Oh, I'm sure that if consoles ever adopt this model, the external unit will be a closed device with no means for us to open it.

And yes, the fact that we finally have a standard tech behind this kind of device is very good news, and hopefully more brands will jump in.

No need to worry! It is not true

Forget what you've heard. #DarkSouls3 will run at 60 FPS on PC! https://t.co/h8O21GTxR8

— Dark Souls (@DarkSoulsGame) March 10, 2016

Basil has made a thread about it: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread.php?id=214561

It's happening! Now we just have to wait if it really becomes an industry standard. At least with usbC/thunderbolt standard connections it is staring good for now.

BIG RUMOR!

NVIDIA 16NM PASCAL POWERED GEFORCE GTX 1080 LAUNCHING IN MAY – USES FULL GP104 GPU WITH 2X PERF PER WATT AND 8 GB MEMORY http://wccftech.com/nvidia-pascal-geforce-gtx-1080-gp104-gpu/
and
http://videocardz.com/58462/rumor-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1080-has-gp104-and-8gb-gddr5x-memory (this is the source I'll use)

Before we begin I want to make clear it that I’m only posting this story because BenchLife stories are usually correct (in the past they released many Intel and AMD slides, which turned out to be true). However I’m still not convinced, especially about the name: GTX 1080 (I would rather expect GTX 1800, which corresponds to Quadro naming schema).

BenchLife are very specific in their post about few things (which is not very common for rumors). First of all they claim Jen-Hsun will announce Pascal architecture in April. They further report that NVIDIA is planning to launch GeForce GTX 1080 in May, shortly before Computex.

Most importantly though the new flagship would not have HBM2 memory. Card is allegedly equipped with 8GB GDDR5X memory, which basically means HBM2 will have to wait for Pascal GP100. Now does it make sense? Technically yes, because mass production of HBM2 modules is not expected to begin sooner than third quarter. FinFET GPU production is probably doing much better than HBM production, so NVIDIA could have taken a safe route that would protect them from any possible issues with HBM production. So rather than wait for new memory chips, NVIDIA is going to use known technology and focus exclusively on new power efficient 16nm FF node.

Now, going back to GTX 1080, the leakers also claim to know display output configuration, which is DisplayPort x2, HDMI x1, DVI x1. Not only that, they also say that GTX 1080 has one 8pin power connector (so the maximum power consumption would not exceed 225W).

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (GTX 1800) would launch on May 27th, which is just 4 days before Computex, allowing AIB partners to show their cards at the event. The problem about the date is that it’s not Tuesday or Thursday and I don’t remember NVIDIA releasing anything on Friday.

Well anyway, to sum up, this is what BenchLife rumor looks like in a nutshell:

• Pascal launch in April;
• GTX 1080/1800 launch in May 27th;
• GTX 1080/1800 has GP104 Pascal GPU;
• GTX 1080/1800 has 8GB GDDR5X memory;
• GTX 1080/1800 has one 8pin power connector;
• GTX 1080/1800 has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x DisplayPort;
• first Pascal board with HBM would be GP100 (Big Pascal)

>>We'll see if this rumors turns out to be true or not. Personally I wouldn't be surprised if it is indeed true as it would be almost the same strategy Nvidia used with their Kepler cards, which also launched with the GK104 version as the flagship, the GTX 680.

Still, this 225W card with twice the performance per Watt over Maxwell would be not only a lot faster than a GTX 980 (165W with 4GB), but also much faster than a 980Ti (250W with 6GB).

The news!
Note that I still can't access DSOGaming, so all the news will come from PC Gamer

BETHESDA'S TODD HOWARD CLARIFIES 'THREE BIG PROJECTS' COMMENT

http://www.pcgamer.com/bethesdas-todd-howard-clarifies-three-big-projects-comment/

Bethesda must have enjoyed being rid of the long hype cycle when it dropped the existence of Fallout 4 on us without ceremony and released it a mere five months later. A consequence of being a PR maverick, however, is the tendency for people to pay very close attention to anything you say in case they can make out 'Elder Scrolls 6' in the echo of your cough. That appears to be the case when it was reported that Bethesda had three "big and crazy" projects in the works. Todd Howard has now sought to clarify the non-announcement in an interview with gamesindustry.biz ahead of GDC.

XCOM 2 PERFORMANCE PATCH IS NOW LIVE

http://www.pcgamer.com/xcom-2-performance-patch-is-now-live/

The long-awaited XCOM 2 performance patch, which incorporates numerous fixes, balance changes, some much-needed optimizations, and the new Zip Mode gameplay option, is now live.

MIRROR'S EDGE CATALYST DEV DIARY SHOWCASES MOVEMENT AND COMBAT

http://www.pcgamer.com/mirrors-edge-catalyst-dev-diary-showcases-movement-and-combat/

Mirror's Edge Catalyst is just a couple of months away, and as Shaun said last week, that means it's time to start looking more closely at what the game has in store. To that end, EA has put up a new developer diary that digs into “the fluidity of movement,” and more precisely, how the gameplay in Catalyst will differ from, and be similar to, that of the original game.

ELITE DANGEROUS WILL BE AN OCULUS RIFT LAUNCH TITLE

http://www.pcgamer.com/elite-dangerous-will-be-an-oculus-rift-launch-title/

Space jockeys rejoice! Oculus VR announced today that the space combat-slash-trucking sim Elite Dangerous will offer native support for the Oculus Rift VR headset. Even better, it's only a few weeks away: The Oculus version of Elite will be released as a Rift launch title on March 28.

>>And they have launched a video announcing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdHDNmiyWqo

BATTLEFLEET GOTHIC: ARMADA SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ANNOUNCED

http://www.pcgamer.com/battlefleet-gothic-armada-system-requirements-announced/

The spires-n-skulls in space strategy sim Battlefleet Gothic: Armada will, barring unforeseen delays, soon be upon us. In fact, the multiplayer beta, available to all who preorder, went live today. And that means that this is probably a good time to take a look at the system requirements.

>>By the looks of it, it's a CPU heavy game.

TRACKMANIA TURBO TRAILER PROMISES TONNES OF MULTIPLAYER MODES

http://www.pcgamer.com/trackmania-turbo-trailer-promises-tonnes-of-multiplayer-modes/

Everyone is super excited about The Division, but Ubisoft's real secret weapon this month is Trackmania: Turbo. At least, I'd like to think so, because the trailers released so far show the kind of fast, arcade-y and lighthearted racer that I've been craving of late.

>>This is the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-wFHOelkcA

DISC-BASED RELEASE OF HITMAN WON'T BE OUT UNTIL 2017

http://www.pcgamer.com/disc-based-release-of-hitman-wont-be-out-until-2017/

Hitman is almost here! In fact, he might be hiding in your closet right now. Or at least some of him might be. The first episode of the game is due out on March 11, which is—gasp!—tomorrow. Further episodes and content updates will follow throughout 2016, after which it will all be collected up and released in a disc-based edition. But it's going to take a little bit longer than expected for that to hit the shelves: Developer IO Interactive has told Videogamer that the old fashioned disc-in-a-box won't be out until early 2017.

>>Anyone else thinks that when 2017 comes, they'll come up with an excuse for not launching it?

TROPICO PUBLISER KALYPSO ANNOUNCES URBAN EMPIRE, A NEW "CITY RULER" GAME

http://www.pcgamer.com/tropico-dev-kalypso-media-announces-urban-empire-a-new-city-ruler-game/

Kalypso Media, the publisher of the long-running Tropico series, has announced its new game, a “city ruler” sim called Urban Empire. It will feature elements of city building games, but instead of working as an overblown urban planner, you'll take control of one of four unique families, each with its own interests and priorities, and lead your city and its citizens through 200 years of progress.

>>Here's the teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBQFrxd8qZ4

UNREAL TOURNAMENT REBOOT GETS FEATURE COMPLETE DM CHILL MAP

http://www.pcgamer.com/unreal-tournament-reboot-gets-feature-complete-dm-chill-map/

The Unreal Tournament reboot is still ticking along, with a whole new build released earlier this week. That build, which you can download over here, includes a feature complete recreation of the legendary DM Chill map. DM Chill might not be as iconic as CTF Facing Worlds, but it's definitely an environment that lingers in my memory years after kicking my teenage UT habit.

>>What to give it a look? Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xL2rcXI698

DIABLO 2 PATCHED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FIVE YEARS

http://www.pcgamer.com/diablo-2-patched-for-the-first-time-in-five-years/

It's testament to the calibre of Blizzard's back catalogue that a 16-year-old game is considered worth patching. The last time Diablo 2 got a touch-up was in 2011: patch 1.13d polished Battle.net integration and swept away a few bugs. Though the changelog is short, yesterday's patch 1.14 is more significant.

SHOOT HOOPS IN ROCKET LEAGUE BASKETBALL

http://www.pcgamer.com/shoot-hoops-in-rocket-league-basketball/

Someone get an ethics committee to take a long hard look at Psyonix's methods—Dr Frankenstein would fear some of the creations that crawl from its doors. First, it spliced rockets with sports cars, and we said nothing. Then it fused rocket cars with football, and still we stood by. Recently, it introduced a pitch in the shape of a doughnut, but its blasphemies continue go unchecked, because basketball is next on the chopping block.

>>But wait, there's more!

NOW THERE'S A ROCKET LEAGUE/DYING LIGHT CROSSOVER

http://www.pcgamer.com/now-theres-a-rocket-leaguedying-light-crossover/

Well, I sure wish I'd saved my Frankenstein joke from this morning's Rocket League basketball post. Now I'll have to limit myself to expressing facts. Ugh. Because no tie-in is sacred, there is now a Rocket League/Dying Light crossover, apparently in acknowledgement of the fact that Dying Light: The Following has dirt buggies. I haven't played Dying Light, so I can't confirm if they're rocket-powered goal-scoring dirt buggies, but for my own sanity I'm going to go assume that they are.

>>Watch that monstruosity here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylifidtmhtc

Lastly, these are the Steam offers this weekend:

1. Grid Franchise is on sale http://store.steampowered.com/sale/grid/?snr=1_4_4__40_1
2. Awesomenauts is free to play during the weekend and has a 75% off discount http://store.steampowered.com/app/204300/?snr=1_4_4__40
3. Sega is the star in the Weekend Publisher sale http://store.steampowered.com/sale/sega_publisher_weekend_2016/

And that's it for this week .

A couple hardware/software news for today:

ASRock Uses External Clock Generators to Circumvent Intel non-K BClk OC Limits

http://www.techpowerup.com/220703/asrock-uses-external-clock-generators-to-circumvent-intel-non-k-bclk-oc-limits.html

ASRock is implementing a novel workaround to Intel's recent base-clock overclocking restrictions for its 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors. The company announced the Fatal1ty H170 Gaming K4 HYPER and Fatal1ty B150 Gaming K4 HYPER motherboards, which are based on a common PCB, but differ with chipset - H170 Express and B150 Express. The two use an external clock-generator chip to give cadence to the CPU, circumventing the on-die clock-generator Intel has been using for the past several generations of Core processor chipsets.

With this contraption, you can increase base clock frequency on non-K Core processors in fine increments of 0.0625 MHz, as well as tweak memory clock. Its star attraction aside, the two "HYPER" series motherboards offer mid-range feature-sets, that are nearly identical to those of the Fatal1ty H170 Gaming K4 and the Fatal1ty B150 Gaming K4 boards.

Will this time work?

Otoy breakthrough lets game developers run the best graphics software across platforms

http://venturebeat.com/2016/03/09/otoy-breakthrough-lets-game-developers-run-the-best-graphics-software-across-platforms/

It may be very arcane to most of us, but graphics startup Otoy has come up with a breakthrough that should help game developers create much more beautiful games that can run across different hardware platforms.

In a nutshell, Otoy reverse-engineered Nvidia’s general purpose graphics processing unit (GPGPU) software, known as CUDA, to run on non-Nvidia hardware. That means that programs written in the CUDA language are no longer exclusive to Nvidia graphics chips. Now they can run on GPUs from Advanced Micro Devices, ARM, and Intel. That means a CUDA program written for the PC could run on a PlayStation 4 or an Apple iPad.

CUDA running on AMD cards? Yeah, because Nvidia won't find a way to stop this.

Signed up to get that buggy skin =P.

Nice to see Diablo II getting a patch after all these years and nice to see D3 getting some new cosmetic content.

I've been put off Hitman this time around with it being broken up into episodic content, I;m not really a fan of games that go strictly by being broken up into "episodes".

The Tropico civ style city builder is kinda nice as an idea but I;m seeing more Civ from it than city builder. I;d love to see a city building RTS title in the style of C&C/AoE.

This made me laugh more than I should have:

^You laughed? I found that boring and depressing.

I couldn't see any difference between both modes and the framerates... c'mon! DX12 is supposed to be a low level API that should give us more performance out of our hardware. I know that it's mostly about CPUs, but making it wun worse...

Or maybe it's because an Nvidia card .

http://www.pcgameshardware.de/Hitman-Spiel-6333/Specials/DirectX-12-Benchmark-Test-1188758/

Even a 290 (non-X) runs better than a 980!

Square-Enix has another surprise box on sale

https://store.na.square-enix.com/product/315702/easter-surprise-box-2016-pc-download

We’re ringing in the new spring season with a brand new Square Enix Easter Surprise Box! From March 11 to March 20, you’ll get 5 digital Steam games valuing over $80 for just $9.99! The 5 awesome games will be revealed shortly after March 21 when orders will be processed. Since they’ll be delivered as individual games, you’ll be able to spread the spring cheer by gifting them to your friends!So what are you waiting for? Place your order today and get ready for some sweet surprises!