General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

No BS Podcast #185: No Star Wars Edition

Posted: 09 May 2012 11:41 AM PDT

Coming to you only slightly late, it's the real Episode 185 of the No BS Podcast! Join Deputy Editor Gordon Ung, Online Managing Editor Alex Castle, and Senior Editor Nathan Edwards as we go an entire two hours without arguing about Star Wars!

What do we talk about? Nvidia's dual-GPU GTX 690, AMD's answer to that, Trinity, Ivy Bridge (and the overclocking thereof), the merits of integrated graphics, and so much more. Then: Target vs Amazon vs Best Buy vs the IRS! A new computer in a Commodore 64 chassis! Testing headphones! MMOs! Diablo III! The Walking Dead game! And a dizzying number of reader questions answered! 

And, of course, there's a new non-Star-Wars-related Rant of the Month, and buried at the end, an important announcement from Alex.

Computer trouble? A secret to share? Opinions? Need advice? Just need to get something off your chest?  Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are not standing by.

 

Google Report: Search Engine Results Fall Under First Amendment Protection

Posted: 09 May 2012 11:09 AM PDT

When Eric Cartman prettied himself up in makeup and started shouting "Whatever! I'll do what I want!" on a fictional Maury Povich talk show, he and South Park's creators were flexing the freedom of speech rights allowed to everyone in the United States. Now, Google may be getting ready to do what it wants, too; the company recently commissioned a report by a First Amendment scholar who concluded that Google's search engine results are constitutionally protected speech and shouldn't be subject to government anti-trust regulations.

UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh, the brains behind the claims, says that search engine results serve as the company's "opinion" about the query as asked by the searchee.

"It uses sophisticated computerized algorithms, but those algorithms themselves inherently incorporate the search engine company engineers' judgments about what material users are most likely to find responsive to their queries," he writes in the 27 page report.

Volokh also says that search engines are essentially media companies like the New York Times and CNN, so he claims that Google, Bing and co. should be afforded the same free speech rights as more traditional publications. Or, as PaidContent puts it, if the Times can spit out "All the news that's fit to print," the same right should apply to search results.

PaidContent additionally points out that if that's true, Google would be within its rights to blacklist Yelp, which has been yelping about Google being a monopoly. Google has recently come under intense anti-trust scrutiny from both the United States and the European Union, which likely caused Google to commission the report.

It's an interesting change of tactics for the Mountain View crew, which previously claimed that its results shouldn't be regulated because Google isn't really a monopoly: anybody can use Bing or Dogpile at any time. Now, Google (via the commissioned report) is essentially giving up on the neutrality claims and shouting "Whatever! Whatever! The constitution lets me do what I want!"

What do you think: should Google be allowed to do whatever it wants with its search results? What do you think will happen in countries that don't have free speech protections? Google is a global business, after all.

HP Introduces "Sleekbooks:" Ultrabooks That Aren't Ultrabooks

Posted: 09 May 2012 10:26 AM PDT

In between ringing the warning bells about cyberspace boogeymen and rolling out refreshes to the Pavilion lineup, HP also took the time to answer a question we all knew was coming someday: when is an Ultrabook not an Ultrabook? The answer: when it's a so-called thin-and-light Sleekbook. Two new HP Envy notebooks carry the new name, which skirt the restrictions associated with the Intel-owned Ultrabook brand.

A key distinction for Ultrabooks, of course, is that they have to be powered by Intel's Core processors. One of the two Envy Sleekbooks -- a 14-inch, $700 laptop -- in fact runs on Ivy Bridge, but the second model -- a 15.6-inch, $600 laptop -- sports an AMD APU, something that could never occur in an Ultrabook proper.

The two Envy Sleekbooks also point out the price-based competitiveness of AMD's processors. The APU-powered Envy sports a bigger screen and "discrete-class graphics" while costing $100 less than the smaller Intel-powered Envy, which HP offers with "optional discrete graphics" that will only add to the price tag.

The Intel model should be available today, while the AMD variant won't be shipping until around June 20th. Why could that be? *Cough* Trinity *Cough* A couple of actual Ultrabooks were announced, too.

So whaddaya think: if HP and other manufacturers can whip together thin and long-lasting Ultrabook-like notebooks running on AMD processors, then simply call the doppelgangers by a slightly different name, does "Ultrabook" (with its very loose spec guidelines) even carry much value as a brand? The AMD Sleekbook is virtually identical to an AMD Ultrabook, after all, aside from the CPU at its heart.

Wolfenstein 3D Turns 20, iD Showers Gamers With Gratis Goodies

Posted: 09 May 2012 10:11 AM PDT

Long before there was Battlefield 3, there was Call of Duty, and before that, there was Quake and Doom. All those games can trace their lineage back even further, to Wolfenstein 3D, iD's awesomely innovative Nazi-hunting FPS adventure. Today marks a milestone for the classic franchise: B.J. Blazkowicz has been blasting SS guards and chaingun-wielding robo-Hitlers for a whopping 20 years. Even better, rather than just tooting its own horn, iD's showering gamers with freebie gifts to celebrate the anniversary.

First up is a new 25 minute-long Director's Commentary, with spoken words by none other than gaming guru John Carmack himself. Seriously, it's awesome. Check out the whole thing in the embedded video below.

If listening to the man behind the curtain doesn't pique your interest, iD's also made a browser-based version of the game, which you can play for free over on the Wolfenstein website. What, that still isn't good enough? Well, you're in luck -- the iOS version of Wolfenstein 3D is selling for the low, low price of FREE all day today. If you've got an iPhone or iPad, there's no reason NOT to go pick it up.

Happy birthday, Blazkowicz; we'd hoist a beer in your honor but that'll have to wait until next year.

EA to Invest $80 Million into Next Generation Console Game Development

Posted: 09 May 2012 08:39 AM PDT

It's sort of a weird time for game developers and publishers. Despite a reluctance on the part of Microsoft and Sony to talk about and/or announce next generation console hardware, the current crop of consoles are gettting long in the tooth and, as many suspect, facing succession. It's already happening with Nintendo's Wii console as the Wii U draws closer to release, and within the next year or so, it's conceivable to think there will be a PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 in the wild, too. Despite the uncertainty, however, EA isn't holding back and intends to invest a healthy $80 million into developing titles for next generation consoles. Does EA know something we don't?

"We intend to invest $80 million in gen-4 console development in fiscal 2013," EA CEO John Riccitiello said, according to GamesIndustry International. "We are strong believers that console will return to strong growth, representing great opportunity, one that is in lockstep with our digital plan."

Hard copy sales dropped 7 percent for EA in the past year, and looking ahead, the games publisher expects another single-digit decline during its fiscal 2013 period (April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013). So, why isn't EA fretting, and why commit $80 million to developing games for consoles that haven't launched yet? For one, developing games for consoles is like having a license to print money. And secondly, EA expects digital sales to make up for declining hard copy sales.

Riccitiello described the company's digital growth as being "robust," according to All Things D. And that's a fair assessment. EA raked in $1.2 billion in digital revenue last year, a 47 percent year-over-year increaase. FIFA 12 made $100 million in digital revenue all on its own, and looking forward, EA expects digital sales to total $1.7 billion in the next year.

Nvidia Plays Hardball with TSMC, Wins Priority Status for 28nm Chips

Posted: 09 May 2012 06:40 AM PDT

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) may have underestimated the challenges involved with churning out 28nm parts, or perhaps the company is simply inundated with orders. In the end, it doesn't really matter what the problem is, as far as clients go, and when Nvidia reportedly threatened to place orders with TSMC's competitors, suddenly the GPU maker was bumped to the front of the line.

It's been rumored that Nvidia considered giving 28nm orders to Samsung and/or Globalfoundries, and in attempt to stop that from happening, TSMC "has given priority to Nvidia for 28nm capacity," DigiTimes reports. Nvidia's recently launched Kepler series is built on a 28nm manufacturing process, and as any gamer will attest, finding a Kepler card in stock is an exercise in frustration.

By being bumped up to priority status, the GPU shortage should begin to ease in the coming weeks. This is especially important for Nvidia as it begins to flesh out its Kepler line with an upcoming GeForce GTX 670 graphics card. Meanwhile, Qualcomm has also been given priority status after it, too, threatened to outsource production to competing wafer fabs.

Image Credit: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

HP Tells Ghosts Stories in London, Talks of Threat of Massive Cyber Attacks to Businesses

Posted: 09 May 2012 06:25 AM PDT

Hewlett-Packard chief executive Meg Whitman might as well have been wearing a Boogeyman costume when addressing a crowd in London during an HP customer event. While there, she warned listeners that a mega-sized cyber terrorist attack is pretty much a foregone conclusion, that it's mostly a matter of when, not if, it will happen. But fear not, HP will be there to save the day, if you call upon the company.

According to Whitman, a "cyber attack of 9/11 scale" has a high probability of taking place sooner than later, and HP customers would be wise to recognize the "threat of global terrorism" that's on the horizon, V3.co.uk reports. On a more comforting note, Whitman promised to "darken the skies with the magnitude of our response and will work your agenda, not ours," when it comes to dealing with cyber shenanigans.

Only time will tell if HP's chief has a legitimate concern or if she's resorting to scare tactics to drive sales of enterprise security products. Either way, she brings up some valid points for businesses to think about.

"With the influx of mobility and cloud, the access points [to businesses] are now infinite. Threats have become sophisticated, persistent, and unpredictable," Whitman added, according to ITPro.co.uk.

EVGA's GeForce GTX 680 FTW Edition Comes in Two Flavors

Posted: 09 May 2012 05:57 AM PDT

Nvidia's Kepler unveiling essentially amounted to a paper launch, but that doesn't mean the company's GPU partners are sitting around twiddling their collective thumbs. New derivatives of the GeForce GTX 680 graphics card are coming out all the time, the newest ones being a pair of FTW cards from EVGA with overclocked specs, a sturdier design, and even twice the amount of memory.

The 'standard' GeForce GTX 680 FTW, if we can call it that, totes 'just' 2GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus. However, EVGA cranked the memory to 6208MHz, a 200MHz overclock that results in more memory bandwidth (198.66GB/s versus 192.2GB/s). EVGA also gave the GPU a bump in clockspeed, increasing the base and boost clocks to 1110MHz and 1176MHz, respectively, up from 1006MHz and 1058MHz.

For people who plan to run ultra high resolutions, particularly when multiple monitors are involved, or for those simply looking for bragging rights, EVGA outed a 4GB version of the FTW edition. This one boasts the same GPU overclock, though the memory drops back down to reference specs. The other difference is that the 4GB card comes with a backplate.

Both cards sport an 8 Phase PWM design, 8+6 pin power input, and Vapor Chamber cooling. MSRPs are $570 for the GeForce GTX 680 FTW and $630 for the GeForce GTX FTW 4GB w/ Backplate.

Image Credit: EVGA

HP Announces Updated Pavilion Notebook Lineup for 2012

Posted: 09 May 2012 04:16 AM PDT

Adding to the ongoing deluge of PC product line updates inspired by the launch of 3rd generation Intel Core i processors, Hewlett-Packard has announced a slew of Ivy Bridge-based notebook models across its various consumer laptop lines. But Ivy Bridge processors are not the only thing that sets HP's new laptops apart from their predecessors. According to the company, its 2012 Pavilion consumer notebook PCs are reflective of its new "Mosaic" design philosophy. Hit the jump for more.

The new Ivy Bridge-powered Pavilion consumer notebook PCs announced by HP are all updates to existing dv- and g-series models with the exception of the m6, a completely new laptop that packs a large display in a "super-slim" design. Sporting a 15.6-inch diagonal LED backlit high-definition (HD) display, the brushed-aluminum Pavilion m6 will be available with both Intel and AMD processors, optional discrete graphics, optional backlit keyboard and dual speakers and subwoofer with Beats Audio. Further, the m6 will come preloaded with HP CoolSense, ProtectSmart and SimplePass.

Other models in HP's 2012 Pavilion consumer notebook lineup are the dv7, dv6, dv4, g6 and g7. If your interest has been piqued then we suggest that you peruse the following pricing and availability information and hold your breath accordingly:

  • HP Pavilion m6 will be available this summer at Best Buy, BestBuy.com and HP Direct with pricing to be determined.
  • HP Pavilion dv4, dv6 and dv7 are expected to be available in the United States on June 20 with starting prices of $549.99, $549.99 and $799.99, respectively.
  • HP Pavilion g6 and g7 are expected to be available in the United States on July 25 with starting prices of $449.99 and $499.99, respectively.
Posted by Shri Krishna

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