Are you sure it's not a typo?

In case anyone wants to watch the press conference:

Thanks, but I think I'll find better ways to waste my time .

I normally watch these press conferences but the time zones is kinda essh. 11PM PT? Really? Curse you time zones!

AMD Ryzen 7000 desktop series to offer over 15% single-thread uplift, launch this fall

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ryzen-7000-desktop-series-to-offer-over-15-single-thread-uplift-launch-this-fall

AMD 6nm “Mendocino” Zen2 APU with RDNA2 graphics for mainstream laptops will launch in Q4

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-6nm-mendocino-zen2-apu-with-rdna2-graphics-for-mainstream-laptops-will-launch-in-q4#disqus_thread

I don't understand why AMD keeps using Zen2. Given the systems that will use those APUs, going with Zen3 would have been a much better choice.

Also, regarding the chipsets:

AMD confirmed that X670E (Extreme) is designed for “Unparalleled Capability and Extreme Overclocking”. It is designed to offer PCIe Gen5 ‘everywhere’. On the other hand we have X670 for “Enthusiasts Overclocking” with Gen5 storage support and optionally graphics. The mainstream platform based on B650 chipset will support PCIe Gen5 for storage only.

I think AMD is doing it wrong. Given the expected price of Gen5 NVMe drives, crazy expensive, it would make more sense to use use those lanes for the GPU and not storage.

Product segmentation here we come

In this case, it's probably because Zen3 is designed from the ground up as an 8-core design, while Zen2 is basically 2 quadcores (the CCX) merged together into an octacore (CCD). So for a machine that only uses 4 cores, Zen2 is the more easy choice, as otherwise it would need some redesign to Zen3 to make that work - and for such cheap devices, that just doesn't make much economic sense.

Also, as the 5000U series as shown, at those low power limits and clock speeds, Zen2 is not really any slower than Zen3, and sometimes even faster. Zen3 really needed 30W or higher to start build a gap to Zen2. So from a performance perspective, it's not a big loss, if any at all. And hey, it's down to 6nm, and Ryzen 6000 has shown that this can be a nice bonus, especially on battery life.

Besides, since Mendocino will replace both Dali and Pollock, which are both still on Zen(+), all dualcores and only with Vega graphics, this is a huge step forward either which way.

On a sidenote, I expect those chips to later become the next Athlon and Celeron desktop CPUs. The last of that we got were Picasso over 2 years ago and also still on Zen+ and 2c/4t, so also here AMD will be significantly raising the bar for entry-level PCs. I hope just not on the price point...

Yes, it's Monday and these are the news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam's Top 10

500,000 vampires have already sunk their fangs into survival game V Rising
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/500000-vampires-have-already-sunk-their-fangs-into-survival-game-v-rising/
If you haven't pointed your eyes at the Steam stats lately, a new early access survival game has been climbing them like a rat up a drainpipe. And who's turning that rat into a gooey health-restoring vermin salve? Vampires. That's who.
Vampire survival game V Rising is officially a hit. According to developer Stunlock Studios (you might know them from 2017's Battlerite), a whopping 500,000 players have already sunk their fangs into the V Rising, which is amazing because it only just launched on Steam this past Tuesday. It definitely ticks a lot of popular boxes, with a big open world, survival systems, base-building and crafting, plus PvP and PvE as well as co-op and solo play.
When I looked about an hour ago V Rising also showed around 95,000 concurrent players on Steam, which has now risen (like the undead) to just over 100,000. And I expect it'll continue to draw (like blood) more players over the weekend.

Evil Dead sold over half a million copies in five days
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/evil-dead-sold-over-half-a-million-copies-in-five-days/
Asymmetric multiplayer horror game Evil Dead came out on May 13, a thematically appropriate Friday the 13th. In the first five days after its release, as mentioned in the full year report of the Embracer Group, which owns developer Saber Interactive, and @EmbracerInvestor on Twitter, Evil Dead sold over 500,000 copies.
>> All of them at the EGS, that's why it hasn't appeared in the Steam's top 10 list.

GOG has a bunch of returning sales and also some new ones:

• The returning ones are and the time left: the last Weekly Sale (7h) , Kalypso (7h) and Microids (31h).
• The first flash deal is GRAVEN, 20% off during 46 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/graven
• The second flash deal is Ancestors Legacy - Complete Edition, 80% off until Wednesday: https://www.gog.com/en/game/ancestors_legacy_complete_edition
• The last flash deal is This War of Mine: Complete Edition, with a 85% discount until the 25th: https://www.gog.com/en/game/this_war_of_mine_complete_edition
• The new Weekly Sale features up to 90% discounts: https://www.gog.com/promo/20220523_weekly_sale
• And, to celebrate its 40th anniversary, EA puts its games up to 75% off until the end of next Monday: https://www.gog.com/promo/20220523_ea_anniversary

Steam has a new sale: WRC 10 FIA World Rally Championship gets a 45% discount until May 30: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1462810/WRC_10_FIA_World_Rally_Championship/.

The Humblr Store has one last flash deal before the Spring Sale ends: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-shot Adventure will be 60% off during the next 26 hours. The key is for EGS: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/tiny-tinas-assault-on-dragon-keep-a-wonderlands-oneshot-adventure.

And Fanatical has several new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Hood: Outlaws & Legends, 58% off during 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/hood-outlaws-legends
• And BundleFest 2022 has just launched with 4 new bundles: KingSlayer Bundle, Tomb Raider Pack, War Games Triple Pack and Spirit Hunter Double Pack.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

PS2 emulator PCSX2 gets a user-friendly UI at last
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/ps2-emulator-pcsx2-gets-a-user-friendly-ui-at-last/
Open-source emulator PCSX2 is the best way to play PlayStation 2 games, proudly declaring that it supports "over 98% of the original PS2 library". It's never been a looker, however, with a barebones UI that often sends players off in search of a separate frontend launcher. That's changed with the first public release of PCSX2 that uses the GUI framework Qt.
The new interface includes a grid view for showing off box art as well as a more traditional list view, a dark mode option, and a row of straightforward icons across the top. (Some of which are grayed-out as this is a developer build, and it'll be a while before it hits the next stable release.) The UI will look familiar to users of PS1 emulator DuckStation, and that's probably thanks to contributing developer Stenzek, who was DuckStation's primary developer.
>> The article has the links for both emulators.

Skyrim Special Edition gets an 8.5GB High Quality Landscapes Texture Pack
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/skyrim-special-edition-gets-a-8-5gb-high-quality-landscapes-texture-pack/
Modder ‘Skurkbro’ has released a new high quality texture pack for Skyrim Special Edition that overhauls all landscape textures. This HD Texture Pack is 8.5GB in size, and also comes with support for Terrain Parallax.
Going into more details, updates all the landscape textures, and also packs some alternative textures like Summer tundra and Green Riften. The modder used both photoscanned and handpainted physical-based rendering textures to “give Skyrim that nextgen look “.

Solaire goes X Games mode in Firelink Shrine thanks to Tony Hawk's Underground mods
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/solaire-skating-in-firelink/
"He's not 'going Hollow,' he's sick," judges games critic Leon Massey on Dark Souls' famous helper, Solaire of Astora, absolutely tearing it up skateboarding through Dark Souls' iconic hub area, Firelink Shrine. But how, how on earth did this come to be?
You can find both mod projects—Firelink Shrine by sockpuppetkingdom and Solaire by Syeo—on the THPSX website, home to a surprisingly active community of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater enthusiasts and modders. The forums produced a mod for Tony Hawk's Underground 2,"THUGPro," which serves to extend the features of Underground 2 and allow it to function as a unified platform for mods and levels across the classic Tony Hawk games.

Celebrate Pac Man's birthday by power-pilling some demon face in Doom 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/celebrate-pac-mans-birthday-by-power-pilling-some-demon-face-in-doom-2/
Pineapple Under the Sea is both a Spongebob Squarepants reference and a modding collective that specialises in speedmapping—themed projects that are produced collaboratively and quickly. 22 May is the anniversary of the release of the original Pac-Man arcade machine, and so this month's project became a Pac-tribute of sorts—and doesn't it look the part.
The mod includes custom assets to recreate elements of the arcade game, and a dozen Pac Man-themed levels. The mod group describe it as "Not too difficult, not too big, not too long. A nice (but not always easy) experience. A bunch of mappers came together and made wildly different maps, exploring what it means to bring Pac-Man to Doom II."
As you can see, in some cases what that means is colour-coding cacodemons to resemble Inky, Binky, Pinky and Clyde. In others it's giant pill mazes patrolled by Hell's soldiers. In yet more there's the slightly deranged and absurdist awe of seeing a giant pixellated banana hang above the underworld's assembled forces.
Due to the amount of custom assets in the mod, Pineapple Under the Sea says it'll keep an eye out for bug reports over the coming weeks and update it next month if required. You'll need Doom II and GZDoom to get it up-and-running.

You can now play through Team Fortress 2's Meet the Spy short
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/you-can-now-play-through-team-fortress-2s-meet-the-spy-short/
Way back in the day, Valve had a wonderful idea for marketing Team Fortress 2—it made a bunch of high-quality shorts that were both funny and encapsulated something about the team member they focused on. Everyone has their favourite (Pyro is best, as always) but they're all pretty great, and one of the best was Meet the Spy.
It's a great couple of minutes, with an expertly delivered 'your mother' joke, and manages to pack a huge amount of TF2 personality in there while also underlining just how dangerous a spy can be. Now, thirteen years after the short's release, creator Pinewabble has released a map for TF2 that recreates the full short in 2Fort: to the extent that you can run the original short in-tandem as the map plays out.

GAMING NEWS

Genshin Impact Patch 2.7 releases on May 31st
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/genshin-impact-patch-2-7-releases-on-may-31st/
MiHoYo has announced that Patch 2.7 for Genshin Impact will release on May 31st. In order to celebrate this announcement, the company has also shared a new trailer that showcases what will be featured in this update.

Star Citizen is free to play until May 31st
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/star-citizen-is-free-to-play-until-may-31st/
Following the release of Star Citizen – Alpha 3.17: Fueling Fortunes, developer CIG is welcoming new and veteran pilots of the ‘verse to Invictus Launch Week 2952. From May 20th until May 31st, PC gamers can download and play this game for free.

Wipeout-inspired Redout 2 has been delayed until June 16th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/wipeout-inspired-redout-2-has-been-delayed-until-june-16th/
34BigThings srl has announced that its fast-paced racing game, Redout 2, has been delayed until June 16th. According to the official statement, the team needs a bit more time in order to complete the game’s development.

Simon the Sorcerer – Origins announced, coming to PC in early 2023
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/simon-the-sorcerer-origins-announced-coming-to-pc-in-early-2023/
Leonardo Interactive and Smallthing Studios have announced that Simon the Sorcerer – Origins, the prequel to the original Simon the Sorcerer point and click adventure is currently in development.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Title Update 1.5.2 is 7GB on PC, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/assassins-creed-valhalla-title-update-1-5-2-is-7gb-on-pc-full-patch-notes/
Ubisoft has announced that the Title Update 1.5.2 for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will release tomorrow. This patch is 7GB in size on PC, and below you can find its complete changelog.