CES - Gaming

Another CES in the books means it's time to take a look at the past few days and highlight what we thought were the most exciting moments of the show. To the right are some video First Looks in gaming from CES 2011.

Unlike last year, gaming was able to earn a few moments of glory this year as we were treated to some impressive products, mind-blowing prototypes, and the latest in state-of-the-art surround-sound headsets.

From iPad joysticks to mouse and keyboard control for the Xbox 360, it's safe to say that CES 2011 solidified gaming as a … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Ask any hardened PC gamer and they'll tell you there's no better way to control a first-person shooter than a mouse-and-keyboard combination. We completely agree, and with the Eagle Eye 360 from Penguin United, Xbox 360 gamers can do just that.

While the company has already had a PlayStation 3 offering that provides the same functionality, the Xbox 360 version is new for CES. The device can bind all of the Xbox 360 controller commands to mouse and keyboard buttons and store up to two key-mapping schemes.

You'll need a wired Xbox 360 controller for the … Read more

LAS VEGAS--At last year's CES, we put together a slideshow called "Sexy sells at CES" that highlighted part of the human element that companies use to help make their gadgets stand out on the crowded show floor--or at least encourage people to stop at their booths.

For some reason, this slideshow proved to be rather popular with our readers, so we thought we'd cobble something together this year.

Don't get the wrong impression. Not every company hires models to show off their wares and talk about their products. And even when they do, the product … Read more

LAS VEGAS--The gadget orgy that is CES always throws up some pretty weird tech concepts, and the 2011 show is no different. Razer has just come up with the concept for the Switchblade, a portable gaming system with a multitouch display and an adaptive LCD-based keyboard that changes dynamically depending on what you're playing.

Razer developed the Switchblade idea because, in the words of Chief Executive Min-Liang Tan, PC gaming "has always been impossible in a portable form factor." Apart from, y'know, on laptops, Netbooks, tablets, and other devices that Razer seems never to have heard … Read more

As the doors to CES swung open, I rushed in looking for a technology that would save me, hopefully, from myself.

I thought I had found it within seconds.

For there was a large image of Jesus Christ who looked like he was gaming. I pushed past the peddlers and the half-naked dancing girls and headed straight to GameChurch.com's booth.

GameChurch's Doug Christensen was quick to anoint me with his pitch. He explained that GameChurch was a place for Christian gamers to get together and be themselves. Then he told me that the site reviews games and … Read more

Nyko has had a strong showing at CES over the past few years by introducing innovative third-party accessories for game consoles. Last year the company beat Nintendo to the punch by releasing the Wand+, the first Wii controller to feature MotionPlus built in.

We've gotten a look at the 2011 lineup, and this year Nyko has shifted its focus to target support for PlayStation Move. While we've already seen the two- and four-port Charge Stations for Move, also available in March will be a rifle-shaped Move accessory that should make first-person-shooter games a lot more realistic. Also coming … Read more

LAS VEGAS--In announcing its new Sound Blaster Tactic3D Omega headset, Creative is touting the wireless gaming headset's versatility, calling it "the first wireless, cross-platform gaming headset to work with the PS3, Xbox 360, Mac, and PC, which is fully integrated."

What does fully integrated mean? Well, the wireless technology is built into the headset itself, so the Tactic3D Omega doesn't require any extra attachments to function with gaming consoles--and PCs--wirelessly (the headphones are powered by a rechargeable battery). However, as you can see from the picture, a powered dongle does have to be plugged into your … Read more

LAS VEGAS--First came remote controls, then systems like Kinect, where you use your body as a remote control. The next advancement in motion control tech doesn't require you to move much at all, with the exception of an eye muscle or two.

Today at CES, I got a demo of a very early but still interesting prototype that uses the motion of your eyeballs to control things on a screen. The technology was built just in the last few months and demonstrated here by Hunter Smith and Christopher Culver from Waterloo Labs, a research group within National Instruments.

For … Read more

LAS VEGAS--While the Turtle Beach lineup of products at CES was highlighted by the announcement of the PX5, we were surprised to see the company go after Microsoft's standard Xbox 360 chat headset.

Surprisingly enough, the XC1 doesn't seem to offer anything that the current 360 set doesn't already do, though judging from the few photos we've seen of it, we'd imagine it will be more comfortable to wear during those long Black Ops multiplayer sessions. We'll have the final word on that when we get our hands on one this spring for $25. … Read more