Damn congrats dude! Let us know your impressions!

Congratulations, Conina!

That's mighty impressive, Meteor Lake really has it's work cut out here if it wants to compete.

And let's not forget the GPU part, which is apparently comparable to a 1650...

If it takes this long for the ps5 to load the textures, PC version is gonna be a disaster of epic proportions

Seeing all these shader stutters/compilation issues, combined with the fact that I also cannot afford current gen GPU's, makes me sorta glad I'm in this current stage, because it means I get to avoid all this fuckery.

That and indie games just have that charm and cheaper price tags/modding, while these AAA games are stuttering to hell, demand more power and seemingly boil some GPU's to breaking point for some extra shininess to them.

All of that at 15w

The Thursday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

The Epic Store gives away:

• Breathedge: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/breathedge
• Poker Club: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/poker-club

Next week, the free games will be Against All Odds, Horizon Chase Turbo and Kao the Kangaroo.

Confirming that what happened last week wasn't an accident, GOG has launched not one, but two new sales:

• The first one comes a bit early than usual and it's the May the 4th Sale, with Star Wars games up to 75% off until May the 5th: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2023_may_the_4th
• And because Star Wars isn't the only franchise about space, there's a Space Out Sale with games featuring that theme. The sale will last during 8 days and has up to 90% discounts: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2023_space_out_sale

Steam has two new deals:

• Gas Station Simulator will be 30% off until the 10th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1149620/Gas_Station_Simulator/
• And Chernobylite Enhanced Edition will also be on sale until the 10th, but with a 55% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1016800/Chernobylite_Enhanced_Edition/

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Alien Isolation mod tools deliver Ridley Scott's original vision of a Xenomorph stalking Dust 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/alien-isolation-mod-tools-deliver-ridley-scotts-original-vision-of-a-xenomorph-stalking-dust-2/
An extremely enterprising Alien: Isolation mod project, OpenCAGE, has released its latest set of tools for the game: And demonstrated just what a big deal this is by unimportant Counter-Strike's Dust 2 map into Alien: Isolation and releasing the relentless Xenomorph and some Working Joes to hunt the player down (thanks, RPS). Obviously one would hope to never meet an Alien anywhere, but a big open space where your only protection is wooden crates certainly doesn't seem ideal (though weirdly enough is basically a reduction of the unmade Alien 3).
"I've just released a big update to the tools that adds support for custom meshes, materials, and textures—something that has been requested for years," said Matt Filer, creator of OpenCAGE. "[It] also supports custom scripting in the game's proprietary scripting format, and modification of behaviour trees & a load of other game configurations."
Naturally, Filer thought the best way to show this off was whacking an Alien into Dust 2, and apparently it only took him 15 minutes. The implications for Alien: Isolation modding are of course much deeper and wider, though that all depends on what modders decide to do with OpenCAGE: This update will let them import new models, animations and so on into the game, which hasn't previously been possible.
>> There's a short video of this imported dust2 map.

GAMING NEWS

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor appears to have major CPU and VRAM optimization issues on PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/star-wars-jedi-survivor-appears-to-have-major-cpu-and-vram-optimization-issues-on-pc/
EA has lifted the review embargo for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and from the looks of it, this game is coming in hot on PC. According to reports, the game currently has major CPU and VRAM optimization issues on PC.

The Last of Us Part I Title Update 1.0.4.0 released, is 24GB in size, brings CPU & GPU optimizations, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/the-last-of-us-part-i-title-update-1-0-4-0-released-is-24gb-in-size-brings-cpu-gpu-optimizations-full-patch-notes/
Naughty Dog and Iron Galaxy have released Title Update 1.0.4.0 for the PC version of The Last of Us Part I. According to the release notes, this patch brings CPU and GPU optimizations to the game.

Armored Core VI releases on August 25th, gets first gameplay trailer & minimum PC requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/armored-core-vi-releases-on-august-25th-gets-first-gameplay-trailer/
Bandai Namco has announced that FromSoftware’s new Armored Core game, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, will release on August 25th. In addition, the publisher shared the game’s first gameplay trailer which you can find below.

Evil Dead actor Bruce Campbell shoots down idea of Ash Williams in Mortal Kombat 12: 'They need to come to our house'
https://www.pcgamer.com/evil-dead-actor-bruce-campbell-shoots-down-idea-of-ash-williams-in-mortal-kombat-12-they-need-to-come-to-our-house/
If you were hoping to see Evil Dead's boomstick-toting Ash Williams outside the confines of Evil Dead: The Game, you might have to fight Bruce Campbell about it. In a chat with The AV Club (spotted by TheGamer), the long-time Ash actor shot down the notion of the character putting in an appearance in Mortal Kombat 12—or any other non-Evil Dead game, for that matter—saying that characters from other series ought to be coming over to Evil Dead, instead.

The Starfield open beta at the top of Google search is an obvious scam
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-starfield-open-beta-at-the-top-of-google-search-is-an-obvious-scam/
Anticipation for news on Starfield is white-hot, and this hasn't been helped by the many delays the game has had. Everyone's jonesing to get their Skyrim in space on, but maybe some of us are Jonesing too much. Eagle-eyed PCG reader Jean Carrasquillo noticed, when googling the game's name, something suspicious: The top result is a sponsored link to a Starfield open beta that promises you can "play now."

The long sequel to the Thursday news:

New World and Lost Ark players aren't happy as Amazon closes forums in favor of Discord
https://www.pcgamer.com/new-world-and-lost-ark-players-arent-happy-as-amazon-closes-forums-in-favor-of-discord/
Remember when we asked everyone to please stop making Discord servers for things that shouldn't be Discord servers? Apparently Amazon wasn't listening, as it has revealed plans to shut down the forums for its New World and Lost Ark MMOs in favor of—you guessed it—Discord servers.

Shuhei Yoshida says AI could help game development but 'creativity is more important'
https://www.pcgamer.com/shuhei-yoshida-says-ai-could-help-game-development-but-creativity-is-more-important/
Shuhei Yoshida, former president of SIE Worldwide and PlayStation boss, has some pretty optimistic views on how AI can be a viable tool in the future of game development.

Quantum Break is back on Steam and PC Game Pass
https://www.pcgamer.com/quantum-break-is-back-on-steam-and-pc-game-pass/
Three weeks after disappearing without word or warning, Quantum Break is back on Steam and PC Game Pass.
Quantum Break was pulled from sale earlier this month as a result of licenses that apparently expired while they were in the process of being renewed. It's the sort of thing that happens from time to time—in fact, it happened to Quantum Break's predecessor Alan Wake in 2017, and more recently to the Project Cars games.

Former Control lead designer launches a new studio with NetEase
https://www.pcgamer.com/former-control-lead-designer-launches-a-new-studio-with-netease/
NetEase has launched a new development studio called Anchor Point, based in Barcelona and Seattle and headed up by Paul Ehreth, formerly the lead designer on Remedy's hit multidimensional shooter Control.

Everyone is lining up to talk to a trash can in Honkai: Star Rail
https://www.pcgamer.com/everyone-is-lining-up-to-talk-to-a-trash-can-in-honkai-star-rail/
Out of all the ridiculous objects you can interact with in Honkai: Star Rail (including a toilet and talking plant) one particular trash can has players questioning their own actions.
"You've been staring at it a while, but it's just an ordinary trash can," the narrator text reads when you interact with one of the many metal bins steampunk-style city Belobog early in the game. Your allies look on in disgust and the button prompt appears again.

Bugsnax studio releases 4 'smaller side projects' on Steam and they're all free
https://www.pcgamer.com/bugsnax-studio-releases-four-smaller-side-projects-on-steam-and-theyre-all-free/
If you're in the mood for some free games, Young Horses has them: The developer of Octodad and Bugsnax has released a series of four "smaller side projects" on Steam, and it's giving them all away for nothing.

This could be the end for Microsoft's bid to buy Activision Blizzard, but some analysts think it still has a chance
https://www.pcgamer.com/microsoft-activision-deal-appeal-analysis/
After over a year of lobbying and debating, the UK Competition and Markets Authority has blocked Microsoft's attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard, saying that the deal would give Microsoft too strong a position in the cloud gaming market "just as it begins to grow rapidly." Microsoft isn't giving up, but this isn't just an everyday regulatory hurdle: The deal "very well may be" dead, according to Bloomberg senior antitrust litigation analyst Jennifer Rie.
>> LurkerJ was the one that made a thread about this yesterday.

In this 4X strategy city builder you chain floating islands together to build an empire
https://www.pcgamer.com/in-this-4x-strategy-city-builder-you-chain-floating-islands-together-to-build-an-empire/
There's something intriguing about islands floating way up in the clouds, especially if you can connect them with massive chains, pull them together, and build a city on top of them. That's the idea in Myriads: Renaissance, a turn-based strategy game that's got everything from city building to 4X to tower defense systems. There's a free demo you can try now, and the full game is planning a Steam release on June 1.

Get Humankind's new DLC free for a limited time
https://www.pcgamer.com/get-humankinds-new-dlc-free-for-a-limited-time/
Humankind, the Civ-like strategy game where you can change culture each time you move into a new era, has had a few add-ons since it released in 2021. DLC packs have added Cultures of Africa and Cultures of Latin America, and the Together We Rule expansion was all about winning friends and influencing people, bringing a "leverage" currency, an inter-empire forum to facilitate global democracy, agents, and six more cultures and wonders. The latest DLC, the Para Bellum Wonders pack, throws in another six wonders, and you can download it for free until May 10 on Steam and Epic.

Popeye is coming to World of Warships, so you can stop asking for it
https://www.pcgamer.com/popeye-is-coming-to-world-of-warships-so-you-can-stop-asking-for-it/
I'm not a war sim enthusiast but I do respect Wargaming for its often bonkers crossovers. For example, Korn appeared in World of Tanks Blitz a few years ago, and even further back, The Offspring did. But if long-in-the-tooth '90s pop culture isn't your thing, perhaps something from the (checks Wikipedia) 1930s will work? Here you go then: Popeye the Sailor Man is coming to World of Warships.

Cities: Skylines concludes 8 years of city building with a final expansion on May 23
https://www.pcgamer.com/cities-skylines-concludes-8-years-of-city-building-with-a-final-expansion-on-may-23/
Cities: Skylines has had a fantastic run: 8 years of mods and DLC, inspiring an incalculable number of cities. But with the sequel coming, it's time for the greatest city builder around to finally rest. On May 23, it will receive its last expansion.

'Super duper' Grounded update really does look super until you realise they added fricking wasps
https://www.pcgamer.com/super-duper-grounded-update-really-does-look-super-until-you-realise-they-added-fricking-wasps/
I'm a bit of a pantheist I suppose: I don't believe in a big beardy god in the sky, but I choose to believe there's something divine in all living creatures. Barring the wasp, which can do one. I hate wasps, the feeling seems to be mutual, and as the summer rolls around I once more gear up for battle with the bastards of the skies. If I could press a button and remove all wasps from the face of the Earth I would do it in a heartbeat.
Sir, this is PC Gamer. Ah yes, well I was just looking at this spiffing new update for Grounded, Obsidian's excellent garden-em-up survival sim that pits you against the innate hostility of insects. It's called the Super Duper update because, drum roll please, it adds an item duplication machine called the Super Duper.

Here we go again: Counter-Strike 2 has a Half-Life reference
https://www.pcgamer.com/here-we-go-again-counter-strike-2-has-a-half-life-reference/
I actually miss the days when I thought Half-Life 3 was being worked on in secret, release was just around the corner, and if only we internet sleuths could unscramble Valve's copious hints we would solve The Mystery and be back in the arms of Gordon. It was something to believe in. Now I'm old, weary, the psychological scars are too much, I can't hold out hope any m… wait there's a Half-Life reference in Valve's brand new Counter-Strike 2?!?

Respawn CEO would 'love' to make Titanfall 3, but 'It has to be the right thing'
https://www.pcgamer.com/respawn-ceo-would-love-to-make-titanfall-3-but-it-has-to-be-the-right-thing/
(...)
In a chat with Barron's, Respawn CEO Vince Zampella was asked about the possibility of a Titanfall 3, and seemed pretty receptive to the idea. "I hate to say yes, then people latch onto that, and then skewer you when it doesn't come," said Zampella, "But I would love to see it happen is the real answer".

AMD Identifies Root Cause of Ryzen 7000 CPU Burnout Issue, Related To Higher Chip Voltages

https://wccftech.com/amd-root-cause-ryzen-7000-burnout-issues-related-to-higher-cpu-voltages-official/

"We have root caused the issue and have already distributed a new AGESA that puts measures in place on certain power rails on AM5 motherboards to prevent the CPU from operating beyond its specification limits, including a cap on SOC voltage at 1.3V. None of these changes affect the ability of our Ryzen 7000 Series processors to overclock memory using EXPO or XMP kits or boost performance using PBO technology."

Updating the BIOS should fix the issue and if you did experience any problems, AMD will cover the CPUs and motherboard vendors will cover the motherboards. Good that they found and fixed the issues so quickly.

Retro & Older 2D-Game Cannot Play Well On The GPD Win 4 Handheld Console Due To Display Defect

https://wccftech.com/retro-older-2d-game-cannot-play-well-on-the-gpd-win-4-handheld-console-due-to-display-defect/

Wow, if you ever wondered why it's bad to buy products from these chinese companies, that customer service right there is the reason to avoid them like the plague.

NVIDIA Limiting GPU Production Due To Excess Inventory, Could Lead To GeForce RTX 40 Price Cuts If Things Don’t Improve

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-limiting-gpu-production-excess-inventory-lead-to-geforce-rtx-40-price-cuts/

Good good, people need to continue to show them that their prices are not acceptable

ASUS ROG Ally console with AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU reportedly costs $699

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-rog-ally-console-with-amd-ryzen-z1-extreme-apu-reportedly-costs-699

Very competitive pricing, especially as this is their most expensive model

AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT Rumored To Launch on 25th May, Navi 33 GPU With 8 GB VRAM For Mainstream Gamers

https://wccftech.com/amd-radeon-rx-7600-xt-rumored-to-launch-on-25th-may-navi-33-gpu-with-8-gb-vram-for-mainstream-gamers/

At 175 watts, the 7600XT is consuming almost as much wattage at a 4070

Thing I take issue with, is that if Nvidia limit production and then they decide to seriously price cut the 70's, then ppl are either going to rush to snatch up, or scalpers will, and then when there's nowt left, nvidia are just going to turn around and raise slightly higher when they do get more back into production (either that or this is it for the 70 line this gen).

Like I get that this is absolutely their mistake in doing this and being so cock sure, but at the same time it feels like they want that second wind of "I could scam the buyers a second time if I make my stock look super scarce!".

Anyone remember the whole Nintendo Amiibo stock debacle?. I feel like if Ninty can get away largely unscathed, Nvidia likely can as well (albeit, a shorter period of time).