14th December 2007 Archive

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AMD confirms short-term GPU roadmap

Dual-GPU 3950 X2 monster planned

AMD has confirmed its graphics chip release plans, including the launch of the mainstream-oriented 'RV620' and 'RV635' GPUs, and the high-end 'R680'. The RV620 and RV635 are "planned" to appear in January, AMD said yesterday, which is what industry moles have been saying for some time. The company confirmer they are DirectX 10 …

Bits 'n' Chips 14 Dec 2007, 10:52
Wii shortage costs Nintendo dear, analyst claims

Demand - supply = profit lost

The global Christmas Wii shortage may have saved individual gamers a few quid, but one analyst thinks it’s cost Nintendo up to $1.3bn (£637m/€888m). MDB Capital Group’s senior analyst, James Lin, told the New York Times that the volume of unsatisfied demand is "staggering" and that “Nintendo is leaving $1.3bn on the table” by …

Consoles 14 Dec 2007, 11:05
Nvidia rolls out 'tri-SLI'

Not quite 3x performance

Nvidia has launched its anticipated 'Tri-SLI' technology as "3-way SLI", allowing gamers to connect not one, not two but three graphics cards in co-operative rendering harmony. They have to be Nvidia GeForce cards, natch, but when connected deliver up to 2.8 times the performance of a single GPU. That, the company claimed, is …

Bits 'n' Chips 14 Dec 2007, 11:31
Microsoft unveils Xbox 360 HD DVD drive emulator

To the HD disc format what IE is to the web?

Microsoft yesterday launched software that emulates on a PC HD DVDs played on its Xbox 360 add-in drive. It's a move that could give the software giant de facto control of the next-gen optical disc format. The emulator software essentially allows companies mastering new HD DVDs to test them for compatibility with the Microsoft …

HD 14 Dec 2007, 11:56
UGC Renegade gaming chair

Review We only quite liked it

Want to feel closer to the action? Want to feel like you're parked in a Pontiac, engine purring, poised, ready to burn rubber, racing through the streets of some still-asleep city? Then the racing-style Renegade games chair could be the console accessory you're looking for. A minimum amount of assembly is required upon opening …

Gadgets 14 Dec 2007, 12:14
The transistor turns 60

Forgotten Tech Birthday on Sunday

The transistor, the ubiquitous building block of all electronic circuits, will be 60 years old on Sunday. The device is jointly credited to William Shockley (1910-1989), John Bardeen (1908-1991) and Walter Brattain (1902-1987), and it was Bardeen and Brattain who made the first working point-contact transistor on 16 December …

Bits 'n' Chips 14 Dec 2007, 12:41
Yes! It's the the wireless USB Missile Launcher

Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!

Good news, office warfare fans - the USB Missile Launcher is back, in a new, flashier wireless version that makes for the strategic siting of remote batteries. The USB Missile Launcher: can now be deployed remotely Like the wired version, the new launcher is controlled by a little targetting app running on a Windows PC. …

Gadgets and Gizmos 14 Dec 2007, 13:52
Nintendo Wii said to 'attract cockroaches'

Cue predictable gag from PS3/Xbox fanboys

If you’re not a fan of creepy crawlies then you may want to turn your Wii off. The latest theory crawling through the gaming world is that the console actively attracts cockroaches. Is your Wii attracting cockroaches? Image courtesy Foureyesjokeshop.com The theory can be traced back to Japanese-language gaming website …

Consoles 14 Dec 2007, 16:02