CES Impressions: NYKO

NYKO had several products to show at our CES 2011 meeting this year that are solid replacements for traditional first party peripherals. And, with the PS3 and Xbox 360 having the most extra 1st party accessories added to the table this past year, it’s only fitting that NYKO’s PS3 and 360 lineups were more significant than that of the Wii.

Starting off, NYKO added to their strong line of chargers by creating two different charging docks for the new Playstation Move controllers. As is the case with current chargers for Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 controllers, this dock features a convenient, upright drop-and-charge design that allows for easy charging of the controllers without actually plugging them into a USB cable and storage when they aren’t being used. As NYKO quite possibly has the best controller chargers on the market, the Charge Station and Charge Station Quad for PS3 look to follow that trend for Playstation Move peripherals.

Next, the Perfect Shot, which was so successful on the Wii, has found a new home on the PS3 using the new Move controller. Touting a more rigid design than its Wii pistol counterpart, however, it also sports a cool looking orange and black coat to match the PS3’s black color scheme. Vibration feedback is also built into the hilt to provide more realism when playing. There was also a second gun shown off at NYKO’s meeting room in the frame of an assault rifle. The Power Shot uses the Wand as an aiming device, which locks into the barrel of the gun, and the Navigation Controller as the front handle. Again, vibration is built into the hilt to add force feedback.

As for the Wii, the only product was a strong revision of the best selling Perfect Shot, dubbed the Perfect Shot Pro. This revision includes a more textured feel and a more substantial weight, giving it a more expensive feel overall. As with the PS3 gun attachments, force feedback has been added into the hilt. Overall, the Perfect Shot Pro is clearly a step up in aesthetics as well as functionality from the previously best gun attachment for the Wii.

The Xbox 360 also featured several accessories to go with the new Xbox 360 Slim model as well as with the Kinect. First of all, a charging station for its controllers called the Charge Base S tweaks the design from the previously available Charge Base 360 with a sleek black finish. Though it doesn’t seem functionally improved from the previous iteration, it will match a new 360 Slim quite well. To continue their line of Intercoolers, NYKO also created the IntercoolerSTS to help improve airflow in the 360 Slim. But, unlike previous Intercooler models, this one has a slick new design that fits the Xbox’s redesigned chassis very well.

Finally, there were a pair of cables for connect that were at the NYKO meeting room. The Power Adapter for Kinect is a separate power source that allows for wall power and thus the separation of the Kinect from the Xbox 360 (for complicated living room setups). Secondly, the Extend Link is a 15’ USB cable with an LED indicator and a flat cable design ideal for running cable through the wall.

Overall, NYKO had another strong lineup of accessories this year at CES 2011 so be sure to be on the lookout for their upcoming release in the following months.