55021045
submission
MojoKid writes:
Over the past few years, short game writing "jams" have become a popular way to bring developers together in a conference with a single overarching theme. These competitions are typically 24-48 hours long and involve a great deal of caffeine, frantic coding, and creative design. The 28th Ludum Dare conference from held from December 13 — 16 of this past year was one such game jam — but in this case, it had an unusual participant: Angelina. Angelina is a computer AI designed by Mike Cook of Goldsmiths, London University. His long-term goal is to discover whether an AI can complete tasks that are generally perceived as creative. The long-term goal is to create an AI that can "design meaningful, intelligent and enjoyable games completely autonomously." Angelina's entry into Ludum Dare, dubbed "To That Sect," is a simple 3D title that looks like it hails from the Wolfenstein era. Angelina's initial game is simple, but in reality Angelina is an AI that can understand the use of metaphor and build thematically appropriate content, which is pretty impressive. As future versions of the AI improve, the end result could be an artificial intelligence that "understands" human storytelling in a way no species on Earth can match.
54422121
submission
MojoKid writes:
AMD is closing out the year with yet another new GPU announcement, though this one isn’t quite like the last few. AMD wants to bring its GCN architecture, Mantle support, and TrueAudio engine down to ever lower price points, with a new member of the Radeon R7 family, dubbed the Radeon R7 260. The Radeon R7 260 offers peak compute performance of 1.54TFLOPs and memory bandwidth of 96GB/s with 768 stream processors, a 1GHz engine clock and 1GB of GDDR5 at 6Gbps. Performance-wise, the card performs at about the same level or somewhat lower than a Radeon HD 7790 and markedly lower than the higher-end Radeon R7 260X and GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost. The Radeon R7 260’s power consumption, however, is the lowest of the bunch, which will probably appeal to some. AMD has noted that all of its board partners will be offering custom Radeon R7 260 cards when they hit store shelves in a few weeks.
53143559
submission
MojoKid writes:
Microsoft has lifted the embargo on full reviews of the Xbox One and it's clear the system is more than just a game console. Of course, the Xbox One plays games—really well, actually. With its updated hardware, more refined controllers, new Kinect sensor, and strong developer support, the Xbox One is an excellent gaming platform. However, Microsoft’s incorporation of a hypervisor that allows the Xbox One to run the Xbox OS and Windows 8 kernel simultaneously opens up a world of additional possibilities. Essentially, you’ve got a device that’s equally as adept at running a cutting-edge game as it is playing back HD video, browsing the web, or video conferencing. The Xbox One's specifications read like a mainstream game PC. At the heart of the Xbox One is an AMD-built, semi-custom APU, featuring 8 "Jaguar" x86-64 CPU cores clocked at up to 1.75GHz and a GCN-based GPU with 768 stream processors, clocked at 853MHz. The APU also features a 32MB eSRAM cache. The APU is paired to 8GB of DDR3-2133 memory and the storage subsystem features 8GB of flash, a 500GB hard disk drive for game installs and bulk storage, and slot-loading Blu-Ray drive. The Xbox One also sports USB 3.0 supports, Gigabit Ethernet, dual-band 2.4GHz + 5GHz 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, and a dedicated audio off-load processor. Xbox One games that are being shown thus far were expectedly a mix of bold and bland. The hottest titles like Ryse: Son of Rome, Forza Motorsport 5, Dead Rising 3, and Killer Instinct are likely to sell a ton of consoles. They simply look good, play well and will provide lots of fun. Ryse and Forza in particular look impressive.
53069753
submission
MojoKid writes:
The supercomputing conference SC13 kicks off this week and Nvidia is kicking off their own event with the launch of a new GPU and a strategic partnership with IBM. Just as the GTX 780 Ti was the full consumer implementation of the GK110 GPU, the new K40 Tesla card is the supercomputing / HPC variant of the same core architecture. The K40 picks up additional clock headroom and implements the same variable clock speed threshold that has characterized Nvidia's consumer cards for the past year, for a significant overall boost in performance. The other major shift between Nvidia's previous gen K20X and the new K40 is the amount of on-board RAM. K40 packs a full 12GB and clocks it modestly higher to boot. That's important because datasets are typically limited to on-board GPU memory (at least, if you want to work with any kind of speed). Finally, IBM and Nvidia announced a partnership to combine Tesla GPUs and Power CPUs for OpenPOWER solutions. The goal is to push the new Tesla cards as workload accelerators for specific datacenter tasks. According to Nvidia's release, Tesla GPUs will ship alongside Power8 CPUs, which are currently scheduled for a mid-2014 release date. IBM's venerable architecture is expected to target a 4GHz clock speed and offer up to 12 cores with 96MB of shared L3 cache. A 12-core implementation would be capable of handling up to 96 simultaneous threads. The two should make for a potent combination.
53002401
submission
MojoKid writes:
Microsoft really seems to be on board with the whole 3D printing thing, loading Windows 8.1 with native 3D printing capabilities and working closely with MakerBot to develop a driver for the Replicator 2 3D printer, but that’s not all apparently. Microsoft also now has an app called 3D Builder that lets users more easily set up a design for 3D printing. 3D Builder, which is available for free in the Windows Store starting today, lets users manipulate existing designs stashed in the app’s library or upload their own designs made in other applications. Features include the ability to scale, arrange, rotate, and adjust objects and even stack or push designs together to create something new.
52960606
submission
MojoKid writes:
One of the major planks of AMD's APU13 developer conference has been an in-depth discussion of its next-generation API, Mantle. Mantle, which first debuted at the company's Hawaii GPU unveil in late September, has been billed as a high-performance alternative to DirectX 11. According to multiple sources, including Johan Anderrson from DICE, Mantle is a thin layer abstraction that sits over hardware, not an AMD-specific product. There's no reason NVIDIA couldn't use Mantle in future products and, not surprisingly, multiple speakers at the event expressed interest in seeing that happen at some point in the future. One of the issues plaguing DirectX development for years has been the fact that the API itself consumes a great deal of CPU overhead in certain scenarios. This is exacerbated if the developer launches many small batches of triangles for rendering. Every batch of draw calls consumes additional CPU power, so the goal is to group draw calls as efficiently as possible. According to AMD, you can reasonably hit 4-5K worth of draw calls in a given scenario. Really great programmers may hit as high as 10K, briefly, but even that's tiny when you consider that the PS3 and Xbox 360 can regularly field 20-30K in draw calls. With Mantle, AMD wants to close that gap and is targeting 100K draw calls per second with Mantle.
52898793
submission
Zanadou writes:
CyanogenMod today released for general availability a friendly[er]-to-use Windows-based installer that will automagically (no need to first root and/or unlock the bootloader) step users though downloading, flashing and setting up an appropriate CyanogenMod version on supported Android phones. Along with this, a "companion app" that apparently helps setup the installer is now available the Play Store, along with a newly-refreshed download page. Still no image for 'hammerhead' (Nexus 5), though.
52764365
submission
MojoKid writes:
One of the hallmark features of Google's Nexus 5 flagship smartphone by LG isn't its bodaciously big 5-inch HD display, its 8MP camera, or its "OK Google" voice commands. That has all been done before. What does stand out about the Nexus 5 is Google's new Android 4.4 Kit Kat OS and LG's SoC (System on Chip) processor of choice, namely Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 quad-core. Qualcomm is known for licensing ARM core technology and making it their own; and Qualcomm's latest Krait 400 quad-core along with the Adreno 330 GPU that comprise the Snapdragon 800, is a powerful beast. Google also has taken the scalpel to Kit Kat in all the right places, whittling down the overall footprint of the OS, so it's more efficient on lower-end devices and also offers faster multitasking. Specifically memory usage has been optimized in a number of areas. Couple these OS tweaks with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 and you end up with a smartphone that hugs the corners and lights 'em up on the straights. Putting the Nexus 5 through its paces, it turns out preliminary figures are promising. In fact, the Nexus 5 actually was able to surpass the iPhone 5s with Apple's 64-bit A7 processor in a few tests and goes toe to toe with it in gaming and graphics.
52756291
submission
MojoKid writes:
NVIDIA just launched their latest new, top-end graphics card dubbed the GeForce GTX 780 Ti. The card shares the same 3GB frame buffer of the original GeForce GTX 780, but on the Ti it is clocked at a much higher speed. The Ti’s GK110 GPU also has all of its functional blocks enabled, unlike the GTX 780. In short, the GeForce GTX 780 Ti is a GeForce GTX 780 with faster memory and a GPU that’s more powerful than the NVIDIA's previous flagship, the GeForce GTX Titan. The GTX 780 Ti GPU has a base clock of 875MHz and a Boost clock of 928MHz. Unlike the GK110 on the Titan, however, all of the GPU’s SMs (Streaming Multiprocessors) are enabled on the GTX 780 Ti, which brings the card’s CUDA core count to 2880, up from Titan’s 2688. In the benchmarks, its beefier GPU and higher memory clock allowed it to overtake the GeForce GTX Titan and original GeForce GTX 780. And in the majority of tests, the GeForce GTX 780 Ti was also able to outpace AMD's Radeon R9 290X as well.
52722441
submission
MojoKid writes:
NVIDIA launched their latest salvo versus rival AMD today, with a new, top-end card dubbed the GeForce GTX 780 Ti. The card shares the same 3GB frame buffer of the original GeForce GTX 780, but on the Ti it is clocked at a much higher speed. The Ti’s GK110 GPU also has all of its functional blocks enabled, unlike the GTX 780. In short, the GeForce GTX 780 Ti is a GeForce GTX 780 with faster memory and a GPU that’s more powerful than the NVIDIA's previous flagship, the GeForce GTX Titan. The GTX 780 Ti GPU has a base clock of 875MHz and a Boost clock of 928MHz. Unlike the GK110 on the Titan, however, all of the GPU’s SMs (Streaming Multiprocessors) are enabled on the GTX 780 Ti, which brings the card’s CUDA core count to 2880, up from Titan’s 2688. In the benchmarks, its beefier GPU and higher memory clock allowed it to overtake the GeForce GTX Titan and original GeForce GTX 780. And in the majority of tests, the GeForce GTX 780 Ti was also able to outpace AMD's Radeon R9 290X as well.
52658005
submission
MojoKid writes:
There is little love lost between team Red and team Green, when it comes to 3D graphics cards, but AMD and NVIDIA seem to be engaged in an even more vicious volley of attacks on each other's business as the holiday shopping season approaches, and consumers will ultimately be the benefactor. Recently NVIDIA responded to AMD's Radeon R9 290X launch with a massive price cut on their GeForce GTX 780 card, dropping it by a full $150 to $499. Today, AMD is back at it again with the launch of the Radeon R9 290, a lower cost ($399) derivative of the R9 290X with a few stream processors disabled. However, just before launch, AMD delivered a driver drop and a clock speed boost, such that the new $399 Radeon R9 290 performs a lot more in line with NVIDIA's $499 GeForce GTX 780. In the benchmarks, the two cards trade victories depending on the game engine at play. However, for a full $100 less, it's clear AMD is not going to lose the battle on price. On the flip side, AMD's new Hawaii GPU-based cards do run hotter and a little louder than NVIDIA's flagship GPUs.
52637403
submission
MojoKid writes:
Apple's new A7 SoC that sits at the heart of the iPad Air and iPhone 5S is a fast chip. Benchmarks and analysis have shown that it picks up its additional performance over the older A6 thanks to a mixture of architectural tweaks and, in some cases, its new 64-bit architecture. On average, the gains are split about 60/40 between the two areas, with more performance gains from the microarchitecture enhancements. But in one notable case — the popular 3DMark, cross-platform benchmark — this hasn't been true at all. In 3DMark Ice Storm, the iPhone 5S is significantly faster in GPU workloads — almost 3x as fast in fact but its CPU performance is actually slightly slower than the A6, as measured in the Physics test. The iPad Air shows exactly the same performance issue, only its CPU is clocked faster than the iPhone 5/5S, and shows a small improvement as a result. Moving the code to 64-bit improved the A7's performance by about seven percent. What it doesn't answer, however, is why there's no performance delta between the two CPUs in 32-bit code. The difference, it turns out, is tied to the open source Bullet physics library that 3DMark Ice Storm relies upon for testing CPU performance. While this doesn't dramatically change how the iPhone 5S ranks in 3DMark, it shows how the advantage of a big change (32-bit to 64-bit) can actually be much smaller than the impact of a low-level optimization that better matches how a CPU best performs a task.
52597067
submission
MojoKid writes:
Microsoft has several valid reasons why you should upgrade to Windows 8.1, which is free if you already own Windows 8. However, there's a known issue that might give some gamers pause before clicking through in the Windows Store. There have been complaints of mouse problems after applying the Windows 8.1 update, most of which have been related to lag in video games, though Microsoft confirmed there are other potential quirks. Acknowledging the problem, Microsoft says it's also actively investigating the issues and working on a patch.
52480605
submission
MojoKid writes:
The PS4 and Xbox One aren't out yet, but that's not stopping them from facing off in Battlefield 4, the next-generation, just-launched title from EA/DICE. Now that the title has launched, what do we see? Quite a bit — some of it good, some not so much. The first thing that's going to jump out at you is that the contrast ratio and coloring is different — very different. The Xbox One version looks, at times, like the characters or objects have taken a hefty dose of spray-on tan, with oversaturated yellow-red tints that make colors pop in certain wavelengths, but also leaves the game looking oddly washed in places. The Xbox One variant is running at 1280x720, while the PS4 pushes 1600x900. Also it seems that the Xbox One version, on occasion, goes for tamped-down effects in comparison to the PS4. But we also can see that Microsoft's aggressive post-processing produces contradictory results when it comes to evaluating which console delivers the most detail. The Xbox One version of the characters looks better, with sharper textures and more visible detail. The same elements, on the PS4, are rather washed out and faded. Rock looks better on the Xbox One, but camo patterns on players are much more detailed on the PS4. The PS4 appears to using ambient occlusion for shadowing, while the Xbox One isn't. On the other hand, the use of ambient occlusion leaves certain parts of chartacters looking rather odd, with a light outline. The PS4 seems to have an advantage overall. Is it going to be big enough to tilt sales results? We'll find out shortly.
52455581
submission
MojoKid writes:
For the past few years, ARM has been steadily chipping away at rival PowerVR's domination of the Android and tablet GPU space. While Imagination Technologies dominated the early days of the industry, we've seen a number of competitors emerge since, thanks to aggressive products from Nvidia at the high end and companies like Vivante in the lower-end and midrange spaces. With Mali, ARM is trying to offer a comprehensive solution that can span the entire market, from budget products aimed at Eastern nations to high-end hardware suitable for a next-generation smartphone or tablet. Today, ARM is announcing two new GPU core products — the Mali-T760 and the Mali-T720. The T760 is the upper-end part, that's aimed at more powerful devices, while the T720 is meant for smaller phones, cheaper products, and systems that require a decent GPU, but don't have the power budget or price point to pack in a high-end part. The Mali-T760 can use up to 16 cores with two banks of L2 (512K cache each) and a clock speed of 600MHz for 9.6GPixels/s of fill rate and 326.4 GFLOPS worth of performance. The T720 is an eight-core chip with a significantly smaller L2 cache (2x128K), but the same clock speed. Pixel fill rate is halved (4.8GB/s) and floating point performance is sharply reduced, down to 81GFLOPS.
