Saturday, April 4, 2020

Apple : Food delivery: which grocery and meal delivery services have slots right now?

Apple : Food delivery: which grocery and meal delivery services have slots right now?

Food delivery: which grocery and meal delivery services have slots right now?

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 11:54 AM PDT

Update 04/04/20: Sainsbury's announced on Friday that it will have 600,000 online food delivery and click-and-collect slots available by Easter. That's up from 370,000 two weeks ago, "...and we will continue to add more capacity over the coming weeks," says chief executive Mike Coupe. 

On Thursday, Ocado said it will have a "few" food delivery slots for general release over the next 24 hours for vulnerable customers. Meanwhile on Wednesday, Tesco expanded its food delivery and click-and-collect capacity to around 780,000 delivery slots - up from 660,000 two weeks ago. It has also announced plans to add another 100,000 in the coming weeks. 

Most supermarkets are still requesting that you visit stores in person, if you can, so they can prioritise food delivery slots for elderly or vulnerable customers. If you need to order food online, keep checking the website of your local supermarket throughout the day. Some meal delivery services are still operating too - details below.

Online food delivery services have been under strain for weeks - but as we move into April, we're starting to see small signs of progress. Since the coronavirus lockdown, there's been a huge surge in people looking to buy food online. That's meant it hasn't been easy to book an online grocery delivery. 

But with many online supermarkets quietly releasing small numbers of slots for elderly or vulnerable customers throughout the day, chances are that if you need to order food online - and keep trying throughout the day - you'll be able to find a slot eventually.  

Food delivery: quick links

Grocery delivery

Recipe box and meal delivery

Pizza delivery

Takeaway delivery

Alcohol delivery

So when will more online grocery delivery slots open up? We've signed up to all the major supermarkets and we're assessing the situation daily across the country, in London, Leeds, Portsmouth, Manchester and Bath. 

Your area may differ, but it currently looks like it'll be mid-April before we start to see many more food delivery slots available. However, we'll tell you which supermarkets are offering food delivery slots here, as soon as we see them. 

Please remember to use all food delivery services responsibly. Only order what you need to preserve stocks for others who might be in need. 

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Which supermarkets have food delivery slots available this weekend?

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 11:53 AM PDT

The number of available food delivery slots in the UK has increased in the last week. On Wednesday, Tesco announced it had made an extra 120,000 food delivery and click-and-collect slots available, taking its total food delivery capacity to around 780,000. The supermarket has promised it will add another 100,000 in the coming weeks. 

Yesterday, Sainsbury's also released a statement announcing that by Easter it will have almost doubled its grocery delivery and click-and-collect slots in three weeks, taking its number of available food delivery and click-and-collect slots from 370,000 to 600,000 by Easter. "[We] will continue to add more capacity over the coming weeks," said Sainsbury's chief executive Mike Coupe. 

Online supermarket Ocado, Co-Op and Iceland claim to be making new food delivery slots available throughout the day as well. And if you can get through the online queue, Morrisons has increased its limit of three items per customers to four, so that customers can continue to donate to food banks. 

Despite this, demand for ordering food online remains extremely high. And with increased calls from the government to stay at home this weekend, booking a food delivery slot still won't be easy. So which supermarkets have slots? And which other services are still running? 

Read on for our round-up of which food delivery services are delivering this weekend - plus our best tips for how to get a food delivery slot if you need one.

Food delivery: quick links

Grocery delivery

Recipe box and meal delivery

Pizza delivery

Takeaway delivery

Alcohol delivery

How to get a food delivery slot

Most supermarkets are requesting that you visit stores in person, if you can, so they can prioritise food delivery slots for elderly or vulnerable customers. Some, such as Waitrose, have closed their websites to new customers to help them do this. Others, including Sainsbury's, have been in touch with loyalty card holders who are aged over 70.

If you're a vulnerable person - or you know someone who is - you can register for support on the government's website. Tesco is prioritising orders for people on the government's vulnerable list, and will be in touch with anyone who is by email.

Our best advice, if you need to order food online, is to keep checking the website of your local supermarket throughout the day. If you can sign up for an account, do: this will make it easier for you to find a delivery slot in future. And book your delivery slot first - once you have one, most supermarkets give you around an hour to place your order.

Finally, if you can't get hold of a grocery delivery slot, don't forget that some meal delivery services are still operating too. Recipe box services like Mindful Chef deliver fresh ingredients to your door for you to cook, while meal delivery companies such as Allplants will drop off meals that have been cooked by their chefs. 

Morrisons' £35 food box delivery

Two weeks ago Morrisons launched a food box delivery service that aimed to supply customers who can't get to the shops with essential items. "A Morrisons Food Box could be a real help if you can’t currently get to a store to stock up on essentials," says the site. "We will deliver a box of selected food and household items straight to your door.

Unfortunately, Morrisons' food box delivery service doesn't currently have any available delivery slots. The company says it is "doing everything we can to increase capacity" - and we'll let you know as soon as we find any new delivery slots.

When will more online grocery delivery slots become permanently available? No one knows for sure. However, the major supermarkets are working around the clock to speed up the supply chain, and while it currently looks like it'll be mid-April before many new food delivery slots are opened up, we are seeing slots appear at supermarkets across the country throughout the day. 

We're assessing the situation daily, and we'll tell you which supermarkets are offering food delivery slots, as soon as we see them. 

Please remember to use all food delivery services responsibly. Only order what you need to preserve stocks for others who might be in need. 

Grocery delivery: our process

We signed up to all the major supermarkets below, and created a shopping basket full of popular goods. Every day, we compare five different locations - London, Leeds, Portsmouth, Manchester and Bath - to provide a sense of what stock is available in each area and whether delivery slots are currently offered. Here's the latest on which supermarkets are offering online grocery delivery today...

Tesco

Next delivery slot: none currently available - but new slots are added throughout the day (last updated 04/04/20)

Update (04/04/20): Tesco has expanded its food delivery and click-and-collect capacity to around 780,000 delivery slots. Our research has found a few Tesco home delivery slots popping up occasionally, but we're not currently seeing any in the areas we're testing. 

Tesco CEO Dave Lewis reached out to customers in a message two weeks ago: "We know that it's difficult right now to get a delivery slot for online shopping. We are at full capacity for the next few weeks and we ask those who are able to safely come to stores to do so, instead of shopping online, so that we can start to free up more slots for the more vulnerable."

Tesco has a decent selection of food items online, but getting hold of them at the moment can be tricky. Most brands are in stock, but eggs, hand soap and pasta are the exception, with some items sold out. 

According to Tesco, new food delivery slots are offered up as and when they're available each day.

How to sign up for an account 

Enter a valid email address and password, and confirm whether you have a Clubcard or not. You’ll receive one automatically upon registering if you don't. Fill in your personal details, including your phone number and UK Postcode. You can then select if you’d like to receive offers and vouchers from Tesco or not. 

Benefits and perks

Online shoppers can collect Clubcard points and Tesco has begun price matching Aldi on both its own-brand and branded products. A Delivery Saver pass is also available for regular customers, and comes with the added benefit of priority delivery slots during the busy Christmas and Easter periods. 

Coronavirus measures and policies

Customers who shop online are encouraged to shop in-store where possible to help free up delivery slots for the elderly customers and those who are self-isolating. 

Due to increased demand, Tesco isn’t accepting any new Delivery Saver customers right now either. A restriction of only three items per customer on every product line is in place, and multi-buy promotions have also been removed.

An 80 items limit is now in place for all online orders. 

Sainsbury's

Next delivery slot: none currently available - but new slots are added throughout the day (last updated 04/04/20)

Unless you’re already registered as a Sainsbury’s online customer, Sainsbury’s has paused all new online registrations. 

Update (04/04/20): Sainsbury's will have almost doubled the amount of food delivery and click-and-collect slots on offer by Easter next week. The elderly and vulnerable are being prioritised, and we have seen an occasional free food delivery slots during our research, although currently there are none available in the areas we're testing. 

In a message to customers, Sainsbury's Chief Executive Mike Coupe has provided more insight into how the company is delivering to the elderly or vulnerable: "Many of you have written to me to tell me you are elderly or vulnerable and are struggling to book online delivery slots. We are doing our absolute best to offer online delivery slots to elderly, disabled and vulnerable customers. These customers have priority over all slots."

Sainsbury's revealed that their customer Careline has had "one year's worth of contacts in two weeks". Mike Coupe went on to add, "I apologise to our regular online customers, who I know are feeling very frustrated at not being able to book slots. Please bear with us and I hope you can understand why we feel the need to prioritise elderly and vulnerable customers at the moment."

How to sign up for an account

Due to the huge increase in online orders, new registrations have been paused for the time being. To sign up for a Sainsbury’s online account, enter your email address and fill in your details on the following page. Once you’ve finished, you can start shopping. 

Benefits and perks

You can collect and spend Nectar Points with each online food shop. A Delivery Pass is also available, which can help you save up to £156 per year.

Coronavirus measures and policies

Elderly customers and those deemed as vulnerable will be offered priority delivery slots.

Asda

Next delivery slot: none currently available (last updated 04/04/20)

Update (04/04/20): Asda will still let you register as new online customer, but online delivery slots are not available up until April 19. Click & Collect slots are also unavailable. 

Similar to Ocado, Asda has now implemented a queue system to deal with the high volumes of traffic its website is receiving. There's no estimate as to where you are in the queue, though, or how long you'll have to wait. Items such as pasta, hand soap and toilet roll are also in high demand. 

In an email to customers, Asda CEO Roger Burnley has shared some information regarding how the company is working to deliver online shopping: "We're providing our drivers with hand sanitiser and gloves, and making as many online shopping slots available as we can. We're encouraging those that are able to safely shop in person to do so - this allows us to deliver to the highly vunerable."

Roger Burnely went on to add "If you are self-isolating or have additional needs, please advise us in the 'other information' section when placing your order."

How to sign up for an account

Registering is quick and easy with Asda (it says as much on its website), simply enter your email, a password and then enter your delivery postcode and you’re good to go. You can choose whether to receive exclusive offers and the latest info from Asda too if you’d like. 

Benefits and perks

Competitively priced and with a Delivery Pass available, Asda online shoppers can save up to £80 and £100 by choosing a 6-month or 12-month pass. Offers are clearly highlighted on the Asda website, so you’re never likely to miss a cracking deal. 

Coronavirus measures and policies

Customers are limited to a three item maximum on all food, toiletries and cleaning products when ordering online.

When placing an online delivery order, anyone who is self-isolating is advised to fill in the ‘Other information’ section to advise where their order should be left, i.e. on the doorstep.

Ocado

Ocado

Next delivery slot: none currently available - but new slots are added throughout the day (last updated 04/04/20)

Update (04/04/20): Ocado is prioritising certain deliveries, including for customers identified as vulnerable, and says it has a "few slots for general release for the next 24 hours". The online supermarket has seemingly ditched its queuing system in favour of a daily update that states whether or not delivery slots are available. 

Ocado has also brought order cut-off times forward, so customers are encouraged to complete their order in one session to avoid disappointment later. In an email to existing customers on 25 March, Ocado Retail CEO Melanie Smith has said that "no matter how hard we work, we will not have enough capacity to serve the unprecedented levels of demand".

She went on to say that "new delivery slots will be released every day for the coming week, as and when we have capacity". 

It's currently unclear whether Ocado is allowing new customers. If you do not have a delivery booked already, Ocado's website notes that there is "limited availability over the next few days".

How to sign up for an account

You can sign up to Ocado using a Facebook and PayPal account, or simply fill in your details such as your email address and postcode to register.Tick the box if you’d like to opt out of Ocado’s offers, vouchers and gifts before you hit ‘Register’.

Benefits and perks 

New customers can enjoy three months free delivery with Smart Pass, and Ocado also offers one-hour delivery windows. 

Coronavirus measures and policies

Ocado had to temporarily suspend its service due to high demand, but is now its back online. Customers can only book one delivery slot every seven days to free up more slots for other customers.

Some products are limited to one or two per order, and a small number of bulky items have been removed from sale to make more room in each delivery van. The company has shared how stockpiling has affected its service during the coronavirus outbreak.

Anytime Smart Pass members who joined before 2020 will be placed in a temporary priority queue so they can book a delivery slot each week. Ocado will send an email and text message between the hours of 09:00 and 17:00 to give members access to the queue. 

Morrisons

Morrisons

Next delivery slot: none currently available (last updated 04/04/20)


The Morrisons website has recovered after being down for a few days, but there are still no delivery slots available at this time. 

How to sign up for an account

To sign up for a Morrisons online account, firstly enter your postcode to check if Morrisons deliver in your area. Once you’re given the all clear, enter your details and a password to register. You can also receive tailored offers, coupons and communications from Morrisons.

Benefits and perks

You can use a Facebook account to sign in, and Morrisons Quick Shop fills your trolley with the top things you might be wanting to buy with a single click. A Delivery Pass is also available with regular choices for those looking to do their weekly shop online. 

Coronavirus measures and policies 

Orders must be finalised 48 hours before delivery. Morrisons are working on introducing a number of measures to help reduce the amount of substitutes and missing items that some customers are encountering with their online food shops:

Waitrose

Waitrose

Next delivery slot: none currently available (last updated 04/04/20)


Waitrose is still accepting new customer registrations - however, all delivery and click & collect slots are unfortunately unavailable right now. You can still amend or cancel existing orders, though. 

Update 04/04/20: Waitrose has updated its website to inform customers its supporting the vulnerable and elderly by giving them priority access to its home delivery and Click & Collect slots.

It doesn't look like many will open up in the near future either, as the brand isn't confirming any new food delivery slots at the moment.

How to sign up for an account

Signing up to Waitrose is simple - just fill in your details, such as your address and contact number, then click ‘next’ and you can start shopping straight away.

Benefits and perks

Waitrose has a number of attractive introductory offers, including a £30 saving on your first three online grocery shops. The website also includes hundreds of recipes and lists the ingredients so you can quickly add them to your basket. 

Coronavirus measures and policies

The company has paused its online voucher codes along with any offer incentives until further notice. Some products have are restricted for a limited time, with customers only allowed to buy a maximum of two packets of toilet roll and three of any specific grocery item. 

Entertainment products are also no longer available to order online for the foreseeable future. Substitutions for online orders cannot be returned to your driver if they have been handled, and drivers will not enter homes. 

All online deliveries will be bagged as well to make them easier to collect quickly.

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Tesco home delivery: how to get a food delivery or click-and-collect slot this weekend

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 11:46 AM PDT

Booking a Tesco home delivery slot isn't easy at the moment, but it is possible for some customers. If you've been unsuccessfully trying for a while now, you're not alone. Tesco has been inundated with demand for its food delivery service over the past few weeks as more shoppers stay home. 

With such a high volume of orders, Tesco is urging those who are able to shop in its physical stores, which have been overhauled with protective measures against the spread of COVID-19. That means if you're not high risk, elderly, or self-isolating, you should still be heading down to your local store to pick up your groceries. 

However, if you do need a Tesco delivery, there are a number of ways to improve your chances of getting one. Here, we'll be running through the best ways to try and get a grocery delivery from Tesco, as well as just how Tesco's Click & Collect service works. 


How to get a Tesco home delivery slot

Tesco recently announced a vast expansion of its fleet of food delivery vans and drivers, following a hiring surge over the past week. That means there are now more Tesco food delivery slots available than ever before: 780,000, to be precise, up from 660,000 to weeks ago. 

That doesn't mean it's a free for all out there, though. Tesco is prioritising the elderly and vulnerable in its booking system, so if you have been deemed high risk, head over to Gov.uk to register yourself as a clinically vulnerable person. You’ll be asked for your NHS number - which you can find on any letter the NHS has sent you, or on a prescription - but you can still register if you don't have it.

Tesco is using the Government's register to make sure its most vulnerable customers are prioritised, so if you fall into this category, the best way to increase your chances of booking a Tesco home delivery slot is to make sure you're on the list. 

And if you're self-isolating, your best bet is to keep trying. New Tesco home delivery slots are added throughout the day, so keep checking back regularly.

How does Tesco click & collect work?

If you don't qualify for prioritisation in Tesco's home delivery service, you can still order your food through its click & collect service. Simply select your groceries with Tesco Online and select click & collect before you checkout. 

There are far more slots available for this service than home delivery, and it's potentially safer than shopping in store right now, plus you won't need to queue. 

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Pokémon Go updates: all the news and rumors for what's coming next

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 10:37 AM PDT

Pokémon Go: the world's first augmented reality app to become a household name. Niantic's mobile AR game is still going strong two years after it first released, with a constant drip of events and updates keeping budding trainers glued to their phones and pounding the streets.

And while it hasn't managed to top the peak of its popularity in 2016, it's still going strong and finding plenty of new ways to improve its player experience. Including making it easier for its players to catch 'em all from inside their own homes during coronavirus quarantines.

So what's the latest news for Pokémon Go? As you'd expect, brand new features are being added all the time and themed events are still going strong.

But without further ado, here's our guide to all the latest Pokémon Go news and updates.

Pokémon Go news and Pokémon Go updates

  • What's new? Niantic is reacting to the Coronavirus pandemic with some temporary updates and changes. You can also look forward to a new Spring-themed event!

Coronavirus changes

Given Pokémon Go is a game which attempts to draw its players outside, Niantic is having to react to the Coronavirus pandemic and make some temporary changes which will make it easier for players to continue to catch 'em all without stepping over the door. 

In a statement to Polygon, the developer has said that it's  “prioritizing updates to Pokémon Go features and experiences that can be enjoyed in individual settings.” 

The changes are already in place and include increasing habitats so that more Pokémon should appear around player's homes. 

Other moves from Niantic are a 99% reduction on incense packs so that players can attract Pokémon to where they are and increase spawns with the time they work increased to one hour rather than just 30 minutes. 

Incubators will also result in hatches at double speed, while PokéStops will drop gifts more often. 

Niantic has also announced a new feature called 'Today View' which gathers a lot of useful information like streaks and current events in one place so that you can keep on top of your game.

To make up for the lack of opportunities to pick up PokéBalls from your own home, there's now a one Pokécoin bundle which is available as a one-time purchase and contains 50 Great Balls. These Pokécoin bundles rotate weekly and change on rotation but this bundle is available until April 6.

In terms of event changes, for April Shadow Entei will still be available to save from Giovanni but there won't be a new set of Team Go Rocket Special Research. 

The Coconut Pokémon Alolan Exeggutor will be available as a Research Breakthrough encounter, and it’ll come with bonus Stardust, until May 1.

As of March 31 Niantic has temporarily doubled Pokémon Go's Gym interaction distances to allow players to "team up in Raid Battles from home". 

"The distance from which you can interact with Gyms has been temporarily doubled, allowing you to be farther from Gyms and other Trainers as you challenge Raid Bosses," Niantic wrote. "This change also allows you to spin Photo Discs at Gyms if you are within the doubled distance; however, it will not change the distance required to spin Photo Discs at PokéStops."

Spotlight Hour

Spotlight Hour will still be taking place for the month of April, every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. local time. This time around, for each Pokémon Spotlight Hour there'll be a different Pokémon and bonus. The Pokémon and bonuses are as follows:

  • Tuesday, April 7, 2020: Purrloin will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the XP for catching Pokémon.
  • Tuesday, April 14, 2020: Magnemite will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the Candy for catching Pokémon.
  • Tuesday, April 21, 2020: Wobbuffet will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the Candy for transferring Pokémon.
  • Tuesday, April 28, 2020: Pidgey will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the XP for evolving Pokémon.

Pokémon Go Battle League

Its preseason now finishing up, the first season of Pokémon Go's competitive Battle League will begin on March 13. Trainers who took part in the preseason and achieved a rank of 4 or higher will receive a Premium Battle Pass as a reward. 

Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, Niantic has waived the walk and pay entry requirements for Battle League. Players who are not in-game close friends will no longer need to be close to one another to Battle and will be able to challenge one another as long as they're only Good Friends, allowing for tournaments to be held remotely.

Trainer Battles within the GO Battle League will rotate between three leagues and players will be able to rank against fellow Trainers, earning rewards for ranking.

The GO Battle League is beginning with the Great League until March 27, which will be followed by the Ultra League until April 10, then the Master League until April 24, after which all three Leagues will be available until May 1. Season 2 is expected to begin on May 1, when each of these Leagues has been cycled through. 

Players can earn Stardust depending on rank and number of battles won as well as items like Rare Candies and TMS as well as the chance to get exclusive Pokémon encounters. 

Some changes are being made to Battle League based on learnings from the preseason.

Winning will now matter much earlier than Rank 4, with Ranks 2 and 3 requiring platers to win a certain number of battles in order to advance to the next rank. 

The Pokémon you can encounter as GO Battle League rewards are also changing for Season 1 with Metagross being the first guaranteed encounter reward. Players that reach Rank 4 will have the chance to encounter Bedlum, at Rank 7 it's Rufflet and, finally, Pikachu Libre at Rank 10.

Reaching Rank 10 will also allow players to earn avatar items and an avatar pose exclusive to Season 1 inspired by Steven, a Pokémon League Champion in the Hoenn region. 

At the end of Season 1, players who have reached Rank 7 or higher will receive an Elite Charged TM. Elite Charged TMs, along with Elite Fast TMs, allow players to select the attack their Pokémon learns. 

What's the next Pokémon Go Event?

Tricky Pokémon Event

From April 1 until April 7, Pokémon Go is celebrating its prankster Pokémon like Foongus, Voltorb, Haunter, Aipom and Sudowoodo. Throughout the event, Pokémon known to be tricksters and masters of disguise will appear more often in the event with chances to encounter and catch Shiny Sudowoodo or Shiny Croagunk. 

This event will also mark the debut of Stunfisk, the Trap Pokémon which appear as event-exclusive research task rewards and will hatch from 5km eggs alongside Aipom, Wynaut, Bonsly and Croagunk.

Ditto will also be appearing more frequently in the wild during the event. Niantic has hinted that Ditto will transform into more Pokémon species than before from now on. 

Spring Event

When its Tricky Event comes to an end, Niantic will be celebrating spring with yet another event. As part of this celebration, Buneary will appear wearing a flower-crown and Pikachu will wear flower hats, while Pokémon that tie in with the egg and spring theme will appear more often in the wild, including Exeggcute, Chansey, Mareep, Marill, and Torchic.

As you'd expect, Pokémon eggs are doing something special, too, with flower crown-wearing Pichu and Togepi will hatch from them. 

To help the fact that many Pokémon Go players are isolating in their homes at the moment, Eggs will have half hatch distance when placed into Incubators until further notice. There will also be double Hatch Candy while Lucky Eggs will last for one hour. 

Players will be able to embark on event-exclusive Field Research Tasks and rewards will include encounters with Alolan Exeggutor, Azumarill, and Audino. 

Live Safari Zones

Niantic has announced that Pokémon Go Live Events will be coming to Taiwan, the US and the UK this year. The first event in Taiwan which celebrated the Lantern Festival has passed, while the others are still to come and will be ticketed at a cost of $12/£12 for General Admission and $18/£18 for Early Admission. 

Due to concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak, Niantic has stated that it will be postponing all of its Safari events with plans to look for alternate dates in the next 12 months. Players looking for refunds for their digital passes are encouraged to reach out through in-app support by March 25. 

  • March 27 - 29: Safari Zone St. Louis, Missouri, US (Postponed)
  • April 17 - 19: Safari Zone Liverpool, UK (Postponed)
  • May 8 - 10: Safari Zone Philadelphia, US (Postponed)

When's the next Pokémon Go Community Day?

  • What date is the next Community Day? Postponed
  • Who's the starring Pokémon? Abra

Niantic has confirmed that the next Pokémon Go Community Day has been postponed due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. 

When the community day does eventually go ahead, the Psychic-type Abra will be the starring Pokémon for the event and will appear more frequently in the wild to be caught. There'll also be the chance to catch a Shiny Abra. 

There's also going to be a special event-exclusive move for those who can evolve Abra through to its final form of Alakazam, though that move has not been confirmed just yet. 

Other bonuses available during the event include triple catch XP and a 3 hour period for Lure Modules rather than the standard 30 minutes. 

Pokémon Go update: what's next?

Now that Go Battle League has arrived in Pokémon Go, Niantic has ticked another big promised feature off its list. At the moment, we're not sure what's next for the game aside from, naturally, new Pokémon being added. We'll update here when the roadmap becomes more clear.

Pokémon Go Plus deals

Want to buy yourself a Pokémon Go Plus wearable? Check some of today's best deals down below.

(Image credits: Niantic/Pokémon Company)

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Dates have been set for E3 2021

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 09:42 AM PDT

The Entertainment Software Association has announced (via GamesIndustry.biz) that E3 2021 will be taking place and that it will occupy its traditional June slot, specifically running from June 15 to June 17, 2021. 

This announcement comes only a month after the ESA confirmed the cancellation of E3 2020 in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 

The organizer has said it’s planning a ‘reimagined’ event for next year, though what this will involve isn’t entirely clear just yet. The ESA's wish to do something different is not entirely surprising though, given it's been robbed of its opportunity to ‘shake things up’ in 2020 as it had wanted and E3 itself has, in recent years, had its relevancy called into question. 

Planning ahead

Before its cancellation, this year’s show  was proving particularly troublesome with Sony announcing that it wouldn’t be attending for the second time, retail and production partner iam8bit resigning and industry veteran Geoff Keighley saying that he would not be producing his E3 Coliseum event. 

At the time of E3 2020’s cancellation, the ESA said it was “exploring options” to attempt to “coordinate an online experience to showcase industry announcements and news in June 2020.” At the moment, there’s no update on this digital event taking place. 

Phil Spencer has, however, said on Twitter that Microsoft will be hosting some form of Xbox digital event instead and Ubisoft has also said it's looking into some kind of digital event. Nintendo, which traditionally broadcasts a livestream for E3 announcements anyway, has said it’s “considering various ways to engage with our fans and will have more to share as the year continues.” 

Meanwhile, IGN has announced it plans to host a “Summer of Gaming” event in early June 2020 with publisher partnerships that include Square Enix, Sega, 2K, Amazon, Google, Devolver Digital and THQ Nordic. The event, which should fill the gaming news hole, will include "publisher presentations with IGN pre- and post-discussions, remote developer interviews, hands-on demos and preview impressions, gameplay, and news segments recapping the biggest announcements."

Those in mourning for E3 2020 now, at least, have something to put in the calendar for next summer.

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How to watch the Virtual Grand National: live stream the big race right now

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 09:03 AM PDT

The Grand National won't be stopped, and you're in the right place to make sure you watch every minute of the 2020 race. The most prestigious event on the UK horse racing calendar is set to go ahead today in spite of the coronavirus pandemic - albeit only in virtual form. Our guide explains how to live stream the Virtual Grand National 2020 online or watch it on TV no matter where you are in the world.

Since 2017, a simulated virtual race has been scheduled to run alongside the real-life contest and this year is no different - not even Covid-19 can cancel a digital steeplechase!

In last year's Virtual Grand National, Rathvinden triumphed, while eventual 2019 winner Tiger Roll came in second. The CGI-powered race was right on the money in 2018, though, when the Michael O'Leary-owned horse won both races in nearly identical circumstances.

And while Tiger Roll won't get a chance to seal a historic third consecutive Grand National this year - a feat not even Red Rum managed - he is the bookies favourite in the virtual race at 5/1. Any Second Now is also highly fancied with odds of 10/1, as are Burrows Saint (12/1) and Definitely Red (14/1). Still, with a 40-strong field of runners as usual, it's safe to say that the Virtual Grand National stands to be every bit as unpredictable as the real thing.

Those looking to put their annual fiver on the line and bet on the Virtual Grand National 2020 should know that all profits from this year's event are being donated to NHS Charities Together - and as a result bookmakers are limiting bets to £10, either to win or each-way. 

In addition to the main race, ITV's coverage - which is led by Nick Luck and features Alice Plunkett and Richard Pitman - will also include a special race of champions pitting some of the greatest National winners of all-time against each other. Now, let's look at how to watch the Virtual Grand National this weekend.

How to watch the Virtual Grand National: free UK stream

Watch the Virtual Grand National online from outside your country in 2020

This scenario is less likely than it used to be, for sure, but if you do happen to be away from the UK for whatever reason, don’t worry. You can still tune in to ITV's coverage of the 2020 Virtual Grand National live from anywhere in the world.  

The secret is to download and install a VPN , which will let you change your IP address to one in the UK and head over to ITV’s website or a streaming site like TVPlayer.com. Here's how to watch a Virtual Grand National live stream using a VPN in three simple steps.

Virtual Grand National odds 2020 - runners and latest betting tips

As we've said, Tiger Roll is the current favourite to win the Virtual Grand National at 5/1.  Victory on a computer screen would be scant consolation for such a legendary horse, though - one who has been denied his chance at a record third consecutive Grand National victory. Times are more than complicated at the moment, but you have to feel for the 10-year-old Irish Thoroughbred and his trainer, Gordon Elliott. 

Any Second Now is also heavily fancied and looks decent value for an each-way bet at 10/1.

There's a full list of Virtual Grand National odds below to help you spend your £10 wisely in 2020, with each of the below bookies taking bets online:

Please gamble responsibly. For help, support and advice about problem gambling contact the National Gambling Helpline free on 0808 8020 133 or via the Live Chat.


1 Tiger Roll, 5-1

2 Bristol De Mai, 20-1

3 Aso, 66-1

4 Elegant Escape, 20-1

5 Anibale Fly, 20-1

6 Top Ville Ben, 45-1

7 Beware The Bear, 33-1

8 Peregrine Run, 66-1

9 Jett, 50-1

10 Alpha Des Obeaux, 25-1

11 Total Recall, 40-1

12 The Storyteller, 40-1

13 Magic Of Light, 18-1

14 Talkischeap, 25-1

15 Yala Enki, 28-1

16 Ballyoptic, 25-1

17 Burrows Saint, 12-1

18 Definitly Red, 14-1

19 Sub Lieutenant, 33-1

20 Ok Corral, 25-1

21 Tout Est Permis, 80-1

22 Vintage Clouds, 33/1

23 Crievehill, 66-1

24 Lake View Lad, 50-1

25 Jury Duty, 40-1

26 Pleasant Company, 28-1

27 Acapella Bourgeois, 33-1

28 Shattered Love, 66-1

29 Any Second Now, 10-1

30 Potters Corner, 18-1

31 Dounikos, 50-1

32 Kildisart, 50-1

33 Death Duty, 50-1

34 Ramses De Teillee, 66-1

35 Valtor, 66-1

36 Saint Xavier, 66-1

37 Warriors Tale, 80-1

38 Double Shuffle, 100-1

39 Kimberlite Candy, 16-1

40 Walk In The Mill, 16-1

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Amazon's Project Tempo could arrive this year to take on Google Stadia

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 08:00 AM PDT

We now know quite a bit more about Amazon's push into video games: the tech giant is planning to release its first big budget video games next month, is developing interactive Twitch experiences, and has a cloud gaming platform called Project Tempo in the works.

In a wide-ranging interview with the New York Times, Amazon executives have revealed a few more snippets about these projects, intended to pull yet more people into the Amazon ecosystem that already covers everything from cloud storage to smart speakers.

Not all of this is brand new – Amazon announced that development on games including Crucible and New World had started back in 2016, while rumors of a cloud gaming service have been swirling for more than a year.

However, the NYT article has padded out some of this info. The video game streaming service is apparently codenamed Project Tempo, and an early version could be launched at some point during this year – assuming the coronavirus outbreak doesn't get in the way. Details are sparse at the moment, but it's likely to be along the lines of Google Stadia or Nvidia GeForce Now.

Launching soon

As for the sci-fi themed first person shooter Crucible, and the massively multiplayer online game New World (which we've already taken a look at), they're both due to launch next month. The spread of Covid-19 has delayed the Crucible launch, which was originally planned for March.

The NYT confirms that there's another MMO in the works as well, as reported last year, which is going to be based on the  Lord of the Rings world. Amazon has developed its own game processing engine Lumberyard to underpin all of these efforts, which we've also heard about before.

Finally, the article touches on interactive experiences that could potentially be coming to the (Amazon-owned) Twitch platform, so that viewers can join in with the action they're watching. That could be rolling out in the next few months.

World economy and health permitting, it looks as though 2020 is going to be a big year for Amazon in gaming, as it looks to take on Sony, Microsoft, Google and the rest in this space in earnest. As soon as any of these projects go live, you'll hear about it here.

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5 PS5 features you need to know about

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 07:00 AM PDT

Sony has been drip-feeding us information about the PlayStation 5 and, while we don't know much about which games we'll be playing or how the console will look, we have a pretty good idea about what the PS5 is packing under its hood and what features it will boast.

The PS5 is shaping up to be an extremely powerful next-gen console and, the more we learn about it, the more excited we get for its release in late 2020.

But what is the key information to know about the PS5? We've put together a list of the five most exciting PS5 features we've heard about so far.

1. PS5 loading times will be super fast

PS5

The PS5's ultra-fast SSD will drastically reduce loading times. Mark Cerny, the lead system architect for the PS5, previously showcased how the SSD will shorten loading times, using Marvel's Spider-Man as an example. 

On the PS4 Pro, the game took 8.10 seconds to load, whereas on the PS5, the loading time was reduced to a mere 0.8 seconds.

SSDs have more bandwidth, so data can be loaded from the SSD when it’s needed, rather than heaps of potentially needless data being loaded into RAM. That means that load times will be hugely reduced and booting up from standby should be generally much faster, too.

2. Immersive 3D audio tech

PS5

Sony has created it

Sony has created its own audio technology for the PS5 called the Tempest 3D Audio Engine. It uses custom-built hardware as well as software algorithms to make in-game audio sound more realistic and true-to-life. In other words, it'll be much more immersive. 

The difference, says Cerny, is that the custom solution will work with all stereo headphones on the market, and eventually soundbars, TV speakers and home entertainment systems – unlike Dolby Atmos.

3. Backwards compatibility with PS4 games

God of War

The PS5 will be backwards compatible with PS4 games. According to Cerny, "almost all" of the top 100 PS4 games will be playable at launch. But what PS4 games will be included? According to Cerny, those top 100 games are being ranked by playtime, but we don't know exactly which games will make the cut.

Sony hasn't yet confirmed if the PS5 is backwards compatible with PS3, PS2 or the original PlayStation, but it doesn't look likely. So far, the company has only focused on speaking about backwards compatibility with PS4. 

4. 4K UHD Blu-ray drive

PS5

The PS5 will have a 4K Blu-ray player built-in. That means your PS5 will essentially act as a home entertainment system as well as a gaming console.

While a Blu-ray player was included in the PS3 (and was largely considered as being crucial to the format’s success) the next evolution, a 4K Blu-ray player, was lacking in the PS4 and PS4 Pro. So we're beyond pleased to see the feature making a return, as it means that cinephiles won't need to have a separate Blu-player player set up alongside their PlayStation 5.

5. Instantly launch you into multiplayer mayhem

Overwatch

The PS5 ultra-fast SSD will allow us to install and remove parts of games rather than the full product. You'll also be able to access those parts separately instantaneously, launching directly into gameplay. In other words, Sony's next-gen console will let players jump straight into aspects of different games (such as match-making, continue save game etc) without having to boot up the full game.

PS5's operating system will allow players to set "templates," meaning you could be able to jump into a game's match-making, for example, straight from your home screen; preventing the need to take steps such as booting up an entire game and selecting particular games modes. It would also make it easier for players to quickly jump between the games they have installed.

Mark Cerny revealed this direct-gameplay-launching system in last year's Wired interview, explaining that Sony wants players to be able to jump into games with little obstacle. 

"We don't want the player to have to boot the game, see what's up, boot the game, see what's up," Cerny said. "Multiplayer game servers will provide the console with the set of joinable activities in real time."

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Looking for a Nintendo Switch? It comes free with this £23/pm Huawei phone deal

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 06:47 AM PDT

With the UK plunged into self-isolation, Nintendo Switch deals seem to be an impossible item to get your hands on. Sold out in most shops and only available at insanely inflated prices, it's time to get creative in finding the best prices.

Luckily, for those also needing a new phone contract, there is a pretty simple way to get a new Nintendo Switch. Virgin is offering up the console as a tasty add-on to one of its Huawei phone deals - the Huawei P Smart.

These deals begin from a pretty impressive £19 a month but the best offering seems to be a £23 a month offer with 8GB of data. How are these plans so cheap? Well, in typical Virgin fashion, they operate on 36-month contracts.

If you would prefer something shorter, you can get this exact deal (including the Switch) on 24-month contracts, you'll just end up paying an increased price to do so. Whichever of the prices and data caps you're looking for, we've included all of the information below.

What's the Huawei P Smart like?

It may not be the most powerful phone from Huawei but considering the price it comes at here, it is pretty exceptional. It has a slick design, ample amounts of storage and a screen way above its price range.

It even carries a 3400mAh battery - a flagship-level spec these days - and a strong dual camera set-up.

Read our full Huawei P Smart review to find out more

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We got Resident Evil 3 to play at 8K and over 60FPS – but with a lot of sacrifices

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 06:00 AM PDT

Resident Evil 3 has been given the remaster treatment from Capcom, and it's the latest PC game we've decided to put through its paces in our monster 8K gaming rig.

While we've also done a deep dive into how Resident Evil 3 runs on a variety of different graphics cards, here we look at how well the game runs at the incredibly demanding 8K (7,680 × 4,320) resolution.

To do this, we're running it on an incredibly powerful gaming PC kindly built for us by Chillblast, which includes the most powerful consumer graphics card in the world: the Nvidia RTX Titan, which sells for around $2,499 (around £2,000, AU$3,600).

As for the monitor, we're using the Dell UltraSharp UP3218K monitor, which costs $3,899.99 (£3,200, around AU$ 7,000).

So, this is a pretty hardcore setup, and not one you'd usually find in many people's homes. But what we want to see is just how realistic 8K gaming is.

Resident Evil 3 8K performance

So, how does Resident Evil 3 perform at 8K? Well, there's good news and bad. Unsurprisingly for such a graphically-intense game, as it's a particularly VRAM-hungry game.

Because we like to really punish the games (and hardware) we test, we first played Resident Evil 3 at 8K resolution with all the graphical settings set to max.

As you can see in the screenshot below, these settings take up a huge 19.09GB of graphics memory. Considering the most popular GPU for PC gamers at the moment (according to the Steam Hardware survey) is the Nvidia GTX 1060, which comes with either 3GB or 6GB of memory, pretty much every GPU in the world right now is going to be unable to play at this setting.

Even the Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti, the flagship GPU from Nvidia, won't be able to manage this, as it features a (still huge) 11GB of GDDR6 memory.

So, only the mighty RTX Titan with its 24GB of GDDR6 memory is going to be able to handle it.

And we use the term 'handle' loosely. As even though our gaming rig could technically play Resident Evil 3 at max settings at 8K, the results were far from playable.

In the opening first-person section, framerates dropped to a particularly choppy 17FPS. An early corridor chase scene didn't fare much better, hovering around 21FPS.

Once we got into the game proper, and started exploring a zombie-infested Racoon City, framerates hung around the 24FPS mark, with the MSI Afterburner software recording an average frame rate of 21.9FPS.

While that's not quite approaching slide-show levels of poor frame rates, it wasn't a terribly fun way to play, with the game stuttering and lagging, especially in sections where there was a lot of action.

However, we have to say, Resident Evil 3 looked absolutely stunning in 8K. That bump in resolution resulted in an incredibly detailed image. Take a look at the screenshot below for an example.

Click to view this in full 8K glory

This gave us a thrilling glimpse of what kind of graphical quality we could expect from 8K games in the future – once our hardware catches up with the demands.

So, is Resident Evil 3 completely unplayable at 8K? Not quite. By dropping the preset so that it prioritizes performance over graphics (essentially setting most graphical settings to 'low'), we saw a big uptick in performance.

Playing over the same section again with the lower settings, we managed an average frame rate of 51FPS. and a minimum frame rate of 17.2FPS. In a few quiet spots, we also saw the FPS rise to 61.2FPS.

Of course, the trade-off here is drastically reduced image quality. While there were moments where the game looked very good, it certainly lacked the wow factor that comes with the higher graphical settings. 

Crucially, it also fell well short of that magic 60FPS average frame rate. Because of this, and the lowering of graphical settings, we'd recommend going for a lower resolution before dropping the graphical settings.

However, there were still a few tweaks to try. We turned off anti-aliasing completely (one could argue you don't need it when playing at 8K, anyway), and changed the 'Rendering Mode' from 'Normal' to 'Interlaced'.

This appeared to make the biggest impact, with the graphics memory demand dropping to a rather reasonable 2.66GB. Playing through the same section again, we now got average frame rates of an impressive 71FPS, with a minimum of 49.1FPS and a maximum of 162.1 FPS – though that was probably when we stood still in a dark spot for a moment.

Still, that is definitely very playable, and the game instantly felt smoother and more responsive. But looks-wise? Eesh. Not good.

The already ropy visuals looked even worse now, with a weird shimmering effect around fast-moving characters, no doubt caused by the Interlace rendering mode. While we were technically able to play Resident Evil 3 at 8K at these settings, we wouldn't want to.

With the Interlaced rendering technique making such a big difference, we looked to see if we could boost the other graphical settings elsewhere in a bid to make the game look good again.

Setting the graphical effects to 'medium' (and in some cases 'high') while keeping the Interlace rendering technique, we saw frame rates averaging 31FPS.

Not bad, but not great either, and the boost in graphical settings didn't make up for the weird graphical artefacts brought in by using the Interlaced rendering.

We also tried playing at the highest settings again, but with Interlaced rendering selected. This time, we got average frame rates of 31.8FPS, which is better (though the minimum frame rates were a shocking 7FPS), and again the graphical hit brought in by the Interlaced rendering was annoyingly noticeable.

So, changing the rendering technique isn't a magic bullet for high frame rates at 8K.



4K remains king

In the end, the most reliable way of getting high frame rates while not sacrificing image quality too much is to lower the resolution.

By dropping to 'only' 4K, we were able to get frame rates of 77.2FPS on average, and with all the graphical settings set to max.

4K is still a very high resolution, and the game looked fantastic – and played brilliantly as well.

But do you need an RTX Titan to play it at those resolutions? Certainly not. In our tests we found that the RTX 2080 Ti hit 74FPS on average at the same settings, and this is a GPU that while still very expensive, is almost half the price of the RTX Titan at $1,049 (about £837, AU$1,390).

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super is cheaper still, and hits 62FPS on average at 4K and max settings. Perfectly playable and more within reach of PC gamers.

So, while Resident Evil 3 is playable at 8K, and offers a tantalizing glimpse of what our 8K gaming future may hold, the best resolution for most people who want that Holy Grail of high resolutions, stunning image quality and great performance, remains 4K.


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Next-gen TVs: the OLED, micro-LED and holographic TVs of the future

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 05:00 AM PDT

TVs used to be little more than small square boxes. Now they’re large rectangles – probably flat, though maybe even curved – but what comes next? The year’s biggest TV trade shows are always packed with prototypes that seek to define what the future holds, though very few of the (often wacky) showpieces ever make it to the production line. 

So how could TVs change in look or function in the next decade? We spoke to a number of top industry analysts – and cast our minds back to trade shows of years gone by – to gauge what the next-gen TVs of tomorrow could look like, and what they’ll do differently to the TV displays of today.

“My guess is that TV as furniture becomes more important – if you are really going to move to even larger screens then they have to be less obtrusive,” says Paul Gray, Research Director, Consumer Devices at independent analyst and consultancy firm Omdia. 

Gray’s own take on a future kind of TV is a plastic display that can be unrolled and put on a wall like wallpaper. “I think that if it was cheap enough, a display that only lasted two years would be conceivable – like replacing a light bulb in the old days – but it’s a total rethink from where we are,” he says.

Deloitte predicts that by 2030 it will be possible to get a third of the price off a TV in exchange for the authorisation to share viewers’ watching habits, and that TVs will get impressively big.

“A decade from now people will continue to seek-out high production value content, and will still want to watch this on large screens, up to 100 inches in size,” says Paul Lee, global head of technology, media and telecommunications research at Deloitte.

“Living rooms will be designed to accommodate ever larger screens, and more households will be able to afford larger TV sets as manufacturers will offer a cheaper price for the authorisation to share people’s viewing habits with advertisers. Many will have accepted the trade-off for their data in order to get a better quality screen.”

A re-think of what a TV should do, look like and behave is always on the cards if the last CES 2020 was anything to go by, with the major TV brands unveiling everything from rollable and rotating sets to modular and super-massive displays.

What sticks and what gets forgotten is never known too far in advance, but either way we’re entering an era of ‘personalised viewing’ writ large. For now, here are six next-gen TV designs that could pave the way for the future of television.

1. LG's rollable OLED TV

Likely to cost US$60,000 and reported to go on sale during 2020, LG Display has been touting its rollable OLED TV for a while now. 

The big new trick with this 2020 version is that it unfurls from the ceiling, which is effectively saying that, yes, everyone really wants a big-screen home cinema … but not a projector. “It’s 2019’s gimmick warmed up,” says Omdia analyst Paul Gray, who rightly suggests that you could buy a Porsche Cayman for roughly the same price instead.

Read our hands-on LG Signature Series OLED R review

2. Samsung Sero TV

Everyone’s embracing vertical video, so why not swivel a TV like a smartphone? We can think of dozens of reasons why not, but Samsung’s TV engineers nevertheless think that people might want a TV that rotates. Cue the Samsung Sero – the name translates as ‘vertical’ in Korean’ – a concept TV unveiled at CES 2020.

Its ability to change in orientation from landscape to portrait at the touch of a button (or by re-orientating a synced Samsung Note 10) is Sero’s special skill. “Vertical video is by definition handheld, quick, and a snack,” says Gray, referring to vertical video’s usual use for very short videos. Aiming at $1,600 / £1,230 / AU$2,300 TV at TikTok-obsessed Gen Z’s might sound a bit odd, but Sero does at least boast a built-in 60W, 4.1 surround sound system. 

Read our hands on Samsung Sero TV review

3. Sony's super-size Crystal LED TV

Everyone wants a bigger TV, but 790-inches? Firmly in video wall territory, here’s a TV that you can buy like you would a laptop, specifying the size and resolution depending on room size and budget … though you’ll need plenty of both. 

Sony's Crystal LED display – which has ultra-fine micro-LEDs inside that are 100 times smaller than on your average LED TV – demands a big space. It’s sold as a full HD resolution 110-inch screen, a 4K version in 220-inch, an 8K resolution 440-inch, and as a whopping 16K resolution 790-inch ultra-monster screen. 

As a bonus, the Crystal LED TVs reach 100 cd/m2 brightness, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, refresh in 120 frames per second, and have a viewing angle of 180 degrees. Sadly, they cost over US$5 million. 

Read more about 2020 Sony TVs

4. Looking Glass Factory holographic TV

Holograms, yes. Just like you always wanted. The trouble with holograms is that you have to have something to project light onto; thin air is no good. Cue Looking Glass Factory’s extra special holographic 32-inch TV. 

Debuted at CES 2020, it achieves volumetric, stereoscopic 3D-dimensional holograms in 8K resolution by placing a second glass screen in front of the first. As well as 33.2 million pixels, it’s also got a 45-element light field display, so a bunch of people can get a 3D image from virtually anywhere in front of it, and even get a different view from 45 separate positions. It flashes up those images at 60 frames per second. 

5. TCL’s 8K Vidrian Mini-LED TV

This one’s all about picture quality, but have you ever heard of Mini-LED TV tech? Everyone in tech knows that LED and QLED are not as impressive, picture quality-wise, as LG’s OLED technology, so there’s a push among the (non-LG) TV manufacturers to come-up with something similar, but more affordable. 

Cue Mini-LED – a technology that replaces LED clusters in a display with thousands of tiny backlights in the glass substrate of the panel, each of which can be individually controlled. The end result is a wider contrast ratio and deeper blacks. 

For now, it’s all about Chinese TV maker TCL. At CES 2020, TCL unveiled an 8K resolution Mini-LED TV concept called Vidrian that combines Quantum Dot tech with LCD tech and boasts 25,000 micro-metre LED backlights. 

6. LG's bendable video walls

If we all want bigger, flatter TVs, and ultra-detailed 16K resolution is already possible, then perhaps it’s video walls that are the future of the TV. 

At CES 2020, LG Displays – already touting its standard video walls – debuted a bendable OLED TV concept designed to upgrade the in-flight experiences for first class airplane passengers. 

These OLED video walls, made of a series of 65-inch bendable OLED displays installed on the wall of a plane, were accompanied by transparent plastic ‘POLED’ screens to use as cabin dividers. Tiled TVs – with each tile offering different content to different viewers – could be the future of TV in a busy home… but we also might not want it.

“I’m not big on the tiled screen concept – it’s horribly distracting, and what do you do about the audio?” says Gray. “Personalised viewing is definitely the trend, but this is the wrong way to do it.” LG Display says its airline cabin concept is about creating more openness in the narrow space of an enclosed space, but if you’re after that kind of thing, the transparent Airbus Concept Cabin is just as arresting. 

Read more about 2020 LG TVs

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Onward is now available on Disney Plus: see how to watch the Pixar movie online

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 04:11 AM PDT

Whether you're a fan of all Pixar movies (and have already devoured Disney Plus's collection) or are looking for something to entertain the kids under lockdown, you can already stream the latest release from the iconic animation studio - here's how to watch Onward online wherever you are right now.

Featuring voice-overs from Hollywood stars like Tom Holland, Chris Pratt and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Onward is the fantastical tale of two teenage elves, brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot. 

The duo come from a modern suburban world where technology has overtaken magic, but desperate to spend one last day with their father - who died before they could remember him - they adventure to find one last bit of magic and make their dream a reality.

As a Pixar film, it's now landed on Disney Plus in the US and Canada. But those wanting to watch Onward online have a number of options - allow us to explain how to stream the hit movie in full today.

How to watch Onward: online streaming options in the US

How to watch Onward online in Canada

How to watch Onward online: full UK streaming options

How to watch Onward in Australia

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Apple's latest acquisition should help Siri to understand you better

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 04:00 AM PDT

Apple just acquired a company that specializes in processing natural language requests – and that should mean holding a conversation with the Siri assistant is going to get a lot easier in the future.

The artificial intelligence startup is called Voysis, Bloomberg reports, and it was based in Dublin, Ireland. The outfit had been going since 2012 but will now be part of Apple.

Apple itself didn't have much to say about the deal, delivering the standard response to Bloomberg: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."

It's not uncommon for Apple to pick up and absorb smaller tech firms – in November 2018 it got hold of a firm that worked on AI for smart home devices. In this case, it should have a direct impact on the apps that iPhone and Mac owners are using every day.

Okay Siri...

Voysis focused specifically on digital assistants inside shopping apps, so they could better respond to requests like "I need a new LED TV" and "my budget is $1,000", for example. That tech was then sold on to other companies.

Once Apple incorporates the AI processing into its own programs – with Siri presumably high on that list – you should be able to make requests and ask questions that are much more vague.

With Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa continuing to improve and offer fierce competition for Siri, Apple knows that it can't let its digital assistant get left behind. We might see some of these improvements in time for the HomePod 2.

It's actually Apple's second acquisition in the space of a week: it also picked up popular weather app Dark Sky and promptly announced it would be shutting down the Android version of it.

Via Engadget

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WrestleMania 36 live stream: how to watch 2020's biggest WWE event online for free

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 03:00 AM PDT

WrestleMania 36 is now tantalisingly close. Yes, the biggest event of the 2020 WWE calendar starts today and continues on Sunday - and we're here to tell you how to catch all of the action live. This year's Showcase of the Immortals may have a slightly different look and feel to it but it's still set to be a PPV spectacular unlike any other. Don't miss a second of the action - here's how to watch a free WrestleMania 36 live stream this weekend from anywhere in the world.

The main talking point heading into tonight's first bell is that WrestleMania 36 will be held behind closed doors for the first time in its illustrious history. Indeed, in 2020 it will take place over two nights and feature multiple locations - another first. The WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida is the main 'venue', after the event was moved from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa due to restrictions on mass gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic. 

There have been a few last minute changes to the WrestleMania 36 card, too, after Roman Reigns pulled out of his Universal Championship showdown against Goldberg over coronavirus concerns - Braun Strowman is being teased as a replacement for the clash. Elsewhere, Dana Brooke and Rey Mysterio are also in quarantine and will miss the event.

The silver lining for WWE fans is that WrestleMania 36 will be host by none other than Rob Gronkowski, the NFL legend and former New England Patriots star. Gronk won three Super Bowl rings and earned five Pro Bowl appearances over the course of his injury-shortened career, retiring from the game as the best tight-end of all-time in the eyes of many.

Other highlights of the WrestleMania 36 card include The Undertaker vs AJ Styles in a Boneyard brawl, and an old school grudge match between Edge and Randy Orton. The headline fight of the night, though, is the WWE Championship showdown between current title-holder Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre.

Rrrready to rrrrumble yet? We'll tell you the best ways to live stream WrestleMania 36 below - and for FREE! Read on for everything you need to know about the big WWE pay-per-view this weekend.

Live stream WWE WrestleMania from outside your country

Scroll down if you're reading this in the US, Canada, UK or Australia, as we've outlined all your WrestleMania 36 live stream options below. If you're from Japan and want to see the Kabuki Warriors defend their WWE Women's Tag Team belts against Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, then hop right over to the WWE Network - where a free trial offer awaits you (more on that below).

But if you're unlucky enough to be in a country where the only way to catch the wrestling is through expensive PPV or via some dodgy, illegal stream you've found in the less salubrious corners of the internet, you may well discover that your home coverage is geo-blocked where you are. If that's the case, you'll want to use a clever bit of software called a VPN so you can watch a more reliable and secure WWE live stream.

Free WrestleMania 36 live stream: watch on the WWE Network

How to live stream WrestleMania 36: watch in the US for free

If you’re watching from the United States, then subscribing to the WWE Network is your best bet as it is the most cost effective way to watch, as its free 1-month trial will let you catch all this weekend's action without dropping a dime.

Pay-per-view providers like Dish and Xfinity are also showing WrestleMania 36 on TV, but pricing is set at $59.99-69.99 - a big chunk of your toilet paper stockpile budget. And if you're after more than just ridiculous costumes and trash talk, don't forget that Disney Plus is currently offering a FREE 7-day trial and boasts loads of great content - from The Simpsons to Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar.

Also, remember that if the WWE Network's free trial isn't available where you are, you can always use a VPN to access the service just like you would from home.

How to live stream WrestleMania for free in Canada

As is the case in the WWE’s home country, the WWE Network is also the cheapest, most convenient place to watch WrestleMania 36 in Canada. However, you could choose to go with SaskTel, Shaw or BellMTS - but expect to pay similar prices to PPV providers in the US. 

And anyone outside of Canada wanting to live stream WrestleMania 36 like they would from the Great White North should consider trying a VPN to access the services and coverage they normally would with a 6-pack of Moosehead to hand.

How to live stream WWE WrestleMania 36: free UK live stream details

How to watch WrestleMania 2020: live stream for free in Australia

How to live stream WrestleMania 36 for free in Japan

The Kabuki Warriors are the reigning WWE Women's Tag Team Champions and will defend their belts at WrestleMania 36 against challengers Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. That means wrestling fans in Japan have every reason to want to get up early on Sunday and Monday morning, with WrestleMania action set to start at 8am Japanese Standard Time on both days.

The WWE Network has been available in Japan for the last few years and, given its free trial offer, is the most affordable way to get a WrestleMania live stream in Japan. Local PPV options certainly exist - check your provider, but DMM.com, J:Com and Sukachan are likely all offering the event - but don't necessarily represent the best value for money.

WrestleMania 36: full card for WWE 2020's biggest event

• Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Drew McIntyre - WWE Championship 

• Goldberg (c) vs. TBC - Firefly Funhouse match 

• Edge vs. Randy Orton - Last Man Standing match 

• The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles - Boneyard match 

• Sami Zayn (c) vs. Daniel Bryan - Intercontinental Championship 

• Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins 

• Bayley (c) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Lacey Evans vs. Tamina vs. Naomi - Fatal 5-Way for the SmackDown Women's Championship

• Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley 

• The Street Profits (c) vs. Austin Theory & Angel Garza - Raw Tag Team Championships

• Elias vs. Baron Corbin

• The Miz & John Morrison (c) vs. The New Day vs. The Usos - Triple Threat Ladder match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships 

• Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler 

• The Kabuki Warriors (c) vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross - Women's Tag Team Championships 

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Best Lego sets 2020: the finest new builds, from Stranger Things to Batmobiles

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 03:00 AM PDT

Quarantine life is hard: you need a new project, but one that feels fun, achievable and satisfyingly nerdy. Enter the best Lego sets, which we've handily collected in one brick-tastic place.

What's great about the best new Lego sets is the sheer variety on offer, for all ages and ability levels. From pop culture tie-ins like The Upside Down from Strange Things to a new version of the International Space Station, we've rounded up builds for every price bracket.

There's even an app-controlled rally car for Top Gear fans with a sizable living room, or for the Manchester United fan with Premier League withdrawal symptoms, the superb new Old Trafford replica.

We've concentrated on Lego's newer sets, but there are also some fine sets from last year too in the form of the Lego AT-AP Walker and Tree House, which is one of Lego's most eco-friendly sets so far thanks to the use of a sustainable polyethylene pieces. Time to clear the kitchen table and get cracking...

 

Best Lego sets

Stranger Things has been a global phenomenon, and this set from Lego allows you to have a little bit of Hawkins and The Upside Down in one set. All your favorite characters are included here too, with a special demogorgon minifigure as well.

This is one of the more creatives Lego sets we’ve seen in recent years, and it’s a must-have for any Stranger Things fan. Maybe setting this up can keep your nostalgia buzz going until Stranger Things season 4 lands.

Buy the Lego The Upside Down set

Best Lego sets

James Bond’s most iconic car was the Aston Martin DB5, although it only appeared in eight films (including No Time To Die). You can make a Lego version of the car as it appears in Goldfinger, complete with all the tricks and gadgets.

Sadly, there’s no James Bond minifigure here (as none officially exist, yet), but if you’re a fan of the books, films, or even video games, this is a nice exhibit for your home.

Best Lego sets

If you've been steadily building a NASA collection or just want to get a bit more galactic in your Lego aspirations, then this fine recreation of the International Space Station could be for you.

A good-value set, the ISS has eight adjustable solar panels and a mini NASA space shuttle with two astronaut minifigures. It also comes with a display stand, so it can sit on your shelf as a fine background piece for your YouTube channel.

Best Lego sets

Well, crikey. Sometimes looking at a Lego set just does something to you inside, and this expensive set offers that experience. Based on Michael Keaton's Batmobile in the 1989 Tim Burton movie, clearly this is a more of a collector's piece than something you'd let your kids get toffee stains on. 

It's a serious investment for a Lego set, but you can see the appeal. The stand enhances the collectors' appeal, and inside the cockpit, you'll find details accurate to the movie's depiction of Batman's iconic vehicle. You get three lovely minifigures, too: a very Nicholson-esque Joker, Bats and Vicki Vale.

Best Lego sets

Tired of watching Ole Gunnar Solskjaer painstakingly rebuild the Manchester United football team? It's time to do some building yourself with this spectacular 1:600 replica model of the English Premier League team's stadium.

As you'd hope a set this expensive, there's some serious attention to detail in this Lego Creator set. The Stretford End has been faithfully reproduced, while you also get statues of Sir Alex Ferguson, Matt Busby and the United Trinity (former players Best, Law and Charlton). With the old players' tunnel included too, even non-Manchester United fans might be tempted to build it.

Best Lego sets

The Lego Technic Catamaran is a brilliant set that shows off exactly what the Technic line is intended to do: teach builders how complex machines work and let them explore how they function first-hand. 

Even though the resulting model is dominated by twin pontoons and the large sail, the Catamaran set is deceptively intricate, with a linked rudder to steer and two retractable ‘daggerboards’ that keep the craft stable in the wind. But best of all, the completed model even floats, allowing builders to see their catamaran set sail.

Best Lego sets

Lego's Star Wars helmets are so new that they're currently only available for pre-order, but they'll be shipping very soon. Alongside the Stormtrooper model, you'll also be able to buy Boba Fett and TIE Fighter Pilot helmets too.

Part collectible, part display piece, the Stormtrooper Helmet has the signature menacing black eyes and white armor. It's designed to be a challenging build for Star Wars fans who are 18 years old or over, but there's no doubt it's likely to be a hugely satisfying dark side project.

Pre-order the Lego Stormtrooper Helmet

Best Lego sets

Now here's a proper challenge for those who really miss the days of doing real rally track days – a fully-working model of the Stig's rally car from the BBC's Top Gear show.

The build itself looks fun and challenging, but what's particularly cool is the attention to detail in the accompanying app. There are pedals, gear changes and gyroscope-based steering, along with sound effects. Once you've mastered the controls, there are also racing challenges and real-time feedback on your driving.   

Best Lego sets

Iron Man has become one of the true icons of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and you can now own a variety of his suits and his lab in Lego form. The Hall of Armor – which looks similar to how it appears in the Iron Man movies – is a great cheaper set if you’re looking for an Avengers themed choice.

You’ll get a variety of different armors from the film alongside the lab where he stores them itself as well. The best part is you can design the lab yourself with the ability to stack the suit displays high or in a semi-circle.

Best Lego sets

Lego's been making high-quality Star Wars merchandise for over two decades now, and it was so popular it kicked off both the trend of making themed Lego videogames and producing tie-in products based on popular franchises. There are dozens of sets you could pick up, but if you want something that's only moderately challenging and not eye-wateringly expensive, consider this Clone Wars-era set. 

The two Kashyyyk-themed Clone minifigures have a swampy, worn color palette, which is a nice detail. You also get Chewbacca, too, and two battle droids for the wookiee to throw around. Sadly none of Chewbacca's Kashyyyk-dwelling family members from the Star Wars Holiday Special, like Lumpy, make the cut. 

Best Lego sets

The Tree House set from Lego ideas is the kind of set you can play with but also leave lying around your house on a shelf, looking good. It’s a fairly big set, with different openable areas and levels, and comes with different sets of leaves that you can mix and match to fit the season.

A highlight of the set is that the leaves are actually made from leaves – well, plant-based plastics – showing an admirable move on Lego’s part towards eco-friendly and sustainable materials.

Buy the Lego Tree House

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Virgin's cheapest broadband and TV deal just got even cheaper after a big price cut

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 03:00 AM PDT

While Virgin has both some of the fastest broadband deals and most detailed TV packages out there, it is rarely the cheapest option, usually rivalling both BT and Sky for price. However right now its cheapest plan is looking like a very strong option.

That's because Virgin's Bigger Bundle has recently taken a drop in price, making Virigin's cheapest broadband and TV deal even cheaper. Virgin claims it has brought the price down from £38 a month to £29.99...but if we're honest, we don't ever recall it being as high as that!

Either way, this is an excellent price to be paying right now and is arguably the best of the bunch when it comes to broadband and TV deals. As well as the price drop, Virgin has also doubled the speeds, bringing it up to 108Mb.

There is also 110 channels on offer, free weekend calls and the ability to pause and rewind TV. Sounds great right?! Well here's the kicker. The UK's strict lockdown means many broadband providers have stopped performing installations.

While Virgin is the last one holding out when it comes to internet and TV, it is barely holding in. If you already have a Virgin line, you can simply install it yourself. If not...they will still come and install, it just may require some reorganising and detailed planning around social distancing.

Is Virgin fibre broadband available in my area?

Approximately 60% of UK households can get superfast Virgin broadband. It's quite simply to find out of you're part of this percentage - head over to our dedicated Virgin broadband deals page, enter your postcode where indicated (at the top of the page) and if deals show as available then .

If no results are returned, then head to our best broadband deals page instead and do exactly the same thing to see whether you can get superfast fibre broadband with another provider, such as BT Superfast.

Existing Virgin Media broadband customers

Sorry, the Virgin website states that these limited time offers are for new customers only. However, there's no harm in trying to get a slice of the pie, so if you're already a Virgin broadband customer we suggest you get in touch with customer services before trying to place an order. 

Today's best Virgin broadband deals

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Skype introduces video meetings with no sign-up needed for those wanting a Zoom alternative

Posted: 04 Apr 2020 01:35 AM PDT

Skype has brought in a new type of video call whereby no one has to sign up for an account to join the chat, in a similar convenient vein to Zoom – except in the case of Skype, not even the host needs to sign up for the service, or install anything.

Skype describes the new Meet Now feature as a “hassle-free way to connect” with other folks that doesn’t require signing up to any account, or downloading any software. You can simply head over to a web page and start a meeting in a few clicks directly from there, inviting anyone you wish, who can then subsequently join just as easily.

For those who do have the Skype client already installed, you can start the meeting from within the software if you prefer, and obviously easily invite your existing Skype contacts, or equally those who don’t have the program installed.

The meeting link doesn’t expire, and the video call isn’t limited in terms of the functionality available. You get in-line chat and reactions, and the ability to blur the background (if you haven’t had time to tidy up your study at home before a meeting, for example). You can also share your screen for work or instructional purposes, and even record the call if you wish (recordings are stored for a period of 30 days).

If you want to fire up a Meet Now session in your browser, head here, or in your Skype client, click the Meet Now button (next to New Chat) in the left-hand sidebar.

Zoom and gloom

As you’ve doubtless seen, Zoom has experienced a massive surge in user numbers due to the coronavirus lockdown, and folks staying – or working – from home taking advantage of how easy it is to set up meetings with the video conferencing service.

However, this spike in usage has cast a harsh spotlight on Zoom’s security, with a lot of worries and question marks over how tight it may be, with various flaws in Mac and Windows security having recently been highlighted.

For its part, Zoom has said it’s freezing any product development to focus on tightening up security, with a comprehensive review planned – and its entire engineering team will be working on this.

To compound Zoom’s misery, however, it seems like the service’s infrastructure is groaning under the weight of all these new users too, as we have recently seen outages in Europe and the US.

So Zoom is struggling to juggle a lot of balls in terms of maintaining service right now, perhaps while applying updates as per the engineering team’s instructions, and it seems that Skype wants to capitalize on this by trying to tempt users away from its rival with a similarly easy-to-use and convenient video call offering.

Via Engadget

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Remote working could put an end to the office as we know it

Posted: 03 Apr 2020 10:00 PM PDT

The ongoing pandemic has brought about the world’s largest remote working experiment, with tens of millions forced to participate worldwide – and its outcome will likely have repercussions that will reverberate long after the last quarantine restrictions are lifted.

Companies of all sizes – and with varying degrees of preparedness – have ordered employees to work from home in a bid to delay the spread of Covid-19, classified a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The duration of this mandated period of remote working varies business by business, but the rate at which the virus is spreading – especially in Europe and the US – and the severity of lockdown measures suggest current isolation periods could be extended for much longer than originally thought.

The remote working experience will be entirely new for some, while others will be well versed in the art of working from home on occasion. However, the extended period of social isolation many of us have embarked upon is bound to place significant strain on established ways of working - and some employees might be unwilling to go back to the status quo ante.

Are we equipped to go virtual?

The foremost concern for many businesses – especially smaller companies without extensive resources – is whether employees are properly equipped to go virtual-only. The lack of either hardware or software may be a significant stumbling block for workers asked suddenly to abandon their office workstations.

Recognizing this issue (or opportunity), many software and SaaS vendors have granted businesses limited-time access to premium offerings free of charge, hoping that a fraction of those clients will morph into long-term – and, most importantly, paying – customers.

LogMeIn was the first to offer free ‘Emergency Remote Work Kits’ to government, education, healthcare and non-profit organizations, followed swiftly by Cisco and Microsoft, who have opened up their collaboration products to all businesses.

VPN and cybersecurity vendors have followed suit with time-limited arrangements of their own, designed to safeguard businesses whose security perimeters have grown by magnitudes overnight.

“Regrettably, the spread of Covid-19 has made organizations reevaluate remote working policies and the technology in place to support them,” Mark Strassman, SVP & GM of Unified Communications & Collaboration at LogMeIn, told TechRadar Pro.

“This is accelerating the pace at which many organizations are being pushed to embrace remote work, despite the fact many of these organizations are not yet equipped to get the most productivity out of their remote workforce.”

Maintaining productivity, however, is perhaps too lofty an ambition in the circumstances, when even basic functioning is by no means guaranteed. Businesses are more precariously positioned than ever, wholly reliant on the performance of cloud-based tools and services.

Is infrastructure up to the task?

While there will be no shortage of tools to facilitate communication between remote workers, it remains to be seen whether infrastructure can cope with sustained periods of high traffic in the long term.

It is feared networks could falter under an extended surge in content streaming, online gaming and video conferencing. With many schools closed and millions working remotely under quarantine, peak periods now account for the majority of the waking day, leaving less time than usual for network upkeep and maintenance.

According to Scott Petty, CTO at UK telecoms firm Vodafone, peak traffic is no longer confined to the evenings, but now extends from midday to 9pm. The implications of this sudden change could be significant, with service providers forced to shoulder a far greater burden than is normal.

Microsoft Teams was the first video conferencing solution to take a nosedive, with major outages reported across the US and Europe on consecutive Mondays (March 23 and 30), just as millions of workers logged on. While the cause of the outages is unconfirmed, the timing appears more than coincidental.

Meanwhile, Netflix and YouTube have agreed to cap their services for 30 days to ease the burden on broadband networks. Netflix will cap its bitrate, which it says will reduce data consumption by 25%, and YouTube will only be available in standard definition - as opposed to high definition or 4K. Disney, Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Instagram have also pledged to cut video streaming quality.

According to Verizon, online gaming also increased by 75% between March 9 and 16, during which period both Xbox Live and Nintendo’s online services were taken down by traffic surges. 

Although rumours that online gaming represents the most severe threat to internet services are overblown (online games use a third of the data consumed by streaming Netflix in standard definition), increased activity will certainly contribute to choking networks.

For now, providers are insisting networks can cope, but early incidences of downtime suggest not all communications infrastructure boasts the resilience necessary to support a world population reliant on connection for work, communication, entertainment, and socialization.

Are we jeopardising security?

While the generosity of technology vendors might go a long way to equipping small businesses to work from home, the immediacy with which social distancing policies were introduced gave many firms little time to consider another crucial factor: security.

According to a number of cybersecurity experts, the sudden surge in remote working will open up all manner of attack vectors for opportunist cybercriminals. 

“We’re seeing unprecedented numbers of people connecting remotely to corporate networks, putting additional pressure on already strained IT and security infrastructure,” says David Emm, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky.

“Many organizations are also not geared up for people to work from home and are thus trying to understand the challenges in real time, under exceptional circumstances...Once a device is taken outside of an organization’s network infrastructure and is connected to new networks, the risks broaden and increase.”

Cybercriminals are also capitalising on panic surrounding the novel disease to sow all manner of malware. Recent weeks have seen ransomware and DDoS attacks on healthcare institutions, already under strain as a result of the virus - and even an attack on the WHO itself. 

Numerous coronavirus-related phishing scams have also entered circulation, using false claims about the disease to lure unwitting victims and infect their machines. One scam even claimed it could prevent users falling physically ill with the virus.

“It is crucial that organizations implement a multi-layered approach to security in order to safeguard against phishing attacks, such as implementing multi-factor authentication methods,” Will LaSala, Senior Director of Global Solutions at security firm OneSpan, told TechRadar Pro.

“Attackers regularly take advantage of spikes in communication or activity to launch attacks. While it shouldn’t take a global pandemic to trigger businesses into action, it’s more important than ever to make sure the right security infrastructure is in place across all channels to keep your business and customers safe,” he added.

The advice from security experts is to exercise particular caution under quarantine, ensuring devices are protected with effective security software and multi-factor authentication, and VPN services are used to preserve online privacy.

Users of free video conferencing solutions should also remain alert, because privacy and security pledges are not always upheld. For example, it was discovered Zoom calls are not end-to-end encrypted, despite claims from the firm, whose app has been downloaded more than 50 million times on Google Play Store alone.

Could the pandemic spell the end for the mega-conference?

The events sector is another that will likely emerge from the coronavirus crisis utterly transformed, with the outbreak causing the cancellation or deferral of many eminent technology conferences.

Mobile World Congress, the world’s largest mobile technology show, became the first domino to fall. The organiser (the GSMA) was forced to cancel the event, set to take place in Barcelona at the end of February, after a series of high-profile attendees (such as Nokia, Sony, BT and Ericsson) pulled out over coronavirus concerns.

Since then, a raft of technology events have been postponed or cancelled over fears crowded environments create the perfect conditions for the rapid transmission of coronavirus.

Others - including Apple’s WWDC and Microsoft MVP - have gone ‘digital-only’ instead, and it’s no exaggeration to suggest the success or failure of these virtual events could define the event industry’s future.

Andrew Johnson, an executive at online meeting provider PowWowNow, says the coronavirus pandemic could herald the demise of traditional, in-person conferences.

“This could absolutely be the start of a trend that sees the world’s largest conferences take a different shape going forward. We are now lucky enough to have workplace apps and online services that allow people to connect regardless of location, so large scale conferences are more feasible than ever before,” he said over email.

The impact of large-scale events on the environment has also been called into question in recent years. For example, accusations of hypocrisy were leveled at attendees of this year’s World Economic Forum summit in Davos, many of whom travelled to the climate-centric conference via private jet.

Immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) have waited patiently in the wings for an opportunity to seize the enterprise stage. Attending conferences via VR headsets could solve a host of challenges associated with public health, but also with travel costs, the environment and engagement.

However, while technically and logistically feasible, virtual events at scale are yet to have passed the litmus test only practice can administer. Questions over the ability to effectively engage an online audience en masse, to ensure key messages aren’t lost over poor connection and to replicate the networking opportunity afforded by physical events remain.

The benefits of virtual only events must also be balanced with the collateral damage inflicted on orbiting businesses, which include marketing and PR, hospitality, transport and more - a group that doubtless comprises millions worldwide.

Were we already headed in that direction?

The coronavirus outbreak has forced far greater numbers into remote working than otherwise would have been the case. However, it's possible the pandemic has only served to accelerate a transition that was already underway on a global scale.

The rise of flexible and remote working in recent years has been meteoric, with businesses turning to these policies in a bid to attract and retain talent, and cut down on real estate square footage.

According to figures from Flexjobs and Global Workplace Analytics, the number of US employees working remotely is up 44% in the past five years, and up 91% in the past ten. Globally, meanwhile, 52% of staff work from home at least once per week.

Julien Codorniou, VP at enterprise connectivity platform Workplace by Facebook, sees the ability to sustain a remote workforce as crucial to the longevity of any business, irrespective of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Outside of Covid-19, dispersed workforces are becoming more of a reality for businesses around the world, whether they want to offer more flexibility to workers or hire the next generation of talent regardless of location,” he said in an email to TechRadar Pro.

“Tools that can extend remote working capabilities beyond your workforce, to all the partners and customers you work with, will be critical to maintaining communication in the long term.”

The current circumstances, millennial sensibilities and drastic improvements to cloud-based services combine to create the perfect storm. Companies must take measures to insulate themselves from the potential rise of the office-less business, which will see employees work together each day without ever meeting in the flesh. 

The multitude of variables at play - from the technological capability of the businesses themselves, to the savviness of individual users, the capacity of infrastructure and the progress of the disease - means no one can predict how this unfortunate remote working experiment will pan out.

It is certain, however, that businesses will emerge from the brighter end of this global crisis far better able to support employees that would prefer to work from home, which figures indicate could be the majority. And, preference aside, others might find themselves unwilling to go back.

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