Dedicated Physics Processor

Remember when a great CPU and GPU were the key chips for great gaming?



Those days could be over. If chipmaker Ageia's idea catches on, the third key chip will be a good PPU -- a "physics processing unit".



Wonder if today's GPUs are ready for this. During a demo of the new chip, even twin GPUs had trouble keeping up with flying debris at high resolutions.

Also wonder how this will match up to nVidia's software physics solution.

(Via Alix Paultre.)

Street Fighter II on XBox Live Arcade

When I started playing Street Fighter II fifteen years ago, I never imagined it would become a digitally distributed online game available via microtransaction...



...and yet, here it is on XBox Live Arcade. Good move by Microsoft attracting nostalgic hardcores to a mostly-casual catalog.

The Dragon Punch gets a Long Tail.

New YouTube Player

Check out YouTube's new player. Not as clean, compact, and seamless as the old one -- but the time display, volume control, and smoother slider are welcome additions.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, that video's the final battle of Advent Children in English.

Columnist Clueless on Site Stats

Columnist Bhel Cunanan claims a mathematical impossibility. No one can claim nine million(!) visits to a three-week-old site whose (nonrealtime!) public counter counts only 371,414 total, and whose hosting supports only 1.2 million monthly.

And no, upgrading your shared hosting account is not "increasing your Internet servers".

Hey, Inquirer, get this dumb n00b off your paper!

Microsoft Gears Up for Gamevertising

Looks like Microsoft's looking to serve ads where Google cannot: in-game. They're buying a gamevertising company.

This should be encouraging news for the gamevertising girl over at Mobius. No, Dyan, I will never call it "advergaming". I know you use that word to idiotproof the concept for Philippine advertisers -- but it's gaming first, advertising second.

Nintendo Revolution's New Name

Wii.

No, I'm not squealing with delight. That's the new name for the Nintendo Revolution.

Big Content Companies are the Real Pirates

Kudos to Gary Shapiro on fighting for media consumers' rights.

I've been saying it for years: the Optical Media Board is a bad idea, wide-open to abuse.

Oh, and speaking of bonehead bills, check out this one looking to ban MP3 streaming.

Yahoo Philippines Ideas

Had an interesting chat with Yahoo's Larry Jordan at Greenbelt the other day. Among other things, we talked about Yahoo Asia's new mobile client, how Yahoo's knack for community-building appeals to Filipino bayanihan (bayahoonihan?), and the barrier of low Philippine credit card penetration (4%).

To sell premium services in this country, Yahoo Philippines should ride on the prepaid electronic metacurrencies emerging in the Philippines, like Smart Money, G-Cash, and MOLePoints. I know at least one guy who regrets signing on exclusivity with G-Cash, but Yahoo should have the clout to avoid such silliness. Larry was off to meet with local online game publisher Level Up after our chat; their COO Ben is clued in on the metacurrency concept.

Oh, and Yahoo's new DVR software could find a market with 80,000 computer-literate time-displaced disposable-income Filipino call center workers. Too bad its branding is confusingly similar to that of the Asian mobile product: they're both called "Yahoo! Go".

Viacom to Buy Xfire for $102M

While I'm no big fan of MTV Philippines' mindless gaming coverage, their mother company is certainly clued in on the subject.

That's why, as a fan of intergame chat and documentation tool Xfire, I'm delighted to hear Viacom will acquire Xfire for $102M.

Philippine game publishers should note this emerging global gaming standard. If you're going to publish a localized version of an Xfire-supported game, make sure the installation directory and primary executable filename match those of the international version. These simple considerations will ensure seamless compatibility with Xfire.

Filipina Cosplay Celeb Jerry on Shirts

Filipina cosplay celeb Jerry Polence as a priestess.

Only at Pinoy Cosplay Apparel.

Because life is a cosplay.

Filipino Telco Satirist Blogging

Gerry Kaimo, the satirist who made a Filipino telco monopoly's cluelessness painfully obvious for six whole years, is now blogging. Check it out.

Filipino Bloggers Expose Song Ripoff

Yet again, Filipino bloggers expose plagiarism by Filipino companies insulting Filipino intelligence.

This time, it's Toni Gonzaga's We Belong ripping off Utada Hikaru's First Love. Why am I not surprised that a Filipino major record label is capable of such cluelessness?

Don't believe me? See for yourself. Listen especially for the chorus.


Utada Hikaru - First Love.


Toni Gonzaga - We Belong.

The Potential of Gamer Babes

Hey, Level Up, this is why gamer girl Alodia would make a more effective spokesperson than showbiz celeb Iya as Philippine online markets become more participative.

To start, gamer girls are being eyed as the next generation of booth babes. Given online gamers' inclination towards social media, it can go much further than that. The Edelman trust barometer maintains that "a person like yourself" is more trusted than ever. Hardcore gamers will trust a hardcore gamer like themselves more than they would trust traditional models.


I'm not sure how much sense it makes to spend half a million pesos (about US$ 10,000, a considerable sum in the Philippines) on an expensive traditional showbiz celeb like Iya, when you've got the loyalty of more credible sneezers who are just as cute. Despite my distaste for dead tree media, even your FHM feature on gamer babes is smarter than that.

Alodia's gaming and social media savvy has the nascent potential to approach John Cuneta's. If it does, she could become a powerful Filipino microbrand in those industries. Heck, Scoble boosts Microsoft's image more effectively than millions in PR spending ever could...


...and Alodia's much cuter than Scoble. ;)

RFP: Tailrank-Type App

Hugh Macleod's client is looking for someone to build an industry-specific Tailrank-type app. Any takers?

Autoplay Annoyance: GamesMaster Philippines

Again with the autoplay annoyance: GamesMaster Philippines. Also from Summit, which also publishes FHM Philippines, where I also saw autoplay annoyance.

How many times to I have to say it? Repeatedly autoplaying homepage video is the mark of little girls' MySpace profiles, not professional web sites!