We already have some games that boast decent visuals though.

BF1 looks quite decent, and yet that game allows for the destruction of fences, houses, windows, doors etc. Metro series allows for lights to be broken as well.

They have actually entered the discreet GPU game before, with the i740 (Had one back in the day) and it never could keep up with the competition.

Part of the reason is that AMD and nVidia have spent decades improving and refining their drivers and GPU architectures on a regular cadence, it's going to be difficult for anyone to bust through that... It's part of the reason why Matrox with it's Parhelia, S3 with it's Chrome and STMicroelectrics with Kyro really never could keep up over the longer term.

With that in mind... If anyone can do it, Intel has the resources I suppose, they just need to invest and be ambitious about it.

At the moment the issue isn't much of an issue because every GPU being built is being sold thanks to miners, it's what happens after that bubble busts that is important... So AMD does have some time on it's side.

Indeed. We were actually seeing a push with Physics at the end of the last console generation with games like Mirrors Edge, it's sad that has essentially stalled out.
When you see a game with a dizzying array of small particles, objects breaking up... It really does bring a game world to life.

Time for the news:

SALES & "SALES"/DEALS

The game Figment is the daily deal at GOG, with a 25% discount: https://www.gog.com/game/figment.

The Grand Theft Auto Collection is on sale at the Humble Store, 70% off: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/grand-theft-auto-collection.

SOFTWARE

-empty-

MODS/EMULATORS

The first Playstation 4 emulator is currently under development and is called “Orbital”
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-first-playstation-4-emulator-is-currently-under-development-and-is-called-orbital/
Now here is something really interesting. While we still haven’t seen a bug-free Playstation 3 emulator, coder AlexAltea is working on the first dedicated Playstation 4 emulator for Windows and Linux. This PS4 emulator is called Orbital, is still in a very early stage, and it does not run any commercial games yet.

>>They only start now?

Grand Theft Auto 5 NaturalVision Remastered Mod looks gorgeous and is available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/grand-theft-auto-5-naturalvision-remastered-mod-looks-gorgeous-and-is-available-for-download/
Modder ‘Razed’ has released a new, remastered version of his NaturalVision mod for Grand Theft Auto V. This brand new version features an Enhanced Motion Blur, a Corona Modifier, Darker Nights, First-Person Depth of Field, Alternate Lens Flare Style, and allows to hide weapon reticle and damage overlay.

>>The mod is available from gta5-mods.

GAMING NEWS

Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom will not be using the Denuvo anti-tamper tech [UPDATE: Confirmed]
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/ni-no-kuni-ii-revenant-kingdom-will-not-be-using-the-denuvo-anti-tamper-tech/
Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom releases next month and according to its official Steam store page, this game will not be plagued by the Denuvo anti-tamper tech. This appears to be a pleasant surprise as Bandai Namco’s previous title, Dragon Ball FighterZ, used it.
UPDATE: Bandai Namco has provided us with a review code and we can confirm that the review code does not use the Denuvo anti-tamper tech.
UPDATE 2: And we were right. Level-5’s community manager has confirmed that the game will not be using the Denuvo anti-tamper tech.

Metro Exodus will be the first PC game using the NVIDIA RTX real-time raytracing tech
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/metro-exodus-will-be-the-first-pc-game-using-the-nvidia-rtx-real-time-raytracing-tech/
4A Games has announced that Metro Exodus will be using the RTX real-time raytracing tech. Since we’ve been focusing on the DirectX Raytracing API these past days, know that the NVIDIA RTX consists of a highly scalable ray-tracing technology running on NVIDIA Volta architecture GPUs.

Tomb Raider 1, 2, 3 remasters have been cancelled
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/tomb-raider-1-2-3-remasters-have-been-cancelled/
Earlier this month, we informed you about the remastered versions of Tomb Raider 1, 2 and 3 that were going to be released on Steam. These remasters were being developed by Realtech VR and they were basically mods that would require the original DOS games on Steam in order to work. However, it appears that these remasters have been cancelled.

ZONE OF THE ENDERS: THE 2nd RUNNER MARS releases this September on the PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/zone-of-the-enders-the-2nd-runner-mars-releases-this-september-on-the-pc/
Konami has announced that ZONE OF THE ENDERS: THE 2nd RUNNER MARS will come to the PC this September. ZONE OF THE ENDERS: THE 2nd RUNNER MARS is a remaster of the second Zone of the Enders game that will feature enhanced graphics with support up to 4K resolutions, new sound design and next-gen surround sound, brand new features as well as support for VR devices.

>>GribbleGrunger has made a thread about it.

Closed beta phase for Defiance 2050 begins on April 20th, will last until April 22nd
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/closed-beta-phase-for-defiance-2050-begins-on-april-20th-will-last-until-april-22nd/
Trion Worlds revealed today the dates for the upcoming closed beta test for Defiance 2050, its open-world sci-fi shooter launching this Summer. The Defiance 2050 closed beta test will run the weekend of April 20 – 22. In the beta, players will be able to play through the Defiance 2050 experience up to level 25, as well as explore the areas of Mount Tam and Madera.

Cyberpunk 2077 will take advantage of future and more powerful hardware, will not feature microtransactions
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/cyberpunk-2077-will-take-advantage-of-more-powerful-hardware-will-not-feature-microtransactions/
During its fiscal year 2017 financial presentation, CD Projekt RED’s president Adam Kicinski, shared some new interesting details about Cyberpunk 2077. According to Kicinski, the tech that is powering Cyberpunk 2077 is very advanced and will take advantage of future, more powerful hardware.

The news, part two:

Star Wars: Battlefront 2 2.0 update unlocks all hero characters and ships
https://www.pcgamer.com/star-wars-battlefront-2-20-update-unlocks-all-hero-characters-and-ships/
Electronic Arts unveiled its plans for sweeping changes to Star Wars: Battlefront 2 last week, including an overhaul to the progression system that removes Star Cards from crates, a return of the Crystals currency, and limits on what you can buy with them—which is to say, cosmetic items only. The update went live today, revealing that it's also unlocked all hero characters and ships: No more having to grind your face off for credits before you can start chopping people to bits as Darth Vader.

Fantasy naval combat game Maelstrom is coming to Early Access in April
https://www.pcgamer.com/fantasy-naval-combat-game-maelstrom-is-coming-to-early-access-in-april/
Maelstrom is a game of "fantasy naval combat" set on an inundated world where land is at a premium and wars are fought constantly to control what little dry territory remains. In case that's not bad enough on its own, what lurks beneath the waves is even worse: Monstrous creatures, larger than the biggest ships, hunt the treacherous "Dead Waters," waiting to destroy any who cross their path.

Rainbow Six Siege's new Italian operators have leaked onto Reddit
https://www.pcgamer.com/rainbow-six-siege-italian-operators/
Ubisoft said in December that eight new operators will be added over the course of Rainbow Six Siege Year Three, from Russia, France, Italy, the UK, the US, and Morocco. Courtesy of the data-diving detectives of Reddit, we can now get a look (or at least a sideways glance) at two of them: Alibi and Maestro, members of Italy's special forces.

The next card reveals for Hearthstone's The Witchwood will kick off next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-next-card-reveals-for-hearthstones-the-witchwood-will-kick-off-next-week/
Hearthstone's next expansion, revealed last week as The Witchwood, will feature two new keywords, Echo and Rush, a Dungeon Run-style game mode called Monster Hunt, and 135 new cards. Blizzard announced today that the process of revealing those cards to the world will kick into high gear (since we've already seen a few of them) during a livestream on Twitch set for March 26.

The Elder Scrolls Online is going to Summerset
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-elder-scrolls-online-is-going-to-summerset/
Bethesda announced today that the ancestral home of Tamriel's Altmer—the High Elves—will be the setting of the next Elder Scrolls Online expansion, Summerset. The expansion will conclude the story that began in 2015 with the Orsinium DLC, and will add a new zone, the Psijic Order faction and skillset, a new jewelry crafting skill, and new Delves, Bosses, and a 12-player Trial called Cloudrest.

Below, Capybara's spooky roguelike, might actually come out this year
https://www.pcgamer.com/below-capybaras-spooky-roguelike-might-actually-come-out-this-year/
Remember Below? It was announced for the Xbox One in 2013, confirmed for the PC in 2014, gave us some hands-on time in 2016, and then smashed face-first into a brick wall a few months later when developer Capybara Games delayed it indefinitely. Capybara said at the time that it wasn't the sort of "indefinite delay" that means the project is dead, however, but simply an acknowledgment that the game needed a lot more work than anyone expected, and it had no idea when it would actually be ready.

Yoko Taro explains how a Coca Cola ad inspired Nier: Automata
https://www.pcgamer.com/yoko-taro-explains-how-a-coca-cola-ad-inspired-nier-automata/
At a GDC panel about the creation of Nier: Automata today, director Yoko Taro talked a little bit about his creative process—alcohol helps him loosen up and be a better writer, but also causes him to go to sleep very quickly—and inspirations for his game. The first Nier, released on PS3 and Xbox in 2010, essentially ripped its map design from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. One part of Nier: Automata, one of our favorite games of last year, drew inspiration from a much weirder source: a Coca Cola ad campaign called A Small World.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remastered is reportedly coming this year
https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-2-remastered-is-reportedly-coming-this-year/
Two separate sources are reporting that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remastered will release later this year, following similar treatment for the first Modern Warfare in 2016. Unlike that reissue, though, Modern Warfare 2's remaster won't include its multiplayer component.

Fortnite Battle Royale was developed in just two months, wasn't originally free-to-play
https://www.pcgamer.com/fortnite-battle-royale-was-developed-in-just-two-months-and-wasnt-originally-going-to-be-free-to-play/
We had just about lost interest in Fortnite, a mildly-popular PvE building game when it launched, by September of last year. And then it blew up, becoming one of the most popular games in the world in under six months. Even the Toronto Maple Leafs are all about it. And apparently, the catalyst for this dramatic turnaround only took two months to build.

>>The game is also getting a replay system and heavy shotguns.

PUBG announces 'periodically changing' custom game Event Mode, flare guns for incoming update
https://www.pcgamer.com/pubg-announces-periodically-changing-custom-game-event-mode-flare-guns-for-incoming-update/
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is getting an Event Mode, which developer PUBG Corp describes as "a periodically changing preset Custom Game where we will be trying new things and experimenting with different game parameters." It sounds a bit like Fortnite's themed, limited-time offerings.

Night in the Woods tops IGF Awards, student game Baba Is You wins big
https://www.pcgamer.com/night-in-the-woods-tops-igf-awards-student-game-baba-is-you-wins-big/
Stories like this are why I like GDC. As are ones like this. And the fact it's where the Independent Games Festival Awards are held—whose 20th annual ceremony took place in San Francisco yesterday.
There, Infinite Fall's gorgeous and heartfelt Night in the Woods won the $30,000-worth Seumas McNally Grand Prize for Best Independent Game, and also netted Excellence in Narrative.

Oh, by the way, for those of you still waiting for those 4K, HDR, 144Hz, G-Sync monitors that were revealed last year... I have good news!

Good news for people waiting for G-Sync HDR 4K monitors. NVIDIA just confirmed for me that the 27" monitors are still set to launch in Q1 of this year. The catch? NV is going by their fiscal calendar, where Q1 ends on April 29th. So they'll land next month. @TFTCentral

— Ryan Smith (@RyanSmithAT) March 21, 2018

The first Playstation 4 emulator is currently under development and is called “Orbital”
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-first-playstation-4-emulator-is-currently-under-development-and-is-called-orbital/
Now here is something really interesting. While we still haven’t seen a bug-free Playstation 3 emulator, coder AlexAltea is working on the first dedicated Playstation 4 emulator for Windows and Linux. This PS4 emulator is called Orbital, is still in a very early stage, and it does not run any commercial games yet.

>>They only start now?

I was under (perhaps completely wrong) impression that cosole needs to be hacked first for that?!

PS4 got cracked about two months ago: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2018-ps4-hacked-pirate-games-available-more-ps2-titles-running

Ah, unfortunately I already updated my PS4 past that firmware so I won't be able to do that.

That's not really a problem. Sooner or later newer firmwares will be cracked too.

That is, if you want to risk your console to get bricked or to lose your account.

Somehow I've forgot that - although I go to EG quite often.

Speaking of EG...this new look is just plain hideous.