I am assuming PC Building Simulator, has a story mode.

Actually 30FPS isn't smooth.
I can understand how someone may think that applying a whole load of motion blur would change that.
It just doesn't work all that well.

Sea of Thieves runs at 1080p30 on the base Xbox One, right?
Lowering the res and dropping some settings should allow it to run on almost anything.

"Flight Simulator expansion installed password-stealing malware as DRM"
"FSLabs founder Lefteris Kalamaras confirmed in the company's forums that it's meant to be there"

To quote GLaDOS from Portal 2's ending song " Want You Gone":
"That would be funny, if it weren't so sad"

This is absolutely disgusting.

1) There's a lot of simulator games that don't have a story mode, and I don't know if this one has it or not. In any case, in most simulator games the goal is not about beat the game, but rather unlock all the possibilities and use them to play the game however you want.

2) I think you didn't get my "smooth..." comment. It was an ironical way to express how subtly you said that XOne is a potato. 

I completely agree on that.

And not only that but, given that the presence of such program wasn't disclosed in the terms of agreement, it's also illegal. That means that any evidence obtained through it is invalid, and also that any legit owner could sue them if they want.

The news:

SALES & "SALES"/DEALS

The new Humble Bundle features vintage RPGs Torment, Wasteland, Shadowrun, and Dreamfall
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-new-humble-bundle-features-vintage-rpgs-torment-wasteland-shadowrun-and-dreamfall/
The Humble Classics Return Bundle is an impressive collection of games for oldsters and people who'd like to try playing as one. One single, solitary dollar is all you need for Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse, Shadowrun Returns, Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure, and Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director's Cut. But if you have more dollars, you get more games.

Watch Dogs 2, For Honor and more are super cheap in Ubisoft's Humble Store sale
https://www.pcgamer.com/watch-dogs-2-for-honor-and-more-are-super-cheap-in-ubisofts-humble-store-sale/
If you've been holding off on buying any Ubisoft game in anticipation of an inevitable sale, well your patience has just paid off. Or at least, it will if the game you want is among this new Humble Store Ubisoft sale, which offers some big discounts on Ubisoft games both old and new.

If the deals at the Humble Store aren't enough for you (what's wrong with you?), there's also the Steam Midweek Madness deals:

• Starpoint Gemini Warlords is 66% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/419480/Starpoint_Gemini_Warlords/
• The WB games based on the Middle Earth IP are now on sale: http://store.steampowered.com/sale/middle_earth
• And well, it turns out that ARK Survival Evolved is not a weekly sale like I wrote yesterday (the Season Pass is), but one of the midweek madness offerings. My bad. Here's the store link again: http://store.steampowered.com/app/346110/ARK_Survival_Evolved/

SOFTWARE

-empty-

MODS/EMULATORS

This mod brings Raiden from Metal Gear Solid 4 to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/this-mod-brings-raiden-from-metal-gear-solid-4-to-metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain/
Modder ‘Shigu’ has released a new mod for Metal Gear Solid 5 The Phantom Pain that lets gamers play as Raiden from Metal Gear Solid 4. Shigu has imported the 3D model of Raiden from the PS3 version of Metal Gear Solid 4, something that may please some Raiden fans.

>>The mod is available from Nexus Mods. By the way, the article also contains other mods, so check it out.

GAMING NEWS

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is now available on the PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/age-of-empires-definitive-edition-is-now-available-on-the-pc/
Microsoft has announced the release of Age of Empires: Definitive Edition on the PC, exclusively via the Windows Store. Age of Empires Definitive Edition features full remastered visuals with 4K support, new zoom levels, new and improved gameplay, as well as a fully remastered soundtrack.

>>We'll see how long it will take until the game comes to Steam.

Assassin’s Creed Origins Update 1.3.0 is now available, significantly reduces stuttering on high-end CPUs
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/assassins-creed-origins-update-1-3-0-is-now-available-significantly-reduces-stuttering-on-high-end-cpus/
(...) this patch comes with some PC-specific fixes/tweaks. According to the development team, update 1.3.0 fixes an issue with the playable character that could not walk through a narrow pass, various issues with the World Map on multi-monitors setups and several stuttering issues.

Burnout Paradise Remastered is coming to the PC after the console release
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/burnout-paradise-remastered-is-coming-to-the-pc-after-the-console-release/
Electronic Arts has announced a remastered version of Burnout Paradise. Burnout Paradise Remastered will be coming to consoles on March 16th and the PC version will come to Origin later in 2018, bringing the Big Surf Island add-on to PC players for the very first time.

>>It will come later and only to Origin. It will sell like hotcakes... NOT.

FlightSimLabs has updated the installer for A320-X v232, removing its malware/DRM tool
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/flightsimlabs-has-updated-the-installer-for-a320-x-v232-removing-its-malware-drm-tool/
Over the weekend, Reddit’s member crankyrecursion discovered that the official FSLabs A320-X add-on installer for Flight Simulator included a malware tool. This tool, called test.exe, was said to be a Chrome password extraction tool. Thankfully, and after initially failing to address this issue, FlightSimLabs has released a new installer without this tool.

>>Too late, the damage is done. Personally, I'd never buy anything else from that company, just in case they do it again.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Update #6 packs fixes & optimizations, new content to be unveiled in March
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/playerunknowns-battlegrounds-update-6-packs-fixes-optimizations-new-content-to-be-unveiled-in-march/
Bluehole has released a brand new patch for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. According to the release notes, this patch replaces some fences in Miramar to unbreakable fences or walls in order to optimize the client and makes changes to prevent the reduced heal/boost time cheat.

New Battlefield 1 Apocalypse screenshots show why DICE’s shooter remains one of the best looking games
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/new-official-screenshots-for-battlefield-1s-apocalypse-free-dlc/
Electronic Arts and DICE have released some brand new screenshots for Battlefield 1’s latest free DLC, the Apocalypse. This DLC comes with five new maps, new melee weapons, six new guns, new gadgets and a new aircraft.

Warhammer 40K: Mechanicus is a new turn-based strategy game coming to the PC in 2018
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/warhammer-40k-mechanicus-is-a-new-turn-based-strategy-game-coming-to-the-pc-in-2018/
Kasedo Games and Bulwark Studios have announced a new turn-based strategy game that is set in the Warhammer 40K universe, Warhammer 40K: Mechanicus. Warhammer 40K: Mechanicus targets a 2018 release and in order to celebrate this announcement, Kasedo Games released the game’s debut teaser trailer.

Black Desert Online will add absolute skills for all classes next week
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/black-desert-online-will-add-absolute-skills-for-all-classes-next-week/
Pearl Abyss and Kakao Games announced today that the long-awaited Absolute Skills will be added to Black Desert Online with next week’s maintenance, right in time for the game’s second anniversary and celebratory events that kick off on the 28th of February.

KOEI Tecmo apologizes for the delay of a PC patch for Dynasty Warriors 9
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/koei-tecmo-apologizes-for-the-delay-of-a-pc-patch-for-dynasty-warriors-9/
Dynasty Warriors 9 is a game that is currently plagued by major performance issues. As we’ve said, we’ll delay our PC Performance Analysis article until the first major patch releases. And yesterday, its publisher apologized for the lack of a PC patch.

Assetto Corsa Competizione comes to Steam Early Access this Summer, will be using Unreal Engine 4
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/assetto-corsa-competizione-comes-to-steam-early-access-this-summer-will-be-using-unreal-engine-4/
Kunos Simulazioni and 505 Games have announced Assetto Corsa Competizione; the new official game of the Blancpain GT series, named after world-renowned Swiss watch manufacture Blancpain and organized by SRO Motorsports Group. Featuring an extraordinary level of simulation quality that allows players to experience the unique atmosphere of this GT3 Series, players can compete against official drivers, teams, accessing all cars and circuits with the highest level of accuracy and attention to detail.

FOX n FORESTS is a new 16-bit action platformer that is coming to the PC in Spring 2018
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/fox-n-forests-is-a-new-16-bit-action-platformer-that-is-coming-to-the-pc-in-spring-2018/
EuroVideo and Bonus Level Entertainment announced today that they will bring their 2D action platformer, FOX n FORESTS, to PC, Mac and Linux in Spring 2018. In order to celebrate this announcement, the publisher has also released a new trailer that you can view below.

>>I'm actually surprised. It does look like a 16-bit game, but in HD of course.

The news, part two:

GTA Online adds vintage sports car, Smuggler's Run missions get double $GTA and experience
https://www.pcgamer.com/gta-online-adds-vintage-sports-car-smugglers-run-missions-get-double-gta-and-experience/
Having spent some time earning a living in GTA Online buying and selling special cargo, I recently segued into boosting cars. Capturing the rarest models is fast becoming an obsession, which means I'll now be on the lookout for Legendary Motorsport's latest release—the Karin 190z, a new "Sports Classic" that's loosely modeled on Nissan's old school S30/Datsun's 280z and costs $900,000.

Darwin Project's second and final open beta takes place this weekend
https://www.pcgamer.com/darwin-projects-second-and-final-open-beta-takes-place-this-weekend/
Darwin Project, the battle royale game that in December gave us what may be the most tenuous article introduction in PC Gamer's glorious history, will hold its second and final open beta session this weekend. From February 23-26, players will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the rugged, frozen beauty of the great Canadian north, while simultaneously attempting to carry out a mass-murder spree against nine like-minded strangers.

The Station is a first-person sci-fi mystery set in an alien civil war
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-station-is-a-first-person-sci-fi-mystery-set-in-an-alien-civil-war/
What would we do if we discovered intelligent beings in our universe? Sci-fi mystery adventure The Station asks this age-old question and follows it up with another: What would we do if those beings were also embroiled in civil war? In this case, humanity decides to send a small crew of three to observe the aliens from a safe distance on a stealth space station called the Espial. Things inevitably go sideways and we, the player, are sent in to recon the situation and locate the missing crew.

Dino Run 2 is a procedurally generated 2D runner with plenty of dinosaurs
https://www.pcgamer.com/dino-run-2-is-a-procedurally-generated-2d-runner-with-plenty-of-dinosaurs/
The original Dino Run Flash game (which you can play for free here) released in 2008. 10 years later, original developer Pixeljam is trying to resurrect the series with Dino Run 2, and judging from their now fully funded Kickstarter, they're well on their way.

Legendary Gary, an RPG about playing an RPG, is out now
https://www.pcgamer.com/legendary-gary-an-rpg-about-playing-an-rpg-is-out-now/
What Remains of Edith Finch programmer Evan Rogers released his solo passion project, Legendary Gary, earlier today. Rogers calls it "a tactics adventure game mashup with a dramatic, comedic story that blends reality and fantasy." It took him four years to develop single-handedly, but he reckons it'll only take you four to six hours to complete. It's now available on Steam for $15.

Sledgehammer co-founders Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey have left the studio
https://www.pcgamer.com/sledgehammer-co-founders-glen-schofield-and-michael-condrey-have-left-the-studio/
Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey, both formerly of the now-defunct EA outfit Visceral Games, co-founded Sledgehammer Games in 2009. The studio quickly built a name for itself working in Activision's Call of Duty universe, first as co-developer (with Infinity Ward) on Modern Warfare 3, and then in the lead on Advanced Warfare and WWII. But now they've both moved on to other things: Activision confirmed with Kotaku today that they have left the studio, although they will remain with the publisher in new roles.

Codemasters' new arcade racer Onrush finally gets a gameplay trailer
https://www.pcgamer.com/codemasters-new-arcade-racer-onrush-finally-gets-a-gameplay-trailer/
Codemasters has released a new trailer for Onrush, the studio's forthcoming arcade racer. As you'll notice, it's tonally at odds with any racer Codemasters has released of late, with the focus being on speed and "absolute carnage" rather than mastering finicky hairpins.

Rocket League to add old and new school Batmobiles, range of DC cosmetics
https://www.pcgamer.com/rocket-league-to-add-old-and-new-school-batmobiles-range-of-dc-cosmetics/
Rocket League loves crossovers. Since its 2015 launch—deep breath—Twisted Metal, Warframe Top Gun, Game of Thrones, Casper, Harry Potter, The Ring, X-Men, Blacklight Retribution, Back to the Future, Halo, Gears of War, The Fast and the Furious, Mario, Metroid, and Batman (did I miss any?) have entered the ball-cage-car arena.
And now, as part of Psyonix's DC Super Heroes pack, the Caped Crusader is set to return with both its Christian Bale-powered Dark Knight Tumbler, and its 1989 Tim Burton/Michael Keaton-style Batmobile.

League of Legends unveils Kai'Sa Daughter of the Void
https://www.pcgamer.com/league-of-legends-unveils-kaisa-daughter-of-the-void/
Fear is not an illusion, new League of Legends Champion Kai'Sai Daughter of the Void. Fear is flirting with the idea of one day getting into Riot's enduring MOBA before realising it's added several new fighters since you last checked and that you're forever in over your head.

A new PUBG map will be unveiled in March
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-new-pubg-map-will-be-unveiled-in-march/
The never-ending battle against cheaters has occupied the attention of the Playerunknown's Battlegrounds team in recent months, to the point that plans to implement some sort of ping limit had to be delayed. The upside, as the latest Steam update explains, is that the developers are now testing a different method of addressing ping issues that they hope will be even better than the system they first envisioned.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds teases retro fashion 'Fever' crates
https://www.pcgamer.com/playerunknowns-battlegrounds-teases-retro-fashion-fever-crates/
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is getting a new map next month, despite the fact dealing with cheaters has preoccupied PUBG Corp of late. To mark the beginning of its newest season, the last-person-standing 'em up is also in-line for two new cosmetic crates: The Fever crate, and the Militia crate.

Cypher is a neat, head-scratching puzzle game that'll teach you cryptography
https://www.pcgamer.com/cypher-is-a-neat-head-scratching-puzzle-game-thatll-teach-you-cryptography/
I've just spent 15 minutes in a white, empty room attempting to understand steganography. Steganography, I've learned, is a form of cryptography whereby a secret message is hidden within another seemingly innocuous one.
I'm playing Cypher—Matthew Brown's latest venture following CrossCells, SquareCells and HexCells—and I'm stuck on puzzle three.

Yes.

Thursday news:

SALES & "SALES"/DEALS

Kingdom Come: Deliverance has sold one million copies, 45% coming from the PC, hotfix 1.2.5 available
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/kingdom-come-deliverance-has-sold-one-million-copies-45-coming-from-the-pc/
It appears that Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a huge success for Warhorse Studios. In less than a month, the game has sold one million copies on all platforms. Furthermore, the team released a new hotfix patch for it.

There's a new promo sale at GOG with lots of strategy games like Cossacks, Stronghold Crusader, Disciplines, Blitzkrieg, Ultimate General and more: https://www.gog.com/promo/20180222_ultimate_general_tiein

SOFTWARE

Steam users can now choose to 'ignore' curators they don't like
https://www.pcgamer.com/steam-users-can-now-choose-to-ignore-curators-they-dont-like/
Back in December, Valve made some major changes to the Steam Curators system intended to make it easier to "find and follow Steam Curators that you know and trust." Now there's a new option that does precisely the opposite, by enabling Steam users to ignore curators whose suggestions aren't making the grade for you.

MODS/EMULATORS

This Darkest Dungeon mod sheds light with MS Paint makeover
https://www.pcgamer.com/darkest-dungeon-mod-sheds-light-with-ms-paint-makeover/
From its boss rushing to its sun praising and dragonslaying, Darkest Dungeon's player-made mods breath new life into a game obsessed with death. But it needn't be all doom and gloom and paranoid masochistic alcoholism—Blackest basement's (uploaded by mikolaj007) Mspaint dungeons mod adds a welcome splash of colour to Darkest Dungeon's otherwise dank and depressive oubliettes.

GAMING NEWS

Kingdom Come: Deliverance – Real-life locations versus in-game environments
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/kingdom-come-deliverance-real-life-locations-versus-in-game-environments/
Reddit’s member ‘xXEdgy13YrOldXx ‘ has shared some really interesting comparison between some real-life locations and their Kingdom Come: Deliverance in-game counterparts. As we can see, Warhorse was able to recreate a lot of castles and houses as they look in real-life, though it’s obvious that we need a better lighting system in order to come closer to photorealistic visuals (perhaps the game could have looked better if Warhorse kept the lighting system from the beta build).

Fortnite 3.0.0 is now available, brings major building improvements, adds Hand Cannon & Color Blind Option
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/fortnite-3-0-0-is-now-available-brings-major-building-improvements-adds-hand-cannon-color-blind-option/
Epic Games has released a brand new update for Fortnite. This patch will update your game’s version to 3.0.0 and comes with major building improvements, adds Hand Cannon, a Color Blind option, as well as new Orchestral music score.

Warcraft 3 patch 1.29 adds widescreen support, Editor improvements & custom matches with 24 players
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/warcraft-3-patch-1-29-adds-widescreen-support-editor-improvements-custom-matches-with-24-players/
Blizzard has released a new patch for Warcraft 3 that adds support for widescreen resolutions, some experimental modes like 24 player support for custom games, as well as a number of Editor improvements.

Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition will get a free demo prior to its release
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/final-fantasy-xv-windows-edition-will-get-a-free-demo-prior-to-its-release/
Now here is a nice surprise. Square Enix has just announced that it will release a demo for the PC version of Final Fantasy XV prior to its official launch. This demo will feature the first Chapter and will allow players to fully explore the tutorial and opening quests of the game.

First Dragon Ball FighterZ patch is coming later this month, may not resolve all online issues
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/first-dragon-ball-fighterz-patch-is-coming-later-this-month-may-not-resolve-all-online-issues/
It’s been almost a month since the release of Dragon Ball FighterZ and Bandai Namco and Arc System Works have finally revealed their roadmap for patches. According to Tomoko Hiroki, game producer at Bandai Namco, the first patch for Dragon Ball FighterZ will come out later this month.

New SoulCalibur 6 videos showcase Mitsurugi, Zasalamel and Ivy
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-soulcalibur-6-videos-showcase-mitsurugi-zasalamel-and-ivy/
Bandai Namco has released three new videos for SoulCalibur 6, showcasing some characters that will be featured in it. These three characters are: Mitsurugi, Zasalamel and Ivy.

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 closed beta begins this weekend, features 3 levels and all 15 careers
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/warhammer-vermintide-2-closed-beta-begins-this-weekend-features-3-levels-and-all-15-careers/
Fatshark today announced that the highly anticipated sequel to the multi-million selling game Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide has reached beta. The Warhammer: Vermintide 2 beta will be rolling out this weekend and anyone who signed up for it will receive a key in the mail shortly if they haven’t already.

Thursday news, part two:

Abandon Ship flaunts exploding boats, customisation, sea monsters in Early Access launch trailer
https://www.pcgamer.com/abandon-ship-flaunts-exploding-boats-customisation-sea-monsters-in-early-access-launch-trailer/
Abandon Ship's been on our radar since giving its first public demonstration at the PC Gamer Weekender 2017. Now it's ceremonially launched itself into Steam's Early Access initiative and celebrates with a trailer.

Burnout Paradise Remastered won't have microtransactions
https://www.pcgamer.com/burnout-paradise-remastered-will-not-have-microtransactions/
Burnout Paradise Remastered, (...) is coming to consoles in March and PC sometime after that. It sounds like a pretty sweet package, but enthusiasm was dampened somewhat when someone noticed that the PlayStation Store listing had a line stating, "in-game purchases optional."
(...) Fortunately, that's not actually happening here: The optional in-game purchases notation has since been removed from the listing, and community manager Ben Walke hit up Twitter to say that the listing was a mistake.

See exclusive footage of ambitious simulation MMO Seed
https://www.pcgamer.com/see-exclusive-footage-of-ambitious-simulation-mmo-seed/
Seed has the kind of ambition that makes me sit up and take notice: it's an MMO that aims to combine elements of colony sims like Rimworld, everything sims like Dwarf Fortress, life-management games such as The Sims, and persistent MMOs such as EVE Online. You're basically caring for and expanding a fledgling colony of humans, but when you log off from the game, the game will continue without you.

Try the demo for Starmancer, a Dwarf Fortress-inspired space station sim
https://www.pcgamer.com/try-the-demo-for-starmancer-a-dwarf-fortress-inspired-space-station-sim/
The Earth was destroyed for one reason or another—not like we're short on possibilities—so humanity fled to the stars in AI-controlled space ships called Arks. I say AI-controlled, but really they're overseen by Starmancers, a sort of human-AI hybrid resulting from volunteers merging their minds and bodies with machines. Countless years pass and you, one such Starmancer, awaken to find your Ark in dire need of some tidying up and some new colonists. Such is the premise for Starmancer, a space sim proudly inspired by Dwarf Fortress.

The Rocket League Tournaments beta is live
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-rocket-league-tournaments-beta-is-live/
For the next few days, Psyonix is testing Rocket League's upcoming Tournaments mode—which is releasing in full in the Spring Update—and you can join the brackets now to test it out.

Knights of Pen and Paper 2 gets a free-to-play edition
https://www.pcgamer.com/knights-of-pen-and-paper-2-gets-a-free-to-play-edition/
Knights of Pen and Paper is a cute adaptation of tabletop RPGs where you are both the game master and the players, and control everything from the quests you embark on to the monsters you encounter. It's a fun little formula, and now everyone can give it a try thanks to Knights of Pen and Paper 2's newly released free edition.

Blast zombies and sharks from an armored Cadillac in metal rhythm shooter Double Kick Heroes
https://www.pcgamer.com/cruise-along-in-an-armored-cadillac-in-metal-rhythm-shooter-double-kick-heroes/
Double Kick Heroes caught my eye last year with its flashy shooting, Mad Max-esque world and colorful metal band members (and by being one of the few rhythm games suitable for our Indie GIF Showcase, but I digress). Today, developer Headbang Club announced Double Kick Heroes is Steam-bound: it will launch in Early Access on April 11.

Destiny 2 'development roadmap' runs into some delays
https://www.pcgamer.com/destiny-2-development-roadmap-runs-into-some-delays/
Bungie rolled out a Destiny 2 development roadmap at the end of January that laid out its plans for the future of the game through the beginning of season 3, set to arrive in May. Today it posted a slightly modified version of that map, which has a few of the upcoming features, including unique Nightfall rewards and changes to Exotic weapon and armor balance, pushed farther back in the schedule.

Blizzard is hosting a Warcraft III invitational later this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/blizzard-is-hosting-a-warcraft-iii-invitational-later-this-month/
Blizzard's efforts to demonstrate the longevity of Warcraft III continue, with a Warcraft III invitational set to take place on February 27 and 28. Hosted by Twitch, it'll feature a bunch of events such as 4v4's Free-for-All and "other friendly competitions", while gathering some W3 luminaries to seal the deal.

Yume Nikki sequel teases terrifying in-game footage ahead of tomorrow's launch
https://www.pcgamer.com/yume-nikki-sequel-teases-terrifying-in-game-footage-ahead-of-tomorrows-launch/
Yume Nikki's Dream Diary sequel kicked off a suitably cryptic, weird and haunting teaser campaign last month. It's just about ready for public consumption—due to launch on Steam tomorrow—and has now dropped some wonderfully terrifying in-game footage.

Bad News browser game aims to help players identify fake news
https://www.pcgamer.com/bad-news-browser-game-aims-to-help-players-identify-fake-news/
In this age of conspiracy theories and fake news, it can be difficult to know who to trust. With this in mind, the University of Cambridge's Bad News is a game designed to help players spot falsified stories online.

>>In this day and age, I fear that we all would need to play a game like this.

@FF XV and Half Life: First it was Assassin's Creed, now it's Half Life (which I wonder how much they paid Valve for), what will come next? Mass Effect?

Lately I haven't been much here, but there's not much activity on this thread as of late. Maybe this couple of rumors/info will change that:

Intel Unveils Discrete GPU Prototype Development
https://www.techpowerup.com/241669/intel-unveils-discrete-gpu-prototype-development
Intel is making progress in its development of a new discrete GPU architecture, after its failed attempt with "Larrabee" that ended up as an HPC accelerator; and ancient attempts such as the i740. This comes in the wake of the company's high-profile hiring of Raja Koduri, AMD's former Radeon Technologies Group (RTG) head. The company unveiled slides pointing to the direction in which its GPU development is headed, at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in San Francisco. That direction is essentially scaling up its existing iGPU architecture, and bolstering it with mechanisms to sustain high clock speeds better.

The company's first 14 nm dGPU prototype, shown as a test-chip at the ISSCC, is a 2-chip solution. The first chip contains two key components, the GPU itself, and a system agent; and the second chip is an FPGA that interfaces with the system bus. The GPU component, as it stands now, is based on Intel's Gen 9 architecture, and features a three execution unit (EU) clusters. Don't derive numbers from this yet, as Intel is only trying to demonstrate a proof of concept. The three clusters are wired to a sophisticated power/clock management mechanism that efficiently manages power and clock-speed of each individual EU. There's also a double-clock mechanism that doubles clock speeds (of the boost state) beyond what today's Gen 9 EUs can handle on Intel iGPUs. Once a suitable level of energy efficiency is achieved, Intel will use newer generations of EUs, and scale up EU counts taking advantage of newer fab processes, to develop bigger discrete GPUs.

AMD Ryzen 2600 Benchmark Spotted
http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/amd-ryzen-2600-benchmark-spotted.html
In January the Ryzen 5 2600 already surfaced in the SiSoft Sandra database. The entry showed a processor called Ryzen 5 2600, which obviously is Zen+, the model listed is a six-core twelve threaded processor.

The very same processor once again has surfaced and seems to be the counterpart of the Ryzen 5 1600. The Ryzen 5 1600 shows Family 23 Model 1 Stepping 1, the new Ryzen 2600 reads out as Family 23 Model 8 Stepping 2.

The entry within the SiSoft database is:

• ZD2600BBM68AF_38/34_Y (6C 12T 3.4GHz, 1.1GHz IMC, 6x 512kB L2, 2x 8MB L3).

And yes you can deduct anything and pretty much everything from that, including a 3.4 GHz base clock and a 3.8 GHz turbo. The new leak was spotted at GeekBench and seem to be interesting as it shows that exact same product code, the single core score returns a 4269 points and the multicore score now sees 20102 points.

If that's the R5 2600 non-X and compare it to the R5 1600, we get:

Looks like AMD IPC improvement of Zen+ will be around 10%, don't you think?