ASUS has now launched the XG Station as the industry's first public demonstration of the world's first external graphics card station for notebook computers. Equipped with Express Card interface, USB 2.0 and Dolby headphones, the XG station seamlessly integrates notebook computing with PC graphics power.The Asus XG Station is the world's first docking station to provide a standard PCI Express slot for additional graphics computing power on notebook computers with Express Card slot, delivering VISTA Premium performance. The device also conveniently accommodates future graphics technology such as, HDCP and HDMI upgrades possibility. Lab experiments on a notebook based on Intel 945GM graphics connected to the XG station with a ASUS EN7900GS graphics card showed an astounding 9 times faster acceleration. A large LED screen provides clear display of critical system status statistics such as- System master volume, GPU clock speed, Current GPU temperature, Dolby Headphone feature status, Current actual Frames per Second (FPS) information and GPU fan speed Indicator.
Think a job in the video game business will involve shooting monsters and taking on virtual missions all day, every day? Think again.
David Hodgson, an author of "Paid to Play: An Insider's Guide to Video Games Careers," says the hours are long, deadlines strict, the work can be monotonous and, in the case of programmers, the pay starts at around $50,000 a year -- below that of other high-tech industries.
"It's not like working in the industry is sitting around playing video games," said Hodgson, a long-time video game journalist, who penned the book with author and game designer Bryan Stratton and career counselor Alice Rush.
The good news is that jobs can be creative, varied and rewarding and there are as many video game careers as there are ways of breaking into the business.
"There are multiple paths, which is the best news around," said Hodgson, who gathered information for his book from 100 industry insiders with careers ranging from testing, design and sound to publishing, management, journalism, retail and professional gaming.
Hodgson said the first requirement is to know yourself. The book gives aspiring game makers the tools for self-assessment.
"I would recommend people look at what their strengths are," Hodgson said in a telephone interview.
Programmers, for example, require a specific set of skills and may benefit from a college education, with video game specific college programs cropping up faster than innocent victims in "Grand Theft Auto."
"It's not like working in the industry is sitting around playing video games,"
only sometimes!
and he spends more time writing reports for his bosses than he does actually playing the games and when he does play the games, he is expected to find every possible thing a player can find in the game from power ups to secret areas to Easter eggs. He is also expected to do things the normal gamer might not do in order to find potential bugs that may only show up in certain situations. He is also expected to play the game through from beginning to end, so he can't play it and then say "Well, I got stuck at this point" he has to find the way to the end within the time he is given, no excuses. So if you think being a play tester is your dream job, think again.
He was kind of bleminhing on the fact about 50k a yr. It is usually 30k a year doing the grunts work if your a programmer. The last thing I want to do is waste my computer science degree to get crap pay for overnights. The best way is to find friends who knows C++ (or whatever lang.), artists and start your own production. If the work between your friends can produce next gen stuff for consoles then you can find a publisher. Sometimes not even next gen but good Arcade titles. There are sure to be adults out there that are working on the XNA tool to get themselves notice or the publishers to notice them. Everything else then takes care of itself... It be easier just to get a government job or write your own file database which is crap pay at first but eventually you'll make huge money. If you ask most people though, you don't find careers in the videogames department. It's more like a long temp job that can be fun at times.
"If the work between your friends can produce next gen stuff for consoles then you can find a publisher"
Not going to happen. Since the PS1 years this has happened what, maybe twice? I'm not saying that XNA won't provide a _few_ potential games, but if you make a game yourself looking for huge success you are in for massive dissapointment. Indie games, and there are some great ones (Def Con for instance) are not big money makers nor do they in any way guarantee you'll get a publisher.
When I was just out of college I felt the exact same way you do, but unfortunately the economics of the industry are stacked against you. :(
Second, not sure which companies you are looking at, but programming jobs, even Engineers in test, start out well above 30k.
Finally, I've found working in games to be hugely rewarding. It isn't all playing, of course, but at the end of the day you get to contribute to a _video game_. The long hours are present at any software company, and making a game is much more interesting than some database interface utility.
a lot of pressure, high stress, and less fun than 1 would think. it's video games, but it's still a business. all comes down to $$$.
Man, I don't know about that. I was a programmer (Java,C,VB) for about 8 yrs (now I do more QA/BA) and I can say I started out much higher than that. Most programmers today know what to expect when taking the plunge into the video game industry, LONG hours and many weekends, not-so-great paychecks, and typically very little appreciation for your contributions. If you like having somewhat of a personal life, its not the best career choice. If you are a single parent, don't count on being there much for your kiddo(s). Hardcore high-profit companies will burn out many new guys within months of them starting. The positive news is that more programmers are standing up for themselves and demanding to be treated like human beings and some companies are starting to lessen the strangle somewhat.
Direct X 10 is on the horizon, and so is the hardware that will be driving it. While the demand for Direct X 9 hardware is not slipping, and more graphics cards are constantly being launched, there is much interest in this new standard and the hardware that will support it. The strongest points of Direct X 10 are the promises of lower overhead per object and the new rendering component called the geometry shader.
What does all of this mean to the layman? In short, the system will be able render objects faster and more efficiently. This is a good thing, as games will be able to incorporate this feature to give you more frames per second. That is, until the game developers incorporate more objects into a scene, of course, as we have seen in previews of games such as the Age of Conan, where we will finally be able to cut the limbs of an opponent - like the black knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail...
Roxor Games is proud to present ‘In The Groove’ for PC and Mac.
Roxor Games announced today that their widely popular dance game ‘In The Groove’ will be released at the end of July, 2006 for the PC and Mac. While sharing much in common with prior editions of ‘In The Groove’, the PC/Mac edition also adds:
• many new unlockable songs, including PC/Mac exclusive songs
• many new step charts exclusive to PC/Mac
• more unlockable courses and mods
• a full step editor for creating step charts
• export and import step charts from a USB drive for use with In The Groove 2 in arcades or for sharing creations
• support for widescreen displays
• high resolution graphics
• improved frame rates and faster loading (depending on how powerful your computer is)
• unedited versions of all music - the same mixes as the arcade version
Pre-Orders are now available from Cliff Racer as well as a free demo for download. Grab your copy today!
For Pre-Orders and a free demo copy of In The Groove go to: http://www.cliffracer.com/store/info/inthegroove.html
About In The Groove
In The Groove (ITG) is an interactive dance video game that was designed from the ground up by hardcore dance game fans and takes dance games to an all new level of competition. While maintaining the same addictive gameplay of popular dance titles, In The Groove features exclusive, never before seen features like modifiers that make the game arrows spin, change speeds, boomerang, and move in 3D along with over 40 other amazing effects. Please visit www.inthegroove.com for more information.
About Roxor
Roxor Games, Inc., based in Austin, TX, was established in 2002, develops technologies and game designs for the arcade, home, and online markets. The company develops games initially for the arcade leveraging the low cost of entry and immediate feedback of the arcade to test and refine the game experience. By developing and testing using this process, Roxor brings highly tuned and fun to play games to the demanding home console space. Roxor Softology includes a wide range of games such as Tux Racer Arcade, In The Groove Arcade, and the in-development multiplayer car combat game, Hordes: No Escape.
About Cliff Racer
Cliff Racer LLC, based in Canton, MI is a growing supplier of video game accessories and game development tools for customers across the globe, providing accessories for the PC and many newer and older video game consoles. With a focus on the "Retro" gaming scene, Cliff Racer provides products that give gamers more mileage out of their current hardware.
what about the power supply? im confused..
Its external powered, it plugs into your express card slot and the other end goes into a external monitor so it aint a portable thing but still a great idea and hopefully the first of many such products.
....i was talking about this a few weeks ago...there goes my idea :(
a graphics card upgrade for machines that can't normally be upgraded. One of these will extend the life of my notebook immensely as the graphic system (Radeon Mobility 9600) is the weakest link in an otherwise damn good machine.