Powerball: Gamer Score: 88% Developer: Dynaflex Device Type: Miscellaneous

Function: Powerball: Gamer is a self-powered, though not self-starting, gyro designed to work out everything from your shoulders to your fingertips. The idea is that, once you get the ball going, you keep moving it in a circular motion in your hand. Depending on how and where you place your hand as you work against the force of the gyro, you will work different muscles. You can also change the "size of the weights" you are lifting by slowing down or speeding up the Powerball. At lower speeds, the gyro exerts less force and acts like smaller dumbbells. At higher speeds, though, you will be fighting the spin a lot more and you will be working out your arms as if you had heavier weights on. The Powerball: Gamer comes with a Power Starter. This is a cradle you rest the ball on that has a big red button. Holding down the button starts the gyro spinning and after 8 to 10 seconds, it has built up enough speed for you to pick it up and start your workout. The final piece of the Powerball: Gamer, and, I guess, what makes it a "Gamer" version, is the Speed Meter. This is a small electronic dial that sits on the top of your Powerball to record everything from the speed of the gyro, to the RPMs and the maximum revolutions in 30, 60 and 90 second intervals. This way, you have a score to share and brag to your friends about.

Performance: The Powerball: Gamer definitely gives you the promised workout. Once you get the ball rolling, so to speak, its all a matter of how long you can hold out. The only batteries you have to worry about going dead are your own since the motion of the exercises you do with the Powerball keep the device moving on its own. The various exercises mentioned on the instructional CD include workouts for every muscle along your arm. If you want to work out just the fingers to improve dexterity, either for gaming or for instruments, then holding the Powerball by the fingertips and try and keep it going with the small rotations you can pull off that way. Another exercise worked just like regular arm extensions, except that by keeping your hand moving in a circular motion, as you curl and relax your muscles, you end up working out more parts of your arm.

Features: Strengthens Arm, Wrist, Hand and Grip Increases Endurance for Extreme Gaming Improves Dexterity for High Level Gaming Aids in the Prevention of Hand and Shoulder Injuries Instructional CD Digital Speed Meter

Drawbacks & Problems:: The only real problem I had with the Powerball: Gamer was getting the thing going. It seemed like it always took a couple of tries to get the speed up high enough for it to reach "cruising speeds," at least that's what the CD calls it. Eventually, I just resigned to holding down the red button longer than I thought was necessary, and even then, I didn't always get the rhythm right to keep the gyro's momentum up. The CD, and packaging, explain two other methods of starting the gyro. They involve either using the palm of your hand or your thumb to spin the yellow ball and then quickly move the Powerball back and forth in order to build up its speed. I'm not saying this is impossible, but I never came close to getting enough initial speed on the ball to let it come close to take off, much less cruising speeds. The last complaint I have involves the included instructional CD. Yes, it did teach me a couple of exercises, but the videos on the disc were actually infomercials trying to sell the device to me ... never mind that I had one in my hand. On top of that, it is designed for you to put in your computer and hunt around a directory structure instead of providing some autostart and menu-based navigation system. As a result, this instructional CD felt very much like an afterthought and brought down the feel of quality that the rest of the package maintained. Despite the issues I had getting the Powerball: Gamer going, I still feel like it is a good, simple and self-regulating workout experience. If you are looking for a workout you can bring with you on the road or to the office, then the Powerball: Gamer is what you are looking for.

-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer

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