Today there's a second part of the news:

Planet Zoo's Aquatic DLC adds 'iconic water-dwelling animals', aka penguins and seals
https://www.pcgamer.com/planet-zoos-aquatic-dlc-adds-iconic-water-dwelling-animals-aka-penguins-and-seals/
Planet Zoo will soon receive a new DLC and the clue's in the title: the Aquatic Pack adds "five iconic water-dwelling animals," a phrase that's kept me amused for longer than it should have, as well as a bunch of appropriately themed scenery, foliage and zoo parts.

Daybreak Games has a new owner
https://www.pcgamer.com/daybreak-games-has-a-new-owner/
Daybreak Game Company has a new owner: The Stockholm-based "global gaming cooperative" Enad Global 7 announced today that it has made a deal to drop $300 million on the company, whose games include Everquest and Everquest 2, DC Universe Online, Planetside 2, and Lord of the Rings Online.

Rocket League season 2 will introduce 'player anthems' on December 9
https://www.pcgamer.com/rocket-league-season-2-will-introduce-player-anthems-on-december-9/
Rocket League's season numbering got reset following its free-to-play transition, so the five-year-old game has been in season 1 for the past few months. Season 2 is on the horizon now—it starts December 9—and it's all about music.

Fortnite goes offline prior to Season 5, which starts late tonight
https://www.pcgamer.com/fortnite-goes-offline-prior-to-season-5-which-starts-late-tonight/
Fortnite season 4 wrapped up with a bang today—a literal bang in this case, which was powerful enough to open up a portal and send Galactus back to wherever he came from.
(...)
If you log in now, all you see is a countdown, which ends tonight at 9 pm PT/12 am ET. That's not when Season 5 begins, though—that's when the server downtime begins. The downtime is expected to run for four hours, which means Fortnite Season 5 won't actually be playable until 1 am PT/4 am ET or so.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon patch adds a crucial missing feature
https://www.pcgamer.com/yakuza-like-a-dragon-patch-adds-a-crucial-missing-feature/
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a charming but flawed pivot into JRPG territory for the series. The flaws, small though they are, are understandable: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio didn't start developing the turn-based battle system until very late in development. Overall, fighting in Like a Dragon is fun and theatrical, though some players of the Western localisation noticed one glaring omission at launch.

Halo community manager says battle royale rumor is 'unfounded'
https://www.pcgamer.com/halo-community-manager-says-battle-royale-rumor-is-unfounded/
A rumor resurfaced yesterday claiming that, despite 343 Industries' professed lack of interest, Halo Infinite will in fact get a battle royale mode, free for all players, in 2021. The tweet that got the ball rolling was actually posted in October, and was based on a Reddit post, also from October, saying that "343 has wanted to make this BR unlike any to come before and there are some BIG and I mean BIG plans for this."

Microsoft Flight Simulator will get official VR support later this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/microsoft-flight-simulator-will-get-official-vr-support-later-this-month/
Microsoft Flight Simulator seems like the perfect game for virtual reality, and it's something fans have been begging for since announcement. So it's welcome news that following a closed beta in October, VR support for Microsoft Flight Simulator will launch on December 22.

The standalone Red Dead Online is available now
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-standalone-red-dead-online-is-available-now/
Rockstar Games have released the multiplayer portion of Red Dead Redemption 2 as a standalone alternative for anyone who wants to play Red Dead Online, but not bother with the singleplayer story. Which, well, there must be some people who want that. I guess?

Get a spooky PS1-inspired horror game every day with this digital advent calendar
https://www.pcgamer.com/get-a-spooky-ps1-inspired-horror-game-every-day-with-this-digital-advent-calendar/
The year 2020 has seen a lot of devs revisiting the harsh polygonal PlayStation 1 aesthetic: February brought us this Haunted PS1 Demo Disc, and there have been several PS1-themed games in the brilliant Dread X Collections. Horror and early 3D graphics are a perfect marriage: the nauseating texture warping, the gritty geometry, and the overall lack of modern-day detail lend themselves well to discomforting horror vignettes.

Failbetter's working on two new games, and one's a Fallen London prequel
https://www.pcgamer.com/failbetters-working-on-two-new-games-and-ones-a-fallen-london-prequel/
Failbetter Games today announced it is working on two new projects, one of which is a prequel to the studio's Fallen London universe. Mask of the Rose is a visual novel, though that descriptor perhaps risks pigeonholing expectations a little. You could fairly describe Fallen London as a text adventure, after all, but it's so cleverly executed that it feels like a disservice.

AMD CEO Lisa Su to present at CES 2021 on January 12th

"AMD is expected to unveil its Ryzen 5000 mobile processors codenamed Cezanne. At CES 2020 AMD announced its Ryzen 4000 Renoir series. The company is also planning to launch Navi 22 GPU for Radeon RX 6700 series. The CES 2021 could be a perfect opportunity for the announcement of both products. AMD might also talk about the Threadripper 5000 series based on Zen3 architecture."

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ceo-lisa-su-to-present-at-ces-2021-on-january-12th

Next year gonna be epic for laptop users as Ryzen cpus should now be paired with high end Ampere/RDNA2 gpus

Me who got the Strix 3080 back in October

Why do you have to rub it like this on viv's face? You have no sould, Yuri.

Couldn't resist the opportunity

Ok, guys, hear me out because I have two things to tell you:

1-The PC Secret Santa thread is up and you can join! https://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread/243930/the-11th-semi-annual-pc-secret-santa-event/

2-I hate you all for making me do it another year .

The Thursday news:

In case you weren't aware (I don't know why, because it's right in the post before this one), the PC Secret Santa thread is open! Come if you want to join: https://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread/243930/the-11th-semi-annual-pc-secret-santa-event/

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Sea of Thieves had 11 million unique players in 2020, PC accounts for 50% of total players
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/sea-of-thieves-had-11-million-unique-players-in-2021-pc-accounts-for-50-of-total-players/
Rare has released a new developer diary, in which it stated that Sea of Thieves had 11 million unique players in 2020. Furthermore, the team has stated that the playerbase is now 50/50 between PC and Xbox.
As we’ve already reported, the game hit its 10 million players in January 2020. Now in case you’re wondering, that number was the total number of players, and not the number of unique players.

GOG gets the release of Diggles: The Myth of Fenris with a 20% discount until the 10th of December: https://www.gog.com/game/diggles_the_myth_of_fenris

Steam has two new daily deals:

• The first one is In Other Waters, 33% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/890720/In_Other_Waters/
• And 20XX is 75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/322110/20XX/

The Humble Store has a new Winter Indie Sale, with up to 90% discounts for the next 5 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/winter-indie-sale/

And Fanatical has two new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Dead Island Definitive Collection, 81% off for the next 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dead-island-definitive-collection
• And the new All Stars 13 Bundle brings 11 games and DLCs with a 99% discount for the next 14 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/all-stars-13-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Weta Digital showcases a mind-blowing real-time animated short in Unreal Engine
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/weta-digital-showcases-a-mind-blowing-real-time-animated-short-in-unreal-engine/
Epic Games and Weta Digital have released an incredible real-time animated short, created in Unreal Engine using the new Hair & Fur Rendering and Simulation tool. This tech video showcases what modern-day GPUs are capable of when pushed to their limits.
>> The short is impressive and almost 10 minutes long.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Here is what Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller Remastered could look like
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/here-is-what-crazy-taxi-3-high-roller-remastered-could-look-like/
YouTube’s ‘Sanadsk’ has shared a video, showcasing what a remastered version of Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller could look like. Sanadsk has used ESRGAN AI tech to upscale the textures by four times, and Pascal Glicher’s filters for the raytracing effect.
Now as you will see, the end result is pretty cool. And, what’s even better here, is that PC gamers can already enjoy Crazy Taxi 3 with these visuals. All you have to do is download an Xbox emulator, upscale the game’s textures, and use Pascal’s Ray Tracing Reshade.

This 13GB Mod for Dark souls 3 adds new bosses, animations, areas, over 150 weapons & more
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/this-13gb-mod-for-dark-souls-3-adds-new-bosses-animations-areas-over-150-weapons-more/
Dark Souls 3 fans, here is something really special for you today. Modder ‘Papa Appa’ has released a 13GB mod for Dark Souls 3 that adds a lot of new content to it.
According to the modder, BloodSouls Judgement of Ash adds new areas to explore, new bosses, new animations, new spells, and over 150 weapons. Furthermore, it packs a number of map edits. Not only that, but the modder is constantly adding new content to it.
It’s also worth noting that the mod introduces a brand new necromancy 4th class of magic to summon foes to fight for you. It also features new consumables, as well as new armor sets from other games like Berserk, Black Desert Online and Bloodborne.
>> You'll find it at Nexus Mods.

GAMING NEWS

Watch Dogs Legion Update 2.30 released, packs numerous PC fixes, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/watch-dogs-legion-update-2-30-released-packs-numerous-pc-fixes-full-patch-notes/
Ubisoft has released a brand new update for Watch Dogs Legion. According to the release notes, Update 2.30 packs numerous PC fixes, aiming to improve overall stability and performance.

Multiplayer trailer released for Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/multiplayer-trailer-released-for-medal-of-honor-above-and-beyond/
Electronic Arts and Respawn have released a brand new multiplayer trailer for their upcoming VR FPS, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. In addition to Above and Beyond’s single-player campaign, you can hone your skills and teamwork in five robust multiplayer modes on sites across Europe.

NEKCOM announces a new first-person puzzle game, DYING: 1983
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/nekcom-announces-a-new-first-person-puzzle-game-dying-1983/
NEKCOM has announced a new first-person puzzle game that will be coming soon on PC, DYING: 1983. In order to celebrate this announcement, the team has also released the game’s debut trailer that you can find below.

The King of Fighters XV gets new teaser trailer, official reveal trailer coming in January 2021
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/king-of-fighters-xv-gets-new-teaser-trailer-official-reveal-trailer-coming-in-january-2021/
SNK has released a brand new teaser trailer for The King of Fighters XV, which will be also known as KOF XV. In addition, the team announced that its official reveal trailer will come out on January 7th, 2021.
>> dx11332sega has made a thread about this announcement.

Thursday news, part two:

Dead Cells' next DLC will let you praise the sun and explore floating islands
https://www.pcgamer.com/dead-cells-next-dlc-will-let-you-praise-the-sun-and-explore-floating-islands/
Dead Cells will receive its second paid DLC early next year, Fatal Falls. This introduces two new outdoor biomes, Fractured Shrines and The Undying Shores, which can be accessed mid-game when players would usually be running into tthe Stilt Village and Clock Tower, and a new boss to go with. As with the Bad Seed DLC it will also be "stuffed with new weapons and enemies" and cost $5.

Doom Guy's coming to Fall Guys
https://www.pcgamer.com/doom-guys-coming-to-fall-guys/
This one seems so obvious it's a wonder it didn't happen sooner: a Doom Guy costume is coming to Fall Guys. This character also goes by the names Doomguy, the Doom Marine, or the Doom Slayer. But who is the man behind the mask?

Cyberpunk bartending game N1RV Ann-A is delayed indefinitely
https://www.pcgamer.com/cyberpunk-bartending-game-n1rv-ann-a-is-delayed-indefinitely/
N1RV Ann-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action, the sequel to the 2016 game VA-11 HALL-A, has been indefinitely delayed. Sukeban Games said when it was announced in 2018 that N1RV Ann-A was expected to be out sometime in 2020, but the production has run into a number of difficulties since then and so the developers have decided that it'll be done "when it's done."

After a rough launch, Empire of Sin director Brenda Romero says updates are coming
https://www.pcgamer.com/after-a-rough-launch-empire-of-sin-director-brenda-romero-says-updates-are-coming/
We had high hopes for the crime-time management game Empire of Sin, but they were brought low by the rough state of the game at release. "The potential is obvious," we wrote in our 49/100 review, but it's overwhelmed by conflicting systems and bugs. "There's definitely a version of it in there somewhere that's good, and the allure of all those dense and malleable systems is strong, but they all come with massive caveats that dwarf what it does well."
The upside to a game with potential is that the design can be tuned and bugs can be fixed, and in an update posted on Twitter, game director Brenda Romero said that's the plan. While Romero didn't acknowledge any specific criticisms of Empire of Sin, she did say that updates, apparently with a focus on fixes, are on the way.

Fortnite is getting a Kratos skin
https://www.pcgamer.com/fortnite-kratos-skin/
Fortnite Season 5 includes plenty of things to be excited about, including The Mandalorian, but there's more on the way, including, apparently, the Ghost of Sparta himself. Kratos, the red and white curmudgeonly star of PlayStation's God of War franchise, is getting his own Fortnite skin, according to a leak found by data miner HYPEX.
>> It wouldn't surprise me if it ends being PS exclusive.

Ubisoft's personalized stats videos are hilarious if you haven't spent much time playing Ubisoft games
https://www.pcgamer.com/ubisofts-personalized-stats-videos-are-hilarious-if-you-havent-spent-much-time-playing-ubisoft-games/
You know how Facebook likes to put together a video montage of your photos from time to time? (...)
Well, Ubisoft is trying to highlight the last five years of our gaming experiences by generating personalized videos using our own stats. If you visit the Ubisoft Connect Wrap-Up page, and login with your account, it'll generate a video with cinematic footage of the three games you've played most, superimposing your most impressive statistics.

Sea of Thieves is switching to seasonal updates and a battle pass
https://www.pcgamer.com/sea-of-thieves-is-switching-to-seasonal-updates-and-a-battle-pass/
Big changes are coming to Sea of Thieves in 2021. Instead of monthly updates, the new year will see a shift to seasons, which will begin with a major content update and will run for roughly three months. The first season will begin in January with the launch of a new Merchant Alliance Voyage in which you'll "piece together clues across land and sea trying to locate a lost shipment out there in the world—a lost shipwreck waiting to be found."

Baldur's Gate 3's save-breaking patch makes companions a little less dickish
https://www.pcgamer.com/baldurs-gate-3s-save-breaking-patch-makes-companions-a-little-less-dickish/
The Baldur's Gate 3 patch that Larian warned last week is going to break your saves is now live, and as promised, it's a big one. It's the first patch to make "major changes to design and gameplay," the studio said, which include increased rewards for non-violent behavior, less punishing dialog skill checks, improved resting and spellcasting, and less dickish from your companions.

Voting is open in the Player's Voice category of The Game Awards
https://www.pcgamer.com/voting-is-open-in-the-players-voice-category-of-the-game-awards/
The Game Awards, the annual awards show hosted by Geoff Keighley, also known as the guy from Death Stranding who wants you to bring him collectible figurines, is taking place on December 10 this year. Everyone who isn't facedown in Cyberpunk 2077 on that day will be able to watch a bunch of trailers for upcoming games as well as see some awards get handed out, most of which are decided by a jury (90 percent of the vote) and fans (10 percent of the vote, via social media). One category is purely decided by fans, however, and that's the Player's Voice award, which you can vote on at the Game Awards website right now.

CD Projekt Red warns against streaming Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay before release
https://www.pcgamer.com/cd-projekt-red-warns-against-streaming-cyberpunk-2077-gameplay-before-release/
Cyberpunk 2077 has already leaked: In November, a PS4 version of the game found its way into the wild, resulting in a bad 20-minute stream of, as Jody put it, "some stoned bros talking over the top instead of playing." But as the release date grows closer, the likelihood of a larger leak, and pre-release streams that might actually be worth watching, continues to grow. Faced with that, CD Projekt Red issued a warning to streamers today: Don't do it.

Fortnite season five gets a story trailer teasing the return of the Seven
https://www.pcgamer.com/fortnite-season-five-gets-a-story-trailer-teasing-the-return-of-the-seven/
(...) It's no small feat, and the developer has done a great job seeding various mysteries throughout the various seasons, one of which looks to be returning imminently with Fortnite season 5. The Seven are Fortnite's big baddies, an extraterrestrial bunch dedicated to destroying the zero point (i.e. Fortnite's universe) to sort out the rest of reality. Only three have been seen, and they seemingly disappeared from the story when Chapter 2 began.

Some hardware news

Intel Rocket Lake 8 Core & 16 Thread 5.0 GHz CPU Geekbench results Leak Out, On Par With The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X



https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-8-core-16-thread-rocket-lake-s-cpu-offers-similar-performance-to-ryzen-7-5800x

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 facing shortages due to silicon, substrate and component supply issues

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-geforce-rtx-30-facing-shortages-due-to-silicon-substrate-and-component-supply-issues

AMD Radeon RX 6800XT sees performance boost on Intel Z490 with Resizable BAR enabled



https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-radeon-rx-6800xt-sees-performance-boost-on-intel-z490-with-resizable-bar-enabled

Current status update for my PC build

I haven't gotten the 980 Pro just yet but it's on it's way.

I am  on the fence about the case though with CES being so close.