Nvidia Ion 2 slower than the original Ion?

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cer last week announced its Aspire One 532G netbook as the first to carry Nvidia's forthcoming Ion 2, but few details have been revealed about the next-gen graphics chip. Some folks at NetbookNews recently got their hands on the Aspire One 532G at Mobile World Congress, and they managed to sneak in a 3DMark 03 graphics benchmark.

While the results aren't conclusive, the Ion 2 actually performed worse than the original. The Aspire One 532G scored 3,049 3DMarks, which compares to 3,593 3DMarks for the Ion LE-equipped Samsung N510. Netbook Choice speculates that this may show issues Nvidia has faced with Intel's Pine Trail architecture.

Since the GPU-maker isn't allowed to create chipsets around DMI, the Ion 2 likely uses PCIe to interface with Pine Trail. It's suggested that limited bandwidth over PCIe could be the culprit -- at least partially -- but there are other explanations. For instance, Acer and Nvida might have crippled the system to keep it stable while being shown at MWC. Unpolished drivers could also be responsible.

An Nvidia representative quickly responded to the unflattering benchmark results: "I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the benchmark that was performed at that show. I believe the units there were pre-release systems. We haven’t provided performance data yet for the public, we’ll have more details coming in early March."

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Ubisoft's new DRM more annoying than expected

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ou may recall Ubisoft's recent decision to axe StarForce DRM in favor of a new online platform. The company's online services platform sounded similar to Steam, letting users play from multiple machines without discs -- but it wasn't perfect. The platform required a permanent Internet connection. Needless to say, gamers weren't happy.

Despite disapproval, Ubisoft is pressing on with the technology. CVG has received Assassin's Creed II and Settlers VII for review, and both are laced with the new mechanism. Granted, being forced to have your machine online is annoying, but the flaws run a bit deeper.

CVG says that if you're disconnected while playing, you're kicked from the game and all progress from the last checkpoint or save is lost. Naturally, this occurs whether your cat unplugs your router, your ISP has issues, or if Ubisoft's servers crash.

Piracy may not be the driving force behind Ubisoft's new platform, but the company has said any initiative that decreases illegal downloads will allow it to pour more cash into the creation and expansion of intellectual properties.

What about the resources wasted in an attempt to prevent the inevitable? We all know that Assassin's Creed II and other popular titles will hit torrent sites around the same time as retail shelves. Resistance is futile.

Shouldn't companies focus more on rewarding paying customers rather than punishing them for the deeds of a few bad apples?

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Pioneer console Sega Dreamcast turns 10

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onsoles have come a long way in a short time, evolving alongside computers as one of the center pieces for video game entertainment. As the line between computer and console begins to blur, it's easy to forget just how far the console has journeyed. A good reminder of that came this week, when the Sega Dreamcast turned ten years old.

The much-hyped console was highly anticipated by gaming communities all over the world, but it ended up proving to be a disaster for Sega as a company, as it was their last console endeavor. Even though it was a commercial failure, the console pioneered many of the ideas that are common among modern consoles.

The idea of an Internet-connected gaming console was first realized with the Dreamcast, which came stock with a built-in dial-up modem and featured one of the first console web browsers. Along with the PC, it was one of a very few hardware devices that allowed people to play games with each other online. The Dreamcast also had a controller design that is suspiciously similar to the Xbox 360's -- though that may be just a coincidence.

Though other consoles quickly surpassed the Dreamcast, including the current most popular console in the world (PlayStation 2), it was an example of high technology at the time and is curious to look back on.

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OnLive cloud-based gaming service now in public beta

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nLive's cloud-based gaming service has just rolled into open beta, so if you've been patiently awaiting its release, now might be a great time to test it out. According to OnLive's official blog, to gain entry to the public beta you must sign up on their site.

After signing up, you will have to provide general information about your ISP, computer specs and your location. OnLive uses this information to organize beta testers into groups. If you fit into a particular test group, OnLive will email you and request that you run a detailed performance test on your network connection and system configuration. They will review that information and may choose your setup to install the OnLive browser plug-in.

For the unfamiliar, OnLive is an on-demand video game service which takes the computational load of running today's high end games off of your PC, and places it onto their servers. Games are synchronized, rendered, and stored remotely and delivered via broadband Internet. The service allows you to play games on low-end systems running Windows XP, Vista (and presumably 7), as well as any Intel-based Mac with OS X.

You're probably thinking that the service will host the typical lame browser-based games, but it has numerous big names on-board, including Electronic Arts, Take-Two, Ubisoft, Epic Games, Atari, Codemasters, THQ, Warner Bros., 2D Boy and Eidos Interactive. It has a library of top-end games you would expect to see on the shelves of your local GameStop.

OnLive will also be selling a router-sized "MicroConsole" which has USB, HDMI, and Ethernet ports. By hooking the MicroConsole up to your TV and broadband line, you can play OnLive games sans computer. The service will require you to pay, but OnLive CEO Steve Perlman believes the console, controller, and subscription fee will be cheaper than the cheapest of consoles.

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