This gadget looks pretty spiffy,  maybe not something to fully replace the trusted keyboard and mouse FPS combo but intriguing nonetheless -- especially now it has a pistol attachment.  The Falcon was originally announced at CES 09.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ1Rz2clLS0

The Novint Falcon lets you control a game in three dimensions, and also lets you feel high-fidelity three-dimensional force feedback. The Falcon controller moves right and left, forwards and backwards, like a mouse, but also moves up and down.

The Novint Falcon currently works with a number of popular games including full Orange box support and has had the backing of Gabe Newell himself.

Gabe Newell, Valve: “The Falcon adds a new level of interaction for PC gaming, adding compelling force feedback while maintaining controls as accurate as a mouse, and now the millions of Steam gamers will have the chance to play, feeling this new type of experience.”

The device itself seems targeted at the PC gaming market though I personally think it would be better suited to the console FPS crowd due to better contol compared to the tradition controller. For the privilege to show off a Novint Falcon, you will need to fork out  about US$350 or get it bundled with games you probably already have. Source.

Via The Age - AFP

A team of researchers at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, have used nanotechnology to boost the storage potential nearly 10,000-fold compared to standard DVDs, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature.

Discs currently have three spatial dimensions. By using gold nanorods, Gu and colleagues were able to add two additional dimensions, one based on the colour spectrum, and the other on polarisation.

A 10 layer DVD using this new technology, generates 1.6TB of data storage. 100 layers will generate around 16TB of storage.

The researchers are still working out the speed at which the discs can be written on, and say that commercial production is at least five years off.

They have signed an agreement with Korea-based Samsung, one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers.  More via The Age and Cnet.

Unreal Tournament 3 deathmatch with 4-player Wiimote support. On a serious note, Steamworks support has also been added, those who own a retail copy may now register it with Steam, free of charge.

Why not try your hand at building your very own Portal gun replica with Harrison Krix

Steam

TF2 has a new critical hits system.

Steam now gives you the ability to specify Content Download Region.

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Hardware

AMD Phenom II Overclocked to 6.5GHz With Liquid Helium -220C smashing the world record for with a huge 45,474 3DMarks in the process.

Software

Google Earth takes a dip in the Ocean with Google Earth 5

M-Lab has a Google powered ISP throttling detector.

Industry

THQ is giving the axe to 24 percent of its workforce which translates to about 600 employees.

More Doom and Gloom as EA Posts a Q3 Loss of $641 million and promptly cuts 1,100 Jobs.

Media

Torrent Freak have their latest weekly ratings on TV shows. Probably the most accurate media ratings system around.

Australia

Online rights campaigner Geordie Guy received a threatening phone message last month after publicly disagreeing with an article supporting the Federal Government’s web filtering plan.

The Logitech G19 Keyboard for Gaming
Giving you an arsenal of advanced gaming technology, the Logitech G19 keyboard for gaming is the first Logitech keyboard to feature a color GamePanel LCD. The tiltable, 320-by-240-pixel display provides valuable in-game information for over sixty games, including World of Warcraft® (requires installation of included Logitech GamePanel software). In addition to in-game information, the screen can show VoIP communication data, clock, CPU load, or other non-gaming specific items such as pictures or videos. And you can easily switch among types of information – without ever leaving your game.

The Logitech G35 Surround Sound Headset
For game-changing immersion, the Logitech G35 headset is the first Logitech headset to offer 7.1 surround sound – a perfect complement to the growing number of action games and high-definition movies that support 7.1-channel surround sound. Powered by second-generation Dolby® Headphone technology, the G35 headset simulates the complex acoustics of a listening room, creating a detailed, outside-the-head sound field.

The Logitech G9x Laser Mouse
Providing precision at any hand speed (up to 150 inches per second on most popular gaming-mousepad surfaces), the Logitech G9x laser mouse extends the promise of the award-winning Logitech® G9 Laser Mouse with its next-generation laser sensor. Featuring on-the-fly adjustable dpi from 200 to 5000 dpi, the G9x mouse makes it easy to go from pixel-precise targeting to lightning-fast maneuvers without pausing the action.

The Logitech G13 advanced gameboard wins Best of Innovations in Electronic Gaming
The new G-series products join the recently announced Logitech® G13 advanced gameboard, which was just awarded the CES 2009 Design and Engineering Award: Best of Innovations in Electronic Gaming. The G13 gameboard offers a contoured design that complements the natural shape of your hand and fingers. So you don’t have to take your eyes off the screen, the concave keys along the home row make it easy to locate buttons by touch.

Source, Image via engadget

Find these Logitech G series devices on Ebay:

Logitech G19 Keyboard

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Logitech G35 Surround Sound Headset

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Logitech G9 Laser Mouse

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Logitech G13 advanced gameboard

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I give you the Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard

Press Release News

FREMONT, Calif. – (Business Wire) Whether you’re rescuing hostages, on a quest with your guild or saving humanity, you don’t want to worry about hand fatigue or hitting the wrong key. Today, Logitech (SIX:LOGN) (NASDAQ:LOGI) introduced the Logitech® G13 advanced gameboard – a hybrid gaming keyboard designed to complement your Logitech keyboard and mouse – giving you game-changing comfort and control on a Mac® computer or a PC.

With three game modes, 25 programmable keys and a programmable analog stick, the G13 gameboard offers up to 87 ways for you to control your game. And you can set up custom button-profiles for each one of your favourite titles. You can even create macros on the fly without having to pause your game.

Looking at the full features list, it doesn’t look like it does anything different to what the Nostromo can accomplish although the built in memory for holding game profiles may come in handy.

Having a N52 personally, it remains to be seen whether the G13 can top an already fantastic device.  I’ll have to get one and check it out.

Source

Ebay can be a goodway picking up these Gameboards at a decent price:

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