We covered the Zoom at E3 this year and you can see me try it out after the jump.

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The Nyko Zoom is a great idea. It’s basically a lens set that sits over your Kinect that reduces the space the Kinect needs to sense you in three dimensions. That way you can feasibly stand just a few feet from the Kinect and do all your running and jumping without fear of falling into furniture.

Specifically, the device reduces the necessary space needed to play Kinect by 40%. We tested it, above, and it worked quite well, sensing us in positions that would normally be impossible in a regular room. It costs $29 – a bit pricey for a piece of plastic – but if you live in a small, cramped apartment it may be a great solution for increased Kinect play.

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The Kinect add-on they’ve created (top) is called the Zoom, and it reduces the minimum distance necessary to use the Kinect by (they say) about 40%. That means you’ll only need three or four feet of clear space in front of it, though your mileage may vary. In our review, we found that at least seven or eight were necessary with a stock Kinect. If you find yourself having to move furniture too often, in any case, then this might be a help. Hopefully there are no adverse effects from distortion or whatnot.

For the 3DS, they’ve got a couple little extras: The Shock n’ Rock is a case for your system that adds a ton of battery life, gives you improved sound via four larger speakers, and even boosts the vibration function. If all you need is more battery or a better grip, they’ve got the Game Boost and Power Grip for those. Then there’s the Play Clock, which turns your expensive 3D gaming machine into an alarm system. Practical!

No pricing or availability yet on these, but we’ll ask when we drop by their booth tomorrow.

We haven’t heard about too many heat issues with the new slim Xbox 360, but for those who run the console 24/7 it may be worth looking into a cooling system. Nyko just recently announced their Intercooler STS system made exclusively for the slim Xbox. Thankfully, the system is smart and only runs when it needs to, keeping noise levels down. Power comes from USB and it looks like the unit blends nicely with the Xbox.

Price is $19.99, available now.

Press Release

First the Wii stuff. The Wand+ is Nyko’s latest replacement for the standard Wii Remote. Other than being fully compatible Wii Motion Plus games without needing an extra dongle, it doesn’t have a whole lot of extra functionality that the standard remote doesn’t. As you can see above it is slightly smaller, although the buttons have been enlarged a bit. It rests comfortably in your hand, does what it’s supposed to, and doesn’t suck. It comes in the two designer colors you see, for $39.99.

The Type Pad is an interesting attachment, applicable mostly to those who browse the web a lot on their Wii. The QWERTY keypad is within easy reach of your thumbs, and the A and B buttons become triggers on the underside. It fits both Nyko’s wand series and the standard remote. No extra batteries needed, it’ll leech power straight from the remote. $29.99 if you just absolutely need a full keyboard for your Wii experience.

And speaking of power, the Charge Base Quad let’s you recharge four controllers at once, either the Wand or original. One cool thing is that complete contact between the remote and the charger isn’t necessary to charge, meaning you don’t have to take off any gel cases or the like. There’s also a USB port on the base so you can charge your phone, beard trimmer, etc. all for just $49.99.

Okay, if you really need me to explain this product, I’m not sure what I can tell you. It’s a gun. For your Wii. It’s $14.99. It works.

Now we make a quick delve into the Playstation realm. If you were disappointed the PS3 Slim reduced the number of USB slots, you’re in luck. This media hub attachment will give you 4 USB ports, a media card reader for SD and Sony memory sticks, and an IR remote to control DVD and Blu-ray playback. They run $24.99 a pop.

And from the PS3 we bounce over to its mortal enemy, the Xbox 360. The SpeakerCom 360 is a combination headset and loudspeaker, so you can share you profanity laden Xbox Live conversations with the whole room. It requires a single AAA battery, and the backs of the earbuds are magnetic. I personally prefer an actual headset for gaming, so the weight isn’t on my ears. But to each their own. $19.99.

Consider yourself lucky because Nyko just dropped two controller bundles just for you. The Action Pak is a combo Wand controller (like the Wii Remote) and Pistol Grip attachment that’s the first and only digitally activated gun accessory. We’ve got one in the ‘testing lab’ aka my living room and we’ll have a review next week. The second bundle, the Core Pak, consists of the Wand and a wired Kama w/ rumble that packs the first force feedback for both peripherals.

The Action and Core Paks retail for $45. Nyko also dropped the price of the Wand down to $30 for those that just need an extra Wii Remote.

I’ll keep this review short and sweet, folks.

If you’re looking for a second, third or even fourth Wiimote for your Wii then allow me to suggest picking up Nyko’s Wand. It’s priced $5 less than Nintendo’s Wii Remote and you’ll never know the difference when playing with your Wii Wii. It even comes with a blue condom!

With larger buttons and a rubberized grip, the Wand is far superior to the Wii Remote offering better control and a colorful button layout so you don’t have to hunt and peck. Maybe it’s just me, but the tiny white buttons with even tinier font on the Wii Remote confuse the heck out of me. That or I just don’t play my Wii enough.

I was a bit apprehensive about the D-pad on the Wand, but I found my Klonoa gaming skills were much improved thanks to the larger button configuration. The rubberized backside and B-trigger made it much easier to hang onto the Wand without using the blue condom that Nyko provides.

Overall, I’m more than happy with the Nyko Wand and recommend it to anyone looking for additional Wii Remotes for the Wii. You won’t notice a difference, I can guarantee it.

Nyko Wand

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We’re skimp on details until we hit the Nyko booth, but we have images of Nyko’s upcoming accessories for this year. They all seem to be pretty straightforward. So without further ado, I present to you the DSi Zoom Case, PSP Charge Grip Flex, and the Wii Type Pad Pro. There’s the Speakercom 360, but there aren’t any images of it yet. No release dates or prices have been announced, but we’re told that they are coming out this year.

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UPDATE- Congrats to Goodo! Thanks for playing!

To win, post a comment describing which book would be great as a video game and why. Include your real email in the form. My choices are Catcher In the Rye and Choke.

The Wand Action Pak includes one Wand and Pistol Grip. This new pistol grip boasts a digital connection to the remote instead of the usual mechanical connection to a button. They call it Trans-Port and say that this will reduce wear and tear from use. There is also a switch on the bottom of the grip that can flip the A and B buttons for use in different games. That Wand Action pack will be available for $49.99 in June.

The Wand Core Pak includes a Wand and a wired Kama, Nyko’s own version of the Nunchuck. The Kama features vibration and connects to the Wand with a 4 foot cord. It actually looks a little more comfortable than Nintendo’s own Nunchuck. The Wand Core Pack should be available again in June for $49.99. You will also be able to purchase the Wand by itself for $34.99.

The short version: Nyko just debuted a bunch of new video game accessories at CES, including the Wand, which it trumpets as “the most advanced alternative to the Wii Remote.” Strong words.

The Wand is your standard third-party controller, with all the familiar fixings: a slightly odd-looking D-Pad, that Nyko rubber grip, larger face buttons, etc. Nyko is also proud of what it calls Trans-Port Technology, which is essentially a method for allowing Wii Remote attachments that usually use mechanical buttons—think light gun and steering wheel—with regular electrical functions. That is, you push a button on the gun and you’re actually pushing a gun button, not merely pushing the Wii Remote button via the plastic gun overlay. No price for it yet, but it comes out in April.

There’s also a new round of controller chargers, the Charge Station EX and Kama Charge Kit. The former merely charges the Wii Remote, while the latter also charges Nyko’s Kama nunchuck. Those are out in April, too.

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Are you one of the 47 zillion people who own a Wii? Do you have $50? Do you want a new car? Do you want a Wii remote control charging device that can charge up to four controllers simultaneously? Sure, why not.

The Charge Station Quad does just that, and if it’s anything like the company’s two-controller charger you’re in for a treat. Well, in so far as the station does, in fact, charge your Wii remote controls, even if you’ve gone the responsible route and have a wrist strap connected to ‘em.

Go through enough batteries and this will pay for itself, in a sense.

What’s worse than having your Xbox 360 controller die during the middle of a game? Not being able to find replacement batteries, of course. Rechargeable batteries are a viable option, but those don’t seem to last as long as we’d like, right? They can be spendy as well.

With that in mind, Nyko has a rechargeable charging dock solution for those with at least one, but no more than two wireless 360 controllers. Nyko boasts up to 25 hours of fun for the NiHM batteries and my testing revealed that to be true. I logged roughly 23 hours in between charging cycles, but that’s not to say I couldn’t get another 30 to 60 minutes out of them. Since I only have one wireless controller, I was unable to test the recharging time for both packs, which Nyko claims takes four hours total or two hours per. Because of my ADD I always missed the two-hour mark, but packs that were recharging were lit green on the charging dock denoting that it was full.

The packs themselves match the cream color of the regular Xbox 360 controllers and take a tiny bit of muscle to plug into the back of the controller. There is a set for those with the Elite, but it’s sans charging dock. It’s a just a charging port for two battery packs. I can deal with mismatched colors. But the secondary battery pack isn’t quite hefty enough to sit in the cradle on its own. I suppose you could place something on top to get the juices flowing. Nyko should add some sort of locking mechanism so that you can recharge without a controller.

Nyko’s charging solution is priced the same as Microsoft’s Quick Charge Kit but that one only comes with one rechargeable pack. An additional pack is $12. The choice is quite clear. Nyko offers a solution equal to that of the official Microsoft kit, but at a better price. Grab one for your gamer (or yourself) this holiday season.

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Charge Station 360 (Black)

It won’t be available until after CES, but we’ll get a first look at them in Las Vegas and let you know if it’s worth it.

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Just a heads up to the Wii owners that Nyko’s classic controller alternative, the Wing, is finally available in North America. Not sure what the hold up was, but it’s out now for $30.

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Nyko announced that their Media Hub+ for PS3 is available starting today for $19.99. This tiny USB powered attachment expands your PS3′s media capabilities with three USB ports and a SD memory card reader.

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I’m here in San Francisco today, eating delicious appetizers and playing Mega Man 9. Jealous? I thought so. I’ve also put my sweaty fingerprints all over their shiny new Wings, the wireless controller that Nyko is hoping will take the place of many gamers’ Wii classic controllers. Read on for impressions and more pictures, including Mega Man 9‘s title screen.

I think you could call this a review, but it’s worth noting that this isn’t the final hardware or driver so we’ll definitely take another look when they get that all figured out.

So they’ve loaded up their stations with some of the twitchiest games out there. Super Ghouls and Ghosts is next to two Street Fighter II stations, and in between is the frustration-alicious Mega Man 9. This leads to a little bit of trouble because these are the instant-death, no-second-chance games that reward extremely precise controls and punish the slightest delay, and it’s difficult to say when it’s you and when it’s the controller that made you die (kind of like the original).

The controller itself is well-put together, very light, and pretty small. If you’ve got big hands it might feel undersized but it’s definitely a better option than the diminutive classic controller or a wiimote in that department. It’s about SNES-controller-size, but thicker and with prongs facing you, so you kind of hold it like a Dreamcast controller. The buttons are nice and push-y, maybe slightly mushy but responsive enough for me.

It connects via a little attachment for your wiimote which they’re saying will work with the Wii MotionPlus. When I started it from zero it synced up instantly and with no issues. The unit on Mega Man 9 had some desyncing issues, but the others didn’t and Chris, the Nyko guy I was talking to, said that the drivers were still being finalized and they were squashing those desyncs as we speak.

The D-pad is a little slippery, and while I may not be a wizard at Street Fighter, I know how to do a Shoryuken and I was having a little trouble. Nothing that wasn’t alleviated by a little practice, but it reminds me of the Dreamcast’s D-pad, which could have been better. They say they’re modifying the D-pad to give it a little more texture.

I’ll get to the point: this is a nice little controller, and the wireless works just fine as long as you don’t get the same unit I was using on MM9. The others worked perfectly well. At only $30 I’d say this is an easy product to recommend; if you’re a big virtual console nut you’re going to want two and at that price it’s not an issue. They’ll be available in early October.

Mega Man 9, by the way, is awesome and super hard. I couldn’t get to the boss on either of the stages they had available, but with a little practice and a non-buggy unit, I bet I could have done it.

IGN had the scoop last week on the Wing from Nyko and today it was officially announced to the public. The Wing will land in stores next month for $30. If you’re pining over it now and simply can’t wait then download the papercraft (PDF) and make one yourself today!

Next up on our 10 Days of CrunchGear giveaway, we offer Wii and PS3 players some rechargeable super devices from Nyko. We’ve got two Nyko Charge Stations for the Wii and two Nyko Charge Base 2s for the PS3.

Nyko Charge Station – Easily charge and store your Wii Remotes™ with Nyko’s Charge Station for Wii™. The Charge Station includes 2 NiMH batteries, exclusively designed for the Wii Remote, each providing up to 25 hours of play time. Each battery is easily recharged by placing the Wii Remote in the charging dock. The charging dock conveniently plugs into any standard wall outlet, allowing for rapid recharging of both batteries in 8 hours. The Charge Station includes 2 custom battery covers with contact pass-through points so you can charge the batteries while they are still in the remote. Each battery cover is also rubberized for superior grip during intense gaming sessions. The Charge Station matches the décor and styling of the Wii, and is small enough to fit in any home entertainment center.

Charge Base 2 – Conveniently and quickly store and charge two PlayStation 3 controllers with Nyko’s Charge Base 2. Utilizing Nyko’s unique USB Charge Adaptors, the Charge Base 2 allows for incredibly easy charging of both SIXAXIS and DualShock 3 controllers. Simply attach the small, lightweight adaptor to the Mini USB port on the controller, and then place the controller into the charging port. No additional wires necessary. The Charge Base 2 utilizes AC power from any wall outlet for a rapid recharge in just 2 hours for one or two controllers.

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