CES 2013: Day 1 Highlights

Opinion
By Don Woligroski
published

From Coolers to SSDs, the annual Consumer Electronics Show truly has it all. As you've probably heard, CES 2013 is already well underway, and we've put together a roundup of some of the most notable products from yesterday's jaunt around the show floor.

G-Mate MAG II Game Controller And SanDisk SSDs

G-Mate MAG II Game Controller

Let's kick this off at G-Mate's booth with the MAG II demo.

While the MAG II was originally shown at E3 2012, it’s always interesting to see PC-compatible gun-shaped game controllers, and this is indeed a very interesting peripheral for first-person shooter fanatics.

Utilizing a gyroscopic sensor in conjunction with motion tracking, the MAG II has no need for an external sensor bar. With full gamepad controls on the forehand grip, built-in vibration, and 12 different modes, this product presents a surprisingly fun alternative to the traditional keyboard and mouse for FPS gamers. Released to retail before Christmas, we’ve seen the MAG II available online for around $150.

SanDisk SSDs

In 2013, SanDisk is celebrating 25 years in business with the launch of its X110 and Ultra Plus SSDs. The 2.5” 6Gb/s SATA X110 is targeted to OEMs, system integrators, and enterprise environments, so it won't be available at retail. You'll see it in 64, 128, and 256 GB capacities.

Strangely, the company won’t release performance specifications of this 19 nm NAND-equipped drive to the media, but we’re told it’s faster than previous-generation 24 nm flash.

The Ultra Plus is SanDisk’s new low-latency, high-data transfer 19nm flash product. It will be available in 64 and 256 GB capacities.

Company reps were proud to mention that SanDisk's U100 SSD design made it into the Asus Transformer. They also talked about their new “SanDisk for Business” initiative to offer SSDs to a wider set of business customers, including value-added resellers, DMRs, and system integrators.

Don Woligroski
10 Comments Comment from the forums
  • LukeCWM
    I wonder if Turtle Beach was able to do something about the sound quality as well. I purchased a pair after reading rave reviews about the sound. Switching to the Turtle Beach headphones from my AKG is startling transition each and every time, since the Turtle Beach headphones sound so bad. If I listen to them for over an hour, I can begin to convince myself they sound better (until I listen to something else and am reminded again how bad they sound!).

    The microphone on the Turtle Beach headphones is also below par, in my opinion.
    Reply
  • Nintendo Maniac 64
    9540455 said:
    I wonder if Turtle Beach was able to do something about the sound quality as well. I purchased a pair after reading rave reviews about the sound. Switching to the Turtle Beach headphones from my AKG

    The issue is you're essentially comparing a Core i3 (Turtle Beach) to a Core i5 (AKG). Considering that AKG is seen as one of the few that can actually get within range of Sennheiser (Core i7?) when it comes to sound quality, that should tell you something.
    Reply
  • LukeCWM
    Nintendo Maniac 64The issue is you're essentially comparing a Core i3 (Turtle Beach) to a Core i5 (AKG). Considering that AKG is seen as one of the few that can actually get within range of Sennheiser (Core i7?) when it comes to sound quality, that should tell you something.
    I actually prefer AKG to Sennheiser, but that's beside the point.

    I think a more accurate analogy would be describing AKG and Sennheiser as the i7-2600k and the i7-2700k, and the Turtle Beach sounds more like a Silverthorne Atom, made in 2008. My Turtle Beach headset is just dreadful...
    Reply
  • Pyree
    Can't wait until more news for tomorrow.
    Reply
  • Hazle
    love what i'm seeing out of the Xi3, though i'm not handing out any cigars just yet. not at all impressive in hardware performance, but i'll admit it looks neat. and if valve is truly thinking of making a linux based console out of it, then i'm more in support for it. i'll probably won't buy it, but at least i won't have to dish out $90-100 for an OS the next time i do a complete overhaul of my pc if gaming with linux ever kicks off successfully.
    Reply
  • cookoy
    where are the girls of ces-2013?
    Reply
  • ojas
    Gabe Opens Up About Valve’s Own Biometric Steam Boxhttp://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/01/09/gabe-opens-up-about-valves-own-biometric-steam-box/

    cookoywhere are the girls of ces-2013?No, please no. Google it if you want, but let's keep this a tech site that cares more about tech than boobs.

    I'll treat Chris and team to virtual champagne if they avoid that "article" this year.
    Reply
  • BoredErica
    ojasGabe Opens Up About Valve’s Own Biometric Steam Boxhttp://www.rockpapershotgun.com/20 steam-box/No, please no. Google it if you want, but let's keep this a tech site that cares more about tech than boobs.I'll treat Chris and team to virtual champagne if they avoid that "article" this year....But I am tempted to talk about how horrible the keynote speech was. :)
    Reply
  • blackmancer
    LukeCWMI wonder if Turtle Beach was able to do something about the sound quality as well. I purchased a pair after reading rave reviews about the sound. Switching to the Turtle Beach headphones from my AKG is startling transition each and every time, since the Turtle Beach headphones sound so bad. If I listen to them for over an hour, I can begin to convince myself they sound better (until I listen to something else and am reminded again how bad they sound!).The microphone on the Turtle Beach headphones is also below par, in my opinion.
    so your AKG cost how much and the Turtle Beach?
    Reply
  • blackmancer
    ojasGabe Opens Up About Valve’s Own Biometric Steam Boxhttp://www.rockpapershotgun.com/20 steam-box/No, please no. Google it if you want, but let's keep this a tech site that cares more about tech than boobs.I'll treat Chris and team to virtual champagne if they avoid that "article" this year.don't give us that rubbish, don't you see how Toms potrays every stupid holiday shopping season with half naked women holding crappy tech. complain to the authors of this site!!
    Reply