Great price... but that also shows how overpriced is the Switch right now.

Let's go with the Friday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

There's a new Humble Bundle: the Adventures in the 2nd Dimension: Positively Playful Platformers Bundle, with 8 games to get during the next 19 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/adventures-in-2nd-dimension-positively-playful-platformers.

Fanatical has three new 24 hours Flash Deals:

• Everdream Valley is 55% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/everdream-valley
• Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition has a 79% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/fallout-4-game-of-the-year-edition
• And Zombie Army Trilogy has a 90% deal: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/zombie-army-trilogy

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Here’s your first look at the Non-Ray-Tracing 3DMark Steel Nomad Benchmark
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/heres-your-first-look-at-the-non-ray-tracing-3dmark-steel-nomad/
UL Solutions has shared the first screenshots of its new benchmark software, 3DMark Steel Nomad. It’s the next version after 3D Mark Time Spy, and it’s going to be the toughest benchmark test for computers that don’t use ray-tracing technology.
3DMark Steel Nomad won’t just work on Windows with DirectX 12; it will also run on macOS and iOS using Metal, as well as on Android using Vulkan. And don’t worry if you’re a Linux fan. Linux will be supported too, using the Vulkan API for Enterprise and for reviewers. Plus, 3DMark Steel Nomad will include some references to the company’s earlier benchmarks.

SteamOS will be coming to other handhelds before you can install it on your PC 'because right now, it's very, very tuned for Steam Deck'
https://www.pcgamer.com/steamos-on-handheld-pcs/
Where the hell is SteamOS? That was one of the key questions I wanted answered when I sat down with Valve's Lawrence Yang and Yazan Aldehayyat, two of the longest serving members of the Steam Deck team. As always, the answer is "soon" but interestingly Valve is looking to make it available to other handhelds first, before a wider PC and laptop launch.
(...)
"Oh, man," sighs Lawrence Yang, "it's very high on our list, it's on our list and we are working on it. But a lot of the same people that would make the general install of SteamOS available are the same people that are making Galileo [Steam Deck OLED] work.
"We're hoping soon, though, it is very high on our list, and we want to make SteamOS more widely available. We'll probably start with making it more available to other handhelds with a similar gamepad style controller. And then further beyond that, to more arbitrary devices. I think that the biggest thing is just, you know, driver support and making sure that it can work on whatever PC it happens to land on. Because right now, it's very, very tuned for Steam Deck."

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Resident Evil Fan Remake in Unreal Engine 5 gets an incredible gameplay trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/resident-evil-fan-remake-unreal-engine-5-incredible-gameplay-trailer/
YouTube’s ‘RE Biohazard’ just released an awesome gameplay trailer for its fan remake of the first Resident Evil game using Unreal Engine 5. This trailer gives you a good 4 minutes of actual gameplay, so make sure to check it out.
What’s really cool about this trailer is that it reveals numerous environments and enemies. For example, you can spot the Hunters and the Giant Snake. They’ve also made sure the combat mechanics work properly. This remake is one of the best we’ve seen from fans so far.
What’s also cool about this remake is that it lets you choose between a third-person and fixed-camera view. This is what the official remakes should have done. It’s like a dream come true for all die-hard Resident Evil fans.
Unfortunately, there is still no ETA on when we’ll get a demo of it. The team behind it stated that we should not be expecting a release date announcement anytime soon. And, to be honest, this sucks. Let’s not forget that Capcom shut down another fan remake of Resident Evil in Unity Engine. And I get it. The team is most likely using it for portfolio purposes. However, as you’ll see, they have put A LOT of effort into this remake. So, it will be a shame if we never get at least a demo of it.
>> The video is almost 4 minutes long.

Skyrim just got a new large-scale, story-driven DLC-sized mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/skyrim-new-large-scale-story-driven-dlc-sized-mod/
Digital Serpent just dropped a large-scale, story-driven, partially open-world DLC-sized mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. This is like a big expansion, and it’s called Krein. This mod is all about puzzles and cool RPG battles. Check it out.
Krein is a fully-fledged new adventure across various landscapes and worlds. It’s as big as the official Dragonborn DLC for Skyrim. The cool part is, it feels like it’s part of the game world already. Yeap, the modding team has seamlessly integrated it into the game’s world.
It’s also worth noting that the mod features dozens of collectible weapons and armor. It also comes with an original soundtrack. So yeah, pretty cool stuff. Right?
>> There's an over 16 minutes video of the mod.

Unfortunate: You can now completely ruin every single cutscene in Baldur's Gate 3 with a Thomas the Tank Engine headcrab
https://www.pcgamer.com/unfortunate-you-can-now-completely-ruin-every-single-cutscene-in-baldurs-gate-3-with-a-thomas-the-tank-engine-headcrab/
Mods are one of my favourite things about PC gaming, and Baldur's Gate 3 is no different. Give players even the slightest bit of access to your code, and they'll create whole new games, stunning graphical overhauls, and community patches to squash bugs. Then there's also the horrors.
The latest lovecraftian nightmare to pull into the station is this mod, named Thomas the Tank Engine. That's it, just. Thomas the Tank Engine. No embellishments, no attempt at arcane lore, it is what you get. Don't worry, he's here. Nothing can hurt you anymore.
The way Nexus Mod user RemuFO4's nightmare works is pretty simple. It replaces one of the Tiefling's horns with a mesh of Thomas the Tank Engine's whole body, just… glued on to the model. Like a Half-Life headcrab, this parasitic train pilots Tav's body as it searches for a place to make its new nest.
>> The article has several screenshots.

GAMING NEWS

PvPvE Extraction Shooter, Arc Raiders, Gets Pre-Alpha Gameplay Video
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/pvpve-extraction-shooter-arc-raiders-gets-pre-alpha-gameplay-video/
Nexon has released an official pre-alpha gameplay video for its upcoming PvPvE extraction shooter, Arc Raiders. And while this trailer is a bit short, it can at least give you a glimpse at what this new shooter will look like.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Day-1 Update Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3-day-1-update-released-detailed/
Activision has released and detailed the day-1 update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and below you can find its full patch notes. This patch will be automatically applied to the game for those that will get its launch version. On the other hand, those that have pre-ordered will download a pretty big patch.

Starfield now suffers from MAJOR HUD Ghosting/Stuttering Issues
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/starfield-now-suffers-from-major-hud-ghosting-stuttering-issues/
A couple of days ago, Bethesda released a new beta update for Starfield. This update added support for DLSS 3 Frame Generation. It also brought some CPU and GPU optimizations. But there’s a problem now when you’re playing in space. The game’s HUD elements are not working properly. They currently have ghosting/stuttering issues, and they are making the game really hard to play. It’s a big issue that needs fixing.

Lords of the Fallen Patch v1.1.310 released, packing numerous optimization improvements
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/lords-of-the-fallen-patch-v1-1-310-released-packing-numerous-optimization-improvements/
Hexworks has released a new update for Lords of the Fallen which packs numerous optimization tweaks and improvements. Update v1.1.310 comes with over 100 fixes, tweaks and changes, and below you can find its full patch notes.

Cities Skylines Title Update 1.0.13 Released, Full Patch Notes Revealed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/cities-skylines-title-update-1-0-13-released-full-patch-notes-revealed/
Paradox Interactive and Colossal Order just dropped the third big update for Cities Skylines 2. Patch 1.0.13 is loaded with tweaks to make things more balanced. It also fixes some of the game’s bugs. Plus, they’ve boosted performance by optimizing how the game handles polygon areas. So, in theory, the game should now run faster.

The Friday news, the long part two:

You'll be able to play Remnant 2's new DLC with a friend who has it, even if you don't own it yourself
https://www.pcgamer.com/youll-be-able-to-play-remnant-2s-new-dlc-with-a-friend-who-has-it-even-if-you-dont-own-it-yourself/
I'm pretty excited about Remnant 2's first DLC, The Awakened King. Aside from adding a whole new area to one of my favourite games of 2023—a much-appreciated upgrade, since it's built to be played multiple times—it'll also add a new archetype, build-altering jewellery, and even more guns for me to tinker with.
What's more, if you're playing the game with a friend, they'll be able to join you for the ride whether they own the DLC or not, as confirmed by the official Remnant 2 twitter account yesterday.

Here's how to watch the 41st annual Golden Joystick Awards
https://www.pcgamer.com/heres-how-to-watch-the-41st-annual-golden-joystick-awards/
It's the most wonderful time of the year: the time when the games industry puts on its best evening wear and Troy Baker takes the stage to tell us which videogames are set to win after millions of public votes have been totted up.
It is, in other words, time for the Golden Joysticks, which airs tomorrow, November 10, at 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm GMT on pretty much any platform that can hold a livestream. That means YouTube, Twitch, Steam, Bilibili, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter. Oh, and also GamesRadar, TechRadar Gaming, and right here on PC Gamer.

Warner Bros. wants to transform franchises like Superman into 'always on' live-service style games—which is somehow different from what its been trying for years
https://www.pcgamer.com/warner-bros-wants-to-transform-franchises-like-superman-into-always-on-live-service-style-gameswhich-is-somehow-different-from-what-its-been-trying-to-do-for-years/
Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav has set out the company's plans for the future, and, surprise surprise, there's yet more live service stuff on the horizon.
The company's latest ambitions were revealed in an earnings call yesterday (thanks, Eurogamer). Zaslav states: "We recognize that we can do a better job of managing and maximizing the value of our blue chip franchises like Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and Superman."

Braid: Anniversary Edition is finally coming in 2024 with 15 hours of developer commentary, and no I am not kidding
https://www.pcgamer.com/braid-anniversary-edition-is-coming-in-2024-with-15-hours-of-developer-commentary-and-no-i-am-not-kidding/
It's been more than three years since the announcement of Braid: Anniversary Edition, a "hand-painted" remake of the famed indie hit. At the time, it was supposed to arrive in 2021, and that was a pretty big miss—but now, two years later, we've got a new release date of April 30, 2024.

This Angry Birds clone made entirely through AI prompts makes me wonder what the future of small-scale game development is going to be like
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-angry-birds-clone-made-entirely-through-ai-prompts-makes-me-wonder-what-the-future-of-small-scale-game-development-is-going-to-be-like/
The use of generative AI in the development of games has been hitting the headlines for some time now, but typically in the context of AI tools being used to assist with game development. One person has now made an entire game solely through the use of ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Midjourney.

Warframe developer axes publishing division, will 'transition full control' of online action RPG Wayfinder to its developer
https://www.pcgamer.com/warframe-developer-axes-publishing-division-will-transition-full-control-of-online-action-rpg-wayfinder-to-its-developer/
At last year's Game Awards, Warframe maker Digital Extremes revealed that it was publishing Wayfinder, an online action game from Airship Syndicate which released in early access this August. Today, PC Gamer has learned that Digital Extremes is now closing its publishing wing and handing control of Wayfinder over to Airship Syndicate.
"We can confirm we have made the difficult decision to cease operations of our external projects division," a Digital Extremes rep told PC Gamer in an email today. "We have had to say goodbye to a number of hardworking and highly valuable team members as a result and we're working with Airship to transition full control of Wayfinder to them in the coming months."

A Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 bug is spawning every player in the same spot, triggering a nonstop bloodbath
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3-bug-is-spawning-every-player-in-the-same-spot-triggering-a-nonstop-bloodbath/
Call of Duty spawns are always a little wonky on launch day, but they're rarely as entertaining as this Modern Warfare 3 bug. Some console folk hopping into multiplayer early (presumably employing the good ol' New Zealand region switch trick) are getting swept up in a nonstop bullet barrage as the map Quarry will sometimes spawn every player in the lobby at the same spot.

Good news, terrible news: You don't have to launch Modern Warfare 2 to launch Modern Warfare 3 anymore, but now you can't launch Warzone without first launching Modern Warfare 3
https://www.pcgamer.com/good-news-terrible-news-you-dont-have-to-launch-modern-warfare-2-to-launch-modern-warfare-3-anymore-but-now-you-cant-launch-warzone-without-first-launching-modern-warfare-3/
Activision's rollout of the new "Call of Duty HQ" launcher has been anything but elegant. The HQ, which is really just a rebranded frontend for a single CoD game, is the only way to launch the new Modern Warfare 3, and until yesterday, that process was a real slog. To play MW3, you had to first launch the CoD HQ, then click MW3, then return to the desktop, then wait for the actual game you wanted to play to boot.
That's now been reversed by a patch deployed on the eve of Modern Warfare 3's full release: Launching "Call of Duty" now takes you to the front end of Modern Warfare 3 (whether you actually own it or not), and switching over to last year's MW2 or Warzone now requires a return to desktop first. Essentially, MW3 is now the homepage of CoD, making the launch process easy for folks making the leap to the new game, but simultaneously much worse for the hundreds of thousands of people who prefer to stick to Warzone, DMZ, or Modern Warfare 2.
>> By the way, the campaign wasn't done is 16 months. At least that's what the dev team is saying.

I can't believe this worked: There's a Task Manager trick to get into Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer hours before launch on Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/modern-warfare-3-early-release-trick/
People say a lot of things on the internet: They say they have screenshots of Half-Life 3. They say it was actually their little brother who said all those terrible things in Fortnite. They say there's a magic Task Manager ritual you can perform to play Modern Warfare 3 early. You don't expect them to be true, but now and then, it does happen.
In this case, it turns out you really can get into Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer hours before its PC launch tonight by performing a easy multi-step process involving a Steam copy of the game and the Windows Task Manager. I just played a round of Hardpoint on Invasion.

World of Warcraft director says players who pay for early access to the next expansion won't have a 'long-term advantage'
https://www.pcgamer.com/world-of-warcraft-director-says-players-who-pay-for-early-access-to-the-next-expansion-wont-have-a-long-term-advantage/
World of Warcraft: The War Within is the first WoW expansion where purchasing a more-expensive edition gets you into the new content more quickly. The announcement caused an immediate controversy, but the game's director claims it will not ultimately affect players' progression relative to each other.

WoW director says its most controversial new class specialization is OP because it had to be: 'The community is naturally skeptical of things they don't understand'
https://www.pcgamer.com/wow-augmentation-evoker-overpowered-explanation/
Blizzard knew that its controversial new augmentation evokers—the first support class ever in World of Warcraft—were going to be overpowered. That choice was "deliberate," the game's director told us in a BlizzCon interview, although he added that "obviously they came out the gates too strong."

Baldur's Gate 3 hotfix means dwarves don't have to walk around in 'big blueberries' anymore
https://www.pcgamer.com/baldurs-gate-3-hotfix-means-dwarves-dont-have-to-walk-around-in-big-blueberries-anymore/
Larian has followed up Baldur's Gate 3's hefty fourth patch with a wee hotfix that squashes a variety of bugs, one of which I wish I'd experienced before it was fixed. I knew I should have rolled a dwarf.

Companies were offering a single dollar for Hitman dev IO Interactive when Square Enix was looking to offload it
https://www.pcgamer.com/companies-were-offering-a-single-dollar-for-hitman-dev-io-interactive-when-square-enix-was-looking-to-offload-it/
It might be strange to recall after Hitman 3's stonking success, but series developer IO Interactive was in a very precarious situation not so long ago. When 2016's Hitman failed to please IOI's owners at Square Enix, the corporation began scrabbling around looking for someone to take the studio of its hands.
We know how that turned out—thankfully, IOI eventually managed to buy itself out from under Square—but a recent feature in Edge magazine has cast a little light on just how much worse things could have been for Hitman and IOI in general. We're talking free-to-play Hitman, companies-offering-$1-for-the-whole-studio levels of grim.

Remnant 2's new DLC class will let you set foes on fire, melt them with acid, electrocute them, and make them bleed—all at once
https://www.pcgamer.com/remnant-2s-new-dlc-class-will-let-you-set-foes-on-fire-melt-them-with-acid-electrocute-them-and-make-them-bleedall-at-once/
Big damage numbers are fun, sure, but slapping a bunch of damage-over-time effects on your foes and watching them wilt has its allure too. Remnant 2's new archetype, the Ritualist, will let you do just that, and it'll be arriving alongside the game's first DLC next week.

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

+GOG

• There are five new Deals of the Day, that will last 70 hours:
  • Dorfromantik will be 30% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/dorfromantik
  • Doors: Paradox gets a 40% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/doors_paradox
  • Tropico 6 has a 60% deal: https://www.gog.com/en/game/tropico_6
  • Hero of the Kingdom: The Lost Tales 2 sports a 74% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/hero_of_the_kingdom_the_lost_tales_2
  • The last one is The Divine Invasion, 91% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_divine_invasion
• And Daedalic puts its games on sale with up to 90% discounts until November, 28th: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20231119_daedalic_publisher_sale

+Steam

• The first one is Stranded: Alien Dawn, 30% off until the 13th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1324130/Stranded_Alien_Dawn/
• Europa Universalis IV will be free to try during the weekend and 70% off until Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/236850/Europa_Universalis_IV/
• Crusader Kings III gets a 50% discount until the 16th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1158310/Crusader_Kings_III/
• Publisher IndieArk brings demos to try and puts its games on sale with up to 55% discounts. Most discounts will last until the 16th but, for some reason, others will last for longer, until the 21st: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/IndieArkPublisherSale2023
• Tricky Towers will be 70% off until Wednesday, the 16th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/437920/Tricky_Towers/
• The Watchdogs franchise goes on sale with up to 87% discounts until November, the 16th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/WatchDogsFranchise
• Trepang2, that has a demo, is going to be 33% off until the 20th of November: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1164940/Trepang2/
• And last, but not least, we have Isonzo, that will be free to try during the weekend and 67% off until the 21st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/

That's it. No more news left other than Jizz's. Until next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 SUPER GPU Specs & Performance Leak: 4080 SUPER With Bigger AD103, 4070 Ti SUPER With AD103 & 16 GB, 4070 SUPER With AD104 & Gen5 Connector

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-geforce-rtx-40-super-gpus-4080-super-4070-ti-super-4070-super-specs-performance-leak/

Of course the most important thing will be the price and that is something we won't know till January

It is interesting how they have been hovering around 20% market share for quite sometime now. Their only major dip was around Q3 2022 with 13% which was when the awful launch of Zen 4 which then got heavily discounted a month after thanks to Raptor Lakes launch. Least AMD is back to the way they were since then.

Micron Roadmap Details GDDR7 Memory For Next-Gen NVIDIA GPUs: Up To 24Gb & 32 Gbps Dies In 2024, 24Gb+ & 36 Gbps In 2026

https://wccftech.com/micron-roadmap-gddr7-memory-next-gen-nvidia-gpus-up-to-24gb-32-gbps-dies-in-2024-24gb-36-gbps-in-2026/

AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE 16 GB GPU Drops Below $600 US In China, Also Gets Cheaper In Europe

https://wccftech.com/amd-radeon-rx-7900-gre-16-gb-gpu-drops-below-600-us-in-china-cheaper-in-europe/

Nvidia must be planning a 4080Ti at some point, otherwise it makes no sense that the 4080 Super is the card that offers the least jump over its regular counterpart.

The one that may bring the biggest improvements may be the one with the worst name, because that jump in both memory bandwitdh and capacity, plus the extra cores, will surely help it a lot.

I think they were planning to use AD102 die for a 4080 Ti/Super but the Ai craze basically ensured AD102 will either go to 4090 or workstation. It's the same reason we didn't get 4090 Ti/Titan.

Looks like Bethesda finally optimized the game for Nvidia GPUs.

In case there's anyone that fits in both "wanting to know who won in the Golden Joystick Awards" and "being too lazy to find it our by myself" diagrams, here's your answer:

https://www.gamesradar.com/golden-joystick-awards-2023-winners/

• Best Storytelling - Baldur's Gate 3
• Still Playing Award - No Man's Sky
• Best Visual Design - Baldur's Gate 3
• Studio of the Year - Larian Studios
• Best Game Expansion - Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Best Indie Game - Sea of Stars
• Best VR Game - Horizon Call of the Mountain
• Best Multiplayer Game - Mortal Kombat 1
• Best Audio - Final Fantasy XVI
• Best Game Trailer - Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Best Streaming Game - Valorant
• Best Game Community - Baldur's Gate 3
• Best Gaming Hardware - PSVR 2
• Breakthrough Award - Coccoon / Geometric Interactive
• Critics' Choice Award - Alan Wake II
• Best Lead Performer - Ben Starr, Final Fantasy XVI
• Best Supporting Performer - Neil Newborn, Astarion, Baldur's Gate 3
• Nintendo Game of the Year - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• PC Game of the Year - Baldur's Gate 3
• Xbox Game of the Year - Starfield
• PlayStation Game of the Year - Resident Evil 4
• Most Wanted Game - Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• UGOTY - Baldur's Gate 3

I honestly don't understand how Baldur's Gate 3 can be the Ultimate Game of the Year winner but, at the same time, not win the best Playstation game despite being available on that console. But well, these awards almost never make complete sense to me.

Because no one in their right mind would play a tactical CRPG on a console, that's why.

I think they nominated each game for one of the platform-specific awards only, at least judging by a really quick look.