If you want to know all about the top game development studios in the industry today, you can read all about them in the recently published Develop 100 by Sheridan and amBX. The book takes a look at the top 100 gaming studios as well as additional information on their respective revenues throughout the year. For more information regarding this, you can read our full article after the jump.

Remember amBX, Philips' ambient immersion technology for consoles, new entertainment sets, and PCs? Well it seems that the new immersive technology's about to gain support on Ubisoft's soon-to-be released titles: Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway and Far Cry 2. This is following an "alliance" that Philips announced recently over press wire. More at the full story.

Want to lord over your minions more efficiently in Codemaster's Overlord (PC, Xbox 360)? Codemasters just released Patch 1.4, which not only fixes some in-game issues but also adds new features: Split Screen mode and added amBX support. Check out the details in the full article.

Philips has teamed-up with Gas Powered Games to release an amBX Supreme Commander bundle. This is the perfect chance to pick-up a copy of both the game and the amBX Gaming Peripherals, if you haven't already done so.

The Philips amBX PC Gaming Peripherals is a very big package. It includes a pair of left and right satellite lights capable of projecting 16 million different colours, a pair of left and right satellite 2.1 speaker lights and subwoofer which offer 160-watt multi-directional sound and bass boost, a pair of desk fans, a wrist rumbler, and a directional wall washer light with controller unit.

Each of the different peripherals will be put to good use in Supreme Commander as the General Manager for New Business Development at Philips Consumer Electronics, Engelbert van Pelt, noted in the recent press release:

Supreme Commander is the perfect title to accompany and showcase the Philips amBX Gaming Peripherals effects. Supreme Commander’s real-time strategy game play will maximise the lighting, wind and rumble effects that the Philips amBX PC Gaming Peripherals are capable of delivering. War gaming has never been so realistically scary.

IT certainly looks sounds like a sweet addition to any gamer's arsenal. If it works exactly as described, then this bundle will be on every PC Gamer's wish list this holiday season.

The Develop Conference & Expo happens on the 24th to the 26th of July and developers are gearing up from all over the world to take part in one of the region's biggest developer gatherings to take place on an annual basis.

Headlining the shindig are top-brass companies Sony, Philips, Autodesk, and Nokia, who will be the prime movers and shakers in the event. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe will once again be the Platinum sponsor of the event while Philips and Autodesk are at Gold and Silver respectively. Nokia is the mobile sponsor of the gathering.

The event seeks to bring together the development community with European gaming market interests in a three-day conference where interests and demonstrations are exhibited for industry insiders, game media and the public. Top-caliber speakers from within the industry are invited to share their views and knowledge of the business.

Animazoo, artemdigital, Audiokinetic, Autodesk, Beyerdynamic, CRI Middleware, Develop Magazine, Emergent Game Technologies, gamesindustry.biz, Hansoft, IGDA, Instinct Technology, Mobile Entertainment, Nokia, Perforce Software, Philips amBX, Sony Computer Entertainment, Southampton Solent University, Tech Excel, Testronic Labs and Tiga will participate in this year's event to be held in Brighton.

As a game where only the body count matters, genocide-em-up DEFCON: Everybody Dies was ported over to the Mac, allowing Mac gamers to wreak nuclear havoc on PC DEFCON commanders on Windows and Linux. Ambrosia Software picked up Introversion's World War III title and brought the nuclear warfare fun over to Mac users everywhere.

 

The Beta version for the Mac started back in February, but now it's up to par with the PC version at v1.4 and a new demo has shipped out today. Also, Ambrosia recently announced a patch for Windows users that will allow cross-platform multiplayer ability against Mac users. The v1.4 patch is the latest patch for DEFCON: Everybody Dies for Windows and should allow PC users to challenge Mac players.

The patch also ships immersive "watch, feel and hear" AmBX support to PC gamers with AmBX gaming peripherals coming soon. It is not the same RC patch released just a week ago, so PC beta testers must download the patch immediately. Players over Steam get updated automatically, so no worries there.

In addition, a Linux patch is also underway, allowing PC and Mac gamers to play with Linux gamers. The Mac and Linux versions are being created in unison, so expect the final release of the Mac to also signify the final release of the Linux version, too.

Philips is continuing its bid to form close relationships with the videogame industry. The company has just signed a three-year deal with the World Cyber Games that will see the integration of Philips' immersive amBX gaming peripherals into gaming tourneys as well as the birth of a new competition: the WCG Philips amBX Cup Challenge.

The announcement was made by Michael Arzt, senior vice president and general manager of WCG organizer International Cyber Marketing USA. According to Arzt, as an "Official Global Partner," Philips' exclusive hardware sponsorship designates Philips amBX accessories as the official Ambient Gaming Environment Systems at select WCG events.

"Working with the World Cyber Games is a great opportunity for Philips to showcase the power of amBX and further immerse gamers into the competition," said Engelbert van Pelt, the general manager of peripheral accessories of Philips Electronics.

"Both Philips' and the World Cyber Games' goal is to create an amazing experience for the gamers. We believe the amBX peripherals and the amBX Cup adds a new level of immersive playing never before experienced in the World Cyber Game events."

This year's World Cyber Games will be held on October 4 through 7 in Seattle. Epic Games' hit TPS Gears of War will be one of the many games where gamers will compete in.

Philips announced the other day that it signed a deal with company River Runs Red to come up with a unique and dedicated immersive environment for the MMO video game Second Life using Philips' technology amBX (Ambient Experiences). The deal will make it possible for SL residents to experience in-game air movement, rumble, and an improved dynamic lighting.

We're not really into technical stuff, but amBX is a smorgasbord: a software engine, a scripting language, and an architecture that provide developers with a palette to use light, color, heat, sound, and, as we've mentioned, air flow. We guess we don't have to explain how good a rumble would feel whenever something engaging occurs in Second Life.

Aside from this, Philips added that it will eventually provide existing Second Life players with a software development kit containing user tools and props to allow them to author amBX experiences for all new effects. The Chief Marketing Officer for Philips amBX Jo Cooke commented:

Not only will we be able to offer Second Lifers all kinds of new sensory experiences, but also "behind closed doors first looks" at amBX effects in development and potential amBX-enabled peripherals, with the chance for some to exclusively trial sample them before commercial release. Second Life offers an entirely new market for amBX and we feel this is the start of a very special relationship.