Intel’s Hallock Blames Software, Not Silicon, For Gaming Gap — Claims 30% Performance Is Hiding Behind Poor Optimization

https://wccftech.com/intels-hallock-blames-software-not-silicon-for-gaming-gap-claims-30-performance-is-hiding-behind-poor-optimization/

Former AMD FSR Lead Drops “Big Trouble” Meme When Pressed On Why FSR 4 Still Won’t Run On RDNA 2/3

https://wccftech.com/former-amd-fsr-lead-drops-big-trouble-meme-when-pressed-on-why-fsr-4-still-wont-run-on-rdna-2-3/

AMD Ryzen CPU Prices Increase Over 50% In Japan As DIY PC Market Continues To Face AI Shocks

https://wccftech.com/amd-ryzen-cpu-prices-increase-over-50-percent/

Intel’s Wildcat Lake Reference Laptop Takes Direct Aim at MacBook Neo with Aluminum Body, Breezy Colors, and Fanless 11W Mode

https://wccftech.com/intel-wildcat-lake-laptop-direct-aim-macbook-neo-aluminum-body-breezy-colors-fanless-mode/

Alienware Stuffs Its Area-51 Desktop With AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 CPU & 208MB of 3D V-Cache, Starting at $4,299

https://wccftech.com/alienware-stuffs-area-51-desktop-with-amd-ryzen-9-9950x3d2-cpu-starting-at-4299-usd/

Samsung Display says QD-OLED passes UL viewing angle verification

https://videocardz.com/newz/samsung-display-says-qd-oled-passes-ul-viewing-angle-verification

NVIDIA rolls out GeForce NOW labels for Xbox Game Pass and Ubisoft+ titles

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-rolls-out-geforce-now-labels-for-xbox-game-pass-and-ubisoft-titles

AMD deploys “war room” to monitor our website for leaks (videocardz)

https://videocardz.com/pixel/amd-deploys-war-room-to-monitor-our-website-for-leaks

TSMC says A13 node will deliver 6% area reduction over A14

https://videocardz.com/newz/tsmc-says-a13-node-will-deliver-6-area-reduction-over-a14

Microsoft GDK update adds native ARM64 preview for Xbox PC game builds

https://videocardz.com/newz/microsoft-gdk-update-adds-native-arm64-preview-for-xbox-pc-game-builds

Intel lands Tesla as first major customer for 14A chip technology

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-ceo-musk-says-company-plans-use-intels-14a-process-terafab-2026-04-22/

Google TPU 8i for Inference and TPU 8t for Training Announced

https://www.servethehome.com/google-tpu-8i-for-inference-and-tpu-8t-for-training-announced/

Intel claiming that their CPUs don't perform well enough because MSoft and game developers don't optimize for their CPUs is hilarious. They didn't complain about it when AMD was the neglected one.

Also, they still own more than 50% of the market, even on the Steam hardware survey, so I really doubt MSoft nor game devs are ignoring them and their hybrid designs.

The other comments or excuses are also pretty weak, imho. P-cores and E-cores are "virtually identical in performance...it's about 1% difference", yet one is clocked about 15% slower than the other. Sure, sure.

I haven't been up to date with latest developments, but hearing about Rocknix in last week or so is really making me think that day that Valve launches official SteamOS for ARM is getting close.

AMD Enables Chinese DDR5 Memory Support With EXPO 1.2: Adds CUDIMM, MRDIMM & Ultra-Low Latency Support

https://wccftech.com/amd-chinese-ddr5-memory-support-expo-1-2-cudimm-mrdimm-ultra-low-latency-support/

Intel’s Revolutionary ZAM Memory, A Low-Power & High Density HBM Replacement, Receives Big Boost From Japan

https://wccftech.com/intel-revolutionary-zam-memory-receives-big-boost-from-japan/

Samsung and Kingston Hike SSD Prices By 10% Again, Pushing 1TB Drives Past $330 As NAND Shortage Deepens

https://wccftech.com/samsung-and-kingston-hike-ssd-prices-by-10-again-pushing-1tb-drives-past-330-as-nand-shortage-deepens/

Ex-AMD FSR Lead Claims That Most GPUOpen & FidelityFX Team Members Are Now At NVIDIA Or Intel

https://wccftech.com/ex-amd-fsr-lead-claims-most-gpuopen-fidelityfx-team-members-now-at-nvidia-or-intel/

Lisuan LX 7G100 gaming GPU to launch in June with support for 100+ games

https://videocardz.com/newz/lisuan-lx-7g100-gaming-gpu-to-launch-in-june-with-support-for-100-games

ASUS warns former customer care provider employee tried to obtain card details from users

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-warns-former-customer-care-provider-employee-tried-to-obtain-card-details-from-users

Steam Controller page goes live on Komodo Station ahead of launch

https://videocardz.com/newz/steam-controller-page-goes-live-on-komodo-station-ahead-of-launch

Xbox Game Pass Starter Edition to be bundled with Discord Nitro

https://videocardz.com/newz/xbox-game-pass-starter-edition-to-be-bundled-with-discord-nitro

Xbox says Project Helix will lead in performance for console and PC games

https://videocardz.com/newz/xbox-says-project-helix-will-lead-in-performance-for-console-and-pc-games

Valve adds Steam Deck framerate and survey data to Steamworks dashboard

https://videocardz.com/newz/valve-adds-steam-deck-framerate-and-survey-data-to-steamworks-dashboard

Xbox CEO reportedly drops Microsoft Gaming, makes Xbox the company’s gaming brand again

https://videocardz.com/newz/xbox-ceo-reportedly-drops-microsoft-gaming-makes-xbox-the-companys-gaming-brand-again

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced launches July 9, 4K60 with ray tracing requires RTX 4090 GPU

https://videocardz.com/newz/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-launches-july-9-4k60-with-ray-tracing-requires-rtx-4090-gpu

Japan Photoresist Suppliers Flag Shortage Amid >40% Middle East Naphtha Reliance, Risks for Chipmakers

https://www.trendforce.com/news/2026/04/24/news-japan-photoresist-suppliers-flag-shortage-amid-40-middle-east-naphtha-reliance-risks-for-chipmakers/

Time for the Friday gaming news!

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

The Humble Store has three(?) sales:

• Alien Day Sale 2026 has games up to 80% off during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/alien-day-2026/
• Hell on Earth Sale has games with up to 95% discounts during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/hell-on-earth/
• And the third one… It was between the other two new sales but I’m not sure if it’s new or if it’s been around for a few days already. The Koeir Tecmo April Sale has games up to 90% off and will last 11 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/koei-tecmo-april-sale/

Fanatical has the BYO Gamersky All-Stars Bundle, featuring 11 titles to choose from for your 2+, 3+ or 5+ game bundles during the next 34 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-gamersky-all-stars-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Turkiye passes legislation to tighten its grip on Steam and other gaming platforms, but it's social media companies that really get it in the neck
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/turkiye-passes-legislation-to-tighten-its-grip-on-steam-and-other-gaming-platforms-but-its-social-media-companies-that-really-get-it-in-the-neck/
In February this year, Turkiye's Family and Social Services Ministry announced draft legislation to impose various restrictions and overweening oversight on Steam, Epic, and other gaming platforms. The country's parliament has now approved the bill, with some minor changes, which will mean tough times ahead for such platforms, and newly limited access for Turkish players.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

The Witcher 3 Online Mod Version 2.1 Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-witcher-3-online-mod-version-2-1-available-for-download/
Modder ‘rejuvenate’ has released a brand new version of the amazing online multiplayer mod for The Witcher 3, Witcher Online. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table.
For those who did not know, Witcher Online is a mod that adds multiplayer to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. With this mod, players can join servers and play together with friends. You can customize your character with Custom Player Characters and relax in taverns using the Chill Out feature. You can also chat with other players, use emotes, and roleplay with strangers. Best of all, you can experience the full story of Geralt and Ciri from beginning to end, all while exploring the world of The Witcher with other players.
Each player will be able to see their equipped armor, swords, crossbow, scabbards, hairstyle, and face mark. There is also full movement and combat sync. Players can swim, ride horses, and fight enemies with their friends.
Update 2.1 appears to be a small hotfix. From what I can see, it does not bring any major tweaks or changes. Nevertheless, you’ll need this latest version to play the game online.
Version 2.1 adds a menu that you can open using a custom key to use emotes, chat, and change between morphs. It also fixes crashes caused by the new asi loader version, as well as some general bugs. On the server side, the update fixes a bug where players couldn’t join anymore if the server was running for a really long time.
Those interested can go ahead and download this latest version of Witcher Online from this link.
>> The article has a shorter than 2 minutes video.

There's now a Wordle-like for Final Fantasy 14 players and it's putting my raid-addled mind to the test
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/theres-now-a-wordle-like-for-final-fantasy-14-players-and-its-putting-my-raid-addled-mind-to-the-test/
I've fully entered my raiding era in Final Fantasy 14—I finally cleared my first full savage tier with the latest Arcadion raids, and I'm in the throes of progging my first ultimate (we do Looper, and then we do Looper etc). It's been a learning process of not only what my job does, but what everyone else's does and how they all intersect. Plus, you know, learning all the mechanics. Has any of that come in handy with this Final Fantasy 14-based logic game that has recently dug its claws into me? Absolutely not, but these daily puzzles are a must-play for anyone looking to flex their knowledge of the critically-acclaimed MMORPG. Clock Spots gives you eight different jobs spread out in a circle (at their "clock spots", hence the name), with each one having different criteria you need to fill in order to complete the puzzle. One spot might need a job released in a certain expansion, while a healer might have to be positioned with an AOE heal in order to catch other players with low HP. It's a real test of just how much you know about the game—do you know who has a ground-targeted heal? Or which jobs you learn in Gridania versus Ul'dah or Limsa Lominsa? Or who wears Aiming accessories? Clock Spots has tooltips that you can hover over if you're not a walking Final Fantasy 14 encyclopaedia, but there's also a "blind prog" setting that turns them off entirely, which means you really have to know your stuff. The puzzles vary in difficulty each day, all thematically named of course with Normal, Extreme, Savage, and Ultimate giving a little nod to how hard a time you might have with it. Clock Spots has only been going for a week as of writing so there's not too many archival puzzles to dive through, but they are releasing daily so you can get a consistent fix. My times have been pretty average across most of the puzzles. I completely flubbed the April 23 puzzle and walked away with a measly solve time of 7:41, but managed to wrangle every other day at around the two-to-five minute mark. As someone who is a total sucker for daily puzzles—I am a stout NYT Games enjoyer with Wordle, Connections, the Mini and the Midi practically being a ritual for me at this point—having one which is so specifically catered to my interests has me kicking my feet in pure joy. I hope Clock Spots carries on for a good long while, and who knows? Maybe all of this random knowledge (I'm sorry, I cannot remember every job with a single-target raid buff), will actually come in handy when I play the actual game, too. One can hope, anyway. I need all the help I can get.
>> There is only a tweet with a picture of the “game”.

GAMING NEWS

Conan Exiles Enhanced Upgrade Brings Free Unreal Engine 5 Update for All Players
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/conan-exiles-enhanced-upgrade-brings-free-unreal-engine-5-update-for-all-players/
Funcom has announced Conan Exiles Enhanced, a free and massive visual overhaul for Conan Exiles. This new Enhanced version will be powered by Unreal Engine 5, and it will be available to all owners of the game on Steam.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Gets Official Trailer, Release Date and PC Requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-gets-official-trailer-release-date-and-pc-requirements/
Ubisoft has officially revealed Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. The team has shared the game’s official details, release date, debut trailer, and its PC requirements. So, let’s dive in.
>> It looks great but, at least to me, not full new game price good. By the way, the remake has been done by the studio that did Skull & Bones (link).

Death Stranding 2 Patch 1.5 Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/death-stranding-2-patch-1-5-released-detailed/
Nixxes and Kojima Productions released yesterday Title Update 1.5 for Death Stranding 2 and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new patch brings to the table.

Crimson Desert Patch 1.04.01 Fixes Lots of Bugs – Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/crimson-desert-patch-1-04-01-fixes-lots-of-bugs-full-patch-notes/
Pearl Abyss has released Title Update 1.04.01 for Crimson Desert and has shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this latest update brings to the table.
Patch 1.04.01 appears to be a hotfix, aiming to fix the bugs that were present in the previous major update. So, don’t expect any major tweaks or changes. Instead, the update will fix some bugs and glitches.

Friday gaming news, part two:

Blizzard buffs my fav WoW spec like a vengeful genie—giving me a huge damage boost that's bound to get all my party members killed because they can't see anything
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/blizzards-buffed-my-favorite-wow-spec-in-the-most-monkey-paw-way-it-possibly-could/
World of Warcraft's latest patch has come with… well, let's just say it's not exactly landed well with the playerbase. That's owing to a swarm of nasty bugs that have made it through the net—ranging from genuinely game-breaking to tiny frustrations, but gathering speed into one big mess.
One of the funnier outcomes of Blizzard's difficulty with QA this patch cycle, however, comes from the Outlaw Rogue, and it's either completely unintended, or just an accidental consequence of something that seems cool on paper but in practice, uh, gets people killed.
>> Blizzard has apologized for the bugs (link).

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred has a special gift for necromancers who want to be surrounded by 28 skeletons and druids who hate being bears
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/diablo-4-lord-of-hatred-has-a-special-gift-for-necromancers-who-want-to-be-surrounded-by-28-skeletons-and-druids-who-hate-being-bears/
When I first opened the warlock skill tree while reviewing Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred last week, I spent a good 20 minutes just reading through all the different skills and upgrades Blizzard stuffed in there. And that was just one of the new classes in the expansion; the other six have been reworked too.
(...)
Necromancers might be the biggest winners of the expansion: Blizzard has promoted them to undead generals who can command more minions than ever before. Not only can they finally direct their skeletons to attack targets, they can gather up to what looks like 28 of them, all at once, with the right items.

'The exhaustion on screen is 100% real': The solo dev of this 'live-action' survival game spent 40 grueling days alone in the wilderness to create it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/the-exhaustion-on-screen-is-100-percent-real-the-solo-dev-of-this-live-action-survival-game-spent-40-grueling-days-alone-in-the-wilderness-to-create-it/
If you've grown a bit weary of survival games where a stick and a rock can automagically be combined to make a tree-felling axe and you can build a comfortable base in a matter of minutes, how about something a bit more authentic?
Wordless Forest is a FMV (Full Motion Video) survival game that could wind up feeling more realistic than most of what you'll find on Steam—because its creator actually went out into the woods for weeks on end to make it. Solo developer Dogus Cagrici both stars in the game and recorded all the footage himself while hiking alone deep in the real wilderness.

Exodus, the sci-fi RPG from former Mass Effect devs, couldn't look more like Mass Effect in the teasers we've been getting this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/exodus-the-sci-fi-rpg-from-former-mass-effect-devs-couldnt-look-more-like-mass-effect-in-the-teasers-weve-been-getting-this-month/
In the month since Archetype Entertainment gave us our first look at its sci-fi RPG Exodus, there's been a drip-feed of teasers showcasing gunfights, the exploration of alien worlds, stealth and a man looking out of his balcony. The main takeaway from these teasers is that, yep, this sure looks like Mass Effect.

Overwatch lends Roadhog players a helping hand, reverting his Chain Hook nerf after just 1 week—I'm as confused as you are
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/overwatch-lends-roadhog-players-a-helping-hand-reverting-his-chain-hook-nerf-after-just-1-week-im-as-confused-as-you-are/
Overwatch's new season kicked off last week, and alongside a new battle pass, hero, and a bunch of skins it came with the regular patch notes full of buffs and nerfs. I actually mentioned how, amid everything, the changes that stood out to me were Sierra's ridiculously strong kit as well as Roadhog's long-awaited nerf which increased the cooldown on his Chain Hook.
(...)
Yesterday's patch notes revealed that Hog's Chain Hook cooldown is back down to just seven seconds. How the hell does this even happen? Well, it's been a particularly rough week for Hog players, with his pick rate dropping and the character suffering on the battlefield.

This indie developer is making Titanfall 3 because EA won't do it, and even in 'pre-pre-pre alpha' it's one of the most fun shooters in years
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/this-indie-developer-is-making-titanfall-3-because-ea-wont-do-it-and-even-in-pre-pre-pre-alpha-its-one-of-the-most-fun-shooters-in-years/
Titanfall is one of my favourite FPS series of all time, and I'll forever be bitter that EA canned it at its peak. It's not Titanfall 2's fault it was sent to the slaughter being released between Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Actually, that's EA's fault. That frustration lives on all these years later, and with no hope in sight from EA—or any other AAA studio wanting a piece of the pie—it's been up to indies to give us our dose of mech-infused movement shooter.
Enter ShatterRush, a spiritual successor to Titanfall developed by two-person dev team Tetra Studios over the past year. You can download a pre-alpha build on Steam, which Tetra actually describes more as "pre-pre-pre alpha" when you boot it up. Textures and sound effects are very barebones right now, obviously, but ShatterRush has the sauce.

Final Fantasy 14's patch notes sneak-peek is Square Enix's classic formula of exciting quality-of-life changes and weirdly archaic systems
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/final-fantasy-14s-patch-notes-sneak-peek-is-square-enixs-classic-formula-of-exciting-quality-of-life-changes-and-weirdly-archaic-systems/
The first Final Fantasy 14 Fan Festival for the MMO's next expansion kicks off today. We should be getting a little glimpse at a trailer, the expansion's name, and more than likely producer Naoki Yoshida's usual mind games with a t-shirt that'll give some sort of hint about one of the new jobs.
But first, we still have a whole other patch for Dawntrail to get to first. Patch 7.5 is set to drop on April 28, and as usual we've been handed some preliminary patch notes to comb through in anticipation.

And the third part of the gaming news:

'I have 100% Crimson Desert': Pocketpair's head of publishing & communications completes every achievement after just 189 hours, and honestly, I'm surprised that's even possible
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/i-have-100-percent-crimson-desert-palwords-community-manager-completes-every-achievement-after-just-189-hours-and-honestly-im-surprised-thats-even-possible/

'Our presence on PC isn't strong enough,' Xbox bosses admit
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/our-presence-on-pc-isnt-strong-enough-xbox-bosses-admit/
>> And I hope they don’t change that.

Mass Effect devs have been practically radio silent for over 5 years because there's 'not a lot of time for tease'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/mass-effect-devs-have-been-practically-radio-silent-for-over-5-years-because-theres-not-a-lot-of-time-for-tease/
>> Man, by the time the game finally launches, titles like The Expanse: Osiris or Exodus may have made it irrelevant.

And these are the weekend deals at GOG and Steam:

+GOG

• Klabater Publisher Sale has games up to 95% off during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20260424_klabater_publisher_sale
• Visual Novel & jRPG Promo also has games with up to 95% discounts during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20260424_visual_novel_jrpg_promo

+Steam

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 celebrates 1 year since launch with a 20% discount until the 30th of April: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1903340/Clair_Obscur_Expedition_33/
• Half-Life: Alyx gets a 75% discount until the same 30th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/546560/HalfLife_Alyx/
• Overcooked! 2 will be 75% off until May the 4th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/Overcooked_2/
• Dispatch , that has a demo, also has a 20% discount until the 7th of May: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2592160/Dispatch/
• Mycopunk , still in Early Access, is going to be 35% off until May 7: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3247750/Mycopunk/
• Bionic Bay will have a 75% discount until the 7th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1928690/Bionic_Bay/
• Wild Bastards is going to be 85% off until May the 7th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1660840/Wild_Bastards/
• And now, the Sales/events… Thirteen. There are 13 new sales/events. It’s like all publishers think that the best time to launch their sales is right before a weekend. Mind you, they’re not entirely wrong, but it’s a PITA. So yeah, follow the link to check the sales from EA, Smilegate, KEMCO, Koei Tecmo, Bandai Namco, Sega/Atlus, Square Enix or Komodo, along the Baltic Games, Persona 30th anniversary, MIX Indie Game Gallery, Second Wind and Alien Day Events/Fests/Showcases: https://store.steampowered.com/news/collection/sales/

And just like that, we’ve reached the end of the gaming news, at least for this week. Until the next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-reportedly-has-no-xe3p-celestial-arc-gaming-gpus-planned-xe4-druid-up-in-the-air

We all knew their discrete consumer gpu releases would close.

I really, really hope that's not a final decision and we get gaming GPUs based on Celestian, because if they decide to skip it, this move will destroy all the work they've done with their launched cards to earn some marketshare and will also erase any kind of goodwill people will be open to give them in the future.

After all, many of us were wary of Archmage because we had seen how many products Intel had cancelled recently, and feared that their discrete GPUs would follow the same path. And this move will confirm all those fears.

I would prefer, but not really like, that they did a limited run of those Celestial gaming GPUs, to reafirm (to an extend) that they're still serious about their gaming GPUs. After all, they need to price them lower than the competition to be considered, but carry enough amounts of vRAM to cost an arm and a leg wih today's prices.