One thing I find weird about Sony is how they are treating their ps5 "versions" of their games.

As an example, the PC improvements for Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War can be applied to the PS5 version as the PS5 obviously has enough horsepower to run most if not all PC settings at 60fps. Yet for some reason, PC gets the version with the visual upgrades and such and the most that the PS5 got was a 60 fps update afaik of Horizon Zero Dawn and we are still waiting to see of God of War will get anything other than 60 fps. Technically all that the ps5 "version" is just a patch with 60fps running in BC mode but it's been quite a while since Horizon Zero Dawn has come out on PC and over a year since PS5 has come out yet it's odd that all the PS5 got was the 60fps update. As a PS5 owner, I wasn't really expecting that tbh.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 8 GB Custom Model From GALAX Listed Online For Over $400 US, Sold Out Within Hours

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3050-8-gb-custom-model-from-galax-listed-online-for-over-400-us-sold-out-within-hours/

So basically, a 6500 XT's "real" price is $300 while a 3050's "real" price is $400.

Overall if I was in the market, I'd probably try and fork the extra $100 and get the 3050. The 3050 will only be faster, but thanks to DLSS, superior Ray Tracing, more Vram, a good memory bus, hardware encoders/decoders and non gimped pci express lanes, it will age much better. While it sucks that a 50 class GPU is $400, if you need a budget GPU, sadly avoiding AMD is the way to go.

i5 12400 + 3050 would probably be the best budget build combo as sad as that is.

I'd say, if you're in the market right now (I'm sorry for you), forget about a new GPU unless strictly necessary. Get the rest of the system and either keep using your current GPU or, may God have mercy on your soul , use the iGPU until the new GPUs launch later this year.The GPU market is so overpriced that you'll regret anything you buy.

Besides that, make some preparations. Set yourself a budget and check out local and/or online stores if they accept pre-orders (not all of them do). Then, later this year when the new round of GPUs will be revealed and their price announced, check the stores that did accept pre-orders and, if the price is the MSRP or very close by, place an order to the card closer to your needs and budget. It's a gamble, as you don't know how well will the card perform, but you'll probably regret it less than buying a card right now.

Sony Should Be Putting All PlayStation Exclusives On PC, Day One

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2022/01/15/sony-should-be-putting-all-playstation-exclusives-on-pc-day-one/?sh=1a3164de1146

While it's unlikely to happen anytime soon, I am glad to see articles around this idea. Imo there would be more reason to do it than not to do it. The main reason to do it is because it's unlikely the overlap is very large. A person that wants to spend $400-$500 on a PS5 is unlikely to spend $1000+ on a PC just to play the exact same games. At the same time, it's unlikely that those who have a good gaming PC who haven't bought a Playstation console would be swayed by some ports from Sony. If anything, they are even less likely to get a console now than ever. I think MS has figured this out already hence their day 1 releases and Sony will eventually figure this out themselves. It's just a matter of when, not if.


Intel Core i5-12400 non-K CPU gets overclocked to 5.2 GHz, 33% higher performance in Cinebench

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-core-i5-12400-non-k-cpu-gets-overclocked-to-5-2-ghz-33-higher-performance-in-cinebench

Insane value!


Custom NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti cards listed for at least $3654

https://videocardz.com/newz/custom-nvidia-geforce-rtx-3090-ti-cards-listed-for-at-least-3654

Absolutely the worst value we have seen this generation

I'll get Elden Ring closer to release. From Software hasn't had the best record when it comes to PC optimization plus who knows if they will delay it.

That doesn't sound right. A 3060 Ti should be getting 90sh fps in Ultra settings at 1080p if not more. Did you download the latest driver/patches?

Weird, I'd reinstall the driver since it sounds like there's a glitch going on. God of War does have memory leak if you play for a few hours which tanks your FPS (reported by DF and others) which only goes away if you restart the game. Also depending on your CPU, when it loads a new section, your FPS can take for a bit until it finishes loading. But the black bar is certainly a red flag that something weird af is going on. Maybe also verify game files if you bought it on steam.

Glad to hear it's working better. This game is weirdly CPU bound in Ultra settings unless you 10th gen or newer but 71-76fps is pretty good.

And yea, reinstalling windows once every few years is always good.

It's Monday and these are the news. It's only one long post because DSOGaming didn't have "regular" news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG has four new deals, plus a returning one:

• The first flash deal is The Darkside Detective, 68% off until Wednesday: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_darkside_detective
• The second flash deal is Gibbous - A Cthulhu Adventure, with a 83% discount during the next 46 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/gibbous_a_cthulhu_adventure
• Publisher Toge Productions celebrates its 13th anniversary with up to 60% discounts until Wednesday 19: https://www.gog.com/partner/toge_productions
• The JAST Publisher Sale from last week will last another 2 days, in case you still haven't checked it: https://www.gog.com/partner/jast
• And the Weekly Sale comes filled with Point'n'Click games up to 90% off: https://www.gog.com/promo/20220117_weekly_sale

Steam has two daily deals:

• The first one is The Artful Escape, 25% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1122680/The_Artful_Escape/
• And the second one is CarX Drift Racing Online, with a 59% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/635260/CarX_Drift_Racing_Online/

Humble has two new deals:

• Humble Bundle has the new Surviving Mars Bundle, with up to 11 items to get during the next 18 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/surviving-mars-bundle
• The Humble Store has launched its Winter Sale. Lots of publishers are on board and, from the looks of it, it will last 16 days. Why don't you check it out?

And Fanatical

• The Star Deal is OUTRIDERS, 71% off. It started yesterday and will last another 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/outriders
• And Fanatical now also has flash deals. They start with 10 that will last for the next 48 hours (tho some say 2 days). Check them out: https://www.fanatical.com/en/flash-game-sale

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

NVIDIA GeForce 511.23 WHQL Driver is available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/nvidia-geforce-511-23-whql-driver-is-available-for-download/
NVIDIA has released a brand new driver for its graphics cards. According to the green team, the NVIDIA GeForce 511.23 WHQL driver offers optimal performance in God of War and Rainbow Six Extraction and Monster Hunter Rise. Moreover, it adds support for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12GB GPU, Freestyle Ray Tracing and DLDSR.
Going into more details, the Freestyle Ray Tracing is similar to the Reshade Ray Tracing. This mode enhances lighting and shadows of your favorite titles to create a greater sense of depth and realism. Additionally, you can use Freestyle in order to enhance Screen Space Ambient Occlusion and Dynamic DOF.
Now while this sounds great, do note that the game compatibility is really limited at this point. So, while it’s a great alternative to Reshade Ray Tracing, it’s NOT as good as it (when it comes to game compatibility). Furthermore, Freestyle Ray Tracing comes with a huge performance hit, so only use it in older games.
>> Available from here.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

First experimental FOV Mod released for God of War
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/first-experimental-fov-mod-released-for-god-of-war/
Sony has just released God of War on PC and its first experimental FOV mod has appeared online. As with most FOV mods, it uses CheatEngine so that PC gamers can use their own FOV values.
Provided by Reddit’s KingKrouchy, this CheatEngine Mod lets you use custom FOV values. However, this mod also affects the cut-scenes, resulting in unpleasant results. This is why I’ve marked this FOV project as “experimental”. While you can improve your in-game experience, you will encounter numerous graphical bugs and glitches during cut-scenes.
(...)
Still, I’m pretty sure that some PC gamers will want to play this new game with a wider FOV, no matter what. If you are one of them, you can download CheatEngine from here, and the CheatEngine table for God of War from here.

You can now play God of War on Windows 7/8 thanks to this mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/you-can-now-play-god-of-war-on-windows-7-8-thanks-to-this-mod/
Sony has released God of War on PC and as we’ve already reported, the PC port is pretty great. However, and by default, the game only runs on Windows 10 and Windows 11. Thankfully, there is a mod now that you can use in order to play it on Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1.
Created by modders ‘okt04175’ and ‘alan2350’ this Windows 7 /8 Unofficial Patch does exactly what it says. The modders have modified the OS version detection behavior so that it can be launched with Win7/8/8.1. However, you cannot use this mod in order to play the game on Windows 10/11.
>> You should read the article to see the download link and what do you need to do to make it run.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Chaos Mod is a must-have mod to download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/red-dead-redemption-2-chaos-mod-is-a-must-have-mod-to-download/
Modder ‘shdel’ has released a pretty cool mod for Red Dead Redemption 2, called Chaos Mod. This mod introduces random gameplay effects with Twitch voting.
Going into more details, Chaos Mod for Red Dead Redemption 2 activates random gameplay effect every 45 seconds. This effect can make it harder for you to play, help you, or just be neutral. Some of these effects are: Launch Player Up, Give Random Weapon, Set Random Weather.
Additionally, players can enable Twitch Integration and their viewers will be able to vote for effects.
You can download the mod from here. Do note that you will need Script Hook RDR2 in order to enable it. Furthermore, the modder suggests making an additional savefile for this mod as the effects can remove all of your weapons, ammo, money, honor etc.
>> ***Insert the "But why?" meme here***

Mass Effect 3 Remastered Audemus’ Happy Ending Mod Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/mass-effect-3-remastered-audemus-happy-ending-mod-released/
Modders ‘Audemus’ has released Audemus’ Happy Ending Mod for Mass Effect 3 Remastered. As the title suggests, this mod aims to improve the game’s controversial ending.
Going into more details, AHEM is a rework of the ending to LE3, and a spiritual successor to the Happy Ending Mod. The primary focus of the mod is to allow Commander Shepard to survive the final mission, as well as provide satisfying closure to this incredible trilogy through tweaked cutscenes, edited videos, new ending slides, and an overhauled memorial scene.
Before continuing, you can download the mod from here. And now for some spoilers.

GAMING NEWS

God of War's Cory Barlog says PlayStation studios convinced Sony to put games on PC
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/god-of-wars-cory-barlog-says-playstation-studios-convinced-sony-to-put-games-on-pc/
In an interview with Game Informer about the launch of God of War's very good PC port, creative director Cory Barlog suggested that the recent wave of PlayStation games coming to PC started with enthusiasm from Sony's studios.

Icarus softens its stance on permadeath with mission insurance
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/icarus-softens-its-stance-on-permadeath-with-mission-insurance/
Permadeath in Icarus continues to be something of an issue. Back in late December, developer RocketWerkz raised thousands of characters from the grave, victims of being left behind on the planet after the mission timer expired in the session-based survival game.
(...)
Now RocketWerkz has taken another step toward forgiving players for not making their scheduled flights. An 'insurance' option has been added to some of Icarus' missions. If you take on an insured mission and don't get your character off the planet before the timer expires, you won't permanently lose them or their progress. They'll be returned to the space station intact.

Krafton sues Google, YouTube, and Apple over alleged PUBG clones
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/krafton-sues-google-youtube-and-apple-over-alleged-pubg-clones/
Playerunknown's Battlegrounds studio Krafton has filed a lawsuit against Apple, Google, YouTube, and free-to-play game company Garena over two mobile games, Free Fire (originally called Free Fire: Battlegrounds) and Free Fire: Max, which it says "extensively copy numerous aspects" of the groundbreaking battle royale game.

Halo Infinite devs plan to roll out a fix for Big Team Battle matchmaking next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/halo-infinite-devs-plan-to-roll-out-a-fix-for-big-team-battle-matchmaking-next-week/
Halo Infinite's Big Team Battle multiplayer hasn't been completely unplayable for the last month, but it's definitely had problems: larger matchmaking parties often have difficulty getting into games, and disconnects were commonplace even when you could catch a match. After trying to solve Big Team Battle's issues over the holiday break, 343 now has an hotfix going through certification.
>> That's this week, of course. Oh! And the cosmetics are going to be cheaper.

Tabletop Simulator studio kills global chat for good, makes $10K donation to trans advocacy group
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/tabletop-simulator-studio-kills-global-chat-for-good-makes-dollar10k-donation-to-trans-advocacy-group/
Following a controversy over transphobic chat moderation that led to competing review bomb campaigns on Steam, Tabletop Simulator developer Berserk Games has announced that it is closing the game's global chat channel for good. The studio has also donated $10,000 to the National Center for Transgender Equality, an advocacy group that works "to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people."

Techland promises five years of updates for Dying Light 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/techland-promises-five-years-of-updates-for-dying-light-2/
(...)
Techland recently announced via the game's official Twitter account that Dying Light 2 will receive at least five years of post-launch support, including new content like events, locations, storylines, and in-game items. Dying Light 2 looks to have a pretty expansive open world, one with a significant amount of both horizontal and vertical space given its emphasis on parkour and climbing, so Techland could have a lot of real estate to work with in the coming years for adding new quests and objectives.

Dune: Spice Wars details hybrid 4X/RTS gameplay and Early Access features
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/dune-spice-wars-details-hybrid-4xrts-gameplay-and-early-access-features/
Shiro Games' upcoming Dune: Spice Wars has an imposing legacy of great RTS games to live up to, and a recent FAQ up on the game's Steam page has shed some more light on its direction.

Digital board game Pandemic has been delisted from Steam without explanation
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/digital-board-game-pandemic-has-been-delisted-from-steam-without-explanation/
Asmodee Digital's Pandemic, based on the popular co-operative board game published by Z-Man Games, was quietly delisted from Steam on January 6. The mobile version is no longer available to buy either, though owners can still download any version they've already bought.

Desolatium is pulpy point-and-click goodness with Cthulhu flair
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/desolatium-is-pulpy-point-and-click-goodness-with-cthulhu-flair/
(...)
Desolatium by Superlumen is looking like another worthwhile entry in the Lovecraftian videogame corpus. A first-person point-and-click adventure with pre-rendered environments highly reminiscent of Myst, it's being made with VR in mind, but is also playable in the standard keyboard-mouse-and-monitor configuration preferred by god-fearing gamers everywhere.

Ubisoft is making a VR game where you're a firefighter in Notre-Dame
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/ubisoft-is-making-a-vr-game-where-youre-a-firefighter-in-notre-dame/
Variety reports that Ubisoft is working on a VR game in which players become members of the Parisian fire brigade fighting the fire that severely damaged Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral in 2019. The one-hour experience is being made in partnership with a docudrama with which it shares a name: Notre-Dame on Fire, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud (Enemy at the Gates, The Name of the Rose).

Fable art director Paul McLaughlin dies at 57
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/fable-art-director-paul-mclaughlin-dies-at-57/
The UK games industry has been paying tribute to Paul McLaughlin, who died in December at the age of 57 following a battle with cancer.
He spent over 30 years in games development, starting out at Theme Park developer Bullfrog Productions. He spent 15 years as art director of Lionhead Studios, where he helped oversee production on the Fable and Black & White series. Most recently, he was head of art at Peter Molyneux's latest studio 22cans.