The gaming gear of CES 2012
Whether you're a desktop, console, or mobile gamer, the halls of CES had something to offer. We saw new gaming mice, laptops, handhelds, a next-generation board game — and that's just scratching the surface. All of the news and our hands-on impressions are collected in the StoryStream below, so step away from that copy of Skyrim and check them out!
A special thanks to Borrow Lenses, who provided us with cameras and lenses for the week!
CES 2012
Mad Catz at CES 2012: headsets, arcade sticks, and a mouse (hands-on)
To say that Mad Catz brought a slew of fresh gaming peripherals to CES would be putting it lightly. In addition to its MLG Pro Circuit modular controller we told you about last week, the company also had a pair of headsets on display: the Cyborg Freq 5 for PC gamers and a Tritton Primer wireless Xbox 360 headset, an MMO 7 mouse and a two-player FightStick arcade controller. We had hands-on time with the latest gear, and now have some photos and initial impressions to share.
First, we'll...
Gaming
AMD's top-tier Radeon HD 7970 plays 'Battlefield 3' on three screens, two more for video conferencing (hands-on video)
AMD's Trinity-based laptop was the most impressive demo at the company's CES 2012 booth, but we couldn't pass up the chance to play Battlefield 3 across three nearly bezel-free screens on a pair of Radeon HD 7970s — especially when flanked by an additional pair of screens doing multipoint video conferencing. One of the little-known features that AMD added in the new Radeon HD 7000 series is Digital Discrete Multipoint Audio, or DDMA for short, which basically means you can assign audio, not...
Gaming
SoftKinetic's ten-finger virtual puppet show demo video walkthrough
Microsoft's Kinect for Windows wasn't the only gesture control system to tout "near mode" this CES. SoftKinetic offers an alternate solution with an eye towards OEMs, and this week it released a public alpha of new firmware for its DepthSense 311 that it claims will detect finger movement from as close as 15cm (vs. Kinect's 50cm) and as far away as about three feet. Those numbers seems about right; SoftKinetic let us try out the firmware first-hand in two applications — a barebones tech...
Gaming
ePawn Arena: the 26-inch, $400 tabletop gaming screen with interactive game pieces (hands-on)
ePawn's seeking to shake up the tabletop gaming space, and we have to say, we're almost convinced it can: the startup's 26-inch Arena screen, which lies flat on a surface, sounds like the perfect tool for an aspiring Dungeon Master. The display uses a custom magnetic system to track the position, rotation and identity of physical game pieces in real time, and it's pretty fast: quick enough to play a casual game of air hockey, let alone track a few miniatures. More importantly, the software is...
Gaming
AMD Trinity demo: full HD gaming, video playback, and transcoding
AMD's next generation of Accelerated Processing Units, Trinity, was shown off to us at CES this year with an impressive multithreaded workload. One display was running Dirt 3 in DirectX 11 mode, another was on the Windows desktop with a video transcoding app in full flow, and the third — part of the laptop running the entire operation — was playing back a full HD movie. The upcoming Trinity chip was handling all three tasks simultaneously, offering compelling evidence for AMD's bold claim...
Shogun Bros. Ballista MK-1 gaming mouse adjusts DPI like an abacus (hands-on)
Last year, Shogun Bros introduced a crazy mouse with a gamepad on the bottom. What could be crazier? How about a partnership with Ubisoft for an Assassin's Creed version with leather buttons? When we got to Shogun Bros' booth at CES 2012, though, it wasn't the new Chameleon that impressed: you're looking at the Ballista MK-1, a 5700dpi wired laser mouse that can independently adjust sensitivity on both the X and Y axes, on the fly, as well as dial down the 1000Hz polling rate to save power.
...
CES 2012
BlackBerry PlayBook gets 'Cut The Rope' at CES 2012 (hands-on)
Cut The Rope is the latest big title game to gain compatibility with the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Microsoft launched an HTML5 version of the fun puzzle game during its CES 2012 press conference just a few days ago, but Om Nom the little green gobbler is also making its way to QNX. RIM is displaying the game quite prominently in its own booth on the show floor, and it's still the same challenging but delightful experience. Performance seemed fine on the PlayBook hardware — but then again...
Gaming
Hyperkin's $19.99 Game Genie for Nintendo 3DS (hands-on video)
We stopped by Hyperkin's booth at CES to take a look at their Game Genie cheat device for Nintendo's DSes — the same device works with the original DS, DS Lite, DSi, DSi XL, and even the 3DS. In case you don't remember the original Game Genie, game cards plug in to one end, the other end goes into the console, and when you turn on to play you can choose from a list of cheats like unlimited lives or never-ending tanooki suit. The DS Game Genie is available now, and a PSP version is coming at...
Gaming
PlayStation Vita plays augmented reality soccer (hands-on video)
Earlier today, we saw Sony's PlayStation Vita show off its AT&T cellular chops with Unit 13, and now we've got the quad-core handheld demonstrating another augmented reality title. In case you're unaware, the US and European versions of the PlayStation Vita will come with six AR cards when they go on sale this February, and you can download a bunch of games: This one is Table Football, which turns the cards into goals, grandstands and a scoreboard. You can place them however you like,...
Gaming
PlayStation Vita 3G is carrier-locked, says AT&T
Can't say we're surprised, but AT&T has confirmed to us that the PlayStation Vita 3G will indeed be carrier-locked. Only Ma Bell's SIM cards will work; inserting a SIM from T-Mobile or an international carrier will not work. We spoke earlier with Glenn Lurie, AT&T's Embedded Device President, who estimated that the company first received Vita units for testing around four or five months ago and worked closely with Sony even before that on the 3G modules and connectivity rules in the SDK,...
'Skyrim' on Eee Pad Transformer Prime demo video
Nvidia's Jen-Hsun Huang dedicated a portion of his CES 2012 presentation this week to playing a game of Skyrim on an Eee Pad Transformer Prime. The Tegra 3-powered tablet was running a specially optimized version of Splashtop, dubbed Splashtop THD, which allows you to interact with your Windows PC on Android tablets with Tegra hardware under the hood. It's not a complicated setup, you just run the requisite apps on the PC and tablet, and it gives you access to the full breadth of Windows...
Gaming
PlayStation Vita 3G for AT&T hands-on demo with Unit 13 (video)
There's not much left to learn about the PlayStation Vita that launched in Japan — find our full review right here — but we just got our hands on a Vita connected to AT&T's 3G HSPA network, and playing Unit 13. It's a third-person shooter from Zipper Interactive, best known for the SOCOM games, where you run from cover to cover though a series of shooting-and-sneaking missions trying for a high score. The game has actual multiplayer over Wi-Fi, but the 3G functionality allows for the...
Nintendo Wii U video walkthrough: Chase Mii, Battle Mii, the Zelda HD experience, and more!
For the less gaming-focused tech enthusiasts that missed the E3 2011 debut, Nintendo has brought its Wii U hardware to CES this year. It's the exact same demo we saw back in June, albeit as two editors capturing shaky DSLR video in the midst of a very loud show floor. This time, fortunately, we had an awesome video crew with us to capture the moment in more quiet, intimate (aka dimly lit) environment. With a little help from future Vox Games Editor-in-Chief Chris Grant, I find a way to...
WikiPad pitches glasses-free 3D and Ice Cream Sandwich for less than $250: hands on (update)
WikiPad has made a splash at this year's CES with its WikiPad:3D — an 8-inch glasses-free 3D tablet running Android 4.0.3. It's being built by Gadmei, with the software build being named "Gadmei ICS," and the developer kit (as shown in the gallery below) is strikingly similar to the T863 we saw a couple of days ago. In practice, the tablet's slick and responsive, and though the final specs are undecided it's currently powered by a single-core 1.2GHz processor with 2GB RAM and 8GB storage,...
Gaming
Who put OnLive on my Razer Project Fiona gaming tablet? (update: games run locally)
We noticed something rather curious when we got a first-hand look at Razer's Project Fiona prototype gaming slate: it's running OnLive. Yes, the tablet is streaming games from remote servers rather than playing them using its Core i7 processor. As you'll see in the pictures and video below, our demonstrators selected Warhammer from a menu marked "OnLive," and that's the OnLive icon in focus on the (normally hidden) Windows 7 taskbar as well. Mind you, the Fiona is just a concept and we'll...
Nyko expands into licensed and non-gaming accessories
We dropped by Nyko's CES booth today to see what the gaming accessory maker had to offer. First up was a range of accessories that should be hitting during the PlayStation Vita's "launch window" (the company couldn't be more specific) — a charging dock with speakers, a car charging kit, and a game card and memory card case. Nyko is also planning a battery-extending grip for the Vita, though this wasn't ready to be shown off today. Next, we saw a couple of Yo Gabba Gabba-branded products,...
Cyborg Freq 5 gaming headset lets you frag now, call friends and family later
Mad Catz is adding to its line of Cyborg gaming peripherals with the Freq 5, a new gaming headset with some flexible features. Utilizing a similar design language as the Rat line of gaming mice — all jagged corners and metal accents — the USB headset features 50mm drivers with neodymium magnets, a removable noise-canceling microphone, and microphone, volume, and equalizer controls built right into one of the earpieces. You can also swap out the USB cord with the included 3.5mm audio...
Apple
SteelSeries announces Ion iOS and Android gamepad, selection of headsets and mice
SteelSeries just announced a handful of accessories here at CES 2012. The most interesting is the Ion, a Bluetooth gamepad for iOS, Android, and Windows devices. It looks just like any old controller, with two shoulder buttons total, four action buttons, two analog sticks, and a d-pad. SteelSeries hasn't announced any compatible titles yet, though the company says the Ion will arrive in Q3 for an undisclosed amount.
Other than the Ion, SteelSeries announced the Flux headset, which offers...
CES 2012
Mad Catz's modular MLG Pro Circuit game controller now shipping (hands-on pictures)
Mad Catz's Pro Circuit Game Controller, with an extremely modular design, is now shipping for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The officially licensed MLG controller got a rugged feel, a metallic-locking 3m wire, and optional weights near the battery report if you need a heavier or lighter gamepad. The big draw, though, is the interchangeable d-pad and analog sticks. Pull out the concave Xbox 360-style stick and swap it for the convex PS3 version. Swap the d-pad and joystick's positions entirely....
Samsung Series 7 Gamer notebook hands-on
We've just gotten pictures and specs for Samsung's Series 7 Gamer notebook, a serious piece of hardware that the company hopes will compete with Asus' gaming offerings. The notebook will come in two slightly different builds, one for the US and one to ship internationally. Both have Intel Core i7 processors and 2GB graphics cards, an AMD Radeon HD6970M outside the US (as far as we can tell) and an unspecified Nvidia card domestically. International versions will also come with active 3D. The...
Razer Project Fiona gaming tablet hands-on video and pictures
We saw Razer's Core i7 winged gaming tablet under glass just over an hour ago, but here's Project Fiona in the flesh! We just got our hands on the prototype machine, and it's a pretty interesting piece of kit, to say the least. The 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 capacitive touchscreen is glossy but very crisp, and it definitely plays games: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine looked glorious on the display. The fixed (not detachable) controls feel pretty good, with nice tension on the depressible...
'Microsoft Flight' hands-on video
Microsoft is demonstrating its Microsoft Flight game at CES 2012 this week. The company announced a beta version recently, and it's showing off that exact copy at its final CES booth. We got a hands on with the beta copy today, and can confirm it works well with an Xbox 360 controller. Microsoft is attempting to support as much hardware as possible with Microsoft Flight, and the company hinted that Kinect support might come once the Kinect for Windows hardware is ready. If you're a virtual...
Gaming
Razer Naga Hex gaming mouse hands-on
While it isn't quite as exciting as Project Fiona, the Razer Blade or even the touchscreen-equipped Star Wars: The Old Republic keyboard, Razer's latest mouse, the Naga Hex, looks and feels fantastic. True to its name, the $79.99 peripheral has a hexagon of six comfortably springy buttons right all easily accessible by your thumb, circling a comfortable, lightly squishy pad for your opposable digit to rest on, and has an extended grip on the right side with a soft-touch rubber coating. Five...
Razer Blade gaming laptop hands-on video
Razer's Blade gaming laptop has spent quite a while in development, but it's finally coming in January for $2,799, and we were able to get our hands on it today at CES. We've learned that the laptop won't be customizable or upgradeable, so you'll have to be satisfied with the specs that Razer gives you. Luckily, those specs are pretty good: the Blade's got a Core i7 processor clocked at 2.8GHz, 8GB DDR3 RAM at 1333MHz, a 17.3-inch 1080p display, Nvidia GeForce GT 555M 2GB video card, 256GB...
Razer Project Fiona close-up photos
Razer has just unveiled its unique take on the gaming tablet, and we've just got some photos of the product on display under glass. We haven't actually gotten our hands on it yet, but we're working to get a close-up look as soon as possible.
Update: Read our full hands-on!
Gaming
Razer's touchscreen 'Star Wars: The Old Republic' keyboard hands-on (video)
When we first heard that Razer was building a line of Star Wars: The Old Republic-branded peripherals, we didn't know what to think, but it's becoming clear that the company's developed something special for particularly hardcore gamers. We got our hands-on the company's premiere $249.99 keyboard today and swiped our fingers across its LCD-equipped keys and multitouch auxiliary screen.
Though the software's definitely not final and the LCD-keypresses were a little iffy with the prototype...
Razer Project Fiona is a Core i7 tablet with 'dual game controllers' coming Q4
Razer promised PC gaming on an all new form factor, and well, it wasn't kidding. Project Fiona is a gaming tablet, of sorts, with integrated dual game controllers. As you can see in the picture above, that's the best way to describe it. Connected to each side is a wand-like controller (think: PlayStation Move navigation controller) with analog thumbsticks, top buttons (numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4), two triggers apiece, and force feedback.
Project Fiona is powered by a Core i7 processor and...
Ion's new iCades: Mobile, Core, and Jr. hands-on
We just spent some time with Ion's new iCade Mobile, a portable gaming handheld that adds physical controls to your iPhone or any other Bluetooth device. With eight action buttons, a D-pad, and the ability to orient the screen in either landscape or portrait modes, it's an intriguing option for on-the-go gamers who want physical controls without leaving behind their current game collection. We played Mos Speedrun on the device, and have to say it was quite responsive and felt quite nice in...
CES 2012
LG's 2012 3D Cinema TVs to have Gaikai cloud game streaming built-in
LG has just announced that it's going to integrate Gaikai's cloud gaming service, which streams games run on remote servers, into its smart TV platform. Like OnLive, Gaikai runs games on its hardware and then the video stream and your controls are sent to and from your home. Currently, Gaikai lets you demo games with no downloads required, but with today's announcement it sounds like it may be moving towards a model in which it sells entire games to users. Previous systems like this either...
Android
Shadowgun multiplayer showdown: two Verge editors face off in a Transformer Prime duel (video)
After watching Jonathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel play a multiplayer game of Shadowgun at Nvidia's CES 2012 press conference, we just had to give the formerly single player shooter a try for ourselves, and what better way to test than to work out the aggression of two Verge editors at the show? Yours truly had a bone to pick with my colleague Dieter Bohn, and though the first part of this sentence isn't true at all, Dieter could theoretically retroactively resent the pun on his last name to the point...
CES 2012
Kinect for Windows coming February 1st with 'near mode' — not for use with Xbox 360
Ballmer just said it live on stage at CES. Yelling it, no less. Short and sweet. Kinect for Windows will be official on February 1st. It's not so much a surprise — the SDK beta hit version 2.0 back in November with Windows 8 support. A pre-order page just went live on Amazon for $249.99 (thanks, Jake Smith!), and here's the gist: it includes the Commercial SDK, it has a "near mode" for use up close — a new firmware where the depth camera can see objects as close as 50cm away "without...
CES 2012
Microsoft: 18 million Kinect sensors sold
Microsoft's first CES 2012 stat is in and it's good news for Kinect. The software giant has shifted 18 million Kinect sensors in total, alongside 66 million Xbox 360 consoles, making it the best selling console in the US during 2011. Microsoft's Xbox LIVE service is up to nearly 40 million members, and momentum for the company's Xbox products doesn't appear to be slowing down. After selling 1.7 million Xbox 360 units in a record breaking November, it's no surprise that Microsoft is proud of...
Mobile
Netflix coming to PlayStation Vita
At CES 2012, Sony has just announced Netflix is coming to the PlayStation Vita, bringing the big red streaming service to the portable device's 5-inch OLED screen. That's at a resolution of 960x544, at around 220ppi. We hope the service will work with AT&T's 3G plans when the Vita launches on February 22nd.
CES 2012
AT&T announces PS Vita 3G data plans and pricing
We've just got the first official confirmation of what you'll be paying for 3G data on the PlayStation Vita. AT&T let the world know via its CES 2012 Developer summit that 250MB a month will cost $14.99, and 2GB will go for $25. The good news is that there aren't any term contracts involved, so you should be able to cancel and restart at will. We weren't convinced by the need for 3G data on the Vita in our review, though, and the 3G model will carry a $50 premium when the system launches...
