*You MUST use a wired Xbox 360™ controller. XCM Re-Mapper will NOT work with wireless Xbox 360 controller Play & Charge Kit.

Quality/Usability : Connecting the XCM Re-Mapper is pretty straight forward. First connect the Official Xbox 360™ wired controller to the USB port of XCM Re-Mapper. Then plug the XCM Re-Mapper USB plug to the Xbox 360™ console.

How to Use :
(1). For an instance, if you want the “LT” key to replace the “RT” key:
a. Press the “P” program button once. The program indicator will light up. The XCM Re-Mapper is now entering programming mode. The Manual On/Off switch function is temporarily non-functional.

b. Now press the silver printed word “RT” button on the XCM Re-Mapper. The “RT” button indicator will light up in red. The program indicator will begin to blink.

c. Press the yellow printed word “LT” button and the “LT” button indicator will light up in red. The program indicator will now stop blinking.

d. If you want to remap other keys, follow the above steps “b” and “c” until you are done remapping. If you are done with your remapping of buttons, finally press the program button “P” once. All the indicator lights will turn off and this will exit the programming mode. Now you have the new setting included from the above steps; pressing the “RT” key = “LT” key.

Note: the GUIDE key can not be programmed.

(2). Swapping the Left and Right analog sticks.
Press the program button “P” and the program indicator will light up. Push the Left or Right analog stick in any direction and the program indicator lights will turn off. The functions of these 2 analog sticks are now swapped. If this step is repeated again, the function of these 2 analog sticks will revert back to its default function. This swap procedure does not change the function of the RC and LC key. The UP, DOWN, LEFT and RIGHT directions on the analog stick can not be swapped. This only swaps analog sticks. Left analog stick will now be where the Right analog stick is and the Right analog stick will be where the Left analog stick.

(3). Display the programmed buttons.
By pressing on the program button “P”, some of the programmed buttons will be light up in red. On the XCM Re-Mapper, press the program button “P” again to exit out of programming mode.

If you set the “LT” key to the “RT” key, “Y” key to the “X” key, when pressing on the program button “P”, the yellow printed words “LT”, “Y” and the silver printed words “RT”, “X”, will all be light up.

When using the Official wired Xbox 360™ controller, if pressing the wired controller “RT” key, on the XCM Re-Mapper, the silver printed word “RT” and yellow printed word “LT” will both be light up in the color blue. If pressing the wired controller “X” key, on the XCM Re-Mapper, the silver printed word “X” and yellow printed word “Y” button indicator will both be light up in the color blue.

Note: the setting will be saved for the next gameplay (ONLY for the same game)

(4). How to clear the settings.
a. If you want to clear a single setting, for instance: you had set “LT” key to replace the “RT” key, press the program button “P” once. The silver printed word “RT”, yellow printed word “LT” and program indicator will all be light up in red. Now press the silver printed word “RT” program button once. The program indicator will begin to blink, Press the silver printed “RT” program button again and the program indicator will stay red. The silver printed word “RT” and yellow printed word “LT” indicator will be off. Finally press the program button “P” to exit the programming mode.

b. To clear all the re-mapped settings, simply press and hold the program button “P” until the program indicator starts to blink. Release the button and the program indicator lights will turn off after 3 seconds. All the re-mapped setting are now cleared and reverted back to default settings.

Here is a video on how to use XCM Re-Mapper with Wired Xbox 360 Controller for Xbox360 as well:

What is nice about the XCM Re-Mapper is that you are able to update it if there is ever a new firmware released for it. You can check to see if there is any new firmwares or updates here. You can also find instructions on how to perform an update here.

Conclusion : Overall, the XCM Re-Mapper for the Xbox 360 does what it says. Yes, Xbox 360 games allows you to remap buttons but not all games do and if they do, they may limit you to what can and can not be mapped. The XCM Re-Mapper gives you full reign of re-mapping the buttons on your controller except for the SELECT, START and Guide button.

Unfortunately, in order to get this to work, you’ll need a WIRED Xbox 360 controller. A Play and Charge Kit will not work. This seems to be a standard requirement for XCM adapters on Xbox 360 consoles even if it’s just to activate the XCM adapter. If you already have other XCM adapters for the Xbox 360, you won’t need to buy a WIRED controller. Third party controllers such as MadCatz, HORI and others will work but not all will. OEM Microsoft controllers is your safest bet. Another down fall is that you are unable to use a wired headset. So if you don’t have a wireless headset already, you’ll have to shell out additional money.

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.

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.

Dance games like Just Dance and Dance Central are becoming some of the most popular party games out there. So it’s not surprising that they would showcase a game with one of the best performers ever lived, Michael Jackson. Already making its rounds on the Wii, Michael Jackson: The Experience sounds like it would be perfect for the full body tracking system Kinect? However technical issues holds this game back from being the ultimate party game.

The game works like other dance games, learn the choreography and then play the songs to do the steps along with it. Similar to Dance Central the game shows the next dance move coming up through queued flash cards that are controlled by timers. Another thing that is interesting is the use of not only dancing but singing along with the tracks as well. Since the Kinect has a built in microphone, we were actually able to configure it to hear our voice so there would be no need to hold a microphone physically of any kind but you can if you have one.

Each song specific stages have some nice flashy colors or even the video running in the background. You will see yourself on screen through the camera as the main performer and have a number of backup dancers. Personally I don’t think the software to place you in the game as the star of the show is there yet. They should have stuck with the Wii avatar versions of Michael Jackson and dancers in the game or something else nor do the background dancers on the Xbox 360 version have any appeal to them either. Not to mention that the person they got for the silhouette Michael Jackson for the Wii is a better performer then any on the Xbox 360 version.

Now if everything I had mentioned earlier worked seamlessly with the game then all would be great, unfortunately it doesn’t. First a game such as this would normally have levels of difficulty in performances. In Michael Jackson: The Experience it doesn’t have that, you either perform the dance, perform the dance and sing along or do the song with different flash cards and almost double the speed which is called Master Performance. What’s more confusing then that is those three options are not available for every song. Some only provide one set difficulty while some others are actually only vocal performances. This is a real bummer if you were looking forward to performing a hard version of choreography for a fast song when none is available. An example is how Bad and Just Leave Me Alone never felt challenging.

Practice mode will get you through the dancing aspect, allowing you to learn the dance steps by sections of the song. The mode in itself is hard to get the moves perfect however since there are no tools on what exactly your doing wrong if you mess up and it does not allow you to slow it down. As mentioned before some songs have Master Performance which can be seen as the hard version of a particular routine but some of what happens here is not explained. Sometimes a flash card will make you do the dance step twice as fast, sometimes it’ll double it up and sometimes it’ll tell you to perform moves that are not in practice for the song at all.

Party Mode could have been the games saving grace but this somehow falls short as well. While not terrible it doesn’t get all players involved the way you would want them to be. While performing together can actually get fun to play, dance battling will make those on opposing teams finish the complete song before the other can go.

MJ School is an entirely separate part of the game which are video tutorials of some of Michael Jackson’s most famous dance moves. This mode and while not actually a mode is somewhat cool as it is infuriating at the same time. How? Well the videos will go through the songs that are in the game and show you how to do choreography with some of his best known dancers as in turn you were a dancer yourself. The most annoying part about this is many of the dance moves within the tutorials are not actually in the songs to do themselves! or are a dumb down version of them. Some easily scream Master Performances but don’t make the cut.

The game is somewhat plagued with things that either seemed to be missing, not explained or plain borken. Aside everything that has been mentioned it doesn’t feature online leaderboards (or any you can actually witness), short playlist of songs (Scream is missing along with others) and has plenty of detection issues (Some moves just don’t read correctly at all). The vocal aspect of the game also doesn’t have any pitch direction so its hard to know how you can improve.

I wanted to love this game, I really did and while some fun can definitely be had, it has more to do with being a seasoned player of dance games. New comers will have a hard time jumping into the weird flash card set up and art or lack of tutorials on how things should function. A separate mode with the avatars and dances from the Wii/PS3 versions would help the game tremendously as the direction for the Kinect just isn’t cutting it. Those looking to build up there library of dance games or want to experience some of Michael’s cool dance moves will have to ask themselves how bad they want this in there collection. While the gameplay and modes are somewhat flawed, it is Michael Jackson and chances are you won’t see these songs anywhere else for awhile.

Overall = 6.7

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Sega has revealed a new trailer for its upcoming action sports title, Virtua Tennis 4. This trailer highlights the new Match Momentum system and focuses on Microsoft Xbox 360’s Kinect functionality which is surprisingly making its way into the game. Will it work? We’ll have to wait and see, until then check out the trailer.

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.

It’s always great to have different options for controllers. In any type of video game, you are only as good as your controller. Having a good controller will not only guarantee good gameplay, it also gives a better gaming experience. So can the Xbox 360 HORIPAD EX2 Turbo offer that quality gameplay?

Let’s begin with the physical design, the HORIPAD EX2 Turbo resembles the original Xbox controller with a few tweaks. The controller button layout is identical to the original 360 controller but has six smaller buttons instead of four, with the left and right bumpers being the additional 2 buttons on the face. The controller does have a bit of a learning curve to get accustomed to, depending on the type of hands a player has, this can be a nuisance. Also included with the design is a turbo switch with 3 speeds and a switch to control the sensitivity for the analogue sticks. The turbo functionality is offered on the controller for almost all the buttons including the D-pad. The only buttons that aren’t included are the start and select buttons and the two analogue sticks.
The smaller buttons wont feel comfortable at first but you’ll learn to adapt. This controller offers a lot of options for gamers. It’s clear that the developers want this controller to work for different types of games.

The thumbstick and D-Pad feel great. Both thumbsticks house a small but deep groove with four directional points. The groove gives players easier fit for their thumbs for extra precision. You can compare the D-Pad the PS3 D-Pad, it’s accurate. It’s even more noticeable when playing fighting games, it simply feels natural with this controller. The shoulder buttons have the most difference in design. The shoulder buttons are not as raised as the original 360 controller. This design doesn’t damper the experience, however it will feel awkward at first, however once adapted, you will certainly love the controller.

In all, the Xbox 360 HORIPAD EX2 Turbo is a great alternative wired controller. Even with the slight learning curve, the control you have with this controller is amazing. With a 6 button layout, extra thumbstick sensitivity settings, and 3 turbo speeds all for $29.99, its a great investment. Players will have great time and great control with this one.

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.

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