Man, modern gaming feels hella fucked. I don't get how normal people will be able to afford getting into this hobby. Whether it's PCs or consoles, the starting price is basically $500 for a Switch 2 and it might go up even more. Then you have online subscriptions if you are on consoles and $80 games. While I get that component costs are going up so somethings can't be helped but I think with the way things are going, gaming industry will effectively be skipping a generation of people who won't dedicate gaming as their primary hobby. Sure they might play the occasional casual games on their phone but gone are the days where the barrier to entry was less than $200 for something like a DS or PS4. And of course, PCs are getting insanely priced.

There was this comment somewhere that said "those that bought a PC before 2026 will feel like boomers buying homes before the prices skyrocketed" and it does feel that way. I joke about waiting until 2027 to upgrade but I might have to wait until 2030+ with the hope that Ai bubble will burst by then. Because god damn does the industry need a course correction. I just hope that the wear items on my PC like storage or the impending doom that might be the 12 pin connector can keep it together till then.

At this point I'm not upgrading my RTX 4090, I'm putting it on a retirement plan and hoping it survives long enough to become a family heirloom. GPU prices got me treating thermal paste like anti aging cream. I'm about to start speaking softly to it and lowering its stress levels. I'm seriously looking up how to extend the lifespan of an RTX 4090. I'm serious, anybody know how? lol

The other consequence of this situation is game development. With less and less people being able to afford newer and more capable components, mostly GPUs, game development will have to scale back or massively increase the part they dedicate to optimization.

World/maps won't be able to get bigger and more detailed because cards won't have enough memory. RT/PT implementation will slow down as GPUs won't be powerful enough, etc.

We may see how indies and free-to-play titles become the biggest sellers (they're already almost there) because those games will target less powerful machines that will make them more attractive to more gamers that can't run the latest games with more eye candy.

We have interesting, albeit a bit somewhat disappointing, times ahead of us.

The thing that might kill these GPUs is largely that dang connector. It might burn out tomorrow or it might never burn out but the only thing any of us can really do is either try our best to keep it alive or have a contingency plan if it dies.

For example, the main things that seems to kill it is constant plugging and unplugging the connector and the fact that a lot of current can go through it which causes heat. So for me, I never really unplugged the connector other than the first time I plugged it in and I occasionally, visually make sure it's seated in properly without touching in. And for the heat issue through the connector, my case has intake fans at the bottom as well as on the sides so hopefully, the airflow will keep it cool enough.

For my contingency plan, I bought my cable through cable mod back when I got it because they were guaranteeing that if any GPUs burnt by using their cables, they will fully pay the entire price of the GPU. And for the GPUs that actually did get burnt, there have been a ton of cases where Cablemod did indeed pay for either the replacement or market value of the GPU.

Of course the alternative is to go Radeon but that brand has it's own sets of issues that I am not interested in dealing with. But outside of the cable, it's pretty unlikely the gpu itself will die anytime soon. Just make sure to have an anti sag brace as well.

Yeah, I've been treating GPUs gently for quite a while now, since we've been having some sort of shitty market conditions for them for what feels like ages now.

Which primarily means never run them at full load, so upscaling, lower settings and slight undervolt to keep them at max 80-85% load and under 80°C.

Dell unveils XPS 13, its lightest XPS laptop yet with Intel Wildcat Lake, starting at $599

https://videocardz.com/newz/dell-unveils-xps-13-its-lightest-xps-laptop-yet-with-intel-wildcat-lake-starting-at-599

Never thought I'd hear XPS and $599 (least for students, 699 for retail) but I suppose that went the same for Macbook Neo. Starting 8GB ram however is a pain point for Windows but granted in the current market, 

Dell confirms XPS laptop with NVIDIA N1X at Computex

https://videocardz.com/newz/dell-confirms-xps-laptop-with-nvidia-n1x-at-computex

Acer Predator Atlas 8 unveiled with Intel Arc G3 chips and 24GB memory

https://videocardz.com/newz/acer-predator-atlas-8-unveiled-with-intel-arc-g3-chips-and-24gb-memory

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ leak shows redesigned handheld with Arc G3 Extreme

https://videocardz.com/newz/msi-claw-8-ex-ai-leak-shows-redesigned-handheld-with-arc-g3-extreme

Alienware launches 39-inch 5K OLED and 34-inch 280Hz QD-OLED gaming monitors

https://videocardz.com/newz/alienware-launches-39-inch-5k-oled-and-34-inch-280hz-qd-oled-gaming-monitors

Cooler Master and G.SKILL reveal thick DDR5 memory with built-in cooling fan

https://videocardz.com/newz/cooler-master-and-g-skill-made-ddr5-memory-with-active-cooling

NVIDIA brings back Summer of RTX with RTX 50 series GPU prizes

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-brings-back-summer-of-rtx-with-rtx-50-series-gpu-prizes

Noctua teases quiet AIO pump ahead of Computex

https://videocardz.com/newz/noctua-teases-quiet-aio-pump-ahead-of-computex

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney mocks Valve’s Steam Deck price increase

https://videocardz.com/newz/epic-ceo-tim-sweeney-mocks-valves-steam-deck-price-increase

MSI unveils world’s first QD-OLED Triple-Mode monitor: 4K 360Hz / 2K 520Hz / FHD 680Hz

https://videocardz.com/newz/msi-unveils-worlds-first-qd-oled-triple-mode-monitor-4k-360hz-2k-520hz-fhd-680hz

Hisense Launches World’s First RGB Mini LED Monitor, Boasting 4K@180Hz And Peak Brightness Of 2000 Nits

https://wccftech.com/hisense-launches-worlds-first-rgb-mini-led-monitor-boasting-4k180hz-and-peak-brightness-of-2000-nits/

TP-Link announces its first consumer Wi-Fi 8 roadmap — Archer 8 routers scheduled to arrive in October 2026, pending FCC approval

https://www.tomshardware.com/networking/routers/tp-link-announces-its-first-consumer-wi-fi-8-roadmap-archer-8-routers-scheduled-to-arrive-in-october-2026-pending-fcc-approval

Energy use forcing rethink of AI chip design, TSMC says

https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/energy-use-forcing-rethink-ai-chip-design-tsmc-says-2026-05-28/

The thing is, letters in a word isn't something that LLMs can do like humans do because they think in tokens. What you're asking is more akin to how many [554]s are there in [331][7856] in that the answer isn't immediately obvious from the question.

Of course, Google's AI Overview model being an outdated (Gemini 1.5-like?) extremely quantized to keep costs down and make it cheaper than standard Google Search doesn't help matters either.

It’s time for the Friday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era teases a roguelike mode as it hits 1 million sales
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/heroes-of-might-and-magic-olden-era-teases-a-roguelike-mode-as-it-hits-1-million-sales/
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era's strategy of building on the series' peak—the 1999 classic HoMM 3—has paid off. In a single day it broke even, shifting 250,000 copies. And in less than a month it managed to climb up to 1 million.
That's a heck of an achievement for the new game in a series that largely seemed to have been forgotten by owner Ubisoft—HoMM 5 came out in 2006, and since then it's been left alone.
It's definitely earned its popularity. As I said in my Olden Era early access impressions, it's not some wild reinvention, it's simply riffing on the best version of HoMM, giving the vets what they've always wanted: a return to the good old days of HoMM 3. But at the same time, this isn't a remaster or remake—there are new ideas here, with big changes introduced to the magic system and the addition of some fancy new modes.
Speaking of new modes, there are more coming. To celebrate the 1 million sales milestone, Unfrozen and publisher Hooded Horse have shown off a roadmap detailing what's to come as the game makes its way through early access.

007 First Light has sold 1.5 million copies in its first 24 hours and claims the victory of 'fastest selling title in IO Interactive's history'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/007-first-light-has-sold-1-5-million-copies-in-its-first-24-hours-and-claims-the-victory-of-fastest-selling-title-in-io-interactives-history/
It's been a few days now since IO Interactive's ventured into the world of British espionage and to celebrate the successful launch it's now been revealed that 007 First Light sold a whopping 1.5 million copies in its first 24 hours.
"Interactive, the independent video game developer and publisher behind the Hitman franchise, and Amazon MGM Studios are thrilled to announce that 007 First Light, has reached 1.5 million units sold within the first 24 hours, making it the fastest-selling title in IO Interactive's history," a press release explains. Its numbers on SteamDB aren't too hot with just an all-time peak of 68,477, but there's a good chance the majority of activity is on consoles.

There are a couple of new deals at Humble:

• Humble Bundle presents the Critical Hits ARPG Bundle, with up to 7 games to get during 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/critical-hits-arpg-bundle-game
• At the Humble Store we find these two:
  • The Eñder Scrolls Franchise Sale features up to 75% discounts and will last 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/elder-scrolls-franchise-sale/
  • The RogueVania Sale, with games up to 90% off during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/roguevania

Fanatical has new Flash Deals and a bundle:

• Here are the 24h Flash Deals:
  • STORY OF SEASONS: Grand Bazaar has a 33% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/story-of-seasons-grand-bazaar
  • Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution is 40% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/neptunia-game-maker-revolution
  • DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT - MASTER EDITION sports a 57% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dragon-ball-z-kakarot-master-edition
• And the Into Games Charity Bundle 2026 has 11 games and will last 27 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/into-games-charity-bundle-2026

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

-Nothing today-

GAMING NEWS

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Releases on October 23rd, Gets Reveal Trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-4-releases-on-october-23rd-gets-reveal-trailer/
Activision has just announced that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will be released on October 23rd. To celebrate this announcement, the publisher shared the game’s reveal trailer, which you can find below.
>> Shikamo made a thread about the reveal (link). Anyway, here are other related articles: It will support ray tracing (link); and it will also bring back DMZ (link).

Death Stranding 2 Update 1.8 Released – Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/death-stranding-2-update-1-8-released-full-patch-notes/
Kojima Productions and Nixxes have just released Title Update 1.8 for Death Stranding 2 and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table.

First 007 First Light Patch Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/first-007-first-light-patch-released-detailed/
IO Interactive has released the first patch for its latest James Bond game, 007 First Light. So, let’s see what this first update brings to the table.

Crimson Desert Update 1.09.00 Released – Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/crimson-desert-update-1-09-00-released-full-patch-notes/
Pearl Abyss has just released Title Update 1.09.00 for Crimson Desert and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table.

Friday gaming news, part two:

This week's most compelling Steam demo is a torment engine disguised as golf
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/this-weeks-most-compelling-steam-demo-is-a-torment-engine-disguised-as-golf/
Thanks to a dysfunctional relationship with my own bones and muscles, I accepted from a very young age that I wasn't ever going to be much of a golfer. Golf games, however, I've believed myself to be pretty good at, having achieved mastery over the subtle arts of pressing A when the meters make you golf good.
That, as I learned today, was hubris. Whatever faith I had in my own simulated golf skillset has been systematically dismantled by the demo for Normal Golf Game, a deceptively golf-like torture apparatus developed by Fruit Ninja creator Luke Muscat—presumably for the purpose of inflicting widespread psychic harm.

'Proper big': The Witcher 3's new expansion will be 'closer to Blood and Wine' in scope
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-witcher/proper-big-the-witcher-3s-new-expansion-will-be-closer-to-blood-and-wine-in-scope/
CD Projekt finally confirmed yesterday that a new expansion for The Witcher 3 is in the works, called Songs of the Past. The announcement brought months of rumors and speculation (and one cheeky non-denial) to a close—ironically, a day earlier than planned, because CD Projekt accidentally let the big surprise leak out on its own storefront. Nobody to blame for that one but yourselves, fellas.
(...)
The more interesting tidbits, though, came during the Q&A portion of CD Projekt's financial call, during which co-CEO Michał Nowakowski emphasized pointedly that this is not a DLC.

After the success of Lord of Hatred, Diablo 4 looks to be turning its back on the fun in its next season
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/after-the-success-of-lord-of-hatred-diablo-4-looks-to-be-turning-its-back-on-the-fun-in-its-next-season/
For the first time in a while, I'm not so sure about Diablo 4's latest loot experiment. The prevailing complaint about the current season in Lord of Hatred is that Blizzard made the benefits of its strongest items too random compared to what we had in previous seasons. While Blizzard is working on a solution to that in its next season, it's also leaning even harder into uncertainty by gutting the only items we could really rely on.

In a bittersweet return to form, Destiny 2's final update is giving players reasons to roam its public zones once again
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/in-a-bittersweet-return-to-form-destiny-2s-final-update-is-giving-players-reasons-to-roam-its-public-zones-once-again/
After announcing the upcoming conclusion of its live service development, Bungie has started providing more details about Destiny 2's final update. In the first of its planned Dev Insights blogs covering what will be included in the coming last hurrah, Bungie laid out the loot and activity reworks accompanying the return of the Director.

And the third part of the gaming news:

Subnautica 2's botched bonus deal is about to wipe out more than one-third of Krafton's $736 million annual profit for 2025
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/subnautica-2s-botched-bonus-deal-is-about-to-wipe-out-more-than-one-third-of-kraftons-usd736-million-annual-profit-for-2025/

4 years later, Infinity Ward reflects on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's controversial changes: 'It came at the cost of feel and fun'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/4-years-later-infinity-ward-reflects-on-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-2s-controversial-changes-it-came-at-the-cost-of-feel-and-fun/

6 months before the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6, Rockstar employees in the UK have formed a union
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/6-months-before-the-launch-of-grand-theft-auto-6-rockstar-employees-in-the-uk-have-formed-a-union/

Take-Two CEO says 'former Rockstar employees' have tried to match GTA's success and 'haven't been able to'—and while he doesn't name names, that's gotta sting for a certain someone
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/grand-theft-auto/take-two-ceo-says-former-rockstar-employees-have-tried-to-match-gtas-success-and-havent-been-able-to-and-while-he-doesnt-name-names-thats-gotta-sting-for-a-certain-someone/

An Overwatch poster has been spotted in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, leaving some to speculate a collaboration is on the horizon
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/an-overwatch-poster-has-been-spotted-in-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-4-leaving-some-to-speculate-a-collaboration-is-on-the-horizon/

And these are t he weekend deals at Steam, because there are no new deals at GOG:

+Steam

• Let’s start with a GIVEAWAY: Drift86 will be free until the 3rd of June: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1070580/Drift86/
• Stray is going to be 50% off until the 3rd of June: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1332010/Stray/
• Ready or Not also gets a 50% discount, but until the 4th of June: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1144200/Ready_or_Not/
• Trainatic will be 30% off until the 11th of June: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3208560/Trainatic/
• SCUM features a 60% discount that will last until the 11th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/513710/SCUM/
• Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 , that has a demo, is going to be 85% off until the same 11th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1190000/Car_Mechanic_Simulator_2021/
• And these are the sales/events, in no particular order:
  • Suspense Game Festival: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/42156664/sale/suspensegamefestival2026
  • Cerebral Puzzle Showcase: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/CerebralPuzzleShowcase
  • The Elder Scrolls Franchise Sale (same conditions as the sale on the Humble Store): https://store.steampowered.com/sale/TESFranchiseSale2026
  • Cozy & Family Friendly Games Celebration 2026: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/CozyGameAwards2026
  • Strategemds 2026: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/46073222/sale/strategems2026
  • Spring in thr Shire Sale 2026: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34133273/sale/springintheshire2026
  • Insider Gaming Showcase: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/46062138/sale/InsiderGamingShowcase
  • Indie Quest 2026: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40645616/sale/IndieQuest2026
  • Indie Mania Show 2026: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45722739/sale/IndieManiaShow2026
  • And the DoKomi Creative Games Area 2026: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/46040013/sale/DoKomiCreativeGamesArea2026

And that’s it. Until the next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.