Halo 4 gets official November 6 release date Microsoft "embarking on a journey that will encompass the next decade of Halo games"

Confirming earlier reports, Microsoft has announced a Tuesday, November 6 worldwide release date for Halo 4.

Billed as the first chapter of a brand new Halo saga that will no doubt span multiple Xbox console generations, it's the first Halo game not to be developed by series creator Bungie.

Microsoft studio 343 Industries is now in the hot seat, and it has promised to address the unanswered questions around the fates of the series' protagonist, Master Chief, and his artificial intelligence companion Cortana.

Set four years after the events of Halo 3, "Master Chief returns to confront his destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe", according to the publisher.

Microsoft Studios corporate vice president Phil Spencer said: "We are beginning a new saga with Halo 4 and embarking on a journey that will encompass the next decade of Halo games and experiences.

"Millions of fans worldwide have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to step back into the boots of Master Chief, and with Halo 4 leading the charge, we're confident 2012 will be the most successful year in Xbox history."

343 Industries recently told us it already has "a definite story arc in mind" for Halo 5 and 6.
Source from computerandvideogames.com

God of War 4 trailer leaks online Update: Sony officially confirms 'God of War Ascension'

God of War 4 has leaked online via a placeholder box art and teaser trailer.

Titled God of War: Ascension, the game's box art depicts series mainstay Kratos, apparently struggling to break free from chains.

The box art is accompanied on the leakyAmazon page by a short trailer, and what we safely presume is a placeholder release date of December 31, 2013.

[UPDATE: Sony's officially confirmed the game]

Evidence of an imminent God of War 4 reveal has been piling up for some time now. The unannounced game has appeared on a number of CVs and been listed by multiple retailers.

Sony then teased an announcement for late this week...full news at computerandvideogames.com

Western Digital VelociRaptor 1TB (WD1000DHTZ) Review

There was a time when Western Digital's Raptor (and later, the VelociRaptor) was a staple of any high-end desktop build. Rotational media could only deliver better performance by increasing aereal density or spindle speed. In a world dominated by hard drives that focused on the former, WD decided to address both. By shipping the only mainstream (e.g. not SCSI or SAS) 3.5" hard drive with a 10,000 RPM spindle speed, WD guaranteed that if you needed performance, the Raptor line was the way to go.

Two years ago we met the most recent update to the VelociRaptor line: the VR200M. While it raised the bar for the VelociRaptor, WD saw its flagship competing in a new world. SSDs were now more affordable, resulting in even more desktop builds including an SSD. Although the high dollar-per-GB cost associated with SSDs demanded that desktop users adopt a two-drive model (SSD + HDD), for storage of large media files a standard 5400RPM or 7200RPM drive was just fine. After all, moving large files is mostly a sequential operation which plays to the strengths of most consumer drives to begin with.

There are still users who need more storage than an SSD can affordably provide, and who demand speed as well. Although photo and video editing is great on an SSD, a big enough project would have difficulty sharing a 128GB SSD with an OS, applications and other data. For those users who still need high performance storage that's more affordable than an SSD, the VelociRaptor is still worthy of consideration. There's just one problem: Moore's Law is driving the cost of SSDs down, and their capacities up. The shift to solid state storage is inevitable for most, but to remain relevant in the interim the VelociRaptor needed an update...Full review at Anand Tech

Icy Dock MB982IP-1S-1 2.5-inch SAS SSD/HDD Converter Announced

Icy Dock has announced the new MB982IP-1S-1 2.5" SAS/SATA to 3.5" SAS SSD & HDD Converter to give users a pure 2.5" to 3.5" SAS conversion. The MB982IP-1S-1 is an addition to the MB982 enterprise series emphasizing the industrial-level SAS storage applications with dimensions, connection locations, with its mounting hole positions located to mimic a standard 3.5" SAS drive or SSD.

The MB982IP-1S-1 consists of a full-metal design, which allows for the best environment to cool any 10K, 15K RPM mechanical or enterprise SAS SSD. Additionally, its rugged build makes it ideal for industrial, enterprise, and military related applications. It also uses a completely standardized SAS connection so that it can be fully compatible with various backplanes that may be used. The converter is designed specifically for 2.5" SAS/SATA drives, which are required in 3.5" SAS internal hard drive bays of tower and rack mount chassis, in addition to backplanes or hot swap modules.

Key Features of the MB982IP-1S-1 include:

• Converts your 2.5" SATA/SAS HDD or SSD to a 3.5" SAS HDD or SSD, for 3.5" SAS drive bay usage.
• Compatible with Most 3.5" SAS HDD Backplanes, Rackmounts and Hot Swap Devices.
• Designed for System Integrators and IT Professionals.
• Screw-less Design For Quick & Easy Installation.
• Full Metal and Heavy Duty with Easy Access to Drives.
• Compatible with 15mm height drives.
• Airflow Vents for Heat Dissipation with Anti-vibration Design.
• Supports SAS 2.0 and SATA 6Gbps

The MB982IP-1S-1 is expected to be released later this month.

Source from storagereview.com

OCZ technology introduces 1TB SSD

OCZ Technology has introduced a new 1TB solid state drive (SSD), priced at an oh-so-affordable $4,000…

"The MLC NAND flash is meant for desktop users who want to reap the benefits of the faster performance, quiet operation and durability inherent in SSD drives coupled to capacities that more readily mirror traditional hard drives," according to Electronista.

"These drives offer 260 Mbps read/write speeds, plus 140 Mbps sustained write speed (for the 120 GB models) and 220 Mbps sustained write speeds for everything else," writes I4U News' Robert Evans.

"OCZ boasts about the series' 'excellent' mean time between failure (MTBF) rating of one million hours, and backs up the drive with a three-year warranty and dedicated technical support," notes PC Mag's Matthew Murray.

"OCZ competitors Corsair, Kingston, Patriot, or some other vendor, will likely introduce their own 1TB SSDs before too long, which should bring prices down both at the high-end, and hopefully drive prices down for lower capacity drives as well," writes Crave's Rich Brown.

More here from PCWorld … more here from Gadgetsteria … more here from Pocket-lint … and more here from TechSpot.  Source from on-storage.com

was not always a cynical man and I can't exactly pinpoint the moment the malaise fell on me but it most like happened in a circus. The poster succinctly said "man in a bottle", straightforward and to the point. Being three years old and oblivious to the laws of biology and physics, I thought it was going to be a diminutive man inside an empty whisky bottle........read the full review

New Product Announcement - Introducing the ICY DOCK MB994SP-4SB-1 Quad Bay SATA 6Gbps Backplane

Introducing the Icy Dock MB994SP-4SB-1 Full Metal Quad Bay 2.5" SATA 6Gbps backplane for use in a single 5.25" device bay. This new model uses a SATA 6Gbps interface and adds a fan power switch to control when you need it. The dual 40mm cooling fans in addition to the power switch for the fans allow for the best flexibility - Turn off when using SSD's and on when using mechanical SATA hard drives. The single 4 pin power connector reduces the amount of cables required and making installation simpler. The MB994SP-4SB-1 utilizes our EZ Slide Mini Trays that accommodate 9.5mm & 12.5mm drives which makes drive interchangeability and maintenance completely hassle free. The MB994SP-4SB-1 is made completely of metal to ensure protection of your drives as well as reliability. With it's small form factor, the MB994SP-4SB-1 is perfect for use in gaming PCs, RAID systems, and in small form factor cases where 5.25" bays are limited and large drive capacity or SSD's are needed.

http://www.icydock.com.tw/eng/goods.php?id=110

Key Feature: * Fits 4 x 2.5" SATA I / II / III HDD/SSD. * Accommodates Drives with up to 12.5mm Height. * Fits 4 Drives into a Single 5.25" Device Bay. * 1 x 4 pin power connector to reduce cable connections. * Status LED on Front for Each Drive. * Full Metal EZ Slide Mini Tray System with Full Cage Design. * Small Form Factor Perfect for IPC, Servers, and Small Form Factor Cases. * Fan Power Switch Allow User to turn off the fans when using SSD. * Front, Rear, Top, and Bottom Ventilation Slots. * Dual 40mm Cooling Fans. * Heavy Duty Full Metal Construction. * Support SATA 6Gbps. * Top Cover for the Tray Adds Extra Drive Protection. * Active Power Technology - Device only power up if there are drive installed. Quick links: MB994SP-4SB-1 Product Page MB994SP-4SB-1 Data Sheet MB994SP-4SB-1 Product Images

ICY DOCK Cremax Tech. Co., LTD　Taiwan 2FL, No. 18, Lane 609, Sec.5, Chung Hsin Rd. San Chung City, Taipei County, Taiwan, R.O.C. Tel : +886 2 2999-3251  Fax : +886 2 2999-3478 、+886 2 2999-8099  Sales e-mail:  roy@cremax.com.tw Support e-mail: marketing@cremax.com.tw