ToC Gaming News Blog : All The Latest PC Gaming News

Friday, September 11 2009
Patch 1.6 will be released next week! More details to come.
Have a great weekend!
Friday, August 28 2009
Hey PC fans!
Great news - Patch 1.6 (w/ Map Pack 3) is finished & now in test over at Activision! Barring any problems popping up, it should be released in accordance with the PC Patching Process sticky atop this forum =).
Below is a list of what is included in the patch:

• 3 new Multiplayer maps: Battery (mp_drum), Breach (mp_bgate), Revolution (mp_vodka)!
• New Nazi Zombie map: Der Riese (nazi_zombie_factory), an all-new Zombie map set in a secret Nazi research facility featuring the Pack A Punch Machine, Teleporters, and many more undead hordes!
• Exploits pertaining to Demo playback.
• Favorites list now ignores filter settings.
• Fixed S&D round counting error when roundlimit is reached.
• New feature: in-game Add to Favorites.
• Friends list: green online indicator.
• Starting the game in Safe Mode will no longer toggle the “Soften Smoke Edges” graphic option.
• Fixed various crashes.
• Mods: Client will no longer join a modded Co-op server via Game Invite unless they have that mod loaded.
• Mods: Client running a mod will be asked to unload the mod if they attempt to join an unmodded server.
• Mods: All singleplayer levels can now be run with a mod loaded.

Additionally, we do expect a concurrent release of the Mod Tools 1.4 package, Linux dedicated 1.6 bins, and the Steam 1.6 day-of-date with this patch. More details on those will be made available once they get cleared through testing.
So touch up on those Zombies skills; Der Riese is on its way!
Regards,
-JD

Call of Duty, World at War

 

Minor updates and new PhysX
Nvidia has released a new version of its WHQL certified Geforce driver, the Geforce 190.62 WHQL. The new driver supports the entire Nvidia GPU arsenal from Geforce 6, as well as Nvidia's ION and ION LE chips.
In addition to a bunch of bug fixes, the new driver brings couple of minor optimizations for Batman: Arkham Asylum and Darkest of Days games, support for Microsoft's new DirectX GPU Computing API: DirectCompute, complete with WHQL certification.
The new 190.62 WHQL driver also brings a new version of PhysX system software which is now updated to version 9.09.0814 WHQL.
You can download it here.

Fudzilla - Nvidia rolls out a new 190.62 WHQL driver

Recently in my Windows Live group , LIVESOAPBOX we have all been discussing the new Windows Security Essentials beta which will now provide the only missing part of the security measures already built in to Windows 7. Those of you who haven’t yet downloaded and tried out Windows 7 will not be familiar with how ALL aspects of your computer including SECURITY and MAINTENANCE are now all taken care of by the ACTION CENTRE therefore leaving only ANTI-VIRUS as the only security feature not actually built into the Operating System and which therefore needs to be additionally installed.  I will attempt here to explain to those of you who aren’t familiar with Windows 7 how to make full use of the ACTION CENTRE.

You can think of the ACTION CENTRE as a complete ‘all round’ maintenance and security feature that only requires you the user to set up just once in order to keep the whole of your computer running smoothly and safely, and as far as setting up the ACTION CENTRE to suit yourself is concerned,  the default settings will probably be more than adequate for most average users of Windows 7.  The only thing that you will  have to set up will be your own choice of schedule for Windows Defender to carry out a scan of your computer including whether or not to do a quick scan or a full scan, and when to schedule any backups of your system and your files including where to place those backups.  As an ordinary user you don’t really have to know HOW it all works, but I will try and show you the parts of the Action Centre that you will no doubt notice the most as you use Windows 7 especially how it Alerts you to either problems or requests you to perform certain tasks in order to keep everything running smoothly.

On the Windows 7 taskbar you will see a small white FLAG icon to the right hand side next to your Internet connection icon and the Speaker icon.  If all is running smoothly with your computer, this white flag icon will remain white so you have a very prominent reminder right where you can’t help but notice it that all is well.   If something is amiss however, the white flag icon will have a red cross through it as shown, which again you can’t help but notice easily.  If you then click on the flag icon you will receive a ‘pop up’ window informing you of any problems OR outstanding actions that you need to take in order to keep everything running smoothly but unlike some security programs this window will not pop up or bother you until YOU click on the flag when it shows a red cross.  If you just ignore it, it will just remain a warning, so it is not obtrusive at all and its entirely up to you when to actually instigate any action.  Of course if the ACTION CENTRE does require your attention because there is something seriously amiss, then a small balloon will pop up just above the taskbar informing you of this, but this only occurs when there is a serious security problem for example, such as the Windows Firewall being disabled.

These alerts can range from informing you that Windows Defender has not done a scan of your computer yet and therefore needs to do so, to reminding you that some security updates need to be installed and will do so automatically when you next ‘log off’.  It will also warn you when you first install Windows 7 that there is no ANTI-VIRUS program installed and that you need to install one.  But the ACTION CENTRE is far more versatile than just acting as a warning and alert service!  If you click on the white flag to open the actual ACTION CENTRE itself, you can then see just how comprehensive and far reaching this part of Windows 7 actually is.

(View full-size image)On the left hand side in the sidebar area, you can change the ACTION CENTRE settings to suit yourself, Change the USER ACCOUNT control settings, view any archived messages made by the ACTION CENTRE about your computer and also view your computers PERFORMANCE information.  For now we will just take a look at the main window choices. This is divided into two main areas, SECURITY and MAINTENANCE. You will notice that each area has a drop down arrow to the right, and if you click on the SECURITY arrow, you will then be able to access the SECURITY list.

(View full-size image)

As you can easily see, this is pretty comprehensive and let’s you know just what has been enabled on your system. If you aren’t sure about a particular setting or how you should have these settings configured then you can click on the blue helpline at the bottom of the list to find out more information to help and guide you in how to have the settings configured.  As you can see, I don’t have NETWORK ACCESS PROTECTION  enabled, so let’s just find out more about it and whether or not I ought to have it ‘switched on’ So if I now click on the blue ‘WHAT IS NETWORK ACCESS PROTECTION’ another ‘help’ window will open which explains what NEP is and who it is useful for. As I am not a NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR nor do I have a NETWORK as such, just one computer, then I now know that I can safely leave this feature switched off without putting my computer into any danger. So now let’s take a quick look at MAINTENANCE.

(View full-size image)

First in the list is CHECK FOR SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEM REPORTS. What does all that mean? Well, whenever the ACTION CENTRE reports any problem with the running of your computer, it first tries to find a solution to the problem. Lets say that you were having problems connecting up your printer, then ACTION CENTRE would first of all try to find a solution, perhaps by searching online for a new driver for example. However, if it couldn’t find a solution, then that problem would be logged as not resolved but in the meantime a new driver might come available later,  so by asking ACTION CENTRE to recheck for solutions to any previous problems that may have manifest themselves in the past, those problems can then be resolved.

Following that there is the BACKUP schedule and the date and time of the last back up made followed by CHECK FOR UPDATES which also will report if there is any action you need to take regarding that area.  At the bottom of the SECURITY list is TROUBLESHOOTING SYSTEM MAINTENANCE. Again, if there is any problem here you will be informed.  Notice that Windows is ACTIVELY checking your system for maintenance problems. This means in essence that the ACTION CENTRE is continually monitoring the whole of your system to make sure that it is working at its best.  You can change the TROUBLESHOOTING settings here if you wish by clicking on the blue sentence underneath.

Obviously this post only covers the surface of the ACTION CENTRE but tries to give those who have not yet tried out Windows 7 an inkling as to just how everything to do with the SECURITY of your system and also its MAINTENANCE for optimum running have been incorporated right there inside the operating system so that you can relax and feel safe and secure. Next post about the ACTION CENTRE I will try and dig a little deeper into how to set it all up to just to suit you.

TG

Windows 7. The Action Centre, an introduction.

After weeks of scratching our heads as to why Microsoft would potentially leave thousands of customers browserless. OEMS would be able to install IE8 via a feature pack on pre-built PCs, but what about those who wanted to purchase a standalone copy of Windows 7E? CNet and Arstechnica originally speculated that Microsoft would offer IE via CD, FTP and retail channels.

But Paul from Geeksmack managed to get a hold of a Windows 7E Build and the feature pack for IE8. Turns out that the feature pack was actually a KB968771 standalone update. He also revealed that IE8 will be offered via a CD that will be bundled with Windows 7E.

In June, Microsoft announced that European copies of Windows 7 will not contain IE8 as a response to the criticism coming from EU antitrust regulators. A browser-less version of edition called Windows 7E will be shipped instead. However, this has forced Microsoft to not allow its customers to perform any in-place upgrades from Vista, which would leave some version of IE on the computer.

Windows 7E to come bundled with IE8 CD | Windows 7 Center

From Voodoo to GeForce: The Awesome History of 3D Graphics

Try to imagine where 3D gaming would be today if not for the graphics processing unit, or GPU. Without it, you wouldn't be trudging through the jungles of Crysis in all its visual splendour, nor would you be fending off endless hordes of fast-moving zombies at high resolutions. For that to happen, it takes a highly specialized chip designed for parallel processing to pull off the kinds of games you see today, the same ones that wouldn't be possible on a CPU alone. Going forward, GPU makers will try to extend the reliance on video cards to also include physics processing, video encoding/decoding, and other tasks that where once handled by the CPU.

It's pretty amazing when you think about how far graphics technology has come. To help you do that, we're going to take a look back at every major GPU release since the infancy of 3D graphics. Join us as we travel back in time and relive releases like 3dfx's Voodoo3 and S3's ViRGE lineup. This is one nostalgic ride you don't want to miss!

S3 ViRGE

A virgin in the 3D graphics arena, S3 in 1995 thrust itself into this new territory with its ViRGE graphics series. Playing on the hype surrounding virtual reality a decade and a half ago, ViRGE stood for Virtual Reality Graphics Engine and was one of the first 3D GPUs to take aim at the mainstream consumer. While nothing compared to today’s offerings, early 64-bit ViRGE cards came with up to 4MB of onboard memory, and core and memory clock speeds of up to 66MHz. It also supported such features as Bilinear and Trilinear texture filtering, MIP mapping, alpha blending, video texturing mapping, Z-buffering, and other 3D texture mapping goodies.

Ironically, those same ‘cutting edge’ features took a toll on the ViRGE silicon resulting in underwhelming 3D performance. In some cases, performance was so bad that users could obtain better results with the CPU, causing the ViRGE to be affectionately dubbed the first 3D decelerator. Ouch.

Fun Fact: Just how far has graphic cards come in the past 15 years? Enough so that we've seen the S3 ViRGE selling for as little as $0.45 in the second-hand market.

Model: ViRGE
Date Released: 1995
Interface: PCI
Shader Model: N/A
DirectX: 6
Manufacturing Process: 0.35 micron
Core Clockspeed: 66MHz
Memory Bus: 64-bit

Model: ViRGE VX
Date Released: 1995
Interface: PCI
Shader Model: N/A
DirectX: 6
Manufacturing Process: 0.5 micron
Core Clockspeed: 50MHz
Memory Bus: 64-bit

Model: ViRGE GX2
Date Released: 1998
Interface: PCI
Shader Model: N/A
DirectX: 6
Manufacturing Process: 0.35 micron
Core Clockspeed: 66MHz
Memory Bus: 64-bit

ATI Rage 3D and Rage II

Well before Radeon ever became synonymous with ATI, the Canadian-based graphics chip maker was best known for its 3D Rage line. Released in 1995, the original Rage 3D didn't have a whole going for it, such as slow EDO RAM, a 32-bit memory bus, and a max memory of just 2MB.

A year later ATI released the Rage II, and while the upgrades seem minor on paper, performance was significantly improved. The new chipset traded in 2MB of EDO memory for up to 8MB of SDRAM and widened the bus to 64-bit, while also increasing the core clockspeed from 40MHz to 60MHz.. Support for DVD playback was also added, and the Rage II.

Rendition Verite 1000

Headquartered in Mountain View, CA, Rendition emerged in the mid 1990s as a fabless semiconductor manufacturer whose goal was to compete in the high-end videocard market. Throughout the company's tenure, Rendition managed to get a leg up on the competition by working with John Carmack to develop the first 3D-accelerated version of Quake (VQuake, or Verite-accelerated Quake).

VQuake was designed to take advantage of the Verite 1000 chipset, which was launched in 1996. A year prior, Carmack stated "Verite will be the premier platform for Quake." The card came capable of bilinear filtering, perspective correcting, and a basic pipeline configuration of 1/1/1 (textures/pixels/Z).

Poor 2D performance proved problematic for the board, as did programming for the Verite. It was the latter which Carmack would later say led to iD's decision to move away from proprietary APIs to OpenGL.

Model: Verite 2100
Date Released: 1996
Interface: PCI
Shader Model: N/A
DirectX: 2
Manufacturing Process: 0.5 micron
Core Clockspeed: 25MHz
Memory Bus: 64-bit

3dfx Voodoo1

Like a modern day Greek Tragedy, the rapid rise and untimely demise of 3dfx can best be described as a wild roller-coaster ride that most enthusiasts wish would have never ended. And in a way, it didn't, as 3dfx had a tremendous hand in shaping the 3D market as we know it today. But every good story needs a beginning, and this one starts with the original Voodoo card, or otherwise known as the Voodoo1, released in 1996.

The Voodoo1 launched 3D gaming into the limelight, even if the add-in card's implementation was less than graceful. While other videocards fused both 2D and 3D functionality onto a single board, the Voodoo1 concentrated solely on 3D and lacked any 2D capabilities. This meant consumers still needed a 2D graphics card for day to day computing, which would be connected to the Voodoo1 via a VGA pass-through cable. Only when a compatible 3D videogame was detected would the Voodoo1 then wake out of its slumber and flex its gaming muscle.

Model: Voodoo1
Date Released: 1996
Interface: PCI
Shader Model: N/A
DirectX: 3
Manufacturing Process: 0.5 micron
Core Clockspeed: 50MHz
Memory Clockspeed: 50MHz
Memory Bus: 64-bit
Transistors: 1 million

Source MAXIMUMPC

 

Hi everyone,
Got some good news for you all.
Just wanted to confirm that as is the case with almost all of our major releases, OFP: DR is planned to have a demo released prior to launch for all platforms.
I don't have any further details at the moment regarding dates and content, but I will keep on updating this thread as and when new info becomes available.

OFP: DR - Demo Confirmed - Codemasters Forum

 Sega announced today that it would be rolling out the first of a series of updates for Empire: Total War. The first patch will be released today with a variety of fixes, including:
- Fixed Alt-Tab issue which prevents players from switching away from a full screen window
- Fixed text rendering for certain resolutions
- Fixed localized font overrun issues.
- Fixed a variety of crash and memory leak issues
- Fixed a variety of multiplayer client lock
- Fixed trade nodes for those nations with resource in home region which caused unprofitable trade theatre routes eg: Sweden and Marathas.

News: First Empire: Total War Patch coming today - Strategy Informer

Here is a new video from Gametrailers TV of the Call of Duty World at War Map Pack. Maps include Knee Deep, Nightfire, and Station. Also included in the map pack is a zombie map called Verrückt (Zombie Asylum). The release date is sometime this month.

N4G.com : Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack Trailer

Great news for our users - Version 4 for both ESET Smart Security and ESET NOD32 Antivirus has now been launched and we are providing a FREE upgrade to all our existing customers.

The new version builds on ESET’s ThreatSense®‚ the industry’s most accurate proactive technology for detecting viruses and other malware and adds over 20 new capabilities improving malware detection‚ enhancing system diagnostics/ recovery and improving management. The latest release continues ESET’s tradition of delivering ultimate security with fast‚ transparent operation and minimal load on system memory‚ disk or CPU. ESET’s unrivalled ability to deliver industry-leading proactive malware detection and high system performance can literally extend the life of PCs and laptops while improving their security.

ESET’s new detection and diagnostic features safeguard users from deceptive forms of malware by digging deeper into the operating system files and encrypted browser traffic identifying and eliminating hidden malware threats. The latest version also includes advanced self-defence technology that protects against any malware specifically designed to disable antivirus or anti-malware solutions which would leave the user completely unprotected. Together‚ these new features enable consumers and businesses to proactively block most new malware attacks before they can compromise systems to damage or steal data.

ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 and ESET Smart Security 4 Business Editions also feature a full-range of management capabilities. These include support for high-end databases‚ fine-grained control of endpoint security and even greater scalability for large‚ dispersed networks. ESET Business Editions include version 3.0 of ESET’s Remote Administrator which enables businesses to remotely deploy and manage ESET software.

ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 and ESET Smart Security 4’s new‚ industry-first security features include:

Advanced Archive Scanning This new feature makes ESET’s consumer products the first to allow experienced users to fully customise scanning and ”deep dive”  archive files created with popular compression formats‚ including .RAR‚ .ZIP and others. Comprehensive controls allow users to define archive scanning with scanning depth‚ maximum scan time‚ and maximum file size.

Removable Media Access Control Gives consumers removable media security for USB flash drives and CDs – protection previously extended only to businesses. The feature gives administrators the ability to allow or block mounting of removable media. If removable media is allowed‚ dangerous files like AUTORUN.INF are scanned for threats.

ESET SysInspector Newly integrated into ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 and ESET Smart Security 4‚ this powerful system diagnostics tool quickly discovers hidden/potentially dangerous rootkits without running a full antivirus scan. It can also reveal hidden changes to the operating system‚ web browser‚ registry and applications. The scan results are standardised and can be reviewed by IT personnel‚ speeding up malware analysis and removal.

Download Your Purchased Home NOD32 or Smart Security

 

Microsoft released the release candidate for Windows Vista SP2 (Vista SP2 RC) to the public yesterday. You can now download it from the Microsoft TechNet website. However, before you install Vista SP2 RC, here are ten essential facts about the latest update to Windows Vista:

1. SP2 RC doesn't include a lot of visible razzle-dazzle, but....
2. .. it's designed to make your system work better with the latest hardware...
3. ...and to clean up after itself.
4. It includes over 600 hotfixes to help your system work more reliably, but there are a few glitches to watch out for.
5. You're not ready for Vista SP2 RC if you don't have Vista SP1 installed.
6. vLite-streamlined Vista SP1 won't work with SP2 RC
7. Vista SP2 RC is available in a bunch of installation flavors, but if you want to get it via Windows Update right now, you have some extra work to do.
8. You can help Microsoft make the SP2 installation process better, but nobody's forcing you to do so.
9. Yeah, your desktop will remind you you're running a pre-release program
10. Don't forget - RCs don't last forever

Now, let's dig into the details.

 

Why Install SP2 RC? (Hint: It's Not About the Razzle-Dazzle)

Unlike Vista SP1, Vista SP2 isn't going to make a big difference in the look and feel of Vista. In its FAQ, Microsoft admits that SP2 was "primarily developed with Windows Server 2008 in mind..." (Windows Server 2008 shares a common code base with Windows Vista). So, why install SP2 RC on your Vista SP1 system?

While you won't get sizzle, you will get steak, as SP2 RC give you a chance to preview benefits such as:

Improved hardware support for new technologies:

• VIA Technologies' Nano 64-bit processors (a popular choice for ultra-compact HTPCs)
• The most recent version of Bluetooth, Bluetooth v2.1, and Windows Connection Now (WCN) Wi-Fi configuration via the Windows Vista Feature Pack for Wireless (a previously OEM-only update)
• Blu-Ray Disc recording; you won't need to buy a separate Blu-Ray codec anymore

Improved performance and responsiveness for:

• Wi-Fi connections after resuming from sleep mode

• The RSS feeds sidebar

New (and "new") software components:

• Windows Search 4.0
• Compcln.exe

Windows Search 4.0 isn't exactly new to Windows Vista users (it's been available as a separate download for Vista and XP users for awhile), but it's now included in SP2 RC.

What's new in 4.0? Besides a lot of management and tuning features for big corporations, you can access index results on remote PCs running Windows Search 4.0 and see remote files show up in search results - very handy if you forgot where you stashed your favorite digital photos or music downloads. It also permits users with sufficient permissions to index and search encrypted files. 

Compcln.exe, a command-line utility that removes files that have been replaced by SP2 updates (Screenshot).

Two important notes:

• You must open the command prompt in elevated mode (run as administrator) before you can use Compcln.
• You should not use Compcln on your system if you want to uninstall SP2 RC when the final release comes out.

If you want to try Compcln.exe after you install SP2 RC and don't want to reinstall Vista from scratch, make sure you make a full backup of your system first (you can use Complete PC Backup in Ultimate and Business editions, or a third-party image backup with other editions).

How to Find Out What Compcln Removed

If you want to use Compcln to remove older files, why not find out exactly what it removes? Here's a fun experiment to try using Compcln.exe (borrowed from Windows Vista SP2 RC and Windows Server 2008 SP2 RC Test Focus Guide; the underlined text should be entered into the command prompt window):

1. Capture the installed components state by running the following command:

Run dir “%windir%\” /b/s/a:-d>files_before.txt

2. Run compcln.exe in an elevated command prompt to remove the staged components superseded by SP install:

Run %windir%\system32\compcln.exe

3. Capture the installed components state by running the following command:

Run dir “%windir%\” /b/s/a:-d>files_after.txt

The difference between files_before.txt and files_after.txt is the list of items that were removed  by compcln.exe.

Hotfixes Galore

As with previous service packs, Vista SP2 includes lots of hotfixes: 651 (plus 39 security updates). While the security updates were previously available via Windows Update, only 34 of the hotfixes were previously available via Windows Update. Here's how they break out by category:

All - 1
Applications - 3
Base Technologies - 133
Computer Management - 34
Core Virtualization - 7
Data Services - 12
Desktop Shell - 55
Desktop Technologies - 67
Drivers - 55
Feedback/Supportability - 1
Graphics - 1
Localization - 1
Multimedia - 31
Networking - 55
OS Deployment - 8
Printing and Imaging Technology - 18
Security - 35
Server Technologies - 63
Storage - 54
Tools - 2
Windows Installer - 1
Windows Portable Devices - 1
Uncategorized - 12

Here are a few examples:

• Improving XPS printer speed (KB954051)
• Fixing DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL errors (KB955734) 
• Solving problems with video playback problems with video containing multiple resolutions or when resuming Windows Media Center Live TV from standby (KB951685)
• Solving PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA error caused by some OpenType fonts (KB957187) 
• Solving computer lockup when capturing Windows Aero desktop with Print Screen (KB954436)

For a complete list of security and hotfixes included in Vista SP2 RC, visit Hotfixes and Security Updates in Windows Server 2008 SP2 RC and Windows Vista SP2 RC for a link to an Excel 2007 spreadsheet.

Everything You Must Know about Vista SP2 Release Candidate | Maximum PC

 

Reviews

The latest Total War bombards your eyes and ears with gorgeous naval battles, rampaging cavalry charges, and the sheer scope of the 18th century. And it smells like victory.

It would be easy to be just bowled over by how glorious Empire: Total War looks. Creative Assembly's signature series has always been big on spectacle, and Empire is no different. The battles are bigger and bloodier, only now you have the smoke of muskets and crack of 12-pounders to accompany your march across the known world. Don't let the color of charging Cossacks blind you to everything else going on here though, Empire is a major step forward for the entire Total War franchise.

Empire Total War 'Launch' trailer HD

The 18th century clearly posed a challenge for the developers. The earlier games were pointy-stick affairs, emphasizing melee combat with the occasional overpowered archer and lots of sieges. In this era, there can only be a few types of "guys with guns" units, so you can't have a technology system that unlocks more expensive units. On top of that, this is the Age of Sail and the early Industrial Revolution, so you have to work all that in, too.

In fact, the resultant changes are so great, that there is a distinct possibility that Empire is just too big. The size really hits you when you run into the half-minute load times between the battle and campaign maps -- long enough to make you rethink the entire idea of playing general as well as king. Battlefields are immense and the enemy can effectively hide from your advancing lines. The strategic AI now has to juggle so many tasks, that it moves its development in peculiar directions: building three madrassas in an entirely Muslim province or trying to trade Transylvania for Cuba when the deal makes no sense for anyone. Not to mention the occasional suicidal war between Dagestan and Russia.

It's still worth sitting through these boneheaded campaign moves, because the strategic map is a much more interesting place now. Economic development happens outside of your provincial capitals. Towns and resources are scattered across the landscape, bringing wealth, knowledge or religion to your province. As the population grows, new towns and docks spring up, giving you new avenues to explore. Research limits how far you can upgrade these spots, and upgrades, in turn, open up new possibilities for research. The philosophical technology track is a double edged sword -- giving you new possibilities for revenue but also stirring up the masses.

It is these connections between game mechanics that separate Empire from the rest of the franchise. Yes, the sea battles are cool, but they matter because control of the seas means control of trade. There's nothing worse than relying on overseas income and having it all vanish in an instant because someone plops a fleet on a sea lane. If you can't crack an enemy fort or beat him on the battlefield, you may pillage exposed towns until you are strong enough to fight or he is poor enough to quit. More than any other Total War game, Empire is a system of moving parts that fit together to build a world larger than cities to pillage and hills to climb. The agents are mostly useless (why should a scholar duel at all?), but they are thankfully less trouble to manage thanks to an improved interface.

SCREENS: Click the image above to check out all Empire Total War screens.

The battles are fine, but they always are. The AI does a good job of using the terrain to its advantage, holing up behind fences or rushing into buildings for protection. It shows no hesitation in charging cavalry toward unprotected cannon, forcing you to guard your deadliest weapons on the battlefield. There is little reason to do more than point your guns in the right direction (ammo never seems to be a problem), but timing the bayonet or saber charge still gives the thrill of man-on-man combat. Even then there is a trade off, since there's always the chance of friendly fire if your horses attack an enemy under bombardment from your own guns. There are still too many sieges, and too few Waterloos.

Empire overreaches in parts, but I suppose that's the price of ambition. It will get even more ambitious once Creative Assembly adds the promised multiplayer campaign mode. But Empire's lumbering remoteness says something about the age it portrays: a century of mass armies and big ideas, the Wealth of Nations and age of steam. For all its problems, it's undoubtedly progress.

Empire Total War Review for the PC from 1UP.com

 

When Windows 7 is released later this year or in early 2010, many PC users who upgrade will be coming from Windows XP. Unlike Vista users, they can't do an "in-place upgrade," in which the new OS overwrites the old one, preserving their installed applications, preferences, and data. Instead, they'll have to do a clean install, which means they have to back up their data, install Win 7 (either deleting or XP or installing as a separate environment), reinstall their apps, restore their data, and re-create their preferences.

For Windows XP users who avoided Vista because of its many problems, that upgrade work may seem as adding insult to injury, making it harder for them to finally adopt a new version of Windows. Through its PR agency, Microsoft confirms to InfoWorld that there will be no "in-place upgrade" option for XP users, but it declines to explain why not. "More materials on your question are in the works," the spokesman says.

[ Can your PC run Windows 7? Find out with InfoWorld's free Windows Sentinel compatibility checker. | See our experts' first looks at Windows 7. ]

Why a clean-install requirement may make sense

But there may be good reason not to support an in-place upgrade, suggests Michael Silver, a Gartner analyst who follows Microsoft technologies. That's because viruses, registry errors, and other performance-sapping flaws in the user's Windows environment would be carried over into Windows 7; something that would not happen with a clean install.

Business IT typically does clean installs on user systems to avoid these issues, Silver notes, so the lack of an in-place upgrade will be a nonissue for most enterprises.

Consumers and small businesses are the ones who tend to prefer the in-place upgrade option, Silver notes, and they're the ones who may be annoyed by the clean-install requirement if coming from XP. "Microsoft is in a bit of a no-win situation here: Support the upgrade and live with whatever bad experiences users have or don't support the upgrade and make it harder for people to do it," Silver says.

"Most users will be better off doing the clean install anyway," he says, so he recommends that even Vista users avoid the in-place upgrade and proceed to the clean install.

Silver also notes that users who did not upgrade to Vista often have hardware that can't run Windows 7 or Vista (typically, PCs from 2006 or earlier), so they would likely get a new computer at the same time with Windows 7 preinstalled, which means reinstalling their apps, preferences, and data anyhow.

A precedent for providing in-place upgrades for earlier generations

When Microsoft shipped Windows Vista, it offered XP users the choice of an in-place upgrade or a clean install, but users of earlier Windows versions could do only a clean install. So the requirement for Windows XP and earlier users to do a clean install of Windows 7 follows that precedent.

But when Microsoft shipped Windows XP in late 2001, it gave not only users of the predecessor Windows 2000 but also users of the earlier generations (Windows 98, Windows Millennium, and Windows 98 Second Edition) the in-place upgrade option. In some ways, the situation then was similar to that situation today. Microsoft Millennium was a technical failure that customers avoided, causing Microsoft to issue Windows 98 SE. Then came Windows 2000, replacing the OS kernel and much of the architecture, which meant it needed newer hardware and was incompatible with many peripherals and applications. So most users stuck with Windows 98 or 98 SE, and Microsoft eased the path to XP by allowing in-place upgrades for them all.

Technically, the shift from Windows Vista to Windows 7 is small, so it should be easier to support an in-place upgrade from XP to Windows 7 than it was from Windows 98 to Windows XP. But Silver cites the performance and security issues that an in-place upgrade preserves as a reason that Microsoft may have chosen not to do so this time.

Silver contrasts Microsoft's situation with that of Apple, which lets users do an in-place upgrade three versions back (from Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar, 10.3 Panther, and 10.4 Tiger) to the current Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. "This is an area -- efficiency, ease, and success of upgrade -- where Apple has an edge," he notes, due to its greater control over the hardware and the more focused reach of the OS.

Is Jumping from XP to Windows 7 too Complicated? - Business Center - PC World

 

Andrew Weymes of The Nightly Gamer writes: The demo for Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X hit Xbox Live a couple of days ago and it's surprisingly good, especially for a game that hasn't garnered much hype. For those that haven't heard of the game, be sure to give the demo a shot. It may even entice gamers who aren't into flight simulation games. Read the full article to get a more detailed explanation of what The Nightly Gamer thought about the demo.
Flight simulations games are kind of the niche' genre in the world of video games. Many of them feature very difficult control schemes that tend to turn off the average gamer. H.A.W.X certainly has a difficult control scheme to master if the setting is on expert, but the normal setting is quite easy to get accustomed to.
The demo consists of two missions, one of which is a training mission and both can be played online. As explained in the first mission, there are two ways of controlling your jet. When assistance is on, the camera angle is either directly behind the jet or looking through the cockpit. With assistance on, the game feels like almost any other flight simulation game. However, with assistance off, the game feels entirely different. Many manoeuvres become available without the assistance on such as breaking quickly and swinging your jet around behind pursuers. The camera is much different without the assistance on and settles very far from the jet itself. Both ways of playing are enjoyable, but having the assistance on seems to make the combat feel a little more exciting despite not having as many moves available at your disposal.
The graphics are similar to every other Tom Clancy game released. They get the job done, but aren't anything to be awestruck from. The jets are nicely detailed, but the cityscape is relatively unimpressive. It's a pity that Tom Clancy games all seem to share these graphical traits, because the gameplay is almost always solid.
The sound in the demo is probably its weakest aspect. The voice acting is decent, but the jets had a very poor sound quality to them. At times they would crackle through the speakers and it was quite unpleasant. Hopefully, this problem will be fixed in the retail version of this game.
The H.A.W.X demo was a pleasant surprise. The gameplay is certainly fun and exciting, the graphics are above average, but the sound quality was pretty bad. Flight simulation fans should certainly give the demo a shot. For gamers that aren't big fans of the genre, H.A.W.X may help change their minds. Being able to play each mission online is going to add a lot of replayability to the retail game and there are other multiplayer modes that weren't available in the demo. H.A.W.X may get lost in the shuffle of the stellar games coming out in February and March, but the demo certainly wasn't bad. In fact, it was much better than expected of a game with little to no hype.
Written by Andrew Patrick Weymes

H.A.W.X Demo is Surprisingly Good

Hello Heroes,

You will be happy to know that we will start the Battlefield Heroes Closed Beta tomorrow, February 11th.

If you already have a Beta Key from the earlier Beta phase or activated your Beta account already, you will be good to go. You will NOT need to sign up again*. Starting some time tomorrow, you will be able to Beta test Battlefield Heroes.
You will also receive a new email with guidelines and instructions in case you still need to activate your account, (re-)install the game, etc.

If you don't have a Beta Key yet, please keep in mind that we’ll be giving them out in the fairest way we can, which is as follows:

Firstly, everyone still on the waiting list from the first Beta phase.

Secondly, everyone else, including those of you who sign(ed) up using our form.

Haven't signed up yet?
To be able to sign up you must be logged into the Heroes website with your EA account. If you don’t have an EA Account already, you can sign up for one here. Once you are logged in, head over to the sign-up form.

I just signed up, but I didn't receive an email!
We're not sending out emails yet. As slots open up for the Closed Beta, we plan to be sending out Beta keys in the thousands!

With the Closed Beta starting again tomorrow, how will I know if I’ve been accepted?

• As soon as a Beta slot opens up for you, we’ll contact you at the email address you use to log into the Heroes website.
• As the Beta progresses we’ll be letting more people in, so don’t be put off if you don’t get a key immediately. We’ll be adding a lot of people to the beta.

What is a Beta?
As we develop a new game it goes through lots of phases. The final ones are called “Beta” and “Launch”. Launch is when we open the game up for the whole world to play. Before we do that we need to ensure everything is ready.
The Beta phase is like a rehearsal for the launch; where we test everything out with a small audience before allowing the rest of the world to play. In a beta you are likely to find lots of small things that don’t work as they should, we call these things “bugs”. We’ll need your help to find these bugs, so we can squash them.

*I had a Beta Key, but I lost the email. What do I do?
Unfortunately we can't re-send Beta Keys. If you didn't keep the email with your Beta Key, you will have to re-apply for one.

Battlefield Heroes Closed Beta starts February 11th | Battlefield Heroes - Free to Play, Cartoon Shooter

It focuses on the studio's bid to be authentic in the re-creation of the game's locations and units, so it's one history buffs will enjoy

The upcoming 360 and PC tactical-action game sees you taking control of either Japanese or American WWII forces and fighting in battles from Pearl Harbour right through to Okinawa in 1945.
Its two single player campaigns span 28-plus missions featuring air, sea and underwater combat, plus the tactical landing of troops in battle.
Battlestations: Pacific is "coming soon".

News: Battlestations: Pacific dev diary - ComputerAndVideoGames.com

  

Source : News: Burnout: First 'Cops and Robbers' shots - ComputerAndVideoGames.com

 

Battlefield 1943 Pacific is just like ... well, other Battlefields. That's a compliment, by the way. 1943 is no janky spinoff. It's small in scope, sure, but it offers (and even improves upon -- read: no more health packs!) the core experience of its disc-based brethren. This is visible -- even playable -- in a pre-alpha build (XBLA version) on the New York Comic Con show floor.

We got our hands on the Wake Island map, one of three in the downloadable game, which is modeled on the actual geographic location with a few gameplay-enhancing improvements. 1943's color palette is distinctly vibrant, clashing against the epic destruction that ensues once a match begins. As featured in Bad Company last year, the Frostbite game engine's destructible environments are exploding and imploding in 1943 as well, with buildings reduced to mere foundations as players carelessly toss grenades, launch rockets and even bomb from the skies (bombers can be somewhat controlled from within specially-marked, protected bombing HQs). Destruction is a gimmick -- but a good one.

1943 is limited to Battlefield's now classic Conquest Mode, where teams must capture all the flagged territories around the map. Once captured, these territories become spawn points, with one designated as the "frontline," indicating where the most action is taking place. More calculating players can choose to spawn closer to home base (say, an aircraft carrier) and ride a boat to shore or hop in a fighter plane.
Calling to mind Warhawk (on PSN), 1943 features two layers of play: first-person shooting and air combat. Admittedly, our only flight ended in a quick, spiraling dive into the sea, but, theoretically, a squad of fighter planes could do some major damage to an opposing team. We stuck to the ground, though, sniping, rat-tat-tatting, or simply tanking through the enemy. You know the drill.
And that's 1943. A familiar kind of fun, served small -- an appetizer portion of a game. At $15-20 (we're told), 1943 will fall into the pricier tier of downloadable titles (on PSN, XBLA and PC), but justified by its inherent replayability -- supported by a "stamp and postcard" rewards system -- in addition to Trophies and Achievements. But the real draw is a social one. 1943 is team-based, and developer DICE promises to improve upon the squad system featured in Bad Company. In this sense, teams are split into three, four-player squads (24 total match players), surely a perfect opportunity for several friends to get together, if just for a few rounds. DICE is also focused on developing a functional "party" system, essential for any respectable team shooter; but that technology is not complete in this stage of development.
Still, Battlefield 1943 Pacific looks to be on track for its scheduled summer release. Not a blockbuster by any stretch of the imagination, but a solid featurette to enjoy before you launch whatever you have in your disc drive. Keep your radars locked.

NYCC 09: Battlefield 1943 Pacific hands-on (XBLA) - Joystiq

 

We didn't know anyone wandered into Far Cry 2's expansive, hojillion-hour-long single-player campaign and somehow managed to make time to check out the game's multiplayer offerings, but apparently there's a sizable community of online FC2 players out there. This group has been calling for more realistic match settings for quite some time -- players can apparently catch more lead than Sonny Corleone and walk away with little more than a scratch and an interesting story.
Their pleas have been answered -- in a recent post on the FC2 community blog, the game's developers announced a patch which will, in addition to rebalancing the weapons in all multiplayer modes, add a more realistic "hardcore setting" to all match types. This mode will boost the damage for all weapons (ensuring speedier demises) and will let players tweak the "spawn times" (but not the "spawn rates", whatever that means). They didn't specify which platforms the patch will be landing on -- hopefully, they'll be affording a hasty death to all three.
Update: The update is coming to "all platforms". Huzzah!

Far Cry 2 patch to add 'Hardcore' multiplayer mode, rebalances weapons [Update] - Joystiq

Subjective reviews are always the toughest to write, so when I got my hands on the NVIDIA's GeForce 3D Vision kit for wireless stereoscopic 3D gaming just days before launch I didn't want to rush it. After I came back from the Consumer Electronics Show I started to game daily with the glasses to see what they were all about. It also gave me time to see where the industry was going in terms of 3D Technology. Hollywood has already begun to make major efforts towards bringing 3D movies to consumers and if you watched Super Bowl XLIII you more than likely saw the 3D commercials. It looks like 2009 will be the year for 3D and it should be no big shock that companies like Intel and NVIDIA have started to run with the idea. In 2008 the big marketing push from NVIDIA was CUDA and PhysX and now that nearly every enthusaist knows about those two technologies it is time to roll out something new.

What exactly I will be looking at today is called the NVIDIA 3D Vision Bundle. The NVIDIA 3D Vision Bundle consists of a Samsung Syncmaster 2233RZ 22" 3D Gaming LCD Monitor and NVIDIA 3D Vision Stereoscopic glasses. This $599 bundle will give you an out-of-the-box immersive 3D PC Gaming experience as long as your system has a GeForce 8800 or higher gaming graphics card. The Samsung Syncmaster 2233RZ, in conjunction with NVIDIA’s advanced software, automatically converts over 350 games to stereoscopic 3D without the need for special game patches. That means you don't need to buy any more expensive game titles to play in 3D, but as you can tell 3D gaming is not inexpensive due to the bundle cost. GeForce 3D Vision uses game profiles similar to SLI profiles and since NVIDA has close relationships with developers they can ensure nearly all games will work and are as immersive as possible at launch. This means that you will not have to wait for weeks after a new game launches to be able to play it in 3D! Price aside, stereoscopic 3D will add a whole new level of realism to your gaming.

The heart and soul of the this bundle would be the high-tech active shutter glasses, designed with top-of-the-line optics, deliver double the resolution per eye and ultra-wide viewing angles than passive glasses. In addition, the new 120Hz LCD monitors unlock crystal-clear, flicker-free stereoscopic 3D gaming that provides 60Hz per eye.

Let's take a peak inside the box and see what GeForce 3D Vision is all about!

The 3D Vision Glasses

Opening the 3D Vision retail box you quickly find out that no expense was spared as it is very nicely put together. Included inside are the glasses, IR transmitter, cables and software. If NVIDIA wanted you to feel like you invested in something great they did a good job here as it is one of the nicest packages that I have opened for a while.

NVIDIA included a very nice green lens cleaning cloth that is actually needed to keep the glasses clean while gaming and a nice black carrying case to keep the glasses safe from scratches when not in use. The lenses on the GeForce 3D Vision glasses do contain real glass, so be sure to handle them carefully and store them properly.

I was shocked to find that not one, but four cables were included to hook up the glasses to the PC and then the TV to the PC. The cables included are a DVI-to-HDMI cable to connect your PC to a DLP 3D-Ready TV, two USB cables (one for charging the glasses, the other for the IR transmitter) and a VESA 3-pin stereo cable that is used to connect a DLP TV to the IR emitter. The good news here is if you are just playing on the Samsung Syncmaster 2233RZ 22" 3D gaming LCD monitor you just need the two USB cables as you won't be connecting it to a DLP 3D-Ready TV.

The bundle also included very nicely put together quick-start guide and tips & tricks book that were both super easy to follow. NVIDIA also included a disc full of drivers and a demonstration disc that show cases just what the NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision experience is all about.

Since there are more than one nose type NVIDIA included three nose bridge pieces that you can pick from to use with the glasses. These nose bridges are attached to the 'pegs' seen in the photo above and can be changed out quickly if more than one person will be gaming on the same computer. The nose pieces also lift the glasses away from your face, which means that if you wear glasses that you can indeed wear them under the NVIDIA 3D Vision glasses. 

The IR Emitter (transmitter) is how the wireless glasses get the signal from the PC and is the key to making stereoscopic 3D work. This little emitter should be located with direct line-of-sight between the 3D Vision glasses at a minium of 1.5 feet in order to ensure that the glasses know when to 'shutter' in order to give you 3D images. The button with the NVIDIA logo on it is the power button. The button always glows NVIDIA green, but when the on/off button is pressed it glows bright green.

The back of the IR emitter had has two I/O connectors; one mini-USB connection for communications with your computer and the other is a VESA stereo cable port for use with a 3D-Ready DLP HDTVs. As previously mentioned both connections are only required if you are using a  3D-Ready DLP HDTV. Since we are using the Samsung 120 Hz LCD panel only the USB connector is needed.
The thumbwheel seen in the middle of the emitter above is used to adjust the  stereoscopic depth (depth of the 3D image) while gaming. By turning this wheel you can adjust how extreme the 3D image is as everyone likes a different setting.  Using the deepest setting gives me a light headache, so I personally had to tone it back to be able to enjoy hours of gaming.  After using the glasses for a month, I also found that I liked different depths on differnt games, so I got to know this thumbwheel very well.  The green LED located directly below the thumbweel is the power indicator light and is only green when the power is connected (the USB cable). I'm not sure why NVIDIA included power indicator lights on both sides of the emitter, but i'm sure they have some logic to this.

Taking a closer look at the NVIDIA 3D Vision glasses we can see just how far we have come when it comes to looking good. These 3D glasses are hands down one of the better looking models that I have ever seen and while you'll never see them on the runway during Fashion Week in New York they will not leaving you feeling like a super geek. If they still do then keep in mind that you are using these for gaming and you can always close the door to make sure your 1337 glasses don't make your friends laugh. The bulge next to the left lens is the IR receiver and is what needs to make direct line-of-sight with the IR emitter.

To turn the NVIDIA 3D Vision glasses on you need to press the power button located on the left frame rail. Once the glasses are turned on an indicator light will start to glow and it is of course another green light. The GeForce 3D Vision glasses hold approximately 40-hours of gaming per full charge and once the glasses have less than two hours of battery life left the light will start to flash red. When the light goes out you need to hook it up to the USB cable to charge the glasses.

Speaking of charging the glasses the picture above shows where the mini-USB cable needs to connect in order to charge the battery that is located inside the frame rail. It takes roughly four hours to charge the glasses for 40 hours of gameplay, so be sure to top them off between gaming sessions and you'll never need to do a full charge.

3D Vision Driver Installation and Setup

Installation of the NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision software and drivers is a breeze and the process is nearly identical as installing a graphics card driver. The driver disc that came with the GeForce 3D Vision kit included a 3D-enabled version of the Detonator GPU driver and a 3D Vision software installer. During my 30-day test drive of GeForce 3D Vision three drivers were released, so be sure to check with NVIDIA to download the latest drivers for the kit. The most recent driver at the time this was written was called GeForce 3D Vision CD v1.04 (GeForce GPU driver v181.22, GeForce 3D Vision driver v181.25).

Once you start the install be sure to install GeForce Graphics driver first and restart the computer when prompted. When your system reboots, the GeForce 3D Vision Software Installation automatically restarts to continue the install.

Once system restarts you will install the GeForce 3D Vision driver and as soon as that completes the GeForce 3D Vision Setup Wizard begins. The Setup Wizard takes you through installing the IR emitter, setting up your display, and configuring the wireless glasses.

The first step tells you to use the USB cable that was shipped with your equipment to connect your IR Emitter to your computer. Once it connects the GeForce 3D Vision Ready light on the emitter glows green when the emitter is connected. When updating my drivers over the past month I found out that you need to unplug the emitter when updating drivers as on the last update it glowed red and I had to uninstall the 3D drivers and re-install them before it would glow green again.

The next menu allows you to select your gaming environment. Read through the three gaming environments listed on the screen and select the one that best fits your current hardware configuration. Our test system was a single gaming computer in a room with no other consumer IR devices, so we selected the first setting and moved on.

On this setp the GeForce 3D Vision Setup evaluates the display connected to your computer and identifies if it is a 3D Ready display. Your screen reflects the display you have connected. Our Samsung 3D 120Hz LCD was detected with no issues.

Now that the monitor is ready to go, we can synchronize the glasses to the IR emitter that you have already plugged in during the first step. Once you power on the glasses the dull green light on the IR emitter should turn bright green and that verifies that your glasses are working and communicating with the IR emitter.

This screen is used to verify that your hardware is properly configured to view Stereoscopic 3D effects and that your glasses and emitter are functioning properly. This test makes you close your right eye and look at the large image on the screen, then you have to select what image you see with your left eye. You repeat this for the other eye and them move on to the next step.

The flicker test is up next and while the glasses are still on, see if you notice any flicker in your peripheral vision. If you do, this is due to room lighting issues, and I had serious issues with flicker during the day-time with the blinds open. The first time I used GeForce 3D Vision it was on a sunny day and my blinds were unable to get the room dark enough to make the flickering go away. NVIDIA allows you change the refresh rate to reduce the flickering, but it didn't help for day-time use. You can then select from the following refresh rates:

• 120 Hz refresh rate: For use in North America when lights are on.

• 110 Hz refresh rate: For daytime and when lights are off.

• 100 Hz refresh rate: For countries with 50 Hz lighting and when lights are on.

You are now asked to look at a medical test image to verify that you can see stereoscopic 3D. If things are working correctly you should see a 3D box jump out of the blocky image.

If you successfully passed the medical test, the Setup complete screen displays and you are ready to start gaming!

NVIDIA Control Panel for Stereoscopic 3D

NVIDIA has provided tools for you to customize your GeForce 3D Vision experience and these tools can be accessed through the NVIDIA Control Panel.

In the control panel you can enable and disable stereoscopic 3D by checking or unchecking a checkbox. The next setting, and undoubtedly the most important, is the depth amount in a game. This is the is the depth that the farthest object is placed in a scene. When GeForce 3D Vision is first installed on your system, the Depth is set at the default of 15%. If you are new to 3D gaming, 15% is a good point to start with. Viewing depth at a higher setting can be uncomfortable to some users. As you use GeForce 3D Vision, your eyes will become more accustomed to viewing stereoscopic 3D and you can incrementally increase the depth amount without eye strain. After using the glasses for a couple of weeks I found myself set to ~80% for the depth scale, so don't worry about starting out at just 15%.  It should be noted that you can also change the depth amount by adjusting the thumbwheel on the back of the IR emitter or using the keyboard shortcuts. This means you have three methods of changing the depth of field, which is nice.

To configure a game in real-time you must be familiar with the keyboard shortcut keys. You can use the default setting or you can change the shortcut keys to suit your particular liking. To see the default keyboard shortcut key settings, go to the NVIDIA Control Panel and select the Set up stereoscopic 3D task in the left window pane. Click on the click on the 'Set Keyboard Shortcuts' button and you will see the menu that is shown in the picture above. To change a shortcut key combination, select an action and click in the adjacent box displaying the shortcut. Press your desired key combination. The keystrokes are displayed in the box. Click OK to save your settings and exit the menu. The driver saves the settings in the registry.

The cross-hair sight in a first-person shooter (FPS) game is usually positioned at screen depth when viewed in stereoscopic 3D, making it difficult to aim. In some games, NVIDIA has created a configuration that puts the in-game laser sight at the correct depth. For those games, no user configuration is required. For all other FPS games, NVIDIA provides a selection of 3D laser sights that appear on the targeted object. The laser sights work in properly configured first-person shooter games with screen-centered sights. To change the laser sight from the Set Up Stereoscopic 3D screen, click on the Change 3D Laser Sight button to display a list of possible laser sights.

During any fullscreen 3D application, you can capture stereoscopic 3D screenshots by pressing ALT-F1. The images are saved in the folder current Windows active user folder [Windows Vista Hard Drive] / [Active User ] / Documents and Settings > Documents > NVStereoscopic.IMG. In order to view a 3D photo, simply double-click the .jps file and you’ll be able to see the stereoscopic image using the picture viewer. When you first launch the image in the picture viewer, you’ll see the original 3D image, but if you click it again you'll see the left eye and right eye frames represented in the manner illustrated above. The stereoscopic 3D capture function seemed to work on all of the games that we ran in 3D, so you have a quick and easy way to save game images in 3D!

The Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ

The Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ 120Hz LCD display is the monitor that came bundled with the GeForce 3D Vision kit.

The Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ is the very first 3D monitor that Samsung has brought to market. The Samsung 2233RZ, which is obviously 100% compatible with GeForce 3D Vision and will be available for purchase in April 2009. This 22" monitor alone carries an MSRP of $399, so you can see the largest expense of GeForce 3D Vision is the monitor and not the gaming glasses or the software needed to make it work.

Samsung 2233RZ Monitor Product Specifications:

• 1680 by 1050 Native Resolution
• 300 cd/m2 Brightness
• 20,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio
• 170^o/160^o (CR>10) Viewing Angle
• GTG 3ms (3D) / 5ms(2D) of Response Time
• 120Hz Dual Engine
• HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection)
• DVI-D (Digital Interface)

The Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ is a 120Hz LCD monitor that is required for crystal-clear, flicker-free stereoscopic 3D gaming as it provides 60Hz per eye. You must have a 120Hz monitor that supports 3D for it to work with GeForce 3D Vision. The very first feature listed on the retail box is "3D Gaming Monitor", so if you want to go with a different monitor be sure that it supports 3D gaming! This monitor is also ENERGY STAR compliant, so if you do your part for the environment you have nothing to worry about here.

The Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ bundle comes with the stand, DVI cable, power cable, driver disc, installation guide and a cable holder/sorter to keep the cables looking good behind your desk.

I use a pair of Samsung SyncMaster 204B monitors in the office and I switched one of them out in order to test the Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ and I'm super impressed. The Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ makes my old Samsung 204B look weak and a few years back the 204B was one of the top of the line swivel monitors. In the picutre above you can see a difference over six feet away! Both monitors are on auto settings with nothing defined, so this is what you get when you turn them on for the very first time. After using the Samsung 2233RZ I want to get rid of both of my 204B, but for a $399 monitor it does lack a couple things I would like to see for a monitor coming in in 2009.

For starters is only has a single DVI input! For a $399 monitor I expected on seeing maybe something like an HDMI input, but who uses that right?  The second thing is that it is a 22" LCD monitor, which means that it only supports up to 1680 x 1050 native resolution. I would have much rather seen a 24" monitor with a 1920 x 1080 native resolution as at this price tag I'd like to have a monitor that can do more than just 3D games! With internal Blu-Ray drives now reaching below $80 on sale it only makes sense to invest in a monitor that can support true HD. My final gripe is that the stand is not four-way adjustable (height, pivot, tilt and swivel) like my old Samsung monitors could.  I have some more pictures and comments on this monitor in the forums, so check it out if you want more information on it.

All gripes aside the Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ is an amazing lCD monitor that blows away the image quality and brightness on anything I have ever seen before. You really have to see one of these monitors in person to believe it. If you are interested in looking at other monitors you might want to consider the Viewsonic FuHzion VX2265wm as it supports GeForce 3D Vision as well.

Game Performance - Left 4 Dead

Set in the immediate aftermath of the zombie apocalypse, Left 4 Dead  offers four expansive "movie campaigns" that challenge you and your fellow survivors to battle thousands of swarming zombies as you travel across the rooftops of an abandoned metropolis, through rural ghost towns and pitch-black forests. In addition to the movie campaigns, Left 4 Dead features a Versus mode that allows you to play as the Boss Zombies. Left 4 Dead  is also one of the first games to be developed with 3D features in mind, so this is one of the best titles to test out the GeForce 3D Vision glasses on.

Since our test system has an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX960 processor, 4GB of DDR2 1066MHz memory and an XFX GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 graphics card inside running Windows Vista 64-bit SP1, I figured that we could crank up the graphics to make the game look excellent.  With the Anti-Aliasing set to 16xQ CSAA and the filtering mode at Anisotripic 16X I was ready to see how running a game in 3D impacts performance.

The frame rate of the game took a significant performance hit when stereoscopic 3D was enabled in the control panel. I found ~60% performance decrease when steroscopic 3D was enabled, so if you like to play games with the image qualities cranked up you will need a high-end gaming graphics card as you can tell from the chart above. I also tested various depths to see if that impacted performance, but it didn't seem to have an impact. Just for fun I enabled double buffered vertical sync in Left 4 Dead and performance again took a dive, so be sure to disable this function for better performance as it is enabled by default in the game.

The 3D Experience and Conclusion

When it comes to gaming in 3D the experience is truly beautiful and I'm not trying to sugar coat it. I've been playing PC games since the late 1990's and this is by far the most significant advancement that I have ever seen. When AGEIA originally announced PhysX technology back in 2006 it was only available on limited number of game titles and demos. When the dedicated PhysX cards hit the street they retailed for close to $300 and for how much you paid it really didn't make sense to run out and buy the product. Now three years later PhysX software is widely adopted by over 150 games, is used by more than 10,000 developers of all types and is supported on Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and PC. It takes time for developers to adopt new technology and what makes GeForce 3D Vision so impressive is that it is supported on over 350 game titles right now. NVIDIA was able to support an insane number of game titles right off the bat as they were able to make a driver 'wrapper' for their own drivers. Since NVIDIA makes their own graphics drivers they can quickly and easily come out with 3D game support. This should mean that stereoscopic 3D should take less time to catch on compared to previous technologies like PhysX.

"Unlike some other stereoscopic 3D solutions which rely upon a driver “wrapper” which can dramatically decrease performance and adversely affect compatibility, GeForce 3D Vision makes use of NVIDIA’s own graphics driver. In doing so, NVIDIA is able to leverage the same resources and relationships from The Way It’s Meant to be Played program to ensure the best possible stereoscopic 3D gaming experience.

In the same manner that NVIDIA’s driver has SLI profiles which have the ideal settings for a specific game, GeForce 3D Vision relies upon a custom profile for each game. Because no two titles are identical, NVIDIA has researched the optimal stereo settings for each game and made it a default within the driver. When you install a game and want to see what it looks like in stereoscopic 3D, you do not have to waste time configuring settings and trying to figure out what looks best. When gaming with GeForce 3D Vision, you simply start the game and begin playing in fully immersive stereoscopic 3D.

The NVIDIA Stereoscopic 3D control panel includes a compatibility list that specifies the level of stereoscopic 3D compatibility for hundreds of games. In addition, this information will be available online at www.nvidia.com/ged3d" - NVIDIA PR

One other thing that really improved the gaming experience is that when you start-up a game for the very first time there is an on-screen text message giving you tips on how to adjust game settings to those known to give the best 3D gaming experience. In Left 4 Dead for example it tells you that setting the film grain to off provides a better stereoscopic 3D effect, which it does. By providing tips when the game launches, NVIDIA has improved the game play experience by just letting gamers know what works best.  NVIDIA has done a really great job at making stereoscopic 3D a complete package and it worked great on the dozens of game titles that I have tried it on over the past month. Some games are better than others, but it works on them all.

"The issue of having varying experiences with different games is easy to explain. Few (if any) games on the market today were designed with stereo in mind. As a result, when we identified an issue with stereo within a game we would have to lobby the developer to go back and fix the problem. In some cases, we're able to get the developer to make the fix and release it (along with other fixes) in a patch. However, in other cases the developer is already working on another title and doesn't have time to make the fix. In those cases, we have to work around the problem. These situations are why you sometimes need to disable a feature or lower a quality setting in order for stereo to work properly with a specific game. Moving forward, we have enabled all major developers with GeForce 3D Vision and are involved with a game's development at the earliest stages. In doing so, the game is ensured to work in stereo and the developer can also add stereo enhancements like out-of-screen effects. In the future, you'll be able to play these games without any degradation of image quality or features. Stereo will simply "work"...Developers are excited about stereo and there is some major gaming news surrounding GeForce 3D Vision coming in the near future. Note: Blizzard just released the World of Warcraft PTR Patch 3.0.8 that has all the new stereo goodness! http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/test-realm-patchnotes.html" - NVIDIA PR

As you can tell NVIDIA is really working with game developers to make GeForce 3D Vision get better as time goes on, so with every game patch and graphics card driver release it only means that 3D gaming will get better!

When it comes to pricing, NVIDIA is currently listing the GeForce 3D Vision kit for $199 direct from their site, or you can find it for $178 on Google Shopping. This GeForce 3D Vision stereoscopic gaming kit (NVIDIA item 942-10701-0003) includes everything inside the box, but does not include a monitor or HDTV. The GeForce 3D Vision kit that I reviewed here today includes the monitor and is sold under part number 942-10223-0000-000 which includes the kit with a Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ 22" widescreen 120Hz LCD monitor for $598. Once again you can find this same package at retailers like CompUSA for roughly the same price.

It is a shame that the economy is doing badly, but economies like that of America thrive off consumer spending and launching a product like this might be perfect to get people out and spend some money. You have to see it to fully understand how great gaming in 3D is, but I can honestly say that it is the best thing to happen in gaming in years. Hard to believe that PhysX technology came out three years ago and that not much has really happened since then.  If you want a game changer this could be what you have been waiting for.

Legit Bottom Line: NVIDIA Stereoscopic 3D has come out with guns blazing and it looks good, real good!  If you are getting bored of PC gaming in general 3D gaming will invigorate your gaming appetite and make you wonder why it took this many years to come to market. 

Legit Reviews - NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision Review - Our Thoughts After A 30-Day Test Drive

No less than 28 maps for Call of Duty: World at War's Nazi Zombie mode have been made available for download in this user-created, zombifying map pack.

Once completing Call of Duty: World At War, the special 'Nacht der Untoten' achievement is unlocked, four people can fend off wave after wave of Nazi zombies in this co-operative minigame.
The following maps have been created by various different authors and put together by FilePlanet:
Nazi Zombie Rathaus
This place is swarming with Nazi SS officers that once occupied this German military base. Fires from the war still burn in this desolate hell hole and the large iron gates and fences that surround the house now trap the living dead inside.

 
 

Zombie Subway Last Christmas
Set in an underground subway with access to the main street, there are eleven different ways for zombies to surround the area, but there is plenty of room to manoeuvre around and survive.

 

Nazi Zombie Lost Island
This little island with a cool tropical breeze, palm trees, soothing ocean waters and a full moon glowing off the sea is interrupted by the moans of a zombie horde turn the island into a living nightmare.

 
 

Other maps include one set in a large abandoned mansion and Anzio in Italy after four months of heavy fighting.

 

The map pack is a total 1.5 GB to download although the maps detailed above can be downloaded individually.
In an interview with MTV, Activision's Daniel Suarez explained that the game mode started as a 'pet project' for one of the designers. The idea was borne out of the casual tower defence flash games popular online and grew from there...

ClanBase - Call of Duty: World at War Zombie Nazi map pack released - Saturday 7 February

 

The ToC Server Vista Sidebar widget for World at War.
Features:

• Shows number of players currently on the server.
• Shows if the server is full.
• 1 Click connect.
• Clan members can connect via private slots using password.
• All new WW2 look.

Download from the links below.

32_BIT_VERSION
64_BIT_VERSION
Chose to open and install the file when prompted.

The ToC Server Vista Sidebar widget for World at War - T.O.C. Clan Forums

 

Today Microsoft confirmed the six flavors of Windows 7—here's the rundown of the packages, plus some insight as to why it's better than the Vista jumble.

At first glance, the version breakdown does look a lot like Windows Vista. There are five six SKUs of Windows 7: Starter, Home Basic (developing markets only), Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate. But there are a couple reasons it's less horrendous than the Vista situation.

• Consumers are really only picking between Home Premium and Professional. There's no more Home Basic in the civilized world, which was a gimped version of Vista that didn't have Aero or Media Center that a lot of consumers unwittingly got stuck with. Ultimate, for the most part, won't be very visible to the average guy says Microsoft. So you'll only get Ultimate if you know that's what you want from the start (meaning you're likely tech savvy enough to wade through the SKU muck). Regular people won't ever see Starter or Enterprise. Basically, you'll walk into Best Buy and pick either Home Premium or Professional, whether you're buying a new PC or a copy to install. It's a lot more like the Windows XP Home and Professional dichotomy.

• Professional has all the same media and entertainment features as Home Premium. With Vista, if you wanted the pro-class OS and needed media features like Windows Media Center, you had to buy Ultimate. Now, it works more like a true hierarchy—Professional and Enterprise have every feature that's in Home Premium, plus the business-y features. And then Ultimate is a step above them.

The Upgrade Question
Microsoft wouldn't discuss pricing, but the general sense was that there will be full retail packages of Windows 7 alongside upgrade editions for Vista users. While they didn't come out and say it directly that XP would require a full retail package, Microsoft said that, as in the Windows 7 beta, going to Windows 7 from XP will require a clean install and "that will be reflected with the packaging." There will be migration tools and stuff, but it looks like they'll be paying more to upgrade than Vista users. Update: Mary Jo Foley confirms XP users can buy an upgrade license, even though you'll need a full install.

Now for a quick runthrough of every version.

Windows 7 Starter is for emerging markets mostly, but also for some netbooks as an option. It's pretty gimpy, and only runs three apps at a time, though it'll have the new taskbar, Device Stage and jump list. Since Home Premium (and even the Ultimate beta) runs pretty well on netbooks, most of them are probably going to stick with that, so don't worry too much about it.

Windows 7 Home Basic is for developing markets only, and Microsoft didn't even tell me anything about it, so forget about it. [This info was added in an update.]

Windows 7 Home Premium is the standard consumer offering of the OS with Aero Peek, Media Center and all the other cool features we've been talking about, and what most people will be running, whether they're on a desktop or a netbook. It's better at media than Vista Home Premium, since it ships with DVD playback and codecs like DivX out of the box. In case you're wondering why Microsoft kept the "Premium" tack-on despite the extinction of Basic—it's because in market testing, Vista users thought they were getting downgraded, going from Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home.

Windows 7 Professional has everything that Home Premium does, but with business and "enthusiast" features like file encryption, location-aware printing and advanced backup.

Windows 7 Enterprise is for businesses buying OS licenses in bulk, so you probably won't have to worry about it (unless you're paid to). It's got everything Professional does, but with a few additions like BitLocker full-disk encryption and direct access capability, so you don't have go through a VPN for remote access.

Windows 7 Ultimate is, as you might have guessed, the ultimate version of Windows. Unlike Vista, where it was the combo of Home and Business with a couple added features, this time, it's like the end user version of Enterprise—in other words, the Enterprise version that regular people can buy. It has BitLocker, notably, and a few other advanced features. It seems like visibility of this will be low, outside of a few "special promotions" from vendors occasionally, to minimize confusion.

Not quite as clean as we'd have liked it, but if Microsoft does a good job with education and people really only have to pick between Home and Professional, it'll be a lot smoother ride this time around. Since they're keeping the upgrade vs. full version setup intact, hopefully they'll follow our advice and sell it to Vista users very cheaply. We'll find out when they reveal pricing in the coming months.

Source : Windows 7: All the Flavors of Windows 7 Explained

Installation and Initial Thoughts...

For this quick preview, we used a Foxconn Bloodrage Caw i7 motherboard (review forthcoming), Akasa’s Nero cooler, a Corsair HX1000 PSU, two SATA hard disks (a 1TB Western Digital Caviar Black and a 300GB WD VelociRaptor) and a SATA optical drive. As this is not the usual test kit (as is being used elsewhere), any cooling testing wouldn’t have been comparable and so we’ll leave that for another day.
Building a PC inside the Raven is a fairly frustrating process. For every welcome piece of design, there’s another to annoy. While we could neatly cable the front panel wiring around the rear of the case, the power cables just can’t be organised nearly as well for example.
The holes in the motherboard tray through which you can route some cables aren’t wide enough for the EPS12V plug or the 24-pin ATX plug so these can’t be tidied around the back. We were also annoyed that the drive bays and the motherboard tray are attached along their full length, which severely restricts how you can route and tidy cables in this area. You have to rely on the two small slot holes, which struggle to accept chunky or numerous cables.

Click to enlarge

Graphics card power cables aren’t well catered for either – they’ll always be on show, though we opted to tuck them toward the back of the main chamber. We also hit problems attaching our SATA optical drive, as it’s just too far away from the SATA ports on our motherboard. We shudder at the thought of trying to organise EIDE cables neatly in the Raven.
Similarly, there’s not much space to stuff excess cables from the PSU. We’ve opted for the small space above the PSU, though we risk cables falling lose and clogging the fan that’s directly above the PSU. The alternative is to shove the cables beneath the other intake fan, and risk clogging this should the cables come loose...
A little compartmentalisation here would have done wonders. As such, this is far from the best cable tidying job we’ve ever done.

Click to enlarge

The odd thing about the Raven is that it doesn’t even show off its innovation very well. The side window is modest, and not positioned well to show off your ‘crazy’, vertically aligned expansion cards. Given that this is an interesting and key innovation of the case, it’s rather odd that the window doesn’t make more of a big deal of the vertical card arrangement.
The problem could be that the case isn’t long enough, but it could do with being a bit longer anyway to allow better cable routing. And it’s not as if this isn’t a big, iconic, good-looking case – we won’t begrudge it taking up a little more desk space. We’ll have to wait to see just how cool the unusual orientation of the expansion cards keeps hot PC hardware, but we welcome your thoughts from this initial look on the comments below.

bit-tech.net | Preview - First Look: SilverStone Raven RV01

Nvidia and AMD planning to handle AI in 2010

Nvidia and ATI graphics cards to handle AI from 2010

Graphics cards are set to handle artificial intelligence (AI) processing in 2010, according to the latest news out of Nvidia and AMD.

The companies revealed that they are working on GPGPU-accelerated AI in games, and gamers might see the first results early in 2010.

Nvidia and AMD are working with games and middleware developers to take the most common AI routines - which spend over 90% of their time performing simple visibility and path finding queries – away from the CPU, and across to the graphics card to process instead.

Competing solutions?

Nvidia's director of product management for PhysX, Nadeem Mohammad tells Custom PCthat: "You can always imagine CUDA as loads of processors running the same program but not the same instruction, and ideally on the same data set but with different input parameters,'

"So, in the context of AI, the data set consists of the whole game world, and the parameters going into it are the individual bots – that's one way of neatly parallelising the problem. If you look at it in that context then any AI program could be accelerated."

An AMD rep added that: "some middleware providers are looking at this in terms of packaging up a GPU AI library for games, while some developers are looking to transfer their own existing AI code from CPU to GPU."

The only potential problem, as Kotaku so neatly sums up, "is whether ATI and Nvidia would bother to actually standardise this, or whether we'd end up with two competing solutions that would split the developer community and make the whole thing a royal pain in the ass."

Gaming AI to move to graphics cards | News | TechRadar UK

 

Windows 7 BETA vs. Windows Vista SP1 SSD Performance Compared

Continuing on with our early Windows 7 beta coverage, we move onto Solid State Drive (SSD) performance.
The topic of SSDs itself is rather interesting, but when you team up the increasingly popular flash memory technology with Microsoft's next operating system, Windows 7, things move up to the next notch on the excitement level - for us around here, anyway - but probably you too, if you are reading this.
&lta href='http://www.tweaktown.com/phpadsnew/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a695f25f' target='_blank'>&ltimg src='http://www.tweaktown.com/phpadsnew/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=186&ampamp;n=a695f25f' border='0' alt='' /></a>Microsoft made some fairly bold claims during its WinHEC conference last year that Windows 7 (W7) would include optimizations that are designed to improve the performance and reliability of SSDs. The operating system is supposed to be able to detect the use of SSDs and once identified, change some settings, compared to the way traditional magnetic hard disk drives are handled.

One of the first changes upon detection is turning off defrag. Because SSDs store data differently, defrag tools will have little to no effect on performance improvements. This is also especially because SSDs are much faster than normal hard drives. The second optimization is the "Trim" feature, which is designed to keep the SSDs unused storage area as free as possible, hence creating more room for device wear leveling. There are probably other subtle tweaks under the hood of W7 as well, but we haven't got all the details in as yet.
We have gotten hold of the Windows 7 BETA and today we are going to compare the performance of single SSD as well as RAID 0 SSD in W7 and Vista SP1. Keep in mind this is just a first look; Microsoft may still and probably will provide further performance optimizations for SSDs under the final shipping version of W7 and this is merely a look at the performance difference so far. We didn't even install any new drivers on our W7 beta install - just ran with what was built-in, so it is a good raw look at things currently as they stand.
Read on and find out if your SSD experience is going to be improved or not under Windows 7. It has been a hot subject in the storage world lately and hopefully we can find out some answers today!

Test System Setup
Processor(s): Intel Q9450 quad-core @ 3.2GHz
Motherboard(s): MSI X48 Platinum (Supplied by MSI)
Memory: 2 x 2GB Patriot DDR3 1600MHz
Hard Disk(s): 2 x Western Digital 300GB VelociRaptor in RAID 0 (Supplied by Western Digital)
Operating System: Windows Vista SP1 64-bit and Windows 7 BETA 64-bit
Drivers: Latest Windows Updates (Vista), Intel INF 1.1.15 (Vista)
We installed Vista SP1 with all the latest updates and Windows 7 BETA (stock standard - no driver changes from install) on a more than capable system, which is ready to compare SSD performance.
We would have preferred to use a standalone RAID controller, but the one we have here from Areca did not work properly under Windows 7 with the standard Vista drivers. Instead, we plugged the drives directly into the MSI X48 motherboard and they were powered by the Intel ICH9R Southbridge chipset.

This chipset is far from ideal when it comes to SSD, since it is not able to show the maximum potential of the Patriot Warp2 128GB SSD SATA drives, which we used for testing in this article. On the other hand, though, not everyone can afford a separate high-end RAID controller worth around the four figure mark and this will give us a look at what the more-average Joe consumer will be using hardware-wise.
We also wanted to note that testing was completed on a fresh install of each operating system and no SSD specific performance tweaks were applied at all. There are a bunch of Vista SSD tweaks out there, but we wanted to provide a raw look at SSD performance on each OS.
Let's move on now and examine the results.

HD Tune Pro - SSD Read Performance

Our first test puts HD Tune Pro into action and we look at read performance.
Starting with single drive performance, we can see that Windows 7 has the edge over Vista in all tests besides minimum read speed, which slipped for some reason. Burst speed is a good deal quicker and we can see the average speed manages to edge out Vista by a little.
When it comes to RAID 0 performance we can see that the ICH9R controller struggles to support the SSD drives properly, since it was designed for slower mechanical hard disk drives. Nevertheless, we see Windows 7 well out in front here, beating Vista SP1 in every test.
The results are close, but it is important to remember that Windows 7 is still in BETA and that we are using early drivers. As the official launch of W7 draws closer, we will see actual W7 drivers released and they should improve performance, as well as other changes Microsoft make under the hood of its OS.

HD Tune Pro - SSD Write Performance

Now we come to SSD write performance and starting off with RAID 0, you can see the ICH9R really struggles with minimum write speeds, hitting 0MB/s - ouch.
Besides that, though, Windows 7 has another good jump on Windows Vista here and things are looking positive for Windows 7 and SSD.
Moving on to single drive performance, the results are closer, but Windows 7 still has the edge; this is more great news for SSD users.

A note on Access Time and CPU Usage

The above result from HD Tune Pro is of the SSDs in RAID 0 under Windows 7.
We wanted to note that every single configuration (read and write) saw an access time of 0.2ms and that is a great result.
When it came to CPU usage, however, Windows 7 was all over it. In every test under Windows 7 we saw CPU usage of -1%. This may be an error, or it could be the correctly reported numbers. Under Windows Vista, CPU usage ranged from 2 - 4%.
That is more good news on the W7 + SSD front!

Final Thoughts
Today we have provided a quick and simple look at SSD performance in Windows 7 BETA and Vista SP1. It is far from conclusive, we know, but it was only designed to be a quick look at the numbers so far and what users may be able to expect from a standard desktop system.

Based on our testing, we can see that obviously Microsoft have spent some time improving SSD performance under Windows 7, as it managed to beat out Vista in all but one test and that might have only been a slip up.
Access time is also very impressive under W7 and when it came to CPU usage, W7 blew Vista to pieces scoring -1% usage under every test. Again, this might be a reporting error; but if it was, the results were very consistent.
We hope you enjoyed the quick look at SSD performance under Windows 7 so far. We will be back with more at a later date as new drivers and so forth come out.

Windows 7 BETA vs Windows Vista SP1 SSD Performance Compared :: TweakTown

 

We already knew more or less all we needed to know about NVIDIA's GTX 295, however, despite being already on sale, the company has decided now is a good time to grace the model with a press release. The GTX 285 has been given the formal treatment too -- despite not being available until next week. If you missed the earlier specs, the $499(ish) 295 includes dual 55-nm GT200 GPUs and supports nearly 2GB of memory, while the $399 285 makes do with but one processor and an undisclosed RAM ceiling (though the upcoming Winfast, pictured above, comes with 1GB and one yellow robot). Again the 295 is up for order now, while slightly more budget conscious gamers will have to wait until January 15 for the 285.

NVIDIA makes GTX 295 official now that it's on sale, 285 too for good measure - Engadget

 

NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 295 is only a week old at retail, but that hasn't stopped the company from turning around and releasing yet another card -- the GTX 285 -- today. The reviews for both are in and from what we've read, the GTX 295 seems to match or outshine its AMD Radeon HD 4870 X2 counterpart in most performance tests. As for the GTX 285, the general consensus is that it's the fastest single-GPU graphics card on the market right now. It's only slightly better-performing than the GTX 280, however, so if you've already got that, it's probably not worth the upgrade. We're not gonna pretend to understand every benchmark result, but we'll gladly point you in the right direction.
GTX 285
Read - TweakTown
Read - PC Perspective
Read - HotHardware
GTX 295
Read - TweakTown
Read - PC Perspective
Read - HotHardware

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 / 295 review roundup - Engadget

Especially for you this one Krusty. :)

Why Windows 7 will crush Linux

By Ron Barrett on Fri, 01/09/2009 - 12:04pm.

Okay it is no secret that Linux has not been able to crack the desktop, either at the home or at the workplace. Not to ignored either is that Windows lost some desktops last year (a little over 3%),but let’s not panic just yet, Windows still owns over 88% of all the desktops according to leading research.

Many people might be surprised to learn that I come from a background of Windows, Linux, UNIX and even MAC. In fact, my first IT experience was in a Novell/SCO UNIX environment. Now there are some fundamental issues to why Windows 7 will trump Linux distros like Ubuntu, Fedora and Debian.

THEREFORE, to get those out of the way let’s just spell them out. Windows 7 installs easier, has simpler configuration of user settings, greater availability of software, support (you could argue that all support is awful, which is probably true) Windows support is easier to get when you need help. Gaming, MP3’s,… I could go on and on.

But these have been the same arguments from the beginning, to be fair to Linux the GUI used to be seriously lacking but it has improved. None of these issues had crushed the penguin before so what is different about Windows 7. Let’s look at three areas:

POWERSHELL
The biggest complaint I have ever heard from die hard Linux users is the GUI, which explains why Linux taken so long to catch up in this area. To real Linux die hards… terminals rule. Microsoft has realized that the serious Administrator understands the usefulness of using command line input to accomplish tasks. Windows Powershell has introduced cmdlets to improve administration of Windows. Powershell also makes it easier to string together multiple administrative without the need to jump from management GUI to management GUI.
So Powershell presents an interesting argument for Windows adoption by the Linux user. You can go command line crazy if you like and still play all your favorite PC games. Powershell remoting will allow Administrators to create one to one or one to many sessions for running scripts on other machines.

Open Source Software has caught on in Windows
In case you missed it, see my article 20 great Windows open source projects you should get to know . That list was a short list of the thousands of Open source apps available for Windows systems. Microsoft itself has made steps into the OSS arena embracing what was inevitable. Some people want free software (even if support is limited or non-existent). The argument for ages was Linux was free and so was many of the applications you could run on Linux. Applications like Firefox, Open Office, MYSQL, GIMP… wait all these applications are now available for Windows. Moreover, they are easier to install in Windows then they are in Linux. Linux users will argue that Linux is still free and you pay for Windows, as I said earlier that cost gets you support and does away with the conundrum of which flavor of OS do I like. There are literal dozens of Linux distros to choose from, I like to leave the 101 flavors to Baskin Robbins.

FEATURES, FEATURES, FEATURES…
Windows 7 has solved a long-standing thorn in Microsoft’s side, How to deliver a feature rich OS without killing resources?

Windows 7 has made improvements to the Aero feature, installs as a VHD (making it truly portable) and has moved beyond the need for mouse and keyboard. The touch screen as well as the speech and handwriting recognition improvements makes it hard to ignore Windows 7. DirectAcess, Bitlocker to Go, Applocker and the new easier to use UAC ( yes I am not letting up on this one) makes Windows 7 secure but yet easy to administrate.

The list of features goes on, and the speed of Windows 7 without the resource drain…rocks!

It looks like all the arguments (except being mad at Bill for being Rich) have been answered. Linux users have no reason to hold back anymore. Windows 7 is well placed to crush and put an end to the penguin.

Next step… It’s time to put the Macintosh’s back where they belong, inside my apple pie!

Why Windows 7 will crush Linux | NetworkWorld.com Community

 

Design Partners, the company responsible for Logitech's G-series, has released a series of images offering a behind-the-scenes look at how the suite of wild gaming peripherals came to be. Interested to see the design process? Check out the galleries below -- we're particularly taken with the image showing a designer hand-crafting the G13's wrist rest.

Galleries

G35 Surround Sound Headset


G13 Gameboard

G19 Keyboard

The making of Logitech's G-series peripherals - Engadget

Cherry sells this keyboard with Klingon keycaps, perfect for transcribing the works of Shakespeare in their original language. Like the most robust battle keyboards, it attaches to your console via the hardened PS/2 interface.

HIHIvqa' may' pequ' moH!

gadgets.boingboing

The first beta of Windows 7 is available for download. However, after the Vista-ready debacle, regular Windows watchers will be leery of downloading a new Microsoft OS without making absolutely sure that their PC hardware can stand the pace. PC Advisor has a free software tool that can do exactly that. Here's how to use PC Performance Monitor's Windows 7 Compatibility tool.

First, register as a user at PCAdvisor.co.uk. Go to PCAdvisor.co.uk/account/register (all the required links will open in a new window or tab so you can stay on this page), and complete the simple, three-stage process. Be sure to tick the box that enables you to use PC Performance Monitor. If you are already a registered user, you should log in and go to PCAdvisor.co.uk/account/update to update your profile and enable PC Performance Monitor.

Now head to PCAdvisor.co.uk/pc-performance-monitor, and hit the Monitor My PC tab. Your unique CustomerID should be displayed. Click the link and follow the instructions to download and install the PC Performance Monitor application: this is a small piece of software that collects performance data from your system.

Now you should see five performance monitors for your chosen PC - the one we're interested in is the Windows 7 Compatibility Testing widget.

See also: Windows 7 review

Before you can use it, however, there's a couple of bits of housekeeping I should cover.

1. Once PC Performance Monitor is installed, it takes the application roughly an hour to start sending back information about your system's performance, so all the boxes will remain blank for now.
2. You can install PC Performance Monitor on up to three PCs, but your data remains secret - neither the software makers, nor PC Advisor can access it.

See also: My weekend with Windows 7

The Windows 7 Compatibility Testing widget assesses the suitability of an x86 or x64-based PC for running Windows 7. You can use the Windows 7 widget to identify systems that will be incapable of running the next version of desktop Windows due to inadequate hardware, current stress levels or workload composition.

System information is extracted and analysed to determine Windows 7 compatibility. The tests look at three categories: Hardware Configuration, Current Stress Levels and Workload Composition. PC Performance Monitor collects counter data once every second and averages the collected values once every 60 seconds. The data points analysed by the Windows 7 widget represent a daily summary (average) of these one-minute averaged samples.

Once the PC's Machine Name appears in the System list, simply click the Results tab to see how it fared. The Windows 7 widget posts results in a simple Pass/Fail format. If the system meets the requirements for a given category, a green PASS appears. If your PC fails a category, explanatory text appear in the Notes box at the bottom of the Results pane.

if the requirements for Windows 7 change, we'll update our the tool, so it's worth checking back from time to time.

How to: is your PC ready for Windows 7? - Blogs - PC Advisor

SR-71 USAF base (Kadena, Japan)-

“Though I fly through the Valley of Death, I shall fear no evil. For I am at 80,000 feet and climbing.”

The year is 2012, as the era of the nation-state draws quickly to a close, the rules of warfare evolve even more rabidly. More and more nations are becoming increasingly dependent on Private Military Companies (PMCs)- elite mercenaries with a lax view of the law. The Reykjavik Accords further legitimize their existence by authorizing their right to serve in every aspect of military operations.

Tom Clancy’s HAWX allows players to become a part of the mayhem, by becoming an elite pilot of the future.  Utilizing cutting edge technology, devastating firepower, and intense dogfights will just be the tip of the tomahawk. Players will be able to jump in the cockpit of over 50 of the world’s most famous aircraft and take flight over super realistic terrain that has been thrown together using advanced satellite mapping technology that is commercially available, providing an authentic look and amazing views.

“High-resolution satellite imaging is moving from the black world of intelligence to the white world of commerce and Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X will bring that reality to gamers,” said Mark Brender, vice president, corporate communications and marketing at GeoEye. “With video game graphics becoming more realistic, the use of high-quality photographic ground textures in H.A.W.X adds true photo-realism to the air combat experience.”

HAWX will also utilize the Enhanced Reality System (ERS). ERS is in-game technology that helps turn novice aviators into elite pilots of the future and will be the backbone of players flight experience, allowing players to use radars and incoming missile detection, damage control systems, a tactical map, information relay, and weapons trajectory control. ERS will also allow players to issue commands to your squadron. Just think, the airborne version of the Cross-Com system that was implemented in Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter.

Also jumping on the Co-op bandwagon, HAWX will allow the entire solo campaign to be experienced in 4 player “Jump-in/Jump-out” co-op mode. This marks the first time ever for the air combat genre, officially placing HAWX in the running for the coolest air combat game around. There will also be an 8-player Team Deathmatch that can be played online, to see who’s truly the top gun.

This is Tom Clancy’s first stab at air combat, and from the looks of it, he’s got it down pretty good. We’ll be keeping a very close eye on this as we near take-off.

 

 

 

Vitals: Tom Clancy’s HAWX | Games Are Evil: 360, PS3, Wii, iPhone, Portable Gaming Magazine

We had a chance to briefly check out Sony's take on 3D gaming yesterday, but Sony wasn't the only company trying to get in on the action. Nvidia was showing off its own technology with its 3D Vision glasses, and unlike Sony's proof of concept display, Nvidia's setup was both playable and ready for purchase. The game on display? Left 4 Dead.

Unlike Sony's tech, which used passive glasses, Nvidia's rig relies on a combination of a relatively cutting-edge LCD monitor (with 120 Hz support), a compatible Nvidia graphics card, and a pair of $199 active glasses. It's a pricey setup, one that most modest PC gamers will be waiting on for quite some time until the price comes down substantially. Its undeniable, however, how cool the setup was in motion.

Like most stereoscopic 3D setups, there's a noticeable amount of depth and volume added to the scene, visible almost immediately upon donning the glasses. However, Nvidia's setup takes the concept a step further by allowing users to easily adjust the amount of depth perception with a small nob on the glasses' special dongle. With the knob turned all the way up, the game image seems to jump out at you, to the point where it can almost be distracting—especially in a game as fast-paced as Left 4 Dead.

As a bonus, here's a picture of Ben modeling the glasses:

We spent a few minutes oogling the in-game models and rotating the camera around our teammates slowly. What's so incredible about the glasses is that they take advantage of the pre-existing volumetric shader work coded into normal games to produce an uncanny volume and "heft" to the character models. One problem? The flat text above players' heads has a bizarre shimmering effect that proves distracting.

Despite that one flaw, though, Nvidia's setup is one to drool over. If the entry cost wasn't such a huge barrier, this would be a must-buy accessory. As it stands, though, this remains a lavish luxury that only the truly dedicated will be willing to purchase. This is the second piece of 3D technology that impressed us here; it works well, the glasses don't cause headache unless you crank the depth all the way up, and you can buy it today. 

CES 2009: Nvidia shows off 3D glasses with Left 4 Dead

PC startups, take note -- this is how you cut through the noise and get recognized. Rather than simply copying Alienware or some other boutique gaming outfit, BFG Technologies is introducing its first line of high-performance PCs with quite the unusual extra. Sure, the 3.2GHz Core i7 965 Extreme Edition is totally expected, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 GPUs aren't all that shocking, but the complementary concierge service is certainly a step in a new direction. With each Phobos purchase comes six months of said service, which includes "expert in-home installation and a six month follow up maintenance visit." Check the full release after the break for all the deets, but you can count on spending at least three large to get in.

BFG TECHNOLOGIES UNVEILS PHOBOS™ -- STUNNING NEW HIGH PERFORMANCE GAMING/HOME THEATER SYSTEM
Phobos features innovative touch panel LCD with Performance Control, upcoming BFG NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 Graphics Cards, Liquid Cooling Solutions from CooIIT, and Intel Core i7 Processors
Come by the NVIDIA Booth at CES to see Phobos: South Hall 4 #35352
Lake Forest, IL – January 5, 2009 – BFG Technologies, known as a leading supplier of premium power supplies and 3D graphics cards, is excited to announce its first line of complete gaming and multimedia PCs, called Phobos. These sleek hand-built, high performance machines were designed with the "Graduated Gamer" in mind. This audience is looking for all the performance associated with a high-end gaming system, but none of the hassle related to building and servicing such a system. As a result, Phobos is sold with complementary Concierge Service which includes expert in-home installation and a six month follow up maintenance visit.
"Phobos was designed for gamers and media enthusiasts who demand top of the line performance, but may not have the time, desire, or expertise to build or maintain a high end system," said John Malley, senior director of marketing for BFG Technologies. "Our Concierge Service ensures our systems meet those high expectations-delivering Unbelievable Performance without monopolizing our customers' time."
Phobos is designed with the highest-end components available, featuring the Intel® Core i7 965 Extreme Edition 3.2GHz Processor, two upcoming BFG NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 295 Graphics Cards, and CoolIt® Contained Liquid Cooling Solutions to keep both the GPUs & CPU cool during the fiercest of gaming battles. BFG Tech also outfitted Phobos to serve as a home theater command center by choosing Windows® Vista Ultimate with Media Center, including four hard drive bays, offering RF remote and TV tuner with DVR functionality, a front slot-loading Blu-ray Disc® drive, the option for 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound audio cards, and an integrated iPod®/iPhone® syncing dock.
FULL SPECS BELOW
Phobos is as impressive externally as it is internally, offering Refined Aesthetics and an innovative design. Its sleek black gloss finish and hidden cable management makes Phobos look at home in the living room, next to a flat panel TV and high end audio components. BFG Tech's ground breaking touch panel LCD with performance control further sets Phobos apart from every other system in its class. The panel provides users with a System Status Overview-a real time snapshot of the processor, memory, network, and storage data. Phobos owners can also make real-time performance adjustments based on desired use (Auto/Quiet/Max), monitor the capacity and health of internal storage devices, display and control audio and video files, and more.
For more information about Phobos, visit www.bfgsystems.com after January 8, 2009 or contact PR representative Mark Olson at 305.576.1171 x17 or markolson@maxborgesagency.com. For additional information about BFG Tech please visit www.BFGTech.com.
About BFG Tech
BFG Technologies is a privately held U.S. based supplier of premium power supplies and 3D video cards based on award-winning NVIDIA graphics technology, and a manufacturer of high end gaming/home theater systems. BFG Tech is dedicated to bringing the latest high quality, high-tech multimedia products to PC and gaming enthusiasts at competitive prices. Like the company's target customers, many of BFG Tech's employees are gamers and PC enthusiasts, and they strive to provide hardware and marketing that reflects the company's passion and excitement for the latest technology. www.BFGTech.com
Phobos™ System Specs
Phobos has three conveniently pre-configured high-performance systems that can be used as a starting point:
• Phobos Performance (from $3,000)
• Phobos Advanced (from $5,000)
• Phobos Elite (from $8,000)
Please visit www.bfgsystems.com after January 8, 2009 to see what specific options are available in each version.
'PHOBOS ELITE' STANDARD CONFIGURATION*
• Upcoming BFG NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 295 Graphics Cards (x2 for Quad SLI®)
• BFG NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 for Dedicated PhysX™ Processing
• Intel® Core i7 965 Extreme Edition 3.2GHz Processor
• CoolIt® Contained Liquid Cooling Solution (GPU&CPU)
• MSI® Eclipse SLI Intel® X58-based Motherboard
• Patriot® 6GB PC3-12800 1600MHz DDR3 Memory
• 4x Western Digital® VelociRaptor 300GB Hard Drives
• Slot Loading Blu-ray® Super Multi Optical Drive
• BFG LS-1200 1200W High Efficiency Power Supply
• Auzentech X-Fi Prelude 7.1 Sound Card
• Integrated iPhone®/iPod® syncing dock
• Unique 8" Interactive Touch Panel LCD
• In-Home Set Up Included with Every Phobos Purchase
*Based on current configuration at the time of printing. Specifications and available options subject to change. See www.bfgsystems.com for updates.

BFG Technologies' Phobos gaming PC packs Core i7, personal concierge - Engadget

struggling to find the "sweet spot" in the video game market as its sales drop again.

Sony lags behind the Xbox 360 and Wii in this
generation's console war.

Despite Sony's Playstation 3 quarterly sales growth doubling from last year, the end result from this year's holiday sales doesn't bode well according to the Wall Street Journal.
Sony hoped the PS3 would take the number-two spot in video-game consoles, as it currently trails the Wii and Xbox 360, respectively. Instead, PlayStation 3 sales are down 19 percent from last holiday season. Contrast that to Nintendo and Microsoft, which saw the Wii double its sales and Xbox 360 sales rising by eight percent, respectively.
Sony places a lot of hope on its videogame division as its electronics business is suffering terribly due to the global economic crisis. Sony projected last spring that its games division would finally make a profit since launching the PS3 in 2006.
Earlier this month, I reported that by 2010, Sony plans to eliminate 8,000 jobs (four percent of its global work force). This is certainly the result of a tail spin of poor electronics sales.
Here's where Sony probably went wrong.
A pricey console featuring fancy components is backfiring on them as this recession continues to spiral out of control and people are less inclined to drop money on the priciest gaming console. And why should they?
An entry-level PS3 model costs at least $150 more than the Wii or the cheapest Xbox 360, right? And although the PS3 has Blu-ray functionality that isn't in the Wii or the Xbox 360, it's still a bitter pill to swallow when parents just want to buy a respectable video-game console for their kids. Besides, the cost of actual Blu-ray players are relatively inexpensive, and you still can get one with an Xbox 360 for cheaper than what it would cost you to buy a PS3. Dang!
We also know that Microsoft helped its sales of the Xbox 360 when it slashed the price this past fall and bundled games, too. Nintendo kept the Wii's price at $249 but cranked out more consoles taking care of the shortage problem.
Let's also be frank...Sony hasn't had the great exclusive titles it enjoyed with the PlayStation 2. Microsoft has its heavyweight giants Halo and Gears of War franchises. Nintendo's big money makers are mostly in-house games. While Sony used to have a stronghold of exclusives, clever Microsoft found a way to get game publishers to launch biggies simultaneous with Sony.
Lastly, the PS3 just costs way too much to make. Last week, I told you Sony found a way to take the console which once took $840 to manufacture, and make it for $448.73. Granted, it still loses money on every PS3 it sells because it retails at $399, so Sony is going to have to cut the price to help boost sales.
Let the numbers speak for themselves. Since its launch, the Wii has sold nearly 35 million units, the Xbox 360 has sold 22 million, with the PS3 trailing at 17 million. Let's get even more specific. Last month, in the US, the Wii sold 2 million, consumers bought 836,000 Xbox 360's, and only 368,000 PS3's were purchased.
While Sony's best seller last month (according to The NPD) was Call of Duty: World at War...dang again! The Xbox 360 version sold twice as much.
Source

Lights Dimming For Sony's Playstation 3

Preliminary Tests on GeForce GTX 295 Run, Leads Radeon HD 4870 X2

A Chinese technology portal, IT168 has conducted a prelimnary performance evaluation of the upcoming GeForce GTX 295 graphics card. The card will be a flagship offering by NVIDIA. It will feature two G200b graphics processors. Also provided are the first pictures of the finished product, along with a burst-shot of the card and its cooling assembly. Across several game tests, the evaluation showed the GTX 295 to outperform the HD 4870 X2 by up to 80%, while providing superior power characteristics.

techPowerUp! News :: Preliminary Tests on GeForce GTX 295 Run, Leads Radeon HD 4870 X2

Tired of ATI ruling the uberidiculous end of the graphics card space, Nvidia is apparently striking back with its own super-stacked GTX295—it's basically two GTX 200 GPUs hot-glued together.

Expected to be unveiled at CES, the GTX 295 (nee GTX260 GX2) actually is made up of two print-circuit boards, and each one has a GTX 200 GPU, 240 stream processors, 448-bit memory bus and 896MB DDR3 memory. It's totally outrageous, in other words, and requires 289W of power, so I hope you've got a behemoth of a power supply.

The price, while unknown, will be proportionately juggernaut-sized, crushing your wallet. Since it's designed to beat ATI's Radeon HD 4870 X2, it'll likely fall in the same price range, probably around or slightly north of $500. It could swing cheaper though, since Nvidia's current high-end card, the GTX 280, is trending south of $400 at the moment. Guess we'll see, but I can't afford it either way.

Oh, and first person to ask "will it run Crysis?" is banned. I'm not kidding. [Expreview via X-bit Labs]

Nvidia GeForce GTX 295 Graphics Card Is Insane: Two GTX 260s Bolted Together

 

When it was first announced that Mirror’s Edge, the innovative and very well received free running first person platformer from DICE, would be significantly delayed on PC but not on Xbox 360 or PS3 there was whole heap of outcry and more than a few tin foil hats were produced with talk of the delay being related to anti-piracy measures.
Well it seems this time at least there’s no conspiracy, and just a lot more work to do as Nvidia and EA have confirmed the delayed release date, now sometime in January 2009, is due to the significant implementation of Nvidia’s PhysX technology into the game.
As you can see from the new trailer, the level of physics effect integration is impressive, with realistically ripping fabrics, wind effects, flowing water and all sorts of other physics goodness making the graphics look much better than on the consoles.
While the core gameplay itself won’t be affected in any way, as the game still has to be playable on non-PhysX enabled hardware after all, those with an Nvidia 8-series GPU or higher will be able to leverage the PhysX support implemented by Nvidia into the Forceware drivers a few months back to take advantage of the much improved visuals.
Of course the let down is that those with ATI graphics will miss out, as PhysX acceleration on the GPU is still very much an Nvidia exclusive property despite rumours of third party developers porting the API to ATI hardware persisting, although nothing concrete has yet materialised.
Quite frankly, why not just release it now so everyone can play it and then offer a patch for Nvidia folk later? Remember Far Cry 1.3 adding HDR for Nvidia GeForce 6 hardware, or Company of Heroes adding DirectX 10 support? The two month delay will likely mean anyone who will have wanted to play it, will have already done so on a console, especially if they own ATI hardware because it won't make a blind bit of difference for them. As much as we love funky visuals, cool eye candy and real physics, we love playing games more.
Are you happy enough in the knowledge that the wait for Mirror's Edge PC might be worth it, or are you an ATI user and frustrated you're not invited to the PhysX party, plus made to wait for the game? Let us know in the forums!

bit-tech.net | Mirror's Edge PC delay down to PhysX

The promo renders for Tomb Raider Underworld from Eidos are massive. Check out the full resolution images. Firefox user can right click and select view image. IE users right click, Save as.... Enjoy.

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ToC SERVERS INFO. WORLD AT WAR SERVER LAUNCH. - T.O.C. Clan Forums

Call of Duty World at War Multiplayer Map Overviews.

Call of Duty World at War Multiplayer Map Overviews. - T.O.C. Clan Forums

US, November 11, 2008 - Some were delighted to find that the Call of Duty series was returning to World War II in Call of Duty: World at War, others were infuriated. But regardless of which side you turned a sympathetic ear to, Call of Duty: World at War is here and could prove to be one of the most intense World War II shooters available. Ultimately it's up to you decide, but in the meantime, before you go rushing into battle, we felt it was important to give you all the info on the in-game weapons. Some weapons are new to the Call of Duty series, such as the M2 flamethrower, others are more familiar, like the M1 Garand. Whether you prefer to hang back and snipe or get right into the thick of it, Call of Duty: World at War gives gamers a broad arsenal to get their kill on. So, without any further ado, IGN Gear presents the weapons of Call of Duty: World at War.

---

Rifles

M1A1 Carbine

• Caliber Ammunition: .30 Carbine
• Action: Gas-operated, rotating bolt
• Weight: 5.2 Lbs.
• Magazine Capacity: 15 or 30-round detachable box magazine
• Rate of Fire: Semi-automatic

M1 Garand

• Caliber Ammunition: .30-06 Springfield
• Action: Gas-operated, rotating bolt
• Weight: 9.5 Lbs.
• Magazine Capacity: 8-round "en bloc" clip internal magazine
• Rate of Fire: Semi-automatic

SVT-40

• Caliber Ammunition: 7.62x54mmR
• Action: Gas-operated, tilting bolt
• Weight: 8.5 Lbs.
• Magazine Capacity: 10-round detachable box magazine
• Rate of Fire: Semi-automatic

Gewehr 43

• Caliber Ammunition: 7.92x57mm Mauser
• Action: Gas-operated
• Weight: 9.7 Lbs.
• Magazine Capacity: 10-round detachable box magazine
• Rate of Fire: Semi-automatic

STG-44

• Caliber Ammunition: 7.92x33mm Kurz
• Action: Gas-operated, tilting bolt
• Weight: 9.7 Lbs.
• Magazine Capacity: 30-round detachable box magazine
• Rate of Fire: 500-600 rounds-per-minute

Bolt-action Rifles

Springfield M1903

• Caliber Ammunition: .30-03 Springfield; .30-06 Springfield
• Action: Bolt-action
• Weight: 8.7 Lbs.
• Magazine Capacity: 5-round, 25-round(Air Service variant) stripper clip, internal box magazine

Mosin Nagant

• Caliber Ammunition: 7.62x54mmR
• Action: Bolt-action
• Weight: 8.8 Lbs.
• Magazine Capacity: 5-round magazine

Arisaka Type 99

• Caliber Ammunition: 7.7x58mm Arisaka
• Action: Bolt-action
• Weight: 8.16 Lbs
• Magazine Capacity: 5-round internal box magazine

Karabiner 98k

• Caliber Ammunition: 7.92x57mm IS
• Action: Bolt-action
• Weight: 9.0 Lbs
• Magazine Capacity: 5-round stripper clip magazine
• Max. Range: 800 m

PTRS-41

• Caliber Ammunition: 14.5x114mm
• Action: Bolt-action
• Weight: 9.0 Lbs
• Magazine Capacity: 5-round stripper clip magazine
• Max. Range: 800 m

Submachine Guns

Thompson M1A1

• Caliber Ammunition: .45 ACP (11.43 × 23 mm)
• Action: Blowback
• Weight: 10.6 Lbs
• Magazine Capacity: 30-round magazine
• Rate of Fire: 600-1200 rounds-per-minute

PPSH-41

• Caliber Ammunition: 7.62x25mm Tokarev
• Action: Blowback, open bolt
• Weight: N/A
• Magazine Capacity: 35-round magazine
• Rate of Fire: 900 rounds-per-minute

Type 100

• Caliber Ammunition: 8x22mm Nambu
• Action: Blowback
• Weight: 9.7 Lbs.
• Magazine Capacity: 30-round magazine
• Rate of Fire: 800 rounds-per-minute

MP40

• Caliber Ammunition: 9x19mm Parabellum
• Action: Blowback, open bolt
• Weight: 8.8 Lbs
• Magazine Capacity: 32-round magazine
• Rate of Fire: 500 rounds-per-minute

Shotguns

M1897 Trench Gun

• Caliber Ammunition: 12 gauge
• Action: Pump-action
• Weight: 8 Lbs
• Magazine Capacity: 5 round tubular magazine

Double-Barraled Shotgun

• Caliber Ammunition: 12 gauge
• Weight: 9 Lbs
• Magazine Capacity: 2 rounds

 

Machine Guns

M1919A6 Browning

• Caliber Ammunition: .30-06 Springfield
• Action: Recoil-operated/short-recoil operation
• Weight: 31 Lbs.
• Magazine Capacity: 250-round belt
• Rate of Fire: 400-600 rounds-per-minute
• Max. Range: 1,500 yards

MG42

• Caliber Ammunition: 7.92x57mm Mauser
• Action: Recoil-operated/roller-locked bolt
• Weight: 25.5 Lbs.
• Magazine Capacity: 250-round belt
• Rate of Fire: 1,200 rounds-per-minute
• Max. Range: 1,100 yards

Degtyaryov D-28

• Caliber Ammunition: 7.62x54mmR
• Action: Gas-actuated
• Weight: 9.12 Kgs
• Magazine Capacity: 49-round drum
• Rate of Fire: 500-600 rounds-per-minute

FG42

• Caliber Ammunition: 7.92x57mm Mauser
• Action: Gas-operated, rotating bolt
• Weight: 9.9 Lbs
• Magazine Capacity: 20-round magazine
• Rate of Fire: 900 rounds-per-minute
• Max. Range: 550m

Type 99

• Caliber Ammunition: 7.7x58mm Arisaka
• Action: Gas-operated
• Weight: 11.4 Kgs.
• Magazine Capacity: 30-round magazine
• Rate of Fire: 900 rounds-per-minute

Browning M1918 (B.A.R)

• Caliber Ammunition: .30-06 Springfield (7.62x63mm)
• Action: Gas-operated, tilting breech block
• Weight: 15.9 Lbs.
• Magazine Capacity: 20-round magazine
• Rate of Fire: 500-650 rounds-per-minute
• Max. Range: 550m

Pistols

Colt M1911

• Caliber Ammunition: .45 ACP
• Action: Short recoil operation
• Weight: 2.5 Lbs.
• Magazine Capacity: 7-round magazine
• Max. Range: 75 yards

Tokarev TT-33

• Caliber Ammunition: 7.62x25mm Tokarev
• Action: Recoil-actuated
• Weight: 840 grams
• Magazine Capacity: 8-round magazine

Nambu 14

• Caliber Ammunition: 8x22mm Nambu
• Magazine Capacity: 8-round magazine

Walther P38

• Caliber Ammunition: 9x19mm Parabellum
• Action: Short recoil, locked breech
• Weight: 800 grams
• Magazine Capacity: 8-round magazine

.357 Magnum

• Caliber Ammunition: 9x19mm Parabellum
• Action: Revolver
• Magazine Capacity: 6-round magazine

Perk Weapons

M9A1 Bazooka

• Caliber Ammunition: 60 Bazooka rocket
• Action: Rocket propelled
• Weight: 15 Lbs.
• Effective Range: 120 yards

M2 Flamethrower

• Caliber Ammunition: 2 gallons of gas, 1 gallon of nitrogen propellant
• Weight: 43 Lbs.
• Effective Range: 132 ft.

 

IGN: Weapons Locker - Call of Duty: World at War

 

The first Far Cry 2 patch has been released by Ubisoft and is now available for download. The 42MB update packs multiplayer, singleplayer and map editor bug fixes.

Here are the notes in full:

Multiplayer

- Server’s IP address now displays in lobby, beside the match’s name (for direct IP join to work) 
- Dedicated Server can now be launched in command line. 
- Improved match start conditions. Ranked games can now also start if the player max is attained and everybody but the host is ready. 
- Fixed a bug causing random crashes when joining a game. 
- Ranked matches in progress will no longer display in the match list. 
- Fixed players with same name by using identifiers instead of names. 
- Fixed crash when creating a LAN game without a network cable. 
- The diamond pool is now always validated after class upgrades, reset or rank up to avoid getting more diamonds than you are supposed to for your rank. 
- When creating a dedicated server with PunkBuster enabled, then close it to create another but this time with PunkBuster disabled, PunkBuster will still be considered ON, on this new server. 
- Fixed a problem where a player could get stuck (and couldn’t get killed) after pressing the interaction key while wounded and getting rescued by a teammate at the same time. 
- Fixed players getting disconnected if they have too many user maps and try to enter the map rotation menu in a Player or Ranked match. 
- Vehicles will now always respawn even if they are never used. 
- Fixed users not being able to see a match if the host switched match mode after a rank. 
- Fixed a glitch that could make a player invisible to another. 
- Fixed incorrect check for negative values when adjusting diamond count. 
- Fixed a problem where a player would render through objects if healing a wounded playing while being wounded at the same time. 
- Fixed reload not being interrupted on the host when a client picks a weapon while reloading. 
- Fixed Field Manuals not unlocking after game mode change.

Singleplayer

- Fixed health not changing with the difficulty level. 
- Keyboard controls remapping in single mode now carry into multiplayer mode. 
-A buddy will no longer get stuck when healing him while player is receiving damage. 
- Stats of favourite weapon are now properly reset between loaded save games. 
- The mortar will no longer move the player through wall. 
- Mission objectives markers are now show properly after loading a save game.

General 

- Fixed glider key remapping. 
- Game will now minimize in order to show the website when clicking on ubi.com. 
- Dolby 5.1 is now supported for most sound cards. 
- Fixed a random crash that could happen when pressing ESC to cancel a Benchmark run. 
- Added CPU Intensive benchmark test run. 
- Fixed Jackal Tapes and Partner Tapes pages.

Map editor

- Fixed crash in editor when deleting many objects in very rapid succession. 
- Fixed crash in editor during parsing of the map headers.

Far Cry 2 Version 1.01 Patch Now Available

While these aren't official there is a strong chance they will all be in the Retail Game.

Asylum

Abandoned hospital/Cod4 Vacant style. Russian/German?

Castle

In Beta, Japanese/Marines

Cliffside

Wrecks, community member author of COD4 Map "Vertical" has worked on the map. Japanese/Marines

Courtyard

Possibly an urban Japanese style map. Japanese/Marines

Dome

Shipment-like map? Russian/Marines

Downfall

Reichstag in Berlin?. Russian/German

Hangar

Small map, Killhouse revisited? Japanese/Marines

Makin

In Beta, Japanese/Marines

Outskirts

Large map in Russian or German town? Russian/German

Roundhouse

In Beta, Russian/German

Seelow

Large Japenese Camp, Japanese/Marines

Upheaval

Destroyed Village. Russian/German

Call of Duty 5: Multiplayer Maps - RGN Wiki

Stop. You had us at oil submersed motherboard, CPU and GPUs. You didn’t even have to dunk the SSDs, PSU or create a custom motherboard and bullet resistant tank too to convince us that you’re really hard core, umm, Hardcore.

Of course, if you stare too hard at the tank, you’ll miss all the heavenly glory that the Hardcore PC truly is. From its beautiful aluminum case, to its top port routing and the easy to access hard drives, every centimeter of the machine oozes custom computing. And we can honestly say that after tinkering with the most exotic PCs available on Earth for a decade now. What Hardcore is trying to do is so over the top that no one has ever tried it before on a production machine.

But before Hardcore can ascend to take its place among the top performance PC makers, there are an awful lot of questions to answer. Like can they really make and sell these babies for how much the company claims it can? Does it really work? To find the answer to that read on.

The future today! Switched on, the Reactor looks like a PC snatched from the future and placed on your desktop. Production machines promise to be quiet and as ominous as it looks here.

Fighting the heat

Since the PC was born, we’ve been fighting heat. Conventional PC’s use combination of fan/heat sink, chassis fans and ducts to try to keep the machine from turning into the oven. But as the heat continued to climb, enthusiasts turned to liquid cooling the CPU and GPUs. Others have used a combination of liquid cooling and thermal electric coolers to help move temperatures lower.

Both of these methods face one problem though. Conventional fan/heat sinks can’t move the thermals fast enough and create too much noise and liquid cooling key hot components doesn’t do enough to help the surrounding components. So what if you took all of the hot components, dunked them in a non-conductive oil and sold it?

Slimlines only: Hardcore decided to adopt mobile drives to save space in the machine. 

It’s also clearly no window: Up close you can see an occasional shimmer as a thermal layer of oil swirls in the tank but that can be changed by removing a plug that adds more gurgle to people know its full of oil and not just a fancy window.

That’s the concept that started Hardcore a few years ago. In fact, the company has U.S. Patent No. 7,403,392 for “Liquid submersion cooling system.” Submersing the components is far more effective than even the highest volume fans because liquid is a far better conductor of heat than air. With the oil that Hardcore uses, the company figures it’s about 10 times more effective than simple air cooling. Since the liquid envelops the entire videocard and motherboard, it also cools the voltage regulators, chipset, and RAM. A pump circulates the liquid through a custom radiator to keep the temps down. Simple circulation isn’t enough to keep the CPU and GPU cool, so custom blocks are fitted to the CPU and GPU to increase surface area and increase the flow of liquid over the hottest components. The result is a relatively quiet PC for the amount of hardware it packs. Hardcore estimates that the components in the machine should never really run higher than ambient room temperature if all is well. If it works in the real world the way it should in the scientific calculator, the liquid cooling should allow the machine to run at greater clock speeds for longer periods of time than more traditional cooling methods.

Of course, all this is meaningless if the company isn’t real. Which is the hard to believe part of Hardcore. With a custom, aluminum-cast case, aerospace transparent tank, mil-spec RAM and redundant power supplies, you’d expect such a rig to fetch into the low $10K range. Hardcore is spec’ing its lowest configured machine in the $4K. So we’re supposed to believe that a custom PC company just comes out of nowhere with an insane design at a surprisingly moderate prices? 

Gobble, gobble: To remove the core of the Reactor, you have to literally pull it out like you would yank a turkey out of a deep fryer.

Yes, sir says Darren Klum, president of Hardcore. The company is real, already has 30 employees and is about to be approved for its second round of financing from investors. When the company turns the switch on the web site, www.hardcorecomputer.com, (please don’t type just www.hardcore.com, it’s not work safe and probably not ActiveX safe either) it expects to start spitting out machines in Rochester, Minn. like Terminator T1000s coming off a Skynet assembly line.

Klum said it’s been more than two years in the making but it’s real. To make sure that Klum wasn’t about to rip off his mask to reveal that he was Ashton Kutcher and that Maximum PC and its readers had just been Punk’d, we did some legwork to verify the background on the company. The U.S. Patent Office does indeed show Klum, CTO Chad Attlesey and CEO Al Berning with a patent for liquid submersion. The Minnesota Secretary of State shows the company was incorporated in January of 2006 and credit checks with both Experian and Dun and Bradstreet check out too. If this is a rouse to create Internet hype for computers that will never be sold (gee have we heard that one before?), it would certainly have to be the most elaborate scam to date.

Drip, dry: You’ll have to wait a few seconds for the oil to drain off of the hardware before you want to touch anything.

The business background though, doesn’t mean the company will be a success, which is one our main concerns. With its heavy reliance on custom parts (which is the nice way to say proprietary) you would have an expensive paper weight if the company went belly up in a year and you needed a new motherboard two years later.

Klum said the $2.4 million funding the company just received plus the additional second round of funding it is about to receive ensures it’ll be around for some time. The city of Rochester also gave the company a low-interest $200,000 loan last year to create local jobs.

“This is not a Delorean,” Klum said in reference to the famed but failed stainless steel, gull-winged cars of the 1980s. “We’re backed by very good funding sources.”

Klum said the idea with the Hardcore is to break the standard mold of computing. He says the company tips its hats to Voodoo, Falcon and Alienware for paving the way, but the Hardcore is designed to take it to a level not seen before. More than any one, Klum said he and the others at Hardcore hold the big OEMs to blame for not pushing the envelope more since they have far larger budgets. Klum said Apple sort of gets it with its designs but he said it’s a closed off world. Although the Hardcore PC uses many non-standard parts, the nForce 790 SLI Ultra chip is no different than elsewhere and the three GTX280 are simply modified with the blocks to fit in the machine. Standard DDR3 modules will also fit but Hardcore worked with a vendor to meet Milspec ratings for the RAM and to hit higher clocks at lower voltage levels.

Hot chip: The super-hot Nvidia nForce 790i SLI Ultra chipset gets its own liquid block to increase flow over it. There’s also need for heat spreaders on the DDR3 RAM since it’s all bathed in oil.

As close as Hardcore is to selling its machine there are still some sticky detail questions to work out. Like how the hell do you ship an oil-filled PC a thousand miles? Because the machines will eventually leak if left on their side for a few hours, shipping filled can’t currently be done so initial boxes will likely be shipped empty with a method for filling them. The company expects to eventually seal the PCs so they will not leak even if tipped over for an extended period but right now they’ll have to go empty. How exactly will the service work? Top tier service contracts will have factory service similar to other companies that require you to ship the PC back. What about upgrades like GPU or even motherboard? Hard core expects to sell graphics cards outfitted for drop-in to the system (prepare to get a little oily) and even user-installed motherboard upgrades for those who would rather not ship it back for service. When the company introduces its dual processor design based on the chassis, it expects customers to be able to have the machines factory upgraded as well.

The end result of all this is a PC that looks like a prop from a movie set 25 years from now but it’s actually a PC that you can have today.

Inside the Reactor's Core

The Reactor’s chassis is a heavy duty aluminum cast as are the handles and the majority of the external panels. There’s easy access to two fan-cooled, 3.5-inch, SATA hot swap bays are located at the rear of the machine. These can be configured as separate drives, RAID 1 or RAID 0. A top panel also contains an easy to access CMOS reset button and the coin-cell battery. No more digging on the board for the battery.

Don’t put your coins here: A CMOS reset button and easy to access coin-cell battery are hidden under a trap door on top.

The panel on the right side of the case opens to reveal a custom radiator and fans that cools off the liquid. This folds out to give you access the notebook PC optical drive and some of the umbilical cables that connect the system together.

Opening the Reactor is not an easy chore. You’ll need a powered driver to unscrew the 20 screws that holds the Reactor’s core in place and a place that you won’t mind a mess in. You don’t need to it in your garage, but even the most careful person is going to need a roll of Brawny-brand towels after you’re done. Like a turkey in a deep fryer, you’ll need to pull the core out a few inches, disconnect several cables and then you can sling the entire core higher up for access to the board.

Almost there: Pulling the core out of the Reactor is similar to pulling an engine block. Just back out the 20 screws, open two chambers, back the core out a few inches, disconnect the cable umbilical cords and remove the core! Just what you’d do after a hard days work for fun.

This may sound like a two person affair, but Hardcore has it fairly well thought out. There’s a step cut into the chassis that allows you to rest the internals on after you’ve pulled it out a few inches. This allows just one person to pull the core, disconnect the wires and then pull it out further.

Proprietary power supply:  Hardcore uses a redundant server-class PSU in the machine. If one dies, the second one kicks in. It does, however, require the same funky server cable that Dell uses in its XPS gaming rigs though.

As you can guess, the board is not something you’ll buy at the Compu-Quik store. This iteration of the Reactor uses a custom board by Tyan. In a first, Hardcore also reached out to Creative Labs to integrate a full X-Fi core as well as a 64MB X-RAM chip on the board. Hardcore said it didn’t just jam it on the board either, it worked with Tyan and Creative to route the wires far away from the power lines in the machine to increase the SNR ratio. Since it’s a full X-Fi part, you’ll get the full EAX5 glory.

Audio ports galore: A full hardware implementation of a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi with added optical SPDIFs are run along one side of the machine.

Primary storage for the machine looks to the future as well. You can boot to either of the 3.5-inch drives in the box but power users will likely use SSDs so Hardcore has three 2.5-inch slots which it outfitted with three Samsung SLC-based SSD drives. These are also submerged and hidden behind a door on the back side of the motherboard. Since mechanical hard drives would not survive in liquid, it’s not recommend that you try to stuff a standard drive in these bays.

Don’t try this with your hard drives: The Reactor uses three Samsung SSD drives mounted behind the motherboard for the primary drives. These are also submersed in oil so we don’t think you should try it with a hard drive as the read heads would likely drown.

It’s like Wifeswap but for your hard drives: Two fan-cooled 3.5-inch bays are easily accessed from the rear of the Reactor. Note the funky server-style power plug that we dinged Dell for so many months ago.

The tank is a custom design which you submerge the motherboard, CPU, GPUs, RAM, redundant power supplies and SSD drives into. Hardcore doesn’t say what exactly the material is except that it’s an “aerospace” material and “bullet proof” (we prefer the term bullet resistant.) The oil is also somewhat of a secret but it is biodegradable and completely non-conductive. Hardcore says you can actually drink it but it obviously doesn’t recommend it. It is truly oily though and getting some on your hand will have you running for the sink and a bottle of Dawn. The oil is re-circulated twice a minute with higher velocity oil shot through the blocks on the CPU, chipset and GPU.

The Reactor in service configuration: Three GTX280 cards are stacked on the left  while redundant power supplies sit on the bottom right of the machine. 

With the submerged design, cooling will likely not exceed that of the best liquid cooling designs that focus on the CPU and GPU (the submerged design will keep all parts cool though and that prevents failures.) Hardcore’s next step is to integrate Peltier cooling to the CPU.

Peltier or TEC coolers a good for bring temperatures down but they have long had a problem with condensation and sweating which is dangerous in an air cooled machine. Submerged in oil, though, a TEC would not have any condensation issues. Hardcore is also looking at possibly building external auxiliary coolers.

Putting the Reactor back together is about a 40 minute chore the first time through and while you can do it, even some experts here felt that the Reactor is more of a closed box in the vein of an Apple PowerMac.

Radiation: The Reactor doesn’t have any radiation, but it does have a radiator – one big sucker. All of the oil and all of the thermals in the box are serviced by single large radiator.

Noise killers: One thing we can attest to in the Reactor is its exceptional acoustics. Multi-GPU machines tend to be sound like Saturn V launches. The Reactor isn’t silent, but it’s damned quiet for this much hardware.

Which is likely one of the biggest weaknesses of the entire concept. As we said, custom is a polite way to say proprietary. And one thing we’ve learned over the years is that enthusiasts shun proprietary like vampires shun sunlight.

And yet we can almost see some tossing that conviction aside for the Reactor. It’s not proprietary to keep you only buying from the manufacturer like Packard Bell or Apple once did, but apparently done for “engineering” reasons and frankly, because it’s cool.

Breaker, breaker, good buddy: An integrated, upgradeable 802.11n module and two antennas sit next to the dual-link DVI and HDMI port from the graphics card. The other ports can be upgraded or changed to connect for multi-monitor use.

It’s far from perfect though. We didn’t have final production machines for our hands-on time so it’s hard to ding them for issues. One thing that needs to be fixed are the SATA ports. We broke two SATA ports opening the box even being extremely careful. Hardcore said the issue is a last minute cable change that it’s going to go back to engineering over. While few people actually use their add-in slots for anything anymore, it would be nice to have some way to add and use a PCI-E add-in card. Right now, any add-in card (assuming you hadn’t filled all three PCI-E slots) would be dunked and accessing the connectors on the card wouldn’t be easy to do.

Even more ports galore: The starboard side of the Reactor features five USB 2.0, six-pin FireWire and two Gigabit Ethernet ports.

We’re also a little concerned about the amount of new hardware in play here. A system built around industry standard parts and designs is unlikely to have many surprises as the designs are well known. It’s a little like a Ford Mustang vs. a hand-built super car. The Ford Mustang may not be as exotic but it’s built on standard components shared with many other cars. With almost every single thing on the Reactor seemingly custom designed, there’s just a greater chance of something the engineer didn’t anticipate.

Tri-lateral: Thanks to its submersion technique, Hardcore says it can comfortably stack three overclocked GeForce GTX280 cards as close as possible. The company anticipates that customers would buy future upgrade cards directly from it after they’ve been modified with the heat sink and water block.

Custom designs also means it’ll be slower for Hardcore to have the latest and greatest available. One glaring problem with the two preproduction PCs we ran: where the hell’s Core i7? With Core i7’s launch so imminent, why even bother to make Core 2 Extreme? Hardcore says it does plan to offer the Reactor with a Core i7 but right now, the initial version will be Core 2 only.

Still, our experience with the Hardcore Reactor shows us that there’s plenty of promise. It’s easy to get jaded in this business but Hardcore’s design and what it is attempting to do is something that no true PC enthusiast can ignore nor dismiss easily.

Exclusive: Oil Immersion Cooling Goes Mainstream with Hardcore PC's Reactor | Maximum PC

Here is the exclusive content available when you pre order with certain retailers.

 

Naturally here too are the 4 exclusive wallpapers in 1920x1200, I also received a free Xbox 360 (or PS3) theme comprising of the same 4 exclusive wallpaper images. Really quite sweet actually. :) Click for full size images.

    

Call of Duty, World at War

DirectX 11 is on its way, but with the slow take up of DX10 in both the home and in the development houses what is it that we should be getting excited about with this new revision? Well, from the looks of things quite a lot, as we learned from Microsoft's Kevin Gee at the recent Nvision conference.

The link between Windows Vista and DirectX 10 is fairly universally seen as one of the big drawbacks to the last iteration of the ubiquitous graphics API. After all, the percentage of people with DX10 capable hardware is growing exponentially, but the percentage of people using that hardware in collaboration with Microsoft's latest OS is far smaller. The lack of backwards compatibility was a big problem for DX10 and something that has been tackled with DX11.

While you will still need to have Vista as the minimum OS, the package is being released with the next iteration of Windows – Windows 7 – and so will be compatible across both platforms. It's also going to be compatible across the hardware spectrum as well, working with DX10 and DX10.1 specced graphics cards, as well as the new SM5 cards to come. This means that right from the off there will be a large installed user base ready to use the new API.

Another positive feature from the development point of view is that as a continuation of DirectX 10 anyone familiar with coding for that platform will feel at home with DX11. Fingers crossed this should encourage more devs to pick it up and run with the new feature set for the PC.

New features in DX11

So what are these new features, though? One of the biggest and most relevant to today's PC is the improved multi-threading support. Originally, Direct3D was focused on performing on a single-core CPU, making the multi-threading support fairly limited. DX11, though, has been designed to more effectively drive the graphics card, using a system with a multi-core CPU at its heart. One of the ways it does this is by supporting multiple rendering contexts

The main computational work occurs in the primary immediate context. This dictates the timeline for work being submitted to the GPU; running alongside this are the new optional deferred contexts. These are developer-created and enables work associated with each deferred context to be carried out on a separate thread/core, then submitted to the GPU once it's ready for a new task. This is one of those backwards compatible features and so will benefit existing hardware, and should finally make quad-core CPUs more desirable for gamers beyond the willy-waving.

There's also a big change in the render pipeline, too, adding in three new stages: the hull shader, tessellator and domain shader. Listening to developers Microsoft has identified character models and animation as a key battleground in the graphics front.

Today's hugely dense polygon meshes are very memory intensive and the tessellation scheme should reduce this by allowing the work to be done in a single pass, meaning there doesn't need to be any memory in between the stages. According to Kevin Gee it should: "produce richer animations for less memory and less memory bandwidth."

Another boon for the memory consumption of today's games is the improvements in texture compression. The DX11 API gives developers two new compression formats to help with high-quality real-time rendering without sacrificing performance.

There are a host of other new features to the DX11 set, such as Shader Model 5 and Dynamic Shader Linkage, but the latter offers a taste of why DX11 should be the API to move people away from DX9 gaming that DX10 promised to be.

Does compute

The Compute shader is another new feature of DX11, but one that Microsoft was obviously not so keen to shout too loud about at a NVIDIA event, touting CUDA at every turn.

This part of the new API is designed to allow developers to easily access the new trend in general purpose computing on the GPU, something that's CUDA's raison d'etre. Gee didn't want to talk about direct competition with CUDA: "they're not going to be identical, but we do target all hardware that's in the market. So it depends what your application is and whether that's important to you."

Microsoft is keen then to point out that the compute shader will run across all the graphics hardware capable of running this latest Direct3D API. Obviously, there are reports of AMD cards capable of getting on the CUDA bandwagon, but Microsoft's version will be all ready to go out of the box.

So, essentially if you want your program to run on all the graphics hardware available use DX11's compute shader, instead of CUDA. Whether one is more efficient than the other we'll have to wait and see.

Sooner than you think, baby

An interesting part of the presentation was the ending where Kevin Gee explained just how soon developers were going to be able to get hold of the new SDK. A preview SDK of DirectX 11 is shipping to developers in November of this year, specced for use on Windows Vista and on DirectX 10 and 10.1 hardware. As he explains: "if you start developing on DX10 and 10.1 today and you optimise your engine on those APIs then you'll be in great shape for DX11 when we actually ship the SDK."

The main software set is meant to be shipping with the next version of Windows: Windows 7. Could this rapid release to the development community mean that the rumours of Microsoft's newest operating system arriving before the touted 2010 timeframe are true?

Some people are speculating that we could be seeing Windows 7 as early as next year, with other insiders claiming an Easter unveiling. Microsoft certainly has been cagier about preview builds of the new OS this time around and there are definitely functional beta builds floating around with a few trusted system builders, but it remains to be seen if such rumours have any basis in reality.

Microsoft will certainly be keen to put the Vista fiasco to bed if Windows 7 is half as good as we've heard it may be…

Everything you need to know about DirectX 11 | News | TechRadar UK

We recently showed you how Intel was intent on upping the ante in Solid State Disk performance, with our evaluation and performance analysis on the release of their X25-M series SSDs.  Though offerings from other SSD manufacturers like OCZ and Samsung have come to market with better performance since then, there was no question Intel's SSD flat out smoked the competition in the cost-effective, consumer grade MLC (Multi-Level Cell) SSD market. With an average sustained throughput of ~225MB/sec for reads, around 74MB/sec observed write performance, and blistering fast sub-millisecond random access, we were left thoroughly impressed by Intel's first consumer-ready effort in SSD technology. However, at the time of launch, we only had access to one of these new SSDs from Intel and as such couldn't provide you with RAID performance metrics back then. 

Of course, that changed the other day when the local courier delivered another Intel kit to our door. As such, and with a bit of that "Friday on our minds" attitude adjustment going on in the lab, we decided to RAID a pair of these SSDs up to see what they could do.  Blinding speed in RAID 0 mode?  Yes, you could say that...
Test system specifications: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850, Asus Striker II Extreme (790i SLI Ultra chipset) motherboard, 2GB Corsair DDR3-1,333, GeForce 8800 GTX

Sandra HDD Read - Click for full view

Sandra HDD Write - Click for full view

IOMeter Results - 8K File Size, 80% Reads/20% Writes, 20% Random Access

Though there is a pronounced saw-toothed performance pattern here, you can see that a pair of these drives offers, you guessed it, up to double the IO throughput of a single drive.  For any standard SATA RAID 0 array we've tested to date, these are easily the fastest IOMeter numbers we've seen.  Interestingly, our Sandra tests show the drives offer 396MB/s for read performance and 130MB/s write performance, while HD Tune and HD Tach show peaks and valleys from 200MB/s to 300MB/s.  Regardless, we hope you enjoyed this quick-take performance test of what Intel's new SSDs can do in a performance-targeted RAID 0 setup.  As always, with RAID 0, be sure to back up your data since you're effectively doubling your available failure points.  Regardless, we're sure many of you have run RIAD 0 setups reliably for years now and there's no question a pair of Intel's X25M drives will make for a potent storage subsystem, especially as an OS volume.
Word is Intel's performance-tuned SLC drives are waiting in the wings too. So stay tuned here for our analysis as we get our hands on one of those beasts.

Intel SSDs RAID 0, A Case Study In Speed, Take 2 - HotHardware

 

CoD World at War News - CoD Map Mod News

 
New ToC Wallpapers to mark the occasion.
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Coming Soon... - T.O.C. Clan Forums

I found some confirmation on a German site that the PC demo is due for this weekend. Read the translated text below. Gunz.

Some time ago it was announced to Duty 5 to the PC version of call OF: World RK was an open beta phase to give is. This beta phase will give it now also, but unfortunately without Germany. This announced now Publisher Activision officially. The reason for that do not appear in Germany is simply explained, because in the alluding version anticonstitutional symbols are to see in Germany are forbidden.
For remaining Europe the PC beta will probably begin to 16 or 17 October.

Short info.:
In call OF Duty: World RK was it deeply into the south Pacific and to Europe is sent, around against opponents to begin there those not give up and no grace. You as US-marine or as a Russian soldier new features like cooperative Gameplay and new weapons such as flame throwers will experience. COD: World OF was wants the category of the Second World War to redefine and show which it is called in the Second World War to fight.

http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bf-home&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mapmodnews.com%2Farticle.php%2FKeine-PC-Demo-Deutschland-cod-waw&lp=de_en&btnTrUrl=Translate

Translation result for http://www.mapmodnews.com/article.php/Keine-PC-Demo-Deutschland-cod-waw

Forget that, pal – what you should really concern yourself with is –will Treyarch's World at War get it right this time? After the massive rush-job development cycle behind Call of Duty 3, Treyarch has had a full two years of development time to right the wrongs with their last game and even improve on Infinity Ward's last effort. After spending a couple of hours with the game, we're thrilled to report that things are well and good in Treyarch's hands. Follow us as we trace the biggest steps forward in Call of Duty: World at War.

It's Fresh. And Clever.
I thought World War II games were supposed to be bland rehashes of the same beach-storming, bunker clearing scenarios and playing as Brits or Yanks. Well, to be fair, you will do some of that stuff – but for the first time in a long while, you'll feel like this is a relatively fresh experience.

One of COD4's greatest achievements was integrating great scripted moments and twists into tight action and giving AI troopers terrific chances to stand out and add integrity to the story. This definitely continues in World at War's campaign. Though players still jump between roles, nationalities and settings, more than ever you get the feeling of being emotionally involved in a mission. Since the game can be played with 4 players, many of the levels feature branching paths or clear 'side A / side B' routes too.

Smoke effects are a great example the small but notable steps forward Treyarch is taking. Smoke has a gameplay affecting presence in a shocking way. I had one of those are 'wow' moments when I turned a corner in the Berlin mission, Eviction, as a burning building began to fill with smoke. The hallway I was in had volumetric smoke pumping in from the rafters and, just like in real life, standing upright mean that my character and his squad of Red Star Ruskies couldn't see and couldn't breathe. In order to pass through the thick smoke, you have to crouch or wriggle forward prone-style just like in real life. That's damned clever stuff.

Wheel of Morality, Turn, Turn, Turn...
Still in the grim streets of Berlin, you lead your battalion of disgruntled Russian troops on a path of destruction down a central laneway. After escorting a tank through heavy oncoming fire and taking out Nazis along the way, you come across a handful of German troops waving white flags and begging for their lives. Suddenly the game breaks out of combat and an exchange between you, your Ruskie squad and the potential prisoners of war. Your men want them dead, but they want you to make the call. Will you shoot them? Or let them live and risk being slowed down?

US peacekeeping forces participating in another act of diplomacy, civility and mutual consideration.

I made the call to let them live (Hey – I'm a nice guy, what can I say?). Suddenly, one of my troops opens fire with a flamethrower and toasts the lot of them. I was genuinely taken aback; my moral stand came to no good in the end, and indeed it actually prolonged their suffering when I could've ended things very quickly. It was an interesting and decidedly dark conundrum that I really wasn't expecting.

Flamethrowers: Setting My Heart on Fire
Some people love them, some people hate them. Flamethrowers. In Call of Duty: World at War, the flamethrower makes an early appearance during the campaign, and thankfully it's not immediately yanked out of your hands as soon as you've used it to complete the objective. After collecting it from out the front of a hillside artillery, you need to go prone and wriggle up the left bank and inch your way up to the front of the cement outpost. Then it's up to you to jam the flaming nozzle in there and finish the job.
Continuing on, you get to keep the flamethrower, which has infinite fuel and a generous time to overheating. Naturally, we decided to do a little experimenting with the fire effects and we were largely impressed. Grass does catch on fire, as does just about any wood-based environmental object or dead body. However, only select trees would ignite, leaving us to approach every palm tree with a burst of flame just to double check. One particular palm tree had a well-concealed Japanese soldier in there taking pot-shots at us. One hot minute later, the tree was smouldering like an old-fashioned witch-burning on a hill in Salem.

It also earned us a bloodthirsty achievement. Paraphrased, it went something like this: "No Safe Place (10 Points): No hiding place is safe from your flamethrower." Indeed. All shall bow down at my flamethrower and despair.

War is Deadly. And Pretty.
Running on the Call of Duty 4 engine, World at War looks amazing. It really does. In the pacific jungles of south-east Asia, an American contingent pushes through the muddy swamps of a dense thicket, searching for a downed Spitfire. The sun pours through individually rendered leaves in beams as you clutch your Arisaka bayonet. As Japanese soldiers begin to pour out of the jungle around you, you'll encounter melee-savvy enemies, ready to split you in half. The attention to detail on their uniforms is staggering; excellent textures suggest the dense weave of the fabric, while branches of foliage adorn their helmets.
Later, standing on the top floor of a burnt out building in Berlin, the skyline was filled with jetfighters, smoke, tracer bullets and layer upon layer of haze, particles, volumetric clouds and chaos. Below, at street level, we took in the view; dozens of wrecked cars (presumably VWs, being wartime Berlin) arcing down the long street. Buildings, once ornately decorated and bright, were now riddled with pockmarks and impact craters from constant shelling. Between the crates, upturned waste, corpses, twisted steel lamp posts and flaming wreckage, dozens of soldiers waged battle independently, taking cover, flanking and advancing. Like COD 4 before it, the level of detail and organic design work was astounding. A bassy, thrulling rock theme fades in and intensifies as you press forwards, crate by crate, barrel by barrel, upping the tension and atmosphere.

Not pictured: enormous marshmallow.

The Definitive WWII Experience
Every World War II game claims to be the be-all and end-all of World War II games. If it doesn't think it's the best, then what's the point? Honestly, that was Treyarch's biggest flaw with Call of Duty 3; it just wasn't as good as COD 2's interpretation of WWII. It made a lot of big promises but only really delivered on the multiplayer front. This time, things are radically different. We do think that, given Treyarch's excellent multiplayer foundation, COD: WW will succeed on this front. More critically however, from what we've played so far, the single player campaign is engaging and exciting too – the missing puzzle piece from COD 3. This could very well be the definitive World War II experience this generation.

CoD World at War News - CoD Map Mod News

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Call of Duty: World At War Wallpaper

COD World At War Wallpaper 1

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The official Air Attack wallpaper for Call of Duty: World At War.

COD World At War Wallpaper 2

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The official Sniper wallpaper for Call of Duty: World At War.

COD World At War Wallpaper 3

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Official Call of Duty 5: World at War wallpaper 3.

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Official Call of Duty: World at War wallpaper 4.

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Official Call of Duty 5: World at War wallpaper 5.

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Official Call of Duty: World at War wallpaper 6.

Call of Duty: World At War Wallpaper - Call of Duty: World At War Wallpapers - Call of Duty: World At War Backgrounds

 

I am sad to say that there is yet another virus that infects peoples computers. This latest virus is called Antivirus 2009. Once the virus installs itself, you will get lots of pop-ups from the bottom right corner of your screen which says that you have been infected. It states that the only way to remove the virus is to run a virus removal program that it gives you. DO NOT USE IT!!!!! DO NOT USE IT!!!!!

Antivirus 2009 is a new rogue anti-spyware program. It is also a clone of Antivirus 2008 - also a rogue, and one that's produced more clones than any other recently. The list of these clones is long: System Antivirus 2008, Ultimate Antivirus 2008, Vista Antivirus 2008, XP Antivirus 2008 etc.

Try to exit the program with CTR-ALT-DEL. If that does not work then the only solution is the find a program that removes this virus. Thankfully for you there is already a program that removes this virus. All you need to do is install the below program which is uninstall this virus. There is no need to worry, i have used the program myself. It removes the virus completely and you will also be able to uninstall the program.
Download Here

Neocrisis - What will you find next? - New PC Virus

 

In what is perhaps the most shining example of obsession and geekiness I have ever seen, a fella by the name of Bradster has 36 World of WarCraft accounts that he plays on 11 computers simultaneously. He mainly seems to be doing it because he doesn’t like to rely on so many other people to get a raid going, which includes attacking the Alliance capital cities, and on that front I can totally see where he’s coming from.

I hate those Alliance douchebags too, but I’m not about to drop $5711 per year like Bradster is. The best way to get to them is to just live well, right? Well, Bradster doesn’t appear to be letting the Alliance off the hook so easily, as he plans on picking up 36 copies of Wrath of the Lich King on day one, spending around $1500, just so he can have a raid group of level 80 Shamans terrorizing Stormwind as soon as possible.

Read on to see how this crazy man manages to control all of these characters.

From the Bradster himself:

A lot have asked me, why create so many? The main reason is to invade Stormwind and Ironforge when they reach top level. I’m sure the Alliance will put up a big fight when that happens. We’ll see how it goes. If they don’t make level 70 before Wrath of the Lich King, then it will be at level 80. That is my main goal. That will probably happen after I’ve got some PvP gear from the battlegrounds. I’m also planning to do some 25 and 10 man raid instances but that is secondary to my PvP goal. Of course I’ll be doing arenas too to build up PvP gear but I’m not expecting to do that great there because I’m way behind in gear right now. I need to get to level 70 first, then level 80 and by then I will probably have all green gear while most others have been doing the battlegrounds and arenas.

It costs me exactly $5711 in subscription costs per year with 36 accounts on the 6 month pay schedule. Not bad considering I’m looking at it like it’s a hobby and there are more expensive hobbies out there than World of Warcraft.

32 of my shaman are level 61. One shaman that I had before I started the 32 is at level 70 along with 8 other level 70 classes that I had. My mage, priest and druid are in the center of the circle of shaman in the pictures but they are kind of hard to see. I’ve also got some mages and priests that I’m currently working on that are level 23. Once they are at level 31.9, I will stop working on them, get 16 of them to level 60 with the recruit-a-friend bonus levels and work on the shaman again.

When Wrath of the Lich King is released, I plan to be at the store when it opens and will purchase 36 copies of it. With tax, it should be about $1500 for all of them. Then the shaman are on their way to level 80 along with the priest, druid and mage.

By the way, I have 9 level 80 shaman created on the Murmur PvP realm in the Wrath of the Lich King beta. I mainly tried it out to see how well my computers would work as they are. With the exception of one my desktop computers, I should be fine with the hardware that I have.

I use 3 addons in the game. CT_MapMod is used to give me locations for quests, etc. ClassIcons is another addon that I use to show the class of the target. It helps for PvP encounters. Then the last addon I use is SSPVP2 which is excellent for displaying timers and other things while in the battlegrounds.

For my keys to send to all instances of WoW on my 11 computers, I use Octopus 1.3.2. Maximizer in Octopus allows me to start up all WoW instances at the same time or any individual instance such as if a WoW instance has crashed. It also allows me to shutdown all of the computers at the same time.

Here is a picture of my computer set up:

Not shown to the right is another laptop which runs 3 copies that I just moved there. The keyboard on the right was moved to the top shelf there as I don’t really use that keyboard while playing. I have macros that set my main assist/cast/follow. Any of the eight screens to the front can be set to main assist/cast/follow as my mouse scrolls to them all using Octopus.

WoW Whore Has 36 Accounts, Raids by Himself | Ripten Video Game Blog