Games may have taken centre stage at E3, but some hardware manufacturers managed to slip in their latest offerings between launch trailers and playable demos.

PS Vita as a PlayStation 3 controller

Sony announced that PlayStation Vita owners will soon be able to use the mobile console as a controller for the PlayStation 3. Gamers can use the Vita’s front and back touch capabilities, motion sensing system, and camera to interact with the PlayStation 3 console, with gameplay being displayed via the TV and the Vita’s own screen – neat.

Samsung “joining” the console war

Samsung is joining the home console war by releasing a range of new TV sets. The sets allow users to plug in a standard PC controller and play games streamed to the TV via a cloud service to be powered by Gaikai. Confirmed titles include Mass Effect 3, Rayman Origins, The Witcher 2, and FIFA 2012.

Tritton Warhead headset

Wireless headphones for the Xbox 360 need to be used with a dongle in order to work, unless of course you’re Tritton. The headset manufacturer somehow convinced Microsoft to put a security chip into their headset, avoiding the need for a dongle to allow headphones to work with the Xbox 360, which is cool. Featuring a 5.8GHz transmitter, 7.1 surround sound and a price tag under $300 (~R2,500), the headsets will get a release date sometime this winter.

Razer Taipan ambidextrous mouse

Razer was in attendance at E3 2012, and they brought the ambidextrous Taipan with them. Designed with e-Sports in mind, the mouse features an 8,200 dpi 4G dual sensor system and Razer Synapse 2.0, a cloud application that syncs custom settings and user profiles for the mouse.

PDP Afterglow headsets

Performance Designed Products (PDP) unveiled their Afterglow headsets at E3 2012, and don’t they look purdy? Other than the neon blue (or green) glow, the phones sports 50mm neodymium speakers and a dual suspension headband.  They’ll set you back $59.95 for the wired version, and $89.95 for the wireless one.

Nyko Android game controllers

Nyko used E3 2012 to launch their PlayPad and PlayPad Pro game controllers for Android tablets with Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processors. The Pro version features dual analogue sticks, triggers, bumpers, face buttons, and a d-pad. The mini version will sport dual analogue sliders as well as a tablet stand and carrying case.

Moga Android game controllers

Don’t have a Tegra 3-powered tablet? No worries, as long as you have Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) you can make use of the game controllers from Moga. Both devices have dual analogue sticks, four face buttons and two triggers for gaming. They also sport a built in clamp that holds your smartphone in place while you play.

PowerA Fusion professional game controllers

If gaming is serious business for you, you may want one of the Fusion controllers unveiled at E3 2012 by PowerA. The controllers come in Xbox 360 and PS3 flavours, and feature bright lights, ergonomic designs, interchangeable grips, oversized triggers and “precision” buttons. No release date or pricing information available for these, but there is a pretty picture below.

Nintendo Wii U

The Wii U was fully detailed at E3, and there’s so much to say that Mygaming has a whole article on it! Important features include: the MiiVerse, a network communication system to chat with all your buddies; the ability to use the Wii U gamepad as a TV remote; a video entertainment platform with dedicated applications from Amazon, YouTube, Netflix and Hulu; and a Nintendo eShop where you can buy multimedia and games.

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