multi-monitor
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Microsoft is fixing the pain of arranging Windows 10 apps on multiple displays
If you use a multi-monitor setup on Windows 10 for gaming, work or because they're built right into your laptop, Microsoft has some good news.
Gran Turismo 6 adds multi-monitor support in latest update
The latest update for Gran Turismo 6 gives players more to look at, as it adds multi-monitor support to the PS3 racing game. After updating the game, those with two or more connected screens simply need to hit the start button in the game, then select "options," then "display options" to enable the setting. Update 1.05 for Gran Turismo 6 also adds the ability to search for cars using a number of parameters in the game's car dealerships. Racing gear has seen a price shift, as players can now acquire individually-colored items as opposed to full color sets. The update also adds other features, such as the ability to select karts in one-make races on weather-enabled tracks and select time trial, drift trial and free run options in the "event settings" screen. [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment America]
Chrome OS update auto-arranges windows, allows multi-display desktops
Chrome OS being a web-based platform doesn't preclude the existence of power users -- see the Chromebook Pixel. Google wants to encourage them with software, too, which is why it's rolling out a new update to the stable Chrome OS code. The new version automatically positions windows to show more whenever a user hasn't customized the look, and there's now official support for extending a desktop across multiple screens. Other additions are subtler: copy protection is a bigger deal with both an HTML5 decryption module and support for Encrypted Media Extensions, and exacting users can both re-order the app launcher as well as set tap-to-drag as a preference. The refresh is pushing out over the next few days to all devices save for Samsung Chromebooks. It's not the first time a Chrome OS update has glossed over Samsung portables, but everyone else should enjoy the extra screen real estate.
Windows 8 upgrade diary: multiple monitors make my mouse mad
Tune into the chatter around Windows 8 and it won't be long before you start hearing about keyboard shortcuts. Instead of forcing us to replicate long swipe gestures using a mouse (which would be cruel to all concerned), Microsoft is putting forward these little key combos as the primary means of navigation on traditional desktop PCs that don't have touchscreens. Right now, I'm in the middle of trying to adapt to this -- and like our Windows 8 review concludes, the curve is steep. In my case, matters are complicated by the fact that I use a triple-monitor setup for work, which perhaps makes me more sensitive to UI issues. But regardless of how many displays are hooked up to it, there genuinely are some interface niggles in this OS. Despite having mastered the basic shortcuts, I'm still having to reach for my mouse way too often, and the arm ache is starting to dampen the good vibes left over from my last diary post. So, join me after the break and at the very least you'll get to observe someone flailing around in search of answers.
Visualized: what Zynga workers do when they're not playing FarmVille
Zynga's staffers might have had a laser-like focus on releasing FarmVille 2 this week, but that doesn't mean the company has forgotten how to take a break. One employee (thankfully, also a Reddit member) has revealed that the developer's San Francisco headquarters has a giant, 16-screen video wall for gaming in the cafeteria -- and yes, they're playing Halo in that photo rather than some future, first-person version of Mafia Wars. It's no surprise that the employees aren't playing their own games all the time; we're pretty sure that even the most avid Facebook gamers would burn out if they did. Nonetheless, it's hard not to smile at the thought that the same people urging us to buy new crops are sticking plasma grenades in their spare time.
j5 Create's device / data sharing peripherals leave us cautiously optimistic
We're dying to find out more about j5 Create's line of attractive and ambitious peripherals, but we're not entirely sure they actually exist. The company's website features six different data and device sharing products -- the JUC100 Wormhole KM Switch offers keyboard and mouse functionality across two devices; the JUA230 DVI Display Adapter connects up to six monitors with three different display modes; and the JUH320 Wormhole Station brings together shared keyboard and mouse access with two USB 3.0 ports and a memory card reader. j5's website promises stylish connectivity, featuring sleek product renderings and a flash presentation that provides, ahem, inspirational insight -- swans, flutes, ballerinas -- but no talk of finished products, price, or availability. Additionally, we haven't found any of these devices for sale online, despite the fact that the brand's parent company, KaiJet, is an established manufacturer of peripherals in Taiwan. So, yes, there's a chance that someone out there is hooked up to a Wormhole Station right now, but we wouldn't bet our diamond-encrusted iPhone on it.
AMD makes Eyefinity easier with line of budget-minded active DisplayPort-to-DVI adapters
AMD's Eyefinity technology is one of the best ways to fill every inch of your peripheral vision with pixels. However, it's certainly not the cheapest, relying on DisplayPort-capable monitors -- inputs that even some current models lack. This has left many gamers buying $100 DisplayPort-to-DVI adapters, significantly raising the cost of adoption, but AMD has announced an unusual plan to tackle that: cheap adapters. The company is helping to develop converters that are expected to retail for just $30, still not as disposable as the VGA-to-DVI blocks you have cluttering up your junk drawer, but considering these are active plugs it's probably about as good as we're going to get. So, who's up for some six-monitor Starcraft II?
Sapphire makes multi-monitor 3D gaming a reality with a single video card
Multi-monitor gaming is hardly uncommon these days, but 3D gaming on the PC is, well, decidedly less common. Perhaps it will be the merging of the two immersive approaches that finally gets 3D going on the PC, and Sapphire is showing that it's possible. A single ATI-based Sapphire graphics card with Eyefinity support powered these three Zalman Trimon 3D displays, which use simple (and cheap) polarized glasses to make those boomers in Left4Dead really pop. No word on the overall cost of the system, but we'd hazard a guess it wouldn't be significantly higher than a triple-monitor setup woefully stuck in just two dimensions.
Runco's WindowWall gives you the $100,000 view you always wanted (eyes-on)
You see them, as soon as you set eyes on the gigantic, nine-panel screen. Those black lines are plainly visible. But the 46-inch Samsung panels in Runco's WindowWall have 7.33mm bezels that almost disappear from ten feet away, and when we first walked in, we actually thought they were part of the image. In a nutshell, WindowWall is a modular display system that turns entire walls into displays capable of rendering giant images across many screens, or display different media -- say, Doctor Who, LOST, FlashForward, V, Castle, 24, a couple computer screens and an episode of Firefly for good measure -- on each individual one. Making the system work in sync requires quite a bit of hardware, including a power supply unit and display controller unit for every four 1366 x 768 panels used, not to mention an upscaling box and a seriously sturdy stand (sorry, Humanscale) to hold up all that glass. The company boasts the whole system is scalable, meaning you can make it work with as few as four or as many as twenty panels and still run the entire system as a single screen at its full, gigantic native resolution. We weren't able to see these nine pumping pixels at 4098 x 2304, unfortunately, as the only content on hand was 1080p, but the footage did seem to be well synced across all nine screens. Of course, with a system like this the catch is cost -- for the nine panels, frame, reels of CAT cable and veritable server rack required to run this particular WindowWall, Runco said we should expect to pay a heartstopping $100,000. Droolworthy, to be sure, but too rich for our blood. Perhaps if the whole neighborhood chipped in, right before Super Bowl? %Gallery-89982%
Anti-Aliased: Eye candy leaves a bad taste in my mouth
Global Agenda is one of those games that's really dividing people. Some people love the game for whatever reason, other people bash on the game for whatever reason, and that's fine by me. While I personally love the game and have been playing it a bunch as my permanent side game, I gave it a less than stellar review that I thought was fair of the game at the time I wrote the review. Of course, since then, many changes are coming (many of which I approve of) and I think Hi-Rez has a pretty good roadmap for their game in place. However, one of my twitter followers recently pointed me to an editorial posted by Kyle Bennett, founder of HardOCP -- a website dedicated to hardcore gaming. Kyle's going for a full blown boycott against the indie company for one simple reason: they won't let him rock his multi-monitor setup because it could "give him an unfair advantage." While Kyle's entitled to his opinion and dissatisfaction, I have two problems with his editorial. The first lies in a misconstruction of the facts and the second lies in the nature of his request.
CineMassive OmegaPlex: 27.6 million pixels for $12,995
Funny story -- just under three years ago, we all thought six 24-inchers latched together in a swanky multi-monitor setup was the real heat. Nowadays, it takes a real beast to even catch the ever-wandering eye of we geeks, and while the CineMassive OmegaPlex isn't a HIPerSpace, you won't need a government loan and a damn good research proposal to claim one as your own. Boasting 27.6 million pixels and a total screen resolution of 7,860 x 3,600, this ridiculous rig also comes with a 3-year warranty and a practically unheard of "zero dead pixel" policy. Feel free to infinitely boost your 1337-ness by handing over $12,995 and patiently awaiting delivery via the largest ground vehicle UPS owns. Check the vid after the break for a little more encouragement. [Warning: PDF read link][Via Elite Choice]
HIPerSpace monitor wall makes a great Grand Theft Auto IV canvas
Rolling around jacking up innocents and tossing Molotov cocktails is pretty enthralling on your vanilla 46-inch HDTV, but can you even imagine the rush of swiping a hot dog, burning out in someone else's whip and then snagging a new pair of kicks on this? Researchers (and gamers, obviously) down at UC San Diego have re-engineered their middleware to enable such masterpieces as this to be played on the big monolithic HIPerSpace screen, and needless to say, we can't imagine much real work getting done with this new functionality coming to light. Head on down to the gallery to see what you're missing -- science, research and 4.0 GPAs are such beautiful things. %Gallery-22388%
9X Media shoots for multi-monitor crown with 30 LCD monster
While we wouldn't be surprised if there's at least a few makeshift multi-monitor setups out there to challenge it, as far as ready-made solutions go, it's pretty tough to beat this massive rig from 9X Media, which packs a room-busting 30 screens. What's more, you can apparently get it configured with your choice of 19- to 32-inch displays, which can be arranged in any number of different configurations (complete with multi-screen servers). Of course, if that's a bit too excessive for you, 9X Media will also gladly sell you any number of smaller configurations, although you'll have to chat them up for a quote if you move beyond the nine to twelve screen range.[Via Crave]
Extravagant World of Warcraft setup includes 47 PCs, seven monitors
And you thought adding a trio of displays to your mobile gaming rig was hardcore. To be frank, calling this setup "extravagant" could be the understatement of the month (or year), but it's a tad hard to articulate how mind-blowing a 47 PC, seven monitor World of Warcraft installation actually is. According to the original poster, all but two of the machines are "diskless" to cut down on load times and energy consumption, and both he and his SO threw down for oh-so-comfy recliners to kick back and raid in. Of course, envious (and understandably skeptical) commenters have questioned the true motives behind such a momentous rig (farm much?), but it's not like this is the first time we've seen a fanboy take things to the extreme. Click on through to catch the full gist.[Via Core77]
Matrox intros Dual/TripleHead2Go for Macs
Mac users looking for a little multi-monitor action now have another option at their disposal, with Matrox announcing that its DualHead2Go and TripleHead2Go are both now compatible with a number of Apple systems. Each unit appears to be otherwise unchanged, letting you drive two or three monitors at combined resolutions up to 2560x1024 or 3840x1024 from a single video card. While the DualHead2Go is compatible with all recent Mac systems, you'll only be able to surround yourself in the wonder that is three monitors if you've got a MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, or 20 or 24-inch iMac. It's not a completely ideal solution, however, requiring a mini-DVI to VGA adapter (and a step back in image quality) for use with some systems and, as impressive as those combined resolutions are, monitors with native resolutions higher than 1280 x 1024 will be too much for either unit to handle. If that's not too much of a compromise to make, you can snag each now for the same price as they were before, $169 for the DualHead2Go and $299 for the TripleHead2Go.[Via Gizmag]
