Zalman Gun Gaming Mouse at CeBit 08

I was just checking out stuff at the Zalman stall when I came across this sign - Don't click... FIRE! Curiosity got the better of the gamer in me, and I headed in that direction just to find this weird looking device in place of a mouse. There have been several mouse alternatives in the past but nothing came close to delivering in gaming the way a mouse does. Needless to say they all flopped. However this FPS Gun gaming mouse from Zalman looks a lot more promising. It is hard to describe how it looks. It has an unusual shape, somewhat like an inverted gun from Star Trek.On the technical front, it has a 2000 dpi laser sensor with image processing speed of up to 6,400 frames per second. It can handle a top speed of 15 inches per second with an acceleration of 15g. There are a fair number of programmable buttons on the device that are ergonomically placed to optimise the FPS (First Person Shooter) gaming experience. I tried my hand at COD2 Multiplayer and I have to admit that the device is pretty cool. It doesn't take much time to get a hang of it, and before too long I was giving some local German gamers a tough time (oh yes you were dude!). Having said that I am not sure I would want to replace my MX518 with the FPS Gun in Counter Strike yet, I certainly wouldn't mind using it in all single-player shooters that I play.
The Zalman FPS Gun debuted here at 45 Euros (approx Rs 2,700) It's India pricing and availability is not known yet.Source

Zapak Launches a Gaming Tournament

Zapak Digital Entertainment Limited, is organizing 'Zapak Gameplex Battlefield' - a National Gaming Tournament, to be held in 11 cities across India at Zapak Gameplex from the 7th of March to 30th March 2008 on weekends. The tournament is sponsored by Logitech, the co-sponsored by Wipro Morpheus and Mahindra Renault LOGAN and the media partner for the tournament is AXN.The tournament will be played in a knock-out game format and has games like Counter Strike 1.6, Flatout 2 and FIFA07. Participation is open for all.Rohit Sharma, COO, Zapak Digital Entertainment Ltd., said "Gaming thrives on competitions and what better way to nurture competitions than through Championships. This has been the key reason behind creating and hosting 'Zapak Gameplex Battlefield'. However unlike other gaming championships, 'Zapak Gameplex Battlefield' will be National Championship operating from regional grounds rather than focusing only on metros; after which we will escalate this to a national level. Our aim is to give equal opportunity to all gamers across India."Zapak is offering prizes worth above Rs. 11 lakh. Prizes worth Rs. 19,000 are up for grabs every week in cash and game time, with the winning team in Counterstrike bagging Rs. 7,000 and the FIFA 07 winner pocketing Rs. 3,500. The winner in Flat Out takes home Rs. 3,500 too.Source

First Rugged Laptop by DELL

Dell has unveiled its first fully ruggedized laptop, the Latitude XFR D630. The rugged laptop, intended for government and commercial customers, is available in the U.S. and starts at $3,899. The Latitude XFR D630 meets MIL-STD 810F standards from the Department of Defense for products that operate in extreme temperatures, moisture and altitude. The system shares common images and components with Dell's current line of Latitude laptops to greatly simplify deployment and maintenance."The Latitude XFR D630 represents a tectonic shift towards simplicity in the ruggedized laptop space," said Brett McAnally, director, Dell Product Group. "We are taking a multi-dimensional approach that focuses on simplified deployment, service and durability without sacrificing performance. Major competitors focus their efforts on 'rugged' only."The Latitude XFR D630 also features outdoor readable screen at 500 nits, integrated resistive touch technology to easily interface with the system, shock isolated mounting to help protect hard drive, LCD and core electronic elements, dual locking butterfly mechanisms for easy access to components and a sealed keyboard designed to withstand driving rain and dust.Source

New NFS and Skate Announcements Soon....!!!!

At EA’s "Meet the Makers" event held in Singapore yesterday I had a chance to talk to John Doyle from EA’s Black Box studios, Vancouver, Canada. In case you didn’t know, Doyle and his team are the people behind both the Need for Speed series as well as last year’s Skate.hen asked about the new Need for Speed game (pardon the horrible Photoshop job), Doyle told me that EA would be making a formal announcement in the next 3-4 months. Even though he didn’t quite come out and say it, he was hinting at the fact that they may go back to the whole Most Wanted-ish sandbox style of gameplay (finally!)Also expect a brand new game mechanic since Doyle claims that every NFS game out there brings something new to the table. Undergound had the whole tuner scene happening, Most Wanted was just plain awesome, Carbon had Autoscultping and Canyon Duels, while Pro Street was... uhh, crap?Prying any sort of information from these guys is a Herculean task and no matter how many questions I bounced at him he just kept smiling at me, probably wishing I would shut the f**k up. Anyway, before I moved on to another producer, I asked him what plans he had for Skate since (a) it was very well received; and (b) there’s no way in hell EA’s letting a successful game get away that easily. Once again, he gave me that smug smile and said that the guys back at Black Box would kill him if he said anything. But there was something about his smile that said "Yes we’re working on one but I can’t talk about it or they’ll kill my family". So yeah, I’m guessing we can expect a "formal announcement" in the near future.Source