PlayStation users cancelling PS Plus are offered 50% discounts as petition to save physical discs passes 200,000 signatures

https://videocardz.com/newz/playstation-users-cancelling-ps-plus-are-offered-50-discounts-as-petition-to-save-physical-discs-passes-200000-signatures

DLSS Swapper creator warns that user-submitted DLL files may contain malware

https://videocardz.com/newz/dlss-swapper-creator-warns-that-user-submitted-dll-files-may-contain-malware

NVIDIA and Sega celebrate 30 years of history in Japan, Jensen Huang to attend

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-and-sega-celebrate-30-years-of-history-in-japan-jensen-huang-to-attend

Microsoft adds prototype AV1 encoding to Mesa 26.2 for WSL

https://videocardz.com/newz/microsoft-adds-prototype-av1-encoding-to-mesa-26-2-for-wsl

Microsoft tests Cloud Rebuild for easier Windows 11 recovery

https://videocardz.com/newz/microsoft-tests-cloud-rebuild-for-easier-windows-11-recovery

NVIDIA has named Rigel as its next-generation CPU core for Rosa CPU

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-has-named-rigel-as-its-next-generation-cpu-core-for-rosa-cpu

Intel’s Arc Pro B70 Beats NVIDIA’s RTX 5090D In DeepSeek R1 AI LLM, Despite Costing A Quarter As Much, Offers Over 2000 Tokens/s

https://wccftech.com/intel-arc-pro-b70-beats-nvidia-rtx-5090d-in-deepseek-r1-ai-llm-over-2000-tokens-sec/

Samsung Mass Produces Its First PCIe 6.0 SSD, Hitting 28.4 GB/s To Feed NVIDIA’s Vera Rubin AI Servers

https://wccftech.com/samsung-mass-produces-first-pcie-6-0-ssd-to-feed-nvidia-vera-rubin/

Lexar's new DDR5-7600 desktop memory will use Chinese-sourced CXMT chips

https://www.tweaktown.com/news/112532/lexars-new-ddr5-7600-desktop-memory-will-use-chinese-sourced-cxmt-chips/index.html

Yea in retrospec, I didn't really need a 7800X3D with DDR5. Going from 5950x to 5800X3D + 32GB of DDR4 would have been enough outside of some cpu limited games for me as well. But if the ram situation clears up by the end of Zen 6 or Zen 7 when DDR6 comes out, I'll probably upgrade my build in order to keep it as long as possible instead of upgrading my current build to 128GB.

Time for the Wednesday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Today there are no new deals from any of the four stores I check daily. With that said, let me remind you that GOG’s Summer Sale will end in 16 hours and Steam’s one will come to an end in 26 hours.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

INTEL Arc Graphics 32.0.101.8861 driver
https://videocardz.com/driver/intel-arc-graphics-32-0-101-8861

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

• Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
• DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations
• Echoes of Aincrad
• Halo: Campaign Evolved

>> It’s a Beta driver.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

You're invited to Destiny's cursed unofficial final raid: Pete Carsons' Vault of Cars
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/youre-invited-to-destinys-cursed-unofficial-final-raid-pete-carsons-vault-of-cars/
The reasons behind the decline and ultimate end of Destiny 2 will always be a topic of discussion. It's, in my opinion, one of the biggest fumbles in entertainment history. No one thing is to blame, but former Bungie CEO and avid car collector Pete Parsons, who retired in August 2025 as sentiment was at an all-time low and pressure from Sony grew, is the focus of much of the ire. "I hope all your cars break down," one player wrote in a cheerful farewell to the departing CEO last year, in a rare moment of community unity.
I'm surprised it took this long, but this distaste for ol' Parsons has manifested into the most on-the-nose thing it could have done for the Destiny community—one final raid poking fun at him. Created by parody account Pete Carsons on X, you're invited to The Vault of Cars, a play on Destiny's first-ever raid, The Vault of Glass.
"Do you have what it takes to face Pete Carsons in the Vault of Cars and stop him from purchasing all of the remaining cars in The Last City?" I don't think any die-hard Destiny player is gonna say no, now, are they?
It's a browser game that starts with Pete Parsons talking like a Canadian in South Park before he turns into the flying machine, the Destroyer of Guardians. Then the fight begins. It's satire obviously, but it's got genuine mechanics lifted from the source material, to its credit:

1. Fling tomatoes at a collection of classic cars (named things like Micro Management, Crunch Enforcer, Bankruptcy Expert, and so on) to stack the Contaminated Fuel buff.
2. Complete a parody of the iconic Oracles puzzle from the actual Vault of Glass.
3. Beat the powerful Investors that Pete calls to his defence.
4. Hurl tomatoes at Pete Carsons until your Guardian's Desire buff runs dry and you need to repeat the process.

Mimicking Bungie's tradition, the account hosted a World's First completion for faux raid, requiring players to submit a video of their full clear of the raid, including the final cutscene. About two hours after it launched yesterday, the account claimed that players had completed the raid and submitted their clears: "Please give us some time to review all the submissions to verify which came first." Sadly no cool raid belt for the lucky winner to commemorate the occasion.
>> The article of this fan project (?) has a couple of screenshots and a video.

GAMING NEWS

Doom: The Dark Ages Update 4.0 Released – Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/doom-the-dark-ages-update-4-0-released-full-patch-notes/
id Software has released Title Update 4.0 for Doom: The Dark Ages and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new patch brings to the table.
>> With this patch they’ve also removed Denuvo (link).

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Bypassed and Pirated Before Release
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-bypassed-and-pirated-before-release/
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced will be officially released tomorrow. And, although the game is protected by the Denuvo anti-tamper tech, it has already been bypassed and pirated.

Crimson Desert Patch 1.13.01 Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/crimson-desert-patch-1-13-01-released-detailed/
Pearl Abyss has released Title Update 1.13.01, which fixes some bugs and game issues, and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update fixes.

Mortal Shell 2 Will Be Released on August 20
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/mortal-shell-2-will-be-released-on-august-20/
Playstack has announced that its upcoming Souls-like game, Mortal Shell 2, will be released on August 20. To celebrate this announcement, the publisher shared a new trailer that you can find below.

Wednesday gaming news, part two:

Arc Raiders reveals it's been successfully targeting item duplication exploits as the percentage of players with 'unusually high profit per minute' drops below 1% for the first time in months
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arc-raiders-reveals-its-been-successfully-targeting-item-duplication-exploits-as-the-percentage-of-players-with-unusually-high-profit-per-minute-drops-below-1-percent-for-the-first-time-in-months/
There's been more duplication exploits in Arc Raiders at one point or another than I can shake several suspiciously identical sticks at. It's the get rich quick scheme that a lot of raiders opt in to, there's been multi-million rubber duck hauls and prisons made of just ziplines. It seems like there's no end to the creativity of a dupe exploit, but Embark has confirmed that it's been cracking down on them.
"Like with anti-cheat, we are always working against duplication exploits. We’re keeping a close eye on the game economy, and constantly catalogue, investigate and seek to counteract exploits," Embark explains in the latest patch notes. "Recently, we’ve fixed some exploits related to duplication. We always want to make sure fixes are widely effective, so we make sure to monitor and evaluate our success before sharing that progress with you."

You still can't kill fish in Subnautica 2, but starting tomorrow you'll at least be able to 'stun' them
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/you-still-cant-kill-fish-in-subnautica-2-but-starting-tomorrow-youll-at-least-be-able-to-stun-them/
Everyone likes Subnautica 2. We sure do: after all that drama, it turns out the early access survival sequel is quite good, actually. Players also dig it: it's got smashing reviews on Steam and it sold a million copies in its first hour on its way to more than four million in its first week.
One little point of contention: Subnautica 2 is home to a collection of large, angry alien fish that love to bite you and endlessly headbutt your submarines—and unlike the first Subnautica, players didn't have a knife to fight back with.
And so the controversy arose. Players (some of them, anyway) want to be able to kill these angry, annoying, dangerous fish, but the developers have remained steadfast in their no-killing policy. Modders came up with their own solution, a Subnautica 2 mod where you can kill all the fish you want, but today the game's creative director Anthony Gallegos revealed a new solution: a stun system.
>> The article is from yesterday.

Since it's a short post, I'll also add the short ones here:

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma points the finger at Phil Spencer's strategy for yesterday's sweeping layoffs: 'We simply spread ourselves too thin'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/xbox-ceo-asha-sharma-points-the-finger-at-phil-spencers-strategy-for-yesterdays-sweeping-layoffs-we-simply-spread-ourselves-too-thin/
>> It’s always someone else fault.

Xbox layoffs hit accessibility leadership, calling into question Microsoft's continued commitment to accessibility initiatives
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/xbox-layoffs-hit-accessibility-leadership-calling-into-question-microsofts-continued-commitment-to-accessibility-initiatives/

Former Elder Scrolls Online designer laments the destruction of layoffs: 'There’s really no one left and no changing it now'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/former-elder-scrolls-online-designer-laments-the-destruction-of-layoffs-theres-really-no-one-left-and-no-changing-it-now/

WoW Classic player hits 60 on hardcore self-found with every class, decides that isn't enough, does a naked run for good measure
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/wow-classic-player-hits-60-on-hardcore-self-found-with-every-class-decides-that-isnt-enough-does-a-naked-run-for-good-measure/

GTA Trilogy remaster boss understands fan anger but says 'a lot of people were playing them and really enjoying them'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/grand-theft-auto/gta-trilogy-remaster-boss-understands-fan-anger-but-says-a-lot-of-people-were-playing-them-and-really-enjoying-them/

One of the reasons we're in this mess is that the three manufacturers decided to not ramp up production to avoid the situation you're describing again. They didn't like doing it the first time.

The problem is that, by then, they'll no longer be the big three, with CXMT likely joining them by then and disrupting how they operate. That's when it will be interesting to see how they behave.

If by then the US administration is similar to the current one, we can take almost for granted tha Micron will try to get Chinese memory banned fro the US, but the world is bigger than just the US.

My take? There are several problems going at it at the same time:

The biggest problem is the current capitalist model in western economies, always chasing growth (enter Phil Spencer gif here). It's an illusion, an impossible task, that everyone knows deep inside, but they all know that the first one to day it out loud in front of investors will be cooked. And so the curse keeps going on.

Related to that, there's the whole "expanded audience" motto that Disney and gaming companies pursue, changing, altering and modifying known franchises and IPs in an attempt to get more people to watch/buy/play them. And I have to ask: has it ever worked? Even once? The biggest problem with The Last of Us 2 was that and all the noise it brought. Concord also fell in that trap and Naughty Dog's next game may or may not be in hot water because of that as well.

Of course, and related again to the first point, there's the shift in mentality that happened a while ago that went from focusing on the product to focus on the sales. Because sales teams are the ones that bring money and, therefore, are the more important ones. The product no longer matters because a good sales team will be able to sell it.

And the change in leadership among the industry also plays a big role in what's going on. Developers, producers or people that actually knows how games are developed and produced have been replaced by newer people that mostly come from sales or business teams. They don't know, maybe not even care, about the games and the strengths and weakness of the studios, they only see what's hot in the current market and try to replicate it. GaaS titles make a lot of money? Let's make one with a whole new studio! Or why did Naughty Dog try to develop a multiplayer game when they're known for its single player titles?

So yeah, Sony (and Disney) should look at Intel and what happened to them when they replaced engineers with sales people as CEOs until it exploded and had to bring back two engineers to steer Intel back into the right path, and act accordingly.

But they obviously won't.

I don't think any of you will find this useful, but you never know:

This free software aims to turn Sony headphones into a head tracker for '200+ PC games'
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-headsets/this-free-software-aims-to-turn-sony-headphones-into-a-head-tracker-for-200-pc-games/
Sony's headphones come with some neat hardware designed for its own specially implemented spatial audio system. But on PC, that hardware often goes unused. That is, until now.

As posted to Reddit by user NSlattery43, you can now use the motion sensors in the likes of the Sony WH-1000XM5, WF-1000XM5, and ULT Wear headphones for head tracking in games like Microsoft Flight Simulator, Elite Dangerous, and Assetto Corsa.

Razer Blade 18 enters Ubuntu Linux certification, nine years after CEO promised better Linux support

https://videocardz.com/newz/razer-blade-18-enters-ubuntu-linux-certification-nine-years-after-ceo-promised-better-linux-support

AMD Zen 2 returns: Ryzen 7 4700LE appears in new RTX 3050 PC with DDR4 memory

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-zen-2-returns-ryzen-7-4700le-appears-in-new-rtx-3050-pc-with-ddr4-memory

Leaker details Intel Nova Lake SKUs with Xe3 and Xe3P graphics

https://videocardz.com/newz/leaker-details-intel-nova-lake-skus-with-xe3-and-xe3p-graphics

DLSS Swapper creator warns that user-submitted DLL files may contain malware

https://videocardz.com/newz/dlss-swapper-creator-warns-that-user-submitted-dll-files-may-contain-malware

The Global PC Market Declined By 4.9% Versus Last Year As Memory Shortages Intensify, But MacBook Neo’s Success Shows That x86 Rivals Need To Do More

https://wccftech.com/global-pc-market-declined-4-9-percent-as-memory-shortages-intensify/

Unannounced Nvidia RTX 50 Super GPUs appear in Seasonic PSU calculator — unreleased graphics cards shown with 10-17% higher TGP over original models

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/unannounced-nvidia-rtx-50-super-gpus-appear-in-seasonic-psu-calculator-unreleased-graphics-cards-shown-with-10-17-percent-higher-tgp-over-original-models

These are today’s gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Subnautica 2 celebrates 5 million copies sold ahead of Adaptive Measures, its first early access update
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/subnautica-2-celebrates-5-million-copies-sold-ahead-of-adaptive-measures-its-first-early-access-update/
It comes as a surprise to absolutely no one that Subnautica 2 has finally surpassed 5 million copies sold. It did sell two million copies in just 12 hours after all. Then, not that long ago, it broke 4 million copies sold, which was excellent for everyone involved except for Krafton. And now its 5 million copies sold coincides with its first major update in early access, 1.1.
The biggest addition from the latest update was the introduction of just a little violence, after masses of players complained about the game's forced pacifism. You still can't kill sea creatures though, only bonk them on the head or zap them when they get uncomfortably close.

This week, the Epic Store gives away:

• Nova Lands : https://store.epicgames.com/p/nova-lands-4d1788
• Tattoo Tycoon : https://store.epicgames.com/p/tattoo-tycoon-b4352c

Next week, the free games will be Echo Generation: Midnight Edition and Luto .

GOG is back to its regular business, and with that comes four new sales/promos:

• The Stealth Promo has games with up to 94% discounts and will last 7 days: https://www.gog.com/es/promo/20260709_stealth_promo
• If you missed a deal during the Summer Sale, you have another chance in the Summer Sale Encore, with games up to 95% off during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/es/promo/20260709_summer_sale_encore
• Turn-Based & Tactical Promo features games with up to 95% discounts and will also last 7 days: https://www.gog.com/es/promo/20260709_turn_based_tactical_promo
• And the hottest promo makes a comeback: the NSFW Promo will have games up to 95% off during 10 whole days: https://www.gog.com/es/promo/20260709_nsfw_promo

And Fanatical has these new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Persona 3 Reload , 69% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/persona-3-reload
• The BYO Resident Evil Bundle RELOADED features 8 items to get (3 individual games and 5 bundles) combined in bundles of 2+, 3+ or 4+ items. It will only last 10 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-resident-evil-bundle-reloaded

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Valve's magical play-Windows-games-on-Linux tech is rebased, updated, and ready to play Resident Evil
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/linux/valves-magical-play-windows-games-on-linux-tech-is-rebased-updated-and-ready-to-play-resident-evil/
As a special treat to me personally, Valve has released a new version of its Proton compatibility layer—the special sauce that lets Windows games run on Linux platforms like the Steam Deck, Steam Machine, and your desktop if you're cool. Proton 11 is out now, freshly rebased on Wine 11, and accessible to Linux users via the compatibility tab in your Steam settings, or on a per-game basis via the compatibility tab in your games' individual Steam settings pages.
This is the Proton version that went into beta last April, bringing support for Deadly Premonition (a personal all-timer) to Linux among a raft of other fixes. Now it's out for real, with all manner of tweaks and patches and updates, the most important of which for me is "Fixed KDE window maximization support." I kept having issues with that on my desktop, which is hooked up to my TV.
Anyway, the complete list of now-playable games is a real hodgepodge, ranging from 1996's Resident Evil (which only hit Steam in April, explaining Valve's 2026 concern for it) to Metal Gear Survive, of all things. You can find a full list of supported games in the patch notes below.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Someone is working on a native PC version of Silent Hill: Downpour
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/someone-is-working-on-a-native-pc-version-of-silent-hill-downpour/
In 2012, Konami released Silent Hill: Downpour on PS3 and Xbox 360. Developed by Vatra Games, this Silent Hill game used Unreal Engine 3, and it was never released on PC. But now, over ten years later, an indie dev is working on a native PC version of it.
As Indie_RU specifically said, this native PC version is not based on any recompilation. Instead, the dev has transferred and adapted all the content from the console to the PC on his own.
This is a remarkable achievement. And, to prove his claim, Indie_RU released a trailer for it. In this PC trailer, we get to see some of the PC features, like unlocked resolutions and framerates. The PC version will also support controllers, as well as keyboard and mouse. At least that’s what I can assume from a scene that shows a menu with proper keyboard keys.
There is currently no ETA for when this unofficial native PC version of Silent Hill: Downpour will come out. The trailer ends with a “Soon” message, so I can assume that at some point we’ll get another trailer with its release date.
>> The trailer is a bit over 2 minutes long.

Help, I can't decide if Stardew Valley in 3D is amazing or horrifying
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/help-i-cant-decide-if-stardew-valley-in-3d-is-amazing-or-horrifying/
We're always keeping an eye out for new Stardew Valley mods. For instance, not long ago I played a mod where I could open my own grocery store and make Pierre buy my seeds for a change, dammit! It was satisfying.
But here's a mod (via Gaming Bible) created by modder kittycatcasey, aka spacechase0, that immediately looks different from all the other Stardew mods out there. That's cuz it's in 3D. Have a look at "The Third Dimension," a proof-of-concept video of a 3D version of Stardew Valley—and then come back here and help me decide if it looks completely rad or vaguely horrifying.
I'm delighted at first: the video shows the modder strolling around their house, interacting with the kids, and talking with their spouse, Penny. It really is neat seeing the game's bright and cheerful art in 3D, even though the sprites (except for structures like walls and floors) are all still 2D.
But as I watch more, it quickly begins to get unsettling. Since nearly every entity is still currently 2D, it only has one side to face the player, which means it all swivels to continue facing you no matter where you go. Everything: plants, decorations, furnaces, the mailbox, scarecrows, containers, all slowly turning as you walk by. As if alive. As if watching you. It's creeptastic.
This is temporary, of course: "Right now just about almost everything besides the terrain is billboarded sprites, but the plan is to over time give everything a unique 3D model," spacechase0 says.
>> The video, obviosuly featured in the article, is roughly 6 minutes long.

GAMING NEWS

Bandai Namco Removed Denuvo From Digimon Story Time Stranger
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/bandai-namco-removed-denuvo-from-digimon-story-time-stranger/
Bandai Namco has removed the Denuvo anti-tamper tech from Digimon Story Time Stranger. Digimon Story Time Stranger was released on PC in September 2025. This means that it took 9-10 months for the publisher to remove it.

Thursday gaming news, part two:

Arkheron, a competitive PvPvE action game, will open its closed beta next week—and I'm getting that Battlerite nostalgia just looking at this thing
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/arkheron-a-competitive-pvpve-action-rpg-will-open-its-closed-beta-next-week-and-im-getting-that-battlerite-nostalgia-just-looking-at-this-thing/
Arkheron, a game that had an exclusive interview with the PC Gaming Show back in June, will finally be releasing in closed beta next week—per an announcement on the game's Steam page. In case you're unfamiliar, Arkheron is an isometric PvPvE battle-royale type squad-based ARPG (try saying that ten times really fast) wherein you climb a tower in the afterlife.

Marvel Rivals' Season 9 update will affect 80% of its roster as NetEase throws balance out the window for a more 'fun' approach to the game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/marvel-rivals-season-9-update-will-affect-80-percent-of-its-roster-as-netease-throws-balance-out-the-window-for-a-more-fun-approach-to-the-game/
Marvel Rivals will open the doors to the "most massive overhaul to the combat system since launch" that affects roughly 80% of its hero roster when Season 9 kicks off in a couple of days. There's hero reworks, a massive change to Team-Ups, and a substantial ultimate charge nerf.

Less than 3 years after it launched on Steam, the Final Fantasy 7 gacha game is closing
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/less-than-3-years-after-it-launched-on-steam-the-final-fantasy-7-gacha-game-is-closing/
Less than three years after it went live on Steam, Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis is calling it quits. Square Enix said in an end-of-service announcement that the sale of Red Crystal in-game currency has already been halted, and the game itself will be taken offline on October 6.

Obsidian is reportedly making a new Fallout game headed by Josh Sawyer after Microsoft pulled the plug on an Avowed sequel
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fallout/obsidian-is-reportedly-making-a-new-fallout-game-headed-by-josh-sawyer-after-microsoft-pulled-the-plug-on-an-avowed-sequel/
A Bloomberg report says Obsidian Entertainment, which was recently hit hard by mass layoffs at Xbox, has cancelled projects including a sequel to Avowed and will instead begin working on a new Fallout game.
The plans are "in flux" and could change, according to the report.

Echoes of Aincrad release date and launch times
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/echoes-of-aincrad-release-date-launch-times/
Bandai Namco's next anime action game is just on the horizon as it gears up for another Sword Art Online release, Echoes of Aincrad. It was one of the top played demos during Steam's most recent Next Fest, and that demo is available for those of you who can't stand to wait just a few more hours.
The anime souls-like is is releasing for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, but its console launch times don't exactly line up across platforms. So, here I am to break it all down with details on the Echoes of Aincrad release date and time.

WoW's game director thinks its UI overhaul has been 'successful so far,' even if it's 'not perfect'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/wows-game-director-thinks-its-ui-overhaul-has-been-successful-so-far-even-if-its-not-perfect/
One of the most controversial bits of World of Warcraft: Midnight was Blizzard taking aim at UI mods (addons) that impacted combat, with the idea that you probably shouldn't have to make your game look like an airplane dashboard designed by a drunk person just to play a videogame. Something that I've come around to, for the most part.
In a recent interview with PCGamesN, game director Ion Hazzikostas has affirmed Blizzard's choice to revoke addon author's access to combat information (with a few exceptions): "I know this may be a controversial statement, but I will say that, overall, [the new UI] has been successful so far. It's not done, it's not perfect; there's more work to go, and we are continuing to undertake that work."