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GTA 6 publisher says PC isn't 'core audience' (with a straight face)

PCWorld

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick claims consoles are Rockstar's "core consumer" for Grand Theft Auto 6, justifying the delayed PC release strategy. PCWorld highlights that leaked data contradicts this narrative, showing PC accounts for 46% of GTA 5 sales between 2021-2026. The console-first approach appears to be a business tactic to encourage double purchases rather than addressing technical limitations. Did you know you can just say things that aren't true and there's nothing anyone can do about it? Check this out: "My dog has six legs." Bam, look at all the consequences I'm not facing for fibbing to you. In 2026, you can do this to an audience of millions--even in a courtroom or congressional hearing after swearing an oath--and nothing happens. On a completely different and unrelated note: Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick gave an interview to Bloomberg discussing the company's upcoming, in which he claimed that PC isn't the company's "core consumer." "Rockstar always starts on console because I think with regard to a release like that, you're judged by serving the core," Zelnick told Bloomberg .


Valve's 85 Steam Controller divides gamers ahead of May launch

BBC News

Valve's £85 Steam Controller divides gamers ahead of May launch Valve has announced its new Steam Controller will be available to order from 4 May, and will cost £85 in the UK and $99 in the US - prices that have raised eyebrows among some gamers. The second generation of the gamepad, it will be compatible with PCs and Valve's handheld console, the Steam Deck. It is also designed to work with the company's own upcoming gaming PC, the Steam Machine. The Steam Controller may be more expensive than the standard controllers from Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation, but we do live in a time where companies including Sony and Microsoft are selling premium controllers for £150-£200, said Chris Scullion deputy editor of Video Games Chronicle. There has been a negative reaction from some gamers on social media though.


The Strange Origin of AI's 'Reasoning' Abilities

The Atlantic - Technology

It involves 4chan, of all places. In July 2020, 4chan's video-game discussion board looked much like the rest of the notorious online forum. There were elaborate, libidinal fantasies involving "whores" and "dragon cum," and comments on how long a gamer had to wait "before my dick can get up for another beating," as one put it. And yet, as the gamers discussed such things, they were also making a discovery of significance to the AI industry. Some of them were playing, a new text-based role-playing game that was essentially an AI version of .


Gamers Hate Nvidia's DLSS 5. Developers Aren't Crazy About It, Either

WIRED

Nvidia's new AI upscaling gaming technology struck gamers as uncanny and off-putting. Developers don't seem to like it, either, but it could be "the default" in a few years. Nvidia announced a new version of its DLSS AI upscaling technology for its graphics cards earlier this week at its GPU Technology Conference (GTC), which it calls the Super Bowl of AI . But unlike previous versions of DLSS that used AI to improve frame rates in video games, DLSS 5 has a much more ambitious calling: using generative AI to make character faces in games look more realistic and detailed. The demonstration received sharp blowback on social media, with many finding the effect off-putting, reacting with outright disgust, and calling it yet another example of AI slop .



16 brilliant Christmas gifts for gamers

The Guardian

Trigger warning gifts parents may want to commandeer. Trigger warning gifts parents may want to commandeer. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. G amers can be a difficult bunch to buy for.


This Upgraded SteelSeries Gaming Headset Is 80 Off

WIRED

Serious gamers take note, the Arctis Nova Pro is feature-packed and ready for anything. All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. In the world of high-end gaming headsets, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless (8/10, WIRED Recommends) stands out with an impressive feature set and excellent audio. Right now, you can pick up the wireless model for just $300 from Amazon, an $80 discount off the usual price.


Unveiling Gamer Archetypes through Multi modal feature Correlations and Unsupervised Learning

Kanwal, Moona, Siddiqui, Muhammad Sami, Ali, Syed Anael

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

Profiling gamers provides critical insights for adaptive game design, behavioral understanding, and digital well-being. This study proposes an integrated, data-driven framework that combines psychological measures, behavioral analytics, and machine learning to reveal underlying gamer personas. A structured survey of 250 participants, including 113 active gamers, captured multidimensional behavioral, motivational, and social data. The analysis pipeline integrated feature engineering, association-network, knowledge-graph analysis, and unsupervised clustering to extract meaningful patterns. Correlation statistics uses Cramers V, Tschuprows T, Theils U, and Spearmans quantified feature associations, and network centrality guided feature selection. Dimensionality-reduction techniques such as PCA, SVD, t-SNE are coupled with clustering algorithms like K-Means, Agglomerative, Spectral, DBSCAN, evaluated using Silhouette, Calinski Harabasz, and Davies Bouldin indices. The PCA with K-Means with k = 4 model achieved optimal cluster quality with Silhouette = 0.4, identifying four archetypes as Immersive Social Story-Seekers, Disciplined Optimizers, Strategic Systems Navigators, and Competitive Team-Builders. This research contributes a reproducible pipeline that links correlation-driven network insights with unsupervised learning. The integration of behavioral correlation networks with clustering not only enhances classification accuracy but also offers a holistic lens to connect gameplay motivations with psychological and wellness outcomes.



'Baby Steps' Is a Hiking Game That Trolls 'Slightly Problematic' Men

WIRED

Is a Hiking Game That Trolls'Slightly Problematic' Men The walking simulator, launching September 23 on PlayStation and Steam, stars a jobless 35-year-old "privileged, white male" whose pride stops him from getting help. Game developer Bennett Foddy was watching a Greek myth unfold in front of him. A playtester for his latest project,, was struggling to navigate the game's lead--Nate, a 35-year-old "failson" in a stained onesie--up a slippery hill. Each time, the terrain proved to be too much, and Nate skidded uselessly down it. Foddy has a reputation for making onerous games that take a little bit of masochism to master.