Today GamerNode visited the invitation-only eFocus event. Amongst all of the free food, swag, members of the media, and all of the mingling, there were quite a few intriguing exhibits to be seen. The first thing I scoped out was a new four gigabyte memory stick from Sony for the PSP. This memory stick will solve the storage issues people have been complaining about since the launch; it will also serve as a viable alternative for the four gigabyte hard drive released by Symantec earlier this year, which turned the PSP from a sleek handheld into an uncomfortable brick. The memory stick will be able to store 1500 pictures at seven megapixels, nine hours of video – basically making it a better and easier way to watch video then the dying UMD format, and a whopping 1000 songs. Expect to see this memory stick to retail at approximately $250 sometime this month.
The next item was the Logitech G15 wireless keyboard. Not only did it fulfill all of the standard duties of your everyday keyboard, but also came equipped with an LCD screen, on which information about the game currently running on your PC is streamed. The person I spoke with revealed that twelve games currently support this feature, but many developers and publishers are jumping on board, and are also rapidly releasing patches for current games to make it compatible with this feature. The keyboard also featured an entirely separate section of keys which could be programmed of a combination key presses which can be customized to individual games. Once the game is auto-loaded, the keyboard detects the game and loads the preset combinations. Logitech is releasing two versions of this new keyboard later this year, the G15 which comes with everything, and the G11 which will not include an LCD display.
Up next we saw the new game Dance Praise from developer Digital Praise, this game is very similar to Dance Dance Revolution and comes with its very own dance pad (which, not surprisingly, looks identical to the DDR dance pad). When I asked what would separate this game from such established rhythm based games such as DDR, I was told that there would be a variety of modes that would create variety in the gameplay. The first of said modes is the “Exercise Mode” in this mode players can see a calories burned display on the screen, and once certain amounts of calories have been burned exciting things such as the display flashing will occur… The second mode is the “Shadow Dance” mode, where one player sets the moves, and the next has to imitate the moves laid out by them. So now you can basically serve your friends by making completely random movements that are almost impossible to follow. Then of course there is your standard mode and two player mode.
One of the more intriguing showcases there was Pyramat,s Sound Rocker chair: this chair sits low to the ground and has speakers set on both sides of the occupants, head setting behind them. While not necessarily the first time an item such as this has been seen, the quality of the sound and bass was very high. I had a chance to personally sit down and give the chair a test run and can honestly say that it is unmatched by any sound chair currently on the market. The chair includes a 5.5″ subwoofer so you can feel the impact of loud noises. Something else that may be worth taking note of is that Pyramat is currently working on implementing force feedback technology in the chair, taking your gaming experience to the next level. Now not only does the action sound real and look real, but also feels real. The Sound Rocker also allows you to connect to any MP3 player or any audio inputs. Expect this chair to launch soon at a retail price in the realm of $120.
After all was said in done the select few GamerNode staff that made it to the event were tired, ornery and possibly a little intoxicated (and with the free drinks why wouldn,t we be?). But the eFocus event showcased quite a few interesting accessories and we all had a good time. Expect more from the GamerNode staff in the upcoming days while attending the E3 convention.
