News

This is very shocking to filipino gamers as one local gaming publisher, IP e-games, is being blocked by Google search.

According to the warning, Google is shunning visitors to visit e-games.com.ph website as it was tagged as harboring potential malware code and redirecting its search to a warning page.

According to Wikipedia,

Malware, short for malicious software, is software designed to infiltrate a computer system without the owner’s informed consent. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. The term “computer virus” is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase to include all types of malware, including true viruses.

As to how google tagged E-Games website as a potential risk is still a mystery but we are getting in touch with E-Games as of this writing to get their comments.

Before this happen, E-Games suffered from intermittent hickups just yesterday. Their games constantly disconnected online and gamers are left without something to play.

Problem start at around 8:00PM last night. At first, it started with their website being tagged by Google as potential malware. Then their games started going down except Cabal and ZX Online.

E-Games promised to release statement later.

This is the second game in a series (The first being Professor Layton and the Curious Village and the third being the so-far-japanese-release-only Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel, respectively.) Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is an adventure/puzzle game that, like its predecessor, allows for the player to move through different areas and investigate an ongoing mystery. There are logic puzzles, brain teasers, sliding puzzles and many more variants that make it thoroughly enjoyable although most of the game play is very similar to the first Layton game. I particularly like the added memo feature in the puzzle solving menu. When used, it simulates a sheet of onion skin paper being put above the screen. I usually used it for solving mazes, retracing tangled lines and writing math problems that I couldn’t solve in my head.

The Professor’s Trunk (the main game menu) used to hold two mini games in the first Layton game: the inn and painting games. In Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box there are four mini games: old diary, unique camera, hamster and tea set. Solving puzzles in the game will sometimes give the player components for the mini games; keys for the locked diary, parts for the camera, toys for the hamster and ingredients for the tea set. When the camera is completed, the player can take pictures (when prompted by the game) and play another mini game; this time a spot-the-difference challenge. Likewise, when the hamster is fit enough, he will begin to sniff out hint coins.

There are many hidden puzzles (frankly I haven’t even found all of them yet), but it is possible to finish the game without completing everything. When I checked the secret mode after I finished the game, I found the option to get weekly downloadable puzzles, a puzzle index of all the puzzles I’d come across, extra puzzles, and a bonus section featuring a sampling of game trivia/data (character profiles, game scenes, audio clips, films and soundtracks). There’s also a password-locked section that asks for codes from the first and third games. I can only assume that more rewards lie within.

Having played the first Layton game before this one, I have to say that Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box does deliver. It is a great game with an entertaining mystery to solve, and puzzles that can be surprisingly easy or frustratingly difficult. The story is involving and as creative as the first Layton game’s mystery, and is fleshed out well. The game even starts before the actual investigation and has four definitive areas to explore (an upgrade from the last game!). And with the addition of more mini games, the game play is now more varied and less repetitive than the first Layton game. There are also more puzzle groups here (puzzles that are similar in nature and tend to be numbered in order of difficulty; an example would be the chess puzzles or the sliding puzzles). I personally feel more satisfaction whenever I solve something that I know is more difficult than the last similar puzzle I got through. My only gripe is that it’s such a short game.

I’m going to give this game a 9.5/10. The Layton series is probably the best adventure/puzzle DS series out there.

Originally posted on my blog [http://miaowow.blogspot.com/2009/10/professor-layton-and-diabolical-box-ds_13.html] and
gamespot [http://www.gamespot.com/ds/rpg/laytonkyoujutoakumanohako/player_review.html?id=686422].

This is the second game in a series (The first being Professor Layton and the Curious Village and the third being the so-far-japanese-release-only Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel, respectively.) Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is an adventure/puzzle game that, like its predecessor, allows for the player to move through different areas and investigate an ongoing mystery. There are logic puzzles, brain teasers, sliding puzzles and many more variants that make it thoroughly enjoyable although most of the game play is very similar to the first Layton game. I particularly like the added memo feature in the puzzle solving menu. When used, it simulates a sheet of onion skin paper being put above the screen. I usually used it for solving mazes, retracing tangled lines and writing math problems that I couldn’t solve in my head.

The Professor’s Trunk (the main game menu) used to hold two mini games in the first Layton game: the inn and painting games. In Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box there are four mini games: old diary, unique camera, hamster and tea set. Solving puzzles in the game will sometimes give the player components for the mini games; keys for the locked diary, parts for the camera, toys for the hamster and ingredients for the tea set. When the camera is completed, the player can take pictures (when prompted by the game) and play another mini game; this time a spot-the-difference challenge. Likewise, when the hamster is fit enough, he will begin to sniff out hint coins.

There are many hidden puzzles (frankly I haven’t even found all of them yet), but it is possible to finish the game without completing everything. When I checked the secret mode after I finished the game, I found the option to get weekly downloadable puzzles, a puzzle index of all the puzzles I’d come across, extra puzzles, and a bonus section featuring a sampling of game trivia/data (character profiles, game scenes, audio clips, films and soundtracks). There’s also a password-locked section that asks for codes from the first and third games. I can only assume that more rewards lie within.

Having played the first Layton game before this one, I have to say that Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box does deliver. It is a great game with an entertaining mystery to solve, and puzzles that can be surprisingly easy or frustratingly difficult. The story is involving and as creative as the first Layton game’s mystery, and is fleshed out well. The game even starts before the actual investigation and has four definitive areas to explore (an upgrade from the last game!). And with the addition of more mini games, the game play is now more varied and less repetitive than the first Layton game. There are also more puzzle groups here (puzzles that are similar in nature and tend to be numbered in order of difficulty; an example would be the chess puzzles or the sliding puzzles). I personally feel more satisfaction whenever I solve something that I know is more difficult than the last similar puzzle I got through. My only gripe is that it’s such a short game.

I’m going to give this game a 9.5/10. The Layton series is probably the best adventure/puzzle DS series out there.

Originally posted on my blog [http://miaowow.blogspot.com/2009/10/professor-layton-and-diabolical-box-ds_13.html] and
gamespot [http://www.gamespot.com/ds/rpg/laytonkyoujutoakumanohako/player_review.html?id=686422].

Pinoy Gaming Network is proud to bring you another form of kalokohan on this little web magazine of ours. It’s called Load Screen, where we review, preview, feature and lambast (hehe) games, hardware and new software in the market out there. We will focus on what we love most though, GAMES GAMES GAMES! You can view each episode here on our Game Cinema, on http://video.pinoygaming.net or http://www.youtube.com/pinoygamingnet

2nd Episode of Pinoy Gaming Video is out but now it was officially named Load Screen! Yeah!

After the first successful try of Salleh and Sir David in producing a video, they immediately followed up with another one and named it Load Screen.  Succeeding episodes will carry Load Screen as the official video program of Pinoy Gaming Network.

On this episode, Salleh and David reviewed the recently released game James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game published by Ubisoft. They traversed the world of Pandora to have a glimpsed of what the PC ported movie is up to offer.

Yehey, the very first video episode of Pinoy Gaming Video!!!

We at Pinoy Gaming Network are proud to tell you that starting this year, we will produce a weekly video episodes featuring your favorite games, guides, tutorials and gaming-world celebrities.

On our first episode, David and I (Salleh) presented the opportunity for you to send us a text/mms message through our mobile fone (0939-2604945) and ask us about anything game related. You can ask questions and suggest tech gadgets/games  to be featured on our succeeding episodes.

Finally, check out how we play David’s Nintendo Wii console. Grabe kapagod pala talaga mag Wii but we definitely enjoyed it. If you dont have any idea what Wii is then you should check this video.

Thanks again guys for supporting us and we promise to bring you more exciting news, reviews and videos. Just remember to leave a message here or message us through our mobile fone.

Mobile Suit Gundam VS Gundam NEXT PLUS, recently released last December 3 of the previous year,  is the latest “team battle action” game of the popular Gundam VS series for the PSP console. If you are a mecha fanatic, this is a dream-come-true  Gundam dream match / crossover, wherein you can pit various Gundam heroes’ mechas or fellow antagonist units against other mobile suits from other series.

Being a mobile suit fanatic and self-proclaimed gundam pilot that this gamer was, I immediately grab my hands off a copy of the game and immediately installed it into my PSP unit. And then voila, play time! Test subjects? My friends of course haha!

This is one of the most anticipated Gundam games not only in SouthEast Asia(Japan and surrounding countries), but also within the North America region as well. Unfortunately, no English version of the said game has been granted by the Namco-Bandai Games for release to the non-Japanese gamers(due probably to the added license/voice-acting copyrights required and such). Masyado lang kaming adik at natutuwa sa mga mecha actions within the prequel game in the sense na nakabisado na namin ang mga options and such LOL! XD

In lieu with the celebration of the Gundam’s 3oth anniversary, it now features over 60 mobile suits from 18 Gundam series(from the very first Mobile Suit Gundam of 1979 up to the latest Mobile Suit: Gundam Unicorn of 2009 – ANDAMI LOLOLOL). What’s crazy about this is the fact that new mobile suits are included within the roster – 00 Raiser Gundam, and Reborns Cannon Gundam(Gundam 00 Second Season), Providence Gundam(Gundam SEED), Altron/Nataku Gundam and Wing Zero Custom(New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz), Gundam Unicorn and Kshatriya(Gundam Unicorn) and several others! Only PSP-Exclusive!

Mobile Suit selection screen - ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam

You will generally fight on a 2 vs 2 basis(be it in a mission mode or ad-hoc versus mode/against AI), and reduce the enemy’s cost gauge from the full gauge (6000 by default) to 0 by eliminating the enemy units while keeping your mobile suit(as well as your teammate should you have any) to be busted out. The cost of each unit is based on the overall skills/capabilities of the suit, and is divided into 3 tiers: 1000, 2000, and 3000 – so basically the higher the cost, the more powerful the mobile suit it is(often the main protagonist/antagonist of the series). However, using units with higher cost means you have fewer chances to respawn.

Keep in mind that this is not your ordinary Gundam VS game, as this new installment features the revolutionary NEXT Dash System – wherein by simply tapping your boost twice in rapid succession(usually X button) can make you cancel whatever you are doing previously(either for attack evasion or combo-chaining purposes). Oo, mga kapatid, beyond godlike ka sa paglalaro nito kapag magaling kang mag-cancel/combo at umilag sa mga kalaban!  However, this consumes a bit of your boost gauge.

RX-78 Gundam using the NEXT Dash

Basic controls(by default) are the beam pistols/rifles/projectile weapons in Square, Boost/Thruster in X, Melee weapon attack/combo in Triangle, change target in Circle, and special mobile suit attacks in both the L and R button, respectively. Some mobile suits feature their own unique special abilities – worth mentioning are the Newtype Destroy Mode by the Unicorn Gundam, Biosensor Mode by the Zeta Gundam, Berserker System by the Noble Gundam, Shining Mode by the Shining Gundam, Hyper Mode by the God/Master Gundam and even the famous TRANS-AM System of the Exia/Double 00-Raiser Gundam and  SEED Mode of the Freedom/Strike Freedom Gundam.

Gundam battle royale(booyeah!) screenies

As if the number of mobile suits aren’t enough for you to chew on, Namco-Bandai games even featured several Boss Mobile Armors included within different gundam series. They can be engaged with different mission routes(modes), most notably Route K and L, respectively(Boss Mode versions) within both the arcade and PSP version.

Various game routes(mode) from the Arcade play. Clearing each route can unlock hidden mobile suits and new routes.

Mobile Armor Bosses - unleashed for the first time!

*Secret – a hidden mobile armor boss from Gundam SEED Destiny(ZGMF-X20A EX Strike Freedom + METEOR) can be fought if you attain a high-score in the most difficult mode. It will reveal itself as a FINAL NEXT Boss eventually, wherein you will fought it in its EX Boss version first, and then in EX METEOR Boss version after it sustained about 1/3 damage and finally, the EX Ultimate SEED Mode Boss version. It has 2,000 HP, special abilities, wide variety of weapon arsenals, unique combo attacks, different mobile assist form and infinite SEED Mode power that the playable Strike Freedom Gundam doesn’t possess.*

Another nice thing about this game is that (with the exception of New Mobile Report: Gundam Wing Endless Waltz and Gundam Unicorn) it features the various opening themes of the different anime series – of course all Japanese pop/rock bands/singers in full play while you’re engaging in the battlefield! Also, upon completion of a certain mecha in any mode, it will also unlock its corresponding series’ 3D animated opening theme, voice actor/actress’ works, victory poses and pilot cut-ins, as well as its own ending design theme by Namco-Bandai. Also, the battle stages are based on the actual anime series themselves, for instance – Heliopolis colony and Messiah Fortress/Requiem Superweapon stage for the Gundam SEED/Destiny series, Veda for the Gundam 00 series, World Tournament Stage and Devil Colony for Mobile Fighter G Gundam series etc.

Officially released on the 3rd of December last year, some people in Japan and even in surrounding countries have got the game early already(including the thousands of PSP gamers waiting also for the new GEND3 firmware for the PSP so as for the said game to be compatible). The general feedback among various polls is very positive, and apparently the game plays much smoother than the previous one(even the laggy 2-on-2 ad hoc gameplay has been improved significantly)!

Much to my dismay though – if Namco-Bandai really wants to make this the biggest Gundam game yet to date as they claimed, they should have included ALL series, even the spin-offs(Gundam SEED StarGazer, Astray etc). Sayang pa naman, andami pa magagandang gundams out there na hindi makilala mabuti ng general populace because of lack of promotion – even with games such as this one.

Also, the graphics and effects are re-tweaked from the original prequel, whereas most of the modifications are based on balancing and even improving some of the bugs found at the arcade version. Personally, there are still some laggy scenes when using certain abilities/playing ad hoc versus against your opponents in a wide stage, but nevertheless, it can be seen that the game engine was significantly improved from before.

For those who doesn’t know, the game features a Plus Mode wherein you can form your own team and battle it out against several mission sorties – winning can give you experience points to level up your mobile suits of choice. Also, non-playable units(in versus mode) from various gundam series are featured here, like the Blitz and Buster Gundams from the SEED series, Union Flags from the 00 series and such.

Anyway, if you’re relatively new with this game, and walang basic know-how about Gundams at all, you may find it boring, or eventually annoying in the sense that even your AI opponents are very much stronger for you to defeat(despite the easy mode). This game is recommended for gamers who have experienced playing the previous Gundam VS series(Alliance VS ZAFT, Gundam Battle Assault series and other similar games) or simply mecha enthusiasts.

Graphics – 8

Sound – 10

Gameplay – 9

Replay Value – 9

Well, ladies and gents, magbubukas na ang Runes of Magic on January 8 for its Open Beta and its time for us to really see  what all the hoopla is all about. Runes of Magic is brought to us by the good people at IP E-games Philippines and they have brought their heavyweights out of hiding for this particular title. Let’s find out exactly what Runes is.

Runes of Magic is a fantasy MMORPG set in the land of Taborea. Taborea is a fairly peaceful land filled with small villages, big cities (ang hirap nga maglakad sa cities eh… napakalaki), caves, dungeons, and many more locales you might expect in a standard MMORPG. Nothing fancy there, pretty much what you’d expect in a fantasy setting.

You pick a job that tickles your play style. There’s a backstabbing, hide in the shadows rogue. There’s a meat-shield knight. There’s a berserking I-will-kick-your-balls-or-die-trying warrior. Also there’s an abracadabra-your-ass-is-on-fayah mage. A hit-and-run drive (or ride) by expert scout. And to top things off, a “Mr. Pa Buffpls” priest. Standard stuff.

You level up doing quests or killing monsters. You gain more stats and skills as you level and weapons and armor you pick up  along your adventures strengthen your character. Potions heal, weapons and armor need repair, you need gold to do commerce. This doesn’t paint a pretty picture much does it? It’s all pretty standard! That is until you delve deeper into the ame.

Runes of Magic is an enchantress dressed as a beggar. Looking at it once, you may think its a World of Warcraft clone (which isn’t exactly a bad thing since WoW is one of the highest rated MMORPGs out there). Later the new features it offers piles up, and you find yourself in a game that is not only deep and very engaging, but unique and oh so special.

First, Runes of Magic offers a dual class system. Not unique to an MMO, but developer Runewaker has topped it off with icing (sarap ng icing may diabetes kami dito). Runes of Magic (ROM) allows you to combine any 2 jobs choosing from the ones listed above. One will be primary, the other secondary. To our surprise, you can switch between your primary and secondary and play a
significantly different way! Let’s say, you play a mage/Knight. It’s totally different when you go knight/mage. And if that’s not enough, you get “premium” skills too! These skills are unique to each class combination. So possibilities are enormous!

Second, Runes of Magic offers a unique loot distribution system. Sa ibang MMO, maghahatian sa item, or ibibigay sa guildmaster then guildmaster mag decide. Sa iba, may need over greed. Yung may kailangan, dun mapupunta item. In ROM, you can all benefit from one item by way of a feature called a Transmutor. A transmutor can take an item and break it down into its simplest magic components. Let’s say for example you get a +3 stamina +3 dex chainmail. Your scout needs the dex but your rogue needs the stamina. There’s only one item though and there are 2 people who need it! You just take your item, isaksak mo sa transmutor, and separate the +3 stamina from +3 dex and fuse them with 2 different items. Boss raids will now be beneficial for everybody in terms of loot, not just experience.

Third and speaking of boss hunts/raids. Bosses in ROM are smart. The standard “tank and spank” doesn’t work anymore (tank and spank -yung knight haharang, everybody fires on it, only the knight is healed). If the boss finds that he is getting hurt more by the scouts, rogues and mages, it switches targets and goes for them instead of the tank. If the boss finds out that the priest is a greater threat for healing everybody, it will go after the father. Plus, the environment plays a role in boss hunts/raids too. Falling rocks, electricity on the floor, fire, lava surrounding you are things you must avoid with your party, while fighting the boss.

Fourth, A housing system. World of Warcraft promised a housing system early in their development stage. Nakasulat pa nga sa box ng WoW na may housing eh. Until now we have yet to see this. In ROM, the housing system is in full swing and has a few added extras. A house is not only a place for your character to rest, it is also a place where you can store your loots and items. What’s more is that you can decorate your house to your liking by purchasing furniture. Yung mga may inner interior decorator diyan matutuwa dito. The furniture are not only for aesthetics, they offer XP boosts for you.

Fifth, the PVP system and Guild system. Siguro nakapanood na kayo ng masayang pelikula na may castle sieging. Panoorin niyo yung Kingdom of  Heaven kung hindi pa. Guild vs. Guild combat in Runes will feature a real castle that you and your guild will make. A real guild castle you decorate and design yourself. You decide where to put defenses and where to put your sofa if you want a couch in your castle. Not only that, guildmaster can control everything within that guild too! They have a guild vault  where they put in all their loot and cash and they can find out who has gotten how much in that vault, making guild management easier. Also there’s server to server battles. Yeap, you read it right, SERVER VS. SERVER. This is unprecedented in any MMO. One map in ROM can accomodate 5,000 players at one time making war, TRULY WAR.

Sixth, there is no grind. Again, incase di mo nabasa ng maayos… THERE IS NO GRIND. You do not go out and kill 1,000,000 monsters and reach the level cap. In runes, you quest. Questing provides better xp than performing genocide. I can remember in Ragnarok online we used to kill millions of alarms (RO monster) just to get from lvl 98 to 99. NO MORE in Runes. In ROM, the more you go out adventuring, (raid, boss hunt, daily quests, story quests) the more xp you get. So it encourages you to explore instead of kill and kill. That is why it is essential in ROM that you read the quests and follow the story (maganda rin mga kuento eh) This has got to be the best feature for me in ROM.

Last, after conversations with IP E-games head honchos, we’ve come to know that the GM (game master) tools in ROM are very powerful that they can track pretty much everything that’s going on in game with your character and can address  almost any problem within it, may it be bugs, scams and even hacking. In fact, there have been discussions about them offering hack insurance. Once you buy it and you get hacked, everything on your character can be restored.

Runes of Magic is not a unique MMORPG. It has the same elements as any MMO out there. In fact it has many of the same elements as one particular MMO *ahem WOW ahem*. The setting and jobs aren’t unique. Graphics aren’t that awesome (we hope it gets better in future patches). However, it brings so many new stuff on the table that here in the Philippines, it has the potential to reshape the Game Publishing/Operating industry.

We here at Pinoy Gaming Network rarely feature an MMO much less recommend one. Well there’s a first time for everything. We highly recommend Runes of Magic for hardcore and casual gamers. So far, it is the best MMORPG readily available here in the Philippines. And its all FREE. That’s right, FREE TO PLAY PO!! Missing it is missing a lot.

Sa lahat ng aming mga tagapagbasa Maligayang maligayang pasko sa inyong lahat. Kami po ay taos-pusong nagpapasalamat sa inyong pagsubaybay sa aming maliit na Web Magazine.

For every click on every article, for every bookmark for our page, we humbly thank you from the bottom of our hearts and wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Itching to buy the newest Mbike or the glittering fashion shirts for your avatar but don’t know where to buy EPins?

Here’s one good news for you! You may now buy EPins at all 7-Elevent convenient store nationwide.

Just head to the nearest 7-Eleven at your place and ask the cashier that you wanted to buy HighStreet5 EPins through MOLe Points.

Detailed instruction below.

Quick Links:
HighStreet5 Home: http://www.highstree5.com.ph
Download Client: http://www.highstreet5.com.ph/download/down-center.aspx
Register an account: http://www.highstreet5.com.ph/Member/member_reg.aspx

The latest update of Realtek’s HD audio driver is available for Windows XP and Vista while it will run on Windows 7.  This update offers both the Windows XP and Vista binaries, the files contain drivers for the 32 Bit and 64 Bit versions. All Realtek HD audio chips, which are common on many motherboards and in notebooks, are supported.

Driver Package R2.37

Realtek HD Audio Driver support all of Realtek HD Audio Codec .

• Vista/Windows 7 WHQL Supporting: ALC882, ALC883, ALC885, ALC888, ALC889, ALC892, ALC861VD, ALC660, ALC662, ALC663, ALC665, ALC260, ALC262,ALC267, ALC268, ALC269, ALC270, ALC272, ALC273, ALC887,ALC670, ALC275
• Windows 2000/XP WHQL Supporting: ALC880, ALC882, ALC883, ALC885, ALC888, ALC889, ALC892, ALC861VC, ALC861VD, ALC660, ALC662, ALC663, ALC665, ALC260, ALC262, ALC267,ALC268, ALC269, ALC270, ALC272, ALC273, ALC887,ALC670, ALC275
• HDMI Device WHQL Support: ATI HDMI Devices
• OS Supporting: Microsoft WindowsXP, Widnows2000, Windows Server 2003, Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows7 – x86/x64
• Pack with Microsoft High Definition Audio UAAV1.0a(5013)
• Add/Fix — Driver Customizations.

Download here.

One of the most successful casual dance game in the Philippines will be adding a new features on November 24, 2009. Included in the upcoming update are Motorbike, Couple Stunt, Fashion Clothes, Megaphone and Pets.

Motorbike

Silent Whisper patch adds a bicycle for you to ride. Classic bicycle and kiddie mini-tricycles can be mounted by you or with a partner. But with the upcoming patch, a motorbike will be added to the game. I wonder if there will be a motor racing feature to be added soon haha, but for now, you can use your motorbike to stroll along with your partner for a cooler and romantic gaming.

Couple Stunt

Dance with your partner and do the new Mutual Love couple stunt and Happy Birthday Dance interactive movement. This new movements can only be done if you have a partner with opposite sex.

To perform Happy Birthday Dance, simply click on Interaction, then select Happy and finally choose Happy Birthday Dance to act the cutest cute couple.

Fashion Clothes

Having a new motorbike and a new dance step is not enough if not coupled with new dress to complement. Therefore the upcoming patch includes as well new fashion dresses for men and women. New line of clothes are T-shirt dresses, halter-necked tops in happy, sunny colors, shirt-and-T combos as well as all the statement accessories.

Megaphone and Pets

Other features included in the patch is Pet adoption and a Megaphone to be able to shout globally. There is a special ranking system for Megaphone users. The more you use your Megaphone or Super Megaphone, the better your ranking will be.

Two new pets will also be present to accompany you. Meet Clever Snail and Darling

Microsoft’s Windows and Windows Live division president Steven Sinofsky yesterday previewed Internet Explorer 9 at the Professional Developer’s Conference.

Sinofsky showed IE9 to attendees, an early build, and explaining that this version of the browser will focus on support for new standards like HTML5 and CSS3, as well as developing a faster JavaScript rendering engine.

According to Sinofsky, IE9 will adhere more to newer standards alongside their own standard. IE9 will make use of DirectX-based hardware accelerated graphics and text. To prove the point, Sinofsky showed that IE8 can render Bing maps at 14 frames per second. With hardware acceleration in IE9 turned on, he got 60 frames per second.

Read the Internet Explorer Blog for more.

Quick Facts:
As of November 2009, visitors of Pinoy Gaming Network are using the following browser:

Firefox: 62%
MS Internet Explorer: 22.9%
Google Chrome: 9%
Opera: 3.2%
Safari: 1.1%