I think remembering that this will come with Zen 5. In the meantime, the next Athlons will come with a mix of Zen 4 and Zen 4c cores (2p/4c cores afaik). Considering all previous Athlons have been dualcores or quadcores without HT only, that's a pretty big jump in number of threads.

It doesn't help that chiplets also make Zen less efficient (Which is a scary thought.) so it needs to dump more transistors in pushing those IPC gains home.

But you are right, these days we spend far more transistors for a 1% gain in IPC than we did a decade ago, the low-hanging fruit have been picked.

The Thursday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

This week, the Epic Store gives away PAYDAY 2: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/payday-2.
Next week, they'll give away Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition and Guacamelee! 2.

Steam has two new deals:

• In Sound Mind will be 90% off until June, 14th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1119980/In_Sound_Mind/
• CryoFall, that let's you try the game for 8 hours, is going to be 80% off until the 21st of June: https://store.steampowered.com/app/829590/CryoFall/

There's a new Humble Bundle: the Pixel Pride Bundle with up to 7 games to get during the next 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/pixel-pride.

Fanatical has two new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Hi-Fi RUSH, 29% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/hi-fi-rush
• And Bethesda puts its games on sale, up to 82% off, but be warned: some deals end in 5 days while others will last up to 11: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/bethesda-softworks

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

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MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

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GAMING NEWS

Madden NFL 24 coming to PC on August 18th, finally based on current-gen version
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/madden-nfl-24-coming-to-pc-on-august-18th-finally-based-on-current-gen-version/
EA Sports has revealed that Madden NFL 24 will be coming to PC on August 18th. Madden NFL 24 will be available only on current-gen platforms, meaning that the PC version will be on par with the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions.

22 minutes of new gameplay footage from Robocop: Rogue City
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/22-minutes-of-new-gameplay-footage-from-robocop-rogue-city/
YouTube’s ‘Punish’ has shared a video, showcasing 22 minutes of new gameplay footage from Robocop: Rogue City. Developed by Teyon, the team behind Terminator: Resistance, this new Robocop game promises to be faithful to the original movies.

Remnant 2 gets an official recap story trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/remnant-2-gets-an-official-recap-story-trailer/
Gearbox Publishing has released an official recap story trailer for Remnant 2. As the title suggests, this story tells the events that occurred in the first game, and will be ideal for those that haven’t played it.

Discovery is a new Unreal Engine 5-powered story-driven FPS
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/discovery-is-a-new-unreal-engine-5-powered-story-driven-fps/
Stepico Games has announced a new first-person shooter that will be using Unreal Engine 5, called Discovery. Discovery will be using the main key graphical features of UE5, and you can find below its debut in-engine trailer.

Valve released a new update for Counter-Strike 2’s Limited Test
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/valve-released-a-new-update-for-counter-strike-2-limited-test/
A Limited Test for Counter-Strike 2 is currently underway and Valve has released a new update for it on Steam. According to the changelog, the June 8th Patch adds Mirage as an option for the main menu scenery map, and packs a number of fixes and tweaks.

First details, screenshots & release date leaked for Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/first-details-screenshots-release-date-leaked-for-like-a-dragon-gaiden-the-man-who-erased-his-name/
It appears that PSN has leaked the first details, screenshots and release date for Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

Thursday news, part two:

We'll finally learn who's making Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 in a few months
https://www.pcgamer.com/well-finally-learn-whos-making-vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2-in-a-few-months/
Like the dread Ur-Shulgi stirring from centuries of torpor to cast down the enemies of the Banu Haqim, Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has returned from the dead to, uh, send a tweet. And make a news post. And tease further updates in September! The prophets told us this day would come.

Diablo 4's first level 100 Hardcore character has died in the worst way possible
https://www.pcgamer.com/diablo-4s-first-level-100-hardcore-character-has-died-in-the-worst-way-possible/
Just two days after claiming the Diablo 4 Hardcore crown as the first player to reach level 100 in the game's unforgiving permadeath mode, streamer Souaïb "cArn" Hanaf's in-game avatar has died in the most ignominious way possible—felled not in a glorious showdown with a powerful enemy, but by a random server disconnection.
>> Keep that in mind if you'll play that mode this early after launch.

Hell yeah, Hammerwatch 2 is basically going to be Diablo lite without the live service bloat
https://www.pcgamer.com/hell-yeah-hammerwatch-2-is-basically-going-to-be-diablo-lite-without-the-live-service-cruft/
Hammerwatch and its followup Heroes of Hammerwatch are both excellent, co-op hack and slash games, the first a dungeon crawler and the second a roguelite. Developer Crackshell has now revealed its next game, Hammerwatch 2, and what the hell? It's a full-on co-op action RPG now, and one that looks ridiculously pretty for a pixelated hack-and-slasher.

At last I can farm someplace other than a rural Earth valley in this space western farm sim
https://www.pcgamer.com/at-last-i-can-farm-someplace-other-than-a-rural-earth-valley-in-this-space-western-farm-sim/
Every year it gets tougher for me to differentiate from the bounty of new farm sims being developed, which usually range from pastoral to fantastical in various shades of green, but One Lonely Outpost is a rarer specimen: a sci-fi farm sim. Developers Freedom Games shared a new trailer for the extraterrestrial life sim during today's Guerrilla Collective showcase, and it reminded me just how much of a sucker I am for space westerns.

The Witcher community rallies around Geralt voice actor Doug Cockle after he reveals cancer diagnosis
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-witcher-community-rallies-around-geralt-voice-actor-doug-cockle-after-he-reveals-cancer-diagnosis/
The Witcher community is coming out in support of Doug Cockle, the voice of Geralt in CD Projekt's Witcher game trilogy and occasional drinking partner of PC Gamer writers, who revealed on Twitter yesterday that he has cancer.
>> I wish him well.

Myst creator's latest game used 'AI assisted content,' and funders are pissed
https://www.pcgamer.com/firmament-ai-generated-content/
In the credits for Firmament, the latest puzzle game from Myst developer Cyan Worlds, a briefly-seen paragraph of text reveals that many aspects of the game, including written lore and voice acting, were created with the help of AI. Some noticed the "AI assisted content" message just after Firmament released in May, while others (like me, via Kotaku) are just now learning about it. For some players, it explains a lot.

Warzone 2 is giving everyone keys to the nukes for the next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/warzone-2-is-giving-everyone-keys-to-the-nukes-for-the-next-week/
Call of Duty has no greater a flex than the tactical nuke. Back in 2009's Modern Warfare 2, the nuke was a killstreak that could only be earned by putting down 25 kills without dying. Triggering a nuke immediately ends the match in your favor, kinda like grabbing the golden snitch in Quidditch, but with skin-melting radiation. It took less than a week for players to figure out how Infinity Ward had brought back the nuke for its battle royale spinoff Warzone 2: instead of killstreaks, you have to win five matches in a row just to start the nuke quest.

How to watch Summer Game Fest 2023, and what to expect
https://www.pcgamer.com/summer-game-fest-2023-how-to-watch-livestream/
This year's Summer Game Fest showcase will be streamed on Thursday, June 8 at 12 pm PT. You can find it in all the usual places, including YouTube, Twitch, Steam. If you're not sure when noon Pacific is in your time zone, here's a handy guide.

The Day Before studio founders say they'll be 'back at the top of the wishlists' in interview that feels barely acquainted with reality
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-day-before-studio-founders-say-theyll-be-back-at-the-top-of-the-wishlists-in-interview-that-feels-barely-acquainted-with-reality/
The Day Before, previously Steam's second most-wishlisted game, has been relatively quiet since it was brought low by a trademark dispute from a calendar app called, well, TheDayBefore. The dispute saw its Steam page delisted, its YouTube videos taken down, and its developer, Fntastic, put out a series of strange and ill-judged comments that had fans wondering if the entire game's development was some kind of elaborate hoax.
But Fntastic co-founders Eduard and Aisen Gotovtsev have now shed a bit more light on what's going in during an interview with WellPlayed, where they addressed the ongoing trademark problems, the studio's use of volunteer labour, and dropped a new trailer that once again succeeded in conveying very little information at all.

Want to know what to do with your Diablo 4 legendary gear? Turn on this optional setting immediately
https://www.pcgamer.com/want-to-know-what-to-do-with-your-diablo-4-legendary-gear-turn-on-this-optional-setting-immediately/
I'm at the point in my Diablo 4 levelling journey where legendary gear is starting to drop more frequently. And as exciting as it is to see some orange loot pop out from a chest, it also comes with a deep anxiety. I only have a few of these pieces right now, and I want to make sure I'm using them in the most efficient way possible. Are these boots actually good? Should I be extracting the aspect they contain? Or is it more useful to break them down for materials?
Luckily, it turns out, there's a setting buried in Diablo 4's option menu that helps make that decision far easier. I discovered a mention of it in the comments of an unrelated thread in the Diablo 4 subreddit, and more than a few people in the replies were also delighted to learn that it exists.

I remember a leaked roadmap with that configuration, but I'm not sure of how legit it was.

In any case, we'll see.

Intel Launches Arc Pro A60 Graphics Card: ACM-G12 GPU, 12 GB VRAM, All In A 130W Single-Slot Design For $130

https://wccftech.com/intel-arc-pro-a60-graphics-card-acm-g12-gpu-12-gb-vram-130w-single-slot-130-usd/

Really goes to how much of a penny pincher Nvidia and Radeon (to a lesser degree) is.

TSMC Plans On Expanding Advanced Packaging Capacity To Cater NVIDIA’s High AI Chip Demand

https://wccftech.com/tsmc-plans-on-expanding-advanced-packaging-capacity-to-cater-nvidias-high-ai-chip-demand/

Alleged AMD Zen5 CPU with 8-cores has been spotted on distributed computing platforms

https://videocardz.com/newz/alleged-amd-zen5-cpu-with-8-cores-has-been-spotted-on-distributed-computing-platforms

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is now available for 799 EUR in Germany (24% below MSRP)

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-radeon-rx-7900-xt-is-now-available-for-799-eur-in-germany-24-below-msrp

Very close to what it should have started with

Another Intel Meteor Lake-P CPU spotted, Core Ultra 7 1002H features 16 cores and 22 threads

https://videocardz.com/newz/another-intel-meteor-lake-p-cpu-spotted-core-ultra-7-1002h-features-16-cores-and-22-threads

GPU Shipments Continued To Decline In Q1 2023: NVIDIA at 84%, AMD at 12%, Intel at 4% Market Share

https://wccftech.com/gpu-shipments-continued-to-decline-in-q1-2023-nvidia-at-84-amd-at-12-intel-at-4-market-share/

Nothing seems to stop Nvidia's dominance, that's for sure

It's amazing how fierce is Nvidia's grip in the GPU market. Barely any discounts on older Ampere cards and overpriced Ada cards, yet it only loses a measly 2% market that, on top of that, goes to Intel.

I think it simply shows that Radeon has chosen the wrong strategy. If they want Nvidia prices, they need Nvidia features and support. As you go high up the stack, people want DLSS 3, Ray Tracing, Reflex, Cuda all that jazz that AMD simply doesn't have. And the market share trend continues to show this that people will pay more for Nvidia because of their reputation and feature set.

Now Radeon is at the risk of losing the value segment thanks to Intel as well. When Intel is giving you 12GB of vram for $130 or A750 which is 3060 class performance for $200 with increasingly good amount of driver support, it becomes hard to justify buying Radeon in terms of value. Radeon has lost the $600-$1600 segment to Nvidia and $100-200 segment to Intel. So they are left with the $250-$500 segment where they are the obvious choice. I think they need to re-evaluate their strategy otherwise they will lose that too.

While that is mostly true, we can't forget the people that buy a product just by brand name, and Nvidia has managed to make its brand so powerful that people just buy its products "because they're Nvidia", without checking what the GPU they're going to buy offers nor even taking into consideration any other alternatives.

For example, people are really going to buy 4060Tis (when they fall a bit in price) and lower models despite the little to almost no performance gain over previous generations because they're from Nvidia and they're going to assume that they'll be the best. And that's a real shame.