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Expenditure on PC gaming hardware is expected to rocket as consumers ditch aging consoles in favour of high-performance computers.

A lack of ability to meet demands in cutting edge gaming is just one of the reasons why the PC gaming hardware market is booming, with expectations that it will hit $22 billion in sales across the globe, with a substantial jump of 27 percent forecast.

According to analysis from Jon Preddie Reseach the three main areas of mainstream, performance and particularly enthusiast are all expected to see a migration from console gamers seeking better performance in their hardware, boosting profits for PC firms.

Ted Pollack, Senior Gaming Analyst for JPR cites the systems demands of the modern first person shooters (FPSs) and real time strategy games as one of the reasons why PCs are becoming more attractive as a gaming platform.

The continued reduction in price of high resolution displays are also a contributing factor to the appeal of PC gaming, alongside the ease of access provided by digital distribution sites such as Steam and Direct2Drive.

Advancements made with Direct X11 will also contribute to inceased sales, while an appetite for accessories such as speaker systems, cases, cooling and peripherals such as headsets and mice will also boost revenue.

The desire among tech enthusiasts to use cutting edge photo and video hardware and software means that additional strains are being put on system processing power.

It is highlighted in the research that one of the areas that is expected to see impressive growth is in Asia, with China expected to account for $2.7 billion in expenditure as gaming continues to take hold – meaning that internet cafes are forced to upgrade systems to accommodate for power-hungry customers.

Russia is also expected to see significant increases, particularly in the enthusiast and mainstream class, with the latter supposedly seeing 22 percent compound annual growth rate up until 2014.

Jon Peddie points to the gathering interest in 3D capabilities in machine and displays as a driving factor in the demand for monitors with higher resolutions, with those in the enthusiast category looking towards displays with resolutions in excess of the HD maximum of 1080p that game consoles are capable of utilising.

Low end systems are also expected to do well this year, with games offered through social networks expected to continue thrill the casual gamer masses, leading to more interest in price ranges around the $500 mark.

While the desktop PC market facing stiff competition as mobile computing becomes more fashionable, it appears that, according to JPR at least, the superior potential for PC gaming could provide some, ahem, consolation.

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HORN LAKE – The City of Horn Lake has yet to reach the minimum goal of 250 participants to begin its new recycling program by March 1 but Alderman Amy Lay said March is not a hard deadline and she is hopeful that the program will start by April.

I was out in the community this weekend at basketball games trying to get the word out and I realized that word just hasnt gotten around, Lay said. Ive had some people say, I absolutely planned on doing it but I didnt know it was time yet.

The recycling program is being done through Waste Connections who set a minimum of 250 participants in order to start the curbside pick-up.

Spencer Shields, director of the Horn Lake Utility Department, said they will put out door hangers this week to advertise the program.

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Casino operator Penn National Gaming Inc. is considering selling its stake in the Maryland Jockey Club and urging its partners to drop a legal challenge to the bidding process that awarded a slot machine license for Anne Arundel County to a competitor.

The moves by Penn National might signal the company is shifting its focus to Rosecroft Raceway, the Prince Georges County harness-racing track it is buying for $11 million. Penn had set its sights on slots at Laurel Park, which is operated by the Jockey Club, and company officials have indicated that they also plan to push for the legalization of slots at Rosecroft.

Penn opened the states first casino in Perryville in September. The Hollywood Casino Perryville generated $7.7 million in slots revenue in January after reporting a loss from operations of $1.1 million for last year, including pre-opening expenses.

Rosecroft has suffered financially and stopped live racing to save money. The facility had been operating as an off-track betting site for two years before closing in July. Penn sees slots as a way to bring revenue to the ailing tracks.

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Riverhead, New York – An egregious case centering around a New York woman torturing dogs and cats in front of her children, and spurring the creation of an animal abuse registry in Suffolk County, pleaded guilty today. Sharon McDonough, 45 pleaded guilty to a 13 count indictment which included animal abuse and child endangerment.

Six charges were Class A misdemeanors for endangering the welfare of a child, two felony charges for aggravated cruelty to two animals and five misdemeanor animal cruelty charges were announced. Suffolk County Court Judge C.Randall Hinrichs will sentence McDonough on March 28, 2011. McDonough has been in custody since December 2009 in lieu of $100,000 bail. Her jail time will count toward her jail sentence.

In 2009, investigators discovered 42 dogs buried in McDonoughs backyard in Selden, Long Island. She admitted to torturing and killing the dogs and cats she allegedly rescued from local humane centers in front of her children; her youngest child only one-year-old at the time. Prosecutors called McDonoughs home a concentration camp for the animals.

McDonoughs oldest son, Douglas turned his mother into authorities. The other children are under the care and protection of family court.

District Attorney Thomas Spota will recommend to the court that McDonough serve consecutive time for the two counts of aggravated animal cruelty. The maximum sentence for each count is two years in prison.

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