Lucid's Hydra to revolutionize PC graphic upgrades

LucidLogix Technologies seeks to make your video card's processing more efficient. The Israel-based company claims its new Hydra technology will direct graphic-processing traffic between multiple GPUs, using several "intelligent parallelization algorithms". This is a system-on-a-chip solution that will be embedded into video cards and motherboards. LucidLogix claims this will result in the following:

1. "Cost-effective graphic performance with a near-linear to above-linear performance."
2. "Eliminate bottlenecks that exist in typical 3D graphic applications."
3. "Provide interoperability with all GPUs and chipsets."
4. "Work with the latest versions of DirectX and OpenGL."

The key things that stand out to me are the "above-linear performance" claim and the "all GPUs and chipsets" detail. The current video card in my PC is the ATI Radeon X1950. So, supposedly with Hydra, I'll be able to add an Nvidia GeForce 8800 card to get better performance than the two cards are normally capable of. Whether or not the technology will actually work remains to be seen. LucidLogix claims this will improve the performance of any 3D application dynamically without developers having to write specific code. The trick here will be getting all of this to work seamlessly. I hope they can pull it off, as I'm in need of a "cheap" upgrade and I don't want to deal with any headaches. Hydra is set to be available starting in the first half of 2009.

Via CNET Crave

EA announces Sims 3, relationship with Quake maker id, at E3

LOS ANGELES--It wouldn't be E3 without Electronic Arts, the world's-largest video game publisher, weighing in with the best of its forthcoming lineup.

And that's just what happened Monday afternoon at the Orpheum theater downtown here: A boisterously loud, demo-heavy presentation of the cream of EA's 2008 and some of its 2009 lineup.

Topping the list--from this reporter's perspective, at least--is Spore, which is planned for a September 7 release.

On June 17, EA released the Spore creature creator as a free download. Now, after just three weeks, Will Wright, the designer of The Sims and the head of Maxis, the EA studio that is making Spore, said during the press conference here Monday that users have already made more than 2 million creatures.

Included in those 2 million creations are more than 1.7 million different species, which Wright dryly noted was more species than there are on Earth.
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What was missing from the Nintendo E3 press conference

The Nintendo press conference at E3 2008 just ended and we're left scratching our heads. While we were glad to see the announcement of titles like Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party, hardcore gamers loyal to the Nintendo brand were completely left in the dust. There was no talk of any first-party Nintendo games beyond the Wii-branded Wii Sports Resort and Wii Music. There was absolutely no mention of new franchises like Kid Icarus or even anything from the Zelda or Mario camp. This has everyone in the office wondering, "where are the games"?

Also surprisingly, Nintendo did not address the crucial issue of system storage. With the release of WiiWare, Wii owners are quickly running out of space to download and save games. What most thought was a shoe-in to be announced at the Nintendo press conference went totally unmentioned. Nintendo didn't even tease any upcoming WiiWare games.
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Sony E3 2008 press conference wrap-up

Sony on Tuesday afternoon concluded the trio of press conferences kicking off E3 2008. Here are some of the highlights:

We first got a glimpse of the highly anticipated sequel Resistance 2, set to ship in the fall. The gameplay looked gorgeous and featured a battle with a 300ft monster. Next up was some time with LittleBigPlanet, shipping in October 2008, a game that will allow users to design, create, and share their own custom levels over the PlayStation Network. MotorStorm: Pacific Drift and SOCOM Confrontation were also briefly shown.

Other PlayStation 3 games were just teased as we saw a short trailer for God of War III, but we got no real information on its release. We also got to see a glimpse of Infamous, scheduled to ship in spring 2009. It's a title where you play a superhero who must decide the fate of an entire city. Next was DC Universe Online, a massive online role-playing game that will have you roaming around and interacting with your favorite DC characters. We were also introduced to MAG (Massive Action Game), a title that boasts online battles involving up to a whopping 256 players.
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Microsoft E3 2008 press conference wrap-up

The E3 conference opened Monday in Los Angeles with a press conference from Microsoft. Here are some highlights.

Microsoft showed off first-ever game play footage from the post-apocalyptic title Fallout 3 and announced that there will be downloadable content exclusive to Xbox Live. We saw real-time action from Resident Evil 5, shipping on March 13. We got a peek at the new co-op feature in the game, where players will be able to team up and make their way through together. Developer Square Enix also made announcements that included the release of four titles for Xbox 360 including Final Fantasy XIII.

As for console exclusives, we saw in-game action from Fable 2, shipping in October. Players will be able to seamlessly invite other friends who are also playing the game. Finally, we were blown away by the impressive game demo of Gears of War 2 shipping November 7. The game actually looks better than the original and will feature a five-player online co-op mode.

Microsoft will be releasing a new dashboard interface this fall that incorporates an avatar system--the Xbox answer to Nintendo Mii characters. The new feature allows you to join up with other friends to form a "party," a group of up to eight people where you can share multimedia items or start a game. A new mode called Primetime will actually incorporate real-life TV shows like 1 vs. 100 and allow Xbox Live members to play and watch these game shows and possibly even win real prizes.

Microsoft also announced a slew of new downloadable games. These include: Geometry Wars 2, Galaga Legions, a South Park-themed game, and most exciting of all, Portal: Still Alive, a follow-up to The Orange Box smash hit. Look for Grand Theft Auto IV episodes in the fall as well. Xbox Live users will be able to start downloading and playing community-designed games around the release of the update. With the new dashboard also comes the exclusive Netflix plug-in that will allow you to watch movies directly on your Xbox 360.
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