AMD ROCm Going Open-Source: Will Include Software Stack & Hardware Documentation

https://wccftech.com/amd-rocm-going-open-source-will-include-software-stack-hardware-documentation/

Snapdragon X Elite PC CPUs Are Over 50% Faster Than Intel’s Fastest Core Ultra Chips, Claims Qualcomm

https://wccftech.com/snapdragon-x-elite-pc-cpus-over-50-percent-faster-vs-intel-core-ultra-chips/

ASUS AM5 Motherboards Get Next-Gen AMD Ryzen “Zen 5” Granite Ridge CPU Support In AGESA 1.1.7.0 BIOS

https://wccftech.com/asus-am5-motherboards-amd-ryzen-zen-5-granite-ridge-cpu-agesa-1-1-7-0-bios/

NVIDIA releases Streamline 2.4.0 SDK and DLSS 3.7.0

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-releases-streamline-2-4-0-sdk-and-dlss-3-7-0

After learning that Qualcomm's chip claimed to be able to run Baldur's Gate 3 does, in fact run it but at 30fps at 1080p with mid and low settings and only during the intro where the game is less taxing, I'd take everything they say with an appropiate amount of salt.

https://videocardz.com/newz/lenovo-laptop-spotted-with-snapdragon-x-elite-x1e78100-12-core-cpu

The Thursday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

With 800,000 copies of Dwarf Fortress sold, the newly minted millionaire creators' most high-roller purchase has been a Honda Civic
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/with-800000-copies-of-dwarf-fortress-sold-the-newly-minted-millionaire-creators-most-ludicrous-largesse-has-been-a-honda-civic/
Dwarf Fortress has existed as a free game for near-enough two decades, but its 2022 premium version—now with graphics—has gone from strength to strength. It turned Tarn and Zach Adams (Dwarf Fortress' original creators) into millionaires, and had sold over half a million copies as of March last year.
But that's old news, because the brothers told PCG at this year's GDC that it's now sold 800,000 copies and taken root on over a million wishlists. At this point, it seems like a million sales for one of the most profoundly free games in existence is all but assured. Do the brothers have a plan to reward themselves when they hit the milestone? Ah, well, not really.

The Epic Store gives away two games:

• The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/the-outer-worlds-spacers-choice-edition
• Thief: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/thief-5bb95f

Next week, they’ll give away Ghostrunner.

Hold your wallets tight, because GOG has five new sales:

• The Weekly Sale features up to 90% discounts during 6 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240403_weekly_deals_1_april
• The NSFW Sale also brings up to 90% deals during the same 6 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240403_nsfw_sale
• The What Do We Do In The Shadows Sale, based on stealth games, also has games up to 90% off during, once again, 6 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240403_stealth_sale
• The Freshen Up Sale has a bit of everything, with up to 95% deals for the next 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240403_freshen_up_sale
• And the last one, the Point, Think, Click! Sale, also has games up to 95% off during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240403_point_click_puzzle

Steam has three new deals:

• Doors: Paradox is going to be 40% off until April, 9th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1622770/Doors_Paradox/
• Monument Valley: Panoramic Collection, a bundle with the two games, gets a 58% discount until the 17th of April (the individual games are 50% off): https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/25548/Monument_Valley_Panoramic_Collection/
• The third deal involves The Battle of Polytopia, with a 60% deal until the same 17th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/874390/The_Battle_of_Polytopia/

There’s a new Humble Bundle: the Train Sim World 4: Top Up Your Timetable Bundle, with up to 15 items to get during 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/train-sim-world-4-top-up-your-timetable.

And Fanatical has a new Star Deal and a bundle:

• The Star Deal is Paleo Pines, 50% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/paleo-pines
• The BYO Platinum Collection for April is live, with 18 games to pick from for your bundle of 3, 5 or 7: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/platinum-collection-build-your-own-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Nothing-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

-Again, nothing-

GAMING NEWS

Where Winds Meet PC Closed Beta begins on April 19th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/where-winds-meet-pc-closed-beta-begins-on-april-19th/
Everstone Games has announced that the first PC closed beta testing for Where Winds Meet will begin on April 19th. To celebrate this announcement, the team also shared a new gameplay trailer that you can find below.

Gameplay videos and screenshots surface for Monolith’s canceled Batman game
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/gameplay-videos-and-screenshots-surface-for-monoliths-canceled-batman-game/
A couple of videos and screenshots have surfaced for Monolith’s canceled Batman game. Codenamed Project Apollo, these screenshots and videos show a game that had a lot of potential. So, let’s take a look at them, shall we?

Palworld Title Update v0.2.0.6 Released, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/palworld-title-update-v0-2-0-6-released-full-patch-notes/
Pocketpair has released Title Update v0.2.0.6 for Palworld, and shared its full patch notes. According to the changelog, this latest update adds the first Raid Boss to the game, as well as some new items and a new passive ability.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 will run with 60fps only on PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/hellblade-2-60fps-only-pc/
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is one of the most anticipated games of 2024. And, from the looks of it, this new Unreal Engine 5-powered game will be able to run with 60fps only on PC.

Horizon Forbidden West PC Patch 1.1.47.0 Released, Bringing DLSS Frame Generation and Stability Improvements
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/horizon-forbidden-west-pc-patch-1-1-47-0-released-bringing-dlss-frame-generation-and-stability-improvements/
Nixxes has released Title Update 1.1.47.0 for the PC version of Horizon: Forbidden West. According to the release notes, this patch brings DLSS Frame Generation and stability improvements, as well as various optimizations. So, let’s now take a closer look at it.

Thursday news, the second part:

'We messed up!': An Apex Legends update broke the game and cost players hundreds of account levels and battle pass progression, but a fix is out
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/we-messed-up-an-apex-legends-update-broke-the-game-and-cost-players-hundreds-of-account-levels-and-battle-pass-progression-but-a-fix-is-out/
Apex Legends is going through a bit of a rough patch right now, as players have reported account resets after the latest update. While the issue has now been fixed, there are still a couple of problems hanging around. Respawn has just told people to "hang tight" and wait for more information. 

Former Dragon Age creative director says 'I just desperately don't want to overhype anything' in his new studio's first game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/former-dragon-age-creative-director-says-i-just-desperately-dont-want-to-overhype-anything-in-his-new-studios-first-game/
After over a decade in leadership on the Dragon Age series at BioWare and a brief stint at Ubisoft, Mike Laidlaw co-founded Yellow Brick Games in 2020, and has been quietly working on his first project for four years. Yellow Brick finally revealed Eternal Strands yesterday, but just a couple weeks ago during an interview at the Game Developers Conference, Laidlaw told me that he really does not want to overhype anything—not due to a lack of confidence in the studio's first game, but in anticipation of what it will create next.

Content Warning patch adds a reporter mic, sound player, and 'party poppers'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/content-warning-patch-adds-a-reporter-mic-sound-player-and-party-poppers/
Just a day after promising they were working on it, the Content Warning team has released a patch that fixes a handful of bugs and adds three new items: reporter mics, party poppers, and a sound player.
>> And it’s no longer free.

Helldivers 2 dev nerfed everyone's favorite shotgun because it was 'hands down the best sniper rifle' in the game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-dev-nerfed-everyones-favorite-shotgun-because-it-was-hands-down-the-best-sniper-rifle-in-the-game/
Nestled on page eight of Helldivers 2's free warbond is an unassuming gun—the SG-85 Slugger. I didn't pay much mind to the Slugger for a long time, or even bother unlocking it, because it's a variant of the Punisher, a shotgun I don't like. That changed when my friend informed me that the Slugger isn't really a shotgun—it's a shotgun-shaped rifle that fires slugs that can unalive anything in seconds. It's so good at killing that I feel like I'm cheating when I use it.
So I wasn't surprised when the Slugger got the biggest nerfs in yesterday's Helldivers 2 patch that also buffed sniper rifles, flame damage, and heavy armor.
>> And a user has found that the only way to destroy Automaton gunships is with a Hellbomb bomb.

The Elder Scrolls Online devs hired a modder from one of its most popular addons to fine-tune its housing tools: 'it was really cool to get James on the team'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-elder-scrolls/the-elder-scrolls-online-devs-hired-a-modder-from-one-of-its-most-popular-addons-to-fine-tune-its-housing-tools-it-was-really-cool-to-get-james-on-the-team/
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of talking with a few of the asset wizards behind The Elder Scrolls Online's player housing community. And they are, in a word, powerful. They've been creating everything from ice cream parlours, to pachinko machines, to just straight-up Howl's Moving Castle—all by clipping premade game assets into each other ("cobbling"). It's some wild stuff. That skull in the image above? That's not a fully-fledged in-game asset, that's a bunch of rocks shoved into each other.
I also spoke to Rich Lambert, the game's creative director who (among other things) revealed to me that the folks over at Zenimax actually scoped out and hired one of the game's housing modders to help work on those systems.

The Butler is one of Lethal Company's newest monsters, and this blob-fish-looking guy has an explosive personality
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/the-butler-is-one-of-lethal-companys-newest-monsters-and-this-blob-fish-looking-guy-has-an-explosive-personality/
The recent version 50 update for Lethal Company certainly has players divided, thanks to how grueling singleplayer games have become. But if we can agree on one thing, I think it would be that the new entity called the Butler is probably the best-dressed killer across the alien moons. 

It’s time for the Friday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

The Humble Store has two new sales for us:

• The Ravenage Spotlight Sale festures up to 70% discounts during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/ravenage-spotlight-sale/
• And the Explosive Action Sale has all the games you need up to 90% off during 6 days as well: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/explosive-action-sale/

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready 552.12 driver
https://videocardz.com/driver/nvidia-geforce-game-ready-552-12
Highlights
Game Ready for Call of Duty Season 3
This new Game Ready Driver provides the best gaming experience for the latest new games supporting DLSS 3 technology including Season 3 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Call of Duty: Warzone and Diablo IV’s latest update which introduces ray tracing support.

Fixed Issues
Fixed Gaming Bugs

• Horizon Forbidden West: Resizable BAR profile [4496595]

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Suicide Squad’s Peacemaker comes to GTA 5 thanks to this amazing mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/suicide-squad-peacemaker-gta-5-mod/
Talented modder ‘JulioNIB’ has released a new mod that brings Suicide Squad’s Peacemaker to Rockstar’s open-world game, GTA 5. To showcase what players can do with this mod, JulioNIB shared a new gameplay video that we highly recommend watching.
Going into more details, Peacemaker comes with his jetpack which he can use. He also has some unique attack moves, like the Sonic Boom Grenades, Torpedo and Sonic Boom. The modder has also included some lines delivered by John Cena. Obviously, these lines are from the Suicide Squad movie and the Peacemaker show. Still, they are a nice touch.
(...)
Right now, this mod is available only to JulioNIB’s patrons. However, once it leaves its Early Access/Beta phase, it will become available to everyone. That’s what the modder has been doing these past couple of years.

NVIDIA DLSS 3.7 brings visual improvements to Cyberpunk 2077
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/nvidia-dlss-3-7-brings-visual-improvements-to-cyberpunk-2077/
A couple of days ago, NVIDIA released a new version of its AI upscaling tech, DLSS 3.7. And, from the looks of it, this new version of DLSS Super Resolution can improve the image quality in some games like Cyberpunk 2077.
YouTube’s ‘MxBenchmarkPC’ shared the following video that shows the visual improvements that DLSS 3.7 brings to the table. In this video, the YouTuber compares DLSS 3.6 with DLSS 3.7. And, as you will see, image stability is better in DLSS 3.7.
What’s cool here is that you can go ahead and replace the DLSS file yourselves to benefit from it. All you have to do is download the DLL file from this link. Once downloaded, place the DLL file inside the folder that contains the game’s executable file (or where the original nvngx_dlss.dll file is located). For even better results, you can use the NVIDIA Inspector Tool to force Preset E. From what we’ve heard, this preset offers the best image quality with version 3.7.
>> The article has an almost 2 minutes video.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PC Brazil 1.3.5 Released & Looks Insanely Great
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/marvels-spider-man-2-pc-brazil-1-3-5-released-looks-insanely-great/
It’s been almost a month since our last look at the unofficial PC port of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. And, since the modding team behind it released yesterday a new version of it, it’s time to take another look at it. And oh boy does this unofficial PC port look great.

Voxel Duke Nukem 3D is in development and it looks retro-amazing
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/voxel-duke-nukem-3d-is-in-development-and-it-looks-retro-amazing/
Duke Nukem 3D fans, here is something for you today. Modder ‘Cheello’ is currently working on a Voxel Mod for 3D Realms’ classic FPS, Duke Nukem 3D. And although there is no ETA on when it will come out, you can find below a video that showcases its progress.
Similarly to Voxel Doom, Voxel Duke Nukem will replace all of the game’s sprites with 3D voxels. This will give the game a more 3D-ish look and feel. Thanks to the 3D voxels, you won’t longer see rotating 2D sprites when exploring the environments or when fighting enemies.
Now what’s cool here is that Cheello has managed to retain the art style of all the 2D sprites. Thus, the 3D voxels look exactly the same as their 2D sprites. That’s a crucial little detail that most die-hard fans will appreciate.
>> There’s aon over 2 minutes video.

GAMING NEWS

You're the cameraperson for a sexy '90s reality show in this upcoming 'thirst-person shooter'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/youre-the-cameraperson-for-a-sexy-90s-reality-show-in-this-upcoming-thirst-person-shooter/
Twelve sexy contestants. One tacky mansion in Malibu. An eager audience breathlessly watching every episode as the flirting, drama, and heated conflicts unfold—alongside lots and lots of buttshots. Yep, reality shows have been a staple of TV since the '90s, and the next one is coming to your PC. 

Upcoming pirate RPG wants to break from cliché and show 'what piracy really was'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/flint-treasure-of-oblivion-announcement/
Golden age pirates: murderous villains or freedom fighters? It's the latter view that French studio Savage Level hopes to express with its first game, a tactical RPG that stars Captain Flint, the fictional pirate whose buried treasure is sought after in Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island.

The System Shock remake is getting a massive patch with a revised ending, choice of female player character '8 years in the making', and a significant quality of life improvement
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-system-shock-remake-is-getting-a-massive-patch-with-a-revised-ending-choice-of-female-player-character-8-years-in-the-making-and-a-massive-quality-of-life-improvement/
Nightdive's System Shock, our pick for best remake of 2023, is getting its largest patch to date, including a revised ending sequence, choice of gender for the Hacker, optional waypoints, and more. The overhaul update is set to go live on April 11, so you might want to put off diving into a new run for a week.

Friday news, part two:

Smaller games can be 'more creative,' says designer who made one of Ubisoft's most acclaimed games with a tiny team
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/racing/smaller-games-can-be-more-creative-says-designer-who-made-one-of-ubisofts-most-acclaimed-games-with-a-tiny-team/
Upcoming multiplayer combat foot-racing game DeathSprint 66 looks pretty cool, but I still might be a little nervous if I were responsible for making back its budget. A genre of news story we've become pretty familiar with is "niche multiplayer game was great, but not enough people played it to justify keeping the servers on." Knockout City, for example, shut down a couple years after it launched. Rumbleverse lasted only six months.
At the Game Developers Conference last month, DeathSprint 66 director Andrew Willans told me that he's confident in the game, saying that playtesters are "overwhelmingly finding something which is very fresh." That freshness, he thinks, is due in part to the scope of the project: It's a medium-sized game from a medium-sized team, and will be "sensibly priced."

Newly-minted Saber Interactive boss says Embracer CEO 'gets a bad rap' for massive layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/newly-minted-saber-interactive-boss-says-embracer-ceo-gets-a-bad-rap-for-massive-layoffs-studio-closures-and-game-cancellations/
There is probably no company more emblematic of the workplace chaos that's gripped the videogame industry than Embracer. After rapidly expanding into a gaming behemoth, the studio went off a cliff in 2023 after the collapse of a planned $2 billion investment deal with Saudi Arabia's Savvy Games Group. But Matthew Karch, CEO of the newly spun-off Saber Interactive, believes Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors "gets a bad rap" for all the layoffs and studio closures that followed, saying in an interview with GamesIndustry that in reality, "nobody has been guided by more of a sense of fairness and reasonableness."

This criminally overlooked golf game just got a huge update, including a new career mode
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/this-criminally-overlooked-golf-game-just-got-a-huge-update-including-a-new-career-mode/
It recently occurred to me: I've got a Steam Deck, I've got a comfy couch… why the heck aren't I playing golf? I couldn't find a whole lot of Deck-friendly golf games that didn't require an emulator or weren't some sort of golf variation like What the Golf?, but I eventually stumbled upon Super Video Golf. It's chill but still challenging, and perfect for the Steam Deck with undemanding low-fi '90s looks and support for 8 players in local or online PvP. 

Hearthstone's best mode is getting its biggest new feature next month
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/hearthstones-best-mode-is-getting-its-biggest-new-feature-next-month/
When Hearthstone Battlegrounds' Duos mode was announced in November last year, Blizzard said to expect the launch in early 2024. We now know that April 16 is the day players will begin buddying up to take on lobbies. The full blog post is here. 

Relic Entertainment lays off employees to give itself 'the best possible chance to survive in an increasingly volatile industry'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/relic-entertainment-lays-off-employees-to-give-itself-the-best-possible-chance-to-survive-in-an-increasingly-volatile-industry/
A week after being sold off by parent company Sega, Company of Heroes studio Relic Entertainment has announced that it is laying off employees.
"Earlier today we shared details with Relicans about a layoff," the studio wrote on LinkedIn. "Letting people go was not an easy decision, and was made solely with the goal of providing Relic the best possible chance to survive in an increasingly volatile industry. It does not in any way reflect the expertise, passion, or character of any of the impacted employees."

WoW Classic made the 'radical change' to stop testing new content with players to bring back a sense of 'mystery and discovery'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/wow-classic-made-the-radical-change-to-stop-testing-new-content-with-players-to-bring-back-a-sense-of-mystery-and-discovery/
Phase 3 launches for Warcraft Classic Season of Discovery today, and players will once again explore a WoW Classic update with no advance community testing. Not having a Public Test Realm (PTR) for Classic means some things will be broken, developers said in a PC Gamer interview—and that's okay.
Not just okay, Blizzard argued, but good, even.

Helldivers 2's next major order is to 'completely destroy the Automaton Legion'—and if the first game's any indication, the galaxy could really be robot free for a while
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2s-next-major-order-is-to-completely-destroy-the-automaton-legionand-if-the-first-games-any-indication-the-galaxy-could-really-be-robot-free-for-a-while/
The war against the bots has been going shockingly well in Helldivers 2, despite the best efforts of the Automaton scourge. Gunships and giant walkers have barely stopped the march of liberty from rolling over the machine worlds—there was a minor speedbump via the major order to free Tibit, but things have been going great otherwise.
Great enough, in fact, that players have a chance to clean up that galactic scrapheap for good. The Automatons have been cornered in a tiny slice of the Severin sector, holding onto the piddly bastions of Maia, Durgen, and Tibit.
>> And the game will receive a new warbond next week.

Dragon's Dogma 2 players in shambles as they discover Capcom might be pity-renting their unwanted, scraggly pawns
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/dragons-dogma-2-players-in-shambles-as-they-discover-capcom-might-be-pity-renting-their-unwanted-scraggly-pawns/
Dragon's Dogma 2, like its predecessor, handles parties in a cool and novel way—through its "pawns" system. Basically, there are soulless people-shaped adventurers you can summon from beyond the rift, often created by other players. You get a main pawn that you get to customise, while your remaining two party slots are filled out by rentals.
Getting your pawn rented gives you rift crystals (RC), which can be spent on in-game items or to hire pawns above your current level. As a bonus, players can send your moonlighting mate back with a gift or two. Or just a rotten hunk of meat, if they're feeling vindictive.
As discovered by players on the game's subreddit (thanks, GamesRadar), however, your Pawn might be getting pity-rented by Capcom itself.

Forget Helldivers, the viral hit that's swallowing all my time is this free browser game about stopping the Nazis from coming to power
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/forget-helldivers-the-viral-hit-thats-swallowing-all-my-time-is-this-free-browser-game-about-stopping-the-nazis-from-coming-to-power/
Look, I get it. You're tired of reading about 20th-century German social democracy on PC Gamer dot com. "Please!" you yell, "Write about Helldivers! Say something about Palworld! One of you must have another Starfield take left in the tank! Anything but another lengthy discourse on the political economy of Rudolf Hilferding!"
Well, sorry friendo, but the Otto Braun-posting will continue until the crisis of capitalism improves.
No, I haven't lost my mind, I've just spent way too long embroiled in Social Democracy: An Alternate History, a free browser game by Autumn Chen that you can play right now on Itch.io. On my corner of social media—which consists mostly of people ending years-long friendships over arguments about Karl Kautsky—it's the latest viral hit.

Tekken's director reckons young people don't vibe with fighting games as much because they don't have teammates you can blame
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fighting/tekkens-director-reckons-young-people-dont-vibe-with-fighting-games-as-much-because-they-dont-have-teammates-you-can-blame/
Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada reckons those pesky young'uns don't like fighting games as much as people his own age because, unlike team-based games, there's nobody else to point the finger at when you lose.

And now, the GOG and Steam deals for the weekend:

+GOG

• There are only three Deals of the Day, that will last on Monday, with the first one being Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew Complete Edition, 10% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/shadow_gambit_the_cursed_crew_complete_edition
• The second DotD is Molten Horn, with a 29% deal: https://www.gog.com/en/game/molten_horn
• And the third one is Stillborn Slayer, with a 30% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/stillborn_slayer

+Steam

• The first deal we find is the Lovecraftian Days, with up to 90% discounts until Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/LovecraftianDays2024
• The Turn Based Thursday Fest only started Thursday, but will actually end the 8th and has games up to 90% off: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/TurnBasedThursdayFest
• Hearts of Iron IV will be free to try during the weekend and 80% off until Tuesday, the 9th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/394360/Hearts_of_Iron_IV/
• ARK: Survival Ascended, still in Early Access, will also be free to try during three days and gets a 20% discount until April 11: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2399830/ARK_Survival_Ascended/
• Sea of Stars gets a 25% discount until the 11th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1244090/Sea_of_Stars/
• The The Talos Principle franchise is on sale, up to 90% off until the 11th of April: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/TheTalosPrincipleFranchise
• Crypt of the NecroDancer will feature an 80% discount until April, the 13th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/247080/Crypt_of_the_NecroDancer/
• The Elder Scrolls Online celebrates its 10th anniversary with a free weekend and a 75% discount until the 16th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/306130/The_Elder_Scrolls_Online/
• Passpartout 2: The Lost Artist is only 1 year old, and will be 25% off until the 18th of April: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1571100/Passpartout_2_The_Lost_Artist/
• Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is going to be 40% off until the same 18th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1967260/Double_Dragon_Gaiden_Rise_Of_The_Dragons/
• And last, but not least, we have the Frontiers Publisher Sale, featuring up to 90% deals,,, during an undisclosed amount of time: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/FrontierDevelopments/sale/publishersale2024

And that’s it. Until the next time, I wish you all a happy and gaming weekend.

A bit of an interesting video as many people think all Matte/Glossy displays are the same but there are certainly different "levels" of Matte/Glossy displays that can be implemented. As one of the people that wants to get an OLED monitor, I am still on the fence between QD-OLED and WOLED as both of them have interesting quirks. If the QD-OLED had a polarizer so we don't get that purple/gray nonsense, would have been an easy choice. But since it doesn't, WOLED has better black levels. Monitor companies man...

AMD AM5+ Platform Mentioned With Two Granite Ridge “Ryzen Zen 5” CPUs In Microcode Extraction Tool

https://wccftech.com/amd-am5-plus-platform-granite-ridge-ryzen-zen-5-cpus-microcode-extraction-tool/

AMD Navi 48 “RDNA 4” GPU Confirmed In ROCm Patches, Coming To Radeon RX 8000 Gaming Cards This Year

https://wccftech.com/amd-navi-48-rdna-4-gpu-confirmed-coming-radeon-rx-8000-gaming-cards-this-year/

Intel Core Ultra 5 234V “Lunar Lake” CPU Spotted: 8 Cores, 8 Threads, Battlemage “Xe2” iGPU & 3.1 GHz Clock

https://wccftech.com/intel-core-ultra-5-234v-lunar-lake-cpu-8-cores-8-threads-battlemage-xe2-igpu-3-1-ghz/

GPU-Z 2.58 released, adds support for Intel Meteor Lake and Radeon RX 7600M

https://videocardz.com/newz/gpu-z-2-58-released-adds-support-for-intel-meteor-lake-and-radeon-rx-7600m

I prefer matte screens as reflections bother me more than the more vibrant colours of glossy. But, since OLED monitors aren't in my budget, that video isn't really for me.

Also, we'll see what that will AMD do with that AM5+ platform. I hope they don't make a d*ck move and leave Zen4 and likely Zen5 users behind and with no upgrade path.

In other news, after this pearl, I think I'll no longer post articles about Roblox. After all, it's not even a game:

Roblox executive acknowledges 'you can say, okay, we are exploiting child labour,' but would prefer you saw them as job creators
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/roblox-executive-acknowledges-you-can-say-okay-we-are-exploiting-child-labour-but-would-prefer-you-saw-them-as-job-creators/
Acknowledging that your company's practices could be seen as exploiting child labor is a bold move, even if you go on to say that you actually think you're doing a good thing. It's a gambit that Roblox Studio head Stefano Corazza took in a recent GDC interview with Eurogamer about the company's reputation for taking advantage of work that's often produced by children.

(...)

"You can say, 'Okay, we are exploiting, you know, child labour,' right?" Corazza told Eurogamer. "Or, you can say: we are offering people anywhere in the world the capability to get a job, and even like an income. So, I can be like 15 years old, in Indonesia, living in a slum, and then now, with just a laptop, I can create something, make money and then sustain my life."

Ah! Capitalism at its finest.

Think I'm leaning more towards the WOLED myself. I don't have the most ideal lighting situation and the grey blacks problem with ambient light; in the QD-OLED, will only make it worthwhile during the latter hours of the day. The 480hz (1080P) mode on the 32" LG has my interest piqued as well. I'm also a bit more partial towards matte because reflections suck.