I think Intel will need a bailout or will need to cut fabs completely. Since they are the only us based fabs manufacturer, I think they might get a life boat at some point but currently they are in a world of hurt. Even when they were the best at gaming during zen 1 days, I went with Amd cause of their nonsense practices. So when they are behind but still continue with nonsense practices, certainly won't be buying their cpus.

I am surprised their gpu division hasn't gotten axed yet tho. Hopefully this means they are doing well enough or the shareholders see a lot of potential in them.

I'm not entirely sure if Intel can even spin off their foundries given that keeping them was a big condition for getting the money from Biden's Chips Act. But of course, that was the deal with the old US administration. who knows if the new one will force them to give those billions back if they sell the foundries or if they'll just let them do whatever.

After all, Trump went from wanting the new CEO fired to praise him in 24 or 48 hours, so it's hard to predict what will happen.

25 years ago today, the first ever ATI Radeon GPU was reviewed

https://videocardz.com/newz/25-years-ago-today-the-first-ever-ati-radeon-gpu-was-reviewed

AMD to present product and technology roadmaps at Financial Analyst Day on November 11

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-to-present-product-and-technology-roadmaps-at-financial-analyst-day-on-november-11

NVIDIA keeping ‘one eye open, one eye closed’, Gamers Nexus 3.5-hour documentary on China’s AI GPU black market released

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-keeping-one-eye-open-one-eye-closed-gamers-nexus-3-5-hour-documentary-on-chinas-ai-gpu-black-market-released

NVIDIA hosts “GeForce On Community Update” today, focuses on features and games, not hardware

https://videocardz.com/pixel/nvidia-hosts-geforce-on-community-update-today-focuses-on-features-and-games-not-hardware

NVIDIA’s unreleased RTX TITAN ADA used 6×8-pin to dual 16-Pin adapter for up to 900W

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidias-unreleased-rtx-titan-ada-used-6x8-pin-to-dual-16-pin-adapter-for-up-to-900w

NVIDIA’s Emerging AI Chip Rival in China, Cambricon, Plans to Raise $560 Million to Boost Competition as Beijing Moves to Mandate Homegrown AI Chips For Datacenters

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-ai-chip-rival-in-china-plans-to-raise-560-million-to-boost-competition-as-beijing-moves-to-mandate-homegrown-ai-chips-for-datacenters/

The U.S. AI Datacenter Boom Is So Massive That the Nation’s Power Grid Is In a “Critical Bottleneck” Right Now; Big Tech is Forced to Build Its Power Plants

https://wccftech.com/the-us-ai-datacenter-boom-is-so-massive-that-the-nation-power-grid-is-in-a-critical-bottleneck-right-now/

Microsoft’s “Dark Mode” Could Finally Expand to Windows 11 Legacy Apps Like File Explorer in Upcoming Updates, Fulfilling a Long-Awaited User Request

https://wccftech.com/microsoft-dark-mode-could-finally-expand-to-windows-11-legacy-apps/

Report: Microsoft's latest Windows 11 24H2 update breaks SSDs/HDDs, may corrupt your data

https://www.neowin.net/news/report-microsofts-latest-windows-11-24h2-update-breaks-ssdshdds-may-corrupt-your-data/

NVIDIA Reportedly Drives 27% of SK hynix Revenue in 1H25, Cementing AI Chip Partnership

https://www.trendforce.com/news/2025/08/18/news-nvidia-reportedly-drives-27-of-sk-hynix-revenue-in-1h25-cementing-ai-chip-partnership/

Welcome to another edition of the Monday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Dawn of War: Definitive Edition sold 150,000 copies in its first day
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/dawn-of-war-definitive-edition-sold-150-000-copies-in-its-first-day/
What's the audience like for a light-touch remaster of a 21-year-old RTS? Especially one that's being sold for full price? (Though owners of the original do get a 30% launch discount, to be fair.) Turns out, it's pretty decent. As Relic boasted on Twitter, Dawn of War's remaster sold 150,000 copies in less than 24 hours.
I've been trying to convince people to play Dawn of War for years, but always had to do so with caveats. For starters, the base game needed tweaking to run on modern operating systems, and there were four different versions available thanks to its "expandalone" release model—if you were a fan of a particular army added in a later pack, like the necrons or Sisters of Battle, you'd have to navigate those. If you wanted the best singleplayer campaign then you'd want Dark Crusade, but if you wanted to go hog wild with mods you'd be better off with Soulstorm. And so on.
Having a single version with all the factions and all four campaigns makes things a lot easier for someone looking to get into Dawn of War today. And the relatively minor graphical upgrade means the dialogue scenes still look as goofy as they did in 2004, so you're really getting the OG experience.

GOG starts the week with an Indie Promo, featuring up to 95% discounts during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20250815_indie_promo.

Steam has three new deals and one sales/events:

• Intravenous will be 80% off until Thursday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1486630/Intravenous
• For the 26th Anniversary of the franchise, Legacy of Kain™ Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered is going to be 35% off until August 22: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2521380/Legacy_of_Kain_Soul_Reaver_12_Remastered
• The recently released Soulstone Survivors, that has a demo, will have a 40%$ discount until the 24th of August : https://store.steampowered.com/app/2066020/Soulstone_Survivors
• The sale involves Publisher Mooneye, that celebrates a Gamescom Sale with up to 60% discounts until the August, the 24th: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34003126/sale/mooneyegamescom25

Humble Bundle presents the Table Top Tag Team Bundle with up to 10 games to get during 18 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/table-top-tag-team-dire-wolf-x-marmalade.

And Fanatical has three new 24h Flash Deals:

• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is 48% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/warhammer-40000-space-marine-2
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth has a 65% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/like-a-dragon-infinite-wealth
• And Mail Time is 80% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/mail-time

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

STALKER 2 Animation Toolkit and Character Rig Released, Let’s Players Create or Edit Animations
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/stalker-2-animation-toolkit-and-character-rig-released-lets-players-create-or-edit-animations
Now, here’s something that could really help the STALKER 2 modding community. Modder TheShinyHaxorus has released an animation toolkit and character rig for the game. And, I know. This won’t be a big deal for most players. However, it’s a must-have tool for pretty much all STALKER 2 modders.
This tool will let modders make new animations or change the ones already in the game. It comes with a full character rig for moving and posing, foot pivots, and space switching. It also has a rig for the AK74 with attachments, tools to import and rig weapons, a tool to import animations for editing, and a powerful animation exporter.
I cannot stress enough how important this tool will be for the STALKER 2 community. Moreover, this tool is open-source. Plus, the modder will add more tools, rig improvements, and more weapons in future versions.
>> There is a roughly 1 minute long video about this new toolkit.

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers Mod Restores Uncensored Version
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/wuchang-fallen-feathers-mod-restores-uncensored-version
Last week, Leenzee released Patch 1.5 for WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, which fixed the game’s DLAA/TSR issues, improved knockout recovery, and healing speed. However, that patch also censored the game. Thankfully, though, PC gamers can use a mod to roll back the game to the uncensored 1.4 version.
So, what exactly did Leenzee change? After some backlash, the devs made it so you can’t kill certain bosses and NPCs based on real historical figures. Now, when you beat them, they just collapse from exhaustion instead of dying. Leenzee also added some new dialogue, which slightly changes the game’s story.
Personally, I don’t really care about this. But, if you want to play the original, uncensored version, there is a mod that allows you to roll back to Version 1.4. The bad news here is that you will lose all the tweaks and fixes that the devs introduced in Patch 1.5. So, that’s kind of a bummer.
The good news is that there are mods that fix all of the game’s crucial issues. These mods work with Version 1.4. As such, you can use a mod to improve knockout recovery and increase the speed of using the healing flask. You can also use a mod to fix the Native DLAA/TSR issue. Plus, you can use a mod to speed up the animation when picking up items.
>> The article has no media.

GTA 5 Enhanced Edition Mod Overhauls Euphoria Physics to Feel Like GTA 4, Max Payne 3, and Red Dead Redemption 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/gta-5-enhanced-edition-mod-overhauls-euphoria-physics-to-feel-like-gta-4-max-payne-3-and-red-dead-redemption-2
Modder ‘JohnDiscord’ has released a new mod for GTA 5 Enhanced Edition that aims to overhaul its Euphoria physics. In a way, the modder tried to make the game’s physics feel as advanced as those we got in Max Payne 3 and Red Dead Redemption 2. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
E.R.O Enhanced | Natural Vision Enhanced brings back the car pushing feature from GTA IV. Now, pedestrians won’t just fall down right away when hit by a car. Instead, they will grab onto the doors or bumpers and get dragged along, just like in GTA 4.
Just like in Red Dead Redemption 2, NPCs will now react more realistically when hurt. For example, if you shoot someone in the leg, they’ll try to stay balanced but may eventually fall if the injury is bad enough. A gut shot will make them tense up in pain. And if they’re armed, some may go into a “last stand,” trying to shoot back at you while struggling to stay on their feet.
Running people over now will look more realistic since they don’t just roll over the car right away. Their reactions to impacts also look more natural. Melee fights are improved too, with characters grabbing the spot where they were hit. Explosions will make NPCs try to protect themselves by covering their heads with their hands. On top of that, pushing people is easier now, and they keep their balance better.
In short, this is a really cool mod that a lot of GTA5 fans may find interesting. You can download it from this link. At the end of the article, you can also find a video for it. So, make sure to watch it.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim now supports DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Gen
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-now-supports-dlss-4-multi-frame-gen
Modder ‘PureDark’ has made a new mod for Skyrim: Special Edition. This mod adds support for Intel XeSS 2.1 and NVIDIA DLSS 4. So, if you have an NVIDIA RTX-50 graphics card, you can now use DLSS 4 with Multi-Frame Gen.
From what I know, this is the only mod that lets you enable DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Gen. As said, the mod also adds support for Intel XeSS 2.1. As such, everyone can now use the Intel XeSS Frame Gen, no matter the GPU they have. Again, this is the only game that right now supports Intel XeSS 2.1.
The biggest feature of this mod is the DLSS 4 MFG support. I’m saying this because this is a paid mod. So the main reason to buy it is for DLSS 4 MFG. Yes, it also adds support for AMD FSR 3.1 and Intel XeSS 2.1. However, there’s already a free mod that adds NVIDIA DLSS 3 and AMD FSR 3.1 to the game.
>> This article doesn’t have any media.

GAMING NEWS

Here are 13 minutes of gameplay footage from REANIMAL
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-13-minutes-of-gameplay-footage-from-reanimal
IGN has shared a video showcasing the first 13 minutes of gameplay from REANIMAL. REANIMAL is the new game from the devs behind Little Nightmares I & II. So, if you are a fan of Tarsier Studios, you should definitely check it out.

Swords of Legends might be the next “Black Myth: Wukong”
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/swords-of-legends-might-be-the-next-black-myth-wukong
Aurogon Shanghai has revealed a new action RPG called Swords of Legends. At first glance, it will remind you a lot of Black Myth: Wukong. The game is powered by Unreal Engine 5, and its first gameplay trailer is now available.

STALKER 2 Title Update 1.5.3 Released – Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/stalker-2-title-update-1-5-3-released-full-patch-notes
GSC GameWorld has just released Title Update 1.5.3 for STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new patch brings to the table.

First-person open-world base-building game, StarRupture, hits Steam Early Access in January 2026
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/first-person-open-world-base-building-game-starrupture-hits-steam-early-access-in-january-2026
Creepy Jar has announced its new first-person open-world base-building game, StarRupture. The game will come to Steam Early Access on January 6th, 2026. To celebrate, the team also released the very first gameplay trailer, which you can watch below.

Lost Soul Aside Showcases Arena Powers in New Trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/lost-soul-aside-showcases-arena-powers-in-new-trailer
Sony has released a brand new trailer for Lost Soul Aside. This trailer shows how Arena’s abilities can supercharge your combat potential. So, make sure to watch the trailer if you are interested in it.

Shenmue III Enhanced Edition Announced, Free PC Upgrade Confirmed
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/shenmue-iii-enhanced-edition-announced-free-pc-upgrade-confirmed
ININ Games has just announced and detailed an Enhanced Edition for Shenmue 3. Shenmue III Enhanced Edition will be a free upgrade on PC for those who already own the game. So, let’s see what it brings to the table.

Monday gaming news, part number two:

'Veilguard is 4 games stitched together', says ex-BioWare lead Mark Darrah, and it might've been better to 'shut the project down completely' around 2017
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/dragon-age/veilguard-is-4-games-stitched-together-says-ex-bioware-lead-mark-darrah-and-it-mightve-been-better-to-shut-the-project-down-completely-around-2017/
Mark Darrah's tell-all with YouTuber MrMattyPlays has been doing the rounds—including on the good site PC Gamer—and for great reason. The former BioWare producer seems to've hit a point where he's happy to simply divulge exactly what (he believes) went wrong with BioWare, the dozen little disasters that led to the, at the moment, death of Dragon Age.
In the video below (starting at around 39 minutes), Darrah says he believes Veilguard was "four games stitched together, and you can really see the stitching," a shot before the absolute chaster that is: "assuming that EA was gonna prioritise Anthem over Dragon Age … the one single act that could've made a massive difference to Veilguard would've been to shut the project down completely when I moved on to Anthem."
>> PCGamer keeps milking this interview, like they did last week, with another two articles about how Dragon Age 2 wasn’t Dragon Age Origins 2, and the Stop Killing Games initiative.

Bongo Cat, still one of the biggest games on Steam, gets even bigger with multiplayer: You can now have up to 100 cats on your screen at once, all of them happily bapping away as their owners type
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/bongo-cat-still-one-of-the-biggest-games-on-steam-gets-even-bigger-with-multiplayer-you-can-now-have-up-to-100-cats-on-your-screen-at-once-all-of-them-happily-bapping-away-as-their-owners-type/
Back in April we discovered Bongo Cat, a silly idle game about a cat with a hat who smacks your screen when you type. Silly, but also huge: Bongo Cat was one of the biggest games on Steam at the time, holding the number 12 spot on Steam's most played chart. Four months later it's still riding high on the charts, and earlier this week it got even better—because Bongo Cat is now multiplayer.

I had low expectations for this upcoming FMV 'interactive horror' game, but its hour-long demo turned out to be one of the most entertaining things I've played all year
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/dead-reset-preview/
The first time I encountered the multi-tentacled specimen living in the guts of the anonymous, unconscious woman lying on the operating table, I was genuinely creeped out. It was gooey, pulsating slightly, and clearly on the cusp of doing something startling and very gross. A few minutes later, it did, and it was—and I died horribly.
By the fourth time I laid eyes on the specimen, I was laughing. Not because it was no longer gooey and gross—it was—but because I'd started picking up what FMV "interactive horror movie" Dead Reset was putting down: Alien by way of The Evil Dead, caught up in a Stargate: SG1-style time loop. It's earnest, serious, horrific, and absolutely goofy as shit—and, through the hour-ish runtime of the demo I played, an utter riot.

Battlefield 6 and Valorant's invasive anti-cheats are locked in a turf war
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/battlefield-6-and-valorants-invasive-anti-cheats-are-locked-in-a-turf-war/
The girlies are fighting. And by girlies, I am of course referring to invasive anti-cheat solutions vying for territory at the deepest levels of your PC.
We are firmly in the age of kernel-level anti-cheat, a reality demonstrated last week when some Battlefield 6 beta players were restricted from playing until they uninstalled a conflicting bit of software called "Valorant."
(...)
Both anti-cheats are so aggressive in their cheat-countering tactics that they butt heads when trying to do the same thing. As Tom's Hardware's Hassam Nasir elegantly put it: "[Vanguard] basically impersonates Windows by inserting itself into the OS’s low-level dispatch paths and memory management in a way few other commercial drivers do. And this is where it collides with other games: kernel-level anti-cheats can’t easily share control."
>> They cite a Tom’s Hardware article detailing the clash of both systems.

'It is straight up junk': Fan favorite mode Rush is going down like a lead balloon in the Battlefield 6 beta
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/it-is-straight-up-junk-fan-favorite-mode-rush-is-going-down-like-a-lead-balloon-in-the-battlefield-6-beta/
What have they done to my beautiful boy? Rush, one of the greatest modes of Battlefields past, is a total bust in the Battlefield 6 beta. Its debut is going down so poorly with fans that Battlefield Studios should seriously consider going back to the drawing board.

'The Day Before 2?': Everyone is skeptical about this survival game promising a map five times the size of DayZ and 5,000 players per server
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/the-day-before-2-everyone-is-skeptical-about-this-survival-game-promising-a-map-five-times-the-size-of-dayz-and-5-000-players-per-server/
Survival game fans are an eternally hopeful lot. We're always on the lookout for the next great open world sandbox offering up a new survival experience. Your game has base-building? Crafting? Exploring? Survival systems? You've already got our attention.
But we're a wary group, too. We've been burned far too many times in the past.
That explains the mostly skeptical reaction to the new trailer for CrisisX you can see above (via IGN), a free-to-play open world survival game from HK Hero Entertainment. The trailer shows a bunch of survival-ish things happening, like tree-chopping, base-building, zombie shooting, and PvP combat with other players, though none of it looks particularly interesting. Its Steam page also makes some big promises, like a 1200x1200 km map (about five times the size of DayZ's Chernarus) and support for 5,000 players on a single server.

As the legal debate between Subnautica 2's publisher and former studio execs rages, the original game and its spinoff quietly receive small patches and big discounts
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/as-the-legal-debate-between-subnautica-2s-publisher-and-former-studio-execs-rages-the-original-game-and-its-spinoff-quietly-receive-small-patches-and-big-discounts/
Subnautica 2 has become one of the year's most talked-about games, albeit for reasons I don't think anybody wanted. A big legal brouhaha has developed in the wake of publisher Krafton abruptly dismissing the entire leadership team of Subnautica 2's developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment.
(...)
It's all very messy and unpleasant, with Unknown Worlds caught in the middle of it all as it continues to work on the sequel. And not just the sequel, apparently, as the original game and its spinoff Below Zero have quietly received new patches.

The sequel to Half-Life modding classic Pirates, Vikings & Knights quietly hit 1.0 after nearly 18 years of development: 'It's been over 6,500 days since PVK2 was unleashed'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-sequel-to-half-life-modding-classic-pirates-vikings-and-knights-quietly-hit-1-0-after-nearly-18-years-of-development-its-been-over-6-500-days-since-pvk2-was-unleashed/
Well, here's a cannon blast from the past. Pirates, Vikings & Knights 2 hit 1.0 on Steam while nobody was looking. What's that? You don't remember Pirates, Vikings & Knights 2? Don't blame yourself. There's a reasonable chance you weren't born when it first set sail into the freshly pixel-shaded waters of Half-Life 2 modding.

Sea of Thieves' latest update slips The Smugglers' League in through the back door, offering high-risk, high-reward voyages for the most daring pirates
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/sea-of-thieves-latest-update-slips-the-smugglers-league-in-through-the-back-door-offering-high-risk-high-reward-voyages-for-the-most-daring-pirates/
Season 17 of Sea of Thieves has sailed silently into port, using the moonless night as cover while it unloads its contraband cargo of new features. The latest iteration of Rare's multiplayer pirate sim introduces The Smugglers League, a furtive new faction that operates from six secret hideouts dotted across the game's treacherous archipelago, offering players the chance to acquire some valuable new booty in numerous ways.

I played this free, 15-minute claymation horror game about examining an ancient idol in the morning while the birds were chirping, and it still scared me more than anything I've played in years
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/i-played-this-free-15-minute-claymation-horror-game-about-examining-an-ancient-idol-in-the-morning-while-the-birds-were-chirping-and-it-still-scared-me-more-than-anything-ive-played-in-years/
By the end of my brief time playing The Children of Clay, a free horror game available on Steam, I had taken my headphones off and was holding myself away from the screen as I selected each action. It was a bright and cheery morning around 11 AM, the sun was shining, my coffee warm, and I was freaked the hell out.

The First Descendant is using AI ads with weird digital clones of actual streamers
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/the-first-descendant-is-using-ai-ads-with-weird-digital-clones-of-actual-streamers/
If you've scrolled past an ad on TikTok for Nexon's gooner-looter-shooter The First Descendant you might not have noticed it was made by AI. But if you watch one of them for more than a second, you'll probably figure it out. Each one features an AI streamer rambling about the new boss Wall Crasher and maybe the Nier: Automata crossover while doing an odd headbob that I assume is supposed to make their rubber faces look more excited and emphatic. (The way one of them pronounces "Automata" sounds ridiculous, but has probably been trained on real people struggling to say it.)

Starship Troopers: Extermination implements a 'total overhaul' to its spawning system, adding a Left 4 Dead style AI director: 'We realized that our original spawning system, while functional, was starting to show its limit'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/starship-troopers-extermination-implements-a-total-overhaul-to-its-spawning-system-adding-a-left-4-dead-style-ai-director-we-realized-that-our-original-spawning-system-while-functional-was-starting-to-show-its-limit/
Starship Troopers: Extermination has always had a bit of "we have Helldivers 2 at home" energy; ironic considering how much Helldivers 2 channels the tone and ideas of the Paul Verhoeven film Extermination is based upon. While I enjoyed Offworld's large-scale, team-based multiplayer in my Starship Troopers: Extermination review, it was a frequently uneven experience beset by technical issues and the wrong kind of bugs.
Nonetheless, I've kept one eye on it since it launched last October, and its latest update sounds pretty nifty. Described by Offworld as "one of our biggest updates yet" patch 1.6 brings some major technical and mechanical changes to Extermination's cooperative arachnid-blasting.

SnowRunner dev's latest vehicle sim lets you channel your inner Frank Sobotka by managing a struggling port
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/snowrunner-devs-latest-vehicle-sim-lets-you-channel-your-inner-frank-sobotka-by-managing-a-struggling-port/
I recently finished rewatching all of the Wire, and on reflection I think Season 2 is my favourite of five. This is in large part due to the tragic character of Frank Sobotka, the stevedore and union leader driven into the arms of organised crime as he struggles to keep his workers paid and Baltimore's ailing trade port afloat.
While it's unlikely that Docked will be as thematically complex as one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows of all time, it does lump you with a similar challenge as poor ol' Frank. This latest entry in Saber Interactive's fleet of vehicle simulators puts you in the role of a longshoreman tasked with rebuilding and expanding a struggling dockyard. In this case, your problems aren't caused by economic tides, but by a recent hurricane that has battered your port.

Homeworld 3 developer acquires the rights to its superior previous game about salvaging spaceships, with 'multiple' new projects in the works
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/homeworld-3-developer-acquires-the-rights-to-its-superior-previous-game-about-salvaging-spaceships-with-multiple-new-projects-in-the-works/
Homeworld 3 developer Blackbird Interactive has announced it has acquired the full rights to its previous game Hardspace: Shipbreaker, which saw players deconstructing decommissioned spaceships and recycling their parts for profit.

And here comes the inevitable part three of today’s gaming news:

Rainbow Six Siege X is going absolutely bananas with laser tripwires next season
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/rainbow-six-siege-x-is-going-absolutely-bananas-with-laser-tripwires-next-season/
Now that the launch of Rainbow Six Siege X is behind us, Ubisoft is back to releasing new operators at a steady clip. The first new op of the Siege X era is Denari, a Swiss defender with laser traps so flexible that Aruni must be green with jealousy.

One of the devs behind System Shock and Thief wants to see more games catering to 'a new generation of folks discovering the game that demands more from them'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/one-of-the-devs-behind-system-shock-and-thief-wants-to-see-more-games-catering-to-a-new-generation-of-folks-discovering-the-game-that-demands-more-from-them/
In a recent interview on Nightdive Studios' Deep Dive podcast, former Looking Glass Studios programmer Marc LeBlanc talked about how he sees the System Shock Remake's success as proof that there is an audience for games that challenge their players' critical thinking and ingenuity, and that he hopes to see more developers respond to that in the future.

Actor Terence Stamp, who played General Zod in Superman and Mankar Camoran in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, has died
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/actor-terence-stamp-who-played-general-zod-in-superman-and-mankar-camoran-in-the-elder-scrolls-4-oblivion-has-died/
As reported by the BBC, the family of Terence Stamp has confirmed that the actor died on Sunday morning at the age of 87. In Stamp's long and illustrious career, the actor had some notable videogame performances, including the Prophet of Truth in Halo, and Mankar Camoran in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion.
>> I have a question for you all: what do you think about these articles? Should I keep posting them or should I limit them to only the deaths of game developers.

My favorite new desktop buddy on Steam is a cat that goes fishing
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/my-favorite-new-desktop-buddy-on-steam-is-a-cat-that-goes-fishing/
Cats like fish, which is a stereotypical gag kind of thing but also true because I imagine most carnivores like fish. Anyway, what if a cat was named Fischer and it liked to go fishing and that was it, that was the whole thing? If you like that as much as I do then probably you will also like the idea of Fischer's Fishing Journey,

The deeply simulated roguelike strangeness of Caves of Qud won this year's Hugo Award for Best Game or Interactive Work
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-deeply-simulated-roguelike-strangeness-of-caves-of-qud-won-this-years-hugo-award-for-best-game-or-interactive-work/
The Hugo Awards: they're not just for science-fiction novels that make you think "I should read that one day" and never do. Now they've got an interactive category, so once a year you can be told how excellent one more videogame is, think "I should play that one day," and then never get around to that either.
This year the winner of the Best Game or Interactive Work category is Caves of Qud, a game we gave a score of 94% to back in December so you can keep that "if it's so good how come I've never heard of it" comment to yourself.

Disney Dreamlight Valley's newest update includes an Inside Out-themed realm, 2 characters, and a retro Star Path
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/disney-dreamlight-valleys-newest-update-includes-an-inside-out-themed-realm-2-characters-and-a-retro-star-path/
A new developer update uploaded to YouTube has detailed Disney Dreamlight Valley's upcoming update, Emotional Rescue, which is set to arrive on August 20 with a new realm, two characters to invite to your valley, a fresh Star Path, and a number of new features to make valley life a little bit more streamlined. It's worth starting to save up your Dreamlight now, as these new valleys don't exactly come cheap.

EA's new Skate game will have live service seasons, and I'm trying not to let that Fortnite-type dread get to me
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/eas-new-skate-game-will-have-live-service-seasons-and-im-trying-not-to-let-that-fortnite-type-dread-get-to-me/
EA's Skate series was one of my childhood favourites (...)
Which is why I started out hyped for Skate 4 (or just "skate.") and have gradually become wearier and wearier as time has gone on. EA's latest blog, unfortunately dubbed The Grind, hasn't helped matters much.
When it comes to customisation, the blog mercifully promises that "there's a lot to unlock by simply playing the game and earning rewards" via "Rip Chips", the game's freemium currency earned by completing challenges. But there'll also be a "skate.Pass"—we truly are just throwing out all punctuation rules, huh—and a seasonal structure, which EA plans to have on a rotation every three months. Details will be coming up in the next grind, but the new Skate'll have all the live service trimmings we've all come to loathe.

Peak devs admit they've been speaking through Bing Bong, but not anymore: 'Anyone claiming that the devs are joining them through Bing Bong, or any other way, they are full of sh*t'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/peak-devs-admit-theyve-been-speaking-through-bing-bong-but-not-anymore-anyone-claiming-that-the-devs-are-joining-them-through-bing-bong-or-any-other-way-they-are-full-of-sh-t/
There's an incredibly high chance that the moment you started a run in Peak for the first time, you immediately ran to a strange green plush known as Bing Bong, which survived the plane crash. If you're anything like me, this then continued to happen each run until you realised that bag space was super valuable and you didn't want a plushie taking up room for items that would inevitably save you later down the line.
Even after being thrown off the side of a mountain time and time again, Bing Bong became an icon for Peak, and ended up giving some players a pretty wild experience at the start.
(...)
At long last though, in a reel posted to the Aggro Crab social media pages, the process of "Bing Bonging" people has finally been explained. As it turns out, the devs were in fact joining games and talking to players through the plush. If you were publicly sharing your game, such as through a livestream, the devs could join through the plush and talk back to you. Which probably explains why I never got the response I was looking for in a private game and just seemed a bit unstable confiding in a random plush I'd just pulled from a plane crash.

Here's how to watch all the announcements and world premieres at the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2025
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/heres-how-to-watch-all-the-announcements-and-world-premieres-at-the-future-games-show-at-gamescom-2025/
When it comes to Gamescom, there are two kinds of people. The first: the event's haggard attendees, who arrive in droves to hack through throngs of cosplayers and stand in three-hour queues. The second: people who elect to hang out at home instead and let all the news come to them. Canny.
If you're in the latter camp, then guess what? The Future Games Show at Gamescom is returning this Wednesday, August 20 at 11 am PT, 2 pm ET, 7 pm BST and 8 pm CEST. It'll be a 90-minute extravaganza (way more vaganza than is typical) with world premieres, exclusives, and stealth demo drops. You know, all the stuff you tune into Gamescom for. The show will feature games like Skate, Resident Evil: Requiem, Blood of Dawnwalker, and plenty else besides.

Rage was a more baddass name, but given how things have gone, ATI could have chosen a much worse name.

Well, happy anniversary, Radeon. 

That connector is so ridiculous! I hope they never make a gaming GPU that needs it.

I wonder how serious is China about that mandate, more so with all the Nvidia GPUs smuggling that they do nothing about.

I'm not from the US and I've been hearing about the US electrical grid problem for so many years that it's incredible that they've done nothing about it. Then again, it's the US , I don't know why I'm surprised that they haven't done anything about it.  

One step forward, two steps back. What'f the problem with MSoft and the storage? Last year the 24H2 update made NVMe drives without DRAM not work, and now they launch this.

Win 11 may not be the worst Windows version, but it feels like it's the one MSoft has broken more times with their updates

I had the ATI Rage Furry Maxx at one point, single board, dual GPU... They were fairly potent, able to beat the Geforce 256 SDR in Quake 3.

On another note... I tried to pull up some reviews from Anandtechs website... And they finally shut the entire place down, now directs to the forums and not the great content.
And this also means for older reviews, information and data... Just got a little harder to obtain.

Yeah I saw what happened to Anandtech a few days ago. A shame, and more so given that they said they would keep the site up for all the data it had. But I guess they never said they'ld keep it up forever.

At least we still have the internet archive/wayback machine.

Yeah, Tom's Hardware and Anandtech used to be go to sites for hardware reviews back in days, especially Anandtech which was one of the first (if not the first) that went deep into architectures in their reviews...