Gamescom2012
Latest
Gamescom 2012 wrap-up
Cologne, city of cathedrals, chocolate museums and -- at least for the last week -- a little bit of cosplay. While Gamescom largely concentrated on the latest titles coming in the next year, there was still plenty to see for gadget obsessives -- especially when it came to PC mice and keyboards. Sony also had a few tricks up its sleeve at its press event before Gamescom had even begun in earnest. After the break, gorge on all the gaming hardware of note, in case you missed it on the first round. Tschüss! %Gallery-162685%
Official Black Ops II gaming headsets unveiled by Turtle Beach, coming 'weeks' ahead of game release (hands-on)
The crowds that filed towards the hulking Call of Duty: Black Ops II stand at Gamescom prove it deserved all that floor space and nearby, Turtle Beach was finally showing off its range of companion gaming headphones, ranging from in-ear buds to top-of-the-range wireless gaming cans with some heavy-duty audio customization options in tow. We managed to take a look at the whole selection (which repackages several models from the XP series and the incoming Seven series). While these were still developmental models (the Call of Duty decals will be painted on, not the stickers seen here), it should give you a good idea how the headphones will appear when they arrive in the next few months. We've got details on all the headsets (and the press release) after the break. %Gallery-162533% %Gallery-162520%
Tritton's Pro+ 5.1 headset goes up for pre-order, promises gamers 'true 5.1' for $200
Thought Tritton was satisfied with only pumping out Xbox-licensed gaming headsets in the last year? Fret not ye' PS3 and PC gamers, instead, say hello to its latest cross-platform unit, the AX Pro+. Although its color scheme is similar to the Dolby Headphone-enabled AX 720 virtual surround sound headset, the moniker pits it as a follow up to the AX Pro. Like its predecessor, the Pro+ sports a trio of drivers and one subwoofer in each of its earcups, aiming to offer "true 5.1 surround sound." Among other design tweaks, its cups can rotate flat for added comfort (a sorely missed feature on the original), and the drivers have been repositioned for "superior surround sound separation and improved bass response." An included Dolby decoder box handles its connections, while the headset's inline remote allows you to adjust each driver's individual volume level, the balance of game / voice audio, and enable voice monitoring through its detachable mic. Better yet, the whole setup is powered by one wall plug, rather than two as was the annoyance with the older model. Discrete 5.1 headsets haven't impressed us in the past, but you can pre-order the Pro+ for $200 from Tritton if you're willing to give its cramped surround sound setup a try during Call of Duty fragging sessions come this September.
Sony rules out PS Vita price cut in 2012, works to lower the price later
It's time to get realistic about the prospects of a PlayStation Vita price drop. Sony Worldwide Studios' head Shuhei Yoshida dampened the fires of speculation at GamesCom this week by telling Eurogamer that it was simply "too early" to slash the price on the gaming handheld -- it was only just launched this year for every active region beyond Japan, after all. That's not to say Sony is determined to keep the PS Vita at $249 forever. Much like what it did for the PS3, the company is working to bring down the price by streamlining part costs. The cuts might be necessary given the mismatch between the warm reception to the quad-core, OLED-packing hardware and the actual sales; Sony would "like to see more uptake" than what's been seen to date, according to Yoshida. In the meantime, we'll have to be content with bundles like the European LittleBigPlanet combo if we want to eke out a little more value at the game store counter.
Oculus Rift's latest VR headset prototype gets a showing at Gamescom 2012 (hands-on)
"This is the latest prototype," the Oculus guys tell us. That's great, now strap us in. The team decided to make a sudden stop in Germany ahead of appearances back in the US over the next few weeks -- and we're glad, because it meant we got to call in on them and grab some time with the Oculus Rift. If you didn't know, the Rift is a Kickstarter-funded VR gaming headset (stay with us) that's caught the attention of several games developers -- most notably John Carmack. He liked it so much, in fact, that he developed a special Rift-ready version of Doom 3 for the headset and Doom 4 will also be heading to the VR peripheral too. We got to play with the earlier game and while there's a video after the break, we reckon you'll really need to try this in person to fully grasp how the Oculus Rift plays. Check out our impressions after the break. %Gallery-162593%
Ubisoft Gamescom media megapost: Rayman Legends, ZombiU, and more
Just in case you didn't get to see the Ubisoft press conference while it was streaming, don't worry. We saved all of the pictures and videos from the games they had on display, and have combined them all into this one easy-to-carry blog post for your viewing pleasure. It took a while to figure out a way to pack all of these games into the same place, but below, you'll find new screenshots from the gorgeous Rayman Legends, videos from Ghost Recon Online and the two upcoming Might and Magic titles, and more media from upcoming titles like Avengers: Battle For Earth and the upcoming ZombiU. How convenient!
Razer Ouroboros gaming mouse hands-on
You recall the Ouroboros, right? Nope, not the mythical snake yarn, the latest gaming mouse from Razer that inadvertently broke cover over at the FCC. While it's been official for around a month, Germany's annual gaming convention has offered us our first chance to get to grips with it. Razer has tied itself in a ergonomic knot over the Ouroboros, with most of the mouse's dimensions happily adjustable to suit practically any gamer hand. We get customizing right after the break. %Gallery-162518%
ROCCAT's new Kone Pure mouse streamlines things, while ISKU FX keyboard adds some color (hands-on)
ROCCAT's latest addition to its family of mice is the Kone Pure, toned down to 91 percent the size of the original Kone. Now both smaller and flatter, it's dropped the menu button above the four-direction scroll wheel, and that scroll wheel now goes only up and down. It's a trade-off, but ROCCAT has added a new 'easy shift' side trigger which it hopes will ameliorate that fall in the button-count. This acts as a mouse-based shift function and you can customize how all of the device's other buttons behave when the side-trigger is depressed. ROCCAT also threw in a new FX version of its ISKU keyboard here at Gamescom, adding some customizable color skills and upgraded keys that are far more legible when not backlit -- a common complaint with the original ISKU keyboard. Switching from black to white fittings under the keys has also improved the keys' visibility. Take a tour of both devices in the galleries, then jump after the break for a little more detail -- including a new prototype. %Gallery-162489% %Gallery-162507%
Razer announces new Kraken gaming headsets: Pros get a pull-out mic (hands-on)
Razer wasn't done with the Gamescom crowds just yet, revealing its latest Lime-doused gaming headset. The Razer Kraken is readying for a global launch next month, with a Pro version (with microphone in tow) hitting your wallet for 80 bucks and the similar-looking Music and Gaming cans priced around $60. Razer's pushing the headphone's ergonomic charms and we'll admit, they were pretty cosy, with some good (but not perfect) noise-isolation at work. The Kraken Pro packs a 40mm audio driver and the wired headphones will work with your phone or any device with a 3.5mm jack. Get all the audio statistics on the Hulk-esque headsets in the PR after the break. %Gallery-162452%
Razer Deathstalker gaming keyboard announced, packs Switchblade UI LCD panels (hands-on)
It's pretty obvious from Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan's one-man presentation at Gamescom that he's buzzing about his new gaming keyboard. Ready to accompany the accessory maker's Ouroboros gaming mouse (hands-on impressions coming very soon), the Deathstalker will arrive in Ultimate and Standard versions. They both plump for chiclet-style keys and the pricier (and larger) Ultimate felt both light and slim. The standard issue packs three backlit color options, while the bigger board adds in Razer's light-up Switchblade UI, seen on its first gaming laptop. The first part of this is ten LCD keys that can be customized to gaming buttons or more typical PC use. They're still contextual, meaning if you launch the calculator from one of the keys, they will then transform into more appropriate calculator functions. Beneath that, a touchpanel LCD can act as a trackpad and accepts several gesture motions. It can also display your Twitter feed, game information and plenty more. The keyboard will also feature Synapse 2, Razer's new cloud-based settings service. The CEO explained that a player's custom layout and profile for the 'board could be stored online and then accessed from any computer it's plugged into, ready for your next (online) fight. Get our first impressions after our gallery and the break. %Gallery-162443% %Gallery-162445%
Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 gaming keyboard announced at Gamescom (hands-on)
In the hubbub of a late evening soiree in the center of Cologne, Mad Catz unveiled its new gaming keyboard. While the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 keyboard is certainly punctuation-rich, it's aiming to match all those periods with just as many functions and permutations. The keyboard has a modular design, including a new touchscreen interface offering up some new swipe and gesture controls across both gaming titles and day-to-day PC use. Mad Catz reckons it's the final piece in their gaming range puzzle, complementing both the aforementioned R.A.T. mice and its F.R.E.Q gaming headsets. We take a closer look -- and throw in the suitably bombastic promo video -- after the break. %Gallery-162428% %Gallery-162343%
We're live from Gamescom 2012, in Cologne, Germany!
Europe's premier gaming event starts today. In fact, Sony got the party started a little early, with its own press preview last night. The PlayStation maker is the only one of the Big Three to offer up a show here, but that shouldn't mean there's nothing else to see -- this is the place for game devs and manufacturers to make an impression on Europe's tastemakers and games journalists. If you're in the area, the show even opens up to Joe Public later this week. But if the Rhine seems a little too far away, there's nothing to worry about, we'll be bringing all the notable hardware additions -- just point your browser to our Gamescom 2012 tag. Our sister site, Joystiq, is also out in force in Deutschland, so check the More Coverage link for their take on what Gamescom's got to offer.
PlayStation Plus coming to the PS Vita this year, cloud storage increasing from 150MB to 1GB 'from September'
Sony's decided that you've been playing so much with their dedicated online service, you deserve more space for your cloud saves. From next month, users will see their cloud storage increase from 150MB to 1GB. We were also teased that the PlayStation Vita would be getting into PlayStation Plus soon, but it looks like SCEE CEO Jim Ryan is holding onto that tantalizing nugget for now. Hopefully we'll hear more on this a bit later.
PlayStation Mobile detailed: different screens, same games
Sony's decided to spill the beans on PlayStation Mobile, its upcoming cross-platform gaming service. It will connect to your own PSN ID, linking into its software store and aiming to offer up a "wide range of portable experiences." We're still looking at PlayStation-certified devices here, but Sony's also announced that ASUS and (bizarrely) Wikipad hardware will join the (pretty Sony-centric) line-up. We can already recognize a handful of Xperia phones alongside the Tablet S and, of course, Sony's premier handheld, which will also be able to play the incoming selection of mini-games. %Gallery-162377%
PlayStation Vita Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified bundle announced, pricing MIA
Sony's handheld will get its own companion bundle for its incoming (and exclusive) Call of Duty title. The set will include the game, a PlayStation Vita and a carry pouch -- camouflage pattern TBC. Unfortunately, Sony it neglected to mention a price or a date -- though it's likely to arrive around the same time as the game, later this year.
PS Vita and PS3 cross-buy feature revealed: buy one copy, get the other free
Sony's kicked off its Gamescom event in Germany by revealing a new deal for games playable on both the PS3 and its handheld relative, the PS Vita. The incoming PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault will be two of the first titles to arrive on both -- with a single purchase giving you both versions. According to Jim Ryan, president and CEO for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, you'll get both copies in the single package but there's no word on whether both, or one, will be digital download-only. We'll update this post when we hear more.
