Category Archives: Cyberpunk

August was a good month for anime fans, if not the greatest, and the same can be said for September. The best releases for this year are set for October, which includes anime like Mob Psycho season 3, Chainsaw Man, Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War, and more. But there are definitely some exciting anime movies and shows awaiting their release in September too.

The anime set for September is a mixed bag of movies and TV shows. So, while you can enjoy the weekly episodes, on some days, you can savor a great movie with a tub full of popcorn on the others. Now lets catch up with the list without making you wait any longer.

Starting the list with the most promising anime releasing in September, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. The upcoming series is based on the popular videogame, Cyberpunk 2077. The series will consist of 10 episodes, and Studio Trigger is behind its animation, also known for Little Witch Academia, Kill la Kill, and Inferno Cop.

Cyberpunk Edgerunners is the story of a street kid named David, who finds himself in the technologically advanced city called Night City. In order to survive, David decides to become an edgerunner, a mercenary outlaw that goes by the name Cyberpunk.

Release date: September 13th, 2022Where to watch: Netflix

The show got its first season released on June 30th, 2022. But as the series was decided to run in two cours, we are yet to see the remaining 11 episodes of the second cour set to release in September. The show is based on a manga that started in 1998 and continued irregularly till 2000.

For those who have already seen the first cour of the series, know about the premise of the story. Dak Schnider was a wizard trapped inside a young boys body. But now, he has to be unleashed as the kingdom of Metallicana is threatened by the evil forces who want to awake the God of Destruction Anthrasax.

Release date: September 15th, 2022Release time: Netflix

Pokemon is a well-known name in the anime community. In fact, one of the most well-received anime franchises around the world. So, its obvious that the fans are waiting for its new release, Pokemon: The Arceus Chronicles. Its a 4 episode special series that aired in Japan in January 2022 to promote the release of its video game. Now its time for the shows international release.

Ash, Goh, and his friends start their journey to the Sinnoh region alongside a powerful Pokemon. They also meet up with Brock and then continue to investigate the matter. The rumors about the threat turn out to be true, and Ash, along with his friends, tries everything in their power to save the city from destruction.

Release date: September 23rd, 2022Where to watch: Netflix

The blend of romance and sci-fi anime turns out to be a great one, and heres the best one releasing in September. The upcoming movie is based on a light novel by Mei Hachimoku published in 2019. This is the first time the fans are getting an anime adaptation of the novel in the form of a movie.

The unique story of the movie revolves around a young boy named Kaoru Tono. Kaoru heard a rumor that theres a Urashima Tunnel far beyond the concept of space and time. The one who travels the tunnel finds his hearts desire on the other side. Kaoru mysteriously finds himself in front of the tunnel one night while thinking of his sister he lost years ago. While he travels the tunnel, one of his classmates, Anzu Hanaki, decides to travel alongside him.

Release Date: September 9th, 2022 (in Japan)Where to watch: Cinemas

Heres another Netflix original anime movie coming on screens in September. Drifting Home comes from the mind of Hiroyasu Ishida, who is also the director of the upcoming movie. Studio Colorido is the animation studio behind the film, also known for its other works like Pokemon: Twilight Winds and Star Wars: Visions.

Drifting Home is the story of Kosuke and his friends, who visit a mysterious building, and soon they find themselves a part of a strange phenomenon, where they see themselves stuck in a mysterious ocean. Now, Kosuke and his friends must find their way home.

Release date: September 16th, 2022Where to watch: Netflix

There have been several anime shows and movies to Dual Masters Win, and a new series is just around the corner. We dont usually get an anime based on card games, so it would be something unique coming out in September.

Shobu Kirifuda is the main protagonist of the series, who wants to become a great duelist like his father. But it turns out the game is not as easy as it sounds. The card game revolves around five civilizations: Fire, Water, Light, Darkness, and Nature. The monsters from the game come to life and battle, and the person whose monster survive wins.

Release date: September 4th, 2022Where to watch: N/A

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Best Anime Movies And Shows Releasing In September - DualShockers

Thank you, dear mammy, said Tina, kissing the little old womans wrinkled cheek; I shall eat the arrowroot, and dont trouble about me any more to-night. I shall do very well when Martha has lighted my fire. Tell Mr. Gilfil Im better. I shall go to bed by-and-by, so dont you come up again, because you may only disturb me.

Sheer and high the great headland rose like the prow of some gigantic ship behind the two deep blue canyonsa few wispssand layerssof mist still hid from Mr. Barnstaple itsscrest and the little bridge acrosssthe narrower gorge. The sky above between the streakssof mist wassnow an intense blue. And even asshe gazed the mistssswirled and dissolved, the rayssof the rising sun smote the old castle to blinding gold, and the fastnesssof the Earthlingssstood out clear and bright.

Oh, villain and shameless rogue The jewelled forefinger shook itself at him reprovingly; but he could hear the old ladys chuckle.

Ohho, where is the owner of the hut? cried Pinocchio,very much surprised

Theres only one way to find out, isnt there? said Bob. Thats to go through it. Are you ready?

There were few housessand no townssor villagessat all. The housessvaried very greatly in size, from little isolated buildingsswhich Mr. Barnstaple thought might be elegant summer-housessor little temples, to clusterssof roofssand turretsswhich reminded him of country chateaux or suggested extensive farming or dairying establishments. Here and there people were working in the fieldssor going to and fro on foot or on machines, but the effect of the whole wassof an extremely underpopulated land.

Good old Watson You are the one fixed point in a changing age. There

The contempt of danger which religioussenthusiasm producessmay be even more buoyant still. Itake an example from that charming recent autobiography, With Christ at Sea, by Frank Bullen.

The contempt of danger which religioussenthusiasm producessmay be even more buoyant still. Itake an example from that charming recent autobiography, With Christ at Sea, by Frank Bullen.

These three are interchangeable, and one alwayssleadssto the other. It matterssnot in which order they are placed.

monogram, coat-of-arms, picturesque address. I think that friend Hopkins will live up to his reputation, and that we shall have an interesting morning. The crime was committed before twelve last night.

Then the page we have seen

Then he went back into the house, while his wife went into the cellar and left the two Parisians alone.

sand though they were better than half a league off they heard her awell aif they were at the foot of the tower; and the best of her ithat she inot a bit prudishfor she haplenty of affabilityand jokewith everybodyand haa grin and a jest for everything. SoSir Knight of the Rueful CountenanceI say you not only may and ought to do mad freakfor her sakebut you have a good right to give way to despair and hang yourself; and no one who knowof it but will say you did wellthough the devil should take you; and I wish I were on my road alreadysimply to see herfor it imany a day since I saw herand she must be altered by thitimefor going about the fieldalwaysand the sun and the air spoil women

These three are interchangeable, and one alwayssleadssto the other. It matterssnot in which order they are placed.

These three are interchangeable, and one alwayssleadssto the other. It matterssnot in which order they are placed.

Well, you cant say fairer than that, said the gaffer Mr Frodo Baggins is a real gentlehobbit, I always have said, whatever you may think of some others of the name, begging your pardon And I hope my Sams behaved hisself and given satisfaction?

Theres only one way to find out, isnt there? said Bob. Thats to go through it. Are you ready?

Stuff said Father Goriot.

I do not think I can remember any to-night, said Miss Carrie, but perhaps Amy can.

Then the page we have seen

With something between a sob and a laugh she seized my hand and covered it with kisses, and I, astonished and angry, pulled my hand away from her cold lips and sat down on the bench.

Stuff said Father Goriot.

Theres only one way to find out, isnt there? said Bob. Thats to go through it. Are you ready?

A circumstance which greatly tended to enhance the tyranny of the nobility, and the sufferings of the inferior classes, arose from the consequences of the Conquest by Duke William of Normandy. Four generations had not sufficed to blend the hostile blood of the Normans and Anglo-Saxons, or to unite, by common language and mutual interests, two hostile races, one of which still felt the elation of triumph, while the other groaned under all the consequences of defeat.

sand though they were better than half a league off they heard her awell aif they were at the foot of the tower; and the best of her ithat she inot a bit prudishfor she haplenty of affabilityand jokewith everybodyand haa grin and a jest for everything. SoSir Knight of the Rueful CountenanceI say you not only may and ought to do mad freakfor her sakebut you have a good right to give way to despair and hang yourself; and no one who knowof it but will say you did wellthough the devil should take you; and I wish I were on my road alreadysimply to see herfor it imany a day since I saw herand she must be altered by thitimefor going about the fieldalwaysand the sun and the air spoil women

I I think I did sir I cant say positively. He was gone when I ran into the covert.

These three are interchangeable, and one alwayssleadssto the other. It matterssnot in which order they are placed.

With something between a sob and a laugh she seized my hand and covered it with kisses, and I, astonished and angry, pulled my hand away from her cold lips and sat down on the bench.

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how to make lots of money in cyberpunk 2077 - Asia Insurance Review

At some point during the recent rise of Web3s biggest protagonists cryptocurrency and NFT a project hailed as the most important one in the NFT landscape yet begun to make the rounds. It goes by the name CryptoPunk, which sounds like an underground movement that seems to beckon the subversive among us who can afford to take part. But the surface appeal of CryptoPunk borrows all of its aesthetic from the traditions of cyberpunk but none of their ethos.

During the 90s, physically locating around heavily militarized spaces became untenable for activists, who then turned to organizing online. The early Internet then became ripe for a rising swell of cyber-civil-disobedience. Cyberpunk and its intersection with ethical hacking thus represented an ideology of resisting state power and inequality using the Internet as its battleground.

A 1999 issue of punk zine Punk Planet had this to say about hacktivism: if this is a cyberwar, then information is the weapon and home pages everywhere are the frontline Most importantly, hackers never, ever, hacked for personal gain or benefit.

It cuts to the heart of what punk is: subversive, against the grain of the soulless machines of corporate capitalism, sexy, fearless, rebellious. Punk is resistance and it was always meant to be.

Cyberpunk, then, responded to the anxieties about cyberspace, tech, and the changing role of corporations vis a vis governments. Works of dystopian fiction like The Blade Runner, The Matrix, and others that explored the implications of occupying liminal space between virtual and real were inheritors of cyberpunk. They were pessimists of the techno future, predicting societal collapse in the wake of accelerated technologizing. Cyberpunk escaped from being a literary genre into cultural reality, wrote R.U.Sirius in Mondo 2000: A Users Guide to the New Edge.

Related on The Swaddle:

How Crypto Bro Culture Around Finance Is the New Toxic Masculinity

Now, we have CryptoPunk a floating term in cyberspace that sounds as exciting, radical, and revolutionary as cyberpunk itself. It is, however, much less thoughtful or subversive than it sounds; it is simply a type of limited edition non-fungible token (NFT) thats breathlessly hailed: A status symbol, a piece of Internet history, and an unspeakably valuable asset, CryptoPunks may be the most important NFT project there is.

The CryptoPunk project is a collection of pixelated images that have supposedly unique attributes and include things like hats, pipes, necklaces, earrings, eyepatches, and more.

The obviously inflated and hollow value of these images aside, the way CryptoPunk is marketed appropriates subcultures that it does not represent. CryptoPunks are a combination of art, technology, absurdity, and social experimentation that is analogous to radical tokenization methods used by artists like Andy Warhol, declares one news article.

It is, however, extremely difficult to argue that NFT artwork going for millions in cyberspace is the kind of punk tech future that the original cyberpunks imagined. By definition, NFTs are tokens that are meant to be owned exclusively; they are storehouses of private value that serve as economic leverage for the people at the top of the financial food chain everything that is antithetical to the spirit of punk.

CryptoPunk speaks to how cyberpunk, like most other subcultures, is reduced today to exist as merely an aesthetic that lives on independent of its actual roots. The cyberpunk vibe is disco-alien glamor, metallic sheens and sleek chic that now graces fashion magazine covers and the catalogue of high-end fashion. In other words, the legacy of cyberpunk rooted in social justice movements is now reduced to commercializing an aesthetic something that aligns itself with the status quo rather than disrupting it.

The classical subculture died when it became the object of social inspection and nostalgia, and when it became so amenable to commodification. Marketers long ago awakened to the fact that subcultures are expedient vehicles for selling music, cars, clothing, cosmetics, and everything else under the sun, noted scholar Dylan Clark.

Related on The Swaddle:

Blockchain Ideology Is Rooted in Exclusion. A Feminist Lens Shows Why

Now, jewellery company Tiffany & Co. unveiled plans to sell CryptoPunk-inspired diamond pendants for 30 ETH (roughly $50,000 USD) apiece exclusively to holders of CryptoPunk NFTs. The aestheticization of cyberpunk, then, is complete with a luxury jewelry brand co-opting it for trading real pendants only to those who own CryptoPunk online already. As if this werent enough, the brand making luxury jewels with the name punk implicated in it has led to a significant boom in CryptoPunk trading completing the transition of punk into a meaningless, materialistic fashion statement rather than a veritable movement.

CryptoPunk thus represents everything that cyberpunk was against.

Classic cyberpunk characters were marginalized, alienated loners who lived on the edge of society in generally dystopic futures where daily life was impacted by rapid technological change, an ubiquitous datasphere of computerized information, and invasive modification of the human body, wrote science fiction writer Lawrence Person, in Notes Toward a Postcyberpunk Manifesto.

Today, CryptoPunk characters are those who live in the high glass towers of society, very much shaping its society rather than being victims of it, and who use technology in ways that expand their own financial capital, power, and influence.

What made the Internet such an exciting medium was that it was fast, connected people, and provided a collective space. The common thread underlying the punkness of the Internet was its ability to shelter solidarity, holding common resources, knowledge, and causes under its digital roof. Cryptopunk is the very antithesis of the commons, a hyper-masculine ethos guiding an already masculine logic of tech: the idea that the commons in this case, the digital commons exist to simply own and store wealth without any labor, as The Swaddle noted earlier.

By appropriating the language of punk, CryptoPunk disguises its status-quo-affirming ideology as subversive and even fashionable, and changes the meaning of punk itself. In overlaying what it means to be punk with expensive digital merchandise traded in digital currency, CryptoPunk forecloses many of the possibilities of freedom in the cyberspace that punk opened up.

on the one hand it is a drop out culture dedicated to pursuing the dream of freedom through appropriate technology. On the other it is a ready market for new gadgets and a training ground for hip new entrepreneurs with hi-tech toys to market. Cyberpunk was reabsorbed into the mainstream like every other subculture before it, wrote scholar McKenzie Wark.

In other words, cyberpunk is dead. Whats left of it is only the aesthetic, allowing financial instruments that are inherently antithetical to the punk ideology to wear it for as long as it sells.

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Punk Subcultures Used the Internet for Collective Good. Now, an NFT Project Called 'CryptoPunk' Undermines This Legacy - The Swaddle

The Fat Controller knows all about those bizarre Thomas the Tank Engine mods that have come out over the past several years. At least, he does now, after I showed a bunch to him.

Modders have been splicing Thomas into video games for the best part of a decade. What started as a joke Skyrim mod that replaced the RPGs dragons with giant models of Thomas the Tank Engine has since spiraled into a staple format of the modding community. The childrens locomotive is now the regular, if unofficial face of the biggest triple-A games his bright blue chassis inserted into their fictional worlds with all the subtlety that a hulking steam engine deserves.

That a games central character or antagonist might be replaced with Thomas is no longer a surprise, but rather an inevitability. When Elden Ring released earlier this year, it took less than a month for Thomas to make his way to The Lands Between.

But what does Thomass owner and operator, the Fat Controller, think of his number one engine being used this way? Perhaps understandably, hes a little confused. Keith Wickham voiced the Fat Controller in the Thomas & Friends TV show for more than a decade, but never once encountered the Thomas modding craze.

I showed him clips of five Thomas the Tank Engine mods from various games Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Resident Evil Village, Skyrim, and Elden Ring again, just because he seemed so pleased by that one the first time around. Bewilderment, astonishment, delight we went through it all, and Wickham even offered a mod idea of his own.

Keith Wickham: This is really weird.

The Fat Controller would absolutely hate this. Thomas is out of control and theres nothing he can do about it. They're not on rails, he can't order them about, he can't give them any special deliveries and I assume he's not even in radio contact?

You have been a very naughty boy, Thomas, hed say. You have killed several pedestrians.

You have been a very naughty boy, Thomas. You have killed several pedestrians.

I wouldn't fancy driving Thomas around the streets as a car. It's completely ridiculous. It's top-heavy, it's got steel wheels, not tires. It would chew up the tarmac. It would be horrendous.

KW: This ones brilliant. This is much better than the [Cyberpunk 2077] one because its using him in a way thats so ridiculous only video games can do it. A fire-breathing Thomas that is the most absurd thing I've ever seen. It's breathtaking that somebody could do that.

What it is, is refreshing. I spent 12 years doing voices for this series, and it's basically the same thing: the same layout, the same trains, and they're doing the same things because it's for preschoolers. To see them doing other things which they would never do in an official video is fantastic.

Im glad they didnt use the voices, either, because that would have ruined it. It had the Thomas music; that was funny. It is funny. Its properly witty.

I never play video games. I've done hundreds of voices for them, but I've never actually played any, ever. So anyone who spends hours doing this stuff, either they're mad, or you have to admire them for their determination.

KW: If you were a child whod grown up with Thomas, I wonder how many nightmares you'd have about this. You've grown up with this friendly engine thats been nice to everybody, doing them favors, and is the number one engine on Sodor [the fictional island in Thomas & Friends]. Suddenly, hes on top of a mad woman, you cant shoot him, he's got an evil grin and lipstick. It's just insane.

This would be an episode where the Fat Controller has eaten a bad prawn, he's got food poisoning, and he's having a bad dream

It would scare the crap out of me if I was 11 or whatever. It would give you nightmares. And it would put you off women. Youd probably end up with a complex youd get your girlfriends to dress up with Thomas on their heads. It's nightmarish, but again very inventive.

I'll tell you what this video would be. This would be an episode where [the Fat Controller] has eaten a bad prawn, he's got food poisoning, and he's having a bad dream that video would be the dream. She's saying, Let's see what mom has got to show you now, because thats Lady Hatt with Thomas on her head. Hed be shooting his own mother. It would be his nightmare. If that was inserted in an episode of Thomas as it stands, youd have the Fat Controller waking up sweating at the end of it.

KW: How many games have I seen like this?

So Thomas is flying in to save this guy from having his head cut off, and there's some freight trucks around. Was he, what, a dragon before? Well, he's already got a boiler and a fire, and after all these years knocking about one island he must be mad. He must be completely crazy by now.

Do gamers like this stuff? Do they enjoy it? Do they find it off-putting? Would they prefer dragons? I think this is very funny. Putting him in another situation is witty. He doesn't talk, which is good. Although that might be funnier. Instead of a roar, Thomass voice came out.

If that was the Fat Controller [with his head on the axe block], that would be fantastic. You have been a very useful engine, he would say. You have saved my life today, and I therefore give you the freedom of the island. How the hell the Fat Controller would ever get in that situation is another matter. How would he ever get to the point of having his head cut off?

KW: Thats very clever. Five minutes of that and Thomas would be in the repair shed. His wheels would be coming off and the Fat Controller would be angry because the budget would be overspent.

If Sodor looked like that, Im sure thered be a lot more very weird kids around.

He would be very angry at Thomas straight off the bat because he's off his tracks, he's not doing what he's told, and he's damaging himself by fighting. I don't know what hed think of the knight. Hed probably dismiss him, just push him off the island into the water. I don't think hed be angry. How dare you, Thomas, let this knight ride you if youll pardon the expression.

If Sodor looked like that, Im sure thered be a lot more very weird kids around. Youve got people hanging up on crosses. It could be a bit of Sodor that no ones ever seen. If you go through the Fat Controllers house and through the wardrobe, thats what you'll get. It's not Narnia, its a hideous nightmare land peopled by weird knights and Thomas.

TRG: Which of the Thomas mods was your favorite?

KW: It was the scary lady [Resident Evil Village]. Because it was a character. All the others are just using Thomas as a vehicle of some description, but she was actually a character. It was quite scary in a weird, psychological way.

TRG: If you were to make a Thomas mod, what would you create?

KW: I would make an entire game based on the engines of Sodor. But instead of them helping each other and the Fat Controller telling them to do things, they'd fight. Thomas & Friends: Battlezone.

Maybe it's an argument between the engine drivers. Of course, theyve got diesels as well. They hate the diesels. Diesel One would be running after them, probably with a hood on; the angel of death. I might play that game provided my voice was in it.

The Fat Controller would be the Overlord. Hed be huge in that game. Hed probably have a stick of fire or something. If you're going to make a game like that, I think he could probably pull himself up to 50 times his normal size and come out of the sky with a flaming top hat.

But its interesting. I had no idea people did this stuff.

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I showed Thomas the Tank Engine mods to the real Fat Controller and changed his life - TechRadar

Since the launch of The Ascent, Nion Giants had a bold (and controversial) cyberpunk initiative. In celebration of this important anniversary, the Swedish software company publishes a teaser trailer in which it is anticipated that a new large additional content will go on the market.

The first anniversary of the exclusive temporal release on PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X / S (from March 24th to May 24th), is celebrated by Neon Giant with a thank-for-all for their community and all the people who have supported their projects in recent months.

As for the future, the teaser produced by Northern European authors brings us back to the dystopian dimension of the Ascent which inspires fans to get used to preparing their work for the new agreement, and prepare for a good deal. It is unclear whether the new business promised to us by Neon Giant will be offered a Free Major Update or if it is a more detailed project and linked to a paid expansion.

Gamescom 2022, scheduled between 24 and 28 August, suggests that the Swedish developers (and the publisher Curve Digital) participated in the German videogame festival, and disclosed these unpublished contents. While waiting for more information about how to cook around Noodle R&B, we leave you in a way thats like the PS5 and Alessandro Bruni review.

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The Ascent: expansion is coming for the cyberpunk action? Here's the teaser - Game News 24 - Game News 24

Nvidias Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) has been an undeniable selling point for RTX GPUs since its launch, and AMDs attempts to fight back havent exactly been home runs.

But what if FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) could grant the huge performance gains of DLSS without all the restrictions imposed by Nvidia? If that sounds too good to be true, I wouldnt blame you. After all, Nvidias special sauce of machine learning wasnt supposed to be easily replicated.

Well, hold on to your hat because a modder recently discovered how easily FSR could ape off DLSS. And after trying out the solution myself, its made me more excited about the potential for FSR than ever.

Before we get to the mod itself, its worth setting the stage for how we got here. FSR was AMDs first attempt at a DLSS killer, and unfortunately, it left a bad taste in our mouths. Despite the rapid adoption in the first generation of FSR 1.0, the performance and image quality just didnt cut it.

All that changed with the release of the technologys second generation. Ive tested FSR 2.0 in its launch title, Deathloop,and the results are clear: DLSS provides a slightly higher performance boost, but FSR 2.0 is almost identical in terms of image quality. Based onDeathloop,you should use DLSS if you can, but FSR 2.0 is a very close second if you dont have a supported GPU.

My expectations were surpassed further when I testedGod of War, seeing the margin with DLSS shrink even more. In fact, FSR 2.0 was actually around 4% faster than DLSS with the Ultra Performance preset. Youre not trading much of anything with image quality, either. Even at the intense Ultra Performance preset, its nearly impossible to spot any differences between FSR 2.0 and DLSS while playing.

This is the real deal. The only problem? FSR 2.0 is available technically, but its not seeing the rapid adoption that the first version did. Its available in only four games now: Deathloop, Farming Simulator 22, God of War,andTiny Tinas Wonderlands.The upcoming list isnt all that exciting, either, headlined byHitman 3, Eve Online,and the recently delayedForspoken.

Hence, the need for a seemingly impossible solution that takes the goodness of FSR 2.0 and widely expands its effect to as many titles as possible. And thats where the fun begins.

About a month ago, modder PotatoOfDoom released an FSR 2.0 hack forCyberpunk 2077. What the modder realized was that DLSS and FSR 2.0 require basically the same information motion vectors, color values, and the depth buffer. That allowed PotatoOfDoom to create a simple instruction translation, using the DLSS backbone to send FSR 2.0 instructions. Its like how Wine works for Windows games on Linux, according to the modder.

Ill circle back to what these similarities between DLSS and FSR 2.0 mean, but lets get games out of the way first. I followed the instructions and was able to implement the mod in Cyberpunk 2077, Dying Light 2,andDoom Eternal all games that dont currently support FSR 2.0. Doom Eternalwas the only game that struggled with the mod, blocking out the DLSS option in the settings menu entirely. That was a no-go.

But Cyberpunk 2077 andDying Light 2were an absolute treat. The mod isnt quite as powerful as a native implementation, but its still very close. The difference is less than 10% at most, even with all of the settings cranked up at 4K (including the highest ray tracing options).

Image quality was just as good, even on this self-described hack. In a still image,Dying Light 2 actually looked slightly better with FSR 2.0, and it was nearly identical in Cyberpunk 2077. The main difference, as was the case in God of War and Deathloop, is that FSR 2.0 doesnt handle distant fine detail as well. You can see that on the phone lines inCyberpunk 2077below. Its damn close, though.

DLSS and FSR 2.0 look largely the same with a still image, but its the motion that matters. I saw heavy ghosting inDying Light 2 that wasnt present with DLSS or FSR 1.0, and flat textures cause some issues with masking.

Certain elements, like the smog from the sewer in theCyberpunk 2077screenshot below, dont include motion vectors. FSR 2.0 and DLSS get around the issue with masking the element (like in Photoshop) so its not included in the supersampling. Unfortunately, they go about the masking in different ways, leading to the nasty pixelation with the FSR 2.0 hack that you can see below.

Even with those issues, its remarkable how close DLSS and FSR 2.0 are, both on a gameplay and a technical level. PotatoOfDoom summed up how much they share in an interview with Eurogamer: I expected to work on [adding FSR 2.0] for several days, but was pleasantly surprised that it only took me a few hours to integrate.

The point isnt that you should necessarily go out and use this mod to add FSR 2.0 to every game. Rather, this mod reveals the deep similarities between DLSS and FSR 2.0 something Nvidia might not want to readily admit.

DLSS is all about machine learning; its right there in the name. And to this point, Nvidia has insisted for years that DLSS only works on its most recent graphics cards because they provide the AI cores necessary to perform the supersampling. Thats true, but FSR 2.0 is proof that the advantage provided by AI is small and, for the most part, unnecessary.

A big reason why Nvidias GPUs sell above list price is DLSS, even if it doesnt need to be.

There are a lot of similarities between DLSS and FSR 2.0, even concerning Nvidias machine learning bit. DLSS is using a neural network and FSR 2.0 is using an algorithm, but both are fed with the same inputs and use the same overall system to render the final output. The fact that PotatoOfDoom was able to develop one mod that works across several DLSS titles in a few hours is a testament to that.

The main issue now isnt that DLSS is bad its excellent, and you should use it if you can but that the feature is exclusive to only a few expensive graphics cards. Even when GPU prices are falling, Nvidias low-end and midrange models continue to sell for above list price. And a big reason why is DLSS, even if it doesnt need to be.

General-purpose solutions like FSR 2.0 and Unreal Engines TSR (temporal super resolution) are the way of the future. They work with basically all modern hardware, and developers consistently insist that they only take a few hours to get working.

DLSS doesnt need to go away, but it would be nice to see Nvidia leverage its relationships with developers to get a general-purpose supersampling feature into games that support DLSS already. And no, Nvidia Image Sharping, which is basically FSR 1.0, doesnt count.

FSR 2.0 is genuinely impressive, but game support is holding it back. Far more games support DLSS than even FSR 1.0, and the official list of four FSR 2.0 is embarrassing. Im not excited for too many of the upcoming FSR 2.0 titles, either, with the list mostly comprised of older or smaller games.

PotatoOfDooms mod is a hopeful sign, but we need more FSR 2.0 games for it to even stand a chance against DLSS. It might be tempting to root for AMD here, but its important to remember that DLSS still has a minor lead and is supported in far more games. AMD has a lot of ground to cover, and FSR 2.0 isnt being added into games at nearly the rate that FSR 1.0 was.

Still, it will be interesting to see how the dynamic between DLSS and FSR 2.0 adjusts over the rest of the year. AMD just released the FSR 2.0 source code in June, after all. For now, DLSS is still the way to go for its game support and slightlybetter image quality, but its not a selling point on an Nvidia GPU like it once was.

This article is part of ReSpec an ongoing biweekly column that includes discussions, advice, and in-depth reporting on the tech behind PC gaming.

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Nvidia DLSS isnt magic, and this FSR hack proves it - Digital Trends

CD Projekt Red turns 20 this year, and to celebrate its anniversary GOG is giving away two bundles of goodies (opens in new tab) related to The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077, which include art, comics, soundtracks, videos, and more. You might already have some of these goodies, either thanks to claiming them in previous giveaways or by owning the games in question on GOG, but odds are you don't have all of them. There's a lot.

The Witcher pack includes footage of a concert performance of The Witcher 3's excellent score from a Krakw music festival, high-resolution copies of art and art books, "emoji" interpretations of characters like Geralt, Ciri, and Regis, and comics like Fox Children, which is tucked away in the Thronebreaker goodies pack. Based on a story from Sapkowski's book Season of Storms, it's one of the better Witcher comics.

Meanwhile, the Cyberpunk 2077 goodies pack contains wallpapers, concept art, art from the SteelBook edition's cases, and posters of in-game advertisements, fashions, and gang graffiti. It's not quite as much stuff, but then it's based on one game rather than three RPGs and some card game spin-offs.

Note that this 20th anniversary is the birthday of CD Projekt Red, the game development studio founded in 2002 when CD Projekt the Polish retailer and publisher acquired the rights to Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher and decided to try its hand at this whole videogame-making thing. CD Projekt itself dates back to 1994, when founders Marcin Iwiski and Micha Kiciski, who'd been selling cracked copies of games on CDs in a Warsaw marketplace, decided to go legit. If you're interested in the history, here's how CD Projekt Red climbed to the top of the RPG mountain, then slipped.

CD Projekt Red's last release was another Witcher spin-off, the roguelike deckbuilder Gwent: Rogue Mage, which is the most brutal Witcher game yet. As our own Lauren Aitken says, "One thing I've realised since playing Rogue Mage is that I'm actually not as good at Gwent as I thought. While I've figured out the meta for some of the cards, there are certain enemy types that keep obliterating me and, as PC Gamer's resident Witcher aficionado, I'm not happy about it."

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Get free Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 goodies on GOG - PC Gamer

Image: Annapurna Interactive

If youve felt uncomfortable about the rice paddy hats in Stray, you arent the only one. Stray lifts Asian aesthetics to evoke exoticism and danger, but it doesnt engage with the history of the city it appropriates. This is especially problematic because its real-world setting carries painful historical baggage that cant be reduced to neon signs and cramped apartments.

With more than three million people per square mile (which is 47 times more densely populated than Manhattan), the Walled City was the most densely packed city in world history. The streets were lit by neon signs because the buildings didnt allow much natural light to filter in from above. The developers of Stray told USA Today that the Walled City of Hong Kong was the perfect playground for a cat. The artists at BlueTwelve Studios were inspired by how the real-life city was organically constructed and was filled with details and interesting points of view, such as the air conditioning units and exposed pipes. And they werent the only ones who admired the environment. Photographers and architects lauded the ingenuity in the ways people lived without safety codes or a centralized government.

But that organic construction came about for painful historical reasons. The Walled City was originally a Qing dynasty era military base. It became a separate enclave from British-controlled Hong Kong after China was weakened by the Sino-Japanese War. Japan, China, and Britain all tried to lay claim to the Walled City throughout its history. To ease international tensions, both China and Great Britain eventually gave up trying to govern the Walled City after the end of World War II. The ensuing lawlessness fermented organized crime and opium dens. The Triad gangs turned the enclave into the epicenter of Hong Kongs narcotics trade. None of this context is particularly apparent when you explore the dusty streets of Walled City 99.

Jessie Lam, a video game concept artist whose family originates from Hong Kong, explains, [The Walled City] was this super packed city block full of crime and destitutionthanks triads-that it took decades until it was finally demolished. We dont talk about the highrise coffin sized apartment rooms these daysThere is a muted anger there.

The history of the Walled City is inextricably tied to colonial rivalries, but none of it is represented in Stray. In the game, the city was a shelter built to protect humans from the plague. The only sentient beings left are self-aware robot Companions who have built their own society in humanitys absence. I later appreciated their charming personalities, but when I first met these robots, my first thought was: Why are they wearing rice paddy hats?

Screenshot: Annapurna Interactive

Conical rice hats have a troubled history within the Asian diaspora community. Theyre used as a racial shorthand to indicate Asian origins, regardless of the actual context. Clothing retailer Abercrombie and Fitch, for example, once used images of Chinese men in rice paddy hats in its product line. While the existence of farmer hats is not offensive by itself, it becomes astoundingly racist when used in unrelated imagery, such as a racist parody of a laundry business. Protests and angry letters forced Abercrombie and Fitch to pull the offensive t-shirts from their stores.

Thankfully, Stray meets the bare minimum of not racist language to describe the robots (even if its gratuitous use of the Japanese language in fictional Hong Kong is a bit eyebrow-raising). But the games rampant appropriation of Asian history and culture needs to be supported by care in design and implementation. Singapore-based Alexis Ong wrote an excellent Polygon article about Strays accuracy to Hong Kong, while others like Lam are less impressed by how the game portrayed the Walled City.

The graffiti and signage is a huge question mark. Anything in English is clearly player facing but [in-game], who would those tags be for? Lam told Kotaku. Its one thing if its robots passing messages to each other but some overlap each other instead of being written around each other. Which calls into question if said developers also understand graffiti culture and the etiquette. But also...Why deliberately make some robots wear rice hats? When theres clearly no way to go outside or anywhere in game to farm? Headwear such as baseball hats have become ubiquitous to urban fashion, which could explain the companions copying this style, but rice hats have not. These conical hats have been used to denote Asianness in western media, and Stray cannot separate itself from this history.

Since this comes up every time I write a blog about Asian representation: No, I dont believe that BlueTwelve Studios is intentionally racist. Nor do I think that the resulting game is the worst offender when it comes to cultural appropriation. Its foibles are typical of the cyberpunk genre as a whole. Cyberpunk originates from Americas anxieties about Japans economic dominance, but cyberpunk media is often reluctant to populate their cities with Asian characters. I felt the same sense of alienation while I played Stray.

Im sure that the developers werent gleefully rubbing their hands together when they decided not to implement any human characters. But Walled City 99 was yet another cyberpunk city in which people like me werent welcome. Not unless I was a robot in a conical hat. And that doesnt sit well with me either. Asian Robot is a Hollywood troupe that frequently dehumanizes Asian people (Ex Machina, Cloud Atlas, The Matrix). Theres even a genre name for it: Techno-orientalism. In these works, Asia is expressed through an aesthetic sensibility rather than by representing or centering actual Asian characters. Stray falls squarely within this genre.

Screenshot: Annapurna Interactive

[Theres] lots of the same general ideas being recycled a lot across projects and sometimes that extends into the cyberpunk genre, Lam told Kotaku over Twitter messages. The orientalism as a whole isnt new.

I just wanted to play a cute cat game without the techno-orientalism. Unfortunately, Stray does not interrogate its creative influences at all. And from the moment that the developers decided to base their game off an enclave that was created by British colonialism, they had a responsibility to grapple with its history. Stray takes so much care in how it represents cats. I just wish it was as consistent about real humans legacies.

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Stray Falls Into The Usual Orientalism Pitfalls Of The Cyberpunk Genre - Kotaku

Forget play-to-earn, how about some play-to-learn? World of Haiku (opens in new tab) is an educational cyberpunk RPG that says it'll teach you the real-world skills needed to become a cybersecurity professional. As you learn coding and hacking while playing, World of Haiku says you can add your new skills to sites like LinkedIn and

I'm sorry, hold on one second. Just what in the hell is going on in the official launch trailer?

And why does it prominently feature a cyberclown?

If World of Haiku wants to teach me real cybersecurity skills then it unfortunately fumbled the ball three seconds into its own launch trailer. It opens with a cyberpunk cityscape and a flying car, which is a good futuristic start. Then a man dressed as a cyberclown steps into frame and I completely forget that I'm supposed to be learning about a game that's supposed to be about learning. All I can think is: clown.

The cyberclown has a cape and a vaguely theatrical collar, which could imply the future but could just as easily imply clown attire. The real distraction is his makeup, which I think is supposed to be a cool skull-shape painted on his face in neon blue? And while I can sorta see what they were going for, it looks like a first attempt you would quickly wipe off before trying again. But they just kinda stuck with it. I honestly think if they'd leaned in a bit more and actually gave him a big round nose like a circus clown he'd look less silly than he does. It could blink, maybe. That would be futuristic.

Anyway, we're only four seconds into the trailer at this point, which is a bad sign because I've watched those four seconds about 10 times. The caped cyberclown pretends to poke buttons on his arm where there do not actually appear to be any buttons and says "Transmitting new intel." A bunch of floating computer screens pop up on both sides of him, and the actor glances toward where I guess they told him the screens would be even though they're not, with the ultimate effect being that he doesn't seem to be looking at the screens at all. Also, if he's the one transmitting new intel, why is he the one examining the new intel? Did he transmit it to himself? If so, why announce it? Also, and I can't stress this enough, why is he a clown?

Then he looks into the camera, at me, a man who has now rewound this entrance and watched it at least five or six more times already in the past two minutes. "A worldwide nuclear event is imminent," Commander Cyberclown tells me. "You must stop the launch."

It sounds serious and I would love to take it seriously. If a worldwide nuclear event is imminent, someone must stop the launch, and as the potential person who is going to play World of Haiku that someone is probably me. And look, I promise I'll do everything I can to stop the launch because I am definitely opposed to imminent worldwide nuclear events but first I need a few questions answered about the giant blue circle painted on your face.

I force myself to stop rewinding the intro and watch the rest. The trailer continues in a caf, where a woman logs into World of Haiku and takes on the avatar of a mid-tier cosplayer for "a gamified cyberpunk experience that provides aspiring cybersecurity professionals with fast affordable training for a rewarding cybersecurity career." Some villains appear and everyone starts typing on virtual screens. I am reluctantly starting to learn about the game again but Corporal Cyberclown abruptly teleports into the caf and I literally say out loud, "Yay!"

Corporal Cyberclown nods encouragingly to the avatar, and there's more air-typing on floating screens as Team Clown and Team Evil fight over I've already forgotten. Something was imminent but I'm just too distracted to remember. He has blue lines on his arms, too, and tubes going into the back of his head. I only have more questions now.

I want to be perfectly clear about this: I'm not making any judgments about World of Haiku the game. It says it teaches real life cybersecurity skills and as far as I know, or don't know, that is true, or it's not true, or maybe it's partially true. I have no idea. I have not looked into it for even a second. I have done no research and I definitely haven't played the game.

All I've done is sit here watching the launch trailer 14 times in a row because seeing Corporal Cyberclown delights and puzzles me. And I don't have to stop, because there are actually a bunch of trailers. Let's watch all of them!

For instance, I just learned Corporal Cyberclown's in-game name is, disappointingly, Gungnir. He's a Cybermancer, and he has his very own character trailer where he does a little air-cybering on floaty screens and then flexes to music. Then the music sort of fades out leaving an awkward 10 seconds of silence while he holds his pose. I'm not bashing him: the dude is jacked and if I looked even remotely like that I would be flexing at every available opportunity. It's just weird to stand there in complete silence with straining muscles while nothing is happening. The music eventually remembers, oh yeah, we're in the middle of a character reveal trailer, and sheepishly kicks back in.

Thankfully I get some backstory from his trailer. His real name is Dr. Omen Parks, a name I absolutely accept. He and his daughter (Raf Rose Pathfinder: excellent) created new cyber security technologies which are named Phoenix Scanner, Data Dragon, Tiger Key, Turtle Shield, and Serpent OS. That's some anime-sounding shit, and while I don't even watch anime I highly approve.

I also learn that Dr. Omen "Gungnir" "Cyberclown" Parks operates at "Purity Level 5." I don't know what that means but I immediately believe it. If there's a clown from the future who invented the Turtle Shield and named his daughter Raf Rose Pathfinder, I can't imagine him operating on a Purity Level lower of four or lower. No chance.

I think I'm going to do it. I think I'm going to play World of Haiku! (opens in new tab) I'm not really interested in developing real-life cybersecurity skills, but the idea of adding "Learned to hack from a Cyberclown" to my LinkedIn is too tempting to pass up. Once I watch the trailer a few more times, that is.

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This cyberpunk RPG claims it teaches real hacking skills but I can't get past the clown makeup - PC Gamer

With many great announcements at the TapTap Presents showcase this weekend, a highlight for me is ANNO: Mutationem being announced for mobile. ANNO: Mutationem from developer ThinkingStars has been a joy to play on PS5 since its release this March. It debuted on PS5, PS4, and PC platforms, and I expected a Nintendo Switch port to get announced soon. I didnt think it would come to mobile before that, but here we are. The cyberpunk action adventure game has great visuals and music with memorable characters and some nice cameos. A price point hasnt been announced for the mobile version, but a beta will be available this winter. Watch the ANNO: Mutationem mobile announcement trailer via Gematsu below:

On console and PC, ANNO: Mutationem is available as a standard release, and a deluxe edition version with bonus music, costumes, and more. It is unclear if the mobile version will offer this content from the start, or whether it will come as paid DLC. What stood out to me when I first saw ANNO: Mutationem gameplay, is how it blended 2D and 3D pixel aesthetics. I didnt finish it on PS5, but will definitely do it before the mobile version releases given how good it looked and ran on PS5. If youd like to pre-register for the mobile version, you can do so on TapTap for now. Check out the Steam page for ANNO: Mutationem here for more screenshots and information about the game and its DLC. Have you played ANNO: Mutationem before on PS5, PS4, or PC?

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Cyberpunk Action Adventure Game 'ANNO: Mutationem' Is Coming to iOS and Android TouchArcade - Touch Arcade