Vampire Rain

Even though Vampires are very cool subject matter for video games there are hardly a handful of games out there that have managed to exploit the Children of the Night to their true potential. Awesome movies like Blade II translate to lack luster and horrid video game adaptations that absolutely suck (Oh come on, I had to use that once) while games like Vampires The Masquerade Bloodlines are way too buggy to enjoy even though they are excellent in quality. And now we have Japanese developer Artoon (Blue Dragon) attempting to fuse horror with stealth in their latest offering, Vampire Rain, the results of which are pretty horrifying (not in a good way unfortunately).


Before you start the game you’re treated to a pretty cool looking cut scene that has an innocent girl stalked and slaughtered by a night stalker only to become one herself. This cut scene actually gave me a bit of hope and made me believe (momentarily) that the game had some potential but as soon as I fired up the tutorial I knew I was in for a rough ride. I can confidently say that Vampire rain boasts of one of the most annoying and anal tutorials ever made; you run, climb, duck, crawl for like a minute followed by two minutes of badly done cut scenes and this phenomenon is repeated over and over again until you reach the second mission.

DiRT

Before we get into the review of the game at hand, there’s a small confession I need to make and it won’t be easy for some of you to digest but well, here it comes nevertheless … I did not like Forza Motorsport 2... There I said it! Now before you go ahead and brand me a heretic you should know that I have nothing against this particular game per say; it’s just that I don’t like racing sims as such and driving around at painstakingly slow speeds just doesn’t appeal to me. So why am I reviewing DiRT? Well for starters we really didn’t have anyone else to review it (Nikhil was busy working on GRAW2) and more importantly, the game isn’t as anal and as Sim-ish (and by Sim I mean Simulator, not the EA game) as I expected. It’s fast, enjoyable, a lot more forgiving than most racing sims on the block and is something casual gamers can sink their teeth into.


The first thing that hits you as soon as you fire up the game is the sleek way in which the game’s main menus have been presented. Once you’re done drooling over the snazzy visuals you can choose to take part in a multitude of events that include Career, Championship, and Rally World and Xbox Live. As the name suggests, Career is the game’s single player campaign that’s divided into eleven tiers and before you can start racing you have Travis Pastrana (freestyle motocross champion) giving you the lowdown on how you can go about handling your DiRT-y career. Each of the above mentioned tiers are divided into a bunch of varied races like Rally, Rallycross, Hillclimb, CORR, Crossover etc. and it’s this variety that keeps the game from becoming monotonous. But unfortunately, a lot of the tracks look and feel the same so I would suggest playing the game at regular intervals (unless you’re a fan of the series). Every race requires you to choose a particular vehicle most suited for that terrain so you’ll be blazing through the desert in your dune buggies while you can tear up the concrete tracks with your Mitsubishi Evo.

Mod Trouble Caused UT3 Delay for Xbox360

Now that E3 is over, Epic’s come clear with one of the issues that caused the delay for the Xbox 360 version of Unreal Tournament and surprisingly, the problem lies with Microsoft’s very own online service, Xbox Live. It seems that Sony’s PlayStation Network is pretty open in nature, so bringing mods to that platform isn’t a problem but Xbox Live’s closed structure makes it tough to do so and here’s what Epic’s Mark Rein had to say to computerandvideogames.com on that matter:

"That's part of the reason we announced we were shipping the game on PC and PS3 this Fall, but we don't have a date for the Xbox 360 version - it'll be some time after the new year. Part of that is because we haven't been able to figure out just how we're going to do the mods. And Microsoft's got a very busy Christmas schedule... We just couldn't get enough attention from them to solve that problem."

Halo 3 4-Way Co-op Revealed

Bungie finally revealed more about their Halo 3 co-op mode and you’ll be glad to know that it isn’t in trouble, as we’d previously believed. Here’s a quote from their site:

“So you were probably wondering why we didn’t want to commit to two player co-op online over Xbox Live. We certainly got plenty of mail asking, no, demanding that we make it happen. Of course we were working on it, but we were also working on something better.”


Something better indeed - Bungie promises to provide us with full 4 player co-op that will allow you to mix and match the way the 4 players connect; To help explain what I mean a little clearly, here are the details according to Bungie’s site:

“Split-screen co-op is as ever, limited to two players per screen – but they can if they wish join two other friends online or via System Link.

Like every other aspect of Halo 3, this mode is chosen from a Lobby. Simply select Campaign, choose your network (Xbox Live or System Link) and invite your friends to join you, or they can simply join your session once it’s set up and in a lobby (but they cannot join a game once it’s in-progress). They will pop into your lobby instantly, and when you have all the players you need (anywhere from one to four) you can begin the game from the beginning – or from any of your saved checkpoints."

If you’re worried about the series losing its authenticity or its story losing its credibility by having more than one Master Chiefs running around, here’s something that’ll put your worries to rest:

“For fictional reasons, we decided to avoid Halo’s slightly surreal compromise of two identical Master Chiefs and rather, use this opportunity to expand the Halo universe just a little bit. Player one will control the Master Chief, player two will control the Arbiter and players three and four will get the chance to control two brand new Elite characters.”

Quake Wars Dated

At the ongoing Quake Con 2007, id software finally announced the release date of Splash Damage’s much anticipated FPS, Enemy Territories: Quake Wars. The game will hit American shores by the 2nd of October while European gamers will have their shot at the game by the 28th of September.

No mention was made about the Xbox 360 or PS3 ports so console gamers will just have to patiently wait for a while.

Hellgate: London Dated

After years of teasing eager gamers all over with CG as well as in-game videos, EA and Namco Bandai have finally announced a concrete release date for their first person action RPG, Hellgate: London. The game’s been in development for quite some time now and till a while back a lot of us started considering this title to be nothing more than vaporware but the newly announced release dates prove us wrong... thankfully!


Get ready to hack, slash, and shoot your way through a demon-infested London this Halloween! Electronic Arts Inc. and NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today announced that Hellgate: London, the premier title from Flagship Studios, will start hitting retail stores in North America on October 31, 2007 and in Europe on November 2, 2007 for the PC.

"We wanted to hit the sweet-spot for release in terms of the development schedule and delivering the highest-quality game to our players," said Bill Roper, CEO of Flagship Studios. "Halloween was the perfect fit as it ensures that Hellgate: London will have an appropriate amount of beta testing, while also being an incredibly fun time to unleash the game."

Bioshock Pre-Load on Steam!

If you’re looking forward to playing Bioshock, Steam is your answer! That’s right, 2K Games and Valve have announced that Bioshock is available on Steam for $49.95, and after you buy it you'll be able to pre-load it and play it the second it's released! I dunno about you guys, but I sure can't wait to get my hands on the game. Here’s how Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve, feels about it:


"Over the next six months, gamers will be hit with a barrage of highly-anticipated titles…

The lion's share of these great new releases will be PC games. And with the gameplay and graphic innovations featured in BioShock, it promises to be one of the most important games released in 2007."

Steam is one of the most popular gaming platform out there, and the guys there seem to be one of the few people who’re still showing some love for PC gamers. With Bioshock and other big titles coming to Steam in the coming months, the year ahead looks extremely promising for them.

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (PC)

I was really excited about getting my hands on GRAW 2 for the PC, since I’ve grown weary of shooters that are too easy and require no tact. GRAW 1 was pleasantly challenging at times, and really tough at others (which wasn’t such a bad thing, or so I thought), but it became a little boring after I got half way through the game; needless to say, I expected more from GRAW 2. After I played a preview build of the game, I was pretty disappointed with the performance issues and the erratic AI – the good news is that the performance issues have been solved; the bad news is that although it isn’t as bad as the preview build, the AI still sucks.

In a tactical shooter such as GRAW 2, timing and execution are the most crucial factors of success, in which case you need your teammates to be quick, lethal (at least as lethal as the enemy) and precise. Instead, what I got was a bunch of lazy morons who’d take ages to traverse even a straight road with no enemies, leaving me alone in the heat of battle tones of times – this affected my experience pretty badly, since it forced me to wait for my dumbf**k AI controlled teammates, slowing down the pace of the game like hell and making me lose the feel of recon warfare.

Another disappointment was that the control system wasn’t as robust as the Xbox 360 version of the game. Now I haven’t played too much of the 360 version, but the short while I spent with the game really kept me craving for more. The control system there was very well designed, responsive and most importantly easy to pickup (with a little practice). In the PC version however, the squad commands and the CrossCom felt pretty awkward and left a lot to be desired. In its console counterpart the CrossCom (the system that connects the Ghosts) was an integral part of the gameplay, while on the PC it just felt like another feature that was shoved into the game at the last minute, since it lacked the functionality and polish of the 360 version.

God Of War II

Tons of games are released every year on every platform, but there are few who reach iconic status and even fewer who end up defining genres. Take GTA III for example; there were tons of free roaming games before Rockstar’s crime simulator hit stands but they perfected the formula to such an extent, that nearly every game released thereafter was instantly compared to this ground breaking game. Same is the case with God of War; the PS2 was flooded with tons of action/platformers long before Sony’s behemoth hit stands in 2005 but Sony’s Santa Monica studio nailed every aspect of the game down perfectly and every game belonging to the similar genre was instantly compared to it (and most fell horribly short). When I heard of a sequel to Kratos' bloody adventures, I admit I was a bit skeptical at first since more often than not, sequels have a habit of fudging up the franchise, but in this case I can boldly claim that God of War 2 (GoW2) not only outdoes it’s predecessor in every way but it is the best game to grace the PS2... ever! And don’t worry, I got more than enough proof to back my claims up so read on to find out why this game will end up owning your soul


For starters, I’m going to give you a basic introduction of the plot, since discussing it in detail may spoil you. God of War 2 picks up immediately after the events of GoW and Kratos, the ghost of Sparta now sits at Ares’ throne after brutally slaying him in the first game. Being true to his name he commands his army to ravage Greece like there’s no tomorrow and this pisses off the other Gods to no extent since they don’t take too kindly to wanton acts of violence. To teach Kratos a lesson, they rob him of all his powers and leave him for dead (real bad move people) but Kratos is destined for a fate other than death and he makes his way to seek out the Sisters of Fate to rectify matters. Mutilating, maiming and decapitating every aspect of Greek mythology ensues.

Burnout Dominator

Even though Vice City Stories (VCS) was well received for the PlayStation Portable, the transition to the PS2 hasn’t been a pleasant one. Sure it’s a Grand Theft Auto game and offers everything you’ve come to expect from a GTA game, but after playing San Andreas, the last great GTA game for the PS2, Vice City Stories for the PS2 feels like a tremendous step down and is beyond disappointing.

Part of this disappointment stems from the fact that this game looks downright hideous after games like Gears of War, Lost Planet and Fight Night Round 3. And even if you weren’t used to next generation visuals the game still looks uglier than most PS2 games out there since Rockstar have blindly ported the PSP version to the big screen

The other part comes from the fact that even though this was a GTA game it still wasn’t fun to play. For starters, the protagonist of this game is perhaps the most boring lead to grace a Grand Theft Auto game ever; even the mute from GTA III was better than this whining little "look at me I’m a good guy forced to do bad things" bitch. I mean come on, you give us Tommy "the badass" Vercetti and Carl "gangsta" Johnson and then we have this turd who keeps trying to win the crowd’s sympathy but fails miserably; seriously dude if you need the money just STFU, sell those drugs, and do some while you’re at it too; it’ll ease your pain.

Other than the above mentioned points, the game plays out like any other GTA game; only the story isn’t as entertaining like previous games. VCS takes place a couple of years before the events of Vice City and puts you in the morally confused boots of Vic Vance, brother of Lance Vance Dance (Vice City). Vic starts the game off as a soldier who’s forced to partake in shady operations since he needs the money to help his sick brother out but pretty soon, the illegal odd jobs he performs for his drug and hooker loving sergeant gets him expelled from the army after which he takes to the streets and does what it takes to survive.

God of War 2 Secret Site Unfolds HD Mode

On the secret 'Island of Rhodes' website revealed in God of War 2, fans were rewarded with commentary videos from the game's Director. One thing that was overlooked on the website previously, was that upon digging deeper there was a hidden code which would allow you to unlock a higher-resolution mode for the game (480p to be precise), allowing it to look much sharper on HDTVs. The code is as follows:

In addition to the code, a countdown was revealed that asks gamers to wait for 11 more days to find out about 'God of War: Ch'

Samusung Unveils 30" LCD With DisplayPort

Samsung who has been quiet on the PC LCD panel front for sometime now, has just announced the development of a 30-inch LCD panel with support for Displayport. Displayport is a VESA endorsed upgrade and is intended as a replacement for DVI, LVDS and VGA. The Displayport interface is technically very impressive as it is capable of transmitting graphics data at a total data rate of 10.8Gbps enabling 2560x1600 resolution without any color smear.


Not only is Samsung’s panel capable of achieving the Displayport bandwidth, it also features 1000:1 contrast ratio, 6ms response time, 300 cd/m2 brightness, and 180 degrees viewing angle. Samsung will start mass production of the 30-inch panel from the second quarter of 2008.

AMD Introduces ATI Radeon HD 2000 Series

AMD has finally launched its HD 2000 series of graphic processors. The new ATI Radeon HD 2000 family comprises of the HD 2400, HD 2600 and HD 2900 GPUs. At the time of launch only the HD 2900 is available in its XT variant i.e. the HD 2900 XT. The HD 2900 XTX that did the rounds of some review websites will not be up for sale as of now

The HD 2900 XT consists of 320 unified stream processors with an approximate 47.5 Gigapixels/sec pixel processing rate. The 700 million transistor GPU comes with a 512MB of GDDR3 memory which is clocked at 1.65 GHz. It communicates with the GPU bit via a 512-bit memory interface. The GPU core is clocked at 740 MHz. The HD 2900 XT employs the 80nm fabrication process and consumes a whopping 215 watts of power.

Even though the images show the HD 2900 XT with dual dual-link DVI ports, the card does support HDMI output. An adapter is included that allows users to experience high-definition video and 5.1 surround sound audio via HDMI output. Also bundled along are the keys for Valve's upcoming Half Life 2: Episode Two and Team Fortress 2. The keys allow owners to download the games, when released, over STEAM.

AMD has also launched HD 2600 in PRO and XT variants. The ATI Radeon HD 2600 series consists of 120 stream processors. The GPU is clocked between 600 to 800 MHz. There are eight texture units and four render backends.

The HD 2600 has a GPU transistor count of 390 million. Though one thing to keep in mind is that it employs a 65nm process and hence consumes comparatively less power at 45 watts.

AMD has also announced AMD the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2000 video solutions for laptops. The entry-level Mobility Radeon HD 2300 is available at the time of release. The HD 2300 is built on the 90 nm process and essentially intended to power Windows Vista and playback high-definition content.

In July we will see the DX10 65 nm GPUs—the Mobility Radeon HD 2400 and HD 2400 XT. They are intended for the mid-range laptops. Also around the same time we will get to see the high-end Mobility Radeon HD 2600 and HD 2600 XT. These are aimed the enthusiast level gamer and performance market.

NVIDIA Launches GeForce 8700M GT Mobile GPU

NVIDIA has launched its latest mobile GPU – the GeForce 8700M GT. It is the latest addition to NVIDIA’s GeForce 8M lineup and comes after the previously released GeForce 8600M and 8400M models


The GeForce 8700M GT will be the top chip in NVIDIA’s Mobile stable replacing the existing GeForce Go 7950 GTX. NVIDIA claims 3DMark05 scores of 10,371 with the GeForce 8700M GT on default settings. In comparison the GeForce Go 7950 GTX scores 9,395 in 3DMark05. The GeForce 8700M GT is also 27-34% faster than the GeForce Go 7950 GTX in Half Life 2: Lost Coast and Far Cry.

"For our new top-end Toshiba Satellite laptop PC we are proud to be the first company to use the NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT GPU to deliver greatly enhanced graphics and video," said Shimpei Kunii, General Manager of PC Product Planning Department at Toshiba Corporation. "We believe these new laptops will provide the ultimate high-resolution DirectX 10 gaming experience for our mobile customers."


The GeForce 8700M GT features 32 stream processors clocked at 1.25 GHz. The core is clocked at 625 MHz and the memory at 800 MHz (1.6 GHz effective). NVIDIA specifies a maximum 512MB of video memory on GeForce 8700M GT graphics cards. Apart from the clock speeds, the GeForce 8700M GT is identical to the previously released GeForce 8600M-series.

The GeForce 8700M GT features NVIDIA’s second-generation PureVideo HD video processor that off loads the CPU while decoding high-definition AVC/H.264 video formats.

The GeForce 8700M GT GPU will be available in laptops from leading partners in North America, Europe, and Asia, including Toshiba, Sager, Prostar, Eurocom, Biohazard, Connoiseur, Cybersystem, Hypersonic, MALIBAL, Multirama, Rock, Evesham, Falcon Northwest, Plaisio, XS2, Nexoc, Hyrican, Vigor Gaming, Voodoo PC, and many others.

In addition to accelerating existing DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 content, such as the new DirectX 10 version of Company of Heroes, the GeForce 8700M GT will also support highly anticipated upcoming releases such as Crysis from Crytek and Lost Planet from Capcom.

Asus A8SC

The recent introduction of the Santa Rosa platform has to lead a rash of laptop releases from manufacturers seeking to exploit the performance potential that the new platform offers. Asus is one such manufacturer. Hot on the heels of their sideshow based W5FE launch, they are now all set to launch the A8SC, which is aimed at being a steady workhorse with basic gaming capabilities. How does it perform? Read on to find out…


The first impression that anyone will get on laying eyes on the Asus A8SC is that unlike their other products, the A8SC is far more bulky and surprisingly big for a 14” screen laptop. A closer examination of the product revealed the reason for this. Unlike normal laptops in this range Asus, has used a thicker than normal plastic for the body of the A8SC. The result- a laptop that will weather better with age and given the fact that it is aimed at a being a workhorse, more than a flashy product this is a nice touch.

Though the A8SC maybe a bit boxy looking, it is far from ugly. It sports a nice silver finish. This color scheme extends all around from the lid to the keyboard area and makes it a product that looks equally at home either being used by a corporate user or a student.

The A8SC being a widescreen model, has a 14 inch variant comes with a native resolution of 1280x800 (WXGA). The LCD panel on this laptop needs a special mention. It’s extremely sharp, has great brightness color and contrast levels. It also of a very good viewing angle for a laptop screen and this makes working long hours easier as all the factors above combine to reduce eye fatigue. This kind of functionality (for lack of any other word) is nothing new from Asus. We have found time and again that their laptops come with excellent LCD panels so therefore the brilliant screen on A8SC should come as no surprise to anyone. The screen is well supported on the software side too. The “Asus Splendid Technology “profile manager comes with some pre-defined profiles, that can set the monitor‘s brightness and contrast. These profiles can either dim or light up the monitor’s as per the user’s requirement. We played around with the profiles a bit and found that the program works quite well.

Toshiba Launches M200/205 Series Of Laptops

Toshiba has launched a new “thin and light” laptop series in its Satellite range of products.


The M200/205 series of laptops come with a 14.1 inch screen with a native resolution of 1280x800, a Core 2 Duo T7100 processor, 2GB system memory and 1GB Turbo Memory for caching common system operations. Its graphics are run by an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, has storage space of up to 200GB hard drive, a dual layer DVD burner, a/b/g/n wireless, fingerprint reader, and Windows Vista.

The prices for this range start at US $810. Please check out this link for further details.

Sony Unveils 2 New Centrino Duo Laptops

Sony seems to be relishing the introduction of the Santa Rosa platform. Since its launch, they have been releasing updated models based on the new platform every other week. Their latest launch now is the VGN-FZ285U/B and VGN-FZ240E/B models. Among these new introductions, the first model is designed for media center fans. It has therefore been beefed up and comes with a 2.2 GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 processor, system memory of up to 4GB RAM, a 250GB 4200rpm hard drive, a 15.4 inch screen with a native resolution of 1280 x 800 resolution, an Nvidia GeForce 8400M GT graphics card with 129 MB memory, a Blu-ray burner, 1.3 mega pixel camera and an HDMI slot. It also features 802.11a/b/g/n wireless support and comes with Windows Vista.


It's sibling VGN-FZ240E/B is for home users with 2GHz Core 2 Duo T7250 chip, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (358MB), dual layer DVD burner, and other specs which are similar to the first model.

Pricing for both these laptops start at USD$ 1300.

Fujitsu Launches Two New Tablets

Fujtisu has launched two new models in its Lifebook series, the U810 and the T2010, which are tablets aimed at the high-end user market. The U810 is a slim machine that can function both as an ultra-portable laptop and as a tablet. It comes equipped with an energy efficient Ultra Low Power Intel A110 processor which is optimized specifically for highly mobile devices and this allows a standard 4-cell battery to deliver up to 5.5 hours of computing time. The mini convertible offers users a choice of operating systems to meet their needs, and is available with Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005.


The Lifebook T2010 is a lightweight convertible, which is designed without sacrificing battery life or display size. This stylish ultra-portable comes with a slim 1.3-inch chassis features a 12.1-inch WXGA indoor/outdoor display with a bi-directional swivel. Its LED-backlit screen provides an exceptionally bright display for an improved visual experience even in sunlight. It boasts of extended battery life of up to 11 hours with the extended battery option, or 9 hours with a standard battery. The LifeBook T2010 notebook, powered by the latest Intel Core 2 Duo Ultra Low Voltage U7600 Processor offers a choice of Windows Vista Business or Windows XP Table.

Apple Launches New iMacs

Apple has introduced two new iMac computers built up around Intel Core 2 Duo processors to be available with either a 20" or 24" display. The 20" iMac is capable of utilizing Core 2 Duo processors up to the 2.4 GHz, while the 24" iMac will be able to utilize the Core 2 Extreme processors

The 20" iMac will have a native resolution of 1680x1050 where as the 24" version will sport a native Full HD resolution of 1920x1200. Both the iMacs will ship integrated support for 802.11n, wired network capability and built-in Bluetooth. The graphic cards that will be available on these machines will be from ATI’s new range of cards. The 20" iMac will get an ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB of GDDR3 and the 24" version will be using getting the HD 2600 Pro with 256Mb of GDDR3.

In the storage department the base 20" iMac will be get a 500 GB HDD with an option of extending to 750 GB, while the 24" iMac will be able to get up to 1 TB of storage space. The memory on both modules is DDR2 667 with an option of extending it up to 4 GB and a minimum of 1 GB RAM.

The pricing for the 20" version will start at $1199 and the 24" iMac will cost $1799 for the base.

In my last article, Case Lighting, we saw how one could go about pimping their computer cases using different case lighting products. Modifying and cu

The first Mac Mini is priced at $600 while the second will be available for $800 upwards.

In the rash of Apple announcements yesterday, one piece of news that regrettably slipped past us was the introduction of the new Mac Mini that is now powered by Core 2 Duo processors. This cult favorite mini-desktop now comes in two models. The first one features a 1.83 GHz Core 2 Duo processor, combo drive and an 80 GB drive. The second model comes with a 2 GHz Core 2 duo, dual-layer DVD burner. Features that are common to both products are 64 Mb Memory, speakers, 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Impact M6836 SLI

In my last article, Case Lighting, we saw how one could go about pimping their computer cases using different case lighting products. Modifying and customizing cases is generally enthusiast territory. Another kind of enthusiast is the overclocker. Overclockers push the components of a computer system like the processor, RAM and the graphics card to run at much higher speeds than they are supposed to, at default. There are some who purely do it for the numbers i.e. the benchmarks and others who overclock to extract as much horsepower as possible to get the maximum FPS (frames per second) in games. Whatever the case, it takes a fair bit of learning and experimenting with your hardware to achieve desirable results. As mentioned earlier, overclocking and modding is mostly enthusiast territory. Those who are passionate about it, will go ahead trying and experimenting and figuring their own way out. But there are quite a few who desire custom modified and overclocked systems but don't have the time, inclination or the expertise to go about making one. And just for them we have India's first commercial vendor that sells custom modified and overclocked systems, called 'Exfinity'.

Exfinity has sent us their PC based on the ‘Spiderman’ theme that they had recently sent for a contest organized by Intel and Digit. Exfinity won the first prize for their entry. Please note that custom modified cases based on the ‘Spiderman’ theme are not available for sale, as Exfinity doesn’t possess the rights to the Spiderman brand name. They have used this theme only for the contest to showcase their case modding prowess. You can always get your own custom design made at Exfinity. Now that the legal stance has been made clear, let’s dissect the system to see what lies beneath.

Fuze Media Unveils New HTPC Media System

One of the fastest growing segments of the PC industry today, is the Home Theater PC (HTPC). It is seeing a lot of innovation from hardware manufacturers themselves, in the form of scaled down inexpensive products such as Nvidia’s PureVideo 2 based range of cards like the 8500 GT. In addition to this, many independent companies have sprung that take existing products and mesh them together to try and capture a section of this rapidly growing market. One such firm is FUZE Media Systems, which has just unveiled their first media computer "that promises to address the problems associated with regular home media systems - disparate devices, multiple remotes, complex and confusing interfaces, unreliability, and the lack of true whole-home capability".


Their system is based on a server client concept and with the aid of a primary media server will allow video clients and audio clients that interface with the media server to enjoy a good multimedia experience. For this the media server has been designed with a very beefy specification. The “FuzeBox” as it is called features Intel Core 2 Quad 6600 processor, Nvidia 7600 GT/GS graphics, 4GB RAM, 1.5TB storage, TV Tuner, HDMI, VGA, and Gigabit LAN.

“From a technology standpoint, we’re delivering the industry’s most robust media management system,” said Michael D’Addio, FUZE Chief Executive Officer. “But, at the end of the day, what we’re really delivering is ease-of-use in an elegant design. We designed our solution with the average consumer in mind - not highly skilled technologists. Within seconds of picking up a FUZE remote, the average person will be able to watch and record shows throughout the home, instantly play music anywhere, or pull up a picture slideshow of their favorite memories. In this way, our system will help to sell itself.”