While I mostly agree, a high-end card from just 1 generation ago (though the next one is just around the corner) should still be able to play any game in max settings at just 1080p. So the fact that the original 3080 can't is just a disgrace for NVidia and really shows how that entire Ampere lineup apart from the 3090 and the 3060 were simply too memory-constrained.

I mean, if you are gonna make the "max settings" argument... Radeon gets destroyed on many games with Ray Tracing on vs 3080 such as on a game like Cyberpunk that released in 2020. So by that logic, Radeon should be ashamed for doing so terribly at "max settings" even when it launched since it should have been able to do so in "every game" even at 1080p in 2020. Hell $1000 6900XT just matches the 2 year old 2080 Ti in Cyberpunk. And remember, back in those days, Radeon only had the FSR 1 garbage that looked horrid while DLSS 2.0 came out in 2020 so using upscaling on Radeon gpus required eye bleach.

The reality is that game optimization has went to shit this gen. Some games require a lot of vram which cucks certain Ampere gpus while other games require upscaling which cucks Radeon gpus. Not to say Ampere had the right amount of Vram for a 3080/3070 gpu. I think 3080 should have launched in 12GB flavours minimum from the start instead of releasing one later on. But Radeon also should have released an Ai upscaler midway through RDNA 2 instead of taking until RDNA 4 to hopefully release one. Intel really shouldn't be beating Radeon in the upscaling race yet here we are.

The entire GPU market is crap. And last generation GPU's have all aged poorly because of a multitude of cost-cutting factors to drive volume and profit margins.
(AMD with a lack of fixed function RT capability and FP4/FP8 dedicated cores), nVidia with VRAM)

I used to buy a high-end GPU for $299 USD (About $450 USD adjusted for inflation today). - That's gone, that kind of coin is Geforce 4060Ti 8GB territory now.

I'm sitting on an RX 6600XT and it does.... Fine, which was funded entirely by selling my Radeon RX 580 during the Crypto boom.
I will need to upgrade next gen whenever that drops.

16 Core processor, 128GB of Ram... And a Radeon 6600XT. /defiant

To be fair, I noticed signs of things going to shit way back when the last Deus ex came out. Seeing a bunch of high end cards struggling with that game's higher settings felt like such a joke, and even to this day, it's still obvious that SE didn't bother to optimise that game for even the higher end (to this day it's settings can still cripple here and there, and there's zero excuse for a now old game like that). 

The more we end up having to rely on FSR/DLSS, the more the devs and the GPU manufacturers are just going to rely on us using it ourselves, over basic level optimisation passes. At this moment in time we've really no clear cut way or even a solidified group to point out that this band-aid solution is quickly becoming a problem, and optimisation for high, all the way to low end cards being an issue.

Until that changes, we're just going to be stuck with higher and higher reliance on upscaling tech, and the sad thing is, even with that band-aid, you still won't be getting max settings, or the advertised "cherry on top" quality setting that these games try to show off. Like yes, we can still get Path Tracing in 2077, but without the upscaling, we get far worse results and it still isn't stable, but with upscaling, we get artifacting, some blur here and there and input delay, which I honestly do not seeing trading 3 properties for some fake frames to being all that worth it (I say this as a guy who has always been running native since forever, and I find artificial means over the real deal kind of off-putting).

Optimisation this gen (combined with Epic's latest engine) is shit here and there, yes, but this isn't going to change until people pipe up on both the game end, and GPU end as one, not as a smattering few voicing their woes on just Twitter (I honestly find social media more of a fragmented and problematic issue now more than ever, so I can see why things aren't changing at a decent enough pace for nearly anything these days).

*** NEW GIVEAWAY ***

Chieftec x TechPowerUp Winter 2024 Mega Giveaway: Cases, Coolers, and PSUs!
https://www.techpowerup.com/329450/chieftec-x-techpowerup-winter-2024-mega-giveaway-cases-coolers-and-psus
or https://www.techpowerup.com/contests/chieftec-giveaway-dec-24

There are 6 prizes for 6 winners:

• Chieftec Iceberg 360 RGB AIO liquid CPU cooler
• Chieftec Iceberg 360 Black AIO liquid CPU cooler
• Chieftec APEX E-ATX mid-tower case
• Chieftec M2 Micro-ATX tower case
• Chieftec PowerPlay 1200 W power supply
• Chieftec Atmos 850 W power supply.

The contest is limited to members of the EU.

Good luck!

I agree, the 7900XT/XTX should have much better RT performance for high-end cards.

Here's hoping that the RTX 5000 series has a bit more VRAM and the RX 8000 much better RT performance. So far, it doesn't look too much changes in the VRAM department on the 5000 cards compared to the 4000 SUPER, but that was already a much needed improvement. And if the rumors are true, then at least the RX 8000 cards have much better RT performance and an AI upscaler finally incoming for AMD, so possibly both improve in their defiencies.

Intel Arc B580 Battlemage GPU OpenCL/Vulkan performance leaks out, 9% to 30% faster than A580

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-arc-b580-battlemage-gpu-opencl-vulkan-performance-leaks-out-9-to-30-faster-than-a580

First Intel Arc B580 “Battlemage” GPU ships to gamer before launch

https://videocardz.com/newz/first-intel-arc-b580-gpu-ships-to-gamers-before-launch

China Opens Up Antitrust Investigation Against NVIDIA, Citing Anti-Monopoly Law Violations

https://wccftech.com/china-anti-trust-investigation-nvidia-monopoly/

Gaming Benchmarks Reveal AMD AGESA 1.2.0.2b Patch Brings Slightly Better Gaming Performance On Ryzen CPUs

https://wccftech.com/amd-agesa-1-2-0-2b-patch-better-gaming-performance-on-ryzen-cpus/

Intel Foundry Unveils “Innovative” Strategies For Transistors & Packaging Technologies, Enhancing Silicon Scalability

https://wccftech.com/intel-foundry-innovative-strategies-transistors-packaging-technologies/

ASRock launches 31.5″ 4K 240Hz WOLED display with Wi-Fi 7 antennas and Dual-Mode

https://videocardz.com/newz/asrock-launches-31-5-4k-240hz-woled-display-with-wi-fi-7-antennas-and-dual-mode

The Monday news featuring the Friday articles (this is going to be a long one):

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Charity event Jingle Jam is off to a lively start, raising £750,000 in a day with just under 2 weeks to go—plus, you can get 18 very good games if you donate £35
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/charity-event-jingle-jam-is-off-to-a-lively-start-raising-gbp750-000-in-a-day-with-just-under-2-weeks-to-go-plus-you-can-get-18-very-good-games-if-you-donate-gbp35/
Sometimes, it's nice to remember that videogames can be a force for good in the world—as is the case with Jingle Jam, a charity event founded by The Yogscast that's already pulled in £750,000 in its first evening. At the time of writing, that number's already jumped to £1,400,000. Not a bad start, not bad at all.
The event sees about 1,000 creators and streamers joining forces to raise cash for eight charities, the full list of which you can see here, via fundraising events. Participants include TommyInnit, Talia Mar, Smosh, The Spiffing Brit—the whole gang's here and already doing a blooming good job.
The charity has also partnered up with over a dozen studios to create a collection of games you'll get if you donate over £35. One of our favourite soulslikes from this year, Another Crab's Treasure, is on that list—as is Citizen Sleeper, Fights in Tight Spaces, Frostpunk, and Two Point Campus, along with 13 other games.
(...)
You've gotta hop to it, though. This bundle only gets given out to the first 100,000 donors, and at the time of writing, the charity's tracker states there've already been 30,000 plus bundles handed out.
>> The article lists all the 13 games of the bundle. And by the way, I checked the tracker while making these posts and they’ve given away almost 41,000 bundles.

Marvel Rivals just launched and already has more than 400,000 players
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/marvel-rivals-just-launched-and-already-has-more-than-400-000-players/
NetEase's free-to-play hero shooter, which I will always think of as "Muvvel Ruvvels" after hearing my English co-workers mangle the pronunciation, is having a good launch day. When I started writing this story Marvel Rivals had just past 360,000 concurrent players according to SteamDB, and now it's looking at 400,000 in the rear view mirror.
Though it's been dogged by comparisons to Overwatch, including some from Blizzard's former president Mike Ybarra, Marvel Rivals has clearly found its audience—though even they can't help but make comparisons. Looking at its Steam reviews, currently sitting on Mostly Positive, sentiments like "Better than overwatch" are common. "I hope it doesn't go through the same fate as Overwatch," says Tim120ms, "where the people who make Overwatch porn work harder than the people who make Overwatch".
>> TallSilhouette  has made a thread about this game.

Path of Exile 2 may have sold too well, so beware queues: 'We really didn't expect to have more than a million people online at the same time'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/path-of-exile-2-may-have-sold-too-well-so-beware-queues-we-really-didnt-expect-to-have-more-than-a-million-people-online-at-the-same-time/
Developer Grinding Gear Games has admitted that Path of Exile 2, which launches in early access today, may have the lovely problem of just being a bit too popular. Well, it's lovely if you're not sat in a queue trying to play the thing.
Path of Exile is widely regarded as one of the best strategy RPGs out there, so it's not surprising folk are eager to get in on the sequel, and PCG's own Diablo sickos are currently going gaga over it (but I can't tell you how gaga, because that would violate embargo and see me dragged into hell).
And the sales are reflecting this enthusiasm. "We’ve just passed one million redemptions for Path of Exile 2 keys, and sales are still increasing," says game director Jonathan Rogers. "Obviously this is great news, but it also comes with some downsides too."
Right now PoE2 can only be accessed by players who've bought a $30 "supporter pack", with the game due to transition to F2P for the full launch, but it turns out a lot of dungeon-fanciers have ponied up the dough. Grinding Gear Games had expected a sizeable take-up of the game, but it's been caught off-guard by how many want in.
>> And the characters made during this Early Access won’t disappear when the game launches. But don’t get too excited.

Steam has quite a few deals, tho most started last week:

• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege will be free to try for another 2 days and 60% off until December 12: https://store.steampowered.com/app/359550/Tom_Clancys_Rainbow_Six_Siege/
• Days Gone gets a 75% discount until the same 12th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1259420/Days_Gone/
• Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth will be 90% off until the 17th of December: https://store.steampowered.com/app/234270/Ken_Folletts_The_Pillars_of_the_Earth/
• The Early Access title Trans-Siberian Railway Simulator, with a demo, has a 30% discount until the 19th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/998400/TransSiberian_Railway_Simulator/
• Dwarven Realms is going to be 30% off until the same 19th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2015240/Dwarven_Realms/
• Escape Simulator features a 50% discount until December, the 19th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1435790/Escape_Simulator/
• And Publisher Thunderful puts its game on sale, up to 90% off. The length fof the deals vary, lasting up to the 19th of December: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/thunderfulpublishing/sale/thunderfulautumnsale2024

The Humble Store has the VR Vacation Sale, with up to 92% discounts during 3 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/vr-vacation-sale/.

And Fanatical has some deals as well:

• Today, the Star Deal won’t refresh until 2 hours later than usual. Weird,
• Publisher Plug In Digital puts its games on sale during another 9 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/plug-in-digital
• The Prestige Collection - Winter Special 2024 featured 22, now down to 20, games for your 2+, 3+ or 5+ bundles: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/prestige-collection-build-your-own-bundle
• The BYO Royal Bundle has 14 titles to choose from for your 2+, 3+ or 4+ games bundle: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-royal-bundle
• And Fanatical has teamed up with GameSpot to give away free games for The Game Awards. Learn more here: https://www.fanatical.com/en/blog/the-game-awards-2024-game-nominees

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 24.12.1 driver
https://videocardz.com/driver/amd-radeon-software-adrenalin-24-12-1
Highlights
New Game Support

• Marvel Rivals
• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
• Dragon Age™: The Veilguard
• Slitterhead
• Delta Force
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

Development on Radeon

• Official support for Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL 2) enables users with supported hardware to develop with AMD ROCm™ software on a
• Windows system, eliminating the need for dual boot set ups.
• WSL 2 Support has been added for:
  • ONNX Runtime
  • TensorFlow
• Beta support on Triton

Expanded HYPR-Tune Support

• HYPR-Tune support allows HYPR-RX to enable in-game technologies like AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution and AMD Radeon™ Anti-Lag 2.
• Support has been added to automatically configure AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution with frame generation in:
  • Horizon Zero Dawn™ Remastered
  • MechWarrior 5: Clans
  • Red Dead Redemption 2

Expanded Vulkan Extension Support

• VK_EXT_fragment_shader_interlock
• VK_KHR_compute_shader_derivatives

Fixed Issues

• Lower than expected performance may be observed while using llama.cpp. This may also impact Ollama and LM Studio.
• Texture corruption may appear while playing The Crew™ Motorfest.
• System crash may be observed when first launching SteamVR while using Valve Index® at 144Hz on Radeon™ RX 6000 series graphics products.
• Intermittent application freeze may be observed while loading a save file in Monster Hunter: World.
• Intermittent application crash may be observed while playing Fortnite on Radeon™ RX 5000 series and above series graphics products.
• H.264 encoding may not work as expected while using OBS Studio with Twitch Enhanced Broadcasting.

INTEL Arc Graphics 32.0.101.6319 driver
https://videocardz.com/driver/intel-arc-graphics-32-0-101-6319
Highlights
Gaming Highlights:
Intel® Game On Driver support on Intel® Arc™ A-series Graphics GPUs and Intel® Core™ Ultra with built-in Intel® Arc™ GPUs for:

• Indiana Jones and The Great Circle
• Marvel Rivals
• Path of Exile 2

Intel XeSS 2 Frame Generation & XeLL DLL files leaked online
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/intel-xess-2-frame-generation-xell-dll-files-leaked-online/
Earlier this week, we informed you about the next version of Intel XeSS, XeSS 2. XeSS 2 will feature Intel XeSS Super Resolution, Frame Generation and Xe Low Latency. And, from the looks of it, their DLL files have been leaked online. What this means is that modders may be able to replace NVIDIA DLSS 3 with Intel XeSS 2. We’ve seen similar mods for games that replaced DLSS 3 with FSR 3.0. So, in theory, this should be possible.
The only downside here is that only Intel Arc GPUs support Intel XeSS2. Contrary to Intel XeSS Super Resolution which was available to all vendors, Intel XeSS Frame Generation and Intel XeLL will only work on the Alchemist and Battlemage GPUs.

Steam sets new record with over 39 million concurrent players
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/steam-sets-new-record-with-over-39-million-concurrent-players/
Steam has just set a new record of concurrent players. Earlier today, Valve’s service passed over 39 million concurrent players. To be more precise, it hit 39,205,447 concurrent players.
Steam set its previous record of 38 million concurrent players in September 2024. In other words, it took around three months to break it.
Let’s now take a look at the Top 20 Most Played Games in the last 24 hours.
>> lol. I played one of them XD.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

PlayStation Classic MediEvil Received a Remake Mod in Skyrim
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/playstation-classic-medievil-received-a-remake-mod-in-skyrim/
Now here is something cool. Modder ‘KorinOo’ has released the first version of a mod that attempts to remake the PlayStation classic game, MediEvil, in Skyrim. So, if you are a fan of that franchise, you should at least check it out.
MediEvil: Hero of Gallowmere is a fan-based project that aims to recreate the first four levels from the MediEvil game (PSX). Players will get in the shoes of Sir Daniel Fortesque. So, they will be able to explore the land of Gallowmere on their quest to catch Zarok, an evil sorcerer who stole the souls of the living and used them to raise the dead.
The mod features a linear Halloween-style adventure in a completely new land, full of fun and a little crazy characters. It also comes with an original soundtrack to bump the Halloween vibe even more. Moreover, you can expect a handful of puzzles and side quests. Plus, you will be able to equip Sir Daniel Fortesque with new and better gear.
As said, this mod will not attempt to remake the entire game. Still, this should be more than enough for all MediEvil fans.
>> The article has a video of the mod.

Dark Souls 2 Mod adds Parallax Occlusion Mapping to surfaces
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/dark-souls-2-mod-adds-parallax-occlusion-mapping-to-surfaces/
Modder ‘fromsoftserve’ has released a new cool mod for Dark Souls 2 that adds Parallax Occlusion Mapping to all surfaces. Moreover, the modder is upscaling the albedo textures as well, something that will further enhance the game’s visuals.
Right now, the mod covers the following areas.

• Things Betwixt
• Majula
• Heide’s Tower
• No man’s wharf
• Lost Bastille
• Harvest Valley
• Forest of the Fallen Giants
• Huntsmans Copse
• Most of Brightstone Cove Tseldora
• Doors of Pharros

In future versions, fromsoftserve will cover more areas. The ultimate goal is to add POM to all surfaces. However, there is no ETA on when this will happen. Still, I strongly recommend using this mod. You can download it from this link. At the end of the article, you can also find a video showcase for it.

This must-have STALKER 2 Mod allows you to loot all mutants
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/this-must-have-stalker-2-mod-allows-you-to-loot-all-mutants/
STALKER 2 fans, here is another must-have mod for you. Modder ‘SomberX’ has released this mod that allows all mutants to drop an assortment of new unique items, much like previous STALKER games.
This will greatly enhance your gaming experience. Now, after fighting a mutant, you will be able to loot it and sell its parts to merchants. This will provide another source of income. In other words, it’s now worth fighting the mutants.
I seriously can’t believe this simple feature wasn’t in the game. I mean, what’s the point of having the mutants if you can’t loot them? Okay okay, they provide an extra danger to the zone. I get it. However, it was a dumb decision to remove the looting system from them. Especially since this feature was present in the previous STALKER games.
GSC GameWorld has not commented on whether or not it will bring this looting system to the game via a new update. Right now, the devs are doing their best to fix all of the game’s major quest bugs and blockers. Then, they might take a look at fixing A-Life 2.0.
Anyway, you can go ahead and download the mod from this link. To install it, you’ll simply have to place the .pak file into the “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Heart of ChornobylStalker2ContentPaks~mods” folder. As the modder noted, the mod works with the game’s latest version, and it’s compatible with a variety of mods.
>> There is a very short video of the mod.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Got a Next-Gen Decapitations Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-got-a-next-gen-decapitations-mod/
Skyrim fans, here is something really cool for you today. Modder’Seb263′ has released a Next-Gen Decapitations Mod for Bethesda’s classic action RPG. So, lets see what this mod brings to the table, shall we?
The Next-Gen Decapitations Mod fixes all crashes related to decapitations in the game. This includes crashes caused by RaceMenu overlays or NPC appearance changes. It also adds cool features like helmets flying off, customizable head spin effects, and more.
The mod fixes glitches with faces, necks, and hair during decapitations, making everything look smooth. It also stops decapitated NPCs from making sounds, so the game feels more realistic. Plus, it lets you customize how heads and helmets spin and move, adding dynamic effects.
And that’s not all. The mod makes sure hair is neatly cut at the neck for more realistic decapitations. It also brings back HDT/SMP physics, so hair moves naturally after a head is severed. Plus, helmets can fly off with the heads, and you can set the chance of this happening for extra fun.
>> The article has three very explicit gifs.

Take a look at this remake of Sonic Adventure 2 in Unreal Engine 5
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/take-a-look-at-this-remake-of-sonic-adventure-2-in-unreal-engine-5/
YouTube’s ‘JeliLiam’ has shared a video from an amazing fan remake of Sonic Adventure 2 in Unreal Engine 5. And guess what? A free demo for it will be released next week. Awesome, right?
As you will see, this fan remake recreates City Escape from Sonic Adventure 2. Contrary to other fan remakes we’ve been sharing, this one has proper gameplay mechanics. As such, players can collect coins and fight enemies. At the end of the stage, you will also fight a boss.
The good news here is that JeliLiam has managed to retain the art style of the original game. Sonic Adventure 2 Redux feels like a modern remake of the 2001 Dreamcast game. It has better 3D models, better textures, and better lighting. It also has a great view distance with minimal pop-ins. Seriously, if you are a fan of Sonic Adventure 2, you really need to see the video. For comparison purposes, I also included a video that shows the original 2001 version.
Do note that the demo will only focus on this stage. And while there is a potential here for a fully-fledged remake of Sonic Adventure 2, I don’t really think this will ever happen. After all, this will require A LOT of work. And, right now, Sonic Adventure 2 Redux is being developed by a single artist.
>> The article has two videos.

Demo released for Mind Games, a Fallout 4 DLC-sized expansion
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/demo-released-for-mind-games-a-fallout-4-dlc-sized-expansion/
Modder ‘OscarN1N7’ has released a demo that you can download for Mind Games, a DLC-sized expansion of Fallout 4’s story. In this fan expansion, you’ll take on a new detective case with Nick Valentine, while you both grapple with a mercenary’s lingering presence.
The demo features a brand new town in the Commonwealth called The Sluice, complete with new characters, vendors and side quests. As the modder noted, Mind Games will have a story that reacts to what you’ve previously done in and around the Commonwealth. Quest outcomes will depend on skill checks, previous choices, and on what companions you have with you.
Players will meet new enemies, new settlers to recruit and new underground areas to explore. Mind Games also has new factions, with a reputation system that tracks how much they like you.
The demo has the first three to four main quests of Mind Games, as well as three side quests and other miscellaneous quests. To play it, you’ll need Fallout 4 version 1.10.163 or later. You’ll also need all of the game’s DLCs.
>> In the article you’ll find an over 3 hours long walkthrough video.

This mod puts Wordle on all the hacking terminals in Fallout: New Vegas, and even gives you XP for guessing the words right
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fallout/this-mod-puts-wordle-on-all-the-hacking-terminals-in-fallout-new-vegas-and-even-gives-you-xp-for-guessing-the-words-right/
Wordle is one of those games that very quickly became a phenomenon, landing in lockdown and finding a world that was very ready to go toe-to-toe with friends and family over who could guess a five-letter word first. Such was the game's success that it was acquired by the New York Times in January 2022, and since then has had pride of place in the Gray Lady's games section.
Then, the nukes launched and no-one's streak survived. Fast-forward to 2281 in the Mojave wasteland, and one intrepid modder has set out to change that situation. Wordlehack adds Wordle to Fallout: New Vegas via the medium of the game's hacking terminals, which are dotted about all over the place. You can choose to have it on all the terminals in the world or just a selection, and when you interact with them you have to guess a five-letter word in six attempts.
The mod may be straightforward but it's also well thought-out and adds a bunch of new features (all configurable via the INI) for your maximum Wordle enjoyment. It boasts controller support, now includes four-letter and six-letter variants of the game, difficulty settings for each lock level (so for example "harder terminals now tend to have shorter words or fewer attempts"), and even customisable fonts.
>> The article has one screenshot and an almost 5 minutes video.

Witcher 3 modders just upended everything we know about how it was made with a 584-page breakdown of an early prototype that had a 150-hour main quest, all thanks to a database 'containing almost every single line of text' from its development
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-witcher/witcher-3-modders-just-upended-everything-we-know-about-how-it-was-made-with-a-584-page-breakdown-of-an-early-prototype-that-had-a-150-hour-main-quest-all-thanks-to-a-database-containing-almost-every-single-line-of-text-from-its-development/
Witcher 3 modders Moonknight, Ferroxius, Crygreg, and Glassfish (who contributed to the Brothers in Arms cut content restoration mod) have released the first volume of What Lies Unseen, a planned series chronicling the development history and evolution of The Witcher 3. RPG YouTuber xLetalis has put out a three-hour video going over the first volume, which covers a prototype version of The Witcher 3's story that would have been upwards of three times as long as the game we got. Some of the biggest changes and surprises in this version of The Witcher 3 include:
(… I’m not going to spoil it…)
This project came about thanks to the release of CD Projekt's REDkit modding tools, with the authors writing that prior to these tools becoming available, community knowledge of The Witcher 3's development "stemmed from interviews with the company as well as leaked material that was incomplete."
>> One of the quests involves Cyberpunk 2077, and another one would have brought a character from The Witcher 2.

Skyrim Special Edition's Community Shaders mod just hit 1.0 and became an essential graphical upgrade
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/skyrim-special-editions-community-shaders-mod-just-hit-1-0-and-became-an-essential-graphical-overhaul/
If you're still playing Skyrim Special Edition and you haven't dived into the world of Community Shaders, now is the time. This is the toolkit you need for a vanilla-plus playthrough, with options that let you focus on the improvements you want while skipping the stuff that doesn't matter to you (and maybe saving yourself some frames). Now that it's arrived at version 1.0, there are even more reasons to give Community Shaders a try.
To get the most out of Community Shaders you'll want to install features like Water Effects, which adds depth to the surface of water and refracted light underneath, Grass Lighting, which makes all that planet matter pop, Subsurface Scattering, for more realistic skin, and Screen-Space Shadows, for more shadows on both faces and distant objects. For an example of the difference those can make, I've put together a little before-and-after slideshow below.
To install Community Shaders you'll first want to download Address Library for SKSE Plugins and SSE Engine Fixes if you haven't already, and then Community Shaders itself. The description page will link you to various features you'll want to add separately, though note that some of the older features have now been incorporated into the core mod as of version 1.0. If you have an older version you might need to delete mods like Dynamic Cubemaps and Sky Reflections Fix, which are now included by default.
As of version 1.0, Community Shaders now supports DLAA and Native FSR 3.1 AA, as well as frame generation. Also, PBR (physically based rendering), which has resulted in mods that retexture Whiterun and Riften, with doubtless more on the way. (Note that you'll need to run ParallaxGen after installing these so you can actually see the new meshes.)
While version 1.0 has clearly been a lot of work—just have a look at the size of those release notes—the Community Shaders Team isn't done yet. The list of upcoming features includes skylighting, Screen Space Global Illumination (SSGI), cloud shadows, HDR, water/SSR compositing, capsule shadows/AO, sharper textures when using AA, and a new weather/post-processing presets system.

GAMING NEWS

Forza Motorsport will finally get RTGI on PC on December 9th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/forza-motorsport-will-finally-get-rtgi-on-pc-on-december-9th/
And the time has finally come. Turn10 has announced that Forza Motorsport on PC will finally get support for RTGI on December 9th. PC gamers will finally be able to enjoy ray-traced global illumination, something that should improve the game’s graphics.
>> That’s today!

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 PC Requirements Revealed
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/kingdom-come-deliverance-2-pc-requirements-revealed/
Warhorse Studios has just revealed the official PC system requirements for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. So, let’s see what PC system you’ll need to run it.

New trailers for Spine, Steel Seed, Kingdom Come 2, The Alters, Total Chaos & more
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-trailers-for-spine-steel-seed-kingdom-come-2-the-alters-total-chaos-more/
A number of new trailers aired during the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted 2024 show. As such, I’ve decided to collect and share most of them in one big article.
>> There are 20 videos in the article, so yeah, there are lots of “& more”

Five hours after launch & Path of Exile 2 remains a broken mess [UPDATE]
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/5-hours-after-launch-path-of-exile-2-remains-a-broken-mess/
Yesterday, Grinding Gear Games released Path of Exile 2 in Early Access. However, five whole hours after its EA launch, the game remains a broken mess. What’s laughable is that it has “Mostly Positive” reviews on Steam, even though 90% of gamers can’t even play it.
UPDATE:
After half a day, Grinding Gear Games was able to fix the following connectivity issues. You can now log in and play POE2.

Free demos for The Alters, EA Sports FC 25 & Prologue: Go Wayback!
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/free-demos-for-the-alters-ea-sports-fc-25-prologue-go-wayback/
Some new free demos went live a couple of days ago on Steam. As such, you can now download and play the demos for The Alters, EA Sports FC 25 and Preface: Undiscovered World.

Where Winds Meet is coming to PC on December 27th but there is a catch
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/where-winds-meet-is-coming-to-pc-on-december-27th-but-there-is-a-catch/
Everstone Games has announced that Where Winds Meet will be released on PC on December 27th. However, there is a catch. The game will be available only in China at first. We also got a new trailer that you can find below.

Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered PC Requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/legacy-of-kain-soul-reaver-12-remastered-pc-requirements/
Aspyr has revealed the official PC system requirements for Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered. So, let’s see what PC system you’ll need to run this remastered collection.
>> I’d be surprised if any of you can’t play this game.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Update 1 Released, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle-update-1-released-full-patch-notes/
MachineGames has released the first update for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle which adds support for Path Tracing on PC. Moreover, this patch brings a number of tweaks and improvements, as well as some PC-only fixes. So, let’s take a closer look at them.
>> And here you’ll find some comparison screenshots.

Covenant is a new first-person dark fantasy combat game from former Halo, Call of Duty, Destiny and Doom devs
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/covenant-is-a-new-first-person-dark-fantasy-combat-game-from-former-halo-call-of-duty-destiny-and-doom-devs/
Legion Studio, a team that consists of former Halo, Call of Duty, Destiny and Doom devs, has announced its new game, Covenant. Covenant is a first-person dark fantasy combat game, and you can find its first gameplay trailer below.

Digital Extreme’s free-to-play action hybrid MMORPG, Soulframe, will come out on PC in 2025
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-prologue-for-digital-extremes-free-to-play-action-hybrid-mmorpg-soulframe-will-come-out-on-pc-in-2025/
Digital Extremes has announced that its free-to-play action hybrid MMORPG, Soulframe: Preludes, will be released in 2025. To celebrate this announcement, the team has shared a new small trailer, which you can find below.

Delta Force’s single-player campaign will come out in January 2025
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/delta-forces-single-player-campaign-will-come-out-in-january-2025/
TiMi Studio Group has announced that the single-player campaign for Delta Force, Black Hawk Down, will come out in January 2025. Black Hawk Down will be using Unreal Engine 5, and below you can find a new gameplay teaser trailer for it.

PCGamer has published over 100 new articles since Thursday. I’m obviously not going to post them all so check their archive to read them all. And I suggest you do it, because there are a lot of new game announcements

Meanwhile, here are 10 randomly selected articles published between the 5th and the 8th:

Jean-Claude Van Damme is coming to Hitman, and you better believe he's doing splits all over the place
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/jean-claude-van-damme-is-coming-to-hitman-and-you-better-believe-hes-doing-splits-all-over-the-place/
Hitman has a new celebrity Elusive Target and it's none other than The Muscles From Brussels, Jean-Claude Van Damme. The '90s action movie icon will portray Max Valliant, a legendary former ICA operative taken out by his own agency after he was found doing deals with the wrong people. Presumed dead for years, he's back—and he's not happy.

Craftlings looks to occupy some beautiful place between Terraria and Lemmings
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/city-builder/craftlings-looks-to-occupy-some-beautiful-place-between-terraria-and-lemmings/
Adorable strategy games where you herd a bunch of tiny idiots are in short supply these days, so let me tell you how exciting the trailer for Craftlings, debuted today at the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted, has made me: Very excited. As a child of the Lemmings generation still very much in love with modern pixel art, this one's just for me, specifically, but it can also be for you.

Rogue Eclipse joins a procedurally generated campaign for Star Fox’s contested crown
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rogue-eclipse-joins-a-procedurally-generated-campaign-for-star-foxs-contested-crown/
You wait forever for a new Star Fox, and suddenly they’re everywhere. Sadly most lack the charm of Nintendo’s classic semi-on-rails shooter series, but Rogue Eclipse looks to be one of the more interesting contenders for the throne, at least judging by its PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted trailer today. Indie studio Huskrafts is beaming at least 70% of your RDA of Space Explosions into your eyeballs here, so give it a look.

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault reopens the RPG shop in 2025 with a new look
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/moonlighter-2-the-endless-vault-reopens-the-rpg-shop-in-2025-with-a-new-look/
Moonlighter, the 2018 merchant RPG that found its way into my library based on art style alone, is getting a sequel. Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault was revealed during today's PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted, with plans to open up shop sometime in 2025.

Mohrta is now one of my must-plays for 2025: A surreal, striking FPS that somehow got soulslike levels and bosses working on the Doom engine
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/mohrta-is-now-one-of-my-must-plays-for-2025-a-surreal-striking-fps-that-somehow-got-soulslike-levels-and-bosses-working-on-the-doom-engine/
Doom engine FPS-RPG-soulslike thing Mohrta has gotten a new trailer highlighting its strange world and 2025 release window as part of The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted, but you don't have to wait until next year to check this one out⁠—I spent nearly three hours playing Mohrta's generous demo on Steam, and it got me giddy for the full deal even with the glut of boomer shooters in recent years.

'Survival-climber' Cairn just dropped a demo so you can go hands-on with the insurmountable Mount Kami
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/survival-climber-cairn-just-dropped-a-demo-so-you-can-go-hands-on-with-the-insurmountable-mount-kami/
Everything from Assassin's Creed to Tomb Raider makes climbing sheer rock faces look cool and effortless. But "survival-climber" Cairn is not going to hold your hand when it says this: climbing is hard as hell (and still cool).
The next game from the developers of Furi and Haven debuted a new trailer during today's PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted showcase and it really makes clear just how stressful surviving a climb can be. It's downright nerve-wracking hearing the shallow, panicked breathing of protagonist Aava as she jams pitons into a rock face in the middle of a downpour—and eventually slips.
>> I won’t make you scroll until the very end of the article for the link: here it is… at the end of my version of the article.

PUBG creator Brendan Greene just released a free tech demo of his new game engine on Steam that lets you play with 'an Earth-scale world generated in real-time'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/pubg-creator-brendan-greene-just-released-a-free-tech-demo-of-his-new-game-engine-on-steam-that-lets-you-play-with-an-earth-scale-world-generated-in-real-time/
How do you follow up the creation of one of the biggest games of all time? If you're Brendan Greene, aka PlayerUnknown, it's by building something even bigger. Greene, creator of PUBG, founded a studio called PlayerUnknown Productions where he and his team have been working on a massively multiplayer sandbox called Artemis: a digital world the size of an actual planet.
Today on the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted, Greene revealed that he's ready to let players get some hands-on time with the engine powering that planet by releasing Preface: Undiscovered World. Preface is a tech demo of the engine the studio is using to build Artemis, which generates planets "using machine learning technology [and] natural Earth data to generate these worlds from latent space," Greene said.
Want to see a planet-sized planet on your own desktop? You can download Preface: Undiscovered World on Steam and play with it for free right now.

Tempest Rising is a modern take on Command & Conquer you probably know you want
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/tempest-rising-is-a-modern-take-on-command-and-conquer-you-probably-know-you-want/
Classic-style RTS Tempest Rising has debuted a new trailer at the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted today, where the peacekeepers of the Global Defense Forces take on their enemies of the Tempest Dynasty in the kind of base-building RTS that ruled the '90s and early 2000s. Though it has CGI characters rather than full motion video, it's still got that dark-but-upbeat vibe you associate with the best RTS of that era. The trailer comes complete with a new release window: April 2025.

'We have more levels than players': This indie dev's game was a complete flop, but he's powering through with his plan to release 20 seasons of new content anyway
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/we-have-more-levels-than-players-this-indie-devs-game-was-a-complete-flop-but-hes-powering-through-with-his-plan-to-release-20-seasons-of-new-content-anyway/
I was initially attracted to Endlight, a weird indie game about getting hoops, by its intense, almost overwhelming trailer, but what hooked me were the less obvious but very clever bits lying beneath its sensory onslaught: Levels are punctuated by odd, sometimes very funny chunks of text that made me feel as though developer Jim McGinley was watching and talking in the background as I played. I also loved the game's central conceit: Every level can only be completed once. After it's done, it's gone forever.
The twist is that once a year, Endlight offers a "Right to Replay" challenge, the reward being an in-game "coupon" allowing the holder to play Endlight again—but just once, from the very beginning—at any time over the following 12 months. It's twisted, completely counter-intuitive, and to McGinley, extremely funny: He acknowledged that a lot of players would hate the idea, but added, "I think people will come around to appreciating the humour."
Some no doubt did. Endlight has a "positive" user rating on Steam, which is good: The bad is, that rating comes from just 28 reviews. Endlight launched on Steam in July 2023, and put up an all-time peak concurrent player count of—it almost physically hurts to say this—three. Endlight, McGinley said earlier this year, has more levels than players.
"Still the case!" he told me in a more recent chat. "After returns, we're at ~325 sales. Endlight has 16 seasons, 400 levels."

Civilization 7 is officially 2025's Most Wanted PC game, and the creative director told us how he’s going to get you to finally finish a Civ campaign
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/civilization-7-is-officially-2025s-most-wanted-pc-game-and-creative-director-told-us-how-hes-going-to-get-you-to-finally-finish-a-civ-campaign/
Okay, be honest; you’ve probably not finished too many full campaigns in the Civilization series. It’s okay, neither have I—there’s always some reason to tap out and start fresh. We’re not alone, and Firaxis has the numbers to prove it. Answering an assortment of interview questions from our sagely Council for The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted—where Civilization 7 was just voted the #1 anticipated game for 2025—creative director Ed Beach got on camera to let us know what’s going to be different this time, and how Firaxis is going to be re-defining the genre after 34 years of iteration.

And here are the PCGamer news from today, December the 9th:

Ubisoft has fixed some of the issues with Avatar, Outlaws and the Windows 11 24H2 update, but the big three Assassin's Creed are still borked
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/windows/ubisoft-has-fixed-some-of-the-issues-with-avatar-outlaws-and-the-windows-11-24h2-update-but-the-big-three-assassins-creed-are-still-borked/
Printers, webcams, routers—the usual things that have issues after a big operating system patch. For the Windows 11 24H2 update, games also joined in with the failure party, specifically five big releases from Ubisoft and the problems were so bad, that Microsoft prevented the update from being applied to any PC with those games installed. Ubisoft has released hotfixes for two of them but Assassin's Creed Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla are still without a solution.
>> By the way, the Ubisoft stock buyout has find a problem: the Guillemots want to stay in charge, but Tencent doesn't.

Infinity Nikki players have gone full-on Dark Souls by using the photo mode to leave puzzle hints and quiz answers for each other
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/infinity-nikki-players-have-gone-full-on-dark-souls-by-using-the-photo-mode-to-leave-puzzle-hints-and-quiz-answers-for-each-other/
I originally said that Infinity Nikki was like a dress-up Genshin Impact, but after entirely too many hours of playtime over the weekend I'm becoming convinced it's more like a dress-up Dark Souls. Nothing has solidified that theory for me more than discovering that players have been using the Snapshot function—essentially the only form of multiplayer Infinity Nikki has right now—to drop hints to puzzles and quests in a manner reminiscent of FromSoftware's messages.

Indie games site Itch.io temporarily taken down by Funko, due to 'AI-powered' brand protection company that 'created some bogus phishing report'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/indie-games-site-itch-io-temporarily-taken-down-by-funko-due-to-ai-powered-brand-protection-company-that-created-some-bogus-phishing-report/
Itch.io, a website used to host a heap of games—primarily self-published indie projects—was taken down briefly this morning (or over the weekend, depending on time zones) thanks to, uh, Funko of Funko Pop infamy. I'm about as confused as you, and the site's creator Leafo, are.
As posted to both Bluesky and X, the site was "taken down by Funko of 'Funko Pop' because they use some trash 'AI Powered' Brand Protection Software called Brand Shield that created some bogus Phishing report to our registrar, iwantmyname, who ignored our response and just disabled the domain."
Itch.io later clarified that it "did take the disputed page down as soon as we got the notice because it's not worth fighting stuff like that. Regardless, our registrar's automated system likely kicked [in] to disable the domain since no one read our confirmation of removal."

Much to Todd Howard's chagrin, testing audiences for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle loved Troy Baker as the leading man: 'They picked you every time'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/much-to-todd-howards-chagrin-testing-audiences-for-indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle-loved-troy-baker-as-the-leading-man-they-picked-you-every-time/
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle seems to've been whipped into good shape by Bethesda, a much-needed win for the studio—capturing for fans (including our own Ted Litchfield, who gave it an 86 in his review) the pure distilled essence of the action adventure classic, like a modern Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay for the beloved franchise. Part of that's due to the dulcet tones of Troy Baker, who played the leading man.