According to GamesIndustry.biz, the industry's guru John Carmack is preparing a new game. And we mean NEW.

[...] at a London event earlier this week, the id CEO said: "We are working on an all-new franchise: it's not Doom, it's not Quake, it's not Wolfenstein, it's not Enemy Territory, it's not even Commander Keen.

"It is a new id brand with an all-new John Carmack engine and I think that when we show it to people, once again they'll see, just like they saw when we first showed Doom 3, that John Carmack still has a lot of magic left."

Id software fans start now a very long waiting "game". If the eternal delays with the release of Doom3 are any indication, it won't be until the next decade that we see this one. Let's hope it pays off with such a good reward this time.

One of the main reasons for most users to migrate to the new OS from Microsoft is the upgrade to the last version of DirectX. Maybe you are not happy about Windows Vista, but if you want to play the coolest games, there is no other option. Or there wasn't until now.

After all the delays with OpenGL, this year will see two version releases: Longs Peak (OpenGL 2.x) and Mount Evans (OpenGL 3.0). They will be finished in July and October. The first one "is a major clean-up of the code after almost a decade and a half of nothing else but stacking numerous extensions together", while the latter will need DirectX 10-class hardware to run.

Having to switch to another API is something most game developers will not do, but the option is there, and some companies (like ID Software) are biased towards OpenGL. Therefore, if you want to stick with your old Windows platform but still be able to enjoy astonishing graphics... don't despair, there is life after DirectX 9.

Most fans suspected that much, but until today Blizzard had not confirmed that a sequel to the popular real time strategy title would see the light of day.

Go to http://www.starcraft2.com/ and see what they are up to. Information is scarce, but you can download artwork, screenshots and trailers. And in case you were wondering about the quality of the trailes: yes, they are as good as tradition mandates. Here are some highlights from the FAQ:

"StarCraft II will run on a vibrant new 3D-graphics engine that will be capable of rendering beautiful landscapes as well as massive individual units and army sizes. [...] The game will be compatible with DirectX 10, and we're still considering whether there will be exclusive DirectX 10 graphic effects, but the graphics engine will also be very scalable to ensure that a wide range of different systems will be capable of running StarCraft II. The new engine is also capable of rendering very large units, as well as large numbers of units on screen together. Havok physics have been integrated into the engine for added realism as well."

The real question still hangs on the air: will heroes be WarCraft III-like? This can make the difference between success and failure. Maybe tomorrow, when the Gameplay Video is ready we will get our doubts cleared.

The wait is over! If you want to know how future gaming feels, you can download the Lost Planet demo and check it out.

Just remember that you need Windows Vista to run the DX10 version of the game. And for a real head to head, we advise against Windows XP 64 bit as the host OS for the DX9 version (anybody had that thought?). Testing the 64 bit Vista makes some sense, however, because it's what lies ahead.

Take screenshots, grab Fraps and you will have guaranteed fun (even if you don't like the game itself).

No, not the game, only the internet site for now. But if they decided to get it up and running, the game release can't be far behind.

There, you'll find a trailer and some high resolution screenshots. The pictures may take some time to display because they're big. Don't trust the viewer if you use a low screen resolution, it'll resize them so they fit, but it'll take the same time than what you'd need to download them, so you're better off just doing that.

Another problem you'll likely meet is sheer connection loss, which is not surprising if we think how much time the game's been in developement and how many people is there trying to get some information. The misery of it all is that you won't find any information for the moment.

If you want to get a taste of what the game'll look like, be patient and go watch. If you wanted information, continue waiting. At least now there's a place where you can expect it.

Even before it reached stores, Windows Vista faced tons of critics, fears or just plain animosities. As with any new OS from Microsoft, there were all kinds of questions regarding it's compatibility, security and performance. With time, some of those concerns were, are or will be dismissed.

The point of compatibility seems moot, as the majority of commercial applications will sooner, rather than later, upgrade. Device compatibility is up to manufacturers. In the end, it will be a time and money issue.

Security, like any Windows version before is debatable.

Performance... that's it's Achilles heel. It looks like all that can be expected is for the new OS not to fall far behind Windows XP. While 2D apps hold their ground, games are another world: one that's dominated by the old brother. DirectX games are closing the gap with every new driver release, but what about OpenGL based games? For a long time it was tought that playing them on Windows Vista would be horrible, but Beyond3D took time to explain what all the confusion was about and added some benchmarks to polish it all.

GT HD is supposed to be a taste test of what is to come from GT on PS3 and it successfully does this but it's not going to last you more than a few hours. On offer is one track and ten cars with only one car available initially, where as more become unlocked as you beat the various track records with each car. Generally, even without the driving aids on, you will unlock most cars within one lap of the circuit and then it just becomes a piece of software to show your PS3 off to mates.

TTGamer have posted a review on Gran Turismo HD for the PS3. This free download for the PS3 gives gamers a sneak peak at what's to come with GT on the PS3, but is it worth the trouble?

Chocs Away

The good news is, Microsoft (more specifically the ACES team), has heard the moans and groans and are actually doing something about it! In what is a rare move for Microsoft's flight simmulations division, a significant patch, known as FSX SP1, is currently in beta. With a scheduled release date of April 30th (yes...this year), SP1 promises to bring about some significant improvements in the way graphics and CPUs, especially multi-core CPU's, handle FSX. As a beta tester, under a NDA, I can't say much, but I will say that the improvements are significant enough to allow me to load and run FSX with believability on my two year old laptop sporting an Intel Centrino and ATI X700...something I couldn't do before the SP1 beta.

Bottom line, anybody with a pc or laptop with decent gadgets from the past two years ought to be able to fly Microsoft's latest, greatest simulator with a whole lot more thrills than spills. Keep up to date at www.fsinsider.com

If you ever wondered why the Internet was created, this WOW movie might just clear a few things up. The internet is for porn! Watch out for the catchy tune - you'll be humming it for weeks.

If you can't decide whether to buy a Sony Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii, this advert might just help you make up your mind. Apple and Nintendo recently merged their marketing departments and so far we are very impressed with the results. We've already decided which one we'd like to take home and it rhymes with pee. How about you - Wii or PS3 girl? And if anybody knows who the Wii girl is or if you have her cellphone number, please let us know.

Wii girl