I'm very curious to see how that price hike will turn out for Meta. OC2 is successful mostly due to extraordinary bang for buck (being standalone no wires/base stations VR, plus PC VR), but on the other hand at $300 it certainly didn't have much competition as well - if there is no one to take them on at that price bracket, I expect sales to drop, but OC2 will keep on dominating the market.

Good time to invest into Nvidia stock I guess.

Wonder how much Nvidia and its partners are willing to cut prices to sell these GPU's.

We can expect RTX 4080 with 320W and RTX 4070 with 285W.

— kopite7kimi (@kopite7kimi) August 9, 2022

Granted the 4070 is still under 300W. Nearing that for a 7XX series card (TGP) is still insanely high. Though if it performs on par or better than a 3090Ti, that's not too bad for a high/mid range card. Its moderately higher than the 3070, but then this supposedly is going to have 12GB GDDR6X.. so it makes sense it would consume more power.

Interestingly the 4080 is going to be around on par with last generation's TDP. As always take with grain of salt and all that.

If true, it confirms what I suspected earlier where the high wattage leaks were more so how much the GPU can handle rather than actual power consumption. There's a difference between stock wattage, OC wattage, spikes and maximum power consumption under extreme conditions such as LN2.

But I get the feeling the 4090 will remain 450 watts tho which is still my target. But a 4080 at 320 watts would be great and would make a lot more sense considering the core count defecate. One does have to wonder where RDNA 3 is going to fall if the rumours are true and 4080 does end up being AD103 instead of AD102 like Ampere was.

Every day a new leak with new specs. Let us wait for the next revelation that will abrogate this one.

It happened last time as well with Ampere launch. No one predicted the FP32 cores would double until they got close to launch so as we get closer to Lovelace launch, the leaks should become more and more reliable.

The Tuesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Multiversus smashes 10 million player milestone in just 3 weeks
https://www.pcgamer.com/multiversus-smashes-10-million-player-milestone-in-just-3-weeks/
Multiversus has been a rather pleasant surprise. A few months ago I wouldn't have expected "Smash Bros. with Arya Stark and Ultra Instinct Shaggy" to be that fun, but my god, it really is. I'm not the only one who thinks that either, as the Warner Bros. Smashlike has surpassed 10 million players, according to statistics website tracker.gg.
As I write this, the site says Multiversus has just over 10,255,000 unique accounts. As tracker.gg accesses the game's API to pull its various statistics, that number should be pretty damn accurate. Multiversus launched in closed beta on July 19 before opening up to the masses a week later, meaning the game has gained roughly three to four million players week on week. Morgan also ballparked it at being around the five million mark a mere seven days ago, which is some pretty incredible growth. It's worth noting that the statistics cover all platforms though, not just PC. Regardless, that's a mighty playerbase to accumulate in less than a month.

GOG has launched a new RPG Sale, with up to 90% discounts during 4 days: https://www.gog.com/partner/rpg_celebration.

Steam has several new deals, including the weeklong deals:

• Back 4 Blood is going to be 50% off until August 11: https://store.steampowered.com/app/924970/Back_4_Blood/
• The Henry Stickmin Collection is also going to be 50% off until August 11: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1089980/The_Henry_Stickmin_Collection/
• CD Projekt Red's 20th Anniversary Sale, with up to 85% discounts, will last until August 12: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/CDPR/sale/cdpr20thanniversary
• MELTY BLOOD: TYPE LUMINA has a 35% discount until the 18th of August: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1372280/MELTY_BLOOD_TYPE_LUMINA/
• Mortal Shell gets a 60% discount until August 20: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1110910/Mortal_Shell/
• And here are some of the weeklong deals:
  • Learning Factory, still in Early Access, is 30% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1150090/Learning_Factory/
  • Majotori gets a 40% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/588730/Majotori/
  • Signal Simulator is 50% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/839310/Signal_Simulator/
  • Ori and the Will of the Wisps gets a 67% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1057090/Ori_and_the_Will_of_the_Wisps/
  • Out of Space is 75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/400080/Out_of_Space/
  • And the last one this sample is Voyage: Journey to the Moon, with an 89% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/302180/Voyage_Journey_to_the_Moon/

The Humble Store has two new sales:

• The CD Projekt Red's 20th Anniversary Sale gets up to 85% discounts during the next 5 days. All the keys are for GOG: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/cd-projekt-red-20th-anniversary-sale/
• The Female Heroes Sale brings up to 90% discounts during 6 days. There are keys for Steam, GOG and EGS: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/female-heroes-sale/

And Fanatical's Summer Sale has new flash deals:

• SUPERHOT VR is 67% off during 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/superhot-vr
• And Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege Deluxe Edition Year 7 gets a 71% discount for 24 hours. The keys is for UPlay: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/tom-clancy-s-rainbow-six-siege-deluxe-edition-year-7

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready 516.94 WHQL
https://videocardz.com/driver/nvidia-geforce-game-ready-516-94-whql
or https://www.nvidia.co.uk/Download/driverResults.aspx/192978/en-uk
Highlights

• Game Ready for Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
• Support For Newly Validated G-SYNC Compatible Displays
• New Games Supported By GeForce Experience’s Optimal Settings (13 games, check Videocardz to see them)

Fixed Issues

• [Apex Legends] Improves gameplay stability.
• [Red Dead Redemption 2] Performance improvement when using DLSS is lower compared to previous drivers.
• [Overwatch] Game may freeze on launching a match.
• [MSI GE66 Raider 10UG/MSI GE76 Raider 10UH] Windows brightness setting does not work when notebook is in dedicated GPU mode.
• [Chivalry 2] Toggling DLSS preset may cause gameplay to shimmer or show black rectangle.
• [Dungeons 3] Game will crash on startup.
• [Destiny 2] Game may randomly freeze after launching game or during gameplay.
• [Prepar3D] Light sources display flashing black boxes.
• [Xbox Application] Windowed G-SYNC engages and cause stutter/ sluggish performance in Xbox app.
• [NVIDIA Ampere GPU]: With the GPU connected to an HDMI 2.1 audio/video receiver, audio may drop out when playing back Dolby Atmos.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

This 2.9GB Mod for Red Dead Redemption 2 overhauls all horse textures
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/this-2-9gb-mod-for-red-dead-redemption-2-overhauls-all-horse-textures/
Modder ‘WickedHorseMan’ has released a new HD Texture Pack for Red Dead Redemption 2, aiming to overhaul all of the game’s horse textures. In order to achieve this, WickedHorseMan used AI techniques to improve the quality of the original/vanilla textures.
The end result is quite good and since you’re constantly riding a horse in this game, we suggest downloading it. However, and similarly to most AI-enhanced HD Texture Packs, don’t expect any mind-blowing improvements. Regardless of that though, this is something to add to your RDR2 modding list. At the end of the article, you can also find a couple of screenshots that showcase the improved textures.

Race To The Bottom is a fully voiced DLC-sized Mod for Fallout New Vegas
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/race-to-the-bottom-is-a-fully-voiced-dlc-sized-mod-for-fallout-new-vegas/
Modder ‘cgy95’ has released a fully voiced DLC-sized mod for Fallout New Vegas, called Race To The Bottom. According to the modder, Race To The Bottom is around the same size as the Automatron DLC from Fallout 4, packing almost 2 hours of gameplay.
In Race To The Bottom, players will track down the assailants and explore a large new dungeon with difficult decisions to be made along the way.
The mod promises multiple ways of solving each objective, allowing a decent amount of replayability. Moreover, it features a new faction to interact with and a roleplay/dialogue focused gameplay. Additionally, it’s possible to complete this new mod/quest without killing any enemy.

This Skyrim mod recreates the best part of Shadow of Mordor: the nemesis system
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-skyrim-mod-recreates-the-best-part-of-shadow-of-mordor-the-nemesis-system/
As a heroic adventurer, it's easy to cleave your way through mobs of enemies, leaving a wake of anonymous corpses behind you. Who were they? What were their names? There's little reason to know or care. And even if one of them is tough enough to defeat you, you can just reload your last save and try again until you kill them, the ultimate cheat code.
But 2014's Shadow of Mordor added a compelling wrinkle with its nemesis system. When an uruk or orc defeated you, it would receive a promotion and rise within Sauron's ranks. It'd grow in power and get a catchy nickname, becoming far less anonymous. Your nemesis suddenly felt like an actual character, turning combat with them into bitter grudge matches. Random orcs even became famous in some circles.
Now you can experience those grudge matches in Skyrim too. The Shadow of Skyrim - Nemesis and Alternate Death System mod makes any enemy who defeats you into your nemesis, from dragons to trolls to bandits to, yes, even mudcrabs.

This Skyrim bard magic mod lets you use your Spice Girls collection to smite enemies
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-skyrim-bard-magic-mod-lets-you-use-your-spice-girls-collection-to-smite-enemies/
If you ask me, videogames peaked as a medium when Hideo Kojima let us arrive on the battlefield to the tune of the Spice Girls. Ever since then, I've been on the hunt for the raw, animal high that occurs when a game lets me dispense swift justice and sick beats simultaneously. Bard Magic Overhaul for Skyrim Special Edition from Monitor144 might be exactly what I'm looking for.
It works like this: in place of Skyrim's traditional spellcasting system, which saw you cast spells by waving your hands around like some kind of uncouth hedge witch, this mod makes it so that all your spells are cast by playing one of Skyrim's many lutes. Chucking a fireball, summoning a daedra, it's all accompanied by either a quick strum or a full song on the lute. The best part, though, is that you can upload your own custom music. Spice World, here I come.

GAMING NEWS

Elden Ring Update 1.06 released, full patch notes revealed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/elden-ring-update-1-06-released-full-patch-notes-revealed/
FromSoftware has released a brand new update for Elden Ring. According to the release notes, Update 1.06 brings numerous balance tweaks and bug fixes. Moreover, it adds two new functions, as well as a new way to advance White Mask Varre’s questline.

Tuesday news, the second part:

Marvel's Midnight Suns is delayed, Wolverine's claws retract slightly
https://www.pcgamer.com/marvels-midnight-suns-is-delayed-wolverines-claws-retract-slightly/
Marvel's Midnight Suns, the tactical Marvel RPG from XCOM developer Firaxis, has been delayed. It was set to come out on October 7 but has now been pushed to an unspecified later date, possibly into early 2023.

My most anticipated shooter of 2022 just got delayed
https://www.pcgamer.com/my-most-anticipated-shooter-of-2022-just-got-delayed/
I try not to get too excited about games that I know next to nothing about, but there's one shooter that has lived rent-free in my brain since it was announced last year: Arc Raiders, the space-age co-op shooter from Embark Studios, a new studio led by ex-EA boss Patrick Söderlund and several ex-DICE folks. I loved the attitude of its reveal trailer and saw a lot of promise in its mobility and robot designs. The trailer is so good that I've probably watched it eight times in 2022.
I was looking forward to blasting apart massive battlebots with friends this year, but as a personal attack on me, Embark announced today that Arc Raiders has been delayed into 2023.
>> If you're curious, the trailer is featured in the article.

Stalker 2 studio celebrates International Cat Day with a horrifying new monster
https://www.pcgamer.com/stalker-2-studio-celebrates-international-cat-day-with-a-horrifying-new-monster/
Today, August 8, is International Cat Day, and to celebrate the moment GSC Game World has released concept art for a "bayun," which is essentially the Stalker 2 version of a cat. As you might imagine, it is horrific.
>> It looks like a zombie cat.

Apex's newest character might finally help me not suck
https://www.pcgamer.com/apexs-newest-character-might-finally-help-me-not-suck/
Apex Legends' latest season, Hunted, is out tomorrow. With it comes your usual helping of map changes, character balancing, and a new legend that may finally help me not suck at the game.
Her name is Vantage, and she's Apex's first sniping-focused character. While we haven't gotten hands-on with her yet, Respawn has shared a brief teaser and description of her abilities, including one perk that should make long-range shots a lot easier to land.

GTA 6 will set creative bars 'for all entertainment,' declares publisher
https://www.pcgamer.com/gta-6-will-set-creative-bars-for-all-entertainment-declares-publisher/
The next GTA was announced in February, when Rockstar said that development of the unnamed game (which we're calling GTA 6 for now) is "well underway." Rockstar parent Take-Two said exactly the same thing today—development is still "well underway"—and added that the game is going to be really good, too.
"With development of the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series well underway, the Rockstar Games team is determined to once again set creative benchmarks for the series, our industry, and for all entertainment, just as the label has done with every one of their frontline releases," said Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick during today's financial update.
>> Every time I hear/read someone saying things like that, I get defensive. That rarely ends well.

The X-COM itch 'never goes away', says X-COM creator Julian Gollop
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-x-com-itch-never-goes-away-says-x-com-creator-julian-gollop/
X-COM: UFO Defense, known as UFO: Enemy Unknown here in the UK, is an integral part of PC gaming history. It was part of the MicroProse glory days of the mid-'90s, when ground-breaking strategy games were being spat out at an unbelievable rate. It spawned sequels, questionable spin-offs, and multiple successors, spiritual and otherwise. It's an impressive legacy, and for creator Julian Gollop, the X-COM itch "never goes away".

Nightdive sheds light on why Blade Runner Enhanced Edition was such a disaster
https://www.pcgamer.com/nightdive-sheds-light-on-why-blade-runner-enhanced-edition-was-such-a-disaster/
(...)
A new interview from PCGamesN with Nightdive's Larry Kuperman and Dimitris Giannakis—the company's director of business development and lead producer on Blade Runner Enhanced Edition, respectively—sheds some light on the "perfect storm" the project faced before it was released.

Some Epson Printers Are Programmed to Stop Working After a Certain Amount of Use

https://gizmodo.com/epson-printer-end-of-service-life-error-not-working-dea-1849384045

This is the type of shit that makes me blacklist companies. Personally I never liked inkjet printers. The first one I owned was a PoS. I eventually got a cheap color laser printer that I found on clearance and that thing lasted for years without having any issues. After that one died, I bought a Brother MFCL3770CDW color laser printer that I found for $300 (normally it's like $500). Best printer I have ever owned. No fuss no nothing. It just works.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 and 4070 get new (lower) power specs, mysterious 20GB model also mentioned

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4080-and-4070-get-new-lower-power-specs-mysterious-20gb-model-also-mentioned

"There is also an update from @KittyYukko (some may remember him as KittyCorgi) who is aware of the model based on PG139 board, the SKU named 340. This model would fit in between RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 specs by offering 14848 CUDA cores and 20GB of GDDR6X memory."

DDR5-6000 Memory To Be The Sweet Spot For AMD Ryzen 7000 “Zen 4” CPUs, Will Offer 1:1 Infinity Fabric Ratio With EXPO

https://wccftech.com/ddr5-6000-memory-sweet-spot-for-amd-ryzen-7000-zen-4-desktop-cpus/

Hopefully it ends up being faster than that 15% over Zen 3

The biggest problem with ink printers is that it's cheaper to buy a new one rather than buying a pack of new cartridges for it.

But well, I hope my Epson isn't one of the models with this... feature. After all, I've had it for years now.

AMD being able to run DDR5 kits at 1:1 ratio is impressive, more so at such high speed and when Intel said they could do it. Good for those that can spare the extra 100 $/€ to get one of those kits instead of a 4800 one, but I don't think many will benefit from it, at least yet.