What the Hell!...

I tried again and it didn't work, so my only guess, other than because I rejected all the cookies, is that my privacy settings are somehow getting in the way. 

When you check a page with an embedded tweet, does it show up? Because it doesn't for me.

Also, Pem, I hope you already had an account there and didn't made one just to say how wrong is the writter.

This article is the epitome of double standards. Given the kind of nonsense PC Gamer is prone to spout, it makes the article that much more hypocritical.

I'm not surprised. At this point, it's almost preferable to have an outdated OS rather that one that gets broken with every new update, and all because of trying to shove AI down our throats.

A pointless CPU, even with it becoming the fastest. An option for those that wanted a 9800X3D but hadn't got one yet, but nothing more.

Nvidia has tried Intel's foundry a couple of times already but hasn't moved forward with any orders. We'll see if this time it's different or not.

Also, I doubt Jensen has any plans for a successor anytime soon. I think he sees himself as the perfect man for the job (and he is) and capable of doing this for many more years.

Plus, unless he knowns that person very, very well, Jensen could percieve that future successor as a thread, which would be worse for the company.

If you have Winrar but haven't updated it in a while, you may want to change that:

Google says a WinRAR exploit for Windows is in 'widespread' use by government-backed threat actors 'linked to Russia and China'
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/security/google-says-a-winrar-exploit-for-windows-is-in-widespread-use-by-government-backed-threat-actors-linked-to-russia-and-china/
https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/exploiting-critical-winrar-vulnerability">Google has warned that well-known and already-patched exploit for the WinRAR file archiving and compression tool for Windows remains in "widespread, active" use by "government-backed threat actors linked to Russia and China".

Known as critical vulnerability CVE-2025-8088, the exploit identified was in July last year and was posted on the National Vulnerability Database back in August. It's widely known and numerous other bodies, even including the UK's NHS, have registered the threat.

The exploit was actually addressed by the makers of WinRAR, RARLAB, with the 7.13 update on July 30 last year. Of course, that isn't going to help anyone running earlier versions of WinRAR.

I literally made one up to say how wrong the writer was.

PC Gamer's comments havent' worked for me in a while either. I'm sure if I turned off uBlock Origin, allowed tracking content, and had my cookies setting at something more relaxed that 'Isolate cross-site cookies', it would start working. Or maybe I'd have to allow fingerprinters as well. Anyway, you get the point. None of this is an issue most of the time, but sometimes you get this - in this case, not an issue for me personally though since I don't care enough about the comments there.

ASUS Reportedly Denied RMA For Motherboard And Allegedly Blamed User For Refusing Repair

https://wccftech.com/asus-reportedly-denied-rma-for-motherboard-and-allegedly-blamed-user-for-refusing-repair/

Intel’s Panther Lake, Powered by the New Cougar Cove P-Cores and Darkmont E-Cores, Takes a Lead Over AMD’s Zen 5/5c in IPC Performance

https://wccftech.com/intel-panther-lake-powered-by-the-new-cougar-cove-p-cores-and-darkmont-e-cores-takes-a-lead-over-amd/

AMD & Qualcomm Are Now Looking to Get Their Hands On the “SOCAMM” Memory Type For Next-Gen AI Products, Following the Footsteps of NVIDIA

https://wccftech.com/amd-qualcomm-are-now-looking-to-get-their-hands-on-the-socamm-memory/

GIGABYTE says it is expanding its AMD partnership and introducing new X870E X3D motherboards, Ryzen AI 400 laptops, and FreeSync OLED monitors.

https://videocardz.com/newz/gigabyte-says-it-is-expanding-its-amd-partnership-and-introducing-new-x870e-x3d-motherboards-ryzen-ai-400-laptops-and-freesync-oled-monitors

AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is now available, 9800X3D drops to $444

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ryzen-7-9850x3d-is-now-available-9800x3d-drops-to-444

Did NVIDIA lie? GeForce RTX 5070 Ti prices start crossing $1,000 at US retailers

https://videocardz.com/newz/did-nvidia-lie-geforce-rtx-5070-ti-prices-start-crossing-1000-at-us-retailers

ASUS confirms dual 3D V-Cache Ryzen 9 “9950X3DV2” during 9850X3D testing

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-confirms-dual-3d-v-cache-ryzen-9-9950x3dv2-during-9850x3d-testing

These are the Thursday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Epic Store gives away Definitely Not Fried Chicken: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/definitely-not-fried-chicken-a30160
Next week, the free games will be Botany Manor and Poison Retro Set.

GOG has two new sales:

• Disney Classic Games Sale has games up to 75% off during 4 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20260129_disney_publisher_sale
• Final Fantasy Sale. Four Final Fantasy titles launch on GOG and will be 60% off until the 7th of February: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/final_fantasy

Steam has four new deals and three sales:

• Astro Prospector has a demo and a 25% discount until February 11: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3503440/Astro_Prospector/
• ShapeHero Factory matches the former with a demo and another 25% discount until the same 11th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2389040/ShapeHero_Factory/
• Roman Triumph: Survival City Builder is going ot be 40% off until the 11th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1864880/Roman_Triumph_Survival_City_Builder/
• Heretical , still in Early Access, also has a 40% discount until February 11: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2877540/Heretical/
• And these are the sales:
  • The European Myths & Legends Sale features games up to 90% off. The deals wil end between the 1st and the 3rd of February: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33562056/sale/mythsandlegends2026
  • Fallout Franchise Sale features up to 80% discounts until February 6. Also Fallout 76 will be free to try until the 5th: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33028765/sale/falloutfranchise2026
  • And the Taipei Game Show 2026 has upcoming titles and up to 80% discounts. The Show will end this Sunday, but the deals will end between tomorrow and the 11th of February: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/taipeigameshow2026

Humble Bundle brings the Nacon Racing Collection, with up to 8 games to get during the next 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/nacon-racing-collection

And Fanatical has these deals:

• The new Star Deal is Tomb Raider I-VI Remastered, with a 66% discount during 48 hours or until they run out of keys, as always: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/tomb-raider-i-vi-remastered
• And the BYO Bedlam Bundle features 17 titles for your 3+, 5+ or 7+ game bundles during 34 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-bedlam-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Skyrim’s Studio Ghibli-Style Overhaul Mod Just Got Even Better
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/skyrims-studio-ghibli-style-overhaul-mod-just-got-even-better/
In December 2025, I informed you about a mod that aimed to make The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim look like a Studio Ghibli-style game. And a couple of days ago, its creator released a new add-on for it. So, let’s take a look at it.
The mod we shared in December only changed the look of landscapes. So, this add-on covers stuff that was not featured in the previous mod. To be more precise, this add-on covers dungeons, forts, ships, and more. To get the ultimate Studio Ghibli experience, you’ll also need two other mods. These mods cover Whiterun and farmhouses. You can download them from here and here.
As I’ve already said, this appears to be one of the best visual mods for Skyrim. Contrary to most other HD Texture Packs, this one will completely change the art style of the game. As an alternative way of experiencing Skyrim, it’s kind of cool. Obviously, this is not meant for those who haven’t played the game. But for those who have already finished it, this is a cool way to re-experience it.
>> The article has some screenshots.

GAMING NEWS

Crimson Desert Got a 15-Minute Features Overview Trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/crimson-desert-got-a-15-minute-features-overview-trailer/
Sony has shared a new 15-minute trailer for Crimson Desert that focuses on the game’s features. This first part of the Features trailer introduces Kliff of the Greymanes, the conflict sweeping over Pywel, and the open world where your journey begins.

Part two of the gaming news:

Helldivers 2's next Warbond has a hammer that explodes in your face, and it's about the most Helldivers thing I've ever seen—also, the Cyborgs are back for round 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2s-next-warbond-has-a-hammer-that-explodes-in-your-face-and-its-about-the-most-helldivers-thing-ive-ever-seen-also-the-cyborgs-are-back-for-round-2/
Helldivers 2's next Warbond has hit the pinnacle of Helldivers design—I do not think there will ever be a weapon in any future update that is as Helldivers as this thing, and I do not know how Arrowhead is going to top it. It's peak, I fear.
The Siege Breakers Warbond, set to release February 3, is following up the game's batch of stealth kit with the least stealthiest thing imaginable: Explosions. Sure, there's the LAS-16 Trident, which is cool because it fires six entire laser beams, but my new favourite weapon in any videogame ever is the CQC-20 Breaching Hammer, which is a hammer that explodes.

Fatal Frame 2 is one of the scariest horror games I've played, and it sounds like the remake is tweaking all the right things
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/fatal-frame-2-is-one-of-the-scariest-horror-games-ive-played-and-it-sounds-like-the-remake-is-tweaking-all-the-right-things/
I couldn't have a higher opinion of the Fatal Frame games, but I wouldn't say I have a tremendous amount of fun playing them. I enjoy and endure, I suppose, while occasionally yelping like a puppy and noping out of entering a particularly creepy room or opening a creaky door. These games can be as scary as it gets, and Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly is one of the most downright freaky there is.
Publisher Koei Tecmo and its Team Ninja studio are in the final stages of a remake, imaginatively enough called Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake, and has today announced a new demo for the game, as well as a collaboration with Silent Hill f.

Bloodlines 2 2026 roadmap moves up expansion release windows slightly, and yes, Bloodlines 2 has a roadmap for 2026
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/bloodlines-2-2026-roadmap-moves-up-expansion-release-windows-slightly-and-yes-bloodlines-2-has-a-roadmap-for-2026/
Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 is a good game. I said it and I stand by it. Its biggest problem, as PC Gamer's Toreador-in-the-streets, Venture-in-the-sheets Joshua Wolens so accurately put it, is the title: Calling it Bloodlines 2, rather than anything else that would safely distance it from the legendary original, was a massive self-inflicted kneecapping. (...)
Anyway, now I've got that off my chest, this is what we're actually here for: Paradox and The Chinese Room have rolled out the Bloodlines 2 roadmap for 2026, laying out what's coming over the course of the next year. If your immediate reaction to this news is, "Bloodlines 2 has a roadmap?" the answer is yes it does: Paradox may not have been super-happy with how Bloodlines 2 sold, but it's sticking with the game to the very end.

Bloober Team updated its strange countdown page, and fans of a controversial cult-classic horror game from 20 years ago are getting their hopes up for a big surprise
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/bloober-team-updated-its-strange-countdown-page-and-fans-of-a-controversial-cult-classic-horror-game-from-20-years-ago-are-getting-their-hopes-up-for-a-big-surprise/
Remember that Bloober Team countdown with the bizarre URL that kicked off at the end of 2025? It grew a little more elaborate today, with additional images and spooky vocalizing, and some old-time horror fans are hoping the studio is teasing a very unexpected remake of the controversial 2006 PlayStation 2 horror game Rule of Rose.

Atom Zombie Smasher, a 15-year-old game, just got updated out of the blue on Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/atom-zombie-smasher-a-15-year-old-game-just-got-updated-out-of-the-blue-on-steam/
Atom Zombie Smasher has been in my Steam account about as long as I've had one. I held out for as long as I could, but eventually games on CD started demanding I install Steam to run them, so I caved and soon after got Portal and a handful of digital-only indie games like Audiosurf, Uplink, and Blendo's zombie tower-defense game. It was basically all over for my free time from then on.
Which is why it's wild, more than a decade later, to be reminded of Atom Zombie Smasher's existence by it being patched. This 15th anniversary update isn't going to transform the top-down rescue sim where the zombies are tiny pink squares into The Last of Us 3, but it does add a horde of little changes.

There's a turn-based tactics game about the eternal war between tea and coffee, and you can get it for free: 'We've made enough money from the game'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/theres-a-turn-based-tactics-game-about-the-eternal-war-between-tea-and-coffee-and-you-can-get-it-for-free-weve-made-enough-money-from-the-game/
The idea is cute—there are 12 Tea Princesses who, despite their differences, must band together to protect their realms from an invasion by the Coffee Empire. The execution is surprisingly strategic, with more than 40 Tea Minions who can be brewed by mixing ingredients, each with different stats.
(...)
While Sovereign Tea—excellent punning name—launched with a price back in 2021, these days you can get it for free. As the blog post explains, "This change will be permanent. We've made enough money from the game and at this point would like everybody to play, including those who previously could not afford the game." If it sounds like your cup of tea, here it is on Steam.
>> It’s very generous of them, more so given that it’s their only game, at least on Steam.

Nioh 3 just got a Steam demo, and given Team Ninja's history I'm surprised how well it runs on my aging rig
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/nioh-3-just-got-a-steam-demo-and-given-team-ninjas-history-im-surprised-how-well-it-runs-on-my-aging-rig/
Team Ninja's games tend to run poorly on PC at launch. Rise of the Ronin, which arrived on PC last March after a period of PS5 exclusivity, was a mess: it stuttered, it sputtered all over the framerate gamut, it crashed a lot, and it didn't even look very good.
That was the case even after Team Ninja apologized for their previous game, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, running like crap on PC. If you cast your mind back five years ago, Nioh 2 also had a less-than-ideal launch. Ninja Gaiden 4 ran decently by all reports, but the settings options left a lot to be desired.
I'm not here to give a full performance run down of Nioh 3, but I've just spent a couple of hours running around in its newly released demo and I can confirm that I'm pretty satisfied with the way it works on my aging game laptop. It's far from a disaster!
>> DSOG has run some early benchmarks (link).

WoW's expansion pre-patch event has buffed its rewards after being a little stingy at first, and I am running out of ways to phrase these sorts of headlines without plagiarising myself
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/wows-expansion-pre-patch-event-has-buffed-its-rewards-after-being-a-little-stingy-at-first-and-i-am-running-out-of-ways-to-phrase-these-sorts-of-headlines-without-plagiarising-myself/
It is March 2024. Plunderstorm releases, and Blizzard eases up on its grind shortly after player complaints. It is May 2024. Blizzard releases Mists of Pandaria: Remix, and adjusts its Bronze rewards after players complain about an unnecessary grind. It is August 2024. World of Warcraft players aren't pleased with the pre-patch event for The War Within, and less than a week later, Blizzard updates the event to have less stingy rewards.
It is October 2024. I am writing about how Blizzard has done this four times in a year, once more (with feeling) during the anniversary event. It is November 2024. Director Ion Hazzikostas outright says, "while playing a bit of that guessing game of trying to pick the right values, we may tend to err on the conservative side" because "we can always buff the rewards. We're never going to nerf the rewards, really, right?"
It is January 2026. You'll never guess what happened.

And these are the others:

The call goes out for a 'massive international strike' at Ubisoft: 'We are treated like children who need to be supervised, while our management gets away with lies and breaking the law'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/the-call-goes-out-for-a-massive-international-strike-at-ubisoft-we-are-treated-like-children-who-need-to-be-supervised-while-our-management-gets-away-with-lies-and-breaking-the-law/

Deadlock's big update added one very important feature: A secret bedroom for its teeny tiny dream-gremlin
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/deadlocks-big-update-added-one-very-important-feature-a-secret-bedroom-for-its-teeny-tiny-dream-gremlin/

Fallout co-creator Tim Cain says 'remote work isn't all sunshine and lollipops' and explains why he's happy to be back in the Obsidian office after 5 years of semi-retirement
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/fallout-co-creator-tim-cain-says-remote-work-isnt-all-sunshine-and-lollipops-and-explains-why-hes-happy-to-be-back-in-the-obsidian-office-after-5-years-of-semi-retirement/

Ubisoft is now memeing about Black Flag remake leaks, which is a change from threatening to sue its lead actor over them
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/assassins-creed/ubisoft-is-now-memeing-about-black-flag-remake-leaks-which-is-a-change-from-threatening-to-sue-its-lead-actor-over-them/