Xbox Press Announcement

Xbox today announced three new appointments to its European organisation, bringing a wealth of gaming and entertainment experience to the product marketing team to further strengthen and build on the success of Xbox. At a time when Xbox is enjoying strong growth and making inroads into the crucial casual gaming market, the new team members will help structure the drive of the Xbox business forward with their insight and knowledge of the market. Michael Newey, currently Head of Portfolio and Product Management, Xbox EMEA, takes on the new role of Platform Marketing Manager, Xbox and Peripherals, EMEA. Robert Dekker, currently Xbox Product Marketing Manager in the Netherlands, becomes Microsoft Games Studio Marketing Manager. Christopher Lewis joins the Xbox team as 3rd-Party Marketing Manager. Were very pleased to have Mike Newey step up to the role of Platform Marketing Manager, EMEA, and to welcome Robert Dekker and Christopher Lewis to the European team, said Richard Teversham, Product Marketing Director The product marketing team is incredibly important to the success of the Xbox business and we have an exceptionally strong mix of people working to continue and increase our success in the region. With these appointments, were very well placed for a great Christmas and beyond.

Posted: November. 02, 2004 @ 09:59PM GMT +10 by erock

ATI Talks R5xx

Beyond 3D have an interesting report on some details on ATI's next generation R5xx architecture following an analyst meeting held by ATI last week: "The reports state that ATI have confirmed they are due to launch their new architecture, the basis of the R5xx series, in the first half of 2005. Goldman also believes the architecture to be based on Shader 3.0 and be very focused on the memory interface and bus. The expectation is that GDDR4 memory technology will ramp in production in late 2005 and the memory interface will be compatible with it and be designed to scale to speeds of 1.2GHz (2.4GHz effective) over its lifetime." Report here Source: Warp2Search

Posted: November. 02, 2004 @ 09:52PM GMT +10 by erock

ATI and Pentium 4 - The Right Stuff?

When it comes to chipsets for the Intel based processors, you have pretty much been limited to either VIA or Intel. Seems there is a new kid on the block lately, however, but it isn't a new name. Come join TweakTown as we take a look at some motherboards based on chipsets from ATI and we'll see if they have what it takes to be contenders in this highly prized and sought after market!

Posted: November. 02, 2004 @ 09:49PM GMT +10 by erock

Forceware 70.41 Beta

The 70.41 Beta drivers from Nvidia are on their FTP server for Windows 2000/XP! ATM. Dated 28 October 2004! This set was released for their Quadro series of cards. It may support all cards, im not sure... Report back to us in the forums to see how they go! Try at your own risk Driver Info Page Download Here

Posted: November. 02, 2004 @ 09:47PM GMT +10 by erock

Call of Duty: Finest Hour Interview

Total Video Games has posted a brand new Call of Duty: Finest Hour interview with Scott Langteau of Spark Unlimited talking about the upcoming console shooter. Call of Duty: Finest Hour, on console, is the newest installment in the award-winning Call of Duty series. It will place the player in the frontline of combat to experience the cinematic intensity, chaos of battle and epic moments of World War II in new campaigns across the North African, Western and Eastern Fronts. Totalvideogames.com was given the opportunity by Activision to speak with Scott Langteau, COO at Spark Unlimited, who is also the Producer for Call of Duty: Finest Hour. Read more

Posted: November. 02, 2004 @ 08:35PM GMT +10 by BenSW

Law and Order 3 demo on FileFront

FileFront have a new Law and Order 3: Justice is Served demo up on their server. Law & Order: Justice Is Served delivers an in-depth mystery adventure experience. With game play divided between the investigation and trial, the player experiences the storyline from a variety of angles. Download the demo here

Posted: November. 02, 2004 @ 08:33PM GMT +10 by BenSW

Matrix Online Q&A

The GSpot has hit it again with the latest Matrix Online interivew with the game's lead designer Tobi Ragaini. Tobi speaks about the combat system, and bullet time in this Q&A session. Read the interview here

Posted: November. 02, 2004 @ 08:30PM GMT +10 by BenSW

Half Life 2 Good To Go In Australia

There was a scare last week that Half Life 2 would be banned in Australia, but Gengamers noticed that it has been graded at 15+. What does this mean exactly? No ban. Source: Gengamers

Posted: November. 02, 2004 @ 03:20PM GMT +10 by flawmatt

Half-Life 2 Moving to Arcade

Half-Life 2 is about to make the move to arcades all over Japan by the summer of 2005, with the rest of the world expected to join-in soon after. According to Taito, its Type-X arcade board will be able to support the game while it will also offer a variety of features not seen before in arcade games. Read More

Posted: November. 02, 2004 @ 03:11PM GMT +10 by Tokemon

Toshiba offers worldwide notebook recall

GIANT NOTEBOOK maker Toshiba said that it has found what could be a problem in memory module components in some models of its machines. You will remember that HP announced a similar problem earlier this year - links at the bottom of the piece. At the time, we asked which other notebook manufacturers were affected, but they all kept mum. Toshiba said the components can cause blue screens of death, intermittent lockups, or undetected data corruption. The memory components are made by third parties. So Toshiba, despite claiming the risk of failure is low, has started an exchange problems for PCs that may contain these components. The programme runs from today until April next year. Toshiba doesn't use the SO-DIMMs any more, but has written a program to analyse the notebook to detect what the problem might be. The problem may affect machines in this range: TECRA S1; Tecra 9100; Tecra M1; Tecra M2; Satellite 2400; Satellite 2405; Satellite 1110; Satellite 1115; Satellite Pro M10; Satellite Pro M15; Satellite M30; Satellite M35; Portege R100; Portege M200/M205; Dynabook T5; Dynabook E6; Dynabook V7; Dynabook Satellite M10; Dynabook SS S7; Dynabook SS 2100; Dynabook E7; Dynabook V8; Dynabook V9; Dynabook VX1 and Dynabook SS M200. That's a lot of models. We ask again, are other notebook manufacturers suffering from the same problem? Source: The Inquirer

Posted: November. 02, 2004 @ 09:15AM GMT +10 by flawmatt

Intel to debut new Itaniums Nov. 8

Intel's newest top-line Itanium 2 processor is due to arrive Nov. 8, according to sources familiar with the plans. The processor, an upgraded member of the Madison line, boosts high-speed cache memory from 6MB to 9MB--thus its nickname: Madison 9M. In addition, Intel is expected to update the rest of its Itanium 2 family, adding a lower-end model for dual-processor servers and a low-voltage model for servers that are packed densely together. Read the full story at Cnet

Posted: November. 02, 2004 @ 09:10AM GMT +10 by flawmatt

Intel 1066 MHz FSB

Chew on these... Pentium 4 3.46 Extreme Edition and 925XE Preview at Anandtech Pentium 4 3.46 Extreme Edition and 925XE Preview at HardOCP Pentium 4 3.46 Extreme Edition and 925XE Preview at X-bit Labs Pentium 4 3.46 Extreme Edition and 925XE Preview at Tom's Hardware Pentium 4 3.46 Extreme Edition and 925XE Preview at Hexus

Posted: November. 02, 2004 @ 08:09AM GMT +10 by erock

MSI nForce4 SLI Preview

MSI nForce2 SLI board preview @ Anandtech The GeForce 6800GT in SLI mode truly skyrocketed to a new level of performance, but a very costly one. With a pair of 6800GTs selling for about the price of most users' upgrade budgets, we once again see more potential in the upgrade value of SLI rather than the initial purchase value. However, if you can afford it, a pair of 6800GTs in SLI mode will definitely offer some serious performance in all of today's games. Interestingly enough, spending close to $1000 on graphics cards still won't let you play at 1600 x 1200 with 4X AA at over 100 fps in Doom 3; but if you're willing to settle, over 60 fps is a piece of cake.

Posted: November. 01, 2004 @ 11:30PM GMT +10 by erock

SPT in town via Comindico

REGIONAL player SP Telemedia has bolstered its presence in the city with the acquisition of failed telco Comindico. SP Telemedia (SPT), based in Newcastle in NSW, acquired Comindco at "a fraction of its original construction cost" from Cisco-appointed administrator McGrath Nicol, the company said in a statement. "The acquisition will enable SPT to further expand its current extensive regional IP broadband network and significantly increase the capital city network and presence of SPT," it said. The acquisition would also allow SPT to introduce new products in dial-up, broadband and voice on what will now be its own infrastructure. "The directors of SPT believe that the existing customers of Comindico will be comforted in the knowledge that a company of SPT's standing has made this acquisition and can be assured of the continued delivery of products and services by Comindico," the statement said. Comindico is understood to have around 40 wholesale ISP customers. Despite burning through an estimated $350 million in start-up costs for its all IP network, Comindico never gained the foothold in the market that its backers, including US networking giant Cisco Systems, had expected. During its four-year life, the company changed strategic direction a number of times in an effort to kick-start the business. Cisco had provided Comindico with an estimated $175 million in vendor financing, $80 million of which it was still owed last month when it decided to cut off any further funding to Comindico, forcing the company into receivership. While Comindico voluntarily appointed Ferrier Hodgson as its administrator, Cisco's stake in the company allowed it to appoint McGrath Nicol as its own receiver, taking the sale out of the hands of Comindico's board. Source:News.com.au

Posted: November. 01, 2004 @ 11:23PM GMT +10 by erock

ATI Vows to Bring Shader Model 3.0

ATI Technologies, the world’s top supplier of discrete graphics processing units, said it would adopt technologies that its arch-rival NVIDIA Corp. has been promoting for a while in future. While the Markham, Ontario-based graphics chip designer did not provide any concrete plans, typically graphics firms discuss details of their next-generation products, not hypothetic long-term plans. Pixel Shaders 3.0 – When Needed “ATI will support Pixel Shaders 3.0 when it becomes readily available in games and applications. Currently, this feature is not readily used by the developer community and today’s top titles still largely rely on Pixel Shaders 2.0. As this trend starts to change ATI will incorporate PS3.0 into its feature set,” said John Carvill, who is public relations manager on Integrated and Mobile Products for ATI, in an interview to an Asian web-site OC WorkBench. Read the entire story at X-Bit labs

Posted: November. 01, 2004 @ 11:19PM GMT +10 by erock

China shuts 1,600 cybercafes

The Chinese government confirmed this weekend that it has closed 1,600 internet cafes and fined operators a total of 100m yuan ($12m) since March, when it began its crackdown on violent or pornographic content, and other material it considers harmful to public morality. Government inspectors have checked up on 1.8m cafes since the campaign began, seeking out those letting kids play violent games or access subversive foreign sites. In addition to the 1,600 cafes that have been closed permanently, 18,000 have been shut down for "rectification", according to reports. Zhang Xinjian, deputy director of the Chinese Ministry of Culture's market department said that "porn, gambling, violence and similar problems have adversely affected the healthy development of the Internet in China". More details at The Register

Posted: November. 01, 2004 @ 11:15PM GMT +10 by erock

Latest Motherboard Reviews

Abit KV8 Pro Socket 754 Motherboard Albatron Mars PX915P Pro Motherboard DFI's LANParty 925X-T2 Motherboard Soltek K8TPro-939 Motherboard MSI 915P NEO 2 Platinum Motherboard

Posted: November. 01, 2004 @ 01:01PM GMT +10 by flawmatt

Saitek PZ09A - Notebook Subwoofer

Sometimes very odd and unexpected products turn up in our offices here at TrustedReviews and the Saitek PZ09A notebook subwoofer is one of those products. But just because you don’t expect something, doesn’t mean that it’s not a good or in fact, a welcome idea. The tricky thing here is how to actually review a product such as this, since there is very little to it, and even less to compare it to, but here goes anyway. The device itself is the size of a CD in diameter but it stands about 4cm tall and looks like a classic flying saucer – the kind you see in 50's Sci-Fi movies. The colour scheme is a mix of silver and blue with a lighter blue cover over the top mounted speaker - but Saitek seems to have forgotten to fit blue LEDs for a full UFO effect. Read the full review here

Posted: November. 01, 2004 @ 12:52PM GMT +10 by flawmatt

Secret SMS discovered

NOT SURE IT it is such a bright idea but an Australian company, Beep Interactive, has just launched a text message (SMS) that lets you stay mysterious. Or send a 'masked' SMS. So far, The INQ hasn't managed to make the service, 19secret, work, though. The idea is that you can send somebody's mobile phone an anonymous message if you are a bit shy (or it is Valentine's Day, for example). The alternative 'masked' SMS allows you to send an SMS from a mate's handset but because you give your own mobile phone number as the 'mask', in theory your own handset should get the reply. Read More

Posted: November. 01, 2004 @ 11:51AM GMT +10 by Tokemon

Intel 3.46GHz 2MB EE chip due tomorrow

WE STILL EXPECT Intel to formally announce its 3.46GHz Extreme Edition with 2MB of level three cache tomorrow, and so do its customers and partners, the motherboard manufacturers. The first of November is still the date for the introduction of the chip, supported by a 1066MHz front side bus, and we expect a number of third parties to announce support for it tomorrow, too. Read More

Posted: November. 01, 2004 @ 11:50AM GMT +10 by Tokemon

ASUS DRW-1604P Dual Layer DVD Writer

Choosing a recordable DVD drive has always been somewhat of a difficult task. There was a bit of initial uncertainty as some wondered which format would win out, DVD+R or DVD–R. After all, each format has its advantages. In the end, however, unlike the Beta vs VHS battles of the early 80s, this war was quelled as OEMs moved quickly to offer both capabilities with Dual Format drives. Today, we have another addition to the mix with the long awaited arrival of Dual Layer recordable DVDs. This iteration of writable media supports a full 8.5GB of storage capacity. And unlike previous market evolutions, Dual Layer DVD drives have entered the market at very affordable price points from the start, with some initial offerings selling for under $100. This is a far cry from the $350 initial price tags we saw with the release of the first DVD writers several years ago. Read more

Posted: October. 31, 2004 @ 07:40PM GMT +10 by BenSW

Zalman ZM80D-HP review

Every overclocker knows that besides excellent coolers and unique PC cases Zalman is producing cooling systems for graphics cards. One of the most efficient of Zalman’s passive cooling solutions for graphics cards, the ZM80D-HP model, is going to be the subject of this review. Read the full review here

Posted: October. 31, 2004 @ 07:32PM GMT +10 by BenSW

P4 Heatsink Roundup

Looking for a new heatsink for your P4? Then have a read of Madshrimp's roundup to help make your decision a whole lot easier. check it out

Posted: October. 31, 2004 @ 02:19PM GMT +10 by flawmatt

Security hole found in Gmail

AN ISRAELI web site has claimed that it has uncovered a security hole in Google's Gmail which could end up compromising people. Read More Source: theinquirer.net

Posted: October. 31, 2004 @ 09:42AM GMT +10 by Tokemon

The short downtime today

Thanks for being patient today. We had a few hours of downtime, the errors that we experienced have now been resolved. Enjoy

Posted: October. 30, 2004 @ 11:42PM GMT +10 by erock

Beta GeForce 6 Driver

WE SPOKE with many a person about Nvidia drivers and we learned that the highly anticipated WHQL driver is getting very close, as close as the ninth month (November) in the Northern Hemisphere. An Nvidia senior software chap confirmed that its driver has passed WHQL for all Geforce 6 or earlier cards but at this time they are meditating on compatibility. The WHQLd Nvidia driver, ready for all cards, should come sometimes in week 46, the one that starts on the 8th of November in the Western calendar. Source: The Inquirer

Posted: October. 30, 2004 @ 02:25PM GMT +10 by erock

MSN Messenger 7.0.0332

Microsoft released MSN Messenger 7.0.0332 to the beta testers of BetaPlace. There are several fixes, changes and more. Changes: - Contact list spacing issues (used to occur when a contact had a long display name or an emoticon in it); - Right-clicking Get this emoticon on a Premium (i.e. Blue Mountain®) emoticon would crash; - Spelling correction: "sent" vs. "send" when sending a nudge to an older client; - Pinned emoticons now shows 60/60; - Crying face emoticon :'( and disappointed emoticon now appear differently in the emoticon dropdown menu; - Close and Minimize buttons are hidden only at the smallest width of the main window when in frameless mode. Download

Posted: October. 30, 2004 @ 02:22PM GMT +10 by erock

600 Watt Powersupply

OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high-reliability memory, today announced the release of the PowerStream 600 Watt power supply. OCZ will also be releasing the international versions of the PowerStream 420/520/600 Watt power supplies with 220V Active PFC (power factor correction) and a standard European AC cord. The OCZ PowerStream power supplies are the most versatile, most adaptable and quietest PSUs available on the market today. The new 600 Watt edition is equipped with all the features of previous OCZ power supplies, but now includes additional features to add more versatility than the 420/470/520 Watt PowerStream power supplies. In addition to PowerStream’s exclusive features, such as the ultra-quiet PowerWhisper, PowerFlex, and stabilizing PowerShield technology, the more powerful 600W power supply includes ATX12V 2.01, sleek, black cable sleeving, a PCI Express connector, and 220V Active PFC (International version only). With these complementary features, OCZ has developed a truly complete power supply with unprecedented performance capabilities. The OCZ 600 Watt PowerStream is an effective solution for PC-users searching for maximum performance, power, and versatility. “With higher power CPUs, ultra-fast video cards, and continually growing hard drive capacity, the computer’s demand for power has dramatically increased in the last year,” said Steve Lee, VP of Sales and Marketing at OCZ Technology. “The OCZ 600W PowerStream is one of the few power supplies that can be trusted to deliver the power necessary for today’s most demanding computer systems.” OCZ’s PowerStream power supplies are all backed by a 5-year PowerSwap warranty and industry-leading return program; any PSU returned within the first 3 years is immediately replaced with a new unit, eliminating lengthy return-for-repairs episodes. The product is also protected with an additional two year limited warranty. Source: OCZ Technology

Posted: October. 30, 2004 @ 02:17PM GMT +10 by erock

New Nvidia SLI Benchmarks

Here are some new benchmark results of NVIDIA's new SLI (Scalable Link Interface) graphics cards. They were tested using an Athlon 64 FX-55, and 1gb of corsair DDR400 under Windows XP with Dx9c installed. The performance advantages due to SLI are nothing to be disappointed with, using two GPUs NVIDIA is able to deliver next-generation graphics performance with today's cards. Read the full review here

Posted: October. 30, 2004 @ 11:41AM GMT +10 by BenSW

SATA 2 from Hitachi

Hitachi seems to be on the run with SATA 2. It should be out in late November 2004. However if Hitachi has recovered from the IBM sympthoms are also something that remains to be seen. Most interresting is the fact it can be unplugged/plugged while the system is switched on. More info: XBIT LABS

Posted: October. 29, 2004 @ 09:06PM GMT +10 by Sweeper

AGP 6600GT out in a few weeks

SINCE MANY of our machines are still AGP systems, 6600GT AGP is going to be a very important card for Nvidia. Not everyone wants to go out and buy new PCIe systems, as it involves too many expensive parts that you have to change. Nvidia promised 6600GT AGP cards in November, and I think that you will indeed see them in this timeframe. There are already some pictures fluctuating through the web of some samples of those cards as we speak. Read more Source: theinquirer.net

Posted: October. 29, 2004 @ 11:33AM GMT +10 by Tokemon

ATI's X600XT faces end of life

WE SAW SOME official documents which are indicating that ATI's X600XT cards will reach the end of their life as the fourth quarter ends. ATI made this decision since it's not that easy to position X700 cards together with the X600s. However, they will just eliminate the fastest of the X600 cards, the X600XT, while X600PROs will continue to coexist with X700 cards. Read more Source: theinquirer.net

Posted: October. 29, 2004 @ 11:30AM GMT +10 by Tokemon

WI-FI In The Future

Wireless networking equipment makers are getting ready for the next-generation Internet. On Tuesday, Airespace became the first wireless LAN (local area network) equipment maker to announce support for IPv6, or Internet Protocol version 6, on its products. Other Wi-Fi equipment makers, such as Aruba Wireless Networks, say they will be adding the feature sometime next year. While IPv6 has become common in the Ethernet switch and routing market, it is only now becoming a requirement in the wireless LAN market. Until recently, IPv6 support wasn't really needed on Wi-Fi gear, said Alan Cohen, vice president of marketing for Airespace. In the past, most wireless access points simply forwarded traffic upstream to an Ethernet switch or IP router. It was at this point, deep in the network, when devices read the full IP address to forward traffic to its final destination. But as Wi-Fi networking equipment gets more sophisticated with advanced features that track individual users, it's important to support IPv6, Cohen said. CNET

Posted: October. 29, 2004 @ 12:15AM GMT +10 by erock

Farcry 1.3 Performance Tests

Hardocp checked the performance of Farcry 1.3 and SM 3.0: If you recall a few months ago Crytek did release a patch 1.2 for FarCry. In that patch it provided beta support for Shader Model 3.0 and Shader Model 2.0x as well as geometry instancing. These features were not enabled by default; you had to enable them via a command variable. However, Patch 1.2 was quickly recalled by Crytek due to a large amount of stability problems with the new patch. Since it was a recalled we chose to wait it out until the 1.2 patch officially became available to the public again. Well, that time never came. Instead Crytek pushed forward with Patch 1.3, adding more bug fixes and new graphics features. FarCry patch 1.3 is now a reality and looks likely to stay with us. Read full article Source: TC Magazine

Posted: October. 29, 2004 @ 12:14AM GMT +10 by erock

Gateway and Mp3 Players?

Gateway is joining the band of computer makers selling hard-drive-based digital audio players, but its riff adds miniaturization and a color screen for displaying photos. The company on Thursday announced its $249.99 Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox player, which has a 4GB capacity, a 1.6-inch display and a rechargeable battery that can be replaced. The player can connect to PCs and directly to digital cameras over a USB 2.0 port. Photos can be viewed individually or in a slide show. Gateway is taking preorders and will begin selling the device in mid-November. The MP3 Photo Jukebox could be in retail stores as soon as the first quarter of 2005, Gateway said. Source: CNET

Posted: October. 29, 2004 @ 12:12AM GMT +10 by erock

Swallow some video card reviews

Inno3D GeForce 6600 on 3DVelocity Gigabyte GeForce 6800 on CoolTechZone VisionTek XTASY X800XT on ClubOC ASUS Extreme AX800XT/2DT on ViperLair PowerColor Radeon X300 on Xbit Galaxy GeForce 6600 on Guru3D ATi Radeon X800 XT PCIe on SimHQ

Posted: October. 29, 2004 @ 12:10AM GMT +10 by erock

Alienware Area 51 SLI Available Now!!

Alienware announced the immediate availability of nVidia SLI technology in Alienware Area-51 ALX systems. Alienware represents the first system manufacturer to offer the dual-GPU technology of nVidia SLI. As you might expect, a system such as the Area 51 SLI does not come cheap and getting one will set you back by about USD 6,000, although Alienware is offering finance options to help out the needy gamer. Once you do own one however, you will be able to claim that you possess one of the ultimate gaming machines. read more about this here Source: www.megagames.com

Posted: October. 28, 2004 @ 08:49PM GMT +10 by Tokemon

ASUS Proclaims 3DMark05 World Record

ASUSTeK Computer, one of the world’s largest makers of mainboards and notebooks, said its upcoming mainboard based on NVIDIA’s nForce4 SLI along with NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra graphics cards and AMD Athlon 64 FX-55 processor had scored a massive 10,118 3dmarks, the world’s highest score in the 3DMark05 benchmark. Read more

Posted: October. 28, 2004 @ 04:46PM GMT +10 by BenSW

PSP Gets Official Japanese Release Date

Sony Computer Entertainment has officially announced that it would release its new handheld video game system, PSP (PlayStation Portable) (PSP-1000), on December 12, 2004, at a recommended retail price of 19,800 yen excluding tax (20,790 yen including tax) (USD 195, Euros 153.7) for the Japanese market. read more about this here Source: www.megagames.com

Posted: October. 28, 2004 @ 12:58PM GMT +10 by Tokemon

Nvidia's market share drops

For the first time in several years, Nvidia has shipped less standalone desktop graphic cards than its rival ATI, according to industry sources. The firm's market share reached 37 percent in the third quarter of this year, compared to 50 percent in the same period of 2003. Read more Source: Tomshardware.com

Posted: October. 28, 2004 @ 10:28AM GMT +10 by Tokemon

Latest hardware reviews.

Ati Radeon X300SE Pci-Express review. AMD Sempron 2800+ and 3100+ and Celeron D Review Corsair TWIN2X1024-5400C4PRO DDR2 memory nForce4 Ultra & SLI Preview ASUS V9999 Gamer Edition Graphics Card Review

Posted: October. 27, 2004 @ 10:04PM GMT +10 by BenSW

DOOM 3 Expansion Date?

Activision apparently announced today that the first quarter of 2005 will be the release of DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil add-on pack, though of course, as always, id Software has the final say on the release dates of their projects. Q1 2005 was also listed as the projected release date for the Xbox version of DOOM 3, and both of those dates are now reflected on this Activision Investor Relations Release Calendar.

Posted: October. 27, 2004 @ 03:25PM GMT +10 by erock

No Online/LAN Co-Op for Halo 2

It has now been confirmed that Halo 2 will not include support for co-op mode on Xbox LIVE or LAN play. The co-op mode will remain for offline play only. Bungie made all attempts to implement it however with the complexity of the game it was simply impossible to have a worthwhile co-op experience." Source: GameConnect

Posted: October. 27, 2004 @ 08:55AM GMT +10 by erock

Major Milestone with Battery Life

The Mobile PC Extended Battery Life Working Group (EBL-WG) today announced a major milestone for its low power display panel initiative, confirming an average annual shipment of more than 6 million low power 12.1/14.1/15.0 XGA display panels at 3 watts or less, about 12 per cent of total estimated notebook shipments for 2004.1 Since establishing the initiative a year ago, average display panel power has dropped from 4.3-4.5 watts to 3 watts or less - power savings equivalent to 60 minutes of extra battery life in notebooks.2 The EBL-WG is targeting an annual rate of 10 million units at 3W or less by early next year, about 20 per cent of estimated total notebook shipments for 2005.3 Press release @ Intel

Posted: October. 27, 2004 @ 08:50AM GMT +10 by erock

New PC Platform | AMD

AMD, the world’s second largest maker of PC microprocessors, is preparing to roll-out a reference design of a computer that will serve for people in emerging markets and cannot afford even entry-level computers. The Personal Internet Communicator (PIC) initiative proposed by AMD and code-named Emma is based on AMD Geode GX500 366MHz processor that consumes about 1W of power, equipped with 128MB of memory, 10GB HDD, 4xUSB, 56K Modem and integrated audio, according to AMDBoard.com web-site. The machine runs a special version of Microsoft Windows CE with XP extender for Windows XP applications compatibility and is also bundled with Internet Explorer, Messenger, Spreadsheet and some other software. AMD wants such computers to sell for $185 with keyboard, but with no display, or, with keyboard and display, for $249. AMD’s PIC will allow customers to type texts, browse the Internet, use email, listen to music, watch multimedia files, view various presentations and perform some other simple tasks. AMD will not make or sell the PIC. Instead, it will sell licenses to make such computers along with certain components. The first maker of the PIC is Solectron, a contract manufacturer. Read More

Posted: October. 27, 2004 @ 08:48AM GMT +10 by erock

AMD Press Release

SUNNYVALE, CA -- October 26, 2004 --AMD announced today that the AMD Athlon™ 64 processor received “Product of the Year” honors in Computer Shopper magazine’s list of “The Best in Tech 2004.” Computer Shopper placed the AMD Athlon 64 processor atop its annual roundup of outstanding technology products in the magazine’s November issue which is currently available online and on newsstands. Computer Shopper’s annual list of the top 100 products of the year showcases the best desktops, notebooks, hardware and software as well as the most useful Web services. “Each year, the magazine’s editors select the best technology and the best buys from a year’s worth of reviews and first-hand experience,” Rik Fairlie, Editor of Computer Shopper. “This stamp of approval from one of the most trusted product guides in the industry is awarded to products that demonstrate the most effective combination of performance, features and value.” Read More

Posted: October. 27, 2004 @ 08:44AM GMT +10 by erock

Apple Releases iPod Special U2 Edition

Apple just released two new iPOD versions. One is a special U2 edition of the latest iPOD generation. The other one is a iPOD with color display an photo functions. To start off with the special U2 edition. This iPod is black with red controls. So it really does stand out of the white iPod crowd! The Apple website has this to say about the U2 Edition: Like no other, iPod U2 Special Edition stands out. Jet black, it bears a prominent red Apple Click Wheel and, on the flip side, the autographs of each U2 band member. Available for just $349, it comes with an exclusive U2 poster and, of course, the signature white iPod earbuds But where the U2 edition is just the same iPod in different colours, the iPod photo is a new big step in the world of iPods This Colour Displayed (65,536 colors) iPod is availabe in 40 or brand new 60 GB version and can hold up to 15.000 songs or 25.000 photo's! It has a slideshow feature and you can listen to your music while browsing your photo's. The Apple website has the following to say about the iPod Photo: Like its famous siblings, iPod Photo features the touch-sensitive Apple Click Wheel that’s the envy of the industry. You’ll use it to navigate iPod Photo’s new menu. Now in living color, its easier to read than ever. That’s thanks in part to the clarity of the display — it offers 220x176-pixel resolution — and in part to the new Myriad typeface. Spin the wheel to Music, and you can scroll effortlessly through dozens of playlists, hundreds of albums or thousand of songs. Or highlight Photos. iPod Photo displays 25 full-color thumbnails at a time. And you can scroll through them the same way you scroll through song titles. Quickly. Just spin the wheel to see more. And when you see a photo you’d like displayed all by its lonesome, just click the center button and voila. No one will have to say “cheese” as long as you have iPod Photo around. Whether you’re listening to tunes or checking out photos, you’re sure to be all smiles. More Info

Posted: October. 27, 2004 @ 08:41AM GMT +10 by erock

Need for Speed Underground 2 demo!

Uncover the tuner underground in a massive, free-roaming metropolis. Get behind the wheel in one of 30 of the hottest cars and own the streets from dusk-til-dawn. Explore the city, encountering underground races, hidden hideouts, secret shops and unexpected challengers With comprehensive performance tuning options, all-new game modes, and the most sought-after cars on the circuit, Need for Speed Underground 2 delivers the most authentic tuner experience ever. Download it here

Posted: October. 27, 2004 @ 06:54AM GMT +10 by BenSW

Annoyed at copy protections?

This my first post on the news poster team here at Ausfx.com so you may be seeing a little to me in the future. On to the news post then: Have you ever annoyed yourself over copy protections? Especially on music CD's and DVD's? Like you cannot take your favourite music that you bought LEGALLY and play it in your car? Well, I have been there, and we all know that is a pain and you feel like taking a gun and just walk over to the makers of the company and shoot them? Well I don't recommend doing that, lately there is a much better alternative to telling them "I AM FED UP WITH THIS! FIX IT!" And that solution is here at Consumers Against Copy Control, they are running a WORLD wide campaign where the collect signatures against this type of control, which they will send to the bigger companies. While it may be based in Norway, they have to change the looks on it from an international point of view and thats where you got your chance. Here is the link for you to sign if you like: CACC, Consumers Against Copy Control

Posted: October. 26, 2004 @ 11:33PM GMT +10 by Sweeper

NVIDIA Press Release

NVIDIA Announces Preliminary Financial Results for the Third Quarter Ended October 24, 2004 SANTA CLARA, CA – OCTOBER 25, 2004 – NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA), a worldwide leader in graphics and digital media processors, today announced preliminary financial results for the quarter ended October 24, 2004. A product mix shift to and share gains in the GeForce™ 6 GPU family contributed to strong revenue growth in the DX9 performance segment. In the third quarter, NVIDIA delivered two new GPUs, the GeForce 6600 and 6200, in addition to its award-winning GeForce 6800, and is now the industry’s only top-to-bottom GPU family to support Microsoft DirectX 9 Shader Model 3.0. The Company expects to report total revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2005 to be between $510 million to $515 million, as compared to the previous range of $470 million to $502 million. Third quarter gross margin percentage is expected to be between 31.7 percent and 32.7 percent. NVIDIA will host a conference call to discuss its final financial results for the third quarter of its fiscal year 2005 and the outlook for its fourth quarter on November 4, 2004 at 2:00 PM, Pacific Time. The Company's prepared remarks will be followed by a question and answer period, which will be limited to questions from analysts and institutional investors. Read More

Posted: October. 26, 2004 @ 02:52PM GMT +10 by erock

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