PLAYSTATION®3 (160GB) Bundle

Step up to the ultimate HD gaming experience with this 160GB PLAYSTATION®3 bundle. It includes Uncharted: Drake's Fortune game, DUALSHOCK®3 wireless controller and voucher for downloadable game. In addition to internet-ready Wi-Fi and 160GB of hard disk space, this PS3™ features blistering processing speeds, eye-popping graphics and up to 7.1 channels of digital surround sound. As its digital soul, the Cell Broadband Engine™ represents a tour de force in parallel processing while the built-in Blu-ray Disc™ drive delivers a whole new generation in HD gaming and unmatched digital media storage. The PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system is ready for the future with support for advanced HDMI™ v1.3 spec features such as x.v.Color™ and Deep Color. Plus, the PS3 can play your entire catalog of CDs and DVDs
Sony USA

A new Hand-held device

Conny M2 Handheld Console

Conny, a Chinese company was showing off a handheld called the M2, which, stands for "multi-games, multimedia."

The device has a 3.5-inch LCD touchscreen, which can be used with a finger or the included stylus. There are two cameras on the rear of the device--one for stills and one for video. The handheld can also play video and music. There's also a built in accelerometer. Players can affect games by shaking the device or turning.
Perhaps the coolest thing about the M2 is that users can plug the console into a TV and use the device as a gesture-based controller for the action on screen.

The device ships with 100 games. More are available for download. The M2 has yet to come to the States, but Conny says it's working on it.

The Third Dimension in Home theater

Any one that has ever experienced a good home theater system will speak of how great the video quality was, the size of the television, how loud the sound was or the great sound separation they heard from the speaker system. Audio and video are definitely the main components of an enjoyable home theater system, but there is a third dimension in home theater. This third dimension is achieved through adding sycronized physical movement to your home theater experience.

The idea is fairly new to home theater enthusiast, but it has been incorporated in many attractions at amusement parks. Ever been to one of those interactive movies at the amusement park? The seats move, water shoots out and various other actions based on the movie on the screen. Those extra elements help to draw you even further into the production. Of course, that type production cost big bucks and isn't really practical for the average home setup. In spite of the aforementioned factors, you can get something close.

Bass Shakers

Bass Shakers or Tactile Transducers work on the concept that low bass is mostly felt and not heard. Feel the earth-shaking bass from your music, movies or video game soundtracks. Originally designed for automotive applications to produce big bass without taking up valuable space in the car. The majority of tactile transducers are simple low frequency electromechanical devices. Particularly, this is the case with Aura bass shakers in view of their extremely limited frequency response.

Tactile transducers are designed to attach directly to large surfaces such as home theater seats, couches, and flooring.

Once activated, these will drive the supporting surface structure into vibrations over the tactile range. The surface now acts as the diaphragm, somewhat similar to the cone in an ordinary speaker.

Tactile transducers help the viewer feel rather than hear the low-end frequencies found in movies and music. They are calibrated specifically to produce an accurate tactile sense, otherwise missing from music and movie sound tracks.

When attached to a resonant surface, they will effectively increase the portion of tactile sound as 'felt' by the viewer in comparison to that produced by sub woofers and ordinary speakers. Consequently, the viewer will be able to feel the natural percussive impact of sounds when watching a movie or listening to music.

Unlike a sub woofer and normal speakers, tactile transducers do not make the room overly load. The greater perceived loudness of a tactile sound transducer equipped system allows listening at lower sound volumes.

This does not mean that tactile transducers are there to replace sub woofers and speakers. This is not the case; rather their presence should be to complement the sub woofer and speakers performance.

The optimum sound level for a sub-woofer is when you can just feel rather than hear the bass. Through the use of tactile transducers, this is even easier to achieve while maintaining the sub woofer sound at a more natural level. In a similar manner, the best setting for the tactile transducer is when you can just feel the seat shaking. Do not overdo it. The illusion that the percussive impact of sound is a natural extension of the movie soundtrack should remain.

In addition, use of specially designed rubber mounts on home theater seats and flooring equipped with tactile transducers, will help keep effects and vibration isolated from other things in the room. In other words, in a proper installation, low frequency vibrations will not be carried throughout the entire house.


There are many applications for the shakers. Explore some options here.

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Microsoft adresses the "Red Ring of Death"

In another setback for Microsoft Corp.'s unprofitable entertainment and devices division, the company says it is planning to spend at least $1 billion to repair serious problems with its Xbox 360 video game console.

Microsoft declined to detail the problems that have caused an onslaught of "general hardware failures" in recent months but said Thursday it will extend the warranty on the consoles to three years.

The glitches, and the bad publicity, could weigh the company down as it claws for market share in the highly competitive console market. In May, the Xbox 360 ranked No. 2 in unit sales behind Nintendo's Wii, but still beat out Sony's Playstation 3, according to data from NPD Group.

"We don't think we've been getting the job done," said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, which also makes the Zune digital music player, a distant competitor to Apple Inc.'s powerhouse iPod. "In the past few months, we have been having to make Xbox 360 console repairs at a rate too high for our liking."

Bach said the company made some manufacturing and production changes that he expects will reduce Xbox 360 hardware lockups, but he declined to identify the problems or say which others might remain. Microsoft said it will record a charge of up to $1.15 billion for its fourth fiscal quarter, which ended June 30, to cover the additional costs associated with the warranty extension.

PlayStation 3 may be upstaged by PS2

While media and gamer attention might be focused on the PlayStation 3, Sony (for now) has higher hopes for the nearly seven year old PlayStation 2 video game system.

Phil Harrison, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, told CNNMoney.com the company has raised its sales projections for the older console this year. He stopped short of giving specific revised target numbers. The company previously had forecast shipping 13 million PS2s this year.

The enthusiasm for the PS2 comes as Sony prepares to launch "God of War 2," the sequel to one of the system's most popular titles. Early reviews for the game make it the PS2's best-ranked title.

"The PS2 is currently over 115 million units worldwide and there are still some incredible software experiences for it," said Harrison. "There's still a lot of life left in the system."

While it's no longer as sexy as it used to be in consumer eyes, the PS2 is a profit machine for Sony (Charts). The system, which still sells for $129 in the U.S. and €149 in Europe, is not sold at a loss (unlike the PS3, on which Sony reportedly loses more than $200 per unit). Additionally, since "God of War 2" was developed in-house, the company will pocket a larger percentage of each game sale.

CNNMoney.com

PlayStation 3 price cut may be ahead

Japanese electronics giant Sony may cut the price of its PlayStation 3 by $100 worldwide in October, according to an analyst with Goldman Sachs.

Yuji Fujimori wrote in a note Tuesday that lowering the cost of the game console, which competes with Microsoft's (Charts) XBox 360 and Nintendo's (Charts) Wii, will not undermine the unit's long-term profitability.

The PS3, criticized by consumers and industry watchers for its high price, can cost up to $700, although the basic model retails for $499.

"The PS3 price has long been cited as high," Fujimori wrote, noting that cutting the price of game consoles has historically quadrupled volumes.

CNNMoney.com

HotSeats

HotSeats are video and gaming chairs that put you right in the action. Every model is equipped with a 5.1 digital surround-sound system and subwoofer unit built into the underside of the chassis. The HotSeat Racer GTX model is a racing simulator that is compatible with all gaming consoles. The HotSeat Flight Sim is the ultimate flight simulator and is compatible with your PC. All HotSeats are built from welded-steel tubing and high-grade aluminum. The patented seat slider adjusts to accommodate gamers of all sizes.