Blitz Games Studios achieves a world-first with the public unveiling of its ground breaking, proprietary technology showing true stereoscopic 3D games running on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 at the 3D Entertainment Summit in Los Angeles.

Andrew Oliver, co-founder and CTO of Blitz Games Studios, is the only game developer to be talking at the summit alongside movie industry executives from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group, DreamWorks, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Dolby Laboratories and Real-D.

Blitz Games Studios’ in-house technology demonstrates that current generation consoles can replicate the full HD 3D experience seen in 3D movie theaters with the 3D images ‘popping’ out of 3DTV screens and into living rooms for the first time.

Andrew Oliver, CTO of Blitz Games Studios said:

“This is an incredibly exciting and huge step forward for videogames. Our BlitzTech technology will prove beyond all doubt that we are already doing what some industry experts have said is impossible on today’s game consoles. Our highly tuned engine is capable of producing real-time interactive graphics that are close to offline rendered CG movie quality.

Many TV manufacturers are already selling sets capable of displaying 3D imagery and we envisage that these sets will rapidly gain popularity as content in the form of movies and games becomes available. Our technology allows for our games to run in both 2D and 3D in one version – by simply flicking a ’switch’ between them. It really has to be seen to be believed.”

Oliver states that games are already arguably more immersive than films, but when created in true 3D will be even more immersive.  However, he admits that the games industry still needs to understand design issues and learn lessons from Hollywood studios which are now producing 3D movies in volume for release in 2009 onwards.

I guess this means that the possibility of seeing the womanizing antics of Kratos up close and personal in the near future is not so far fetched. Or imagine, if you will, a rallyracer in DiRT coming out of the screen as if to run you over. Sounds like loads of fun.

(Thanks Kezins)

TechARP has updated its BIOS Optimization Guide bringing it current and adding new features.

This guide serves as a repository of knowledge on various BIOS options. It also serves as a guide on how best to optimize your BIOS. Every system is different and every user has different requirements. What is best for you may not be good for another. So, there’s only one way to decide what’s the best settings for your own BIOS – read the BIOS Optimization Guide and learn how to optimize your BIOS!

BOP v10.2 added or upgraded seven features:

• I/O Interface Security
• Intel Turbo Mode Tech
• Intel Dynamic Acceleration
• SATA AHCI Mode
• LCD Power Saving
• SATA Mode
• SATA Operation Mode

The BOG database now boasts over 350 different BIOS options so chances are you can find a descriptions to help you get your system running at optimal levels. You can consult The Definitive
BIOS Optimization Guide on TechARP.

Police in Ontario are putting a twist on videogames for teens. They’ve had a car donated by the school through a $1,000 donation from the Ontario Chiefs of Police Substance Abuse Grant Program gutted and tricked out with a driving videogame and projector screen. Then they equip teenagers with “Beer Goggles” that simulate your vision at twice the legal blood-alcohol limit and let them drive a simple traffic course. The first victims were automotive technology students from Adam Scott Collegiate who are working on improving the design and producing more.

According to the local Peterborough Examiner, the experience was eye opening for many of the teens that attempted the simulator.

“Dude, the car is mangled,” shouted a group of automotive class students as they tested out the simulator.

“It’s really, really blurry and so hard to see,” said Grade 11 student Tyler Ralph, 16, as he stumbled out of the car. “It really slows your reaction time.”

“You’ll be at one end of the street and think you’re at the other end,” said Grade 11 student Lucas Nelson, 16.

“You wouldn’t think it’s that bad,” Ralph said. “When you’re drunk you’re not really concentrating, either, so it would be even worse.”

“If anyone actually did this they would never want to get behind the wheel of their car (while drunk),” said city police Sgt. John Ogrodnik after trying the simulator.

Students are eager to add to the project and are already working on the details. They want to replace the projector screen with a television to improve immersion and have the hood pop up when the driver hits another vehicle.

It’s good to see people get creative and use videogames that may have a questionable reputation in a positive, productive way. Videogames are a great medium for reaching and teaching the younger generations. Thanks to GamePolitics for the heads up.

Gaming Today has taken another step into the wonderful world of instant communications. Make sure to get signed up for the new Gaming Today Twitter feed. Get all the latest on games and gaming culture at home, in the office and on the go.

Allstate is considering offering their clients 50 and older a discount on car insurance for gaming. The company is running a trial program called InSight which offers specialized computer games to 100,000 customers in Pennsylvania aged 50 to 75.

According to CNN the program features a variety of games designed to reverse age-related cognitive decline and improve visual alertness. In addition to driving games there are also shell games such as Jewel Diver and other brain training exercises.

Posit Science developed the game and will monitor the number of hours played by each subject so they can compare the accident rates of those who played and those who didn’t. Allstate is recommending that older drivers complete at least 10 hours of training which is free to the 100,000 Pennsylvania drivers in the study. Based on the results, they may add other states to the program.

Videogames have proved remarkably effective in rehabilitation in the elderly. They also help older people slow or even reverse the loss of brain function which occurs naturally with time. If Allstate puts InSight into practice Nationwide, older drivers will get more than just a discount on the ever rising cost of insurance. They can prolong their quality of life.

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures now has its own Blade interface. Players that prefer the Xbox360 controller to the traditional PC keyboard and mouse combo can switch using the SwitchBlade software customized for AoC.

Gamers can used one of several predefined configurations for AoC or create their own. For more on the blade for Age of Conan and other PC games, visit Blue Orb’s SwitchBlade website.

Cartoon Network is taking no chances with children’s safety in its upcoming MMO, Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall. The sign up process is Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) compliant requiring full parental disclosure and permission for all aspects of the game. Cartoon Network has also hired Crisp Thinking which uses a three pronged attack to head off harassment, cyberbullying, and predators. The first two methods are pretty standard, with profanity filtration and chat monitored for anything like addresses or phone numbers being passed ect. which raises flags for a live FusionFall monitor to check in on the situation. The third is very high tech and invasive.

Finally, Crisp even promises to provide what it calls the Engine for Relationship Analysis, which will work to analyze conversations and relationships over long periods of time, tracking behavioral patterns beyond single-session chatting. Using algorithms developed from millions of children’s IMs and communications from real-life predator cases, the ERA is programmed to detect “grooming” behavior to ensure children aren’t the target of a stalker’s long con.

If Relationship Analysis was applied to an adult MMO, I would ding it as a massive invasion of privacy. However since children are involved I’m all for it. I’ve explained Internet security to my oldest too many times only to have her “forget” to have any illusions that Crisp Thinking isn’t needed.

For screenshots and concept art for Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall, visit the media archives at FileFront.

An optimistic look at the effects of videogames on players has been offered by the American Psychological Association via the Associated Press. The APA goes as far as to refer to videogames as “powerful learning tools.”

Researchers gathering in Boston for the American Psychological Association convention detailed a series of studies suggesting that video games can be powerful learning tools — from increasing the problem solving potential of younger students to improving the suturing skills of laparoscopic surgeons.

Evidence that playing videogames improves surgical skills is so strong, surgeons may just want to start listing their playtime experience on their resumes.

“The single best predictor of their skills is how much they had played video games in the past and how much they played now,” said Iowa State University psychologist Douglas Gentile. “Those were better predictors of surgical skills than years of training and number of surgeries performed,” Gentile said. “So the first question you might ask your surgeon is how many of these [surgeries] have you done and the second question is, ‘Are you a gamer?’”

However, the APA isn’t just talking about edutainment and simulators put purely entertaining videogames as well. The article cites studies on players of MMOs, particularly World of Warcraft.

Researchers looked at a random sample of 2,000 discussion posts about the popular multiplayer online game World of Warcraft to see what the players were talking about. The game is set in a fantasy world where players hunt, gather and battle to move their characters to higher levels. Players who work together succeed faster.

The study found the game encouraged scientific thinking, like using systems and models for understanding situations and using math and testing to investigate a problem.

Not all of the studies show videogames in such a positive light. Behavioral studies on subjects who played violent videogames are still grim.

Other studies confirmed earlier research that found students who played violent games tended to be more hostile, less forgiving and believed violence to be normal compared to those who played nonviolent games.

Still I wonder if the studies in question prove that violent videogames make players more aggressive, or that people with more aggressive personalities chose to play violent videogames. I would like to see personality profiles of the subjects before and after exposure to violent videogames. that would be more convincing proof that these games are actually changing the players’ natural tendencies.

The latest video developer diary for Bangai-O Spirits explains Sound Load Technology in the upcoming action arcade title. The game offers co-op and competitive multiplayer modes which is where this special tech comes in. Bangai-O Spirits uses Sound Load Technology to transfer level information between DSs using the microphone. If your curious how Treasure makes it all work, take a look at the video.

Now here’s a good idea: just put Will Wright in front of a camera and have him talk about whatever pops into his mind for a minute. Seriously, he’s obviously got a mind that’s full of random information. So that’s exactly what G4TV decided to do. In this video clip, Will Wright quickly discusses a project that Russia had going on in the 70’s that involved an armed space station. It was essentially a manned spy craft that would orbit the Earth taking photos with an anti-aircraft mounted to it. Amazingly, they actually ran some successful tests with the gun, but the cosmonauts were still afraid of being flung out of orbit by it. So now you know, and knowing is half the…um, physics test?