Brand: MacNews

Ambrosia today released the Coldstone Game Engine, its tool for creating games for Mac OS, Mac OS X, and Windows, without any programming experience. Coldstone, which sells for US$49, was used to create Pillars of Garendall, a role-playing game that Ambrosia released last year. A demo is also available.

Discreet today began shipping combustion 2, a new version of its animation and 3D composting software. Among the new features in version 2 is 64-bit image processing, advanced film grain tools, a fully integrated 2D particle system, and state of the art rotoscoping technology. Combustion 2 is available for the introductory price of US$3,495 and will sell for $4,995 come February.

MacMinute reader Bobby Hays notes that Apple’s new iMac is the subject of The Onion‘s Infographic this week. Among its features: “If you cup your palms over domed base, your hair will rise in air” and “Screen is flat, which is good for some reason.”

Chip giant Intel today reported a fourth-quarter profit of US$998 million, exceeding analyst forecasts, as sales declined 20 percent from the year-ago period from $8.7 billion to $6.98 billion. Intel warned, however, that it does not expect to see any economic recovery during its first fiscal quarter, and expects to post results this quarter in line with seasonal changes while taking into account where the economy stands.

In a sign of strong demand, new orders for Apple’s high-end, US$1,799 iMac now carry a 3-5 week estimated delivery time from the online Apple Store. Apple will begin shipping the system later this month, although many retailers have been told not to expect much stock until the middle of February at the earliest. The $1,499 and $1,299 models are still listed as shipping in February and March, respectively.