Freshly Picked Risen Screens
The team behind the Gothic series have picked a winning batch of screenshots to represent their upcoming PC and Xbox 360 role-playing game, Risen.
Piranha Byte’s Risen was revealed last August before the Leipzig Games Festival in German, and since then…well, we hadn’t heard much. So far we know that the game takes place on a volcanic island filled with mysterious ruins and bizarre creatures, with the player character shipwrecked and forbidden to leave.
I suppose we know a bit more now that we’ve seen these screens. For instance, judging by the top picture, it looks like Piranha Byte’s signature humor is intact, and a series of same shot, different time of day screens tell us that there will indeed be a day and night cycle. And trees. And a little blacksmithing.
Check out the full gallery below to get a better feel for Risen, rising on the 360 and PC sometime later this year.
And The Top 20 PC Games For February Were…
…these ones. Least, these were the top 20 games as recorded by the NPD Group. Which explains why you may see some familiar faces alongside the likes of Dawn of War II.
See, Dawn of War II came out towards the end of the month. Which is why it could only place third on the list of February’s top sellers, behind usual suspects World of Warcraft and The Sims 2. Also doesn’t help that NPD’s charts don’t include the sale of games over services such as Steam and Direct2Drive.
Next month should be a different story, though, especially with Empire: Total War around to liven things up.
1. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
2. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
3. Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II
4. World Of Warcraft: Battle Chest
5. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
6. Spore
7. World Of Warcraft
8. The Sims 2 Apartment Life
9. Fallout 3
10. World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade
11. Call Of Duty: World At War
12. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
13. Left 4 Dead
14. The Sims 2 Deluxe
15. Civilization IV
16. The Sims 2 Mansion & Garden Stuff
17. StarCraft Battle Chest
18. Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack
19. Diablo Battle Chest
20. The Sims 2 Pets Exp.
[via Shacknews]
BMW Level 10 PC Case Is Art Deco Cray Supercomputer
I don’t know how Level 10 works, but apparently this PC case—designed by BMW DesignworksUSA for Thermaltake—is real. It looks like the son of a Terminator and a Cray supercomputer conceived in Miami.
Apparently it’s aimed at gamers, with some of the components—like the drive units—mounted out of the actual case. [Carscoop via Luxury Launches]
iMac 2009 Review
Apple may seem different than other companies, but the recession is kicking their ass too. The move they made with the new iMac was the smartest they could make under the circumstances—it’s a great deal.
In this new iMac release, Apple didn’t invest in a radical new design. That sort of thing doesn’t go over in an economic downturn. The case is identical to all other iMacs since August 2007, down to the brushed aluminum body and the occasionally annoying high-gloss screen. What Apple did instead—something they won’t let you forget—is drop the price of the 24″ iMac from $1800 to $1500 while spiking the performance.
The baseline chip used to be a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo; now it’s a 2.66GHz, with the Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics now found in almost every other Apple product. iMacs used to come standard with 2GB of RAM, now there’s 4GB in the entry-level 24 incher that I tested, along with a 640GB 3.5″ hard drive.
The 20″ iMac is cheaper at $1200, but doesn’t carry as much value: It comes standard with only 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. You’d really need to up the RAM to 4GB, so that brings the bill to $1300. At that point, you’re just $75 away from doubling the internal hard-drive capacity. Now, at $1375, you’re a stone’s throw from the other system, the $1500 iMac with its noticeably larger screen—a screen that, mind you, Apple asks $900 for when sold a la carte. (I reviewed with the iMac side-by-side with the 24″ Cinema Display; they’re essentially identical even though iMac is CCFL while the Cinema Display is LED.)
The $1500 model really sits in the sweet spot. Stepping up beyond that may not make much sense either. Apple charges $1000-a thousand dollars!—to swap 4GB of RAM for 8GB. The good news there is that there’s an easy-access RAM-swap hatch, so Apple is almost encouraging you not to buy the extra RAM now, but to upgrade on the open market later when prices drop to sane levels. You can swing a 1TB hard drive for $100 more. However, if you save the $100, you keep the 640GB internal, and have the money for most of a 1TB external too.
People who are serious about gaming or video work do have higher-end iMac choices. There’s a 2.93GHz system for $1800, and you can jump to 3.06GHz for $150 more than that. At those levels, you also get dedicated graphics processors: There’s the basic Nvidia GeForce GT 120 256MB, then the $150-more GeForce GT 130 with 512MB. Another $50 on top of that gets you the ATI Radeon HD 4850 with 512MB. Those choices are good if you know what you’re looking for because, as the good people of iFixit found out, the iMac is not built for the average user to upgrade anything but RAM. Still, for most people—for most uses including anything less than serious gaming—it doesn’t make sense to buy above the $1500 2.66MHz iMac, especially given the performance I’ve seen.
And what have I seen? Well, you can see from these benchmark charts (which I also ran in the Mac Mini review) that the new iMac stays on top the whole time, through batteries of tests, when compared to both the Mac Mini and the far more expensive MacBook Pro (using the same graphics chipset):
Xbench test results
Geekbench test results
In real world testing, I made further discoveries of the iMac’s pre-eminence among its Mac peers. Ripping a 26-track CD in iTunes took just 3 minutes and 50 seconds on the iMac, while it took nearly 10 minutes (OK, 9:45) on the Mini with 2GB of RAM.
Playing Quake 4 with framerate counter turned on also revealed hidden power. While the Mac Mini kept up with the action and detail by dropping frames—45fps average, down to 20fps during heavy fighting—the iMac mostly maintained a smooth 60fps, dipping into the 50s when things got rough.
No matter what your level of PC knowledge is, you realize that there are faster, beefier desktop systems. Apple itself has the $2500-and-up Mac Pro (with similar graphics card options and much more serious core processors), and if you really know what you’re doing, you can build or customize your own system anyway. In the Windows world, the options are almost limitless. Because of all of those other options, the number of people who will be ordering up an iMac for over $1800 will probably be small.
It also makes buying a Mini—and the necessary peripherals—less justifiable. The message, heard loud and clear in this time of financial strife, is that $1500 will get you a system that would have cost well over $2000 not long ago, and that spending less than that will mean compromises that might not hold you over for long enough. I know some of you think $1500 is too much money for a computer, and I can respect that. But for people with the right kind of budget, the new entry-level 24″ iMac is a smart buy. [Product Page]
In Summary
Low-end specifications have been notably boosted
Price has decreased—$300 per configuration—in spite of performance bumps
Very difficult to upgrade by hand, except for adding RAM
The included keyboard is trimmed down to its barest key set, but you can ask for one with a number pad at no extra cost
$1500 for the 24″ might still be considered pricey by some potential buyers, and the $1200 model doesn’t present as much value
Screen glare can be annoying, and the screen and back are easily smudged (see gallery)
Mac Mini 2009 Review
The Mac Mini is the greatest Mac that never was, always just a little too expensive and/or a little too underfeatured to be perfect. This time it’s closer than ever to perfection—but still falls short.
Sure, a $500 price tag would be great. But if we can’t get that, can’t we at least get an HDMI output? Dell, Acer and others now sell teeny desktops with HDMI outputs—some even have Blu-ray players. It’s pretty much the right thing to do at this time, but Apple’s not doing it. That’s not surprising: Apple is slower to adopt popular PC standards such as USB 2.0, the CD burner, and that Blu-ray drive. And the company itself is adamant that the Mini is seen as a desktop machine, not an entertainment PC. Some people believe Apple keeps HDMI out of the Mini to protect the HDMI-laden Apple TV. If true, it’s sad, because Apple TV just isn’t good enough to protect with the life of another product.
We can all agree that it’s nice to have a reasonably affordable Mac out there in the universe, and most of us can agree with Apple’s decision not to redesign the outer shell of the thing—it’s still attractively simple. But I want a Mac Mini in my living room, and I want it connected to a 50″ flat panel TV. With one cable. Why is that wrong?
The good news is, the new Mac Mini is a worthy little beast. In spite of its seemingly wimpy 2.0GHz dual-core processor, it keeps up with most of the basic stuff you can throw at it. The internal redesign of the Mac Mini is really about coupling that Core 2 Duo with Nvidia integrated graphics, and I have to say, it seems like that worked out nicely. It’s the same GeForce 9400M chipset we see in the MacBook, the MacBook Pro and, not coincidentally, the new iMac, and when it comes to rendering 1080p movies and playing a little Quake 4 on a 24″ monitor, it gets the job done.
It gets the job done when there’s enough RAM, that is. That extra 1GB stick actually doubles the 9400M’s shared memory from 128MB to 256MB, and when you’re playing games, you’ll notice that in the textures and motion smoothness. It’s hard to tell from the shots below, but textures appearing in Quake 4 on the 2GB Mini were much closer to those on the new iMac, which is far more powerful with a 2.66GHz dual-core processor and 4GB of RAM.
Quake 4 Demo
Mac Mini with 1GB of RAM vs 2009 iMac
Mac Mini with 2GB of RAM vs 2009 iMac
Nobody is going to use the Mini as their primary gaming machine—as you can see in my Xbench and Geekbench testing, the two Mini configs always trailed more expensive Mac systems, and in many tests fared the same or worse than their predecessors—but between the Core 2 Duo and the 9400M graphics, it’s a solid computer.
Xbench test results
Geekbench test results
The better news is, there’s no good reason to buy the more expensive $800 one. The $600 config comes with the same processor and DVD burner. As I insinuated, you should up the RAM to 2GB for $50 extra, but even then, your total shouldn’t exceed $650. Unfortunately, judging by this teardown and a chat I had with Apple, they intentionally made it hard for people to upgrade it themselves.
At that point, all the $800 model has going for it is a 320GB hard drive, and nobody pays $150 for a paltry 160GB of bonus storage. Going from a 160GB drive to a 320GB drive is like going from 40mph to 50mph on a 65mph interstate. Go get an external drive—it just now took me four seconds to spot this 1TB Iomega Prestige external drive on Amazon for $117! That Mini only has five freakin’ USB 2.0 jacks—let’s don’t be afraid to tie up one or two.
My feelings on the Mini end somewhat mixed. It’s now powerful enough to be a nice iPod-syncable movie ripper/server with the Front Row experience I can control from the couch. I can still set this up without spraining my brain, but there would be lots of compromises.
For instance, it would either take a cheap Y-cable for analog stereo out, or a Toslink-to-mini optical cable ($2.24 at Monoprice) that could connect to a receiver for surround sound. It would also take a video adapter of some kind. Many TVs have DVI or VGA inputs, and all now have HDMI inputs, so there are plenty of adapters you can get. There’s a Mini DVI-to-HDMI adapter ($9.88 at Monoprice), or an even snazzier Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI plug, which Monoprice will sell for $14.25 sometime around March 15.
But you see where I’m going here, right? No matter how awesome Monoprice is when it comes to cables and adapters and crap, this is all spaghetti the Mini shouldn’t need. Apple: Where’s the flippin’ HDMI? You put not one but two video outputs on this thing, and yet I still need an adapter to plug it into anything but a $900 Apple monitor. Yes, thanks for including that Mini DVI to DVI adapter in the box, but I’m pretty sure that just proves my point. [Product Page]
In Summary
It’s nice and compact, just like its externally identical predecessors
The Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics do appear to make everything faster and smoother
Very difficult to upgrade by hand, but at least there’s a cheap RAM upgrade
No HDMI means it can’t be a great home-theater PC
Needs video adapters for most monitor or TV connection
Noby Noby Boy Update Coming to PS3 via PlayStation Network
Today [b]Keita Takahashi[/b] of Namco Bandai Games has announced news of a Noby Noby Boy update hitting PS3 via PlayStation Network:
Last month, Girl reached the moon. I was filled with emotion when that happened because I was wondering if a lot of people were playing the game. And I am truly grateful for all those who have. Thank you all very much.
Some of our own staff was also touched more than they had expected. With that said, the next goal, Mars, is still far away. It would take all the current players a while to reach Mars, so more people have to join in on the fun.
There have been many reviews/criticisms since Noby Noby Boy released. I totally understand as this is such a unique game and I expected those reactions. I don’t mean to make any excuses. That being said, I do get depressed from time to time as I want users to enjoy the game as much as possible. But at the same time, this is what I wanted to create.
In the hopes that more people can enjoy the game, we are currently working on an update.
A featured addition to the update is going to be offline multiplayer. Some may say, "Offline!?" But it’ll still be fun. Please check it out.
Well, it’s going to be quite a long journey to Mars. Please be patient. This is Takahashi.
The Fossil Record Now Includes Outdated Personal Electronics
I never really thought I’d ever type out the phrase “fossilized Walkman” or “fossilized PlayStation controller” in my lifetime, and yet, here I am Sunday morning, doing just that. Hooray?
Of course, these specimens aren’t really fossils. They’re concrete mostly, with cool Latin names, made from molds and with a technique that mimics true fossils. Artist Christopher Locke has also created neat little backstories for each fossil, like this one for the once proud and powerful Ambulephebus sonysymphonia (that’s Walkman to we laypeople):
Ambulephebus sonysymphonia is first found in the late 1970s, and is often found in close proximity to Asportatio acroamatis, suggesting a possible symbiotic relationship. This species rapidly evolved into many other forms, including a large round version (Ambulephebus discus) and the rare Ambulephebus minidiscus.
It is theorized that the entire genus of Ambulephebus was virtually wiped out by the sudden appearance of Egosiliqua Malusymphonicus near the turn of the century. Some Ambulephebus remain, but not in the numbers once seen.
As you can probably guess, that dastardly Egosiliqua Malusymphonicus, the bane of the Walkman’s existence, is better known as the iPod.
Other “modern fossils” include the aforementioned controller, a Game Boy, NES controllers (they died side-by-side, *sigh*), a rotary telephone, and a hard drive. [Christopher Locke via Neatorama]
Sony Not Denying Plans for a PSP 2 Without UMD
In an MTV interview with John Koller, head of PSP marketing in the US, Sony should have set the record straight on those nasty PSP 2 rumors. But they didn’t.
MTV Multiplayer: Ok. Just so we can have this as clear as we can get it: the rumor out there is that there’s going to be a new PSP that doesn’t use the UMD coming out by the end of the year. True or false?
Koller: Can’t comment either way, but I will reiterate that the digital component is very important to us. That’s all we can say at this point.
That’s pretty soft talk for rumor smashing. It might be good to wait on that new PSP. [MTV]
PS4 Coming: Playstation 3 Might Be Replaced Before the Previously Stated 10 Year Mark
Sony’s always said the PS3 would be their gaming platform for a decade, but SCEE (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe) boss David Reeves said he doesn’t know if it’ll go 8, 9 or 10 years. Not sure this matters, those dates being so far out, but several things come to mind.
First off, the PS2 is still going strong after the PS3 went on sale, to mostly mainstream buyers and the existing base of gamers there who continue to buy PS2 games. So this isn’t a dead stop date by any means. Secondly, it means PS4 could be here sooner than we expect, even if David Reeves says “it’s not on the horizon”. By years. Because Sony’s mantra was previously that the PS3 was a “10-year console”.
It is possible that the point of this “8, 9 or 10 year” statement is to soften up the public for the possibility that the PS4 will come sooner rather than later.
But I think the statement, made in the context of the statement that other console makers having their systems out first, is based on outdated thinking of competition based on hardware specs alone. The PS3 is a fine piece of hardware, and its potential hasn’t been tapped in terms of making it easier to program for, and giving it true marketplace and friend finding abilities in the cloud. Work on the software, then talk about new hardware. You don’t need to hint at new machines to counter statements that competitor will have machines out first. Just work out the kinks with what you already have. [now gamer]
Kaz Hirai Will Continue Playstation Leadership
Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai will continue to oversee Playstation in his new role as the head of the Networked Products and Services Group.
Earlier this morning Sony announced a major restructuring of their company, with Sony CEO Howard Stringer being named president of the company and the formation of two new groups within the company, the New Consumer Products Group and the Networked Products and Services Group.
As head of that latter group, Hirai will oversee the Walkman lines, Sony Media Software and Services, which develops a common service platform across Sony products, and Sony Computer Entertainment.
The goal of this new group is to “maximize the potential and pace of Sony’s innovation and to enhance profitability.” Integral to this process, Sony says, will be the utilization and expansion of the Playstation Network.
What does that mean to gamers? It sounds like Sony is trying to do a better job of getting their different groups to work better together, which could mean greatly expanded Playstation Network offerings and some interesting product development. PSP phone? PSP Walkman? Who knows?
Sony Corporation Announces Major Reorganization and New Management Team Led by Howard Stringer [Sony]
