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PC and Console Gaming
Video game coverage with an emphasis on PC gaming, performance benchmarks, and innovative platforms based on the cloud. Gaming industry and development news complement our coverage.
AMD chip owners to get 20% off GameFly's digital downloads
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AMD and GameFly have announced a deal that promises discounted games for folks using AMD processors. Gamers with machines powered by "select" Athlon II, Phenom II, FX series and A series chips will receive a free 30-day GameFly membership as well as a 20% discount...
Study: 91% of mobile game revenue comes from microtransactions
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With titles like Angry Birds Space being downloaded by the tens of millions, it's no secret that mobile gaming is on the rise, so researcher Newzoo set out to gather specific figures in a study that included the top 200 grossing mobile games and survey results from 17,000 respondents...
Samsung Series 7 Gamer laptop hits US shelves for $1,900
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First unveiled at CES 2012, Samsung's mobile powerhouse is now available in the US with a starting price of $1,900. Designed with feedback from PC gamers, the Series 7 Gamer notebook has all the ingredients required for playing Skyrim on the road, including an Ivy Bridge...
New Nvidia service will auto-generate optimized game settings
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Nvidia announced an initiative that should make it easier for PC gamers to find ideal graphics settings. Unless you're fortunate enough to have a powerhouse like the company's new dual-GPU GTX 690, you probably have to put some thought into your game's detail settings...
Maingear to launch 11.6-inch Ivy Bridge gaming notebook on June 3
- Maingear is set to release an 11-inch gaming laptop powered by Intel’s recently announced Ivy Bridge processor. The Pulse will fill the gap left by Dell’s Alienware M11x, an 11-inch portable gamer that was recently phased out by the company. …
Weekend game deals: Brink $5, Arkham City $15, Sniper Elite $2.50
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Both of 2011's most popular military shooters are on sale, with Steam offering Modern Warfare 3 for $39.99 (plus free access this weekend) and GamersGate cutting Battlefield 3 to $29.98 as part of an EA sale which also includes 40% off Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Syndicate...
Judge favors Motorola over Microsoft in Xbox 360 patent case
- Microsoft has suffered a setback in a dispute with Motorola over patents involving technology in the Xbox 360. In a preliminary ruling Monday, US ITC Judge David Shaw found that Microsoft is infringing on four of the five patents in…
Catalyst 12.4 brings anti-aliasing improvements, XP support for HD 7000
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Like clockwork, AMD has unleashed its monthly driver update for Radeon owners, bringing new features and the obligatory list of bug fixes. Among the more notable additions is support for the Radeon HD 7000 series on Windows XP -- something missing in previous versions...
Valve confirms Steam and Source engine for Linux
- It's been a long wait but it looks like Linux users will finally get some native gaming action on Steam soon, according to Michael Larabel of Phoronix. Despite denying the existence of a port last year, the revelation comes straight from…
Tribes: Ascend Tested, Benchmarked
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Considered a successor to Tribes 2, Tribes: Ascend embraces its heritage by incorporating the same fast-paced combat, tons of maps, weapons, vehicles and unique traversal mechanics.
The game is built on a modified Unreal Engine 3 and only supports DirectX 9 graphics, but the recommended specs are relatively high, calling for a GeForce GTX 560 or Radeon HD 6950 with a quad-core processor. Considering those requirements, we're hoping the game gives our test hardware a nice workout.
Max Payne 3 PC specs, preorder bonuses revealed
- Gearing up for next month's launch, Rockstar has been releasing a steady stream of information about Max Payne 3 in recent days. Yesterday brought a new minute-long commercial that aired during last night's Lakers/Spurs game on ESPN (embedded below), and…
NPD survey: 40 percent of freemium gamers pay for in-game content
- According to the NPD Group, for every five gamers in the U.S. who play freemium games, two of those individuals will purchase in-game content. Freemium, which also falls into the category of F2P or free-to-play, is a sales model where…
Valve's new employee handbook is chock-full of awesome, read it now
- If you’ve ever wondered how some of the most successful companies in the world are able to attract the best talent around and produce outstanding products year in and year out, Valve’s Handbook for New Employees is a great place…
Weekend game deals: 50% off Anno 2070, Battlefield 3
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You might have to tap into your back catalog this weekend, as there aren't many deals to be found. Most of the action is happening at GamersGate, which offers savings on Assassins Creed, Deus Ex, Hitman, Splinter Cell and other franchises...
Mobile SoC graphics performance to soar past Xbox 360 by 2014
- Nvidia is predicting that by 2014, mobile system-on-a-chip (SoC) GPUs will be more powerful than Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gaming console. In fact, mobile GPUs are expected to equal the graphics processing power of the 360 by next year.
Diablo III open beta weekend starts today
- Blizzard is opening the Diablo III beta to the public this weekend in an effort to stress test the game’s servers before the full title is released next month. All one needs to play the highly anticipated game is a…
Diablo 3 demo accidentally made available, Blizzard shuts down servers
- In a Wednesday morning stroke of serendipity, some individuals discovered that a Starter Edition of Diablo 3 was made accidentally available for download via their battle.net accounts. Upon discovery of the slip up, Blizzard promptly took battle.net down for maintenance…
Halo 4 to launch November 6, featured on Conan O'Brien tonight
- Various news sources have been keeping us steeped in rumors for some time now, but Microsoft spoiled all the fun today. Although we've known Halo 4 has been on the way, we now have an official date of release. November…
Electronic Arts preparing to lay off at least 500 employees?
- Electronic Arts is planning to lay off anywhere from 500 to 1,000 employees, or between five to 11 percent of their total workforce. The move could happen as soon as this week according to multiple sources within the company as…
Crysis 3 officially announced, coming spring 2013
- EA has officially taken the wraps off of Crysis 3 although a brief premature posting on Origin last week left gamers with several clues as to the direction of the next title in the franchise. As you were likely able…
AMD cuts Radeon HD 7900 series prices, bundles three free games
- The Radeon HD 7970 arrived as the world's fastest single-GPU graphics cards early this year and the lack of competition from Nvidia at the time allowed AMD to have its way with the market, stamping it with an uncharacteristically high…
Weekend Open Forum: How many games do you own?
- We’ve featured multiple video game-related questions here throughout the years but surprisingly enough, we’ve never asked how many games you actually own. Some people tend to hang on to every game they have bought while others typically trade up to…
Tribes: Ascend goes live, offers freemium, class-based enjoyment
- Yesterday's launch of Tribes: Ascend marks yet another free-to-play offering for gamers that looks like great fun. Although the Tribes franchise has laid dormant for some time, Hi-Rez Studios has managed to bring back the classic title with the addition…
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Genetically-engineered viruses may power devices of the future
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Diablo III server debacle demonstrates the problem with ‘always-online’ games
