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Call of Duty: Ghosts demands 64-bit OS, 40GB hard drive space
Activision has revealed the final system requirements for the PC version of Call of Duty: Ghosts, a game that requires a large chunk of your hard drive, a sizable amount of RAM and most crucially, a 64-bit operating system. As with all "minimum requirements" lists, those who have hardware that exceeds the specifications laid out by Activision will see improved performance. That said, those who meet the following list of requirements should find the game playable (if not stunning) on their computer: Minimum System Requirements: OS: Windows 7 64-Bit / Windows 8 64-Bit CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8200 2.66 GHZ / AMD Phenom™ X3 8750 2.4 GHZ or better Memory: 6 GB RAM Hard Disk Space: 40 GB Video: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTS 450 / ATI® Radeon™ HD 5870 or better Sound: DirectX compatible sound card DirectX®: DirectX® 11 Internet: Broadband Internet connection for Steam and Online Multiplayer. Alongside this hardware list, Activision also states that Call of Duty: Ghosts "is set to be one of the best Call of Duty experiences ever." Whether or not that claims holds up will remain a mystery until the game's debut on November 5.
Valve's Steam Machine prototype is tiny, potentially powerful
When Valve ships its own prototype version of a Steam Machine later this year to 300 beta users, those folks are getting relatively tiny and powerful gaming consoles. At very least, it'll have an NVIDIA GTX 660 (all the way through Titan), and anywhere from an Intel i3 CPU to an i7-4770. All prototypes come with 3GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD for storage. A 450w battery powers the 12 x 12.4 x 2.9in. boxes, which is internal (no external power supply! alright!). Valve says it isn't ready to show off the box just yet, but offers more details than the prototype's initial announcement: the prototype is built entirely from "off-the-shelf PC parts," and is "fully upgradeable." In fact, aside from the prototype's custom housing, Valve says, "anyone can go and build exactly the same machine." The company even plans on sharing the CAD files for the housing, should you wish to directly replicate Valve's efforts. The forum post also says we'll see the box soon, before the beta units head out to 300 lucky folks. Head below for the full range of specs. Of course, the worry here is pricing. We still don't know how much any of this will cost, and it certainly smells like it won't be cheap. For example, Xi3's modestly powerful Piston gaming PC carries a $1,000 price tag. On the low end, just Valve's prototype's NVIDIA GPU costs around $200 (with the high-end Titan coming in around $1,000), which is to say nothing of the custom work required to fit said NVIDIA GPUs and Intel CPUs and everything inside a custom 12 x 12.4 x 2.9in. enclosure. If nothing else, beta users are getting a relatively pricey piece of tech for free -- an endeavor that no doubt engenders a lot of love from Valve's loyal community. What we'll see available for sale some time next year, however, may look a lot different than what we're seeing in this prototype.
NVIDIA Tegra TAB coming with Tegra 4 chip, 7-inch display, stylus
Thanks to another revealing pass through the FCC, we now know more about NVIDIA's upcoming P1640 mystery tablet, starting with a likely name: the Tegra TAB. An internal photo shows that it'll have a Tegra 4 variant we've not seen before, a mid-range 7-inch, 1,280 x 800 IPS display and a 3200 or 4100mAh battery. An included manual also reveals a stock-looking flavor of Android Jelly Bean, a front HD camera, 5-megapixel rear camera and, interestingly, a stylus -- along with apps for it. There's no other details, and we're still not sure if NVIDIA will be selling the device itself or through OEMs. Either way, it's clearly more than just a developer device like the Tegra 4i Phoenix, so we wouldn't be shocked to see it on the market soon.
Report: PS4 reserves 3.5GB of RAM for the OS
Nearly half of the PlayStation 4's onboard RAM is reserved for the console's operating system, according to a report from the hardware sleuths at Digital Foundry. Sony documents supposedly reveal that 3.5 gigs of RAM are dedicated to functions of the PS4's streaming-friendly OS, leaving 4.5 gigs for video games to use exclusively. "Sources close to Sony," however, indicate that it may be possible for developers to requisition up to one additional gig of space, provided the operating system can spare it at the time. This may also be a luxury most easily used by first-party developers during the early life of the console. This places the PlayStation 4's off-limits memory allotment within shouting distance of the Xbox One's, which is said to be three gigabytes. Both consoles ship with eight gigs in total, though the type of RAM installed in each console does vary: faster GDDR5 in the PS4, and DDR3 in the Xbox One. For comparison, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 each have 512 megs of RAM, because they were hewn from driftwood by cave people in the days before time.
Community Blog Topic Results: Favorite class and spec
Last week, we asked "What is your favorite class and spec?" We got many answers from altoholics who couldn't choose to enthusiastic odes. Here's what everyone had to say, listed in order of popularity. Hunter AlternativeChat over at ALT:ernative says If it's Hunter shaped, I'm going to play it. She favors the Beast Mastery spec due to its utility in soloing and farming as well as its pet buffs granting access to all DPS and crowd control abilities.
Talents and abilities you never use
Any given class in WoW has a ton of different spells and abilities. More than I can reasonably hotkey to my decidedly un-fancy two-button mouse and $5 thrift shop keyboard, in any case. I do my best with keybinding and click modifiers, but inevitably there are some things that just aren't going to make the cut. Fortunately, these abilities usually present themselves without a whole lot of deliberation. For example, on my druid, I don't remember the last time I used Soothe. The other ability I find gathering dust in my spellbook is Hibernate. I know I used Hibernate to help with crowd control for trash packs in Ulduar and Ruby Sanctum during Wrath of the Lich King, but since then? Nope. Hibernate does not live on my bars.
Sony's PlayStation 4 Eye is a $59 add-on, PS4 packs an upgradable 500GB HDD inside (updated)
While the US press release for the PlayStation 4 mentioned details about games, used games and pricing, it did not confirm all of the specs for the console. In Japan however, a more detailed press release clears up a few things. Sony's console is packing a 500GB hard drive (same as the Xbox One), and it will not include the camera module, which is a $59 (£44 and €49) add-on for the $399 box. By comparison, the Xbox One includes -- and requires for its use -- the Kinect 2.0 camera. (Update: Sony's confirmed that the PS4's hard drive is upgradable.) A Best Buy listing confirms the PlayStation 4 Eye's add-on status and pricing, and that an extra DualShock 4 controller will also go for $59. We've double checked with Sony and confirmed that the system comes with a controller and mono earpiece plus HDMI, USB and power cords -- but no camera. The spec sheet also confirms the system's dimensions at 275 x 53 x 305mm (excluding the largest projection), its ports (HDMI and optical out, 2 USB 3.0 in and 1 AUX in for use with the camera) and that a single ear mono headset is packed in with the system. That controller weighs in at 210g, includes a 1000mAh battery and one other detail some may have missed -- a built-in mono speaker. There are details specs for the camera too, which is capable of a maximum 1280 x 800 (x2) pixel capture at 60fps, 640 x 400 at 120fps, or 320 x 192 at 240fps. It has an 85 degree FOV and a 2 meter cable to connect to the system. Want to do more digging into the specs and learn about the design of the PS4? Check out the PDF linked below. [Thanks, Matthew] Follow all of our E3 2013 coverage at our event hub.
Xbox One and PlayStation 4 specs compared
Microsoft today announced the next generation of Xbox technology, called the Xbox One. Sony previously announced the PlayStation 4 back on February 20, so we now have a full look at just what both next-generation HD boxes will contain. After the break, we've assembled a chart comparing the two consoles and their various components. The two machines are surprisingly similar, with both using an eight core CPU, the same amount of RAM, and both containing a combo Blu-Ray and DVD drive. But there are some major differences, too: Microsoft has created its own chip for the Xbox One, and the PlayStation 4 controller contains that share button and the clickable touchpad. Prices for both units haven't been announced yet, but both will be available later on this year.
Xbox One specs include Blu-ray drive, 500 GB hard drive [Update]
The Xbox One will include a Blu-ray drive as well as a 500 GB hard drive, Microsoft's Mark Whitten revealed at today's next-gen Xbox reveal event. The system will feature 8 GB of system memory, USB 3.0 ports, an 8-core CPU, 64-bit architecture, built-in Wi-Fi and HDMI in/out ports. Whitten also noted that the Xbox One's architecture uses three operating systems. Microsoft also revealed details on the next-gen Kinect sensor and the Xbox One's controller at the event. Update: We've compared the Xbox One and PlayStation 4's specs.
Google Glass support page lists tech specs for camera, battery, audio and display
The trickle of Google Glass details (they're shipping, the API is available and an Android companion app is live) has suddenly turned into a flood tonight, as 9to5Google points out a support page listing the device's technical specs. While we knew some bits about its capabilities (some of which were explained in a patent application), the official list reveals its display will be equivalent to a 25-inch HD screen viewed from eight feet away, while its camera does 5MP stills and 720p video. It packs 16GB of storage onboard, 12GB of which are available to the wearer. Audio is transferred via a bone conduction transducer, while its wireless capabilities include Bluetooth and WiFi 802.11 b/g. There's a micro-USB charger included with it and the battery is expected to last a "full day of typical use" although video and Google Hangouts will drain it more quickly. Also published is an FAQ for things like "Is it ok to go scuba diving with Glass?" (A: No, jackhammering is also probably out, while laws concerning mobile devices and driving may rule out use behind the wheel as well), covering things any Explorers should know before their headset arrives.
Sony details PlayStation 4 specs: 8-core AMD 'Jaguar' CPU, 6X Blu-ray
So we didn't see the actual PlayStation 4 console on stage at Sony's press event tonight, but that doesn't mean we can't know what's inside it. A press release reveals that the PS4's PC-like configuration will include an 8-core 64-bit x86 "Jaguar" CPU built by AMD, with a Radeon GPU comprised of 18 "compute units" capable of cranking out 1.84 TFLOPS to process graphics and more. Its Blu-ray drive -- yes, it will still have one of those -- spins at a brisk 6X (8X for DVDs) and as mentioned on stage, it packs 8GB of unified GDDR5 RAM capable of 176GB/sec of bandwidth. 802.11n WiFi, USB 3.0, Bluetooth 2.1, HDMI, optical out and even a legacy analog AV out make up the inputs and outputs, although the potential amounts of storage are still unspecified. Also mentioned are the new software features, which include long-awaited additions like cross-game chat, and PSN Sony Entertainment Network accounts can now connect to Facebook. Other details we've already heard plenty about, like its instant-on "suspend mode", preloading of content, cloud gaming and shared game experiences. There are still many unknowns about Sony's next game console, get filled in on the facts as they are after the break.
PlayStation 4's DualShock 4, Eye camera detailed
Sony has revealed some more specifics regarding the PlayStation 4's new DualShock 4 controller, as well as the new, double-camera PlayStation 4 Eye peripheral announced during tonight's event. Six-axis controls return in the DualShock 4, as do the familiar array of face/shoulder buttons and direction inputs. New additions to the unit include a PlayStation Vita-esque touch pad on the front of the device, which is capacitive and can register two points of contact at a time. The pad itself can also be clicked as a button, from the sound of the press release tucked away after the break. Start and Select buttons have had their functionality reassigned to a new "Options" button. Meanwhile, a "Share" button allows the player to access the PlayStation 4's wealth of social options, which include live-streaming through services such as Ustream and the sharing of videos on social networks. Additionally, an LED "light bar" on top of the controller illuminates to communicate various information to players, such as a character's current health status, for instance. That light bar also communicates with the PlayStation 4 Eye, the latest version of Sony's storied camera peripheral. This time around, the Eye features two cameras capable of a maximum resolution of 1280 x 800 each, in addition to a four-channel array of microphones. The cameras have the ability to "cut out the image of the player from the background, or to grasp players' position in front and behind," which sounds rather familiar if you ask us. Users can use the Eye to log into their PlayStation 4 via facial recognition, in addition to the PlayStation Move implementations you'd expect from the device point.
Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin releasing in late March
The long silence over Final Fantasy XI's newest expansion has been broken, as Square Enix has finally announced that Seekers of Adoulin will be coming out in late March of next year. The game's fifth expansion will go live on March 26th for North American players and on March 27th for European fans. In addition to the release date news, the studio unveiled an updated website full of Seekers of Adoulin information. The expansion will include a virgin continent, additional enemy types, and two new classes: the Rune Fencer and Geomancer. Seekers of Adoulin will be sold on both PC and XBox 360. Fans will pay $29.99 for Seekers of Adoulin alone or $39.99 for the core game and every expansion and content pack to date. There's also a two-minute trailer for the expansion; consume it after the jump!
Wii U browser runs on NetFront, doesn't support plug-ins
The specifications for the Wii U's internet browser have been made public, and it's no surprise that the software shares its technical underpinnings with the 3DS' browser. Specifically, the Wii U's window into the web is actually NetFront NX, which is a WebKit-based browser designed for smart TVs, mobile devices, game consoles and the like. NetFront, in one form or another, has powered the 3DS, PSP, PlayStation 3 and Vita's browsers.Like some other first-party applications, the browser can be pushed to the WiiPad's screen and used from there, freeing up the television for other activities. Since the WiiPad's resistive touchscreen doesn't support multitouch, however, familiar tablet maneuvers like pinch-to-zoom will not be present. It also won't be possible to save any images found while browsing, or conversely to upload anything saved in local memory.Flash support is a no-show, as is compatibility with any other plug-in, although HTML5 is supported and in fact, the browser renders HTML5 websites more efficiently than any other console (and even IE 10 on PC), according to this benchmarking site.
Selecting the specs for your budget Mac mini
If you've been waiting for Apple to refresh the Mac mini line, so you could update your primary system, you're probably working on a budget. So which choices should you make when picking options for your new mini install? I talked with Josh Carr of Rocky Mountain Mac Repair to get his insights on where to get the best value for your money. Chip When it comes to mini, you have three basic CPU choices. According to Carr, the 2.5GHz Intel i5 is a "very capable processor", suitable for anyone looking to buy a budget Macintosh, but if you can spare the extra $200, the quad core 2.3GHz i7 is worth the upgrade for most anyone looking to buy. The better model offers extra processing zip. If you're a developer, as I am, or do any other kind of high-intensity processor-heavy work, Carr recommends the 2.6 GHz quad core i7. It's $300 above the base i5, but a great buy for those who live in the land of Xcode. Memory On modern mini's, RAM is officially user-servicable. Apple writes, "[T]hanks to a removable bottom panel, it's easy to add more. Just give it a twist, and you're in. Pop your new memory into the SO-DIMM slot, and you're out." That's important because a fully loaded 16GB install costs a cool $300 premium. Take that system to a nearby Apple Authorized Service Provider, and you could cut that cost to about $100. Or, if you're up for it, order and install the RAM yourself. This won't void your warranty, but if Apple ever said you had an issue with your memory, you'd be responsible for taking care of it. That's why you might be better off working with a provider you trust, who could follow up with any issues. Storage Apple's Fusion drive costs $250 over the basic 1 TB 5400 RPM Serial ATA that ships with the i7 mini. (Fusion drives are not available for the i5 dual-core Intel mini.) So should you spring for one? That's a bit of a conundrum because you have to decide whether the boot speed plus flexible internal storage is enough of a win to justify the cost. For me, it will be. I have to reboot a lot as part of my work day and the slow/fast access is perfect for what I need. Most users however, would better benefit from installing a third-party SSD drive internally for fast boots and using the USB 3.0 ports for extra storage. The 256 GB SSD adds $300 to your mini if you buy from Apple. That's actually a pretty good price value-wise, but many people don't need that much space on their boot drive. You can save some money by dialing the SSD down to 120 GB or so ($200 at a reasonable AASP) and make up the difference in space using a USB 3.0 external. Carr tells me that USB 3.0 drives are relatively inexpensive these days; a 3 TB external drive from Seagate retails for around $160. "Having the USB 3.0, there's really no bottleneck and you get the full performance out of the drive," Carr adds. If you're trying to balance speed and space, and that's what's making you think about choosing the Fusion drive, an internal SSD plus an external USB 3.0 drive -- possibly one you already have on hand -- may deliver the performance you need.
Breakfast Topic: What makes a leveling spec right for your character?
When it comes to picking leveling specs, I've got a solid 50/50 record. I seem to have racked up a double fistful of paladin and mage alts on various realms, and they all plug along contentedly with respectable ret and frost specs. But my priests and my rogues are a different matter. Even the priests I have no intention on taking into dungeons remain steadfastly discipline-specced. Two of them have secondary disc PvP specs, to be sure, and a former main still shows the remnants of a secondary shadow spec -- but every time I've ever started to play her with that setup, I end up impatiently logging over to one of the mages for some real blasting. And no matter how highly the straightforward capabilities of the combat rogue are recommended, I refuse to veer from subtlety. Lurking in the shadows is way too much fun. Besides players who are bringing up new tanks or healers inside the hallowed halls of instances, it's probably fair to say that most people consider the spec with the highest front-loaded DPS to be the right spec for leveling. They're rushing up a new character to the endgame, or they really dig spraying massive clouds of floating combat text. It's also probably fair to say that the old standard choices might be becoming somewhat less so, thanks to the recent talent system overhaul. Still, the "best" spec for me is neither the most efficient or effective spec -- it's the one that just clicks with me. This is true even for characters without a roleplaying bone in their virtual bodies. What makes a leveling spec right for you? Do you look for the highest DPS for fast, efficient killing? Do you prefer a tank or healer, to guarantee quick instance queues? Or like me, is there simply a flavor you like best in your WoW bowl?
WSJ gets early, slightly uncomfortable look at Google's Project Glass
It's about time someone got the chance to test-drive Google's $1,500 smart-glasses independently, without any rose-colored lenses getting in the way. The Wall Street Journal's Spencer E. Ante just became that lucky person -- he played with prototype specs for 10 minutes and described them as a "wearable smartphone" that weighs just "a few ounces" and is smoothly controlled by voice commands. Saying "OK, Glass" brought up a menu in front of his right eye that made it "easy" to record stills or video, although unfortunately the device wasn't quite ready to show off any phone, messaging or navigation functions. Overall, Ante acknowledged the "long-term potential" of Project Glass, but in its current form he found the HUD to be "disorienting" and "uncomfortable" -- partly because he instinctively kept closing his left eye to make it all work. Clearly Google still has some work to do if the device is to make a better first impression, but no doubt there's also room for acclimatization on the wearer's part. If the military can get along with this type of eyewear, then hopefully so can everyone else.
Are we getting a clearer picture of the iPad mini?
As we approach the rumored launch date, the rumored iPad mini's rumored specs are the latest topic of rumor discussion among many of those who helped bring the rumors to light. I'm not saying I don't believe -- but I do find it interesting that we've come to a point where we're not debating the launch of a smaller iPad, but obsessing over the specific details. Very specific details. It's like this every rumor season, and it has been for years. Remember when the first iPad was going to cost $1,000? iMore has been carrying a lot of great info, and you should check out their roundup of what interfaces might look like on the smaller iPad's screen. 9to5Mac, meanwhile, has posited a very sane notion that the iPad mini's screen bezels will be smaller on the sides. Not quite like an iPhone, but narrower than a full size iPad for sure. And finally, Gruber has gone into a lot of details on possible measurements of the device, and why a different screen necessitates a different bezel and slightly different form factor. With any Apple rumor, take your sodium chloride. This one has more legs than usual, however. I'm in the camp that says a form factor like the Fire would be a winner for Apple, and can't wait to see if the iPad mini is everything we hoped it would be. photo by fix-iphones
Sleeping Dogs PC has high-res texture pack, multi-monitor support
Sleeping Dogs on the PC has some exclusive graphical bonuses – and not like stickers to slap on your rig, mind you. United Front Games' PC port will launch with a high-resolution texture pack for those crisp visuals, and support for multi-monitor displays. (But will it run on Batman's setup?)If you pre-order Sleeping Dogs through Steam ahead of its August 14 launch, you'll get 10 percent off the final asking price, bringing it down to $44.99. Finally, Square Enix has also released the minimum and recommended specs for Sleeping Dogs, which we've gone ahead and published below the break.%Gallery-162100%
Wikipad specs revealed, will run Android 4.1 games on a 10.1" screen
The Wikipad is a gaming tablet device revealed at CES earlier this year, and it's slowly moving from idea to reality. The company behind the tablet (also known as Wikipad, go figure) has announced the final specs for the design, and they're hot: The display will be 10.1 inches with a 16:10 1280x800 resolution, the tablet will be powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 T30 1.4 GHz processor, and it will run with 1 GB of DDR2 RAM, and at least 16 GB of internal Flash memory storage. Android 4.1 will power the OS, and an onboard 23.46Wh battery will go for six hours of gaming and eight hours of video playback.There will be an 8 megapixel camera on the back, as well as a 2 megapixel camera on the front. An early model this year featured a 3D display, but the final version will opt for 2D.For the casing itself, Wikipad is going with a flat-backed shape with rounded corners, both slightly thicker, but also lighter, than the iPad 2. The controller add-on, which you can see above, is similar to a current-gen gaming controller (complete with triggers and buttons on the back) and will come with the unit.A price and release date haven't been officially announced yet, but Wikipad is planning to have its namesake device out later this year.
