Games and gear

Now that the Xbox 360 Elite has been released, let's take a look at which accessories are must-buys. The actual amount of accessories you'll want ultimately will be up to you, but some decisions should be made depending on which version of the Xbox 360 you have. An Xbox 360 Core System owner will need to buy more accessories than an Xbox 360 Elite owner simply because of the difference in the items bundled with each system. Here's a list of what you should consider when in the market for Xbox 360 add-ons.

Extra controllers and batteries: … Read more

We know that some of you won't balk at the $829 price tag of Nvidia's new highest-end GeForce 8800 Ultra 3D card, as long as it's the fastest thing around. With ATI's next-gen Radeon cards right around the corner, though, we'd definitely wait and take a few more laps around the money bin before springing for any high-end 3D cards today. The 8800 Ultra doesn't hit the street until May 15th, so you have a few days to think it over. But even if the Ultra card beats its soon-to-be-released competition, we have to … Read more

The NBA and NHL playoffs are in full swing, and baseball season has just begun. A sweet time of the year it is indeed. But how can we keep track of all the schedules?

Enter the "Game Time" sports watch, which is programmed to alert you when your favorite team is about to play, and if you're running late it sounds a tune to let you know when the game is starting. And for the OCD fans out there--and we know there are a ton of you--it also includes schedules of future games, venues and start times … Read more

New owner of an Xbox 360 Elite? Well, if you were planning on transferring your Xbox Live Arcade games along with the rest of the data from your old 360, think again. There seems to be a major problem with how the transfer kit imports the games, involving DRM--yes, even games now suffer from this poorly thought-out technology. After a successful hard drive transfer, all of your purchased Arcade games will magically downgrade to demos. In order to have full access to these games, you must sign into Xbox Live (thanks to Joe at The Pensive Gamer for pointing this … Read more

If there's any musical instrument that might challenge the unhealthy affection for guitars among Cravers, it would be virtual drums. Whether they be of the roll-up or the fingertip variety, percussion seems to be a favorite instrumental variety. So what could be better than a set that plays with an iPod?

The "Mini miJam Drums" don't come with a traditional set of heads but are nevertheless "equipped with a selection of sound effects and background rhythms, including bass, snare, cymbals and the hi-hat" that can be played along with an MP3 player or computer. … Read more

No, those new Xbox 360 Elites that were released last weekend do not contain the new 65nm chips that Microsoft promised us. Production on those new silicon wafers is only starting this month, so they won't be finding their way into consoles you can actually buy until the fall.

For those keeping score, that means the new 65nm technology will be incorporated into both the game machine's CPU (central processing unit) and GPU (the dedicated graphics chip). The new smaller chips reportedly run a lot more efficiently than those found in current Xbox 360s. That should mean less … Read more

The average video game can give you anywhere from eight to 80 hours of solid, fun playtime. You pick it up, pop it in, play it until you're done, and put it away (or trade it in for far too little in-store credit). Some games can pull in gamers for far more time. They're called MMOs, massively multiplayer online games, and they offer a persistent online world for gamers to explore and conquer with each other. They're the digital equivalent of crack, and can easily turn the eight-to-80 hour playtime of a normal game into an easy … Read more

First Dell grabbed Alienware. Then HP picked up Voodoo PC. Today, we learn that Velocity Micro has acquired superfast PC maker Overdrive PC.

While neither Velocity Micro nor Overdrive PC may have the same name recognition as the companies involved in other recent acquisitions, this deal definitely makes the competitive landscape more interesting. The founder of Voodoo PC said earlier this spring that it's working on a game performance-oriented retail brand. That's a direct shot at Velocity Micro and its already considerable retail shelf presence.

By scooping up Overdrive PC, Velocity Micro has made a move to protect … Read more

Need that next on-the-go gaming session to go all night? The new Extended PSP Battery from Blue Raven Technology may be your dream product. The snap-on, lithium-polymer, 4,500mAh battery pack aims to deliver as much as 15 hours of PSP playtime--a big step up from the 3 to 5 hours offered by the PSP's default battery. But the increased playtime comes at a cost: The Extended PSP Battery is about the same size and weight as the PSP itself (5 ounces for the battery vs. 6.2 for the PSP), and it costs a whopping $90. On the … Read more