And here’s part three of the gaming news:

Romero Games is not closed: 'We are doing everything in our power to ensure that it does not come to that'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/romero-games-is-not-closed-we-are-doing-everything-in-our-power-to-ensure-that-it-does-not-come-to-that/
Romero Games, whose in-development shooter was cancelled last week in the wake of (but not necessarily as a result of, more on that later) the major layoffs at Microsoft, has issued a statement on social media clarifying that it is not closed down, and that "we are doing everything in our power to ensure that it does not come to that."

Farming Simulator 25 finally figures out what the rest of us already knew: you gotta have some fishing in your farming game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/farming-simulator-25-finally-figures-out-what-the-rest-of-us-already-knew-you-gotta-have-some-fishing-in-your-farming-game/
Those pounding footsteps you hear approaching from the distance? That's Giants Software, makers of Farming Simulator 25. They're finally catching up with the rest of us.
Ask any virtual farmer what they like to do when they're not planting seeds or harvesting crops, and the answer is inevitably: "fishing." From Stardew Valley to Valheim and everything in between, there's a cardinal rule when it comes to videogames: if you can plant a crop, you can catch a fish. That's exactly how games should be.
(...)
So at long last, Farming Simulator 25 is getting a fishing expansion, called Highlands Fishing. And since Farming Simulator gonna Farming Simulator, you will not be shocked to learn you won't just be catching fish, you'll be growing them from scratch on your farm. It's called aquaculture (apparently).

Borderlands 4 certainly looks like it's taking its story more seriously: 'We wanted to go back to this sense of dread about the villain of our game'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/borderlands-4-certainly-looks-like-its-taking-its-story-more-seriously-we-wanted-to-go-back-to-this-sense-of-dread-about-the-villain-of-our-game/
I'm downright curious about Borderlands 4—having played most entrants in the series, it's been interesting to see it mostly capture a good narrative essence with Borderlands 2, then spend the rest of its library uh… not doing that. Which is why this sequel's been intriguing to me, given promises the game'll be cutting back on "toilet humor" and irreverent meme culture.
A recent story explainer in Beyond the Borderlands #2 looks like it's delivering on that promise. And while I went in skeptical, I can't help admitting that I'm kinda sold.

Marvel Rivals digs its heels into the gooner dirt as it reveals five new swimsuit skins, giving the people what they want: Punisher in a Speedo
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/marvel-rivals-digs-its-heels-into-the-gooner-dirt-as-it-reveals-five-new-swimsuit-skins-giving-the-people-what-they-want-punisher-in-a-speedo/
Summer's here, and you know what that means: swimsuit skins, swimsuit skins everywhere. And this year, Marvel Rivals is coming out swinging with five new skins, all of which look amazing and are just as scandalous as you'd expect from NetEase.

'Knowing Steam players are hoarders explains why you give Valve that 30%,' analyst tells devs: 'You get access to a bunch of drunken sailors who spend money irresponsibly'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/knowing-steam-players-are-hoarders-explains-why-you-give-valve-that-30-percent-analyst-tells-devs-you-get-access-to-a-bunch-of-drunken-sailors-who-spend-money-irresponsibly/
Hold up folks: games industry analyst Chris Zukowski has cracked it, and knows exactly what you're all like. Nothing but a bunch of hoardy hoarders! Yes I'm looking at YOU with your huge Steam library, bulked-out greedily during every big sale, and which you've only ever played half of (and that's being generous). The truth… is in there.
(...)
Zukowski reckons that's just not the issue: "The reason Steam makes indies so much money compared to all the other platforms is that they have built up an audience that is full of super die-hard hobbyists… Basically, hobbyists buy stuff not because they actually want to consume it, but because they are collecting it."
>> Mandatory quote.

192GB of RAM... *head explodes*

You'll have a hard time finding a monitor that fills all those requests, yes. The closer I got from a quick glance was the iiyama G-Master G4380UHSU, but it's 43" and "old" (from 2022, meaning no proper HDR and HDMI 2.0 & DP 1.4). You may have to look into TVs at that size.

We really need some other company to make serious competition to TSMC, their prices are really going through the roof since 2020.

Wouldn't a 9070 make more sense or do you need some NVidia features?

Or are you just talking about 192GB RAM here?

He is just talking about ram saying that amount of ram cost the same as a 5070.

I wonder if much would change, it's not like their profit-to-revenue ratio has increased massively (~20%) in the past 15 years (though doubtless the increase is heavier at the cutting edge). To a large extent, these nodes are truly expensive to develop and manufacture.

JEDEC unveils LPDDR6 memory standard with boosts for AI, mobile and edge devices

https://videocardz.com/press-release/jedec-unveils-lpddr6-memory-standard-with-boosts-for-ai-mobile-and-edge-devices

ASUS teases ‘special’ GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card launching August 19, ROG MATRIX 5090 incoming?

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-teases-special-geforce-rtx-5090-graphics-card-launching-august-19-rog-matrix-5090-incoming

Windows Reinstall Master scam software hits Chinese computers demanding $13 fee to unlock PC

https://videocardz.com/newz/windows-reinstall-master-scam-software-hits-chinese-computers-demanding-13-fee-to-unlock-pc

What’s Happening at Intel? A Deep Dive Into How Strategic Sacrifices Under CEO Lip-Bu Tan Aim to Bring the Company Back to Its Former Glory

https://wccftech.com/whats-happening-at-intel-a-deep-dive-into-how-sacrifices-under-ceo-lip-bu-tan-are-shaping-the-future/

AMD Shimada Peak Flagship Threadripper Pro 9995WX Goes Head To Head With 7995WX On Geekbench; Gets Listed At A US Retailer As Well

https://wccftech.com/amd-threadripper-pro-9950wx-makes-world-record-at-geekbench/

NVIDIA’s AI Chips Are “The New Gold And Oil,” Says Investment Bank As Firm Briefly Crosses $4 Trillion Market Value

https://wccftech.com/nvidias-ai-chips-are-the-new-gold-and-oil-says-investment-bank-as-firm-briefly-crosses-4-trillion-market-value/

Here come the gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Like I did yesterday with GOG, here’s a gentle reminder that the Steam Summer Sale will end in 26 hours.

The Humble Store has The Division Franchise Sale, with up to 85% discounts during 4 days. The keys are for UbiConnect: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/the-divison-franchise-sale/.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Duke Nukem: Horror Castle Released – Includes 8 Levels, 24 Enemies, 4 New Weapons, and More
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/duke-nukem-horror-castle-released-includes-8-levels-24-enemies-4-new-weapons-and-more/
Modder WilliamGee has released a new total conversion mod for Duke Nukem 3D, called Duke Nukem: Horror Castle. So, let’s take a closer look at it, shall we?
Duke Nukem: Horror Castle features 8 levels, 24 new enemies (including a new Boss), and 4 new enemies. Players can also expect shrinkable DN3D mini bosses, so that they can shrink them and stomp them. There are also new health and ammo items, as well as new effects.
And that’s not all. Players will be able to smash skulls open to eat their brains for health. They can also shoot skeletons to wake them up.
>> The article has an over 5 minutes video.

Oblivion Remastered got a new stealth-driven artifact questline mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/oblivion-remastered-got-a-new-stealth-driven-artifact-questline-mod/
Oblivion fans, here’s something cool for you. Modder Pandreya has released a new quest mod called Sinister Relics. This mod is all about stealth and cursed items. Players will sneak around and secretly place cursed items on NPCs without them knowing. And, since it adds new and free content to the game, it’s definitely worth checking out.
In Sinister Relics, players will join a secret imperial faction. They will ascend through cryptic ranks and wield relics of chaos across multiple quests with evolving journals and custom enchanted gear.
Here’s a closer look at what the mod offers. In Sinister Relics, you’ll be able to sneak cursed items onto NPCs and watch strange things happen. You’ll join a secret Imperial group and rise through seven custom ranks. As you level up, you’ll earn a full set of Ciphersteel armor that gets better over time. The quests in this mod have multiple parts and include stealth, puzzles, and tough choices. You’ll also fight enemies that use unique tricks, like silence magic or chaos powers.
And that’s not all. In this mod, you’ll meet interesting characters like Serina Varro and Aranos Liric, who have lots of cool dialogue. You’ll also get a living journal that grows as you learn more about the cursed relics and what they do. There are special quests and relics with custom stories, and you can find unique items like the Voltagrim staff. Best of all, everything fits perfectly with the Oblivion Remastered world and lore.
>> The article has no media.

The Unforgiven is a fully-voiced fan expansion for Fallout: New Vegas
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-unforgiven-is-a-fully-voiced-standalone-fan-expansion-for-fallout-new-vegas/
Modder Autistic Harmonica has released a fully-voiced fan expansion for Fallout: New Vegas called The Unforgiven. This mod adds a lot of new free content to the game. So, if you are still playing Fallout: New Vegas, you should definitely try it out.
The Unforgiven adds lots of cool new stuff to Fallout: New Vegas. You’ll get 12 new quests, a brand-new town, and over 20 new characters. There are also new weapons, armor, opening and ending cutscenes, and three different endings depending on your choices. The story has a western theme, but it still lets you roleplay in many different ways. You’ll go on a big adventure filled with outlaws, bounty hunters, tribes, bears, justice, hate, revenge, and redemption.
To get started, go to the new notice board right outside the NCR Embassy gate. Click on the wanted poster to begin the first quest. At the end of that quest, you’ll have to choose: either kill a certain NPC or leave the area. If you want to see most of the new content, it’s best to leave the area. To keep playing the mod, go back to the same notice board. Depending on what you chose earlier, you might see special new events after you finish the main story.
>> There’s a shorter than 2 minutes video of the mod.

Call Of The Deep is a fully voiced DLC-sized mod for Skyrim SE
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/call-of-the-deep-is-a-fully-voiced-dlc-sized-mod-for-skyrim-se/
Modder arminZX12 has released a new fully voiced quest mod for Skyrim Special Edition, called Call Of The Deep. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
Call Of The Deep is said to be a complete experience. The mod comes with a full quest, dialogue scenes, new weapons and spells, unique enemies and bosses, and even a beautiful house built on the ocean floor. In other words, this is what you’d expect from a fan expansion or a DLC-sized mod.
This mod has a story-based quest with full voice lines and choices that change the outcome. There are two different endings, depending on what you decide. It also gives you a cool underwater home to live in, with new decorations and fun rooms to explore. Plus, you get a custom follower to join you on your adventure.
The quest begins when you enter any city. A courier will give you a letter from Calcelmo. In the letter, he asks you to look into the strange disappearance of a colleague who went searching for R’lyend, a lost underwater Dwemer city. As you investigate, you’ll explore ancient ruins deep under the Sea of Ghosts. These ruins hide old secrets. You’ll solve tricky puzzles, avoid deadly traps, and face scary sea monsters hiding in the dark water.
>> There’s a well over 20 minutes video in this article.

GAMING NEWS

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Patch 36.2 Fully Detailed, Launches on July 9th
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/pubg-battlegrounds-patch-36-2-fully-detailed-launches-on-july-9th/
PUBG Corporation has detailed Patch 36.2 for PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, which will come out on PC on July 9th. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table.

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon Patch v1.06a Adds Shader Preloading, Upgrades Game to Unity 6000.0.51f
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/tainted-grail-the-fall-of-avalon-patch-v1-06a-adds-shader-preloading-upgrades-game-to-unity-6000-0-51f/
Questline has released Patch v1.06a for Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon which finally implements shader preloading. As such, the game should now have fewer hitches and stutters while playing it. This was one of my biggest issues with the game. So, it’s good to see the devs finally addressing it.

Konami shares a new gameplay clip for Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/konami-shares-a-new-gameplay-clip-for-metal-gear-solid-3-remake/
Konami has just shared a new gameplay clip for the Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. In this short clip, we see Big Boss fighting enemies while wearing the special “Battle Dress (PW ver.)” from the Sneaking DLC Pack. This outfit is made for defense and helps him take a lot less damage during battles.

War Thunder Gets Path Traced Global Illumination & Frame Gen
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/war-thunder-gets-path-traced-global-illumination-frame-gen/
Gaijin Entertainment has announced that War Thunder now supports Path Traced Global Illumination (PTGI), which makes the lighting in the game look much better. The game also supports Frame Generation for NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR, and Intel XeSS. This means War Thunder should look better and run more smoothly.

PvPvE shooter STEEL HUNTERS is canceled just 3 months after its Steam Early Access launch
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/pvpve-shooter-steel-hunters-is-canceled-just-3-months-after-its-steam-early-access-launch/
Wargaming, the team behind World of Tanks, launched a new free-to-play shooter called STEEL HUNTERS in April 2025. But after only three months, they’ve decided to shut it down. That’s right. Even though the game was still in Early Access, it’s already been canceled.

The second part of the gaming news:

Sci-fi horror game Routine just came back to life for the 2nd time in 13 years: 'We are beginning to approach the finish line'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/sci-fi-horror-game-routine-just-came-back-to-life-for-the-2nd-time-in-13-years-we-are-beginning-to-approach-the-finish-line/
Remember Steam Greenlight? That was the user-voting system Valve briefly implemented to judge whether or not it would let a game release on its platform, before it just gave up and decided it'd put up what-the-hell-ever if you tossed it a hundred bucks.
Greenlight wasn't long for this world, but one of its earliest success stories—one of the games that ginned up enough popularity with voters to guarantee itself a spot on the storefront—was Routine: moon-base horror filtered through the hazy, VHS-y lens of '70s sci-fi. It looked great, won over a bunch of Greenlight voters, got a 2017 release window (after an initial 2013 release window), then vanished off the face of the Earth.
Which was a shame. Then, out of nowhere in 2022, Routine was back. Re-revealed at Summer Game Fest, it looked as cool as ever and promised to wow us in the near future. Then it disappeared again.
Which was, um, which was a shame. But guess what? Routine is back! In a post on Steam, the three-dev team at Lunar Software said that a "huge undertaking" like this meant "it was important to keep our heads down and focus entirely on finishing." Thus, the radio silence.

World of Warcraft: The War Within's last major patch before Midnight drops early August, and it's time to go into space again
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/world-of-warcraft-the-war-withins-last-major-patch-before-midnight-drops-early-august-and-its-time-to-go-into-space-again/
World of Warcraft: The War Within is in its home stretch, as Blizzard starts prepping for the next step in its trio of announced expansions, Midnight. Arriving August 5, Ghosts of K'aresh will very, very likely be the last major content update before the expansion hits.
While the official blog doesn't state this, all signs point towards it. Blizzard's already stated it's doing slightly shorter, content-dense expansions, we know Midnight'll be getting revealed before the summer's over. This patch is also explicitly the end of The War Within's story—referred to directly as a climax.

Space Invaders creator recalls building arcade games with mirrors, making a prototype console that never saw release, and how short-sighted Taito's sales team was about videogames: 'These things will never sell'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/space-invaders-creator-recalls-building-arcade-games-with-mirrors-creating-a-prototype-console-that-never-saw-release-and-how-short-sighted-taitos-sales-team-was-about-videogames-these-things-will-never-sell/
Time Extension has a new interview with Tomohiro Nishikado, the designer known for his long career at Taito and in particular the creation of Space Invaders. The 1978 arcade game has a good case for being the single most famous videogame ever, and upon release became a craze and phenomenon (a popular urban legend claimed it caused a shortage of Japan's 100-yen coin), swiftly becoming the best-selling arcade game of all time and cultural icon.

After 3 years of trying, Lord of the Rings Online's 'Great Hobbit Run' ends in confused success as a mob of low-level players gets lost inside Mount Doom and decides it's close enough: 'Sauron can kiss my butt!'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/after-3-years-of-trying-lord-of-the-rings-onlines-great-hobbit-run-ends-in-confused-success-as-a-mob-of-low-level-players-gets-lost-inside-mount-doom-and-decides-its-close-enough-sauron-can-kiss-my-butt/
The Great Hobbit Run is a Lord of the Rings Online tradition based on a simple premise: What if, instead of adventures and experience and becoming the savior of Middle-earth, a bunch of newbies just showed up at Chez Bilbo and then booked it straight to Mount Doom? It sounds like a terrible idea, at least in the very serious in-fiction context of saving the world from enslavement to evil. But as a silly good time in a very long-in-the-tooth MMO, it actually seems pretty great.

After 15 years of busted marksdwarves, Dwarf Fortress creator Tarn Adams says archers will finally refill their ammo 'instead of leaping over walls and clubbing people with their crossbows'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/after-15-years-of-busted-marksdwarves-dwarf-fortress-creator-tarn-adams-says-archers-will-finally-refill-their-ammo-instead-of-leaping-over-walls-and-clubbing-people-with-their-crossbows/
As a longtime Dwarf Fortress devotee, the last few years of DF development have felt like a wonder. For most of the procedural fantasy sim's history, there could be years between updates as development progress was subject to the circumstances affecting the Adams brothers' lives and attention.
Since joining with Kitfox Games for the Steam release and hiring on additional developers, however, Bay 12 Games is now expanding its simulation's scope at an unprecedented pace. It's even able to address bugs that have been tormenting players for 15 years.
In a YouTube video published yesterday, Dwarf Fortress co-creator Tarn Adams spoke about a DF update that landed at the very end of June to bring a change that, to any Dwarf Fort veteran, sounded like a miracle: Marksdwarves actually work now.

John Wick Hex and Tron Catalyst dev Mike Bithell thinks licensed games have evolved past 'lunchbox tie-ins' because 'the people who played licensed games are now bosses in the companies that are licensing IP'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/john-wick-hex-and-tron-catalyst-dev-mike-bithell-thinks-licensed-games-have-evolved-past-lunchbox-tie-ins-because-the-people-who-played-licensed-games-are-now-bosses-in-the-companies-that-are-licensing-ip/
Speaking to Bithell Games founder Mike Bithell on the release of the studio's latest game, Tron: Catalyst, I had to get his take on the current state of licensed games. The days of every movie getting a PS2 tie-in have long past, and we seem to have settled into a new era of smaller-scale spin-offs like those made by Bithell, and monster triple-A projects like Insomniac's Spider-Men.

For the next 2 weeks Destiny 2 is completely free to play, even the stuff you normally have to pay for
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/for-the-next-2-weeks-destiny-2-is-completely-free-to-play-even-the-stuff-you-normally-have-to-pay-for/
Destiny 2 is free to play so you can unleash your divine genocide of alien races at anytime without spending a dime, but naturally some pretty big parts of the game are locked behind expansions that cost money.
For the next two weeks, though, you can see everything it has to offer thanks to the newly-started "open access," which makes "all currently available Destiny 2 expansions," along with all three currently available Destiny 2 Episodes, free to play for everyone.

FromSoftware scrambles for content to keep Elden Ring Nightreign players interested as it announces the return of the first three Everdark Nightlords
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/fromsoftware-scrambles-for-content-to-keep-elden-ring-nightreign-players-interested-as-it-announces-the-return-of-the-first-three-everdark-nightlords/
Ok, so Elden Ring Nightreign players have beaten all the Nightlords, they've come to the end of the Remembrance quests, and everyone's running through the few Everdark bosses we've released so far. How do we keep the remaining players interested? We could, hear me out now, make them fight the first three Everdark bosses again? Genius, someone give this person a raise.
"From the Night, familiar terrors rise anew," FromSoftware says in a social media post. "The Everdark Sovereigns' Gaping Jaw, Sentient Pest & Darkdrift Knight Nightlords will come back in pairs over the next three weeks."

The Last of Us Part 2 has a 'chronological mode' now, in case you wanted to play through a story with all the finesse of a Wikipedia plot summary
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/the-last-of-us-part-2-has-a-chronological-mode-now-in-case-you-wanted-to-play-through-a-story-with-all-the-finesse-of-a-wikipedia-plot-summary/
One of the most powerful tools in any writer's box is the complete mastery they have over time. While real life trudges along in a doldrum routine of cause and effect, stories can arrange their happenings however they'd like. Storytellers have spent centuries finding and developing effective structures. Naughty Dog, however, has better plans. Plans that I am about to be entirely too crotchety about. Nevertheless:
(...)
Introducing the cure to what ails ye: The Last of Us Part 2 "Chronological Experience", a truly baffling alternate mode recently released for the remastered version of the game on both PC and PS5.

Ready or Not's review bomb campaign may have been short-lived, as player count subsequently doubles on Steam and it tops PlayStation's pre-order list
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/ready-or-nots-review-bomb-campaign-may-have-been-short-lived-as-player-count-subsequently-doubles-on-steam-and-it-tops-playstations-pre-order-list/
Ready or Not, the gritty, realistic SWAT experience, is currently sat at Mostly Negative on Steam, as players gathered to protest changes made to adhere to stricter console standards over the last couple of weeks. But despite all the angry reviews and comments, it doesn't look like Ready or Not has suffered any lasting damage.

*** NEW COMPETITION ***

CPS PC Cooler x TechPowerUp Giveaway: Case and Coolers Up for Grabs!
https://www.techpowerup.com/338731/cps-pc-cooler-x-techpowerup-giveaway-case-and-coolers-up-for-grabs
or https://www.techpowerup.com/contests/pc-cooler-x-techpowerup-0725

The prizes are:

• 1x DT360 AIO with ARGB Display
• 2x C3 T500 ARGB Case
• 3x RT400 or RT400 Digital CPU Cooler

The competition is GLOBAL.

Good luck!