NC's ban wave aims to curb economy abuse in Aion 2, now amongst the top played games on Steam.
The MMORPG scene sees a significant shake-up as Aion 2, the recent installment from developer NC, has implemented a robust crackdown on botting and gold farming activities. In a decisive move to maintain a balanced in-game economy, nearly 5,000 user accounts have been banned. This comes as a reaction to the game’s surge in popularity, having climbed to become the fourth most-played game on Steam, trailing only behind long-established titles per PCGamesN. As Aion 2 continues to attract a wide player base, this indicates NC’s commitment to creating a fair play environment, a critical factor for sustaining its newfound momentum.
Disappearance of RTX 5090s
Moving from the virtual world to a real-life incident, two pallets of the highly sought-after RTX 5090 graphics cards have vanished from a Brazilian airport. The disappearance, amounting to $495,000 in inventory, was reported by electronics distributor Oderço, known for over 38 years of operation without such an incident. As reported by PC Gamer, the cards were officially logged at Guarulhos International Airport but did not surface thereafter. This is bound to intensify already high demand for GPUs as enthusiasts and professionals alike continue to face challenges in obtaining the latest hardware.
AI Advocacy Sparks Controversy at Xbox
In the tech discourse front, a recent incident involving Xbox’s senior business strategy manager, Brandon Stirrup, has stirred conversations about AI in game development. Stirrup’s ardent commentary on X—insisting that not embracing AI could be detrimental to game developers—led to substantial backlash, prompting him to delete his account. According to PC Gamer, Stirrup claimed AI significantly sped up his game development process, but the controversial phrasing of his message did not sit well with audiences, evoking a storm of replies that appears to have been overwhelming. This incident underscores the ongoing debate over AI integration within the industry, spotlighting the sensitivity and division over such transformative technology.
Unopened Doors in Emulation
The PlayStation 5 emulation scene has achieved a breakthrough as the once-exclusive Demon’s Souls Remake now runs on PC, thanks to the unofficial KytyPS5 emulator. YouTuber Geralt Benchmarks showcased the game running impressively at double its frame rate cap on an RTX 5070, achieving over 100 fps at 1440p and near 120 fps at 1080p, detailed in PC Gamer. While unofficial and raising certain legal questions, this development represents a significant stride in console game accessibility for PC users, pushing the boundaries of what PC hardware can accomplish with console ports.
