Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It’s free!
nVidia today announced the availability of the first official driver set to allow end users to build their own Quad SLI systems. Previously, this was only supported through specific pre-built systems offered by various OEMS. The system requirements for building a SLI enabled system include:
- ForceWare 91.45 graphics driver
- Two NVIDIA SLI-Ready GeForce® 7950 GX2 graphics cards
- An NVIDIA nForce®4 SLI X16- or a new NVIDIA nForce 590/570 SLI-based motherboard
- An AMD® Athlon™ FX- 62 or Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor
Gamers might be able to slide with a slower CPU, but realistically, if a person has the money to drop on two 7950 GX2 GPUs, then they should be able to afford the fastest processor on the market. HardOCP was able to get a system configured to test this combination; when the games worked with the quad GPUs, the results were great. However, there are apparently some architectural issues with DirectX 9 that prevent games from fully taking advantage of the graphical horsepower. According to nVidia, games powered by DirectX will require DirectX 10 in Windows Vista to shine on these configurations. Right now, Quad SLI seems to be more of a novelty than anything else. Systems based around this hardware are extremely expensive, and very few games can really take advantage of the power offered. Until DirectX 10 becomes mainstream, the majority of game titles hitting the market won’t even be able to push the hardware to its limits.
Read More 
| HardOCP
Advertisement
Microsoft Demos Xbox 360 HD-DVD Drive, Lips Sealed on Price
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Accessories, Hardware, Rumors, Xbox 360,
C-Net was lucky enough to get a peek at the Xbox 360’s upcoming external HD-DVD drive yesterday and so far (though details are scant) the setup sounds pretty good. According to Kevin Collins, senior programmer at Microsoft, all of the video and audio processing is done in the Xbox 360 itself, meaning that the external drive’s cost should remain pretty low. Unfortunately, we won’t be getting our hands on an official price just yet: “Collins said Microsoft’s HD DVD drive will be among the least expensive of the HD DVD players.” That doesn’t say a lot, given how both Toshiba’s HD-A1 and RCA’s HSDV5000 retail for around $500.
Given how critical Microsoft has been of the Playstation 3’s price, it seems like a given that their HD-DVD drive will retail for much less than $500. But will it fall below $200, making the Xbox 360 + external HD-DVD cheaper than the PS3? Looks like for now we’ll have to keep playing the waiting game.
Read More | C-Net
Pioneer Introduces First Official Xbox 360 Surround Sound System
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Accessories, Corporate News, Hardware, Xbox 360,
Yes of course, you could use any old surround sound system with your Xbox 360, but why would you when you could have the sleek beauty pictured above?!? The system pictured is Pioneer’s HTP-GS1, the first surround sound setup to be specifically design for the Xbox 360. In addition to its charming good looks, the system features 600 watts of total system power, 3 digital inputs, AM/FM radio, advanced acoustic calibration, and a remote designed to interface with your 360.
At $699, you could probably get the same sound a lot cheaper… but probably not much sexier.
Read More | Hardware Zone
Latest Gear Live Videos
Microsoft: Look for a “Number of Surprises” after Wii and PS3 Launch
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Driving, Hardware, Rumors, Xbox 360,
Microsoft’s Richard Teversham, the Xbox Europe head of marketing, was recently interviewed by British gaming site MCV. In that interview, he teases about “a number of surprises” that will hit in Q4 2006, to counter the launch of Sony’s Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii.
“I don’t want to reveal any plans at the moment because we want to keep a number of surprises up our sleeve. We will ensure we are good value and we’ll do that through having a variety of pricing on games, a variety of pricing on console offers.”
Microsoft has repeatedly denied that the 360 will see a price drop at the end of this year, although they haven’t explicitly denied the existence of a rumored PGR 3 Xbox 360 bundle (as reported here). And it would seem that Teversham’s careful wording on having a variety of “console offers” might give some further weight to this theory. What other surprises might Microsoft have up their sleeves? Well, with Zune expected to launch in Q4 2006, I expect that Microsoft will also be thrilling us with the interactions possible between their media player and the 360.
This all, of course, is great news for consumers who may once again see the days of pack-in games coming standard with consoles. If Nintendo decides to launch the Wii with something like Wii Sports as a pack-in (as has been speculated in a number of venues), and if MS decides to compete using a similar offering, it’ll only be a matter of time before the more expensive PS3 has to pony up.
Read More | MCV UK
PC Requirements and Recommendations Listed for Crysis
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, Hardware, PC, Screenshots, Trailers, Xbox 360,
With its advanced real-time lighting, destructible gently-swaying forest environments, and beautiful textures, Crytek’s Crysis promises to be one of the best-looking games on the PC. It’s also going to put quite a dent in your bank account, from the looks of it. A forum admin over on the Crysis website has posted estimated system requirements for the game, as follows:
Minimum Requirements
CPU: Athlon 64 3000+/Intel 2.8ghz
Graphics: Nvidia 6600/X800GTO (SM 2.0)
RAM: 768Mb/1Gb on Windows Vista
HDD: 6GB
Internet: 256k+
Optical Drive: DVD
Software: DX9.0c with Windows XP
Recommended Requirements
CPU: Dual-core CPU (Athlon X2/Pentium D)
Graphics: Nvidia 7800GTX/ATI X1800XT (SM 3.0) or DX10 equivalent
RAM: 1.5Gb
HDD: 6GB
Internet: 512k+ (128k+ upstream)
Optical Drive: DVD
Software: DX10 with Windows Vista
With the Xbox 360 also due to get this game, it’ll be interesting to see how the versions compare - at least for me, the cost to upgrade my system to meet those recommended specs would probably make it worthwhile to just get a 360 instead.
Read More | Crysis Forums
Sony To Require Almost $300 Deposit for PS3?
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Hardware, PlayStation 3, Rumors,
According to statements in British trade publication MCV, Sony is talking with British retailers about requiring a substantial deposit (150 pounds, about $270 US) for its next-gen console, the Playstation 3. The article states that this measure is being considered to stop eBay speculators from creating a repeat performance of the Xbox 360 launch. During that launch, numerous reports were received of enterprising individuals buying several Xbox 360 consoles on release day to sell on eBay, using the console shortage to drive up prices substantially.
With numerous reports of part shortages and low chip yields, the Playstation 3 could see a similar shortage - but it’s questionable just how much this sort of a deposit would deter eBay speculators. And instead of requiring a Wii-sized deposit, couldn’t Sony just require stores to sell only one or two consoles per person? We’ll keep our eyes open to see if this sort of a deposit scheme makes it state-side.
Read More | Boomtown
Nintendo Repairing DS Lite Hinge Cracks Free of Charge
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, Hardware, Nintendo, Nintendo DS,
While they haven’t admitted that it’s a widespread problem yet, Nintendo appears to be investigating the hinge cracks on DS Lites and repairing the issue free of charge, at least on a case-by-case basis. Nintendo’s press release states:
“In the U.S., the reported number of small cosmetic cracks in the plastic hinge of DS Lite systems represents less than 0.02 percent of the total units sold. This cosmetic issue in no way impacts the gameplay or integrity of the DS Lite. Nintendo stands behind the quality of our products and encourages DS Lite owners to contact our Customer Service Department if they are not happy with the functionality of their systems.”
The 0.02% number seems a bit on the low side (it’s probably only counting reported cracks), especially given that Kotaku recent poll on the issue reported 10% of users noticing the problems. However, Kotaku statistics could’ve been skewed as well by the fact that users with cracks would be more likely to respond to the survey.
The folks at Kotaku talked to a Nintendo rep about their own DS lite crack and at least in their case, Nintendo agreed to look at their handheld and replace or fix it if the unit was found to be defective (i.e., assuming the crack wasn’t caused by droppage). Nintendo is even sending UPS shipping labels out, meaning that the whole thing can be fixed without even paying shipping.
It’s good to see a company standing behind their product like this (even though it required a bit of pestering), especially with something that doesn’t actually affect the playability of the DS. Now just make sure it doesn’t happen again with the Wii, guys!!
Read More | Kotaku
Asustek Set To Deliver Playstation 3?
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, PlayStation 3, Rumors,
According to Digitimes, Chinese-language newspapers Apple Daily and Commercial Times are reporting that Asustek has started shipping small batches of the Playstation 3 to Sony. These units would be part of the four million consoles that Sony is seeking to have ready by the end of the year. Digitimes also quotes Apple Daily as saying that Chinese manufacturer Foxconn will be building Playstation 3 consoles as demand grows. The reports come from Taiwanese component suppliers for the Playstation 3, who say that they have delivered 200,000 component sets to Asustek for manufacturing. While no confirmation has come from other sources at this time, production lines for the Playstation 3 would have to start ramping up soon to meet Sony’s November launch date. Sony has reportedly been facing low yields for both the Cell processor and the Blu-Ray optics; how much this will affect their assembly line schedule remains to be seen.
Read More | Digitimes
Nintendo Fusion Tour Sept 27 - Nov 11, Cities TBA
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, Hardware, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Rumors, Wii,
The Nintendo Fusion Tour—a “concert” that’s really a Nintendo marketing event with “up and coming” bands—will be back this year, according to the Billboard music website. The tour will be headlined by the “Hawthorne Heights” act and will give folks who couldn’t make it to E3 a chance to play with Nintendo’s new Wii console.
It looks as if Billboard may have broken the news early by accident. Going to www.nintendofusiontour takes you to a post on Nintendo.com that has the tour logo and a short notice saying only “More Information Coming Soon”. Hopefully, this page will be updated shortly so that we can get an idea of what cities will be previewing the Wii.
Read More | Billboard.com
Some DS Lite Owners Notice Hinge Crack Problems
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Hardware, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Rumors,
Some owners of the DS lite (who couldn’t have owned it for much more than a month), are already starting to notice some small cracking in the plastic outer shell, specifically on the hinge near the L shoulder button. Maxconsole.net has had 4 users send in pictures of this problem, which while not necessarily widespread is definitely not an isolated incident either. This problem is being seen by adult users who “treated their DS lite like a baby”, so chances are there might be some small defect in the manufacturing process.
Of course, this problem does not in any way affect the operation of the DS and is only a minor cosmetic issue. Still, users over at MaxConsole have decided to make a trip to the Nintendo World store in New York City, to see how the demo units there are holding up. Now that you’re aware of the issue, do you have DS lite with similar cracking?
Read More | MaxConsole.net
Advertisement
© Gear Live Inc. {year} – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.