It's not just scalpers but certain retailers you have to be careful of, especially depending on your region.

Just to give an update, the $1320 NZD MSRP model 9070XT is still available to pre-order at that price right now, at least here. The cheapest 5070Ti is still $1900 NZD.

Anyone talking about retailers cancelling pre-orders just to re-list the products with increased prices, I've seen no evidence of that happening here just yet. Time will tell but we still can't say for certain that's a universal issue. More likely it's just retailers in certain parts of the world taking the piss. Seems like Europe (including the UK) are being hit the hardest right now, followed by Canada. Condolences to anyone there.

Microcenter so far are the real MVP. They're making the case for why a human presence is still necessary for these kinds of launches. It's the only surefire control method to bypass scalping. You're still then relying on the goodwill on the retailer's side, which is why you should value the good ones while you have them.

Rewarding bad retailers and scalpers on the other hand only contributes to the problem. If the market in a region still isn't reasonable it's better for people there to just hold out if they can. If they can see enough of these products are being supplied to other parts of the world while their own local dealers are screwing them over, there's no way they should stand for it.

I doubt Nvidia cares that much about AMD's performance gains for consumer cards.

Also the benchmark comparisons in the video are extremely cherry picked.

I'm aware of this, but it's still fun.

Also, what stings Nvidia probably more would be the loss of prestige and the fact that many users are trying out AMD GPUs now, just check Vex's video on YouTube where he and a buddy of his tried to get a 9070 series GPU (they both got a 9070XT, and at MSRP no less!), you can see very long lines already one hour before opening, and when he left over 2 hours later the line was still just as long as when they arrived.

I simply can't remember a time where this happened before for an AMD or ATI GPU.

That reminded me of getting the free items from the Visual Novel sale.

And yeah, it's going to be like the Autumn Sale, so not as big as the Summer or Winter ones, but there's till a chance to find a fairly good deal here are there.

A coincidence, no doubt about it, but it's funny how it matches the gap we'll get between the upcoming reviews of the other 9000X3D parts from AMD and Nvidia's 5060 cards.

We'll see if someone is brave enough to carry the hardware news torch while you're away (it won't be me, that's for sure).

In any case, have fun.

Forgot to grab them, just got it!

As two weirdos talking about game demos...I've managed to play a bit of Deliver at all Costs demo over the weekend (two missions) - it's quite fun and I really like overall vibes, as well as physics based approach (that watermelon mission really reminded me of some old flash games my older son used to play back in days about delivery trucks), so looking forward to playing more of it.

I also tried that Soulslike I mentioned, The First Berserker - Khazan - I fairly liked combat, but overall it didn't really do anything for me - I like Souls not for combat (which is serviceable), but for level design...so yeah, I just don't have time to waste it on the game that doesn't shine in that regard.

Unfortunately, that's all I managed to squeeze out of this weekend, so back to hardware...;)

Speaking of hardware - startup called Bolt Graphics announced Zeus GPU line, which they claim will be 10x as fast as 5090 (in its beefiest version)...in one very specific area, which is ray/path tracing.
It's all still in "on the paper" phase and they seem to be oriented toward professional, but they mention gaming as well.

If this turns out to be the case, I'm wondering will nVidia and AMD maybe have their own add-on RT cards that will work in tandem with GPUs...at least until GPUs don't become mostly RT hardware themselves.

As a consumer a product if it was priced well that brings you up to 5090 or more RT performance would be a good thing but for vendors they still need to sell high margin GPU's so it's probably in in their interest to not separate them unless they are the only one selling them at high prices, One thing I would like to see AMD/Nvidia do since they see frame generation as the future is let you offload it to a second GPU much like Lossless Scaling already allows you to do so you can have no performance loss on your primary GPU whilst your 2nd GPU with a heavy undervolt working away at 50-70W generating and displaying the frames to you allowing your render gpu to run full speed there is also other benefits like the display GPU using the 1.5-2GB vram you need for general use freeing up the full vram of the render card for textures it would also encourage you to keep your old gpu and weaken the used market so they cans ell more new cards hah

Modders found a way to inject AMD FSR4 support to any DLSS2+/XeSS games

https://videocardz.com/newz/modders-found-a-way-to-inject-amd-fsr4-support-to-any-dlss2-xess-games

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 to feature 3840 CUDA cores, 150W TGP and 8GB GDDR7 memory

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-geforce-rtx-5060-to-feature-3840-cuda-cores-150w-tgp-and-8gb-gddr7-memory

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti spec leak: 4608 CUDA and 16/8GB GDDR7, RTX 5050 with 2560 CUDA and 8GB GDDR6

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-geforce-rtx-5060-ti-spec-leak-4608-cuda-and-16-8gb-gddr7-rtx-5050-with-2560-cuda-and-8gb-gddr6

AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT confirmed with 16GB and 8GB GDDR6 memory, sticking to 128-bit memory bus

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-radeon-rx-9060-xt-confirmed-with-16gb-and-8gb-gddr6-memory-sticking-to-128-bit-memory-bus

So the only way to get more than 8GB of vram cheaply will still be Intel

NVIDIA addresses black screen issues with another GeForce Hotfix Driver 572.75

https://videocardz.com/pixel/nvidia-addresses-black-screen-issues-with-another-geforce-hotfix-driver-572-75

They should stop saying "addresses" or "fixes" or anything of that nature as this is like the 4th attempt at this lmao

AMD Radeon RX 9050 product category listed by Mexican retailer

https://videocardz.com/pixel/amd-radeon-rx-9050-product-category-listed-by-mexican-retailer

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Shows 14% Single Thread Performance Uplift Over 7950X3D; Benchmarked On PassMark

https://wccftech.com/amd-ryzen-9-9950x3d-tested-in-passmark-14-percent-faster-than-7950x3d/

Amazon’s Fake CPU Trends Continue, This Time Sends User A FX-4100 Disguised As The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D

https://wccftech.com/amazon-fake-cpu-trends-continue-sends-fx-4100-disguised-as-amd-ryzen-7-9800x3d/

Good if you lived near a Microcenter and perhaps OC-UK but majority of the world still had hard time getting a 9070/XT gpu. Still had over 5 times more stock than Nvidia.

It’s Monday *urgh* and these are the gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

I’m not sure when it started, but GOG has the Weekly Deals page up, with up to 91% discounts during 4 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20250307_weekly_deals_2_march.

Steam has these deals:

• The Chibig Universe of Games Sale from Publisher Chibig has demos and up to 70% discounts until the 12th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40081215/sale/ChibigUniverseofGamesSale
• Publisher Holo Indie celebrates its Super Expo 2025, with games up to 35% off until March, the 22nd: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44937083/sale/hololiveSUPEREXPO2025sale
• Factory Outlet Simulator is going to be 60% off until the 23rd of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2981590/Factory_Outlet_Simulator/
• This War of Mine has an 85% discount until the same 23rd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/282070/This_War_of_Mine/

The Humble Store has three sales:

• The Comfort Sale features up to 90% discounts during 3 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/comfort-zone-sale/
• The Nacon Publisher Sale has games up to 90% off for another 3 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/nacon-publisher-sale/
• And the Plaion Publisher Sale also comes with up to 90% deals during 3 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/plaion-publisher-sale/

Fanatical has three new 24h Flash Deals and a new bundle:

• These are the Flash Deals:
  • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is 33% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle
  • The Thaumaturge has a 60% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/the-thaumaturge
  • SteamWorld Build is 75% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/steamworld-build
• And the KingSlayer Bundle (Spring 2025) has 12 games and a 95% deal during 34 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/kingslayer-bundle https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/kingslayer-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Aliens vs Predator 2 just got a very cool Brutal Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/aliens-vs-predator-2-just-got-a-very-cool-brutal-mod/
Modder ‘Stutterteturtle’ has released a cool Brutal Mod for Monolith’s classic AvP game, Aliens vs Predator 2. This mod aims to enhance the game’s gore. So, if you want AvP 2 to feel more brutal than before, you should definitely use it.
Going into more details, this Brutal Mod adds blood trails on flesh debris. It also restores the human skull piece, and allows the Pulse Rifle and Smartgun to gib humans and the predator. Plus, the environment debris will now stay visible for a long time.
>> The article has a slightly over 1 minute video.

Tales of New Reno is a new fan expansion for Fallout New Vegas
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/tales-of-new-reno-is-a-new-fan-expansion-for-fallout-new-vegas/
Modder ‘Cellblock Psycho’ has released a new DLC-sized fan expansion for Fallout: New Vegas, called Tales of New Reno. As with all fan expansions, it adds some new quests, new weapons, optional companions, and a new worldspace. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
Going into more details, Tales of New Reno – Episode Zero adds a new settlement with a redesigned and repopulated Bonnie Springs. It also includes several new weapons, four long main quests, and optional companions. Plus, there’s a new worldspace you can explore anytime and a few small side quests.
As the modder noted, his goal for this mod was to create a highly replayable experience. As such, there are multiple ways to complete your quest objectives. There are also many hidden paths the player can uncover, as well as multiple endings and branching paths.
For those unaware, there was an older version of this mod for FNV. So, basically, this is a remake of that older mod, also known as Tales of New Reno: Episode Zero. Moreover, the modder plans to give the rework treatment to Episode One as well. So, once you complete Episode Zero, you should wait for the remake of Episode One.
>> There’s an over 10 minutes video in the article.

You can now play Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 in third-person mode
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/you-can-now-play-kingdom-come-deliverance-2-in-third-person-mode/
Now here is a mod that passed under my radar. Last month, modder ‘Javier66’ released a mod that allows you to play Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 in third-person mode. This is something that will please a lot of KCD2 fans.
Now what’s cool about this mod is that you can switch between first-person and third-person modes on the fly. As such, you will be able to explore the environments in third-person, and fight your enemies in first-person.
>> The article has a couple of videos and the instructions to install the mod.

Starfield just got a new cool immersive quest mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/starfield-just-got-a-new-cool-immersive-quest-mod/
Modders ‘NatCatCute’, ‘Deman445’ and ‘mayonaiselady’ have released a new immersive quest mod for Starfield, called The Pumpkin Protocol. And, since this is new free content for Bethesda’s latest title, we highly recommend downloading it.
Going into more details, The Pumpkin Protocol pulls you into a suspicious facility, where now you are caught up in a high-stakes fight with a foundation. Players will explore a secret facility filled with strange oddities, lots of security, and subtle puzzles.
The mod also adds some items to the game. For instance, you’ll get a new armor (the Entity Containment Armor) and a new Legendary Weapon. Plus, the mod introduces a new follower, Pumpkin The Terrormorph.
You can download the mod from this link. Since this new quest is on New Atlantis, the modding team recommends you start it when you are on a lower level. If you are not, fear not. You will still be able to play it.
From what I can see, this quest mod will take you around 30 minutes to complete. So, don’t expect this to be anywhere close to the length of a DLC-sized mod or a fan expansion.
>> Given the last sentence and that there’s an over 30 minutes video in the article, you can watch the quest without installing the mod.

MediEvil 2 Unreal Engine 5 Fan Demo Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/medievil-2-unreal-engine-5-fan-demo-released/
Now here is something cool. Stefano Cagnani has released a fan demo of MediEvil 2 in Unreal Engine 5. This demo will give you a glimpse at what a modern-day remake of this classic 2000 action adventure game could look like in UE5.
Stefano Cagnani is the same man behind the Unreal Engine 5 Fan Demo of Dino Crisis. Contrary to that demo, which was available for free, this demo for MediEvil 2 is behind a paywall. To get access to it, you’ll have to pay at least 1 euro. Now I know this isn’t much, but a paywalled demo is still a paywalled demo.
The good news is that Cagnani has shared three videos that can give you an idea of what this demo is all about. The first one features some gameplay footage, whereas the second features the first in-engine cutscene. Then, the third video shows a re-imagined cut-scene for the Tyrannosaurus Wrecks boss fight.
In this demo, you will fight some zombies. You will be able to attack your enemies, dodge and block their attacks. The combat system is really simplistic. So, don’t expect any weird combos or a refinement. This is just a fan demo. And, in a way, this fan demo of MediEvil 2 reminded me of Lies of P. I don’t know why but that’s the vibes I got from it.
>> The article has the three videos.

The Baldur's Gate 3 mod for Stardew Valley is out, so here's another opportunity to romance Astarion
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/the-baldurs-gate-3-mod-for-stardew-valley-is-out-so-heres-another-opportunity-to-romance-astarion/
Is there a maximum number of times you can replay Baldur's Gate 3 and still have a good time? We haven't found the number yet, but don't worry if you have. There's one more way to get your fix of Shadowheart, Gale, Karlach, Wyll, and most of all Astarion, and it's via the Baldur's Village mod for Stardew Valley.
After months of development, you can download Baldur's Village now. You won't need to start a new save for it either, as it simply adds to the original game rather than replacing any part of it.
What it adds are more than 20 non-player characters, six locations, various dynamic events, shops, items, and more. All this is housed within a new village map you can find to the north of Pelican Town—the entrance is near Linus's tent on the mountain, northeast of the Carpenter's Shop where Robin and her family live.
At the moment, the only new character who can be romanced is Astarion, who has his own heart events and gift preferences. (I bet he's finicky.) He won't be the only romanceable character, however. Work continues, as the mod team explains: "Our next focus will be creating Halsin's romance storyline. Once completed, we will shift our attention to expanding the mod's world-building, background stories, and gameplay by introducing new features and items."
To get Baldur's Village running you'll also need the Stardew Modding API, the Content Patcher, and the Portraiture mod, without which you won't be able to see the glorious pixel-art portraits of BG3's cast. (When you're talking to a character, press the P key to swap portraits.) Baldur's Village can be found on Nexus Mods, where it's already racked up almost 4,000 downloads.
>> The article seems to have only one screenshot.

Fallout-themed Doom mod Vault 666 has multiple endings, an OP Dogmeat companion, and a Ron Perlman-impersonating narrator so good, I was worried it was AI-generated at first
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/fallout-themed-doom-mod-vault-666-has-multiple-endings-an-op-dogmeat-companion-and-a-ron-perlman-impersonating-narrator-so-good-i-was-worried-it-was-ai-generated-at-first/
The fertile world of Doom WADs never ceases to amaze me, and Vault 666 is a recent release that really tickled my fancy. Modder Carl Asami's Vault 666 is a send-up of both Doom and Fallout that asks: What if the Doom Guy had to save the wasteland?
It's a goofy, parodical sort of deal, but has the attention to detail and love of the source material to really make it sing. The WAD begins with a silly take on Fallout's grim openings, delivered by a shockingly good stand-in for longtime series narrator Ron Perlman.
Seriously, I was worried it was AI at first, but the narration (which also shows up in-game and in the endings) is credited to one Henry Schultz. He has a natural delivery with some genuine variance that dispelled my AI fears⁠—there are points where you can tell a real guy is slipping out of Perlman mode. To be clear, this is a good thing.
In-game, you can straight up turn around at the start and leave, triggering a catastrophically bad narrated ending slideshow. Even playing the WAD normally, there are a couple variations you can get that account for whether Dogmeat survived and if you found certain level secrets.
Speaking of Dogmeat, the WAD's take on the pooch is an absolute tank, an Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura-tier Dogmeat that genuinely helps you more than he stresses you out. It doesn't feel like you're playing a Doom escort mission or something.
Vault 666 nails the aesthetic of 2D Fallout as well, with sound effects and assets lifted straight out of the game and otherwise expertly imitated. The WAD even reskins the Doom arsenal to better resemble the Fallout 1 lineup⁠—Doom Guy's Berretta 9 millimeter, for example, is upgraded to a nice and boxy Fallout 10 mil.
Otherwise, Vault 666 is populated with the standard Doom enemy lineup, with the notable exception of a bespoke riff on Fallout 1's Super Mutant honcho, The Master, who serves as the WAD's final boss while also taunting you throughout over the Vault's loudspeakers.
>> The article has several screenshots and a video.

GAMING NEWS

Beta gameplay footage leaked for Battlefield 2025/Battlefield 6
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/first-gameplay-footage-leaked-for-battlefield-2025-battlefield-7/
EA and DICE held the first beta testing for the new Battlefield game and a couple of gameplay videos have leaked from it. These are really low-quality videos, and do not show much. So, be sure to temper your expectations.

Assassin’s Creed: Shadows will support NVIDIA DLSS 4 & Multi-Frame Gen
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/assassins-creed-shadows-will-support-nvidia-dlss-4-multi-frame-gen/
Assassin’s Creed: Shadows will be released on PC on March 20th, and it appears that it will support NVIDIA DLSS 4 from the get-go. As such, owners of the RTX GPUs will be able to take advantage of the Transformer model. Not only that, but owners of the RTX50 series will be able to use Multi-Frame Gen.

CONTROL March 2025 Update Released, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/control-match-2025-update-released-full-patch-notes/
Remedy has released the March 2025 Title Update for CONTROL, and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what it brings to the table.