check out these links and decide for yourselves.....
I'm betting on sooner than later because ATI cant wait.
<A HREF="http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=12303" target="_new">http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=12303</A>
By Ben Berkowitz
LOS ANGELES, Oct 23 (Reuters) - With online retailers
beginning to speculate that "Half-Life 2," one of the most
anticipated PC games ever, could ship as soon as mid-November,
the game's developer is still not saying whether it will be out
this year at all.
After weeks of uncertainty over when the game would be
released -- compounded by a missed launch date and a hacker
attack on the game's development company -- online game
retailers have begun showing a post-Thanksgiving ship date.
Yet the game's publisher, Vivendi Universal Games, referred
questions this week to developer Valve Software, and a Valve
spokesman said only "nothing yet," when asked Wednesday if the
company had any update on when it would release the title.
Amazon.com Inc. <AMZN.O> shows the game being released Dec.
1, while EBGames.com says the game will ship on Nov. 27.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s <WMT.N> Walmart.com says for people who
pre-order the game "it should arrive on or just after" Nov. 17.
Best Buy Inc.'s <BBY.N> BestBuy.com estimates the game arriving
between Nov. 3 and Nov. 12.
However, GameStop Corp.'s <GME.N> GameStop.com still shows
an April 1, 2004 release, and a spokeswoman for Amazon, which
is generally considered to be on top of industry release
schedules, said the company was merely guessing at that Dec. 1
date based on comments by the game's developer, Valve, that it
would be out this holiday season.
"Half-Life 2," the sequel to one of the best-selling video
games ever, is considered so important to the industry that its
assumed delay into 2004, combined with the delay until next
year of the equally-important "Doom III," has prompted analysts
to lower their PC games growth forecasts for this year.
"HL2" is also seen as key to hardware companies like PC
graphics chip makers ATI Technologies Inc. <ATY.TO> and Nvidia
Corp. <NVDA.O>, who count on video game players to consistently
buy the newest, fastest and most-expensive chips to play
intensive games like "HL2."
The game had been set for a Sept. 30 release; but the week
before, Valve said the game would not launch on schedule but
would instead be out at some unspecified point this holiday
season.
Subsequently, Valve said some of the game's code was stolen
by hackers that infiltrated the company's e-mail systems. Bits
of that code appeared on the Internet, as did what some fans
said in online forums were playable portions of the game.
Valve has said only that it is assessing the impact of the
theft on the game and its schedule. But a senior executive of
Vivendi Universal Games, a unit of France's Vivendi Universal
<EAUG.PA> <V.N>, said in an interview with a French newspaper
earlier this month that the game would not come out until April
2004 because of the stolen code.
A source familiar with Vivendi Universal Games' operations
said at the time, however, that it was unclear when the game
would be ready for release and no one was certain of that April
forecast.
The original "Half-Life," released in 1998, is still
popular among PC gamers, and a modified version of the game,
called "Counter-Strike," is widely used in gaming
competitions.
"Half-Life 2" stars Gordon Freeman, a scientist battling
aliens from the planet Xen in a mysterious European locale
known only as City 17.
(C) Reuters 2003. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of
Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly
prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters
sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of
companies around the world.
<font color=red> Quantum Computers! - very interesting </font color=red>
I'm betting on sooner than later because ATI cant wait.
<A HREF="http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=12303" target="_new">http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=12303</A>
By Ben Berkowitz
LOS ANGELES, Oct 23 (Reuters) - With online retailers
beginning to speculate that "Half-Life 2," one of the most
anticipated PC games ever, could ship as soon as mid-November,
the game's developer is still not saying whether it will be out
this year at all.
After weeks of uncertainty over when the game would be
released -- compounded by a missed launch date and a hacker
attack on the game's development company -- online game
retailers have begun showing a post-Thanksgiving ship date.
Yet the game's publisher, Vivendi Universal Games, referred
questions this week to developer Valve Software, and a Valve
spokesman said only "nothing yet," when asked Wednesday if the
company had any update on when it would release the title.
Amazon.com Inc. <AMZN.O> shows the game being released Dec.
1, while EBGames.com says the game will ship on Nov. 27.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s <WMT.N> Walmart.com says for people who
pre-order the game "it should arrive on or just after" Nov. 17.
Best Buy Inc.'s <BBY.N> BestBuy.com estimates the game arriving
between Nov. 3 and Nov. 12.
However, GameStop Corp.'s <GME.N> GameStop.com still shows
an April 1, 2004 release, and a spokeswoman for Amazon, which
is generally considered to be on top of industry release
schedules, said the company was merely guessing at that Dec. 1
date based on comments by the game's developer, Valve, that it
would be out this holiday season.
"Half-Life 2," the sequel to one of the best-selling video
games ever, is considered so important to the industry that its
assumed delay into 2004, combined with the delay until next
year of the equally-important "Doom III," has prompted analysts
to lower their PC games growth forecasts for this year.
"HL2" is also seen as key to hardware companies like PC
graphics chip makers ATI Technologies Inc. <ATY.TO> and Nvidia
Corp. <NVDA.O>, who count on video game players to consistently
buy the newest, fastest and most-expensive chips to play
intensive games like "HL2."
The game had been set for a Sept. 30 release; but the week
before, Valve said the game would not launch on schedule but
would instead be out at some unspecified point this holiday
season.
Subsequently, Valve said some of the game's code was stolen
by hackers that infiltrated the company's e-mail systems. Bits
of that code appeared on the Internet, as did what some fans
said in online forums were playable portions of the game.
Valve has said only that it is assessing the impact of the
theft on the game and its schedule. But a senior executive of
Vivendi Universal Games, a unit of France's Vivendi Universal
<EAUG.PA> <V.N>, said in an interview with a French newspaper
earlier this month that the game would not come out until April
2004 because of the stolen code.
A source familiar with Vivendi Universal Games' operations
said at the time, however, that it was unclear when the game
would be ready for release and no one was certain of that April
forecast.
The original "Half-Life," released in 1998, is still
popular among PC gamers, and a modified version of the game,
called "Counter-Strike," is widely used in gaming
competitions.
"Half-Life 2" stars Gordon Freeman, a scientist battling
aliens from the planet Xen in a mysterious European locale
known only as City 17.
(C) Reuters 2003. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of
Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly
prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters
sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of
companies around the world.
<font color=red> Quantum Computers! - very interesting </font color=red>
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