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It's no secret that PC gamers can get a little bit precious about operating systems. As a case and point, almost three years after the release of Windows 11, it's only just started to come close to overtaking Windows 10 in the Steam Hardware Survey, despite the free upgrade path. While Windows 11 is still just short of Windows 10 in terms of its percentage share of Steam users, it's clear that Windows in general is still the preferred operating system, with a dominant 96.61% share of all systems. This news comes as we also learn that PC gamers are using controllers far more often than in recent years. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Secretlab's best gaming chair is $100 cheaper, but not for long Win a 1TB Steam Deck OLED and HyperX gaming gear bundle Lian Li just revolutionized PC PSU design, and we're here for it View the full article

The Diablo 4 Season 5 PTR is over, and the full launch is still a month away. Last Epoch's second cycle ******** a few days out, and Path of Exile 2 has been pushed back out of sight for now. So what's an APRG lover to do? The answer may lie with Torchlight Infinite, the free-to-play Steam game that's just launched its fifth season, Clockwork Ballet. Boasting its biggest update yet, there are plenty of reasons to jump in - and a lot of players already have. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Free Diablo rival Torchlight Infinite unleashes "biggest update ever" Free Diablo rival sees big uptick on Steam as anniversary update lands Waiting for Diablo 4? Torchlight Infinite aims to fill the gap in May View the full article

Live service games are defined by their communities. So many come and go without as much as a whisper, but the ones that endure do so because their fans share their favorite moments and create intricate stories around them. While Zenless Zone Zero has only just launched, and hasn't had time to capture people's hearts just yet, HoYoverse's previous game Honkai Star Rail did, and the new game contains a fun easter egg suggesting a link to its predecessor. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: How to increase ZZZ Inter-Knot level fast How to get Zenless Zone Zero Polychrome Best ZZZ Bangboo ranked, their skills, and their leveling materials View the full article

After a good bit of silence, 3 Minutes to Midnight is pretty much done now with the developers noting they're reading it for release in August. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Final Fantasy 14 producer and director Naoki Yoshida has released a statement explaining that players will be compensated with game time as an apology for Dawntrail's launch issues. Yoshida stated that Final Fantasy 14 players on Xbox Series X/S will receive ten days of game time, while players on all other platforms will get two days of game time. View the full article

Humble Choice has another fresh set of games available and it is once again a nice varied selection of titles. Here's your usual monthly run over the compatibly to see on Linux desktop and Steam Deck. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

The drive supports PCIe Gen4 using the familiar U.2 form factor but is also available in an E3.S form factor to leverage a PCIe Gen5 interface. The first models afford 61.44 TB of capacity, although Samsung teased that future iterations could push that to 122.88 TB – double the capacity... Read Entire Article View the full article

Factory building sim Factorio is getting a huge expansion with Factorio: Space Age set for release on October 21st along with a big free 2.0 update for everyone. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Shadow of the Erdtree has been out for a couple of weeks now, and while some of us (read: me) are still struggling through it, others have powered through and are twiddling their thumbs, waiting for the next challenge Elden Ring has to offer. While developer FromSoftware has said no more DLC will be coming, a new mod looks like it will overhaul the game to such a degree it may as well be a sequel. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: The best Elden Ring armor sets Best Elden Ring summons and spirit ashes locations The best Elden Ring builds View the full article

Fortnite developer Epic Games has referred Apple to the ********* Commission over its rejection in bringing its game store to the EU, Epic said in a statement on X/Twitter on Friday. In the X/Twitter thread, which you can read below, Epic says Apple has rejected the notarization submission of its game store twice. The reason given by Apple, Epic says, is similarities between the Epic Game Store's "Install" and "In-app purchases" buttons and Apple's "Get" and "In-App Purchases" labels. 1/3 Apple has rejected our Epic Games Store notarization submission twice now, claiming the design and position of Epic’s “Install” button is too similar to Apple's "Get" button and that our "In-app purchases" label is too similar to the App Store's "In-App Purchases" label. — Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) July 5, 2024 3/3 Apple's rejection is arbitrary, obstructive, and in violation of the DMA, and we've shared our concerns with the ********* Commission. Barring further roadblocks from Apple, we remain ready to launch in the Epic Games Store and Fortnite on iOS in the EU in the next couple of… — Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) July 5, 2024 Epic, however, argues that Apple's "rejection is arbitrary, obstructive, and in violation of the DMA (Digital Markets Act)," and that it is following standard conventions in order to make the Epic Game Store easy for users to understand. "Barring further roadblocks from Apple, we remain ready to launch in the Epic Games Store and Fortnite on iOS in the EU in the next couple of months," Epic adds. Epic previously announced that it would bring its digital storefront and Fornite back to iOS in Europe earlier this year. That's thanks in large part to the EU's Digital Markets Act and the resulting changes made to Apple's polices that made it possible for third-party companies to launch their own storefronts on the App Store. Today's statement is only the latest in Apple and Epic's ongoing regulatory feud, with Epic having taken Apple to task over the 30% cut it takes in in-app purchases. It led to a heavily followed antitrust trial in 2021, with the legal battle continuing over the years. Epic's case could be one of the first to demonstrate how Apple and other major companies affected by the DMA deal with the regulations. In March, EU regulators opened an investigation into Apple, Google, and Meta over non-compliance with the DMA policies, with it being revealed in June that Apple could be the first company to face charges over it. Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Over ten years and four expansions Square Enix explored the story of two warring gods, Hydaelyn and Zodiark, and the fractured worlds created through that, coming to a climactic finish in Endwalker. How do you follow up a decade of storytelling that’s garnered tens of millions of fans in the process? Final Fantasy 14’s answer is to do something drastically different with its newest expansion, Dawntrail, adopting a much lighter, more adventurous tone, tremendous visual changes, and introduces a new cast of characters. It’s still a Final Fantasy game through and through, but fascinatingly it feels like Dawntrail has drawn inspiration from another seminal, perpetually never-ending series: One Piece. When Dawntrail was first announced director Naoki Yoshida described it as a “Summer Vacation” for the Warrior of Light, that is to say, your player character. And it spawned a running joke within the community that this was going to be the “beach arc” — a light-hearted “break” that takes the characters away from the main drama for a couple of episodes like you see in many anime. But it turns out those comparisons may not have been completely off-base as the further you dig into Dawntrail’s layers the more it starts to feel like a shonen anime like Dragon Ball, Naruto, and most importantly for our comparison, One Piece. No other anime has captured the feeling of adventure quite like One Piece, and Eichiro Oda’s pirate epic has already been inspiring others for well over a decade. With that in mind, it feels like a natural line to draw for Dawntrail, an expansion that wants to move past the large world-hopping story of the last decade, and create something more grounded. Dawntrail, at its core, is a story about its ensemble cast rather than you the player. In fact, your Warrior of Light isn’t even the protagonist in the latest expansion. That honor goes to a newcomer named Wuk Lamat who serves as the Luffy of this story. And the two share more than a few commonalities. Wuk Lamat is a young starry-eyed hero who wants to make the world a better place and achieve her dream of becoming the ruler of the country of Tural, Dawntrail’s new setting. She’s inherently inexperienced and naive, but has a heart of gold, and most of Dawntrail’s story is about her learning to become a leader, while gathering a party of diverse allies in that process. Dawntrail couldn’t just do the same thing again, it had to be drastically different[.] Both Wuk Lamat and Luffy have that happy-go-lucky attitude that makes them initially seem aloof, but the deeper layer underneath shows they’re willing to do absolutely anything for their friends. It’s fascinating to see Wuk Lamat’s growth mimic Luffy’s, transforming from an unpredictable wild card to a genuinely charismatic and compelling captain. There are plenty of other parallels you can draw between the Scions and the Straw Hat crew, right down to the player filling the same role as Roronoa Zoro; the world-renowned legendary warrior who acts as a best friend and sidekick. But beyond just drawing those parallels, Dawntrail ensures that its peppy shonen story still feels deliberately Final Fantasy-esque. While Dawntrail’s entire narrative structure is nearly exactly the same as those first few arcs in One Piece — travel to new lands, learn the local culture, and inevitably solve their problems, all while on the hunt for a legendary treasure — but the connective tissue is the themes at the heart of Dawnrail, which speak to what the game has done for years but on a larger scale. This story of Dawntrail is all about Wuk Lamat finding her voice and transforming into a leader, using the help of a crew made up of wildly different people, who all experience their own growth. But at its the core it’s about relationships, and diving into the complexities of how people interact with each other, and more largely how cultures integrate together. That One Piece style of setup and storytelling is used to great effect in Dawntrail to deliver narrative punches. So much of this expansion is spent meticulously building up big personalities and delivering crucial character development, in service of a larger message about the nature of grief, acceptance, what it means to be happy, and how all of those ideas and emotions can exist at once. Like in One Piece, these themes are all filtered through a central character, with Wuk Lamat acting as a kind of compass through the narrative threads. Because the player Warrior of Light is taking on the role of a sidekick this time, we get to see these new elements of the game’s world through a unique perspective. One Piece has often done this same thing, using the veil of slapstick comedy or over-the-top characters to deliver truly remarkable, heartfelt storytelling. Dawntrail does that through familiarity, building on a world, characters, and lore that players have come to know and love across a decade. In that sense, Dawntrail is both a fresh start for the MMO and a continuation, using familiar elements to tell a story with a much different tone and style. But beyond just drawing those parallels, Dawntrail ensures that its peppy shonen story still feels deliberately Final Fantasy-esque. It’s a bold change that likely isn’t going to resonate with every player, especially those who were enthralled by the Hydaelyn and Zodiark narrative of previous expansions. But if Final Fantasy 14 wants to continue to break new ground, it also feels necessary. Dawntrail couldn’t just do the same thing again, it had to be drastically different, it had to pull its inspirations from somewhere new, and One Piece was a prime choice for both the setting and narrative themes. There’s a reason One Piece has cultivated such a massive fan following and continued running for over two decades. The way the franchise set itself up is impeccable, centering a complex cast of characters that have room to grow and change across a dozen different arcs. As Final Fantasy 14 moves past its last decade, that feels like the intent here. It wants to set up a core cast of characters and concepts that can be kept running, and luckily it already has most of those left over from the previous narrative arc. Dawntrail is proof that a lot of thought has been put into laying a foundation for the game to continue along as a serialized story, and having a lot in common with One Piece should already be considered a good sign. Hayes Madsen is a freelance writer for IGN. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

After more than four and a half years on the market, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is still surpassing sales milestones, recently eclipsing eight million copies sold. Even with one Dragon Ball game released after Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot and another on the horizon, the action RPG ******** popular among fans of the late Akira Toyiyama's work. View the full article

When it comes to sandbox automation games, Factorio has long been the go-to for that ultimate sense of intricate design, offering a wealth of tools to build out vast industrial complexes, ***** up every natural resource in sight, and ultimately launch rockets into space. Now, after much waiting, developer Wube Software finally tells us when we'll be able to continue our journey, as the Factorio Space Age DLC lets us head out across multiple planets. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Beloved, 97% rated Steam management game getting big QoL upgrades Factorio adds new feature that was considered "too *********" for years Factorio meets Overcooked in this this ******-feeding Steam demo View the full article

Escape from Tarkov is taking extra steps to ****** down on cheaters by offering players a cash bounty - in the extraction shooter’s in-game currency, anyway - for reporting ne’er-do-wells. Read more View the full article

The narrative director of LEGO Horizon Adventures has sidestepped the prospect of the game making its way to Xbox platforms. Developed by Guerrilla Games, LEGO Horizon Adventures came as a shock to many when it confirmed a simultaneous launch across PlayStation 5, PC, and Nintendo Switch for fall 2024, with Xbox fans seemingly missing out on the action. View the full article

If all those commissions, medals, and missing cargo locations aren’t enough to keep you busy, then Zenless Zone Zero has yet another feature for you: The New Eridu City Fund Battle Pass. With three Plans to choose from, plenty of daily, weekly, and seasonal tasks to complete, and several rewards, the New Eriudu City Fund Battle Pass is a fantastic feature in Zenless Zone Zero. That said, if you’re balancing ZZZ with other games with battle passes, it can be difficult to grasp how it works or decide whether the Growth or Premium Plans are actually worth it. In this guide, I’ll go over everything you need to know about the New Eridu Fund Battle Pass in Zenless Zone Zero. View the full article

They call it Satisfactory for a good reason. The factory and automation builder is one of the most satisfying PC games I've played. Nothing quite beats the feeling of looking out over your whirring industrial sprawl, knowing you've put it all together yourself. Offering a more approachable entry point to the genre than the likes of Factorio, Coffee Stain's excellent open-world sandbox game is finally ready for full release, and there's even a special addition coming to celebrate its 1.0 launch on Steam and the Epic Games Store. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Satisfactory is about to go up in price, but you can grab it cheap now The 13 best Satisfactory mods 2024 As Satisfactory 1.0 looms, its dev still has "a huge backlog of ideas" View the full article

Cristiano Ronaldo’s missed penalty against Slovenia caused the Portuguese icon to shed tears, but now he has two reasons to smile: Portugal is in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals and Ronaldo’s new Path to Glory card has pushed him level with Leo Messi in terms of EA FC 24 OVR rating. The rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo was at the forefront of FIFA ratings for more than a decade, with the legends trading places as the highest-rated player in the series from year to year. The EA FC 24 tie appeared to be settled with Messi being the winner, but Ronaldo has crept right back in with a midsummer blockbuster of a card. View the full article

What's better than buying a Steam Deck OLED? Winning a free one, of course! Team17 is celebrating the upcoming launch of its terrifying new WWII horror game, Conscript, on July 23, and it's marking this momentous occasion by giving away a 1TB Steam Deck OLED, some cool HyperX gaming gear, and some copies of the game. The Steam Deck OLED might not eclipse its competitors in terms of raw gaming power, but it's still easily one of the best handheld gaming PCs in large part thanks to its simplicity and direct integration with Valve's platform. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Terrifying WWI horror game finally has a launch date and new demo Resident Evil and Dark Souls inspire brutal new WWI horror game New horror game is Resident Evil 4, but scarier and set in World War I View the full article

Thunder Cage is the first Ultimate ******* you get in The First Descendant, and it’s a really strong ****. It’s also the best ******* for Bunny thanks to its unique ability that deals with AoE Electrical damage. Whether you’re a Bunny main or are simply looking to make the most out of this Ultimate *******, here’s the best build for Thunder Cage in The First Descendant. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Factorio’s whopping Space Age expansion has been in the works for a good few years now, and we finally know when we’ll get our hands on it. Space Age will arrive this October alongside a major 2.0 update for the moreish factory-automating hit, with the expansion costing as much as the base game. It sounds like there’ll be plenty to show for that price, mind. Read more View the full article

One unlucky Elden Ring player had an exceptionally hard time defeating the final boss in the game's new Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, being blocked from entering the arena entirely. The player was summoned to help ****** Promised Consort Radahn, a boss some claim is the toughest battle in Elden Ring, but was quickly ******* in an unusual way before they could even meet Radahn face to face. View the full article

HoYoverse has revealed the release date for Genshin Impact Version 4.8, which will drop later this month and feature a new map, a new character, and much more. Genshin Impact's last update, Version 4.7, was released on June 5 and included two 5-star characters in Clorinde and Sigewinne, as well as the 4-star playable character Sethos. The update also introduced new weapons, new quests, event wishes, and Genius Invokation TCG Cards. View the full article

Developer Nexon has released the first post-launch update for The First Descendant, which brings some much-needed improvements to the game after its rough launch. Hotfix 1.0.1, out now across PC, PlayStation and Xbox, improves performance on PlayStation 5 specifically (the PS5 version has significant frame-rate issues), makes gameplay tweaks and various bug fixes, and fixes the logo sound volume on game launch. On gameplay, knockback and knockdown recovery times have been sped up by 1.5 times, and the maximum usage of the Eterllick shield skill per phase has been reduced from two times to one time. There are no changes to The First Descendant's heavily criticized monetization, however, which some have called "microtransaction *****." Nexon’s free-to-play co-op focused looter shooter, a sort of fusion of the likes of Warframe and Destiny, launched on June 30 and has seen huge player numbers on Steam (Sony and Microsoft do not reveal player numbers on PlayStation and Xbox). On Valve’s platform The First Descendant has seen 239,513 peak concurrent players so far, enough to put the game in Steam’s top five most-played games. Check out IGN's The First Descendant review in progress to find out what we think of the game so far. But the launch has endured significant problems, including the aforementioned frame-rate issues and ****** problems, with lots of players still waiting for promised rewards including Twitch drops. Nexon has issued multiple apologies and dished out compensation in the form of in-game resources and items, but that hasn’t stopped the complaints. Nexon even had to ask players to stop buying the same item multiple times through Steam or the PlayStation or Xbox platform stores because players weren’t getting what they paid for. The First Descendant hotfix 1.0.1 patch notes in full: Platform & System - Fixed the issue where the logo sound volume was too high when launching the game. - Server and client stabilization has been carried out. - (PS5) Removed unintended factors that were degrading performance. - (PS5, XSX) Fixed the issue where FSR Upscale was malfunctioning. Content Improvements - Knockback and knockdown recovery times have been sped up by 1.5 times. - The maximum usage of the Eterllick shield skill per phase has been reduced from 2 times to 1 time. Bug Fixes (1) UI/UX - Fixed the issue where the back button did not work after closing the capacity exceeded popup in the module enhancement UI. (2) Descendant - (XB1) Fixed the issue where the heads of other players wearing skins would intermittently not display. (3) Module - Fixed the issue where the ‘Skill Power Modifier’ number was not applied correctly after level 5 enhancement of the ‘Lethal Infection’ module. - Fixed the issue where the ultimate module drop animation was used when the normal module ‘High-Power Rounds Capacity Increase’ was dropped. (4) Field - Fixed the issue where object destruction animations did not appear in the Strategic Outpost. - Fixed the issue where the name and description of the NPC Dominique in the Hagios region were displayed incorrectly. (5) Equipment - Fixed the issue where the Guided Round of the Ultimate ******* ‘Restored Relic’ did not apply the ‘Ancient *****’ status effect. - Fixed the tooltip error for the ***** Skill Power of the ‘Active Volcano’ External Components 2-set effect. - Fixed the tooltip error for the Weak Point Damage of the ‘Frozen Heart’ External Components 4-set effect. Wesley is the *** News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article

A new Monopoly GO Tournament called Liberty Ballgame is taking place from July 5 to 7, featuring double points for Bank Heist mini-games. The rewards within the 30-milestone event include Shovel tokens for the Sunset Treasures main event, along with flash events like High Roller and Mega Heist. Here’s how to get the most out of the Monopoly GO Liberty Ballgame rewards and milestones. View the full article