Opinion: What exactly are "gaming" peripherals?

Gaming is a big industry, there's no doubt.  At a cost of around $260 million to make (that's 260,000,000, or 26 with 7 zeros), GTA-V is the most expensive videogame of all time and the second most expensive media production behind only Pirates of the Carribean IV.  But having the software and the hardware to run it is not the entire equation - you also need the means to control it.

But just what exactly differentiates a "Gaming" controller from a normal one, and what should?

Windows 8 in daily life (Part 2: Actually using it!)

So my last post on Windows 8 didn't really come across as the positive experience I made it out to be with the introduction.  I'll admit, I got side-tracked - and I like to think it's pretty easy to understand how and why.  Where with my reviews I take my time and stick to a format, the rest of my posts are largely written off-the-cuff and it certainly shows.

But this time I promise there's good news for people who may be stuck with Microsoft's latest offering.

Review: Razer Sabertooth Elite Gaming Controller for Xbox 360

QUICK SUMMARY

A premium gaming control pad.  It appears to have been designed to almost exactly replicate the Xbox 360 controller while trying to add a few extra features.  Noteable design elements include an additional 8 buttons and onboard, electronic control of button configuration and analogue sensitivity and a small OLED (green) screen.

In all there are 19 push-buttons (4 of which are removable in pairs), 2 analogue sticks, 2 analogue triggers and a digital D-pad.  The onboard configuration allows for adjustment of the sensitivity of the analogue sticks and re-assignment of 6 of the additional buttons.  2 profiles can be stored on-board with separate configurations for all the adjustable controls.  Backlighting can be disabled, but will turn on when the OLED interface is used.

For further details, please visit the Razer website.