But what’s it like to use? Well BT is offering its broadband subscribers an exclusive opportunity to get the OnLive PlayPack Bundle free for three months when they sign-up before January 31 2012. As part of this promotion they sent me an OnLive Micro-Console to test.

As far as setting up goes, it’s a relatively simple beast, with ports for power and ethernet on the back and usb ports to charge the controllers on the front. You can buy a wireless adaptor but unless you have a rock solid connection that you trust whole heartedly I wouldn’t recommend it. It merely took minutes to get going and creating an account is also child’s play. I have a modest 8 Mbps connection at home with Be Broadband (a far cry from the “up to 24 Mbps” advertised but that’s a grumble for a different day) so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first plugged the Micro-Console in.

Actual use was an interesting experience. The quality of graphics is surprisingly high but you can definitely tell you are streaming. The occasional artefacts will appear on screen in a cut sequence. I popped on Arkham City as a free trial and was able to be up and running in mere minutes – far superior to the current “download and wait for endless updates” system on conventional consoles. Street Fighter IV played back flawlessly, with no discernable albeit with image quality not quite up to playback from a physical disk. Batman Arkham City suffered from a tiny bit of lag on some of the fight sequences, but not enough to be off-putting.

If you are an avid gamer and rip through the latest titles (and then sell them) week after week, it’s pretty easy to recommend giving the OnLive system a go – provided you have the bandwidth to handle it.

As I mentioned at the start of the article, BT is offering its broadband subscribers an exclusive opportunity to get the OnLive PlayPack Bundle free for three months when they sign-up before January 31 2012. This means people will be able to play over 100 top video games on their TV, laptop or tablet, such as Fear 3 and Batman: Arkham Asylum, at any time without the need for software. Plus you get access to the latest games such as Saints Row: The Third and Batman Arkham City for an additional fee.

For more information head to BT

[Source: Hands on with OnLive and the future of gaming]

The Gametel looks familiar to gamers – with its D-pad, four buttons and two shoulder triggers. It is compatible with phones and tablets running Android 2.1.1 Éclair or later and connects to your device using Bluetooth. The device connects to a phone or tablet with the built-in adjustable spring-loaded clamp. Once paired, the Gametel will connect automatically, every time it is turned on,

There are more than 50 compatible games available for download from Android Market – Happy Vikings, Cordy, Reckless Getaway and MotoX Mayhem to name a few.

Bo Nyman, CEO of Fructel says: “Playing casual games on a touchscreen phone is fine but when it comes to playing the more addictive and immersive titles, seamless gameplay is impossible. The Gametel controller overcomes this problem by delivering a console experience on your Android device, freeing the screen from fingers, opening up a bigger viewing area and delivering more responsive physical controls.”

And if your Android device has HDMI, mobile gaming can also be brought to the big screen. Hook up an Android device to an HDTV, wirelessly connect up to four Gametel controllers and you can bring your favourite mobile games into the living room with a console-like multi-player set-up.

The Gametel offers around nine hours of battery life and switches off automatically after six minutes if it is not in use.

The Gametel costs £49.99 from Amazon.

[Source: Turn your phone into a games console with the Gametel]

Assassin’s Creed Revelations – Technically the fourth game in the Assassin’s Creed series, Ezio once again faces the might of the evil Knights Templar, with the setting this time based in the sprawling Renaissance city of Constantinople. Production values have never been higher, with jaw dropping graphics and breathtaking action to be had.

Elder Scrolls: Skyrim – Already one of the fastest-selling video games of all time, the world of Skyrim offers up to 300 hours of gameplay to keep you occupied for many months to come. In fact, chances are you will still be playing this epic RPG by the time Christmas 2012 comes around.

LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 – The sequel to the first Harry Potter LEGO game follows the exploits of the last three books (or last four films) in the series. The Potter-themed combination of exploring, solving puzzles and building LEGO items is a winner.

Saints Row 3 – GTA may grab all the headlines, but everybody knows that Saints Row is a far superior sandbox game in almost every respect. Refuses to take itself seriously, and is all the better for it. Outrageous, over the top action with a wicked sense of humour.

Batman Arkham City – We have saved the best until last here. The Dark Knight returns in this sequel to Arkham Asylum. Fans of the caped crusader will be in heaven here, and this is a strong contender for one of the greatest video games of all time, it’s that good.

[Source: Hottest Video Games to buy this Christmas]

The keyboard is perhaps the most visually stunning example we have seen, complete with its night-vision LED backlit keys to look the part. Seeing as most gamers prefer to play with the lights off, this can prove to be a real boon when burning the midnight oil.

Featuring six fully programmable G-keys, the G105 can keep up to 18 macro combinations to assist you whilst you play. With one press of the button, once programmed, you can perform complex maneuvers which normally require a combination of different keystrokes.

Advanced anti-ghosting technology allows you to press up to five different keys at once, thus allowing you to aim, shoot, run, jump and make a cup of tea all at the same time. What more could you want?

The mouse too, has been designed with the serious gamer in mind, with an ultras precision speed of up to 165 inches per second. Need to move your gun around in a hurry and fire with pin-point precision? Then this is the mouse for you. You can even adjust the pixel targeting from 200dpu up to an incredibly rapid 5700dpi, making this an impressive bit of kit, and the mouse of choice for the hardcore gamer.

Whilst we have not been given a release date, rest assured as soon as we do we will test them to death and give you the full lowdown on both.

For more information, please visit www.logitech.com

[Source: Gear up for war! Logitech announce new Call of Duty-inspired keyboards and mice]

On paper the LG Optimus 3D has a lot going for it – the huge screen and glasses-free 3D should make for a incredible mobile gaming experience. The size is a definite advantage, and although a little awkward to use as a phone you do appreciate the screen real estate when gaming. Games such as Asphalt and N.O.V.A look amazing. However the glasses-free 3D fails to live up to expectations, and despite being an impressive feat of engineering (and amazing thing to demo with your mates) is still very much on the side of “headache-inducing” rather than awe inspiring. More often than not I found myself hitting the 3D kill switch (great name for a band if you’re looking btw) just so I could actually enjoy the game. Maybe a 3D slider like the Nintendo 3DS would be a better approach.

For simpler puzzle games or anything where the touchscreen added, rather than detracted from the experience however, the Optimus 3D was great fun to use. I didn’t have time to get fully lost inside an RPGS but I can imagine exploring worlds with that huge screen would be enjoyable. However the perennial problem for touchscreen phone gaming – a lack of dedicate hardware gaming buttons, means that it will still be a while before “hardcore” gamers (unlike softcore Leisure Suit Larry gamers) will be able to leave their handheld console of choice at home.

The LG Optimus 3D is out not from Three

[Source: Smartphone gaming, convergence and the LG Optimus 3D]

The Wireless Headset synchs up with all your major tablets and phones (iPod, iPad, iTouch, anything with Android) to allow the owner to use all the audio, video and call features of the thoroughly modern gizmo without having to attach said gizmo to a hand/ear/mouth, and instead utilise them at their leisure around the home.

How does it work? You tell us. However, what we do know is that the headsets have what the developers call ‘lazer-tuned drivers” which will apparently dispel rich syrupy stereo sound down the ears of whoever has the headset on. The drivers will also apparently minimise distortion, which as someone that has recently become a regular user of the wondrous Skype, is a marvellous thing. In fact, to our mind, for anybody that regularly uses Skype this product is surely a near must-have, seeing as the only real downside to the telephone program is that you have to be near a microphone (in our case on our webcam). With a microphone attached to this headset, anyone calling a faraway loved one will be able to absentmindedly throw a fragrant stir-fry together whilst still getting the lowdown on Auntie Carol’s new boob-job. A noise cancelling microphone will thankfully ensure that them on the other side of the planet will not have their discourse distracted by the aromatic fizz of soy on pan.

Released in October and priced at an okay-looking-to-us £54.99, the headset gets a definite thumbs up from this end.

Coming out in tandem with the headset is the retro-named Boombox, and it is an antidote to all the docking stations of the world. You can place the speaker 10 metres from your device (compatible with all the same as the headset) and seamlessly stream audio to spice up your situation. Logitech unsurprisingly wax lyrical about its sound capabilities, and evocatively claim that the Boombox uses “eight custom-designed drivers [to] separate sounds frequencies, so you hear crisp, clear high notes [and] a rich , full mid-range and deep powerful bass.” Obviously its ability to pick up the signal will depend on the environment the user is, so if you find yourself in the middle of a gale on the Pennines, don’t expect to be able to keep it the same distance as you would at home. But then that’s pretty obvious really.

It’s not cheap at £129.99 and the proof of its worth will be in whether it breaks down after 9 months. If it doesn’t, however, it can join the Wireless Headset as another worthy addition to the Logitech stable.

[Source: New Logitech headset and boombox]

September actually see’s two computer game conferences within week of each other; this weekend saw the inaugural show from UK retailer Game and their aptly name GAMEfest.

And this week see’s Eurogamer hosting their annual Eurogamer Expo – there is something to be said about have having both so close to each other. But it was nice to see GAMEfest hosting their event outside of London. Something Eurogamer did try, once, with their Leeds show.
 
The timing of the event has seen criticism from some publishers who feel a new event from the UK’s biggest games retailer, and an established consumer was poorly timed due to its close proximity to Eurogamers Expo.
 
One affected publisher anonymously told MCV recently “with just three days to move from one site to the other, many are unimpressed by the expected costs”. 
 
Eurogamer big-wid, Rupert Loman, told MCV he was “disappointed GAME is attempting to split the market”.
 
Gamefest’s pièce de résistance was an exclusive showing of Activision’s Call of duty Modern Warfare 3. Upon entering the NEC it was clear to see that COD was the big cheese of the show – and what Activision showed was truly stunning; witnessing New York’s skyline ablaze certainly got our attention.
 
We managed to get a few minutes with the game playing Survival Spec Ops mode, which involves fending out fiendish enemies alongside a fellow fragger. Everything is looking very good for Modern Warfare 3 this Christmas – everything except Battlefield 3.
 
That’s right, EA and DICE were on hand to try and steal its thunder. Unfortunately BF3’s stand was a little underwhelming, apart from the guys holding machine guns.
 
Although, they were probably just letting the game do the talking. We were treated to quick press preview before the riff-raff started to queue up.
 
First we hopped onto the single player and can report that the PS3 console version is looking very good indeed. Sure it not on par with the PC version – but the lighting and frame rate were solid as a rock.

Multiplayer-wise it was clear that the graphical fidelity had been toned down somewhat. But everything we saw, played and gawked at proved that BF3 really does have what it takes to take on COD and its first person shooter crown. 
 
Whilst we rushed around the NEC to see as many games as possible before the show was opened to the public and we managed to get sometime with Microsoft’s Forza 4 – which is looking like the racing game of the year. 

The graphics, lighting and handling tweaks add up to a massive change and was one of the most enjoyable games we played all day. Maybe that was because we were driving a stunning Ferrari 599 GTO around a beautiful vista in the Swiss mountains.
 
We managed to get a few laps on Codemasters follow-up to F12010 and from the looks of it not a lot has changed. The handling has been overhauled – but the steering wheel setup we were given made it hard to really access the changes from last year’s version.
 
Elsewhere, it was a little disappointing to see only three consoles showcasing the much-anticipated Batman: Arkham City. Although from what we did see it looks like it’s going to be every bit as good a Rocksteady’s first attempt.

Other games attracting enthusiastic punters included Elder Scrolls V: Skrim, the imminent Gear of Wars 3, Unchartered 3, Quake follow-up Rage and Saints Row the Third. There were even some games that won’t be available until next year – namely – EA’s Mass Effect 3, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. 
 
After a few hours there was a definite growing frustration with having to queue up to play pretty much every game. We even heard stories of several hours just to play one game. It started to feel more and more like a Theme Park than a games convention.
 
Overall Gamefest was a massive success, to sell out a new show within a week of its main competitor shows that there is more than enough space in the market to have a couple of shows in the UK. Just not a week apart.
 
The biggest lesson that publishers have to come away with, is that they need to expand to events outside of London, due to the success of their business it’s clear that gaming isn’t just the preserve of Londoners. The NEC is a massive space is the perfect place to hold any form of trade show – let’s hope it back next year – bigger and better.

[Source: GAMEfest event review]

One such attempt is the new Hector franchise; a new-school point and click adventure that attempts to capture the irreverent spirit of classics such as The Secret of Monkey Island or Day of the Tentacle.

Hector is a tough-talking, soft-bellied British cop with an unhealthy taste for all things criminal or smothered in curry. When terrorists strike in the crime-ridden town of Clapper’s Wreake, this drunken lawman becomes the only hope for justice. Now, the flatulent detective has a choice to make: carry out the terrorist’s curiously altruistic demands, or watch as his fellow officers are picked off one by one. Hector is still on the fence.

If you smiled at all at that comic conceit then you will probably be ok dropping a few pounds and spending a few hours in the company of that mindset. Games like this live or die on how amusing you find the writer’s style however – if you find it funny enough you’ll forgive any slips in logic, gameplay or graphical style.

We Negotiate with Terrorists is the first of a three episode game series. Episode 2 – Senseless Acts of Justice and Episode 3 – Beyond Reasonable Doom will release on PC, Mac, iPad and iPhone in Autumn 2011.

Developed in partnership with Straandlooper, Telltale games’ Hector: Ep1 HD – We Negotiate with Terrorists on iPad can be purchased from the App Store for £3.99/€5.49 ($6.99). There is also a previously released PC and Mac version available to download for £8.75/ €9.99 ($9.99).

[Source: Hector: Ep1 HD – We Negotiate with Terrorists]

Quite why Nintendo thought it would be a good idea not to show the actual console is puzzling. Either they wanted the controller to take centre stage or they haven’t actually got a console. Were betting on a bit of both. It’s almost as if they forgot to show off the console for us it was one of the most bizarre console unveiling in E3 history.

They did have some small wafer thin box next the screen in some of the videos on show, but they didn’t show it off physically or go into detail about it. Today it was all about the controller, not the box that powers it.
The Wii U has what Nintendo and others are calling the most advanced controllers ever. It looks like a small 8-inch tablet device with DS-like screen and traditional Xbox/Playstation controls all baked into one rather impressive looking controller.

Nintendo showed off how you can play games on a normal HDTV using the controller like you would any other consoles. And how can play games on both your HD TV and on the 6.5-inch on the controller at the same time or just on the 6.5-inch on it’s own.

They then went on to show innovative ways on how future games could use the second screen. One eye catching example was the new controller laying on the ground showing a golf ball in a bunker on the screen. The user was the stood over the controller with the original Wii remote and nunchuk and the game on the HDTV in front of the player. It looked mighty impressive. All at the same time seamlessly with no lag or latency.

Nintendo went on to promise that all the controllers from Wii would be backwards compatible; so you’ll be able to use your Wii Fit Board, Wii remote and nunchuck for the new console.

The tech demos showed off new types of gameplay you’d usually expect to find on the DSI and 3DS on the new console. Players can use the touchscreen with your fingers or Nintendo Stylus a la DSI or 3DS on the controller, which then appeared on your TV seamlessly with no latency. One such example was painting on Art Academy on the new controller then appearing in real time in high-def on your TV.

They promised that the controller would have gyroscope, accelerometers, front facing camera and microphone. The console and controller would have internet browsing as well as video chat all through the controller and TV.

What didn’t say anything about is how long does the controller last on battery, does it even run on batteries or have they created all-new power source? Most worrying was the lack of price or release date during the press conference.

They went on to announce a new partnership with EA, which will see all of its massive gaming franchises coming to the new console including BF3, Madden and FIFA. There will be full online gaming for all the titles, as well as exclusive support of the second screen capabilities. This was shown off with Madden, where all plays were handled on the screen on the controller leaving the TV for the actual gameplay.

We’re slightly concerned that there wasn’t any mention of the actual console. Call us old fashioned but how can we make a judgment on the console if we can’t even see it. We have no idea how powerful it is, what media will the games come on? Is it Full HD? Even little things like how many controllers can play together. Most of all is how much is this very impressive new controller going to be? What storage solutions will be offered? All of this was not mentioned during the press conference.

Nintendo always do things a little different, but for consumers to take the new console serious we need to see some bricks and mortar. Today’s announcement has left more questions than answers. There’s no chance that you’ll seeing this console anytime soon. They haven’t even got a console from the looks of it. They’ve got a controller. All be it a very nice one. So we need to be patient and see what they come up with. The controller looks incredible. But it looks like it is going to cost an arm and a leg. Then you have to buy the yet to be seen console. Were slightly worried. But Nintendo has a lot to still show off. When. That is the million-dollar question. Nobody knows.

Although they didn’t say any of this Nintendo during the event – the new console will run in full HD, via HDMI, but the touchscreen isn’t HD. The console has internal Flash memory which can be augmented with “SD Card or USB solutions”. It will play optical disks and downloadable content, and will be backwards-compatible with Wii software. And it will launch some time between 1 April and 31 December 2012.

It will be the oddest console ever, and possibly the best, too. Or it may turn out to be a complete cul-de-sac. But one thing is for sure: it won’t just be another generic games console.

Batman: Arkham City, an Assassin’s Creed game, Dirt, Ghost Recon Online, Tekken, Metro Last Light,Aliens Colonial Marines, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, and Darksiders II all got a mention as coming to the Wii U. Yes!

[Source: Nintendo at E3: Wii U and endless unanswered questions]

M18x

The “most powerful 18-inch gaming laptop in the universe”, according to Dell. Well, according to its innards, too. The M18x offers dual GPU options in either AMD or NVIDIA incarnations – Crossfire X or SLI. It’s also got the fastest available graphics memory (GDDR5), meaning the visual performance is exceptional.

Pair that with the industry’s only Intel Core i7 Extreme CPU option that comes factory overclocked to 4GHz and you’ve got a laptop more powerful than 99.99% of desktops on the market.

Quite what black magic Alienware done to keep the processor cool is beyond us, but if its stable, it’ll be awesome.

It’s also got a huge 18.4-inch FHD WLED 1080p display for the best visuals possible, memory upgradeable to up to 32GB and a HDMI/Display Port output with 3D output, making it the perfect mobile accessory for home 3D displays.

There’s also HDMI-in to reuse that beautiful screen for other HD-inputs.

M14x

For a better balance between portability and power, the 14-inch M14x weighs in at less than 6.5lbs. The display comes in two options, standard 720p (1366 x 768) or the 14-inch WLED, 1600×900 option.

There’s also an overclockable Intel Core i7  CPU, with NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M with up to 3GB of VRAM. You can then put in up to 8GB of 1600MHz RAM, with         HDMI 1.4 to support connectivity to HDTVs and 7.1 digital audio.

M11x

The baby-brother of the family is the 11.6-inch, 1366×768. Inside, there’s an Intel Core i CPU, with a NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M and up to 16GB of 1333MHz high-performance system memory.

It’s strange that they’ve allowed more RAM space in the 11″ than the 14 – although that makes it great for doing 3D design on the fly. You’ll also find the standard HDMI 1.4 output, for plugging in to a bigger screen.

The Alienware M14x and M11x are available now, today, starting at £1,099 (Incl. VAT and Delivery) for the M14x and £899 (incl. VAT and Delivery) for the M11x. For more details on the M18x, be a little patient for a few weeks, k?

[Source: Alienware M18x, M14x and M11x laptops]