Nintendo is doing extremely well in this round of console wars, be it in the portable or home-based arena with the DS Lite and Wii, respectively. Their efforts have paid off handsomely as the latest sales figures available from NPD for the month of June has showed that there is more to boosting sales than just a single multiplayer platform record breaking game ala Grand Theft Auto IV or an exclusive release such as Metal Solid Gear 4: Guns of the Patriots for the PS3. Slow and steady wins the race, and somehow the Wii has hit a sweet spot with Americans since it was released at the end of 2006. Amazingly enough, it is the only console of this generation that has yet to experience a price cut, while its main rivals, the Xbox 360 and PS3 have already seen lowered prices a number of times to date. The Nintendo Wii has surpassed the Xbox 360 from Microsoft in terms of units sold (in the US, of course), touching 11,008,200 units sold compared to the Xbox 360’s 10,465,900 count.

Last year the queues for getting into see the Gates keynote were beyond a joke so this year we took a new strategy: Sit in the bloghaus (kindly provided by Seagate and Podtech) and watch the live webcast of the keynote from the comfort of a sofa in the Bellagio. So without further ado - here are the highlights.

The keynote opened with the announcement that this is Gates’ last time on stage at CES. There was some nice comic relief from a video showing what might happen when Bill retires this year and looks for new work, featuring people such as Bono and George Clooney.

There was a recap of mobile technology and microsoft’s involvement in that. There ave been 10 million windows smartphones sold to date, which is a fair number on one platform by anybody’s standards. Bill seem to think that mobile devices will play an increasingly important role in our lives, with high-def displays and more powerful devices enabling more things to be done on the move.

As a big fan of the Nintendo Wii, I’m always anxious when the latest new stuff comes out. Especially when it comes to Wiimote attachments, such as the 8-in-1 set from the Beloved Dragon Electronics.

As you can see, there are lots of weapons like an axe, scimitar, sword, gun, shield, and two daggers. I’m not certain what types of games you could use these for, but I believe the sword and shield would come in handy for the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Then again, I’m not really into the whole “I’m going to put on my fake weapons and pretend I’m playing with real ones” kind of guy.

I suppose that would be good for the sword and shield, but why two types of daggers? There must be an Assassin’s Creed for the Wii that I don’t know about. As for the scimitar, is that available for the Prince of Persia game? I’m not certain what kind of games is available that you can use the axe for, but I guess it’s just neat all the same.

Halo 3

The game for the Xbox 360, you probably want to make sure they haven’t got it before buying, but a 360 without Halo 3 is like scuba diving without oxygen.

Cost : $59.99

Sound Seat Video Game Chair

Make games and music come alive with the Sound Seat Video Game Chair.

• 3″ full range speaker
• 5.5″ subwoofer
• RCA inputs
• iPod™/MP3/PSP™ input and holder
• Headphone jack
• Volume and base control
• RCA multi-player outputs
• Breathable poly-stretch fabric
• Folds for storage

Cost : $129.95

It’s no secret that the state of computer gaming graphics is getting more and more realistic all the time. The state of the art can easily be seen in the Xbox 360 or the Playstation 3’s stunningly realistic situations, lighting shades, and characters who make the term virtual reality even seem archaic by today’s standards. And with more and more designers like Nintendo’s Wii looking to add feedback and faster reaction time, the state of the art is not only more realistic, it’s more immersive. So, when TN Games designed the 3rd Space Vest, which allows gamers to actually feel the impact of punches and shots, the next level of realism in computer simulations seems to have been achieved. It looks like a bullet proof vest, and that’s essentially the idea. To feel the impact, not suffer from it.

Gallery of Gadgets up to 07-22-2007

Although the Wii looks as though it comes up short in the shooting game department, accessories for this console are anything but scarce. The latest would be this Rifle Gun Prop that makes your Wiimote and Nunchuck controllers more menacing than ever. The Wiimote is placed in front of the gun, while the Nunchuk fits in comfortable into the handle. We all know the Army is using the Wii for therapeutic treatment at this point in time, so is there a possibility for them to improve their aim? Nah, not until a game that involves real world shooting physics emerge. Still, if you want a higher degree of realism the next time you knock off your enemies from a distance, the Rifle Gun Prop retails for $16.58.

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Yet more gadget thumbs