That's the problem with rumours, it's hard to tell which one's legit.

Indeed.

If consoles open up. Why would Sony make em?

You need to look at the long-term big picture here.

If the consoles are opened up, you risk allowing publishers to become the big 3's competition on an internal level. What's to stop Activision from selling CoD on consoles, but only Via the Acti app on those consoles, where they get 100% of the fees and Sony/MS get zip, that means Activision are fully free to siphon all users on both consoles and get 100% of each cut and nothing for Sony or MS, meaning they are being used for effectively the person outside of a shopping mall with an advertisement bill board hung over their heads.

You also can have situations where a publisher could open up a shop on those consoles and even pull an EGS and buy up shit exclusively to be sold on only those app stores, meaning Epic could set up shop on Xbox/PS, buyout a game, preventing Sony/MS to gain marketing deals/ground, and again, gaining more of the profits from within, denying either console the ability to make much from the usual cut.

We already know the console are sold at a loss half the time (for MS all the time), so take that with the way this outcome would work if Epic wins. Also MS has plans to shove Xcloud onto the other consoles, couple that with every pub opening a store on each console and you're effectively watching some rabid cannibalisation going on. 

Think Zero! THINK

CDPR working with modders on the next gen The Witcher 3 update. Fyi, the they're most likely going to incorporate some of the work done in TW3 HD Reworked Project.

I mean, that's not a bad idea, considering a lot of these fan made projects have assets that are high quality and already there.

https://kotaku.com/the-witcher-3s-next-gen-update-might-be-using-some-fan-1846842040

I do like the idea of this. Hopefully the modders are getting paid for this though if CDPR are gonna use their assets and work.

We've made it to the Friday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

There's a new free game at the Epic Store: Pine: https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p/pine
And next week, the free game will be "The Lion's Song".

The Humble Store is running its Spring Sale. Check it out as new publishers have joined the sale.

Fanatical's new Star Deal is Ash of Gods: Redemption, 80% off during the next 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/ash-of-gods.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

AMD Radeon Adrenalin 2020 Edition 21.5.1 driver optimized for Resident Evil Village & Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/amd-radeon-adrenalin-2020-edition-21-5-1-driver-optimized-for-metro-exodus-enhanced-edition/
AMD has released a brand new driver for its graphics cards. According to the red team, the AMD Radeon Adrenalin 2020 Edition 21.5.1 driver offers optimal performance in Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition. In addition, it improves overall performance in Resident Evil Village.
Going into slightly more details, this new driver improves performance by up to 13% in Resident Evil Village at 4K/Max settings on the Radeon RX 6800XT.
As always, this driver also comes with a number of bug fixes. For instance, it fixes some texture flickering issues on trees in Disco Elysium. It also resolves an application crash in Moonlight Blade.
>> Available from here.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

-Empty-

GAMING NEWS

Here are some brand new PC screenshots from Days Gone
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/here-are-some-brand-new-pc-screenshots-from-days-gone/
Bend Studio has released some brand new screenshots from the upcoming PC version of Days Gone. These screenshots will give you an idea of what you can expect, graphically, from the Days Gone PC.

Tom Clancy’s The Division Heartland is a free to play game, coming to PC in 2021-2022
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/tom-clancys-the-division-heartland-is-a-free-to-play-game-coming-to-pc-in-2021-2022/
Ubisoft has announced a new free to play Tom Clancy’s The Division game, Tom Clancy’s The Division Heartland. Tom Clancy’s The Division Heartland is being developed by the Red Storm studio, and will be coming to PC in 2021-2022.

Friday news, part two:

Superhot VR now supports 120fps on Oculus Quest 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/superhot-vr-120fps-support-oculus-quest/
Superhot VR now offers an 120fps mode on Oculus Quest 2 headsets. That makes it one of the first games to try out the blisteringly fast refresh rate on the VR device since the experimental feature was announced earlier this year.

Unpaid Serenade traps you in a type-a-long karaoke fever dream
https://www.pcgamer.com/unpaid-serenade-traps-you-in-a-type-a-long-karaoke-fever-dream/
There's a particular kind of terror that comes from stepping in front of a crowd, delirious with anxiety, tasked with speaking to strangers who believe you're some kind of expert. Now you can live (and relive) that terror with a short drama from indie collective Sand Gardeners.

Rust gets a visual overhaul, plus a drivable junkyard crane for scrapping cars
https://www.pcgamer.com/rust-gets-a-visual-overhaul-plus-a-drivable-junkyard-crane-for-scrapping-cars/
Another month, another update for Facepunch Studios' brutal multiplayer survival game Rust.
It sounds like there's a lot in store for players in May, including an improvement to the visuals, which Facepunch says "is the culmination of work by the team over the last couple of years. It greatly improves how the game feels and we think gives it a fresh look."

World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic launches on June 1
https://www.pcgamer.com/world-of-warcraft-burning-crusade-classic-launches-on-june-1/
A few days ago it looked like Blizzard might've let slip the release date for World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic, but today it officially confirmed the expansion is launching on June 1. Just like when Burning Crusade launched in 2007, Burning Crusade Classic will open up an entirely new continent for WoW Classic players to explore and grind through on their quest to reach the new level cap of 70. Two new races, blood elves and draenei, are also joining the Horde and Alliance respectively.

World of Warcraft Classic players are furious at the how expensive its character cloning fee is
https://www.pcgamer.com/world-of-warcraft-classic-players-are-furious-at-the-how-expensive-its-character-cloning-fee-is/
Blizzard finally revealed today that World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic is launching on June 1, but it's not all good news for the community. Alongside the release announcement, Blizzard also revealed the price of its deluxe edition and new account services like a one-time character level boost, and a lot of players are upset over how steep those prices are.

You can disable Mass Effect Legendary Edition's improved Mako handling if you 'like pain'
https://www.pcgamer.com/you-can-disable-mass-effect-legendary-editions-improved-mako-handling-if-you-like-pain/
While Mass Effect Legendary Edition is primarily a remaster, the first game in the series in particular is also getting some gameplay overhauls. As BioWare detailed earlier this year, the contentious Mako is one of the things being altered. The infamously bouncy vehicle will have weightier physics and be less prone to sliding, as well as having a boost, shields that recharge faster, and the ability to touch lava without an instant game over. The XP penalty for kills while in the Mako is also going away.
Not everyone hated the Mako, however, as BioWare knows. Project director Mac Walters and environment director Kevin Meek told PC Gamer earlier today that there will be an option to go back to a floaty version of the Big Trak-inspired truck. "For those people out there who do like pain, we've left the option to leave it back kind of closer to the original controls as well if you want," said Meek.

NPC companions are coming to The Elder Scrolls Online
https://www.pcgamer.com/npc-companions-are-coming-to-the-elder-scrolls-online/
The Elder Scrolls Online will soon let you dump all your gear, trash and burdens onto a hapless NPC, as companions arrive in the game's upcoming Blackwood chapter.
We've known for some time that Blackwood would give you a choice of pals to buddy around Tamriel with. But this week, Bethesda fully detailed how the Elder Scrolls MMO's NPC companions work with a new trailer.

Yakuza will be a turn-based series going forward
https://www.pcgamer.com/yakuza-will-be-a-turn-based-series-going-forward/
Did you enjoy Yakuza: Like a Dragon's JRPG spin on the series' usual third-person brawling? If so, then good news, because it sounds like Yakuza will be sticking to turn-based RPG combat for the foreseeable future.
Speaking ahead of the reveal of Lost Judgement, the sequel to 2018's Yakuza spin-off, series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi and producer Kazuki Hosokawa told IGN that the main series would be ditching its brawler roots after the success of Like a Dragon.

And now, the deals we'll find this weekend at GOG and Steam:

+GOG

• The Weekly/Polish Games Festival Sale features up to 90% discounts: https://www.gog.com/promo/polish_games_festival
• The Midweek Sale with its war themed games up to 80% off will last another 22 hours: https://www.gog.com/promo/20210505_midweek_sale
• The Special Retro Shooter Sale, with up to 86% discounts, will last another 5 days: https://www.gog.com/promo/retro_shooters
• The Weekend Sale brings games that will make your heart beat a bit faster with up to 80% discounts: https://www.gog.com/promo/20210507_weekend_sale
• Ziggurat Interactive has brought back another 3 classic games with a 33% discount until May 14. Learn more here: https://www.gog.com/news/discover_these_3_retro_games_brought_back_by_ziggurat_interactive
• And there's also a Special Tropico Sale with up to 75% discounts during the next 7 days: https://www.gog.com/promo/tropico_sale

+Steam

• Hardspace: Shipbreaker, still in Early Access, is 30% off until Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1161580/Hardspace_Shipbreaker/
• The Endless Universe Sale (Endless Space, Endless Legend, etc.) features up to 77% discounts until the 10th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/EndlessUniverseSale
• The AniMAY Sale brings up to 85% discounts until Monday the 10th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/AniMay
• Devolver Digital puts its games on sale, up to 90% off until May 11th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/devolver
• The game Neighbours back From Hell is 40% off until May 16: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1283190/Neighbours_back_From_Hell/
• And the Call of Duty franchise is up to 50% off until the 17th of May: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/cod/
• And of course, there's also the weeklong deals.

What else to day? Only to wish you a happy and gaming weekend.

There are another two tidbits of news to share:

This panda hungers for your Steam and Discord logins
https://www.pcgamer.com/panda-stealer-malware-virus-cryptocurrency/
Here come the hackers again, poised to relieve you of your cryptocurrency and break into your Steam and Discord accounts. And in the same fell swoop, besmirching the name of the most pure and non-malign bear on the planet: the panda. 

'Panda Stealer' is being distributed through phishing emails and Discord links, and is hell-bent on picking out any cryptocurrency-related data on your machine. As TrendMicro outlines, your Ethereum, Dash, Bytecoin and Litecoin keys and addresses are all at risk, though there's no mention of other currencies being affected (via Tom's Hardware). 

Be careful!

Backblaze Drive Stats for Q1 2021
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/backblaze-hard-drive-stats-q1-2021/

Also, for the first time we have SSDs results, for the OS drivees, and they're kind of mixed:

Notice how the failure rate of the SSDs is much lower, but they are also a lot newer, so the comparison is skewed.