Top 5 accessories for your Xbox 360 this Christmas

 

When it’s time to look back, 2011 will be remembered as a great year for Xbox 360 gaming. Highlights such as Gears of War 3, Forza Motorsport 4 and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and more have made it one to enjoy.
To help you enjoy your Xbox 360 even more we’ve compiled a list of some of the best accessories worth looking at this Christmas for all budgets. Take a look.

Microsoft Kinect


If you’ve got an Xbox 360 and not yet invested in a Kinect, it’s worth having a think about. A year from launch Kinect now takes advantage of some great games that include Kinect Sports Season 2, Child of Eden, Dance Central 2 and UFC Personal Trainer. If you’ve got children, there’s plenty for them to play, with games such as: Sesame Street: once Upon a Monster, Kinectimals, Kinect Disneyland Adventures, and others. 



New features are being added all the time. This year saw the addition of voice control, which is expected to play a big part next year in upcoming titles such as Mass Effect 3. The latest Xbox 360 dashboard hub now lets owners search for film and gaming content on their console using their voice. Rumours of the next Xbox console doubling as a set-top box acting as a media hub also suggest that Kinect may also play a role in the next generation of Xbox console.


Nyko Zoom


One of the downsides to owning a Kinect unit is requiring enough space to swing your arms. With this add-on you’ll be able to reduce the space needed to play by up to 40 per cent, letting you play in smaller bedrooms. A wide angle optical lens attachment clips onto the Kinect, magnifying the space that Kinect detects. It means that even those with less space can enjoy the delights of swinging a virtual bat in Kinect Sports: Season 2, or doing the silly shuffle in Dance Central. 



Xbox 360 Dual Charger Station

Available from most video game accessory retailers and online stores, the Xbox 360 Dual Charger Station lets you charge two Xbox 360 controllers at once while docked into the console’s USB port. You could even charge one, while playing with the other. Its holder lets you neatly once you’ve finished off that Gears of War 3 Horde session. LED indicators flash from red to green once the controllers are fully charged. It’s basic, but it does the job. 


Microsoft Wireless Speed Wheel


Sure, there are more advanced steering wheel set-ups available, but if you’re looking for a game-changing accessory that won’t break the bank, check out the Microsoft Wireless Speed Wheel. It might look odd, but it’s highly responsive: using motion sensors to guide steering. Rumble feedback, D-pad navigation and trigger buttons to accelerate and brake mean it’s all you need to get enjoying games such as Forza Motorsport 4. It’s officially licensed too, so you know you’ll be getting top quality. 



Astro A40 Audio System and gaming headset


For gadget fans who take their gaming as seriously as their audio, the Astro A40 headset are some of the best gaming headset money can buy. Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound fit for an audiophile, noise cancelling microphone technology and an accompanying MixAmp Pro amp to tailor sound preferences delivers an unrivaled gaming audio experience. Don one of these and you’ll never go back to playing minus a headset ever again. At £220, they are pricey, but you get what you pay for. For a slightly more affordable, but still top-of-the-range alternative, also check out Tritton’s AX 720 headset.
It costs £100 less, also does Dolby 7.1 surround sound and creates a just as immersive aural experience. Just try playing horror game Dead Space 2 with one of these without flinching. Go on. We dare you.
Got a favourite gadget accessory you want for your Xbox 360 this festive season? Let us know about it in the Comments below.

Grand Theft Auto V reveal today: Five things we want to see by

 

Grand Theft Auto V reveal today: Five things we want to see

 

Grand Theft Auto V is coming. That’s right – a fifth Grand Theft Auto game. Later today, at 4pm GMT, Rockstar Games will give the world its very first glimpse of its next car-thefting themed open-world romper. At this moment in time nothing is known about the game, and rumours have been flying as to where it will be set. Perhaps getting ahead of ourselves, here are five things we’d love to see in Grand Theft Auto V.

An unexpected location
A new location may sound like a given, but word on the street is that Rockstar just might be thinking about a return to San Andreas. After all, Grand Theft Auto: San Andrea remains one of the most popular Grand Theft Auto (GTA) games of all time. As much as we love the vast sprawls of San Andreas, there’s always something fresh about exploring somewhere for the first time. London currently tops our wish-list, but after Rockstar revealed the game’s logo, featuring what looks like the font of a dollar bill, it looks like Grand Theft Auto is remaining stateside for now. 



An evolving gameplay experience

The ability to level up and earn XP to improve your character has been creeping into games for some time now. And it’s something we’re hoping to see more of in a big way come the arrival of Grand Theft Auto V. In the GTA games players have been used to earning cash for completing objectives. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas allowed you to enter gyms and buff up, but it would be great to earn experience points to earn the ability to learn new moves. Perhaps the new protagonist can gradually learn kung-fu.

Scenery destruction
Mangling motors has always been a big part of the GTA series. It would be great to see some of that destruction carry over into the rest of the environment. Imagine hiding behind a wall, only to see it eroded away by gunfire, or nearby buildings getting torn apart in explosive crossfire. 

 Rockstar bringing Grand Theft Auto 3 to iOS and Android

More reasons to carry on exploring the city
Up to now GTA games have done a good job of encouraging players to play on after clearing the campaign, thanks to the chance to collect hidden packages and finish any remaining sidequests. But what about after that? Rockstar has been keen to add separate downloadable content (DLC) quests, and we’d love to see that trend continue. At reasonable prices, of course. And how about some free DLC for those that put the effort in. Rockstar’s own Red Dead Redemption has gradually seen free DLC creep in so there’s plenty of hope.

Co-operative mode
Co-op mode, anyone? The Gears of War series has already shown that, done well, an excellent co-op mode can do wonders for a game’s single player campaign. And you can bet your life that Rockstar will do something not yet seen in a Grand Theft Auto game. A co-op mode would see two players simultaneously wreaking all sorts of havoc across the city. The team-working possibilities are endless. But would it work?

Grand Theft Auto V confirmed http://fwd.channel5.com/gadget-show/gadget-news/grand-theft-auto-v-official-launch

Battlefield 3 fastest selling FPS of all time?

 

Battlefield 3 fastest selling FPS of all time?

Battlefield 3 is winning hearts and minds at a staggering rate. Not only has the FPS hit the top spot in it’s first week of release, EA is also estimating that it will hit five million copies sold within his first week on sale. So, could this be the fastest selling FPS game of all time? It’s early days yet but EA is certainly happy with the results.

There seems to be no bigger market right now than the scorched earth of the FPS with both Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 fighting it out for your loyalty and you wallet this Christmas. Electronic Arts, the company being Battlefield 3, has certainly got its spin-doctors in place as the company has announced that it is the fastest selling game in the history of EA games.

EA went on to say that ‘Battlefield 3 has sold through five million units in the first week globally, making it the fastest-selling game in EA’s history’, which is 50 per cent of its initial retail shipments , which is pretty impressive.

It’s not just the single-player game that has proven a success as it seems gamers are logging on online in unprecedented numbers and while servers were put to the test, EA is quoting that servers and service uptime stabilised to roughly 98.9 per cent throughout the weekend.

It comes as no surprise that Battlefield 3 has already kicked, scratched and shot its way to the No.1 position in the UK All Formats Chart, pushing last weeks big seller, Batman: Arkham City, down into second place, and dropping the footballing titles FIFA 12 and Football Manager 2012 down to a more mid-table level. Just Dance 3 rounds out the top five chart for this week.

So, are you already playing Battlefield 3? Does it have the chops to beat Modern Warfare 3? Let us know what you think in the Comments below.

OnLive gaming : 5 things you need to know!

OnLive gaming: 5 things you need to know!

 

OnLive is the latest gaming service. With so many gaming options already on the market, it had to be good, and we were surprised at just how impressive it actually is. Join us after the break to find out everything you need to know about OnLive.

The idea behind OnLive is a simple one. “OnLive delivers high-end video games from the cloud to your PC, Mac®, TV and even mobile devices at blindingly fast speeds, so you can play the games you want, the second you want them. No discs. No downloads. No fancy hardware. Just you, the Internet and the games you love.”

Check out the latest Gadget Show Videos!

It works, too, and we’re impressed at what it has to offer.
CompatabilityOnLive isn’t just suited to one type of gaming platform. Instead, you’ll be able to sign up whether you have a tablet, a PC or a Mac. It’s also available for mobile devices, proving one of the most versatile gaming solutions around.

Share!OnLive isn’t just about playing either. You’ll also be able to join in the fun from thousands of other users, with the ability to watch games from around the world that are already in action.

No computer? Play using your TV!You don’t even have to own a PC or Mac to play games using OnLive. Instead, you’ll be able to use the OnLive Micro Console – a tiny device that’s actually smaller than a gaming controller – along with your TV, to gain access to the latest games, including DiRT 3 and Batman: Arkham City.

CheapOnLive is a great budget solution.
For just £6.99 per month, you’ll have unlimited access to all of the service’s games, with some excellent titles on offer. From Lara Croft, to Lego Harry Potter, to Batman: Arkham City, there’s a lot to like about OnLive.

It’s all onlineAs the name suggests, OnLive is gaming that’s based online. You’ll stream the games, so there’s no need for powerful or expensive hardware. We found that it could be slow at times, but when it does work, it’s genuinely revolutionary.

Gears of War 3 videos leaked, under 24 hours to go!

 

We’re only a day away from the launch of Gears of War 3, and we couldn’t be more excited! Despite the impending launch, videos of the game in action have been leaked, helping to give a better idea of the weapons and characters on offer.

One day! That’s all you’ll have to wait for Gears of War 3, which is set to hit the shops on the 20th September. It’s likely to be one of the smash hits of the year, which has led to the leak of the game in action.

The videos show hundreds of different options, from all the different weapons, to tens of different coloured skins for each weapon. They’re definitely not exciting, with the user simply scrolling through hundreds of options, but they do give a taste of things to come.

With under 24 hours to wait for its launch, however, it’s a bit late for leaked videos (unless they’re considerably more exciting than scrolling through options). In fact, we’re tempted just to go back to bed, with Gears of War available to buy when we wake up tomorrow morning!

Will you be buying Gears of War 3? Leave a comment and let us know.