There’s nothing like a little smack talk to light the fire under certain derrieres. It’s been a few months since Linus Torvalds got verbal about NVIDIA’s support for the semi-eponymous OS, prompting the chip-maker to say “supporting Linux is important to us.” Proving that its word is good, NVIDIA will be releasing programming documentation for its Tegra architecture graphics core. The news comes from a talk given by Lucas Stach of the Nouveau project (who develop free drivers for the NVIDIA platform) at the XDC2012 conference. The focus will initially be on Tegra’s 2D rendering engine, but it’s hopes the 3D will soon follow. So, while Torvalds’ approach might have been a little bit brusque, you can’t fault its effectiveness. Video of the XDC talk after the break.
Attention do-it-yourself home theater fans, GeeXboX 3.0 is now available. Primarily based off of XBMC 11, the latest software bump for this long-running Linux distro introduces a few nifty features, such as: PVR support for DVB-T (watch and record live TV), full HD video for PandaBoard systems, full HD support for CuBox and improved HDD installation. A year in the making, GeeXbox 3.0 weighs in at a hefty 140MB, nearly double the size of the platform’s last official release. In addition to its new bells and whistles, version 3.0 has “preliminary” Raspberry Pi support baked into its development tree. So, if you’ve been plotting like Wile E. Coyote to build your next HTPC, then you may want to give this ISO a download.
Update: Having trouble accessing the GeeXboX site directly? It seems to be running slowly at the moment, but you can also grab the latest ISO from Softpedia at the link below.
In the usual NVIDIA fashion today we have two awesome new games that are launching for Android on the Google Play Store and the NVIDIA TegraZone, exclusively for Tegra 3 smartphones and tablets. NVIDIA has continued to partner with developers and roll out excellent games with stunning graphics and these are no different. The popular PC game Bard’s Tale is making its way to Android, then an exciting new adventure game Fort Courage is launching too. More details below.
Both of these visually stunning new games are launching today, Thursday September 20th, in the Play Store and TegraZone and we have all the details. First we’ll start with Bard’s Tale because for one, it’s awesome, and for two it has some of the best voice-overs I’ve heard in a long while.
Bard’s Tale, from the developers inXile entertainment, you’ll play Bard, a selfish rogue weary of pointless sub-quests and rat-infested cellars. Through song you summon magical characters to join you on your quest for coin… and cleavage! The game is snarky, fresh, and full of comedy. Bard goes on missions all around town, will save the princess if she’s pretty enough, and will battle over 50 different enemies. Bard’s Tale features easily 20-30 hours of deep, fun, and dark humored gameplay. It even has some amazing voice-overs with Hollywood actors such as Cary Elwes.
Bard’s Tale has over a dozen bosses and big enemies to battle, over 150 different unique items such as weapons, armor, tokens, and of course loot. With over 50 achievements, auto-save features, stunning graphics and awesome voice-overs, this game will surely give you fun for the 20-30 hours of game time it’ll take to complete. NVIDIA tells us the Trilogy will be coming to Android soon so stay tuned for more you Bard’s Tale fans! Get Bard’s Tale today right here at the Google Play Store, or NVIDIA TegraZone — priced at $5.99.
Then a second awesome game has also launched for all those Tegra-toting devices. The game above isn’t really for kids perhaps, but this next one surely is. This is called Fort Courage and is from the developers Human Head Studios who brought us Prey, and Prey 2. Fort Courage is an exciting free-to-play 3D adventure of the imagination. You are an imaginative child that falls asleep during class and wakes up in amazing environments full of interaction and 3D movement only available from Tegra 3′s power. Your courage will help you fight off dinosaurs in the jungle, monsters in special laboratories and more.
Fort Courage is available for many Android devices, but Tegra 3 users will enjoy enhanced graphics, more advanced physics, and lifelike movement. Gameplay involves 3 crazy locations, 9 player skins, 10 power-up options, tons of toys for weapons, and over 15 different enemies. While this game isn’t as deep as Bard’s Tale they mention around 80 hours of exciting gameplay to help you pass the time during class.
Fort Courage is completely free-to-play and is available for Android devices today over at the Google Play Store, or as usual from NVIDIA’s TegraZone. For even more awesome NVIDIA Tegra-powered games hit the links below, or take a peek at our Tegra Hub!
Micron Technology is adding Mike Rayfield as the brains to its newly-doubled manufacturing brawn. NVIDIA’s departing mobile chief was instrumental in producing Tegra 3, the hardware behind flagship devices like HTC’s One X and Google’s Nexus 7. He’s been given the slightly misleading job title as VP of the company’s Wireless Solutions Group, which, despite the name, produces DRAM, NAND and NOR Flash memory for the global smartphone market — and given his track record, it’s likely that we’ll be seeing much more of Micron’s memory in the years to come
NVIDIA’s road into mobile may have just taken an unwanted (if temporary) detour. The company confirmed at week’s end that its Mobile Business Unit’s General Manager Mike Rayfield quietly left the company on August 24th to join another firm, although we don’t know whether he’s headed to a rival or in another direction altogether. NVIDIA also hasn’t yet said who replaces Rayfield at the helm. No matter who takes his place, the departure is a significant blow to the crew in Santa Clara: the executive had been heading mobile development at NVIDIA since 2005, before anyone really knew the company was interested in the handheld space, and helped make the Tegra name synonymous with fast Android phones and tablets like the One X and Nexus 7. There’s little doubt that more thana fewcompetitors would like to have him onboard.
If you’re pumped up about the multi-core Android smartphone experience with NVIDIA, you’ll be pumped up to hear that they’ve broken the 5+ million downloads – and that rising star is still shooting upward! If you’ve got an NVIDIA-powered Android device and don’t have the TegraZone app on your device, you’ve got to grab it instantly! What the TegraZone offers up is not just a simple place to grab Android apps galore, but a great guide for you to see what’s possible on your high-powered machine.
The statistic being reported today suggests that the actual app – the guide – has been downloaded and installed on millions of devices across the earth. What you’re doing with this application if you have it already is exploring the NVIDIA-optimized universe. If you’re part of that 5 million download mark, you’re already deep inside the most dedicated gaming environment on the market today!
No other processor group has done exactly what NVIDIA has with their TegraZone initiative. Developers regularly team up with NVIDIA to optimize their games for their next-generation processors starting with the Tegra 2 – dual-core, and now working with the Tegra 3 as well – quad-core processing power with an extra core for low-powered tasks and standby computing for battery preservation.
Have a peek at our NVIDIA TegraZone category here on SlashGear that’ll give you everything you need to keep up with NVIDIA and their Tegra gaming universe – and keep that download number rising with a TegraZone download today!
The developers at Vector Unit have released a new game by the name of Beach Buggy Blitz, and to celebrate said release in the TegraZone, NVIDIA and SlashGear are teaming up to bring you a set of THREE Tegra 3 quad-core processor-toting tablets. You’ll have the opportunity to get your hands on a Transformer Prime TF201 tablet/keyboard dock combo or one of two Google Nexus 7 tablets! With these lovely beasts you’ll be able to rock out on Beach Buggy Blitz all night long!
We had a bit of a hands-on look at the game just yesterday that you can witness by heading to the post entitled Vector Unit brings Beach Buggy Blitz to TegraZone and hands-on. Once you’ve experienced the excellence, head to the TegraZone and download the game absolutely free! Or if you’re currently without a device that works with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, you’ve got another option.
We had a lot of fun with the last tablet giveaway working with our NVIDIA Tegra Hub – so much fun that we’ve decided to do it again, right here and now! You’ve got the chance to win one of three Tegra-toting tablets (listed above and below) – all you’ve got to do is follow these simple steps!
2. Select your favorite Tegra-toting device or NVIDIA TegraZone game from our ever-expanding [Tegra Hub] and comment on the Facebook post with a link (from the hub) along with some select words on why you love it so much – or why you want it so much, if you wish!
3. Sit back and wait for the end of the contest, and hope you get picked!
This giveaway starts on Friday, September 7th, 2012 and runs until Friday, Sept. 14th at midnight. We’ll pick a collection of our favorite entries and from that set we’ll choose three winners at random – we’ll announce the winners on Monday, September 17th on Facebook and right here in this original giveaway post!
Competition is open to residents of the US only, over the age of 18. One entry per person. Family members of NVIDIA, ASUS, Google, Vector Unit, and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified Android Community forum post; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized.
The winners will be contacted by an Android Community/SlashGear staff member ON FACEBOOK upon being selected and will be expected to respond to that staff member; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected.
Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winners agree that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to Android Community, SlashGear, NVIDIA, and Vector Unit.
Prizes consist of two 16GB Google Nexus 7 tablets and a Transformer TF201 Prime tablet and keyboard combo. There are no other alternative for prize winners unless this prizes become unavailable, in which case Android Community reserves the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value. Giveaway provided by SlashGear/Android Community. Prizes provided by NVIDIA and Vector Unit. Any questions regarding this giveaway should be directed to giveaway [AT] slashgear.com.
Get down and dirty with the newest game from Vector Unit, the developers who brought you hits like Riptide GP and Shine Runner – starting with all devices running NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 quad-core processor and Android. This beast of a game, Beach Buggy Blitz, bring you in deep with another awesome racing game with heavy physics coming at you from all angles. You’ll see lens splashes, dynamic highlights around all the edges, and motion blur galore.
This game has you blasting forth in a buggy that’s customized by you in a race not against physical enemies – not in a traditional sense – but time itself. Collect coins to gain more time in your clock and make sure you’re not out in the middle of nowhere when the buzzer rings. Once you’ve collected enough coins, you can spend them on upgrades from the shop – and you can trick your car out to the max, as well. The entire game consists of you moving forward into excellence while you destroy all manner of explodable objects.
Of course there’s a bit of real-time shadow rendering as well – and it’s all so simple: you’ll be running this fantasy of effects on your quad-core processor-toting Tegra 3 device straight from the TegraZone today! This game has both been announced and released by Vector Unit in collaboration with NVIDIA, and we want YOU to get into it. In addition to the hands-on experience you’re about to have in this video, you’ll be invited to a giveaway of ours later this week.
UPDATE: It appears that there’s been a delay in releasing this game to the Google Play app store and TegraZone for now, but stay tuned as it’s delivered soon!
That’s right, you’re going to want to write this one down: later today on both SlashGear and Android Community we’re having a Beach Buggy Blitz event that’ll be lasting several days – and you’re going to want to get involved! For the time being though, have a peek at the hands-on video above and check the game out on the TegraZone right now, or head straight to the Google Play app store immediately if not soon to pick Beach Buggy Blitz up for yourself. It’s not to be missed.
NVIDIA has once again tied it up with Phosphor Games to bring a gaming title to Android like no other – Horn, optimized for the Tegra 3 quad-core processor environment. This game takes on fabulous cinematics and next-level battle and places it on the mobile platform on a grand scale. With the four cores of the Tegra 3 you’ll be heading off the enemies of the blacksmith’s apprentice, leading you ever closer to the final crown.
Several years ago, such gameplay was relegated to consoles which were made specifically for such gigantic graphic tasks. With the current age of quad-core processors here on mobile devices such as the Nexus 7 (the device we’re having a peek at this game on), we’re able to do this and a whole lot more for a whole lot cheaper. The game Horn takes the Old English tales of King Horn and loosely crafts them into a magical arena of battle and exploration.
This game has you, Horn, moving through a village “overrun by fantastic, and sometimes humorous, monsters”. That said, you’ll have to make it through without giggling yourself to your doom – but you’ll have help! There’s a little beast that you carry around with you that sometimes spits some nastiness as the story moves on.
You’ll be working on enemies weak points, hitting heavy armor in all the wrong places, and working your way through waves of bosses, sub bosses, and “Golden Enemies” – cut them down for rare item drops! You’ll be collecting items, too – make sure you’re aware of what your carrying so you can be all you can be in the kill zone. There’s also an in-game store, a forge where you can upgrade your gear, weapons, amulets, and all sort of other items to rummage through.
There’s even a massive guide online you’ll want to find your way through if you want to survive your first few adventures – you might need it! This game is out (or will be very soon) on the NVIDIA TegraZone as well as the Google Play app store today – and it’s out for the iPad and iPhone as well starting earlier this month – grab it!
If you’re a lover of ragdoll physics and tossing grandmothers down flights of stairs, you’re going to love the newest title announced for Tegra devices – Granny Smith. This game has been revealed by the same folks who brought you Sprinkle – a game Android Community had a look at several months ago, also on Tegra-toting Android smartphones and tablets. Now it’s time for some four – or eight – wheeled action down a few hills and through a few brick walls while we’re at it.
This game has Granny Smith chasing after a thief whose taken a bunch of her precious apples – and that’s no metaphor. This game has you, the granny herself, rolling around a bunch of cityscapes and farmland, offices and panes of glass after panes of glass to get where you’re going. You’ll have replay mode to make sure you see the sweetest crashes and fabulously realistic physics run by your NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor for all the fun you can handle. Have a peek at some value-added features in this Android game of madness, per the development team:
• Spectacular physics – Granny Smith uses some of the most advanced destruction physics in mobile games. Crash through crates and windows and watch the pieces fly all over! • Dazzling visuals – Zoom through dozens of vibrant, whimsical worlds! Each level is like a fanciful, three-dimensional storybook. • Intuitive controls – Help Granny pull off crazy moves with simple two-button controls – perfect for both tablets and phones. • Vintage replays – Watch your best runs in retro movie style with cool camera angles and slow-motion effects! • Power Granny up – Collect coins and equip Granny with a helmet, banana peels and baseballs. If Granny is getting old, you have two alternative characters to play with – Scruffy and Stanley!
Granny Smith comes with 36 hand crafted levels so you’ll never grow bored of smashing – and three different settings for each level are included as well. This game has been released just today to the NVIDIA TegraZone and the Google Play app store for your consumption – go grab it instantly for your Tegra 3 tablet or smartphone!
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