Indeed. Those with a Zen 1000 CPU can try to move to a Zen 2000 processor if they really need to move to Win 11, but the rest are screwed,.

I doubt Microsoft wants to allow installing Windows 11 without any practical means of installing updates. It's really bad for security, so it's probably somewhat bad for PR as well.

MSoft takes weird decisions every now and then. They allow you to use an unregistered copy of WIndows 10, for as long as you want, with the only downsides being a message on a corner of the screen and not being able to customize the desktop (font size, background image, etc.).

Them allowing you to install WIn11 but without updates isn't much worse than that.

Totally unrelated, but Yuri might like what I just decided to whip up in vegas: https://i.imgur.com/aR0h7yf.mp4

Apparently you can manually install Win 11 from USB at launch and it will simply warn you of the potential consequences it your processor isn't on the list. Just no automatic update from Win 10. In terms of extra crashes, if it's something like a Ryzen 1000, it doesn't look like it's really any worse than a Ryzen 2000 or above overall. I've seen a few people say a Ryzen 1000 can take anywhere from a 03%-15% hit on performance on Win 11 because of this. For the more hardcore crowd this would almost certainly be seen as unacceptable, but for the average user, that's no big deal.

I planned on upgrading the one 2400G system anyway, though with prices and shortages the way they are I'm in no rush, but the other 2400G can stay as is assuming there's no major security risk. I mean I coulda paid an extra $50 each for 3400G's at the time, which were $200 I believe, but now they hover around $350. In retrospect I shoulda just went all out back then. Vega VII seemed kinda expensive at the time though. Boy was I wrong.

Well my Galaxy Note 20 Ultra's screen decided to die on it's own... And Samsung wants to wipe all of it's data even though the screen seems to be it's only problem... This is gonna be a fun week trying to recover all dem 2 factor authentication accounts /s

Wow, that sucks.

Well, that's it. I can't even rely on D2D. They are all so crappy.

We really need a big box storefront with uncensored 18+ content AND AAA games on sale (just hide the 18+ stuff in its own section). Grrr...

Sorry for the delay: Here come the Monday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Get three more Leisure Suit Larry games free
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/get-three-more-leisure-suit-larry-games-free/
Indiegala recently gave away the original Leisure Suit Larry for free, and now is following up with three more games in the saga of the hapless loser. That's Leisure Suit Larry 2: Looking For Love (In Several Wrong Places) , Leisure Suit Larry 3: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals, and Leisure Suit Larry 5: Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work. Where's the fourth game you ask? That's kind of a story.
Al Lowe, the series' creator, had intended to make a trilogy, giving the third game an ending that neatly tied everything up. Plus, due to the crunch it took to get Larry 3 finished on time, he was pretty sick of the whole thing and said at the time he'd never make a Leisure Suit Larry 4. When Lowe changed his mind later, he came up with the idea of skipping straight to Leisure Suit Larry 5, in which Larry has amnesia and has forgotten an entire game's worth of adventures.
All three are available as direct downloads from Indiegala. While the second and third have traditional text input and plenty of those Sierra game deaths, number five goes full point-and-click and has less dead ends. Does that make it a better game? I don't know because I never played it, but it's hard to argue with free.

Steam has two new daily deals:

• The first one is Suzerain, 30% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1207650/Suzerain/
• The second one is Fran Bow, 75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/362680/Fran_Bow/

Fanatical has two new deals:

• The new Star Deal is The Falconeer, 60% off during the next 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/the-falconeer
• Zachtronics puts its games up to 75% off during the next 7 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/zachtronics

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Diablo 2 Median XL V2.0 is now available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/diablo-2-median-xl-v2-0-is-now-available-for-download/
As promised, the team behind one of the best mods for classic Diablo 2, Diablo 2: Median XL, has released a brand new version of it. This is a must-have mod for all Diablo 2 fans, so be sure to download it.
Diablo 2 Median XL features an enhanced crafting system, new monsters, new bosses and new areas. Additionally, it modernizes the Diablo II engine by adding many features present in modern games. Some of these features are a new and bigger inventory, support for high resolutions, boss events, individual cooldowns, map reveal, new hotkeys, notifications, and the ability to automatically pick up items.
Version 2.0 adds 8 skill trees per class and revamps the game’s progression. Moreover, it has advanced crafting and hundreds of items. Not only that, but it also introduces a new interface, auto-party, and a colorblind mode.
>> Available from its website.

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas AI Project improves & brings the PS2/Xbox textures to PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas-ai-project-improves-brings-the-ps2-xbox-textures-to-pc/
Modder ‘flyaway888’ has released a lite version of his Grand Theft Auto San Andreas AI Project. This lite version improves the PS2/Xbox and Android textures of the game, and brings them to the PC version.
According to flyaway888, this version is ideal for all old-school SA players that want a visual upgrade but don’t want to download the previous version. In case you are wondering, the initial version of this mod attempted to overhaul the game’s default textures via AI techniques. The downside to that was that it was over 28GB. This new lite version is “only” 15GB.
In order to showcase the visual improvements, the modder shared the following comparison video. This video compares the vanilla textures with the newly overhauled ones.
You can download GTA San Andreas AI Update Lite from here. If you want its “bigger” version, you can download it from here.

Fallout 4: Sim Settlements 2 Chapter 2 is a new DLC-sized Mod that adds new quests, game mode & more
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/fallout-4-sim-settlements-2-chapter-2-is-a-new-dlc-sized-mod-that-adds-new-quests-game-mode-more/
The team behind Fallout 4: Sim Settlements 2 has announced a new DLC-sized mod to it, featuring the Gunners as a fleshed-out faction, continuing the story of Sim Settlements 2. In other words, its an expansion to the Fallout 4: Sim Settlements 2 Mod.
Chapter 2 will add new disease mechanics, multiple large questlines, and a brand new game mode. In this new mode, you will establish your own faction headquarters.
Chapter 2 will be its own plugin that requires Sim Settlements 2 to be installed (which itself requires Workshop Framework). In addition, Chapter 2 will require the official Automatron Fallout DLC.
The team plans to release this huge mod sometime in the Fall of 2021. Additionally, it released a brand new trailer that you can find below.

Cyberpunk 2077 Patch 1.3 AVX Mod fixes the game on older CPUs
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/cyberpunk-2077-patch-1-3-avx-mod-fixes-the-game-on-older-cpus/
Earlier this month, CD Projekt RED released Patch 1.3 for Cyberpunk 2077. However, this latest update made the game unplayable on CPUs that lacked AVX. Thankfully, there is a mod now that makes the game, once again, playable on older CPUs.
In case you are wondering, if you try to run the latest version of CP2077 on non-AVX CPUs, you’ll get an “EXCEPTION_ILLEGAL_INSTRUCTION (0xC000001D) crash”. As the modder noted, the crash occurs in the AudioKinetic sound engine. Thus, Jens Andree had to patch out 33 AVX instructions in order to make the game work again.
>> You can get it from NexusMods.

Red Dead Redemption 2 gets an AI-enhanced HD Texture Pack that improves all weapons
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/red-dead-redemption-2-gets-an-ai-enhanced-hd-texture-pack-that-improves-all-weapons/
Modder ‘WickedHorseMan’ has released a new AI-enhanced HD Texture Pack for Red Dead Redemption 2. This pack attempts to improve all the original weapons, straps and scopes.
Moreover, the modder plans to release another version that will cover all DLC guns, melee weapons and throwables. Thus, and if you thought the weapons textures looked a bit washed out, we suggest downloading and trying this pack.
>> You can find it at NexusMods.

Modders dethrone CGI to restore glorious FMV in the Myst remake
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/modders-dethrone-cgi-to-restore-glorious-fmv-in-the-myst-remake/
A significant faction of people like the idea that widely-played PC adventure classic Myst has recently gotten a remaster. A smaller faction of people within that significant faction does not like the new CGI sequences that were Full Motion Video in the original and the 2014 remake realmyst.
The new CGI isn't awful, and a lot of work probably went into it, but honestly it looks a bit like also-ran Civilization VI leaders doing Myst and doesn't quite gel with the realistic aesthetic that Myst leans on.
Naturally, modders have solved this problem(?) by doing what they do best. A nice modder has replaced those naughty CGI bits with upscaled versions of the original FMV. You can find that on the Steam forums. Because of changes to the game's plot, not every single CGI bit can be easily replaced by the FMV, and the videos won't sync 100% with what's being said. For all that, the developers of the new Myst have given the modding their tacit blessing, and that's neat.

The NoSkyrim mod has been banned from Nexus Mods
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/the-noskyrim-mod-has-been-banned-from-nexus-mods/
NoSkyrim is a mod by ThatLittleCommie that prevents you from playing Skyrim. You click the button, nothing happens. That's it. That's the mod. As the description explains, "Now with NoSkyrim, instead of being able to start a new game like most skyrim players, you just can't". Helpfully, it "Also works with alternate start". If you've got a serious Skyrim habit you'd like to break, NoSkyrim could be the solution to your problem.
Except you can no longer download it from Nexus Mods. It was deleted from the popular site for perhaps obvious reasons, but ThatLittleCommie refuses to give up. There's a petition on change.org to Get NoSkyrim Put Back on the Nexus, a subreddit called SaveNoSkyrim to raise awareness for the cause, and in the meantime you can download NoSkyrim from the NSFW modsite LoversLab, where it has already been downloaded over 60 times.

GAMING NEWS

Here are four new 4K screenshots for FromSoftware’s Elden Ring
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/here-are-four-new-4k-screenshots-for-fromsoftware-elden-ring/
Bandai Namco has shared four new 4K screenshots for FromSoftware’s Elden Ring. These screenshots will give you an idea of the art style and the graphics of this upcoming game.

Volition shares a new Saints Row trailer, featuring a few seconds of gameplay footage
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/volition-shares-a-new-saints-row-trailer-featuring-a-few-seconds-of-gameplay-footage/
Deep Silver and Volition have released a new trailer for their upcoming reboot of Saints Row. Now contrary to its cinematic announcement trailer, this new one features a few seconds of gameplay footage from it. Thus, it will give you an idea of how the game will play.
>> The video is kind of cringe-worthy and the bit of gameplay we see looks a bit dated, at least from my point of view.

Sixty minutes of gameplay footage from Call of Duty Vanguard’s Next-Gen Multiplayer Alpha
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/sixty-minutes-of-gameplay-footage-from-call-of-duty-vanguards-next-gen-multiplayer-alpha/
Activision has launched the multiplayer alpha phase for Call of Duty: Vanguard on PS4 and PS5. Therefore, you can find below two videos, showing more than sixty minutes of gameplay footage from the PS5 version.

Monday news, part two:

Peaceful online RPG Book of Travels will no longer launch this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/peaceful-online-rpg-book-of-travels-will-no-longer-launch-this-month/
Self-described "Tiny Multiplayer Online RPG" Book of Travels has cancelled a planned August 30 release date, with no new departure date on the horizon for the peaceful exploration-focused adventure.

Starfield will have a 'pleasure dome' where you can get super-high on alien fish
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/starfield-will-have-a-pleasure-dome-where-you-can-get-super-high-on-alien-fish/
Bethesda Softworks has released a trio of "Location Insights" videos offering a look at three separate locales in its upcoming sci-fi RPG Starfield: The high-tech spaceport of New Atlantis, the rough-and-ready Akila, and Neon, a "pleasure city" where tourists can get high as hell on, uh, fish.

World of Warcraft's next update will remove more developer names
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/world-of-warcrafts-next-update-will-remove-more-developer-names/
Yesterday, Blizzard's Overwatch team announced that the character McCree, named after former developer Jesse McCree, will be renamed. Today, the World of Warcraft team followed on with its own promise of changes that will "better reflect our shared values," but unlike Overwatch, the announcement is very short on specifics.

No more overpowered dancing in Destiny 2 PVP
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/no-more-overpowered-dancing-in-destiny-2-pvp/
The developers of Destiny 2 have disabled the Radiant Dance Machines exotic boots in PvP because it was making Hunter characters far, far too powerful. It wasn't just the busting of sick moves to a kickin beat that threatened Bungie, though: The boots let Hunters use their dodge power more if they're close to an enemy. Destiny 2 hunters have far more synergy with their dodges than the designers anticipated, though. It was a powerful item, but not inherently broken until you started to add mods.

Humankind to get mod tools "as soon as possible"
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/humankind-to-get-mod-tools-as-soon-as-possible/
With a debut week that broke it into the top 20 games on Steam and a player count since in the tens of thousands it's safe to say that new 4X Humankind has been a financial success. Developer Amplitude has now outlined its development plans for Humankind in the near future, and it looks like the delayed mod tools are high on their list.

Norman Reedus says he's 'in negotiations' for more Death Stranding
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/norman-reedus-in-negotiations-for-more-death-stranding/
Looks like Norman Reedus wants to return for a Death Stranding sequel, as the actor has let slip that he is in negotiations for a second game.
"I think we're doing a second Death Stranding," Reedus told a reporter from Brazilian site AdoroCinema, continuing that it was "in negotiations right now. So... yay!" The exchange was reported by IGN Brazil, and took place during a roundtable discussion about the 11th season of The Walking Dead.

Sovereign Syndicate is an RPG with tarot instead of dice where you can play an alcoholic minotaur
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/sovereign-syndicate-is-an-rpg-with-tarot-instead-of-dice-where-you-can-play-an-alcoholic-minotaur/
Sovereign Syndicate is a forthcoming CRPG from indie studio Crimson Herring, set in an alternate, steampunk version of Victorian London. There are a couple of neat-looking things about it so far, the first being its randomization, which is based on drawing tarot cards rather than rolling dice. The second is its cast of playable characters.

The Ascent gets another performance patch to address stuttering and bugs
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/the-ascent-gets-another-performance-patch-to-address-stuttering-and-bugs/
The Ascent is a fun cyberpunk-themed shooter but it launched with some performance issues. The most notable was a weird disparity between the Windows Store version of the game and the Steam one, but general stability has also been an issue. If you're still having problems there's a new patch out now.

Bleak fantasy RPG Vagrus: The Riven Realms gets October release date
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/bleak-fantasy-rpg-vagrus-the-riven-realms-gets-october-release-date/
Early access RPG Vagrus: The Riven Realms will be getting a full release soon, and you'll want to keep an eye on it on if you like unconventional fantasy worlds, steep difficulty, and reams of text.

Bring life to a barren world in upcoming roguelite Sandwalkers
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/bring-life-to-a-barren-world-in-upcoming-roguelite-sandwalkers/
Goblinz Studio, developer of dungeon-defendin’ roguelite Legend of Keepers, has announced Sandwalkers, a new rogue-style game that swaps dungeons for deserts. Set in a world ravaged by climate change, the game puts you in charge of a caravan ferrying a botanist who may yet bring the world back to life.