Decent if that keeps up that level of performance with other games. Interested to see how the 5800X3D stacks up in AMD's current lineup. May be a modest upgrade for those who are still on AM4 and don't want to jump into a full new build.

Might even pick one up in a year or two one prices are slashed depending on how well Zen 4 performs for gaming.

This is partly due to the board manufacturers having more weight in negotiations because AMD has much less market share. They can easily threaten AMD to move over to NVidia if they don't get a bigger share of the profits. I think both GN and Hardware unboxed made some video about that a year ago or so iirc.

To be clear, AMD could set the prices lower, but then their profit margin would be very low. Back when AMD didn't had much to fight against Intel, they did so to get at least some profit, but now, they're not in that position anymore. Still, they could do it to get some more market share, but with the current chip crunch, nut sure if that would have any effect. They might do so for the next gen GPUs if supply is better, though.

Hmm interesting, that does sound about right. Iirc I do remember some other Youtubers saying something similar, like how despite expensive these recent RX series cards are... big Navi weren't making that much profit for AMD.

Hopefully now that AMD are a lot more competitive now in the GPU market with RNDA 2 line up that things pick up for them with next generation cards. If there's anything I've seen from PC front is that monopolies are terrible for consumers on the PC tech front, and we're the ones who have to foot the bill.

Friday news, all in one (long) post:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG has a lot of deals for the weekend:

• The Weekly Sale features up to 80% discounts: https://www.gog.com/promo/20220404_weekly_sale
• And the last one is a GSC Sale in support of Ukraine, featuring 80% discounts until Monday: https://www.gog.com/promo/20220404_gsc_for_ukraine
• The Midweek Sale features "Games in a high fantasy setting" with up to 90% discounts during another 2 days: https://www.gog.com/promo/20220406_midweek_sale
• The first of the three flash deals is Kao the Kangaroo Trilogy, 50% off during the next 70 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/kao_the_kangaroo_trilogy
• The second flash deal is Trine: Ultimate Collection, 75% off during the weekend: https://www.gog.com/en/game/trine_ultimate_collection
• The third, and final, flash deal is Rayman Origins, 80% off until Monday: https://www.gog.com/en/game/rayman_origins
• And the Weekend Sale features 2D platformers up to 90% off: https://www.gog.com/promo/20220408_weekend_sale

Here are the deals at Steam:

• The first Weekend Deal is Himno - The Silent Melody, still in Early Access and with a demo, with a 20% discount until Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1079230/Himno__The_Silent_Melody/
• Orcs Must Die! 3 will be 50% off until the 11th (other titles in the franchise are also on sale): https://store.steampowered.com/app/1522820/Orcs_Must_Die_3/
• The BAFTA Game Awards Sale, with up to 80% discounts during Monday, 11th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/bafta_2022
• The Xbox Publisher Sale, also features up to 80% discounts, but until April 15: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/XGS-Publisher-Sale-2022
• Days Gone will be 50% off until the 17th (like other Playstation games): https://store.steampowered.com/app/1259420/Days_Gone/
• New World is free to try during the next 3 days and 40% off until the 18th of April: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1063730/New_World/
• Football Manager 2022, that has a demo, is free to try during the weekend and 33% off until April 21: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1569040/Football_Manager_2022/
• The Call of Duty franchise gets up to 67% discounts until the 21th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/cod/
• And of course, there's also the weeklong deals.

Fanatical also has a couple of new deals:

• The new Star Deal is House Flipper, 55% off during the next 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/house-flipper
• The Platinum Collection BYOB for April comes with 18 games to choose your 3, 5 or 7 games bundle: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/platinum-collection-build-your-own-bundle
• Also, Fanatical is doing a user survey, and 100 users will won ... $5 to spend in the store. Learn more here: https://www.fanatical.com/en/blog/fanatical-user-survey-give-us-feedback-on-your-experience-with-fanatical-and-enter-in-to-a-chance-to-win-a-spending-spree

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

GTA IV Ultimately Beautiful Edition is a 7.8GB mod pack, aiming to overhaul the game’s graphics
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/gta-iv-ultimately-beautiful-edition-is-a-7-8gb-mod-pack-aiming-to-overhaul-the-games-graphics/
NexusMods’ member ‘hip63’ has released a mod pack for Grand Theft Auto 4, aiming to completely overhaul the game’s graphics. Since this is a mod pack, it does not feature any brand new graphical mod. Still, this is one of the best ways via which you can improve the graphics of this GTA game.
Going into more details, GTA IV Ultimately Beautiful Edition features iCEnhancer Natural Lighting 3.0 by DayL, ReShade Anti-aliasing (FXAA), Complete Edition Real Cars, Liberty’s Legacy Trainer and Simple Native Trainer. This mod pack is only for the Steam version of GTA 4.

System Shock 2 Redux helps to sharpen-up SHODAN
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/system-shock-2-redux-helps-to-sharpen-up-shodan/
It's regarded as one of the best games ever made, but even its most ardent fan would agree that System Shock 2 was never a looker. Way back on release, its flat textures and lumpen character models lagged behind the Unreals and Quake IIIs, and these days its face is one that only a psychotic AI mother could love. Fortunately, rushing into the Von Braun with a syringe full of Botulinum is System Shock 2 Redux, a collection of the best cosmetic mods for Looking Glass' iconic immersive sim.

GAMING NEWS

First gameplay footage leaked for Warner Bros’ MultiVersus
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/first-gameplay-footage-leaked-for-warner-bros-multiversus/
In November 2021, Warner Bros announced a new Super Smash Bros-like game, MultiVersus. And, from the looks of it, its first gameplay footage has just been leaked online.
>> The video appears to have been deleted.

Crytek apologizes for Hunt: Showdown problems, extends Traitor's Moon event
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/crytek-apologizes-for-hunt-showdown-problems-extends-traitors-moon-event/
The Traitor's Moon event in Hunt: Showdown that began in March offered up some "sweet legendary skins" for players able to grind out sufficient points to pick them up. It wasn't clear how much grinding would actually be necessary to get the job done, but we speculated that it would take "a fair few games over the event's 21 day duration to hit the top unlocks."
For some players, though, the process has been complicated by bugs, connectivity problems, and other issues, forcing servers offline so developers could deploy hotfixes and try to address disconnections. Those disruptions, as Crytek said today on Twitter, kept some players from "comfortably participating in the event." As a result, it has extended the Traitor's Moon event to April 18—it was originally scheduled to wrap up on April 14.

Back 4 Blood DLC trailer shows off new characters, enemies, and a reloadable hammer
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/back-4-blood-dlc-trailer-shows-off-new-characters-enemies-and-a-reloadable-hammer/
Originally announced back in March, Back 4 Blood's first DLC pack 'Tunnels of Terror' now has a launch trailer, letting you see exactly what horrors await you beneath the game's zombie-infested town of Evansburgh.

Lego Star Wars dubbed 'Lego May Cry' as players continue to discover brutal new combos
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/lego-star-wars-combos/
(...)
Lego Star Wars introduces a new combat system to the series that takes more than a few cues from classic action games, and in particular Devil May Cry's air combos. That is, you can stay airborne by landing repeated hits—and if you can work out a particular sequence of hits, potentially create a loop that both keeps you aloft and will demolish anything.

Elden Ring's 1.03 patch made one of its most unusual characters easier to find
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/elden-rings-103-patch-made-one-of-its-most-unusual-characters-easier-to-find/
Having sunk 140 hours into Elden Ring over the last month, I thought I had been pretty thorough in exploring From Software's massive open world RPG. But apparently, I still managed to miss an entire questline surrounding a character encountered near the start of the game. And it seems I'm not the only Tarnished who strolled right past this character, as it turns out that Elden Ring's 1.03 patch has made him considerably easier to find.

You can dunk on Elden Ring's Radahn by making him dunk himself
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/elden-ring-radahn-water-trick/
Here's a tip for one of the most notorious Elden Ring (opens in new tab) bosses: let Radahn defeat himself. You don't need magic or a powered-up weapon, you just need enough dignity to let one of the most feared warriors in the Lands Between launch himself off the map to an instant death.

Activision Blizzard is converting over 1,000 QA workers to full-time employees
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/activision-blizzard-is-converting-over-1000-qa-workers-to-full-time-employees/
Activision Blizzard has announced that all "temporary and contingent" QA workers at its Activision Publishing and Blizzard divisions, a group of "nearly 1,100 people," will be converted from contractors to full-time employees on July 1. The company also said that the hourly wage for most those positions will be increased to a minimum of $20, and that the new employees will receive "full company benefits" and be eligible for its bonus plan.
>> If you're wondering if this also applies to the Raven Q&A employees that had troubles in past months, the answer is no. Read the article to find why.

Dark Souls multiplayer tags disappear from Steam, and fans are getting nervous
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/dark-souls-multiplayer-tags-disappear-from-steam-and-fans-are-getting-nervous/
In January, Bandai Namco deactivated the PvP servers for the PC editions of the Dark Souls games after discovering a serious security vulnerability in Dark Souls 3. Bandai said the service suspension was temporary, but then updated in February to say that because of the time required to ensure the problem was fully solved, online services for the Dark Souls games on PC would not be restored until sometime after the launch of Elden Ring.
Six weeks after Elden Ring's release, however, there's still no sign of multiplayer returning to the Souls games—and in fact, it's looking like Dark Souls multiplayer could be gone much longer than expected, possibly even permanently. As first reported by The Outerhaven, all references to online play in Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition, Dark Souls: Remastered, Dark Souls 2, and Dark Souls 3 have been removed. They are now tagged as singleplayer games only.
>> You don't have to fix the multiplayer if there's no multiplayer.

Rogue Legacy 2 exits Early Access later this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/rogue-legacy-2-exits-early-access-later-this-month/
Don't Shit Your Pants studio Cellar Door Games has announced an April 28 launch date for Rogue Legacy 2, a sequel to its breakout 2013 platformer roguelite. Rogue Legacy 2 has been in Early Access since August 2020, and over that time it has grown a total of 15 playable classes, and an approach to progress that shies away from rinse-and-repeat permadeath gameplay.

Total War: Warhammer 3's first big patch is here, and so are mods
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/total-war-warhammer-3s-first-big-patch-is-here-and-so-are-mods/
While smaller hotfixes for Total War: Warhammer 3 followed its release, more significant changes have been saved for its first major update. That update is now live, bringing the final game in Creative Assembly's spectacle-strategy trilogy up to version 1.1.0. As well as fixes for bugs like the Alt-Tab crash, it includes some pretty big changes to the campaign mechanics.

Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 2 is heading to Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/mobile-suit-gundam-battle-operation-2-is-heading-to-steam/
There are a lot of videogames about giant robots fighting, but that doesn't mean there's enough. If you agree, it may be cause to rejoice that Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 2, a PlayStation exclusive, is launching on Steam "soon".

No Man's Sky and Unpacking scoop up Baftas
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/no-mans-sky-and-unpacking-scoop-up-baftas/
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, better-known as BAFTA, is going to have to work out how to cram a 'V' or 'G' in there at some point—last night saw the annual BAFTA Game Awards, and some eyebrow-raising results. There were 18 awards in total and the biggest winner of all was Housemarque's Returnal, the PlayStation 5 exclusive which returned to Finland with four gongs.
Oh well! I'm sure it'll come to PC sooner or later. Last night saw a big PlayStation theme generally, with Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart also scooping two prizes for looking pretty, but other notable moments included It Takes Two continuing to be an awards magnet: it won Baftas for Best Multiplayer and Best Original Property. The delightful diorama-em-up Toem won Debut Game, while Unpacking won both the Narrative prize and the EE Game of the Year (which is voted for by the public).

Ms. Pac-Man is being written-out of Pac-Man history
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/ms-pac-man-is-being-written-out-of-pac-man-history/
Due to an ongoing dispute over the rights to the character, Ms. Pac-Man has been removed from a re-release of Pac-Land—and replaced, in what looks like a permanent switch, with a new character called Pac-Mom. The last time we saw Ms Pac-Man in a re-release was 2014's Pac-Man Museum. Since then, Bandai-Namco has been in legal dispute with a company called AtGames.

What are you looking for? Go and have a happy and gaming weekend.

Doom's Ray Tracing Upgrade: A Game-Changer For The PC Classic?

For now, it only works on Nvidia GPUs but they p;an to add AMD support later.

A Few Things Added To Steam Deck This Month

Crazy amount of updates in just one month

The Best Monitor Ever? - Alienware AW3423DW QD-OLED Review

Why yes, it is but I am curious to see if Samsung's own version that will be coming out some point this year will fix some of the issues with Alienware's version. Not that you can buy one and expect to get it anytime soon but least Dell isn't scalping you.

Yeah. The Alienware (for PC usage) looks amazing for the money albeit with a few caveats nothing comes close. Also looking forward to the Samsung Odyssey G8QNB. Hopefully it'll have a good anti-glare coating and have a 4K-scaler built in. If it has HDMI 2.1 as well..... welp for my wallet!

Navi 33 (RX 7700 XT??) leak from MLID - rumor, take with pinch of salt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tefqiCaikGk Supposedly going to use PCIe 5.0 x8 and 8GB RAM. Yeesh. Nice one AMD, can't have it being too good now >_>

The key thing missing being the RT performance. Hopefully they can deliver this time.