Why not HBM for the flagship?

The Fortnite render can't be accurate. A different number of fan blades and all of that. So, I doubt anything can be inferred from it, Still, not sure why people are mad about it. It's just a little bonus tossed in. They could have just released the twitter image, after all.

Also, to be fair, the Radeon VII is no more than 5 - 10% worse than the RTX 2080 on average and that's mostly on DX11 titles. You can't really expect much more though since we already knew what kind of hardware we were dealing with from Vega - probably their worst architecture in over a decade due to bottlenecks on rasterization. Still, it is a computing and mining champ that not even the RTX 3000 cards should be able to touch.

That's exactly why people don't like it. Instead of giving us an accurate 3d render that people can fap to which they can do pretty easily, instead we get this horrible Fortnite render. It almost feels like an advertisement for Fortnite... Like why lock the render down behind a game when you can put it on your own website?

Yea hopefully this means RDNA 2 will be their Zen as Vega felt more like their FX (Obviously Vega was still much more competitive than FX was against Intel).

These are the Tuesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG promotes the Digital Dragons Indie Showcase and has a sale with 24 games up to 90% off during the next 3 days: https://www.gog.com/promo/digital_dragons_sale

Steam has two new sales and the deals:

• ISLANDERS is 60% off during the next 3 days: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1046030/ISLANDERS/
• Iron Danger, that has a demo, is 50% off until September 24: https://store.steampowered.com/app/899310/Iron_Danger/
• And here are some of the weeklong deals:
  • Geometric Sniper, that's still in Early Access, is 15% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1303660/Geometric_Sniper/
  • Evil Democracy: 1932, that's also in Early Access, is 25% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1219950/Evil_Democracy_1932/
  • Chasm gets a 50% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/312200/Chasm/
  • The Letter - Horror Visual Novel, that has a demo, is 60% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/460430/The_Letter__Horror_Visual_Novel/
  • Dungeon Escape VR is 70% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/618920/Dungeon_Escape_VR/
  • And the last one is Suicide Guy, with a 90% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/303610/Suicide_Guy/

The guys at Humble have three new deals:

• There's a new Humble Unity Games and Dev Assets Bundle, with up to 31 items to get for the next 15 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/software/unity-games-and-game-dev-assets-software
• The Humble Store has two deals:
  • The Payday2 sale brings up to 50% discounts during the next 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/pay-day-2-sale-/
  • And the Funcom Publisher Sale will bring up to 65% discounts during the next 7 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/funcom-publisher-sale/

And Fanatical has 2 new bundles added to Bundlefest 2020 and another 2 sales:

• The two new bundles are Undercover Bundle 2 and Mayhem Bundle.
• Sega has its games on sale during the next 8 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/sega
• Ubisoft also has its games on sale, up to 85% off during the next 8 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/ubisoft

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Electronic Arts is renaming Origin to 'EA Desktop App'
https://www.pcgamer.com/electronic-arts-is-renaming-origin-to-ea-desktop-app/
Just a month after retiring Origin Access, Electronic Arts has revealed that the Origin name is going away entirely. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, EA senior vice president Mike Blank said that the Origin software on PC is being rebranded to—hold on to your hats for this one—the EA Desktop App.
The app formerly known as Origin will also be given a visual overhaul, which Blank said will "create a more frictionless, fast, socially-oriented experience for our players, where it becomes the best place for them to connect with the people they want to play with in the games they want to play." I don't really care about that—just launch the game and leave me alone—but it's also getting a "better patching experience" and updates to the login process, which I will absolutely welcome.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

New trailer for Fallout Miami, unofficial expansion of Fallout 4, showcases some of its environments
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/new-trailer-for-fallout-miami-unofficial-expansion-of-fallout-4-showcases-some-of-its-environments/
Back in June 2019, we shared an early version of an unofficial expansion for Fallout 4, Fallout Miami. Since then, the team has been working hard on the expansion. And, after going on radio silence for over a year, the team released yesterday a brand new trailer for it.
Fallout: Miami is a brand new worldspace, with a gripping main quest. Additionally, it will pack side-quests, equipment, settlements, and a host of interesting characters and companions. Players will uncover the truth behind some mysterious disappearances. Furthermore, they will take part in the age-old struggle between Order and Freedom.

GAMING NEWS

Surgical Scalpels showcases Boundary’s Ray Tracing effects with this Benchmark Video
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/surgical-scalpels-showcases-boundarys-ray-tracing-effects-with-this-benchmark-video/
Surgical Scalpels today revealed how they are harnessing the power of real-time ray tracing for its near-future multiplayer shooter Boundary with its Ray Tracing Benchmark. With the team’s aspirations to provide the best in-game resolution and visual perception in an environment where physics, lighting and surface reflections require different texture effects, developer Surgical Scalpels has embraced the power of real-time ray tracing to bring a more ‘visual edge’ to the game.
>> And it will launch on September 24.

Halo 3: ODST is coming to the PC on September 22nd
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/halo-3-odst-is-coming-to-the-pc-on-september-22nd/
Microsoft and 343 Industries have announced that Halo 3: ODST will be coming to the PC on September 22nd. In order to celebrate this announcement, the teams have released a new PC trailer that you can find below.

CD Projekt RED releases another new screenshot for Cyberpunk 2077
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/cd-projekt-red-releases-another-new-screenshot-for-cyberpunk-2077/
CD Projekt RED released today another new screenshot for its upcoming RPG, Cyberpunk 2077. This screenshot shows off V’s car on a sunny day. CDPR did not clarify whether this screenshot features any Ray Tracing effects, though we can assume that it’s coming from the PC version.
>> This "I'm releasing a new, single screenshot of our game" method of keeping interest in a game is starting to piss me off. If CDP does it again, I don't think I'll post.

No, DICE and Electronic Arts have not teased recently Battlefield 6 or Battlefield 3 Remaster
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/no-dice-and-electronic-arts-have-not-teased-recently-battlefield-6-or-battlefield-3-remaster/
Some rumors surfaced last week, suggesting that Electronic Arts was planning to unveil either Battlefield 6 or Battlefield 3 Remaster. As you may have noticed, though, we didn’t really pay attention to this rumor. And, as we correctly predicted, this rumor was fake.

Star Wars: Squadrons gets an impressive CG short film
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/star-wars-squadrons-gets-an-impressive-cg-short-film/
Electronic Arts has released an impressive CG short film for its upcoming Star Wars game, Star Wars: Squadrons. In this short film, Squadron Leader Varko Grey finds himself as the last TIE pilot on the battlefield, hunted relentlessly by a renegade New Republic X-wing.
>> It's 7 minutes long.

Second Extinction is coming to Steam Early Access on October 13th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/second-extinction-is-coming-to-steam-early-access-on-october-13th/
Second Extinction is a co-op shooter, players will team up with up to two other resistance fighters to fight dinosaurs. This game was meant to hit Steam Early Access earlier this month. However, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the game was slightly delayed. And today, Systemic Reaction revealed that the game will come out on October 13th.

First teaser trailer for Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 has been leaked online
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/first-teaser-trailer-for-sniper-ghost-warrior-contracts-2-has-been-leaked-online/
It appears that the first teaser trailer for Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 has been leaked online. Although this teaser trailer does not show much, it hints at a possible delay for this new upcoming shooter.

Ghostrunner releases on October 27th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/ghostrunner-releases-on-october-27th/
505Games and All in! Games have announced that Ghostrunner will release on October 27th. In order to celebrate this announcement, the publishers have released a new trailer that you can find below.

Tuesday news, part two:

Fall Guys once had a secret 'Cheater Island,' but had to close it down
https://www.pcgamer.com/fall-guys-once-had-a-secret-cheater-island-but-had-to-close-it-down/
Mediatonic promised last week that a big update that will help crack down on the problem of cheaters in Fall Guys is on the way. Today, to help us pass the time while we wait, it served up something a little different: The twisted, terrifying tale of "The Rise and Fall of Cheater Island."

Bungie emphatically denies Microsoft buyout rumor
https://www.pcgamer.com/bungie-emphatically-denies-microsoft-buyout-rumor/
Bungie has flatly denied reports that it was in talks with Microsoft about a buyout that ultimately fell through because the studio's asking price was too high.
The rumor first emerged in a recent GamesBeat podcast during which two members of the team say that they've heard about talks between the two, but that it hasn't come to fruition because of the high cost. Eurogamer bolstered the report by reporting that it had heard the same rumors independently.

Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith talks about the early days of making RPGs
https://www.pcgamer.com/cyberpunk-creator-mike-pondsmith-talks-about-the-early-days-of-making-rpgs/
As PAX's keynote speaker, Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith took a half-hour this weekend to talk about how he first got interested in games, how he eventually began creating his own RPGs, and some of the differences he sees between designing tabletop games and videogames.

Star Wars: Squadrons preorders on the Epic Store come with an X-Wing glider for Fortnite
https://www.pcgamer.com/star-wars-squadrons-preorders-on-the-epic-store-come-with-an-x-wing-glider-for-fortnite/
The deep space dogfighting sim Star Wars: Squadrons won't be an Epic Games Store exclusive—you can also pick it up on Steam or Origin if you prefer. But that doesn't mean that Epic is entirely without leverage when it comes to convincing people that its store is the right store.

Risk of Rain 2 developer plans large 'expansions' and increased mod support
https://www.pcgamer.com/risk-of-rain-2-developer-plans-large-expansions-and-increased-mod-support/
Risk of Rain 2 doesn't support the Steam Workshop, but it's nonetheless managed to build up a thriving mod scene, encouraged and supported by developer Hopoo Games. As we noted in our best mods roundup in August, for instance, the studio included a code check with the full release of the game that made it easier for gamers with mods installed to play together.
In an update posted over the weekend, the studio said that it hopes to expand its support for player-made mods even further in future updates, although at this stage it's still nailing down the details.

Razer accidentally leaked the personal information of over 100,000 accounts
https://www.pcgamer.com/razer-accidentally-leaked-the-personal-information-of-over-100000-accounts/
According to a report published by cyber security consultant Volodymyr Diachenko on LinkedIn (via The Verge), the personal data from an estimated 100,000 accounts has been exposed since August 18. Diachenko says he immediately notified Razer of the breach, but non-technical support staff handled the issue for a further three weeks until appropriate staff resolved the problem on September 9.

Gods & Monsters name was changed due to a trademark challenge by Monster Energy
https://www.pcgamer.com/gods-and-monsters-name-was-changed-due-to-a-trademark-challenge-by-monster-energy/
Ubisoft recently revealed its mythical action-adventure Gods & Monsters under a new name: Immortals: Fenyx Rising. According to a report by VGC, the new name was the result of a trademark dispute. Opposition documents from April of this year, available at the United States Patent And Trademark Office website, show that drinks brand Monster Energy appealed the game being published under the name Gods & Monsters.

Ooblets gets a Halloween region in its first big update
https://www.pcgamer.com/ooblets-gets-a-halloween-region-in-its-first-big-update/
Ooblets developer Glumberland, alias Rebecca Cordingley and Ben Wasser, recently shared their development roadmap for the game, including a big update for September that will include a whole new region called Nullwhere, as well as uncommon and gleamy versions of existing oobs.

My main reason to say that is that while we've heard about the regular chips of a family, Navi 21, 22 and 23, none of the usual leakers said anything about HBM. All the talks about this memory have come from "influencers" or forum discussions.

My other reasons are that past AMD cards with HBM memory were special designs like Fiji or Vega, not the regular one like Navi seems to be, and that HBM is still quite expensive not just due to the memory itself but the interposer and extra steps involved.

It's an ad. I can't imagine getting it anywhere other than Windows Update, so shame on Windows Update as well for allowing this. Still, SteelSeries gets most of my blame here.

Tomorrow is finally tomorrow.

I had a bad feeling when MS started listening less and less to Inside users when testing their OS updates and going with test servers instead, that this sort of bullshit would get an easy pass into being a thing.

This is as bad as the times someone would get adware on their PC, only this shit is somehow authorised.

I'm not familiar with this, but at first glance, this doesn't seem like a testing issue. I mean, surely MS must have an approval process for drivers etc. to ensure Windows Update doesn't distribute malware? Then again, maybe some companies get free pass because of how reliable they are considered?

Heh. I tried to search for information about this... thing, and ran into some Reddit discussions. The most prominent search result was the discussion on r/steelseries, where people seemed to really, really want to defend SteelSeries on the grounds that since you're already using Windows 10, you're basically consenting to telemetry and whatever, so this is a non-issue at all. The nerve of some people...

Windows 8 was a mess and Windows 7 is not supported anymore, so unless I want to play with fire in regards to security (I don't), Windows 10 is the only option. I mean, I could go for Linux, but gaming on Linux is still far from what gaming on Windows is... I'd love to switch to Linux though, but it's just not practical.