New Gadgets

I always enjoy trying out video game accessories from Nyko, and I finally got to try the upgrade for the Wand with the Wand Plus.

I remember being quite sarcastic about the Wand, as it looked quite similar to the Wiimote. I believe that the Wand Plus is a genuine upgrade as it has Full Motion Technology, which means that it is essentially 1:1 movement tracking that works with all the Wii Motion Plus games without that silly little dongle.

Other upgrades seem pretty ordinary like the enlarged 1 and 2 buttons, rubberized B trigger, and re-worked d-pad. It also has the Trans-port Technology, which makes it very compatible with accessories with pass through key buttons. The accessories include the Pistol Grip, which is a gun attachment for the controller.

I have heard that the Wand + works well for classic and horizontal game play, but I had a problem with the horizontal form factor when I was playing Mario Kart Wii. For some reason, hitting the B Button often did not work, or had a delayed reaction.

The Wand + is about $39.99, which is about fifteen dollars more than the original Wand.

Now, we do know that the iPhone has somewhat turned into a pretty decent gaming platform, and has had its fair share of hits along the way. When it comes to racing games, however, the experience of tilting your phone either way to steer your car isn’t a really fun experience, so here is a peripheral that might just help you out.

The iPhone 4 Steering Wheel with Speakers that retails for $22.20 is here to save the day – this lightweight peripheral is meant specially for the iPhone 4, where it offers high quality audio regardless of whether you’re gaming or listening to music. All you need to do is connect your iPhone to the steering wheel’s adapter, affix that to the middle of the wheel, and you’re good to go. If only the iPhone 4 will somewhat remain on a horizontal plain no matter which way you turn the steering wheel – now that’d be uber cool.

The iPad is truly a phenomenon, having grown in stature since its release as a pretty formidable portable gaming device on its own, although the iPhone will probably edge it out still.

Well, what the iPad has over the rest is a relatively large screen real estate, so why not take full advantage of it with the Fling Joystick for iPad?

Available for pre-orders at £19.99 a pop, this is a proper stick-on joystick for avid gamers, and to make things sweeter, it comes in an ergonomic design which will certainly have you playing your iPad games for hours on end without any worries. Made from silky-smooth aluminum and engineering-grade flexible resin, this is one gizmo that takes full advantage of suction cups, giving you an instant joystick as and when you need it.

Remember that Panasonic Jungle  handheld from last year that was supposedly already in testing in the US? No? Well, don’t feel bad the thing was destined to fail. Back in November Panasonic went so far as to send out emails to some geeks telling them they had been chosen to test the Jungle in the US. If you were one of those chosen ones, Panasonic has apparently realized the other portable consoles coming like the 3DS and NGP that are actually cool and killed off the Jungle.

Reuters  reports that Panasonic said today that it has stopped the development of the Jungle handheld gaming device. The only details offered by Panasonic as to why it ended development was an official statement that said, “Panasonic decided to suspend further development due to changes in the market and in our own strategic direction.”

I guess Panasonic finally realized that the Jungle really had no chance against the popular Nintendo 3DS and other portable systems already on the market and coming to market. I think this is a project that won’t really be missed. The console was going to focus on MMORPG titles only and the sole game to have been spoken of was a Battlestar Galactica game.

Many years ago, gaming was just all about the graphics – sound took a back seat, but it seems as though things have taken a turn for the better these days, what with modern technology having taken leaps and bounds forward over the past few years. Razer, a company that is famous for its range of gaming peripherals, has rolled out yet another device for the masses who are aligned to the Xbox 360 in the form of the Razer Chimaera 5.1 Wireless Gaming Headset.

This is the latest model which will be able to let you hear all the explosions and gunfire in Halo, not to mention being thrilled by the high octane release of nitro in Need for Speed, or grooving beats on DJ Hero. Surely, the Razer Chimaera is able to kick Xbox gaming immersion into overdrive.

According to Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff, President Razer USA, “Putting on this headset may cause serious jaw-dropping aural intensity. With the Razer Chimaera 5.1, we’re giving every gamer the opportunity to experience surround sound in complete wireless freedom. We drew from our expertise in PC gaming audio and worked with Dolby to develop a headset that lets you hear everything with absolute clarity to pinpoint enemy locations, prevent backstabs, and just take your gaming enjoyment further. I recommend using it with the Razer Onza controller for serious Xbox ownage.”

There are 5.1 and Stereo editions of the Razer Chimaera, and it is nice to know that both of them are wireless for an added level of freedom for you to hear the destruction of your opponents anywhere. The 5.1 edition is capable of running for up to 8 hours without missing a beat, while the stereo edition will obviously last longer on the scene per charge at 12 hours.

Extra large circumaural ear cups ensure that your Xbox gaming marathons will be able to last the distance without having your ears feel cramped and uncomfortable, and if you find that the unit is starting to run out of juice, all you need to do is hang the headset onto the base station which also doubles up as the audio processing unit, and you’re good to go.

If you happen to have a trio of teammates with you, you are able to locally connect a quartet of Razer base stations for a crystal clear, lag-free, and dedicated voice channel which will certainly go a long way in improving team communication. The Razer Chimaera 5.1 Wireless Gaming Headset for Xbox 360 will retail for $199.99/€199.99 as it hits the world this April.

Razer has been in the gaming market for a long time with some awesome mice and keyboards for computer gamers. The company has branched out over the years into the market for speakers, sound cards, and other gear as well. One of the latest products is a new set of speakers for portable gaming called Ferox.

The speakers are sized to be easy to take with you on the go and can be connected to your PC or any other device that uses a 3.5mm headphone port. The Ferox speakers have an internal battery good for about 12 hours of playback per charge. The design of the speakers gives them an expanded Bass resonance chamber.

Ferox also uses a digital amp with clean power for clearer and more powerful sound. The frequency response is 150Hz to 20Khz. The drivers inside the little black housing are 30mm units. Power for each speaker is 3W and Razer ships them with a carry case. Overall dimensions are 70mm L x 70mm W x 53-64mm high. You can order a set right now for $59.99.

Mad Catz is a name that is more often than not associated with video games, is back to deliver something more formal and less casual – the new range of colored lifestyle mice that is meant to see action with the personal computer, where it will fall under the company’s Eclipse home and office brand. Boasting a rather striking slim-line design as well as a tactile ‘high-gloss’ premium finish, this new colored mobilemouse  will come in either white or red shades, although those who prefer to opt for something more traditional can always get it in the classic black format. We would settle for the white or red colors simply because they look chic, but when it comes to practicality, nothing beats black at all – after all, the dirt and grime which gathers on a black-colored mouse is certainly going to be a whole lot harder to see, right?

Meant to complement the Eclipse range of keyboards, the mobilemouse will cram in some rather impressive technology without having to sacrifice good looks. Made out of premium hard-wearing materials alongside a die cast metal frame, the mobilemouse was specially designed to stand-up to the most demanding of commuter or business use. Of course, when Mad Catz puts it that way, we do wonder whether banging your mouse against the table out of frustration at work constitutes as demanding business use…what do you think?

It will come with a low profile Scroll Ball that enables 4-way 360° scrolling, while cramming in 1600dpi laser technology to ensure smooth operation on a variety of surfaces. Since it is fully wireless, the mobilemouse will obviously run on 2.4GHz technology and features a ‘nano-dongle’ that delivers pretty much a rock solid connection at all times, while looking unobtrusive even when it is plugged in. Fret not about having it sip much more juice from your notebook than it should though, as it will come with on-board intelligent power management that automatically sends the mouse into standby mode when the computer shuts down, hence prolonging the battery life to 6 months using a sole AAA battery. The new Mad Catz Eclipse branded colored mobilemouse is tipped to begin shipping worldwide from March this year onwards at $59.99 a pop.

You get to see a lot of cool things at CES, some from companies you know and trust, and some that are brand new. This looks to be the case for Calibur11.

Their Vault collection appears to be some sort of protective armor for an XBox 360. Just imagine if you had to send your XBox 360 to play hockey, then this is what you would want to send it out in.

On closer inspection of their catalog, I believe that Cailbur11 wants their Vault series to be more than just for protection, perhaps even decoration. The picture that you see here is the MLG edition, and it has its “game face” on. I believe that the MLG is an abbreviation for Major League Gamer, and it shows, doesn’t it?

In addition to that special edition version, Calibur11 wants to accessorize the Xbox 360 with Name Plates that can be chosen from ten background templates. The user can also add their own tag line as well. In the summertime will be announced some “acessory packs”.

You should be able to get the Base Vault in five colors sometime around March 2011 for a price of $59.99. As for the MLG Edition, that will launch at about the same time for about $89.99.

Ever wanted to dump your PC and stream online games directly onto the TV?

Well, OnLive  may have just saved the day for you with the launch of its MicroConsole – a TV adaptor that connects to the wired internet connection and the TV simultaneously to deliver online games instantly on the TV. Slated to ship December 2 for a modest $99 price tag, with free game and a wireless game controller, the MicroConsole can be used with a keyboard and mouse too. For now we learn that the device offers gamers with a HD gaming experience with 1080p at 60fps over HDMI, while 1.4 surround sound capability inclusion and Bluetooth headset support are expected to be updated in a month’s time. A decent selection of games is included in the package, while the gamers will have option to rent games or purchase them.

It never feels right when you play a classic MAME-emulated game using a keyboard or a modern controller that’s been designed with ergonomics in mind. It’s still fun, but if your hands aren’t sore after 10 minutes the sense of nostalgia just isn’t there.

So do yourself a favor and pick up one of these classic one-button joysticks from ThinkGeek ($24.99)  which now feature a USB port allowing it to be connected to a PC or Mac, without drivers, for a truly authentic MAME experience.

You tinkerers out there will also appreciate the fact that the joystick’s circuit board actually supports two more buttons, so with a little wiring and Dremel work you can turn this into some kind of super-advanced 3-button model from the future.