Despite launch difficulties and a price-tag for what will be a free-to-play game, the Steam Charts on SteamDB reveal Path of Exile 2 already boasts the 15th highest concurrent player count in Steam history. This chart position may change soon, as the Path of Exile 2 Steam Chart shows this player count for the action/RPG sequel increases on every refresh. It currently stands at 555,191 peak concurrent users, chasing Apex Legends, which stands at #14 with 624,473 simultaneous players.

Legion Studio announces COVENANT, an action game with a dark fantasy theme and a religion storyline coming to Steam with a TBA release window. Its ambitious description calls it a first-person fighting game, spellcaster, and shooter with campaign, co-op, and PVP, but buried in the details is the "soulslike" tipoff. In this "you play as a messenger sent from above," who bears no resemblance to any angel imagery we can recall, spreading the word of god through martial arts, secret magic, and ancient weapons. The Official Reveal Trailer features glimpses of gameplay and teases the concept, bragging that the team includes veterans of every game ever. Here's word:

Experience Creation through the eyes of the last living messenger - a warrior angel sent to carry out the will of the Composers. The oldest of your kind, Malach, has fallen to the abyss - leaving in his wake a trail of destruction. You must follow in the footsteps of his final days in order to uncover the nature of his fall - and in doing so, reveal the slumbering forces hidden within Creation.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Save 30% on Trans-Siberian Railway Simulator on Steam.
• Save 75% on Days Gone on Steam.
• Save 30% on Dwarven Realms on Steam.

Unofficial games, patches, and mods.

• Demo released for Mind Games, a Fallout 4 DLC-sized expansion - DSOGaming.

• Apple Vision Pro Has Recorded Less Than 500,000 Units In Sales Since Its February Launch, With Internal Data Revealing Reduced Usage Amongst Buyers Who Kept The Headset - Wccftech.
• Apple and Sony are working on Vision Pro support for PSVR2 controllers - The Verge.

• Fortnite Ballistic Cinematic Teaser.
• Radagon is EASY - Elden Ring #90 - Carbot. Thanks Ant.
• Street Fighter 6 - Mai Teaser Trailer.

↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.

• Every Game Store in 2024. Thanks Ant.

• Indiana Jones Chooses Wisely: The Biggest Voice in Gaming - The New York Times. Thanks Neutronbeam.

• iFixit now sells genuine Xbox replacement parts but at ridiculous prices — $599 for an Xbox Series X motherboard when a new console costs $499 - Tom's Hardware.

• FCC approves Starlink plan for cellular phone service, with some limits - Ars Technica. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.

• Arctic uses a fan to cool another fan — S12038-4K 120mm fan adds an extra fan in its center to cool its central shaft - Tom's Hardware. It's fans all the way down. Thanks Max.
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Sees Massive Price Hike Prior To RTX 5090 Launch- Over $2500 & Discontinued At Major Retailers - Wccftech.
• Vortex electric field discovery could impact quantum computing - Phys.org.
• It’s finally time to stop ignoring Intel GPUs - Digital Trends.

• OpenAI Employee Says They’ve "Already Achieved AGI" - Futurism.
• Here's the one thing you should never outsource to an AI model - VentureBeat. Never outsource your clickbait headlines?

• How Chinese insiders exploit its surveillance state • The Register.
• A USB-C cable can hide a lot of malicious hardware, CT scan shows - TechSpot.

• Google sues after Consumer Financial Protection Bureau orders supervision of its payment arm - Engadget.

• Game Controller: Thrustmaster H.E.A.R.T. Review- A Hall Effect Controller - WIRED.
• RAM: XPG LANCER RGB 32GB DDR5 7200MHz CL34 Dual-Channel Kit Review - Nikk Tech.

I will be very happy if we never break today's unfortunate record for most obituaries posted in one day.

Obituary: Beloved LA radio host Robin Ayers dead at 44 - Daily Mail Online.
Obituary: Mark Withers, actor of ‘Dynasty’ and ‘Stranger Things’ fame, dead at 77 - CNN.
Obituary: Steve Mensch, Tyler Perry Studios president, dies in plane crash - CNN.
Obituary: Miho Nakayama, Japanese Music and Movie Star, Dies at 54 - The New York Times.
Obituary: Influencer Dominique Brown Dies of Food Allergy at Industry Event Despite Allegedly Informing Staff of Her Allergens.

Unfortunate Round-up
Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.

Stories

• 'Shrinking' Star Ted McGinley On Jumping the Shark Label - Variety. He's so good in that show.
• Ohio bill would require high-demand liquor bottles to be opened when sold - NewsNation. Booze gets DRM. Thanks RedEye9.
• How Honeycrisp Apples Went From Marvel to Mediocre - Serious Eats.

Science

• What Are These Weird Structures Hubble Spotted Near a Monster Black Hole? - SciTechDaily.

Media
Thanks RedEye93.

• Severance — Season 2 Official Trailer - Apple TV+.
• Star Trek- Section 31 - Official Trailer - Paramount+. Star Trek: Black Ops.
• Invincible Season 3 - Official Trailer - Prime Video.
• Why Homemade Ketchup Should be Illegal - What's Eating Dan? - America's Test Kitchen.

Creature Features

• Owner rescues dogs that fell through ice at a Boulder lake.

Auction

• Dorothy’s Wizard of Oz ruby slippers sell for record-breaking $28m at auction - The Wizard Of Oz - The Guardian.

The Funnies

• FoxTrot.

The Fortnite Website announces Fortnite Ballistic, a new 5v5 "first-person Fortnite experience." This Counter-Strike-style twist on the third-person shooter is right upon us, as Early Access will begin on December 11th. There's a preview with screenshots on the PlayStation.Blog. Described as "an adrenaline-filled, round-based 5v5 competitive game mode where strategy, tactical teamwork, and individual prowess are essential for victory," it will feature both ranked and unranked gameplay. This no-build mode will launch with a single map, and gameplay will be refined based on player feedback. Here's the oddly truncated Official Trailer with a look, and here are more details:

In Ballistic, players are sorted into two teams at the start of the match: attackers and defenders. Attackers aim to plant a reality-tearing Rift Point Device at one of two sites on the map, while defenders do their best to thwart the device from being planted and detonated.

There are no respawns in Ballistic — a round is over if the Rift Point Device explodes, or either team is fully eliminated. After 6 rounds, players will swap sides, giving defenders a chance to be attackers and vice-versa. The game is over when either team has won 7 rounds total!

Continue here to read the full story.

Path of Exile 2 Early Access Launch Live Updates Page has the latest on yesterday's Early Access launch of Path of Exile 2. This suggests issues new players encountered due to congestion are now cleared up. This was live updated yesterday following the launch, but the updates were ironically inaccessible because the site was down most of the day due to maintenance. Despite the hiccups, the Steam Listing shows this is rated "very positive" based on over 11,000 reviews. Players can get in on Early Access by purchasing a supporter pack, and the action/RPG sequel will be free-to-play when it officially launches. Here's the elevator pitch:

Path of Exile 2 is a next generation free-to-play Action RPG from Grinding Gear Games, featuring co-op for up to six players. Path of Exile 2 takes place in the land of Wraeclast, a dark continent populated by unique cultures, ancient secrets, and monstrous dangers. A sinister threat, long thought destroyed, has begun creeping back on the edge of civilisation, driving people mad and sickening the land with Corruption.

Path of Exile 2 features a brand new campaign with six acts, 100 distinct environments, 600 monsters and 100 bosses.

Pine Studio announces Escape Simulator 2, an upcoming sequel to the first-person puzzle game that challenges players to GTFO by whatever means necessary. It doesn't yet project a release date, we can follow progress on the Steam Listing. This promises new detailed environments for the "most intricate escape rooms yet," and the Announcement Trailer shows off castles, sailing ships, spacecraft, and more. Here's word:

Pine Studio has today announced Escape Simulator 2, the sequel to the best-selling first-person escape room game, coming to Steam. In this brand-new adventure for 1–8 players, budding puzzle solvers can immerse themselves in the series’ most intricate escape rooms yet, crafted with input from real-life escape room experts and legendary Escape Simulator community builders. Players will be able to explore detailed environments to uncover clues and solve a range of mysteries including the fate of a stranded starship, the secrets of Count Dracula’s castle, and the hidden location of a cursed pirate treasure.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Dog Man: Mission Impawsible on Steam (Windows). "Dog Man: Mission Impawsible brings the beloved book series to life. Help Dog Man and his friends chase down the supa bad guys in their most impawsible mission yet!" There's a playable demo.

• The Alters on Steam (Windows). "Explore an emotional sci-fi game that features a unique blend of adventure, survival, and base-building elements. Play as Jan Dolski, a simple worker who creates alternative versions of himself in a desperate attempt to escape from a planet where even sun rays can prove deadly."
• EA SPORTS FC 25 SHOWCASE on Steam (Windows). "Experience a preview of The World’s Game with EA SPORTS FC™ 25 SHOWCASE. Hit the pitch in Kick-Off with a selection of the world’s biggest clubs, or team up with friends online for 5-a-side glory in Clubs Rush and improve your Pro up to capped level."
• Preface: Undiscovered World on Steam (Windows). "Preface is an immersive tech demo showcasing Melba, PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions' groundbreaking technology generating an Earth-scale world. In this project still in development, experience our machine learning agents creating a planet in real-time, directly on your GPU."

Official patch.

• Run From Mummies - Minor Patch 1.00.07.

• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle PC: impressive performance - but care is needed with 8GB graphics cards - Eurogamer.net.

Official trailer.

• INDIE Live Expo 2024.12.7 Teaser (English). Later today.

• EVE Frontier 'is not really a blockchain game, no more than EVE is a database game-' CCP hopes you'll give crypto a chance for a space sim with tactical combat 'bordering on survival horror' - PC Gamer.

• Nintendo is reportedly porting another 3DS game to Switch next year - VGC.

• Warcraft Rumble - Plant the Seeds of Protection with Malfurion Stormrage.

• NZXT Says We're "Confused" - Gamers Nexus (video). Thanks RedEye9.
• AMD confirms Ryzen 7 9800X3D stock will improve soon — chipmaker says more processors are being shipped weekly - Tom's Hardware.
• Scientists build the world's tiniest walking robot measuring just 2 microns - The Brighter Side of News.
• Microsoft ends production on Surface Studio 2+ as stock dwindles - Windows Central.
• FreeFileSync version 13.9. Thanks Ant.

• How to stop the AI you’re using from training with your data - The Verge.
• The GPT Era Is Already Ending - The Atlantic (may require registration or subscription).

• Breath of Death VII- The Beginning- Reanimated - Christ Centered Gamer.
• Path of Exile 2 early access review-in-progress - coming for Diablo 4's lunch in style - Eurogamer.net.
• Path of Exile 2 Early Access Review - IGN.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Keyboard: Keychron K15 Max mechanical keyboard review- Low-profile 75% Alice keyboard makes painful sacrifices - NotebookCheck.net News.
• Keyboard: Logitech G915 X Lightspeed TKL Review - PCMag.
• Laptop: Acer Nitro V 16 ANV16-41 review- An affordable gaming laptop with a hitch - NotebookCheck.net Reviews.
• Motherboard: GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS Pro Ice Motherboard Review - A gorgeous board at a reasonable price - TweakTown.
• Mouse: Hitscan Hyperlight Review - TechPowerUp.
• SSD: Crucial P310 (2280) SSD Review- Same great taste, but with a new look - Tom's Hardware.
• SSD: Team Group MP44 4 TB review - PC Gamer.
• SSD: TeamGroup PD20M Mag Portable SSD Review - Neoseeker.
• VR/AR HMD: Quest 3S Review- Most of the same thrills as the Quest 3 for $200 less - Tom's Hardware.

Today is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor that altered the course of history by drawing the U.S. into World War II. According to this CNN article "only" 16 survivors of the attack remain. But that actually seems like a lot, since they're over 100 years old now. A sad reminder of the horrors of war is that over 900 sailors remain "buried at sea" in the USS Arizona, and even though the battleship sank 83 years ago, it still leaks quarts of oil into the harbor every day. As the National Park Service puts it, "preserving memories and inspiring peace."

Memorial Round-up
Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.

Stories

• How worried should we be about Disease X? - Goats and Soda - NPR. Thanks RedEye9.
• World's oldest known wild bird is expecting again, aged 74 - Phys.org.

Science

• Weatherwatch- why cooling white roofs cause neighbours to swelter - Climate crisis - The Guardian.
• Meet The Purple Frog, A Dinosaur-Era “Living Fossil” That Emerged Over 80 Million Years Ago - IFLScience.

Media

• 🆘 - YouTube. Apparently a 28 Years Later teaser.
• When a person is unlucky, they can be really unlucky 🤣🤣🤣. Thanks VideoSift.

Creature Features

• Dogs: husky vs border collie agility. Thanks RedEye9.