GeekwithEnvy

Gaming

Android Users Can Now Get Plants vs. Zombies 2

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pvz2SS

Originally released this past summer for iOS devices, E.A and Popcap have finally released Plants vs. Zombies 2 on Google Play.

PvZ 2 is is free to download and has in-game offers to allow you to progress faster for a small price. If you like the original game then you should be quite pleased with this version as Plants vs. Zombies 2 plays just like the first game but with a few new additions.

Game Features
• Meet powerful new plants that will defend your lawn through time
• Go toe-to-missing-toe with dozens of new zombies
• Supercharge your floral friends with healthy doses of Plant Food
• Fire up amazing Finger Powers to pinch, flick and zap zombies
• Defeat brain-teasing challenges that will test your zombie-zapping skills
• Take on zombies from all worlds in the Piñata Party mini-game and win prizes
• Gather keys to play valuable side missions
• Collect coins to purchase potent power-ups
• Earn stars to take you to new worlds
• Connect to Game Services to unlock achievements and compete against friends on the leaderboards
• Look out! Zombie chickens!
Language Support: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese

Requirements:
• Requires Android 2.3 (Gingerbread); ARMv7 1.0 Ghz or higher; 1 GB of RAM
• Features may vary by mobile device

 

Nvidia Eliminates Screen Tearing with G-Sync

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Nvidia gsync-module

Screen tearing, stutter and input lag have plagued gamers for  years, but now Nvidia claims that they have found a solution to this issue. Nvidia has created what they call G-Sync to completely eliminate all of the aforementioned issues. G-Sync is a module that forces your monitor to have the exact same refresh rate as your GPU, which is the opposite of what happens in current systems.

The biggest problem is that GPU’s don’t render at a fixed speed and by having the monitor keep up with the GPU all of your screen tearing issues will go away instead of making the graphics card compensate for a fixed refresh rate. There have been many attempts over the years to correct these issues including the introduction of VSync, which did help, but it’s not perfect as VSync often stutters and fails to make gameplay as smooth as it should be and it can also be pretty taxing you your system.

By the time PCs came to market in the early 1980s, CRT TV technology was well established and was the easiest and most cost effective technology for utilize for the creation of dedicated computer monitors. 60Hz and fixed refresh rates became standard, and system builders learned how to make the most of a less than perfect situation. Over the past three decades, even as display technology has evolved from CRTs to LCD and LEDs, no major company has challenged this thinking, and so syncing GPUs to monitor refresh rates remains the standard practice across the industry to this day.”

For complete details on this new module head over to Nvidia’s official blog. I’m surprised that its taken us this long to fix this problem, especially since monitors have evolved so much over the last decade.

Legend of Zelda Pre-Order Offers Music Box

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If you live in the UK and are planning on picking up The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, don’t wait until the game is out to buy it. Instead, you can pre-oder the game from GAME and receive a treasure box that plays a familiar tune from the Zelda franchise.  The announcement was officially made by Nintendo’s Eiji Aonuma and Satoru Iwata in the Vine you see above. The game is set to be released on November 22 for the Nintendo 3DS.

Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition Ready For Pre Order

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If your a fan of the original Baldur’s Gate then you will be pleased to know that Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition is now available for pre-order. You can pre-order it today for $24.95 on both Mac and PC. The game will also be available at a later time for iPad and Android Tablets. The game will be released on will be available on November 15th, 2013.

The Enhanced edition will include both the Shadows of Amn and the Throne of Bhaal expansion packs along with better (enhanced) graphics for modern displays including widescreen support, new multiplayer options and new characters as well. You can also download the original Baldur’s Gate : Enhanced Edition, if you haven’t already. This game is one of the great classic RPGs and is well worth playing if you’re into this style of gaming.

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Kidnapped. Imprisoned. Tortured. The wizard Irenicus holds you captive in his stronghold, attempting to strip you of the powers that are your birthright.

Can you resist the evil within you, forge a legend of heroic proportions, and ultimately destroy the dark essence that haunts your dreams? Or will you embrace your monstrous nature, carve a swath of destruction across the realms, and ascend to godhood as the new Lord of Murder?”

Features

 

  • The Final Chapter – Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition includes Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn and Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, the epic conclusion of the Bhaalspawn saga.
  • Four New Party Members – Bundled with Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition are four new characters that can join you on your journey.
  • The Black Pits 2: Gladiators of Thay – Explore the tactical depth of high-level Dungeons & Dragons combat. Undermine your captors and prey upon their weaknesses while you dodge traps and battle for your life against Demi-Liches, Mind Flayers, and Githyanki.
  • Easy Multiplayer – Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition makes it easy to find, list, and join multiplayer games, even while behind a firewall.
  • Widescreen and More – Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition features full widescreen support, remastered area artwork from o

 

Valve’s Official Steam Machine Hardware Specs

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SteamLogo

If you’re not already aware, Valve is creating it’s own hardware to run Steam to try and create the ultimate gaming experience.

This hardware is just a prototype and the final product isn’t due until 2014, but 300 lucky Steam users will get to beta test the system sometime this year.  Currently, there are no images of the prototype hardware but in a recent post from the company they have provided us with some pretty serious specs.

Here are the specifications for Valve’s 300 prototypes:

  • The 300 prototype units will ship with the following components:
  • GPU: some units with NVidia Titan, some GTX780, some GTX760, and some GTX660
  • CPU: some boxes with Intel i7-4770, some i5-4570, and some i3
  • RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600 (CPU), 3GB GDDR5 (GPU)
  • Storage: 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD
  • Power Supply: Internal 450w 80Plus Gold
  • Dimensions: approx. 12 x 12.4 x 2.9 in high

As a hardware platform, the Steam ecosystem will change over time, so any upgrades will be at each user’s discretion. In the future we’ll talk about how Steam will help customers understand the differences between machines, hardware strengths and weaknesses, and upgrade decisions.

We aren’t quite ready to post a picture of our prototype – just because they’re not finished enough. Before they ship we’ll let you know what the prototype looks like. And we expect people to redesign the machine, too. Both from a technical perspective, deciding on different components, and from an industrial design perspective, changing the enclosure in interesting ways.”