In addition to the costly wireless keypad, Sony is planning on introducing a new PS3 peripheral to market in December. The AC Adapter will be able to charge any two USB devices, from controllers to the Bluetooth headset to the wireless keypad. Heck, it can even charge the PSP-2000 and 3000. This will allow you to charge peripherals without having your PS3 turned on.
You can expect the peripheral on retail shelves in the second week of December for $25. However, remember -- you can save a bit of money by using your computer to charge your USB devices. You can plug a USB cable into your computer and charge a PS3 controller from there. Or, just remember to charge something while playing games on the PS3.
Those of you with only two USB ports can now rejoice -- Sony is releasing the above AC Adapter for the Japanese market on December 18th for 2,800 yen (about $28 USD). This peripheral will allow you to charge your DualShock 3/SIXAXIS controllers or any other accessories independent of your PS3, thereby freeing up those precious USB ports. The wireless keypad will also debut in Japan on the same day for 5,500 yen (about $55 USD). Keep in mind prices in Japan tend to be higher, so when these products debut in the US, they will likely retail for less.
Rumors about a Wii-like PS3 controller surfaced in early June when details about a supposed secret focus group testing were leaked. Heading back into the rumor mill, we found a startling discovery over on JustPlay -- a videogame peripheral manufacturer and supplier. On the website, a listing for a "PS3 2.4 GHz Wireless Handgun" quite possibly shows us what this rumored PSThrii-mote will look like and its intended use.
While the picture does suggest that peripheral is being made for such a device, there isn't a guarantee that such a device does indeed exist. It could very well be a mock-up for ideas being played around with. We'll continue to chalk this one up as rumor for now. In the meantime, we'll keep our eyes out for more. Most likely, if there is anything out there regarding a PSThrii-mote, we will be seeing it at this month's E3.
Sure, the DualShock 3 is hitting stores in a matter of days in North America, but what other peripherals are out there you should totally be using on the PlayStation 3? How about an intense 3D mouse intended for graphic artists and manipulating Google Earth? Enter the Space Navigator: essentially, it works like any mouse peripheral for the PS3.
You can use it to scroll around the XMB, surf the web, or whatever. It just looks a lot cooler than a normal mouse and since it isn't a PS3 controller, impresses friends when you mysteriously have the ability to access things on the PS3 whilst your controllers charge in plain view. Apparently, the buttons on the Space Navigator have the same effect as the X and O buttons on the DualShock 3. This means you could probably use this (or an ugly, normal mouse) for simple games like Everyday Shooter or PixelJunk Monsters. Sort of. Still -- there are a ton of peripherals that work on the PS3 and it's good to see yet another in action.
