Those slides aren't very exciting.

The news!

SALES & "SALES"/DEALS

Cities: Skylines has sold five million copies on the PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/cities-skylines-has-sold-five-million-copies-on-the-pc/
Paradox Interactive and Colossal Order have announced that their city-builder, Cities: Skylines, has sold over five million copies for Windows, MacOS and Linux since launch. In that time, Paradox and Colossal Order have released over 1,000 new features, such as leisure and tourism, landscaping, football, radio stations, concerts, helicopters, ferries, monorails, cable cars, blimps and so much more.

DSOGaming Giveaway – Win 20 Closed Alpha Keys For Immortal: Unchained (Winners + 30 More Codes)
https://www.dsogaming.com/editorial/dsogaming-giveaway-win-20-closed-alpha-keys-for-immortal-unchained/
UPDATE: The winners of our giveaway are (winners check your inboxes for the closed alpha keys as we’ve already sent them).
In addition, we have 30 more codes to give away. These codes are immediately available to everyone. You can find the codes below, so make sure to acquire them as soon as possible.

The daily deal from GOG is Project Zomboid, 40% off: https://www.gog.com/game/project_zomboid

SOFTWARE

Microsoft introduces a new installer format that could mean big changes for Win32 and UWP
https://www.pcgamer.com/microsoft-introduces-a-new-installer-format-that-could-mean-big-changes-for-win32-and-uwp/
During its Developer Day event today, Microsoft announced a new installer format for packaging apps called MSIX. It's essentially a brand new type of container, and what's neat about this one is that it supports all types of Windows applications, including Universal Windows Program (UWP) apps and classic Win32 programs.

>>Umm, okay...

MODS/EMULATORS

The first mod for Final Fantasy XV improves loading times, stuttering and HD texture streaming
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-first-mod-for-final-fantasy-xv-improves-loading-times-stuttering-and-hd-texture-streaming/
Modder ‘Kaldaien’, best known for his incredible FAR mod for NieR: Automata, has released the first mod for Final Fantasy XV. This Special-K mini-mod improves performance, as well as loading times and texture streaming when using the High-Resolution texture pack.

>>The mod is available from Steam.

GAMING NEWS

Noir horror adventure The Piano releases this Spring on the PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/noir-horror-adventure-the-piano-releases-this-spring-on-the-pc/
Mistaken Visions and Game If You Are have announced a new partnership to launch ambitious indie game The Piano this Spring. The Piano promises to fuse traditional survival horror with noir-style murder mystery to create an unsettling and riveting indie adventure.

First episode for narrative adventure game The Council releases on March 13th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/first-episode-for-narrative-adventure-game-the-council-releases-on-march-13th/
Back in December 2017, Focus Home Interactive announced a new narrative adventure game, called The Council. The first episode for The Council was originally meant to hit Steam in February 2018, however it was slightly delayed. And today, the publisher revealed that this first episode will be released on March 13th.

After more than 13 years, Advent Rising receives a new update on the PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/after-more-than-14-years-advent-rising-receives-a-new-update-on-the-pc/
Advent Rising is an action-adventure third-person shooter that was originally released in 2005. And after more than ten whole years – to be precise after 13 years – Majesco released a brand new update for it on Steam.

343 Industries on Halo The Master Chief Collection on the PC: “we’ve heard you loud and clear”
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/343-industries-on-halo-the-master-chief-collection-on-the-pc-weve-heard-you-loud-and-clear/
In a new status update about Halo: The Master Chief Collection, 343 Industries’ community manager revealed that the team is aware of the huge demand for a PC version. And while 343 Industries does not have any official plans to announce at this time, it stated that it has heard PC gamers loud and clear.

>>They'll probably wait for E3 to reveal the port... of this 4 years old compilation.

New screenshots released for upcoming adventure/stealth game, A Plague Tale: Innocence
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/new-screenshots-released-for-upcoming-adventure-stealth-game-a-plague-tale-innocence/
Focus Home Interactive has released some brand new screenshots for its upcoming adventure/stealth game, A Plague Tale: Innocence. In today’s images, we can witness just one of many desecrated sites that saw clashes between the armies of France and England.

H1Z1 goes free to play today
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/h1z1-goes-free-to-play-today/
Daybreak Games has announced that battle-royale game, H1Z1, will go free to play later today. H1Z1 will be available for free at approximately 10 AM PT, and in order to celebrate this announcement the team has also released a brand new trailer for it.

Ubisoft will announce a new major title later today that will release in 2018
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/ubisoft-will-announce-a-new-major-title-later-today-that-will-release-in-2018/
Ubisoft has announced that it will reveal a new major title later today. This new title will be released in 2018, and the French company will reveal it in approximately one and a half hours (5:10 PM CET).
UPDATE: Ubisoft has officially revealed The Division 2. The development is led by Massive Entertainment and driven by close collaboration with Ubisoft Annecy, Redstorm, Reflections, Ubisoft Bucharest and Ubisoft Shanghai. The Division 2 will be based on an updated version of the Snowdrop Engine that will help its development team realize its ambitions for this title.

>>Discuss the announcement at jason1637's thread.

The second chapter of the news:

Comedy adventure game Chuchel, from the makers of Machinarium, is out now
https://www.pcgamer.com/comedy-adventure-game-chuchel-from-the-makers-of-machinarium-is-out-now/
The folks behind the excellent, surreal point-and-click adventure games Machinarium, Botanicula and Samorost have just released Chuchel, which is more focused on making you laugh than asking you to solve tough puzzles.

Historical conspiracy-drama The Council reveals its RPG roots with a new trailer
https://www.pcgamer.com/historical-conspiracy-drama-the-council-reveals-its-rpg-roots-with-a-new-trailer/
The new trailer offers a closer look at how the game will play, and how players will be able to approach it. It's an adventure, but game director Sylvain Sechi says in the video that the core of the game is actually an RPG, reflected by the presence of distinct character classes and skill trees. Diplomats, for instance, are talented speakers and masters of persuasion, while Detectives excel at picking up on details in the world around them and don't mind getting into people's business as necessary.

Battlerite kicks off its first competitive season with a new champion
https://www.pcgamer.com/battlerite-kicks-off-its-first-competitive-season-with-a-new-champion/
With arena brawler Battlerite out of Steam Early Access and officially free-to-play, developer Stunlock Studios announced the game's first competitive season today. Season one will go live today, and its accompanying patch is bringing a medley of additions.

Massive Dead Cells update adds new level and final boss before leaving Early Access
https://www.pcgamer.com/massive-dead-cells-update-adds-new-level-and-final-boss-before-leaving-early-access/
Self-titled "roguevania" game Dead Cells recently received its sixth major update, the Hand of the King, adding a new level and boss along with a bevy of balance changes. According to developer Motion Twin, the Hand of the King will be the last major update before Dead Cells leaves Early Access.

>>That's probably why the game is one of the Midweek Madness deals at Steam. One final push before the full launch (and maybe price increase).

Bomberman-inspired action game Bombslinger blasting out of Early Access next month
https://www.pcgamer.com/bomberman-inspired-action-game-bombslinger-blasting-out-of-early-access-next-month/
Bombslinger is a Spaghetti Western "action-maze" game unabashedly inspired by Bomberman. It can be played solo or in local co-op with up to three friends (or bots), and it's launching out of Steam Early Access on April 11. It's currently $12, and developer Mode4 says they're planning to increase the price once it officially releases.

Golem gameplay trailer reveals a story of a young girl and her shapeshifting friend
https://www.pcgamer.com/golem-gameplay-trailer-reveals-a-story-of-a-young-girl-and-her-shapeshifting-friend/
Golem is a side-scrolling puzzle-adventure game about a young girl and her shapeshifting golem friend, who set off to explore an ancient tower and reactivate the machines inside. It was announced last summer by developer Longbow Games, which today released a trailer providing the first look at how the game will actually play.

Oculus has fixed the Rift outage that affected all users (Updated)
https://www.pcgamer.com/every-oculus-rift-is-offline-thanks-to-an-expired-certificate/
Update: Oculus has released a fix for the problem—go here for instructions. The company's co-founder said that anybody impacted by the downtime, which was caused by an expired certificate linked to the devices, will receive some in-store credit. Scroll down for the original story.

PUBG's latest anti-cheat update banned players at random, now fixed (Updated)
https://www.pcgamer.com/pubgs-latest-anti-cheat-update-is-banning-players-at-random-fix-on-the-way/
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' hacker problem is well documented, and developer Bluehole is constantly pushing updates to the game's anti-cheat system in order to catch the worst offenders. Unfortunately, the latest update has resulted in some friendly fire, with scores of players claiming they've been banned without ever having cheated. The developer has confirmed that the update is "temporarily preventing some players from accessing our game".
Update: PUBG's official Twitter account has stated that an error causing random players to be banned from the game has been fixed, and that any accounts banned mistakenly have been reinstated. However, players are claiming they're still locked out of the game, so perhaps the fix will take a while to feed through.

Viking RTS Northgard stomps out of Early Access with new campaign mode
https://www.pcgamer.com/viking-rts-northgard-stomps-out-of-early-access-with-new-campaign-mode/
Viking RTS Northgard has just swept out of Early Access, adding a singleplayer campaign in the process. Think of the game as a bit like Age of Empires, only with more snow and four-winged dragons. It sold more than 600,000 copies in its year-long Early Access, and T.J. enjoyed his time with it last year when it was still just a Skirmish mode vs the AI, so it might be worth a look.

Do they need to be exciting?

If true, they show that Zen+ is a good improvement over the first Zen chips, which can be the final push for those still on the verge of upgrading.

Don't feel bad. For a downtime of less than 24 hours we get $15 store credit:

"We’re providing a $15 Oculus Store credit (or currency equivalent) to people impacted by this issue. If you used Rift on or after February 1st, 2018 this credit will be added to your account automatically within the next 7 days."

Oh and Insomniac Games' VR game "The Unspoken" can be played for free the next 3 days. I love almost all of their games: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/company/12886-insomniac-games

It's good that they acknowledge their mistake and give their users some compensation, but that doesn't hide the fact that this was a very big oversight and shouldn't have happened.

By the way, the Amnesia games are free on Steam for a limited time. If you like horror games, this is your chance to get them if you don't own them already:

• Amnesia: The Dark Descent http://store.steampowered.com/app/57300/Amnesia_The_Dark_Descent/
• Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs http://store.steampowered.com/app/239200/Amnesia_A_Machine_for_Pigs/

No thanks. I played Amnesia for 30 minutes and I was done with all horror games forever.

If I could get away with two of them. I would.
Vega 56 is the minimum though, just need prices to stop being bullshit. (Currently $1,200 AUD, they should be half that price.)

Hilarious that I paid $420 AUD for the RX 580 and now they are listed for $630, so looks like I am putting up with that GPU for awhile longer whether I like it or not. Haha

Well. Zen+ wasn't ever going to be a massive overhaul, just a few small enhancements with hopefully higher clockrates.

It will mostly allow AMD to keep in toe with Intel, rather than Intel power away like they did during the FX era.

What I meant was that usually those slides should be prettied up to an extreme to show how great you are at beating your opponent by making misleading comparisons and then make a 5% difference over them look gigantic.

So if you can't even beat your competitor in your own slides, the reality probably looks even worse.