Once more, the Monday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Stalker 2 sells over a million copies: 'This is just the start'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/stalker-2-sells-over-a-million-copies-this-is-just-the-start/
Stalker 2 has released, the long-awaited sequel to a PC classic that our own Joshua Wolens found "is still Stalker, down to its bones." The most pleasing element for fellow Zone-fanciers is that, after all this time, the game largely sticks to the design sensibilities of the originals, and as our review says "hasn't sacrificed the things that made it so special all those years ago."
Well it looks like there might just be a market for it. "No wonder it feels a bit crowded in the Zone," reads a new post from GSC Game World. "A million copies were sold, and much more stalkers joined the artifact hunt with Game Pass.
"This is just the start of our unforgettable adventure. The Heart of Chornobyl emanates stronger with each of us. Thank You, stalkers!"
>> Well deserved.

After losing money in 2022, Larian raked in a whopping $260 million profit of Baldur's bucks in 2023
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/after-losing-money-in-2022-larian-raked-in-a-whopping-usd260-million-profit-of-baldurs-bucks-in-2023/
The Irish Independent (users may encounter a paywall) has reported that Larian has posted a €249 million pre-tax profit for 2023⁠—that's almost $260 million freedom dollary-doos for those of us without adequate digital privacy protections. The runaway success of Baldur's Gate 3 saw Larian increase its overall revenue almost twentyfold from 2022.
The figures were posted by Larian's Dublin-based holding company. Though still primarily headquartered in Ghent, Belgium, the Independent reports that Larian runs its revenue through its Dublin office, which also houses much of the studio's writing team. Favorable Irish tax laws have seen a number of corporations base their European or worldwide headquarters in Ireland.
Larian brought in €427 million ($446 million) in overall revenue last year, with the Independent citing 15 million copies sold of Baldur's Gate 3⁠—though Larian itself hasn't released precise sales numbers. In December of last year, SteamSpy estimated there were 20 million owners of the game on Steam alone, while Larian publishing director Michael Douse referred to Baldur's Gate 3 having "way over" 10 million players in February of this year. For its part, Dungeons & Dragons owner Hasbro took home a tidy $90 million in revenue for Baldur's Gate 3.
This is all in contrast with a pretty quiet year for Larian in 2022: The company reported €22.7 million ($24 million) in total revenue, with Larian actually operating at a €214,000 ($223,000) loss. It's a pretty stark reminder of how volatile the business of making games can be, with developers having to spend a great deal of money over a long period of time before (hopefully) making it all up and then some with a successful launch.

Steam has two new deals:

• Legion TD 2 will be 60% off until the 27th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/469600/Legion_TD_2__Multiplayer_Tower_Defense/
• Outlanders, that has a demo, gets a 40% discount until the 1st of December: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1766720/Outlanders/

Humble Bundle presents the Sci-Fi Shooters Bundle, with up to 8 items to get (7 games + 1 coupon) during 18 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/scifi-shooters.

Fanatical has four new 24h Flash Deals:

• Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition is 51% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/resident-evil-4-gold-edition
• Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak gets a 73% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/monster-hunter-and-rise-sunbreak
• Besiege is 78% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/besiege
• Neverwinter Nights + Icewind Dale Pack features a 90% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/neverwinter-nights-icewind-dale-pack

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project NextGen Edition Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-witcher-3-hd-reworked-project-nextgen-edition-released/
And the time has finally come. After four years of hard work, modder ‘Halk Hogan’ released The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project NextGen Edition.
The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project improves the game with top-notch textures that look great and run smoothly, without needing more VRAM. If you’re already playing on Max settings, you’ll be able to use this mod. The pack will include high-quality, accurate normal maps, many of which are made from detailed 3D models. The project also brings better LODs for objects, as well as a better view distance.
The modder claims that HD Reworked NextGen Edition will have high-quality textures using the new mapping technique implemented in the Next-Gen version of the game. Thanks to this, many textures in HDRP NextGen Edition will be much more realistic.
In short, this is a must-have mod for The Witcher 3 Next-Gen. So, waste no time and download it from this link. The mod is 11GB in size. At the end of the article, you can also find a 15-minute video for it. This video shows off some of its key features, so be sure to check it out.

Here are 2 hours of gameplay from an upcoming native PC version of Star Fox 64
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-2-hours-of-gameplay-from-an-upcoming-native-pc-version-of-star-fox-64/
Nintendo fans, here is something special for you today. YouTube’s ‘Rakanai’ has shared a video, showcasing two hours of gameplay footage from an upcoming unofficial PC port of Star Fox 64.
This unofficial PC port of Star Fox 64 is called Starship. The project is being developed by the same team that gave us one of the native PC versions of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Like the PC versions of Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time, Starship is based on a decompiled version of Star Fox 64. And, since this is a native PC port, it supports wide-screen monitors, 4K resolutions, and 60FPS. It should also work well with keyboard and mouse.
Sadly, there isn’t currently any ETA on when Starship will come out. From what we can see, though, it’s in a pretty solid state. So, perhaps we might get a beta or a demo in Q1 2025.
>> There’s an over 2 hours video of this project.

Max Payne 3 now has a new 16GB Mod that overhauls all textures
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/max-payne-3-now-has-a-new-16gb-mod-that-overhauls-all-textures/
In July 2024, we informed you about an HD Texture Pack for Max Payne 3. Created by modder MDSXXX1, that pack attempted to overhaul all of the game’s textures. And now, after over a year, we have a new version of it.
Going into more details, this HD Texture Pack overhauls a lot of the original textures. In most cases, the modder using them as a base for the enhanced textures. As such, these enhanced textures retain the art style of the game. However, there were some instances in which the modder also used custom textures.
In short, this isn’t just an AI-upscaled HD Texture Pack. Instead, it has both AI-enhanced and custom textures.
This new pack also brings some fixes to some issues that plagued the previous version. For instance, it fixes some issues that could prevent the maps from loading. It also fixes the issue with the airport not triggering the plot at the end, as well as some texture errors.
>> The article has some comparison screenshots.

Batman: Arkham Origins just got a Vengeance Difficulty Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/batman-arkham-origins-just-got-an-vengeance-difficulty-mod/
Earlier this month, we informed you about a graphics mod for Batman: Arkham Origins. Created by modder GPUnity, that mod aimed to slightly improve the game’s graphics. And today, we have another mod that will greatly increase the game’s difficulty.
This Vengeance Difficulty Mod is for those who have already beaten the game, and want an extra challenge. This isn’t meant to be used in your first playthrough. So, make sure to use it only if you are fully accustomed to the game’s combat mechanics.
Going into more details, the mod brings a number of gameplay tweaks and changes. Moreover, it makes enemies more dangerous and intelligent. Plus, it reworks the campaign bosses.
>> You’ll find a well over 10 minutes video of the mod.

Here's a mod to replace Elden Ring's ugly, utilitarian Roundtable Hold with the beautiful, perfect Majula of Dark Souls 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/heres-a-mod-to-replace-elden-rings-ugly-utilitarian-roundtable-hold-with-the-beautiful-perfect-majula-of-dark-souls-2/
There's not a lot to love about the aesthetics of Elden Ring's hub area, the Roundtable Hold: Dull grey stone hallways lit by torches. The best bits of it are all furniture, like the roundtable itself, that you can barely appreciate due to tight camera angles from the claustrophobic walls. Lovers of the least-loved of some much-loved games—Dark Souls 2—will be surprised because they know that developers FromSoftware can make a perfect hub area already: Majula, the beautiful seaside town with its perpetual sunset and calming music.
Now one modder by the moniker of Drop0ff has simply gone and done it, replacing the entirety of the Roundtable Hold with Majula and moving over everything you need for Elden Ring to play out as it would before. Just with a better hub. "Every roundtable npc and event has been ported over" says the description.
Majula actually looks better than ever in many ways thanks to Elden Ring's much-improved lighting system, which has nearly a decade's worth of technological advancement over Dark Souls 2's. It's funny to consider how much the landscape around Majula looks just like much of Elden Ring—and frankly, its been a meme in certain corners that Elden Ring is just Dark Souls 2: 2.
What the mod cannot replicate, unfortunately, is the immaculate cast of weirdos that populate Majula. There is of course fan favorite Emerald Herald, but what of strange talking cat Sweet Shalquoir? What of all-time great and truly clutch bro Laddersmith Gilligan? They are not present and, for this, Elden Majula is doomed to be a hollow shell of itself—no pun intended. We'll have to make due with lackluster ear-botherer Gideon Ofnir the All-Knowing instead.
>> The article has a roughly 3 minutes video.

STALKER 2 Mod restores most of the online A-Life functionality
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/stalker-2-mod-restores-most-of-the-online-a-life-functionality/
Last week, GSC GameWorld released STALKER 2 for PC and Xbox. Sadly, though, the game feels more like Early Access than a finished product. It has many bugs, problems with its AI, issues with both side quests and main quests, and graphical glitches. And although GSC GameWorld promised A-Life 2.0, this system doesn’t work properly in the game. Luckily, a modder has created a mod to somehow improve it.
So, Roadside Panic is a mod that aims to fix A-Life and overhaul the game’s spawn system. As the modder noted, it will restore most of the online A-Life functionality. So, basically, this is a stopgap measure until GSC fixes A-Life 2.0.
But what can you expect from this mod? Well, by using it, you’ll heavily mitigate cases of enemies appearing out of thin air right behind you. This was an issue that annoyed a lot of players. Moreover, you will significantly extend the A-Life range. Thus, NPC and NPC interactions can be seen and heard from afar. And yes. Like in the previous STALKER games, different factions will now fight for territory at POIs.
Now before getting too excited, we should note that this mod comes with a big performance hit. As the modder noted, Roadside Panic is extremely performance-heavy with its current spawn settings. The good news is that ConnerRia is also working on an optimized version of it.
>> You’ll find an almost 3 minutes video in the article.

GAMING NEWS

Official PC system requirements for Path of Exile 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/official-pc-system-requirements-for-path-of-exile-2/
Grinding Gear Games has revealed the official PC system requirements for its upcoming game, Path of Exile 2. So, let’s see what PC system you’ll need in order to run this highly anticipated title.
>> If you want to know what content you’ll find and how long the campaign is right now, PCGamer has this news article.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered Patch 1.3 Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/horizon-zero-dawn-remastered-patch-1-3-released-detailed/
Nixxes has released Title Update 1.3 for the PC version of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table.

Monday news, part two:

Valve gets closer to perfecting Deadlock's matchmaking, which will now account for your strengths and weaknesses with each hero
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/valve-gets-closer-to-perfecting-deadlocks-matchmaking-which-will-now-account-for-your-strengths-and-weaknesses-with-each-hero/
Deadlock's matchmaking has come a long way since the MOBA exploded in popularity among playtesters a few months ago. The first big change happened when Valve added ranked play, which corralled players into 11 ranks to better suit their skill level. However, that led to some issues that have now been more or less ironed out in the latest update.

Ex-Blizzard president has rather boldly called Sony's potential FromSoftware scoop 'probably a top 2 acquisition in videogames in the last 15+ years if not ever'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/ex-blizzard-president-has-rather-boldly-called-sonys-potential-fromsoftware-scoop-probably-a-top-2-acquisition-in-videogames-in-the-last-15-years-if-not-ever/
As spotted by GamesRadar, Ybarra weighed in on the hot news of the week—the report that Sony was sniffing around Kadokawa, which was later confirmed in a statement which said Kadokawa had received "an initial letter of intent to acquire the company's shares." In what I would argue is a rather bold claim, Ybarra tweeted: "If Sony does purchase FromSoftware, it's probably a top 2 acquisition in video gaming in the last 15+ years if not ever (the other being Minecraft to Microsoft for only $2.5B)."
>> Bigger than the Acti-Blizz one? I doubt it, but he’s probably still butt hurt about it.

If you've been worried about Avowed not looking punchy enough, Obsidian's combat designer has a hitstop animation 'superpower' that might reassure you
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/if-youve-been-worried-about-avowed-not-looking-punchy-enough-obsidians-combat-designer-has-a-hitstop-animation-superpower-that-might-reassure-you/
My ears perk up anytime a game developer says the word "hitstop." It means I'm about to hear some secret sauce, or at least opinions, about how to make a game feel great—specifically how and when to add a short pause mid-combat to make a hit really pop. In early footage of Avowed it's been hard to tell how impactful its combat will really feel, but my hands-on time with the game has been a pleasant surprise. It doesn't have the weight of the finest melee combat games on PC like Mount & Blade 2 or Vermintide 2, but its speedy sword swings still feel better than I expected, while charge attacks really pack a punch.
According to Obsidian VFX lead Ash Kumar, who I interviewed at a recent preview event at Obsidian's offices in southern California, there's one person in particular to thank for how combat's shaped up.

Stalker 2 devs reassure players: Yes, A-Life 2.0 is in the game, no, it's not working right, and yes, fixes are on the way
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/stalker-2-devs-reassure-players-yes-a-life-2-0-is-in-the-game-no-its-not-working-right-and-yes-fixes-are-on-the-way/
After some confusion as to whether the storied "A-Life" simulation system was still present in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, GSC Game World has confirmed that it is—and also that, yes, it's got some issues, and also yes, they're working on it.
>> We should expect the first patch this week.

Ubisoft keeps talking about Assassin's Creed Shadows like it finally remembers it used to make Splinter Cell, the greatest stealth games
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/assassins-creed/ubisoft-keeps-talking-about-assassins-creed-shadows-like-it-finally-remembers-it-used-to-make-splinter-cell-the-greatest-stealth-games/
After years of Assassin's Creed games that show signs of classic stealthy goodness but aren't quite what I'm looking for, I've been trying really hard not to get excited about Assassin's Creed Shadows. Yes, the series is finally going to Japan and yes, Naoe's stealthy moves look fantastic, but my eyes roll into the back of my head when I see chunky health bars and "level 28" above guard heads. Shadows still has that loot-heavy RPG stink that put me off Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla.
And yet, the way Ubi keeps talking about Shadows suggests it's not only moving in a stealthier direction than ever before, but doing so by evoking the best games the studio ever made: Splinter Cell. Not by name, though—in a new "Stealth Gameplay Overview" blog, Ubi talked about the core pillars of Shadows' stealth, which heavily involves a new light visibility meter that's ripped straight out of the Splinter Cell playbook. The blog also includes new gameplay snippets, like this one showing the visibility meter in action

Rejoice, roguelike nerds: Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is coming to Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/rejoice-roguelike-nerds-shiren-the-wanderer-the-mystery-dungeon-of-serpentcoil-island-is-coming-to-steam/
"It shouldn't be this hard to play the best version of one of Japan's great roguelikes today," PC Gamer contributor Kerry Brunskill wrote earlier this year in a retelling of her long fight to get her hands on a PC copy of 2002's Shiren the Wanderer: Monster of Moonlight Village. She also expressed hope that the latest game in the series, the Nintendo Switch-exclusive Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island, would eventually make its way to PC. Good news for Kerry—it's on the way, and you won't have to get someone in Japan to mail it to you.
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is now listed as "coming soon" to Steam, with all four of the free feature updates included. The Plus Pack, with 10 new dungeons and other content, will also be available as DLC, as will the Serpentcoil Island soundtrack.

Exploding frogs are coming to Diablo 4 in its upcoming witchcraft season where you can summon an army of these poisonous little guys
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/exploding-frogs-are-coming-to-diablo-4-in-its-upcoming-witchcraft-season-where-you-can-summon-an-army-of-these-poisonous-little-guys/
Frogs aren't the first thing that comes to mind when I think about Diablo 4, but that might change with its upcoming season of witchcraft where you can summon a whole army of them. They're quite messy, smacking enemies with their poison tongues and then exploding into a green mist. Skeletons could never, which is why I suspect everyone, including necromancer players, will be clamoring to become the ultimate frogmancer.

Palworld wasn't 'snubbed' by The Game Awards, says community manager: 'Stop being so over dramatic gamers'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/palworld-wasnt-snubbed-by-the-game-awards-says-community-manager-stop-being-so-over-dramatic-gamers/
It's that wonderful time of year when Big Geoff's Trailer Extravaganza starts gearing up to dole out awards to the year's biggest games—which also means that it's time for a lot of people with no dog in the race to get extremely upset about certain games not getting a nod.
This year, Palworld—which launched in January—is among the notable omissions from the list of nominees, and yeah, that is quite surprising. For a significant chunk of the year, it was a vast, all-consuming game that generated plenty of discourse and many, many hours played. But The Game Awards is not based on player numbers or articles written. It's all vibes, folks. Just a bunch of folks saying "I like this game". And this year, there weren't enough of them to secure Palworld a nomination.
But this hasn't stopped claims that it's been "snubbed" from doing the rounds—an accusation which community manager John Buckley addressed on Twitter.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 offers hotfix, advice to improve game stability
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/microsoft-flight-simulator-2024-offers-hotfix-advice-to-improve-game-stability/
The launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 hasn't been without issue, but the developers have released a patch that'll fix some crash problems. Notably, and most importantly, there's a tweak to make if you're playing on PC.

Players have decoded even more secret messages in the Silent Hill 2 remake
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/players-have-decoded-even-more-secret-messages-in-the-silent-hill-2-remake/
While Bloober Team's remake of the classic wifeguy survival horror game Silent Hill 2 follows the original text fairly closely, it does include some extras. For instance, if you visit areas where puzzles or other events were in the original, you can find echoes of them distorted by VHS static. And if you collect all the hidden Polaroids, you'll have the pieces you need to decode a hidden message.
There's more than one secret message tucked away in the remake, however. If you listen closely to the TVs around the town you can hear a series of clicks like something from a numbers station, and one player has managed to reduce the static hissing sound enough to translate that sound into Morse code.

Draw magic shapes to create heroes in this combination of tower defense and factory-builder
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/draw-magic-shapes-to-create-heroes-in-this-combination-of-tower-defense-and-factory-builder/
A weird new roguelite on Steam blends the genres of tower defense autobattler and factory builder into a cute, if odd, synergy. In ShapeHero Factory you scrawl out little production lines on magical parchment to combine shapes to conjure heroes that then automatically defend a big crystal from hordes of little inkblot demons. The structure is a familiar roguelite setup where you travel from battle to battle on a node tree picking rewards like new research options and hero recipes for your factory.

Microsoft has blocked the latest Windows 11 update on PCs with Star Wars Outlaws and other Ubisoft games installed
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/microsoft-has-blocked-the-latest-windows-11-update-on-pcs-with-star-wars-outlaws-and-other-ubisoft-games-installed/
First reported by Bleeping Computer, Microsoft is now preventing Windows 11's 24H2 update from being sent out to machines that have a selection of recent Ubisoft games installed on them. A number of users have reported persistent, unworkable crashing, sometimes on startup, when trying to play the affected games.
"After installing Windows 11, version 24H2, you might encounter issues with some Ubisoft games. These games might become unresponsive while starting, loading or during active gameplay," Microsoft wrote in a help article about 24H2's known issues. "To safeguard your Windows update experience, we have applied a compatibility hold on devices with these games installed. These devices will not be offered to install Windows 11, version 24H2 via the Windows Update release channel." If you've already had 24H2 installed and don't want to wait for a fix to play these games, your best bet is probably rolling back to version 23H2 for the time being.

There were so many Valve/Steam related posts that I’ve decided to post them all (or almost) here:

Gabe Newell says no-one in the industry thought Steam would work as a distribution platform—'I'm not talking about 1 or 2 people, I mean like 99%'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/gabe-newell-says-no-one-in-the-industry-thought-steam-would-work-as-a-distribution-platform-im-not-talking-about-1-or-2-people-i-mean-like-99-percent/
Half-Life 2's 20th anniversary saw Valve doing a Valve: The game received a massive surprise update, adding new commentary and integrating the two episodes, alongside adding a whole bunch of enhancements. It also dropped a two-hour documentary about the making of the game, and the background of Valve's existential legal battle with Vivendi, which features all sorts of digressions into the studio's multifaceted thinking, and the possibly unforeseen consequences: Most notably, the creation of what would become the de facto PC gaming platform Steam.
Steam launched in 2003, initially as a way for Valve to automatically ship updates to players of its existing games. "Gabe [Newell] in particular, he had a pencil sketch of an idea in his head of what would become Steam," says Erik Johnson. "But it was clear with Team Fortress Classic and then Counter-Strike that fundamentally the thing we were really attracted to was the ability to ship content directly to our customers.

Steam has died its final death on Windows 7 and 8: Nearly a year after Valve ended support, new Steam updates will no longer function on the ancient OSes
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/steam-has-died-its-final-death-on-windows-7-and-8-nearly-a-year-after-valve-ended-support-new-steam-updates-have-stopped-coming-to-the-ancient-oses/
If you were still gaming on Windows 7 or 8 in 2024, almost two years after Microsoft itself abandoned its own children, it's definitely time for an upgrade: Steam's most recent client update is the first to not work on the old OSes, more than 11 months after Valve announced it would stop supporting them.
"This version of the Steam client will no longer run on Windows 7 or Windows 8," reads the accompanying documentation of the November 5 Steam client update. "Users on these OS versions will not automatically update to this new version of the Steam client."

Valve first came up with the Steam Hardware Survey more than 20 years ago because it wanted to know what specs it should target for Half-Life 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/valve-first-came-up-with-the-steam-hardware-survey-more-than-20-years-ago-because-it-wanted-to-know-what-specs-it-should-target-for-half-life-2/
The Steam Hardware Survey has become a critical resource for the games industry, allowing curious enthusiasts or practical-minded developers to get a sense of how the average PC gamer enjoys the hobby. To hear Valve senior engineer Jay Stelly tell it in Half-Life 2's new 20th anniversary developer commentary, the Steam Hardware Survey first came about because Valve itself had no other way of accessing the information.
>> But how reliable is the data it gets?

The origin of the Source engine's iconic neon fuchsia checkerboard texture, as told by Half-Life 2's new commentary mode
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-origin-of-the-source-engines-iconic-neon-fuchsia-checkerboard-texture-as-told-by-half-life-2s-new-commentary-mode/
It feels weird to say, , but the error texture on Valve's Source engine feels like an old friend to me. Its arresting, black and fuchsia checkerboard is a familiar face that shows up everywhere from Counter-Strike surf servers to bootleg Mario Kart maps in Team Fortress 2. It kind of rhymes with the similarly ugly-cute "FIREBLU" lava texture from Doom, a cheeky reminder of a beloved FPS. Now, in the 20th anniversary developer commentary for Half-Life 2, Valve has explained some of the reasoning behind creating the now-iconic error visual.

Valve zoomed in Half-Life 2's FOV from the gold standard 90 so you could see all those pretty Source engine faces better
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/valve-zoomed-in-half-life-2s-fov-from-the-gold-standard-90-so-you-could-see-all-those-pretty-source-engine-faces-better/
PC gamers love tweaking our field of view sliders⁠, the extent of your in-game peripheral vision that gets rendered. Real heads tend to adopt a "the higher, the better," mentality, with 90 degrees being a commonly-accepted sweet spot. So why did PC gaming grande damme Valve saddle us with a miserly, dare I say console-like 75-degree default FOV in Half-Life 2?
"In Half-Life 1, we used a 90-degree field of view, or FOV, which was fairly standard for first-person shooters at the time. But during Half-Life 2's development, we grew unhappy with it," explained Valve developer Kerry Davis in the new 20th anniversary commentary mode for Half-Life 2. "With our game's focus on characters, we'd put extensive effort into detailed facial and body animations, but the 90-degree FOV didn't allow players to get close enough to fully appreciate that detail.
"So, we began experimenting with a tighter FOV and ultimately landed on 75 degrees. It took some adjustment from both us and players, and it required an additional FOV for viewmodels, which are the player's weapon held at the bottom of the screen. Their models were originally built with 90 degrees in mind, so they looked distorted at 75. But this change succeeded in doing what we wanted: Putting our characters front and center in the game."

Sony reportedly developing PlayStation handheld with native PS5 game support

https://videocardz.com/pixel/sony-reportedly-developing-playstation-handheld-with-native-ps5-game-support

If the rumour about xbox handheld is also true and if it's a legit handheld and not a streaming device, then the space is going to become quite saturated while giving Nintendo some actual competition. Whether or not it's meaningful competition will remain to be seen.

ASRock recommends installing Intel’s Latest PPM Driver for up to 13% Core Ultra 200 performance boost

https://videocardz.com/pixel/asrock-recommends-installing-intels-latest-ppm-driver-for-up-to-13-core-ultra-200-performance-boost

First Ryzen AI 300 gaming handheld now available, costs 91% more than ROG Ally X

https://videocardz.com/newz/first-ryzen-ai-300-gaming-handheld-now-available-costs-91-more-than-rog-ally-x#disqus_thread

Keeping in mind that these chinese handhelds always costed a lot of money

NVIDIA reportedly prioritizes Samsung GDDR7 memory for desktop GeForce RTX 50 series

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-reportedly-prioritizes-samsung-gddr7-memory-for-desktop-geforce-rtx-50-series

Not that I'd get my hopes up but if they use the 3GB chips for 70 class, hopefully it will mean more vram.

Arc B-Series ‘Battlemage’ references spotted on Intel website

https://videocardz.com/newz/arc-b-series-battlemage-references-spotted-on-intel-website

Intel To Push Out “Big Changes” To Arrow Lake’s Voltage-Frequency Behavior, Likely In The Next CPU Microcode Update

https://wccftech.com/intel-big-changes-to-arrow-lakes-voltage-frequency-behavior-in-next-cpu-microcode/

Intel’s XeSS “Upscaling” Technology Reaches Support In Over 200 Games

https://wccftech.com/intels-xess-upscaling-technology-support-over-200-games/

Steam is getting (surprisingly) aggressive with their season Pass stance, not sure if it was mentioned here:

Steam now requires developers include a complete list of all DLC included in a Season Pass, a basic description of the content included in each, an expected release window of at least the quarter or season and year expected. Additionally, developers are only allowed to self-reschedule their release date one time for the Season Pass, and only up to three months later than the original date. If developers want to delay additional times or delay further out, they have to speak with Valve first. If developers don't adhere to these rules, Valve says it may take action in ways such as removing the Season Pass from sale or refunding customers.

^ I like this obviously..

I doubt that it will be capable to play PS5 games without streaming (besides crossgen PS4/PS5 titles and some indie games).

But if it were compatible to the whole digital PS4 library without streaming, that would be a great device. If it is as fast as a PS4 Pro, they could offer PS4-Slim-settings for longer battery life and PS4-Pro-settings for better visuals. PS5 games via streaming on top of that.

If it needs special handheld versions/games, it is probably DOA. Especially with Sony's abysmal first-party-support of theit secondary systems.   

Well the PS Portal already does the streaming thing so I don't think there would be much benefit to coming out with another handheld that does the samething.

Imagine being Nintendo. You've been pushed out of the regular home console market, leaving you only with the handheld part of your business that everyone else has left because of mobile gaming. Then, after a massive failure, you come up with the crazy idea of launching a device that works as both a home and handheld console to be able to have a chance at succeeding. And you hit it out of the park.

Then. Valve comes out of the blue with a handheld PC, starting such a new rage for handheld gaming that not only Sony wants to come back to it after being kicked in the nuts, but MSoft also wants to join.

I bet you'd be like "WTF guys, can't you just leave me alone?!"

I don't think those memory chips will be ready for launch, but it could be an "easy" way to make the future Super refreshes more appealing.

Yeah, it was posted last week, and I'd say that everybody likes it.

Publishers have abused the system for too long with Season Passes that sometimes were quite empty of anything of worth, delaying promised content so many times that it ended up releasing once the Season Pass had ended, or simply being cancelled because the game didn't do well enough or for any other reason they came up with.

Let's hope the other stores and also console stores follow the same policy.

PS5 streaming would only be a bonus. The main reason would be thousands of compatible PS4 games rendered locally on the device, playable offline.

Nintendos blue ocean strategy looking less blue by the day. But as long as they continue to keep exclusives tied to their hardware and doesn't pull a major fuckup like the wiiu. It's their competitors that will need to move themselves if they want a slice of the handheld pie.