<![CDATA[Kotaku: DirectX 10]]> http://cache.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/kotaku.com.png <![CDATA[Kotaku: DirectX 10]]> http://kotaku.com/tag/directx 10 http://kotaku.com/tag/directx 10 <![CDATA[ AMD Works With EA, SEGA and NHN Games For Hot DirectX 10.1 Action ]]> Computer processing solutions company Advanced Micro Devices is working with three leading developer to bring AMD graphics and DirectX 10.1 support to their titles: Electronic Arts Phenomic Studio and its upcoming real-time online fantasy RTS Battleforge, SEGA and its real-time futuristic military strategy title Stormrise, and NHN Games and its 3D RPG Cloud 9. Says Microsoft Games for Windows Global Director Kevin Unangst:
We welcome AMD’s broad support for DirectX 10.1 compliant hardware and we’re pleased to see our newest technology brought to market so soon. One of the great advantages of PC gaming is the rapid pace at which the experiences evolve and improve.

Hit the jump fro the full AMD press release.

AMD Works with Leading Developers to Drive High Performance DirectX® 10.1 Gaming

Elite Developers Including Electronic Arts and SEGA® to Introduce DirectX 10.1 Titles with Improved Features and Better Overall Game Experience Available Only on ATI Radeon™ HD Products

SUNNYVALE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced that leading game developers are working with AMD to create a new generation of game titles utilizing Microsoft DirectX® 10.1 to deliver improved features and performance, and an overall better game experience. Developers including Electronic Arts Phenomic Studio and its forthcoming fantasy online real-time strategy game Battleforge™, SEGA and its futuristic military real-time strategy game Stormrise, and NHN Games and its 3D role-playing game Cloud 9, all exploit DirectX 10.1 for advanced gaming performance and visual realism. Only AMD graphics offer top-to-bottom DirectX 10.1 support: the ATI Radeon™ HD 3000 series and the new ATI Radeon™ HD 4800 series.

“We welcome AMD’s broad support for DirectX 10.1 compliant hardware and we’re pleased to see our newest technology brought to market so soon. One of the great advantages of PC gaming is the rapid pace at which the experiences evolve and improve. The ATI Radeon HD 3000 series and now the ATI Radeon HD 4800 series hardware delivers on the promise of DirectX 10 gaming with significantly improved visuals and enhanced performance,” said Kevin Unangst, Global Director, Microsoft Games for Windows.

“With Battleforge, EA is pushing the boundaries of the real-time strategy genre introducing social and community technologies to deliver a whole new online experience. It only makes sense that we leverage the latest technology such as DirectX 10.1 supported by the new ATI Radeon HD 4800 series of graphics cards from AMD to deliver an amazing experience for gamers,” said Dirk Ringe, vice president, EA Phenomic. “We’re working hard to deliver a new fantasy RTS experience never seen before. Using DirectX 10.1 and AMD’s graphics technology will enable Battleforge to look its absolute best.”

“SEGA welcomes the chance to deliver one of next year’s most technologically advanced titles, Stormrise. AMD’s enthusiastic commitment to new standards such as DirectX 10.1 in the ATI Radeon HD 4800 series is helping us develop a game which looks better and runs faster than was possible on previous platforms,” said Chris Southall, CTO Europe, SEGA. “SEGA is delighted to team up with AMD on one of our forthcoming games. AMD’s firm commitment to cutting-edge technology makes them a natural partner for us on Stormrise.”

ATI Radeon HD 3000 series graphics products and ATI Radeon HD 4800 series graphics products are widely available now at leading e-tailers, retailers and system integrators worldwide.

To showcase the difference that DirectX 10.1 technology makes, AMD recently unveiled a real-time 3D demo called “Ping Pong” to illustrate some of the new graphical techniques made possible by the new features DirectX 10.1 and supported by both the ATI Radeon HD 3000 series and ATI Radeon HD 4000 series of graphics processors. The interactive demo shows off advanced lighting techniques only possible through DirectX 10.1. For more information and to view the demo, please visit: http://ati.amd.com/developer/demos/rhd3000.html.

About AMD

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is a leading global provider of innovative processing solutions in the computing and graphics markets. AMD is dedicated to driving open innovation, choice and industry growth by delivering superior customer-centric solutions that empower consumers and businesses worldwide. For more information, visit www.amd.com.

]]>
Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:00:00 MDT Brian Ashcraft http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5041161&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Age Of Conan Invades GC ]]> Don your loincloth, polish your bastard sword, and get ready to invade Germany as Funcom announces their plans for Age of Conan at next week's Games Convention in Leipzig. They'll be showing off new locations, new content, and new features of their massively-multiplayer swords & sorcery title during live stage shows at the convention, with Blue Orb on hand to show players how to work the game with a gamepad and the TripleHead2Go guys granting hands-on time with the game on a three-screen setup. There's also loot to be had in the form of free game trials, limited edition game DVDs, and inflatable swords - because giving out real swords would have been pricey, and things would have gotten ugly rather quickly.

They'll also be showing off features of the DirectX version of the game behind closed doors to members of the press. Hopefully I'll get a chance to slip inside one of the sessions while I'm in Germany next week to see what's what. Hit the jump for full details on Conan's German invasion.

DirectX10 Features in Age of Conan Exclusively Revealed at Games Convention

- New Locations, Content and Features to Be Revealed for Both Press and Consumers at the Show -

- Thousands of Exclusive Give-Aways, Including Free Trial Accounts and Limited Edition Game DVDs -

DURHAM, N.C.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Conan is invading this year’s Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany. Funcom and Eidos invite everyone to come join the festivities at his majesty’s outpost located at stand B10 in Hall 5. Behind the tall walls of the King’s fortress press and gamers alike can play the game, meet and chat with the developers, collect amazing give-aways and observe live stage shows where Funcom will reveal and demonstrate brand new and never-before-seen locations, content and features that will be put into the recently launched massively multiplayer online game ‘Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’ in the months ahead.

“We are very pleased with the tremendously successful launch that we had,” says Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Funcom, Morten Larssen. “But this is where the real journey starts for ‘Age of Conan’. In the months ahead we will be putting a lot of effort into expanding and improving on the game, and we look forward to using the Games Convention to unveil some of the locations, content and features we have in the pipeline.”

During the live stage shows Funcom will present new locations, content and features coming to ‘Age of Conan’. Blue Orb Inc. will also be present to demonstrate how you can use their software to play ‘Age of Conan’ with a gamepad, while the guys behind ‘TripleHead2Go’ have prepared a machine with a three screen setup so that gamers can come and play ‘Age of Conan’ in all its unprecedented visual glory using cutting-edge technology. Funcom will also be giving away exciting loot such as the legendary inflatable swords and free trial accounts together with limited edition DVDs containing the entire game. This is the first time Funcom hands out free trials and the supply is limited, so we encourage you to make your way to Conan’s outpost as soon as possible!

Behind closed doors members of the press will also be treated to a presentation of exclusive DirectX10 features, technology that will add even more power to the spectacular graphics featured in the game. Press interested in attending these presentations should contact Funcom, but please note that seating is very limited at this point.

‘Age of Conan’ launched in May this year and immediately topped sales charts around the world. It has received more than thirty magazine covers and more than fifteen major awards, including numerous "Best MMO of E3" awards and the "Best Online Game of Show" award at GC 2007. The game has received numerous glowing reviews, including a 9.4 score from US website GameZone. ‘Age of Conan’ is a key title in Microsoft's Games for Windows line-up, as well as a showcase title for nVidia thanks to its jaw-dropping graphics.

For more information on the game and instructions on how to order your copy today, visit www.ageofconan.com.

Funcom looks forward to seeing everyone at the Games Convention – we will be at stand B10 in Hall 5!

]]>
Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:20:00 MDT Mike Fahey http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5037498&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ DirectX 11 Announcement Coming This Month? ]]> Do you feel that, PC gamers? That pressure? It's the future, bearing relentlessly down upon you. While many PC gamers are still without DirextX 10, thanks to its Vista-only segregation, word on the PC tech streets (in this case, Graphics Whore boulevard) is that DirectX 11 will be announced by Microsoft later this month, no doubt accompanied by pictures of Crysis featuring all kinds of lighting and environmental effects you won't be able to see/afford until 2011. The announcement's supposed to take place on July 22-23 at the XNA Gamefest event in Seattle.

DirectX 11 to get announced this month
[Fudzilla, via VG247]

]]>
Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:20:00 MDT Luke Plunkett http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5023632&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Massive - DirectX10 Effects Possible On Consoles ]]> dx10logo.jpg If you've got the time and the resources, your console game can look pretty damn close to its DirectX10-enabled PC counterpart. This from Massive Entertainment's VP of Development Peter Sydow in an interview with Videogamers.com in which he discusses development of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of World In Conflict.
Yeah, at this point we've managed to replicate some of the effects, but I don't know what features will make it into the final release. Nearly all of our DX10 features are possible to do on the consoles if you give it enough time and resources, so we'll keep on working on them and see what happens.
See Funcom? Even the console developers can do it!

World in Conflict Interview [Videogamers.com - Thanks David!]

]]>
Tue, 20 May 2008 11:00:00 MDT Mike Fahey http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=392078&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Age Of Conan DX10 Version Delayed ]]> aocbox.jpg Age of Conan's collector's edition is completely sold out, all over the world! This is the gist of the press release issued today, which points out that they actually printed more copies of CE, bringing the total to 111,000 units, which were all sold out, preorder numbers were astronomical, the game is set to be a tremendous success, and oh, the DirectX 10 version of the game isn't coming out this week.

Wait, what?

Buried in the last few paragraphs of the press release, Funcom...well I suppose it still counts as revealing despite being buried at the bottom...Funcom reveals that the DX10 version of the game needs more work, and will now be premiered at Games Convention in Leipzig this August. The extra time will be used to add in new features and focus on "building a DirectX 10 version worthy of Microsoft's great vision for the future of PC gaming". We'll be looking forward to that then. Hit the jump for the full press release. Remember to scroll all the way down.

Age of Conan Collector's Edition Completely Sold Out

- Historical pre-order and ship-in numbers for 2008's most anticipated MMO - - Early access offer oversubscribed � First review of game gives a 9 out of 10

Durham, USA - May 19, 2008 - Funcom is proud to announce that the Collector's Edition of Age of Conan is now completely sold out in all markets. The exclusive edition was announced in January, and has since topped retail charts at numerous retailers. In some markets, the Collector's Edition has been sold out for weeks, and as a result additional boxes were made. These are also sold out, and the total print run stands at 111.000 units. Lucky customers may still find some copies on retail shelves, but no re-orders are available.

Additional retail figures for the standard edition of Age of Conan are also highly impressive. In total, Funcom is shipping around 700.000 copies of Age of Conan on day one. This impressive figure for a PC game is powered by equally impressive pre-order numbers. As a result of the tremendous interest and recent order increase, Funcom has not been able to fulfill all orders of Age of Conan in several markets due to current server capacity limitations. Extra orders of servers are now in place to facilitate for handling of more customers.

"Everyone in Funcom is delighted and humbled with the historical pre-order numbers for Age of Conan. If the information we have is correct, they represent the highest pre-order number for any global launch of an original PC game, ever, including the original World of Warcraft launch," said Morten Larssen, Funcom's VP of Sales & Marketing.

More than one million unique visitors visited the Age of Conan websites last week, and as a result of the great interest in the game, Funcom's early access offer was swiftly oversubscribed. The three day early access program was a limited offer reserved for pre-order customers. While Funcom scaled the servers above anticipation, player demand surpassed expectations. As the Early Access servers launched last night, the servers and game held up exceptionally well. As the game launches properly later this week, Funcom expects additional large numbers of customers to enter the game.

All the positive signals are naturally not equal to eventual success, but early indications from the press points out that the game boasts unique qualities. The very first review for the game gives it a 9 out of 10 score from Game Reactor, the Nordic regions largest gaming magazine.

While Funcom is thrilled with the early success of Age of Conan, and proud of the game launching this week, the company regrets to inform gamers that the DirectX 10 version of the game will not ship with the initial launch. As Microsoft's DirectX 10 is undoubtedly the future of PC gaming, Funcom has decided to ship only the DirectX 9 version at launch, giving the team more time to focus on building a DirectX 10 version worthy of Microsoft's great vision for the future of PC gaming. This postponement will let Funcom include even more features in the DirectX 10 version of Age of Conan than originally planned.

The DirectX 10 version will be premiered at the German Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, August 20 - 24, 2008. A special preview showing off the advanced graphics made possible by DirectX 10 technology will be unveiled this summer at nVidia's NVISION event in San Jose, California, August 25 - 27, 2008.

Age of Conan launches 20th of May in North America / Oceania and 23rd of May in Europe. More information about the game can be found on www.ageofconan.com


]]>
Mon, 19 May 2008 10:40:00 MDT Mike Fahey http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=391601&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ DirectX Creator: Consoles, Chocolate Barrels Are DOOMED ]]> For all the doom and gloom talk surrounding PC gaming of late, it sure is swell to see someone sticking up for the poor old personal computer. That someone is Alex St. John, who was one of the creators of DirectX, a man who believes that PC gaming's digital delivery potential is the future of gaming.

You can think of it as walking into a grocery store and saying, "Hey, I'm a customer for some chocolate, do you guys have any chocolate?" And the grocery store says, "Yeah, we have 50 pound barrels of it over there. They're a thousand bucks a barrel." You say, "Well I like chocolate, but not that much." The store says, "Well go to hell, that's all we've got. A thousand bucks or no chocolate for you." That's how retail games are sold. And it's an extremely inefficient business model. It's very crude.
Speak for yourself St. John, if I knew a store that sold only 50-pound barrels of chocolate I'd be all over that shit.
DirectX Creator: 'Consoles Are Doomed' [ExtremeTech, via Game|Life] [Pic]
]]>
Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:30:00 MDT Luke Plunkett http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=371705&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ LotRO Gets Prettier With Nvidia and DX10 ]]> Turbine is extremely pleased to announce that their relatively successful MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online is the first MMO to fully support DirectX 10 and Nvidia's Geforce graphics processors. Utilizing the combined forces of the two, the MMO is now sporting upgraded water shaders, better particle effects, and more far-reaching lighting than ever before, along with a DX10 exclusive dynamicshadowing system. In layman's terms, if you got the right parts, the game just got a lot prettier.

"The FPS genre has long dominated the race to better graphics but with this major update from Turbine, The Lord of the Rings Online players can enjoy graphics as good as or even better than many FPS games. This is an outstanding achievement and the whole Turbine team should be rightly proud of what they have produced," said Roy Taylor, Vice President of Content Relations at NVIDIA
Right. In my world, high-end graphics and MMO games equals lag city, but who knows? Maybe Turbine and Nvidia have some sort of genie imprisoned somewhere. Since I don't have an active account for the game, it is all up to you folks. Is it prettier? Is it secret? Is it safe?

Update: Turbine sent me a lovely comparison shot, seen above, that really highlights the differences between the two versions. Thanks!

THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE™ IS FIRST MMORPG TO SUPPORT MICROSOFT'S DIRECTX 10 GRAPHICS AND NVIDIA GEFORCE GRAPHICS PROCESSORS

Award-Winning Online Game Now Features Industry-Leading Graphics

WESTWOOD, MA - January 7, 2008 - Turbine, Inc. announced today that The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ has become the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) to support the Microsoft DirectX® 10 API and NVIDIA GeForce graphics processors for stunningly realistic imagery. The Lord of the Rings Online, named the 2007 PC Game of the Year 2007, now offers gamers with DirectX 10 graphics cards the most immersive online experience available today.

Players can now experience Middle-earth™ like never before with major improvements to The Lord of the Rings Online's graphics, including upgraded shaders for water, particle effects and lighting for distant terrain. Players will also be treated to new levels of immersion with the new DirectX 10 exclusive dynamic shadowing features which render realistic real-time shadows in the vast outdoor environments of The Lord of the Rings Online.

"Turbine has a history of pushing the graphics envelope so we can deliver state-of-the art immersive virtual worlds," said Fernando Paiz, Director of Game Technology at Turbine, Inc. "We began working with NVIDIA very early in the development cycle so that we could fully leverage DirectX 10 technology to achieve our goal of creating the most complete and authentic recreation of Middle-earth. The results speak for themselves as The Lord of the Rings Online has set the bar for what persistent online worlds can be."

"The FPS genre has long dominated the race to better graphics but with this major update from Turbine, The Lord of the Rings Online players can enjoy graphics as good as or even better than many FPS games. This is an outstanding achievement and the whole Turbine team should be rightly proud of what they have produced," said Roy Taylor, Vice President of Content Relations at NVIDIA. "This deserves the attention of the entire video games industry and all MMORPG players everywhere. It points to a future where we will see increasing blending of genres and deeper, more immersive PC gaming experiences. We are delighted to have been able to support this work."

The Lord of the Rings Online delivers an interactive experience brimming with life and filled with the familiar people, places and monsters from the most beloved fantasy adventure of all time. From the quaint surroundings of the Shire to Angmar, the vile kingdom of the Witch-king, players will experience the world of Middle-earth as never before. The Lord of the Rings Online is available for purchase at major retailers across North America. For more information, or to download a free trial, visit www.lotro.com.

]]>
Mon, 07 Jan 2008 09:20:51 MST Mike Fahey http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=341516&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Msoft Announces Nine New Games for Windows ]]>

Following a lackluster infomercial CES keynote, Microsoft sent out a press release this morning touting the "powerful momentum" of Games for Windows and the addition of nine new Games for Windows-branded titles including Alone in the Dark and LEGO Indiana Jones.

"Games for Windows truly thrived in 2007. We went from two titles in 2006 to a continually growing portfolio of over 60 titles here at CES 2008," said Kevin Unangst, senior global director of Games for Windows in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "We delivered on our promise one year ago to reinvigorate the PC gaming space and bring the best portfolio of games to Windows. And this is just the beginning. With our partners, we will continue to drive the resurgence of Windows-based gaming."

The full list of new GFW games includes:

• "Alone in the Dark" (Atari)
• "Bionic Commando" (Capcom)
• "Conflict: Denied Ops" (Eidos Interactive)
• "Empire: Total War" (SEGA)
• "LEGO Indiana Jones" (LucasArts)
• "Microsoft Train Simulator 2" (Microsoft Game Studios)
• "Sins of a Solar Empire" (Stardock)
• "Space Siege" (SEGA)
• "Tomb Raider: Underworld" (Eidos Interactive)

The release also went on to point out that the casual games industry generated $2.25 billion in revenue last year and has a projected increase of 20 percent. I wonder if that now includes the Wii? Hit the jump for the full release.

Microsoft Unveils New Titles and Powerful Momentum for Games for Windows
New titles added to the Games for Windows portfolio; Games for Windows initiative and MSN Games going strong.

LAS VEGAS — Jan. 7, 2008 — Following one of the hottest years in video game history, Microsoft Corp. today announced at the 2008 International CES the addition of new titles to the Games for Windows portfolio and strong first-year results for the Games for Windows initiative. Games for Windows drove the PC gaming category in 2007 with some of the most popular Windows-based games available, and will continue the momentum for Windows-based gaming in 2008.
"Games for Windows truly thrived in 2007. We went from two titles in 2006 to a continually growing portfolio of over 60 titles here at CES 2008," said Kevin Unangst, senior global director of Games for Windows in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "We delivered on our promise one year ago to reinvigorate the PC gaming space and bring the best portfolio of games to Windows. And this is just the beginning. With our partners, we will continue to drive the resurgence of Windows-based gaming."
CES attendees will get to experience some of the great games of 2008, with six upcoming Games for Windows titles on the show floor: "Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures" (Funcom, Eidos Interactive), "Conflict: Denied Ops" (Eidos Interactive), "Frontlines: Fuel of War" (THQ), "Space Siege" (SEGA), "Turning Point: Fall of Liberty" (Codemasters) and "Jigsaw Too Photo Edition" (Carbonated Games), a game for Windows Live Messenger.
Delivering Great Games
Microsoft announced the addition of nine new Games for Windows-branded titles joining the portfolio from renowned publishers Atari Inc., Capcom, Eidos Interactive, LucasArts, Microsoft Game Studios, SEGA and Stardock., bringing the growing Games for Windows portfolio to more than 60 titles. "Alone in the Dark" (Atari) and "Sins of a Solar Empire" (Stardock) join other branded games from top publishers around the world committed to delivering quality-tested Games for Windows titles, including 2K Games, Activision Inc., EA Partners, Midway Home Entertainment Inc. and Ubisoft. New Games for Windows-branded titles announced at CES include the following:
• "Alone in the Dark" (Atari)
• "Bionic Commando" (Capcom)
• "Conflict: Denied Ops" (Eidos Interactive)
• "Empire: Total War" (SEGA)
• "LEGO Indiana Jones" (LucasArts)
• "Microsoft Train Simulator 2" (Microsoft Game Studios)
• "Sins of a Solar Empire" (Stardock)
• "Space Siege" (SEGA)
• "Tomb Raider: Underworld" (Eidos Interactive)
Other highly anticipated Games for Windows-branded titles expected to release in 2008 include "Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures" (Funcom, Eidos Interactive), "Borderlands" (2K Games), "The Club" (SEGA), "Fallout® 3" (Bethesda Softworks®) and "Frontlines: Fuel of War" (THQ).
Driving the PC Gaming Industry Forward
In a year when gaming was one of the most popular choices of entertainment, the Games for Windows initiative drove the PC gaming category forward. Games for Windows has brought Windows-based gaming to the forefront of retail stores, raising consumer awareness of Games for Windows titles and positioning the category for successful sales. In November 2007 alone, the Games for Windows portfolio accounted for 20 percent of all PC game sales at retail stores in the United States, according to the NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service.
"Games for Windows-branded titles were among the most popular Windows-based games purchased as gifts this holiday," said Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising for GameStop Corp. "Microsoft's efforts to revive Windows-based gaming have helped grow the category."
Consumers can find Games for Windows titles featured in retail stores including GameStop, Circuit City and Wal-Mart in the United States, and PC World, Game, Media Markt and Saturn in Europe.
Casual Games on Windows: Windows Live Messenger Games and MSN Games
According to the Casual Games Association, the casual games industry generated $2.25 billion in revenue in 2007 worldwide, with a projected increase of 20 percent in 2008. Microsoft is a leader in the casual games space through gaming platforms including MSN Games and Windows Live Messenger Games. Today, MSN Games is enjoyed by 14 million people each month and offers them more than 600 games to play including "The Office," "Luxor 3" and "Diner Dash: Hometown Hero." Windows Live Messenger Games reaches 16 million people per month around the world and has 26 games to choose from, including the new exclusive title "Jigsaw Too Photo Edition." "Jigsaw Too Photo Edition" is available now and lets players personalize the game by inserting their own photos. Players can also cooperate with each other via Windows Live Messenger to solve their personalized jigsaw puzzles.

About Games for Windows
Microsoft Windows is the most popular operating system in the world for games, delivering the widest range of titles, the most gaming hardware choices and advanced gaming technology for players of all types. With Windows as the cornerstone, the Games for Windows platform offers publishers and gamers the most enjoyable and innovative gaming experiences available on a PC. More information can be found online at http://www.gamesforwindows.com.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

]]>
Mon, 07 Jan 2008 07:25:41 MST Brian Crecente http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=341515&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ New iMacs Are DirectX 10 Ready ]]> The newest iMac revision, announced earlier today at the Apple Town Hall event, not only features an attractive external visual upgrade, the guts are pretty nice, too. The new base iMac comes equipped with the ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT, with upper-tier versions of the iMac featuring the ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO, both DirectX 10 capable video cards. That means, anyone looking to run DirectX 10 supported games like Crysis, BioShock, and Gears of War on their Mac via Boot Camp can do so without having to abandon the comforts of Mac OSX.

Prices range from $1199 to $2299 with LCD screens running from 20" to 24". For the record, the lowest end iMac in the new configuration just meets the minimum specs for BioShock. Interested gamers with thousands of dollars and Mac gaming on their minds should probably look somewhere in the mid-range. And, yes, you can use a two-button mouse, for Christ's sake.

This concludes my Apple Computers viral marketing broadcast. (Buy a Mac.)

iMac - Technology [Apple]

]]>
Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:40:52 MDT Michael McWhertor http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=287105&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Mark Rein Says Consoles Retarding PC Graphics Progress ]]> Epic Games VP Mark Rein recently told CVG that, despite Microsoft's efforts to push the technology, DirectX 10 won't see much in the way of enthusiastic adoption, largely because game developers will "have to dumb the games down for the consoles" making it "less and less economically viable to do the super high-end stuff." Rein expects that Crytek's first person shooter Crysis will represent the zenith of graphical fidelity for years to come. That is, whenever Crysis is actually released.

Having seen Unreal Tournament III in person again this weekend, and Epic claiming that it's building the game for two-year-old PCs, I'm going to be less concerned about the advancement in PC graphics technology at this stage. It's getting to the point where I'm having a hard time noticing the difference between something like Gears of War and UTIII, anyway. Maybe I need my old lady glasses.

Besides, we're all going to be "playing" Wii Fit with such intensity and dedication, we won't even care what any of these PC games look like, right? Guys? Wii Fit? Hello?!

Rein: Consoles put a stranglehold on DX10 [CVG]

]]>
Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:40:08 MDT Michael McWhertor http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=284021&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Hands Off: Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures ]]>

Sorry, Crecente. I know you were looking for a McWhertor on barbarian fantasy fix, but it just won't happen. Currently in "press lockdown," the game is on display in Microsoft's CES booth, but I was only permitted to look, not touch.

Funcom's product director J rgen Tharaldsen was nice enough to keep me away from the two demo units, talking me through the highlights and features of their MMO, already three and a half years in development. The game was running in DirectX 10 mode, which looks better than the rather flat screenshot above. Rich rich foliage and lighting made the game stand out as one of the most visually impressive MMOs in recent memory.

The attention to detail was evident in things like ornate armor and weapon design, a clean HUD and impressive animation. Tharaldsen told me that the reason that horse animation looked so realistic was that they actually got motion capture data from a real horse. I think we'd have been satisfied with a motion capture from a pair of dudes in a horse costume, but we'll take it!

If you're not familiar with the name Funcom, they're responsible for another well-known MMO, Anarchy Online. Perhaps you'd prefer to think of them for their PC and Xbox adventure games The Longest Journey and Dreamfall. Reader's choice, but it seems they're exploiting their strengths in both genres to make Conan a strong story driven MMO, rich with the mythos created by author Robert E. Howard.

Some of the highlights from Tharaldsen's expert pitch were dynamic hand-to-hand combat techniques, custom spell recipes, sieges on player-built cities, and an extremely deep character creation tool. How deep? Well, including the requisite muscle mass, hair coloring and cup size sliders, they even have customizers on the level of nose crookedness. Perfect for your giving your barfighting mage some street cred.

Fortunately for non-Vista upgraders, the game will be available for Windows XP and Xbox 360. While cross-platform play is not confirmed, the Conan team wouldn't rule it out. Keep your fingers crossed. We're going to get in the beta proper soon (we hope!) and hope to have some genuine gameplay impressions available soon.

]]>
Wed, 10 Jan 2007 21:20:17 MST Michael McWhertor http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=227844&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Clips: A Bit Of The CES Crysis Demo ]]>

I walked by the Nvidia booth today, only to get suckered into another playthrough of the CES Crysis demo. My goal this time was to launch as many North Korean soldiers into the air, only to have them plummet to their doom. Muahahaha and all that. Fortunately, the lovely Richard Blakeley from Gizmodo scored some quick footage of the floor demo, so you can check out some of the action. Obviously, YouTube doesn't do the DirectX 10 game justice, but at least you can witness some of the cool gameplay.

]]>
Wed, 10 Jan 2007 20:40:57 MST Michael McWhertor http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=227956&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Direct X 10 Conan Hits CES ]]>

Get ready to buy new graphics cards, DirectX 10 is being shown off on the gamefloor at CES, and if you really want to utilize all of the new version's bells and whistles you're going to have to new hardware.

One of the two DirectX 10 games being shown off on the CES floor this week is Age of Conan, an MMO that has building buzz within my head since I first heard of it. (Yes, the game's also coming to the 360.)

"Microsoft's new DirectX 10 technology represents a great leap forward for graphics, performance and even the development process of a PC game. Being one of the two first companies in the world to demonstrate this live is not only a testament to the technological skills of Funcom, but also to our continued commitment to the evolution of the PC as a gaming platform," said Trond Arne Aas, CEO of Funcom. "Now we can create even more beautiful online worlds, and it's great to see us spearhead this development."

I'm going to try and sweet talk Mike into checking it out for us later this week. Shhh, don't tell him.

Only Two DirectX 10 Enabled PC Games Shown in Playable Form at CES


DURHAM, N.C. —(Business Wire)— Jan. 8, 2007 Funcom and Eidos are proud to announce that the DirectX 10 version of 'Age of Conan' is world premiering at CES, the world's largest consumer electronics show. Only two games on the CES showfloor have been able to reach this considerable development milestone. The DirectX 10 version of 'Age of Conan' can be witnessed at the Microsoft CES stand, where Funcom staff will be on-site to showcase the game.

"Microsoft's new DirectX 10 technology represents a great leap forward for graphics, performance and even the development process of a PC game. Being one of the two first companies in the world to demonstrate this live is not only a testament to the technological skills of Funcom, but also to our continued commitment to the evolution of the PC as a gaming platform," said Trond Arne Aas, CEO of Funcom. "Now we can create even more beautiful online worlds, and it's great to see us spearhead this development."

The groundbreaking new DirectX 10 technology brings a wide range of improvements for PC games, and it has highly positive implications on the performance and looks of 'Age of Conan'. It offers the opportunity to increase the overall performance of the game, as well as enabling better view distance, more realistic-looking characters, more special effects, more detailed environments and better lighting models. DirectX 10 delivers an incredible advancement in the evolution of computer gaming graphics.

The PC version of 'Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures' is a key title among the Games for Windows lineup for Windows Vista. The game won 'Best MMO of E3' awards from IGN, GameSpot, GameSpy and Yahoo. More information, newsletter sign-up, forums and a welcoming community portal can be found on the official website http://www.ageofconan.com.

'Age of Conan' is co-published by Eidos. The game will also be released on the Xbox 360.

The DirectX 10 version of 'Age of Conan' can only be experienced with Windows Vista, and requires enabled hardware. DX9 and Windows XP will also deliver an engrossing experience with cutting edge graphics and gameplay.

]]>
Mon, 08 Jan 2007 15:20:10 MST Brian Crecente http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=227133&view=rss&microfeed=true