I hope it won't last forever. As long as they have FN BR, they'll keep making money, but it's popularity isn't going to last forever, certainly not as long as MC's has (just over 10yrs now), I guess this is why they also bought RL, so they could siphon from them over time, and their quick timing to get a new UE out the door for next gen.

I'd hope your method would become the rule, because that would then dismantle the idea that they could do these deals and still get double the money (which I'd hate).

It'd be nice to see PC gaming go back to normality, going forward though. That said, I've already put some pubs and devs onto the "never buy from again" list, due to second game exclusivity contracts with EG, but thank god there's more better devs out there. 

+1 for Desperados, though I have to be honest, after Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, I don't need just yet another fix of Commandos styled game.

You know they're making a new Commandos game, right?

I enjoyed Shadow Tactics... until the lose of, in my opinion, best character. That, followed by a long and boring mission with only two characters, killed my mood.

Yeah, I know, looking forward to it as well.

I really like the whole "genre", but honestly, it is quite restricted in where it can go, mechanicaly wise. Shadow was fairly fresh IMO, and from what I've seen from Desperados 3 (haven't tried demo), it seems it sticks to old formulas, which is perfectly fine, but as I said, I kinda need more time to pass between 2 games from this "genre" to fully appreciate them.

I get what you mean. Most games end having a very similar set of characters and habilities, making them feel very close one from another.

Even one game can end being repetitive, doing basically the same in every stage, only replacing the set of characters from one stage to another to bring some change and diversity.

Here's another Ampere rumor about the cost of the leaked cooler and the memory configuration of the top cards:

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 cooler could cost up to 150 USD alone

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3080-cooler-could-cost-up-to-150-usd-alone

Take it with a pinch of salt, because no one has announced the production of GDDR6X memory chips. Yet.

The Tuesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG sees the release of two new games on the store, and they come with discounts:

• 1971 Project Helios lands st the store with a 10% discount until June 16: https://www.gog.com/game/1971_project_helios
• And Shining Song Starnova: Idol Empire lands with a 25% discount until the 16th of June: https://www.gog.com/game/shining_song_starnova_idol_empire

Steam bring a new set of weeklong deals:

• The Early Access title GearCity is 25% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/285110/GearCity/
• Heavenworld is 40% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1280370/Heavenworld/
• The friends of Ringo Ishikawa features a 50% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/846110/The_friends_of_Ringo_Ishikawa/
• Wuppo: Definitive Edition gets a 65% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/400630/Wuppo_Definitive_Edition/
• Back to Bed is 80% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/308040/Back_to_Bed/
• And Loyalty and Blood: Viktor Origins has a 90% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/624320/Loyalty_and_Blood_Viktor_Origins/

And there's a new free game at Steam: Kao the Kangaroo: Round 2 is free until June 14: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1048540/Kao_the_Kangaroo_Round_2/

The Humble Store has a new sale, the Total War Week Sale, with up to 75% discounts during the next 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/total-war-week/

And Fanatical has two new sales (but keep an eye on yesterday's Star Deal, because it's running out of keys and may end soon and get replaced by something else):

• Publisher 505 Games has its games up to 90% off for the next 6 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/505-games
• And Ubisoft has also put its games on sale, all for UPLay, during the next 13 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/ubisoft

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

The Witcher 3 Redux Version 2.9 released, adds new monster ability, tweaks fatigue and ranged attacks
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-witcher-3-redux-version-2-9-released-adds-new-monster-ability-tweaks-fatigue-and-ranged-attacks/
Modder ‘Aleks Vuckovic’ has released a brand new version of The Witcher 3 Redux. According to the changelog, Version 2.9 adds a new monster ability, Elemental Armor. This new ability is available to most elementals and all leshens and spriggans. This new ability makes these monsters immune to fast attacks unless players use a Dimeritium bomb.
>> There are other changes and fixes that you can read in the article and get the mod at Nexus Mods.

The Force Engine is a source port of the Jedi Engine, will support Dark Forces & Outlaws
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-force-engine-is-a-source-port-of-the-jedi-engine-will-support-dark-forces-outlaws/
Star Wars: Dark Forces and Outlaws are two classic first-person shooters that have trouble running on modern-day hardware. However, PC gamers will soon be able to re-experience them as a team is currently working on a source port of the Jedi Engine, called The Force Engine. The Force Engine is basically something similar to GZDoom. The project includes modern, built-in tools, such as a level editor and makes it easy to play Dark Forces and Outlaws on modern systems. Furthermore, it will support mods from the get-go.

ENBSeries mod for Grand Theft Auto 5 adds support for Normal Mapping Shadows
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/enbseries-mod-for-grand-theft-auto-5-adds-support-for-normal-mapping-shadows/
Boris Vorontsov has released a brand new version of the ENBSeries mod for Grand Theft Auto 5 that adds a new graphical feature. This new graphics option is called Normal Mapping Shadows, and will enhance most environmental shadows.
According to Vorontsov, not a lot of games use this technique. And, to be honest, that’s a shame as they can noticeably improve the visuals of a game. Thanks to Normal Mapping Shadows, environments can look more realistic and detailed.

GAMING NEWS

Need for Speed Heat will support cross-play between PC, Xbox One & PS4 on June 9th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/need-for-speed-heat-will-support-cross-play-between-pc-xbox-one-ps4-on-june-9th/
Ghost Games has announced that a new update for Need for Speed Heat will release on June 9th. According to the developers, this patch will bring cross-play support to this racing game. As such, PC gamers will be able to play against PS4 and Xbox One players.

Codemasters details the Career Mode of DIRT 5
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/codemasters-details-the-career-mode-of-dirt-5/
Codemasters has detailed the Career mode of its upcoming racing game, DIRT 5. According to the press release, DIRT 5’s Career tasks with you standing out above the rest, and making sure nobody ever forgets your name.

Beyond a Steel Sky gets an official story trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/beyond-a-steel-sky-gets-an-official-story-trailer/
Revolution Software and IGN have released the official story trailer for Beyond a Steel Sky. Beyond a Steel Sky will tell is a thrilling story of loyalty and redemption, and this trailer will give a glimpse at its story.

Tuesday news, the second wave:

Hearthstone's next seasonal event brings Pirates to the Battlegrounds and a new free adventure
https://www.pcgamer.com/hearthstones-next-seasonal-event-brings-pirates-to-the-battlegrounds-and-a-new-free-adventure/
Hearthstone's Felfire Festival will kick off tomorrow with the release of the 17.4 update, which will add 17 Pirates (a new minion type) to the Battlegrounds mode. The update will also add a trio of swashbuckling new heroes, bring a fourth out of retirement, and set the stage for a new Trial by Felfire—a free solo adventure coming to Hearthstone next week.

Overwatch Hero Pools have been dropped from Competitive Play
https://www.pcgamer.com/overwatch-hero-pools-have-been-dropped-from-competitive-play/
In January, Blizzard announced that a form of hero bans was being added to Overwatch—but instead of letting players select who to leave out on a per-match basis, they'd be sidelined through "Hero Pools" selected by Blizzard on a weekly basis. A few months later, Blizzard decided Hero Pools weren't working out quite as it had hoped, and dropped them from all matches with an average skill rating below Master.
Today it took an even bigger step by washing its hands of Hero Pools completely, outside of Overwatch League. Effective immediately, Hero Pools will be removed from Competitive Play, "with no tentative date for re-implementation."

Bungie job listing hints at a new game that will be 'lighthearted and whimsical'
https://www.pcgamer.com/bungie-job-listing-hints-at-a-new-game-that-will-be-lighthearted-and-whimsical/
Bungie said in 2019 that it wants to have "other franchises within the marketplace" by 2025, and apparently it's moving ahead with that plan. It also sounds like it's going in a different sort of direction than its taken over the past couple of decades with Halo and Destiny: A listing that surfaced today for an Incubation Art Director is obviously light on detail, but it does hint at something very un-Destiny-like.

Paper Beast, Eric Chahi's VR game, hits PC this year
https://www.pcgamer.com/paper-beast-eric-chahis-vr-game-hits-pc-this-year/
Released on PSVR last year, Paper Beast is a dreamy VR adventure with a fascinating premise: the internet has generated its own landscape, it's own world, and you're the first one to explore it. It's the work of Eric Chahi, best known for Another World and From Dust, and Paper Beast does seem to bear some similarities with the latter.
(...)
After over a year of PlayStation exclusivity, Paper Beast releases for PC in summer (winter in Australia). It'll hit Steam, Oculus Store and Viveport, and is compatible with HTC Vive, Oculus Rift / Rift S and Valve Index.

Rainbow Six Siege’s next operators leaked in new video
https://www.pcgamer.com/rainbow-six-sieges-next-operators-leaked-in-new-video/
Grab some buckets, because the rest of Rainbow Six Siege’s 2020 operators are leaking hard. After some early suggestions that Season 3’s operator would be a Splinter Cell crossover character, the latest leaks making the rounds paint a clearer picture of what the next two seasons bring to the table—an attacker with a drill camera and a defender with a robotic arm and laser gates.

Travel into deep space with Elite's massive new fleet carriers, available now
https://www.pcgamer.com/travel-into-deep-space-with-elites-massive-new-fleet-carriers-available-now/
Released today for free, the new update for space sim Elite Dangerous adds colossal, screen-filling fleet carrier ships to the game. These enormous beasts can travel 500 light years in a single jump, which makes them ideal for deep space exploration. To give you some perspective, the default jump range for the basic Sidewinder starting ship is a paltry 7.5 light years.

Apex Legends bunkers are opening soon, according to a leak
https://www.pcgamer.com/apex-legends-bunker-locations/
When season 5 launched, one of the first new things to check out was the strange bunker carved into the cliff face near the Broken Coast South area of Kings Canyon. While the loot in that landing spot is mostly lacklustre—bar a shiny Legendary Knockdown Shield—a dataminer thinks we may be in for some more exciting drops when the mysterious Apex Legends bunkers start opening across the map.

I sure hope they don't replace the Titan brand with 3090 since Titan always felt like something special.

But essh. It's odd they they are already redoing the cooler to a significant degree. You had a similar cooler going from Kepler to Maxwell to Pascal with some changes. Going from Turing to Ampere, the cooler if true has a pretty drastic change. Hopefully this won't mean that the cards are gonna cost an Arm and a Leg but my wallet is preparing for the worst loll.

I know very wishful thinking but if the cooler on the 3080TI really going to cost that much I really hope they offer a option that has a decent waterblock without sacrificing temperature/price over installing my own. I can buy a heat killer 4 2080TI waterblock (arguably the best one out there for 2080ti) for $150 so it within the budget if they spending $150 on the air cooling system.

Unfortunately I probably be force to buy a card with one of these new coolers + a waterblock and install it my self like in the past.