GameSHOUT's Holiday Gamer Gear Guide

Join the GameSHOUT Tech Lab as it reviews great gadgets for gift-giving this holiday season. Included are gaming keyboards and mice from Microsoft and Logitech as well as console games and gear. If you are looking for just the right gift for your gamer this holiday season, look no further. They are all right here!

Twas the week before Christmas, and all through GameSHOUT, all the techs were busy testing, and trying gadgets and games out.

The stockings that hung by the chimney with care, were hoped to be filled with gadgets that glare.

And so it goes as GameSHOUT brings you the 2008 GameSHOUT Holiday Gamer Guide, a collection of some of the best games and gadgets that we have tried and tested to bring you the scoop on what’s hot and what’s not among a variety of gamer gadgets and games for your PC and console platforms, that would make good gifts for this holiday season.

Granted, not every gadget that we tested made it into the Gamer Gear Guide. Some were just not up to a level that we could recommend them, while others made the list and could be heartily recommended.

Additionally, some of the games and gadgets that we looked into are for differing age groups. So if you are looking for a game for a younger child, that great peripheral for your teenager, or that mouse or keyboard for your favorite adult gamer, they will all be represented here.

So hang on for the ride as GameSHOUT takes you on a ride through the GameSHOUT Holiday Gamer Gear Guide!!

We start out with some great gaming gadgets from Microsoft; the Microsoft SideWinder X6 Gaming Keyboard. This is an awesome piece of equipment that is completely customizable. For example, the 10-key pad may be on the customary right side of the keyboard, or moved to the left to facilitate more 1-key macros at your left fingertips. And with the press of a button, your keyboard can easily switch from a great business keyboard, to the ultimate gaming keyboard.

If you are using Windows Vista, one touch of a button can take you to your Games Explorer window, while if you are using XP, it will open a keyboard properties window allowing you to make a huge number of custom changes. There are 30 keys that support up to 90 macros. And a macro toggle button that switch between each default gaming mode. Now you have the ability to have plenty of shortcut buttons for virtually every game you play.

You can also create automatic gaming profiles, where your keyboard knows which game you are playing. And how about a button that you can press jute to keep you running all the time. This comes in handy when you need to get across large expansive land masses in World of Warcraft or many of the other MMORPGs, and you just keep moving until you tell it to stop.

Of course there is the one great thing that I instantly fell in love about this keyboard…its backlit. This is SO cool…all of the main keys are red and the macro keys are yellow, not only around the key but the letter or number of the key lights up as well. This allows you to play in nay lighting condition, even when mom says “lights out”. Shhhh…I won’t tell if you don’t tell. This is a great keyboard to add to your wish list.

Now how can we review the SideWinder keyboard without testing out the matching gaming mouse? So we looked at the SideWinder X5 Mouse. This is a very fast and precise gaming mouse, almost strictly with gaming in mind. The design of the X5 Mouse is to make the mouse feel natural in your hand as you play your game for hours on end. Of course, it can also be used for hours of work comfortable as well, but this mouse was definitely built with gaming in mind.

The shape not only makes it comfortable in your hand, but the buttons are in the right places and easy to find in a hurry when you want to pull a Fatal1ty on your friend in Unreal Tournament. It also will allow you to change its speed on the fly with the simple press of a button. You can also customize your X5 by programming 5 out of its 9 buttons.

The X5 is a wired mouse for that reliable connection and very sensitive. Well as sensitive as you want it to be as you can change the sensitivity to 400, 800, or 2,000 DPI, or you can customize the buttons to select your own DPI setting. And like the keyboard, the mouse will let you click a button and go directly to your games.

Now I have to admit that I am a complete unwired mouse fan, and I am REALLY looking forward to reviewing the new SideWinder X8 mouse when it launches next month, but I am also enjoying the X5 greatly in that I don’t have to worry about keeping it charged or worrying about losing a charge in the middle of a game. So this X5 definitely has certain advantages that my previous unwired mice did not have. So again, I would encourage you to add the Microsoft SideWinder X5 game mouse to your holiday wish list. And stick-tuned here for next month’s review of the X8…hehe.

The next keyboard we will mention is not exactly a gaming keyboard but is the KeyRight Look & Learn Keyboard. This is a keyboard that is designed to take 2-finger typers like me and turn them into a better typer. The keys are color-coded, and will easily replace your standard keyboard. It will also make it easier to game on the fly by using the color coding as a guide. Its designed to match the right key color to the right finger.

Now it does come with a free typing tutor CD that can help make you a better tyer in just a few hours. And it is possible that this could also make you a faster gamer if you are more comfortable with the keyboard. So if you are in need of typing improvement, this is a good keyboard for you too. And we found it very easy to use, not only for typing our reviews, (which I do type faster now), but it also made it easy not to get lost on the keyboard while playing that twitch-shooter like Fallout 3.

Now let’s switch gears and let Soulrift tell us about a keyboard and mouse that he did some work on for the Gamer Gear Guide at the GameSHOUT Tech Labs.

Thanks Mav.

First up, I got the opportunity to review a Das Keyboard Professional. Although there are plenty of “gaming” keyboards on the market, it turns out that many are built upon gimmicks rather than performance. Being able to record macros might be fun, but if you can’t move and strafe and reload at the same time, your no macro is going to save you from the horde of zombies tearing your sorry empty-clip behind a new one.

Unlike gaming keyboards with their emphasis on looks, the Das Keyboard has a minimalist design, with no backlighting, no media keys, and no macros. It is, however, a very sleek and professional looking keyboard. It also has no burdensome or buggy drivers: you plug it into the USB port and, voila, it’s good to go. What I was interested in was what’s under the keys. The Das Keyboard features one of the most advanced and powerful keyboard control mechanisms as well as mechanical key switches.

The Das Keyboard has a fantastic control mechanism that lets you press up to twelve keys simultaneously. That’s right: 12. You might not ever actually find an opportunity to press that many keys (I pretty much had to mash everything in reach to test that limit) but it does mean that there are no ‘ghosting’ issues. On many cheaper keyboards, including gaming keyboards like last year’s Microsoft Reclusa, there are groups of keys you cannot press at the same time, such as A, Q, and E. If you happen to be playing a WASD-based shooter on a cheap keyboard, and you want to move forward, turn left, and do whatever’s bound to your Q key, you’re out of luck.

The Das Keyboard harkens back to the days before corners were cut in keyboard design in more ways than just n-key rollover. Most modern keyboards use a cheap plastic bubble sheet to push the keys back up again after you push them down. The soft, cushiness might be nice for chatting, but it isn’t very responsive for gaming. When you’re gaming, you want to be able to feel, in the keyboard, the moment the key is considered down. The Das Keyboard has mechanical switches on the keys, with an audible ‘click’ that you can both hear and feel, when the key is pressed. The whole experience can become rather loud, so it’s also perfect if you want to drive your co-workers nuts with the clicky-clacky of typing.

If it’s performance you want, you simply can’t get a better keyboard than the Das Keyboard. They even have an Ultimate version with no labels on any of the keys. It was designed to aid touch-typists by eliminating the impulse to look at the keyboard, but it’s also a great way to impress your friends at the next LAN party!

Next up, the Logitech G9 gaming mouse! This actually came out last year, but we’re including it in our guide again this year because it’s such a big hit. This mouse took every feature a gamer could want and wrapped it up in one slick package. I’ll give you a rundown of all the features, but you might just want to skip to the verdict, run out and buy yourself one for the holidays!

The G9 has an ultra-sensitive laser for the most accurate and precise movement available even at 20G of acceleration or zipping it across your mouse pad at over five feet per second. It can register up to 3200 DPI and provides 1000 reports per second over high-speed USB. It can also change DPI settings on the go, with small buttons on the top of the mouse; in easy reach, but you’ll never hit them accidentally, the way I sometimes do with the MS Sidewinder mouse. An LED readout tells you what setting you’re at. Incidentally, you can reconfigure what color you want your LED to be, with just about anything in the color spectrum as options.

The main buttons click very smoothly and precisely with a very satisfying click. The G9 also has two thumb buttons in the standard front/back layout, however these are modified by the grip you put on the mouse; more on that later. The mouse wheel has the options to both click it and tilt it, but unlike the G7 mouse, you can’t accidentally tilt when you mean to click, making all three functions viable for gaming. Furthermore, the wheel has a switch for ‘clicky’ mode and ‘hyper’ mode, so you can chose whether or not your wheel ‘clicks’ as you scroll it, just like the MX Revolution.

The other big feature of the mouse is the grips. Naked, the mouse is very small, and fully functional, but the idea is to stick a grip onto it so it fits your hand better. The G9 ships with two grips, a precision grip and a wide-load grip, but you can also order custom ID Grips from the Logitech website. These grips also change the shape of the thumb buttons slightly, in size and shape. I really like the precision grip for gaming, though the wide-load grip was soft and nice for some casual surfing too.

As if all this wasn’t enough, the mouse also has a weight tray, so you can tweak the weight of the mouse for maximum performance. Really, the G9 is the ultimate gaming mouse, though the upcoming Sidewinder X8 might give Logitech something to try and beat in the next generation of wireless mouse wars.

I only had one complaint about the Logitech G9: that I could not map the shift and control key presses to the thumb buttons. Apparently this is a problem with the Set Point software and a fix is in the works; it should be out sometime by early next year. In the meanwhile, you can map generic mouse buttons and those are recognized by most games; you just have to do some re-mapping of your key inputs.

Back to you, Mav!

Now moving onto console devices, again this holiday season we see the release of a number of music games. First is Harmonix, EA, and MTV Games Rock Band 2. If you have had the chance to play the first offering of the game, you are in luck because Rock Band 2 goes even farther and gives you even more.

Still is the focus on a team effort as guitars, drums, and singing all merge into one game and one band’s focus. This is an ultimate party game allowing everyone to become a rock superstar. Yes, you can do it alone, but this game, like most is better played with friends. And Rock Band 2 takes it even farther by adding an online mode that kicks butt.

Add to that 84 new songs that are all master tracks that span the ages…well at least my ages as Rock Band 2 takes us from the 1960’s through today. The artists that most of you will be interested in include AC/DC, Metallica, Journey, Talking Heads, Pearl Jam, Megadeath, Bon Jovi, and tons more. But one of the best parts is that if you want, for only $5, you can import all of your Rock Band 1 songs into Rock Band 2, as long as you own Rock Band 1 as well.

As for the game gear of Rock Band 2, it’s easily playable right out of the box. With tons of new features and not just the world tour. But the game controllers, the instruments are awesome and easy to pick up and play. One improvement that I liked is the drummer trainer. It was hard to pick up the sticks and be a great drummer with Rock Band 1, but this second iteration will make that a little easier. It basically puts you through a series of common drum patterns, getting you ready to be a much better drummer.

The guitars have also been fine tuned, especially the strum bar. This was reported to be easily broken in Rock Band 1 but the new peripherals don’t seem as soft and mushy, but feel like they are put together better.

But my favorite is the bass guitar. No, it’s not just because it’s the easiest, but I used to play a bass in a college band and love to relive those days, but have lost most of my skills over the years.

For this reason, I have to recommend the Madcatz officially licensed Rock Band accessories. This 360 bass is a real solid piece of equipment and it is like playing a real Fender Precision Bass. No longer will you have to put up with pretending that the 2nd guitar you had from RB1 is a bass, (and actually I cut off 2 of the string pegs to make it look more like a bass, hehe).

This bass has all the details too including the whammy dial, split strum bar for 2-finger bass play, plus the strum bar is designed to last more than 2 ½ million cycles, so you will wear out long before this bass does. Of course you have the ability to play this bass either left or right handed and have the solo keys too, but I think what I liked the most was that Fender logo and styling.

My friends, THIS is THE bass to have, so you have to check this out. And while you are there, check out all the Madcatz products at http://www.madcatz.com/.

Naturally there are more music games on the market and we would certainly be lax in our guide if we did also mention Activision’s Guitar Hero World Tour. This is really the true sequel Guitar Hero III and now you have the ability to, like Rock Band, be much more team oriented.

Guitar Hero World Tour adds the drums and microphone to the mix now making World Tour a true party game experience now. And add to that the ability to play bass, and now you are really rockin’. Add to that a sound track that includes Jimmi Hendrix, Van Halen, and many, many more bands through rock history. And add to that the ability to download more music and that keeps the rockin’ going for a long time.

There are tons of features to GH World Tour, but one of my favorite was the ability to choose quick play, set up my music set and then play away. Yes there is the ability to create a band and go through the tour also, and though there are a few issues with that system and how it all ties the band to only the leader, it is still a great play. One of the problems was with the band management but that is easy to work with.

One of the things I was impressed with were the drums. This set also has cymbals as well. How cool is that? You have the three drum pads and the cymbals, and the kick pedal. It makes the experience feel more like you are playing a real kit rather than a pretend setup. The only drawback was that there was no place to anchor the kick pedal, but that not a problem that duct tape can’t solve.

And if you haven’t yet gotten your fill of music, Disney has its Nintendo Wii and DS release Ultimate Band. This is a game that does not come with guitars and drums but uses the Wii Remote to simulate the guitar. This can be a bit confusing at times because instead of playing plastic instruments, you wiggle and shake the Wii Remote and Nunchuck to simulate the instruments.

Ultimate Band allows for up to four players, each simulating the lead guitar, bass, drums, and frontman. It is designed to give you the feeling of playing in a real band though many might rather have the actual instruments in their hands. But if your console is only a Wii, and you want to have the experience of the band play, and are into the music, this is not a bad option to have.

There are a number of games that have been released for the younger generation. The leap Frog games are great for teaching your kids math, spelling, and more, and at the same time, the kids won’t know that they are learning. They’ll just be having fun.

Other games that have been released for kids that deserve a look into are published by 2K Play and are right up the younger gamer’s alley. Developed for the Nintendo Wii and the DS are Diego and the Great Dinosaur Rescue, Dora Saves the Snow Princess, Diego Safari Rescue, and Wonder Pets Save the Animals. One of my family favorites for the Nintendo Wii though has to be Carnival Games Mini Golf. This is miniature golf at its best and definitely worth a look into for the whole family.

Well, we hope you have enjoyed our Holiday Gamer Gear Guide and found the tips for your favorite game for this holiday season helpful. Of course as I said in the beginning, there are SO many gadgets and games that we tested and reviewed for this guide, and not all of them were selected for the guide, but as we get more gadgets and games, you will hear all about them, right here on GameSHOUT.

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