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Dillon’s Rolling Western: The Last Ranger
Review by: Russell Archey
If you like action-based tower defense games that use the touch screen for just about everything, this might be the game for you. READ FULL REVIEW...
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
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Matt's been hacked! Well not really, but he really likes Soul Hackers. READ FULL REVIEW...
HarmoKnight
Review by: Russell Archey
Can Game Freaks develop a hit game that does not revolve around Pokemon? If you’re a fan of rhythm games, then yes. READ FULL REVIEW...

CES 2013: Archos GamePad

by: Dan - posted: 1/10/2013 9:53 AM - Add a Comment
My first appointment yesterday was to swing by the Archos booth and get my first look at the GamePad, their android-based gaming tablet.  We saw a lot of information come out on the European version over the summer but I was able to get some of the specs confirmed for the U.S. version during my visit. 

I met with Steve Cederberg, Archos Product Manager, and he was able to fill in some of the information gaps regarding the U.S. version of the GamePad.  It will have the dual-core CPU along with the quad-core GPU running the 7” screen.  The GamePad memory includes 1GB of internal RAM, 8GB of internal storage and up to 64GB of external storage via micro SD.  As previously reported, it will ship with Android 4.1 Jellybean and the unit is fully Google certified, which means access to Google Play store and well as being able to be upgraded.

I spent some time playing Trial and the GamePad handled the game really well.  The screen was bright, the controls responsive and easy to get too with my fingers and thumbs.  The tablet is also incredibly light, so there isn’t much chance of getting fatigue while playing it or that awkward feeling you get when holding onto larger tablets for extended periods.  I was told that it will most likely ship with copies of Angry Birds, Trial and the usual suite of applications that Archos includes on its tablets.

The GamePad mapping tool has been tested compatible with over 6,000 games so far, and there are over 2,000 that are pre-mapped.  So if you happen to come across titles that needs mapping, the system to do this works very easily.  Steve was able to demo this live for us on the show floor, so take a look at the video below of just how easy it is to map controls of games for the Archos GamePad. 


Archos Product Manager Steve Cederberg demoing the GamePad control mapping


Archos expects the GamePad to ship this February with an MSRP of $169.99, which is very competitively priced for the combination of size, processing power and memory.  The great thing is despite the gaming form factor, it is a fully functioning touchscreen tablet, so it can seamlessly switch between a recreation product and a productivity tool just by changing the apps you are running.

CES 2013: Stern Pinball

by: John - posted: 1/10/2013 12:44 AM - Add a Comment
While not console or PC related, I did stop by Stern to check out their line of consumer pinball machines. I love pinball games and I was interested to see what Stern had for the consumer.
 
The lineup is called Pin and they are smaller, low maintenance pinball machines for the home. At half the price of full sized machines, these consumer versions are more affordable and less of a sticker shock should one be interested in a real pinball machine in their home. They are priced at around $2499.
 
Weighing at 125 pounds, they are designed to be maintenance free with only some upkeep needed in some of the rubber that’s in the machine. The lights are LED so that consumers won’t have to worry about changing out light bulbs since they last a lot longer and they produce a more accurate color than traditional light bulbs.
 
 
I asked about what would happen if there was some mechanical failure and how they would handle repairs. First off, all the machines comes with 60 days parts and labor and 6 months parts warranty. Stern has partnered with over 250 service centers around the US, over 300 in the world, whereby they will send a technician to your house to try and fix any problems. If they can’t fix it, they will send it back for a replacement. 
 
The two on display were Transformers and Avengers. The board layouts are simpler than arcade level pinball machines, but still features some nice ramps, bumpers, and special effects. If you play a lot of pinball, you can tell its’ a little more simplistic and the rules of the game are more simple as well. This is to help not discourage new players or casual players of pinball games. Even the scoreboard’s has been simplified. 
 
I played a bit of Transformers and found the action to be fun. It’s a real pinball machine so the flippers, bumpers, lights, etc all look and feel exactly how an arcade pinball machine should. Some of the recreations of characters such as Megatron and the Hulk look great and give the machines a nice visual appeal. The decals on the sides and scoreboard look high quality and while the machine’s size might be smaller than arcade pinball machines, Stern’s craftsmanship makes them look like they belong in a public setting.
 
I asked how many different types of machines Stern wants to put out in a year. They hope to do 2 or 3 different types of machines and are even looking to branch into other areas such as sports. I won’t lie, I’d pay for an Ohio State pinball machine. 
 
If you’re looking for a real pinball machine, but don’t want to spend the big bucks to get one, the Pin series looks like a great line to pick up and put in your home.The look and sound just like the real thing because, well, they really are but in a smaller package.

CES 2013: NVIDIA

by: John - posted: 1/10/2013 12:29 AM - Add a Comment
NVIDIA had a big showing with Project Shield and that was the emphasis of my meeting today with them. Before we get to that, we talked about what powers the handheld in the Tegra 4 chipset.
 
Tegra 4 is NVIDIA’s next generation mobile chipset. It sounds like it’s got some nice speed improvements over Tegra 3. For starters, the 4-1 CPU setup, meaning 4 A15 CPUs with one “ninja core” for low power operations, which by the way, is also an A15 CPU, makes its return here in Tegra 4. You can expect more than 2X performance in each core over the previous generation. 
 
We now have 72 GPU cores versus 12 in Tegra 3 allowing for 6X the shader performance and a real world improvement of 3X to 4X in games. That should make for some pretty nice graphics for games taking advantage of Tegra 4.
 
NVIDIA’s i500 LTE modem sounds pretty promising. It’s software based, meaning that if there are bugs that need to be fixed or improvements to be made, vendors can issue an OTA update to the LTE modem. 
 
Now, let’s talk a little bit about one of the only items announced so far to use Tegra 4, Project Shield. This handheld features a 5” 720P LCD touchscreen that is attached to an Xbox 360 like controller, although the stick placement is similar to the PlayStation controller. It runs Android so you’ll have access to all the games in that ecosystem.
 
 
But, something really cool is that it will have the ability to connect with a GeForce based computer in your house and stream content and games to it. As long as you have desktop GeForce of at least a 650 and a laptop GPU of at least a 660, you can wirelessly stream to Project Shield and play your PC games on the handheld. Steam’s big picture mode was an example of an interface that can pipe down to Project Shield whereby one can select the game from their library and fire up the game as though they were on their PC. Some folks can do it now if they have a Tegra 3 laptop using Splashtop THD with their PC, but this features a built in controller, of course.
 
Project Shield is also pretty versatile in that you can also use it as a remote to control say a PC that’s being broadcast on a TV with something like Miracast. You’ll also be able to use it with some cloud gaming services. So it’s not strictly a handheld gaming system as there are a few more functions it’s capable of.
 
There are the usual connectors such as HDMI and headset so you can output Project Shield to a big screen TV and chat with folks who you are gaming with.
 
Currently, you can expect about 5 to 10 hours of gaming if you’re using it straight as a gaming machine. For those that stream from the PC, they are aiming for 20 to 25 hours of battery life since it’s only being used to display the stream of the game rather than any computations from running one natively.
 
I asked about storage options and they are coming in 16 and 32GB flavors as well as a microSD slot for expanding the memory even more. That’s pretty good as some folks, like me, can fill up internal memory and cards quickly with content.
 
Since it’s an Android device, I asked NVIDIA what their thoughts are on folks rooting the device. They replied that it’s completely open on that side of things so do as you wish. They don’t care if you decide to root Project Shield, which is great news.
 
While just a codename for now, Project Shield is expected to ship in Q2 from both online stores as well as retail and it’s going to be a NVIDIA branded product. Pricing is now announced yet, but the tech looks very cool and I can’t wait to get my hands on one to try it out.

CES 2013: Ubisoft and Lenovo

by: John - posted: 1/9/2013 7:30 PM - Add a Comment
Over at the Venetian’s Aquanox, I met with representatives of both Ubisoft and Lenovo. Lenovo developed a tabletop computer and partnered up with one of Ubisoft’s studios, RedLynx to create some nice casual and social games for the IdeaCentre Horizon Tabletop PC.
 
The Intel Core i7 processor powers the massive 27” 1920x1080 backlit display. It’s actually got its own battery, which is kind of interesting and it can last up to 2 hours unplugged. For space, there’s 1TB of hard drive space and 8GB of memory is on board.
 
 
Powered by Windows 8, you’ll have the ModernUI when the whole thing sits upright. There’s a sensor that knows when it’s tilt down to a table top mode and that’s when a different, more social UI is presented with a radial dial in the middle to choose various types of programs to run. It’s pretty impressive when you sit next to it and I didn’t feel any heat emanating from the setup.
 
Now, with this type of product, Lenovo was looking for some good content to utilize it when it ships. They went with RedLynx, who created three little games that allow for folks to gather around and play like on board games.
 
Raiding Company was shown first to me and it’s a dual stick top down shooter, similar to Smash TV.. Four people can play at once as you go around shooting enemies and gathering up treasures and upgrades. 
 
Lenovo was nice enough to make some peripherals though to enhance the experience. There’s a suction cup jostick that you place over any of the controller areas onscreen and you can use that to move around or aim where you shoot. It gives it a more arcade feel and makes moving a lot simpler than trying to use the touch screen.
 
 
DrawRace2 was a nice little casual racing game whereby you draw your path around the track and use a button to simply turbo when needed. It was rather fun to see the different paths each person took and to strategically turbo to try and get into the lead.
 
King of Opera is a very simplistic game where there’s a spotlight and up to four opera singers running around the board. They constantly rotate and only move forward when you push a button. You try and get into the spotlight or bump the person out of the spotlight. Only when you are in the spotlight do you earn points. 
 
All the games have a good high quality look and use propriety or the Unity engine to power them. Each game is also easy to jump in and play, making it so no one gets frustrated into figuring out how to play well. These games were made to get people together and enjoy playing simple, yet fun games with a unique setup in the IdeaCentre Horizon Tabletop PC. 
 
In conjunction with the peripherals that Lenovo is creating for the computer such as the joystick I mentioned and even some dice, you have a very unique and fun experience that can be had by people sitting around it together. With RedLynx and Ubisoft, they also have some good quality software at launch to boot.
 

CES 2013: Razer Edge

by: John - posted: 1/9/2013 6:47 PM - Add a Comment
Project Fiona is coming and it does look good indeed. Officially named Razer Edge, this gamer's tablet has a ton of flexibility and power for hard core gamers on the go and at home.
 
Razer Edge is an Intel third generation Core 10" tablet running a Windows 8 Pro OS. That means it will run both legacy and new Windows 8 programs as well. That's not all though. It's got a fully discrete NVIDIA GPU in it. Think about that for a second. It's a tablet with a dedicated GPU. I don't think there's a tablet out there that has that right now that. The GPU is a NVIDIA GT 640M LE, which when I was watching games from Steam being demonstrated, ran really, really well.
 
On the CPU side, there will be a few variations. The base model will have an i5 processor with 4GB of RAM and a 64GB SSD. Going Pro will net you an i7 with 8GB of RAM and either a 128GB or 256GB SSD. You're getting some fast CPUs here so I'm having dreams of running things like Visual Studio and Photoshop when I am out on the road and don't want to use my laptop to work on.
 
The screen looked great even though the resolution was 1366x768. At the 10" size, I was quite happy with how it looked. Thought it might not be as clear as say my Transformer Infinity for reading books, gaming wise it was more than acceptable. The resolution was picked for performance and power usage, but there's no stopping Razer from going to higher resolution panels for future iterations of Edge.
 
It's not just the power of the tablet that's impressive. There are some well thought out accessories being developer for it as well. You've no doubt seen the controller that the tablet sits in the middle of. It's comfortable and the controls feel responsive. Inside the controller dock is an area to hold an optional extended battery for longer gaming time.  $249 is the price of the controller and $69 will be the price for the 40Wh extended battery.
 


 
Keyboard docks are now pretty prominent and there will be one as well for the Edge, but released in Q3. The keyboard's design was still being finalized, but it was able to take the same extended battery that fit into the controller dock and extend the life of the Edge. The dock also folds up so you can keep the tablet and computer closed up into a nice tidy package. The one at CES seemed a little bulky, but we'll see how it ends up when it's finally released.
 
If you want to hook the Edge to a monitor or TV and use it as a computer, Razer is also releasing a docking station. While the Edge itself has a USB 3.0 connector, the dock has three USB 2.0 connectors, which seems a little odd to me. I would think you would want to keep all the connections 3.0, but the docking station's going with the slower 2.0 connection. HDMI 1.4, mic in and stereo out round out the available connectors for the docking station which can be had for $99.
 
Razer's stating you should get up to 8 hours of standard, non gaming use out of it, which to me is a solid amount of time for a tablet. Gaming, though, is going to knock it down a ton making it 2 to 4 hours with the extended battery. 
 
It's also going to heat up big time, but Razer's done some  work in helping mitigate that heat away from the Edge. The right backside of the Edge was pretty toasty with a unit that was running an hour on games, so I wouldn't keep it on my lap if I was playing something from, say Steam.
 


 
Oh yes, the Edge was able to play various games from Steam such as Dishonored and Dirt. The combination of a third generation Intel Core CPU and the discreet NVIDIA GPU really lets you play some of the top titles without compromise. One unit was connected to a larger screen with two Razer Sabertooth controllers making it one very powerful "console"  for gaming. 
 
The Razer Edge isn't cheap, but it's got a lot of horsepower and a lot of cool accessories going for it. It's not made to compete with the iPads or Android tablets of the world. This is a "full" PC that's in a very small form factor. Base price is $999 and it goes up quick if you go with the Pro version and larger SSD. I finally might have find my perfect tablet to do work on the go, play, and watch movies on. The Razer Edge will be released in Q1 of this year.

CES 2013: Gameloft

by: Dan - posted: 1/9/2013 10:29 AM - Add a Comment
Sean and I had the opportunity to sit down with Jessica and Tom from Gameloft’s marketing team to talk about a couple of titles they have in the pipeline.  The first title was Blitz Brigade, which is set in a WWII setting, but with a cartoon graphical look that resembles Team Fortress 2.  In fact, the game is very similar to TF2 in other ways including classes such as sniper, engineer, a heavy and so on.  The multiplayer will also be across the Gameloft LIVE! network.  There will also be a single-player mode, but instead of a campaign, it will consist more of challenges where you have to complete a task and earn a rating based on how well you do it.  It sounds like replay value for single-player will come from the desire to try and get the best rating.  Expect Blitz Brigade to become available for iOS and Android sometime early in 2013

The second game they talked about was UNO & Friends.  The game was announced last year for iOS, Android and Facebook and has released on Android so far.  We were given an updated release time frame of Q1 2013.  It is expected to come out after Blitz Brigade, and will be cross-platform and use Gameloft LIVE! once it hits all three channels.

Although he wasn’t able to provide details yet, Tom did drop this little nugget for Gameloft fans.  He promised that a big sequel to one of Gameloft’s most popular titles is in the works and that fans of the game would be really happy.

CES 2013: NYKO

by: Dan - posted: 1/9/2013 10:16 AM - Add a Comment
With Nintendo the only company out with their next console, it was no surprise that NYKO pretty much focused on their updated Wii U lineup here at CES, with controllers, chargers and battery packs were the theme.

Right out of the gate was the NYKO Charge Station U, which is an all-in-one dock system for storing and charging multiple Wii U controllers.  You can put a Wii U GamePad and two Wii remotes on it simultaneously inn a very small footprint.  It will come on both white and black to match your Wii U system, and has an adjustable cradle for the GamePad to change your viewing angle so you can charge it while watching content on it.  The Charge Station U will ship in February with two NiMH batteries and rubberized covers for a suggested MSRP of $34.99

Next up and the most impressive Wii U accessory was the PowerPak, which is a replacement batter pack for the Wii U GamePad.  It uses the entire space provided (not just where the Nintendo OEM pack sits) allowing it have 3x the battery capacity of the standard GamePad battery.  Bets thing is that you can recharge it with the Nintendo first party docks and cables and comes with a mini screwdriver for ease of use.  It is slated to hit retail around February 2013 with an MSRP of $24.99.

The Pro Commander is NYKO’s answer to the Nintendo Pro Controller and works with any title that the Pro Controller is compatible with.  It connects wirelessly with the Wii U and features an analog stick layout and triggers like the Xbox 360 controller.  It was very easy to handle and felt good in my hands.  It is scheduled to have an MSRP of $34.99 and release in February in both white and black colors.

Other new Wii U accessories were the Power Stand, which will charge your GamePad using the original GamePad power cord.  The Charge Base Pro which uses a magnetic NYKO patented dongle to charge two Wii U Pro controllers and the U Boost, which is a clip-on battery pack that adds double capacity to the GamePad and doubles as a viewing stand.  All of these are also scheduled for a February release.

The last items we took a look at were the new Android-compatible Playpad lineup of controllers that started shipping right around the holidays.  Both the Playpad and Playpad Pro were available to demo and they worked really well.  The Playpad comes in both black and white and has a storage case that isn’t much larger than an eyeglass case.  The Playpad Pro is a full-sized controller that seemed more geared toward tablets and larger displays.  Sean mentioned that the Playpad felt a bit small in his hands, but I thought it was comfortable enough.  We did ask NYKO if any of the Playpads might work with the any of the Android-based consoles that have recently been released, but they were unable to comment at this time.  Based on where they are at and what would need to be done, I do not think it would be hard for NYKO to retool the Playpads, or refresh them to work with any new Android consoles in the future.

CES 2013: Westinghouse

by: Dan - posted: 1/9/2013 9:24 AM - Add a Comment
Westinghouse had several new products this year to show off including their UHDTV (4K) lineup, edge-lit LED TVs and Bluetooth wireless speakers.  The UHDTV sets will come in 50, 55 and 65 inch models; have 3840 x 2160 resolution and 120 Hz and the ability to up-convert to 4K from 1080p.  We spent some time watching a true 4K feed of a Cirque de Sole program on the 50” model that looked really good.  Expect a Q1 release of the models, with the 50” retailing for ~$2,500 and the 65” for ~$4,000.  Last night, I posted about the 110" prototype, which can be checked that out here.

In addition to the UDHTVs, Westinghouse also brought in a full lineup of new edge-lit LED TVs.  The sizes ranged anywhere from 28 – 60 inches and had excellent picture quality.  One item of note is that Westinghouse changed the design of the backs of their sets, to create a smaller contact plate from the stand to the unit, and also create space to allow for better TV speakers.  Too many times, thin TVs mean lack of even adequate speakers, so it was nice to see this, especially for smaller TVs that are more apt to not have surround systems attached to them.

The Bluetooth wireless speakers, dubbed the “UNPLUG” series, were also impressive with a lineup consisting of five speakers in various sizes and shapes.  They all feature built-in microphones so you can use the speakers for hands-free calling.  The units are the AIO ($129.99 MSRP), 300 ($229.99 MSRP), 200 ($179.99 MSRP) and 100 ($99.99 MSRP).  The demo we listened to for the AIO showed it was capable of producing a nice range of audio, including quality bass, due to its passive radiator contained in the tiny box.  The 100 is currently available, while the other three are scheduled for a Q1 2013 release.

Overall, I like the lineup that Westinghouse brought to the show, as their TVs continue to offer some of the best value for your dollar.  The Bluetooth speakers options are also a nice addition and the UDHTV units looked amazing.   Once pricing becomes available and they hit retail, it would be wise to take a look when shopping for your next TV to see if a Westinghouse should be on your list.

CES 2013: Innovations on the floor

by: Dan - posted: 1/9/2013 1:13 AM - Add a Comment
We stopped by Westinghouse yesterday, and came across a very large television, which we have seen before at the show.  However, this wasn’t just any TV, but a prototype of a 110” Ultra High Def (4K) set.  In the image below, you can see just how beautiful this TV can look and how it just dwarfs Sean.  Because the 110” is still a prototype, pricing wasn’t available and we were told that the size would likely be around 98” due to cost and engineering considerations.   The Westinghouse press release does state that the largest UHDTV (when a size is finalized) will be available in Q1 as a custom order only.

CES 2013: Roccat Gaming Power Grid

by: Sean Cahill - posted: 1/8/2013 11:42 PM - Add a Comment
Finishing up the visit to Roccat on the first full day of CES 2013, we turn our attention to the much anticipated Power Grid, a software that is downloadable to both the iPhone and Android-based smartphones.  It's best to think of the Power Grid as an all-in-one accessory to do all of the things a gamer wished he could do with a single touch.  The video below will explain some of the in-game additions as an example, using The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim as the base title.  It's important to note that the Power Grid is designed to basically help out in all aspects of computer usage.  Colors on the keyboard and mouse can be changed on the fly, timers can be utilized for anything that one can think of, and macros can be quick accessed.  The iOS version of Power Grid will be available within the next four to six weeks, with the Android version just a few weeks after.  Enjoy the video to see how quick the reaction is from the software on the iPhone and the in-game action. 

CES 2013: Roccat Gaming Ryos Keyboard

by: Sean Cahill - posted: 1/8/2013 10:33 PM - Add a Comment
CES 2013 is in full swing, and appointments have officially started here in Las Vegas.  My Tuesday started out at the Las Vegas Hotel to visit with the good people from Roccat.  Last year, Roccat made their North American debut at CES with a solid line of products.  This year, there were two primary products in focus:  The Ryos Keyboard and the Power Grid.

RYOS KEYBOARD

The meat and potatoes of the visit focused on Roccat's first mechanical keyboard, the Ryos.  Bearing a very similar look to the Isku from Roccat, the Ryos is designed to be more customizable than any other keyboard available.  As with most keyboards today, all of the keys are illuminated, but are also changeable based upon the user's preferences and current needs.  For instance, if a user is currently operating Adobe Photoshop, a change in the macro will illuminate specific editing keys that the program uses.  Of course, it wouldn't be proper to have this feature without really having it in mind for gamers.  Various settings are available to illuminate the standard keys used in games, such as the WASD keys for movement, macro keys, and so on.  The macro keys on the left hand side, upon pressing them, will also show the keys on the primary keyboard that are already coded, that way a gamer won't forget which one he or she set up for a specific macro.  Little things make a good product that much better.

The spec-sheet for the Ryos Keyboard is as follows
- Per-key illuminated mechanical keyboard with 113 keys
- Advanced anti-ghosting with N-key rollover
- Choice of four CHERRY MX key switches
- 3 programmable thumbster keys
- 5 programmable macro keys
- 94 other programmable keys
- 1000 hz polling rate, 1 ms response time
- 1.8m rear-exit braided cable
- 1 x audio in, 1 x audio out, 2 x USB 2.0 ports
- 2MB on-board memory
- Two 32-bit ARM Cortex Processors

MSRP for the three models, the Pro, the Glow, and the standard MK, are $149.99, $129.99, and $99.99 respectively.

Expected release date is April 2013.

CES 2013: SteelSeries

by: John - posted: 1/8/2013 10:32 PM - Add a Comment
My annual trip to SteelSeries’s suite yielded two new keyboards that they just recently announced. The Apex and the Apex [Raw] are new membrane keyboards coming from SteelSeries that are geared towards gamers, of course. Let’s start with the more feature packed Apex.
 
The Apex is a low profile keyboard priced at $99.99. Any of the 504 keys can be programmed, giving you plenty of flexibility in how you want to setup the keyboard. You can see from the images that the Apex has a very oversized space bar. It’s actually a nice design as you have a large area for your thumb to press. There’s a set of macro keys on the left side as well as above the function keys. The ones above the function keys are slightly angled to you so you can tell that you are pressing a macro key instead of a function key.
Now, many gamers want mechanical keys, but SteelSeries decided to go with membrane here to keep costs down and they will see if in the future there’s a market for mechanical keys in the Apex line. Personally, I don’t mind membrane keyboards and can do with either or when gaming and working.
 
An emphasis on the Apex is the 5 zones of colors you can program. Say you got some different profiles for your character in a game. You can setup profiles on the keyboard to match them and select a color so you can visually see when you change a profile and to what profile you have decided upon. As with most color changing keyboards, you get access to 16.8 million colors to choose from. Also, you have 8 levels of brightness along with the amount of colors selectable.
 
On the bottom are large rubber feet that can be interchangeable with feet at different angles. Two sets of feet, set at 7 degree tilt or 10 degree tilt are available and provided over the plastic clips that pop down as they are more robust and won’t break. 
 
The Apex also features two additional USB ports if you would like to plug some USB devices there rather than in the computer itself.
 
SteelSeries has also designed some nice software to help improve your gaming. The SteelSeries Engine has a cool recording capability that will keep track of all the keys you press. It will then generate a heat map to show you which keys you press a lot in the game you play. With the visual cues, the software can recommend some setups or you can use the heat map to create setups that you are more comfortable with. This is an example of how SteelSeries is trying to improve your gaming in not only making products easy to use, but to use software to provide information that maybe beneficial in improving your gameplay.
 
 
For those that want to spend a little less and get a few features removed, the Apex [Raw] is the keyboard for you. At $69.99, the [Raw] only shines white and has five less macro keys as well as two less profiles. Also missing are the additional USB ports and no dedicated media keys. The rest is pretty much the same and you do get support of the SteelSeries Engine as well.
 
Both keyboards seem well designed in both the hardware and software department. It’ll be interesting to see if gamers call for a mechanical keyboard option of the Apex, but SteelSeries believes that they have a great price point for a feature rich keyboard even without the mechanical key setup. We’ll be sure to have a review up once we get some time with the final unit.

CES 2013: PowerA MOGA Pro

by: John - posted: 1/8/2013 8:20 PM - Add a Comment
For mobile gamers out there, PowerA had the MOGA which was a great little Bluetooth controller to make gaming more comfortable on tablets and phones. Well, at CES 2013, they were showing off their next iteration MOGA and I’m lining up to get one when it comes out.
 
The MOGA Pro is a more traditional sized controller for those that want to hold something familiar in the hand. It’s modeled after an Xbox 360 controller’s layout with the placement of the analog sticks, D-Pad, triggers, and shoulder buttons. The standard size controller felt just right in the hand and all the buttons and triggers on the pre-production model had that optimum feel. The sticks had the appropriate resistance and the triggers’ springs were solid.
 
 
MOGA features an integrated clip that pops out from the middle of the controller. It adjusts to the size of your phone and it had no problems holding my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 with the case on. That’s about the largest it’s going to accommodate though and I would think that it’s about the largest size phone that would be comfortable to hold. The clip held the phone very tightly and I didn’t once think it had a chance of falling out.
 
For usage with tablets, a folding stand is included that compacts nicely. You can, of course, use your current case stand if you have one like I do, but the inclusion of a folding stand is nice of PowerA.
 
One of the strengths of the MOGA is the free software called Pivot that helps ease of pairing with a device as well as easily finding games that are MOGA friendly. You don’t have to hunt around in the Google Play store to see what games are compatible right off the bat and you have the option of grabbing that game from multiple sources, in case you have a preference. The ease of pairing can be bypassed by those that are more advanced and want the MOGA Pro as a straight HID device. A switch on front can determine the mode it will be in, which is a nice touch.
 
Holding the MOGA Pro in the hand with a Galaxy Note 2 attached, it felt comfortable and responsive. I hate playing games using the touchscreen when a controller is an option and the MOGA Pro is a solid option. Just going through one of the demo games felt natural with the MOGA Pro and I was sitting there fighting the on screen controls that I tend to do. I can definitely see this as a product I would use on a constant basis when playing my emulators on the phone.
 
There’s no pricing announced yet for the MOGA Pro, but I think a lot of mobile gamers who are more hard core gamers will enjoy this product. It feels like a standard controller, is lightweight, and has solid buttons and sticks for extended gaming periods. 

CES 2013: Seagate

by: John - posted: 1/8/2013 7:30 PM - Add a Comment
Seagate had two items that I was really interested in this year at CES. The successor to the GoFlex Satellite, the Wireless Plus, made its debut at the show. Seagate has went and shaved  1mm off the thickness of the device but improved on many things.
 
Space has been doubled from 500GB to 1TB. That gives you plenty of room to hold some HD video as well as all your music and photos you want to share.
 
Battery life has been doubled at 10 hour for HD streaming. That's a lot of time to stream some high quality movies to your mobile device. Testing in their labs has shown that it can support up to 3 HD streams pretty well. There's no restrictions to trying to do more streams, but 3 seems to be the optimum amount for good quality. Of course, you can stream to more devices should you opt to go for lower quality standard definition video, but for those wanting just HD, 3's your number.
 
The Wireless Plus still acts as a hotspot for 8 devices and can share a single Internet connection amongst them. Seagate has gone and made some nice easy to follow instructions should you want to make funnel all the traffic through it.
 
Seagate has gone and improved on the iOS and Android app to be more robust. You can now wirelessly copy files to the device, something the GoFlex Satellite couldn't do. The interface to the app is pretty intuitive with the app aggregating all your videos, pictures, and files into one nice easy view. For those that want the folder view, it's there at a touch of a button. 
 
For videos, the app will let you choose the app to play them should you have a third party video app installed. That's nice for folks like me who record shows in WTV format from Windows 7 Media Center and want to have it play back on their Android device using MX  Player. 
 
If you're interested in streaming to other devices without using the app, Wireless Plus is DLNA certified so TVs, computers, media players, whatever can use DLNA will be able to stream from the Wireless Plus as well.
 
I've been an avid user of the GoFlex Satellite and I'm excited to see the follow up. It's smaller, sleeker, more powerful, and more space at the same price point.
 
For consumers who want a NAS like device but don't want to set things up, the Seagate Central is for you. Seagate's going so far as to not even call it at NAS. 
 
Central comes in three flavors: 2TB, 3TB, and 4TB. It's so easy to setup and install. There are three connections in the back: a power connector, ethernet, and USB. Once plugged in, you can use Seagate's app to set it up or just use the web interface. There's a public area and a private area for each user you put on the Central.
 
Seagate's software can setup auto back up routines whereby it will do a full backup initially and then do incremental backups there after. If you are a Time Machine user, Central's compatible for you guys as well. It makes doing backups pretty simple for those who might not be as tech savvy.
 
Central's going to be great as a streaming server as well.Seagate's gone and created a SmartTV app for Samsung TVs (others soon as well) where it can automatically find videos, photos, and music to stream. The interface will let you search and sort for items on the Central hard drive. It's also DLNA compliant so it can stream to many other devices as well.
 
For mobile devices, Central shares the same application as the Wireless Plus letting mobile users access to the files. And, if you're on the go, you can even use the software to copy files to Central, which is pretty convenient.
 
Seagate Central seems like a nice network storage device for those wanting something easy to setup to backup their files or stream media from. The three various size configurations can accommodate a lot of files and its ease of use should appeal to a lot of casual folks looking for something simple to use.
 
Seagate was also showing off their third generation hybrid drives. Now, you know I'm a big fan of Seagate's hybrid drives so it was good to see what they had in the pipeline. They had a 500GB 1 platter hybrid at 7mm for ultrabooks as well as a two platter 1TB 9 1/2mm drive.
 
Now, to show off some benefits for gamers, there was a demo station with two PlayStation 3s. One had a hybrid drive will the other had the standard PS3 HDD. An 11 hour Dragon Age session was saved on each one and a saved file was loaded on both at the same time. The one with the hybrid was able to load the game twice as fast as the one with the standard HDD. The Seagate rep was almost able to load the save game twice before the other one finished its first run. Pretty nice for those that want to save some time on the PS3 and it's easy to swap out HDDs on the system.
 
Seagate's got two nice products in both the Wireless Plus and the Seagate Central for storage and streaming operations. They also reaffirmed the benefits of a hybrid drive, this time for gamers on the console scene. I'm excited to try out Wireless Plus and see if Seagate Central would benefit me even though I have a pretty complete home network setup with Home Server. 

CES 2013: Oculus Rift

by: John - posted: 1/8/2013 7:27 PM - Add a Comment
Oculus Rift was a pretty big story at last year's E3, but I didn't get a chance to experience it up close until today. I went in a little skeptical, but man did the tech impress the hell out of me.
 
What was shown to me was another iteration of the dev kit, which they are trying to finalize in the design. It strapped on and while there's a large box like structure on front, it felt really comfortable to wear. The demos were shown on both the Unity Engine and the Unreal engine, giving me two different experiences.
 
Now, what I had on is still not going to be near the final product the developers get. The screens were lower quality, experiencing blurring when turning and looking around as well as noticeable pixels. But, let me say this didn't discourage how I felt when I was trying them out.  What was surprising was how comfortable and unnoticeable it is, even for a beta product. And it's only going to get better with the consumer product. Let's face it. If it's not comfortable, no one's going to wear it. It's almost there with what they have now.
 
 
The 3D immersion was truly impressive. There is one screen split between and sent to each eye, no active shuttering, no polarization. You're getting full horizontal resolution, full 60FPS per eye. The Unity Engine demo featured a snow fall in a medieval setting complete with walking knights. When looking straight up, you can almost feel the flakes falling on you. Looking straight down, you can see the floor of the environment. Something that really impressed me was turning completely around, you actually saw the environment behind you. You get complete freedom on where to look and you're never out of the environment no matter where you are turning.
 
While the head tracking was using components that aren't even the better ones that are going to be in the final product, it was still damn impressive. There was a slight, and I do mean slight, perceivable lag that will be improved on the final product. It was so much fun just looking around and viewing things such as the the structures of the buildings just by turning my head. I really can't wait to see what can be accomplished with the final components.
 
With the Unreal demo, I walked up to a video camera in the environment and the 3D was so effective, it felt like I could reach out and grab it. The 3D wasn't tiring my eyes and there was no crosstalk like you would have in other types of 3D systems. It really did seem natural and something that could enhance some games out there.
 
During the time I spent with the Oculus Rift on, my mind raced to all the applications it would be great for. Not just games, but other real world applications such as virtual tours and automobile simulators. But as a gamer, I want one for flight sims, third person RPGs, and racing games. I think quick FPS games would be a little disorienting and you need to turn a lot sometimes. It might not be practical to turn your head 180 degrees to try and shoot something behind you while running forward, but who knows. I think there's plenty of applications available that can benefit from a lightweight high quality VR headset.
 
I was also impressed with Palmer Luckey, who's the brains behind all this. He saw something he thought could be done and improved upon and really delivered on some high expectations. The guy has passion, owning over 40 different wearable screens. He has a passion for this and it shows with what he's done to try and get this product to the market. Right now they are just focusing on the PC side of things, but hopes to work towards the console arena with the product sometime in the future.
 
I was a skeptic, but now I am believer. It depends on the content, but Oculus Rift's technology really does work extremely well. It's the best one I've experienced so far and one that's got me excited about the technology. I really hope Oculus Rift succeeds as I'd love to get a consumer version in my hands I want it now, that's how much I enjoyed it. Let's hope we see some great stuff after the developer kits are pushed out in March.

CES 2013: Polk Audio debuts Woodbourne

by: Dan - posted: 1/7/2013 10:13 AM - Add a Comment
Polk Audio this morning took the wraps off Woodbourne, which is a new form of tabletop audio system.  At first look, it has a bit of a throwback style with a mahogany wood veneer top compliments and brass accents, which is different form the typical black speakers that are the current trend.  In addition, it features connectivity via both AirPlay and Bluetooth, as well as direct connect by analog mini jack, USB, Ethernet and Optical.  Not to be outdone by its looks, the Woodbourne sports a 180-watt amplifier powering the two 5 ¼”-inch mid-woofers (70 Watts each) and two 1” silk dome tweeters (20 watts each.)  It currently is scheduled for a Q2 2013 release.

I like the concept of the Woodbourne from a gamer’s perspective, as it can seamlessly blend into atypical gaming areas such as a living room, office or bedroom and allow for your tablet, smartphone or even TV and consoles to connect and provide upgraded audio.  We are scheduled to visit with Polk Audio on Tuesday to take a look at the Woodbourne and the other new offerings from the company.  So check back for additional images and impressions.

[READ MORE]

CES 2013: Onkyo debuting headphone lineup

by: Dan - posted: 1/7/2013 9:49 AM - Add a Comment
Onkyo, long known for quality home theater and stereo A/V components will be getting into the headphone market at the 2013 International CES.  The company is showing off their ES and IE lineup of headphones which will range in price from $179 down to $99.  All have been designed with the smartphone and on-the-go user in mind and will feature detachable and replicable cables.  The ES lineup will come in three different color schemes (black with a red cable, white with a white cable, and violet with a violet cable) and will have tangle-free cords.  The Onkyo ES-HF300 ($179), ES-FC300 ($149) are on-ear models while IE-HF300 ($129) and IE-FC300 ($99) are in-ear models with a target release date is 1st Qtr 2013.  The images below are all of the ES lineup.

We have an appointment with Onkyo on Wednesday to check the lineup out, so check back for our photos and impressions.

[READ MORE]

CES 2013: Project Shield gives you portable cloud gaming with Tegra 4

by: John - posted: 1/7/2013 6:16 AM - Add a Comment
Last night, NVIDIA had their annual CES press conference and there they not only talked about Tegra 4, they unveiled Project Shield that uses the new chipset to give you some great cloud gaming performance. Project Shield looks to be a handheld controller with an attached screen that will deliver some stunning visuals through 

For starters, the screen has a resolution of 1280x720 giving you a solid DPI for the 5' screen. It is a touchscreen so you can interact with it as well. On the controller base, there's a microSD slot, HDMI out, and audio port, which I assume will let you hook up headsets as well for communication and sound. It's currently running Android JellyBean as its OS.

Project Shield can play Android based games as well as stream games from your PC if you are using a GeForce card. It's similar to how Splashtop THD does it with an Android tablet and your home PC. 

Right now, it's in beta and there isn't any word on if it would also gaming over cell, but NVIDIA's new LTE chip sounds like something that would fit right into this wouldn't it? NVIDIA's aiming for a Q2 2013 launch and you bet I'll be keeping a close eye on this product.

CES 2013: NVIDIA's CES Press Conference at 8PM PST

by: John - posted: 1/6/2013 9:50 PM - Add a Comment
If you can't make it to CES, and I'll be there tomorrow with Dan and Sean who are already there, you can catch the press conference NVIDIA is having. It's nice that they are providing a live stream to the event and it's one that I usually attend when I am there. Anyways, here's the stream below for your viewing pleasure.

CES 2013: ROCCAT to unveil Ryos Keyboard

by: Sean Cahill - posted: 1/6/2013 6:54 PM - Add a Comment
Last year, ROCCAT made a big splash at CES with their North American launch of their PC peripherals.  The Germany-based company has done quite well and is looking to carry that momentum into 2013.  Debuting at CES this year is the Ryos Keyboard, which is ROCCAT's first mechanical keyboard.  The Ryos is is looking to be a solid addition to the entire lineup of gear that ROCCAT has to offer, as well as a new Kone mouse along with a Beta look at Power Grid.  I will be meeting with the good people at ROCCAT on Tuesday morning here at CES, so be sure to check back for my impressions of my visit personally!

[READ MORE]

CES 2013: Seagate's Central gives home users a central place for files as well as a SmartTV app

by: John - posted: 1/6/2013 6:31 PM - Add a Comment
I've got all my TV's connected in my house so that I can stream content to any of my TV's without any hassle. It's really nice to be able to record in one place and watch anywhere else. While it took a bit to get my setup to be perfect, Seagate's got something that might make it easier for everyone else.

The Seagate Central is a network hard drive that can interact with SmartTVs via an app to stream movies. SmartTV's are getting more and more prominent so seeing an app to access the content stored on the Central is pretty awesome. Of course, you can also stream to your mobile device since it's DLNA certified. 

It can also serve as a central backup device so that your PCs can have some disaster recovery options. Depending on how easy it is to setup, which I will see on Tuesday, this could be a great option for some folks.

Central comes in 2TB, 3TB, and 4TB sizes with pricing of $189.99, $219.99, and $259.99 respectively. 

[READ MORE]

CES 2013: Seagate ups the ante of wireless storage with Wireless Plus

by: John - posted: 1/6/2013 6:16 PM - Add a Comment
One of the coolest products Seagate produces is the Satellite Wireless. It looks like Seagate's churning out it's next generation in that product line with the all new Seagate Wireless Plus.

The Wireless Plus improves on the original by providing up to 10 hours of battery life along with 1TB of space. It's made to stream to all your mobile products, up to 8 simultaneously. You can also save content to it wirelessly. Now, they had an Android and iOS app for the Satellite, but I thought it was lacking. Let's hope they have a new one that's improved on functionality. 

As with the Satellite, Wireless Plus includes a USB 3.0 plug so you can transfer files to and from the hard drive quickly. 

Seagate's my first appointment at CES so expect a report on the Wireless Plus on Tuesday.

[READ MORE]

CES 2013: Ubisoft and Lenovo team up with content for the table PC

by: John - posted: 1/6/2013 6:10 PM - Add a Comment
Lenovo's putting out a 27" table top PC for those that want an extra large touch screen to play around with. The premise is that families can take the it, place it flat on a table, and people can interact with it as they please. The large 1920x1080 display seems like a fit for, say, family oriented games?

Ubisoft is going to provide a few games as they are pre-loading DrawRace2: Racing Evolved, King of Opera and Raiding Company. I'm actually going to see Ubisoft on Wednesday so I can comment on the games a little more after the meeting, but the three free games will be available on the table top PC  in the second half of 2013. [READ MORE]

CES 2013: The week ahead

by: Dan - posted: 1/6/2013 11:00 AM - Add a Comment
In early January, while most of us are trying to find ways to get out of the ridiculous New Year’s resolutions we made, the staff at GamingNexus is getting prepared to attend the largest electronics show in the world out in Las Vegas.  This year Sean, John and myself will be providing coverage of the 2013 International CES once again and we have a very full slate of events on tap for you this week.

Starting today, and as I mentioned earlier, Sean and I will be taking a stop by a place that offers a very unique experience to gamers that are looking to get a realistic experience of some of their in-game actions.  While we won’t be riding dragons or shooting fireballs from our hands like in Skyrim, we will be taking a look at some powerful tools of the trade.

Later in the week, we will be attending both the Digital Experience (Monday) and Showstoppers Events (Tuesday), where each bring together hundreds of exhibitors at one place where they show off their latest and greatest products./projector manufactures.

As for actual games and game developers, we are slated to visit with Sony, Square Enix, GameLoft and RedLynx (an UBISoft studio) during the course of the week.  More than likely we will find some unannounced titles on the floor being shown off in various booths, so keep checking back all week.

For complete coverage, follow us on our twitter feed @GamingNexus to see live tweets and images as well as check back daily.

CES 2013: Unique Las Vegas gamer's experience

by: Dan - posted: 1/6/2013 9:29 AM - Add a Comment
As the calm before the storm known as the 2013 International CES starts to wane, Sean and I are out here in Las Vegas a day earlier than usual to take a look at a unique experience for gamers.  The image below is a hint of where we will be going today, so stop back early next week to read about our unique Las Vegas experience that many gamers might be inclined to try.