Yea pretty much. One of the worst products Nvidia has launched in a while. I was watching Linus's review and then I was watching the WAN show where he defended his review since he was like "well it's a 3090 that's $300 off so it's a good value, especially in today's market."

It's like well firstly, a 3090 wasn't a good deal to begin but at least it gave you something special which was that 24GB of high bandwidth Vram. Not only is this missing it but if you are in the market to spend $1200, why wouldn't you get the big pp and get a 3090 instead? Sure a 3090 costs a ton in "todays market" but guess what... After the first 5 seconds since launch... So does a 3080 Ti!

My overall problem with the product isn't the fact that it shouldn't exist but rather Nvidia's scalping price. It should have been $500 off and priced at $1000. Instead Nvidia put a scalping price on it because they knew it didn't matter to which I say, fuck dat. It's similar to how AMD priced their 6700XT where it should have been priced closer to a 3060 Ti than a 3070 based on it's performance but AMD knew that it didn't matter. It's the principle that counts...

I think they overestimated RDNA 2 and priced the 3080 too low (for them) and instantly regretted it. Hence the 3070Ti and 3080Ti models and lack of 3080's being made. And the ones that are are probably being sold directly to miners.

Can't imagine how much worse it could have been without any competition and AMD didn't have anything to show for this year and the last.

Yea that could certainly be the case. It does make me nervous about next time though, especially with the type of gains that's rumored to be. I just hope that a 80 series doesn't end up being $1000 MSRP next year.

If I had to guess, they'll go back to Turing-like pricing and possibly a bit higher. Now that Nvidia knows that cards will sell, regardless of how high.. at least in the current market.

Though with TSMC expanding and Intel entering the GPU space, it'll be interesting to see how all 3 stack against each other next year with Lovelace, RNDA 3 and DG2 all competing against each other (at least one hopes).

But yeah, with improved production and and less miners soaking up supply, one should think they wouldn't go off the rails like the 3080Ti. But I wouldn't put it past them tbh

So, Sekiro can't recognize an Xbox Series controller on Bluetooth for shit. Just amazing support, FromSoft. Just amazing.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Review Roundup

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3070-ti-review-roundup

TLDR/W: vs 3070: 3-5% faster @1080; 5-7% faster @1440p; 7-10% faster @2160p. 20% more $$, 22% less efficient

A 3080 meanwhile can be 25-30% faster than a 3070. I always kinda thought the 6800 was a bad product as for a bit more, you can get a 6800XT. Well the 3070 Ti makes the 6800 look like a bargain. I would not get this unless you are very desperate. Quite the shame as the Ti branding used to mean something. Now it means Nvidia is pre-scalping the prices before selling them. Least the 3060 Ti is the gem of the mid ranged 30 series line up.

Next Battlefield LiveStream

SK Hynix Admits that a Batch of its DRAM Wafers is Defective, Downplays Scale of the Problem

https://www.techpowerup.com/283156/sk-hynix-admits-that-a-batch-of-its-dram-wafers-is-defective-downplays-scale-of-the-problem

"Korean DRAM and NAND flash giant, SK Hynix, admitted that a rather big batch of its DRAM wafers is defective and in circulation. The size of this defective batch is rumored to be 240,000 wafers according to a Yonhap report, although the company downplays the scale of the problem citing its monthly production output of 1.8 million wafers. "

A number of companies doing nonsense this week!

The news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Itch's massive Palestinian Aid bundle has raised over $500,000
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/itchs-massive-palestinian-aid-bundle-has-raised-over-dollar500000/
Itch's Indie bundle for Palestinian Aid, a huge charity collection of over a thousand games, tabletop RPGs, soundtracks and more, has raised over $500,000 for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's efforts in providing food and aid to people in Gaza.
Running throughout the week, the Palestine bundle follows in the footsteps of last year's Bundle for Racial Justice, which raised over $8.5 million for legal defence funds in the US. This year's charity run was organised by developer Alanna Linayre, and has once again managed to rope in a vast selection of well-known indies and amateur developers alike.

The GOG summer sale is here to save you from sunshine
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/the-gog-summer-sale-is-here-to-save-you-from-sunshine/
The GOG.com summer sale has kicked off, with the storefront saying it's offering discounts on a whopping 3,400+ games. There's no need to go sifting through the lot: head over to PC Gamer's page where you'll see a selection of our favourites—all games we've awarded 90% or more.
A few of the especially attractive discounts, to my taste anyway, include: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided deluxe edition (85% off); Sleeping Dogs definitive edition (80% off); Darkest Dungeon (80% off); Mad Max (75% off); Divinity Original Sin 2 definitive edition (60% off); and the Outer Worlds, the most recent among these titles, at 50% off.
An odd element of the sale is a rolling series of game plus DLC deals, which will each be offered for 48 hours and bundle-together the base titles with selected add-ons. The first bunch include Dying Light (70% off), A Plague Tale: Innocence (75% off) and Cultist Simulator (33% off), and are available until June 11 at 6am Pacific/9am Eastern/2pm BST, at which time there'll be a new selection.
>> I was wrong for 1 week. Oh, well, at least it's now live. There's no free game to grab, at least for now.

Steam has two new daily deals and four Midweek Madness deals:

• The first daily deal is the Early Access title 恐惧之间 Fear surrounds, 30% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1526490/_Fear_surrounds/
• The second daily deal is Melvor Idle, also in Early Access and 40% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1267910/Melvor_Idle/
• Dying Light is the first Midweek Madness deal, and it's 66% off during the next 26 hours: https://store.steampowered.com/app/239140/Dying_Light/
• Dorfromantik, still in Early Access, is 20% off until Friday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1455840/Dorfromantik/
• The Henry Stickmin Collection, which you may remember from the flash games, is 40% off until the 11th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1089980/The_Henry_Stickmin_Collection/
• And, finally, there's It Takes Two, that's 25% off until Monday 14: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1426210/It_Takes_Two/

The Humble Store has a new The Sims 4 EA Play Sale, with up to 50% discounts during the next 15 days. All keys are for Origin, of course: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/the-sims-ea-play-sale/

And Fanatical has three new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Rocksmith 2014 Edition - Remastered, 7% off during the next 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/rocksmith-2014-edition-remastered
• Ubisoft has put its games up to 86% off. The keys are for UPlay: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/ubisoft
• And the Rising Star Games Bundle comes with 6 games at a 95% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/rising-star-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Download the new Nvidia driver hotfix to sort out BSODs and random screen flashing
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/nvidia-driver-hotfix-bsod-466-74/
Nvidia has released a hotfix for its latest driver, which ostensibly fixes a 'DCP Watchdog Violation error' for last-gen graphics cards, but there's also a good chance if you're experiencing random screen flashing or the dreaded blue screen of death the new GeForce GPU software could fix that.
The latest full Nvidia driver, version 466.63, only went live a few days ago at the start of June, but the new 466.74 hotfix can already be downloaded from Nvidia itself. Though it's worth noting that, if you do go Googling to try and find it, a search for the latest Nvidia drivers will still tell you to download the 466.63 version this hotfix is heatsolving.
>> This is the second driver in a row that has needed a hotfix from Nvidia. That's hardly usual.

Intel issues driver fix for a wireless bug crashing Windows 10 PCs
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/intel-issues-driver-fix-for-a-wireless-bug-crashing-windows-10-pcs/
A wireless driver update from Intel is available and it could solve some blue screen of death (BSOD) issues you might be experiencing in Windows 10. However, at this very moment, you have to grab it direct from Intel—the update will in all likelihood mosey its way on over to Windows Update at some point, but it's not there yet.
Spotted by Windows Latest, Intel's June wireless driver package contains three updates that apply to several different Wi-Fi adapters, including both Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) models and ones based on the latest Wi-Fi 6E standard.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

-Empty-

GAMING NEWS

Don’t expect Half-Life 3 or Valve’s SteamPal at E3 2021
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/dont-expect-half-life-3-or-steampal-at-e3-2021/
All hell broke loose yesterday when PCGamer revealed that Valve would be commenting about Steam at E3 2021’s PC Gaming Show event. However, it appears that this message will not be the one you’ve been waiting for.
At first, PCGamer claimed that PC Gaming Show would have a “message from Valve regarding Steam “. Naturally, a lot speculated about this message. Disappointingly, though, PCGamer updated its article, stating that this message will be about Steam Next Fest.

Battlefield 2042 releases on October 15th, first official screenshots & details
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/battlefield-2042-releases-on-october-15th-first-official-screenshots-details/
EA and DICE plan to officially reveal the next Battlefield game in a few hours. However, EA’s Origin has just leaked its official title, screenshots, details and release date.

You can only change resolutions in Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection via Steam’s Game Properties
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/you-can-only-change-resolutions-in-ninja-gaiden-master-collection-via-its-steams-game-properties/
As I said back in April 2021, Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection PC appears to be a barebones port and nothing more. The game does not support mouse & keyboard, requires a gamepad, does not offer unlocked framerates, and won’t have many graphics settings. And, from the looks of it, the in-game settings do not even have a resolution option.
>> *facepalm*

The news, the sequel:

E3's virtual convention centre is an absolute fiasco
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/e3s-virtual-convention-centre-is-an-absolute-fiasco/
E3 is back, baby. In lieu of an on-site show, this year's convention is taking place entirely online. But while it's easy to replace a flashy stage show with a livestream, the ESA also wants to replicate the in-person experience with an online portal—one that seeks to recreate the experience of visiting a booth, dropping a business card, and talking about brand new games.
Ahead of a public opening this weekend, the media has been granted early access to this site. It is, in short, a shitshow.

Sable still looks drop-dead gorgeous in its first extended gameplay preview
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/sable-still-looks-drop-dead-gorgeous-in-its-first-extended-gameplay-preview/
Gorgeous Mobius-inspired desert wanderer Sable still tragically doesn't have a release date. But this week, we got our first extended look at the game courtesy of a 13-minute montage from IGN.

Capcom's E3 showcase is Monday 14 June, will contain monsters, zombies and lawyers
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/capcoms-e3-showcase-is-monday-14-june-will-contain-monsters-zombies-and-lawyers/
Capcom has had some problems in recent times, most notably the huge hack it suffered last year, but one area that has been going very well is the games. This year so far has seen Monster Hunter: Rise and Resident Evil Village release to acclaim. The golden age continues.
This is obviously the perfect time for Capcom to announce a new Dragon's Dogma (or God Hand, if we're dreaming), but its E3 event looks like it'll be focused on smaller updates. The showcase now has a set time: Monday, June 14, at 2:30PM PT/ 5:30PM ET / 1:30 AM BST).

Gearbox acquisition kills Homeworld 3 Fig investments
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/gearbox-acquisition-kills-homeworld-3-fig-investments/
Unlike Kickstarter and most other crowdfunding platforms, Fig enables project backers to actually invest in games and earn a return on them: Supporters can opt for conventional backer rewards, or they can purchase "Fig Game Shares," which may or may not pay financial dividends based on the project's success. (...)
Homeworld 3 was also a Fig crowdfunding project. It was a little different from most because it actually had a publisher, Gearbox, and a goal of just $1. (...) The Fig campaign page promises the same thing: "There's the unique opportunity to invest in Homeworld 3's success," it says. "You don't just get the game. You get a chance to profit too."
Except you won't. In emails sent to Homeworld 3 "investment reservation" holders (via Reddit), Fig said that because of "recent changes at Gearbox," it will not be collecting investments.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick still gets paid way too much, investment group says
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/activision-ceo-bobby-kotick-still-gets-paid-way-too-much-investment-group-says/
In June 2020, CtW Investment Group, (...) called on Activision shareholders to vote against a proposed compensation package for CEO Bobby Kotick. (...)
In April of this year, Kotick signed a new employment extension agreement with Activision in which he agreed to cut his base salary and bonuses in half, (...)
Still, it's a deep cut, but it doesn't go far enough for CtW Group. In a statement, it said that the two-year term of his employment extension "is too short to significantly impact his total pay for an extended time." As a result, it is again calling on shareholders to vote against the "Say On Pay" proposal, and the re-election of Activision's Compensation Committee chair.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is coming earlier than expected
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/alex-kidd-in-miracle-world-dx-is-coming-earlier-than-expected/
Yes, E3 2021 is next week and that sure is exciting, but did you know they're remaking Alex goddamn Kidd in Miracle World? They are, and it's releasing later this month. Not only that, but the initial June 24 release date has been moved forward to June 22, because why not.

E3 finally reveals this week's complete schedule
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/e3-finally-reveals-this-weeks-complete-schedule/
E3 has finally released a complete schedule of the week's streams and showcases, a mere 3 days before everything is meant to kick off. Cutting it a bit close, aren't we?

Valheim patch makes snakes braver and restores two bugged events
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/valheim-patch-makes-snakes-braver-and-restores-two-bugged-events/
The latest patch for Iron Gate Studios' Valheim fixes a bunch of minor issues, including a previously unnoticed bug that had stopped two in-game events triggering as they should. Patch 0.154.1 is "one of our beloved fixer upper patches. Besides fixing some bugs and minor issues we found that some of our main random events never triggered as expected."

Overwatch 2's maps won't be locked to one moment in time
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/overwatch-2s-maps-wont-be-locked-to-one-moment-in-time/
Tired of only seeing Numbani at noon, or Necropolis at the stroke of midnight? It looks like Blizzard may be getting more playful with its maps in Overwatch 2, as the developer showed off some fresh new lighting tech earlier this week.

Battlefield Steam page is up

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1517290/Battlefield_2042/

Now while it says "Single Player"... According to this:

https://wccftech.com/battlefield-2042-announced-coming-on-october-22nd-no-single-player/

There won't be any Single Player

Paying full price for multiplayer only title...

Instead of "levolution", it looks like we're getting naturelution instead, which kinda sucks and once again tells me that EA either can't do full on building destruction or they just don't care anymore. 

Also sod paying £50-60 for a multiplayer only game, which we know they'll sell extra DLC for £10-15 a pop, making that MP only game upwards of £90-110 combined. Yeah, nah.