You all are far more tech savvy than I am. What is all the buzz about the Nvidia N1X chips or something? The article I read made it seem like a ARM low wattage chip with 4070 (mobile version) graphics. But I assume I am reading that way wrong.

I'm far from a tech savvy person so take this with a graint of salt:

My impression is that this is Nvidia's attempt to enter a new market, the Windows on ARM laptops one, before there's a lot of competition (I think there's only Qualcomm) to try to dominate it. And they're doing it because it's the first time they can launch a product they've designed from start to finish without having to rely on Intel or AMD CPUs.

They may also be diong it to undermine AMD's Strix Halo laptops targeting AI, which Nvidia likely sees as a thread, and maybe even Apple laptops in the prosumer market thanks to CUDA.

I really doubt gaming has played any part in the development of these chips.

Eh, like the top comments on that article say, regressing vfx is about vfx houses being stretched too thin and not being given the time to do it right, not the software. As for the software itself, most of the vfx artists I know can't wait for something else to replace Maya as the industry's animation standard, be it Unreal, Cascadeur, Blender, whathaveyou. Maya has its strengths, but it's been complacent for ages and is held together with duct tape at this point. 

Yeah, money and time constraints are obviosuly major factors, no doubt about it.

I didn't know Maya was so hated by the professionals, but then again, I know nothing about that industry.

Fair position, best I can tell.  Make sense it has little gaming specificity.  Thanks, much appreciated.

I bought the Samus Returns New 3DSXL back in the day on release and sold my SNES New 3DS XL.
Looking on the Ebay... I think I may be able to retire with the sale of my 3DS soon.

But other than a few Etrian Odyssey games, I am done collecting for the 3DS library now... Such an amazing and unique system, the 3D+Dual-screen experience is a super unique one in the gaming world.

I collect for: 3DS, SNES, N64, PS1, PS2, PS4, PS5, WiiU, OG Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch, Switch 2 and PC currently... I think I will need to sleep outside if start collecting for another system, plus I am running out of wall space to store them.

Same issue I have in my garage, full of motorcycles.

You are on the money.

It's all about Windows on ARM.

nVidia doesn't want to miss the boat again in the ARM SoC space.

But... The R&D and investment will play into nVidia's Drive, IoT, Industrial chips and other segments as well... And enhance the next-gen Tegra which may end up in a Switch 3 console.

From my POV, buzz is due to N1X being aimed at Windows on ARM market, with most likely some sort of hardware enhancements similar to Apple's ARM CPUs that help running native x86 code on ARM. And of course, packed with nVidia GPU.

AMD confirms Ryzen 7 9850X3D launches January 29 at $499

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-confirms-ryzen-7-9850x3d-launches-january-29-at-499

ASUS confirms Intel Core Ultra 200K Plus “Arrow Lake Refresh”, BIOS support lands in late January

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-confirms-intel-core-ultra-200k-plus-arrow-lake-refresh-bios-support-lands-in-late-january

AMD AI Bundle turns Adrenalin 26.1.1 into a 34GB add-on

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ai-bundle-turns-adrenalin-26-1-1-into-a-34gb-add-on

Intel confirms 12th Gen Core “Alder Lake” enters discontinuance period

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-confirms-12th-gen-core-alder-lake-enters-discontinuance-period

Xbox app now available on Windows 11 on ARM, 85% games are now compatible

https://videocardz.com/newz/xbox-app-now-available-on-windows-11-on-arm-85-games-are-now-compatible

The “Famous” Claude Code Has Managed to Port NVIDIA’s CUDA Backend to ROCm in Just 30 Minutes, and Folks Are Calling It the End of the CUDA Moat

https://wccftech.com/the-claude-code-has-managed-to-port-nvidia-cuda-backend-to-rocm-in-just-30-minutes/

Intel Server & Client CPU Market Share Has Seen A Huge Drop Since The Launch of AMD Ryzen & EPYC Chips

https://wccftech.com/intel-server-client-cpu-market-share-huge-drop-since-launch-of-amd-ryzen-epyc-chips/

Here are the Thursday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

This week, the Epic Store gives away Rustler (Grand Theft Horse): https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/rustler-grand-theft-horse-21a7ca
Next week, the free game(s) will be Definitely Not Fried Chicken

Steam has three new deals:

• Kabuto Park ,with a demo, is going to be 30% off until next Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3376990/Kabuto_Park/
• Songs of Silence will have a 50% discount until the January, the 31st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2195410/Songs_of_Silence/
• And Brain Show: Party Game , that also has a demo, will be 25% off until the 4th of February: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2235150/Brain_Show_Party_Game/

Humble Bundle presents the Just Cause Complete Collection 2026, with up to 38 items to get (the 4 games and lots of DLCs) during 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/just-cause-complete-collection-2026

And Fanatical has the BYO Resident Evil Bundle: Demonic Edition, with 14 games to choose from (including Devil May Cry and Dead Rising titles for some odd reason), in bundles of 2+, 3+ or 4+ during 20 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-resident-evil-bundle-demonic-edition

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

New Update for CryZENx’s Zelda: Ocarina of Time Unreal Engine 5.7 Remake Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-update-for-cryzenxs-zelda-ocarina-of-time-unreal-engine-5-7-remake-released/
CryZENx has released a new update for his fan remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in Unreal Engine 5.7. This new update adds a new area to the remake, allowing you to explore Inside Jabu-Jabu.
This free demo version is locked at 30FPS. Moreover, it only lets you play the Inside Jabu-Jabu area. Those interested in trying other areas can download their own demos of them. You can find most of them in our previous articles. CryZENx has also shared a 60FPS version of his mod. However, that version is behind a paywall. My guess is that the paid version will also have all of the other chapters that the modder has recreated.
CryZENx has also added some nice gameplay improvements. For example, controlling Princess Ruto (or the character that replaces her) is now much easier and less annoying. If you stand close to her and hold the Navi Button, you can guide her around. The “fleshy” visuals have also been cleaned up so everything looks clearer. On top of that, the modder fixed enemy hitboxes and changed enemy spawn rates to make the game feel smoother and better paced. You can go ahead and download this new version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Fan Remake from this link. At the end of the article, you can also find a video for it. This is a 32-minute video that goes into more detail about how CryZENx has recreated this area.

Anthem subreddit gets a new lease on life as modder shows the game running without EA's servers: 'We didn't realize how much demand there'd still be for this forum to keep discussions going'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/anthem-subreddit-gets-a-new-lease-on-life-as-modder-shows-the-game-running-without-eas-servers-we-didnt-realize-how-much-demand-thered-still-be-for-this-forum-to-keep-discussions-going/
Well, Anthem is dead, and let's be honest with ourselves: It's fine. Most of us forgot Anthem even existed long before the final call, and we were genuinely surprised to discover last summer that the servers were still running. Which isn't so much an indictment of the game but of the system that produced it. Who tells BioWare to make a live service shooter?
Anyway, what's done is done—or maybe not. As the curtain fell, a small group of diehards expressed hope that it might somehow be brought back without a reliance on EA's servers—hope that was given, well, hope when former executive producer Mark Darrah said Anthem did actually have local server code "right up until a few months before launch," and more importantly, "the code is there to be salvaged and recovered."
That's a far cry from actually making it happen, but some people do seem to at least be making progress in that direction. Youtuber And799 (via Kotaku) has posted a video showing Anthem alive and kicking, and—big points here—with two players (actually two accounts) logged in simultaneously.
(...)
It's very preliminary stuff, a proof-of-concept rather than anything like a playable game, and a redditor who says And799 is working with the Fort's Forge restoration project described it as "a really hacky thing" and advised that everyone temper their expectations accordingly.
>> The article has an almost 6 minutes video.

GAMING NEWS

Nothing here

Thursday gaming news, part two:

Prince of Persia: The Sand of Time Remake is cancelled as Ubisoft announces major internal restructuring and more layoffs and studio closures on the way
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/prince-of-persia-the-sand-of-time-remake-is-cancelled-as-ubisoft-announces-major-internal-restructuring-and-more-layoffs-and-studio-closures-on-the-way/
After years of trying and failing to get it out the door, Ubisoft has finally pulled the plug on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake. The game is one of six projects, four of them unannounced, that were cancelled as part of a "major reset" of Ubisoft's internal structure that CEO Yves Guillemot says is "built to create the conditions for a return to sustainable growth."
>> curl-6 has made a thread about all this. In other related news: Ubi has also ordered a return to office for all employees while confirming that more studios will be closed (link); Ubisoft’s major union hasn’t liked the news and is thinking about going on strike to remind Guillemot who makes the games (link); and Ubi keeps investing in AI (link);

'Everyone will be able to try Marathon' before launch as Bungie takes a second, sharper stab at reviving the iconic series as an extraction shooter in a post-Arc Raiders world
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/everyone-will-be-able-to-try-marathon-before-launch-as-bungie-takes-a-second-sharper-stab-at-reviving-the-iconic-series-as-an-extraction-shooter-in-a-post-arc-raiders-world/
After a mixed reception to Marathon's first public playtest last year (not helped by the whiplash of Arc Raiders' remarkably positive playtest), Bungie returned to the drawing board to overhaul some of the extraction shooter's features. Now it's back on the menu and almost time for round two, as a second public playtest will happen before the March 5 release date.
>> The creative director wants to “to push the boundaries of what an extraction shooter can do with its story” (link)

Crimson Desert secures a March release date as the ambitious Frankenstein's monster of open world fantasy games goes gold
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/crimson-desert-secures-a-march-release-date-as-the-ambitious-frankensteins-monster-of-open-world-fantasy-games-goes-gold/
Five and a half years after its 2020 Game Awards reveal, Crimson Desert has remained something of a mystery. Developer Pearl Abyss has promised a growing collection of mechanics and playstyles so bafflingly dense that it's still hard to picture how exactly it's all meant to fit together. Thanks to a freshly announced release date, however, we now at least know when we'll see the full picture—and launch day is just two months away.

'There is a world beyond Embervale': Enshrouded dev diary paves the way to 1.0 in fall of 2026, says 'development will continue for years to come'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/enshrouded-2026-roadmap-and-fall-release-window/
It's not a concrete release date yet, but in today's Enshrouded roadmap update, Keen Games announced a new 1.0 release window set for fall 2026. The shift isn't a big departure from the original spring target and not entirely unexpected after last year's Wake of the Water delay.

Blizzard let its UI mods 'go farther than we should have', says game director Ion Hazzikostas, but 'the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second-best time is today'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/blizzard-let-its-ui-mods-go-farther-than-we-should-have-says-game-director-ion-hazzikostas-but-the-best-time-to-plant-a-tree-is-20-years-ago-the-second-best-time-is-today/
World of Warcraft: Midnight has now officially ripped the bandaid off—as of this week, many UI mods (addons) have been disabled and prevented from functioning, and even non-combat addons are required to update to Midnight's new infrastructure. Thus ends the two-decade reign of interface addons, with many functionalities now replaced by Blizzard's homegrown systems.
(...)
Speaking to PCG contributor Heather Newman, director Ion Hazzikostas admits that it could've been done sooner, but the longer they waited, the more painful it became to uproot everything. "Addons had been such a ubiquitous part of the WoW ecosystem for so long that we just said, 'Okay, I guess this is how it's going to work now.'
>> Meanwhile, the pre-Midnight patch has come and with it have come higher costs for your fashion items (link) and has mde several low-level potions and food items to stop working (link)

Hytale's already adding necromancy, improved mining, and better world generation just over a week after launch
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/hytale-update-2-patch-notes/
It's been just over a week since launch, and Hytale already has its second major update on the way, uncreatively named Update 2. Unflattering name aside, this is a very hearty patch whipped up less than two weeks after launch, and the team isn't slowing down yet, as Hypixel CEO Simon Collins-Laflamme says, "Update 3 is already in the works".
But let's not get ahead of ourselves: Update 2 is currently available in pre-release testing (enable this via the launcher's settings menu), and if all goes well, it should be in everyone's hands come Friday or Saturday, suggests Collins-Laflamme.

And here are the rest:

In response to Epic CEO Tim Sweeney waging war on Steam, Larian's publishing lead says, 'Giving everyone everything for free might bump numbers but doesn't create a viable storefront'
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/in-response-to-epic-ceo-tim-sweeney-waging-war-on-steam-larians-publishing-lead-says-giving-everyone-everything-for-free-might-bump-numbers-but-doesnt-create-a-viable-storefront/

Blizzard has teased new Overwatch survey skins, and the usual suspects aren't shy about hogging the concept collections
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/overwatch-survey-skins-january-2026/