Intel Core i9-12900K is 12% faster than Ryzen 9 5950X in leaked single-core Geekbench 5 benchmark

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-core-i9-12900k-is-12-faster-than-ryzen-9-5950x-in-leaked-single-core-geekbench-5-benchmark

This is more in line with what I was expecting. We will see how much Intel charges for this and we will see how games behave with big.LITTLE but 12% is a good increase against the 16 core 5950x. And this is without AVX 512.

3090 Super rumour

While in the past, the Super series would replace the normal series (Like 2070 Super costed the same as 2070). I get the feeling these will just be a increase in price. Still a 3090 Super certainly doesn't sound very exciting as other than the slightly high cuda cores (10752 vs 10496), the rest can be had by any AIB. On the other hand, if the prices continues to be terrible... I suppose it would be a better deal to buy one at Nvidia's MSRP than AIB's retail MSRP.

XFX card with AMD Navi 21 GPU for cryptomining spotted in Vietnam

https://videocardz.com/newz/xfx-card-with-amd-navi-21-gpu-for-cryptomining-spotted-in-vietnam

"The layout of the capacitors on the backside suggests that this card is using Navi 21 GPU"

Guess XFX wants in on the mining profits.

Western Digital Caught Bait-and-Switching Customers With Slow SSDs

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/326200-western-digital-caught-bait-and-switching-customers-with-slow-ssds

"According to a report from Chinese tech site Expreview, the WD SN550 Blue — which is currently one of the best-reviewed budget SSDs on the market — has undergone a NAND lobotomy. While the new SSD variant performs on-par with the old drive that WD actually sampled for review, once you exhaust the SLC NAND cache, performance craters from 610MB/s (as measured by THG) to 390MB/s (as measured by Expreview). The new drive offers just 64 percent of the performance of the old drive."

There goes another one. Looks like Samsung may be the only company that doesn't do this unless they do this but haven't gotten caught yet. Still as far as historic data is concerned, Samsung seems to be the only reliable company. As I said before though, buying an SSD shortly after it launches will net you the most authentic version of the original ssd. This sorta thing should be illegal.

Western Digital in advanced talks to merge with Japan's Kioxia Holdings (previously Toshiba Memory) - WSJ

https://www.reuters.com/technology/western-digital-advanced-talks-merge-with-japans-kioxia-holdings-wsj-2021-08-25/?utm_source=reddit.com

Linus tech tips gives a run down of some of the updates that the Beta version of windows 11 has had. Some good, some not so good.

From Reddit:

"Camping outside of Best Buy for the GPU drop tomorrow morning. Some dudes brought out a projector and are playing Smash Bros on the wall lmao"

https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/pbs4aa/camping_outside_of_best_buy_for_the_gpu_drop/

This reminds me of the old days when online ordering wasn't a thing so people would camp outside ebgames and such to get a new console at launch. It's pretty crazy that these days, people have to do it for Nvidia GPUs if they want a chance at getting one at MSRP almost a year after it originally launched.

Well, going by what you read in some places, the problem with student loans in the US is quite a big one. I'm not surprised some resort to crime to pay it XD.

*sigh* Another one to pu on the not reliable list.

I'm starting to think that waiting until the last moment, like I did with Win7, may be a good option, to leave MSoft time to sort all those small things.

The only problem is that my PC is that I'm not sure when I'll upgrade so... maybe I should buy a Win10 key before it's too late.

It sounds like they haven't learned a god damn thing from their previous SR flop, and have now also hired karens, who have somehow converted their main guy into thinking that what actually makes SR good is  somehow a "thing of a past era". 

Like seriously, how do you fuck up this hard and yet make it so easy?.

Today in Cologne: 1000 RTX cards on sale

Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX Announced

https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/monster-rancher-1-2-dx-announced

In an unexpected but not at all unwelcome turn of events, Koei Tecmo has announced Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX, a bundled collection of the first two Monster Rancher titles to celebrate the series' 25th anniversary. Originally the series was released with the original Monster Rancher in 1997, and Monster Rancher 2 in 1999. Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX will be released on December 9, 2021 on Nintendo Switch, Windows PC via Steam, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch via the App Store.

Bravely Default II leaps to PC with Steam launch in September

https://www.nintendoenthusiast.com/bravely-default-ii-leaps-to-pc-with-steam-launch-in-september/

Bravely Default II launched for Nintendo Switch exclusively back on February 26, but that exclusivity is now coming to an end. Square Enix has announced with a trailer that Bravely Default II is coming to PC via Steam with a September 2, 2021 release date. This will be basically the exact same game, except that the PC release will support various controller options and resolution options. Additionally, the game will be 10% off on Steam through September 13.

Starfield features Akila, Neon, and New Atlantis as major locations

https://www.neowin.net/news/starfield-features-akila-neon-and-new-atlantis-as-major-locations/

Today, a couple of unlisted YouTube videos surfaced on social media from the Bethesda YouTube channel. They talk about three different locations known as Akila, Neon, and New Atlantis. We also learned about a terrifying alien race and a political struggle between the Freestar Collective and the United Colonies. You can take a look at the videos below.

He mentions MS is unofficially supporting Ryzen 1000 series even though they'll take a performance hit to some degree apparently. I wasn't aware this was official yet, or perhaps he's got some inside info, and hopefully he's not just guessing.

Friday news with, again, lots of news from Gamescom:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

One of July's biggest Steam hits was a free chicken-stacking game you can finish in 5 minutes
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/one-of-julys-biggest-steam-hits-was-a-free-chicken-stacking-game-you-can-finish-in-5-minutes/
If you're curious about what new games are getting a lot of playtime on Steam, you probably won't be shocked to hear games like Final Fantasy, Tribes of Midgard, Chernoblyte, and The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles did very well in July.
But you might be surprised to learn that in the free games department, one of July's biggest Steam hits was a platformer where you're an alpaca collecting chickens on its back that you can play from start to finish in under five minutes.
That's short! But is it sweet? Frankly, yes. In Alpaca Stacka, you're the titular alpaca, who heads to a party being thrown by a hen. But a local squirrel, utterly enraged that he hadn't been invited to the barnyard shindig, has set all of the hen's baby chicks free. Mama Hen, distraught and having done nothing herself to locate her missing children, puts her alpaca friend Paz on the case, so you run around the island looking for the escaped chicks.
>> The fact that it's free probably helped a lot.

At the Epic Store, the new free game is Automachef: https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p/automachef
And next week, the free game will be "Yoku's Island Express".

The Humble Store has its Summer Sale with up to 90% discounts. It wouldn't be a bad idea to check it in case they've added some new deals.

Fanatical has two new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration, 83% off during the next 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/rise-of-the-tomb-raider-20-year-celebration
• The new Omega Bundle comes with 12 games plit into 3 tiers of 3, 6 and 12 games: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/omega-bundle
• And from today until Monday 30th, you can save an additional 7% of your purchases with the code PAYDAYAUG21, that you can use on the Pay Day Sale.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

It's the second time in a row that neither DSOGaming nor PCGamer have an article about an AMD driver release. I let the first one pass because it was mostly to add support for the new 6600 XT cards, but for this one I'll post the article rom Guru3D:

AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 21.8.2 drivers
https://www.guru3d.com/news-story/download-amd-radeon-software-adrenalin-21-8-2.html
AMD just released AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 21.8.2 drivers. The game "Myst" has been optimized, and a performance improvement of up to 6 percent at 4K medium settings on a machine powered by a Radeon RX 6800 XT has been observed when compared to the previous version 21.8.1 drivers. The drivers also include optimizations for the video game "Aliens: Fireteam Elite."
A number of issues have also been resolved by the drivers (...)
>> Available from here.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

-Empty-

GAMING NEWS

11 minutes of gameplay footage from dark psychological thriller, Martha Is Dead
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/11-minutes-of-gameplay-footage-from-dark-psychological-thriller-martha-is-dead/
IGN has shared a new video, showing 11 minutes of gameplay footage from the dark psychological thriller, Martha Is Dead. The game will release later this year on PC, and this gameplay video will give you a glimpse at how the game looks and plays.

Comanche has left Early Access and has been fully released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/comanche-has-left-early-access-and-has-been-fully-released/
THQ Nordic has announced that Comanche has left its Early Access phase and is now available on Steam. In order to celebrate this announcement, the publisher released a new trailer that you can find below.

EA’s skate. is officially coming to PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/eas-skate-is-officially-coming-to-pc/
Electronic Arts has just announced that skate. will be officially coming to PC. skate. is the next part in EA’s skateboarding video-game series that doesn’t currently have any ETA. In fact, EA hasn’t revealed any details at all for this game.

Battlefield 5 is free to play this weekend on Steam
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/battlefield-5-is-free-to-play-this-weekend-on-steam/
Electronic Arts has announced that Battlefield 5 is currently free to play on Steam for this weekend. Moreover, the publisher is offering the game with a 90% discount, meaning that you can get it for only 5,99€.

FEAR-inspired FPS, Trepang2, releases in 2022, to be published by Team17
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/fear-inspired-fps-trepang2-releases-in-2022-to-be-published-by-team17/
Team17 has announced that it will publish the FEAR-inspired first-person shooter, Trepang2, in 2022. In order to celebrate this announcement, the publisher released a new gameplay trailer that you can find below.
>> It has a demo at Steam, if you want to try it.

Gungrave G.O.R.E. is officially coming to PC in 2022, gets a new gamescom 2021 trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/gungrave-g-o-r-e-is-officially-coming-to-pc-in-2022-gets-a-new-gamescom-2021-trailer/
At the Future Games Show 2021, Prime Matter announced that Gungrave G.O.R.E. will be officially coming to PC in 2022. Additionally, the publisher has released its gamescom 2021 cinematic trailer that you can watch below.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is coming to PC, gets new gamescom 2021 trailers
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/nickelodeon-all-star-brawl-is-coming-to-pc-gets-new-gamescom-2021-trailers/
GameMill Entertainment has announced that Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl will be officially coming to PC. Moreover, the publisher has released two new gamescom 2021 trailers that you can find below.

Prehistoric Kingdom is a new dinosaur theme park for PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/prehistoric-kingdom-is-a-new-dinosaur-theme-park-for-pc/
Crytivo has released the gamescom 2021 trailer for its upcoming dinosaur theme park, Prehistoric Kingdom. Similarly to Jurassic World Evolution, in Prehistoric Kingdom players will be able to build their own dino park.

Dark Souls-inspired indie game, Project Relic, gets a gamescom 2021 trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/dark-souls-inspired-indie-game-project-relic-gets-a-gamescom-2021-trailer/
Last month, we informed you about a new Dark Souls-inspired indie game, Project Relic. And yesterday, Project Cloud Games released its gamescom 2021 gameplay trailer for it.

CROWZ is a new multiplayer tactical shooter with semi-destructible environments
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/crowz-is-a-new-tactical-shooter-with-semi-destructible-environments/
ROYALCROW has announced a new multiplayer tactical shooter, CROWZ, and released its gamescom 2021 gameplay trailer. CROWZ is a multiplayer game where players engage in battles as a mercenary called CROW.

Nano Racing is a new racer using Unreal Engine 5 from a single person
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/nano-racing-is-a-new-racer-using-unreal-engine-5-from-a-single-person/
Reddit’s WonderFactory is currently working on a new racing game in Unreal Engine 5, called Nano Racing. The game will be using the Chaos Physics System, and below you can find its debut in-game trailer.
>> Good graphics, but bad gameplay.

Friday news, part two:

New Phasmophobia ghosts are available today
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/phasmophobia-new-ghosts/
A major new Phasmophobia update is coming today—probably by the time you read this—at 11 am PT/7 pm BST. On the menu this time is two new ghosts, a new tool, and a visual overhaul for your entire library of ghost-hunting tools.

Overwatch's McCree is being renamed
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/overwatchs-mccree-is-being-renamed/
Earlier this month, Diablo 4 lead level designer Jesse McCree was dismissed from Blizzard when his involvement in the now infamous "Cosby Suite" group chats came to light after the company was sued over allegations of widespread sexual harassment and discrimination. For that reason, some Overwatch casters stopped using the name of the Overwatch character McCree, who was named after the former Blizzard employee, while a large segment of the player base demanded that the name be changed.
Today, Blizzard announced that it will rename McCree.
>> They've also announced that they'll no longer name characters after real people.

World of Warships uses bonus code to say 'FK U' to streamer, uses another code to apologize
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/world-of-warships-bonus-code-insult-apology/
World of Warships developer Wargaming has apologized for using an in-game bonus code to say "f— you" to a former member of its Community Contributors program—and demonstrated the sincerity of its contrition by issuing another in-game bonus code that says sorry.

Life is Strange: True Colors shows how empathy is a superpower in a new trailer
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/life-is-strange-true-colors-shows-how-empathy-is-a-superpower-in-a-new-trailer/
Life is Strange: True Colors is only a few weeks away, and the Future Games Show at Gamescom has given a further glimpse into protagonist Alex Chen's powers.

Rustler is basically old-school Grand Theft Auto set in a 'historically inaccurate' medieval world
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/rustler-is-basically-old-school-grand-theft-auto-set-in-a-historically-inaccurate-medieval-world/
Rustler is very much like an old-school Grand Theft Auto game, in a couple of ways. It's a top-down action game in which you'll commit all sorts of heinous and bizarre crimes and quests, and it takes place in what developer Jutsu Games describes as "historically inaccurate medieval setting" filled with "humor, anachronisms, and pop culture references."
>> It has a demo, in case you want to try it.

Build a beaver empire in Timberborn next month
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/build-a-beaver-empire-in-timberborn-next-month/
Timberborn ticks all of my boxes. Humans have been wiped out, the animals are now in charge, and beavers can build cities. Smart critters and no humans? Sign me up. Yes, my boxes are very specific. And you won't have long to wait if you feel the same way, as an Early Access release date was announced during the Future Games Show.

Barter with frogs the old-fashioned way in cute indie game Trading Time
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/barter-with-frogs-the-old-fashioned-way-in-cute-indie-game-trading-time/
It's funny to think about a time before we bought and sold everything according to paper money or imaginary digital currency. Maybe it wasn't for all that long, but I assume at some point people simply traded things for things instead of money, and they never had to think about credit card reward points. You know, bartering!
That's the world that Trading Time, an adorable new game from indie outfit Half Past Yellow, is cooking up. You can watch the announcement trailer above from today's Future Games Show.

Sail across massive deserts in open world action RPG Sands of Aura
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/sail-across-massive-deserts-in-open-world-action-rpg-sands-of-aura/
The world is covered in sand, not due to erosion or some natural disaster, but because the hourglass of time has been shattered by an angry god, spilling its contents and burying cities.
That's the state of the fantasy world you'll explore and fight through in Sands of Aura, an open world action RPG coming to Steam Early Access on October 21.

Soulstice's combat has my Devil May Cry senses tingling
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/soulstices-combat-has-my-devil-may-cry-senses-tingling/
We first saw Soulstice two months ago at the PC Gaming Show, and it looked cool: It's a combat-focused game in the vein of Japanese action games like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, but from a small Italian studio. A new trailer from the Future Games Show today gives us a bit more background on Soulstice's two main characters, a pair of sisters who have managed to stay pretty tight despite one of them being a ghost. I'm really here for a few more glimpses of the action, though, and we definitely get that.

Cute voxel 'fishing RPG' Moonglow Bay is coming soon
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/moonglow-bay-release-date-announced/
Just in time for my birthday, "fishing RPG" Moonglow Bay is releasing on October 7, 2021.
If you haven't caught a glimpse at Moonglow Bay yet, it won the hearts of "wholesome" game lovers everywhere a few months ago when it was announced during . You play as a rookie angler on the east Canadian shoreline. Your partner has passed away, and their final wish was that you'd keep the family business going through a tough bankruptcy.

In this spooky metroidvania, your best friend is a teddy bear ghost
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/nine-years-of-shadows-trailer/
At first glance, Nine Years of Shadows has just about everything you could ask from a dark fantasy metroidvania: A warrior with a golden halberd, Lovecraftian statues speaking of ancient prophecies, and a giant spider demon wearing golden armor.

Kerbal creator's Balsa flight simulator is launching an open beta right now
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/kerbal-creators-balsa-flight-simulator-is-available-in-open-beta-right-now/
Here's a nice surprise: a new game from a beloved game developer that we can play right now. A few years ago, Kerbal Space Program creator Felipe "HarvesteR" Falanghe struck out on his own to make Balsa Model Flight Simulator as an early VR game. After VR turned out to have a smaller audience than he hoped—especially for a flight simulation game about model planes—he went back to work on Balsa, turning it into a broader PC game that is now playable in open beta.

In Far: Changing Tides your ramshackle sailboat transforms into a sweet submarine
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/in-far-changing-tides-your-ramshackle-sailboat-transforms-into-a-sweet-submarine/
Far: Lone Sails was a compelling and melancholy adventure where you drove a bizarre, ramshackle vehicle across an apocalyptic wasteland, solving environmental puzzles along the way.

DokeV developers explain what that weird GTA: Babies game is actually about
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/dokev-developers-explain-what-that-weird-gta-babies-game-is-actually-about/
During yesterday's Opening Night Live stream at Gamescom we got a look at a new game called DokeV that, quite frankly, baffled all of us. (...)
The trailer was long and loud and thoroughly confusing—but kind of in a good way, if only because it left us wanting to know more about what was going on. During today's Future Games Show, we got it: While yesterday's presentation was all sound, fury, and confusion, today's is a clearer breakdown of what players have to look forward to.

Bungie confirms no new Darkness subclass coming to Destiny 2 next year
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/bungie-confirms-no-new-darkness-subclass-coming-to-destiny-2-next-year/
This week has delivered a smorgasbord of info about the future of Destiny 2 that has given me not just information overload, but quite possibly also information diabetes. It's been a lot to absorb. Perhaps the biggest surprise from Tuesday's rich spread of announcements was an omission: Contrary to the leaks, which have otherwise proved spot on, The Witch Queen will not add a new Darkness-based subclass when it arrives next February. Bungie instead outlined its plans to bring the existing Light subclasses up to the same standard of customisability as Stasis, which is the Darkness subclass that was added with the Beyond Light expansion last year.

Fallout veteran leaves Bethesda after 15 years
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/fallout-veteran-leaves-bethesda-after-15-years/
Fallout 76 project lead Jeff Gardiner has announced he is leaving Bethesda Game Studios after 15 years working on the series. Gardiner joined the studio in 2005 and has loads of credits, mostly on the Fallout series but also on The Elder Scrolls.

Blasphemous gets a final expansion in December and a sequel is on the way
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/blasphemous-gets-a-final-expansion-in-december-and-a-sequel-is-on-the-way/
Dark fantasy action-platformer Blasphemous will get a final expansion in December called Wounds of Eventide, which is good news. Even better news is that a sequel is planned for 2023. There's not much in the way of firm details about either, but you can check out the Wounds of Eventide cinematic trailer above.

Indie dev leaves industry 'indefinitely' thanks to exploitation of Steam's refund policy
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/indie-dev-leaves-industry-indefinitely-thanks-to-exploitation-of-steams-refund-policy/
A horror indie developer has stepped away from games development "indefinitely" because Steam's two-hour refund policy has led to a high number of returns on their latest game.
Solo developer Emika Games released the psychological thriller Summer of '58 at the end of July, receiving Mostly Positive reviews on Steam. But as they tweeted in a statement this week, the game's short length has led to a high number of refunds being processed, leaving Emika out of pocket.
>> That's the same kind of human scum that abused the same system during the Steam Sales and lead to the disappearance of the flash deals. F*ck them.

Saints Row devs 'not backing down' over reboot criticisms
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/saints-row-devs-not-backing-down-over-reboot-criticisms/
Saints Row developer Volition told fans it's "not backing down" over the reboot after the announcement trailer divided opinions.
The reboot was announced at Gamescom this week, waving goodbye to the former Third Street Saints in favour of a ragtag quartet of wannabe crime bosses. As VGC reports, the trailer has a startling number of dislikes across various YouTube channels, often outweighing or closely matching the number of likes.
>> I think that, in this game, a wait and see approach will be the best one. If it launches and it's good and has success, then awesome, we'll get a good game. And if it's not a success in its sales... well, we may get it for free at the Epic Store.

Here's why Halo Infinite's campaign wasn't at Gamescom
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/heres-why-halo-infinites-campaign-wasnt-at-gamescom/
Series veteran and Halo Infinite lead writer Joseph Staten has explained the conspicuous absence of the game's campaign details from Microsoft's Gamescom showcase, explaining that the team is currently in "shutdown mode."

Time to check the deals at GOG and Steam:

+GOG

• The guys at GOG ar still busy with their Games Festival, that will last until the 2nd of September.
• Meanwhile, some Konami games have received an update and now have controller support. You can check which ones here: https://www.gog.com/news/konami_games_on_gogcom_receive_a_controller_support_update

+Steam

• The new daily deal is Shenmue III, 60% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/878670/Shenmue_III/
• SCUM, still in Early Access, is free to try during the weekend and also 50% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/513710/SCUM/
• Human: Fall Flat will be 66% off until Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/477160/Human_Fall_Flat/
• CODE VEIN, that has a demo, is 75% off until the 30th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/678960/CODE_VEIN/
• Left 4 Dead 2 will be 80% off until Monday, the 30th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/550/Left_4_Dead_2/
• The Early Access title One Hand Clapping is going to be 20% off until August 31: https://store.steampowered.com/app/893720/One_Hand_Clapping/
• EA puts its Star Wars games on sale, up to 75% off until September 6: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/EA/sale/EASTARWARS
• And of course, there's also the weeklong deals.

That's all for this week. Until the next time, have a happy and gaming weekend.