The irony is that Freedom of Speech has always had associated restrictions... See: Defamation/Libel/Slander.

However most Free-speech absolutists don't actually care about free speech, they want free speech without opposition, stifling other peoples free speech in the process.

In saying that... There are tons of gaming outlets that are just downright toxic free-for alls, thankfully I think VGChartz is a bit different there with a more mature and sensible community.

The news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Hogwarts Legacy sold over 22 million copies, Warner Bros. exec brags it's 'the best-selling game of the year in the entire industry worldwide'
https://www.pcgamer.com/hogwarts-legacy-sold-over-22-million-copies-warner-bros-exec-brags-its-the-best-selling-game-of-the-year-in-the-entire-industry-worldwide/
Warner Bros. Games has announced that the Harry Potter action-RPG Hogwarts Legacy sold over 22 million copies by the end of 2023, with roughly 2 million of those sales over the December festive period. "But it’s not just the units sold that I’m so proud of, it’s just that it delighted the fans so much," Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment president David Haddad told Variety.
(...)
Warner Bros. shared a bunch of fun facts about the game, with Haddad emphasising "many" players have gone through the game multiple times. Collectively they've played for 707 million hours, brewed 819 million potions, harvested 1.3 billion magical plants, rescued 593 million magical beasts, and defeated 4.9 billion dark wizards.

GOG has released three new Deals of the Day, that will last until Friday:

• The first one is The Invincible, 20% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_invincible
• The second one is Star Explorers, with a 40% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/star_explorers
• And the third one is Yakuza: Like a Dragon Hero Edition, with an 80% deal: https://www.gog.com/en/game/yakuza_like_a_dragon_hero_edition

Steam has a couple of new deals:

• Before We Leave will be 75% off until the 22nd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1073910/Before_We_Leave/
• The Early Access title Yet Another Zombie Survivors, that has a demo, is going to have a 25% discount until January, the 23rd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2163330/Yet_Another_Zombie_Survivors/

And Fanatical has a new Star Deal: Escape Simulator is going to be 34% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/escape-simulator.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Valve updates its Steam policy on AI so it can 'release the vast majority of games that use it'
https://www.pcgamer.com/valve-updates-its-steam-policy-on-ai-so-it-can-release-the-vast-majority-of-games-that-use-it/
Last year, after a game developer declared Steam wouldn't accept any game that used AI, Valve clarified that it was "working through how to integrate it into our already-existing review policies" and that "our review process is a reflection of current copyright law and policies, not an added layer of our opinion. As these laws and policies evolve over time, so will our process."
Another step in that process has been taken, as Valve has released a new statement addressing AI content on Steam. "Today," it begins, "after spending the last few months learning more about this space and talking with game developers, we are making changes to how we handle games that use AI technology. This will enable us to release the vast majority of games that use it."
There are two changes coming to Steam that will make this possible. The first is an update to the Content Survey, which is a form that developers fill out when submitting a game to Steam. The survey will now have a section where developers have to disclose whether they've used AI during development, and whether it was pre-generated (used to create assets pre-release), or live-generated (used to create content while the game's being played).

LSFG 1.0 is a new competitor to DLSS 3 and FSR 3.0, enables Frame Generation in all PC games on all GPUs
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/lsfg-1-0-dlss-3-fsr-3-0-frame-generation-all-pc-games/
Now here is a pleasant surprise. The author of the Lossless Scaling program has released a new version that can enable Frame Generation in all PC games on all GPUs.
Yeap, you read that right. With this program, you can enable Frame Generation in all games. And yes, you can enable FG even in games that don’t support DLSS 3 or FSR 3.0.
According to its author, the recommended minimum to have the best quality is 60 FPS in a game and a 120 Hz monitor. That’s exactly what NVIDIA and AMD recommend for both DLSS 3 and FSR 3.0.
From the looks of it, LSFG is not compatible with VRR monitors. According to its description, the game MUST be locked to half your monitor’s refresh rate for proper frame pacing. The appearance of any overlay above the LS window may also disrupt frame generation until LS is deactivated.
For example, owners of a 120hz monitor will have to lock their games to 60fps. Then, by using LSFG, they’ll be able to run it at 120fps with proper framepacing. Anything other than that and you may get framepacing issues. So, it’s not an ideal solution but hey, it works in all games and on all GPUs.
(...)
The bad news here is that Lossless Scaling is not a free tool. So, in order to take advantage of its Frame Generation tech, you’ll have to buy it.
>> You're able to buy it from Steam (it's an update to Lossless Scaling). There's a link in the article.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

-Empty-

GAMING NEWS

Pokemon-inspired Palworld hits PC Early Access on January 19th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/pokemon-inspired-palworld-hits-pc-early-access-on-january-19th/
Pocketpair has just announced that its Pokemon-inspired open-world survival and crafting game, Palworld, will hit PC Early Access on January 19th. In addition, the team shared the game’s PC system requirements which you can find below.

Helldivers 2 gets PC requirements & PC trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/helldivers-2-gets-pc-requirements-pc-trailer/
Sony has revealed the official PC system requirements for Helldivers 2. In addition, the team has shared the first PC trailer for it, so be sure to watch it.

Part two of the news:

Tekken 8 somehow lassoes Succession star Brian Cox to give you the breakdown on 3 decades of Devil Gene lore and cliff throwing
https://www.pcgamer.com/tekken-8-somehow-lassoes-succession-star-brian-cox-to-give-you-the-breakdown-on-two-decades-of-devil-gene-lore-and-cliff-throwing/
Look, if it were within my power, this article would consist of nothing but a stitched-together, ten-hour video of BAFTA-winning actor Brian Cox saying "what the hell's a Devil Gene?" over and over again.
Alas, they pay me to write things. So, it's with equal parts befuddlement and joy that I tell you that the latest stage in Bandai Namco's marketing campaign for Tekken 8 is a lore video featuring none other than Logan Roy himself.

The flashlight did not lie: Alan Wake is coming to Dead by Daylight as a new survivor
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-flashlight-did-not-lie-alan-wake-is-coming-to-dead-by-daylight-as-a-new-survivor/
One day after dropping a teaser that shone a pretty clear light on what was coming next, Behaviour Interactive has made it official: Alan Wake, the long-suffering writer and star of Remedy's Alan Wake games, is coming to Dead by Daylight as a new survivor.

Tribes 3 is holding its first-ever tournament later this month, and everyone is invited
https://www.pcgamer.com/tribes-3-is-holding-its-first-ever-tournament-later-this-month-and-everyone-is-invited/
The venerable online shooter Tribes made a surprise comeback in late 2023 as Tribes 3: Rivals, and with a launch set to happen later this year developer Prophecy Games has announced the first Rival Rumble tournament, an open-to-all competition that's set to get underway on January 27.

Final Fantasy 14's director says the Dawntrail expansion will be a 'second rebirth' similar to A Realm Reborn
https://www.pcgamer.com/final-fantasy-14s-director-says-the-dawntrail-expansion-will-be-a-second-rebirth-similar-to-a-realm-reborn/
Way before I sunk hundreds of hours into Final Fantasy 14, I watched it die and eventually return with A Realm Reborn in 2013. The major rework of FF14's entire world was a critical moment for the MMO that shaped the next 11 years of the game. The most recent expansion, Endwalker, was still tying up loose ends that originated in that rebuilt foundation.
The MMO's director Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida told Famitsu in a recent interview (translated via Aitaikimochi and RPG Site) that he and the team approached development on this year's expansion, Dawntrail, like a "second rebirth" to the game: A Realm Reborn but without the apocalyptic destruction.
>> By the way, the English voice of the hrothgar lady has been playing the game since launch.

Bethesda will finally show off Indiana Jones gameplay at the Developer Direct showcase happening later this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/bethesda-will-finally-show-off-indiana-jones-gameplay-at-the-developer-direct-showcase-happening-later-this-month/
Three years after it was first revealed, the Indiana Jones game in development at MachineGames is finally ready for the spotlight. Microsoft announced today that the upcoming game will take center stage at the next Developer Direct showcase, set to take place on January 18.

League of Legends forced to immediately redesign its new dragon champ after fans point out its alarming similarity to an actual human child
https://www.pcgamer.com/league-of-legends-forced-to-immediately-redesign-its-new-dragon-champ-after-fans-point-out-its-alarming-similarity-to-an-actual-human-child/
You know how it goes: sometimes you aim for Spyro and land on Boss Baby. At least, that's how I assume Riot arrived at the initial design for Smolder, League of Legends' newest champion. Announced last week, Smolder is an "audacious dragon cutie" whose design was intended to evoke a kind of mascot-ish, Pixar/Dreamworks-style cuteness that fans and fan-artists could latch onto.
But it didn't quite work out. Riot announced a Smolder redesign pretty much immediately after the announcement because fans found the little guy's face off putting: less like an adorable dragon and more like someone had used the LA Noire face tech to apply the face of a human baby to a hairless cat. The comparisons to Sonic the Hedgehog's original movie design and its worryingly human teeth were immediate and free-flowing.

Community-voted tier sets are coming to WoW: Dragonflight, letting players decide the mix-and-matched bonuses and style for its Season 4 wind-down
https://www.pcgamer.com/community-voted-tier-sets-are-coming-to-wow-dragonflight-letting-players-decide-the-mix-and-matched-bonuses-and-style-for-its-season-4-wind-down/
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight won't be getting a fourth raid—which is something we've known for a while, as per an interview with game director Ion Hazzikostas. It will however still receive a fourth season with Fated Raids, alongside a recycled tier list the community can vote on as Blizzard revealed yesterday.

CD Projekt narrative director declares Cyberpunk 2077 'just a warm-up' as work kicks off on the sequel
https://www.pcgamer.com/cd-projekt-narrative-director-declares-cyberpunk-2077-just-a-warm-up-as-work-kicks-off-on-the-sequel/
It's a new year, and the devs at CD Projekt Red are turning their eyes away from Cyberpunk 2077 to focus on its upcoming sequel from the studio's new Boston office. In a tweet, Cyberpunk narrative director Igor Sarzyński said that the team is ready to "officially kickstart our Orion [the codename for Cyberpunk's sequel] journey" in the wake of Cyberpunk the first's very successful Phantom Liberty expansion and 2.0 update.

VESA DisplayPort 2.1a Standard Official, Boosted Quality, Refresh Rates, Lenghtier Cables, Aiming Next-Gen GPUs & Displays

https://wccftech.com/vesa-displayport-2-1a-standard-boosted-quality-refresh-rates-lenghtier-cables-aiming-next-gen-gpus-displays/

AMD is bringing FidelityFX Super Resolution upscaling to YouTube and VLC videos

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-is-bringing-fidelityfx-super-resolution-upscaling-to-youtube-and-vlc-videos

I'm not sure I understand why Ayaneo has decided to pair the SteamOS with older handware instead of their latest and best, but other companies adopting SteamOS is an interesting move.

What are the specs for that?

They haven't revealed it yet but the site expects a 6800U

I don't know why some people act surprised that Valve helped them set up Steam OS for the device. Putting Steam OS in many devices is in Valve's best Interest.

It's not that we're surprised by it, it's that we're excited that it's finally happening.