GeekwithEnvy

Gaming

3DMark Wants to Benchmark Everything

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3dmark logo3DMark, the go-to benchmarking software, is not only improving it’s Windows based tests but it’s also moving onto other types of hardware besides the PC. Apple iOS, Android, and Windows RT are all fair game when it comes to being benchmarked by 3DMark.

I must admit that I never really thought about benchmarking my smartphone, it’s kind of interesting idea. We read the specs on our tablets and smartphones and we know how much memory we have  and what our screen resolution is but do we really know just how much power we have to work with ?

When it comes to performance in multitasking, surfing the web, or gaming we really don’t think of measuring it all, at least not as often as we should. For the most part we download our apps and they run, but can they run better? How far can we push the hardware, what are the limitations, and how does it stand up against the competition?  These are all great questions that can be answered by a trusted benchmark tool that provides a standard to go by.

The new benchmarks are visually, much improved and a leap ahead from previous iterations. There are three benchmarks, FireStrike for Windows gaming PC’s, CloudGate for Windows Notebooks and home PC’s, and Ice Storm for Android, iOS and Windows mobile. This is great for enthusiasts who really want to get a clearer picture of what’s going on under the hood of their favorite non-PC devices.

To make things even better, the basic version is free and can be found at 3DMark along with complete details on the benchmarking software.

Plants vs. Zombies 2 is on It’s Way (Video)

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 plantsvszombies2Lgo

Yes, it’s actually going be be here. Thanks to this funny video poking fun at how long it has taken for PopCap to create the sequel to the original, we now have a time frame for the release date.

It looks like Plants vs Zombies 2 will be available sometime in July and the official title will be, Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time.  The video doesn’t provide us with much else besides a bit of humor, we will just need to hang in there a bit longer for some gameplay footage or screenshots.

How To Enter Safe Mode on PS3

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If you are having issues with your PS3 like corrupt data, start up screen missing ( you only see the background), or when the PS3 tried to correct issues and otherwise failed, you may be able to correct  them using the Playstation 3 safe mode menu. It’s a menu you may not have even known about but it’s a pretty useful tool that could end up making your PS3 problems go away. You can follow the steps below or watch the video above from Playstation support.playstationLogo

* Please note: Safe Mode is only available to PS3’s with system software 2.60 or greater installed. *

* Warning: Some of the options in the safe mode menu will erase all of your data including saves*

How To Start Up in Safe Mode:

  1. If the System is not already off, Turn off the PlayStation 3 by holding the Power button on the front of the unit till the Power light is red.
  2. Touch and hold the Power button (do not remove your finger from the button). You will hear the first beep, meaning the PlayStation 3 is powering on.
  3. Continue to hold the Power button and after about 5 seconds, you will hear a second beep, indicating the video reset.
  4. Continue to hold the Power button and after about another 5 seconds you will hear a third beep and the system will power off (Power light is red).
  5. Touch and hold the Power button (again, do not remove your finger from the button). You will hear the first beep, again for the PlayStation 3 to power on.
  6. Continue to hold the Power button and after about 5 seconds, you will hear a second beep for video reset.
  7. Continue to hold the Power button and after about another 5 seconds you will hear a quick double beep. At that point release the Power button. If you succeeded in activating Safe Mode, you will see a message on the screen saying, “Connect the controller using a USB cable and then press the PS button.”

Going Next-Gen With Call Of Duty: Ghosts

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CODGhostsLogo

The next installment of Call of Duty, Call of Duty Ghosts, is officially coming and it’s also going to be on next-gen hardware like the Playstation 4 and Xbox (Infinity?). The new COD is also set to be released on the PC. I have tried to find information confirming the release of Ghost on the Wii U but I haven’t come up with anything as of right now.

The teaser trailer provides essentially no information about the new game but it’s enough to leave us in anticipation for more. Luckily, we will be getting more details at the Xbox reveal which is set to go down on May 21st at 10:00 am PDT on Xbox Live, Xbox.com and Spike TV.

Call of Duty: Ghosts will release on Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC on November 5.

Intel’s Graphics Get Serious With Iris

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Integrated graphics haven’t really been know for their performance, for years they were really just there to give us the most basic video features, but today’s mobile oriented market and demand for rich media has changed the game.

Intel made a solid effort with the HD 4000 series chip which performs surprisingly well under a lot of different conditions. You can actually get a semi-solid frame rate with most games on low to medium settings and performance in most other gpu dependent applications is solid. Now, Intel is getting serious with it’s next generation chip, Iris, which will offer more than 2x the performance of current the GPU.

IntelIris2
Source: Intel

Intel says that their next step in graphics will be a 75x increase in performance over earlier efforts since 2006, which shows off Intel’s ever increasing attention to GPU performance, but without sacrificing efficiency. The 4th generation Haswell (Intel’s Codename) line will be very power efficient and that’s critical now that the focus has shifted to a battery powered and mobile world.

intelIris
Source: Intel

Clearly, there’s a lot to look forward to in the next year or so as we continue to see better overall performance numbers from onboard graphics. It is interesting to think about what AMD and Nvidia will do in response to Intel’s recent efforts. At the very least it will force chip makers to continue to be innovative and to rethink and rework non-discrete graphics, something that could help bring down costs as well.