First look at DC Universe Online: To the virtual Batcave

If hoards of Batman and Joker fans have their way, one booth may be getting some extra attention at Comic-Con, the annual comic book conference that just kick off in San Diego.

Following the success of the newest Batman flick and Sony's E3 announcement of a new massively multiplayer online game (MMO), DC Universe Online, DC, Warner Brothers, and Sony Online Entertainment are treating some of their biggest fans to a sneak peek of the virtual world that will be offered on PlayStation 3 or online.

But for those who can't attend the everything-comic conference, DC Universe Online's MySpace page offers some select screenshots and artwork.
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HP brings Voodoo into the consumer PC fold

The world's largest PC maker has decided it doesn't need a separate gaming PC unit anymore. From now on, Voodoo will be just one of Hewlett-Packard's consumer PC brands.

Voodoo founder Rahul Sood said on his personal blog that this was "always" the intention when HP bought Voodoo PC in 2006, and "the plan is now being accelerated, ultimately making it a reality sooner than any of us ever imagined."

Sood repeats that this is a "good thing" for the Voodoo brand, and he's probably right. HP knows how to move PCs, and has a giant marketing machine that could help push Voodoo into the mainstream, making the new Envy and Omen notebooks and desktops available at retail.

What's not clear is what happens to Sood. He was named CTO of HP's Global Gaming Business Unit, which was responsible for the Voodoo business, when his company was acquired.

The future of the Blackbird gaming brand also seems up in the air. It was introduced last year as a hybrid of HP's consumer PC line with Voodoo-influenced technology inside. It appears unnecessary to have both.

HP couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Via CNET Crave

Microsoft: Windows 7 on track

Windows unit head Bill Veghte said on Thursday that Windows 7 development remains on track.

The company has officially said it would ship by January 2010, but top executives have also said from time to time that it would be done by the end of 2009.

"The product is tracking very, very well," Veghte said. "We are committed and looking good, relative to our commitment--(shipping Windows 7) three years from general availability of Windows Vista."

Microsoft has released few details on the product, largely assuring customers that it would be making big architectural changes and that it will have a new multitouch user interface.


Video: Multi-Touch in Windows 7
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Microsoft speaks on Games for Windows Live changes

Q&A If you missed our earlier post on Microsoft's announcements from the GameFest 2008 conference, here's a brief recap:

• Games for Windows Live is now free at all membership levels
• In the fall, Microsoft will launch a digital distribution service called the Games for Windows Live Marketplace
• DirectX 11 is official, and it will include support for GPU programming, among other new features.

We had a chance to talk to Kevin Unangst, Microsoft's senior director of Global Gaming , and he provided some more details.

What was the deciding factor that lead Microsoft to drop the Gold-level membership fee for Games for Windows Live?
Since we introduced Games for Windows Live we've listened to developers and to PC gamers and they said look, there's a baseline expectation that multiplayer is a service that is just free on Windows; that is just how it works. Looking at it from a competitive angle, it makes sense for us to deliver on that expectation and to go above and beyond. We're confident we have the best matchmaking service on the planet with TruSkill matchmaking and we want to make sure that's available to the largest group of Windows gamers. Making this decision really was a natural part of focusing on what gamers want and what game developers told us what they wanted.
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Report: Facebook growing faster than MySpace

MySpace is still the top dog among social networks in the US, according to researcher Hitwise, but its No. 2 rival Facebook is gaining fast.

MySpace attracted as much as 73 percent of US visitor market share for social networks in June, down by 6 percent from the same period last year, according to a report released Wednesday from Hitwise. Facebook, its more staid social rival, lured about 17 percent of the US market, up 40 percent from June 2007.

It's still a wide margin, but Facebook's threat looms large. And Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg emphasized this week that the company's primary goal is growth.
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