Linden Lab has come out with the newest Release Candidate for Second Life with 1.19.0. This new version features a host of bug and security issue fixes as well as reverts back to the same XUI-based login code in the previous version. You can check out the rather extensive changelog of the game in the full article.

Just in case you're having the same problem as Paynegwynn, whose WoW won't run its video recording feature properly on his Mac for some reason, then here's an explanation.

It turns out that there's some conflict between the video recording feature and a GPU bug. The folks at Blizzard have noted this already and it turns out that they've actually already disabled the option to record videos. Here is Blizz poster Tigerclaw's full explanation:

At present there is a bug in the driver software for that GPU which inhibits our video recording feature (in fact can lead to a crash) - so we disabled it for now on that hardware. However, once an updated driver is released for that machine which addresses that issue, we can post instructions on how to re-enable video recording on that configuration. It's not ideal but this is the best we can do given the bug that we ran into.

Though the solution implemented (meaning the disabling of the recording function) is rather off-putting, it really is the best thing they could do, given that the problem is hardware-based.

Bill Roper stepped out of the Hellgate of London long enough to talk to Firing Squad about the Flagship Studios/Namco Bandai/Electronic Arts (only in North America) game. Post-CES 2007, it also was the opportunity to drop hints about the game on DX9 and DX10 (or D3D10) - yes, the game will support both the next-gen and the "sorry, but current-gen is all we can afford without starving to death" rigs. Hey, Hellgate is one of Microsoft's enfante terribles in its D3D10 Vista lineup.

Does it look any bloody good on D3D10? You know, they never did tell us if any of the screens we've hand before were DX9 or D3D10-rendered. Roper was quick to point out the benefits of D3D10 in Hellgate: London, though.

DirectX 10 not only means faster hardware and more sophisticated shaders, but a more flexible and generalized pipeline which allows us to use the high-end DX9 artwork as a basis for creating even better graphics for the DX10. We have particle systems that live and operate entirely on the GPU. They spawn off of the actual mesh geometry. We have volumetric fluid smoke that responds to objects that pass through it. We have fancy soft shadows that get softer with distance from the caster.

Yes, it better be bloody good-looking with all those virtues of a D3D10 rig, especially when you're rendering the (blasted by hell) City of London. "London is such a great setting for a game, and to be honest, we were a little surprised it really hadn’t been used more." Not that the good Mayor of the City would expect a demonic invasion, though.

The final patch for pre-expansion WoW is here. Nethaera and Greyson, two of Blizzard's community managers, posted two different announcements for this latest patch, which sets the scene for the arrival of the long-awaited expansion.

Within the update, perhaps the biggest expansion-related addition is the arrival of Kazzak's subordinate, Kruul. Kruul and his own small platoon of monsters will be appearing near the major cities, as well as in the Azshara, Eastern Plaguelands, Hinterlands, Searing Gorge, Silithus, Stranglethorn Vale, and Winterspring regions. Be sure to look out for these guys and to either avoid them entirely or chase them down to fulfill a new pre-Burning Crusade quest.

In the meantime, here are the patch notes for 2.0.3, which Greyson also calls "The Burning Crusade". Expect the real Burning Crusade next week, and make sure you have a fresh quiver of arrows. You're definitely going to need them.

General

• A stirring of events has begun throughout Azeroth and rumor points to the Dark Portal as its source.
• Mazk Snipeshot in Booty Bay now sells bullets.
• The Auction House now sorts by buyout price first, then by current price. This should filter all of the items with outlandish buyout prices to the bottom of the list.
• Players will now need to be level 58 to pass through the Dark Portal. (The Burning Crusade Expansion must be installed.)
• Collector Edition pets are now blue items and a confirmation dialogue will appear to prevent accidental deletion.
• Pets will no longer attack targets that are under the influence of crowd control (sheep, banish, etc.).
• The title "Scarab Lord" can now be chosen in game for select players.

More patch notes for the humble warrior after the jump. Note: It's 174 MB.

Allow us for a while to postpone your trip to fantasy land so that we can all get real. You are all aware of companies nVidia, AMD and its subsidiary ATI Technologies, right? Okay for the love of God, the three are major suppliers and manufacturers of GPU. As we all know, we can't get any leveling or questing done if not for these graphics processing units.

Interestingly, nVidia and AMD are currently under fire with the Department of Justice slapping them with a barrage of anti-trust actions. In case you are wondering why, the two were recently accused of conspiracy to take control of the graphics market. Here is what the plaintiffs have to say:

The allegation is the defendants and co-conspirators have engaged in a contract combination, trust or conspiracy, the effect of which was to raise the prices at which they sold graphics processing units and cards to artificially inflated levels.

Executives of the company are also alleged to have had meetings and conversations to discuss pricing of graphics processing units and cards in the U.S.

If these allegations are proven to be correct, then the two are guilty of creating a cartel. The latter are definitely a no-no in a country that is back-boned by democracy and free trade. This is rather weird because not so long ago, the two released a GPU compatible with DirectX 10, the only one in the world.

Graphics cards help to make your gaming experiences so much better. You probably wouldn't be able to see the grandeur of Azeroth or the details on the pretty gun you're holding without a powerful card.

If you're a hardcore gamer who really wants to see everything a game has to offer, you may have picked up one of the GeForce 8800 series cards from NVIDIA to augment your gameplay. If that's the case, then this little bit of news is for you.

NVIDIA recently released the latest version of their ForceWare drivers for the GeForce 8800 types. ForceWare Release 95 v97.44 fixes some issues present in games like EverQuest II and Splinter Cell: Double Agent. This release also removes the option for temperature monitoring and overclocking of the GPU, placing it inside NVIDIA nTune 5.05 instead.

In any case, we've listed the highlights of their release below. GeForce 8800 GTX and GTS users should feel free to visit the sourced link to download the latest drivers for themselves, as well as grab a copy of the release notes and installation guide provided by their site. Enjoy!

Release Highlights:

• Supports GeForce 8800 GTX and GeForce 8800 GTS GPUs.
• Game and application compatibility fixes. For more information on this driver, please view the Release Notes.
• New PureVideo technology features allows GeForce 8800 GTX/GTS to achieve a score of 128 in the HQV video quality benchmark:
• Improved inverse telecine algorithms (2:2 and 3:2 Pull-down Correction) for standard and high definition content.
• Improved spatial-temporal de-interlacing algorithm (for standard and high definition content).
  

• Includes the new NVIDIA Control Panel. Please visit the NVIDIA Control Panel website for more information.
• Microsoft DirectX 9.0c and OpenGL 2.1 support.