Games Archive

"Last Wednesday, a company called Falling Leaf Systems announced the availability of an alpha of something called the Alky Project. The Alky Project has a lofty goal: to liberate DirectX 10 gaming from the confines of Vista and bring it first to Windows XP, and then to Linux and OS X. The project plans to do this by building a converter that can take in a DX10 game executable and spit out a modified version that can be run on a (non-Vista) target OS. The target OS must be x86-based, which rules out the PPC version of OS X, since the converter doesn't do any binary translation."

"Windows has been the best OS for gamers for years, and Vista takes that to the next level. That's all well and good for games made with Vista in mind, but what about your existing game library? Last May, when Vista was at the Beta 2 milestone, I wrote a feature in which I installed around 15 games on the unfinished OS, describing how well each one worked. Now that Vista is 'done' (in as much as any OS is ever actually finished), it's time to do it again. This time, I'm going to use the final Vista release, a DX10 video card (not that it really matters with no DX10 games), and all the drivers available upon Vista's launch. I'll also take a look at a lot more games, around 25."

Those who intend to install a Linux distribution on a Sony PlayStation 3 will be pleased to learn that Yellow Dog Linux 5.0 is now available for free download. Originally released on 27 November, Yellow Dog Linux 5.0 is a Fedora-based distribution tailored to run on Sony PlayStation 3. It features a graphical installation program and includes the Linux kernel 2.6.16, X.Org 7.0 (3D acceleration not supported), Enlightenment 17 as the default desktop (KDE 3.5.3 and GNOME 2.14 are also available), Firefox 1.5, OpenOffice.org 2.0.2 and other popular open source software applications for desktops, servers, media playback and software development.

Classic board games like Checkers are hard to beat, but after so many holiday seasons and family get-togethers, variety becomes essential. Lines of Action (LOA) is a game slightly off the beaten path that you can play with an ordinary Checkers set the next time you decide to dust it off--but in the meantime, let's fire up Xcode and build a small game engine for playing board games like Checkers and LOA using some artificial intelligence.

Ars reviews the PlayStation 3 personal computer game console, and they say: "The PS3 doesn't have any grand ideas; Sony wanted something high-tech, so they started from scratch with the processor and GPU, but what does it get them? Very little so far. The controller is a mash-up of ideas from their old systems, the 360's triggers, and the Wii's motion-sensing capabilities, but once it has that tech it doesn't really know what to do with it. The Blu-ray adds cost, but adds very little to the gaming experience for the user. It's great as a media player, but for those of us who love games first and foremost, we have to look at it skeptically. The PS3 is a system with no core message, and that is what keeps it from being elegant. Will it do great things in the future? I hope so, the possibility and potential are certainly there. For now, it's power looking for a mission statement."

QJ.net has posted a guide on how to install Fedora Core 5 on the PlayStation 3. There are also some videos of Fedora Core 5 running on the PlayStation 3.

"Power Developer is pleased to provide the relevant Linux support patches and documentation for running Linux on the Sony PlayStation 3. The PlayStation 3 games console was released in Japan today and will go on sale in the US market on Friday, 17th November."

PC Linux distributor Terra Soft has announced plans to release its Yellow Dog Linux distribution for Sony's upcoming PlayStation 3 gaming console. Featuring the experimental e17 desktop environment, Terra Soft's upcoming distribution release is surprisingly unconventional. Ars talked to Terra Soft CEO Kai Staats and Enlightenment developer Carsten 'Rasterman' Haitzler about Linux and the PS3.

Blogger Kiyoshi Saruwatari claims that Nintendo's upcoming Wii console runs on the open source Linux operating system. According to Saruwatari, who claims to be a Nintendo insider, the company reduced development costs by leveraging open source software and incorporating a Linux kernel into the Wii software platform. A wide variety of additional features like web browsing, video playback, file management, and emulation all run on Nintendo's custom Linux operating system, which uses a proprietary interface. Unlike the other specialized software components, the actual games will not run under the Linux platform, and can be played without booting Linux if the user holds down the "A" button while the Wii is starting up.

"Yes, it's true. It's not made out of wood, it's not behind bullet-proof glass at the Tokyo Game Show - it's a real live PS3 and we're really playing it. The two Sony reps that were kind enough to bring us the machine brought it in a bag, popped it out and placed it on our table. We connected it to our TV and we were away. Forget any dev-kit speculation and empty cases. PS3 is real and it works brilliantly."

A new company called AIseek announced what it describes as the world's first dedicated processor for artificial intelligence. Called the Intia Processor, the AI chip would work in conjunction with optimized titles to improve nonplayer character AI. Similar to the way in which physics accelerators can make a game's environment look much more realistic, Intia would make the NPCs act more true to life. There goes yet another PCI slot.

"Can you imagine controlling your computer with a peripheral that resembles a fluffy bar of soap? Well hear us out, because the Soap pointing device from Microsoft Research offers to combine the accuracy of a traditional optical mouse with the freedom of a wireless, even desk-free peripheral." There are even instructions in the video to make one yourself.

The GP2X is an open, Linux-based handheld games console manufactured by Game Park Holdings of South Korea. It has a typical handheld control layout, a good quality backlit screen, built-in stereo speakers, headphone socket, and several connectivity and expansion options. My son is completely taken with the device, and it has won me over too. At £125 (or $190), you're not going to find a less expensive handheld device that can be expanded into a full-blown computer.

Transgaming has announced Cider, their WINE-based gaming virtualization for Intel Macs. This is similar to their previous Cedega software, which served as a way to play Windows games on Linux.