By the way, if you're an audiophile and use a USB DAC with your Windows 11 PC, be careful:

Gamers using Windows 11 24H2 systems are getting jumpscared by this one weird audio bug
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/jumpscare-audio-bug-in-windows-11-24h2/
No one enjoys being jumpscared by their own gaming PC. I'm not talking about horror stories where a glass pane suddenly shatters, or a tube of cooling fluid starts to leak. This tale of terror centres on a (deafening) call coming from inside the house.

While the infamous blue screen of death has been keeping us on our toes for decades (especially when it changed to a much more ominous colourway), some Windows 11 users are reporting a much more frightening issue—and there's no jumpscare toggle for this one.

If you're using a Windows 11 machine that's running the most recent 24H2 update, you may want to consider ear protection, as Microsoft has confirmed the existence of a bug that whacks your volume all the way up to 100% if you're using USB DAC audio devices (via Bleeping Computer).

The Creative Sound BlasterX G6 USB digital audio converter is one device specifically namedropped on the support page, and Microsoft has also detailed a few specific situations that can trigger the bug. For instance, if you manually put your machine into sleep mode and then manually wake it up, or if you attach and then immediately detach your sound device, prepare to be jumpscared.

Star wars outlaws is now available on Steam.

Current peak player count is a mighty 624 players.

Why!? Haven't Star Wars fans suffered enough?

Disappointing, but hardly surprising. The game has earned too bad press around it and that scares a lot of potential buyers. We'll see if Ubi and the new director have what it takes to fix the game like we've seen other studios/games do in recent years.

Let’s go with the Friday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

The Humble Store has launched its Black Friday Sale. From what I’ve seen, most, but not all, deals will last 10 days.

This is what Fanatical has for us:

• The Black Friday Sale is live here as well, with up to 90% discounts.
• With the Black Friday sale come new 24h Flash Deals:
  • Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Digital Deluxe Edition is 39% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/shin-megami-tensei-v-vengeance-digital-deluxe-edition
  • STARFIELD has a 48% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/starfield
  • Fate/Samurai Remnant Digital Deluxe Edition is 53% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/fate-samurai-remnant-digital-deluxe-edition
  • The last one is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition, with a 72% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-anniversary-edition
• The NeuroVoider - Deluxe Edition is back, 87% off during 7 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/neurovoider-deluxe-edition

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Fallout 4: Project Mojave has been canceled
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/fallout-4-project-mojave-has-been-canceled/
Back in 2021, we informed you about Project Mojave for Fallout 4. This DLC-sized mod attempted to recreate some of the areas from Fallout: New Vegas in Fallout 4. Sadly, though, its modding team has thrown in the towel and canceled it.
Project Mojave was a really ambitious total conversion mod for Fallout 4. This project required a lot of work. And, as with most big TC mods, its modding team was not prepared for the amount of hours – or even months/years – it would take to finish it. This is why we still haven’t seen a playable version of the Fallout 4: New Vegas Mod.
Now the good news here is that a new Early Access version of Project Mojave has been released. This is the final version of this mod.
Version 2.5 of the Project Mojave Revitalization Mod adds new worldspaces, armors, dungeons and OST tracks. So, right now, the mod has a total of 4 new worldspaces, each with new NPCs and assets. These four areas are Fremont, Westside, St. Mary’s Medical and Vegas Industrial.
>> There’s a roughly 3 minutes video of this project.

Unlimited carry weight? Nerfing Bloodsuckers? The first mods are here for Stalker 2 and they ruin everything
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/unlimited-carry-weight-nerfing-bloodsuckers-the-first-mods-are-here-for-stalker-2-and-they-ruin-everything/
Look, I'm not one to tell someone they're playing a game wrong. There's nary a yum you'll find me yucking. You do you, man. Want to turn the Sims into a murder-house? Great. Want to talk to the monsters in Doom? Me too. Want to turn Skyrim into a pitch-perfect recreation of the single most destructive conflict in human history? I implore you to go for it.
But the first mods are already rolling in for Stalker 2, which released yesterday, and I'm beginning to wonder if some people get the point.
Take, for instance, the 15th most-popular mod at time of writing: Unlimited Carry Weight. You know what that does: it completely kneecaps Stalker 2's carry limits to let you haul as much loot as you like around The Zone. My response? What is even the point of a Stalker game where you aren't choosing between two beautiful, precious armour sets like you're picking which child you'll never see again? What's Stalker if you aren't slouching towards the nearest vendor—who is multiple kilometers away—loaded down by guns and bullets and sausages because you absolutely refuse to let loot go to waste?
(…)
Ahem. Sorry, I got carried away. Look, install whatever mods you like, but things like removing encumbrance limits and mods that make Bloodsuckers and Poltergeists into pushovers by dividing their HP by four defang The Zone, and The Zone should have fangs. Really big ones. That hurt you in real life.
That being said, a lot of the mods are just about optimising the game to eke a slightly better performance out of it. In fact, the most popular mod right now is literally called "Stalker Optimizer," and as much as Stalker fans joke about the jank being part of the experience, I would like the game to get to a point where it's not quite as stutter-happy and crash-prone as it is right now, as much as I loved the game in our Stalker 2 review.
>> The article has no media.

GAMING NEWS

War Thunder Now Supports Ray Tracing for Ambient Occlusion & Reflections
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/war-thunder-now-supports-ray-tracing-for-ambient-occlusion-reflections/
Gaijin Entertainment has released the Firebirds Update for War Thunder that adds support for ray-traced ambient occlusion and reflections. Alongside the RT effects, the devs have added numerous new graphical enhancements. So, let’s take a closer look at them.

Path of Exile 2 Early Access Gameplay Trailer & Cinematic Opening
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/path-of-exile-2-early-access-gameplay-trailer-cinematic-opening/
Grinding Gear Games has shared a gameplay trailer for the Early Access phase of Path of Exile 2, as well as its cinematic opening. The Early Access phase will begin on December 6th. And although the full game will be free to play, its Early Access build will cost you around 30 euros.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Patch 3 Released & Fully Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/dragon-age-the-veilguard-patch-3-released-fully-detailed/
BioWare has released Title Update 3 for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which is around 300MB in size on PC, and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this patch brings to the table.

VIRTUA FIGHTER 5 R.E.V.O. is officially coming to PC this Winter
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/virtua-fighter-5-r-e-v-o-is-officially-coming-to-pc-this-winter/
SEGA has just announced that VIRTUA FIGHTER 5 R.E.V.O. will be officially coming to PC via Steam this Winter. To celebrate this announcement, the publisher also shared the key features of the PC version, as well as a new trailer for it.
>> Xxain made a thread about it, likely before the site went down again for who knows how long.

God of War: Ragnarok Update 7 Released, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/god-of-war-ragnarok-update-7-released-full-patch-notes/
Jetpack Interactive has released Title Update 7 for the PC version of God of War: Ragnarok, and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table.

Friday news, part two:

Unknown 9: Awakening studio makes major layoffs just a month after the game's release
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/unknown-9-awakening-studio-makes-major-layoffs-just-a-month-after-the-games-release/
A month after the release of its debut game Unknown 9: Awakening, Bandai Namco-owned Reflector Entertainment has announced that it is laying off 18% of its workforce so it can "efficiently deliver on our most pressing objectives while guaranteeing that every member of our team can meaningfully contribute to our ongoing projects."
Reflector said the layoffs weren't driven by "commercial success or external pressures," but simply the fact that there's currently not enough work to support the studio at its current size.

GOG adds two of the original Stalker games to its preservation program, with huge discounts to boot
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/gog-adds-two-of-the-original-stalker-games-to-its-preservation-program-with-huge-discounts-to-boot/
This week's big release is GSC Gameworld's Stalker 2, the long-awaited sequel that PCG's Joshua Wolens found "is still Stalker, down to its bones" (for good and bad, mostly the former). Good Old Games has taken the opportunity to announce that it is adding two of the classic Stalker games (confusingly, Stalker 2 is the fourth game in the series) to its new Preservation Program—Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl, and Stalker: Call of Pripyat.
The announcement comes alongside a hefty 75% discount on both titles, and GOG's Preservation Program represents the platform's commitment to maintain the games' compatibility with current and future PCs. GOG tends to apply a light touch, the idea being preservation after all, though it does sometimes apply custom improvements and quality-of-life tweaks. The two Stalker games join a list of over 100 titles in the program, including the likes of Alpha Protocol and the first three Resident Evil games.

Infinity Nikki was developed in secret for over a year, calling in former Breath of the Wild and The Witcher 3 talent to realize its open world
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/infinity-nikki-was-developed-in-secret-for-over-a-year-calling-in-former-breath-of-the-wild-and-the-witcher-3-talent-to-realize-its-open-world/
After years of being a mobile-only series, Infold Games is launching the big new open world adventure Infinity Nikki on PC next month. The developer is celebrating the near fruition of several years of work with a short documentary looking back on Nikki's journey to a bigger new Miraland and way more platforms.

Blizzard just nuked one of the most toxic Hearthstone cards ever designed: "Yeah, our bad…"
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/blizzard-just-nuked-one-of-the-most-toxic-hearthstone-cards-ever-designed-yeah-our-bad/
The theme of Hearthstone's latest card expansion, which is called The Great Dark Beyond, is building and launching increasingly powerful Starships. Unfortunately those sci-fi shenanigans have not been happening nearly enough for Blizzard's liking, largely because a bunch of older cards and decks are so powerful that they've crowded out the new stuff. Which is why Team 5's latest balance patch, which is live now, features a whopping 15 nerfs and 14 buffs aimed at getting the meta moving.

Dragon Age: Inquisition was supposed to see your Origins character return for what would have been the most excruciating choice BioWare ever concocted
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/dragon-age/dragon-age-inquisition-was-supposed-to-see-your-origins-character-return-for-what-would-have-been-the-most-excruciating-choice-bioware-ever-concocted/
As reported by Eurogamer, Dragon Age: Inquisition initially featured the return of the protagonist from 2009's Origins, complete with full visual customization, similar to Dragon Age 2's Hawke appearing in Inquisition, or when the Inquisitor then returned in this year's Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Spoilers for Inquisition ahead.

What have they done to my beautiful boy
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/what-have-they-done-to-my-beautiful-boy/
I can't believe it finally happened.
On a dusty day in May 2016, just a few months into Rainbow Six Siege's redemption campaign following its disastrous launch, a Navy Seal named Blackbeard joined the team. He was only the second attacker added after launch, and with his defending counterpart Valkyrie raised Siege's total roster size to 24. Blackbeard's unique gadget, a rifle-mounted ballistic shield that negated headshots from the front, was immediately controversial. Headshots are king in Rainbow Six Siege—it's one of the only games where they're a guaranteed one-shot-kill—so you can imagine how an operator who gets to ignore that risk with few downsides became everyone's favorite to complain about.
Despite Blackbeard being the target of so many calls for nerfs, bans, or straight-up deletion, he has remained on the roster relatively unchanged eight years and 50(!) operators later. The Blackbeard of 2024 can still block headshots for free and win fights he doesn't deserve to win—but that all ends soon. Ubisoft unveiled its long-awaited Blackbeard rework this past weekend

All Honkai: Star Rail 2.7 livestream codes
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/honkai-star-rail-2-7-livestream-codes/
The Honkai: Star Rail 2.7 livestream codes have arrived, giving you a little extra Stellar Jade you can use to grab new or old characters in the upcoming version. If you're new to the game, as with its other titles, miHoYo holds a livestream for Honkai: Star Rail every six weeks, showing off what to expect in the new version in terms of characters, events, and quests.

And here are the weekend deals at Steam, because GOG has no new deals:

+Steam

• Victoria 3 will be free to try during the weekend and 50% off until the 27th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/529340/Victoria_3/
• Oxygen Not Included is also free to try until Monday and 66% off until November 27: https://store.steampowered.com/app/457140/Oxygen_Not_Included/
• Publisher astragon Entertainment puts its games on sale with up to 90% discounts until the 27th. And, for those interested, Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop is also free to try during the next 5 days: https://store.steampowered.com/app/976590/Bus_Simulator_21_Next_Stop/
• Last Epoch has a 20% discount until November, the 28th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/899770/Last_Epoch/
• Across the Obelisk is another game that will be free to try during the weekend, and it’s going to be 50% off until the 5th of December: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1385380/Across_the_Obelisk/
• The last deal is F1 24, free to try until Monday and 60% off until December 5: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2488620/F1_24/

And we've reached the end of the news. Until the next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.

NVIDIA Blackwell GB202 GPU For Flagship GeForce RTX 5090 To Measure Around 744mm2, 22% Larger Than 4090’s AD102

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-blackwell-gb202-gpu-flagship-geforce-rtx-5090-to-measure-around-744mm2/

GeForce RTX 5090, 5080, 5070Ti and 5070 to launch in Q1 2025, RTX 5070 expected to feature 6400 cores

https://videocardz.com/newz/geforce-rtx-5090-5080-5070ti-and-5070-to-launch-in-q1-rtx-5070-expected-to-feature-6400-cores

System integrator opens preorders for GeForce RTX 5090 systems with up to 8 GPUs

https://videocardz.com/newz/system-integrator-opens-preorders-for-geforce-rtx-5090-systems-with-up-to-8-gpus

AMD Ryzen 200 SKU list with Zen4 “Hawk Point” silicon leaks out

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ryzen-200-sku-list-with-zen4-hawk-point-silicon-leaks-out

12GB for the 5070...

*sigh*

I'm not surprised by it because Kopite said earlier this year, or maybe it was last year, that Nvidia wasn't going to change the memory configuration of these new cards, so same memory bit bus and same amount of VRAM, but I'm still a little disappointed.

12gb 5070

16gb 5080...

Why do we even try anymore?.

Also 400W for the 5080:

I ordered a pre-built PC....I know, its pre-built but anyways.

My current gaming desktop PC build (2019) is

-RX 580 8 GB
-Ryzen 5 3600
-16 GB RAM DDR4
-240 GB SSD + 2 TB HDD
-600 watt PSU

The new gaming desktop PC build (2024) is

-GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER 12 GB
-Ryzen 7 7800X3D
-32 GB RAM DDR5
-2 TB SSD
-850 watt PSU