I got an internal Barracuda 8TB ST8000DM004 SMR for $169 CAD on BF. It's regular $249 I think. I know they're supposed to get pretty slow with rewrites, but it's just being used as a media storage drive, so that won't be a problem for a while, and shouldn't be too big a deal in the future once it's full anyway. It's pretty quiet, though makes a little noise when it spins up, and has been plenty fast so far. No idea as to longevity as I've only had it for a couple months, but the reviews looked mostly positive when I bought it.

The past 3 or 4 internal drives I've had over the last decade and longer have been Seagate and they've never failed. Only once did I receive a dud and that was right out of the box. I've had a few WD externals and the one that got used the least died after a few years.

Yea SMR hard drives aren't bad for the right price and if you are only backing up, they can last a long time.

I've become a bit enamored lately with what Unreal Engine is allowing small teams and even individual artists to create with minimal time and resources. A couple of my favorites:

The latter is one guy able to crank out 5-10 minute webisodes in under a month. Crazy.

Good enough for ~400 hours VR pr0n in highest quality (6K to 8K)

Star Citizen is reworking its roadmap to avoid 'distractions' caused by unhappy players
https://www.pcgamer.com/star-citizen-is-reworking-its-roadmap-to-avoid-distractions-caused-by-unhappy-players/
Cloud Imperium Games is making changes to Star Citizen's public development roadmap to reduce "distractions" caused by players and followers who consider long-term goals as solid promises, and kick up a fuss every time the plan changes.

I'm looking forward to play Squadron 42 on my RTX 9070.

Let's go with the Friday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Fanatical has launched the Safe In Our World Charity Bundle, with 13 games plus 2 DLCs and with all the proceeds going for charity: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/safe-in-our-world-charity-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

AMD Radeon Adrenalin 22.2.1
https://videocardz.com/driver/amd-radeon-adrenalin-22-2-1
Support For

• Dying Light 2
• Lost Ark
• Vulkan 1.3 and Vulkan Roadmap 2022

Fixed Issues

• On some AMD Graphics Products such as Radeon RX 6700 XT Graphics, some users may observe flashing colored lights around their character when playing Fortnite using DirectX 12

>> Download it from here.

Reshade 5.0 is now available for download, improving overall performance
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/reshade-5-0-is-now-available-for-download-improving-overall-performance/
The team behind Reshade has released a brand new version of it that is available for download. According to the team, Reshade 5.0 is a major rewrite of the underlying architecture, for improved performance, easier maintenance and future feature additions. Additionally, it comes with a new, extremely powerful add-on API.
Going into more details, Reshade 5.0 improves performance by automatically disabling GPU statistics gathering if statistics window is not visible. It also improves performance by multi-threading invocation of the HLSL compiler during effect compilation. Furthermore, it improves performance in OpenGL due to better thread local storage management.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Dark Souls Remastered gets a 1.1GB overhaul mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/dark-souls-remastered-gets-a-1-1gb-overhaul-mod/
Modder ‘Orange’ has released an interesting overhaul mod for Dark Souls Remastered, which is 1.1GB in size and is called The Old Lords. According to the modder, this mod aims to provide a fresh and unique experience.
Going into more details, The Old Lords adds plenty of new rings, consumables, armor, and weapons. Moreover, it drastically changes enemy and item placements. Not only that, but it overhauls and remixes boss placements, and adds a lot of cut content.

First AI-upscaled HD Texture Pack released for Final Fantasy 7 Remake
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/first-ai-upscaled-hd-texture-pack-released-for-final-fantasy-7-remake/
Modder ‘Alezein’ has released the first AI-upscaled HD Texture Pack for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade. This pack overhauls all the textures, inside and outside 7th Heaven. And, since 7th Heaven plays an important part in FF7R, we highly recommend downloading it.
Now since this HD Texture Pack uses AI techniques, it manages to stay close to the art style of the vanilla textures. According to the modder, this mod upscales a total of 68 textures. Moreover, it overhauls both C textures (color maps) and N textures (normal maps).

First Nude Mod released for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/first-nude-mod-released-for-final-fantasy-7-remake-intergrade/
And the time has come. Modder ‘azurebr’ has released the first nude mod for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade. This mod introduces a high-polygon model for Tifa, alongside a see-through dress. However, and in order to use this mod, you’ll need Tifa’s Purple Dress outfit.

GAMING NEWS

Halo Infinite February 3rd Update released, is 1.1GB in size, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/halo-infinite-february-3rd-update-released-is-1-1gb-in-size-full-patch-notes/
343 Industries has released the February 3rd Update for Halo Infinite on all platforms. This patch is around 1.1GB in size and packs a number of multiplayer tweaks and fixes.
Going into more details, the February 3rd Update packs multiplayer service improvements for Big Team Battle (BTB). As such, players should find full matches quicker and more consistently. Additionally, fireteam members in BTB matches will have the selected Fireteam Marker color, but may still start the match in different areas of the map.

Here are the official PC system requirements for GhostWire: Tokyo
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/here-are-the-official-pc-system-requirements-for-ghostwire-tokyo/
Tango Gameworks has revealed the official PC system requirements for GhostWire: Tokyo via its Steam store page. According to the team, the game will require 20GB of free hard-disk space, and will be using the DirectX 12 API.
>> And the release date has been confirmed for March.

New GRID Legends trailer showcases its key features
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-grid-legends-trailer-showcases-its-key-features/
Electronic Arts and Codemasters have released a new trailer for GRID Legends that showcases its key features. GRID Legends releases on February 25th and promises to feature a blockbuster story mode in Driven to Glory.

New pre-alpha gameplay footage surfaces for Company of Heroes 3
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-pre-alpha-gameplay-footage-surfaces-for-company-of-heroes-3/
SEGA and Relic have released a new developer diary for Company of Heroes 3 which packs some never-before-seen pre-alpha gameplay footage.
In this video, Relic’s developers talk about new Mission Types, Improved AI, customizing your forces, and the overall approach to Mission Design.

World War 3 gets a free Open Beta Stress Test this weekend
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/world-war-3-gets-a-free-open-beta-stress-test-this-weekend/
MY.GAMES and The Farm 51 have announced an Open Beta Stress Test for World War 3. This Open Beta will be free to everyone, and will run from February 3 at 13:00 CET/12:00 GMT/04:00 PT/07:00 ET until February 7 at 13:00 CET/12:00 GMT/04:00 PT/07:00 ET.

Friday news, part two:

Battlefield 2042's scoreboard update has been delayed until March
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/battlefield-2042s-scoreboard-update-has-been-delayed-until-march/
It's more bad news for Battlefield 2042 fans, as Electronic Arts has announced that the 3.3 update, which includes the long-awaited new scoreboard, has been delayed a few weeks and won't be out until sometime in March.

Bungie reveals big changes to Destiny 2 weapon perks and an absurd buff to Exotic primaries
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/bungie-reveals-big-changes-to-destiny-2-weapon-perks-and-an-absurd-buff-to-exotic-primaries/
This week's This Week at Bungie blog post is a monster—as is usually the case when the studio breaks down the major weapon changes coming with a new Destiny 2 expansion. There's plenty of ground covered, including an in-depth look at the new weapon crafting system, but there's also some major changes to the way guns work in Year 5.

Sony spent $1.2B to retain key Bungie talent as part of acquisition deal
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/sony-spent-dollar12b-to-retain-key-bungie-talent-as-part-of-acquisition-deal/
It's not uncommon for game company acquisitions, especially big ones, to result in layoffs. Fortunately for employees of Bungie, Sony's recent acquisition of the studio doesn't appear headed in that direction. A Washington Post report says Bungie leadership assured employees that there will be "absolutely no layoffs" and no "major" restructuring once the deal is finalized, and in fact roughly one-third of the $3.6 billion Sony spent on Bungie will go toward ensuring that employees stick around.
>> spynx has made a thread about this.

Double Fine head Tim Schafer says its next game won't be a sequel or adaptation
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/double-fine-head-tim-schafer-says-its-next-game-wont-be-a-sequel-or-adaptation/
Double Fine studio head Tim Schafer recently gave an interview to IGN's Ryan McCaffrey fresh on the heels of Psychonauts 2 winning Game of the Year and Schafer himself receiving the Andrew Yoon Legend Award at the 2022 New York Game Awards. In the interview, Schafer provided some insight into the course of his career, Double Fine and its relationship with Microsoft, and what's next for the studio.

Infinity Ward is the lead studio on this year's Call of Duty
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/infinity-ward-is-the-lead-studio-on-this-years-call-of-duty/
Activision Blizzard's usual quarterly investors call, scheduled for today, was cancelled because of the company's pending acquisition by Microsoft. That means we didn't learn as much about what the company has planned for the future as we usually do, but we did learn one thing: Infinity Ward is now officially the lead studio on the next Call of Duty game.
>> Nothing surprising as this was their turn, after Sledgehammer in and Treyarch.

Warzone devs revert unpopular change, streamer gets Raven logo tattooed on his butt
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/warzone-devs-revert-unpopular-change-streamer-gets-raven-logo-tattooed-on-his-butt/
(...)
It started when Raven Software implemented a controversial change to the way Loadout Drops are acquired in Warzone. Purchased at Buying Stations, these items let you access a custom loadout for the price of $10,000 in-game cash, and have always been available right at the beginning of the match. But after the change, these Loadout Drops were only available to purchase later in a match, forcing players to cope with what they could find scattered around the map.

Looks like the next Baldur's Gate 3 update is coming this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/looks-like-the-next-baldurs-gate-3-update-is-coming-this-month/
A recent note from Larian Studios on Chinese social media site Bilibili, spotted and translated on Reddit, announced that Baldur's Gate 3 "will have a new update in February and more surprises waiting for you guys to discover."

If Dying Light 2 is crashing when you start a new game, here's a fix
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/if-dying-light-2-is-crashing-when-you-start-a-new-game-heres-a-fix/
Zombie parkour first-person-kicker Dying Light 2 launched today, complete with a day one patch that included more than 1,000 fixes. These things never do run smooth. Even with the patch, some players have found that clicking on New Game causes an immediate crash to desktop—which is less than ideal, to put it mildly.

Microsoft's Phil Spencer gets a lifetime achievement award, to be presented by Microsoft's Todd Howard
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/microsofts-phil-spencer-gets-a-lifetime-achievement-award-to-be-presented-by-microsofts-todd-howard/
Phil Spencer has had quite the start to 2022 and, in the aftermath of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, is recieving one of the gaming industry's biggest gongs: A Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be presented at the 25th Annual DICE Awards by Todd Howard, director and producer at Bethesda which, of course, is a fully owned Microsoft subsidiary and one of big Phil's previous acquisitions.

It's finally official: Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/its-finally-official-grand-theft-auto-6-is-coming/
We knew it was happening—I mean, obviously it was happening—but now it's official: Rockstar has confirmed that a new Grand Theft Auto is coming.
"With the unprecedented longevity of GTAV, we know many of you have been asking us about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series," the studio said in the latest Grand Theft Auto community update.
>> Ryuu96 has made a thread about this announcement.

With the Lunar New Year Sales over, here are the GOG and Steam deals for the weekend::

+GOG

• The Weekly Sale comes with puzzle and adventure games up to 75% off: https://www.gog.com/promo/20220131_weekly_sale
• And there's also a new Special Sale featuring games from Meta Publishing with up to 85% discounts during the next 3 days: https://www.gog.com/promo/meta_publishing_sale
• The Midweek Sale, with its up to 85% discounts, will last another 22 hours: https://www.gog.com/promo/20220202_midweek_sale
• The first of the three flash deals is Frostpunk: Game of the Year Edition, 67% off during the next 70 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/frostpunk_game_of_the_year_edition
• If you already have Frostpunk, then you'll be pleased to know that the second flash deal is the Frostpunk: Season Pass, 60% off during the same duration: https://www.gog.com/en/game/frostpunk_season_pass
• The last flash deal is Infested Planet, 87% off until Monday: https://www.gog.com/en/game/infested_planet
• And then there's also the Weekend Sale, featuring Strategy titles up to 75% off: https://www.gog.com/promo/20220204_weekend_sale

+Steam

• The daily deal is Session: Skateboarding Sim Game, still in Early Access, 25% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/861650/Session_Skateboarding_Sim_Game/
• The first Weekend Deal is After the Fall - Launch Edition, 20% off until Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/751630/After_the_Fall__Launch_Edition/
• Valheim, that's still in Early Access, gets a 25% discount until February 7: https://store.steampowered.com/app/892970/Valheim/
• The Games from Quebec Sale features up to 85% discounts until Monday 7: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/quebec
• The Sims 4 is free to try during the weekend and also 88% off until Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1222670/The_Sims_4/
• Wales Interactive puts its games, mostly interactive movies, on sale, up to 90% off until February 10: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/walesinteractive/
• And of course, there's also the weeklong deals, even if there aren't a lot of them.

And that it. Until next time, I hope you have a happy and gaming weekend.

[Digital Foundry] Dying Light 2 PC Tech Review: Graphics Analysis, Optimised Settings, Performance Tests!

Seeing the performance on RTX cards:

Seeing the performance on non-RTX cards:

Seeing the performance on Pascal/Polaris cards:

This certainly is one of those games that needs Ray Tracing to have the proper visual experience as without Ray Tracing, it looks quite bad. But you also really need DLSS to have playable because FSR looks terrible. But overall visual presentation I feel doesn't justify the performance you get and while Alex might have a point in having settings designed for "Future GPUs," the performance you get here for the visual presentation you receive isn't justified imo. This game certainly isn't on the level of Cyberpunk or Metro Exodus or Control in visual presentation yet it asks those kinds of performance requirements.

Bye Bye Ryzen, Intel is King Again - Core i7-12700H Review

Intel 12th Gen vs Apple M1 Pro - Laptop CPU Comparison!

Intel is certainly back after the disastrous launch of rocket lake. They were quite strong with tiger lake laptops but Intel's 12 gen laptop CPUs are really showing off their lead. Personally I won't be upgrading until Lovelace laptops but with AMD's 6000 series laptop CPUs being a mild refresh, it sounds like AMD won't have an answer until Zen 4. But that will have Raptor lake CPUs to contend with. Overall, performance wise, Intel is the current king but Apple certainly has the battery crown.

I really dislike bundles that offer DLC without the game. I'm only missing 6 of those games (plus the DLC, but I don't have Fall Guys). I'll probably buy since it's for charity.

EXCLUSIVE: Google is trying to salvage its failing Stadia game service with a new focus on striking deals with Peloton, Bungie, and others under the brand 'Google Stream'
https://www.businessinsider.com/google-stadia-stream-plan-partnerships-peloton-bungie-gaming-service-2022-2
Insiders say Google has shifted its gaming ambitions to focus on deals with names such as Peloton in an effort to save Stadia's underlying technology.
>>How unexpected, not.