General PC Discussion

[Iceman]

While Bethesda games always tend to run best on PC, I hate to be a buzzkill, but the gameplay trailer didn't really inspire any interest in me. It looks like BGS is using the same old technology they have been clinging to for 20 years. I am also very wary of the writing and quest design. Big games and a big open world don't do it for me like they did 15 or 20 years ago unless the content therein is awesome. I feel like BGS' quest design and writing has been getting increasing boring and generic since Oblivion.

Did you watch the Direct by any chance? I thought it was amazing (and I wouldn't call myself a Bethesda-specific fan, beyond just being interested in significant games and loving fantasy and sci-fi settings). That said, writing and quest design I can imagine not being up there with the best if that's your main priority, and also if big open worlds aren't as interesting for you then it also loses a big selling point.

Outside of that thought it seems like something very different to most other games out there to me and ambitious in a number of areas that other games don't aim to be good at. For eg emergent gameplay and persistent placing of objects/dead bodies/events throughout a playthrough allowing for a lot more flexibility in what you can do and interact with meaningfully, and knockon events from random occurrences. I prefer smaller worlds like Mass Effect with better quest design and characters and tighter set story, but this has me intrigued after the Direct impressed me a lot more than I expected.

 

[Gee]

I will eventually play Starfield on PC once I build my new rig. I don't know when, but hopefully by then a ****load of mods are out and BGS probably released the complete edition or whatever.

 

[Lily Adler]

Valve will soon be forced to revise a new Steam Deck (and I can't wait)

 

[Gee]

@Joe Von Zombie @Lily Adler

Steam Deck OLED revealed.

Steam Deck

Available now.

www.steamdeck.com

Steam Deck 2 is at least 2-3 years away.

Next up, Yang said his team will work on a Steam Deck 2, which will feature a “next-generation” power upgrade but won’t be available for at least two or three years. Unlike with many past experiments, Valve appears to be committed to the device for the long term.

“A lot of folks at the company are excited about this product,” Yang said. “We are very invested in the Steam Deck.”

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Valve just made Half-Life free and put out a massive update with cut content and an hour-long 'making of' documentary

Happy birthday, Half-Life!

www.pcgamer.com

 

[Lily Adler]

Fun fact: The PC emoji on my Galaxy is sleek and modern... while it's an ugly 2000's tower on Windows. 🤣

 

[Silvermoth]

Anyone get an asus rog ally? One is on special at the moment and I’m really tempted

 

[Gee]

Anyone get an asus rog ally? One is on special at the moment and I’m really tempted

The ASUS ROG Ally runs on Windows 11 so you can play more games out of the box (GOG, EGS, etc.) vs the Steam Deck which runs on Linux but can run pretty much any games thanks to Proton/Wine. Thus, you also have access to Xbox Game Pass with the Ally.

The Ally has generally better performance and has a better screen (120Hz and higher resolution, LCD though). I guess it comes down to whether you like the controls layout on the Ally which is similar to the Xbox's controller. Finally, check some reviews for power consumption. The Ally comes with multiple "modes" if I remember correctly.

If possible, try it in hands at the store.

 

[Lily Adler]

Do these guys still make these?

 

[Silvermoth]

Finally got my asus rog ally! It’s taking a bit of time to get used to the controls but I’m having fun. Really great playing demos like Selaco

 

[Joe Von Zombie]

Do these guys still make these?

Better late than never but I had a gdp win 2 and the build quality on the product was dog **** for the money. You're better off with a steam deck or a ROG product.

 

[Lily Adler]

 

[blueharvest]

GOG will let you bequeath your game library to someone else as long as you can prove you're actually dead

Accounts aren't transferable but GOG is willing to make it happen, with a little help from the legal system.

www.pcgamer.com

 

[Iceman]

Think more likely to get some love here than in console forums.

 

[blueharvest]

Alleged AMD Ryzen 9 9950X 16 Core "Zen 5" CPU Benchmarked In AIDA64 With DDR5-8000 Memory, Up To 45% Faster Than 7950X

AMD's flagship Ryzen 9 9950X CPU with 16 Zen 5 cores has allegedly been tested in AIDA64 benchmark by a user at Anandtech Forums.

wccftech.com

 

[blueharvest]

We worked out the total of everyone's Steam pile of shame and the result is scary

Whether it’s Diablo 4, Cyberpunk 2077, or Red Dead Redemption 2, our collective Steam pile of shame is worth enough to buy a country.

www.pcgamesn.com

 

[Teelie]

Sometime this year I am going to build a new PC. My current one is long in the tooth, around 8 years old, and it is past time to upgrade everything. Just wish Windows 11 didn't suck and that AI wasn't raising the prices on GPU's.

 

[Lily Adler]

Sometime this year I am going to build a new PC. My current one is long in the tooth, around 8 years old, and it is past time to upgrade everything. Just wish Windows 11 didn't suck and that AI wasn't raising the prices on GPU's.

About $800 for me to upgrade mine.

 

[blueharvest]

FTC warns three PC tech companies of potential warranty violations

The Federal Trade Commission would like to remind you that yes, you can repair your own PC.

www.pcworld.com

 

[blueharvest]

AMD's next-gen Radeon RX 8000 series GPUs rumored for 2025 debut: Navi 48 at CES, Navi 44 in Q2

AMD's next-generation Radeon RX 8000 'RDNA 4' GPU rumors: higher-end Navi 48 teased for CES 2025 reveal, entry-tier Navi 44 in Q2 2025.

www.tweaktown.com

 

[blueharvest]

Intel accused of selling ‘defective’ Raptor Lake CPUs

High-end processor instability headaches, failures pushed one studio to switch to AMD

www.theregister.com

 

[Lily Adler]

AMD's next-gen Radeon RX 8000 series GPUs rumored for 2025 debut: Navi 48 at CES, Navi 44 in Q2

AMD's next-generation Radeon RX 8000 'RDNA 4' GPU rumors: higher-end Navi 48 teased for CES 2025 reveal, entry-tier Navi 44 in Q2 2025.

www.tweaktown.com

Intel accused of selling ‘defective’ Raptor Lake CPUs

High-end processor instability headaches, failures pushed one studio to switch to AMD

www.theregister.com

AMD Master Race, *****es!

 

[Teelie]

Planning to buy parts for a new PC soon. Looking to spend around $1600-1700. Want to do more but it's already been a somewhat costly year.

 

[DKDetective]

Planning to buy parts for a new PC soon. Looking to spend around $1600-1700. Want to do more but it's already been a somewhat costly year.

I would say invest most in your motherboard, processor, and an SSD. Maybe wait to add a new graphics card? That way your budget this year won't hamstring the PC long-term. Do you already have a case you can use?

 

[Teelie]

I have an old Dragon case but that thing is huge (holds 4 disc drives from way back when that mattered) and my current computer I plan to convert to a media server so still need the case. The motherboard and CPU are going to be in the middle-upper range (looking at an ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570E Plus with a AMD Ryzen 9 5950x ) and I'm planning to get a decent SSD around 2tb (WD Blue SN580), a big improvement on the existing 465gb Crucial one I have currently. NVMe's have gotten so much cheaper since the last time I built a computer but that's like 7-8 years ago.

Graphics card wise I'm still up in the air because that's going to be one of the bigger expenses and I'm hoping the prices come down soon (from crypto to AI, can't catch a break). Though I may just go with something decent for now and upgrade next year and resell whatever I end up getting.