Nintendo hardware enthusiasts have been scouring the internet for more than two decades in search of special prototype Nintendo GameCube consoles - the Space World 2000 expo model has long been sought after by hardcore collectors. Nintendo revealed (at the time) its upcoming home console as well as the Game Boy Advance handheld system at their annual video game trade show held near Tokyo, or the company's hometown of Kyoto, Japan. Space World 2000 (Makuhari Messe, Chiba) would end up being the penultimate show, with Nintendo choosing to not continue with their regular consumer event post-2001.

Consolevariations, a gaming hardware database, this week reported via a blog post that an interesting GameCube prototype was up for sale, following a tip received on Discord, and it quickly became apparent that this slightly bashed and chipped example was indeed one of the very first models revealed to the public at Nintendo's Space World 2000 expo. Several preview units were also demoed on the showroom floor at the August 2001 event, but experts think that these were sourced from the previous year's batch.
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(PR) Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Return of Rome Expansion Explained in Detail
Everything you need to know - what to expect with the newest Return of Rome DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. What is Return of Rome? Return of Rome is a completely new type of expansion, which brings classic Age of Empires gameplay, style and key experiences as a brand new self-contained experience. Also...

Starting this weekend, some of your favorite content creators are ready to show YOU an exclusive preview of the upcoming DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Return of Rome. Want to know more about the upcoming addition of the 16 Age of Empires civilizations, the brand-new Lac-Viet, or the new Romans to Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition? Well, we have fantastic news for you: some of your favorite content creators have been granted early access to the Return of Rome DLC, and you'll be getting a sneak preview of the exclusive units, civilization bonuses, and other new additions ahead of release!
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Newegg Selling AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D for $629.99
Newegg is selling AMD's top-of-the-range Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPU for $629.99 - so $70 below the usual asking price in the USA - although buyers will have to venture onto the e-tailer's Ebay store in order to pick up some fancy 16-core silicon action, Newegg's main site lists the CPU for the regular sum of $699.99. This weekend's sudden discount represents the lowest ever price for Ryzen 9 7950X3D only two months into its product lifespan. According to Ebay's tracking stats (for this particular product page) only four units have sold in the past 24 hours, and that a "limited quantity" of AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPUs are available to purchase.

TPU's February review of this processor was filled with praise (plus awards: Editor's Choice & Innovation), but the high asking price was a point of contention. This weekend's (likely temporary) discount now gives the potential buyer a little bit of extra value - with the CPU's per core price dropping just under $40, and per thread cost being slightly south of $20. AMD's Ryzen 7000X3D series has been through a bumpy batch since late April - some owners have reported hardware burnouts and AMD is currently working on fixes. Buyer perception could have been affected by recent publicity, so it is possible that Newegg is attempting to get some surplus stock out of the door.

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(PR) Bohemia Interactive's Hybrid RTS/FPS "Silica" Available Through Early Access
Baltarus is waiting for you, soldier. You can battle on the scorching deserts either as a Commander in RTS mode or as Infantry in FPS. Welcome to the world of Silica, a crossover of FPS and RTS, taking place in the scorching deserts of Baltarus, an exo-planet located thousands of light-years from Earth. Your mission is to locate and harvest Balterium, a powerful element with tremendous potential, or defend Baltarus from the invading humans as an insect-like alien. Choose from several game modes, including Strategy, where two teams build, harvest, and fight for domination.

Hello soldiers. The day you've been waiting for is finally here! Silica is out on Steam in Early Access. You can now immerse yourself in the scorching deserts of Baltarus, where RTS seamlessly blends with FPS. The price of the game is set at $19.99 during Early Access and at $24.99 after its conclusion. Choose your role between the Commander in real-time strategy, whose mission is to build the base and structures needed to achieve victory, or as an Infantry soldier in FPS, where you fight on the front lines against your enemies. You'll get to control all the units and vehicles along with their arsenal.
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PowerLeader Announces x86 CPU for the Chinese Market
Rather unexpectedly, a mostly unknown Chinese company called PowerLeader—who seems to have mainly been in the server market space until now—has launched an unheard of x86 compatible CPU. There's no product information on the company website, not even a press release on the CPU which was announced only yesterday according to IT Home. Fortunately, there's a picture of the new CPU, which gives us a few more details. The CPU appears to be called the Pstar P3 and has the model name P3-01105. Luckily the clock frequency of the CPU, which is 3.7 GHz, is also printed on the chip.

However, a closer look at the picture would have most people that are interested in tech scratching their heads, as it appears to be an Intel CPU using the LGA-1200 socket. Even the model name and what is supposedly the spec ID of the CPU, follows Intel's style of naming its CPUs. The comments on IT Home and elsewhere, all suggest that this is simply a re-branded Intel Core i3-10105 CPU, although it's entirely possible this is a chip that only looks like an Intel CPU. It's entirely possible that this is some kind of unannounced licensing deal by Intel, but if so, it would be the first such licensing deal Intel has done since the 286 days, to our knowledge. PowerLeader claims that the CPU is specifically designed for desktop computers and the company is expecting to sell 1.5 million units per year.

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This Week in Gaming (Week 19)
As we enter the second week of May, we have a rather eclectic range of games for you, with no clear headline title of this upcoming week's releases. That said, we have dungeons, hype trains, occupations and all kinds of crazy things to look forward to in the coming week.

Darkest Dungeon II / Monday 8 May
Darkest Dungeon II is a roguelike road trip of the damned. Form a party, equip your stagecoach, and set off across the decaying landscape on a last gasp quest to avert the apocalypse. The greatest dangers you face, however, may come from within...
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GoDeal24 International Labor Day Sale Brings You Genuine Software at Some of the Lowest Prices
GoDeal24 celebrates the 2023 International Labor Day with a flash sale that brings genuine, globally valid software to you at some of the lowest prices on the web. Get Genuine Office 2021 Professional Plus at just $24.25 and free yourself from annual 365 subscription payments. Save more when you buy multi-PC packs. Don't need the latest and greatest? Choose from Office 2019 and Office 2016 at lower prices. Windows 11 Pro is the most advanced PC operating system, and can be had at just $10.25. Save even more when you combine your preferred edition of Windows and Office.

Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus at $24.25 | Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus 2-PC at $39.25 | Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus 3-PC at $56.25 | Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus 5-PC at $65.25 | Buy Office 2019 Professional Plus at $22.25 | Buy Office 2016 Professional Plus at $19.25 | Buy Office 2021 Home and Business for Mac at $37.99 | Buy Office 2019 Home and Business for Mac at $33.99 | Buy Windows 10 Pro at $7.25 | Buy Windows 10 Pro 2-PC at $12.25 | Buy Windows 11 Pro at $10.25 | Buy Windows 11 Pro 2-PC at $20.25 | Buy Windows 10 Home at $7.15 | Buy Windows 10 Home 2-PC at $12.01 | Buy Windows 11 Home at $9.98 | Buy Windows 11 Home 2-PC at $19.25 | Buy Windows 10 Pro + Office 2021 Professional Plus at $27.69 | Buy Windows 10 Pro + Office 2019 Professional Plus at $25.69 | Buy Windows 11 Pro + Office 2021 Professional Plus at $29.99 | Buy Windows 11 Pro + Office 2019 Professional Plus at $28.99

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