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If you’re ready to get serious, check out our third skill guide for PC modders that shows you how to bend copper pipes to create a custom liquid cooling loop. Copper tubing outshines traditional wobbly plastic tubes and tells the world that you mean business about your rig. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/thumb-gfgarage-video3.jpg?itok=Bw3sUKLH View the full article

/files/u166440/4a_games_logo.jpg We compare the Metro game series to its visually updated counterparts If you are a fan of single-player FPS games, then you should check out the Metro series. Metro 2033, based on the novel by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky, was developed by 4A Games and released in 2010 while its sequel, Metro: Last Light, came out last year. Both survival-horror games are set in post-apocalyptic Moscow where survivors of the nuclear fallout live within the underground metro system. It's a bleak setting where ammunition is your currency, which makes for some interesting dilemmas at times. Check out our video comparison comparing the stock version of the Metro series with its Redux counterparts above. But is it worth purchasing the Redux Bundle if you already have the original games? We took the time to compare the original with its Redux counterparts to help you find out. /files/u166440/metro_ll_comparison_004.jpg Sit back, grab a drink, and please don't shoot us We gave both games good scores with Metro 2033 earning seven out of 10 and Metro: Last Light receiving an eight. But even so, on August 26, 4A Games released re-mastered editions of both games for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC platforms. Metro 2033 Redux is a rebuilt and upgraded version of the original game that takes advantage of the latest 4A Engine. For Metro: Last Light Redux, 4A Games said that it made some tweaks and included all of the DLC released for the game, along with new features and gameplay modes. Curious as to how much of a visual upgrade both Redux versions have received, we compared the original games to its Redux counterparts. To do that, we used our personal PC which was equipped with an AMD Phenom II X4 965 processer, 8GB of RAM, and a Nvidia GeForce GTX 780. Our overall goal was to evaluate the look of both versions and discuss how they performed relative to each other. We also made sure to run each game at the same settings, where possible, so that we would get consistent results. See our settings in the image below. /files/u166440/metro_2033_settings_002.jpg Left: Metro 2033 settings - Right: Metro 2033 Redux settings All four games were run in 1080p and quality set to "Very High," which is the highest setting for the Metro games. Mindful of those who may not have the best GPU out there, we kept SSAA to ensure good performance. However, Metro 2033 was a little tricky since we had to make sure that it was running DirectX 11 to keep it on par with the Redux version (recommended settings for the Redux edition requires a DX11-compliant GPU). Gamma settings were also kept the same at the default level. /files/u166440/metro_ll_settings_001.jpg Left: Metro: Last Light - Right: Metro: Last Light Redux With Metro: Last Light and Redux, it was much simpler to keep the settings as similar as possible since there has only been about a one year gap between both titles. That, and there were not a lot of options to tweak. /files/u166440/metro_2033_comparison_002b.jpg 4A Games changed character models and even sequences for Metro 2033 It should come as little surprise to anyone that we saw a huge improvement when we played both versions of Metro 2033. The Redux version was not only a vast improvement with sharper graphics, but also featured enhanced visuals, tweaked gameplay, reworked environments, better lighting, re-worked character models, new animations, and better enemy AI. Suffice it to say, the differences really showed in the visuals. We also saw a noticeable difference when it came to performance, but in a suprisingly pleasant way. We discovered that the Redux version averages a higher framerate than the original. For example, in our experiential test, traveling through the market in Metro 2033 averaged 83FPS while the Redux version of the same location averaged a higher 95FPS. Given that the recommended specs for the remastered edition requires 4GB RAM and DirectX 11 or higher compared to the original’s requirement of 2GB RAM and DirectX 10 or higher, it seems that 4A Games has done a great job of not only upgrading the game, but optimizing it to use higher-end hardware as well. This was something that was needed since some of the complaints about Metro 2033 involved it being a poorly-optimized resource hog. As you can see in the next image, Metro 2033 Redux features different character models, sharper textures, and brighter lighting compared to the original 2010 game. In Redux, there is also a bit of lens flare and the goggles, which your character must wear when he ventures outside, has distinct drops of water on the edges rather than this weird blurry liquid effect in the original game. /files/u166440/metro_2033_comparison_003a.jpg Click Image for an animated GIF comparing Metro 2033 But while we are impressed at the large improvements that were made for Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light is another matter. Rather than Metro: Last Light Redux being an all-out remastered edition, think of it as more of a Game of the Year edition. It’s great that all the DLC is bundled with the game, as well as additional content, but there are hardly any visual differences between the original and Redux version’s graphics that we are able to discern except that the Redux version looks a little brighter. Even the average FPS count isn’t that different between each version. Both Metro: Last Light and Redux averaged around 80FPS when we compared the first 25 minutes of the game with each other. The original ended up averaging 82FPS and the Redux edition 86FPS which, given we ran a purely experiential test, is within the margin of error. Take a look at the following image and you tell us if there is any visual differences between the two versions. /files/u166440/metro_ll_comparison_001a.jpg Click image for an animated GIF comparing Metro: Last Light Benchmarks: /files/u166440/metro_chart_002.jpg Here is the chart showing you the average FPS recorded of all four games side-by-side As stated earlier, the biggest difference was seen between Metro 2033 and its Redux counterparts thanks to the latest 4A Engine, graphics upgrade, and optimization. Meanwhile, the difference between Metro: Last Light and the Redux version was nominal considering not much had been changed between either version. So to those of you who don’t own any of the Metro games, we would recommend that you pick up the Metro bundle simply for the story, atmosphere, and the graphics. If you own Metro 2033 and appreciate high-quality graphics, then you should seriously consider picking up the Redux version. But if you own Metro: Last Light, then we would suggest refraining from purchasing its Redux counterpart unless you really want the DLC and extra content. Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook View the full article

Look for lower priced SSDs in the coming weeks and months We have to admit, we've been spoiled by solid state drive price drops in the past year or so. While once considered cost prohibitive by many, SSDs are mostly affordable these days, provided you're not trying to match your 4TB hard drive in capacity. SSDs typically sell for less than 50 cents per gigabyte with prices continuing to drop. Accelerating the process is a price war in China that's leading to even lower cost SSDs. According to Digitimes, SSD prices in China have "drastically fallen" to the point where you can pick up a 128GB for around $50 or a 256GB SSD for just $100. The sharp drops are a direct result of a price war started by China-based vendors TIGO Technology and Galaxy Microsystems. You probably haven't heard of either company, but don't rule out price drops coming to the U.S. market as well. As TIGO Technology and Galaxy Microsystems duke it out, Samsung and Kingston Technology, the two largest SSD vendors in China, are feeling the pressure to lower prices as well. Both are also major players in the U.S., so it's possible that those price drops could land stateside. Image Credit: Flickr (Dr. Martin Von Nostrand) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook View the full article

NVISION gets overhauled with a brand new website and mobile app, delivering the biggest stories in gaming. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/nvision-feature.jpeg?itok=vCuSLePx View the full article

Oculus confirms that Crescent Bay prototype isn't for sale If you recently ordered an Oculus Rift development kit 2, but are still waiting for it to arrive, you might be wondering if Oculus will let you hold off on DK2 in favor of the newer, snazzier Crescent Bay prototype. At least, that’s a situation we found ourselves in. /files/u154082/oculus_prototype.jpg Rumor has it that Oculus' Crescent Bay prototype is running a much sharper 1440p-resolution display We placed our order for DK2 on August 13 and are still waiting for it to arrive, but after Oculus revealed that its Crescent Bay headset would feature 360-degree head tracking and a higher-resolution screen among other improvements at its Oculus Connect event this past weekend , we couldn’t help but feel a mixture of excitement and dismay at the same time. “Our DK2 order we placed over a month ago hasn’t arrived yet and they’ve already announced a new, better unit,†we immediately thought to ourselves. Quick to react, we hastily emailed Oculus’ customer support, “We were just wondering if it would be possible to hold out on receiving the DK2 in favor of the recently unveiled Crescent Bay prototype,†we asked, adding, “We would be willing to pay any differences as need be. Let us know if this is possible.†An Oculus support rep responded, “Unfortunately, the Crescent Bay prototype that was shown at Oculus Connect is not for sale. If you'd still like to cancel your order, I'd be happy to assist you. Simply reply to this email and I'll start the process.†So there you have it, Oculus confirmed that it has no current plans to sell the Crescent Bay prototype, at least not in its current incarnation. The good news is that if you'd like to cancel your DK2 order, Oculus is making that process easy. Those that are eager to get their hands on the more advanced headset will have to wait a little longer. Hopefully it will be worth the wait. View the full article

Satisfaction growing for desktop PCs among mainstream Americans For enthusiasts, this won’t be news but after feasting on the empty calories of tablets and phones for years, mainstream consumers may finally have had enough and may be looking for something with a little more substance in their tech diets: the old-fashioned desktop PC. At least that’s part of the conclusion of a new survey released today that gauges American “satisfaction†which says consumers may be turning to desktop PCs again. Desktops, in fact, now actually satisfy more Americans more than tablets and laptops, survey data shows. The annual survey was conducted by the American Customer Satisfaction Index out of Ann Arbor, Mich. And attempts to quantify overall satisfaction with consumer purchases of goods and services. “Contrary to most predictions, the PC may be on the verge of making a bit of a comeback: sales of desktops are no longer falling after years of significant decline. On the other hand, tablet sales growth appears to have slowed. As the early enthusiasm with tablets wears off, customer satisfaction dips (-1% to 80) and now trails slightly behind desktops (+3% to 81), although both lead laptops (-4% to 76) by a wide margin,†the report says. Consumption of tablets and smartphones have been off the charts for years which had analysts and the media predicting the death of the PC. Apparently that ain’t so. “(Consumers have) got their mobile devices now,†said, David Van Amburg, managing director of the ACSI, “Maybe we need to go back and replace this PC which is three, four or five years old.†Van Amburg told Maximum PC the survey data indicates consumers are likely becoming jaded with the tablet and phone upgrades and have begun to buy desktop PCs again. Van Amburg said the last time they bought their PCs they may have been beige boxes but their new desktop PC purchases reflect the changes the PC has gone through in design, style, and performance. “According to customers, PC makers do a good job of creating reliable products that don’t often crash and have good processor speeds (both 82 percent). Devices are easy to use (81 percent) with attractive features such as preloaded software or apps, memory, and data storage (80 percent),†the survey said. Big PC makers shouldn’t take too much solace in the survey numbers though. The survey shows that from 2013 to 2014, Dell suffered a 4 percent drop in “satisfaction†with its products at 76 percent in the latest survey. HP took a bit hit going from 80 percent satisfaction to 74 percent. Toshiba, which recently threw in the towel on consumer PCs, also took a hit going from 78 percent to 75 percent. Even Apple lost ground going from an impressive 87 percent in 2013 to 84 percent. These numbers, however, reflect PCs, laptops and tablets bunched together. That, Van Amburg, says may explain Apple’s drop in satisfaction. Rather than Mac users being less satisfied, he said it’s likely the iPad and iPhone users who are dragging the scores down. That implies that even Apple fans are turning back to servicing the desktop as well. The satisfaction survey data is good news for smaller vendors such as Samsung, Asus and Lenovo. In its “all others†category, the ACSI survey said consumer satisfaction grew by 8 percent. It’s not known if even smaller more customized PC builders helped move the needle or not. As an industry, Van Amburg said overall, the personal computers (including tablets and laptops) rank as only medicore in satisfaction as they should be benchmarked against durable goods items. Televisions and video players, for example, get an 86 percent compared to the 78 percent for computers, laptops and tablets. On the bottom of the ACSI’s list are: Internet Service Providers, subscription television, airlines, social media, and cell phone companies and the US Postal service. Credit unions and soft drinks rank far higher. For the personal computer category, the ASCI scientifically selected 3,000 consumers through phone and email during April, May and June. View the full article

Boy, these are exciting times here at Visceral Games! The extra time given to us by EA to perfect Battlefield Hardline is really paying off. We’re using every additional day to make the game better – based on improvements suggested by your feedback. Our multiplayer development process is all about getting something in the game and iterating on it until it’s awesome. “Iterating†means implementing it, playing it, listening to player feedback, and making changes based on those opinions. We then try out those changes, again with an eye towards player feedback, and then repeat the process. This is exactly what we did with our first Beta. Don’t worry, you’ll get another chance to see what we’ve changed in our next Beta – and to let us know what you think! Having the right feedback to help us “find the fun faster†is a key part of this process. http://blogscdn.battlefield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bfh-perfecting-1.jpg Invaluable feedback in the making: players getting hands-on with Battlefield Hardline at our Gamescom 2014 booth. Most of the multiplayer team recently got back from Gamescom in Germany – a great, gigantic event for media and fans alike. It was a real pleasure getting the game back into your hands and hearing what everyone had to say. This year, we had around 150 stations running either the Rescue or Hotwire mode, split between PS4 and PC. 17,655 people tried out our new game modes – and came back with great feedback! Overall, the reception of the competitive-focused Rescue and the vehicle-based Hotwire modes was very positive, and we also got some specific feedback on how to improve these modes. http://blogscdn.battlefield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bfh-perfecting-2.jpg Cops vs. criminals in the vehicle-based Hotwire mode. What would you like to see in this mode? We also had another 2,000 players play in the EA Community Lounge, and we got to spend some in-depth time with Battlefield community members and its pro players. Some of our developers had the distinct pleasure of getting trounced by these pros at Rescue on the Growhouse map, and we learned first-hand how critical some of the seemingly small details are. I’ve seen some comments skeptical of us being able to create a competitive-focused mode – I think that’s healthy! Help us understand what challenges you see ahead for the competitive Rescue mode. The development team and the players have a unique opportunity to work together and craft a fun new experience for all of us to play, so let’s make sure to take advantage of this! What are your thoughts about Battlefield Hardline, its game modes, features, and overall look? What are you looking forward to the most? Let us know in the comments section below! Cheers, Thad Sasser Lead MP Designer, Visceral Games | Battlefield Hardline Twitter: @dirtydeathdog Learn more about Battlefield Hardline at http://battlefield.com/hardline The post Perfecting Battlefield Hardline With Your Feedback appeared first on The Battlefield Blog. View the full article

Over 100 million active Steam accounts While Steam is the largest digital distribution platform for video games, its store homepage presentation and search function has been in need of renovation for a while. And it has finally received one. Valve has launched the Steam Discovery Update that has improved the Steam Store’s appearance, made it easier to search for games, and adds a new Curator feature. "We have made great efforts to increase the number of titles we can publish on Steam, which means more choices for customers," said Valve UI designer Alden Kroll. "This update introduces multiple features and functionality to help customers explore Steam's growing catalog and find the games they are most interested in playing." Steam, which has over 100 million active accounts now, has become a bit of a chore to navigate when looking for new PC games to purchase. But with the Steam Discovery Update, it has that is no longer the case There are new filters that makes browsing through Steam’s catalog of 3,700 titles, 1,300 of which have been added over the last nine months according to Valve, easier. For example, users are now able to filter out games they already own, Early Access releases, and non-gaming software from their search results. Consumers will also have access to customization options that will show the products they would be interested in purchasing. In addition, users will receive recommendations based on their recent gameplay, past purchases, suggestions from friends, and recommendations from Curators. Steam Curators are the new “tastemakers,†as Valve puts it, of the Steam Community. Curators is another form of a Steam Community group capable of making recommendations that will show up on a follower’s homepage. To become a Curator, you will need to create your own Steam Community group or be an officer/moderator of one. Then make at least 10 recommendations on Steam in order to shop up on lists to other users that are searching for Curators to follow. So what do you think of the redesign? Do you like it or do you prefer the old layout? Sound off in the comments below! Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook View the full article

The GeForce GTX 980 & 970 wallpaper is now available for download, available in eight resolutions including 5760 x 1080 for NVIDIA Surround users. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/GTX-980_970-1024x768-Wallpaper-1.jpg?itok=0bpnDi2b View the full article

“It just felt much smoother and more fluid ... now that you tell me, I now know it was the new graphics card." – Bomber, winner of Red Bull’s Battle Grounds StarCraft II championship, crushing the competition on a new Maxwell-powered NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics card. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/red-bull-battle-grounds-grand-final-key-image-650px-2.jpg?itok=x9d_4lAM View the full article

Tweaks and fixes incoming! We are happy to inform you that the anticipated Fall Patch for Battlefield 4 is right around the corner. The certification has started on several platforms and the Fall Patch is targeted for release at the end of September. http://blogscdn.battlefield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bf4-fall-patch-1.jpg Community Test Environment Update Our focus for the Fall Patch on the CTE (Community Test Environment) has been to stabilize and finalize the build and this has meant less updates than normal. We’d like to thank you all for your patience during this time – we appreciate you sticking in there. Fall Patch Highlights So what are we improving? First of all: the final fix list for the Fall Patch is fairly massive and will be released when the patch goes live. The full patch notes will contain all changes in more detail. In the meantime however, here are some of the Fall Patch highlights that you can expect: Game modes - Rush (All base game maps except Dawnbreaker), Obliteration, Capture the Flag, and Carrier Assault. Added the Obliteration Competitive sub-game mode Sight Improvements - Close & Medium range sight reticles no longer affected by weapon firing animation, AKA “Visual Recoil†- Improved visibility for red glowing reticule pieces against bright backgrounds Player Movement - Now almost identical to BF3 movement – with BF4 animation sets - Dampened third person hit reactions for player head HUD clarification pass - De-cluttered and made customizable a plethora of HUD options to make BF4 look the way you want it to (within reason) Revive mechanic - Made revives much more robust, easier to understand with new UI art and included a new “fully charged†paddle sound. “Netcode†- Lowering the setting for how much time difference is allowed when damaging other players (addressing trade kills and behind cover kills where high pings are involved) - An automatic High Frequency Update setting is now the default for all users - Added High Frequency update support to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms -  Additional improvements to bullet damage delays between clients compared to Netcode Patch Weapon attachment changes - Muzzle Brake: Reduced the overall impact of this attachment. Both its positives and negatives have been reduced - Heavy Barrel: Lowered the buff it gave to minimum moving spread and moved some of that bonus into reduced spread increase. Should be a good option for longer range tap firing - Lasers: Small buff to standing hip-fire accuracy Weapon changes Note that this list contains an excerpt – the upcoming patch notes will have a detailed list. - Bullet velocity increases: Improved bullet velocity for Slugs and nearly all suppressed weapons. Selectively improved base velocity for weapons that were too slow for their intended range - Damage Model: Many weapons have had their maximum and minimum damage adjusted slightly. It may take 1 extra bullet to kill at extremely close engagements and long range combat - Trigger Delay: Removed from all revolvers - Adjustments to slower rate of fire weapons to make them easier to use at longer ranges vs higher ROF weapons - Carbines and PDWs now have unique bullpup modifiers that give improved bonuses over the rifle counterpart - Ammo: Gave more ammo to the weapons that were short a mag compared to their counterparts - DMRs: Audio when being shot at by a DMR has been improved - SKS and M39EMR no longer allow you to hold breath - Grenade capacity lowered and resupply times increased. http://blogscdn.battlefield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bf4-fall-patch-2.jpg Start of the Teamplay Initiative! The new Teamplay Initative on the CTE, which will be implemented in our coming releases, will focus on the teamplay aspects of Battlefield 4. Our goal is to improve, simplify, and make playing the objective (PTFO) more rewarding than it has ever been. This initiative will span more than one release, as there are many things to look at. We will of course continue looking at the previous remaining issues and fixes in the areas of Netcode, Core Gameplay and balance as we go on. For the Final Stand release, we will try and get these things addressed in time on the CTE: - Gameplay objective scoring re-balance (make playing the objective more desirable) - Health and ammo pack re-balance - Fix for Neutral/Friendly roadkills exploit and getting killed by own vehicle - Distance Spotting changes to make spotting at a distance more precise - Footprint sound and random callouts improvements This small list of features only scratch the surface of what we want to look at. A full list of our goals with this initiative will be published on the CTE this week if you are interested what we’ll be working on in following releases. Taking part of the CTE To experience early content and test features and improvements in the CTE, you currently need to own Battlefield 4 on PC and be a BF4 Premium member. To sign up, visit http://cte.battlelog.com. Hurry while there are still open slots available! And as always – a big Thank You to all the players who have helped or is helping making us make Battlefield 4 a better game to play! David Sirland Battlefield 4 Live Producer The post Battlefield 4 “Fall Patch†Coming Soon appeared first on The Battlefield Blog. View the full article

/files/u166440/final_fantasy_13.jpg The latest Final Fantasy titles coming to PC Square Enix has slowly been bringing the Final Fantasy franchise to the PC platform. After re-releasing Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII, the developer has been bringing some of the other older games in the franchise over. However, Square Enix has announced that the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy is coming to the PC platform. The first title in the popular JRPG series, released back in 2010 for consoles, is available for pre-order on Steam and Square Enix’s online store. Those wishing to pre-order Final Fantasy 13 through Steam will get a 10 percent discount for a price of $14.39 (regular price is $15.99). FF13 Steam trading cards will also be available to those who purchase it on Steam. Final Fantasy 13 will launch on October 9. However, Square Enix did not provide a specific release date, or price, for Final Fantasy 13-2 or Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13, the latest installment of the franchise which was released back in February, except that they will be available “later next spring.†Have you played any of the Final Fantasy games on PC and are you looking forward to playing Final Fantasy XIII? Sound off in the comments below! Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook View the full article

The GeForce GTX 980 and GeForce GTX 970 include revolutionary new technologies that make Maxwell GPUs the best choice for smooth, responsive, nausea-free Virtual Reality experiences. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/vr-direct.-640px.jpg?itok=8IQ7ae3q View the full article

GeForce GTX 980 and GeForce GTX 970 gamers will soon see superior performance and improved image quality in their favorite games. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/nvidia-mfaa-technology-minisite-video-thumbnail.png?itok=Hz-l1IUc View the full article

http://blogscdn.battlefield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bfh_hotwire_glades.jpg Now that I’ve got your attention, let’s talk about our new, fast-paced Hotwire game mode. You’ve been asking, so we’ve prepped a list of 10 things you should know before you burn some rubber. 10. Hotwire: drive stolen cars fast Whether you’re the Cops or the Criminals, the goal is to get to the marked cars and drive fast! Driving a marked car causes you to begin to bleed the enemy team’s tickets – so make sure you hang onto the ride and continue to drive. 9. Standing still ain’t helping no one You’re not going to score points or bleed tickets if you’re not driving. Drive fast to fill the capture bar – now you’re helping! 8. Cool jumps = sweet rewards Speaking of scoring points, did you know that doing cool jumps will get you extra score? Show off your moves! http://blogscdn.battlefield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bfh_hotwire_glades_gator.jpg 7. Get your crew to help you! Riding solo won’t be as safe as getting someone to ride shotgun with you. Have a buddy tag along to throw Breaching Charges behind you, getting enemies off your tail. Pack your Sedan with friends and take down enemy cars before they can bleed your tickets out. 6. Sabotage is the enemy of your enemy Putting sabotage on a car is a pretty sneaky move. Putting sabotage on a marked car? Well, that’s just downright mean. Ensure that what’s yours stays yours – or no one’s! 5. Control the Battle Pickups Constantly getting blown up? Those RPG’s that keep killing you are inside that building over there. You might want to spend some effort trying to control this resource. After all, who doesn’t dig huge explosions? 4. No car? Shoot a driver! Can’t find a marked car to capture? No worries – set up an ambush and pick off the driver. Once you’ve dumped him out of the car, drive off into the sunset with your new wheels. http://blogscdn.battlefield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bfh_hotwire_glades_drivers.jpg 3. Create roadblocks and control the roads Each Hotwire map has a couple of key locations that you need to learn and stake out if you want to bring down your enemies. Park your squad car across the lanes, maybe rig it with breaching charges or trip mines – and funnel the enemies into your line of fire! That will teach ‘em to come onto your turf! 2. The Tracking Dart is the friend of your friend You grizzled old vets might remember this little number from a game called Battlefield Bad Company 2. Yes, the tracking dart is back! Stick one of these bad boys to an enemy or his ride and your entire team will know exactly where he is. It provides the added benefit of allowing RPG’s and other rockets to lock on to it and nail it with laser-like accuracy. You can’t outrun a rocket! Well, maybe you can, but it’s not easy. 1. A mighty convoy I mentioned working with your friends in the same vehicle – but you can help by riding alongside too! Team up and escort a friend, use your car to take out potential threats, disrupt roadside ambushes, and in general be a pain for the enemy and their plans. Driving in a convoy not only gives the enemy more threats to worry about, it also splits their fire between many targets, increasing survivability for everyone. At least that’s what the theory says. That’s all for this time. See you next blog! Thad Sasser Lead MP Designer, Visceral Games | Battlefield Hardline Twitter: @dirtydeathdog Learn more about Battlefield Hardline at http://battlefield.com/hardline The post Cops Hate This One Weird Trick! appeared first on The Battlefield Blog. View the full article

Whether you're the cops or the criminals, the goal in Battlefield Hardline's Hotwire mode is to get to the marked cars and drive fast. This is high speed chases like you've never seen... From: Battlefield Views: 4 http://gdata.youtube.com/static/images/icn_star_empty_11x11.gifhttp://gdata.youtube.com/static/images/icn_star_empty_11x11.gifhttp://gdata.youtube.com/static/images/icn_star_empty_11x11.gifhttp://gdata.youtube.com/static/images/icn_star_empty_11x11.gifhttp://gdata.youtube.com/static/images/icn_star_empty_11x11.gif 0 ratings Time: 01:42 More in Gaming

Download our 344.11 WHQL drivers for the ultimate gaming experience in the latest blockbuster titles, including Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, The Evil Within, F1 2014 and Alien: Isolation, and to add support to your system for the brand new, Maxwell-powered GeForce GTX 980 and GeForce GTX 970, the world's most advanced graphics cards. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/news-featured-nvidia-geforce-drivers_9.jpg?itok=FFchlBIB View the full article

We’re kicking off something we’re calling BF4 Class Week. Over the next several weeks we’ll be highlighting each of the four classes in Battlefield 4 including Pro Tips straight from the team at DICE, Community Missions and more. The first Class Week is all about RPG’s and Repair Tools as we celebrate the iconic Engineer. http://blogscdn.battlefield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bf4-engineer-week-avatar.jpg The Chinese Engineer from Battlefield 4 wearing their characteristic gas mask. Capable of both immense vehicle destruction and invaluable repair work, there is one cog that really holds the Battlefield 4 squad machinery to place: the Engineer. The Engineer has been present in all Battlefield games, although with somewhat different designs and weapon loadouts. The deadly mechanic’s place in the rock-paper-scissors gameplay of Battlefield has been the same: Engineers destroy enemy vehicles and take care of their own. Engineers can of course be deadly in close-quartered infantry battles too, and those skilled with the PDW’s can rack up a good amount of kills that way. Below you’ll find some tips on how to master the Engineer class and help your BF4 squad to victory. There are many more tactics that could be mentioned, and we encourage you to share your wisdom in the comments. Engineer Community Mission: Destroy 1 Million Vehicles with the M2 SLAM To show the world the resourcefulness of the class in question, Engineer fans can now take on a Community Mission designed for their favorite class – and perhaps their favorite gadget. We want you to collectively destroy 1 million vehicles with the M2 SLAM in one week. So equip that gadget, hit the Battlefield, and let enemy vehicles know who’s in town! This Community Mission will take place across all platforms and will be active between September 16th,9AM PDT and September 23rd, 2AM PDT. If you are successful, we’ll award everyone with an exclusive Engineer wallpaper, handed out on the Battlefield Blog. Mission progress can be tracked on Battlelog. http://blogscdn.battlefield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bf4-engineer-week-icon.jpg Top 4 Engineer Pro Tips Bring the right tools: Bring your IGLA or Stinger if there is a lot of air activity, or your RPG or mines when it’s tank season – and be prepared to switch it up if (or perhaps we should say when) the Battlefield changes. Hit ‘em where it hurts: To immobilize or destroy enemy vehicles with your rockets and missiles, it’s not just a matter of getting a hit, but also knowing where to hit. The back and top of vehicles have less armor, so that’s where you should aim. It also helps if you hit the vehicles at a perpendicular angle. Stay undetected: The ability to bring down tanks, IFV’s, and air units with your mighty gadgets is useless if the enemy sees you coming. Find good cover, use silencers, flank tanks instead of attempting frontal assaults, and use your friendly vehicles as cover when you’re repairing them. There’s no “I†in Engineer: Well… there is. Sorry about that. Nevertheless, our point is that teamwork is essential for the Engineer. Having Support players nearby when you run out of mines and missiles is extremely helpful, and a Recon can also help you demolish enemy vehicles if he or she brought a portable laser designator. Good luck, and see you on the Battlefield! The post BF4 Class Week: The Engineer appeared first on The Battlefield Blog. View the full article

GAME24 is just days away! As we get closer to this worldwide celebration of PC gaming, we wanted to provide you with a few teaserific details to get you salivating for this truly unique event. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/game24-header-650px.png?itok=OSNqiV0Y View the full article

Our latest update adds an innovative image quality-enhancing mode, enables 4K ShadowPlay recording on GeForce GTX 900 Series Maxwell graphics cards, improves SLI ShadowPlay performance, and adds SHIELD Wireless Controller support for PC games. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/geforce-experience-news-featured_6.png?itok=YsDx8mEU View the full article

Update your SHIELD Hub App today to get new features and functions that make your SHIELD device even better. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/shield-hub-3-3-image-5_0.png?itok=4O0aHWbH View the full article

More storage. More connectivity. More fun. And it could be yours for only $100 more than the basic version of SHIELD tablet (16GB/WiFi), or the equivalent of the same price when you sign up for a qualifying LTE data plan. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/ST8%2032GB-LTE%20banner.jpg?itok=SnLF2S8K View the full article

Column: Now I know why they call it the Apocalypse Edition PC games are buggy, and console games just work right out of the box – that’s at least the stigma that console gamers place on the PC. The truth is that PC gaming is miles ahead of the consoles, but I do have to admit that that there are grains of truth to the stigma. When Dead Rising 3 launched on the PC on September 5th, I encouraged my console-playing friend to play the game cooperatively with me on Steam. So we both got on Skype and fired it up. Immediately upon booting it up, however, I noticed the astonishingly long load times. To be fair, I did install it on my hard drive as opposed to my SSD, but these boot times were abnormally long and my friend noticed the same on his machine. The long boot times would be the least of my problems with the game, however. When I actually got into the game, something was definitely not right, and I'm not talking about the game's impending zombie apocalypse. It felt like I was playing more of a slideshow than a game. The framerate performance was terrible, which I thought was odd considering I was playing on my high-end i7 rig coupled with a GeForce GTX Titan. Sure I was trying to run the game maxed out, but considering I was using a $1,000 GPU on what essentially is a console port, max settings should have been a cakewalk. /files/u154082/dead_rising_3_pc_port.jpg More like "Dead Rising 3: Bad Port Edition" And my friend’s more humble PC equipped with a modest 560 Ti GPU? Well, it started sweating bullets on medium. “This is why I’m not into PC gaming,†my friend exclaimed. The comment stung a little and we both decided to tone down our graphics settings. I noticed a bump in performance when I ran the game at medium settings, but it still ran like crap. Upon doing some research, I found out that Capcom had capped the game to run at 30FPS. D’oh! Contrary to what console gamers might say, 30FPS is not enough, and friends don't let friends play at 30FPS. To be fair to Capcom, apparently the company did warn PC gamers that the game would be locked to 30FPS prior to Dead Rising 3’s launch, but still, a warning does not excuse a crime. That’s like someone telling you, “Sorry, but I’m going to punch you†right before punching you. In other words, it doesn’t really help. The straight truth of the matter is that Dead Rising 3 on the PC is a lazy port, and trust us when we say we know a thing or two about a bad port as we’ve done a roundup of the worst offenders. At this point, we’d have to say Dead Rising 3 is a dead ringer to be on that list (see what I did there?). On the brightside, yes, there is an easy .ini fix to remove the 30FPS cap, but even Capcom advises against this because the company suggest that users 1)might need really beefy hardware and 2) it could potentially cause “issues.†Furthermore, I’m personally a little afraid that the tweak might conflict with a future update down the road. In addition, this fan-made patch reinforces the negative stereotype that PC gamers need to manually tweak their games just to play them properly. The least Capcom could have done here is to include an in-game menu option to remove the 30FPS limit with perhaps a warning that it might cause some instability on lower-end systems. After all, if we’re smart enough to choose PC gaming, we’re smart enough to toggle a menu switch. In addition, some of us do in fact have super beefy hardware and would like the option to use it on an occasion such as this. *cough* Terrible performance issues aside, Dead Rising’s framerate is hardly the most pressing issue with the game at the moment. When my friend and I were slugging our way through the co-op campaign, the game crashed on me multiple times and booted my friend out of the online instance as well. I was hoping to play the game all night with my buddy, to show him the joys of Steam and PC gaming, but after four game crashes in an hour, even I had to admit defeat. Over the next few days, I found out that my situation was not an isolated incident and that TONS of users are reporting game crashes. To Capcom’s credit, the company has acknowledged the crashes and are attempting to do something about it, but only time will tell if this specific matter gets resolved. I haven’t given up on Dead Rising 3 and was able to enjoy the game, well, at least from the little that I was able to play of it, but I’d much prefer to return to the zombie apocalypse when the bugs are ironed out. Because really, who likes fighting bugs and zombies at the same time? However, the bigger thing I want to say to Capcom and other game developers is this: PLEASE STOP THE LAZY PC PORTS! These buggy, unoptimized ports do nothing to bolster the sales of your games. But more importantly, your rush job gives PC gaming an undue bad rep. View the full article

http://blogscdn.battlefield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bfh-nick.jpg About eighteen months ago, Battlefield Hardline creative director Ian Milham and I exchanged a series of emails. The ostensible reason for our communication was my review of Dead Space 3, which I had greatly enjoyed, for Grantland. So what, I asked, was Mr. Milham working on these days? “Funny you should ask,†he said. “What’s your schedule like?†Having just rolled off a game, I didn’t know whether I wanted to jump into yet another AAA cyclone, but the chance of working with Visceral wasn’t an opportunity I was going to let pass by. A few days later, my co-writer Rob Auten and I were sitting in the Electronic Arts atrium. All day Rob and I had been throwing out guesses as to what project we were going to discuss with Ian. Dead Space 4? Dante’s Inferno 2? Some new IP altogether? Then Ian finally said it: “Battlefield.†I believe, at this point, Rob and I may have exchanged a dubious sidelong glance. Here’s the deal: I like and play military shooters. Rob does, too. But I was also getting bored with them, and had said as much publicly. As a game writer, especially, the military shooter poses real problems, not only in terms of verisimilitude but in the paucity of potential storytelling scenarios. Simply put, I never wanted to virtually invade China, Russia, or Iran again. We started to tell Ian that we didn’t have much of a desire to write “whisky-tango/target-downâ€-type dialogue, so good luck with the project. That’s when Ian smiled, held up his hand, and said, “That’s not what we’re doing.†http://blogscdn.battlefield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bfh-boomer.jpg Ian started to describe a murky world of crooked cops and ruthless robbers in which, when the story begins, the characters already pretty much know each other. Imagine, he said, a game with 80 percent less exposition than games usually have. Imagine a gameworld in which everyone was equal parts bad and good. The storytelling, he said, had one primary goal: People over plot. Ian didn’t want the characters to talk about “the plan,†or where to go next, or how evil the bad guys are and how awesome the good guys are. Rather, he wanted characters that revealed themselves as messed up, funny, compelling people. Then Ian brought up the crime writer Elmore Leonard. “Something like that,†he said. “Tonally, that’s what I’m looking for.†Leonard is probably best known for having written the novels and stories that Jackie Brown, Out of Sight, Get Shorty, and Justified are based on, but I’ve always viewed him as the single greatest genre writer in the history of American literature. Rob and I looked at each other again and nodded. It looked like we were going to make a Battlefield game after all. Battlefield Hardline doesn’t reinvent the video-game storytelling wheel. Our goal, however modest it might sound, was to try to achieve a tone that games don’t often have. Our television-episode presentation format gives us the opportunity to be dizzingly meta sometimes, and our wonderful actors gave us the opportunity to bear down into the characters when we needed to. We also tried to approximate Leonard’s signature “goofball seriousness†— a drollness that’s often comic but never silly. If there’s a thing I’m proudest of in this game, though, I’d have to say it’s the ambient thug dialogue, which is the kind of sentence only someone who writes video games will ever find himself saying. Because we wanted our gameplay to encourage players to observe and monitor potential combat encounters before going live with gunfire, we needed a lot of guard and thug chatter. Hardline is stuffed with so much ambient guard and thug chatter — the total game script is well over a thousand pages — I suspect several people on the audio team would pelt Rob and me with spoiled food if given the chance. But all of us at Visceral wanted to breathe at least a little life into every possible corner of the game. So when you sneak around, listen to and watch those guards. I promise they don’t talk about the weather or how they hate being guards. There are Easter eggs galore in their conversations, and other things, I hope, that simply make people laugh. More than anything else, working on Battlefield Hardline put to the test a core belief of mine, which is this: Storytelling is the stately presentation of What Happened, and shooters are rarely very good at communicating What Happened. Why? I think because shooter gameplay, and its considerable cognitive demands, constantly competes with the player’s awareness of what’s happening. Shooters are not stately; shooters are narrative rosaries strung with beads of pure chaos. I think that’s what Ian was saying, too, those many months ago, when he talked about “people over plot.†Video games are at their storytelling best when they introduce you to memorable people and give you memorable things to do, and everyone at Visceral did their best to ensure the Battlefield Hardline campaign had plenty of both. Tom Bissell Battlefield Hardline Writer Learn more about the cast and crew of Battlefield Hardline here. The post Hitting the Battlefield with Hardline appeared first on The Battlefield Blog. View the full article

It's your move, Gigabyte We've heard time and again that things are getting super competitive in the motherboard business. In terms of the top spot, there are really just two top-tier players, those being Asus and Gigabyte, and last we heard, Asus held a slight lead in shipments as the two companies head towards a photo finish. Not looking to leave anything to chance, it's being reported that Asus cut its motherboard pricing by up to 10 percent in order to keep its global market share. That info traces back through Digitimes, which itself is citing a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report. According to the report, these are retail prices of Asus' own-brand boards that have been cut anywhere from 5-10 percent, so you should be seeing lower prices on store shelves. It's estimated that Asus has shipped 10.4 million of its own-brand boards in the first half of 2014; the company's goal is to ship 22.1 million motherboards by the end of the year. This price cut play by Asus could get the company there. If so, it will come at the expense of Gigabyte, which may now see its motherboard shipments fall below its goal of 5.5-6 million units. According to the report, Gigabyte is now likely to end the year with 20 million motherboard shipments rather than 21.5 million as originally predicted. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook View the full article