Carzy Zarx’s PC Gaming Emporium - Catch Up on All the Latest PC Gaming Related News

[JEMC]

Yay, it’s Friday! Let’s go with the last round of news of the week:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Fanatical’s new Star Deal is Dawnsbury Days, 33% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dawnsbury-days

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Steam just updated its reviews system to show when a user has 'played primarily on Steam Deck'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/steam-just-updated-its-reviews-system-to-show-when-a-user-has-played-primarily-on-steam-deck/
Steam's review system has been updated to show when the reviewer in question has spent most of their time with a game on a Steam Deck, rather than a desktop PC or laptop. Following the change, if a Steam Deck player posts a review of a game on Steam, a little Steam Deck icon will appear in the top right corner of their review.
Valve announced the change via the official Steam Deck Twitter account, stating "We've just shipping a new feature on Steam that shows when a customer review was written by someone who played primarily on Steam Deck. Keep an eye out for the Deck icon to see how those players reviewed the game."
It's a small but sensible change that reflect the growing diversification of how PC gamers play their games. While the change is likely intended to show Deck players whether or not the reviewer had a good time with the game on Valve's handheld, it's also useful context for desktop or laptop PC players. If a Deck player complains about shoddy performance in a review of some graphically intensive game, for example, they know that's likely not to be reflective of their own experience. Likewise if they complain about the controls, or are reviewing a game that isn't Deck Verified.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Bloodborne already runs with over 200fps on PC via shadPS4
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/bloodborne-already-runs-with-over-200fps-on-pc-via-shadps4/
Gamescom 2024 is almost over, so it’s time to now focus on what has been happening this week with shadPS4. The team behind this incredible PS4 emulator has been making a lot of progress. And, from the looks of it, Bloodborne can now run with over 200fps on high-end PC systems.
Now as you will see, there are still major visual artifacts and glitches. Still, the game rapidly approaches a playable state. Sort of. Kind of.
Here is what I mean. At first, the game was constantly crashing after going in game. But now, you can even fight a boss. This is simply incredible progress.
So, below you can find three videos. The first video showcases Bloodborne running with an uncapped framerate. By unlocking the framerate, you can get to up to 200fps. And no, I’m not joking here.
Bloodborne was never meant to run at such high framerates. So, as the YouTuber pointed out, there are some speed/animation issues when the framerate goes beyond 120fps. However, for 60fps, everything appears to be working correctly. And that’s the best news in my opinion. Because, when shadPS4 manages to resolve all the visual issues, PC gamers will be able to enjoy the game at 60fps.
The second video shows off the game on different GPUs. This will give you an idea of how the game runs on weaker GPUs. And finally, the third video shows off the Cleric Beast Boss Battle.

Black Myth: Wukong Mods let you disable the oversharpening and enable UE5’s Virtual Shadow Maps
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/black-myth-wukong-mods-let-you-disable-the-oversharpening-and-enable-ue5s-virtual-shadow-maps/
A lot of players were disappointed (or should I say annoyed) by the oversharpened image of Black Myth: Wukong. Not only that but as I’ve already said, the game’s non-RT shadows look awful. However, two mods have emerged to address these issues. So, let’s take a look at them.
The first must-have mod is the one that enables UE5’s Virtual Shadowmaps. For whatever reason, Game Science did not use them in the non-RT version. This is why the shadows look awful without Ray Tracing. Thankfully, though, you can significantly improve them with this mod. Do note that this mod will bring an additional performance hit. So, if you already have trouble running the game, you should avoid it. If, on the other hand, you have performance to spare, you can download it from this link. Below you can also find a comparison. The vanilla version is on the left, whereas the modded version is on the right.
The second mod will let you adjust the game’s oversharpening. Moreover, it will allow you to disable chromatic aberration and vignette. Oh, and this mod also removes the 2.3888~ aspect ratio limit. So, if you want a softer image, you can download the mod from this link.
>> The article has some screenshots.

GAMING NEWS

Black State looks unbelievably beautiful in its latest gameplay video
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/black-state-looks-unbelievably-beautiful-in-its-latest-gameplay-video/
NVIDIA has shared a video, showcasing 8 minutes of brand new gameplay footage from Black State with Ray Tracing. Black State is powered by Unreal Engine 5, and it will have ray-traced reflections on PC.

7 minutes of leaked gameplay footage from Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Multiplayer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/7-minutes-of-leaked-gameplay-footage-from-call-of-duty-black-ops-6-multiplayer/
YouTube’s ‘Sabarblade’ has shared a video, showcasing 7 minutes of gameplay footage from Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Multiplayer. This footage is from the PC version, featuring the Protocol Team Deathmatch. So, if you are a COD fan, you should definitely check it out.