It was also to be expected really. I mean, it's 32 CU vs 54 CU, and 180W vs 245W. RDNA4 is a big step forward, but even if it wouldn't beat the 7700XT it would still be a great card at MSRP.

And like @JEMC said, in games the 9700(XT) performed much better than in those synthetic tests, so it may have a shot at beating the 7700XT in some games. And even if not, the increase over the 7600XT is impressive, especially considering the slightly lower TDP.

GPU-Z Adds Support For AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT And GeForce RTX 5060 GPUs

https://wccftech.com/gpu-z-adds-support-for-amd-radeon-rx-9060-xt-and-geforce-rtx-5060/

NVIDIA’s CEO Confirms Huawei’s “CloudMatrix” AI Cluster Now Competes With Grace Blackwell; Says There’s No Stopping Them

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-ceo-confirms-huawei-cloudmatrix-ai-cluster-now-competes-with-grace-blackwell/

Intel “Nova Lake-S” LGA-1954 socket may retain cooler compatibility

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-nova-lake-s-lga-1954-socket-may-retain-cooler-compatibility

AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT appears in first synthetic benchmarks: at least 25% faster than RX 7600 XT

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-radeon-rx-9060-xt-appears-in-first-synthetic-benchmarks-at-least-25-faster-than-rx-7600-xt

ASRock unveils Radeon RX 9060 XT series with up to 3320 MHz GPU Clock

https://videocardz.com/newz/asrock-unveils-radeon-rx-9060-xt-series-with-up-to-3320-mhz-gpu-clock

AMD to Launch a “China-Specific” AI Chip Option To Rival NVIDIA & Huawei; Expected to Be a Cut-Down Version of the Radeon AI PRO R9700

https://wccftech.com/amd-to-launch-a-china-specific-ai-chip-option-to-rival-nvidia/

These are the Thursday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

The Epic Store gives away these games:

• Limbo: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/limbo
• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/tiny-tinas-wonderlands

Next week, the free games will be ... well, right now there's not even a display for future free games so who knows.

Steam has three new deals and two new sales/events:

• Slackers - Carts of Glory will be 30% off until the 11th of June: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2354000/Slackers__Carts_of_Glory/
• The Devil Within: Satgat has a demo and a 50% discount until June 11: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1802880/The_Devil_Within_Satgat/
• Flashing Lights is going to be 80% off until the 11th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/605740/Flashing_Lights__Police_Firefighting_Emergency_Services_EMS_Simulator/
• And these are the sales:
  • Publisher Chorus Worldwide Games celebrates its first Sale puttings its games up to 90% off until the 4th of June. There are also demos: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43736905/sale/ChorusWorldwideAnniversarySale
  • The AG French Direct Spring 2025 features lots of upcoming french games, quite a few demos and some games on sale with up to 50% discounts. The length of the deals vary: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/AGFrenchDirectSpring2025

Humble Bundle presents the Badass Brawlers Bundle, featuring up to 7 games to get during the next 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/badass-brawlers.

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

• These are the Flash Deals:
  • STARFIELD - Premium Edition has a 46% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/starfield-premium-edition
  • INDIKA is 52% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/indika
  • SteamWorld Heist II gets a 63% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/steamworld-heist-ii
• BYO Indie Treasures Bundle has 18 games for your 1+, 5+ or 10+ bundles during 34 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-indie-treasures-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Grand Theft Auto: Recall San Andreas will restore cut/beta content
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/grand-theft-auto-recall-san-andreas-will-restore-cut-beta-content/
A team of modders is currently working on a mod that will restore content that was cut from the game. This project is called Grand Theft Auto: Recall San Andreas, and below you can find some screenshots from it.
The following screenshots showcase some of the cut/beta content that the team was able to restore. So, if you are a die-hard fan of GTA: San Andreas, this will be a must-have mod.
For those who don’t know, Recall San Andreas is a fan-made mod for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Its main goal is to bring back all the cool things that were removed or left out of the original game before it was released. This includes content from the beta version, like characters, missions, locations, and features that never made it into the final game.
But that’s not all! The modding team is also working hard to improve the game overall. They plan to add new features, gameplay improvements, bug fixes, extra abilities, and much more. So it’s not just about restoring lost content — it’s also about making the game better and more fun than ever before.
Right now, there’s no exact release date for when Recall San Andreas will be ready. However, the mod creators have said they plan to release it sometime later this year. Of course, delays can happen, so it’s always good to be patient. Great mods like this take time to build and polish.
>> The article has the mentioned screenshots and two videos.

This Fallout 4 Mod adds a large new world to explore and conquer
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/this-fallout-4-mod-adds-a-large-new-world-to-explore-and-conquer/
Modder ‘Yogibird111’ has just released a brand new mod for Fallout 4, and it’s a big one. This mod adds a huge new area for players to explore and conquer. Even better, it’s completely free, just like many other great Fallout 4 mods. So, if you’re currently playing the game or thinking of jumping back in, this mod is definitely worth checking out.
Let’s talk about what this mod actually does. It takes players on a journey to a brand new location, the wild lands of Connecticut. This is not just a small add-on or side quest. It’s a large, open-world area filled with new places, interesting characters, and exciting things to do.
In this mod, you’ll be able to explore a detailed world that feels fresh but still fits perfectly into the Fallout universe. You’ll meet a diverse group of NPCs, each with their own stories, personalities, and secrets. As you talk to them and explore the land, you’ll begin to uncover a dark and mysterious conspiracy that threatens everything around you.
Of course, this wouldn’t be Fallout without some danger. You’ll also have to fight off ghouls and possibly other enemies hiding in the shadows. These battles will test your survival skills and give you even more reason to keep exploring and upgrading your gear.
The world in this mod isn’t just big, it’s full of life, challenges, and hidden secrets. It gives players many hours of extra gameplay and offers something new for fans who may have already finished the main game. Whether you love talking to NPCs, fighting off monsters, or solving mysteries, there’s something here for everyone.
So, if you’re looking for a fresh adventure in Fallout 4, this mod by Yogibird111 is a great pick. It adds new content, brings exciting challenges, and gives players another reason to spend time in the Fallout world.
>> There are some screenshots.

Top-down modded Morrowind lets you experience Vvardenfell like it's Baldur's Gate
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/top-down-modded-morrowind-lets-you-experience-vvardenfell-like-its-baldurs-gate/
Morrowind came out in 2002, the same year as isometric RPGs like Icewind Dale 2, Divine Divinity, Freedom Force, and Dungeon Siege. Its first-person/third-person perspective was a selling point at the time, though some would argue that playing a full 3D game with randomized to-hit chances made for an unsatisfying experience. Nowadays, thanks to the mod combo of OpenMorrowind and OpenNevermind, we can experience Morrowind as if it was a top-down CRPG complete with click-to-move and having to zoom in so you can pick up small objects.
YouTuber Mehrunes Mike just uploaded a video showcasing OpenNevermind and a UI mod of his own design that gives Morrowind an action bar and a little bit of Baldur's Gate 3 flavor—minimap in the top right, enemy portraits across the top, you know the deal. It's an impressive piece of work, and I hope he shares it with the rest of us, even if it's not designed to deal with the massive inventory of the average Morrowind hoarder.
Mehrunes Mike stuck with the top-down perspective for most of his playthrough, in which he completed Morrowind's main questline, explored all the dwemer ruins, and killed every single werewolf to cap it off. There were a few moments where he had to cave in and switch back to first-person, mostly to pick up items that were tiny and obscured from above, and sometimes to go through doors.
For the most part though it works surprisingly well. It's fascinating watching someone play Morrowind from a completely different perspective yet do all the things I do, like trying to jump into the water from the top of Molag Mar and failing to clear the bottom level. And a lot of it looks great—areas with levels like the Waistworks, some of the dungeons, and anything with a bridge looks gorgeous, even if he has to rotate the camera a lot to see where he's going.
>> There’s an over 40 minutes video in the article.

A mod that lets you play Half-Life 2 multiplayer as the mercs from Team Fortress 2 is coming to Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/a-mod-that-lets-you-play-half-life-2-multiplayer-as-the-mercs-from-team-fortress-2-is-coming-to-steam/
The opening seconds of the trailer sold me on the whole enterprise. It's the unforgettable scene from the start of Half-Life 2 where a Combine cop tells Gordon Freeman to pick up a piece of trash. Only you're not playing Gordon Freeman in this scenario. You're playing the Scout from Team Fortress 2, a man who has a baseball bat and thinks every problem is a fastball.
Lambda Fortress is a mod for Team Fortress 2 that lets you play Half-Life 2 (and the campaigns from other Source Engine games) in either singleplayer or multiplayer as a full suite of mercs. The rest of the trailer highlights the chaos you can cause in and around City 17 as a pack of rocket-jumping fools with access to ÜberCharge, and it looks absolutely bugfuck.
Part of what's wild about Lambda Fortress is that it'll let you bring your existing Team Fortress 2 inventories into Half-Life 2, so you and your friends can have whatever nonsense weapons and hats you've earned. It's going to have new weapons as well, and I can't wait to see what the modders have cooked up.
>> The trailer is in the article and is less than 2 minutes long.

GAMING NEWS

PHASE ZERO, a new Resident Evil-inspired 32-bit horror game, gets a free demo to try
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/phase-zero-a-new-resident-evil-inspired-32-bit-horror-game-gets-a-free-demo-to-try/
Resident Evil fans, here is something for you today. SPINA Studio has released a demo for its new Resident Evil-inspired 32-bit horror game, PHASE ZERO. The demo is available on Steam, and you can download it right now.

Demo released for Apogee’s first-person survival horror game, Total Chaos
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/demo-released-for-apogee-first-person-survival-horror-game-total-chaos/
Apogee has just released a demo for its new first-person survival horror game, Total Chaos. Moreover, the publisher has shared a new gameplay trailer that you can find below.

STALKER-inspired FPS MMORPG, PIONER, gets third official gameplay trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/stalker-inspired-fps-mmorpg-pioner-gets-third-official-gameplay-trailer/
GFA Games has released the third official gameplay trailer for PIONER. PIONER is a STALKER-inspired FPS MMORPG that has been in development for a while. This new official trailer offers a minute of gameplay footage from it. So, make sure to watch it.

ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN Patch 1.01 Is Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/elden-ring-nightreign-patch-1-01-is-available-for-download/
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN will come out in a few hours and FromSoftware has already released its first patch. So, let’s see what this first update brings to the table.
>> And here’s the launch trailer.

Thursday gaming news, the slightly longer, but final, part two:

Rejoice, hammer users—Monster Hunter Wild's new patch just buffed the bonk squad, alongside a huge quality-of-life feature for hoarders and optimisation improvements on PC
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/rejoice-hammer-users-monster-hunter-wilds-new-patch-just-buffed-the-bonk-squad-alongside-a-huge-quality-of-life-feature-for-hoarders-and-optimisation-improvements-on-pc/
Monster Hunter Wilds' hammer, despite being just as deliciously violent as previous incarnations, came out a little undercooked. It came in at A in our Monster Hunter Wilds weapon tier list, sure, but long-time hammer bros found it somewhat unwieldy. For example, its offset attack is (inexplicably) gated behind the third attack in their combo. Even then, I hear it's downright hard to follow-up once you land it.
Well, all that's about to change. Alongside the Street Fighter collab, the new patch has some major balance adjustments—and hammer users are downright being taken out to dinner and courted. Here's the full list of changes from the patch notes.

Yuri Lowenthal spills the beans on a Persona 4 remake by announcing that Atlus doesn't want him in it: 'Maybe I even begged, but they don’t want me to come back'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/yuri-lowenthal-spills-the-beans-on-a-persona-4-remake-by-announcing-that-atlus-doesnt-want-him-in-it-maybe-i-even-begged-but-they-dont-want-me-to-come-back/
Bad news for devotees of Persona 4's iconic fuckboy Yosuke Hanamura: Yuri Lowenthal has announced on Bluesky that, despite his best efforts, he won't be returning to the role for the Persona 4 Remake.
Also, I guess there's a Persona 4 Remake?

Grub's up: The hungry, hungry Necrophage faction is coming to Endless Legend 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/grubs-up-the-hungry-hungry-necrophage-faction-is-coming-to-endless-legend-2/
Amplitude has unveiled the third of Endless Legend 2's four early access factions today, and they're one of my faves from the last game: the Necrophage.
Broadly, it seems like this ravenous insectoid hive works similarly to its Endless Legend 1 variation: nothing will stop the Necrophage from consuming everything in their way. "They have little use for diplomacy," says Amplitude, "and minor factions are little more than extra food for the swarm."

Former BioWare lead writer says the best level in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines gave him 'ammunition' to argue that story can be just as engaging as combat
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/former-bioware-lead-writer-says-the-best-level-in-vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-gave-him-ammunition-to-argue-that-story-can-be-just-as-engaging-as-combat/
You ever get sick of trashmob fights? I admit it: sometimes I just want to run from A to B without massacring half a village, cutting down group after group of bandits, goblins, and imps who have only really been placed there to stop me from getting bored.
I am, apparently, joined in this philosophy by David Gaider, former BioWare lead writer and creator of the Dragon Age setting, who apparently spent a fair bit of time at the studio trying to stop people sprinkling those kinds of things everywhere. Even better, the game he used to support his point was none other than Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2.

Cyberpunk 2, which is now officially called Cyberpunk 2, has entered pre-production, but don't expect it out before 2030
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/cyberpunk-2-which-is-now-officially-called-cyberpunk-2-has-entered-pre-production-but-dont-expect-it-out-before-2030/
Sound the "it's happening" klaxon, folks, because it's happening: CD Projekt announced today that Cyberpunk 2—which, by the way, the studio is now calling Cyberpunk 2 instead of Project Orion—is now in the "pre-production phase" of development.

Electronic Arts cancels Black Panther game and closes the studio making it
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/electronic-arts-cancels-black-panther-game-and-closes-the-studio-making-it/
The bloodletting continues at Electronic Arts, which has confirmed an IGN report that the Black Panther game announced in 2023 has been cancelled. Developer Cliffhanger Games is being closed as a result of the cancellation, and separately EA is also making other layoffs across some of its other teams, although the number of people being put out of work is unknown.

MindsEye co-CEO claims there's a 'concerted effort' to trash the game ahead of its release: 'I do KNOW that there are bot farms posting negative comments and dislikes'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/mindseye-co-ceo-claims-theres-a-concerted-effort-to-trash-the-game-ahead-of-its-release-i-do-know-that-there-are-bot-farms-posting-negative-comments-and-dislikes/
With less than two weeks remaining until the June 10 launch of MindsEye, the upcoming action game from former Grand Theft Auto producer Leslie Benzies' Build a Rocket Boy, studio co-CEO Mark Gerhard has stirred up controversy by claiming there's "a concerted effort to trash the game and the studio" being financed by... well, someone.

If you're 'scared of PvP', don't worry: Dune: Awakening's endgame deep desert area has a PvE zone, too
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/if-youre-scared-of-pvp-dont-worry-dune-awakenings-massive-deep-desert-has-a-pve-zone-too/
When confronted with a new MMO where the best blueprints and resources are hidden in a sprawling and deadly PvP zone, a lot of players have one important question: "So, what if I'm not into PvP?"
Rest assured, you'll still be able to visit the 'deep desert' endgame zone of Dune: Awakening. According to Funcom, as shown in today's livestream, while the deep desert is almost entirely PvP, there is a sizeable PvE-only area where you won't have to worry about fighting other players.

'The absolute sincere truth is that I don't want anyone to pay any more than they should or are comfortable with': Randy Pitchford's latest post on the Borderlands pricing controversy is a whole dang essay
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-absolute-sincere-truth-is-that-i-dont-want-anyone-to-pay-any-more-than-they-should-or-are-comfortable-with-randy-pitchfords-latest-post-on-the-borderlands-pricing-controversy-is-a-whole-dang-essay/
The videogame discourse cycle does another lap, racing past "videogames are too easy" and "singleplayer is back" and hitting the straight of "videogames are too expensive" one more time. (...)
Now Randy Pitchford has delivered a 557-word missive on the hatesite formerly known as Twitter putting his earlier statements into context, and it's actually pretty effective at explaining his position—which is not actually that you have to pay more money to prove you're allowed to call yourself a "real" Borderlands fan.

This narrative thriller takes place in a fictional '80s OS, and the devs obsessed over keeping just the right amount of old school jank: 'We did retain the dial-up modem'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/this-narrative-thriller-takes-place-in-a-fictional-80s-os-and-the-devs-obsessed-over-keeping-just-the-right-amount-of-old-school-jank-we-did-retain-the-dial-up-modem/
Few games commit to building an alternate reality like Vice Undercover. Much of the game is played on the fictitious Amigo OS, an amalgam of Windows 3.1 and early Apple operating systems with a dozen built-in applications, a boxy media player, and even a persistent Clippy pastiche with all sorts of eager advice for you. But this isn't a starry-eyed trip down memory lane—it's a "narco-thriller" where you poke around in drug cartel communications, careful not to get caught.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City is a TMNT parkour-action game for VR
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/vr/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-empire-city-is-a-tmnt-parkour-action-game-for-vr/
We've had a TMNT sidescrolling beat-em-up, a TMNT turn-based tactics RPG, and a TMNT Hades clone with co-op. They're even in Call of Duty, if you can afford to fork out like $90. It's a good time to be into the Ninja Turtles, whether or not you believe 2025 is the year of the ninja.
That run is continuing in a literal sense with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City, a parkour action-adventure coming from Cortopia Studios. That's the developer behind Gorn 2, and like that game it'll be a VR-exclusive. Tom Waltz, who wrote 100 issues of the well-regarded TMNT comic for IDW is serving as a narrative consultant, and apparently it's set after Shredder has been defeated yet again, and sees the heroes in a half-shell mopping up the Foot Clan and dealing with "fan-favorite villains".

'You've seen the number of releases from AAA publishers dwindle and dwindle and dwindle': Clair Obscur's runaway success was helped by staying smaller scale in a world of inflated budgets
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/youve-seen-the-number-of-releases-from-aaa-publishers-dwindle-and-dwindle-and-dwindle-clair-obscurs-runaway-success-was-helped-by-staying-smaller-scale-in-a-world-of-inflated-budgets/
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a tight, 30-hour RPG from a relatively small team that, since release, has sold over 3.3 million copies. In short, it's been a resounding success—singular and distinct, it looks and feels like nothing else around.
It's a game that's particularly interesting when compared to probably the most well-known turn-based RPG series in the world. As much as people love the Final Fantasy games, it's hard not to see how unwieldy they've become—expensive and time-consuming to make, the pressure is clearly on for them to sell increasingly unrealistic numbers to be considered a success. Both FF7 Rebirth and FF16 failed to meet the mark according to Square Enix's own financial reports.
In contrast, Clair Obscur operates in a different development space—smaller scale and with a much smaller budget. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Matthew Handrahan, the portfolio director at Clair Obscur's publisher Kepler Interactive, opined on the game's place within an industry that he sees as growing increasingly obsessed with big-budget releases.
>> I’d say that this trend started with the HD consoles, when most AA games and studios went down.

Some interesting hardware related videos if yall want to watch

Two Steves in a video... and the world (or Nvidia) hasn't exploded yet? Wow.

I don't think that comparison works. Square Enix has released modest RPGs from their mid to small-sized teams every year (Bravely, Star Ocean, Octopath, etc.). Most of them have failed to make bank, as do most AA games out there. Exception vs. the rule and all of that.

SE doesn't want FF to sell 3 million in a couple of months, they'd easily do that with brand recognition alone, regardless of the budget. What they want is that Witcher 3 or Skyrim golden egg goose.

I agree that S-E is trying to chase the 15+ million seller club with their main games, a feat that few games manage to do, but one of the problems of their smaller games is that they usually make them exclusive to one console platform and that, for some weird reason, they go with a "unique" visual style that's not for everybody, shooting themseles in the foot.

Also yes, the size of a studio and how long they've been working on a game are very important metrics to gauge success or failure. Many games are a financial success selling 500k copies, and then there are others that sell 2 million and lose money. It's not a "one size fits all" situation.

Do they? Some are 2D-HD, but the rest are typical anime style like the massively popular Hoyoverse games. They just don't connect with audiences much.

And I agree to the second, I'm just giving you the reason they don't downscale everything to seek higher profits. Also, Japanese labor laws.

There are going to be cases where the 7700XT *should* be faster, it has an extra 16MB of Infinity cache, it has an extra 112GB/s of memory bandwidth (Almost 30% more).

This is not the same as the 9070XT vs 7900GRE where the 7900GRE had less bandwidth, less TDP for boost clocks and more.

I would hope in Ray Tracing the 9060XT would beat the 7700XT, but the 7700XT should have the fillrate for better raster.

I dislike the region-specific hardware releases.
Some china specific stuff is stupidly good value. Like the Radeon GRE series that the entire world should be able to access.