Gaming Laptops

The Return of Earthworm Jim

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:26:00 +0000

Interplay Entertainment is fulfilling its promises of sequels and remakes, and they've teamed up with Douglas TenNapel, the original creator of Earthworm Jim, who will simultaneously serve as the project's creative consultant and help launch an Earthworm Jim animated series and feature film to "expand the well-known brand."
And part of the plan includes a new title in the series currently plated as Earthworm Jim 4.

Earthworm Jim debuted in videogame form in 1994 for the SEGA Genesis. The machinegun-brandishing worm starred in a side-scrolling 2D shoot-'em-up / platformer whose uniquely edgy style and humorous presentation, not to mention winning play mechanics, combined for a standout experience. Subsequent sequels for various platforms followed over the years.

During the late '90s, Interplay suffered a series of financial setbacks which ultimately led in 2004 to the closing of the company. However, in late 2007, after selling the Fallout intellectual property to Bethesda Software, the publisher showed signs of a re-emergence, with executives promising to use the newfound finances to reestablish Interplay as an industry player. It's clear that Tuesday's announcement is the first in a series of steps to draw upon old Interplay licenses as a foundation for the new business.

No further details regarding Earthworm Jim 4 -- target videogame platforms, release date, and so on -- were made available by Interplay's official release today.

The Interplay website now shows a "coming soon" graphic, but does not provide any other information about the company or the games it may have in development. Nor does Tuesday's news release supply contact information of any kind. You can check back here for any updates when they become available.

Assassin's Creed PC Patch to Remove DX 10.1 Support

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:37:00 +0000

Ubisoft has announced that the next patch for the PC version of Assassin's Creed (also available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) will remove Direct X 10.1 support.

The company has chosen to do so in light of many reported glitches. Ubisoft is currently trying to re-implement a glitch free DX10.1 version of the game in the upcoming patch.

No expected release date has been given regarding the launch of the patch but the developers have said that they should have further updates for the community soon. We'll be keeping a close eye on this so keep checking back here for more updates.

Assassin's Creed Game Details

Buy Assassin's Creed
	Published by: Ubisoft Developed by: Ubisoft Montreal Genre: Action Release Date: US: April 8, 2008 Europe: March 2008 Australia: TBA Also Available On: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Sins of a Solar Empire patch 1.04

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:32:00 +0000

According to Voodoo Extreme, Patch 1.04 for Sins of a Solar Empire is out. The much anticipated update to the popular space strategy game is also a substantial one.

For this build, tons of improvements were added to gameplay and balance as well as artificial intelligence, networking, multiplayer support, user interface and modding. It's also important to note that saved games and replays from version 1.03 will not work with patch 1.04.

Here is the official change log (courtesy of the game's official site):

Gameplay / Balance:
-Market value changes:
-Ratio of buy/sell is now 2:1 instead of 3:1.
-Min price now 200 instead of 80.
-Boom/crashes now last ~twice as long.
-Multiple instances of the Embargo planet debuff from the same player no longer stack.
-Capital ships
-All non-Colony capital ship top speeds increased from 500 to 525.
-All Colony capital ship top speeds increased from 400 to 475.
-Siege Frigates:
-Build costs decreased by ~15%.
-Javelis, Illuminator, Assailant:
-Linear acceleration decreased from 200 to 150.
-Top speed decreased from 800 to 500.
-Range decreased from 130% to 115% of 1.02 ranges.
-Illuminator:
-Hull points increased from 520 to 620.
-Shield points increased from 450 to 550.
-Attack type changed from CAPITALSHIP to ANTIMEDIUM.
-Front bank damage increased from 33.8 to 58.5.
-Side banks damage decreased from 33.8 to 30.3.
-Defense Vessel:
-Reduced cooldown by 45%, damage reduced proportionally to maintain DPS.
-Fleet supply increased from 3 to 4.
-Now properly benefits from Advent laser research topics.
-Attack types
-AntiVeryLight chance to hit bombers decreased from 85% to 75%.
-AntiVeryLight damage vs Light armor decreased from 100% to 75%.
-Carriers
-Slight cost reductions for all carrier cruisers
-Returning Armada and General Fleet Spawning
-No longer possible to spawn ships past fleet point limit.
-Ship slot count updated after each spawn to prevent RA exploit (clicking multiple abilities at same time).
-Increased level 1 RA cooldown by 120 secs and level 2 RA cooldown by 60 secs
-Map Balance of Power fixed to have less Heavies and populated desert worlds.
-Stilakus Subverter's Distortion Field ability will no longer cause it to micro phase jump towards targets travelling to other planets.
-Fix for problem where after playing Sins for 100000 seconds (27.7 hours) damage and various other systems wouldn't update correctly.
-Fix for strike craft squads being able to launch when they should be grounded.
-Phasic Barrier now toggles off more consistently when it's 'autocast off' conditions are satisfied.

AI:
-Fixed minor bug in Unfair AI not behaving quite correctly.
-Fix bug where AI would retreat from his homeworld or last planet.
-AI is less likely to gang up on the leading player in Easy or Normal.
-Autocast logic for hull point restoring abilities no longer consider structures under construction as damaged.
-Fix for ships not auto-attacking after breaking alliances.
-Fix for AI difficulty settings not behaving correctly.
-Misc tweaks.

Networking / Multiplayer:
-Fixed minor bug in ico-join game screen where fleet size display was incorrect.
-Improved in-game chat text entry:
-Escape no longer clears the chat buffer when closing the window.
-Sending whispers is remembered (don't have to retype the whisper when sending again).
-Sending to allies is remembered (don't have to retype /a when sending again).
-Chat string and colors changed.
-Fixed bug where joining a multiplayer game in a slot that was previously held by an AI player would have the AI still be enabled when you started the game.
-When a human player drops and an AI replaces him, the AI now has his happiness set to the required amount for existing alliances so he doesn't drop them all instantly.

UserInterface / HUD:
-Fix map names for Backstab and Balance of power.
-Fixed bug where fleet pip clouds would not show up when loading a saved game.
-Fixed string label for IDS_COHESIONRANGE_FAR_NAME and IDS_COHESIONRANGE_FAR_DESCRIPTION.
-Changed artifacts researched stat to be "artifact discoveries"
-Tweaked some ability descriptions to improve their clarity.
-'Unit under attack' events are now suppressed for trade and refinery ships.

Modding:
-Entity name lookup is now case insensitve.
-New options to enable error messages. This can be turned on by modders in the user.setting file to simplify tracking down errors instead of mysteriously crashing.
-Fix num particles in the user.setting file not actually increasing and added user control over the number of particle simulations since this is another main limiter for those with uber computers who want to push things.

Misc:
-Fix for saved games not respecting custom game options.

Fans are being warned that update 1.04 will not work with previous saved games, so tread lightly. Gamers can sign into the official website and download the update at the via link below. Impulse Beta gamers will be prompted to a different set of instructions. For more information on the space epic, check out IGN review of Sins of a Solar Empire.

[Via Sins of a Solar Empire Forums]

Sins of a Solar Empire Game Details

Buy Sins of a Solar Empire
	Published by: Stardock Developed by: Ironclad Games Genre: Real-Time Strategy Release Date: US: February 4, 2008 MSRP: $39.99

Extreme PS3 Laptop:Playstation 3 Portable

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:48:00 +0000

If you're one among the many Sony PlayStation 3 owners in the world, and you're into high performance gaming laptops then this news update should make you want to wipe your drool off stat: Ben Heck , master of hacking pretty much everything, has just unveiled his latest creation, the Sony PlayStation 3 laptop. Weighing in at around 16 pounds - you could kill a zombie with it - this baby is pure PlayStation from top to bottom, from the hardware to the logo.

For the tech-oriented of us (or just the terminally-curious), here's the specs:

Original backwards compatible 60GB model
17-inch LCD HDTV screen: 720p
HDMI-DVI connection
Built-in keyboard, USB ports, stereo speakers, headphone jack
Size: 17 x 13.75 x 3-inches
Weight: 16 pounds

While we can say that it certainly takes a strong, brave man to take apart a Sony PlayStation 3 and then put it back together again into a laptop built for gaming and something sleeker and definitely more portable, we have to admit that the thing looks absolutely gorgeous and well worth the dismantling.

If you're curious as to how to procure one of these custom gaming laptops, then you'll have to be quick, as it's being auctioned off for charity. But if you are going to go on a bid war for this expensive piece of machinery, just remember that you'll also be doing it for a good cause.

[Via Engadget]

Mass Effect for PC Delayed

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:21:00 +0000

With the alien-sex controversy started by its Xbox 360 version having subsided already, Mass Effect has a good thing going for it nowadays. Electronic Arts and BioWare even tried to appease the PC gaming community with new features for the procrastination they endured. But that may not be enough as Mass Effect is getting delayed for PC again.

Over at the BioWare forums, Community Coordinator Chris Priestly relayed the official statement on the matter:

"I have just confirmed with the development team that we are making a small change to the release date of Mass Effect for the PC. We had previously announced May 6, 2008 for North America. The new release date for North America is May 28, 2008 and June 6, 2008 in Europe."

We understand that patience is always a virtue; Priestly added that the extra weeks will let them do more finishing touches especially with detail and feedback. However, frustration can't be avoided especially when hopes have been raised.

Bioware said a few more weeks of play testing will ensure a more polished experience. Mass Effect was previously released on the Xbox 360 in November 2007, while Bioware and co-developer Demiurge Studios are adding new control schemes, missions, and graphical capabilities to the PC version.

[Via Bioware]

Mass Effect Game Details

Buy Mass Effect
	Published by: Electronic Arts Developed by: BioWare Genre: RPG Number of Players: 1 Release Date: US: May 27, 2008 Europe: TBA 2008 Australia: TBA 2008 MSRP: $49.99 Also Available On: Xbox 360

Sins of a Solar Empire Expansion

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 22:15:00 +0000

According to Wired, Brad Wardell, president and CEO of Stardock, has confirmed an expansion to the popular space strategy game Sins of a Solar Empire, while he wasn't ready to give out any specifics, he did mention that some much-requested features will be granted.

Those, Wardell continued, would include a "full on campaign" mode as well as new playable factions. Regarding the new patches, Wardell also said that version 1.04 should be coming out soon and that will be closely followed with the release of version 1.1.

In addition, Wardell also revealed that patch 1.1 is looming behind the scenes. Patch 1.1 sets out to revamp networking systems and allows high performance gaming laptops to have a whole new maximum graphics setting.

Sins of a Solar Empire Game Details

Buy Sins of a Solar Empire
	Published by: Stardock Developed by: Ironclad Games Genre: Real-Time Strategy Release Date: US: February 4, 2008 MSRP: $39.99

Crysis Patch 1.3 Underway

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:44:00 +0000

Far greater things are now under way for Crytek's Crysis. Just a few weeks ago we posted about Hotfix Patch 1.21 being released for the pc game. Now, news has it that the devs behind the FPS game are now developing Patch 1.3

The multiplayer development team is setting out to fix bugs, balance game play issues, and add new features. Details so far are sketchy and there is no official release date for the patch, but the company intends to release more info on the patch next Wednesday.

Crysis Game Details

Buy Crysis
	Published by: Electronic Arts Developed by: Crytek Studios / Electronic Arts Genre: First-Person Shooter Number of Players: 1-32 Release Date: US: November 16, 2007 Europe: November 16, 2007 Australia: November 16, 2007 MSRP: $49.99

Crysis Hotfix Patch 1.21

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:32:00 +0000

If you've been eagerly waiting for the release of the Hotfix Patch 1.21 that Crytek promised for Crysis, then wait no more your reward has finally arrived. The wait you guys have been enduring is surely worth it.

As Community Manager Cry-Alex said in the forums, the Hotfix has been official approved and is now ready to be acquired by those who want it bad. The Patch is approximately 37 MB. It will be fixing the recognized security holes in the game code which unfortunately causes client and server crashes when playing online.

But before you download and install the Hotfix, Cry-Alex advised that Patch 1.2 must be installed already for everything to work perfectly. Other than this, everything is pretty much smooth sailing.

There is also the Crysis Mod SDK v1.2 that's up for realese. As you guys know, this version is the second release and includes the much anticipated game source code of the pc game.

What's great about this is that the source code let you guys customize the game by implementing your very own functionalities and features to the game itself, which you can definitely share with the rest of the gaming community.We'll keep you guys posted for more news and updates on the game. You can check them both out if you visit the source link below.

[Via Crymod]

Crysis Game Details

Buy Crysis
	Published by: Electronic Arts Developed by: Crytek Studios / Electronic Arts Genre: First-Person Shooter Number of Players: 1-32 Release Date: US: November 16, 2007 Europe: November 16, 2007 Australia: November 16, 2007 MSRP: $49.99

Unreal Tournament 3 patch 1.2

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:09:00 +0000

It's patch time over on the Epic Games' Unreal Tournament 3 forums, and they've got a smorgasboard of changes lined up for the pc game. Changes include gameplay, interface, AI and map changes, fixes and updates. New Linux dedicated server files are available as well, as is a webadmin package.

Here's part of the changelog so you get an idea of what your are downloading:

Gameplay:

Increased UTGame MaxPlayersAllowed to 64
Fixed leviathan turret instant refire exploit
Fixed errant lock on warnings when no longer in vehicle
Fixed the Scavenger exploit
Fixed shaped charge node exploit
Implemented viewobjective spectating system for Warfare

User Interface:

Clicking on the settings tab goes to directly to the full settings menu
Fixed leviathan deploy icon positioning
Joystick key bindings in UI display properly
Added support for commandline log in login=xxx password=xxx. This also allows Gamespy comrade and other external applications to be used to launch network clients
Improved language support for French, Spanish, Italian, and German
Fixed favorites Tab Page server details not updating

Networking:

Added support for autodownloading packages while in gameplay or while travelling
Fixed dedicated server memory leaks
ConnectionTimeout and InitialConnectTimeOut now both 60.0. Addresses both clients failing connection because they take too long to load a level, and initial connections staying open too long
Fixed HTTP download compression
Fixed client crash if the user disconnects while downloading a file during a seamless travel
Fixed bots not replicating their view pitch, so their animation looks better in net games.
Strip OwningPlayerName= from the URL, as this is determined elsewhere and was breaking dedicated internet servers launched from the UI

Mod support:

Added ScriptedTexture, a type of render to texture that gives Canvas access to script/C++ for rendering custom overlays
Added a version of DrawTile() to Canvas that takes a Texture instead of Texture2D so render to texture stuff like ScriptedTextures can more easily be used
Weapons now take roll from player viewrotation
Added a ModFamilies array to UTCustomChar_Data to allow mod authors to add families to the list
Fixed Change Node Status Kismet action not working on fully constructed powernodes
Added Timestamp function to UObject, returns a string in the format YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS

Folks who want to download the patch can follow the source link below for mirror links to the patch. It's 234.33 MB though, so you're going to have to wait a while for the download to finish.

[Via Epic Games UT3 Forums]

Unreal Tournament III Game Details

Buy Unreal Tournament III
	Published by: Midway Games Developed by: Epic Games Genre: First-Person Shooter Release Date: US: November 19, 2007 Europe: November 30, 2007 Australia: November 30, 2007 MSRP: $49.99 Also Available On:PS3, Xbox 360

Sins of a Solar Empire version 1.02 Patch

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:01:00 +0000

Game developer Ironclad Games has finally released the latest patch of Sins of the Solar Empire. Published by Stardock Entertainment, this is a real-time strategy game for Windows XP and Vista which incorporates elements from 4X strategy games.

This is part of the official changelog that's just been released. Check them out below:

Graphics

Fix bug where skybox is always the same
New Advent bomber icons to better differentiate them from fighters.
Shield projection's bubble less opaque
Various new ICO art

Networking / Multiplayer

ICO server now ignores case when searching for channel names
Games in progress causing "Rejected by Host" error fixed
Multiplayer lobby screens now have Map Designer tab
Whisper functionality for ICO
Refactored join game screen
Fix for not seeing friend's games

UserInterface / HUD

Fix rare bug in group selection.
Hooked up proper double clicking to text lists so clickng on something already selected doesn't try to join a game when it shouldn't.
Hooked up ico-player name lists (both selecting player and chat lobby player names) to double clicking.
Added infocard keybindings for quick-select buttons
Added counter descriptions for all frigates and fighters
Game menu now mapped to F10 by default instead of Esc so people can repeatedly press Esc to close any submenu they may-Fix rare bug in group selection

According to Frogboy from the Sins of the Solar Empire forums, they're planning to provide regular free updates to the strategy game to thank those who've purchased SoSE and who continue to support the game. Sins of the Solar Empire version 1.02 can be downloaded either by using Stardock Central (link is in the forum post you'll find by hitting the Via link below) or by clicking on the update button within the game.

[Via Sins of a Solar Empire forums]

Sins of a Solar Empire Game Details

Buy Sins of a Solar Empire
	Published by: Stardock Developed by: Ironclad Games Genre: Real-Time Strategy Release Date: US: February 4, 2008 MSRP: $39.99

ASUS Launches OC Version for EN9600GT Series

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:25:00 +0000

According to HardwareZone, in order to cater to users who require excellent graphical performance boosts and exceptional cooling from their graphic cards, ASUS introduces the world's first overclocking version of the latest NVIDIA GeForce 9600GT GPU - the ASUS EN9600GT TOP graphics card.

Users will enjoy 10% engine clock improvements for gaming experiences with the EN9600GT TOP/HTDI/512M; and both the ASUS EN9600GT TOP/HTDI/512M and EN9600GT/HTDI/512M models will be soon upgraded with the newest thermal solution – the Glaciator Fansink. Furthermore, the integrated SmartDoctor feature will provide users with the option to overclock the Shader Clock for even better graphical performances.

10% Engine Clock Boosts
With the EN9600GT TOP, gamers can expect core, shader, and memory clock performance boosts from 650MHz up to 720MHz, 1625MHz up to 1800MHz, and from 1.8GHz up to 2GHz respectively. This produces an astonishing 10% improvement in terms of core performance when compared to any other reference designed board*. Gamers can now experience the rush of superb gaming performances only with the ASUS EN9600GT TOP/HTDI/512M.

Extreme Cooling with Exclusive Glaciator Fansink
The upcoming version of the ASUS EN9600GT Series will incorporate the Glaciator Fansink – a specially designed fansink that is able to effectively dissipate heat away from the GPU to help lower temperatures – much like real-life glacial storms. Besides this extreme cooling capacity, it is also ultra quiet with operating levels of only 25dB – almost imperceptible in a quiet room; and caters to users who require maximum cooling without excessive fan rotation noise.

Official “HDMI Certified” Graphic Cards
The HDMI format is defined, specified and governed by HDMI Licensing, LLC in the USA. Being "HDMI Certified" refers to any product that meets all of the strict criteria as set out by HDMI Licensing; and utilizing any HDMI product that is not approved may result in poor performance, and can even void the warranty on users’ other HDMI enabled hardware. Therefore, the “HDMI Certified” ASUS EN9600GT series are the most trusted graphics cards for home theater enthusiasts to choose from.

Unprecedented Rock Solid Quality from ASUS
Keeping in line with ASUS’ Rock Solid promise for quality, the EN9600GT Series’ second version will come with several solutions to provide the best laptop graphics processor for gaming. With the EMI shield, 66% EMI Interference can be reduced for more stable signals. The DIP Spring Chokes can also lower temperatures by 5~10oC in comparison with traditional Toroidal Coil Chokes. Additionally, the LF PAK MOS guarantees more efficient power and less heat. On top of all this, the Japan made polymer capacitors can lower power loss for more stable operations. Therefore, users will be able to take their high performance gaming laptops to a new level and have peace of mind only with ASUS EN9600GT Series.

Overclock the Shader Clock with New SmartDoctor
ASUS garners a world’s first by providing an overclocking utility that is able to tweak the Shader Clock on GPUs with the new SmartDoctor. With this handy application, users will be able to overclock the Shader Clock and Engine Clock independently for astonishing performance boosts without the hassles of rebooting or re-flashing their BIOS.

Xbox 360 Elite Gaming Laptop

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 22:13:00 +0000

The Mod God as he is known to many is at it again. For those of you not familiar with this mod genius, his name is Benjamin Heckendorn (aka Ben Heck)and his latest accomplishment, squeezing an Xbox 360 Elite into a laptop, is his best revision yet. This is one of the laptops built for gaming that blows your mind away.

While he's made 360 laptops before, this is his first based upon the newer 65nm chipset. This high performance gaming laptop has some new features compared to past units:120 gig Elite hard drive, HDMI-to-DVI video connection for digitial picture on the LCD (versus VGA on past mods), a lot more surface detail, and the 17" screen uses a 1280×720 resolution (as opposed to 1280X768) for true 720p picture.

Needless to say this one extreme mod. On his website Ben has included a graphic breakdown of just about every step he went through to produce this custom gaming laptop he also includes pictures so you can check it out here.

Dual 8800 GTX Cards Comes to Dell's XPS M1730

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 04:41:00 +0000

Yesturday Dell officially announced the availability of dual nVidia GeForce 8800M GTX video cards (2 x 512MB) with nVidia SLI for the XPS M1730 and XPS M1730 World of Warcraft edition notebooks. Being capable of producing a 3DMark06 score of up to a 13,500 3DMarks( a 49 percent improvement over dual nVidia Geforce 8700M GT SLI technology) Dell's XPS M1730 laptop will be able to deliver stunning performance even for demanding games like Crysis and BioShock.

While this news may bitter sweet for you gamers who already purchased the XPS M1730, Dell has another trick up their sleave. Dell will offer a "graphics upgrade program" for customers with existing XPS M1730 and XPS M1730 World of Warcraft edition laptops. So don't get bent out of shape Dell has got you covered.

New customers can configure the XPS M1730 gaming laptop with dual 512MB GeForce 8800M GTX cards for an additional $700 bucks. Details on the upgrade program were not known at this time.

Of course, Dell is not the first notebook manufacturer to break ground on the dual 8800M GTX video cards. Sager was first to the market with the release of the NP9262 with dual 8800M GTX cards last year.

The Alienware Area-51 m15x Has Landed

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:06:00 +0000

It's the first 15.4-inch notebook in the U.S. market with the Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTX video card,and It's available today, with it's out of this world LED glow. The Area-51 m15x gaming laptop is based on the Intel PM956 chipset and comes with an Intel Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Extreme mobile processor.The incorporated Nvidia’s top of the line GeForce 8800M GTX mobile graphics card has 512MB of dedicated video memory. The “world’s fastest notebook GPU” is compatible with DirectX 10 games and manages the notebook’s 15.4″ 1920-by-1200 or 1440-by-900 widescreen display.

The high performance gaming laptop also sports Alienware’s BinaryGFX technology. The dedicated graphics card operates in conjunction with an integrated graphics processor. The onboard GPU reduces power consumption during low intensity tasks, while switching to the GeForce 8800M GTX unleashes full graphics capabilities.The m15x supports up to 4GB of DDR2 memory. It comes with up to 320GB hard drive, or with an optional 64GB solid state drive. The system provides the Smart Bay Swappable Drive, which can be filled with a DVD burner, Blu-Ray reader, Bly-Ray writer, secondary hard drive, or a backup battery.This gaming laptop, which runs Windows Vista OS, has the Intel Wireless 4965 a/b/g/draft-N connection, a Gigabit Ethernet LAN, and a Bluetooth, as well as three USB ports, an ExpressCard slot, a 7-in-1 media card reader, and a Firewire port. For HDTV connectivity there is an HDMI output. The Alienware Area-51 m15x weighs 7 pounds with a standard 6-cell battery which gives you about 4 hours of battery life.

Two of the m15x models are available to order immediately, with the third promised soon. Unfortunately for those looking for a bargain, the two available now are the higher end models, coming in at $2,099 and $2,699, with the "low-end" $1,499 model only listed as "coming soon."

Gateway P-Series FX Gaming Notebook

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 23:21:00 +0000

Gateway has debuted it's awaited gaming laptop and it's one of those laptops built for gaming,giving gamers everything they need in a notebook PC without the price premium typically associated with such PCs. The new Gateway P-Series FX Edition gaming notebook is ready for DirectX 10 gaming action with NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS 512MB GDDR3 graphics, an Intel Mobile Extreme X7900 processor which can be overclocked, and even an HD-DVD drive for watching movies on the units' 17-inch widescreen display.

Gateway's "FX" line of desktop PCs for digital media, gaming and other advanced applications gave birth to the new "FX Edition" notebooks. Like Gateway's FX desktop line, the new P-Series FX Edition notebooks provide the outstanding performance and features that PC gamers demand. The notebook line includes world-class technologies, such as the NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS 512MB GDDR3 graphics solution, HDMI and ESATA ports.

Gateway designed the P-Series FX Edition to be available with a range of technology and features at varied price points. So, while the new notebook line is ideal for demanding gamers and enthusiasts who want the latest technology, it will also be perfect for digital media hobbyists and the not so serious PC game players.

The Gateway P-Series FX Edition notebooks are available this week from Gateway in the following configurations:

Gateway P-171XL FX Edition
Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 processor, NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8800M GTS 512MB GDDR3, 17-inch WUXGA display (1920x1200), 3072MB of DDR2 SDRAM, 400GB of storage (two 200GB 7200RPM SATA hard drives) and an HD-DVD player (DVD-RW). It is priced at $2,999.99.

Gateway P-171S FX Edition
Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 processor, NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8800M GTS 512MB GDDR3, 17-inch WXGA+ display, 3072MB of DDR2 SDRAM, a 250GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive and a slot-load multi-format dual layer DVD-R/RW/DVD-RAM drive with LabelFlash™ technology which lets users laser-burn scratch-resistant personalized images directly on CDs and DVDs. It is priced at $1,599.99.

Gateway P-171X FX Edition
The new Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 processor, NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8800M GTS 512MB GDDR3, 17-inch WUXGA display, 3072MB of DDR2 SDRAM, a 200GB 7200RPM SATA hard drive and a slot-load multi-format dual layer DVD-R/RW/DVD-RAM drive with LabelFlash technology. It is priced at $1,999.99.

Gateway P-6831FX
The premiere model will be available beginning this weekend at the price of $1,349.99.
It comes with the 17-inch WXGA+ display, NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8800M GTS 512MB GDDR3, an Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 processor, 3072MB of DDR2 SDRAM and a 250GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive. The multi-format dual layer DVD-R/RW/DVD-RAM drive comes with LabelFlash technology.

GamerZines: Free Emagazines for Gamers

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 19:35:00 +0000

Gamerzines is an electronically distributed emagazine about videogames and PC games. The emagazines themselves are completely free to download. They don’t require any registration or special software to read the emagazine. Inside each Gamerzine, you'll find previews and reviews which you can read online, or download the emagazine and read it from your PC. You can print each issue at high quality, and best of all, each issue is enhanced with video, animation and interactive competitions. Each GamerZines is written by a team of professional games journalists who have all worked on some of the UK’s biggest games and technology magazines.

What will I find in a GamerZine?

The same quality of editorial that you would find in a magazine you buy off the shelves - they have over 15 years experience in creating magazines
Design that matches the highest standards in a printed magazine - the emagazines look great, which makes reading them a lot more enjoyable
Ease of use - navigating your way around the magazine and using its advanced features is incredibly simple.
Immersive multimedia - games are an immersive medium, which is why, alongside static screenshots, you'll find animation, interactivity and video throughout the emagazines.

What do I need?

Adobe Reader version 6 or above (free). If you have installed Internet Explorer 7 (whether you use it or not), we recommend you upgrade to version 8, from this link. It ensures all features work correctly. Because Adobe Reader is a plugin for Internet Explorer, you need to upgrade to the latest version that has been written to work with Internet Explorer 7, or the multimedia elements may not work correctly.
Adobe Flash (should be pre-installed on Windows)
Windows Media Player version 10 or above (version 9 should be pre-installed on Windows and should work, but we recommend version 10. Try installing the latest version if you experience video playback difficulties.)

You can start dowmloading Gamerzine now just follow the link below. We will have updated issues every month.

PCGZine, the free PC Games magazine
This is a completely free magazine for PC gamers - download the latest issue now!

Downloading Games Online

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 21:03:00 +0000

Are you looking for a site where you can start downloading games online? Look no more I have the perfect solution for you, Direct2Drive.

What you get when you go to Direct 2 Drive is the largest selection of downloadable PC games and digital entertainment for the gamer lifestyle. You have the convenience of downloading your games in an instant which means you don’t have to drive to the store and the best part you're downloading the exact retail versions of the hottest new PC game titles and there's no waiting for major releases if you’re outside the U.S . If you're into older games they have a huge catalog of classics you won’t find anywhere else. They also offer game strategy guides from PRIMA and BRADYGAMES, downloadable PDF editions of Play Magazine’s Girls of Gaming and when you download your game you get the .pdf copy of the game manual included.

The only thing you have to do is enter the CD key and then an activation key which is a one time thing, it's not like some download sites where you have to connect to their service and stay connected to play any game you purchased through them.

The only complaint I may have against Direct 2 Drive is the fact that the DRM they use is STARFORCE. STARFORCE is the most invasive DRM with bad reputation amongst gamers. If you're not sure about Starforce you can email them and ask for a list of games that use it. With the exception of that minor detail Direct2Drive has become one of my game havens, it's convenient, nice download manager,and they carry a good selection of games. So if you're in the mood check it out here

Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX Gaming Laptop Review

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 20:13:00 +0000

For people who know those gamers who just can't get their game on without the newest, flashest, and fastest system available, we bring you news of the FragBook DRX from Falcon Northwest.

The DRX—stands for Desktop Replacement Extreme. This is a machine which attempts to push the limits of what might be considered a laptop system by packing all the features of a high-end gaming desktop into a laptop chassis. The results are unprecedented. Somewhere inside this beast of a machine Falcon has stashed three!, 200GB hard drives, a top-of-the-line Intel Core 2 Extreme CPU, 4 gigs of RAM, and dual video cards: Nvidia GeForce 8700M GTs running in an SLI rig. Performance is, as expected, ridiculously fast.The FragBook DRX offers Intel Core 2 Duo processors running at up to 2.93 GHz, support for up to 4 GB of 800 MHz DDR2 RAM, and 17-inch 1,900 by 1,200 pixel LCD display. With the three internal SATA II hard drives with RAID 0, 1, and 5 capability, you can either have enough storage for your entire media collection or reliable data backup—or, for some people, maybe both. The system also sports a 1.3 megapixel Webcam, 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking, an 8× dual-layer DVD burner, gigabit Ethernet, and four internal speakers. Also on board: DVI, VGA, and S-Video output; four USB 2.0 ports; 1 mini FireWire port; headphone, mic, audio in, and S/PDIF; an ExpressCard/34/54 slot, a 7-in-1 media card reader, and a CATV television tuner. If you think all this hardware consumes power, you'd be right with all of 61 minutes of battery life. And if you think all this hardware would be heavy, you'd be right again, at 12.1 pounds it's a backbreaker. Although the unit's 12.1 pounds isn't as bad as some other desktop replacement rigs.

If you think the Dell WoW laptop's price was astronomical at $4500 USD, prepare to be blasted even higher with the Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX Gaming Laptop which starts at $5,433.79, which will get you this monster completely customizable, from chassis to drive capacities to peripherals to operating system to custom paint jobs, of course, with 4 GB of RAM and three hard drives (on 7200 rpm 100 GB, two 5400 RPM 160 GB) the price tag jumps to $7,763.56. In conclusion the price is way too much when you can easily customize your own gaming laptop for way less and better looks but if you have the funds go for it.

WidowPC's Sting 517D2 First With NVIDIA 8800M GTX Video Card

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:45:00 +0000

About a month ago I wrote about NVIDIA launching its latest mobile graphics circuit GeForce 8800M GTX and now the first systems using this monster chip have appeared.
WidowPC, a leader in cutting-edge PC hardware, has blown the compitetion out of the water by being the first to ship a gaming laptop featuring the 8800M GTX DirectX 10 compatible video card. Already an acclaimed mobile platform, WidowPC's Sting 517D2 makes a killer combination with the 8800M GTX GPU. The 8800M GTX features 512MB of dedicated DDR3 video memory, 96 stream processors (as opposed to the 32 in previous generation cards), and supports unrivaled HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc picture clarity. Add to this, NVIDIA's new PowerMizer battery extending technology, and you have the most powerful gaming laptop in the market today.
"The new GeForce 8800M GPUs allow gamers to have the ultimate gaming experience on a mobile platform," said Joshua McClure, General Manager at WidowPC. "These new 8800M video cards are exactly what the doctor ordered to play Crysis at advanced levels of visual realism. We’re proud to be the first in North America to ship this incredible performance enhancer."

The Sting 517D2 laptop features a 17-inch screen capable of providing 1920x1200 resolution display. WidowPC provides the necessary customisation options with respect to mobile Intel CPU, RAM, Video card, HDD/SSD and Operating System.The base config starts at $2,061. A decent customization to build a balanced gaming notebook PC comprising of the following components will set you back by about $3,500.

Single nVidia GeForce 8800M GTX 512MB

17-inch 1920x1200 LCD with Camera, Bluetooth, Fingerprint reader, carry case

Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2GHz

2GB 800MHz DDR2 RAM

160GB 7200RPM HDD

Remaining standard config

You can go here to start customizing your own gaming laptop in seconds.

Wolfking Timber Wolf Keyboard Review

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 18:49:00 +0000

It may not immediately be to everybody's tastes but the thing actually looks quite good. The main body is made up of chic silver plastic, framed by slightly matted black. The media keys along the top of the board are all reflective silver and the black and grey regular keys match the colour of the body perfectly. The keyboard is
without any backlighting. Backlighting is a love-it-or-hate-it feature which, done well, can make midnight gaming a lot easier and more stylish but, done poorly, is more headache-making than any other single design slip-up.A circle of all the important FPS keys called the WASD gaming pad surrounds your left hand in a unique configuration, which is based upon the ancient fighting discipline concept of a circle of death. Martial arts fans amongst you may know that this is where you centre an energy which can then be used to gain victory during conflict. By arranging all the keys that you might use within the battle arena of a first person shooter game to encircle your left hand, the Timber King hopes to focus your fighting energy.The WASD pad is unusual design-wise in that, unlike some other gaming keyboards it doesn't re-label the keys with a series of arrow buttons and 'Jump' stickers. Instead, it lists everything just as it is recognised by the computer; WASD and the surrounding letters. The gaming keypad comprises a total of forty keys, including two Ctrl keys and a vertical space bar for extra large thumbs.These forty keys have all been re-shaped and had the layout subtlety changed to fit into a circular pattern. Some of the keys, like the numbers and ERGT buttons, have been rounded off and positioned into a curved array, while others, like O and B, have been made more massive and widely spaced so as to fall under the thumb more easily.The media keys all along the top of the keyboard provide the basic functions. The Timberwolf has two flick-up stands on the back which elevate it an inch or two to a comfortable position and though the keyboard is small ( 20cm by 52cm), it still feels reassuringly heavy,at 1.6Kg. The Timberwolf design is obviously focused on FPS gamers and yet it not only comes without the CD full of drivers,but it also lacks macro keys of any description. On the plus side, for gaming it holds up very well and is both comfortable and responsive, placing a great number of keys at our fingertips and thoughtfully leaving the lower end of the pad empty as a wrist support. On the downside, the rest of the keyboard feels a little awkward to use and clustering the keys all together means it's definitely unsuited for office gamers who will spend the majority of time typing and game only for an hour or two a day.
It's more aimed at hardcore players who spend the majority of time gaming and who need a keyboard for their gaming machine outside of the office. For that audience, the Timberwolf holds up very well despite a few small design flaws.

Dell introduces World of Warcraft gaming laptop

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 18:02:00 +0000

Dell has announced the XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition notebook PC, a special laptop tailored specifically for WoW fans.The gaming laptop features Intel Extreme Edition Core 2 duo processors, Ageia PhysX processor, a full HD 17-inch widescreen, Nvidia SLI graphics with 512MB RAM and DX10 capabilities, and optional Blu-ray Disc drive.The computer will come pre-loaded with WoW and the expansion, The Burning Crusade. Gamers can choose artwork for either the Alliance or the Horde to adorn their system, along with original desktop art and screensavers. The package will also come with a special WoW backpack filled with other Warcraft-related goodies. Starting price for the laptop begins at $4,499.Other features include a built-in camera, a backlit keyboard, touchpad, and a microphone. Dell and Blizzard Entertainment have also collaborated to sponsor WoW tournament as part of the championship gaming series (CGS) league's inaugural World Final. CGS will host the tournament-within-a-tournament event on December 8 2007 at Sony Studios in Los Angeles.

NVIDIA Plays Santa This Holiday Season

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:06:00 +0000

If you are like me and you have been waiting for the day when graphics in gaming went to the next level, wait no more that day is finally here.This holiday season a new era of PC games,featuring advanced new graphics effects,will immerse gamers like never before.And to offer the best experience when playing these games a new generation of gaming laptops equiped with the GPUs (graphics processing units), such as the just-released GeForce 8800M notebook GPUs from NVIDIA, will soon be available for order from laptop makers.Earlier this month, NVIDIA launched their GeForce 8800 GT to nearly universal praise and high demand. Many of the elements that make the 8800 GT so attractive match up very well with the mobile market: smaller size, higher performance, and lower power requirements. Most of these benefits come from the new 65nm process technology, which is why we haven't seen high-performance DX10 mobile parts until now. In addition to serving as the core of a great, notebook gaming platform, the NVIDIA GeForce 8M Series GPUs feature the NVIDIA PureVideo HD engine for superior quality playback of HD DVD, Blu-ray, and HD movie downloads. The GeForce 8M Series also contain NVIDIA's PowerMizer technology that intelligently balances battery life and performance.
"I am absolutely amazed by the sheer performance of the new GeForce 8800M GTX-powered notebooks," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games.
"These next-gen machines run Unreal Tournament 3 fantastically even at HD resolutions of 1920x1200. I'm ordering one!"

Expect to be able to pick up a new notebook that comes equipped with a GeForce 8800M in the very near future. Manufacturers that will be carrying the new GPU are: Alienware, Eurocom, Gateway, and Sager in North America; AIRIS, Chiligreen, Cizmo, Cybersystem, Ergo, Nexoc, Novatech, Plaisio, Rock, and XXODD in Europe; MouseComputer in Japan; and Pioneer Computers in Australia.

Toshiba Upgrades Its SatelliteX205

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 02:47:00 +0000

NVIDIA SLI technology comes to Toshiba’s X205 Gaming Laptop.In this line up, two models get these two options including Satellite X205-SLI1 and Satellite X205-SLI3.Toshiba mentions in its press release that both models feature dual NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with up to 767MB total graphics memory which is compatible with Microsoft DirectX 10.The Satellite X205 notebook brings gaming to life. Toshiba's 17 inch diagonal WXGA+ and WSXGA+ widescreen display and stunning TruBrite technology. Intel Centrino Duo processor technology teamed with the upgraded NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT graphics card with 256MB or 512MB of dedicated video RAM provides uninterrupted, unforgettable gaming. Connect to a plasma TV for high definition games. Then amp up the audio with the four built-in Harman Kardon speakers with one subwoofer.

PC Today Reviews Alienware Area Area-51 m9750

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 02:16:00 +0000

Our test unit included the 17-inch 1,920 x 1,200 "ClearView Technology" LCD, and we were more than a little impressed with the image quality. The m9750's sharpness and color is excellent, and watching DVDs on the system is entertaining indeed. The superb video quality is due in part to the system's Nvidia GeForce Go 7950 GTX graphics card. Our test system included one card, but you have the option to have your system set up with two cards in SLI mode, which is the ultimate in PC graphics indulgence, and a configuration we recommend if you have the means.Of course, video is only half the setup of any good multimedia system. The m9750 isn't lacking for audio quality, either. The high-def audio incorporated into this system sounds really good when using a decent pair of headphones, and the notebook has jacks to set up front and rear speakers, as well as a center channel — a feature not common in typical notebooks.
Alienware's been around a long time, and this is a company that's built its reputation on making some of the very best PCs money could buy. The m9750 is small in size but hardly in stature. Demanding users, such as gamers and video enthusiasts, will find that this system can handle whatever they care to throw at it.

Gateway Set To Introduce Gaming Laptop

noreply@blogger.com (shellshok09) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:01:00 +0000

Following its purchase by Acer, early next year Gateway plans to launch its first high-end notebook PC designed specifically for gamers.But in the first quarter of 2008, new laptops will still all be designed by Gateway.Gateway also plans updated colors and features for its C-Series, M-Series, T-Series and P-Series products, according to Lisa Emard, director of media relations at Gateway.Meantime, Acer plans to review Gateway's product roadmap and see where it can make changes to enhance and enlarge its offerings.