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Thursday news, part two:

After Bobby Kotick tries to scare them off, UK regulators say they'll oppose Activision Blizzard deal
https://www.pcgamer.com/as-bobby-kotick-tries-to-scare-them-off-uk-regulators-say-lets-take-a-closer-look-at-microsofts-acquisition-of-activision-blizzard/
Yesterday Bobby Kotick gave a pair of interviews to CNBC and The Financial Times, during which Activision Blizzard's longtime CEO was typically bullish about Microsoft's proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of the publisher. Kotick pointed at comments from UK prime minister Rishi Sunak about the UK becoming "the Silicon Valley of Europe," and warned that "if deals like this can’t get through, [the UK's] not going to be Silicon Valley, [it'll] be Death Valley". Then he said the UK's regulator "lacked independent thought".
Well, that's nice. In a piece of perfect timing, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has today issued its findings after a preliminary investigation of the deal, and it looks likely to recommend further scrutiny. Its biggest issues are that it reckons the merger would make Microsoft big enough in cloud gaming that it would stifle competition, harm consumers by weakening the rivalry between PlayStation and Xbox, and potentially "result in higher prices, fewer choices, or less innovation for UK gamers."
>> Not only that, they also say that Activision Blizzard should be broken up.

Design your dream gaming setup from the discomfort of your actual gaming setup
https://www.pcgamer.com/design-your-dream-gaming-setup-from-the-discomfort-of-your-actual-gaming-setup/
I don't know about your personal gaming setup, but mine leaves a lot to be desired. My unnecessarily large PC is crammed under my tiny desk meaning I occasionally bang my knee on the corner of the case. My two ancient monitors don't quite fit together so they're at different heights and one has to be turned to a less than ideal angle. I have a shelf within reach but instead of it holding a pleasing selection of paperback books and colorful figurines it's jammed with unopened mail, an angry snarl of charging cables, and a coffee mug I keep forgetting to bring back to the kitchen.
Cozy it ain't, but with My Dream Setup at least I can sit at my cluttered, uncomfortable desk and design the gaming lair I've always wanted.

Forspoken studio promises PC performance improvements are on the way
https://www.pcgamer.com/forspoken-studio-promises-pc-performance-improvements-are-on-the-way/
Forspoken developer Luminous Productions says it is working on a patch that will make meaningful improvements to the game's performance and stability on PC and PlayStation 5. The message comes just one day after the release of the 1.03 patch that was criticized by many players for its lack of significant changes.

Destiny 2 reveals bold plan to stop lethally physics-slamming players into walls
https://www.pcgamer.com/destiny-2-reveals-plan-to-stop-slamming-you-into-a-wall-and-insta-killing-you-for-literally-no-good-reason/
Honestly, if I had a dollar for every time I've been launched into a hard surface and atomised in Destiny 2 I'd probably have enough money to buy Bungie. Or at least the boss design department. (...)
Soon, that frustration may be no more. As part of a now daily fusillade of new info (check out my interview with the developers), Bungie just announced that deaths from physics should be a thing of the past when the next expansion launches on February 28.

That Tron visual novel has a release window, a new trailer, and lots of choices to make
https://www.pcgamer.com/that-tron-visual-novel-has-a-release-window-a-new-trailer-and-lots-of-choices-to-make/
Button up your neon pyjamas, because Tron: Identity has a release window and a new gameplay trailer. Revealed at yesterday's Nintendo Direct, the "narrative puzzle adventure" from Thomas Was Alone and Subsurface Circular creator Mike Bithell will come out sometime in April this year, inviting you to crack open a mystery "In a new Grid, forgotten by its creator and left alone to evolve without User intervention".

Inject Dead Cells' Castlevania DLC straight into my veins please
https://www.pcgamer.com/inject-dead-cells-castlevania-dlc-straight-into-my-veins-please/
Castlevania is in a very weird place right now. (...)
There are games like Vampire Survivors that wear their love for Castlevania on both sleeves, where the lineage is clear even if it's not an official product, and then there's what's happening with the superb Dead Cells. Motion Twin's action-roguelike was similarly inspired by Castlevania in its elements, and such has been its success that (as first announced late last year) it's getting a major piece of DLC called Return to Castlevania.
The developers have now released a new trailer showcasing the DLC, and announced it will release March 6.

The original Life Is Strange devs are making a beautifully animated, choice-driven narrative game next
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-original-life-is-strange-devs-are-making-a-beautifully-animated-choice-driven-narrative-game-next/
Life Is Strange developer Don't Nod has a new game, and it looks like we're trading in teen drama for a tale of megacorps, gods, and the precarious balance between the mortal and divine worlds. So pretty much the same thing. Harmony: The Fall of Reverie was revealed during yesterday's Nintendo Direct, and hits Steam in June this year.

Ubisoft teams up with UK police to tackle 'the most extreme cases' of online harassment and threats
https://www.pcgamer.com/ubisoft-teams-up-with-uk-police-to-tackle-the-most-extreme-cases-of-online-harassment-and-threats/
As the games industry becomes ever-larger, and players become more connected, the problem of toxic behaviour has moved from a background concern to a major issue for developers, publishers and, in extreme cases, the authorities. Now, in a move that will be welcomed by many, publisher Ubisoft has announced it's signed an agreement with the UK police (thanks, BBC) that will see the worst cases of online harassment and threats fast-tracked to the force.

A bunch of classic Nintendo DS JRPGs are headed for PC, but it'll cost ya
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-bunch-of-classic-nintendo-ds-jrpgs-are-headed-for-pc-but-itll-cost-ya/
Permit me one moment to complain, readers. Over ten years ago, I buckled and bought a CD copy of Knights of the Old Republic 2, since it clearly wasn't coming to Steam. It came to Steam a few months later. At some point I did the same with Planescape: Torment, just before it released on GOG. Literally last month I bought the first few Etrian Odyssey games for my indomitable 3DS before Nintendo could close the eshop, and hey, guess what? Etrian Odyssey 1, 2, and 3 are headed to PC in a newly remastered form on June 1. I am the plaything of fickle gods.



Please excuse my bad English.

Currently gaming on a PC with an i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.

Around the Network

NVIDIA R530 drivers with RTX Video Super Resolution to be released later this month

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-r530-drivers-with-rtx-video-super-resolution-to-be-released-later-this-month

NVIDIA RTX workstation “Ada Generation” mobile processors spotted

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-rtx-workstation-ada-generation-mobile-processors-spotted

Intel Core i9-13980HX Raptor Lake-HX CPU retakes top place in PassMark mobile CPU ranking

https://wccftech.com/topic/hardware/



                  

PC Specs: CPU: 7800X3D || GPU: Strix 4090 || RAM: 32GB DDR5 6000 || Main SSD: WD 2TB SN850

Hogwarts Legacy Benchmark Test & Performance Analysis Review - VRAM Usage Record

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/hogwarts-legacy-benchmark-test-performance-analysis/6.html

Raster:

Ray Tracing:

Raster performance falls in line with the type of performance that we usually expect from Radeon vs Nvidia. The Ray Tracing performance is shockingly bad however. A 7900XTX should not be losing to a 3060 under any circumstances. But the key thing to note which I mentioned previously is "We tested the public release version of Hogwarts Legacy, not a press preview version. Neither AMD, nor NVIDIA have released game-ready drivers yet."

So perhaps it will get better with the driver update. There is also a rumoured day 1 patch coming too for Hogwarts. So take the RT results with a grain of salt. Also the vram usage may not be reporting right cause usually when GPUs runs out of vram, their performance tanks hard which isn't something that we see here. For example the 3070 is still faster than a 6700XT even at 4k in both RT and Raster.

Last edited by Jizz_Beard_thePirate - on 09 February 2023

                  

PC Specs: CPU: 7800X3D || GPU: Strix 4090 || RAM: 32GB DDR5 6000 || Main SSD: WD 2TB SN850

Yeah, something's clearly wrong with AMD's drivers in RT. It's impossible for the new cards to perform so bad... or at least it should be impossible.



Please excuse my bad English.

Currently gaming on a PC with an i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.

JEMC said:

Yeah, something's clearly wrong with AMD's drivers in RT. It's impossible for the new cards to perform so bad... or at least it should be impossible.

Yee infact Techpowerup updated their benchmarks with A770 which actually does have driver updates. Since I have it linked directly, it overwrote the previous link so it's now reflected there when initially, it wasn't. The fact that an A770 is able to beat a 3080 in Ray Tracing because Nvidia hasn't released game ready drivers yet really goes to show the importance of driver updates.



                  

PC Specs: CPU: 7800X3D || GPU: Strix 4090 || RAM: 32GB DDR5 6000 || Main SSD: WD 2TB SN850

Around the Network
Captain_Yuri said:
JEMC said:

Yeah, something's clearly wrong with AMD's drivers in RT. It's impossible for the new cards to perform so bad... or at least it should be impossible.

Yee infact Techpowerup updated their benchmarks with A770 which actually does have driver updates. Since I have it linked directly, it overwrote the previous link so it's now reflected there when initially, it wasn't. The fact that an A770 is able to beat a 3080 in Ray Tracing because Nvidia hasn't released game ready drivers yet really goes to show the importance of driver updates.

Well, the game officially launches Friday, we'll see if Nvidia (and hopefully AMD) will launch a new driver in the coming hours.



Please excuse my bad English.

Currently gaming on a PC with an i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.

The Friday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Fanatical has a new Star Deal and a new bundle (by the way, a new Bundlefest will start on Monday):

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-No new drivers, sorry-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Dark Souls 3 gets a 24GB 4K Texture Pack, aiming to overhaull all textures
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/dark-souls-3-gets-a-24gb-4k-texture-pack-aiming-to-overhaull-all-textures/
Modder ‘Bardo’ has released a 4K Texture Pack for Dark Souls 3 that weighs around 24GB in size, and aims to overhaul all of the game’s textures.
Going into more details, Bardo has enhanced over 5000 textures, replacing them with high-resolution counterparts. In total, the modder has edited and replaced over 1500 textures. Furthermore, all textures were upscaled to 4K resolution, including half-sized normal maps.
>> There's a handful of screenshots.

Thomas the Tank Engine steams straight into Hogwarts Legacy
https://www.pcgamer.com/thomas-the-tank-engine-steams-straight-into-hogwarts-legacy/
As is tradition, one of the first mods for Hogwarts Legacy adds Thomas the Tank Engine. Created by Showie, the ThomasBroom mod turns the Moon Trimmer broomstick into the cheery blue locomotive, with your avatar visible in the driver's carriage.
Per Showie this "has some issues with clipping and culling, but decided to release it as-is for now." The only in-game requirement is you'll need to have unlocked a broomstick. Needless to say the reaction over at NexusMods is exultant but, of all the recurring gaming memes, the Thomas the Tank Engine mods still make me smile. It all began in 2019 with a mod for, of course, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim which replaced a dragon with Thomas as well as adding sound effects from the show

GAMING NEWS

Atomic Heart gets detailed final PC system requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/atomic-heart-gets-detailed-final-pc-system-requirements/
Mundfish has just released detailed final PC system requirements for their upcoming FPS, Atomic Heart. And, from the looks of it, this new game will be mostly GPU-bound and not CPU-bound.

Octopath Traveller 2 PC Demo is now available on Steam
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/octopath-traveller-2-pc-demo-is-now-available-on-steam/
Now here is a pleasant surprise. Square Enix has just released a PC demo for Octopath Traveller 2 on Steam. Furthermore, this Prologue Demo will allow players to transfer their save data to the full version once – and if – they purchase it.

Resident Evil 7 Alpha screenshots leaked, featuring Leon Kennedy
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/resident-evil-7-alpha-screenshots-leaked-featuring-leon-kennedy-ashley/
Industry insider ‘Dusk Golem’ has shared some details and screenshots for the early versions of Resident Evil 7. According to Dusk Golem, Resident Evil 7 was originally meant to have a third-person perspective, and feature Leon S. Kennedy and Sherry.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty gets official PC system requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/wo-long-fallen-dynasty-gets-official-pc-system-requirements/
KOEI Tecmo has just shared the official PC system requirements for Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Furthermore, the company revealed that the game will support NVIDIA DLSS 2 and Intel XeSS via a post-launch update.

Battlefield 2042 Update 3.2.1 will release next week, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/battlefield-2042-update-3-2-1-will-release-next-week-full-patch-notes/
DICE has announced that Update 3.2.1 for Battlefield 2042 will release next week. Moreover, the team has revealed its complete changelog which you can find below.



Please excuse my bad English.

Currently gaming on a PC with an i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.

Friday news, part two:

Hearthstone's new Naxxramas miniset launches next week and we have a Legendary card to reveal
https://www.pcgamer.com/new-hearthstone-miniset-and-exclusive-legendary-minion-revealed/
After a whole 48 hours of mourning for Hearthstone's doomed Mercenaries mode, it's now time move on in the form of a new mini-set coming to Standard next week. I'm delighted to say that Naxx will once again soon be out. Yes, the next slimline expansion is called Return to Naxxramas and it drops on February 14, because card games are for the lovers.

Genshin Impact voice actor apologizes for sexual misconduct with fans on Discord, other actors 'furious' and 'disgusted'
https://www.pcgamer.com/genshin-impact-voice-actor-apologizes-for-sexual-misconduct-with-fans-on-discord-other-actors-furious-and-disgusted/
Genshin Impact voice actor Elliot Gindi, who provides the English voice of Tighnari in the game, has admitted to and apologized for sexual misconduct involving fans, although he denies preying on underage members of the community.
>> Someone's going to lose his job...

Hogwarts Legacy PC players are cursed with stuttering and other performance issues
https://www.pcgamer.com/hogwarts-legacy-pc-players-are-cursed-with-stuttering-and-other-performance-issues/
Some Hogwarts Legacy early access players are having trouble getting the game to run smoothly on PC, even with hardware that meets its minimum system requirements.

World of Warcraft is ditching Twitter integration
https://www.pcgamer.com/world-of-warcraft-is-ditching-twitter-integration/
Blizzard has announced that World of Warcraft's Twitter integration, which enabled players to tweet about achievements, rare finds, and other activities directly from within the game, is being disabled.

This eerie RPG looks like Baldur's Gate on Game Boy, and it's out soon
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-eerie-rpg-looks-like-baldurs-gate-on-game-boy-and-its-out-soon/
Amidst all the commotion of the Steam Next Fest and some kind of big wizard game coming out this week, an absolutely captivating-looking indie RPG has emerged on Steam: Felvidek (sometimes styled Felvidék) is a low-fantasy, turn-based game made with the venerable RPG Maker toolset, and it has an absolutely stunning aesthetic all its own.
>> Ha! If only Game Boy had those detailed graphics.

TF2 is getting an 'update-sized update' this summer, but the community has to make it themselves
https://www.pcgamer.com/tf2-is-getting-an-update-sized-update-this-summer-but-the-community-has-to-make-it-themselves/
Valve has put out a blog post revealing that Team Fortress 2 will be getting a "major update" this summer⁠, which is to say that it won't just be getting the usual injection of new cosmetic items, but a whole smorgasbord of "items, maps, taunts, unusual effects, war paints and who knows what else?"

Sony accuses Microsoft of 'obvious harassment' in latest FTC court filing
https://www.pcgamer.com/sony-accuses-microsoft-of-obvious-harassment-in-latest-ftc-court-filing/
You know, I'm not sure the console dads will ever share a stage again. Mere days after Bobby Kotick accused Sony of "trying to sabotage" Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard in the pages of the Financial Times, Sony has come out and accused Microsoft of "obvious harassment" (via Axios) in a recent filing to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Final Fantasy 14 suspends automatic housing demolition following the Turkey-Syria earthquake
https://www.pcgamer.com/final-fantasy-14-suspends-automatic-housing-demolition-following-the-turkey-syria-earthquake/
Final Fantasy 14's housing demolition timer has once again been suspended by Square Enix, this time due to the devastating Turkey-Syria earthquake that's seen at least 21,000 people die.
The suspension only affects players on the Chaos and Light data centres, Europe's collection of servers. Players on servers across the American, Japanese and Oceanic data centres still have the housing demolition timer in place.

A Division 2 update broke things so bad the game can't be updated again until they fix the system for delivering updates
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-division-2-update-broke-things-so-bad-the-game-cant-be-updated-again-until-they-fix-the-system-for-delivering-updates/
Massive Entertainment's The Division 2 launched in 2019 and, while it's not the type of game that makes headlines every week, it has since tootled along quite nicely thanks to regular seasonal updates, and the promise of more to come from the series. The most recent update, however, has been a disaster on a scale that is still not yet fully clear: Perhaps even to the developer.

The Witcher 3's next-gen update has added detailed vaginas to female monsters, apparently by mistake?
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-witcher-3s-next-gen-update-has-added-detailed-vaginas-to-female-monsters-apparently-by-mistake/
Well, here's an article that future acquaintances will find when they Google my name for the rest of my life. You remember that Witcher 3 next-gen update? The one that polished the 2015 game to a mirror-sheen, finally added a fast travel point to Crow's Nest, and integrated a bunch of popular mods into the base game? Well, it looks like one of those mods has added some searingly detailed genitals to the game's more, ah, feminine monsters (thanks[?]Kotaku).
>> By "mistake", of course...

Vampire survival game getting major free update that overhauls combat, castles, necromancers, and more
https://www.pcgamer.com/vampire-survival-game-getting-major-free-update-that-overhauls-combat-castles-necromancers-and-more/
Early access game V Rising has, since launch, amassed a sizeable audience of wannabe bloodsuckers, dedicated to building majestic castles and striking down the holy. At the start of the year developer Stunlock Studios announced it would first of all be improving what one might call the castle fantasy of the game: You couldn't build vertically, so vampires were reduced to building up hills in order to get that essential looming gothic vibe, but very soon you can.

And now, the GOG and Steam deals for the weekend:

+GOG

+Steam

Nothing else to add. Until next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.



Please excuse my bad English.

Currently gaming on a PC with an i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.

Windows 11 may soon allow users to control RGB lighting without third-party software

https://videocardz.com/newz/windows-11-may-soon-allow-users-to-control-rgb-lighting-without-third-party-software

That would actually be a very useful feature if it works correctly as it could allow users to mix and match vendors

AMD Grabs Over 30% CPU Market Share As Intel Continues To Decline

https://wccftech.com/amd-grabs-over-30-percent-market-share-with-epyc-cpus-intel-continues-to-decline/

Intel certainly needs to change their tactic on desktop/mobile but idk if there's much that can be done in server. AMD is too far ahead with Epyc and Intels reliance on their own fabs is really hurting them in that space

CPUs See Biggest Shipment Decline in 30 Years

https://www.pcmag.com/news/cpus-see-biggest-shipment-decline-in-30-years

Market correcting itself after crazy pandemic sales



                  

PC Specs: CPU: 7800X3D || GPU: Strix 4090 || RAM: 32GB DDR5 6000 || Main SSD: WD 2TB SN850

Here's a couple PCGamer articles that didn't fit in the news, but you may find interesting:

Oops, ChatGPT can be hacked to offer illicit AI-generated content including malware
https://www.pcgamer.com/oops-chatgpt-can-be-hacked-to-offer-illicit-ai-generated-content-including-malware/
Remember a while ago when OpenAI Ceo, Sam Altman, said that the misuse of artificial intelligence could be "lights out for all?" Well, that wasn't such an unreasonable statement considering now that hackers are selling tools to get past ChatGPT's restrictions to make it generate malicious content.

Checkpoint reports (via Ars Technica) that cybercriminals have found a fairly easy way to bypass ChatGPT content moderation barriers and make a quick buck doing so. For less than $6, you can have ChatGPT generate malicious code or a ton of persuasive copy for phishing emails. 

Well, now we know why Google closed Stadia
https://www.pcgamer.com/well-now-we-know-why-google-closed-stadia/
January saw the closure of Google's Stadia cloud gaming service and, while Google managed the process well and no-one was left out of pocket, now we know the big reason why. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has been in the headlines for saying it will oppose Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and as part of that it released various statistics about the games industry, including the cloud gaming market. It makes painful reading for most companies in the sector apart from, funnily enough, Microsoft.

The CMA's provisional findings include a section on cloud gaming that includes statistics on how many people used various cloud gaming services. It doesn't provide exact headcounts but each service's market share as a percentage range, over the period 2021-2022, based on monthly active users, and the report makes clear these figures are based on information provided directly by the companies concerned. These percentages also reflect global use and not just the UK audience.

The breakdown follows. The xCloud designation incorporates various Microsoft services, most notably Game Pass, and it's that which probably lies behind the incredible growth seen here.

Cloud gaming market share in 2021

  • xCloud: 20-30%
  • PlayStation Cloud Gaming: 30-40%
  • Nvidia GFN: 20-30%
  • Google Stadia 5-10%

Cloud gaming market share in 2022

  • xCloud: 60-70%
  • PlayStation Cloud Gaming: 10-20%
  • NVIDIA GFN: 10-20%
  • Google Stadia: 0-5%
  • Amazon Luna: 0-5%


Please excuse my bad English.

Currently gaming on a PC with an i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.