Well yes, today there’s a third post. Thankfully, it’s short:

The BAFTAs declares Shenmue and a game that came out 2 months ago more influential than Tetris and expects us to all just go along with that
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/the-baftas-declares-shenmue-and-a-game-that-came-out-2-months-ago-more-influential-than-tetris-and-expects-us-to-all-just-go-along-with-that/
A couple of months back, the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs, more or less the British Oscars) got bored of figuring out which things were good by itself. Instead, it decided to ask you, the humble gaming public, to divine the most influential game of all time. And boy, you've really made a hash of that.
>> Oh, boy. Someone had fun trolling the Baftas. To add salt to the injury, there’s a second article about Tetris that explains how putting it out the top ten is just nuts.

Fear not, potato gamers, the RuneScape Dragonwilds system requirements are pretty light and hallelujah for a new UE5 game that doesn't require ray tracing
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/fear-not-potato-gamers-the-runescape-dragonwilds-system-requirements-are-pretty-light-and-hallelujah-for-a-new-ue5-game-that-doesnt-require-ray-tracing/
RuneScape Dragonwilds has been in the works since at least 2022, but we hadn't heard much about it until late last year when Jagex started recruiting Alpha testers and then a few days ago when it was officially announced and named. There was no word on what it'd take to run the game, though—until now, that is, because the system reqs are now listed on the game's Steam page.

Those Elden Ring Switch 2 extras are coming to PC, and the game's now sold an incredible 28 million copies
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/those-elden-ring-switch-2-extras-are-coming-to-pc-and-the-games-now-sold-an-incredible-28-million-copies/
(...)
"New features in Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition include four new armor pieces and the ability to change the appearance of the spirit horse Torrent (3 types in total)," reads a post from the FromSoftware X account. "We hope you will take this opportunity to get your hands on it."
A note then adds that "this element [the new stuff] is also planned to be available as a download on other platforms." Some machine translations indicate that it will be "sold" but this seems to be an error, and if Bandai Namco actually do sell Elden Ring horse armour it deserves the reaction it'll get. The only other curiosity is a reference to "new functions" in another FromSoftware post, though that could mean anything from gyro aiming to new menu options.

Endless Legend 2 continues the faction reveals with some cyborgs who use coral to make people chill
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/endless-legend-2-continues-the-faction-reveals-with-some-cyborgs-who-use-coral-to-make-people-chill/
Following the reveal of the Kin of Sheredyn, today Amplitude has shown off a much stranger Endless Legend 2 faction: the Aspects. While the Kin are deeply connected to the lore of the Endless series, the Aspects feel a bit more novel and peculiar, which makes them a good fit for the sequel to one of the 4X genre's most unusual games.

I'm a bit torn by this product. On one hand, it feels like AMD is trying to maximize the situation and milk every possible Navi 48 chip, no matter how many parts are dissabled.

On the other hand, the existance of this product adds another layer between the 9070 and the 9060XT and 9060, making them cheaper (hopefully).

I hope they include a fire extinguisher in each server. Those are lots of 5090 and lots of cables that can melt.

Meh. The prize of that thing killed the little interest I had on the device. With luck it may be able to use DLSS3, but I wouldn't expect much in terms of RT.

Here's a couple extra news:

AMD has filed new Ray Tracing patents for future hardware
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/amd-has-filed-new-ray-tracing-patents-for-future-hardware/
In January 2025, NVIDIA introduced some new Ray Tracing techniques using Neural Shaders. And, to the surprise of no one, AMD has filed similar patents for Ray Tracing. So, let’s see what the red team will be bringing to gamers. 

The key features of these patents are Neural Network-based Ray Tracing, Traversal and Procedural Shader Bounds, Ray Tracing Structure Traversal Based on Work Items and Lossy Geometry Compression Using Interpolated Normals for Use in BVH Building and Rendering. 

Going into more details, the Neural Network-based Ray Tracing seems similar to what NVIDIA is doing with the Neural Shaders. So, I guess now PC gamers will be fine with this tech? After all, some criticized NVIDIA for introducing it as a new “gimmick”. 

The point is that AMD appears to be going all in with Ray Tracing for its future hardware. So, in theory, RDNA5 and the next-gen consoles (PS6 and the next Xbox) should be more capable of running ray-traced – or even path-traced – games.

Semiconductors are exempt from Trump's massive 32% tariff on Taiwan though PC gamers will still feel the heat
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/semiconductors-are-exempt-from-trumps-massive-32-percent-tariff-on-taiwan-though-pc-gamers-will-still-feel-the-heat/
The Trump administration announced sweeping "reciprocal" tariffs across the globe, ranging from a 10% baseline tariff on most countries to 30% or more on countries like Thailand (36%), Vietnam (46%), Cambodia (49%!), and Taiwan (32%). That last one might ring alarm bells for anyone wise to the global trade in semiconductors, as you'll know it's dominated by one company, TSMC, or the Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, which produces most of its chips in (surprise!) Taiwan.

(...)

There wasn't room on Trump's placard to get into the details, however. Those came shortly after in fact sheet published by the White House.

This fact sheet outlines the incoming tariffs, which will be paid by US companies on importing foreign-made products and materials into the country, and why the US is now choosing to roll them out. It states that President Trump "believes that tariffs are necessary to ensure fair trade, protect American workers, and reduce the trade deficit."

The fact sheet also states that there are some exceptions to the tariffs, and some of these are a pretty big deal.

Semiconductors are exempt from tariffs, as are pharmaceuticals, lumber, bullion, energy, and "certain minerals that are not available in the United States".

That may help with CPUs, we'll see, but GPUs still need to be assembled and that happens in China or one of the other South-Asian countries also affected by massive tariffs so, no luck on that front.

hmm so no trump tariffs on the chips themselves but I guess these gigantic heatsinks on the GPU will have 25% on them due to Aluminium.

Don't forget the copper for the vapor chamber and heatpipes going to those heatsinks.

https://www.techpowerup.com/335054/trump-tariffs-to-hike-pc-costs-at-least-20-system-integrators-take-the-biggest-blow

Buy parts soon.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Reportedly Costs The Same As 4060 Ti, 16 GB For $499 & 8 GB For $399

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-geforce-rtx-5060-ti-costs-same-as-4060-ti-16-gb-for-499-8-gb-for-399/

DoA basically

NVIDIA’s H20 Experiences “Shocking” Demand From China; Local Tech Giants Order Up to $16 Billion in Accelerators Amid AI Craze

https://wccftech.com/nvidias-h20-experiences-shocking-demand-from-china-local-tech-giants-order-up-to-16-billion-in-accelerators-amid-ai-craze/

GeForce RTX 4060 Is Now The Best Selling GPU At Newegg; GPU Shortage Shows How An 8GB Card Can Get Popular At $450+

https://wccftech.com/geforce-rtx-4060-is-now-the-best-selling-gpu-at-newegg/

Amazon Starts Reserving AMD RDNA 4 And RTX 50 Series GPUs For Prime Members To Bring Better Availability To Gamers

https://wccftech.com/amazon-starts-reserving-amd-rdna-4-and-rtx-50-series-gpus-for-prime-members/

AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE reported to feature 12GB memory, SKU might be exclusive to China

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-radeon-rx-9070-gre-reported-to-feature-12gb-memory-sku-might-be-exclusive-to-china

Eight-core CPUs become the most popular choice, market share grows 32.6% in a year, according to CPU-Z validations

https://videocardz.com/newz/eight-core-cpus-become-the-most-popular-choice-market-share-grows-32-6-in-a-year-according-to-cpu-z-validations

The Friday gaming news are here:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Humble Store has two new sales:

• Critical Hit Discounts brings up to 96% discounts during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/critical-hit-discounts/
• The On Sale This Week has new deals up to 98% off during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/on-sale-now/

Fanatical has two new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Ziggurat 2, 70% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/ziggurat-2
• The DRM-Free Bethesda Games Sale has what the name says, with up to 91% discounts during 9 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/collections/drm-free-bethesda-games

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

First Episode of KOTOR 3 Mod for Star Wars: KOTOR 2 Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/first-episode-of-kotor-3-mod-for-star-wars-kotor-2-released/
Star Wars fans, here is something special for you today. The modding team behind Revenge of Revan, a fan-made sequel to Star Wars: KOTOR 2, has released its first episode. Yep, this is Star Wars: KOTOR 3, created by fans for fans.
Revenge of Revan takes place 8 years after KOTOR 2, where you will find the Jedi Order starting to rebuild as they find their place in the Republic that has been absent from the Jedi Order for some years.
Revenge of Revan is a standalone original story that allows you to continue your saga with whatever choices you made in KOTOR 1 and 2, whether you use the canon setup or your own personal version. The mod is a bridge between KOTOR 2 and SWTOR. You will see cameos and interact with some former characters from the first KOTOR games, depending on your choice setup.
The mod features over 50 PC heads, including aliens with the ability to wear headgear. It offers around 3 hours of gameplay and comes with some new original music tracks. Your dialogue options will be based on your Jedi class, and characters will at times react to your species choice. Plus, there is limited VO for low level human NPCs.
What’s also cool here is that the mod features two options. These are the Canon and Non-Canon options. The Canon option sets the mod to adhere to the events of the Revan novel, which sets up the TOR MMO. On the other hand, the Non-Canon option sets the mod to adhere to an alternative scenario. The endings in the mod may be different depending on what option you chose.
You can go ahead and download this Star Wars: KOTOR 3 Mod from this link. Do note that Revenge of Revan will replace the main storyline/game. Thankfully, though, there is a quick and easy way to switch between the KOTOR 2 and RoR games. So, make sure to also read its installation guide.
>> Sadly, there’s no media.

GAMING NEWS

Monster Hunter Wilds April 4th Update Released, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/monster-hunter-wilds-april-4th-update-released-full-patch-notes/
Capcom has just released the massive April 4th Title Update for Monster Hunter Wilds, and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this patch brings to the table.
>> And, as PCGamer reminds you in an article, you may want to back up your savegame before updating the game, just in case.

First Major Update for The First Berserker: Khazan Released, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/first-major-update-for-the-first-berserker-khazan-released-full-patch-notes/
NEOPLE has released the first major title update for The First Berserker: Khazan, and shared its full patch notes. This first patch brings balance adjustments, UI and QoL improvements, some system changes and fixes for bugs and errors.

Friday news, part two:

EverQuest 2 to bring back the 'absolute heyday' of PvP with classic server
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/everquest-2-to-bring-back-the-absolute-heyday-of-pvp-with-classic-server/
EverQuest and EverQuest 2 developer Darkpaw Games is about to release its Producer's Letter for 2025, which will detail all kinds of events, goodies, and updates for fans of both games—and there's one special treat for the PvP sickos that bears a much closer look.

Dune: Awakening will have in-game radio stations featuring everything from Harkonnen propaganda broadcasts to classic '90s Dune tunes
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/lowfi-beats-to-relax-harvest-spice-to-survival-mmo-dune-awakening-will-have-in-game-radio-and-some-stations-will-play-music-from-1992s-dune-games/
Paul Atreides always had a tube stuck up his nose, but bro: how about clapping some cans over your ears instead? Maybe Muad'Dib wouldn't have incited a jihad that killed billions if he'd spent less time looking into the nightmarish future and more time listening to the groovy past.
You won't have that problem in Dune: Awakening when it releases on May 20. Funcom has revealed that the survival MMO will feature in-game radio, and some stations will play some truly classic jams: the soundtracks from the Dune and Dune 2 videogames from 1992.

Overwatch 2's April Fools game mode has made Reinhardt one of the most terrifying heroes, who can now kidnap any other player
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/overwatch-2s-april-fools-game-mode-has-made-reinhardt-one-of-the-most-terrifying-heroes-who-can-now-kidnap-any-other-player/
Every year, Overwatch 2 gets a wacky game mode for April Fools, giving each character new abilities that have usually been asked for by the community. It's a lot of fun to take part in every year, but this time there's something particularly special: Reinhardt's infinite Charge.
Reinhardt's Charge ability has had its cooldown reduced from 7 to 3.5 seconds, its turn speed increased by 150%, and it will last until you collide with a wall. Usually, Reinhardt's Charge will time out after three seconds, meaning if he hasn't hit you into a wall yet, you can get off scot-free.

Neglecting the mod scene is just 'silly', says dev whose team went from making mods to officially working on Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein: 'It's so short-sighted not to support it'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/neglecting-the-mod-scene-is-just-silly-says-dev-whose-team-went-from-making-mods-to-officially-working-on-doom-quake-and-wolfenstein-its-so-short-sighted-not-to-support-it/
Modding is often held up as one of the best things about PC gaming. Mods keep games like Skyrim and Minecraft perpetually vital, and plenty of developers, from Bethesda to Paradox, hire modders from their respective communities to become full-time game designers.
Yet modders sometimes live in fear of having all their hard work taken down by overly protective publishers, and plenty of companies have been slow to embrace the modding scenes that have sprouted up around their games—though this is certainly less the case than it used to be.
"The industry neglect of the mod scene is just silly," former Splash Damage writer and designer Ed Stern tells us. "Modding isn’t just a vital route for bedroom devs to gain skills and experience, it’s also an ideal way for the industry to find and develop talent. It’s so short-sighted not to support it."

Den of Wolves' left-field feature may seem odd, but the devs believe 'it's something we can deliver on' thanks to previous work with horror in GTFO
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/den-of-wolves-left-field-feature-may-seem-odd-but-the-devs-believe-its-something-we-can-deliver-on-thanks-to-previous-work-with-horror-in-gtfo/
Den of Wolves is an upcoming multiplayer FPS game from 10 Chambers, the studio made up of devs known for Payday: The Heist, Payday 2, and the co-op horror game GTFO. But despite not strictly being a horror game, 10 Chambers is still planning to use the expertise they gained from perfecting GTFO in Den of Wolves.

The multiplayer shooter with moose-propelled artillery is having an open beta this weekend
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-multiplayer-shooter-with-moose-propelled-artillery-is-having-an-open-beta-this-weekend/
Serious-looking multiplayer shooter Striden grabbed my attention last year for one simple reason: moose artillery. It's simple, really, you say "moose artillery" and I say, "tell me more." And if you then say, "Oh yeah, you can become a radioactive bear," at that point I don't say anything because, you know, just sign me up.
I can't actually sign up yet—Striden doesn't have a release date—but I can give it a shot in a pre-release state this weekend by way of an open beta that kicks off at 10 am ET on April 4 and runs until 6 am ET on April 6. Bit of a tight window there, but you'll have another shot the following weekend, in a second round of open beta testing set for April 11-13.
>> To join the beta go to its Steam page.

NetEase is feeling the pressure to keep Marvel Rivals as fresh as launch, so it's releasing a new hero every month starting in Season 3
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/netease-is-feeling-the-pressure-to-keep-marvel-rivals-as-fresh-as-launch-so-its-releasing-a-new-hero-every-month-starting-in-season-3/
The first details on Marvel Rivals Season 2 are here. It's called Hellfire Gala, it starts April 11, and the first new hero arriving in-season is Emma Frost, an X-Men villain with telepathic abilities and the power to turn stuff into diamonds. She'll be a Vanguard, and the second hero arriving in Season 2.5 is Ultron, who we don't know jack squat about yet.
NetEase spilled the beans in its latest "Dev Vision" video for Season 2, though arguably the biggest news of the day concerns the future frequency of heroes and seasons. The studio is feeling the pressure to keep Marvel Rivals flush with new content, so it's fast-tracking future seasons.
>> Here’s the first look at Ultron. And they’re also adding new Team-Up abilities in Season 2.

Path of Exile 2's latest patch notes are so bewilderingly vast I got a sicko to help translate, and to summarise: It's nerf-a-geddon!
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/path-of-exile-2s-latest-patch-notes-are-so-bewilderingly-vast-i-got-a-sicko-to-help-translate-but-to-summarise-its-nerf-a-geddon/
Do you know what would be nice? To look at the latest patch notes for Path of Exile 2, think "holy stromboli no-one's got time to read all that bro", and then close the tab. Some of us can't do that. Some of us get assigned to inform and summarise.
So I called for help. PCG's man with a plan when it comes to Path of Exile 2 is Russell Adderson, whose response to these patch notes was to dive in and immerse himself, only breaking free occasionally to DM me something like "HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAA… they literally couldn't figure out how to fix Grim Feast so they just... REMOVED it." I guess they did!
So now I'm going to summarise things and, whenever you see quotes, that's the PCG POE2 sicko talking. For example: "Pour one out for Grim Feast."

After months of silence, Bungie fires up the Marathon social media machine to tease... well, something
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/after-months-of-silence-bungie-fires-up-the-marathon-social-media-machine-to-tease-well-something/
Remember Marathon? No, not that Marathon, although props for making the throwback connection. I mean the extraction shooter reboot announced in 2023, that we've heard practically nothing about since. Well, we may be about to hear more, and possibly quite soon.
After months of silence following a message from game director Joe Ziegler, who reassured the world that work on the game is continuing but otherwise revealed nothing of note, the Marathon social media accounts fired up today to reveal, well, this: (...)

Cult of the Lamb audio director Narayana Johnson, also known as River Boy, has died
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/cult-of-the-lamb-audio-director-narayana-johnson-also-known-as-river-boy-has-died/
Narayana Johnson, the audio director for Massive Monster, has died. His death was announced via a statement shared to the Cult of the Lamb social media pages on April 3.
More commonly known as River Boy, Johnson most famously composed the soundtrack of Cult of the Lamb alongside voicing every Follower within the game. He was also known for being one half of Willow Beats, and producing the music for Unicycle Giraffe—another game from Massive Monster.