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In an update posted at Bungie.net, Al Schilling of MacSoft has revealed the Mac OS X version of Halo: Combat Evolved should reach beta-testing status early this week. According to the news, they've already started "pre-beta" testing and are just waiting for a few remaining pieces to fall into place before moving forward with external testers.

Here's his update:

We've been doing a lot of "pre-beta" testing on Halo Mac while waiting for some of the final details to be taken care of (recompressing videos, etc.). Pixel shaders are working and look great on the Mac hardware. Those who are on the official beta-testing team will be getting CDs on Monday or Tuesday of next week. All-in-all, the game is looking solid. Most efforts from here to release will be concentrated on optimizing for speed.

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The hardware staff here at IMG has posted yet another review. Today, Scott Turner that has taken a closer look at the Logitech Dual Action Gamepad. The Dual Action Gamepad is, like many other Logitech products, easy to setup and use.

From the review:

The gamepad was immediately compatible with every Macintosh game and emulator I attempted to use it with, from Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 to the Macintosh SNES emulator "SNES Custom". It was instantly recognized by all the input programs I tried it with, and in a jiffy I had the controller's buttons programmed. The only downside is that the Mac version does not come with game presets like the PC does. These presets are pre-made button set-ups of the controller for many popular games. Since the gamepad is technically cross-platform, the gamepad package includes a CD filled with a PC setup assistant, along with the presets. Whatever button combination I felt comfortable with was painless to set up in every game I tried, so I didn't really feel like this was a big blow to the Mac version.

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IMG Review: Logitech Dual Action Gamepad

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Everyone's favorite Unreal Tournament 2003 programmer, Ryan Gordon, recently updated his webpage with news on the upcoming patch for UT2003. Just giving a quick update, it appears as if the patch may be released before Panther comes out. Here's the update:

Unreal Tournament 2003:
Trying to beat Panther out the door with an ut2003 patch, since there's a nasty rendering bug in ut2003 that ATI users will see in Panther. More details on this soon.

UT2003 Patch Likely Before Panther

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A news post at Freeverse Software points the way to a newly launched website for the title Toysight. This set of games is being developed by partner Strange Flavour, and they take their inspiration by centering gameplay around Apple's new iSight web camera.

Here's a description of the games from the site itself:

Using a system of object and motion detection to track your position, Toysight allows you to control buttons, sliders and perform gestures on the screen, putting you right in the gameplay, and also giving you a bit of a workout :)

ToySight

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Blizzard Entertainment has released yet another multiplayer map for WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne, the expansion pack to their extremely popular real-time strategy game WarCraft III. The map is called Haven of the Damned and is a medium sized map suitable for small team games or FFAs.

The background to the map:

Forged from the remnants of Draenor, this long-forgotten island was once a haven for outcasts. Now all that remains are relics of ancient battles and lost souls.

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Input peripheral manufacturer Logitech has revealed a new desktop combination using Bluetooth wireless technology. The diNovo Media Desktop includes the MX900 Bluetooth optical mouse and a futuristic-looking keyboard, featuring a separate number pad that also functions as a media remote.

From the press release:

The diNovo Media Desktop sets off its sleek, low-profile design with a titanium-like finish. Because the keyboard width has been reduced by removal of the number pad, the mouse can be positioned more closely to the keyboard, providing more choice in positioning the hand and arm. The Zero Degree Tilt™  keyboard comes with a full-size typing layout and full-travel keys to provide an extremely comfortable typing surface. And, because Logitech has embedded Bluetooth wireless technology into all four components of the diNovo Media Desktop, any of the components can be used within a range of 30 feet from the desktop PC.

Full software support for the diNovo Media Desktop is currently limited to Windows computers, but with Logitech's long-standing commitment to the Macintosh platform, we can only hope to see Mac support for this piece of art in the future.

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Logitech: Introducing diNovo Media Desktop

Weekly Mac gaming radio program The Gamesome Mac traveled to Eugene, Oregon earlier this month for Indie Games Conference 2003. On tonight’s broadcast, hosts Sean Smith and Omaha Sternberg present a special report on the gathering of independent Mac, Windows, and Linux game developers organized by GarageGames.

Tonight’s program will feature previews and interviews with developers 21-6 Productions, Legends, Max Gaming Technologies, Midnight Ryder Technologies, and Plastic Games, all of whom demoed new cross-platform games at the conference.

Sean and Omaha will also offer Mac gaming news, reviews, and commentary, and together with their guests will take questions live from listeners in The Gamesome Mac’s chat room.

The Gamesome Mac can be heard live on MacRadio from 6 to 8 pm Pacific Time, 9 to 11 pm Eastern (Tuesday from 0100 to 0300 UTC), and on demand thereafter. You can tune in at The Gamesome Mac’s web page, where you’ll also find archives of past broadcasts. QuickTime 5 or 6 and a 28 kbps or faster Internet connection are required.

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