S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is getting NFTs, including one that lets you become an in-game ‘metahuman’
https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/15/22834567/stalker-2-nfts-metahuman-dmarket
GSC Game World, which is developing the game, has announced the “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Metaverse,” which will “use blockchain technology to let the community own a piece of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.” That includes the opportunity to become the “first-ever metahuman,” which GSC Game World appears to define as a non-player character rendered in very high detail. (Though a spokesperson confirmed a metahuman won’t be made with Epic Games’ MetaHuman Creator tool). GSC Game World is partnering with NFT platform DMarket on the new items.

In related news, I have lost all interest for this game.

Ubisoft developers are supposedly unhappy of the company NFT ambitionns
https://www.toisthe.com/2021/12/ubisoft-developers-are-supposedly-unhappy-of-company-nft-plans.html
According to a new report, a number of Ubisoft developers are furious over the company's decision to include non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in its games.

Myth of Empires studio sues Ark developer after Steam removal
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-12-15-myth-of-empires-studio-sues-ark-developer-after-steam-removal
A lawsuit filed with the US District Court of California shows Myth of Empires developer Angela Game is seeking a jury trial to decide it did not infringe copyright or steal trade secrets, with both Ark developer Snail Games and publisher Wildcard named as defendants (thanks, MMOFallout). It is also seeking damages.

Edit:

Embracer Group intends to make a strategic acquisition of leading board gaming group Asmodee that would form the ninth operating group
https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-intends-to-make-a-strategic-acquisition-of-leading-board-gaming-group-asmodee-that-would-form-the-ninth-operating-group/
INSIDE INFORMATION: Embracer Group AB ("Embracer"), has today entered into exclusive negotiations to acquire Financière Amuse Topco SAS (“Asmodee”) from funds advised or managed by PAI Partners SAS (“PAI”) and the other shareholders of Asmodee. Subject to completion of the consultation of the relevant works council of the Asmodee group on this proposed transaction, and exercise by the shareholders of Asmodee of their option to sell, Embracer and the shareholders of Asmodee would execute a share purchase agreement to complete the transaction. If the acquisition is eventually completed, it would mark a strategic step broadening the Embracer Group eco system, since Asmodee and Embracer share a natural and strong bond in their strategy and cultures.

TLDR: Embracer is in negotiation to buy Asmodee.

AMD Loses Value Crown - Best CPUs of 2021, December Edition

TL;DW:

• Best Entry-Level: Intel Core i3-10100

• Best ‘Value’ All Rounder: Core i5-10400 or 11400

• Best High-End Gaming: Core i7-10700, 11700 or 12700

• Best Value Productivity: 12700K = Favor Value / 5950X = Favor Performance

• Best Extreme Desktop: 3rd gen Ryzen Threadripper

There's of course two main things that's leading to this. One is greed since AMD wants to stick with their margins but the other main thing is the reliance on superior node. We see this in both their CPU and GPU space where while the architecture is good, AMD products generally require a much superior node to compete. And because of that, both Intel CPUs and Nvidia GPUs become better value as you go down the product stack. Intel has their own fabs so they can make significantly cheaper CPUs and Nvidia is working with Samsung which costs less than TSMC.

Of course next year might be hellish when it comes to GPU prices because Nvidia, AMD and Intel will all be using TSMC for their GPUs but I think at least for CPUs, Intel will continue to dominate the value category.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12GB to feature 8960 CUDA cores, 20% faster in mining than 10GB model

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3080-12gb-to-feature-8960-cuda-cores-20-faster-in-mining-than-10gb-model

Miners rejoice!

SK hynix announces 24Gbit DDR5 memory modules with 48GB & 96GB capacity

https://videocardz.com/press-release/sk-hynix-announces-24gbit-ddr5-memory-modules-with-48gb-96gb-capacity

Intel CEO warns chip shortage to last until 2023 as demand soars
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Supply-Chain/Intel-CEO-warns-chip-shortage-to-last-until-2023-as-demand-soars
KUALA LUMPUR -- The global chip shortage is set to last until 2023, Intel's chief executive officer said Thursday, stressing that demand continues to soar amid the coronavirus pandemic even as semiconductor manufacturers rush to expand production.

Final Fantasy VII Remake has been released on PC for 69.99

https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p/final-fantasy-vii-remake-intergrade

Surprisingly, there is no Denuvo... wink wink

Almost entire Intel 12th Gen Core “Alder Lake-P” mobile CPU lineup leaks through Geekbench

https://videocardz.com/newz/almost-entire-intel-12th-gen-core-alder-lake-p-mobile-cpu-lineup-leaks-through-geekbench

TSMC announces N4X process technology for HPCs, risk production starts in 1H 2023

https://videocardz.com/press-release/tsmc-announces-n4x-process-technology-for-hpcs-risk-production-starts-in-1h-2023

Desktop NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 could launch in two variants with 8GB and 4GB memory

https://videocardz.com/newz/desktop-nvidia-geforce-rtx-3050-could-launch-in-two-variants-with-8gb-and-4gb-memory

Intel accidentally releases test driver for DG3 “Elasti” dGPU, Raptor/Meteor/Arrow/Lunar-Lake iGPUs

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-accidentally-releases-test-driver-for-dg3-elasti-dgpu-raptor-meteor-arrow-lunar-lake-igpus

Intel confirms Arc A380, Arc A350 desktop GPU names through a leaked driver

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-confirms-arc-a380-arc-a350-desktop-gpu-names-through-a-leaked-driver

Already have it on console but interested to see how FFVII Remake runs on PC.

Talking about EGS, Shenmue III is now free on there.

First it was 2021, then 2022, and now it's 2023... I'm kind of noticing a pattern here.

My prediction was 2023. Ofcourse i could be wrong and it goes further.

Until we have a good solution to Covid, the shortages won't stop. Every time a new covid variant comes out and starts spreading, it's basically a "Reset the clock" moment as countries start locking things down. Once we have a proper solution to covid, however many years that may take, things will start normalizing. But till then, it will be very supply constraint as the logistics get fucked.

Not surprisingly, they brought back the OG price they took down a few days ago, kek. 

I swear the price went up by an extra £5 here, because I could have sworn it was £65 before the price was taken down. 

People have also found that there's a folder called Steamworks so it's certainly coming to Steam at some point... SE and their greed smh