Even though it's not expected until Q2 of next year, that hasn't stopped PCLab.pl from benchmarking Intel's upcoming 32-nm Westmere 6-core CPU. The site managed to get their hands on a 3.07GHz Xeon chip, which they say worked in three X58 motherboards, so good news for enthusiasts with Bloomfield Core i7 CPUs looking to upgrade to six cores in the future.

PCLab.pl underclocked the CPU to 2.8GHz to simulate the performance of Intel's upcoming Gulftown CPU, which is expected to replace today's Core i7 Extreme Edition. For kicks they also managed to OC the CPU to 4.3GHz on air. (Spotted on Fudzilla)

While Clarkdale isn't expected to officially be introduced until the beginning of January, the CPU can be pre-ordered (for now at least) at German retailer HPM-Computer. The site lists four Core i5 Clarkdale CPUs ranging in price from 160.90 Euros (about $240) for the Core i5-650, which runs at 3.2GHz with Turbo Mode dishing out clock speeds up to 3.46GHz, the middle of the road 3.33GHz Core i5-660 and 661 (max Turbo speed is 3.6GHz) priced at 175.90 Euros ($263) and the range-topping 3.46GHz Core i5-670 selling for 252 Euros ($378).

These prices are quite a bit higher than the rumors from last month, in part because these are actual retailer prices rather than Intel's official list prices for distributors and OEMs, and also because the prices come from a European retailer. Intel's list pricing in US Dollars are expected to be $176 for the Core i5-650, $196 for the Core i5-660/661, and $284 for the Core i5-670.

HPM Computer also lists the 2.93GHz Core i3-530 103.90 Euros ($155) and the 3.06GHz Core i3-540 for 120.90 Euros ($181). These CPUs lack Turbo support.

Atari has announced that the open beta for Cryptic's upcoming MMORPG, Star Trek Online, will begin this January:

NEW YORK, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Atari, Inc., one of the world's most recognized videogame publishers, and Cryptic Studios(TM), creators of the acclaimed Champions Online, City of Heroes and City of Villains, announced today the open beta dates for the highly anticipated Star Trek Online for PC. Starting January 12, 2010 thru January 26, 2010 fans will be able to explore the Star Trek Universe and play the first-of-a-kind massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG).

Open beta keys will be given out on a first come first serve basis. Players and fans can access the open beta by visiting www.startrekonline.com.

"We are excited to announce the dates for the open beta phase as this is one of the final steps in launching Star Trek Online to the public," said Craig Zinkievich, Executive Producer on Star Trek Online. "We are looking forward to the launch of our first-of-a-kind MMORPG with anticipation and excitement and we expect Star Trek Online to explode onto the scene, giving fans and gamers a Star Trek experience like no other."

Taking place in the year 2409, Star Trek Online boasts extraordinary features and lets fans both new and old experience unparalleled adventures. Players will have the opportunity to become a high ranking Starfleet officer and will participate in missions that will take them into the depths of space, across exotic planets and even inside other starships. Star Trek Online offers total customization, where every ship players command can be customized, from color to construction. Additionally, anyone can create their own species in Star Trek Online, as well as customize the look of their avatar's uniform. For more information, please visit: www.startrekonline.com

Despite the price increase, lack of dedicated servers, etc, Modern Warfare 2 on PC has already outsold CoD 4 says Infinity Ward:

Yes, PC is the smallest percentage in terms of how much sold on each platform but that hardly means anything other than the PC is just the smallest market.

The PC version of Modern Warfare 2 has actually outsold the PC version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in it's first week. Making it the most successful PC version.

Essentially, all this percentage proves is that the console versions sold great, not that the PC version sold poorly, because that's actually not the case. The PC version has done tremendous in it's first week, better than our previous game.

(Spotted on Voodoo Extreme)

Valve says Left 4 Dead 2 contains so much new content, it's worthy of a sequel rather than DLC. Is this true or false? Judge for yourself in today's review!

>> Click Here to read the article

2K Games is going all-out with their special edition for BioShock 2. In addition to providing the typical artwork and behind the scenes stuff, the special edition will also include a vinyl LP with the soundtrack from the original BioShock game. From Cult of Rapture:

The Special Edition will come in 13"x13” premium packaging with special art on both the slipcase and the box cover. Inside, you will find three posters featuring vintage ads from Rapture (rolled), a vinyl 180g LP featuring the orchestral score from the original BioShock, a CD containing the BioShock 2 orchestral score, a 164 page 8"x11" hardbound artbook chock full of developer commentary and, of course, a copy of BioShock 2.

This edition will be available on February 9th, 2010 for $99.99 for Xbox 360 and PS3 and $89.99 for Games for Windows LIVE and is limited to a single production run. You'll be able to preorder the Special Edition in most countries worldwide, starting now.

(Spotted on Kotaku)

BioWare says Return to Ostagar will sell for 400 Microsoft Points ($5) for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360:

EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA – November 19, 2009 – Leading video game developer BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), announced today that the Return to Ostagar downloadable content (DLC) for Dragon Age™: Origins will be available for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC versions this Holiday season in North America and Europe. The DLC pack, Return to Ostagar, allows players to exact their revenge and embark on a quest for the mighty arms and armor of the once great King Cailan when they revisit Ostagar, the site of the Grey Wardens’ darkest hour, to reclaim the honor and learn the secrets of Ferelden’s fallen king.

“We are very proud of the phenomenal launch of Dragon Age: Origins and we’re pleased to announce the next installment of downloadable content that will be available to fans of the game,” said Ray Muzyka, Group General Manager, RPG/MMO Group of EA, and Co-Founder, BioWare. “The Return to Ostagar DLC pack is a prime example of BioWare’s commitment to give fans a game that continuously offers new experiences and further enriches a storyline that has already received critical acclaim and positive feedback from the players.”

Return to Ostagar, BioWare’s next thread in the Dragon Age: Origins tapestry, summons players to a new quest in which they will return to the fateful battleground in Ostagar where the Grey Wardens were nearly wiped out. Players will discover King Cailan’s top-secret political agenda and go behind enemy lines to revisit a place that many feared had been lost to history.

Return to Ostagar will be available for $4.99 on the PlayStation® Store, for 400 BioWare Points on the PC and 400 Microsoft Points on the Xbox 360 in North America. Return to Ostagar will be released this Holiday season worldwide on the Xbox 360, the PlayStation®3 console and PC. Dragon Age: Origins is rated M by the ESRB and 18+ by PEGI.

For more information on Dragon Age: Origins, please visit www.dragonage.com.

EA has released a new trailer for Bad Company 2. The trailer features 100% gameplay footage as you watch a sniper in action:

Market research firm Jon Peddie Research projects that the PC gaming hardware market, which includes gaming PCs, accessories, and upgrades, will grow to $27 billion next year: "The PC gaming market continues to be the high growth, and technological leader for home entertainment. With Windows 7 and DirectX 11, advanced and exciting physics, and stereovision capabilities, the PC platform is far and away the most advanced," noted Jon Peddie President of Jon Peddie Research. "And, the PC has the added advantage that when not used for gaming, it can be used for more practical purposes, and/or as a media center."

This year won't be bad either. JPR estimates that revenues of PC gaming hardware will improve by 5.9% from 2008, to $21.26 billion. JPR says "the increase is due to higher than anticipated consumer demand for Enthusiast, Performance, and Mainstream hardware influenced by the ability to play video games ranging from casual to hardcore simulations."

Just when you thought you couldn't stand any more Call of Duty news, an article in the LA Times mentions that Activision has enlisted a third dev team to make games for the CoD franchise:

As Activision seems to be discovering this year with Guitar Hero, there's danger when a title is overexposed with too many iterations. Nonetheless, the publisher has aggressive expansion plans for Call of Duty. Although Infinity Ward and Treyarch have produced sequels in alternating years since 2005, the publisher now has a third development studio working on future versions.

One person close to the company said it also was considering adapting Call of Duty as a massively multi-player online world. The genre, in which Activision's Blizzard Entertainment subsidiary is a leader, requires huge upfront investments but can be very profitable as players pay a monthly subscription fee.

It's unknown if the third dev team is working on the Call of Duty MMO, which Activision has hinted at from time to time, or if they plan to join the yearly rotation which includes Infinity Ward and Treyarch. (Spotted on Kotaku)

Square has announced that Gas Powered Games latest RTS, Supreme Commander 2, will ship for PC and Xbox 360 this Spring:

Wednesday 18th November/...Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, today announces SUPREME COMMANDER® 2, created by critically-acclaimed developer Gas Powered Games, will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC-DVD in Spring 2010.

SUPREME COMMANDER 2 is the next installment in the award-winning SUPREME COMMANDER franchise, set 25 years further into the future. Featuring numerous game enhancements, an in-depth campaign mode, online multiplayer and a unique storyline, the game represents a new dimension in RTS gaming.

Boasting intense battles on a massive scale, players will wage war, creating enormous customizable armies and experimental war machines that can change the balance of power at any given moment. Assume the role of one of the three enigmatic commanders, each representing a unique faction with a rich story that brings a new level of emotional connection to the RTS genre.

"The partnership with Square Enix has been a highlight of my career," said Chris Taylor, Founder and Creative Director of Gas Powered Games. "I couldn’t be more proud of what the team has accomplished, as the game has continually exceeded all of my expectations throughout its development."

Larry Sparks, Vice President Brands PAL Region of Square Enix Ltd. comments, “SUPREME COMMANDER 2 has already achieved fantastic recognition across media and the RTS community winning E3 Best Strategy Game 2009 from IGN, 1UP and GameSpot. We’re thrilled to be working with Gas Powered Games to release a game that really pushes the genre’s gameplay and storyline expectations to a new level.” For more information about SUPREME COMMANDER 2 please visit the official website at www.supremecommander.com

About SUPREME COMMANDER 2

Story

Set 25 years after the end of the Infinite War, SUPREME COMMANDER 2 starts with the galaxy reeling from the recent assassination of the newly elected president of the fragile Colonial Defense Coalition. The members of the Coalition – the United Earth Federation, The Illuminate and the Cybran Nation –blame each other, and the early rumbles of war can be heard throughout the galaxy.

Features

Take on the role of three enigmatic commanders; former friends from each of the unique factions -- The United Earth Federation (UEF), The Illuminate and the Cybran Nation -- who get dragged into a conflict of galactic consequences

Explore a rich, character-driven single-player game which spans over 18 missions and delivers a new level of emotional connection to the RTS genre, or take the battle online for an exhilarating multi-player experience

Fight action-packed battles on a massive scale, waging war with enormous land, air and naval units in visually spectacular environments, brought to life by all-new rendering technology and a true evolution of RTS controls on both platforms

Upgrade and customize armies with new weapons and technology and deploy them instantly on the battlefield, turning a base-level tank into a high-powered, multi-barreled, anti-aircraft-sporting multipurpose battle unit

Deploy wild experimental war machines that can change the balance of power at any given moment.

Experience a streamlined economy and redesigned UI that put the focus squarely on combat, battlefield tactics and high-level strategic decision making, and give improved player feedback in Strategic Zoom view.

ASUS has announced that their latest Republic of Gamers notebook, the G51J 3D, will support NVIDIA's 3D Vision technology.

Equipped with a 15.6" 120Hz display, GeForce GTX 260M 1GB GPU, mobile Core i7-720QM CPU, and 4GB RAM, ASUS says the G51J 3D will sell for $1699.99 and ship with NVIDIA's 3D Vision glasses in the box. The NVIDIA PR says the notebook will begin shipping next month, with more 3D Vision notebooks from Clevo and MSI expected early next year.

ATI isn't the only one making news this morning. Sharing the spotlight with the Radeon 5970 is this photo which appeared out of nowhere on NVIDIA's facebook page:

Pictured above is NVIDIA's GF100 card running the Unigine Heaven DX11 benchmark. GF100 is the codename for the GeForce derivative of NVIDIA's next-gen Fermi architecture. In other words, we could be looking at the very first GeForce 380 card. The image doesn't reveal much, the photographer wisely manages not to reveal frame rates, but you can see that the card requires one 6-pin and one 8-pin power connector, with a fully enclosed dual-slot enclosure used for cooling. Board length doesn't appear to be outrageous either. In fact it looks pretty comparable to the GTX 285.

Hopefully NVIDIA will drop more hints as we get closer to release. NVIDIA has confirmed that the first DX11 GeForce boards won't be released until early next year. (Spotted on BSN)

Want to check out the nifty new S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat benchmark we used in our Radeon 5970 review article? If so, you'll want to head over to the game's official website, where you can find the 421MB file for download. Here's a tidbit on what the benchmark includes:

This benchmark is based on one of the ingame locations – Pripyat . The testing process includes four stages, those utilizing various weather and time of the day settings (day, night, rain, bright sun). In order to test your system thoroughly the benchmark is provided with a number of presets and options including different versions of DirectX (9.0, 10.0, 11), screen resolutions, antialiasing etc, all at your disposal.

If you like competitions pay attention to the special Test and Rate feature we included into this benchmark. The Test and Rate mode enables you to compare your performance results with those of other players. Be assured, when sending us your test results, we collect only the data explicitly visible in the query; GSC Game World has no commercial or harmful purpose with this test.

Independently of the results, every participant will receive a present of personalized web banner with the rating place and overall achievement marked on it.Names and test results will be placed in the official rating boards that will launch publicly once we receive the first 500 test results.

In case you have problems downloading from the official website, techPowerUp! has mirrored the file here.

After a 10-month hiatus, ATI's once again got the world's fastest graphics card. The Radeon 5970 fuses two RV870 chips onto one board for max performance, and is built for OC'ing. See how this board fares in the latest games including Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2, and DX11 titles like STALKER: Call of Pripyat in this article!

>> Click Here to read the article

I believe NVIDIA's supposed to be posting WHQL-certified 195.50 drivers sometime today, but if you want even newer drivers, NVIDIA's uploaded beta ForceWare 195.55 drivers to nvidia.com this morning. The new drivers are "WHQL-candidate" drivers, so NVIDIA may decide to post a WHQL derivative of these drivers in the near future instead of 195.50. Here are the release highlights listed by NVIDIA:

New in Version 195.55

Adds GPU-acceleration for smoother online HD videos with the new Adobe Flash 10.1 beta. Learn more here.

Adds support for GeForce GT 240.

Adds support for OpenCL 1.0 (Open Computing Language) for all GeForce 8-series and later GPUs.

Adds support for CUDA Toolkit 3.0 features and performance enhancements. See CUDA Zone for more details.

Adds SLI and multi-GPU support for many top new gaming titles including Borderlands, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, FIFA Soccer 10, and more.

Includes numerous bug fixes including improved performance for Need for Speed: Shift. Refer to the release notes on the documentation tab for information about the key bug fixes in this release.

Links:
Windows XP
Windows XP x64
Windows 7/Windows Vista 32-bit
Windows 7/Windows Vista 64-bit

ATI has just released Catalyst 9.11 drivers for Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Linux. Notable features included in the new driver include Flash 10.1 beta support:

New Features
GPU Acceleration of H.264 video content using Adobe Flash Player 10.1 Beta:

This release of ATI Catalyst™ supports the new Hardware Acceleration features of Adobe Flash Player 10.1 Beta for video encoded in the H.264 format. Adobe Flash Player 10.1 Beta introduces hardware-based H.264 video decoding to deliver smooth video playback, reduce system resource utilization, and preserve battery life. Adobe Flash Player 10.1 Beta is expected to be available for download from Adobe Labs (labs.adobe.com) before the end of the year. This feature is supported on the ATI Radeon HD 5800, ATI Radeon HD 5700 and ATI Radeon HD 4000 Series of products.

High Quality downscaling for video transcoding MSE

This release of ATI Catalyst™ includes an enhancement for the ATI Video converter for users transcoding high quality interlaced content (1920x1080i @60i videos) down to small resolution progressive content (320x240 @30p - iPod videos as an example), by maintaining high visual quality when down-scaling by a significant amount and converting interlaced video content to progressive.

Links:
Windows XP
Windows XP x64
Windows Vista 32-bit
Windows Vista 64-bit
Windows 7 32-bit
Windows 7 64-bit

Oh boy. The hardware rumor sites are having a field day with this morning's announcement from NVIDIA for the Tesla 20-series GPUs, which are based on NVIDIA's next-gen Fermi architecture. Tucked inside the PR are double-precision FLOPS figures. NVIDIA says double precision performance will range from "520GFlops - 630 GFlops". Presumably, NVIDIA's lower-end Tesla C2050 will hit 520GFLOPS, while the C2070 will max out at 630 GFLOPS. In comparison, the Radeon 5870 tops out at 544 GFLOPS double-precision (2.7 TFLOPS single-precision).

As VR-Zone notes:

"However, today's press release suggests Nvidia have missed target speeds by a lot. To be fair, Tesla products do clock lower, though not by much. In fact, GTX 280 and Tesla C1060 were clocked the same. Even taking a generous increase for Geforce products, things are still uncertain. As a result, DP performance is rated at between 520 GFlops and 630 GFlops. Suddenly, ATI Radeon HD 5870 - which wasn't even supposed to be a direct competitor - is performing right on par with 544 GFlops against Fermi's supposed strong point.

Consider Single Precision - far more important for gaming graphics, and things turn rather ugly. GF100's target speeds were reported to be 1.5 GHz for the shaders. Based on the 520 / 630 GFlops figures, the shader clocks can only be estimated at 1015 MHz and 1230 MHz respectively.

Bright Side of News is even more critical:

To us, NV100 i.e. GT300/Fermi architecture is looking more like NV30 every day. Revolutionary architecture, but underpowered, just like the first GeForce 256 [NV10] paved way for GeForce 3 [NV20] and GeForce 4 [NV25/28] and like NV30 paved way for NV40/45/47/RSX [essentially, GeForce 5800, 6800, 7800, 7900 and RSX are the same]. Do note that NV35 [FX5900] was "an anomaly", with added fixed-function shader hardware and wider memory controller to make GeForce 5800 architecture usable. How will NV100 fare? That chapter is still waiting to be written.

While I honestly don't think it's fair to jump to conclusions based on any one paper metric, the initial specs aren't as commanding as some originally thought they'd be. FLOPS figures don't tell us much about gaming performance though, and thanks to its 384-bit memory interface with the addition of GDDR5, Fermi shouldn't be starving for bandwidth. NVIDIA says that the Tesla C2050 and C2070 will retail for $2,499 and $3,999 respectively, and ship with 3GB (Tesla C2050) and 6GB (Tesla C2070) of GDDR5 memory in Q2 of next year. NVIDIA also reiterated that the first GeForce products based on Fermi will ship during Q1'2010.

As the rumors indicated, today NVIDIA has officially launched their mainstream-oriented GeForce GT 240 GPU. The GT 240 is based on TSMC's 40-nm manufacturing process and supports DX10.1 shaders. Essentially the GPU is NVIDIA's replacement for GeForce 9600, as it's slotted just below the 9800 GT in NVIDIA's lineup.

The chip is outfitted with 96 stream processors clocked at 1360MHz, while the graphics core runs at 550MHz. Things get a little fuzzy when it comes to the memory subsystem, as board partners will be offering the chip with GDDR3 or GDDR5 memory. With GDDR5, the memory speed tops out at 1700MHz, providing 54.4GB/sec of peak memory bandwidth. When equipped with GDDR3, memory speed is 1GHz, with 32GB/sec of memory bandwidth on tap. Board's can be outfitted with either 512MB or 1GB of memory, and NVIDIA utilizes a 128-bit memory interface to keep costs down.

For those of you interested in low-power, NVIDIA claims idle power is just 9W, while power consumption at load is 70W. MSRP is $99.

5 boards have already made their way onto Newegg this morning, with prices ranging from $90-$115. When shopping, you'll want to read the specs carefully as the GDDR3 and GDDR5 boards are all mixed in together. To clear up this confusion, NVIDIA should've designated the GDDR3 boards as GT 230 in my opinion.

Valve announces that Left 4 Dead 2 unlocked on Steam a little after midnight EST:

Nov 17, 2009 - Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced the availability of its zombie thriller, Left 4 Dead 2, at retail outlets across North America (360, PC) and worldwide via Steam (PC). Retail outlets around the world will launch the title later this week.

Exclusively available for the Xbox 360 and PC, L4D2 promises to set a new benchmark for co-operative action games and become one of 2009's marquee titles. The title adds melee combat to enable deeper co-operative gameplay, with items such as a chainsaws, frying pans, axes, baseball bats, and more.

With the AI Director 2.0, L4D's dynamic gameplay is taken to the next level by giving the Director the ability to procedurally change weather effects, world objects, and pathways in addition to tailoring the enemy population, effects, and sounds to match the players' performance. The result is a unique game session custom fitted to provide a satisfying and uniquely challenging experience each time the game is played.

Finally, with new Survivors, boss zombies, weapons, and items, Left 4 Dead 2 offers a much larger game than the original, featuring more co-operative campaigns, more Versus campaigns, new Survival maps, and the new competitive game mode, Scavenge, all available at launch.

For more information, please visit www.l4d.com

As any gamer who has played Modern Warfare 2 can tell you, the lack of dedicated servers is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to features missing from Infinity Ward's latest shooter. The game console has also been axed, which also took away the ability to record your own custom demos as a result. And as Vandy noted in our Modern Warfare 2 review, your character's inability to lean is incredibly frustrating.

Therefore in the sake of completeness, a new petition has been created that asks for the following features:

- Support for an in-game console;
- Support for the “/record” feature;
- Support for the lean feature;
- Support for auto-balancing;
- Support for multiple profiles;
- Support for better Graphics and FOV control;
- Support for actual ping readouts in ms (not graphs);
- Support for a tournament game type (like Promod);

Dedicated Server/IWNet specific:

- Support for mod tools and modded Dedicated Servers;
- Support for Punkbuster enabled Dedicated Servers;
- Support for Dedicated Server admins to choose player numbers (Max: 50);
- Support for PC gamers to choose if they wish to connect to an IWNet P2P server or a Dedicated Server (hosted by clans/individuals, etc)

So far the new petition has 2091 signatures. Those who signed the original MW2 dedicated servers petition (which has over 215K signatures) are asked to also sign the new one. (Spotted on Blues News)

Expreview noticed that Zipzoomfly has prematurely listed the Radeon 5970 for $599.99. Of course, by now you should know that the 5970 is ATI's dual RV870 GPU board previously codenamed "Hemlock". AMD's Rick Bergman confirmed last week that the board would be launched sometime this week. Zipzoomfly apparently thought the launch date was today, but it's not.

The latest rumors from Fudzilla suggest that the 5970 will run at 725MHz core -- the same speed as the 5850 -- but will retain all 1600 stream processors found on the 5870.

If all the rumors are true, the card would be a bit of a 'tweener as far as specs and perhaps pricing goes.

A report on That VideoGame blog suggests that Modern Warfare 2's Ghost character could possibly be getting his own game. The site quotes Craig Fairbrass -- the man who voiced the game's ghost character and Gaz in MW1 -- who was speaking at a MW2 launch event in the UK:

“I did in the last game a voice for a character called Gaz and in this game I’m now voicing a guy called Ghost, who now just got a spin-off comic of his own and they’re talking about another little game to go with it,” Fairbrass said at the event (video’s on Live), “so, I’m quite excited about it. It’s grown and grown and grown.”

(Spotted on Kotaku)

FutureMark Game Studios has announced the first DLC for Shattered Horizon, the "Moonrise" map pack:

Helsinki, Finland – November 16th, 2009 - Futuremark® Games Studio today revealed plans for the first content pack for Shattered Horizon™, their PC exclusive multiplayer first-person shooter. The “Moonrise” pack, which will be free to all players, includes four new levels effectively doubling the number of levels in the game. http://www.shatteredhorizon.com

In Shattered Horizon, a catastrophic explosion on the Moon has filled near-Earth space with billions of tons of rocky debris. Teams of players fight in zero gravity to control the limited supplies that mean the difference between survival and death in the cold of space. The Moonrise content pack includes four new levels set around the shattered Moon, taking the fight deeper into space and showing a new side to the conflict.

Although a release date for the Moonrise pack has not been announced, players who pre-ordered Shattered Horizon will be invited to start play-testing the new levels this week.

"Selected players will help us test the new Moonrise levels from a very early stage," said Antti Summala, lead designer. "Level design for zero gravity combat is a big challenge and we are looking forward to having real players help us create new experiences that cannot be found in other FPS games."

As IGN reports, Activision CFO Thomas Tippl admitted that the company is looking into ways they can spread the World of Warcraft subscription-based business model to other franchises:

It's definitely an aspiration that we see potential in, particularly as we look at different business models to monetize the online gameplay. There's good knowledge exchange happening between the Blizzard folks and our online guys.

We have great experience also on Call of Duty with the success we had on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. A lot of that knowledge is getting actually built into the Battle.Net platform and the design of that.

I think it's been mutually beneficial, and you should expect us to test and ultimately launch additional online monetization models of some of some of our biggest franchises like Call of Duty.

Tippl also noted that gamers would be willing to pay for such a service:

Our gamers are telling us there's lots of services and innovation they would like to see that they're not getting yet. From what we see so far, additional content, as well as all the services Blizzard is offering, is that there is demand from the core gamers to pay up for that.

So instead of delivering an MMO based around the CoD franchise and cashing in that way, it sounds like Activision hopes to one day charge for multiplayer perks and enhancements, although more specifics weren't provided. (Thanks to FiringSquad reader AstroFly for the link)

It's official. DICE's upcoming shooter, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will offer DirectX 11 graphics when it debuts this March. Up to this point DICE had considered their DX11 codepath for Bad Company 2 "experimental", but apparently ATI's been working with them and they're now at the point where they can officially offer DX11 graphics when the game debuts early next year.

As a result, ATI's list of DX11 apps has been updated as follows:

BattleForge: Now
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat: Now
DiRT2: Dec 1st
Battlefield: Bad Company 2: Q1/10
Aliens vs. Predator: Q1/10
Lord of the Rings Online: Q1/10
Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited: 2010
Genghis Khan MMO: 2010
Unigine Engine (Heaven Demo / Benchmark): Now

LOS ANGELES (November 13, 2009) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in North America announced today the highly anticipated street date for FINAL FANTASY® XIII. This latest project in the multi-platinum FINAL FANTASY series promises to be intensely compelling and will be available for both the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft on March 9, 2010.

FINAL FANTASY XIII marks the dawning of a new era for the celebrated franchise, bringing the series to multiple hi-definition consoles simultaneously for the first time in its history. Expanding upon the rich tradition of the series, Producer Kitase Yoshinori (FINAL FANTASY VII, X, X-2), Director Motomu Toriyama (FINAL FANTASY VII, X, X-2), character designer Tetsuya Nomura (FINAL FANTASY V, VI, VII, VIII, X) and art director Isamu Kamikokuryo (FINAL FANASY X, XII) combine their creative vision to deliver the latest masterpiece in the FINAL FANTASY universe. Additionally, Masashi Hamauzu (FINAL FANTASY X, DIRGE of CERBERUS -FINAL FANTASY VII-) presents a sweeping soundtrack while movie director Takeshi Nozue (FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN) and his team of artists adorn the game with seamless cinematic sequences of unparalleled caliber.

“We know that our fans have been eagerly awaiting the next installation of the franchise – FINAL FANTASY XIII will exceed all expectations,” said John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix, Inc. “Coming simultaneously to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for the first time, FINAL FANTASY XIII will be available to all players who are looking for the most immersive gaming experience of 2010.”

Multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Leona Lewis has come on board with Square Enix to provide the theme song for FINAL FANTASY XIII. The song is entitled "My Hands," and is featured on her highly-anticipated second album ECHO (J Records/Syco Music) set for release on November 17th. Leona Lewis took the music world by storm with her 2008 6x platinum debut album Spirit which features her chart topping, biggest selling single of 2008 "Bleeding Love," and mega-hit "Better In Time.” "When Square Enix approached Leona about including her song, "My Hands," in FINAL FANTASY XIII, she was honored to be partnered with such an iconic and groundbreaking video game series," said Tom Corson, EVP/GM, RCA Music Group. "Leona is a natural fit with the game’s powerful themes and strong female protagonist. We’re delighted to be part of this effort, bringing great musical artistry to FINAL FANTASY XIII which is a riveting and dynamic gaming experience."

Introducing new worlds, memorable characters and extraordinary stories with each new installment, the FINAL FANTASY series has continued to reinvent itself over the last two decades and has shipped over 85 million copies worldwide. The series is defined by a constant evolution, offering nothing less than the finest creative vision, graphical quality and gameplay system of its generation with every installment, and FINAL FANTASY XIII will be no exception to its legacy.

Story
Cocoon — a utopia in the sky.
Its inhabitants believed their world a paradise.
Under the Sanctum's rule, Cocoon had long known peace and prosperity.
Mankind was blessed by its protectors, the benevolent fal'Cie, and believed that tranquil days would continue forever.
Their tranquility was shattered with the discovery of one hostile fal'Cie.
The moment that fal'Cie from Pulse — the feared and detested lowerworld — awoke from its slumber, peace on Cocoon came to an end.
Fal'Cie curse humans, turning them into magic-wielding servants.
They become l'Cie — chosen of the fal'Cie.
Those branded with the mark of a l'Cie carry the burden of either fulfilling their Focus or facing a fate harsher than death itself.
A prayer for redemption.
A wish to protect the world.
A promise to challenge destiny.
After thirteen days of fates intertwined, the battle begins.

With no dedicated servers, no lean, and 18-player cap for multi, does Modern Warfare 2 for PC live up to its predecessors? Most of the reviews online have praised Infinity Ward's latest shooter but those reviews were focused for console players -- how does the PC port fare? Find out in today's review!

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While the Wii finished 2nd to the PS3 in Sept, October was the first full month for Nintendo's console at its new $199 pricetag, which allowed the Wii to retake the #1 position from the PS3, with Nintendo moving over 500,000 consoles during the month. With sales of 320,000 units, the PS3 finished a distant second, while the 360 brought up the rear with sales just shy of 250K units. Here's the full breakdown from NPD:

Nintendo Wii: 506,900
Nintendo DS: 457,600
Sony PlayStation 3: 320,600
Microsoft Xbox 360: 249,700
Sony PSP: 174,600
Sony PlayStation 2: 117,800

In software sales, NPD says that Naughty Dog's Unchartered 2 took home the top spot in sales with 537,000 units sold last month, although if you include all platforms, 2K sold 575,000 copies of NBA 2K10 last month. Here's NPD's Top 10 for the month of October:

1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - Sony (PlayStation 3) - 537,000
2. Wii Fit Plus - Nintendo (Wii) - 441,000
3. Borderlands - Take-Two (Xbox 360) - 418,000
4. Wii Sports Resort - Nintendo (Wii) - 314,000
5. NBA 2K10 - Take-Two (Xbox 360) - 311,000
6. Halo 3: ODST - Microsoft (Xbox 360) - 271,000
7. NBA 2K10 - Take-Two (PlayStation 3) - 213,000
8. Forza Motorsport 3 - Microsoft (Xbox 360) - 175,000
9. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days - Square Enix (Nintendo DS) - 169,000
10. FIFA Soccer 10 - Electronic Arts (Xbox 360) - 156,000

This weekend's Steam sale is CryTek's hit shooter, Crysis and its expansion, Crysis Warhead. From now through Monday you can download either title for $14.99, 50% off the regular price of $30, or you can buy them both for $29.99 (normal price is $40).

There is one caveat though, SecuROM DRM limits you to just 5 activations.