I been reading from other sources and it sound more like Pat Gelsinger was given the option to resign or get fired.  He chose resignation.  Has been kicked out of the game seem more likely what happened.

https://www.reuters.com/business/intel-ceo-pat-gelsinger-retire-2024-12-02/

That would explain how sudden his departure has been.

They've kept him until the CHIPS funding was granted and, after that, he was no longer needed.

Intel Launches Arc B580 12 GB & B570 10 GB “Battlemage” GPUs For $249 & $219, Faster RT Than RTX 4060 & 10% Faster On Average

https://wccftech.com/intel-arc-b580-12-gb-b570-10-gb-battlemage-gpus-249-219-usd-faster-rt-rtx-4060/

That's a lot of vram and good claimed** performance for a pretty good price even if the power efficiency isn't quite there based on the board power. It's unlikely Nvidia will be releasing their low end competitor anytime soon for next gen and even if the 4060 gets discounted, 12GB of vram is likely not gonna happen from Nvidia. RDNA 4 will be interesting comparison but until Radeon releases their lower end, 7600 is still 8GB and 7700XT is quite far away in price. Hopefully they fixed majority of the driver issues by now since that will ultimately make or break the gpu.

As always, wait for reviews

Intel announces XeSS 2 with XeSS Frame Generation and XeSS Low Latency

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-announces-xess-2-with-xess-frame-generation-and-xess-low-latency

Intel unveils Arc B580 Limited Edition

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-unveils-arc-b580-limited-edition

MSI launches Claw 8 and 7 AI+ gaming handhelds with Intel Lunar Lake and 32GB RAM

https://videocardz.com/newz/msi-launches-claw-8-and-7-ai-gaming-handhelds-with-intel-lunar-lake-and-32gb-ram

Seasonic lists unannounced AMD Radeon RX 8800 XT as 220W graphics card

https://videocardz.com/newz/seasonic-lists-unannounced-amd-radeon-rx-8800-xt-as-220w-graphics-card

Lenovo Legion Go S renders with AMD Ryzen Z2G leaks out

https://videocardz.com/newz/lenovo-legion-go-s-renders-with-amd-ryzen-z2g-leaks-out

The Tuesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100)

The Humble Store has ended its BF Sale, but now has three pages with Deals under $5, Deals under $10 and Deals under $20.

Fanatical has an old Star Deal and a new bundle:

• The old Star Deal is DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin with a 56% off deal. It’s the same one as yesterday, extended for another 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dark-souls-ii-scholar-of-the-first-sin
• The new bundle is a new BYO lay on the Go Bundle (BundleFestive Edition), featuring 19 titles to choose from for your 3+, 5+ or 7+ games bundle.It will last 34 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-play-on-the-go-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

New STALKER 2 Mod enables real-time dynamic flashlight shadows
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-stalker-2-mod-enables-real-time-dynamic-flashlight-shadows/
STALKER 2 fans, get ready for a treat. One of the biggest complaints about STALKER 2 was the fact that your flashlight could not cast dynamic shadows. This was a feature that was present in the classic STALKER games. And, thankfully, a mod was released that enables it.
By using this mod, your flashlight can cast real-time dynamic shadows. As such, the environments can look more realistic at night. This is a major visual improvement. So, make sure to download the mod.
The original version of this mod, Flashlight Customizer, has been live for a while. However, it’s not that easy to install which is why I hadn’t posted it. Thankfully, we now have a simpler version of it.
So, to enable the real-time dynamic flashlight shadows, you’ll
>> Besides the three different mods that you need to install and the instructions to do it, the article also has an almost 2 minutes video showing how to install it.

STALKER Anomaly vs STALKER 2 Video Graphics Comparison
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/stalker-anomaly-vs-stalker-2-video-graphics-comparison/
The Anomaly Mod is perhaps the best overhaul mod for classic STALKER. So, time now to find out whether a heavily modded version of STALKER can compete with STALKER 2. Let’s find out.
The original STALKER came out 17 years ago, and it’s powered by the X-Ray Engine. On the other hand, STALKER 2 uses Unreal Engine 5, and takes advantage of Nanite and Lumen.
Hilariously, enough, some players claimed that STALKER Anomaly looks as good – or even better – as STALKER 2. Well, as you will see, that’s not the case. STALKER 2 looks way, way better than STALKER modded.
The only downsides of STALKER 2 right now are two. The first one is that the flashlight does not cast shadows. The second is that there are some noticeable pop-in issues.
>> The video is a bit over 10 minutes long.

City of the Snow Elves is a DLC-sized fan expansion for Skyrim
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/city-of-the-snow-elves-is-a-dlc-sized-fan-expansion-for-skyrim/
Skyrim fans, here is something for you today. Modder ‘Buresjakub2003’ has released a new DLC-sized fan expansion for Skyrim, called The City of Snow Elves. This mod adds a new city to the game, complete with new quests, NPCs, and multiple endings.
The City of Snow Elves is the first story in “The Heritage of Light” trilogy, focussing on the life of this small forgotten community. The city has several secret places, dozens of rooms, a few interesting worlds, and many unique characters.
To begin the story, players need to find Vyrthur´s journal, which is located in a chest in one balcony window in the Forgotten Vale. And when the player arrives at the City of Light, he will get to choose who the Dragonborn will join.
The mod has four endings. For the Best ending, the player must find and do several things. For the worst ending, the player must choose a sequence of certain sentences during the decision-making process.
>> Sadly, the article has no media.

Master Chief and Commander: It's Halo 3 but with boats and a naval battle against a Scarab
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/now-you-can-play-halo-3-but-with-boats-and-get-in-a-naval-war-with-a-scarab/
Who knows where the germ of an idea for some mods comes from but with, ahem, Pimps at Sea I can take a wild guess: "What if Halo 3 but with boats?" Well, what if?
Available now on the Steam workshop, Pimps at Sea lets you get nautical with the Halo 3 toolbox in a co-op mission set across some tropical islands infested with Covenant. The twist of course is that two big 'ol boats are sailing in big lazy loops in and around these islands, and any enterprising Spartan can hop on board.
I mean… it's not complex, but it is a lot of fun. You ride about while a very good Sergeant Johnson impersonator barks out orders, climb the mast and take pot-shots, fire cannons at things, and if you fancy hop off and engage the Covenant forces with a plethora of vehicles. The ship boasts 20 cannons and three turrets, but the piece de resistance is two deployable Boathogs hooked up to either side. As the name suggests, these are Warthogs: But boats.
The Covenant tootle around on the island and some engage you on the waves with Ghosts, which can now float on water, as well as all the land forces. After battling various waves (b'dum tsh) the mod's climax is the emergence of a Scarab: the gigantic purple death machine that's the focus of one of Halo 3's greatest set pieces.
But even a Scarab can't do much against sustained cannon fire reminiscent of the Royal Navy's finest hours. OK, it killed me a few times. But much like the heroic admirals of old, Master Chief re-emerged from the brine and cannoned the big bastard until it exploded.
This is a good mod. It even has ropes on the ships you can climb back up on if you fall off! But the Boathogs are really the making of it: I could bounce these things across the deep all day. The mod's creator InfernoPlus says it began as a Big Team Battle mod where two teams fought across two ships, and the ships could eventually be sunk, before pivoting to this more self-contained and dare I say beautiful form.
>> There’s an almost 15 minutes video.

GAMING NEWS

43 minutes of PC gameplay from Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/43-minutes-of-pc-gameplay-from-kingdom-come-deliverance-2/
IGN has shared a video, showcasing the first 43 minutes of gameplay from Kingdom Come: Deliverance. IGN has played the PC version, so this is how the game looks and runs on PC. So, make sure to check it out.

Final PC requirements revealed for Delta Force
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/final-pc-requirements-revealed-for-delta-force/
TiMi Studio Group and Team Jade have revealed the final PC system requirements for Delta Force. Previously known as Delta Force: Hawk Ops, the game is now simply called Delta Force. So, let’s see what kind of PC you’ll need to run it.

Tuesday news, part two:

Valve removes pro-Palestinian shooter from Steam after complaint from UK Counter-Terrorism police, dev says 'we see clearly the double standards'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/valve-removes-pro-palestinian-shooter-from-steam-after-complaint-from-uk-counter-terrorism-police-dev-says-we-see-clearly-the-double-standards/
Valve has removed a game from Steam in the UK in response to a request from the UK's Counter-Terrorism Internet Referral Unit, a body that polices extreme content on the internet (thanks, 404). The game in question is called Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, was released in 2022, and casts the player as a member of the Hamas group attacking Israeli targets.

Fortnite's latest season lets players morph into lethal demon hunters who defy gravity and the God of Destruction himself, Godzilla
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/fortnites-latest-season-lets-players-morph-into-lethal-demon-hunters-who-defy-gravity-and-the-god-of-destruction-himself-godzilla/
The next Fortnite Chapter is set to go live this Saturday, and there are a ton of new features ready to launch alongside it, including a new battle pass, movement mechanics, and maps. Honestly, everything that's on offer in Chapter 6 Season 1 actually looks seriously cool. Although it would be pretty hard to miss with a season called Demon Hunters.

Critical Role's plans to make a videogame have become an 'active pursuit', says CEO Travis Willingham, after almost 10 years of growing a D&D campaign into a full-on franchise
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/critical-roles-plans-to-make-a-videogame-have-become-an-active-pursuit-says-ceo-travis-willingham-after-almost-10-years-of-growing-a-d-and-d-campaign-into-a-full-on-franchise/
Critical Role was a humble D&D livestream experiment begun on Geek and Sundry circa 2015. Since then, it's become a massive company, producing TTRPG systems and TV shows with millions in funding, and it's finally set its eyes on the world of videogames. That's according to a recent interview with Rolling Stone, wherein CEO Travis Willingham, who plays Grog Strongjaw in both the animated series and the livestreamed show, reveals that it's become "an active pursuit" for the crew.

FromSoftware's Hidetaka Miyazaki says the studio doesn't 'have any particular plans to develop Elden Ring 2', but that doesn't mean the 'Elden Ring IP' is over
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/dark-souls/fromsoftwares-hidetaka-miyazaki-says-the-studio-doesnt-have-any-particular-plans-to-develop-elden-ring-2-but-that-doesnt-mean-the-elden-ring-ip-is-over/
Even though Shadow of the Erdtree only arrived in June, the beast still hungers. The beast is us, and we're hungering for more Elden Ring. During the PlayStation Partner Awards in Japan, as reported by IGN Japan, director Hidetaka Miyazaki unsurprisingly found himself fielding questions about the possibility of more Elden Ring—though we already knew Shadow of the Erdtree would be its only expansion. But what about a sequel?

Ah, if only all the news posts were this easy.

The games for Humble Choice December 2024 have been revealed.

• Atlas Fallen: Reign Of Sand
• Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
• Crime Boss: Rockay City
• Inkulinati
• The Invincible
• Monster Prom 3: Monster Roadtrip
• Moonstone Island
• Old World
• Venba

Oh boy am I happy with this selection, 5 games on my wishlist. Sure I already owned Venba, but that's not a big deal.

I'm curious about Crime Boss: Rockay City sice it was first revealed, but it kind of feels like a game that has more style than substance.

@Intel's B580/570: they look good on paper. Even if that price becomes 300€ over here, which is very likely, the competition would be the 7600, the 4060 and the "old" 3060. If the drivers are ready for the reviews, it would be a worth purchase for a lot of people.

Too bad Intel has kicked Gelsinger out, as he seemed to understand that Intel needs their GPU business, and we don't know what the new CEOs may think of it, as it brings back the fear that Intel may scrap this business line like they've done with many others.

300€ will probably be too much, as the A750 can already be bought for as little as 220€ in some places, with the A770 just above the 300€ mark. I think 270-280€ will be needed as pricing in Europe to effectively compete with their own predecessors.

The board has replaced the engineer Gelsinger with the CFO and another guy from finance, exactly what Intel couldn't possibly need right now. I hope Gelsinger did bring enough changes for the better to right the Intel ship, otherwise they'll steer Intel Inside™ a bankruptcy. 

The problem is that we already know that ASRock and other cards will be priced at $270-280, and we know how tech companies do their change to Euros with the excuse that VAT is included. Therefore no, I don't think 300€ is too much.

The comparison with the A770 isn't exactly fair, as one card hasn't launched yet while the other has been available for two years and has had many price cuts. Older parts always have that advantage, be GPUs or CPUs. It's the better performance that sells new hardware, and the A770 was slower than a 4060, and held back with the launch drivers.

Regarding the new CEOs, yeah, they seem to follow the steps of the ones that led Intel to the current situation that Gelsinger was trying to fix. Let's hope we're wrong and they put the viability of the company before short term profits to appease shareholders.

Best month of the year!

So many games of my wishlist!
A lot of narrative games. A lot of games with MetaScore 78 or better.