With all this talk about power figures, I think it's time to reiterate the fact that Nvidia and AMD measure their power figures for their GPUs differently.

https://www.igorslab.de/en/graphics-cards-and-their-consumption-read-out-rather-than-measured-why-this-is-easy-with-nvidia-and-nearly-impossible-with-amd/4/

When Nvidia lists their power figures, they measure what's highlighted in yellow which is essentially the entire board:

The advantage is that when you look at it through software such as MSI Afterburner or GPU-Z which is what a lot of reviewers do, you can get accurate power figures. But what AMD measures is different as highlighted in yellow:

"The scheme for the TGP-relevant areas shows that apart from the GPU and the memory, NOTHING else is really included."

So when you look at say a 6950XT on AMD's site or Techpowerup's site or in their marketing and you see the "335 Watts," it's because AMD is only measuring the GPU and Vram where as Nvidia measures the entire board. This also means that when you go into MSI Afterburner or GPU-Z, AMD GPUs will also show the 335 Watts which can be miss-leading.

What this results in is when you measure the 6950XT via P-CAT which measures the power of the entire GPU, you get the real power figures the AMD cards consume. In case with 6950XT, you get 431 Watts and not 335 that you think would be the actual power figures.

In addition:

"Let’s test this against! The MSI RX 6750 XT Gaming X Trio shows an average of 225 watts TGP in GPU-Z as a heated card. With my shunt measurement setup, it’s just under 270 watts for the entire board. If we now convert the difference, we arrive at an increase of 20 percent, which is still a lot, but significantly less. So for the time being, it’s not comparable.

Therefore, I finally also test the MSI RX 6650 XT Gaming X. With a TGP of now only 145 watts, it is then 180 watts TBP for the whole card, so suddenly 24 percent more again!"

Now this isn't so much that what AMD is measuring is incorrect but more so, it's miss leading to the uninformed. AMD doesn't claim they measure the entire GPU but many people think AMD measures their power figures the same way as Nvidia and thus, they directly compare the two. In reality, they don't. If measured the same way, the 3090 would be "290 watts" vs "300 watts" of the 6900XT.

Explains why everyone (even indie devs) have largely resorted to trend chasing and tried/true ideas these days.

Indie devs in a nutshell:

The problem with a game about a ship that has lots of troubles or disasters is harder to do than games with simiar premises but with other vehicles, and nearly impossibler without including some war theme to it. It's relatively easy to do that with a spaceship, suffering lots of troubles (solar flares, asteroid fields, low food/water, etc.) but, the more real you try to make it, the less sense it makes, because it's hard to have too many disasters coming together and not finding an island or continent to simply land and send to ship to hell.

You could try to replicate some of that in a war or fantasy setting, specially if you're using a submarine (more prono to have troubles with leaks and oxigen levels).

Apple announces next-gen M2 silicon with 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU

https://videocardz.com/press-release/apple-announces-next-gen-m2-silicon-with-8-core-cpu-and-10-core-gpu

"M2 takes the industry-leading performance per watt of M1 even further with an 18 percent faster CPU, a 35 percent more powerful GPU, and a 40 percent faster Neural Engine."

Feels more like M1.5 than a new gen SoC tbh.

Apple’s new MetalFX Upscaling system will compete with AMD FSR, Nvidia DLSS

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/06/metalfx-upscaling-will-bring-dlss-like-image-reconstruction-to-games-on-macos/

FSR 2.0, is that you?

From what I saw, AMD is also pivoting away from TGP to TBP for next gen, but we'll see if they really do

NVidia would have called it an M1Ti for sure.

Sine Apple is tiling them together, the M2 Max and Ultra will be more considerable upgrades, but the base and pro models...

Intel Arc A730M has been tested in games with performance between RTX 3050 and RTX 3060

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-arc-a730m-has-been-tested-in-games-with-performance-between-rtx-3050-and-rtx-3060

Hopefully they can fix it though driver updates otherwise, that's just sad

Samsung launches Odyssey Neo G8, world’s first 4K Mini-LED 240Hz gaming monitor

https://videocardz.com/press-release/samsung-launches-odyssey-neo-g8-worlds-first-4k-240hz-gaming-monitor

I'd wait a few months before purchasing as the Neo G9 had a lot of QC issues with it's initial batches which later got fixed not to mention, that monitor had some deep discounts.

HDMI 2.1a specs add Cable Power option for longer active HDMI cables

https://videocardz.com/newz/hdmi-2-1a-specs-add-cable-power-option-for-longer-active-hdmi-cables

The Steam Deck's Big Controversy - New vs. Old Fans

Pretty big difference in noise pitch which is why I got rid of mine. Hopefully this won't be an issue with Steam Deck 2.

After a long weekend (at least for me ), lets' go with the news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam's Top 10

Check out the PC Gamer collection in the GOG Summer Sale
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/check-out-the-pc-gamer-collection-in-the-gog-summer-sale/
With summer upon us, at least in one of our hemispheres, you might be thinking about spending more time outdoors, in the sun. But wouldn't you rather hide from its dangerous rays, staying inside and playing some great games? If your answer is "yes", then good news: the GOG Summer Sale is here.
The 3-week sale isn't just knocking down prices—there will be giveaways, too, as well as the arrival of the excellent Alien: Isolation. If a DRM-free xenomorph tickles your fancy, it's 75% off. More Sega games will also be appearing in the coming weeks, like Two Point Hospital and Space Marine.
The theme of the sale is gaming generations, exploring PC gaming through cheap deals. That leaves us with a lot of games to sift through, but to make things easier we've once again collaborated with GOG to create the PC Gamer collection. These are some of our favourite games, old and new, all of which are discounted during the sale. You can't go wrong with any of them.
>> And to think that none of you posted this yesterday... Leaving my disappointment aside, here are some things worth noting:

• Here you'll find more info about the Summer Sale: https://www.gog.com/en/news/summer_sale_on_gog_is_here_with_the_best_games_that_connect_generations
• The first free game is here, Sanitarium will be free during another 22 hours! https://www.gog.com/en/game/sanitarium
• There are three flash deals that will last until tomorrow's refresh (so 22 hours left):
  • Black Skylands, still in development, is 30% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/black_skylands
  • Mars Horizon gets a 40% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/mars_horizon
  • And Möbius Front '83 is 50% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/mobius_front_83

For the price of one AAA game, you can get hundreds of queer indies in this bundle
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/for-the-price-of-one-aaa-game-you-can-get-hundreds-of-queer-indies-in-this-bundle/
It's pride month, folks, and the indies of itch.io are doing their giant Queer Games Bundle again. The Queer Games Bundle 2022, of over 500 items, 374 of which are videogames, is intended to give a funding boost to queer indie creators and teams. The rest of the bundle is made up of tabletop games, comics, books, art—you know, game stuff. Last year's bundle was pretty neat, and I found some cool stuff in it.

While it will still be some weeks until Steam celebrates its Summer Sale, that will start on June 23, there are some deals and new weeklong deals:

• The new daily deal is Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness, 35% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1374930/Black_Geyser_Couriers_of_Darkness/
• The first Midweek Madness deal is Escape Simulator, 25% off until June 9: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1435790/Escape_Simulator/
• Hero's Hour will also be 25% off until the 9th of June: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1656780/Heros_Hour/
• The Shadow Tactics: Anniversary Bundle gets a 78% discount until Thursday (the games are 90 and 60% off respectively). Remember that the first game has a demo: https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/23903/Shadow_Tactics_Anniversary_Bundle/
• The DANGEN Entertainment 5th Anniversary Sale features up to 90% discounts until Thursday, 9th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/Dangen_5th_Anniversary_Sale
• Junkyard Simulator, still in Early Access, is once again on sale, 23% off until June 11: https://store.steampowered.com/app/671970/Junkyard_Simulator/
• And here are some of the weeklong deals:
  • Save Room - Organization Puzzle is 20% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1955330/Save_Room__Organization_Puzzle/
  • Golden Light gets a 30% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1245430/Golden_Light/
  • Max Gentlemen Sexy Business! is 50% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/817840/Max_Gentlemen_Sexy_Business/
  • Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition gets a 70% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/704450/Neverwinter_Nights_Enhanced_Edition/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/704450/Neverwinter_Nights_Enhanced_Edition/
  • Primal Light is 80% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/771420/Primal_Light/
  • And Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes Collector's Edition gets a massive 90% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/361850/Portal_of_Evil_Stolen_Runes_Collectors_Edition/

The Humble Store ha some new sales:

• The Private Division Publisher Sale features up to 75% discounts during 3 days. There are keys for Steam and EGS: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/private-division-publisher-sale/
• The Humble Games Publisher Sale features up to 80% discounts for 3 days. All the keys are for Steam: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/humble-games-publisher-sale/
• The Rockstar Games Sale, with up to 65% discounts, will last 6 more days.There are keys for Steam, EGS and their own thing: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/rockstar-publisher-sale/
• The Card & Puzzle Sale comes with up to 90% discounts during 6 days. There are keys for Steam, GOG and EGS: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/card-puzzle-sale/
• An d the Season of Pride Sale, with up to 90% discounts, will also last 6 days. There are keys for Steam and GOG: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/season-of-pride-sale/

Finally, there's Fanatical with some new deals:

• The Star Deal, that started yesterday, is the Idea Factory RPG Pack, featuring 3 games wiht a 82% discount during another 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/idea-factory-rpg-pack
• This is part of the Anime Games Sale, featuring up to 84% discounts during 6 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/genres/anime
• The Iconic Board Game Bundle comes with 4 games at a 67% discount during 5 more days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/iconic-board-game-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Nope, nothing-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Numerous N64 games will support Path Tracing thanks to this upcoming N64 emulator plugin
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/numerous-n64-games-will-support-path-tracing-thanks-to-this-upcoming-n64-emulator-plugin/
DarioSamo, the man behind the Ray Tracing Mod for the unofficial PC port of Super Mario 64, has announced a new Ray Tracing plugin for Nintendo 64 emulators. This plugin will allow you to enable native ray tracing effects on numerous games, will support DLSS, and will allow you to play the original N64 games with 60fps.
DarioSamo has shared a video, showcasing some games using this Path Tracing N64 plugin. In order to capture this footage, the modder used the mupen64plus emulator.

Far Cry Beta Restoration Mod Demo available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/far-cry-beta-restoration-mod-demo-available-for-download/
Last month, FarOutCry released a public demo of Far Cry Beta Restoration. That demo featured two levels from this restoration project.
Going into more details, the Far Cry Restoration Project Demo features Research (merged with Treehouse), as well as an expanded version of Steam.
As the title implies, Far Cry Restoration attempts to restore content that was cut from the game. It’s a pretty cool mod, so be sure to download it from here.
Unfortunately, there has been a controversy surrounding this mod. From the looks of it, one of its main developers left the project a while back. Apparently, though, that developer was not happy with how things turned out and leaked various development builds from that project.

New video for Zelda: Ocarina of Time Unreal Engine 5 Fan Remake shows off impressive water effects
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-video-for-zelda-ocarina-of-time-unreal-engine-5-fan-remake-shows-off-impressive-water-effects/
CryZENx has shared a new video from his Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake in Unreal Engine 5, showcasing some truly impressive water effects. The indie developer used Fluid Flux from Krystian Komisarek, and the results are incredible.

Here are some new screenshots from the Half Life Blue Shift Fan Remake in Black Mesa
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/here-are-some-new-screenshots-from-the-half-life-blue-shift-fan-remake-in-black-mesa/
HECU Collective has released a new set of screenshots for its upcoming fan remake of Half Life Blue Shift in Black Mesa. These new screenshots will give you an idea of the game’s fourth chapter which is currently in development.
In Black Mesa: Blue Shift, players will relive the Black Mesa Incident as Gordon Freeman’s best friend, Barney Calhoun. This fan remake currently has the first two chapters of Blue Shift. These chapters are Living Quarters Outbound and Insecurity.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake HD Project released, overhauls over 20000 textures
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/final-fantasy-7-remake-hd-project-released-overhauls-over-20000-textures/
Modder ‘Altezein’ has released a must-have HD Texture Pack for Final Fantasy 7 Remake. This HD project overhauls over 20000 textures, and adds to the game some new high-quality objects.
Going into more details, Final Fantasy 7 Remake HD Project uses AI techniques in order to enhance the game’s default textures. This mod is 54GB in size, and enhances over 20000 textures.

Turok 2 Plus Mod brings numerous gameplay enhancements to this classic dino FPS
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/turok-2-plus-mod-brings-numerous-gameplay-enhancements-to-this-classic-dino-fps/
Modder ‘|Totalitarian|’ has released a cool mod for the classic dino FPS, Turok 2, that adds a number of gameplay enhancements. Additionally, it packs subtle graphics enhancements, like better weapon textures, gore, lighting, and other effects.
Going into more details, Turok 2 Plus brings faster movement speed, and the ability to double jump. It also features new alternate fire modes, better balance, and new weapon effects.
Furthermore, there are some AI improvements for enemies. For instance, more cave worms utilize their burrowing ability. More Endtrails can also use their cloaking device (and their animation has been slightly sped up).

Elden Ring gets an unofficial Survival Mode, available now for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/elden-ring-gets-an-unofficial-survival-mode-available-now-for-download/
Grimrukh, the modder behind Dark Souls: Nightfall and creator of Dark Souls: Daughters of Ash, has added a Survival Mode to Elden Ring. Thanks to this mod, players can expect survival elements like hunger, thirst, temperature, and disease, a weapon crafting tree, and darker nights.

Here's Deep Rock Galactic in VR, thanks to a mod
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/heres-deep-rock-galactic-in-vr-thanks-to-a-mod/
Deep Rock Galactic is one of the best cooperative shooters to come out in years, and has only gotten better since it launched in 2020. After the advent of official mod support last year DRG has had a few neat ones, but nothing truly captured my imagination until this: VRG It's Deep Rock Galactic in VR.
That's it. That's the mod. Thanks, mod creator Alch3m1st/Brzeski Productions.
It's a brand new mod, really, just released into open beta last week. Since the mod is in beta, "you will encounter bugs" says the development team, emphasis theirs. These are presumably in addition to the bugs that you will already be encountering and shooting in Deep Rock Galactic.

PSA: Popular Garry's Mod add-ons were altered to include pornographic jump scares
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/psa-popular-garrys-mod-add-ons-were-altered-to-include-pornographic-jump-scares/
At some point after June 2nd, the widely-used "GlueLibrary" add-on for Garry's mod was altered so that when you make your first input on loading into a map, the game plays max volume noises and presents a fullscreen "goatse," the infamous 2000s shock image of an anonymous man's spread anus. For the love of God, don't try image searching for it in a new tab, it's really upsetting.
This story first came to our attention via content creator ThafNine on Twitter, cautioning players that the mod's creator "lost his goddamn mind" and inserted the surprise into all of his add-ons. The gmod subreddit is also abuzz over the creator's malfeasance. What makes the issue so thorny is that GlueLibrary is the basis of other add-ons, and downstream works have also been infected.
What's more, it seems that a, ahem, "Trollface Playermodel" add-on has gotten a similar, but separate treatment, with the game displaying different explicit images and loud audio of slurs in the voice of SpongeBob Squarepants, who is a friend to all and would never say such things. Additionally, another Trollface mod also seems to be infected with a similar, but less upsetting prank that hijacks parts of the UI with a chibi anime catgirl. Try saying that last sentence to someone you love.
>> Be careful!

Elden Ring modder pits the Tarnished against a massive viral chip-shop
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/elden-ring-modder-pits-the-tarnished-against-a-massive-viral-chip-shop/
Listen. I don't use TikTok. I don't understand why Binley Mega Chippy is as virally funny as it is, beyond the fact that "Binley Mega Chippy" has great word feel. What I do know, however, is that there are few sights that scream PC gaming as hard as Homer Simpson running across a bleak FromSoft field to do battle with a colossal chip shop.
As spotted by PCGamesN, YouTuber and horrible modder ToastedShoes posted a short clip to Reddit and Twitter showing an Elden Ring walking mausoleum converted into a massive roaming chippie—complete with mossy bricks and loose posters advertising a Morbius meal.

And now, the proper gaming news:

GAMING NEWS

Rust gets 'biggest update to gunplay since launch'
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/rust-gets-biggest-update-to-gunplay-since-launch/
Cruel yet compelling survival sim Rust released one of its biggest updates in recent memory yesterday, making sweeping changes to the game's gunplay that for the most part seem to have been welcomed by players (even if some of those players seem happy mainly because the update will make other players unhappy).

English translations of Elden Ring boss music uncover grim, fascinating lore
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/english-translations-of-elden-ring-boss-music-uncover-grim-fascinating-lore/
True to FromSoft form, Elden Ring's soundtrack is phenomenal, bursting forth during boss fights to capture all the majesty and madness of the foes you face. The choral elements of these tracks are a big part of what makes them special, though I have to confess to not having known the actual words to any of them since the Tower Knight in Demons' Souls (and his banger of a track, HA-HAHA-HA-HA).

Marvel's Midnight Suns leak reveals Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch, and a release date
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/marvels-midnight-suns-leak-reveals-spider-man-scarlet-witch-and-a-release-date/
A late 2021 delay pushed Marvel's Midnight Suns, the turn-based tactical RPG being developed by XCOM studio Firaxis, into the second half of 2022. An official release date still hasn't been announced, but it may have slipped out thanks to leaked box art and preorder details.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake isn't cancelled, but it is delayed (again)
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/prince-of-persia-the-sands-of-time-remake-isnt-cancelled-but-it-is-delayed-again/
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake was announced in 2020 with a 2021 release date, which eventually became 2022, and then 2023. Today Ubisoft did it again, saying that it is "no longer targeting a FY23 release."

Escape from Tarkov Arena will be a new 'standalone' FPS
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/escape-from-tarkov-arena-announcement/
Escape from Tarkov developer Battlestate Games announced on Friday that the arena mode players have been expecting is a "standalone game project."
Called Escape from Tarkov Arena, the spin-off will play like the existing Escape from Tarkov game, says the studio, but rather than high-stakes looting and extraction, it will center on "gladiatorial" combat in arenas situated throughout the city of Tarkov.

Report: The Silent Hill-like horror game Abandoned is in disarray
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/report-the-silent-hill-like-horror-game-abandoned-is-in-disarray/
Abandoned made a big splash when it came to light last year with a teaser that had many Silent Hill fans convinced that it was in fact a revival of Silent Hills, the cancelled Hideo Kojima project. But it's been a rough ride ever since, as the promised release of a playable demo fell through; in March, developer Blue Box Studios deleted most of its tweets, leading some followers to believe that the project had been quietly cancelled.
Blue Box insisted it was not, but a new report from Gamespot suggests it could be in trouble. Multiple sources have told the site that progress on the game is effectively stalled, while creative direction has changed multiple times, from its original inception as a survival-horror game about being trapped in the forest with a bloodthirsty cult to a story about a "rampant" AI and, more recently, a game about vampires.

Factory and city builder Captain of Industry also gives you a boat
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/factory-and-city-builder-captain-of-industry-also-gives-you-a-boat/
Okay, slightly-silly name pun aside, Captain of Industry is a brand new, pretty interesting colony and factory and city building game. In it, you and your busted ship and crew of post-apocalyptic survivors land on an abandoned island and promptly get to work building a sustainable industrial civilization, duh. It's a mix of popular tastes that taste great together in a proportion I don't think I've quite seen yet.

Nightdive wants to remaster the original Unreal next
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/nightdive-wants-to-remaster-the-original-unreal-next/
Last year Nightdive Studios released a Quake remaster giving the classic FPS 4K and widescreen resolution support, enhanced models, dynamic and colored lighting, anti-aliasing, depth of field, and some new levels by MachineGames. It also restored the original Trent Reznor score, previously absent from the digital version due to an expired copyright, and added a new theme song by Reznor. All that, and it was free for owners of the original Quake.
According to a tweet by Nightdive CEO Stephen Kick, following the Quake remaster, Cliff Bleszinski contacted Epic CEO Tim Sweeney on Nightdive's behalf. The co-designer of 1998's Unreal suggested it deserved a similar remaster. "I guess if you want that leave a message to let Tim know", Kick finished.

Fortnite's new season features mushrooms, mounts, and Darth Vader
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/fortinites-new-season-features-mushrooms-mounts-and-darth-vader/
Following yesterday's big Collision event and the inter-season downtime, Fortnite's Chapter 3 Season 2, "Vibin'" launched early this morning.
The mushrooms featured prominently in the Collision cutscene turn out to have been teasing a new biome: Reality Falls, a dense, magical forest. Players can also plant "Realty Saplings" that persist for them from match-to-match, and can eventually provide a source of mythic loot.

Claustrophobic cooperative shooter Space Beast Terror Fright has exited Early Access
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/claustrophobic-cooperative-shooter-space-beast-terror-fright-has-exited-early-access/
Eccentrically named cooperative shooter Space Beast Terror Fright has launched on Steam following a long sojourn through Early Access, bringing its cooperative horde shooter and roguelike horror energy to the masses. In it, you and a team of marines (read: your friends) must board a disabled spacecraft, recover the data stored on its drives, and disable to reactor coolant system so that it self-destructs as you escape. By the way, the disabled spacecraft is filled with a horde of toothy, clawed murder insects.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide will have 'thousands' of party banter lines despite custom characters
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/warhammer-40000-darktide-will-have-thousands-of-party-banter-lines-despite-custom-characters/
Fatshark's Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is probably the most anticipated game of the year for not just fans of Warhammer, but fans of cooperative shooters in general. The studio's Warhammer: Vermintide series is outstandingly popular, and PC Gamer lists it as one of the best cooperative shooters on PC. One of the things people love most about Vermintide is how its five fixed characters interact with each other. They joke, banter, and bicker.
With the recent revelation that your characters in Darktide will be customizable, however, Fatshark has been quick to show how they're keeping the bantering spirit alive in a dev blog that includes raw footage of voice actors at work. You can choose from any number of voice profiles for each class, allowing for "thousands upon thousands of banter lines in Darktide," according to narrative director Mårten Stormdal.

Java and Bedrock editions merge, creating one Minecraft to rule them all
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/java-and-bedrock-editions-merge-creating-one-minecraft-to-rule-them-all/
The wild success of Minecraft didn't come without its problems, one of which was that the original game was coded in Java. This is still the version some players prefer, for a laundry list of reasons, but for many years now the 'standard' edition of the game has been the Bedrock edition, which was renamed to just 'Minecraft' in 2017.
Confused? The differences are very important to those invested in Minecraft, with the most crucial being that it's easier to mod the Java edition. Regardless of how you play, the split always had one very notable kink on PC: essentially you had to buy both separately. Now Mojang and Microsoft has announced that, as of tomorrow June 7, the two versions of what some consider the most successful game of all time have been smooshed-together into Minecraft: Java & Bedrock Edition for PC.

Half-baked battle royale with NFTs to launch on the Epic Games Store, pleasing nobody
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/half-baked-battle-royale-with-nfts-to-launch-on-the-epic-games-store-pleasing-nobody/
It looks like the Epic Games Store is getting its first NFT game. Um… yee haw? Grit was announced in 2021 as a cowboy battle royale coming to Steam, but after missing a few early access launch windows it went quiet, then resurfaced earlier this year as a blockchain game. While there's still no launch date, Grit now has a page on the Epic Games Store and is listed as "coming soon."

Tim Sweeney says Fortnite Token cryptocurrency is 'a scam'
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/tim-sweeney-says-fortnite-token-cryptocurrency-is-a-scam/
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney says a newly-announced cryptocurrency called Fortnite Token is "a scam," and warned that the company is preparing legal action to shut it down. The creators of Fortnite Token have pushed back, however, describing it as a fan-created project "with no specified owner or company structure behind it."
>> To be honest, the scam part could be applied to most cryptocurrencies.

There's a new Just Cause in development
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/theres-a-new-just-cause-in-development/
During a financial results briefing in May, Square Enix stealth-announced that a new Just Cause game is on the way. The briefing document addresses Square Enix's $300 million sale of several overseas studios and IP (surfaced on resetera), including the Deus Ex and Tomb Raider series, and outlines what the publisher's intentions are in the future:
>> Good news aside (a new Just Cause game is positive), S-E decided to keep the Just Cause IP but decided to part from the Tomb Raider one... Either the execs need to pass drug tests or be more careful with the sake they take when they go eat out.

You can now run Doom entirely within a motherboard BIOS
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/doom-coreboot-coredoom/
Doom has been played on pretty much everything nowadays: a rotary phone (opens in new tab), via Twitter (opens in new tab), and even on 100 pounds of mouldy potatoes (opens in new tab). So in that spirit of playing Doom on all manner of hardware, from PC to potato, here's the 1993 game running from within a motherboard BIOS.
Yes, there's now a version of Doom that runs on a motherboard firmware platform known as Coreboot.
>> While it's great, it's also kind of scary to be able to run a game from the BIOS. Imagine what the malware could do...

Grit Grift, lol.