My old RX 580 was a good GPU that appreciated.

Bought it for something like $300 AUD and sold it for $800 AUD during the Crypto boom, which paid for the RX 6600XT which was $800 at the time.
Doubled my performance for free.

Now the value has dropped out and it's down to $100-$200.

Sometimes you need to play the market.

I have a pair of identical 3DFX Voodoo 2 12MB cards that I could probably score over $1,500 AUD as they work great in SLI, not bad for 30 year old hardware.

Developers Can Now Add NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 To Their Games Through DLSS Streamline Plugin, RTX Neural Texture Compression SDK Available Too

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-dlss-4-5-streamline-plugin-rtx-neural-texture-compression-sdk-available-game-devs/

RAM Shortages Have Gone So Crazy That Thieves Are Now Actually Pulling Modules Out of PCs, Given It’s More Worthwhile Than Taking the Whole Unit

https://wccftech.com/ram-shortages-have-gone-so-crazy-that-thieves-are-now-actually-pulling-modules-out-of-pc/

AMD Ryzen AI MAX+ 392 “12-Core Strix Halo” Sees First Benchmarks In ASUS TUF Gaming A14 Laptop, Faster Than 12-Core 7900X Desktop CPU

https://wccftech.com/amd-ryzen-ai-max-392-12-core-strix-halo-first-benchmarks-faster-vs-12-core-7900x-desktop-cpu/

Cybenetics “Anti-Melt” GPU cable prototype aims to protect all 12V-2×6 connectors

https://videocardz.com/newz/cybenetics-anti-melt-gpu-cable-prototype-aims-to-protect-all-12v-2x6-connectors

Maybe at some point, they should realize it's garbage and get rid of it completely

South Korean design office hit by thief who only stole DDR5 memory

https://videocardz.com/newz/south-korean-design-office-hit-by-thief-who-only-stole-ddr5-memory

Sparkle reveals each HDMI ports costs $1, most of which is licensing fee

https://videocardz.com/newz/sparkle-reveals-each-hdmi-ports-costs-1-most-of-which-is-licensing-fee

NVIDIA reportedly shifts RTX 50 supply toward RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti 8GB in 2026

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-reportedly-shifts-rtx-50-supply-toward-rtx-5060-and-5060-ti-8gb-in-2026

Welcome to the Wednesday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Fanatical has a new Star Deal and a new bundle:

• The new Star Deal is INCISION, 55% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/incision
• The Premier Mystery Bundle features five unknown games for an unknown amount of time: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/premier-mystery-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Steam has finally got rid of those goddamn clown awards
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/steam-has-finally-got-rid-of-those-goddamn-clown-awards/
Steam has announced a big change to its community awards system that means they no longer confer Steam points to awardees and, thank god, has freed us all from that one jester icon that people would unthinkingly hand out to any content they found offensive or idiotic.
(...)
The new change to the system feels tailored specifically to avoid this problem in future. First up, there are now only 12 awards you can hand out: a gold badge, a flower, a heart, a spicy pepper, a laughing reaction, a 100 symbol, a lifering (for some reason), a bullseye, a +1, a lightbulb, a treasure chest, and a cup of tea (or other hot beverage; I guess it's not made clear). Crucially: no clown. The clown is gone, along with many other Steam awards that have been present since 2020.
But even more meaningful is that community awards no longer award points. "We found that [awarding points] encouraged and rewarded a narrow set of attention-grabbing content and didn't allow the focus to be as much on a broader pool of thoughtful, well-considered creative content," says Valve. So even if one of the new awards does become a byword for 'get a load of this idiot,' trolls won't be incentivised with Steam points to post useless content. Also, Steam no longer hands out profile badges for giving or receiving these new awards.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Grand Theft Auto 4 RTX Remix Update 1.1.7 Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/grand-theft-auto-4-rtx-remix-update-1-1-7-released/
Modder ‘xoxor4d’ has released Update 1.1.7 for his amazing RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod for Grand Theft Auto 4. So, let’s see what this update brings to the table.
Update 1.1.7 adds a PBR material for one type of sidewalk and corner variants. It also adds some road PBR materials (mostly generic asphalt) w/o albedo and a few damaged variants.
Moreover, this new patch fixes the game’s unbreakable sirens. Bar-shaped sirens now have real lights, and firetruck sirens do too. The update also fixes some crashes that happened during certain missions. On top of that, it adds a setting that lets you change how bright the moonlight is. Lastly, it updates the Remix Runtime and fixes some issues with per–draw-call modifiers.
>> The article has no media.

This Fallout: New Vegas Mod Adds Romance and Friendship Mechanics to All NPCs
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/this-fallout-new-vegas-mod-adds-romance-and-friendship-mechanics-to-all-npcs/
Modder ‘DreyDubs’ has released a pretty cool new mod for Fallout: New Vegas. This mod adds Romance and Friendship mechanics to every NPC you encounter. As such, it can further enhance your in-game experience.
Going into more detail, Talk of the Town is a Social Expansion mod for Fallout: New Vegas that adds Romance and Friendship features to every NPC. Players can build up their reputation and unlock special dialogue options based on their relationships. This gives the game a fresh and more personal feel. The mod doesn’t change any core gameplay features — it simply adds new systems on top, making it very easy to use with other mods.
The “Talker The Town” item in the armor tab of your Pip-Boy lets you talk to any NPC you meet, even ones who normally don’t have dialogue. There are three friendship levels: No Friendship, Friends, and Best Friends. Each level gives you new dialogue options and actions. Every NPC remembers their relationship with you, so each one feels unique.
When you become Friends with an NPC, you can recruit them as a companion. You can ask them to follow you, wait, or relax. You can also open their inventory and trade with them as much as you like. Some NPCs also unlock special options based on their skills. For example, if an NPC has 50 Repair, they can give you access to a workbench anytime. If they have 50 Medicine, they can heal you—and if they have 75 Medicine, their healing becomes even stronger.
For Romance, there are three levels: No Romance, Romantic Interest, and Lovers. Each level unlocks new dialogue options and actions. Every NPC remembers their relationship with you, so each one feels different.
Players can tell an NPC “I love you” to get a bigger romance boost. You can also “Sleep” with an NPC once per day (fade to black). Doing this refills your health and gives you the Well Rested effect. There’s also a unique feature: you can have a baby with any opposite-gender NPC who is at the Lovers tier with you. The baby will be added to your inventory and will grow up over time.
As I said, this is a really cool mod that can enhance your gaming experience. So, those interested can go ahead and download it from this link.
>> This article also has no media.

GAMING NEWS

PC Demo & PC Requirements for Styx: Blades of Greed
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/pc-demo-pc-requirements-for-styx-blades-of-greed/
NACON has revealed the PC requirements and released a PC demo for its upcoming Styx game, Styx: Blades of Greed. This PC demo will allow you try it before purchasing it. Moreover, your demo saves can be transferred to the full game whenever you buy it.

CODE VEIN 2 Overview Trailer Showcases New Combat Gameplay
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/code-vein-2-overview-trailer-showcases-new-combat-gameplay/
Bandai Namco has released the Overview Trailer for CODE VEIN 2. This trailer spotlights key features that you will utilise to survive the post-apocalyptic world in CODE VEIN 2.

Forza Horizon 6 is rumored to be released on May 19th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/forza-horizon-6-rumored-to-be-released-on-may-19th/
It appears that Forza Horizon 5 may have leaked the release date for Forza Horizon 6. According to an in-game prompt, Forza Horizon 6 will be released on May 19th. However, those who pre-order it will get their hands on it four days later, on May 15th.

Black Myth: Wukong January 14th Update Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/black-myth-wukong-january-14th-update-released-detailed/
Game Science has just released the January 14th Update, also known as Patch 1.0.21.23831, for Black Myth: Wukong. According to the devs, this patch is 2GB in size. So, let’s see what it brings to the table, shall we?

Wednesday gaming news, part two, with all the remaning news split into two groups:

Arc Raiders' Cold Snap event is over, which means I have my sights set on the next possible event: a toxic swamp and maybe even a volcanic eruption
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arc-raiders-cold-snap-event-is-over-which-means-i-have-my-sights-set-on-the-next-possible-event-a-toxic-swamp-and-maybe-even-a-volcanic-eruption/
The cold is no more, at least in Arc Raiders—it's rainy and cold as all hell here. The frost melting means that Arc Raiders' first major community event, the Cold Snap, has finally come to a close as the latest patch notes come into effect.
>> If you thought this was the only article about Arc Raiders or Embark, you were wrong: the game’s aim assist gets stronger at high frame rates (link); users aren’t happy about a cheater streamer getting unbanned (link); and players have found a way to get an achievement in an easier way (link)

EA delays Battlefield 6's next season a month to 'further polish and refine Season 2,' and the only words I want to hear next are 'bigger maps'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/ea-delays-battlefield-6s-next-season-a-month-to-further-polish-and-refine-season-2-and-the-only-words-i-want-to-hear-next-are-bigger-maps/
EA is delaying Battlefield 6 Season 2 by a month, and its reasons for doing so are unnecessarily vague.
"During our ongoing development, we've continued to review community feedback and, in order to keep our promise, determined that our best path forward is to extend Season 1 and give ourselves extra time to further polish and refine Season 2," reads a Battlefield Studios blog post published today.

It's January 13 and Ubisoft just announced its second round of layoffs for 2026, at Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft Stockholm
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/its-january-13-and-ubisoft-just-announced-its-second-round-of-layoffs-for-2026-at-massive-entertainment-and-ubisoft-stockholm/
A "voluntary career transition program" at Ubisoft's Massive studio announced in October 2025 apparently wasn't enough to get the job done, and so now Ubisoft is going back to the old-fashioned way of doing things by simply laying people off.
"Earlier today, we informed all employees in our Swedish studios (Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft Stockholm) about a proposed organizational restructure that may affect approximately 55 roles across Malmö and Stockholm," Ubisoft told IGN.

ARG developer finds out his email hint system doesn't work anymore because young people don't know how to use email
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/arg-developer-finds-out-his-email-hint-system-doesnt-work-anymore-because-young-people-dont-know-how-to-use-email/
After Hours is an Augmented Reality Game, which means its puzzles have to be solved with information from outside the game—mostly from your web browser. One puzzle apparently involves combining Brownsville, New York's zip code with a phone number to find an ISBN code, which leads to a book you need to look at the back cover of on Amazon, all so you can find a password hidden there.
It's pretty tricky stuff. Fortunately, there's a hint system. Unfortunately, that hint system also exists outside the game. If you're stuck in After Hours you're supposed to send an email to Sarah, who is actually an automated Gmail address that will check your message for keywords and then reply with relevant hints.
At least, that's how it should work. As developer Petter Malmehed explained on the gamedev subreddit, a system that worked fine when the game was released has started failing thanks to younger players. "Turns out people don't know how to write emails anymore. The whole message is sent in the subject box, leaving the actual email empty. Because of that, no keywords were found, and no hint message from Sarah was sent out."

Former Bethesda lead says The Elder Scrolls 6 got announced so early because the studio had to make sure 'people were not just pissed at us' for revealing Starfield instead
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-elder-scrolls/former-bethesda-lead-says-the-elder-scrolls-6-got-announced-so-early-because-the-studio-had-to-make-sure-people-were-not-just-pissed-at-us-for-revealing-starfield-instead/

GOG's new owner can't stand Windows either: 'It's such poor-quality software… I can't believe it!'
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/windows/gogs-new-owner-cant-stand-windows-either-its-such-poor-quality-software-i-cant-believe-it/

Judge denies interim pay for fired Rockstar employees, but the decision 'does nothing to suggest that Rockstar will not be found guilty of unfair dismissal when the case goes to trial,' union says
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/judge-denies-interim-pay-for-fired-rockstar-employees-but-the-decision-does-nothing-to-suggest-that-rockstar-will-not-be-found-guilty-of-unfair-dismissal-when-the-case-goes-to-trial-union-says/

Larry Hryb, better known as Xbox hype man Major Nelson, has been laid off from Unity less than 2 years after joining the company
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/larry-hryb-better-known-as-xbox-hype-man-major-nelson-has-been-laid-off-from-unity-less-than-2-years-after-joining-the-company/

Hytale surges to the most-watched game on Twitch, attracting over 420,000 viewers with its long-awaited launch
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/hytale-surges-to-the-most-watched-game-on-twitch-attracting-over-420-000-viewers-with-its-long-awaited-launch/

Meta is closing 3 VR studios and laying off roughly 10% of Reality Labs as it shifts focus from the metaverse to AI wearables, its next sure-fire, can't-miss idea
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/meta-is-closing-3-vr-studios-and-laying-off-roughly-10-percent-of-reality-labs-as-it-shifts-focus-from-the-metaverse-to-ai-wearables-its-next-sure-fire-cant-miss-idea/

Stellar Blade's director says AI can see 'one person can perform the work of 100 people' but that won't wind up in job losses, somehow
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/stellar-blades-director-says-ai-can-see-one-person-can-perform-the-work-of-100-people-but-that-wont-wind-up-in-job-losses-somehow/

Attention to those of you still on Windows 10 or with friends/family with Win10 PCs. 

Windows Secure Boot certificates expire in 2026; Windows 10 users impacted
https://www.guru3d.com/story/windows-secure-boot-certificates-expire-in-2026-windows-10-users-impacted/
Microsoft is in the middle of a Secure Boot certificate transition that many users will not notice until it becomes a problem. Several long-standing certificates used by Windows devices are approaching end-of-life in 2026, and Microsoft’s guidance is clear: systems need to receive newer certificates before the older trust anchors expire, or Secure Boot trust can drift into an incompatible state. The certificates in focus are the 2011-era items that have been part of the Windows Secure Boot ecosystem for years, including Microsoft Corporation KEK CA 2011, Microsoft Corporation UEFI CA 2011, and Microsoft Windows Production PCA 2011. Their validity period is coming to an end, with expirations beginning in June 2026 and continuing later in the year. Microsoft has already issued newer certificates (the 2023-era replacements) to preserve continuity and keep the Secure Boot trust chain aligned with how Windows and third-party vendors will sign components going forward.

Why does this matter to normal users? Because Secure Boot is not just a checkbox in the firmware menu. It is the mechanism that determines whether boot components are trusted during startup. If a device does not have the updated certificate set loaded before the older certificates expire, the system may stop trusting newly signed boot components and other signing artifacts. Over time, that can turn into real breakage: reduced Secure Boot assurance, friction around future updates, and compatibility issues with drivers or software signed under the newer chain after the cutoff period.

(...)

The Windows 10 angle is the one to watch. On Windows 11, the transition is expected to proceed through normal cumulative servicing, assuming the machine stays supported and up to date. Windows 10 is less straightforward because ongoing servicing depends on channel and eligibility after end of support. If a Windows 10 device is not on LTSC and is not enrolled in the Extended Security Updates program, it may not receive the certificate transition automatically. That is the critical planning detail: if you intend to keep Windows 10 running into 2026, you need to confirm how that machine is serviced and whether it will actually receive the Secure Boot certificate updates in time. The actionable takeaway is basic but important: keep supported systems patched, verify the certificate transition for devices that will remain in service beyond mid-2026, and do not assume Windows 10 machines will be covered unless they are on a supported servicing path. The first expiration milestone is June 2026, and the closer you get without the updated trust chain, the higher the risk of Secure Boot compatibility issues with newly signed components.

The Guru3D article has a link to the 2026-01 cumulative update for Win10 to download it if necessary.

PCGamer also has an article about this matter, but from the angle of anti-cheat causing problems if your certificates aren't up to date (link here). It's worth checking it out because it shows a couple of ways to check if you have those new certificates installed or not.

The good Windows, bad Windows rule remains undefeated.

I don't know, feels like it's been only bad or worse since Windows 7, and it's looking like it's going to get only worse from now on.

I'm really glad GOG is having a special interest in Linux this year (see the linked news article from above). I've actually been favouring Steam more than I'd like, at least in my considerations, because GOG Galaxy doesn't support Linux, and I do like my achievements. I guess there might be some hope. I'm half-expecting to switch to Linux once support for Windows 11 ends - if not earlier - and I'd like GOG to be ready for it too.

Actually a little annoyed with GOG to be honest.

They had the "GOG Preservation Program" which one of my favorite games "Alpha Centauri" falls under.
Unfortunately... The game has been broken since the Win11 24H2 update in 2024... Meaning that presentation program has been bullshit.

Tried raising the issue with support and in the forums, but they just ignored/removed comments... And there has been zero communication.

So for me, I won't be buying games with them going forwards... Instead I have started buying Physical copies of those older games and throwing them on my Retro Windows 98 PC.

I am hoping with a change of owners things might change.

Hmm, that's bad. Judging by the forums, it sounds like the expansion doesn't work but the base game probably does, but of course they're selling the whole deal, expansion included, so that should work too. Personally I haven't paid much attention to the Preservation Program, but I can totally get why you're annoyed. Generally I greatly appreciate what GOG is doing, but I think I've experienced some needlessly rough edges of various kinds as well.

By the way, I found three of your comments from the forums while scouring for information about the issue. I don't know what they removed, but I don't think they're trying to sweep the issue under the carpet either. I'm not really doubting you either, just curious about what exactly is going on with the whole issue... I'm guessing lack of resources and no clear plan how to handle that lack.

Just when you think the GPU situation can't get any worse...