Looking to get a bit more longevity out of your 3DS gaming sessions before needing to recharge? If so, Nyko is looking to oblige with its Power Grip Pro case for the aforementioned Nintendo handheld. The outfit boasts that the peripheral will triple your battery life alongside the added functionality of an analog slider control. As you might expect, the unit sports a comfy ergonomic design that should keep you and your device quite cozy. No word on pricing yet, but the accessory is slated hit shelves this October — in plenty of time to snag one for the holiday season.
Mad Catz is, quite literally, gearing up for the Wii U’s impending holiday launch. Aligned neatly with Nintendo’s keynote at E3 today, the accessory maker’s outing a host of peripherals intended to play nicely with the gaming titan’s next gen, tablet-y splash. Prospective early adopters eyeing what the Big N’s selling can look forward to a pair of Wiimote- and Wii U GamePad-compatible Power Up ChargeDocks, a FlipStand protective cover and a TRITTON Kunai headset which will also work across Sony’s current gaming platforms. There’s no pricing available yet for this add-on kit, but the lineup should make its market bow in step with the console’s looming launch.
Sony’s PlayStation Blog is showing off a new PS Move Racing Wheel on the way. This framework apparently fits around the Move, featuring different grip styles with twist throttles and paddle shifters depending on what kind of racing you’d like to do. The “precise motion tracking” afforded by the Move appears to be targeted at titles like the upcoming LittleBigPlanet Karting, but it’s hard to see how this will be real wheel, or even controller, alternative for serious gamers. It certainly seems to be fair competition for Microsoft’s Wireless Speed Wheel that was introduced last year or the Nintendo Wii Wheel, but frankly we’re surprised that’s a battle anyone else wanted to be in.
Before Microsoft had even set off any of its gaming fireworks, Don Mattrick took to the stage to tell the audience of E3 that its Xbox had now graduated from best-selling console in North America to best-selling console in the world. We’ve already seen that new versions of Halo and Splinter Cell are both incoming — so it looks unlikely that Microsoft’s good run will be ending any time soon.
Say goodbye to Zune, folks. Microsoft has just announced its brand new Xbox Music service during its big E3 presentation. That brings with a library of more than 30 million tracks, which you’ll be able to access across all of your Microsoft devices, including your PC, Windows 8 tablet and Windows Phone in addition to the Xbox 360 itself. Expectedly, that all comes wrapped in a Metro-style interface, but it appears to basically be a Zune rebrand beyond that, with few other surprises to be found (at least for now).
Microsoft may not be introducing a next-gen console at E3 this year, but it is teaching its venerable Xbox 360 some new tricks. SmartGlass brings AirPlay-style wireless technology to Xbox and Windows 8 by letting you send video from your tablet or phone to your TV. It then turns that second screen into an information window giving you data of the content you’re watching. Plus, it updates the info on your mobile device as the content on the TV changes. The app also enables peripheral controls for games you’re playing — so you can scroll through different plays on your tablet while playing Madden on your big screen, for example.
In addition to providing your peripherals with contextual awareness, the SmartGlass app turns your phone into a remote and trackpad for your Xbox, in case using Kinect and regular controllers aren’t something you’re into. So, you can pinch to zoom, move the onscreen cursor and scroll to your heart’s content in Xbox’s new web browser using your tablet or phone. When will we be seeing SmartGlass in living rooms? Unfortunately, not until this fall.
Nintendo has just confirmed what we’ve expected all along. Its next generation console, the Wii U, will be launching this holiday. As Nintendo mentioned earlier, there’s no definitive word on pricing, quite yet. The company did confirm, however, that the touchscreen-friendly console will launch with the new multi-player NintendoLand title.
Thought Sony’s E3 2012 presser would be about a next-gen console? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but that doesn’t mean there’s no news on the PlayStation front, as Sony’s just informed the world that the PlayStation Suite has been renamed PlayStation Mobile. Not only that, but it’s opening PS Mobile to third-party Android manufacturers, and as was rumored, HTC is the first handset maker not named Sony to get certified — meaning that you’ll soon be able to get your PlayStation on using the Taiwanese outfit’s hardware. Unfortunately, we don’t know when HTC will debut its first such handset, nor when other Android makers will get in on the action, but it’s nice to see Sony finally start to share the gaming love.
Still not sold on the PlayStation Vita? Then Sony’s hoping that it’s latest bundle will be more to your liking. In addition to the just-announced Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation game, it packs a limited edition “crystal white” PS Vita (WiFi only), along with a 4GB memory card. Unfortunately, you’ll still have a bit of a wait before you can get your hands on it, with the bundle only set to hit stores on October 30th (coinciding with the game’s release). No word on a price for it just yet, nor is there any word on the white PS Vita being sold separately. Not to be left out, the PlayStation 3 is also getting an Assassin’s Creed III bundle of its own, which includes the game and some exclusive DLC — no price for it either, though.
Looks like Nintendo didn’t want to wait for its proper E3 press conference to spill some Wii U details early — it just used its preview event to show the finished version of the Wii U controller, called the Gamepad, as well as a TV remote app. The Gamepad is decidedly wider than what we saw a year ago, with comfort clearly the top priority in other areas: the analog sticks have been moved further outwards and made clickable, while the back grip has been tweaked in the process. There’s also no doubt as to where to interact with NFC gadgets, either, as a dedicated spot below the directional pad will take all your device-to-device taps. As for the remote, it looks to be a straightforward number pad navigator with a programming guide, all steering your TV through infrared. Between this and the Wii U Pro Controller, though, it’s clear Nintendo hasn’t been sitting still in the past year, and has some home theatre ambitions in the process.
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