Yeah, but the "we" problem presents the issue of flat out not being able to gift anyone anything if they are from a different region as you, thus it eliminates the whole point of gifting in general. They may as well label is at "gift your countrymen".

There is more to success than having a spine. For example opportunity and circumstance which are right now working hard against everything that's not Steam. You need to except that some things are not reasonable to achieve. Fucking Usain Bolt wouldn't win a 100m dash if his competitor started at the finish line.

Contests!

+Guru3D 2017 December 27: Win a Crucial 16GB Ballistix DDR4 kit http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/guru3d-2017-december-12-win-a-crucial-16gb-ballistix-ddr4-kit.html
It's a 4x4GB, PC4-25600 (3200 MHz) kit

+HEXUS EPIC Giveaway Day 17: Win an MSI Gaming bundle http://hexus.net/tech/features/graphics/113024-day-17-win-msi-gaming-bundle/
Features an MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC motherboard and an MSI GeForce GTX 1070 Gaming X 8GB.

Let's go with the news:

SALES & "SALES"/DEALS

Steam Top 10

1. PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
2. Grand Theft Auto V
3. They Are Billions
4. Divinity: Original Sin 2
5. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
6. DARK SOULS III
7. Assassin's Creed Origins
8. Cuphead
9. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Game of the Year Edition
10. ARK: Survival Evolved

Sadly, GOG's Winter Sale is over. But that means that there's a new weekly sale, with lots of games up to 85% off: https://www.gog.com/promo/20181225_weekly_sale (funny how it's already labeled as 2018...)

There's a special DRM-free Holiday Sale at the Humble Store: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/drm-free-holiday-sale

SOFTWARE

Australian court reaffirms that Valve misled gamers, $2.3 million fine upheld
http://www.pcgamer.com/australian-court-reaffirms-that-valve-misled-gamers-23-million-fine-upheld/
Back in 2014, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission filed a lawsuit against Valve, alleging that the lack of a refund policy on Steam was in violation of the country's consumer protection laws. The ACCC ultimately won the case, resulting in $AU3 million ($2.3 million) fine levied against Valve. Valve appealed, as one does, but that didn't work out either.
"The Full Court found Valve carried on business in Australia, and was therefore bound by the Australian Consumer Law in its dealings with customers here," ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said in a statement. "The Full Court also upheld the finding that Valve made misleading representations about consumer guarantees and that certain terms and conditions in the Steam subscriber agreements and refund policies were false or misleading."

AMD Radeon Adrenalin Edition 17.12.2 is now available
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/amd-radeon-adrenalin-edition-17-12-2-is-now-available/
AMD has released a brand new driver for its graphics cards. According to the release notes, the AMD Radeon Adrenalin Edition 17.12.2 resolves some issues for games and applications that have been reported by its community.

>>I think I already posted it, but it's better to post it twice than not post it at all. Download them from here.

NVIDIA will stop supporting 32-bit operating systems after its GeForce 390 drivers
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/nvidia-will-stop-supporting-32-bit-operating-systems-after-its-geforce-390-drivers/
NVIDIA has announced that it will end support for 32 bit operating systems really soon. After its upcoming GeForce 390 drivers, the green team will no longer support 32-bit operating systems. This includes Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10, Linux and FreeBSD.

Ubisoft, EA & SEGA protected their games in 2017 as the latest version of Denuvo hasn’t been cracked
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/ubisoft-ea-sega-have-managed-to-protect-their-games-as-the-latest-version-of-denuvo-has-not-been-cracked/
It appears that Denuvo has managed to win the last big battle of 2017. On October 26th, Ubisoft released the latest Assassin’s Creed game that was powered by the latest version of the Denuvo anti-tamper tech. And after two whole months, this new version of Denuvo is still safe from crackers and hackers.
However, in November we saw a number of games that only used the latest version of the Denuvo anti-tamper tech and have not been cracked yet. These games are: Sonic Forces, Injustice 2, Football Manager 2018, Need for Speed Payback and Star Wars Battlefront 2.

MODS/EMULATORS

CEMU 1.11.3 is now available, adds support for multi-threaded CPU emulation
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/cemu-1-11-3-is-now-available-adds-support-for-multi-threaded-cpu-emulation/
The team behind the best WiiU emulator, CEMU, has released a brand new version of it. CEMU 1.11.3 finally adds support for multi-threaded CPU emulation, thus improving overall performance on a variety of PC systems that feature more than two or three CPU cores.

Contra 2028 is a free Unreal Engine 4 third-person shooter that mixes together Contra and Vanquish
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/contra-2028-is-a-free-unreal-engine-4-third-person-shooter-that-mixes-together-contra-and-vanquish/
Now here is something really interesting. A team of students has created a new shooter in Unreal Engine 4 that blends together Contra and Vanquish. This team of 8 students was given 8 weeks in order to design and produce a reboot from a NES game, and Contra 2028 is the result of their work.

>>You can download it from its official website.

No Man’s Sky RayRoD’s Overhaul restores cut content from E3 presentations, overhauls graphics
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/no-mans-sky-rayrods-overhaul-restores-cut-content-from-e3-presentations-overhauls-graphics/
When No Man’s Sky got released last year, a lot of players were disappointed as the final version lacked many features that were showcased during its E3 presentations. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that a modder has decided to restore the content that was cut from the game’s E3 demonstrations.

>>You can go to Nexus mods to check it out, or simply download it from here.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – Lost Alpha Developer’s Cut 1.4005 is now available for download
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/s-t-a-l-k-e-r-lost-alpha-developers-cut-1-4005-is-now-available-for-download/
Modder ‘dez0wave’ and his team have released a brand new version of the Lost Alpha mod for the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game. This is a full official repack with the base Lost Alpha game, and all patches and addons bundled together up till now.

>>It's available from moddb.

This mod brings Crysis’ nanosuit, with all of its functionalities, to Fallout New Vegas
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/this-mod-brings-crysis-nanosuit-with-all-of-its-functionalities-to-fallout-new-vegas/
Modder ‘salomaogh’ has released a brand new version of his Crysis Nanosuit mod for Fallout New Vegas. As its title suggests, this mod brings the Crytek Nanosuit Systems 1 , 2 and 3 to Fallout New Vegas.

>>If you want to try it, you can get it from Nexus mods.

The Witcher 3 Redux V1.1 re-balances combat, adds freeform targeting mode & survival elements
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-witcher-3-redux-v1-1-re-balances-combat-adds-freeform-targeting-mode-survival-elements/
Today, modder ‘STELLAR7Project’ released a brand new version of his The Witcher 3 Redux mod for CD Projekt RED’s RPG. In case you didn’t know, The Witcher 3 Redux brings a slightly more realistic damage model, so that Geralt can inflict damage comparable to a human enemy of similar level. This mod introduces a freeform targeting mode, combat-based stamina, ability enhancements, and an unlockable special attack.

>>It's available for download from Nexus mods.

GAMING NEWS

Squadron 42 – Pre-alpha gameplay footage surfaces, shows incredible lip-syncing and gorgeous visuals
http://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/squadron-42-pre-alpha-gameplay-footage-surfaces-shows-incredible-lip-syncing-and-gorgeous-visuals/
During its Holiday Special 2017 event, Cloud Imperium has finally showcased the single-player part of Star Citizen, Squadron 42. As always, do note that this gameplay footage is from a pre-alpha WIP build and does not represent the quality of the final product.

World of Tanks enCore demo is now available and lets you test the game’s brand new graphics engine
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/world-of-tanks-encore-demo-is-now-available-and-lets-you-test-the-games-brand-new-graphics-engine/
As we’ve informed you back in November, Wargaming is preparing a big graphics overhaul for World of Tanks. Wargaming plans to upgrade its graphics engine and bring new numerous graphical effects to it. And today, the team released a tech demo via which PC gamers can test this new graphics engine of World of Tanks on their machines.

New Jurassic World Evolution in-engine trailer shows off dinosaurs, reveals Summer 2018 release date
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-jurassic-world-evolution-in-engine-trailer-shows-off-dinosaurs-reveals-summer-2018-release-date/
Frontier has released a new in-engine trailer for its upcoming park building game based on the Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World Evolution, showing off some of the dinosaurs that will be featured in it.

New Black Mesa patch overhauls its graphics, featuring dynamic lighting, deferred rendering and more
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-black-mesa-patch-overhauls-its-graphics-featuring-dynamic-lighting-deferred-rendering-and-more/
Last month, Crowbar Collective claimed that a new patch would overhaul Black Mesa’s graphics. And today, we are happy to report that this update is available to everyone. Black Mesa’s December patch overhauls its graphics engine by adding new features such as dynamic lighting and deferred rendering, and it looks absolutely great.

New trailer released for Unreal Engine 4-powered first-person survival horror game, Agony
http://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-trailer-released-for-unreal-engine-4-powered-first-person-survival-horror-game-agony/
Madmind Studio has released a brand new trailer for its upcoming Unreal Engine 4-powered first-person survival horror game, Agony. Agony is set in Hell and players will begin their journey as a tormented soul within the depths of hell without any memories about their past.

Here are 25 minutes of gameplay footage from MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries
http://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-25-minutes-of-gameplay-footage-from-mechwarrior-5-mercenaries/
IGN has shared two videos, showing 25 minutes of gameplay footage from MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries will be the first standalone single-player MechWarrior title in development for PC in nearly 15 years, and will feature intense PvE ‘Mech combat in an immersive, career-based Mercenary campaign driven by player choice.

New gameplay videos released for Unreal Engine 4 open-world game, AQP City
http://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-gameplay-videos-released-for-unreal-engine-4-open-world-game-aqp-city/
Jhosep Chevarria Capacoila has released two new gameplay videos for his upcoming Unreal Engine 4-powered open-world game that is inspired by Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption, AQP City. These videos showcase one of te game’s cities and a beach.

Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom gets a brand new trailer, showcasing its Kingdom Building mode
http://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/ni-no-kuni-ii-revenant-kingdom-gets-a-brand-new-trailer-showcasing-its-kingdom-building-mode/
Bandai Namco has released a brand new trailer for Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, showcasing its Kingdom Building mode. In this mode, players will be able to build up their kingdom as they see fit and recruit various denizens to their cause.

The news, part two:

Desert Golfing out now on PC
http://www.pcgamer.com/desert-golfing-out-now-on-pc/
After teeing off on mobile devices in 2014, the best, most challenging, and most addictive golf game in the world ever has finally landed on PC. Desert Golfing is out now on Steam.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew is now playable without a VR headset
http://www.pcgamer.com/star-trek-bridge-crew-is-now-playable-without-a-vr-headset/
The multiplayer starship simulator Star Trek: Bridge Crew sounds pretty great, but as we pointed out in our http://www.pcgamer.com/star-trek-bridge-crew-makes-yelling-at-your-space-friends-extremely-rewarding/" target="_blank">hands-on with it earlier this year, coming up with the three VR-equipped friends needed to play the thing is a real challenge for most of us. And since VR continues to not show signs of an imminent mass-market breakthrough, Ubisoft has done what it probably should have done in the first place by patching out the requirement.

Destiny 2: The Dawning backfires, players launch 'RemoveEververse' forum campaign
http://www.pcgamer.com/destiny-2-the-dawning-backfires-players-launch-removeeververse-forum-campaign/
The Destiny 2 holiday event The Dawning got underway earlier this week, with all kinds of activities to enjoy (shooting guys) and stuff to collect. It also appears to have touched off a spot of unhappiness among the players—and by "unhappiness," I mean what appears to be effectively open revolt on the Bungie forums.

Rocket League outlines 2018 plans, will focus on improving online servers
http://www.pcgamer.com/rocket-league-outlines-2018-updates-focus-on-performance-improvements-and-cross-platform-play/
It's been a bumper year (apologies) for Rocket League, and now more than 38 million people are playing football on wheels. But developer Psyonix knows there's still a long road ahead, and has released details of how the game will change in 2018, with a major focus on online performance improvements.

The Division developer hints at a sequel
http://www.pcgamer.com/the-division-developer-hints-at-a-sequel/
"What if The Division never gets a follow up?" was the question Tim pondered in March as he bemoaned the lack of meaningful updates to the game. Maybe developer Massive Entertainment heard him, because they've just released the biggest free update yet (although sadly there's still no new story missions) and are now hinting at a sequel.

Survival RPG Little Devil Inside shows off new gameplay footage, 2018 release date expected
http://www.pcgamer.com/survival-rpg-little-devil-inside-shows-off-new-gameplay-footage-2018-release-date-expected/
Little Devil Inside looked gorgeous in its debut trailer, and made the enticing promise of a survival game where you'll periodically retreat to a safe, cosy city full of people. That was in 2015, and developer Neostream Interactive has kept a low profile since. Until this week, that is, when it released a video showing off what it's been working on this year, as well as details about how the game will actually work.

Control the warden in Prison Architect's latest update
http://www.pcgamer.com/control-the-warden-in-prison-architects-latest-update/
Prison Architect's latest update lets you control your prison warden, and that small change has a massive impact on the way you play. Rather than the normal all-seeing viewpoint, the whole map is covered by a fog of war, save for whatever your warden would be able to see with their own two eyes. Anything around a corner is hidden and can't be interacted with, so if you want to upgrade your maximum security wing you're going to have to walk there first. Gulp.

RPG card game Shadowhand adds an easy mode in first major post-release patch
http://www.pcgamer.com/rpg-card-game-shadowhand-adds-an-easy-mode-in-first-major-post-release-patch/
Shadowhand is an RPG card game with bags of ambition, but is "sorely in need of some tweaking", Pip wrote in her review earlier this month. Well, developer Grey Alien Games is trying to do just that in an update that focuses on balancing the difficulty and providing a bit more guidance to players that are struggling to get to grips with the Solitaire-style combat.

Hand of Fate 2 adds Dealer companion and outlines 2018 expansion plans
http://www.pcgamer.com/hand-of-fate-2-adds-dealer-companion-and-outlines-2018-expansion-plans/
One of deck-building RPG Hand of Fate 2's most memorable characters—the enigmatic, taunting dealer—is now available as a player companion thanks to a free update. You'll unlock the dealer once you've completed the game's final challenge, and he'll provide long-range support in the hack-and-slash combat segments alongside plenty of witty insults throughout your dungeon-crawling campaign.

Old-school platformer Freedom Planet 2 gets updated demo and new gameplay video
http://www.pcgamer.com/old-school-platformer-freedom-planet-2-gets-updated-demo-and-new-gameplay-video/
When developer GalaxyTrail announced Freedom Planet 2, the follow-up to 2014's Sonic-inspired Freedom Planet, it said it was bidding "farewell to nostalgia". But if the gameplay video (above) released this week is anything to go by, nostalgia has proved tricky to get rid off. That's no bad thing though, and this is very much going to be a game made for fans of the first.

Get five festive Overwatch loot boxes for free until January 1
http://www.pcgamer.com/get-five-festive-overwatch-loot-boxes-for-free-until-january-1/
Overwatch players can unwrap a late Christmas present if they log into the game before January 1. Blizzard has stuffed everybody's stockings with five free loot boxes, which in real money would cost £3.99/$4.99.

Watch the first gameplay footage from multiplayer zombie game Dead Dozen
http://www.pcgamer.com/watch-the-first-gameplay-footage-from-multiplayer-zombie-game-dead-dozen/
The announcement of Dead Dozen—a multiplayer zombies vs survivors game from the creators of The Wild Eight—created a bit of a buzz, but would-be fans were after some gameplay footage before passing judgment. Developer Fntastic has now obliged, releasing the first video of the game in action.

I just want GoG to bend their primary rule for a few games, and for the others to court the devs and get those games on their clients as well. The majority of them have plenty of money to entice them over to their stores.

I don't really want GOG to bend or break any of their rules, because when you start doing that there's no going back, and we don't need another store with the same problems of Steam.

Also, it's pretty obvious that no major publisher will join Origin or UPlay or Battle.net. They are competitors and making EA or Ubisoft earn more money from their products is the last thing they want to do. If they're on Steam is because they don't see Valve as competition anymore.

No, I don't mean bending the rules and simply opening the floodgates for asset flippers. I was on about them trying to bend their primary "DRM free" rule and trying to get some of those AAA games that are only on Steam, that the other clients willingly ignore. 

I absolutely do not want any of the other clients supporting asset flipping devs. 

Completely expected. Australian law tends to side with consumers rather than big business, if anything the fine was to small.
EA did the same thing with Origin and said "no" to providing me with a refund once.
Ombudsman not only ended up giving them a small fine, but they used my situation in the case they were building and I got my damn refund.

Please be good. Please be good. Please be good. And please don't be a Microtransaction wank fest, otherwise I will just play Operation Genesis instead...

Asset flippers need to die.

But, I would not want Gog.com to change it's DRM free rule. DRM sucks and they are fighting the good fight for the consumer.

That is going to be really tough. I would love to see them selling high profile games with DRM in them but I can already see the massive outrage of GoG hardliners, completely ruining their reputation. And for what? I mean even if GoG had all of the high profile AAA games, what would motivate people to leave Steam for it when Steam has those as well and all of their achievements and friends and their backlog?

They've ran themselves in the corner with their DRM policy but it's not like they could succeed to a meaningful degree any other way. DRM free stuff is basically the main draw. What else can any store offer that Steam can't and is actually relevant to mainstream gamers?