The Sapphire Toxic 4850 is loaded with features. The card ships with an all-copper dual slot, dual heatpipe cooler from Zalman, the VF900-Cu. But that's not all, the board is also OC'ed to higher speeds than any other 4850 card on the market. In this article we officially review the Sapphire Toxic 4850 as well as its younger brother the 4850 Dual Slot. Both cards deliver cooling that's significantly improved over ATI's cooler. Find out how well these cards perform in today's review!

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Yesterday Microsoft released the second public beta for Internet Explorer 8. The browser comes with several new features that are designed to improve security, privacy, and search. The new beta can be found here, keep in mind though that its a work in progress and is still a little buggy.

NVIDIA has changed their stance on SLI support for Intel's upcoming X58 chipset. Up to this point, NVIDIA has insisted that their nForce 200 chip is required to enable SLI support on non-nForce SLI chipsets, but if this report on DigiTimes is true, NVIDIA will allow motherboard manufacturers to provide SLI support without nForce 200:

Nvidia will authorize native SLI support on Intel X58 motherboards without the need for its nForce 200 chip, according to Tom Peterson, director of Technical Marketing for MCP products at Nvidia.

Peterson detailed that the company's partners will need to certify their X58 motherboards through Nvidia and, after certification, will receive an approval key to place in the system BIOS. Nvidia's drivers will check for the approval key and the device ID of the chipset before determining whether to enable SLI support on the system.

DigiTimes went on to state that NVIDIA will charge manufacturers $30 to receive SLI certification for their X58 motherboards (presumably $30 per board).

This move is certainly going to raise questions about SLI support for other platforms. If NVIDIA can add SLI support to X58, many would presume that they could also add SLI to other chipsets. DigiTimes states that NVIDIA has no plans to do this.

With nForce 790i SLI Ultra motherboards selling for over $300, NVIDIA's flagship motherboard offering is by no means cheap. NVIDIA announced a less expensive SLI alternative to the Ultra, but so far no motherboard manufacturers have picked it up, focusing solely on the Ultra instead.

If this Expreview slide is accurate though, NVIDIA may be providing some relief for enthusiasts looking for an inexpensive DDR3 platform that supports SLI. The chipset is dubbed the nForce 770i SLI and should be priced comparably to NVIDIA's DDR2 nForce 750i SLI chipset.

Like the nForce 750i SLI platform, the chipset will be limited to 2-Way SLI support, while DDR3 speeds will top out at 1333MHz. The new platform is expected to arrive in Q4 of this year.

Without a doubt, the optical mouse has had a profound impact on the way we use our computers. No longer confined by trackballs, the optical mouse is more precise, easier to maintain, more durable, and can be used on a wider variety of surfaces (uneven surfaces are the main thorn in the side of optical mice).

Now Microsoft Hardware has put up a teaser suggesting that Microsoft will be unveiling new tech on Sept 9th that will "say goodbye to laser". What do you think it will be? More importantly, how much will it cost? We'll find out in a couple of weeks!

Are the additions of Darth Vader and Yoda enough to carry the Soul Calibur series? Yes and no. Brett finds the fighting enjoyable, but Namco Bandai's isn't perfect. Read the pros and cons in today's review!

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With the Wii selling like hotcakes right now, you'd naturally assume that Nintendo may be resting on their laurels. But according to Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian, Nintendo could be planning to introduce a new Wii console with a faster processor, DVD playback, and/or greater storage capacity.

Considering that the Wii's already pretty weak in these categories (some have likened it to a tweaked Xbox 1.5 graphically), it would make sense for Nintendo to introduce a new console sooner than Microsoft or Sony, but at the same time Nintendo has been pretty adamant that they're not gunning to win the hardware spec war, opting instead to focus solely on the gameplay experience. And again, their console is obviously selling well despite its lack of cutting edge graphics and DVD capability.

News.com's Don Reisinger feels that Nintendo should be the last manufacturer to update their console: "The Wii is the winner of this generation and easily eclipses its competition in hardware sales each month. Why should it want to move to the next generation first just to add DVD capability? That's not hurting the company now and the last thing it needs is to look like it's abandoning the first console the company has experienced such success with in years."

NVIDIA has posted new beta drivers to their website today, ForceWare 177.92. The new driver includes PhysX support (installing NVIDIA PhysX System Software v8.08.18) and according to NVIDIA offers a number of performance enhancements in comparison to their 175.19 WHQL driver:

Single GPU increases up to 11% in 3DMark Vantage (performance preset)

Single GPU increases up to 11% in Assassin's Creed DX10

Single GPU increases up to 15% in Bioshock DX10

Single GPU increases up to 15% in Call of Duty 4

Single GPU increases up to 8% in Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

2-way SLI increases up to 7% in Bioshock DX10

2-way SLI increases up to 10% in Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts DX10

2-way SLI increases up to 12% in Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

2-way SLI increases up to 10% in World in Conflict DX10
Direct download links:

Windows XP
Windows XP x64
Windows Vista 32-bit
Windows Vista 64-bit

Apparently the October issue of the Official Xbox Magazine is reporting that Microsoft has tapped Brothers In Arms developer Gearbox Studios for the next chapter in the Halo saga, Halo 4, which will be launching alongside Microsoft's next-generation Xbox console expected to arrive sometime in 2012.

Gearbox President Randy Pitchford hinted back in February that his company is working on a big project, but something on the scale of Halo would be a blockbuster score for the developer, who previously was responsible for porting the original Halo to the PC for Microsoft.

Today NVIDIA quietly launched the GeForce 9400 GT for the value segment of the 3D graphics market. Based on NVIDIA's G96 GPU, the chip ships with 16 stream processors clocked at 1.4GHz, while the graphics core runs at 550MHz. NVIDIA's reference specifications also call for a minimum of 512MB of DDR2 memory clocked at 400MHz, with its 128-bit memory interface providing up to 12.8GB/sec of peak bandwidth. Board partners are free to go beyond these specs however, already we've seen a handful of partners clocking their boards at higher memory speeds than 400MHz, while most seem to be sticking with the stock speeds for the graphics core and shaders.

The GPU has a 50W TDP with a max GPU temp of 105 degrees Celsius and ships with a single-slot cooler and 6.6" long PCB. GeForce 9400 GT cards will ship with two dual-link DVI display outputs with additional support for HDMI and digital audio via adapter.

Cards are shipping now and should be hitting retail in the coming weeks. With its higher clocks and 16-shader architecture, the card officially replaces the 8500 GT in NVIDIA's lineup. Prices will start at $59.

NVIDIA and FutureMark have announced that Shattered Horizon will support PhysX technology. The press release doesn't mention how the game will take advantage of PhysX, but the move isn't totally unexpected considering that the FutureMark has been supporting PhysX since 3DMark 06. Here's a bit from the PR:

"Shattered Horizon has a real space setting that offers gameplay, tactics, and freedom of movement that cannot be found in any other shooter," said Jukka Mäkinen, Head of Futuremark Games Studio. "PhysX is essential in helping our game designers create a realistic and fun zero-gravity combat experience."

Shattered Horizon is a multiplayer first-person shooter where players fight in zero gravity surrounded by rocky debris from a huge explosion on the Moon. With simple and intuitive controls players have complete freedom of movement to create gameplay and tactics impossible in games constrained by gravity. The game’s stunning lighting effects and zero gravity physics give the look and feel of real space, bringing to life an extraordinary and epic vision of the future.

NVIDIA didn't launch a new CPU at NVISION today, but they did announce their plans to bring GPU support to Pegasys' video encoding software, TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress. The company claims they were able to deliver a 446% performance improvement over Intel's Core 2 Quad Q9450 when using a GeForce GTX 260. "Leveraging NVIDIA CUDA technology to accelerate our application on the GPU has dramatically improved the filtering speed of the TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress software," said Tak EBINE, CEO, Pegasys Inc. "CUDA technology has helped us deliver this result in a relatively short development time because it is intuitive to C programmers."

Since DX10.1 support was pulled from Assassin's Creed, ATI enthusiasts have been eager to hear details of more games that take advantage of the new API. Today AMD announced that Phenomic Studio, NHN Games, and SEGA all have games in development that will utilize DX10.1:

AMD today announced that leading game developers are working with AMD to create a new generation of game titles utilizing Microsoft DirectX 10.1 to deliver improved features and performance, and an overall better game experience. Developers including Electronic Arts Phenomic Studio and its forthcoming fantasy online real-time strategy game Battleforge, SEGA and its futuristic military real-time strategy game Stormrise, and NHN Games and its 3D role-playing game Cloud 9, all exploit DirectX 10.1 for advanced gaming performance and visual realism. Only AMD graphics offer top-to-bottom DirectX 10.1 support: the ATI Radeon HD 3000 series and the new ATI Radeon HD 4800 series.

"We welcome AMD’s broad support for DirectX 10.1 compliant hardware and we’re pleased to see our newest technology brought to market so soon. One of the great advantages of PC gaming is the rapid pace at which the experiences evolve and improve. The ATI Radeon HD 3000 series and now the ATI Radeon HD 4800 series hardware delivers on the promise of DirectX 10 gaming with significantly improved visuals and enhanced performance," said Kevin Unangst, Global Director, Microsoft Games for Windows.

"With Battleforge, EA is pushing the boundaries of the real-time strategy genre introducing social and community technologies to deliver a whole new online experience. It only makes sense that we leverage the latest technology such as DirectX 10.1 supported by the new ATI Radeon HD 4800 series of graphics cards from AMD to deliver an amazing experience for gamers," said Dirk Ringe, vice president, EA Phenomic. "We’re working hard to deliver a new fantasy RTS experience never seen before. Using DirectX 10.1 and AMD’s graphics technology will enable Battleforge to look its absolute best."

"SEGA welcomes the chance to deliver one of next year’s most technologically advanced titles, Stormrise. AMD’s enthusiastic commitment to new standards such as DirectX 10.1 in the ATI Radeon HD 4800 series is helping us develop a game which looks better and runs faster than was possible on previous platforms," said Chris Southall, CTO Europe, SEGA. "SEGA is delighted to team up with AMD on one of our forthcoming games. AMD’s firm commitment to cutting-edge technology makes them a natural partner for us on Stormrise."

ATI Radeon HD 3000 series graphics products and ATI Radeon HD 4800 series graphics products are widely available now at leading e-tailers, retailers and system integrators worldwide.

To showcase the difference that DirectX 10.1 technology makes, AMD recently unveiled a real-time 3D demo called "Ping Pong" to illustrate some of the new graphical techniques made possible by the new features DirectX 10.1 and supported by both the ATI Radeon HD 3000 series and ATI Radeon HD 4000 series of graphics processors. The interactive demo shows off advanced lighting techniques only possible through DirectX 10.1. For more information and to view the demo, please visit: http://ati.amd.com/developer/demos/rhd3000.html

As expected, today AMD sold their digital TV business to Broadcom for $192.8 million in cash. This move has been rumored since AMD released their Q2 results; everyone knows AMD needs the cash and Broadcom has been the most logical suitor. The deal is expected to close during Q4 of this year.

FiringSquad's top secret division looks at technology rumors floating around the 'net. In this round: NVIDIA and Apple!

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Rather than rely on NVIDIA's reference board design for the 9800 GT, Palit has incorporated a number of improvements into their 9800 GT Sonic, including a 3-phase board design, dual-slot cooling, and OC'ed clock speeds. How does the 9800 GT card perform in comparison to the popular GeForce 8800 GT and a host of other GPUs? Find out in this article!

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It looks like the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is getting tough with game pirates. According to a report at the U.K.'s Times Online, the industry group has just signed up former Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) lawyer Kenneth Doroshow as its chief counsel and a number of top game publishers will soon be suing British pirates suspected of downloading games.

From the story:

Five of the world’s top games developers will serve notice on 25,000 people across the UK, requiring each one to pay Ł300 immediately to settle out of court. Those who refuse risk being taken to court. The companies will target their initial legal actions on 500 people who ignore the letters.

The companies involved – Atari, Topware Interactive, Reality Pump, Techland and Codemasters – make some of the popular games, including The Lord of the Rings,the Colin McRae Rally series and Operation Flashpoint. It is estimated that as many as six million people in Britain share games illegally over the internet. The aggressive action marks a dramatic change in the approach to copyright on the internet. The British music industry, hit hard by illegal file-sharing, has taken action against just 150 people in ten years.

The game makers have appointed the law firm Davenport Lyons. This week Isabela Barwinska, an unemployed mother of two, became the first person in the UK to be ordered to pay damages to a manufacturer. She must pay more than Ł16,000 to Topware after downloading Dream Pinball through a file-sharing site.

Roger Billens, a partner at Davenport Lyons, said: "Our clients were incensed by the level of illegal downloading. In the first 14 days since Topware Interactive released Dream Pinball 3D it sold 800 legitimate copies but was illegally downloaded 12,000 times. Hopefully people will think twice if they risk being taken to court."

Even though I hate the RIAA as much as any other music-lover, I kind of like how the ESA is getting tough with game downloaders. Punishing the consumer is never a good thing, but what else can you do when game piracy is so common and widespread? The alternative is PC gaming dying altogether.

Well, better late than never. Rockstar and Take 2 announced today at the Leipzig Game Convention that the special Scholarship Edition take on Bully that came out for the 360 earlier this year will be ported to the PC sometime "soon." So expect a fall arrival.

Which is cool and all, and not too unexpected considering I finally bothered picking up the 360 game just two days ago. Nothing like buying a game three times!

A few days ago at the Leipzig Games Convention Sony announced that they will be launching an improved PSP, the PSP-3000, in October for $199.99. The PSP-3000 features an improved LCD screen that boasts half the response time, double the color gamut, an anti-reflective coating to reduced glare, and five times the contrast ratio of its predecessor, the PSP-2000. Famitsu.com has images of the improved screen here. The PSP-3000 also features an integrated microphone (allowing the new PSP to be used as a Skype-enabled telephone) and a new PS button.

The official PR with full specs can be found here.

In addition to the new PSP, Sony will also be introducing a new limited-edition Playstation 3 SKU, the "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Playstation 3 160GB." As its name suggests, the new console will ship with a copy of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, as well as a Playstation Network voucher for the game PAIN, and a DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller. The most significant addition for gamers though is probably the larger 160GB hard drive. With the Playstation Network now offering movie downloads and highly anticipated games such as Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty and SOCOM: Navy SEALs Confrontation hitting PSN soon, the larger HDD will definitely come in handy.

The limited-edition PS3 160GB console will begin shipping in November and will be priced at $499.99.

According Expreview's moles, NVIDIA is quietly cooking up an enhanced GeForce GTX 260 GPU with only one of its thread processing clusters (TPCs) disabled; NVIDIA disables two TPCs in today's GeForce GTX 260. This tweak ups the number of active stream processors by 24, from 196 in the original GTX 260 to 216 in the improved GeForce GTX 260. The rest of the GPU's specs remain the same, including clock speeds and memory interface, which remains 448-bit. This enhanced GeForce GTX 260 is expected to debut in mid September.

If this report is indeed true, it wouldn't be the first time NVIDIA has turned on previously disabled shaders midway through a GPU's life cycle. Just last year NVIDIA did the same thing for the GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB to improve its position against the wildly popular GeForce 8800 GT. The move is intended to help counter sales of ATI's Radeon HD 4870, which is also a hot seller at the moment.

A Radio Shack flyer posted on Joystiq corroborates earlier reports suggesting that Microsoft will slash prices on their entire lineup of Xbox 360 consoles this September. According to the flyer, the cuts should take effect Sept 7th, with the Arcade SKU getting the biggest cut, from $279.99 to $199.99. The Xbox 360 Pro 60GB will be priced at $299.99 and the Elite at $399.99.

With August winding to a close ATI has posted new 8.8 Catalyst drivers. The new drivers bring Hybrid CrossFire support to Windows XP (previously this feature was exclusive to Vista) and new Avivo video features:

Dynamic Gamma/Contrast correction, available on the ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series, improves video image quality by delivering more vivid color in content with sharp contrasts and scenes with low and bright images.

Improved video presets, available for the ATI Radeon HD 3000 and ATI Radeon 4800 Series, delivers a newly optimized video presets that users can select depending on what kind of video content they are viewing.

Windows XP support: Edge enhancement, which adjusts the level of sharpness of video content and Noise Reduction, which removes ghosting artifacts while preserving details of the original video. The new slider controls can be found in the All Settings page of the Avivo Video tab found in the Catalyst Control Center

Hybrid Graphics Support for Windows XP
This release of Catalyst introduces Hybrid Graphics support. Hybrid Graphics delivers a significant 3D performance boost for systems featuring an AMD 780G/780D integrated graphics motherboard and an ATI Radeon HD 3400 Series or ATI Radeon HD 2400 Series graphics accelerator. It also provides support for up to four independent displays.

The new driver also resolves a number of issues in Windows XP and Vista with games such as CoD 4, CoH: Opposing Fronts, Dirt, Hellgate London, Lost Planet, Mass Effect, UT3, The Witcher, and many others.

Catalyst 8.8 can be downloaded here at ATI's driver support page.

Following a ruling from the FCC earlier this month ordering Comcast to divulge more details on its plans to throttle some users web connection speeds, Comcast is reportedly planning to throttle speeds of its heaviest users by up to 20 minutes during periods of heavy 'net congestion. According to Comcast, rather than block specific programs like BitTorrent, their new system will automatically determine which users are clogging the most bandwidth and throttle their connection to DSL-like speeds: "If in fact a person is generating enough packets that they're the ones creating that situation, we will manage that consumer for the overall good of all of our consumers".

More specific details can be found in this Bloomberg article.

Regardless of what you think about the console's outdated graphics and family-friendly focus, even the most hardcore gamer must admit that Nintendo's IR-based Wiimote controller has revolutionized the way games are played. Now one company, Hillcrest Laboratories, has filed a suit alleging that Nintendo's controller violates four patents that they hold dealing with "technology for a handheld three-dimensional pointing device and a display interface system for organizing graphic content on a TV".

"While Hillcrest Labs has a great deal of respect for Nintendo and the Wii, Hillcrest Labs believes that Nintendo is in clear violation of its patents and has taken this action to protect its intellectual property rights."

Tired of reaching for a cord to recharge your cell phone or MP3 player? If so, wireless recharging technology from Intel could make those days a thing of the past. The company is working on tech first developed by researchers at MIT that uses magnetic fields to broadcast power short distances, this NYTimes story mentions 60 watts of power at ranges up to three feet. The idea is that this tech could be integrated into desks, tables, and other surfaces. You'd simply place your MP3 player or other electronics device on this surface to recharge it.

EA Sports announced today that it is extending its tentacles into pro tennis. An as-yet-to-be-named new tennis franchise will be launched for the major console platforms in 2009, starting with a Wii version that will be the first EA Sports game to use Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus accessory for the Wiimote.

From the press release:

"As we look to expand the EA SPORTS brand and captivate sports fans from around the world with rich new interactive experiences, it was obvious that the renaissance we're seeing in the sport of tennis provides us with a big opportunity," said Peter Moore, President, EA SPORTS. "Our new tennis franchise, coming first to the Wii, will put fans right into the action and provide the excitement, tension and drama that true champions feel in legendary matches – like the classic from Wimbledon just last month."

EA SPORTS will bring tennis to life and allow players to experience the pressure and excitement of competing in the greatest theaters in the game, and it will be the only videogame to feature the All England Lawn Tennis Club – home of The Championships, Wimbledon. The all-new EA SPORTS tennis franchise will offer innovative ways to play, both as or against the greatest players from the past or present, letting you control the ball and work the court like you never have before in a tennis videogame.

Gee, you had to know that EA would work in an exclusive in there somewhere. More at the official website.

FIFA 09 is getting more realistic. A press release today gave the details on Adidas Live Season, a new feature for the EA Sports soccer sim that will let you update player abilities on the fly during the course of real-life seasons.

From the press release:

FIFA Soccer 09 will now feel and play differently throughout the entire 2008-2009 season matching the weekly rhythm of soccer. The new service will be available for Barclay’s Premier League, La Liga BBVA, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Serie A and Mexican Primera Division on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and PC.

FIFA Soccer 09 is now powered with dynamic real-world data and analytics, lifting the game to new heights of authenticity for soccer fans and gamers connected online. The adidas Live Season service is based on how real players performed in the most recent real-world matches. Gameplay will change dynamically as the performance of players and soccer teams in the real world experience the highs and lows during their campaigns.

"This is an ambitious and completely unique feature that has never been attempted before for football videogames," said Andrew Wilson, Vice President & Executive Producer for the franchise. "The game will feel and play differently each week. With adidas Live Season if Ronaldinho has a great match on the weekend you’ll feel the difference when you pick up the controller as his in-game attributes increase."

Of course, this service won't be free. You will, however, have gratis Adidas Live Season access to one league of your choice through the 2008-2009 soccer season, which isn't bad, all things considered. More info is available at the FIFA website.

August 20, 2008 (Rockville, MD) – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, announced today that its highly anticipated title, Fallout® 3, will be available on store shelves and online in North America on October 28, 2008 and in Europe on October 31, 2008. Developed at Bethesda Game Studios – creators of the 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® – Fallout 3 is slated for release on the Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows. “We are very excited to let gamers get their hands on Fallout 3, the latest chapter in this beloved and highly acclaimed franchise,” said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. “To meet the huge demand for this title by our fans worldwide, we are planning one of the biggest launches of any game released this year.” Fallout 3 features one of the most realized game worlds ever created. Set more than 200 years following a nuclear war, you can create any kind of character you want and explore the open wastes of Washington, D.C. however you choose. Every minute is a fight for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, and other dangers of the Wasteland. Hailed as one of the most anticipated games for 2008, Fallout 3 has already won numerous awards including Best of Show from the official Game Critics Awards at E3 2008, a selection voted on by an independent group of journalists from 36 leading North American media outlets that cover the videogame industry. Fallout® 3 has not yet been rated by the ESRB. For more information on Fallout 3, visit http://fallout.bethsoft.com.

One feature Intel mobile Penryn processors have supported is the ability to adjust their clock speed based on load. This power saving feature includes the ability to downclock the idle core when not in use, while the active core is overclocked in order to deliver increased performance.

With Nehalem, Intel is finally bringing this technology to desktop processors. The CPU will feature a "Turbo" mode that is capable of shutting off unused processor cores and will instead OC the cores that are being used. The feature is hardware-based and completely invisible to the OS, no user intervention is required.

With desktop Nehalem processors eventually scaling up to eight cores, this feature could definitely prove useful with apps that aren't designed to take advantage of multi-threading.

Thanks to their high performance and low power consumption SSDs seem to be all the rage nowadays. Intel is the latest company to step into the market, announcing 2 consumer grade SSDs at IDF today. The 80GB 1.8" X-18M is Intel's entry-level offering, while the 2.5" X-25M boasts 160GB capacity. Both drives are based on multilevel cell technology and should begin shipping in the next 30 days. More info on the drives can be found in this article at CNET.