It’s Playoff Time! Grab NBA 2K17 for only $29.99 (50% off) on Amazon

It's NBA Playoffs time, that special moment when the other half of basketball fans actually begin to tune in (if only to watch another Warriors and Cavs) to the NBA season, and online retailer Amazon is celebrating by discounting the The #1 rated and #1 selling NBA video game, that is NBA 2K17, by a whole $30, to $29.99 from $59.99. The game series has won over 85 awards and nominations since the launch of Xbox One.

Following the record-breaking launch of NBA 2K16, the NBA 2K franchise continues to stake its claim as the most authentic sports video game with NBA 2K17. As the franchise that "all sports video games should aspire to be" (GamesRadar), NBA 2K17 will take the game to new heights and continue to blur the lines between video game and reality.

As a special promotion, Amazon is offering a promotional code that will grant you three exclusive pieces of DLC for Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood! Codes will be sent 48 hours after purchase.

You can take advantage of this deal right here, if anything just to get the promo content (or support the greatest player to ever pick up a basketball, hint: he's at the top of this post).

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Surface Laptop images leaked, looks stunning

Microsoft is going to announce its new Surface laptop device tomorrow at its press event in NYC. Images of this upcoming device just got leaked online. Check them out below.

Gallery

This Surface device will be running Windows 10 S, a new version of Windows that is focused on the education market. It comes with 13.5-in PixelSense display, Alcantara-covered keyboard and will be available in 4 colors (Platinum/Burgundy/Cobalt Blue/Graphite Gold). Check out the 360-degree view of this device below.

Surface Laptop: 360 view http://pic.twitter.com/b5ENVcCIzI

— WalkingCat (@h0x0d) May 2, 2017

As you can see from the video above, it will come with only one USB 3.0 port for your connectivity needs.

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Microsoft hires former FTC Commisioner Julie Brill to head its Privacy and Regulatory Affairs Group

Software giant Microsoft has hired Obama nominee, former Federal Trade Commission Julie Brill as corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of its Privacy and Regulatory Affairs Group under Brad Smith, the firm's president and chief legal officer. Brill's role at the company will include privacy, telecommunications regulation, corporate standards, internet governance, as well as legal and regulatory issues around accessibility of Microsoft products.

Before this, Brill served as an FTC commissioner for six years, and before that chief of consumer protection for the State of North Carolina and assistant attorney general in Vermont.

"Julie's deep expertise in privacy, keen intellect and strong international relationships will enable our customers to use the Microsoft Cloud knowing that we will help meet their global technology regulatory needs," said Smith in a statement.

They then stated that Brill will work with policy makers and regulators to incorporate privacy protections into products and services in order "to meet the new privacy standards established by the landmark European Union General Data Protection Regulation."

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This week’s Deals with Gold feature Dead Rising, Resident Evil, Forza Motorsport and more

Every week Microsoft releases numerous deals and they include substantial discounts on popular games. While Larry Hryb usually shares them, this time they appeared early on Reddit. This week games from the Dead Rising franchise and various Resident Evil titles are on sale on Xbox One. The Xbox One deals are as follows:

Xbox One

•  Aqua Kitty UDX: Xbox One Ultra Edition – $6.02 – 33% off
•  Clouds & Sheep 2 – $5.00 – 50% off
•  Dead Rising – $10.00 – 50% off
•  Dead Rising 2 – $11.99 – 40% off
•  Dead Rising 2: Off the Record – $10.00 – 50% off
•  Dead Rising: Triple Bundle Pack – $29.75 – 50% off
•  Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition – $12.50 – 50% off
•  Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition Demon Hunter Bundle – $18.00 – 50% off
•  DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition – $9.90 – 67% off
•  Dynamite Fishing: World Games – $2.50 – 50% off
•  Eventide: Slavic Fable – $6.99 – 30% off
•  Forza Motorsport 5: Racing Game of the Year Edition – $10.00 – 75% off
•  Forza Motorsport 6 Platinum Edition Bundle – $50.00 – 60% off
•  Kona – $14.99 – 25% off
•  Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens Season Pass – $6.99 – 70% off
•  Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime – $4.95 – 67% off
•  Mega Man Legacy Collection – $6.00 – 60% off
•  Mount & Blade: Warband – $10.00 – 50% off
•  Prototype – $15.00 – 50% off
•  Prototype 2 – $20.00 – 50% off
•  Resident Evil – $10.00 – 50% off
•  Resident Evil 0 – $11.99 – 40% off
•  Resident Evil 4 – $10.00 – 50% off
•  Resident Evil 5 – $10.00 – 50% off
•  Resident Evil 6 – $10.00 – 50% off
•  Resident Evil 7: Biohazard – $38.99 – 35% off
•  Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Deluxe Edition – $67.49 – 25% off
•  Resident Evil: Deluxe Origins Bundle – $20.00 – 50% off
•  Resident Evil Revelations 2: Deluxe Edition – $12.00 – 60% off
•  Resident Evil Triple Pack – $29.75 – 50% off
•  Shred It! – $5.00 – 50% off
•  Skylanders SuperChargers: Portal Owner's Pack – $20.00 – 60% off
•  Star Wars: Battlefront Ultimate Edition – $20.00 – 50% off
•  Strider – $3.75 – 75% off
•  Super Party Sports: Football – $2.50 – 50% off
•  Teslagrad – $7.50 – 50% off
•  Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 – $14.99 – 40% off
•  The Witness – $20.00 – 50% off
•  WWE 2K17 – $30.00 – 50% off
•  WWE 2K17: Digital Deluxe Edition – $45.00 – 50% off
•  Zenith – $14.99 – 25% off

While this week's Deals with Gold may not be as exciting as last week, they still include some great games. Be sure to pick up Resident Evil 7 if you haven't already because it's absolutely phenomenal. The other titles are good but can't be as easily recommended as Resident Evil 7.

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Phil Spencer says the Fable franchise has a lot of places to go

Phil Spencer loves to interact with Xbox fans on Twitter and yesterday he shared some interesting details about some franchises. As we all know, Lionhead Studios was responsible for the Fable franchise and they were closed after Fable Legends failed to live up to standards. Many thought that Fable was dead but that doesn't seem to be the case.

@dragen_Light Nothing to announce right now but I do think the IP has a lot of places it could go.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) April 30, 2017

It looks like Fable might be revived in the future but given a new direction. Instead of a whimsical tone, the game should adopt a darker, more mature story. The franchise has always been known for its freedom—more so than other games in the genre—and coupling that with a poignant plot would elevate the experience. While we don't know when Fable will return, it's highly likely that we'll see Fable 4 one day given Specter's comments.

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Microsoft Visio’s new feature can automatically convert process map data in Excel into data-driven Visio diagrams

Microsoft today announced a new feature in Visio called Data Visualizer that will automatically convert process map data in Excel into data-driven Visio diagrams. Business Analysts can now visualize process steps and associated metadata in a structured Excel table as Visio diagram.

They can do this by using a premade Excel template or an existing spreadsheet of their own design. There is a basic template and then there is another template for cross-functional flowcharts providing a sample mapping table to populate with diagram metadata. The table includes predefined columns for process step number, description, dependencies, owner, function, phase and more. Users can also customize the table with their own columns to meet specific business requirements.

This new feature is available to Visio Pro for Office 365 users.

Learn more about it here.

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CEO Satya Nadella to speak at Microsoft Business Forward event this week

Microsoft Business Forward event is taking place at World Trade Center in New York this week on May 3. This event is focused on digital transformation with Microsoft business applications like Dynamics 365, LinkedIn, Power BI, and industry solutions.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, James Phillips, Corporate Vice President, Business Applications, Platform and Intelligence and Judson Althoff, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Commercial Business at Microsoft will be speaking at this event. They will share exclusive insights into how the latest business applications and innovations will transform the way to engage with customers and to optimize business.

Experience a new way to think about data, intelligence, and processes for your business in today's digital landscape. Join us online to hear how the new generation of Dynamics 365 applications, LinkedIn, Power BI, and the Microsoft Cloud help you transform the way you do business today—so you're ready for what's next tomorrow.

Register for this event by visiting Microsoft Business Forward event page. If you are not able to attend the event, the keynotes and additional content will be available on-demand starting May 4.

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