Possibly, but what's to say China never goes AI crazy in the (somewhat) near future like America has, if not worse? Perhaps China could eventually build manufacturing faster than AI was growing, but that would still mean that we may be in this bubble for quite a bit longer than some may anticipate.

Sony’s PlayStation exclusive Astro Bot reaches an early boot stage on PC through SharpEmu

https://videocardz.com/newz/sonys-playstation-exclusive-astro-bot-reaches-an-early-boot-stage-on-pc-through-sharpemu

HWiNFO adds RTX 50 hotspot temperature reporting, RTSS can display it too

https://videocardz.com/newz/hwinfo-also-adds-rtx-50-hotspot-temperature-reporting

RPCS3 says 75% of PlayStation 3 games are now playable on PC

https://videocardz.com/newz/rpcs3-says-75-of-playstation-3-games-are-now-playable-on-pc

Valve begins sunsetting Steam Deck LCD replacement parts

https://videocardz.com/newz/valve-begins-sunsetting-steam-deck-lcd-replacement-parts

NVIDIA says SEGA games are coming to RTX Spark PCs, including Virtua Fighter Crossroads

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-says-sega-games-are-coming-to-rtx-spark-pcs-including-virtua-fighter-crossroads

DIY OpenPuck adds Xbox, Switch and PlayStation modes to Steam Controller

https://videocardz.com/newz/diy-openpuck-adds-xbox-switch-and-playstation-modes-to-steam-controller

PlayStation 6 Patent Scraps Liquid Metal Cooling After PS5 Leaks Fried APUs And Motherboards For Years

https://wccftech.com/playstation-6-patent-scraps-liquid-metal-cooling/

MSI Charged A Customer For A Bent-Pin Repair, Then Returned The Motherboard With Another Pin Still Bent; Apologizes Later

https://wccftech.com/msi-charged-a-customer-for-a-bent-pin-repair-then-returned-the-motherboard-with-another-pin-still-bent/

China Develops Its First 3.5D “Infinity Chiplet” & 3D DRAM Tech As It Tackles External HBM Constraints Through Domestic AI Supply Chain

https://wccftech.com/china-develops-first-3-5d-infinity-chiplet-3d-dram-tech-as-it-tackles-external-constraints/

Here are the gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

GOG has launched its Summer Classics Promo , with games up to 94% off during 13/14 days (the stroe shows both numbers): https://www.gog.com/es/promo/20260715_summer_classics_promo

Steam has new deals and sales/events:

• Achilles: Survivor will have a 35% discount until the 24th of July: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2922410/Achilles_Survivor/
• Pioneers of Pagonia is going to be 40% off until the 27th of July: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2155180/Pioneers_of_Pagonia/
• Gravity Circuit gets a 60% discount until July 28: https://store.steampowered.com/app/858710/Gravity_Circuit/
• Jusant will also be 60% off until the 28th of July: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1977170/Jusant/
• Pro Basketball Manager 2026 also has a 60% discount until the 28th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3585230/Pro_Basketball_Manager_2026/
• Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is going to be 90% off until the same 28th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1949030/Sherlock_Holmes_The_Awakened/
• And these are the two new sales/events:
  • Brilliant Indie Treasures features lots of upcoming indie releases and demos. It has launched today, which may explain why there’s only one game on sale, PIT OF GOBLIN 70% off until July 26: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45995768/sale/BrilliantIndieTreasures26
  • Publisher/Developer Marmalade Game Studio celebrates its 10th anniversary puting its games on sale with up to 90% discounts until July, the 27th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/marmalade10

And Fanatical has:

• A new Star Deal is The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered , 40% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-remastered
• Jackbox Games puts its titles on sale with up to 55% discounts during 6 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/franchises/jackbox-games
• The BYO Best of Bento Bundle (2026) has features 26 titles for your 3+, 5+ or 7+ game bundles during 34 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-best-of-bento-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Epic Games Store boss quits after 8 years to take up new role at Saber Interactive
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/epic-games-store-boss-quits-after-8-years-to-take-up-new-role-at-saber-interactive/
After an eight year stretch as vice president and general manager of the Epic Games Store, Steve Allison has left Epic Games to take up the mantle of chief business officer at Saber Interactive.
Allison said in a statement (via Games Industry) that he's "extremely impressed" with what Saber Interactive's founders have built. "Saber's strength is the talented studios that build high-quality games at 30-50% the cost of industry norms. The upcoming slate is exceptional with Space Marine 3, Jurassic Park, Turok, Hellraiser, the upcoming John Wick game and several unannounced projects that we can talk about very soon."

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Fallout: New Vegas Mods Can Make the Game Look Like a PS1 Classic
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/fallout-new-vegas-mods-can-make-the-game-look-like-a-ps1-classic/
Fallout New Vegas fans, here is something for you today. YouTube’s ‘Mutant Mods’ has shared a video and a list of mods that can make Fallout: New Vegas look like a PS1 game. So, if you want to give FNW a retro look, you can try them.
To make the game look like a PS1 title, Mutant Mods used 18 mods. The main ones are New Vegas Unloaded, 128x Texture Pack, Dusty Distance Redone, and Classic Dynamic Interaction Prompts.
Now, I don’t know how many of you will go into all this trouble of installing 18 mods to play Fallout New Vegas like it was a PS1 title. The concept is cool, but let’s be honest. Most of you won’t really bother with it.
However, since this is really cool, I’ve decided to share it with you. Most importantly, the following video can give you an idea of what all these mods do. You will also get to see the final modded version. So, if you are not in the mood for downloading and installing all the mods, you can simply watch the video.
Those interested can find the full list of the mods that Mutant Mods used in the video description.
>> The video is almost 20 minutes long.

GAMING NEWS

Beast of Reincarnation Gets Official Combat Overview Trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/beast-of-reincarnation-gets-official-combat-overview-trailer/
Fictions and GAME Freak have released the official combat overview trailer for Beast of Reincarnation. Developed by GAME FREAK, Beast of Reincarnation is said to be a unique action RPG that blends real-time action with the tactical depth of turn-based strategy.

New PC Gameplay Trailer Released for Gears of War: E-Day
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-pc-gameplay-trailer-released-for-gears-of-war-e-day/
NVIDIA has released a short but sweet gameplay trailer for the new Gears of War game, Gears of War: E-Day. The green team has also revealed that the game will support DLSS 4.5 with Multi-Frame Gen and Ray Tracing on PC.

The second part of the gaming news:

The PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct returns September 20
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/the-pc-gaming-show-tokyo-direct-returns-september-20/
It's been over a month since the summer PC Gaming Show aired. I may be biased, but I loved it. We had more world premieres than ever before, some shadowdrops, and got deep dives into the mind-bending Control Resonant, galaxy-spanning Total War: Warhammer 40,000, and tactical PvP looter Arkheron. You can catch up on the entire show right here. But don't you just wish there was another show coming up soon, say, September 20? Well, there is. The PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct is coming back Sunday, September 20, 2026.

Future Games Show returns to Gamescom with 3 shows
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/future-games-show-returns-to-gamescom-with-3-shows/
Three videogame showcases from PC Gamer publisher Future will air at this year's Gamescom in August: "Future Games Show at Gamescom" and "FGS Live From Gamescom" on August 26, and "FGS Best Of Gamescom" when the convention wraps up on Sunday, August 30.

Ubisoft promises new Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Ghost Recon games are coming, but says this year will be 'quieter' than most
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/ubisoft-promises-new-assassins-creed-far-cry-and-ghost-recon-games-are-coming-but-says-this-year-will-be-quieter-than-most/
Have you noticed that things have been kind of quiet on the Ubisoft front lately? Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is doing quite well, but what else has it done for us lately? Where's the new Far Cry? What's going on with Ghost Recon, The Division, Prince of Persia? Where is my Splinter Cell?
In its 2025-26 Universal Registration Document and Annual Financial Report (via GamesRadar), Ubisoft shared a bit of bad news: All of that good stuff is coming, yes, but, well, we're going to be waiting a bit. The company said its 2026-27 fiscal year, which began on April 1, will include Black Flag Resynced and "other targeted premium games" that will be announced later, but that overall the year will have a "lighter new release slate" than it's put up in the past.

A forgotten dungeon crawler from the Baldur's Gate era is coming to Steam and GOG for the first time ever
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/a-forgotten-dungeon-crawler-from-the-baldurs-gate-era-is-coming-to-steam-and-gog-for-the-first-time-ever/
Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor launched in 2001 amidst the isometric D&D resurgence powered by the success of the Baldur's Gate games. Alas, it did not fare quite as well, because—bluntly—it wasn't great. It faded into memory fairly quickly, recalled occasionally by die-hard fans of the genre and not many others, but never with enough affection to warrant a second chance.
Until now, that is, because SNEG is bringing it back to Steam and GOG later this year, for the game's first-ever digital release. Details are a bit thin right now: The game "is being updated to run smoothly on modern systems," but specifics on enhancements and changes will not be revealed until closer to launch, currently expected in Q4 of this year.

After releasing a bummer of a Diablo 4 season, Blizzard swoops in with an update that fixes some of its worst issues
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/after-releasing-a-bummer-of-a-diablo-4-season-blizzard-swoops-in-with-an-update-that-fixes-some-of-its-worst-issues/
Blizzard took a big swing at loot in Diablo 4's latest season and completely whiffed it—at least in terms of keeping players driven to grind for its most powerful items. Today, it dropped a patch to try to remedy some of the problems, starting with a noticeable boost to everyone's loot drops.

Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen's new region and dungeons sound great, but I'm more excited to finally high-five my Pawn on command
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/dragons-dogma-2-dark-arisens-new-region-and-dungeons-sound-great-but-im-more-excited-to-finally-high-five-my-pawn-on-command/
Dragon's Dogma 2's upcoming Dark Arisen expansion is shaping up to be a proper feast for those of us who've been waiting for an excuse to subject ourselves to more doomed oxcart rides. The last 24 hours have brought a number of fresh interviews with the developers of the DD2 expansion, and from the sounds of it, they've been doing plenty of cooking.
>> They’re also adding an eternal fast travel stone, but the director says that you don’t have to use it (link).

The devil works hard but AI ripoffs work harder as Meccha Chameleon falls victim to hordes of copycats coming out of the woodwork
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/the-devil-works-hard-but-ai-ripoffs-work-harder-as-meccha-chameleon-falls-victim-to-hordes-of-copycats-coming-out-of-the-woodwork/
It's an unfortunate rite of passage nowadays for popular indie games to have their concept taken from them by ripoffs that are devoid of any real creativity. The latest casualty? Meccha Chameleon, which has now been pilferred by copycats across Steam, Fortnite, and Roblox.
>> The article focuses on one game in particular.

Monster Hunter Wilds is getting a permanent price cut less than 18 months after launch
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/monster-hunter-wilds-is-getting-a-permanent-price-cut-less-than-18-months-after-launch/
18 months after release, Capcom is slashing the price on Monster Hunter Wilds and discontinuing three of its bundles in favour of… three different bundles. Okay, cool.

China is very AI crazy, they just don't have the capacity to build out high-end compute (no native EUV, not even native DUV yet), so at the moment their main focus is robotics. They have way more robots than anywhere else in the world.

Once they have DUV by 2028 or so they'll build their own Ampere/Hopper equivalents, and with EUV in the early 2030s, their Blackwell/Rubin ones, probably at an absurd scale and relatively low prices.

Of course by then TSMC/Intel/Samsung will have also increased 100x their chip-production capacity vs. today's (adjusted per GB and FLOPS) so I doubt the shortages will last that long.

And the third part of the Wednesday gaming news:

I reckon Assassin's Creed Unity is one of the series' best, and a former Ubisoft director agrees it's 'One of the most underestimated games in the series'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/assassins-creed/i-reckon-assassins-creed-unity-is-one-of-the-series-best-and-a-former-ubisoft-director-agrees-its-one-of-the-most-underestimated-games-in-the-series/
>> I liked the city and how full of life it was, but I don’t think it’s one of the best ones.

Fighting game developer previously accused of sexual harassment confirmed to be working on Avatar Legends a week before release
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fighting/fighting-game-developer-previously-accused-of-sexual-harassment-confirmed-to-be-working-on-avatar-legends-a-week-before-release/

Dead Space creator and Call of Duty veteran Glen Schofield announces retirement: 'I had a front row seat to one of the greatest creative explosions in history'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/dead-space-creator-and-call-of-duty-veteran-glen-schofield-announces-retirement-i-had-a-front-row-seat-to-one-of-the-greatest-creative-explosions-in-history/

That annoying day one DLC in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced was less than 3% of its initial Steam sales, but hey, $1 million is $1 million
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/that-annoying-day-one-dlc-in-assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-was-less-than-3-percent-of-its-initial-steam-sales-but-hey-usd1-million-is-usd1-million/

As haxxiy said, China is all in on AI, it's just that instead of having new companies doing it like in the west with OpenAI or Anthropic, it's been driven by "the usual" (bilibili, Bytedance, Alibaba, etc.). After all, Deepseek came from China, remember?

But China's biggest problem is that they don't have access to HBM, as the last article from Jizz news post shows, the kind of memory that Nvidia uses for its datacenter/AI GPUs, and the kind of memory that the big memory manufacturers have decided to focus on during the AI craze, leaving room for CXMT and others like YMT to grow making regular DDR & LPDDR memory used not just on desktops and laptops, but also servers.

So, if those chinese companies are making enough memory to not only provide for the domestic market but also to sell it to companies like Lenovo or MSI to make products that will be sold in Asia and Europe, it means that they have enough capacity for it, and growing.

As Haxxiy said, China doesn't have the manufacturing (tech) to directly compete just yet. Once they do, soon enough, then they'll be off to the races. So as bad as things are now for consumers, they will likely get worse as time goes on.

To also assume that the regular players will have expanded production so much that there won't be shortages is a poor assumption. It's not like they didn't see this coming for a while now, yet their expansion efforts have been pitiful in comparison. Which they explain is on purpose because they can't guarantee constant success in the AI race, and don't want to end up with endless capacity and a slowing AI economy, or worse, a crash for their major Western AI customers because China vastly outpaces them or flat out ends up winning the AI race altogether.

Which also brings up the question of how far is the West, especially the USA, willing to go to make sure that doesn't happen? Would they do so mostly legitimately or would they try and interrupt China by different means, like even higher tariffs or flat out software and hardware bans? America is already doing that do a degree.

I wouldn't say that when the current CapEx of Samsung/Hynix/Micron was between 60%-100% of their operating profits as of 2025. That's consistent with the expectation that marginal reinvested capital earns will be well above the discount rate, and also with low relative risk aversion (obviously not to the extent of most other companies in tech, but when you have a comfy cartel and were burned by the 2022-2023 glut, that's still something).

The thing is that their profits are growing explosively in 2026 and 2027, so it looks pitiful compared to that, but not to their 2025 (and earlier) balance sheets. We still have to see if their conviction in the growth opportunity and risk tolerance will continue to the same extent, but I'd expect that it will if the likes of Anthropic/OAI continue to see huge revenue increases.

The Thursday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Another Thursday, another roujnd of fee games from the Epic Store:

• Echo Generation: Midnight Edition : https://store.epicgames.com/p/echo-generation-midnight-edition-069026
• Luto : https://store.epicgames.com/p/luto-0a4ab3

Next week, the free game will be Foretales .

Coming out of nowhere, GOG has revealed not one but two weekly deals sales:

• The first Weekly Deals Sale has games up to 93% off and will only last 7 hours: https://www.gog.com/es/promo/20260709_weekly_deals_1_july
• The second Weekly Deals Sale “only” has up to 90% discounts, but it will last 7 days: https://www.gog.com/es/promo/20260716_weekly_deals_2_july

Steam has new deals and sales:

• Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream has a demo and it’s going to be 40% off until the 22nd of July: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2377280/Eriksholm_The_Stolen_Dream/
• Crow Country also has a demo and a 70% discount until the same 22nd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1996010/Crow_Country/
• Easy Red 2 will be 50% off until July 29: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1324780/Easy_Red_2/
• Talisman: Digital Classic Edition will have a 75% discount until the 29th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/247000/Talisman_Digital_Classic_Edition/
• And these are the two sales:
  • Publisher/Developer ByteRockets shows its upcoming titles and puts its games up to 50% off until the 29th of July: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33020617/sale/ByteRockersUniverse
    • SURPRISE! ByteRocket is GIVING AWAY Catch Me! until the 17th of July: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1741160/Catch_Me/
  • Publisher Super Rare shows its upcoming releases and puts its games on sale with up to 87% discounts. Most, but not all, deals will end on July 29: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/SuperRareGamesPublisherSale2026

Humble Bundle has two new deals for us:

• Liminal Spaces Bundle has 6 games and will last 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/liminal-spaces
• Humble Handhelds Bundle features up to 7 games to get during the next 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/handhelds-bundle

And Fanatical has the new BYO Best of Tabletop Bundle , with 21 games for your bundles of 2+ or 5+ titles. It will last 34 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-best-of-tabletop-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

As Sony prepares to end game disc production, GOG jumps up to remind PC gamers that you can just make your own
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/as-sony-prepares-to-end-game-disc-production-gog-jumps-up-to-remind-pc-gamers-that-you-can-just-make-your-own/
GOG is very good at two things: Bringing old games to modern PCs, and telling everyone that its games are DRM-free so you can do whatever you want with them. So I was not terribly shocked when GOG weighed in on Sony's decision to stop producing game discs in 2028 with a little note reminding its followers on X that they can just DIY this stuff if they want.
"Download the offline installer of any of your games on GOG, save it to a disc and it's yours forever," it wrote. "You don't need a storefront's permission to play what you bought."
>> Based.

Steam reveals all the sale dates and themed events for the first half of 2027
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/steam-reveals-all-the-sale-dates-and-themed-events-for-the-first-half-of-2027/
I've been around long enough that I can remember a time when we didn't know Steam sale dates in advance. We had a rough window, based on the timing of previous sales, but the absence of anything precise meant that all of us poor news guys had to sit around mashing F5 on Steam every hour.
It sounds weird now, because now, Valve tells everyone well in advance when all of these things are going to happen. And I do mean all, as you can see in the Steamworks schedule shared today that lays out all the Steam sales and themed events set to happen in the first half of 2027.
"What better way to celebrate making it (more than) halfway through 2026 than by sharing the schedule of all the awesome Steam events we have planned for the first half of 2027?" Valve wrote, reminding us all of the daily struggle to survive we face in each of our remaining days upon this benighted world. "Each year we work to come up with different ideas for fun themes to build fests around so that all kinds of games can be celebrated, and we're excited about where we've landed for 2027 so far."

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Unofficial PC Port of Mario Kart Wii Coming in August 2026
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/unofficial-pc-port-of-mario-kart-wii-coming-in-august-2026/
YouTube’s ‘patchzy’ has just announced Mario Kart Wiicompiled. This is the first static recompilation of the Wii game, Mario Kart Wii, rebuilt for PC.
The first beta public version of this unofficial PC port of Mario Kart Wii will be released in August 2026. The beta will come with online play and optional Retro Rewind support, featuring over 200 tracks.
And that’s that. Sadly, we don’t have any other details about Mario Kart Wiicompiled. The YouTuber said that he will share more details soon. Until then, you can go ahead and watch its announcement trailer.
This trailer packs gameplay footage from this upcoming PC version. As with all recompiled PC versions of older console games, it does not have higher-quality textures or higher-polygon-count characters. However, the game will support resolutions up to 4K, and it will most likely have an unlocked framerate. As such, it will play way better than the Wii version.

Classic Metal Gear Solid Gets Experimental Third-Person Mode
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/classic-metal-gear-solid-gets-experimental-third-person-camera/
Modder ‘Perfect Pizza’ has released a mod for the first classic Metal Gear Solid game that allows you to play as Grey Fox. Not only that, but this mod adds a new third-person camera mode, allowing you to experience the game in a completely different way.
Now, I have some good and some bad news. The good news is that you can download the first experimental/beta version of this mod from Perfect Pizza’s Discord server. The bad news is that it only supports VR missions. In other words, you cannot play the campaign mode as Grey Fox or with this new third-person camera mode.
For those who did not know, Metal Gear Solid used a top-down, semi-isometric camera angle. The game has 3D environments viewed from a high overhead perspective, allowing players to see the action from an angled, top-down viewpoint.
As you will see, this unofficial third-person camera mode is in a rough state right now. To be honest, I’m not sure whether the modder will be able to smooth out movement so that the camera movement can feel better. After all, this game was not created with this viewpoint in mind. Nevertheless, it’s a really cool way to experience the VR missions of this classic PS1-era game.
The mod also gives Grey Fox a wide range of new abilities while playing as him. His face visor will open and close automatically when enemies become alert. Players can charge and fire his plasma arm cannon, use his regular arm gun, and fight with his signature sword, which now has a cool trail effect.
The mod also lets players use Grey Fox’s stealth ability, which slowly drains health. You can block bullets with your sword and send them back at enemies.
In addition, Grey Fox can use an electric orb attack, flip over enemies, and dodge incoming attacks. The mod also adds crouch walking, new custom animations, neck slashes, teleport punches, spinning kicks, and leaping aerial attacks.
All in all, this is a really cool mod for the first Metal Gear Solid game. Do note that this mod is compatible only with the GOG version. As the modder also stated, the full version of the Playable Grey Fox mod is under active development. This is a beta release with support for only two levels.
>> The article has two videos.

GAMING NEWS

Full Patch Notes for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Update 1.0.4
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/full-patch-notes-for-assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-update-1-0-4/
Ubisoft will release Title Update 1.0.4 for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced later today and has shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this first patch brings to the table.
>> And the director has revealed that some combat mechanics are absent because they were “low priority” (link).

Crimson Desert Update 1.14.00 Released – Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/crimson-desert-update-1-14-00-released-full-patch-notes/
Pearl Abyss has just released Title Update 1.14.00 for its latest game, Crimson Desert, and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new patch brings to the table.