PC accessories maker Logitech announced that it is acquiring Saiket brand and its line of flight sim controller assets from MadCatz for $13 million in cash. From a report on BetaNews: Today, the company announces a surprising acquisition. Logitech has officially bought Saitek -- maker of simulation controllers. While the move was unexpected, it actually makes a lot of sense. Logitech gains entry into a niche gaming segment that depends heavily on high-priced controllers. "First, these products are just great. We know a thing or two at Logitech about what makes a gaming product stand out and these products deliver exceptional experiences. Don't take our word for it -- we've seen the Saitek fans on the forums. Second, simulation games are cool and getting cooler. Whether you're into driving, flying or exploring space, there are fresh new titles available and more to come. Some of these titles are even VR enabled and we believe that dedicated controllers will stimulate and enhance the total VR experience," says Logitech.

The first day of GDC is generally devoted to games just a bit off the beaten path. In recent years, serious games have vied with titles from the mobile and indie markets on the first two days of the Game Developer's Conference. Probably the most interesting serious discussion from Monday was word from Square/Enix's new serious games arm. Sessions like innovations in Indie games and how to get your Indie game published rounded out the independent games discussions for the day. The pirates at Three Rings also put on a good show, talking about how to make an indie MMOG. Meanwhile, on the mobile front, EA veteran Trip Hawkins talked about innovations on the smallest screen, while Nokia rolled out some new details on their next generation of N-Gage .

JamesO writes "Commodore is a name which will bring memories flooding back to many a gamer and it's been announced that the legendary brand is to return with a new range of high specification gaming PCs. The new Commodore PCs optimized for gaming will be launched at the CeBIT show in Germany on March 15 and attendees will be offered the chance to play the latest PC games using the purpose-built PCs."