Hasta La Gadget!

Despite the few protestations gamers have with the Xbox 360 wireless controller, Microsoft is apparently updating its much-loved input device for the next-generation, Xbox One. At first glance, the controller looks rather similar to its successor, though there are definitely some design tweaks in tow. For starters, the renowned “Xbox button” has been moved up a bit, making room for a couple of different others in the central place where it used to be located.

What’s more, and in what’s perhaps the biggest change, the triggers now have a built-in rumble system, which Microsoft’s calling “Impulse Triggers.” There’s now also a redesigned D-pad that takes on a more traditional “cross” look, while the thumbsticks are slightly shorter and have a design around the edge which, presumably, should help keep your thumbs gripped with more ease. The battery compartment, meanwhile, is much smaller than the previous version. We”re likely to hear more about the One’s gamepad soon, so we’ll be updating this post as more info comes in.

Ben Gilbert contributed to this report.

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft

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UK retailer GAME has been hunting for ways to stay relevant during a shift to downloadable games — and now, that includes cribbing some style (just a little!) from Americans. Much like GameStop across the pond, GAME will soon sell a full range of tablets at 150 of its stores. The existing Nexus 7 offering will be joined by the seemingly obligatory 16GB iPad and iPad mini, although the rest of the lineup will be decidedly more frugal: options like the £100 Acer Iconia B1-A71 and £130 Archos GamePad will be bracketed by a raft of mostly DGM-built slates that dip as low as £60. It’s difficult to know how the expanded sales will help GAME’s bottom line, although the Nexus 7 reportedly fared well enough that it’s likely tablets are here to stay.

Filed under: Tablets, Apple, Google

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Via: Eurogamer

Source: GAME

Tired of waiting for the WikiPad? Needing some immediate gratification for your thumbs? Willing to consider Archos to fill that void? If your answer to all three was a mighty, “Aye!” then you’ll be glad to know that the Archos GamePad is now for sale in the US at various online retailers. The portable gaming system combines Android 4.1, a 7-inch 1,024 x 600 screen and honest-to-goodness physical buttons, all within a 0.3-inch thick enclosure that’s priced between $179 and $189. The GamePad sports a 1.6GHz dual-core CPU and a Mali-400 MP GPU, and while it may lack the cachet of the WikiPad, it has the distinct advantage of being available now. And you know what? Sometimes, that’s all that matters.

[Thanks, Duncan]

Filed under: Gaming

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Source: Adorama Camera, Amazon, Google Shopping

Sure, most folks had their browsers pointed to sites that talked about the Samsung Galaxy S4 late yesterday evening and early this morning, but this does not mean that there was nothing else interesting that the South Korean consumer electronics giant has up their sleeves at the Samsung Unpacked event. What you see above is a video game controller that has obviously ditched its wired connection to usher gamers into a wireless future, coming in a white as well as overall form factor that has me wondering just how much of the Xbox 360 inspired this prototype wireless game pad.

Samsung has not figured out a name for it yet, and does anyone want to venture a guess? Perhaps the Samsung Galaxy Buttons would elicit some chuckles, no? This conceptual device is tipped for a summer launch, where it will communicate with compatible consoles using Bluetooth connectivity, while sporting dual analog sticks, a D-Pad, shoulder buttons at the back, and the usual slew of face buttons that you have come to expect from a decent game pad. Dual AAA batteries will ensure that this Samsung prototype wireless game pad keeps on going.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nintendo Lost 3D Display Patent Infringement Lawsuit, BenQ’s XL2720T 27″ Monitor Has Been Designed With The Gamer In Mind,

There’s been some debate over the state of the PlayStation 4’s hardware when Sony declined to display the console itself at its PlayStation Meeting. As we’re quickly learning, the company had good reason to keep the box under wraps: it’s not quite done yet. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan President Hiroshi Kawano has revealed to 4Gamer that even he hasn’t seen the finished system, and he only saw the DualShock 4 the day before it went on stage. We wouldn’t worry about the design’s progress just yet, but the news hints that Sony’s timing on pulling it all together is much tighter than it was for the PS3 — although that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Whatever the PS4 looks like in the end, we know it won’t support the DualShock 3. Perpetual font of wisdom (and Worldwide Studios President) Shuhei Yoshida has warned that the PlayStation Move is the only controller making the leap to the next generation. That’s not entirely surprising given the changes in button layout and the addition of some Move technology — Sony likely wants to set some expectations, and our existing game library won’t play on the PS4 as-is. The cutoff may still be disappointing for anyone who invested in a full set of gamepads for LittleBigPlanet sessions and has to once more start from scratch.

Filed under: Gaming, Sony

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Via: Joystiq, Kotaku

Source: 4Gamer (translated), IGN