Posted 11/26/08 at 12:03:23 AM by Nathan Grayson

id Software boss and brain-god John Carmack may have softened his stance on consoles as of late, but don't get him wrong; his heart still has a hard-on for the PC, and he's not afraid to show it.

“The keyboard/mouse interface is definitely still the superior interface for a competitive first-person shooter experience, much better than an analog joypad,” he told PC Gamer.

But why stop with games? Clearly, the PC can do at least two other things.

"The browser environment is faster—navigating web pages on the console is a really tedious experience… And I do think there’s the whole idea of PCs being everywhere, and having a game that you can play just about anywhere. Anywhere there’s a PC, if you’ve got a few minutes you can download Quake Live content and jump in and play your game,” he said.

However, Carmack conceded that console development definitely has its perks -- for instance, acting as a hardy shelter in the hail of issues that is PC development.

"There are interesting technical things, looking across the spectrum of graphics cards, looking at the very latest stuff on there, but there are also times when I say, 'Wow, the 360 is a nicer place to develop games.' You bypass a lot of the issues there. Wouldn’t it be nice just to develop strictly for that platform?"

No.

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gaming, Software, news, Xbox 360, id software, john carmack, first-person shooter

Posted 07/22/08 at 10:06:22 PM by Norman Chan

You've read our in-depth interview with the designer of the game, but here's a chance to you to get a clear look at the awesome zombie slaughterfest in Left4Dead. Valve has given us four exclusive screenshots from its upcoming multiplayer shooter, along with a detailed briefing explaining the graphical enhancements they've made to the game engine since acquiring Turtle Rock Studios. The new post-processed filmic effects and advanced shadow rendering makes the game look like nothing you've seen before. It sure doesn't look like Half-Life 2!

Click the jump for more exclusive screenshots and Source engine upgrade details!

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gaming, Valve, E3, left4dead, screenshots, pc games, zombie, exclusive, first-person shooter, e3 20008