Steam

An open-source tool for Windows PCs with Nvidia GPUs adds eye-tracked foveated rendering to a huge number of SteamVR games. Called PimaxMagic4All, the tool re-implements a feature Pimax ships in its Pimax Play software used to set up and adjust its headsets. As such, if you already own a Pimax headset, you don't need this new tool. PimaxMagic4All should work with any SteamVR-compatible headset that exposes a low-level public API to retrieve eye tracking data, or which has third-party software that does so, including: Meta Quest Pro (via Steam Link or Virtual Desktop)PlayStation VR2 (via PSVR2Toolkit)Samsung Galaxy XR (via Virtual Desktop)Play For Dream MR (via Virtual Desktop)Varjo Aero What Is Foveated Rendering? Fixed Foveated Rendering (FFR) means rendering the central area of the image at a higher resolution than the peripheral area.Eye-Tracked Foveated Rendering (ETFR), occasionally also called Dynamic Foveated Rendering, means rendering the area you're looking at each frame at higher resolution than everywhere else, determined by the eye tracking capability of some headsets. Both techniques save performance in VR, and this can be used to either run demanding experiences at a smoother framerate or render experiences already hitting framerate at higher peak resolution. FFR comes with noticeable pixelation at the edges, but works on any headset, while with ETFR there shouldn't be any noticeable difference, assuming the eye tracking system has low enough latency. The developer says that it should "likely" work with Valve's Steam Frame too, when streaming from a Windows PC with an Nvidia GPU, and in theory could work with HTC Vive Pro Eye and Vive Focus Vision with additional development time. The developer, by the way, is Matthieu Bucchianeri, a name you may recognize if you're a regular UploadVR reader. Bucchianeri is a very experienced developer, having worked on the PS4 and original PlayStation VR at Sony, Falcon 9 and Dragon at SpaceX, and HoloLens and Windows MR at Microsoft, where he currently works on Xbox. At Microsoft he contributed to OpenXR, and in his spare time he developed OpenXR Toolkit, VDXR (Virtual Desktop's OpenXR runtime), and most recently Oasis, the native SteamVR driver that revived Windows MR headsets. PimaxMagic4All has a simple graphical interface with three levels of foveated rendering: Maximum, Balanced, and Minimum. You can choose between prioritizing increasing performance, achieving a result where you shouldn't notice the difference, or a balance of the two. The tool can inject foveated rendering into any title that uses the DirectX 11 graphics API and OpenVR, Valve's deprecated API for SteamVR. The game also needs to not have an anti-cheat system, since those will prevent code injection. And remember, you need to have an Nvidia graphics card. You can find a small list of supported titles on the GitHub project's wiki page, and it includes Half-Life: Alyx, Skyrim VR, Fallout 4 VR, Elite Dangerous, Assetto Corsa, and Boneworks. But this is only a fraction of the total number of games that should be supported in theory. Note that three titles you won't need this for are Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, DCS, and iRacing, since all three now support OpenXR eye-tracked foveated rendering natively. PimaxMagic4All is available on GitHub, where you'll find both the source code and compiled releases. View the full article

He also questions "who the f*** is playing" GOTY nominee Donkey Kong BananzaView the full article

He praises Dispatch's cast for "elevating the material in a way that you're just not going to get [with AI]"View the full article

Brendan Greene, the enigmatic PlayerUnknown, is best known for creating PUBG. With the battle royale now owned by Korean giant Krafton, Greene has turned his mind to a new game, Prologue Go Wayback. It's as ambitious a survival game as PUBG was a shooter, and Greene will surely be hoping it can have a similar impact on the industry. The recently announced Prologue Go Wayback early access roadmap promises a deluge of punishing survival action in early access, but Greene has recently been making headlines for his stance on generative AI, which stands in stark contrast to investor Krafton's position on the technology. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: PUBG creator's unforgiving survival game just got a new early access roadmap, and it's looking stacked One of the most realistic and savage survival games I've ever played, PUBG creator's new project gets a launch date Prologue game release date window, trailers, and latest news View the full article

How to get them, and take full advantage of all specialists' buffsView the full article

As the messy breakdown between Krafton and Subnautica 2 developer and subsidiary Unknown Worlds goes to court this week, an explosive new legal filing claims that Krafton's CEO discussed a takeover of the studio in Slack messages, and allegedly even turned to ChatGPT "to help him brainstorm ways to avoid paying the earnout." Unknown Worlds' entire leadership was fired amid a messy public falling out over a $250 million bonus from parent company, Krafton. For months now, most coverage about the sequel has concerned the painful breakdown between Unknown Worlds' founders and Krafton, which acquired Unknown Worlds in October 2021. Over the summer, reports came to light that Subnautica 2's early access release was delayed to 2026 just months before Krafton was due to pay a $250 million bonus to the development team "against the wishes of the studio’s former leadership." Krafton issued a response to the lawsuit filed by former leads of Subnautica 2, Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, offering rebuttals to the developers' claims and alleging they "resorted to litigation to demand a multimillion-dollar payout they haven't earned." Then, last month, Unknown Worlds itself sued its founders Cleveland, former CEO Ted Gill, and studio co-founder Max McGuire for allegedly stealing game design files shortly before they were fired. Now, in new legal paperwork, the founders allege Krafton CEO CH Kim and Unknown Worlds newly-appointed CFO Richard Yoon discussed a potential takeover over Slack, and allegedly used ChatGPT for ideas on how to get out of paying the bonus, and set up a "secret task force" to take over the studio. "In the lead-up to this decision, Krafton CEO CH Kim had become frustrated with the contract Krafton signed to acquire Unknown Worlds. From his seat, it had become a bad deal for Krafton — one 'under which [Krafton] can only be dragged around,'" the filing states. "Krafton created a secret task force called 'Project X' whose mandate was simple: either make a 'deal' with the Founders on the 'earnout' or execute a 'Take Over' of Unknown Worlds. When the Founders refused to accede to Krafton’s demands, Krafton pulled the trigger. "[Maria Park, Krafton's global head of corporate development] told Kim that ‘it seems to be highly likely that the earn-out will still be paid if the sales goal is achieved regardless of the dismissal with cause,'” the new filing adds. “Kim turned to artificial intelligence to help him brainstorm ways to avoid paying the earnout. ChatGPT likewise advised that it would be ‘difficult to cancel the earn-out.'” The cofounders allege that Krafton refused to "produce the ChatGPT conversations," later claiming "they no longer exist.” The filing also seeks to bolster Unknown Worlds' claims that Subnautica 2 was indeed ready for its planned soft launch, stating that Unknown Worlds’ playtest data, presented to Krafton in May, "showed that the game met players’ expectations." Furthermore, Krafton’s "own internal expert declared that the planned 2025 release would be best (and that firing Ted Gill would result in a multi-year development delay)," and Maria Park wrote "the game was ready for an August launch." In a statement to press, Krafton said: "There is nothing more important to us than ensuring the players get the best possible experience. We are looking forward to highlighting that all of our decisions have been focused on ensuring Subnautica 2 exceeds the high expectations that come from our players. "We were forced to make a change when the former leaders showed little interest in the development of Subnautica 2, which has always been our top priority. Now, this trial comes down to plaintiffs asking to be restored to jobs they were not doing, said they had no interest in doing, and had previously declined requests that they come back and do those jobs. "Krafton remains focused on what matters: delivering the best possible game to Subnautica’s fans." As for Subnautica 2 itself? Developer Unknown Worlds recently shared a behind-the-scenes look at an all-new deep-sea predator, and "how the team has used Unreal Engine 5 AI for lifelike behavior, real-time reactions and tense encounters for player." The 10-minute vlog is one of the first development updates we've had since the legal wrangling began over the summer. Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky. View the full article

OpenE2140 is bringing back Earth 2140, the classic RTS with it being powered by the OpenRA engine and a first release is out now. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

We compare six years of Nvidia's RTX 70 series, from the 2070 to the new 5070, to see whether the latest card truly moves forward or simply holds the line in performance and value. Read Entire Article View the full article

Arc Raiders' rusted gears are industrial loot found in cars and generators (among others)View the full article

Discover exotic landmarks, meet whimsical townsfolk, fish in tranquil waters, collect rare artifacts, and uncover secrets in a wondrous hand-drawn world. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Valve have released the big upgrade for Steam Deck that brings display-off low power downloads for everyone now, after a short time in Beta. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

The Power Station V-Ex is one of many exfil locations available on the Interchange map in Escape from Tarkov, and its exact position has changed, but only slightly. At first, I had the impression that the old SUV extracted from the map had been replaced after Update 1.0. However, the exfil's location is pretty much the same. If you're unable to find the exfil's changed location, this guide will erase all your worries. Where is the Power Station V-Ex location in Escape From Tarkov The Power Station V-Ex is located near the IDEA mall. I have marked the exfil's location in the screenshot below to give you a clear idea of where you've to reach. Image via Escape From Tarkov Wiki. Remix by Destructoid For reference, we will begin from the back of the mall, where Goshan Garage can be found. From there, we will have to head straight. The mall will be to your left, while the Power Station will be in the front. You'll have the car exit of the mall on your left. Head a bit forward, and you'll reach the Power Station. Screenshot by Destructoid Enter the Power Station through the gate, and turn left. The original exfil location used to be present over here, but that has changed only slightly. Proceed straight, and turn right. Screenshot by Destructoid You'll see a security kiosk and a couple of vehicles. The SUV is past those vehicles, as shown in the screenshot above. Once you reach the SUV, use it to exfil from the map. The SUV's functions are pretty much the same. The only difference is in its position. The Interchange map has received plenty of tweaks, including the introduction of the expanded zone. You can find the Smuggler's Tunnel extraction point at that location, and we have a guide to help you reach the spot quite easily. The post Power Station V-Ex location on Interchange in Escape from Tarkov appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons Battlemarked is coming soon to PC and consoles, and it could be a big hit with those who love turn-based titles. A digital adaptation of the classic board game, Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons Battlemarked will allow you to experience the Forgotten Realms in a new way. This countdown will help you keep track of the upcoming launch, allowing you to jump in at the first hour. Table of contentsDemeo x Dungeons & Dragons Battlemarked release countdownWhat to expect from Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons BattlemarkedDemeo x Dungeons & Dragons Battlemarked release countdown Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons Battlemarked will be launching worldwide on Nov. 20. Already announced by developer Resolution Games, there's unlikely to be any change in the launch schedule. If you're eager to know about the launch times, the following countdown will be of immense help. [hurrytimer id="1143061"] The countdown is based on the following timings. 9am PT11am CT12pm ET5pm UTC6pm CEST There won't be any type of advanced or early access, so everyone starts playing at the same time. Consoles and PC will be following the same schedule, so there's no New Zealand trick to exploit in this case. What to expect from Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons Battlemarked Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons Battlemarked is a tactical board game (digital adaptation) that can be played alone or with buddies. The basic premise is the same as the offline version, with all the actions taking place in the Forgotten Realms. All classic classes like the Paladin, Sorcerer, and more are present, but the digital version allows for quicker gameplay sessions. There are unique card abilities that will make every playthrough feel fresh and unique. With both solo and co-op, you can have a Dungeons & Dragons experience of your choice. There will be two campaigns at launch, with more planned for as post-launch DLC. The post Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons Battlemarked release countdown: Exact time and date appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

When asked to name the first microprocessor, search engines, and AI models from Google, DuckDuckGo, Bing, and ChatGPT consistently identify Intel's famous 4004, introduced in early 1971. Yet for more than 25 years it has been publicly known that the title should likely go to the MP944, a chip that... Read Entire Article View the full article

Battlefield 6 has released the patch notes for the upcoming November 18 update, giving players an idea of what to expect. The developers have already added various content after Battlefield 6’s launch, and this new update will bring another new map, along with more changes and bug fixes. View the full article

According to noted hardware leaker Momomo_us, Granite Rapids-WS will launch with at least 11 SKUs, led by the flagship Xeon 698X with 86 cores and 336 MB of cache. An earlier Open Benchmark listing suggests the chip will support 172 threads and reach clock speeds of up to 4.8 GHz. Read Entire Article View the full article

It's hard to imagine Minecraft retaining its long-running popularity without the modding scene it actively encouraged. Every possible variation on the blocky survival game has been experimented with at one point or another, and one of the most popular modded servers even saw its crew branch out to create their own Minecraft-inspired RPG. Hytale started development in 2015, and then its development studio Hypixel was bought by Riot Games in 2020. Progress reset when the engine switched from Java/C# to C++, in order to be far more workable for consoles, and while that seemed like a good idea on paper what actually happened was a long development process got even longer. More years passed until eventually this summer Hytale was canceled, a victim of ambitious scope-creep. View the full article

According to a reliable source in the Genshin Impact community, the team at HoYoverse is adding three new characters in Version 6.3: Columbina, Zibai, and Illuga. Much like Version 5.3 in 2025, Genshin Impact is aiming for a strong start to 2026 by adding three characters to the playable roster. Whereas Version 5.3 was led by Mavuika, the star of Version 6.3 is intended to be Columbina – the Moon Maiden of Nod-Krai and former Fatui Harbingers. Columbina is expected to be a 5-Star Hydro Catalyst who provides buffs to Lunar Reactions, but Version 6.3 may have more in store for players than just the debut of a capstone to Nod-Krai teams. View the full article

A new Steam client has been released and will be automatically downloaded. Friends & Chat Suspicious or harassing 1 on 1 chat messages can now be reported directly in the chat window by right clicking the message or from the suspicious chat warning. You can optionally block and/or unfriend the other user while submitting the report. Added a suspicious chat warning that will appear at the top of the chat window when you receive a message that is potentially malicious. Links in chat are disabled while this warning is visible. General Fixed a case where certain collections would become unavailable to user after reinstalling Steam or installing Steam on a new machine. Fixed DLC content being removed when switching users in some cases. Fixed some titles launching with incorrect Steam Play settings when installed right after purchase. Fixed client and chat windows not saving location when moved. Accessibility Improved high contrast support in the settings dialog. Steam Input Fixed an issue with gyro sensitivity introduced in the previous beta release. Fixed an issue with PS5 controller gyro over BT, and improved Nintendo controllers' gyro stability generally. Fixed swapping modes between left and right hand sources breaking bindings for mode-shifts. Fixed the guide button opening the overlay when the guide button is disabled in controller settings. Fixed deadlock at startup when launching TF2 with a gamepad connected. Fixed Xbox 360 controller mappings on Linux kernel 6.17 and newer. Fixed 8BitDo Pro 3 controller mapping on Linux when hidraw devices aren't available. Fixed an issue where PlayStation controller light bar settings did not stick when exiting the controller calibration page Added support for the 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller. Big Picture Mode Fixed alerts not showing up on Steam web pages. Fixed hidden games showing in All and Library tabs. They now appear in their own tab if applicable. Remote Play Added a "Connect" button to Remote Play settings for streaming the remote desktop. When streaming VR, the mouse cursor is hidden and the streaming view is adjusted to match the client resolution. Don't switch to Big Picture when streaming to Steam Deck. Fixed mouse position when using multiple monitors with different display scales. Remote Play Together Fixed enabling and disabling player input in the Remote Play Together dialog. Input enable settings are persistent and are saved per-game. Improved mouse cursor sharing between players, with the local player having priority. Game Recording Fixed timeline markers sometimes not appearing when viewing recordings outside of a game or after deleting a user created marker. Fixed an issue where opening the Recordings & Screenshots dialog for the first time could trigger a reload of content in the main window, potentially losing state. SteamVR Reduced or eliminated a bug where the dashboard bar is occasionally missing. macOS Updated Steam app icon when running on macOS 26 ("Tahoe") View the full article

A new Steam client has been released and will be automatically downloaded. Friends & Chat Suspicious or harassing 1 on 1 chat messages can now be reported directly in the chat window by right clicking the message or from the suspicious chat warning. You can optionally block and/or unfriend the other user while submitting the report. Added a suspicious chat warning that will appear at the top of the chat window when you receive a message that is potentially malicious. Links in chat are disabled while this warning is visible. General Fixed a case where certain collections would become unavailable to user after reinstalling Steam or installing Steam on a new machine. Fixed DLC content being removed when switching users in some cases. Fixed some titles launching with incorrect Steam Play settings when installed right after purchase. Fixed client and chat windows not saving location when moved. Accessibility Improved high contrast support in the settings dialog. Steam Input Fixed an issue with gyro sensitivity introduced in the previous beta release. Fixed an issue with PS5 controller gyro over BT, and improved Nintendo controllers' gyro stability generally. Fixed swapping modes between left and right hand sources breaking bindings for mode-shifts. Fixed the guide button opening the overlay when the guide button is disabled in controller settings. Fixed deadlock at startup when launching TF2 with a gamepad connected. Fixed Xbox 360 controller mappings on Linux kernel 6.17 and newer. Fixed 8BitDo Pro 3 controller mapping on Linux when hidraw devices aren't available. Fixed an issue where PlayStation controller light bar settings did not stick when exiting the controller calibration page Added support for the 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller. Big Picture Mode Fixed alerts not showing up on Steam web pages. Fixed hidden games showing in All and Library tabs. They now appear in their own tab if applicable. Remote Play Added a "Connect" button to Remote Play settings for streaming the remote desktop. When streaming VR, the mouse cursor is hidden and the streaming view is adjusted to match the client resolution. Don't switch to Big Picture when streaming to Steam Deck. Fixed mouse position when using multiple monitors with different display scales. Remote Play Together Fixed enabling and disabling player input in the Remote Play Together dialog. Input enable settings are persistent and are saved per-game. Improved mouse cursor sharing between players, with the local player having priority. Game Recording Fixed timeline markers sometimes not appearing when viewing recordings outside of a game or after deleting a user created marker. Fixed an issue where opening the Recordings & Screenshots dialog for the first time could trigger a reload of content in the main window, potentially losing state. SteamVR Reduced or eliminated a bug where the dashboard bar is occasionally missing. macOS Updated Steam app icon when running on macOS 26 ("Tahoe") View the full article

We have just shipped an updated Steam Deck Client to the Stable channel. Display-Off Low Power Downloads Added a new feature, allowing Steam Deck to complete all active downloads in a new display-off low-power mode before going to sleep. This feature is enabled by default when Steam Deck is plugged in to power, and can also be enabled on battery power in Settings > Power. Learn more about this feature at our blog post here. General Fixed a case where certain collections would become unavailable to user after reinstalling Steam or installing Steam on a new machine. Fixed a case where a launch dialog could appear for a game that was blocked by parental controls. Fixed alerts not showing up on Steam web pages that appear on Steam Deck. Fixed the network icon on the header showing the wrong state during startup. Fixed the Quick Access Menu alignment when in game. Fixed hidden games showing in All and Library tabs. They now appear in their own tab if applicable. Fixed an issue where controls could lock up for several seconds after resume or on regaining a connection to Steam servers. Fixed some titles launching with incorrect Steam Play settings when installed right after purchase. Fixed a case where bluetooth devices wouldn't show up as available to pair when toggling bluetooth on. Fixed SteamOS updates failing to respect HTTP proxy configuration. Accessibility Improved high contrast support in the settings dialog. Friends & Chat Suspicious or harassing 1 on 1 chat messages can be reported directly in the chat window by selecting the message and pressing 'Options' or from the suspicious chat warning. You can optionally block and/or unfriend the other user while submitting the report. Added a suspicious chat warning that will appear at the top of the chat window when you receive a message that is potentially malicious. Links in chat are disabled while this warning is visible. Steam Input Fixed an issue with gyro sensitivity introduced in the previous beta release. Fixed an issue with PS5 controller gyro over BT, and improved Nintendo controllers' gyro stability generally. Fixed swapping modes between left and right hand sources breaking bindings for mode-shifts. Fixed the guide button opening the overlay when the guide button is disabled in controller settings. Added support for the latest GameInput release. Fixed an issue where PlayStation controller light bar settings did not stick when exiting the controller calibration page. Added support for the 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller. Remote Play Added a "Connect" button to Remote Play settings for streaming the remote desktop. Don't switch to Big Picture when streaming to Steam Deck. Remote Play Together Fixed enabling and disabling player input in the Remote Play Together dialog. Input enable settings are persistent and are saved per-game. Improved mouse cursor sharing between players, with the local player having priority. Game Recording Fixed timeline markers sometimes not appearing when viewing recordings outside of a game or after deleting a user created marker. Desktop Mode Fixed client and chat windows not saving location when moved. View the full article

fter two decades of Half-Life 3 rumors, each new burst of hope looks a lot like Charlie Brown once again getting set to kick a football. None of the suspicious lines of CS:GO code or yarn-webbed conspiracy board YouTube videos have actually preceded an announcement of the fabled Half-Life 2 sequel. And yet, here we all are again, charging down the field with renewed gusto following Valve's big hardware announcements... Read more.View the full article

Labyrinth of the ****** King is one of my top games of the year, a first person survival horror delve into Feudal Japan. Part of its appeal lies in the oppressive, stressful music and sound design by composer Remu Daifuku: This game has the worst, most disconcerting collection of gurgles, slurps, crunches, screeches, creaky floorboards, and haunting biwa string solos I ever done heard. I love it so much... Read more.View the full article

pre-trial brief filed by lawyers representing the ousted former heads of Subnautica 2 studio Unknown Worlds alleges that Krafton CEO Changham Kim was "desperate" to avoid paying them the bonuses required by their acquisition contract because of the "professional embarrassment" that would result from the perception that he overpaid for the studio. The filing claims Kim went so far as to consult with AI to figure a way out of paying, but even ChatGPT told him he was probably stuck... Read more.View the full article

According to information from several outlets, Vendetta, the newly-revealed hero coming to Overwatch 2 in Season 20, is going to be a damage-dealer. Though many suspected the gladiator would be a tank, it seems like Overwatch 2 might be getting its first dedicated melee DPS character instead. View the full article