surround

Hot on the heels of releasing the GeForce GTX 680, NVIDIA has just announced the imminent release of the dual-GPU GTX 690. The new card will use two full speed GK104 chips. It is being binned with special low-leakage chips to reduce the thermal profile. It also sports a new custom chromium plated aluminum architecture (rather than the usual plastic). The GTX 690 has a lower TDP than the older GTX 590, and is actually 4dB quieter than the recent GTX 680. The back sports 1xMini-DP and 3xDL-DVI connectors.

I've gone into my account on gog.com and created two mixes that should be of interest to retro gamers in the community. The first is a list of games that are known to work in widescreen. The second is a list of games that are known to work in Eyefinity/Surround. In each entry I give a quick overview of the support, and a link back to the game page here at the WSGF. If you have a GOG account, please go vote up the mixes, so they will be more readily visible on gog.com

After much waiting, HaYDeN has released a vastly updated version of his Flawless Widescreen (FW) tool. The tool provides a unified system for implementing Eyefinity and Surround fixes in games. The new tool now features:

• Repository based plugins/modules with autonomous updating and version checking.
• Fast with low memory utilization, C++ classes exposed to LUA for powerful and fast memory manipulation/injection, registry and file manipulation.
• LUA and XML based plugins requiring minimal programming knowledge
• SoftTH, AMD Eyefinity and NVIDIA Surround API's intergrated for accurate display environment detection including bezel compensation, manually configurable fall-back for non-standard solutions.
• Plugins are inherently open-source encouraging contributions and improvements from the community.

You can download the tool from HaYDeN's site, flawlesswidescreen.org. You can also comment and discuss the tool in this thread at the wsgf. This is first release of the new tool, and issues will be addressed as they arise.

NVIDIA's new GeForce GTX680 (codenamed "Kepler") was launched today. A number of reviews are up, including one here at HardOCP. The GTX680 looks like it blows past the Radeon HD 7970 at 1080p widescreen, and holds even with the AMD offering at 2560x1600 and multi-monitor.

The new NVIDIA offering also offers much improved efficiency over the GTX580, and betters the AMD Radeon HD 7970 in power consumption. Additionally, it is $50 cheaper than the AMD flagship, so I would expect price drops from AMD soon.

The best new feature on the NVIDIA card is that it can now run NV Surround from a single GPU. The previous requirement of a dual-GPU configuration was a serious roadblock to users embracing the NVIDIA multi-monitor technology. The reference card ships with 1xDP, 1xHDMI and 2xDVI connections. I'm assuming that a single-link DP>DVI adapter would allow you to run with three DVI screens.

We don't have a card here to test, but I did get a call from NVIDIA today and will be talking with them about Kepler tomorrow. So, here's hoping we'll have something to share soon.

Gearbox Software announced today that upcoming shooter Borderlands 2 will feature a FOV slider and "PC specific UI", and will support "higher resolutions". WSGF community has helped lobbying Gearbox for these features, as they have solicited suggestions for the PC interface / options.

Remedy, the developer of Xbox 360 hit Alan Wake has confirmed the upcoming PC version will be running in multi-monitor on their official site.

Here is my evaluation of Dirt 3 for multi-monitor support.

Surround feature videos talk about any flaws the game has in multi monitor mode, the level of support provided, any hacks needed to manually force support, and also talks about the benefits and joy of playing in surround.

The WSGF is pleased to launch our online store for the WSGF Multi-Monitor Stand from Ergotech. - Store Link

The WSGF Edition is a unique design among multi-monitor stands. It is designed to grow with you as you expand your multi-monitor configuration. This is particularly useful for Eyefinity users who want to take advantage of 1+ 3x1-Landscape and, and 5x1-Portrait configurations at some point in the future. Additionally, it is the only stand designed to handle three 27" monitors. The stand is designed to support these configurations:

• 3x1-Landscape with 27" monitors
• 1+3, with up to 27" monitors
• 5x1-Portrait, with 24" monitors

If you don't need the extra capabilities of the WSGF Edition stand from Ergotech, we also offer the "standard" Heavy Duty Triple stand in our store. If you already own one of the triple stands from Ergotech, we also offer upgrade kits to allow for 1+3 and/or 5x1-P configurations. Full details on the stand specifications are available on the product page in our online store.

A quick rundown of the kit details can be found in the rest of this news entry as well.

Forum member Blevar took a troll back through some of his old games and has updated all the Detailed Reports for the Unreal and Unreal Tournament franchises. All of the games can be easily modded to run in Eyefinity or Surround with simple .ini edits or console commands. If you've got a little Christmas cash left in your pocket, head over to Good Old Games and grab these classic titles. Check out these updated Detailed Reports for all the details:

Please support WSGF by purchasing this game via our affliate links...

The WSGF is please to announce the availability of the WSGF Multi-Monitor Stand from Ergotech. The enclosed information outlines the final specifications and pricing of both the WSGF Edition stand, and the available upgrade kits.

I am actively working to get the store online. Until then, you can purchase a WSGF Edition or upgrade kit buy emailing us with your address and which unit you need. I can then generate an invoice through PayPal.

A quick rundown of the kit details can be found in this news entry, or you can read the full article for all the details.