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Splitfish FragFX Shark 360 starts shipping for your first-person shooting pleasure
What better way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Halo than the release of a new way to first-person shoot people on the Xbox 360? Splitfish today announced that its FragFX Shark mouse / analog stick hybrid controller device thingie is finally hitting the Microsoft console. The peripheral offers in-controller setup, customizable precision and should give you around 50 hours of play time on two AA batteries. The $80 device uses 2.4GHz wireless, but, as outlined before, requires a wired controller to get in on the action. More info in the press release after the break.
Corsair Vengeance gaming keyboards, mice, and headsets hands-on (video)
Hold on to your seats gaming enthusiasts, Corsair just unleashed an onslaught of Vengeance series peripherals aimed at helping you dominate that Call of Duty marathon... and we got our hands on all of 'em. There's a lot to cover, so we'll get right to it. The K60 gamer keyboard boasts Cherry MX Red interchangeable keys for rapid fire, 20-key rollover, windows key lock and crazy fast reporting rate at 1000 reports per second. Its companion, the M60 mouse, implements an Avago 5670 DPI sensor, adjustable center of gravity, custom lift detection and high-mass scroll wheel. In addition to all that, this bad boy features a dedicated sniper button which allows you to hone in on your target that much faster. Read on for the full rundown on the goods. %Gallery-133997% %Gallery-134002%
Engadget's back to school guide 2011: gaming
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we're getting our game on -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! Let's be honest, balancing coursework with recreation is just as important as maintaining a balanced food diet -- perhaps even more. After you spend countless hours hitting the books, cramming for tests, and writing papers, you're just going to need something to turn your brain to mush. Don't worry, we have just the thing: video games. It doesn't matter how many midterms you have, we're sure we can find something to help you slack off. Of course, it's not going to be easy; you'll have to wait until next semester (at least) to get your hands on the PlayStation Vita, but that doesn't mean that you don't have options now. Jump past the break -- we can probably help you find something to get you through mid-terms with your sanity intact. Don't want to shell out cash to have fun this semester? Enter our back to school sweepstakes! Simply leave a comment below for a chance to win, and drop by our giveaway page for more details.
Click and drag in style with Logitech's G300 gaming mouse
Logitech has introduced its new G300 mouse, coming to the US and Europe next month. The biggest selling point seems to be that the mouse is ambidextrous, meaning that as the buttons are laid out symmetrically, you can use it with either your right or your left hand. You can also store up to three profiles on the mouse itself (no software needed), and you can even configure the lighting colors to match up to a certain profile, telling you how it's set with just a look. There's also a 2500 DPI sensor on the bottom, so your Minecraft blocks will always end up exactly where you place them. The G300 is set to retail for $39.99.
Logitech G300 mouse delivers gaming friendly features on the cheap
Logitech isn't exactly new to the gaming peripheral scene, but the company knows its strength lies not in pleasing hardcore FPS fans, it's in delivering solid consumer products. The G300 isn't a gaming mouse for the twitchy virtual gun slingers out there, it's for folks that fire up the occasional shooter, but want better performance than they get out of the pointer packed with their PC. The nine programmable buttons and 2,500dpi laser aren't jaw-dropping, but they're certainly respectable for only $40. It does pack one interesting feature -- gaming profiles that are stored on the mouse's internal memory. This way you can set up different configurations for particular games and even move the mouse across PCs without any hassle. And, the lighting on the side will glow different colors to identify which profile you're using. While you wait for the G300 to land in September, check out the PR after the break.
Mad Catz Cyborg Rat Albino first hands-on
Mad Catz' aggressively named "Rat" mouse line already looks like an exploding space ship of awesome in the form of a humble human interface device, but why not give it a hint more futuristic edge? Enter the Cyborg Rat Albino, Mad Catz' alabaster successor to the Rat 7, hitting the scene looking sleeker, cleaner, and somehow ever-so-slightly more futuristic than its matte black brethren. Although the Albino is still technically a Rat 7 itself, this murine clicker squeaked into the Engadget game room to show us it had a little more to flaunt than just a new paint job. %Gallery-130274%
Razer trots out Transformers 3 Edition DeathAdder, Vespula and laptop case
After what we're guessing was a fruitful tie-up with Tron, the fine folks at Razer are back at a similar well; this time, the company's dishing out a limited run of gear that's been splashed with color and branding from the upcoming Michael Bay train wreck blockbuster, Transformers 3. Outside of being doused with red, yellow, silver and purple paint, the special edition DeathAdder mice ($69.99 a pop) are identical to the version already on the market. If that's just not enough, there's also a dual-sided Vespula mouse mat ($44.99) to commemorate the film, not to mention a foursome of colored laptop sleeves ($49.99 each) that'll make public your infatuation. Curiously absent? A handwritten letter of congratulations from Shia LaBeouf.
Ask Engadget: best gaming mouse for first-person shooters?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Alex, who seems to be sick and tired (but mostly sick) of doing poorly in deathmatches due to a troublesome mouse. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I'm thinking about getting an Alienware M14x. What's the best gaming mouse for first person shooters?" That's about as brief as they come, folks. We're guessing he wants something on the portable side given his machine of choice, and while we'd personally recommend the Orochi, we're sure the hivemind has a few answers, too. Spill 'em in comments below!
Razer ships $80 Orochi Black Chrome Edition mobile gaming mouse
It's an Orochi, but with 100 percent more gloss. Typically, a new hue on an old critter wouldn't do much for us, but given that Razer's oh-so-diminutive Orochi still remains our favorite travel mouse to date (for gaming, at least), we couldn't help but notice the striking young fellow above. The Orochi Black Chrome Edition is the exact same mouse that shipped last fall, but with a much more vivacious set of duds. Aside from being fully capable of sneaking into either of your front pockets, this Bluetooth-enabled unit also touts an ambidextrous design, a 4000DPI laser sensor (with tracking at up to 100 inches per second), on-the-fly sensitivity adjustments and a gold-plated USB connector for those who'd prefer to roll wired. If you've been looking to treat yourself, she's in stock now for $79.99. %Gallery-126640%
Logitech G400 optical gaming mouse available for pre-order, wants to replace your aging MX518
It's been almost a decade since Logitech introduced the now revered and oft-imitated MX518 optical gaming mouse, and this mainstay peripheral is finally getting a well-deserved upgrade as the new G400. Externally, the design isn't much different; it's merely sporting a stealthier grey hue and a cable that's "thinner and twenty-five percent lighter." All of the tweaks Logitech has made to help improve your fragging life are internal. The optical sensor is twice as sensitive with a maximum 3,600 DPI resolution (selectable down to 400) that maintains a tracking speed of 140 inches per second, and the mouse reports 1,000 times per second over USB (up from 250). This little guy will even work with the macros on G-series keyboards. If your clicker-finger is starting to itch for one, $50 will snag you a pre-order from Logitech in the US where it's due out on June 19th, while the rest of the planet will have to rock their 518s into July.
Splitfish FragFX Shark to surface for Xbox 360, make friends with wired controller
Splitfish is finally bringing its flagship PC and PS3 mouse controller to the Xbox, albeit packing an odd wireless caveat. Although the FragFx Shark 360 is billed as an identical twin to its PS3 counterpart, this half-gamepad and rodent combo, much like a XIM adapter, needs a wired Xbox 360 gamepad to act as an intermediary between itself and the console. That wired controller plugs into the Shark's wireless USB dongle; the macro-equipped "fragchuck" and mouse themselves are completely untethered. It sounds a little janky, but if your faith in mouse superiority is strong, you may be forgiving it for its faults come late August. Hit the break for a full list of features and glittery PR wonder.
NZXT stops being so sensitive with $40 Avatar S gaming mouse
It seems that the people at NZXT love gamers almost as much as they hate vowels. The company today took the wraps off of the Avatar S, a replacement for the already discontinued Avatar gaming mouse. The new model doesn't quite match the 2,600DPI of its predecessor -- instead it's got a 1,600 DPI laser sensor with three sensitivity settings: 1,600DPI, 800DPI, and 400DPI. The finned peripheral's five buttons are configurable, as is the LED lighting scheme and X-Y sensitivity -- customization that can be saved to the device's 16Kb of onboard memory. The mouse has a polling rate of 1000Hz and does tracking at 30 inches / second, and those little Teflon feet should help you move the thing around a bit more easily. The mouse comes in both black and white will run you $39.99 when it launches at the end June -- $20 cheaper than its predecessor's launch price, or $10 per fin. Press release after the break.
Razer trots out mildly overhauled DeathAdder Black Edition USB gaming mouse
When you've got a good thing rolling, why stop? That's the mantra applied to Razer's latest, which is actually the third DeathAdder to be released. You may remember the original slinking out way back in 2006, with the southpaws in attendance finally getting one of their own in March of last year. Today, in order to celebrate the device's Wood Anniversary, Razer's loosing the USB-connected DeathAdder Black Edition. For all intents and purposes, this is the same DeathAdder that we came to love last decade, but with an ever-so-slightly tweaked design that adds non-slip rubber sides and an all-black finish. It'll ship globally next month for $59.99 / €59.99, with orders being taken right... about.. now. %Gallery-115306%
Rude Gameware's Fierce Laser Gaming Mouse v2 has a long name and a lengthy spec sheet
When the crew at Rude Gameware aren't flipping burgers, they're building gaming gear -- like this Fierce Laser Gaming Mouse V2 -- and while we haven't seen anything particularly groundbreaking, there's some bang for the buck to be had. This rodent in particular brings the heat with a 5000dpi laser sensor, a 1ms response time and 1000Hz polling rate, on-board memory to save configurations and macros for each of its seven programmable buttons, adjustable weights and on-the-fly DPI, a braided cord and even a moderately comfortable-looking design. Best of all, it'll manage to deliver all that for a nickel shy of $50 next month. Oh, it'll have some storied competitors at that price point, to be sure, but now you have more choices. Isn't capitalism grand? PR after the break.
Shogun Bros. Chameleon X-1 review: the mouse that's a gamepad, too
Peanut butter and jelly. Gin and tonic. Peaches and cream. Some strange combinations make perfect sense paired, but how about the mouse and the PC gamepad? Those two items are what a Hong Kong peripheral manufacturer decided to combine, and the result was the Shogun Bros. Chameleon X-1 -- a gaming mouse you can flip to find twelve buttons and two miniature analog sticks on the bottom. It works as a gamepad, sure enough, and functions as a one-handed multimedia remote too. But is it any good? We've used it as our primary peripheral for over a week, and after the break, we'll tell you. Update: Shogun Bros. tells us our review unit shipped with a partially charged battery, and we'll be testing battery life again (with a fresh cell) as a result. Update 2: Our testing is complete, and we found the X-1 lasted about two weeks with a fresh battery inside -- not bad, but not great either. Still, we've bumped the mouse's score one point as a result. %Gallery-114609%
Trion details RIFT collector's edition
Start salivating, RIFT fans, as Trion has taken the wraps off its collector's edition plans for the upcoming fantasy MMORPG. The limited packaging will feature the requisite in-game items including a level 20 turtle mount, a satchel that boosts inventory space, and a Bogling Wastrel pet. If you opt to purchase the retail box version of the collector's edition, you'll get the aforementioned items plus the Telara Chronicles graphic novel hardcover, a RIFT-emblazoned gaming mouse, the official game soundtrack, and an 8GB USB drive featuring the RIFT logo. Pre-order customers will be able to select one of three unique pets, and depending on their pre-order retailer of choice, they'll also receive exclusive weapon enhancements. Full details are available via the official RIFT website.
Shogun Bros. Chameleon X-1 mouse flaunts its hidden gamepad (update)
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you -- not one little bit. You're looking at a PC gamepad built into the bottom of a mouse, and not a drab one at that. It's called the Shogun Bros. Chameleon X-1, and if you just fell in love, we're afraid there's no suggested price, shipping date or a way to buy it yet. What we do know are the promised specs, which include a 5-stage adjustable 1600dpi optical sensor with 125Hz polling rate -- which admittedly sounds last gen -- that connects to your Windows PC over a USB dongle sporting 2.4GHz wireless. There's 14 buttons on the bottom, 7 on the top, and the company's support page suggests the device has force feedback as well. We're not terribly bullish on the "sophisticed Norway Nordic Chip System" the controller apparently has, but considering there are three very legitimate looking pictures of the device in our gallery below, we're not going to write it off quite yet. Update: Shogun Bros. tells us the Chameleon should be available in Q1 2011, for the suggested retail price of $55. %Gallery-110328%
Razer Orochi crafted from oil and glycerin, scrubs your bod between frag sessions
When we first got wind of Etsy seller Digitalsoaps in early 2009, she had but a humble NES gamepad and a couple of other controllers to her name -- fast forward to today, and you'll find the bubbly entrepreneur doing a brisk business in all sorts of wonderfully geeky soap shapes. This $10 Razer Orochi mouse is the latest, and as you can see it's close enough to the real thing to trick your buds at the next LAN party. Sadly, this particular soap is a limited-time offer -- and moving fast -- but the seller also deals in a painstakingly detailed Xbox 360 controller, caffeinated shampoo soda bottles, and sudsy replicas of any classic Nintendo cartridge you care to name.
Razer's Tron gaming mouse now available for $100
You've seen it announced and teased on video, and you can now finally light up your own desk with Razer's new Tron gaming mouse. It's available right now for $100, which will buy you more what appears to be more than just a novelty mouse --you'll get a 5600dpi 3.5g laser sensor, seven "Hyperesponse" buttons, an ambidextrous design and, yes, some Tron-inspired light and sound effects. Still no indication on a release for the accompanying Tron keyboard, unfortunately, nor is there any word on that matching mousepad, which will apparently be sold separately.
Tt eSports' new Azurues gaming mouse has FPS players in its sights
Taiwanese peripheral manufacturer Tt eSports has launched a new three button gaming mouse aimed to please those with a penchant for fragging. Unlike other options out there such as the Razer Lachesis, which tout ever-increasing sensitivity specs, the Azurues' optical sensor engine is content to top out at 1600 dpi, and can easily be adjusted down to 400 / 800 dpi via a hardware switch on the bottom. That makes it ideal for those who prefer a little more wrist leeway while shooting. Other niceties include a black rubber coating for grip, an adjustable weight design, low friction Teflon feet, integrated lighting, and a braided cable to take repeated abuse from the thrill of desk-side battle. Unfortunately, pricing and availability are still unknown, so there's no need to remove your cursor from the back of your next victim's head until more details surface.
