Peripherals - Page 25

PAX PRIME 2013 - PAX Prime has been a good show for those looking to buy a new gaming mouse or keyboard. Gaming peripherals have been a huge aspect of this year's PAX Prime and Logitech didn't want to be left out. They brought out their recently unveiled G602 wireless mouse, which we got to go hands-on with.

The G602 gaming mouse had a good feel and provides up to 250 hours in performance mode, or up to 1400 hours in economy mode. If you'll be gaming, you'll want to make use of the performance mode. For everyday use, however, the economy mode proves to be perfectly adequate and you'll have to deal with dead batteries less often. The mouse provides a great feel and comes in at a reasonable price.

PAX PRIME 2013 - Today Corsair announced that it would be unveiling several new high-performance gaming peripherals at the PAX PRIME 2013 expo being held this weekend in Seattle Washington. The company says that it will unveil five new gaming headsets alongside a brand-new gaming keyboard and will wrap things up with two gaming mouse mats.

Up first will be the all new, top-of-the-line Vengeance 2100 Dolby 7.1 Wireless Gaming Headset which features a 2.4GHz wireless connection with a 40 foot range, and boast a battery life of up to 10 hours of constant use. The headset features Dolby 7.1 surround sound for an accurate the creation of real-world audio. The headset features 50mm drivers and microfiber-covered memory foam ear pads. THe Vengeance 2100 is expected retail for $149.99.

Up next from Corsair is an improved version of its Vengeance 1500 v2 Dolby 7.1 Gaming Headset. As its name implies it will feature Dolby 7.1 surround sound, with new 50mm drivers that provide a deep and rich bass as well as clean, crisp highs. Like its bigger brother the ear pads are covered and microfiber and features a noise-canceling microphone. The Vengeance 1500 v2 will retail for $99.99.

Today, Logitech announced the release a new wireless gaming mouse that boasts a massive 250 hours of continuous, lag-free use while in gaming mode. The mouse features Logitech's precision Delta Zero sensor technology, which the company says gives players the ability to dominate boss after boss. The mouse also features a non-gaming mode labeled Endurance mode, which offers users up to 1400 hours of use on a single charge.

"When I play, I don't want to think about anything other than my game and what my next move will be. When you look at the wireless gaming mice out there though, their primary flaw is the uncertainty of having to interrupt your game to replace batteries. Not anymore," said Ehtisham Rabbani, general manager of the Logitech gaming business group. "We set an outrageous goal, and we hit it. Doubling, tripling or even quadrupling the battery life of ordinary wireless gaming mice wasn't enough. We wanted to bring gamers an innovation that would change the face of wireless gaming forever. With 250 hours of battery life, the G602 does exactly that. It's time for gamers to get real science behind them so something as fundamental as a battery doesn't get in the way of winning."

Logitech says that the mouse is built around an ultra-durable standard with primary mechanical switches rated to 20 million clicks. The mouse also features 11 programmable controls that users can custom tailor to fit their gaming style using Logitech's gaming software. The Logitech G602 wireless gaming mouse will be available soon at a suggested retail price of $79.99.

Today, Logitech announced that it has released a special edition of its popular Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400. The special edition boasts all of the same features that already make the original Logitech K400 so great, except now it is available in what the company is calling a "stylish, fresh white, to fit your clean and modern living space."

For those of you not familiar with the K400, it is a wireless QWERTY keyboard from Logitech that includes a notebook-style touchpad and mouse buttons. The keyboard features all the standard media keys as well as a few extras that enhance your computing experience.

The company says that this keyboard has been optimized for the living-room environment and its new white façade allows it to fit in with any modern home theater environment. The Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400 White edition is expected to be available in the US and Europe beginning next month and will retail at a pricing point of $39.99. Head over to Source #1 to check it out!

As many of us are either gamers or PC enthusiasts, we often overlook the more office / productivity oriented mice and keyboards that are available on the market. Today, Microsoft unveiled two new keyboard and mice combos to its Sculpt line of Ergonomic peripherals. The company designs these new models based on the input from more than 5,300 workers that say they experience discomfort on a daily basis when working with traditional keyboards and mice.

First, we have the boomerang shaped Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop bundle, which features an oddly shaped key layout with a wide split in the middle. Microsoft says this split provides the perfect angle which allows users to rest their hands more naturally on the keyboard. This set also includes a separate wireless number pad and wireless mouse, which has also been redesigned to fit more naturally in the user's hand.

The second offering unveiled today is dubbed the Sculpt Comfort Desktop Bundle and features a more traditional looking keyboard with a curved typing service and flat numerical keypad. A detachable palm rest is present alongside a split spacebar. The mouse included in this set also features a new design that integrates a Windows touch tab that allows users to swipe over this blue button to view or cycle through open applications.

Hot on the heels of last week's Tritton Kunai launch, Mad Catz today announced that it has began shipping the Tritton Pro gaming headset for PC and Mac. The company says that the Tritton Pro is a true 5.1 surround sound headset that features four separate drivers in each ear cup for a true 5.1 surround sound experience.

The headset also features an in-line remote that allows selectable voice monitoring that allows users to choose if they hear their own voice in the headset or not. "The TRITTON Pro+ headset received a warm reception with the passionate gamers at E3 thanks to its advanced feature set and multiple speakers, delivering highly accurate sound separation, ideal for online gaming," said Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz. "We believe the TRITTON Pro+ for Windows PC and Mac will enable us to further diversify our platform base within the high-end audio category."

The Tritton Pro is available in white, black, and gloss red and is available in the US, Canada, UK, France, and Germany for around $199. The headset will be available at all major electronics retailers that carry the Mad Catz brand. For more information on the Mad Catz Triton Pro, head over to Source #2 below.

This morning, TT eSports officially announced the launch of the POSEIDON, an illuminated gaming keyboard. TT eSports says that they built the POSEIDON with the goal of providing a quality Cherry MX switch-based keyboard, while retaining an extremely affordable price, allowing more gamers around the world the chance to experience the difference a mechanical keyboard can make. Our own Anthony Garreffa got a chance to check out the POSEIDON back in June at Computex 2013.

The keyboard is constructed out of a hefty ABS plastic body that gives the keyboard a very solid feel and virtually removes all flex when pushing down on the keyboard. TT eSports says the POSEIDON was designed meticulously with no shortcuts being taken in the construction or overall function, giving this mechanical keyboard a premium feel while retaining a budget friendly price.

The POSEIDON is a pretty bare-bones gaming keyboard that provides everything you need without excessive clutter from macro keys or extra functionality. It is truly a plug-and-play experience with no extra software needed, allowing it to become the "ultimate plug-and-play" keyboard for gaming at home or on the go. The POSEIDON will retail at an MSRP of $79.99 and will begin shipping out worldwide later this month. Below I have listed some of the features that make the POSEIDON a leader in its class.

This morning, ROCCAT announced the release of a new gaming mouse alongside a new mousepad to match. The new Kone Pure Optical Gaming Mouse is designed for those who do not want the high dpi resolution of a laser mouse, but prefer the softness of an optical mouse. Additionally, the company released the new Sense Meteor Blue Mousepad which is the latest installment in the company's praised Sense line.

"The new sensor featured in the Kone Pure Optical is the successor to the sensor featured in the famous Savu mouse. The Savu drew praise from gamers and reviewers alike, who complimented the mouse for its accurate and reliable tracking. Building on this success, the Kone Pure Optical has a new and more powerful MCU, which features more memory, and two new native DPI steps." said ROCCAT founder and CEO Rene Korte.

Today Leap Motion launched what is being billed as the "Worlds most accurate 3-D motion control technology." The software allows people to control their computers with natural hand and finger gestures much in the way that motion tracking WebCam software works. Alongside the software they launched, the company opened up its AirSpace platform, a sort of App Store that is exclusive to the Leap Motion controller.

The company also announced that beginning July 28 the actual Leap Motion Controllers will be available for purchase in Best Buy stores across the United States at a price point of $79.99. Customers in the UK are able to purchase from Amazon and the company has partnered up with ASUS and HP to offer bundled packages with select computers from each manufacturer.

Leap Motion went on to say that at launch the Airspace Store contained over 75 applications that were purpose built by developers and more than four countries. The apps range from free to paid and spans the width of many categories. The Leap Motion controller works with computers running Mac OS X 10.7 or 10.8, Windows 7 and Windows 8. It requires a minimum of an Intel Coreâ„¢ i3 or AMD Phenomâ„¢ II processor, 2 GB RAM and a USB 2.0 port.

Apple TV launched as just a 'hobby' for the Cupertino-based giant, but it has grown out of control, but in a good way. Apple have now become the force to be reckoned with in the "streaming IP device" market according to a new report.

Apple scoop up 56% of the market, representing more than 13 million units sold in Q1 2013 alone. This number is more than all of the competitors' devices combined. Competing brands include Roku, WD TV, Boxee and Google TV, but Apple leads the market by a large margin. Roku takes second position with 21.5% of the market, which represents an estimated 5 million units.

I think this will change in the coming years, as Google push forward with media devices and companies like Netflix continue to dominate the new Internet market with original TV shows.

SteelSeries is known for their high-quality professional grade gaming peripherals, and their latest product fails to disappoint in any way possible. The new SteelSeries Apex Gaming Keyboard is comprised of what I can only describe as sheer beauty. It's no secret that I love backlit keys as well as RGB LEDs, and the new Apex combines both to bring a keyboard landscape unlike any other.

Additionally, the keyboard features unique enhancements to its layout which include low-profile keys, macro keys that are configured in rows for quick access, as well as multiple layers of customization in color and intensity. The keyboard is powered by the SteelSeries Engine which allows the keyboard to completely remap all of its 22 macro keys and offers users the ability to program up to four separate layers of the keyboard. This means that consumers now have up to 500 keys for instant control across multiple layouts, profiles, and commands that they choose for any game.

This morning, GIGABYTE announced the arrival of a new addition to its gaming keyboard lineup. The FORCE K7 Stealth Gaming Keyboard is touted as having the embodiment of a Stealth fighter with its scissor-key structure and slim solid body. The keyboard features an extremely short actuation distance for accurate and stable key presses in addition to a switchable three-color backlighting system.

The new gaming keyboard also features anti-ghosting capabilities that surround the WASD cluster that guarantees that the general gaming combination keys are registered and executed without conflict. Just like other models in the line, the keyboard features a twin wheel design that offers prompt control of keyboard backlighting and volume levels during intense gaming sessions.

Below is a quote from GIGABYTE on the features of the new FORCE K7 Stealth Gaming Keyboard:

The super-realistic assault rifle controller, otherwise known as Delta Six, has enjoyed a successful Kickstarter campaign, raising over $200,000. The Delta Six is thanks to David Kotkin from Miami, who is a teacher.

Kotkin developed the Avenger, making enough money from it to retire from his career in education. The Miami-based now retired teacher saw the absence of a realistic gun controller, and thought it would be a good idea to make one. Kotkin told the Miami Herald that the notoriety scared off a public relations firm, "whose owner cited 'moral reservations,'" and that Arduino, the microcontroller staple of PC and console mods, backed away from the partnership because of the potential problems.

Kotkin's own wife won't let their 11- and 8-year-old sons play with the Delta Six, but stands by him and is proud of his inventiveness and accomplishments. She says: "When it comes to the gaming gun, you look at all the violence that's occurred and it's really difficult for me to say this is a great idea."

Logitech have just unveiled a new standalone version of their Harmony Ultimate Hub. All that is required is an application for your Android- or iOS-based device, which will then allow you to control up to eight home theater devices.

Users can use the app to swipe to adjust the volume, change TV channels by tapping on a network icons and control recorded video playback. Control options are also on offer for video services usch as Netflix hosted on game consoles, too. Logitech also says that the Hub is compatible with the Harmony Touch, the remote's RF signals are translated into IR and Bluetooth format. We should expect the standalone Ultimate Hub to go on sale in both the US and Europe in August, for around $100.

Computex Taipei 2013 - ROCCAT have not only unveiled their gaming orientated Power-Grid software and app, but they've just now unveiled their latest mechanical gaming keyboard with per-key illumination, the Ryos MK Pro.

ROCCAT's Ryos MK Pro features an insane number of configuration options, as well as your choice of Cherry MX key switches in four colors and per-key illumination in two modes: smart and manual. This allows Ryos MK Pro owners to congiure special effects to their keystrokes, configure their keyboard to highlight in-game and application key bindings, your modifier keys, macro sequences and cool downs, system controls and much more.

The ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro features a 32-bit ARM Cortex processor, meaning that it has its processor can power all of the functions on this keyboard, all without losing a spec of performance. There's 2MB of flash memory on-board which houses your configurations, with your keyboard keeping all of your keystrokes and macros handled well in real-time, all without delay.

There are more people gaming on Mac's thanks to the popularity of Apple's MacBook Pro's and their iMac's, with most thanks given to Intel who made their way into Apple machines across the world.

Logitech have just stepped up, announcing that their Logitech Gaming Software is now compatible with Mac OS for all of their keyboard and mouse products. This means that Mac-based gamers can now enjoy the same personalization and customization of their products that PC gamers have enjoyed for years now. You can download the latest version of the Logitech Gaming Software from the Logitech support page.

Logitech's list of compatible products include:

Sony are poised to add system level support for their DualShock 3 controllers to their Xperia-branded smartphones. A user would be able to wirelessly connect their controllers without root or hugely complicated setup procedures, using just a USB OTG cable for the initial setup.

All you would need to do is plug the controller into your Xperia device's USB port, turn it on, enter the device settings and then just enable the controller. Once there's some talk between the device and the PC, you'll need to unplug the controller and then you'll have the ability to use it through Bluetooth.

At the moment there's no news on whether this will jump across to non-Xperia-branded smartphones, but I'm sure it'll just be time for now. Games that support a controller are obviously the way to go, but this isn't a big problem.

Logitech are reiterating the fact that they're committed to PC gaming by unveiling their new Logitech G line of gaming peripherals. This lineup boasts six redesigned mice and keyboard favorites, as well as two brand new headsets. There's a lot to cover, so let's get introduced to Logitech's new products.

Logitech G700s Rechargeable Gaming Mouse - Logitech's G700s mouse is a wireless gaming mouse featuring the report rate of an epically fast wired gaming mouse. Logitech have made the G700s capable of maintaining a consistant report rate, no matter if you're using the mouse over its included 2.4GHz wireless connection, or physically connected through USB. You can switch out from wireless to wired gaming if your battery dies, using a data-over-cable connection thanks to its standard microUSB cable.

There are 13 programmable controls on the G700s, macros and more, which are all controlled and manipulated through Logitech's Gaming Software (LGS). Logitech are slapping a suggested retail price of $99.99 for the G700s mouse.

In a move that few saw coming, Microsoft has released parts of the software used to control its Kinect hardware into the Open Source world. Twenty two code samples have been released into CodePlex for Makers, Hardware Hackers and third party engineers to use to develop their own Kinect based projects.

The code samples are available in C++, Visual Basic and C#. Anyone wanting to use the code will need to download Visual Studio, .NET and the Kinect for Windows SDK. The code allows for face tracking, depth of field, as well as audio capture and voice controls.

In what I consider a very smart move, Microsoft said that it released the code because it wants to get feedback from the developer community as well as rapidly speed up development for the Kinect as well as improve its software. All the code samples are released under the Apache 2.0 license and can be downloaded at Source #2 below.

A source close to CVG are claiming some huge news from Sony's research and development department that they've been busy playing with more than one controller design for the next-generation console from Sony. We should expect it to launch as the PlayStation 4, but things can still change before release and we could see it released as simply "PlayStation" - something I believe has some weight to it.

These controller designs are said to be including an LCD touchscreen, as well as biometric sensors on its grips. Biometric technology on console controllers would be interesting, as it is capable of reading data from a gamer's body, which includes gamers' heart rates, temperatures and more.

This information isn't just a huge leaked rumor, as sources from Eurogamer are mirroring the same info, stating that Sony have been testing a PS4 controller with a touchscreen and biometrics functionality for at least six months, in which the designs reportedly change every month. This would be a huge departure from the DualShock controller which was introduced with the original PlayStation in 1997, and we've seen an iteration of the DualShock controller with every new PlayStation.