The Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, is one of the largest showcases of new technology in the world. and here are the highlights of Day one:

G-Mate's Mag II Game Controller

The Mag II was originally shown at E3 in 2012, but it’s interesting to see a unique PC-compatible game controller shaped like something that might immerse us more in a first-person shooter. It uses a gyroscopic sensor in conjunction with motion tracking to deliver a sensor bar-free experience. With full gamepad controls on the forehand grip, built in vibration, and 12 different modes, the Mag II is a surprisingly fun alternative for FPS players. Released to retail before Christmas, we’ve seen it available online for around $150.

SanDisk

In 2013, SanDisk celebrates 25 years in business with the launch of its X110 and Ultra Plus SSDs. The 2.5” SATA 6Gb/s-capable 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.

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

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

Company reps were proud to mention that the SanDisk U100 SSD is the design that made it into Asus' Transformer tablet. 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.

Xi3's 7 Series Modular Computer

The Xi3 Corporation unveiled its new 7-series modular computer at this year's show. A tiny 64-bit, x86-based PC, this product is built using three boards fit into a casing that appears similar to an extruded letter X. Using embedded APUs from AMD's Trinity family, the 7A series boasts up to 384 Radeon cores and up to 3.2 GHz core clock rates under the influence of Turbo Core. It features 8 GB of DDR3 memory, native triple-monitor support with two mini-DP outputs and one combo HDMI/DP output, four USB 3.0 and four four USB 2.0 ports, four eSATA ports, and three audio connectors (including optical output).

The 7A can be equipped with up to 1 TB of SSD storage. Xi3’s chief marketing officer, Dave Politis, pointed out that this diminutive PC uses only 40 W of power, and that 224 of them could be fit into a half-height rack. He purports that even when clustered together, these small computers do not demonstrate thermal bleed-over thanks to excellent cooling characteristics. Each 7A contains a small single fan and heat sink, while the aluminum chassis acts as a secondary heat sink.

A 7-series-based PC called the Piston is one of the prototypes that game developer Valve is considering for its Steam Box game platform, we're told. 

Xi3 developed a custom SSD for its 7A, designated mSATAmax. Designed to fit in a modified mSATA connector exclusive to Xi3 PCs, mSATAmax can facilitate 12 Gb/s transfer rates, and its availability is anticipated by mid-year.

The company also announced a smaller dual-core model with 20 watts of power usage. Less than 2” tall, a little more than 4” wide, and 4” deep, this PC features 4 GB of DDR3 memory, dual monitor support, and a dual core processor based on AMD’s Ontario/Zacate low power APUs. This entry level model has a $399 price point and there are no configurable options. Availability is expected in the 2nd quarter of 2013.

Zalman's CPU Coolers, Thrustmaster's Headsets And Game Controllers

Zalman

Zalman showed off its new Reserator 3 and FX-100 Cube CPU coolers. The black pearl nickel plated FX-100 Cube is capable of 77W of heat dissipation with no fan whatsoever, although a 92 mm fan is optional to increase performance for overclockers. The Reserator 3 is a closed-loop liquid cooling solution with a circular radiator and 120 mm fan, capable of dissipating 400W of heat.

Thrustmaster

Thrustmaster is jumping into gaming headsets with three new models, essentially identical except for the target markets and colors: PS3 (model 250P, blue and black), Xbox 360 (model 250X, white and green), and the PC (model 250C, red and black). All three offer the same respectably-sized 50 mm drivers, control pod, and detachable unidirectional microphone for $90 on Amazon.com.

Of course Thrustmaster still offers gamepads, and its newest GPX controllers were on display. These feature eight LEDs that indicate how much pressure the user is currently applying to the triggers, light feedback-equipped analogue sticks, vibration feedback, and a built-in headset connector. The company claims these pads are twice as precise as the competition. The GPX gamepads are available in classic black or Ferrari-branded red and white.

Synaptics' Touch Interface Developments

Synaptics shared a number of touch interface products with us, along with some promising developments for the future.

We began with touchpads. We saw the company's forcepad in action, a touchpad with the ability to sense finger pressure from up to five digits at a time. This promises some interesting potential to enhance the gesture suite: for instance, scrolling speed could be controlled with the amount of pressure the user applies. We were told that the forcepad is expected to debut at retail this summer.

We were then shown the thintouch capacative keyboard. Synaptics removed the rubber domes underneath keycaps to eliminate the key height from the surface and make the entire keyboard capable of being used as a touch pad. There are a number of potential benefits to this technology, as the users hands could be tracked wether hovering, resting, pressing lightly, or pressing hard. This data could be used to control output: for example, a hard press could register a capital letter. The system could sense when hands are on the keyboard and disable the touchpad to prevent interference. With the keys lowered, the depth for a keypress has been increased by moving them diagonally to add the perception of a longer stroke. The thintouch keyboard is in the prototype phase, and Synaptics doesn't expect it before the second half of 2013.

We also saw the company's clickpad 2.0, redesigned with more rigidity to deliver better click performance, with the mechanical mechanism integrated inside.

After touchpads, we moved to touchscreens. We've heard of the Nokia 920's ability to work through gloves but it was interesting to see it in action anyway. The phone checks if the user has a glove and enters a separate, more sensitive mode. In this mode the user can employ their gloved finger or a small conductive object like a regular pen to operate the interface. The Synaptics representative explained this feature is not as simple as cranking up the sensitivity, as noise from a number of sources could affect operation and that a great deal of processing is required for this mode to work. Since the Nokia 920 has been released, Synaptics has gotten a lot of requests for this feature and the company expects it to proliferate.

We were then shown a prototype solution for an issue that may become problematic in the future: large tablets with ultra-slim bezels. In this case, the user would have nowhere to put their finger or thumb to hold the tablet without interfering with touchscreen operation. For instance, with a current tablet, if the thumb is used on the front to hold the screen, a finger swipe might be misinterpreted as a double-finger pinch gesture. The potential solution Synaptics is working on involves two new imaging sensors on back of the tablet used to detect when user is gripping the device. When user puts a thumb down to clamp the front of the screen, the driver recognizes it as grip event and excludes it from gestures. In addition, the prototype can avoid displaying data behing the clamping thumb, and move text margins to keep information in the users line of sight. The company has a vision of a future where bezel-free tablets can be placed side by side to create larger displays and accept pan-device gesturing. That seems like a cool vision of the future to us.

Finally, we were shown a comparison test of the accuracy of touchscreens from different manufacturers. Using tools to simulate different finger sizes we were quite surprised to see the wavy lines generated on the screens of some competitor-built models while Syics touchscreens registered smooth output. Company representatives suggested that competitor's products can suffer issues caused by a combination of firmware and sensor pattern design flaws. This is something we'd like to test in the future, and see whether it makes a difference in a real-world situation.

Turtle Beach's Gaming Headsets

Turtle Beach brings a wide variety of new gaming headsets to the table this year. We’ll start with the Seven series: the M Seven, Z Seven, and XP Seven. All three share the same 50 mm drivers. The M Seven has an inline microphone, the Z Seven ($249) has a removable boom microphone plus an inline USB audio control unit, and the XP Seven ($279) is essentially the M Seven with an optical input option for Dolby as required by the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. A cool included feature is chat boost: it dynamically scales voice channel output with loud sounds during game play to make sure communication doesn’t get drowned out.

That USB audio control unit can be purchased separately for use with other headphones, too. It provides surround sound processing (with an override to turn it off), allows you to adjust the virtual surround speaker position, and hosts a desktop speaker output.

The company’s premium wireless gaming console headsets have been updated, too. XP510 for Xbox (with Bluetooth dongle, $289)and PX51 for Playstation (no Bluetooth dongle required, $269). These flagship headsets feature a dual-band Bluethooth controller to use the cleanest available channel. They include 50mm drivers, chat boost, rechargeable batteries that can be charged during play via USB cable, and dual-stage EQ settings to focus on specific frequencies (such as footsteps to better hear your enemies sneak up on you). The dual-channel Bluetooth radio accommodates two audio sources to allow for phone calls or custom music from your mobile device during game play.

The new PX22 ($79) will work on consoles or the PC. It also features 50mm drivers and has an inline controller with bass and treble boost. Chat boost is also supported, but virtual surround is not. The Z22 is the PC-centric version of the PX22. A $10 premium over the PX22 gets the Z22 buyer a USB dongle.

Finally, the Z300: a wireless PC stereo headset with a USB transmitter, with pricing expected in the $170 range. It features the same dual-band Bluetooth controller as the XP510/PX51. According to Turtle Beach, this will be the first PC headset capable of wireless game and chat in addition to music streaming and answering the phone all at the same time.

CES 2013: Day 1 Highlights

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