While CES is a big trade show for nearly every aspect of the electronics industry, it’s a surprisingly quiet venue for video games. Major gaming news usually waits until E3 in the summer, while CES focuses more on the consumer aspect of consumer electronics. Still, there are usually some interesting gadgets, accessories, and toys at the show, especially if you broaden your search past video games to all sorts of tech toys.
Virtual reality is getting big thanks to the Oculus Rift and other devices becoming accessible to users. I tried out the Virtuix Omni, the virtual treadmill designed for use with the Oculus Rift. Razer announced Open Source VR, a new VR development kit that presents a standard format for VR across different hardware and software. And, of course, plenty of other companies showed off their own head-mounted displays.
We also saw some eye-catching devices from Razer, Snail Games, Spin Master, and other toys on display included a smart dart set, a brain-sensing Star Wars Force trainer, and even shoes with games on them. Check them out in the slideshow.
1. Razer Forge TV and Turret
Razer’s Android-based Forge TV microconsole and Turret lapboard/mouse bundle emphasize couch-bound gaming. Check out my hands on.
2. Razer OSVR
Razer’s Open Source VR development kit looks to standardize virtual reality hardware and software.
3. Smart Darts
Darts can be high-tech, too. The Muu darts(Opens in a new window) feature customizable micro-weights, and the Guz dart board can track your game electronically. The Spark wristband even lets you monitor your game and see just how you throw.
4. DXRacer Chairs
DXRacer’s gaming chairs(Opens in a new window) can be customized to fit the user’s body and tastes, and were cruelly comfortable after spending a day walking on the show floor.
Even pinball can be found at CES. Stern(Opens in a new window) showed off its Spike control system for pinball tables, and gave a look at just how complicated the mechanical parts can be.
7. Virtuix Omni
The Virtuix Omni VR treadmill lets gamers walk and run in their games, and ensures that I’ll be making Hackers jokes well into the next decade. Which was very likely anyway.
8. Star Wars Force Trainer II
Uncle Milton’s second Star Wars Force Trainer toy uses Neurosky brainwave-sensing technology and holograms to let kids practice using Force Push on floating, glowing targets in a Jedi temple pyramid.
9. Spin Master Meccanoid
Spin Master’s answer to Lego Mindstorms lets kids build a 4-foot-tall humanoid robot or other automatons, guided by an electronic brain.
10. Mad Catz L.Y.N.X.9
Mad Catz’s L.Y.N.X.9 gamepad is foldable, customizable, and can be disassembled, so you can turn it from a pocketed mini-controller into a big tablet-holding case with its own QWERTY keyboard.
11. Mad Catz R.A.T. Pro
Mad Catz’s newest gaming mouse features hot-swappable grips, mouse wheels, teflon and ceramic feet, and even optical and laser sensors.
12. Skechers Interactive
Skechers put electronic games on its kids’ sneakers by literally strapping an electronic game onto a sneaker. These shoes basically have light-up Simon games on their sides.
13. SuperD Glasses-Free Display Concept
This notebook-sized pop-up monitor produces a 3D hologram that uses eye tracking to separate its images, and lets me reference the obscure arcade game Time Traveler.
14. Acton Rocket Skates
These aren’t actually rocket-powered skates, but are still pretty cool. They’re motorized wheels you strap to your shoes to skate around.
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Source link : https://www.pcmag.com/news/the-top-gaming-gear-we-saw-at-ces-2015
