Yea I am not really a fan of how Nvidia seems to lock certain features out of their old gpus either. Intel has proven the gpus that can do dp4a which is a lot of gpus can do Ai upscaling since XeSS works on RDNA 2 as well. And Radeon showed Frame Generation can work on plenty of gpus as well. Sure XeSS via dp4a isn't as good as DLSS but it's still way better than traditional upscaling like FSR. So if these two companies can find ways to support old gpus with new features, surely a 3 (checks market cap) trillion dollar company like Nvidia can. But they chose not to.

This is why we need competition and I don't mean the defeatist type of mentality competition like Radeon/Xbox. We need real competition like what Intel is trying to do and it's why I am so hyped for B580. Hopefully it will light a fire under Radeon too because based on the HUB podcast, B580 is sold out even though there was really good stock. It's the type of competition that Nvidia does not like.

When I read the highlighted part, especially the Neural Rendering, I couldn't help but think about what Jensen said earlier this year about AI generated games (here's an article about it):

"Jensen foresees a future in which GPU-powered AI tools could come full circle and put all that processing power to use in generating computer graphics again. But note the wording: generating graphics rather than rendering. And he thinks that an AI-generated gaming future could arrive within the next ten years, with early attempts potentially showing up within five years."

I doubt we're there yet, and that whole sentence could be the marketing way of saying frame gen 2.0, with the AI creating/rendering the extra frames, but I have no doubt that this may be the first step in that direction he talked about.

He should have just kept his mouth shut. Now they are going to make extra lewd mods to troll him.

Károly Zsolnai-Fehér has a bit..specific...way of presenting things, but this should be good watch:

I don't think we're anywhere near that yet at consumer level, but it's going in that direction.

As for that Neural thingy in 5000 series, I'm assuming it's akin to Neural Engine in Apple's SoCs, mostly for image processing.

^ On a somewhat related note, AI video generation takes its next level up, this time via Google:

Once they make models that include convincing audio this could really make waves - at least in less professional spaces like YouTube.

It's impressive (and scary!) how fast is AI improving.

The news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam has one new deal: 部落与弯刀 Sands of Salzaar is going to be 60% off until the 31st of December: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1094520/_Sands_of_Salzaar/.

And at Fanatical, yesterday’s Star Deal has been extended for another 24 hours. You know where to find it.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

The Nvidia App is damaging frame rates in some games, on some PCs, with Nvidia staffers recommending you nix the Game Filters overlay as a potential solution to the problem
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/the-nvidia-app-is-damaging-frame-rates-in-some-games-on-some-pcs-with-nvidia-staffers-recommending-you-nix-the-game-filters-overlay-as-a-potential-solution-to-the-problem/
Recent reports have surfaced suggesting the new Nvidia App, fresh out of beta, is harming the gaming performance of some PCs. We've conducted some of our own testing, with up to a 12% frame rate hit on one PC, and no performance issues on another. But if you do find yourself with an issue, there at least looks to be a temporary fix that doesn't mean you have to uninstall the application altogether.
(...)
As pointed out by one Nvidia staff member (via VideoCardz) in the GeForce forums, the lead theory is that this issue is related to the 'Game Filters and Photo Mode' and turning that overlay off specifically will help performance.
>> Hardware Unboxed made a video about it confirming the results.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Super Mario 64 Just Got a Hard Mode With Lots of Gore & Blood
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/super-mario-64-just-got-a-hard-mode-with-gore-blood/
Now here is something cool for all Super Mario 64 fans. Modder ‘TheIncredibleHolc’ has released a mod for Super Mario 64 that adds to it a new Hard Mode, with lots of gore and blood.
This mod started as a port of Kaze’s Unfair Mario 64. However, it quickly evolved into a new romhack for the classic Super Mario game.
So, Super Mario 64 Gore/Hard Mode features 120 completely obtainable stars. It also has 20 collectable challenge trophies with a special prize if you unlock them all.
The mod changes the game’s player behavior. So, get ready for splats, crunches, chomps, and lots of new ways to die. All the original enemies now act in new and tougher ways. Some levels are also harder than before. Plus, you can discover new secret boss fights that weren’t in the original game.
Alongside the standard Hard Mode, there is also the “I Wanna Be The Guy Mode” Mode. This mode plays identical to the mod, but you start at zero stars. On death, all progress (Stars, keys, flags) will all be reset back to 0.
Finally, you will find some togglable options in the Mod Menu. Right now, the mod offers the following ones. Romhack Compatibility, Enable Hell on Game-over, Enable PVP deaths, Enable IWBTG Mode, and Enable Dizzyness.
>> The article has a long video, close to an hour.

Unreal Tournament 3 Just Got an AI-Upscaled 4K Texture Pack
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/unreal-tournament-3-just-got-an-ai-upscaled-4k-texture-pack/
Modder ‘ParallaxTiger’ has released an AI-upscaled 4K Texture Pack for Unreal Tournament 3. This pack is around 7GB in size, and will enhance almost all of the game’s textures. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
The mod pack improves many parts of the game. It updates items, power-ups, environments, skies, decals, particle effects, weapons, and character portraits. It also enhances the screens for selecting maps and game types. Most characters have better textures now. For example, players will see improved textures on first-person arms and hands for all races. Character gore, skeletons (human and Krall), and Corrupt shrapnel also look better.
>> The article has some screenshots.

This Red Dead Redemption 2 Mod Adds Next-Gen Fur to Animals
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/this-red-dead-redemption-2-mod-adds-next-gen-fur-to-animals/
Modder ‘Tahitian Mango’ has released a new mod that brings next-gen fur to all animals in Red Dead Redemption 2. This mod will significantly enhance all the animals that have fur. However, it’s meant mostly for those who own high-end GPUs.
Going into more details, this mod improves the fur on all fur-bearing animals and puts an end to the jitter. It also restores the fluffy donkey.
To achieve this next-gen fur, the modder has increased the fur’s level of detail with more strands and more height layers. The main version has 3X strands and X10 height layers. On the other hand, the lite version 2X strands and X5 height layers.
Now the reason I say this mod is mostly for those with high-end GPUs is because it comes with a big performance hit. The mod will lower your performance by 10-15FPS. However, during bear attacks, the performance hit may be even higher than that.
As said, there is also a lite version that you can try. Its image quality, though, is not up to what the main version achieves. The good news here is that the lite version looks better than the vanilla fur. However, the main version – which looks arguably better – requires a high-end graphics card.
>> In the article you’ll find both screenshots and a video.

GAMING NEWS

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Patch 2 Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle-patch-2-released-detailed/
MachineGames has released the second update for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new patch brings to the table.

EXODUS is a new Mass Effect game from ex-Bioware devs
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/exodus-is-a-new-mass-effect-game-from-ex-bioware-devs/
As promised, Archetype Entertainment released the first gameplay trailer for EXODUS. And, as you will see, this looks and feels like a new Mass Effect game. So, make sure to watch the trailer if you are a fan of ME.

Path of Exile 2 Title Update 0.1.0e Released, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/path-of-exile-2-title-update-0-1-0e-released-full-patch-notes/
Grinding Gear Games has released Title Update 0.1.0e for Path of Exile 2, and shared its full patch notes. This new update is around 411MB in size on PC, and packs over 130 fixes, tweaks and changes. So, let’s take a closer look at them.

Lost Soul Aside is officially coming to PC in 2025
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/lost-soul-aside-is-officially-coming-to-pc-in-2025/
Sony and UltiZeroGames have announced that their upcoming action RPG, Lost Soul Aside, will be officially coming to PC in 2025. To celebrate this announcement, the teams shared a new gameplay trailer that you can find below.

Part two of the news:

Final Fantasy 14's battle design lead says it would 'be a dream come true' to do a League of Legends crossover
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/final-fantasy-14s-battle-design-lead-says-it-would-be-a-dream-come-true-to-do-a-league-of-legends-crossover/
Final Fantasy 14 is no stranger to crossovers. It's gone all multiverse with Dragon Quest, Yo-kai Watch, GARO, Monster Hunter, Fall Guys, and (naturally) other Final Fantasy games. I think my favourite of the lot are the Nier: Automata raids from Shadowbringers, if only because there's a scene where a swarm of androids dive-bomb some dwarves, and it gave me harsh enough mental whiplash to be enjoyable, like a spicy hot wing with some kick.
Well, it turns out there's more crossovers on the wishlist once Dawntrail's done with, according to an interview with lead battle designer Masaki Nakagawa. Speaking to our friends over at GamesRadar, Nakagawa confessed his enduring love for League of Legends, which he's played a whole bunch:

In survival game Rust, Santa Claus doesn't care if you've been good or bad or really, really bad, he still has gifts for you
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/in-survival-game-rust-santa-claus-doesnt-care-if-youve-been-good-or-bad-or-really-really-bad-he-still-has-gifts-for-you/
It's almost Christmas, which means Santa is coming to distribute presents to all the good little children—and, somewhat weirdly, put coal in the stockings of kids who have been "bad." Look, Santa is an immortal Elflord, it is not for us to understand his motives.
But there's one place even naughty kids are rewarded by Santa: survival shooter Rust. Rust's Christmas event is now live, and that means festive hats, loads of presents, the return of the "lickable candy cane club," and stockings you can hang in your base. And even if you're a real jerk who kills half-naked unarmed newbies, Santa will still give you presents.

With equal parts confusion and shame, I regret to inform you that Skibidi Toilet is coming to Fortnite
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/with-equal-parts-confusion-and-shame-i-regret-to-inform-you-that-skibidi-toilet-is-coming-to-fortnite/
I had made it this far in my life without knowing what "Skibidi Toilet" is, and I did my damnedest to keep it that way. But as of today my streak is flushed, because it seems that Epic Games is putting Skibidi Toilet in Fortnite.

Be happy, Black Myth: Wukong fans, because it is literally impossible for Astro Bot to win Game of the Year in the 2024 Steam Game Awards
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/be-happy-black-myth-wukong-fans-because-it-is-literally-impossible-for-astro-bot-to-win-game-of-the-year-in-the-2024-steam-game-awards/
The 2024 Steam Winter Sale starts in just a couple days, meaning it will soon be time to brace your bank accounts against the onslaught of big seasonal deals. The start of the Winter Sale also signals the opening of voting for the Steam Awards, the annual celebration of the most popular games on Steam, and while you can't actually cast your ballots yet, you can at least start thinking about where you want to aim them.
This year's nominees are led by Balatro, Black Myth: Wukong, Stalker 2, and Helldivers 2, each of which are in the running in three categories each. Satisfactory and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 are up for a couple categories each, and yes, Baldur's Gate 3 is in the mix too. We all might as well just get used to that.

The Sims designer Will Wright is making his next life sim more personal by building it with your actual memories: 'No game designer has ever gone wrong by overestimating the narcissism of their players'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/the-sims-designer-will-wright-is-making-his-next-life-sim-more-personal-by-building-it-with-your-actual-memories-no-game-designer-has-ever-gone-wrong-by-overestimating-the-narcissism-of-their-players/
Will Wright, the designer of The Sims and co-founder of Maxis, appeared on Twitch today to talk about his next game, Proxi, which is "an AI life sim built from your memories" according to this teaser trailer released last month. During the stream on BreakthroughT1D's channel, a gaming and streaming initiative that raises money for type 1 diabetes research, Wright revealed more about Proxi as well as discussing the development of The Sims series.
>> The game should let you arrange dinner with Napoleon, or 'a cage match between Cleopatra and my grandma'.

After being honored at The Game Awards for helping laid-off devs, Amir Satvat says he's received 'countless' hateful messages: 'This can happen to you too when you sacrifice over 2,000 hours of your time to help the industry'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/amir-satvat-game-awards-comments/
Amir Satvat, the recipient of the first "Game Changers" award at this year's Game Awards, says he's received "countless hateful messages" as well as "disturbing comments" following his acceptance of the award last week, including antisemetic remarks about his wife.
>> People is the worst.

Fallout's Tim Cain spent 6 years working on defunct MMO WildStar, twice as long as any other game, and thinks that might have something to do with why it failed
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/fallouts-tim-cain-spent-6-years-working-on-defunct-mmo-wildstar-twice-as-long-as-any-other-game-and-thinks-that-might-have-something-to-do-with-why-it-failed/
Of all the MMOs that fell by the wayside, pushed into the dirt by the relentless popularity of World of Warcraft, Carbine's WildStar stings the most. A fast-paced sci-fi romp exploding with colour and character, and a setting brimming with potential, its development team boasted not only WoW vets, but legendary RPG designer Tim Cain.

Diablo 1 and 2 devs secure $4.5 million for a new ARPG: 'We're going back to what made those early Diablo games feel so awesome but taking them in some cool, fresh directions'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/moon-beast-productions-arpg-seed-funding-diablo-cool-fresh/
In the aftermath of Diablo 4, its Vessel of Hatred expansion, and the early access launch of Path of Exile 2, it's an exciting time for ARPGs and any accompanying loot explosions. Moon Beast Productions, a development studio formed in 2021 by ARPG veterans who worked on Diablo 1 and 2, is hoping to add its own entry to the nascent ARPG boom, and it's secured $4.5 million in seed funding to do it.

Civilization 7 will let you hand the keys to the nukes to Benjamin Franklin and Harriet Tubman, and guess what? America's just showed up
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/civilization-7-will-let-you-hand-the-keys-to-the-nukes-to-benjamin-franklin-and-harriet-tubman-and-guess-what-americas-just-showed-up/
Civilization 7 will finally let me fulfil a boyhood dream: deploying nuclear weapons against Benjamin Franklin. Firaxis has unveiled two more leaders you'll be able to play as in its upcoming history sim, guiding their nations across the millennia like some kind of dread, undying volksgeist.

You can now leap across levels as a Rat Ogre in Warhammer: Vermintide 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/you-can-now-leap-across-levels-as-a-rat-ogre-in-warhammer-vermintide-2/
It's kind of amazing how Vermintide 2, Fatshark's medieval-fantasy pest control sim from 2018, continues to be neck-and-neck in popularity with its far more recent 40k successor Darktide. A big part of that is that there just seems to be a lot more scope within its design for super-fun updates. 
Case in point: you can now play as a Rat Ogre in the game.

Call of Duty devs admit Ricochet anticheat 'did not hit the mark for integration' at the start of Season 1, and want to do better
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/call-of-duty-devs-admit-ricochet-anticheat-did-not-hit-the-mark-for-integration-at-the-start-of-season-1-and-want-to-do-better/
Call of Duty's Ricochet anticheat has been a bit of a pain for players for longer than just Black Ops 6's release, but after recently coming under fire for not doing enough in the face of cheaters and shadow bans Activision confirms it wants to do better.
"After a series of updates, our systems are in a better place today across all modes," Activision says in a blog post. "However, we did not hit the mark for the integration of Ricochet anticheat at the launch of Season 01—particularly for Ranked Play.
"We understand the promise of glory and notoriety from Ranked Play leaderboards makes Ranked Play an attractive target for cheaters. For this reason, our teams have been especially focused on turning the tide to deliver the competitive arena our players seek."

Intel finally notches a GPU win, confirms Arc B580 is selling out after stellar reviews

https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/17/24323888/intel-arc-b580-sold-out-availability

Intel Arc B570 Battlemage review samples arrive one month ahead of launch

https://videocardz.com/pixel/intel-arc-b570-battlemage-review-samples-arrive-one-month-ahead-of-launch

PS5 Pro Lead Architect Mark Cerny Unveils ‘Codename Amethyst’ ML Collaboration with AMD

https://wccftech.com/ps5-pro-lead-architect-mark-cerny-unveils-codename-amethyst-ml-collaboration-with-amd/

NVIDIA Unveils Budget-Friendly “Jetson Orin Nano Super” Developer Kit, Targeting Commercial AI Development

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-unveils-budget-friendly-jetson-orin-nano-super-developer-kit/

Intel announces Core 200H “Raptor Lake Refresh” mobile SKUs

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-announces-core-200h-raptor-lake-refresh-mobile-skus

AMD Ryzen 5 9600 non-X SKU reportedly launches late January

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ryzen-5-9600-non-x-sku-reportedly-launches-late-january

With how poorly received were the Zen5 X parts, I can see why AMD took so long to launch the first non-X one. Maybe they'll even try to bury it between other releases, like the X3D chips for the 9900 and 9950 parts so people don't pay too much attention to its reviews.

And given the success of the B580, it wouldn't be the worst idea for Intel to try to launch the B570 earlier than announced, to keep the momentum going. After all, those buying these cards now won't be buying AMD or Nvidia anytime soon.