Gamers get mitts on DX10 games bundles

GRAPHICS CARD makers have long been bundling games with their wares in a bid to differentiate themselves from the thirty bazillion other stock-card OEM partners, and the latest generation of DX10 cards is no different. However, we've just had word of the first announcements of DX10 games being bundled.

On the DAAMIT side, GeCube is bundling in Call of Juarez with cards from its Radeon HD lineup. The press release seems to suggest the "complete" range of 2400, 2600 and 2900 cards will all have the game bundled in, but we rather think that it's more likely to be special bundles rather than OEM cards.

Looking at the Green Team, XFX has been the first to announce a DX10 gaming bundle and has managed to nab two different games to bundle with its cards. Some 8600 cards will come with a patched-up, DX10-ready version of Company of Heroes - still one of the best games put out in the last two years - while 8800 buyers will get a complete version of Lost Planet, the little Xbox 360 shooter that almost could.

Before you hand over your card details to an online retailer, it's worth double-checking with a real person, possibly even on the phone, that you're going to be getting the software you expect when you order one of these cards - retailers often have older stock lying around without the games that they might try and pawn off on your first.

In the meantime, kudos to GeCube and XFX for adding just a little extra value to their propositions. Can't play Company of Heroes on Xbox 360 can ya, eh? µ