We have no idea how big the equivalent RDNA5 chip of a 9070 will be, as it will need to have a lot more die space reserved for the improved compute, nor how it will affect the power consumption.

Also, the jump from 4nm to 3nm is supposed to bring a 30% reduction in power consumption at the same speed, and we also ignore how fast the PS6 GPU will run.

There are too many variables.

I wish things we so simple, but they rarely are.

Not entirely surprising, and some of those moves make sense after the previous decisions and layoffs, like merging Turn10 and Playground.

Moving Rare to Activision is strange after being in MSoft for so long.

Making a new studio for Halo kind of makes sense after so many f*ck ups, but I wonder if being under Activision will give it a bit of a CoD feel to it.

Bad luck for Ninja Theory. I hope they give the staff the option to join other MSoft/Activision studios.

Important notice for those with Gigabyte motherboards:

Gigabyte admits an oopsie with Gigabyte Control Center software leaving kernel exposed to attackers
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/motherboards/gigabyte-admits-an-oopsie-with-gigabyte-control-center-software-leaving-kernel-exposed-to-attackers/
If you have a Gigabyte motherboard and use the Gigabyte Control Center (GCC) software, you'd better download the latest version of the software. While the risk of a local attacker hacking into your PC is pretty slim, it's best practice to just cover your butt before anything bad happens.

And here's something for the future:

Intel reportedly collaborating with AUO on microLED panels, which could help make the ultimate display tech more mainstream
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-monitors/intel-reportedly-collaborating-with-auo-on-microled-panels-which-could-help-make-the-ultimate-display-tech-more-mainstream/
Most display experts agree that microLED is the ultimate flat panel display tech. There's just one problem. It's hella expensive. Could Intel be the surprising solution to that?

According to a new report, it might just be part of the solution, at least. According to Taiwanese outlet Economic Daily, Intel is partnering with display specialist AU Optronics on a new approach to embedding electronics into microLED glass substrates.

The report says that has obtained a US patent for "IC Package with Micro LEDs" which involves, "embedding at least part of a semiconductor chip within a glass substrate." The implication of this is that the display control chip would be integrated into the microLED panel itself, which could have have both packaging and cost advantages.

PS6 and next-gen Xbox chips reportedly taped out, Kepler claims 40 TFLOPS for PS6 and 56 for Helix

https://videocardz.com/newz/ps6-and-next-gen-xbox-chips-reportedly-taped-out-kepler-claims-40-tflops-for-ps6-and-56-for-helix

Modders bring NVIDIA Smooth Motion to RTX 30 GPUs with two separate projects

https://videocardz.com/newz/modders-bring-nvidia-smooth-motion-to-rtx-30-gpus-with-two-separate-projects

Qualcomm launches Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and Elite Gen 6 with 5 GHz Oryon CPUs

https://videocardz.com/newz/qualcomm-launches-snapdragon-8-elite-extreme-gen-6-and-elite-gen-6-with-5-ghz-oryon-cpus

CyberPowerPC now sells prebuilt PCs with NVIDIA RTX 50 Founders Edition GPUs, 1,000 RTX 5080 systems sell in one day

https://videocardz.com/newz/cyberpowerpc-now-sells-prebuilt-pcs-with-nvidia-rtx-50-founders-edition-gpus-1000-rtx-5080-systems-sell-in-one-day

CXMT Chases NAND as YMTC Storms Into DRAM Territory, Igniting a Chinese Memory & Storage Chip Turf War, Says Report

https://wccftech.com/cxmt-chases-nand-as-ymtc-storms-into-dram-territory-igniting-a-chinese-memory-storage-chip-turf-war-says-report/

"The refrigerator is dead": Samsung's AI fridges shut down after update, causes outrage

https://www.notebookcheck.net/The-refrigerator-is-dead-Samsung-s-AI-fridges-shut-down-after-update-causes-outrage.1406447.0.html

Neuralink brain implant brings back the voice of ALS patient with thought-to-speech BCI

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Neuralink-brain-implant-brings-back-the-voice-of-ALS-patient-with-thought-to-speech-BCI.1406566.0.html

Memory chips are now more expensive than compute chips on a per-area basis — AI demand drives DRAM die value past leading-edge silicon

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/dram/dram-is-now-more-expensive-than-compute-chips-on-per-area-basis-ai-demand-drives-memory-die-value-past-leading-edge-silicon

The Wednesday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam has new deals and sales/events:

• Magicraft has a demo and a 25% discount that will last until the 1st of October: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2103140/Magicraft/
• Returns Outlet Simulator, still in Early Access, will be 30% off until October 1st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3589510/Returns_Outlet_Simulator/
• Tick Tock: A Tale for Two gets a 70% discount until the 1st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/790740/Tick_Tock_A_Tale_for_Two/
• The last deal is Surgeon Simulator 2, that will be 85% off until the same October 1st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/774791/Surgeon_Simulator_2/
• These are the new sales/events:
  • Boomstock 2026 is full of boomer shooters. There are upcoming titles, demos and games up to 90% off. Most deals will end tomorrow, but there are also ouliers: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/boomstock26
  • Game Anglia Direct 2026 features many upcoming releases, some with demos, and up to 90% discounts that will end between the 26th and the 30th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45808819/sale/GameAngliaDirect2026
  • SCHMOOVEMENT FESTIVAL 2026, about games where “mastery of movement is a core part of the design” has a few upcoming games and games on sale with up to 90% discounts. Most deals will end on September 29, but there are ouliers, : https://store.steampowered.com/sale/SCHMOOVEMENTFESTIVAL

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Nothing today-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

GTA 4 Mod Adds Native Support for NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/gta-4-mod-adds-native-support-for-nvidia-dlss-and-amd-fsr/
Modder ‘ChunkLeChuck’ has released an amazing new mod for Grand Theft Auto 4, called DLSS-IV. DLSS-IV adds native DLSS and FSR upscaling, along with better anti-aliasing and proper HDR support. So, I highly recommend using it if you are replaying it.
The mod supports NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR. For our AMD fans, the mod uses FSR 4 for the Radeon RX 7000 and RX 9000 series GPUs. Other supported cards will use FSR 3.1.5 by default.
HDR support is another key feature. The mod uses the Xbox 360 gamma curve from FusionFix for its HDR path. It also uses DXVK as part of its graphics setup. This helps bring modern PC graphics features to the older game.
There is one main requirement: FusionFix must be installed. You will also need a supported graphics card for the selected upscaler and renderer. The mod includes the NVIDIA DLSS file in the main download.
To use the mod, install FusionFix first. Then install DLSS-IV into your GTA IV setup. The mod uses a DLSSIV.cfg file for settings such as the FSR version. If you update from an older version, check the included files and remove files that are no longer used.
The modder has also shared some performance numbers. DLSS Quality reached 181 FPS, which is about 3.4% faster than the vanilla version. FSR Quality was even faster at 182.4 FPS, or about 4.2% faster.
DLSS Balanced reached 182.6 FPS, giving it a small 4.3% gain over the vanilla game. FSR Ultra Performance was the fastest upscaling mode at 183.1 FPS. This is about 4.6% faster than the standard game.
The only modes that ran slower were FSR Native AA and DLAA. FSR Native AA averaged 165.7 FPS, which is about 5.3% below the vanilla result. DLAA ran at 164.6 FPS.
You can go ahead and download the mod from this link (Nexus Mods).
>> The article doesn’t have any media.

Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen Unofficial PC Ports Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/pokemon-firered-leafgreen-unofficial-pc-ports-released/
Developer bryanthaboi has released a new version of gen1Recomp that adds support for Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. As such, PC gamers can now enjoy these two Pokemon games that originally came out on the Nintendo Game Boy Advance.
For those who did not know, gen1Recomp is a native PC recreation of the classic Pokémon games. It supports Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, FireRed, and LeafGreen.
The PC version adds many features that were not possible on the original Game Boy. You can use higher game speed, configurable FPS limits, V-Sync, and performance presets. Some of the games also support zoom and a free-roam tilt mode for the overworld. You can also choose from several color modes, including the original look, Super Game Boy, Game Boy Color, monochrome, and classic green. Optional screen effects add pixel grids, shadows, glare, and transparency.
The project also adds widescreen battle layouts and modern input support. You can use a keyboard or controller, and all controls can be changed in the options menu. Mobile builds also support touch controls, custom layouts, vibration, and screen rotation.
A built-in mod manager lets you install and manage mods. Mods can change graphics, music, dialogue, quests, battle rules, and more. Custom carts can also group mods into one package with their own settings, saves, and artwork. You can share mod lists and update installed mods with one press.
The project also adds save tools, including save editing, item editing, save syncing, and save recovery features. It supports LAN link play for trades and battles. An online lobby also allows battles, spectating, and tournaments.
You can go ahead and download the latest version of gen1Recomp from this link (Github). Do note that, as with all recompilations, it does not include any in-game assets. This means you’ll have to provide your own ROMs to play these Pokemon games.
>> The article has an over 10 minutes video.

GAMING NEWS

With no DSoGaming articles for this spot, here's the onlyh short article from PCGamer:

Halo Studios cinematic director promoted, then laid off in the same week
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/halo-studios-cinematic-director-promoted-then-laid-off-in-the-same-week/
>> Keep in mind that it’s only Wednesday.

The Wednesday gaming news, part two:

Tragedy: Crusader Kings 3's pope DLC will not let you use blood boys to prolong your life, and yes I did ask the devs
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/tragedy-crusader-kings-3s-pope-dlc-will-not-let-you-use-blood-boys-to-prolong-your-life-and-yes-i-did-ask-the-devs/
Crusader Kings 3 will finally let us play as the pope in the By God Alone expansion, launching on September 30. The power! The pageantry! The blood boys! Wait, what?
OK, so history has given us a lot of weird pope stories. One of them relates to the declining health of Pope Innocent VIII. As the story goes, in 1492 three boys were hired to bring the pope back to health with their blood. All of their blood. It went badly. All three boys died, of course, and so did the pope.
(...)
Now, Paradox games can get pretty weird. You can, for instance, eat the pope. And with the By God Alone expansion allowing you to play as the pope, you could theoretically turn him into a cannibal. Justice at last. But blood boys? Nope, that's not on the cards.

Zeverland merges deep survival systems with cosy game aesthetics to create a refreshingly optimistic take on the zombie apocalypse
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/charm-offbeat-depth-zombie-undead-zeverland/
When it comes to beloved settings in videogames, the zombie apocalypse is right up there. From DayZ to The Walking Dead, roaming a barren wasteland filled with the undead is familiar territory for gamers. Its unique marriage of player autonomy and challenging systems becomes a fertile ground for emergent storytelling.
What would happen then, if these captivating core components were channelled into an accessible and free-form cooperative world? Enter Zeverland, a charming and ambitious survival-crafting adventure that injects the typically po-faced genre with a refreshing sense of optimism.

Before I starting making church candles from dead bodies, vs after
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/before-i-starting-making-church-candles-from-dead-bodies-vs-after/
If you've ever wanted to play a cozy life sim where you craft, farm, build, cook, and complete quests for villagers, and also make products from human corpses, Graveyard Keeper 2 is out today.
>> Out now, yes, but in Early Access. And I hate that it had a demo that they’ve delisted once they’ve launched it.

World of Warcraft: Forever players find rule-breaking new items that defy 22 years of experience with the classic MMO
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/world-of-warcraft-forever-players-find-rule-breaking-new-items-that-defy-22-years-of-experience-with-the-classic-mmo/
You can play the first several hours of World of Warcraft: Forever and miss a lot of the changes Blizzard slipped into the early leveling experience. There are new quests and NPCs, but they barely stand out if you don't have encyclopedic knowledge of the MMO.
Now that players have had enough time to hit the beta's level 20 cap, they're starting to find what makes WoW: Forever different from a 1:1 remake of the old game. Items that break rules, like an axe that lets you mine ore without the mining skill, tease what's in store when the full game is out on November 4.

Diablo 5 will 'take a somewhat different approach' to Diablo 4's monster level scaling so your character feels noticeably stronger as you progress
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/diablo-5-will-take-a-somewhat-different-approach-to-diablo-4s-monster-level-scaling-so-your-character-feels-noticeably-stronger-as-you-progress/
Despite its surprise announcement at BlizzCon earlier this month, Diablo 5 is a whole three years away. Blizzard's brief teaser trailer had zero gameplay in it, which means the action RPG sequel is still mostly a mystery.
But director Joe Shely helped paint a picture of what the real thing might look like during a recent group interview with PC Gamer.

Do you want the good news or the bad news about State of Decay 3?
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/do-you-want-the-good-news-or-the-bad-news-about-undead-labs/
I honestly wouldn't have put strong odds on State of Decay 3 seeing the light of day. Even before the Microsoft mass layoffs we hadn't heard much about the survival game since the 2020 reveal trailer, and we found out later the game only existed in a Word document when that trailer was released.
In 2024 it rose from the dead again with another trailer, and then there was basically nothing until this past April when alpha tests were announced. Then July hit, and Undead Labs was part of the "significant restructure" at Microsoft: the studio was dumped, in other words.
But as its name hints, Undead Labs simply wouldn't die and becoming employee-owned sounds like a great first step toward a new future... but as we saw with Double Fine, that first step also includes, you guessed it, more layoffs. Even good news comes with bad news these days.

Valve shadow dropped chicken pets into CS2
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/valve-shadow-dropped-chicken-pets-into-cs2/
You'd think the most exciting thing to happen in Counter-Strike 2 today would be its new Rush Hour update, complete with a new "fast-paced" mode, or perhaps the fact that you can now silent reload. But you would be wrong, because Rush Hour has been overshadowed by pet chickens.
Chickens aren't new to CS2, they've been clucking around some maps for ages now, you could even walk up to them and get them to follow you. But this is different. You can now get an egg in your weekly drop that's untradeable and will consume both of your allotted drops for the week.
After a week of the egg sitting in your inventory it should hatch into a chick. But I know what you're thinking: "All you get is a pet chick that you can inspect? That doesn't sound very CS2" you would be right, except for the fact that if you look after your chick and feed it chicken feed it can grow up into a chicken with various skins with different levels of rarity; now that's CS2.

Lords of the End Times is 'not the end' for Total War: Warhammer: 'You can't get rid of us that easily'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/lords-of-the-end-times-is-not-the-end-for-total-war-warhammer-you-cant-get-rid-of-us-that-easily/
It's not strange to speculate that Lords of the End Times might signal the beginning of the end for Total War: Warhammer—it did kill the Warhammer Fantasy setting that the game is based on, after all, before Age of Sigmar rose from its ashes. But speaking to Senior Game Director, Richard Aldridge, and Associate Design Director, Sean Macdonald, I get the impression that they still have plenty of unfinished business with the game.
>> A Bretania rework is in the to-do list, for example (link)

Tomorrow is the city's Patron. I may or may not do the news. We'll see how it goes.

40 TFLOPs is about 9070 boost speed, or 9070XT base performance. That should be absolutely serviceable, but RT will quickly get thrown out of the window as it won't be powerful enough to do so shortly after release.

56 TFLOPS I'm project Helix however are a different beast. A theoretical 9080 with that performance would have smoked the 5080. If the console will not get choked by the memory or other components, it should have much more headroom to run ray tracing or maybe even path tracing early on, and run games in higher base resolutions and/or frame rates in general.

The refrigerator is probably the appliance that causes more troubles when it breaks down. So, this is f*cked up.

With that said, food going bad because your smart fridge had a faulty update is the pinnacle of the "first-world problems" motto.

And to make matters worse, even if they're not a big player in GDDR7 production, Micron is ending production of 2GB GDDR7 chips:

Micron's 2 GB GDDR7 Memory Chips Reportedly Reach End of Life
https://www.techpowerup.com/352975/microns-2-gb-gddr7-memory-chips-reportedly-reach-end-of-life
Micron has reportedly discontinued its 2 GB GDDR7 memory chips, the same modules used on several GeForce RTX 50 series cards. Spotted by UNIKO's Hardware, Micron's 28 Gbps D8FHL chip (MT68A512M32DF-28:A) is now listed as end of life on the company's own website. Every 2 GB GDDR7 chip in Micron's catalog, both the 28 Gbps and 32 Gbps variants, now carries the same EOL status, leaving 3 GB modules as the only option going forward.

That's a big jump compared to current gen consoles, and a fairly big difference between the two consoles.

But, as Pemalite always says, TFLOPS is not a valid metric to compare gaming performance.

We don't know what improvements RDNA5 will bring compared to RDNA4 when it comes to RT and the like so, it's a bit early to talk about how it will perform in those tasks.

Besides, there's that project amethyst thing that has RT as one of the tasks to help with.

Absolutely, just wanted to give a rough estimate based on the TFLOPS, which I know is very flawed, but I wanted to show what AMD currently has in that performance class to compare. And here the verdict still stands;

If AMD had released an RDNA 4 GPU with the raw TFLOPs of project Helix, then that GPU would have smoked the 5080, and since both Helix and PS6 are based on the same architecture, Helix will probably be significantly more powerful and will keep up with PC for longer unless they're bottlenecking the console somewhere else that would prevent it.

Qualcomm reportedly exploring DirectX 12 drivers for Android PC games

https://videocardz.com/newz/qualcomm-reportedly-exploring-directx-12-drivers-for-android-pc-games

AnyPS5 Turns PS5 Games Into Native PC Binaries. It Cannot Finish One Yet.

https://heldgames.com/guides/anyps5-native-pc-ps5

NVIDIA RTX Mega Geometry 2.0 adds geometry streaming for detailed ray-traced scenes

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-rtx-mega-geometry-2-0-adds-geometry-streaming-for-detailed-ray-traced-scenes

RTX 5090 quickly sells out at $4,299 during Walmart deal, 10,000 shoppers added it to their carts

https://videocardz.com/newz/rtx-5090-quickly-sells-out-at-4299-during-walmart-deal-10000-shoppers-added-it-to-their-carts

Claude AI Helped Made An RTX-Accelerated Path Tracer From Start To Finish In Just An Hour, Highlighting The Beginning Of Autonomous System-Level Engineering

https://wccftech.com/claude-ai-builds-rtx-path-tracer-autonomous-engineering/

NVIDIA DLSS 5 Gets Open-Source Vulkan Reimplementation, Runs on RTX 40 GPUs and Even in Web Browsers

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-dlss-5-gets-open-source-vulkan-reimplementation-runs-on-rtx-40-gpus-and-even-in-web-browsers/

Cadence Locks In TSMC A14 Tool Certification, Cutting Design Iterations By 2.5X As It Races Toward Agentic AI Chips

https://wccftech.com/cadence-locks-in-tsmc-a14-tool-certification-cutting-design-iterations-by-2-5x/