Reviews & Articles

I was asked to review a laptop cooler. I responded in the affirmative, wondering what there was to review. A laptop cooler is a laptop cooler, but I do have a hot-running Toshiba that’s a productivity workhorse — though I don’t use it for gaming. Sometimes, on cold winter nights, I would watch a movie in bed and have it warm up the bed nicely. So I had a suitable test subject.

I’ve lived in rural areas for more than half my life. When I first started using the Internet, dial-up was the only thing available, so that worked. Now, about 10 years later, there are glorious high-speed Internet capabilities. Sadly, I’m again living in the boonies, and the main thing available is dial-up. Luckily, there’s another option: Novatel Wireless MiFi Intelligent Mobile Hotspot.

One of the coolest products I saw at the Consumer Electronics Show was the PEREGRINE glove, which is basically a keyboard that fits snug on your hand for comfortable gaming or anything else you use a keyboard for.

I’ll admit it: I don’t know much about hardware and what’s involved with building and maintaining a badass PC. I DO know, however, that a quality system tricked out with good gear needs to have a quality way to keep it from overheating. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I got to see CoolIT Systems’ latest in liquid cooling: ECO, Maestro, VANTAGE and OMNI. Hopefully, we’ll be able to offer a more in-depth look at these products in the future. For now, here’s a quick overview.

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas had a lot of neat gadgets, and gaming peripherals seemed to be the top gaming focus. I got to see some great Nyko products, including and SpeakerCom for the Xbox 360; Wand+ for the Nintendo Wii; the Charge Base Quad IC for Wii-motes; Perfect Shot Pro for Wii; and the Intercooler Slim and Media Hub Slim for the PlayStation 3. All are quality peripherals we’ve come to expect from Nyko.

I recently purchased the Razer Moray earbuds. I was looking for something that would fit nicely in my ears and had an in-line microphone. I found what I was looking for, and I’ve loved my earbuds ever since. While on my way to an appointment at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I walked by the Razer room and decided to see what they were showing. I’m glad I did. The three things I got to check out were the Razer Onza, Razer Chimera and the Razer/Sixense motion sensing and gesture recognition controller.

I need a new television. I don't have the money to buy what I really want — or rather, I don't want to spend the money at this time. Tired of playing my Xbox 360 on a mediocre TV with a mediocre size and an off-center picture, I decided to try the EyeClops Mini Projector. I knew it probably wouldn't have a high-quality picture, but from the available information, it seemed like a decent short-term solution.

I suppose it's fitting that the first thing I got to see at the video game expo would be peripherals. I mean, they are rather important. Nyko and Splitfish didn't disappoint.

We didn't get any playtime with the PlayStation 3 controller systems, but we did get to see them in action. The SplitFish controllers split the basic PS controller in two. To me, it seems like if you're a typical PC gamer and you have trouble with the PS3 controller, these products would be right for you.

I suppose it's fitting that the first thing I got to see at the video game expo would be peripherals. I mean, they are rather important. Nyko and Splitfish didn't disappoint.

There were about eight different products the folks at Nyko were showing, and all seem like great additions to aid gamers in better and more proficient gameplay.

At the Game Developers Conference 2009, I got to see a leap forward in handheld gaming: the Zeemote, a wireless controller that brings console-style gaming to your cell phone.

I play a fair amount of mobile games - and I don't mean on a PDA. I'm referring to a vanilla cell phone. Why? Well, I have kids and the games are a quick fix when they're loud (2 boys are always loud); I don't feel that need to save when I'm waiting for an appointment or in line and it's my turn like I do with a handheld console; and the games have a certain infinite replayability. But the control system for most games (particularly as phones become more "artsy") leaves much to be desired.

A friend was late for an appointment during CES, so I stopped by to let them know she'd be late. Lucky for me. The product was Corinex's GameNet, a plug-and-play high speed solution that uses electrical wiring in any building. They were kind enough to send me one after CES and I've spent the last six weeks putting it through its paces.

The ActionClix game and figurines have been out for many years: I remember Mage Knight ActionClix, then the totally cool HeroClix game, starting with the Marvel Universe. I received my first HeroClix figurine at my local game and comic store over 10 years ago as a promo and I remember thumbing through the very daunting 62 page rule book. In direct contrast to those two games, the entirety of the rules for Halo ActionClix – Wizkid's latest offering based on the world of Halo – fits on a 20" x 15" instruction sheet packed into each retail package of figurines.

Ah, the life of the business traveler. Verily, it can suck.

But mostly it’s really, really boring.

At first it sounds cool. Go to new cities. Visit other places. Hang out in hotel bars. No, wait, that’s not so cool. I mean, it gets the job done, sort of, I guess, but it gets expensive. But you’ve got the hotel broadband, what if you just want to play some video games?

Recently I have had a chance to review a set of the latest gaming accessories from NaturalPoint, the leading producer of infra red, head tracking, PC gaming gear. For those unfamiliar with NaturalPoint’s wares – think of them as game hardware add-ons designed to add more gameplay realism to PC gaming.

If you’re familiar with our site, you know we don’t necessarily do a lot of hardware. That doesn’t mean we’re against it, and so when I got a chance to take a look at a wireless keyboard I jumped at it.

This isn’t a hot new game; in fact, it’s anything but that. It’s not a game, and it’s not hot. It’s a really simple, but really effective laptop cooler. I picked one up at CES, a month ago, and it’s worked like a charm since then.

We originally bought a VSmile last Christmas for our then-three-year-old-son. He’d watched his older two siblings playing on their game systems, and seemed interested, so we thought this would be the perfect Christmas gift. One burned out set of batteries later, and the novelty of the VSmile had worn off. And realistically, most of that play time was spent by his then-six-year-old sister. A few weeks ago we brushed the dust off the VSmile, purchased a second controller and power adapter for the system, and I’m excited to say that the experience has been very different. It seems that four is a much better age to start playing a “console” game than three was, at least with the cartridges we have.

Rarely at E3 do I get to cover hardware, though this year was an exception. I had the pleasure of seeing a new product from 3001AD called the Trimersion, a wireless VR system for the PC and consoles. Heading deep in the bowels of the Los Angles Convention Center's Kentia Hall with Norin, we ventured deep to speak with 3001AD’s vice-president Marc Rifkin He asked us what we knew about the company and I had to admit that I knew very little. He told us that 3001AD has been around for 8 years and started to work with amusement parks on VR arcade systems and rides, in addition to several products geared toward the medical industry.

To take a break from previewing the MMO's of E3, I made it over to 3001AD's booth to check out their Trimersion VR headsets. The first thing I noticed was that this thing is wireless, which means no cords to tangle you up. The guy trying it out was playing Quake and I could tell from the monitor that he was having very little trouble aiming and navigating around. It was also obvious that he was aiming and turning by moving his head around, his controller only moved forward/back and fired. VR's always been cool, so of course I headed right for the set but was intercepted by the person I was actually supposed to meet with... no problem, that's what I was there to do, I'd play with it later.

Nyko is a manufacturer and retailer of accessories for all your gaming platforms. They make face plates for your Xbox 360, stands and grips for your PSP as well as random accessories for your iPod. I had met with them in one of the meeting rooms, but I wasn’t able to find Nyko on the showroom floor. I did however see the Nyko girls who were standing by the entrance to the South Hall posing for pictures and handing out free fans.

When the New Year rolled around, I began looking for a moderate exercise activity that would fit my limited time availability and my desire to avoid the drudgery of weight lifting or running. (My opinion, your mileage my vary.) In the past, a couple of the developers I had worked with lost quite a bit of weight by playing Dance Dance Revolution, and they seemed to enjoy it a great deal. When I shared this idea with my children, they expressed a desire to try out the dancing games that were available for the consoles. This sounded like an interesting way to get some aerobic activity into my otherwise anaerobic life, so we decided to give it a try.

WowPen is an optical mouse in the shape (mostly) of a pen, and is held like a writing implement. It has a wide flat base with a small wing that supports the middle and ring finger of your right hand. The right and left mouse buttons are controlled by the index finger of your right hand and the scroll wheel is rolled by the middle finger.

All too often games, and computers in general, have the focus placed on what’s under the proverbial hood. What’s the video card? How fast is the processor? How much memory does it have? All these things are important, but just as important—if not more so—is how you actually interact with your PC. That’s where Logitech steps in. Not content with just any ordinary mouse for your gaming pleasure, Logitech has attempted to create the ultimate gaming mouse.

In the relative quiet of Kentia Hall, I took the opportunity to speak with Michael Sexton of CH Products. CH specialises in joysticks and controllers, primarily for the flight simulator market, and Michael was kind enough to show me a set of their products designed for flight simulator players: the CombatStick USB, the ProThrottle USB and the ProPedals USB. I took them out for a spin.

If you're like me, you grew up in the public arcades of the world. Unfortunately, that would also assume that you're old as dirt as well…Back in the dark ages of video games there were games like Pong and Alien Invaders. Then game the wondrous advances in technology that brought about classics like Gauntlet and Defender 2. Eventually there were the shooting games with titles like Sniper and Quickdraw. As time went on and advances in technology continued to the benefit of all us quarter-wielding-warriors, there came to be one of the greatest games to be invented (well one of the greatest in terms of absorbing my quarters) and that was Time Crisis.

There's nothing quite like strolling up to your favorite arcade machine, dropping in a few quarters (or perhaps swiping your charged up card), and tearing into your best friend in the latest fighting game. After what seems like forever, these instant arcade classics usually end up on your home console-but the experience just isn't the same. RedOctane has tried to change this by releasing their Arcade Stick in an attempt to bring the arcade experience to the comfort of your living room.

A few years back, a new and rather unique arcade game hit the scene. There was no shooting, no role-playing, no driving - you simply danced. Ok, simply may not be the word for it for the combinations the game required of your legs are often complex enough to pretzel even a world class gymnast. Konami has led the way with the series Dance Dance Revolution and, for those who follow it and play it, it's not just a game -- it's a way of life. (Not to mention an amazing aerobic workout!) As with most popular arcade games, this one made it's way into our homes, dance pad and all.

The good people at RedOctane were kind enough to let me try out one of their Taiko drum controllers for the Playstation 2. I used the controller with the Taiko Drum Master game and was able to play multiplayer in the game.

The good people at RedOctane were kind enough to let me try out one of their Taiko drum controllers for the Playstation 2. I used the controller with the Taiko Drum Master game and was able to play multiplayer in the game.