Total War: Pharaoh on Epic Games Store Pushed into Early 2024
Sat, 23 Sep 2023
Total War: Pharaoh's release date via Epic Games Store has been delayed into early 2024, but its Steam launch time remains unchanged—it is still scheduled for October 11 (at the time of writing). It seems that Epic Games has added to the development team's pile of homework—Creative Assembly shared this information through its social media account(s): "We have moved the Epic Games Store release of Total War Pharaoh into early 2024. We were recently asked to help support the integration of additional social functions before we can launch on the Epic Games Store," it explains, "and we'll need additional time to help make that happen." Epic's listing simply states that Sega Europe's upcoming turn-based/strategy real-time tactics game will be "Coming Soon."
Customers with pre-orders already placed on the Epic Games Store should be issued notifications regarding automatic cancellations and refunds. Customer support team members will also get in contact regarding existing pre-release purchases. The Total War department apologized for any inconveniences caused, but affected folks are more than welcome to re-direct their cash to another shop: "We're disappointed too, and that we otherwise look forward to welcoming you into Ancient Egypt early next year. Otherwise our plans to launch Total War: Pharaoh on October 11th across all other storefronts remain unchanged, and we're excited to see you playing during our upcoming Early Access Weekend starting next Friday, September 29th."
Customers with pre-orders already placed on the Epic Games Store should be issued notifications regarding automatic cancellations and refunds. Customer support team members will also get in contact regarding existing pre-release purchases. The Total War department apologized for any inconveniences caused, but affected folks are more than welcome to re-direct their cash to another shop: "We're disappointed too, and that we otherwise look forward to welcoming you into Ancient Egypt early next year. Otherwise our plans to launch Total War: Pharaoh on October 11th across all other storefronts remain unchanged, and we're excited to see you playing during our upcoming Early Access Weekend starting next Friday, September 29th."
(PR) "Airship: Kingdoms Adrift" Launches Skyward on Steam
Sat, 23 Sep 2023
Hey Skyfarers, it's the day we have all been waiting for—grab your ships and join us in the skies! Airship: Kingdoms Adrift is officially launching on Steam, and we—Revolution Industry—couldn't be more stoked! Before we jump into commanding our ships, we want to send a massive shoutout to all you amazing skyfarers who've been with us every step of the way. We are beyond grateful for your support - you rock!
We're incredibly excited to see how you thrive in the world we have crafted. Whether you're building up a fleet, charting trade routes, or exploring the frontier at your airship's helm, we hope you love each moment as much as we loved creating this world for you to dive into! If you encounter any bugs or have suggestions, we're all ears, and would love to hear from you.
We're incredibly excited to see how you thrive in the world we have crafted. Whether you're building up a fleet, charting trade routes, or exploring the frontier at your airship's helm, we hope you love each moment as much as we loved creating this world for you to dive into! If you encounter any bugs or have suggestions, we're all ears, and would love to hear from you.
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Similarities Noticed in Arrow Lake & Meteor Lake NPU Drivers
Sat, 23 Sep 2023
Team Blue's marketing team has kicked into hype mode—Meteor Lake is launching at the tail end of 2023—with a shift in naming conventions comes another rebranding of internal technologies. The previously identified versatile processing unit (VPU) is now going under a different moniker: "Intel will usher in the age of the AI PC with the upcoming Intel Core Ultra processors, code-named Meteor Lake, featuring Intel's first integrated neural processing unit, or NPU, for power-efficient AI acceleration and local inference on the PC. Intel confirmed Core Ultra will launch Dec. 14." Michael Larabel, principal author at Phoronix, has noticed that newly updated versions of the Linux kernel have the "IVPU" accelerator driver bundled in. This will: "support Meteor Lake's VPU/NPU, while a patch is pending to extend that support for next-generation Arrow Lake processors."
In his opinion, there are some shared aspects across the two CPU generations: "Intel's Arrow Lake NPU appears very similar to that of Meteor Lake with the driver enablement coming down to adding new PCI IDs...(with) this patch adding the new Arrow Lake PCI IDs to the existing Meteor Lake driver code paths for this DRM accelerator driver is all that's needed to enable the VPU." Team Blue jumped two generations ahead at this week's Innovation event—Lunar Lake showed up in a live demo. Larabel believes that this late 2024 CPU family will revolve the dial to a greater degree: "The VPU/NPU with Lunar Lake brings more significant changes with the open-source driver changes already underway there. With Lunar Lake is the new VPU4 IP and the Linux 6.6 kernel with its updated IVPU driver already has initial support there."
In his opinion, there are some shared aspects across the two CPU generations: "Intel's Arrow Lake NPU appears very similar to that of Meteor Lake with the driver enablement coming down to adding new PCI IDs...(with) this patch adding the new Arrow Lake PCI IDs to the existing Meteor Lake driver code paths for this DRM accelerator driver is all that's needed to enable the VPU." Team Blue jumped two generations ahead at this week's Innovation event—Lunar Lake showed up in a live demo. Larabel believes that this late 2024 CPU family will revolve the dial to a greater degree: "The VPU/NPU with Lunar Lake brings more significant changes with the open-source driver changes already underway there. With Lunar Lake is the new VPU4 IP and the Linux 6.6 kernel with its updated IVPU driver already has initial support there."
(PR) Drop + xDuoo Introduce TA-84 OTL Tube Amp/DAC
Sat, 23 Sep 2023
Take a look—or a listen—at the last ten years here at Drop, and you'll notice no shortage of award-winning amplifiers. Despite this decade-long discography, there's one type of amp we haven't touched. Now, it's finally coming down the tube. That's right: our first all-tube OTL amplifier is here—complete with a rock-solid DAC stage to complete any signal chain. Meet the Drop + xDuoo TA-84 OTL Tube Amp/DAC. Designed to deliver signature tube "warmth" without excess noise, this compact desktop powerhouse utilizes Output Transformerless (OTL) topology to manage signal without a transformer, greatly reducing distortion.
For the preamp phase, it features dual ECC-82 tubes; and for the power amp phase, it runs dual EL-84 pentodes—both popular options in the audiophile amplifier space. To hit that sweet spot with any set of headphones (or powered speakers), the TA-84 is also equipped with an ultra-precise stepped potentiometer for volume control, plus a gain switch to further control the output level. On Drop, and on your desk—it's tube time. Finally.
For the preamp phase, it features dual ECC-82 tubes; and for the power amp phase, it runs dual EL-84 pentodes—both popular options in the audiophile amplifier space. To hit that sweet spot with any set of headphones (or powered speakers), the TA-84 is also equipped with an ultra-precise stepped potentiometer for volume control, plus a gain switch to further control the output level. On Drop, and on your desk—it's tube time. Finally.
(PR) Forza Motorsport's Live Service Program Outlined
Sat, 23 Sep 2023
Forza Motorsport will expand with new cars, tracks, career tours and online events. Here's how we're building an evolving racing platform to give players a steady flow of new challenges and gameplay experiences. Forza Motorsport launches on October 10 with over 500 cars, 20 completely rebuilt tracks and our new career and online racing modes. It's a massive game from day one and it'll continue to grow over time.
We want to ensure you always have something new to play in Forza Motorsport. That's why we built the game to be an evolving racing platform. Once the game has been released, we expect to regularly add new content with monthly content drops that will help you fall in love with cars through skill and competition, as well as tweaks to gameplay and systems.
We want to ensure you always have something new to play in Forza Motorsport. That's why we built the game to be an evolving racing platform. Once the game has been released, we expect to regularly add new content with monthly content drops that will help you fall in love with cars through skill and competition, as well as tweaks to gameplay and systems.
NVIDIA Foresees Greater Reliance on AI Rendering Techniques in Games
Sat, 23 Sep 2023
Digital Foundry organized an AI Visuals Roundtable earlier this week, with Alex Battaglia (Video Producer) acting as host—the main topic being a recently visually upgraded version of Cyberpunk 2077. Guests included: Bryan Catanzaro (NVIDIA's Vice President Applied Deep Learning Research), Jakub Knapik (VP Art and Global Art Director at CD Projekt RED), Jacob Freeman (GeForce Marketing Evangelist) and Pedro Valadas (PCMR Founder). Team Green, naturally, advocates its newly released DLSS 3.5 and Ray Reconstruction technologies—brute force rendering techniques are considered passé, and no longer an ideal solution for upcoming GPU generations. Valadas was curious enough to ask whether NVIDIA had any plans to target reasonable performance levels—minus DLSS—at native resolutions.
Catanzaro focused on the benefits introduced in Update 2.0 and Phantom Liberty: "I think that DLSS 3.5 actually makes Cyberpunk 2077 even more beautiful than native rendering...that's my belief. The reason being that the AI is able to make smarter decisions about how to render a scene...and I think that's going to continue to develop." He half jokingly states that rasterization is a "bag of fakeness." A combination of DLSS and path tracing is preferred over old hat methods—thus attaining the most realistic visual results. He summarizes with his own slogan: "Native rendering is fake frames." Catanzaro predicts that real-time graphics industries will become increasingly reliant on AI-processed image reconstruction and rendering technologies in the future. He hopes that AAA game environments will become cheaper to make in due time—with a shift to neural rendering. DLSS 10 could interface with game engine technology at a higher level, with a possible outcome being the creation of more "immersive and beautiful" experiences.
Catanzaro focused on the benefits introduced in Update 2.0 and Phantom Liberty: "I think that DLSS 3.5 actually makes Cyberpunk 2077 even more beautiful than native rendering...that's my belief. The reason being that the AI is able to make smarter decisions about how to render a scene...and I think that's going to continue to develop." He half jokingly states that rasterization is a "bag of fakeness." A combination of DLSS and path tracing is preferred over old hat methods—thus attaining the most realistic visual results. He summarizes with his own slogan: "Native rendering is fake frames." Catanzaro predicts that real-time graphics industries will become increasingly reliant on AI-processed image reconstruction and rendering technologies in the future. He hopes that AAA game environments will become cheaper to make in due time—with a shift to neural rendering. DLSS 10 could interface with game engine technology at a higher level, with a possible outcome being the creation of more "immersive and beautiful" experiences.
(PR) Discover THRUSTMASTER i-LAND, an add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator & X-Plane
Sat, 23 Sep 2023
Since their respective releases, Microsoft Flight Simulator and X-Plane have revolutionized the world of flight simulation by providing civil aviation enthusiasts with an unparalleled immersive experience. One of the features pilots appreciate most about these two games is the ability to incorporate add-ons and sceneries. Thanks to this feature, both game worlds are constantly evolving, transforming the fan experience with new content developed by the community.
Created by our development team, THRUSTMASTER i-LAND is the official Thrustmaster add-on for those looking to take their flying experience to brave new heights. THRUSTMASTER i-LAND is an oasis of diversity and adventure in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This fictional island is designed for flyers of every level—from newbies to seasoned pilots—with a sensational array of challenges and destinations to explore.
Created by our development team, THRUSTMASTER i-LAND is the official Thrustmaster add-on for those looking to take their flying experience to brave new heights. THRUSTMASTER i-LAND is an oasis of diversity and adventure in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This fictional island is designed for flyers of every level—from newbies to seasoned pilots—with a sensational array of challenges and destinations to explore.
(PR) Qualcomm Unveils 10G Fiber Gateway Platform for Ultimate Connected Home Performance
Sat, 23 Sep 2023
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is ushering in a new era of home connectivity, and new opportunities for service providers, with the introduction of the Qualcomm 10G Fiber Gateway Platform and its signature feature, Qualcomm Service Defined Wi-Fi technology.
The overwhelming majority of subscribers experience their broadband service through Wi-Fi. In today's broadband systems, the access network from the service provider to the home and Wi-Fi within the home are managed separately - with a quality of service which is nearly impossible to maintain across the entire network, given the diversity of devices, applications, connectivity technologies, and the near-constant change across all these elements.
The overwhelming majority of subscribers experience their broadband service through Wi-Fi. In today's broadband systems, the access network from the service provider to the home and Wi-Fi within the home are managed separately - with a quality of service which is nearly impossible to maintain across the entire network, given the diversity of devices, applications, connectivity technologies, and the near-constant change across all these elements.
(PR) Path of Exile 2 Dev Presents Bosses & Monsters
Fri, 22 Sep 2023
During ExileCon 2023, several of our developers gave presentations on their area of expertise in game development. We'll be publishing these talks in our news over the coming weeks, starting with a presentation on the Bosses and Monsters of Path of Exile 2 by Game Director Mark Roberts. In this video, Mark discusses the various aspects of boss design in Path of Exile 2, showcases some bosses from Path of Exile 2, and invites members of the audience to test their might against the bosses on stage. Check it out below!
Path of Exile 2 is a next generation Action RPG created by Grinding Gear Games. Set years after the original Path of Exile, you will return to the dark world of Wraeclast and seek to end the corruption that is spreading. Path of Exile 2 is a free-to-play online multiplayer game with co-op for up to six players. Path of Exile 2 is a separate game to the original Path of Exile. We will continue to offer expansions for both games going forward. They are completely free-to-play and will never be "pay to win". Purchases are shared between the two games. Launching on PC, macOS, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.
Path of Exile 2 is a next generation Action RPG created by Grinding Gear Games. Set years after the original Path of Exile, you will return to the dark world of Wraeclast and seek to end the corruption that is spreading. Path of Exile 2 is a free-to-play online multiplayer game with co-op for up to six players. Path of Exile 2 is a separate game to the original Path of Exile. We will continue to offer expansions for both games going forward. They are completely free-to-play and will never be "pay to win". Purchases are shared between the two games. Launching on PC, macOS, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.
Valve Not Rushing Out Steam Deck 2
Fri, 22 Sep 2023
Valve has not kept the prospect of a Steam Deck successor very secret—their Proton-based handheld gaming system will eventually become a "multi-generational product." Gabe Newell (going back to early 2022) outlined some initial ambitions for the second iteration, with a teaser: "what are the capabilities that mobile gives us, above and beyond what you would get in a traditional desktop or laptop gaming environment?" One of the project's main architects, Pierre-Loup Griffais, has discussed the prospect of a "Steam Deck 2" with The Verge and CNBC—his team's progress hinges on striking an optimal balance between performance and power efficiency (on battery). The follow-up is not arriving any time soon, despite rival companies preparing alternative portable gaming experiences—Griffais said: "I don't anticipate such a leap to be possible in the next couple of years."
Steam Deck, in its current form, seems to be the main priority for the immediate future. Griffais was a keynote speaker at Tokyo Game Show 2023, so communicated with Verge via email: "It's important to us that the Deck offers a fixed performance target for developers, and that the message to customers is simple, where every Deck can play the same games. As such, changing the performance level is not something we are taking lightly, and we only want to do so when there is a significant enough increase to be had...but we're still closely monitoring innovations in architectures and fabrication processes to see where things are going." Griffais re-confirmed this stance in an interview with CNBC (at TGS 2023)—Valve wants more gamers to adopt the platform before a push into next-gen—with improved user interfaces, more development partners and an ironing out of supply chain issues: "We're looking at this performance target that we have as a stable target for a couple years."
Steam Deck, in its current form, seems to be the main priority for the immediate future. Griffais was a keynote speaker at Tokyo Game Show 2023, so communicated with Verge via email: "It's important to us that the Deck offers a fixed performance target for developers, and that the message to customers is simple, where every Deck can play the same games. As such, changing the performance level is not something we are taking lightly, and we only want to do so when there is a significant enough increase to be had...but we're still closely monitoring innovations in architectures and fabrication processes to see where things are going." Griffais re-confirmed this stance in an interview with CNBC (at TGS 2023)—Valve wants more gamers to adopt the platform before a push into next-gen—with improved user interfaces, more development partners and an ironing out of supply chain issues: "We're looking at this performance target that we have as a stable target for a couple years."