The studio behind the AAA Crysis series and award winning game development software CryEngine, is to launch a social media business with their new site GFACE.

Users of the site will be able to play and share games on the cloud for free, crytek says that GFACE will be browser based and will enable gamers to stream games in a similar fashion to cloud gaming service OnLive. Crytek is also working on launching there first free-to-play game called Warface, which is a FPS set in the near future and is shaping up very nicely already. I would imagine the two will be linked in one form or another.

The site is already accepting applications for it’s closed beta at the GFACE website, although no release date has been confirmed yet. I’ve put my name down already for the beta, if I am accepted and terms and conditions allow it, you can expect a full review of the service here on eteknix.com

Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli: ”GFACE enables its users to discover and experience entertainment together in real time, ‘Play. Together. Live’ encompasses our mission to re-imagine the way we play, the way we interact with each other – live in an entirely new way. We want everybody to play everywhere for free.”

I’m a big fan, but not a big user of the OnLive service, it’s an interesting alternative, but not a perfect one, although it will be interesting to see what Crytek can do with similar technology.

What are your thoughts on cloud gaming?

Source: GFACE

Bethesda have just announced that the Skyrim Creation Kit is on track for a Tuesday release, members of the mod community should be excited as apparently there is a little treat in store.

“For our Skyrim PC fans, the Creation Kit is on track for release on Tuesday. And, we also have a special surprise with it.”

Exactly what that will be is currently unclear, but we shall find out soon enough, we’ll keep you posted on any developments.

The Skyrim Creation Kit is the same software Bethesda used to create Skyrim, with it you can modify any part of the game, or even create something completely new within the game engine.

Will you be downloading this software, or are you just looking forward to some new mods?

Source: The Elder Scrolls

EA has revealed that the 2nd DLC for it’s flagship FPS will be unveiled next week at a New York event.

Battlefield 3 received it’s first DLC last December “Back to Karkand”, which I my self downloaded, and it’s a great addition to the game, I don’t doubt the next DLC will be anything short of epic and successful. Rumour has it that the new DLC will be based in the US, but as always with rumours, only time will tell if there is any truth to be had.

To add to the excitement, EA’s President of Investor Relations, Peter Ausnit confirmed a selection of DLC is planed for the FPS, which would be formally showcased at the event next week. I don’t know if that means they will be releasing more than one content pack at a time, or if they will be publishing a road map for the future DLC packs, but you be sure we’ll post the news on that here next week.

Peter Ausnit: “We’ve got plans for all of our major franchises to turn them into more of… games for service that have a constant flow of downloadable content. You’re going to hear some announcements from us on Battlefield actually as early as next week in an event we’ve got in New York.”

Source: T3

Take-Two reassured investors that GTA5′s development is “making great progress.” They haven’t gone as far giving us a release date, but Analysts believe that GTA 5 will be out by March 31 2013, as it’s unlikely to hit a 2012 launch with Max Payne 3 already being delayed to May, they wouldn’t go so far to release two major titles from their range that close together, although in my opinion I wouldn’t completely rule out a run for 2012 Christmas #1.

Strauss Zelnick (T2 Boss) “Grand Theft Auto V is making great process,” “GTA V promises to continue Rockstar’s incredible track record of delighting fans by raising the bar in interactive entertainment.”

Take Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar games, shares jumped seven percent following the revelation that Grand Theft Auto V is in development, but the company also just posted a loss of $8 million, how this will affect the game is uncertain at the time, but as with most any games company, they need this game to succeed.

Enermax have decided to take a daring entry into the CPU cooler market. Their debut line-up consists of a tower style cooler and a top-down style, low profile variant. A pair of actual heatsinks creates the line-up but Enermax have intelligently created 5 different products by bundling the tower style ETS-T40 with 3 different fan variations and the top-down style ETS-T60 with 2 unique fan configurations. Today, we will be looking at the tower style ETS-T40-VD which is bundled with Enermax’s extremely popular Vegas Duo fan. Be sure to keep an eye out for our review of the ETS-T60-VD soon!

The ETS-T40-VD is built around a single tower design consisting of 4 direct touch, 6mm copper heatpipes and an aluminium fin array. Enermax claim to have reached a “New Milestone” with their heatsink’s 0.09°C/W thermal resistance. The 3 innovations responsible for this value of thermal resistance are Enermax’s patented Stack Effect Flow (SEF), Vortex Generator Flow (VGF) and Vacuum Effect Flow (VEF). A single 120mm Enermax TB Vegas Duo fan is bundled with the ETS-T40-VD which utilizes the 4-pin PWM connector and is capable of reaching 1800 RPM while shifting up to 76 CFM of air.

Compatibility comes in the form of support for every modern Intel and AMD socket other than LGA 2011. At 160mm in height and weighing around 610g for the cooler alone, Enermax’s ETS-T40 cooler range should fit perfectly in most mid tower and above cases. Enermax have also included an extra pair of fan clips for enthusiasts who want to unlock every ounce of potential from the ETS-T40 heatsink.

With a retail price of around £37/€35 for the Vegas Duo version or less than £30/€30 for versions equipped with different fans, Enermax could have a CPU cooler which brings the aesthetic appeal to the table, but leaves the extortionate price tag behind.

The Wind U180, meticulously crafted by MSI for 2012, marks a new zenith in computer technology, offering both performance and an esthetically pleasing looks. It comes in minimalist black, angel white or lavender, is less than one-inch thin, tips the scales at just 1 kg, and is sheathed in MSI’s own attractive IMR color film print to prevent scratches and smudges. Let this highly mobile piece of computer technology add color to your life.

Eric Kuo, associate vice president for global sales, MSI Notebook, points out that the MSI Wind U180, a new generation netbook characterized by painstaking attention to craftsmanship and innovation, not only packs significantly more power, it is the ideal solution to meet today’s mobile multimedia needs. Its display is some three times more powerful than that of the previous generation, enabling the high resolution LED screen to show much more detail and color. What’s more, the HDMI slot allows you to connect the U180 netbook to a large HDTV to maximize multimedia entertainment.

Intel’s Atom processor: The stylish MSI Wind U180 netbook comes optional with the new generation dual-core Intel Atom N2800 processor with advanced 32 nm-based process which works in conjunction with the Intel NM10 high-speed chip set. It not only effectively enhances processor and overall system performance by more than 20% over previous generation netbooks, it also supports DDR3 system memory, while using much less power than the earlier platform. This new generation netbook brings high performance under the hood of a lean, mean, beautifully constructed machine.

All-new media engine: The MSI Wind U180 utilizes the latest generation display graphics technology, enabling it to play high resolution 1080p movies, and it supports digital display and conferencing capabilities, such as HDMI. The internal Intel Graphics Media Accelerator works in conjunction with the integrated memory control to boost performance and system response. The display graphics performance is double that of the previous generation platform. You can watch movies or hook it up to an HDTV without compromising picture quality.

MSI TDE overclocking technoloy: The MSI Wind U180 comes with MSI’s own epoch making TDE overclocking technology to speed up the processor clock, instantly throttling up performance. It optimizes the hardware which works in coordination with up to 2 GB of DDR3 system memory to provide you a light and fast computing experience.


Chic, slim, light exterior: The Wind U180′s ultra slim, ultra light netbook sports a unique display axle and offers you a choice of minimalist black, angel white or lavender chassis protected from scratching and wear by the attractive IMR color film print. The palm-placement areas are sheathed in an attractive gleaming cover which adds to the overall elegance of the MSI Wind U180.

Unique Chiclet keyboard: The MSI Wind U180 has a stylish Chiclet keyboard with independent key design for quieter, more solid action. With each strike of the keyboard, you will understand that MSI truly does insist on the best in each and every detail.

Swirl design touchpad: The Wind U180 employs MSI’s own swirl design touchpad which gives the keyboard area a stylishly minimalist look and enhances touch detection for smoother cursor movement.

Super thin 10-inch LED screen: The MSI Wind U180 sports a power-saving 10.1″ LED backlit display with a response time of just 8 milliseconds—more than twice as fast as traditional notebooks, to give you a smooth, crisp picture with greater detail and brighter colors when watching movies and animation. This netbook offers the visual quality of a cinema.

MSI’s ECO power saving technology: MSI’s exclusive ECO engine power saving technology allows you to select from among five power management levels—Video Game, Film, Presentation, Word Processing, and Turbo Battery, with the touch of a finger, so you can effectively extend battery power time 33% over the previous generation. Tests show that the 6-cell battery can power the MSI Wind U180 for 8 hours to give you all the power you need for the entire day.

Bluetooth and wireless network support: In addition to providing 8 hours of battery power, the MSI Wind U180 also supports a complete array of wireless connectivity with 802.11 b/g/n wireless and Bluetooth 3.0+HS, making connecting with the world simple. Enjoy advanced future mobile computing technology today.

Intel have Ivy Bridge architecture coming out later this year for both the desktop and server market. The Ivy Bridge-EP architecture will further cement Intel’s position as chief of the server market. They are planning a 10 core 20 threaded processors which can work in a pair, all we know so far is this chip is an Intel Xeon based off 22nm Ivy Bridge technology and that it gave some impressive results.

The 10-core Ivy Bridge-EP/EX chip (LGA2011, 2P-capable) features 10 next-generation cores clocked at 2.80 GHz, with 256 KB L2 cache per core, 30 MB shared L3 cache, and HyperThreading technology that enables 20 logical CPUs. This chip crunched WPrime 1024M in 158.5 seconds, and scores 41.78X relative speed in Fritz chess when just 8 of its 20 threads are put to use. You can also find some pretty screen shots of CPU-Z with its long processor selection list and Windows 8 task manager.

Source: TPU, Coolaler, ComputerBase.de

AMD is struggling to compete with Intel in the processor market when it comes to performance, this has been a recurring theme over the past two years but the brilliant success of Sandy Bridge and drastic failure of Bulldozer has made the gap arguably the widest it has ever been in the history of the modern computer. Therefore, it comes as no great surprise that AMD is revising its roadmap for the year 2012 to take the focus of its priorities from the processor market across to its APU designs.

AMD will be pushing ahead with the launch of Trinity which will utilise both the latest 32nm piledriver cores (reportedly 25% faster than the Llano cores) and discrete class Radeon Cores (same as those used in the HD 6000 series we believe). In addition to this AMD will revamp the highly successful Brazos architecture bringing out Brazos 2.0 to reflect the newest version. AMD also plans the launch of the “Hondo” range of APUs, which in essence are intended for Ultra Low Power or ULP systems. The Brazos 2.0 and Hondo architecture will all utilise 40nm whilst the APUs will bring the 32nm technology to the table. You can see more details in the attached slides.

However, what’s still very interesting is AMD is still pushing ahead with CPU development. Maybe with not as much rigor as before but AMD will be developing Bulldozer Version 2, to be named PileDriver or Vishera and essentially this will be a refined version of Bulldozer and hopefully provide dramatically better CPU performance without the horrendous power consumption figures we have seen from Bulldozer so far.

2013 sees AMD bringing in the third generation of of the APU called Kaveri, the Brazos 2.0 replacement Kabini and the Hondo replacement Temash. As far as Graphics go the second generation of 28nm cards will be released under the code name sea islands. In terms of the CPU market it appears AMD will expect Vishera to be the mainstay of late 2012 and the entire 2013 with no new CPU processors planned.

Source: PC Perspective

Motherboard companies are responding to increasing prices of key raw materials across the world such as copper in addition to spiraling labor costs by planning price-hikes of their motherboard products by as much as 10% in some cases, which will take effect by the end of Q1, 2012 or March. The vendors adopting these increased prices include major players such as ASUS and Gigabyte (the two biggest motherboard manufacturers). Motherboard prices were alread raised by 5-10% back in early-2011 to tune in with increased material costs and the impact of labor shortages, and by 3-8% in April 2011 due to shortages and increased prices of components sourced from Japan, in the wake of the earthquake/tsunami disaster of 2011.

Source: DigiTimes, TPU

Not a lot can be revealed at the moment, but a small teaser picture should get your appetite going until the launch.

What we know so far is that the Z77A-GD45 will support the latest Intel 3rd Generation processors, but we will know more as Intel release it in the near future. Other models in the range will include the GD55, and GD65.

MSI feature wise, we will see Military Class III components, OC Genie II with 1 second overclocking, ClickBIOS II and a few more key features, which we will talk about more as things develop.

For now, enjoy the picture and keep looking back as we may leak some more very soon. From a first glance, we can see the heatsink design has changed quite a lot in terms of being longer, yet smaller in height. Not a lot more can be given away at this time, but we will be first as and when it happens.

Ushering the finest and most capable graphics card based on new AMD “Tahiti” 28nm GPUs, the ASUS HD 7970 DirectCU II TOP uses a factory-overclocked core and 3 GB of GDDR5. It is cooled by the exclusive DirectCU II, a dual fan thermal design with six copper heatpipes and a large dissipation area that leads to the lowest temperatures and quietest operation of any HD 7970 card.

ASUS DIGI+ VRM 12-phase digital power delivery comes to graphics cards improved with Super Alloy Power components, while overclockers are bound to appreciate the inclusion of exclusive VGA Hotwire hardware overvolting and GPU Tweak software tuning. The new cards further support adapter-free AMD Eyefinity 6.

Overclocked to 1000 MHz – 75 MHz higher than reference

The HD 7970 DirectCU II TOP ships tuned to 1000 MHz, 75 MHz up from reference. This boost in clock speeds creates noticeable performance improvement, helping make greater use of the generous 3 GB GDDR5 video memory. The default increase in speed indicates the proprietary ASUS HD 7970 DirectCU II TOP design’s amenability to overclocking and performance pushing, making better use of the 384-bit memory interface and PCI Express 3.0 standard, which works at up to twice the speed of PCI Express 2.0.

DirectCU II leads to the coolest and quietest HD 7970 card available

Further design and engineering improvements to the ASUS DirectCU II thermal architecture have resulted in its finest iteration yet. The new design consists of six all-copper heatpipes in direct contact with the GPU, in addition to a 20% larger dissipation area than any previous versions. Cooling effectiveness increases by up to 20% compared to reference, helping the card run with improved stability and reliability – critical to successful overclocking. Since the card stays so cool, the dual fans can operate at lower speeds, contributing to a 14 dB quieter than reference experience that helps gamers focus on the action instead of the noise.

First graphics card DIGI+ VRM digital power design with 12-phase Super Alloy Power

ASUS has brought its acclaimed DIGI+ VRM digital power delivery design from motherboards to graphics cards, with the HD 7970 DirectCU II TOP serving as the launch vehicle. DIGI+ VRM has been applied via a massive 12-phase power design that uses digital voltage regulators to increase power efficiency, widen the voltage modulation range, and improve overall stability and longevity. Power delivery components utilize exclusive ASUS Super Alloy Power formulation, which reinforces capacitors, chokes, and MOSFETs with better manufacturing and materials to increase heat tolerance and stress resistance. Cards with Super Alloy Power outperform reference variants and last longer, offering consumers better value.

Easy DIY overvolting with VGA Hotwire

Derived from technology first implemented in ROG motherboards such as the Rampage IV Extreme, VGA Hotwire links headers on the motherboard and the graphics card with simple solder points. Users can alter voltages directly on a hardware level, resulting in more precise modification. Core, memory, and phase (PLL) voltages can be readily altered, opening up new overclocking opportunities.

Intuitive tuning via the GPU Tweak utility

Users who prefer a friendlier interface can utilize the ASUS GPU Tweak suite, which offers fast tuning of numerous card parameters, including clock speeds, voltages, and fan settings. GPU Tweak can control up to four cards at once through AMD CrossFireX. It features GPU clock and voltage syncing, plus 2D/3D switching and mode locking for higher 3D benchmarks. Users get more accurate system testing and higher scores in competitive overclocking scenarios. The utility offers auto driver/BIOS updates to keep cards in optimal working condition, and a handy monitoring widget that provides highly detailed multi-parameter information on demand. ASUS has also worked closely with Techpowerup to integrate GPU-Z into GPU Tweak, offering even more reliable graphics card data and tracking.

First HD 7970 card with four native DisplayPorts for six-screen AMD Eyefinity

The input/output logic of the HD 7970 DirectCU II TOP takes full advantage of the power of the hardware, offering users access to dual DVI and four DisplayPort connectors. As a result, one card can drive up to six screens – achieving HD/4K resolutions with no additional adapters. The efficient power of top-end 28 nm GPU technology means visuals look better than ever even on extremely large displays.

Also in: all-new ASUS HD 7950 DirectCU II TOP ships overclocked to 900 MHz

The HD 7950 DirectCU II TOP features the DirectCU II dual fan cooler and offers consumers superior performance compared to the 800 MHz HD 7950 reference card. ASUS has begun developing more enhanced versions of the HD 7950 that will feature additional exclusive ASUS technologies, including DIGI+ VRM and Super Alloy Power. These cards will ship during the remainder of Q1 2012. Further announcements will be made as products become available.

With more than 9.3 million registered users and partnerships now with 21 different publishers, Origin, the direct-to-consumer gaming platform from Electronic Arts (EA) Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) has quickly become one of the industry’s leading online game services in just over two quarters since launch.

Origin announced today that seven more publishers have agreed to offer their games for purchase and download. Led by Remedy Entertainment who will bring Alan Wake to Origin, additional publishers include Focus Home Interactive, Iceberg Interactive, Strategy First, Macro Games, Selectsoft and Legendo Entertainment. These publishers join 14 previously announced Origin partners, including Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, THQ, Capcom, Trion Worlds and Robot Entertainment.

Origin has recently recorded several notable milestones:

• Since June 2011, sales on Origin have generated more than $100 million in revenue;
• Nearly 40% of all copies for Star Wars: The Old Republic sold to date were purchased via Origin;
• More than 9.3 million users have registered and downloaded the Origin application, with daily active users peaking at more than one million players.

In addition to more than 100 titles from EA including Battlefield 3, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Need for Speed The Run and FIFA 12, top titles from other publishers on Origin include Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s Batman: Arkham City, Saints Row: The Third from THQ and Rift from Trion Worlds.

“The momentum that we’ve achieved with Origin since launching in June has been incredible, buoyed by great games and great partners,” said David DeMartini, Senior Vice President of Origin at EA. “Our fast-growing user base demonstrates the interest from gamers across the world in fully-connected, 365-day digital game experiences. We’re committed to evolving and expanding Origin to help players get the absolute most out of their games, and we’re just getting started.”

In addition to fast and safe game downloads for many of the industry’s most popular PC titles, Origin’s features provide a more dynamic and convenient play experience for the gamer. Beyond the fast download capability, automatic log-in and built-in customer service, Origin’s in-game overlay and chat with friends features make for a more lively social experience, and cloud saves let gamers save and continue games from any computer, anytime, anywhere. Live streaming demos on Origin also allow gamers to try some games before they buy.

For more information about Origin, please visit http://www.origin.com.

Source: Press Release

Ubisoft has released a new trailer for their upcoming title, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Along with confirmation that it will definitely be coming to pc along it’s US & UK release dates.

Ubisoft’s statement:

“Ghost Recon Future Soldier will release on May 22 in the US and May 24 in Europe. We believe that we have a truly great game on our hands and we want to take a few more weeks to make sure we have everything exactly right. We know you’ve been waiting for a long time and we appreciate the support and excitement you’ve shared with us. 

We’d like to take this opportunity to confirm that Ghost Recon Future Soldier will be released on PC. We know many of you have been waiting for this confirmation and we hope that you’re as excited as we are.

Last but not least, the Beta will begin in April for both Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Again, we thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. We’ll have more videos to share soon, highlighting what we’ve been working on over the last months: making a bigger, better Ghost Recon experience. Look forward to it!”

The new trailer shows some superb looking game play, along with some of the new abilities that you’ll be able to use, not wanting to spoil anything my self, you can watch the trailer below. This is shaping up to be a great looking game and so long as the game hasn’t abandoned it’s tactical roots in favour of heavily scripted scenarios, we could have a real contended for Battlefield 3 on our hands very soon.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Source: Ubisoft

A new trailer has launched for the new RPG “Game of Thrones” based on George R. R. Martin’s massively popular series of books. I own the Game of Thrones books and must say are unbelievably epic, the TV adaptation, which had it’s first season last year far exceeded my expectations. With the 2nd season primed to hit our screens in April it’s the perfect time to hit the masses with a game. Personally I don’t have high expectations for this game, in the hands of a developer such as Bethesda though, I think this could be a real contender for the likes of Skyrim, but it’s not being made by Bethesda, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see how well it’s developers do. The game is down for a Q1 release this year, due to hit PC, Xbox 360 & PS3.

The trailer shows us some of the locations from the game, the town of Riverspring and Sarwyck Keep, along with the games two main protagonists, Mors, sworn brother of the Night’s Watch, and Alester, the Red Priest. Expect Mors and Alester to be fighting their way through King’s Landing, Red Keep and The Wall on this hopefully epic quest.

The history of the game is all laid out in the books and the story is solid, lets just hope Cyanide Studio has the skills required to capture the magic that so many of us love from the books and again with HBO’s TV adaption of this great series.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Source: gameofthrones-rpg