Matt Beauvais
Recent posts
Epic's Unreal Tournament 2007 is getting a name change, so say hello to Unreal Tournament 3. Creative, eh? More important though, is you can now expect to see it on Microsoft's XBOX 360, which joins the Playstation 3 and PC as its chosen formats. Unreal Tournament 3 is expected to be out in the 2nd half of 2007....
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If you build it, it will be cracked. That's been the story behind most encryption, and the latest generation of media formats seem no different. Last year, Microsoft's HD-DVD encryption was cracked by someone who goes by the name of "Muslix64", and this year he adds Blu-Ray to his list of defeated media formats. This is a...
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In a weeks time, the highly anticipated release of the next version of Windows will be here. Windows Vista is the latest major overhaul of Microsoft's operating system since Windows 2000/XP, and with a revamped graphics system and security improvements, you can bet some people just can't wait to get their hands on it. Retailers understand...
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Creative has announced their ALchemy project which is aimed at providing Sound Blaster X-Fi drivers for Windows Vista. In Vista, Microsoft has removed the Hardware Abstraction Layer(HAL), which DirecSound and DirectSound3D require. While games that use OpenAL still work, those that use DirectSound would face problems, until now....
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NVIDIA has released a new version of their ForceWare GeForce 8800 Drivers, bringing the official version to 97.92. The new drivers fix various game errors, adds new PureVideo features, and a new NVIDIA Control Panel(click here for release notes). The new drivers are for GeForce 8800 cards only, so if you have anything less, don't...
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With the release of its first ever expansion pack, Blizzard's World of Warcraft has hit the 8 million subscriber mark. The popular MMO boasts over 2 million users in North America, 1.5 million in Europe, and China 3.5 million in China. With the Burning Crusade expansion hitting Jan 16th, don't be surprised to see a "9 Million...
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Bethesda released a few content add-ons for their highly praised RPG last year, but 2007 will see the first full expansion pack for The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. The Shivering Isles is expected to be released in the second quarter of 2007, and will contain about 30 hours of added gameplay, with new monsters, new quests, and a new land...
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Sony's CELL Processor, which is used in the Playstation 3, is getting an update according to SPPnG.com, shrinking it down to a 65nm chip, operating at 6GHz at 1.3v. The new update would allow for better performance, and a cooler running system, though producing a "better" Playstation 3 could upset some current owners, and cause...
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The folks over at FiringSquad.com have gotten some comments from a few game developers concerning their thoughts for 2006, and what 2007 might bring. What was Michael Capps, President of Epic Games, favorite game of 2006? "FiringSquad: What do you think was the most important trend or issue...
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The latest version of the Army's own FPS, America's Army, is out, bringing with it a tool to make your maps and missions. Along with the 2.08 update being released, the new Mission Depot is also available, allowing aspiring map creators to submit their work for review, with the chance of it becoming the next official mission distributed...
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A U.K. court has ruled that Paul Martin McDonald can no longer sell lists of Hotmail addresses. McDonald had been selling the addresses through his company Bizads, and Microsoft claimed that his actions have damaged the reputation of Microsoft's e-mail service, which the court seemed to agree with. Bizads claimed that those who were on...
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Nintendo's new console has been a blast for the lucky few folks who were able to get their hands on one of them, however the new technology isn't without a few teething problems. The strap that is supposed to secure the controller to your wrist has been having some problems, and of course, someone has decided to try and sue Nintendo...
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With AMD's new chips expected to be out in Q3 2007, Intel has decided to cut prices for their Core 2 Duo and Quad models in the second quarter of 2007. For example, Intel's Core 2 Quad Q6600 will be reduced from $851 to $530, and the Core 2 Duo E6700 will go from $530 to $316. Those aren't the only price cuts however, as a...
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Well, whether or not it's more popular is debatable, but it MySpace has recorded more page views than Yahoo last month. A few factors could skew those numbers a bit, but it does show the kind of rapid growth MySpace is seeing. Once just a little known online profile sit, it has exploded in popularity and is now one of the most popular...
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Sony took a gamble with using Blu-ray as the Playstation 3's primary format, and at the moment, it doesn't seem to be paying off. Research group Cymfony surveyed 18,000 posts on blogs, discussion forums, and review sites, and found that a large number of folks aren't to happy about the new format being force upon them. A spokesman...
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For their latest marketing scheme, Valve is using the tried and true 'Free Trial' method. Valve has announced their new Steam Guest Pass system, which allows owners of certain Valve games to send out free trial passes to their friends. Day of Defeat: Source should be the first game available once the open beta starts....
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Much of the professional sports world has some kind of drug testing system in place, but there hasn't really ever been talk about drug use in the Cyberathlete Professional League. While drugs and alcohol have always been banned from the league, there wasn't much in the way of what to do with suspected abusers. The new 2007 terms have...
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People have been breaking Nintendo controllers for years now, though now it isn't always out of anger. The Wii's wireless remote-style controller can be as much of a hazard as it is fun, slipping out of hands and into just about anything in the area. TVs, laptops, and even a few faces have all found themselves victims of flying Wiimotes....
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Bethesda has released some new content for their top selling game, adding a new faction with some new quests, a few extras enemies, and some new items. The Elders Scrolls: Oblivion - Knights of the Nine costs $9.99, a little more than Bethesda's previous content releases, and can be downloaded in multiple languages from here....
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Google's Gmail has been available for some time now, though up until now it's always held onto the Beta tag. Google has ended their long Beta test of Gmail, and now anyone can sign up for the service without the need for an invitation or cell registration. If you're still one of those folks without a Gmail account, head on over...
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Verisign has been the administrator over the .com address since 1999, and will continue to be until at least 2012. The new deal which has been approved by the US Government will give Verisign complete control over the .com address, and has the right to manipulate .com prices to a certain degree....
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This will probably sound absurd to most of you, and rightfully so, but there's some question as to whether items obtained in an online game can be taxed. Even if there is no real world financial gain, player to player item transfers may one day be taxable. You know the saying, the only assurances in life are death and taxes, and without...
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