Tech News
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NVIDIA PhysX Technology Brightens Darkest of Days
Published: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 | By: DennisGamers Can Go Back in Time to Fight Their Way Through History’s Most Epic Battles
SANTA CLARA, CA—APRIL 28, 2009—Darkest of Days is a historically-based first-person shooter (FPS) where gamers will travel back and forth in time to experience some of history’s “darkest days” and fight through some of the most epic battles in history. To ensure the battles are as realistic as possible, developer 8monkey Labs turned to NVIDIA® PhysX® technology in order to create environments that were interactive, expressive, and as natural as possible.
“It was critical to the success of Darkest of Days that these epic moments in world history are experienced in eerily accurate detail, and NVIDIA PhysX technology helped us achieve that goal,” said Mark Doeden, Art Director at 8monkey Labs. “Our Marmoset Engine brings these battles to life with a completely unique look, and the PhysX technology was instrumental in making the game feel alive and real.”
Darkest of Days goes beyond the successful formula that has attracted gamers to titles such as Call of Duty and movies such as Saving Private Ryan by allowing them to revisit all the most visceral moments in world history, travelling “Quantum Leap” style to such eras as the U.S. Civil War, World War I, World War II, and Pompeii, and participate in historical battles that helped shape history. The game looks and plays realistically thanks to the inclusion of fully destructible yet natural environments, complete with realistic leaves and flowers, wind, ground fog, smoke, volcanic ash, snow, and more. -
ASRock X58 SuperComputer Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews
Published: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 | By: DennisFunny thing I thought ASRock folded up a long time ago, seems that I was wrong.
LegitReviews has posted a hybrid text + video review of the new SuperComputer X58 from ASRock, complete with fancy box and 4x 16x PCIe slots all evenly spaced apart. (Quad SLI anyone?)
The ASRock X58 SuperComputer was a fantastic performer, had great overclocking potential, and had a decent bundle. ASRock produced a board that rivals most of the other leading manufacturers out there. The only hold up for the board may be the price once you compare it to some of the other offerings out there.
Out there I would also suggest a gander towards the Bloodrage and soon to be released "Flaming Blade"
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Sapphire Pure CrossFireX 790GX PC-AM2RS790G @ Technic3D
Published: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 | By: DennisHere is the full sized edition to the Sapphire board we reviewed a few months back, and now with a 790G chipset!
The Sapphire Pure CrossFireX 790GX PC-AM2RS790G - AMD 790GX Mainboard arrived Technic3D. See you this in the following Review with the AMD Phenom II X4 940 CPU and the Gainward GoldenSample HD 4870 1GB Graphic Card on Windows Vista 32Bit SP1 Performance Benchmarks.
Sadly we didn't get a Gainward Golden Sample but all in due time
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NL: Review Block - ATI Launch Day HD4770
Published: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 | By: DennisAMD/ATI is sometimes a little flakey when it comes to review samples and usually is quite stingy when deciding who to send the samples to. Well not to be completely out in the cold here are a few reviews of the next slower than most card from ATI.
- ATI/Gigabyte Radeon HD4770 RV740 Preview @ Motherboards
- HIS (ATI) Radeon HD 4770 @ HEXUS
- ATI Radeon HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 Review @ Hardware Canucks
- AMD Radeon HD 4770 @ techPowerUp
- ATI Radeon HD 4770 40nm GPU @ HotHardware
- GIGABYTE HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 Graphics Card @ TweakTown
- ASUS EAH4770 HTDI/512MD5/A Radeon HD 4770 Videocard Review @ PCSTATS
- HD 4770 Launch Review @ neoseekerWe of course have been supporting the nVidia movement but hope to start spreading the wealth as well.
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NL: Review Block - Cooler Master Redux
Published: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 | By: DennisWe do love it when Cooler Master stuff comes in. Here are a few reviews that landed in our inbox.
- CPU3D Review: Coolermaster V10 Hybrid TEC CPU Cooler
- Coolermaster Hyper N520 Heatsink Review @ frostytech
- Cooler Master Storm Scout - the smaller Lanparty Case @ TweakPC
- Cooler Master Sniper CM Storm Case Review @ MotherboardsOf course we have already taken a look at the Cooler Master Storm Sniper and have the lil Scout in the lab as well
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Lian Li PC 7FW - fresh design from Lian Li @ TweakPC
Published: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 | By: DennisA fresh new design that looks a little like a Chenbro
The Lian Li PC 7FW is the new case from Lian Li. It is an eye catcher, especially with the new front. But is it only nice to see? We took a look at the Lian Li PC 7FW.
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Supermicro SuperServer 5035L-IB Review @ Virtual-Hideout
Published: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 | By: DennisWe have a variety of servers here at Ninjalane and so far none of them are "name brand", in fact all of them are home brew using retail parts and server class gear (hot swap, hardware raid, etc)
but there is just something about the added power a retail server can bring to the table that puts any home brew server to shame.
"Server" and "Desktop" are words that are used all the time, a lot of times I think that not everyone really understands what they really mean. In fact there is no standard that makes every server different from every desktop. There is nothing stopping the average user from using Supermicro’s SuperServer 5035L-IB as an everyday "Desktop" computer. It can do all the web surfing, email, word documents and spread sheets you could throw at it. When looking at the 5035 as a server, at least for a small/home business system, it makes even more sense. Dual networking makes using it as a router/firewall a breeze. Also having a web server connected to a database with no other online access is a very common security "Best practice". Most small businesses and home offices will also not have a dedicated sever room, so noise levels end up being a much bigger deal, in this aspect it really excels."
Sadly this doesn't appear to be one of them but it does save you from having to gather up parts.
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DFI expects casino machines to be largest source of 2009 revenues
Published: Monday, April 27, 2009 | By: DennisGambling anyone? Direct from Digitimes
Taiwan-based industrial PC maker DFI saw 35% of revenues coming from casino gaming machines in 2008 and expects the product line to account for 38% of its 2009 revenues, followed by POS (point of sale) devices with 25%, application computing platforms with 20%, and ATMs and high-end motherboards each with 8%, according to the company.
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OCZ Blade DDR3 6GB 2000MHz CL7 Memory Review @ Legit Reviews
Published: Friday, April 24, 2009 | By: WillLooking around at some of the super pricey RAM kits out there reminds us to look at the lower priced GSkill setup we just reviewed here.
"When it comes to pricing the OCZ Blade DDR3-2000 7-8-7-20 6GB Triple Channel memory kit will set you back a cool $415 shipped, which is a high price to pay in this day and time. The OCZ Blade DDR3-2000 9-9-9-30 6GB Triple Channel memory kit retails for just $134.99 shipped after a $20 rebate. Is paying an extra $280.01 for CL7 versus CL9 timings worth it? To many it may not be, but to those looking to build the fastest system and have the money to spend then it sure is..."
Holy smokes $415!
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NL: Gaming Review Roundups
Published: Friday, April 24, 2009 | By: WillHere we are once again hitting on the PC game door. Let's see what is up on the plate today.
Runes Of Magic (PC) Review @ Gamingheaven
"Runes Of Magic is a new game from Taiwanese developer Runewalker Entertainment. As a free to play MMO we were immediately concerned that it would be rubbish, but during testing we found many positive qualities."
The Godfather Part II - PC Review @ Gamepyre
"Now, if you are not a big fan of the Mafia, you may find The Godfather II quite a bit redundant. The point of the game is to take over businesses from rival families in order to weaken them to the point of extermination. There's a lot of back and forth battles over turf and after your 4th or 5th visit at the same business location might be a bit boring, since I really enjoy mobster movies and even documentaries, I don't find this back and forth aspect of the game annoying. Also, keep in mind that this game is rated M (mature 17+) for Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Themes and Strong Language so if you find the things on the rating list offensive, you may want to stay away from this title because there is a plethora of all the above things. Also, if you're getting this game just because you saw the multiplayer capabilities, let me tell you now that the multiplayer games are rather boring. This game really is about the single player storyline and about controlling organized crime."
Battleforge (PC) Review @ Gamingheaven"Battleforge is an ambitious title from Electronic Arts which combines the competitive and social nature of online multiplayer games with the addictive and compelling nature of collectible card games to combine them into a meticulously presented strategy experience. Is this unusual hybrid any fun to play however?"
