Tech News

Valve dabbles in cinematic effects

Posted on December 16, 2005 10:32 AM by Rob Williams

LAST WEEK, VALVE INVITED members of the technology press to its offices in Bellevue in order to show off a collection of cinematic effects that have been added to the Source engine. The effects, which include color correction, film grain, motion blur, and depth of field, are all designed to deepen immersion and imply greater scene complexity while making life easier for game designers, artists, and even mod authors. All the effects are showcased in a recently released Day of Defeat trailer that was created entirely in the Source engine with in-game assets. Some effects will even make their way into Day of Defeat: Source and the Half-Life 2: Aftermath expansion pack. Here’s our take on what these new effects can do, how they’re implemented in the Source engine, and why they may drive the development of the next generation of graphics hardware.

Check out the full look here! I can’t wait to see this finally implemented.

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NGO NVIDIA Optimized Driver v1.8195

Posted on December 16, 2005 10:31 AM by Rob Williams

The NGO NVIDIA Optimized Driver is a tweaked version of the NVIDIA ForceWare driver. The main purpose is to satisfy the users with better performance and image quality. The Driver has support for all Geforce cards.

If you love using optimized drivers, grab the newest NGO ones here!

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Hardware Roundup for Dec. 16

Posted on December 16, 2005 10:29 AM by Rob Williams

For a Friday, there are not that many reviews out today. Maybe some people took an early weekend? Viper Lair is taking some great looking OCZ DDR2 modules for a spin. They were impressed with the tight timings, and I see that the price isn’t too shabby either! Cross-Fire is still but a youngin’, so Legit Reviews is putting the DFI CF board for a run. No doubt, if I had CF this would be the board I’d be picking up.

    Cases & Enclosures
  • Cooler Master AMMO 533 ATX PC Enclosure – Club OC
    Memory & Storage
  • OCZ PC2-6400 EB Platinum Edition – Viper Lair
    Motherboards & CPU’s
  • DFI RDX200 CF-DR Cross-Fire – Legit Reviews
  • Gigabyte GV-K8N51PVMT-9 – PC Stats
    Video Cards & Monitor
  • MSI 512MB Geforce NX7800GTX – PC Stats
  • XGI Volari 8300 Reference Videocard – PC Stats
    Etcetera & Contests
  • Apple iPod Video – Big Bruin
  • CD Ripping Services Compared – Design Technica
  • Dell Dimension XPS 400 Evaluation – Hard|OCP
  • Monthly Contest Reminder (Leadtek Winfast PX7800GT!) – NGOHQ
  • Realm Systems BlackDog Portable Linux Server – XYZ Computing

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Socket M2 is dead, long live AM2!

Posted on December 15, 2005 10:58 AM by Rob Williams

AMD IS preparing for a shift towards DDR-II memory, while still keeping the production of Socket 939 processors “according to demand”. A new Socket has 940 pins, but it isn’t compatible with existing Socket 940 solutions (no suprise there).

Finally, some reasonably priced DDRII chips. I cannot wait to see how DDRII performance will compare to Intel. Check out the posting here.

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Opteron Socket 939 is here to stay

Posted on December 15, 2005 10:52 AM by Rob Williams

IN A previous story, we have cited our sources who received information from AMD about “stopped shipment for Q4”, with Opterons Socket 939 joining the pack. AMD reacted quickly to assure the customers that wasn’t the case, and those several AMD sources got their behinds well slapped.

This is great news for those who still want to get ahold of one of the 939 Opties. Check out the posting at The Inquirer.

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More than 325,000 Xbox 360s already sold

Posted on December 15, 2005 10:49 AM by Rob Williams

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has been a big hit with holiday shoppers as the console racked up over 325,000 unit sales in November. Even though Xbox 360 has been a highlight of the holiday season, video game sales have dropped 18% from the same period last year:

They could be doing so much better had they actually released more though. Check out the posting at AnandTech.

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Does Google have an ear for Opera?

Posted on December 15, 2005 10:46 AM by Rob Williams

Is Google getting ready to buy browser maker Opera Software? That’s the rumor making the rounds in the blog world this week.

Pierre Chappaz, former president of Yahoo Europe, posted a report on his blog about the deal, which he attributed to a knowledgeable source.

What doesn’t Google want to own? Of course they have no chance in acquiring Firefox, so Opera is a possibility. I’d just hate to see things in the future ‘optimized’ for a specific browser. Check out the blog post here.

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Birth of AMDboard.com VF!

Posted on December 15, 2005 10:31 AM by Rob Williams

You all know that France is the country of baguette, camembert and jolies madames but did you know it was also the country in the world were AMD is most successful? Reaching the mythical target of 30% overall market share (Gartner source), the small team of AMD France is doing an incredible job to promote the company to this unprecedented level! This is why AMDboard.com’s team is proud to announce the birth of AMDboard VF, the full French flavor of the mythic AMDboard.com. With French market-related news and reviews of products found in France, AMDboard VF aims to increase awareness of AMD’s products even more and help French-speaking users to enjoy their daily life with their Athlon 64, Athlon X2, Athlon XP, Duron, Opteron, Sempron and Turion 64’s processors as well as their favorite socket 754, socket 939, socket 940, socket A and upcoming socket M2 and socket F’s motherboards.

Check out the French version of the site here!

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CPL Winter Championships 2005 Event Coverage

Posted on December 15, 2005 10:27 AM by Rob Williams

Dallas, Texas is home to the CPL Winter Championships 2005 where the world’s best gamers converge to battle it out in three tournaments for bragging rights and money. This year, CPL brings us fast-paced action with the Counter Strike $60,000 5V5 Tournament, the Quake 4 $30,000 Summer Championships 2006 Qualifier, and the F.E.A.R $10,000 Centrino Mobile Tournament.

For a cool sumup of the event, head over to techFEAR. There are not many pictures right now, but their coverage is only getting started.

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Hardware Roundup for Dec. 15

Posted on December 15, 2005 10:26 AM by Rob Williams

Not a day goes by where someone doesn’t review the Corsair 3500LL 2GB kit, but that’s because it’s so damn good. Check out the review of this great memory at Guru 3D today. For a little bit of a twist, 3D Xtreme takes a SuperTalent kit for a run, which proved to be solid, especially for a name we rarely see. If handheld storage is your thing, then you may want to check out the unique and small looking thumb drive by PQI at PC Stats.

If you have some cash to spare and need a new GPU, you can either check out Mad Shrimps today for a review of the Club 3D 7800GT. I can vouch for that card.. it’s one of the best purchases I’ve made although I use eVGA. For a gamer on a budget, PC Stats is evaluating the 6600GT by Gigabyte, which is also a solid card but it may be worthy to pay the little bit of extra cash for the GS.

    Cases & Enclosures
  • Thermaltake Swing VB6000SNS – TweakNews
  • Raidmax RX-9 Gaming Case – 3D Gameman
    Memory & Storage
  • ATP ToughDrive 1GB – Phoronix
  • Corsair CMX1024-3500LLPRO – Guru 3D
  • PQI Memory Intelligent Stick Pro 170 512MB – PC Stats
  • SuperTalent PC4000 C2.5 1GB kit – 3D Xtreme
    Motherboards & CPU’s
  • Asus A8N-VM CSM GeForce 6150 – PC Stats
  • ECS KA1 MVP Extreme – T-Break
  • Sapphire PURE Innovation PI-A9RD480 Crossfire – techPowerUp!
    Video Cards & Monitor
  • Club 3D GeForce 7800GT 256MB – Mad Shrimps
  • Gigabyte GV-NX66T256D – PC Stats

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Cryptic and Marvel Settlement Reached

Posted on December 15, 2005 9:58 AM by Rob Williams

Marvel Entertainment, Inc., NCsoft Corporation, NC Interactive, Inc., Cryptic Studios, Inc. Settle All Litigation

AUSTIN, Texas, December 12, 2005b—Marvel Entertainment, Inc., NCsoft® Corporation, NC Interactive, Inc. and Cryptic Studiosâ„¢, Inc. are pleased to announce today that they have amicably settled all claims brought by Marvel and all claims brought by NCsoft, NC Interactive, Inc. and Cryptic Studios, Inc. The parties’ settlement allows them all to continue to develop and sell exciting and innovative products, but does not reduce the players’ ability to express their creativity in making and playing original and exciting characters. Therefore, no changes to City of Heroes® or City of Villains’â„¢ character creation engine are part of the settlement. The parties have agreed that protecting intellectual property rights is critically important and each will continue aggressively to protect such rights in accordance with all applicable laws. While the terms of the settlement were not disclosed, all parties agree that this case was never about monetary issues and that the fans of their respective products and characters are the winners in this settlement.

###

About NCsoft

NCsoft – North American is headquartered in Austin, Texas and is part of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation. NCsoft, with its own development and publishing offices in Texas and California, also works with subsidiaries and third party developers throughout North America to develop and publish innovative online entertainment software products. The company launched two massively multiplayer titles on the same day last year: Lineage II and City of Heroes, and in 2005 the hit games Guild Wars® and City of Villains were released. In 2006, NCsoft is poised to launch two more massively multiplayer titles: Auto Assault® and Tabula Rasaâ„¢. More information about NCsoft can be found at http://www.PlayNC.com.

NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, Lineage, Guild Wars, Auto Assault, Tabula Rasa and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. City of Heroes and City of Villains are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cryptic Studios, Inc. and NC Interactive, Inc. Cryptic Studios is a trademark of Cryptic Studios, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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F.E.A.R Review

Posted on December 15, 2005 9:57 AM by Rob Williams

Its deathly silent and you have nothing but the faint beam from your flashlight to slowly navigate the area. Questions run through your head as your brain tries to make sense of what just happened to the rest of your squad, suddenly, you spin around to try and pinpoint the location of a large bang, you see nothing, but begin to proceed cautiously none the less. A small girl appears in your path causing your grip around the shotguns barrel to tighten, as she begins to move you quickly pump a shell into the chamber and backpedal, your breathing becomes more intense and erratic and she begins to move closer to you. Your slow back-pedalling brings you up against a wall, and you let fly with a 12 gauge shell, which has seemingly no effect at all on the girl. Without thinking you eject the empty cartridge, steady your footing, and prepare to fire again as she continues to slowly stumble towards you …. Welcome to the world of First Encounter Assault Recon (F.E.A.R).

Head on over to Xtreme Review for the full review.

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X3 The Reunion Review

Posted on December 15, 2005 9:56 AM by Rob Williams

Fans of the X series of games are sure to love this game. After spending my life in it for nearly a week, it’s easy to see how one can get lost in the possibilities, as EgoSoft successfully brings an entire universe to your fingertips. What you do with that universe from the start is up to you, and that’s precisely the fun of it. Be a ruthless pirate, a freelance law enforcer, a paid assassin, the ultimate economic guru, or whatever else you wish to pass your time as.

Check out the full review at GamePyre.

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Auto Assault Website Gets Fresh Coat of Paint

Posted on December 15, 2005 9:47 AM by Rob Williams

Greetings from the Central Wastelands!

If you see the smoke rising from our corner of the internet, don’t be alarmed! It’s just the mushroom cloud erupting again in our hot new banner, one of many new effects you’ll see when you visit our newly re-vamped website at http://www.autoassault.com. This week, we unveiled a massive redesign, adding an easier navigation system, a huge FAQ and enough post-apocalyptic vehicular combat goodness to melt a Geiger Counter.

Here’s a quick look at some of other big news we’d like to share with you:

  • A special wave of invitations was sent to preorder account holders only, inviting them to join us in our beta playtest that’s currently underway. More information about how to preorder and get in on the action is available here: http://www.autoassault.com/pre-order/
  • The beta itself is still going strong. We’ve completely overhauled the introductory maps – making them the fastest, most destructive tutorials ever – and added mini-highways, getting you settled in behind the wheel and quickly into the action with other players.
  • Character creation has been enhanced with more customization options, even allowing you to customize – and name – your starter vehicle.
  • Suspension, more ramps and acceleration tubes have been added to make driving a greater adventure!

Don’t get stuck on the sidelines, watching the action from a safe distance. Beta applications are still being accepted. Visit https://secure.plaync.com/aa_beta.html to sign up! No license required.

We’ll see you soon in Auto Assault!

– The Auto Assault team

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US HDTV Xbox 360 Gets the Shaft

Posted on December 14, 2005 7:56 PM by Rob Williams

Listen up, you HD-mongering American Xbox 360 owners: it may be time to invest in a little Japanese-import HDTV for your Xbox 360. Here is the deal: in the US, HDTV A/V outputs support 480p, 720p and 1080i, correct? Well Japanese HDTV components run on all of these and one more, that is 750p. That’s why the HD component cable for the Japanese 360 looks a little different and is called a D-Terminal cable. What does this mean for you? Well, it means Japanese gamers can play 360 games at 720p at a hot 60fps and you can’t. Feeling a little screwed? Yeah, we all are. Thanks, Microsoft.

It’s not as bad as you think, so read the posting over at Gizmodo.

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Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 ‘IE7’ Preview

Posted on December 14, 2005 7:16 PM by Rob Williams

PCSTATS looks at the new features which Microsoft plans to bring to the table With Internet Explorer 7, and examine how the underlying functionality of the browser has changed to better protect your computer. Internet Explorer has the distinction of being the browser most targeted by all forms of spyware, malware, and other nasties, so more security is always good news. Essential features like tabbed browsing are just the tip of what Internet Explorer 7 has to offer.

Check out the full look over at PC Stats!

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Hardware Roundup for Dec. 14

Posted on December 14, 2005 12:49 PM by Rob Williams

Today is the day to read up on memory if you are looking to purchase some. PC Stats and InsaneTek are both taking a look at some Corsair PC4000 Platinum, which we also reviewed a few months ago and loved. If I were to build a brand new computer, that’s the memory I would throw in. If you don’t need 2GB (Don’t kid yourself!), then you may want to check out PC Modding Malaysia who are looking at some extremely fast DDR2 memory, clocked at PC7200!

For a different kind of memory, both Tech Report and Viper Lair are taking a look at the new Barracuda 7200.9 500GB! Legit Reviews and Hardware XL also have some great contests going on today, so definitely head over to those sites and enter!

    Cases & Enclosures
  • Raidmax Sagitta ATX Gaming Case – Big Bruin
    Memory & Storage
  • Corsair TwinX2048-4000PT PC4000 DDR500 Memory – PC Stats
  • Corsair XMS TWINX2048-4000PT 2GB Dual Channel Kit – InsaneTek
  • Kingston HyperX PC7200 DDR900 1GB Kit – PC Modding Malaysia
  • OCZ Gold PC4000 GX XTC 2GB Dual Channel Kit – InsaneTek
  • Seagate’s Barracuda 7200.9 hard drives – Tech Report
  • Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200.9 – Viper Lair
    Peripherals & Power Supplies
  • Bluetake i-PHONO mini Bluetooth Stereo Headphone – A True Review
  • Logitech G7 – TeleFragged
  • Steelpad S&S Professional Mousepad – Maximum CPU
    Video Cards & Monitor
  • Acer AL1951 19″ LCD Monitor – UK Gamer
  • ASUS Extreme N6600GT Silencer – Hard|OCP
  • mad-moxx Radeon X800 GTO² 16 Pipes Burstfire – Technic3D
  • Sapphire RADEON X1300 256MB – Case Mod God

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How Much RAM Do You Really Need?

Posted on December 13, 2005 11:31 AM by Rob Williams

How much RAM does your PC have? If you run Windows XP, it is probably in the range of 512 MB to 1 GB. Older Windows versions will do the job with less than that, but as soon as you execute demanding applications or more than one application at a time, anything below 512 MB will likely translate into performance bottlenecks.

This is a great article if you are still not using 2GB, but are considering it. They don’t take a look at anything higher than 2GB, but there’s not a true need for that right now. Check out the full writeup at Toms Hardware.

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Konfabulator graduates to 3.0, becomes Yahoo Widget Engine

Posted on December 13, 2005 11:26 AM by Rob Williams

The modestly popular Konfabulator widget application for Windows and Mac (review) was snatched up by Yahoo in late July, and the company promptly turned around and started giving it away for free. We knew that Yahoo was going to use it to promote some of their web services, and they’ve delivered on that promise now that the application has graduated to version 3.0. And with its first big release in the Yahoo ownership era, it has received a new, Yahoorific name: Yahoo! Widget Engine.

It still seems a little buggy; they certainly have things to improve. It’s free though, and available for Mac and PC so it’s worth a try if it interests you. Read more at Ars Technica.

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Xbox 360 gets cool reception in Japan

Posted on December 13, 2005 11:21 AM by Rob Williams

I guess this was to be expected. BusinessWeek reports that Japanese customers bought less than half of the available Xbox 360 units available during the consoles debut. Considering that Japan is home to Nintendo and Sony, Microsoft still has an uphill battle with the 360.

No doubt MS has a tough audience over there, but it’s because the games available for the 360 are nothing like what Japanese players want. Microsoft has to really negotiate with game companies to introduce unique games over there. Not many people in the US like playing Japanese games, so the same goes for over there. Read the post at Anand.

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MTV and Microsoft band together

Posted on December 13, 2005 11:17 AM by Rob Williams

The service, to be called Urge, is due to launch in 2006 and will be integrated into a new version of Microsoft’s Windows Media Player.

Plans call for the service to offer more than 2 million songs for download from major labels and independent ones, as well as original content and MTV Networks programs. MTV Networks is owned by Viacom.

It doesn’t matter to me just how many songs they offer because I rarely find bands I want to download on iTunes or Napster. I hope to see that this new service will impress… they need a far better selection over the other two in order to succeed. Source: News.com

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Torvalds Says ‘Use KDE’

Posted on December 13, 2005 11:15 AM by Rob Williams

Without tip-toeing around the matter, Linus Torvalds made his preference in the GNOME vs. KDE matter quite clear on the GNOME-usability list: “I personally just encourage people to switch to KDE. This ‘users are idiots, and are confused by functionality’ mentality of Gnome is a disease. If you think your users are idiots, only idiots will use it.

The verbal assassin is back at it again, and speaks his mind. I personally perfer KDE much more than GNOME, but I never found it to be ‘built for idiots’ and I don’t really know how he finds that. Either way, KDE all the way. Read about it here.

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Alexa releases Web Search

Posted on December 13, 2005 11:12 AM by Rob Williams

Alexa is a service that I love to hate, but this is an interesting concept.

The Alexa Web Search Platform provides public access to the vast web crawl collected by Alexa Internet. Users can search and process billions of documents — even create their own search engines — using Alexa’s search and publication tools. Alexa provides compute and storage resources that allow users to quickly process and store large amounts of web data. Users can view the results of their processes interactively, transfer the results to their home machine, or publish them as a new web service.

Check out the service here. I will have to give this a try because it does look like it has potential.

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Xbox 360 File System Decoded

Posted on December 13, 2005 11:09 AM by Rob Williams

The register reports that Pi group has decoded the file system used in the Xbox 360. They write “Once you get past the protections and down to the raw bits on the disc, its just the standard xboxdvdfs, however the offset and layer breakpoint are different.

It was only a matter of time, but less than 3 weeks after the release of the console is amazing. Before we know it, we’ll be seeing Linux running on it, although there’s still not much point in that. Read the posting at Slashdot.

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Hardware Roundup for Dec. 13

Posted on December 13, 2005 11:09 AM by Rob Williams

If you still don’t have a thumb drive, then of course check out our review of the Corsair Voyager that we posted last week. If you want something smaller, then check out Viper Liar today as they are taking a look at the ultra-fast OCZ Rally 2GB drive. If you want even more choice, then Pure Overclock has a great roundup comparing six leading brands.

Both OC Cafe and PC Stats are taking the new AOpen i945Ga motherboard for a test run. What makes this board very unique is that the chipset supports HDTV in 480i up to 1080p! It turns out to be a great board, but has too many quirks at this point in time. If you need advice on what you buy yourself this holiday, or what to buy your geeky friend then you should check out the latest buyers guide at Guru3D.

    Cooling
  • Cooler Master Aquagate Mini R120 CPU Cooler – 3D Xtreme
  • Swiftech MC14 BGA Memory Heatsinks – Motherboards.org
  • Thermalright SI-97 GPU Cooler Mod Guide Rev. 2.1 – Rojak Pot
    Peripherals & Power Supplies
  • Creative EP-630 Headphones – Trusted Reviews
  • Enermax SLI/CrossFire Liberty 400W Power Supply – 3D Gameman
  • Kensington PocketMouse Optical Wireless Micro – Extreme MHz
  • Logitech QuickCam for Notebooks Pro – Everything USB
  • Slim Devices v3 Network Media Player – Think Computers
  • Steelpad Steel Sound 5H-USB Headset – Geek Extreme
  • Silverstone Strider ST60F 600W – NGOHQ
  • Thermaltake Purepower 520W Power Station – Techniz
    Video Cards & Monitor
  • eVGA e-GeForce 7800GT CO 256MB – Phoronix
  • Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B X1800 XL – PC Stats
  • Leadtek 7800 GTX MyVIVO Extreme Video Card – Bjorn 3D
  • Sapphire Radeon X800GTO2 – Trusted Reviews

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