Over the past week I've received wink wink, nudge nudge, emails from my friends asking in a knowing sort of way if I had pre-ordered an iPad.

(Microsoft $69.99) Lips is Microsoft's attempt to go head-to-head with Sony's karaoke SingStar franchise.

If you've ever played any game on the strongly masculine styled Xbox 360 you're going to give Lips a double-take. The look and feel here screams "casual"; it almost feels like you're playing on a Nintendo game. You'll probably know right away whether this game is for you by looking at the artists: Duffy, Coldplay, Johnny Cash, and John Denver. For sure, this isn't your teen-son's Rock Band.

Microsoft's Explorer Mouse ($99) might just remind you of your dad's Oldsmobile. It's built for comfort rather than speed, for long cruises down the Internet's superhighway, with some features that give it a bit of coolness and flash. If you're looking for an ultra-high-rez mouse for first person shooters...keep on moving; nothing to see here. But, if you spend most of your time browsing websites, checking email, and knocking out Microsoft Office documents...this just might be a winner!

The Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 ($59.95) looks like a package aimed to compete with the Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Pro: both have a slightly curvy keyboard perched somewhere midway between an ergonomic and straight design, and each ship with sculpted right hand mice. However, the Microsoft product is simply not in the same league.

If you’re a compulsive modder, Microsoft’s Sidewinder X6 ($79.99) may be the keyboard of your dreams. Illuminated, the legends on the key caps glow in orange. Unlike the Logitech illuminated keyboard, however, most of the light comes from the space between the keys; the keys seem to float over a red pool of volcanic lava. Nearly every control on the keyboard is backlit, though the choices of what didn’t get backlighting seem odd. The two large, round knobs at the top r

You wouldn't believe how many mice and keyboardshave recently found their way to jamesgames.com for review. Though they may look similar, and even have similar pricing, these peripherals are as different as night and day.

I've taken them for a test drive, and what you'll find here are my personal reactions. However, I always suggest that you take any product review of input devices with a grain of salt, because my hands and yours may be sized very differently.

Go to the store and take them for a spin to see if your body and their design is a good match. You can't get that info from an article or even a photo.

So far, here are the products I've looked at: Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Pro Keyboard and Mouse, Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard, Logitech Illuminated Keyboard, Review: Microsoft Explorer Mouse, Microsoft Sidewinder X6 Keyboard, and the Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000.

Although I’ve been a fan of many Microsoft business keyboards, I am not enamored of the $69 Reclusa gaming keyboard. Its best features are its heavy weight designed to keep it in place during heavy game action, and the blue backlighting of the keyboard. However, other “features” were drove me to distraction. First, the keyboard has five ‘extra” keys on either side of the straight line keyboard. Three of each set are “standard” keycaps.

The $69.99 Habu Mouse is a result of a partnership of sorts between Microsoft and long-time uber-mouse-maker Razer designed from the ground up for serious gamers. Like the ill designed Reclusa keyboard, the Habu has glowing blue trim; even the scroll wheel is illuminated. Unlike the Reclusa, however, the Habu’s design is actually helpful to gamers. The mouse can be adjusted, on the fly from 400 to 2000 dpi.

Kudos goes to Microsoft and its developer Bizare Creations for PGR4, a must have racing title and reason enough to buy an Xbox 360 (if Halo 3 wasn’t enough).

We’ve seen games transformed into movies (almost always a disaster). Can a DVD based board game go in the other direction and become a video game?