Monthly Archives: May 2020

NATO warships return to the icy Barents Sea for the first time in a generation

May 10th 2020

THE BARENTS SEA is not a hospitable place for visitors. Frequent snow storms ... blotted out the land for hours on end, wrote an unlucky British submariner sent there to snoop around during the cold war. We faced the beastliness of spray which turned to ice even before it struck our faces. It is no surprise, then, that American warships have kept away from the sea since the mid-1980suntil they returned last week.

Their presence is part of a steady northward creep by NATO naval forces. In 2018 the alliance, joined by Sweden and Finland, held Trident Juncture, its largest exercise since the end of the cold war, in Norway. That involved the first deployment of an American aircraft-carrier in the Arctic Circle for three decades. Western warships have been frequent visitors since. On May 1st a surface action group of two American destroyers, a nuclear submarine, support ship and long-range maritime patrol aircraft, plus a British frigate, practised their sub-hunting skills in the Norwegian Sea.

Such drills are not unusual. But on May 4th some of those ships broke off and sailed further north into the Barents Sea, along with a third destroyer. Although American and British submarines routinely skulk around the area, to spy on Russian facilities and exercises covertly, surface ships have not done so in a generation. On May 7th Russias navy greeted the unwelcome visitors by announcing that it too would be conducting exercises in the Barents Sealive-fire ones, in fact. On May 8th, having celebrated VE Day in Russias backyard and completed several days of high-end, sustained operations, the NATO vessels departed.

It is a significant move. The deployment of destroyers which carry missile-defence systems and land-attack cruise missiles is especially assertive. After all, the area is the heart of Russian naval power, including the countrys submarine-based nuclear weapons. Russias Northern Fleet is based at Severomorsk on the Kola peninsula, to the east of Norways uppermost fringes.

Western navies are eager to show that covid-19 has not blunted their swords, at a time when America and France have each lost an aircraft-carrier to the virus. But their interest in the high north predates the pandemic. One purpose of the foray into the Barents Sea was to assert freedom of navigation, said Americas navy. Russia has been imposing rules on ships that wish to transit the Northern Sea Route (NSR), an Arctic passage between the Atlantic and Pacific that is becoming increasingly navigable as global warming melts ice-sheets (see map). America scoffs at these demands, insisting that foreign warships have the right to pass innocently through territorial waters under the law of the sea. Although last weeks exercise did not enter the NSR, it may hint at a willingness to do so in the future.

On top of that, the Arctic is a growing factor in NATO defence policy. Russia has beefed up its Northern Fleet in recent years, adding air-defence systems, missile depots and new ships. Russian submarines remain outnumbered by American ones, says Michael Kofman of the Centre for Naval Analyses. But they are increasingly busy. Russian submarine activity is at its highest level since the cold war, according to NATO commanders. Ten subs reportedly surged into the north Atlantic in October to test whether they could elude detection.

The Russian Navy is much more active today than it may have been in the 1990s and 2000s, but that return was inevitable given the dearth of activity and funding at that time, says Mr Kofman. Nevertheless the build-up troubles NATO planners. Russias new subs are quiet and well-armed. As a result, the alliances acoustic edgeits ability to detect subs at longer ranges than Russiahas narrowed dramatically, notes a recent paper by Nick Childs of the International institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a think-tank in London.

Russia primarily uses its attack submarines to defend a bastion, the area in the Barents Sea and Sea of Okhotsk where its own nuclear-armed ballistic-missile submarines patrol. But some NATO admirals worry that, in a conflict, some could pose a wider threat to the alliance. A separate Russian naval force known as the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI, in its Russian acronym) might also target the thicket of cables that cross the Atlantic.

The challenge is a familiar one. For much of the cold war, NATO allies sought to bottle up the Soviet fleet in the Arctic by establishing a picket across the so-called GIUK gap, a transit route between Greenland, Iceland and Britain that was strung with undersea listening posts. We will pass all of the imperialist sonar nets, and we will not be detected! declares Captain Ramius, commander of the Red October, the eponymous Soviet submarine of Tom Clancys debut novel in 1984.

The gap is now back in fashion and NATO is reinvesting in anti-submarine capabilities after decades of neglect. America has stepped up flights of P8 sub-hunting aircraft from Iceland, and Britain and Norway are establishing P8 squadrons of their own. The aim is to track and hold at risk Russian nuclear subs as early as possible, because even a single one in the Atlantic could cause problems across a large swathe of ocean.

But a defensive perimeter may not be enough. A new generation of Russian ship-based missiles could strike NATO ships or territory from far north of the GIUK gap, perhaps even from the safety of home ports. This technological development represents a dramatically new and challenging threat to NATO forces, concludes the IISS. Similar concerns led the Reagan administration to adopt a more offensive naval posture, sending forces above the gap and into the maritime bastion of the Soviet Union. Im struck by similarities with the 1980s, says Niklas Granholm of the Swedish Defence Research Agency, reflecting on the Anglo-American presence in the Barents Sea. A forward maritime strategy to get up close and personal with the Russian Northern Fleet, rather than meet them further south.

Read the original here:

America and Britain play cold-war games with Russia in the Arctic - The Economist

Had the spring high-school sports regular season been held, it would almost be over now.

In private-school baseball, the Flint Hill Huskies were scheduled to face public-school and host Westfield on May 2. That what would have been the final scheduled regular-season contest for Flint Hill. Potomac School and Flint Hill were supposed to play April 30 in a final Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference game for each.

Conference playoff action for some private schools are ongoing.

All of the regular sports seasons werent played for high-school teams in Virginia this spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During normal times, those sports schedules are looked at multiple times in advance to see which teams are facing which, then rechecked often for updates. There are often frequent changes during the spring because of weather issues.

This year, with all action shut down, there wasnt any reason to check the schedules, even once. It became depressing to look, seeing which big games or rivalry contests would not be played. With so many spring high-school sports, there are countless such showdowns, often many during a five-day stretch.

The Madison Warhawks and Bishop OConnell Knights could meet four times a week in girls softball and draw huge interest each outing, no matter the venue.

What would be occurring now is the regular seasons for public-school athletics in Virginia would be ending, with private-school playoffs in full swing. The independent teams most often conclude playoffs before the end of May with public schools finishing in early June.

This spring theres nothing. No reason to check the schedules, and if so, only to see canceled inked in red next to what would have been so much outstanding entertainment.

Read more from the original source:

The word 'canceled' attached to games, events | Sports - Inside NoVA

For the last two decades, anyone looking ahead at the NFL schedule wouldve penciled in the Patriots to win most of their games. Things have changed.

This year, the early favorites show the Patriots are only favored in half of their games. Via the Boston Herald, the Patriots are favorites in eight games, underdogs in seven and a pick em in one.

Obviously, this years Patriots look very different because Tom Brady is now in Tampa Bay. But it goes further than that: New England hasnt done much to improve a roster that faded down the stretch last season and lost in the first round of the playoffs. Its easy to see why the Patriots, facing a first-place schedule, are expected to take a step backward.

The Patriots are underdogs at Seattle, at Kansas City, home against the 49ers, at Buffalo, home against the Ravens, at Houston and at the L.A. Rams. Theyre favored to win both of their games against the Dolphins and Jets, their home game against the Bills, home against the Raiders, home against the Broncos and home against the Cardinals. Theyre a pick-em at the Chargers.

If the odds are right, theyll go 8-7-1, their worst record since 2000, before Brady was their starting quarterback.

Patriots only favored in eight games in 2020 originally appeared on Pro Football Talk

See original here:

Patriots only favored in eight games in 2020 - Yahoo Sports

Electronic Arts gave investors an overview of its plans for the fiscal year that runs through the end of March 2021. The publisher has 14 games in the works. But its also still committed to its ongoing live services like Apex Legends, The Sims 4, and EA Access. To help grow those services, EA says its looking to expand its presence even further.

This year we plan to grow our communities across new platforms and ways to play, EA chief executive officer Andrew Wilson said. Building on our announcement with Google Stadia last week, we plan to bring our games to more digital distribution channels. Well take our subscription service to a fourth platform in Steam.

EA Access on Steam is one of the keys for the company. This will expose the subscription plan and its $5- and $15-per-month options to Steams millions of daily active players.

But while EA Access is a good deal, its the new games that most people are going to care about. And EA provided some insight into its release outlook for the next 12 months.

We are planning to launch 14 new titles to players this fiscal year, said Wilson. That includes four new EA Sports titles FIFA, Madden, NHL, and one more unannounced sports game all of which deliver on the mix of creativity, authenticity, and quality that sets EA Sports apart. Our FY21 plans also include four more games drawing on the breadth of our IP, from Command & Conquer Remastered to unannounced games for our console and PC players. Well have more games from indie developers launching this year through EA Partners, and two new mobile titles leveraging top IP that well bring to players worldwide.

Heres how that all breaks down:

This list likely doesnt even represent every EA release for fiscal 2021. For example, EA will probably launch Apex Legends on Steam, but its not including that on this list.

And when Wilson says that EA is releasing four games that draw on EA IP, he mentions Command & Conquer Remastered and unannounced games. One of those is probably the unannounced HD remake, but the others are not Burnout Paradise Remastered or Medal of Honor VR. EA has already announced those. So the company probably still has some surprises in store and maybe they will mimic the instant-release drop of Apex Legends.

In his prepared remarks, Wilson spoke about plans to increase support for Switch. And were also planning to deliver for more Nintendo fans ith multiple EA games set to launch on Nintendo Switch this year, said Wilson.

One of those games is Burnout Paradise Remastered. The other is likely Apex Legends although its possible the publisher may have more than that.

As for the rest of the release slate, the mobile games could be anything. And EA Partner games are like Unravel and A Way Out. And we should start seeing more about those at the companys EA Play event.

But what about the unannounced sports game? Well, EA is not done with NBA Live. The publisher is determined to release something that is competitive even if that means going free-to-play to undercut NBA 2K. But NBA Live probably isnt ready. Instead, it makes sense for EA to put out something like a new UFC fighter.

Oh, and that HD remaster of an EA game is the Mass Effect Trilogy. Just dont expect that to also launch on Switch at least not at first.

See the original post:

EA remains focused on live services with 14 new games this year - VentureBeat

Haptic feedback is becoming a bigger part of entertainment, with most game controllers for the past 20 years having some form of vibration built in. Now, a German startup is launching the Feelbelt, which adds the element of touch to games, music, movies, and basically any other device that outputs sound.

Like any other belt, the Feelbelt is worn around the waist. Unlike other belts though, this one is packing 10 impulse generators around the length of the wearable, which vibrate in sync with music or sound. The company says the device can reproduce frequencies from 1 Hz all the way up to 20,000 Hz which is the upper limit of human hearing.

The sound itself can come from any wireless source over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, or via 3.5 mm headphone jack. That means it can add an extra tactile dimension to music, movies, TV, games, VR, and pretty much anything else that makes noise.

The company also says that for devices that output in surround sound, the Feelbelt can recreate that. So, for example, if youre playing a game and there are footsteps behind you, youll feel vibrations against your back.

The team also suggests it could be an intuitive way to help hearing impaired people experience sound.

We havent tried the Feelbelt for ourselves, so we cant vouch for how well it actually works, but we have to admit it sounds intriguing. Its probably not going to become a standard accessory for watching movies or listening to music, but it might be a fun gimmick to try out.

Haptic feedback wearables arent a new idea, but the Feelbelt does seem like a more powerful and neater version than what weve seen previously. It has more range than most, such as the gaming-focused OmniWear Arc or the bass-only Woojer wearable woofer. Maybe the closest thing is the BodyRocks system, which has a bass-driving belt wirelessly connected to small transducers that stick to different parts of the body.

The Feelbelt has a six-hour battery life, and it recharges via USB-C. It connects to an app that lets you tweak the strength of the vibrations, and choose preset modes like music, movie or game. The company also says that its a one-size-fits-all affair.

The Feelbelt is now seeking funding on Kickstarter, with Super Early Bird pledges starting at 199 (about US$215). After the campaign, retail prices are expected to jump to 329 ($356). The team has already sailed past its 20,000 goal, and if all goes to plan, the Feelbelt should start shipping in September.

Check it out in action in the video below.

Feelbelt: You heard it first. Now you're gonna feel it.

Source: Feelbelt

Read the original here:

The Feelbelt adds surround haptic feedback to music, movies and games - New Atlas

The NFL has called off its annual International Series games in London and Mexico City this year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The league made the decision to play all games in the United States "in order for the entire season to be played in NFL teams' stadia under consistent protocols focused on the well-being of players, personnel and fans," the NFL said in a statement.

Commissioner Roger Goodell made the decision after talking to "our clubs, national and local governments, the NFL Players Association, medical authorities and international stadium partners."

"We thank our incredible fans in those territories for their passionate support of the NFL," Christopher Halpin, the NFL's executive vice president, chief strategy and growth officer, said in a statement. "We will continue to serve them through our outstanding media partners and by being active supporters of both grassroots football and COVID-19 relief efforts in Mexico and the UK. We look forward to returning for games in both countries in the 2021 season."

The NFL will release its full 17-game regular-season schedule this week.

The league was set to hold four games in London and one in Mexico City this season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were slated to play two home games in London's Wembley Stadium, while two other NFL contests were scheduled to be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins as hosts.

The NFL also was scheduled to play a game at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, with the Arizona Cardinals as the home team.

See the original post:

NFL calls off international games this year due to coronavirus - ESPN

Earlier this year, EA announced that it had 14 games coming in its 2021 fiscal year, which started last month (it's confusing, but yes, it's currently 2021 as far as EA's financials are concerned). During today's investors call, EA restated that figure. Despite many of its employees working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the publisher still plans to release 14 games before this fiscal year ends next April.

Four of the 14 games will be sports games: FIFA, Madden, NHL, and one unannounced game. There's no word on platforms, but I remain hopeful that EA's NHL series will rejoin Madden and FIFA on PC.

Four more games will "draw on the breadth of [EA's] IP," such as Command & Conquer Remastered, said CEO Andrew Wilson. Burnout Paradise Remastered for the Switch may be one of those, along with the Medal of Honor VR game.

Two other games will be mobile, and some will be "indie" games from partnered developers.

Otherwise, Wilson had nothing specific to announce, except to say that EA has "new IP" in development and "a number of new incubation products that are starting to come together."

The new Battlefield won't be one of this fiscal year's new games. That game will release sometime after April 2021, but is "progressing very, very well" according to Wilson.(He would say that, obviously.)

While the COVID-19 pandemic has erased revenue for many businesses, EA and other big game publishers have been doing better than usual as cooped up populations seek out more entertainment at home. Since the stay-at-home orders, EA has seen "heightened levels of engagement and live services net bookings growth"in other words, people spent a ton of money in Madden and FIFA Ultimate Team.

"In a world where there was no sports, we became sports for people," said EA COO and CFO Blake Jorgensen.

EA expects a good year ahead, anticipating $5.525 billion in net revenue, though it cautions that it doesn't know whether the present bump will last, and points out that many variables could affect its revenue, such as "worsening economic conditions," the continued closure of physical stores, the ability of third-party partners to keep up, and its own ability to keep things on track with a remote workforce.

That said, EA's executives repeatedly praised the company's staff for keeping development going despite the situation, especially for its live service gamesApex Legends Season 5 launches next week, for instance.

Here is the original post:

EA still plans to release 14 games over the next 11 months - PC Gamer

Halo 2: Anniversary, the next part of The Master Chief Collection, unlocks on Tuesday, May 12. According to 343 Industries' community manager John Junyszek it will be released during off-peak hours "Due to current bandwidth concerns across the globe", which is fair enough. If you're wondering when it will unlock in your timezone, Junyszek laid it out for me on Twitter:

This remaster of Halo 2 will run at resolutions up to 4k UHD, and at over 60 fps. It'll have "customizable mouse and keyboard support, ultrawide support, FOV customization, and more." The remastered graphics can be toggled off, for a reminder of what Halo 2 looked like back in 2004 when it was originally released. The multiplayer features "a completely updated progression system" as well as seven remastered maps in addition to the original 25.

The PC port of Halo 3 and ODST are currently in development, and we've seen a handful of work-in-progress screenshots.

Original post:

Here's when Halo 2 on PC unlocks in your time zone - PC Gamer