Archive for category Games Gadgets
NeuroSky Brain Computer Interface takes to the stage
Posted by admin in Games Gadgets on March 15th, 2010
The Game Developers Conference (GDC) was more than stellar with the presence of Silicon Valley-based NeuroSky Brain Computer Interface (BCI) Technologies, thanks to the latter’s range of technology which promises to revolutionize the traditional gaming paradigm, enhance interactivity and in many instances, add further evidence to the increase of mental health benefits when it comes to game play. Those who attended GDC will be able to experience the efforts that developers are making to ride the wave of the next revolution in gaming via brainwave integration. Apart from that, NeuroSky’s new bio-command features and next generation headset which were specially designed for gamers were also unveiled, alongside a developer program which will support third party developers in creating or enhancing BCI applications.
Among the new applications demonstrated by a fistful of NeuroSky’s partners will feature games within the iPhone and cellphone industry, serious, casual and educational, as well as market research applications. Of course, what is the point of attending GDC as an exhibitor if you do not have any new products up for review? NeuroSky’s latest product announcements include the Mindset Wave Brain Gaming Headset, where this gamer-centric headset is capable of delivering a lower price point and imaginative new features. Being a snap to wear while being extremely lightwight, it will be able to fit securely to enable an active gaming experience. You can opt for wireless or self-pairing USB connectivity for an effortless setup. Depending on volume and bundling options, the Mindset Wave Brain Gaming Headset is going for $49 to $99, shipping before the frantic Christmas 2010 holiday season begins.
Another interesting device would be what they call the Zone Meter. Gamers will be able to identify with athletes when it comes to ‘the zone’, since sometimes you are placed in a situation where all of your shots hit the target, not to mention you can pull off a variety of moves flawlessly without taking a single mos-step. For the first time, ‘the zone’ can be quantified and harnessed, thanks to a proprietary combination of mental attention with balanced relaxation in order to open up a whole new dimension in video games. Looks like gaming has just become a whole lot more scientific, eh?
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NeuroSky Brain Computer Interface takes to the stage
Wii Balance Board Push Up Bar
Posted by admin in Games Gadgets on March 14th, 2010
Who would have thought that playing video games might actually get you in the fitness groove? We do admit, however, that the Wii has gotten many couch potatoes off the couch in some ways, and while that won’t make you the biggest loser (after the reality show) in your family, it does burn a wee bit more calories than just sitting around, thumbing that joypad. Well, the Wii Balance Board Push Up Bar takes things one step further by functioning as a push up bar attachment on your balance board, featuring adjustable grips that let you “go deeper than you would if the floor stopped you.” Compatible with Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus as well as the New U Fitness and Jillian Fitness Ultimatum titles, this uniqe gaming accessory is going for $25 on Amazon as a pre-order.
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Wii Balance Board Push Up Bar
VirtuSphere for virtual reality games at GDC
Posted by admin in Games Gadgets on March 12th, 2010
Back in the early nineties, we all thought that the video games of 2010 would be with goggles and a toy gun. We were wrong with Virtual Boy, and we never figured out a way to get a player to run in a game while standing still in the gaming area.
Better late than never, VirtuSphere is here to bring our virutal reality dreams to life. As you can see, the VirtuSphere looks like the Ball of Death from The Simpsons Movie, and it allows a player to move somewhat freely in any direction for the game that they want to play.
There is a video after the jump, and you can see that it takes a team to get a player in this giant, metal, stationary hamster ball. To me, it looks just plain unsteady. I would think that it would get used to, but this player in the vid does not even trip once. The game that he’s playing doesn’t look very good, though. Couldn’t they set it up for Metroid Prime or Tomb Raider?
This video was taken at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, and, as you might have guessed, it would be quite expensive to get it on your own. It would cost about $55,000.00, and you would need a lot of space to make it work. Not to mention a team to lock you in, I guess.
I’ve heard that there will be one at the Excalibur in Las Vegas. Maybe I’ll check it out during next year’s CES.
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VirtuSphere for virtual reality games at GDC
Sony PlayStation Move motion controller announced
Posted by admin in Games Gadgets on March 11th, 2010
Looks like Sony has finally ceded to the fact that having proper motion controls in their home console is definitely a step forward, instead of having a half-baked one on their original SixAxis. Well, the PS3 finally seems to be taking off in a big way worldwide so many years after the console was originally released, which is a good thing since more competition among Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony would see consumers win out in the end. But I digress – the Sony PlayStation Move motion controller has just been slated for a fall release worldwide later this year, where it will also be released with the PlayStation Move sub-controller that can be used along with the motion controller for intuitive navigation of in-game characters and objects. The entire PlayStation Move platform will comprise of the motion controller, sub-controller, and PlayStation Eye camera. Hmmm, it does look as though gaming has gotten a whole lot more expensive with so many peripherals to purchase and set up before you get your game on – maybe Nintendo’s approach with the Wii is so much simpler and better for some?
The PlayStation Move system will combine the PS3 system and PlayStation Eye camera to detect precise movement, angle, and absolute position in 3D space of PlayStation Move motion controller. This in turn enables users to intuitively play the game as if they themselves are within the game. Capable of delivering unmatched accuracy via its advanced motion sensors which comprises of a three-axis gyroscope, a three-axis accelerometer, and a terrestrial magnetic field sensor, you will also find a color-changing sphere which is tracked by PlayStation Eye camera. Bfast and subtle motion can be detected, so it doesn’t matter whether you are swinging a tennis racket, or painting with a brush. Direct input can be done via action buttons and an analog trigger, and the PlayStation Eye camera is capable of capturing the player’s voice or image, enabling augmented reality experiences. Would this development drive you to the arms of a PS3?
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Sony PlayStation Move motion controller announced
NEO SNES/SFC Myth cart
Posted by admin in Games Gadgets on March 10th, 2010
Always wanted to run your favorite SNES ROMs, but prefer a more authentic experience to it? The NEO SNES/SFC Myth cart makes that possible – just load all those ROMs onto it from a computer via USB, insert the cart into your still working SNES/SFC and you’re good to go. Just make sure the ROMs are no larger than 64MB in size, and good news is, it supports all save types and is compatible with all but 0.5% of SNES/SFC games out there, with selected games requiring the DXP cart support. We wonder whether Nintendo will file for a lawsuit against such hardware knowing their notorious demands for protection against piracy.
Source: DCEMu
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NEO SNES/SFC Myth cart
10 Minute Solution comes to the Wii
Posted by admin in Games Gadgets on March 9th, 2010
Some of you have probably heard of the 10 Minute Solution series of exercise DVDs. I mean, they have a Pilates version, Tone and Trouble Zone version, even one called Hot Body Boot Camp. (Shouldn’t it be called Hot Body Booty Camp? Just saying.)
Anyway, Anchor Bay Entertainment, who makes these 10 Minute Solution videos, is planning on doing some business on the Wii as they are making a Wii version of the 10 Minute Solution. The 10 Minute Solution for the Wii uses the WiiFit board, and has three categories of aerobics, cardio boxing, and other mixed games.
I can’t help but wonder why the 10 Minute Solution is being made into a Wii game when the Wii Fit has a very in-depth exercise program. I suppose that the 10 Minute Solution is probably the current exercise fad that will eventually go the way of Jane Fonda, the 20 Minute Workout, Tae-bo, Buns of Steel, and countless others before and after. I guess 10 Minute Solution wanted to make a Wii game before the fad dies, and before the new version of the Wii comes out.
Anyway, the 10 Minute Solution for the Wii should be out soon, but I don’t have the release date as yet. The price point is about $19.99, which is about the same price as the WiiFit Plus without the balance board.
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10 Minute Solution comes to the Wii
Power Gig: Rising of the SixString gives the six string its gaming glory
Posted by admin in Games Gadgets on March 9th, 2010
The Game Developers Conference gave us a very interesting music game: Power Gig: Rise of the SixString. The most obvious description of it is Guitar Hero with a real guitar.
It is developed by Seven45 Studios, a sister company of First Act, leading musical instrument maker responsible for making the entry-level guitars, basses, and other instruments found at such retailers as target and Wal-Mart.
The guitars that Power Gig comes with are reported to look like the guitars used by younger jammers, and they can be hooked up to any guitar amp. I believe that these games are set up to work for the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, and my source tells me that there is some sort of “dampening block” that holds the strings in place, and the guitar’s fingerboard controls the game.
So, will this Power Gig make Guitar Hero and Rock Band players want to play a real guitar. I would have to say that it does remove the middleman.
Also, does it really make sense that our retail stores have shelves full of plastic instruments but nothing of the real thing? By the way, when Power Gig: Rise of the SixString arrives this fall, but will also include a microphone and drums. I wonder if those will be the real thing too.
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Power Gig: Rising of the SixString gives the six string its gaming glory
Berlin Brain Computer Interface lets you play pinball, with your mind
Posted by admin in Games Gadgets on March 5th, 2010
This is an odd way to play pinball, don’t you think? Shouldn’t this man be standing in front of the machine? And what’s with that wired bathing cap?
This is probably what I would have said if I was at CeBIT 2010 and passed by this display of the Berlin Brain-Computer Interface. As it turns out, this man is playing this game of pinball with his brain. I’m not saying that he’s really getting his head into the game, but his head is playing the game.
You can watch a video of the setup of this person in action after the jump. I really have no idea if this man is just some visitor to CeBIT or someone who works for the company, but you can watch him as they set him up to play pinball on this Addams Family themed pinball machine. Yeah, I would have chosen a different theme, but the multiple flippers does make it interesting.
Unfortunately, there isn’t really an explanation about how this works on the video, which has absolutely no voiceover narration. I have no idea if you have to think: “Left flipper, right flipper” to get it to work. I notice that this user has to manually start the ball rolling, and I’m guessing that mentally tilting is not an option.
I suppose we are probably looking at an age where arcade games make a comeback, and the players are jacked into them mentally. That, or come up with a console version of this mental controls. I suppose that this could be the next version of Project Natal.
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[ Berlin Brain Computer Interface lets you play pinball, with your mind copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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Berlin Brain Computer Interface lets you play pinball, with your mind
SteelSeries 6Gv2 keyboard
Posted by admin in Games Gadgets on March 4th, 2010
SteelSeries is a name synonymous with quality gaming peripherals, and it ranks right up there with other players including Logitech and Razer. This time round, the leading manufacturer of gaming peripherals and accessories has taken advantage of its presence at CeBIT to introduce a brand new gaming keyboard in the form of the SteelSeries 6Gv2 keyboard. This model was specially designed with 18-karat gold-plated mechanical switches (don’t think you can pawn this off if you’re in a tight spot though), making sure the keyboard offers quicker reaction times and advanced key combinations that results in more Actions Per Minute and a lifetime more than 10 times that of conventional keyboards. Hmmm, but how does it stack up against its rivals that produce quality gaming keyboards as well? Surely it can’t stand up to the frustrated pounding of fists whenever the more violence-inclined gamer loses a round, eh?
Similar to the SteelSeries 7G, this new keyboard will rely on a powerful buffer-system that was created specifically for gaming, making it capable to support a myriad of simultaneous key presses – in fact, as many as there are keys on the keyboard. This special “anti-ghosting” feature will enable gamers who delve in first person shooter games to move, crouch, aim, fire and even check the scoreboard, all at once without missing a beat. In fact, SteelSeries is proud that their SteelSeries G product line is the only series of keyboards on the market right now which allows such functionality all at once.
Apart from that, you will find that SteelSeries’ Media Controls has been incorporated in the 6Gv2 keyboard, enabling quick access to volume, mute and other audio controls. You won’t find the audio ports for headphone-in and microphone-out on this though as compared to the SteelSeries 7G, while the couple of USB ports and removable plastic handrest are also missing, but guess those aren’t terribly important to have. The switch lifetime can last up to 50 million operations, which we probably think by then that you would have purchased a brand new keyboard already. Expect the SteelSeries 6Gv2 keyboard to cost 79.99 Euros when it hits the market in Q2 this year.
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SteelSeries 6Gv2 keyboard
Nintendo Wii could help stroke victims recover
Posted by admin in Games Gadgets on February 27th, 2010
We have reported how WiiSports and other Wii activities are simply not as good real exercise.
However, a recent research project by the American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference 2010 would suggest that playing these virtual reality games could help stroke victims improve their motor function.
This study was based on 20 stroke survivors, and both groups engaged in eight one hour sessions over a two week period approximately two months after suffering from a stroke. The ones who played Wii Tennis as well as Wii Cooking Mama demonstrated “significant” motor “improvement in speed and extent of recovery”.
According to Gustavo Saposnik, the director of the Stroke Outcomes Research Unit at the Li Ka Shing Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital, this is the first randomized clinical study showing that Wii gaming technology can produce effective stroke rehabilitation.
In all honesty, this reminds me of a recent episode of The Simpsons. On this episode, there was a Plot B involving Lisa giving Grandpa Simpson and his rest home a Zii gaming system. Yeah, it’s clear what Zii is satirizing, and the gameplay of ZiiSports was enough to get all of the senior citizens of the rest home on their feet again. Too bad the nurses didn’t feel the same way.
Still, the prospect of the Wii helping victims of strokes is interesting enough to follow up with more studies.
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Nintendo Wii could help stroke victims recover