Has Sony gone nuts and packed the raw power of a PS3 into a handheld form factor? That would seem to be the case with the PS3 Game Player at first glance, but thankfully it isn't. This is just a blatant ripoff from the PSP's design along with shameless name borrowing from China's hardware pirates, featuring a 3.5" TFT color display at 320 x 240 resolution, handwriting recognition, stereo speakers, TV-out connectivity, and a 1.3 megapixel camera. You also get built-in games, so chances are you'll have to settle for a cheap clone of Street Fighter II where even Ryu's sprite has been cloned, with the name "Rei Ji" as a replacement instead.
The folks over at Akihabara News posted about this new cool looking portable game console from iriver, the iriver G10. The G10 game console runs on Windows Mobile 5 and comes with storage space between 4 and 8GB.
The G10 employs the $lider control pad design, which makes it look cooler than the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DS. When you’re not playing game, you will only see the panel with a WVGA (800×480) screen, without any buttons. According to Akihabara News, you will be able to see the G10 game console at the CES 2006, Las Vega$.
Microsoft has just made chatting over Xbox Live and Windows-based PCs with your Xbox 360 much easier, thanks to the introduction of the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit. This device hooks up to any existing Xbox 360 controller without detracting from gameplay functionality in a single offering. Each $29.99 purchase comes with a Chatpad and an Xbox 360 Headset. With dedicated keys to letters and characters, thumb typists will have a field day keeping in touch without suffering from finger cramps. The backlit buttons sure come in handy when used in the dark - the preferred domain of gamers.
I don't know why anyone would want to port around an entire PS3, but now you can thanks to Clearvision's new LCD attachment. And don't worry Nintendo fans, you haven't been left out of the fun, because China Vaison has developed a similar screen for the Wii console. Both screens measure 7 inches and feature integrated speakers along with a convenient flip-top design. The Wii version (and presumably the PS3 version) also take component outputs. Still, they both pale in comparison to the12-inch XBox 360 versionreleased last year.
I’ve avoided climbing aboard the Guitar Hero bandwagon (ha! bandwagon, get it?… oh wait, that joke would probably work better with Rock Band, nevermind) mostly because I don’t want a pile of plastic guitars gathering dust in the corner in 2 months. But I’ll definitely be slapping down some pre-order cash for the Nintendo DS version of the game. Instead of a miniature guitar that would probably still take away from the portable nature of the DS, Red Octane has developed the ‘Guitar Grip’ accessory which connects to the GBA slot and includes 4 fret buttons.
The Grip also includes a strap for keeping hold of the system while playing and even houses a special guitar pick stylus which is used to strum away on the DS’ touch screen. The built-in microphone will also be used, but probably to activate the ‘Star Power’ mode without having to take your hands away from the gameplay. The aptly named Guitar Hero: On Tour will feature 20 licensed songs from bands like Nirvana, OK Go and No Doubt and Activision is hoping to ship the game sometime this Summer.
For most people, the prospect of replacing yourcomputer mousewith a bulky apparatus that's almost a cubic foot in volume wouldn't be something to get excited about. That's because most people haven't heard of the Novint Falcon, a peripheral that's much more than a mouse — more of a gateway to adding texture and motion feedback to your pointing and clicking.
TheNovint Falconis really something you have to try yourself to appreciate, and I had the opportunity last week. A mouse-like controller sits on the end of three mechanical arms, which shake and push back in response to your movements, depending on what you're clicking on. So if you were, say, playing a game that had your character running a hand over a rocky surface, the Falcon would simulate the texture by bumping and shaking as you moved the controller. The controller is removable, and there are plans for alternates such as a pistol grip.
More impressions after the jump.
Obviously, the Falcon wouldn't have a lot of use outside of games and advanced graphics programs, and it's a good chunk of desk space to sacrifice for some extra immersion, but the effect is like nothing else out there. Playing a little Half-Life 2 with the Falcon (games need specific mods to work with it), I thought it was pretty cool to know that someone offscreen was shooting at me by feeling how the controller was shaking.
Unless you're a hardcore gamer or work for Lucasfilm, it's probably not something you'd want to keep on your desk all time. But after you try it, you'll want to use it for every game you play — especially "first-person" titles, where the screen show's your character's perspective. At $239 ($189pre-order), the price is certainly right. — Peter Pachal
If you love your Xbox 360, but just can’t face not having your trusty mouse and keyboard at hand, incase things go real bad, then the XFPS360 is for you. Fusing PC gaming with the best of the Xbox 360, XCM is “bringing old school PC gaming to your living room”. Simply plug-in the dinky adapter into one of your Xbox 360’s USB ports, and it’ll let you connect either more USB devices or a PS/2 gadget. Of course hardcore gamers will much prefer a keypad and pointer to a heavenly, ergonomically shaped controller, but then again, who’s to stop them? There’s a hell of alot of pictures for you to drool over in the mean-time. Enjoy! News and photos from Techzi
The VRX Mach 4 has been claimed as the world’s first quad screen race simulator. It is powered by four Xbox 360s, giving 4 teraflops of power, with one console dedicated to powering a 7 inch rear view monitor. It is equipped with 1080p resolution, Harmon Kardon surround sound, tactile vibration feedback system, twin virtual wind fans, LED lighting effects and a ‘beverage containment system’.
Turn-key setup includes: * 4 Microsoft Xbox 360’s * 4 Copy’s Forza Motorsport 2 * Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter * Microsoft Force Feedback Steering wheel * 3 Sharp Aquos 37″ LC-D62U 1080p HD LCD displays * Adjustable rear view Power Acoustik (PTM 750) 7″ LCD display * Bose Acoustimass 10 series surround sound system with subwoofer * Harmon Kardon AVR-144 Surround Sound receiver * 1500 Watt Tactile Vibration Feedback System * 1900 Watt Tactile Power Amplifier * Virtual Wind System powered by 2 dual Honeywell fans with chrome shroud * 1″ CNC machined polished aluminum foot assembly that connects to the front of the VRX * Universal triple screen aluminum mounting bracket that excepts LCD displays from 20″ to 40″ * Adjustable aluminum and tinted acrylic component shelves * On board power bar and unique wire way system conceals cables * Polished chrome chassis with powder coated wheel mount and pedal mount * CNC billet aluminum Speaker Mounts and Seat Wing * Front and rear non-slip aluminum vibration dampeners * 3M automotive chrome trim concealed edges * Italian Sparco Monza racing seat (choice of Red/Black or Black/Silver) * Sparco automotive seat slider * Suspension seat base * 3/D epoxy coated graphics * Velcro and machined rubber grip blocks “prevents wheel and pedal movement” * 10″ diagonal and 8″ horizontal wheel adjustments * Polished Aluminum Speaker Mounts * LED Lighting effects * Beverage Containment System
