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Hands-on with Nyko's Zoom Kinect and extended battery packs for the 3DS
We gave you a glimpse of Nyko's 2011 accessories lineup earlier this week, and today we got some quality time with the company's gear at E3 2011. We tried out Zoom Kinect, a set of lenses for Microsoft's favorite sensor bar that lets those residing in diminutive domiciles be the controller without rearranging their furniture. The add-on worked flawlessly when we gave it a go on Kinect Adventures -- Kinect had no trouble tracking our movements even though we were a few feet closer to the sensor than recommended. Zoom Kinect is slated for an August 16th release and will cost $29.99, a paltry sum compared to the price of buying a bigger living room. But wait, there's more! See our impressions of Nyko's other new products after the break.
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We also checked out the Shock 'n Rock, Power Grip, and Game Boost external batteries for Nintendo's 3DS. The Shock 'n Rock brings a 2600 mAh battery, quad speakers, and force feedback to the handheld, but the latter two features weren't particularly compelling additions to our gaming experience. While hurling hadoukens on Super Street Fighter IV, the rumble sensations provided by the device were low fidelity affairs -- you won't be confusing it with the haptic feedback given by modern smartphones. And though the speakers were louder than those in the 3DS, the sound produced was no better than the handheld's stock drivers.
Upon grabbing the Power Grip, which packs the same 2600 mAh cell as the Shock 'n Rock, we found its ergonomic backside comfortable in the hand, but thought it best suited for smaller mitts than ours. The Game Boost is an unobtrusive, lightweight little snap-on battery that didn't affect our tactile gaming experience, though we certainly appreciate the extra one or two hours of game time it provides. There was a non-functional prototype of the Play Clock charging dock / alarm clock for the 3DS as well -- Nyko is showing the device to gauge public interest before deciding whether to put it into production (our vote: keep this one in the lab, guys). Interested? The Shock 'n Rock, Power Grip, and Game Boost will cost $39.99, $29.99, and $9.99 when they hit stores early this fall, and pics of the gaming goodies are below.
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