Digital Storm Bolt stuffs full-power graphics into a mini gaming desktop, stretches laws of physics

Digital Storm Bolt stuffs fullpower graphics into a mini gaming PC

Attempts to create truly small gaming desktops usually involve at least some kind of performance hit. Even HP's category-bending Firebird, one of the few stand-out examples, had to use toned-down graphics to succeed in a tiny enclosure. Digital Storm might have broken the trend towards sacrifice with its new Bolt desktop: although it's just 3.6 inches wide and 14 inches tall, the Bolt can cram in as much as a GeForce GTX 680 and will even let gamers upgrade the graphics like they would in a full-size PC. The seemingly logic-defying (if also finger-defying) case still allows room for as much as an overclocked 4.6GHz Core i7, 16GB of RAM and storage options that meld a spinning hard drive with up to two SSDs and a DVD burner. Digital Storm isn't even setting an absurd base price, but it's in the cost that we finally see the catch to the miniaturization tricks. The $999 entry-level Bolt carries a modest 3.1GHz Core i3, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive and GeForce GTX 650 Ti, while it takes a staggering $1,949 to get a fully decked-out Core i7 system with a GTX 680. Those prices might be worthwhile for anyone who has ever strained while lugging a traditional tower to a game tourney.

Continue reading Digital Storm Bolt stuffs full-power graphics into a mini gaming desktop, stretches laws of physics

Filed under: , ,

Digital Storm Bolt stuffs full-power graphics into a mini gaming desktop, stretches laws of physics originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 05:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceDigital Storm  | Email this | Comments

Razer gives away custom Star Wars-themed Blade, may turn friends Imperial Guard red with envy

Razer gives away custom Star Warsthemed Blade, may turn friends Imperial Guard red with envy

Razer has been big on Star Wars gaming gear, but never quite like this. Enter a free contest and there's a chance to win a completely unique Star Wars: The Old Republic version of Razer's Blade gaming laptop. The winner sees the system's normally black shell replaced with a matte, laser-etched aluminum gray and the green backlighting dropped in favor of a subtler yellow matched to the MMORPG logo. Anyone who brings out this portable at a bring-your-own-computer gaming party is inevitably going to be the center of attention, although we have a feeling some would almost prefer the second-place bundle of peripherals -- at an estimated worth of $15,000, the Star Wars Blade might be too precious to carry for all but the most well-heeled of fans.

Filed under: ,

Razer gives away custom Star Wars-themed Blade, may turn friends Imperial Guard red with envy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 03:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceRazer  | Email this | Comments

Maingear outfits desktops with GeForce GTX 650 and 660, drops prices to lure us in

Maingear F131, Potenza and Shift

Whenever there's a new video card or processor, Maingear is almost always on the scene with an upgrade -- sometimes within seconds of its hardware partners. A plan to use NVIDIA's new GeForce GTX 650 and 660 graphics chips from day one proves that rule in style, although Maingear is going the distance with some incentives beyond just shiny parts. Along with making the mid-tier GeForce technology an option for every desktop, the PC builder is offering special GTX 650 and 660 versions of its F131 and Potenza gaming rigs that knock as much as $150 off the price. The base prices of $949 for the limited-run Potenza and $1,199 for the F131 keep either system in serious gamer territory and preclude us from calling them tremendous bargains. Nonetheless, it's difficult to grouse very loudly: it's not often that a price drop and a hardware upgrade walk hand in hand.

Filed under: ,

Maingear outfits desktops with GeForce GTX 650 and 660, drops prices to lure us in originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMaingear  | Email this | Comments

Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3 now working on Linux through Google Chrome, more or less

Epic Citadel tech demo

A Holy Grail of Linux gaming has been an Unreal Engine 3 port. Getting one for the OS would unlock a world of games that has been the province of, well, just about any other mainstream platform. Thanks to Google preserving Flash on Linux through Chrome, that dream is alive in at least a rudimentary form. Experimenters at the Phoronix forums have found that Chrome 21 has support for the Stage 3D hardware acceleration needed to drive Epic Games' Flash conversion of UE3. Tell Chrome to enable support as well as ignore a graphics chip blacklist, and suddenly you're running Epic Citadel from your Linux install. When we say "running," however, we're taking a slight amount of poetic license. Performance isn't that hot, and certain configurations might not show the medieval architecture in all its glory. We've confirmed with Epic that it works, but it's still firm on the stance that there's no plans for official UE3 support on Linux "at this time." It's still promising enough that maybe, just maybe, gamers can embrace an open-source platform without having to give up the games they love.

Filed under: ,

Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 now working on Linux through Google Chrome, more or less originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Aug 2012 01:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePhoronix, Unreal Engine  | Email this | Comments

Sony takes SOEmote live for EverQuest II, lets gamers show their true CG selves (video)

Sony takes SOEmote live for EverQuest II, lets gamers show their true CG selves

We had a fun time trying Sony's SOEmote expression capture tech at E3; now everyone can try it. As of today, most EverQuest II players with a webcam can map their facial behavior to their virtual personas while they play, whether it's to catch the nuances of conversation or drive home an exaggerated game face. Voice masking also lets RPG fans stay as much in (or out of) character as they'd like. About the only question left for those willing to brave the uncanny valley is when other games will get the SOEmote treatment. Catch our video look after the break if you need a refresher.

Continue reading Sony takes SOEmote live for EverQuest II, lets gamers show their true CG selves (video)

Filed under: ,

Sony takes SOEmote live for EverQuest II, lets gamers show their true CG selves (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 17:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   | 
  • Source:SOEmote
  •  | Email this | Comments