June 2025 PCG Article Discussion

[DXCHASE]

Relooted is a high-tech heist game about reclaiming African artifacts from Western collections, which are said to hold '90% of sub-Saharan African cultural heritage'

Benevolent yoinking.

www.pcgamer.com

Found this game today. Saw the trailer and watched the day of the devs stream bit about it. The steam discussion section is a cesspool of toxicity towards the concept of the game and the developers themselves. Looks like a neat little heist-platformer but i have a feeling its going to be buried under all the hate around this game.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I spoke with Arm about PC gaming and was told that Windows software compatibility is 'largely a solved problem'

But the future of Windows on Arm gaming will depend on developers.

www.pcgamer.com

Bergey hinted at what seems to be the crux of the matter and the crux of the future for PC gaming on Arm, if there is to be such a future:

"I think that generally, there's becoming more and more value for game developers to be, I guess, instruction set agnostic … As there becomes more of these kind of cross platform [integrations, eg, between Android and Chrome], it's going to become more and more important or interesting to developers say, you know, of course, we'll do an Arm build as well as our x86 build."

I pressed Bergey a little on this, and he explained what this might look like moving forward:

"I think what happens is that developers just say, 'I'm going to go support the arm ecosystem and the x86 ecosystem,' right? I don't think that they're going to have to do this kind of like, pick one, right? I think what you'll just see is developers say, Hey, I'm just going to go support both.

"And of course, there's extra work, and of course, there's going to need to be some industry incentive and stuff to make that happen. But that's the same thing with, you know, supporting an AMD graphics card and an Nvidia graphics card, right? … But at the end of the day, it's in the game developer's best interest to support [both]."

In other words, then, it looks like Arm sees the solution to Windows on Arm gaming compatibility to be in the hands of game developers choosing to make that choice to build in native Arm support.

Relevant to the ARM compatibility stuff we were talking about the other day. According to this guy theyll be relying on devs to provide the compatibility for both x86 and ARM. Seems like thats a chicken and egg situation for me, where devs for traditional games (console and PC) dont really have a reason to spend resources on it unless theres already a market.

Now if the main consoles go ARM at some point then they'd be in a better position. Until then its going to be pretty niche I would think. People buying a PC mainly for gaming are going to want to play everything and have no incentive to buy an ARM based system.

As far as whatever emulation layers can work, from this article it seems like thats not a universal solution, at least not for some time or they would have mentioned it.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Splitgate 2 boss apologizes for the 'division' caused by his MAGA-style hat but still insists it wasn't meant to be political: 'There's division in the community, and for that I am truly sorry'

1047 Games chief Ian Proulx is now here to apologize, and he's sorry you took it the wrong way.

www.pcgamer.com

I'm genuinely sorry, but if I don't type the following words I'm going to explode like Karlach or Gale. I'll try to keep it vague and generic.

This is a perfect example of why someone got reelected. A lot of independents, like myself, are sick of the political intolerance from one side of the aisle. I would love to write for an hour on this, but I think that gets my point across.

If only PCG wouldn't close their comments down to prevent dissenting political opinion (another example of the problem)...

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Splitgate 2 boss apologizes for the 'division' caused by his MAGA-style hat but still insists it wasn't meant to be political: 'There's division in the community, and for that I am truly sorry'

1047 Games chief Ian Proulx is now here to apologize, and he's sorry you took it the wrong way.

www.pcgamer.com

I'm genuinely sorry, but if I don't type the following words I'm going to explode like Karlach or Gale. I'll try to keep it vague and generic.

This is a perfect example of why someone got reelected. A lot of independents, like myself, are sick of the political intolerance from one side of the aisle. I would love to write for an hour on this, but I think that gets my point across.

If only PCG wouldn't close their comments down to prevent dissenting political opinion (another example of the problem)...

There's a paradox there, but lets not get into it any more than that

 

[Colif]

I’m a bit of a stickler. I’ve not been very fond of the panoramic glass siding in modern PC cases. I think in certain cases it looks a bit tacky, or has too much of a “sci-fi” edge to it, personally not my taste. However this new case from ASUS has me rethinking that. Aside from that very tasteful lower vent cutout, I think the overall look of the panoramic glass is also very nice. The thick, bold, rounded black edges help a lot I think. I hope that the lower vent proves to be actually useful.

bottom venting for GPU is the new trend. Two cases did it last year and now everyone is following. One of those two cases is what I bought.
I don't like the fish tank look. Shame the chances of us getting an all glass case increases with lian li mounting fans in glass

Lian Li is replacing mesh front panels with tempered glass on its new Lancool cases

New cases, power supply units, and an AIO cooler with a curved LCD screen

www.tomshardware.com

Silverstone made a joke case last year and people wanted it so much, they made that new one with the fake front. They make good cases, its just their best are out of my price range. I had 2 of their cases in the past.

 

[BeardyHat]

bottom venting for GPU is the new trend.

About time manufacturers get with the times. I've been bottom venting my entire life; my wife doesn't appreciate it, but I'd rather bottom vent than spend my life in discomfort.

 

[Colif]

Wonders if you have mesh there to block dust

 

[Zed Clampet]

Wonders if you have mesh there to block dust

Dust can't sneak up on you like it could in the days before most of the case was glass.

 

[Colif]

Dust had the cover of solid metal sides to hide its evil work. There are still enough metal parts in there for it to cling to. But it is hard to ignore once you can't see through the glass.

I expect there is plenty of dust in mums PC since we have never taken sides off in 7 years. I don't mind if it chokes. I would prefer she use mine. Put a towel over my old one a few days ago so it doesn't fill with dust while its off.

Prior to 2010 the heat produced by parts in the system was so low you didn't really need that many fans and for a long time, actually filtering the dust wasn't even a thought. Its only since GPU started growing and needing more fresh air, that PC cases started to care about letting air in - the hdd bays were in the way as well, and filtering it to stop dust was really only a feature on top end cases until maybe 2015.

Cases went from being 4 closed off sheets of metal with maybe a vent on rear for fans, to fish tanks, in the space of 15 years. Neither really breath all that well, so in the last 10 years or so mesh cases were also an option.

going blind stops me seeing dust in my case. I also figure an all white case will make it even harder to see. Perfect. So far the only dust I can see is on my GPU... the only black thing in case... typical.

Easiest way for me to tell if there is dust in PC is by tracking temperatures and noise.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

The Alters is tough, relentless, unforgettable, and everything I say or do matters

Fraught and flexible, The Alters expertly blends storytelling with survival

www.pcgamer.com

Looks like 11bit made another game for me. Excited to get this tomorrow, especially when I have the house to myself Friday and all Saturday, its like it was meant to be.

 

[Zed Clampet]

The Alters is tough, relentless, unforgettable, and everything I say or do matters

Fraught and flexible, The Alters expertly blends storytelling with survival

www.pcgamer.com

Looks like 11bit made another game for me. Excited to get this tomorrow, especially when I have the house to myself Friday and all Saturday, its like it was meant to be.

I don't know anything about it except for "clones". I'll check it out, though.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I don't know anything about it except for "clones". I'll check it out, though.

They made Frostpunk and This War Of Mine, both have the story telling interwoven with the gameplay in a way I really like and this one looks like it has a similar thing going on.

 

[DXCHASE]

The Switch 2 has already sold 3.5 million units, making it Nintendo's fastest selling console yet—but I'm struggling to feel enthusiastic about this hardware launch

More of the same but at what cost?

www.pcgamer.com

A lot of people..errr gamers, will buy this then get mad that a games characters dont look super hot, or you can choose your pronouns or you have to sign up for an account somewhere but theyll pay 85+ for a small game that only runs on 1 system because they think that its fair enough to support a company with probably the most anti-gamer, consumer, fun, inclusive stuff on the gaming market.

I know that the market is full of people/kids that dont play anywhere else, i know theres more than the US market but how long are gamers gonna let nintendo be a pos to anyone who tries to emulate a game of theirs or even using a similar idea?

They are the biggest reason imo why games will start being 80 and more but it makes more sense to pay 80 for a multi-console AAA studio game than one thats ONLY for the switch 2. Honestly, this kinda of support is worse than people who pay 2500+ for a gpu. At least you get more FPS now than the Switch 45 will have. Kidding but seriously, that investment makes more sense as a gamer than a switch 2 with 2-3 games and then all the extra crap you have to pay for to use on the switch.

If you dont have time to play at a stationary spot, there are tons of options that are better than Switch 2 also (literally being able to play anything other than a nintendo game puts every handheld MILES ahead of switch consoles.)

Speaking of, so my Verizon fios sign-up comes with a free switch. IDK when im going to get it but i might just up and sell it and use that money to get a steam deck.

Dont make it make sense because in the world of gaming, this makes perfect sense.

 

[BeardyHat]

Steam Deck 2 will run Switch 2 games better than Switch 2.

At any rate, Nintendo Mind Virus types can have their silly expensive consoles and games that won't work when they buy the next one. We're doing just fine in our niche, with our cheap Indie, Management and Simulator games.

 

[Zed Clampet]

They made Frostpunk and This War Of Mine, both have the story telling interwoven with the gameplay in a way I really like and this one looks like it has a similar thing going on.

I wonder if Valve wouldn't let them presell the game or if they decided just not to do it? Valve has weird rules for this, but they let Expedition 33 presales happen, and that was the studio's first game. 11 Bit not only makes great games, they publish great games, too. It's just bizarre if Valve hasn't approved them for presales.

Anyway, a lot of the games they've published are on deep discount right now, some of them 80 to 90 percent off. Think I'll grab a couple.

Unfortunately, the one that is far and away most interesting to me, Indika, is only 35 precent off.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Steam Deck 2 will run Switch 2 games better than Switch 2.

At any rate, Nintendo Mind Virus types can have their silly expensive consoles and games that won't work when they buy the next one. We're doing just fine in our niche, with our cheap Indie, Management and Simulator games.

The nice thing about PC is that "niche" doesn't mean what it does elsewhere because we basically get every game not made by the law firm, and we get thousands more games each year than any of the consoles. I'll go through stretches of time where none of the games I play are anywhere other than PC.

 

[neogunhero]

A fresh benchmark for Nvidia's unannounced consumer APU suggests it's coming for Intel and AMD's finest and is maybe close to production-ready

The DGX Spark silicon could soon be brought to consumer laptops.

www.pcgamer.com

One area of hardware that I hope to see emerge in the future is AiO gaming PC's. The tech to make it happen is rapidly expanding, with chips the size of a standard CPU delivering up to RTX 5070 performance if this extremely early benchmark is to be believed. Digital Storm attempted this in 2016 (WCCF Tech link), and stuffed a full size GTX 1080 inside of it. The chips we have today are a fraction of the size with more power. I'm not exactly sure who the market would be for, and there would have to be features that make it more enticing than getting a gaming laptop. Larger displays give more room to work behind it though, so it could feature much better cooling that what is found in laptops today, much better screens, and the ability to have desktop grade hardware rather than cheaper/sometimes slower laptop variants. Downsides compared to having a desktop is lack of configuration in your components, perhaps hard to get inside and tinker, so again I'm not sure if there is even a market for it although we have tech to achieve it. Perhaps they could make good entry level gaming PC's for children who just want to plug it into a wall and have it go.

 

[BeardyHat]

The nice thing about PC is that "niche" doesn't mean what it does elsewhere because we basically get every game not made by the law firm, and we get thousands more games each year than any of the consoles. I'll go through stretches of time where none of the games I play are anywhere other than PC.

I emulate quite a lot, though usually on a handheld. However, everything I'm actually emulating could be easily done on a PC. In fact, I have my Steam Deck setup to emulate PS2, GameCube and Wii U.

All that said, I don't really play them at all. If I'm playing old games, I'd usually rather play old PC games rather than old console games.

And that's the thing that you point out: PC gets so many more games, of comparable or better quality to Nintendo, I just don't understand why anyone would bother. The characters? Blah. The games themselves never feel remotely interesting; they're all very basic and frictionless, it seems or at least lacking some sort of soul that I do find in plenty of other games. I own a 3DS and a DS, but don't play any Nintendo first party games on them because I find them so bland. I've tried and tried again, but they just don't click for me.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Dune: Awakening players have found a devious way to grief each other outside of PvP zones

A strategically placed base can ruin anyone's day.

www.pcgamer.com

Yeah, that settles it. Not buying this one. I don't mind people trying to grief, but when they can do it with zero consequences, I'm out.

 

[Zloth]

Mort's review of Altars

View: https://youtu.be/3Jb8xw2DiwM?si=5AwKQxgJnbfY-14J


That 'only saves at the start of the day' has me worried. Maybe days are shorter than I'm thinking?

 

[BeardyHat]

Dune: Awakening players have found a devious way to grief each other outside of PvP zones

A strategically placed base can ruin anyone's day.

www.pcgamer.com

Yeah, that settles it. Not buying this one. I don't mind people trying to grief, but when they can do it with zero consequences, I'm out.

This game wasn't on my radar or at least, I didn't care about it and now I really don't. Have to wonder why they didn't do private servers like Valheim so this can't happen.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Mort's review of Altars

View: https://youtu.be/3Jb8xw2DiwM?si=5AwKQxgJnbfY-14J


That 'only saves at the start of the day' has me worried. Maybe days are shorter than I'm thinking?

THANK YOU!!!

Another game I can skip.

 

[Pifanjr]

This game wasn't on my radar or at least, I didn't care about it and now I really don't. Have to wonder why they didn't do private servers like Valheim so this can't happen.

You can rent a private server if you prefer. You'll still be able to see other people from other private servers in the massive multiplayer parts of the game (the Deep Desert) and you can invite them to your private server, but you can also just set a password and don't interact with any of that.

 

[Zed Clampet]

I spoke with Arm about PC gaming and was told that Windows software compatibility is 'largely a solved problem'

But the future of Windows on Arm gaming will depend on developers.

www.pcgamer.com

Relevant to the ARM compatibility stuff we were talking about the other day. According to this guy theyll be relying on devs to provide the compatibility for both x86 and ARM. Seems like thats a chicken and egg situation for me, where devs for traditional games (console and PC) dont really have a reason to spend resources on it unless theres already a market.

Now if the main consoles go ARM at some point then they'd be in a better position. Until then its going to be pretty niche I would think. People buying a PC mainly for gaming are going to want to play everything and have no incentive to buy an ARM based system.

As far as whatever emulation layers can work, from this article it seems like thats not a universal solution, at least not for some time or they would have mentioned it.

According to this article:

Valve does its homework the night before deadline: Switches Steam to run on Mac chips right as Apple announces it's ditching Intel for good

Incredible news if you are A) Me B) One of like three other people on Earth.

www.pcgamer.com

Apple developed software called Rosetta that translated Mac software into ARM on the fly. Of course, Apple has the best software engineers on the planet, but I don't understand why we can't have something like this for Windows/ARM.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

According to this article:

Valve does its homework the night before deadline: Switches Steam to run on Mac chips right as Apple announces it's ditching Intel for good

Incredible news if you are A) Me B) One of like three other people on Earth.

www.pcgamer.com

Apple developed software called Rosetta that translated Mac software into ARM on the fly. Of course, Apple has the best software engineers on the planet, but I don't understand why we can't have something like this for Windows/ARM.

Yea I'm sure theres ways and means, but if some things dont work and others are not as good as native then ARM based machines better be cheaper. Looking at Rosetta it seems it also doesnt work for everything either.

As I said before, I'm interested in the modularity of a gaming machine. I want to replace things piece by piece as and when needed. If they provide that with ARM parts that work universally and just as well or better than currently then I'd be happy. If they take that away I'll be disappointed, but in the end if its the only way to play games it'll just have to be that way.