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The funds will be used to expand the team size, currently at seven, in product and system development and in marketing its games. QuriousBit did not disclose the valuation at which the firm raised the funds.

Four years after Star Wars: Battlefront II ’s disastrous launch galvanized the world against loot boxes , EA is still defending the exploitative microtransaction in its crown jewel: FIFA . In-game card packs don’t just make the publisher billions, EA swears that players love them too.

“We wholeheartedly believe that Ultimate Team and FUT Packs, which have been part of the game for more than a decade, are a part of FIFA that players love,” EA told Eurogamer in a statement yesterday. “Fans love that the game reflects the real-world excitement and strategy of building and managing a squad. Giving players the choice to spend if they want to is fair.”

The publisher’s latest endorsement of loot boxes comes as it prepares to launch FIFA 23 , the last game in the series with the FIFA license before it’s rebranded as EA Sports FC . EA confirmed to Eurogamer that FUT Packs will return in the new game this fall, an announcement that comes a month after the UK government revealed it would not regulate loot boxes as gambling despite people who use them being more likely to experience “gambling, mental health, financial and problem gaming-related harms.”

For those who aren’t aware, Ultimate Team is FIFA ’s most popular online mode. It revolves around creating a dream team consisting of players acquired from opening card packs. Higher-rated stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and past icon Pelé perform better in matches, and are also extremely hard to get. The company calls it an innocent, fun “ surprise mechanic ,” and has maintained in the past that it’s definitely not gambling.

EA says it encourages players to earn packs by playing the game, but it still gives them the option to buy them outright for real money. Given the competitive nature of the mode, and the fact that there is an entire market around YouTubers and influencers glorifying pack opening in search of the rarest soccer stars, it’s not hard to see why that might be a bad idea.

While some big game companies have seen dips in their business this year, EA has continued flying high, in large part because of the ongoing success of its loot box-based Ultimate Team modes. EA told Eurogamer that only one in 10 players buys FUT Packs with real money, but the revenue speaks for itself. In 2020, the mode, featured in Madden and NHL as well, earned the company $1.62 billion. We don’t know how much it earned last year, however, because EA decided to omit the figure in its report for 2021. It’s no wonder, then, that EA continues to run interference for the controversial mechanic years after many other major games have dropped it.

As Eurogamer points out, there remains regulatory pressure in Norway, Belgium, The Netherlands, and other European countries, where FIFA is most popular, to crack down on gambling mechanics in games. In Belgium, where loot boxes have been outright banned, EA removed them from the game.

No. 10 Utah travels to Corvallis, Oregon, for a Friday night prime time matchup with No. 19 Oregon State in the final Pac-12 game between the programs before the Utes move to the Big 12. Utah is off to an impressive 4-0 start following a defensive slugfest against previously unbeaten UCLA and seeking a potential Pac-12 championship three-peat. The Beavers will try to remain in the Pac-12 Championship Game hunt after a Week 4 loss to No. 16 Washington State .

The Utes jumped out to a 14-point lead in the first half against the Bruins and preserved the victory by forcing UCLA to lean on freshman quarterback Dante Moore . Utah’s defense set the tone on Moore’s first pass attempt of the game with a 21-yard pick six by linebacker Karene Reid .

The status of Utah star quarterback Cameron Rising is still up in the air as he recovers from his knee injury. He suited up last week against UCLA but did not see action. If he can’t go, the Utes will turn to Nate Johnson , who finished 9 of 17 passing for 117 yards and a touchdown in the win.

Oregon State enters off its first loss on the season, a 38-35  contest against Washington State in the first ranked matchup in the 98-game history of the storied rivalry. Oregon State fell behind by three touchdowns heading into the fourth quarter and couldn’t complete the comeback despite a late surge.

Utah vs. Oregon State: Need to know

How does Oregon State respond? DJ Uiagalelei had a career performance with five touchdowns in his Oregon State debut vs. San Jose State , but the transfer quarterback from Clemson has regressed. In the last two games, Uiagalelei has only four total touchdowns and three interceptions, including a costly one against the Cougars. The winning formula for Oregon State is its lethal rushing attack, led by star RB Damien Martinez . Facing a stout Utah defense will be the biggest test yet, and the Beavers will have to take care of the ball.

Rising’s status remains TBD: The status of Utah’s star quarterback heading into Friday is still undecided. Rising has been rehabbing a torn ACL from the Rose Bowl loss to Penn State in January. Johnson and Bryson Barnes have filled in nicely for the Utes, but Rising will need to return for the Utes to be serious Pac-12 title contenders. One of Rising’s greatest strength is his mobility, which will be tested whenever he returns.

Utah’s defense has been lights-out: After four weeks of play, Utah is among one of the best defensive units in college football . The Utes rank No. 6 among all teams in scoring defense at 9.5 points per game and tied for No. 9 with UCLA in total yards allowed. Utah has been relying on its defense to win, and so far has been successful doing it. How long it can continue to do that without Rising remains to be seen.

How to watch Utah vs. Oregon State live

Date : Friday, Sept. 29 | Time : 9 p.m. ET Location : Reser Stadium — Corvallis, Oregon TV: FS1 | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)

Utah vs. Oregon State prediction, picks

Odds via SportsLine consensus

Rising may truly be a game-time decision this week. If he does play, will the Utes ease him back into the lineup with some designed packages or will he be given the green light to play the full game? Both teams like to run the ball and rely on defense, so the under 44.5 is intriguing. Even though this is a road game for the Utes, they still have the edge because of how good their defense has been through the first month of the season. This will be a close game, and Utah with the points is too good to pass up. Pick: Utah +3

Which college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 5, and which underdogs will win outright? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread — all from a proven computer model that has returned almost $2,500 in profit over the past seven-plus seasons — and find out.

• Laptops under 30000 are often suitable for student and personal needs
• You can even find mini laptops in this budget that are highly portable and allow you to work at your convenience
• Some touchscreen laptops are even available under 30000 to help you work or study conveniently whenever you want
• Usually, laptops under 30000 are available with an i3 processor and are apt for personal needs and basic professional needs

Buying an affordable laptop is never an easy decision. You will want to get the maximum features in your limited budget to ensure that you put your money to the right use and ensure high efficiency for your tasks. If you have a budget of 30000 to buy a new laptop for your personal or student needs, we have something for you. Here is a list of some of the best laptops under 30000 from top brands like HP, Lenovo, Acer and more to ensure that you get the best pick in your budget. These laptops have been handpicked based on the primary features, online reviewes, ratings and more to ensure that you understand the pros and cons of each laptop before placing your order online.
Have a look at our list of top picks under 30000 listed below and buy the best budget laptop for your personal needs. Just compare these given options based on your screen size preferences, RAM and ROM combination, special features and more so that you are able to find the right laptop for your needs easily.

Experience mesmeric visual experience with FHD Anti-Glare Screen with ultra-narrow bezels. It boasts of vivid and sharply detailed visual feedback from all angles and is easy on the eyes for amazingly comfortable viewing. The ultra-fast SSD Drive of Essential combined with Windows 10 Home enables you to complete all your tasks faster, more efficiently and at considerably less power consumption.
Armed with multifarious ports which are compatible with other devices the laptop under 30000 allows you to seamlessly simultaneously charge, transfer data, display, and connect to various devices.
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The Thin & Light Touchscreen Laptop comes equipped with Intel Core processors and an impressive 14-inch display. The laptop features a voice-enabled Google Assistant built-in that makes you sure you are able to work faster and smarter without lifting a finger or switching screens.
It is powered by Chrome OS with automatic software updates so you always have the latest virus protection. The device has 8GB DDR4-2400 SD RAM, 64 GB eMMC hard drive that is expandable up to 256 GB.
Check out more options in laptops under 30000 here.

An ideal choice for those looking for a portable laptop on a budget, theLenovo E41-55 AMD Slim Laptop will be a great pick under 30000 that weighs just 1.59 kg. This ultra-sleek laptop, with 19.9 mm thinness, is sure to steal the spotlight wherever it goes. The 14 inch HD antiglare display is edged with 2-sided narrow bezels that give you a wider and picture-perfect view from every angle.
Say goodbye to lag with its Intel Celeron N4020 processor. Its 4GB RAM and highly reliable and the 256GB SSD storage takes your productivity to higher levels without anyone holding you back.

The ASUS VivoBook 15 is powered by the Intel Dual-Core Celeron N4020 Processor and has 4GB RAM. It’s the ideal laptop for daily computing and entertainment. The device runs on the Windows 10 Home operating system. A mixture of hardware, software, and tuning, the SonicMaster of the laptop was developed with the clear goal of giving you the best notebook PC audio.
To ensure only the very best images, ASUS laptop has colour temperature correction to reproduce richer, deeper colors. Its Vivid Mode optimizes contrast for browsing photos or watching videos and movies, and the Eye Care Mode reduces blue light levels and is ideal when you’re reading for long hours.
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Though slightly more than Rs 30,000, the is a great pick for office goers and students. The laptop has a 2.3 GHz AMD Athlon Silver 3050U dual-core processor along with Windows 10 Home.
The laptop is replete with AMD RadeonTM graphics card and has a 4GB DDR4 RAM.

Looking for an affordable laptop that is suitable for basic business needs? This one can be a good option to pick when you are shopping online. This compact and lightweight laptop has a screen size of 11.6 inches to allow you to get the basic tasks done without occupying too much space on your table. The combination of 4GB RAM with 256GB SSD makes this laptop a decent one for your money. Besides business, this laptop is even a good option for personal and student needs.

If you do not want to spend too much money, this laptop under 30000 can be an affordable option to consider when you are shopping online. Available with a touchscreen feature, this compact laptop is a good choice for student needs where you may have to zoom the screen for better viewing and reading. Since this laptop offers a battery life of up to 6 hours, you can easily carry it along to and from your classes and study on the go. The keyboard of this laptop is detachable. So, you can even convert your laptop into a tablet whenever you want.

This Lenovo Chromebook can be another affordable and efficient option that you would love to check out while looking for laptops under 30000. The compact screen size of 14 inches makes this laptop handy and allows you to take your laptop along conveniently whether you are going for your classes or work. Available with 4MB cache and 2 cores, this laptop is decent enough in terms of processing speed and operating efficiency. This laptop is available with Chrome operating system and is available with Celeron N4020 processor. This laptop weighs less than 1.5 kg and is a convenient option in terms of portability.
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Discover the HP 247 G8 Ryzen 3 quad-core notebook, your ideal companion under 30000. Equipped with AMD power, 8GB RAM and a fast 512GB SSD, it delivers seamless performance for work and play. The sleek 14-inch design in classic black is perfect for productivity on the go. With the DOS operating system, it’s a canvas for your preferences. Elevate your tasks with this laptop under 30000 that effortlessly combines style and functionality. HP 247 G8 – Power, speed and affordability in one sleek package.

Whether you are buying a laptop under 100000 or under 30000, the buying decision will be equally difficult and confusing. But, we are sure that this detailed buying guide would have helped you make your purchase. Just make sure that you do not get influenced by what your friend has just bought but also take your independent decision after assessing your needs to make the purchase that is truly worth your money.

DISCLAIMER: The Times of India’s journalists were not involved in the production of this article.