ToC Gaming News Blog : All The Latest PC Gaming News

KP's 50MB Broadband

:finger: 

I see that Paddy Twat has bloody fallen asleep on his cunting keyboard again !

When will he learn eh ?  lol.  Cunt aint I moonz. :finger:

Sky have launched the sign up for Sky Player on Xbox 360. See links below to register.

http://www.skyplayer.com/xbox360 

Watch great Sky TV via your Xbox 360

Here is the Sony PS3 Yellow Light of Death coverage from BBC Watchdog.

“Thousands and Thousands of PS3 have gone kaput”

Even Sony admit thousands have died !!  To get it fixed, you have to pay £128 for a refurbished model, which only gets a 3 month warrantee. If it breaks down again after 3 months you have to pay £128 again !! Not to mention you loose all your data/games saves etc as they don’t return your console to you. You get some random refurbished model.

Suddenly the FREE Microsoft 3 year warrantee and detachable HD (so you keep all your important data) doesn’t seem so bad eh !!! lol.

Oh how the Xbox 360 owners laughed at the red faced Sony fanboys..

Many of you will looks at these images and touch yourselves at the sexiness that you’re about to see: the Modern Warfare 2 Limited Edition Xbox 360. Everyone has been raving about the new exclusive bundle, but no one has yet to provide any images… until now.  Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on the Modern Warfare 2 Limited Edition Xbox 360.

Those of you who aren’t aware of the newly announced bundle will be glad to know a bit about what’s in the box. Erhem. First, you’ll be blessed with a copy of the standard edition of Modern Warfare 2; secondly, Microsoft will be providing you with a whopping 250GB hard drive for you to store all your Xbox 360 goodies; 2 black Xbox 360 wireless controllers; and let’s not forget the Limited Edition Xbox 360 Elite console with an exclusive outer design inspired by Modern Warfare 2.  All the little nifty out-of-the-box things that any original Xbox 360 can do, this one can, obviously, also do.

The price tag for this baby is a ‘meager’ $399.99 and can be pre-ordered via Amazon.com. If you got the cash, I hate you. If you don’t, welcome to the club. If you’re biting your fingernails awaiting for the answer as to when this orgasmic limited edition console will be released, feast your eyes on this date: November 10, 2009. Whip out the KY, folks. We know you want to.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002I0HDLE

UK Link soon.

Modern Warfare 2 Limited Edition 360 Already on Amazon - DualShockers

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

Dictator Demo ~ Back to all News

We can now get our teeth into banana republic rulership with this Tropico 3 demo just out in time for the weekend!

Demo Details

MISSION 1: Bananas

The abdication of the old Presidente of St. Helena provided the perfect opportunity for your rise to power. Now as the head of state it is your job to lead this small island nation to a new age of prosperity.

St. Helena is a modest island with rich and fertile lands, which have attracted the attention of the American food conglomerate Fruitas LTD. You should make use of the gringos to secure the financial future of the island as well as your own Swiss Bank Account.

MISSION 2: Second Chance

The band of rebels led by your twin managed to drive you out of your own island. Taking the entire treasury, you hitched a ride on an old fishing boat, seeking refuge in your summer residence on the island of El Acantilado.

Chased away from their own homes, your most loyal supporters have followed you. Taking the burden of leadership once again you have promised them a fresh start. Your new island is a poor and dry hunk of rock. Several rich iron ore deposits are its only viable resources…

Tropico 3 goes back to the roots of the hit strategy series closely following the original Tropico story-line. Tropico 3 is being developed by Haemimont Games who previously developed the popular Imperium Romanum and Grand Ages: Rome for Kalypso Media.

Tropico 3 is currently due out 15th September

Demo link, game details and system specs can be found here

Tropico 3 News - Dictator Demo

Microsoft is finally going to take advantage of the best form of advertising for the next release of Windows: word of mouth. The world's largest software maker has partnered with House Party, apparently the world's leading party organizer, to encourage technology enthusiasts to throw Windows 7 launch parties in their communities between October 22 and October 29.

Microsoft won't let just anyone host such a party though; the company is being very selective. If you're interested in becoming an official host, there's an application process you'll have to go through over at houseparty.com/windows7. Furthermore, the offer is only open to residents of 12 countries: Australia, Italy, Canada, Japan, Mexico, France, Spain, Germany, the US, Hong Kong, the UK, and India.

Chosen hosts around the world will be among the first to see, use, and share Windows 7 with their friends, says Microsoft. If you're selected as a host, you'll receive a special Signature Edition of Windows 7 Ultimate. You'll also get a Windows 7 Party Pack (contents currently unknown) to share with your guests, based on one out of four themes that you choose from: PhotoPalooza, Media Mania, Setting up with Ease, or Family Friendly Fun. US residents will also be entered for a chance to win a $750 mini-notebook computer. A total of 64 winners will be notified once all the parties are over (after October 30, 2009).

The first step of the application process is simple: you have to tell Microsoft about yourself, how the company can contact you, where to send the Party Pack, and finally pick a screen name and password (for checking the status of your application). After that, you have to confirm that "by applying for a host spot, you are agreeing to conduct yourself in the spirit of House Party—sharing a product you love with the people you love, through an experience that is fun, free, and exclusive" and that you will abide to five rules:

1. Submit only one application per household (per party)
2. Answer all questions accurately
3. Plan and host the best party you can
4. Share your party package with your guests, as intended
5. Not attempt to obtain extra party packages

Once you've agreed to all that, you have to answer six more questions (are you really surprised there are seven in total?). One of the questions of the survey is worth noting as it asks the participant what they are willing to do for the party. As such, it's clear what Microsoft will ask from party hosts:

• Host a party on any day between October 22 through October 29th, featuring Windows 7 Ultimate Operating System
• Invite at least 10 guests to join you
• Use a free party website to plan your party, invite guests, upload photos, read and post to a party blog, etc.
• Fill out an online survey after the party has happened

The second last step is to confirm a legal agreement, and then bam, you'll get a confirmation e-mail. You must then finalize the application by clicking a link. Now the rest is up to Microsoft and all you have left to do is frequently check the status of your application.

Microsoft has not disclosed how many hosts it plans to pick, but the website does insist that "host spaces are very limited." If this is the type of party you want to host, then by all means, hurry up and apply!

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will be kicking off the official Windows 7 launch at an event in New York City on October 22, 2009, the day of Windows 7's general availability. It looks like Microsoft wants to turn what is normally a single launch day, into a launch week. Since the beginning of 2009, the media has been praising Windows 7, and Redmond obviously wants to keep that momentum going strong.

Get Windows 7 for free by hosting a launch party - Ars Technica

(The following is reprinted with permission from www.mentalfloss.com).

Miss Kitty Kramer, the first Kodak girl, is shown using the No. 2 Kodak Camera in 1890, in Rochester, New York.

Most of us spend a lot of time staring at a computer or TV screen, playing video games, or gabbing into our cell phones. The brand names for these products are all familiar, but where did they come from in the first place? Just what is a Nokia? Here's a look at the origins of some of your favorite tech and gadget companies' names.

1. Kodak: Founder George Eastman named the camera and film corporation in 1888. Eastman wanted a short name that was easy to pronounce and could only refer to his products. He later said that he favored the letter "k" because it "seems a strong, incisive sort of letter." Once Eastman decided he wanted the name to start and end with "k," he played around with combinations of letters until he found one that he liked in "Kodak."

2. Nintendo: Nintendo's name translates into English as "leave luck to heaven." The name made more sense before Nintendo got into the video game business; it opened in 1889 to make hanafuda cards, a type of Japanese playing cards decorated with floral designs.

3. Sony: When Sony got its start in 1946, it had a decidedly less catchy name – Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo. Within a few years, the company's founders wanted a new name, so they combined sonus, Latin for "sound," with "Sonny," the term of endearment for a young boy. The newly coined word captured both the superior sound quality and small size the company was shooting for with its products.

4. Sega: Sega got its start in Hawaii in 1940 as Standard Games, a business that provided military bases with pinball machines to help amuse soldiers. In 1951, the company moved to Tokyo and renamed itself "Service Games" to reflect its business of importing coin-op machines for American military bases. In 1965, Service Games merged with another coin-op company, Rosen Enterprises, and shortened its name to Sega.

5. Nokia: The modern telecom giant hasn't always been involved in such tech-heavy fields. The company got its start in Tampere, Finland, in 1865 as a pulp mill and paper manufacturer. When owner Fredrik Idestam opened a second plant in Nokia, Finland, in 1868, he decided the town's name would suit his company, too.

The town takes its name from the Nokianvirta River that flows through it, which in turn takes its name from an archaic Finnish word referring to the small furry animals, mostly sables, which lived on the river's banks.

6. Cisco Systems: The recent addition to the Dow Jones Industrial Average takes its name from San Francisco, where it was founded in 1984.

7. Atari: The video-game pioneer takes its name the board game Go. In Go, atari is a term that indicates that a player's stone (or group of a player's stones) are in immediate danger of being captured by the player's opponent.

8. Toshiba: Toshiba formed following the 1939 merger of consumer products company Tokyo Denki with machinery firm Shibaura Seisakusho. By taking the "To" from the former and the "Shiba" from the latter, a new company name was born.

9. Sanyo: Sanyo's name means "three oceans" in Japanese; the company's founder wanted to sell his wares across the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans to reach the entire world.

10. Seiko: The watchmaker takes its name from a Japanese word meaning "exquisite" or "success."

11. Canon: When Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory started developing Japan's first-ever 35mm camera equipped with a focal plane shutter, the engineers dubbed the creation "Kwanon" after the Buddhist goddess of mercy. At this point the company's logo even included the thousand-armed goddess.

When the camera was ready to roll out worldwide in 1935, the company decided to tweak the name to "Canon" so it would be easier for international markets to accept.

12. Sharp: The electronics manufacturer got its start in 1912 as metalsmith Tokuji Hayakawa's personal outlet for his inventions, including a specialized snap buckle. In 1915 Hayakawa invented an improved mechanical pencil he dubbed Ever-Sharp, and to honor the fine point of his creation, Hayakawa started calling his company "Sharp."

13. Magnavox: The stalwart electronics company began in 1915 when Edwin Pridham and Peter Jensen created a moving-coil loudspeaker, which they named "Magnavox," Latin for "great voice."

14. Coleco: The video game kingpins of the 1970s and 80s (and the people who brought you Cabbage Patch Dolls!), Coleco was originally a company that sold shoe leather. The name Coleco is a shortening of "Connecticut Leather Company."

15. Motorola: Founder Paul Galvin named his company in a twist on the old naming convention of putting "-ola" at the end of phonograph and radio names like the Victrola. Since Galvin and his company were making car radios, he merged "motor" with "-ola" to get the name.

16. Samsung: Samsung got its start in 1938 when Lee Byung-Chull started the "Samsung Store" in Korea. The store initially focused on exporting dried fish and fruit, but it jumped into electronics in the 1960s. The name Samsung is Korean for "three stars," a nod to the lucky properties of the number three.

How 16 Electronics Companies Got Their Names - WSJ.com

Electronic Arts’ award-winning and best-selling Tiberium saga is coming to a powerful conclusion with Command & Conquer 4, which will introduce a multitude of innovations to the classic fast and fluid Command & Conquer gameplay, while retaining the core compulsions that fans have come to love over the series’ history.

Storyline

In the year 2062, humanity found itself on the brink of extinction. Tiberium, the mysterious, alien crystalline structure that infested Earth for decades and caused years of relentless conflict between the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the Brotherhood of Nod, was close to rendering the planet uninhabitable. In the midst of this crisis, Kane, Nod’s prophetic leader, emerged from seclusion to deliver GDI the message that he had developed a system that could control Tiberium and harness its power. But he could not build this “Tiberium Control Network” without GDI’s cooperation. Thus, the two opposing factions—GDI and Nod—found themselves in a desperate and unlikely alliance to stop Tiberium from extinguishing mankind.

Now, after 15 years, the network is nearly complete. Tiberium is under strict control and our revitalized planet is on the cusp of a new age of prosperity and progress. It is only now that the world’s citizens begin to seriously ponder why Kane chose to help, and what he will want in return. These questions and more lead to the dramatic final act of the Tiberium saga.

Features

• The Epic Conclusion to the Tiberium Saga – Kane returns in the thrilling conclusion to one of gaming’s longest running storylines, told through gritty live-action cinematics. Choose to take on the campaign solo or team up with a friend and play cooperatively!

• Persistent Player Progression – The more enemy units you destroy, the more experience points you earn to progress your player profile! Level up to unlock new units, powers, and upgrades to make your army more powerful!

• Always on the Move – For the first time ever in the C&C series: a massive, mobile, all-in-one base, The Crawler, lets you pack up and move your base with your army for a new layer of strategic depth. Build units as you move across the field, and deploy whenever and wherever you choose!

• Choose Your Class – Choose from three unique classes from both GDI and Nod, each with its own specialized units and powers, for more strategic and combative options that match your play style of choice! Offense, Defense, or Support classes—which will you pick?

• Team Up and Take the Battle Online – Join your fellow commanders online and tackle your opponents in the biggest C&C multiplayer to date, featuring 5 vs 5 objective-based battles! Choose your favorite class and take online strategy action to the next level as you conquer objectives while pummeling your enemies. The all-new party system lets you move with your party of friends from one online battle to the next.

Command & Conquer 4 Revealed | Gamers Digest

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

Today we reveal NEX to the world. This is the culmination of nearly a years work by the team. There has been some very long nights and lots of hard work along the way by everyone involved. Finally release day is in sight. We have submitted the game to Apple today for Q&A testing. Providing no issues are found during testing, we are less than 2 weeks away from a global release on iTunes and the App Store. Game On !! Let's Rock !

NEX Website : Here

REDMOND, Wash. — July 22, 2009 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, the next versions of its flagship desktop and server operating systems. With the completion of this development phase, industry partners are readying products in time for the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 worldwide general launches. Windows 7 will be generally available to customers around the world on October 22, and Windows Server 2008 R2 will be generally available on or before that date. As always, current customers of the Windows Volume Licensing program, Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) subscribers and TechNet subscribers will be among the first to get customer access to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 in the coming weeks.

Microsoft will make the announcement on its Windows Team and Windows Server Blogs later today. More information about today’s news is available via the following links:

•Windows Team Blog, http://windowsteamblog.com

•Windows Server Blog, http://blogs.technet.com/windowsserver

•Partner Web sites, http://readyset7.com and http://talkingaboutwindows.com/Default.aspx

•Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 for businesses, http://www.microsoft.com/windows/default.aspx and http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/R2.aspx

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.

Microsoft Releases Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2: Industry partners are finalizing new products in time for the worldwide launch.

http://www.guru3d.com/category/rivatuner/
http://downloads.guru3d.com/Rivatune...load-2185.html

Software Description

Vista Sidebar Gadget that uses Rivatuner's low level hardware monitor for stats

This application is a Vista Sidebar Gadget that uses Rivatuner's low level hardware monitor for stats. I've finally released it on Microsoft's site. If your Rivatuner install is reporting back values that you would like to see in the sidebar, then install this gadget and have it easily accessible.

Values will vary depending on the model card you have and its capabilities.

Values capable of being displayed include, but are not limited to:

• GPU Usage
• GPU Temperature
• Core and Memory Clock Speed
• Fan Speed
• Frames per Second
• AND MORE

** Add CPU, RAM, HDD and additional data with RivaTuner plugins

Version 2.0

General options and features:

• Colors: background, border, title text, default monitor title/value/units text
• Title: customize the text and icon
• Filter to remove RivaTuner's monitors from display in the gadget
• Flyout window provides additional information from RivaTuner and WMI
• Ability to reset min/max values
• Celcius/Fahrenheit

You can also customize each monitor's display individually:

• Colors: use default or override title/value/units text
• Bar: specify min/max limits as well as color change limits
• Choose from 10 different display styles
• Choose from 20 different icons
• Change displayed monitor title text
• Add a separator to help group similar monitors
• Copy settings from 1 monitor to another with control over what is pasted

Read the help tab in the gadget config for explicit instructions and configuration information. We have a thread open on this tool (visited by programmer) right here.

Please choose a download location:

Download (External)

Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 3 is coming in August featuring three multiplayer maps (Battery, Revolution and Breach), co-developed with partner Certain Affinity and one new Zombie map (Der Riese).
Update: Like the hunters we are, we've managed to locate the first screens and info on the new maps. Our Google skills are second to none. Here's the intel:
Battery: An armored island surrounded by anti-ship mines and shore to ship cannons, "Battery" places soldiers on a mid-sized map based on Fort Drum (El Fraile Island) in the Philippines. Expect plenty of areas to hide and heavy close quarters combat.

Breach: Overwhelm the enemy in Breach, set in Berlin's overcast and crowded city streets surrounding the historic Brandenburg Gate. Only the fittest will survive in this fast-paced, dense battlefield.
Revolution: Revolution pits soldiers against each other in Russia's cold city streets and large factory environment. Keep your fingers warm, your gun loaded, and your head low through this sniper-friendly territory.
Der Riese (Zombie Factory): Fight for your life in Der Riese (Zombie Factory), an all-new Zombie map set in a secret Nazi research facility featuring the Pack A Punch Machine, a device capable of upgrading weapons at the touch of a button. Use the teleporters to escape the vicious Hell Hounds and pray that the Wunderwaffe will appear before it's too late. This map includes 10 new Achievements/Trophies.

News: COD: Map Pack 3 - first screens - ComputerAndVideoGames.com

gdgt.com is a new site for gadget and hardware fans. Fill out your Have, Want, and Had lists and start sharing.

http://user.gdgt.com/Gunzta/

http://gdgt.com/

Wzor is reporting that Microsoft has finalized Windows 7 RTM at last. After weeks of speculation on the possibility of a delay in finalizing the RTM, Microsoft compiled the final RTM build on July 10th. Windows 7 RTM has the build string 6.1.7600.16384.win7_rtm.090710-1945 which is a major jump from 6.1.7271.0.win7_rtm.090709-1520, the build that preceded the RTM. This build contains a valid digital signature, which cannot be faked.

Sources from China are claiming that they have already got a hold of Windows 7 RTM, and is in the process of leaking it. At the moment we cannot confirm whether the image being leaked is genuine or not. Windows 7 RTM x64 has been leaked but there is no word of an x86 leak. We can expect many sources claiming to have the genuine Windows 7 RTM leak in the coming days. Please make sure to use a hash checker such as hashtab to ensure your image has not been tinkered with.

Microsoft is expected to unveil the finalized version of Windows 7 tomorrow at the Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans.

Stay tuned to the site and providing instant updates as news comes in. To be notified of future leaks and build updates right away, Subscribe to our RSS feed (What is RSS?) feed or Email Subscription newsletter.

Windows 7 RTM Screenshots:
Click on the screenshots to view them in full size.

Windows 7 RTM finalized at Build 7600 - Download Leaked | Windows 7 Center

In a brief post on the Call of Duty forums, Treyarch's community manager confirmed that the second map pack will be included with the next update:

Hey PC fans, I just wanted to give a brief update to let you know that Map Pack 2 will be included in patch 1.5! It's in test right now, and is looking great – I will have more information next week.

This means that in addition to the fixes and changes detailed here, there will also be four new maps which were previously detailed for the console versions:
Shi No Numa (Zombie Swamp)
Keep moving to survive the unending Zombie horde in "Shi No Numa", the all new addition to the four player co-op fan favorite. Imperial Zombies rise from the misty swamps and flaming Hell Hounds blaze through the jungle as players struggle to find Perk machines and the deadly new Wunderwaffe DG-2 to stay alive.

Banzai
Deep in the jungles of Japanese controlled territory, battle to control the tall river bridge in "Banzai" a bright, medium sized jungle map featuring a waterfall, villages and hidden caves well suited for deadly snipers, surprise attacks and all out gun battles.

Corrosion
In "Corrosion" face down your enemy in a deteriorated Russian train yard. Sprint under, over and through the shattered pipelines and war-torn train cars in this mid sized map great for full out team combat. Keep your head on a swivel as your enemy could be above or below you!

Sub Pens
"Sub Pens" offers a close-quarter bombed-out Japanese submarine base littered with live ammunition, breached subs and idle fighter planes. Wipe the monsoon rains from your eyes and struggle to control key choke points in this tight map designed for exciting and deadly battles.

There's no release date given as yet, but as the patch is currently in testing, we doubt the wait will be too long.

ClanBase - Call of Duty: World at War patch will include new maps - Saturday 11 July

With Battlefield 1943 we are advancing squad gameplay on the console!

Squad Structure
Squads are now optional, which means you have control over whether you spawn into a squad and what squad you choose to join.  Squad selection and recruitment is handled in the menu system where you can join a squad, create and invite others to your own squad, and even make your squad private.  This also means those who like to play as a lone wolf can do so outside of a squad and not directly impact squad mates who are looking for closer teamplay and strategy.

Squad commands
Next, we have improved squad communication and command through a simple graphical interface system.  As Battlefield 2142 fans will recognize, squad commands are very easy to use.  When leading a squad, simply point your cross-hairs on a flag and press "Back" on Xbox 360 or "Select" on PS3 and the game will automatically mark that flag as “Attack” (red circle) or “Defend” (blue circle) depending on which team currently owns the flag. This informs your squad of the desired focal point and action (attack or defend).

This is a useful compliment to voice messaging when confirming your strategies with squad mates.  After all, the team that communicates the best, kills the best.

Example of issued Squad commands in-game:

Attack marker (Squad Only)

Defend marker (Squad Only)

Neutral flag (Squad Only)

Hotzone marker (Team)
Hotzones
To help you select your targets we have also added the “Hotzone” system that looks at the whole map and finds the area with the most enemies and friends and marks it as a “Hotzone” like in the image above.  These areas are where the action is currently taking place and can influence your suqad command decisions.  This can also help Lone Wolf players and indirectly encourage them to help the team, but don’t tell them that.  It’s our secret. 

So now, in Battlefield 1943, it’s up to you if you want to formulate tactics as a squad or go Lone Wolf and be the one who makes the difference.

See you on the Battlefield!

Battlefield Blog

The UK beta of 1 vs 100 went live this evening at 19:30 GMT. I was there early to ensure my seat, and a few mins early we kicked off as expected. What a slick beta and 1st show !! This is going to be a massive hit. It was lots of fun, and you really felt a genuine sense of nerves playing live against hundreds of other real players with real prizes. Although in the beta you don’t actually win the prizes, but you will when it goes live properly. Anyway below is a large selection of pictures of my evenings entertainment. Top stuff.

View Full Album

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.

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News, Downloads, Screenshots, Previews, Reviews, Guides

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

Microsoft have made the final Release Candidate available for download from either MSDN or the Microsoft Technet Beta Program. They even provide new product keys for you to use.

Well… what are you waiting for.. GO GO GO.. get downloading..

(Windows Live ID Required)

Windows 7 RC 32-bit

Windows 7 RC 64-bit

Wondering what's been happening to Medal of Honor since Airborne? Well, at the beginning of the year EA (MOH Publishers) admitted that they were working on "the best FPS ever". What is that First-Person Shooter you ask? It's almost certain to be the highly speculated Medal of Honor: Operation Anaconda. We knew that EA were working on a new FPS when EALA put a job online for an Art Director for what would be "to create the coolest piece of entertainment software the world has ever known". EALA also said it was the best FPS they had ever made..”

What is Operation Anaconda?

Anaconda was an operation where the US Military attempted to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in the South East of Zormat, Afghanistan. The allies were victorious, but the Taliban managed to evacuate with up to 800 casualties.

How could this be a good game?

If the "best FPS ever" is Anaconda, then it has the potential to be huge. Possibly a competitor to Modern Warfare. EALA need to take the right amount of time to make the game perfect. The physics system in the game needs to be as realistic as possible to even compete with the brilliance of Modern Warfare. The storyline is another thing that needs to be perfect as Call of Duty 4's storyline was one that will go down in history for brilliance and Infinity Ward are planning for Modern Warfare 2's campaign mode to exceed that.

Online?

Of course there will be an online mode if the game is going to compete with other FPS'. It's whether EA take more time on the single player campaign or the online campaign. The online mode needs a good setup menu, as Call of Duty's is so simple, it works for almost everyone. New online games need to be created (new type of Search and Destroy or something a little like that).

So Medal of Honor: Operation Anaconda hasn't been confirmed yet, but if it is on it's way it has huge potential in the gaming world. Expect an announcement of the new EALA FPS in the coming months.

Next Medal of Honor could be Next Big Thing :: LivePlayStation - Latest PlayStation 3 News

Despite warning and requests from readers, N4G continue to help propagate the latest internet scam by actually running adverts for it on their site.  Many readers have been fooled into parting with the credit card details in a very polished looking Google related scam similar to the LA tribune scan from earlier in the year.

The scam works by attracting anyone interesting in working from home (that’s just about everyone right, especially in the current climate with so many people being laid off and loosing their jobs) by using a convincing looking newspaper style website running a story on the subject. Through out the article are numerous links to the honey trap site, which is heavily Google branded.  The site claims they want to take a small $1.87 payment to cover shipping, however what the credit card owner doesn’t know is that they are unknowingly and without consent signing up for a free 7 day trail of a lifetime subscription. Once the 7 days has passed, you will be charged $80 a month forever until you ring and cancel. Problem is they never answer their phones, so you can never cancel.  The only way to solve this is contact your card provider and get them stop your card, and re-issue a new one.

This is not acceptable for a well known and trusted news site to be running adverts like this, especially after being warned about the potential lose to their readers.

Last image taken 18/06/09 22:32 GMT

N4G.com : All the latest game news

LIVE on Xbox.com
E3 is the biggest event in the Xbox calendar and we’re giving you the best seats in the house! Watch the Xbox E3 Show live right here on Xbox.com from 18:30 UK. Prepare for some huge announcements!

Your ticket to the show...
Feel like you're there by getting reports, videos, photos, Tweets, and even sounds direct from the showfloor courtesy of our E3 Latest community blog! And join the chat with our 'What's Hot at E3' Twitter cloud.

Xbox.com | Xbox at E3

Xbox.com | Wonderful World of Reals

The official blurb is below, but I wanted to take this opportunity to say a huge well done to the whole team at Brightlight, but particularly to my very good friend Sim who has been working on this title for EA’s Brightlight. With so many games and SKU’s getting canned during development these days, its an achievement in itself just shipping a game in today’s market. Well Done Sim.  :)  I’m sure this will be a huge success in today’s more family orientated market.

It's time to bring home a new game and bring your family together - it's time for FAMILY GAME NIGHT! HASBRO games are a tried and true medium for lively, engaging, face-to-face fun and connection.

When you bring home a new game and make a night of staying in and playing, your family gets to laugh, trash talk, have new adventures, and get into the fun!

With so many new Hasbro games, the possibilities for Family Game Night are endless!

Family Game Night

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

Just when we were thinking about how long it had been since the last 360 vs. PS3 debacle, The Wheelman’s Executive Producer Shaun Himmerick has come along to save the day.

When asked by ThisXboxLife.com what it had been like to develop simultaneously for Xbox 360 and PS3, Himmerick replied:

“The politically incorrect answer is that the PS3 is a huge pain in the ass. Anyone making a game, if you’re going to make it for both [360 and PS3], just lead on the PS3 because if it works on the PS3 it’ll work on 360.”

“The easiest way to look at it is, the 360 has one big chunk of memory, but the PS3 has two chunks of memory that in total are the same size as the Xbox, but because they’re split you can’t share memory the same way. That will bite you in the ass, and it bit us in the ass bad.

“We had to play catch up on the PS3 because of the memory constraints and how it renders, how it processes is just different. And it’s harder on the PS3. The Xbox is just like a dumb PC, which is great because it’s easier to build a game on a PC.”

As Gordon Ramsay would say, “Ding ding, round f**king two!”

Check out the rest of the hour-long interview with Himmerick over at ThisXboxLife.com.

The Wheelman ships on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC next month. And by the sound of it, it might be better on Xbox 360.

Source : D+PAD » “The PS3 is a huge pain in the ass” - Wheelman dev

Source : OperationFlashpoint2.org » 8 new in-game Operation Flashpoint 2 screens found!

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

Last month, we took a tour of Microsoft's "fake" retail store. Meant to show what it would look like "if" Microsoft ever decided to open a dedicated store. Like the ones they're now actually opening.

The company have announced that, yes, they're going to follow Apple into the dedicated retail space, and will be opening an undisclosed number of stores across the US. The chain will be overseen by David Porter, formerly of Dreamworks Animation, who was hired by Microsoft this week to act as vice president of retail stores.

No word yet on what the stores will actually sell, but since the concept store was full of Xbox and Games for Windows stuff, we'd be expecting the actual stores to follow suit.

Microsoft to open own stores [Reuters]

Source : Microsoft: Yup, Microsoft Are Opening Microsoft Retail Stores

Sales for Sony Corp.'s Playstation 3 160GB model increased at retailer Amazon.com on Wed. prior to the release of the anticipated game title Killzone 2.

On Wed., the 160GB PS3 SKU held a sales increase of 101 percent to rank at No. 119 in Amazon's Video Games division.

Sony in Nov. released the 160GB PS3 SKU. The bundle includes a new 160GB PS3, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, PAIN downloadable game voucher, and a Dualshock 3 controller for $499.

Additionally, it sells an 80GB model for $399.99. Amazon this month is selling Killzone 2 below $55 in a new coupon promotion.

In the offer, customers who use the coupon code KZ2SAVE5 at checkout will receive an additional $5 off the $59.99 pre-sale price.

Sony in Jan. said that third quarter net profit fell 95 percent between Oct. and Dec.

The Playstation division held a $4 million profit, despite a nine percent decline in PS3 sales to 4.46 million sold.

Source : Punch Jump :// NEWS - PS3 160GB sales up pre-Killzone 2 release - PS3

UK, February 12, 2009 - You've seen every screenshot, watched every trailer, prayed it would make it to console and rejoiced when Capcom duly obliged. The more enterprising of you may have even made the pilgrimage to the Trocadero in order to worship at the latest altar of pugilism - and you'd be forgiven that you now know all there is to know about the triumphant return of that most iconic of series in Street Fighter IV.

In many ways you'd be right; essentially, the home port of Street Fighter IV is the very definition of arcade perfect. The Street Fighter phenomenon is one that's so close to a whole generation's heart that it would be foolish to try and offer a definitive judgement on the new formula, the debate over whether jettisoning the hardcore baggage of the third game and its satellites and making a spiritual return to Street Fighter II unlikely to be resolved anytime soon. We will however say this – Street Fighter IV is the most engrossing one-on-one beat-'em-up we've ever played.

Fundamentally, this is the same rock, paper, Shoryuken mix that's familiar to anyone who's ever pulled off a quarter-circle on a D-pad in anger. There's no deformable armour, no huge weapons to clang opponents around the head with and no way of tearing a downed combatant's cheeks off at a fight's conclusion – this is one of the purest expressions of virtual sparring ever created.
Indeed, it's the accessibility of Street Fighter IV that's one of the game's greatest triumphs. By taking Street Fighter II as the basic template, the game's been opened up to the legions alienated by the series various detours down hardcore roads. More forgiving inputs significantly lower the barrier of entry for the less dextrous returning to the series – and for the first time in a life spent playing Street Fighter we can finally pull off Zangief's spinning piledriver with some level of consistency.
Gone are the parrying system and the multiple Super Arts of Street Fighter IV's numerical predecessor. Players now have one access to a single Super, though like most specials it's available in two flavours. Striking all three attack buttons when performing a special or Super with the EX gauge maxed out performs an Ultra, a high tier attack that serves as the climax to the heady drama of one of the game's bouts.

The visual style never tires - this game's likely to remain as appealing 17 years from now.

The return of the archetypal eight characters that defined Street Fighter II reinforces the link between Street Fighter IV and its 17-year-old predecessor, and another of the game's successes is its careful handling of their upgrade, as well as the successful introduction of a new cast of fighters. Shotokan fighters – practitioners of that holy trinity of Dragon Punch, fireball and Hurricane Kick - such as Ken, Ryu, Sakura and Akuma feel more distinct from each other than ever before, while the likes of Guile and Dhalsim make a successful return from their exile.
Most significant of the new additions is without doubt the focus system: holding down medium punch and kick together envelops the player in a swirl of heavily inked lines, allowing one incoming attack to be absorbed and turned back into a crippling blow, leaving the opposition prone to a quick-fire combo. It's a feature that's integrated seamlessly into the game's patchwork and sits well with the slower tempo of Street Fighter IV – a change in pace that may come as a shock to those who have been schooling themselves in the comparatively twitchy Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix in preparation, and putting paid to the misconception that this is a re-skinned Street Fighter II.

All of which is commendably faithful to the arcade original, but taking the finished article home it's now possible to relish all the little details that make Street Fighter IV so astounding a package. The shift to 3D visuals has been handled impeccably throughout, with hulking character models aching with muscle defined by flat textures and exaggerated features that anchor them to their 2D heritage. Their sheer size – no Street Fighter game has ever allowed its characters to accommodate as much screen space as they do here – lends them a new, more brutal physicality that's carried through with weighty animations and pixel-perfect collision detection. Get an arcing Dragon Punch to land squarely in an opponent's midriff and the feeling of contact is colossal, your opponent doubling over and their features transfixed in a caricature of pain.
It's a level of detail that's echoed in the backdrops - from the tourist excitedly fumbling with their camera as they try to catch the action in a crowded downtown alley, the cargo ship that slowly pulls into view and reveals a waving Balrog or the vast video screen that dynamically apes the action on the cruise ship's floor, each stage feels as alive as the fighters within.

Gouken's likely to be the last character you'll unlock, and it took some 50 hours of brawling for us to get him. He's worth it.

One of the few bum notes pulled by the otherwise excellent art design is in the animated cutscenes that bookend each character's journey through the vanilla arcade mode. Cheap in execution, they jar considerably with the heavy ink aesthetic that's evident elsewhere in the game, ensuring they're good for little more than a cheap giggle. It's one of the few additions for the console versions, though thankfully the other new features are more carefully integrated.
There's no attempt to pad the single-player campaign – instead of trying to shoe-horn in a lengthened campaign mode the solo fighter is instead given a wealth of tools with which to hone their prowess. Each character has a series of trials, requiring the correct input of commands from pulling off a simple special to the darker arts of executing cancels and some of the more intricate combos.
The slim single-player offerings are bolstered by the self-explanatory Time Attack and Survival modes and as such are an admission of where the game's focus lies – in the perfection of the one-on-one beat-'em-up genre. Street Fighter IV's real heart lies in competitive play, something that's well served by its solid online options. Thankfully this plays out more like the Xbox LIVE version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix than the faltering LIVE version of Street Fighter II, with fights running with a consistent lack of lag.
Ranked and unranked play is available and for the former it's possible to acquire Battle Points through victory – although defeat will also result in losing Battle Points, meaning that it's as easy to get over confident and plummet down the leaderboards as it is to ascend them. One particularly cute touch is the ability to open yourself up to all-comers when playing through the single-player arcade mode, allowing anyone to interrupt a session for a spar. Short of importing a gaggle of intimidating teenagers into your own living room and drilling a coin-slot into your precious plasma screen, it's a great way of bringing the console version one step closer to the arcade experience.

In true Street Fighter boss tradition, Seth's a cheap and frustrating character.

Unfortunately the bulk of the online content is being reserved for a day one patch with enhanced matchmaking, a fully-featured tournament system and a replay mode all to be included. We'll follow up with a comprehensive report post release, but for now be safe in the knowledge that Street Fighter IV's online mode is satisfyingly sturdy.
One less welcome package that's being primed for post-release is the downloadable costume sets. Street Fighter IV's release is something to be celebrated so it's a shame that Capcom has almost spoilt its own party with such a move – it really wasn't that long ago when such small features were unlockables and given the scarcity of similar content in the retail package it seems particularly cynical to sell the content off at a premium.

Closing Comments
Regardless, Street Fighter IV is no less than the new standard for beat-‘em-ups. It's a triumphant return for the series after an eight year hiatus and is a seamless blend of the old and new, at once accessible to lapsed pugilists while being nuanced enough for the dedicated core to wallow in its depths. What’s more, Street Fighter IV takes an aging template and makes it fresh once more, offering a revival in every sense of the word. The waiting is over – Street Fighter IV is home, and it’s one very special game.

IGN: Street Fighter IV Review

Despite the Xbox 360 demo now being live, Ubisoft have just let us know that the PS3 version of the HAWX demo has been delayed, until February 26th, citing a “late discovery of an unexpected issue.”  Ubisoft apologise for the situation.

[Ubisoft's Twitter Feed]

Source : HAWX Demo Delayed | TheSixthAxis

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

If you haven't noticed, Killzone 2's been scooping universally huge review scores, with a Metacritic average of 92. The first ten or so reviews came in at a in-no-way reactionary 100%, before a few websites dare to break ranks and give it, er, 96. So when Edge Magazine's 7/10 review score was released, some internet fan sites reacted with customary restraint - dismissing Edge's writers as contrary, doom-peddling, attention-seekers and labelling their review as 'wrong', as all subjective opinions tend to be. Oh, good.
You can read The Edge review here.
Or read Metacritic's Killzone 2 page.
How did the internet's more committed game sites react to Edge's score? PSX Extreme (no clues there) weren't very happy, claiming "we advise all of you to ignore the desperate-for-attention, we're-going-to-prove-our-elite-status so-called "review" from Edge that has the entire Internet talking."
Click to read PSX Extreme savages Edge.
So while the pot dusts itself off...
Popular, sensible, games blog Kotaku were more measured, suggesting "In modern day review terms, in which the scale typically runs from 6 to 10, with 6 being nigh unplayable and 10 being "perfect," we have a problem on our hands. Or do we?
No. We don't."
">Kotaku defends Edge.
Kotaku continues, "One of the neat things about Edge is, it has a hard-on for innovation. Even neater, it uses the entire range of the scale, not just just comfortable 6 to 10 zone. Clearly, when reading the written critique of Killzone 2, the issues it takes with the game's characters, story (or lack thereof), and gameplay clichés, the numerical score provided to it - seemingly the most contentious aspect of the review - begins to make more sense."
Our take? Who cares. You'll know what you think when you've played it - and in the meantime can make up your own mind *thanksverymuch* whether Edge's review is, as suggested, madness. If you even care. Edge's anomalous score is sort-of irrelevant, as it exists within its own internal universe, not the '80% is a bad score' world of metacritic-moulded consensus and ardent fan sites, so the only debate is whether Edge's words, and opinions, correlate with your feelings about the game. Or are consistent within Edge's own universe, which is a thornier issue we're not willing, or qualified, to explore.
Do Edge's opinions agree with ours? Largely, yes. Did we give it 70%? No. Make of that what you will.
Pah. Let's cheer ourselves up by reading what the world's biggest Killzone 2 fans had to say about the game. While Edge's score does stick out, we're slightly more excited by some of the more expressive writing below, including suggestions that Killzone 2 makes you feel like being in an actual war, and may cause you to fill your pants, or make your eyes pop - which may, or more likely not, be true. To make things more fun, we've 'reviewed' some of the reviews below, which makes us feel clever.
Note: We're aware this is a cheap, tongue-in-cheek, pop at other people's work, and may involve the trajectory of stones in a fragile, transparent, living space but if any inexplicably offended website is considering doing the same to us, we'd just like to add: we've never made a mistake or mis-spelled a word. Ever.
I'll say it again: Killzone 2 is the best console first person shooter ever. It will be bested one day, and that is as it should be, but this game has set the proverbial bar so high we reckon it'll be the king for a good long while... Hail to the king, baby. [Feb 2009, p.66]
Score: 100
OPM Australia
PSM3 says: "Invoking the voice of God to qualify the stark staring obvious is an effective, if unusual, literary device, WHICH IS AS IT SHOULD BE. Eh? Who was that? Never mind"
It took a long time for Killzone 2 to finally come out, but after diving head first into the game, there's no doubt in my mind that it lives up to the hype and is a must-play for FPS fans. [Mar 2009, p.70]
Score: 100
Gamepro
PSM3 Says: "An interesting twist on the 'stating the obvious' genre, but mixed metaphors prove a poor substitute for the voice of God"
Probably the tastiest part of the Killzone Cocktail is the Multiplayer. Imagine if Call Of Duty 4 and Team Fortress 2 had a baby, which they then abandoned and as a result had to learn a few new tricks to survive. That's what Killzone Multiplayer is like.
Score: 100
G4 TV
PSM3 says: "The who's in the what now? We'll try the cheese. The Ch-ee-se."
With its unparalleled graphics, incredibly well-paced single-player campaign and in-depth multiplayer offerings, Killzone 2 has established its place among top-tier console shooters. Expectations on Killzone 2 had reached ridiculous proportions; here's one of those cases where the game actually lived up to them.
Score 100
1UP
PSM3 says: "This we actually understand and commend. Which limits our ability to say anything funny, or slightly less unfunny, than usual. But fetch the sieve, thine prospectors of comedy, because this next one is GOLD. Gold we tells ye"
It seeps action from every angle and makes you question whether you are actually in the middle of a war zone thanks to it's stunning effects and sound. If you want eye popping, pant wetting action then this is most certainly the game for you.
Score: 95
Wonderwall Web
PSM3 says: "The good news is, Killzone won't actually make your eyes pop, or promote involuntary bladder movements unless you were suffering an alarming, unprecedented, prior medical condition. We're just off for a quick blast on multiplaye... YAAARRRGH! Pfffffs... POP! P-O-P!"
While Killzone 2 does walk on mostly well-trodden ground, it does so with a keen attention to style and detail, pushing beyond the gray-and-red color schemes that define its competition while encouraging gamers to put a little bit of thought behind every bullet they hurl.
Score: 90
Wired
PSM3 says: "A disappointing lack of medical disasters sully an otherwise sensible review"
But without the first game's ambiguities, a sense of humour or even an ounce of intrigue, its story stinks. It's so slight you could play the levels in random order to little ill-effect, and it assumes knowledge of everything and everyone, not once recognising the real-world echoes of its premise: an allied invasion of an enemy the allies themselves created.
Score: 70
Edge
PSM3 says "THIS SCORE IS WRONG! DON'T BELIEVE THE HATERS WHO WROTE THIS SO CALLED 'REVIEW'!!! Er... and... ah... anyone who says Killzone is rubbish should... have their eyes... popped... or something which is... erm... AS IT SHOULD BE. Yes, that's better."
Oh, and if you want to hear what we think about Killzone 2 (Warning: Contains 'wrong' opinions)...
Click to download PSM3 Podcast#15 here.
Have a great evening,
PSM3

Source : PSM3 Blog: KIllzone 2 review 'scandal': Edge vs The World - PSM3 Magazine

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:

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

Microsoft have quietly relaunched their Games for Windows Live service. Their online gaming application, used to connect players in multiplayer games, suffered from a lack of games and support ever since it was launched as a paid-for service in 2007.
In the brave new world of Games for Windows Live reborn, both Fallout 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV will use it for updates and multiplayer. Compared to the lackluster launch games of Halo 2 and Shadowrun, these A-list titles are a clear statement that Microsoft haven't surrendered the field to Steam and XFire just yet.
But what will the relaunch mean to gamers? First off, GFWL is now free for its users. Microsoft have even refunded the people who used Live exclusively for the PC and not with Xbox Live. Developers are also allowed to add it to games for free, which is a big reason why it's now part of a lot of new games. It matches Valve offering Steamworks, a similar free developer's suite.

Microsoft will be creating a PC-specific marketplace offering demos, videos and expansions for the eager gamer to buy.
For example: we'll only be able to buy the Fallout 3 DLC from there. That's a big coup for an untested platform. The first drop of content in January will be a major test of the servers.
If you fancy trying it out, logging into GFWL through Fallout 3 will install the new software. A much more user friendly interface pops up, this time docking at the top of the screen and enabling access to all the options right away. It's much smoother compared to the older, clunky original that took up the centre of the screen and was covered in Xbox-specific buttons.
We must admit, it's also a touch quicker than using Steam's in-game overlay as well. All these cosmetic changes simply present what was already present in a much clearer manner. There's a profile tab, a friends list, a message centre, a list of people that you've played with recently and a chat tab that enables you to talk to people on your friends list.
What's interesting is that GFWL can still only be accessed in-game, so in order to see the interface you need to load into a supported game. They had the chance to make it a standalone application, but decided to tie it to games. Where both Steam and XFire excel is in showing you what games your friends are playing so you can select which one to join. For GFWL if you're just looking to join someone online you'll need to load up a game you might not want to play. That's not great.
Grabbing GTA: IV multiplayer as an exclusive is a big deal, as well as a huge test for Microsoft. Halo 2 and Shadowrun both suffered major connectivity issues. On Xbox Live GTA is as smooth as a peach; we'll expect the same on the PC. Fail there Microsoft and, frankly, you'll never be taken seriously by gamers again.

Source : Feature: Games For Windows Live Reboot - ComputerAndVideoGames.com

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

As the late, great, Kenny Loggins once sang, "Ride into the Danger Zone!" What? Kenny Loggins isn't dead? Awkward. Moving on... On February 11, a demo for Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. will hit the Xbox Live Marketplace for Live Gold members.
The demo, which tracks experience and includes three unlockable fighters to test drive fly, allow up to four Mavericks to play cooperatively. It sports two missions for the upcoming air-combat game: In Operation - Off Certification, one of the game's training missions that showcases maneuvers and tactics used throughout the adventure, and In Operation - Glass Hammer, another training mission that teaches pilots how to blow stuff up in the air and on land. Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. lands in stores this March.

Source : HAWX demo barrel rolls onto Xbox Live Feb. 11 - Joystiq

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

It's a convention sometimes used in action films -- the unlikely protagonist saves the day by applying combative skills he gleaned during his long sessions with teh Haloz -- but it's a convention apparently rooted in reality. In his latest book, Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century, author and modern warfare buff P.W. Singer relates the story of a young man who became an expert drone pilot within a short period of time -- all thanks to the hours he'd logged on his trusty Xbox.
The eighteen-year-old soldier was a high school dropout who failed to qualify for the original position in the armed forces he'd applied for. It was suggested he try his hand at drone piloting, and according to Singer, "because of playing on video games, he was already good at it." So good, in fact, that he was brought back from Iraq to become an instructor at a training academy. Jeez, the only game-related useful skill we've ever picked up is our uncanny ability to name all 493 pokémon, and that impresses far fewer people than you might imagine.

Source : Soldier became ace drone pilot by training on video games - 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

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

A now removed entry in the New York Comic Con show exclusives pages has revealed Electronic Arts' plans to announced a new Battlefield game at the expo.
EA has already confirmed a sequel to Battlefield: Bad Company is in the works, but this is a different title. It seems EA plans to go back again to the WWII era as the page mentioned above revealed that EA will give away "Battlefield 1943: Pacific Postcards" at 4:00 pm on Friday, February 6th.

Feb. 4th, 2009 6:03 pm

Battlefield Pacific 1943 Announcement Leaked - Xbox

Halo Wars demo now on Live

Microsoft just posted the Halo Wars demo on Live. Go go go.

Here’s the link if you want to queue it from the web.

It’s 1Gb in size.

VG247 » Blog Archive » Halo Wars demo now on Live

Face it: We're all geeks here, and that means we all have a measure of social awkwardness. But how much are we talking here? Teaspoons or gallons? Find out with the GSAT.

Taking the test is simple. There are 50 statements. Mark down one point for yourself for every one that applies to you. At the end, score yourself. We can't solve your problems, but at least we can help you figure out just how bad your problems are. And that's something, right?

• The GSAT
  1. I own and wear t-shirts featuring the logos of computer/operating system manufacturers.
  2. I am over the age of 22 and live with my parents.
  3. I am, according to the medical definition, obese.
  4. On an average day more of my human interaction happens on message boards or in blog comments than with actual other people.
  5. I have ended real friendships over arguments about computer or product choices.
  6. I very seriously and passionately try to talk people into buying or switching to my OS/phone/product of choice.
  7. I commonly use very specific technical jargon without considering whether or not the person I'm talking to understands it.
  8. I hold an engineering or IT degree.
  9. I have made a member of the opposite sex sit and watch me play video games for an hour or more.
  10. I play with my phone at restaurants.
  11. Almost all of my jokes are actually just catchphrases or references to The Simpsons, Family Guy, Borat, or any other popular comedic film or show.
  12. I have a medical problem that makes me sweat a lot.
  13. I live or have lived for an extended period completely nocturnally, sitting at my computer all night and sleeping all day.
  14. I generally do not leave my home if it's not necessary for work or food retrieval.
  15. I have over 50,000 Xbox 360 Gamerpoints.
  16. I work in electronics retail.
  17. I generally am only friends with other Apple people/Windows people.
  18. My sense of humor is more in line with 4chan than any other comedic source.
  19. I hang out exclusively with members of the same sex.
  20. I own and wear a cowboy hat, Kangol hat, fedora and/or bowler.
  21. I am the dominant talker in most conversations I have.
  22. I think the Star Wars trilogy/Star Trek series is the greatest thing ever put to celluloid and will argue all night about it.
  23. When I hang out with my friends, we usually play Risk, Axis and Allies, Dungeons and Dragons and/or Settlers of Catan.
  24. I have a level 80 character in World of Warcraft.
  25. I've dressed up as a video game character/manga character in public on a day other than Halloween.
  26. I say internet acronyms such as LOL and BRB out loud.
  27. I own a sword, nunchucks and/or throwing stars.
  28. I'm an obsessive collector.
  29. I make my own image macros.
  30. I am really, really into my cat. Like, really.
  31. I have corrected someone's spelling or grammar on a message board or in blog comments.
  32. I have authored and obsessively updated Wikipedia entries about cartoons from the 80's.
  33. I breathe through my mouth, mostly.
  34. I've read all of the greatest novels ever published, all of which happen to be graphic novels.
  35. I suffer from halitosis and/or a laziness-based aversion to dental hygiene.
  36. I vote for politicians based on their stance on net neutrality.
  37. My dream girl has eyes the size of dinner plates, is part robot or, optimally, both.
  38. I am a very active member of a private, invite-only BitTorrent tracker with extremely strict ratio/bitrate requirements.
  39. I regularly ingest caffeine through unconventional means.
  40. I'm convinced that I would be happier if I worked on the Starship Enterprise.
  41. I do things for the "lulz."
  42. I always have the last word in online arguments. Always.
  43. I wear sweatpants more than any other type of pants.
  44. I am a guy and I have a ponytail.
  45. I believe that it's the rest of the world that's awkward and I actually have everything pretty much figured out.
  46. I have a hard drive exclusively dedicated to porn.
  47. I write letters to companies and consumer interest blogs whenever I feel that I've been wronged.
  48. I'm married in Second Life but single in real life.
  49. I read Gizmodo more than the New York Times.
  50. I am offended by this test.
• Now, for the scoring. Simply add up your points and click on where you fall below to get your diagnosis.
  -0-10 Points
  -11-20 Points
  -21-30 Points
  -31-40 Points
  -41-49 Points
  -50 Points
• Always.

Source : GSAT: The Geek Social Aptitude Test

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

The Xbox 360 demo for Resident Evil 5 was downloaded 1.8 million times in the week following its January 26 release in Europe and North America, setting a new record. In fact, Microsoft says the demo surpassed 1.3 million downloads in its first three days.

And while Microsoft merely referred to Resident Evil 5 as being "among the top demo launches on the service," the previous known record holder, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, took eight days for its demo to reach a million Xbox Live downloads.

During those initial three days, the free zombie-shooting demo was restricted to Xbox Live Gold members. After January 29, it was made available to all Xbox Live members, with the PlayStation 3 demo available today via the PlayStation Store.

The strong North American and European performance follows that of the earlier Japanese demo, which was downloaded by 53% of Xbox Live Gold members in Japan.

Developed by Capcom, Resident Evil 5 hits PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 13.

Resident Evil 5 Demo Breaks Xbox Download Record - Shacknews - PC Games, PlayStation, Xbox 360 and Wii video game news, previews and downloads

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

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.