Technically you can run Lossless Scaling for 12 times more frames together with MFG now. I am sure it will look fine 🫠

5070 with 4090 performance... with how many asterisks attached?

I mean, Jensen immediately stresses afterwards multiple times that it's impossible without AI... so probably 4090 native FPS = 5070 + DLSS upscaling + Multi Frame Generation. in RT-heavy scenarios - until the 12GB VRAM buffer runs out in a couple months or so.

As for AMD, I can understand why they didn't reveal the prices (had to wait for NVidia to make their move first in that regard so they can adapt to it), but come on, some more information would have been greatly appreciated! At least their CPUs and new APUs seem quite good...

I wonder how common it will be for games to support that feature.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth for example.

Looking at Nvidia's presentation I'm impressed that both single and multi-frame gen now essentially add no extra latency to the experience. Maybe Reflex 2 has something to do with it?

More exciting to me though are the memory and performance improvements of AI compression along with the improvements coming to hair, skin, and faces:

It sounds like you'll be able to natively deepfake faces past the uncanny valley like they recently started doing in Hollywood vfx.

Guessing its really easy to implement. There's already 75 titles that'll support DLSS 4 from launch.

Thats one of the things I'm most excited for. Reminds me of this from a couple years ago. Massive for competitive games. And will make playing with things like FG much more of a better experience. Thankfully its available on all RTX cards.

Neural textures are really nice as are the RTX skin and hair shaders. The deepfake faces with Ai onoh looks terrible (for now).

For those who want a better look at specs and how each card should stack up

I personally don't mind Nvidia marketing based on results rather than rasterized work-loads. Going forward we're going to see more and more NeRF assisted graphics. I wouldn't be surprised if by the end of this decade rasterization will become a very small part of game graphics. 

The first news of the week:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100)

PC Gamer's Best City Builder of 2024 has sold over 2.5 million, but here's the big news: Now it has bridges
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/manor-lords-has-sold-over-2-5-million-copies-and-the-publisher-says-it-would-almost-be-arrogant-not-to-be-taken-aback-by-the-success/
Publisher Hooded Horse has announced that Manor Lords has sold over 2.5 million copies, which makes PC Gamer's best city builder of 2024 an undeniable smash hit. Speaking in a recent interview with the BBC, Hooded Horse co-founder Snow Rui says that, even though the publisher realised there was interest in the game's pre-release trailers and marketing, the sheer scale of the game's popularity was a surprise: "It would almost be arrogant not to be taken aback by how successful it turned out to be."
Rui reckons that Manor Lords' success is down to the twists it brings to the genre, and in particular that it allows players to wander around their own creations. When it became clear the game was selling extremely well, says Rui, the best piece of advice the publisher got was "don't roll too fast" and expand in the expectation that the good times will last forever.
(...)
Getting back to Manor Lords, the game's latest update is in beta (you can access it from your Steam library by selecting the beta in "properties" and using password "veryNiceBasket") and essentially streamlines some of the economic busywork. Players can now overstock and upgrade buildings like the tavern, while fuel and fabric stores have been removed and replaced with an all-in-one general goods stall, and workers will now automatically recover leftover stock from abandoned stalls and use it in new ones.

That Banana clicker game is somehow still one of Steam's most-played games, with 100K+ concurrents seeing it consistently outranking the likes of Call of Duty and Helldivers 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/that-banana-clicker-game-is-somehow-still-one-of-steams-most-played-games-with-100k-concurrents-seeing-it-consistently-outranking-the-likes-of-call-of-duty-and-helldivers-2/
Last year we reported on a phenomenon that, frankly, left PC Gamer's editorial team a little baffled. We were in one of our morning meetings when someone shared Banana, a free-to-play game available on Steam where you click on an image of a banana, but what was mind-blowing were the player counts. This was in May 2024 and, at the time, tens of thousands of players were just… clicking away on bananas.
The intrepid Harvey Randall looked into Banana's success, and discovered an entire genre which he dubbed "Egglikes" after the ur-culprit turned out to be the game that inspired banana: Egg. Again, you click an egg.
As you may have gathered, the "game" here is really the trappings outside of the game itself. Egglikes are all about the Steam marketplace and generating items that can be sold, mostly for pennies, with Banana serving up a banana item roughly every three hours and a "rare drop pool" that drops once every 18 hours. There are even special event bananas.
So there's one explanation for why the concurrents were getting so massive. Banana is a game that you don't really need to play but, if you're into it, you probably have it idling on your PC at least once a day in order to get your bananas.
What's amazing is that Banana only seems to have gathered momentum since those early days. The game is now the 13th most-played game on Steam, with over 100,000 people currently in-game, a ranking that puts it just below Apex Legends but above titles like Warframe, Call of Duty, Helldivers 2, Baldur's Gate 3, Rainbow Six: Siege, and EA Sports FC.

GOG presents the Indie Games Promo, featuring over 600 games with up to 95% discounts during 10 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20250107_indie_promo.

Steam brings the following deals:

• There’s a daily deal, with Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash being 30% off during another 26 hours: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2313020/Umamusume_Pretty_Derby__Party_Dash/
• Artisan TD has a 25% discount until the 9th of January: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2224640/Artisan_TD/
• DEEEER Simulator: Your Average Everyday Deer Game is going to be 60% off until the 20th of January: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1018800/DEEEER_Simulator_Your_Average_Everyday_Deer_Game/
• Yuppie Psycho: Executive Edition also gets a 60% discount until the 20th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/597760/Yuppie_Psycho_Executive_Edition/
• And, of course, there’s a new range of weeklong deals

Humble Bundle has the Speedrunning with Awesome Games Done Quick Bundle, with 7 games to get during 10 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/speedrunning-with-awesome-gdq.

And Fanatical has a few deals as well:

• The Star Deal is Dead Island 2, 48% off. It started yesterday and will last another 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dead-island-2
• Bethesda has its games on sale during 5 moredays: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/bethesda-softworks
• Team17 also has its games ons ale, for 6 more days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/team17-digital-ltd
• Deep Silver has its games ons ale too, but during another 12 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/deep-silver

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Modders recreated the whole Zelda: Breath of the Wild in Minecraft
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/modders-recreated-the-entirety-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-in-minecraft/
Now here is something special for all our Zelda and Minecraft fans. A team of modders has recreated the entirety of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in Minecraft. And it looks retro-glorious.
This project took Grazzy 3 years to create. And yes, as the title implies, the entirety of Breath of the Wild is featured in this map. As such, you can explore its world map.
Grazzy has also released some other cool maps for Minecraft that I highly recommend checking out. For instance, there is a map based on Attack on Titan’s final episode. You can also download a map, featuring the entirety of Skyloft from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Plus, there is Mario Kart 8 mod that has four tracks from it.
>> There’s a well over 1 hour long video of this project.

Need for Speed: Underground 2 Unreal Engine 5 Remake Demo Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/need-for-speed-underground-2-unreal-engine-5-remake-demo-released/
NFS fans, here is something for you today. YouTube’s ‘2Unreal5Underground’ has released a demo for an upcoming fan remake of Need for Speed: Underground 2 in Unreal Engine 5.
NostalgiaNexus has also released a video for a fan remake of NFS: Most Wanted in UE5. Contrary to the NFSU 2 remake, though, we don’t have a playable demo for it yet. Still, we might get one in the future. And if we do, we’ll make sure to share it.
Since this is a fan remake, created mainly by one guy, I suggest tempering your expectations. This will NOT look as good as a next-gen NFS game in Unreal Engine 5.
So, with that in mind, this fan remake is pretty amazing. The remake has nailed the driving mechanics and the camera movement. The car slides the way it should, and that’s a big plus in my opinion. Plus, the remake has the original car sounds (again, this is a great thing IMO).
>> The article has a slightly over 20 minutes video of the project.

Duke Nukem 3D Legacy Edition is a must for all die-hard FPS fans
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/duke-nukem-3d-legacy-edition-is-a-must-for-all-die-hard-fps-fans/
Duke Nukem 3D fans, here is something for you today. Earlier this week, modder ‘marcolino123’ released the Forever Update for the Duke Nukem 3D Legacy Edition Mod. So, let’s take a look at it, shall we?
For those unaware, Duke Nukem 3D Legacy Edition is a gameplay mod for the classic FPS shooter. The mod brings some balance changes, remixes a number of things, and makes the game harder. As such, it’s mostly for those die-hard DN3D fans who want a new challenge.
The Forever Update introduces the JETPACK DASH. By pressing SHIFT + any direction, players can dash. Double dashes are also available but require a cooldown.
Moreover, all bosses now have double HP and unique pain states that can be triggered in different ways. Plus, the update brings new hit sounds, sparks for armored enemies, and an optimized gore system. It also has tons of bug fixes to enhance the overall experience.
Before closing, the Forever Update also adds two new modes for the Shrinker and the Expander. The new mode for the Shrinker allows you to instantly shrink and destroy enemies without stomping. On the other hand, the alt-fire mode for the Expander consumes more ammo and does less damage but is perfect for weaker enemies in a pinch.
>> You’ll find a less than 3 minutes trailer in the article.

Modders have brought GTA 4’s Liberty City to GTA 5
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/modders-have-brought-gta-4s-liberty-city-to-gta-5/
Now here is something cool. A team of modders has ported Liberty City from Grand Theft Auto 4 to GTA 5. As such, you will be able to re-experience and explore this iconic GTA city with better graphics.
This mod is called Liberty City Preservation Project. LCPP is compatible with both GTA5’s official single-player campaign and with FiveM.
As said, the mod brings the entirety of Liberty City to GTA V. This includes the map, vehicles, pedestrians, interiors, ambiance, radio stations, and more. So, it’s not just a custom map for GTA 5. Instead, it feels more like an expansion.
What’s really cool here is that in single-player, the mod seamlessly integrates Liberty City with the vanilla game. On the other hand, in FiveM, it replaces Los Santos due to platform limitations.
>> The article has two videos and, given how Take Two and Rockstar have dealt with mods before, you better get it fast.

Sonic Galactic is a new amazing free 2D classic Sonic 32-bit game
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/sonic-galactic-is-a-new-amazing-free-2d-classic-sonic-32-bit-game/
Sonic fans, here is something for you today. Starteam has released a demo for Sonic Galactic, a new amazing 2D classic Sonic game that will be released for free on PC.
According to the team, Sonic Galactic is an interpretation of what a 2D-sidescrolling entry in the Sonic series could have looked like on 32-bit consoles. The game sports clean, hand-pixeled backgrounds and fluid animation. Plus, it aims for an aesthetic that pays tribute to the best of the era.
This new Sonic game has new zones, new concepts, new characters, a new setting, and more. The devs claim that they aim to put their own unique spin on the classic 2D Sonic formula. Moreover, this fan game will continue both the storyline and gameplay set forth from the classic Genesis/Mega Drive games.
>> Besides a link to a demo, the article also has an over 2 minutes video.

Marvel Rivals has some truly cursed mods, but that's what happens when you mix weirdly detailed character models with the internet
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/marvel-rivals-has-some-truly-cursed-mods-but-thats-what-happens-when-you-mix-weirdly-detailed-character-models-with-the-internet/
There's nothing more terrifying than getting jumped in the backline by an Iron Fist wearing the distorted skin of the adorable Jeff the Shark; I know this because it's happened to me on more than one occasion.
This horrifying apparition isn't a figure of my imagination but a mod that replaces Iron Fist with Jeff, which will apparently let you "awaken the real shark" or whatever that means. Players have been using this mod to scare the living daylights out of anyone who picks Jeff because this little shark is everyone's favourite strategist to hate—mainly thanks to his destructive ultimate that can throw everyone off the map for an insta-kill.
Other than being unnerving to look at and a new way to disturb the enemy team strategists this mod doesn't give Iron Fist any special perks but is purely cosmetic, like most of the other mods circling Marvel Rivals right now.
There are mods to give Spider-Man a symbiote skin, recolour Moon Knight's base skin to black, turn Mantis into a "Goth Mommy," and completely transform Iron Man into Vegeta. Some modders have taken things one step further and created some truly questionable things that I will not be linking here for both for my sanity and yours, but let's just say that these creations are far from surprising.
(...)
While most of these mods are just cosmetic, using mods or any unauthorised third-party software like cheats, bots, or hacks is directly against NetEase's terms of service and can lead to your account being banned if you're caught with them. But this kind of risk tends to be the case when it comes to modding most games. Although, as most of these mods seem to be changing characters' skins, it'll be interesting to see if NetEase takes a firm stance against this, as Marvel Rivals makes its money through selling cosmetics in-game, as is the case with most free-to-play games.
>> The article has no media.

Nexus Mods removes Marvel Rivals mods that replace Captain America with Trump and Biden: 'We don't want to handle all the nutjobs that come out the woodwork whenever these mods get posted'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/nexus-mods-removes-marvel-rivals-mods-that-replace-captain-america-with-trump-and-biden-we-dont-want-to-handle-all-the-nutjobs-that-come-out-the-woodwork-whenever-these-mods-get-posted/
A busy mod community quickly sprung up around popular multiplayer shooter Marvel Rivals—there are over 500 mods already and it's only been out for a month—but with mods, as always, comes drama. The current squall kicked up around the Nexus Mods' removal of a couple of mods for Marvel Rivals: one which replaces Captain America's head with Donald Trump's, and another that replaces it with the head of US President Joe Biden.
On Reddit, Nexus Mods owner TheDarkOne explained the reasoning behind removing the two political mods in a refreshingly blunt manner, pointing out that players and onlookers furious about the Trump mod being removed seem to not have noticed that the Biden mod was removed right along with it.
"We also removed the exact same mod with Joe Biden's head at the same time (on the 2nd of January) to ensure there was no bias and because we don't want to handle all the nutjobs that come out the woodwork whenever these mods get posted," TheDarkOne said in a now-locked Nexus Mods subreddit thread. "Funny how the outrage-bait YouTubers don't mention that, isn't it?"

If you want Fallout: New Vegas to look a little more lived-in, these mods have you covered
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/if-you-want-fallout-new-vegas-to-look-a-little-more-lived-in-these-mods-have-you-covered/
Fallout: New Vegas was famously released in a bit of a state. While subsequent patches dealt with the worst of the quest-breaking bugs and stability issues, there was another problem with the Nevada Wasteland. A lot of it looked suspiciously empty, and not in a post-apocalyptic way. More of a "we didn't have time to finish the clutter pass" kind of way.
A series of recent mods from Qolore7 have been addressing that by adding furniture, garden planters, water towers, outhouses, cooking fires, posters, and rugs that really tie the room together to various locations. So far Qolore7 is responsible for four mods in the series: Lived-In Goodsprings, Lived-In Primm, Lived-In Sloan, and Lived-In Mojave Outpost. That's enough to be getting on with, although maybe we'll see a Novac version in the future?
The goal of these mods is to add "subtle and realistic clutter" without a performance hit or a bunch of compatibility issues with existing mods. I can see them joining my fairly barebones New Vegas modlist alongside Unlimited Followers Everywhere, Convenient Fast Travel Markers, and Just Vanilla Sprint.
>> Again, there’s no media.

Finally someone turned Doom into an enriching cultural experience for art snobs
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/finally-someone-turned-doom-into-an-enriching-cultural-experience-for-art-snobs/
Doomguy has been everywhere. He's been to Mars, he's been to Hell, he's been to Thatcher's England. But what's he do between monster-murder sprees? He pops down to a museum opening to better himself.
In Doom: The Gallery Experience, you walk around a rejigged E1M1 with a cheeky glass of red in hand looking at Piero Di Cosimo's Return from the Hunt and a vase from the fourteenth century. There's not an imp in sight, unless you count the baby Jesus in Francesco Francia's Madonna and Child, who has always looked a bit sus if you ask me.
You walk through various cultural exhibits, with Doomguy's eyes looking left and right from behind glasses that, in my favorite touch, have been added to his face in the UI. The pickups include wine bottles, hors d'oeuvres that refill your cheese meter, and cash. You'll need the money, because of course you have to exit via the gift shop.
Examining each work of art brings up a link to The Metropolitan Museum of Art page for that piece, where you can learn a little about them. While it's intended as parody, Doom: The Gallery Experience is actually a better educational game than most of the ones I played in school.
>> There’s only one screenshot, and the mod is available through itch.io.

Hero modders take a break from their 25-year quest to make the rest of Morrowind to make the Oblivion we should have got instead
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-elder-scrolls/hero-modders-take-a-break-from-their-25-year-quest-to-make-the-rest-of-morrowind-to-make-the-oblivion-we-should-have-got-instead/
As loyal PC Gamer readers will know, Tamriel Rebuilt is the noble Morrowind modding effort to create every region of the game that Bethesda didn't make itself. Even after nearly a quarter-century, there's still plenty of the province to get to, and the project's current "optimistic" estimated time of full completion is 2035.
You might think, then, that its team would be laser-focused on that and nothing else. You think this because you lack their heroic and Promethean spirit. Instead, a contingent of the Tamriel Rebuilt devs—plus a few pals—has just put out the first expansion in their other project: an effort to make Cyrodiil (the setting for Oblivion) in Morrowind's rickety 2002 confines that adheres to the vision of the province presented in that game, which Oblivion decidedly did not.
Project Cyrodiil: Abecean Shoes released on December 22, bringing the western shores of the Imperial province to a Morrowind install near you. That's Anvil turf, "the largest and richest of the Colovian realms," and players who install the expansion will find "scores of memorable characters, handcrafted interiors, and intricate quests" in the territory's many "plazas, alleys, temples, and wharfs." The expansion features over 160 quests in an area "half the size" of base Morrowind. Which is ludicrous, frankly.
>> There’s a close to three minutes video.

GAMING NEWS

After 12 years, Arma 3 finally gets CPU multi-threading support
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/after-12-years-arma-3-finally-gets-cpu-multi-threading-support/
Arma 3 came out in 2013 and as I wrote in my PC Performance Analysis back then, it suffered from major CPU issues. A lot of Arma fans attacked me for stating the obvious; the game was single-threaded and that had a major negative effect on its performance. And, here we are 12 years later with a new beta version that finally has proper CPU multi-thread support.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer hits Steam Early Access on January 23rd, gets PC requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/tokyo-xtreme-racer-hits-steam-early-access-on-january-23rd-gets-pc-requirements/
Genki has announced that Tokyo Xtreme Racer will hit Steam Early Access on January 23rd. Moreover, the team has shared the game’s official PC system requirements, as well as a gameplay video for it.

NVIDIA shares first gameplay video for Virtua Fighter 6
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/nvidia-shares-first-gameplay-video-for-virtua-fighter-6/
At CES 2025, NVIDIA shared the first gameplay video for Virtua Fighter 6. And yes, this video confirms the leaked image of this new fighting game that circulated on the Internet a while ago. That image was legit.
Sadly, we don’t have a direct-feed video as of yet. And, to be honest, I don’t know whether – and if – NVIDIA will release one. As such, I’ve timestamped NVIDIA’s keynote. So, you will immediately get the chance to see it below.

Doom: The Dark Ages confirmed to have Full Ray Tracing/Path Tracing on PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/doom-the-dark-ages-confirmed-to-have-full-ray-tracing-path-tracing-on-pc/
NVIDIA has confirmed that Doom: The Dark Ages will support Full Ray Tracing/Path Tracing on PC. Moreover, this new shooter will support DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation and Ray Reconstruction. Thus, NVIDIA owners will get to enjoy this game in the best possible way.

Tuesday news, the second part:

AGDQ 2025 kicks off this weekend, featuring an Elden Ring saxophone boss rush, an 'All Romances' run of Fallout: New Vegas, and some of the worst games ever made
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/agdq-2025-kicks-off-this-weekend-featuring-an-elden-ring-saxophone-boss-rush-an-all-romances-run-of-fallout-new-vegas-and-some-of-the-worst-games-ever-made/
Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ), a yearly speedrunning event raising money for the Prevent Cancer foundation, is ringing in the new year January 5. In case you're unfamiliar, AGDQ is a yearly charity event that sees speedrunners chewing through a buffet of games, streamed live to an eager audience.

Ex-Bioshock lead Ken Levine says the problem with AAA games is how risk-averse they've become: 'If you don't innovate, especially in games, you start losing people'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/ex-bioshock-lead-ken-levine-says-the-problem-with-aaa-games-is-how-risk-averse-theyve-become-if-you-dont-innovate-especially-in-games-you-start-losing-people/
Ken Levine, creator of the Bioshock series, has had a bit of a long road to walk in order to release his studio's upcoming game, Judas. It's been in development for at least eight years, after Take-Two shut down Irrational Games in 2017 and booted up Ghost Story Games thereafter. We didn't hear much about it until 2022, where it was slated to be "coming soon". Turns out, "coming soon" meant three years, with Judas slated to release March 2025.
While reflecting on the time he's been given to complete the game, and speaking to Gamesindustry.biz, Levine was also asked whether he figures more conventional development cycles are too much of a pressure cooker for most developers.

BioShock maestro Ken Levine says Judas will double down on reacting to player choices because it's the future of games: 'I've never been a big fan of cutscenes because they're not interactive'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/bioshock-maestro-ken-levine-says-judas-will-double-down-on-reacting-to-player-choices-because-its-the-future-of-games-ive-never-been-a-big-fan-of-cutscenes-because-theyre-not-interactive/
The idea that games should center "player choice" and react meaningfully to our decisions is repeated so often it's become a cliche, and BioShock creator Ken Levine has been a leading figure in that department—his games are all about moral decisions and meta-commentary on free will and game design. In a recent interview with Gamesindustry.biz about the state of the industry and his upcoming game, Judas, the director revived the topic, but he hasn't given us the stock 'your choices matter' marketing promise here, admitting that choice continues to be a "hard problem" to solve even after 50 years of videogames.

Marvel Rivals admits that it accidentally banned some players for trying to run the game in a different operating system, which isn't cheating
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/marvel-rivals-admits-that-it-accidentally-banned-some-players-for-trying-to-run-the-game-in-a-different-operating-system-which-isnt-cheating/
Marvel Rivals community manager announced this morning that it has accidentally flagged a whole load of innocent players as cheaters and, as a result, banned their accounts all because of a mix-up in operating systems.
"Recently, we've received feedback from players regarding an issue where some individuals playing in compatibility layer programs have been mistakenly flagged as cheaters, even without using any cheating software," the community manager, who goes by James, says in a post on the game's public Discord. "This has resulted in bans. We sincerely apologise for this situation and want to assure you that we do not and will not ban players who are playing fairly and without cheating."

Marvel Rivals season 1 starts on January 10 as Dracula and Doctor Doom team up to 'disrupt the moon’s orbit' and unleash an army of vampires on New York City
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/marvel-rivals-season-1-starts-on-january-10-as-dracula-and-doctor-doom-team-up-to-disrupt-the-moons-orbit-and-unleash-an-army-of-vampires-on-new-york-city/
The Fantastic Four will take their place in Marvel Rivals on January 10, to fight for truth, justice, and extreme stretches against the diabolical duo of Doctor Doom and Dracula.
Yes, I'm talking about that Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, who has a long-standing if relatively low-key history as a Marvel Comics villain. In season 1 of Marvel Rivals, he and Doctor Doom have teamed up to enact a nefarious scheme seemingly inspired by none other than Montgomery Burns: They've somehow messed with the moon's orbit, "plunging the city into eternal night" in which an army of vampiric creatures can roam freely and do... whatever it is they do. Probably nothing good.
>> They’ve also talked about the first balance patch.

Mister Fantastic will be Marvel Rivals' first duelist vanguard hybrid who can deflect Iron Man's ult and stun enemies into one another—in other words, he's busted
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/mister-fantastic-will-be-marvel-rivals-first-duelist-vanguard-hybrid-who-can-deflect-iron-mans-ult-and-stun-enemies-into-one-another-in-other-words-hes-busted/
Ahead of the Fantastic Four joining Marvel Rivals in Season 1, we've got a short sneak peek at what Mister Fantastic's kit is going to be like, and from the look of things, he's going to be a powerful duelist and a massive pain in the arse.

Helldivers 2 director decides to kick off 2025 by wading into a conversation about DEI: 'Make good games, don't make a contemporary political statement'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-director-decides-to-kick-off-2025-by-wading-into-a-conversation-about-dei-make-good-games-dont-make-a-contemporary-political-statement/
After sparking a fury by saying developers should "make good games, don't make a contemporary political statement," Helldivers 2 creative director Johan Pilestedt now says he was referring only to commentary made "outside the theme of the game."

Fallout co-creator Tim Cain says violence will be the default in AAA RPGs as long as we keep buying it: 'Companies don't make them because they feel like it. They make them because they sell'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/fallout-co-creator-tim-cain-says-violence-will-be-the-default-in-aaa-rpgs-as-long-as-we-keep-buying-it-companies-dont-make-them-because-they-feel-like-it-they-make-them-because-they-sell/
After thousands of hours spent in combat with orcs, androids, and enemy militants, I'll admit that it's gotten harder to find novelty in videogame violence. While Steam overflows with trucks, farms, and city builders for when I've grown battle-weary, violence overwhelmingly remains the basic mode of interaction, even in AAA RPGs that tout player freedom. No matter how fantastic a world big-budget RPGs might imagine, they rarely imagine one where it's not just a matter of time before the swords are pulled back out—and Fallout co-creator Tim Cain says that's not going to change as long as we all keep buying it.
>> He has also shown some pictures of the old days.

Civilization 7 senior historian prays it'll be a 'gateway drug' into textbooks: 'I teach undergraduates in my other life, and my God, man, they don't read'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/civilization-7s-lead-historian-prays-itll-be-a-gateway-drug-into-textbooks-i-teach-undergraduates-in-my-other-life-and-my-god-man-they-dont-read/
The Civilization games are full of historical information, but it's mixed together and cut with fantastical contrivances that make it fun to play—which is how I recently went toe-to-toe with Harriet Tubman as Han Dynasty emperor Niccolò Machiavelli when I played Civilization 7 for this month's PC Gamer cover feature. The games aren't history tutors, but Firaxis senior historian Dr. Andrew Johnson, who's also an associate professor at Stockholm University's Department of Social Anthropology, hopes the studio's passion for history inspires some of us to pick up a book. It's the whole reason he does the job.

Minecraft creator Notch says that he 'basically announced minecraft 2' with a Twitter poll and a commitment to making a spiritual successor
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/minecraft-creator-notch-says-that-he-basically-announced-minecraft-2-with-a-twitter-poll-and-a-commitment-to-making-a-spiritual-successor/
Original Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson has stated on Twitter that his next game will be a Minecraft spiritual successor and that he "basically announced minecraft 2." Notch had run a Twitter poll asking followers to weigh in on whether he should keep his in-development project's current direction, or put it on the shelf to make something more like Minecraft.

You’re not surprised by this third news post, are you?

Elden Ring: Nightreign players won't be able to troll each other with messages
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/elden-ring-nightreign-players-wont-be-able-to-troll-each-other-with-messages/
Elden Ring: Nightreign is going to be a very different Soulsborne game. Three-player co-op runs with no PvP, no summons, no invasions, and as Nightreign's director Junya Ishizaki told IGN Japan in a recent interview, no player messages.

Zach-like automation puzzle game ABI-DOS is available on Steam for free
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/zach-like-automation-puzzle-game-abi-dos-is-available-on-steam-for-free/
If you've played SpaceChem, Infinifactory, Opus Magnum, or any of the other engineering puzzles of Zachtronics you'll be familiar with the Zach-like subgenre—visual programming games where you build a system to turn input into output, every level a lesson in learning the tools, and then realizing there are multiple ways to achieve your goal with them.
While Zachtronics shut down a couple of years ago, other developers have picked up the ball and run with it. Last year this resulted in ABI-DOS, a game our Shaun Prescott recommended in his round-up of Steam games you didn't realize came out that week. It's a game about helping digital blocks get from A to B by laying down wires and instructions, a simple foundation it layers plenty of complications onto. The blocks you're shifting around represent code, and sometimes that code can be corrupted. There's also a meta-level where your work on this Assembly Based Interface Deus Operating System is being overseen by a sinister Admin. Spooky.
After launching with a price tag in November of 2024, the creator of ABI-DOS decided to give the game away for free instead. "This decision is not a reflection of the game’s quality—which I wholeheartedly believe is excellent—or its reception," they wrote on Steam, "which has been very positive. I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve created, and I’m thrilled that many players have called it a worthy successor to Zachtronics-style games.

Balatro developer bestows the 'very prestigious Golden Thunk award' on Animal Well, says it's so good it makes him 'feel like an imposter'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/balatro-developer-bestows-the-very-prestigious-golden-thunk-award-on-animal-well-says-its-so-good-it-makes-him-feel-like-an-imposter/
LocalThunk, the developer behind Balatro, decided to start off this new year by calling out all his 2024 highlights, with the biggest award of all going to Billy Basso for his wonderful pixel art metroidvania Animal Well.
"My very prestigious Golden Thunk award for Game of the Year 2024 goes to Animal Well," LocalThunk says in an X post. "Animal Well was an engrossing experience. Dripping with style secrets, and making me feel like an imposter in this industry as a dev, Billy Basso created a true masterpiece." Basso replied to this with an award of his own for LocalThunk: "Nicest Most Humble Dev of the Year." Everyone wins when you're nice.

Crytek went so overboard on the Crysis tech it created a whole blushing system, implemented nose shadows, and sent devs to photograph leaves in Haiti to get the translucency right: 'We went over bonkers on this one'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/crytek-went-so-overboard-on-the-crysis-tech-it-created-a-whole-blushing-system-implemented-nose-shadows-and-sent-devs-to-photograph-leaves-in-haiti-to-get-the-translucency-right-we-went-over-bonkers-on-this-one/
2007 shooter and part-time meme Crysis is the subject of an in-depth retrospective in the latest issue of PC Gamer magazine, in which Rick Lane sits down with Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli to go over the game's development. Coming off the back of Far Cry, the studio's ambition for what its next game would deliver in terms of physics and visuals was huge—to the extent that one of the minor tasks Crytek set itself was to build a new engine that could achieve a level of visual complexity that CryEngine 1 was never built for.

Former Starfield lead quest designer says we're seeing a 'resurgence of short games' because people are 'becoming fatigued' with 100-hour monsters
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/former-starfield-lead-quest-designer-says-were-seeing-a-resurgence-of-short-games-because-people-are-becoming-fatigued-with-100-hour-monsters/
Starfield lead quest designer Will Shen says "a growing section of the audience is becoming fatigued" with huge games that require dozens or hundreds of hours to properly play through, and—tongue in cheek—that he's sorry for the role he played in helping popularize that trend.

Less than 2 years after launch, 2K Games delivers a fatal piledriver to WWE 2K23, taking servers offline and removing it from Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/less-than-2-years-after-launch-2k-games-delivers-a-fatal-piledriver-to-wwe-2k23-taking-servers-offline-and-removing-it-from-steam/
Less than two years after its release, WWE 2K23 has been chokeslammed into oblivion: The game's servers have been closed, meaning all online functionality, including online matches and Community Creations, will no longer work.
2K Games telegraphed the move back in September 2024, announcing that WWE 2K23 "is getting its final takedown" on January 26. Sales of the game and its virtual currency were halted on November 1, 2024. The lone bright spot is that offline modes will remain playable for anyone who owns the game.

Dell chooses AMD over Intel in complete overhaul of business PCs

https://www.techzine.eu/news/devices/127587/dell-chooses-amd-over-intel-in-complete-overhaul-of-business-pcs/

Truly one of the biggest news for AMD that has gone under the radar from CES.

NVIDIA introduces GeForce RTX 50 for laptops, RTX 5090 gets 24GB GDDR7 memory

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-introduces-geforce-rtx-50-for-laptops-rtx-5090-gets-24gb-gddr7-memory

I like how the laptop 5090 is based on the desktop 5080 but laptop 5090 uses 3GB GDDR7 chips to make the 24GB of vram happen on 256bit bus while desktop 5080 uses 2GB chips and is still stuck with 16GB of vram.

But the biggest shame is 5070 laptop coming with 8GB of vram once again... A capacity that has been the same since 1070.

NVIDIA announces Project DIGITS, its $3000 desktop supercomputer with Blackwell GPU

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-announces-project-digits-its-3000-desktop-supercomputer-with-blackwell-gpu

ASUS announces GeForce RTX 5070Ti/5090 ROG XG Mobile eGPU with Thunderbolt 5

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-announces-geforce-rtx-5070ti-5090-rog-xg-mobile-egpu-with-thunderbolt-5

Dell kills the XPS brand

https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/6/24325799/dell-pro-max-premium-plus-ces-laptop-pc-rebrand-announcement

Idk what is with companies killing their brand names but this is an awful decision as the XPS line imo was scene as the Macbooks of PCs so to speak. They aren't always perfect but the design of the XPS line has always showed what premium ultrabooks should stride to achieve. Their new naming scheme of "Dell, Dell Pro, Dell Max" is dumb af.

Enabling Neural Rendering in DirectX: Cooperative Vector Support Coming Soon

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/directx/enabling-neural-rendering-in-directx-cooperative-vector-support-coming-soon/

Lenovo Legion Go powered by Steam OS releasing in May 2025

https://www.microcenter.com/site/mc-news/article/lenovo-legion-gaming-ces-2025.aspx

While clearly missleading af, the value is still pretty good. Likely getting 4070 Ti/Super performance for $549. 9070 XT imo can't be anymore than $449 assuming the performance is around the same as 5070.