Armory Staff

The GeForce Game Ready Assassin's Creed Unity 344.60 WHQL drivers include performance optimizations and a SLI profile, giving you the definitive experience in the highly anticipated third-person action-adventure game. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/news-featured-nvidia-geforce-drivers_15.jpg?itok=7dXM4Til View the full article

/files/u166440/x99_ga_motherboard.jpgIt’s not all about the games and cosplay Blizzcon isn’t just a convention that revolves around all things Blizzard, such as the developer’s recently announced FPS game Overwatch. Vendors and manufacturers are also there to advertise their products such as Gigabyte. Maximum PC online managing editor Jimmy Thang took the time to visit the Gigabyte booth where he got to see the new model of the Brix Gaming PC kit and check out the top tier x99 motherboard. Revealed back in June, the Brix Gaming PC kit was revealed with the i5 processor model having been released back in September. Jimmy was able to speak to a Gigabyte representative who showed him the Brix Gaming kit that has an i7 processor and Nvidia GTX 760 GPU which hasn't been released yet. Unlike the i5 model's green color, the i7 version will come in black and is expected to be out during late November or sometime in December. Be sure to watch the video to learn more: Jimmy Thang also got to look at the GA-X99 Gaming G1 WIFI motherboard which was one of three new X99 chipset mobos that was announced back in August. This is the top tier mobo that features a heatsink which lights up with different modes that will let it blink to the beat of music, which it does by reading the music that is playing through a 3.5mm output jack. The lights will also pulsate on and off or can be turned off and on if you aren't into flashing lights. It also sports the LGA 2011 socket-v3 socket for Haswell-E processors and is the first generation to have DDR4 memory support. The GA-X99 Gaming G1 WIFI is expected to sell for around $350 and is currently available online. For additional details, check out the video: Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook View the full article

An in-depth look at NVIDIA GameWorks enhancements, game technology, optimization, and GPU performance in the highly-anticipated Assassin's Creed Unity, which is launching worldwide this week. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/assassins-creed-unity-graphics-and-performance-guide-featuredmain-icc.jpg?itok=BxQ2VyS5 View the full article

We go hands-on with Blizzard’s take at Team Fortress Blizzard may have canceled Titan, but today it revealed that the company hasn’t given up on trying to create a first-person shooter by revealing Overwatch. Overwatch is being pitched as a team-based multiplayer shooter. In short, it’s basically Blizzard’s take on Valve’s popular Team Fortress 2 shooter. /files/u154082/reaper-screenshot-002.2hbaf.jpg Meet the Reaper The new IP takes place on Earth approximately 60 years in the future. Blizzard said it had been dying to do a highly fictionalized version of the future of Earth, but said they wanted to do it in the relatively near future. While the story won’t be a huge component when you play the game (Blizzard says it hopes to create additional narrative elements outside of the game with things like Youtube videos), the premise goes that the 30 years prior to the game’s setting, evil robots take over and wreak havoc. Humanity then created a Overwatch strikeforce team which dispatches the robots. Over the decades, however, the strikeforce team ceases to exist. While it sounds like a depressing scenario, Blizzard said that it wanted to create an upbeat environment as it didn’t want levels to feel drab and dreary, which could get tiresome to play. The game certainly has a unique artstyle from what we’ve seen and is almost a mixture of Disney meets Team Fortress with a dash of anime influence to it. One of the levels we saw also had a very BioShock vibe to it, albeit not as dark. /files/u154082/mercy-screenshot-002.05epq.jpg Mercy doing her healing Even though the game is pretty fast paced, Blizzard wants to provide non-twitch class characters with medic and engineer-like heroes. Blizzard says it wants to take a “less lethal” approach to the shooter meaning that players will die less frequently than most other twitch-based shooters. In this regard, again, it definitely feels much more like TF2 than Counter Strike. Another thing that sets the game apart is that teams are composed of 6v6. Blizzard said teams larger than that got too chaotic from its tests, but that teams smaller than that put too much pressure on individual players to succeed, although Blizzard admits that this balance mechanic could change with additional community testing. Like Team Fortress 2, Overwatch will not have a traditional deathmatch mode and will be an objective-driven game with modes like attack/defend, payload, and control points. While there are about a dozen characters to choose from right now, Blizzard says the game will have plenty more and that it will be a character-driven game and not a class-based one. Piggybacking on that notion is the fact that each player has multiple, unique special abilities, somewhat similar to characters in MOBAs. For instance, hero Tracer can teleport a short distance ahead by pressing shift up to three times with about a one-second cool down period in between each, can throw a bomb by pressing Q and can jump three seconds back in time (location and health) by pressing R. /files/u154082/hanzo-screenshot-002.0f64o.jpg Hanzo using his bow There’s a variety of other different characters with traits and attributes. The talking, space gorilla Winston and chivalrous knight Reinhardt are tanks that soak up damage and use a melee style of combat. Then there’s damage dealers like the dual pistol-wielding Reaper and rocket launcher-carrying Pharah. And for the non-twitchy players, there’s Torbjorn who’s basically the engineer of the game with his turrets and Mercy, who’s the medic. Blizzard wants to make this game appeal to the non-shooter crowd as the company realizes that many of its loyal players don’t play FPS games. There’s a bunch of other characters and while the amount of characters can seem overwhelming, like TF2, Blizzard is encouraging players to switch characters between lives. The idea is to pick the best character for the given scenario. Even in its early state, the game is really fun and feels quite polished. If you enjoy Team Fortress and are looking for Blizzard’s take on the genre, keep your eyes on Overwatch. View the full article

In the first release of our beta program, GeForce Experience introduces a new way to pair to SHIELD. SHIELD Hub also gets a makeover with material design. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/geforce-experience-news-featured_7.png?itok=QzdnUtuh View the full article

Assassin's Creedy Unity, Far Cry4, and The Crew no longer available on Steam Earlier today, PCGamesN noticed that Ubisoft’s upcoming games, such as Assassin's Creed Unity, had been removed from Steam’s U.K. store. However, it appears that Ubisoft has removed its upcoming games from Steam in the US as well. /files/u166440/assassins_creed_unity.jpgIn regards to the removal of its titles in the U.K. Ubisoft released a statement to PCGamesN, “We’ve been in discussions with Valve about Assassin’s Creed Unity but for the time being the game is not available via Steam in the UK.” “In the meantime, UK customers wishing to purchase the game digitally can do so by visiting the Uplay store, our retail partners or other digital distributors,” the statement continued.” While the statement addresses Assassin’s Creed Unity in the U.K., it does not explain why this was done and why, later on, all three upcoming games, which includes Far Cry 4 and The Crew, appear to have been pulled from Steam on a global level. So far, both Valve and Ubisoft have yet to release an official statement about when, or if, the games will be available or what will happen to the consumers who have pre-ordered any of the affected games on Steam. The sudden removal of these games is reminiscent of when Electronic Arts decided to pull its games from Steam and make them Origin-exclusive. The result of that meant that fans of the Mass Effect series, for example, would only be able to play Mass Effect 3 on Origin while the first two games are still available on Steam. Assassin’s Creed Unity is scheduled to be released next week on November 11, Far Cray 4 on November 18, and The Crew on December 2. Whether or not these titles will be put back on Steam prior to their various launch dates has yet to be revealed. Is this a tactic by Ubisoft to wrangle some kind of deal out of Valve? Or does this mean that all future Ubisoft titles will only be available on Uplay from now on? Let us know what you think in the comments below. Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook View the full article

/files/u166440/minecraft_001.jpgWelcome to the Microsoft fold Mojang Whether you thought it was a great deal or not, Microsoft has announced that its acquisition of Minecraft developer Mojang is now official. Back in September, it was announced that Microsoft would purchase Mojang for $2.5 billion. A decision that generated some discussions as to whether or not this was a good deal for Microsoft. “It’s official, today we welcome Mojang to the Microsoft Studios family, “said Microsoft head of Xbox Phil Spencer on his Twitter account. “We’re excited for the possibilities ahead w/the Minecraft community.” No sooner was the deal first announced several months back when it was revealed that there was already a version of Minecraft for the Windows Phones being developed. However, following the acquisition announcement, many consumers were concerned that Microsoft owning the popular IP could lead to a discontinuation of support for its various versions on competing platforms. A concern Spencer addressed at the time by saying, “Minecraft is one of the most popular franchises of all time. W are going to maintain Minecraft and its community in all the ways people love today, with a commitment to nurture and grow it long into the future.” However, while Microsoft is acquiring the company, the game’s creator Markus “Notch” Persson,” along with two co-founders of Mojang, are leaving. According to his blog post, Notch explained, “It’s not about the money. It’s about my sanity.” Mojang now joins the list of Microsoft’s internal studios which includes 343 Industries, Black Tusk Studios, and Rare. At last count, Minecraft has sold around 54 million units across total across the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Andoid, iOS, and PC platforms. Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook View the full article

The upcoming next-gen edition of Grand Theft Auto V features a new first-person mode that is absolutely awesome in action. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/GTAV_Thumbnail.jpg?itok=1FQm3RAb View the full article

Far Cry 4 looks and plays best on PC thanks to NVIDIA GameWorks effects and features, in addition to improved textures, effects, assets, additional control options, faster framerates, and the ability to render the game at higher resolutions, such as 4K. Get a first look at the stunning PC version in our Far Cry 4 GeForce GTX Technology Trailer. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/far-cry-4-key-art-with-logo-ogtag.jpg?itok=it7c07h8 View the full article

November 7-8 | Anaheim. Fall is upon us. The leaves are changing, the rain has come, and fans are preparing the new World of Warcraft Expansion. This can mean only one thing; BlizzCon 2014 is almost here! http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/blizzcon-2014-header.jpg?itok=-2fMEFCm View the full article

Bombastic party game BombSquad detonates on the SHIELD Hub with explosive Tegra K1 enhanced effects and full-blown controller support for both the SHIELD tablet and SHIELD Portable. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/BombSquad_THUMB.jpg?itok=x7R6N_UY View the full article

The GeForce Game Ready Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare 344.60 WHQL drivers include performance optimizations and a SLI profile, giving you the definitive experience in the newly-released first-person shooter. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/news-featured-nvidia-geforce-drivers_14.jpg?itok=n7VBKwRF View the full article

/files/u166440/pvzgw_001.jpg How does Mantle stack up against DirectX in certain games? Find out here! AMD has been partnering up with as many video game developers as it can to incorporate its Mantle API. From Crytek to Robert Space Industries, AMD is slowly making the rounds. Games such as Battlefield 4 and Thief allow users to switch from DirectX to Mantle while other games are expected to incorporate the API at some point. With Mantle, AMD claims that it boosts a game’s performance for both low and high-end GPUs. Albeit, when it comes to high-end GPUs, the boost isn't as big. Curious, we decided to see how well Mantle stacks up to DirectX by playing games that support it. For now, there is only a small selection of games: Battlefield 4, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, Thief, and the latest Mantle introduction, Sniper Elite 3. In order to get the best results, we made sure, when possible, to benchmark the same section of each game with the same graphics settings. For the testing we used a PC with an AMD Phenom II X4 965 processer, 8GB of RAM, and an AMD Radeon R9 280 graphics card. /files/u166440/bf4_001.jpg To help us record our results, we had to rely on benchmark demos or in-game benchmarking tools. Normally, we would use FRAPs, which would record real-time FPS and then provide us with the minimum, maximum, and average numbers, but the problem is that FRAPs is programmed for DirectX 11 and does not support Mantle just yet. The only software that will show FPS numbers is D3DGear. Unfortunately, it doesn’t record results like FRAPs does. Luckily, most of the games that support Mantle come equipped with either their own benchmarking demo or benchmarking tools. With that said, let's take a look at the benchmarks! Battlefield 4 DirectX 11 vs Mantle /files/u166440/bf4_avg_fps_001.jpg First up was Electronic Arts’ Battlefield 4. We cranked the graphics settings up to High at 1920x1080 resolution, and then ran the same section of the game across both APIs. We decided to compare the first 30 minutes of the singleplayer campaign to use as our test scenario. We felt that Chapter 1 of BF4's singleplayer campaign was a good test as it went from an urban setting to more wide open vistas filled with gunfire, explosions, and fire to put both APIs through their paces. Looking at the graph, you can see that there was a difference between both playthroughs. For the most part, both tests went smoothly though, with Mantle, we experienced some brief stutter in the gameplay. Despite that, Mantle still pulled ahead with an 11.8FPS advantage between it and DirectX 11. Sniper Elite 3 DirectX 11 vs Mantle /files/u166440/sn3_avg_fps_001.jpg Sniper Elite 3 was recently updated to support Mantle and with it came a new benchmark demo. With settings on Ultra at 1920x1080 resolution, we launched the demo. The demo is set up to showcase many of the game’s various scenes. It was replete with long distance views, lighting and shadows, close-up views of objects and terrain, a truck full of enemy NPCs with the wheels kicking up dirt, capped off with an exploding vehicle blowing up in slow motion. /files/u166440/sniper_elite_3_001.jpg But as we saw with Battlefield 4, Mantle had a slighter higher average FPS than DirectX 11 with a 13.6 FPS advantage. Thief DirectX 11 vs Mantle /files/u166440/thief_avg_fps_001.jpg Unlike the previous games we have tested, which all took place in broad daylight, Thief's game features a lot of nighttime excursions. We set the graphics to Ultra High at 1920x1080 resolution and took to the rooftops, An interesting thing about this game is that it comes with its own benchmarking system designed to compare both APIs. /files/u166440/thief_screenshot_001.jpg So we ran the benchmark for DirectX 11 and Mantle. the demo is a sequence that runs through the town at night, while it is raining, with various NPCs walking around and interacting with each other. It is a simple enough sequence that was able to put both APIs through their paces. And, just like the previous two games, Mantle scored higher than DirectX 11 with an 11.5 FPS advantage. Star Swarm DirectX 11 vs Mantle /files/u166440/swarm_screenshot_001.jpg Now if you want to really stress test both APIs, then definitely take advantage of the Star Swarm Stress Test. It is a free, real-time demo from Oxide Games that showcases the developer's Nitrous engine. Set in space, Star Swarm pitches thousands of fighters and ships into constant combat. For the demo, there were around 4,000 ships constantly firing lasers, exploding, and more. /files/u166440/star_swarm_stress_benchmarks_002.jpg The demo itself lasts for six minutes and we made sure to have the resolution set to 1920x1080 and the graphics on its highest setting which was labeled Extreme. And it certainly lived up to that name. Star Swarm made both APIs struggle and have convulsions. When the camera panned around to show thousands of ships fighting simultaneously, the FPS dropped into the single digits and the game slowed to an unbearable crawl. But as you can see from the results, Mantle was able to handle the stress test better than DirectX 11 with a 16.3fps advantage. /files/u166440/pvz_2014-10-07_19-12-56-09.jpg Now we come to Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare. Unfortunately, while the rest of the games include their own in-game benchmarking tools, PvZ does not. So there is no way to accurately gain any results when we run it with Mantle. Until PopCap Games adds in some benchmarking tools, or software like FRAPs finally supports Mantle, we will have to skip it for now and come back to it later. The same goes for future games that will support Mantle. We’ll be testing them and updating our story here so stay tuned for more games and more results! Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook View the full article

More than just a global gaming competition, the MSI Beat IT 2014 was a spectacular gaming festival filled with loads of sight, sound and energy! http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/msi_beatit_2014.png?itok=stdYN3n- View the full article

NVIDIA technologies – such as G-Sync, SHIELD Streaming and Maxwell-based graphics cards – got visitors drooling at PAX Australia held in Melbourne on October 31 to November 2. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/paxaus.jpg?itok=jM0Ptwmz View the full article

Get $150 of in-game currency split between War Thunder, Strife, and Infinite Crisis in our new Free To Play 2014 Fall Bundle. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/geforce-gtx-fall-2014-bundles-free-to-play-notext_0.jpg?itok=dJZ-3ooX View the full article

Ubisoft’s arcade racer, The Crew, plays best on PC with higher-resolution textures, assets, and effects, and the inclusion of NVIDIA GameWorks technologies. Check out our GeForce GTX Technology Trailer for a first look. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/the-crew-nvidia-gameworks-featuredmain-650px_0.jpg?itok=onDpUEXy View the full article

Last up in our BF4 Class Weeks is none other than the legendary Assault class, which has seen quite a few changes over the years. Read on for its complete history! http://blogscdn.battlefield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/bf4-history-assault-1.jpg Battlefield 1942 One of five kits available to Battlefield 1942 players, the Assault was the go-to class when engaging enemy infantry. Back then, it was all about wielding the firepower of automatic rifles and light machine guns, staying close to the action in the fight between Axis and Allies. 12 years ago, the Assault didn’t have any fancy equipment or healing duties – other classes took care of that. Battlefield 2 In the modern-day setting of Battlefield 2, the Assault class was still a general-purpose choice for medium-range combat, but it still evolved thanks to additions to the arsenal. For instance, the class gained access to the Underslung Grenade Launcher, a powerful piece of military hardware, and Assault players could also withstand an extra beating thanks to the body armor. http://blogscdn.battlefield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/bf4-history-assault-2.png Battlefield 2142 Remember when Defibrillators were single-handed? The future is sweet. As the number of classes was trimmed down to four in Battlefield 2142, the abilities of Battlefield 2’s Assault and Medic merged, giving birth to a new kind of Assault kit. This challenged us to focus both on being an assault rifle badass (made easier with rocket and shotgun add-ons), as well as healing and reviving team mates. http://blogscdn.battlefield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/bf4-history-assault-3.jpg Battlefield: Bad Company With the added destruction and chaos introduced in Battlefield: Bad Company, we had a lot of fun with both assault rifles and grenade launchers (although Demolition guys were of course even more explosive) when playing Assault. The convenient LIFE-2 gadget, an auto-injector that restored the Assault player’s health, is also memorable. Other than that, the Assault class was the spear-head of the squad, throwing themselves into the all-out war. http://blogscdn.battlefield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/bf4-history-assault-4.jpg Battlefield 4 Jumping ahead to the present and Battlefield 4, the current incarnation of the Assault is a versatile class – not to mention an excellent choice for those just starting out with the game. The healing capabilities have evolved and the Battlefield 4 Assault has access to both a Medic Bag and the smaller First Aid Pack that can be thrown further. Again, the class is crucial for playing the objective and making sure the team stays alive. Want to know how to be a better Assault player in Battlefield 4? Make sure to read the main Assault Class blog post for some tips. THE DEPICTION OF ANY WEAPON OR VEHICLE IN THIS GAME DOES NOT INDICATE AFFILIATION, SPONSORSHIP OR ENDORSEMENT BY ANY WEAPON OR VEHICLE MANUFACTURER. The post History of the Assault in Battlefield appeared first on The Battlefield Blog. View the full article

Last up in our BF4 Class Weeks is none other than the legendary Assault class, which has seen quite a few changes over the years. Read on for its complete history! Battlefield 1942 One of five kits available to Battlefield 1942 players, the Assault was the go-to class when engaging enemy infantry. Back then, it [...] The post History of the Assault in Battlefield appeared first on The Battlefield Blog. View the full article

You can now pick the path of an assassin, a freedom fighter, or a racer, and download Assassin’s Creed Unity, Far Cry 4, or The Crew for free with the purchase of a participating GPU from select retailers and e-tailers. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/geforce-gtx-fall-2014-bundles-pick-your-path-notext.jpg?itok=rrGAinDW View the full article

/files/u166440/star_wars_x_wing.jpgTime to go back and relive some classic gaming moments Back in October 2012, Disney acquired Lucasfilm from George Lucas for $4.05 billion which was met with some enthusiasm. Then in April 2013, five months after the acquisition, Disney announced that it had shut down LucasArts, leaving many to wonder what would happen to the developer’s backlog of classic games. Today, we now know what is happening. Disney Interactive has teamed-up with GOG.com and will bring over 20 classic LucasArts titles in the coming months. However, we don’t have to wait a while for all of them. Six classic titles are now available on the digital distribution platform and are DRM-free. Gamers are able to purchase and play Star Wars: X-Wing Special Edition, Star Wars: Tie Fighter Special Edition, Sam & Max Hit the Road, The Secret of Monkey Island, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. This is the first time that X-Wing and Tie Fighter are available on any digital distribution platform and will cost $9.99 each. Star Wars: X-Wing Special Edition will include the Star Wars: X-Wing Collector’s CD-ROM and all of the Tour of Duty expansions while Star Wars: TIE Fighter Special Edition will come with the Defender of the Empire expansion. But the ride isn’t going to stop with these six titles. According to the press release, more games will be on the way in the coming months though no specific names have been provided. What games are you hoping will be released on GOG.com over the coming months? Sound off in the comments below! Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook View the full article

When you buy a GeForce GTX 900 Series GPU, you can download Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Unity, Far Cry 4, or The Crew at absolutely no charge thanks to the Pick Your Path bundle. Check out our story to reveal what makes each game unique and exciting, to help you decide which path to pick. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/Ubisoft_E32014.png?itok=udCqnMji View the full article

Alienware's Marc Diana explains why you should consider an Alienware Alpha PC for your big-screen TV gaming, and how the Alpha's Maxwell technology compares to current-generation consoles. http://www.geforce.com/sites/default/files-world/styles/210x100/public/thumbnail_image/alienware-alpha-header.JPG?itok=rq1PtG8d View the full article

Hit the streets of Battlefield Hardline™ March 17, 2015 on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360® and PC. In a crime drama filled single player story, Miami is embroiled in a drug war and officer Nick Mendoza has just made detective. Alongside his partner, veteran detective Khai Minh Dao, he follows the drug supply chain from the streets to the source. In a series of increasingly off-the-books cases the two detectives come to realize that power and corruption can affect both sides of the law. In multiplayer, the world is simple. You’re on one side of the law or the other — a baton or bat, stun gun or rifle, armored police truck or powerful muscle cars. But either way, teamwork is going to be essential if you’re going to want to pull off that perfect heist or big time bust in this new take on Battlefield multiplayer. Live out your fantasy of being a cop and criminal. Pre-order now here. The post Battlefield Hardline Release Date, March 17, 2015 appeared first on The Battlefield Blog. View the full article

Hit the streets of Battlefield Hardline™ March 17, 2015 on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360® and PC. In a crime drama filled single player story, Miami is embroiled in a drug war and officer Nick Mendoza has just made detective. Alongside his partner, veteran detective Khai Minh Dao, he follows the drug [...] The post Battlefield Hardline Release Date, March 17, 2015 appeared first on The Battlefield Blog. View the full article