The Tuesday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100)

Steam has new deals, but no new sales:

• Split Fiction will be 30% off until Thursday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2001120/Split_Fiction/
• Big Ambitions , still in Early Access, gets a 33% discount until the 19th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1331550/Big_Ambitions/
• My Little Puppy is going to be 40% off until Thursday 19th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2102040/My_Little_Puppy/
• Lords of the Fallen will have a 67% discount until the 19th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1501750/Lords_of_the_Fallen/
• Royal Revolt Survivors features a 44% discount until the 30th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2960490/Royal_Revolt_Survivors/
• With the Spring Sale starting Thursday, the weeklong deals only have five deals.

The Humble Store has the Illfonic Publisher Sale, with games between 80 and 85% off during 6 days : https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/illfonic-publisher-sale/

Fanatical has new Flash Deals and a bundle:

• These are the new 24h Flash Deals:
  • RimWorld is 30% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/rimworld
  • DOOM: The Dark Ages gets a 72% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/doom-the-dark-ages
  • Bramble: The Mountain King is 88% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/bramble-the-mountain-king
• And the BYO Play on the Go Bundle - March 2026 has 17 titles to choose from for your 3+, 5+ or 7+ game bundles during 34 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-play-on-the-go-bundle-march-2026

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Fan is remaking Diablo 2 in first person using Unreal Engine
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/fan-is-remaking-diablo-2-in-first-person-using-unreal-engine/
Now here is something really cool. YouTube’s ‘I Make Games’ is currently remaking Diablo 2 in first-person mode using Unreal Engine. To showcase the current state of the project, the artist shared a short but sweet gameplay video that you can find below.
In a way, this first-person remake of Diablo 2 reminded me of the Hexen and Heretic games. And you know what? I believe a first-person take on the first classic Diablo games would be a cool idea. However, this is something that Blizzard will never explore.
This short video shows the barbarian fighting some zombies and demonic imps. There is a basic HUD featuring a working XP bar, skill slots, potions, and a stamina bar. It’s also worth noting that, as you will see, the fan remake already looks and feels great. It’s not perfect. But the enemy hit reactions and animations are pretty solid. The attacks do not feel floaty, which also a big plus. And things will get even better from here.
If I had to guess, I’d say this fan remake of Diablo 2 will never see the light of day. This is most likely a project for portfolio purposes. Still, this is something cool that some of our Diablo 2 fans may appreciate.
>> I’ll give it the benefit of doubt, hoping that the project is made public. There is a roughly 30 seconds video of the project in the article.

A native port of the GameCube Animal Crossing has made its way to PC, which means all other cozy games are cancelled as nothing else matters
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/a-native-port-of-the-gamecube-animal-crossing-has-made-its-way-to-pc-which-means-all-other-cozy-games-are-cancelled-as-nothing-else-matters/
If there's one thing I've always wished for, it's for Animal Crossing to be available on PC. It's impossible, I know, but every time I've picked up a new cozy game a little voice in the back of my head has reminded me of the hundreds if not thousands of hours I've sunk into life as the town mayor or island director, or just the only human on an island of fantastic animal companions, and reminded me of how much I miss it.
At long last though, my wishes have come true, and a native port of Animal Crossing on GameCube has finally made its way on PC as part of an existing Animal Crossing decompilation project. It's been an unfathomable number of years since I booted up my save and was met with the scorn of my villagers—after all they weren't the kindest creatures—but this is definitely the thing that will convince me to do so.
Unlike a port which you can just boot up and play, you do need a copy of Animal Crossing GameCube already, which does make it a bit more challenging as it's not a particularly cheap game to buy if you don't already own it. But according to the description of the GitHub project "this repository does not contain any game assets or assembly whatsoever" and the project reads all of the assets directly from the disc, so it's sort of essential and completely worth it, if you ask me.
With that said, the current version isn't perfect, and few issues have been noted by players already, such as bass distortion in the fossil room of the museum, a low static hum, and a few random memory issues that can cause black screens and broken textures. But, the developer of the project shared in the comments of a YouTube video that they have "mostly fixed them for the next release" and just want to "test it a bit more before I'm confident."
>> The article has no media of the port, that is available from Github.

GAMING NEWS

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Release Date Pushed Forward
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/lego-batman-legacy-of-the-dark-knight-release-date-pushed-forward/
Warner Bros has announced that LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight will launch worldwide one week earlier. The game was originally meant to come out on May 29th. But now, the publisher will release it on May 22nd. Moreover, Warner Bros shared a new trailer that you can find below.

Here Are All the Amazing and Hilarious NVIDIA DLSS 5 Memes
https://www.dsogaming.com/articles/here-are-all-the-amazing-and-hilarious-nvidia-dlss-5-memes/
Yesterday, NVIDIA announced the next version of its DLSS tech, DLSS 5. And, as you may have guessed, that announcement did not go well. A lot of people criticized it. But you know what? The best thing that came out of it was its countless memes. So, in this article, I’ve decided to share most of them that I could find.
>> I wasn’t expecting to see Linus and GN’s Steve in there. PCGamer also has an article about them, but with a lot less of them ( link).

Death Stranding 2 is the first Decima game with Ray Tracing on PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/death-stranding-2-is-the-first-decima-game-with-ray-tracing-on-pc/
Sony has just revealed that Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will have Ray Tracing effects on PC. From what I know, this is the first game using the Decima engine that supports Ray Tracing on PC. So, this should please a lot of PC gamers who have been looking forward to it.

Tuesday gaming news, part two:

Bungie is adding an 'experimental' duos mode to Marathon for a few weeks: 'Some things will be a bit jank'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/bungie-is-adding-an-experimental-duos-mode-to-marathon-for-a-few-weeks-some-things-will-be-a-bit-jank/
When it comes to matchmaking, Marathon covers the basics: You can go solo and play against only other solos, or fill in a group of three to face other squads. But the community has been vocal about the desire for a duos mode since the sever slam in February, and now Bungie's ready to give it a shot.
An "experimental" duos queue will go live in Marathon on Wednesday, March 18. It'll run on one map (Perimeter) for around two weeks, but Bungie might yank it out early or keep it around based on player feedback.

'Insanely punishing' survival game Atlas is being distilled 'into a more accessible form' for Ark: Survival Ascended's new DLC
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/insanely-punishing-survival-game-atlas-is-being-distilled-into-a-more-accessible-form-for-ark-survival-ascendeds-new-dlc/
Last week I sat down with Studio Wildcard co-founders Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak, (…)
Remember Atlas? The open world pirate survival game was put to sea in December 2018 but had a rough launch, including performance and stability problems that led to heaps of negative reviews. It's still out there: you can buy it and play it, but unlike Ark: Survival Evolved, Atlas never recovered from its shaky start.
(...)
That's why some parts of Atlas, at least in spirit, are being salvaged for Ark: Survival Ascended's upcoming Tides of Fortune DLC. This summer, Ark players will be able to build huge pirate ships and sail across simulated ocean physics in search of adventure.

Arc Raiders' new update puts the Il Toro in its place (a grave) at long last: 'This is an adjustment many of you requested'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arc-raiders-new-update-puts-the-il-toro-in-its-place-a-grave-at-long-last-this-is-an-adjustment-many-of-you-requested/
The Il Toro is infamous for haunting the halls of Stella Montis in Arc Raiders. It was good anywhere, of course, but Stella Montis' tight corridors made the shotgun an absolute menace in PvP, where you could rush at someone and one-tap them pretty reliably. Embark promised its time in the spotlight would come to an end, and that moment is now.
In the update 1.20.0 patch notes, Embark explains that it has tuned the Il Toro "so it performs more like a weapon of its rarity," in that it's less versatile with no upgrades and more dependent on attachments. It is a green-quality shotgun, after all.

The Free Lanes update will finally demolish Starfield's most annoying loading screens, sort of
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-free-lanes-update-will-finally-demolish-starfields-most-annoying-loading-screens-sort-of/
One of my fondest memories of Wing Commander Privateer is the time I was chased by a kilrathi for what felt like an hour. You can't activate a jump point when under attack in Privateer, so after I was ambushed at one by a kilrathi ship that outclassed me early on I had to flee the old-fashioned way—emptying my afterburner to gain a lead, watching my pursuer catch up as I waited for it to refill, then emptying it again. I flew like that all the way to an inhabited planet where the local Confed ships could save my bacon.
Unfortunately, that kind of thing turned out not to be possible in Starfield, a game where space exploration was mostly a bunch of loading and cutscenes. As this video from Alanah Pearce proved, you could spend seven hours flying to a planet only to find it was a hollow jpg floating in space. It just wasn't a game about freewheeling exploration.
That will potentially change when the Free Lanes update rolls out, adding a Cruise Mode you can activate to travel along lanes between planets. You can alternate between four different speeds in Cruise Mode to fly between planets in a system, with radiant "Space Encounters" popping up along the way.

Pragmata's devs urge players to test out the demo beforehand to figure out whether controller or mouse and keyboard is best for them: 'There are some people who find keyboard and mouse too tricky'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/pragmatas-devs-urge-players-to-test-out-the-demo-beforehand-to-figure-out-whether-controller-or-mouse-and-keyboard-is-best-for-them-there-are-some-people-who-find-keyboard-and-mouse-too-tricky/
When I joined PC Gamer, my life changed significantly. I set fire to my PS5 and took an axe to my Switch, but one thing I couldn't bear to get rid of were all of my controllers. I don't often use them while playing on PC, but they sure do come in handy from time to time.
There are a few games where playing on a controller is a must for me: any FromSoft or Resident Evil game, cosy games like Cult of the Lamb, and even the odd deckbuilder like Bloodletter. I just find it to be more comfortable and intuitive, and now, after playing the preview and the demo, Pragmata has joined those ranks.
"We put work into the control scheme on both types of systems," director Cho Yonghee tells me. "So whether it be the button, the key assignments for the keyboard itself, and the speed and sensitivity of the mouse and how that relates to the hacking controls, we've tried to make sure that it works as effectively as possible."
>> And the director of the game appreciates the comments likening it to an Xbox 360 era kind of game, in the good sense (link).

And here’s the third part:

FF14's most determined challenge runner finally hits a wall after 1,000 hours, then unveils a backup strategy that took 233 days to prepare in secret: 'I wanted so badly to tell people'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/ff14s-most-determined-challenge-runner-finally-hits-a-wall-after-1-000-hours-then-unveils-a-backup-strategy-that-took-233-days-to-prepare-in-secret-i-wanted-so-badly-to-tell-people/

In a wild turn for the Subnautica 2 lawsuit, a judge orders Krafton to restore fired Unknown Worlds CEO and gives them 9 more months to earn $250 million bonus
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/in-a-wild-turn-for-the-subnautica-2-lawsuit-a-judge-orders-krafton-to-restore-fired-unknown-worlds-ceo-and-gives-them-9-more-months-to-earn-usd250-million-bonus/

Resident Evil Requiem actor had to spend '2 to 3 minutes' audibly dying during her audition, while the casting director threw out surprise instructions: 'Now a zombie has bitten your left leg'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/resident-evil/resident-evil-requiem-actor-had-to-spend-2-to-3-minutes-audibly-dying-during-her-audition-while-the-casting-director-threw-out-surprise-instructions-now-a-zombie-has-bitten-your-left-leg/

Jeff Kaplan is sick of hearing you demonize games you weren't going to play anyway: 'Shut the f**k up. No one cares. We don't need to hear that you weren't into it'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/jeff-kaplan-is-sick-of-hearing-you-demonize-games-you-werent-going-to-play-anyway-shut-the-f-k-up-no-one-cares-we-dont-need-to-hear-that-you-werent-into-it/

Our idea of Azeroth could have looked very different, because Jeff Kaplan said he 'really wanted WoW to be first-person' in its early days: 'I argued a lot for that'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/our-idea-of-azeroth-could-have-looked-very-different-because-jeff-kaplan-said-he-really-wanted-wow-to-be-first-person-in-its-early-days-i-argued-a-lot-for-that/

Epic CEO and billionaire Tim Sweeney has been using some of his cash to buy up 50,000 acres of forest so it can't be flattened
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/epic-ceo-and-billionaire-tim-sweeney-has-been-using-some-of-his-cash-to-buy-up-50-000-acres-of-forest-so-it-cant-be-flattened/

Overwatch director says addressing the 5v5 versus 6v6 debates late 'cost us trust': 'We should have listened sooner'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/overwatch-director-says-addressing-the-5v5-versus-6v6-debates-cost-us-trust-we-should-have-listened-sooner/

'I took those files and deleted them': Former Sims 4 developer says he totally rewrote the sims' AI in the middle of development and 'that was a scary thing to do'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-sims/i-took-those-files-and-deleted-them-former-sims-4-developer-says-he-totally-rewrote-the-sims-ai-in-the-middle-of-development-and-that-was-a-scary-thing-to-do/

It looks like a bad beauty filter on Grace. It's more than just lighting, her lips aren't the same size. They are bigger with DLSS5 turned on. In Star Field it looks incredibly jank because the gulf between the caliber of the faces and animations is vast. It reminds of the issue that appears in some remasters that use all new models but the original games animation. It makes it look off. As for Oblivion....eh I don't know what the hell is going on there. 

Maybe the problem, or at least part of it, is just that Nvidia has used too many Instagram selfies to train its model and hasn't taken into account all the filters and excessive makeup you can find in them.

I wouldn't doubt it. I seen other people make the same suggestion. It would explain why the environments fair better than the faces. 

Yeah, that forest in AC Shadows looks beautiful, and Oblivion and Starfield, especially the later, really come to life with the new lightning.

YouTuber builds 15-fan dome-shaped Noctua cooler: just cover your ears

https://videocardz.com/newz/youtuber-builds-15-fan-dome-shaped-noctua-cooler-just-cover-your-ears

First 16TB M.2 SSD storage appears on Amazon, costs ‘only’ $15,935

https://videocardz.com/newz/first-16tb-m-2-ssd-storage-appears-on-amazon-costs-only-15935

Intel enables Precompiled Shader Delivery on Arc B-series and Core Ultra iGPUs in new driver, up to 3x faster loading times

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-enables-precompiled-shader-selivery-on-arc-b-series-and-core-ultra-igpus-in-new-driver-up-to-3x-faster-loading-times

Jensen Huang says gamers are ‘completely wrong’ about DLSS 5 backlash

https://videocardz.com/newz/jensen-huang-says-gamers-are-completely-wrong-about-dlss-5-backlash

GIGABYTE offers up to €30 cashback on Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics cards

https://videocardz.com/newz/gigabyte-offers-up-to-e30-cashback-on-radeon-rx-9070-xt-graphics-cards

AMD Preps 120W “Zen 5” Refresh CPUs: Ryzen 7 9750X 8-Core & Ryzen 5 9650X 6-Core, Featuring Faster Clocks

https://wccftech.com/amd-preps-120w-zen-5-refresh-cpus-ryzen-7-9750x-8-core-ryzen-5-9650x-6-core/

Samsung Is Luring Customers With a “Slight Discount” Into Five-Year Contracts to Keep the Memory Boom Alive for Longer

https://wccftech.com/samsung-is-luring-customers-with-a-slight-discount-into-five-year-contracts/

Nvidia’s Always-On Chip Detects Faces in Less Than a Millisecond

https://spectrum.ieee.org/face-recognition-nvidia-chip-soc

CHUWI fake Ryzen 5 7430U case widens, distributor offers full refunds, CPU-Z updated

https://videocardz.com/newz/chuwi-fake-ryzen-5-7430u-case-widens-distributor-offers-full-refunds-cpu-z-updated

I tend to agree with Huang, DLSS 5 is in development, people need to relax and see what happens. DLSS 4 is fantastic.

Today’s gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam has three new deals and a new sale:

• Cleared Hot , still in Early Access, will be 20% off until tomorrow: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1710820/Cleared_Hot/
• Funguys Swarm is also in Early Access and will also have a 20% discount until tomorrow: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3371770/Funguys_Swarm/
• Flashing Lights is going to be 84% off until the 31st of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/605740/Flashing_Lights__Police_Firefighting_Emergency_Services_EMS_Simulator/
• Answar Publishing shows off its two upcoming titles, one of them with a demo, and puts its games on sale with up to 80% discounts until March 31st: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41215820/sale/WOTE_Full_Launch

Fanatical has three new 24h Flash Deals:

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is 30% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/clair-obscur-expedition-33
• Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma has a 46% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/rune-factory-guardians-of-azuma
• The Precinct is also 46% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/the-precinct

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

INTEL Arc Graphics 32.0.101.8626
https://videocardz.com/driver/intel-arc-graphics-32-0-101-8626

HIGHLIGHTS
Introducing Intel Graphics Shader Distribution Service, which will help improve first load times by up to 2x on Intel Arc B-series GPUs, Intel Core Ultra Series 3, and Series 2 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs for the following games:

***list of games I’m not quoting***

Intel Game On Driver support on Intel Arc B-series and A-series Graphics GPUs, and Intel Core Ultra with built-in Intel Arc GPUs for:

• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Everwind

Game performance improvements on Intel Arc B-series Graphics GPUs versus Intel 31.0.101.8531 software driver:

• Nioh 3 (DX12)
  • Up to 9% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Ultra settings

FIXED ISSUES

Intel Core Ultra Series 3 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:

• Naraka Bladepoint (DX12) may experience an application crash with Ray Tracing settings enabled.
• Hogwarts Legacy (DX12) may exhibit corruption during cinematics.
• Davinci Resolve Studio may exhibit visual corruption in the viewport while resizing the window with HDR enabled.

Intel Arc B-Series Graphics Products:

• Naraka Bladepoint (DX12) may experience an application crash with Ray Tracing settings enabled.

Intel Graphics Software Fixed Issues:

• Intel Graphics Software may sometimes experience an application crash while navigating between pages using keyboard.
• Performance metrics on Intel Graphics Software may not show actual values on certain configurations when both Integrated and Discrete adapters are enabled.

'If that was shown as a next-gen hardware reveal and not AI you guys would be going nuts': Epic Games lead producer says the idea DLSS 5 looks bad or detracts from art direction is 'absolutely insane'
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/epic-games-lead-producer-calls-belief-dlss-5-looks-bad-or-detracts-from-art-direction-absolutely-insane-if-that-was-shown-as-a-next-gen-hardware-reveal-and-not-ai-you-guys-would-be-going-nuts/
Nvidia's DLSS 5 reveal has pulled in some very strong opinions. Since its unveiling, both Nvidia and Bethesda have clarified that developers will have creative freedom, but many developers have labelled it "slop" and "disrespectful to the intentional art direction of devs". One particularly strong voice in favour of the tech is the lead producer of Epic Games, Jean Pierre Kellams.
As shared over on X, Kellams says, "All you guys roasting DLSS 5 like it doesn’t look better/is detracting from art direction are absolutely insane."
"The lighting and shading improvements are bonkers. If that was shown as a next-gen hardware reveal and not “AI” you guys would be going nuts like the Watch Dogs demo."
If you don't know Kellams for his work on the likes of Fortnite, you may know him for his history with Platinum Games, working on the English adaptation of Bayonetta 2, The Wonderful 101, Devil May Cry, and more.
Ex-Intel alum and former owner of PC Perspective, Ryan Shrout, said that Kellam's post "seems like the right answer to me", and they went hands-on with the tech yesterday. They argue it's "not a face filter" and "What I saw in the demos was a comprehensive improvement across the entire scene. And the moment that really drove this home wasn't a face. It was a coffee maker."

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

PlayStation 4 Emulator shadPS4 0.15.0 Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/playstation-4-emulator-shadps4-0-15-0-available-for-download/
The team behind the best PlayStation 4 emulator, shadPS4, has released a new version of it. According to the devs, version 0.15.0 comes with a lot of new features that improve compatibility and general user experience.
Version 0.15.0 was released yesterday. As such, there aren’t a lot of videos right now on YouTube. So far, I’ve found three, which you can watch at the end of the article.
The Godzilla PS4 game seems to run as well as the PlayStation 4 version. Then we have The Last Guardian, which runs better than ever on shadPS4 V0.15.0. It’s still not perfect, as there are some visual glitches here and there. However, I’m certain that by the end of 2026, this game will be fully playable.
Driveclub and UFC 2 also appear to run great with shadPS4 V0.15.0. Also, since Bloodborne ran great on the previous version of shadPS4, I’m certain it can also be fully enjoyed with this new version.

Demo Released for the Baldur’s Gate 1 Mod for Baldur’s Gate 3
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/demo-released-for-the-baldurs-gate-1-mod-for-baldurs-gate-3/
Deathbringer’s Reign, a team of dedicated modders, has released the demo for its Baldur’s Gate 1 Mod for Baldur’s Gate 3. This demo lets you experience the Prologue and the entirety of Candlekeep in the Baldur’s Gate 3 engine.
Going into more details, the demo offers around an hour and a half of gameplay content. The first area includes locations, NPCs, quests, dialogue, and more. However, it does not have any voices.
The next major goal of the team is to release a second demo, which expands the world to include the areas of High Hedge, Beregost, the Friendly Arm Inn, and Shipwreck’s Coast, as well as the classic companions found in those regions.
Overall, this is a cool mod that a lot of Baldur’s Gate fans will appreciate. If you are one of them, you can download the demo from this link. At the end of the article, you can also find a gameplay video for it. This video gives us a tour of the Candlekeep.

GAMING NEWS

Death Stranding 2 PC has been leaked two days before release
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/death-stranding-2-pc-has-been-leaked-two-days-before-release/
It appears that the PC version of Death Stranding 2 has been leaked online, two days before its official release. This isn’t a joke. For some bizarre reason, an unprotected build of the game was pushed out. And, to the surprise of no one, people are already sharing it via torrents.