Microsoft will reveal the next-generation XBox in May, and one Korean company is positioning itself to take advantage of high-definition game titles planned for the console.
According to a press release, Samsung is planning a line of HDTVs that are designed not only to show high-definition television programming, but also display the fast-moving high-definition graphics in the XBox gaming environment.
Besides showing sharper graphics, the new Samsung TVs will have faster pixel-switching speeds, which will help reduce motion artifacts. The press release says the televisions will not have scan lines, which will make games operate more smoothly and without flicker.
The press release did not reveal any details about planned HDTV game titles.
According to the New York Times, the lowest priced television in Samsung's new line, a 23" version, will cost about $1,100, which is $500 less than Samsung's current 22" model. The press release says the TVs will be displayed alongside XBox consoles at retail locations which sell XBoxes.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Friday, April 15, 2005
News: 3D Sex and Virtually Jenna
Marrying interest in sex with advanced 3D gaming technology is a topic most videogame makers and industry pundits have thus far avoided, but that may be about to change, with the release of XStream3D Multimedia's Virtually Jenna.
Wired "Sex Drive" columnist Regina Lynn reviews the game, which is based on the body and character of porn star Jenna Jameson. Lynn comes away impressed with the visuals as well as the subject matter: "It's about time someone created a sex game with such a well-rendered environment and beautifully modeled characters. And it's about time we had a game that devotes as much detail and screen time to sex as other games grant to violence."
Lynn reports Virtually Jenna is the foundation of a complex action game which incorporates sex, action, and mystery. XStream3D plans to deliver the game in segments via an online subscription service, and develop better graphics capabilities as subscriptions rise along with photorealistic capabilities in newer graphics cards. Other planned features include letting players insert themselves into the game using "photo personalization technology" and ordering customized Jenna audio, according to Wired.
There is a lot of pent-up interest in sex-oriented video games, suggests XStream3D President Brad Abram: He told Lynn a beta Virtually Jenna test link posted to a Norweigian blog received 70,000 unique visitors in just a few hours, along with 240 credit card orders, which xStream3D had to refund.
(Update: Since writing this post, I have launched a company which is dedicated to helping people understand complicated technologies and concepts. Besides creating online posts which address questions such as What Is Dropbox and What Is Google Drive, I have also published a series of guides under the In 30 Minutes brand.)
Wired "Sex Drive" columnist Regina Lynn reviews the game, which is based on the body and character of porn star Jenna Jameson. Lynn comes away impressed with the visuals as well as the subject matter: "It's about time someone created a sex game with such a well-rendered environment and beautifully modeled characters. And it's about time we had a game that devotes as much detail and screen time to sex as other games grant to violence."
Lynn reports Virtually Jenna is the foundation of a complex action game which incorporates sex, action, and mystery. XStream3D plans to deliver the game in segments via an online subscription service, and develop better graphics capabilities as subscriptions rise along with photorealistic capabilities in newer graphics cards. Other planned features include letting players insert themselves into the game using "photo personalization technology" and ordering customized Jenna audio, according to Wired.
There is a lot of pent-up interest in sex-oriented video games, suggests XStream3D President Brad Abram: He told Lynn a beta Virtually Jenna test link posted to a Norweigian blog received 70,000 unique visitors in just a few hours, along with 240 credit card orders, which xStream3D had to refund.
(Update: Since writing this post, I have launched a company which is dedicated to helping people understand complicated technologies and concepts. Besides creating online posts which address questions such as What Is Dropbox and What Is Google Drive, I have also published a series of guides under the In 30 Minutes brand.)
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Book Review: GPU Gems 2
GPU Gems 2 is the second-generation textbook for programming with graphics processing units. These days, assembly language is no longer de rigeur for developing games that take advantage of GPU's advanced processing and rendering abilities -- knowledge of high-level programming languages such as HLSL, GLSL, and Cg, along with APIs such as Direct3D and OpenGL are far more useful in this field than assembly.
This textbook is intended for new programmers interested in these technologies and techniques, as well as pros who want a desktop reference. Editors Matt Pharr and Randima Fernando have pulled together an international team of experts (mostly PhD candidates and computer science instructors, as well as programmers and hardware specialists from the videogame and computer hardware industries) to write chapters on subjects including photorealism, terrain rendering, hardware resource management, lighting and shading, and hair rendering, to name a few. The book is not just for videogame designers -- there are chapters on using GPUs for mapping protein structures, rendering medical scans, performing complex algorithmic calculations, and even calculating options "fair values."
GPU Gems 2 is published by Addison Wesley in conjunction with the nVidia corporation.It costs $60.
This textbook is intended for new programmers interested in these technologies and techniques, as well as pros who want a desktop reference. Editors Matt Pharr and Randima Fernando have pulled together an international team of experts (mostly PhD candidates and computer science instructors, as well as programmers and hardware specialists from the videogame and computer hardware industries) to write chapters on subjects including photorealism, terrain rendering, hardware resource management, lighting and shading, and hair rendering, to name a few. The book is not just for videogame designers -- there are chapters on using GPUs for mapping protein structures, rendering medical scans, performing complex algorithmic calculations, and even calculating options "fair values."
GPU Gems 2 is published by Addison Wesley in conjunction with the nVidia corporation.It costs $60.
Monday, April 04, 2005
News: Sharp Actius: A 3D laptop
Forbes' Arik Hesseldahl has taken a look at the second-generation 3D LCD screen available in the newest model of the Sharp Actius laptop.
The reporter found the 3D effect -- generated by sending slightly different patterns of light to a user's right and left eyes -- disconcerting, at least at first: Viewing pre-installed videos and photos "made my eyes feel like they used to after I had crossed them one too many times when I was a kid."
Adjusting the settings helped, but only for certain types of content. For DVDs, Hesseldahl says close-ups looked good in 3D, but long shots with the 3D feature activated made small details seem fuzzy. He says the 3D effect was most enjoyable for animation, and potentially videogames (however, it's not clear if he actually tried to play a 3D game -- networked or otherwise -- on the Actius).
Hesseldahl speculates the Actius is most suitable for certain types of professions which have a need for viewing 3D images, such as health professionals. For other types of users, the 3D screen is merely a "gimmick."
Some tech specs: The Actius uses an nVidia GeForce GO 6600 chip and a Pentium M Processor 750 running at 1.86 gigahertz. Battery life is terrible, reports Hesseldahl, although it's not clear if this is the result of the extra processing power required to enable the 3D functionality, or some other hardware issue.
The reporter found the 3D effect -- generated by sending slightly different patterns of light to a user's right and left eyes -- disconcerting, at least at first: Viewing pre-installed videos and photos "made my eyes feel like they used to after I had crossed them one too many times when I was a kid."
Adjusting the settings helped, but only for certain types of content. For DVDs, Hesseldahl says close-ups looked good in 3D, but long shots with the 3D feature activated made small details seem fuzzy. He says the 3D effect was most enjoyable for animation, and potentially videogames (however, it's not clear if he actually tried to play a 3D game -- networked or otherwise -- on the Actius).
Hesseldahl speculates the Actius is most suitable for certain types of professions which have a need for viewing 3D images, such as health professionals. For other types of users, the 3D screen is merely a "gimmick."
Some tech specs: The Actius uses an nVidia GeForce GO 6600 chip and a Pentium M Processor 750 running at 1.86 gigahertz. Battery life is terrible, reports Hesseldahl, although it's not clear if this is the result of the extra processing power required to enable the 3D functionality, or some other hardware issue.
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