Although the 2009 E3 Expo seems completely obsessed with the games, the show also brought forth some interesting products to enhance that gaming experience. Some of these products include headsets, gaming monitors and gaming laptops. We check in with Turtle Beach, Tritton Technologies, NEC and Alienware to see what’s new and what gamers should be spending their hard earned dollars on.
43″ Curved Gaming with the Ostendo CDM43 Monitor
One of the gaming stations also had Ostendo’s new CDM43 monitor powered by yet another Alienware gaming system. It’s their newly announced 43″ curved monitor available sometimes in July of 2009. The monitor has a two fold purpose: It gives you an utterly amazing gaming experience and it also makes your friends extremely jealous!
Check out the video:
Originally seen at CES 2009, the monitor needed a few tweaks and it looks like those tweaks have paid off in a vastly improved. One of the things some people notice at an angle are the seams between screens. However, this is completely invisible when positioned anywhere in front of the 43″ span making the seams a moot point. She’s one curvaceous beauty!
The monitor is very similar to NEC’s new CRV43 Ultra Widescreen monitor, sharing the same $7999 US price tag.
Tritton Technologies
I’m no stranger to Tritton Tecchnologies. At CES 2009, I experienced a good thirty minutes of intense gaming wearing one of their headsets. In fact, there’s a good chance you’ve seen their AX Pro 5.1 Headsets being used in the televised World Cyber Games: Ultimate Gamer Challenge where gamers compete in a vast array of video games for the right to be called champion Since everyone loves a great audio experience.
At the show, we had a chance to check out Tritton’s new AX 720 and AX 900 Headsets to see what all the “noise” was about. Check out our interview and new product walkthrough below:
The AX 720 offers Dolby Digital 5.1 performance and completely supports Mac, PS3, PC, and Xbox including voice compatibility. The back of the AX 720’s base unit allows for an array of audio features that can also support Mp3 players or even iPhones.
The AX 900 offers the same audio features and support as the AX 720 except for the fact they’re wireless. These complete Tritton’s arsenal by giving the Nintendo Wii fans a superb option since wires aren’t any fun while trying to hit one out of the park. The color also matches. How cool is that?
Also on display were the new AX Pro Headsets feature the custom air brushed themes. While they may not be news to you, you’ll be pleased to know that the units have finally shipped and you’ll be seeing them on the shelves (and our test bench) in the immediate weeks to come. Judging by my experiences thus far, we expect them to give any other gaming enthusiast head sets a run for their money.
Alienware
During the event, some men and women in black paraded themselves around the E3 showfloor carrying aluminum cases that allegedly contained the new M17x gaming laptop. It’s an all new revised laptop sporting a 17″ 1920 x 1200 LCD optimized for gaming. We played around with it on our own for a bit before finally getting the word as to what makes it better than the rest. Check out the video:
The models we sampled offered the pinnacle of laptop configurations. This included dual mobile GTX 280Ms as well as Intel Quad Core Extreme CPUs. Memory was also available for maxing out at up to 8GB. Base models start at $1799 with a single GTX 280M but can head upwards of $3500 if you want to blow a ton of cash for dual GPUs, bigger hard drives (and SSDs) and more RAM.
All M17X sport the customizable LED back lit function so you can set it to what ever color theme you like via the handy software. In addition, there is also a new facial recognition software that acts as a security sentinel. This makes it perfect for gamers that want to have something just a little more unique than your average gaming laptop.
Turtle Beach
The folks at Turtle Beach were busy pimping out their new Playstation 3 headset. The new EarForce P21 gaming headset offers an In-Line USB-Powered Amplifier that combines quality in-game audio and PlayStation Network Chat into an affordable package. The inline control allows independent control of game and voice signals while a variable bass boost control enhances in game audio effects like gunfire and explosions. A proprietary chat boost also enhances chat levels during loud gaming sequences.
One of the unique things on this headset besides the fully articulated mic are the ear cups. Instead of a dense pleather or velur material, the ear cups are engineered for air flow and cooling with the use of a sport mesh. This also makes the headset quite light. Inside the cups are 40mm drivers that provide for an impressive aural experience at only $79.99 US when they arrive at retail anytime.
For more E3 2009 coverage check out our Futurelooks YouTube Channel for more live game and product demos.
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