We've got another exciting giveaway today thanks to the hard working people over at ROCCAT, makers of quality PC accessories. Up for grabs today are three items - The ROCCAT Kone XTD Gaming Mouse,  The ROCCAT Isku Gaming Keyboard, and the ROCCAT Sense Series Gaming Mousepad.

Beyond Co-Op returns after its end of year hiatus with chock full of news straight out of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las, Vegas.  CES 2013 was this week and it was full of technology goodness that you'll want to add to your living room.  Let's take a look at some of the highlights.

Sometimes it boggles the mind just how out of touch designers can be, complicating a situation that doesn't need to be complicated at all.  Such is the situation with the upcoming Nintendo Wii U and how you'll be voice chatting with friends in co-op games...that support it.  

We've got a killer giveaway today for you.  There's going to be five lucky winners of some truly EPIC loot from SteelSeries.  Up for grabs are Diablo 3 branded mouse pads, the QcK Limited Edition mouse pads to be precise.  We'll be giving away five of them to some lucky readers of our website and one lucky reader will also walk away with a Diablo 3 gaming mouse.  Click click click.

Astro Gaming have launched their latest and greatest headset, the Astro Gaming A50 wireless headset, the sequel to the Astro A40 wired headsets.  We're a big fan of a quality headset here at Co-Optimus, communication is key in cooperative games, so a good headset is an important tool.  We went ears on with the Astro A50's at E3 and were super impressed with the quality.

SteelSeries, makers of gaming peripherals, came out swinging at E3 2012 this year with five product announcements all centered around partnerships with groups and games within the industry.  We got some eyes on time with all of them at the show and there's definitely a commitment to quality and detail here.  Let's look at what's available.

One of the biggest annoyances with couch co-op gaming is constantly trying to find that second controller.  Thrustmaster agrees, that's why they are selling new combo packs of their T-Wireless controllers for the PC and PS3.  The pair of controllers work on both systems out of the box and come in black and white colors.  

There are a fair number of PC games just around the corner, some of which have been 10 years in the making (good to finally see you again Diablo), while others put you and your friends into the shoes of military with the latest tech in Ghost Recon Future Soldier. Your PC may be up to the task of rendering these games in all their glory, but are your mouse and keyboard ready?

What was once lost, is now found.  Ghost Recon Future Soldier at one point was completely cancelled on PC, but now will live to see the light of day on June 12, 2012.  The four player co-op game will come complete with several enhancements for those of you sporting fancy computers capable of displaying shiny graphics.

As soon as I saw the Razer Onza with the Mass Effect 3 branding, I knew I had to have it. The design of the Xbox 360 and PC controller is an instant stand out and even if you aren’t a fan of Mass Effect, the device is pure gadgetry sexiness. But what exactly is it? It’s a wired controller built for serious gamers who like to tweak and get the most out of their controller. There’s two big ways The Razer Onza Tournament Edition achieves this.

As we conclude our week full of Holiday Gift Guides, we move away from the controller for a bit. There are plenty of non-game items out there that will make any gamer happy. Whether your giftee prefers Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii, or the Sinclair Spectrum, we think you’ll find our list of twelve board games, toys, and accessories a perfect non-game gift for any fan of co-op.

The first time I saw "Gaming Glasses" I scoffed at the idea.  I immediately thought it was a gimmick designed to get gamers to spend even more money on their hobby for something they really didn't need.  But as we got into the Fall gaming season and my time in front of a TV and Monitor increased to almost 12 hours a day, my eyes told me they needed a break.  I figured it was a good as time as any to see if these glasses could help.

We don't often do reviews for anything but games here at Co-Optimus. Sure, we cover new game systems when they are released, and the occasional accessory like a headset or keyboard. When Nick asked me if I'd be interested in doing a review for a bean bag, I was certainly surprised, but definitely interested. The kind folks at Sumo sent the perfect model for a site dedicated to co-op gaming: the Couple, with room for two.

One problem I've always had with the current generation of active 3D glasses is that they just make the image on the screen appear darker.  Today, NVIDIA has launched their 3D Vision 2 glasses for monitors, projectors and TVs that promise to alleviate that issue while also being a lighter and longer lasting pair of 3D glasses.  The glasses are redesigned to be lighter and made from softer materials so wearing them isn't quite a burden, but the really attractive features of this kit is when you pair it with a new Light Boost capable display.

Nintendo held a press conference early this morning in Japan for the Tokyo Game Show.  There weren't too many surprises, but Nintendo did have a lot to announce - including three new co-op games.  Something not on display though, yet still found it's way out - an insanely awkard looking peripheral for the Nintendo 3DS.