20: BlizzConline 2021 and other news

Howdy everyone!  Welcome to episode 20 of the j76 Gaming podcast. Have been out of action for a while, not exactly on purpose.  But I’m back and it feels good to be creating again.

This week will focus on knocking the dust off and covering the news for the week. Also adding a new segment on new game releases coming in the near future. 

Catch me on Twitch on most Tues/Thurs/Sat nights from 7-9pm.  I have been horrible about streaming but I’m working on it.  Will probably stream Atelier Ryza 2 on Tues then Outriders demo starting on Thurs.  Will work out a new plan for streaming as I do not have one game that I’m no-lifing right now.

In this episode we will have some gaming and hardware news but the big deal is BlizzConline 2021. Along with the Diablo 4 reveal of the Rogue class, we got another huge announcement. You got it, Diablo 2 Resurrected was finally announced! This is the news that we have been waiting for! Releasing sometime in 2021. Prior to release there will be a technical alpha that you can sign up for at the Diablo 2 Resurrected page at Blizzard.

Also, where the heck have I been? Well it’s not an amazing story, but here you go. Austin has had two power outages this year. One was only a day for me, but that cost me my filming day. I do most filming on Sundays and to not have power for the whole day ruins the week. The second was last week and covered 4 days with no power, 4 days with no water, then the ongoing boil water plan. The water is too contaminated to drink so have to boil it first. Feels like living post apocalypses, all the technology is still here, just not working and I’m boiling water to drink lol. Thanks Texas.

To go with all this, cedar fever struck hard. For those not aware, cedar fever is a loving term for allergies caused by cedar tree pollen. Think of it like having a really bad cold but it lasts longer and you can’t really do anything about it.  Headaches, stuffy nose, sore throat, sneezing, and exhausted. The worst case I’ve ever had, lasted 6 weeks.  I think that my body has built up resistance to my allergy meds and then this was the second worst cedar season in history.

• Game News

  • BlizzConline 2021

    • Diablo II Resurrected

      • Announced, release 2021 but nothing more definitive.

        • https://youtu.be/DRP62MGOrUo

      • Technical alpha sign up, no dates though.

        • https://diablo2.blizzard.com/en-us/

      • BlizzConline Diablo II Resurrected Deep Dive

        • https://youtu.be/D3dL7ZeIAsE

      • MrLlamaSC additional Q/A

        • https://youtu.be/pfPRTJZHQw0

    • Diablo IV

      • Rogue announced

        • https://youtu.be/GPKbEgzp3Qo

    • WoW

      • Burning Crusades added to Classic

      • Shadowlands Patch 9.1 Chains of Domination

      • New location Korthia

      • New raid and mega dungeon

    • Arcade Collection

      • Lost Vikings, Blackthorne, and Rock N Roll Racing

        • https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/blizzard/23617535/relive-the-legacy-announcing-the-blizzard-arcade-collection

  • Mass Effect Legendary Edition

    • Pre-order available

    • Release date now set to May 14th

    • https://www.ea.com/games/mass-effect/mass-effect-legendary-edition

  • Final Fantasy

    • Return Home Campaign active for FFXI

      • http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/campaign/wcb/index.html

    • Free Login Campaign active for FFXIV

      • https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/special/freelogincampaign/

• Console News

  • John Carmack suggests Xbox and Sony run their own auctions to cut out middlemen.

    • https://gamerant.com/john-carmack-xbox-playstation-console-auction-idea/

  • Microsoft FPS Boost feature has first titles announced.

    • https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/17/22287001/microsoft-xbox-series-x-s-fps-boost-feature-games

  • Xbox Series S GPU a problem for developers?  Seems like what PC developers have to deal with all the time.  You mean there are different GPUs out there?  Not everyone uses an Nvidia 3090?  Shut the front door!

    • https://wccftech.com/xbox-series-s-ram-not-an-issue-but-gpu-performance-presents-challenges-for-future-titles-4a-games/

  • New Xbox platform updates?  More features to the mobile app.  Updating features on the consoles like achievement tracking and broadcasting (thankfully!).  Maybe this means we can see some UI updates?  That would be nice.

    • https://gamerant.com/xboxs-major-nelson-teases-big-xbox-series-x-platform-updates/

  • Xbox headset announced.  Good, it’s about time.  I don’t love wireless headsets, but I’m glad they’re getting in the game with these.

    • https://www.xbox.com/en-US/accessories/headsets/xbox-wireless-headset

  • Class Action lawsuit against Sony for PS5 controller drift?

    • https://www.slashgear.com/playstation-5-dualsense-drift-lawsuit-filed-in-court-15659477/

• Hardware News

  • AMD

    • Personal news, my 5900x is now installed and my new gaming PC is ‘done’.  Until I decide to water cool it.  Which I hope that I don’t do cause it’s kinda nice to have a PC that is flexible if want to swap out parts.

    • 5000 series have high failure rates?  More on the higher end parts?

      • https://wccftech.com/amd-ryzen-5000-zen-3-desktop-cpus-x570-motherboards-high-failure-rates/

  • Nvidia

    • New GPUs targeted for crypto mining

      • https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/cmp/

      • Limiting mining performance on 3060s

        • https://wccftech.com/nvidia-says-its-hard-to-crack-geforce-gpu-mining-hash-rate-limiter-current-ampere-turing-gpus-remain-unaffected/

      • Not limiting mining capabilities on the current cards, only new.

        • https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2021/2/18/22290362/nvidia-will-not-reduce-3060-ti-3070-3080-3090-eth-mining

  • Intel

    • 12th gen CPUs challenge Ryzen 5000 series?  Well they better.

      • https://www.pcgamer.com/intel-alder-lake-gracemont-cores-skylake/

  • Lian Li

    • New Uni Fan model, AL120 and AL140.  Not much info, but looks like improved flow rate, static pressure, and run a few db quieter.  Coming in April, I’m sure they wont be sold out instantly like everything else.

      • https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/joao-silva/lian-li-announces-new-cases-and-fans-at-2021-digital-expo/

• Recent game releases and updates

  • No Man’s Sky

    • Companions Update

    • Adding a pet system to the game. 

    • https://www.nomanssky.com/companions-update/

  • Super Mario 3D World + Bowsers Fury

    • Remaster of the Wii U version of the game.

    • https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/super-mario-3d-world-plus-bowsers-fury-switch/

• Upcoming confirmed game releases and updates

  • Outriders Demo

    • February 25th

    • PC and next gen consoles.

    • Global unlock time

      • https://twitter.com/Outriders/status/1362432246515441669/photo/1

    • Reddit FAQ

      • https://www.reddit.com/r/outriders/comments/lmpyo3/everything_you_need_to_know_about_the_outriders/

    • Game Page

      • https://outriders.square-enix-games.com/en-us/

  • Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection

    • February 25th

    • Switch

      • https://www.ghostsn-goblins.com/resurrection/us/

  • Bravely Default II

    • February 26th

    • Switch

    • https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/bravely-default-ii-switch/

  • Harvest Moon One World

    • March 2nd

    • Switch

    • https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/harvest-moon-one-world-switch/

• Upcoming games with unconfirmed release dates

  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits

    • March

    • PS5 (and Epic Games PC) exclusive.  Will play on PS5 because I will not support Epic Games Store in any way.

    • https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/kena-bridge-of-spirits/

  • Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II

    • March?

    • Xbox and PC, will get it on both.  Senua’s Sacrafice is a superb experience of a video game.  Play it with headphones or some surround sound setup.  Really immerse yourself for full effect.

    • https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/senuas-saga-hellblade-ii