller capacity power bank for travel, then you should definitely wait for more deals to drop on Black Friday.Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

Without a doubt, Black Friday is one of the best times of year to upgrade your gaming PC. Although the actual event lands on November 29, retailers have been stretching out Black Friday sales earlier. We are now about a week away from the main event and most retailers have released several excellent deals that you could potentially jump on now if you don't want to wait. The gaming PC deals from Dell, Best Buy, HP, and Lenovo are already at the best prices of the year and well worth picking up.Alienware Black Friday DealsIf you're in the market for a prebuilt gaming PC, Alienware is one of best gaming brands we'd recommend. The Dell Black Friday Sale has already started ahead of November 29 with some outstanding deals on Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktops. Consistent build quality, available inventory, frequent sales, and solid customer service are the main reasons why Dell is at the top of our buying list for gaming PCs.Alienware Aurora R16 i9-14900KF RTX 4090 Gaming PCAlienware Aurora R16 i9-13900F RTX 4080 Super Gaming PCAlienware Aurora R16 i9-14900KF RTX 4080 Super Gaming PCAlienware Aurora R16 i7-14700F RTX 4070 Gaming PCAlienware Aurora R16 i7-14700F RTX 4060 Ti Gaming PCAlienware Aurora R16 i9 RTX 4070 Ti Super Gaming PCBest Buy Black Friday DealsBest Buy has just released its third and final round of early Best Buy Black Friday deals, and a bunch of excellent gaming PCs are included in the mix. If you're on a budget, the iBuyPower Scale RTX 4060 gaming PC for $699.99 is a solid deal and a great candidate for 1080p gaming. For something more powerful, consider the CyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme gaming PC with an outstanding AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU and RTX 4070 Super GPU. The RTX 4070 Super is the best GPU for most people and is perfect for 1440p gaming.CyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D RTX 4070 Super Gaming PCHP OMEN 35L AMD Ryzen 7 8700G RTX 4060 Ti Gaming PCiBuyPower Scale Intel Core i5-14400F RTX 4060 Gaming PCCyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme Intel Core i5-14400F RTX 4060 Gaming PCiBuyPower Scale AMD Ryzen 7 8700F RTX 4060 Ti Gaming PCMSI Codex Z2 AMD Ryzen 5 8400F RTX 4060 Ti Gaming PCCyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme Intel Core i7-14700F RTX 4060 Ti Gaming PCHP OMEN 25L Intel Core i7-14700F RTX 4060 Ti Gaming PCiBuyPower Y60 AMD Ryzen 7 7700X RTX 4060 Ti Gaming PCASUS ROG Intel Core i7-14700F RTX 4060 Ti Gaming PCCyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme Intel Core i7-14700KF RTX 4060 Ti Gaming PCiBuyPower Y40 Intel Core i7-14700F RTX 4070 Gaming PCMSI Aegis Z2 AMD Ryzen 7 7700 RTX 4070 Super Gaming PCiBuyPower Y40 Intel Core i7-14700KF RTX 4070 Super Gaming PCASUS ROG Intel Core i7-14700KF RTX 4070 SUPER Gaming PCAcer Nitro 60 AMD Ryzen 9 7900 RTX 4070 Super Gaming PCMSI Aegis R2 Intel Core i7-14700F RTX 4070 Ti Super Gaming PCCyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme Intel Core i9-14900KF RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming PCiBuyPower Y60 AMD Ryzen 9 7900X RTX 4070 Ti Super Gaming PCCyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme AMD Ryzen 9 9900X RTX 4080 Super Gaming PCHP OMEN 35L AMD Ryzen 7 8700G RTX 4080 Super Gaming PCHP Black Friday DealsHP has kicked off its Black Friday Sale with deals on a few of their gaming PCs. Save up to $1,000 off HP's flagship Omen 45L gaming PC, which is equipped with your choice of an RTX 4090 or 4080 Super GPU and 240mm-360mm AIO liquid cooling. For those of you on a budget, the HP Victus gaming PC with RTX 4060 GPU is down to $779.99.HP Omen 45L Intel Core i9-13900K RTX 4090 Gaming PCHP Omen 45L Intel Core i7-14700K RTX 4080 Super Gaming PCHP Victus 15L Intel Core i5-1440F RTX 4060 Gaming PCHP Omen 35L Intel Core i7-14700F RTX 4060 Ti Gaming PCLenovo Black Friday DealsUpdate: Prices have gone up a bit on 11/19. If you've already decided you want a Lenovo gaming PC, I would strongly recommend waiting until these prices drop again. They certainly will before or on Black Friday.Lenovo is offering some great Black Friday deals on budget and mid-range gaming PCs. Get a Legion Tower 5 equipped with an RTX 4060 or Radeon RX 7600 for about $800, or my recommendation is to step up to the RTX 4070 Super model for only $1380. The RTX 4070 Super is one of the best graphics cards for most people; it's not exorbitantly priced, and it's powerful enough to run games at up to 4K resolution (although 1440p is its sweet spot).Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 8 AMD Ryzen 7 7700 RTX 4070 Super Gaming PCLenovo Legion Tower 5i Gen 8 Intel Core i7-14700F RTX 4070 Ti Super Gaming PC with 32GB RAM, 1TB SSDLenovo LOQ Intel Core i5-1440F RTX 4060 Gaming PCLenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 8 AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Radeon RX 7600 Gaming PCCyberPowerPC Radeon RX 7900 GRE Gaming PCWalmart's best Black Friday gaming PC dealCyberPowerPC AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Radeon RX 7900 GRE Gaming PC with 32GB RAM, 2TB SSDAs part of its first round of Black Friday deals, Walmart is offering this CyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme gaming PC for only $1,199 after a $370 instant discount. This PC features an AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU, Radeon RX 7900 GRE GPU, 32GB of DDR5 memory, and a 2TB M.2 SSD. The Radeon RX 7900 GRE is a relatively recent (March 2024) release. It's roughly 10-15% faster than the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU and is more comparable to the new RTX 4070 Super. This rig is ideal for gaming at up to 1440p resolution at high framerates, although it can also run most games in 4K.Amazon Black Friday Deals... Are AbsentAmazon's Black Friday Sale hasn't officially begun. In fact, it only just recently announced that their deals will begin in earnest on November 21. As such, it hasn't yet pushed any seriously convincing Black Friday deals aside from its Fire TV sticks. As soon as we find any gaming PC deals worth mentioning, we'll update this article.DIY PC Builders: The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Is Back in StockNew ReleaseAMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D AM5 Desktop Processor$479.00 at AmazonIf you're in the process of building out a new gaming PC and you're looking for the best gaming processor, this is it. Right now, the recently released AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D AM5 desktop processor is back in stock at Amazon at its retail price of $479 shipped. This is the official launch price with zero markup, and it's not bundled with anything you don't want or need.The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best gaming processor currently on the market and a much better option than the new Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. If you're waiting for a discount on this processor for Black Friday, though, don't hold your breath. There is the slimmest of slim chances that anyone will drop the price of this hot commodity before 2025.In our AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D review, Jackie Thomas wrote that "the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is extremely powerful in games, which makes it easier to recommend than other recent processors like the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K or Ryzen 9 9900X. Especially if youre building a rig with a powerful graphics card, the 9800X3D is going to be the best way to get the most performance out of whichever GPU you pair it with. When Is Black Friday 2024?The actual date of Black Friday in 2024 falls on November 29 this year, but the deals season began a lot sooner than that. Leading up to the big event, retailers have begun to open deals online. (This usually starts in the last week of October, just before Halloween.) Each week leading up to the event will slowly roll out more deals, which ultimately leads to massive discounts on Black Friday. Retailers will not reveal their biggest Black Friday deals until the big day, but most general deals will be available well in advance.Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.