While I can understand for the CPU (a newer one should have saved some power at similar performance, which was more my thinking here), I feel like staying at 16GB RAM would be limiting both textures and resolutions by the time of it's release, not to speak about raytracing, for which it supposedly has own hardware to run.

As such, I fear it's newfound raytracing capabilities especially are choked out by the lack of RAM to run it properly, rendering it rather pointless. Going 20-24GB also would have widen the bandwidth, which only grows marginally compared to the base model and could also be some limiting factor at times.

Yea maybe a bit more vram wouldn't hurt since it's shared between the CPU/GPU on the consoles so it would be still around 12GB reserved for the GPU regardless of capabilities. Still I doubt the RT performance even "RDNA 4" RT will be much better than maybe 4070 class unless AMD actually does dedicated RT cores instead of "RT accelerators." So if the Render resolution with RT on is like 1080p, then it should be finesh.

I think once the next generation of consoles come, that is when Radeon will have dedicated RT cores and dedicated ML cores similar to Nvidia/Intel since it will be a fully ground up redesign.

Been shaking the rust off and trying to do it right this time, hopefully some day soon I'll be able to call myself a professional. This purchase was one of my last excuses to stay out of the saddle. Even with the sale the tablet was about a grand. Worth it though and still a huge discount over something comparable from Wacom. The chair is: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PPVCCST?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details. It's not for everyone but I've used one at work for a while now and it suits me better than any other 'ergonomic' chair I've been able to try so far.

Yeah I'd still say it's well worth it, and that type will last for years on end compared to the smaller Wacom ones (which one of my art friends has only just replaced her model from 2009).

As for myself, I haven't drawn in years, but I am wanting to get back into it myself, so I bought myself some tip and anatomy/gesture books to help me start all over from scratch. I've already got characters to muck around with that I adopted from those I know within the community I dabble in (the avatar will give you an easy guess heh), so at least I've something to practice with in my spare time. 

The chair is definitely something I fancy getting at some point, since I've been told those models in particular are good on the old back, and I like their slender look over those gaming chairs anyway. 

Pretty similar story here. I downloaded all my old art books in pdf form (archive.org has a bunch) and I'm going back through them. I also purchased a bunch of reference packs to practice with. Gonna go through them all and develop my own style bit by bit.

Well if you ever need any more ref materials, shoot me a message, I've been downloading refs the past few years now (both SFW/NSFW). The books will be my main guidance point, and the materials downloaded will help me in finding my own style.

Since money is tight with me atm, I'm going old school and just going with pencil/paper, but one day I'll get the mone and the courage to try using a tablet myself (though I really do prefer the tablet with a screen to help me visual what I'd be drawing). 

I kinda want to draw up a story featuring characters on the island I live on, but set in the Victorian era (with some light fantasy elements to go with my island's mythos). Animation would be great, but atm I can only work with existing media in Sony Vegas, and not adobe premier/blender. 

My main reason for wanting to draw again is because I'm kinda sick of working retail, and I'd rather work for myself and have some actual passion to put into something I'd like to do (vs retail, where your only passion is sharing a company's ideals, even if they don't align with your own). I've seen numerous friends and non friends in the art community make their livings via various avenues and those that do make it work seem to find decent to great support, and that's something that feels more wholkesome to me than working some retail outlet, where hardly anyone remembers you.

The Tuesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam's Top 10
 
(Click here for the top 100)

Steam has several deals and sale, plus the weeklong deals:

• Medieval Dynasty will be 25% off until Thursday, the 14th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1129580/Medieval_Dynasty/
• Against the Storm gets a 35% discount until the 15th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1336490/Against_the_Storm/
• The Little Nightmares franchise is on sale, up to 79% off until Friday: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/LittleNightmaresFranchiseSale
• Daedalic's Multiplayer Sale features up to 90% discounts until the 19th of December: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/daedalicmultiplayersale
• The Edna & Harvey - Bestest Friends Bundle has a 90% discount. There's no sign of when it will end, but the individual games will be on sale until the 19th, so...: https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/35184/Edna__Harvey__Bestest_Friends_Bundle/
• Killer Frequency will be 40% off until December, 21st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1903620/Killer_Frequency/
• The Early Access title Necesse will be 50% off until the 21st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1169040/Necesse/
• Generation Zero will have an 85% discount until the 21st of December: https://store.steampowered.com/app/704270/Generation_Zero/
• The Plants vs Zombies franchise goes on sale, up to 90% off until, once again, the 21st: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/pvzfranchise
• And here's a small sample of the weeklong deals:
  • Doll Explorer is 15% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2164930/Doll_Explorer/
  • Mouse (Sneaking) gets a 30% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/776960/Mouse_Sneaking/
  • Backfirewall_, that has a demo, is half its usual price: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1920100/Backfirewall/
  • SkateBIRD gets a 65% deal: https://store.steampowered.com/app/971030/SkateBIRD/
  • Anodyne features a 70% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/234900/Anodyne/
  • And the last one is Yooka-Laylee, 90% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/360830/YookaLaylee/

The Humble Store has launched the Stories to Remember Sale, with up to 90% discounts during 6 days. There are keys for Steam, EGS, UPlay and direct downloads: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/stories-to-remember-sale/.

Fanatical has a couple things for us:

• The BYO Triple Pack Holiday Edition features 14 titles for your 3 games pack: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-triple-pack
• And they've launched a contest with a chance to win a 512GB Steam Deck OLED and 5 games: https://gleam.io/QcKnW/chance-to-win-a-steam-deck-5-games

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready 546.33 driver
https://videocardz.com/driver/nvidia-geforce-game-ready-546-33
Highlights
Game Ready for THE FINALS
This new Game Ready Driver provides the best gaming experience for the latest new games supporting DLSS 3 technology including THE FINALS and Squad. Further support for new titles leveraging NVIDIA DLSS technology includes the launch of Fortnite Chapter 5 which features DLSS Super Resolution.

Fixed Issues
Fixed Gaming Bugs

• [Discord] When streaming gameplay, colors may appear muted [4349586]

Fixed General Bugs

• A new NVIDIA icon is created in the system tray each time a user switch takes place in Windows [4251314]

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora DLSS 3 Frame Generation Mod Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/avatar-frontiers-of-pandora-dlss-3-frame-generation-mod-released/
Modder ‘PureDark’ has released a new mod for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora that enables support for DLSS 3 Frame Generation. Additionally, the modder has improved the quality of DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution. As such, the game will be now sharper with this mod.
Now the bad news here is that as with all of PureDark’s DLSS 3 Mods, this one is also behind a Patreon wall. Yeap, in order to enjoy DLSS 3, you’ll have to pay for it. It sucks but hey, it is what it is.
>> There's an over 8 minutes video of the mod.

GAMING NEWS

Skull and Bones Closed Beta Testing Announced for December
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/skull-and-bones-closed-beta-testing-announced-for-december/
Ubisoft has announced that the Closed Beta Testing for Skull and Bones will begin this December. The Closed Beta will begin on December 15th and it will last until December 18th. Moreover, the French company shared a new trailer that you can find below.

Alan Wake 2 Title Update 13 Released, Adds New Game+, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/alan-wake-2-title-update-13-released-adds-new-game-full-patch-notes/
Remedy has just released Title Update 13 for Alan Wake 2 that adds New Game+ Mode, and revealed its full patch notes. This patch also comes with some performance improvements. So, let’s take a closer look at it.

Starfield Title Update 1.8.8 Released, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/starfield-title-update-1-8-8-released-full-patch-notes/
Bethesda has just released Title Update 1.8.8 for its latest title, Starfield, and shared its full patch notes. This update is similar to the Beta Patch that came out on PC on December 1st. So, if you’re using its Beta branch, you can safely skip it.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Update 1.0.6 is 5GB on PC, adds New Game+ Mode, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/assassins-creed-mirage-update-1-0-6-is-5gb-on-pc-adds-new-game-mode-full-patch-notes/
Ubisoft has announced that Title Update 1.0.6 for Assassin’s Creed Mirage will release tomorrow. This patch is 5GB in size on PC, and here are its full patch notes. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
>> That tomorrow is today.

Tekken 8 PC Demo will be available on December 21st
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/tekken-8-pc-demo-will-be-available-on-december-21st/
Bandai Namco has just announced that the PC demo for Tekken 8 will become available for download on December 21st. This demo will allow you to play and test this upcoming fighting game before its official release.

Tuesday news, part two:

Lethal Company has just solved arachnophobia with words, literally
https://www.pcgamer.com/lethal-company-has-just-implemented-one-of-the-funniest-arachnophobia-modes-ive-seen/
As a certified arachnophobe, it pains me how many games insist on including a creature that absolutely should not have that many legs. Thankfully, a handful of games have started to implement an arachnophobia mode over the years. You've got Grounded's shiny round blobs, Kill it with Fire's cartoonish balled-up arachnids and Webbed's decision to reduce its spider protagonist down to a purple sphere.
Perhaps my favourite attempt at an arachnophobia to date, though, is the way Lethal Company has handled censoring these terrifying critters. While most other games have steered towards nixing their legs and turning them into cute little round beings, developer Zeekerss has taken a slightly different approach. By that I mean it's gotten rid of the spiders all together, instead replacing them with 3D text reading "spider" floating around the world like some kind of missing model glitch It came as part of the game's Patch 45 on December 9, which also included notes like "Rail cheese has been nearly destroyed, but the forest giant is easier to avoid."

TimeSplitters studio Free Radical Design has closed, employees say: 'We join an ever-growing list of casualties in a broken industry'
https://www.pcgamer.com/timesplitters-studio-free-radical-design-has-closed-employees-say-we-join-an-ever-growing-list-of-casualties-in-a-broken-industry/
It appears that, as first rumored in November, TimeSplitters studio Free Radical Design has been closed. The studio's website has been scrubbed and now bears a simple message saying "404 Company not found :(," while multiple employees have said that today was their last day.

League of Legends executive producer Jeremy 'Brightmoon' Lee has stepped down to do 'other stuff at Riot'
https://www.pcgamer.com/after-eight-years-in-charge-league-of-legends-executive-producer-jeremy-brightmoon-lee-has-stepped-down-to-do-other-stuff-at-riot/
After more than eight years at the helm of League of Legends, executive producer Jeremy "Brightmoon" Lee announced today that he's decided to step down.
"This year's been a bit of a whirlwind," Lee said in today's dev update video. "The progress we've made as a team and, most importantly, what we've been able to deliver for you has been so rewarding. And with that, I've decided it's the right time to step away from my current role. I'll be passing the torch to a new executive producer in the coming months."

'This was our first big experience, sh*t happens': The Day Before's CEO is MIA, its Discord server has disintegrated, and its YouTube Channel has gone dark
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-was-our-first-big-experience-sht-happens-the-day-befores-ceo-is-mia-its-discord-server-has-disintegrated-and-its-youtube-channel-has-gone-dark/
Trainwrecks aren't exactly rare in the gaming industry, but it's rare that they're this spectacular. After a suspiciously-polished trailer, The Day Before quickly became one of Steam's most wishlisted games.
>> If you want to delve deeper into this whole story, PCGamer has made an article about it.

Disney games boss acknowledges 'a lot of demand' for Knights of the Old Republic remake, giving me my first spark of hope for the project in ages
https://www.pcgamer.com/disney-games-boss-acknowledges-a-lot-of-demand-for-knights-of-the-old-republic-remake-giving-me-my-first-spark-of-hope-for-the-project-in-ages/
Games industry head honchos have all gotten into the same hobby recently: Refusing to say anything about the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake that got revealed at a PlayStation showcase all the way back in September 2021. It just seems that no one at any of the corporations supposedly involved—Sony, Disney, and Embracer Group—wants to talk about it ever since trouble cropped up at the remake's original developer Aspyr.
(...)
In a chat with Axios' Stephen Totilo, Disney head of gaming Sean Shoptaw was asked about the status of the KOTOR remake, to which he responded that there's "Not a lot I can say on that point for some hopefully obvious reasons," but went on to say that KOTOR is "obviously an incredibly popular game, one that we are incredibly proud of and think that there's still a lot of demand for. I'll leave it there."

E3 is officially dead: 'Thanks for the memories. GGWP'
https://www.pcgamer.com/e3-is-dead/
Almost three decades after first debuting at the Los Angeles Convention Centre, the Entertainment Software Association has announced it's finally laying gaming convention E3 to rest.
A statement was posted to the official E3 Twitter, which read: "After more than two decades of E3, each one bigger than the last, the time has come to say goodbye. Thanks for the memories." The statement signs off with "GGWP" in giant yellow letters.
>> Alex_The_Hedgehog has made a thread about this news.

Very impressive showing... For the 7800X3D that is.

Intel Ultra 5 125H and Ryzen 7 7840HS tested at 65W: Intel with higher iGPU score but falls short in CPU tests

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-ultra-5-125h-and-ryzen-7-7840hs-tested-at-65w-intel-with-higher-igpu-score-but-falls-short-in-cpu-tests

ASUS releases AGESA 1.1.0.1 for AMD X670 & B650 motherboard series

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-releases-agesa-1-1-0-1-for-amd-x670-b650-motherboard-series

A couple of things to add to the news:

1) It wasn't tehre yesterday, but it looks like Fanatical will have new contests everyday during the 12 days that their Winter Sale will last. The one with the Deck is the second one, but there's another (link here) to win a keyboard + wrist rest.

Here's the blog post where they'll put all the contests, so you can keep track of them: https://www.fanatical.com/en/blog/12-days-of-big-festive-deals-blogs

2) We all know that Steam's Winter Sale will start the 21st but, what will come after that? Well, wonder no more because we already know all the sales and events that will happen at Steam during the first half of 2024, from the Capitalism and Economy Fest that will take place in January itself to the Summer Sale (13 in total). You can find them all here: https://www.club386.com/here-are-all-steam-sale-dates-for-the-first-half-of-2024/