Category: Video Games

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Video Games

The RetroEngine Sigma is a door to generations of classic gaming

The debacle of the sold-out and impossible-to-find NES Classic Edition illuminates how popular retro gaming truly is. Of course, a Nintendo-branded retro gaming product is bound to fly off the shelves, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a wide swath of other, popular systems people would love to spend an afternoon with.

Enter the RetroEngine Sigma. The team at Doyodo understands the desire for a proper retro gaming experience and wants to expand the Nintendo Classic’s target demographic from the mainstream to everyone else. To do so, the petite, palm-sized console sports an HDMI connection along with the possibility of two or more USB controllers to play the 15 pre-installed games its comes with or titles from over two dozen gaming systems from the past 40 years.

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Video Games

The Smach Z portable gaming PC is the chosen one

The dream of any hardcore game: A handheld gaming PC powerful enough to play AAA titles. With the Smach Z, that elusive dream has finally come true.

The lightweight portable device looks like a cross between a laptop and an old-school Sega Game Gear, but with all the functionality and power of a gaming PC. The Smach Z comes in two versions: A regular version and a Pro version. Both share an AMD Merlin Falcon CPU clocked at 2.1GHz, a Radeon R7 GOU clocked at 800MHz, a 6″ 1080p touch screen, an accelerometer, gyroscope, a Wi-Fi module and five hour battery life, but differ on RAM, internal memory, and the presence of a front-facing camera for Twitch streaming and a 4G LTE connection. (The regular version sports 4GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, while the PRO ups its to 8GB and 128GB.) All together, this unassuming device can play almost any game on Steam at high to medium settings, including the latest AAA titles.

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Music Video Games

Mogees Play makes the world your musical instrument

editors-choiceOne reason why music programs around the country are cutting back is the cost associated with purchasing equipment. Instruments are expensive
and until now, were the only real way to truly engage a student’s musical faculties.

In creating the Mogees Play, UK-based music and technology company Mogees is aiming to bring musical instruction to everyday classrooms and life without needing instruments, controllers, joysticks, or keyboards. How? A small sensor serves as the connection between tablets or smartphones and any object at all — a wall, a book, a table, even another person. Depending on how a user interacts with that object — a bump, a tap, a scratch — Mogees Play reads those vibrations and transforms them into different musical effects.

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Technology Video Games

The PGS portable gaming system goes way beyond catching Pokemon

Hardcore PC gamers are in a tough spot. They can either choose to stay indoors and play the most popular AAA titles on powerful, custom-built rigs designed to bring for the very best performance, or relegate themselves to handhelds and tablets that offer comparatively sub-par gaming experiences. For the PC master race, that’s not much of an option.

Despite its uninspired name, the team behind the PGS — short for Portable Gaming System — is looking give PC gamers an actual choice when it comes to moving and gaming. Luckily, it sports a sleek, 1.4cm thick design that looks like a PS Vita and Nintendo 3DS had a child — a scarily intelligent, capable child. The dual-screen, foldable device comes in two variants. The PGS Hardcore has a QHD IPS 2560×1440 display, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. Both use the Intel Atom Z8750 designed for high-performance portable devices, allowing both to run games like Dark Souls II and Batman: Arkham City on medium settings, satisfying the most ardent gamer’s urges to take on that next boss no matter where they may be.

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Video Games Virtual Reality

The VicoVR lets you step directly into virtual reality

The long-awaited era of virtual reality is finally here, with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive leading the charge alongside less powerful alternatives like Samsung’s Gear VR and Google’s recently announced Daydream. Despite the already crowded marketplace, companies are still developing alternative virtual experiences for a cut of that not-so-virtual pie.

One of the next big questions when it comes to VR technology is how to get the user’s body into the space. While most of the leading solutions offer controls, VicoVR combines standard VR googles with a Kinect-like interface for wireless body tracking of 19 body joints. This allows the one or two players to step right into a game rather than go through a more disconnected experience with a remote control.

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Connected Objects Input Video Games

Cinch Tech smart gaming controller learns your moves, makes you better

The world of professional gaming is a behemoth, with games of League of Legends and Starcraft II routinely ponying up ever increasing prize pools and attendance rates in its biggest annual tournaments. Its growth is a testament to the widespread appeal these games and the act of watching them have, and pushes more and more to try their luck in competing. As in any sport, though, any edge is a benefit to be taken advantage of and as a result, professionals are always looking for another.

While it has a small but loyal following now, Cinch Gaming has taken its flagship product — the Cinch Tech intelligent gaming controller — to Kickstarter in hopes of garnering an entire new audience. On the outside, it may look like a standard Xbox One controller, but that’s where the similarities end.

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Video Games

GPD Win palmtop offers modern PC games and apps to go

Many people rely on PCs to get important work done wherever they are, but don’t necessarily want to drag around a laptop everywhere they go. After all, a laptop can’t fit in anybody’s pocket. Many PC gamers, meanwhile, would also like to carry around their computers to play games wherever they are, but face the same issue.

GPD Win is a 5.5-inch Windows 10 PC that includes a keyboard and traditional game controls, along with a 1280 x 720 HD display. The pocket-sized device also touts an Intel Atom Cherry Trail X5-Z8550 quad-core processor. It can be connected to a TV using a Mini HDMI cable and wireless controller (both not included).

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Connected Objects Furniture Video Games Virtual Reality

Immersit VR accessory rocks your world, starting with your couch

Virtual reality (VR) is one of the hottest new technologies, creating opportunities to make videogames and movies more immersive to consumers. But VR stops short of providing a full immersive experience because it focuses only on the head.

Immersit is a device that slips under any sofa, chair or bed with four legs and creates motion and vibrations in response to whatever is happening in a compatible movie or videogame. It supports up to 1,100 pounds and works in conjunction with an app for Android and iOS mobile devices. Its software initially supports the PlayStation 3 and 4, the Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows and Linux. Immersit is also compatible with the Oculus VR headset and is expected to be compatible with the HTC Vive and new Oculus VR headsets.

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Maker/Development Video Games

Play the specters of gaming past with the Spectrocade Raspberry Pi mini-arcade cabinet

Although they may be known as retro games, many people even today still harbor a deep fondness for them. Titles like Ms. Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Galaga quicken heartbeats in remembrance of the many hours spent dumping quarters into machines attempting to get the highest score.

While there exists many ways for someone to get their retro gaming fix, Spectrum Technology Solutions is looking to give people another choice with its Spectrocade. The product is a miniature arcade cabinet equipped to work together with a Rapsberry Pi, making it wholly customizable in which games can be emulated, no matter the availability. This isn’t the case for those who may use popular mini arcade cabinets that work with iPads or similar tablets, as their app stores may not have what they’re looking for. However, that flexibility comes at the price of simplicity; $541 is a lot pricier than those toys. It’s slated to ship in August 2015. Spectrum Technology Solutions is hoping to raise $22,000 by June 17th, 2015.

The Spectrocade gets points for working with a Raspberry Pi, but is unimaginative and priced like it isn’t. In addition, a lack of headphone jack or even a fourth button on the pad are obvious design flaws that should be included. The use of acrylic as the product’s material of choice rather than something else a bit more environmentally friendly rounds out a spotty execution.

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Connected Objects Kids/Babies Video Games

Playbrush uses interactive gaming to get kids to brush their teeth

Many parents with small kids know how hard it can be to convince some children to brush their teeth regularly, and to do it well.

Playbrush is a device that attaches to the end of any conventional toothbrush, transforming the brush into an interactive game controller that can be used in conjunction with iOS (and later Android) mobile devices. When the user starts the app on their smartphone or tablet, the gadget will automatically connect to it via Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth Smart) technology. Playbrush costs $72 and will ship in December. Its maker is hoping to raise $51,887 by May 9.

Playbursh is a device with potential, especially for parents of young kids who either try and avoid brushing altogether or race through the process in just a few seconds. Turning brushing into a fun activity might very well be the trick to get at least some of them to change their ways. That said, it’s impossible to tell from the Kickstarter campaign video just how strong the initial game itself is. If it’s just one weak repetitive game, those kids may very well get bored after a week or two and parents will be left with the same problem they started with. To address this potential problem, the device’s maker plans to add multiple worlds, levels and characters.