Yea I agree that there are no good buys and the term "It's just good business." But that's why I went with Nvidia. Because in an era where all 3 companies are bad choices, Nvidia at least is pushing the boundaries and giving you an experience like no other. You get Ray Tracing which gives you visual experiences that far exceed anything consoles can deliver it is easily noticeable. You get DLSS which is Ai upscaling trained on Super Computers. You get Reflex which lowers the latency significantly with a click of a button. And it's not like any of those are gimmicks as all of them have been tested by many tech outlets and all of them have been proven to be significantly better than the alternative.

And yes, Nvidia is really into the whole Ai thing but so is Intel and AMD. You look at interviews and the direction that Intel and AMD are heading, they are investing loads of R&D into Ai because they know that it's the future. The difference is, Nvidia got there first and continues to innovate on features well ahead of both AMD and Intel. Why do you think RDNA 3 has gotten such a massive improvement in Ai capabilities over RDNA 2? Why do you think Lisa Su went up on stage and announced Ai acceleration for their upcoming CPUs? Just for shits and giggles?

Nvidia is not going to abandon their gaming sector just because datacenter makes more money for them. Cause by that logic, AMD and Intel would be abandoning the gaming sector as well because datacenter makes more money for them too. The reality is that Nvidia will continue to bring features generations ahead of AMD and maybe Intel for a premium price because it's a big chunk of their revenue. Now whether or not you think the premium price is worth it is another question entirely. Cause all some people need is a faster PS5 with all the benefits of pc gaming for a far cheaper price and there is nothing wrong with that.

The Thursday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

More people have played The Sims 4 than live in France
https://www.pcgamer.com/more-people-have-played-the-sims-4-than-live-in-france/
The numbers are in, and it turns out that basically all of you are playing The Sims 4. In an announcement put out yesterday, EA announced that The Sims 4 is officially the "most widely-played game in the history of the franchise" with over 70 million people having played the game, 16 million of which signed up since it went free-to-play last October.
Well, isn't that nice? But some of the news is a lot scarier. Since the release of the Growing Together expansion pack containing the "infant life stage," reads the announcement in a tone usually reserved for Resident Evil antagonists, The Sims 4 has accrued more than "8.6 million Sims infants in-game".

The Epic Store gives away two titles:

• Beyond Blue: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/beyond-blue
• Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna): https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/never-alone-kisima-ingitchuna

Next week, the free games will be Breathedge and Poker Club.

GOG seems to have forgotten that today it's Thirsday, not Friday, and have launched 5 new Deals of the Day and 4 new sales:

• The first DotD is Jagged Alliance: Rage! , 95% off during 70 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/jagged_alliance_rage
• Lock's Quest will also be 95% off during the same 70 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/locks_quest
• The other three Deals of the Day revolve around the Alien: Isolation game, and will last 94 hours:
  • Alien: Isolation is 80% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/alien_isolation
  • The Alien: Isolation - Season Pass is 80% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/alien_isolation_season_pass
  • And the Alien: Isolation Collection will also be 80% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/alien_isolation_collection
• Publisher Gamera Games celebrates its 5th anniversary putting its games up to 50% off until April 26. Learn more here: https://www.gog.com/en/news/publisher_sale_5th_anniversary_of_gamera_games_with_their_great_titles_up_to_50_off
• The Travel the Worlds Sale comes with up to 89% discounts during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2023_travel_the_worlds
• Publisher HandyGames puts its catalog on sale with up to 90% discounts during 9 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2023_handy_games_sale
• And the NSFW Spring Sale and its up to 90% off deals will be available until the 1st of May: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2023_nsfw_spring

Steam has two new deals:

• AMID EVIL will be 75% off until April 26: https://store.steampowered.com/app/673130/AMID_EVIL/
• And the Ultimate Voxel Destruction Sale, with 3 games, features between 50 and 75% discounts until the 3rd of May: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/DoborogGames/sale/ultimatevoxeldestruction

There are two new deals at Humble:

• Humble Bundle has the In Your Face VR Bundle, with up to 7 games to get during the next 18 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/in-your-face-vr
• The Humble Store has an Assetto Corsa Competizione Sale, with the game and different DLCs up to 70% off during 5 days. The keys are for Steam: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/assetto-corsa-competizione-sale/

Fanatical has the new BYO Trinity Bundle, with 16 titles to choose from for your 3, 5 or 7 games bundle: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-trinity-bundle.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

New version released for the Sonic 2006 Fan Remake, Project ’06
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-version-released-for-the-sonic-2006-fan-remake-project-06/
In November 2019, we shared a fan remake of Sonic 2006 in Unity Engine, called Project ’06. And today, we are happy to report that a brand new version of it is available for download.
According to the developers, this is the third installment of Project ’06’s episodic releases and the full release of Silver’s Trial Campaign accompanied by Sonic’s & Shadow’s Trial Campaigns with all kinds of improvements and enhancements.
This release contains every stage available in Silver’s, Shadow’s and Sonic’s stories. However, we should note that it’s not compatible with your older saves. That is of course if you’ve played the previous versions of this fan remake.
>> The article has a short video of the mod.

Half-Life: Alyx NoVR Mod Update #7 is available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/half-life-alyx-novr-mod-update-7-is-available-for-download/
A couple of days ago, the “GB_2 Development Team” released the seventh major update for its NoVR Mod for Half-Life: Alyx. This new patch comes with a lot of bug fixes and introduces some new features that we’ll detail below.
Update #7 updates more ladders with a new animation. And while this is great news, not all of the game’s ladders have been updated. So yeah, expect to see the game’s default teleportation in some of them. Players can also expect a new Half-Life Alyx-inspired HUD.
This update also adjusts the shotgun puzzle by making the wheel easier to use. Moreover, it adds inverted mouse support, as well as a Quicksave Tutorial.
>> There's an over 8 minutes video detailing the changes of this update.

Paper Mario PC ports beckon as coder completes full decompilation of the N64 classic
https://www.pcgamer.com/paper-mario-pc-ports-beckon-as-coder-completes-full-decompilation-of-the-n64-classic/
It takes a brave kind of person to announce they've fully decompiled Paper Mario mere days after Nintendo finished mounting hacker Gary Bowser's head on a proverbial spike, and that person is Ethan Roseman. Spotted by VGC, Roseman—a coder—has announced that he's "reached 100% completion" on a project aimed at decompiling the Nintendo 64 classic, opening the way for mods and unofficial PC ports.

GAMING NEWS

Death Stranding April 19th Patch adds support for Intel XeSS 1.1 & DualSense Edge
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/death-stranding-april-19th-patch-adds-support-for-intel-xess-1-1-dualsense-edge/
Kojima Productions has released a new patch for Death Stranding Director’s Cut that adds support for Intel XeSS 1.1 and DualSense Edge.

Returnal April 19th Update released and detailed, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/returnal-april-19th-update-released-and-detailed-full-patch-notes/
Housemarque and Climax Studios have released the April 19th Update for Returnal. In addition, the teams have shared its complete changelog which you can find below.

First official trailer for the Unreal Engine 5-powered body-cam FPS, Unrecord
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/first-official-trailer-for-the-unreal-engine-5-powered-body-cam-fps-unrecord/
Developer DRAMA has just released the first official gameplay trailer for their upcoming Unreal Engine 5-powered body-cam FPS, Unrecord.
>> I have to say that I'm having a hard time deciding if it's a real gameplay footage from a videogame or an excellently edited video.

Capcom restores the missing Ray Tracing options from Resident Evil 2 Remake & Resident Evil 3 Remake
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/capcom-restores-the-missing-ray-tracing-options-from-resident-evil-2-remake-resident-evil-3-remake/
Last week, we informed you about a bug that disabled the ray tracing settings from the PC versions of Resident Evil 2 Remake and Resident Evil 3 Remake. And today, Capcom issued a new update that restores these RT options on PC.

Thursday news, part two:

Age of Empires 2 gets some all-timer patch notes as it finally stops monks hiding in relics and dying when they drop them
https://www.pcgamer.com/age-of-empires-2-gets-some-all-timer-patch-notes-as-it-finally-stops-monks-hiding-in-relics-and-dying-when-they-drop-them/
Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition was released in 2019, and is as faithful a remaster of 1999's Age of Empires 2 as you'll get: To the extent it shares many of the original game's beloved bugs and foibles. One that lay dormant for the longest time, however, was only discovered after a tournament last year. The excellently named Walhalla featured a game in which a player's monk goes to return a relic to a monastery and, as he does so, keels over and dies.

Sean 'Day9' Plott launches his own game studio to make a 'multiplayer PC strategy game'
https://www.pcgamer.com/sean-day9-plott-launches-his-own-game-studio-to-make-a-multiplayer-pc-strategy-game/
As a former StarCraft pro and current PC Gaming Show host, Sean "Day9" Plott is well known for playing games and talking about games. And now he's getting into the business of making games: Plott announced on Twitter that he's founded a new game studio called—and, honestly, I'm not sure if this is permanent or what, but it's what it says on the website—Day9's Game Studio.

The Day Before announces a beta test and pledges a return to Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-day-before-announces-a-beta-test-and-pledges-a-return-to-steam/
When last we left The Day Before, once upon a time the second-most wishlisted game on Steam, it was embroiled in a bizarre trademark dispute with a South Korean calendar app. That argument had seen the game's release date pushed back by eight months, its videos delisted from YouTube, and its Steam page summarily yanked off the platform.
But you can't keep a good man down, or a company that's committed so many resources to a project that it's too late to back out now. PCGamesN reports that the game's developer, Fntastic, has announced via The Day Before Discord that it's going to get a beta test ahead of its November 10 release date. What's more, the company says the game should come back to Steam, too.

A fan favorite is returning as Darkest Dungeon 2's final launch character, and he's looking worse than ever
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-fan-favorite-is-returning-as-darkest-dungeon-2s-final-launch-character-and-hes-looking-worse-than-ever/
As we approach Darkest Dungeon 2's 1.0 release on May 8, Red Hook Studios has revealed the final character coming to the grimdark roguelike at launch: the Flagellant. This nasty, nasty man is far worse for wear than he appeared to be in the original Darkest Dungeon, and he brings with him a Blight-focused, high-risk playstyle that's unconventional, adding to his appeal as a pain-loving weirdo.

Rogue Trader shows off one of Warhammer 40K's most interesting locations for the first time in a videogame
https://www.pcgamer.com/rogue-trader-shows-off-one-of-warhammer-40ks-most-interesting-locations-for-the-first-time-in-a-videogame/
Amid the ocean of upcoming Warhammer games, one has risen to the top for me: Rogue Trader. CRPG developer Owlcat Games will be letting us explore the grimdark future in an RPG party, gallivanting around and getting into all sorts of trouble. It's yet to be given a release date, though it's "coming soon", and in the meantime there's a new trailer to gawk at.

The best-named game of the year finally has a release date, and it's just 4 months away
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-named-game-of-the-year-finally-has-a-release-date-and-its-just-4-months-away/
As a Lethal League Blaze devotee, I've been waiting impatiently for indie studio Team Reptile's next game, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk. Not only is it the best-named videogame in this or any other year, but it's also a long-overdue revival of the skates and graffiti pairing of Sega's classic Jet Set Radio. That Dreamcast game remains beloved, but only managed to spawn a single sequel before disappearing into Sega's back catalog. Now there's Cyberfunk, and it's coming in August.

Thank the dark ones: Cult of the Lamb is getting a big free DLC update this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/thank-the-dark-ones-cult-of-the-lamb-is-getting-a-big-free-dlc-update-this-month/
Good news, folks. All those nights I spent ritually sacrificing my spouses and disposing of their bodies in the composter to the east of town have finally paid off. My dark prayers are answered in the form of DLC for Cult of the Lamb. It's out this month, and it's free. Honestly, that's probably worth throwing a few more life partners onto the pile for.

Dark and Darker devs apologize for buggy playtest, but I for one am glad I torrented it
https://www.pcgamer.com/dark-and-darker-devs-apologize-for-buggy-playtest-but-i-for-one-am-glad-i-torrented-it/
After the game was pulled from Steam due to an ongoing legal fight with Nexon, Dark and Darker's developers decided to go underground, asking players to torrent the latest playtest. Shocking probably no one, that didn't make for the most logistically sound weekend. "We want to apologize for all the bugs, instability, and hurdles that you had to endure during this playtest," Ironmace CEO Terence Park posted in the official Discord server today.

Ubisoft's MouseTrap works, and console players are dancing on cheat hardware's grave
https://www.pcgamer.com/ubisofts-mousetrap-works-and-console-players-are-dancing-on-cheat-hardwares-grave/
Ubisoft's wild attempt to create a software that can detect and defeat people using a mouse and keyboard on Rainbow Six Siege's console version seems to have paid off. Makers of the hardware "spoofing" device XIM, which lets you use whatever input you want on your console, are saying that—despite their best efforts otherwise—you're not using it in Siege any time soon.

Big update this week on future of The Division, including Heartland and Resurgence
https://www.pcgamer.com/big-update-this-week-on-future-of-the-division-including-heartland-and-resurgence/
Ubisoft will preview what's coming next for the growing series of The Division games on April 20, at 11AM PDT / 8PM CEST / 2PM EDT / 6PM GMT. That'll include a new look at gameplay from The Division Heartland, a roadmap of Year 5 updates for The Division 2 alongside the new Descent game mode, and an update on the mobile spinoff The Division Resurgence.

We might be getting another Diablo 4 beta soon
https://www.pcgamer.com/we-might-be-getting-another-diablo-4-beta-soon/
Don't hold your breath, but there's a chance we might be returning to Sanctuary a little earlier than we thought. A new tweet from the official Diablo account has sparked hope of another Diablo 4 beta incoming before its full release on June 6.

Please stop doing war crimes in multiplayer games, it's upsetting the Red Cross
https://www.pcgamer.com/please-stop-doing-war-crimes-in-multiplayer-games-its-upsetting-the-red-cross/
If my actions in videogames count, I might be one of the worst criminals to ever exist. I've shot enemies while they're down, caught civilians in my crossfire, and reduced whole towns to rubble. All thoroughly ungentlemanly conduct, and it turns out the International Red Cross is sick of it.

Atari buys up over 100 'groundbreaking and award-winning' games from the '80s and '90s and says 'many' will be re-released
https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-up-over-100-groundbreaking-and-award-winning-games-from-the-80s-and-90s-and-says-many-will-be-re-released/
Something strange has been going on at Atari in recent years: Under CEO Wade Rosen, who's held that position since April 2021, Atari has overseen some good re-imaginings of its old titles, culminating in a 50th anniversary game smooshing together elements of the company's history that was pretty great.
Atari has now announced via press release it's acquired "more than 100 PC and console titles from the 1980s and 1990s." The games seem to be mostly from the back catalogues of three publishers: Accolade, Infogrames and Microprose. Included among them are games from the Bubsy the Bobcat series, Hardball, Demolition Racer, and the 1942: Pacific Air War, F-117A, and F-14 air combat series. Following the acquisition Atari is going to look to re-release certain of these titles, sell merch, and most importantly "create new games based on the IP."

NVIDIA Reportedly Limiting Production of GeForce RTX 4070 GPUs Due To Poor Sales

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-reportedly-limiting-production-of-geforce-rtx-4070-gpus-due-to-poor-sales/

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 3D V-Cache CPU Shines In Linux Compared To Windows 11

https://wccftech.com/amd-ryzen-7-7800x3d-3d-v-cache-cpu-shines-in-linux-compared-to-windows-11/

Almost 300 games and apps!

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 drops 9% below MSRP in Poland just a week after launch

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4070-drops-9-below-msrp-in-poland-just-a-week-after-launch

Needs to be $500 or less honestly

AMD Radeon 780M RDNA3 iGPU has been tested, delivers smooth 1080p gaming

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-radeon-780m-rdna3-igpu-has-been-tested-delivers-smooth-1080p-gaming

OLED vs IPS – 3 Months Later.

Very impressive from the OLED now that the Asus version has better brightness than LG. Still costs $1000 so ain't cheap. But for high end gaming monitors, good stuff. No 4k option sadly.

Congrats! And for £20 I'll buy The Last of Us key from you (if it can be activated without an AMD GPU). Or we can trade keys for other PC games... I have a lot of them.

The All-New Radeon 780M Is The Fastest iGPU! Ryzen 9 7940HS Hands On First Look

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-radeon-780m-rdna3-igpu-has-been-tested-delivers-smooth-1080p-gaming

Something like this could power the Steam deck 2

Sounds like Nvidia wasn't too happy with MSI naming convention as it could miss lead people to think it was actually a "Super" series card.

Cheers! @Conina 

Sure. I read there's a validation hardware check on AMD Rewards in order to claim the key. Not too sure I'll dabble with with it and will let you know when I get them. If no issues we can sort via DM's when they arrive and you still want the game :)

Nvidia has no one to blame but themselves. They gone the greedy route and, on top of that, they're doing that with parts that offer underwhelming performance improvements.

They'll probably have more luck with the 4060Ti if it's "only" $50 more than its predecessor, because that's a price increase that's not so excessive to be insulting, but that will also depend on how well that part performs, which the same rumors about its price tell us that it won't be great either.

We'll see if lowering the supply will help this card, but at the end of the day, less cards also means less sales, and that's not what Nvidia nor its partners want, so maybe Poland is just the first of many to follow.

And

AMD seems to have great designs with its mobile products, and that iGPU will be enough for many, many casual players. Put it in a laptop or a mini-PC and you're good to go.

Yeah, I can't make heads or tails of that trailer. Until it proves otherwise I'm assuming it's too good to be true.