So here’s the photo that was removed by mods today. This is Mel at the top of her cat tower that has a climb through bottom and she is holding on through the bottom and the top this photo was taken with an iPhone 16 Pro. It’s too bad. The mods do not recognize a real photo compared to AI #caturday

The article says:

Ken Griffin says Trump’s tariff strategy is eroding America’s global standing and investor trust in U.S. financial stability.

We already knew this was going to happen. On June 26, 2024 Reuters released an article with the headline "16 Nobel Prize-winning economists say Trump policies will fuel inflation". Trump campaigned on tariffs.

In my view this really undermines the creditably of Ken Griffin because an investor should be able to accurately asses information and determine its credibility to make proper investing decisions. Someone who falls for Fox "News" drivel wouldn't be a good investor. This is why Warren Buffet is outperforming other investors now, he properly prepared himself for Trump's tariffs.

Source for donation amount: https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/biggest-donors

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/30575687

Nosferuleatu

Honestly, just using this as an excuse to reiterate that J.K. is using her Harry Potter wealth to actively hurt trans people.

I just installed Debian with the KDE desktop and I'm looking to see what kind of packages are available in the Discover store by default as they are not labeled i.e., Snaps/Flatpak. Should I install Flatpak? Thanks I don't to break anything

She was very spicy about the whole thing, which is understandable given how her foot is infected. Hopefully she'll be feeling a bit better when I go see her on Monday.

I hate seeing her sore like this. I'm not used to dealing with thrush, so it's a bit hard for me to handle it alone. The horses I had as a kid had a much better farm to run around on, so their feet were always in great shape. Thankfully I have a lot of support and assistance in this time of learning and healing.

Another week has passed, and so it’s another excuse for me to post a bunch of gaming news I’ve spotted over the last few days! I’m sure most of you know the drill by now:

What are these posts?

My aim for these News Posts in general though is to format them in a more clearly not a professional, but someone who cares about gaming manner than most gaming sites do now. Less demanding? My ever-lasting inspo is the old, old video game sites, blogs and magazines that I never had the privilege of being alive for:

• image/gif/link heavy (although GIF can be tricky on Lemmy, some big ones refuse to show, and ones I plan on including end up unable to upload)

• personal voice (I can’t help rambling, send help)

• mostly news or articles or points which you won’t find on normal gaming sites. These are the smaller, lesser things that I’m drawn to. I know you’ll have spotted the big news articles, so I’m hoping some of these smaller ones might have been missed by you.

A mixed bag of what I’ve considered news this week, so there really is a bit of everything ahead.

So grab a coffee? Or a tea? Or a fresh juice? And enjoy <3

---

Return of the Steam:

Both OlliOlli World and Rollerdrome have been reinstated back to Steam after being delisted. Nice and cheerful news, right?

Wrong. Especially in the case of the utterly adored Rollerdrome:

Pirate it. Entire team got fired after game released so why support 2k.

Seems like this one has a tiny (not tiny at all) bit of an angry audience who, while adoring and signing the game’s praises, loathe what has happened on the corpo side of things.

If you wanna know everything there is to know about this sad story, then watch this doco that Raycevick put together on YouTube, it’s such wonderful production value, and worth watching

• Rollerdrome holds a ‘Platinum’ certification by community ratings on ProtonDB, working great

• OlliOlli World also has a rating of ‘Platinum’ on ProtonDB, and the top-most comment with the users’ settings made me laugh

---

DeckCube:

If you’ve ever wanted to have the best of the Steam Deck (portability) and the best of the GameCube (ahhh, portability via a handle?!) then this user – Otzedotze made a GameCube handle for your Steam Deck.

It works like 50% of the time. Then it falls off the Steam Deck and your Steam Deck falls to the floor. Good times. They’ve also shared the files on Maker World (under the name Bitz`Primmus) which you can find here with this link if you’d like!

It was already pointless on the GameCube — and now it’s even more useless on the Steam Deck. Especially since the Steam Deck version comes with the amazing feature of… falling off instantly! ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!

And, obligatory pictures:

---

Deck Tag:

I have to ask, what did you do with the tag on your Steam Deck zip-lock?

This user took it to the obvious conclusion and has it where it belongs, I’d say:

---

Epic Games ‘Free Games Program’:

It looks like Epic’s weekly free titles, which were suspected to end mid-this-year are maybe not stopping. We got a little scare when court documents from one of their many their skirmishes with Apple showed the end date of their freebies at mid-2025. Who’d have guessed, but taking one throw-away line in a dense document and guessing that spelled their end of their program...might have been wrong?!

Anyway, the clue we’re seeing that maybe the program won’t end is there being a special nomination in this year's DevGAMM awards for Indie Games on EGS, one of the requirements mentioned the option to choose to participate in EGS Free Games Program in 2026.

So...maybe? Maybe not? Who knows, that was all I could find. Anyway, here’s a link to the awards and here’s the image for you:

With games like GTA V, Control, and Death Stranding given totally for free, this service is amazing for gamers who’d not have the opportunity or means to experience these titles without it. Hate Epic all you want, it helps some!

---

Download.it saves FilePlanet:

120,000+ Historic Gaming Files to Find a New Home

Download.it, the trusted multilingual software download and review platform, announces the upcoming merger with FilePlanet.com, to be completed on May 29, 2025. Over 120,000 historic FilePlanet gaming files, including rare demos, mods, patches, and promotional materials, will be preserved and remain freely accessible through Download.it's infrastructure.

Originally founded in 1997 and previously operated by IGN Entertainment Inc. (Ziff Davis), FilePlanet served as an essential resource for gamers, modders, and enthusiasts for almost 28 years. Facing permanent closure, FilePlanet was acquired by Download.it to ensure these files, many unavailable elsewhere, could remain accessible to gaming communities around the world.

Download.it, established as a reliable destination for software, apps, and game downloads for Windows, macOS, and Android platforms, has always emphasized free and convenient access without registration barriers or fees. This merger furthers the platform's commitment to digital preservation, combining resources to create one of the largest free download archives online: over 500,000 files totaling nearly 30TB of content.

Key facts about the merger:

• 120,000+ historic gaming-related files saved from FilePlanet
• Combined archive of 500,000+ files across both platforms
• Nearly 30TB of preserved digital content
• Free, no-registration-required access continues
• Automatic redirects preserve all historic links
• Starting May 29, users visiting original FilePlanet.com URLs will automatically redirect to equivalent pages at the new address, safeguarding decades of historic links and bookmarks.

Visit FilePlanet's new home starting May 29 with this link

About Download.it:

Download.it is a multilingual software review and download portal, providing trusted, curated downloads for Windows, Android, and macOS users globally. Offering software, apps, games, utility tools, and now a historical gaming archive, Download.it serves millions of visitors with fast, reliable, and free downloads each month

---

Sonic the Hedgehog’s New Home:

After a careful restoration in 2023, the legendary Sonic the Hedgehog statue from the now-closed SegaWorld London has found a new home inside Sega Europe’s recently relocated headquarters in Chiswick Business Park. Once a central attraction at SegaWorld (an ambitious arcade and theme park launched in 1996) the statue now stands in Sega’s modern office, surrounded by lame, personality-free things like ping-pong tables, relaxation zones, and a digital gallery.

Link to a video on YouTube which gives you an ‘inside look at SEGA’s brand new office, which runs for just over one minute

Originally thought lost after SegaWorld closed and transitioned into Funland Arcade, the statue resurfaced in 2019 thanks to Danny Russell from Sega Forever. It was restored by Croydon-based special effects studio 13 Finger FX, bringing new life to a cherished piece of gaming history. Sega Europe’s move to Chiswick, following two decades in Brentford, symbolizes a fresh chapter for the company—while also celebrating the return of one of Sonic’s most iconic UK appearances.

Before:

After:

---

Stellar Blade’s Lock:

It seems Shift Up did indeed have discussions with Sony to get this resolved. There appears to be no change with any of the other region-locked games published by Sony on PC.

In a move no one really expected (since the opposite was announced only a week or so ago), we’ve now got Stellar Blade not enforcing Sony’s senseless region lock. It is now available in over 250 countries.

But:

• The rest of Sony’s own catalogue still does enforce their own PSN region lock
• Stellar Blade still has Denuvo DRM

There's also a demo available that's out now, if you'd like to try it out (on the Deck, too!):

---

Nine Sols:

The adorable hand-animated, Japanese folklore-inspired (with very Sekiro-ish combat) Nine Sols has sold over 800,000 copies across all platforms now!

It’s been Red Candle’s own odyssey, six years, countless challenges, and now a sunlit horizon.

Thank you for walking this road with us, and for the chance to cross paths on the Way.

I also love how it’s dubbed ‘Taopunk’ – a fusion of Taoist philosophy and a cyberpunk setting: Eastern mythology + sci-fi bits and pieces.

If you enjoyed Nine Sols by the way, look up Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus. While Nine Sols is reaction-based combat, Teal Lotus is more platforming, but both are beautiful in their setting.

---

Xbox Handheld Sidelined:

Microsoft has apparently (though to be fair it’s not 100% confirmed, more like 75%) ‘temporarily’ shelved its upcoming in-house Xbox handheld device to focus on improving Windows 11 gaming performance. Especially for third-party devices like ASUS's Xbox-branded Ally model I shared a few News Posts ago - "Project Kennan."

While multiple prototypes for a Gen-10 Xbox handheld exist, internal priorities have shifted toward enhancing the software experience for Windows-based gaming handhelds, which let’s face it...sucks a lot and needs work.

The decision seems influenced by the rise of SteamOS, which offers better performance and battery life on devices like the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. Microsoft remains committed to developing its own handheld hardware in the future, but for now, it's leaning into partnerships and platform optimization.

Here’s an article on Windows Central, by Jez Corden which goes into way more detail about the fact it’s not confirmed-confirmed

And here’s one of the leaked Xbox-Ally-Kennan console images:

---

Persona 4 Remake?

Voice actor Yuri Lowenthal has maybe released the fact there’s an upcoming P4 Remake coming, maybe out of spite? In a now deleted Bsky post, he just didn’t hold back:

So, I guess we’re now looking forward to that?

---

Cyberpunk 2077:

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty has sold 10 million copies and Cyberpunk 2 has entered pre-production phase!

That’s...honestly a lot, but it’s amazing to read on each, too. Their only DLC (having planned two, but dropped the second) selling so much is well and truly deserved. Phantom Liberty is worth its weight in gold!!!

You can read all about it in CD Projekt Group’s Q1 2025 Earnings report here, if you’re so inclined.

---

The Witcher:

To start with, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has sold 60 million copies! An insane number that is very nearly matching that of Skyrim!

Also just announced is the fact that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is getting cross-platform mod support:

We will introduce cross-platform mod support for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S later this year. For the first time, creating, sharing, and enjoying mods for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be easier and more accessible than ever.

More information will be released in time, but for now you can check their link here to read more!

Annnd if that’s not enough Witcher for you, you can watch their 10th Anniversary Celebration with the devs:

It’s been 10 years since The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was released. To mark this occasion, we invited some amazing people who worked on the game to travel back in time and share some stories.

...with this link here to YouTube. It goes for 20:33 and is well worth your time!

...and lastly, I just love this art by IfrAgMenTIx, and had to leave it here below:

---

Selaco:

I’ve rambled about Selaco a million times now, since it is pure sorcery what the devs have done with the GZDoom engine to make a game look this good, but I’m gonna do it again:

• Check out their Early Access trailer they released 12 months ago, and be impressed!

The story takes place during a violent invasion on Selaco, a massive space station sheltering the last refugees after Earth’s fall just a few years prior. You play as Dawn Collins, an ACE Security Captain who, with her recent promotion and high level security clearances, is digging deep into the truth behind Selaco's murky history. Before she can finish her investigation, Selaco is rocked by explosions and armed invaders.

Find the game’s Steam listing here if you’d like to see/read more about Selaco itself

Anyway, the devs have announced that Selaco has a huge update (V0.90) and a sale (their highest discount yet!) on Steam at the moment. I’d list some, but the list and changes are sooooo extensive, you’re better reading them here:

Read the whole extensive patch notes and announcement here

And check Digital Foundry’s video on the game, with how impressed they are with it!

---

2005’s Punisher (a ‘definitive’ version):*

This is a very specific one I stumbled over, but there’s always a chance that there’s a fan of the 2005 PS2 game The Punisher in here. The user Javi096 has done their best to compile the best-of-the-best replacements to make that game the ‘ultimate’ version it can be. Pointless even writing this paragraph, just read the user’s notes on it:

Hey everyone! I’ve shared this with some Punisher communities, thought I’d share it here in case there are any fans and because I did this all off a steam deck.

Over the last year or so I’ve been trying to put together what I feel is a content complete edition for the PS2 version of the classic Punisher game. Back in the day it was heavily censored and lacked exclusives from the PC version such as exclusive costumes for The Punisher. Thanks to the texture replacement feature and luck finding texture rips of the exclusive costumes, I was able to bring those costumes to the PS2 version for the first time ever! I even took it a step further and added additional costumes to give the game a nice variety of content.

In the files I included there is a cheat file to remove the censorship and add additional violence to the game. As well as an HD texture pack created by Bl4ckH4nd over at GBAtemp. Instructions are included how to set it all up.

(note, the link to the pack they’ve compiled is here with this link to their Google Drive)

Lastly, this link is to a new mod that’s been created that further restores cut content and adds even more blood and gore

---

Thai Prime Minister & Game Boy:

There’s not much I can think of to say about this either, it’s just amazing: one of the reporters interviewing Thailand prime minister has a ‘camera’ you’ll recognize:

---

Reshade 6.5 releases:

ReShade is basically a powerful graphics tool that lets you add custom post-processing effects to most PC games. Think of it like Instagram filters, but way more advanced and applied live while you play.

What it does:

It "injects" itself into the game's rendering pipeline. This allows it to grab the image right before it's shown on your screen and apply a wide variety of visual effects (called shaders).

Common things people use it for:

• Color Correction: Make colors more vibrant, change the mood (e.g., desaturate for a gritty look, add a warm tint).

• Sharpening: Make blurry textures look crisper.

• Depth of Field (DoF): Create cinematic blurry backgrounds/foregrounds.

• Ambient Occlusion (AO): Add subtle contact shadows for more depth.

• Anti-Aliasing: Smooth out jagged edges, often better than in-game options.

• Film Grain, Bloom, Lens Flares: Add stylistic touches.

In short:

It lets you customize how your games look, often dramatically improving visuals, making older games look newer, or just tweaking things to your personal taste.

Change log here if you’d like to read more of what has changed on this version

---

Custom PlayStation 2 Slim shell:

I just loved how this one looks, thought someone might be interested in this! The link to it is available free here, if you wanna click it!

They’ve also included the STEP file in this, if you wanted to remix or build something off it!

---

Steam Deck – watercooled:

IDK, I’m just going to copy their words for this one too. I found this user who posted: I built a custom water cooling loop for my Steam Deck using leftover parts from an old PC build. I also played around with overclocking and undervolting, and I was pretty fascinated.

The Steam Deck community is filled with the tinkering sort, and these kind of projects are usually more of the ‘because I could*, not should!

Anyway, here’s their efforts in their own words (and pictures!)

System Modifications:

I used the Smokeless UMAF Runtime Patcher to modify the BIOS and raise the TDP limit from the stock 15W to 27W. CPU overclocked from 3.5 GHz to 3.6 GHz. GPU overclocked modestly from 1.6 GHz to 1.7 GHz. I also applied a slight undervolt of -10 mV to the CPU, GPU, and SoC.

Why only +100MHz OC?

I know the Deck can handle more, and I’ve tested higher overclocks — but I decided to scale things back and prioritize balance between CPU and GPU performance.

My thought process was: if I overclock the CPU too aggressively, it might draw so much power that the GPU wouldn’t have enough TDP headroom left — and vice versa: if the GPU draws too much power, the CPU could become the bottleneck. Since both components share the same power budget (even with the raised 27W limit), pushing one too far can end up starving the other.

So instead of having one component run much faster while the other gets throttled, I chose to modestly overclock both by 100 MHz. This way they can operate more evenly under load, and the system stays stable, responsive, and cool.

Thermal Results (with custom loop)

All temperatures are measured while gaming in Full HD (1920×1080) resolution via HDMI output — not the Steam Deck’s native display. That higher resolution puts extra load on the system, making these results even more impressive: Idle temps:

• ~27–29 °C (depending on room temp)
• Doom Eternal (medium settings): ~40–45 °C under load
• Helldivers 2 (low settings + internal upscaling): ~50–55 °C
• Max temp observed, even during long sessions: never above 60 °C

Notes & Observations:

I probably didn’t win the silicon lottery — I tried undervolting more, but my system became unstable very quickly, so I couldn’t take it much further than -10 mV on CPU, GPU, and SoC. Still, the small undervolt runs completely stable with no negative effects. System feels snappy, stable, and most importantly: quiet and cool. Water cooling on a handheld is obviously overkill, but it was a fun project and I love the results.

---

Game Pass in May:

Just a handy graphic, to show what was generally regarded as an amazing and hard-to-beat month of Game Pass titles, and a handful which are still to arrive:

---

Expedition 33 sells 3.3 million:

Expedition 33 has sold (over this number, by the time you’re reading this!) 3.3 million copies. Have you played it? Are you obsessed? Its funny how a turn-based game has made such a stir in all the gaming circles lately!

---

LEGO Gear Rex:

A little while back I shared a fun alt LEGO build I spotted. One takes (in theory, in practice I have no idea how people can figure these out!) an existing LEGO set, and builds something entirely different out of each piece in the set.

(that post, where the user takes a safari set and makes Shagohod from MGS is here if you want to take a look)

Anyway, I found another one, this time Metal Gear Rex being made from the LEGO set for a Millennium Falcon.

IDK how people work these out, this is amazing to me, esp since I am a massive MGS fan.

The instructions / page on how to is here on rebrickable if you want to see it all, including a YouTube video on it!

---

PS2 on my Steam Deck:

I’ve been revisiting my RetroDECK set-up on my Steam Deck in the last few days. I was emulating a huge number of Switch games on my Deck, but having long since re-joined the Switch hardware world with an OLED I chipped (for that lovely custom theme CFW world), I’ve gone back and removed 99% of them from my little library and instead am focusing on PS2 (and PS3) titles instead.

So, what I do is:

• I use RetroDECK on my Steam Deck, I much prefer this over EmuDeck as it doesn’t break every week or two. It’s stable and lets me run everything including my ROMs, emulators, bios, mods, texture packs etc all from one SD card – with ease. Link to their site here

• I grab HD texture packs for the PS2 games I’m enjoying the look of, to try out in the ‘best that they can be’ kinda way. These texture packs act as higher res textures replacing the originals in the games, it can go from a few hundred mb all the way up to the most I’ve found, being 29GB on a Silent Hill title. Download the HD Texture Packs, place in folder, apply in settings and it looks pretty. Here’s a great collection of these packs if you’re curious, on archive.org

• And of course I tweak the settings in PCSX2, the PS2 emulator, and upscale the output to what feels nicest to me.

I’m kinda new to the PS2 library. Or not new just...I’ve never really dived in to it, besides some of the obvious big titles. Anyway, here’s what I’ve got so far, just...coz I’ve written all of this and now I’ve got to make some kind of conclusion to my ramble:

---

DOOM Promo:

This one was spotted in Barcelona (in Plaza Drassanes) and is obviously a paid, commissioned advert – but a wonderful one, regardless.

Celebrating the latest DOOM game (The Dark Ages):

---

Game Informer Archive:

The Game Informer archive just got upgraded with its entire backlog, so if you’ve nostalgia or curiosity over the 1990s and gaming, then this will be a winner for you!

Since Game Informer’s return in March, we’ve offered a backlog archive of all our magazine issues going back to 2012. With today’s expansion of that archive, we’re now growing that archive to include all Game Informer magazine issues, going all the way back to issue number 1, first published in 1991.

You can do so by following this link to their own announcement, which then directs you where to go

Or, if you don’t want to have to create an account to see them (which you are required to, silly Game Informer), then you can just read the entirety of Game Informer on RetroMags instead:

The link to which is here!

---

That’s all, I think?!

---

Despite having a ton more to write and share, I do think sometimes that maybe too much is too much. I’m edging closer to 4,000 words in this post so far, so...maybe I’ll leave it here!

If you’d like to read my previous Gaming News posts (they’re mounting up in number now!), then you can find them here:

• Steam Deck / Gaming News #2
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #3
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #4
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #5
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #6
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #7
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #8
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #9
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #10
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #11
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #12
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #13
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #14
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #15
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #16
• Steam Deck / Gaming News #17

If you’d like to see more of my odd gaming things I find or never-shut-up-about, then you can find me on Mastodon:

I want to be Therese but I'm not that tall.

Art by SPiNDLE

The contradiction could not have been clearer. In Washington, Republican members of Congress wrote to Brussels warning that Poland’s electoral process was being skewed in favor of liberal candidate Rafał Trzaskowski.

In Jasionka, at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Kristi Noem told Polish voters they would be “blessed with Trump’s friendship” if they elected Nawrocki, while calling Trzaskowski a “hopeless leader” who would rule through fear. She tied future military support to the outcome. Both moves came within hours of each other.

Artist: Enu | pixiv | twitter | danbooru

cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/195619

From BBC News via this RSS feed

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/30568189

June 1st, we’ll attempt to, again, sail towards Gaza and to try to break the siege and open up a humanitarian corridor by delivering aid like food and medical supplies,” says Thunberg. A similar mission to sail to occupied Gaza in May was aborted after a flotilla dubbed the “Conscience” suffered two drone attacks while in international waters.

“Keep your eyes on deck, continue flooding the streets, organize, boycott, and do everything in your power to stand for Palestine,” Thunberg ends her message, readying to set sail for Gaza from Catania, Sicily, on Sunday with aid supplies and several high-profile activists alongside her.

• part 1 was posted here 2 years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp8mFFzhpyg
• part 2 was posted here 1 year ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DZu6T8aDCA

Now it's time for part 3!!?!

The film involves gutter punks who take the anti-establishment message with extreme seriousness and tune out society completely. Spheeris talks to homeless teenagers living on the street or squatting in abandoned buildings in Los Angeles that go by the names of "Why-Me?", "Hamburger", "Troll", "Eyeball", "Squid", and others. ... Performances by four bands were filmed: Final Conflict, Litmus Green, Naked Aggression, and The Resistance.
...
The film premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Freedom of Expression Award. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and the Chicago Underground Film Festival, where it received a jury award. However, it never went into general release and was not available on VHS or DVD until the release in 2015 of a box set containing all three films on DVD and Blu-ray. This was partly due to Spheeris refusing to relinquish the rights to the first two parts of the trilogy in order to enable the third to be released. According to an article by Laura Snapes, "there was little demand to see such a depressing movie, and the few distribution offers that Spheeris got required her to hand over the rights to the first two movies, which she refused to do".[4] Decline III was also released separately via streaming video.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decline_of_Western_Civilization_Part_III

I'm considering a project that would involve locating a camera in a high humidity environment, 90% range. The only waterproof case I've found that's waterproof is the entaniya in the attached pic but that may be overkill and I'm not sure where to source one in the US anyway.

Any suggestions? The pi will be ina different enclosure from the camera.

Dixon, who’s had legal permanent status in the U.S. for 50 years, had been in ICE custody since late February, when she was detained after coming back from a visit to the Philippines.