Watch handsome, chiseled men duke it out RTS-style

For those fortunate enough to have or be able to afford a touch display and a copy of Windows 7, Ubisoft RTS R.U.S.E. will bring new meaning to the term "armchair general" thanks to a pretty special feature: multitouch. Hopefully the capabilities perform better than on the recent Japanese TV showcase.

“Making images interactive is at the core of the video game industry, and over the last few years we have been striving to make this interactivity as intuitive and direct as possible," said John Parkes, EMEA marketing director. "Today, thanks to Windows 7 and its full multitouch support, the barrier between the player and the image has been removed: they become one."

With that in mind, check out the new trailer below showing off the new capabilities, featuring a couple of rather well-proportioned creatures for the lady/male-fancying gamers out there -- a good representation of the average RTS player, to be sure.

R.U.S.E. is set to launch Q1 2010.

Upgraded with AMD Athlon X2 dual core processor and 20-inch widescreen

MSI upgraded its all-in-one desktop lineup with today's launch of the Wind Top AE2010, an upgraded version of the AE1900 based on the Intel Atom 330 processor. The new AE2010 features an AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core 3250e processor clocked at 1.5GHz and a 20-inch touch screen monitor. Based on the AMD RS780G and SB710 chipset, the system also boasts improved graphics performance through the onboard ATI Radeon HD 3200 core with 128MB DDR3 Side Port memory. Along with the larger screen and more powerful graphics, MSI has boosted the memory to 4GB, up from 1GB in the previous model.

The MSI Wind Top AE2010 features touch-enabled applications, wireless connectivity, built-in webcam and microphone, 320 GB hard drive, 6 USB ports, and a 4-1 card reader. That all adds up to a pretty potent combination for an all-in-one system and should enable users to do more than just browse the Internet.

The AE2010 is going to be offered at a starting price of $649.99 with availability yet to be announced.

Halo 3 on a 175 foot display

Just in case you weren't aware, the Dallas Cowboys are getting a brand new stadium soon, which is actually in Arlington. Finished on May 29th, it officially opened on June 6th.

The stadium has a retractable roof and cost $1.15 billion, 500 million more than originally estimated. The most interesting part though is the gigantic 160 x 72 foot display -- that's 11, 520 square feet of 1080p high definition greatness. It's also, for now at least, the world's largest HDTV.

Now, of course, who could resist a quick gaming session on such a thing? That's exactly what Steve Fatone, Jonas Brothers' director, set off to do. They hooked up an Xbox 360 and fired up Gears of War 2 and Halo 3 -- check out the video of the latter in action below.

Wouldn't it be awesome to rent this place for a weekend?

Alive, well, and set to improve

Jon Peddie Research seem to be a pretty reliable group of cats, contrary to what some say of the PCGA, so we'll take their word when they say PC gaming is alive, well, and has only to get better in the next few years (and hopefully far beyond that).

Flaunting a bit, likely, they first note the PC gaming sector had more money -- $2 billion more -- put into it this year than console gaming, including accessories, HDTVs and the consoles themselves, versus computer hardware, monitors, etc.

Hardware spending is also expected to grow as of 2011, where JPR estimates it will reach heights of $28.91bn, and $30.67bn the next year.

Share the Internet with the rest of your entertainment center come 2010

The next step in the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) world, 1.4, is set to offer Internet connectivity. Specifically, upcoming HDMI devices supporting the new paramters will provide you with the ability to share your set-top box's Internet connection with other devices in your entertainment center (i.e. TV, DVD player, cable boxes and receivers, etc).

HDMI Licensing's president and CEO Steve Venuti says this will make for easier access to Web video, e-mail and news. The new tech could debut with small distribution before the holidays, with mainstream availability coming early 2010 -- start making room for new cables.

ITReviewed has the specs, and reveals the new specification will be available for download next month.

Let's all go 3D

Slowly but surely, 3D display technologies are creeping into the hardware stores.

LG became the latest company to release an entry into the realm of three dimensional displays with the introduction of a new product this morning, in South Korea. The monitor is a 23"  HD 3D LCD with very high brightness (they claim it is twice as bright as other 3D displays on the market.) The 3D effect requires the user to use some low-priced polarized glasses.

With NVIDIA's 3D glasses and a few other companies now manufacturing 3D monitors, it remains too early to be seen whether 3D displays are set to replace conventional 2D displays, whether they will become a strong niche market, or whether they will never seriously dent into 2D display sales at all.

It also seems that Hollywood is increasingly looking to go 3D for film, so perhaps 3D television displays will eventually come out as well. 

Ban of broken hardware exports goes public

Quick though we may be to jump on cases of corporate misconduct, those involving doing good on consumers and the environment deserve equal praise, too. Though Dell does appear to have accepted bribes from Intel, they are willing to rectify environmental hazards if they can help it, we learn today.

As it were, the computer corporation has been exporting broken computers, monitors, and hardware to developing countries in response to opposition due to insufficient enforcement of environmental and worker-safety regulations in the regions, resulting in an "often hazardous electronic-waste recycling industry." Turns out many of the people aren't so grateful for the gear and would rather smash and/or burn it instead of putting it to use; the behaviour exposes citizens to mercury, lead and other toxic chemicals.

The revised policy is not necessarily a huge deal in itself, but the fact they're making this news public could go a long way in the bigger picture, say environmental organizations, since US regulations are non-existent and Dell is the world's number two computer manufacturer. According to reports, they're doing a very thorough job, too, auditing each one of its 25 recycling partners and tracking the electronics from the point of collection to their final destinations.

Dell's senior manager for environmental sustainability Mark Newton says they've seen the light, so to speak:

"We have suppliers lining up to work with us. There are plenty of reputable suppliers. It's just a matter of time before companies operating on the margins lose the business of companies that are serious about doing this the right way."

There are exceptions to the new rules, but they seem entirely reasonable. Assuming Dell is true to its word and isn't just greenwashing, we applaud them wholeheartedly.

Our technological world 10 years from now

Microsoft is getting passionate. Their Office Labs division -- the one that "tests ideas by building prototypes and gathering usage data" -- has created an inspiring video which imagines our world and its relationship with technology ten years from now, in keeping with its "envisioning" series which offered some of the same concepts. Times like this it's good to be a nerd.

The video was presented last week at the Wharton Business Technology Conference by Microsoft’s Business Division president Stephen Elop; check it out:

Notice the lack of Windows logos, a step away from the corporation's "Windows Everywhere" campaign we saw not many years ago.

Circuit City subsidiary to see amalgamation

Folks may recall January's news of U.S. electronics retailer Circuit City shutting down, with us left wondering what would happen to its Canadian subsidiary The Source.

The news in this week tells us wireless, digital TV, internet and home phone provider Bell will be capitalizing on the losses, buying the chain out and "enhancing [its] growth"; it will continue to operate as an electronics shop on top of carrying all of Bell's services.

The deal is expected to be finalized by Q3 of this year; no price has been disclosed as of yet.

"(The) acquisition supports Bell's strategic imperatives to accelerate wireless and leverage momentum in services like Bell TV, Bell Internet and Bell Home Phone," said George Cope, president and CEO of Bell and BCE.

Bell shares closed down 2.54 per cent Monday at $24.20.

The Source previously ran under the monkier of Radio Shack until it was bought by Circuit City in 2005.

"[We have] learned many lessons"

Amidst all the rivalry battles between Sony, Microsoft, and less often, Nintendo, it appears the changing economy has the corporation's Howard Stringer conceding somewhat, as well as explaining how they will adapt:

"There is nothing we can do about the changes," he said at a recent conference Q&A session. "Sony's future success depends on how its executive members will control the reforms. The number of software engineers will increase at Sony. We might possibly have software engineers do what hardware engineers are doing now. Sony is increasingly aware of the value of software engineers.

We will survive and succeed by combining the two elements (hardware and software). To meet that goal, it is important for the two elements to communicate well with each other.

Sony is founded on hardware engineers. This won't change, and their skills will advance even more, I suppose. Advanced engineering is Sony's value. The relationship between hardware engineers and software engineers must become closer. So far, they have been compartmentalized.

Sony has learned many lessons. We deal with not only hardware, but also software and games. If we can fuse them together, it will be an amazing advantage for us. If we can unify all the elements, we will have no rivals. We have all the necessary elements in house. It's only a matter of how we will stimulate people to fuse them together."

Who would've thought Sony would adopt Feng Shui (or Vaastu Shastra if you prefer) in their corporate business? Executives tend to talk a lot of jive, but perhaps if Stringer is being truthful, Sony can shed one of its big stigmas: a corporation primarily only good for its hardware. Doesn't look too hopeful though: they've been on this 'Sony United' corporate strategy kick since 2005.

Good to see

ATI released a hotfix, Catalyst 8.12 driver today.

Besides the usual performance tweaks, most notably, this new driver officially supports the Sapphire HD 4850 X2. We reviewed the Sapphire HD 4850 X2 last week, you can read that review here if you like. Some hardware reviewers complained that the latest Catalyst driver did not support the HD 4850 X2, even though the card has been out for about three months now. Instead, users had to download the HD 4850 X2 driver directly from Sapphire, or use the driver on the driver CD.

Supposedly this driver offers a 25% performance increase in Crysis, and a 10% performance increase to World In Conflict. We have not tested these claims at this point.

The driver is only available for the Windows Vista operating system, however.

Jumping Jellyfish not included...

Stand by for some 3D Fragging...

Viewsonic has announced the 22" VX2265wm LCD monitor:

• 1680x1050
• 120Hz (needed for flicker-free alternate image 3D)
• 2ms
• $399

And they also announced the PJ6220 DLP projector:

• 1024x768
• 120Hz
• 2000:1 contrast ratio
• $1499

It is interesting how the specifications and the price of the LCD monitor match that of the Samsung 2233RZ, which was apparently announced yesterday :-)

New PCs packed with 'hand-held motion-based remote controller'

Company cites "sudden and rapid changes in the global economic environment"

Sony has announced, due to "sudden and rapid changes in the global economic environment", it will be laying off nearly 10 percent of its workforce in its electronics business, or 16,000 people; 8,000 of the workers are full-time, with another 8,000 being seasonal or part-time.

The announcement, one part of the corporation's adjustment plan, comes mere days after Microsoft's Black Friday victory with the Xbox 360, which outsold Sony's PlayStation 3 three-to-one.

"The number sounds big, but this staff reduction won't be enough," said Katsuhiko Mori, a fund manager at Daiwa SB Investments.

"Sony doesn't have any core businesses that generate stable profits - the next thing we want to see is what is going to be the business that will drive the company."

The first part of the plan -- the entirety of which will kick in at the end of the fiscal year (FY), March 31, 2010 -- involves adjusting their investments, meaning a 30% reduction of investment in the electronics business. The second part means reducing the amount of manufacturing sites by 10%, shutting down two facilities which make tape and other recordable media, and "shifting and aggregating manufacturing to low-cost areas". Third is the aforementioned lay-offs.

Sony's aim with these changes is to save more than 100 billion yen ($1.1bn; £730m) by the end of the FY, to weather the storm, so to speak. The corporation will outline the results including expenses in its updated financial forecast for the current FY in its Q3 earnings announcement, to come next month.

Sony's CEO Howard Stringer says the measures are the result of a "much" larger than anticipated economic downturn, with Senior Vice President Naofumi Hara echoing his sentiments. This is the second time Stringer has announced job cuts -- when the company posted its first annual loss in more than 10 years back in 2005, 10,000 employees were laid off.

Despite the entity announcing in October a net income drop of 59 percent by the end of the FY, Hara says they have no problem with cash flow and will review and revise profit targets as needed.

Sony isn't the only one feeling the burn -- Panasonic, the world's biggest electronics retailer, announced a 90 percent profit outlook reduction just weeks ago; AT&T Inc. and DuPont Co announced 15,000 lay-offs, as well. The number of people on jobless benefit rolls in the U.S., one of the biggest profit areas for Asian exporters including Sony and Panasonic, rose to a 26-year high for the week ending Nov. 22.

As reported earlier, in the face of the economy's state, people are shifting to software and sticking with what hardware they have; judging by Sony and Pansonic's news, it strongly appears the same can be said for other electronics as well.

Hi-Tech display goodies

Take a peek at this sexy bendable, supposedly unbreakable display.

Arizona State University, in partnership with HP, has developed a prototype flexible display that is apparently very strong - and environment friendly.

Even better, its supposed to be very low power and easy to manufacture - apparently they basically print the displays on plastic - and as such, it should also be cheap.

Previously $999

3D monitors will be all over the place some day, it seems like it just a matter of when.

To boost holiday sales, one 3D monitor-maker is significantly cutting prices. Previously a thousand bucks, iZ3D LLC is now selling for as low as $320 USD on Amazon at the moment -- that's a flat panel display, TFT 22" widescreen 1680 x 1050, 700:1 5ms 2D/3D monitor: a very reasonable price it seems, if it works as well as advertised.

This monitor does require a pair of glasses for the 3D effects, that are included in the package.

Here is the company's website, if you'd like more info, and here are the list of games supported.

Last 3D product I check out I wasn't too thrilled with; but this one I've yet to try.

Statistics flip off piracy claims

I don't know about you, but sometimes all this talk about PC gaming gets me down. There's the developers who say piracy is killing their sales and PC gaming in general, and/or they're not doing PC exclusives or even ports anymore. It's not 100% unfounded, as piracy rates can be huge sometimes, but there are several things inaccurate with this theory, not the least of them being pirating doesn't necessarily mean a given person isn't also buying the game. But that's a whole thing in itself, and if you're keen on it, you can read more here.

My point is with all this is sometimes it's easy to wonder why anything gets ported and/or made exclusively for the PC. Well, some new statistics from Jon Peddie Research (JPR), "the industry's research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia," take that perception and turn it on its head -- they're downright uplifting. To start off:

• The Enthusiast segment has a worldwide compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9%
• The Performance segment will have a CAGR of 19%
• The Mainstream segment CAGR is 21%
Gaming PCs touch all segments of the market, with the most expensive at the high-end, known as the Enthusiast segment where the utilization for gaming is highest, down to the mainstream where the purchase motivation for gaming is about 6 percent.

Indeed, it's not all good news, but it's certainly in a helluva lot better shape than I'd been led to believe. The report goes on to say the total value for PC gaming hardware this year has been just over $20 billion (!!!), and will grow to over $34bn by 2012. These systems, they say, pull in an additional $6bn in software and services sales.

And of course, this all has a relationship with the economic recession and console gaming. It seems the "assumed growth" of console gaming may be negatively affected, and all because of HDTVs. "The cost of an HDTV for the console is a serious investment," the report reads, "Particularly when a console is limited in what it can do, unlike a personal computer." I can attest myself to this, as I've recently said "Phwew, glad I'm saving money by not buying an HDTV/console." Sure it'd all be very nice, but console gaming is more expensive than it's ever been.

Now, it's not all rainbows and sunshine -- naturally different countries have different habits when it comes to PC gaming, and the research company advises hardware suppliers, having studied thirty-seven countries in seven regions: "Don't get caught sending the wrong stuff to the wrong place." This is the report with the "highest granularity" on PC gaming hardware ever, so it's not to be taken lightly.

In terms of gaming PCs, notebooks showed strong gains. The "DIY and aftermarket" sector, meanwhile, was found to be "robust", with lots of folk who upgrade their systems with high-performance gaming graphics boards.

"Don't let the retail numbers fool you," said Ted Pollak, co-author of the report series. "Enthusiast PC gamers often latch onto one or two games that offer multiplayer options and stick to these titles for years. Hardware is where they spend the big bucks. The retail numbers don't capture the casual and digitally distributed games either. Retail software figures are not an accurate barometer for the health of the PC gaming industry."

Perhaps then developers should make less games for the PC, and focus more on quality (and less on DRM)? Myself, I like to play quite a few PC games, but I could certainly see his theory being accurate (see: Diablo, StarCraft, Unreal, etc) for the general population.

"The PC Gaming Hardware industry is a worldwide growth phenomenon and there are striking changes to the environment on the horizon," said Dr. Jon Peddie, president of Jon Peddie research. "Don't get caught surprised - our PC gaming hardware reports will provide virtual binoculars for companies involved in the space so that they are prepared for the approaching shifts. Now, more than ever, suppliers can't afford to make any missteps in their marketing and sales strategies."

Update: GamePolitics notes by way of caution, "this data comes from a press release issued by JPR as a means of attracting companies to purchase their reports."

Sneak peek at CEATEC Japan 2008

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2007, Sony's OLED screens blew us all away.  Now, they've done it again by simply outdoing themselves.

At this year's Combined Exhibition of Technologies in Japan, Sony unveiled their latest project: an OLED of miniscule proportions.  Just as flexible as its predecessor, this 11-inch display seen at CEATEC 2008 is a mind-boggling .3 mm in width.  You read right -- it's thinner than that lunch meat in your sandwich.

This wonder of Sony ingenuity isn't hitting retail shelves any time soon, but it's definitely an exciting implication of things to come, as well as a reminder of why we love technology.

Worthy of the perennial treatment?

The Polar Express has long held the title of the biggest selling film in IMAX theaters, but, at least for now, The Dark Knight has taken the title.

Thus far, the film has made over $925m worldwide, which includes $55m in revenues from IMAX screenings (nearly 17%). IMAX said it took in about $400,000 per screen on the 139 it has worldwide. Comparatively, The Polar Express, released in 2004, has raked in $45m with its IMAX sales.

"The Dark Knight has shown the power of the Imax experience when partnered with a filmmaker and a studio that get it," IMAX Filmed Entertainment chief Greg Foster said.

This begs the question: should The Dark Knight also get the perennial treatment? Having seen it twice (once in IMAX), and with plans to see it again during its initial run, I, for one, think it certainly deserves it, and would be successful. Especially in IMAX, it's just something I don't see myself getting tired of, and I imagine many others feeling the same.

Foster is up for the idea, too, saying, "That sounds like a really great idea. Ultimately, it's a decision that Warner Bros. has to make. We'd certainly support that."

Well, Warner has commented on it already, its distribution president Dan Fellman having said there was "a real possibility" of such a thing. IMAX is currently converting many of its venues to a digital format, which would make the re-release more feasible, though the man stressed nothing has been decided.

So? Shall we have another go, then?

One short little victory?

The Samsung Group, owners of Samsung Electronics, is the world's second largest conglomerate by revenue, and as such, a voice paid quite a bit of attention to. So, when Andy Griffiths, director of consumer electronics at Samsung UK says Blu-ray will be replaced in five years, you don't exactly brush it off:

"I think it [Blu-ray] has 5 years left, I certainly wouldn't give it 10", [he] told Pocket-lint in an interview.

Hoping to capitalise before it's too late, Griffiths believes that 2008 is the format's year.

"It's going to be huge. We are heavily back-ordered at the moment."

Griffths went on to talk about OLED overtaking LCD technology, and the future of how we take in our home media in general. He says in 2012 we will be "in a true HD world":

"Everything from your television to your camcorder will be offering you pictures in high-definition, and we plan to offer you that HD world from all angles."

Bye bye VR goggles?

Electrograph is set to premiere the USA's "firsty residential 3D gaming system" with this new-fangled LCD display: the Philips 3D WOWvx. Standing tall and wide at 42'' (or short and not so wide at 20''), they'll unveil it during the Cedia Expo, which takes place September 4-7 in Denver.

Bla de bla de bla. How the heck does it work? Well, the "multiview lenticular technology" is used in combination with integrated display signal processing, which provides "full control over the quality and depth effect characteristics of the picture." So they say, it's far superior to other VR devices.

“There is nothing more addicting to kids, teens and even adults than modern video games," said Jeff Jerome, director of product management for Electrograph Systems, Inc. (I think he may have forgotten about drugs). "In fact, many underutilized home theaters are now serving as supersized game rooms. So imagine the appeal of true 3D gaming – without the glasses – that the whole family can play. This introduction opens up a whole new category for CEDIA installers, who can now offer their existing residential customers the latest technology trend. The system produces such stunning 3D effects that most players actually forget it’s a game."

It's also said the gaming experience is "far less confining" and can accommodate multiple players in a wide range of viewing angles while giving real “out-of-screen” 3D effects.  Displays are based on a full high-definition 1920x1080 LCD panel resolution and offer 1500:1 contrast as well as true-color representation.

The next big thing, or another doomed to fail technology advent? Your homework for today: discuss!

There's mom and Mexico floating in front of me in 2.5D

A company called Obscura Digital put on a digital light show the other day, in a exposition of the current state of motion-sensing, hyper-visual computing. In the headline for this story, Obscura Digital is called a media company, because, well, it is hard to explain exactly what they do only using a few words. They are a company that uses new technologies for the purposes of advertising and communication, in a nut-shell.

Holographic displays. Everyone knows they are coming. It's anyone guess as to when 2D will go the way of the typewriter, but rest assured, eventually all computer displays are going to have a bit more depth to them. For now though, our holographic projectors just aren't getting the job done for everybody. So instead, we can project images on to a clear screen, which is almost as good, but not quite. 

This show below is neat to look at, but of course, is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The next step that is bound to happen is losing the plastic remote controller for a motion sensing camera, tied to a 3D display. Shouldn't be long from now -- but when we have both these things, checking out the photos from your last trip my look something like this:

Perhaps we'll see more of the same (and perhaps better) similar such stuff this late August, at NVIDIA's NVISION visual computing party.

Also, back in May, Obscura Digital presented a sort of advanced, touch interface home video player. Check it out:

Video eyewear compatible with more games with new V2.2 drivers

A new version of the drivers supporting the iWear VR920 video eyewear glasses has been released today. Version 2.2 of the software gains additional compatibilty for the following 11 games: Halo: Combat Evolved; Lord of the Rings Online; Grand Theft Auto: San Anderas; Far Cry; Falcon 4.0; Everquest II; Final Fantasy XI; PlanetSide; Spore: Creature Creator; Quake Wars and X-Plane 9.0. Another 20 titles gain additional head tracking or 3D stereoscopic vision with this update. You can download the drivers here. 

If you are not familiar with the VR920 glasses, imagine having a pair of little LCD screens placed in front of your eyes. For further information, we reviewed the glass back in June.

Eee PC is a success, but will Eee Monitor be one too?

LaptopMag has some shots of Asus' upcoming Eee Monitor - an inexpensive all-in-one PC built right into an LCD monitor, a la iMac.

They also describe the Eee Monitor as having the following features:

• 19"-20" wide screen monitor
• webcam
• 2 USB ports on right hand side
• card reader on right hand side
• 4 USB ports on the back
• 2 Ethernet ports (but I think its one Ethernet and one Modem port)
• three audio ports
• Denon logo suggests some linkage to that audio manufacturer
• built in TV tuner
• approx. $500

TV and games suffering

As discussed earlier, expensive TVs are becoming less important to consumers. And as we know, Sony is a leading manufacturer of just such televisions. Well, the company's Chairman Howard Stringer is saying now the company's top management priority is to "restore profitability in our television and game businesses" (the television side of the business wasn't the only one to lose money this last fiscal year).

Under Stringer's stewardship, Sony's PlayStation division has lost $3.4 billion in the past two years, thanks in part at least to Nintendo's success with the Wii. Phwew, I would not want to be in Stringer's position right now.

Sony predicted at its annual shareholder meeting in Tokyo today it will sell 10 million PlayStation 3's and 9 million PlayStation 2's this year; the Wii is expected to sell 25 million units. No wonder the PS2 is still getting fairly steady support, hey?

Stringer commented to shareholders on Sony's plans for innovation:

"Three years ago, we were criticized for the lack of innovation. Three days ago, in a UK brand poll, Sony was ranked No.1 this year. But, we are not No.1 in my mind yet.''

It's been a hard road for Sony, but I'm kind of rooting for the underdog here in a way, thinking it's just a matter of time before the cost of new technology evens out with company feasibility. They seem to need more freedom, which they had with the PS2, though I'm sure they've probably made at least a few mistakes in this latest generation that could've helped make things easier. Anyway, Metal Gear 4 certainly seems to be alleviating some of the pain.