Cheeky Steam Game Dares You To Risk Your Refund Window Or Die Trying

A new horror game on Steam has launched this week, and comes with an incredibly scary hook: a very slim chance of getting your money back. Refund Me If You Can has a simple gameplay loop, where you’ll find yourself stuck in a maze and attempting to escape without being mauled by a monster that is constantly tracking you down.

As spotted by Rock, Paper, Shotgun, the game features dozens of paths, only one correct exit, and a warning to never stand in the same spot for longer than 45 seconds unless you want the maze-monster to get its claws on you. If you can escape in under two hours and you don’t forget to visit Steam in the two weeks from the date that you purchased the game, then you’re within the Steam terms of service to ask for a refund.

Refund Me If You Can only costs $4 though, so if you can live with losing one Starbucks coffee for the day, then perhaps it’s worth forgoing the refund process for a game with a cheeky title and peer pressure energy. For those times when you do find yourself wanting to get your cash back after a game has failed to grab you, Steam’s refund process is one of the best around. As long as you haven’t sunk more than two hours into a game and less than two weeks have passed, you can get your cash back or store credit within a week of filing your claim.

It’s something that console giants such as Microsoft and Sony hardly ever do, with the most noticeable exception being Cyberpunk 2077 after it had a disastrous launch on Xbox and PlayStation back in 2020.

For another weird Steam game that might be made eventually, check out ASMR Food Experience, a cooking simulator that’s primarily focused on highlighting every sizzling and gross squishing sound that comes from the process of preparing food.

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The Last Of Us Part 1 Gets A New Permadeath Mode And More Than 60 Accessibility Features

The Last of Us Part 1 developer Naughty Dog has revealed more details on how the game has been remade for PS5 and PC in a new deep-dive video. While the core gameplay is essentially the same, players can expect graphical upgrades, new features, and enhancements that make the game more accessible.

Some of the new features outlined in a PS Blog post include a new permadeath mode, a speedrun mode, an updated photo mode, unlockable costumes for Joel and Ellie, and a model-viewer mode.

On the technical side, The Last of Us Part I can render in native 4K at a targeted 30fps or a dynamic 4K at a targeted 60fps display mode. The added power of the PS5 means that environments have denser physics with tons of “bumpables and chipables” that translate into gunfire ripping concrete and other objects apart more accurately.

According to social media director Sid Shuman, the game also benefits from more convincing character animations, AI upgrades that make partners avoid enemies more authentically, and a seamless transition from cinematics to gameplay.

With more than 60 accessibility options, players can also expect an audio description mode that makes the title more approachable. The Last of Us Remake will launch for PS5 on September 2, but a PC release date has yet to be announced. Fans can also look forward to a The Last of Us multiplayer game in the future.

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Genshin Impact Dev’s Zenless Zone Zero Begins “Tuning Tests” Next Month

HoYoVerse, the Chinese developer behind the free-to-play action-RPG Genshin Impact, has announced that Tuning Tests for its upcoming game, Zenless Zone Zero, will begin on August 5.

Sharing the news today, it was confirmed that the “small-scale” Tuning Test will start on 10AM CST / 2AM GMT / 3AM BST. For players in America, the noted time translates to August 4 at 7PM PT / 10PM ET. HoYoVerse has yet to clarify when the testing times will end, saying it will be announced later on. The developer is currently looking for players to test Zenless Zone Zero and is allowing them to sign up on its official website.

Distinguished Proxy,
Thank you for you patience, Zenless Zone Zero’s Tuning Test will start on August 5th!
Test Start Time: 2022/08/05 10:00 (UTC+8)
Test End Time: To be announced.
Sign Up>>> https://t.co/R4m3O5eVCv
Recruitment ends on 2022/07/27 at 23:59 (UTC+8). #zzzero pic.twitter.com/GjCIA4vSTb

— Zenless Zone Zero (@ZZZ_EN) July 22, 2022

Recruitment for Zenless Zone Zero’s Tuning Test will end on July 27 at 8:59AM PT /11:59AM ET / 4:59PM BST / 11:59PM CST. It’s notable that the tests will only be available on PC and iOS, similar to Genshin Impact’s original testing phase. Additionally, no payment options will be available and all data and progression will be deleted after the test ends.

Players who are recruited will also be asked to fill in a survey before the Tuning Test deadline. HoYoVerse also asked fans to stay tuned for an official announcement on the game’s test qualification issuance at a later date.

Zenless Zone Zero was announced back in May and will be different from Genshin Impact. This game will be set in a post-apocalyptic metropolitan city called New Eridu, where players take on the role of a Proxy. HoYoVerse aims to deliver a cinematic action-oriented combat system featuring skills and QTE combos. The official website already contains brand-new artwork, the teaser trailer, as well as a few characters players can expect to meet in the action-RPG.

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Intel NUC11TNBi5 and Akasa Newton TN Fanless Case Review: Silencing the Tiger

Intel’s Tiger Lake-based NUCs have been shipping for well over a year now. Supply chain challenges have been impacting availability of different models in different regions, but that has not prevented Intel’s partners from delivering complementary products. Akasa, a well-known manufacturer of thermal solutions for computing systems targeting varied markets, has been maintaining a lineup of passively-cooled cases for Intel’s NUCs since 2013. We had reviewed the Akasa Turing chassis for the Bean Canyon NUC a couple of years back, and had come away pleasantly surprised. Today’s review presents results from our comprehensive evaluation of the Tiger Canyon NUC (NUC11TNKi5). It also describes the process for installing the kit’s board (NUC11TNBi5) in the Akasa Newton TN chassis before analyzing its thermal performance characteristics. Read on to find out whether Akasa has managed to replicate the success of the Turing – Bean Canyon combination.

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Where Is Xur Today? (July 22-26) – Destiny 2 Xur Location And Exotic Items Guide

It’s the first weekend of Destiny 2‘s yearly Solstice summertime celebration, and that makes it a great time to visit Xur to stock up on Exotics that’ll help you fight through the EAZ activity and upgrade your new Candescent armor. Here’s where you can find Xur this weekend and what Exotics he’s selling.

Xur arrives with the daily reset on Friday, so we’ll update this article when he lands in the Solar System.

Xur is present every weekend in Destiny 2, starting with the daily reset at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET each Friday. His exact location is always a mystery when he first arrives, as he is not listed on the map, and for novice players, he can be easy to miss. However, there are a set number of locations where he takes up residence, including the Tower Hangar area, on Nessus in Watcher’s Grave, and in the Winding Cove area of the EDZ.

Alongside changes in his location, Xur’s inventory also rotates weekly. That means it’s worth visiting him each time to check out his new weapons and rolls on Exotic and Legendary armor. You can visit him any time between his arrival Friday and the weekly reset at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET the following Tuesday when Xur departs the Solar System.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Apex Legends’ Next Character Just Had Her Diary Posted To Twitter

Four curious diary entries were uploaded to the official Apex Legends Twitter account this afternoon. Set in 2729–five years prior to the current events of Apex Legends, which take place in the year 2734–the entries appear to be penned by a young girl. Between her self-portraits and love of hunting, it’s possible that the author is Vantage, a sniper-focused legend who was leaked back in March.

You’ve got to keep yourself busy when you’re one of the only two people on the planet. pic.twitter.com/qkx6JcXEi8

— Apex Legends (@PlayApex) July 21, 2022

When the leaks were posted, Newcastle and Vantage were the only characters in them with completed 3D models. Newcastle became the following season’s debut legend, leading some to speculate that Vantage may be next to join the legend roster. The current theory is that she could arrive at the Apex Games alongside a new map: Cleo, the partially-destroyed moon of Seer’s home planet, Boreas. Her cold-weather gear and long-range abilities would certainly make sense on an icy moon map with an enormous crater in it.

The first of the four diary entries mentions that the author is lonely, that she wishers her grandmother were still alive, and that her mother never mentions her grandmother. This detail is never expanded upon further, but we do get a look at the author’s recent hunting bounty, which hints at new forms of wildlife that players may encounter on the new map. The author claims she has killed the following creatures over the course of the previous week:

2 Wooley Prowlers6 Polar Hares4 Water Flyers½ a Growler

Regarding the Growler–which, from the sound of it, is a more dangerous variation of the standard Prowler players can find on World’s Edge and Storm Point–the author explains that she only managed to wound it.

Entry two reveals that the author hunts not just for fun, but out of necessity. She says she wishes her mother would come hunting with her, then tells a story about a bird she discovered that was caught in a tangle of brambles. Interestingly, she hypothesizes that larger animals leave these brambles behind to catch smaller ones. This could mean that these brambles are another environmental feature of the new map.

Regarding the trapped bird, the second entry ends with a sketch of a young girl flashing a peace sign while riding a bird.

“Anyway, I didn’t want the bird to be stuck and sad so I helped it get free,” the author explains. “After it was free and I let it fly for a bit, I shot it and ate it.”

Page three describes the author’s loneliness. She pines for a playmate–specficically a brother, to help out with the chores she doesn’t enjoy (carrying home heavy kills, cleaning and dressing them, cleaning the fire pit, and resetting the snares and other traps once they’ve caught some prey). We also learn that the author’s copy of Encyclopedia Outlandica does not include photos of Leviathans, the gentle giants lurking in the waters surrounding Kings Canyon. The author laments the lack of photos, writing that she hopes to see one eventually and, ideally, kill it.

“One day I’ll shoot one and we’ll have meat for the rest of our lives!” she writes, confirming that though she enjoys hunting, she hunts out of necessity, not for sport.

The final entry contains a sketch of a sniper rifle and a self-portrait of a young girl who looks similar to Vantage.

The final page contains another self-portrait, and the text consists of the young author pondering whether her mother reads her diary, before deciding that she probably does. (“If she had one I’d look. Hi mom! What do you think of my drawing?” writes the journal’s author.)

The last entry describes the author’s chronic boredom and loneliness. She states that she wishes she had some friends to talk to instead of her gun. The last sentence says, “How was your day?” though it’s not clear whether this is part of the drawing (depicting her literally talking to her sniper rifle) or if it implies that her diary is an open book meant for her mother to see as opposed to a private place for intimate secrets.

The tweet’s caption implies the author and her mother are the only human inhabitants on the entire planet, which makes sense if that planet is indeed Cleo, an icy, abandoned, heavily damaged moon. While only time will tell what Season 14 has to offer, it does seem like a new map is on the way, and the diary author’s focus on marksmanship certainly lends credence to the theory that the sniper-loving Vantage will be the next character to join the Apex Legends lineup–there’s even an illustration of a sniper rifle sketched on the final page of the diary.

Apex Legends is free to play on console and PC. A mobile version of the game, Apex Legends Mobile, is available for download on Android and iOS devices.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Rise Of Kingdoms Adds Cleopatra

Lilith Games is introducing Cleopatra to its mobile game, Rise of Kingdoms. Cleopatra will retain the “Legendary Commander” status in-game and is considered one of the best resource-gathering characters.

Cleopatra has a significant area of effect skill that heal her nearby allies for a percentage of life and increases their armor to a maximum of 15% for two seconds. Both her primary and secondary commanders are good when selected as a gathering. She also has skills and talents that enhance her work, making her a versatile commander for collecting any type of resources on the map.

Although she has a significant area of effect, she isn’t meant to be used in PvP or PvE. Cleopatra shines in gathering loot and can only provide support in a “Sunset Canyon” event. Since she doesn’t have any fighting skills, when enemies attack her, she takes a lot of damage.

Cleopatra’s skills include the following:

Queen of Kings – Heals some of the slightly wounded units in your army and nearby friendly armies and increases the defense of these troops for the next 2 seconds.End of Ptolemy – Increase stone gathering speed; increases food, wood, and gold gathering speed.Beauty and Wisdom – Increases troop load.The Last Pharaoh – Increases siege unit attack and defense when gathering at resource points on the map.Gifts of the Nile – Cleopatra receives additional Resource Packs after she has finished gathering at resource points on the map.

Rise of Kingdoms is a free-to-play mobile game. You can download it on the Apple App Store, Google Play, and PC.

For more mobile gaming news, check out these stories:

You Can Now Learn High Valyrian On Duolingo And Use It To Raise Your Own AR DragonApex Legends Mobile’s Perk System Is Coming To Ranked This WeekendThe Division Resurgence Announced For Mobile DevicesRise of Kingdoms Adds In Ancient Egypt In ‘Egypt Must Rise’ UpdateRead MoreGameSpot – Game News

TSMC and ASML: Demand for Chips Remains Strong, But Getting Fab Tools Is Hard

TSMC’s revenue this year is going to set an all-time record for the company, thanks to high demand for chips as well as increased prices that its customers are willing to pay for its services. While the company admits that demand for chips aimed at consumer devices is slowing, demand for 5G, AI, HPC, and automotive chips remains steady. In fact, TSMC’s main problem at present is getting more fab equipment, as ASML and other tool firms and reporting that demand for semiconductor production tools significantly exceeds supply.

Last week TSMC posted its financial results for the second quarter of 2022. The company’s revenue hit a record $18.2 billion, which was a year-over-year increase of 43.5%. The company revealed that while its sales were up 55% and 65.3% in April and May (respectively), its revenue in June was ‘only’ up 18.5% YoY, which indicates a slowdown in sales growth.

Demand for Client Devices Slowing

“Due to the softening device momentum in smartphone, PC and consumer end market segments, we observe the supply chain is already taking action and expect inventory level to reduce throughout the second half 2022,” said C.C. Wei, chief executive of TSMC, at the company’s earnings conference call.

While we can only speculate on this, it looks like some of TSMC’s customers reduced their orders for client-oriented chips after Russia started a full-scale war against Ukraine in late February. TSMC charges/recognizes revenue when it delivers chips/wafers to a client.

Production cycle for chips on modern process technologies is well over 60 days depending on complexity and the number of layers: N16 is ~60 days, N7 is 90+ days, N5 is probably well over 100 days. These nodes account for 65% of TSMC’s revenue. So, if clients started to wind down orders in March and April as they anticipated increasing inflation and uncertainty among the end user, the effect will be seen in June, which is what can be observed in TSMC’s reports.

TSMC admits that demand for client-oriented chips is softening, but demand for chips designed to support 5G, AI, and HPC applications still exceeds the company’s abilities to supply.

“While we observe softness in consumer end market segments, other end market segments such as data center and automotive-related remain steady,” said Wei. “We are able to reallocate our capacity to support these areas. Despite the ongoing inventory correction, our customers’ demand continues to exceed our ability to supply. We expect our capacity to remain tight throughout 2022 and our full year growth to be mid-30% in U.S. dollar terms.”

Advanced Nodes to Remain Growth Drivers, Expansions Getting Tougher

Over half of TSMC’s revenue (51%) comes from chips made using its advanced fabrication technologies (N7 and thinner nodes), which is not particularly surprising as TSMC is one of the only two contract foundries that offer such sophisticated manufacturing processes to clients.

These technologies will be among TSMC’s main growth drivers in the coming years, especially as more customers adopt N7 and more advanced technologies. But more N7/N6 and N5/N4 orders mean that TSMC will need to build more capacity for these nodes, as well as more capacity for N3 and subsequent nodes, which is why the company estimated that its CapEx this year would reach $40 billion – $44 billion.

“With the successful ramp of N5, N4P, N4X, and the upcoming ramp-up of N3, we will expand our customer product portfolio and increase our addressable market,” said the head of TSMC. “The macroeconomic uncertainty may persist into 2023, our technology leadership will continue to advance and support our growth. […] We believe the fundamental structural growth trajectory in the long-term semiconductor demand remains firmly in place. “

The world’s No. 1 contract maker of semiconductors also urges customers to migrate from older nodes to 28nm and specialty technologies as this will ensure capacity availability (as TSMC plans to expand capacity for 28 nm and specialty nodes by 50% by 2025) and denser designs potentially with more features.

Building additional leading-edge, 28 nm, and specialty capacities not only requires massive investments, but TSMC needs to procure additional semiconductor production tools. Whether TSMC is building capacities for its brand-new N3 node or 28nm/specialty technologies, it should be noted that the company needs all kinds of lithography machines for them. An N3-capable fab needs dry litho tools, immersion litho scanners, and EUV-capable equipment. Without required number of dry and immersion scanners, an advanced EUV machine on its own will be useless. Meanwhile, lithography tools are not the only machinery that a fab needs.

Apparently, demand for fab equipment is so high that TSMC will not be able to spend its CapEx budget this year, and some purchases related to advanced (N7 and thinner) and mature nodes will be delayed into 2023. As a result, TSMC’s CapEx this year will be at a lower end of the company’s prediction (around $40 billion) not because it does not want to invest, but because it cannot invest in tools that are not available.

“Our suppliers have been facing greater challenges in their supply chains, which are extending tool delivery lead times for both advanced and mature nodes,” said Wei. “As a result, we expect some of our CapEx this year to be pushed out into 2023.”

ASML Confirms Record Quarterly Bookings

Meanwhile, ASML, the world’s largest producer of lithography tools, this week posted its Q2 2022 revenue of €5.431 billion, a 53% increase year-over-year. During the second quarter, the company supplied (recognized revenue) a total of 91 new lithography systems (up from 59 in Q2 2021), with 12 of those being EUV systems (up from 3 in Q2 2021). 

What is perhaps more important is that ASML’s net bookings for new systems totaled €8.461 billion during the quarter, so the company’s bookings are higher than its quarterly sales. Meanwhile, ASML’s backlog now totals €33 billion and spans multiple years to come, which essentially is a yet another confirmation that it is extremely hard for companies like TSMC to get new tools.

The backlog for DUV machines is now at around 600 units and product order lead time for a new DUV scanner is now about two years. The backlog for EUV tools is well over 100 machines. Meanwhile, ASML says that PO lead time metrics is not exactly relevant since it faces supply chain and own production capacity issues, which means that its partners have to build additional capacity and ASML has to build additional capacity (which takes time) and only then it will be able to supply the tools ordered recently.

For the whole year 2022, ASML expects to ship 55 extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography scanners, but recognize revenue of 40 EUV systems valued at €6.40 billion (€160/$140 million per machine) because 15 EUV machines will be so-called fast shipments — a shipment process that skips some of the testing at ASML’s factory and then final testing and formal acceptance are performed at the customer site (which is why revenue acceptance gets deferred). The company also intends to supply 240 deep ultraviolet (DUV) litho tools this year. ASML expects its production capacity to total 60 EUV scanners and 375+ DUV tools in 2023.

Summary

While demand for chips aimed at client/consumer devices is getting softer due to rising inflation and geopolitical uncertainty, the global megatrends like 5G, AI, HPC, and autonomous vehicles are still there and these require loads of advanced system-on-chips, specialty processors, and not-so-advanced things like sensors. Therefore, TSMC is confident of strong demand for chips in the coming years.

But there is a problem with meeting that demand as TSMC is not the only company that is expanding its manufacturing capacity. ASML’s backlog now includes over 100 EUV scanners and around 600 DUV scanners — it will take years for the company to ship these machines. As a result, TSMC has problems with obtaining tools it needs to build additional capacity it needs. It is unclear whether the company has enough capacity to meet all of the potential demand from its largest customers on N3, N4, N5 nodes (Apple, MediaTek, AMD, NVIDIA, etc.), but, ultimately, tool shortages will affect all of its process technologies.

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Apex Legends Mobile’s Perk System Is Coming To Ranked This Weekend

Looks like Apex Legends Mobile is shaking things up this weekend. For a limited time, Ranked mode will support active legend perks, allowing players to utilize these unlockable abilities in a competitive setting.

The perk system will only be live in Ranked from July 22-24. It’s a very tight window–it seems like Respawn is doing this more to test out how perks might affect Ranked, rather than introduce a true limited-time mode.

Perks are exclusive to Apex Legends Mobile–they are not present in the console/PC game. You unlock perks for a legend by repeatedly playing as said legend, providing a means of further specializing how a given character performs.

For example, if you’re playing as Rhapsody, the new mobile-first legend added in Apex Legends Mobile Season 2, you could increase her potential on offense with her Sound Bleed perk, which amplifies her passive ability, Gifted Ear, so that it allows her to see sound visualizations of noises even if they’re behind a wall. Conversely, you could up her role as a support legend with the Volume Control perk, which allows Rhapsody to gift her passive ability to anyone affected by her tactical ability, Hype Anthem.

Each legend can equip up to three perks at a time, allowing you to create your own custom build. To ensure there are no balancing issues, perks have remained exclusive to non-Ranked playlists up until now. Depending on how this weekend goes, however, that may not be the case for much longer.

Apex Legends Mobile is available for iOS and Android devices.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Spider-Man Swings Into Action In New Marvel’s Midnight Suns Trailer

Every hero has a unique set of skills in Marvel’s Midnight Suns, and when you’ve got Spider-Man on your team, you can count on the wallcrawler being a versatile damage-dealer on the battlefield. In a new gameplay video for the upcoming superhero tactical-RPG, developer Firaxis showed off some fresh Spider-Man gameplay.

Like his main Marvel counterpart–and also voiced by Insomniac’s webhead Yuri Lowenthal–Spider-Man uses his rapid-fire agility, web-shooters, and environmental offense to to attack enemies all over the battlefield without spending multiple actions and keep them pinned down.

Firaxis has also briefly broken down a few of the other heroes who’ll appear in Midnight Suns, with quick dives into their skillsets and powers. Captain America soaks up damage intended for allies and taunts enemies, and Iron Man takes down enemy targets with precision repulsor beams.

Other characters that players will be able to add to their team include sorcerer supreme Doctor Strange, spirit of vengeance Ghost Rider, and the vampire hunter Blade.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns is scheduled to release on October 7 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. You can check out our Marvel’s Midnight Suns preorder guide for more details, everything that we know about the game so far, and GameSpot’s Midnight Suns preview that shows the game is more than just “XCOM with superheroes.”

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News