AMD officially relaunches FX brand for high-end processors

Today at the E3 conference in Los Angeles AMD officially reintroduced the FX brand for their top performing processors aimed at PC enthusiasts and gaming aficionados.

As expected, the company also announced the first AM3+ platform based around the FX name. Dubbed Scorpius, the platform consists of AMD 9-series chipset motherboards, unlocked FX processors (codenamed Zambezi) powered by the Bulldozer core and Radeon HD 6000 Series of graphics cards.

"AMD's FX brand will enable an over-the-top experience for PC enthusiasts," said Leslie Sobon, vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, AMD. "By combining an unlocked, native eight-core processor, the latest in chipset technology, and AMD's latest graphics cards, FX customers will enjoy an unrivalled feature set and amazing control over their PC's performance."

No actual products were launched, though AMD 9-series chipset motherboards from a handful of vendors are already available at online retailers. According to the latest leaked roadmaps, the company should start selling its mainstream A-Series processors on notebooks by the end of June and follow up with the FX-Series sometime between July and September.

Pricing for AMD's enthusiast-grade chips is rumored to begin at $220 for the quad-core FX-4110, $240 for the six-core FX-6110, and $290 or $320 for the eight-core FX-8130 or FX-8130P, respectively. These are meant to compete with Intel's Core i5 2500K/2500 and Core i7 2600K/2600 processors on the upper end.

Besides making the FX and Scorpius names official, AMD is also furthering its efforts to promote an advanced experience for gamers with the announcement that Bioware, Creative Assembly, Codemasters and Eidos have all joined the "Gaming Evolved" initiative. The latter is meant to ensure that games from these companies take full advantage of things like DirectX 11, Eyefinity multiple-monitor configurations, CrossFireX, and AMD HD3D support for 3D gaming.

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Nintendo unveils its next-generation console, Wii U

Nintendo unveiled the successor to its Wii today at E3, leaving many onlookers baffled. Called the Wii U, the company's next-generation console aims to bridge the gap between casual and hardcore gamers -- the latter of which were which were abandoned by the Wii. Nintendo wants the Wii U to offer something for everyone, claiming it "will create a deeper experience for even the most passionate gamers."

The most puzzling thing about the Wii U -- apart from its name -- is undoubtedly Nintendo's new controller concept. At first glance, it appears to be an entirely separate device, featuring a built-in 6.2-inch touchscreen, speaker, microphone and camera alongside the traditional buttons, directional controls (two analog sticks and a D-pad), as well as sensors including a gyroscope and an accelerometer.

While it may resemble the bottom half of a 3DS, the controller isn't a self-contained system like a portable console. It connects to a separate box that pumps graphics to your TV, just like most other full-scale consoles. However, the Wii U is more flexible, as the controller's integrated screen can serve as your primary (and only) display, allowing you or your family members to use the TV while you play.

When the controller's screen is used in conjunction with your TV, it can enrich the experience by displaying a different view of the game, statistics or whatever else developers dream up. Although the controller is motion-sensitive, we imagine you probably won't want to dance around the living room with it, nor will you want to buy extras for your buddies as they'll probably be pretty expensive -- initially, anyway.

Fortunately, the Wii U is backward compatible with Wii games and accessories. It can also handle 1080p video, is powered by an IBM CPU, has internal flash storage along with support for SD cards and USB drives, plays proprietary discs and digital downloads, and is due between next April and December. Launch titles include Batman, Tekken, Assassin's Creed, Metro and other popular franchises.

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