Hasta La Gadget!

Gaming accessory maker Mad Catz has announced a new surround sound gaming headset for Windows computer users and smart devices called the F.R.E.Q. 7. The headset has Dolby Headphone 7.1 surround sound and Multiple EQ settings. The headset can be pre-ordered right now for $199.99.

The gaming headset uses extra-large 50 mm speakers featuring neodymium magnets for high-quality audio. Many of the components of the headphones are made using aluminum and the headset is designed with ear cans that fold flat for a comfortable around the neck resting position. The headset also has a detachable noise-canceling microphone.

The tip of the microphone glows red when it’s muted making it easy to tell if the mic is on or off at a glance. The headphones also have on ear controls for volume, Dolby settings, and mute. The headset also ships with a 3.5 mm audio cable allowing it to be used with tablets, smartphones, and other devices.

When the microphone is attached, the headset can be used to make phone calls on many smart devices including the iPhone, Windows Phone 8 devices, and others. The headset is offered with a desktop stand and is available in matte black, gloss black, gloss white, and gloss red colors.

[via Mad Catz]

Mad Catz unveils F.R.E.Q. 7 gaming headset is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’re used to CES being all about gadgets and technology in general, but this year, there were actually a surprising number of major gaming announcements. NVIDIA positioned itself front and center, leading the charge and talking about a number of new products and services that are bound to get any gamer bouncing up and down with glee. Perhaps the biggest reveal NVIDIA’s press conference held was the reveal of Project SHIELD, a new Android-based games console that’s packing the company’s latest mobile processor, the Tegra 4.

While that’s impressive enough, it gets even better: Project SHIELD won’t just play Android games, but is also capable of streaming games over Wi-Fi from a computer outfitted with a GeForce GPU. During our hands-on time with the device, we got to see it streaming Black Ops II to its 5-inch 720p screen, so there’s certainly plenty to look forward to with this new device. The streaming functionality makes a good segway to another major announcement from the company – NVIDIA GRID.

With NVIDIA GRID, we’re seeing NVIDIA enter the cloud gaming space, outfitting its server racks with enough GeForce GPUs to supposedly match the power of 700 Xbox 360s. A number of key players have failed or otherwise stalled out in the cloud gaming space, so it’ll be interesting to see if NVIDIA can excel. The company also gave us more details about GeForce Experience, which will do its best to optimize your graphics settings so that games run as good as they can on your rig.

Of course, the show wasn’t only about NVIDIA. The company made a lot of major gaming announcements – that much is true – but it had quite a bit of competition for gamers’ attention. Razer had its Project Fiona tablet on hand at the show, only now it’s been renamed the Razer Edge. Making use of Intel’s third-gen Core line of processors (with one configuration even sporting a Core i7) and an NVIDIA GT640M LE GPU, this tablet definitely has some stellar hardware. It will also have a number of accessories available separately, including a detachable controller dock, keyboard dock, 360-esque gamepad, and docking station that has all the ports you need to turn your Edge into a mini gaming desktop.

As you might imagine, we found during our hands-on time that playing games on the Razer Edge is a blast, and seeing triple-A retail titles like Dishonored running on it at excellent frame rates certainly was exciting. It seems safe to say that if the Edge catches on with gamers, then we can look forward to a whole new era in mobile gaming.

Archos was at the show, and though it had a number of different devices on display, one of the more intriguing products was its GamePad. The Archos GamePad is another tablet made specifically for gamers, though it comes with a far less expensive price tag than the Razer Edge. As one of the only Android tablets to provide physical face buttons, this makes the tablet a prime choice for people who like enjoy games but hate touchscreen controls. In our hands-on, we said that though you’ll have to map the physical controls for a fair number of Android games, the process seems pretty easy, and should keep the downtime between downloading and gaming short.

Right before Pepcom kicked off, we heard that Xi3 and Valve would be showing off a new product. Xi3 was there in force at Pepcom, showing off its brand new 7 series modular computer, and while we made a few guesses at what Valve would be using it for, in the end it turned out that we were wrong. It would appear that Valve has invested heavily in Xi3′s modular computer to offer set-top “Steam boxes,” meant for gaming and streaming content, so we’ll be keeping and eye on that.

Switching gears completely to move from hardware to peripherals, there were two companies in particular that were showing off new gaming mice. One was Genius, which let us get a little hands-on time in with its relatively new Gila mouse. The Gila comes with a number of accessibility options, letting users program any of the twelve buttons and featuring highly adjustable dpi settings.

Mad Catz is not one to be outdone, however, giving us a look at its new R.A.T.M and M.O.U.S.9 mice. If you’re a serious PC gamer, these mice seem to be aimed directly at you. Both mice are quite similar, with the M.O.U.S.9 being just a bit bigger than its brother. Both have very unique designs as far as gaming mice go, with buttons everywhere on the pair. They each can supposedly boast one year of battery life as well, so that’s something to get stoked about if you’re always on your gaming PC.

In the end, this was actually a pretty big year for gaming at CES. All of the stuff we saw during the show will of course being popping up more and more as the year goes on, and we’re hoping that we’ll get the chance to spend much more time with Project SHIELD, the Razer Edge, and the Archos GamePad soon. Keep it here to SlashGear for more information on all of these cool devices, and in the meantime, be sure to check out our CES portal for our full show coverage.

CES 2013 wrap-up: Gaming gets the spotlight is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

[CES 2013] CES Unveiled saw the release of the F.R.E.Q.M mobile headset which is the first of its kind in the range to deliver rich stereo sound without piling on the weight on your head – considering how it comes in a lightweight aluminum chassis that will fold away for easy transport. The F.R.E.Q.M mobile headset will be accompanied by a couple of unique in-line cables, where one of them is for use with PC or Mac platforms, while the other would find its purpose when hooking up smart devices and select consoles. Either one has a role to play, depending on what you want to use the F.R.E.Q.M with.

Someone should develop one of those testing machines to see just how many times the F.R.E.Q.M is able to fold. You know, the kind of machines that we see in Ikea which perpetually opens and close the drawer, or having an imprint of one’s butt sit on a particular lazy chair. Well, so far the limited time that we had to spend with the F.R.E.Q.M mobile headset did not disappoint, but it would be nice to get feedback from hardcore gamers.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: D-Link AC 1300 (DGL-5500) Gaming Router, NVIDIA Unveils Project Shield – A Pure Android Mobile Gaming Device,

It looks like Mad Catz will have some special treats in store for CES this year. The company is teasing a new line of mobile gaming peripherals called GameSmart, and will consist of a full line of mobile gaming devices that include game controllers, mice, keyboards, headsets, and other specialty controllers.

According to the landing page, the devices are “designed to work seamlessly and wirelessly with a wide array of devices and platforms,” and will connect to existing devices via Bluetooth. The peripherals will work with laptops, tablets, and smartphones, and will utilize Bluetooth Smart technology.

The company says it’ll include an app to add functionality to the peripherals, and they also expect the tech to help game developers bridge differences between platforms by offering standardized controllers. Although Mad Catz is waiting until CES to unveil these GameSmart gamepads, keyboards, mice, and headsets, the company says the hardware won’t launch until shortly after its unveiled.

Unfortunately, Mad Catz aren’t providing any photos of the new devices — not even a quick tease other than an outline of a generic-looking game controller, which looks an awful lot like an Xbox 360 controller. So it looks like we’ll be waiting until next week before we’ll see what these new mobile devices will look like.

Mad Catz teases GameSmart mobile gaming peripherals for CES 2013 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

I think every gamer whether you play on a PC or console knows that sometimes you need a good set of headphones. Many professional gamers only use headphones because it makes it easier to hear all the little nuances of sound that can tell you where an enemy is. Mad Catz has a large array of headphones that it offers for gamers of all kinds and the company is now shipping a new set of headphones for console gamers.

The headphones are called the Tritton Pro True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset featuring Dolby Digital technology. These headphones are an upgrade to the Tritton AX Pro. The new headphones are compatible with both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 game systems. The headphones claim to be the only true 5.1 headset on the market for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

The headphones have four individual speakers in each ear cup to provide true surround sound. The headphones also have an inline volume control allowing you to adjust the volume for front, center, rear, and subs individually. The headphones also allow you to control the volume of audio from your competitors so you can tune out their voice without tuning out the sounds they make creeping up behind you.

The headphones use a 12-foot long cable and feature an optical audio input. The frequency response is 25 Hz to 20 kHz. The front and rear channel speakers are 30 mm units, the center channel speakers are 23 mm, and the subwoofer is 40 mm. The total headset has eight speakers total. The headphones are available to purchase right now for $199.99 in the US.

Mad Catz Tritton Pro True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset now shipping is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.