NVIDIA today announced that system builders worldwide are now shipping the fastest PC gaming platforms ever built, thanks in part to NVIDIA SLI technology and the just-released Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition processors and X79 chipset-based motherboards.

The combination of NVIDIA SLI technology -- which allows for multiple GPUs to run on a single PC -- and new X79-based motherboards allow gamers to customize their PC experience with up to four NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPUs, including the GeForce GTX 580 and GTX 570, the world's fastest DX11 GPUs. Licensed by the world's leading motherboard manufacturers -- including Intel, ASUS, ASRock, EVGA, Foxconn, Gigabyte and MSI, SLI technology is crucial for playing this year's hottest graphics-intensive games, such as the recently released Battlefield 3 and upcoming Batman: Arkham City with detail, resolution and immersion settings cranked up.

While PC gamers are getting understandably excited about one of the year's biggest releases, which is guaranteed to have standards-setting graphics at least, there's a kick in the teeth waiting just around the corner. EA and Virgin Gaming have teamed up to launch a massive BF3 contest with $1.6m in cash and prizes - for consoles only. Yes, you read that right. And the reason? Consoles are the "gold standard". That's the aging console platforms reported on TechPowerUp a few days ago. GameStop's president Tony Bartel said in an interview with IndustryGamers:

We continue to believe that the console is a strong platform and will continue to be the gold standard.

Razer, the world's leading high-end precision gaming brand and EA, a leading global interactive entertainment software company, is kicking your explosive war gaming experience up several notches with the exclusive Battlefield 3 co-branded peripherals and gear line. Get total immersion and the technological advantage to win in one of the biggest first person shooter titles from EA to be launched this year.

The Razer Battlefield 3 Collector's Edition Peripherals line includes a Razer BlackWidow Ultimate mechanical keyboard, a Razer Imperator gaming mouse, Razer Scarab hard mouse mat and a Razer Onza Tournament Edition Xbox 360 controller. This suite of Razer gaming weaponry fully equips fans of Battlefield 3 to take on the most intense firefights and emerge victorious. They'll be empowered with competitive gaming features like faster key actuation on the Razer BlackWidow, increased swiping precision with the Razer Imperator, enhanced tracking accuracy with the Razer Scarab and fully customizable controls on the Razer Onza.

SteelSeries, the leading manufacturer of gaming peripherals today announced the availability of licensed headsets for Electronic Arts' first person shooter game, Medal of Honor. The SteelSeries 5Hv2 Headset Medal of Honor Edition for PC and the SteelSeries Spectrum 5xb Medal of Honor Edition for Xbox 360 headsets are the latest addition to the family of SteelSeries branded peripherals co-developed with Electronic Arts for Medal of Honor gamers. The headsets deliver premium quality sound and comfort along with SteelSeries' signature features including a retractable microphone system and the ability to dismantle into 3 pieces for safe travel.

"It was a pleasure to work with the EA team to optimize and create an amazing design for these new PC and Xbox 360 headsets," said Bruce Hawver, SteelSeries CEO. "Medal of Honor players will enjoy comfort and incredible sound reproduction, improving their precision and performance in game."

With the introduction of the EX series, a high performance, future-ready and ecological range of desktop displays, NEC Display Solutions is extending its portfolio in the corporate market. The new MultiSync EX series combines an innovative, ultra-slim design with high-quality features. The displays impress with their exceptionally low environmental impact thanks to LED backlight technology and other new features such as a human sensor. The EX series is equipped with a DisplayPort and provides outstanding connectivity and many ergonomic benefits that ensure productive work in even the most demanding office environment. NEC Display Solutions is introducing the first model in the new range called "Office Cool" to the market in the shape of its NEC MultiSync EX231W.

First-class quality, excellent performance and stunning design were the key factors guiding the design of the MultiSync EX series. The displays are light in weight and optically very exciting thanks to their slim form and extremely narrow stand. Modern and with minimum space requirements, they can be stylishly integrated into office surroundings. From a technological point of view the series sets new standards with outstanding picture quality in full HD wide format and excellent connectivity with two digital inputs, DisplayPort and DVI-I. Additionally the range also includes a USB interface which can be used to connect a USB camera, ideal for videoconferencing.

WD, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today introduced its new My Passport Essential portable hard drive (photo), My Passport Essential SE portable hard drive (photo), and My Book Essential external hard drive (photo). All three drive families come in a variety of capacities and offer lightning-fast USB 3.0 connectivity. Highest industry capacity is another key feature for the My Book Essential drive, which is now available in 3 TB capacity, in addition to 1 and 2 TB capacities. Equipped with WD SmartWare visual backup software for automatic, continuous backup, these drives provide users the extra space they need to store or back up all of their digital memories, such as high-resolution photos and videos, along with music and other critical files, all in one place.

The drives not only take advantage of the latest blazing-fast USB 3.0 technology, but are also fully compatible with USB 2.0 connections for those who have yet to upgrade their computers to USB 3.0. When connected to a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port, consumers can transfer data at speeds up to 150 MB/s. At that rate, a two-hour HD video will transfer in as little as three minutes. The same two-hour video would take approximately 13 minutes to transfer on a USB 2.0 port.

AMD today announced the flagship installment in the award-winning line of graphics cards, the ATI Radeon HD 5970, the fastest card ever created. The new ultra high-end model joins a growing list of the world's first and only graphics cards to fully support Microsoft DirectX 11 technology and ATI Eyefinity multi-display technology.

Designed to support the most demanding PC games at ultra-high resolutions and image quality settings, the ATI Radeon HD 5970 has unlocked overclocking potential, granting access to every bit of power the card has to offer through ATI Overdrive technology. Now shipping from retailers and available in the channel, the ATI Radeon HD 5970 also launches today in new Alienware Area-51, Area-51 ALX and Aurora desktop PCs.

The CEO of Electronic Arts (EA), John Pleasants confirmed that the company will publish Battlefield 3, the newest addition to the Battlefield franchise, which is one of the most popular online team-based tactical-shooter games. Pleasants spoke with TechFragments, during a presentation at the William Blair Growth Stock Conference in Chicago. "I've had the luxury of looking at Battlefield 3 over at DICE in Sweden and was highly impressed by the way the team is working on that product. Of course, that's not in [this] fiscal year, but that is a product that is looking very good.", he said.

The source also shed some light on the game, which inherits its gameplay from Battlefield 2, and will be similar to it. The game will support up to 40 players per team, will feature 24 different vehicles, and 17 different weapons. Some kinds equipment need to be unlocked in order to use them, which serve as achievements in online play. From what EA says, the game will not make it this year, though it is likely that it will hit stores in the winter holiday season of 2010. A beta could serve as prelude to the launch, which may arrive by summer of 2010, according to the source.

We all regard PC games, as an entertainment medium, but spend hundreds to even thousands of Dollars regularly, to keep our PCs up to date, to be able to play the latest PC games. Imagine a medium that rids us of that, and we are able to consume PC gaming like any other content, like the TV or radio. Well, that the potential a new on-demand gaming platform holds - to make you never have to buy/upgrade a gaming PC again.

Called OnLive, the on-demand platform consists of a web service, an internet connection, and a thin-client, called "micro-console" that connects your input (game controllers), and output (monitor/TV/HDTV). You control the game - whichever you're subscribed to and playing - the client relays your input to the OnLive servers, that do the processing, including graphics rendering, and send back output to your client. The client then displays the output. Sounds familiar? Cloud computing? Exactly, but for PC gaming. The platform is conceptualized to be advanced-enough to handle any of today's games, Crysis included. The work-model of this platform is what makes it tick with any game, and is far more future-proof than the present mode of PC gaming (where people own expensive hardware that are in requirement of upgrades, the costs of buying games, buying gaming services separate).

For standard definition television quality, a broadband connection of at least 1.5 megabits per second is required. For HDTV resolution, a connection of at least 5 mbps is needed. The service uses patented algorithms that work to counter lag caused by network constraints. The technology is already gaining attention from major publishers, including EA, THQ, Codemasters, Ubisoft, Atari, Warner Bros., Take-Two, and Epic. People can buy or rent a game to play it, the usage fees are expected not to be much more than the subscription fees for Xbox Live.

Leading video game developer BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. today officially announced Mass Effect 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the multi award-winning 2007 hit, Mass Effect. The Mass Effect trilogy is a masterful science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life forms and mysterious uncharted planets. In this dark second chapter, Saren's evil army of Geth soldiers has just been defeated, and humans, who are still struggling to make their mark on the galactic stage, are now faced with an even greater peril…

"We're going to surpass the extraordinary gaming experience we brought our fans in Mass Effect by delivering intensified combat and expanded weapon options as well as increased depth of planet exploration, all while delivering a powerful, emotionally engaging story," said Dr. Ray Muzyka, General Manager and CEO, BioWare and General Manager and Vice President, EA. "Mass Effect 2 is shaping up to be an unforgettable RPG-shooter experience, taking players on a non-stop roller-coaster ride filled with stunning plot twists and no-holds-barred action."

Mass Effect 2 is coming to PC and the Xbox 360 video game system in Early 2010. To see the exclusive new Mass Effect 2 teaser trailer check out the website here: masseffect.com

Valve today announced Spore, Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack, Mass Effect, Need for Speed Undercover and EA SPORTS FIFA Manager 2009 are available now to gamers in most of Europe, the United States and Canada via Steam, a leading platform for PC games and digital content with over 15 million accounts around the world. In the coming weeks, Mirror's Edge, Command & Conquer Red Alert 3, and Dead Space, will be added to the catalog of EA's titles available via Steam. For more information, please visit Steam Games.

Valve today announced Spore, Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, Mass Effect, Need for Speed Undercover and EA SPORTS FIFA Manager 2009 are available now to gamers in the United States and Canada via Steam, a leading platform for PC games and digital content with over 15 million accounts around the world.
In the coming weeks, Mirror's Edge, Command & Conquer Red Alert 3, and Dead Space, will be added to the catalog of EA's titles available via Steam.
"EA is one of the industry's largest publishers," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. "The EA titles coming to Steam this holiday include some this year's top PC titles."
"We are pleased to extend our holiday titles to gamers worldwide via Steam -- a revolutionary technology that is one of the game industry's most successful digital distribution services," said John Pleasants, President, Global Publishing & Chief Operating Officer.
For more information, please visit steamgames.com

In an interview with Godfrey Cheng, Director of Technical Marketing in AMD's Graphics Products Group, Bit-Tech.net has quoted him saying that standards such as PhysX would die due to their proprietary and closed nature. Says Mr. Cheng:

"There is no plan for closed and proprietary standards like PhysX," said Cheng. "As we have emphasised with our support for OpenCL and DX11, closed and proprietary standards will die."

Bit-Tech.net interviewed the AMD person to get the company's take on EA and 2K's decision to adopt NVIDIA PhysX across all of their worldwide studios, earlier this week. Interestingly, when asked about how the major publishers such as EA adopting PhysX across all of their studios would impact the propagation of the API, Cheng responded with saying that monetary incentives provided to publishing houses alone won't help a great deal in propagating the API, and that the product (PhysX) must be competitive, and that AMD viewed Havoc and its physics simulation technologies as leaders. "Games developers share this view. We will also invest in technologies and partnerships beyond Havok that enhances gameplay." he added. PhysX is a proprietary physics simulation API created by Ageia technologies, which was acquired and developed by NVIDIA. You can read the full Bit-Tech.net interview with Godfrey Cheng here.

Crytek and Valve today announced an agreement to bring Crysis Warhead and Crysis to Steam, a leading platform for the delivery and management of PC games and digital content with over 15 million accounts around the world.

"The millions of gamers logging into Steam every week to play today's best PC games are going to love Crysis Warhead," said Avni Yerli, Managing Director at Crytek. "Crytek Hungary has done a terrific job creating this new experience while optimizing CryEngine 2, and we're looking forward to delivering it and the original Crysis as our first offerings on Steam."

Electronic Arts Inc. and Crytek GmbH announced today that Crysis Warhead, the pulse-racing new installment of the Crysis universe, will ship to retail stores in North America on September 16th and in Europe on September 12th. Beginning today, gamers can pre-order Crysis Warhead at the EA Store here for only $24.95; $5 less than the full retail price, or receive $10 off when purchasing both Crysis Warhead and Crysis. Crysis Warhead recently recognized by IGN PC as being the Best First Person Shooter and showcasing the Best Graphics Technology of E3 2008.

"We think Crysis Warhead is going to offer a tremendous experience to a wide range of gamers," said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek. "Fans of Crysis are going to enjoy more of the open-ended gameplay, cutting-edge visuals and huge, epic battles from the first game, while also finally finding out what kind of havoc Psycho was wreaking on the other side of the island.

Following failed talks with Take-Two's management, games developer Electronic Arts has instead decided to directly approach shareholders with its takeover bid. EA has kept its offer at $26 per share, which would give the deal a total value of around $2 billion. EA's CEO, John Riccitiello, said:

This is a great opportunity for Take-Two shareholders. We believe Take-Two investors will see our tender offer as the best way to maximize the value of their investment in Take-Two. This tender offer provides a clear process to complete the proposed transaction. For EA shareholders, the combination would add additional intellectual properties to our already strong portfolio and welcome Take-Two's talented creative teams to the great development organization we've built at EA.

Take-Two has issued a notice to all of its shareholders urging them not to accept the offer, but EA has set a deadline of 11th April - two weeks before the release of the eagerly awaited Grand Theft Auto IV.

Given EA's somewhat criticised reputation for takeovers (Bullfrog and Westwood come to mind), Grand Theft Auto fans may not be best pleased to hear that EA is now making a bid to acquire Take-Two Interactive. Take-Two has a number of major subsidiaries, with some of the best known being developers Rockstar and Firaxis, responsible for the GTA series and Sid Meier's more recent games such as Civilization IV; along with publisher 2K Games. The company is also responsible for other well-known titles such as Manhunt and Bioshock. EA is offering $26 per share, giving the merger an approximate value of $2.5 billion. The full press release can be read here, and you can read on to see a statement posted by EA's CEO, John Riccitiello.

Electronic Arts has inked a deal with sports and entertainment giant IMG for a number of undisclosed projects. IMG's diverse business incorporates sports and events management, media production, broadcast content and sports training academies. "This is an exciting step in the evolution of EA Sports and our global brand marketing efforts," commented Peter Moore, president of EA Sports. "This partnership further diversifies our business by allowing us to take our brand deeper into the fabric of sports and lifestyle entertainment. In addition to developing the world's top sports videogames, IMG's worldwide licensing and media expertise gives us the opportunity to establish creative new consumer touchpoints with EA Sports, both in games and in other relevant categories." IMG will license and market the EA Sports brand in a variety new product categories, "which could include sports camps, gaming lounges, publishing products, performance apparel and more," said the companies.

Following the title's unveiling yesterday, publisher Electronic Arts has officially announced Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Developed by EA Los Angeles, the same studio that handled Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, Red Alert 3 will add co-op campaign play, new units, and a new faction to the alternate history strategy series. According to the executive producer Chris Corry, naval combat has been brought "into the heart of the game design." No release estimate was provided, though PC players will be able to gain beta access by purchasing the Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath expansion or the Command & Conquer 3 Limited Collection later this year. Specifics on the beta program are slated to arrive this summer. "The Red Alert games are known for challenging hardcore strategy gamers with depth, variety, and innovative gameplay," said EA LA general manager Mike Verdu. "But they also belong to that rare breed of games that can draw in more casual players with their over-the-top stories, instantly accessible mechanics, and straight-to-the-fun design."

Electronic Arts has set a launch date for Spore, the anticipated computer and Nintendo DS game from "Sims" creator Will Wright. Spore was first announced a couple years ago, and is the first major project for Wright since his phenomenal success with the Sims franchise. It allows players to create their own creatures, their own environments, and even their own planets. The goal of the game is to successfully manage a universe through five phases of evolution. The game will launch simultaneously on PC, Mac, Nintendo DS, and mobile phone platforms, on September 7. Last year, Electronic Arts announced a partnership with TransGaming to use the Cider Portability Engine as a way to more quickly port PC games to the Mac platform. Since then, EA has released several titles on both formats simultaneously, getting rid of huge delays that previously plagued the Mac community.

The first patch for Crysis has been released, which you can download from here. The changes are as follows:

Fixes:

• Damage dealt to vehicles when shot by LAW has been made consistent
• F12 (screenshot) now works in restricted mode as well
• When player melees during gun raise animation, their gun will not be in a permanently raised position anymore
• Memory leaks and potential crashes

Electronic Arts' acquisition of VG Holding Corporation for $860 million has now been completed, meaning that highly-rated studios BioWare and Pandemic have now officially become part of the EA label. The deal was originally announced last October in an attempt to fill up a gap in EA's RPG, action and adventure genres. BioWare bosses and co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk have been nameds as EA vice presidents and co-general managers. Pandemic's Andrew Goldman and Josh Resnick have each been named vice presidents of EA and co-general managers, while Greg Borrud has been named vice president of EA and chief production officer of Pandemic.

Following our C&C recent story, Electronic Arts today officially announced Tiberium, a squad-based first person shooter set in the Command & Conquer world. Set to ship on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 late next year, Tiberium has you playing as Ricardo Vega, a "Forward Battle Commander." As Vega, you take control of multiple infantry, armor, and air squads as you fend off an alien invasion (and presumably the forces of Nod) in single-player as well as multiplayer modes. Executive producer Chris Plummer of developer EA Los Angeles noted, "After two years of pre-production, it is exciting to finally reveal this game and its rich fiction to the world. We've put a lot of effort into evolving the tactical shooter experience by taking core gameplay compulsions like commanding, choice and dominating your enemies and delivering them in first-person. Some of the weapons and mechanics are truly innovative for a first-person game. We're very proud to be part of a project that has the potential to really make a mark on the canon of sci-fi fantasy fiction."

Electronic Arts is taking another stab at the FPS market with Command & Conquer. In the upcoming Command & Conquer: Tiberium FPS you'll play as Ricardo Vega, a GDI field commander dragged out of retirement to stop the latest Nod master plan 11 years after the third Tiberium war. The squad-based action will ship on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Unfortunately, at this stage of development, that's all the information available. Final release date is also unknown.

Electronic Arts will be giving a lot of disenfranchised children the gift of educational gaming this holiday season. The original SimCity, a game that simulates the construction of a city, will be pre-installed on all versions of the OLPC, at no additional cost to either OLPC or the customer. The request for SimCity came from OLPC itself, and the 1989 version of the classic game will find a way to such countries as Cambodia, Libya, Nigeria (which ordered over a million OLPC laptops), Pakistan, and Peru. This is the first time a major company has "gifted a game to the world" like this, especially a game that has earned 24 awards in the past.