joysticks

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Nvidia announces a 3D sharing page called 3DVisionLive

HP may not announce a tablet at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show after all, but rather may wait until February if press invites are a decent indication of the company's plans

Asus announces a line of Android and Windows tablets as well as a new Android phone

Video streaming site Vudu is going to start streaming 3D movies

The Fling is a suction joystick for the iPad

BloodnGuns is a top-down, dual-stick arcade shooter with quick controls, a simple but fun set of power-ups and weapons, and an almost comically bloody backdrop.

The aptly named BloodnGuns has no back-story, but the quasi-apocalyptic setting has you running and gunning against huge hordes of skeletons and zombies--specifically, zombies wielding enormous Final Fantasy-style swords. Your weapons range from the nondescript but fantastic (e.g., fusion, plasma, and pulse rifles) to the mundane and weirdly specific (e.g., Benelli M4 shotguns and M4A1 carbines). The gameplay is as straightforward as the interface: a virtual joystick under your left thumb controls movement, … Read more

Are you tired of getting knocked out in fighting games such as the upcoming Street Fighter IV? The $89.99 XCM Dominator joystick may be the solution to your misery. Unlike Sony's wireless SixAxis and DualShock3 controller, the USB-based Dominator supports macro programming and holds up to 20 keystroke combinations in four memory keys. So instead of clocking countless hours practicing a super special combo strike, all you need is to effortlessly hit a button to execute the move.

There is also a rapid-fire turbo mode for its eight primary buttons perfect for first-person shooter games.… Read more

Marware, makers of cases and covers for iPods and iPhone, has announced a new iPhone 3G and second generation iPod Touch accessory appropriately named The Game Grip.

The Grip features huge handle grips to provide a comfortable user experience while using it to play games and cord management to prevent those pesky cords from getting in your way while driving, shooting aliens, etc. The product allows you to use your headphones and charging cable during game play, giving you another way to charge your Apple device and extended game play. The center of the Grip holds your iPhone 3G or … Read more

It's nothing new that game consoles' controllers provide feedback for in-game actions. PC gamers, however, have for a long time had to rely mostly on the static mouse and keyboard. And that would be very boring for simulation games, such as Microsoft's Flight Simulator X.

The situation's now changing with products like the new MetalStrike series joysticks that Genius announced Tuesday. The MetalStrike FF ($69.99) features a force feedback function, where the joystick vibrates when the user bumps, crashes, or shoots while playing air combat games that simulate real flight action. The MetalStrike Pro ($39.99) … Read more

SEATTLE--For many Iraq war veterans who have returned home with debilitating injuries that, for example, make it impossible to use their hands, doing anything on a computer is a hopeless task.

But a research project under way in the University of Washington's electrical engineering, linguistics and computer science departments could be the latest tool at such veterans' disposal, as well as for anyone who lacks the full use of their hands.

The project, known as the Vocal Joystick, is designed to allow someone to control a computer cursor using nothing more than their voice.

University of Washington graduate student Jon Malkin, who spoke at the Gnomedex conference here Saturday, described it is an extension of speech recognition technology.

… Read more

Move over, Wiimote. Now there's the Zeemote.

Games on phones have always been a tricky proposition because of obvious space constraints, both in display and navigation. But Zeetoo hopes to solve at least part of the problem with a 3.7-inch-long, 1.7-ounce wireless joystick, which it says will change the whole experience while still small enough for both hand and pocket.

Slashphone says the company has announced the launch of its much-anticipated "Zeemote JS1," though it remains unclear exactly what that means. The company's site says only that the controller is coming soon and that … Read more

Immersion vowed Tuesday to fight Microsoft's breach-of-contract lawsuit regarding "haptic" technology that endows mice and joysticks with tactile feedback such as shaking and jerking.

"Immersion intends to defend this lawsuit vigorously," the San Jose, Calif.-based company said Tuesday.

Immersion sued Microsoft and Sony for patent infringement in 2002, but both suits were settled. Through a resulting sublicense agreement with Microsoft, Immersion agreed to pay Microsoft for any fee amounts from Sony in the event of a settlement with that company. That issue now is at issue in the breach-of-contract suit Microsoft filed against Immersion … Read more

It's hard to get old-school arcade action with today's controllers. Whether it's the Wii's motion-sensing remote or the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3's wireless gamepads, they just don't capture the frantic, rugged joystick-beating and button-thumping of yesteryear. Don't worry, though. $200 will get you the glory back, thanks to X-Arcade.

X-Arcade makes retro arcade controllers, and the Tankstick is the company's beefiest, most fearsome unit. This massive controller weighs 20 pounds and sports two joysticks, 22 buttons, and a trackball. Most impressive is this bad boy's lifetime warranty; X-Arcade will repair … Read more