Tech Olive

UK video game retailer Play.com have added some interesting information to their store listing of Medal of Honor. While the PC and Xbox 360 listings are normal, their listing for the PS3 version of the game offers the following information in its description:

“Pre-ordering Medal Of Honor from Play.com will give fans the opportunity to join the Medal Of Honor multiplayer BETA when it goes live on July 5th 2010. The BETA will take place between July 5th and July 17th – access codes will be emailed on July 5th. All pre-orders through Play.com will entitle customers to an access code. BETA access details are subject to change at any time.”

This information is still unconfirmed, so hopefully when EA announces the beta, PC gamers will be included in the fun. However, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time that consoles get a beta and PC gamers are left in the cold, so don’t get your hopes up.

via [Play Front]

It seemed too perfect for the game to actually release on the first date we were given by Valve, but that doesn’t make this announcement any less rage-inducing. Valve announced today that their upcoming sequel, Portal 2, will miss its original October 2010 release date and will hit shelves sometime next year. Read their entertaining press release after the break.

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Epic Vid of the Week is a weekly series that showcases an awesome video that we or our readers discover. Some you may have seen before and others you may have not. If you’ve discovered any videos that are worthy of an Epic Vid of the Week title, let us know!

Needless to say, I was completely stunned when I saw this video. This close-up, HD footage of the launchpad during Apollo 11′s takeoff was taken at 500fps, so the entire 8-minute video is only about 30 seconds long in real time. Take a look:

Steam has slashed the price of Batman: Arkham Asylum‘s GOTY edition to $19.99 from $39.99. There’s never been a better time to grab a copy for yourself. While it was undoubtedly one of the best games of 2009, you can skim through our review if you’re undecided on your purchase.

[Store Page]

Take Two’s upcoming Max Payne 3 has been hit with yet another delay that will push its release into 2011. While the game’s last delay promised a release this August/October, it seems we’ll have to wait even longer to walk in Max Payne’s shoes. While no specifics were given on when we should expect a release, Take Two’s CEO Ben Feder told Shack News the following in a conference call:

“While we do not take the movement of any title lightly, our recent success with Red Dead Redemption illustrates the importance and the benefits of giving a title the time that it needs in order to fulfill its potential in the marketplace. The team at Rockstar is focused on making this the best possible experience in interactive entertainment.”

Put simply, it sounds like Rockstar wants to ride on the profits of Red Dead Redemption for a while before releasing their next big title.

via [Shack News]

A public beta of the first Service Pack for Windows 7 will be coming later in July, according to Microsoft’s Windows Blog. However, there’s nothing too exciting about this one. It will only include some minor performance improvements and updates, as well as a combination of existing updates. Plus, Windows 7 doesn’t really absolutely need a Service Pack as Vista did, but any updates for the better are always welcome.

via [Maximum PC]

Not one to pass on the festivities, it seems Crytek has something special planned for this year’s E3. In a just-released Crysis 2 teaser trailer, we are shown a new enemy (which we assume is a “Pinger”) and warned that “the Pinger attacks E3 2010.” Hit the break to grab a view of this trailer.

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DICE announced that the next installment of DLC for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will come in the form of a third VIP Map Pack adding Squad Deathmatch to Nelson Bay and Squad Rush to Laguna Alta. It seems DICE is still putting in the minimum amount of effort necessary to give gamers what they call “Map Packs.” Then again, gamers can’t really complain about the free price tag that this DLC has been bringing with it.

While there’s no concrete release date for the DLC’s PC appearance, DICE did say that the maps will release “after the release of the next [title] update.”

via [Shack News]

After the cancellation of Valve’s special Portal 2 E3 2010 event, everyone jumped to the conclusion that Half-Life 2: Episode 3 would now be Valve’s main focus at the event, but after fans and members of the press spammed Gabe Newell’s inbox, he finally replied with the following: “It isn’t ep 3.”

There have been a few notable hints and seeming announcements of Episode 3‘s presence at this year’s E3, but they have been confirmed by Valve as being fake. So, it seems we’re only left with our own speculation. Could it be Left 4 Dead 3 or perhaps a Team Fortress 2 MMO spin-off? What are your predictions and hopes for Valve’s surprise announcement? Let’s hear them in the comments!

Toshiba claims that their new Dynabook TX/98MBL will be the industry’s first laptop to play 3D content in Blu-ray format. The new laptop has a 15.6-inch LED display with a 1,366 x 768 resolution at 120Hz. It uses WinDVD BD to playback the Blu-ray 3D format along with Nvidia’s 3D Vision software and GeForce GTS 350M graphics. On the inside there’s an Intel Core i7-740QM processor, 640GB hard drive, up to 4GB of RAM, a Blu-ray drive (obviously), and stereo speakers with Dolby Advanced Audio. It will start shipping at the end of July in Japan at an expected cost of about $2,700.

[Press Release]