China embraces online gaming

Apparently the virtual world has not been hit by the financial crisis. In early April, Changyou, the online gaming division of the popular Chinese portal site Sohu.com, had its initial public offering on the Nasdaq exchange, writes US-China Today.

The stock jumped 25% by the day's end, raising over $128 million in company proceeds.

With nearly 300 million Internet users, online gaming was bound to take off in China. From World of Warcraft to Westward Journey, millions are taking up their virtual swords to join in the fray. But with an online population the size of the US, China's gaming world is being regulated with the heavy hand of its real-world counterpart. Its economy, however, is still booming.

MSI has updated its gaming laptop series with two new models, the GX623 and GX633 for Intel and AMD CPU fans respectively, reports TrustedReviews.

Both laptops sport similarly 15.4-inch chassis, with the components inside each different. Those equate to the GX623's Intel core 2 Duo CPU and AMD ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670 graphics and the GX633's AMD Turion X2 CPU and nVidia GeForce GT 130M graphics.

Otherwise both systems pack up to 4GB of DDR2 Ram, can be fitted with Blu-ray drives and offer up to 500GB of hard drive capacity. Gigabit Ethernet, Draft-N WiFi and an array of USB ports and an eSata connector should keep the GX623 and GX633 sufficiently connected.

Gaming Technology Solutions, an online gaming solutions provider, has inked a games deal with BaddaMedia, an I-gaming software supplier, says Gaming Industry Media.

Under the agreement, Gaming Technology Solutions will integrate BaddaMedia games on the GTS Enhanced Gaming Engine platform, which will give operators using the platform access to the new content, the group said.

"BaddaMedia is a games developer that is producing truly fresh and creative content," said Steven Matsell, Gaming Technology Solutions' director, in a prepared statement.