The Intel vs. AMD argument is a tired one – as with our NVIDIA vs. AMD post, the “best choice” ultimately comes down to a number of personal factors, as well as one external factor: Whose “turn” is it in the back-and-forth cadence (though we may see changes as AMD backs out of high-end gaming).

Right now, Intel has faster processors with more instruction sets, brand new SSDs lined up for enthusiasts and consumers alike, and – the most exciting, maybe – new motherboards with upgraded everything. We were lucky enough to get some hands-on time with all of these at PAX East 2012 (which, at the time of writing, we are still in). More in-depth analyses of these will come shortly, but let’s get on to a brief overview of Intel at PAX East 2012.

With the days of physical retail hanging on by a strand, this news shouldn't come as much of a surprise to many of you: Steam's digital distribution service reached an all-time high in 2011, securing 14.5 million game registrations and 40 million accounts.

Steam now has 1,800 games listed in its distribution database with a mere 18 of those being free-to-play, but the company promises many more FTP titles in 2012. Valve has consistently reported a 100% sales increase each year.