Man that's depressing to see from GoG...

https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/138l2hf/gog_2023_update_2_facts_and_numbers_of_2022/

They made even less than Epic, but tbf, GoG's golden rule also greatly limits what they can/cannot sell, which was always going to hamper them in the long-run, since every asshat publisher on the planet loves to tinker with DRM and attached/forced crossplay systems.

The Friday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Hogwarts Legacy surpasses $1 billion retail sales, is Warner Bros’ largest release of all time
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/hogwarts-legacy-surpasses-1-billion-retail-sales-is-warner-bros-largest-release-of-all-time/
Warner Bros has revealed that Hogwarts Legacy has surpassed $1 billion in retail sales, making it the company’s largest release of all time.
Furthermore, Hogwarts Legacy is Warner Bros’ best-selling game year-to-date. So yeah, apparently “that” boycott really hurt the sales of this game.

Fanatical's new Star Deal is Golden Light, 70% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/golden-light.
And be warned, next Monday Fanatical will start its May Madness deals.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Steam's new layout is hiding my screenshots from me and this is the worst minor inconvenience of my week
https://www.pcgamer.com/steams-new-layout-is-hiding-my-screenshots-from-me-and-this-is-the-worst-minor-inconvenience-of-my-week/
Steam's interface is about to change again—or has already if you're in the Steam Client beta—and I've been on the receiving end of enough site design changes in my life to know it won't feel so wrong for too long. Except that Valve managed to make the already bad Screenshot Manager window even worse and it's ruining my week.

Game engine maker Unity lays off 600 employees and plans to close half its offices worldwide
https://www.pcgamer.com/game-engine-maker-unity-lays-off-600-employees-and-plans-to-close-half-its-offices-worldwide/
Unity has laid off approximately 600 employees in its third round of layoffs over the past year, according to a Wall Street Journal report, which says the company is also looking to cut the number of offices it maintains worldwide nearly in half over the next few years, from 58 to 30.
According to Unity, the layoffs are part of an effort to reduce layers of management, streamline its operations, and improve the company's profitability. "It's all about setting ourselves up for higher growth," Unity CEO John Riccitiello said.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

-Empty-

GAMING NEWS

Hogwarts Legacy May 4th Update released, brings over 500 fixes, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/hogwarts-legacy-may-4th-update-released-brings-over-500-fixes-full-patch-notes/
Avalanche Software has released a massive new update for Hogwarts Legacy. According to the release notes, the May 4th Update brings over 500 fixes, packs performance improvements, and adds an Arachnophobia Mode.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl gets short but refreshing gameplay/in-engine video
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/stalker-2-heart-of-chornobyl-gets-short-but-refreshing-gameplay-in-engine-video/
GSC GameWorld has released a short but refreshing gameplay/in-engine video for STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. And, as the title implies, the video shows the main protagonist drinking a NON STOP energy drink.

The Friday news, part two:

New Blizzard patent details an AI system to make art for its games
https://www.pcgamer.com/new-blizzard-patent-details-an-ai-system-to-make-art-for-its-games/
We here at PC Gamer can't stop admiring the balls of Blizzard's VFX artists, but it turns out that suits elsewhere at the developer have some pretty big kahunas too: And have applied for a patent that will see an AI generate artwork for use in-game, based on a specific style fed to it by Blizzard (spotted by GameRant).

Street Fighter 6 has some terrifying ambitious sales goals from Capcom—10M copies
https://www.pcgamer.com/street-fighter-6-has-some-terrifying-ambitious-sales-goals-from-capcom10m-copies/
I have no doubt in my mind that Street Fighter 6 is going to be Capcom's most successful instalment to date. It's had a pretty transparent development cycle and the hype around it from newcomers and veterans alike is bound to secure its place as one of the greats. But is it going to be successful enough to sell 10 million copies? I sure hope so, because that's how many units Capcom's president wants to push.

Phil Spencer apologizes for Redfall's 'disappointing' launch but promises to keep working on it
https://www.pcgamer.com/phil-spencer-apologizes-for-redfalls-disappointing-launch-but-promises-to-keep-working-on-it/
Redfall is out, and to be blunt, it is not good. It's a "flat, dull experience," we said in our 44% review (ouch), "that lacks any of Arkane's usual brilliance." In an interview with Kinda Funny, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said he's "disappointed" in the state of the game, and apologized to fans for missing the mark so badly.

There might be more Star Wars games in development than you realize
https://www.pcgamer.com/upcoming-star-wars-games/
After the Star Wars videogame drought of the mid-2010s—the Battlefront games were the only big new ones for a few years there—Disney is finally starting to resaturate the PC with games set in a galaxy far, far away. There was Respawn's Jedi: Fallen Order in 2019, Star Wars: Squadrons in 2020, and then Jedi: Survivor last month.
We'll be showered with even more lightsabers and Babu Friks in the years to come if the current forecast holds: There are currently six big Star Wars games in development for PC that we know about. Most of them don't even have titles yet (get ready to see a bunch of teaser pictures that say "Star Wars"), so we may be waiting a while to play them, but I bet we'll see one or two of them during the "don't-call-it-E3-anymore" press conference season this June.

As Hunt: Showdown players catch 'granny fever,' I'm wondering if we need more elderly characters in FPSes
https://www.pcgamer.com/as-hunt-showdown-players-catch-granny-fever-im-wondering-if-we-need-more-elderly-characters-in-fpses/
Six percent of gamers are over the age of 65, but I know how I'm going to be spending one-hundred percent of my time in Hunt: Showdown going forward: as Béatrice, a septo- (octo?) generian hunter who's just been released as part of the latest $10 DLC for Hunt.

Holy cow, they're making a new Shadowman game
https://www.pcgamer.com/holy-cow-theyre-making-a-new-shadowman-game/
Shadow Man, a game about a possessed voodoo warrior who protects the world of the living from the land of the dead, was originally released in 1999, and was brought back to life by Nightdive Studios in 2021 as Shadow Man Remastered. And now an all new game is on the way: Shadowman Darque Legacy, a tale of an all-new Shadowman that's set to launch next year.

Amnesia: The Bunker 10-minute gameplay video features dark halls, giant rats, and the worst gun ever
https://www.pcgamer.com/amnesia-the-bunker-10-minute-gameplay-video-features-dark-halls-giant-rats-and-the-worst-gun-ever/
I'm very much not looking forward to Amnesia: The Bunker, the upcoming horror game from Frictional. I will play it, to be clear, but I won't enjoy it: The Amnesia games are pretty much the most "I don't need this shit" things I've ever played. But they're also kind of irresistible. It's weird.

40% of Hunt: Showdown players have never killed another player, says Hunt: Showdown's general manager
https://www.pcgamer.com/40-of-hunt-showdown-players-have-never-killed-another-player-says-hunt-showdowns-general-manager/
When a group of people working on some of the biggest games in the first-person shooting genre gathered for a roundtable hosted by our own Evan Lahti at GDC, the subject of rookie retention came up. The most popular shooters today are competitive—with extraction shooters and battles of the royale variety maintaining their dominance—so is it an issue that the first experience many players have is getting demolished by veterans?
David Fifield, general manager for the Hunt franchise at Crytek, called this "the brick of getting in", making it sound appropriately like a heavy blunt object just waiting to fall on the heads of fresh meat playing their first games of Hunt: Showdown.
"We have an achievement in Hunt called Debut," Fifield said. "It's 'kill your first enemy Hunter', 40% of our players never get it. We're a PvP game where you come in, you do some things, and 40% of the people trying Hunt have never killed another player."

'It is really, really OP': Europa Universalis 4 DLC feature lets you conquer the world at record pace
https://www.pcgamer.com/it-is-really-really-op-europa-universalis-4-dlc-feature-lets-you-conquer-the-world-at-record-pace/
There's a common experience among Europa Universalis 4 players, which is that of loading up the game, picking a nation in Eastern Europe or Asia, and then getting completely stomped by the Ottomans. This massive empire, the popularisers of the funky fez, will stomp you into the dirt like a cigarette. I've got some bad news for players who already fear the Ottoman advance: they're now even stronger than they used to be, as one player has proved by conquering the world with them in 73 years, without resorting to the popular speedrun tactic of starting as a horde.

Destiny 2's Vow of the Disciple raid boss has been recreated in Minecraft
https://www.pcgamer.com/destiny-2s-vow-of-the-disciple-raid-boss-has-been-recreated-in-minecraft/
Last night's This Week at Bungie update contained some juicy info for Destiny 2 players—including a rundown of next season's new Strand fragments, some crafting and economy changes, and a bunch of planned updates for Trials of Osiris. But forget all of that, because it also showcased a Minecraft community recreation of The Witch Queen expansion's climactic raid fight.

And here are the GOG and Steam deals for the weekend:

+GOG

• There are four new Deals of the Day, that will last until Monday:
  • The first one is Ocean's Heart, 60% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/oceans_heart
  • Time Lock VR 2 will be 80% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/time_lock_vr_2
  • The Wraith of the Galaxy, still in development, is 85% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_wraith_of_the_galaxy
  • The last one is We are the Dwarves, 95% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/we_are_the_dwarves
• Hidden somewhere for some reason, it turns out that there was a Midweek Sale, featuring games from Publisher Ziggurat games with up to 75% discounts. The sale will last another 2 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20230503_miweek_sale
• Larian Sturios puts its games on sale with up to 90% deals until Sunday, the 7th: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2023_larian_may
• The Weekend Sale brings up to 80% discounts during 3 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20230505_weekend_sale
• And the Focus Entertainment Publisher Sale comes with up to 80% discounts during 9 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2023_focus_entertainment

+Steam

• Fran Bow will be 50% off until next Thursday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/362680/Fran_Bow/
• Trailmakers, that is free to try during the weekend, gets a 70% discount until the 11th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/585420/Trailmakers/
• Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy will also be 70% off until the 11th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1088850/Marvels_Guardians_of_the_Galaxy/
• Black Mesa gets a 75% discount until the Thursday, 11th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/362890/Black_Mesa/
• The SpongeBob Weekend Deal comes with up to 81% discounts until May, 11th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/SpongeBobWeekendDeal2023
• Publisher Kitfox celebrates its 10th anniversary with a sale, putting its games up to 90% off until the 11th of May: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/kitfox10th
• The LudoNarraCon comes back another year, this time with up to 90% discounts until, once again, Thursday, the 11th of May: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/LudoNarraCon
• And publisher Thunderful puts its games up to 88% off until the 18th of May, although some deals will end sooner than that: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/thunderful-publisher-sale

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

That's a real shame, they deserve a lot more success. They're the OGs when it comes to DRM-free games, and I love how they refurbish classics and abandonware so it works on modern systems. The Galaxy app isn't half bad either, certainly better than the damn EA app.

NVIDIA Neural Texture Compression offers 4 times higher resolution than standard compression with 30% less memory

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-neural-texture-compression-offers-4-times-higher-resolution-than-standard-compression-with-30-less-memory

Certainly looks impressive and would be a killer feature if it comes out and is available for all RTX cards

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Custom Models With Up To 2685 MHz Boost Clocks & 18 Gbps GDDR6 Memory Listed

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4060-ti-custom-models-with-up-to-2685-mhz-boost-clocks-18-gbps-gddr6-memory-listed/

ASUS To Unveil A Brand New NVIDIA GeForce RTX Graphics Card On 10th May

https://wccftech.com/asus-teases-brand-new-nvidia-geforce-rtx-graphics-card-unveil-on-10th-may/

Probably the 4060 Ti

While that is a poor result, obviosuly, it's worth remembering that GOG was losing money a couple years ago:

https://www.eurogamer.net/cd-projekts-gog-digital-storefront-losing-money

That's why they decided to scale back the growth of the store and refocus on the original idea behind the store, the old games, while also bringing some small new games.

So yeah, it sucks, but it's an improvement and a sign that the changes worked and they're going in the right direction.

Remember the article you posted some days ago where Nvidia said that its business was 20% hardware and 80% software? Well, while this tech is cool and impressive, it also feels like Nvidia is using software to fix the hardware problem they've created by skipming on memory.

Well, it's either that or a 4060. There aren't other options coming from Nvidia.

Jensen:

If they can make DLSS 3 exclusive af to one gen, they can absolutely start doing this with other gens going forward. Calling it now, "cba making backwards compat tech, but we can damn well emulate consoles and their exclusivity!".

I just get that niggling feeling that they are eventually going to go the way of the dodo, despite them having a good cause and sticking to it for all these years (while everyone else simply moved onto not wanting to preserve games, adding more DRM, generally acting more anti-consumer, etc). 

Well I have my pc setup in the Fractal Node 202 now, still using my old parts so 3600 and 1660 Ti. Very happy with it.

At some point this year I plan on replacing my 3600 with a 5700x that should last me a good few years before I feel the need to change it. Probably not until PS4 or Switch 2 emulation becomes viable and needs better.

Still waiting on the official announcement of the 4060 but I'm thinking it more likely that I end up just getting a used 3060 or 6600xt at this stage. Though I'm hesitant about going AMD as I would really like DLSS support.