Gaming Hardware

Sony knows that they are lagging behind Nintendo terribly in terms of hardware sales for this console generation despite having superior hardware, but that gap seems to be closing recently (although there is still a long way for Sony to go before they can catch up), and this is due to the Wii’s initial momentum dying off, a lack of quality titles on Nintendo’s platform and better exclusives on the PS3 among others. Well, fast forward to today and we have Sony announcing the PlayStation Move motion controller for the PS3 which will roll out worldwide later thsi fall, boasting a motion-based, high-definition gaming experience unlike anything on the market. Not only that, this launch will also include the PlayStation Move sub-controller which is meant to be used along with the motion controller for intuitive navigation of in-game characters and objects.

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Having the right kind of speaker configuration to go with your gaming rig can be quite a shopping experience since there is a fair number of hardware manufacturers who do roll out pretty solid speakers. Well, Polk Audio jumps on the gaming audio bandwagon with their latest release, the HitMaster which has started to ship. The HitMaster is a new type of speaker which will elevate your gaming experience, especially with titles such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero. Expect to replay all your favorite songs in a new level of depth and detail.

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Have you yet to jump aboard the current generation of game consoles, as you did not yet come to a conclusion on whether the Wii, Xbox 360 or PS3 is able to fit your gaming needs? Well, Microsoft aims to persuade you with their latest console bundle which will not only include the Xbox 360, but also Final Fantasy XIII as well, aptly known as the Final Fantasy XIII Special Edition Bundle. Targeting folks who are in the US, you no longer need to import one from Japan if you’re a hardcore fan.

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When the Nintendo Wii was first launched, many people laughed at it because of its kiddy-like controls, where you will need to wave this thing called the Wiimote while using it in tandem with the Nunchuk peripheral in certain games, but the craze has certainly caught on with it being the best selling home console of this generation by far, also partly due to its much lower entry price point compared to its rivals. Well, both Sony and Microsoft has certainly realized the error of their ways, and have already worked on a motion controlling system which have yet to be revealed on either platform just yet. Microsoft hopes to beat Sony to the punch with their Project Natal, but the latest news is Halo: Reach won’t utilize Natal motion controls, which would certainly go a long way in deflating the hopes of many fanboys who won’t mind blazing their way through levels while swinging their arms away wildly.

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Razer, gaming peripherals manufacturer, have come up with yet another model for those who take their gaming seriously. We’re not talking about a brand new mouse, but something that falls literally one level below the mouse – the all essential mouse pad. Any self-respecting gamer would not just rely on the stock surface for their high end mice to glide over while they let rip bullets into their opponents – no sir, they would definitely have a mouse pad to go along with it, and a good one at that. Razer knows this fact and have come up with their latest Vespula gaming grade mouse mat.

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Laugh at the Nintendo Wii all you want – the Japanese gaming giant has had the last laugh to date, doing so all the way to the bank with the unprecedented success of its Wii console. Despite being inferior in many ways to its rivals, the Xbox 360 and Sony PS3 in terms of hardware and graphical capability, what made the Wii stand out was its relatively lower entry price as well as bunch of casual titles which tied in with the motion controls very nicely. Sony seemed to have realized this error on their part (alongside Microsoft with their upcoming Project Natal), and hence aims to correct this by announcing an upcoming Motion Controller for the PS3. Amazingly enough, the folks at Sony have yet to come up with a formal name for this new Motion Controller, so we’ll just have to wait until this fall in Japan when it is released there, alongside other Asian regions and countries, North America and Europe/PAL territories. Needless to say, what is a hardware release without relevant software to accompany it? Sony is also preparing an extensive line-up of exciting software titles to go along with the new controller which will work with the PlayStation Eye camera in order to detect the natural and intuitive movement of the hand and reflect the precise movement within the game, delivering a whole new entertainment experience on the PS3 right smack in your living room.

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We were starting to wonder whether Razer is just going to limit their scope to just computer gaming peripherals, and are pleasantly surprised to know that the company has started to venture into the potentially lucrative segment of home consoles with a couple of new gaming peripherals known as the Razer Onza as well as the Razer Chimaera. The former is a professional gaming controller for the Xbox 360, while the latter is a professional gaming headset that is also meant for the same console, offering something different from the stock controllers and headsets you get from Microsoft.

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You know that you’re never going to lose weight while bumbling about in your living room with the Wii Fit, but perhaps the eternal optimist in you hopes otherwise. Well, the results speak for itself as you not only failed to lose a couple of inches off your waist, but found that your clothes are tighter than ever especially after the Christmas holiday feasting. Gamercize hopes to combat this trend by allowing you to experience exergaming in a new manner, where trading in your Wii Fit discs allows you to enjoy a mail-in rebate worth up to $150, alongside a full 3 month virtual gym membership of their GZ Personal Trainer programme free.

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Polk Audio has just rolled out a brand new speaker which aims to target music-centric games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero to a totally new level where depth and detail are concerned. The HitMaster will see Polk Audio apply their audio prowess to a new category of gaming stage monitors which were specially designed to function with the latest music-based games. According to Mark Suskind, Vice President of Product Line Management for Polk Audio, “Rock Band and Guitar Hero are a blast, but what impresses me the most about these games is the extraordinary attention to the quality of the recording masters themselves. But with all this attention to the quality of the soundtracks, most games are played through standard TV speakers, which are dismal at best.

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Sony’s PSP was originally meant to take over where the Game Boy left off, featuring way superior hardware at the time of its launch compared to the Game Boy Advance, and it had the momentum of the PS2’s phenomenally huge success worldwide behind it. Unfortunately, it seems that Nintendo is a tougher nut to crack than expected in the world of handheld gaming – after all, they have been dominating it for the better part of a few decades to date. Still, the PSP is no slouch when it comes to quality titles over the years, and has a pretty huge install base (nothing compared to the DS base of course), where the handheld console has already made it to the third revision with a latest variant being released – the UMD-less PSP-N1000, also known as the PSP Go.

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