75% denser than 5 nm and 75% more expensive. Thanks, TSMC!

That being said, the delay to 2025 is not totally unexpected. We didn't get N5 in GPUs until two years after the N5 node was released, and N3 isn't even out yet. It will likely be the same for AMD unless they go with Samsung, but their 3GAE is a minor improvement from TSMC's N5.

Honestly bargain price.

Steam sale in 2 days from now.

Really ? Thanks for the info. I hope Persona 5 Royal price will go down again.

*

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Graphics Cards Review Roundup

https://videocardz.com/158241/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4060-graphics-cards-review-roundup

https://www.techspot.com/review/2701-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4060/

So as predicted, the only reason Radeon would panic cut it's launch MSRP of $300 to $270 is because the 4060 performs the same or is faster. Since techspot is just hardware unboxed in website form, it's clear that the 4060 is indeed "faster" but more like it's about the same performance as a 7600 which makes the 7600 a pointless product unless we see big discounts.

With the 4060 you get:
Competitive Raster performance
Lower power draw
DLSS 2 & 3 + FSR support
Nvidia's Reflex
Historically longer driver support
Better Ray Tracing performance
Wider range of application support
VSR

With 7600 you get:
Competitive Raster performance
Higher power draw
Inferior FSR 2 upscaling with no FSR 3 in sight
No Reflex
Historically worse driver support
Worse Ray Tracing
etc

Now the thing with Ray Tracing is that while yes, that is 100% not the primary reason to buy either the 4060 or 7600 or even a 4060 Ti, that doesn't mean you can't turn on Ray Tracing in some games. You can see here that there's plenty of Ray Tracing games at 1080p that almost makes 60fps. Turn it down a notch or two and Ray Tracing at say medium is still better looking than SSR at Ultra. Hell some games you can enjoy Ray Tracing to it's max settings at 1080p like Spiderman Remastered.

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/asus-geforce-rtx-4060-dual-oc/34.html

Personally I wouldn't buy either until 7600 goes down to $200 and 4060 goes down to $250 since you can get a 6700XT with 12GB of vram for $320 which makes the 4060 a pointless product at it's price range even if the 6700XT uses 70% more power for 16% more performance according to techpowerup but 12GB of vram does make it a lot more future proof.

Fingers crossed for Red Dead Redemption 2. Been wanting for that to go on sale on the Steam store, at a decent price. May indulge in P5R as well.

I don't know who reported it, but thank you for getting rid of that shit.

The Wednesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG has six new Deals of the Day, that will last until Friday, and a new contest:

• The first DotD is Telepath Tactics, 50% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/telepath_tactics
• Indiana Jones® and the Fate of Atlantis features a 64% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/indiana_jones_and_the_fate_of_atlantis
• 1979 Revolution: Black Friday is 74% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/revolution_1979_black_friday
• F.E.A.R. 3 gets a 75% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/fear_3
• Sacred Gold is also 75% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/sacred_gold
• And the last DotD is Cornerstone: The Song of Tyrim, with a 77% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/cornerstone_the_song_of_tyrim
• The GOG x Mad Catz contest will give you the option to win one of the three prizes that include a peripheral and the GOG Horror Bundle. Learn more here: https://www.gog.com/en/news/gog_x_mad_catz_contest_win_awesome_gaming_peripherals_and_a_gog_horror_bundle

Steam has two new deals:

• It's been a long time but we have a new daily deal. The free to play KARDS - The WW2 Card Game puts its DLCs between 50 and 90% off during 26 hours: https://store.steampowered.com/app/544810/KARDS__The_WW2_Card_Game/
• The Forgotten City will get a 50% discount until the 4th of July: https://store.steampowered.com/app/874260/The_Forgotten_City/

The Humble Store has a new The Wild Hunt for Savings Sale, featuring CD Projekt Red games with up to 85% discounts during 9 days. All the keys are for GOG: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/the-wild-hunt-for-savings-sale/.

Fanatical has a couple of things for us:

• The Discovery Bundle 2 has launched with 7 games featuring a 93% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/discovery-bundle-2
• And there's a new contest to win accessories and games for the Steam Deck. Learn more here: https://www.fanatical.com/en/blog/jsaux-contest-steam-deck-accessories-games

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

INTEL Arc & Iris Graphics 31.0.101.4514
https://videocardz.com/driver/intel-arc-iris-graphics-31-0-101-4514
Highlights
Intel® Game On Driver support on Intel® Arc™ A-series Graphics for:

• AEW: Fight Forever
• Layers of Fear

>> As usual, there are comparison numbers between this driver and a previous one, with such ridiculous improvements in AC Unity that Videocardz decided to do an article just about it that Yuri may, or may not, post.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

This Resident Evil 3 Mod lets you experience the game as Nemesis
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/this-resident-evil-3-mod-lets-you-experience-the-game-as-nemesis/
Modder ‘Komizo’ has released an amazing mod for Resident Evil 3 that lets you experience the game as Nemesis. Thanks to this mod, players can now chase Jill and engage in combat with her as Nemesis.
What’s also cool is that Nemesis has some custom attack moves. Regardless of the weapon equipped, Nemesis can attack enemies using punches. Additionally, under certain conditions, he can use his tentacles for attacks.
This mod offers two game modes. The first is the Original Mode, where players can enjoy the original game’s story as Nemesis. The second is the Arrange Mode, where players control Nemesis to hunt down S.T.A.R.S. members and mercenaries. Depending on Nemesis’s actions, battles with the targets can become advantageous or disadvantageous. Players will also have the opportunity to encounter other survivors in Raccoon City.
(...)
Lastly, we should note that this mod is for the original 1999 version of Resident Evil 3. It’s NOT for the recent 2020 remake.
>> There's an over 40 minutes video of the mod in action.

Cyberpunk 2077 gets a 13GB Mod, overhauling all the TV shows
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/cyberpunk-2077-gets-a-13gb-mod-overhauling-all-the-tv-shows/
Modder ‘2077v2’ has released a 13GB Mod for Cyberpunk 2077 that overhauls all of the in-game TV shows. Thanks to this mod, you can finally watch these shows at 1080p/30fps, and not at 480p as they were originally featured.
In order to create this mod, 2077v2 used AI upscaling techniques. And, from what we can see in the following comparison video, the results are pretty good. So yes, we definitely recommend downloading it.
2077v2 has also released another cool mod that increases the render distance. Needless to say, though, this mod will increase the game’s PC requirements. So yeah, keep that in mind if you are interested in it. (...)
>> There's a short video of the TV shows mod.

Pro Modder PureDark promises Starfield 'at least DLSS3 support in the Early Access 5 days.'
https://www.pcgamer.com/pro-modder-puredark-promises-starfield-at-least-dlss3-support-in-the-early-access-5-days/
While we wait for official word from either AMD or Bethesda on whether Starfield is going to be open to benefiting from DLSS support, professional modder, PureDark, has seemingly announced their intention to get it into the game before it's even fully released.
(...)
PureDark, however, has come out and explicitly stated that they'll have at least DLSS 3 support added during the pre-purchase reward early access period.
"Don't you worry, you've got me," they say, "I'll manage to get at least DLSS3 support in the Early Access 5 days, then slowly adding in an independent DLSS2 implementation depending on the situation (just like what I did with Jedi Survivor)."
>> It's good to hear, but remember that, as a pro, his mods are locked behind a Patreon wall.

GAMING NEWS

Diablo 4 Title Update 1.0.3 released, full patch notes revealed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/diablo-4-title-update-1-0-3-released-full-patch-notes-revealed/
Blizzard has just released Title Update 1.0.3 for Diablo 4, and shared its complete changelog. According to the patch notes, this new update comes with major balance tweaks for all classes. Moreover, it fixes a number of bugs and issues that plagued the game.

Bohemia Interactive is officially working on DayZ 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/bohemia-interactive-is-officially-working-on-dayz-2/
Remember NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW list which leaked a lot of unannounced games? Well, we now have a new challenger. During Microsoft’s court, the FTC Discovery has published a lot of emails, revealing projects that have not been announced yet. And one of them is DayZ 2.

Fortnite First-Person Mode Screenshots Leaked Online
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/fortnite-first-person-mode-screenshots-leaked-online/
According to reports, Fortnite may finally receive an official first-person mode in Chapter 4 Season 2. And, from the looks of it, a number of WIP screenshots from that mode have been leaked online.

Wednesday news, part two:

PC's answer to Pokemon just dropped a free version which strips out the filler and gets straight to the monster brawling
https://www.pcgamer.com/pcs-answer-to-pokemon-just-dropped-a-free-version-which-strips-out-the-filler-and-gets-straight-to-the-monster-brawling/
Temtem—PC's answer to Pokemon—has been fully released for almost a year, hatching out of early access in September 2022. Since then it's had four major patches, a handful of seasonal events, and has dug itself a cosy little nook into the market for those without a Switch, as well as seasoned Pokemon fans who want to shake things up a little.
Enter—very suddenly—Temtem Showdown. It's a free-to-play version of Temtem that dropped out of the blue yesterday, one which allows players to set up a roster of Temtem and hop into battle. It has some neat cross-pollination with the main game, too.

The next Guild Wars 2 expansion releases this August, and will finally answer an 18-year-old mystery
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-next-guild-wars-2-expansion-releases-this-august-and-will-finally-answer-an-18-year-old-mystery/
Surprise! Guild Wars 2's fourth expansion, called Secrets of the Obscure, will release on August 22. This will be the first in the MMO's new style of smaller, more frequent expansions, which is why it's releasing so soon after last year's End of Dragons.

Today's Diablo 4 miracle is this player-made chart that tells you where the gear you want is most likely to drop
https://www.pcgamer.com/todays-diablo-4-miracle-is-this-player-made-chart-that-tells-you-where-the-gear-you-want-is-most-likely-to-drop/
Of the many injustices blighting our world, the worst is this: I still can't find any decent pants in Diablo 4. Try as I might, I just can't seem to trigger whatever obscure function it is that will make the game spit out some trousers that match the rest of my outfit. Well, maybe I don't have to worry any longer, because an enterprising soul on Reddit has put together a handy chart to help you zero-in on the enemies and locations that will drop the loot you actually want.

Former EA CEO talks about how AI could replace Simlish but that sounds like a horrible idea
https://www.pcgamer.com/former-ea-ceo-talks-about-how-ai-could-replace-simlish-but-that-sounds-like-a-horrible-idea/
As AI gradually encroaches into every aspect of our lives, videogames have proven to be no exception. Almost all big publishers are starting to incorporate AI tools into parts of their process, in the hope the technology can automate tasks that would otherwise be labour-intensive. Modders have already started plugging things like ChatGPT into existing games (with very mixed results). And now John Ricitiello, CEO of major engine company Unity and former CEO of EA, reckons it could be used to replace things like Simlish.
>> Of course Ricitiello would jump into AI right away. The surprising bit is that he hasn't talked about replacing devs with AI... yet.

Hearthstone's Titans expansion features a brand new type of legendary card
https://www.pcgamer.com/hearthstones-titans-expansion-features-a-brand-new-type-of-legendary-card/
The Warcraft universe's Titans are coming to Hearthstone next month, with 11 new legendary cards representing the mighty world-striding creator gods. Each Titan has three bespoke abilities and, if you hadn't already guessed, every class gets its own Titan card.

Diablo 4's toughest XP grind just got significantly easier
https://www.pcgamer.com/diablo-4s-toughest-xp-grind-just-got-significantly-easier/
The unending hunt for the best ways to farm XP in Diablo 4 might be over with its latest patch. Blizzard has significantly buffed the XP you gain for completing its endgame Nightmare Dungeons.

Skullgirls bombarded by negative Steam reviews after devs alter old artwork they felt was in 'poor taste'
https://www.pcgamer.com/skullgirls-bombarded-by-negative-steam-reviews-after-devs-alter-old-artwork-they-felt-was-in-poor-taste/
Decade-old fighting game Skullgirls has been hit with more than 600 negative Steam reviews in just 24 hours because of a patch that mostly tweaks and removes artwork that the developers say doesn't reflect their current "values" or "broad vision" for the future of the game. The overall Steam rating for Skullgirls remains "Very Positive," but its recent review average has tumbled down to "Mostly Negative."
>> They no longer want their anime characters to show some virtual skin.

With thousands still playing, this extraction shooter is shutting down after barely a year online
https://www.pcgamer.com/with-thousands-still-playing-this-extraction-shooter-is-shutting-down-after-barely-a-year-online/
I'm pretty sure online multiplayer shooters are heading for some sort of demographic crisis, because the death rate must be outpacing the birth rate at this point. The Cycle: Frontier, a PvPvE extraction shooter that released on June 8 last year is shutting up shop for good, even though it still regularly hits player counts of around 2,000 and its lead producer once told NME he had "bet [his] career" on making it.

BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic team will suffer layoffs as the developer recommits to singleplayer games
https://www.pcgamer.com/biowares-star-wars-the-old-republic-team-will-suffer-layoffs-as-the-developer-recommits-to-singleplayer-games/
After the disaster that was Anthem, it should be good news that BioWare is recommitting to singleplayer games, but as the company bids farewell to Star Wars: The Old Republic and confirms layoffs, it's more bittersweet.

Diablo 4's rarest items have become a holy grail for its players, and I'm a little worried for them
https://www.pcgamer.com/diablo-4s-rarest-items-have-become-a-holy-grail-for-its-players-and-im-a-little-worried-for-them/
Last week Adam Jackson—the lead class designer for Diablo 4—tweeted out a list of the game's rarest items, and the internet has been acting very normal about it. Several of these items are references to gear from past Diablo games, such as the Harlequin Crest, and Jackson clarified that their drop rate is something of a grind within a grind.
(...)
Instead of calming the rumour mill down, Jackson seems to have accidentally set players on a desperate scavenger hunt powered by false hope, as evidenced by a Reddit thread from user Shaka_Walls with the grim title: "You're vastly more likely to die falling out of bed than to get Shako." They plead: "It's just not going to drop for you. The chances are effectively 0%. Stop wasting your time."
>> On another note, apparently all the sword names are wrong.