Microsoft is 'revealing' their next generation XBOX tomorrow, at a special event online: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hub/reveal

The details of the new XBOX are not officially disclosed yet, however many expect AMD to complete a clean sweep of the next generation consoles. The new XBOX is expected to feature a new semi-custom APU from AMD featuring four Jaguar modules and Graphics Core Next architecture, like the Sony Playstation 4.

However, it is expected to be less powerful, in all respects - lower clocks, fewer GCN compute units, possibly a 128-bit memory controller, and using a unified system memory provided by DDR3. A possibility that might bump up the gaming performance of the system is a hybrid system featuring a discrete GPU alongside the APU graphics.

A configuration like this could be extremely useful if the dGPU supports heterogeneous unified memory architecture, whereby the CPU can interrupt and query the dGPU, as well as queue asynchronously work for the processor to do.

If the internal APU graphics core was reserved for functions like kinect motion control, physics, AI etc., the dGPU could provide high performance graphics rendering and post processing at the same time.

Seperating the dGPU would allow the XBOX to use much less power at idle and in light use scenarios, like media consumption or social media activities.

A new tech video from NVIDIA offers up some comparison screenshots and footage from Metro: Last Light, in which you'll see exactly what difference tessellation and PhysX makes. While the former isn't much to speak of (at least in the shots shown here), the latter can be substantial.



Our tech review of Last Light is here.

As promised, a patch has arrived for shooter Metro: Last Light, allowing you to customize the Field of View through file editing (to do it, navigate to %LOCALAPPDATA%\4A Games\Metro LL, open user.cfg, edit the r_base_fov variable as desired, and save).

Besides that, performance is improved for AMD users, and a shadow "visual corruption bug" that cropped up for 7xxx series users is now fixed, as is the problem with the game starting in 3:1 on some TVs.

Boot Steam now to grab the update.

Source: Steam

We take a look at Capcom's Resident Evil Revelations demo to find out what's in store for PC enthusiasts, from visuals to performance and more.

Resident Evil Revelations PC Technical Preview @ Rage3D.com

AMD is expanding their Never Settle: Reloaded game bundle the simplest way possible: making more games available with the purchase of cards. Read the details and find out why AMD are bundling games while NVIDIA is rebranding GPUs.

Never Settle: Reloaded Bundle Levels Up @ Rage3D.com

AMD are claiming the world's fastest notebook GPU with the release of the AMD Radeon HD 8970M. Boasting 2.3TFLOPS and a new Boost capability, it's ready for the win in gaming notebooks like MSI's new GX 70.

Introducing AMD's Radeon HD 8970M @ Rage3D.com

For anyone displeased with the lack of a Field of View option in Metro: Last Light (as noted in our tech review), word is in the option to tweak it via an .ini file will be coming in a patch this week. However, because the game was designed with a fixed FOV in mind, issues are likely to crop up. A more elegant solution may surface in the long-term, but don't hold your breath.

Source: Steam

A new driver release from NVIDIA -- 320.14 -- is said to increase performance in the just-about-to-release Metro: Last Light by up to 10%. Head here to begin downloading, and here to read all the technical details on the game in our review.

Source: Geforce

We go deep underground with 4A Games' atmospheric shooter Metro Last Light to find out how it fares on PC. Read our tech review to see how it does in terms of features, performance, and more.

Metro Last Light PC Technical Review @ Rage3D.com

RTS fans will want to check out the video below, as it includes more alpha gameplay from the upcoming Command & Conquer, running on the Frostbite 3 engine. Frostbite 2 is currently powering Battlefield 3; you don't have to look far to see the similarities.



C&C is free to play (to the dismay of some); you can sign up for the beta here if you like.

AMD's latest memory is a quad 4GB DIMM kit of DDR3-2133 modules, standing 30mm tall, black, red, and proud. It's bundled with a new high-capacity 64GB version of the AMD Radeon RAMDISK, and is designed for overclocking.

AMD Radeon Gamer Memory Debuts @ Rage3D.com

Many msn.com and hotmail.com email users found recently that they needed to change their password, as they have been moved to the new Outlook.com webmail system offered by Microsoft. A new blog from Microsoft discusses how this happened ahead of Microsoft's original schedule, which estimated this to happen later this summer; and, confirms the existence and release of Windows 'Blue' - an update coming for the Windows 8 ecosystem:

Brandon LeBlanc: There’s been a lot of speculation about Windows Blue. What can you tell me about it?

Tami Reller: Windows Blue is a codename for an update that will be available later this year, building on the bold vision set forward with Windows 8 to deliver the next generation of tablets and PCs. It will deliver the latest new innovations across an increasingly broad array of form factors of all sizes, display, battery life and performance, while creating new opportunities for our ecosystem. It will provide more options for businesses, and give consumers more options for work and play. The Windows Blue update is also an opportunity for us to respond to the customer feedback that we’ve been closely listening to since the launch of Windows 8 and Windows RT. From a company-wide perspective, Windows Blue is part of a broader effort to advance our devices and services for Microsoft.

Read more at the Windows Blog

Following its recent shutdown of LucasArts, Disney has chosen EA to publish Star Wars titles going forward.

While no specific titles are announced yet, DICE, Visceral, and BioWare are all working on Star Wars projects as a result of this deal, and all are powered by the Frostbite 3 engine shown in the Battlefield 4 trailer (below).



Source: EA

The Sims 4 is in development for PC and Mac, and will launch sometime next year. After the recent SimCity always-on DRM debacle, you may be wondering then if The Sims 4 will go the same route. In an updated blog, EA describes the game as an "offline, single player experience". So there you go.

Source: EA

A new update to the Steam client has been released to all, and includes the download limiting option previously available only to beta users, as well as several Big Picture Mode improvements and fixes.

On the latter front, of particular note is tweaks have been made for low-end hardware users, and a fix put in place for crashing caused by Internet Explorer 10 running on Windows 7.

Boot Steam now to grab the update.

Source: Steam