2010 CES

LAS VEGAS--While it was great to get some solid hands-on time playing PS3 in 3D, Microsoft debuted something for the Xbox 360 that we'll actually be able to play in late March; not to mention it's much more practical, too.

Xbox Live Game Room essentially allows you to create your own arcade, offering titles from many classic developers such as Atari, Intellivison, and Konami. When the service goes live in late March, 30 titles will be immediately available, with five to seven new games being released each week.

There's no dashboard update required for Game Room; you'… Read more

After spending 20 minutes playing Wipeout in 3D at Sony's CES 2010 booth, I'm officially a believer in gaming in the third dimension. It was only after I was made aware of the fine print did I become grounded in reality. But before we get into the gory details about what you'll need to get this working, let's discuss how it played.

Sony had a few games playable in 3D including Super Stardust HD, Avatar, and Wipeout. The experience playing Wipeout in 3D is truly immersive, with layered graphics giving you a surreal sensation of being … Read more

Sure, we really like the PS3 Slim's brand new-sleek design, but unfortunately some pre-existing PS3 accessories don't play nicely with the console's updated form factor. To fix this, Nyko has revamped most of the company's PS3 accessory lineup for the Slim and improved on the Media Hub in the process.

The Media Hub Slim doubles the system's amount of USB ports to four and adds an SD card reader slot as well. The unit fits snugly under the front left lip of the console and plugs into both of the Slim's existing USB ports. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs is about to speak here at CES 2010. We'll be posting frequent updates once he gets started, in about five minutes.

Update 11:20 a.m.: Jacobs opens his speech with a prediction: that all consumer electronics devices will essentially be phones one day. Because inside they'll have chips from cell phones for downloading books, apps, and connecting to other devices. This is what he'll be talking about today.

Update 11:25 a.m.: A lot of computing power is going into mobile phones, and that will impact the user experience, Jacobs … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Nyko is taking an interesting approach at voice chat for the Xbox 360. Ditching the conventional headset and microphone, the Speaker Com 360 offers two different ways to chat on Xbox Live.

Using a design that incorporates magnetic earbuds, the accessory can be worn like a necklace with a hanging speakerbox that works like a speakerphone. It should really come in handy when playing on Xbox Live with someone else in the room who wouldn't be able to hear chat otherwise. Of course you can also choose to wear the buds in-ear for a more traditional headset experience. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--With all three home consoles supporting motion control in one way or another it's certainly odd that PC gaming has yet to adopt the technology. Traditionally, PC gaming is the platform others look to emulate but in the current generation of Wii remotes, Sixaxis controllers, and Project Natal, gesture-based gaming on the PC remains untouched.

At CES 2010 we've found that this is about to change. High-end PC gaming accessory manufacturer Razer, in conjunction with Sixense, have teamed up to make precise motion control on the PC a reality. Better yet, the companies are doing it with … Read more

LAS VEGAS--As Day 1 of CES 2010 comes to a close, Intel CEO Paul Otellini will be giving a speech beginning at 4:30 p.m. PST.

We'll be posting frequent updates here. People are still filing into the Las Vegas Hilton, but we should be getting started momentarily.

Update 4:45 p.m.: Otellini kicks off the speech by talking about Moore's Law. Today, he says Intel has the first shipping 32-nanometer microprocessor, and he's going to talk about "the evolution of personal computing."

Update 4:55 p.m.: First up, the home. High … Read more

Be still our Kaypro-loving heart. Is laptop gaming performance dragging you down at the LAN party? Nashua, NH's, NextComputing may have the answer in its new Radius XG Portable Gaming PC.

Complete with Intel Core i7 900-series CPUs, graphics cards from both Nvidia and ATI, 1,333MHz DDR3 RAM, plentiful hard drive and connectivity options, and--oh, right--a 17-inch, 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution LCD built into the side, the Radius XG offers everything we expect to find in a performance gaming desktop. With standard desktop components throughout, you can also upgrade the system as you like.

Because of its size … Read more

Update: The Alienware M11x has been nominated for the Best of CES awards in the Gaming category.

LAS VEGAS--Alienware laptops are powerful, but they're not exactly known for being ultraportable or affordable. At Dell's press conference this morning, however, a chief focus was put on their new M11x laptop, which seems to be attacking both ends head-on. In a form approaching Netbook size, the 11.6-inch laptop comes packed with switchable graphics, including an Nvidia GT335M GPU as its main powerhouse, and will sell this spring for less than $1,000.

According to Dell representatives, the M11x will … Read more