First ADSL2+ services switched on

Whirlpool reports that the use of ADSL2+ has effectively been given the stamp of approval for use on the Australian phone network from today. The Australian Communication Industry Forum (ACIF) released its final technical specifications for the use of ADSL2 and ADSL2+, which allow for maximum speeds of 12Mbit/s and 24Mbit/s respectively. The code now goes to the Australian Communication Authority for 'registration', though this is a formality, and the ACA has never rejected an ACIF-ratified code before. Generally registration of technical codes takes only a few days. ISPs with ADSL2+ DSLAMs already deployed are expected to turn on ADSL2+ services in coming days in the rush to be first. Read More

Posted: April. 15, 2005 @ 12:46PM GMT +10 by erock

Interesting Graphic News Headlines

51% of Steam Users use NVIDIA based graphics cards ATI Multiple VPU works with two different cards Which memory type will be used for R520 "Fudo" and G70? How much does an ATI card cost to produce? Nvidia galloping ahead on graphics front How much does an Nvidia card cost to produce?

Posted: April. 15, 2005 @ 12:43PM GMT +10 by erock

NVIDIA ForceWare 71.89 WHQL

NVIDIA today announced the immediate availability of its new Windows Hardware Qualification Labs (WHQL)-certified NVIDIA ForceWare Release 70 graphics driver. Release Highlights: # Support for the GeForce 6200 with TurboCache™, NVIDIA PureVideo™, and NVIDIA SLI™ # Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0c andL® 1.5 support # Resolved problem with overclocking not working when running GPUs in SLI mode. # For a full list of other issues resolved, please view the driver release notes. Download

Posted: April. 15, 2005 @ 12:39PM GMT +10 by erock

XBOX 2 TO BOAST 512MB MEMORY?

In PC terms 512mb of system memory doesn't sound like all that much, but for a console? Rumors spread today as a design document leak pins the Xbox 2's specs as boasting a fairly whopping 512Mb of UMA system memory. Read More

Posted: April. 15, 2005 @ 12:37PM GMT +10 by erock

Video Card Reviews: Friday

HIS Radeon X850 XT-PE 256MB AGP review by 3dGameMan Sapphire Radeon X850 XT PCIe review by Bjorn3D eVGA GeForce 6800 Ultra PCIe review by GDHardware Albatron GeForce TC 6200 review by PenstarSys GeCube Radeon X800 XL review by Tweakers HIS Radeon X850 XT-PE 256MB PCIe review by Viperlair

Posted: April. 15, 2005 @ 11:45AM GMT +10 by erock

XBOX 360 Prototype Pics

GamesAndFun show some pics of the XBOX 360 Prototype controller. Who knows if these are for real or not, interesting to look at anyways!

Posted: April. 13, 2005 @ 09:38AM GMT +10 by erock

NFS: Most Wanted

Another Need For Speed game will be produced, check out the press release below: REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - April 11, 2005 - Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) announced today that Need for Speed™ Most Wanted, from the makers of the hit Need for Speed™ Underground franchise that has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, currently is under development at EA Canada. Combining the thrill of illicit street racing and tuner customization with the intensity of strategic police pursuits that rivals any Hollywood-style chase scene, Need for Speed Most Wanted challenges players to become the most notorious and elusive street racer. "Out-race your opponents, evade cops and exploit theworld in Need for Speed Most Wanted; street racing doesn't get any better than this," said Larry LaPierre, senior producer, EA Canada. "Players instantly will feel the thrill of the ride as they hit the streets in anworld environment where drivers can tune their cars to compete against any class of vehicles or use their wits to out-fox the law to satisfy their need for speed." Read More

Posted: April. 13, 2005 @ 09:36AM GMT +10 by erock

Age Of Empire III Explored

Check out the Q & A session with lead designer Greg Street from Ensemble Studios.

Posted: April. 13, 2005 @ 09:33AM GMT +10 by erock

MTV To Unveil XBOX 360

Elijah Wood and The Killers will host half-hour global premiere with a performance from The Killers, airing exclusively on MTV channels around the world May 12 and 13. NEW YORK — April 11, 2005—MTV: Music Television and Microsoft Corp. today announced a global marketing alliance to unveil the next-generation Xbox® video game system on MTV channels in the United States, Asia Pacific and Europe, all within a 24-hour window — a first for the video game industry. The highly anticipated console will be revealed to video game fanatics, music lovers and MTV viewers via a high-energy half-hour program titled “MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed.” The special will be hosted by entertainment icon, seasoned gamer and Xbox fanatic Elijah Wood, known globally for the Academy Award-winning “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Island Records’ renowned Las Vegas rockers The Killers will deliver electrifying performances throughout the special. The global broadcast will premiere Thursday, May 12, at 9:30 p.m. EDT in North America and on Friday, May 13 in other regions around the globe (local air times below). Viewers will get an exclusive look at the Xbox vision for the next generation — one that ensures that the user experience is always connected, always personalized and always in high definition. The special will feature never-before-seen, action-packed gameplay of future Xbox games, a peek into the future of the Xbox Live™ online gaming service, backstage celebrity interviews and exclusive insider footage on the making of the next-generation console. The inside look at the next-generation Xbox will continue at MTV.com, where after the special, viewers will find extended event coverage including behind-the-scenes video, photos and other special extras. MTV.com will also provide ongoing in-depth coverage of the next-generation Xbox highlighting the latest news, product details and previews of hot next-generation games. “We recognize and celebrate our viewers’ passion for gaming and are excited to be working with Microsoft to launch such a significant entertainment product,” said John Shea, executive vice president, Integrated Marketing and Sponsorship Development, MTV Networks Music Group. “We’re proud that Microsoft considers MTV the premier global network to launch its new Xbox gaming console and reveal the first look to MTV viewers around the world.” “Just as MTV revolutionized the way the world experiences music, the next-generation video game console from Xbox will spark a revolution in how consumers experience games and other forms of digital entertainment,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of worldwide marketing and publishing for Xbox at Microsoft. “We are ecstatic about our alliance with MTV and unveiling a video game platform in a way that has never been done.” “MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed” will be broadcast around the world. Local market times are as follows: North America: Thursday, May 12, at 9:30 p.m. (21:30) Japan/Asia: Friday, May 13, at 11:30 Europe: France: Friday, May 13, at 19:00 Germany: Friday, May 13, at 19:00 Italy: Friday, May 13, at 23:30 Netherlands: Friday, May 13, at 19:30 Poland: Friday, May 13, at 21:00 Portugal: Friday, May 13, at 20:00 Romania: Friday, May 13, at 20:00 Scandinavia: Friday, May 13, at 22:00 Spain: Friday, May 13, at 21:30 U.K.: Friday, May 13, at 20:00 Australia: Friday, May 13, at 19:00

Posted: April. 13, 2005 @ 09:31AM GMT +10 by erock

nForce4 Intel Edition Reviews

nForce4 SLI Intel Edition Chipset review by Sudhian SLI Intel Edition Chipset review by GDHardware

Posted: April. 13, 2005 @ 09:05AM GMT +10 by erock

Video Card Reviews: Wednesday

Chaintech GeForce 6800 GT review by AmdZone ATi All-In-Wonder Radeon X800 XT review by Beyond3D Leadteak GeForce 6600 GT PCIe review by Crazy-OC PNY QuadroFX 4400 512MB SLI review by GamePC HIS Radeon X850 XT-PE 256MB review by OcPrices Gigabyte GeForce 6600 GT PCIe review by PCModdingMy Asus GeForce 6600 review by PCStats HIS Radeon X800 XL review by TweakTown HIS Radeon X850 XT PCIe review by VR-Zone Gigabyte 3D1 Dual GeForce 6600 GT PCIe review by AmdReview Abit Radeon X700 Pro review by Beyond3D Gigabyte Radeon X800 PCIe review by Digit-Life Albatron GeForce 6600 PCIe review by HotHardware PowerColor Radeon X800 256MB review by Marnscda HIS Radeon X800 XL PCIe review by Tech-Mods

Posted: April. 13, 2005 @ 09:04AM GMT +10 by erock

Warning over fake Windows update

Users are being warned to watch out for a fake Microsoft security update. Quote: Circulating as an e-mail the fake message points people at a bogus website that claims to host critical security updates. But anyone downloading from the site will get a virus installed that a backdoor into their computer the program's creators can exploit. Security firms and Microsoft urged users to ensure they visit legitimate sites when downloading updates. Quote: Fake sites Anti-virus firm Sophos spotted the e-mail which uses subject lines saying "Urgent Windows Update" and "Important Windows Update" In the body of the message is a web link that looks like it should link to the Windows Update website but in fact links to a site controlled by the malicious hackers. Anyone downloading the fake update on the bogus webpage will have their computer infected with the DSNX-05 trojan. This a backdoor into the PC that could be exploited by the creators of the malicious program. Anyone falling victim to this could leave computer owners vulnerable to identity theft or having their computer used to send spam, attack other sites or host dubious material. Microsoft said it only sent e-mails about security updates and incidents to those that have explicitly asked to be sent them. Also it said it never sends out information about security problems before its website has been updated with information about problems. Microsoft also urged users to type in the name of the website they are trying to reach rather than use a hyperlink as these can hide spoof websites. Always use the windows update site. http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com source: BBC News

Posted: April. 12, 2005 @ 12:58AM GMT +10 by [DBE]killer

Video Card Reviews - Monday

MSI GeForce 6800 GT PCIe review by HardOCP HIS Radeon X850 XT PCIe review by Bjorn3D MSI GeForce 6800 GT review by PCStats Albatron GeForce 6600 GT review by LANAddict ABIT RX700 PRO-256PCIE Radeon X700 PRO Review by Beyond3D

Posted: April. 11, 2005 @ 06:05PM GMT +10 by erock

Doom III: Resurrection of Evil Review

Another Doom III: Resurrection of Evil review has popped up over at GameGuru Mania this evening, taking a look at Nerve Software's recently released expansion pack. Here's a bit on the artifacts: The next important gadget is the artifact you find at the start of the game. Throughout the game, there are scattered battles against the three "hunter bosses", and each one charges the artifact with a new power. Each of the Hunters has its own special ability, and the artifact is able to "steal" these abilities once each Hunter is defeated, so you can add it to your own arsenal. The first is "Hell Time" (semi-Bullet Time trick), which allows you to slow down the world around you. This slows all of the creatures, sounds, and movement of everything except that you have complete freedom of movement. Defeating other Hunters will give you the ability to go berserker or invulnerable for periods of time, which will come in extremely handy as enemies get tougher later in the game. Source: Futuremark

Posted: April. 11, 2005 @ 05:59PM GMT +10 by BenSW

Empire Earth 2 Movie

A new movie from Empire Earth II is now available, featuring more footage from Mad Doc's now-gold RTS sequel. "Exploration and Discovery" is part four in a behind the scenes series (though there was no part three), a 32 MB download, available on GameSpy, and mirrored on 3D Gamers.

Posted: April. 11, 2005 @ 05:56PM GMT +10 by BenSW

Xbox 2 controller pics go live?

SUPPOSED pictures of the controller for the next-generation Xbox have turned up online. The pics are over at Xbox-Scene, and appear to be related to the appearance of Our Colony, a viral marketing 'alternate reality' game the the Vole has devised for Xbox 2 marketing. The pictures have been obtained by players of the game. The design appears to be a cross between the button arrangement of the PlayStation, the stick arrangement of the Xbox Controller-S and the face design of the 2nd generation Sidewinder PC pad. As suspected, the controller is wireless, and the lack of headset socket suggest that the Xbox 2 will have wireless headsets for Xbox Live play. Concrete details of the machine will be unveiled at E3 next month, allegedly just hours after the launch of the PlayStation 3.

Posted: April. 11, 2005 @ 05:54PM GMT +10 by BenSW

Video Card Reviews: Saturday

ASUS AX800XT/TVD 256MB (RADEON X800 XT P.E.) on HWZ. MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E Geforce 6800GT on PCStats. HIS Radeon X850XT IceQ II Dual DVI VIVO 256MB on Bjorn3D. HIS Radeon X800XL on OCrCafe.

Posted: April. 09, 2005 @ 10:31PM GMT +10 by erock

Empire Earth 2 GONE GOLD

Is it any supprise? Mad Doc Software's strategy game sequel Empire Earth 2 has gone gold. The game is scheduled to hit North American store shelves April 28. We should get it around the same time!

Posted: April. 09, 2005 @ 10:27PM GMT +10 by erock

Half-Life 2: Aftermath Coming

Some more HalfLife 2 news for you! An expansion will be coming out soon, heres a quote: The latest issue of PC Gamer UK has first word on a Half-Life 2 expansion pack Aftermath, and EuroGamer has a news story up with info on what's mentioned in the magazine. Tentatively scheduled for release this summer, Aftermath deals with the events you set in motion in the original game. You'll see more of Alyx, but Valve is keeping most other details to themselves. It also looks like Aftermath might be a Steam-only release. Check this link for more

Posted: April. 09, 2005 @ 10:25PM GMT +10 by erock

New HL2DM Maps Next Week

If your into Half-Life 2 there will be some new Death Match maps next week: Next week we'll be releasing the three HL2DM map contest winners on Steam. The winners of the contest along with some images of the maps were first mentioned here. Also next week, we'll have a small sneak peak for you of the upcoming Half-Life 2 episode "Aftermath".

Posted: April. 09, 2005 @ 10:22PM GMT +10 by erock

Guest Posting

Get a taste of the AusFX forums! Guests can now post in their own board Great for those quick questions, a general hello, comments and more! Check it here.

Posted: April. 08, 2005 @ 04:12PM GMT +10 by erock

Real life Matrix?

Noticed on OCAU that Sony have patented a real life Matrix, or at least, the idea of transmitting data directly into the brain. The aim, it says, is to create "sensory experiences" ranging from moving images to tastes and sounds. Check it

Posted: April. 08, 2005 @ 04:07PM GMT +10 by erock

Sony PSP Sales Update

PSP sales didn't go that great in the first week for their new HandHeld gaming product. Sales of the PSP generated $150 million. It also claimed that in the first two days, 500,000 PSPs were sold. However, Sony did not state the final number of units sold in the first week, leaving us game journalists to divide $150 million by $250 to come up with 600,000 units sold. While not necessarily deceit, it does indicate that Sony is not exactly pleased with the numbers behind the first week.

Posted: April. 08, 2005 @ 04:02PM GMT +10 by erock

Xbox 360 Partial Publisher List

GameGossip noticed a list of partial publishers for the next-gen Xbox over on the Taiwan site.

Posted: April. 08, 2005 @ 04:00PM GMT +10 by erock

Call Of Duty 2 Announced

Activision has officially announcing Call of Duty 2 which is in development at Infinity Ward: Call of Duty 2 lets players experience four individual soldier stories as they overcome insurmountable odds in multiple campaigns. Players have the freedom to follow each of the four storylines through for the ultimate character-driven experience, or they can engage in the historic battles chronologically for quick hitting action. Infinity Ward, creator of the blockbuster, original Call of Duty, has also expanded the scope of combat to deliver a truly realistic battlefield experience. Squads now have the freedom to take on a variety of mission objectives, on expansive battlefields that allow for multiple paths and the ability to utilize actual combat tactics like outflanking and fire and maneuver capabilities. Call of Duty 2's new engine and A.I. technology set the stage for authentic squad combat and astonishing action. Concealment can be key as battlefield smoke or even deployed smoke grenades cloud visibility. Weather effects such as the dusty sandstorms of North Africa and whiteout blizzard conditions of Russia, for example, will keep soldiers glued to their bunkers. The team has also employed a state-of-the-art Battle Chatter System that brings the action to life as squad-mates bark out context-sensitive updates in real-time to players through an advanced A.I. system. Press Release

Posted: April. 08, 2005 @ 03:58PM GMT +10 by erock

MSN Messenger 7 Final

This may be old news for some and new news for many! MSN Messenger 7 has come out of BETA testing and the final candinate has been released you can download it here.

Posted: April. 08, 2005 @ 03:42PM GMT +10 by erock

ForceWare 76.44 Released

A new WHQL ForceWare driver revision popped up bringing it up to version 76.44. However i don't think it has been officially released from NVIDIA quite yet. Check out this release if you would like or wait for it to appear on NVIDIA's page. Only GeForce 6 and Quadro Series can apparently use this driver. Download @ Guru3D.

Posted: April. 08, 2005 @ 03:37PM GMT +10 by erock

Fraps 2.5.5 Released

Fraps is a tool that lets you monitor current framerates in a corner of the screen for programs using DirectX orL technology. It also allows you to easily take screenshots of games, make movies of gameplay, and manually determine the average framerate between two points: Download & Fix List

Posted: April. 08, 2005 @ 03:30PM GMT +10 by erock

Catalyst 5.4 Drivers Released

Catalyst 5.4 drivers have been released, head here for download link and release notes.

Posted: April. 08, 2005 @ 03:28PM GMT +10 by erock

Impatient TV viewers turn to BitTorrent

ZDNet Australia reports that some Australians are turning to peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing networks to gain access for new episodes of their favourite American television shows. Read More

Posted: April. 07, 2005 @ 06:58PM GMT +10 by erock