catz

LAS VEGAS--Wireless headsets for consoles are nothing new, but one that's officially licensed by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 is totally unheard of.

Today Mad Catz introduced the very first of its kind under its newly acquired Tritton division, and it's shipping immediately. Dubbed The Primer, the wireless stereo headset was developed closely with Microsoft to "look and sound superb." Mad Catz claims it's the best value at its price ($100), but I'll be weighing in with what I think when I review the cans in the coming weeks.

Information is still vague on how exactly The Primer will connect to a 360, but a base station is still part of the setup. I'm not sure if the rig will bypass the annoying controller tether that all of these wireless headsets have historically required, but one would hope the codevelopment with Microsoft resulted in perks that go beyond just a seal of approval.

The rest of the headset's specs seem par for the course, including separate game and chat volume controls and an adjustable boom mic all operating on a 5.8GHz wireless spectrum.… Read more

CES isn't exactly gaming's biggest stage, but it seems each year its presence increases. At CES 2012, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo will all be at the big show. While it doesn't appear that Microsoft will have any new hardware on display, both Sony and Nintendo have lots to show off.

Sony is sure to be pushing the Vita, and I'm hoping to get a better idea of how the device will interact with its big cousin, the PlayStation 3. Sony has also told CNET there will be some new Vita games on the show floor for … Read more

Mad Catz is trying its luck with Rock Band 3 in the hopes that consumers might respond more favorably to the game this time around.

The company, which is best known for third-party game peripherals, announced earlier this week that it will handle a re-release of Rock Band 3 for the holiday-shopping season. The title, which features 83 songs, will come with a wireless keyboard controller and a wireless Fender Stratocaster Guitar controller. In addition, Mad Catz will bundle the Fender Mustang Pro-Guitar controller, which the company says, will help people learn how to play a real guitar.

Rock Band … Read more

By the middle of the past decade, cats of all sorts emerged as the driving force that keeps the Internet turning daily. With cats no longer restricted to cameo appearances on "America's Funniest Home Videos," the feline media empire has grown exponentially and continues to search for new places to seed its influence.

It is part of our mission at CNET to preserve the human race, and it is with that mission in mind--and with deference to our kitty overlords--that we present this gallery of the most important new iPad applications for cats. We encourage you to take a look and educate yourself about the new tools our enemies furry pals are using.

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Software giant Oracle said that co-President Safra Catz will take over as chief financial officer following the resignation of Jeff Epstein, who had reported directly to Catz. This will be her second stint as Oracle's CFO. She held the position from November 2005 to September 2008.

"Safra already has the long-standing confidence of our employees, our board and our shareholders," Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said in a company statement. "There is no more logical choice for CFO." She joined Oracle in April of 1999, started serving as director in 2001 and became a president in … Read more

Oracle delivered strong fiscal third-quarter results as it landed large hardware and software deals. The company touted its Exadata and Exalogic sequential sales growth.

The software company reported third-quarter earnings of $2.11 billion, or 41 cents a share, on revenue of $8.76 billion. Non-GAAP earnings were 54 cents a share. Wall Street was expecting Oracle to report earnings of 50 cents a share on revenue of $8.67 billion.

Oracle co-president Safra Catz said the company was "completely confident" that it will deliver $1.5 billion in profit from the Sun business for the fiscal year. … Read more

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

On the heels of last week's official Xbox Wireless-N adapter release, today Mad Catz announced a similar, cheaper alternative that will provide your Xbox 360 with the same wireless capability. Priced at $80 it appears to be a no-brainer over the $100 Microsoft-branded adapter, and did we mention it works with the PlayStation 3, as well?

Instead of a USB interface, the Mad Catz adapter will have an Ethernet port, enabling you to use it with either console. Also in the box will be a 3.3-foot Ethernet cable, which should net you enough slack for optimal reception.

The … Read more

It's no secret that gaming's presence at CES can barely be felt, but we were lucky enough to find some diamonds in the rough, including a few that made us want to phone a lawyer.

While there was no new gaming software to be found, there was a respectable amount of gaming hardware and accessories that stole our attention. Nyko stood out with the company's Wand and Kama Charge Kit and Mad Catz showed off Street Fighter IV-branded FightPads and FightSticks. We were wowed by the Nvidia GeForce 3D Vision, but unfortunately getting it all set up … Read more