The NVIDIA Blog

Tegra 3 Snags Two Best of Show Awards at MWC From LAPTOP Mag
Hands-on: LG Optimus 4X HD With Tegra 3
Boatload of New Games Arriving on Tegra 3 Devices
Sonic Saga Continues, Fueled By NVIDIA Tegra Devices

Tegra 3 Snags Two Best of Show Awards at MWC From LAPTOP Mag

Posted: 28 Feb 2012 05:48 AM PST

NVIDIA’s Bob Sherbin
accepting the award
from a LAPTOP
representative

LAPTOP Magazine today handed out two of its Best of Show awards for Mobile World Congress to the Tegra 3 4-PLUS-1 quad-core mobile processor and a super phone that it powers.

The U.S.-based publication gave Tegra 3 its prize as Best Enabling Technology.

LAPTOP Magazine also gave its award for Best Smartphone at MWC to the HTC One X, a 4.7-inch dialer with an 8 megapixel camera wrapped in a seamless poly-carbonate case. NVIDIA's Tegra 3 powers the phone, which is expected to hit the marketplace in the months ahead.

Hands-on: LG Optimus 4X HD With Tegra 3

Posted: 28 Feb 2012 05:15 AM PST

Set against the backdrop of the Fira de Barcelona's twin spires, we go hands-on with the recently announced LG Optimus 4X HD to see what the new Tegra 3 phone can do.

Mobile World Congress is proving 2012 to be the year of quad-core devices. And NVIDIA is pulling ahead of the pack with premium super phones powered by Tegra 3 – the world's only 4-PLUS-1 quad-core mobile processor with an extra battery saver core.

So, what makes the LG Optimus 4X HD tick?

From its slim profile to its large, bright 720p HD resolution display, the phone is no slouch in the specs department. It boasts the latest version of Google's Android operating system – Ice Cream Sandwich – and makes use of a custom UI to help organize apps and quickly toggle frequently used system settings (such as airplane mode, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.).

And, with Tegra 3 powering the Optimus 4X HD, it's got the chops to rival gaming consoles. Its 12-core GeForce GPU pushes more pixels, more polygons and higher-quality textures to the phone's 4.7-inch TrueHD IPS display.

The video below shows it running console-quality titles Sonic 4: Episode II and Golden Arrow with aplomb.

Make sure to follow us on Twitter (@NVIDIA), this blog and our Social Media Newsroom to get the latest NVIDIA updates from MWC 2012.

Enjoy the photo gallery below.

Boatload of New Games Arriving on Tegra 3 Devices

Posted: 27 Feb 2012 11:09 PM PST

A flotilla of eye-popping new games is sailing over the horizon and into your next-gen Tegra 3 4-PLUS-1 quad-core device.

You’ll see them moored at NVIDIA’s booth at Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona, where they’re making their official debut. But if you don’t happen to be in the neighborhood, you can get a peek at these console-quality titles below.

We’ll focus on four of them for now – Golden Arrow THD, Dark Kingdom THD, Eden to GREEEEN THD and Hamilton's Great Adventure THD. Separately, we covered another one, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II, which you can read here.

These games didn’t come to Tegra 3 by accident. We've been working with these leading mobile game developers for over six years to hone and refine their wares. Tegra 3, with four performance processing cores, in addition to its fifth battery saver core, and a 12-core GeForce GPU, is putting console games on notice…

Console gaming is going mobile.

Golden Arrow THD

In its mobile gaming debut, Golden Arrow brings big-action, hack-and-slash gameplay to your Tegra-powered smartphone or tablet. It features higher-resolution textures, high dynamic range lighting, soft shadows and is filled with lens flares, explosions and fires galore.

A screenshot of Golden Arrow THD

Dark Kingdom THD

The classic Dark Kingdom role-playing gaming title has gone mobile. In Dark Kingdom, you play the hero of the nation and find the whereabouts of the missing father at the tower of gods. You collect spirit stones and rune stones to upgrade weapons, armory and skills.

Along your journey, you'll find yourself immersed in a world of higher-polygon models, dynamic shadows, dynamic lighting and even rag-doll physics.

Eden to GREEEEN THD

Just because a game is free doesn't mean it should skimp on the gaming experience. Eden to GREEEEN THD is hitting the "freemium" gaming scene with high-quality textures, quad-core scaling and more detailed models – all built on the Unreal Engine.

In the game, alien machines from another planet have come to swipe Eden’s natural resources. They’ve all but destroyed the beautiful setting, and only a handful of flora still survive. Euphoria, the natural energy of Eden needed for life to survive is dwindling fast.

Hamilton's Great Adventure THD

The epic strategy/puzzle game Hamilton's Great Adventure has you tackling daring, new levels with your trusty sidekick, Sasha the bird. You'll be navigating fully dynamic levels that rival what you'd experience on the PC version of the game.

Hamilton's Great Adventure has been adapted from Bitsquid's DirectX 11 engine with Tegra 3 optimizations and quad-core scaling.

Keep tabs on the latest NVIDIA updates from MWC by following us on Twitter (@NVIDIA) or liking us on Facebook.com/NVIDIA.

Sonic Saga Continues, Fueled By NVIDIA Tegra Devices

Posted: 27 Feb 2012 03:01 PM PST

Our favorite blue-haired hedgehog is back in an experience never seen before.

Sonic makes his triumphant return in Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II via a Tegra 3-enhanced edition that puts nearly all of the console graphics right into the palm of your hand. Remember playing Sonic 1, 2 and 3 on your original Sega Genesis console? Remember how addicted you became to the fast-paced action of collecting all those rings and beating Dr. Eggman at the end of every Zone?

Well, Sonic 4: Episode II brings all that classic gaming goodness to your Tegra 3-powered device. Sega has given the game a 21^st Century makeover. Armed with snazzy new moves, you'll guide Sonic through 17 all-new levels filled with real-time water effects and dynamic backgrounds – in up to 720p HD resolution on compatible devices. There's also a return of a favorite Special Stage.

To help you deal with all those evil alliance baddies', Sonic 4: Episode II offers a co-op mode that brings Sonic's old sidekick Tails into the action.

Check out the gameplay video below.

The dizzying levels, the chimes, the rings, the speed, the baddies – they are all coming to your Tegra 3 device and you'll love what Sega has done with this new adventure.

Stay tuned for more Sonic on Tegra news!

If you’re at MWC 2012, make sure to stop by the NVIDIA booth (Hall 1, stand C34) to play the game for yourself.