Yeah its crazy how he even got such a big role and budget at Intel. Granted he has previous experience in engineering at AMD, they (Intel) should have known from the Vega years that he wasn't good at delivering. I mean these DG2 could be okay for mobile SoC's; when they aren't pushing the envelope for performance, like on DGPU's. Though really with all the R&D at Intel we should expect better. And as much as many people would like a new GPU manufacturer alongside Nvidia and AMD, this feels like a huge missed opportunity and oversight from Intel.

Releasing their big discrete this late into the generation and still coming short isn't really a good look when trying to enter the market. Especially when its so far behind in performance compared to other mid range GPU's. Taking into consideration at how the screwed the GPU market is rn, and given that MSRP's mean nothing.. coming up with a GPU just catching up with a few years old high-mid range chip at the time is, well crap tbh. And yeah looking at how big DG2's is these aren't going to be cheap either.

Jees no wonder they didn't bother showing Arc at CES and are being still being quiet about it.

I think both of you are being a bit unfair to Raja. He became the chief architect at the renamed RTG in 2015 and left in 2017. GPU architectures take years to plan, design and manufacture and it's very likely that he had little implication on the design of Vega as a result of that. Navi is probably his creation or, at least, the one he had more saying about.

When it comes to his work at Intel, he didn't have to start from scratch, but he had to grow their graphics division a lot, and that takes time. Plus, the latest rumors said that the problems that are delaying the launch of their cards weren't in the hardware itself, but the drivers team.

Yea maybe but Raja is starting to feel like 343. Yes making GPUs is hard and takes a long time but it feels like he's getting quite a lot of chances and we have yet to see any of them be a strong showing. I suppose we will have to see how the market is once Lovelace comes out but I do think there will be a period of calm between Q2 and Q3 where we will see GPU prices normalize once again. Then Lovelace will come out in Q3 and we will see what the market will do.

If it happens as I expect it to happen, I do think Intel's Arc will be DoA for a while. Intels only real hope imo is if the GPU market stays terrible and personally, that's never a good position to be in. But who knows, if Intels GPU after the next one becomes competitive with Lovelace and RDNA 3, maybe I will change my tune.

A card equivalent to 2060 Super, 5700 XT for for 250-300 CAD would be welcome. I mean it is good to imagine.

A used, heavily mined 5700 XT is 1100-1200 bucks here in beaverville.

Edit: I know those prices of good mid range cards in $200 USD range are not coming back. 

From what I have seen, we are starting to see GPUs being in stock. Overpriced and not every tier but I think you can get most of them from retailer if you try.

https://www.memoryexpress.com/Category/VideoCards?FilterID=a98c938d-defa-bcf8-9f3f-25b20e0f192f&InventoryType=InStock&Sort=PriceDesc

The cheapest 3060 you can get is about $600 CAD which is about $470 USD. That is around 2060 Super/5700XT and official MSRP would be around $420 in CAD. It is in stock only at certain locations but the markup relative to the MSRP isn't as bad as it once was. It's still quite bad but if Crypto can chill for the next 6 months, I do believe we will see that MSRP.

The Monday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG has two new flash deals and a new weekly sale:

• The first flash deal is Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate, 80% off during the next 46 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/warhammer_40000_chaos_gate
• The second one is Shadow Warrior (2013) , 90% off until Wednesday: https://www.gog.com/en/game/shadow_warrior
• And the Weekly Sale is full of RPGs and table-top inspired games up to 90% off: https://www.gog.com/promo/202202021_weekly_sale

Steam has two daily deals:

• The Early Access title Obsideo is 40% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1708460/Obsideo/
• The other one is Axiom Verge, with a 75% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/332200/Axiom_Verge/

Humble has new deals:

• There's a new Humble Bundle: the VR Discovery Bundle, with up to 8 games to get during the next 18 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/vr-discovery
• At the Humble Store, there are four new sales:
  • Frontier Developments puts its games up to 75% off during the next 4 days. All the keys are for Steam: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/frontier-developments-publisher-sale/
  • The Borderlands franchise is up to 78% off during the next 4 days. There are keys for Steam and EGS: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/borderlands-franchise-sale/
  • The Super Simulator Sale features up to 90% discounts. There are keys for Steam, GOG, EGS and UPlay: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/super-simulator-sale/
  • And there's a Strategy BYOB, with 50 titles to choose your bundle. The discounts reach up to 75%, but can go up to 85% when buying 5 games. There are keys for Steam and GOG: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/strategy-byob/

And Fanatical has two new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Youtubers Life 2, 25% off during the next 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/youtubers-life-2
• And the Far Cry games are on sale, with up to 82% discounts during the next 6 days. The keys are for UPlay: https://www.fanatical.com/en/franchises/far-cry

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Unity 2021.2 Terrain HDRP Demo Scene is available for free download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/unity-2021-2-terrain-hdrp-demo-scene-is-available-for-free-download/
Unity Technologies has just released a new free demo for Unity 2021.2, called Unity Terrain – HDRP Demo Scene. This demo is 3.8GB in size and features numerous free assets that developers can use in their projects. As its description reads, this demo allows you to experience the latest improvements to Unity’s 2021.2 Terrain authoring workflows, SpeedTree integration, and High-Definition Render Pipeline.
>> They've forgotten to add the link to the demo, but there's a video in the article.

Valve targets dodgy discounts in new rules for Steam game sales
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/valve-targets-dodgy-discounts-in-new-rules-for-steam-game-sales/
Valve has provided further information regarding upcoming changes to its rules surrounding games sales and discounts. These new rules affect the frequency with which developers and publishers can discount their games, and the percentages they can discount them by.
These rule changes were originally announced earlier this month, but Valve only offered details about changes to the "cooldown period" between discounts, sharing plans to reduce this period from six weeks to 28 days. Now, Valve has unveiled the full list of rule changes, which you can see below
>> Well, now we know how long they had to wait to put a game on sale again.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

New version of the canceled Resident Evil 2 game, Resident Evil 1.5, is available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-version-of-the-canceled-resident-evil-2-game-resident-evil-1-5-is-available-for-download/
Resident Evil fans, here is something really special for you today. Last month, MartinBiohazard released a brand new version of the Resident Evil 1.5 Mod for the classic Resident Evil 2 game. As the title implies, this mod aims to recreate the canceled version of Resident Evil 2. Thus, and if you are die-hard RE fans, we highly recommend downloading it.
This latest version of Resident Evil 1.5 adds numerous rooms and cut-scenes. Moreover, it adds new items, improves some other things, and fixes a number of bugs and glitches.

Dino Crisis 2 Fan Remake in Unreal Engine 4 is available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/dino-crisis-2-fan-remake-in-unreal-engine-4-is-available-for-download/
A lot of players have been begging Capcom to remake Dino Crisis. And while, from what we know, Capcom does not currently plan to revive this franchise, we can at least take a look at what a modern-day Dino Crisis could have looked like.
A while back, Stefano Cagnani shared a pretty cool short fan remake of Dino Crisis 2 in Unreal Engine 4. This free demo recreates the environments and dinosaurs from Dino Crisis 2 in a 3D third-person game.
Now as with all fan remakes, you should keep in mind that it’s created by a single person. As such, don’t expect this to be as polished as a triple-A remake. Still, and since we don’t have a lot of dinosaur games, I believe that most of you will find it cool.

New Dying Light 2 Mods improve dynamic weather, introduce Hardcore Mode, and more
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-dying-light-2-mods-improve-dynamic-weather-introduce-hardcore-mode-and-more/
A respectable number of new mods surfaced last week for Dying Light 2. As such, we’ve decided to choose the most interesting ones and share them with you.
>> There are five mods in total.

Valheim gets a cool Harcore Server Mode
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/valheim-gets-a-cool-harcore-server-mode/
Modder ‘icecub333’ has released a pretty cool mod for Valheim that introduces a Hardcore Server Mode. This basically means that any player that dies with their character, will then have to create a new character in order to play on the server again.
Now what’s really great here is that this mod works for Vanilla players on Hardcore Servers. In other words, players won’t have to mod their clients for it. Instead, this mod is for those that want to create these Hardcore Servers.
In addition, this mod has a great potential for Role Playing servers, since you have the option to completely disallow anyone to make a character with the same name again. Thus, and once a “person” dies, they can really remain “dead “.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim gets a sci-fi city fan expansion, featuring 400 NPCs & 200 interiors
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-gets-a-sci-fi-city-fan-expansion-featuring-400-npcs-200-interiors/
Modder ‘Ripcat’ has released an amazing sci-fi city expansion mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, called Fort Knox. For Knox features a large sci-fi/modern city with 5 main areas, and is a must-have for all sci-fi Skyrim fans.
The main areas of the city are Accord Plaza, Downtown, Industrial Zone, Yanabayashi Park and Lake Athabasca. Additionally, the mod introduces the “Octo8 Island”. This island is accessible with a shuttle from Accord Plaza, and has 2 main areas: village and B-Salt Cove.
Furthermore, Fort Knox features over 150 interiors (they are approximately around 200 interiors). As such, players will find bars, clubs, restaurants, a Police station, stores and more. The modder has also populated this city with over 400 NPCs. There are also 7 different types of robots, as well as over 150 modern clothes/armors/accessories/weapons.

New version released for Pokemon MMO 3D Remake in Unreal Engine
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-version-released-for-pokemon-mmo-3d-remake-in-unreal-engine/
The team behind the fan-made Pokemon 3D game on PC, Pokemon MMO 3D Remake in Unreal Engine, has released a brand new version of it. This new version of this fan game is the result of a two-year work, and we highly recommend checking it out.
As its title implies, Pokemon MMO 3D is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game in the Pokemon theme. Players can control the trainer and the Pokemon from a third-person perspective. Additionally, they can fight in real-time battles, play with their friends and the community.
In Pokemon MMO 3D, players start at Pallet Town to choose their first pokemon in the Oak Lab. After that, they are free to catch all the available Pokemon in the game.

Cyberpunk's 1.5 update includes the beginnings of a transmog system
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/cyberpunks-15-update-includes-the-beginnings-of-a-transmog-system/
The 1.5 update for Cyberpunk 2077 introduced a host of changes, including the framework for altering your character's apparel without changing their stats, currently disabled in-game but accessible through the console (available for download here.)
DJ_Kovrik explained on Reddit and NexusMods that the ability to hide the equipment in your face/head inventory slots can be enabled with the "Game.EnableTransmog()" console command. DJ_Kovrik has also extended this utility to the other inventory slots through their Hide Your Gear mod.

Doom Shinobi turns Doom into an acrobatic action game where you're a ninja
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/doom-shinobi-turns-doom-into-an-acrobatic-action-game-where-youre-a-ninja/
You could make the case that almost all the games of today are made with the tools Carmack and Romero forged back in 1994. We live in a post-Doom world, and even a wildly different game like the Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice owes a lot of its basic assumptions about level design and 3D space to Doom.
You could also, of course, just literally make a ninja game in Doom (or the open-source GZDoom, to be more specific,) which is just what modder Edy Pagaza has set out to do with Doom Shinobi, turning the classic FPS into a third-person action game complete with katanas, throwing stars, and wall running.

GAMING NEWS

Here are the PC graphics settings for Elden Ring
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/here-are-the-pc-graphics-settings-for-elden-ring/
Elden Ring releases in a few days and some YouTubers have been streaming the PC version. As such, you can find below the PC graphics settings that the game will feature.

Cyberpunk 2077 Version 1.0 vs Patch 1.5 AI & Physics Video Comparison
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/cyberpunk-2077-version-1-0-vs-patch-1-5-ai-physics-video-comparison/
YouTube’s ‘Bear Gaming Asia’ has shared a comparison video between the vanilla and the latest 1.5 versions of Cyberpunk 2077. This video will give you a glimpse at some of the AI and physics improvements that this latest update brings to the table.
>> The video is almost 10 minutes long and the changes are quite big.

Capcom has officially announced Street Fighter 6 with an in-engine teaser trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/capcom-has-officially-announced-street-fighter-6/
At the end of the CPT 2021 Season Finale event, Capcom announced the next part in its Street Fighter series. This new Street Fighter game will be called Street Fighter 6, and you can find its announcement trailer below.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Title Update 1.5.0 is 15GB in size, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/assassins-creed-valhalla-title-update-1-5-0-is-15gb-in-size-full-patch-notes/
Ubisoft has announced that the Title Update 1.5.0 for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will release tomorrow. This patch will be 15GB in size on PC, and below you can find its complete changelog.

Monday news, the part two

Valheim opens up its new frost caves to the Viking public
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/valheim-opens-up-its-new-frost-caves-to-the-viking-public/
Valheim was PC Gamer's game of the year 2021, and with good reason: It came out of nowhere to prove itself the Vi-king of co-op and boshing mythical Norse creatures. A year on from launch the game's had regular updates, the biggest of which was Hearth and Home, and now it's adding frost caves to its world.

Starfield aims for a 'NASA-punk' visual style
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/starfield-aims-for-a-nasa-punk-visual-style/
There's a certain rough-hewn look to Bethesda's upcoming sci-fi RPG Starfield—more rugged and primitive than the sleek, smooth lines of, say, Mass Effect. This is intentional—game director Todd Howard has previously described Starfield as "a more grounded game and a more grounded setting about exploration" than Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series—and early in the production process, developers even whipped up a catchy name for it.

Albert Wilde: Quantum P.I. is a spoof noir mystery where you play as a cat
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/albert-wilde-quantum-pi-is-a-spoof-noir-mystery-where-you-play-as-a-cat/
The last few years have delivered a steady stream of oddball detective games, from the eldritch eeriness of Return of the Obra Dinn to the wacky world of Paradise Killer to occult botany shop sim Strange Horticulture. But if the recently dropped trailer is anything to go by, I think Albert Wilde: Quantum P.I. might have them knocked into a cocked trilby.

Elden Ring's final class reveal is the Wretch, a 'poor, purposeless sod' with a club
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/elden-rings-final-class-reveal-is-the-wretch-a-poor-purposeless-sod-with-a-club/
When Elden Ring's Prisoner class was revealed last week I thought to myself that running around in ragged pajamas with a giant cast iron pot welded to your head had to be as bad as it could possibly get. But today FromSoftware introduced two more Elden Ring classes, and it turns out I was wrong.
>> And here's an overview trailer.

At least one Cyberpunk 2077 NPC now sends nudes
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/at-least-one-cyberpunk-2077-npc-now-sends-nudes/
Cyberpunk 2077 has been a contentious game for a host of reasons, but one aspect of it that's been solid from the beginning is its romantic side plots. The relationships you can pursue with Kerry, Judy, Panam, and River were well-written and presented. They were by turns sweet, funny, tragic, and even genuinely romantic, and Cyberpunk's recent 1.5 update has injected even more detail into these side stories.

Call of Duty: Warzone is nerfing cheaters' guns so they can't kill anybody
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/call-of-duty-warzone-is-nerfing-cheaters-guns-so-they-cant-kill-anybody/
Call of Duty: Warzone's anti-cheat efforts are most often seen in the form of banwaves, when developers clean house—briefly, at least—by dropping the hammer on thousands of cheaters at a time. But that system is dependent on data: You can't roll out a banwave until you know who to ban, right? The latest Ricochet anti-cheat update reveals how developers go about getting that information without letting cheaters benefit in the process.

Mad Max 2 may have been in development before the pandemic
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/mad-max-2-may-have-been-in-development-before-the-pandemic/
Released in 2015, Avalanche's open-world Aussie apocalypse sim Mad Max turned out to be quite good, and it reportedly sold quite well, too. But it never got a sequel: After its launch, Avalanche returned to the Just Cause series, made Rage 2 for Bethesda, and is now working on a '70s smuggling sim called Contraband. But die-hard warriors of the wasteland were given a ray of hope last week when a photo allegedly taken during the development of Mad Max 2 was shared on social media.

Dip into hardcore space combat tactics in NEBULOUS: Fleet Command
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/dip-into-hardcore-space-combat-tactics-in-nebulous-fleet-command/
If you're a fan of real-time space combat, then Nebulous: Fleet Command is going to suck you right in. Sitting at the intersection between ship design and realistic sim combat, you're both outfitter and tactical commander of a space naval squadron in Nebulous.

Final Fantasy 14 won't have NFTs, is getting a graphical upgrade
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/final-fantasy-14-wont-have-nfts-is-getting-a-graphical-upgrade/
Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda made a whole lot of players sharply suck a lungful of air through their teeth when he talked about adding NFTs to Square Enix games (...)
In the latest Letter to the Producer livestream, Yoshida said, via translator Aimi Tokutake, "Based on how FF14 is designed we don't intend on incorporating any sort of NFT element in the game at this point, so if anybody is worried or concerned about it I can clearly state at this time that we do not have any intentions to incorporate that into the game." And if that doesn't come across as definitive enough thanks to "at this point", Yoshida clarified, "We're not going to be including NFTs in [Final Fantasy] 14."

Tactics RPG Battle Brothers gets a free DLC with dissection and praying
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/tactics-rpg-battle-brothers-gets-a-free-dlc-with-dissection-and-praying/
Of Flesh and Faith is coming to Battle Brothers next month, a free DLC that'll add two new origins and a suite of events and equipment to suit both. "These two origins – the Oathtakers and the Anatomists – will be the most detailed origins in the game to date," say Overhype Studios. "They both come with unique mechanics, new equipment, new character backgrounds, their very own story events, and even a custom-tailored banner each."

Rainbow Six Siege is getting three new maps in Year Seven
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/rainbow-six-siege-is-getting-three-new-maps-in-year-seven/
Ubisoft released a long video outlining its plans for year seven of Rainbow Six Siege today, and there's a lot to look forward to in the tactical multiplayer shooter.

Adults only horror game Agony Unrated goes missing from players' Steam libraries
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/adults-only-horror-game-agony-unrated-goes-missing-from-players-steam-libraries/
Agony, a hammy survival horror game about a soul trying to escape Hell by finding someone called "the Red Goddess", was released by Madmind Studios in 2018. An adults only version called Agony Unrated followed after some uncertainty and confusion—Agony Unrated was first canceled "Due to technical and legal reasons", then mysteriously appeared on Steam anyway.
In an odd reversal of its appearance, Agony Unrated has now vanished from the Steam libraries of players who received it for free as a bonus for owning the original game. Madmind Studio posted a blog explaining that the two games "were delinked by Steam."

Atlus has announced Soul Hackers 2, which will arrive on 26th August for PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-02-21-shin-megami-tensei-spin-off-soul-hackers-2-announced

Intel CPUs Continue To Reclaim Lead Over AMD Ryzen In Japanese DIY Market

https://wccftech.com/intel-cpus-reclaim-lead-over-amd-ryzen-in-japanese-diy-market/

Elden Ring: Global Release Timings revealed

https://en.bandainamcoent.eu/elden-ring/news/elden-ring-global-release-timings

If anyone is interested, Steam has launched a new Steam Next Festival

Damn forgot Elden Ring comes this Friday lol. Shame I won't be able to preload it and play early :( Also have to get on with Horizon FW before it gets on the backburner.

9 minutes gameplay of Soul Hackers 2