RDNA 3 is certainly going to be interesting. I do firmly believe that in Raster, the top end RDNA 3 card will take the performance crown in every resolution. But for me, the game has changed. Once you experience a game like Cyberpunk in Ray Tracing and see how many games are including Ray Tracing as an option these days, it feels like Raster performance is no longer what I am going after. Like I am willing to spend $1500-$2000 USD on a top of the line GPU but what I don't want is a GPU that's only good in one thing and relatively bad in others. And when we look at games that really push Ray Tracing, a 2080 Ti is able to beat a 6900XT which should never be the case.

But it will be exciting none the less. We don't usually get to see Jensen lose and it is technically too early to call it either way. But I'll personally be going with the GPU that will make my eyes have an orgasm. A 4070 will be more than enough to last a generation for most people.

If you pre-ordered Elden Ring from Greenmangaming as they have a 18-20% discount, they will be handing out the pre-order keys tomorrow!

(That's not my name)

Wow, that's some poor reporting there. There's no link to the tweet, and all I've seen from her related to Windows 12 is a joke about it requiring two TPM modules (although it's possible I've missed something). It kind of seems like Deskmodder is the only source for now, and even it seems to partially rely on @SwiftOnSecurity. That said, work starting on Windows 12 already wouldn't surprise me, so for all I know, this could be true anway.

Yeah, it's nott heir best article, but I found interesting that MSoft would start working on Windows 12 when 11 is barely 6 months old.

By the way, no, you don't need two TPMs, but TPM 2.0, whatever that means. There's also mention of a Pluto chip, but I have serious doubts about that.

This makes me wonder if they are wanting to do a repeat of the 1000 series, because I personally wouldn't mind that, as it would mean us getting something akin to the 1080ti, but I know pricing will never be the same. 

MS should just buy them out and dismantle the launcher, but keep the Uplay points system, because that was honestly the one achievement system I actually liked (but Ubi gave up on), because it actually rewarded you points to be able to spent said points on in-game extras, avatars and wallpapers. You actually felt like you got something other than a number on your profile page (which every other system on every other store/console does).

Also I want Ubi forced into a new direction that isn't "shit we need to spam a franchise and trend chase with it", which has always bored the fuck out of me with Ubisoft (also I want them to actually stop buddying with Epic and actually sell their games on every storefront). 

My main worry with Beth net being shut down, is that Battlenet will probably be next, and as much as I'd like to see WoW on Steam, I don't see that happening, and so I don't want my battlenet account being mucked around with and forced into converting it into my MS account (which I rarely use, besides Minecraft). 

Only said that jokingly but yeah that launcher is arse. Its so bad that I don't even want to open my games that are stuck on there. The only redeeming thing about it like you said was the achievement/reward system they had going. Otherwise it was the worse UI and experience I've ever seen in a store. And should burn in the 6th layer of hell.

At bold - If they force us to use the Windows store to sign in I think I'll unsub lol.

You can now check which games in your Steam library are Deck compatible.

Just head over to the link, must be logged in with your Steam account.

https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck/mygames

The Wednesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG has two new flash deals and the Midweek Sale:

• The first flash deal is Project Hospital, 60% off during the next 46 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/project_hospital
• The second is Wasteland Remastered, 89% off until Friday: https://www.gog.com/en/game/wasteland_remastered
• The Midweek Sale features up to 90% discounts until next Monday! https://www.gog.com/promo/20220223_midweek_sale

Steam has two new daily deals:

• The first daily deal is KeyWe, 33% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1242980/KeyWe/
• The second one is Descenders, with a 60% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/681280/Descenders/

At the Humble Store we find the new One Piece & Naruto franchise Sale, with up to 90% discounts during the next 5 days. The keys are only for Steam: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/one-piece-naruto-franchise-sale/.

And Fanatical has a new deal and also a new competition:

• The new Star Deal is Wasteland 3, 72% off during the next 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/wasteland-3
• And there's a new competition with Total War: Warhammer III. Learn the details and prizes here: https://www.fanatical.com/en/blog/total-war-warhammer-iii-competition-win-exclusive-warhammer-iii-prizes-in-partnership-with-sega

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

You can now fight 60 Star Wars characters in the VR game, Blade & Sorcery
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/you-can-now-fight-60-star-wars-characters-in-the-vr-game-blade-sorcery/
Saint Baron has released a pretty cool mod for the VR game, Blade & Sorcery, allowing you to fight 60 characters from the Star Wars universe. So, thanks to this mod, you can fight in VR Luke Skywalker, Darth Maul, Palpatine, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and more.
Needless to say that we highly recommend downloading it (you can do so from here). On its NexusMods page, you can also find the entire list of characters that are featured in it. Basically, the Star Wars NPC and Avatar Megapack features the most iconic characters from the old and the new era.
In future versions, the modder plans to add blasters (when and if they become available). Additionally, he may add voice lines to make fighting more immersive.
>> There's a video in the article.

QuestCraft makes Minecraft: Java Edition playable on Quest 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/questcraft-makes-minecraft-java-edition-playable-on-quest-2/
Minecraft VR has been available on Oculus headsets since 2016, but Microsoft's official app is based upon the Bedrock edition of Minecraft. The PC-exclusive Java edition of Minecraft, which still has a heavy user-base, has yet to receive any official VR treatment.
Step forward QuestCraft, a newly released mod that enables VR compatibility for Minecraft Java. Announced earlier this week, QuestCraft's reveal was accompanied by a trailer showing the mod in action. You can view the video below, but it enables full head-tracking in Minecraft, and adjusts UI features like menus to be functional in VR, ie, letting you move items around in a pop-up inventory window. It also enables touch controls to a limited degree. You can move your arms around, but it appears that interactions are primarily button-based.

Cyberpunk 2077 VR mod set to launch 'by the end of this week'
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/cyberpunk-2077-vr-mod-set-to-launch-by-the-end-of-this-week/
Cyberpunk 2077 is getting a VR compatibility mod later this week, courtesy of VR modder Luke Ross.
Originally slated for release in January, the mod, known as Cyberpunk 2077 R.E.A.L VR, adds support for VR head-tracking to CD Projekt's open world RPG. It doesn't add VR controller support, however, instead relying on more traditional control schemes.

GAMING NEWS

New gameplay trailers released for Shadow Warrior 3 & ELEX II
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-gameplay-trailers-released-for-shadow-warrior-3-elex-ii/
THQ Nordic has released a brand new trailer for ELEX II that explains its story and its gameplay mechanics. Moreover, PlayStation released a gameplay trailer for Shadow Warrior 3, featuring the Dragon’s Nest mission from it.

Devil-summoning RPG, Soul Hackers 2, is coming to PC in August 2022
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/devil-summoning-rpg-soul-hackers-2-is-coming-to-pc-in-august-2022/
Atlus has announced that its devil-summoning RPG, Soul Hackers 2, will be coming to PC on August 26th, 2022. In order to celebrate this announcement, the publisher has also released a trailer that you can find below.

The second part of the news:

Here's one last Destiny 2 trailer before The Witch Queen launches
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/heres-one-last-destiny-2-trailer-before-the-witch-queen-launches/
Destiny 2's The Witch Queen expansion is less than an hour away from launch, so here's one final trailer to tide you over until it unlocks. And then, for the few hours after, as you're inevitably stuck waiting in a server queue.
>> Now that it's live, here are the patch notes.

Aaryn Flynn's Inflexion studio is now owned by Tencent
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/aaryn-flynns-inflexion-studio-is-now-owned-by-tencent/
Inflexion Games, a studio made up of ex-BioWare developers including former BioWare general manager Aaryn Flynn, is now a part of Tencent. The Chinese conglomerate's acquisition of the studio was announced by UK-based technology company Improbable, Inflexion's original parent company, which said it sold the studio as part of its new strategic focus on "metaverse activities."

World of Warcraft's last major Shadowlands patch is out today
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/world-of-warcrafts-last-major-shadowlands-patch-is-out-today/
Today marks the last major update for World of Warcraft's latest expansion, Shadowlands. Patch 9.2 is called Eternity's End and adds a whole bunch of stuff that I don't quite understand as an outsider, and other stuff that I do. The biggest add is definitely 9.2's brand new zone, Zereth Mortis, which is home to a new faction called The Enlightened.

Two years later, Fall Guys now has crossplay
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/two-years-later-fall-guys-now-has-crossplay/
Fall Guys' preposterous obstacle courses are better with friends, or at least funnier, so it's welcome news that crossplay has rolled out today as part of a new update. Crossplay functionality has kinda been in Fall Guys for a while, but only for its custom games. Now you can match up with PS4 and PS5 friends in all playlists.

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 is coming to PC this year
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/baldurs-gate-dark-alliance-2-is-coming-to-pc-this-year/
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance was an action-RPG spin-off initially released only on consoles that finally came to PC late last year. Its sequel—made by Black Isle Studios rather than the first game's developer Snowblind Studios, though using the same engine—will be following it to PC this year, as Black Isle have announced on Twitter.

Call of Duty may be skipping 2023, but Warzone 2 will fill the gap
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/call-of-duty-may-be-skipping-2023-but-warzone-2-will-fill-the-gap/
For the first time since 2004, it looks like Call of Duty will go a year without a mainline game in the series in 2023. According to a report from Bloomberg, the Treyarch-developed Call of Duty game planned for 2023 will be delayed one year to 2024. The new Infinity Ward Modern Warfare sequel announced for this year is still on track, as are plans to release a sequel to the free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone.
>> Ryuu96 made a thread about this rumor.

Total War: Warhammer 3's first hotfix should arrive this week
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/total-war-warhammer-3s-first-hotfix-should-arrive-this-week/
Total War: Warhammer 3 released last week to a generally positive reception, though there have been some quibbles over its performance and stability. (The gods of Chaos really don't like when players alt-tab, it seems.) As Creative Assembly announced today, a series of hotfixes for various issues are on the way and the first is scheduled for this week, though with the caps-heavy caveat, "NOTE THAT THIS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE based on NUMEROUS factors—some of which are out of our control".

House Flipper 2 will bring more zen home renovation in 2023
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/house-flipper-2-will-bring-more-zen-home-renovation-in-2023/
One of the joys of PC gaming is witnessing new niches blossom. For example, who could have predicted the runaway success of House Flipper, a game about making musty old houses really nice? (...)
Now it's getting a sequel in the form of House Flipper 2, which was announced today on Twitter. As is usually the case with coy announcement trailers, the video embedded above tells us diddly-squat about what improvements House Flipper 2 will bring, though a graphical improvement appears to be on the cards, at least.

Join us bounty hunting in Hunt: Showdown with lead designer Dennis Schwarz
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/join-us-bounty-hunting-in-hunt-showdown-with-lead-designer-dennis-schwarz/
If there's a chance to play Hunt: Showdown during the work day, I'm going to take it. Just that sort of opportunity arose earlier this month when myself and Morgan Park, PC Gamer's Hunt devotees, met up in Hunt: Showdown for nearly two hours of chatting and bounty hunting with the game's lead designer Dennis Schwarz.