Actually, not all of the PAX swag this year was completely "free." To net the majority of the T-shirts, PAX-goers were asked to wait in lines to sit through demos. Only then were they able to walk away with a shirt. This is the reason why I don't have as big a haul as in years past (hey, those lines got long!), and sadly I missed out on the Star Wars shirts because of a mismanaged time schedule.

The Good
I like the All Points Bulletin shirts, the C.O.P. The Recruit magnet that I mistook for a bumper sticker and the inflatable Dragon Age: Origins swords. The NOS energy drink contains scary ingredients, but it was useful during the 3 PM hour when lunch had worn off and there was still a ways to go before the 5 PM panels started. And all the comic books and magazine really came in handy for those long waits in line when I wasn't willing to bust out my DS. Pro Tip: Mouse pads and assorted video game buttons make excellent stocking-stuffers.

The Bad
I'm not as fond of the orange shirt that came standard with the default PAX swag bag because I find it insulting. The Intel shirt also gets poor marks because of the process I had to endure to get it: An Intel rep handed out big blue buttons to people in line. She told us to walk around PAX with them on and "someone" would find us and give us a little card with a barcode on it. Then we had to take the card to a booth and a teller would trade it for a prize. I imagine I would have been less annoyed at being a free billboard for Intel if I'd won a laptop — but since all I got was a shirt crammed into a plastic mold in the shape of a shirt, I say bah.

The WTF
The funny thing about that Brink shirt is that the game was probably one of the most interesting on the show floor, but it's easily the least interesting design for a video game shirt. Not as funny, but twice as clever was the Assassin's Creed II advertisement where you sever a guy's head by opening up a booklet. Too bad you only get one use out of that one, though.

Ten points to those who can spot the hidden cat toys in the picture below:

Resident Evil 5 PC will have a big presence at this year's Penny Arcade Expo, and fans that stop by Capcom's booth (#670) to check out the game on Friday have a chance at attending Saturday night's launch party at the Showbox at the Market in downtown Seattle. Each day, Capcom will be giving out 250 wristbands that grant access to the venue. What can 500 Resident Evil fans expect at the event?

"Tri-Cell Corporation and Intel celebrate the launch of RE5 PC. As the exclusive guest of CEO Excella Gionne you will be treated to a night of games, fun and horror. Make sure to pick up your Tri-Cell employee badge at the event and don't forget your RE5 snow globe when you leave. As a show of appreciation Tri-Cell and Intel will be raffling off 5 Core i7 CPU's and copies of RE5 PC. Let's make this Tri-Cell's best year EVER!!"

Of course Tricell Corporation is the fiction pharmaceutical firm featured in the game, so aside from food, drinks, and a raffle, expect plenty of LARPing.

Now, I don't have the first clue how you'd predict these winners. But if you do, or if you get lucky, you get two of aforesaid laptops - 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 320GB drive, 15.6-inch screen, 4 gigs of RAM and an NVIDIA 9800M GS graphics card.

Right now, the site has the fields set for just two tournaments - Warcraft III and Warcraft Arena. When they get the field set for Starcraft they'll do another survey. Here's the contestants, first for the Warcraft III championship.

• Phil Crawford, aka Long Walk. Night Elf, United States, Winner, 2009 North American WarCraft Regional Final

• Deokman Yoon, aka PhoeNix_Soccer, Night Elf, Korea, Winner, 2007-08 AWL Season1; 2008 AMD Challenge Black

• Chulwoo Park, aka Shy, Night Elf, Korea, Winner, Leadtek WarCraft III; KODE5 Korea, WGT 2007 Tournament

• Pedro Moreno Durán, aka LucifroN, ORC, Spain, Second Place, 2008 BlizzCon Global Final; Winner, 2009 European WarCraft Regional Final

• Nikita Pomadov, aka Nicker, Night Elf, Russia, Third Place, 2009 European WarCraft Regional Final

• Nikolaus Cassidy, aka Sonkie, Human, United States, Winner, 2008 North American WarCraft Regional Final

• June Park, aka Lyn, Orc, Korea, Winner, 2008 BlizzCon Global Final; 2009 Korean WarCraft Regional Final

• Manuel Schenkhuizen, aka Grubby, Orc, Netherlands, Winner, WCG 2008; Second Place, 2009 European WarCraft Regional Final

And here is the field for the WarCraft Arena championship.

• Woah (Second Place, 2009 European WarCraft Regional Final) Members: Carlos "Ocelote" Rodriguez Santiago, Spain, Warrior , Patrick "Inflame" Costales, Germany, Warlock , Hugo "Kae" Gonzalez, Spain, Druid

• DKP (Winner, 2009 Taiwan WarCraft Regional Final) Members: Ming "Kita" Lee, Taiwan, Priest , Po-Jui "Ray" Lee, Taiwan, Death Knight , Yu-liang "KH" Huseh, Taiwan, Rogue

• SK Gaming (Winner, 2009 North American WarCraft Regional Final) Members: Joseph "Enforcer" Morrone, Canada, Rogue , Mark "Pookz" Rendon, United States, Mage , Ryan "Realz" Masterson, United States, Priest

• x6tence (Winner, 2008 and 2009 European WarCraft Regional Finals) Members: Nestor "Souler" Garcia Trabazo, Spain, Paladin , Javier "Siler" Dobon, Spain, Hunter, Victor Manuel "Falcon" Sanchez Lopez, Spain, Death Knight

• Shipit (Winner, 2009 Korean WarCraft Regional Final) Members: Soonjae "Coilmaster" Cha, Korea, Death Knight , Jaemin "Tsukiyomi" Lee, Korea, Hunter , Janghwan "Kamiu" Bae, Korea, Paladin

•TSG (Second Place, 2009 North American WarCraft Regional Final) Members: David "Valrath" Kovacs, Canada, Death Knight , Bennett "Veex" Lynch, United States, Warrior , Fabian "Zilea" Siffredi, United States, Paladin

• Button Bashers (Winner, 2008 Korean WarCraft Regional Final) Members: Naehyun "Orangemarmalade" Kang, Korea, Mage , Seoungouk "Numberone" Oh, Korea, Priest , Woojin "Hannival" Kim, Korea, Rogue

• All Pass (Second Place, 2009 Taiwan WarCraft Regional Final) Members: Yen-Fu "BA" Chen, Taiwan, Priest , Ming-Wei "Seven" Ho, Taiwan, Mage , Te-Chen "Tank" Liu, Taiwan, Rogue

Choose a Champion with Intel at BlizzCon 2009 [site]

Not only is there a new website, with the promise of announcements to come, but there's a couple of trailers as well. One shows the team building a hut, and is kinda boring, but the other shows a meteor storm blowing shit up. Thus, it is interesting, and you can see it to your left there.

Looks great! But, uh...it's been four years. What's with the tech demo? Has the game gone back to the drawing board since we last saw it?

[Project Offset]

The company are to close four of their manufacturing plants: two in Malaysia, one in the Philippines and one in the US. Another facility, in Santa Clara, will also be closed.

All up, that will directly affect 5000-6000 Intel employees. As in, most of those 5000-6000 will soon be out of a job, as Intel say only some of them will be offered work at other locations.

Intel Shutting Down Five Plants [Edge]

The Moroccan takes you to an abandoned Foreign Legion fort in Leboa-Sako territory, where you may find an old man with information on The Jackal (presumably not crucial information, or he would be in the main game... but, hey) while The American sees you tracking your predecessor to a Dogon village in the hope of finding an informant.

Both missions can be unlocked by downloading a patch from the Game On site, although The American is only available once you have completed The Moroccan.

Far Cry 2 Receives Free Bonus Missions [IGN]

We keep in touch with companies all over the world - I dare say that in two to three years time we will see something. There already are some individual approaches, especially in the science sector, which show that Raytracing algorithms are scaling very well with the numbers of cores. But the migration to a new programming technology takes years; Raytracing is still in an early stage

We've already seen crude attempts at raytracing Quake 4, with pretty spectacular results. Those of you wondering where graphics could go from here now have your answer.

Raytraced games in 2 to 3 years, says Intel [PCGH]

As Microsoft explained before, there's nothing illegal about creating or downloading such mods. But that doesn't mean Epic will pay you $1,000,000 for one. Their Make Something Unreal Contest bans the use of "third party intellectual property, including, but not limited to software, images, characters, logos, names and trademarks." Still, some pranks are so good, they're worth the free work.

Character - Samus Aran [UT3Mod via PS3Fanboy]

One of our main major objectives is to provide one voice on PC gaming market. There's no one source that says 'hey this is where the PC market is going'. Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are always calling their market share - we're going to call our market through this group.

New York's attorney general is investigating whether Intel violated state and federal antitrust laws by penalizing computer makers, cutting off competitors' distribution channels and improperly paying customers for exclusivity.

Specifically the investigation is probing whether AMD has a fair chance to supply its X86 computer processing units for desktop and laptop computers and servers. Currently Intel has 80 percent of the market, according to AG Andrew Cuomo.

''Our investigation is focused on determining whether Intel has improperly used monopoly power to exclude competitors or stifle innovation,'' Cuomo said in the statement. ''We will also look at whether Intel abused its power to remove competitive threats or harm competition in violation of New York and federal antitrust laws.''

The preliminary investigation into the matter shows that there is a need for a full investigation Cuomo said in a prepared statement. This investigation comes on the heels of a string of allegations and investigations surrounding Intel's dominant market share. In July the EU charged Intel with violating antitrust rules there. In August the FTC was asked to investigate the company by two senators.

ATTORNEY GENERAL CUOMO LAUNCHES ANTITRUST INVESTIGATION OF INTEL [The Associated Press]

ATTORNEY GENERAL CUOMO LAUNCHES ANTITRUST INVESTIGATION OF INTEL

Subpoena Seeks Information on Potentially Monopolistic Practices

NEW YORK, NY (January 10, 2008) ‑ Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today served a wide-ranging subpoena seeking documents and information on Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC), the world's largest maker of computer microprocessors. Cuomo is investigating whether Intel violated state and federal antitrust laws by coercing customers to exclude its main rival, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), from the worldwide market for x86 computer processing units (CPU).

"After careful preliminary review, we have determined that questions raised about Intel=s potential anticompetitive conduct warrant a full and factual investigation," said Attorney General Cuomo. "Protecting fair and open competition in the microprocessor market is critical to New York, the United States, and the world. Businesses and consumers everywhere should have the ability to easily choose the best products at the best price and only fair competition can guarantee it. Monopolistic practices are a serious concern particularly for New Yorkers who are navigating an information-intensive economy."

The subpoena served today on Intel seeks documents and information concerning Intel's pricing practices and possible attempt to exclude competitors through its market domination. The information sought is relevant to whether Intel, among other things:

* Penalized its customers, primarily computer manufacturers, for purchasing x86 computer processing units (CPU) from competitors;
* Improperly paid customers for exclusivity;
* Illegally cut off competitors from distribution channels.

Modern x86 CPUs are currently the industry-wide standard for a majority of desktops, laptops, notebooks, servers, and workstations. The x86 market accounts for over $30 billion in annual worldwide sales, with Intel retaining the lion's share of the market, estimated at 90% by revenue and 80% by volume.

"Our investigation is focused on determining whether Intel has improperly used monopoly power to exclude competitors or stifle innovation," said Cuomo. "We will also look at whether Intel abused its power to remove competitive threats or harm competition in violation of New York and federal antitrust laws."

Similar antitrust allegations have been examined by authorities in Europe and Asia and resulted in formal actions, including a cease and desist order, against Intel. In July 2007, the European Commission reached and the Korean Fair Trade Commission reached preliminary conclusions that Intel violated competition law. In 2005, the Japanese Fair Trade Commission concluded that Intel violated its competition laws and Intel agreed to cease and desist.

Both Intel and AMD are based in California.

Intel To Acquire Havok

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 14, 2007 Intel Corporation today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Havok Inc., the leading provider of interactive software and services used by digital media creators in the game and movie industries. Havok will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel.

The acquisition will enable developers in the digital animation and game communities to take advantage of Intel's innovation and technology leadership in the creation of digital media.

"Havok is a proven leader in physics technology for gaming and digital content, and will become a key element of Intel's visual computing and graphics efforts," said Renee J. James, vice president and general manager of Intel's Software and Solutions Group. "Havok will operate its business as usual, which will allow them to continue developing products that are offered across all platforms in the industry."

Havok's modular suite of software development tools is used by game and digital animation creators to build realistic video games for all types of hardware and digitally animated movies. The company's combination of superior technology and dedication to customers has led to its technology being used in more than 150 of the world's best-known game titles, including "BioShock," "Stranglehold," "Halo 2," "Half Life 2," "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion," "Crackdown," "Lost Planet: Extreme Condition," "MotorStorm" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." In addition, Havok products have been used to create special effects in movies such as "Poseidon," "The Matrix," "Troy," "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

"This is a great fit for Havok products, customers and employees," said Havok CEO David O'Meara. "Intel's scale of technology investment and customer reach enable Havok with opportunities to grow more quickly into new market segments with new products than we could have done organically. We believe the winning combination is Havok's technology and customer know-how with Intel's scale. I am excited to be part of this next phase of Havok's growth."

Havok was founded in 1998 in Dublin, Ireland, and has offices in San Francisco, San Antonio, Stockholm, Calcutta, Munich and Tokyo. The company will be a wholly owned Intel subsidiary and continue to operate as an independent business working with its customers in developing digital media content. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The Guardian gets a Second Life [Guardian Games Blog]

When the first dual-core chips came out (in 2005), we were at a D-minus...I'd say we're at a 'C-plus' right now.

But believe it or not, I think these low scores are a good thing. Because when Intel is bragging that no one can utilize their chip power, at least they aren't twisting our arms to upgrade. Mark Wilson

Game Developers Adapt [via mcvuk]

Intel had four of these lined-up in their booth to show off their processors with their spokesamazon barking out orders to the execs. This display seemed to fascinate dozens of CES attendees. Me? I was unimpressed. These guys should've have gone to E3. Michael McWhertor

Remedy is known for their games about grimacing, constipated protagonists with incompetent puns for names. First, Max Payne. Now Alan Wake, or, you know, isn't that clever, A. Wake?

They are also known for their atrocious faux-Noir writing: "They were all dead. The final gunshot was an exclamation mark on everything that had led to this point. I released my finger from the trigger, and it was over..." We'll let pass "exclamation mark", even though there is no such thing, because then they'd use the word "point" twice in the same sentence. But wouldn't it all be over when you squeezed the trigger, not released it? Sadly, this is probably one of the more elegant compositions in Max Payne.

However, we'll forgive Remedy all that, because ultimately the Max Payne games were pretty fun. And from a technology perspective? Alan Wake looks absolutely amazing. Florian Eckhardt

In light of Intel's recent investment in IGA, a firm primarily known for paying Counter-Strikelike advertising in games:

Basically, the gaming industry wants users to buy their products at retail and then watch constantly updated in-game ads. Unlike the TV model, which offers consumers a compelling free product in return for the advertising, the gaming industry offers nothing, not even a discount (though one could argue that games would be even more expensive without this extra revenue; whether this is true or not is a question for another day). Perhaps when the novelty of the practice wears off, gamers will be less tolerant of having their attention sold to advertisers. Or perhaps not; big-name ads lend a certain legitimacy to gaming that players seem to enjoy, which is good news to companies like IGA and to financial backers like Intel.

I've mentioned before the shadiness of inserting ads into luxury products while not reducing the cost, but this is the first time I've read that gamers actually like these ads, and I have to wonder why. Does corporate sponsorship give gamers a feeling of cultural legitimacy which gamers feel their hobby otherwise lacks? I wouldn't be surprised if that were it: gamer insecurity seems to lead to a lot of foolishness, from persecution complexes to endless pseudo-intellectual diatribes about games as art. Florian Eckhardt

Intel Wants Your Eyeballs [Ars Technica]

I spent some time over the weekend trying to mock up a desktop that would let me use at least some of my current bits and pieces.

I'm not exactly thrilled with all of the components in the system, but staying at about $1,000, this seems to be the best I could do.

I leaned heavily, very heavily, on Ars Technica's Hot Rod specs for this system. (thanks, Dan) I also tried building systems with Alienware, Falcon Northwest, Voodoo PC and Hypersonic. I found that Alienware was the most reasonably priced (they came in at $2,120), but I wasn't happy with some of their options, including graphics card, so I think I'll build my own.

I think I'm going to go with an Abit KN8 Ultra motherboard. It isn't SLI-capable, but I don't think I will be using that anytime soon, and it's super affordable, coming in at under $90.

For the processor I decided to go with AMD's Athlon 64 X2 4600+. I'm still going back and forth on the processor speed. The 4200 runs $350, while the 4600 comes in at $530. I'm not sure if it's worth the extra money. I'm a little worried about the whole AMD over Intel. I know I probably shouldn't be, but I was one of those people who bought an AMD chip right when they were getting started and it wasn't a pleasant experience.

As you guys almost all suggested, I'll be going with two 1GB sticks of ram. I'm leaning toward the Kingston PC3200s (about $88 each), but if you have a better suggestion I'm all ears.

My graphics card selection was between Radeon's X1800XT or X1900 XT (both with 512) or Nvidia's GeForce 7900GT. The Radeons were considerably less expensive and since I opted for a non-SLI card, I think I'll go with either the 1800 or 1900. There's a $90 price difference between the two, so I'm still pondering which to choose.

I'm going to stick with my two Barracuda 7200 120GB harddrives. I'm also going to keep my SoundBlaster sound card and my three flat panel monitors.

Since my power supply is way too weak (250 watts), I'm going to go with an Antec SLK3800B case which comes with a built in 400W power supply. I'm a little worried that even 400W, won't be good future proofing, but upgrading that down the line shouldn't be a problem. My other option is to stick with my Gateway case and just buy a power supply like the 600W Coolermaster, which uns about $78.

This system rings up at about $1,000 to $1,200 (depending on my choices), which isn't that bad.

So here are my main concerns. Is it a bad idea to skip out on the SLI-enabled motherboard and go with ATI? And, do you think mixing AMD and ATI is a bad decision? Brian Crecente

Ars System Guide [Ars Technica]