Back2Gaming

Giada MI-N2600D: The Mini ITX motherboard that’s custom designed for industrial applications

Boss Mac — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:33:41 +0000

Unrivaled connectivity, ultra-low power consumption, and ultimate durability

The new MI-N2600D Mini ITX motherboard from Giada is purpose-built for industrial, monitoring and control applications.

A wealth of connectivity options make this motherboard a perfect choice for all applications that require a reliable, hardworking PC to control machinery and other equipment and receive sensor data, including: IPC, the factory floor, scientific, monitoring, control, and embedded computing.

Built around Intel's dual-core Atom N2600 CPU, NM10 Express chipset and the Cedar Trail technology platform, this tiny, fanless motherboard boasts strong performance, low power usage, and an almost unlimited range of connectivity options, including support for legacy devices. It also provides all the industry-standard features of a desktop PC. Up to 4GB of memory can be installed, and onboard integrated graphics and audio support are included.

There are 6 standard serial COM ports, 1 on the back panel, plus 5 internal COM headers on board. There's a Line Printer (LPT) port on the back panel. Two Realtek RTL8111E Gigabit LAN connectors are also on the back panel for connection to high speed networks. There's an 18-bit LVDS connector header on the board for direct LCD panel control or other compatible industrial applications. Traditional PS/2 connectors are on the back panel for legacy mouse or keyboard support.

There are eight fast USB 2.0/1.1 connectors, 4 on board and 4 on the back panel. These can be used to connect a huge range of compatible equipment and other devices such as keyboards, mice, printers, and cameras. USB can also be used to supplement the internal SATA storage with removable storage for backup, data recording, and mass data transfer. The totally fanless board design means there are no moving parts on the motherboard to fail – perfect for tough environments with severe vibration, or dust and other atmospheric pollutants. The compact 17cm square Mini ITX format is the ideal heart of a PC that's tiny enough to hide away in almost any available space with minimal maintenance after installation. This motherboard has a wealth of internal expansion options, despite its tiny dimensions. There are two Mini PCIe slots and 1 standard PCI slot. One Mini PCIe slot can support a WiFi and/or Bluetooth card, while the other allows users to add a mSATA drive. For data storage, there are also sockets to connect up to 2 SATA II storage devices, such as hard disk drives, SSDs, and CD/DVD/BD optical drives, with transfer rates up to 3.0 Gb/s. There's a SO-DIMM memory slot for up to 4GB of speedy 1066MHz DDR3 DRAM. While it is purpose-built for industrial roles, this motherboard can also handle standard desktop PC applications when required – like server, internet, email, and office. The MI-N2600D has graphics support integrated on board, with VGA video output. The 18-bit LVDS interface is also available for direct LCD panel control. The board also supports sound recording and output with its high definition audio codec. This tough but tiny powerhouse is perfect for industrial control, monitoring and automation applications and offers full compatibility with all key industry standards. The MI-N2600D can easily take care of almost any task you throw at it, while keeping operating costs very low. Shenzhen JieHe is very happy to begin offering this new industrial mini-PC to the global market. The company welcomes inquiries from new and existing customers around the world. Find out more about the new Giada MI-N2600D here: http://www.giadatech.com/index.php?app=product&act=show&id=98

[toggle title="About Giada"]Giada is a premium brand of JEHE (Shenzhen Jiehe Technology Development Co., Ltd), the leading global manufacturer of motherboards, digital products, and graphics cards. JEHE was Nvidia's very first official partner in China for add-in cards. Since powering its way into the ranks of the country's top three manufacturers in 2003, JEHE has also built up a long and fruitful relationship with CPU makers Intel and AMD.

With about 1000 employees at 8 locations worldwide, plus its reknowned background in OEM and ODM, JEHE boasts clear superiority in product knowledge, chip purchasing and technology development. Now, the Giada brand brings this accumulated knowledge and quality commitment to the international market and to consumers worldwide. Find out more about the Giada brand and other products at:www.giadatech.com.[/toggle]

Meet the Razer Ouroboros

Boss Mac — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:24:02 +0000

Razer recently hyped-up the gaming crowd by announcing a left-hand Naga, and if our eyes don't deceive us, this recently revealed images from the FCC might suggest a new ambidextrous gaming mouse fram Razer. The Razer Ouroboros is an ambidextrous gaming mouse that features a sliding palm rest and lets the user swap out the left and right panels to accommodate both left- and right-handed gamers. Razer isn't letting anyone on this yet so we've yet to hear any official word from them but judging from the looks of it, this is a direct jab at MadCatz' Cyborg R.A.T. line of gaming mice. Barring the new features and new look, the buttons and layout are classic Razer styling. Check out the FCC's site for more images.

N.O.V.A. 3: Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance Climbs to the Top of the Sales Charts on the App Store

Haoson — Thu, 17 May 2012 04:58:00 +0000

Since its launch on Thursday, May 10, N.O.V.A. 3: Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance, the third installment in Gameloft’s acclaimed FPS series, has earned a spot in the top 10 paying games on the App Store in 69 countries. The game also received exceptional user ratings in countries such as the United States (4.5/5), France (4/5), Germany (4/5), China (4.5/5), and Mexico (4.5/5). (Source) With incredibly realistic graphics, N.O.V.A. 3: Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance gives players a chance to save humankind in single-player or multiplayer mode on both their smartphones and tablets. N.O.V.A. 3: Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance was also one of the most anticipated games of the year, generating 770,000 views on YouTube only 10 days before its launch. Gameloft is also seeing N.O.V.A. 3: Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance positively received amongst the press, which has garnered an average review score of 8.7/10 (source: Quality Index ). “We are pleased with the extremely positive reception this latest installment has enjoyed across the world, “stated Gonzague de Vallois, Senior Vice President of Publishing at Gameloft. “The accessible gameplay and its multiplayer mode, , which allows for up to 12 users to play together at a time, make N.O.V.A. 3: Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance an FPS that has never been seen before on smartphones and tablets.” Since May 10, N.O.V.A. 3: Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance has been available on the App Store for $6.99. For more info, here's the trailer:

N.O.V.A. 3 (New Trailer) - Jeu iPhone, iPad &... by gameloft

WD® Completes Divestiture of Assets to Toshiba Corporation

Boss Mac — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:51:56 +0000

Western Digital Corp. (NYSE: WDC) today announced that it has completed its divestiture of certain 3.5-inch hard drive assets to Toshiba Corporation, as required by regulatory agencies that conditionally approved the company's completed acquisition of Viviti Technologies Ltd. (formerly Hitachi Global Storage Technologies). The assets will enable Toshiba to manufacture and sell 3.5-inch hard drives for the desktop and consumer electronics markets and will enhance its ability to manufacture and sell 3.5-inch hard drives for near-line (business critical) applications. As part of its deal with Toshiba, WD also completed its purchase of Toshiba Storage Device (Thailand) Company Limited (TSDT), which manufactured hard drives prior to the recent Thailand flooding. The principal assets of TSDT are its Thailand property, facilities and employees, which WD plans to integrate into its Thailand operations. The financial terms of the two agreements were not disclosed.

Back2Gaming Liveblogs: Diablo III Philippine Launch

Billy — Tue, 15 May 2012 01:30:38 +0000

Filipino Diablo fans, prepare to kiss your social lives goodbye. Blizzard Entertainment's long awaited third installment in its beloved action RPG series is finally hitting our shores today. To mark this day, e-Games will be holding a press launch event at National Sports Grill, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center Makati at 11:30. The launch is invite-only, but we'll be doing our best to provide you with a blow-by-blow account of the official release of one of this year's most anticipated games.

We're sure a lot of you will be lining up to pick up your pre-orders and itching to vanquish evil from the land of Sanctuary, but in the meantime, stay tuned to this space for live updates starting at 11:30 GMT+8. In other words, stay awhile and listen.

11:33 - Registered and settled down. Updating via iOS is a pain, so I've found a work workaround for that.

12:25 - Attendees are piling in. Trailers and featurettes are being played on the venue's monitors.

12:53 - The press launch has begun.

12:54 - Apparently, this is the first time the Philippines will be participating in a global launch for a game.

13:00 - A short video message from Blizzard's Mike Metzen is played. It's been 15 years since the first game, imagine that.

13:03 - Videos of each of Diablo III's classes are on cue now.

13:04 - Up first, the Barbarian.

13:11 - Now, the trailer for Gouken, um.. I mean the Monk.

13:25 - e-Games reps are confident they have enough boxed copies to meet the local demand.

13:35 - Female demon hunter wins and we have an Oprah moment. All attendees get a copy of Diablo III!

13:40 - And that wraps up Diablo III launch liveblog. Thanks for tuning in, folks.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings – Enhanced Edition

Bubblegum Imp — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:35:28 +0000

Based on a series of fantasy novels by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher 2: Assassin's of Kings - Enhanced Edition tells the tale of Geralt of Rivia. Geralt is one of the last witchers and makes his living as a professional monster slayer. A port of the PC exclusive released back in 2011, the Xbox 360 version improves on its PC sibling with a number of new features. These include Dark Mode, a new difficulty setting, Arena Mode, where players pit their skills against unending waves of enemies, content from all nine previously released DLC packs, and two new story adventures totalling over four hours of gameplay. Right from the start, it's immediately apparent that The Witcher 2 boasts one of the densest and richest game settings in recent memory. A great deal of this is due to the detailed world and excellent character work established in Sapkowski's novels. Anyone who has read the novels can attest to the fact that Geralt's world is a living, breathing universe which approaches Tolkein-sian levels of detail.

: The attention to detail is evident from the gorgeous character models.

At the onset, Geralt finds himself protecting King Foltest during the siege of La Valette Castle. After a great deal of bloodshed, Foltest is finally reunited with his two illegitimate children, Anais and Boussy who are accompanied by a blind monk. Believing the danger to be over, the witcher lets his guard down and is caught by surprise when the blind monk reveals himself to be an assassin. Slitting Foltest's throat, the kingslayer leaps out a nearby window, leaving Geralt alone at the scene of the crime. In an effort to clear his name, Geralt vows to track down the kingslayer and this is where the game begins in earnest. It's a riveting and mature tale which doesn't back down from the heady themes found in the novels. Issues such as racial discrimination and the horrors of war are brought up constantly throughout the game, lending the plot a weight which is noticeably missing in other RPGs such as Reckoning: Kingdoms of Amalur. As is usually the case in RPGs, a great deal of time is spent on levelling Geralt and developing his skills and abilities. This is accomplished through defeating enemies and completing quests. Thankfully, Geralt is extremely proficient with both his steel and silver swords and can make short work of most enemies. Combat sees Geralt flying back and forth in a dizzying dance of steel and blood. He'll leap through the air dishing out one blow before spinning in the opposite direction to land another. This display of acrobatics bears some resemblance to Assassin's Creed 2's ballet of pain, but isn't quite as fluid. It requires a sense of timing and a degree of awareness to Geralt's surroundings. In the early going, blows from behind the witcher can deal up to 200% damage! Good thing he has other tricks up his sleeve. The witcher can utilise some basic magic in the form of signs. These range from the Aard sign, a telekinetic forcewave, to Quen, a defensive buff. Strategic use of the signs can drastically affect a combat encounter and give Geralt the edge he needs to walk away from a scuffle. In addition to sword and sorcery, Geralt can also use secondary weapons such as throwing daggers, bombs and set traps. In addition to the main plotline, there are plenty of side quests to wile away your time. These range from avenging a she-troll's murder to exploring the ruins of a haunted asylum. Varied and entertaining, the side missions offer a welcome change of pace and, thankfully, don't rely on inane fetch quests. The one truly bad aspect of The Witcher 2 is inventory management. Ideally, an inventory system should feature a user-friendly interface which minimises the amount of time spent sorting out items in a menu. Unfortunately, the in-game menus feature too much information on each tab and are often confusing. Take the act of comparing damage values on two swords. Doing so in The Witcher 2 requires selecting a sword and then selecting an additional option to compare it with the currently equipped weapon. The logical solution would have been to include the damage values in a rollover. This is just one example of how the menus can be needlessly cluttered. It might seem like a minor issue, but given the amount of time you'll spend navigating them, it quickly becomes a rather annoying flaw. Developer, CD Projekt Red has done an amazing job in bringing Sapkowski's vision to life. The Witcher 2 features some truly astounding art direction with incredible amounts of detail displayed in all facets of the game. From the coat of arms emblazoned on the uniforms of a Temerian soldier to the intricate detailing on Geralt's potion pouches... it all adds up, creating a level of immersion which few other games have achieved. Remarkably, the Xbox 360 version's visuals compare very favourably with its PC big brother. Save for less sophisticated lighting, and lower quality textures, the entire affair looks wonderful and runs smoothly. There's also some input delay when interacting with objects in the environment. Hitting a button to climb a ladder, only to see a second pass before Geralt decides to clamber up can get annoying. But, it doesn't detract from the fact that The Witcher 2 is one of the best looking games available on the 360 and its success as a port is a testament to CD Projekt Red's skill.

: Geralt is a master of swordplay and can easily engage sizeable groups of enemies.

The soundtrack is the work of Adam Skorupa and Krzysztof Wierzynkiewicz and it does a fine job of crafting an aural experience which blends perfectly with the aesthetic direction of the game. The score features a wide variety of tracks which help to set the tone and atmosphere of each encounter. From the choral arrangements of the title theme Assassins of Kings, to the booming of drums on The Path of the Kingslayer, The Witcher 2's orchaestral score provides a lush sound-scape which pulls the gamer further into the incredible world which CD Projekt Red has created. Voice acting for the most part is good if not great, and is aided by a well-written script which packs some hilarious dialogue. The writers have done a good job in writing Sapkowski's characters and this has allowed for a memorable experience from start to finish. It helps that the characterisation is consistent with supporting characters such as Triss, Vernon Roche and the like all receiving their a moment in the sun. Unfortunately, there is one area where the vocal performances falters and this is with regards to the repeated lines of NPCs. Like most modern RPGs, there's a great deal of recycled lines spewed by unimportant character in the background. It isn't game-breaking by any means, but it does break the immersion a little. The Witcher 2 is a deep and rewarding journey through a wonderfully detailed universe. It's not afraid to challenge the gamer and in doing so, makes it one of the most memorable gaming experiences in recent memory. The fact that CD Projekt Red was able to produce such a competent port for the Xbox 360 bodes well for future releases from this talented studio.

Cafeteria Nipponica

Cher — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:32:45 +0000

Of all the games available for Android phones, the most I look forward to always are the ones released by Kairosoft. I’ve become such a fan of their work. One of the games I’ve recently gotten to play with is Cafeteria Nipponica. It’s a restaurant management game that has the familiar Kairosoft winning formula for pixel graphics and in-depth gameplay which involves strategic time-management.

The main objective of Cafeteria Nipponica is to build and manage a restaurant empire. This means setting up not just one but a successful chain of stores spread across several towns. You start out simply by naming your restaurant and a medium-sized establishment equipped with a few furniture pieces and some menu dishes.

You’re given out a decent amount of capital. Enough for you to hire some staff and fill the store with furniture pieces. After that, all you have to do is wait and watch for your store to fill up with customers.

While you wait for your restaurant to prosper, there are a lot of items to unlock as the game progresses. You can unlock recipes, get ingredients as loot and even be able to find furniture while on an ingredient hunt.

Your mini-goals in order to have a prosperous restaurant is to level up your staff, your dishes and to open up another store. The dishes need to be upgraded until they’re grade A.

This is how you move through several stores.

You have the option to re-decorate your restaurants from time to time to attract different types of customers.

When you have enough money, you can expand your stores to increase the demographic of new customers. This will also allow you to unlock better furniture pieces and even invite a V.I.P. to review the store and get it featured in a magazine.

Cafeteria Nipponica is responsible for me losing several hours more than I care to count. It doesn’t have stunning graphics but with Kairo’s winning formula for gameplay, it could easily get addicting. It doesn’t have a steep learning curve but there’s a lot of elements that you do have to take account for which can be a bit overwhelming at first. I have to be honest though, one doesn’t breeze through the game in one try. It took me a second play through before I got the hang of it. PLAY STORE LINK Php 212.96

BenQ Launches Two New Gaming Monitors, Turns Mineski Infinity Katipunan Into A Battleground

Haoson — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:30:10 +0000

Electronics company BenQ unveiled their latest gaming monitor models, the XL2420T and the RL2450H at Mineski Infinity's Katipunan branch last April 27th. To celebrate the event, press tournaments for CounterStrike: Source and Starcraft II were held, with the now officially launched monitors and Razer Ferox speakers as prizes.However, before the hostilities between various members of the tech and gaming press could begin,the attendees were treated to a short presentation from the good folks over at BenQ regarding their newest gaming monitors, the XL2420T and the RL2450H. Brand ambassadors Jabi and Endr were also on hand to give their two cents on the stars of the night, BenQ's monitors. And with that, the tournaments began. Sadly, our representative, who participated in the CounterStrike: Source tourney got shot to hell and back. Then again, he wasn't really much of an FPS person to begin with. For more what went on at the event, do check out our gallery. [nggallery id=277]

Dungeon Raid

Cher — Sun, 13 May 2012 12:05:48 +0000

A puzzle game that I enjoyed playing immensely on my PSP was Puzzle Quest 2. Dungeon Raid is a similar game but played on mobile devices. The puzzle game is available in the Play store and the App store. For this review though, it has been played on an Android device. Like Puzzle Quest, Dungeon Raid is a puzzle game that requires you to match objects but with a bit RPG mixed into it.

You start out as a human adventurer but you get to unlock more classes as you play more games.

Here’s the game screen. At the top are the skills that you have collected as loot. In the middle is the matching board where the swords, shields, coins and skulls that you get to match. At the bottom (left to right), you’ll be able to see all the coins you’ve collected so far, next is the armor and defense health bars and finally the life jar at the right.

The main objective of the game is to rid the board of skulls. If you don’t they’ll damage you. You match swords with skulls. Each skull has a numeric stat which tells you just how strong it is to kill. Match 3 shields or more to improve defense.

When you filled up all the required coins, you can upgrade your stats by buying stat upgrades of skills.

As you progress into the game, your character gets to level up. You get skills and bonuses as a reward.

When a special skull appears, long press on it to see what it does. Killing it earns you a lot of experience points or even unlock a new class. This game has gotten me through a lot of idle times.

As simple as it may sound like, Dungeon Raid is a really addictive puzzle game. One that can have you matching away for hours on end.

PLAY STORE LINK Price: Php 129.34 APP STORE LINK Price: $2.99

Max Payne 3 Official Launch Trailer

Boss Mac — Fri, 11 May 2012 05:51:37 +0000

[youtube id="osvR3tJOcPc" width="600" height="350"] Rockstar Games Australia's Youtube channel has launched the Max Payne 3 launch trailer early and is giving us some nice insight on what's the story is all about. Max Payne 3 launches on May 18, and hits the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Look forward to this one. Here's what the video description goes on to say:

For Max Payne, the tragedies that took his loved ones years ago are wounds that refuse to heal. No longer a cop, close to washed up and addicted to pain killers, Max takes a job in São Paulo, Brazil, protecting the family of wealthy real estate mogul Rodrigo Branco, in an effort to finally escape his troubled past. But as events spiral out of his control, Max Payne finds himself alone on the streets of an unfamiliar city, desperately searching for the truth and fighting for a way out. Presenting the Official Launch Trailer for Max Payne 3, which will arrive next week in North American stores for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on May 15th and in Europe on May 18th. Visit the Pre-Order page for a selection of retail options.

More info at http://www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne3