Gaming

Since 2009 DesignworksUSA, a design consultancy that also happens to be a subsidiary of BMW Group, has been working with Thermaltake, a company that produces PC cases and components. The duo managed to successfully complete a number of projects, including the Level 10 concept PC.

Recently the duo decided to work on a series of design concepts for a number of Level 10 gaming accessories that will be developed for the Thermaltake's e-sports division.

One of the first gaming products is expected to be the Level 10 M Mouse that will be launched later this year.

The main design feature of the mouse will be the upper hand plate that seems to float above the base on which the circuits of the device sit.

In addition, the Level 10 M mouse boasts a perforated surface, developed to help prevent the user's palm from getting too hot and sweaty.

According to the images, the computer mouse is a wired device with an aluminum chassis. Its price is yet to be stated.

Having the goal of motivating young people to join them, the US Army decided to team up with CTA Digital and release its own line of gaming peripherals, which includes rifle controllers, backpacks and headsets.

It is worth mentioning that all peripherals boast an authentic US Army design. In addition, all of them can be used with different platforms, including PS, Xbox, PC and Wii.

Currently there are 3 different rifles, 3 headsets and a backpack that allows the gamer to carry the gaming console.

According to CTA, several new products will soon be launched. Among them one will be able to find two Assault Rifle controllers for PlayStation 3 that can work like DualShock controllers.

"These controllers will have all the functions of the Dualshock mapped out on them, including the R1 button linked to the trigger," mentioned CTA.

Using the two rifles, gamers will be able to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops and Battlefield 3.

The US Army Sniper Action Rifle will be released for Move players. With its help players will be able to closely match their in-game guns by removing the detachable scope, rear stock or muzzle. It will allow gamers to play Resistance 3, Killzone 3, Socom 4.

In September the famous developer of gaming peripherals, Corsair, has unveiled its new line of Vengeance gaming keyboards and mice.

Recently it became known that these peripherals have finally hit the stores, which means that gamers will be able to benefit from a more comfortable gaming during the holiday period.

It is worth mentioning that the Vengeance line features 4 brand new input gadgets, including the Vengeance K60 and Vengeance K90 gaming keyboards, and the Vengeance M60 and Vengeance M90 gaming mice respectively.

The two new keyboards are made of aluminum. The M90 gaming mouse features 15 programmable buttons. It also boats a built-in flash memory that allows the user to save macros in up to 6 profiles that can be easily switched.

The K90 keyboard costs 9, the M90 mouse wears a price tag of 9, the price of the K60 keyboard is 9 and M60 can be acquired for .

Below you can check out a promotional video to learn more about Corsair's latest gaming devices.

Today gamers do not have to sit at home to play their favorite video games. A lot of interesting games are now developed for smartphone. The latter, however, lack the control that gaming consoles have.

With this in mind, the British and German developers have come up with the iControlPad Bluetooth gaming controller. With its help gamers can make use of one directional pad, 4 action buttons, 2 analog gaming controls and Select and Start buttons. The rear of the device has left and right trigger buttons.

The device is compatible with nearly all smartphones. You simple have to attach your phone to the device and play. It also has a metal clamp to hold the handset securely over the controller (check out the image).

Initially the gadget was created as a clip-over, wired smartphone gaming controller but since then it has turned into a stand-alone wireless due to an incorporated Bluetooth module.

It would be interesting to note that the iControlPad can also be connected to almost any tablet computer and fully-grown gaming consoles.

The controller has been tested with several smartphones for compatibility. The list of handsets tested with the iControlPad includes: Blackberry Torch, Samsung's Galaxy2 and 2S, the iPhone, HTC's Desire HD and the LG Optimus S.

Besides, the built-in 1350mAh battery can not only power the device, but also charge a smartphone using a USB adapter. Here's also a flash chip that can be used for upgrades.

The gadget can be used as an alternative for a Bluetooth mouse, keyboard, and Human Interface Device (HID) joypad.

We don't write about video games here but this time we decided to make an exception and later you will understand why. The reason is the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 that managed to break another record in sales.

Just five days after its release the video game was able to gather a whooping figure of 5 million. This record break the older one set by the previous Call of Duty that gathered 0 million in the first five days after the launch.

In addition, the figure registered by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is not only the most remarkable among video games. It surpassed all other entertainment products such as movies and music albums in terms of earning in the first days of release.

It would be also interesting to note that Activision also unveiled other incredible statistics on the number of that have been playing the video game on Xbox Live. Here are the numbers:

- 7 million online multiplayer hours were logged in the game by the end of launch day;
- at a certain point there were 3.3 million players playing the game at the same time.

Developed for tough gamers, this modular keyboard called Levetron Mech4 from AZiO features a numeric keypad and macro D-pad with 6 programmable keys that the user can configure to their taste.

In addition, to work perfectly during heavy gaming, the keyboard was equipped with special seals and drainage gutters. Thus gamers will never have to worry about spills that can ruin their game.

The company also mentioned that thanks to the Cherry MX Black switch tech, the keys have anti-ghosting feature that allows gamers to press several keys at the same time and each key has a lifespan of 50 million keystrokes.

By using the included software, users are free to customize the whole keyboard, being able to create and save as much profiles as they like.

In addition, the Levetron Mech4 has a large knob (at the top of the device) used to control the volume and the user can even adjust the height using one of the 3 levels.

The keyboard can also serves as an USB hub for several low-powered gadgets. The numeric keypad has its own USB cable, which means that it can be used as a standalone peripheral.

The price of the device is $ 109.99.

The Japanese tech giant Sony at its E3 conference announced that its new handheld device will carry the official name of the "PlayStation Vita".

It is worth mentioning that the company has already revealed a number of details regarding its next-gen gadget. The last things that gamers were waiting for were the price, the name and some of the titles.

PS Vita (Latin for "life") is expected to be launched by the end of the year. It will come in two versions: one will be WiFi only, while the other one will be 3G/Wi-Fi.

The first version will be available for $ 249 in the United States, JPY24,980 in Japan, and EUR249 in Europe.

As for the 3G/Wi-Fi model then it will come with a price tag of $ 299, JPY29,980 and EUR299.

The answer to the question on the games for PS Vita includes the following titles: "GRAVITY DAZE," "Uncharted Golden Abyss," "Little Deviants," "Hot Shots Golf," "Reality Fighter," "Hustle Kings," "ModNation Racers," "Wipeout 2048" and "Super Stardust Delta".

It would be interesting to note that with the help of a pre-installed "near" application that activates location-based gaming features, PS Vita users will have the possibility to share game data with each other.

Another new app, dubbed "Party" application, will offer some social networking features through voice and text chat.

In order to make a car-racing video mage more realistic, Thrustmaster, a firm that designs and developer joysticks, game controllers, and steering wheels for PCs and consoles has released a new Ferrari F1 Wheel Add-On.

The device represents an accurate full-size replica of the 150-degree Italia racing wheel that is currently used in Formula 1 racing cars.

With the help of a quick release attachment, the new wheel replaces the stock one on the Thrustmaster T500 RS unit.

It would be interesting to note that the wheel boasts a rubberized coating. In addition, the developer used scratched-resistant metal finish to make the facing and "push and pull" shifters of the wheel.

The user may also find some extra controls, including 2 encoder rotary knobs, which help the gamer adjust car settings, 3 metal switches to re-center the wheel, 2 high-pressure eight-directional D-pads, and 8 double detent push-buttons.

The F1 wheel has two modes: advanced, which involves the use of 25 action buttons and the D-pad, and normal mode, in which players are free to use 13 buttons and three D-pads.

In the end it might be worthy to note that the Thrustmaster Ferrari F1 Wheel Add-On is compatible with PC and PlayStation 3 platforms. It will hit the market this October, wearing a price tag of $ 199.99.

Today there are people who collect not only stamps or antique stuff but even video game consoles.

Having passion for video games, Sergiokillo from Valencia, Spain, managed to build up a rich collection of video game consoles.

He unveiled his collection to the visitors of the Campus Party, an extremely large technological event held in Spain. In fact it represents the gathering of tech geeks from Spain who come together to demonstrate their latest creations and share knowledge.

Sergiokillo's collection has examples of consoles older Mattel Electronics and newer that Xbox 360. It includes gaming consoles from the first generation and the last seventh generation and it's really hard to find a console that he might've missed.

Probably the most notable consoles are the ones from Mattel, the Coleco, VCS Atari, the Marter Systems and the Nintendo Mini Consoles.

Corsair, a California-based firm that is known for manufacturing high-speed DRAM modules, USB drives and more, has recently announced about the launch of new peripherals for PC gamers.

Its latest Vengeance lineup features two computer mice and two gaming keyboards. Each device was developed for specific game genres.

In addition, the company has created three new headsets with noise-canceling function.

Read on to find out more about these gaming devices.

The Xbox Dream concept, designed by Joseph Dumary, is a console that can catch the attention of a lot of gamers.

The device is designed to support the Kinect Visio and it allows the user to chat with six people at the same time and in high definition.

In addition, the concept console supports multi-tasking.

N-Control Avenger is a gadget that was developed to ease the process of accessing the buttons on a controller.

In addition, the device makes it possible for the gamer to customize hair triggers.

The user will also have the possibility to reach the face buttons (except the A button) without having to take thumbs off the analogue sticks.

The famous Taiwan-based electronics firm MSI has recently launched onto the market its 2 new laptop computers that are part of the company's G series gaming laptops.

At the moment the devices dubbed GT780DXR and GT683DXR are the most powerful gaming laptops on the market, featuring Intel Core i7 processors and boasting a new graphic card from Nvidia - GeForce GTX 570M GPU.

Both gadgets have maximum power for video game settings and a DDR3 RAM boasting a capacity of 16 gigabytes.

The two laptop computers have their cases made of brushed aluminum. This material increases the durability and solidness to GT780DXR and the GT683DXR.

The GT680DXR laptop features a 17.3-inch Full HD Non Reflection screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. It also has a programmable backlit keyboard. The GT780DXR has a smaller 15.6-inch Full HD glossy display.

Both laptops are sold with a Blu-ray burner and hard drives with a capacity of 1.5TB each. Due to the Turbo Drive Engine technology, the laptops register 3.5 per cent increase in graphics processing.

In addition, gamers will benefit from good sound quality thanks to the THX Surround Sound speakers. Each of the new laptops from MSI has a 720p webcam, Bluetooth, 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet and Wi-Fi for connectivity.

Other technical specifications of the two laptops:

- 2 USB 3.0 ports;
- 3 USB 2.0 ports;
- HDMI 1.4 output;
- 7-in-1 card reader;
- 9 Cells Battery;
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

The price tag of the 15.6-inch GT683DXR begins at $ 1,699.99, while that of the 17.3-inch GT780DXR begins at $ 1,999.99.

At IFA technology conference in Berlin LG has presented its brand new "Dual View" television system that makes it possible for video game players to make use of the same screen but see only their own position in the game. This became possible due to 3D-style glasses that each user has to wear.

This technology was demoed by the software giant Microsoft. It is expected to be launched onto the market in a limited number of LG TVs. The system shows two different images on the same screen and after players put on the special 3D-style glasses, each sees only one image and that is the image of their part of the screen.

At the moment the technology, which works with LW980T and other products from the Cinema 3D range from LG, can be tested on the Xbox platform.

Gamers must know that after acquiring the system they also have to buy two pairs of special glasses the retail price of which can start at GBP20.

A television similar to the one launched by LG is expected to be introduced onto the European market by Sony. The Japanese company will develop a similar system that will work on its PlayStation platform. However, Sony's system makes use of more costly "active shutter" glasses than LG's "passive" glasses technology.

It seems like the software giant Microsoft has started working on its next-generation gaming console.

According to g4tv, which noticed a number of ads on Linkedin, Microsoft started hiring people to work on the company's new console.

It is worth mentioning that the information in the ads said that Microsoft is searching for: a Graphics Hardware Architect, Senior Architect and Performance Engineer in XBOX Console Architecture Group and Senior Hardware Verification Engineer.

The latter is probably the most interesting ad. The person hired on this position will be required to "design verification and qualification of the Xbox console at the component, motherboard, and system levels, [by] leading test strategy discussions, developing test methodologies & plans and project-manage qualification cycles."

The famous electronics giant Toshiba has recently unveiled its latest device - a gaming laptop that not only boasts numerous features that'll catch the attention of true gamers but also an appealing design.

Dubbed Qosmio X770, the gaming laptop is set to become one of the major products in its niche. Specialists at Toshiba really worked hard on the design of the 18.4 LED screen machine.

Inside you will be able to discover an Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM, a hard disk drive with a whooping capacity of 1.25 TB and a powerful graphics card Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M.

In addition, the device has a built-in 3D webcam. Users may also get 3D spectacles. Qosmio is expected to be launched onto the international market in a couple of weeks. The laptop will have a price tag of 1300 Euro or $ 1850 USD.

If someone asks on the best gaming platform for a smartphone that one of the answers would be the Windows 7-based Unity 3D interactive gaming table.

The table allows the owner of an Android-running smartphone to play against the owner of an iPhone.

The unity 3D gaming table makes it possible for you to use your handset as a gamepad to compete against your iOS or Android operating opponent.

Contour Aerospace, a British seat maker, teamed up with Factorydesign, a London-based firm that specializes in airline and transport design, to develop a new type of seat for airplanes.

Their invention will offer passengers a lot of comfort and entertainment. The presentation of the innovative seat will be presented at the Aircraft Interiors Expo that will take place from 5th to 7th April at the Hamburg Messe in Germany.

Dubbed Not For Wimps (NFW), the seat is currently in the development stage. It includes a full-sized monitor and speakers incorporated into the top edges of the seat. The speakers provide surround sound and boast noise cancelation feature.

During flight gamers will have the possibility to enjoy their favorite video games. In addition, the new seat allows a user to play with another person on the plane. The technology makes it possible for several passengers to engage in a video game, reports Prnewswire.

According to Jo Collinge, a woman living in the UK, after playing motion-based video games on Nintendo Wii she noticed that some of the symptoms of her Parkinson's disease disappeared.

The 48-year-old Collinge was diagnosed with Parkinson's a year-and-a-half ago. Soon after that she lost her ability to walk.

Then the disease started causing even more problems.

The tech giant Sony has made a number of PlayStation One titles that users can download using the Android Market.

However, the games can only be accessed via the Xperia Play's specialized filter.

Thus, those that own another Android handset, cannot access the games.

Below you can see the PlayStation games that have already been uploaded:

- Syphon Filter
- Destruction Derby
- MediEvil
- Jumping Fish
- Cool Boarders 2

Users will have to pay for each game $ 6.38. Besides, the device features a pre-loaded original Crash Bandicoot.

With these titles launched, it is now sure that Sony will launch its Xperia Play.

Users in the UK will be able to buy the new device very soon, while those in the United States will have to wait. According to some rumors, the launch of the device in the US is expected to take place in "very early Q2."

[via TG Daily]