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Filed under: Developer, Games

Unreal Engine developer kit now freely downloadable

In BIG news -- really, this is the kind of thing that could change the landscape of casual and indie games for ever (and for good!) -- the Unreal Developer Kit (UDK) is now available from Nvidia.

The Unreal Engine has historically been very hard to get your hands on with large license fees and other barriers to entry. And now, just like that, it's being made freely available to everyone. Whether for educational or non-commercial purposes, or to make your own commercial game, you can now use the UDK and get started with the fun bit -- the game creation -- immediately.

The catch? For non-commercial purposes: there is none. Students and those of you that are quietly working away on the next Big Thing in a garage or basement somewhere -- REJOICE!

For commercial developers: it'll cost you 25% of your royalty on any revenue revenue over $5,000 (see the full licensing details for more info).

And for everyone else -- the gamers! -- be ready for a lot more Time-Waster games powered by the Unreal Engine in the next few months!

Read more →

Filed under: Video, Adobe, Mobile, Web

Flash Player 10.1 to support smartphones, NVIDIA powered netbooks... next year

Flash 10.1 on the Palm Pre
Adobe Flash has become the standard protocol for web video over the last few years. And while Flash is capable of some pretty excellent video quality, it's not exactly light on system resources. In fact, it's kind of a CPU-hog, which is why some computers with slower processors (and most netbooks) struggle to play high quality of high definition video from YouTube, Hulu, and other online video sites.

But that's about toe change. Kind of. Adobe has announced that Flash 10.1 will support GPU acceleration for NVIDIA graphics, which means that if you've got a computer with NVIDIA GeForce, ION, or Tegra graphics in it, you should be able to watch high definition Flash video in fullscreen mode even if you have a slow processor like an Intel Atom or ARM-based chip.

What's more, Adobe is going to bring Flash 10.1 to Smartphones, ending the separate but unequal era of Flash Lite. Flash 10.1 will be available for Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Google Android, Palm WebOS, and Symbian phones. The iPhone's not on that list because Adobe still hasn't worked out an arrangement with Apple to add support for Flash 10.1 to the iPhone's Safari web browser, but that could still happen.

Flash 10.1 is due to hit the streets in the first half of 2010. But there should be beta versions available before the end of 2009.

You can check out videos of Flash Player 10.1 on the Palm Pre and Toshiba TG01 at Adobe Labs.

Filed under: Fun, Games, Internet, Hardware, Adobe

Adobe, NVidia working to improve Flash Player performance

I enjoyed my MSI Wind netbook while I had it, but there was one task that always gave it fits: running Flash-based anything. Games stuttered, YouTube clips were choppy, and the system's tiny fan spun like a tin can in a tornado.

Owners of newer netbooks featuring NVidia's upcoming Tegra system-on-a-chip or Broadcom's Crystal HD will be glad to hear that Adobe is teaming up with NVidia to produce a version of the Flash player tuned for netbooks and MIDs. The goal is to provide full h.264-powered HD video to more mobile devices.

Another result of the partnership: Flash will likely see significant performance gains on other NVidia chipsets as well. At last you'll be able to put your multi-GPU SLI configuration to good use while enjoying your favorite Time Wasters!

[ via ZDNet ]

Filed under: Weekend Review

Download Squad Week in Review

DLS logoBeen busy spending the past week telling the press about your extramarital affairs, history of drug use, and misuse of campaign funds? Here are a few stories you might have been too busy to read.

Adobe Photoshop Express Beta launches


After months of hype, the big day finally arrived. Adobe launched a free, online version of Photoshop, the industry standard in image editing. You won't find all the bells and whistles that come with the desktop version of Photoshop. After all, Adobe does still want to sell you software. But Photoshop Express will definitely give existing online image editors like Picnik and FotoFlexer a run for their money.

8 steps to a more professional Blogspot blog


Look, we know that most folks think it's blasphemy to use the words "professional" and "blogspot" in the same sentence. But hear us out. Google's blogging service offers free web hosting, unlimited bandwidth, and a surprisingly tweakable template. We've gathered 8 or so of our favorite tips for making your Blogspot site look as good as good as any WordPress blog.

Read more →

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

29% of Windows Vista crashes caused by NVIDIA drivers

Vista crash chart

If you were an early adopter of Windows Vista, there's a pretty good chance you became familiar with one of Vista's coolest new features: an automatic crash reporting utility that will recommend solutions if and when they become available. Or to put it another way, if you tried running Windows Vista on many machines, there was a good chance your computer crashed. A lot. Even if the manufacturer had slapped a shiny new label proclaiming the computer to be "Vista Capable."

There's a class action suit working its way through the courts to determine whether Microsoft changed the definition of "capable" to help Intel sell computers chips. But some of the documents released in the case (PDF link) are interesting in their own right. For example, Microsoft has a chart that lists identified causes of Windows Vista crashes during an unspecified period in 2007.

The folks at Ars Technica took it upon themselves to convert that data into the pretty chart you see above. The number one culprit graphics chip maker NVIDIA, a company that had a difficult time updating its graphics drivers for the new operating system. Next up is Microsoft itself, and really there's no good excuse for that, is there?

Filed under: Hardware

Nvidia to build x86 processors, take on Intel, AMD?

NvidiaThe Inquirer says it has "confirmed" that 3D graphics giant Nvidia is hard at work building its own x86 processor with integrated graphics to compete with the offerings of Intel and AMD. Both Intel and AMD--which acquried ATI back in July--have been busy strapping integrated graphics on their own chips, it seems logical that Nvidia would want to play, too. Their efforts would be bolstered by its recent hiring of a bunch of engineers from Stexar, a now-defunct company that was founded by ex-Intel brains. The Inq says development is already underway, and we'll be seeing a new CPU from Nvidia sometime in 2006 2008.

[Via Engadget]

Filed under: Games, Hardware, News

nVidia makes the first 80nm GPU

nVidia GeForce Go 7 seriesnVidia, the graphics tycoon, has developed a graphics chip (nVidia GeForce Go 7700) made with the first 80nm manufacturing process, the thinnest to date of any graphics card process used. Nvidia's older chips with very similar specs were made via a 90nm process (nVidia GeForce Go 7600). There isn't a huge increase in performance in the chips yet (that I can tell), but the less energy consumed by the chips may help the prices drop a little for consumers and game-fanatics. Lower prices or even a slight decrease in heat is always welcome in the gaming business, and you never know, the new process may lead the way for smaller, better chips in the near future.

Filed under: Google

First look at Volkswagen-Google-nVidia navigation system

Volkswagen-Google-nVidia
navigation system

What do you get when you take Google Earth and put it in a Volkswagen? Something like this. Volkswagen has partnered with Google and nVidia to create an in-car navigation system based on Google Earth that shows a driver's route in 3D. The touch-screen system is Internet-enabled and goes online to find real-time traffic and weather information as well as other travel information like gas stations, restaurants, or hotels. AutoMotoPortal has a half-dozen screenshots for your enjoyment. For now it's just a prototype, so no word on when we could actually be seeing this in VW's lineup.

[Via Boing Boing]

Featured Time Waster

The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

View more Time Wasters

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