Tech Olive

It’s obvious that Apple will release a refreshed line of MacBook Pros come this spring, but the exact time period is still foggy at this point. However, 9to5Mac has obtained word that Best Buy stores have placed “dummy SKUs” of MacBook Pros into their databases. The release date for those? March 11th. These dummy SKUs also shows a $1,199 for one of the models, which is the cheapest model of the current 13-inch MBP. This means we might not see a permanent price drop when the new models roll in.

via [9to5Mac]

The Super Bowl ain’t just about football, folks. It’s also about the commercials, and we saw one from Chevrolet that shows off their new Cruze with the ability to read back Facebook status updates to the driver. That’s all they showed in the thirty-second clip, but we’re guessing you can also update your Facebook status through the system as well. Seems cool, but will Chevy Cruze users really be that addicted to Facebook for the need to check their status updates while driving? It’s very possible, and I guess in this case, seeing if your first date went well is worth the feature. Check out the commercial after the break.

Continue Reading »

The past week’s best news and featured content that you might have missed…

Retro Review: Grand Theft Auto
- Undeniably the first of its kind, the original Grand Theft Auto title ushered in a whole new sub-genre of gaming: open world. Nowadays we take this type of gameplay for granted, even going to extremes by often labeling them as “GTA clones.” Today, we pay respect to the game that started a revolution and a series that continues to blow our minds with each new installment. More >>

Continue Reading »

Putting smiles on faces all over the wasteland, Bethesda announced that Fallout: New Vegas‘ “timed exclusive” Xbox 360 release would expire on February 22nd, with the Dead Money DLC  releasing for PC gamers. Furthermore, Bethesda confirmed that future DLC for New Vegas would hit all platforms simultaneously, along with a small hint of just how much content we can expect in the near future:

“In addition to Dead Money, we will be releasing three additional add-on packs in the coming months. These packs will launch simultaneously on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.”

No price was given for the PC’s DLC, but Dead Money‘s 800MSP price tag on the Xbox Live Marketplace translates to $10 in real-world money, so you should expect to be paying about that much. There are no details yet on what exactly the other three add-on packs will bring to the game or their respective costs.

[Press Release]

This week on Steam’s Weekly Top Sellers list, Dead Space 2 reclaims the top spot while last week’s top seller, Magicka, drops to number three. Call of Duty: Black Ops jumps back on the list after being absent last week, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is still holding on in the 10th spot. See the complete top ten list after the break.

Continue Reading »

Continually improving their service, Steam has added yet another invaluable feature for gamers: Screenshots. Sure, there are already several programs that any self-respecting gamer should already be running (FRAPS, Xfire, etc.) that offer screenshot functionality, but it’s always nice to get more of what you want in one program.

Any game that supports the Steam overlay will also support the screenshot integration (except games running DirectX 8 or older rendering). Just go into your Steam account’s settings and change your beta participation to enter the screenshot beta. After enabling screenshot support, just use the F12 key to take a shot, and you can upload the shots via Steam Cloud for management on your Steam Community page.

[Press Release]

BioWare has detailed Mass Effect 2‘s next (and probably final) DLC release; The Alternate Appearance Pack #2 will bring new outfits for squad members Grunt, Miranda, and Tali.

The Alternate Appearance Pack #2 features new outfits for your favorite squad members, including Tali, Miranda, and Grunt.

Price:

Xbox 360: 160 MS Points
PC: 160 BioWare Points (About $2.00)

[Mass Effect 2 DLC Info Page]

The third installment in Codemasters‘ off-road racing simulator will be officially arriving worldwide on May 24th. The developer made the announcement today on their community forums. Just like DiRT 2, the third game in the series will be a Games for Windows Live title. No word yet on whether or not there will be a pre-release demo, but we’ll keep our ears open.

via [Big Download]

Pulling out all the stops to ensure a profitable launch for their upcoming RPG sequel, BioWare confirmed the rumors of an upcoming Dragon Age 2 pre-release demo. The demo is scheduled to release February 22nd and will take place during the game’s prologue. Further rewarding the player, loading your completed demo saved game into your retail install of Dragon Age 2 (releasing March 8th), you will be given a bonus weapon: Hayder’s Razor.

via [Shack News]

Though the game’s existence was far from a secret, we’ve finally gotten official word of incoming information regarding the third Battlefield title, thanks to Game Informer. Their March issue will feature a massive and exclusive Battlefield 3 cover story. According to the cover art, “DICE sets its sights on Call of Duty.” Wasn’t that the plan for Bad Company 2 and Medal of Honor, only to be greatly overshadowed by Black Ops?  Perhaps EA DICE can put Call of Duty in its place this time around.