AJ.
02-24-2008, 09:30 PM
Just thought I would give a little insider info from what I got at GDC 08 this year. I first and foremost want to say, it was AWESOME! It was so much better than last year. A lot more companies are showing up displaying what they have to offer. Let's hope they keep it up.
Ok, cutting to the chase. I'll just cover what I think you guys want to hear more about.
FarCry 2:
This game is probably the most anticipated game of 08. Having said that, I was a little disappointed with what they were showing us. According to the reps answering our questions, 5% of the game code was taken from Crysis. The system they had it running on was based on a Intel skulltrail system. It was comprised of the following;
Two QX9775's @ 3.2Ghz
4GB's of RAM (they didn't disclose what type)
Two 8800 Ultra's in SLI
DS5400 XS motherboard
It was running at 2560x1600 at what seemed like 15-20FPS. Visually, I wasn't expecting more than what Crysis had to offer. They seemed to emphasize on a more life-like environment than anything else. Overall, I wasn't exremely pleased. It felt like Crysis and played like Crysis. Nothing exciting at all...
Intel QX9775
What a beast. I can't say much on behalf of these CPU's becuase I personally didn't get my hands on the system. I'm just going to give you guys some benchmark numbers Intel provided from what they were running at the show.
System Specs:
2 X QX9775 @3.2Ghz
D5400XS MOBO
4GB Dual channel Micron FBDIMM DDR2 800 5-5-5-15
3 x ATI HD3870 X2
320GB Barracuda HDD
Vista Ultimate 32BIT
Cinebench 10 = 20160
3DM06 CPU score= 6481
The rep over at the Intel desk was nice enough to open up the case to let me take a look inside. Damn it was hot...... literally. They had a CoolIT water cooling system running in there cooling off both CPU's. Both CPU's were at 50-54C under load when running cinebench. Room temperature was probably around 70-72F. Anybody looking to buy this type of a system probably has open ended budget, so better (more expensive) cooling options are always available. They were awesome nonetheless.
Bionic Commando
Most of you reading this probably never heard of the title. Capcom is making a remake of the classic version of this game. They will actually be making two versions of this game; Bionic Commando: Rearmed and Bionic Commando. Bionic Commando: Rearmed will be a 3D-2D version of the classic game Bionic Commando, while Bionic Commando will be a full-fledged 3D game with a story line. More info about the game(s) can be found at their website.
http://www.bioniccommando.com/
I'm personally looking forward to Bionic Commando. The visuals are just amazing and leave you speechless. The environment makes you feel like you're inside beautiful desktop wallpaper set on some tropical island. Well... for the most part lol.
The game kind of remids me of Peter Jacksons King Kong in one way or the other. At one point Kong is on some remote island in the middle of nowhere, then the next he's in New York City destroying everything in sight. While Mr. Commando isn't quite at that scale just yet, it sure makes the gamer feel that way. I'm totally looking forward to this game.
Holographic monitors
This was by far the most exciting and innovative idea at the Game Developer Conference this year. I'm sure most people reading this have been on rides in theme parks that use holographic imagery to create an outstanding life-like visual experience. Well, Zalman and Nvidia partner up to give you this technology at home.
I was shocked when I saw this. It really leaves you lost for words. Zalman had Crysis running on one of their monitors and when I put on those glasses I couldn't believe my eyes. I actually felt like I was Nomad! Cars, trees, people, just everything feels like you can touch it!
If I didn't know any better I would have thought I was there. When bullets come toward you and you get hit, you actually get the feeling that something hit you! Hell, when you dodge a bullet you feel like you accomplished something.
Anyway, besides the exciting experience of gaming on one of those monitors there are some cons. First and foremost, price. While these monitors are cool, they are pricey. As of now, Zalman will offer three different sizes. They will come in tastes of 19'', 19'' widescreen, and 22'' widescreen. The rep over at zalman didn't give me an exact price range but he did say they will be costly. I'd estimate anywhere from $500-$1500 depending on specifications. And last but not least, it will ONLY work with Nvidia GPU's.
Now for some pros.
1) You can turn the 3D imaging feature on and off. The monitor won't be usleless when it comes to non-3D applications
2) While this may not mean much to consumers, to developers this makes all the difference in the world. You don't need to alter any game code to make games holographic. According to the Nvidia rep, all they (Nvidia) need to do is provide driver support for the hardware.
Overall, I can see this type of technology catching on not only for games, but for entertainment in general. Can you imagine watching movies on this type of a monitor?!
Sadly, there was no release date mentioned.
________________________________________
Conclusion
well, that just about covers the most interesting parts of the show. There's definitely a lot more to cover but most of it is irrelevant to your average gamer. If you guys have any questions, please, don't hesitate to ask. ;-)
Ok, cutting to the chase. I'll just cover what I think you guys want to hear more about.
FarCry 2:
This game is probably the most anticipated game of 08. Having said that, I was a little disappointed with what they were showing us. According to the reps answering our questions, 5% of the game code was taken from Crysis. The system they had it running on was based on a Intel skulltrail system. It was comprised of the following;
Two QX9775's @ 3.2Ghz
4GB's of RAM (they didn't disclose what type)
Two 8800 Ultra's in SLI
DS5400 XS motherboard
It was running at 2560x1600 at what seemed like 15-20FPS. Visually, I wasn't expecting more than what Crysis had to offer. They seemed to emphasize on a more life-like environment than anything else. Overall, I wasn't exremely pleased. It felt like Crysis and played like Crysis. Nothing exciting at all...
Intel QX9775
What a beast. I can't say much on behalf of these CPU's becuase I personally didn't get my hands on the system. I'm just going to give you guys some benchmark numbers Intel provided from what they were running at the show.
System Specs:
2 X QX9775 @3.2Ghz
D5400XS MOBO
4GB Dual channel Micron FBDIMM DDR2 800 5-5-5-15
3 x ATI HD3870 X2
320GB Barracuda HDD
Vista Ultimate 32BIT
Cinebench 10 = 20160
3DM06 CPU score= 6481
The rep over at the Intel desk was nice enough to open up the case to let me take a look inside. Damn it was hot...... literally. They had a CoolIT water cooling system running in there cooling off both CPU's. Both CPU's were at 50-54C under load when running cinebench. Room temperature was probably around 70-72F. Anybody looking to buy this type of a system probably has open ended budget, so better (more expensive) cooling options are always available. They were awesome nonetheless.
Bionic Commando
Most of you reading this probably never heard of the title. Capcom is making a remake of the classic version of this game. They will actually be making two versions of this game; Bionic Commando: Rearmed and Bionic Commando. Bionic Commando: Rearmed will be a 3D-2D version of the classic game Bionic Commando, while Bionic Commando will be a full-fledged 3D game with a story line. More info about the game(s) can be found at their website.
http://www.bioniccommando.com/
I'm personally looking forward to Bionic Commando. The visuals are just amazing and leave you speechless. The environment makes you feel like you're inside beautiful desktop wallpaper set on some tropical island. Well... for the most part lol.
The game kind of remids me of Peter Jacksons King Kong in one way or the other. At one point Kong is on some remote island in the middle of nowhere, then the next he's in New York City destroying everything in sight. While Mr. Commando isn't quite at that scale just yet, it sure makes the gamer feel that way. I'm totally looking forward to this game.
Holographic monitors
This was by far the most exciting and innovative idea at the Game Developer Conference this year. I'm sure most people reading this have been on rides in theme parks that use holographic imagery to create an outstanding life-like visual experience. Well, Zalman and Nvidia partner up to give you this technology at home.
I was shocked when I saw this. It really leaves you lost for words. Zalman had Crysis running on one of their monitors and when I put on those glasses I couldn't believe my eyes. I actually felt like I was Nomad! Cars, trees, people, just everything feels like you can touch it!
If I didn't know any better I would have thought I was there. When bullets come toward you and you get hit, you actually get the feeling that something hit you! Hell, when you dodge a bullet you feel like you accomplished something.
Anyway, besides the exciting experience of gaming on one of those monitors there are some cons. First and foremost, price. While these monitors are cool, they are pricey. As of now, Zalman will offer three different sizes. They will come in tastes of 19'', 19'' widescreen, and 22'' widescreen. The rep over at zalman didn't give me an exact price range but he did say they will be costly. I'd estimate anywhere from $500-$1500 depending on specifications. And last but not least, it will ONLY work with Nvidia GPU's.
Now for some pros.
1) You can turn the 3D imaging feature on and off. The monitor won't be usleless when it comes to non-3D applications
2) While this may not mean much to consumers, to developers this makes all the difference in the world. You don't need to alter any game code to make games holographic. According to the Nvidia rep, all they (Nvidia) need to do is provide driver support for the hardware.
Overall, I can see this type of technology catching on not only for games, but for entertainment in general. Can you imagine watching movies on this type of a monitor?!
Sadly, there was no release date mentioned.
________________________________________
Conclusion
well, that just about covers the most interesting parts of the show. There's definitely a lot more to cover but most of it is irrelevant to your average gamer. If you guys have any questions, please, don't hesitate to ask. ;-)