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AMD's new graphics core is built for laptop gaming
For all the talk of fast graphics in thin laptops, the technology isn't quite there yet. You typically have to choose between a bulky gaming machine and a thin system with pokey low-end video. AMD thinks it might have the cure, however. It just offered a peek at a new graphics architecture, Polaris, that promises gaming-grade performance without the power draw. In Star Wars Battlefront, one of AMD's future chipsets is 61 percent more energy-efficient than a GeForce GTX 950 with similar performance -- in the mobile world, that could make the difference between a slim portable and a big desktop replacement. Even if AMD is cherry-picking the results, this could still lead to speedier visual in laptops and any other small PCs where heat and power are problems.
Engadget Primed: The crazy science of GPU compute
Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day -- we dig deep into each topic's history and how it benefits our lives. You can follow the series here. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com. As you're hopefully aware, this is a gadget blog. As a result, we're innately biased towards stuff that's new and preferably fandangled. More cores, more pixels, more lenses; just give it here and make us happy. The risk of this type of technological greed is that we don't make full use of what we already have, and nothing illustrates that better than the Graphics Processing Unit. Whether it sits in our desktops, laptops, tablets or phones, the GPU is cruelly limited by its history -- its long-established reputation as a dumb, muscular component that takes instructions from the main processor and translates them into pixels for us to gawp at. But what if the GPUs in our devices had some buried genius -- abilities that, if only we could tap into them, would yield hyper-realistic experiences and better all-round performance from affordable hardware? Well, the thing is, this hidden potential actually exists. We've been covering it since at least 2008 and, even though it still hasn't generated enough fuss to become truly famous, the semiconductor industry is making more noise about it now than ever before. So please, join us after the break as we endeavor to explain why the trend known as "GPU compute," aka "general purpose GPU (GPGPU)," or simply "not patronizing your graphics processor," is still exciting despite having let us down in the past. We'll try to show why it's worth learning a few related concepts and terms to help provide a glossary for future coverage; and why, on the whole, your graphics chip is less Hasselhoff and more Hoffman than you may have imagined.
Nintendo's Game Boy Advance SP once had an autostereoscopic screen
It may seem like 3D sprung from the ashes of discontentment -- not to mention red / blue glasses -- but Nintendo never stopped believing. It's been secretly refining stereoscopic tech for years in the likes of the Game Boy Advance and GameCube. And while president Satoru Iwata already mentioned early last year that the GameCube had hidden 3D circuits, he recently revealed that the 3DS's autostereoscopic panel actually dates back to the clamshell Game Boy Advance SP. Which, as you might recall, also once sported a touchscreen. At the time, his story goes, LCD resolution was too low to generate a sharp image, but the optometrist-friendly glasses-free tech was already in place. Of course, if you truly want to consult the history books, you can consider Nintendo's entry into the market to be the Famicom 3D System shutter glasses pictured above... which hit stores in Japan way back in 1986. Yeah, we know.
Internal Gamecube memory card mod
The genius behind the internal Wavebird receiver mod is back to ensure that you have even less reason to open that flap, provided you don't mind opening the whole system.This time, the target is the Gamecube memory card, which gets not only soldered into the system, but taped onto the motherboard. Electrical engineering is serious business! The modder uses a third-party memory card held together with standard Philips-head screws, but if you want to install your Nintendo brand memory card, you'll need one of those triwing screwdrivers to get past Nintendo's proprietary screws.[Thanks, James Smith!]
Devour this Gamecube Kirby video, gain its power
We caught this trailer from the unreleased Gamecube Kirby platformer on Gamevideos, and we are agape. Stunned. We think that given the choice to release this or Kirby Air Ride, Nintendo may have chosen poorly.Kirby is clearly using HAL's Super Smash Bros. Melee engine, and to awesome effect, as the graphics look great and the combat looks fighting-game solid. The video shows off Kirby's ability to not only copy enemy attacks, but to trade in those attacks for helper creatures. We loved the ability-combining mechanic from Kirby 64, and we're glad to see new stuff being done with Kirby's, uh, eating habits.The world needs side-scrolling platformers, especially when they look this cool. We sincerely hope that the release of this trailer is foreshadowing a Wii release of the game. See the trailer for yourself following the post break.[Via NeoGAF]
Circuit City busts out the used games
Cheap Ass Gamer points to Circuit City's new pre-owned games section on the retailer's website. GameDaily reports that an analyst from Lazard Capital Markets is doubtful the 'experiment' (Circuit City has less than 50 used games for sale) will do much to loosen GameStop Corp's grip on the used-games market. In order to be competitive, Circuit City would have increase its inventory of both new and used games, in order to restock its store locations to balance supply and demand; and a sophisticated inventory and pricing system would need to be put in place, headed by a sales team that could accurately appraise trade-ins. "Importantly, Circuit City is not the first 'big box' retailer to test pre-owned game sales, with Best Buy experimenting with used product sales as recently as last year, with limited success according to our checks," says Lazard.[Thanks, Yoon]
Release drought? A line graph disagrees!
What's the best way to make the Wii seem even cooler? Compare it to the Nintendo 64! Games Radar decided to get to the bottom of the "release drought" issue by comparing the current Wii library to the libraries of the GameCube and N64 after their first four months. The Wii has the most diverse lineup by far, which would seem to prove, for better or worse, that third parties are participating more this time around.We're kind of surprised the GameCube "launch window" selection was this small, but the N64 numbers look right in line with our impressions. Only, like,four games were ever released for that, and two of them were basically the same 3D Castlevania.
Twilight Princess Easter eggs & tin-foil hat conspiracies
Green chus? Bottomless pits of water? Warp birds named after hexadecimal color codes? Maaaybe...IGN forum poster yoshi117's list of Twilight Princess "Easter eggs" isn't entirely useless; in fact, it highlights many of the inconspicuous details that were sprinkled into Nintendo's heralded masterpiece. The importance of these minute elements is often overlooked in game development, but Nintendo EAD proves once again how a little touch of wonder, or harmless act of mischief, can provide a lasting memory.[Thanks, KozWiz; via Wii Fanboy]
Wii puzzler drops GCN controller support
Mercury Meltdown Revolution, the only Wii title so far to hint at its former nickname, has dropped support for the GameCube controller as previously planned; however, using the classic controller is still just fine and dandy.Ed Bradley, studio manager for MMR developer Ignition Entertainment, told Eurogamer that "we've had to drop support for the GameCube controller as it's a very much 'at developers own risk' proposition and we're not masochists!" The context is not entirely clear, but our best guess is that, while a library of code for the classic controller may be provided by Nintendo, the burden of programming for GCN ports is on the developer and Bradley didn't feel like expending the resources.Here's our worry: remember when Smash Bros. Brawl producer Masahiro Sakurai revealed that GameCube controllers would be compatible, so as not to alienate those who prefer the traditional -- dare we say classic -- control scheme? What if Nintendo's beat-em-up only supports the classic controller attachment? The cynic in us fears Nintendo would nix GCN controller support in order to sell a few more attachments. Not that it's a bad attachment, mind you, but we already have so many GCN controllers lying around that we don't want them to go to waste.
Radilgy now Radio Allergy, GCN shooter westbound
Which is it? Radilgy? Rajirugi? Radirgy? None of these. O~3 Entertainment has settled on 'Radio Allergy' for the North American release of Milestone's GameCube port of the throwback arcade shooter. Radio Allergy is due February 2007 for a mere $20.Radilgy made its console debut on Dreamcast this past February in Japan -- yeah, that's right, Dreamcast. A few months later additional versions wound up on PlayStation 2 and GameCube. Radio Allergy is a vertical shmup with anime flair. It's no Ikaruga, but anytime a classic-style shoot-em-up makes it out of Japan it's a blessing.
Metareview - Zelda: Twilight Princess (GameCube)
For Wii-less GameCube owners it's a no-brainer; you pro'ly been had your copy of Twilight Princess. But for those few Wii owners who are considering the GameCube edition, still unable to take decisive action, here are several takes on how the two versions match up:
The possibilities of PS3-PSP connectivity [Update 1]
The PS3 and PSP are going to be great friends. Sure, they won't be able to play with each other when the PLAYSTATION 3 comes out, but they will in the future, and the possibilities are exciting. chubgians, IGN's ultimate PSP fanboy, recently wrote a massive essay on how PS3-PSP connecitivty can succeed where GCN-GBA has failed. Some of the key points to note: The two systems were made to work with each other: look at the XMB. Also, there's no extra cables to buy: just use the PSP's wi-fi connection, or the USB cable that's connected to the controller. Even without any software, you can access content on the PS3 from your PSP. With the Gamecube, your GBA cables were useless unless you had a game that supported it... and those were quite few in number. Accessing the Friends feature of the PS3 from the PSP will be incredible: imagine, a universal play experience on your PS3 and PSP. It's starting with games like Cash Money Chaos. You can read the rest of chubigan's lengthy postulations on his IGN blog.See also:The "PS3" tag on PSP Fanboy.[Update 1: IGN has been playing with their retail unit of the system and revealed one tidbit we didn't know about before: when using Remote Play, your PS3 is forced into non-HD 480p mode. Boo!]
September North American hardware sales
You wanted to see more sales numbers in North America and here they are, hot off the ... well, hot on your screen: hardware sales in North America for September. Guess who's in the lead?Yeah. It's the Nintendo DS. That's right. We're not going to crack any little jokes about these numbers. We're not going to make up a story. We're just going to let the figures speak for themselves.TOP SELLING HARDWARE (units sold) NDS - 403,435 PS2 - 306,517 360 - 259,458 GBA - 177,145 PSP - 153,353 NGC - 42,286 XBX - 6,495 For the month, sales blew up when compared to this time last year -- to the tune of a 38% increase in units sold for the month. That's a sizeable jump, and industry analysts predict that this may be gaming's biggest year ever. We Nintendo fans are proud to be a part of that powerhouse expansion program.Check after the jump for software sales numbers.
