Path tracing has been back on the PC hardware agenda recently, with Nvidia’s sales pitch for the GeForce RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 more than lightly based on how good they are at shotgunning this premium graphics tech down your eye stalks. Yet beyond the sparkling glamour of marketing slides, however, path tracing remains exceptionally niche: nearly six years since Quake II RTX served as the tech’s de facto gaming debut, you can still count the number of compatible games on your fingers. Compare and contrast with the dozens upon dozens of games that have embraced ray tracing, path tracing’s less demanding nephew, and you’ll likely start wondering why more game devs don’t go for it.

We’re not here to answer that, though. This is Should You Bother With, here to investigate whether you> should start using path traced effects to give your games – some of them, anyway – the full maxed-out-visuals treatment. Even if it takes a graphics card upgrade to do so.

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The Nvidia RTX 5080 is out! Kind of. In theory. If you can find one. But here’s the thing: it's basically just an expensive RTX 4080 Super in disguise (in my opinion). Performance is near-identical, stock is non-existent, and unless you’re willing to shell out over $2,500 for a prebuilt system, good luck getting one.

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Running out of space on your Steam Deck or ROG Ally X again? Sitting there, deleting games like it's some emotional farewell? Stop that. Your least favorite RPS writer found a ridiculous Amazon deal on our favorite microSD card for Steam Deck, the Samsung Pro Plus.

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Oh no, it's a pre-order article for Civ VII, get down! Well, it's also just a friendly PSA, in case you're looking for the best deal right now. The game is launching on February 11, and if you've been waiting to carve your place in history again, we've found a solid discount going right now for PC gamers.

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Hark, or whatever that is in Czech. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has earned Playable status on the Steam Deck, and it’s a shrewd assessment on Valve’s part: there are some shortcomings that keep the coveted Verified badge out of Deliverance 2’s reach, most notably its cramped UI, but I’ve been bumbling around the medieval RPG for hours now and it is indeed plenty functional in handheld mode. Despite its system requirements arguably suggesting otherwise, it can even manage some decent 40fps-plus performance without dumping all the quality settings to their lowest.

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The first wave of Nvidia 50 series GPUs have arrived. Now they're gone. So, if you need an RTX 5080-prebuilt gaming PCs are currently your best bet of securing. While Dell has got some overpriced $5000+ Alienware 51 desktops up for preorder, there other (considerably cheaper, but not necessarily affordable>) options up for grabs right now.

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Several hours in, it’s become apparent that I lack the patience for much of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s much-publicised historical accuracies, like needing to bathe yourself every six minutes or how 15th century Bohemians can take several consecutive sword swings to the neck without dying. Ah well! If you’re> going to play it, know that it’s also a decent performer on PC – despite the almost threatening tone of its recommended system requirements – and, as far as I can see, isn’t anywhere near as bug-prone as the infamously unstable original.

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Dell’s new Alienware Area-51 Gaming Desktop lineup has landed, and if you're struggling to find a Nvidia 50 series, or you just want an all in one PC gaming package at (albeit large) simple fee, then this could be the way to go.

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The battle for medieval Bohemia is about to kick off again with Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, launching on February 4, 2025. Fanatical has a cracking preorder deal that saves you some coin while guaranteeing your Steam key will be delivered on or before release day. No nonsense, no delays, just instant access to swords, shields, and questionable 15th-century hygiene.

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Sundays are for walking the dog, cleaning the flat, and playing Dune Imperium - always. I might also try to self-host a Minecraft Java server, though. Let's first roundup some of the week's best writing about video games.

Alice Bell, with whom you may be familiar, asked on Eurogamer: can a Steam profile be a real memorial for a lost life?

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