Nvidia GeForce GTX 200 Graphics Cards Makes Your Gaming Rig Officially Outdated [Gizmodo, benchmark via Tom's hardware]

"The console is now a baseline. If you look at Gears of War or Assassin's Creed, they came out on console and they were great experiences - but the PC versions had additional aspects to them that also made them attractive, whether you owned the console version or not," continued Taylor. "The PC version was better. That's something that people need to get their heads around - the console is a baseline, the PC is going to be an improved version. That's an exciting future, and that's why I don't see anything threatening about console at all.

Note that the PC versions are also generally later than their console counterparts, often requiring PC owners to upgrade to the latest NVIDIA products. Ah, an exciting future indeed!

"Consoles don't threaten PC gaming" [Eurogamer]

Helfer, a former supermodel and now an actress, is "Number Six" on "Battlestar Galactica" and was also General Kilian Qatar in Command and Conquer 3. So, she's got the chops to talk to gamers and sci-fi fans on their level. But I'm sure they'd listen to her read a phone book, too. Fortunately, she'll be giving a perspective on "how advancements in visual computing are impacting the entertainment industry," according to an NVIDIA release.

Attendees of NVISION, the conference, may also meet Tricia at the NVISION 08 GeForce LAN event — where attendees bringing their own computer can participate in the attempt on a Guinness World Record by playing PC games non-stop for three straight days. There will also be a Girl Gamer Zone "dedicated to all female gamers who wish to play together and support female gaming."

The conference is in San Jose from Aug. 25 to 27. I'll try to infiltrate the Girl Gamer Zone. I'm a former San Josean so, I know every local custom, can speak their language, blend in, just like Marcus Brody. I might also need some phone numbers for fact checking later, you know.

NVISION 2008 [NVIDIA]

The four maps for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare are the Broadcast, Chinatown, Killhouse and Creek maps. Furthermore, PC players will get a patch that fixes a server crash, fixes some other bugs, adds in some things and, oh yeah, enables support for the new maps.

So, PC gamers, don't say nobody never did nuthin' for ya. Xbox 360 owners had to buy this. Enjoy!

Variety Map Pack Sponsored by NVIDIA hits PC June 5th [IAMfourzerotwo]

BusinessWeek Infotech 100 [BusinessWeek]

I think that we've arrived at a point now where I don't know how anyone could ever possibly justify pirating a game. I just don't know how anyone could consider that a cool thing to do - it's not. It sucks.

NVIDIA bombards PC game pirates [Eurogamer]

"It is a challenge that we're looking at right now. There is a need to simplify it for consumers, there's no question," Taylor explained. "We think that the people who understand and know GeForce today, they're okay with it - they understand it. But if we're going to widen our appeal, there's no doubt that we have to solve that problem."

NVIDIA to "simplify" product range [GamesIndustry.biz]

NVIDIA Launches the Fastest Graphics Card on the Planet

New Generation Dual GPU solution provides a complete, high definition entertainment experience for the PC

The NVIDIA GeForce 9800GX2 is the latest graphics card to revolutionise your PC experience. GeForce 9800 GX2 gives the best gaming performance in the world, HybridPower means a quiet, low power and more environmentally friendly PC and PureVideo HD takes your PC to the cutting edge of High Definition.

Bar None the fastest Graphics Card on the Planet

The GeForce 9800GX2 is at the cutting edge of technology; with 256 screaming fast processor cores and a 1GB total framebuffer, all running through PCI Express 2.0, means the GeForce 9800GX2 is designed from the ground up for Gaming at Extreme HD resolutions.

NVIDIA Hybrid Power- gives you power when you need it most

Combining a GeForce 9800GX2 with one of the latest motherboards featuring NVIDIA's nForce 790i Ultra SLI chipset makes your system ready for Hybrid Power. Not all applications require a high end GeForce discrete GPU, for times such as these an integrated GeForce GPU can run these applications perfectly while saving power and therefore the environment. The intelligent Hybrid Power system can also combine the power of the GeForce 9800GX2 with the onboard graphics for maximum performance.

PureVideo HD- make your PC the centre of your digital home

PureVideo HD makes High Definition content come to life on your PC- whether video's are downloaded, streamed, or on Blu-Ray- even the most demanding HD content plays back effortlessly thanks to the best HD engine available on the market. But it is not only the speed of HD rendering that is improved, with PureVideo HD films comes to life with dynamic Contrast Enhancement and automatic enhancements to Greens, Blues,&Skin Tones

The NVIDIA GeForce 9800GX2 Makes all of the above possible, for the very best graphics on the planet there is no other choice.

Processor Cores

256 (128 per GPU)

Core Clock

600MHz

Shader Clock

1500MHz

Memory Clock

1000MHz

Memory

1GB GDDR3 (512MB per GPU)

Power Connector

8-pin + 6-pin

Board Power

197W

Thermal

Patent Pending Integrated Cooling Solution

Outputs

2x DVI-DL + HDMI

But how can this possibly work?

It's actually a simple idea. All GeForce 8-series cards include CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture). CUDA is essentially an interface for developers to write programs to run off the GPU (as opposed to your computer's CPU). Essentially, NVIDIA is porting PhysX technology to CUDA and powering it with their/your existing 3D hardware.

Also of note: NVIDIA thinks it's a great way to sell their customers higher end cards, and sell more of them per computer.

GeForce 8 graphics processors to gain PhysX support [Techreport via digg]

NVIDIA today confirmed rumblings that they were looking to buy physics-centric AGEIA Technologies. NVIDIA said today that an agreement to acquire the industry leaders in gaming physics, though the acquisition still remains subject to some closing conditions.

More details about the deal will shake out during NVIDIA's upcoming quarterly conference call, set for Feb. 13.

While AGEIA appears to continue to struggle breaking into the mainstream PC market, they've made significant in-roads into the console market with 140 PhysX-based games shipping or in development on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and PC. The company has more than 10,000 registered and active users of their PhysX software development kit as well.

"NVIDIA is the perfect fit for us. They have the world's best parallel computing technology and are the thought leaders in GPUs and gaming. We are united by a common culture based on a passion for innovating and driving the consumer experience," said Manju Hegde, co-founder and CEO of AGEIA.

Full release on the jump. I wonder if NVIDIA would try to come up with a way to incorporate the PhysX engine into a graphics card, instead of requiring two pieces of hardware? Maybe that's not possible, actually.

SANTA CLARA, CA — FEBRUARY 4, 2008—NVIDIA (Nasdaq: NVDA), the world leader in visual computing technologies and the inventor of the GPU, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire AGEIA Technologies, Inc., the industry leader in gaming physics technology. AGEIA's PhysX software is widely adopted with more than 140 PhysX-based games shipping or in development on Sony Playstation3, Microsoft XBOX 360, Nintendo Wii and Gaming PCs. AGEIA physics software is pervasive with over 10,000 registered and active users of the PhysX SDK.

"The AGEIA team is world class, and is passionate about the same thing we are—creating the most amazing and captivating game experiences," stated Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO of NVIDIA. "By combining the teams that created the world's most pervasive GPU and physics engine brands, we can now bring GeForce®-accelerated PhysX to hundreds of millions of gamers around the world."

"NVIDIA is the perfect fit for us. They have the world's best parallel computing technology and are the thought leaders in GPUs and gaming. We are united by a common culture based on a passion for innovating and driving the consumer experience," said Manju Hegde, co-founder and CEO of AGEIA.

Like graphics, physics processing is made up of millions of parallel computations. The NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800GT GPU, with its 128 processors, can process parallel applications up to two orders of magnitude faster than a dual or quad-core CPU.

"The computer industry is moving towards a heterogeneous computing model, combining a flexible CPU and a massively parallel processor like the GPU to perform computationally intensive applications like real-time computer graphics," continued Mr. Huang. "NVIDIA's CUDA™ technology, which is rapidly becoming the most pervasive parallel programming environment in history, broadens the parallel processing world to hundreds of applications desperate for a giant step in computational performance. Applications such as physics, computer vision, and video/image processing are enabled through CUDA and heterogeneous computing."

AGEIA was founded in 2002 and has offices in Santa Clara, CA; St. Louis, MO; Zurich, Switzerland; and Beijing, China.

The acquisition remains subject to customary closing conditions.

More details about the acquisition will be provided during NVIDIA's quarterly conference call, to be held on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 2:00 PM, Pacific Time. The Company's prepared remarks will be followed by a question and answer period, which will be limited to questions from financial analysts and institutional investors. To listen to the conference call, please dial 212-231-2901; no password is required. The conference call will also be webcast live (listen-only mode) at the following Web sites: www.nvidia.com and www.streetevents.com.

Replay of the conference call will be available via telephone by calling 800-633-8284 (or 402-977-9140), passcode 21354792, until February 20, 2008. The webcast will be recorded and available for replay until the company's conference call to discuss its financial results for its first quarter, fiscal 2009.

About AGEIA

Crysis 1.1 patch performance with Multi-GPU testing [techspot]

OK, so I lied. The cake remains a lie, but a free copy of Portal doesn't. Effective immediately all NVIDIA gamers can download a free copy of Portal: First Slice, a special version of the game we all know and love, for free direct from Valve.

To get the game you just need to hop onto the Steam site and run a bit of auto-detection software. If it finds NVIDIA hardware it will give you the game free of charge. The link to the freebie will also be included in all NVIDIA drivers moving forward.

"More Steam gamers, including myself, play on NVIDIA hardware than any other GPU," said Doug Lombardi, vice president of marketing at Valve. "That's a testament to the company's long history of innovation and quality. By working together with NVIDIA to expand our development, distribution, and marketing efforts, we're increasing our ability to serve the millions of NVIDIA customers logging onto Steam and help us prepare for our next generation of content."

The First Slice version of portal is just a taste, Lombardi said, the first third or so of the full game.

NVIDIA Steam [Steam Games]

Valve and NVIDIA Offer Portal: First Slice Free to GeForce Users

Leading Developer and Graphics Company Offer Award-Winning Game Via Steam

January 9, 2008 - The most recent Steam® Hardware Survey (http://www.steampowered.com/status/survey.html) shows more Steam gamers play on NVIDIA GeForce hardware than any other graphics platform. In an effort to further support this popular PC gaming configuration - Steam games plus NVIDIA hardware - Valve and NVIDIA have entered into an agreement to collaborate on development, distribution, events, and more.

Effective immediately, all NVIDIA gamers may receive a free copy of PortalTM: First Slice, a special version of the award-winning new game from Valve, by visiting www.steamgames.com/nvidia1 and "Taking the test." Steam will then auto-detect the presence of NVIDIA hardware and make Portal: First Slice available immediately, free of charge. To make it easy for all NVIDIA customers to redeem this offer, a link to the Steam offer will also be included in all NVIDIA drivers.

"More Steam gamers, including myself, play on NVIDIA hardware than any other GPU," said Doug Lombardi, vice president of marketing at Valve. "That's a testament to the company's long history of innovation and quality. By working together with NVIDIA to expand our development, distribution, and marketing efforts, we're increasing our ability to serve the millions of NVIDIA customers logging onto Steam and help us prepare for our next generation of content."

Throughout the coming year, the companies will also be working together to support competitive gaming events for Counter-Strike® and Team Fortress® 2 and will continue to work together to define and support the breakthrough features of tomorrow's games and graphics hardware.

"Valve's endorsement of our technology and tools is yet another example of how the world's leading gaming companies are working with NVIDIA," said Roy Taylor, vice president of content relations at NVIDIA. "Portal is the hottest new, award-winning title from Valve, and we're delighted that Valve will offer First Slice exclusively to GeForce customers."

Portal: First Slice is now available to all NVIDIA customers. For more information about the offer or to take the test, please visit www.steamgames.com/nvidia1

For more information about NVIDIA, please visit www.nvidia.com.

"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

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.

Hardocp have gotten their hands on specs and pictures of NVIDIA's not-yet-released GeForce 9800 GX2. The new card will launch in late February or early march and replace the 8800 Ultra single GPU card. The card is supposed to be 30 percent faster than the 8800 Ultra, has a 65nm GPU and will support Quad SLI, yes Quad.

Other technical tidbits from Hardocp:

1GB Frame Buffer
Two PCBs
Two 65nm GPUs Total
256 Stream Processors Total

The memory isn't exactly clear, but Hardocp is wishing it would be two 766MB framer buffers per a GPU, but guessing it's something closer to 512MB. All I know is that my graphics card is now officially out-dated. Boo!

GeForce 9800 GX2 Exclusive Pics & Specs [Hardocp]

The Setup [via gemaga and digg]

The 34 members of the Open Handset Alliance will be helping to develop this important software—one of whom is NVIDIA, the same company who makes up the yin of ATI's yang in providing 3D bliss to gamers on different platforms around the world. This partnership by no means implies that the Google Phone will be a gaming machine ala N-Gage, but that Google is taking the right early steps to support the potential of some pretty gaming on their newest endeavor. So now you know.

GPhone is Official - A Software Platform For Cellphones [gizmodo]

Crysis Demo [nZone]

In Unreal Tournament 3 and Gears of War for PC, there is a significant gain in having 512MB of video memory rather than 256MB. So, first and foremost, get at least a 512MB card if you can afford it. If you haven't maxed out your budget, then go for the maximum single-card performance that doesn't require extreme cooling, e.g. buy an entry-level GeForce 8800 over a GeForce 8600.

Remember, while the rule applies to these two games specifically, Sweeney knows what's in store for gamers as the engine is exploited more and more. So pony up, lay down the cash and buy that 512MB card during your next PC upgrade round.

And when Dell recommends the upgrade, you can be like, "Who the @*&$ do you think you are, Tim Sweeney? And yes...I would like the upgrade."

Oh, and for what it's worth, I've heard about games during the past year where they were testing 2GB videocards for future compatibility. Trust me, once these devs get the memory, they ain't handing it back.

Tim Sweeney says memory is all you need [via gamingtoday]

It's important to not forget the PC side of the business to innovation. The PC provides the revenue stream every year for the team. If it was only a console business, we [AMD and NVIDIA] would not be here...

[With consoles] every few years you can reach out and do an interesting thing, but if you didn't have development every six months on the PC, you couldn't sustain your team.

The panel actually had a lot of interesting points for hardware geeks. Hit the link to give it a read. And if you're really a hardware geek, maybe you can name this video card.

IBM, AMD, Nvidia, Intel Talk The Future Of Processors [gamasutra]

"Windows Vista, which benefits greatly from additional 3D performance, is gaining market share and mainstream applications such as Microsoft Maps, Google Picasso and iTunes are also starting to take advantage of 3D graphics. By making a small investment in graphics performance, customers buying Vista PCs can go from an underwhelming experience to one that delivers exceptional performance and features."

NVIDIA GEFORCE 7200 GS RESETS THE PERFORMANCE BAR FOR ENTRY-LEVEL PC GRAPHICS

May 8th, 2007
News Facts:
Today NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA) introduced the NVIDIA GeForce 7200 GS graphics processing unit (GPU), a new, faster, entry-level GPU.
GeForce 7200 GS is designed to offer a low-cost upgrade from integrated graphics solutions and is built for Microsoft Windows Vista —the industry's first operating system to require a dedicated GPU to realize its full potential1
Graphics cards equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce 7200 GS GPU are available today from e-tailers and retailers worldwide at aggressive prices under $50 and are being offered in PCs from leading OEMs and system builders.
The NVIDIA GeForce 7200 GS performs up to 50% faster2 than the latest integrated graphics solutions in common 3D benchmark tests.
GeForce 7200 GS GPUs provide full support for Microsoft DirectX 9.0, Shader Model 3.0 for more realism in 3D games and applications, high dynamic-range (HDR) lighting support for advanced 3D realism, and NVIDIA PureVideo technology, which delivers smooth, home-theater quality video, superb picture clarity and vivid colors on any display.
The world's leading add-in card partners are offering graphics cards based on the new NVIDIA GeForce 7200 GS GPUs, including Albatron, ASUSTek Computer Inc., Biostar, ECS, EVGA Corporation, Foxconn, Galaxy, Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd., Innovision, Leadtek Research Inc., MSI Computer Corporation, Palit Microsystems, Inc., Point of View, PNY Technology, SPARKLE Computer Co., Ltd., XFX, Zogis, and Zotac.

###

The graphics industry evolves extremely quickly and it is quite an achievement when you can leapfrog your own performance milestones in succession like we have done with these GeForce 8 Series GPUs.

But seriously, $1000 for a video card? My entire PC cost $1000 and I can run Vanguard with all settings maxxed as silky smooth as Vanguard can get at 1920x1080. I cannot imagine anything much faster than that. Don't get me wrong...I want one, but I am pretty sure I don't need one right now. Hit the jump for some facts and figures. Michael Fahey

New NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra Enables World's Fastest Gaming Platform

May 2, 2007

News Facts:

* Today NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA) introduced the world's fastest graphics processing unit (GPU), the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra.
* The NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra performs an average of between 10 and 15% faster[i] than the GeForce 8800 GTX GPU, previously considered the fastest GPU on the planet,[ii] across a wide range of top games and applications.
* NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI-based motherboards for Intel processors provide the fastest and most feature-rich platform for the GeForce 8800 Ultra. NVIDIA refers to these systems as the "definitive gaming platform".
* Consumers will be able to experience high-resolution, visually rich gaming and high-definition video playback with support for Blu-ray and HD DVD content.
* Definitive gaming platforms built with any nForce 600 Series motherboard are forward compatible with the new Intel processors with support for 1333FSB technology.

Product Facts:

* Graphics cards equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra GPU and 768MB of video memory will be available at e-tailers and retailers worldwide by May 15th. NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra graphics card launch partners include Asus, BFG, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision, Leadtek, MSI, PNY, Point of View, Sparkle and XFX.
* Prices around 699 inc. tax
* GeForce 8 Series GPUs are the first shipping DirectX 10 GPUs and are the reference GPUs for Microsoft DirectX 10 API development.
* GeForce 8800 GPUs are the developer's platform of choice for this year's top DirectX 10 titles, including Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, Crysis, Age of Conan, Hellgate: London, Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, World in Conflict, BioShock, PT Boats, and Cryostasis.
* Developers creating next-generation OpenGL titles, such as Enemy Territory: Quake Wars are also using GeForce 8 Series as their development platform of choice.
* GeForce 8 Series GPUs include all required hardware functionality defined in the Microsoft Direct3D 10 specification, with full support for the DirectX 10 unified shader instruction set and Shader Model 4 capabilities.
* DirectX 10 is included with Microsoft Windows Vista and delivers unparalleled levels of graphics realism and film-quality effects for games, all rendered in real-time on a GeForce 8 Series DirectX 10-capable GPU.

###

Just in time for me to purchase an ATI X1950! Feel free to tell me in comments if I made a good purchase there, as my knowledge of video cards is second only to my knowledge of basket weaving. All I know if there is colored fog in C&C 3 where once there was none, and I am happy.

Meanwhile, the new NVIDIA cards should be showing up in stores everywhere by the beginning of next month, so you can pick one and feel bad you didn't spring for the 8800 instead. Press release in full 3D, after the jump. Michael Fahey

NVIDIA BRINGS CUTTING-EDGE DIRECTX 10 GRAPHICS AND HD VIDEO TO ALL PC USERS

Features and Performance of GeForce 8 Series Now Available at Lower Price Points

SANTA CLARA, CA—APRIL 17, 2007—NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA), the worldwide leader in programmable graphics processor technologies, today announced the extension of the award-winning NVIDIA GeForce 8 Series line-up to include three new graphics processing units (GPUs), bringing high-resolution gaming, stunning Microsoft Windows VistaTM graphics, and stellar HD DVD and Blu-ray video playback to virtually everyone regardless of budget. The new GPUs that complete the world's first top-to-bottom family of DirectX 10 GPUs include:

NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS
NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT
NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT

These three GPUs join the previously announced NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX and GeForce 8800 GTS, rounding out the product family.

"With Windows Vista being the first operating system to require a GPU to fully realise its graphics potential and with the growing list of popular software applications that take advantage of a dedicated graphics processor, GPUs are no longer a luxury required only by hardcore gamers," said Jeff Fisher, senior vice president of the GPU business unit at NVIDIA. "These new GPUs extend the reach of our award-winning GeForce 8 Series and offer cutting-edge, next-generation features to everyone from the hardcore gamer to the casual PC user."

"DirectX 10 means higher performance and better looking PC graphics," said Chris Donahue, group manager, games for Windows at Microsoft. "We are thrilled to see that NVIDIA has taken the first step to help application developers and end users adopt the newest 3D graphics API, by making DirectX 10-compliant GPUs available from top-to-bottom for every type of desktop PC user."

All three new cards feature PureVideo HD technology which leverages the revolutionary second-generation video-processing engine in the GeForce 8500 and GeForce 8600 GPUs to deliver the highest-quality playback of HD DVD and Blu-ray movies on everyday PCs. The new programmable video processing engine takes on all of the high definition H.264 HD video decoding, freeing the CPU to perform other tasks and significantly reducing power consumption, heat, and noise.

"Sony Pictures is enthusiastic about the ability to play Blu-ray movies on the PC," said Don Eklund, executive vice president, advanced technologies at Sony Pictures. "The new state-of-the-art NVIDIA GeForce 8500 and GeForce 8600 cards will enable consumers to enjoy Blu-ray movies on mainstream PCs."

With GeForce 8600 GTS and GeForce 8600 GT-based graphic cards, NVIDIA is enabling exceptional performance at price points PC gamers love. The GeForce 8600 GPUs are ideal graphics solutions for the latest NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI -based motherboards, which are designed to deliver maximum performance to gamers. The combination of the nForce 650i motherboard and the GeForce 8600 GPU forms a hardware foundation that allows consumers to build their own killer, PC-gaming platforms, enabling high-resolution and high-performance gaming, plus stellar high-definition visuals, at prices that don't break the bank.

Built for Windows Vista, GeForce 8500 GT cards are designed for both casual gamers and for non-gamers, delivering the ultimate in HD video playback along with unprecedented levels of graphics realism, gaming performance and value.

GeForce 8 Series GPUs are the only DirectX 10 GPUs currently available and are the reference GPUs for DirectX 10 API development and certification. GeForce 8 Series GPUs include all required hardware functionality defined in the Microsoft Direct3D 10 specification, with full support for the DirectX 10 unified shader instruction set and Shader Model 4 capabilities. In addition, every GeForce 8 Series GPU features the NVIDIA PureVideo HD video processor, the NVIDIA Lumenex engine for superior image quality, and the NVIDIA Quantum Effects technology for simulation and rendering of stunning visual effects in games.

Graphics cards based on GeForce 8600 GTS GPUs are available now from leading retail outlets, system builders, and OEMs. Graphics cards based on GeForce 8600 GT and GeForce 8500 GT will be available on or before May 1, 2007.

###

The bad news for Nvidia and its shareholders:

Although poor manufacturing yields on Blu-Ray diodes were the initial cause of PS3 unit constraints at retailers, we have seen evidence of weaker-than-expected consumer demand as availability has improved, likely stemming form overly high prices at retailers and a lack of compelling game titles.

I hear you, McConnell. As we stalked the streets of NYC, we all lamented how much we love our PS3s, but really want to play some games on the damn thing. Maybe a downloadable Nvidia demo girl Dawn model viewer might help to ease the pain. Maybe? Michael McWhertor

Nvidia Shares Affected by Weaker Playstation 3 Demand [Int'l Business Times]

This BIOS update eliminates a bug related to the operation of SATA hard disk drives experienced by some customers. The bug is specific to these "Designed by NVIDIA" motherboards, and is not present on any other NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI motherboard, nor is it present in our MCPs (chipsets).

If you have one of these boards you can get the BIOS from EVGA, BFG, ECS or Biostar. NVIDIA has also developed a Windows BIOS update tool that walks you through the process. Brian Crecente

Hotfix [NVIDIA]

NVidia's been acting pretty crazy lately. When AMD bought ATI, they claimed that they had considered a similar move, but didn't want to buy Intel. Now they are claiming that delaying the PS3, pricing it at $600 and making Blu-Ray mandatory is "a master stroke."

How so, asks the incredulous reader? Says Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang.

PlayStation 2 was launched seven years ago in Japan at about $399. If you use inflation, it's the same price, approximately. The important thing is you cannot announce a game console for the next ten years and not have Blu-Ray. It's an impossible scenario. I think they got that perspective right. The moment we put those consoles together it's going to be very clear. If I'm going to buy a next-generation game console, I'm going to buy a console with next-generation media. It's going to last 10 years.

The man is out of his flipping gourd. It's isn't "an impossible scenario" to release a game console without what could very well be the modern-day equivalent of a Betamax drive. Even if that were so, the next generation of consoles will not last ten years. And his inflation calculations are way off too. Florian Eckhardt

Nvidia CEO: An Extended Q&A [Dean Takahashi's Blog]

We've heard rumblings that the iPod is going to try to go head to head with Nintendo and Sony as a portable gaming platform before. For example, a couple of months ago, former Lucasarts technical director Mike Lampell headed up an Apple-endorsed group of "coders with a gaming background." And other such rumors.

More logs for the rumor fire: NVidia has allegedly won a contract to supply Apple with graphics chips for future video iPods. Not only that, but another rumor states that upcoming iPods will play old Nintendo games.

I'm more than a little skeptical. The iPod is a great little mp3 player, but the simplicity of the click wheel design doesn't lend itself to gaming in the slightest. Even Pong is a chore on it. So Apple would need to add a D-Pad or a touch-screen, upping the complexity factor of a device that is purposely streamlined to the maximum intent. And given how completely uninterested Apple is in encouraging Mac gaming, we're skeptical they really care enough to make a full pass at competing with the likes of the DS or PSP. Florian Eckhardt

Future iPods to morph into games consoles? [Reghardware.co.uk] (Thanks, Shaun!)

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]

For this reason, the next big revolution in gaming is definitely going to be physics processors. We all know it. So we're excited that NVidia and Havok are set to demonstrate the first GPU-powered physics solution at GDC. The solution will offload physics processing from the CPU to the GPU, allowing developers to program more realistic physics — effects like smoke, liquid, friction, debris and gravity — without slowing games down to a crawl.

Excellent news. Developers — please start designing the Katamari Breastacy game we suggested above post haste.

NVIDIA and Havok Demonstrate World's First GPU-Powered Game Physics Solution at Game Developer's Conference [Yahoo]

Our ornery shopaholic and consumer watchdog, The Consumerist did a piece looking into whether or not NVIDIA employed people to make accounts on various forums and promote NVIDIA products after building rep at said forums. The Consumerist contacted NVIDIA and were met with silence. Keep your eyes on this one, it's getting hot.

Did NVIDIA Hire Online Actors to Promote Their Products? [The Consumerist]

Epic Veep Mark Rein has emailed to tell me that much of what a Kotaku reader sent me about the NVIDIA announcement at the Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival is inaccurate. I've decided to remove the story until I can get to the bottom of the problems and will update this item with a correction once everything's figured out.

Thanks for your patience.
Brian

Update: It looks like I'm not the only one who received the error-riddled email. Here's the run down. Rein insists that Rockstar has not licensed the Unreal 3 Engine for any future title and that no such announcement was made.

Rein goes on to say that the publisher of Bet on Soldier said that their title was going to support the Ageia PhysX physics card and that Epic Games also indicated that Unreal Tournament 2007 would support the card.

Finally, Rein said that while UT2007 and Gears of War would be using Ageia's PhysX software library.

Thanks so much to Rein for setting me straight, I'm sure he has much better things to be doing with his time than making sure Kotaku is accurate. And a big sorry to all the readers out there for the confusion.