CES - Gaming gadgets

Mad Catz X65F Flight Stick looks military-grade

LAS VEGAS--At last year's show, Mad Catz treated us to a series of new controllers, but at CES 2010 we're getting a taste of the first force-sensing flight stick we've seen.

Due out in February, the Saitek Pro Flight X65F Control System is designed specifically to emulate aircraft controls found in modern military fighter jets. While most conventional flight sticks tilt with your movement, the X65F responds solely to pressure while remaining still.

Bundled in with the X65F is a CD loaded with preset control maps for some of the most popular flight simulation games out there. … Read more

Microsoft's Bach on Courier, Natal, tablets, and phones

LAS VEGAS--Ahead of Microsoft's keynote on Wednesday, I had a chance to sit down with Entertainment and Devices head Robbie Bach to get his thoughts on some of the hottest topics in tech.

I tried (albeit with only mixed success), to pin him down on Windows Mobile 7, Google's recent Android moves, Project Natal, as well as the rumored tablets from both Redmond and Cupertino.

As for Natal, Bach wasn't ready to open up too much beyond confirming that it will ship this year.

"We'll announce that Project Natal will be available Holiday 2010, so … Read more

Nyko Wand + beats Nintendo to the punch

LAS VEGAS--Last year we saw the introduction of the Nyko Wand, which allowed for button commands to be sent through the controller's Transport technology. Though promising, we found the Nyko Wand useful only when using it with the company's Action Pak system.

While we had been anticipating that Nintendo would eventually come up with a device that incorporates Wii MotionPlus technology into one single controller, Nyko has beaten Nintendo to the punch with the Wand +.

This is most significant because it eliminates the clunky setup that using the Nintendo-branded products require. The Wand + severely reduces the controller's … Read more

Microsoft promises Natal for 2010

LAS VEGAS--It's what gamers had expected, but Microsoft is officially confirming that it plans to release its Project Natal Xbox add-on later this year.

Natal, which that lets people play games using their bodies as a controller, was shown at last year's E3 trade show. There were indications that it was planned for a holiday 2010 release, but Microsoft had not officially said so.

The software maker had hoped that the news would come on stage later Wednesday, as part of CEO Steve Ballmer's keynote speech, but word leaked out after Microsoft briefly posted a video with … Read more

Gunnar takes aim at 3D market with collection of stylish 3D glasses

LAS VEGAS--Gunnar Optiks, which makes a line of "digital" glasses that are designed to reduce eyestrain, has announced that it will be offering a collection of 3D glasses enabled with components of its i-AMP lens technology. The company says it will make versions available for the most widely used 3D platforms in gaming and video.

"There have been amazing advances in the delivery of the media, but we see a massive need for someone to address the optics of the eyewear," said Rob Aarnes, Gunnar's president. "Currently most eyewear used in 3D systems is … Read more

Stealth Fighter-inspired gaming laptop: Asus R.O.G. G73Jh

High-end gaming laptops may be far from the minds of most consumers, infatuated as they are with low-cost, pocket-size Netbooks. That doesn't mean we can't still find some crave-worthy hardware out there for the small but dedicated audience of serious PC gamers.

The new Asus R.O.G. G73Jh (as in "Republic of Gamers") aims to "excite your visual senses with design cues inspired by the Lockheed F117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter," according to the company, while at the same time using an Intel Core i7 processor and built-in overclocking to tear up your frame … Read more

Windows 7, Natal talk on tap from Ballmer

Although CES announcements are already well under way, the event itself will formally kick off Wednesday night, when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer takes to the stage for the second year running, occupying a spot long held by company chairman Bill Gates.

In his keynote, Ballmer is expected to tout Windows 7--how well its sales are doing and show off the latest PCs running the new operating system. (Update: As noted by The New York Times late Tuesday, among the devices Ballmer is expected to tout is a slate-form, touch-screen tablet computer. However, industry sources tell CNET that the device is … Read more

KOR-fx, like music to my...chest

Although Rock Band comes pretty close to the "real thing," there's something missing: the vibrations that hit your heart when playing a real drum set.

Immerz, which until recently was a one-man company, created a device that lets you feel real-life sensations of a game, movie, or music. KOR-fx is made up of two plastic devices that lay on your chest and synchronize vibrations with received audio signals.

President and physicist Shahriar S. Afshar, calls it acousto-haptic technology, something he turned to after three years participating in privately funded research. The result of Afshar's experiment contradicted … Read more

Flashback 1989--Gaming 20 years ago

I found an old issue of Video Games & Computer Entertainment magazine in an ancient cardboard box filled with stuff I somehow saved from my years at summer camp. Dated July 1989, it's more than 20 years old--and it's an incredible reminder of how quickly things can change.

Besides the god-awful layout by modern standards, I found a few notable shocks when thumbing through the issue:

Game ads have addresses to write to and phone numbers to call, since there were no Web links yet. The TurboGrafx-16 preview, featured on the front cover, boasts how the $199 console … Read more

2010 gaming preview

While last year's CES didn't blow us away in terms of gaming, we've got high hopes for 2010. Both Sony and Microsoft have new technologies right around the corner and we're hoping to get to see a taste of each at the big show.

Microsoft announced Project Natal at E3 2009, and it would make sense for the company to showcase some of the technology's applications at CES. Could we get an official release date and price for Natal?

Sony has a new motion controller that is almost ready for release so we're anxious … Read more