Hasta La Gadget!

Well, it looks like Microsoft is taking those warnings about WebGL pretty seriously. The company has decided not to support the web-based 3D standard because it wouldn’t be able to pass security muster. Highest on the list of concerns is that WebGL opens up a direct line from the internet to a system’s GPU. To make matters worse, holes and bugs may crop up that are platform or video card specific, turning attempts to plug holes in its defense into a game of whack-a-mole — with many players of varying reliability. Lastly Microsoft, like security firm Context, has found current solutions for protecting against DoS attacks rather unsatisfying. Lack of support in Internet Explorer won’t necessarily kill WebGL and, as it matures, Microsoft may change its tune — but it’s still a pretty big blow for all us of hoping the next edition of Crysis would be browser-based.

Update: As is usually the case Apple and the Windows folks are on opposite sides of this one. In fact, the Cupertino crew plans to bring WebGL to iOS 5 with one very strange restriction — it will only be available to iAd developers. Now, chances are it will eventually be opened up in mobile Safari for everyone, but for the moment it seems browser-based 3D graphics will be limited to advertisements on the iPhone. Still, that’s another big name throwing its support behind the burgeoning standard.

[Thanks, Greg]

Microsoft decides to pass on WebGL over security concerns (Update: iOS 5 supports WebGL, sort of)) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 01:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Late last year, LucidLogix introduced us to Virtu, the GPU virtualization software that makes disparate GPUs play nice on Sandy Bridge PCs, and now its extending the love to AMD Bulldozer and Brazos machines. The latest version of the software, dubbed Virtu Universal, also extends GPU virtualization to all-in-ones and notebooks (on both AMD and Intel), enabling simple switching between discrete graphics and the integrated ilk. What’s more, the program ushers in the debut of Virtual Vsync, which claims to bring “maximum gaming frame rates and responsiveness, while eliminating distracting and image-distorting visual tearing.” Of course, we’ll believe it when we see it, which, if LucidLogix has its way, should be before the ball drops in Time Square. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading LucidLogix brings GPU virtualization to AMD notebooks, all-in-ones, keeps sharing the graphics love

LucidLogix brings GPU virtualization to AMD notebooks, all-in-ones, keeps sharing the graphics love originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You might think yourself too grown-up to be wowed by shiny, glittery things, but we doubt many will be able to watch NVIDIA’s new Glow Ball tech demo without a smidgen of childlike glee. Built to run on the company’s quad-core Kal-El processor, it shows us the first example of true dynamic lighting on mobile devices and also throws in some impressive physics calculations like fully modeled cloth motion. Instead of the pre-canned, static lights that we see on mobile games today, NVIDIA’s new hardware will make it possible to create lighting that moves, fluctuates in intensity, and responds realistically to its environment — all rendered in real time. The titular glow ball can be skinned with different textures, each one allowing a different amount and hue of illumination to escape to surrounding objects, and is directed around the screen using the accelerometer in your tablet or smartphone.

NVIDIA demoed the new goodness on a Honeycomb slate with 1280 x 800 resolution and the frame rates remained smooth throughout. In order to emphasize the generational leap that we can expect with Kal-El, the company switched off two of the four cores momentarily, which plunged performance down to less than 10fps. That means the simulations we’re watching require a full quartet of processing cores on top of the 12-core GPU NVIDIA has in Kal-El. Mind-boggling stuff. Glow Ball will be available as a game on Android tablets once this crazy new chip makes its way into retail devices — which are still expected in the latter half of this year, August if everything goes perfectly to plan. One final note if you’re still feeling jaded: NVIDIA promises the production chip will be 25 to 30 percent faster than the one on display today. Full video demo follows after the break.

Continue reading NVIDIA’s quad-core Kal-El used to demo next-gen mobile graphics, blow minds (video)

NVIDIA’s quad-core Kal-El used to demo next-gen mobile graphics, blow minds (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 May 2011 23:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A very strange thing popped up on mobile graphic benchmarking site NenaMark the other day — an entry for the Droid Bionic. Now, it would be very easy to fake this test, and you’d be right to be skeptical given the incomplete score and the fact that it’s reporting PowerVR’s SGX 540 GPU, instead of the Tegra 2 we saw at CES. But, let’s not be too hasty — we heard back in April that NVIDIA’s mobile chip wasn’t playing nice with Verizon’s LTE. Perhaps when Motorola said it was delaying the Bionic to incorporate “several enhancements” it really meant “rebuilding the phone with a more LTE friendly CPU.” Both Samsung and Texas Instruments use the SGX 540, and Moto has previously turned to TI’s OMAP for the Droid, Droid 2, and Droid X. Then again, a single, suspiciously low benchmark score isn’t the most convincing basis for a rumor.

Droid Bionic benchmark reports PowerVR GPU, new SOC inside? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 May 2011 05:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With all the talk of ASUS’s tablets recently it’s easy to forget the company also dabbles in graphics cards, some large enough to blot out the sun. We’ve got some details on its latest contestants for your PC gaming dollar, the MARS II and Matrix GTX 580 (above), and you might have to buy a new case just squeeze these unwieldy pixel-pushers inside. The Matrix will come in two flavors — standard and Platinum — both with 1.5GB of RAM and an enormous dual-fan cooling solution that eats up a jaw-dropping three PCI slots. But, hey, it should afford you some serious overclocking headroom. Though we’ve yet to seen any pics of the MARS II, the 3GB, dual-GPU behemoth is bound to be even more massive — we wouldn’t be surprised if ASUS had to provide a breakout box for whatever cooler it strapped to those pair of GTX 580 cores. Prices and release dates are still up in the air, but we’re sure all will be revealed during the official announcement at Computex. Check out the image after the break for more detailed specs.

[Thanks, Robert and Alexandre]

Continue reading ASUS Matrix GTX 580 and MARS II desktop graphics cards revealed, devour PCI slots

ASUS Matrix GTX 580 and MARS II desktop graphics cards revealed, devour PCI slots originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 18:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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