CES 2012: Gaming- Page 2

Microsoft's final CES keynote: A lot of talking, not much said

LAS VEGAS--Microsoft had one last shot to go out with a bang at the Consumer Electronics Show today but instead opted to take a victory lap or two.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer did a lot of shouting and talking, but didn't say anything too substantive in his final keynote address at CES. Instead, the company chose to run through a number of its upcoming--but previously announced--projects, from Windows Phone to Windows 8.

The company, however, did say it would bring the Xbox 360 peripheral Kinect to Windows on February 1, and Ballmer said the motion-sensor device has sold 18 … Read more

Mad Catz and Microsoft in cahoots on new Primer headset

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

Sony puts screen resolution in the CES spotlight

Sony kicked off its CES press conference this evening by unveiling a prototype "Crystal LED display" that uses miniature light-emitting diodes in place of pixels. The technology, which uses 6 million LEDs mounted on the front of the display, is superior to LCD and plasma and promises "super contrast and superwide color gamut," Sony CEO Howard Stringer told those assembled.

While Sony has this 55-inch prototype on display at the conference, it is no where near production or consumers' hands. (CNET staffers at the show are going to give it a look and report back on … Read more

Vuzix's video glasses minimize the dork factor

Sure, the idea of augmented reality has some appeal.

Overlaid on your view of the real world, your Net-connected glasses show navigation instructions, prompt you with the name of the person you're talking to, and run an ad-blocker app to turn billboards into wallpaper with soothing nature photos. And with one display for each eye, you see in 3D, so you can turn the outisde world into an immersive videogame.

The only problem is that you look like a total dork walking around with bulky electronic devices stuck to your face.

Vuzix, which sells such products, says it's … Read more

HP's Phoenix gaming desktop rises in the U.S.

I suspected we might hear more about the Phoenix gaming desktop upon its U.K. release last year. Today, HP makes its U.S arrival official.

The system, full name HP Pavilion Elite hp9 Phoenix, arrives in the States on January 8th, for a starting price of $1,150. It will use chips from Intel's Core 2000 and Core 3000-series, as well as AMD CPUs, as well as Radeon graphics cards, SSD storage options, and up to 16GB of RAM.

A highlight of the Phoenix, aside from its stylized chassis, will be its HP-made liquid CPU cooling hardware. While … Read more

AMD back on top with new Radeon HD 7970 3D card

There's a lot going on with AMD's new Radeon HD 7970 graphics card.

A new graphics architecture, a new 28-nanometer chip manufacturing process, and a new emphasis on GPU computing. The most important thing is that the new card, code-named Tahiti, is the new 3D gaming king.

AMD announced the card this morning as a result of various leaks appearing around the Web over the last few weeks, but the new card won't be available for purchase until AMD makes its launch official on January 9. When you find it in stores, it will start at $550.

For the price, you will get a 3D card that is faster than Nvidia's current market-leading GeForce GTX 580, at least according to the enthusiast tech review sites who've already tested the Radeon HD 7970. Anandtech, HotHardware, PC Perspective, and others have put AMD's new card through its paces, and I encourage you to check them all out for a deep-dive into performance.… Read more

What will CES 2012 have in store for gaming?

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