• 29Jul 08

  Resident Evil: Degeneration Trailer 2

  this is the new trailer the (Resident Evil: Degeneration)

  • Posted Jul 29, 2008 1:23 pm GMT
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• 24Jul 08

  Playstation 2 component incites African war

  Console war reaches past the couch and into the Congo, claims report.

  By Ben Silverman

  According to a report by activist site Toward Freedom, for the past decade the search for a rare metal necessary in the manufacturing of Sony's Playstation 2 game console has fueled a brutal conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

  At the center of the conflict is the unrefined metallic ore, coltan. After processing, coltan turns into a powder called tantalum, which is used extensively in a wealth of western electronic devices including cell phones, computers and, of course, game consoles.

  Allegedly, the demand for coltan prompted Rwandan military groups and western mining companies to plunder hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the rare metal, often by forcing prisoners-of-war and even children to work in the country's coltan mines.

  "Kids in Congo were being sent down mines to die so that kids in Europe and America could kill imaginary aliens in their living rooms," said Ex-British Parliament Member Oona King.

  

  SEE PICS

  So where's the connection to Sony? According to Toward Freedom, during the 2000 launch of the PS2, the electronics giant was having trouble meeting consumer demand. To pump out more units, Sony required a significant increase in the production of electric capacitors, which are primarily made with tantalum. This helped drive the world price of the powder from $49/pound to a whopping $275/pound, resulting in the frenzied scouring of the Congolese hills known for being ripe with coltan.

  Sony has since sworn off using tantalum acquired from the Congo, claiming that current builds of the PS2, PSP and PS3 consoles are sourced from a variety of mines in several different countries.

  But according to researcher David Barouski, they're hardly off the hook.

  "SONY's PlayStation 2 launch...was a big part of the huge increase in demand for coltan that began in early 1999," he explained. "SONY and other companies like it, have the benefit of plausible deniability, because the coltan ore trades hands so many times from when it is mined to when SONY gets a processed product, that a company often has no idea where the original coltan ore came from, and frankly don't care to know. But statistical analysis shows it to be nearly inconceivable that SONY made all its PlayStations without using Congolese coltan."

  Currently, the Playstation 2 is the best-selling video game console of all-time, having sold through over 140 million units.

  SOURCE: Yahoo notice

  • Posted Jul 24, 2008 9:33 pm GMT
  • Category: News
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• 24Jul 08

  Nvision 08 - THE FIRST-EVER VISUAL COMPUTING MEGA-EVENT

  
  

  This is it. This is big time. This is THE SHOW – three uninterrupted days of gaming, including an attempt at a world-record breaking GeForce LAN Party, the 2008 Electronic Sports World Cup, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes. Not to mention a whole slew of other events for anyone and everyone who loves visual computing. So register early and get yourself to San Jose for 55 hours of jaw-dropping visual wonderment.

  RESUME
  
  THE FIRST-EVER VISUAL COMPUTING MEGA-EVENT
  GAME DEVELOPER
  
  The NVISION Game Developer track is a highly-interactive forum for game developers interested in advanced, forward-looking techniques to push games to the limits of visual quality and performance. Learn all about the latest technology trends. Gain insight into the future of computing techniques and graphical applications. See how to fully utilize the power of current and upcoming PC hardware.

  Attendees will also learn about the latest developer tools, such as NVIDIA PerfHUD (for GPU debugging and profiling), NVIDIA FX Composer (for shader authoring, debugging, and profiling), and more.

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  IGAMES EXPO
  
  The 5th annual iGames Expo, being held in conjunction with NVISION, provides current and potential game center owners a unique and rare opportunity to network, discover valuable new products, and share ideas for success.

  The iGames Expo is owned and managed by iGames, the leading game center organization. Every year, iGames brings together game center owners from all over the world and those interested in the game center industry to attend seminars, network with each other, learn about new technology, and discuss topics that are important to their business and the industry as a whole.

  Key topics at the Expo include:

  - Game center seminars focused on various aspects of game center business management
  - Presentations from publishers providing the low-down on upcoming games
  - Open forum discussions on key industry topics
  - Opportunities to learn about new services from iGames and how they provide game centers efficiency and monetary savings
  - Networking opportunities with experienced game center owners during social activities exclusively organized for iGames Expo attendees

  iGames invites all existing game centers owners and those that are interested in starting a game center business to attend this unique conference. There is currently no other organization that is solely dedicated to helping the game center industry. Come join iGames to learn about what it takes to run a game center and how iGames can help you succeed.

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  DIGITAL ART GALLERY
  
  Throughout the ages, artists have been dreamers and visionaries, creating truly amazing and inspiring works of art. But they have been bounded by the physical media in which they work. The NVISION 08 Digital Art Gallery demonstrates the attraction of digital art: the opportunity to create beautiful images free from physical limitations.

  Join us at the Gallery to see provocative imagery from the world's most creative and talented digital artists, including winning entries from the NVArt competition. These creations, while computer-generated, manifest the quality of all great art: the ability to move us, intrigue us, or simply make us smile.

  ---

  • Posted Jul 24, 2008 9:33 am GMT
  • Category: News
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