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E3 Notebook: Packin' a pistolmouse

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A company called MonsterGecko is launching this week with its first product, the PistolMouse FPS, designed for people who want to play shoot-em-up-style games on the PC. The device, which costs $69.95, will be on display this week at E3.

The Palo Alto, Calif., company says first-person shooter games are hot on the PC but standard keyboards and mice aren't up to snuff as far as controls go.

Ain McKendrick, co-founder of MonsterGecko, previously was director of application software for Kirkland-based Digeo. Co-founder Jeff Ma was a lead designer for Digeo's Moxi Media Center, a set-top box for digital cable.

The PistolMouse is one of the 1,000 game products being unveiled at E3 and one of 5,000 total products on display, according to show organizers.

Exhibitors expect nearly three-quarters of all the products will be in stores in time for the holiday-shopping season. About 40 percent of the products on display are for video-game consoles and one-third are for PCs.

E3 is open only to professionals, although in the crowd of unkempt and stubble-faced attendees, it's hard to take that word too seriously.

But video-game fans can see at least a glimpse of the show online at E3Insider (www.e3insider.com), the show's official Web site.

For the first time, the site will offer footage from a fan cam on the show floor, according to organizers.

The camera will have unlimited access to games, the backstage and other restricted areas of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

IGN/GameSpy, an online game-enthusiast company, is blanketing E3 with coverage, sending about 70 reporters to the show.
 
The company is even running a live talk show, LiveWire, from the floor and will broadcast the audio on its Game Spy Arcade site, www.gamespyarcade.com.

LiveWire has lined up some impressive guests, including the creators of SimCity, the Ultima Series, Enter the Matrix and Star Wars Galaxies.

Kim Peterson: 206-464-2360 or kpeterson@seattletimes.com