Will splashing out on expensive RAM make a real difference to PC performance? And if so, how much should you buy? We supply the benchmarks and lay the details bare.
According to legend, Bill Gates once concluded that “640KB of memory ought to be enough for anyone” (a legend he’s at pains to repudiate). These days it takes more than 800 times that much RAM just to make Windows Vista work smoothly.
But as the idea takes hold that more RAM is always good, we’re increasingly seeing home systems armed with a vast 4GB of storage. Indeed, with 64-bit Vista gaining traction, we’re sure the 8GB home PC can’t be far away. Is there any need for this much memory, or is it a waste of money beyond a certain point?
This month we set out to discover the truth. Armed with a comprehensive set of benchmarks and a big stack of DIMMs, we’ve tested performance on both XP and Vista to find out how much memory you really need.
The infamous Xbox 360 "red ring of death" (indicating a failed unit) has caused Microsoft - and its customers - untold pain in the three years since the console's launch in 2005, and cost it $1.15bn (£738m) last year.
Microsoft has never said publicly why the console was plagued with faults: it seems that poor production quality was at the heart of the failures - an all-round problem with no single cause except impatience on the company's part as it tried to become the leader in videogame consoles.
It was an ambitious attack. Microsoft's engineers started working on the Xbox 360 at least a year after Sony's engineers began work on the PlayStation 3, yet wound up shipping a year earlier. With the first Xbox, the company lost $3.7bn (£2.3bn) over four years, mostly because costs of the box - particularly its hard drive - were too high.
Bill Gates didn't really care about the losses; that was simply the ante for getting into an exciting ne... More »
Martin Frain, marketing director for developer DICE says Mirror's Edge is proof that an IP can come out of nowhere and capture imagination, "just by being different." He is targeting worldwide sales of 3m.
"We're being helped immensely, just by the look of the game," Frain says. "You look at a screenshot of Mirror's Edge, and you know what it is."
Frain says that within most genres, all screenshots will look the same as other games in that same genre. "Some games do a good job with a unique look," he admits. "You see a screenshot of Bioshock, and you'd know it was Bioshock."
Mirror's Edge has that, too, Frain believes. "And we were quite frugal with our assets. So we had a lot of people questioning, 'What is this game about?'"
All these swirling questions, Frain continues, generated a lot of interest. "If it's not interesting, then you can withhold whatever you want – no one's going to talk about it."
Community Team Leader MusterBuster at the official European PlayStation boards (linked above) has posted:
"Unfortunately, a minor technical problem has caused a delay to today's PLAYSTATION Store for PS3 release of new content. We will get the content uploaded for you as soon as is possible.
Apologies for any inconveniece caused, and we'll be sure to update you with any news as soon as we get it."
For those awaiting FIFA '09, it is 753MB and now available via our PSN Links page located at: http://PSN.PS3News.com.
Shortly following, another Community Leader stated: "I really dont know when this one will arrive - what you read is exactly everything I know about the issue. I know you're all disappointed. But I'm afraid there is nothing I can do to make this content appear faster!!!"
Hopefully SCE will sort out the issues soon enough!
GamePark has lifted the veil on its successor to the open-source GP2X handheld. Dubbed as “The Wiz,” core specifications include a 533MHz ARM9 processor, 64MB RAM, a 2.8 inch OLED screen with touch panel support, and 1GB of built-in NAND flash memory.
Features on the software end include support for Macromedia Flash 7, as well as a pre-loaded MP3 player, image viewer, and EBOOK reader.
All in all, GamePark is promising at least 5 hours of battery life on a 2000mAh lithium battery. The unit itself is fairly small, weighing in at 136g with the battery inserted.
Pricing details have yet to be announced. As with previous GP2X iterations, the hardware will ship alongside the release of a free open-source SDK, allowing homebrew developers to create their own applications and games.
It's black, it plays nice with your PS3 and it enables owners in DVB-T territories to watch live TV via their PlayStation 3.
Yep, it's Sony's PlayTV, and it has recently been reviewed on video by Stuff's Ruth Owen.
We'd go into elaborate detail about exactly what she thinks, but then you might be discouraged from actually clicking through and hearing her most delightful accent. So we won't.
Those of you who frequent the rumor mill will remember reports earlier in the year that PC hardware specialists Acer were going to release a console to compete with the likes of the Xbox 360 and PS3.
Of course it all turned out to be a load of horse shit, but even this outlandish rumour had an element of truth to it. Acer were working on a game specific machine, although it is actually a highly specialized PC and God damn it’s a sexy looking thing!
In Sydney this week, we were given a chance to rub its sunset orange Lamborghini-inspired exterior, poke about in its innards and give Call of Duty 4 a hammering and we have to say, it was hard not to be impressed.
Aimed specifically at the extreme gamer category, three tiers of the Acer Aspire Predator are in stores right now, ranging from around $4,000 - $8,000, depending on just how big you want your e-peen to be. This is the top end of the spectrum, pushing the latest and greatest tech – from 4... More »
At Sony’s ongoing conference at Games Convention 2008 in Leipzig, SCEE president David Reeves announced that the long-rumored PSP-3000 goes on sale this fall worldwide, pinning an October 15 date for EMEA territories.
As expected, the new model is a hardware refresh, adding a built-in microphone, as well as an enhanced LCD screen with significantly less glare and more vibrant colors. Cosmetically, the PSP-3000 sports slightly smoother curves compared to the design of the current Slim & Lite revision.
It’ll ship in eight separate hardware bundle packages in Europe, with each priced at 199€.
For those of us outside of Europe, SCEA has confirmed that the PSP-3000 will be sold initially in North America through the previously announced Ratchet & Clank Entertainment Pack on October 14, as well as a new 4GB Entertainment Pack due out in November.
Both packs will cost $199.99. A standalone pack with the updated model, still pri... More »
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