UPDATED: Inversely, the second controller, is specifically being released with as an Uncharted special edition controller. SCEI Japan names the controller, “Uncharted – Atlantis sleep in the desert” (that being a loose translation). The same press release mentions a controller-software bundle that will be released with the game upon the release date. The highly anticipated Uncharted 3 is street dated for November 1, 2011.

Yesterday, Sony announced that they have dropped the price of their 160GB and 320GB PlayStation 3 consoles to $249 and $299, respectively. That’s a $50 price cut. Sony will also be releasing a inFamous 2 bundle. The bundle retails for $299 and includes a 320 GB PlayStation 3, a copy of inFAMOUS 2 and a 30-day membership to PlayStation Plus.

Ever since the release of Avatar it seems like every big budget title needs to be released in 3D. 3D in the home has also been climbing since the demand for 3D enabled televisions are on the rise and the decrease in price over the last two years. Whether you like it or not 3D is becoming somewhat of a standard in production and will soon see it being offered on some of your favorite television programming. For now however not much is offered and the question is what if you wanted to watch your existing 2D programming in 3D? 3D-Bee Home unit looks to be owners solution for enabling any of their 2D programming directly to 3D especially for gaming. So does it work? We’ve tested many of its features especially for gaming on a Panasonic GT-30 and here are our thoughts.

Hardware:

3D-Bee Unit: Has four 3D enabled HDMI ins and one out.

Remote: Has two 3D depth settings.

3D-Bee is a 2D to 3D real-time video conversion unit . Essentially it’ll make anything your watching in 2D into 3D. You maybe asking the question “well my tv already has a 2D-3D feature” but it is not like this. The unit knows how to correctly bring objects seen closer or solely in nature to the foreground while the rest appears in the background but that is just a quick example. Most if not all built in TV’s 2D-3D conversion mode has some deformity in the picture since the process of making it is not manual, it is automatic. The 3D-Bee while not processing anything either is using a estimation technology for the unit itself to produce a high quality 3D image.

Our testing began with some television programming. We watched True Blood, talk shows and sports. The unit has a great way of keeping things in line and giving you clarity in 3D from a picture that was originally 2D. Even golf which gets tricky with the TV’s built in converter since the grass pans across the entire screen, it seems to do well on the 3D-Bee.

Movies tested well for the unit. We tested Iron Man, Transformers and Kick Ass all on Blu-ray. These seem to do better in object separation and had moments of really coming together as a 3D image when converted. An example is when Iron Man was trying to outrun the jet fighters half way in the movie you can clearly see him as the foreground object while the jets were in the background.

Now our most important test was for gaming and the unit did fairly well as some did better then others. Since there are barely any games in 3D period this would seem like the perfect product to take advantage of. The games we tested were Split/Second, Halo Reach, L.A. Noire and Mortal Kombat. Split/Second and Halo Reach seemed to add depth in areas where you wouldn’t think of but in a good way, while Mortal Kombat added little depth with no real advantage of playing it converter.

The biggest advantage you can get from gaming with the unit is since it’s automatically converting to 3D none of the quality is being sacrificed as all the games that are 3D enabled do. That is because those games need to produce a left and right image for the 3D which is essentially processing the game twice and the 3D-Bee doesn’t actually process anything. Play with your Television’s 3D settings along with the 3D-Bee’s two setting to achieve a depth that suits you.

The unit isn’t without its faults and in most cases things that we would have liked to see in it. First thing to mention is that this is not going to replace content that is native to 3D as it does not compare well to the depth of watching something that is already in 3D. The unit seems to merely give you some depth and while there are two settings to add we wished there were even experimental modes of sorts to play around with. What you would want to pop forward or back for different content.

Since there is different forms of content you would be possibly using it for, it would have been great to see modes complement such. A TV, Movie and Game mode would have been great since they would act different. Gaming for example most the time has a fixed object in the center of the screen like racing and FSP’s. A mode where it would know or ask what it was to really pull forward could rival some things that were actually produced in 3D.

We’ve also found that the set-up for the unit should be done in a particular matter. When plugged in to our 3D enabled receiver it would not transfer all the audio sound from the content? So the best solution was to plug it in after the receiver then into the TV. The sound would also cut out on some of the TV content after you enabled the 3D on the unit but this wasn’t all the time. Since this is a new product some of this can actually be avoided in future models or updates.

3D-Bee is for alot of different people that want to enjoy 3D content they either can’t or that are looking for the best way that isn’t natively supported. I have already played some games and watched some movies in full with the unit on and am pleased with the results I get. The unit is currently priced at $399 which may be steep for those wanting 3D that is better then Tv’s built in 2D-3D converter but not near native 3D content. If your into 3D and have alot of content you would like to see that has no 3D options then this unit might be up your ally. I personally am impressed with it as 2D comes to life with the 3D-Bee like never before. I see myself using the unit for quite sometime and hope more options and features become available soon. For more information go to their official website here.

XCM has announced a new update to their XFPS Rateup Adapter for the PlayStation 3. XFPS Rateup Adapter II Advanced is the same as its predecessor but now comes with a mouse.

• Comes with XCM brand high-sensitivity precision mouse
• Compatible with all PS3 games
• Compatible with all versions of PS3/PS3 Slim (NTSC/US, PAL, NTSC/JAP)
• Can map the controller button keys to any key of the Keyboard
• Compatible with 95% of different kinds of mouse and keyboard.
• High sensitivity, precision and smoothness.
• Can adjust the mouse sensitivity from 2 extra wheels with 16 levels of adjustment for X and Y sensitivity to adapt perfectly to every mice.
• Built-in Turbo (Auto Fire) functionality. Independent Auto fire buttons: Eight customizable auto-fire buttons (no soldering required)
• Plug & Play – Just connect the XFPS RATEUP II Advanced to PS3/PS3 Slim (NO PC required).
• Ease of use: Just use the original PS3 controller to re-map itself to the keyboard.
• Both controller analog stick keys can also be mapped to the keyboard.

You can purchase this from Play-Asia and Amazon when it is released. No word on release date or price.

E3 is almost upon us and we’re getting ready for some really big announcements. In part two of our pre E3 2011 coverage we talk about Microsoft and Sony along with some other big name games coming our way. Who will take at this years show?

Apologies as some of our audio got a little messed up but still a worthy podcast none the less.

Hit the link for part 1.

E3 is almost upon us and we’re getting ready for some really big announcements. In part one of our pre E3 2011 coverage we talk about Nintendo and a little of Microsoft. Will they deliver and claim the thrown for E3 supremacy?

Discussion of Legend of Zelda had come up and we are still waiting on the game that was a tech demo for Game Cube in 2000!

http://youtu.be/wBtAvX4Pkyk

Hit the link for part 2.

There are currently hundreds of accessories for gaming. Most claim to give you an advantage over others but almost none will actually benefit your well being. The most used part of our body for gaming is our eyes and if your anything like me then looking at a computer monitor and LCD screen takes its toll after a couple of hours. Gunnar Optiks Digital Performance Eyewear is for the gamer in mind and is said to help you be the best gamer you can be but do they actually work? We got our hands on a pair of their PPK Gunnar shades and have been test driving them for more then week so here are our thoughts.

At first the thought of having to use glasses to enhance your gaming sounds a bit like a gimmick. You have been gaming this whole time without anything so why would you start now? Because they do a good job at what they advertise. The pair that we took a look at with their signature Amber lens tint is said to offer the best enhancement of contrast and visual performance while minimizing screen glare and diminishing the harshest parts of the color spectrum.

Here are the features and claims of Gunnar Optiks:

• fRACTYL lens geometry hugs the shape of the face closely, creating an ocular microclimate that traps in humidity and blocks evaporative air currents, alleviating dry-eye effects.
• diAMIX lens material provides high quality, distortion-free optics in a durable, flexible and lightweight lens that allows Gunnar to design a variety of styles and be extremely comfortable.
• i-Fi lens coatings keep your lenses clean and vision clear via an anti-reflective, protective barrier that resists scratches finger smudges and fogging.
• iONik lens tints enhance contrast and are specifically tuned to environments for maximum visual efficiency and a sharper viewing experience.
• Neoscopic lenses are specifically tuned for close viewing applications. This lens gives the greatest visual enhancement, but is a limited in variable viewing distances. Engineered for the most demanding computer users who spend long hours in front of a monitor.

The obvious thing you will notice off the bat is that they are very stylish. Even the package was a white box which was simple yet elegant in design. When I put them on they actually feel comfortable and I sometimes forgot that I have them on. The frames are made from a lightweight alloy so they don’t feel heavy or bulky. The PPK’s had their thin lightweight flat temples to allow for the best overall comfort when used with gaming headsets. These had a medium lens coverage and the bands spread out enough to fit a variety of faces. The end bands can also be interchanged as well which is neat to give off your own flair. The quality of the frames could improve as they do feel like they possibly can be damaged easily but other then that all was well with them.

The most important thing is how the glasses perform and we can say that they work pretty well. The amber lens give you a slight yellow tint that is suppose have anti-reflective properties specific to fluorescent lighting. While everything does appear a shade of yellow you do get used to it and is not as bad as once thought. The lenses themselves actually magnify what’s in front of you just enough to notice. The best use you will get out of them is in front of a computer screen. Everything onscreen appeared much brighter and clear. We did a couple of gaming sessions of Portal 2, Onlive and WoW with the same outcome, which is the harsh light that normally comes from hours of gaming seems virtually gone. Separation of color from contrast was also good when I had them on. Whether it was surfing the internet, playing games or doing other kinds of work it seemed like I can wear the glasses without the slightest bit of eyestrain.

The test on console gaming isn’t as apparent in its effectiveness as on a computer. Since things are slightly magnified, depending on how far you are from a TV or LCD things tend to appear a little blurry. They used to make Transcopic technology lenses but no longer carry them, hopefully we see a return in the future for viewing further applications. The glasses are also only really effective when they are clean. Any smudges or dust need to always be removed before use. If you do suffer from overall eye fatigue or strain then it doesn’t hurt to have them on when you are simply watching something from a monitor like screen.

Gunnar Optiks have a great approach when it comes to advancing visual performance while gaming. It has also become the standard for professional gaming such as MLG. Will it make you a better player? It depends, but mostly in the sense that longer sessions can be had to improve the quality of your performance. It is important to note that the use for the glasses can extend for about anything being viewed on your PC or Monitor. It will depend on what kind of gamer you are overall, while the yellow tint will need some getting used to and hopefully the technology will extend on clear lenses, these no doubt approve the quality of sight over time. I know I won’t take them off when in front of a monitor as they are my go to accessories. For more information on Gunnars take a look at there website and to check out our particular style we reviewed you can also buy them at BestBuy.

Hello everyone it’s about that time where we start bringing you guys what you want, Games! And what better way to do that then with a live cast of gaming on Justin.TV. Today at 8pm eastern our own Editor-In-Chief Remdog will be casting three games for your viewing pleasure. First up will be The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile which is slated to release on Xbox Live Arcade tomorrow, Halo Reach’s Defiant Map Pack and DC Universe Online. While we are making the announcement for this cast it should be noted that casting at our lvlone Justin.TV channel will be more frequent so stay tuned at all times for your chance to win cool prizes and swag. Head on over to http://www.justin.tv/lvlone at 8pm Eastern to get in on the fun, get a first look on what’s new and just pass the time. Don’t forget to follow us on Justin.TV and sign up for lvlone.com, who knows maybe a couple of cool shirts will be given away to our followers.

Before I get into this, I’ve gotta come clean that I’m not a big fan of earbud headphones. That doesn’t mean I don’t use them. Whether its going to the gym, out on a bike ride or just traveling in general its hard to find an earbud headphone solution. This is especially because they never stay in your ears properly, seem to give you the best equal balance of sound, bass and style without having to spend a sizable amount of cash on it.

Astro Gaming has been in the game for sometime now, making headsets and MixAmp solutions for pro/hardcore gamers. While their A30 line was the all purpose headset for not only gaming but to use for anything else. They plan to have the same success with their new line of earbud headphones dubbed A*STAR In-Ear Headset. How does it compare to other in-ear headsets? Does it live up to the Astro Gaming name? Read on to see how it stacks up.

When we got our’s in we were immediately drawn to the packaging of the product. Once again I have to hand it to the packaging and design of the A*STAR In-Ear Headset. It comes in a fold out box which has the in-ear headset on one end and accessories on the other. Astro gets an A+ (See what I did there) in product design on this.

Here is an overview of everything it comes with.
A*STAR In-Ear Headset
Y-Adapter for PC use
Interchangeable Earbuds
Astro Multi Function Carry Case

Hardware/Style

Astro Gaming have not spared any expense to the design of their new in-ear headsets. The A*STAR’s come in one of three colors black, silver or white. With the end piece that goes in your ear being very stylish and can only be described as possibly Thor inspired. The in-ear headset also features non tangle flat cables which is a very smart choice as its not impossible to tangle but makes it very difficult to. I can’t tell you all the wires I have tangled from my electronics right now, it’s a fire hazard to say the least so other companies should take note but enough about me.

The A*STAR’s also have a in-line medallion with mic, volume dial and answer/hang up button. The mic can be muted for voice chatting and even has a dedicated volume control. Tapping the square box on the bottom will either answer or hang up for phone calls. While tapping the square once for music playback will pause or play, double tap will skip the track. It even works for iPod and iPhone devices. The mic has also been designed as a windshield for wind and other incoming noise. I also found the carry case to be something I really liked as it could easily fit any mobile device along with the headset to travel with.

Our only gripe with the design is just a knit pick if you want to call it that. We can’t help but think that since the A30′s-A40′s were made with the users personal style in mind. That the A*STAR’s could have received some sort of interchangeable color or design scheme for the Thor like blade for your ears. Again with the fact of the matter still remaining that these still look better then most in-ear headsets and especially in this price range it is nothing to cry home about at all.

Quality/Sound

The A*STAR In-Ear Headset have some of the best audio for in-ear headsets around. lows and mids sound great, with enough bass to give you an overall superb quality in sound. Of course the bass also depends on your audio source but can easily get up there without any distortion. We could distinctly hear separate noises from games like Halo Reach, Mass Effect 2 and Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. WIth the Y-Adapter for PC use the A*STAR can easily be used for a skype conversation, recording or other forms of chat on the PC which all came in and out clear. This thing works with music devices, handhelds, pc and consoles. The in-ear headset gave a good range of sound that could easily pass for 5.1-7.1.

Highs seem to make sounds a little to sharp for our ears however. While music seemed fine to us, having a call with audio problems from either side or playing games came in kind of rough. We took notice that when you started to get the headset volume up to a higher then normal setting for playing games, one of the sound effects would distort a bit. We also took note that while we could hear things crystal clear and even we were clear to the person we were speaking to from calls, chatting over Xbox live wasn’t as clear. While it wasn’t bad, when compared to the sound of their Astro Headsets or even the official wireless mic, it wasn’t as clear as it could have been. This isn’t anything crazy and our suggestion is that if your using a MixAmp, in particular one of the Astro MixAmp’s that you balance the volume control of the mic with the MixAmp itself to get the best overall sound you can.

We’ve gotta say that the design/quality for an in-ear headset that is made and marketed by a gaming audio company can easily pass as some of the best for use anywhere. The A*STAR In-Ear Headset are very stylish, comfortable and comparable to any of Astro Gaming’s products. A*STAR In-Ear Headset is sold for $79.95 and while you may think thats steep, it maybe some of the best investments you made for an all around quality in-ear headset. Pairing these up with one of the Astro MixAmp’s for the best sound you can get from them as well. For those looking for an all in one solution, want great quality in-ear headset without breaking the bank this won’t steer you wrong.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Who would have thought the day would come when any sort of headset technology could come close to a surround sound theater unit. Who would have also thought that, that it could be enjoyed from home. While it’s no surprise that companies have been delivering a headset home theater experience for years, it catered to the PC market. With console gaming not only rivaling the best of PC gaming nowadays by visuals, it is also doing it by sound.

Astro gaming has been bringing hardcore and pro gaming quality MixAmps for quite sometime. For those who don’t know what a MixAmp does well your in luck. A MixAmp channels both game sounds and voice-communication into one headset while it is also the only way to listen to certain headsets via consoles. While we’ve been experiencing this for several years it has never been in a wireless flavor, or at least not a good one. Astro gaming sets to change this with their latest entry of MixAmps, the 5.8 MixAmp but does it still deliver the standard of what we get from wired ones?

The first thing we noticed when we received the 5.8 MixAmp was the packaging and design. Astro knows that when you pay for quality, they give you quality on all expects. The art and style of the packaging is some of the coolest we’ve seen around.

Here is an overview of everything it comes with.
5.8 MixAmp TX Base
5.8 MixAmp RX Receiver
AC Cable Plug-in Adapter
Optical Cable
Mini USB to USB
Y-Adapter for 3rd party headset
3 AAA Batteries for Receiver
Xbox Live Chat Cable
RX Receiver Belt Clip
Headset (Sold Separately)
PS3 Chat Cable (Sold Separately)
Rechargeable Battery (Sold Separately)

The process of the unit works by connecting any audio source sound that can be hooked up by optical cable and plugging it into the device. The base then sends a 5.8 GHz wireless signal to be heard through the receiver for you to listen to. One important thing to note is the advantage you receive from the 5.8 GHz then the standard 2.4 GHz that all of our other device normally use. Xbox 360 wireless controls, wireless routers etc. You can only imagine how difficult it would be to push 7.1 surround sound to the receiver with no loss in quality.

When setting the unit up you don’t have to worry about pairing the TX and RX device as they come pre-paired. The back of the TX Base unit has a ac plug in, two USB ports for future configurations, PS3 chat audio in setup, optical in and optical out. The RX receiver has a mini USB port to charge the unit (if rechargeable battery is connected), one for audio mics, the Xbox 360 chat plug adapter, a master volume control knob, and a game/voice split control knob. The receiver can also plug in any 3.5mm headset for your liking as well.

We tested the MixAmp with several headsets and earbuds ranging in price to test out the quality of sound. The A Star Ear Buds which are $79 (check out our review here), Plantronics $15 headset and a brief test with Astro A40 Headsets were among some of the few. We were pretty astonished at the results when comparing this to a 7.1 home theater set up as it came to close for words. Sound was crisp and on point. Crackles of grass can be heard from yourself or another person in games like Halo Reach, while the pin of a grenade when pulled can be heard from a distance in Call of Duty Black Ops. The distance in sound between objects can be significantly recognized over any other setups I’ve seen to date aside higher end home theaters.

Don’t be surprised when you go to get a snack or even head to the bathroom with the RX unit and headset on with no loss in sound quality. This thing has some incredible range and can sometimes be startling. Not to mention that the mobility of the wireless allowed us to clip the RX unit to our belt and play games like DJ Hero 2, Rockband and even Kinect.

We’ve found that with the Y-adapter included it is also seamless to connect a PC headset which sometimes have a split audio and mic plug. When using the MixAmp to chat via Xbox live or PS3 sounds were very clear and never gave any sort of distortion. We had come across a slight hissing sound coming through the audio when putting the master volume up to get the right voice and game sound we wanted. This didn’t happen all the time but rather when we mixed in-game or out music, sound and then voice it seemed to have happened on occasions. Another thing to note is when pairing the unit with the PS3 via the XMB, you may have to remove all other paired audio setups from the system to get the MixAmp to show up.

What’s good about the MixAmp is that three other RX receivers can be pared with one base to get the same sound from the audio source, turning any living room or bed room into a home theater setup without disturbing neighbors. We’ve also found that you can plug in the 5.8 Mix Amp to Astro’s original MixAmp via the optical out from the 5.8 base into the wired MixAmp’s base. Multiple set ups may work if you tamper with them.

Of course this isn’t without some things to considered about the unit itself, especially if your in the market to buy gaming audio already. When compared to their wired MixAmp is leaves out some audio inputs for obvious reasons of space, mobility and conservation. However the MP3 audio in from the original Astro MixAmp was also left out of the 5.8. For those looking to get some personal sound in their games by not tampering with the Xbox music settings or putting them into your PS3 since most games don’t allow personal playlist music override anyway will not be to happy about this. We tested a 3.5mm splitter but it degrades sound coming in all together. An optical audio signal is the only accepted audio to the unit so multiple sources are left out like trying to connect a Wii. If you have an older Xbox 360 the only way to connect this is via a component cable set up as you can’t plug in an HDMI and component plug into the system (at least not in an official way). The Xbox 360 S has its own dedicated optical port so it does not have this problem. Sometimes when you put on the bass boost from the RX receiver we would hear a slight muffle in sound to deliver the bass upgrade. Also the batteries that come with the unit to be put in the RX receiver die rather fast, or at least it seems fast while playing.

With an introductory price of $99 the question is what you may be looking for in your gaming experience? A gaming headset will need to be purchased if not already owned (Astro has packages with headsets for the unit which save money), the optional PS3 chat cable if your looking to do so and possibly a rechargeable battery. All of this aside, this of course is possibly the best Mix Amp and sound that I’ve received from any audio source yet. Playing games while getting an edge on the competition or simply wanting to be fully immersed in a movie never came easier then this. This will have you question why you haven’t invested in gaming audio sooner if you have yet to try one out.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]