Gaming
Acer announces new Nitro 17 gaming laptop
Mumbai: Acer has announced the Acer Nitro 17 (AN17-72) gaming laptop, unlocking improved performance, immersive experiences, plus essential features for playing and multi-tasking on the go. The device is powered by the latest Intel® Core™ 14th gen processors, featuring Intel’s Performance Hybrid Architecture with improved power and core frequencies to manage workloads efficiently. At the same time, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 40 Series GPUs with DLSS 3.5 technology. NVIDIA RTX Laptop GPUs are packed with specialized AI Tensor Cores enabling unmatched AI performance in creative apps, ultra-efficient productivity, blistering fast gaming, and more. Built for Microsoft Copilot and the next wave of computing, the Nitro laptop provides access to Copilot in Windows via a dedicated Copilot key, making it even easier to harness the power of AI to assist with productivity and creativity tasks.
Users can feast their eyes on immersive visuals and pristine colors on the device’s 17-inch QHD display with a fast 165 Hz refresh rate and support for the NVIDIA Advanced Optimus feature. The Nitro 17 is further supported by an advanced cooling system, AI-assisted communication features, and NitroSense™ software for full device control. To top it all off, the Windows 11 gaming laptop is shipped with one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, providing access to a library of hundreds of high-quality games to be explored with friends on PC, console, or cloud.
Acer Nitro 17: All-around Gaming Experiences Made Accessible
Acer’s Nitro laptop line gets a significant upgrade with the addition of up to an Intel Core i7 processor 14700HX and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, a powerful combination in a budget-friendly gaming device. Casual gamers and students can expect a fluid experience gaming, streaming, or working thanks to Intel’s latest and fastest mobile gaming processors that seamlessly allocate power to optimize device performance. Built with the ultra-efficient NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture, the GeForce RTX 40 Series Laptop GPU powers the laptop’s breathtaking graphics with AI-enhanced DLSS 3.5 technology and full ray tracing. GeForce RTX technologies are supported in more than 500 popular games and applications, including blockbuster games such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Alan Wake 2. As an everyday AI companion, Copilot in Windows lends a hand to accelerate work, creation, and play on the gaming laptop with just one click of the dedicated Copilot key. To let users get the most out of demanding games and applications by reducing load time, the Nitro 17 also supports up to 32 GB of DDR5 5600 MHz memory and up to 2 TB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage.
Players can expect stunning frames and exceptional details when playing their favorite games on the Nitro laptop’s 17.3-inch QHD display (2560 x 1440) which boasts a 16:9 aspect ratio, 165 Hz[1] refresh rate and 3 ms overdrive response time, and eye-popping colors from DCI-P3 100% color gamut. Plus, support for the NVIDIA Advanced Optimus feature solidifies frames and allows for dynamic graphics switching without having to reboot the device. The laptop utilizes a streamlined thermal design with the integration of dual fan quad-intake and quad exhaust systems, vector heat pipes, and liquid metal thermal grease on the CPU to minimize throttle and help the components operate at full capacity for longer productivity.
When streaming or communicating in-game, Acer PurifiedVoice™ 2.0 with a three-microphone setup harnesses the power of AI to filter unwanted ambient noise and lets the users’ voices stand out through its speakers with DTS:X® Ultra, while the HD webcam utilizes the Acer PurifiedView’s™ AI-powered solutions for enhanced on-screen experiences with automatic framing, eye-contact, and background blur. An integrated NitroSense and mode switch key lets players exercise greater control by instantly giving access to customize the laptop’s 4-zone RGB keyboard lighting and an overview of the laptop’s performance, temperature, power meters, and more in real-time. For lightning-fast and high-quality connectivity, the Nitro 17 provides a full-fledged range of ports; two Type C USB with Thunderbolt™ 4, HDMI 2.1, and a Micro SD card reader. It also comes with Killer DoubleShot™ Pro Ethernet E3100G and Wi-Fi 6E compatibility for seamless network connections.
Gaming
Dream Sports sees 100 plus exits after gaming ban forces overhaul
Company splits into eight units as real money gaming law hits revenue.
MUMBAI: For a company built on fantasy leagues, reality has suddenly rewritten the rulebook. More than 100 employees have exited Dream Sports, the parent of Dream11, after the company reorganised its operations following India’s ban on real money online gaming. The shake up came after the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 came into force in August 2025, prohibiting games where users deposit money expecting winnings. The regulation struck at the heart of the fantasy gaming industry and dramatically affected Dream Sports’ core business, wiping out about 95 percent of its revenue and all of its profits.
In response, the Mumbai based company shifted into what chief executive officer Harsh Jain described as “startup mode”, splitting its operations into eight independent business units in December.
Around 700 employees were reassigned across these newly formed ventures based on their experience and interests. However, roughly 15 percent opted to leave the company.
A spokesperson for Dream Sports said many of those who exited were experienced professionals accustomed to running scaled businesses rather than early stage ventures.
“Since some of these employees were experienced with running high scale businesses and not startups, around 15 percent chose to leave and join other scaled companies or start ventures of their own,” the spokesperson said.
Despite the departures, the company noted that the attrition rate is only slightly higher than its earlier level of around 10 percent before the ban. Dream Sports now has close to 950 employees and is not currently hiring, choosing instead to focus on stabilising its existing workforce.
The restructuring has transformed Dream Sports from a fantasy gaming company into a broader sports entertainment platform. The eight units now operate independently, each focusing on different segments of the sports and technology ecosystem.
These include Dream11, sports streaming platform Fancode, sports travel service DreamSetGo, mobile game Dream Cricket and artificial intelligence initiative Dream Sports AI, which includes sports analytics platform Dream Play.
Other ventures include fintech product Dream Money, open source initiative Dream Horizon and the philanthropic arm Dream Sports Foundation.
As part of cost saving efforts, Dream Sports also relocated its headquarters from Bandra Kurla Complex to Worli earlier this year. The new office, called Dream Sports Stadium, brings teams from its various brands together under one roof to improve collaboration and operational efficiency.
Jain had earlier said the company removed bonus lock in timelines for employees hired in recent years, allowing those who wished to leave to exit with pro rata payouts.
“We want people who are fully into the startup mode and willing to work for it, and we will share that reward if it comes,” he said.
Founded in 2008 by Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth, Dream Sports was last valued at 8 billion dollars after raising 840 million dollars in 2021 from investors including Falcon Edge Capital, DST Global, D1 Capital Partners, RedBird Capital Partners, Tiger Global Management, TPG and Footpath Ventures.
The new gaming law has forced several companies in the fantasy gaming sector to either shut down or pivot their business models, signalling a significant reset for one of India’s fastest growing digital entertainment industries.
