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Wednesday, February 18: Help Yourself: Game Peripherals

Eileen Rivera

So you say you got da skills, huh? Well, why not make your gaming experience a little more interesting with some of these peripherals?

VR-1 Virtual Racing Chassis

It's a seat, folks. No steering wheel or pedals, and it's about $300, but it sure is comfortable! It's really designed for the racing game aficionado or someone who has a lot of money to burn. All you do is hook up your steering wheel, and you're ready to go (http://www.bobearlracing.com).

Nintendo WaveBird

Don't you hate it when people trip over your controller wires when you're playing a game? If you're playing with the GameCube, the WaveBird eliminates that problem. It uses an RF signal, so you can play wirelessly several feet away from the TV. It's a fine investment for every GameCube owner.

Magic Box

Now even after they gave us the S-controller, some people still have problems with their Xbox controller. Well, here's the solution. Plug the Magic Box into your Xbox, and it becomes a conduit, allowing you to use a PS2, Dreamcast, and Saturn controller to play Xbox games. Very cool!

It can be useful for very specific games, primarily fighting games. Bear in mind that Xbox games are designed for the Xbox controller, so you might run into problems if you use your entire library. You'll find the Magic Box only at a video game import store or site, such as http://www.lik-sang.com or http://www.levelsix.com.

Airflo

Sometimes after playing for hours on end, you end up sweating all over your controller. Nyko's (http://www.nyko.com) controller fixes that problem. Inside the handle are fans that blow air and thereby keep your hands nice and cool. It really doesn't work too well for playing the games, but if you are a really sweaty boy, this might be something to look into.

E-Dimensional 3D Wireless Glasses

These promise a 3D experience right out of your monitor. Well, it's 3D kinda like Jaws 3D, and we all know that was a quality film.

Also, if there's any text in this game, it's nearly impossible to read it. You will suffer eyestrain (http://www.edimensional.com).

Laporte Support: Speed Up a Celeron-Based System for Gaming

Download the Belarc Advisor (http://www.belarc.com) to find out what CPU and video card you have. You need this information to determine what you can upgrade. With a Celeron-based system, you don't want to get the latest and fastest video cards. Your CPU can't keep up with the processing of GeForce4-type cards. You can probably upgrade to a GeForce2-level card.

You have to open the case to see if you have an AGP slot. If not, you need to get a PCI video card. To get AGP and to be able to use GeForce4-level cards, you'll have to upgrade your motherboard and processor. You need to have at least a 1GHz CPU to take advantage of the GeForce4.

Site of the Day: Adrenaline Vault

This is arguably the best gaming site: http://www.avault.com. Get the latest reviews, free downloads, and much more.

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