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NVIDIA Ion platform review roundup
A handful of sites have managed to get their mitts on a miniature test PC equipped with NVIDIA's Ion platform, and it looks like the line between netbook and laptop just got a whole lot blurrier. According to the testers, the setup delivers smooth HD video playback and could be a boon for the Home Theater PC market. It won't play Crysis, but the DirectX 10-compatible chipset should do World of Warcraft and Left 4 Dead justice. Though the company claims it'll only use 12% more power than comparative Intel 945GM/E-based solutions, PC Perspective found the test units to consume twice the wattage -- of course, it might be a different story when Ion-equipped PCs hit retail channels. NVIDIA says the platform will tack on about $50 to $100 compared to similarly-spec'd 945GM/E models, and the first two computers to use it -- one desktop and one netbook -- should be out early summer.Read - PC PerspectiveRead - Laptop MagazineRead - Hot Hardware
ION Conference returns for 2009, changes name to LOGIN
Massively's readers who follow the online game industry may be familiar with Evergreen Events. They're the people who brought us the Online Game Development Conference (OGDC 2007) and the ION Game Conference (2008). The next step in the annual conference's evolution entails gaining a new name -- the LOGIN Conference.LOGIN 2009 will be three and a half days of lectures, panels, roundtables, and keynotes focused on the online game industry. Thus far details about speakers are scarce, but one keynote speaker has been announced for LOGIN 2009 -- Charlie Stross, author of Halting State, a thriller that deals heavily with virtual worlds. The call for more speakers remains open, and if ION was any indication of what to expect, a number of industry luminaries are likely to have a presence at LOGIN.LOGIN will take place in Seattle, Washington, from May 11-14, 2009. Massively will have more info for you about LOGIN as we get closer to the conference.
Mac mini, Apple TV to use new Ion platform?
Tom's Hardware says that Apple will use NVIDIA's Ion platform in an updated Mac mini, and AppleInsider says it could also be used in an updated Apple TV. NVIDIA's Ion platform is a low-cost, small-form-factor logic board that includes both an NVIDIA graphics processor and Intel CPU (among other things). According to AppleInsider, Ion uses the same 9400M chipset used in the new MacBook and MacBook Pro models. We knew that existing iMac and Mac mini models are already using the 9400M as part of the NVIDIA MCP79 platform. Either way, with the 9400M, full-screen HD decoding is built-in. According to Tom's Hardware, the Ion package slated for use with the Mac mini includes an Intel Atom 330 processor. AppleInsider says that performance gains for a new Mac mini based on this platform could require OpenCL, a technology only available so far in builds of Snow Leopard. Tom's expects the new Mac mini to arrive in March, while AppleInsider, says that it could arrive "this month." Fingers crossed. The Apple TV, on the other hand, with its 1GHz CPU, would see a significant boost with Ion. The margins on the Apple TV are already tight, though, and adding more power could break the bank on Apple's "hobby" project. But what if the next-generation Apple TV and Mac mini were one and the same? It's a floor wax! It's a dessert topping! Stop, you're both right.
Rumored Mac Mini refresh said to be Ion-based
People trading in salacious gossip have been counting on an update of the Mac mini for ages now, with most of the rumors centering on it making its appearance at Macworld. Well, the festivities came and went without a peep about the mini -- but that hasn't stopped the rumors from swirling. The latest we're hearing is that the refresh will be built upon NVIDIA's new Ion platform, which houses a 9400M GPU -- the same graphics processor as the new unibody Macbooks -- and could mean an even minier mini than the one we already know. Tom's Hardware, the source of this newest rumor, also speculates on a March release date, though they're not guessing on the price just yet.
NVIDIA Ion platform gets demonstrated at CES
We've been hearing an awful lot about NVIDIA's Ion platform, but up until now, we haven't seen an awful lot. HotHardware and PC Perspective were both able to swing by NVIDIA's booth at CES and get an up close look at the diminutive system. On hand was a half-liter PC that utilized a 1.6GHz Atom 330 CPU and NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M GPU, and it was reportedly being used to push some pretty stellar video on the monitors behind it. Have a look past the break for a couple demonstration vids -- if this is the kind of graphical prowess we can expect from nettops of tomorrow, you can color us interested.Read - HotHardwareRead - PC Perspective
Intel put the kibosh on anti-Ion hubbub, welcomes standalone Atom sales
A nasty rumor had been making the rounds about Intel, something along the lines of it wouldn't sell its Atom CPUs to netbook vendors without its 945 chipset in tow. If true, the move would essentially act to block graphical entrants such as NVIDIA from making a move into the netbook GPU space. An unnamed Intel spokesman chimed in on the whispers today by outrightly denying the claims, telling InternetNews that "there is nothing preventing vendors from using [NVIDIA's] Ion platform; [Intel] sells Atom as a standalone processor, or as a package with chipset." 'Course, it's not like Intel hasn't pulled similar tricks before, and to say that the chip maker's relationship with NVIDIA has been dysphoric is understating things dramatically. Still, it sounds as if the company's in the clear here, but we're still waiting to see a wicked Atom + Ion combo in a shipping product before we believe the hatchet is entirely buried.
Nvidia schemes to get in on the Atom platform
We all know that you can't trick someone into falling in love with you (unless in you're in a movie with Kate Hudson -- in which case the results are sure to be hilarious), but it looks like the kids at NVIDIA are looking to do just that. It's been previously rumored that NVIDIA's been working on Atom support in its MCP79 chipset, and now the company's in Taiwan, trying to rally support for a crazy scheme whereby PC makers will demand that Intel begin selling them Atom CPUs without bundling in their own graphics chipsets. And if that weren't enough, the GPU maker releases their Ion platform today, designed to replace Intel's graphics chipset on Atom systems. There's no word on how Intel will react to these saucy moves, but we're guessing that at the very least the chipmaker is a little flattered.Read - Nvidia working with PC makers to force Intel to open the Atom platformRead - Nvidia Goes Netbooks: Releases Ion Graphics Platform for Intel Atom
Ion Universal Cymbal Pack gives Rock Band drummers more stuff to hit
So we still don't know what that blasted mystery port is for on the back of the Rock Band 2 drum kit, but this one sure made our hearts beat a little faster. If you'll recall, it was Ion that dished out the premium drum kit earlier this summer, and this gives you the option to add in another cymbal if two just aren't enough. Too bad you can snag an actual cymbal on clearance for less than the $49.99 Ion's asking for this one; at any rate, she ships next week if you're interested.
ION sets to launch HD in 2009, no kidding this time
Seriously, guys, ION promises that this time around when it says it has a schedule for an HD launch, it's for real; maybe the previous 2008 figure was a clerical error, because now things are go for 2009. ION Television will lead things off in the first quarter, with the other two offerings getting switched on sometime later in the year -- qubo will target kids' eyeballs and multilingual ears and ION Life will offer up themes of "active lifestyles and personal growth." Sounds great, right? Well, not so fast -- even though the company has taken an extra year in prep, this year's press release has some pretty familiar echoes of the previous one that we don't like the sound of: "native and up-converted HD programming."
Ion Audio SLIDES 2 PC does what it promises
Ion Audio has already provided some means for transferring your tapes and records to your PC, and it's now doing the same for the stacks of 35mm slides collecting dust in your closet. Not exactly the most unique device, to be sure, but at just $100 its new SLIDES 2 PC unit is a good deal cheaper than your average slide scanner, and its 5-megapixel resolution should be more than adequate for the average user that'll likely burn through their entire slide collection and never lay eyes on the thing again. It also promises to get the job done fairly quickly, with it scanning each slide in one or two seconds at the push of a button, and employing some automatic exposure and color balance measures to cut down on the tweaking required afterwards. [Via Everything USB]
Joystiq sticks-on: Final thoughts on the ION Drum Rocker
Since our initial impressions, we've had a few weeks to get used to the ION Drum Rocker set (a variant of the Alesis DM5 Pro set -- pedal, cymbals, pads/hardware). More importantly, we've had a few days to play on it with Rock Band 2. Is it worth the $300 cost of entry? Read on for our final thoughts.%Gallery-30422%
Rock Band 2 standalone instruments set to ship next week
Previously, the ship dates for Rock Band 2 instruments ranged from "sometime within the next few months" to "sometime." Now, however, we're hearing that the standalone wireless drums ($90) and guitar ($70) will begin to ship out next week (at least for the Xbox 360). Additionally, Mad Catz's Fender P-Bass wireless guitar controller ($70) and the wired ION Drum Rocker set ($300) should clutter up floor space around the same time. RB2 party to celebrate the Q3 close? Sign us up.
ION's LP 2 FLASH records LP straight to flash
When dealing with product names like FTD-HD2232HSR/BK, it's quite refreshing to come across something such as this which explains itself so well. ION's LP 2 FLASH turntable does exactly what you think it does -- it transfers your old records directly to a USB flash drive, SD card or computer without any additional equipment. It even detects the gaps between tunes and creates individual tracks accordingly. It's available now for £130 ($228), though we think that flight to the UK might just kill the deal.[Via MusicRadar]
GameStop to stock Ion Drum Rocker in selected locations
What? You want to pay 300 clams for a Rock Band 2 peripheral? You can now count GameStop in as one of the few retailers that will stock the $299.99 Ion Rock Band Drum Rocker. Yesterday at GameStop eXpo 2008, executives for the company revealed that this luxury controller will be sold at a selected number of their stores. Because of the size (and demand) limitations of each store, GameStop plans to implement a system where you can order the Drum Rocker at your local store for pickup or directly to your home sweet home.What we are not sure about is, why would you drive all the way to GameStop to order this to have it delivered to your home? You can order the Drum Rocker (albeit the 360 version only for the time being) on both the official site and Amazon and save a trip to GameStop.
ION Drum Rocker: Unboxing and initial impressions
Update: The cymbals problems discussed below relate to a faulty "brain" for the set that ION replaced for us before the final review.Over the past week, we've had a chance to check out ION's premium Rock Band 2 drum set, the Drum Rocker (We've played it once before at E3 2008). We're waiting for a copy of RB2 for our final impressions; in the meantime, here are our initial thoughts of the set with the original Rock Band. Our order arrived in two boxes weighing in at 33 lbs. and 6 lbs., respectively. The lighter box contained the third cymbal and colored discs to put on all three cymbals for differentiation. Total time to unbox: 20 minutes (although, to be fair, we were taking a lot of pictures). That said, total time for setup (no camera usage) was close to an hour, with a large amount of time spent trying to screw in the cymbal clamps. Just another 2 or 3 mm on the screw length and we would've had a much easier time here. Protip: Make sure you screw everything in very tight, or you'll be having to either pause the game to make fixes mid-song or learn to adjust to the added difficult of a drooping tom or cymbal. Even then, adjustments will have to be made to get the toms placed just right. Read on for more impressions.%Gallery-30422%
Hands (and feet) on with ION's Drum Rocker Rock Band Premium Drum Set
Rock Band 2 might not be out yet, but ION was kind enough to send us the new Drum Rocker Premium Drum Set a couple weeks early. Built like a tank, this thing makes the original Rock Band drum set look like the toy it is -- we're talking aluminum tube construction that apes traditional electronic rack kits, soft trigger surfaces that register velocity, and quarter-inch connections that'll make modding a dream. Of course, all that heft means that set-up took over an hour and it eats up just about twice as much living room space as the original with no easy way to take it down, but if you're a hardcore fake rocker and you don't have the DIY chops to roll your own, this is $300 you're gonna want to spend. A couple more quick impressions after the break, and tons of pictures in the gallery.Update: Joystiq also got a chance to check this bad boy out, they didn't like it quite as much as we did. Take a peek here. %Gallery-30410%
Joystiq E3 sticks-on: Ion premium drum set
click to embiggen Last week, a handful of Joystiq crew got to make fools of themselves on the mini-stage before Harmonix's Rock Band Bash featuring The Who. Set up for us on stage was the new Ion premium drum set for RB2. Over the span of the night, we drummed through a handful of songs to get a feel for the set.
Ion's $300 "Drum Rocker" premium drum kit for Rock Band unveiled
Well, that was quick. We mentioned Ion's fancy drum kit yesterday, which will be released around when Rock Band 2 ships, but works with both Rock Band games, and now we've got a price and a press shot of the Drum Rocker. The $300 set has high-durability pads, which are supposed to play quiet and will register the velocity of your hits, but the real win is the re-configurability of the whole set -- much like a for-realises electronic drum kit. We're also really digging the metal-reinforced kick pedal, which seems a major improvement over the junky, difficult pedal packaged with the original game. Only $300? We'll take two.[Via Joystiq]
Ion Rock Band Drum Rocker: Three c-notes
Well, $299.99 to be exact. That's how much you are going to have to shell out for the premium drum controller known as the Drum Rocker for Rock Band or Rock Band 2. Why would anyone want to pay 3/4 of a PS3 for a controller? Admittedly, it is a quality product with much attention paid to the details -- the pads are "ultra-quiet velocity sensitive pads" that are tougher. It comes with two cymbals, but the third one is sold separately. You can also position the snare, tom and cymbal pads in any way you want. The drum pedal is all metal and with the option of adding a second pedal. The best part is, you "can swap the game controller module with one of the professional drum brains made by Alesis" and you can use this as an actual electronic drum kit.Considering real drum sets cost at least $500 at the bargain level, this is a nice accessory for those trying to transition from gamer to musician. Otherwise, you are better off sticking with the normal version. Check out all the details and pictures over at the official website.
Ion reveals $299.99 price for premium Rock Band drums
Thought $180 for the original Rock Band package was expensive? You ain't seen nothing yet. The official Web site for Ion's professional Drum Rocker (as recently revealed in Game Informer) lists a $299.99 price for the deluxe drum controller. Only the Xbox 360 version of the set is currently available for pre-order, though Wii and PS3 editions are "expected to ship later in the year," according to the site. It's important to note that this is not the official drum set that will be packaged with Rock Band 2, but rather an officially licensed deluxe set that works with both Rock Band games.While $300 may sound steep (soon, you could get a whole 'nother Xbox 360 for that price), Ion sounds like they've gone to great lengths to make sure serious virtual drummers get their money's worth. According to the site, the four high-durability, quiet, velocity-sensitive pads can be mounted and rearranged in any position and even outfitted with "professional drum brains" from Alesis. Add in a metal-reinforced kick pedal (with velcro and spikes to prevent slippage) and two packaged, mountable cymbals (with the option to add a third) and you've got what's unquestionably the Rolls Royce of drum controllers. The web site also has a short video and some detailed photos of the set, so check it out and figure out for yourself whether it's worth dropping three Benjamins.
