I really need to stop procrastinating and back up my WD (SN850) C: drive...

Pretty sure I already updated Windows without issue though so I think I'm okay.

Who cares about knowing when Googl... I mean any decent search engine exists? Speaking of, Google is absolutely terrible for searching anything non-trivial these days. Search engine optimization and AI have killed Google.

AMD bids farewell to AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and Ryzen 5 5600X3D CPUs

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-bids-farewell-to-amd-ryzen-7-5800x3d-and-ryzen-5-5600x3d-cpus

Intel Arc A770/A750 mark two-year launch anniversary

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-arc-a770-a750-mark-two-year-launch-anniversary

NVIDIA to Release the Bulk of its RTX 50-series in Q1-2025

https://www.techpowerup.com/327759/nvidia-to-release-the-bulk-of-its-rtx-50-series-in-q1-2025

It’s time for the Thursday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

The Epic Store gives away two new games:

• Invincible Presents: Atom Eve: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/atom-eve-ff090d
• Kardboard Kings: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/kardboard-kings-0962f8

Next week, the free game will be Moving Out.

GOG has launched the Fantasy & Medieval Promo, with up to 94% discounts during 10 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20241017_fantasy_medieval_promo.

Steam has four new deals:

• ShellShock Live is going to be 50% off until October 23: https://store.steampowered.com/app/326460/ShellShock_Live/
• The Belgian Game Awards 2024 event will run until the same October 23, and features new releases, upcoming games an some games on sale with up to 85% discounts: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/belgiangameawards
• A Difficult Game About Climbing gets a 30% discount until the 27th of October: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2497920/A_Difficult_Game_About_Climbing/
• The Muv-Luv franchise is on sale, up to 62% off until October, the 30th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/Muv-LuvFranchiseSale

And at Fanatical we find two new deals:

• The new Star Deal is The Invincible: Deluxe Edition, 47% off during 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/the-invincible-deluxe-edition
• And the BYO Play on the Go Bundle PREMIUM (Fall 2024) features 15 games to choose from for your 2+, 3+ or 5+ bundles: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/play-on-the-go-premium-edition-build-your-own-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Steam has taken down 'over 260 materials containing illegal content' from its Russian store, brags the country's media censorship agency
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/steam-has-taken-down-over-260-materials-containing-illegal-content-from-its-russian-store-brags-the-countrys-media-censorship-agency/
Russian media agency Interfax (via The Moscow Times) reports that Steam has complied with a request from Roskomnadzor—Russia's media regulator—to remove "all materials forbidden in the Russian Federation."
Steam has, says The Moscow Times, around 9.5 million users in Russia (and all of them have gotten angry at me in Counter-Strike). No doubt the Russian state's rapidly growing interest in clamping down on western tech and developing its own national "digital sovereignty" has led it to pay close attention to the US-headquartered service.
"Steam has complied with the law's demands regarding the removal of prohibited information," Roskomnadzor told Russian media. "Links to 11 internet pages, included earlier on the Registry[of prohibited information] will be excluded from it" over last week. In total, says the regulator, Steam has removed "over 260 materials containing illegal content" in Russia.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Doom 64: Unseen Evil remakes Doom 1 & Doom 2 to look like Doom 64
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/doom-64-unseen-evil-remakes-doom-1-doom-2-to-look-like-doom-64/
Doom fans, here is something special for you today. Modder ‘DrPyspy’ has released an amazing mod that remakes Doom 1 and Doom 2 to look like Doom 64. This is a dream come true for all Doom 64 fans.
To put it simply, Doom 64: Unseen Evil brings the atmosphere of Doom 64 to all the levels of the first two Doom games. The mod replaces all textures, weapons, items, and sprites with those from Doom 64. As such, all the classic maps will feel like they belong to Doom 64.
By using this mod, you can re-experience Doom 1 and Doom 2 with the horror, atmosphere and lighting of Doom 64. This is exactly what a lot of Doom fans have been waiting for since the day Doom 64 hit the Nintendo 64. And now, thanks to modders, it’s possible to get that experience on PC.
>> The article has an over 3 minutes video.

Modders achieved an unprecedented time-to-ogre by putting Shrek in Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero before its official release date
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fighting/modders-achieved-an-unprecedented-time-to-ogre-by-putting-shrek-in-dragon-ball-sparking-zero-before-its-official-release-date/
The reality of our daily lives is underpinned by a series of unshakable truths. The sun will rise after it sets. Under standard atmospheric pressure, water will boil at 212 °F. And if enough people play a videogame, someone will—eventually—put Shrek in it.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is enjoying no shortage of attention. In our review, we called it "the best Dragon Ball game we've had since the PS2," and the worthy successor to the Budokais of our youth has already sold more than 3 million copies according to Bandai Namco. With Sparking! Zero already a clear success, is it any surprise that, in accordance with the old laws, Shrek would inevitably appear as a modded addition to the roster of Z fighters? No. But it's notable that someone had him in there fighting Gokus before the game had fully released.
On Nexus Mods, you can find the Shrek on Toppo mod, which replaces Toppo—the fierce defender of justice who cast away his ideals in a failed bid to battle for the survival of his universe—with the funny green ogre best known for skateboarding in Tony Hawk's Underground 2. An artistic achievement in any context, certainly, but modder Ercuallo uploaded the addon to Nexus Mods on October 9, 2024—almost a full week before Sparking! Zero's official release date.
>> Sadly, there’s no media.

GAMING NEWS

Arma 4 now targets a 2027 release date
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/arma-4-now-targets-a-2027-release-date/
During its 25th Anniversary Concert, Bohemia Interactive revealed its plans to release Arma 4 in 2027. Arma 4 has been in active development since 2022, meaning that it will take five years to create it. Well, assuming it’s not delayed.

Six minutes of brand new gameplay footage from STALKER 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/six-minutes-of-brand-new-gameplay-footage-from-stalker-2/
YouTube’s ‘GAME ZONE’ has shared a video, showcasing 6 minutes of brand new gameplay footage from STALKER 2. This video packs gameplay from the game’s latest preview build, meaning that it can give you an idea of how it runs and what it looks like right now.

TRON: Catalyst is a new isometric action adventure game, coming to PC in 2025
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/tron-catalyst-is-a-new-isometric-action-adventure-game-coming-to-pc-in-2025/
Big Fan Games and Bithell Games have announced Disney TRON: Catalyst, a thrilling, story-driven isometric action game set in the world of TRON. TRON: Catalyst will be coming to PC in 2025, and below you can find its debut trailer.

Metaphor: ReFantazio cracked via its Denuvo-free demo file
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/metaphor-refantazio-cracked-via-its-denuvo-free-demo-file/
Metaphor: ReFantazio is a new RPG from ATLUS that was published by SEGA earlier this month. And, like most of SEGA’s PC releases, it uses Denuvo on PC. However, its demo which came out last month did not use that anti-tamper tech. And, to the surprise of no one, players have figured out a way to use the demo executable file in order to crack and play the full version.
>> I guess that will teach Sega a lesson… but it will likely be not to launch demos of its games.

Final Fantasy 16 Patch 1.02 Released & Fully Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/final-fantasy-16-patch-1-02-released-fully-detailed/
Square Enix has released Patch 1.02 for the PC version of Final Fantasy 16, and shared its full changelog. This update fixes a number of issues that plagued the PC version. So, let’s see in more detail what the devs have fixed.

It’s also time for the second, and long, part of the Thursday news:

Phantom Blade Zero devs say they don't want to water down the game for foreigners—in fact, quite the opposite
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/phantom-blade-zero-devs-say-they-dont-want-to-water-down-the-game-for-foreigners-in-fact-quite-the-opposite/
I had the pleasure of romping through Phantom Blade Zero during Gamescom this August, and I was very pleased with what I saw: a frenetic game that feels more like a spiritual extension of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty than a soulslike, which is a good thing in my estimation.
It was also, from what I played, rife with lore and visual nods to Chinese mythology, a subject I'm woefully undereducated on—which isn't a problem, according to CEO Liang Qiwei. As a matter of fact, it's something the studio's banking on.
Speaking with 4gamer (thanks to Automaton for the translation), Qiwei admits that Phantom Blade Zero might confuse some players with cultural nods and references, "in my opinion, the quality and playing experience of a game are its core. If you can achieve high quality and an entertaining playing experience, I think that a difficult theme can actually be an advantage, not a disadvantage. If your game is entertaining, players will perceive unfamiliar themes as something fresh."

Larian teases 'something so small before something so big' as Baldur's Gate 3 gets its 28th hotfix
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/larian-teases-something-so-small-before-something-so-big-as-baldurs-gate-3-gets-its-28th-hotfix/
You are all criminals. This is what I've learned in over a year of writing up Baldur's Gate 3 patch notes. Faerûn's humble merchant class doesn't stand a chance against a few million dedicated players. In March, Larian had to clamp down on players getting free money from the game's salesfolk by sticking their items in containers. Now? The studio has to stop you from exploiting your most solemn of solemn oaths to make a quick buck.
BG3's hotfix 28 is live now, containing all sorts of little tweaks and adjustments in the wake of Larian's humdinger seventh patch. Most of them pertain to modding, fixing minor issues with the game's new mod manager and the like, but the bugfix that caught my eye was this one: "You can no longer add items to your wares even if they cannot become wares (e.g. pact weapons) by selecting them along with another item that can become a ware. This prevents a trade exploit where you could sell your wares and the bound items would not leave your inventory."

Diablo 4 cow-hunting boffins find some actual cows as part of their latest discovery
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/diablo-4-cow-hunting-boffins-find-some-actual-cows-as-part-of-their-latest-discovery/
Ever since Diablo 4's release one mystery has loomed larger than all others: Where is the cow level? Despite producer Rod Fergusson quickly pouring cold water on the idea, the history here means that a group of dedicated players has devoted themselves to finding a level that officially doesn't exist, and they've certainly found a few breadcrumbs along the way.

Overwatch 2 disturbs fans with a tweet telling them to look at Kiriko's 'grippers,' proving yet again that corporate accounts ruin inside jokes
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/overwatch-2-disturbs-fans-with-a-tweet-telling-them-to-look-at-kirikos-grippers-proving-yet-again-that-corporate-accounts-ruin-inside-jokes/
Overwatch 2's social account on X recently surprised fans with a weird post all about Kiriko's new skin or, more specifically, her "grippers," and it's going down about as well as you'd imagine with the Overwatch 2 community. 

Riot Games lays off more employees but says the League of Legends team will be 'even larger' in the future
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/riot-games-lays-off-more-employees-but-says-the-league-of-legends-team-will-be-even-larger-in-the-future/
League of Legends studio Riot Games has announced another round of layoffs, while—somewhat counterintuitively—simultaneously promising that the League team will grow to be "even larger than it is today" in the future.
Word of the layoffs came in a message posted on X by Riot co-founder Marc Merrill, who said Riot "has made changes to our teams and how we work to make sure we can keep improving the League experience now and for the long-term."

IO Interactive's James Bond game will feature a young 007 'that the gamers can call their own'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/io-interactives-james-bond-game-will-feature-a-young-007-that-the-gamers-can-call-their-own/
When Hitman developer IO Interactive revealed that it was working on a James Bond game in 2020, we saw it as an ideal bit of licensing: "Take out the bald assassin, stick in a British secret agent, and Hitman and its sequel are basically already Bond," we wrote at the time. But in an interview with IGN, CEO Hakan Abrak said IO's take on the character might be a little different from the fellow we're used to seeing on the screen.
"James Bond is a different IP. It's a huge IP. It's not our IP. It's actually the first IP that is not our original IP from [the] ground up," Abrak said. "But what's exciting about that project is that we actually got to do an original story. So it's not a gamification of a movie. It's a completely [new] beginning and becoming a story, hopefully for a big trilogy out there in the future."
It's also "a new Bond," he continued, "built from ground up for gamers. It's extremely exciting with all the tradition and all the history there is there … to work on this together with the family of creating a young Bond for gamers; a Bond that the gamers can call their own and grow with." (Presumably the "family" Abrak is referring to there is the Broccolis, who produce the Bond films and control the rights to the character).

The developer of Rogue Legacy has officially released its source code 'in the pursuit of sharing knowledge'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/the-developer-of-rogue-legacy-has-officially-released-its-source-code-in-the-pursuit-of-sharing-knowledge/
More than 10 years after its release, Rogue Legacy has proven itself one of the most aptly named games of all time. With its incremental progress across countless generations of dyslexic, incontinent knight-children, the 2D roguelite metroidvania was such a frontrunner of the modern indie roguelite boom that our coverage of its 2013 release had to define "rogue-lite" in its first paragraph. Now, Rogue Legacy developer Cellar Door Games is securing its legacy all over again by officially releasing the game's source code.

They just put a jetpack in Hades 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/they-just-put-a-jetpack-in-hades-2/
I'm sorry, is that a jetpack? Hades 2's first major update is live and I'm pretty sure that's a jetpack in the trailer. Supergiant Games calls it the "Black Coat" but that's a jetpack with giant metal fists, which is two legs away from a mech.

10 years on, the most infamous gaming Kickstarter of them all is still trying to reach the finish line: 'I want to explicitly state that this project is not dead'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/10-years-on-the-most-infamous-gaming-kickstarter-of-them-all-is-still-trying-to-reach-the-finish-line-i-want-to-explicitly-state-that-this-project-is-not-dead/
Nearly two years after its last update and more than 10 years after it was Kickstarted to the tune of $660,126, the developers behind beleaguered strategy game Unsung Story have returned to declare it's "getting back on track."
Unsung Story is not the biggest failure in gaming Kickstarter history—that honor may belong to Clang, which pulled in more than half a million dollars in 2012 and was declared dead two years later. But I don't think any other Kickstarted game can match Unsung Story's bizarre and grueling saga, from being put on hold in 2016, sold to another studio, and finally released in a limited early access form in 2020 to practically zero fanfare. That release has been hanging over the heads of developer Little Orbit for the last four years, its recent update revealed.

Sony's failed shooter Concord has been updated dozens of times on Steam in October, and I'm starting to feel a comeback
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/sonys-failed-shooter-concord-has-been-updated-dozens-of-times-on-steam-in-october-and-im-starting-to-feel-a-comeback/
Concord was decidedly not great. So not great that Sony took the virtually unprecedented step of pulling the plug on the whole thing just a couple weeks after it launched. Sony said at the time that it wanted to "explore options ... to better reach our players," leaving open the possibility that some sort of comeback, maybe as a free-to-play game, might be in the cards. I was dubious, to put it gently, but recent events have me thinking that maybe it's actually going to happen.

Skyrim lead says Bethesda was knocked back by furious response to Oblivion Horse Armour DLC, but it sold 'millions' anyway: 'You're all making fun of it and yet you buy it'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-elder-scrolls/skyrim-lead-says-bethesda-was-knocked-back-by-furious-response-to-oblivion-horse-armour-dlc-but-it-sold-millions-anyway-youre-all-making-fun-of-it-and-yet-you-buy-it/
These days, the furore over Oblivion's Horse Armour DLC seems downright quaint. A couple of bucks for some mount skins? Amateur stuff. These days we're forking over $20 to recolour our portals.
But boy, it sure caused a ruckus when Bethesda released Oblivion's mini-DLC all the way back in 2006. It's one of the earliest big videogame controversies I can remember, and it caught Bethesda off-guard: In a chat with Videogamer, Skyrim lead designer Bruce Nesmith, who left Bethesda in 2021, recalled the period, saying "Bethesda, I believe, was the very first company to do downloadable content expansions… and so Bethesda didn't know what the hell it was doing at the time. We didn't know!"

Fair play, Exodus—having ex-Bioware devs and Matthew McConaughey on board is neat, but your freaky flesh spaceships have my attention
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/fair-play-exodus-having-ex-bioware-devs-and-matthew-mcconaughey-on-board-is-neat-but-your-freaky-flesh-spaceships-have-my-attention/
Exodus, an RPG from ex-Bioware developers announced at the Game Awards last year, didn't exactly grip me on first blush. In fact I remember experiencing a kind of whiplash—the first half of that initial showing aped Interstellar's emotional core (fitting given Matthew McConaughey's in it) before immediately taking a hard-right into 'hell yeah, shooting aliens!' territory as Muse's Supermassive Black Hole blared in the background.
Other than that it mostly looked kinda neat, but nothing to write home about. And while I'm not exactly picking up a letter to tell my far afield beloved about how exciting Exodus looks just yet, I will admit that its latest teaser has piqued my interest, because I love a good flesh monster.

Riot announces new exalted skins tier days after more layoffs, but you can't get it the usual way—instead, you'll have to roll the dice
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/riot-announces-new-exalted-skins-tier-days-after-more-layoffs-but-you-cant-get-it-the-usual-way-instead-youll-have-to-roll-the-dice/
Riot announced a new Exalted Skins tier for League of Legends just days after the publisher laid even more people off in order to ensure "we have the right expertise so that League continues to be great for another 15 years and beyond." 
"Exalted is a new skin tier that fits into what we define as a 'luxury good' last December," a developer says in a blog post. "Over this past year, we've continued to refine what luxury goods are and where they exist in our catalog. Exalted skins are for players who want hyper-inclusive skins." 
>> It would be easy to blame Bethesda, given the story slightly above this one, but I’m going to blame stupid people for the existence of something like this.

Only "over 260"? Russia, no reason to brag!

In four weeks, Steam will comply with a request from the German government and take down up to 23,000 games from its German store:

https://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamworks/announcements/detail/4678768276768588864

Tell me about it.

I looked for info on a couple of mice since mine is failing after less than a year, and even after three pages I couldn't find anything moer tham store links, a couple of sites repeating constantly and zero useful stuff. And it's not only Google, as Bing was the same.

So well, if anyone has info about the Logitech M500S (had two of the original ones that started giving problems with the left button after roughly 2 years, but I don't know if the S fixed that or they only changed the sensor) or the Razer Deathadder Essential, I'd appreciate the help.

Well, removing games because they lack an age rating isn't the same as whatever reason the russians do to remove games, don't you think?

But well, that also puts things in context. "Over 260", isn't a lot of content, it's just the reason they're being removed that sucks (like the russian government).