Hasta La Gadget!

As any hardcore gamer would likely attest, we’d still recommend keeping whatever rig you’re running OnLive on connected to the world wide web via a patch cable, but if you simply must cut and run, at least a cable-free setup is being officially supported now. From the onset, many OnLive beta users were using a bridge in order to stream their games over the air, but the company has been toiling in the labs to create an officially supported solution that better takes into account the uncertainties of wireless connections. According to Steve Perlman, OnLive’s founder and CEO, the technology “handles many real-world WiFi scenarios including management of interference, congestion and drop-outs if you get out of range,” and it’ll even allow users to lose their connection entirely for up to five minutes without forgetting their place in the game. It’s recommended that beta testers use wireless networks that can sustain at least 3Mbps, but feel free to press your luck and the service’s boundaries in one fell swoop.

OnLive WiFi beta goes live for all members, your Ethernet cable sings a sad song originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 05:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You might have hoped that NVIDIA’s introduction of the 400M series of mobile GPUs would bring about a slew of hot new laptops to drop into our gaming boudoirs, but we are in fact left facing more of the same. Externally, anyhow. The chipmaker rolled out the green carpet for a set of upcoming machines in London today, but they were refreshes, rather than overhauls, of current hardware. The big news is to be found within, as the new GTX 460M has made a home inside the updated ASUS G53, Toshiba Qosmio X505, and MSI GT663. The common thread among these three is that they’re all big and hefty, and all emit a subtle vroom sound every time you touch them. What we learned from NVIDIA today is that the GTX 480M will remain an exotic (you might even call it quixotic) GPU reserved for large-screen gaming stations, the GTX 470M will similarly be an enthusiast part, and the GTX 460M will be the company’s big play for the mainstream performance market. It also became clear that even the third GPU in the company’s mobile hierarchy will need quite a bulky cooling setup (and a proportionately huge charger) to do its job, but NVIDIA’s promises of much-improved performance might just make it worthwhile.

As to the more sane among us, there was a selection of pleasingly thinner machines, like the ASUS N53 and Acer Aspire 5745, which make do with the lower-specced GT 420M and GT 425M graphics chips. Those are expected to be NVIDIA’s biggest sellers, and the video demo after the break of the 425M churning through StarCraft II is certainly appealing. We should note, however, that the latest (though definitely not greatest) Prince of Persia game was also on tap on one of these machines and its frame rate gave us a delightful old-timey feeling any time we entered combat with its emulation of stop-motion animation. So, as ever, it’s looking like great graphics will require great rigs, but we can probably expect a decent — not game-changing (get it?) — leap in performance among the lighter options as well.

Continue reading NVIDIA trots out GeForce 400M series laptops, shows off StarCraft II gameplay (video)

NVIDIA trots out GeForce 400M series laptops, shows off StarCraft II gameplay (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 16:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The fine people at iFixit have taken the extremely awesome step of tearing down some very retro gear this week, and up first, they’ve got the Magnavox Odyssey 100 which dates from 1975. The gaming console, which boasted two (count them ) games — Tennis and Hockey — was built around four Texas Instruments chips and powered by six C batteries. It was also the first home gaming console, so we were pretty interested in seeing its insides. What struck us in looking at the photos was the most obvious thing: how much emptier it is than modern gadgets. It was also completely dismantled in just seven steps. Hit the source for more photos and keep your eye out for more vintage disassemblies as the week progresses.

iFixit tears apart a Magnavox Odyssey 100, doesn’t find a disco ball inside originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are two ways to look at physical media. Some see it as needless clutter; useless relics taking up shelf space and collecting the airborne remnants of your dearly departed skin cells. Others, however, see rows and rows of boxes and books with a sense of pride — proof that they have incredibly good taste when it comes to spending free time. According to the NPD, those two parties are rapidly becoming equal when it comes to gaming, with 21.3 million “full-game” PC titles downloaded (legally) in 2009 and 23.5 million boxed copies sold. That’s awfully close, and ignores all the PSN and XBLA titles that are currently making our console hard drives cry for mercy. Should brick and mortar software stores be nervous? Not according to GameStop CEO J. Paul Raines, whose franchises are decidedly ceramic and paste-based: “The world won’t be all digital tomorrow… In this business, users still want physical content.” And he’s right, you know. We’d say it’ll be more like 18 – 24 months.

Physical and digital distribution sales for games nearly equal, GameStop CEO thinks people like boxes originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Xbox Live family subscription plan available starting in November for $99

Xbox Live family subscription plan available starting in November for $99 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 11:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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