Yeah they can't even keep up with demand on current GPU's, so that makes sense. Will be next to impossible to get one when it launches anyway lol.

I'm guessing it will come in Q4.

The Friday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Star Wars Battlefront II: Celebration Edition is free on Epic Games Store
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/star-wars-battlefront-ii-celebration-edition-is-free-on-epic-games-store/
Epic Games has announced that Star Wars Battlefront II: Celebration Edition is free on Epic Games Store for a limited time. From today and until January 21st, PC gamers can visit its EGS page and acquire their free copy.
>> And next week the free game will be Galactic Civilizations III.

Bomber Crew is free until Saturday in the Humble Store Winter Sale
https://www.pcgamer.com/bomber-crew-is-free-until-saturday-in-the-humble-store-winter-sale/
The coming of winter brings many things: Cold, snow, treacherous driving, darkness before suppertime, and—getting to the point—videogame sales. With the traditional holiday says now wrapped up, the Humble Store has kicked off the next round of seasonal discount events with the start of its annual Winter Sale.
Along with the usual solid selection of deals, the Humble Store is also giving a game away for the first two days of the sale: Bomber Crew, which you can pick up until 10 am PT/1 pm ET on January 16. It's something like FTL, but set in the Second World War: You have to manage the crew of a bomber conducting raids over Europe, keeping your plane and your people alive and intact in the face of deadly odds.

PC sales are the healthiest they've been in a decade
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-pc-sales-all-time-high/
A new report by IDC sees the global PC market as the healthiest its been since 2010. Overall the PC market has grown by 13.1 percent in the last year, with the final quarter seeing the best growth, jumping up 26.1 percent compared to last year. That means over 91 million desktops, notebooks, and workstations were sold in the fourth quarter alone, which isn't bad going by any metric. In total, over 300 million PCs were sold in the last year.
IDC breaks down these numbers by the big OEMs, with Lenovo maintaining its slim lead over HP, with Dell, Apple, and Acer bringing up the rear. Apple saw the biggest growth year on year at 29 percent, although it only accounts for 8 percent of the market, which is half the size of Dell, which rolls up in third place.

Fanatical has several new deals:

• The new Star Deal is The Banner Saga 2, 90% off for the next 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/the-banner-saga-2
• Baldur's Gate: The Complete Saga is on sale, 70% off for the next 6 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/baldurs-gate-the-complete-saga
• Bandai Namco has its games up to 85% off for the next 6 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/bandai-namco-entertainment
• SNK offers its games up to 80% off for the next 7 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/snk-corporation
• Publisher Gearbox lands on the store, and it does so putting its games up to 91% off for the next 7 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/gearbox-publishing
• And the Metal Slug Pack makes a comeback offering the bundle of 4 games 50% off for the next 7 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/metal-slug-pack

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Battle.net just got a total makeover
https://www.pcgamer.com/battlenet-just-got-a-total-makeover/
Battle.net, the app for all of Blizzard and Activision's different games, hasn't changed in almost eight years. That's a long time, but today Blizzard gave B.net some zhuzh with a big Spring Cleaning makeover in the form of Battle.net 2.0. And it's rolling out right now for North American users.
Battle.net 2.0 doesn't feel drastically different than its predecessor, but the layout is definitely an improvement. Instead of listing games on the left side, they're now arranged at the top, making a lot more space for trailers and official Blizzard news about your selected game. Probably my favorite thing about it, though, is that the friends list is now a permanent fixture on the right-hand side, and does a better job of showing what your pals are actually up to. In the old version, you had to click on an icon to bring up a separate friends list window, which is pretty clumsy to work with.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

New gameplay footage revealed for the new Terminator fan game, Tech-Com: 2029
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-gameplay-footage-revealed-for-the-new-terminator-fan-game-tech-com-2029/
In November 2019, we informed you about a new Terminator fan game, Tech-Com: 2029. And today, we are happy to report that its development team has shared a new gameplay video for it. This gameplay video gives us a glimpse at its driving mechanics/sections.

18 years after release, this Simpsons Hit & Run mod stitches the game's entire world together
https://www.pcgamer.com/18-years-after-release-this-simpsons-hit-and-run-mod-stitches-the-games-entire-world-together/
The Simpsons: Hit & Run is one of those games that's led a charmed afterlife: on release in 2003 it had a favourable reception and sold well, but in subsequent years has come to be seen as something of a classic. Some consider it the best Simpsons game we've ever had (not that the competition's amazing). It took the popularity of GTA3 and spun out from that a simplified parody that looked, sounded, and felt amazing to drive around in.
The one thing it didn't have was a seamless overworld. Hit & Run is divided into three maps, with loading screens as you transition between them: this was still standard for its time.
Seventeen years after the game's release, modder Colou has released the first mod to fully connect the game's map. You can see it in action above, with the first sighting of the new transitions around 24 seconds in: the mod contains new connecting elements between the map segments, all animations, gags, and interactive triggers still work, other stuff like interiors have been slightly shuffled to help it all hang together.

GAMING NEWS

Resident Evil Village – First gameplay footage and new trailer coming on January 21st
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/resident-evil-village-first-gameplay-footage-and-new-trailer-coming-on-january-21st/
Capcom has announced that it will hold a new Resident Evil showcase on January 21st. During this event, the Japanese team will reveal the first proper gameplay footage for Resident Evil Village, as well as a new trailer.

Outriders PC System Requirements & Graphics Settings Revealed
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/outriders-pc-requirements-graphics-settings/
Square Enix has revealed the official PC system requirements for Outriders, as well as its graphics settings. In addition, the publisher has released a PC trailer that focuses on the various technologies that will be featured in the PC version.
>> The requirements only cover 720p and 1080p. For 4K both the CPU and GPU are "TBD".

Multiplayer tactical space-based shooter, Boundary, releases in Summer 2021
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/multiplayer-tactical-space-based-shooter-boundary-releases-in-summer-2021/
Publisher Skystone Games has announced that Surgical Scalpels’ upcoming multiplayer tactical space-based shooter, Boundary, will release in Summer 2021. The game was targeting a 2020 release date. However, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been delayed to Summer 2021.

Persona 5 Strikers gets a new action-packed gameplay trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/persona-5-strikers-gets-a-new-action-packed-gameplay-trailer/
Atlus has released a new action-packed gameplay trailer for Persona 5 Strikers. This new Persona game is coming to the PC on February 23rd, and this trailer will give you an idea of what you can expect from it.

Friday news, part two:

Best bros Ajax and Diomedes are coming to A Total War Saga: Troy
https://www.pcgamer.com/best-bros-ajax-and-diomedes-are-coming-to-a-total-war-saga-troy/
A hulking giant and his dashing young boyfriend are coming to A Total War Saga: Troy with the game's next piece of DLC, Ajax & Diomedes.
Arriving on January 28, the two Homeric heroes march on Troy leading two new factions, Ajax' home city of Salamis and Diomedes' Argos. Like the beefy lad himself, Salamis focusses on heavy walls of defensive infantry wielding massive shields. Argos, meanwhile, uses swift flanking units to compliment a solid core of all-round infantry blocks.

Prison Architect's new expansion lets inmates brew booze and grow 'herbs'
https://www.pcgamer.com/prison-architects-new-expansion-lets-inmates-brew-booze-and-grow-herbs/
A few years ago inmates at the Fulham Correctional Facility were busted for growing pot in their prison vegetable patch, the kind of story that crops up countless times over the years. Prison Architect's latest expansion, Going Green, is on the one hand about introducing farming and green energy to the world of high-security risk management. On the other, it gives prisoners the opportunity to grow pot, ferment booze, and foment some chill lock-up vibes.

Ghost Recon Breakpoint is crossing over with Rainbow Six Siege later this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/ghost-recon-breakpoint-is-crossing-over-with-rainbow-six-siege-later-this-month/
Ghost Recon Breakpoint, the tactical shooter that won't stop trying to win back our hearts, is crossing over with Rainbow Six Siege for its upcoming Operation Amber Sky season. The event kicks off on January 21 with a free nine-mission storyline starring three attackers from Siege's roster: Ash, Thatcher, and Finka.

Become an alien tycoon by selling used parts in Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator
https://www.pcgamer.com/become-an-alien-tycoon-by-selling-used-parts-in-space-warlord-organ-trading-simulator/
Here's the good news: Your body is a potential bonanza of cash. All those internal organs you've got are worth a bundle, and it wouldn't be hard to find someone willing to pay top dollar for your lungs, kidneys, eyeballs, intestines, and whatever other gross, squishy, yet highly useful items you've got sloshing around inside you.
Unfortunately, removing and selling all your organs would kill you, but as an organ trader in Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator, that's someone else's problem. You're just there to corner the market by buying and selling organs in outer space, and it looks like there's a demand for just about everything, from adrenal glands to small intestines to human bladders.

Riders Republic, Ubisoft's extreme sports MMO, is delayed
https://www.pcgamer.com/riders-republic-ubisofts-extreme-sports-mmo-is-delayed/
Riders Republic was announced in September 2020 as an "extreme sports MMO" for up to 50 players on skis, snowboards, bicycles, rocket-powered wingsuits, and other implements of radicalness in a rough, rugged open world.(...).
It was supposed to debut on February 25, but Ubisoft said today that it's not going to happen. "We want to let you know that we have made the decision to move our release to later this year," the Riders Republic team tweeted. "The additional time will allow our passionate team to deliver the best fun fuelled experience to our players."

Axiom Verge just got a surprise Randomizer mode
https://www.pcgamer.com/axiom-verge-just-got-a-surprise-randomizer-mode/
Axiom Verge released nearly six years ago and there's a sequel in development, but that doesn't mean now is a bad time to roll out the game's first DLC. The free Randomizer Mode is in beta, and if you own the game on Steam you can access it right now.

Bungie details Stasis Shatterdive nerf coming in Destiny 2's next update, plus revamped rewards for season 13
https://www.pcgamer.com/bungie-details-stasis-shatterdive-nerf-coming-in-destiny-2s-next-update-plus-revamped-rewards-for-season-13/
In its first This Week at Bungie update for 2021, the Destiny 2 studio discussed updates coming to Crucible and Gambit rewards, some reissued Dreaming City and Moon gear, and—this is the big one—a nerf to the Hunter's Shatterdive ability, which was introduced with the arrival of Stasis as part of the Beyond Light expansion, and has been enjoying an icy reign of terror ever since.

Bungie's vast library of Halo stats goes offline next month
https://www.pcgamer.com/bungies-vast-library-of-halo-stats-goes-offline-next-month/
Bungie hasn't been the Halo company for some time now. Since breaking from Microsoft, the studio has managed to firmly establish a new identity, far removed from Master Chief and the gang. Next month, Bungie cuts one of the last remaining threads to their flagship Xbox franchise, as an archive of stats, screenshots and custom gametypes goes offline for good.

Grapple Hoops is the Titanfall basketball game I didn't know I needed
https://www.pcgamer.com/grapple-hoops-is-the-titanfall-basketball-game-i-didnt-know-i-needed/
Titanfall 2 is a practically flawless game in all ways but one: it isn't basketball. Fortunately, independent developer and absolutely genius Andreas Georgiou is rapidly working to fix that with Grapple Hoops—a game that does exactly what it says on the tin.

And here are the weekend deals at GOG and Steam:

+GOG

• The first one is the Weekly Sale with its must-play games up to 86% off: https://www.gog.com/promo/20210111_weekly_sale
• The Midweek Sale with its up to 80% discounts will last another 22 hours: https://www.gog.com/promo/20210113_midweek_sale
• The Weekend Sale is full of hack'n'slash games up to 90% off: https://www.gog.com/promo/20210115_weekend_sale
• The Bridge Constructor franchise is on sale with up to 60% discounts for another 5 days: https://www.gog.com/promo/20210113_launch_promo_bridge_constructor
• And lastly there's the Trine Sale with up to 75% deals for another 6 days: https://www.gog.com/promo/20210114_trine_sale

+Steam

• Let's start with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, 50% off for the next 50 hours: https://store.steampowered.com/app/692850/Bloodstained_Ritual_of_the_Night/
• The first of the weekend deals is the perfect game for LEGO lovers, Stormworks: Build and Rescue, 20% off until Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/573090/Stormworks_Build_and_Rescue/
• The MAFIA franchise is between 25 and 50% off until the 18th: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/2K/sale/mafiasale
• The EA Racing Sale comes with up to 70% discounts until Monday 18th: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/EA/sale/racingsale
• And of course, there's also the weeklong deals.

Nothing else to add. Until the next time, have a happy and gaming weekend.

There have been a couple of articles this week where both AMD and Nvidia said that they don't expect the situation to improve until after the first half of the year. So yeah, if Nvidia will wait unbtil things calm down to launch these new cards, it could be end of Q3 or Q4.

Of all the possible moments to upgrade my PC, I must have picked the worst one.

At the beginning of last year I planned to do a partial upgrade by the end of it focusing "only" on the CPU side (which of course also meant a new mobo, RAM... and probably storage as well). But then I had an unexpected expense and had to put the plan on hold for this year.

Now, given how hard it is to find the hardware and how expensive it has gotten, I'm thinking of just waiting a bit more and see how AMD's Zen4 and Intel's whatever-Lake perform and cost. Who knows, maybe by then the Ryzen 5 and i5 series of processors will come with the 8 cores I'm aiming for.

By the way, for those interested, Steam's next big sale will be the Lunar New Year Sale that will happen on February, from the 11th to the 15th.

And before that, there will be a new Games Festival that will start on February 3rd.

Yeah, my hope is that the supply slowly gets better (supply for the 3070 is slwly starting to improve already) and thus the GPU prices come down again. On the CPU side, the supply is already more or less normal for the Ryzen 5000 chips, and I hope that Rocket Lake will be competitive enough to push down the price of the 5800X and 5600X a bit further.

I won't be able to afford a new PC before Eastern, so I have some time to wait anyway...

Got my parts together and gonna start building soon. It's gonna be a bit weird this time around because I don't have a GPU and neither of my PCs have an internal GPU, so I'll have to kill my old PC before I know if the new one even works. Then again, that's exactly why I have a side PC.

Good Luck! Don't bend any of the pins!