Since Yuri's now offline, I hope that means his flight finally got the green light.

Anyway, here are some hardware news:

PC GPU shipments decreased -15.4% sequentially from last quarter and -38% year to year
https://www.jonpeddie.com/news/pc-gpu-shipments-decreased-15-4-sequentially-from-last-quarter-and-38-year-to-year/

Year to year, total GPU shipments, which include all platforms and all types of GPUs, decreased by -38%, desktop graphics decreased by -24%, and notebooks decreased by -43%—the largest decrease since its peak in 2011. AMD’s overall market share percentage from last quarter increased 0.4%, Intel’s market share decreased by -1.1%, and Nvidia’s market share increased 0.68%, as indicated in the following chart.

Overall, GPU unit shipments decreased by -15.3% from last quarter. AMD’s shipments decreased by -12.7%, Intel’s shipments decreased by -16.5%, and Nvidia’s shipments decreased by -11.7%.

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D has 6 active cores in each chiplet
https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ryzen-9-7900x3d-has-6-active-cores-in-each-chiplet

Makes the most sense. It will be interesting to see if someone tests it with half the cores disabled to see how a 7600X3D processor would have performed. Who knows, it'll do so well that it could have made the 7800X3D look kind of bad, and that's why AMD has decided to not launch it.

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D has been overclocked to 5.9 GHz and delidded
https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ryzen-9-7950x3d-has-been-overclocked-to-5-9-ghz-and-delidded

NVIDIA RTX Video Super Resolution Tested, Advanced Video Upscaling in Your Browser
https://www.techpowerup.com/305296/nvidia-rtx-video-super-resolution-tested-advanced-video-upscaling-in-your-browser

120W-180W of power consumption according to ComputerBase and the results are a bit eh... a step down compared to Sony or Samsung's much more economical real-time upscalers to say the least.

I agree that the resulting image, at least with the video Techpowerup used, isn't much better. Then again, the algorithm still has to learn and results will improve. Hopefully.

I didn't know about the power consumption, which is terrible. But well, once again the GPU has more work to do, so it's inevitable that it ends using more power.

Also, I don't know if some of you use the Opera browser, but it has had a feature called Lucid that already does that and the results aren't too different:

Trying to scam airplane wifi so both of us don't have to pay... Not working thus far lul

I'd bet it's not as easy as in the movies.

*** NEW CONTEST ***

Win an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor
https://www.club386.com/win-an-amd-ryzen-9-7950x3d-processor/
or https://gleam.io/ACZNm/win-an-amd-ryzen-9-7950x3d-processor

This contest is GLOBAL.

Good luck!

The Wednesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG has six new Deals of the Day and a new Midweek Sale:

• These are the six DotD, that will last until Friday:
  • Highrise City, still in development, is 20% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/highrise_city
  • ECHELON is half its price: https://www.gog.com/en/game/echelon
  • BIT.TRIP BEAT gets a 60% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/bittrip_beat
  • Helium Rain is going to be 70% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/helium_rain
  • Rise of Industry comes with a 75% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/rise_of_industry
  • And Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure is also 75% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/tesla_effect_a_tex_murphy_adventure
• The Midweek Sale features up to 90% discounts during 4 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20230301_midweek_sale

Steam has two new deals:

• Alba: A Wildlife Adventure will be 60% off until March 7: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1337010/Alba_A_Wildlife_Adventure/
• And Lumencraft, that has a demo, will get a 30% discount until the 14th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1713810/Lumencraft/

And Fanatical has launched 6 more Dollar Bundles. You can check them out here: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

INTEL Arc & Iris Graphics 31.0.101.4146
https://videocardz.com/driver/intel-arc-iris-graphics-31-0-101-4146
Highlights
Intel® Game On Driver support on Intel® Arc™ A-series Graphics for:

• Destiny 2: Lightfall
• Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Game performance optimizations on Intel® Arc™ A-series Graphics for:

• Halo Infinite (DX12)

Fixed Issues
Intel® Arc™ Graphics Products:

• Halo Infinite (DX12) may exhibit color corruption during gameplay when Reflections settings are enabled.
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (Vulkan) may experience application crash in benchmark mode when Screen Type is Fullscreen.

Intel® Core™ Processor Products:

• Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (DX12) may exhibit texture or striped corruption during gameplay.
• Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (DX12) may exhibit texture or striped corruption during gameplay.Dirt 5 (DX12) may exhibit texture corruption in the skybox.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

-Empty-

GAMING NEWS

Here are the official PC system requirements for Diablo 4’s Open Beta
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/here-are-the-official-pc-system-requirements-for-diablo-4s-open-beta/
Blizzard has just revealed the official PC system requirements for Diablo 4’s Open Beta. As we’ve already said, the beta will be available to everyone on March 24th. So, make sure to read the PC specs in order to find out whether you’ll be able to run it or not.
>> PCGamer has an article with more details about when the Beta starts.

Fallout 76 Update 42 released and here are all of its changes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/fallout-76-update-42-released-and-here-are-all-of-its-changes/
Bethesda has just released a brand new update for Fallout 76. According to the release notes, Update 42 is 14GB on Steam and 23GB on Microsoft Store, and brings numerous tweaks, fixes and improvements.

Sons of the Forest vs The Forest vs Red Dead Redemption 2 – Graphics, Physics & Attention To Detail Comparison Videos
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/sons-of-the-forest-vs-the-forest-vs-red-dead-redemption-2-graphics-physics-comparison-videos/
YouTube’s ‘GameV’ has shared a comparison video between Sons of the Forest and The Forest, as well as one between Sons of the Forest and Red Dead Redemption 2.

New Resident Evil 4 Remake vs Original Graphics Comparison Videos
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-resident-evil-4-remake-vs-original-graphics-comparison-video/
YouTube’s ‘Evil News’ has shared a new comparison video between the remake and the original versions of Resident Evil 4. This new comparison is based on the game’s latest gameplay trailer.

Genshin Impact Update 3.5 is now available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/genshin-impact-update-3-5-is-now-available-for-download/
miHoYo has released the latest title update for its open-world action RPG, Genshin Impact. Update 3.5 features the Windblume Festival with Collei revisiting Mondstadt and seasonal games. Players can also expect a new Archon Quest featuring the Abyss Order, Kaeya, Dainsleif, and the twin Travelers.

Grand Theft Auto 5 Title Update 1.66 Released, Full Patch Notes Revealed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/grand-theft-auto-5-title-update-1-66-released-full-patch-notes-revealed/
Rockstar has released a brand new update for Grand Theft Auto 5. According to the release notes, Title Update 1.66 packs a number of PC-specific fixes.
>> It's mostly for GTA Online stuff.

WILD HEARTS gets an 850MB patch on PC, does not fix its stuttering or optimization issues
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/wild-hearts-gets-a-850mb-patch-on-pc-does-not-fix-its-stuttering-or-optimization-issues/
Omega Force has just released a new patch for WILD HEARTS on PC, weighing around 850MB. As such, we’ve decided to test it and unfortunately, this update does not resolve the game’s stuttering issues.

Part two of the news:

After 10 years of killing dragons, Guild Wars 2's new update is a hint at what comes next
https://www.pcgamer.com/after-10-years-of-killing-dragons-guild-wars-2s-new-update-is-a-hint-at-what-comes-next/
Last year, Guild Wars 2 killed off the last of the Elder Dragons—the main threat that's been facing Tyria ever since the game's launch back in 2012. So what's next? Today, we get our first hint with a new map and story chapter released in the What Lies Beneath update. Recently, I got the chance to play through the update, its story and a portion of its new map-wide meta event.

Hitman developer just announced its next project: an 'online fantasy RPG'
https://www.pcgamer.com/hitmans-developer-just-announced-its-next-project-an-online-fantasy-rpg/
With Hitman's freelancer mode in the rear-view mirror and an upcoming James Bond game boiling away somewhere behind the scenes, IO Interactive has revealed yet another project. The Danish studio has announced in a recent post to its website it's working on the straightforwardly-titled "Project Fantasy," an online fantasy RPG.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer somehow managed to 100% Vampire Survivors while managing the biggest videogame acquisition in history
https://www.pcgamer.com/xbox-boss-phil-spencer-somehow-managed-to-100-vampire-survivors-while-managing-the-biggest-videogame-acquisition-in-history/
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer can't be too concerned about how the Activision acquisition is going, because he's dedicated over ten days of his life to getting every single achievement in Vampire Survivors, including the ones in its Legacy of the Moonspell DLC. Spencer ticked off the Victory Sword achievement—held by a mere 4.74% of Xbox players at time of writing—last Sunday evening, thereby ascending to the pantheon of S-Rank Vampire Survivors players and finally proving himself better than me at playing videogames. Which was probably his intention.
>> It's good to see that some of those big guys in the industry still plays videogames.

After 4 years, Destiny 2's Cayde-6 finally gets the memorial he deserves
https://www.pcgamer.com/after-4-years-destiny-2s-cayde-6-finally-gets-the-memorial-he-deserves/
It's Lightfall day, and players are already finding new details in Destiny 2's latest expansion. Those who visit the Tower before jetting off to Neomuna will notice some redecorating that has occurred in the time since the game went offline for maintenance. Near Zavala you'll find the new Monument to Fellowship, and with it a memorial to a long-departed NPC.

Heck yeah, Sons of the Forest update adds weapon hotkeys
https://www.pcgamer.com/heck-yeah-sons-of-the-forest-update-adds-weapon-hotkeys/
As survival game Sons of the Forest continues to dominate the Steam charts, developer Endnight Games has been working on making the early access experience a bit smoother for players. A new hotfix arrived today, and while it's a small one it addresses a couple of big requests from the community.

Cities: Skylines and BattleTech developers will announce new games next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/cities-skylines-and-battletech-developers-will-announce-new-games-next-week/
Publisher Paradox Interactive will have an announcement stream next week showing off what their internal and published studios will be up to in 2023, including reveals of at least two brand new games and a teaser for a third. Those two new games will be from Harebrained Schemes, the studio behind the Shadowrun RPG trilogy and Battletech; and Colossal Order, the developers behind runaway city-building hit Cities: Skylines.

Square Enix snuffs out Luminous, the studio behind Forspoken
https://www.pcgamer.com/square-enix-snuffs-out-luminous-the-studio-behind-forspoken/
Luminous Productions, the team behind this year's powerfully middling Forspoken, is going quietly into that good night. In a tweet posted yesterday, the studio announced that, "Beginning on May 1," it would "join Square Enix to deliver new, innovative gaming experiences across the globe". In other words, it's being folded into its parent company and ceasing to exist as a separate entity.

The face of Final Fantasy doesn't like the term JRPG, once considered it 'discriminatory'
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-face-of-final-fantasy-doesnt-like-the-term-jrpg-once-considered-it-discriminatory/
I usually think of Final Fantasy as the standard-bearer for JRPGs, but it turns out the standard-bearer for Final Fantasy wasn't always a fan of the term. In an interview with Skill Up, Naoki Yoshida (AKA Yoshi-P)—producer on Final Fantasy 16 and 14—mentioned that Japanese devs weren't keen on the classification when it first cropped up, and even considered it "discriminatory". "It wasn't a compliment to a lot of developers in Japan," recalled Yoshida.

Sure looks like the next Gears of War is ramping up production
https://www.pcgamer.com/sure-looks-like-the-next-gears-of-war-is-ramping-up-production/
A new Gears of War game is in development at the Coalition and, per a bunch of new job listings and a loose-lipped series veteran, production seems to be ramping up. It's on the one hand no surprise that the Canadian studio, which was established specifically to work on the Gears series, is working on the Gears series. On the other, we've heard barely a peep about the mainline entries since 2019's (fairly good) Gears 5 other than a rumour that the series is getting its own Halo: MCC treatment.

Alright, here are some hardware related news. And guys, you can also post the ones you find interesting:

Inland PCIe Gen5 SSD costs $350 (2.4x more than Gen4 SSD) and has a loud fan
https://videocardz.com/newz/inland-pcie-gen5-ssd-costs-350-2-4x-more-than-gen4-ssd-and-has-a-loud-fan

That's a SATA/Molex connector, and that's what powers the fan. Thanks to a youtube video linked in the article, you can see that yes, it's quite noisy.

AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX “Dragon Range” processor has better multi-core performance at less power than Intel Core i9-13980HX
https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ryzen-9-7945hx-dragon-range-processor-has-better-multi-core-performance-at-less-power-than-intel-core-i9-13980hx

Intel Releases New Driver To Mitigate I226 & I225 Ethernet Controller Issues
https://wccftech.com/intel-releases-new-driver-to-mitigate-i226-i225-ethernet-controller-issues/

It's not a fix, but it should help.

AMD 3D V-Cache Boosts RDNA 2 iGPU On Ryzen 9 7950X3D By Over 4x Versus 7950X CPU
https://wccftech.com/amd-3d-v-cache-boosts-rdna-2-igpu-on-ryzen-9-7950x3d-by-over-4x-versus-7950x-cpu/

It's still worse than Intel's iGPU, but much better than in the regular 7950X.