Posts by SWAT_OP-R8R

Nokia, together with Electronic Arts, announced that The Sims Bustin' Out is in development for the N-Gage game deck. The Sims fans will be able to create their own characters and take them anywhere, while on the move and interacting with the mobile community. The Sims Bustin' Out on the N-Gage platform will have exclusive objects, as well as unique mini games where players can earn extra Simoleons.

Players will be able to share objects using the BlueTooth Wireless features of N-Gage, and it is expected that Nokia will introduce an Exclusive N-Gage Arena for the game.

The Sims is particularly well suited to mobile connected gaming on the N-Gage game deck, said Pasi Pölönen, Director of Game Publishing, Games Business Unit, Nokia. It is a great example of how the N-Gage platform and its mobile connectivity features can be used to create innovative and inspiring game play, as well as create a completely new mobile community of The Sims fans.

We are excited that the award-winning The Sims franchise will be available for a new generation of mobile gamers, said EA's Executive Vice President of North American Publishing, Nancy Smith. N-Gage players will enjoy the irreverent humor of The Sims and the ability to play this unpredictable game anywhere.

The Sims Bustin' Out brings a new genre of gaming to the mobile space and will have gameplay features that take advantage of the N-Gage platform. The Sims Bustin' Out is planned to be available on the N-Gage game deck in the first half of 2004.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

According to the latest news from Japan, Nintendo is planning a mini- revival for some of the more popular NES games by introducing them to the GBA.

The "Famicom Mini" series, beginning on February 14, will comprise 10 re-releases of classic 8-bit games on GBA. Each will sell for an extremely ambitious 2,000 yen (about USD 18).
Obviously Nintendo will not attempt to attract customers based on value-for-money but will rather try to cash-in on the nostalgia factor, which many adult gamers may feel.

The initial wave of releases in the series will include five Nintendo first-party games and five third-party titles. The complete initial lineup is as follows:

Bomberman
Donkey Kong
Excitebike
Ice Climber
Legend of Zelda
Mappy
Pac-Man
Star Soldier
Super Mario Brothers
Xevious

Nintendo have not yet confirmed the dates and prices.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

News on the PSP is coming in thick and fast and the latest concerns a serious point in the handheld's development, the size of the onboard RAM. The initial Sony specs called for 8 MB of RAM, a figure contested by many developers who claimed that 32 MB were necessary in order to facilitate game development. Sony are still refusing to confirm or deny any change in specifications of the PSP but the word from developers seems to be that the Japanese giant has reconsidered and is likely to bring their handheld to PS2 standards, as far as memory is concerned.

This change does raise an issue which is considered to be a possible problem once PSP is released. The increase in RAM will make the development of 3D games for the PSP much easier but it will also make the porting of PS2 games to the handheld a lot faster. The presence of 32 MB's of RAM would limit the amount of re-coding needed in order to achieve a PS2 port. Such ease would tempt developers to focus on PS2's, extensive, library in order to produce games for the PSP at a minimal cost but could prove detrimental to the number of original titles produced for Sony's new platform.

Sony have promised to control the release of titles for PSP but only for the first 6 months following its launch. It will certainly be difficult to stop developers from looting their PS2 catalogue in search of the quick buck.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

It is that time of year when console war competitors begin issuing press releases letting us know how well they did over the holiday season. Both Sony and Nintendo have already done so, with statements that contain enough numbers to have a team of statisticians working until Easter. Microsoft has, for the time being, kept eerily quiet on the Christmas season fortunes of its XBox console but expect a grandiose statement as soon as the PR team is done "working" the numbers.

The most impressive but not necessarily significant figure to come out of the Sony camp is that PS2 reached the 70 million units shipped mark. The breakdown of those units by territory is as follows :
Japan (including Asia) 16.18 million units (launch date: March 4, 2000)
North America 29.26 million units (launch date: October 26, 2000)
Europe/PAL 24.56 million units (launch date: November 24, 2000)

SCEA's user base grew by close to three million additional PlayStation 2 hardware units during the key holiday selling season. Specifically, Sony Computer Entertainment America sold more than 500,000 PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems in November and more than 2 million additional units during December. More than 31 per cent of PlayStation 2 hardware sales came as a result of the newly introduced PlayStation 2 Combo Pack [includes the PlayStation 2 console, Network Adaptor (Ethernet/modem) and a copy of the online-enabled game, ATV Offroad Fury 2] at a USD 199 suggested retail price. These figures helped propel the North America PlayStation 2 installed base to more than 24.5 million units in 38 months on the market. Nintendo's GameCube has sold 6.8 million units in the U.S. since its 2001 launch.

It is impossible to compare Sony's sales to Nintendo's because the GameCube manufacturer chose to comment on the console's holiday sales by comparing 2003 to 2002 rather than using actual sales figures. So Nintendo decided to compare define their seasonal success by comparing themselves to... well themselves even though we all know that 2002 GC sales in the U.S. at least, can only be described as dismal. They do however, claim to have bumped Microsoft's Xbox to the No. 3 position in the 2003 console wars.

Global holiday sales for Nintendo GameCube in 2003 outpaced 2002 by 70 per cent and Nintendo does not plan to change its global sales target of 6 million Nintendo GameCube systems this fiscal year. The company estimates that for 2003, GameCube U.S. hardware sales increased by more than 35 per cent over 2002; Sony's PlayStation 2 dropped by about 25 per cent and Xbox showed no relevant market growth. In December alone, Nintendo GameCube hardware sales soared 69 per cent over December 2002, compared to a drop of about 30 per cent for PlayStation 2. Again, Xbox showed little change. Impressive though they are, these figures offer little insight into which console actually sold more units over the holidays.

GameCube U.S. sales got a boost from a Sept. 25 price drop, which brought Nintendo's console to an MSRP of USD 99.99. Pushed on by the holiday season, Mario Kart : Double Dash!! has become the fastest-selling Nintendo GameCube game in the United States, with more than 1 million units in just seven weeks.

What is even more surprising is that seemingly outdated consoles continued to sell well over the holiday season. In its ninth holiday season on the market, the original PlayStation game console reached sales of nearly 600,000 units in November and December. Fueled by the PS one price of USD 49 and the more than 1,400 budget games available, PS One has seen its lifecycle extended beyond the assumed five-year period. With an installed base of 37 million, a PlayStation or PS one console can be found in more than one out of every three U.S. households.

Similarly, Nintendo's hand-held Game Boy Advance also saw double-digit increases in the United States, with nearly 2.5 million units sold in December, (notice the triumphant return of actual sales figures) an 11 per cent increase over December 2002. Nintendo sold more than 8.2 million Game Boy Advance systems in 2003, an increase of 18 per cent over 2002 and the most sold in one calendar year in the 14-year history of the Game Boy. In 2003, the Game Boy Advance outsold PlayStation 2 by nearly 2 million units.

The 2003 sales for Nintendo GameCube software increased 63 per cent (return to percentages) over 2002, while Xbox software increased 54 per cent and PlayStation 2 software increased 23 per cent. Nintendo plans to improve on these figures by maintaining a steady flow of strong software titles, including Final Fantasy : Crystal Chronicles in February and Pokemon Colosseum in March.

Sony claimed that total first party PlayStation 2 software sales increased in November and December, up 129 per cent (Sony using percentages now too...) from the two months prior, and up four per cent versus the same timeframe one year ago, through key titles such as SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs, Jak II, Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando and EyeToy. Overall first party sales volume for the holidays, which includes front-line software and Greatest Hits titles for both PlayStation and PlayStation 2, achieved close to the five million-unit mark. The 5 million mark reached could be misleading as PS one titles are cheap and the company did claim that 37 million units are installed in the U.S. Since Sony do not provide a breakdown of title sales, isolating the figure for the PS2, it is hard to extract any useful conclusion from that 5 million figure.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

A recently released leaked version of Dreamcatcher's Painkiller, advertised as an pre-alpha, should be avoided, according to developers since it is by far inferior to the demo which will be released in February.

The first week of the year has seen leaked versions of games popping up all over the web, with versions of STALKER, World of Warcraft and Painkiller now available over IRC and P2P networks.

While the Painkiller release was considered to be a pretty recent version of the game, with information pointing to November of 2003 as its date of origin, Dreamcatcher, the game's publisher, is downplaying the significance of the leak claiming it is an early press build, created purely for demonstration purposes.

Painkiller, advertised as a First Person High Adrenaline Shooter, is expected in Q2 of 2004 for the PC and XBox and while the leak contains 3 single-player and 2 multi-player maps, Dreamcatcher insist that it is an inferior version of the game, lacking the depth, choice of weapons and levels as well as the AI sophistication which will make-up Painkiller the game.

If that is so and considering the positive comments from the people who have managed to try the playable parts of the leak, then this incident can only raise our anticipation for the finished product, even further.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

Valve's refusal to comment officially on anything Half-Life 2, continues but it seems that the New Year has brought some unofficial rumours out into the open. According to an email, apparently sent from Valve engineer Rick Ellis to HalfLife2.net, The SDK (H-L 2) will be released soon.

Although the comment is vague at best, it may act as a spark of hope to the many gamers eagerly awaitng the cursed sequel's release, considering that the release of an SDK either immediately preceeds or follows the release of a game. According to Mr. Ellis, there was a new legal hangup which has now been resolved. This last statement may be an indication that Havok, creators of the game's physics engine, may have sued Valve over the recent beta leak of H-L 2.

However nondescript this news may be considered, it is the only reason any H-L 2 fans have had to cheer in the past few months so our advice is grab it and make the most of it because Valve are not going to be doing much talking until the game hits store shelves hopefully before April 2004.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

Havok just announced that their prestigious Havok 2 engine just secured its 100th and 101st game titles.

Havok physics came into the mainstream limelight with their inclusion in Max Payne 2 and with the announcement of their integration into the Half-Life 2 game engine. Although the great majority of those who have experienced the engine first hand have done so through Max Payne 2, Havok 2 has also featured in other current games such as Deus Ex Invisible Warrior, URU, and Crash Nitro Cart.

Some will, of course, associate Havok 2, mainly with H-L 2 and the possible legal battle with Valve following the H-L 2 leak but today the company confirmed that they have reached deals with two of the biggest game's publishers on two new titles. This shows that Havok not only has not been affected by the H-L 2 fiasco but seems to be gaining momentum in the industry. It is, of course, strange that the new deals have been finalized just as word was coming from Valve that some legal hangups had been resolved, suggesting that Valve and Havok may have reached some form of settlement.

That however, is not that important since most gamers wanted to see Havok 2 in as many games as possible. That is exactly what is about to happen as Havok announced today it has signed license agreements with Vivendi Universal Games for Tribes Vengeance and with Ataris Shiny Entertainment for an undisclosed title. Both Shiny Entertainment and Vivendi Universal Games made the choice of the Havok 2 dynamics solution after lengthy technical review for functionality and after assessing its ease of implementation into their existing game engines. With these two titles, Havok now adds the 100th and 101st names to their list of successful games using its award winning physics.

We are extremely pleased to be working with Havok on Tribes: Vengeance. The added speed, flexibility, and power provided by the Havok physics engine will allow us to do more interesting things, better, and with less processor usage than ever before, said Chris Mahnken, producer Vivendi Universal Games.

Shiny Entertainment has a reputation for delivering high-quality blockbuster titles and we knew that we would need a dynamics solution that met both the expectations of gamers and the development team for our next project. After evaluating our options, selecting Havok 2 was easy, said Stuart Roch, Executive Producer, Shiny Entertainment, Inc.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

In an event, aptly, named Gamers's Day, Konami revealed details of its 2004 line-up, including Silent Hill 4, Neo Contra, Nanobreaker, WWX: Rumble Rose and much more.

WWX is the first-ever women's wrestling game and is being developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo in partnership with the acclaimed development studio, Yuke's Entertainment, and renowned CG movie specialists, Polygon Magic's VSL Team.
WWX is a powerhouse combination with some of the best wresting action found on any platform, sexy female models, audacious poses and bold moves - all delivered with state-of-the-art graphics for a visually stunning game, said Akari Uchida, producer, Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo.

Players can choose from the sexiest roster of vixens to enter the ring, such as team leaders, Dixie Clemets and Reiko Hinomoto. With a specialty move named, Dixie's Buster, and a unique, country western-style personality and flair, Clemets is bound to keep gamers busy for hours on end. Japanese wrestler, Hinomoto's specialty move is the Double Moonsault and her favorite moves are the dropkick and German suplex pin.

Rather than focus on simple grappling and groping, WWX encourages players to experiment with unique combat moves to develop their own fighting style. The WWX combat system even features the ability for players to disgrace or humiliate their opponents through insults, taunting, locking them in a compromising position or by inflicting intensely aggressive moves.

When Konami approached us with the concept, we could hardly wait to get started, said Yuke Taniguchi, president of Yuke's Entertainment. We are excited to develop a new style of wrestling game - one that provides a high quality wrestling experience, but also introduces humor and a whole lot more sex appeal.

Unlike any other fighting game, players can change the wrestlers' personalities through gameplay by choosing to fight dirty or fair, resulting in a good or bad persona for the character. The personality changes manifest themselves through a change in costume, attitude and wrestling style. Naughty or nice, becoming a popular wrestler will earn benefits including expanded gameplay, additional skills and moves, and more revealing and flamboyant costumes.

Women's wrestling action heats up in November 2004. A playable version of the game will be on display at Konami's booth during E3 2004.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

Marvel announced that they have created a new position within the company in order to maintain better control of game development. In that way Marvel hope to achieve better interaction with game developers working on Marvel characters, including betetr management of the creative content.

More than five Marvel character-branded video games will be released between now and December 2005 through existing video game license agreements with Activision, Encore, Universal Games and THQ. Ames Kirshen, the person who landed the new Marvel position, will be responsible for overseeing the full Marvel video game development slate including the final production of the highly anticipated Spider-Man Movie II game and ongoing production of the Fantastic Four video game, both of which are being developed by Activision. In addition, he will lead the effort in exploring new opportunities in game genres where Marvel is currently either not represented or is under represented.

Prior to joining Marvel, Ames Kirshen spent the past six years with Warner Bros. and DC Comics where he helped produce major game titles such as Ubi Soft's Batman: Vengeance and Batman: Rise Of Sin Tzu and Atari's Superman: Shadow Of Apokolips.

Licensees sold over 6 million Marvel-based video games in both 2002 and 2003. Video game titles scheduled for release over the next several years include:

Marvel Character Video Game Line-Up

Spider-Man II Movie Activision Summer 2004

X-Men Legends Activision Fall 2004

The Punisher THQ Fall 2004

Fantastic Four Activision 2005

Iron Man Activision 2005

The Hulk 2 Vivendi-Universal 2005

Marvel Universe MMP Vivendi-Universal TBA

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

The german developer, Sunflowers has signed an agreement with Electronic Arts under which, EAwill publish ANNO 1503 Treasures, Monsters and Pirates in Europe.

"Treasures, Monsters and Pirates" is an Expansion Set for the very popular ANNO 1503 - The New World, which was one of the most successful PC titles in 2003. It took over 700,000 enthusiastic players an amazingly short period of time to discover, settle and create their own wonderful world.

The official Expansion Set offers exciting new challenges, additional detailed graphics, optimised game functions and new adventures that make Treasures, Monsters and Pirates an absolute must for ANNO 1503 fans. Amongst the enrichments to the world of ANNO 1503 are three new continuous play games and twelve more single-player scenarios in varying degrees of difficulty. A new battle scenario designed especially for newcomers offers players a quick sense of achievement.

Sunflowers and EA will bring adventure to PCs worldwide in Spring 2004, in English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

Entertainment software developer and publisher NovaLogic and the iGamesnetwork of gaming centers have once again teamed up for the launch of Team Sabre, the expansion pack to the PC game, Delta Force Black Hawk Down, by offering iGames customers an exclusive look at the game before it ships to stores.

On Saturday 17th January, customers in select iGames centers across the country will get the chance to play the full retail version of the game.

Delta Force - Black Hawk Down: Team Sabre features two new single player campaigns that take Delta Force deep into the jungles of Colombia in search of drug lords, then on to battle terrorist factions in and around Irans island oilfields. Team Sabre will also contain a number of new multiplayer features, including over 30 new multiplayer maps.

Delta Force Black Hawk Down: Team Sabre for PC CD - ROM will be in stores on January 21st 2004.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

Blizzard, developers of World of Warcraft have issued a post at the Battle.net forums explaining exactly how a version of their WoW alpha appeared on the Internet.

According to the company then, in order to accelerate the testing process, they recently allowed a small group of external testers to play the game. During this process, a collection of files was leaked to the Internet. While these files contain alpha content from the game, Blizzard claim, they are not fully playable and therefore do not convey the experience that World of Warcraft will provide when it is released.

Even so, the World of Warcraft developers insist that they are ...currently investigating this matter and will take serious action against those involved.

In the same post, Blizzard announced that the WoW beta testing phase is about to begin and that they will be accepting public sign-ups at the end of this month. Also included in the same post is the following request by Blizzard : As always, we appreciate the interest and enthusiasm that players around the world have for World of Warcraft, and we look forward to delivering a massively multiplayer game unlike any you have ever experienced. Until then, we ask that you refrain from sharing any content that doesn't come directly from Blizzard Entertainment.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

Sony's ever popular Everquest series is about to receive a further boost by the release of the expansion pack, Everquest : Gates of Norath in February 2004. If you already speak Everquest a descripttion of the story and features of Gates of Norath follows:

The greatest threat to the world of Norrath has been unleashed in EverQuest! The lost continent of Taelosia has been discovered and a massive assault force, the Legion of Mata Muram, is creating chaos and devastation on this once peaceful continent! Experience EverQuest : Gates of Discord and help protect your world while adventuring in many new zones, including a stony city, sprawling temples, a myriad of catacombs, and a maze of sewers. And meet the Berserker, the newest EverQuest character class and perhaps your closest allies in melee combat against the invading hoard of fearless, deadly monstrosities from the chaotic Realm of Discord.

Features

-100 new Alternate Advancement abilities offer more options for character progression with new and unique skills to master.

-Gain leadership experience and unlock many group- and raid-enhancing tools.

-20 new zones, 10 new instanced zones and 10 new traditional zones including a huge ship city zone, complete with merchants, tradesman, and quest-givers, where you can gather your party and launch expeditions. The new combat zones are for characters level 50 and over.

For further details follow the download tab above.

-New Berserker class empowers you to ravage your enemies with two-handed axes or by hurling large objects.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

Almost anyone can write a decent game mod, create a map and then distribute it to other gamers who play it for a few weeks until the next one comes along. Only the true innovator can create an elegant and complex mod in a specified time period. Only a talented few are interested in elevating the mod community into the realm of high art

By rewarding the talents and resources of a worldwide community of aspiring game developers and artists, the Max Payne 2 Official Mod Contest is a catalyst for talented individuals intimately familiar with game mods as well as those who might have never attempted to create a mod before.

Follow the download tab above in order to reach the Max Payne 2 mod tools and tutorials.

The Max Payne 2 mod contest publicly recognizes and rewards talented individuals across the globe that create the most compelling mods in three categories. Winners will be judged by representatives from Remedy, Rockstar, Computer Gaming World and Shacknews. Winners in all categories will have their mods included on CGWs monthly CD, as well as made available for download from the official Max Payne 2 site and a variety of mod community sites around the net. Read on for categories and official rules.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

It seems that the Futuremark debate and the, so-called, driver optimization war is still going strong. Following a brief truce, both sides have resumed the campaign, with Futuremark initiating the current bout of aggression with a 3D Mark '03 patch released on tuesday. The company was very careful not to point any fingers but claimed that this new patch disables all driver optimizations. Finger pointing however, cannot be avoided when reviewing the way the patch affected 3DMark '03 scores. nVidia boards experienced drops of up to 26.4 per cent while ATI's offerings experienced more performance increases than decreses with the latter peaking at 2.4 per cent. An example of how badly nVidia results were affected can be seen by considering the 5950 Ultra which had a score of 5886 3DMarks and dropped to 5081 following the application of the patch.

So if we were to accept Futeremark's statements about the patch then nVidia were clearly the company that was utilising driver optimizations. nVidia, of course, replied with a statement, only for Futuremark to respond with one of their own. So this will go on for some time and those with less than a relevant PhD will not get much. No one can be blamed however for gaining some form of perverted enjoyment out of this mess.

Here is the full nVidia statement:

With the introduction of the GeForce FX - we built a sophisticated real-time compiler called the Unified Compiler technology. This compiler does real-time optimizations of code in applications to take full advantage of the GeForce FX architecture.

Game developers LOVE this - they work with us to make sure their code is written in a way to fully exploit the compiler.

The end result - a better user experience.

One of the questions we always get is what does this compiler do? The unified compiler does things like instruction reordering and register allocation. The unified compiler is carefully architected so as to maintain perfect image quality while significantly increasing performance. The unified compiler a collection of techniques that are not specific to any particular application but expose the full power of GeForce FX. These techniques are applied with a fingerprinting mechanism which evaluates shaders and, in some cases substitutes hand tuned shaders, but increasingly generates optimal code in real-time.

Futuremark does not consider their application a "game". They consider it a "synthetic benchmark". The problem is that the primary use of 3DMark03 is as a proxy for game play. A website or magazine will run it as a general predictor of graphics application performance. So it is vital that the benchmark reflect the true relative performance of our GPUs versus competitors.

And, while they admit that our unified compiler is behaving exactly the way it behaves in games and that it produces accurate image quality, they do not endorse the optimizations for synthetic use. Hence, Futuremark released a patch that intentionally handicapped our unified compiler.

So, we advocate that when reviewers are using 3DMark as a game proxy, they must run with the unified compiler fully enabled. All games run this way. That means running with the previous version of 3DMark, or running with a version of our drivers that behave properly.

And here is the Futuremark reply:

3DMark03 does not talk to graphics driver, it talks to the DirectX API, which then talks to the driver. Thus, it is impossible for the application to disable GPU compiler!

The only change in build 340 is the order of some instructions in the shaders or the registers they use. However, new shaders are mathematically equivalent with previous shaders. A GPU compiler should process the old and the new shader code basically with the same performance. Of course, if there are application specific optimizations in the driver that depend on identifying a shader or parts of it, then you might see performance differences because these optimizations will not work if the driver is not able to detect the shader.

Let's also repeat that 3DMark specific driver optimizations are strictly forbidden in our run rules because they invalidate the performance measurement and the resulting score is not comparable to other hardware.

Thus, the right conclusion is that the new version of 3DMark03 is now very suitable for objective performance measurement between different hardware. Futuremark's Benchmark Development Program is an open program where we also work a lot with drivers and actually help IHVs in getting more performance via generic enhancements that benefit all applications. We would like to invite you to apply to the program.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

Recent reports from many reviewers have generated suspicion about ATI performance in three applications and have even gone so far as to suggest that the Canadian graphics firm may be using dodgy means in order to gain speed.

ATI immediately responded, claiming that these reports are not only unfounded but that some, let's say, major rival is still taking stabs at them.

The stories concern Unreal Tournament 2003, Halo the DX9 PC port and the Aquamark 3 DX9 benchmark.

In a statement to the inquirer ATI claim allegations very seriously and we (ATI) are distressed by the implication that we are cheating our customers.

According to ATI then, in UT2003, a bug was discovered that affects image quality in benchmarks and in the game. ATI says This is a known issue that has been recognized by both ATI and Epic as a bug and ATI is not cheating in any way in this application.

According to ATI the Halo, issue is non-existant as its cards show better picture quality for rendering than its competitor.

To demonstrate that they are taking allegations seriously, ATI did not dismiss the Aquamark 3 issue, even though the developer is happy with ATI's rendering. Instead the company say they are investigating the matter.

ATI also commented on the spread of these stories in a somewhat controversial way, we are disappointed that certain media outlets chose to perpetuate the allegations, made originally by a competitor, in their articles without an understanding of what was happening and without contacting us for comment.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

nVvidia officialy announced that the Company's newest mobile graphics processing unit (GPU), the NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5700, will soon be offered in the leading notebooks from manufacturers worldwide, including: Alienware, Compal, FIC, Toshiba's Digital Products Division, Quanta, Uniwill and others to be announced later.

This worldwide endorsement of the GeForce FX Go5700 is an nVidia show of industry strength and in-part, an attempt to strengthen confidence in nVidia products, confidence which has been shaken by a variety of desktop incidents. nVidia aim to re-affirm their position in the market which has been questioned by ATI, in the desktop field and, most recently, by Futuremark in its ongoing unofficial dispute with the company.

When NVIDIA introduced the original GeForce FX Go series just over six months ago, notebook manufacturers responded by creating truly innovative products ranging from media center machines with beautiful 17-inch displays, to the first true gaming notebook, said Jeff Fisher, executive vice president of worldwide sales at NVIDIA. NVIDIA's strong relationships with the world's leading OEMs and ODMs have been critical in the delivery of our technology in the most innovative notebook products available. We are very excited with the new notebooks they will build around the GeForce FX Go5700.

Toshiba is intensely focused on providing our customers the ultimate multimedia performance whether at home watching DVD movies or at the office creating interactive presentations, said Carl Pinto, director of product marketing, Toshiba's Digital Products Division, a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. Our mobile computing expertise combined with the NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5700 GPU sets a new standard in 3D graphics and video quality that our customers can enjoy in any environment.

Alienware customers can always expect the latest graphics technology powering our high-performance gaming systems, said Frank Azor, executive vice president for Alienware Corporation. As a launch partner for the GeForce FX Go5700 mobile graphics module, Alienware is delivering the most technologically advanced mobile GPU available and remains committed to offering the best performing components available in all Alienware systems.

Featuring the highest quality graphics performance available on a notebook PC, high quality video and the many software features and reliability of all NVIDIA products, the GeForce FX Go5700 powers the industry's most complete feature set for mobile consumer entertainment.

Today, the GeForce FX Go5700 is shipping to OEMs and ODMs worldwide, with production quantities available in December. Systems based on the GeForce FX Go5700 are expected to be available to end users in Q1 2004.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

In an effort to help feed the hungry this holiday season, NVIDIA Corporation, along with Advanced Micro Devices, Falcon Northwest, Logitech, Samsung Semiconductor Inc, and other generous partners, has created and built an extraordinarily fast, custom-designed gaming PC that will be auctioned off on eBay to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. Bidding for the PC, which features special, ultra-high performance technology components, will commence on December 4, 2003 and run through December 13, 2003.

Our goal at NVIDIA is to build products and technologies that touch peoples lives, said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO of NVIDIA. I would like to thank our friends who have helped create this very special opportunity. With their generous support, we hope we can make a small difference this holiday season.

The Second Harvest Food Bank Holiday Food Drive Auction on eBay is a unique fundraising effort with the goal of raising USD 100,000 to benefit the hunger efforts of Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, which conducts the largest holiday food drive in the nation. Companies throughout Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Peninsula have come together to support this online auction by donating fun, extraordinary, and one-of-a kind items or experiences. Bidding on items will start on November 26, 2003 and run through December 14, 2003.

The NVIDIA Ultimate Dream PC features a whats what of leading technology products, including a 10-layer, custom-painted, aluminum case provided by Falcon Northwest. This dream PC is outfitted with the most advanced components:

- A special NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra graphics processing unit (GPU) running at overclocked frequencies.
- A special, overclocked AMD Athlon 64 FX 51 processor with an NVIDIA nForce3-based motherboard.
- A Samsung SyncMaster 211MP 21-inch, high-resolution LCD/TV monitor.
- A Logitech Z-680 Dolby Digital 5.1 speaker system.
- A Logitech Cordless MX Duo keyboard, mouse, and gaming controllers, including a 2.4GHz cordless joystick, Cordless RumblePad gamepad, and Momo Racing Force Feedback Wheel.
- Four Hitachi 7K2 250GB hard drives for a total of one terabyte of storage capacity.

This is just one more way that the high-tech community is demonstrating its generosity. We are proud to be partnering with NVIDIA and raising hunger awareness with the gaming community. The value of this computer would provide the equivalent of 32,000 meals to our hungry friends and neighbors, which is a very generous gift, said Second Harvest Executive Director, David A. Sandretto.

The winning bidder will also receive a cornucopia of this years hottest PC games, including: Call of Duty, Command &Conquer: Generals, Halo PC, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, Madden NFL 2004, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, NBA Live 2004, NASCAR Thunder 2004, Star Wars: An Empire Divided, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004, Sim City 4 Deluxe Edition, Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness, Tron 2.0, Unreal Tournament 2003, and more.

In addition, the winning bidder will receive five hours of a personal gaming tutorial by a member of the NVIDIA-sponsored professional PC gaming team, Team 3D. Recently, Team 3D took second place in the World Cyber Games Championship (WCG) in Seoul, Korea.

The retail cost of the PC could be estimated at USD 16,000, if standard processors were used instead of the specially selected ultra-high performance parts provided by NVIDIA and AMD. It is hoped that the winning bid for the PCwhich is signed by NVIDIA and AMD presidents Jen-Hsun Huang and Hector Ruiz respectivelywill be enough to feed more than 32,000 people this holiday season.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

ATI have not only denied that any rumours about their Catalyst 3.8 drivers causing problems are true but have even suggested that the way those rumours spread suggests that they may have been created by "unnamed" competitors.

Terry Makedon, the man behind the Catalyst drivers, and Chris Hook from ATI also posted a, more thorough response, in the Driverheaven forums regarding recent complaints suggesting that Catalyst 3.8 may be responsible for some cards overheating and for some monitors being damaged.

Their full message is as follows:

RESPONSE TO ALLEGED MONITOR FAILURE ISSUE
We have spent a great deal of time trying to reproduce this problem and analyzing our driver code. There is nothing in our driver code that has changed since CAT 3.7 to CAT 3.8 that could possibly cause this behaviour. We believe that our drivers are not causing these alleged problems.
We do not currently believe these stories are valid. We have already confirmed that of the nearly 100 OEM customer programs have asked for and received this driver, we have received no reports on any such problem from the OEMs. We have also run comprehensive QA tests on the driver before releasing it and have had no cases of failed monitors.
Since we announced CATALYST 3.8 on October 8th, we have recorded hundreds of thousands of downloads, and thus far there have been absolutely no reports whatsoever to ATIs Customer Support department to report monitors failing.

TECHNICAL REBUTTAL OF MONITOR FAILURE ALLEGATIONS
There have been many posts in the forums discussing this issue, it seems it is a common theory, picked up from one place and keep being circulated. One such theory suggests the following:
Instead of reading the refresh rates from the PRIMARY display INF files, it is reading the SECONDARY display INF refresh rates.
In XP and 2K, we dont have access to monitor INF information in our driver component that manages display capability. We have never used this monitor information for any purpose. We rely on EDID data or user override information to determine monitor capability. Even though the OS may use the monitor information to expose high refresh rate based on monitor INF content, the driver always restricts the actual refresh rate going to the monitor based on EDID or the user override. In essence, the user may be able to select from OS controlled monitor page (in advanced property pages) a high refresh rate but internally driver will restrict the refresh rate going to the monitor based on EDID information or user override information. If user set the override information incorrectly then incompatible signals would be sent to the monitor.
In 9x, we can access monitor INF information but due to issues with how OS maps the INF to a monitor, we had disabled reading the monitor INF via registry. Unless someone deliberately changes the registry setting for this in 9x, they would not run into any monitor INF related issues.

RESPONSE TO ALLEGED HARDWARE OVERHEATING ISSUE
We have spent a great deal of time analyzing the temperatures due to the CATALYST 3.8 drivers. We do not under any circumstance see anything near a 10 degree Celsius increase in temperature (but we dont overclock our test cards either). We do see a slight increase in temperature in certain cases (3Dmark2003 Nature Scene for example). However any temperature increase is well within our safety range. Investigation continues and we are trying to determine why this change in temperature exits. At this point we are reproducing individual driver packages with code being checked in and measuring the temperature. However nothing shows the alleged increase in temperature. One independent website (DriverHeaven.net) even tried to reproduce this issue, and found no measurable difference in temperature between CATALYST 3.7 and 3.8.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator

While ATI have been enjoying a string of successes at the expense of their rivals, NVidia, it seems that ATI's old Achilles' heel, driver issues, may be about to create new problems. According to various emails and to a variety of forums, the new Catalyst drivers, hailed by ATI as the single biggest software upgrade in its history, are causing some cards to overheat. The same messages also suggest that the OMEGA version of the drivers also create the same problem.

The problem is not present across the ATI board range but seems specific to the following cards:

All Radeon 9800 XT's
All Radeon 9800 Pro
All Radeon 9800
All Radeon 9700 Pro soft-modded to 9800 series.
All Radeon 9700 soft-modded to 9800 series.
All Radeon 9500 soft modded to 9800 series

These reports have not yet been independently confirmed and the problem, if indeed there is one, may have to do with specific system configurations. The persistence of some of the messages we received does however force us to raise the issue in order to warn ATI owners of the possible threat to their boards and systems.

It is up to ATI then, in the new spirit of comprehensive customer support, when drivers are concerned, to clear up the issue and either reassure owners or release some form of corrected drivers.

SWAT_OP-R8R
Portal-Administrator