quote:

Rein: Consoles put a stranglehold on DX10

Monday 30-Jul-2007 11:55 AM
Consoles will pretty much define what the next five years of games will look like on PC, Epic VP tells CVG

Microsoft might be making a song and dance about the advent of DirectX 10 and the new experience it brings to PC gaming, but Epic vice president Mark Rein reckons we won't see it adopted in earnest by developers and publishers for several years.

"To be honest, and I'm going to cast a small pall on the industry here, I don't think you're going to get much higher until the next generation of consoles," Rein told CVG when asked what we can expect from DX 10 beyond what we're seeing in Crysis.

One reason for this, he said, is that the gulf between a high-end PC and a low-end PC is bigger now than it's ever been, and the low-end has been anchored while the high end just gets higher "and it becomes less and less economically viable to do the super high-end stuff".

"And in addition, just now we're just barely coming into the sweet spot of the next-gen consoles... We're at the point where it's viable to ship games on these next-gen consoles and it's going to be a gold mine for a couple of years.

"Publishers are generally putting their money where the highest return is, and in the past that's been on consoles and I think that's still the case. So if you build the game that's a really super amazing high-end game, how do you make all the money you could make from that game, because it'll be too high end eventually to be on PS3 or Xbox 360"

Rein reckons there are developers who will dabble with DirectX 10 and a couple of PC-only games, or games that their big market is PC, will push the envelope a bit, "But I don't see people going way, way over what these consoles can do because then they can't sell the game... they have to dumb the games down for the consoles. Consoles will pretty much define what the next five years of games look like on the PC", Rein added.

However, he said that what we'll also see from PC games in the meantime is the ability to turn everything up a visual notch.

"That's the value to me of the PC, that the source content we have is still really high resolution, much higher than we can show on a 512MB machine. You can use that content on the PC, you can express it in higher resolutions and higher frame rates and turn on more effects. I think that's what you'll see, PC games where we turn it up higher."

Stuart Bishop

quote:

INTRODUCTION
This update resolves some compatibility issues and reliability issues in Windows Vista. By applying this update, you can achieve better reliability and hardware compatibility in various scenarios.

This update resolves the following issues:

The screen may go blank when you try to upgrade the video driver. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
932539 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932539/) The screen may go blank when you try to upgrade the video driver on a Windows Vista-based computer

The computer stops responding, and you receive a "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered" error message. You can restart the computer only by pressing the computer's power button.

The computer stops responding or restarts unexpectedly when you play video games or perform desktop operations.

The Diagnostic Policy Service (DPS) stops responding when the computer is under heavy load or when very little memory is available. This problem prevents diagnostics from working.

The screen goes blank after an external display device that is connected to the computer is turned off. For example, this problem may occur when a projector is turned off during a presentation.

A computer that has NVIDIA G80 series graphic drivers installed stops responding.

Visual appearance issues occur when you play graphics-intensive games.

You experience poor playback quality when you play HD DVD disks or Blu-ray disks on a large monitor.

Applications that load the Netcfgx.dll component exit unexpectedly.

Windows Calendar exits unexpectedly after you create a new appointment, create a new task, and then restart the computer.

Internet Connection Sharing stops responding after you upgrade a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP to Windows Vista and then restart the computer.

The Printer Spooler service stops unexpectedly.

You receive a "Stop 0x0000009F" error when you put the computer to sleep while a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) connection is active. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
931671 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931671/) Error message when you put a Windows Vista-based computer to sleep while a PPP connection is active: "STOP 0x0000009F"

quote:

INTRODUCTION
This update resolves issues that may affect some Windows Vista-based computers. These issues have been reported by customers who are using the Error Reporting service or Microsoft Customer Support Services.

By applying this update, you can achieve better performance and responsiveness in various scenarios. This update also improves the reliability of Windows Vista.

This update resolves the following issues on a Windows Vista-based computer:

You experience a long delay when you try to exit the Photos screen saver.

A memory leak occurs when you use the Windows Energy screen saver.

If User Account Control is disabled on the computer, you cannot install a network printer successfully. This problem occurs if the network printer is hosted by a Windows XP-based or a Windows Server 2003-based computer.

When you write data to an AVI file by using the AVIStreamWrite function, the file header of the AVI file is corrupted.

When you copy or move a large file, the "estimated time remaining" takes a long time to be calculated and displayed.

After you resume the computer from hibernation, it takes a long time to display the logon screen.

When you synchronize an offline file to a server, the offline file is corrupted.

If you edit an image file that uses the RAW image format, data loss occurs in the image file. This problem occurs if the RAW image is from any of the following digital SLR camera models:• Canon EOS 1D

Canon EOS 1DS
For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
932988 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932988/) Files from a Canon EOD 1D or 1DS camera may be corrupted after you use Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Live Photo Gallery, or Windows Explorer to edit the file metadata in Windows Vista or in Windows XP Service Pack 2

After you resume the computer from hibernation, the computer loses its default gateway address.

Poor memory management performance occurs.

quote:

Release notes for 1.82 October 8th, 2007

• Note: All Xfire In-Game 2.0 features currently only work with the Xfire, Standard, and Shadow skins.
  
• Added the ability to send and receive one-to-one voice calls from Xfire In-Game 2.0 games.
  
• Added an Options button/tab on the main menu of Xfire In-Game 2.0 to control new features:
  Added the ability to see a clock in Xfire In-Game 2.0 games.
  
• Added the ability to see a frames-per-second counter in Xfire In-Game 2.0 games.
  
• Fixed several issues with specific key combinations in Xfire In-Game.
  
• Added Xfire In-Game 2.0 support including the mouse to the following games:
  1701 A.D Act Of War - Direct Action Act Of War - High Treason Ancient Wars - Sparta
  Area 51 ARMA Bad Day LA Battlefield: Vietnam
  Bet On Soldier Black & White 2 Black & White 2: Battle Of The Gods Blitzkrieg 2
  Broken Sword - The Angel of Death Broken Sword - The Sleeping Dragon Brothers in Arms Road to Hill 30 Call Of Cthulhu
  Call Of Juarez Catz Cellfactor Revolution City Life
  Cold Fear Commandos Strikeforce D.I.R.T Dark Age Of Camelot - Catacombs
  Dark Age Of Camelot - Darkness Rising Dark Age Of Camelot - Labyrinth of the Minotaur Dark Age Of Camelot - Trials of Atlantis Devil May Cry 3
  Dogz Dreamfall Driv3r Dungeon Siege II
  Dungeon Siege II Broken World Earth 2160 Empire Earth II Empire Earth II Art of Supremacy
  Enter the Matrix Eragon Eutropia Universe EverQuest II
  Evil Genius Faces of War Fear Extraction Point Fear
  Halo Marvel Ultimate Alliance Need For Speed: Carbon Need For Speed: Most Wanted
  Need For Speed: Underground Need For Speed: Underground 2 Overlord Painkiller
  Painkiller Battle Out of Hell Splinter Cell Chaos Theory Splinter Cell Double Agent Single Player Tabula Rasa Beta
  The Lord of the Rings - The Battle for Middle-Earth The Lord of the Rings, The Rise of the Witch-king The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth II Tomb Raider Legend
  Two Worlds
  
• New games supported: World in Conflict, Team Fortress 2, Peggle Extreme, Mayhem Intergalactic, Mayhem Intergalactic Demo, Crysis MP Beta, Frontlines: Fuel of War Beta, Drift City, John Woo Presents Stranglehold, NHL 08, Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII, Big Mutha Truckers 2, Fortress Forever, The Settlers: Rise of an Empire, Babo Violent 2, and CodeNameD: BlueShift.
  

quote:

Mark Raby August 8, 2007 07:18

Introduction

Video games have always been on the cutting edge of visual technology, and the shift to high definition is no different. Gamers who opt to remain ahead of the pack want their HDTV, but tread carefully before plunking down the cash for a new set.

Plasma Or LCD?

It's almost like the world of consoles is meeting PC gaming as far as technical requirements go. To be able to take full advantage of the power of the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, you'll need to comb through TV specifications to find the right model that can run the high-definition content gaming consoles can offer. Within the broad "HD" distinction, though, there are several different options.

The most heated debate among gamers is LCD vs. plasma. It used to be almost as heated as the game console war, but has cooled down as the two camps have each found their respective niche. There are reasons for gamers to love and hate both.

LCD is going to be the only option if you want an HDTV that is less than 40" in size. Plasma technology makes more sense for the big screen market because it's easier to produce larger displays. LCDs, meanwhile, offer limited size options these days. It also has a tendency to suffer from bad off-angle viewing. In other words, if you've got a bunch of friends on a couch and you're all watching TV, the people sitting to the right or left are going to have a tougher time seeing the picture. What they can see will likely have distorted colors and contrast.

You can, however, forget about what you may have heard about LCD being a bad choice for fast-moving images. This was a problem in the infancy of LCD HDTVs when sluggish frame rates were a major drawback, but this is no longer the case today.

If you want a really big TV, and I'm talking 50" to 100," plasma is probably the best bet. LCD sets have broken the 50" barrier but they're mainly meant for the smaller half of the HDTV scale. Plasma isn't exactly riddled with problems, but you may notice more small-scale issues with it compared to LCD. First off, be careful with it during the first month or two. Some sets will have problems with "burn-in." That is, if you're playing a game and there is one graphic that is permanent (e.g. a health meter or map), there is a chance that the image will burn into the screen.

Read more

quote:

Valve Software to Stick with DirectX 9 for a While.
Half Life Developer Has No Plans for DX10 Titles Now

Category: Multimedia

by Anton Shilov

[ 08/27/2007 | 10:57 PM ]


Since the vast majority of gamers today still use Windows XP operating system (OS) and cannot take advantage of DirectX 10 application programming interface, Valve Software believes that it hardly makes sense to jump on the DirectX 10 bandwagon just now, as certain DX10 hardware capabilities can be used even in DirectX 9 environment.


According to statistics from Valve’s Steam software distribution system, there are about 8% of gamers who use Microsoft Windows Vista operating system and 90% of those who utilize Windows XP OS. Meanwhile, over 11% of computers with Steam installed are equipped with a DirectX 10-compatible graphics processing unit, though, this does not guarantee that they use Windows Vista: only about 2.31% of users have a combination of a DirectX 10 GPU and Windows Vista.

“There are far more customers with DX10 hardware running on Windows XP than Windows Vista. If you’re going to try to take advantage of that hardware, your customers are telling you, make sure it works on DX9 API,” said Gabe Newell, the founder and managing director of Valve Software, in an interview with Game Informer web-site.

This is not the first time when a major game developer indicates lukewarm attitude towards DirectX 10. Earlier this year John Carmack of id Software said he would not "jump" on the DirectX 10 hardware immediately. Other game developers are also not leapfrogging to DirectX 10 mainly because two most advanced game consoles available today – Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 – are equipped with graphics chips which feature-set resembles that of DirectX 9 shader model 3.0, therefore, it is easier to develop new titles with similar graphics features in mind.

“Right now with the flexibility of DX9, we can take advantage of DX10 hardware functionality through DX9. For example, the tesselator in ATI’s [Radeon HD 2000] hardware is super valuable and we can get to it through DX9, so that’s probably a better investment than going after a DX10 API,” Mr. Newell added.

Another strong reason for not utilizing DirectX 10 for titles that are coming in the next 12 months is because of generally poor performance of contemporary first-generation DirectX 10 graphics processors even in modern games that use some DirectX 10 features.

quote:

SUMMARY
This article discusses virtual address space usage in Windows game development. The article describes potential problems that may occur when you run applications in a modern operating system such as Windows Vista. The article contains information about an update that may resolve some of these problems.

-----------------------------

MORE INFORMATION
On a modern operating system such as Windows Vista, applications run within their own private virtual address space. Typically, the size of the virtual address space is fixed at 2 gigabytes (GB) for 32-bit applications. How much virtual address space is available is not related to how much physical memory there is on the computer.

Every memory allocation, file mapping, or library that is loaded by an application consumes space in this virtual address space. When the application consumes all its virtual address space, any additional such operations fail. Although all applications should be coded to handle memory allocation failures, many applications do not recover correctly from such failures. Therefore, the programs may become unstable or stop responding after they recover from such failures.

Existing games and other graphics applications frequently allocate virtual memory for a copy of the video memory resources that the application uses. The application uses this copy to restore the display quickly if the contents of video memory are lost. For example, the application uses this copy if the user presses ALT+TAB or if the user puts the computer in standby. Typically, the DirectX run time manages the copy on behalf of the application when the application creates a managed resource. However, an application can also manage the copy itself. The virtual memory that the copy uses is directly proportional to the video memory resources that the application allocates.

A modern graphics processing unit (GPU) can have 512 MB or more of video memory. Applications that try to take advantage of such large amounts of video memory can use a large proportion of their virtual address space for an in-memory copy of their video resources. On 32-bit systems, such applications may consume all the available virtual address space.

With the introduction of DirectX 10 and Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) in Windows Vista, it is no longer necessary for an application to maintain a copy of its resources in system memory. Instead, the video memory manager makes sure that the content of every video memory allocation is maintained across display transitions. For compatibility reasons, Windows Vista emulates "device lost" for DirectX versions that are earlier than DirectX 10 to make sure that no application-visible API behavior changes.

To virtualize video memory, the video memory manager in Windows Vista assigns a virtual address range to every video memory resource. This range is conceptually similar to the copy that an application might create. However, the video memory manager manages the process more efficiently than the application might. The video memory manager uses the virtual address range to handle transitions or over-commitment of video memory. However, the virtual address range is typically unused on a system that has lots of video memory. As long as this virtual address range remains unused, no physical memory is allocated for it. In contrast, the system memory copy that is maintained in the older driver model is guaranteed to be fully populated with physical memory.

If an application creates its own in-memory copy of its video resources, or the application uses DirectX 9 or an earlier version, the virtual address space contains the WDDM video memory manager's virtualized range and the application's copy. Applications that use graphics APIs that are earlier than DirectX 10 and that target GPUs that have large amounts of video memory can easily exhaust their virtual address space.

To address this problem, Microsoft is changing the way that the video memory manager maintains the content of video memory resources. This change is being made so that a permanent virtual address range does not have to be used for each virtualized allocation. With the new approach, only allocations that are created as "lockable" consume space in the virtual address space of the application. Allocations that are not created as "lockable" do not consume space. This approach significantly reduces the virtual address space that is used. Therefore, the application can run on large video memory configurations without reaching the limits.

Although this approach reduces virtual address consumption, it does not eliminate the 2 GB virtual address space limit that many applications are quickly approaching on their own. Eventually, applications will reach the limit for other reasons.

-----------------------------------

Update information
The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:


Windows Vista, 32-bit versions
Download the 940105 package now.

Windows Vista, 64-bit versions
Download the 940105 package now.


Prerequisites
If you are running a Windows Vista-based computer that has multiple graphics cards, we recommend that you first install the hotfix that is included in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 936710.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
936710

------------------------------------
Restart requirement
You must restart the computer after you apply this update.
Update replacement information
This update does not replace a previously released update.

quote:

SYMPTOMS
Consider the following scenario:
• You have a Windows Vista-based computer.
• The computer uses two or more DirectX-compatible graphics processing units (GPUs) in a linked configuration.
• You are using a DirectX 10 application and driver.
In this scenario, the computer's graphics performance indicates that only a single GPU is being used.

----------------------------------

CAUSE
This problem occurs because the operating system does not forward driver-render requests to the secondary GPU.

----------------------------------

RESOLUTION
Update information
The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Windows Vista, 32-bit versions
Download the 936710 package now.

Windows Vista, 64-bit versions
Download the 936710 package now.

quote:

INTRODUCTION
This update includes the following improvements:

• It extends the battery life for mobile devices.
  
• It improves the stability of portable computers and of desktop computers that use an uninterruptable power supply (UPS).
  
• It improves the reliability of Windows Vista when you open the menu of a startup application.
  
• It improves the stability of wireless network services.
  
• It shortens the startup time of Windows Vista by using a better timing structure.
  
• It shortens the recovery time after Windows Vista experiences a period of inactivity.
  
• It shortens the recovery time when you try to exit the Photos screen saver.
  
• It improves the stability of Windows PowerShell.

This update also resolves the following issues in Windows Vista:

• A compatibility issue that affects some third-party antivirus software applications.
  
• A reliability issue that occurs when a Windows Vista-based computer uses certain network driver configurations.

Known issue
Note This package has been updated to version 2. An issue was identified in which certain computers that have specific combinations of older AHCI USB chipsets and CD or DVD drives that use the SerialATA interconnection bus may not start after the installation of the original version of this package. Version 2 of this package has removed the fix that caused this problem. If you are using a computer that experienced this issue, you can restart the computer by using a bootable Windows Vista DVD and by selecting the Repair/System Recovery options. If your computer has already installed the original version of this update and has successfully restarted, you do not have to install version 2 of this update.
Download the update for Windows Vista x86-based versions (KB941649) package now.

Download the update for Windows Vista x64-based versions (KB941649) package now.

quote:

Filename: SBXF_PCDVT_LB_2_15_0004.exe

This download is a driver providing Microsoft® Windows Vista™ 64-bit and Windows Vista 32-bit support for Creative Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ series of audio devices. For more details, read the rest of this web release note.

This download supports the following audio devices only:

• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
  
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer
  
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum
  
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty®
  
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro
  
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum Fatal1ty Champion Series
  
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro
  

Current release features:

• X-Fi Crystalizer™
  
• X-Fi CMSS®-3D
  
• MIDI Playback
  
• EAX® Effects
  
• PCM stereo output through Optical Out
  
• Line-in connectivity
  
• SPDIF passthrough is supported on both Vista 32-bit and Vista 64-bit
  
• Recording capabilities
  

Fixes:

• Resolves an issue for Windows Vista 64-bit systems with 4 GB RAM
  
• Resolves loud speaker noise when restarting your computer
  
• Resolves an issue that causes OpenAL games not to respond

Known issues:

• Applications from the original Sound Blaster X-Fi CD (for Windows XP) will not work with this download.
  
• The following are not supported:
  -Decoding of Dolby® Digital and DTS™ signals (Cyberlink® PowerDVD™ or InterVideo® WinDVD® is required)
  -DVD-Audio (PowerDVD may support selected DVD-Audio content)
  -EAX or DirectSound®3D (Download Creative ALchemy to restore this feature in Windows Vista)
  -6.1 speaker mode (not supported by Windows Vista)

Requirements:

• Windows Vista 64-bit or Windows Vista 32-bit
  
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi audio devices listed above
  

Notes:

• Do not install this driver for Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio.
  
• To install the driver, do the following:
  1. Download the SBXF_PCDVT_LB_2_15_0004.exe file onto your local hard disk.
  
  [edit BlindNero]:
  1a. right-click on the file > properties> general tab > hit "unblock" button
  
  2. Double-click the downloaded file.
  
  3. Follow the instructions on the screen.
  

• To uninstall the driver, do the following:
  1. Click Start -> All Programs -> Control Panel.
  
  2. Double-click the Device Manager icon.
  
  3. Double-click the Sound, video and game controllers option.
  
  4. Right-click the Creative SB X-Fi option, and select Uninstall.
  The Confirm Device Uninstall dialog box appears.
  
  5. Select the Delete the driver software for this device option.
  Note: This check box must be selected to avoid reinstallation issues.
  
  6. Click the OK button.
  
  7. Restart your computer.
  

• To reinstall the driver, do the following:
  1. Double-click the downloaded file.
  
  2. When the message You must restart your computer to apply these changes appears, click the Restart Later button.
  
  3. Follow the instructions on the screen.
  

quote:

Warning: These drivers and softwares are unofficial, not supported by Creative Labs, Inc.
Use them at your own risk.

Sound Blaster Audigy series Vista Support Pack - Compiled on Oct 28 2007 by Daniel Kawakami



Supports both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista.


Supports all Audigy card with a Hardware EMU10K2 DSP chipset (OEM / Retail models):

- Audigy (including ES, MP3+, X-Gamer and Platinum)
- Audigy 2 (including Value, Platinum and Platinum Ex)
- Audigy 2 ZS (including Platinum and Platinum Pro)
- Audigy 4 (including SE and Pro)


Does NOT support the following OEM / Retail models:

- Host / software-based cards including Audigy LS / SE / Value, Audigy 2 SE, Live! 24-bit)
- any external Audigy soundcards
- any PCMCIA Audigy soundcards



Integrated setup program to install the following items:

- Audigy series driver 2.10.0001.23 (the same driver from this thread)
- APO Interface Module 1.36.01
- Audio Console 1.20.57 (including Graphic Equalizer)
- Audio Center 1.00.09
- EAX Settings 1.10.05
- SoundFont Bank Manager 3.20.20
- Speaker Settings 2.00.60



Exclusive features in this unofficial driver:

- Equalizer
- CMSS and Stereo Surround with Stereo focus control.
- Advanced EQ and Special FX available (see notes below)
- Louder volume
- Dolby/DTS decoder
- DVD Audio (32-bit only)
- 4 Gb RAM approved (tested on Intel C2D E6400, Gigabyte 965P-DS3, 4Gb RAM)

quote:

SYMPTOMS

In some scenarios, games and benchmarks perform more poorly than expected on a Windows Vista-based computer. This issue occurs when the games and the benchmarks use multiple display adapters in a Linked Display Adapter (LDA) configuration.
Back to the top

CAUSE
A graphics processing unit (GPU) or part of a GPU link may incur a small scheduling latency on a new Direct Memory Access (DMA) packet. This is true if the DMA packet is submitted to the GPU that has previously run out of work and if another GPU in the linked configuration is very busy. In some scenarios, significant starvation of one or more GPUs in the linked configuration reduces the expected performance of an application.

RESOLUTION

Hotfix Information

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem, submit a request to Microsoft Online Customer Services to obtain the hotfix. To submit an online request to obtain the hotfix, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6294451 (http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6294451)
Note If additional issues occur or any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. To create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support)

Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for installing this hotfix.

Restart Requirement
You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix Replacement Information
This hotfix does not replace a previously released hotfix.

File Information
The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Windows Vista, x86-based versions