I’m definitely not our most technically saavy gamer. Sure, back in the 90’s when I was modifying my hand built PC’s daily, and new every detail about every chip on the market. Nowadays, I let someone else spend the time it takes to trick out the machines I buy. That’s why I wanted to spend time with iBUYPOWER. They’ve got some really interesting products both already on the market and some more that may be headed our way.

In the area of already released products, there’s the Battalion line of gaming notebooks. Specifically, the Battalion Touch sub-line which features a single model now, but is about to receive a high powered big brother featuring an i7 processor. RuSE from UbiSoft will sport a multi-touch interface, and the Battalion line of Touch laptops is going to be first to market in supporting.

There’s also the recently released Chimera 2, which follows up the Chimera in the custom painted one price gets it all gaming rig. 3 models totaling 5 different primary configurations based on either AMD or Intel chipsets set this system apart as a powerhouse for desktop gaming systems.

Then there are the things that are still in the skunk works at iBUYPOWER; The LAN Warrior 2, a Xbox 360/PC Hybrid, and an item so secret, it still just has a codename.

The LAN Warrior 2 is a complete redesign of the case from the original LAN Warrior. It’s very solid state, with a large handle for hauling it around. A vast improvement over the original if I may say so. There of course will be an increase in power, and it seems that everything that iBUYPOWER does is designed with liquid cooling as an option.

The 360 PC Hybrid is essentially a 360 and a PC merged into a single case. While it’s still so early in the prototype phase that it’s a one of a kind unit, there could be a nice market for this unit if iBUYPOWER is able to navigate the landmines of warranties and licensing.

Finally, the codenamed project. My first thought was that the appropriate name for this unit is Darth Vader; It’s big, black, and pulsing with an evil red glow from inside. Designed from the ground up to support liquid cooling, it’s easily one of the largest desktop cases I’ve seen, rivaling the Level 10, and was reminiscent in size to the tower PC’s of the 80’s and 90’s. But that’s where any semblance of its forefathers ends. Even with massive video cards and the metalwork to support the liquid cooling they sport, there was a good 2 inches clearance between the video cards and the drive bays. The current prototype sports four 5.25” bays and four 3.5” bays, and it still seemed roomy.  I provided a lot of description here, because photos weren't allowed.

There’s a lot more to cover, and we’re working on a review of one of the multi-touch notebooks following the show, so I can provide more details then.

The has been a growing trend within the standard news media of reporting on the usage of gaming technologies to help the elderly. It has mostly been focused on how consumer systems such as the Wii have been used for socialization and rehabilitation in the senior community. With the negative light that gaming receives so often in news coverage I wanted to look further into the positive things done with gaming. That’s the reason I scheduled time with Dakim, even though it’s products are well outside the demographics for our readers.

Dakim Brain Fitness is a tool used to work with the elderly to improve or regain cognitive skills. It is most often used when working with Alzheimer’s patients to help re-learn or keep steady their memory and concentration skills. It works through a series of games. The individual games themselves are the kinds of games that anyone who has ever picked up a puzzle book would be familiar with. The twist is that these games are set up with the target audience in mind; movie clips from the 50’s and 60’s and themed games based on the types of interests often found among seniors.

Previously, Dakim Brain Fitness had only been available as a kiosk system with touch screen controls and automated updates via network connection. These kiosks were designed with senior living facilities in mind. The Brain Fitness program has now been released as software, usable on PC and Mac desktops.