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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.


Download: Minecraft 1.5 Redstone Update is out now

Download: Minecraft 1.5 Redstone Update is out now
  • Posted March 13, 2013, 12:30 PM by Erik Orejuela | Filed in Gaming, Software Breaking News With Video
  • If you are one of the millions of people playing Minecraft, you'll be glad to know the Redstone Update has been officially released today. The brick universe created by Notch Persson is ever evolving and now includes various new items…

AMD: Radeon HD 7790 to be 10% slower than 7850, 7990 prototype "ready"

AMD: Radeon HD 7790 to be 10% slower than 7850, 7990 prototype "ready"
  • Posted March 12, 2013, 7:00 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Gaming, Hardware
  • It's no surprise AMD plans to fill the ill-strategized void left somewhere between its Radeon HD 7700 and 7850 offerings -- a space where Nvidia's GTX 650 Ti is likely getting comfortable. According to hardware.info though, at a recent CeBIT conference…

Tomb Raider Tested, Benchmarked

Tomb Raider Tested, Benchmarked
  • Posted March 12, 2013, 3:24 AM by Steven Walton | Filed in TechSpot, Gaming
  • Although this year's Tomb Raider reboot made our latest list of most anticipated PC games, I must admit that it was one of the games I was least looking forward to from a performance perspective because of previous titles' poor showing.

    However, we were relieved to learn that Tomb Raider supports DirectX 11, which brings access to advanced rendering technologies such as depth of field, hd ambient occlusion, hardware tessellation, and super-sample anti-aliasing. Additionally, compared to the diluted console versions, the PC build offers better textures as well as AMD's TressFX real-time hair physics system.

Xi3 now accepting pre-orders for Piston 'Steam Box' Console

Xi3 now accepting pre-orders for Piston
  • Posted March 11, 2013, 8:30 AM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Gaming
  • Xi3 Corporation is now accepting pre-orders for their Piston Console, a cube-shaped PC built using modular construction. Perhaps more importantly, however, it’s the same system that Value’s upcoming Steam Box is based on. The company has set a pre-order price…

Early SimCity adopters to receive free game for their troubles

Early SimCity adopters to receive free game for their troubles
  • Posted March 11, 2013, 7:30 AM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Gaming
  • The SimCity fiasco is closing in on a full week now as the game has been plagued with server issues since the moment it became available. According to EA, they are doing everything possible to rectify the issue but if…

Civitas, the DRM-free alternative to SimCity hits Kickstarter

Civitas, the DRM-free alternative to SimCity hits Kickstarter
  • Posted March 8, 2013, 4:00 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Gaming
  • Interested in playing a city building game that isn’t weighed down by always-on DRM, a lack of modding and a lack of terraforming? Turns out, you aren’t the only one as a group of ragtag developers that have worked on…

Weekend game deals: Crysis 3 $39.99, Max Payne 3 $13.59

Weekend game deals: Crysis 3 $39.99, Max Payne 3 $13.59
  • Posted March 8, 2013, 3:30 PM by Matthew DeCarlo | Filed in Gaming, Tech Deals
  • Crysis 3 hasn't even been on shelves for a month, but it's already available with a 33% discount ($39.99) via GameStop as well as 30% off directly through EA, including the Digital Deluxe Edition which includes Crysis 2: Maximum Edition…

SimCity Review: Real or Simulated Disaster?

SimCity Review: Real or Simulated Disaster?
  • Posted March 8, 2013, 1:23 AM by Mike Fahey | Filed in TechSpot, Gaming
  • To many fans of the original city building simulation series, the idea of an online multiplayer game that required even solo players to be connected to the internet at all times seemed like a recipe for disaster.

    Maxis' latest creation is easily the most compelling SimCity I've played since the 1989 original. It's also a disaster.

SimCity hotfix to disable non-critical gameplay features

SimCity hotfix to disable non-critical gameplay features
  • Posted March 7, 2013, 4:00 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Gaming
  • Electronic Arts is still working around the clock to resolve issues surrounding the launch of SimCity earlier this week. In what is a surprise to nobody except EA, the servers required to play the DRM-laden title haven’t been able to…

Nvidia PhysX and APEX support coming to the PlayStation 4

Nvidia PhysX and APEX support coming to the PlayStation 4
  • Posted March 7, 2013, 2:00 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Gaming
  • Nvidia has announced support for Sony’s recently-unveiled PlayStation 4 in the form of PhysX and APEX software development kits. These SDKs are used to provide collision detection and simulation of rigid bodies, fluids, clothing and particle systems in a number…

NPD Group says 78 percent of 'core gamers' purchase used games

NPD Group says 78 percent of
  • Posted March 7, 2013, 7:30 AM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Gaming
  • The latest report from NPD Group puts core gamers under the microscope, revealing that roughly 37.5 million people are considered core gamers despite the fact that nearly half play games on a core gaming device. While one may be forgiven…

Latest Humble Bundle supports Android, offers Super Hexagon, more

Latest Humble Bundle supports Android, offers Super Hexagon, more
  • Posted March 6, 2013, 5:00 PM by Matthew DeCarlo | Filed in Gaming With Video
  • The Humble Bundle has launched its fifth Android-friendly event offering six popular indie games for a fraction of their individual retail price. In addition to working across Windows, OS X and Linux, the games will run on Google's mobile operating…

Valve's Steam Box game system to begin testing in 3-4 months

Valve
  • Posted March 6, 2013, 3:30 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Hardware, Gaming
  • Valve CEO Gabe Newell told the BBC its upcoming Steam Box gaming system will be ready for testing within "three to four months". The Steam Box is Valve's answer to game consoles, with which it hopes to offer a "dumbed…

Google Play celebrates first birthday with special offers

Google Play celebrates first birthday with special offers
  • Posted March 6, 2013, 11:30 AM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Mobile Computing, Gaming With Video
  • It’s already been a full year since Google announced they would be replacing the Android Market with a new service called Google Play. The new store not only replaced the old but expanded it by including eBooks, music, video content…

The business of gaming: nickels, dimes, and quarters

The business of gaming: nickels, dimes, and quarters
  • Posted March 6, 2013, 1:34 AM by Cliff Bleszinski | Filed in Gaming
  • The video game industry is just that. An industry. Which means that it exists in a capitalistic world. You know, a free market. A place where you’re welcome to spend your money on whatever you please… or to refrain from spending that money.

EA's DICE to explore Oculus Rift support for future games

EA
  • Posted March 5, 2013, 6:00 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Gaming
  • Oculus Rift developer kits are already making their way into the wild as some 40 kits are expected to ship by the end of this month but it’s what one big publisher may be planning that’s capturing headlines today. According…

EA notes overwhelming demand for SimCity, Origin servers falter

EA notes overwhelming demand for SimCity, Origin servers falter
  • Posted March 5, 2013, 4:30 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Gaming
  • SimCity, one of the most anticipated releases of the year, launched in the US early this morning but that doesn’t mean everyone that purchased the game got to play it right away. The title, which requires EA’s Origin PC download…

Latest Steam numbers show Linux, Mac gamers almost equal

Latest Steam numbers show Linux, Mac gamers almost equal
  • Posted March 5, 2013, 3:00 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Gaming, Software
  • The numbers from Steam's February hardware and software survey have been published and the results show an interesting development -- Linux platforms now accounts for about 2.8 percent of Steam's users. That may not sound like much, but to put…

Green Throttle launches Android-based gaming system with local multiplayer support

Green Throttle launches Android-based gaming system with local multiplayer support
  • Posted March 5, 2013, 1:00 PM by Jose Vilches | Filed in Gaming, Mobile Computing With Video
  • Between crowd-funded consoles, gamepads and handhelds it would appear that Android has a bright future in gaming. Today, yet another company is throwing its hat in the ring. Led by Guitar Hero co-creator Charles Huang, Green Throttle aims to turn…

GeForce 314.14 beta optimized for Tomb Raider, SimCity, more

GeForce 314.14 beta optimized for Tomb Raider, SimCity, more
  • Posted March 4, 2013, 4:00 PM by Matthew DeCarlo | Filed in Gaming, Software
  • Gearing up for this month's hottest games, Nvidia has unleashed a new beta driver to help ensure that you have a smooth experience. The GeForce 314.14 beta brings better performance and compatibility across no less than four upcoming releases including…

MSI unveils all-in-one gaming PC running Windows 8

MSI unveils all-in-one gaming PC running Windows 8
  • Posted March 4, 2013, 2:30 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Hardware, Gaming
  • CeBIT 2013 is in full swing this week which can mean only one thing: an abundance of new hardware to feast our eyes on. Case in point: MSI was on hand showing off their latest all-in-one gaming PC, the AG2712.…

Only 29% of core gamers to purchase next-gen console at launch

Only 29% of core gamers to purchase next-gen console at launch
  • Posted March 1, 2013, 5:00 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Industry News, Gaming
  • The latest report from research firm NPD Group reveals that just 29 percent of core gamers are planning on buying a next generation console as soon as they become available. Those aren’t exactly the sort of numbers that Microsoft and…

Weekend game deals: Borderlands 2 $24, Natural Selection 2 $12.49

Weekend game deals: Borderlands 2 $24, Natural Selection 2 $12.49
  • Posted March 1, 2013, 3:30 PM by Matthew DeCarlo | Filed in Gaming, Tech Deals
  • Topping Steam's recent discount, Get Games offers Borderlands 2 for only $23.99, which might be the cheapest we've seen it outside of services like CDKeysHere, as well as 50% off The Cave, Double Fine's recently released adventure title. Other noteworthy…

Sony's upcoming 4K movie delivery service likely to work on the PS4

Sony
  • Posted March 1, 2013, 3:00 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Industry News, Gaming With Video
  • Sony Electronics president and COO Phil Molyneux recently shed some more light on the notion that the PlayStation 4 will be able to support 4K ultra-high definition content. The executive said we will not be disappointed when asked if Sony’s…

Microsoft launches Xbox 360 250GB Spring Value Bundle for $299

Microsoft launches Xbox 360 250GB Spring Value Bundle for $299
  • Posted March 1, 2013, 11:30 AM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Microsoft, Gaming
  • Microsoft isn’t letting the fact that next generation consoles are just around the corner as evident by a new Xbox 360 bundle. The Xbox 360 250GB Spring Value Bundle is now available in the US for a limited time while…

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