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The Reaper gaming mouse and FragMat mouse pad from Ideazon
If you've been looking for a dedicated gaming mouse to give you the upper-hand during those endless hours you spend enveloped in virtual worlds, but aren't willing to lay down some serious cash for products like the $100 Heäd$h0t, custom keyboard manufacturer Ideazon may have just the rodent for your needs. You probably already know Ideazon from the configurable keyboards it makes (the ones with replaceable keysets covered in game-inspired graphics), and now the company has branched out in order to occupy your right hand along with your left, recently announcing the ominously-titled Reaper. The highlights here -- 1,600 DPI resolution, six programmable buttons, and rubberized left and right clicks -- make the Reaper sound like a good-but-not-great fragging accessory, although its $40 price tag should help you overlook the lack of adjustable weighting, in-depth macros, and multitude of LEDs found on pricier models. Also scheduled for a November release is the $15 FragMat, an oversized, slim profile mouse pad whose gliding surface apparently makes it far superior to the magazine or Garfield-themed pad you're currently using to wreak digital havoc.Read- The ReaperRead- FragMat[Via CrunchGear]
Fanatec Head$h0t gaming mouse reviewed
With case modding so prevalent these days that gamers are often judged by the the number of LEDs they manage to cram into their rigs as opposed to the actual performance of their machines, pairing a tricked out system with accessories that lack equally gaudy illumination (like a Razer, Logitech, or -- shudder -- Fatal!ty mouse) simply won't cut it. Well a company called Fanatec is fully aware that blinding light shows are now as much a part of fragging as gimmicky keyboards and chainsaw-shaped controllers, which is why it's poised to release the $100, fully-customizable Heäd$sh0t gaming mouse. (We apologize for the lack of an umlaut in the headline; it's due to our quirky blogging platform and has nothing to do with our feelings about umlaut-heavy languages.) At first glance the Heäd$sh0t might seem a little intimidating: instead of plugging it directly into your PC, you have to swing the tangle-minimizing USB cord over a glowing arch and attach it to the back of the included mousepad / USB hub (which, according to Fanatec, has been specially designed to to interact as smoothly as possible with the mouse's glide pads). Other special features include adjustable width (though no adjustable weighting -- c'mon, guys), a huge "wing" on the right side meant to keep your fingers from dragging, and a software suite that lets you record macros, tweak the million on-board lights, and even turn the bulky rodent into a fairly-functional joystick. During their test drive, the team at Trusted Reviews found the device to work quite well -- mostly due to its 2,000dpi laser sensor -- although they thought that the top-mounted buttons were somewhat difficult to access, and joystick mode can't be used to manipulate the Z-axis. Oh, and they weren't really fond of all the lights -- go figure.
HP buying VoodooPC
With its high-profile XPS line and recent purchase of boutique gaming house Alienware, for awhile it looked like Dell would be the only major PC manufacturer willing to cater to serious gamers. Not anymore. In a move that caught everyone, including us, completely by surprise (you'll notice the lack of backlinks to any rumor posts about this), HP announced today that it will acquire Alienware rival VoodooPC for an undisclosed sum. After the deal closes -- following the usual regulatory rigmarole -- HP will form a new business unit dedicated to gaming in its Personal Systems Group, with Voodoo co-owners (and brothers) Rahul and Ravi Sood assuming the roles of Chief Technologist and Director of Strategy, respectively. As you're probably aware, the acquisition comes at somewhat of a turbulent time for HP: not only is the company still reeling from the bruising merger with Compaq under former CEO Carly Fiorina, it's currently undergoing unwanted public and governmental scrutiny over the so-called "pretexting" scandal that led to the recent resignation of chairwoman Patricia Dunn. Although we doubt that the Voodoo deal is going to make everyone forget about the alleged spying that has occurred, it's nice to know that once HP finally puts this ugly mess behind it, consumers (especially gamers) can expect to benefit from some hot products and lower pricing that can only be realized now that Dell has some real competition on its hands. [Warning: PDF link]
Immersion survey suggests Sony better get ready to rumble
Press releases are boring. We go through literally hundreds of them a day, and for the most part, they're self-serving documents full of half-truths and inflated claims about products and services. So imagine our delight when we stumbled upon this little doozy of a release from marketing firm Ipsos Insight, which details a study done on behalf of the Immersion Corporation concerning gamers' preferences and purchasing plans with regards to the trio of next-generation consoles. You probably remember Immersion as the company that successfully sued Sony over the use of computer-controlled vibration technology in its PlayStation and PS2 Dual Shock controllers, and since Sony has apparently neither paid Immersion the $90 million it owes nor licensed the rumble tech for its SIXAXIS PS3 gamepads, the release comes across as a thinly-veiled reminder that gamers really, really like playing with input devices that shake and buzz in their sweaty hands. Not only does the (completely unbiased) poll report that 72% of the 1,075 respondents agree vibration feedback enhances their game experience, it goes on to note that 59% of those surveyed would prefer rumble on the PS3 controller, while only 8% care about motion / tilt sensing (sorry, Nintendo). As if these numbers didn't paint a clear enough picture of the message Immersion is trying to convey, two further questions spell it out even more explicitly: when asked if the lack of rumble capabilities would affect their buying decisions (apparently 74% of those polled weren't even aware of the "no rumble" policy -- clearly no Engadget readers amongst that bunch), 5% said that it would definitely cause them not to buy a PS3 and 32% claimed that they were less likely to pick one up for this reason and this reason alone. Now obviously Immersion knew exactly the results that it wanted before it conducted this "study," and probably phrased the questions in order to get the most desirable data set, but even non-statistics majors like ourselves could have figured out that gamers accustomed to the fun of Dual Shock would be in for a letdown the first time they picked up a rumble-free SIXAXIS controller. Okay, Sony, the cards are on the table, and even if these numbers are skewed, you know full well that you can't be the only player in the game without a little vibration action going on. So what's it gonna be: are you going to keep hoping that some appeals court finally overturns the numerous prior decisions against you, or are you going to shell out some dough just like Microsoft and Nintendo did, and finally give the majority of your target audience what it wants? To us, it doesn't really seem like much of a choice at all.
The latest PS3 developments, condensed
With next-gen console news being released at such a fast and furious pace these days, it's starting to feel a little bit like Joystiq around here, so instead of reporting and analyzing every little snippet of new information in separate posts, we've rounded up the latest and greatest PS3 revelations into one tight bit of prose. Since pricing is such an important issue to most consumers, we'll start there -- but unfortunately, the news ain't good. You probably already heard that those lucky gamers in Japan will be able to pick up their 20GB boxes for the equivalent of $428, but despite all the hoping and praying you've been doing, Kaz Hirai has reaffirmed that the recent price cuts apply to Japan only -- though he threw the rest of the world something of a bone when he also announced that everyone will be getting an HDMI port on his/her low-end system. Speaking of high prices, Impress is citing "multiple sources" in predicting that most Japanese PS3 games will cost in the neighborhood of ¥8,800 to ¥9,800, which is between $75 and $85 here in America -- ouch, that's like a whole month's allowance for us, and well above the going rate for 360 games. As long as we're dwelling on the negatives, we should also mention that not only will HDMI cables be absent from the box, both Hirai and Ken Kutaragi are leaning away from even including component action with either package. Now on to the good stuff (sorry, there's not much). First of all, it's been confirmed that all PS3 games will indeed ship region-free (though it's up to the developers to code in multilingual support, and Blu-ray movies will remain region-locked) and secondly, the inclusion of Dolby Digital and Dolby TrueHD (7.1 channels) is a done deal. Finally, and perhaps least importantly after all these downers, is the fact that the Wii-inspired, rumble-free controller has officially been dubbed "SIXAXIS" -- though without the shakin' action, we imagine that many of you could care less what they chose to call it. Anyway, that's all for now from the exciting PS3 frontier, but keep your broswer tuned to this channel, as we'll have just a little more Sony-related amusement for you later today.Read- No price drop [Via Gamesindustry.biz]Read- Japanese game speculation [Via IGN]Read- Region-free, no component [Via PS3 Fanboy]Read- SIXAXISRead- Dolby
PSX-P: hackers trump Sony with first PS1 emulator for PSP
If you thought you were going to have to wait until the PS3 came out to rock Playstation 1 titles on your PSP, you've just been granted a reprieve. Well, kinda. MaxConsole is reporting that a clever hacker named Yoshihiro has just released the first PS1 emulator for your trusty portable console, and that the so-called PSX-P app will run on firmware versions below 2.71, with users of 1.5 and above obviously requiring the eLoader exploit. As a reminder, the only way you can legally use this program is if you already own a Playstation and a number of games, as it requires the SCPH1001.BIN PS1 BIOS file and ripped ISOs of your game discs -- which can be found elsewhere, but we like to keep it legit 'round here. So all is well and good, right? Eh, not really; since PSX-P currently lacks a dynamic decompiler recompiler, games apparently run super-slowly, in the neighborhood of 10fps: i.e. a good proof of concept for the homebrew community, but until Yoshihiro or one of his colleagues manages to achieve a playable frame rate, for now this breakthrough is little more than a frustrating tease.Update: Check out the YouTube vid![Via DCEmu, thanks wraggster]
Nintendo Wii: the wee-little things
As much as we would have loved to devote the entire day to Wii-related goings-on, we also had some other important business to attend to; and besides, there are several blogs out there that are much better at covering gaming minutiae than ourselves. Still, amongst all the hustle and bustle of product announcements, press conferences, and rumor mongering, there were a few tidbits of info that seemed to fall by the wayside, so we thought it was only right to wrap those up into one tidy, bite-size post. Perhaps the biggest "non-news" of the day, so to speak, is that Wii has lost the DVD playback functionality that had been promised in earlier-speced versions of the console -- and the reasoning behind it kind of makes sense, as one less feature supposedly brought down the price of the console, and everyone already has a DVD player to begin with. On a more positive note, we also learned that at least Nintendo-produced discs -- and perhaps third party titles as well -- will be region-free, meaning that if you live in the US but have a hankering for one of those crazy, nonsensical Japanese cooking / weight loss / "thinking" games, all ya gotta do is import. Wanna learn more? Keep on reading...
Wii packaging revealed: Wii Sports bundled
Had enough Wii yet? Yeah, we thought not. So now that you know how much it's gonna cost you ($250, $280 Canadian for our friends up north) and when you have to gather your loot up by (November 19th, December 2nd in Japan), you're probably wondering what the game store clerk will be dropping into your sweating, anticipatory paws. USA Today got the scoop on the consoles retail packaging (as seen above), and in good news for gamers and sports fanatics alike, big bold letters on the box indicate the Wii Sports WILL be shipping as part of and parcel of the system. Wanna know more? The news just keeps on comin' -- we're liveblogging the New York-based Nintendo press event at this very moment. Ok, enough, already; head over to the liveblog post and warm up your F5 key -- we got our best blogging sharpshooter in the audience.
GamePark poised to release "XGP kids" handheld
Many people look upon GamePark's GP32 handheld console as a revolutionary product in the world of videogames -- it was, after all, one of the first platforms to actually encourage homebrew and emulation -- and now DCEmu is reporting that the company is poised to launch what it's calling the GP32's successor, the "XGP kids." Shaped more or less like a tiny PSP, this new model is the third in the XGP lineup (following the original XGP and XGP mini), none of which should be confused with the similarly-named GP2X (this latter console is manufactured by GamePark Holdings, a company composed mainly of disgruntled ex-GamePark employees). Although not all its specs will be revealed until September 16th, we do know that it will be powered by a 140MHz ARM processor (probably overclockable), sport a 2.2-inch, 220 x 176 LCD, feature 8MB of RAM and 2MB of flash memory, and support USB 1.1 file transfers, but unlike the GP32, will eschew the old school SmartMedia slot for more modern SD cards. The best part here is the anticipated price (according to Wikipedia, at least); unlike the $300 XGP, $230 GP2X, and $150 XGP mini, the XGP kids is expected to slide in at under a C-note -- $75, to be exact.[Via DCEmu]
Sony Ericsson working on a PSP phone?
As far as rumors go, this one is about as thin on the deets as they come, but Cnet Asia is reporting that Sony Ericsson senior VP of Product and Application Planning, Rikko Sakaguchi, actually alluded to plans for a game-playing phone at a recent press event in Sweden. During what was presumably the Q&A portion of a media conference in honor of the merged company's fifth anniversary, Sakaguchi reportedly answered a question about a theoretical PSP phone (most decidedly NOT pictured above) by saying simply that Sony Ericsson "is working on something," but that "the surprise must be kept for the future." Yeah, we know, not too much meat here -- Sakaguchi did mention that the objective was to integrate gaming and communications functions, not to create a dedicated gaming device (whatever that means) -- however, after the relative success of its Walkman and Cybershot lineup of handsets, it certainly makes sense for the company to leverage the PlayStation brand in this market as well. Sony Ericsson would be wise, though, to learn from Nokia's experience with the N-Gage, which is that, well, people don't like the N-Gage. So, here's to hoping that the Ericsson side of the equation can knock some sense into the Sony side of the equation, or else we may end up with a bulky, side-talkin' handset which uses even more proprietary formats that no one is interested in.[Via Maxconsole]
Dell XPS 700 reviewed and ripped apart
It's not often that you read a review of a computer with a line like "You could kill someone with this thing," but the folks at bit-tech.net got to write that gem in their look at Dell's new gaming-oriented XPS 700, referring to the deadly-looking 3-millimeter thick piece of aluminum that forms the case's side panel. Unfortunately, they weren't as impressed with the system's performance as they were with its decapitating potential, finding it decidedly lacking when put up against their comparable custom-built rig -- although much of the blame seems to be pegged on the slow memory that Dell ships with the XPS. Still, they did find the system got most of the core elements right and delivered decent gaming performance at a reasonable price; given the cost of upgrades from Dell, though, they recommend going light on the memory and video card options when you order and swapping them out yourself when you get this sucker home.
The Sega Dreamcast watch does not play Crazy Taxi
Yeah, yeah, we know how you all love the Sega Dreamcast, and we feel kinda bad about the time we teased you with news of a fresh production run only to dash your hopes with the cold, harsh reality of refurbs. Well as a small gesture of penance, we're proud to present you with this one-time, friends-only offer to purchase your very own Dreamcast wristwatch -- but before you get too excited, you should know that this watch does not actually play any games, and will simply hang on your wrist as a constant reminder of the console you hold so dear. Available from Play-Asia starting on September 29th (though pre-ordering has already begun), this stylish timepiece can be had for the low low price of only $129.90; if you're interested, though, you better act fast -- unlike the gaming system which they resemble, these are limited-edition and expected to fly off the proverbial shelves.
Are these the PS3 and Wii demo kiosks?
As you've probably already discerned from the headline and the pictures themselves, the images above supposedly depict the demo kiosks that Sony and Nintendo will be setting up in retail locations to lure people into buying the PlayStation 3 and Wii, respectively. Since the photos are low-res, a little blurry, and of unknown origin, they have all the makings of a jolly good Internet hoax, but we'll play along for now and assume that they're the real deal. So, what new information can we glean about the upcoming consoles based on their respective kiosks? Well, by mounting the LCD so high, Sony is obviously targeting taller individuals with its marketing strategy, while Nintendo is going after the brainier crowd as evidenced by the lack of any informational pamphlets adorning its display. With all of this speculation swirling around, one thing is certain, though: tucked behind the Wii kiosk's center column are a bevy of first aid kits, for the inevitable injuries that will occur when arm-swinging gamers collide with innocent passers-by in the impending blood baths sure to plague our favorite big box retailers.[Via Joystiq]
Disney GAME iT! portable consoles for the PB&J crowd
Probably not too hopeful about taking a big bite out of the PSP's or DS's market share, a company called Performance Designed Products is nonetheless releasing a new pair of portable 2.5-inch consoles that bring together the magic of Disney with the gaming excitement that only 90's era 16-bit processing can provide. Although not being advertised as such, the flame-adorned "Classic Pals" and all-pink, heart-shaped "Princess Pals" are clearly being targeted at either one gender or the other, a notion only furthered by the mix of characters chosen for these so-called Disney GAME iT! devices. Each product comes preloaded with 12 different, relatively simple games (suggested ages are six and up); boys get such titles as Mickey's Apple Cart, Pluto's Buried Bone Treasure, and the oddly-named Goofy's Loco Coconuts, while the girls' edition sports winners like Sebastian's Sea Urchin Symphony, Susie's Buttons and Baubles, and Flotsam and Jetsam's Potion Commotion. Although you can pick up a separate $15 kit that connects the $40 systems to your TV, there's no way to add additional games a la more traditional consoles -- which actually, will probably work out just fine, as chances are good that your kids will smash these portable units to bits before getting sick of the limited content.[Via GameZone]
Game thieves caught after reselling games next door
We have a special place in our heart for stupid gadget criminals over here at Engadget, not so much because we pity their lack of intelligence, but due to the consistent comic relief they tend to provide us and our audience; regular readers of this site will probably remember such dim-witted individuals as the laptop thief who got busted for contacting customer support, the gentleman who snatched a handset from a gathering of cellphone experts, and of course, the clueless teenagers who were caught trying to extort a ransom for the iPod they had just stolen. Well the latest in this series of tragi-comic tales comes to us from Berryville, Arkansas, where two young men had made a habit of stealing videogames from the local Wal-mart by stuffing them down their pants. They probably thought that they were pretty clever by removing the games from their cases so as to discard the ever-present security tags, but what turned out to be their downfall was the fact that they would immediately sell the stolen discs to a GameStop location -- one that was located right next door to the Wal-mart! It didn't take long for the ace sleuths in the 'mart's loss prevention department to make the GameStop connection, after which the two braniacs were quickly identified by police detectives perusing the stores' security footage. Oh, how we love stupid criminals: we keep getting older and (arguably) wiser, but they stay just as stupid.[Via Joystiq]
First PS3 interface video walkthrough
You've already seen wooden mockups, developer kits, prototype controllers, and even blurry interface shots, but now for the first time ever, IGN has scored an exclusive video walkthrough of exactly how the menu system will operate when you first power up your brand new PlayStation 3. As noted before, the interface takes many of its cues from the highly-regarded PSP GUI, with simple drop down menus giving you access to all the important settings like video resolution, audio output, and management of your virtual friends. Although the interface may appear a little barebones to some, it certainly comes across as quite functional and intuitive, and Sony promises that there will be some degree of configurability for those of you who love to schlock up your MySpace pages. Anyway, instead of wasting your time reading our amateurish description of the walkthrough, why not hit the vid itself on Google Video; or for more complete viewing options (higher resolutions, different formats), head over to IGN directly by following the Read link...[Via Joystiq]
PS3, Xbox 360 form truce for photo spread
Sure, graphics and games may be all that are important to you when it comes to next-generation videogame consoles, but your spouse / significant other is probably even more concerned with how the device(s) will fit in to your home decor. Luckily for him / her, Games Radar got its hands on an exact wooden replica of the upcoming PS3 (straight from Sony, so you know it's the real deal), and did a little comparative photo shoot with the Xbox 360 so all of us have some idea of what to expect. As you can see, Sony's machine is living a lot larger than Microsoft's offering, but with its all-black exterior, the PS3 might actually be less obtrusive sitting among the rest of the gear in your rack. As appreciative as we are to Games Radar for providing some perspective on the aesthetic merits / detriments of both systems, we still think they could have taken a page out of DocCRP's book, and photographed the mockup next to every single object ever produced in the history of mankind. Oh well, maybe Doc just set the bar a little too high; keep reading for another angle, and then head over to GR for the rest of the *shudder* "pr0n"...[Via Guardian Unlimited]
Phantom gaming console disappears for good
In a shocking turn of events development that will surprise absolutely no one, the company formerly known as Infinium Labs has apparently removed all references to the all-too-aptly named Phantom PC video game console from its website, leading us to believe that the product that never was is finally dead in the water. Recently renamed Phantom Entertainment (probably to shed the constant vaporware references that plagued its former moniker), the company is now focused on marketing its wireless gaming Lapboard and so-called Phantom Game Service, which is the "first end-to-end on-demand game service delivering games to your living room" (guess they never heard of GameTap) -- that is, if you happen to have an XP-powered PC situated in that particular room. As is fitting for such a shady operation, the service itself is not actually live yet; they're busy modifying the software that was originally intended for the proprietary console to run on standard Windows machines. So in conclusion, the slippery company with grandiose aspirations that we've devoted numerous (mocking) posts to for over two years has exactly one source of revenue: a keyboard / mouse set with a pretty snazzy design.[Via Joystiq]
PSP to see $50 price cut, sez analyst
With Nintendo's DS and DS Lite clearly showing the most momentum in the portable gaming space (who knew that a dedicated product could trump one with more bells and whistles?), word on the the street is that Sony is expected to drop the PSP's retail price down to $150. American Technology Research's P.J. McNealy feels that a slew of popular games such as Brain Age and New Super Mario Brothers have given the DS a much-needed boost in popularity, while the multimedia-centric PSP hasn't had a real hit since the last Grand Theft Auto title. Combined with the fact that the UMD is all but dead, McNealy believes that Sony's gotta do something to reinvigorate interest in its portable device, and a price cut seems like the best way to woo potential DS purchasers away. At $150, the newly-priced PSP wouldn't be that much more expensive than Nintendo's offering, and the company's recent push to offer movies on MemorySticks might be just the differentiating factor that would convince consumers to choose feature sets over games. Still, with its innovative input system and non-traditional titles, the DS would seem to appeal to a larger potential audience than the PSP, so even a price drop might not be enough to turn things around for Sony.[Thanks, Scott]
Xbox 360 HD DVD drive to cost just $200?
Well, well, isn't this a pleasant surprise. With prices for Microsoft's impending Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on having being quoted as high as $500, it's certainly reassuring to hear DigiTimes confirm reports that the movie-playing optical drive will cost just $200 at its holiday release. Now it's not clear if this will be the price for stand-alone units or those that come as part of a "value" bundle (perhaps the one that Richard Teversham recently referred to?), but either way, the low cost would definitely help reinvigorate interest in the 360 in the face of fresh competition from Sony and Nintendo. So please, Microsoft, do us cash-strapped gamers a favor and make this happen -- we promise that we won't even feel too guilty if you're taking a huge loss on the hardware.[Via HDBeat]
