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MacBook Pro vs PowerBook 2.0 GHz benchmarks
No, that headline is not a typo. I found an extensive set of MacBook Pro benchmarks over at Bare Feats that pits the machine against a Dual Core G5 2.0 GHz, an iMac Core Duo 2.0 GHz, a MacBook Pro Solo 2.0 GHz (for good measure I guess) and a PowerBook G4 that has been upgraded to 2.0 GHz, thanks to Daystar Technology. Yes, from checking out their site it looks like it's possible to upgrade some PowerBooks to 2.0 GHz G4 chips, but it'll cost ya - the upgrade is $499.Getting back to the benchmarks topic: Bare Feats ran the typical Cinebench and Photoshop tests between these machines, and as usual the iMac Core Duo typically won out, with the MacBook Pro pleasantly nipping at its heels. They also produced some pleasant frame rates when testing Doom 3 and Unreal Tournament 2004. Bare Feats also tested whether matching memory pairs - such as two 1 GB sticks - made any difference in performance over a 1 GB 256 MB configuration. Fortunately, there was virtually no difference in their tests, save for small, single digit improvements in iMovie and Photoshop CS that aren't really anything to write home about.[via IMG]
Epic Games interested in Revolution
In a transformation that's likely to be reflective of many a narrow-minded gamer, Epic Games' VP, Mark Rein, has rapidly gone from gimmick-loathing skeptic to accepting and interested party with regards to Nintendo next-generation offering. In a recent CVG interview, Mr. Rein stated that not only was he looking forward to seeing the Revolution's technical specifications, but that his company had contacted Nintendo and expressed interest in the machine. Now, whether or not this could be considered as legitimate interest and not just a subtle marketing band-aid is up for debate. We've heard plenty of rumors about Unreal Engine 3 running on the Revolution, rumors which now seem rather rickety when held up against this interview. After all, if Epic's graphical tour-de-force was really ready for the system, why would the engine developer still be awaiting information on the system's capabilities? I'm no technical genius, but I think it's fair to say that you'd have to know a machine's specifications before you could get your brand new graphics engine working on it. Or is that an unrealistic expectation? (Ack! A pun!)
Revolution can handle Unreal Engine 3
Game developer Midway revealed in a job posting that they were looking for a designer for a next-gen first person shooter using the ultra powerful Unreal Engine 3. The game is being developed for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and......wait for it......wait for it......Nintendo's puny-wuny, wimpy, wittle Wevolution Revolution! Here's where the Nintendo fanboys cry out in unison, "Told you so! The RS will be just as powerful as anything else out there, except more so!" We understand that claims of the Revolution being 2-3 times as powerful as the Gamecube still means it'll be one powerful little box but let's keep things in perspective.Middleware packages, especially ones like Unreal Engine 3 that have a large PC client base, are designed to be scalable. In other words, sure it will run on the Revolution, but don't expect it to have the eye candy turned up to 11. That being said, this is promising news for any hopes of seeing games ported to all three next-gen consoles. Developers who use software like Epic's engine will not only save themselves from reinventing the graphics wheel every game, but they'll also find it easier to scale their app across all three next-gen platforms, making us happy gamers. [Thanks to everyone that sent this in]
The Gears of War buzzkill post
Earlier today we received several tips pointing us to a user-submitted piece of guesswork by an indiviudal using the nom de guerre "Hedgehog Boy" on gaming site GameDreamZ. He wrote, "One particular game demo that set the net alite [sic] was a 'Gears of War' demo possibly hitting the Marketplace this month! Yeah, the timing is laughably imaginative, but the demo is real, and may be coming sooner than you think." We've been spared the trouble of effusing skepticism; Epic's Mark Rein responded to the rumors saying, "There is no chance a demo level of Gears is hitting the Xbox Live Marketplace this month, next month or the month after that. We love the Xbox Live Marketplace and Xbox Live Arcade and have lots of cool ideas how we can leverage them but not until the game is finished and we don't realistically know when that will be at this point in time."We weren't spared completely though! The screenshots that we linked to yesterday had been released by Epic's publisher without their permission. Rein said, "They were never intended for release and they don't come anywhere close to representing what the game looks like today." That gets me to my final point:No demo and no screenshots? Yesterday I wrote "Let's hope the gameplay lives up to the screens." Epic seems to be preempting the hype by playing their hand very close to their vest.[Via Gaming-360]
