I'm not able to speak for the whole market because I don't really have much data on it, but while I do agree with your point that most of the market probably doesn't care about benchmarks, a portion of the people that do look up benchmarks definitely cares about 1080p performance. I know I do. The real question is how many more like me are there, and that's the difficult question to answer. I imagine there are still quite a few others like me, but that's just a guess.

Its nice to see different takes on things outside the enthusiast circle in regards to tech. If 1080P is good enough, then more power to you. That's a lot of money and power saved that you could spend on other things. Like you don't need to have the latest and greatest, or highest spec to enjoy this hobby.

Personally I still see 1440P being the sweet spot in performance and visuals to value. If we're talking about monitors 27" monitors, or 34" Ultrawide which is the same horizontal height at the former has the right balance or pixel density (and ppi) for normal desktop use. Like if we're talking visual fidelity a 27" 1440P monitor would be sharper than a 24" 1080P display due to its higher ppi. Which allows you to see more detail on screen and provide a more immersive experience due to its size difference. And that will scale to higher resolutions and screen sizes. Another major upside to 1440P (and higher) is you don't need that nearly as much AA to make a image look stable (or passable).

Here's a interesting video discussing the pro's and cons of going different resolutions for gaming

Downsides being that its harder to run than 1080P. But nowhere near so much demanding as 4K. In any case I'd say its depends on the person. If someone has a good enough GPU it kinda makes sense just to go for a 1440P monitor or 4K.

I've got to admin that even I'm moving towards that more and more. I still think 1080p makes sense, but the appeal of 1440p definitely keeps increasing. After a 22" monitor, my current 24" 1080p seemed to have awfully large pixels, but I got used to it pretty quickly. Still, I can't really see myself going for 1080p if I end up getting a larger monitor, which might just happen when I do eventually get a new monitor (which shouldn't happen in at least a few years though, unless my current one breaks). But still, 1440p seems like a bit of a necessity for screens larger than 24", but it does make sense for smaller monitors.

Yeah going above 24" for 1080P is going to look rough. 24" for 1080P is decent though.

I went from an 34" 21:9 Ultrawide 1440P monitor to 16:9 32" 1440P, and there's a massive difference in clarity. And the dip in sharpness and detail took a little getting used to. With some sharpening its not that bad but the extra immersion of having a larger display for gaming and watching stuff is worth the trade off for me. And doesn't require me to get a high end GPU rn to enjoy my games at acceptable framerates. Still badly want a new graphics card though, to play the latest games.. so will see next year when I'll finally take the dip.

But yeah assuming you have the right stuff to power 1440P, or more, then you should be able to appriciate the extra fidelity having those extra pixels and larger screen estate brings. Even current gen consoles like the PS5 and Series consoles support 1440P now.

As someone that's been sporting 1440p since 2017, I gotta say it really does feel like a nice sweet spot.

Still using my 1080ti, which does mean that I have to turn down the odd few settings, but nothing major that makes the game look like a Switch version (except for games like Cyberpunk, but that was made with RT in mind, not 1080ti level hw).

Also, playing at 1440p means less jaggies than what I would unusually see when playing at 1080p (also before I upgraded to 1440p, I was playing games that made early use of TAA, and that combined with 1080p was one ugly blurry mess to look at, so with 1440p TAA isn't as bad).

I'm still using a single monitor, but I really would love to someday upgrade to having 2, but I think I'll use my 1440p one as my main for gaming, and pair it with a 1080p monitor for media content/social stuff.

The Monday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam's Top 10

GOG brings three new Deals of the Day and also three new sales:

• The first DotD is Star Trek: Hidden Evil, 35% off during 46 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/star_trek_hidden_evil
• The second DotD is DYSMANTLE, with a 48% discount until Wednesday: https://www.gog.com/en/game/dysmantle
• The third and last DotD is The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos, with a 60% discount until the 23rd: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_dungeon_of_naheulbeuk_the_amulet_of_chaos
• The Weekly Sale features titles only available at GOG with up to 80% discounts during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20221121_weekly_sale
• Publisher Nicalis puts its games on sale with up to 75% discounts during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2022_nicalis_publisher_sale
• And IO Interactive puts its games up to 80% off during 9 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2022_io_interactive

Steam has two daily deals:

• RAILROADS Online!, still in Early Access, is 30% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1696810/RAILROADS_Online/
• DOOM Eternal gets a 75% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/782330/DOOM_Eternal/

There are three novelties at Humble:

• Humble Bundle has the Black Friday VR Voyager's Pack, with up to 11 games to get during the next 18 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/black-friday-vr-voyagers-pack
• And at the Humble Store we find:
  • The Black Friday Sale, that will last until December 2nd and has games from lots of different publishers: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/black-friday-sale-2022/
  • The 48-Hour Warp Speed Deal (I have no idea who comes up with these names, but geesh) is Stick Fight: The Game 4-Pack, 65% off during another 26 hours: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/stick-fight-4-pack-black-friday-featured-deals/

Fanatical has two new deals and three bundles:

• The new Star Deal is RimWorld, 20% off during 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/rim-world
• The Black Friday Sale is here, with lots of discounts from many publishers: https://www.fanatical.com/en/black-friday
• Three "new" bundles have launched: Rimworld with all expansions (7 days, 12% off), The Jackbox Quintpack (9 days, 53% off) and Batman: Arkham Collection (13 days, 87% off).

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Far Cry 2: Realism+Redux Mod is a must-have for Ubisoft’s classic FPS
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/far-cry-2-realismredux-mod-is-a-must-have-for-ubisoft-classic-fps/
Modders ‘BigTinz’, ‘Boggalog’, ‘FoxAhead’ and ‘Scubrah’ have released a must-have mod for Far Cry 2. Far Cry 2 Realism+ Redux is a crossover of the Realism+ and Redux mods, packing some of the best features of both to provide a fresh and exciting gameplay experience.
Far Cry 2 Realism+ Redux boosts the game’s saturation to bring out some lively color. On top of that, the game’s overall graphics are pushed as far as the engine will allow, with improved draw distance, LOD values and shadows. Furthermore, the project comes with new textures (both AI-enhanced and new/custom ones).
Far Cry 2: Realism+Redux also brings major gameplay improvements. For instance, enemies will now respawn in outposts once half an hour has passed (and not immediately). Moreover, the mod gives an overall boost to player and enemy damage, which immediately makes combat deadlier and more impactful. As such, enemies now feel less bullet-spongy.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim gets a High-Poly Hair Mod for all NPCs
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-gets-a-high-poly-hair-mod-for-all-npcs/
Modder ‘GammaCavy’ has released a new mod that introduces high-poly hair mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition. This mod is based on Macxhiin’s mesh overhaul mod, and covers all of the game’s NPCs.

Duke Nukem 3D Legacy Edition V1.2 is available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/duke-nukem-3d-legacy-edition-v1-2-is-available-for-download/
Modder ‘marcolino123′ has released the latest version of the Legacy Edition Mod for 3D Realms’ classic FPS, Duke Nukem 3D. This mod attempts to rebalance and make the game harder, as well as restore elements that were cut from its alpha and beta builds.
Going into more details, Version 1.2 adds the option to enable Pistol Automatic. Moreover, it tweaks the Elite Pig Cop, gives points to the player for shooting destructible wall textures, adds a “destroyed body” counter, adds Episode Level sub-menu, and re-balances the game for lower difficulties.

Cyberpunk 2077 gets a 4K Body Skin Texture Pack for all characters
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/cyberpunk-2077-gets-a-4k-body-skin-texture-pack-for-all-characters/
Modder ‘XilaMonstrr’ has released a new 4K AI-enhanced Texture Pack for Cyberpunk 2077. According to its description, this pack will overhaul the body skin of all male and female characters (including NPCs).
Do note that this pack does not overhaul the textures of clothes or armor. As the title implies, it only improves the quality of the textures for bodies. In other words, you can appreciate these new textures in naked characters.
In order to overhaul these textures, XilaMonstrr used AI techniques. As such, the newly improved textures retain the aesthetics and art style of their original versions.

Here is Zelda Ocarina of Time Fan Remake in Unreal Engine 5.1 with Lumen
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-is-zelda-ocarina-of-time-fan-remake-in-unreal-engine-5-1-with-lumen/
CryZENx has released a new video, showcasing his Zelda Ocarina of Time fan remake in Unreal Engine 5.1 with Lumen. This video showcases the latest version of the Kakariko Village map, and although it’s not available to the public yet, his Patreon members can download it.
As we’ve said and before, CryZENx will release a more stable build of this project for free to everyone at a later date. Unfortunately, we don’t have any ETA on when that will happen.

GAMING NEWS

Overwatch 2 introduces crossplay aim assist, says lack of it was bad for both console and PC players
https://www.pcgamer.com/overwatch-2-introduces-crossplay-aim-assist-says-lack-of-it-was-bad-for-both-console-and-pc-players/
Blizzard has changed its mind about console aim assist in Overwatch 2 crossplay lobbies. The game's latest patch has now enabled aim assist for console players across all games except competitive.

The Warzone 2 nuke is real: someone just detonated it live on stream
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-call-of-duty-warzone-2-nuke-is-real/
The biggest rumour about Call of Duty: Warzone 2 since its launch this week is that, somewhere on the Al Mazrah map, there's a nuke hidden away: a weapon that, when used, will instantly end the match for all players and declare one squad the victor. The lack of any hard information about this, and the odd bit of developer teasing, has led to players tearing apart Al Mazrah to try and find the weapon.
Take a bow Wagnificent, and not just for the excellent handle. The streamer is the first Warzone 2 player to set off a nuke, and he did it live. In fact, he's is still live on the same stream at the time of writing, but here's the video proof that, yes, Warzone 2 has a nuke.

Bungie is bringing back one of Destiny's most loved armour sets—the one with the wolf's head
https://www.pcgamer.com/bungie-is-bringing-back-one-of-destinys-most-loved-armour-setsthe-one-with-the-wolfs-head/
Destiny 2 players love to complain, and—over the past few years—many of them have groused about the armour sets released for the game's twice-a-season PvP event, Iron Banner. The oft-stated grievance among sci-fi fashionistas is that Destiny 1's sets just looked better. (...)
For those stuck in the past, then, there's good news for next season. Destiny 1's Taken King-era Iron Banner set will be available in Destiny 2.

A medievalist spotted fake Latin in Pentiment, and Obsidian is already working on a fix
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-medievalist-spotted-fake-latin-in-pentiment-and-obsidian-is-already-working-on-a-fix/
Fryske Academy researcher Peter-Alexander Kerkhof, whose name you may recognize from his playful and informative critique of medieval videogame pigs, has largely been enjoying Pentiment, Obsidian's medieval adventure game-RPG hybrid.
However, his trained eye did notice one issue amidst the game's rigorous commitment to its early modern setting: the use of lorem ipsum placeholder text instead of real Latin in Pentiment's intro cutscene.

Oops, Blizzard accidentally trapped some Overwatch 2 players in Bronze 5 Elo hell
https://www.pcgamer.com/oops-blizzard-accidentally-trapped-some-overwatch-2-players-in-bronze-5-elo-hell/
Do you feel like your Overwatch 2 competitive ranking isn't quite as it should be? Are you being matched against players far above, or below, your skill? Do you really and truly believe, somewhere in the back of your mind, that Overwatch 2 is jerking you around? When things don't go our way, it's easy to think that we're being hosed by Elo shenanigans or broken SBMM. But for some players in Overwatch 2, well, it turns out that the conspiracy was real.

Activision calls Epic's latest Google lawsuit allegations 'nonsense'
https://www.pcgamer.com/activision-calls-epics-latest-google-lawsuit-allegations-nonsense/
Activision has dismissed as "nonsense" a claim by Epic Games that Google paid it $360 million in exchange for an agreement not to launch a mobile app store that would compete with Google Play. The allegation was revealed in an unredacted complaint filed earlier this week as part of Epic's ongoing lawsuit against Google, which also claims that a similar agreement was reached with League of Legends studio Riot Games.

This Modern Warfare 2 'pacifist' player hit max level with zero kills. How'd he do it? By only playing the objective
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-modern-warfare-2-pacifist-player-hit-max-level-with-zero-kills-howd-he-do-it-by-only-playing-the-objective/
I love a good pacifist run in a game. Usually no-kill runs happen in an RPG or immersive sim with a stealth system, crouch walking around and bopping guys over the head. It takes a true connoisseur though, like YouTuber ThatFriendlyGuy, to pursue the path of peace in Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer, a team shooter all about taking human life with tacticool guns. Thanks to Eurogamer for the spot.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is causing confusion on Steam with its pre-launch launch
https://www.pcgamer.com/warhammer-40000-darktide-is-causing-confusion-on-steam-with-its-pre-launch-launch/
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (opens in new tab) doesn't officially launch until November 30, but it's available now on Steam for anyone who preorders the game. Reactions to the game, to turn an overused phrase, are decidedly mixed at this point: Some players are digging it, but quite a number are posting negative user reviews. Darktide is currently sitting at a "mostly positive" user ranking on Steam, with 70% of the user reviews giving it a thumbs up, but earlier today it sunk all the way down to "mixed," meaning that only 40-69% of user reviews were positive.
That's a surprisingly low number for the followup to the acclaimed Vermintide games, but it may not represent how players feel about the game in a few weeks. Technically, Darktide is being reviewed before it has "released". In a message about what to expect from the "preorder beta," developer Fatshark listed a number of features not in the beta, including proper spawn points and a detailed weapon stats view, and warned that the initial beta release would be missing quite a lot of content.
>> The subtitle of the article sums the problem quite nicely: "Darktide is facing criticism on Steam because the beta test is actually a beta test." By the way, don't except crossplay with console or Game Pass users anytime soon.

One of PC gaming's most iconic guns just got nerfed
https://www.pcgamer.com/one-of-pc-gamings-most-iconic-guns-just-got-nerfed/
In the same way that I assume the sun will rise in the morning, CS:GO players load into matches assuming the AWP, the iconic sniper rifle that has broken hearts and wrought legends for the last 20 years, will be the same 1-shot-kill god gun it always has been. Well it still kind of is today, but the AWP just got seriously nerfed. I hope the sun is OK.

Sims 4 glitch that infected everyone with a hate plague set to be fixed in 'early December'
https://www.pcgamer.com/sims-4-glitch-that-infected-everyone-with-a-hate-plague-set-to-be-fixed-in-early-december/
Ever since an early October patch, a lot of people's Sims have been real pieces of work, acting up and scrapping with each other like a bunch of alleycats even if they've got the trait sheet of a perfect little angel. There's light at the end of the tunnel though: EA has stated via The Sims Direct Communications support account on Twitter that a fix is coming in "early December."

Monday news, part two:

Assassin's Creed Valhalla comes to a close with its final, December update
https://www.pcgamer.com/ac-valhalla-comes-to-a-close-with-its-final-december-update/
After nearly two years in post-release development, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla will launch its last update on December 6th, 2022. The final update will include The Last Chapter, which Ubisoft describes as "a touching and intimate conclusion to Eivor's saga."

Broforce is coming back for one last job, will probably punch Satan
https://www.pcgamer.com/broforce-is-coming-back-for-one-last-job-will-probably-punch-satan/
The action-fueled bros of Broforce are coming back for one last ride, with one of 2014's best indies posting an announcement that a new update, Broforce Forever, will hit in early 2023. All we truly know so far is that it will contain "New Bros, New Missions, New Freedoms."

Do some sci-fi dungeoneering in the open beta of Endless Dungeon
https://www.pcgamer.com/do-some-sci-fi-dungeoneering-in-the-open-beta-of-endless-dungeon/
Amplitude's giving you another shot to jump in on its in-development action RPG wave defense roguelite... thing... Endless Dungeon. Anyway, it's a kind of isometric shooter-RPG with friends and turrets, is what I'm saying, a cooperative or solo wave d efense where you explore a large space-station complex and defend a little walking crystal in the delightfully-designed world of the Endless series.

There are altogether too many eyeballs in this Darkest Dungeon 2 update
https://www.pcgamer.com/there-are-altogether-too-many-eyeballs-in-this-darkest-dungeon-2-update/
I would like to ask your opinion on how many eyeballs is too many eyeballs. Is it like, five eyeballs? Three? For many I guess it's eight, since that's how many eyeballs a spider has and they do not like spiders. Either way, I think we can agree that the Obsession's Gaze update for Darkest Dungeon 2 has altogether too many eyeballs.

Julius Caesar comes to Civilization 6 for free
https://www.pcgamer.com/julius-caesar-comes-to-civilization-6-for-free/
Julius Caesar is coming back to the Civilization series, and will hit the game starting on November 21, 2022, free for anyone who links a 2K account to Civilization 6. It'll be the first time in a while that Julius Caesar takes the reigns of Rome, acting as an alternative to Trajan, the current leader.

Devs are admitting their 'sins' on Twitter, and there sure are a lot who hid Loss in games
https://www.pcgamer.com/devs-are-admitting-their-sins-on-twitter-and-there-sure-are-a-lot-who-hid-loss-in-games/
While Twitter users joke about the social media platform being on the brink of death and deletion thanks to Elon Musk's mismanagement, game developers have used this opportunity to stage a final confession, an absolution of all their design sins. It began with a senior character artist working on Overwatch admitting he hid "abstracted versions of Loss in older projects", and continued from there.

The Warzone 2 whack-a-mole begins as infinite XP bug discovered and patched within hours
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-warzone-2-whack-a-mole-begins-as-infinite-xp-bug-discovered-and-patched-within-hours/
Players have discovered a Call of Duty: Warzone 2 glitch that allows you to level a gun from baseline to maximum level in a single match: and just as quickly, developer Raven Software swung into action and squished it. It's all thanks to the exponential XP reward that can come from repeating one of the in-game contracts, Safecracker, which is a straightforward mission that nearly doubles the XP award each time one is completed.

Postal 3 has been taken off sale after 11 years, and Postal's original devs are thrilled
https://www.pcgamer.com/postal-3-has-been-taken-off-sale-after-11-years-and-postals-original-devs-are-thrilled/
Execrable videogame Postal 3 has been abruptly removed from sale, owing to issues with its DRM system and the fact that it's been a miserable experience to play since it came out 11 years ago. Running With Scissors, developer of every Postal game but 3, announced the game's withdrawal from sale in a tweet, attributing it to "DRM issues and overall shittiness of the game itself".

Overwatch 2 won't remove Tracer despite damage bug because she kinda sucks without it
https://www.pcgamer.com/overwatch-2-wont-remove-tracer-despite-damage-bug-because-she-kinda-sucks-without-it/
Tracer mains can breathe a sigh of relief. Despite a bug being recently discovered with the damage hero in Overwatch 2, Blizzard says she won't be temporarily banished.
Perhaps less relieving is the knowledge that it's because, without the bug, Tracer would be pretty damn underwhelming. Right now, the issue is that Tracer has zero fall-off damage under 20 meters. It's a pretty big range to be inputting maximum damage. Apparently, pro players had noticed the bug not long after Overwatch 2's launch, but has only just come to light among the wider playerbase.

Rockstar sets new rules for GTA Online roleplay servers after shutting down rapper's NFT grift
https://www.pcgamer.com/rockstar-sets-new-rules-for-gta-online-roleplay-servers-after-shutting-down-rappers-nft-grift/
Rockstar has issued a clarification of its policies around Grand Theft Auto Online roleplay servers, a move that has caused some consternation among the huge community that play GTA Online this way, but seems sparked by an isolated server set up to promote a rapper. Yep: take a bow Lil Durk, if that is your real name.

Modern Warfare 2 brings back the classic Superman bug
https://www.pcgamer.com/modern-warfare-2-brings-back-the-classic-superman-bug/
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare had, for a time, a very amusing glitch that came to be known as the Superman bug. (...)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has already brought a few classic bugs back, and now Superman is back too. In MW2 it appears to manifest in several forms: in some clips we see players hop off the ground and rapidly gain momentum, allowing jumps and gymnastics that should be impossible to non-superheroes, while in others they also appear to gain significant altitude.

RTX 4080 Launch Disaster - November GPU Pricing Update

Thank god.

Zelda CDI has been unofficially remastered on PC

Now people get to experience this gem at higher resolution

AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs Get Amazing Price Cuts Ahead of Black Friday: 7950X For $574 US, 7900X For $474 US, 7700X For $349 US, 7600X For $249 US

https://wccftech.com/amd-ryzen-7000-cpus-amazing-price-cuts-black-friday-7950x-574-us-7900x-474-us-7700x-349-us-7600x-249-us/

Much better prices than before. I will say that motherboard prices are a still a tad to high for my liking. I got my Dark Hero back in the day for around $500 CAD but now a x670E Hero costs almost $1000 CAD.

I was thinking about doing this myself as a plan on getting a 1440P monitor to replace my current 1080P one. And like you i was going to use the 1080P one for secondary stuff like browsing the web or getting guides etc while gaming on my main one.

And for anyone who doesnt browse the Steamdeck thread my wife got me a Steamdeck .