Content and news by Rob Williams

The first thing that you’ll notice as soon as you get into the meat of Quake 4 is just how similar it looks to Doom 3. On the graphics front the original Quake was very brown, Quake 2 was brown and grey and now Quake 4 may well end up being known as Doom 3 under a new name. In fact, purely as a first impression, I couldn’t help but think that Quake 4 is the game Doom 3 should have been!

For even more Quake IV goodness, check out the look at Hexus Gaming.

HTPC cases, we are seeing more of them as HTPC’s are becoming more popular, and easy to setup. My current HTPC is sitting in a Raidmax Scorpio Case. Which as you can see is not the best case for an HTPC. Today we will be taking a look at ThermalRock’s Mystic HTPC case. ThermalRock is a subsidiary of Thermaltake, who we all know are known for making good products. This is my first HTPC case so I’m excited to take a look at it! We will see if it will replace the Raidmax case, and become part of my home theater system.

Head over to Think Computers for the full review!

Despite widespread publicity, however, podcasting itself remains unfamiliar to most US consumers. According to TDG’s recent research, 64% of Internet users are not familiar with or have not heard of podcasting. Making matters worse, many music and audio publishers refer to their downloadable content as “podcasts” even though they are not tagged or do not provide subscriptions. Lastly, because Apple is so closely associated with the iPod, anyone that promotes podcasting is in essence promoting the Apple brand. Yes, the iPod has become the Kleenex of its time: it is more than just the brand of a particular product – it is now a product category in itself. That said, no doubt the podcasting name will be further diluted with time, competition, and new technologies, much like Internet broadcasting, streaming, and radio are often used interchangeably today.

Check out the full editorial over at Design Technica.

In January I reviewed the inMotion3 portable audio system. While I was impressed by the design and performance of the inMotion3 and by how well it accomplished what it was designed to do, I noted that “As long as volume is kept at a reasonable level, overall quality is superior to most two-piece computer speaker systems I have heard. However, if you really want sockin’ bass that blows your socks off, you probably want to look elsewhere.” Well, look no further – with the inMotion7, Altec Lansing has delivered the goods.

Check out the full review at Bona Fide Reviews.

I’ve reviewed a ton of cases it seems. Every company is trying to
capture the computer hobbyist’s eye with unique features. Sunbeam Tech, a
leader in modding accessories and cases, recently rolled out their Trio
Gaming Case. What exciting features did they add for the computer hobbyist?
How about a built in monitoring panel. Sure, you have seen this in many
cases, but instead of only monitoring temperatures and fan speed, Sunbeam’s
Trio case also monitors sound levels. Also, instead of taking up a 5 1/4″
bay with an off the shelf model, the gauges are built in to add a nice, old
fashion look.

Check out the full review over at A True Review.

Released earlier today from id Software was both the client
and server Linux binaries for Quake 4 and with that we bring a plethora
of new screenshots. Although the v1.0.2147 release does contain a few
bugs, overall these Linux binaries are phenomenal and from our
experience thus far we’ve very much enjoyed both the single and
multi-player gaming. For your viewing pleasure today, we’ve bundled 120
pictures from the first seven levels of Quake 4, to ensure we don’t
spoil this excellent gaming experience.

You can check out a huge selection of screenshots over at Phoronix.

Prime Cooler, who has been in business since 1998 but isn’t
widely recognized in the United States, recently unveiled their initial
line of water cooling components. These products range from a lift pump
with water tank to a triple 120mm fan radiator, and today we have an
exclusive preview of what’s to come from these Prime Cooler Water
Cooling components. Continue on as we dive into these frigid waters.

Check out the full article at Phoronix.

Arctic Cooling impressed us again with their latest NV Silencer 5 (Rev. 3) and it is still one of the highest performing VGA cooler we have tested up to date. The retail package is quite catchy and it comes with everything to get you going. If you look at the performance, it simply outperforms the stock cooler by quite a margin but it does not end there. The major difference between the stock cooler and NV Silencer 5 is the levels of noise it makes. To be frank, we could not hear the NV Silencer 5 during operation but the stock cooler can be clearly heard especially when we set the fan speed to maximum.

Check out the full review over at PC Modding Malaysia.

HTPCs don’t have to be much different than your typical computer, but a few key areas do need to be addressed. Just as with a typical desktop computer, there are limitations to what certain configurations can achieve, but customizing the hardware and software can enhance the experience to the point where it may threaten the existence of some of your more traditional home electronics components.

Check out the full guide at Big Bruin.

Lastly is the price of the RAM, a rather large question especially since there isn’t a lot of difference, performance wise to PC5300 RAM. As of this moment its around the $200 (US) mark, which puts it around the other PC6400 RAM around. The upside is that it has tighter timings than the competition, at least at the moment, at 4-4-4-15 rather than 5-5-5-15.

Check out the full review at Viper Lair.

While a lot of the accessories out there take a unidirectional approach to solving automotive listening woes, Dension decided to kill all three birds with one stone. The Ice>Link Plus ports the iPod audio directly to the car’s stereo, holds the iPod in place, and charges your iPod while plugged in. It even throws in some extras. The Ice>Link lets you control the iPod through the existing car stereo controls (details depend on the car / stereo make and model), eliminating the trouble and safety hazard associated with fiddling with the click wheel while steering.

Head on over to XYZ Computing for the full review.

As predicted, September has proven to be a quiet period for new releases on the North American PC market, with the only new titles in the top ten being expansion packs. The Sims 2 Nightlife has crashed straight into the number one spot, while the EverQuest expansion Depths of Darkhollow has beaten the EverQuest II equivalent Desert of Flames in the rankings, with the latter charting at only number eleven. Sandwiched between these two was real-time strategy expansion Winter Assault.

Check out the full list at Gamasutra.

NVIDIA has released a new Forceware today, that has a few bug fixes along with the support of a few new cards. If you have been having any issues with recent games, this updated driver may fix your problem. Download it here.

If you are in the reading mood, you can check out the PDF of the release notes here.

The PC with the PC version of the Xbox title Fable is a return to roots of sorts for Lionhead Studios Better known for their popular Black and White title and it’s expansions, Lionhead put it’s love for “pick a path” stories in a beautiful and expansive RPG.So Rejoice PC Gamers a console to PC port produces a robust, detailed and fun RPG that is deserving of your love and attention.

Check out the great review over at Houston Vehicles.

Jack Thompson, a Florida lawyer who became infamous in 1988 for accusing Janet Reno of being a closeted lesbian with a drinking problem and a strong candidate for blackmail, has recently been making waves with his crusade against the video game industry. Earlier this year, he launched a wrongful death lawsuit against Take Two Interactive and Rockstar Games, makers of the Grand Theft Auto series, claiming that the video game was directly responsible for 18 year-old Devin Moore’s shooting of three police officers in 2003.

This guy is a complete tool. Kudos to PA for helping the world laugh at him. Check out the full story at ArsTechnica.

NEW YORK, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Life is about to get a bit more wild as Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR – News) announced today that developer Frontier has completed development on RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3: Wild!, an adventure-filled expansion pack for the highly-successful RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3. Scheduled to ship to retail outlets nationwide on October 25 for the Windows platform, RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3: Wild! invites tycoons of all ages to create and manage a safari-themed adventure park that features thrilling new rides as well as many different animal species to manage.

Read the full press release here.

(October 20, 2005) – Sierra® Entertainment and Mad Doc® Software, LLC are developing the first expansion pack for their best-selling strategy game, Empire Earth® II, scheduled for release in Spring 2006. Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy will build on the success of Empire Earth II, which received numerous Editor’s Choice Awards and was anointed “The new king of real-time strategy gaming” by PC Gamer Magazine (US).

You can check out everything that is new, over at Ganes Industry.

There’s reason to crack open the champagne at the Mozilla Foundation today after Firefox browser downloads reached the 100m milestone. Yup it’s party time and fans of the open source browser are invited to upload their celebratory snaps.

Wow, that’s amazing, but we all knew it would happen. Check out the full posting at The Register.

Today we’re going to take a look at three of Logitech’s new wireless mice: the Cordless Mini, the V200, & the LX 7. The Cordless Mini & the V200 fall into Logitech’s “Notebook Mice” category, while the LX 7 is simply in the “Cordless Mice” category. This is interesting to me, because the LX 7 is basically the same size as the V200, but there are some differentiating features between the two that certainly separate them into those categories.

Check out the round-up over at Geek Extreme.

EQS enabled HEXUS with its EQS A72K9-CF CrossFire Edition mainboard literally weeks before we got our grubby paws on the ATi Master graphics board required to complete the platform for our analysis on the launch of the CrossFire platform. That timely showing, has enabled us to really get to know the EQS A72K9-CF CrossFire Edition mainboard for this HEXUS article.

Head on over to Hexus for the full review.