If you haven’t heard the news, Logitech has introduced a high-performance speaker system just for gamers: the Logitech® G51 Surround Sound Speaker System. One unique feature is its customizable satellite allows you to create your own skins. (Or download some nifty pre-made skins if you’re too lazy!)

With the easy-to-use Logitech® G51 Skins software, you can include your artwork and truly make the speakers your own. You can use an image from the Web, a photograph or an edited image from a paint program. Simply import the image into Logitech G51 Skins, then just position and print it on your printer. Here are the steps:

1. Visit www.logitech.com/G51skins and download the software
2. Browse your computer to find and import the desired image
3. Add text to your image (optional)
4. Re-size, rotate and mirror image to fit into template
5. Add a background color
6. Print skin
7. Insert into clear casing on satellite speakers
8. Sit back, listen (and look!) and enjoy

In-Game Voice Chat and the G15

There’s a lot to like about the best-selling Logitech® G15 Keyboard. At Logitech, we think one of its coolest features is the GamePanel LCD. We love it because game developers and anyone with basic programming experience can send information to the 160-by-43 pixel graphical display. In addition to native support from more than 30 games, there are several other applications that are compatible with the GamePanel LCD. Two of our favorites are in-game voice chat applications.

Voice communication can mean the difference between life and death in games such as Battlefield 2142™ and World of Warcraft®, where it’s important for players to be able to quickly and clearly communicate with one another. Two of the most popular voice communication programs available today are Ventrilo™ and TeamSpeak. When you use one of these programs and the G15 LCD, you can see the name of the person who is currently speaking, the names of people who recently joined or quit the server and other useful information.

Ventrilo

The current beta version (2.3.2b) of Ventrilo supports the LCD natively – just click the “Setup” button, choose the “Global” tab and check the box labeled “Logitech® G15 Keyboard LCD.” The LCD will then be able to display your current channel, the name of anyone who starts talking and your latency to the server.

TeamSpeak

TeamSpeak support for the LCD is made possible thanks to the efforts of Dan “Schmads” Klein, a fan of the G15 who used the included SDK to write a third-party plug-in for TeamSpeak. Download and install the plug-in from his Web site, www.schmads.com, and it will automatically allow TeamSpeak to display key information on the LCD.