Gadzooki

New Accessories and Pricing

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Joystiq has the scoop on some well known Xbox 360 accessories and their rumored prices.

One of the most seen new accessories is the Xbox Live Vision camera, which will come with a full version of UNO and a month of Live Gold service for $39.99 USD.

Some other things we can expect include new faceplaces freaturing Halo, Forza 2, Viva Pinata for around $19.99 USD each, wireless headsets with a 30 foot range for $59.99 and a 256MB Memory Unit for $59.99.

I am still waiting for a larger hard drive option or something, while core users are going to get a massive upgrade in the size of memory card they can have.

Xbox 360 Webcam Gets Launch Date

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Xbox Live VisionIn a recent Major Nelson podcast, he sat down to talk about some of the features coming to the Xbox 360 in the big Spring update, that is supposed to be here by now, but that is not the big news.

The big news is an update on the release date for the Xbox 360 webcam, called the Xbox Live Vision, which is now set for release September 19th in America and Europe.

I am not sure how many people will jump at the chance at putting a webcam on the top of their televisions, but if nothing else, it could help make UNO more fun for those that are not currently very into it.

Microsoft Xbox 360 Accessories Priced?

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Joystiq has a source that leaked some details on pricing for the soon to be released accessories for the Xbox 360.

  • 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver: $20
  • Wireless Racing Wheel: $130
  • Wireless headset: $60
  • Xbox Live Vision Camera: with headset, one month of Live Gold, and one Xbox Live Arcade game: $40
  • Halo & Forza Faceplates: New faceplates for Halo (with the Master Chief on ‘em, but not Halo 3 specific) and Forza: $20 each
  • 256 MB portable Memory Unit: no official price yet, but definitely not four times the cost of the older 64MB Memory Unit

Everything seems pretty reasonable in price, though the racing wheel is more than I would like it to be. I wonder though if a 256 MB Memory Unit is still even close to being big enough? Can’t they get some of those small 1.5″ hard drives in the two to four gigabyte range for people to use? Atleast then they could save a demo on one.

PS3 Controller Confirmed

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PS3 ControllerAt the E3 conference, Sony has disclosed more details on the upcoming PlayStation 3, and one of those is that the console will be using a controller design with a form factor quite similar to the PlayStation 1 (and 2). Great! None of that boomerang/batman-type controller crap that many loved to hate!

Some comments at ForeverGeek:

The controller is now lighter and wireless and uses Bluetooth to communicate with the console, but, it has the option of connecting to the PS3 via USB (thank God they didn’t make another proprietary port) and also recharges with it. After the positive feedback that Nintendo got after they unveiled their controller Sony decided to do something similar for their Dualshock and added a similar function to their controller. Though it isn’t a full 3D sensor, it can sense tilting and is adequate for games in which you drive or pilot a flying ship (as demonstrated in the Warhawk playable demo).

Great. So the PS3’s controller will have trigger-like L2 and R2 buttons (great for first person shooters), and a tilt-sensor. The controller reportedly has a batter life of 24 hours–much less than the Xbox 360’s 300 or so hours, but this is because Sony will be using Bluetooth 2.0 EDR, instead of 2.4GHz RF. A concession: you can hot-plug the controller via USB to charge, and still continue playing, with the controller on wired mode.

Gripes notwithstanding, I think it’s great Sony went for a more “conventional” form factor.

Quick Charge kit Debuts at $29.99

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Quick Charge kitI currently am using a cord on my wireless controller to charge up the battery, and I would love to have the new Quick Charge kit that is finally out for $29.99 USD.

Joystiq had a 30 second review on it not too long ago which included words like: fast, sexy, better, and easy.

Will I grab one of them? Maybe when I get a second controller or something, and have a need to charge the batteries back up in around two hours.

New Customizable Faceplate Kit

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Nyko GameFace 360

A new product is out from Nyko that allows gamers to print out and then snap together their own Xbox 360 faceplate. I don’t know how well it would work or how good it would look, but I like the idea of being able to print my own designs as faceplates for my Xbox 360.

The whole thing costs about $20 and is pretty ingenious. It uses two snap-together plates (a base and front) and all users have to do is download the software, design something spiffy, and print it out. By placing the design between the transparent top and the lower base, gamers have created their very own custom faceplate! The kit comes with 15 blank templates and promises “high quality construction, designed for easy installation and removal.”

Nyko’s GameFace 360 is now available at GameStop, EB Games, Game Crazy and Circuit City (MSRP $19.99). Check www.nyko.com for a complete list of retailers.

via: Xbox360Fanboy

TeamXbox.com Readers’ Xbox 360 Faceplate Extravaganza

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TeamXbox.com held a contest for readers to create Xbox 360 faceplates, and they have a winner.

A couple a weeks ago we sent out the challenge to our readers to create their own Xbox 360 faceplate designs as a part of our TeamXbox.com Readers’ Xbox 360 Faceplate Extravaganza. We recieved a ton of entries and it was very difficult to pick the finalists but we managed to narrow it down to a select few.

We then left the final decision up to our readers who voted on the finalists in our forums. After a week of voting, the results are in and we have an undisputed winner!

TeamXbox.com Readers’ Xbox 360 Faceplate Extravaganza

Isn’t that a great faceplate? Simple, but very pleasing to the eye. I could see myself using that for my Xbox 360, though I’d want black side panels and whatnot to match. Hmm… A black Xbox 360.

Plantronics GameCom X30 Headset Review

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Plantronics GameCom X30Over at 360Insider they have put up their full review of the Plantronics GameCom X30 Headset for the Xbox 360.

In my testing both the sound and mic quality are superb. The Halo 2 headset had an in-ear design which provided great voice audio quality, but muffled the sound from your TV speakers for whichever ear the headset was in. The X30 headset provides similar audio quality, but since it doesn’t go as far inside the ear you can still hear all the other crucial game sounds. Regarding the mic, the noise-cancelation seemed to work well and others in the game could hear me loud and clear.

In the end they liked it because of its great audio and mic quality, as well as how light and comfortable it was. The thing they mentioned disliking was that the volume control was in-line rather than at the plug.

Nyko Intros Xbox 360 Cooling Solution

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Nyko Intros Xbox 360 Cooling SolutionExtremeTech has a quick heads up on a product from Nyko Technologies. A device to compete against the Pelican PL-3619 cooling device, for around the same price.

According to Nyko’s own tests, the Intercooler reduces the temperature within the 360 by between two and ten degrees Fahrenheit, depending upon the location.

The device is powered by the Xbox 360 through a pass-through cable, so no additional wiring is necessary, Nyko said. Nyko representatives weren’t available to answer questions at post time about how muc noise the fans generate.

Nyko also announced the Intelligent Remote 360 on Tuesday, another $19.99 peripheral that allows users to control the Xbox 360 — when used as a media center, not a game console — and television with the same device.

Plantronics GameCom X30 headset

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Plantronics GameCom X30 headset360 Insider looks at the Plantronics headset, and without a full review, I am not sure how he felt about it, but it is nice to see more accessories hitting the shelves for the Xbox 360.

Plantronics sent me their latest Xbox 360 accessory–the GameCom X30 headset for Xbox and Xbox 360. While it works for the older Xbox, the color scheme and inline volume and on/off switch let you know this was designed for the 360 from the ground up. With the CoD 2 multiplayer patch finally out, and GRAW and other big Live games out and on the horizon, it’s about time we get a headset for the hardcore gamers among us.

It definetly looks…interesting.