Motion control comes to the PS3 with Sony's PlayStation Move
by Geoff Gasior — 3:58 PM on March 11, 2010

Sony has officially unveiled its motion controller for the PlayStation 3 game console. The wand-style PlayStation Move made its debut at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, and Sony says it'll be available for purchase this fall. Expect to pay less than $100 for a Playstation Move "starter kit," which will include one game and the PlayStation Eye camera accessory required to track the wand's motion.

The Move itself looks not unlike a microphone, complete with a bulbous head capable of glowing in at least four different colors. Games can apparently trigger color changes, which is a neat trick. The wand also features built-in vibration capabilities to provide a measure of force feedback.

Like the Nunchuk sidekick for Nintendo's Wii motion controller, the PlayStation Move has a companion Sub-Controller that provides a directional pad, an analog thumbstick, a trigger, and additional buttons. This complementary controller doesn't appear to be included in the starter kit, but it's unlikely to be required by most games designed for the Move.

Speaking of games, Sony claims to have the support of 36 publishers and third-party developers, including Activision, Capcom, Ubisoft, EA, Sega, and others. 20 Move-ready titles are expected before the end of this fiscal year, and many of them look to have been explicitly designed for the controller.

Microsoft's Project Natal controllerless motion control scheme is slated to hit the Xbox 360 this holiday season, and it'll be joined by the impressive Razer Sixense PC motion controller we saw on display at CES just a couple of months ago. The Sixense controller looks to be the most precise of the lot by far, but we don't yet know how much it or Natal will cost. In related news, Razer has already released a Sixense SDK and a first-person shooter utility library on Steam.

28 comments —
Last by PerfectCr at 10:02 PM on 03/11/10

A quick look at XFX's Radeon HD 5830
by Scott Wasson — 2:34 PM on March 11, 2010

In our Radeon HD 5830 preview, we tested a sample card from AMD that wasn't really representative of the final retail products.  One of the cards we talked about in the review was XFX's version of the 5830.  XFX's card looked to be one of the most promising offerings of the lot, so we asked them to send us one for a closer look.  I had hoped to do a quick-turnaround review on this card by comparing it to our existing test data, but the arrival of a six-display Eyefinity rig in Damage Labs caused a major disruption.  I had to disassemble my GPU test bench, essentially, to make room.

As a result, I'm not sure exactly when I'll be able to give this 5830 card a full and proper review, but I thought you all might want to have a brief look at it.

Yep, still a good-looking card.  One thing you may notice right away, though, is that it's not exactly as compact as the sample shot of it we received from AMD, which looked like so:

Um, yeah.  The real thing is a 10"-long card that is, crucially, just under an inch shorter than a Radeon HD 5870 with its Batmobile cooler.  That's just fine, even good compared to some 5830s, which are based on the 5870 reference design.  But it's not quite the feat of miniaturization that first PR picture suggested.

 

The complement of ports and power connectors is pretty standard, with a single DisplayPort, one HDMI, and two DVI ports in back and a pair of six-pin power connectors on the board's opposite edge.

I said in the original review that the custom coolers chosen by each vendor will be particularly important for 5830 cards, since there is no reference cooling solution from AMD.  Looking only at the shroud, you might think XFX's effort was a little weak. However, if you peek under the shroud...

Things take a happy turn in a Zalman-inspired (if not Zalman-supplied) direction.  I've not yet tested its effectiveness in any formal way, but the cooler seems to radiate quite a bit of heat with a minimum of fan noise.  Another nice touch: the thing doesn't spin up to Dyson-death-vortex levels at POST time, like many video coolers do these days. 

The inclusion of a Steam coupon for Aliens vs. Predator also sets the XFX card apart from the pack.  I believe this is the only 5830 with that game bundled; most others have gone with Modern Warfare 2 or no games at all.  The inclusion of a newer, DX11 game might help offset the Radeon HD 5830's relatively weak value proposition, at least.

The caveat here is that Newegg is currently selling the XFX 5830 for $259.99, which is 20 bucks more than XFX first told us to expect.  That's frustrating, and the current upsurge in graphics card prices isn't likely to abate until the supply problems with 40-nm GPUs have been fully overcome. Until then, Radeon HD 5830 cards will probably continue to be priced higher than we'd like.  If you're determined to buy a graphics card in this price range, the 5830 may soon be the only game in town—and certainly the only option with a DirectX 11 feature set.  In that context, XFX's take on the 5830 may be your best option.  Here's hoping we'll see this same card selling for $199 before long.

48 comments —
Last by PRIME1 at 10:15 PM on 03/11/10

Epic brings 3D to Unreal Engine... wait, what?
by Scott Wasson — 10:24 AM on March 11, 2010

The Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco is underway, so folks should be opening the spigot on gaming-related news this week. Nvidia was among the first companies to get into the act with an announcement this morning. They're working with Epic to bring 3D support to Unreal Engine 3, that omnipresent software engine on which every other game is now based. Actually, the support is for Nvidia's 3D Vision scheme, which we reviewed a while back. So we're talking funny glasses and flashbacks to being preached at by Avatar, not just 3D graphics alone. I'll let the press release take it from here:

GAME DEVELOPER’S CONFERENCE—BOOTH # 1702, SOUTH HALL—SAN FRANCISCO, California—March 11, 2010—NVIDIA and Epic Games, Inc. today announced the addition of NVIDIA® 3D Vision™ technology support to Unreal Engine 3. Today’s announcement means that licensees of the world’s most successful game engine will be able to take full advantage of integrated 3D Vision™ technology support and offer an unprecedented level of immersion in their upcoming games. Epic’s popular Unreal Development Kit (UDK), a free version of Unreal Engine 3, will also benefit from the addition of 3D Vision support, bringing a theater-quality 3D development platform to the more than 200,000 current users worldwide.

“Having the number one 3D engine on the planet embrace 3D Vision is fantastic news for UE3 licensees, UDK users and gamers,” says Tony Tamasi, vice president of content and technology at NVIDIA. “It’s now easier than ever to add state-of-the-art stereoscopic 3D effects to your Unreal Engine 3-based creations.”

“The combination of Unreal Engine 3 and 3D Vision makes already amazing games even more jaw dropping,” said Mark Rein, vice president at Epic Games. “If you haven’t seen Unreal Engine 3 in 3D, you won’t believe how realistic it is! We’re excited to offer this technology for free to our licensees and can’t wait to see what people create with it.”

Although a metric ton of current games is based on Unreal Engine 3, they won't be automatically updated with 3D Vision support due to this change. The developers would have to incorporate it. The more likely impact of this agreement will be on future Unreal Engine-based titles. Nerds everywhere, prepare your dorky glasses!

52 comments —
Last by Palek at 10:22 PM on 03/11/10

Etc.
by Scott Wasson — 10:10 AM on March 11, 2010

Well, news today may be a little bit slow. Cyril is knee-deep in an important mission that will soon pay big dividends for us all, and Geoff has been working on a special assignment that may keep him occupied. As for me, between the amount of effort I put into the Gulftown review and reading the comments on my last Etc. post, I'm mostly sitting around watching chick flicks, eating chocolates, and crying a little into my herbal tea.

Ok, maybe not. But I do have a few things to do today. I'll see if I can swing a few news posts along the way. Stay tuned.

46 comments —
Last by bLaNG at 7:55 PM on 03/11/10

Thursday Shortbread
by Ronald Hanaki — 2:58 AM on March 11, 2010

Thursday

1. Unlimited Detail graphics engine: Potential next-gen graphics technology? (video)
2. The Register reports Intel's redemos 6-core Gulftown
3. AppleInsider reports Intel 'Gulftown' announcement fuels rumors of new Mac Pro
4. Don't trust critics: Four Apple products they thought would fail
5. Engadget reports Verizon promises first 4G handset
   for next summer, foretells end of unlimited data plans
6. Gizmodo reports Zune HD2 will be like iPod touch for Windows Phone 7
7. Details leaked regarding Dell's touch-screen 'Streak'
8. Intel to launch budget OC CPU?
9. Fudzilla reports MSI sneaks Hydra onto its AMD board
10. NordicHardware: Motherboard price war pending?
11. DigiTimes reports contract quotes for DDR3 and DDR2 chips remain high in early March
12. Fudzilla reports Nvidia policing CeBIT
13. Ex-Sun chief dishes dirt on Gates, Jobs
14. FTC said to ask Google rivals about AdMob purchase
15. C|Net reports European Parliament slams digital copyright treaty
16. TV providers petition FCC for help in fee dispute
17. TorrentFreak reports piracy rises in France despite three strikes law
18. Boing Boing: When RealNetworks settled on DVD copying, we all lost
19. RealNetworks' Rob Glaser on why Apple's model must be stopped
20. Ars Technica: Pushing the speed limits of quantum memory
21. BBC reports Large Hadron Collider to shut down for a year to address design faults
22. TechFlash reports Mexico's Carlos Slim knocks Bill Gates off his top billionaire perch
23. Win an OCZ Neutrino netbook from FiringSquad
24. Dealzon's deals: $125 off i3 Dell Inspiron 17, $230 off 14" Lenovo G450,
    $300 off hp Envy 15, and $182 off Lenovo IdeaCenter K300

Software

1. Register Hardware reports WD targets Win XP users to ease 4KB drive upgrades
2. Application compatibility update for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008,
   Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2: February 2010
3. Workaround for Windows 7 / Norton 360 compatibility issue
4. C|Net reports Mozilla to overhaul its open-source license
5. Ars Technica reports Google Apps becomes a platform, gets its own app store
6. comScore reports January 2010 U.S. mobile subscriber market share
7. Download Squad reports the entire U.K. set to go on Google Street View
8. SIW 2010 (build 0310) is available
9. Skype 4.2 for Windows

Gaming

1. FiringSquad reports PCGA says PC gaming grew 3% last year
   and OnLive launching in June for $14.95 / month
2. Joystiq cites study: America spent $3.8 billion on MMOs in 2009
3. GamePolitics reports EA brings in-game ad sales in-house
4. Ars Technica's hands-on with Sony's new PlayStation Move motion controller
5. Fudzilla reports PlayStation Home to get 1.35 update
6. GDC 2010: What's next for video game AI?
7. Big Download reports more Battlefield: Bad Company 2 server downtime
8. Computer games disguised as Excel and Word prove a hit with office workers
9. GameShark has Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising Q&A
10. EA tweets 100% official - Command & Conquer 4 is on Steam
11. Shacknews shares Civilization 5 first impressions from GDC 2010
12. Ars Technica on Street Fighter IV: As good as you can expect on the iPhone
13. Dawn of War II, Supreme Commander 2, and Star Wars The Force
    Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition updates released on Steam
14. Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising now available in North America and Korea from Steam
15. Square Enix, Eidos Interactive publisher week - day 3 on Steam (deals on games)

Systems and storage

1. HotHardware reviews Lenovo ThinkPad T410
2. Benchmark Reviews, Futurelooks, Guru3D, hardCOREware, Hardware Canucks,
   Hardware Secrets, Hardware Heaven, Hexus.net, Hi Tech Legion, HotHardware,
   MBReview, Motherboards.org, Neoseeker, OCC, PC Perspective, Techgage,
   Tweaknews, and TweakTown review Core i7-980X 6-core Gulftown processor
3. Motherboards.org's Core i7-980X video review
4. Core i7-980X meets LN2 extreme cooling at TweakTown
5. Metku reviews Phenom II X2 555 B.E. (C3 stepping)
6. iXBT Labs review Athlon II X2 215
7. PCStats explores CPU performance in Windows Vista vs. Windows 7
8. CowcotLand's roundup: 24 CPU in tri, quad and hexa-cores (in French)
9. Gizmodo on how to complete erase your hard drives, SSDs, and thumb drives
10. TestFreaks review 2TB Seagate Barracuda XT SATA 6bps
11. ABT reviews 256GB Patriot Torqx M28 SSD
12. Big Bruin reviews 128GB Kingston SSDNow V+ Series SSD
13. HardwareLogic reviews 128GB Imation M-Class SSD
14. OverclockersHQ reviews Lite On external top-load DVD and CD writer

Multimedia, power, casing, and cooling

1. Hardware Canucks have Asus HD 5870 Matrix 2GB and HD 5870 "V2" sneak peek
2. TweakTown reviews Proluma Deluxe Triple LCD stand
3. BCCHardware reviews Patriot Box Office media player
4. Rbmods on Mionix Keid 20 headset
5. TestFreaks review Motorola Droid USB sync and 2nd battery charge cradle
6. TechReviewSource on TomTom Ease GPS
7. PureOC reviews 750W Seasonic X Series PSU
8. Technic3D reviews 600W Enermax Modu 87+ PSU (in German)
9. techPowerUp! reviews NZXT Hades case
10. TWL reviews In Win Diva mITX case
11. UMLan on Ineo Technologies I-NA314Ue enclosure
12. TweakPC on Roccat SDMS: A clever desktop solution? (in German)
13. ThinkComputers reviews Zalman CNPS10X Performa CPU cooler
14. Legit Reviews on Thermaltake SpinQ VT CPU cooler

25 comments —
Last by oldDummy at 3:08 PM on 03/11/10

Etc.
by Scott Wasson — 1:14 PM on March 10, 2010

Some of you guys have asked us to comment on the controversy first started at Ars Technica about Why ad blocking is devastating to the sites you love. Frankly, I have avoided this topic because so many of the comments we see about it are dismaying and saddening. However, I will address it briefly due to your requests—and because I'd like to clear up any misconceptions.

Ken's central argument in the piece linked above strikes me as essentially unassailable. He's explained how things work for publications like us—that is, ads are sold on a per-view basis—and sidestepped almost entirely the questions of morality and ethics that distract from the core reality beneath it all. What's left is this inescapable truth: If you block our ads, we lose revenue, which restricts how we can serve you as a publication.

People can argue all they want about the finer ethical points of these things, but that truth doesn't change. The contrarian can say that he dislikes intrusive web ads, and we can reply that we turn down substantial revenue each month due to our commitment to reject annoying ads of every stripe: pop-ups, pop-unders, interstitals, double-underlined keyword jobs, ads with sound, graphics that flicker in bright colors, videos that play automatically, files that are too large, ads with trashy content, you name it. He can argue that we should get a new business model; we can point out that declaring someone should flap his arms and fly to the moon is much easier said than done. He can claim his "right" to block our ads, and we can claim our right to deny him our bandwidth and content. At the end of the day, though, the world is what it is, not what we wish it to be—and if you block our ads, TR suffers.

I'm not sure I understand some of the angry responses web sites get when pointing out this dynamic. Some of them, I think, grow from the fact that these sentiments are rarely expressed clearly and without emotion on the part of site operators; readers often hear anger and accusation in these appeals and respond defensively. In other cases, it seems to me the fundamental problem is an inability or unwillingness on the part of some folks to put themselves in the shoes of the site operator and to consider fully his dilemma. That's what I find most discouraging.

Web site operators are simply saying: we are doing things constantly to serve your interests; please do this little thing to help us out. If you do, we'll serve your interests even better. That sentiment is certainly true for us, and your cooperation in this simple matter would be appreciated.

303 comments —
Last by crazybus at 9:28 PM on 03/11/10

Poll: Your last graphics card upgrade
by Cyril Kowaliski — 12:37 PM on March 10, 2010

These days, consoles pretty much set the standard for the level of detail in games. Oh sure, some ports or cross-platform titles might give PC gamers slightly snazzier graphics and effects, but for the most part, one needs surprisingly little graphics horsepower to run even the latest titles. In some cases, that means graphics processors have silicon to spare, which may well be why we're seeing things like AMD's six-display Eyefinity scheme.

From a more practical standpoint, though, we're getting the feeling that this stagnation in hardware requirements has also slowed down the upgrade cycles of many PC gamers. We wanted to put that to the test, so we slapped together a new poll with one simple question: "When was your last graphics card upgrade?" The options are laid out in six-month intervals, with 1H referring to the first half of the year and 2H referencing the second.  Feel free to vote either below or on our front page.

Our last poll was about the Apple iPad, and out of nearly 8,000 responses, only about 15% of TR readers feel positively about the device—and only 4% of the total see the device as a "clear home run." Meanwhile, 23% of respondants are unfazed, and a whopping 61% are disappointed.

140 comments —
Last by rhema83 at 9:19 PM on 03/11/10

OCZ 'boot drive' SSD starts at under 100 bucks
by Cyril Kowaliski — 12:31 PM on March 10, 2010

Already, OCZ's solid-state drive lineup includes several affordable 30GB offerings. That hasn't stopped the company from adding another one to the mix, however: the 2.5" Onyx 32GB SSD, which is launching with a "sub 100 dollar" suggested retail price.

The 32GB Onyx has maximum rated transfer speeds of 125MB/s for reads and 70MB/s for writes—a tad slower than the same company's pricier 30GB offerings, but still faster than a mechanical hard drive, OCZ claims. Other features include 64MB of cache, a three-year warranty, and "unique performance optimization to keep the drives at peak performance over the long term."

OCZ says the Onyx is "ideal for use as a boot up drive or for mobile PCs and Netbooks as a quality hard drive replacement." Considering Microsoft recommends 16-20GB of free hard drive space for Windows 7 alone, desktop PC users will definitely want to keep a mechanical hard drive handy to store their games, applications, and other files.

47 comments —
Last by TheWacoKid at 8:11 PM on 03/11/10

AMD-powered MSI Wind12 laptops now available
by Cyril Kowaliski — 10:14 AM on March 10, 2010

Four months have passed since we first wrote about MSI's Wind12, one of the very first systems based on AMD's new Congo ultraportable platform. Now, MSI has announced that two Wind12 laptops have become available in North America for $429.99 and $479.99.

The higher of the two price tags applies to the Wind12 variant with a dual-core Athlon Neo X2 L335 processor and 320GB hard drive. The $429.99 model, meanwhile, comes with a single-core Athlon Neo MV-40 CPU and 250GB of mechanical storage.

Both systems feature 12.1" 1366x768 displays, Radeon HD 3200 integrated graphics (with HDMI out), 2GB of RAM, 802.11n Wi-Fi, six-cell batteries, and Windows 7 Home Premium. MSI says both Wind12 flavors tip the scales at 3.3 lbs—roughly in the same ballpark as other consumer ultraportables out there.

Speaking of the competition, the two Wind12 laptops look to be going straight up against Acer's Aspire AS1410, a 11.6" consumer ultraportable that can be purchased with a dual-core Celeron SU2300 processor for $449.99 at Newegg. Other specs are roughly similar, although the Aspire's Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics pale in comparison to the Wind12's Radeon HD 3200.

Newegg already has both Wind12 models in stock: the single-core variant for $429.99 and the dual-core one for $479.99, just as MSI announced.

20 comments —
Last by UberGerbil at 6:57 PM on 03/11/10

Mario Day Shortbread
by Ronald Hanaki — 6:55 AM on March 10, 2010

Mario Day

1. Engadget reports Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang is 'looking forward'
   to court date with Intel, sees no reason to settle (video)
2. Ars Technica reports HTC lawsuit came after warning by Apple to handset makers
3. C|Net reports Sun fended off Apple, Microsoft IP lawsuit threats
4. Yahoo! News reports Google welcomes chance to export to Iran, Cuba
5. [H]ard|Forum has coverage of AMD's event in San Francisco last night
6. VR-Zone covers Sony Ericsson's 'Evolve, Engage, Excite' regional media event
7. X-bit labs report ATIC to increase stake in GlobalFoundries
8. DigiTimes reports motherboard makers see on-month drops in February 2010 revenues
9. TUAW: Deconstructing the iPad ad
10. Wired reports MSI Wind lasts 15-hours on one charge
11. VR-Zone reports Shuttle showcases external GPU and Ion 2 nettop
12. Asus Eee PC 1005PR includes Broadcom Crystal HD, 500GB of Asus WebStorage trial
13. Engadget reports Newegg selling Asus Eee Box with Red Flag Linux pre-installed
14. TC Magazine reports Intel rumored to be planning dual-core Atom for netbooks
15. Fudzilla reports Intel prepares DDR3 Atom desktop board
    and Fermi complex design caused the delay
16. Samsung unveils full suite of 3DTV-enabled products:
    Plasma, LCD, and LED HDTVs, Blu-ray, HTiB & more
17. VR-Zone reports Creative introduces new Aurvana In-Ear2 earphones
18. Softpedia reports Corsair shows off high-performance CPU coolers
19. Arctic Cooling's new huge GPU cooler
20. Hardware Heaven's interview with Xigmatek's Tony Sahin
21. Internet access is 'a fundamental right'
22. New Comcast TV, broadband, phone price hikes April 1
23. WSJ reports Google tests TV search service
24. AppleInsider reports Apple's iTunes LP concept hatched by labels, sales disappoint
25. TechFlash reports Bing keeps rising, now 11.5%
26. New MSN homepage launch began yesterday
27. ACM Turing Award goes to creator of first modern personal computer
28. Dealzon's deals: $155 off Dell Inspiron 14 i3, $130 off Lenovo IdeaCentre D400, $70 off
    14" Lenovo IdeaPad U450p, and $90 off 23" Samsung LCD + Logitech keyboard / mouse

Software

1. Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool 3.5
2. Microsoft security bulletin summary for March 2010
3. SuperSite Blog reports Windows 7 SP1 still on track for Q4 2010
4. Fudzilla reports Windows XP users will have to upgrade by next year
5. Microsoft security advisory (981374): Vulnerability in IE could allow remote code execution
6. TechNet Magazine - March 2010
7. It's official: The Register reports Adobe Reader is world's most-exploited app
8. Ars Technica reports Mozilla borrows from WebKit to build fast new JS engine
9. Betanews reports IE usage share steady since choice screen
   and Opera denies severity of 10.5 exploit
10. Statistics for a changing world: Google Public Data Explorer in labs
11. C|Net reports Google Maps to add bike maps, directions
12. Ars Technica reports Facebook's location feature expected to launch next month
13. Engadget reports Palm's webOS PDF beta adds Pixi native
    development, PDK'd apps will hit the catalog mid-year
14. Ars Technica: FileMaker Pro goes to 11, admits people like spreadsheets
15. TUAW reports Microsoft updates Office for Mac 2008 and 2004
16. t-break reviews Kaspersky Internet Security 2010
17. Microsoft IntelliPoint 7.10 (32-bit)
18. iPhone SDK 3.2 beta 4 drops in

Gaming

1. Analyst: PlayStation 3 to win console war in the end
2. Kotaku on why modern video game armies lack female troops
3. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 PC server update and EA maintenance
4. Fudzilla reports Mac platform might get BFBC2
5. VG247's interview: StarCraft II's Dustin Browder on the beta, GDC, and finally going home
6. Battlestar Galactica online MMO coming soon to a browser near you
7. Modern Warfare 2 DLC coming March 30
8. Kotaku shares rumor - Batman: Arkham Asylum II may get some Robin
9. C|Net on Power Gig, a music game with real guitars
   and Rock Band 3 confirmed for the holidays
10. Assassin's Creed II PC launch trailer
11. C|Net on how Epic fit the Unreal Engine into the iPhone
12. TUAW reports Street Fighter IV for the iPhone out now
13. Razer and Sixense release SDK and first-person shooter utility library through Steam
14. TechSpot compiles a list of PC game classics available free of charge
15. R.U.S.E. public beta now available via Steam
16. Square Enix, Eidos Interactive publisher week - day 2 on Steam (deals on games)

Systems and storage

1. Phoronix reviews MSI Wind Box Atom 330 nettop
2. AnandTech reviews Asus M4A89GTD Pro
3. PC Perspective reviews Asus P6T7 and P7P55 WS
4. TweakTown reviews 4GB G.Skill PI Series PC3-18400 memory kit
5. TweakPC reviews 4GB G.Skill PI Series PC3-17600 memory kit (in German)
6. Guru3D: USB 3.0 performance explored
7. Bona Fide Reviews on Gigabyte GA-USB3.0 PCI-E card
8. iGadgetLife reviews two USB 3.0 34mm ExpressCards
9. TweakTown reviews Thecus N7700 Pro 7-drive NAS server
10. Tweaknews revivews Asus TS Mini home server

Multimedia

1. GeForce GTX 470 benchmarks and pictures
2. Expreview previews Galaxy's dual-core GTS 250
3. PureOC reviews PowerColor HD 5830 PCS+ 1GB
4. XSReviews on Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 1GB
5. bit-tech's hands-on with 6-screen AMD Eyefinity
6. Digital Trends: Are OLED TVs the future or a failure?
7. t-break reviews Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP8 camera
8. Digital Trends on why Windows Phone 7 had to be a fresh start
9. OC3D reviews Mionix NAOS 5000 mouse
10. BCCHardware reviews SteelSeries Xai laser gaming mouse

Power, cases, and cooling

1. OCC reviews 775W Thermaltake Toughpower XT PSU
2. Guru3D reviews 750W Cooler Master GX Series PSU
3. ProClockers review NZXT Hades case
4. ThinkComputers reviews Antec P183 Advanced case
5. LanOC Reviews on NZXT Panzerbox
6. techPowerUp! reviews Lian Li PC-T1R Spider case
7. Hardware Secrets reviews Gelid Tranquillo CPU cooler
8. Big Bruin reviews Cooler Master V8 CPU cooler

35 comments —
Last by DancingWind at 7:38 AM on 03/11/10

Ubisoft DRM authentication servers go down
by Cyril Kowaliski — 6:00 AM on March 10, 2010

That whole "forcing users to be online to play" copy protection scheme Ubisoft premiered recently seems to be having a rough start. After forcing players to retrace progress in the release version of Assassin's Creed II, the new DRM scheme has now prevented folks from, well, actually playing both that game and Silent Hunter 5.

As Shacknews reports, some of Ubisoft's DRM authentication servers went down for about seven hours on Sunday, from 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM central. Ubisoft claimed only 5% of players were actually affected, blaming the downtime on the servers being "attacked." The company updated its official Twitter feed on Monday to say its servers came under attack once more.

Shacknews quotes one Ubisoft community manager as saying, "Clearly the extended downtime and lengthy login issues are unacceptable, particularly as I've been told these servers are constantly monitored."

Ubisoft still hasn't offered an alternative for folks wishing to play when the DRM authentication servers experience downtime. However, the company pledged in January that, should it decide to discontinue this DRM scheme, it will patch affected games "so that the core game play will not be affected."

28 comments —
Last by Hurst at 1:47 PM on 03/11/10

MSI intros Core i5-powered ultraportable
by Cyril Kowaliski — 3:34 PM on March 9, 2010

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. MSI has introduced a new member of its X-Slim series that packs a low-voltage Core i5 processor instead of a Core 2-derived CULV chip like all the other consumer ultraportables out there.

MSI outfits the X-Slim X360 with a 13" 1366x768 display, a Core i5-520UM processor and accompanying Intel H55M chipset, up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, up to 500GB of 2.5" mechanical storage, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI, and a choice of four- or eight-cell batteries (the latter being rated for nine hours of run time).The laptop ships with Windows 7 Home Premium as standard, so users will get to enjoy snazzy Aero effects and media-center features.

MSI quotes a weight of around 1.4 grams with the four-cell battery, but one can probably assume that figure is actually in kilograms—so around 3.1 lbs. Thickness-wise, the X360 ranges from 0.24" to 0.89" at its thickest point.

Looking at the processor specifically, the Core i5-520UM runs at 1.06GHz with a top Turbo Boost speed of 1.86GHz. It features 3MB of L3 cache, four threads, an 18W thermal envelope, and a $214 bulk price tag. By contrast, the dual-core Celeron SU2300 we've seen in some of the nicer consumer ultraportables out there runs at 1.2GHz with a 10W power envelope and a $134 bulk price tag.

Considering the higher CPU price (and performance, of course), we would expect MSI to price the X-Slim X360 at a premium over its CULV laptops. The highest-end Core 2-powered, 13-inch X340 currently sells for $699.99, so the new X360 will likely end up north of that.

31 comments —
Last by UberGerbil at 2:29 PM on 03/10/10

Newegg ditches distributor over Core i7-920 'demo units'
by Cyril Kowaliski — 12:33 PM on March 9, 2010

That fake CPU incident is still having repercussions at Newegg. The online retailer has posted a new statement on its Facebook page, revealing that the so-called Core i7-920 "demo units" some customers received were in fact counterfeit products. Newegg has also kicked the distributor that provided the parts to the curb.

Opening the statement by saying it is "conducting a thorough investigation" into the events, Newegg adds:

Initial information we received from our supplier, IPEX, stated that they had mistakenly shipped us "demo units." We have since come to discover the CPUs were counterfeit and are terminating our relationship with this supplier. Contrary to any speculation, D&H Distributing is not the vendor that supplied us with the Intel Core i7-920 CPUs in question.

Newegg’s top priority is to proactively reach out to all customers who may have been affected to ensure their absolute satisfaction. We have already sent out a number of replacement units and are doing everything in our power to resolve the matter promptly and with the least amount of inconvenience to our customers.

We have always taken pride in providing an exceptional experience for each customer, and we apologize for any inconvenience to our valued customers. We take matters like this extremely seriously, and are working in close cooperation with Intel and the appropriate law enforcement authorities to thoroughly investigate this incident.

As we explained yesterday, the counterfeit processors came in genuine-looking product boxes, but they were little more than slabs of metal accompanied by lumps of plastic shaped as coolers and blank paper leaflets.

Newegg called IPEX a "one of our long term partners" in its original statement, going on to say its customer service staff had already started reaching out to folks who received the duds.

69 comments —
Last by Chrispy_ at 7:38 AM on 03/11/10

Report: Asus, Gigabyte mobo shipments reach parity
by Cyril Kowaliski — 9:43 AM on March 9, 2010

For a good, long while now, Asus has been top dog in the motherboard market. The company may now be in danger of losing that position, though. DigiTimes reports that Gigabyte's motherboard shipments for the first two months of 2010 may have reached parity with Asus' shipments.

According to "market watchers" quoted in the story, Asus shipped 3.2 to 3.3 million motherboard in January and February, while Gigabyte churned out somewhere between 3.1 and 3.3 million boards. Gigabyte might still be a little behind, in other words, but there's plenty of overlap between the two shipment ranges. Officially, Asus says it expects to ship five million boards in the first quarter.

DigiTimes goes on to say Asus "is expected" to slash prices in order to regain (or retain) its lead—a move that could precipitate a price war in the motherboard market. The company may also "reshuffle staff" in its mobo business for good measure.

The story doesn't delve into the reasons for Gigabyte's growth, but we can probably make an educated guess. Gigabyte has been undercutting Asus on the pricing front for many months now, providing a little bit of extra functionality at a slightly lower price. This trend has gotten so pronounced that, in our latest system guide, we ended up siding with Gigabyte exclusively in order to keep our full system prices down.

35 comments —
Last by deinabog at 9:37 AM on 03/11/10

Zotac Zbox gets a definite price tag, launch schedule
by Cyril Kowaliski — 6:00 AM on March 9, 2010

That Zotac Zbox HD-ID11 nettop will be a little more expensive than anticipated. Last week, shortly after Nvidia launched its next-generation Ion graphics processor, we were tipped off that the Zbox's mix of dual-core Atom processing and Ion graphics goodness would set you back $209.99. Well, Zotac now tells us the device will actually cost $239.99.

The firm has also provided us with a rough availability time frame: late March or early April. That ought to put Zotac at the front row of next-generation Ion adopters. Nvidia said at the launch that "more than 30" systems featuring the new GPU will be out by the summer.

As we already noted, the Zbox sticks its dual-core Atom CPU and Ion GPU in a diminutive enclosure that can be strapped to the back of an LCD monitor. The machine includes 512MB of dedicated graphics RAM, a DDR2 SO-DIMM slot for main memory, one 2.5" hard drive bay, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and connectivity that spans Gigabit Ethernet, external Serial ATA, and HDMI.

Hopefully, Zotac will throw in some RAM and a hard drive in the mix; otherwise, the system might end up costing a wee bit more than first-gen Ion nettops like Zotac's own MAG HD-NS01-U, which sells for $259.99 at Newegg.

29 comments —
Last by SoulSlave at 6:39 AM on 03/10/10

Unique Names Day Shortbread
by Ronald Hanaki — 5:59 AM on March 9, 2010

Unique Names Day

1. Cisco to "change the Internet forever" on March 9
2. C|Net: Could Cisco be announcing a killer set-top box?
   and 100Mbps broadband may be closer than you think
3. Don't blame your community: Ad blocking is not killing any sites
4. Dot-com craze peaked 10 years ago
5. [H]ard|OCP: Counterfeit Intel CPU saga comes to a close
6. C|Net reports more states propose Internet sales taxes
7. TechFlash reports Amazon cuts off affiliates in Colorado over new sales tax law
8. DailyTech reports Canada plans shift to plastic currency
9. Ars Technica: Why Google keeps your data forever, tracks you with ads
10. TUAW on Apple patent: Use your iPhone as an electronic "iKey"
11. Madshrimps have CeBIT 2010 coverage
12. AOL News: Death of the desktop and other dire predictions
13. DigiTimes reports Gigabyte closes gap with Asus in motherboard shipments
    and Asus subsidiary eyeing AMD south bridge design orders
14. Engadget reports hp Slate makes an appearance to show off Flash
15. DailyTech reports Tegra-powered Microsoft Courier to wage war with iPad late this year
16. Fudzilla reports Asus shows off its 890FX offer
17. TUAW reports iPad ad reveals book pricing and NYT button
18. Stanford survey contemplates iPhone addiction
19. Fudzilla reports Blu-ray prices fall
20. Blockbuster still seems afraid of broadband
21. TUAW reports remote webcam activation now disabled in
    software that led to controversy at Pennsylvania school
22. Strobeshnik HDD clock (video)
23. DailyTech reports MIT researchers discover new electricity production method
24. Dealzon's deals: $110 off 15.6" Compaq CQ61, $110 off Dell Inspiron 15,
    $150 off 14.1" hp dv4, and $300 off 55" Vizio LCD TV

Software

1. Technologizer on the future of Windows
2. Microsoft changes algorithm behind its browser ballot
3. Tech ARP posts Windows 7 Service Pack 1 roadmap
4. Ars Technica reports Mozilla previews new feature to guard against Flash crashes
5. DailyTech reports Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight vie for dominance amid HTML5 threat
6. Ars Technica reports MeeGo code coming in March, will run on Atom boards and N900
7. InfoWorld reports Energizer Bunny's software infects PCs
8. C|Net reports Android coders get high-speed graphics ability
9. TechReviewSource on 2009 tax preparation software
10. Maximum PC on five apps for perfect podcast recording, listening, and editing
11. Sysinternals suite - March 8, 2010
12. DirectX Happy Uninstall 5.1 (shareware)
13. BayReviews.com has WinX DVD Ripper Platinum v5.9 giveaway contest

Gaming

1. AMD: Game devs only use PhysX for the cash
2. GameSpy reports Sony preps the PlayStation 3 for 3D gaming
3. Fudzilla reports Sharkoon showcasing waterproof mouse pad for gamers
4. VG247 reports Ubisoft PC DRM downtime due to "server attack"
5. Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 are coming to the Mac
6. Shacknews reports Modern Warfare 2 DLC details due soon as game accumulates 25 million
   players and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 server issues continue; PS3 VIP content on the way
   and first Fallout: New Vegas screenshots appear
7. Gaming Heaven's interview with The Creative Assembly (Total War)
8. Kotaku: Can Hurt Locker inspire a new generation of "war" games?
9. C|Net: At GDC, iPhone game development breaks out
10. TechSpot's Battlefield: Bad Company 2 GPU performance in-depth
11. Shacknews and TweakPC (in German) review Battlefield: Bad Company 2
12. Ars Technica reviews God of War 3
13. Games For Work: Super Mario Star Scramble Flash game
14. Dragon Age: Source update released on Steam
15. Steam's Monday deals
16. Nvidia BFBC2 Battle for PAX tournament (PC)

Systems, storage, and networking

1. AnandTech reviews Dell Precision M6500
2. HotHardware reviews Toshiba Satellite E205-S1904 laptop
3. TweakTown reviews ViewSonic ViewBook Pro VNB131S 13.3" notebook
4. t-break reviews Alienware M11x notebook
5. Guru3D puts Asus M4A89GTD USB 3.0 mobo to the test
6. [H]ard|OCP reviews Asus Maximus III Extreme
7. Benchmark Reviews on WD SiliconEdge Blue SSD
8. HardwareLogic, Legit Reviews, TestFreaks, and
   ThinkComputers on 30GB Kingston SSDNow V Series
9. OCC reviews 2GB Mushkin Mulholland Drive USB drive
10. AnandTech on 10Gbit Ethernet: Killing another bottleneck?

Multimedia

1. HT4U: Nvidia GeForce GTX 400 at CeBIT (in German)
2. Legion Hardware on Radeon HD 5870 CrossFire CPU scaling performance
3. techPowerUp! reviews Asus EAH 5850 TOP DirectCU
4. Tweaknews reviews 58" Samsung PN58B650 plasma TV
5. CCE Reviews on Brother HL-3070CW LED printer
6. TWL reviews EOS wireless loudspeaker system
7. LanOC Reviews on SteelSeries Siberia v2 headset
8. OverclockersHQ reviews iFrogz Ozone earbuds
9. XSReviews on SteelSeries Xai gaming mouse
10. Technic3D reviews Razer Naga and Megasoma (in German)
11. CowcotLand reviews SteelSeries 7G gaming keyboard (in French)

Power, casing, and cooling

1. ProClockers review Cooler Master GX 750 PSU
2. PureOC reviews Nexus RX-6300 PSU
3. OC3D reviews NZXT Panzerbox
4. Overclockers Online reviews Cooler Master 690 II Advanced case
5. TweakTown reviews Raidmax Skyline windowed case
6. Hardware Bistro reviews Thermaltake Element V case
7. UMLan on Ineo Technologies I-NA205Ue HD enclosure
8. Hi Tech Legion reviews Thermaltake BlacX Duet HD docking station
9. OverclockersHQ reviews Cooler Master NotePal laptop cooler
10. BayReviews on Noctua NH-D14 CPU cooler

43 comments —
Last by DrDillyBar at 11:42 PM on 03/09/10

Steam, Valve games will hit Macs next month
by Cyril Kowaliski — 5:08 PM on March 8, 2010

We already found out last week that Valve will soon start offering Mac games. Shacknews has now learned a little more about the company's cross-platform plans, and as it turns out, Mac gamers will get access to Valve's entire library of games, "including Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the Half-Life series."

Mac gamers won't have to wait long, either; Valve quotes an April time frame. Knowing how the company has historically stuck to self-imposed schedules, though, we wouldn't be surprised to see that slip.

But wait, there's more! The Shack says future Valve games like Portal 2 will come out for both Windows and Mac OS X at the same time, and more importantly, buying one Valve title will entitle you to copies for both platforms. That means PC gamers will be able to start Steam up on their MacBooks and install, say, Team Fortress 2 without having to shell out another dime, to name one scenario.

Shacknews' quotes from Valve staff mention the addition of OpenGL support to Valve's Source engine. There's also this little tidbit from Portal 2 lead developer Josh Weier: "Checking in code produces a PC build and Mac build at the same time, automatically, so the two platforms are perfectly in lock-step." In other words, it looks like Mac gamers can expect native ports—no emulation shenanigans there. The Mac and PC versions will be able to join the same multiplayer games, too.

76 comments —
Last by BenBasson at 5:56 PM on 03/10/10

Latest AMD game physics push brings soft-body simulations
by Cyril Kowaliski — 4:39 PM on March 8, 2010

AMD's Open Physics initiative is still going. Just under six months after announcing its partnership with Pixelux, AMD has now posted another press release to say it, Pixelux, and Bullet Physics, are giving game developers access to the newest release of Pixelux's Digital Molecular Matter physics middleware.

Furthermore, Pixelux has "tightly integrated" Digital Molecular Matter with the Bullet Physics programming interface, on which AMD's September 30 announcement centered. The integration will let developers "integrate physics simulation into game titles that run on both OpenCL- and DirectCompute-capable platforms," the announcement says. (As we understand it, Bullet Physics handles rigid-body physics computations, while DMM supports soft body dynamics.)

Naturally, both OpenCL and DirectCompute programming interfaces allow general-purpose software to run on graphics processors regardless of their manufacturer. In theory, since both AMD and Nvidia graphics chips support the two technologies, AMD's initiative shouldn't result in games that require a particular make of card for hardware-accelerated physics to work—hence the "Open Physics" moniker, presumably. Nvidia's PhysX API currently works only on Nvidia GPUs, by contrast.

Today's announcement doesn't name any high-profile titles that will take advantage of this Open Physics push. Nevertheless, AMD notes that both Digital Molecular Matter and Bullet Physics middleware work with Trinigy's Vision Engine, which powers, among other titles, The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom by Ubisoft.

22 comments —
Last by derFunkenstein at 8:24 AM on 03/09/10

AMD core unlocking lives on in Asus M4A89GTD Pro
by Cyril Kowaliski — 3:14 PM on March 8, 2010

Upgrading to AMD's latest and greatest platform doesn't have to mean shunning potentially free performance. Asus tells us it has implemented core unlocking functionality in its M4A89GTD Pro and M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 motherboards, potentially allowing users to unlock all four cores in Phenom II X3, Phenom II X2, and Athlon II X3 processors.

As you might recall, mobos based on AMD's 700-series chipsets provided similar functionality using either the built-in Advanced Clock Calibration feature or, once AMD closed that loophole, a reverse-engineered version of older firmware with preserved unlocking hooks. Asus now claims AMD has removed ACC from its new 890GX chipset, yet Asus' own Core Unlocker Technology "intelligently scans the installed processor to properly determine which cores and cache can be unlocked."

Asus adds that previous core unlocking implementations "did not always unlock the core and cache intelligently," so paradoxically, the loophole-free 890GX may provide a better unlocking experience—at least in these two mobos. Unlocking cores or cache on those offerings is purportedly as simple as "sliding a switch on the motherboard, changing a BIOS setting, or simply pressing the '4' key when the machine first starts."

Now, as before, core unlocking remains a gamble. Users have no guarantees AMD didn't lock cores in their dual- or triple-core CPUs for good reason, like because of a defect. Only certain chips may have had fully functional cores disabled to meet demand for cheaper, slower processor models.

In any case, the M4A89GTD Pro and M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 look reasonably well-endowed, with dual PCI Express x16 slots (capable of running in an 8/8-lane configuration), six 6Gbps Serial ATA ports, DD3 memory slots, and integrated Radeon HD 4290 graphics with a choice of DVI, VGA, or HDMI display outputs. Asus also boasts about its Fan Expert software that lets users fiddle with CPU and case fan speeds. The two boards are selling now for $139.99 and $149.99, respectively—not much pricier than other 890GX offerings. (The only cheaper alternative we can see on Newegg is the MSI 890GXM-G65 at $129.99.)

13 comments —
Last by brucect at 6:01 PM on 03/09/10

Core i7-930 quietly appears in retail listings
by Cyril Kowaliski — 11:26 AM on March 8, 2010

There's a new kid in the Core i7 processor lineup, and Intel hasn't exactly shouted about it from the rooftops. Rather, we only noticed the Core i7-930 when checking the company's official price list; it turns out the CPU is also available at Newegg for $294.99 shipped, 99 cents over Intel's bulk pricing.

At that price, the i7-930 coexists with the Core i7-920 ($288.99 at Newegg, $284 in the price list) and the Core i7-860 ($279.99 at Newegg, also $284 in the price list). Here's how the three processors compare in terms of specifications:

Processor	Cores/ threads	Speed	Turbo speed	L3 cache	QPI	Mem. controller	TDP
Core i7-920	4/8	2.66 GHz	2.93 GHz	8 MB	4.8 GT/s	Triple-channel	130 W
Core i7-930	4/8	2.80 GHz	3.06 GHz	8 MB	4.8 GT/s	Triple-channel	130 W
Core i7-860	4/8	2.80 GHz	3.46 GHz	8 MB	4.8 GT/s	Dual-channel	95 W

The two Core i7-900 models have LGA1366 sockets, too, while the i7-860 works in cheaper LGA1156 motherboards. Aside from its missing memory channel, the i7-860 almost looks like a nicer alternative to the i7-930: higher Turbo Boost speed, lower thermal envelope, lower platform costs, and slightly lower price.

Of course, Intel is only competing with itself at this price point right now. AMD's fastest desktop processor, the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition, retails for as little as $189.99 according to our price search engine. Only AMD's upcoming Thuban six-core processors seem poised to give the Core i7 line some competition.

20 comments —
Last by indeego at 3:56 PM on 03/09/10

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