Tech News Updates

NVIDIA has certainly been more active in 3D than ATI / AMD has as of late, but it looks like the situation may be starting to change, as AMD has taken advantage of the just concluded GDC to lay out its new Open Stereo 3D Initiative. While the company isn’t yet drumming up too much fanfare about it (or even issuing a press release), it does seem to have gotten things started on an ambitious note, with the initiative promising to provide consumers with “more choice, more innovation, and lower cost.” In the nearer term, that will apparently translate to products like 3D-enabled ATI Eyefinity technology, 120Hz displays, stereo 3D notebooks, and various bundled solutions and shutter glasses. Of course, any actual product announcements are still a little ways off, but it looks like AMD does already have quite a few partners lined up. AMD lays out Open Stereo 3D Initiative at GDC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

NVIDIA has certainly been more active in 3D than ATI / AMD has as of late, but it looks like the situation may be starting to change, as AMD has taken advantage of the just concluded GDC to lay out its new Open Stereo 3D Initiative. While the company isn’t yet drumming up too much fanfare about it (or even issuing a press release), it does seem to have gotten things started on an ambitious note, with the initiative promising to provide consumers with “more choice, more innovation, and lower cost.” In the nearer term, that will apparently translate to products like 3D-enabled ATI Eyefinity technology, 120Hz displays, stereo 3D notebooks, and various bundled solutions and shutter glasses. Of course, any actual product announcements are still a little ways off, but it looks like AMD does already have quite a few partners lined up. AMD lays out Open Stereo 3D Initiative at GDC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Darkworks introduced its TriOviz for Games SDK yesterday during GDC , and while TriOviz technology has been around for years in Hollywood, it wasn’t until today that this same technology debuted for console and PC titles. Essentially, this software wrapper enables standard 2D video games to be viewed in 3D on a traditional 2D display, and we were able to sneak an exclusive look at the technology today at the company’s meeting room. We were shown a European version of Batman: Arkham Asylum on Microsoft’s Xbox 360, and we were given a set of specialized glasses (which were passive, unlike NVIDIA’s active-shutter 3D Vision specs) in order to enjoy the effect. So, how was it? In a word or two, not bad. It obviously wasn’t perfect, but you have to realize just how cheap of a solution this is for the consumer to implement. All that’s required is a set of special glasses, but given that these can be distributed in paper-frames form , you could easily find a set for a couple of bucks (at most), if not bundled in for free with future games. Users won’t need to purchase any additional hardware whatsoever, and what they’ll get is a deeper, more immersive image in return. We could very clearly see the 3D effect, and even though it was subtle, it definitely enhanced our experience. We noticed a minor bit of blurring and ghosting during just a few scenes, but when you consider that this doesn’t actually change the underlying code in existing 2D games (that’s the cue for developers to breathe a sigh of relief), we didn’t feel that these minor quirks were unreasonable. The other interesting aspect is just how clear the image remained for onlookers that didn’t have 3D glasses on; we noticed slight image doubling at specific points, but it’s not something we simply couldn’t look at without acquiring a headache. More after the break… Continue reading Darkworks shows off TriOviz for Games 2D-to-3D SDK, we get a good look Darkworks shows off TriOviz for Games 2D-to-3D SDK, we get a good look originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Well, wouldn’t you know it? 3D seems to be the topic of conversation here at GDC , and Paris-based Darkworks is making a splash by announcing the availability of its TriOviz for Games SDK. In short, this magical software concoction is a post-process effect that allows standard 2D games to be transformed into 3D masterpieces… and you don’t even need to buy a 3D television. We were briefed on the tech here at the show, and we’re told that the magic happens in the software and the glasses, and unlike existing 3D technologies, other users around the house will still be able to watch you play in 2D without all those blurred edges. In other words, existing titles (for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC; sorry Wii owners!) can have a 3D experience added in, and we’re guessing that a select few AAA games will be seeing a DLC pack in the near future for those who care to re-play their favorites in the third dimension. We’ll be doing our best to swing by and catch a demo later today, but for now, just know that your life will never be the same once these 3D-ified games start shipping in the Spring. Darkworks SDK transforms 2D games into 3D games, no 3D TV required originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Well well. We’d always suspected that the JooJoo tablet was hiding something extra to run HD video and Flash , and it’s just hit the FCC with full documentation and a teardown confirming that there’s an NVIDIA Ion GPU paired with an Atom N270 packed inside. We’re also seeing a 3G card in there, although it’s unclear whether it’ll be active or installed at launch — we’ve been told the 3G version won’t be ready until sometime later this year, but things have been changing fast , so that may be in flux as well. There’s also a picture showing it running Windows, but we’re assuming that’s just for testing purposes — we’d also bet it’d be an easy little hack. But back to Ion for a second: our experience with first-gen Ion netbooks has been one of decreased performance and drastically reduced battery life, so we’re very curious to see how the JooJoo holds up compared to modern netbooks running Intel’s Pine Trail chips and NVIDIA’s Optimus-based Ion 2. We’ll see — it’s supposed to ship in just a few weeks. Two more pics after the break. P.S.- Oh, and Fusion Garage got back to us yesterday with a list of supported local video formats, and it’s pretty decent: AVI, MPEG-4, MOV, WMV and WMA, FLV (Flash Video), VOB, OGG, OGM and OGV, MKV (Mastroska), DiVX and XViD. We’ll see how the battery holds up, though — our very own Joanna Stern predicts a best case of 3.5 hours with WiFi on and a video playback time of two hours. Continue reading JooJoo hits the FCC, reveals NVIDIA Ion, 3G card JooJoo hits the FCC, reveals NVIDIA Ion, 3G card originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Sony’s calling the PlayStation Move the “next generation” of motion gaming and planning to market it as heavily as an entirely new console, so it’s sort of a big deal — and that means our main dudes at Joystiq are all over it. We’ve already covered the main details , but hit the links below if you’re looking for some seriously deep dives. SOCOM 4 to support PlayStation Move EyePet to support PlayStation Move, hits North America holiday 2010 Move supported by 36 companies, 20 games this fiscal year The PlayStation Move games (we know of) Hands-on: SOCOM 4 (with PlayStation Move!) Hands-on: PlayStation Move’s ‘The Shoot’ Hands-on: PlayStation Move’s ‘Move Party’ Hands-on: PlayStation Move’s Sports Champions We touched it: PlayStation Move from every angle ‘Arc’ lives on in PlayStation Move’s logo Want more on the PlayStation Move? Head over to Joystiq! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Razer already provides full Mac support for a few of its gaming peripherals — including the Naga and DeathAdder — and basic support for others, but it’s now taken avantage of GDC to “reaffirm” its commitment to Mac users. That apparently means that “all upcoming” Razer products — including the company’s line of StarCraft II peripherals — will boast full Mac support out of the box, and that the company will be rolling out updates to some of its existing products “later this year,” including the Orochi , Mamba , and Imperator gaming mice. First Steam , now Razer peripherals — dare we say it’s a good time to be a Mac gamer? Razer promises Mac support for all upcoming products originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

By and large, EA Sports’ Season Opener event here at GDC was underwhelming, but one glimmer of newness did manage to shine through. Nearly a year after Active hit stores (video after the break) and encouraged Wii gamers to drop those unwanted pounds before hitting the soft sand in the summer, the company has announced that Active 2.0 (a working title) is currently in development for Wii, PS3, iPod touch and iPhone. We’re told that a “new suite of fitness products” will be launching in the fall, with the Active 2.0 program delivering “true fitness results by featuring an innovative wireless control system powered by new leg and arm straps with motion sensors, a heart rate monitor to capture intensity and a new online hub to track and share workout data.” Outside of that, details are nonexistent (like how exactly the iPod / iPhone components will factor into this equation), though we get the feeling that Xbox 360 owners may be left out of the party. Here’s hoping we’re wrong. Gallery: EA Sports Active 2.0 accessories at GDC 2010 Continue reading EA Sports introduces Active 2.0 at GDC, complete with sensors galore EA Sports introduces Active 2.0 at GDC, complete with sensors galore originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

If you’ve been looking to get in on some of that red hot game development action that Palm’s been all about lately, check it out: among the announcements at this year’s GDC , Palm has announced the release of its public beta PDK for webOS. This bad boy promises to let devs “use C and C++ alongside the web technologies that power the SDK and mix them seamlessly within a single app,” just the thing for porting game titles to the webOS platform. And it’s available now! Hit the source link to get started — and maybe someday we’ll finally get to play Mr. Jelly on our Pixi. We can dream, right? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Continue reading Palm unleashes webOS PDK beta on the public Palm unleashes webOS PDK beta on the public originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink