First of all, thanks for replying to my post. Now, on a more personalized basis:

I have zero intentions to install their software and plan to uses the mouse as it will come "out of the box", althought there's a dpi button under it that I may use if I don't like how it feels. But of course, that's if I end buying it.

My interest in this mouse is because it's an optical one, with no mechanical switches, giving it the theorical 90 million clicks lifespan.

If I recall from the time you were getting a chair, you're also a bit bigger than average, so it's not surprising that side/thumb buttons may feel out of place for you.

The DeathAdder V3 I've seen is wired, and I'm happy for it as I also dislike dealing with charging batteries and WIFI issues. The wireless ersion is the V3 Pro or hyoer-something, not sure.

So, another double clicking mention. That's discouraging, even if the switches will be different.

I think I could get used to its shape rather easily, even if I think Logitech has the most comfortable mice I've used, because the dimensions of my current M500S and the DeathAdder are very similar, tho I'm sure the Razer one weighs a lot less.

One thing I don't understand, other than the obvious "the sooner it breaks the sooner we'll have another costumer", is why mice switches wear out so fast. I understand that we use them a lot more than we realize but (and I hope I'm not jinxing it now), I've used the same mechanical keyboard for well over a decade and it still works without a problem. And the usual WASD, Space, SHift and Enter keys have gone through a lot. Yet during that time, I've gone through 4 or 5 mice.

I don't get it. Is it really that hard to use the same keys used in keyboards for mice?

I enjoyed Final Fantasy VI but I never viewed it as highly as lot of others. I found the World of Balance portion of the game to be excellent. Yet the World of Ruin was a significant step down for me. Part of the reason I found FFVII so disappointing is that it basically took everything I didn't like about FFVI and cranked it up to a 11. I'm not the best person ask about FFIV. It was my favorite Final Fantasy game for the longest time, so I know I have bias towards it. That said, its linear, and not very long. Some of the twists in the story or aspects of the game that would have been unique at the time will be par for the course now. You'll probably knock out your intial play through in 20 to 25 hours.

I have never used a Razer mouse. I have recently had a trackball from Kensington, sadly the mouse wheel sensor started behaving erratically. I now have a Delux M618 Plus vertical mouse, feels rather comfortable.

Digiphile has released the RTS Renaissance bundle, several tiers filled with RTS goodness.

• Tier 1 USD 8
  • From Glory To Goo
• Tier 2 USD 10
  • 9-Bit Armies: A Bit Too Far
• Tier 3 USD 12
  • Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition
• Tier 4 USD 14
  • Rogue Command
• Tier 5 USD 17
  • The Scouring
• Tier 6 USD 22
  • Dungeons 4
  • Godsworn
• Support Charity +USD 4
  • Godsworn - Original Soundtrack
  • Rogue Command - Official Soundtrack
  • 9-Bit Armies: A Bit Too Far Soundtrack
• +USD 3
  • Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition - The Canary & The Trader (DLC)
• +USD 10
  • Dungeons 4 - The Good, the Bad and the Evil (DLC)

Buying just the first few tiers isn't worth it. And that Dungeons 4 DLC is overpriced considering it is on other sites for half that price, but overall a good bundle.

My longest-lasting mouse is from Roccat (Roccat Draconia), but since they got bought by Turtle Beach they, and the model of my mouse, don't exist anymore.

For my second (work) laptop, I bought a rather cheap Sharkoon Shark Force 3 for just 15€, and despite the heavy use at work haven't had any issues with  in those 19 months

Here's the mouse: https://www.sharkoon.com/product/40254

Edit: just to precise, the mouse comes with zero software to install, which is one of the reasons why I chose it in the first place (wouldn't be able to install it on work laptop), the other being the very high DPI of 12800 in that price segment and the amount of buttons if it has to replace my Draconia one day.

Alan Wake 2 adds native AMD FSR 4 and Frame Generation support

https://videocardz.com/newz/alan-wake-2-adds-native-amd-fsr-4-and-frame-generation-support

Framework Laptop 12 gets Intel Wildcat Lake option, starts at $549

https://videocardz.com/newz/framework-laptop-12-gets-intel-wildcat-lake-option-starts-at-549

Intel testing Core Ultra 9 4950K desktop CPU, pointing to possible new Nova Lake-S naming

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-testing-core-ultra-9-4950k-desktop-cpu-pointing-to-possible-new-nova-lake-s-naming

Google schedules Googlebook launch event for September 15 in New York

https://videocardz.com/newz/google-schedules-googlebook-launch-event-for-september-15-in-new-york

Dell 15 launches with Intel Wildcat Lake CPUs, starts at $699/€749

https://videocardz.com/newz/dell-15-launches-with-intel-wildcat-lake-cpus-starts-at-699-e749

Samsung’s DRAM And NAND Flash Success Branches Out To Advanced Chipmaking And Services, Company Forced To Increase Prices By Up To 15% Due To Extreme Demand

https://wccftech.com/samsung-increases-advanced-chipmaking-prices-15-percent-demand/

Chinese Chip Toolmakers Post 400% Profit Surge as Overseas Suppliers’ Two-Year Backlogs Reshape the Industry

https://wccftech.com/chinese-chip-toolmakers-post-400-profit-surge-as-overseas-suppliers-two-year-backlogs-reshape-the-industry/

The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme beats Intel's flagship Panther Lake chip by up to 87% while costing significantly less, according to a new lab report

https://www.windowscentral.com/hardware/qualcomm/snapdragon-x2-elite-extreme-intel-amd-tests-signal65

Is Intel banking on Haswell nostalgia with that naming scheme?

Also, the Snapdragon test and headline are extremely misleading.

The test it wins is an AI test and depends entirely on the NPU and not the CPU or GPU, so thermals and power consumption are totally meaningless here. As pretty much nobody will run their big AI models on just an APU, this test is totally is irrelevant for 99.95% of the people.

It’s time for the gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam has three new deals and one showcase:

• Minecraft Legends will be 60% off until the 25th of August: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1928870/Minecraft_Legends/
• Motion Soccer PRO also has a 60% discount, but it will last until August 28 : https://store.steampowered.com/app/3137350/Motion_Soccer_PRO/
• Uncle Chop's Rocket Shop is going to be 55% off until the 1st of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1849790/Uncle_Chops_Rocket_Shop/
• And the Showcase is: the Trailer Tuesday Show Summer Showcase, packed with upcoming titles, demos and even with some games on sale featuring up to 34% discounts: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45900054/sale/TrailerTuesdayShow

Fanatical has the last 24h Flash Deals of thew Summer Sale:

• The Alters: Deluxe Edition is 51% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/the-alters-deluxe-edition
• Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition gets a 58% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/age-of-empires-iv-anniversary-edition
• And Neon White has a nicely 69% deal: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/neon-white

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Nothing-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

PS4 Emulator shadPS4 Version 0.18 Is Now Available to Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/ps4-emulator-shadps4-version-0-18-is-now-available-to-download/
The team behind the best PlayStation 4 emulator for PC, shadPS4, has released a brand new version of it. So, let’s see what Version 0.18 brings to the table.
In Version 0.18, the team has rewritten the kernel event flag system. According to the team, this fixes an issue that often caused Shadow of the Colossus to hang during boot. The game can now reach the menus more reliably.
Another major feature is experimental red zone protection. It fixes an issue that affected 12th-generation and newer Intel CPUs on Windows. This issue could cause crashes and other problems in games that were not designed to handle Windows exception events.
Version 0.18 also includes several GPU fixes. These improve shadows in Persona games and fix some effects in inFAMOUS and Gravity Rush 2.
YouTube’s ‘Christo Gevedjov’ has tested shadPS4 V0.18 on an Intel Arc 580 GPU with an AMD Ryzen 5 7500F. On this PC system, Bloodborne runs with 90FPS at 1080p. The Order: 1886 also appears to be fully playable on this PC system. The game runs with 30FPS at 1080p.
Sadly, Driveclub does not appear to be playable on this PC system. At 1080p, the game runs with 14FPS. In order to hit playable framerates, you will need a high-end PC system.
NHL18 and Uncharted 3 Remastered came close to 30FPS. However, I’m not sure whether they suffer from any major visual glitches or issues. God of War 3 Remastered performed slightly worse (around 23-24FPS).
The game that appeared to be running great on the Intel Arc B580 GPU was Konami’s canceled P.T. As we can see, it was hitting 60FPS most of the time. MediEvil was also able to run with 60FPS, though it could frequently drop below that target.
>> The article has three videos, with one of them being the one where B580 is tested in 18 games.

Prince of Persia Trilogy Gets 4K Texture Packs
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/prince-of-persia-trilogy-gets-4k-texture-packs/
Prince of Persia fans, here is something for you today. Modder ‘Evgeshajk’ has released 4K Texture Packs for the Prince of Persia Trilogy. This means that you can enjoy Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, and Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones with 4K textures.
Evgeshajk has used AI tools to overhaul and enhance the original textures. As such, the modded textures retain the art style of the original ones. At the same time, the new textures look sharper and crisper.
The modder has shared some comparison shots, and I have to say that these texture packs make a huge visual difference. The lighting is still a bit basic and is not close to what we see in modern games. Still, these 4K texture packs give the classic Prince of Persia games a big visual boost. They also make these older games much more enjoyable to play today.
>> The article has three videos, one for each game in the trilogy.

GAMING NEWS

Alan Wake 2 Update 1.2.10 Released – Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/alan-wake-2-update-1-2-10-released-full-patch-notes/
Remedy has just released Title Update 1.2.10 for Alan Wake 2 and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new patch brings to the table.

Fallout 4 August 18 Update Released – Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/fallout-4-august-18-update-released-full-patch-notes/
Bethesda has released the August 18 Title Update for Fallout 4 and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new patch brings to the table.

STALKER 2 Patch 2.0 Performance Benchmarks Surface Online
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/stalker-2-patch-2-0-performance-benchmarks-surface-online/
The highly anticipated Title Update 2.0 for STALKER 2 will be released tomorrow, and the first performance benchmarks for it have appeared online. So, let’s take a look at them, shall we?

The gaming news, part two:

Arc Raiders' map conditions 'will shift to fit specific regions' peak hours' as part of the latest Phantom Targets update
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arc-raiders-map-conditions-will-shift-to-fit-specific-regions-peak-hours-as-part-of-the-latest-phantom-targets-update/
I love a good Arc Raiders map condition. Whether it be hunting for rubber ducks in Bird City, or trying to survive frozen temperatures in Cold Snap, each one offers up a much-needed revamp on what can sometimes be a stale selection of maps. The only problem is that some conditions can be pretty inaccessible.
(...)
"We have been working to make sure that the way we schedule map conditions is aligned with your playing habits," Embark says in the new update blog post. "To that end, we’re introducing Regional Map Condition Scheduling. Starting with 1.42.0, map conditions will have their schedule offset based on regions, instead of a single, global schedule.

The new Rusty Lake game is a grim, sinister tale of family, destiny, and cooking: I fed a man porridge filled with dead bugs and he told me it tasted good
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/the-new-rusty-lake-game-is-a-grim-sinister-tale-of-family-destiny-and-cooking-i-fed-a-man-porridge-filled-with-dead-bugs-and-he-told-me-it-tasted-good/
Crunch the incessant offness of Twin Peaks into a surprisingly beefy collection of point-and-click puzzle adventures and you've got Rusty Lake: Twisted tales of familial obligation and tradition unfolding in a backcountry idyll possessed by something better left unseen and unspoken. Imagine if ol' Eddie Allen P. had been born a couple centuries later and took up game development, and you'll have a pretty good idea of the vibe. I've been looking forward to the latest addition to the series, Servant of the Lake, for quite some time now, and now that it's out I'm happy to say that it is very good.

Industry legend Warren Spector is retiring: 'I'm feeling like I've done what I set out to do'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/industry-legend-warren-spector-is-retiring-im-feeling-like-ive-done-what-i-set-out-to-do/
Warren Spector is one of the industry's most storied developers, particularly among fans of immersive sims. His leading roles on games like Ultima Underworld, System Shock, and Deus Ex—and you know what, even Invisible War and Deadly Shadows, which are probably better than you think—established him as one of the field's most admired and enduring names. And now, after doing it for more than 40 years, he's calling it a day.
"Let me cut right to the chase. I'm retiring from game development," Spector wrote on LinkedIn. "At least I think so. I've been here before and changed my mind but this time I'm pretty sure I mean it."
>> He is also a litte annoyed with Disney for not crediting his studio for the comeback of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (link), that is getting a miniseries.

Subnautica 2's latest 1.2 update is friend focused—finally adding the key mechanic to any great multiplayer game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/subnautica-2s-latest-1-2-update-is-friend-focused-finally-adding-the-key-mechanic-to-any-great-multiplayer-game/
I'm not sure there's been a better invention for multiplayer games than proximity chat. Whether it be friends screaming vengeance down the side of a mountain after you abandon them in Peak, or the wails of one of your fellow workers fall suspiciously silent in Lethal Company. Proximity chat offers up fertile ground for hilariously wacky and memorable multiplayer moments, so you can imagine my excitement when I found out it's coming to Subnautica 2.

The Blood of Dawnwalker's final system requirements include upscaling set to Balanced—so unsurprisingly, they're lower
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/the-blood-of-dawnwalkers-final-system-requirements-include-upscaling-set-to-balanced-so-unsurprisingly-theyre-lower/
Squinting at the new The Blood of Dawnwalker system requirements this morning before my second cup of coffee, my bleary eyes registered that the listed GPUs are often significantly less powerful than the previous recommended specs.
As my tired eyeballs came into focus, though, it became clear why: upscaling, of course. Rebel Wolves has taken into account the modern inventions of DLSS, FSR, and XeSS in its final specs sheet. A reply to the X thread from the official account reveals that the new specs are based on Balanced upscaling settings, which would account for some of the drops.
>> Oh, you wanted lower specs by optimization? That’s not how things are done now.

And part three of the gaming news:

The Quake shareware CD-ROM contained encrypted copies of every id Software game—and yes, it was cracked 39 days after release
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/the-quake-shareware-cd-rom-contained-encrypted-copies-of-every-id-software-game-and-yes-it-was-cracked-39-days-after-release/

Former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida told Clair Obscur devs to not call it a 'turn-based RPG' so people wouldn't 'overlook' it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/former-playstation-boss-shuhei-yoshida-told-clair-obscur-devs-to-not-call-it-a-turn-based-rpg-so-people-wouldnt-overlook-it/

Fired Rockstar workers say you shouldn't boycott GTA 6 for them: 'We spent years pouring our hard work, skill, and creativity into making GTA'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/fired-rockstar-workers-say-you-shouldnt-boycott-gta-6-for-them-we-spent-years-pouring-our-hard-work-skill-and-creativity-into-making-gta/

Take-Two's former AI guy is, in a twist, skeptical about AI now: 'The guy should be selling you the gold if he's actually got the gold'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/game-development/take-twos-former-ai-guy-is-in-a-twist-skeptical-about-ai-now-the-guy-should-be-selling-you-the-gold-if-hes-actually-got-the-gold/

Well in the article, it says

"Testing the chips in Geekbench 7, Signal65 found the X2 Elite Extreme to be "up to 53% faster" than Intel's chip and "up to 83% faster" than AMD's chip.

In Cinebench 2026, which is used to test multi-thread rendering performance, the X2 Elite Extreme was "up to 87% faster" than the Intel and AMD chips."

The Ai part is

" Qualcomm's specialized chip that runs AI locally almost hit 2x the AI performance compared to Intel, climbing to about 2.4x the performance of AMD's NPU in the Procyon AI Computer Vision test."

So the headline using up to 87% faster (in Cinebench) isn't that missleading imo. If they said 2x faster without saying Ai, I would have agreed. The only potential red flag is

"This report from Signal65 was commissioned by Qualcomm, but there's no reason for me to think that any of the numbers were fudged. Signal65 is independent and generally credible."