The Astro A50 headset was the first high-end (more than $300) headset that I owned many moons ago, and for the longest time, it was the go-to option for any gamer wanting the best, but many have been waiting for the next iteration in the A50 series, and it has arrived in the A50 X.

This is the most exciting headset drop since the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, and for many including myself, will solve a number of issues that have been brought with the next-generation consoles. The first is that I simply don’t have enough HDMI ports, which is only an issue since HDMI 2.1 became a thing, and the second is that with both Sony and Xbox locking down their audio even more with the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, this is really the first headset to be fully compatible with both consoles for game/chat audio.

Whether you need it or not, Logitech is to be commended for what it has with the Astro A50 X. The dock with doubles as a charging station essentially has a HDMI 2.1 switcher built-in and whilst it could have gone all kinds of wrong, it works flawlessly. The setup involves plugging in your HDMI cords from your PS5 and Xbox Series X|S as well as a USB cord from both for chat audio. If you’re wanting to connect your PC and are lucky enough to have it in the same spot, there’s a third USB-C port which also doubles as the charging port as well.

The setup will take a bit of time, but as long as you sort it out properly, it doesn’t get too messy in my opinion. It’s worth mentioning that you only get one USB-C cord in the box (for either console) and no HDMI cord which is a little bit odd given the price tag of the headset

@shannongrixti

The new $750 Logitech Astro A50 X wireless headset is also a HDMI 2.1 switcher providing seamless audio from your PS5, Xbox Series X and PC #Logitech #AstroA50X #AstroA50 #LogitechG #Astrogaming #Headset #Gaming #Tech #Astroheadset

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

I’d also really have loved a third HDMI port for either your PC or Nintendo Switch as well to really complete the setup. I was hoping to connect a mini PC to my TV, and whilst I’d be easily able to get audio from it with the A50 X, I wouldn’t be able to get signal as I’d be back at square one with my HDMI ports in my TV filled up. It’s absolutely solved the issue of connecting both my Xbox Series X|S and PS5 at all time though.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $574WITH FREE DELIVERY

Switching between your consoles is as simple as pressing the Playsync button on the headset which switches between your consoles/PC including both video and audio. I was expecting this to be glitchy but it was absolutely flawless, once I turned off HDMI CEC. My only minor gripe was the fact that even without a PC connected, it still switches to it even though there’s no input.

With this method, you’re able to fully take advantage of audio from both consoles through to the A50 X including game/chat audio balance using the traditional buttons on the right cup. To my knowledge, this is the only headset on the market that can do both game audio as well as game/chat balance from both consoles seamlessly.

The headset can take advantage of Dolby Atmos on Xbox Series X|S, but not on PS5 and this is a little bit painful as it means that you have to deselect Dolby Atmos as an option, and for me with a full Sonos 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos setup, this means that I can’t utilise Dolby Atmos when using my TV sound, or having to swap back and forth, but I won’t blame Logitech for this.

The headset also connects with Bluetooth via the dock to your phone, and you can use this method to connect to your Nintendo Switch as well. It allows for simultaneous connection between your console/PC and your phone, and once you’ve set it up the first time, it was absolutely flawless connecting instantly to my mobile as soon as I put the headset on and disconnecting when it went back into the dock. Because it does connect through the dock, you can’t use the headset out and about. There’s also a phone app that can change between inputs, control your EQ settings and other basic settings such as sidetone.

The A50s have always been prided on how they sound and the A50 X is no different with its Pro-G graphene drivers not too dissimilar to the ones that I tested in the Pro X 2 Lightspeed headset. The audio feels extremely full with a good amount of bass to hear the minor details in the likes of Forza Horizon 5 and Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It adds a whole other dimension to games and you absolutely won’t be disappointed in this regard.

Similarly, the microphone is fantastic, with my friends saying that I sounded super crisp online. It’s not detachable, which might be annoying to some, but it does mute on flip-up.

In terms of battery life, you get a 24 hour battery life, but honestly, I’d be shocked if anybody ever used it all, with the dock allowing you to simply place the headset onto it to keep it charged, which works as well as it ever has.

The Astro A50 X is absolutely pricey, but HDMI 2.1 switching functionality isn’t cheap, and if you’re somebody who has a PS5/Xbox Series X|S in the same place, it’s a small price to pay for the convenience of having one headset to rule them all. If you’ve also got your PC in the same spot, even better.

The post Logitech G Astro A50 X Wireless Headset Review – One Headset To Rule Them All appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve been happily using a Sonos Arc and Sonos Sub for 3-4 years and wondered how Sonos would better on this combo, and it has done just that with the Sonos Arc Ultra and Sonos Sub 4. For those that already own the older counterparts, it won’t be a world-changing difference, but what Sonos manages to get out of both of these devices make it more than worth it for those jumping into the high-end for the first time.

As far as the design goes, there’s some subtle differences that make a fairly big difference. For the Arc Ultra, it’s now slightly longer, but Sonos has made the height and depth smaller so it will fit under more TVs. It’s also lighter which won’t really affect too many people once it’s on your unit. There’s a new back lip that houses all the controls including a new touch sensitive volume scroller like we’ve seen on all the more recently released Sonos devices.

It’s also got a new matte design which matches that of the Sonos Sub 4 which is hugely improved in my opinion. Whilst I really liked the piano black nature of the Sonos Sub 3, it attracted dust and it also did stand out, so the newer matte finish is much appreciated and much more premium.

Just like with any other Sonos speaker that has released in the last 12-24 months, the Arc Ultra has Bluetooth support, which is great for connecting vinyl players and other devices that can’t plug into your home network.

Probably the most disappointing thing when it comes to the Arc Ultra design is that it still only has the one HDMI port which is used to plug into your TV. I understand this probably won’t affect a lot of people, but given the soundbar takes up a HDMI port, I’d really love at least one (if not true) pass through HDMI ports given this is an $1,800 soundbar.

Really, the biggest difference in the Arc Ultra comes in the internals. Compared to the 11 drivers in the original Arc that results in a 5.0.2 setup, the Arc Ultra has 14 speaker drivers which results in a 9.1.4 channel configuration, with the biggest difference coming in the way of the new woofer which Sonos refers to as Sound Motion technology.

I don’t want to get too technical but this technology that Sonos acquired uses four smaller motors in opposing corners of the channel as opposed to one larger heavy motor which enhances bass and makes it much clearer without needing the actual speaker to be larger.

This results in a sound that obviously isn’t as good as using a soundbar with the Sonos Sub, but it’s really damn close and for the first time, I’d go as far as saying that unless you’re somebody that watches movies 24/7 and really into a deep bass, you’ll be more than fine with the Arc Ultra. I had a real hard time noticing the difference with and without which is a great compliment to the Arc Ultra.

This is the case both for music and movies where there’s a great amount of bass even without the soundbar, and music sounds absolutely fantastic using the Sonos Arc Ultra, with a great amount of balance and clarity in the voice, yet a good amount of oomph behind the beats as well.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $1,799 AUD WITH FREE SHIPPING

Another big improvement comes in the way of an improved centre channel that helps with dialogue crispness. We’ve all been there when it comes to watching a movie and not being able to hear the dialogue, but then turning it up results in action noises being too loud, and that’s why this is such a big improvement. If it’s still not clear enough for you, there’s now two levels of Speech Enhancement within the Sonos app as well.

There’s also been improvements to Dolby Atmos given the improvements in channels, and I think this is probably going to be most noticeable to those who don’t have rears (or Sonos Era 300s) at the very least. It just speaks to how good this soundbar is on its own once again.

When it comes to TruePlay, Sonos’ software that allows you to get the most out of your speaker based on your room, there’s two ways to calibrate on the Arc Ultra. There’s an advanced option which lets you use your Android/iOS device to walk around the room and calibrate, of a quick tuning option that will automatically use the microphones to automatically adjust itself.

When it comes to the Sonos Sub 4, you’re not going to need to upgrade from the Sub 3, unless you’re absolutely desperate for the matte finish (which I’d actually understand) and want a lighter sub. I’d still probably recommend it if you’re investing in the Sonos Arc Ultra, but if you’ve already got one, I’d stick with that.

Sonos has had a bit of a rocky year with its new app, which is mostly fixed now and gave me zero troubles over the last month or so testing out the Sonos Arc Ultra, and it feels like it’s absolutely back with the Sonos Arc Ultra, which will blow people away, especially if they’ve not had a Sonos Arc before.

The post Sonos Arc Ultra Soundbar & Sub 4 Review – Bigger And Clearer Sound appeared first on Press Start.

AYANEO hasn’t missed with the many Windows handhelds its released over the last 12-18 months, but it’s now turned its eye to the retro side of the handheld market, going for the high-end, more premium end of the scale, and with the AYANEO Pocket Micro, it absolutely delivers.

Design-wise, this is one of the most beautiful handhelds that I’ve ever used. It weighs just 233 grams and is roughly the same size as the original NES controller. It has a high-end all-metal frame that oozes quality and feels light to hold, yet still feels really hefty in the hands. The edges are rounded so even though it has quite a sleek and harsh look, it feels good in the hands.

It has a totally bezel-less display with a 3.5-inch 950×640 IPS screen that is super vibrant and has incredible colour reproduction. This is a a 3:2 display meaning that it’s perfect for playing GBA games with a perfect 4x scale without any stretching or distortion. Equally, the speakers for such a small handheld are absolutely fantastic.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $299.95 FROM THE GAMESMEN

As far as buttons go, if you’ve used an AYANEO handheld, it’s what you expect with a solid d-pad, four face buttons, two analogue sticks, four shoulder buttons, star/select, two buttons for quickly pulling up AYASPACE or getting to the home screen, and two customisable buttons on the right hand side.

When it comes to inputs, you’ve got Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, a USB-C port for charging, and a MicroSD card slot which is super helpful for getting files on and off the device. There is no 3.5mm jack, which I know will annoy a lot of gamers, but you can connect Bluetooth for audio. You also get a power button that has a fingerprint sensor, which might be overkill given the device’s intention, but given you are likely using your Google Account to login, it’s appreciated.

This is an Android device with a Helio G99 processor. Just like AYANEO’s Windows PC handhelds, as this runs Android, anything that you can do or install on an Android phone, you can get installed on the Pocket Micro.

Pretty much any Android game that I tested ran well, with the ability to map touch-screen controls to buttons for games that don’t have controller support, but I suspect most people will be picking one of these up for emulation. This means that games such as Stardew Valley and Zenless Zone Zero will run flawlessly.

It’s fairly easy to get going given it’s an Android device, and the performance is fairly remarkable for anything up to the PS2/GameCube. Obviously because of the smaller screen size, you won’t want to play anything too graphically intensive, with it being perfect for GameBoy Advance games with its screen size, and also PSP Games too.

As I mentioned earlier, it perfectly scales GBA games at 4x, and makes them look absolutely gorgeous. It’s hard to explain but playing games from my childhood such as Legacy Of Goku, it felt like they were made for a handheld in 2024, with the graphics being so crisp, yet still having that retro, nostalgic vibe. It’s hard to put into words, but it really felt lke the best of both worlds.

If you’re really wanting to push the handheld, it can play PS2 and GameCube games at 1x, which is fine given the screen size. There will be some minor frame skips playing these consoles, but considering the size, it’s more than acceptable, and anything lower than those consoles will play like a dream.

Because you’ve got two analogue sticks, as well as a fairly great feeling D-Pad, you can really play anything on this and expect a fairly great experience. Obviously the screen size means you might end up with black bars for some platforms, but given the screen has no bezels, and the top is black, it really blends into the console as well.

The AYAHOME app can launch all of your games and plugs into other frontends such as Emulation-Station. It’s probably not as good as that in terms of sorting and management, but it has hugely improved and is a good basic way to access all of your games.

Once again, it’s AYASPACE that really elevates this whole experience, with a fantastic overlay that you can pull up with one touch of the button. It lets you control the likes of brightness, which performance mode you’re using, show you the current framerate and more.

When it comes to battery life, you can expect to get about 2-3 hours on max performance mode whilst playing PS2 games and roughly 4-6 hours playing a GBA game whilst in battery saver mode and again for the size and battery, this feels like more than enough.

All-in-all, this is another big win for AYANEO in terms of blending accessibility with high-end design, and it’s a stunning piece of hardware that those wanting to go back in time won’t regret grabbing.

The post AYANEO Pocket Micro Review – Premium Retro Goodness appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve been a long-time AirPods user, but I was eager to check-out the latest Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and I was extremely impressed with how they stack up both in design, but also in feature-set and audio quality.

They’ve copped a lot of flack for looking similar to the AirPods Pro, and it is the case, but there’s a few key changes that I absolutely love. Firstly, they’re a dark silver which looks absolutely incredible and much more premium than the white AirPods, and also won’t show dirt anywhere near as easily.

There’s also two light strips on each of the stems which you only really see when you’re taking them out of the case, so they don’t show when they’re in your ear, but it’s still a really cool touch nonetheless. The last part of the design that I really like is the case, which is also a really luxe silver, but also has a translucent top that lets you see the buds through the case, which again, is minor, but just adds a design element that I really appreciate.

Controlling the Buds3 Pro is super seamless as well, with a simple swipe on either blade adjusting the volume, and a quick pinch on either bud to play/pause your audio and holding to go between noise cancelling and transparency mode. There’s nothing worse than earbud controls that don’t respond and this couldn’t be further from the truth with the Galaxy Buds3 Pro.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $269 FROM AMAZON WITH FREE DELIVERY

As far as audio quality goes in the Buds3 Pro it’s first class with a good amount of bass and clarity whether you’re using one bud or both. it’s about on par with the best wireless buds that I’ve used both when listening to music or taking a call.

Galaxy AI features in the Buds too when using them with Android devices, so your buds are constantly adapting both the EQ but also the ANC to eliminate the sounds you don’t want to hear (such as traffic), but let in people talking you directly and also alarms and sirens.

The noise cancelling is fairly fantastic, but probably a touch below that of the AirPods Pro Gen 2 which is best-in-class. It’s absolutely fine and still blocks out a good amount of external noise, it just doesn’t absolutely drown them out in the same way the AirPods do.

Similarly, the buds are always listening os that you don’t even need to use a wake command to perform functions such as answering a call or turning the volume up, and they pair nicely with the Galaxy phones for translation purposes so that you can get what you’re listening to translated in real time.

As far as battery life goes, you can expect 6 hours with ANC on (26 hours total including case recharging) or 7 hours with ANC off (30 hours with case recharging). You can also also take advantage of wireless charging for the case as well, which is a nice touch if you’re trying to ditch the cords.

Samsung has been hitting it out of the park with its wearables this year. I absolutely loved the Galaxy Ring, and the Galaxy Buds3 Pro finally feel like the high-end, premium solution that Samsung users deserve, and they more than deliver.

The post Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro Review – A Super Solid Experience appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve dabbled with the Steam Deck over the years and whilst it was mighty tempting to import one, I always wanted to wait until it was officially available in Australia to properly spend time with one to review it, and that day has finally arrived with the console launching in Australia this week.

I’ve had a multitude of experience with PC handhelds, reviewing a bunch of AYANEO handhelds, the ROG Ally and Ally X, the Lenovo Legion Go and spent a significant time with the MSI Claw, and they’ve come a long, long way over the last 12-18 months, but I was very curious to see how the Steam Deck OLED experience would compare, and it’s absolutely an entirely different experience.

In short, the biggest compliment that I can give the Steam Deck in comparison to the dozens of Windows handhelds that I’ve tested is that it just works. It’s the Nintendo Switch of PC handhelds in the sense that anyone can turn it on and get going within seconds, with a user experience that feels like it was built for to the console, rather than Windows.

From the second you turn on the Steam Deck OLED, you can literally be downloading games within a minute or two. If you’ve got the app on your phone, you can scan a QR code and be straight in, which couldn’t be more opposite of an experience from other handhelds.

Similarly, scrolling through your Steam library is as seamless as it is as using Steam on your PC, with the operating system feeling like it’s at once with the handheld. For those that want the basics such as changing your brightness, or seeing how much battery is left, it’s su[er easy to navigate, and for those that want to tinker and mess with things such as TDP, or lock down frame rates, you can easily do that too, but it’s almost never needed.

Steam does a great job at telling you which games have been verified for Steam Deck use, which basically means that you can boot in without having to worry as it’s been verified to run perfectly. Most games don’t have this certification, but this doesn’t mean that it won’t run, it just means that it might be a less than perfect situation, require some tinkering of settings, or not run at all.

Whilst Steam can run Windows, it severely dampens the experience and isn’t easy to get running, so whilst the Steam Deck offers a much better experience than Windows handhelds, you obviously lose the ability to easily run games from other launchers, with the biggest loss coming in the loss of Xbox Game Pass games, which I’ve really enjoyed on other handhelds. If you’ve got a massive Steam library, this won’t be an issue, but if you’re primarily a console gamer that doesn’t want to buy all your games again, know that you can’t just boot into Xbox Game Pass as you can on the likes of the ASUS ROG Ally.

When it comes to performance, for 80-90% of the games that I tested, it was totally fine running at 60 FPS at 800p, without touching anything, but for newer games, you definitely will see a bit of a performance dip compared to running the ASUS ROG Ally X at 30w, which is expected, and the battery life and experience would still mean that I’d recommend this to most people over other options.

Playing games such as God Of War Ragnarok, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart or Even Cyberpunk 2077 ran totally fine on the Steam Deck, and the few games that did stutter a bit, I was able to just lock the frame rate to 30 FPS and get it to run nicely.

The display on the Steam Deck OLED is absolutely phenomenal. It’s a 7.4-inch 90HZ OLED display that has absolutely stunning vibrancy and brightness. If you opt for the 1TB mode you’ll get an anti-glare display, which I think is always the way to go for a handheld.

The battery life was equally impressive, blowing all other handhelds (except maybe the Ally X) out of the park, with 2.5-3.5 hours minimum playing AAA games and well beyond that playing indie games. I never felt like I needed to be within reach of a charger like I did with almost every other Windows handheld that I did.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $649 AUD FOR 256GB LCD / $899 FOR OLED

Similarly, the value that you’re getting at $649 for the LCD model or $899 for the OLED model is phenomenal compared to other handhelds, although probably a little less so than it was 1-2 years ago, for reasons that I’ve mentioned.

Whilst the Steam Deck OLED looks chonky, it’s extremely comfortable to hold, with the ergonomics being second to none, and the weight also feeling well distributed to the point that it’s never an issue. The build quality also oozes quality and feels extremely premium in its design. ugh v

As far as control options to go, the Steam Deck is still unmatched with all of the expected buttons and triggers, four back buttons, super seamless gyro support and two trackpads that have haptic feedback and a great for games that rely on a mouse or don’t have controller support.

Whilst the Steam Deck is releasing in Australia quite late in the game, it’s still a fantastic value for money way for gamers to play their Steam Library on the go, with Steam’s Cloud Sync being absolutely fantastic. If you want the best performance on the market, want to utilise Xbox Game Pass (or other launchers), or maybe don’t have a huge Steam library, there’s probably other options I’d recommend looking at.

The post Steam Deck OLED Review – A Super Seamless Experience appeared first on Press Start.

Just a few years ago Xbox dropped its Wireless headset that was one of the best value for money wireless headsets on the market, and in the last few weeks its released an updated version, which is priced just at tiny bit higher but offers some solid improvements.

As far as the design of the headset goes, it’s pretty much the exact same thing as what released some years ago, but the green accents have now been also swapped out for black finishes which I much prefer as it takes the premium feel of the headset to the next level. The band feels durable, the earcups are an extremely comfortable faux leather that can also be taken off and replaced and the fit feels exceptional, without pressing down too much on my glasses.

In terms of build quality and fit, I’d put this ahead of the Pulse 3D Headset, which is the same price. You’re not getting any kind of noise-cancelling with this headset, which is to be expected for the price, but it does a good job of blocking out external sounds.

My absolute favourite thing about the headset is still how accessible the buttons (or lack of them) are. I really dislike how many buttons there are on the Pulse 3D headset and the fact that they’re all on one side but on the Xbox Wireless Headset, the entire earcups act as volume controls, so your right cup controls the main volume whilst the left earcup does your game/chat balance.

You’ve also got an easy to access mute button on the microphone as well as a button to turn the headset on and off (complete with a matching startup tone to what you’d be used to with your Xbox Series X). As far as buttons go, that’s literally it and compared to other units on the market, that’s a godsend. Xbox has kept it simple and that’s exactly what you want with a headset. Even on day one, I was never second-guessing where to find one of the buttons or how to turn my chat volume up. It’s perfectly designed.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $159.95 WITH FREE SHIPPING

The headset is incredibly easy to pair to either your Xbox Series X/S or PC and all it takes is just holding down the power button to set it into pairing mode. Your Xbox or PC will then recognise the headset and connect each and every time it powers on. You can also connect the headset to multiple devices at once, meaning that you can connect to your mobile via Bluetooth whilst playing on your Xbox, and hear both devices at once, which is really helpful. You can also connect the headset to an Xbox wireless adaptor, which I highly recommend if you’re using a PC as it’s just going to be more stable than Bluetooth. This is still one of the best parts of the headsets as I feel that a lot of headsets at this price range don’t provide simultaneous connectivity.

As far as battery life goes, these have now been improved with a 20 hour battery life (up from 15 hours in the original version). It’s now the best in class in the market by any stretch these days, but it’s still perfectly fine, and you’re getting a quick enough charge from USB-C that it’s never an issue.

One of the original negatives on the original wireless headset was the microphone, and this has been improved quite significantly on the new headset. It does a fairly decent job at muting out background noises and also auto mutes when you’re not speaking. Again, it doesn’t rival the likes of the Arctis Nova Wireless but for sub $200 it’s perfectly fine for casual online gaming.

I was pleasantly surprised by how good this headset sounds for $150. Whilst it doesn’t experience the deep bass that I got with the SteelSeries Arctis 7X or similarly priced headsets  , those headsets are more than double the price. What I did get though, was an exceptionally crisp sound even when at the loudest volume. The difference between these and something like the Arctis 7X is probably closer than it should be given the price difference.

The headset now comes with a Dolby Atmos license out of the box which is a big improvement compared to other headsets in this price range. Whether you’ll be able to tell the difference is obviously down to your ears and how much you care about that kind of audial fidelity, but it’s great that it’s included.

@shannongrixti

The new Xbox Wireless Headset has a longer battery life, an all-black design, Dolby Atmos support included in the box and a better auto-muting microphone #XboxWirelessHeadset #NewXboxHeadset #XboxSeriesX #Xbox #XboxSeriesS #XboxHeadset #Xbox

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

The post Xbox Wireless Headset (2024) Review – Even Better Value For Money appeared first on Press Start.

The Mac Mini has always been one of my favourite Mac devices, with it being one of the first mini PCs that I can remember hitting the market, and whilst it’s always been a staple amongst creatives, the new M4 Mac Mini absolutely reinvents the device putting it in a league of its own, making it an easy recommendation for anybody looking for their next computer.

Whilst the M2 Mac Mini wasn’t large by any stretch, the re-designed M4 Mac Mini has less than half the physical footprint, so whilst it is a bit taller, it takes up a lot less space on the desk and it’s also a lot easier to throw in a bag, put in your entertainment unit, or pop behind your monitor (I put it behind my Studio Display for most of this week), and you’ll quickly forget it’s even there.

I’ll speak about performance in a little bit but the thermal system at play here is absolutely world-class and the smaller size would mean nothing if it meant having a noisier mini PC that ran louder, but no matter what I threw at the M4 Mac Mini, it stayed absolutely silent and I would constantly check to see if a noticeable amount of heat was emitting from the unit, and absolutely nothing, barely any noticeable difference from when it was turned off.

@shannongrixti

The new Mac Mini is insanely powerful for its size and is fantastic value for money #MacMini #AppleMacMini #M4MacMini #MacMiniM4 #Mac #Apple #PC #Tech

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

The size isn’t the only difference about the new Mac Mini with a total new array of ports. The front features ports for the first time with two USB ports on the front as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack and on the back there’s three Thunderbolt 4 ports (Thunderbolt 5 on the M4 Pro), HDMI 2.1, an ethernet port as well a power port (with the power supply inside the Mac Mini despite its smaller size).

It’s fairly hard to complain with 5 USB-C ports on the Mac Mini. We were never going to get it, but I’d have loved a singular USB-A port just because there are still a fair amount of accessories that use USB-A, but I recognise that the need for one is getting less and less, and with 5 USB-C ports it’s super easy to attach a dongle.

The other major design change is the new location for the power button which is now on the bottom of the Mac Mini. I don’t think it’s a massive issue especially because if its stationary on your desk, I don’t think you’ll ever be turning it off, but if you’re someone that cares about everything being straight and proper on your desk and your cable management being perfect, I do recognise that having to lift the device to turn it on isn’t the most ideal of situations.

The M4 Mac Mini has been improved with Wi-Fi 6E which is a must-have in any 2024 device (I’ve got EERO Wi-Fi 6E mesh routers all around my house) as well as Bluetooth 5.3, so you’re sorted from a wireless connectivity point of view.

The hero here continues to be Apple Silicon with the M4 Chip clearly allowing for the size reduction, but also a considerable bump in performance. I moved my entire workflow to the Mac Mini for the last week, and that included editing 4K video, having dozens of tabs open at once, a number of Photoshop tasks and my regular day to day activities and thanks to the M4 chip and minimum 16GB of ram that is now included across the board, it got through everything with absolute ease, even though I was doing all of those tasks at once for majority of the week.

Only once or twice did it slow down for ever a second, when exporting a 4K video, whilst then doing another graphics intensive task, but I recognise that my workflows are probably a bit more intensive than most people buying the base model which at under $1,000 is honestly a steal for the performance that you’re getting here. It’s incredible value for money.

Whilst AAA gaming is only starting to hit its straps on Macs, there’s starting to be a solid little library there with big hitters such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Assassin’s Creed: Shadows still on the way. I played quite a bit of Stray and Death Stranding utilising the M4 chip and both ran well using Apple’s MetalFX upscaling. I say it in every Apple review, but Apple Arcade is also fantastic and has some genuine banger games like Balatro+ on it, among many, many other well-known franchises and all of those titles run well here.

The other part of the Mac Mini experience that I’ve been using is the Studio Display, and I don’t want to spend too much talking about it, but I do highly recommend it as it pairs perfectly with the Mac Mini. Not only does does it match the aesthetics perfectly, it also has a beautiful 27-inch 5K retina display that can connect through the Thunderbolt 4 Port. It also has a fantastic six-speaker system, microphones built into the monitor and a 12MP Ultra Wide centre stage webcam, in addition to giving you another three USB-C ports to work with as well. It’s absolutely on the pricier side, but it does pair perfectly with the Mac Mini and makes it an even more magical, seamless experience.

Despite my life revolving around tech, I’ve been a bit skeptical in AI improving my day to day life, but trust Apple to turn that around as my first taste of Apple Intelligence came with these M4 Macs over the last week, and I’m a massive fan.

The biggest one has been summaries which helps summaries bulk notifications among all of your apps but primarily Apple Messages, Mail and Facebook Messenger and as someone who receives dozens of notifications every minute across a number of group chats, email inboxes and Facebook groups, this is absolutely going to increase my mental wellbeing and productivity. It wasn’t always perfect, but I recognise that it’s still in beta and 98% of the time did an absolutely fantastic job at summarising notifications to either give me key information such as dates and times of events, or just give me the general gist to know whether a notification was worth opening.

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Similarly, Mail will now bring emails that it thinks might be more important based on timeliness or relevance to the top of your inbox, but it was a few other areas that really improved my day to day. Photos is hugely improved through with search now letting you give it much more specific queries and there’s a new clean-up feature similar to Google’s Magic Eraser that lets you very seamlessly edit out unwanted parts of photos.

I’m a big Focus mode user when I’m in meetings or really need to get something done and I spent multiple days this week using a new Apple Intelligence Focus mode called Reduce Interruptions and it was an absolute game-changer. This uses Apple Intelligence to only delivery you the most important notifications again based on timelines or from a loved one that might need need a direct response or something that is deemed to be an emergency. Again, it wasn’t perfect, but it more often than not only let through notifications that were those that actually needed a response and can only get better with time.

Another big one that I think a lot of people will get use out of is Writing Tools which can be used within any app to re-write chunks of text in a more professional or casual tone, or summaries chunks of text into lists. I’m not somebody that has used AI tools in this way (even though there’s a bunch available), and I recongise that a lot of people get use out of these, and it’s great that they’re so accessible here.

Another improvement is Siri, and I wasn’t able to make use of the new ChatGPT integration yet, but I was able to use the new experience that is re-designed but also makes the conversation flow a lot more naturally, and it’s a big improvement, and I’m excited to see where Apple take it.

The other big change that has just launched is MacOS Sequoia that I hadn’t used on my existing Macs, and there’s a lot of new features to love there too. iPhone Mirroring was a big one that I had used a lot during this week, with it allowing me to post to TikTok and Instagram without having to pickup my phone and a quick drop and drag from my desktop to photos app on my virtual phone allowing me to easily bring content across.

Something that has also finally hit the Mac is Windows Tiling, which allows you to quickly snap windows to parts of your screen, which is something I’ve relied on other apps for in the past, but to have that built right into MacOS now is a huge improvement.

All-in-all, you absolutely cannot go wrong with the new Mac Mini. Whether you’re somebody that just wants a smaller PC that is aesthetically pleasing on your desk, or someone that wants an absolute workhorse that can not only handle the day to day, but creativity tasks as well as AAA gaming, the Mac Mini does it all, at a fantastic low price, all whilst being really damn small.

The post Apple Mac Mini (2024) Review – Smaller Design With Much More Power appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve been using a MacBook Pro for as long as I can remember, and it’s no secret that Apple Silicon has been an absolute gamechanger both in terms of portability and performance, but just when you thought the MacBook Pro was already perfect, Apple went and made a few small changes that absolutely improve the device once again.

For the most part, this is very much the same device as the M3 MacBook Pro, but there are a few key differences that not only elevate the MacBook Pro, but change the way it’s going to be used. The display on the MacBook Pro has always been the best display in a laptop, and now it’s even better.

The screen still has the Liquid Retina XDR display that can reach up to 1600 nits of peak brightness in HDR, but now it can also reach 1000 nits of sustained brightness when viewing SDR content which does go a long way. It’s the new Nano-texture display that blew me away the second I pulled it out of the box.

I’ve used the Nano-texture display on my Apple Studio Display for the last year or so in a fairly bright study, but my MacBook Pro is always with me, and I prefer to work on the sunshine, which was often at times impossible due to glare on the MacBook Pro display.

The new Nano-texture option hugely reduces reflections and glare, but still somehow maintains the fantastic contrast and vibrancy that we’ve come to love this screen for. It’s hugely affected how I use this laptop over the last week, where previously I’d sit away from windows or be less hesitant to take it to work outside, but now, it’s completely viewable no matter the situation.

@shannongrixti

The M4 MacBook Pro has a new nano-texture display option which is a game-changer #M4MacBookPro #MacBookPro #MacBookProM4 #Apple #AppleMacBook #MacBook #Gaming #Tech

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

I also shoot my MacBook screen quite a bit for content, and it was often hard as I required good lighting for the video, which would result in glare, but now it’s not the case at all, and whilst I do recognise that this is quite a unique use case, I think that creatives are going to love this new display as it is designed to be used out and about, even on planes I can see it making a huge difference. It’s a $230 additional fee but if you’re someone that has ever noticed glare on your laptop screen, I’d highly recommend it.

The other big improvement comes in the way of a new 12MP webcam. It’s probably the only thing that has let the MacBook Pro down over the last few years, but its’s hugely improved offering a much clearer picture and you can now also utilise Center Stage which keeps you in frame at all times. If you’re someone that needs to show your desk off on calls, there’s also the Desk View option which uses same kind of wizardry to show your desk whilst also keeping you in frame.

As far as other design differences, the base M4 MacBook Pro (the one tested for this review) now comes with three Thunderbolt 4 ports, where in previous years it had only come with three so that’s much appreciated. It’s also available in Space Black now which is still absolutely gorgeous. If you’re going for the M4 Pro or M4 Max, you get Thunderbolt 5 ports which offer transfer speeds of up to 120Gb/s. The rest of the port offering is still the same including a HDMI port, MagSafe as well as an SD card reader.

I had an M3 Max in my MacBook Pro last year, and whilst I loved the performance, I did notice a drop in battery life coming from base M2, but with the M4 chip it truly felt like the best of both worlds, without much of a drop at all in performance even when comparing rendering speeds for videos or gaming, the battery life is phenomenal at up to 24 hours on the base M4 model, and I felt like I got every bit of it literally going days without having to charge the laptop.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $2,499 AUD FROM APPLE

You also get a minimum of 16GB of memory, just like the rest of the M4 line which is important for Apple Intelligence and goes a long way when multitasking.

Whilst AAA gaming is only starting to hit its straps on Macs, there’s starting to be a solid little library there with big hitters such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Assassin’s Creed: Shadows still on the way. I played quite a bit of Stray and Death Stranding utilising the M4 chip and both ran well using Apple’s MetalFX upscaling. I say it in every Apple review, but Apple Arcade is also fantastic and has some genuine banger games like Balatro+ on it, among many, many other well-known franchises and all of those titles run well here.

Despite my life revolving around tech, I’ve been a bit skeptical in AI improving my day to day life, but trust Apple to turn that around as my first taste of Apple Intelligence came with these M4 Macs over the last week, and I’m a massive fan.

The biggest one has been summaries which helps summaries bulk notifications among all of your apps but primarily Apple Messages, Mail and Facebook Messenger and as someone who receives dozens of notifications every minute across a number of group chats, email inboxes and Facebook groups, this is absolutely going to increase my mental wellbeing and productivity. It wasn’t always perfect, but I recognise that it’s still in beta and 98% of the time did an absolutely fantastic job at summarising notifications to either give me key information such as dates and times of events, or just give me the general gist to know whether a notification was worth opening.

Similarly, Mail will now bring emails that it thinks might be more important based on timeliness or relevance to the top of your inbox, but it was a few other areas that really improved my day to day. Photos is hugely improved through with search now letting you give it much more specific queries and there’s a new clean-up feature similar to Google’s Magic Eraser that lets you very seamlessly edit out unwanted parts of photos.

I’m a big Focus mode user when I’m in meetings or really need to get something done and I spent multiple days this week using a new Apple Intelligence Focus mode called Reduce Interruptions and it was an absolute game-changer. This uses Apple Intelligence to only delivery you the most important notifications again based on timelines or from a loved one that might need need a direct response or something that is deemed to be an emergency. Again, it wasn’t perfect, but it more often than not only let through notifications that were those that actually needed a response and can only get better with time.

Another big one that I think a lot of people will get use out of is Writing Tools which can be used within any app to re-write chunks of text in a more professional or casual tone, or summaries chunks of text into lists. I’m not somebody that has used AI tools in this way (even though there’s a bunch available), and I recongise that a lot of people get use out of these, and it’s great that they’re so accessible here.

Another improvement is Siri, and I wasn’t able to make use of the new ChatGPT integration yet, but I was able to use the new experience that is re-designed but also makes the conversation flow a lot more naturally, and it’s a big improvement, and I’m excited to see where Apple take it.

The other big change that has just launched is MacOS Sequoia that I hadn’t used on my existing Macs, and there’s a lot of new features to love there too. iPhone Mirroring was a big one that I had used a lot during this week, with it allowing me to post to TikTok and Instagram without having to pickup my phone and a quick drop and drag from my desktop to photos app on my virtual phone allowing me to easily bring content across.

Something that has also finally hit the Mac is Windows Tiling, which allows you to quickly snap windows to parts of your screen, which is something I’ve relied on other apps for in the past, but to have that built right into MacOS now is a huge improvement.

I really didn’t know how Apple would improve on the MacBook Pro this year, but they’ve somehow done it, with a number of minor changes coming together to once again breathe new life into this iconic laptop.

The post Apple MacBook Pro M4 Review – Keeps Getting Better appeared first on Press Start.

When we all picked up our shiny next-gen console at the end of 2020, we were assuming that we’d be closer to the 4K/60 FPS dream, but with every major AAA release, it became fairly obvious that we were going to be forced to choose between a 4K image and buttery smooth 60 FPS goodness, constantly left wondering what we were missing with the other mode. With the PS5 Pro, that next-gen promise finally feels delivered on, and then some in a number of different ways.

When it comes to the design of the PS5 Pro, it pulls in heavy inspiration from both the original PS5 as well as the PS5 Slim with it being the same height of the original PS5, but the same thickness as the PS5 Slim, and pulling over that same four plate design that the Slim introduced. I really like the racing stripes that break up the faceplates, and whilst it is a tad annoying that the top ones are differently sized to the Slim (it looks so good in black), there’s clearly a different vent design that means this probably wasn’t going to be possible.

There has been a lot of chatter around the PS5 Pro not coming with a disc drive and I’m not going to get into whether this is a good thing, but the disc drive mechanic is super nifty and very easy to put on (if you can get you hands on one). You simply take the faceplate off, and it’s a small connector that the disc drive slips into and then it’s the exact same process to pull it off. Same goes for the empty SSD slot, which is very easy to access and place an SSD into, if the additional 2TB SSD isn’t enough for you.

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Similarly, there was a bit of controversy about the console not coming with a vertical stand. The console does stand fine on its own without the stand, and it does come with a much improved horizontal stand in the box in the form of two plastic little legs that clip into the racing strips between each faceplates. This is a huge improvement on the stand that came with PS5 and whilst it looks flimsy, I can assure you, it’s super secure and a great solution.

The only other hardware changes of note are Wi-Fi 7 which is great for future proofing (I’m always going to want to be hardwired), and like the Slim there’s 2 USB-C ports on the front and 2 USB-A ports on the back. The great news when it comes to noise and heat is that the PS5 Pro is practically silent. I have had it on for most of the last week testing a variety of games, and I never heard it ramp up even once, and similarly, waving my hand around the console resulted in a normal amount of heat, which is impressive given the performance.

Just like it was with the PS4 Pro during the review period, performance is hard to talk about with the PS5 Pro, as PlayStation has clearly put some stipulations in place in order for a developer to say that a game is ‘PS5 Pro enhanced’ but as far as how they incorporate that into their game, whether that be a new singular graphic mode, additional graphic modes, or replacement graphic modes, it’s totally up to the developer, and it varies greatly between games even with PlayStation’s first-party studio.

Whilst it’s not always immediately obvious how a game is better, it’s very clear after playing through 15-20 games over the last week that the improvements are going to be massive for games in terms of delivering on that next-gen promise.

The biggest new technology in the PS5 Pro is PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) which is similar to NVIDIA’s DLSS which I’ve spoken about time and time again in regards to how much it helps PC performance through the use of AI upscaling. Whilst I’m not Digital Foundry, it’s pretty clear that what PlayStation has done here is pretty fantastic as some of the improvements that I witnessed across games were night and day, and this is only at the beginning of the console.

MORE PS5 PRO COVERAGE:

• Our PS5 Pro Review
• The PS5 Pro Comes With 1.9TB Of Usable Storage
• The PS5 Pro Has An Exclusive Background
• No Man’s Sky Now Runs At 8K On The PS5 Pro
• Star Wars Outlaws Has One Single PS5 Pro Graphics Mode That Is The Best Of Both Worlds
• The PS5 Slim Faceplates Don’t Fit The PS5 Pro But It Seems To Be For Good Reason
• The PS5 Pro Blends The Best Parts Of The OG PS5 And The PS5 Slim Design

For instance Star Wars Outlaws now has just one mode on the PS5 Pro, which is 4K/60 FPS. On the original PS5 it was either 30 FPS in Quality mode or 60 FPS in Performance mode and neither felt great with the Quality mode lacking a smooth framerate and the 60 FPS mode looking quite blurry, but now, you don’t have to choose as it’s the best of both worlds in one mode.

Similarly, Alan Wake 2 has kept its two modes, but performance mode now runs at 60FPS with base PS5 quality level graphics, and there’s a new ray-tracing Quality mode that sticks to 30 FPS, but looks absolutely incredible and in-line with what you’d get out of a very high-end GPU on PC.

Insomniac Games has done much the same with both Spider-Man 2 and Ratchet & Clank where the new Performance Pro modes now run at 60FPS with quality-like visuals and it’s upped the ray-tracing on Quality modes but kept them at 30 FPS. Realistically, I suspect that going with the 60 FPS mode will be a lot easier decision for most now, with there being next to no visual downgrade.

I really liked the way Naughty Dog took advantage of the PS5 Pro, with a new third mode simply called ‘PS5 Pro’ that utilises PSSR to bring 4K/60 FPS to both The Last Of Us Part 1 and Part 2. These games already looked stunning, but to now be able to play them in 60 FPS without feeling like you’re seeing a downgrade on the visuals just makes all the difference.

Probably the biggest difference was Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth which has a new Versatility graphics mode. This is a game that was heavily critiqued for how blurry it was in performance mode, and this game is one that kept all of its original modes, but this new Versatility mode is both super crisp, looking indistinguishable from the original Quality mode and runs at a smooth 60 FPS.

@shannongrixti

The PS5 Pro delivers on the next-gen promise with higher resolutions and more consistent frame rates across the board #PS5Pro #PlayStation5Pro #PS5 #PlayStation5 #PlayStation #Tech #PS5ProUnboxing #Gaming #Tech

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

Just because of some of lack of information about PS5 Pro upgrades and how different developers were handling the new technology, I reached out to a few developers from the likes of Bioware and Hello Games and it was very clear that these teams were excited in the new world of possibilities that the console unlocks. It was always a little bit of a running joke that the original PS5 had an 8K logo on the box, but now that is starting to become a reality.

Whilst F1 has a super stunning ray-tracing mode at 4K/60 FPS, it also has an 8K option for those that have the compatible TV. No Man’s Sky also has a new 8K option for those that want to jump in. I do suspect that this will still be quite a rarity, and I suspect that most people don’t own an 8K TV and have no intention to upgrade, but if anything, it is a good example of how much more headroom developers have to play with when using PSSR.

It’s not only the PS5 Pro enhanced games that see an improvement. There’s Game Boost that basically acts to lift the frame rates or resolution of any game that has uncapped framerates or dynamic resolution. A great example of this is Elden Ring and the Monster Hunter Wilds beta that both perform better on PS5 Pro and also Resident Evil 2’s uncapped ray-tracing mode that ran at 60 FPS on the PS5 Pro and 45ish FPS on the original PS5.

There’s also an ‘Enhanced Image Quality’ option in the system settings that uses AI upscaling to make PS4 games look clearer. I didn’t spend a heap of time with this, but I did try Bloodborne and a few other games, and it wasn’t a night and day difference, but I did notice things like text being a lot less blurry on the PS5 Pro.

Whilst I’ve been pretty positive on the PS5 Pro, I want to be really careful not to oversell it, because you won’t be blown away going from the PS5 to PS5 Pro, at least with what’s on offer so far. It’s more of a consistent, across the board improvement that feels more what I was expecting coming into this generation. This is the closest that console gaming has felt to playing on a PC in terms of playing a game with a fantastic, crisp resolution at 60 FPS.

If you’re somebody that constantly finds yourself flicking between graphics modes or have thought that something doesn’t run at solid enough frames or look like its running at full resolution, this is the console for you, but if you’re not somebody who cares about that then I’d probably wait until something like Grand Theft Auto 6 or the next big PlayStation first-party game comes along.

What’s on offer here from PlayStation is fairly remarkable from a technological standpoint, and yes the PS5 Pro is expensive, but it does offer a fairly high-end experience in line with a PC that would be far more expensive to put together, and AI upscaling systems only improve over time, so this feels like it’s only the beginning in how far the PS5 Pro will be pushed.

The post PS5 Pro Review – Delivering On The Next-Gen Promise appeared first on Press Start.

With Flight Simulator 2024 coming up, it was a good time to start looking at the flight stick market again. Since the boom of the sim market, we’ve seen, unlike many people, I was still hard stuck using my old Logitech joystick from when I was in high school, so I thought it was time to change that with the Turtle Beach Velocity Flight Deck.

The Turtle Beach Velocity Flight Deck is HOTAS (hands-on throttle-and-stick) with a lot of dials, switches and the first one on the market to include a touch screen display. It was a little overwhelming pulling it out of the box but at the same time excited to run it through some titles.

Out of the box, the construction of the units were very sturdy and had a bit of weight to them. Great for desk placement without the issue of the unit moving or tilting. Majority of the stick and throttle were coated in a nice plush soft rubber making it feel premium and adding extra grip for those sweaty hands while in-game. The Turtle Beach Velocity Flight Deck also features RGB lighting which is also customisable via the software. You can give it a very combat look with some night vision looking green or go simple with some nice light blue.

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There’s a lot of buttons to utilise and probably, maybe too much or not. I did find myself using all the assigned buttons in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, especially that pinky trigger to brake. The trigger itself feels amazing, with the actuation similar to a gaming mouse so you get some satisfying audible click when pulling it.

The most notable stand out feature for the Turtle Beach Velocity Flight Deck are the screens. No other HOTAS setup on the market features two screens, a small one situated above the joystick and a big touch screen below the throttle. These screens add to the immersion of the product giving you extra buttons plus information.

The touch screen is configurable and you can have multiple profiles. The design is similar to a stream deck if you’ve used one basically allowing to place buttons mapped on the screen. They’re preset ones if you’re too lazy to customise but overall it’s a cool addition – if you’re gonna use it.

Majority of the physical buttons on the unit are programmable, it was actually hard to count how many buttons and switches there were honestly – there’s a lot but the box says 90 so we’ll go with that. Honestly, you’ll probably find yourself mapping this setup for an hour before any flying.

Not all is perfect with the Velocity Flight Deck however. Software wise, annoyingly it’s only available via the Microsoft store. As for me, luckily I do use the Microsoft store however this is not the case with a lot of gamers who avoid it. A separate download not attached to the store would have been better.

While considered a premium product, the quality of the product ain’t all there. While the majority of the switches and buttons feel high end or premium for this price bracket, some feel cheap and at times, off. For example, the same set of switches could feel different and not activate or click the same. While minor, it kinda throws off the overall product where the majority of it feels amazing.

The post Turtle Beach Velocity Flight Deck Review – A Great Step Up appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve been using a smart watch since the original Apple Watch released almost a decade ago, and have increasingly loved tracking health related metrics ranging from steps when the original launched all the way to recently releases which have brought the likes of bloody oxygen and sleep tracking.

There’s no way around the fact that smart watches only mostly last 24 hours, which makes them hard to charge if you want the full 24/7 health tracking experience and there’s also the fact that some people don’t feel comfortable sleeping with watches or like wearing them at all, and that’s where smart rings have come into the fold and been really popular, with Samsung being the first major smartphone brand to get into the market.

Whilst smart rings are a much more discreet and comfortable experience than a smart watch, they do require the ring to be tightly snug around the finger that you choose (any is fine) which means that you start off by ordering a sizing kit to choose between the 9 available sizes, and I recommend wearing this for a good 24 hours as the size of your finger changes when you sleep, your temperature and just generally throughout the day.

You can wear the ring on any finger. Samsung says that you should wear it on your fore finger if you want the most accurate gesture controls (something I didn’t get to test), but as far as accuracy goes for health purposes, it’s supposed to be almost identical on any finger, so I chose to wear it on my index finger, as I find it doesn’t get in the way there.

The Galaxy Ring has a really nice design with a titanium finish that comes in a matte black, a gold and a silver, all which are really nice, but I’ve already got a slim gold wedding band on my left hand, so I opted to go with the black version which is really nice. Something that I absolutely love compared to the Ultra Human ring that I’d tested perviously is the charging case, which is much more similar to that of a traditional ring.

It’s really futuristic with its clear design and it has an LED around the ring that shows the charge of the ring as well as the case itself, which has enough charge to charge the ring wirelessly 1.5x with the actual ring itself having about 7 days of charge with sleep tracking and a moderate amount of exercise tracking. The case takes about an hour to charge the ring from dead to 100% and the case can be charged by USB-C or through QI charging, which is a touch that I absolutely loved.

The Samsung Galaxy Ring is only compatible with Android devices, which is a bit of a shame, as I think there’d be a huge market for Apple users (me included) and I can’t see Apple jumping into this space anytime soon. It pairs to Android really seamlessly with the Samsung Wearables app which is also what you can use to check battery life and update firmware, but where you’ll spend most of your time is in the Samsung Health app, which is fairly simplistic but does a fairly decent job of showing you all the important health info from your Galaxy Ring.

The Galaxy Ring will automatically track your sleep measuring how much time you spent in each sleep zone, your heart rate whilst sleeping, your bloody oxygen as well as how many times you woke up and wiggled around. I measured alongside a few other wearables and it was fairly one-to-one giving me confidence that it was doing a good job. There’s also some advanced measurements for skin temperature during sleeping as well as snore detection as well.

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The Galaxy Ring also measures your heart rate both automatically throughout the day and on demand through the app, measuring your resting heart rate as well if there were any high or low alerts as well, giving you a good amount of confidence in how consistent your heart rate is.

The thing I was most excited to test was the auto detecting workouts and whilst I’m not the most active person, I walk at least twice a day with my two sausage dogs, and the Galaxy Ring did an almost perfect job at tracking each of these walks, which is important as there’s no screen on the Ring and you want to know that it’s tracking each bit of activity even if it’s only a small walk.

The other thing that the Galaxy Health app does is pull in all of your sleep measurements as well as your pervious activity to give you an Energy Score which should hopefully match up with how you’re feeling as you go to tackle your day. Whilst it’s probably not going to be life changing, it absolutely makes you more aware of how much you’re looking after yourself, which is really what all of these things are designed to do.

It’s fascinating to think how much Wearables have changed our lives over the last 10 years, and I do think that the Samsung Galaxy Ring is a great step forward, as I think that most people wear a smart watch to track activity and sleep metrics and less-so for the display and computing elements, so to have this available in a much more discreet piece of jewellery that lasts almost 7 times as long is a big win.

The post Samsung Galaxy Ring Review – A Great Way To Track Health appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve been a huge fan of SteelSeries headsets for many years now recommending the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless to anyone that will listen, but as a glasses wearer, I much prefer wearing buds and thankfully SteelSeries has just released its first pair of gaming buds in the Arctis GameBuds, and they’re pretty damn great.

There’s been a heap of gaming buds released over the past year or so with the Razer Hammerhead, Sony Pulse Explore and Sony INZONE Buds all releasing, but the Arctis GameBuds have some key differences and improvements.

Just like other headsets in the Arctis line the Xbox version (n0t yet tested) will work with both the Xbox Series X and the PS5 whilst the PS5 version will work with the PS5, and a range of portable device such as the Steam Deck, but not the Xbox.

There’s also Bluetooth connectivity for the earbuds but not simultaneous meaning, which is a pretty big deal for me, but it’s super easy to go back and forth between your console and Bluetooth connection with three taps of the right bud, and the app (more on that later) can also stay connected whilst connected to your console through the dongle as well.

The little charging case is fantastic because it houses not only both of the buds, but also the much smaller (and hugely improved) dongle and it also features wireless charging on the actual case which is something I haven’t seen on any other gaming buds. The actual buds themselves last 10 hours which is pretty great, and you also get an extra 30 hours out of the case as well, so 40 hours total with 3 hours of charge after 15 minutes of wired charging too, so you’ll likely never run out.

As far as comfort on the actual buds go, it’s a big improvement from both the Sony InZONE and Pulse Explore buds, which you’d expect given the Jabra pedigree is within the walls of SteelSeries. They fit my ears perfectly with minimal wiggle, and they’re not huge like other gaming buds which means you’d happily wear them out and about too.

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There’s also physical buttons on each of the buds themselves, which make controlling them a lot easier than other buds that I’ve used. You can program up to three taps and tapping and holding to control things such as volume, or ANC on/off or switching between dongle/Bluetooth modes with ease.

As far as sound quality goes, SteelSeries says that these have been built from the ground up with a brand new chipset and it shows. The clarity and bass that come through the GameBuds are absolutely fantastic. My previous gold standard was the Pulse Explore buds and I couldn’t tell much of a difference between them which is a great compliment for the GameBuds. It’s been an issue with most other buds when paired with PS5 but I did notice it was a little on the quieter side, with this not at all being an issue when connected to my phone, so I’d say it’s some kind of PS5 limiting codec.

The fantastic app that launched alongside the Arctis Nova 5 has been rebranded and now supports the GameBuds, and it goes a long way to controlling the buds as well, with the app automatically connecting when the buds are in use and letting you control volume, turn ANC on/off and also change EQ settings.

This is one of the major selling points of the Arctis GameBuds in my opinions. Being able to change between 100+ EQ settings on the fly based on what game you’re playing and it making a tangible difference is almost unheard of in the console space.

The Arctis GameBuds have active noise cancellation, and it does a decent job of removing the bass from noises around you, but if you’re comparing these to AirPods Pros or Sony XM5 buds, it’s not even close in the ANC department. Transparency mode is fantastic and lets through a good amount of noise if you’re wanting to chat to someone whilst wearing them, and the seal of the buds does a decent enough job of blocking out noise at it is.

Another area where Sony continues to lock out the competition is in the PS5 integration space. It’s probably the only reason I’d recommend still considering the Pulse Explores, as it’s just hard to top the integration into the PS5 console in terms of letting you see battery life, control volume and EQ settings directly on your PS5, but that’s at no fault of SteelSeries.

Overall the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds provide a really fantastic alternative to other gaming buds on the market, and I suspect they’ll be the go-to option for Xbox/PC gamers.

The post SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds Review – A Great Alternative appeared first on Press Start.

I remember seeing Euro Truck Simulator have a sudden burst of popularity with players and streamers some years ago. I never understood it. How does the drudgery of realistic long-distance road haulage make for a fun time? Why would someone come home from their job and think to themselves ‘time to simulate a different job on my computer?’

To really test out the TSW Truck Wheel from Moza, I decided to embrace my inner truck driver and go all in on American Truck Simulator.

Getting everything physically set up was pretty straightforward, especially since I already had the wheel base and pedals from the R3 kit. I got sent a new mount to use with this wheel (a separate purchase, it should be noted) that allows you to mount the wheel nearly fully horizontally or adjust anywhere up to nearly vertical. If you have a favourite truck cabin layout, you can probably replicate the steering wheel position.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $519 FROM SCORPTEC 

Initial software setup was a little more complex. Firmware updates are easy enough with the Pit House software, but given the wheel base mounts upside down, I had to recalibrate to make sure the neutral position of the wheel was the right side up. Setting up all your buttons and pedals will depend on the game, but I found things pretty manageable in American Truck Simulator.

Back to the wheel itself, there is a useful set of buttons adorning the centre of the wheel, useful for things like indicators, headlight controls, trailer management and even controlling in-game radios. Each of the buttons is RGB backlit and can be set up with precise detail in the Pit House application. There’s a useful RGB array at the top of the wheel’s central area which can be configured to react to your engine RPM. If you’re going full on manual transmission in your simulated truck, this can be a really helpful indicator along with engine noise to help you know when to switch gears.

Alongside the buttons are some smart clicky directional pads (a little like the 3DS Circle Pad but with a pleasant click when it actuates) and some scroll wheels. The directional pads come in especially handy for menu navigation, while using the scroll wheels to tune the radio and control it’s volume felt just right.

Having all these extra controls was one thing, but steering these big rigs is of course the main event when it comes to a simulation steering wheel. Having a wheel of this size and orientation really sells the weight of the massive vehicle you’re driving. The way you can spin the wheel several times before hitting the steering limit lets you get really fine with control while also helping with the illusion that there’s a big set of tyres under you.

The materials feel super durable. It’s wrapped in a microfibre leather which gives great texture for grip and a pleasant plushness for comfort in long driving sessions. The buttons have a hefty click to them and feel like they could survive years of simming.

With an RRP of $549, this isn’t an impulse buy. You’ll want to be pretty sure you’re heavily into truck simming before entertaining a purchase like this – especially given it needs a wheel base at least to be functional. The wheel should be compatible with most wheel bases on the market with appropriate adapters which is a nice touch. I didn’t get to test this, but the fact that Moza isn’t locking it’s gear to it’s own ecosystem is laudable. This stuff’s expensive and nobody wants to feel like they picked the wrong brand and have to start again just to try a different wheel.

The post Moza TSW Truck Wheel Review – On The Road Again.. appeared first on Press Start.

For those that don’t know, I’m an avid Apple user being deep into the ecosystem for as long as I can remember, and there’s no product that shows off the strength of the Apple ecosystem more than the AirPods, which are hugely improved with the AirPods 4.

The AirPods well and truly pioneered the wireless earbuds space, but other brands have been getting closer and closer with Apple’s own Beats Solo Buds that I reviewed a few months ago providing fantastic value for money, but the new AirPods 4 have once again put a fair amount of distance between Apple and the pack.

The AirPods 3 copped a bit of flack for staying in the ears, so Apple totally re-designed the 4 with a narrower width and a different angle for the bud and it’s not only a much more comfortable fit, but they also stay in the ears a lot better as well, which is super important for exercise.

The AirPods 4 comes in two different variations and whilst the actual design of the AirPods and much smaller case are almost identical, there’s some differences between the model. The base model doesn’t have active noise cancelling, and similarly, the case doesn’t have any form of wireless charging and it also lacks a speaker in the case as well.

On the flipside, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, obviously do have active noise cancellation for the first time in the open-ear design, the case has wireless charging as well as  support for Apple Watch chargers (no MagSafe) and there’s a speaker in the case for Find My Support as well.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $219 WITH FREE SHIPPING

The noise cancelling is the biggest story here. If you wanted it in AirPods, you had to go to the Pros, and not only are they a lot more expensive, but a lot of people don’t like in-ears. The AirPods 4 with ANC provide a really solid active noise cancellation experience, blocking out I’d say 70% of what the AirPods Pros do.

If you’re on a plane, or somewhere where there’s a lot of noise, you’ll notice a difference, but I wore them on a trip to Sydney a few weeks ago, and was really impressed. If you just want noise cancellation to block out office noise or whilst on a walk these are more than fine.

As far as features go, it’s identical to that of the Pros, with transparency mode as well as adaptive audio (automatically blending the two) and conversation awareness featuring here as well.

It’s a very similar story when it comes to audio quality, with the AirPods 4 performing well above their price. They sound phenomenal, and out of the box, they’re just a joy to have in your ears, whether you’re listening to a podcast, on a call or enjoying music.

The AirPods 4 have the H2 chip which means you can take advantage of the new nodding feature to answer or dismiss calls. I did have a bit of trouble setting it up the first time but it works quite well. Similarly, it allows for Voice Isolation which continues to amaze me. With two noisey sausage dogs, this feature is a must-have, and I’m consistently amazed when people on the other end tell me they can’t hear them when I’m on a call. When it comes to gaming, the H2 Chip also allows for low latency which is great when pairing with any of the Apple devices for gaming.

Battery life on the AirPods 4 has also been improved with 5 hours base on both models, and 4 hours with ANDC turned on. This extends to 30 hours with the case for both models or 20 hours with ANC turned on.

I touched on it at the start of the review, but if you’re in the Apple ecosystem, there is just no better audio offering than AirPods purely because going from device to device is seamless and faster than ever. I can go from my MacBook to my iPhone to my iPad and it moves with me with zero fuss.

@shannongrixti

The Apple AirPods 4 have active noise cancelling for the first time in the open-ear design making them one of the best value for money buds on the market #AppleAirpods4 #AirPodsGen4 #Apple #AppleAirpods #iPhone16Pro #AirPods #Tech #AirPods4

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

At $219 for the standard AirPods 4 and $299 for the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, these will absolutely be the two new wireless earbuds that are perfect for most people.

The post Apple AirPods 4 Review – Incredible Value With Great Noise Cancelling appeared first on Press Start.

A few months ago I reviewed both the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro XL, but but there was one phone missing in the mix, that finally lands in Australia next week in the standard sized Pixel 9 Pro.

This is the first time that Google has made its Pro phone available in the smaller size, and I’m super glad they have as 6.3 to 6.4-inches for a phone is the perfect size, but if you wanted the Pro features in previous years, you had to go for the bigger phone, so to have both options available now is fantastic.

The reality is that almost everything that I said in my original 9 Pro XL review holds true here with the only difference being the actual size of the screen, the battery size (these come naturally just in the changes in phone sizes) and the charging speed with the Pixel 9 Pro supporting 27w charging speeds (same as Pixel 8 Pro last year) with the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL featuring 37w charging.

I truly believe that unless you want the biggest phone on the market, the Pixel 9 Pro remains the best Android phone that now comes in a size that feels most right for people. I’d argue that if even looks more impressive than the Pixel 9 Pro XL, as the smaller size makes it look high-end matched with those glossy/metal features that were previously exclusive to the larger phone.

This is my first time checking out the Hazel colour with my other units coming in Porcelain and Mint, and I have to say that I really love it. It has a little bit more personality than Obsidian, but still looks super high-end in its finish.

What’s absolutely clear this year is that there’s more choice especially for Aussies with the Pixel 9 range consisting of the Pixel 9, 9 Pro/9 Pro XL and The Pixel 9 Pro Fold – there truly is something for everyone.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro starts at $1,699 AUD which comes in at $1,50 cheaper than the Pixel 9 Pro XL. It’s out in Australia on October 24th and can be purchased in Porcelain, Hazel, Rose Quartz and Obsidian from the Google store HERE.

ORIGINAL PIXEL 9/9PRO XL REVIEW:

The Google Pixel Pro has been improving steadily since I started covering it 2-3 years ago, but the Pixel 9 range feels like it really coming to its own, taking things up a notch with an improved design that looks and feels premium.

In the range you’ve got the Pixel 9 which is your standard (but slightly larger) 6.3-inch phone and then you’ve got the new Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL which are identical except for size at 6.3-inch and 6.8-inches respectively. This is a great move as a massive bugbear I’ve had with flagship phone drops is that certain features are locked behind the larger phone, which not everyone wants so I applaud Google for this.

As far as the design goes, there’s significant changes all round. Both devices are flatter (much like the iPhone) with rounded edges which makes them a lot easier to hold and less slippery than the last few Pixel devices. The standard 9 back is made up of a glossy glass panel whilst the 9 Pro uses a matte aluminium finish that looks super high-end, and similarly, the edges on the 9 are a more matte finish whilst they’re a lovely, high-end aluminium on the sides.

Without doubt the most talked about change is the one to the iconic camera visor which now features a cut out rather than a strip that goes across the entire phone, at first it’s quite different to look at but I absolutely love the design after living with it for a few weeks. I think it’s super stylish, it’s different and eye-catching to the point that looking at the old one looks so out of place now.

The display on both devices have been hugely improved as well with the Pixel 9 now 35% brighter and Pixel 9 Pro being brighter with up to 2,000 nits in HDR with 3,000 nits of peak brightness. Really, you can’t go wrong with either of these displays but the brightness on the 9 Pro is a huge improvement with that display being even more stunning.

These phones are both powerhouses utilising the Tensor G4 chip, but also both coming with 4GB of more ram which allows you to zip around with ease, no matter what you’re doing on the phone, There isn’t a better place to use Android as an OS. The battery life on both devices have also been improved quite significantly as well.

The cameras on the Pixels have been best in class over few years, but they’re even better on both devices. The 9 Pro in particular now has a 42mp sensor on the front which allows for 30% more light sensitivity, and on the back you’ve got 48mp on ultrawide and telephoto and 50mp on the wide lens.

It’s hard to take a bad photo with this phone no matter which mode or lens that you’re using, and I was thoroughly impressed moving about in my yard and taking photos on the range of modes.

Similarly on the Pixel 9 you’ve got that same 50mp wide lens with a 48mp ultrawide lens without the upgraded front camera. Again, you’re really getting a great camera phone beyond the needs of most people, regardless of which phone you’re getting.

As with any Google phone, the improvements come in the way of features and mainly AI features in a big way this year. Building on the likes of Magic Eraser, Add Me is a brand new feature that essentially allows you to add the photographer into the photo with a second pass. This basically guides you through the process of taking a photo, then telling you to line it up in the exact same spot to add the person that took the first photo. It works super well, and whilst it once again raises the question of what is reality and what is the purpose of a photo, it does its job well if you want to use it.

Magic Editor from last year has some improvements now as well, with the ability to reframe photos which is super helpful for turning photos into different dimensions, or maybe you want a more zoomed out image. Again, it just depends what you’re wanting to use it for, and does make you question reality at certain points, but it works really damn well. You can also re-imagine photos in Magic Editor, which is basically just using AI to re-write parts of the photos to change the scenery which is a lot of fun to play with.

Similarly, there’s improvements in the way of Zoom Enhance which uses AI to enhance things in the distance, and Video Boost has also been improved to allow you to upscale to 8K with video rendering now faster as well.

Probably the biggest addition of AI comes in the way of the assistant, which now uses Gemini out of the box. I hadn’t used Gemini too much, but these devices come installed with it as the main assistant as well as one year free of Gemini Advanced through Google One AI Premium ($32 a month after that) which allows you to use Gemini Live.

I was really impressed with how quick and responsive Gemini was as a regular assistant but it was Gemini Live that made me a believer in AI. This basically allows you to pull up a responsive AI bot that is responsive and takes into context what you’ve said and also remembers past conversations, so that it’s a lot more natural than your usual assistant. Testing with the likes of my partner and mother, we were all super impressed with how natural it was and what it knew about the variety of things that we were asking it.

It’s quite clear that there’s still a bit to go with this though, as it definitely could do better at integrating into other apps, and there was also times that it wouldn’t remember previous things that we’d spoken about which breaks the experience a little, but when it works, it feels quite magical and like a legitimately great use of AI that could change the way we use our phones.

Pixel Screenshots is another great new app that utilises AI to make your life easier. I’m somebody that takes a lot of screenshots (over 65,000 to be exact), and this app basically helps you not only sort these and create labels for your screenshots, but you can literally just ask it to search for something and it does a great job of finding it.

The other piece of the puzzle is that both the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro have seen another decent increase in price, which won’t be to the delight of everyone, but these do feel like extremely high-quality flagship phones and the build quality represents the jump in price, so it’s hard to complain. Both phones are out now with the Google Pixel 9 starting at $1,349 AUD and the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL starting at $1,849 AUD.

The post Google Pixel 9 Pro Review – The Perfect Size appeared first on Press Start.

The Xbox Series X design was unlike anything else that we’ve seen with its super understated design, all-black nature, and it’s been left up to special editions to add that extra bit of something to the console, but most of these have been not up for purchase and only able to be won in competitions.

In comes the Galaxy Black Xbox Series X which is one of the first limited edition consoles to release so far, and it builds on that same sleek and stylish design, adding a few small design highlights to make it extra special.

It also has a larger 2TB SSD which is why it’s a bit more expensive than the standard Xbox Series X, so it’s obviously going to be for a more hardcore gamer or a collector that likes everything.

@shannongrixti

The Limited Edition Galaxy Black Xbox Series X has a 2TB SSD and is absolutely stunning with its green/white specks and bright green details #XboxSeriesX #Xbox #XboxSeriesXGalaxyBLack #GalaxyBlackXboxSeriesX #Tech #Gaming

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

As far as the design goes, it’s the same black console but there’s green and grey specks all over the console which on paper sounds like it could be a mess, but it still looks high-end and classy, adding an extra bit of something to the design.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $999 FROM THE MICROSOFT STORE

The only other major difference is that the base is a bright Xbox green which again, doesn’t take away from the original design of the console but adds a bit of extra pop.

It’s the controller that really steals the show here, and it absolutely would have sold well if it was released separately. It’s the same black controller, with again some minor differences to elevate the design.

The d-pad has that same speckled design pulling over from the console, the buttons are blacked out and the whole back of the controller pulls over that same bright Xbox green from the base of the console.

Whilst most people probably won’t run out to upgrade their original Xbox Series X to the Galaxy Black, I personally love seeing these limited edition releases and hope we see more from Xbox.

The post The 2TB Galaxy Black Xbox Series X Adds Some Sparkle To The Understated OG Design appeared first on Press Start.

It’s been well documented that the strap that comes with the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3 aren’t super supportive, which has opened the door for a bunch of third-party strap creators such as BOBOVR, who has absolutely outdone themselves with the latest release, the S3 Pro.

From the outset, the S3 Pro doesn’t look too different from the M3 Pro with its halo-like head band. It goes over your head, and supports with a big crown on the back, which is even larger and more supportive on the S3 Pro. It then has two pads that side at the top of your head to take the weight off, and these can now be customised in height or removed totally if you’re not a fan of them.

@shannongrixti

The BOBOVR S3 Pro Meta Quest 3 strap has a built-in fan to keep you cool and a massive 10,000 mAh battery as well #MetaQuest3 #BOBOVR #BOBOS3Pro #S3Pro #VirtualReality #MixedReality #VR #Tech #Gaming

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

The front and back are all fitted with a pleather that is super soft and supportive, and the bottom section of the back crown can be also be swapped out for a honeycomb material that is supposed to help with slipping if you’re somebody that plays a lot of active games. This system is fantastic and so much more comfortable than what’s included in the box. It takes all the pressure off your head.

Really though, if you’ve used a BOBOVR strap with either the Quest 2/3 or most other third-party straps, this will be familiar to you, but the S3 Pro does a lot of other really cool stuff that hasn’t been seen before.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $143 WITH FREE SHIPPING

The S3 Pro includes a built-in air conditioning system that you can adjust in fan speed. It basically sucks in air and spouts it out onto your forehead through a filtered system that sits under the pleather. I’m not generally a sweaty person, so at first, I wasn’t sure if I needed this, but I noticed a big difference when turning it off and on.

This is mostly due to the fact that the Meta Quest 3 actually does get quite hot after a bit of use to the point that you do feel it around your forehead, so the cool breeze provided by the S3 Pro almost cancelled this out. It obviously does make a tiny bit of noise, but you’ll only really notice it when playing quiet games.

The S3 Pro also comes with an external battery which is a must-have if you’re a Quest 3 user. The battery size has been doubled to 10,000 mAh which will give you somewhere between 3-4 hours of extra play-time with your Meta Quest 3. Surprisingly, the fan doesn’t seem to use that much battery at all.

The battery magnetically attaches to the back of the unit and also helps counterweigh the front of the headset for a more comfortable fit. To check your charge level you can either press a button on the side of battery, but you also get an exact percentage on a display on the side of the headset strap as well.

The battery can be charged with the included USB-C cord, and BOBOVR is also releasing a magnetic charging dock that will able to charge the battery at a faster 30w (it’s limited to 15w by cord).

The entire power system seems to be a lot smarter now with it charging your Quest 3 up to 100% and then going into reserve mode, so it’s ready for your next play session, or similarly, detecting if your Quest 3 is already fully charged when attached and auto powering off.

At $143, the BOBOVR S3 Pro is a must-have upgrade if you’re a new Meta Quest 3  or Quest 3S owner. It makes for a lot more comfortable wearing, it adds a fan for times that you might want a bit of a cool breeze and the upgraded battery more than doubles the battery life.

• Meta Quest 3 128GB – $719 with free Batman Arkham Shadow (run out price)
• Meta Quest 3 512GB – $799 with free Batman Arkham Shadow (new price) 
• Meta Quest 3S 128GB – $499 AUD with free Batman Arkham Shadows
• Meta Quest 3S 256GB – $669 AUD with free Batman Arkham Shadows

The post BOBOVR Meta Quest 3/3S S3 Pro Strap Review – Breezy And Supportive appeared first on Press Start.

The Logitech G Astro A50 X dropped earlier this year and it tried to do something totally different to much success. It not only offered full compatibility with PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC at the same time, but it also had a HDMI switcher for each console allowing it to handle your video feeds for each and quickly change between them.

Whilst I personally loved this concept, as someone who doesn’t have enough HDMI ports on my TV, I can understand why many were likely not a huge fan given the larger price tag, and being conflicted between wanting that signature fantastic Astro sound without paying the extra for the video switching features.

Logitech has clearly heard this and subsequently released the A50 Gen 5 which is quite literally the exact same headset as the A50 X without the HDMI ports/video swapping feature which makes it $150 cheaper and no doubt now in the price point of a lot of gamers.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $599 FROM LOGITECH WEB STORE

It still carries the PLAYSYNC technology which means that you can connect your PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC all through dedicated ports and there’s also a power port if you’re not connecting to your PC to get power into the dock itself.

Switching between your consoles is as simple as pressing the Playsync button on the headset which switches between your consoles/PC. With this method, you’re able to fully take advantage of audio from both consoles through to the A50 X including game/chat audio balance using the traditional buttons on the right cup for Xbox Series X|S and PC. Unfortunately you’re not able to do this for PS5 because of how Sony handles game/chat audio. This was possible on the A50 X due to it separating audio through the USB-C port and then getting game audio through HDMI.

The headset can take advantage of Dolby Atmos on Xbox Series X|S, but not on PS5 and this is a little bit painful as it means that you have to deselect Dolby Atmos as an option, and for me with a full Sonos 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos setup, this means that I can’t utilise Dolby Atmos when using my TV sound, or having to swap back and forth, but I won’t blame Logitech for this.

The headset also connects with Bluetooth via the dock to your phone, and you can use this method to connect to your Nintendo Switch as well. It allows for simultaneous connection between your console/PC and your phone, and once you’ve set it up the first time, it was absolutely flawless connecting instantly to my mobile as soon as I put the headset on and disconnecting when it went back into the dock. Because it does connect through the dock, you can’t use the headset out and about. There’s also a phone app that can change between inputs, control your EQ settings and other basic settings such as sidetone.

The A50s have always been prided on how they sound and the A50 X is no different with its Pro-G graphene drivers not too dissimilar to the ones that I tested in the Pro X 2 Lightspeed headset. The audio feels extremely full with a good amount of bass to hear the minor details in the likes of Forza Horizon 5 and Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It adds a whole other dimension to games and you absolutely won’t be disappointed in this regard.

Similarly, the microphone is fantastic, with my friends saying that I sounded super crisp online. It’s not detachable, which might be annoying to some, but it does mute on flip-up.

In terms of battery life, you get a 24 hour battery life, but honestly, I’d be shocked if anybody ever used it all, with the dock allowing you to simply place the headset onto it to keep it charged, which works as well as it ever has.

Whilst the A50 still isn’t cheap, at $599 it’s a lot more affordable for those that want a high-end Astro headset that works with all of your gaming consoles, so I can see this being a lot more popular than the A50X.

The post Logitech G Astro A50 Gen 5 Wireless Headset Review – Focusing On The Audio appeared first on Press Start.

When it comes to games that require a hardcore player, there’s not many harder than Elden Ring, so to celebrate the recent release of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, Thrustmaster released an updated version of its Eswap X2 Pro controller

It’s the same controller that we reviewed a few months ago, but it’s been updated with a new lick of paint with gorgeous red grips, accented gold thumbsticks and triggers as well as the iconic Elden Ring logo and signature markings all over the controller. If that wasn’t enough the top of the controller has that Shadow the Erdtree art as well.

Not an exclusive idea by any stretch, the eSwap X2 Pro allows you to swap out the left and right analogue stick to have them be symmetrical or asymmetrical depending on what you prefer and the d-pad component can also be changed out with the face buttons seemingly being static.

Unlike other pro controllers that I’ve used that allow you to swap out these components, the eSwap X2 Pro uses a really clever magnetic system that allows you to literally pull them out whilst playing and swap them on the fly, without requiring any tools to pull them out.

Whilst I think it’s great that you can swap your analogue sticks to suit your preference, I was more excited by the fact that there is a steering wheel component (and others such as a fighting d-pad) that can be purchased separately, but was provided as part of the review.

I slotted it in and was absolutely amazed at how quickly I had a little thumbstick steering wheel at my disposal, that was fantastic for Forza Horizon 5 and worked really well. It felt super natural, and rather than having to lug out a massive steering wheel set, this felt like a great compromise.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $349 WITH FREE SHIPPING FROM AMAZON

As far as what else is customisable, you can obviously pop off the analogue caps, although there’s only one different type in the box (you get both convex/concave), but you can also totally replace the triggers as well as the grips which can be unscrewed using a provided little screwdriver, although those components need to be purchased separately and I’m not sure what availability is like in Australia.

That’s probably the only gripe that I have with the controller, which will set you back $349. There are others on the market that really give you a wide variety of components in the box, and whilst I was really, really impressed with the amount of customisation on offer, it’s almost a tease with not a lot of options in the box, but it’s still much appreciated how much effort Thrustmaster have gone to in allowing long-term customisation.

As far as the actual design of the controller goes, it’s not the prettiest thing you’ll ever see, but it looks high-end, and has a great weight to it that feels super comfortable to hold. It is a wired only controller with a nice, lengthy cord provided in the box, but if you are someone that likes playing wirelessly, that might be a dealbreaker.

There’s a trigger stop adjustment that allows you to go through two distances for the triggers and there’s also four customisable back buttons that aren’t designed or positions in a way that you’d expect, but are actually super comfortable to use and mould to where your hand fits quite nicely.

These can be programmed using a row of little buttons that sit at the bottom of the controller (these can also be used to control audio for a connected headset), or via a free Thrustmaster app that can be downloaded on the Xbox Store, and once again provides a really nice amount of customisation for everything from button mapping to vibration.

The post Thrustmaster Eswap X2 Pro Controller Elden Ring Edition Review – Pro Look And Feel appeared first on Press Start.

Gone are the days of going to a friend’s place only to be dealt the other controller, the “spare” – you know the one; dodgy buttons, loose joysticks, and a real weird texture to it. It never quite worked right, and had an essence of uncanny valley about it. But now, aftermarket and alternative brands have been absolutely knocking it out of the park – to the point where if you’re handed a controller it is likely to be the official branded one, while your friend plays with something even better. That’s where the CRKD NEO S comes into play.

Straight out of the box, the NEO S is deceptive – I wasn’t prepared for something that appeared so simple to be so powerful. Nearly the same size as a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, the rigid rectangular body of the Neo S might appear unwieldy to begin with; but once it sits in your hands it feels a whole lot more lightweight and comfortable. Sliding out of its cool little carry case, the first thing I noticed was that it almost felt too light, especially when comparing it to the Switch Pro Controller.

The other thing that caught my eye was the design that adorned the NEO S’s face – in conjunction with the artist POPeART, the NEO S sports some fantastic designs full of personality. The Junkyard Edition we got our hands on evokes industrial flair, combining form and function to make something really cool. It also made me want to collect them all, and not only are there two extra designs in Blossom and Splatter from POPeART, there’s also Nintendo 64-esque translucent colours as well, leaning into the retro-meets-new feel that CRKD is aiming for.

Now before you dread the idea of downloading yet another app to do something related to a game or a service, hear me out – CRKD has made their companion app fun and exciting to use. Not only can you play around with your controller’s settings, including programming your back buttons and adapting the vibration, but you can also adjust the trigger actuation points as well as remove dead-zones from your thumbsticks. Using an RFID tag in the back of the controller, you can also scan in your device in what CRKD calls the “True Collection System”, which shows you details about the NEO S controller you’ve picked up – including the product number and rarity rank (what model number you received).

We’ve mentioned a few of the features of the controller, but how do they actually work in with playing games? Pairing your controller is really easy – in fact you get a neat little card that shows you just how to do so to your PC, mobile device, or Nintendo Switch – and from there you’re straight into gaming. You can program the back buttons by holding down the PROG button at the back of the controller and entering a single- or multiple-input combo before confirming it by tapping the button at the back, or even dedicating one to a ‘turbo’ mode for rapid input.

To add longevity to the device, both thumbsticks use hall effect technology which reduces contact points and prevents everyone’s dreaded nightmare of stick drift from occurring to the NEO S. In connecting the device to my phone, my Nintendo Switch and even my PC, this was definitely noticeable too – the responsiveness of the Hall effect sticks meant better accuracy and less struggle to ensure the correct input. But the tech doesn’t stop there, because the trigger buttons also use Hall effect sensors, allowing you to customise your own actuation points and make them more or less responsive to input.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $99 FROM JB HI-FI

The one surprising feature about the controller which I wasn’t really aware of until I played around with the app was the vibration function – I’m used to wireless controllers of the same variety not having any sort of haptic feedback or vibration, but the NEO S does have it. It was also one of the only downsides, as the vibration feels very light and often goes unnoticed; not that its a dealbreaker of any kind, it’s one of the only things I could suggest as a negative throughout this whole review.

Of course if you already own the CRKD Nitro Deck for your Nintendo Switch, there’s no doubt you know the level of detail and quality that CRKD puts into their products, and the NEO S is no exception. Right down to the ability to replace the thumbstick pads (which are interchangeable between the two devices), the NEO S is comfortable to hold and sleek in design, not sacrificing form or function with its retro-inspired looks. But under the hood it does so much more, with its Hall effect sensors and ability to customise vibration, trigger function and back buttons giving you the flexibility to personalise it how you want.

The post CRKD NEO S Controller Review – Punches Above Its Weight appeared first on Press Start.

Foldable devices have always appealed to me, someone who spends a lot of time on their phone ranging from casually scrolling TikTok or watching YouTube videos to answering a good amount of emails or writing articles on the go, but no device has ever quite nailed it until now. I’m a pretty staunch iPhone user day-to-day, just purely because of the ecosystem, but the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the closest an Android device has come to pulling me way from iPhone – it’s that good

Whilst Google released the original Pixel Fold last year (it didn’t make its way to Australia), this device has almost nothing in common with it outside of the fact that it’s a foldable. The dimensions have totally changed with the device being taller and less wide which makes it less awkward in both folded and unfolded forms.

On the outside, the phone has a 6.3-inch OLED Actua display with a 1080 x 2424 resolution. Whilst using the phone closed, it feels like you’re using any standard smart phone, which is a good thing. It doesn’t feel compromised at all even in closed position, which is great for quickly scrolling social media or replying to a text message.

With the phone opened, you have a massive 8-inch OLED Super Actua internal display with an almost perfectly square 2076 x 2152 resolution. Both screens are hugely improved on the original with a peak brightness of 2700 nits and 120hz refresh rates. The crease in the internal display is almost not noticeable with the device laying totally flat as well.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the thinnest foldable on the market, taking the crown from the Z Fold 6 and that goes a long way to making this a great phone to use in both positions. When closed, it doesn’t feel too bulky, being just a little bit thicker than most standard phones, and when you’ve got the display opened, the size, weight and dimensions give you a bunch of extra screen real estate without feeling awkward to hold, improving on a lot of other foldables that I’ve used.

Google has done a great job in making the transition seamless between both displays and I’m sure this is thanks to the flagship Tensor G4 processor. There wasn’t a single time that I opened the phone up and didn’t have exactly what I was looking at on the outer display and visa versa. Launching apps into split screen works perfectly, and there’s a bunch of improvements made for tabletop mode, where you can fold up the phone and place it down for easy scrubbing of YouTube videos and such.

My favourite use of the 9 Pro Fold was for gaming, where you can really take advantage of that gorgeous 8-inch display to really immerse yourself in any game. Games such as Disney Speedstorm can also take advantage of the Tabletop mode so that you can treat the system like a Nintendo DS in clamshell mode, with what you’re playing appearing on the top screen whilst the bottom screen has your controls. There’s a number of other games that let you do this too, and I hope it becomes the norm.

There’s a number of great features that take advantage of the inner and outer screens at the same time with Live Transcribe letting you dictate on the inner screen whilst someone stands on the opposite side to see what you’re saying and talk back, there’s a really cool photo feature called ‘Made You Look’ which puts a number of cute animations on the cover display for children so you can get their attention whilst gaming.

Obviously though, one of the best parts of a foldable is the fact that you can use the outer screen to look at yourself whilst you taking selfie photos using the good lenses, and that’s super intuitive here too. I will say though, if there’s one thing that stops this from being a perfect device, it is the cameras, and that’s not because they’re bad, but because it’s a bit of a shame that they’re a little bit of a step down from the 9 Pro, especially given it’s in the same range.

In saying that, what is on offer here is still absolutely fantastic. You’ve got the same 10MP selfie cam on the external display and internal display (down from 42mp on the 9 Pro), a 48MP main lens (down from 50MP on the 9 Pro), and 10.5MP ultrawide and 10.8MP telephoto lens (down from 48MP for both on the 9Pro).

Still all absolutely fantastic cameras that take great photos with great vibrancy and it’s hard to go wrong with the shots that they produce, but I’d have loved to have seen the same lenses that we got on the 9 Pro which I reviewed a few weeks ago and absolutely loved. I also don’t think the camera bump is as nicely handled as it is on those devices either.

With the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, you get pretty much all of the same AI features that came with the standard 9 Pro XL. Building on the likes of Magic Eraser, Add Me is a brand new feature that essentially allows you to add the photographer into the photo with a second pass. This basically guides you through the process of taking a photo, then telling you to line it up in the exact same spot to add the person that took the first photo. It works super well, and whilst it once again raises the question of what is reality and what is the purpose of a photo, it does its job well if you want to use it.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $2,697 FROM JB HI-FI

Magic Editor from last year has some improvements now as well, with the ability to reframe photos which is super helpful for turning photos into different dimensions, or maybe you want a more zoomed out image. Again, it just depends what you’re wanting to use it for, and does make you question reality at certain points, but it works really damn well. You can also re-imagine photos in Magic Editor, which is basically just using AI to re-write parts of the photos to change the scenery which is a lot of fun to play with.

Probably the biggest addition of AI comes in the way of the assistant, which now uses Gemini out of the box. I hadn’t used Gemini too much, but these devices come installed with it as the main assistant as well as one year free of Gemini Advanced through Google One AI Premium ($32 a month after that) which allows you to use Gemini Live.

I was really impressed with how quick and responsive Gemini was as a regular assistant but it was Gemini Live that made me a believer in AI. This basically allows you to pull up a responsive AI bot that is responsive and takes into context what you’ve said and also remembers past conversations, so that it’s a lot more natural than your usual assistant. Testing with the likes of my partner and mother, we were all super impressed with how natural it was and what it knew about the variety of things that we were asking it.

It’s quite clear that there’s still a bit to go with this though, as it definitely could do better at integrating into other apps, and there was also times that it wouldn’t remember previous things that we’d spoken about which breaks the experience a little, but when it works, it feels quite magical and like a legitimately great use of AI that could change the way we use our phones.

Pixel Screenshots is another great new app that utilises AI to make your life easier. I’m somebody that takes a lot of screenshots (over 65,000 to be exact), and this app basically helps you not only sort these and create labels for your screenshots, but you can literally just ask it to search for something and it does a great job of finding it.

All-in-all, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold does a lot of things extremely well, and I think it’s a great second attempt at this category for Google, that can only get better with time.

The post Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Review – Folding Perfection appeared first on Press Start.

It’s been a big year for pro controllers with the likes of the DualSense Edge, PlayStation’s first pro controller launching earlier this year, but that hasn’t stopped the likes of Nacon wanting to get into the market with its new Revolution 5 Pro controller.

Straight off the bat, the best thing about the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro controller is that it has hall effect analogue sticks and triggers. This technology uses magnets to detect movement meaning that it won’t break down over time, meaning it should be impossible to develop stick drift over time.

This is without doubt the most customisable controller to date. In the box, you’ve got two d-pads, three different analogue stick cap options, rings to change the distance of travel for each analogue stick, three different weights that can be inserted into each side of the controller as well as a storage case for the accessories as well.

You also get a charging case for the controller as well as another one for the accessories, a super long braided USB cable as well as a cleaning cloth for the controller, so it’s a really, nice high-end offering.

Much-like Sony’s own controller, you’ve got a trigger stop adjustment as well as four back buttons that can be customised either on the controller or by an app that’s available on PC or Mac (phone app is coming later), but this is where the issues start to creep in.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $359 FROM BIG W

Much like in the headphone space, PlayStation limits a lot of the really fantastic integration to its own products, which means that the customisation on controller does feel a little bit clunky as there’s no on-screen menus to navigate (like you can with the DualSense Edge) and whilst you can switch between four profiles on the controller, again, unless you’re connecting to the app, it’s a little bit clunky to know what’s been set to what.

Similarly, whilst the controller does feature vibration functionality, when you’re using the controller with your PS5 (as opposed to PS4 or PC), you won’t get any vibration at all as the PS5 uses the special haptic functionality, and obviously the same goes for the adaptive triggers as well. On a more minor note, because it uses a USB dongle, you can’t turn the PS5 on with the controller either.

As far as battery life goes, you can expect roughly 8-10 hours depending on whether you have things like the RGB lighting on as well as vibration. When connected using the included dongle, you can expect a latency of about 6m/s which is super great.

All of these things are a massive shame because the controller itself is really fantastic. It feels great in the hands and with the ability to change weight and customise buttons, it is actually better than the DualSense Edge in a lot of places, but it’s a little bit harder to recommend if you’re using it solely for the PS5.

@shannongrixti

Nacon’s $300 PS5 Pro controller has more customisation options than any other PS5 controller on the market #PS5 #PS5ProController #NaconRevolution5Pro #Nacon #PlayStation5 #Tech #Gaming

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

Interestingly enough, you can connect an included external microphone which actually performs pretty well and you can also connect a Bluetooth headset to the controller for audio purposes with volume able to controlled wit the touchpad.

All-in-all, the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro controller can be recommended for those wanting a pro controller that works across PS5, PS4 and PC. Currently, it doesn’t have an Australian release date, but it’s priced at $200 USD ($330 AUD).

The post Nacon Revolution 5 Pro PS5 Controller Review – Highly Customisable With Limited PS5 Functionality appeared first on Press Start.

Razer’s Kraken line is a bit of a staple when it comes to gaming headsets, typically putting very decent sound quality inside a classically-styled set of cans with well-rounded features. Nothing especially flashy, but incredibly solid. With the Kraken V4, that philosophy hasn’t really changed much, which is far from a bad thing. This is, through and through, a mid-range wireless gaming headset packing handy connectivity, good looks and great sound.

One of my immediate, positive impressions of the Kraken V4 was with its packaging, with the headset shipping in a much smaller and plastic-free box than I’m used to. It’s a really thoughtful design that makes for a great unboxing experience and shows that Razer’s put a lot of thought into sustainability that doesn’t sacrifice quality. In the box you get the actual headset, of course, along with a USB-C HyperSpeed wireless adapter, USB cable and USB-C extender, and of course a small instruction manual with a sheet of Razer stickers.

The headset itself is aesthetically quite similar to the previous generation/s, sporting an uncomplicated and not-unexpected design that screams “if it ain’t broke,” though there’s one significant difference that won’t be obvious until we actually power the headset on. Crucially, it’s well-built and feels just as premium as it looks, with lots of cushioning on the headband and ear cups that means I’ve been able to wear it for hours on end while testing it out and had little discomfort – perhaps a touch more weight and pressure than I’m used to from current my go-to, the Turtle Beach Atlas Air, but definitely one of the comfier gaming headsets I’ve had the pleasure of using.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $329.95 FROM RAZER

Accompanying the cups is a standard array of physical buttons for connection controls, power (a differently-textured button, which is a nice touch) a volume dial and the like, plus the fully-retractable “HyperClear” wideband mic, but it’s what’s adorning the outside of each of them that’s new in this iteration of the Kraken – a pair of 9-zone RGB lighting displays. Recently when reviewing gaming gear, especially that of Razer’s, I’ve praised the shift away from tons of gaudy RGB lighting, so my initial reaction here was apprehension. The moment I turned the headset on though, that all faded away. Sure, nobody wearing the headset is even going to see these in use but goodness does it look nice.

Of course, the important thing here is how the Kraken V4 sounds, and the good news is that it’s another excellent performer from the Kraken line with crisp, high-definition audio right out of the box from its 40mm TriForce Titanium drivers. My first use of the headset was with my PS5, playing a fairly eclectic range of games like Zenless Zone Zero, Visions of Mana and a bit of Fortnite, and it handled everything with a great deal of clarity and punch that’ll suit everything from cinematic RPGs to intense multiplayer shooters and in-between. A lot of headsets I’ve used on console have tended toward a deep low end or really sharp highs, but this one felt suitably balanced right away without missing any details in games, movies or even a bit of music while I was grinding Inter-Knot level for hours in ZZZ.

Of course, connecting the Kraken V4 to a PC opens up even more options, with a wealth of enhancements available in the Razer Synapse app from THX Spatial Audio to customisable sound profiles that can be saved to the headset, control over the quality and volume of the very decent wideband mic and of course plenty of settings to tweak that 9-zone RGB effect. Lighting aside, it’s much the same as what you’ll see from other Razer headsets on the software side, though the dual-connectivity of the 2.4GHz USB-C dongle and Bluetooth means you can game and take (or ignore) calls at the same time, which is handy.

To get even more out of the THX Spatial Audio features of the Kraken V4, you can also download a whole extra app from Razer that allows you to do some neat things like edit the position and volume of every virtual speaker and mess with similar EQ settings to the Razer Synapse app.

In terms of battery life, Razer rates the Kraken V4 at 70 hours without RGB lighting or 35 hours with it, both when using the 2.4GHz USB-C dongle. I’ve been using the headset for a few hours a day for just under two weeks and I’m only now reaching for the charger, so I’d say those claims are pretty much bang on.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this review stated that THX Support required an app at an extra cost. This is not the case.

The post Razer Kraken V4 Review – Good Looks And Great Sound appeared first on Press Start.

It’s hard to believe that the ASUS ROG Ally came out just one year ago, as in that short time it feel like it’s totally changed the landscape of PC handhelds. It followed in the footsteps of the Steam Deck and a bunch of other Windows handhelds from the likes of lesser known brands such as AYANEO, but it was the first mainstream viable choice for most gamers that want access to all PC games including Xbox Game Pass, and especially here in Australia, it’s one of the only choices.

As good as a first attempt attempt as it was, it absolutely had lots of small little issues that didn’t ruin the experience, but were glaring little problems that if ASUS had its time again and knew what a success this would go on to come, probably would have spent a little bit more time fixing, but it’s okay because the ASUS ROG Ally X is very much that product and improves on almost every little problem that the original had.

When you put the two devices together, to the naked eye you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking not a lot has changed apart from the move to a black shell, which I absolutely prefer as you just can’t beat black tech in terms of sleekness but also I’m not a fan of white due to it getting dirty, but almost every component of the ROG Ally X is different from the original.

Starting with the weight, the ROG Ally was heralded for being the lightest 7-inch handheld on the market, and the ROG Ally X is 70 grams heavier due to the fact that it has a battery that is double the size (which we’ll get to in a bit). It’s only really noticeable when you go back to the original unit, and I’ve had some length sessions with the Ally X and haven’t felt that it’s changed its comfort levels at all.

In fact, due to changes in the shell design which is a lot more rounded and moulds to the hands better and seemingly grippier back handles, the Ally X fits in the hands a lot better than its predecessor, and whilst I’m not going to pretend that heavier is better, it’s pretty remarkable that it only had a small increase in weight given the improvements inside.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $1,599 FROM THE ASUS E-SHOP

That’s just the beginning to the ergonomic improvements with almost every input being changed or improved. The D-Pad is a lot more solid and feels a lot more precise now, the analogue sticks now feel a lot tighter, the face buttons no longer get stuck, are more raised and feel a lot more clicky and the hall effect triggers have now been made longer and are a lot better to grip, as have the bumpers. I didn’t have huge issues with the original (outside of the face buttons), but every input on the Ally X feels a lot tighter and a lot more thought out.

Again, the back macro buttons aren’t something I had a huge deal with, but they did get in the way of holding the console properly at times, and also felt quite loose when they were pressed due to their side. They’ve now been made a lot smaller, sit perfectly where your fingers hit the back of the console and are just much improved now.

Other changes to the design include the moving of the infamous MicroSD slot, which I haven’t experienced issues with yet, and whilst you’d think that ASUS has probably moved it for that exact reason, I would never say with confidence that there won’t be issues, and the XG Mobile connector that was used for the ROG eGPU us now gone and has been replaced with a second USB-C port that is Thunderbolt 4 which means it can now be used with generic eGPUs (just like the ONEXGPU here) . This is a huge improvement, although if you did buy that XG eGPU, I do feel bad for you. This works exactly as expected and will go a long way between this device doubling as a home workstation/1440p beast.

As far as the screen goes, it’s still a 1080p LED display that has a 120hz refresh rate with VRR, so naturally there will be some disappointment there given the Steam Deck just got an OLED version. It’s still a fantastic screen as far as LEDs go, but it would have been the cream on top and extremely hard to beat if it had an OLED display.

Between the screen and the Z1 Extreme processor that also comes over from the original, everything on the inside has changed too. As far as storage goes, there’s now a 1TB SSD inside and it is placed in a full-size Gen 4 2280 SSD slot, so if you do want to upgrade to 2 or 4TB, there’s a lot cheaper options to do so.

The most two exciting changes come in the way of the memory and the increased battery size, which both go along way in moving Windows handheld forward and making them viable portable options. Let’s start with the battery life first because that’s going to be a big deal for a lot of people.

The ASUS ROG Ally X has an 80wh battery which is the larger in a handheld so far, and double the size of the original. I did a test with all three power modes, although for the Quiet and Performance modes, they now use slightly more power compared to the original consoles.

When using Turbo mode at 25w, you can expect to get a tad over two hours with the Ally X, and whilst it still doesn’t sound like a lot, that’s over twice the amount that I got with the original, and it just makes for a world of difference. I felt like I could get into my game and enjoy it for a considerable amount of time without instantly feeling that I was going to be running out of battery.

In performance mode, I was able to get over 2 and a half hours compared to 1 and a half hours on the original (again that’s with a higher 17w TDP over 15w with the original), and impressively, you can get more in this 17w performance mode than you could get with the 10w quiet mode on the original console. I was able to get almost 4 hours with the Ally X in quiet mode at 13w in comparison to 2 hours at 10w with the original console.

ASUS ROX ALLY X BATTERY LENGTH

• Turbo Mode (25w TDP) – 2 hours
• Performance Mode (17w TDP) – 2.5 hours
• Quiet Mode (13w TDP) – 3.8 hours

These are huge, huge improvements. You can now game for longer at the highest turbo mode than you could with performance mode and almost quiet mode from the original consoles. It’s absolutely incredible what ASUS has done with the Ally X in terms of ergonomics with this battery life.

The other massive improvement comes in the way of performance. Whilst the Ally X has the same Z1 Processor, it not only has 8GB more ram, it’s also faster at 24GB of 7,500 MT/S (compared to 16GB of 6,400 MT/s in the original). This is hugely important as memory in the Ally X (and other handhelds) is shared across the system and GPU and it goes a long way here.

There wasn’t a single game that I tested that didn’t run 5-7 FPS better on the Ally X in comparison to the original console, but for games such as Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, it was the difference between the game running smoothly compared to almost not running at all on the original (video here to see just how much of a difference it is). Whilst benchmarking the two side by side, it was remarkable to see how buttery smooth the Ally X was whilst the Ally was struggling hugely, even going as far as crashing the first time I tried to benchmark it.

ASUS ROG ALLY X BENCHMARKS

1080P / FSR Balanced & Frame Gen On (Where Possible)

• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – 40 FPS (vs 26 FPS)
• Returnal – 47 FPS (vs 42 FPS)
• Cyberpunk 2077 – 31 FPS (vs 27 FPS)
• Horizon Zero Dawn – 73 FPS (vs 63 FPS)

Whilst I don’t recommend running out and buying a ROG Ally X for the sole reason of getting handful more frames, I have zero doubts that we will start to see more games that struggle to run on the original given we’ve already seen Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Alan Wake 2 require more memory than what was on offer in the original, so it’s great that there is an upgrade path for those that do want to continue their portable gaming journey.

That’s probably the only other downside to the ASUS ROG Ally X. It’s $300 more than the original was at launch, and the original is significantly cheaper now. On one hand, it’s absolutely worth the $300 more when you compare the two on paper, but it’ll be a tough choice for gamers picking up their first Windows handheld. I have no doubts that this will drive down the price of the original even more and I can’t wait for more people to experience portable PC gaming whether it be with the ASUS ROG Ally X or the original version which is no doubt going to become more accessible.

@shannongrixti

The ASUS ROG Ally X has arrived with some serious improvements and here’s your first look at what’s in the box AD #ROG #ROGANZ #playALLYourgames #rogallyx #rogally #handheld #windowshandheld @rog_anz

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

ASUS has once again smashed it out of the park with the ASUS ROG Ally X, and if it wasn’t clear before, it’s very obvious that they care a lot about this market and see themselves playing in this space for a long, long time.

The post ASUS ROG Ally X Review – The Complete Package appeared first on Press Start.

The world of sim racing gear is intimidating. I’ve often thought it could be something I’d enjoy but the complexity, expense and space requirements of a proper sim racing rig kept the idea well out of my mind. Then along came MOZA with its R3 Wheel and Pedals bundle for Xbox and PC, offering everything you need to get a racing sim going with just a desk and a game console.

The unpacking process for the R3 was admittedly a little intimidating. There’s a bit of assembly required – but this means the system is flexible enough to fit both desk mount and sim cockpit. Everything goes together in a reasonably straightforward way. Screw the reassuringly hefty wheel base to the desk clamp, lock the wheel on, wire up the pedals and plug everything into power and your games machine. Within about half an hour I had gone from the box appearing on my doorstep to being hooked up.

While setting up, I encountered one of my rare gripes with the kit. While the part of the desk clamp that sits atop your desk is nicely padded to protect the surface, the pieces that push against the bottom of the desk to hold it in place are bare metal. Without some padding it would damage the underside of a nicely-finished desk. It’s nothing that a spare cloth or some rubber lying around can’t solve of course, but worth calling out nonetheless.

Setup is finished by hooking the wheel up to a PC or smartphone and checking for firmware updates. Each part of the kit can have it’s own firmware to update but MOZA’s Pit House applications make it easy to check for and apply updates to the entire setup at once. We’re almost ready to race now.

Hooking up to the Xbox once everything’s powered on was as simple as connecting a USB cable to the console. The standard buttons on the wheel worked straight away to navigate the dashboard and game menus. Depending on the game you might be asked to do some calibration, and I found that it’s worthwhile to take the time and make sure movements in game and on your wheel line up perfectly. Not all games will offer this, however.

Now with all the setup, updating and calibration done it was finally time to put this thing through its paces. I’d been keen to try out the new Forza Motorsport and trying a sim racing kit seemed the perfect way to do so.

I started one of the early races and immediately noticed the hefty force feedback of the wheel base. The amount of feedback and the granularity of that feedback during a race is remarkable. You can feel the way tyres are gripping to the road with every bit of rubbery friction they can muster as you corner at speed. Undulations in the road translate to your wheel moving underneath your hands requiring effort to maintain control of the vehicle. The wheel adds a visceral element to racing that even the haptic feedback of the PS5’s DualSense can’t get close to.

GET IT HERE FOR $729

The wheel comes equipped with paddle shifters mounted to the back. These move with it, making gear changes easy to achieve as long as you keep your hands at 9 and 3 o’clock. They feel solid and chunky, with a satisfying click when actuated. I’d never played a racing game in manual mode for any serious amount of time before, but between having a proper wheel and the satisfying feel of the shifters here I went manual and never wanted to go back. The wheel itself is wrapped in a soft feeling PU Leather (so, plastic) which has a nice, quality feel.

The other major piece you get in this bundle is the pedals. While they’re not as exciting as a wheel with force feedback they form an essential part of the sim experience. Both pedals are smooth to operate, with appropriate resistance to allow for fine control of throttle and braking. Their ability to stay in one place while just on the floor was a weak point, however. For me, whether I had them sitting on carpet or a hard plastic chair mat they would slide around while I was driving. During a moment of hard braking, the last thing you want is the brake to move out from under you or not be where you expect. This would be solved by properly mounting them – but for a desk setup it might be worth finding something they can sit against to keep them in place.

It’s worth noting too, that this wheel bundle can evolve along with you if you enjoy the sim racing life enough to commit more money down the track. It can mount to a dedicated cockpit, and you can expand your options with clutch pedals, gear shifters and handbrakes that all plug into the back of the wheel base. While I think it’s a perfectly serviceable kit right out of the box, it’s nice to know that if you want to level up from here you won’t have to start from square one again.

If you’re considering this bundle, you should definitely peruse MOZA’s compatibility page before committing. While the manual says it should work for nearly any racing game on Xbox, I found I just couldn’t get it working with F1 23. I could launch into the game from the dashboard but nothing in the game responded to wheel button inputs at all. Not sure if it’s an Xbox issue or a game issue, but if a game isn’t on the rather large official list I’d be checking to be sure the game you want to play will work. The good news though is that F1 23 was the only problematic game I found. Forza Horizon 3 and 5, Motorsport, and EA WRC all worked wonderfully.

The MOZA R3 Wheel & Pedals bundle is my first serious attempt at using a sim-racing style controller setup, and it has changed realistic racing games for me. I took driving so much more seriously with a proper wheel in my hands. Doing practise laps of a new course to learn its lines, learning the appropriate gear to be in to approach and remain in the right torque band to zip out as fast as possible. Being behind a wheel made me take racing more seriously. I felt like I was getting better at racing by feeling the feedback from the car and track, and seeing my lap times improve as I learned to adapt to track conditions and to better my technique was a thrill.

The post MOZA R3 Wheel & Pedals for Xbox/PC Review – I Am The Wheelman appeared first on Press Start.

After swearing black-and-blue for the longest time that I’d never stray from the nicely-appointed goodness of a full size keyboard and that sweet, sweet number pad, I’ve recently become a convert to the clean and tidy look of a more compact board. I’ve tried a few different takes on cut-down gaming keyboards from tiny numbers with the minimum of keys to more reasonable devices that still pack useful accouterments. Razer’s Huntsman V3 Pro TKL definitely sits on the latter end of that range, offering something that’s savvy on desk space but still has cutting-edge features and handy controls.

With my review unit coming in the gorgeous, white colourway, the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL is, like so many more gaming peripherals arriving in recent months and years, a remarkably simple little number. The plastic base is fairly light but still feels nice and solid, and sits on a combination of rubber feet and the typical flip-out kickstands with two different degrees of incline. Despite being a solely wired keyboard, the included USB-C to USB-A cable is removable, which is great for portability and longevity. There’s also an optional wrist-rest included which carries on the sleek aesthetics and attaches magnetically, and although it’s not particularly cushioned it adds a nice amount of comfort for long stretches of typing.

Aside from the keys themselves, the Huntsman V3 Pro TKL also carries almost the same media controls and mini display as its full-sized big sibling, with a volume knob that carries some additional functions (more on that soon) and a couple of shortcut buttons, one of which can be mapped to any function and the other for basic media playback. 

As far as the keys themselves go, you’re getting a pretty typical TKL array, and Razer has opted for lightly-textured doubleshot PBT keycaps which feel quite nice, offer a good amount of grip and should last a lot longer than ABS caps. With pre-lubed switches sitting above an aluminum top plate, the keys all feel smooth and secure, and there’s an impression that you could give this thing quite the beating without fear of breaking anything. I’m not a huge fan of the noise profile, which sounds a lot cheaper than you’d expect from a $420 gaming keyboard, but perhaps I’ve been spoiled by the low-profile keyboard I’d mainly been using prior.

Thankfully, Razer’s “Analog Optical Switches Gen-2” still feel great to type or game on. Despite the deep thunks made in use, they’re actually quite lightweight with an actuation force of just 40g which has made using the keyboard for full days at a time decently comfortable. There’s a slight bounce to them which does contribute somewhat to that cheap feeling, but that’ll be mitigated somewhat by how you use them – and how you use them is very much up to you.

One of the big features of the Huntsman V3 Pro and these switches is the ability to set the actuation point of each key, going as short as 0.1mm and as deep as 4mm. This means you’re in charge of whether a press needs to be intentional and forceful to be registered, if you can fire off commands just by lightly grazing the keys, or anything in-between, and you can adjust it per-key if you want to get super intense about it. One thing I had no idea about before looking at the Razer Synapse software is that you can also take advantage of the analog nature of these keys and spectrum of actuation to simulate controller inputs like sticks and triggers, mapping them from right within the app. PC games and controller support is always a fickle thing, so it may not work everywhere, but it’s a neat feature that I genuinely didn’t expect to see.

Aside from the customisable actuation, the keyboard also feature Razer’s new Rapid Trigger technology, which allows for much faster typing thanks to the ability of the switches to register a keystroke and travel back the very moment you lift your finger, rather than waiting for the switch to reach a set actuation point and then complete its round trip. It’s a feature that will appeal primarily to those playing at a high enough level to need those added fractions of seconds in speed, but it’s impressive nonetheless. You can turn this on or off optionally on a per-key basis via the Razer Synapse software as well, making it easy to tweak the entire keyboard to your liking.

What I appreciated particularly is being able to set actuation points and Rapid Trigger right from the keyboard itself without even having to dip into Synapse at all. With a combination of presses, the Huntsman V3 Pro enters quick adjustment modes for either feature, and through the individual keys’ RGB lighting and the keyboards mini display you can see exactly what you’re changing and get real-time feedback on the actuation force you’re using. It’s all super smart, and while Synapse is still the better way to change things up, I’m really impressed by the setup here.

In general, Synapse is still an excellent app when it comes to configuring and customising a gaming keyboard. Razer’s done a good job to make things intuitive to use, and it’s incredibly reliable, which is a two-for-two in PC gaming peripheral software suites as far as I’m concerned. As someone who writes about games and therefore uses a lot of en dashes, I usually have a key on my keyboard dedicated to throwing one up on the fly, and because Synapse syncs everything to the cloud I’ve not had to redo that shortcut between PCs which is lovely.

The post Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL Review – A Solid Keyboard With Game-Changing Features appeared first on Press Start.

Aside from the MacBook I use for work, I’ve never been much of a laptop user, and that goes especially for gaming laptops. Typically, or at least traditionally, the thought of carrying around a hot, loud and chunky machine packed with offensive RGB lighting and abysmal battery life – or spending upwards of $5K to enter the high end of the market – just hasn’t appealed. I’d hardly have expected an Alienware laptop to be the device to show me that there are mid-range gaming options where both decent performance and a comfortable experience are possible at the same time.

Enter the Alienware m16 R2. The version of the laptop I’ve been using comes packing an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD storage and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 laptop GPU with 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. This model typically goes for around $3000 AUD, although a version with an RTX 4060 is also available for around $300 less, and you can upgrade to a Core Ultra 9 185H with 32GB of RAM for about $300 more. There are certainly higher-end gaming laptops available, including Alienware’s own x16 and m18 range, but the company is positioning this as something that people will use both as a gaming machine and a general-use laptop.

And after spending a fair amount of time with the m16 R2, I’d say mission accomplished on that front. It starts with the aesthetics, which still carry a fair amount of that Alienware vibe without being too obviously a gaming machine. You definitely won’t be fooling anyone with the prominent alien head logo on the lid, or serving as the machine’s power button, but it’s definitely much more trim than previous iterations (I’m so so thankful that the obnoxious back part of the old m16 has been made flush with the screen hinge). One day, Alienware will get rid of the ugly hexagonal intake grille design and I’ll be a happy man, but we take what we can get.

Around the back and sides of the m16 R2 we’ve got a pretty standard accompaniment of ports and other bits. There’s a microSD card slot on the right side along with two USB-A, 3.2 Gen 1 ports, on the left is an ethernet port and headset jack, and then on the back you’ll find the HDMI 2.1 port, two USB-C ports (one Thunderbolt 4 and one USB 3.2 Gen 2) and of course the power connection. It’s enough for most situations, especially when you’re on the go, although like most laptops you’ll probably want to pick up a dock to keep on your desk at home if this is going to be your main PC.

Finally, on the top face you’ve got a nicely-appointed keyboard and generously-sized touchpad, both of which feature customisable RGB lighting along with the power button and lid logo. Going back to that “gaming laptop in disguise” idea, the m16 R2 features a Stealth Mode which can quickly set the laptop to the Quiet performance profile and switch off the extra RGB lights so you can work in public or watch movies without all the added colour and fan noise – great for anyone using it in school or in an office. They keyboard and trackpad both feel great to use, as well.

This all sits below a gorgeous, 16:10 aspect, QHD 16″ IPS display that sports a very nice 240Hz refresh rate, features Dolby Vision and is compatible with both G-Sync and FreeSync. While it’s definitely not as bright or punchy as the displays on some higher-end machines, I quite like the way this screen looks and the high refresh rate is nice to have for games like Fortnite or Counter Strike 2 which can be run at exceedingly high frame rates on this laptop (more on that soon). The screen also conveniently opens at a full 180-degree angle thanks to the new chassis design, which is nice to have. The in-built speakers are about what you’d expect from a laptop like this – fine and loud enough in a pinch but nothing in comparison to a good pair of headphones or external speakers.

Overall, in terms of design and external features, the m16 R2 looks sleek, feels well designed and is fully appointed. At around 2.5kg it’s not exactly light even compared to similar laptops from other manufacturers, but unless you’re forking out big money for a thin and light gaming machine you’d reasonably expect a bit of heft. I really appreciate that Alienware’s gone with a small form factor power brick here, as well, which helps a lot with its portability.

Of course the big questions are around performance. With the m16 R2 packing an RTX 4070 GPU and Ultra 7 CPU (in this configuration, at least), you’d expect decent things – and you’ll get them here. In terms of gaming, likely the biggest reason you’d be looking at an Alienware gaming laptop, the story here is that you’ll easily run the most graphically-intensive AAA titles at a minimum 60FPS in the display’s full 2K resolution. Using NVIDIA’s DLSS technology, even on its least intrusive settings, you should also be able to do that with most games near their maximum graphical settings and with select ray-tracing features enabled.

In Cyberpunk 2077, for example, I was getting a very solid 60FPS out in the neon and rain-soaked streets of Night City with all of the ray-traced reflections, lighting and shadows switched on and making use of DLSS. Meanwhile PlayStation’s suite of decently-optimised PC ports all ran exceptionally – both Uncharted 4/Lost Legacy and Ghost of Tsushima hung around 80-90 FPS in most scenes with all of the visual settings maxed out at 2560 x 1600 resolution, with DLSS on Quality Mode. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart features some great ray-traced effects and even pushing the game well beyond its PS5-equivalent settings I was still able to get a minimum of 40FPS (though you’d naturally want to drop a few things to medium-high for a smoother experience).

Digging a bit further into the nitty-gritty of performance, running 3D Mark’s Solar Bay and Steel Nomad benchmarks showed that the m16 R2 performs significantly better than average based on the same hardware in other machines. It’s maybe not the most scientific or comprehensive of testing methods, but it’s a great way to quickly see how Alienware is using its design and engineering expertise to get more performance out of the same components versus other manufacturers.

One thing I was particularly surprised with, especially being as apprehensive about these laptops as I typically am, was how reasonable the noise profile of the m16 R2 is while gaming. High-powered laptops like these tend to be worryingly loud when they’re performing at their best and the internal fans are going full tilt, and nothing has changed here, but the overall volume and tone of the fans in this machine are far from the most offensive I’ve experienced. Just the fact that you’re able to drown most of it out using the built-in speakers is a big improvement on other laptops, and while it’s still loud there’s not the whine that you’d usually experience. I used to avoid gaming on my perfectly-capable MSI gaming laptop because it would always sound like it was about to explode, but I never felt that same concern when pushing the m16 R2 to its limits.

Heat, too, is shockingly well-managed here. Alienware’s mastery of thermal design has borne great results, with the laptop pushing almost all of the hot air out of the rear of the machine while the top and side vents only see a minimal amount of it. This means that there’s never a risk of discomfort as hot air blows up into your face or out onto your mouse hand. There aren’t any parts of the chassis that get particularly hot either, making the whole experience a pleasantly comfortable one.

Even the m16 R2’s battery life, typically abysmal in a gaming laptop like this, is pleasingly okay. The bar is astronomically low, to be fair, but I could feasibly use this machine for nearly a full work day without having to plug it in, at least for basic browser/Photoshop type tasks. Gaming or watching video is a different beast entirely – the most I’d get out of a game was approaching two hours, but higher-end titles like Cyberpunk 2077 would chew through a full charge in just under an hour. Mixing in a bit of YouTube watching or streaming The Boys in the background of other tasks would usually see me reaching for a charger in about 3 or 4 hours. It’s a better situation than I’ve seen in other 15-16″ gaming laptops but you’re absolutely going to need access to a power socket wherever you’re using it.

To help you manage all of these performance, noise and battery concerns is Alienware’s Command Centre software, which offers at-a-glance information on the internal components and facilitates seamless switching of the laptop’s power states to give you the most juice no matter what you’re doing. It also automatically organises your library of installed games and allows you to customise your lighting setup, making it pretty useful. That aforementioned “Stealth Key” is a great way to quickly chuck the laptop into a quieter, lower-power mode but it’s also great that managing performance is something that’s done for you and you’ll rarely have to worry about.

The post Alienware m16 R2 Review – A Sleek All-Rounder With Great Performance appeared first on Press Start.

After using the same desktop PC for the last five years, and one that I happened to have built myself for pennies, I’m never surprised to see it outperformed – in fact, it lags behind even low-end modern machines  – but I must admit there was a sense of being humbled after I saw it absolutely obliterated by something barely bigger than the palm of my hand.

That’s been my experience after switching my daily driver to the tiny Geekom A8. A high-performance mini PC packing an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS with Radeon 780M integrated graphics, 32GB of DDR5 memory and a 2TB SSD into something that measures just over 11x11cm and weighs less than 450g, it’s a minor marvel of engineering big things in small packages. And while it’s not cheap at an RRP of $1499, it’s shockingly capable as an entry-level gaming PC that’ll fit into just about any setup you could imagine.

The A8 comes in a tiny box that speaks volumes to the miniscule stature of the device within, containing the PC itself, the power brick and cables, a HDMI cord and a very handy mounting bracket. I’ve played around with plenty of PC form factors before including barebones NUC systems but this is absolutely the smallest desktop I’ve had the pleasure of unboxing and setting up to date.

With its brushed aluminum chassis, the A8 is quite a handsome little unit, and it’s fairly well-appointed. On the back you’ve got 2x HDMI 2.0 ports, an ethernet jack, USB 2.0 and 3.2 Type-A ports, USB 3.2 and USB 4 Type-C ports and the power in, on one side an SD card slot and on the front two more USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports and a headphone jack. That should all be enough for most setups, though if you plan on using those USB-C ports for monitors or external cards, or if you use a lot of streaming equipment/gaming gear you’ll probably wind up needing a dock of some kind. Naturally it’s also packing Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity.

While realistically this tiny PC is aimed at users seeking high-powered productivity and media creation in a discreet form factor, I was really interested to see how useful it’d be as a gaming machine, and that’s where it surprised me the most. As a loose comparison, the A8’s Ryzen 9 8945HS processor has the same Radeon 780M integrated GPU as the Ayaneo 2S gaming handheld, albeit tied to more powerful hardware elsewhere, meaning it should realistically outperform devices like the Steam Deck, ROG Ally and Legion Go. Naturally, those devices are tied to small, handheld screens where resolution can sit a bit lower, but the results are pretty favourable.

Get it on Amazon for $1399

In well-optimised games that have a lot of scaling potential, the A8 can produce some impressive results for a PC without a dedicated GPU, especially with AMD’s FSR temporal upscaling doing some of the lifting. Forza Horizon 5’s race benchmark resulted in a very nice 75FPS running at 1080p with medium settings and FSR 2 enabled, meanwhile PlayStation’s most recent PC port in Ghost of Tsushima managed to comfortably hit 35-40FPS at 1080p with medium settings and FSR 3 in Balanced mode. Death Stranding was very impressive running at a solid 50FPS at 1080p, with medium settings and no FSR, while Cyberpunk 2077 floored me at north of 40FPS while driving around Night City at 1080p, medium settings and FSR 2 on Balanced mode.

So, as might be obvious between those titles, 1080p really is the target for gaming on the A8 which means this definitely isn’t the system for playing on a huge, high-resolution monitor or 4K telly, at least not for “modern games.” I can definitely envision it being a great little bedroom or games room companion for running a huge range of indie games, legacy PC titles and emulated classics, though. I’m going to avoid outright detailing that last suggestion, but suffice it to say that you could reasonably expect emulators from the most retro all the way up to quite recent platforms to run fantastically on here, if you’re so inclined.

Getting into the nitty-gritty of gaming performance a bit more, 3D Mark’s Steel Nomad benchmark shows that the Geekom A8 performs well above the best results achieved by systems with comparable hardware, which is a fairly loose study but still very encouraging. Importantly, if you are going to use this mini PC for gaming and eventually need more performance, the available USB 4 port means that you’re able to plug in an eGPU and combine the otherwise-stellar CPU performance on hand with a proper dedicated GPU. That’s an expensive upgrade to take into account, but it’s absolutely an option.

And while most of my focus with the A8 so far has been on its gaming capabilities, given the angle of the website you’re reading this review on, it’s naturally a brilliant machine for everything else from basic work-from-home duties to watching 4K media and content creation using Photoshop, Premiere and plenty of other resource-hungry creative platforms. That Ryzen 9 CPU really does work hard, and with 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 2TB SSD by default there’s a lot of headroom here.

There’s always going to be some kind of downside to cramming high-spec components into such a tiny shell, and with the A8 it’s mostly about noise. When pushing this thing to its limits it does get noticeably loud. It shouldn’t bother anyone using it to play games with headphones/speakers or as a media centre in a TV cabinet, but in an office and doing heavy image/video editing it might prove bothersome. Geekom doesn’t offer any kind of performance management software either, so you’ll have to do your own tinkering in Windows and AMD’s software if you want to try and impose some limits. The results of cooling are great though – I was expecting it to get at least a little hot under load, but it barely registered a temperature at any point.

The best use case for the A8 in my eyes, isn’t only as a productivity workhorse but also as a super versatile gaming and media machine that can fit discreetly into your lounge or games room. It’s capable of running native PC games at very modest settings, but more importantly it’s great at emulation and has the networking chops and connectivity to open the door to excellent game streaming options. $1499 might be a tall ask for the privilege (though you can get the Ryzen 7 version quite a bit cheaper) if you’re not also going to use it to power your browsing and other tasks, but the flexibility is a massive boon.

The post Geekom A8 Mini PC Review – A Tiny Machine With Big Gaming Potential appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve tested quite a few racing wheel setups over the years from a variety of manufacturers, but none have impressed me quite like the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race, which bundles everything you need for an immersive racing experience into one box, and it’s super easy to use yet extremely customisable.

In the box, you get the base station, a high-quality wheel, pedals as well as a modular control unit, all will I’ll talk about in this review. As far as the setup goes, it’s fairly simple but will likely require you to read through instructions, just in terms of assembly of the various parts.

The base station can either grip onto your table or a simulation station. There’s a cute little allen key inside of it that allows you to loosen two screws that will then let you grip it into your desk, which you’ll absolutely want to do as that K-Drive feedback motor has some serious pull. I attached it to my coffee table which sits in front of my Xbox and it was able to tighten really easily an didn’t move at all.

From there, you just want to attach your steering wheel onto the unit, plug your motor into power, attach your control unit with included screws, attach your pedals and then the whole unit to your Xbox or PC. There’s a lot of cords so be prepared to cable manage, but I’m super glad that everything is included in the box and you can have as an immersive experience as possible.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $999 FROM AMAZON WITH FREE SHIPPING

As I’ve stated in reviews past, I love that Turtle Beach products are super compatible with the Xbox Series X|S with there being an app that lets you upgrade the firmware without needing access to a PC. It’s the case here with the Tuner Companion app letting you not only upgrade firmware, but also letting you customise buttons and steering components until your heart is content. There’s also a Tuner Companion app on iOS and Android too that was super easy to connect and let me customise everything as well, so that was a nice option to have.

As far as the actual unit goes, the K-Force motor is absolutely phenomenal. This basically provides real time feedback based on everything happening on screen, so if you’re racing faster, it’ll tighten up making steering harder, and if you go crashing into the wall, you best be ready to hold onto that steering wheel tightly as it will fly around if you don’t. It’s an immersive experience unlike I’ve ever had with a racing wheel in my house and it really elevates it to the next level.

How the VelocityOne wheel takes things further is with its overhead display. This basically allows you to see how far you’re pushing all the pedals, but it’s great for customisation on the fly without the Xbox app as well, where you can control what each button does, go between profiles or change the RGB lighting. On PC, you can actually use it to output information in real-time, but to my knowledge this isn’t available on Xbox yet, which is a bit of a shame, but it’s still super useful.

There’s also a modular control unit, with a number of buttons, dials and flick switches that you can assign pretty much anything to including standard Xbox buttons, or changing between profiles or even adjusting how much the force motors are. Again, if you’re someone that is super into simulation racing games, you can make use of it with all the bells and whistles, but if you’re just a casual racer, you can make use of these too.

On the wheel itself, there’s every control that you’d need both for racing, but also just to get around your Xbox dash with all of the face buttons, your D-Pad, and even an Xbox button to utilise. There’s also magnetic paddle shifters on the wheel as well. You can plug a headset directly into the control unit as well, and there’s even dedicated controls for that.

The other part of a package is a pedal set which has fully adjustable throttle, brake and clutch pedals that can be customised to your exact liking, but it’s the brakes in particular that I wanted to highlight with the system featuring a dynamic brake tek load-cel which is measured by force rather than the distance that the pedal travels. As a whole, these feel really good quality and I was actually surprised with how light they are considering the quality.

All-in-all, I absolutely love the VelicityOne Race set both for the fact that you get everything in the package, but also for how easy it is to plug and play and get racing, but then the amount of customisation available on the system itself, on your Xbox/PC or on the companion mobile app. It feels really well thought out and I can’t imagine a better value for money set on the market.

The post Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race Review – Simply The Best appeared first on Press Start.

I do love a good sequel, and with the Stealth 600 Gen 3, Turtle Beach has proved that smart refinements that don’t break the mould can make for a great follow-up. Taking the popular Stealth 600 and giving it a more refined look, added connectivity, a bump in audio quality and a hugely-improved battery life, it’s managed to make a headset that’s easy to recommend for newcomers and genuinely a worthy upgrade for existing owners.

Keeping with the growing trend of manufacturers of once-gaudy gaming products giving their new lines a bit more decorum, this new iteration takes the overall silhouette of the Stealth 600 Gen 2/Gen 2 MAX and trims it down to be a sleek little number. It’s a bit more angular, flatter and with fewer embellishments and it really works, I think. If not for the size, it’s something I’d almost be okay with wearing on a morning commute, in a pinch.

The array of controls on the left cup is a bit busy if I’m honest, I would’ve preferred some of the functions moved to the right side to make it easier to remember where things were without taking it on and off, but the quantity of physical buttons and controls is appreciated. One thing I do love is the ability to change what the second wheel and the “mode” button do, with things like mic monitoring volume, bass/treble levels and noise gate volume for the former, and a choice of game preset cycling or noise gating on/off with the latter. 

In terms of comfort, this headset isn’t coming anywhere close to Turtle Beach’s other recent drop, the Atlas Air, which is easily the most comfortable I’ve used in recent memory, but it’s not bad. With a pretty rigid build, it’s not going to suit folks sensitive to a bit of pressure, and the “Athletic Weave” fabric on the cups isn’t as soft as it looks, but it’s friendly to anyone who wears glasses and it didn’t tend to bother me even with a few hours of gaming at a time.

Of course, comfort is one thing but equally or probably more important for a headset is how it sounds. The Stealth 600 Gen 3 is more than capable in that regard, though at $179 RRP it’s definitively a low-to-mid-range bit of gear and not out to compete with the best of the best.

I’ve got a fairly standard set of games I like to fire up when I’m testing out a new headset, with a range that goes from the thumping electronic beats and sci-fi sword schwings of Ghostrunner to the cinematic splendour of God of War Ragnarok and of course whatever sweaty online shooter is serving at the time. I’ve also been lucky enough to spend a bit of time with Devolver Digital and Free Lives’ first-person booter, Anger Foot, recently and using the Stealth 600 Gen 3s on PC to play that has been a (literal) blast.

Even just on the default equaliser settings, right out of the box, most of my PS5 and PC games have sounded very solid for a sub-$200 headset. There’s definitely a noticeable deficit in punch in a lot of titles with some muddy mids, but I’m surprised at how little harshness there is even at high volumes and with a heavy mix. The headset is surprisingly capable when it comes to music and movies as well, even if voices sound a bit overly thick and warm in the latter. Overall, it’s a solid little performer that responds well to various surround/3D audio solutions and doesn’t exhibit a ton of clipping or distortion when pushed to its limit.

The microphone, which is built-in and flips down from the Stealth 600 Gen 3’s left ear cup, is also a decent little performer that sounds plenty clear with a nice amount of noise rejection. Like Turtle Beach’s other headset mics, it’s not going to win any awards or replace the ease and quality of a dedicated mic if you’re a PC player, but for those quick matches with mates on console it’s going to ensure you’re heard loud and clear without picking up your cats in the background, crying for attention as you load in your 100th round of MultiVersus for the day.

For PC, PlayStation and Switch, the Stealth 600 Gen 3 connects via a pretty standard USB-A dongle for a low-latency 2.4GHz connection, or alternatively you’ve got the option of Bluetooth for mobile devices. I do wish that there was a USB-C dongle or adapter in the box to make it easier to use with a handheld Switch or PS5 “slim”, and simultaneous wireless connectivity would’ve been nice to have, but given the price point and that having Bluetooth at all is an upgrade over the old Stealth 600 headsets it’s hard to be too disappointed.

It’s on PC that you’ll get the best overall software experience with the Stealth 600 Gen 3 thanks to Turtle Beach’s “Swarm II” app, which is its proprietary software for controlling and customising its headsets and other gear on Windows. It’s here you’re able to turn on things like “Superhuman Hearing” which is designed to make footsteps, gunshots and other things easier to hear. Naturally you’ve also got equalisers to adjust the sound to your tastes, the ability to save profiles to the headset, the option to determine when the headset powers off, the brightness of the wireless adapter’s LED, the volume of the internal prompts and more. Despite all the benefits, Swarm II is quite lean overall compared to a lot of the bloated peripheral manufacturer apps on Windows, and I appreciate that you’re able to update the headset wirelessly in seconds whenever it needs it.

There’s an equivalent Swarm II mobile app for both Android and iOS devices as well, which has quite a few of the same settings and features available on PC and is similarly lean and reliable. 

It also offers another handy way to determine how much battery the headset has left, though that should rarely be a concern given that the most impressive feature of the Stealth 600 Gen 3 by far is its beefy battery life, which Turtle Beach rates at up to 80 hours. That’s almost double the Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX and nearly four times the Stealth 600 Gen 2, so it’s a huge upgrade and puts it among the best in its price range. In my testing, using it on and off for a good couple of weeks, I’ve barely put a dent in the battery, to the point where I reckon I’m set to get more than 80 hours if it’s actually draining at the rate that the app says it is.

The post Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 3 Review – Third Time’s The Charm appeared first on Press Start.

The Elgato Neo series has to be one of my favourite initiatives from the company in a while. After making huge waves (pun intended) in the markets for streaming gear in a bunch of categories, it almost felt like there was not enough room for improvement for Elgato to keep refreshing existing lines, so this side-step to a broader home office/content creation segment with a focus on affordable and environmentally-conscious products is a winning move.

In the spirit of recycling, you’ll read that same opening paragraph in my reviews of the company’s Stream Deck Neo, Key Light Neo and Game Capture Neo, but as someone who’s done almost-weekly podcasting for quite a few years now it’s the Wave Neo microphone that’s most had my attention. I’ve been using Elgato mics for as long as I’ve been uploading my voice to the world wide web, and while I don’t think I’ll be permanently swapping out my Wave XLR any time soon, the Wave Neo does a lot that I love.

Like all of the other products in the range, the Wave Neo comes in some very nice, sustainable packaging. It can sometimes feel odd to talk at length about the “unboxing” experience of a product considering it’s something that happens once and is quickly forgotten about, but Elgato deserves a lot of praise here. Not only has it managed to make packaging that looks attractive and sets the tone of the product but it’s also just really nicely constructed and well-packed to make the setup feel fun and easy.

Of course it helps that the microphone itself is a snap to put together, with just a couple of stand pieces and a nicely braided USB-C to USB-A cable to worry about. It’s all wonderfully-designed and can be assembled to sit lower or higher depending on preference, with a handy cable holder at the back of the neck and a nice, weighty bottom plate to keep it in place. The front simply has one, big, touch-sensitive mute button which changes colour to let you know it’s safe to cuss out the people on the other end of your Teams call and there’s a 3.5mm port on the back to connect wired headphones. Simply having a pop filter included and a taller stand makes this thing feel a lot more thoughtful than competing mics in the price bracket.

One thing I really appreciate about all of the Neo range is that despite being more “affordable,” there’s no skimping on the quality of construction. The Wave Neo looks and feels clean and sturdy, all minimalist and stark white made from premium (60% recycled) plastics and metal. Aside from the optional riser and one tilt axis there’s not a huge amount of on-desk flexibility, but the simplicity is a conscious design choice and it looks and feels phenomenal as a result. I’d say that if you’re the target customer for a mic like this then it’s those things that matter more. You can even remove the included pop filter, if you’d prefer to look at it naked or swap to a different colour if you live in a region where they’re sold.

What matters most of course, is how well this thing records voice, and the great news is that for under $150 it does a bloody good job. Again, it shouldn’t come as a shock that it doesn’t outperform the likes of the Wave:3, Wave XLR or something like the SteelSeries Alias, but for an adorable little USB condenser mic it’s shockingly decent. Crucially, it’s totally plug-and-say, with no fussing about needed to record nice-sounding audio, though Elgato’s excellent Wave Link software on PC is available if you would like to install plugins and effects to further fine-tune things.

Spec-wise, the Wave Neo isn’t too dissimilar from its older siblings, with a cardioid pickup pattern, 24-bit resolution, up to 96 kHz sampling, and a slightly wider 20 Hz – 20 kHz response but a more narrow range of sensitivity from -23 dBFS to 7 dBFS. What all of that means in real terms is it records audio that’s pretty comparable to the more expensive Elgato mics, though maybe not quite as detailed and crisp. In my use I found that it also captures a little more background noise than my other mics, especially my keyboard, though the pop filter does a great job at handling those nasty plosives so I can stand to have it a bit closer to my face when speaking into it.

All in all, for those basic content creation tasks, zoom calls or gaming it’s quite a capable little thing and easily better than anything else under the $150 mark. The fact that you can use it with a PC, iOS and other handheld devices or even a PS5 also makes it very versatile.

If I had any gripes, the main one would be the lack of any on-board controls aside from the touch-to-mute. Just a simple gain knob would’ve been nice, but I can appreciate that Elgato wanted to keep things very svelte and simple for those that just want to sit it on their desk and speak. If you’re going to be streaming or doing anything moderately complex it might be a good idea to also grab something like the Stream Deck Neo as an external means of having more control.

The post Elgato Wave Neo Review – An Unbeatable Entry-Level Desktop Mic appeared first on Press Start.

The Elgato Neo series has to be one of my favourite initiatives from the company in a while. After making huge waves (pun intended) in the markets for streaming gear in a bunch of categories, it almost felt like there was not enough room for improvement for Elgato to keep refreshing existing lines, so this side-step to a broader home office/content creation segment with a focus on affordable and environmentally-conscious products is a winning move.

In the spirit of recycling, you’ll read that same opening paragraph in my reviews of the company’s Wave Neo, Key Light Neo and Game Capture Neo, but as someone who regularly uses a Stream Deck+ for everything from podcasting to image and video editing, the idea of a tiny, portable Stream Deck that I could chuck in my bag and use on the go with my MacBook made it one of the most intriguing bits of the product line-up. After having subbed the Stream Deck Neo in for its big brother for the last couple of weeks, and taking it on a last-minute interstate trip, I think it could actually be my new daily Deck going forward.

In the odd chance you need an introduction to the general idea of Elgato’s family of Stream Decks, these are essentially very customisable control panels for your streaming or creation needs that feature an array of buttons, each with its own LCD display, that can be made to perform just about any function you’d like. While the vanilla Stream Deck features 15 of these customisable buttons in total, other versions sport varying layouts and numbers, or swap keys out for extra dials and touch displays (like the Stream Deck+). The Neo, on the other hand, shrinks that number down to just eight to facilitate a far smaller overall device, though it has some bonus flourishes that the other Stream Decks don’t.

Removing the Stream Deck Neo from its sustainable, recycled packaging (I love these new Elgato Neo boxes), it’s clear simplicity is the aim here. In the box is the device itself and… that’s it. The stand and USB-C cable are attached, so there’s no real assembly element here. You’re able to just take the thing out, bung it in the nearest USB-C port and watch it light up. This does present one immediate issue, which you may or may not have already noticed depending on your situation. This is USB-C only, and the cable is not detachable, so you’ll need an adapter of some kind if you’re working with USB-A ports. The cable is also quite short, and in the end I’ve had to use an adapter and extender to be able to have mine where I had the Stream Deck+ on my desk.

That little hiccup aside, once you’ve downloaded and installed the Stream Deck software on PC you’re pretty much good to go. The most exciting part of getting a new Stream Deck, at least as far as I believe, is diving in and customising all of your keys with the myriad of potential functions. I don’t want to admit how long I’ve spent crafting custom images for dozens upon dozens of keys for my other Stream Decks, often redoing the entire thing just for a change of mood, and the Neo has been the same.

One neat point-of-difference on this one is a cute little LCD panel underneath the eight regular keys that can display things like the time or the page of buttons you’re currently on, with capacitive buttons on either side to scroll through said pages. Right now there’s not a whole lot else you can do with it, with no support for adding custom graphics or plugins outside of what Elgato provides by default, but hopefully that’s something that the company expands on down the track. 

Otherwise, the overall experience is pretty much exactly what you get on the other Decks, just much smaller and more portable. This is definitely something aimed at users who might want a more portable suite of macro switches they can chuck in a laptop bag and take with them on trips for content creation or remote streaming, rather than a first choice for someone using it on a desk at home, and for that it’s incredibly well-suited. It’s small, light and looks great (and is made from at least 60% recycled materials) so even if you’re less “gamer” and more “creator” you’d feel comfortable sitting it on a cafe table next to a MacBook and using it for something like Illustrator macros.

The post Elgato Stream Deck Neo Review – A Little Deck Goes A Long Way appeared first on Press Start.

The Elgato Neo series has to be one of my favourite initiatives from the company in a while. After making huge waves (pun intended) in the markets for streaming gear in a bunch of categories, it almost felt like there was not enough room for improvement for Elgato to keep refreshing existing lines, so this side-step to a broader home office/content creation segment with a focus on affordable and environmentally-conscious products is a winning move.

In the spirit of recycling, you’ll read that same opening paragraph in my reviews of the company’s Stream Deck Neo, Wave Neo and Game Capture Neo, all of which share the same ethos of simple, clean-looking products that are made and packaged responsibly and put the emphasis on ease of setup and use while still packing great features. The Key Light Neo is no different, and if anything is the best lighting solution I’ve come across to date when you consider what it’s doing for under $150.

Similarly to the other Neo products, the initial unboxing and setup experience of the Key Light Neo is fantastic. The 100% recycled and dye-conservative packaging is thoughtfully-made and nicely laid out to ensure it’s all a breeze right out of the box and really sells the whole vibe of the Neo range. In the box you get the light itself, the monitor stand, a cable tidy bracket that clips into the back, USB-C to USB-A cable and a cable extender in case you need it. It’s a good appointment of bits, and means you’ll be set to go right away whether you’re planning on plugging the Key Light Neo into your device’s USB port or wirelessly. The latter option means even those who might only have USB-C available still have an alternative if a separate cable isn’t handy.

Setup is, again, super simple. The light panel screens onto the monitor stand, which then folds into position to stay stable on the top of your monitor and even has a residue-free adhesive portion to give it some extra security. You can also attach it to most arms and brackets if the monitor route doesn’t suit. When it comes to connecting it up, USB is a simple option that’ll get you going without any extra work, but you do become limited to 40% brightness whereas taking the time to link it onto your WiFi network means you can plug the USB cable into a suitable outlet and get full power. In my experience, 40% brightness is still going to be more than enough for most uses but it’s worth keeping in mind.

Whichever way you go, you can easily tweak the warmth and brightness of the light using Elgato’s Link software, or the physical controls around the front of the Key Light Neo. In each corner you’ll find a power button, a dial for changing brightness and two preset buttons to quickly switch it to a cool or warm light. I do wish the software, which allows for a more granular control of the warmth of the light, also allowed you to save a preset to either of those two shortcut buttons though. As it stands, using either of them gives you 100% cool or 100% warm at 100% brightness which can be jarring.

As far as the actual light, arguably the most important part, goes, the Key Light Neo does a surprisingly good job for such a meager gadget. Using the same edge-lit design as Elgato’s other key lights, it shines onto a backplate and then passes out through a diffusion lens, which creates a really nicely uniform and soft light that looks great and doesn’t cause any kind of discomfort or eye strain for the person actually sitting in front of it. You definitely don’t need to crank it up to the 1000 lumens it’s capable of when plugged into a power source – I’ve had it just a fraction of the way up and it’s been perfect. 

Crucially, the Key Light Neo is small enough that I could easily see someone using this on the road with their laptop for web calls or on-the-go content creation, and because you can use it over WiFi with the Elgato app it’s versatile enough for just about any situation.

The post Elgato Key Light Neo Review – An Unbeatable Entry-Level Desktop Mic appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve reviewed my fair share of pro controllers over the last year or two, with every peripheral maker seemingly putting out their own iteration, but none have interested me more than the Thrustmaster eSwap X2 Pro, and this is mainly due to just how many components on the controller are interchangeable.

Not an exclusive idea by any stretch, the eSwap X2 Pro allows you to swap out the left and right analogue stick to have them be symmetrical or asymmetrical depending on what you prefer and the d-pad component can also be changed out with the face buttons seemingly being static.

Unlike other pro controllers that I’ve used that allow you to swap out these components, the eSwap X2 Pro uses a really clever magnetic system that allows you to literally pull them out whilst playing and swap them on the fly, without requiring any tools to pull them out.

Whilst I think it’s great that you can swap your analogue sticks to suit your preference, I was more excited by the fact that there is a steering wheel component (and others such as a fighting d-pad) that can be purchased separately, but was provided as part of the review.

I slotted it in and was absolutely amazed at how quickly I had a little thumbstick steering wheel at my disposal, that was fantastic for Forza Horizon 5 and worked really well. It felt super natural, and rather than having to lug out a massive steering wheel set, this felt like a great compromise.

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As far as what else is customisable, you can obviously pop off the analogue caps, although there’s only one different type in the box (you get both convex/concave), but you can also totally replace the triggers as well as the grips which can be unscrewed using a provided little screwdriver, although those components need to be purchased separately and I’m not sure what availability is like in Australia.

That’s probably the only gripe that I have with the controller, which will set you back $349. There are others on the market that really give you a wide variety of components in the box, and whilst I was really, really impressed with the amount of customisation on offer, it’s almost a tease with not a lot of options in the box, but it’s still much appreciated how much effort Thrustmaster have gone to in allowing long-term customisation.

As far as the actual design of the controller goes, it’s not the prettiest thing you’ll ever see, but it looks high-end, and has a great weight to it that feels super comfortable to hold. It is a wired only controller with a nice, lengthy cord provided in the box, but if you are someone that likes playing wirelessly, that might be a dealbreaker.

There’s a trigger stop adjustment that allows you to go through two distances for the triggers and there’s also four customisable back buttons that aren’t designed or positions in a way that you’d expect, but are actually super comfortable to use and mould to where your hand fits quite nicely.

These can be programmed using a row of little buttons that sit at the bottom of the controller (these can also be used to control audio for a connected headset), or via a free Thrustmaster app that can be downloaded on the Xbox Store, and once again provides a really nice amount of customisation for everything from button mapping to vibration.

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Usually I try to open a headset review with some kind of scene-setting or flowery arrangement of words designed to ease readers into some of the subject or purpose, but this time is different. This time I want nothing more than to point out my biggest takeaway after having spent a good chunk of time with long-serving gaming peripheral maker Turtle Beach’s new PC-focused Atlas Air headset. And that this – the Turtle Beach Atlas Air is hands down the most comfortable gaming headset I have ever used.

Now, there’s an important distinction there in that I’m speaking to my own experience, after having used a fairly extensive variety of gaming headsets in the past. Everyone’s head is different (and beautiful), so there’s bound to be some room for error, but I reckon that just about anyone who tries the Atlas Air is going to agree with me. It’s one of those things where you’ll try it and then immediately want to go and show the next person and watch their reaction as they put it on as they come to the same realisation. That’s the kind of situation we’re dealing with here.

But how is this headset so comfortable that I’m willing to wax hyperbolic over the first two paragraphs of a review, I hear you ask? A crucial component in this are the headset’s cups, which have a unique “floating” design where they’re not fixed directly to the headband but instead connected by three bands with a heap of elasticity. This means they move independently of the arms of the headset and naturally adjust to the shape of your head without adding any unwanted pressure. The cups are also made with a super-plush memory foam that’s friendly to glasses, while the open-back design means they’re breathable and stay cool. It’s a combination of design choices that adds up to something pretty spectacular. Also, more gaming headsets need to make the outer rim of the cup itself the volume dial – great idea.

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The headband itself, meanwhile, takes some cues from something like SteelSeries‘ iconic ski bands with a fabric mesh that sits between the plastic and your head to keep the headset snug and secure without being overly tight. While I’m not the biggest fan of the fact that your only option to adjust the fit of the Atlas Air is awkwardly undoing and reaffixing the velcro on either side of the mesh band, it’s also not something I anticipate most people needing to do because there’s already such a wide scope for fit as it is out of the box.

Of course, all of this praise for comfort would mean nothing if the headset didn’t sound great, but luckily the Atlas Air is more than capable there as well. At $299 this thing is competing firmly on the mid-range of what’s on the market, so it’s not going to sound like the angel, Gabriel, is clapping his cheeks in your ears but it’s certainly better than it has any right to be. I’ve always been a big fan of open-back headsets for how powerful, natural and crisp they can sound, and because I usually game in a room on my own the lack of noise isolation has never been a problem, but it’s worth knowing that that’s something to think about if you share a living space or play in a noisy environment.

I’ve got a pretty standard set of games I like to fire up when I’m testing out a new headset, with a range that goes from the thumping electronic beats and sci-fi sword schwings of Ghostrunner to the cinematic splendour of God of War Ragnarok and of course whatever sweaty online shooter is serving at the time. In this instance that was Ubisoft’s new XDefiant, a game that I’m still horrible at but greatly benefits from good sound imaging. The Atlas Air performed admirably across the board, especially in the later which again owes to it being an open back set of cans but also because its 40mm, high-fidelity drivers are wonderfully capable of producing very nuanced and punchy sound.

What’s exciting this time around is I’ve also been playing Ninja Theory’s long-awaited Hellblade 2, which pretty much demands to be played with a good set of headphones. Having gone through the entire game wearing the Atlas Air, I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better way to experience the game’s use of binaural audio and a rich soundscape to create an immersive, unrelenting and harrowing atmosphere. When it comes to “cinematic” games, I tend to gravitate towards my dedicated external sound system for a more organic overall sound, but to once again plug an open back (as I’m known to do) that’s something you still get here. I did have to wire the headset into my controller with the (provided) 3.5mm cable given it’s not packing Xbox’s wireless technology, but that didn’t stop it being a great time.

For other devices like PC, PlayStation and Switch, the Atlas Air connects via a pretty standard USB-A dongle for a low-latency 2.4GHz connection, or alternatively you’ve got the option of Bluetooth for mobile devices. I do wish that there was a USB-C dongle or adapter in the box to make it easier to use with a handheld Switch or PS5 “slim”, and simultaneous wireless connectivity would’ve been nice to have, but given it’s a headset aimed at PC users I’m sure most folks won’t miss those features in the slightest. One thing I do love is the included fabric carry pouch which also has a pocket for all of the cables and other bits.

It’s on PC that you’ll also get the best overall software experience with the Atlas Air thanks to Turtle Beach’s “Swarm II” app, which is its proprietary software for controlling and customising its headsets and other gear on Windows. It’s here you’re able to turn on things like “Superhuman Hearing” which is designed to make footsteps, gunshots and other things easier to hear, or “Waves 3D” which adds an impressive 360° surround sound solution. Naturally you’ve got equalisers to adjust the sound to your tastes, the ability to save profiles to the headset, the option to determine when the headset powers off, the brightness of the wireless adapter’s LED, the volume of the internal prompts and more. Despite all the benefits, Swarm II is quite lean overall compared to a lot of the bloated peripheral manufacturer apps on Windows, and I appreciate that you’re able to update the headset wirelessly in seconds whenever it needs it.

There’s also an equivalent Swarm II mobile app for both Android and iOS devices, which has quite a few of the same settings and features available on PC and is similarly lean and reliable. It also offers another handy way to determine how much battery the headset has left. And on that, Turtle Beach rates the Atlas Air as having a battery life of up to 50 hours, which is very decent. For whatever reason, my headset was reporting 100% battery for about the first eight hours of use before it started to drop, which strikes me as an odd software hiccup more than anything.

The remaining component that I haven’t touched on yet, and will be pretty crucial to most folks’ experience of the Atlas Air, is the microphone. The reason I’m speaking to it so late in the piece is, well, it’s fairly unremarkable. It’s not bad by any stretch, it just doesn’t stand out a whole lot from similar devices. Listening back to recordings of myself on in-game or Discord chat it’s fairly clear if a little tinny, and there’s a nice lack of any background sound bleeding in. Turtle Beach’s noise gating tech is generally quite aggressive, but it works well if you’re at a desk and quite light on your keyboard/mouse. I’ll always still opt for a dedicated mic if I’m playing on PC, and this headset’s mic is detachable which is nice, but if an extra mic is not an option you’re at least in good hands.

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We’ve covered SteelSeries’ gaming headsets (and other gear) extensively here at Press Start, and for good reason. The company has made a name for itself over the past twenty years of making headsets, a journey which started with the very first gaming headset, the Siberia. In the time since, it’s continued to push fidelity and features further and further, resulting in sets like the current Arctis Pro Wireless being easily the best high-end gaming headset money can buy. But where has that left the more affordable end of the spectrum, or more specifically, the Arctis line’s mid-range gap? That’s where the Arctis Nova 5 Wireless comes in.

At an RRP of $299, the Nova 5 Wireless sits firmly in the centre of SteelSeries’ current gaming headset range, filling in the blanks between the Arctis Nova’s 1, 3 and 4, and the Arctis Nova 7 and Arctis Nova Pro. It is, for all intents and purposes, a slightly trimmed-down version of the Nova 7 Wireless with only minor concessions, and a couple of genuine advantages, at a saving of $100.

Taking the Nova 5 Wireless headset out of the box for the first time, it’s clear that the construction and overall design are closer to the Arctis Nova 1 and 3, though that’s far from a bad thing. The streamlined design of the cups and they way they attach to the band makes for a very understated and – dare I say – publicly-wearable look, and you’re still getting the same great comfort from the easily-adjustable arms and SteelSeries’ patented ski band to keep everything snug and secure without adding too much pressure. The band is made from ABS plastic with a heap of stretch to it, and the headset comes in at an overall weight of just 260g.

This means the whole thing is light without feeling flimsy, and the breathable fabric used for the cups is wonderful for anyone who wears glasses or heats up quickly. You’d be hard-pressed to find a headset better suited to long gaming sessions and I’m forever grateful it’s an area that SteelSeries doesn’t skimp on even as you go down the line in price point.

The Arctis Nova 5 is a breeze out of the box with everything you need for easy wireless connection. The version I reviewed is the Arctis Nova 5P which is marketed towards PlayStation users, including matching blue pattern in the band, but will work across PC, Switch and mobile as well. You’re supplied with the USB-C wireless dongle, of course, along with a charging cable and USB-C to USB-A dongle extender. It’s all completely plug-and-play so bunging the wireless adapter into the front of my PS5 had me up and running in an instant. And while you don’t get simultaneous 2.4Ghz and Bluetooth connectivity like you do in the Nova 7, you still get both connection types.

That’s just the beginning though, because the Arctis Nova 5 has a secret weapon that really sets it apart from every other current SteelSeries headset – a dedicated companion app with easy controls and over 100 equaliser presets designed for individual games or experiences, whether you want the most exciting mix for a massive single-player RPG like The Witcher 3 or you want fine-tuned audio in the most competitive multiplayer shooters tuned by actual esports pros.

The Arctis Nova 5 companion app is a first for SteelSeries and its console offerings, and although the company has long offered its headset users a huge amount of flexibility and control with the GG/Sonar app on PC, I’m ecstatic that it’s gone with such a simple and reliable user experience for this app. You get a quick look at connection and battery status along with the ability to select and save a preset to both the 2.4Ghz and Bluetooth connections individually, microphone gain and sidetone controls, an audio limiter, LED mute indicator brightness control and that’s it, all in one screen. It makes it super easy to just open the app when you boot a game, switch to a more appropriate preset on the fly and play on. You can absolutely still use Sonar when connected to a PC, but for the simplicity of the console experience the app is perfect.

And while some folks might miss the ability to listen to music or use a separate app for chat on their phone while also having game audio come through the headset, like you’re able to do with the Nova 7 and its dual simultaneous connectivity, for doing things like quickly pausing to taking a call via Bluetooth or just having a preset all ready to go for gaming on a separate device it’s still super handy. It’s also way smaller of a deal now that native Discord support is more prevalent on consoles and the old method of getting your mates in your ear via a separate device is much less necessary.

Of course one of the most crucial things to consider about the Arctis Nova 5 Wireless is how it sounds, being a headset and all. Luckily, as expected from a set of SteelSeries cans, it sounds great. The Nova 5 has fantastic audio performance that handles a wide range of sounds quite well, which is bolstered by the fact that there are all of those specific game presets at your fingertips.

The first game I booted up to test them out on was Hi-Fi RUSH, which sounded pretty good by default but really came alive when using its dedicated preset with a richness that wasn’t muddled by too much low end or a soft centre like some other gaming sets tend to suffer from. Games like Immortals of Aveum and a few, more traditional, shooters sounded similarly good with their presets enabled, though it can get pretty crunchy when the mix becomes more complex, like during particularly hectic shootouts or large-scale battle scenes. Alan Wake 2’s preset wasn’t particularly to my liking, but you’re able to save new ones out of the SteelSeries GG software on PC so I quickly tweaked that and made my own.

Music sounds quite a bit better than I’d normally expect from a gaming headset, with the Nova 5 bringing out a lot of detail and nuance that’s often missing, but that crunchier tendency does rear its head again here and makes any song or genre with a busier mix feel a bit distorted. It’s great for artists like Cosmo Sheldrake who make wonderful use of negative space and inventive mixes, or the almost-sensual precision of Childish Gambino’s Atavista, but it really struggled with the cymbals in a lot of early Foxy Shazam tracks. If you’re looking for a headset that works well for gaming and as a set for listening on your morning commute via Bluetooth, this will still be a very decent choice.

While I will always opt for a dedicated, external mic when gaming or doing anything else if presented with the opportunity, that’s not overly realistic with console gaming and so I’ve always been a fan of the microphones on SteelSeries’ headsets, especially the Nova range. For starters, the fully-retractable design that has it nestled flush within the left cup when not in use helps it keep the sleek look, and actual quality has always been great.

The “ClearCast Gen 2.X” mic on the Nova 5 Wireless ups the ante with a new chipset supporting higher-bandwidth audio, and it’s a far sight better than just about anything in this category with shockingly crips and clear communication for a headset mic. You’ll definitely want to take advantage of the noise canceling provided by things like Discord or the Sonar software on PC as it picks up quite a bit otherwise, but it’s great overall.

Another nice advantage the Nova 5 Wireless has over similarly-priced wireless headsets, and even its big brothers the Nova 7 and Nova Pro Wireless, is a huge battery life rated at up to 50 hours on 2.4Ghz or up to 60 hours on Bluetooth. While I’m yet to rack up 50 hours of gaming with it, based on my usage so far (draining it about halfway) those numbers definitely seem accurate. Plus, you’ll get a whole 5-6 hours of gaming out of a 15-minute charge, so you’re never lost for long even if you do manage to suck it dry.

The post SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless Review – One Mid-Range Headset To Rule Them All appeared first on Press Start.

AYANEO has been pumping out handhelds over the last 18 months and they’ve all been fantastic, but its latest handheld is the most unique Windows to come out so far, and I have to say, it’s absolutely captured my heart over the last few weeks, both in design but also how well the software that AYANEO has built onto that second screen works.

Across the board the handheld does a lot of things differently to the handhelds that have come before it but the biggest is the improvement is in the screens. The top screen is a 7-inch LED panel and just like other AYANEO handhelds its a super vibrant display with great contrast too with 550 nits of brightness, but it now features the first 120hz display to be found in an AYANEO handheld, and it’s great for indie games that can take advantage of it.

Naturally though, it’s the second screen that many thought was gimmicky initially, but it was a huge game changer for me. It’s a 3.5-inch 960×640 touch screen and I’d struggle to live without it now, as it enhanced the Windows experience massively.

Whilst there’s also a version with the keyboard where the screen is, I’d be much more likely to recommend this version. AYANEO has done a fantastic job in bringing its AYASPACE software to the bottom screen that lets you use it in a number of ways.

The first is a monitoring screen that lets you quickly go between TDP modes and shows you live FPS, how hard your fan is working as well as CPU/GPU stats, and because these are all things that you want to be monitoring whilst gaming on Windows, you can do all of this without compromising any screen real estate on the top screen.

You can also use the bottom screen to quickly launch apps, perform a number of functions such as mute, take a screenshot and more and due to the fact that it acts as a second monitor within Windows, you can literally use it to show anything running, and AYANEO has built in a handy overlay that lets you quickly bring any screen to the bottom screen and also send it back again.

This is great for watching a YouTube video, or joining a Discord call, and whilst the software could be a little bit buggy at times (just like running a dual monitor setup is on Windows generally), it’s an absolute game-changer.

Obviously, if you’re somebody that emulates, this would also be great for 3DS and Wii U emulation, and a lot of people have been using it for this to date, but I haven’t felt a need to do so yet, and highly recommend this device even if you won’t ever be emulating.

AYANEO has also added in software so that you can use the bottom screen as a keyboard, which fixes one of the main problems with Windows handhelds in not having a dedicated keyboard.

You’d think that running another screen would eat up battery life, but my tests showed that the effect on battery life was negligible, and I didn’t notice any major impact with having it on.

Adding a bottom screen would have been enough for AYANEO to call it a day, but they’ve gone beyond this. They’ve added an optical mouse next to the fingerprint sensor. This allows you to roll your thumb over it to control a mouse, and again, fixes another major with Windows and a touch screen and allows you to get around without having to use the touch screen.

Alongside a USB4 Type-C port (for power/video/data) and a secondary data USB-C port, the AYANEO Flip has the first OCuLink port in an AYANEO handheld. This is used to connect an eGPU with no bandwidth limitations and will pair nicely with the newly announced AYANEO eGPU.

Given this is a clamshell design, obviously there are certain design limitations when it comes to button and thumbsticks. All of the thumbsticks and triggers still use hall effect sensors, and even though the analogue sticks are recessed, they actually felt great to use with maybe the right one being a little bit low, but never out of reach.

Similarly, whilst the buttons are flatter, they never felt unresponsive and no matter if I was playing Hades 2, Top Spin 4 or Another Crab’s Treasure, they were a joy to use.

As far as performance goes, the AYANEO Flip DS is using the 7840u which is what almost every Windows handheld in the last 12 months has used. You can expect to get at least 60 FPS playing at 1080p with most AAA games, and those that use FSR3 like the recently released Ghost of Tsushima, you can expect to push this even further.

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For indie games such as Hades 2, this is an absolute dream handheld with 1080p and 120 FPS being an absolute breeze even on lower TDPs.

The Flip DS has a 45WH battery life, and it’s probably on the lower side in terms of battery life for a Windows handheld. You can expect to get about two hours playing games such as Hades 2 and closer to an hour playing AAA games such as Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut.

Heat was never really a huge issue whilst playing games on the Flip DS, but the bottom touch screen does get a little bit hot if you touch that area, same for if you put the device down on bedding or somewhere where it can’t breathe.

@shannongrixti

Ghost of Tsushima is the latest PlayStation game to arrive on PC #GhostOfTsushima #GhostOfTsushimaPC #GhostOfTsushimaDirectorsCut #PC #AYANEO #AYANEOFLIP #AYANEOFLIPDS #Handheld #WindowsHandheld

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

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After spending 8-10 hours a day for the last week and a bit with the Razer Viper V3 Pro, I’ve come to the conclusion that every mouse is now too heavy. I’ve been spoiled by what is easily one of the lightest I’ve used, to the point where it almost feels like nothing in the hand, but what’s equally impressive with the Viper V3 Pro is that it manages to pack seriously competitive performance into this impossibly-light form factor.

Having just come off of the already-quite airy Alienware Pro wireless mouse, which I reviewed here, I wasn’t sure if the drop of a further 4-5g vs that mouse would be all that noticeable, but the moment I took the Viper V3 Pro out of the box it was happily proven wrong. My poor partner, who very likely had zero interest in this thing, was kind enough to indulge my insistence that they “Hold this mouse! Feel how light it is!” and told me (mostly straight-faced) that they could hardly believe it was anything but an empty shell. I don’t even think I was overly fussed about having a light gaming mouse before now, perhaps subconsciously believing that “heavier = more good things inside,” but my right arm and wrist haven’t felt this relaxed in about 20 years.

Aside from the weight (or lack of), the Viper V3 Pro isn’t breaking any moulds. It’s a very unassuming-looking bit of kit that doesn’t scream “I’m a Razer gaming mouse” and isn’t packed with fancy RGB lighting or a parade of extra buttons, in keeping with the aim to appeal strictly to pro-level gamers that are concerned more with how their equipment performs than how it looks. It’s subtle even against the previous-generation Viper V2 Pro, and aside from the classic Razer triple-headed snake logo on the front you’d hardly know it came from the makers of the Basilisk or Naga. Razer sent us across the white version which, incidentally, weighs a slight 1g more and thanks to its coat might be the better choice for anyone who prefers a grippier mouse (though for the majority of us the difference will be barely noticeable).

On the bottom of the Viper V3 Pro you’ll find the power/DPI button, two very large PTFE feet which give it a super smooth feel on just about any surface, and of course the sensor. This mouse packs the new Razer Focus Pro 35K Gen-2 optical sensor which will give you from 100 DPI up to an astonishing 35,000 DPI should you want your tracking to be more sensitive than Drake after Kendrick Lamar dropped that hat-trick of diss tracks. The sensor also does a lot under the hood to automatically adjust to different surfaces and sync to your PC’s intervals, and you can even adjust the DPI by increments of just 1, in order to get the feeling as precisely targeted to you as Kendrick’s hat-trick of Drake diss tracks.

You’re also getting up to a huge 8000Hz polling rate – essentially the number of times per second that the mouse’s positional information is sent to your PC and about 8x more than the average – which isn’t necessarily new to the Viper line but is still a class-leading number. It must be stressed that I am by no means a pro-level gamer, but putting this mouse through its paces across a number of first-person shooters, twitchy action games and the very important stress test of some leaderboard-topping The Solitaire Conspiracy play, I felt entirely backed by this science with the Viper V3 Pro not skipping a single beat. Kind of like Kendick’s latest trio of diss tracks about Drake. If I had to level a criticism, it’s that the optical switches in the primary mouse buttons don’t seem to have had as much attention as the rest of the updates to the V3 Pro. They’re as good as always, but certainly not the best in their class and not as light as I might have expected.

It’s maybe an evolution of what’s come before rather than a revolution, thanks to the law of diminishing returns that kicks in at performance levels this high. One massive benefit that the Viper V3 Pro has over its predecessor though, is the inclusion of the Razer HyperPolling Wireless Dongle, something that was previously an additional purchase to unlock that ridiculously-high polling speed when using the mouse wirelessly. Razer sells these for $54.95 on their own, so bundled together with the $279 mouse it’s actually a pretty decent value proposition at just a touch more expensive than the V2 Pro’s launch price.

While the inclusion of the HyperPolling Wireless Dongle is great, one thing that the Viper V3 Pro does lack is other options. You can use it wired, naturally, but unlike the Alienware Pro Wireless you can’t get the full 8Khz polling with a wired connection. There’s also no Bluetooth connectivity and because of the size of the HyperPolling dongle it’s not an easy-stow adapter like in other similar devices. These are no doubt decisions made in the pursuit of a ridiculously-light mouse and a full “pro” experience at a reasonable price though, so it’s hard to be too critical. Likely the only people who’ll potentially feel let down are those upgrading from a mouse where they’ve already forked out for the dongle, in which case they’re paying a very slight premium for a second one here.

Taking full advantage of that 8000Hz polling speed, you’re going to get roughly 17 hours of use out of the Viper V3 Pro before it needs juicing up, which all things considered isn’t too bad. At 40 hours set to 4KHz it beats out the Alienware Pro’s 32 hours, but curiously loses out to once you drop down to 1KHz – offering 95 hours compared to 120. It’s a bit less across the spectrum when compared to the Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 as well, but of these three it’s still the only one to offer 8KHz polling wirelessly (or at all) so there are definitely wins.

On the software side of things, Razer’s Synapse suite continues to surprise at being one of the better options among all of the major peripheral manufacturers’ bespoke ecosystems. It’s not as bloated as some, it’s super stable and reliable, and it’s relatively easy to use when you want to start tinkering with your device’s settings and features. One neat thing that you can do from Synapse Viper V3 Pro is calibrate your new mouse’s sensitivity based on your old one. I’m a basic boy and don’t feel particularly attached to one setting or another so I didn’t use it, but it’s a neat inclusion for those upgrading to have a less-jarring initial experience.

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If you’ve read any of my other PC peripheral reviews, you’ll no doubt notice a pattern – I love a bit of gaming gear that doesn’t necessarily look like gaming gear. When Alienware hit me up to check out their new Pro range (you can read my review of the keyboard here), I’ll admit I feared the worst. After all, this is a company well-known for some of the most over-the-top devices around. Much to my surprise though, here’s a mouse that I absolutely wouldn’t have clocked for a bit of Alienware product had the logo not been for the classic alien head logo elegantly stamped on the top of it.

Taking the mouse out of the classically-Alienware black-and-white retail box, I was greeted by a stark white number (it’s also available in black) with a minimum of decoration and a very functional design. The top of the mouse sports the two primary buttons, a silver-lined scroll wheel and silver alien head, while the left side carries just two shortcut buttons, a small grip cutout and a tiny indicator light. Underneath are two PTFE feet, a DPI button, on-off switch, sensor, USB-C connector toward the front and handy USB-C dongle storage toward the back. Despite the pro gaming lean, it’s absolutely a mouse you wouldn’t look twice at in the average office.

Box inclusions are about what you’d expect, as well – a few bits of paper, USB-C wireless dongle, USB-C to USB-A cable and a handy wireless dongle extender should you need it.

One thing I appreciated about the setup experience was the way that the Alienware Command Centre software installed as soon as I plugged the mouse in, which saved me from the usual Google search for the requisite software suite when I pick up a new peripheral. Less handy was finding out that the USB dongle the mouse comes with doesn’t allow for dual-connectivity with other Alienware devices, including the Pro keyboard I was testing at the same time, though I suspect that has to do with bandwidth needed for the high polling rate – something I’ll touch on shortly. Still, I was able to go from out-of-the-box to full control in a matter of moments.

Almost as surprising as the look of the mouse itself, the Alienware Command Centre software has turned out to be a favourite among all of the branded tools I’ve used to date. Unlike something like ASUS ROG’s bloated Armoury Crate, it’s a very slender suite that offers quick access to everything you’d want and doesn’t get bogged down in trying to be more than what’s needed. There’s a good amount of control over the mouse’s features with easy button binding, and fine-tuning of things like click and scroll speed, DPI, polling rate and lift-off distance. I’m especially fond of an option that allows the mouse to automatically reduce its polling rate once the battery dips to a certain level.

And in some situations, that’s going to be necessary, because the Alienware Pro Wireless mouse can achieve a polling rate of 4000Hz when used wirelessly, which essentially means it’s sending information to your PC about four times more frequently than the average gaming mouse. This is very much a feature aimed at “pro” gamers, as the entire mouse is, sacrificing battery life for a level of responsiveness that’s only going to matter to those playing action-heavy titles or twitchy online MOBAs and shooters. Astonishingly, that number can double to a huge 8000Hz when using the mouse with a wired connection, which is a situation I can only assume the top percentile of players are going to want to be in. Coupled with up to 26000 DPI, which you can save in up to five presets along with matching polling rates, it’s a very decent performer across the board.

At 4000Hz, you’re still getting a level of performance that’s probably imperceptible to most users and a battery life of around 32 hours, with the default 1000hz offering a pretty good 120 hours of charge (no doubt thanks to the lack of RGB lighting). Alienware claims you’ll be able to get 6 hours of use at 1Khz from a 5-minute charge, too, which is great for people like me who consistently forget to plug in and don’t want to spend hours tethered to the wire.

That’s largely true because, sans cable, this mouse is a dream to use. At under 60g it’s incredibly light, and the PTFE feet are hands-down the smoothest I’ve ever encountered – it’s like Alienware grew them in a lab that played that Santana and Rob Thomas song 24/7. The result is that the Pro Wireless mouse glides along any surface without a hint of friction or exertion, so much so that it’s replaced my daily mouse for work use because I can use it for 9-10 hours at a time and barely feel it in my wrist at the end. 

The overall shape of the mouse is pretty standard, if a touch shallow, and it’s ambidextrous aside from the placement of the shortcut buttons. The no-frills design is probably great for those playing things like CS2 or Overwatch, but might not suit anyone who relies on a lot of mouse-bound shortcuts with only two extra buttons and just a single-axis scroll wheel. It all feels great though, especially the optical switches in the primary mouse buttons. These also feature Alienware’s exclusive “Magnetic-Force Keyplates” which provide a faster debounce and prevent buttons getting stuck when you’re hammering at them with a pace that’d make some folks blush.

A product sample was provided for the purposes of this review.

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If you’ve read any of my other PC peripheral reviews, you’ll no doubt notice a pattern – I love a bit of gaming gear that doesn’t necessarily look like gaming gear. When Alienware hit me up to check out their new Pro range (you can read my review of the mouse here), I’ll admit I feared the worst. After all, this is a company well-known for some of the most over-the-top devices around. Much to my surprise though, here’s a keyboard that I absolutely wouldn’t have clocked for a bit of Alienware product had the logo not been printed boldly across the front of the box.

Once you’ve got that box open, you’ve got everything you’d hope to find. The keyboard itself, with its stark white body and keys (in my case, black is also available) and absolutely nothing on the face to suggest this is a “pro gaming” or even Alienware keyboard, as well as some documentation, a USB-C to USB-C cable, USB-C wireless dongle, USB-A dongle adapter, dongle extender (I’m sick of writing the word dongle) and a keycap puller – more on that last one in a bit.

With its 75% form factor, the Alienware Pro Wireless feels fairly roomy for the minimum in desk space taken, with no space on its face taken up by something that’s not a key. You’re obviously losing out on a ten-key number pad but there’s a full six rows to work with. You also get a set of volume control keys and a key dedicated to switching profiles on the right column, though I wasn’t a huge fan of the delete key being moved to the F row, that definitely took some adjustment. That aside, the way the keys are arranged, and the positions of their secondary functions, is quite good.

On the back of the keyboard is where you’ll find the on-off slider, USB-C port, handy dock for the wireless dongle and a very handy quick-switch button that toggles between 2.4Ghz connectivity and up to three bluetooth devices. Underneath, a rubber strip at the base and rubberised fold-out feet make it feel nice and secure on the desk with the option of a slight tilt should you want it. The whole thing feels incredibly sturdy with a good build quality and a nice amount of weight that means it’s solid without being so heavy that you can’t throw it in a backpack.

Now while the very understated aesthetics of this keyboard are of massive appeal to me, I’m kind of in love with its RGB lighting. The per-key illumination is bold and blends softly for a striking effect, and coupled with the rounded edges of the board tapering off with the outer bounds of the light it can often appear as though the keys are floating above your desk in a colourful cloud. 

Unlike the very positive experience I had with Alienware’s Command Centre software when using the Pro Wireless mouse, I found adjusting the lighting and things like macros on the keyboard to be quite unreliable, with lighting taking an age to update and some key bindings being lost every time I rebooted my PC – not ideal for someone who writes like they’re being paid per “en dash” used. Hopefully future updates will fix these small annoyances.

Thankfully, the most important consideration here – the typing experience – is superb. While I’m more a low-profile kinda gal, the linear mechanical switches here feel precise and responsive with a nice and light actuation force of 40g that makes it effortless to type or game on without being so breezy that it results in misfires. Between the materials used in the keys and switches and the two layers of silicone sound-dampening, presses feel and sound smooth as butter and give a good impression of sturdiness and reliability. Plus, if you don’t like them, the switches are hot-swappable with just about any 3-pin or 5-pin switches using the included tool. It’s pretty no-frills, in keeping with the overall vibe, but solid and responsive is really all that you need from a gaming keyboard.

I mostly used my keyboards wired if I can help it, but you’re getting a 1Khz polling rate whether wired or using the 2.4Ghz dongle, and without RGB lighting the Alienware Pro Wireless sports a whopping 798 hours of battery life. Switch on the fancy colours and that drops more than 90% to 72 hours, though that’s still plenty for an average week of work and gaming. Being able to quickly switch between my PC and my other devices has also been incredibly useful while I toil away on Planet Zoo on the PS5, which maybe doesn’t fit the “pro” gaming brief but still plays wonderfully with this keyboard and the Alienware Pro Wireless mouse.

A product sample was provided for the purposes of this review.

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As a long-standing fan of low profile keys, I’ve consistently felt that there just aren’t enough low profile options in the mainstream gaming keyboard market. That might not be an issue any more, however, because I think I may have found my forever keyboard.

The ASUS ROG Falchion RX Low Profile, aside from having an unnecessarily long title, is a 65% form factor board with low-profile optical switches and a very unassuming look at first glance. This thing’s hiding some pretty top-notch features though, and manages to do a lot with a little while also looking pretty stunning.

Starting at the start though, and the ASUS ROG Falchion RX Low Profile is packaged in about the fashion you’d expect from a ROG product – a black and red box containing the keyboard itself, a USB-A to USB-C cable, wireless dongle and extender, some papers and stickers. Like all good wireless keyboards, the tiny dongle slots neatly into a port in the back of the keyboard so you’re less likely to lose it. Most interestingly, it also comes with a keyboard top cover for keeping it protected if you’re carrying it around or just to keep dust off of it.

Once it’s on the desk, it’s clear this is an attractive little device. At its face, it’s simple and elegant with a clean, metallic top plate and bone-white keys embellished only by a thin strip at the top emblazoned with “Republic of Gamers” and some tiny notifiers, all of which mute to a shiny, silver bar when the RGB lighting isn’t whizzing. Aide from the aluminum top plate, the underside is a muted grey plastic and houses the mode-switching keys, USB-C port and a handy little magnetic docking port to safely and securely stow the USB-A wireless 2.4GHz adapter. The only remotely “gamer-y” thing about it might be the protective cover that it comes with, which is an angular, plastic job that might say “There’s a gaming keyboard under here!” if you’re among those with The Knowledge, but otherwise suits just fine – it actually seems to borrow a little from the design chops of the ROG Ally, if anything.

The Falchion RX Low Profile uses ROG’s low profile optical switches in a red or a blue variety. These were red switches in the unit I received for review and as far as I can tell at most local retailers it’s the red that’s mostly available. The lower actuation point and initial force make red the way to go for low profile switches anyway, giving the keys a nice light feel that fits the overall vibe of a breezy, floating array of keys. The way the keys are mounted is also a nice change, with a secure four-point fit that means these have far less wobble than other low-profile switches.

The sound of the switches is similarly light and actually quite calming with a gentle click that’s reassuring without being overloud. The layout feels roomy enough even with the 65% format squeezed into something closer to a 60% footprint, and so far the accuracy of my keystrokes has been fantastic whether it’s banging out 1000s of words at work or frantically fumbling my inventory of torches and recording gear in Content Warning.

It’s been incredibly comfortable to use the whole time as well, even having come from a full-sized keyboard with wrist wrest. It’s light enough that I tend to just throw it around all of my newfound desk space as I adjust my sitting position throughout the day, and it’s small enough that whatever number pad action my right hand is missing, my left hand is now enjoying from the row above. The adjustable feet offer an extra level of incline if you’d like, as well. The only slight issue I’ve had, which is mostly a user fault due to my tendency to hunch over the desk, is that the secondary functions engraved on some of the keys can be harder to read from a high angle. It’s mostly a result of how little real estate is on the edges of these low profile keys, and because the per-key RGB lighting doesn’t seem to be as strong around the edges.

One of the more interesting features on the Falchion RX Low Profile to help that though, is a touch zone hidden on the back panel of the keyboard, just behind the RGB bar that lines the top of its face. This zone can be used to control media playback and lighting by pressing a button next to it to switch modes and then swiping, tapping and double tapping to perform different actions, with the RGB indicators in the top strip providing feedback on what you’re doing. It took a bit of getting used to using but after a while it’s become my preferred way to quickly change volume settings or play/skip tracks in Spotify while I’m working, and it’s a novel way to offer this sort of functionality when real estate on the top of the keyboard is at a premium.

The great looks and feel are backed up by a good range of connectivity that includes multi-device Bluetooth 5.1, 2.4Ghz wireless powered by ROG’s version of a buzzword wireless technology in “SpeedNova,” and traditional USB wired connection. I’ve never put much stock in different brands’ wireless solutions being functionally better or worse than one another, at least for the average user who isn’t playing in a signal-congested arena at the pro level, but ASUS says theirs is hot shit and it’s worked perfectly for me so far. Battery life is also a plus with the keyboard rated at 400+ hours with the RGB lighting turned off, and although I’m a wired kinda guy, knowing it’s got at least a couple months’ worth of juice on tap is good news.

Tying all of this together is the ASUS ROG Armoury Crate software, which as I’ve said in previous reviews, is about as good as most other hardware vendors’ proprietary software. It’s a bit bloated, both with how many fairly useless menus and features it throws at you as well as how system-intensive it can be, but it’s pretty intuitive when it comes to the features most people would use like RGB/display customisation, macros and individual profiles. I just wish there was a “lite” version that did away with all the game launcher and news type stuff to make it a bit more lean and zippy.

The post Asus ROG Falchion RX Low Profile Review – Low Profile, High Quality appeared first on Press Start.

I first jumped into the Backbone ecosystem last year, after the company introduced an Android-compatible version of the Backbone One PlayStation Edition. It very quickly become a regular feature in my gaming time, most often for quick bouts of whatever PS5 game I had going at the time via Remote Play but also a surprising amount of Xbox Cloud Gaming, which continues to blow my mind with how well it functions.

The only downside to my Backbone One, so far, has been taking it on and off as I use it. It’s a simple enough process, and it’s secure enough on my phone, but there’s always been something in my brain that trips up when my phone doesn’t look like it’s quite lined up perfectly with the controller and taking my Pixel 8 Pro’s protective case off each time I want to use it is an annoying added step.

Cue the 2nd-generation Backbone One, which is a mostly-familiar refresh of the device that adds just enough tweaks to make it worth a look-in whether you’re yet to own one or you use your existing Backbone One as regularly as I have been. At first glance, it’s largely unchanged from the previous generation, and why would it be when the original Backbone One is so good? But the minor upgrades it does have are going to make a big difference to some.

The biggest change here is the way phones fit into the Backbone One. The second-generation version still uses the same spring-loaded, extending bridge that allows you to slip your phone onto the integrated USB-C connector and then let the clamping force of the two controller halves keep it in place. Now though, each side features swappable, magnetic mounts to accommodate a broader range of phone shapes and sizes, along with some minor adjustments to the overall shape and a slightly-longer range of extension.

What this essentially means is the 2nd-gen Backbone One should fit a much wider variety of phones, especially larger ones that are synonymous with mobile gaming. It also means it’s totally possible to bung your phone in with the case still attached, which in the case of my Pixel 8 Pro was as simple as just taking the mounts out altogether – giving the USB-C connector enough real estate to go all the way in and keeping everything feeling very snug and secure. Although I obviously can’t speak to every phone, my partner’s iPhone 15 was much the same, so if you’re rocking Apple’s latest you’re in good hands here.

And of course, this new iteration of the Backbone One is entirely USB-C based so it’s compatible across just about every modern Android phone and the latest suite of iPhones, including passthrough charging via the USB-C port under the right handle.

Elsewhere, things are pretty well on par with the previous generations. Backbone says that it’s made improvements to the d-pad and face buttons to “ensure even more precise and responsive input,” and although I can definitely see some physical differences mostly in the way that the edges of the d-pad are less rounded, in actual use it’s not really noticeable – at least as far as things like Xbox Cloud Gaming and basic games like Fortnite go. I’m sure if anyone out there is playing native fighting games that demand twitch inputs there could be a tangible difference. And the good news is the existing experience was already great when it comes to overall comfort and the quality of the buttons, sticks and triggers, so any uptick is just a bonus.

In my review of the Backbone One Playstation Edition for Android, I noted that, “everything performs nicely with a fairly quick response and the Backbone One feels seriously comfortable and satisfying to use, so overall it’s still a great choice for anyone serious about mobile gaming and remote play. Aside from Xbox and PlayStation games, I also spent a bit of time with Honkai: Star Rail and Ubisoft’s new The Division: Resurgence, which both felt exactly like the console-level experience their respective developers wanted to impart once I had a console-like controller in hand.”

That great experience continues in the dedicated Backbone app, which does a great job of organising your games across multiple services, whether they’re natively installed from the Play Store, App Store or Apple Arcade, or they’re streamed from the likes of Xbox Cloud Gaming, GeForce Now or using PlayStation Remote Play. It’s got some handy party and chat features as well as built-in video capture, editing and streaming capabilities, although all of the most useful features of the Backbone App are locked behind a subscription service called Backbone Plus.

Naturally, the controller itself will work without paying a subscription fee and you’ll have access to things like screenshots and game-specific button remapping, but paying for the full app experience might be too much of a sting for some. At $179 RRP, the Backbone One is already a significant investment (and halfway to a PlayStation Portal if you’re mostly heading in that direction). Be prepared to maybe chuck in another $39 for the new, official carry case as well, because it’s bloody nice.

The post Backbone One USB-C (2nd-Gen) Review – Slight Improvements On An Already-Great Device appeared first on Press Start.

Although it admittedly felt more than a little weird to be unboxing and hooking up a fresh, plastic guitar peripheral to my PS5 in the year 2024, few things have brought me joy so far this year like firing up Rock Band 4 and jamming out to my old catalogue of bangers with PDP’s The Riffmaster.

In case you’ve somehow missed the hype – yes, this is a brand-new wireless guitar controller for modern consoles and PC from peripheral-maker PDP that works with 2015’s Rock Band 4. Perhaps more relevant, it’ll soon work with developer Harmonix’ recently-launched Fortnite Festival, a free take on the classic virtual band experience that lives within Fortnite and is seemingly intended to carry the torch for the genre. And for anyone already asking, it also works with things like Clone Hero and YARG on PC, making this a fairly versatile (and importantly, available) option for anyone hankering for the experience that defined a good chunk of time for many of us.

But first impressions first, and this thing is impressive from the moment you lift it from the surprisingly-squat box it ships in. Showcasing one of its handier features from the out, The Riffmaster comes folded in half in its packaging, and can be secured into its proper position just by flipping the neck out and pushing in a small tab on the underside. Once unfurled, the whole thing feels surprisingly sturdy with very little movement at the connection point even in heavy use. The fact that it can be folded away for storage is sure to be a hit with millennials who grew up on these plastic instruments and now live in shoebox apartments and share houses.

The rest of the box contents are pretty standard. There’s the attachable strap, charging cables and a USB-A wireless transmitter for connecting the Riffmaster to your platform of choice. The version I tested is the one designed for PlayStation, and works with both the PS5 and PS4 as well as PC using the same adapter. The Xbox version will similarly work with Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC.

The guitar itself is largely reminiscent of previous official Rock Band or Guitar Hero controllers that you’ll remember, though maybe a little more understated with its all-black design that doesn’t carry any branding or established shape like Rock Band 4’s Fender Stratocaster. It looks nice though, and won’t stick out so much in a modern environment, although the gloss finish on the body is a huge fingerprint magnet. The buttons on the body do blend in a bit as well, which can be tough in the heat of the moment for your first few uses but doesn’t matter as much once you’ve spent more time with it.

Crucially, everything feels great. The whole thing has a nice weight and sturdiness, and all of the buttons and other bits are reliable and responsive. The all-important five fret buttons have a nice, quiet click to them and are remarkably easy to slide your fingers across as you rock out, though anyone coming from a Guitar Hero guitar might find the larger buttons of the Rock Band-style axe a bit of an adjustment. There’s also a second, smaller set down at the base of the neck which I’ve found super handy when sitting at my desk and playing. The strum bar is a lot quieter than what I’ve been used to, which is nice, but still gives a decent sense of feedback and actuation and hasn’t skipped a beat yet. The whammy bar is just as good, rounding off a super solid in-play experience from the Riffmaster.

Outside of the actual guitar bits, the button layout on the Riffmaster includes the expected stuff – a PlayStation button to turn it on and sync it up, a few function buttons and a d-pad, with the fret inputs acting in place of your usual face buttons. This new peripheral also features a novel addition in an analogue stick on the underside of the neck, right next to where the thumb of your fingering hand is placed. This is actually super useful for menu navigation, so it’s a welcome addition, though I can’t help but feel PDP knows something I don’t and there’s more utility planned for this in the future. My only gripe so far is tilting the guitar to activate Overdrive in-game requires a fair amount of movement to actually work. Good to prevent accidental misfires, terrible on my ageing joints.

PDP claims The Riffmaster has a whopping 36-hour battery life, and while I’m too fastidious a charger to reliably test that, it’s more than enough to hold up over multiple sessions without needing to constantly juice it up. And despite it being wireless, latency feels like a complete non-issue. It’s super responsive, probably more than I was expecting, so that’s hopefully great news for the really hardcore players out there.

In terms of build, playability and reliability this is an excellent bit of kit then, but naturally it’s only going to go as far as how and where you can use it. Right at this very moment, that’s an interesting conundrum as officially the only game it’ll work with is Rock Band 4. The release of The Riffmaster is obviously meant to capitalise on Fortnite’s new, free Festival mode, but the updating enabling that isn’t out at the time of writing and the guitar itself is still a couple months out from launch – I’ll amend this review when things get moving on that front. Rock Band 4 is only a $15 download on the PlayStation Store though, and doesn’t come with the added Fortnite baggage that might turn some off, so that’s a good option.

Alternatively, you can use The Riffmaster with free, user-driven PC apps like Clone Hero or YARG. Plugging the USB receiver into my PC, both of these recognised the controller straight away, name and all, and while I had to manually configure each of the buttons it was simple enough and I was up and running in minutes. The only downside (at least when it comes to the PlayStation version, I can’t speak for the Xbox one) is neither recognised the whammy bar or tilt. This is where that neat little analog stick came in clutch, as I simply assigned those two functions to flicking the stick up or down with the thumb that rests right next to it. This actually ended up being a way better solution and makes this super viable for PC users rocking out to custom songs.

At $200, and with Fortnite Festival set to do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to actual play, I don’t think that PDP’s revival of the plastic guitar is going to suddenly bring the heyday of Guitar Hero and Rock Band screaming back into living rooms the world over. For those that enjoy Epic and Harmonix’ free-to-play take, hardcore players still jamming out to this day or just those who long to get that feeling back though, it’s a very well-put-together device that feels great and works seamlessly where intended.

The Riffmaster launches on June 14 and is available to pre-order at local retailers now.

The post PDP The Riffmaster Wireless Guitar Controller Review – We’re So Back appeared first on Press Start.

Mini PCs have been all the rage over the last few years seemingly getting smaller and smaller yet more powerful and viable as an everyday driver, and never has that been truer than with the Geekom A7.

The Geekom A7 is crazily tiny looking more like an Apple TV than any other Mini PC that I’ve used before. It comes in at 112mm wide, 112mm deep and just 37mm tall weighing just 450g. The build quality is really great and the aluminium shell is super stylish.

Part of the reason why the body is able to be as small as it is is because of the fact that the 120w charger includes an external power brick. It’s a tiny one at at that, but I do kind of wish that they just made the actual body of the unit a little bit bigger if it meant including a power supply inside the unit.

When it comes to ports, you’ve got more than you could ever need on a mini PC and everything is clearly labelled as well. On the front, you’ve got dual USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A ports, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack and the power button.

On the back you’ve got your DC power port, 2x HDMI 2.0 ports, a USB 2.0 Type-A port, a USB 3.2 Type-A port, an ethernet port and you’ve also got a USB 4 Gen3 Type-C port that’s capable of speeds of 40 GBPS and can be used for an external GPU as well a USB 3.2 Type-C port, both which can be used for video as well as data and power.

You’ve also got an SD card reader on the side of the unit, and I can’t see a situation where anyone would need more ports on a mini PC, and there wouldn’t be a place to put them even if you did. Geekom is to be commended for packing it to the brim with a great mix of ports. The only slight criticism would be maybe a USB-C port on the front would have been great as well, but I won’t complain.

As far as the internals, go this is the most powerful mini PC that I’m aware of. The model that I was provided has 32GB of memory (64GB maximum) as well as a 2TB SSD (the maximum) and is packed with either an AMD Ryzen Ryzen 9 7940HS (model tested) or a Ryzen 7-7840HS processor. You’ve got also Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 compatibility for the fastest speeds. You’re able to connect the A7 up to four 4K monitors or 1 8K monitor which is a testament to the performance of this little device.

The Geekom A7 was able to handle absolutely everything that I threw of it day to day including the likes of web browsing or watching 4K videos, but also Photoshop work and editing 4K footage. I was super impressed with how quiet it was able to stay with the Geekcool 4.0 cooling tech and it didn’t seem to get too hot.

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If you’re a big gamer, the A7 can pretty much handle any indie games as well as emulation. Like other mini PCs on the market, it’s a big of a mixed bag using the integrated GPU in the A7.

You’ll be able to play the likes of Fortnite and Call Of Duty Warzone at decent frame rates, but after testing the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 and Horizon Forbidden West, you can expect to pop everything on low at a maximum of 1080p and with the beauty of AMD FSR, you’ll at least get steady frame rates between 30-60FPS depending on the game and how much horsepower is needed.

It’s definitely a capable little machine for gaming, but as long as you go in with the expectation that you’re not going to be able to play newer AAA games at 4K/60FPS, you’ll be pretty impressed with how much power is packed into this little unit. Utilising that USB 4 Gen3 Type C port, you can also use an external GPU as well.

At $1,499 AUD, it’s the Geekom A7 is by no means cheap, but with a fantastic Ryzen 9 processor, a 2TB SSD as well as 32GB of DDR5 memory, it’s an extremely capable unit that represents a wonderful little mini PC that also packs a bunch of power, and for most people, this will be more than enough. Windows 11 Pro comes pre-installed in the unit and this makes the setup and ease of use a breeze as well.

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In all my time trying different gaming audio solutions, be they external speakers, earbuds or all manner of headsets, never have I experienced something like the Panasonic SoundSlayer, which is somehow a combination of everything else but also unlike anything else. It bridges the gap between external and personal audio while also aiming to protect your hearing, by essentially draping a set of gaming speakers around your neck like a sports towel. It’s weird, and although it’s not without flaws I’m kinda into it.

For something dubbed the “SoundSlayer,” first impressions from the box the SC-GNW10 (the version I reviewed) comes in are far from that of a gaming product. Maybe it’s a brand association thing but at a glance you’d be forgiven for thinking this was some kind of neck massager. Opening it up, it’s still quite unassuming with the unit itself, a small black audio transmitter and a couple of cables making up the contents. If you were worried about the idea of a wearable gaming speaker being some Razer-esque angular lightshow, fret not.

The actual ‘Slayer you get here is essentially a U-shaped gadget that sports four 38mm speakers housed across its left and right prongs, and with a pair of rubber feet on the underside is meant to sit around your neck and sort of prop itself on the front of your shoulders. Naturally everyone’s fit is going to be different but I was surprised at how stable it sits on my shoulders, and I can comfortably walk around with it on and barely have it move at all.

Actually setting up the SoundSlayer was shockingly simple, with the little wireless transmitter box doing all of the heavy lifting and requiring no prior configuration. It’s advertised to work with 

PC, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch (in TV mode), and it does all of those with just a USB-C connection (a USB-C to USB-A cable is provided) and then a 2.4GHz signal to the actual speaker unit. Because it’s a 2.4GHz signal, there’s no need to pair anything, it’s low-latency and just works. There’s also a 3.5mm connection on the “headset” in case you wanted to plug it into a handheld device, Xbox controller or something else but there’s sadly no Bluetooth option which does limit the potential uses quite a bit.

Once you’ve turned it on and laid it across your shoulders, the SoundSlayer is a very different experience to wearing a set of headphones, which is entirely the point, and almost immediately on starting to use it I forgot it was even there. Even once it was all up and going and I was playing games, after adjusting to a different quality of sound to what I’m used to from my external speakers or current headset of choice (the PlayStation Pulse Elite), my brain stopped thinking about the fact that all of the sound was coming from something I was wearing around my neck.

That’s not to say this is a flawless setup, though. While the speakers in the SoundSlayer are pretty powerful and do a better-than-expected job with positional audio, the actual sound is pretty hit-or-miss. There are a few different presets to select from using a dedicated button on the left arm, labelled things like RPG, FPS, Voice, Cinema and Music, but while I was using the SoundSlayer to play things like Dragon’s Dogma 2 and the Stellar Blade demo, or watch Sand Land on Disney+, none of these presets really felt right. Highs typically sound great, but mid and low-end audio is significantly muddier than what I’m used to from a set of headphones. The 3D audio effect, whether from the source itself or the speakers’ virtual solution, is pretty convincing, though. I could really pinpoint where my pawns in Dragon’s Dogma 2 were chattering at me from, even if their voices were a touch too muffled for my liking.

Panasonic also provides a dedicated PC app for the SoundSlayer which you can use to do quite a bit of tinkering with the sound, including separately equalising the front and rear sets of speakers, changing the balance between them, boosting the bass response and tweaking some basic power and lighting stuff. You can save up to three extra audio presets to the unit, which is handy if the provided ones aren’t suited, but nothing can really save the fairly-average sound overall.

It just comes down to the size of the speakers and the fact they’re not pressed up against your ears – so you’re basically choosing between top-notch explosions and sword swings blasting your ear drums or hopefully having working hearing in 30-40 years (I feel I need to point out that this isn’t medical advice). For a $450 price tag though, the gimmick might not be worth it for most. The best possible application I can think of is someone with flatmates who wants an upgrade from their TV speakers, but can’t go for a loud external system and also doesn’t want the potential discomfort of headphones. It’s a niche market, for sure, but one I’m sure Panasonic sees growing with the state of ~gestures at everything~.

Something the SoundSlayer does do surprisingly well is chat audio. It’s packing two microphones – one on each side – with “AI” powered noise filtering, which I’d usually dismiss as a buzz term but actually works here. Despite simultaneously pumping the game audio out while trying to listen to my voice, the result on the other end comes through clear and clean, which I reckon is a pretty impressive feat. My friends’ voices being beamed to the unit is also kind of neat in that it almost feels like there are little versions of them sitting on my shoulders, except instead of trying to convince me to do right or wrong they’re berating me for being a terrible Helldiver.

Battery life on the SoundSlayer is also pretty good. Panasonic puts it at around nine hours and while I didn’t measure it out myself, I definitely got a full public holiday of gaming at a decent volume out of it before I needed to bung it on charge for the very first time, so I’m confident that’s pretty accurate. As a glasses wearer with an ugly head, it was also far longer a session than I would ever dare to do with a headset, so I’d say it’s mission accomplished on the whole angle of this thing.

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The second of Sony’s new first-party PlayStation gaming headsets is here, with the PlayStation PULSE Elite Wireless Headset arriving not too far off of its more portable counterpart in the PULSE Explore Wireless Earbuds. Returning to the more traditional gaming headset form factor, it’s a pseudo-successor to the PULSE 3D headset that launched along the PS5, only now it sports new innovations like planar magnetic drivers and the new PlayStation Link connectivity tech.

It’s quite the well-speced bit of kit for the asking price of $239, especially when PlayStation’s own products tend to command a bit of a premium, and the good news is that these headphones perform every bit as superbly as you’d hope.

First things first, though – while it obviously shares some similarities to the PULSE 3D, the PULSE Elite headset has to be one of the most unique-looking sets of cans I’ve seen, or at least personally used, in quite some time. And not “unique” in the way that I would describe myself in childhood photos as a more delicate version of “kinda weird” but in a genuinely cool, retro-futuristic way that exemplifies Sony’s vision with all of its modern PlayStation products. The stark black-and-white design with its swooping bands that come to a point well in front of the cups feels like something Gary Oldman’s Zorg in The Fifth Element would wear if he was trying to get cracked at Helldivers 2.

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Crucially, the PULSE Elite is surprisingly comfortable with a good amount of give to the unified band that means it doesn’t put a huge amount of pressure on the head. It’s actually a lot lighter than I was expecting and while I was never a big fan of the PULSE 3D’s perfectly-rounded cups they’re at least a lot more plush here and have a much bigger degree of movement that means they’ll sit nicely along your head without pressing at odd points or letting sound bleed out of any gaps. They have the same headband-based adjustment as the PULSE 3D, which maybe isn’t as desirable as adjustable-length arms but works well without the need for any manual input and helps maintain that compelling aesthetic.

One thing I was asked in our community groups was whether or not the PULSE Elite would fit comfortably over the PS VR2 headset, which I did test, and while for me it sat reasonably well there was a small enough margin for error that I don’t think it’d be the best solution for most people – if you’re looking for a great wireless audio solution for the VR2 I’d absolutely be going for the excellent PULSE Explore buds instead.

Like those, the PULSE Elite is another of Sony’s new PlayStation Link-enabled products, meaning it features seamless connectivity with PS5 and PC using the included USB adapter as well as a direct interface to the PlayStation Portal. I still wish that Link had been somehow integrated into the “slim” PS5 model as the adapter is USB-A and thus can only go into the back of the newer console, but it’s one of those set-and-forget things and so not the end of the world. Handily, now that I own both PlayStation Link-compatible headsets I just need the one adapter for my console and I’ve got an extra adapter for my PC so everything just works whenever I need it with no swapping or reconfiguring needed – and the adapters can be purchased on their own if you want that experience with just the one headset.

The PULSE Elite also features Bluetooth connectivity with multi-device support, so you can get the audio from your PS5 through Link and be on a call or listening to music through your phone or laptop via Bluetooth. I’m not sure my brain can handle that much input at once, but it’s an undoubtedly useful option for those that want it.

Comfort and features aside, the obvious big-ticket inclusion in the PlayStation PULSE Elite headset are the new planar magnetic drivers that are the, well, driving force behind its audio output. Planar magnetic drivers are more commonly reserved for the kinds of high-end headsets used by the folks that engineer the audio in games and movies as opposed to the conical, dynamic drivers found in typical consumer headphones, and Sony has worked with audiophile brand Audeze (which it recently acquired) to craft the solution here. As could reasonably be expected from a headset sporting these drivers, the PULSE Elite sounds fantastic.

The sound these things pump out is wonderfully crisp with a huge amount of detail and nuance, and I’ve been able to pick up things I just wasn’t hearing from my external 5.1 system or other gaming headsets – that’s a pretty common way to praise headphones but it’s absolutely true here. There’s a big advantage in these being full-size cups as compared to the tiny PULSE Explore buds as well, with far more depth in the low-end and a much louder overall sound, something that was a sticking point in my review of those. I used them for a good chunk of my playtime in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Helldivers 2 as well as a bit of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden as far as recent releases go, while I also dipped back into The Last of Us Part II Remastered and God of War Ragnarök to get some of the best of the PS5’s 3D audio experience and I was not disappointed.

Using the headset with my PC, I also found it’s fantastic for watching movies or listening to music, with the balanced and detailed audio meaning films sound as intended. The bass response maybe isn’t as skull-shaking as some blockbuster Hollywood features or EDM tracks demand but that’s mostly rectifiable with some finagling of your software or device’s EQ settings. The PULSE Elite itself only sports a power/Link buttons and volume rocker on its arm (along with the USB-C and 3.5mm auxiliary ports), but on the PS5 you can also dive in and tweak things like EQ settings and even enable a sidetone, both of which will save to the headset for when you’re using it on other devices. And, of course, if you’ve got a DualSense Edge controller the Function buttons on that give you quick access to volume and chat mix settings so you don’t really have to mess with the headset buttons at all.

While the sound output from the Pulse Elite is superb, the quality of its retractable microphone is just fine. Definitely not bad, and on par with most headsets in its class, but not remarkable. Playing Helldivers 2 with a friend who’d also just acquired the headset, we both found we were coming through with decent clarity and at one point I put the mic’s AI noise rejection technology to the test by eating a bowl of Rice Bubbles in-between contributions to Managed Democracy, which my companion assures they heard none of. I didn’t get a single bit of background noise from them during our session either, which to me rings as a success on that front. The microphone is quickly mutable via the button on your DualSense controller of choice, too, and has a handy orange LED indicating when you’re muted that sits just far enough out of sight to not be annoying during regular use.

The PULSE Elite has a rated battery life of up to 30 hours, which is great, and while I haven’t yet used it for more than a few hours without juicing it back up I can comfortably say that the rate at which it runs down would indicate that 25-30 hours is pretty accurate. The main reason I’ve been keeping the headset so reliably topped-up is that it comes with a super handy charging mount that you can bung on a wall to keep it neatly stored and powered. It uses a similar charging mechanic to the DualSense Charging Station, and the mount itself can either be screwed into the wall or, if you’re a renter like me, pretty easily popped onto a removable 3M adhesive tab. Of course, the included USB-C charging cable can just be plugged directly into the headset as well if you’re not keen on mounting it.

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While Sony’s INZONE series headphones have been out for some time now in the H3, H7 and H9, there’s always been quite the noticeable gap in price for those wanting a headset that falls somewhere between the accessibility of the H3 and the premium nature of the H7/H9. The H5 seeks to remedy that, offering seamless cross-play functionality and a sleek design for the price of $299 AUD (but regularly found for around $250).

With built-in PS5 compatibility and a flexible PC hub, the INZONE H5 is a mighty attractive option for those in the market for a wireless headset for the aforementioned platforms, delivering on almost everything you could want from a wireless headset.

If you’re looking for an understated yet elegant pair of headphones, then the INZONE H5s might just have you covered. Similar to the other INZONE models, both the black and white variants look super slick in the simplicity of their design. The rounded earcups and headband are unobtrusive to wear and pleasing to the eye, and the microphone is similarly discrete – especially when stowed. The white variant in particular pairs nicely with a PS5, sharing the same distinct black and white colour palette that you just don’t see often in other headset lines.

It’s also damn comfy to use, especially over the course of longer gaming sessions. The countless hours I spent using the headset while playing Persona 3 Reload and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth were made comfortable by the fabric cup padding and cushioned headband, and the adjustability of either cup made for a snug fit. The oval-like shape of the cups kept everything contained quite nicely as well, with enough pressure to keep sound locked in without putting any strain on my head. It’s also remarkably lightweight, clocking it at about 260 grams, which is quite a bit lighter than some of the competition.

While the H5 works great for both PC and PS5, it excels on the former thanks to the INZONE Hub. It gives you access to a varied feature set, most notable of which is INZONE’s 360 Spatial Sound. While it’s undoubtedly weird to take photographs of your ears, the end result is more than worthwhile if you’re playing on PC. It was remarkably impressive to have a more tailored experience with spatial audio in hearing chittering Fallen creep up from behind me in Destiny 2, or the crunchy impacts of TEKKEN 8’s heated combat. Disappointingly, spatial sound profiles aren’t saved to the headset, so PS5-only players won’t get to reap the benefits of this flagship feature.

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The INZONE Hub also allows you to customize your sound profile, equalizer settings, dynamic range control, a bevy of microphone settings and more alongside the aforementioned 360 Spatial Sound features. As a PC headset, the H5 gives you a great degree of control and flexibility in how you customise your audio experience to get the most out of the headset. It’s a shame these also aren’t present on the PS5 given that the Pulse headsets have some degree of this on the console.

That isn’t to say the H5s don’t sound great on the PS5, though. A bulk of my time with the headset was spent on console in a few different capacities. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s sweeping soundtrack is made all the more grand by the crisp clarity of the H5s, and Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s world is deepened in the exposure of the more subtle elements of its soundscapes. The audio quality is consistently smooth and detailed regardless of what kind of experience you use them with.

While the quality of the flip-to-mute microphone is nothing to write home about, the AI-based noise reduction does a nice job of mitigating unwanted background audio and singling out your voice. There’s also a surprising level of noise isolation to be found with the earcups which was a pleasant surprise. They also integrate seamlessly with the PS5, allowing you to control game and chat levels through buttons on the headset while also making use of the console’s Tempest 3D Audio. It also handily displays your mute status, and remaining battery life.

Speaking of which, the H5s last for a good while on a full charge. 28 hours of play is no small number, and I’ve not found once that I’ve had to disconnect for a quick charge. If you do need to plug the H5s in, though, the quick charge feature nets you a healthy three hours of battery life after only 10 minutes of charging, which will no doubt be handy for when juice is running low before an impromptu gaming session. A 3.5 mm audio cable is also included for when all else fails.

The omission of Bluetooth in favour of a USB-A 2.4 GHz dongle is a bit of an odd decision, especially with the PS5 Slim’s lack of a frontal USB-A port. Additionally, the lack of Bluetooth makes the H5s incompatible with the Switch outside of docked mode and other Bluetooth-only devices, and just feels a bit archaic overall. However, the dongle is very fuss-free, and easily switches between platform functionality thanks to a handy little slider on the side of the USB.

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It’s no secret that I’ve become a fan of AYANEO in the last year or so. They’ve been putting out innovative PC handhelds left, right and centre with no signs of stopping, but the company has now turned its attention to mini PCs.

The AYANEO AM01 was designed to look like the original Macintosh and whilst it was super stylish, lacked a bit of power for AAA gaming, but the AM02 leaves absolutely no stones unturned both in design and power.

The AYANEO Am02 might just be one of the most unique and exciting tech products that I’ve ever reviewed in the PC space. It looks like the NES, but in case you couldn’t tell from the photos, that’s a working 4-inch touchscreen display on the top of it.

Whilst you might not think there’s a lot of need for a touch screen at the top of your mini PC. It’s super helpful for a number of reasons. You can display information such as the time and weather, or even have a screen that allows you to control volume on the fly, but if you’re somebody who likes to keep a close eye on performance and how your internals are running, there’s a full display that shows current FPS, how much internet your PC is using as well as temperatures of your CPU/GPU and how much they’re being pushed.

It’s a great way to keep an eye on current gameplay and making sure you’re getting the most out of the system without having to have an overlay on your screen. Given this is a brand new product, there are a few bugs (mainly some things showing in other languages), but AYANEO are fantastic are patching things quickly. It’s only a matter of time before there’s a bunch of other uses for this screen as well, so it’s exciting to see what happens in this space.

There’s a heap of other nods to the NES as well. The power button has a little light indicator just like the original did, and you can press the eject button on the left to flip the lid open and reveal a number of ports.

As far as ports go, on the back, you’ve got USB Type C for charging (100w required), a 2.5GB ethernet port as well as a 1000MBPS gigabit port, two USB-A ports, HDMI as well as DisplayPort for video output. On the front, you’ve got another two USB-A ports, 3.5mm jack and a USB4 Type-C DP port.

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I’d really have loved for this device to have a fully-fledged USB-C port on the back for video/power, but because most monitors only support passthrough at 90w, we’re probably not at that stage yet, but it would make it a lot more convenient. Regardless, absolutely everything you’d need connectivity-wise out of a mini PC is here.

In terms of the specs of the mini PC, the AYANEO AM02 comes with the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS and can be purchased in the below configurations:

• Barebones – $441 USD (~$670 AUD)
• 16GB + 512GB – $531 USD (~$841 AUD)
• 16GB + 1TB – $571 USD (~$868 AUD)
• 32GB + 1TB – $631 USD (~$959 AUD)

I was sent over the 32GB + 1TB version, but if you buy the barebones, or the other versions, you’re able to upgrade the SSD and memory after the fact. The performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS is a bit above that found in the AYANEO 2S meaning that you can play most AAA games at 1080p, whilst getting 60 FPS. This is particularly true for those that take advantage of AMD FSR in which case for games such as Horizon Zero Dawn and Forza Horizon 5 you can push the resolution up or get even more frames out of it.

Obviously, if you’re playing indie games or emulation, this thing is an absolute dream with you able to push it to 4K and well above the 120 FPS mark in most cases. Similarly, if you’re doing just day to day work, video editing or any kind of content creation it’s a great little unit as well.

The AM02 comes preloaded with AYASpace and there’s a new overlay which that shows performance metrics which I really love as well, particularly for the desktop environment, so it’s nice to see the company improving things there as well. It’s worth mentioning that you can mount the unit to the back of your monitor with included screws, although you’d be hiding that gorgeous design and display.

I will say that if there’s one area that I’d like to see improved in future iterations it’s the fan noise which really ramps up whilst gaming. It’s to be expected given the smaller size of the unit, and I’d recommend just chucking on some headphones or cranking the speakers if you’re doing intense AAA gaming.

Overall, the AM02 represents really great value for money, particularly if you’re somebody who cares a lot about aesthetics and doesn’t want to plonk any old mini PC on your desk. I could see this going really well in a living room situation as well.

The post AYANEO AM02 Mini PC Review – Stylish And Powerful appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve reviewed quite a few controllers in my time but none quite as unique as the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra. It has the full functionality of an Xbox controller but it has 1.5-inch screen that is almost the centre point of the controller and helps elevate everything from customising the controller to even connecting to your phone to view notifications.

From a physical point of view, at first glance the Stealth Ultra doesn’t look too dissimilar from a standard Elite controller, but once you get it in the hands it feels totally different. It’s definitely quite a bit lighter, and does feel a little less grippy (maybe even more plasticky), but it’s super comfortable to hold. If you’re a fan of flashy lights you’re in luck as there’s customisable RGB strips that go up and down the controllers on both sides and add an extra splash of colour.

The controller has anti drift hall effect analogue sticks, and unlike other pro controllers, the actual sticks can’t be changed out with Turtle Beach instead including a range of toppers in the box that change the look and feel of the actual top of the analogue sticks. I can’t say that I’m someone who swaps out sticks too often, but it does feel like a bit of a missed opportunity in a controller that packs more customisation options than any other on the market.

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The face buttons have micro switches to allow them to be quite clicky and extremely responsive which is quite the opposite from the Elite controller and others that have quite mushy buttons. If you’re someone that plays a lot of fast-paced games, you’ll appreciate this. Similarly, the D-Pad has a concave design, that I don’t mind, but it’s extremely different to that of the Elite Series 2 controller.

The triggers sticks both have trigger stops that are near identical to that of the Elite controller and can go between three different settings, and there’s four customisable buttons across the back of the controller that are well within reach and super helpful when gaming.

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The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra controller has a 1.5-inch display that can show notifications from your phone and help you customise the controller #TurtleBeachStealthUltra #TurtleBeach #StealthUltra #XboxSeriesX #Xbox #XboxController #Xbox #Tech #Controller #gaming

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The controller has a 30 hour battery life, and can be wirelessly charged using the dock that is included in the box. If you’re using all the RGBs and connecting to your phone, this will be significantly lower, but you can turn on an Eco mode to get the most out of the battery if that’s what you’d prefer It also acts as a transmitter with the USB dongle plugged into it, and you can pair wirelessly this way for both Xbox Series X|S as well as PC, but there’s also Bluetooth connectivity for smart devices if that’s more up your alley.

The amount of customisation options with this controller is phenomenal. You can use the 1.5-inch command screen to change what each back button does, control the RGB lighting effects and colour, change the deadzones, vibration of the controller as well as change whether the controller connects over dongle, Bluetooth or in wired mode.

It’s a little bit cumbersome to use at first, as you have to push a button to activate using the screen with your controller, and then press that same button to end activity, but compared to some other pro controllers that I’ve used recently, the screen is absolutely fantastic for getting the most out of the controller without having to hold a weird combination of buttons to set a back button or connect it to a PC to make minor changes. It’s all right in front of you on the screen.

If you’re got a headset connected over wire, you can change the game/chat audio mixes as well as change EQ settings on the fly via the controller which is super helpful if you are a wired headset user, but if you’re using wireless, unfortunately you can’t take advantage of this functionality.

There’s 10 profiles that can be stored on the controller in total, which you can easily swap between using the screen. You can also connect your controller to a Turtle Beach app on your Xbox or PC and set up profiles this way and transfer them to the controller.

The thing that I was most eager to test out with the screen is pairing it to your phone and the Control Center 2 app for social notifications. The controller will vibrate and flash when a notification comes through, and I believe the objective of this is to stop you getting distracted by your phone (as you can’t reply on the controller).

I actually quite liked the idea, as whilst I was still looking away from the TV screen, it was a quick glance down rather than picking up my phone and getting distracted by another app or having to reply. The experience that I had didn’t really mimic what was explained in the marketing documents, in the sense that all notifications kind of looked the same regardless which app they were from and I found myself having to manually connect the app every time I’d use the controller, which kind of defeats the purpose, but hopefully this is rectified with updates.

The post Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Controller Review – The Display Is A Winner appeared first on Press Start.

When I reviewed the RTX 4080 last year, I was in absolute amazement with how DLSS 3.0 benefited framerates without compromising the image quality, and a year later, going hands-on with the 4070 Super, which comes in at the same price at the 4070 from last year, it was much of the same in the best way possible with the card absolutely being a powerhouse for 1440p gaming and even doing well with 4K gaming.

It’s no secret that I’ve loved the Founder’s Edition versions of the NVIDIA RTX cards, especially since the 3000 series, but the 4070 Super is one of the sexiest pieces of tech that I’ve ever laid eyes on. It has a matte black design, with the previously silver bits now blacked out which makes it look all that sleeker.

It still features a dual-slot design coming in at 267 x 112 x 42 mm meaning it’ll feature in most builds (I’ve been using the H1 V2 and it’s a perfect match). Compared to the 4080 and beyond, it looks like an absolute baby and it’s still impressive that NVIDIA has been able to stick with this size and get such great performance (especially considering it’s more powerful than a 3090).

The only negative thing that can be said about the design of the 4070 Super is the fact that the cord still comes out of the middle of the unit, which isn’t an issue except for the fact that it does take away from the cleanliness of the design, which really speaks more to how nice the actual card looks.

As far as ports go, it’s a very similar offering to last year’s models with three DP ports as well as one HDMI 2.1 port, so there’s really not shortage no matter how many devices you’re looking to plug into it.

As far as hardware goes, you’ve got seven more teraflops in shader codes, 15 more in ray-tracing cores and 102 more tensor cores. The only way that this could be have been made better was to up the 12GB of VRAM to 16GB, but it would have been a big ask in the current formfactor.

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If you’ve listened to my talking about tech on our podcast or read any other hardware reviews I’ve written, I couldn’t be a bigger fan of DLSS and what it has done for PC gaming. I want it everywhere as it just takes the stress out of worrying about frame rates and getting a smooth performance and that’s never been truer than what’s on offer with DLSS 3 and the 4070 Super.

I’m not even going to try and pretend that I understand the full extent of the magic involved with DLSS 3, but basically, the 3 stands for three things: The brand new Frame Generation technology, Super Resolution (DLSS 2) as well as NVIDIA reflex. DLSS 3 is only available on the 4000 series cards thanks to the new ADA Lovelace architecture and the performance increase is instantly noticeable.

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You’ll see it in the benchmarks, but what NVIDIA continues to do with DLSS 3 is simply amazing for PC performance. It’s not even worth comparing it to the likes of the 3070 or 2070 super as it just blows them out of the park when utilising the AI technology. NVIDIA says that the 4070 Super is faster than a 3090 with even a larger gap provided by DLSS 3 and the numbers don’t lie.

4K GAMING

The 4070 Super really shines whilst gaming in 1440p, but thanks to DLSS 3.0, it definitely holds its own when 4K gaming. The below benchmarks were performed with DLSS 3.0 turned on (to balanced) and graphics set to ultra with ray-tracing maxed out where possible.

• Returnal – 83 FPS
• Cyberpunk 2077 – 59 FPS
• F1 2022 – 105 FPS
• Horizon Zero Dawn – 109 FPS
• Forza Horizon 5 – 117 FPS

F1 2022, Forza Horizon 5 and Horizon Zero Dawn were all able to achieve above the 100 FPS mark which is pretty impressive for an $1,100 card.

It was only Cyberpunk 2077 that came in at 60 FPS in RT ULTRA which is still formidable given how big that world is, and absolutely playable even in 4K.

Turning DLSS 3.0 off really paints the picture of how much that technology has pushed PC gaming along, with Cyberpunk 2077 dropping to 37 FPS, Returnal still a respectable 57 FPS and Horizon Zero Dawn and Forza Horizon 5 still coming in well above the 60 FPS mark.

1440P GAMING

There’s no denying that 1440p gaming is absolutely going to be where the 4070 Super sings. The below benchmarks were performed with DLSS 3.0 turned on (to balanced) and graphics set to ultra with ray-tracing maxed out where possible.

• Returnal – 106 FPS
• Cyberpunk 2077 – 105 FPS
• F1 2022 – 100 FPS
• Horizon Zero Dawn – 151 FPS
• Forza Horizon 5 – 162 FPS

Everything that I threw at it was able to achieve above the 100 FPS mark with Horizon Zero Dawn and Forza Motorsport 5 going beyond the max 144hz that my monitor could display. Cyberpunk 2077 looked buttery smooth at 105 FPS as did Returnal.

If for some reason you’re not wanting to play with DLSS, you can expect ~100 FPS for Returnal, F1 2022, Horizon Zero Dawn and Forza Horizon 5 with even Cyberpunk 2077 hovering around the 55-60 FPS mark.

If you’re rocking a 1440p monitor and ~$1000 is roughly your budget for a GPU, there won’t be a better value for money purchase that you’ll make than the 4070 Super, unless you’re willing to take a small hit and purchase a 4070 second hand or slightly discounted.

When comparing to the 4070, you’re going to get a 15-20% increase in frame rates, which isn’t insignificant and impressive that NVIDIA was able to push that performance out of the same form-factor in just the space of a year.

In terms of actual power draw, the 4070 Super will suck up roughly 20 watts more power, but obviously still well below the power draw that you’ll get from using a 3090, so it’s impressive to say the least.

The post NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Super Founders Edition Review – Even Better Bang For Your Buck appeared first on Press Start.

Ever since PlayStation revealed its shiny new handheld gaming device, the PlayStation Portal, to be less of a PSP/Vita successor and instead simply a dedicated PS5 Remote Play gadget, there’s been ongoing discussion over just who the Portal is for. With remote play already possible on numerous other devices, forking out $329 for a WiFi-only solution that offers up absolutely no other functionality seemed too much to swallow for some. There is merit to having a streamlined, dedicated way to quickly pick up your PS5 games around the house though, especially when the alternatives are fumbling with extra phone attachments and draining your phone battery faster, so if the Portal worked it could be a quiet game-changer.

After having spent a good amount of time switching between playing PS5 games on my TV and picking up my progress on the Portal, I’m happy to say that it’s the first remote play solution that’s been seamless, reliable and comfortable enough that I actually want to use it on a regular basis. It still might not be the perfect device for absolutely everybody, and it has its quirks, but it’s a decent start.

Setting up the Portal was super fast and as simple as switching it on, signing into your PSN account with a QR code and then connecting to your console. Following the first-time setup it’s even easier, with just one touch to connect to your PS5 any time you decide to pick up the Portal and play. If you’re lucky enough to have one of the new PlayStation Pulse products, pairing those is also incredibly quick thanks to PlayStation’s fancy new Link technology. Syncing up my Pulse Explore buds was as easy as pressing the Link button on both products and away I went. I do hope Sony’s got multi-account connectivity lined up in the future so that my partner and I can share the Portal without having to re-login each time, though.

Hands-down the PlayStation Portal’s biggest success is in its form factor, which in the most simple terms is a PS5 DualSense controller split in two with a big display in the middle. It’s a lot more elegant than it sounds though, with a seamless design that looks and feels incredibly sleek and solid. The controller grips aren’t a complete match for a DualSense, with the PlayStation and microphone mute buttons moved to an upper portion of either side, and the analogue sticks are smaller (seemingly the same size as the ones on the PS VR2’s Sense controllers) but you’re otherwise getting the same great comfort levels along with the DualSense’s unique immersive features like detailed haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.

The only slight bit of awkwardness comes with the touchpad functionality being moved to the screen itself, which works fine for anything that just uses the touchpad as an extra button but can be trickier if you need to do any precise touches or swiping mid-gameplay. It’s the same solution that mobile controller attachments like the Backbone use, and it still seems like the most appropriate one, but it’s worth pointing out. At the end of the day, the Portal feels great in the hand and is far better and more approximate a PS5 control experience than any third-party solution. It’s a minor thing, but I also think the more prominent LED lighting on each side of the controls looks quite handsome.

The 8″ 1080p 60Hz screen that makes up the face of the Portal is equally excellent. It’s big, bright and fairly vibrant. It’s not an OLED display, so the blacks are less deep and the colours less intense than some high-end phones or the most recent iteration of the Switch, but it surprised me with how good it is all things considered and the size gives it a major advantage against any phone-based solution without being so big that it’s cumbersome. The internal speakers are also pretty good, coming through fairly crisp and loud. All that screen doesn’t seem to be too taxing on the Portal’s battery, either. I typically get around 4-5 hours of use with the screen at 100% brightness, and it’s juiced back up in a couple of hours plugged into my PS5 with the included USB-C cable.

Of course, for all of the success on the external hardware side of things, the Portal is strictly a remote play device and that means that its utility hinges entirely on the network connecting it to your PS5 console. That’s a hard thing to review given everyone’s network setup and environment is going to be vastly different, but in my own experience it’s been just as solid as what I get from connecting via my phone or PC, in some ways even better. The winner is reliability, I’ve had absolutely no disconnects or even freezes when playing on my home network which is made up of a couple of eero 6 WiFi points and my PS5 connected to the main point via ethernet. I’ve had minor moments where the visual quality temporarily drops a little but the vast majority of the time I’ve had the full 1080p60 display.

That said, the added latency introduced with remote play isn’t always ideal. It’s fine in slower-paced or more cinematic games, but I had a lot of trouble getting into fast-paced action titles or first-person shooters where it was noticeable that quick button presses or camera movements were happening on a delay. Again, this is normal remote play stuff but if there was going to be one major selling point for the Portal it really should’ve been a better connectivity solution. It feels like PlayStation Link could’ve had the magic in it somewhere to make this a more direct, WiiU Gamepad-like deal. At the very least, up-to-date WiFi tech might have helped – as it stands the best you get on the Portal is WiFi 5 which is theoretically enough to support the PS5’s 1080p60 streaming output but is still puzzlingly dated for a WiFi-only device designed for streaming video games.

All said, the Portal works surprisingly well with what it has. Creating a device that works perfectly across every possible version of a user’s network was always going to be an impossible task, so it could certainly have been worse. I do wish there was some sort of network diagnostic option in the system menu that could help point users to any potential issues, because as it stands if you do run into any problems it’s pretty much a guessing game of whether it’s your network hardware, another device sucking up the bandwidth or just your router’s emotional state at any given time.

I also held off publishing this review right away, knowing I had a trip to the US coming up, and could put the Portal to the ultimate test by using it to play my PS5 on the other side of the world. I don’t think anyone would expect to get a good result out of streaming a video game from Melbourne to LA, but with the Portal tethered to my phone it was shockingly playable. Video quality wasn’t quite as good and the latency increased to the point that I probably wouldn’t use it for most titles, but I still had no hitches or disconnects and as an experiment borne of morbid curiosity I’m genuinely stoked at the result. It did highlight one pain point for anyone who does hope to play their Portal on a trip, which is that it’s not possible at all to connect to any WiFi network requiring a login via browser, sadly ruling out the majority of hotel networks.

Also frustratingly missing is any kind of Bluetooth connectivity for headphones, limiting your options to plugging in via the 3.5mm headphone jack or using one of those aforementioned Pulse devices using the new Link technology. It makes some sense given Bluetooth is likely to add extra audio latency to the existing WiFi latency, but more options is always a good thing.

Despite some missteps though, the PlayStation Portal has still been my favourite way to get into PS5 Remote Play around the house. If what you’re looking for is the most comfortable, seamless and dedicated way to play your games from another room, that’s exactly what’s on offer here.

The post PlayStation Portal Review – For The Remote Players appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve been rocking a version of Razer’s premium Iskur gaming chair for almost a year now, having previously reviewed it in its Fabric variant. In that time it’s been fantastic, so when Razer let me know an Iskur V2 was on the way and at a not-insignificant bump up in price I was curious to see where they’d managed to improve on the build and design. Turns out, Razer has iterated on just about every part of the Iskur and the result is my bum’s new favourite spot in the house.

To understand where the Iskur V2 improves upon its predecessor you of course need to know where it came from, so here’s the gist – the Iskur is a very decent gaming chair for those wanting good construction quality and lumbar support, especially in the Fabric version with its understated looks and nice upholstering. For $799.95 AUD it wasn’t the most affordable gaming chair out there but it met that by being built from high-quality materials and offering a nice amount of flexibility. It was also notable for being packaged to the absolute nth degree with mountains of excess cardboard and foam to clean up after and a somewhat-awkward assembly.

The good news then, is that the first thing I noticed on unboxing and setting up the Iskur V2 is a notable improvement to both experiences. Packaging-wise it wasn’t too different but did seem better organised and with a fair bit less waste at the end. Crucially, the setup was way quicker and easier this time thanks to some thoughtful changes. Things like the castor wheels having an easy-insert rubber end rather than a forceful push to get them in place, or a proper railing for the backrest to slot into while you screw it in with far less time lining up bolts with their respective holes. Putting this chair together solo is much more feasible now and shouldn’t take most people more than 15-20 minutes.

It’s also quickly apparent while setting up the Iskur V2 that it’s constructed even better than before with super solid looking and feeling mechanical components, classy finishes throughout and the same high-quality stitching and materials as ever. All of the levers, buttons and bits across the chair – including the fantastic 4D armrests – feel reliable and responsive which adds a lot to the overall impression of the chair itself. The original Iskur was much the same but it’s nice to see things even more polished in its successor, especially when the price point has shifted up to a slightly more pause-inducing $1179 AUD.

Comfort changes from the original Iskur start at the base and backrest, with the Iskur V2 having widened shoulder arches and a widened seat base, with the aim to help accommodate a bigger diversity of body types but even as a fairly small person I really appreciate the extra real estate. If you’re someone who shifts and changes position frequently while sitting, the extra space to  lean or twist is quite welcome. The seat itself also feels less tight than before, a bit more cushioned but without sacrificing firmness. The chair’s also got a nice degree of tilt as you move around in it that adds to the overall sense of comfort and flexibility, and the backrest’s manual tilt now goes up to 152° if you need some relaxation time in a pinch. All said, even just at a base level the design of the Iskur V2 is a measured step up.

The real hero though is the new “6D” lumbar support system, which is a fancy way of saying that the Iskur V2’s lumbar support has added more dimensions and now fully adjusts in height and curvature along with depth and angle. With a simple knob on either side of the chair controlling the shape of the support it’s really easy to quickly adjust while you’re seated to get the perfect level of pressure and structure and create an optimal sitting position.

The original Iskur did a good enough job of supporting spines just by having some semblance of a mechanism but Razer’s really taken things to the next level here and made this more than your average gaming chair. The result is that I feel like I can sit at my desk in the way that’s most comfortable for me over long sessions and still have a sense that my posture is being protected, rather than forcing myself into whatever position felt “correct” for the chair I was using.

The post Razer Iskur V2 Review – Improvements Across The Board appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve reviewed a bunch of AYANEO handhelds this year ranging from the super high-end AYANEO 2S to the most recent Android-based AYANEO Air Plus, but the company has just entered a brand new product line with the release of the AYANEO AM01 Retro Mini PC, which is also the first non-handheld that the company has released.

The AM01 is the first product in AYANEO’s new Remake line which also includes a range of handhelds, portable PCs and power banks which are based on retro tech products. In-case you couldn’t tell, the AM01 is based on the original Macintosh, and as an Apple fan, I’m going to go on the record and say that this is one of the nicest devices I’ve had the pleasure of putting on my desk.

All of the AYANEO unboxing experiences feel premium, but this one felt super special, with even the outer box feeling extremely Apple-like. The actual unit itself is about the size of 2-3 CDs stacked on top of each-other, and standing on its side looks exactly like a mini Macintosh, with the disc slot eject button acting as a power button, and a non-working screen featuring the iconic Apple smiley face.

It would have been nice to have some kind of working screen (which will feature in the AM02), but AYANEO has been nice enough to include a bunch of stickers that go over the top.

As far as ports go, you’ve got HDMI 2.0, Display Port 1.4, four USB-A ports (3 x 2.0 and 1x 3.2), ethernet as well as a USB-C port and a 3.5mm jack on the front, which can’t be used when the mini PC is standing up on its side.

The unit can either be ordered barebones for $220 USD ($33 0AUD) without any OS, ram or storage, and if you do get those bundled in, they can also be upgraded as well. It comes in two chipsets, including the Ryzen 3 3200U or Ryzen 7 5700U. I tested the 5700U/8GB/256GB version which is $270 USD ($399 AUD), which is super reasonable. It’s currently on Indiegogo where you can grab it now. 

The PC comes loaded with Windows 11 and you’re even greeted with a very familiar feeling ‘Hello’ Apple-like wallpaper. It also comes pre-installed with the AYASPACE 2.0 software which can control a bunch of settings for the unit including TDP and fan usage, which you can set and forget with this product as it’s not a handheld, but it’s also great if you want to treat the PC like a gaming console or quickly change settings on the fly or monitor performance with the overlay.

As far performance goes, I can’t think of another mini PC that will go as far as this one does. It’s fantastic value for money. Honestly, I’d want it on my desk just for the stellar design alone, but it actually really surprised me when it comes to performance.

For everyday tasks or video editing, obviously it’s super capable, as well as playing indie games such as Dead Cells, Cocoon, Hades and Ori and the Will of the Wisps where I was able to get a solid 60FPS or beyond playing at 1080p.

When it comes to AAA gaming, it will be a little bit more limited. You’ll be able to play games like Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077 or God of War/Horizon Zero Dawn, but you’ll likely be dropping it to 720 on low settings and expect 30 FPS.

Emulation is really where this device shines though. Obviously older consoles such as the NES and SNES are an absolute breeze, but you can even run PS2 and GameCube games with a 3x resolution at 1080P at 60FPS. There are a few stutters here and there, but you can tweak the settings and end up with an experience that is absolutely fantastic.

As far as noise goes, it does ramp up at times, but most of the time it’s near whisper quiet, and given the size of the unit, this really surprised me.

AYANEO has really impressed me with its output this year. Every product that I’ve tested has oozed quality and almost been an improvement on the last, but the AM01 feels like the start of something special, both in design but also the value that it provides for the money.

The post AYANEO Retro Mini PC AM01 Review – Great Value For Money appeared first on Press Start.

I’m more of a casual racing fan, but when the opportunity presented itself to test out a fully kitted out Thrustmaster combo including a T818 base, SF1000 wheel and the T-LCM pedal set.

Technically, this setup is split into three parts and the best part about new Thrustmaster technology is that it’s all future compatible now, thanks to a new quick release system.

So the base and wheel both have a fast release system that can be used with other parts, so for instance, whilst the T818 base is only compatible with PC, the SF1000 wheel (which we’ll talk about in a bit) is actually compatible with other bases including those that are PlayStation compatible thanks to this universal system.

Connecting it to a PC, it’s fairly easy to get going, although you do really want to make sure that everything is tightened and fastened correctly (without breaking it). You can then test all the functions and make sure it’s all working in Thrustmaster software, and update the firmware quite easily as well.

The base uses direct drive technology which means that you really feel every single bump in the road. I don’t know how this technology works, but even with the base strapped to a table (and not in a cockpit type setup), you feel like you’re using an extremely high-end drive simulation setup.

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Every wall hit, or rock in the road, you will feel through your hands with the base causing the wheel to vibrate and rotate based on what the car is doing. This can easily be turned off with the hit of a button, if you’re feeling overwhelmed and want a relaxing driving situation.

I’m not a huge car guy. I’ve played a lot of Forza Horizon and have even dabbled in some Gran Turismo in my time, but I could see myself playing a lot more F1 and Forza Motorsport with this type of setup, as it just feels so much more natural and immersive to be driving using a wheel.

Really though, the beautiful part of this package is the SF1000 wheel which is a 1:1 replica from the actual car. It features a 4.3-inch display with 69 items of information that are reflected real-time, 21 LEDs that show your acceleration as well as 25 buttons and 7 encoders to let you quickly control your vehicle.

On the back there’s magnetic metal push/pull pedals for changing gears or accelerating/braking (if you’re not using pedals) and I just can’t speak highly enough for how much putting your hands on these grips make you feel like you’re in control of a race car. It’s unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced in my house before.

The last part of the package was the T-LCM pedals which are compatible with the PS4/PS5/Xbox as well as PC (where I tested them). If you’re using them with the the T818 package, you plug them into the base for a clean and easy solution, otherwise you can plug them into your console with a USB cord.

I can’t speak highly enough to the quality of the pedals. They’ve got a great mount of weight so they don’t move if you’re placing them on the floor. The actual pedals have 100% metal material heads which feel super premium and all three pedals can be adjusted individually in terms of height, inclination and spacing.

The mechanical breaks provide real time feedback which is adjustable with a number of springs that are included in the box, so you can adjust to your liking.

All-in-all, if you’re a serious racing sim fan, the entire package of the Thrustmaster Ferrari T818 + SF1000 wheel with the T-LCM Pedal set will absolutely enhance your racing experience and bring a new sense of immersion and tactility that you didn’t even realise was possible in your home.

The post Thrustmaster T818 Ferrari SF1000 Simulator/T-LCM Pedal Set Review – Feel Every Bump appeared first on Press Start.

When the PlayStation 5 was first revealed, reactions to its bold design were definitely mixed. The wavy, two-tone aesthetic coupled with the sheer size of the thing certainly makes for a statement in any room you put it in – and arguably that was the idea all along. Still, there’s something to be said for a cheeky redesign a few years into any console’s lifecycle and while PlayStation seemingly isn’t ready to abandon the PS5’s unique silhouette any time soon it has seen fit to launch a slimmer and more refined take on the device to carry the torch going forward.

Technically remaining under the standard PlayStation 5 moniker, the PS5 Slim as it’s known represents a more than 30% reduction in overall volume and up to 24% reduction in weight versus the previous version of the console, no doubt in an effort to reduce manufacturing time and costs as the public continues to buy up PS5s at a cracking pace. Despite shedding nearly a third of its size, I was initially surprised at how big the console still is when I took it out of the box. Placing it next to an OG unit though, and really comparing the footprint and weights of the two, it is a pretty significant reduction. Not life-changing, but definitely enough that some folks will finally be able to squeeze it into their cabinets or onto their desks.

At a glance, it’s also pretty similar to the original PS5 in design, but there are some important differences. The most obvious one being the splitting of its two cover plates into a total of four panels. This facilitates the introduction of a removable optical disc drive giving those who purchase the digital edition of the console the flexibility to later purchase the drive and attach it to the console. I’m not entirely sold on the glossy finish of the two smaller panels, but I’ve no doubt I’ll be picking up the matte black official set when Sony launches them in the future, anyway.

My review unit came as the drive-inclusive package, but naturally the first thing I did was check out how it all works, and removing or attaching the tray is deceptively simple. For starters the panels themselves are easier to take off versus the OG PS5, rather than the awkward lift-and-slide method from before, they basically just peel off now without having to use too much force and there are handy visual guides etched into the undersides to make clicking them back into place nice and simple. The optical drive’s design wizardry means it just lifts out with no screws or latches of any kind to deal with, and putting it on is as easy as lining up the very-obvious connector and then pushing it in until it clicks. Finding an elegant-but-feasible solution for a modular drive like this can’t have been a simple task but PlayStation’s engineers and architects have nailed it I reckon.

An unexpected but very welcome byproduct of the new disc drive design is also that the eject button has now been moved to sit next to the disc slot itself, which may seem inconsequential but as someone who still struggles to remember which of the barely-distinguishable buttons on the front of the original model is which I was glad to see there’s absolutely no mistaking them now. It’d be nice to see Sony ditch the requirement to pair the weird DRM system of connecting to the internet to register the disc drive the first time you use it, which means buying them secondhand could come with headaches, but it’s at least a very painless, 10-second process to pair or unpair it.

Elsewhere on the front panel of the console, there are now two USB-C ports instead of a combination of one USB-C and one USB-A, which seems like a smart move even if only one of them is a SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Gen 2 port. The PlayStation VR2 needs that other, high speed USB-C port which previously left just the aging USB-A in front while the vast majority of external devices have since moved to the newer format. There are still two SuperSpeed USB-A 3.1 Gen 2 ports on the back if you need them, along with the same HDMI, ethernet and power connections as before, just in slightly different placements now. Unsurprisingly, the DualSense wireless controller included with the console is exactly the same as before, though the charging cable you get in the box is now USB-C on both sides to accommodate the updated ports on the console.

The other major external difference in the slimmer PS5 is the ditching of the old, awkward combination horizontal/vertical stand. Somewhat controversially, what you get in the box now is a couple of tiny, plastic peg legs to set the console up in a horizontal position. In spite of initial doubts, I’m actually shocked at how much better these are over the old stand when it comes to horizontal placement. There are dedicated holes in the underside of the console for them, cleverly placed right between the two cover panels, and the legs themselves have a rubber end where they sit on your bench/cabinet which immediately makes the PS5 far more stable than ever with much less fuss and second-guessing than the old stand.

That said, what this means is there’s no longer a solution in the box for standing the PS5 up in a vertical position. Instead, PlayStation now sells a dedicated Vertical Stand separately that works with both the new and old PS5 models. Granted, the updated Vertical Stand is also significantly better than the last one in terms of design, installation and stability, and the new PS5 stands up just fine on its own, but there’s no glossing over the fact that it’s an added $49.95 cost to the console that didn’t previously exist if you want the added peace of mind. With the drive-inclusive version still costing the same $799.95 as before and the digital version getting an increase to $679.95 it’s an unfortunate case of the new, slim PS5 being more expensive in some cases than its predecessor.

Under the hood, the story is maybe a little less remarkable than the exterior updates. In terms of the chipset, RAM, network hardware and other bits everything is the same and nothing internally has been updated in a way that impacts performance either positively or negatively over the prior version. Everything looks and plays exactly the same, so if you were hoping to see any kind of bump up you’ll have to hold out hope for some degree of “Pro” iteration in the future. Likewise, if you were worried about the smaller form factor leading to any added noise or heat – I’m happy to report that there’s been absolutely no discernable difference between my two machines.

The great news is that the slimmer PS5’s internal storage has been improved, now bumped up to 1TB over the original PS5’s somewhat quirky 825GB capacity. Even after considering the space the console needs sectioned off in order to operate, it’s still packing more than the previous total at 840GB of usable storage – a massive upgrade over the 670GB-ish of the OG. Of course, there’s still a user-servicable M.2 SSD slot under one of the top panels that you can use to further increase your storage space for PS5 and PS4 titles, but the extra Call of Duty’s worth of space out of the box is incredibly welcome.

If I had to level one slight criticism at the internal updates on this new PS5, I reckon there’s a missed opportunity to have included PlayStation’s fancy new Link technology on-board so folks with the new Pulse Explore or upcoming Pulse Elite headsets could pair up without needing the adapter.

The post PlayStation 5 (Slim Model) Review – A Great Update To An Already-Excellent Console appeared first on Press Start.

Although PlayStation has always offered its own, growing range of first-party peripherals with each new console generation, it’s been especially bold with the line up of official accessories for the PS5. Not just in the breadth of technology or striking designs but in delving into particularly luxurious attachments that command just as much of a price tag as they do your attention. But while the majority of higher-end third party devices for the PS5 takes a kitchen sink approach to features, PlayStation’s own have been more about quality and integration than outright innovation.

The DualSense Edge controller is a great example of this. It doesn’t do a huge amount to compete with other “pro” controllers in its price class when it comes to feature set, but it’s undeniably well designed and built, and by virtue of being a proprietary PlayStation product it integrates wonderfully with the PS5 software. The new Pulse Explore wireless earbuds, a first for PlayStation, share a similar philosophy – they’re not packing as many back-of-the-box bullet points as other wireless buds available for the PS5, but they sound fantastic and work seamlessly with the console and likewise will with the upcoming PlayStation Portal.

The most immediately noticeable thing about the Pulse Explore buds is their design, which continues PlayStation’s commitment to the striking, black-and-white aesthetic of the PS5 console and all of its assorted add-ons. Even the charging case is novel, opting for a sliding cover as opposed to the flip-tops most wireless earbud users are accustomed to. It’s quite big too, but a lot of that comes down to the buds themselves, which have a uniquely elongated shape that makes them a fair bit larger than a lot of others that I’ve used.

Thankfully, the unusual shape and size of the Pulse Explore buds hasn’t resulted in them feeling overly hefty. Obviously everyone’s mileage will vary depending on their individual ear shapes, but in my use they’ve actually been shockingly comfy and snugly secure even for long periods of play. These buds are packing planar magnetic drivers – more on that in a bit – which more than likely necessitated them being a bit girthier, but PlayStation’s done a commendable job of moulding them into a design that’s both visually remarkable and supremely comfortable. Plus, there are a total of four sets of interchangeable tips which is fairly generous in my experience.

Also included in the box is the PlayStation Link USB Adapter, facilitating a new low-latency, lossless audio streaming solution that works with the Pulse Explore buds and will similarly feature in next year’s Pulse Elite wireless headset. PlayStation Link not only provides high-speed, high-fidelity audio but enables seamless compatibility with PS5 devices like the PlayStation Portal, which has the Link tech built-in. The PlayStation Link USB Adapter also works flawlessly with PC, and you can buy extras separately, so you can easily pair the Pulse Explore buds with multiple adapters and switch between your devices as you need just by pressing the buttons on both. 

The fact that PlayStation just launched a revised version of the PS5 console without taking the opportunity to integrate PlayStation Link into it feels like a bit of a misstep though, especially because the adapter is USB-A and therefore will need to go into one of the rear ports if you have the new “slim” machine. Still, the setup is mercifully easy out of the box. You just whack the adapter into your console, take the buds out of their case and voila – you’ve got sound.

And excellent sound, too. Thanks no doubt to PlayStation’s buyout of audio innovators, Audeze, the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds are packing planar magnetic drivers that are more commonly reserved for the kinds of high-end headsets used by the folks that engineer the audio in games and movies as opposed to the conical, dynamic drivers found in typical consumer headphones or buds. 

The result is incredibly crisp, nuanced and detailed sound that absolutely blew me away from the jump. They also manage this without sounding overly thin or flat, instead providing a deep and rich soundscape that really elevated the experience in games like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Horizon Forbidden West and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and brought out new subtleties I’d missed even with a half-decent external sound system. Couple that with the PS5’s Tempest 3D audio and I was genuinely floored with what I was hearing from a pair of wireless buds. No matter what games I threw at them and what kind of spectacle was occurring on-screen, these unassuming buds handled it spectacularly and I often felt the kind of auditory immersion reserved for booming cinema speakers.

There are a couple of drawbacks to the use of planar magnetic drivers, though. For starters, they tend to use more power, which has meant that the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds have a fairly average battery life. PlayStation says it’s about five hours per charge, with the case providing roughly three full charges, and in my testing that’s been about bang on. It’s not awfully short, especially when these are geared more toward gaming than being an all-day headphone for commuting, working out and the like, but it’s worth noting. 

More disappointing though, and perhaps also due to power concerns, is that the Pulse Explore buds don’t get as loud as I’d have liked. I wouldn’t say they’re too quiet, but I can imagine most users will find the sweet spot is all the way up 100% volume which naturally leaves no room for extra oomph should it be needed. They also don’t feature any kind of active noise cancelling, so if you’re trying to use them in a louder environment you’re not left with many options. Thankfully this was only ever really an issue when I tried to use them out and about to listen to music, which honestly isn’t the greatest use for them anyway – it sounds fine, but it’s clear these are meant for listening to cinematic, pulse-pounding video games and movies and not the latest TJ Mack banger. 

Along with the omission of noise cancelling, the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds are also missing some other niceties found in more general-use buds, like touch controls or sensors to turn them on and off as you insert or remove them. These strike me as things that were deemed less important to gaming and worth skipping in favour of keeping these things at a somewhat-reasonable price tag given the cutting-edge audio tech inside them. Wireless headphones with planar magnetic drivers are typically exorbitantly priced, so the trade-off makes some sense.

While I haven’t spent a heap of time using the Pulse Explore buds to chat with mates, what little response I’ve had from others online so far has been pretty positive. The built-in noise rejection from the microphone seems to be surprisingly decent at not picking up anything other than my voice, and the quality is pretty much on par with anything you’d expect out of a gaming headset mic. The great thing is that the Explores can be paired simultaneously to PlayStation Link and Bluetooth, so you can chat or listen to music and podcasts using another device while still getting game audio. Given the otherwise walled-in nature of these PlayStation products I was pleasantly surprised with how flexible they are in terms of connectivity.

They work nicely with the PS5 software as well, being a proprietary device they’re properly integrated into the UI and you can tweak basic stuff like volume and 3D audio and see battery life and connection status of both left and right buds on-screen. Beyond that there’s not much more you can do to customise the experience, I do wish there was some kind of equaliser or at least some presets, but again these are intended for gaming over anything else so that won’t be a dealbreaker for most.

The post PlayStation Pulse Explore Wireless Earbuds Review – Premium PlayStation Sound appeared first on Press Start.

It feels like recent years have seen the most diverse and eclectic landscape of dedicated gaming handhelds since everyone tried and failed to go after Nintendo and its Game Boy (I loved my Game Gear, for what it’s worth), only now the stakes are higher than ever with devices packing hardware capable of offering gaming experiences that are genuinely comparable to a modest home console or PC. But at the same time as some tech vendors are squeezing more and more raw performance out of tiny chips, others are honing their ability to serve up increasingly-convincing facsimiles of a real-time gaming experience by rendering high-end visuals offsite and beaming them to more passive devices.

Cloud gaming is undoubtedly one of the last bastions of gadgets like the Razer Edge, which immediately acquits itself of the grueling tech race being run by the likes of Valve, ASUS, Lenovo or AYANEO, by virtue of sticking with a traditionally-mobile ecosystem. It’s a thin, sleek rectangle that sports a Snapdragon G3X Gen 1 chipset and runs on Android, making it closer to a gaming phone or tablet than a Steam Deck, but it’s been paired with a version of Razer’s Kishi controller attachments in a way that begs comparison nonetheless. It suits a very specific use case that could’ve had a more broad appeal were it not for some unfortunate barriers – including the operating system it relies on.

Let’s start at the beginning though, shall we? Unboxing the Edge proves to be an endeavor typical of just about any Razer device – lifting the thing free of its black-and-green prison reveals a smattering of inclusions in the box from the unit itself to a USB-C charging cable and leaflets but it’s quite minimal overall. The Edge itself, at least the brains and the display part, is actually just a small slab of an Android tablet. On its own it’s incredibly basic-looking with nothing to adorn it save the power and volume buttons, a SIM card slot and some fan grilles on the back.

See, rather than offer up an all-enclosed device like the Logitech G Cloud or even the recently-released PlayStation Portal, a big point-of-difference in the Edge is that it comes in two parts with the second half of the equation being a version of Razer’s existing Kishi V2 Pro mobile gaming controller included in the box. That seemed weird at first, but I guess there are enough reasons that might be useful to some to justify it. At the very least it makes it easier to chuck in a small bag or even split it between pockets if you’re still rocking cargo shorts in 2023. Probably with a chain wallet and an MP3 player in the others. Options are always a good thing though, and the Edge doesn’t feel unstable or awkward as a result of coming in two pieces.

In fact, the Kishi controller is a big advantage here because it’s super comfortable with nicely clicky and responsive buttons, even if the layout and especially the joysticks are on the smaller side. It’s served me well in very action-heavy games like Fortnite, The Division: Resurgence and Genshin Impact. I even managed a solo dub in Epic’s mammoth battle royale which is, well, unlike me. The Kishi is ubiquitous enough as well that most games support it nicely, although frustratingly the official PlayStation Remote Play app doesn’t, meaning you’ll have to turn to a paid third-party alternative if you want to use this to remotely access your PS5 games. The Razer Nexus app actually offers an ingenious Virtual Controller Mode that lets you assign your Kishi’s buttons to parts of the screen for games that don’t support a controller at all, but it’s definitely not the ideal way to use PS5 Remote Play.

It’s tough to say too much about the Razer Edge without addressing one critical concern, and that is if you already have an Android device like a phone or tablet, especially a modern one with decent performance, there’s not much this thing can do differently or better. The best selling point it has is obviously being a standalone device that you can dedicate to high-quality games or as an all-in-one portable emulation machine with a nice big display, but $889.95 is a fair bit of cash to splash on those limited use cases when there are so many other ways to access those things. In my case I’ve found myself picking it up around the house quite a bit to smash out 30-60 minutes of something here and there, but if I was going away and had to choose between taking the Razer Edge or my Switch, I’d go the latter knowing my Pixel 8 Pro easily picks up the slack.

The Razer Edge being an Android device also means it struggles to shake its hidden identity as a tablet in gaming handheld’s clothing. The moment-to-moment UI experience is a constant reminder of that, especially when it attempts to go to a vertical layout and you’re stuck holding it sideways while you do whatever needs to be done. There would probably be just as many shortcomings had Razer opted for a more custom OS experience rather than just plonking its own app ecosystem on an otherwise stock Android 12, and all of the awkward controller-based navigation and constant fighting of the screen orientation are symptoms of Google’s software rather than anything Razer has done wrong, but the experience is hampered nonetheless.

Speaking of the screen, the 6.8″ AMOLED screen on the Edge is wonderful to look at, vibrant and sporting a 2400×1080 resolution at up to 144Hz. The overall shape of the device including the Kishi attachment has seemingly necessitated a much wider aspect ratio than most non-mobile games support but that’s quickly forgotten. What’s more noticeable is the rather severe rounding of the corners of the display, which is noticeable when you’re playing something in full 20:9 and doesn’t really serve a purpose other than eating into some screen real estate – it’s hard to fathom why it was designed that way.

Powering that display is a decent little performer of a device with its Snapdragon G3X Gen 1 chipset that’s built on an Adreno 660 GPU and 3Ghz Kryo CPU with an active cooling solution, giving it some serious grunt. It had no trouble running native games like Fortnite at 60fps with decent visuals, and a very performant Wi-Fi chip meant me cloud-based gaming had minimal latency or artifacting. Battery life is also pretty good by virtue of its use case being so narrow and thanks to a 5000 mAh battery. I tend to get around four to five hours of native gaming out of it at the higher end of brightness and with the surprisingly decent built-in speakers pumping. You’ll want the volume up or headphones on for the most intense gaming as the fans do kick into full gear at times, but it’s something I only ever noticed when there was no other sound going.

The Edge’s performance profile also means it’s a great little emulation machine, though if playing anything that could inarguably be classified as “retro” is your main focus you’re probably safe to go with a cheaper, less-powerful option like the AYANEO Pocket Air. The advantage here is, of course, the ability to go even more modern as well as the flexibility to also boot up high-end Android games and cloud gaming apps – plus 128GB of on-board storage with the flexibility to add more via MicroSD. Anyone specifically in the market for a device that does all three of these things, does them well, and little else would absolutely be making a good choice on the Razer Edge.

Though nearly every step forward is swiftly countered by an equal one back, the Razer Edge is still a good little device overall. Certainly if you were to use the way God and Razer intended – picking it up, opening the Razer Nexus app and booting into your favourite Android game, cloud streaming service or legally-murky emulator it offers a powerful and comfortable experience. The Nexus app is deceptively basic but does a pretty good job of automatically picking up anything you have installed or can access as far as games go and appropriately organising them, as well as offering a nifty Virtual Controller Mode that can really enhance some touchscreen-only Android apps.

The post Razer Edge Wi-Fi Review – A Great But Niche Mobile And Cloud Gaming Handheld appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve reviewed more than a few AYANEO devices at this point, but whilst this one looks very similar to that of the AYANEO Air 1S and AYANEO Air Pro that I reviewed earlier this year, the internals are totally different in the sense that this is AYANEO’s first Android handheld.

When it comes to the design of the handheld, it still has one of the best screens that you’ll find in a handheld with its 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display that has perfect blacks, great brightness and vivid colours and just like all the other AYANEO handhelds, it has hall effect joystick and triggers meaning that these won’t break down over time.

Whilst the physical size is similar to that of the AIR 1S, it’s a lot thinner and more comfortable in the hands. The ergonomics of the unit feel great with the analogue sticks feeling great, the D-Pad having a good amount of responsiveness and the face buttons whilst on the smaller side, are all in a great position. The colouring of the unit are super nostalgic following in the footsteps of the NES with its classic colouring.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $599 FROM JB HI-FI (6GB) / $679 FROM AMAZON (8GB)

There’s still finger print unlocking and two extra customised buttons on the top next to the shoulder buttons which are actually super useful in Android for getting to customise menus in emulators and such. There’s also a built in gyroscope which comes in handy for a range of mobile games and also emulating certain devices. You also get a dual MicroSD/Sim slot so that you can continue gaming on the go.

As mentioned at the start of this review, this is AYANEO’s first Android device. It runs Android 12 and has full access to the Google Play store which is not only great for a range of mobile games such as Genshin Impact and Call Of Duty mobile but you can also access Xbox Cloud Gaming and PlayStation Remote Play which both work flawlessly on the device.

Really though, I suspect that most people will probably buy this as an emulation device and the good news is that it’s absolutely perfect for it. It has a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 CPU and comes in 6GB/8GB versions for its Australian release (I tested the 12GB version) and all three of these should be capable of a wide range of emulation.

Obviously, the retro systems are all covered, meaning you’ll be able to jump into everything from the NES/GameBoy to the PS1/64, but it’s even capable for emulating the GameCube/Wii/PS2 and even some more modern consoles depending on the title and how you’re running them.

I was super impressed in particular with the GameCube/PS2 emulation which runs at 2/3x native resolution which does a world of good for those games especially paired with this incredible OLED screen.

AYANEO has dropped a custom version of AYASPACE on the Pocket Air, which extends both to a launcher that can build your gaming library across a range of emulators, but also acts as an overlay to change performance modes, quickly customise settings and check performance stats, and it’s super handy and brings the whole experience together.

Whilst AYASPACE isn’t as good as Daijisho for bring a emulation frontend, I have no doubts it’ll get consistent updates to continue improving

Battery life on the Pocket Air is absolutely phenomenal as well achieving up to 8-10 hours even on the performance mode. I was impressed to see that I still had a good chunk of battery after a whole day of gaming across a wide variety of platforms.

Whilst you could argue that a Steam Deck or ASUS ROG Ally could also run these titles as well as AAA PC games, and you wouldn’t be wrong, it’s the form-factor as well this insanely fantastic screen that makes this a winner.

The post AYANEO Pocket Air Review – A Fantastic Android Handheld appeared first on Press Start.

After we got a look at some of the earliest unboxings and impressions of the physical hardware, the embargo on the full PlayStation Portal experience has been lifted and the reviews have started pouring in with many outlets praising the quality of the handheld gameplay experience while also pointing out that it suits a very specific use case which means it won’t be for everyone.

While the PlayStation Portal isn’t launching in Australia this week along with other regions, it was just confirmed for a local launch on February 2nd, 2024 for $329.95 with pre-orders live right now – stock already looked to sell out locally in some retailers yesterday before bouncing back, so you can secure yours right here.

We’ve rounded up some of the reviews below:

[presto_player id=150280]

Feel more with PS5. Beyond the everyday. Beyond extraordinary. Even beyond imagination. Feel it now.

PlayStation Portal Review Round-Up

IGN was mostly positive on the Portal, scoring it an 8/10 and saying, “The PlayStation Portal is the most surprising device I’ve ever come away from loving after going in loaded with skepticism. It’s such a better experience than using your phone with a slap-on controller, and it works so much better than I was anticipating. I really love the freedom it gives me to play my PS5 from anywhere with decent WiFi coverage, especially when the rest of my family was using the TV to (somewhat ironically) play the Switch.

“Bearing in mind that it’s in no way a stand-alone device and 100% requires a PlayStation 5 to function at all, the biggest things keeping the Portal from being a truly amazing device are its current lack of a way to access WiFi that requires a web browser to log in, and its lack of Bluetooth support for audio. For now, it’s a great device that represents the best current solution for PlayStation Remote Play, and if it weren’t for those two baffling caveats, I’d call this a must-own device for every PS5 owner who enjoys playing games on handheld – or has to compete for the household TV.”

VGC was similarly impressed with the device within its specific use case, but likewise noted the lack of BlueTooth support, scoring it four out of five stars and saying, “[The] PlayStation Portal is a solution to a problem that not everyone has. The hardware is excellent, and it does exactly what it advertises, but the use cases for PlayStation Portal aren’t plentiful. There will be people for whom this machine is a godsend and others who equally couldn’t find a reason to use it if they tried. The Bluetooth situation is the only real black mark against the machine, but it’s a significant one.”

TechRadar gave it a glowing review, and said, “The PlayStation Portal is a brilliant handheld gaming device. It excels in its niche, offering ergonomic design and form, a wonderfully bright screen, and a host of PS5 features as standard. The Portal is an essential PS5 accessory for Remote Play users and for those looking to get more out of their console, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.”

Kotaku called out some minor inconveniences that need ironing out, but was otherwise chuffed with the Portal and said, “While there are tweaks I’d like to see in the weeks and months ahead, I’ve been quite impressed with the time I’ve spent with Portal so far. I’ve played for about six hours on a single charge and still have a bar of battery life left to go. It’s a solid sub-$US200 gift option for the gamer in your life who’s always hogging the TV when you’re trying to watch Vanderpump Rules or Monday Night Football.”

Inverse was slightly less positive, saying that they experienced connectivity issues and questioning the necessity of the Portal, concluding that, “In its current form, the PS Portal feels like a party trick. You might buy one as a novelty to see what it’s like, but given all of the connection issues, it’s very hard to have a smooth time gaming on the Portal. It definitely feels like an unnecessary accessory: nice to have but one you can feel free to skip for now.”

The PlayStation Portal launches in Australia for $329.95 on February 2nd, 2024. You can pre-order it on Amazon with no upfront payment and a pre-order price guarantee right here.

The post Here Are The First PlayStation Portal Reviews appeared first on Press Start.

I sincerely believe that, were it not for Nintendo’s consistent catalogue of fantastic first-party Switch titles, I’d easily have gone years without touching any kind of gaming handheld. I’d always kind of written off my disinterest in handhelds as being about a preference for playing on the biggest, best screen possible – but I’m starting to think that might not be the case. After putting some serious time in on my Switch with the CRKD Nitro Deck, I think it’s been about comfort and controls this whole time, two areas that this bold new device aims to address.

If you’re a Switch owner and somehow haven’t seen the buzz around the Nitro Deck yet, here’s the low-down. It’s a third-party cradle for housing the console in its portable or tabletop modes that adds a hefty body with a larger and more spacious button layout than Nintendo’s Joy-Cons along with some very enticing added features like programmable back buttons and hall effect joysticks. It also stands out thanks to a pretty sexy selection of colourways including a grab for some of that sweet, retro Nintendo nostalgia. Against the wishes of my partner who desperately wanted the Switched decked out in “GameCube” purple, I opted for the Retro Mint flavour and haven’t looked back.

The most immediately noticeable thing about the Nitro Deck when you first remove it from the box is that it’s thick. If you’re at all averse to adding a whole lot of volume to your Switch’s portable profile, step away now, but as someone who only ever plays theirs at home in bed or in hotel rooms when travelling it’s far from an issue. Slotting my Switch OLED Model in for the first time, which immediately felt far more smooth and secure than dropping it into the official dock ever has (though taking it back out is trickier), I was reminded how small the standalone device actually is in comparison to some modern portable gaming PCs.

Once you’ve got your Switch nestled snugly in the CRKD Nitro Deck it genuinely feels like it’s Nintendo’s device in its true form. It’s chunky, sure, but it’s incredibly comfortable to hold and feels super secure. It’s almost got the all-enclosed vibe of the Switch Lite, only naturally much bigger and with a far nicer screen if you’re using the Switch OLED. Unlike with Joy-Cons attached there’s a good amount of body to contour your hands around on either side and the added weight really does just sit more nicely in the hand. The only thing I immediately noticed, which did prove to be an issue in certain more camera-heavy games, is that the right stick sits at a position where it’s hard to get the pad of your thumb on it without contorting your hand. It definitely needed to be shifted a bit to feel natural, at the cost of symmetry.

The rest of the button layout fares much better though, with an array of incredibly satisfying inputs and the addition of very versatile programmable back buttons. The standard inputs you’d expect all feel great with face buttons that have a deep and responsive press along with nicely clicky bumpers and buttery-smooth triggers. The d-pad is maybe less clicky than I’d like, but that’s more of a personal preference and it performs quite well regardless. On the back, a set of four programmable buttons sit perfectly where my ring and middle fingers rest naturally, and can not only be set to perform specific button presses but even programmed with a series of inputs for macro-style shortcuts – though it doesn’t allow for specific timing and just fires them all off in a string.

And of course, one huge selling feature here is the use of hall effect technology for the joysticks, giving the Nitro Deck a huge edge over Nintendo’s controllers and their propensity for stick drift. In case the term is new to you, hall effect sticks use magnets and conductors to detect movement, meaning they make no contact between moving parts and thus should work better and last longer than traditional sticks and should also never experience drift. Both sticks on the Nitro Deck also feature removable toppers and the Limited Edition bundles even come with a couple of replacements should you wish to change up the feel – though the defaults are the perfect choice as far as I’m concerned.

CRKD also has a dedicated mobile app where you can add your Nitro Deck to your virtual “collection” where it’s even assigned a rarity level based on its place in the manufacturing run, which all feels a bit Web3 tech bro-ey but is largely harmless – no actual NFT or blockchain bullshit here. It’s sadly not useful as a tool to change any settings on the actual device though, with any customisation done “on Deck,” as it were, through a dedicated program button on the back which you can use to set up those programmable inputs as well as dim the LED home button on the front (it’s quite bright by default if you’re trying to play in bed or a dimly-lit aeroplane cabin).

One thing the CRKD app does do, as does the company’s official YouTube channel which you’re directed to the moment you take the Nitro Deck out of the box, is feature a really good library of videos designed to help you get the most out of using the device and troubleshooting any potential issues. The introductory video is especially good for not only making the setup painless but highlighting some of the more unique features that you might not have otherwise discovered or thought to use – like the fact that you can use the Nitro Deck as a standalone controller on Switch or PC via one of its USB-C ports. Doing so definitely looks and feels a bit silly, but it’s an option in a pinch.

There are actually two USB-C ports in the back of the Nitro Deck, one which serves the function I just described in allowing it to be used as its own controller on an external device, and the other which acts as a passthrough for charging the Switch while you play. The kickstand on the back of the cradle looks less like the Switch OLED’s much-improved version and more like the smaller one on the OG Switch, though it’s significantly more sturdy and stable and allows plenty of room for the charging cable so you can have it sitting up and charging while you play.

One thing you’ll definitely want to do before you start playing with your Nitro Deck is switch off controller vibration in the Switch’s settings menu. I don’t know how CRKD considered the level of horrible, distracting noise coming from this thing when it rumbles to be worth the meagre feedback you get from it, but it’s absolutely not. Turn it off and don’t look back.

At $99.95 AUD, the CRKD Nitro Deck is also quite fairly priced for everything it offers. For those that want the “limited” colourways like the Retro Mint that I’ve shown here or the Retro Purple (ie, the GameCube purple by another name), you’ll instead need to opt for a bundle that additionally comes with a very sturdy and well-made carry case, 1.5m USB-C cable, cleaning cloth and the extra thumbstick toppers. At $149.95 AUD I reckon it’s well worth the added investment for the extra bits you get, especially because there’ll be few other cases out there that’ll properly hold the thing.

The post CRKD Nitro Deck Review – A True Game-Changer appeared first on Press Start.

Pro controllers are all the rage at the moment with every first party and third party accessory manufacturer wanting to release one, but none are quite as unique as the ASUS ROG Raikiri Pro.

Straight off the bat, you’ll probably realise that the most unique thing about this controller is the 1.3-inch OLED screen. I was super excited to see how it was used earlier this year, and whilst it was cool, I do wish it was used for a little more.

There are some great reasons to use the screen including quickly checking the battery life, changing profiles, checking mute status or putting the controller into pairing, but these are things that have all been done successfully without a screen in the past. When you don’t need to take advatnage of any of these things, you can have a number of ROG animations playing that are extremely cool to watch, but don’t add a heap, but luckily you can add your own custom images which is a nice touch.

Getting your way around the OLED screens is a little bit finnicky as well with the same button used for scrolling through the menu and selecting, but once you get the hang of it, it isn’t too bad.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $270 WITH FREE SHIPPING

Connectivity is a little bit of a mixed bag as well depending on whether you’re a fan of wired or wireless. If you’re playing on PC, you can connect using the included 2.4 GHz dongle and that works super well, and it also has Bluetooth connectivity for connecting with mobile devices, but if you’re playing on Xbox, the controller will only work wired, which obviously isn’t ideal if you don’t like a wired connection.

The controller is super stylish with its semi translucent design. It also has customisation RGB lighting all the way down it, and as far as actual comfort goes, it’s really good, the triggers are solid and have trigger length adjustment which is essential for a pro controller and the buttons also feel great to use as well as the D-Pad.

As far as customisation goes, there’s four buttons on the back of the controller which feel perfectly with in reach, and these can be customised through Armory Crate by connecting the controller with a cord to your PC. These customisations can then be saved to profiles and will also carry over to Xbox as well.

There’s a lot of other customisation that can be done with Armory Crate as well including changing the lighting, changing the deadzones of each analogue sticks, the vibration amount as well as exactly how much you have to press each trigger to get a response.

There’s also a 3.5mm jack at the bottom of the controller that has a built-in ESS Dac and a dedicated mute button as well, so if you’re somebody who’s always wearing a wired headset and wants to be able to goggle that on the fly, it’s a good addition.

The controller has a fantastic battery life lasting up to 48 hours with vibration and lighting turned off. This is well ahead of any other controller on the market.

At $270, it’s obviously a little bit more than the Elite Series 2 controller, so you’d have to really want that OLED screen to jump across to this controller. I’m a bit fan of pieces of tech that do things differently, so I really praise ASUS for doing something a little different here.

The post ASUS ROG Raikiri Pro Xbox Series X/PC Controller Review – It’s Got A Screen appeared first on Press Start.

Out of everything I’ve done in recent months to beef up my PC setup at home to be more content-creation ready, the one holdout has been my camera. I’ve been using the same mid-tier Logitech webcam for as long as I can remember, and to date it’s been mostly adequate. With the Press Start Podcast having moved to a video format this year though, I’ve been noticing more and more that what folks are seeing of me hasn’t exactly been flattering – and I need all the help I can get.

The HyperX Vision S, the company’s big new foray into a 4K webcam solution to complement its growing a hugely-popular streaming product offering, has come at a great time and after putting it through its paces (and my face…s) I’ve come to appreciate what a difference a great camera feed can make to tie together a presentational package. Importantly, the Vision S is a solution that’s immediately appealing to someone like me who doesn’t necessarily want to go all-out on a fancy DSLR setup to run through my PC and instead is looking for the plug-and-play convenience of a built-for-purpose webcam.

Maybe I’m just too used to overpackaged gaming gear, but I was shocked at how small the box is for this thing. Opening it up revealed a suitably basic set of contents – the camera itself on an adjustable monitor stand/mount and a USB-C to USB-A cable along with the usual leaflets. I was a little surprised that there wasn’t a USB-C to USB-C cable or adapter in the box, given a lot of computers, especially laptops like MacBooks (which this is compatible with!), are moving away from USB-A and not all ports will support the bandwidth required for 4K, but the included cable will do the trick in most situations.

The webcam’s body is a very svelte, solid-feeling aluminium cuboid with rounded edges and comes attached to a universal clip mount that can adjust to sit on top of pretty much any display or even a desk back/PC case/whatever else has an edge for it to grip onto. The camera also tilts and pivots on the mount so you’ve got a good degree of freedom to adjust it, plus you can easily mount the whole thing onto a boom arm or third-party mount with a standard threading in the bottom. I threw mine on an old, cheap mic arm that I had and it’s been super easy to adjust angles on the fly.

The Vision S also comes with a magnetic privacy cover that sits flush over the lens or on the back side of the webcam depending on whether or not you want to be perceived. It’s super easy to just pop off and on as needed, but the magnets are strong enough that moving it does tend to knock the camera out of any carefully-placed alignment you might have. That’s only going to be of real concern to those who’re especially nervous about being watched by the world’s most bored CIA agents, though. I’m happy to trust the LED indicator on the front to tell me when I’m being watched, so I’ve left the cap on the back.

While the setup and on-desk experience of the Vision S isn’t all too dissimilar from many of the other webcams you’ll find on store shelves, the big draw here is that it’s got the optic chops to make it a viable alternative to erecting a girthy DSLR kit. It’s packing a Sony STARVIS 8-megapixel sensor with a wide, 90-degree FOV, HDR and 4K capture, which all pans out as fantastically in practice as it sounds on paper. I’ve been especially impressed with how detailed and crisp the video is in low-light conditions, meaning it still looks great even with Melbourne having turned up the gloom and cloud cover in recent days. I’ve been able to jump on calls and recordings with just a dimly-set key light in the room and still come up quite nicely. Autofocus is also super responsive, even in low light or rapidly-changing conditions.

Low light vs the most amount of natural light Melbourne could muster.

Of course most folks are likely to want to tweak things beyond the out-of-the-box image, so HyperX’s NGENUITY software includes a heap of ways to do just that. You can quickly adjust things like HDR, white balance, low light and back light compensation and a handy, albeit moderately slow, auto-frame. It’s maybe not quite as fully-featured as other software suites when it comes to fun post-processing stuff like background effects or de-noising, but as nice as it’d be to have it all in one place those can usually be achieved elsewhere.

The only downside when it comes to software is that the NGENUITY app has been fairly problematic in use, consistently crashing when I’ve tried to tweak settings or just not recognising at all that I had the Vision S plugged in. Granted, problems like that are going to vary depending on people’s systems and being a fairly new product it’s probably going to see some updates in the near future, but as it stands now it’s been a slight headache to do anything through NGENUITY. Luckily, other apps I’ve used have worked fine with it so if you’ve got a software solution already you’ll be set to leave HyperX’s alone.

The HyperX Vision S is set to launch at some point this month in Australian retailers, and right now you can grab it from Amazon for around $350, which isn’t exactly cheap but it’s also not all that unreasonable for the quality of the camera’s build and the excellent performance and image you’re getting from it.

The post HyperX Vision S Review – A Top-Notch 4K Webcam In A Simple Package appeared first on Press Start.

As someone who is alive, I’m sure we can all agree that there’s nothing worse than sitting down and being uncomfortable. Even more so when you sit down to game after a hard day’s work to relax. There is nothing worse than not being in comfort. I’ll admit that I’ve never been one to dabble too much in gaming chairs, doing a lot of my console gaming from the couch. Still, when I’m at my PC at a desk, I’ve longed for something more, especially during the hotter summer months when my shitty Officeworks chair just won’t cut it. Razer has come to the rescue with the Fujin Pro. It’s a gaming chair that you can tell a lot of thought and technology has gone into producing – but how does it fare in the real world? Pretty well.

The Razer Fujin Pro is a mesh gaming chair designed to sit aside their Iskur support line and Enki’s comfort line. That’s not to say that the Fujin Pro doesn’t give comfort and support – it absolutely does; it represents one of the first significant forays for the gaming giant into mesh chairs. The idea behind a mesh chair is that air flows better throughout the chair and is much more breathable – perfect for the sweaty gamer. Given that the Fujin Pro is named after the Japanese god of wind, they’ve nailed the concept. The airflow is fantastic.

While I was told that the packaging I received for the Razer Fujin Pro is less flashier than when the product hits the market later this year, I was taken aback by how simple everything was. Inside the box, you’ll get the chair’s base, a seat and the backing. Two other smaller boxes house the accessories and headrest and it’s all topped by a gigantic version of the now-signature Razer mantra. The headrest comes included with the Razer Fujin Pro but is an optional add-on for those opting for the plain Razer Fujin. All screws come preinstalled and the tool to manipulate them is included too. You don’t need anything else – it’s all-encompassing.

Betraying my lack of knowledge in this area, I put aside a whole day to set up the Razer Fujin Pro. I was astonished to discover that after unpacking everything, it only took me about twelve minutes to assemble everything by following eleven easy steps. There wasn’t a single point where I got stuck in building the chair and, besides the components themselves being heavy, nowhere where I needed excessive strength or force to put stuff together. Given how intricate some features and customisations are, it’s a straightforward assembly process.

But do be warned – you’ll be handling a lot of packaging. This might seem like a strange thing to highlight but there is a lot of cardboard that you’ll have to recycle.

But before we delve into the nitty gritty, it’s important to highlight how the chair looks assembled. When I think of Razer, I think of outlandish and bright green products adorned with obnoxious RGB lighting. Perhaps I’m being a bit too harsh there – but the Razer Fujin Pro is anything but. It’s a sleek-looking chair with a neutral appearance that could be used with little to no reservations in a professional office setting AND your ostentatious LCD-lit gaming den. I’ve seen gaming chairs with holographic highlights and brightly coloured fabrics that look less mature than the Razer Fujin Pro. It’s a sleek chair that feels incredibly grown up.

When I first sat on the Razer Fujin Pro, I was made aware that mesh chairs aren’t the cushiest. But after several hours on the chair, I was shocked. I didn’t get up nor did I move to my couch. It was comfortable. It’s almost a technical marvel that material pulled so tight and well-ventilated can sustain my erratic bouncing, especially during hours upon hours of play of Mortal Kombat 1, where I’m most animated. But even more so, the chair mesh only seemed to get more comfortable as time passed. I’m not sure if there’s science behind this or if it’s purely a placebo effect, but the Razer Fujin Pro absolutely felt more comfortable the longer I sat in it.

I’ve never been one to tout the wonders of lumbar support, but after sitting in the Razer Fujin Pro, I was suddenly aware of when I’d sit somewhere, and there would be a complete lack of it. Since I’d sat in it, I’d visited restaurants, cinemas and even a friend’s office. None of the seating options there are even remotely compared. I’m trying to say here that lumbar support isn’t something you feel like you need until you’ve experienced it – I was almost longing for it after spending time out of the house.

The Razer Fujin Pro includes a knob on the back of the chair that allows you to adjust the lumbar support’s depth and height. It’s a great feature that works miles better than a cushion attachment, like some chairs opt for, though it’s hard to reach while sitting on the chair. I had to get up and sit down multiple times to find my sweet spot before giving up and asking someone else to adjust it. Theoretically, once you’ve got the sweet spot, you shouldn’t have to adjust it again, but it is worth mentioning for those flying solo.

Right underneath the left side of the seat, you’ll find controls that allow you to adjust the tilt and recline of the chair as well as the depth of the seat. On the right side is the typical height adjustment for the seat and a knob that can be turned to adjust the tension to the seat’s tilt. Essentially, you can recline up to 130° with the controls on the left side of the chair allowing you to lock your tilt in place while the controls on the right side affect how easily you can push the chair back.

This is handy because you can have your chair actively “match” your position no matter how you sit without continually adjusting the chair. It’s a nice feature that is especially handy when sitting at a desk for long periods or just sitting in front of a TV playing games for even longer. Just constant comfiness, which is what you want from a chair like this.

The armrests are similarly entirely customisable. I was a tad worried about the armrests, given I’m a bit wider. However, the degree of movement that the armrests on the Razer Fujin Pro means that almost anyone of most body types can find comfort. Using buttons on each armrest, each armrest can be adjusted up and down, forward and backward, left and right or rotated inward and outward. I’d imagine those with smaller frames might not be happy with how little you can move the armrests inwards, but otherwise they’re incredibly customisable.

The headrest is similarly customisable. Included with the Fujin Pro and available as an optional add-on for the Fujin, it screws onto the chair and is a sturdy addition. It’s also fully adjustable and made out of the same comfortable and breathable mesh as the rest of the chair. Where the headrest is customisable to suit all kinds of angles, I couldn’t quite find the right angle for it being of a shorter stature. I prefer to sit forward when I sit, though, so perhaps this is more of an issue of personal preference than a design shortcoming.

But above everything else, where there are some little design niggles that could more or less be a result of my own personal stature rather than the chair itself, I come away pleased with what the Razer Fujin Pro can do to my posture and my comfort during those longer sessions both gaming and working. But while I can’t help but feel it’s a tad pricey, there’s still that age-old adage that I know to be true: you can’t put a price on comfort.

The post Razer Fujin Pro Review – Comfort and Support With Airflow To Match appeared first on Press Start.

Though I’m still far from reaching the “enthusiast” level of gaming keyboard appreciation, each new bit of gear that I’ve reviewed over the years has brought me closer and closer to wanting to really dive into the nitty gritty. To get under the hood, tinker, tailor and basically just become a big nerd about it all. 

That’s daunting, though. Keyboards, especially those of the gaming vocation, are so much more than just rows of plastic keys on a slab. Like any good subsection of tech or gaming culture there’s a whole community out there of people that live and breathe this stuff. There’s a language, there are subcultures, there are titans of the craft and then… well, there’s me. The person that doesn’t know a poron gasket from GPL-205g0 lubricant but still loves the idea of being a maker, a builder and an un-builder of ‘boards.

That’s where Razer’s new BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% gaming keyboard comes in – an off-the-shelf device from a brand that feels very universal and accessible, but one that’s also designed to let folks into that new and exciting world of keyboard enthusiasm. 

It’s an idea that I actually had experience with from another brand recently, but Razer’s approach differs and definitely feels a little more Razer in its execution. Where the ASUS ROG Azoth was a weighty, $400 beast with an over-the-top featureset and a veritable tool kit in the box, the Blackwidow V4 75% keeps things sleek and simple and doesn’t assume buyers are necessarily interested in the customisation it offers. What you’re getting for $350 AUD is a new form factor of one of Razer’s best keyboards with an excellent build quality and typing experience, along with the flexibility to change it up down the line.

Unboxing the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% reveals a package much like you’d expect from any other Razer keyboard. You get the device itself, a 2m removable USB-C to USB-A cable, a magnetic wrist rest, and the only bit of evidence that this is a keyboard made with customisation in mind, a handy little combination key cap and switch pulling tool.

Coming from my beloved Razer DeathStalker V2 Pro with its full suite of 104 low-profile keys, the move to a tighter layout with 81 full-sized keys has definitely taken getting used to, but immediate impressions of this new keyboard are very positive. Razer’s included its new Orange tactile mechanical switches here and, coupled with an improved internal build over the rest of the BlackWidow V4 family, there’s a whole lot to love. It’s quite impressive how much thought Razer has put into the internals of this keyboard, an exploded view of the thing over on the official product page showing the multiple layers of plating, foam and lubricated stabilisers all working together to make every keystroke feel smooth and accurate without any discernible rattling or really any noise that isn’t incredibly intentional.

Researching this keyboard before and during my real-world use has introduced me to the idea of the “tempest tape mod,” something popular in the custom keyboard community that involves adding layers of painter’s tape to the underside of a keyboard’s PCB to create a more full sound profile with less hollow-ness, and Razer has given the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% its own tape-based enhancement out of the box which theoretically contributes to a very satisfying “thud” sound from the keys without them being intrusively clicky.

Of course one huge point of difference with the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% compared the rest of Razer’s current lineup, and even its sibling BlackWidow V4 devices, is that it features hot-swappable switches meaning if you don’t appreciate the feel of the included Orange switches you can rip ’em out and swap them for pretty much any 3-pin or 5-pin switches. You’re not limited to Razer gear either, though the brand obviously sells a range of its own you could chuck in your choice of Gateron or Cherry or whatever takes your fancy. Like the ROG Azoth, it’s hard to recommend picking up a fully-assembled keyboard if you fully intend to replace the switches right away, but the out-of-the-box typing experience is so good here it’s just nice to have the option for later.

One advantage I firmly believe the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% has over something like the ROG Azoth is its software implementation. Razer Synapse isn’t perfect, but it’s getting there and the integration with other Razer devices is as good as ever. ASUS’ own software is… not great, so it’s maybe an easy win but it’s definitely something to take note of. If you’ve got other Razer gear, it’s a no-brainer to keep it in the family. The first thing I did given I’ve lost my precious numpad in using this was to set myself up with a shortcut key for typing “en” dashes – which I use far too often.

There are definitely ways in which the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% could be improved. For one it’s not exactly cheap – $350 for a wired, 75% job might be rich for some given it’s a relatively no-frills keyboard otherwise. There’s no USB passthrough either, which necessitated using an extra port after my previous DeathStalker V2 Pro shared a HyperSpeed wireless dongle with my Razer mouse. The inclusion of a comfy, magnetic wrist rest is welcome though, and RGB geeks will be happy with the combination of per-key lighting coupled with a sexy underflow on either side of the keyboard.

For only $50 more I’d probably argue that the ASUS ROG Azoth is a better overall choice for would-be enthusiasts with its generous compliment of accessories and customisable OLED display, but if you’re someone looking for a super solid gaming keyboard in a smaller form factor and just happens to open the door to a bit of extra customisation then the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% is an easy choice.

The post Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% Review – A Super Solid Keyboard With Added Flexibility appeared first on Press Start.

When I reviewed the Cloud III, HyperX’s follow-up to one of gaming’s most iconic headsets, back in May I called it “the new mid-range king” thanks to a fantastic balance of price, build and sound quality that continued the Cloud II’s established legacy while giving it a slightly more modern look and pushing the audio experience just enough to make it worthy upgrade. Now, HyperX is launching a wireless version of the Cloud III and I’ve been taking it for a spin. To cut a long story (and a long cable) short – it’s the same great headset but wireless. Who’d have thought?

A lot of the below review echoes or outright rehashes my review of the HyperX Cloud III, with respective differences to the connectivity and introduction of a battery. What you get in the box is slightly different as well with the removal of the 3.5mm audio cable and USB adapter and the inclusion of a USB-C wireless dongle (with a USB-A adapter included) as well as a USB-C charging cable.

Like its wired counterpart, the Cloud III Wireless takes the same recognisable HyperX Cloud form factor and gives it a bit of a modern refresh. Using similar materials throughout, it retains the rough size and construction of the Cloud II and Cloud II Wireless with their red, metallic arms but with slightly more rounded and sleek lines. The band and ear cushions are still using memory foam and leatherette material and while leatherette isn’t my first choice for these things it’s in keeping with tradition and noticeably softer than before. The microphone no longer wears a foam hat, but instead has a built-in mesh filter and comes with a handy LED mute indicator. A very basic combo of a volume scroll and a quick mute button embellish the cups on either side, and a power button now sits where the wired Cloud III’s audio cable once plugged in.

All told, it’s a great little modernisation of the Cloud II’s look without completely sacrificing the existing visual identity. Importantly, it’s also still incredibly comfortable – much more so than the vast majority of other gaming headsets in its price class or even above. I’m someone whose ears heat up quite quickly, and I’ve always appreciated a good breathable fabric in that regard, but in terms of pure on-the-head fit and the comfort of the big, plush cups these are so good that the material feels like a non-issue. The Cloud III wireless is about 10% heavier than the wired version at around 330g, but I’ve barely noticed the difference in use and the clamping pressure of both versions remains a bang-on balance between secure fit and comfort for me.

When it comes to audio quality, the Cloud III Wireless is again pretty much a match for its wired counterpart, sporting the same improved, angled 53mm drivers and feature set including DTS Headphone: X Spatial Audio. Like the regular Cloud III, it sports the same balance and fantastic soundstage that made the Cloud II so good for competitive PC gaming while pushing the overall audio experience to make it a great choice for those flashy, cinematic single-player blockbusters as well.

Even if you’re not using the headset with a PC and getting DTS:X Spatial Audio there’s a very nice width and depth from the Cloud III Wireless that makes it a great option for something like a console, but it’s definitely good to have the option to further tweak the audio experience on Windows with the (admittedly fairly basic) HyperX NGENUITY software. NGENUITY doesn’t really stand up to some of the fancier software solutions from brands like SteelSeries or Razer, but luckily the headset sounds fantastic out-of-the-box which makes it a great multiplatform option – especially given this new wireless iteration connects via a 2.4GHz USB-C dongle that means it’ll work with a range of modern devices. It doesn’t feature any other connection options though, like Bluetooth, which is a touch disappointing.

The microphone on the Cloud III Wireless is again the same as the regular Cloud III, improving on the Cloud II’s mic by going from a 6mm diameter to 10mm and offering “improved clarity” according to HyperX. It’s still a pretty standard headset mic among other pretty standard headset mics, but for the average person speaking with an inside voice it comes through nice and clear and actually does a pretty decent job of not picking up a lot of background noise. I was able to chat with friends with a TV going right near me and none of it bled into my comms, which is good. I tried shouting for a bit (sorry, pals) and it seems to blow out pretty easily at a raised volume but your mileage there will vary depending on how obnoxious you are.

One thing that obviously does differ in the wireless version of the HyperX Cloud III is the need for a battery, and despite this headset only being around 30g heavier than the wired version it manages to advertise a whopping 120-hour battery life. I haven’t managed to drain my battery yet but I’ve used it pretty consistently for the last week or so, I reckon 40ish hours of use, and the software tells me I’m at 60% charge so I’d call that close enough. I do listen quite loud and I’ve left it idle a lot so any discrepancy there is more likely on my part than a stretch of the truth from HyperX.

At $279 AUD when it launches in Australia on September 8th, the HyperX Cloud III Wireless carries a good $120 premium over the wired version without adding any other value besides the lack of a cord. Compared to other wireless gaming headsets on the market it’s still a winner in most regards, and easy to recommend for competitive gamers with its great positional audio and battery life that won’t let you down mid-match, but it doesn’t quite feel as premium as $279 would suggest and if you don’t absolutely need a wireless solution you can just as easily go for the $159 AUD wired Cloud III for mostly the same experience.

The post HyperX Cloud III Wireless Review – The Same Great Headset With A Little More Freedom appeared first on Press Start.

I’m a big earbuds wearer in my everyday life, taking a pair of AirPod Pro 2 with me everywhere I go, but for obvious reasons, in the gaming world, I’d often stuck to bulky over-ear headphones. Ahead of Sony’s official wireless earbuds dropping later this year, Razer has dropped officially licensed PlayStation earbuds in the Hammerhead Hyperspeed earbuds that do a pretty fine job.

As far as connectivity goes, the earbuds connect to the PS5 via a USB-C dongle that means that latency is actually quite good when gaming. They can also simultaneously connect to a mobile device via Bluetooth which is great for taking calls or watching TikToks whilst gaming, but also great as it means you can take them out of the house to use for everyday life.

From a comfort level, they’re a little bit bigger than most in-ear earbuds, but they’re light and fit nicely with a range of tips included in the box.

You can’t have a premium audio experience without active noise cancelling and the Hammerhead Hyperspeed earbuds have both active noise cancelling with the ability to also use a transparency mode to let audio in at a heightened rate. It’s not the best noise cancelling that I’ve experienced, but it does a decent job due to the good fit of the earbuds.

BUY IT FROM: RAZER FOR $285.95 

Similarly, there’s dual noise cancelling microphones, which again, are pretty serviceable but not the best that you’ll find in a gaming headset, but you’re choosing comfort over having the best of the best.

The audio quality is pretty fantastic with a wide soundstage and decent bass listening to a range of games and music, I was pretty happy with the audio coming through the buds, but my only minor criticism being it was maybe on the softer side.

What I really love about Razer products is that they have great app connectivity, and the Hammerhead is no exception. You can connect to an app on your phone to quickly swap between ANC modes, change EQ settings and also a range of other settings and function on the fly.

This is especially useful in this case, as the controls on the Hammerhead aren’t the most intuitive and often a little hard to use, but this becomes a non-issue with the app being connected with Bluetooth.

It wouldn’t be a Razer product without RGB, and the Hammerhead earbuds both have the signature Razer logo with fully customisable RGB, which is a little over the top, but there if you want it.

@shannongrixti

The first wireless PS5 earbuds have arrived in the Razer Hammerhead Hyperspeed earbuds #PS5 #PlayStation5 #PlayStation #Headphones #Earbuds #Razer

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

You can expect to get roughly 5-6 hours of charge with each earbud, and an additional 30 or so hours with the case, which makes for fairly long gaming sessions. Obviously, you can just put one of them back in the case to charge whilst gaming with the other as well.

Really, at $270, if you’re looking for a comfortable wireless earbuds experience, I recommend the Razer Hammerhead Hyperspeed earbuds, at least until we have more information about Sony’s official wireless earbuds.

The post Razer Hammerhead Hyperspeed PS5 Wireless Earbuds Review – Pure Comfort appeared first on Press Start.

With how relentlessly busy life can sometimes be, I’ve found myself turning to mobile gaming more and more, only less for native mobile apps and more through things like Xbox Cloud Gaming and PlayStation’s Remote Play feature. Being able to easily access my library of console games during a commute or just from the comfort of my bed as I (poorly) attempt to turn in for the night is fantastic – especially with a decent controller attachment. And that’s where the Backbone One comes in.

I’ve wanted to test one of these things for a while now, and with Backbone firing up a supporting device and app for Android phone users, it was only a matter of time before it also introduced an Android-compatible version of its PlayStation Edition Backbone One. With native support for in PlayStation Remote Play app and themed to match the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller, it was finally time for me to become a Backbone user, and I’m pretty glad I did.

Immediate impressions of the Backbone One from a hardware perspective are of a sturdy, well-built and comfortable controller attachment that’s super easy to pop on and off your choice of Android phone through a USB-C connection at the bottom. It’s fairly light without feeling flimsy and the plastic has a feel that’s a decent enough replacement for the actual DualSense body. The headphone jack is placed under the left handle and under the right is a handy USB-C charging port for keeping your device juiced up while you play, or even to use it tethered to a larger device like a tablet – a feature that’s already come in handy at my desk multiple times.

Moving to the controls themselves, you’re definitely not getting quite the same experience as using a real DualSense controller with smaller and more shallow buttons and triggers, but it’s still pretty high quality stuff overall compared to the handful of other mobile controllers I’ve tried out. The d-pad is a bit squishy for my liking, and the equivalents to the share and options buttons are positioned annoyingly low and in second billing to Backbone’s own function keys, but it’s otherwise pretty great in the hand in the heat of action.

There’s also the matter of the lack of an equivalent to the DualSense controller’s touch pad. While it kind of makes sense given this is little more than a reskin of the regular Backbone One, calling this a PlayStation mobile controller is a tiny bit of a stretch when it’s missing a prominent button that’s become very commonly-used in games. You can still access the touchpad in PlayStation’s Remote Play app by double-tapping the screen but it’s a cumbersome solution that makes this version of the Backbone feel a touch incomplete. I get why Backbone couldn’t really, say, add a touch function to the back of the device for PlayStation users without creating an entirely new product in the process, but it’s a noticeable omission.

That aside, everything performs nicely with a fairly quick response and the Backbone One feels seriously comfortable and satisfying to use, so overall it’s still a great choice for anyone serious about mobile gaming and remote play. Aside from Xbox and PlayStation games, I also spent a bit of time with Honkai: Star Rail and Ubisoft’s new The Division: Resurgence, which both felt exactly like the console-level experience their respective developers want to impart once I had a console-like controller in hand.

The dedicated Backbone app is also a great little tool for organising games from all of the different services that Android supports, not just limited to PlayStation games but also Xbox, Steam and Google Play. You do get a customised PlayStation-flavoured experience in the app when using this version of the Backbone One though, which is nice. You can set the Backbone app to open automatically when you attach the controller, too, making it quick and easy to jump into a game via Remote Play.

Amusingly I did find myself drawn more often toward Xbox Game Pass games when playing with the Backbone One just because Xbox Cloud Gaming is so easy and has such a great available library – at which point having the PlayStation buttons on my controller as opposed to the usual Backbone One keys that match the Xbox layout felt a bit silly – but that’s hardly a fault of Backbone’s hardware or software and just something to consider if you’re tossing up between different versions of the controller. Whether you go for this PlayStation Edition or the standard variant, you’re going to have a pretty good time.

The post Backbone One PlayStation Edition (Android) Review – For The Mobile Players appeared first on Press Start.

The portable PC space has been moving at an even faster rate to what we’d been seeing previously. Just five months after reviewing the AYANEO 2, the company has followed up with the AYANEO 2S which really improves on the original, and takes it to the ASUS ROG Ally.

I’ll probably spend less time than I have in other reviews explaining how these portable PCs work but I’d highly recommend you check out my AYANEO 2 or AYANEO Air Plus review if you’re new to the space, and more time talking about the actual improvements on offer here as well as an early look at AYASPACE 2.0 that we’ve just received.

Many of the core AYANEO 2S features are the same as before. You’ve still got that gorgeous 1200p bezel-less display that is one of the best I’ve seen on any handheld, great ergonomics and a larger battery than what’s on offer in the ROG Ally.

The big reason for AYANEO releasing the AYANEO 2S is performance, and it definitely delivers that big of extra performance to bring it in line with the ASUS ROG Ally. The new AMD Ryzen 7 7840 processor as well as 32GB of ram is enough to really give it that extra bit of juice necessary for AAA gaming.

Whilst benchmarking five AAA games at 25w on high, I saw a 15-20% increase in performance on average, which was that little bit of extra juice required to really make the experience a lot smoother when playing AAA games.

Whilst the AYANEO 2 was fine in its performance, this really made me feel like I could push each game to the limit, with confidence that they’d perform well without any stuttering or having to further tweak settings. This might have to do with the extra 32GB of ram on offer as well in this particular version of the AYANEO 2S.

AYANEO 2S BENCHMARKS

25W TDP / 1200P / FSR 2 BALANCED / HIGH

• Forza Horizon 5 – 55 FPS
• Cyberpunk 2077 – 33 FPS
• Horizon – 53 FPS
• Returnal – 32 FPS
• F1 2022 – 62 FPS

A big part of the increased performance is that you can now get better performance at lower TDPs which in turn has a greater effect on battery life, particularly with indie games or whilst playing on lower settings.

When playing at 25W with 80% brightness, you can expect to get about an hour and 20 minutes of gameplay, which still isn’t great, but dropping that to 10-18w will put your mileage at 2-3 hours, which is acceptable.

Other improvements in the AYANEO 2S include the triggers, which have had their travel distance changed and are a lot less clicky than before.

The unit also runs a lot less hot due to a graphene patch and three copper heat dissipation. I noticed it was a lot less hot to touch whilst playing and the unit also runs quieter because it’s not as hot.

When I reviewed the ASUS ROG Ally, one of the things I really liked was the software, which I was so excited to get hands-on with an early beta version of AYASPACE 2.0. I’m really happy to report that it brings over many of the things that I loved about Armory Crate and really improves the overall experience.

Firstly, the whole experience just runs smoother even on 5w. Even though it’s still in beta, I didn’t experience a single crash or freeze. You can now easily control a lot more of the settings in the quick settings overlay, including changing TDP on the fly between presets. You can now also turn on a performance overlay with just one click in the quick settings menu.

The entire library system also just seems to be a lot cleaner and quicker to load games and also add them in as soon as they’re downloaded. It’s really fantastic to see AYANEO moving on this space, as I don’t know if anyone has ever questioned how fantastic their hardware is.

I’ve mentioned it in other reviews but the AYANEO docking station is a must-have if you’re using one of their devices. It can work with any of its products, but I can’t tell you how much this improved the experience. Not only did it mean that I could easily charge the device at all times, it also made connecting a monitor via HDMI as well as keyboards/mice a breeze.

As far as pricing goes, the AYANEO 2S is in early access at Indiegogo at the moment, and the prices are a lot more reasonable than they’ve ever been. You can expect to pay about $1,100 AUD for the entry level Geek 1S model and about $1,400 AUD for the entry level 2S model.

The post AYANEO 2S Review – Improvements Across The Board appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve been a desktop PC stalwart for as long as I can remember. I’ve used plenty of gaming-focused laptops in the past for one reason or another, but never felt compelled to go out and replace my Microsoft Surface or MacBook Pro with something more performant, or choose portability over just building myself a half-capable desktop rig. After spending a couple of weeks with the Lenovo Legion 7i Pro (Gen 8) though, I’m really starting to come around on what a “gaming” laptop is actually capable of and how far performance and features have come in a relatively manageable form factor.

The version of the Legion 7i Pro I tested retails for $5499 AUD and packs a 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900HX CPU, NVIDIA RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, 32GB of DDR5-5600MHz memory and a 1TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4, making it easily one of the most expensive and power-packed gaming laptops I’ve had the pleasure of using.

Despite all of this, it manages to look quite understated and nowhere near as “Hello I am a gamer” as I was expecting given the under-the-hood specs. It’s certainly got the angular flourishes and prominent grilles you’d associate with a gaming laptop but it’s an overall very premium aesthetic that I absolutely wouldn’t feel weird about breaking out in a meeting or at my local coffee shop.

Review Unit Specifications:

• CPU: 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900HX
• GPU: RTX 4080 Laptop 12GB GGDR6
• Panel: 16″ WQXGA (2560 x 1600), IPS, HDR400, 240Hz
• RAM: 32GB DDR5-5600MHz
• SSD: 1TB
• WLAN: Killer 802.11 2*2 AX + BT5.1
• Battery: 99.99Wh
• Keyboard: Per-key RGB

In terms of exterior hardware features, The Legion 7i Pro is well-appointed with the left side of the laptop packing a USB 3.2 Gen 1 and USB-C® 3.2 Gen 2 port, the right side hosting a combined headphone/mic jack and another USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, and a healthy row of ports lining the back with ethernet, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI 2.1, two more USB 3.2 Gen 1s and the power connector. One thing I’ll always love about power-focused portable machines is the generosity of ports, and that’s thankfully more than accurate of this one.

I will admit, the way that all of these ports sit alongside rows of conspicuously-port-shaped fan outlets on the sides and back had me embarrassingly trying to shove connectors into the laptop’s fans when I wasn’t looking properly, but I feel like that’s potentially more of a me problem than anything else. It all feels nicely sturdy at least, aside from a little more flex in the lid/display than I’d like.

Moving to the bits you’ll spend the most time looking at, I have a lot of love for the keyboard on this thing. The per-key RGB lighting is certainly attractive on first boot, but may or may not be something you further customise/switch off entirely depending on your tastes. It’s about as well laid-out as laptop keyboards go, with the 16″ form factor allowing for a numpad without things feeling too cramped – and I love a numpad. Key presses feel nice and tactile and satisfying with a nice sense of travel and bounceback for laptop keys. The track pad is similarly good, nice and generous in size, satisfying to press and in all of my use it’s been responsive and picks up gestures well.

Then of course, we move to the gorgeous 16″ IPS 240Hz display on the Legion 7i Pro, which is fantastic. I’ve played with more than a few high refresh rate IPS panels before, but as someone who spends most of their gaming time on an LG C2 OLED telly it’s usually an adjustment going to a comparatively dull IPS display. That’s why I was surprised and ecstatic to see some very impressive, vibrant images here with a nice amount of contrast and – although I’m far from an expert on the subject of how accurate they are – some fantastic-looking colours. My gut instinct was to plug the laptop into my TV to fire up some games, but after seeing it in all of its glory I actually spent quite a bit of time using just the Legion 7i Pro’s display. Cyberpunk 2077 in particular, with the ray-traced, neon-soaked streets of Night City, came up an absolute treat.

And of course, with this machine packing a cutting-edge NVIDIA RTX 4080 Laptop GPU with 12GB of GDDR6 memory, playing Cyberpunk 2077 with all of those graphical bells and whistles turned on is absolutely a possibility. Lenovo’s special AI-powered performance engine with its own proprietary chip dedicated to balancing and optimising performance based on long-term use is a hard one to cover off in a time-limited review, but whatever Lenovo’s doing under the hood is definitely working as the Legion 7i Pro is an absurdly performant bit of gear.

CD Projekt’s troubled open-world action RPG was an obvious choice to christen my experience with the laptop, and immediately came up a treat, putting up performance generally above the 60 FPS range at 1080p, with the Ultra visual preset with ray-tracing turned on and the RTX 4080’s fancy DLSS 3 image reconstruction tech turned off. Switching DLSS 3 on I could comfortably push the resolution up to match the laptop’s 2560×1600 WQXGA native display resolution and still hover around a whopping 100 FPS, at which point Night City truly sprang to life in a way that I was yet to witness from a “portable” machine.

Similarly, throwing anything somewhat demanding that I had on hand like Red Dead Redemption 2, Death Stranding, Control, Far Cry 6 and more all resulted in the Legion 7i Pro spitting out frames faster than the bars in Worldwide Choppers Song. Whether you’re playing on an external display or on the laptop’s gorgeous internal one, you’re going to have a great time gaming on this thing (there’s a reason it costs in excess of $5k). Tobii Eye Tracking is included as well, which not only adds a neat level of immersion to some games but can be used for various quality-of-life and privacy features in Windows 11.

With all of this gaming power, naturally, comes incredible productivity performance as well. Packing a 13th Generation Intel Core i9-13900HX CPU there really wasn’t anything I could throw at this thing to make it sweat. While I didn’t run it through any specific productivity benchmarks, I spent some time in various Adobe Creative Suite applications like Photoshop and Premiere and found working with large, complex files and rendering out 4K video to be as painless as I could hope. Given how much my personal desktop can struggle with media processing it was actually hard to part with the Legion 7i Pro when it was time to send the review unit back.

Battery life, as expected with the kinds of performance and cooling solutions packed into this beast, is nothing too impressive. You’d be extremely lucky to get more than an hour and a some change of untethered gaming, and with general day-to-day use at a medium display brightness I wasn’t getting more than a handful of hours of use before needing to reach for the bulky charging brick. This is, unsurprisingly, a “desktop replacement” in every sense of the term. At 2.8kg, it’s not the kind of thing I’d consider throwing in my backpack for a day trip, anyways.

If I have to leverage any genuine criticism in all of this, it’s that the Legion 7i Pro does get pretty hot and loud. If you’ve spent even 10 minutes researching your next gaming laptop purchase, that will in no way surprise you, but it’s quite considerable here. It’s not hot enough to be uncomfortable to use on a desk, and not loud enough to drown out its own (reasonably good) speakers if you crank the volume a bit, but it’s definitely noticeable and potentially among the more offensive I’ve come across in my limited time testing gaming laptops. Not a deal-breaker by any stretch, but worth mentioning all the same.

It’s also worth mentioning that alternate configurations of this machine are available, including a considerably more affordable RTX 4070 model that’ll no doubt still push out some impressive performance, and both are discounted on Lenovo’s own store at the time of writing.

The post Lenovo Legion 7i Pro (Gen 8) Review – Unbelievable Portable Power appeared first on Press Start.

The TV market has been hugely exciting this year with the likes of the Samsung S95C and Sony A95K bringing in the next generation of OLED in QD-OLED which takes brightness and vibrant to a whole new level. LG’s C range was what kicked it off though, and has become the go-to recommendation for any high-end TV over the last half a decade. This year’s LG C3 doesn’t do anything incredibly different to the C2/C1 that came before it, but it does make some smaller improvements to fix common complaints over the last few years.

I’m not going to spend a heap of time talking about the basic features of the LG C3. It really hasn’t changed a whole heap from the C2 and C1 (you can read those reviews HERE and HERE). It’s still a fantastic TV, but it’s definitely being left a little bit behind in the brightness and vibrance space by the likes of the Samsung S95C and Sony A95K (A95L to be released later this year as well). There’s also now a really clear gap between the C3 and G3 which is using WOLED technology to get that extra bit of added brightness and vibrance.

You’re still going to get a perfect contrast for inky blacks, and decent brightness with LG’s EVO brightness booster. It’s going to provide a perfect picture in dark rooms, but if you’re in a bright Australian room, the brightness (or lack of) as well as the glare is going to still be an issue, with other top-end models from other brands doing a better job at glare reduction due to the increased brightness and a glare reducing coating that just both aren’t on offer here. If you’re coming from an LED, you’ll still notice a big step-up with the C3 and won’t be disappointed, and a lot of this won’t be noticed unless you’re comparing side-by-side or have spent a considerable amount of time with the flagship TVs from other brands.

The actual TV design itself hasn’t changed too much. You’ve got an extremely slim top portion of the panel, with the a much thicker portion below it. Again, compared to the G3 and S95C, it’s no longer the most high-end experience, but if you’re just happy to put the TV on a stand, and not looking to wall mount, it doesn’t make the biggest of differences, and it’s still a nice looking TV with fairly thin bezels and a really understated design that will go well on any entertainment unit.

LG C3 OLED CURRENTLY ON SALE AT THE GOOD GUYS: 55″ – $2,795 / 65″ – $3,695

One of my complaints with LG OLEDs in the past was the fact that if you’re using a soundbar, you couldn’t fit it below the TV, and LG has remedied this in a really clever way. If you buy the matching SC9S soundbar, it comes with a bracket that essentially allows you to do away with the C3 stand that’s included in the box, instead attaching both the TV and the soundbar to a singular bracket that not only ensures that the TV has enough clearance over the soundbar, but it’s a much cleaner setup having just one bracket tying both together at the back. It’s a little bit cumbersome to attach at first, but it’s a really nice finish. It also works for wall-mounting if you’re choosing to do that. If you’re trying to pair it with other, thicker soundbars, the TV stand in the box will still have the TV sitting quite low.

The actual soundbar itself is a really nice addition as well. The sound that comes out of the C3 is serviceable, but it’s a huge improvement when you add the soundbar and added sub. It’s got three upfiring channels which is perfect for Dolby Atmos content and you also get an extra HDMI 2.1 port (in lieu of the one you take up in your TV).

Not to be outdone by Samsung and Sony’s TV/soundbar sync, LG has introduced WOW Orchestra which basically utilises both the speakers of the C3 and SC9S soundbar in unison to increase the soundstage. The implementation feels on-par to that of other brands and sounds great for some content and not so good for others, so just turn it on and off as you see fit, but overall, the soundbar gets a tick of approval from me in terms of design and how well it integrates with the TV as well as the improved sound.

My only criticism is that I’d like to have seen rears included as well at $1,499 to be on-par with the Q990C as you’re definitely going to want rears if you take your audio seriously. I would definitely recommend pairing this soundbar with the TV though, just due to how well it integrates both in a design sense, but also how seamless the whole experience is from a UI point of view.

Other changes to the C3 include a quick cards system which basically groups categories such as home, sport, gaming etc into cards that you can use to access content and also HDMI Quick Switching which will basically cut out the weird black screen between going from an input such as the PS5 to your Apple TV.

Outside of that, it’s pretty much the same WebOS experience, with the magic remote not changing a whole lot either. It’s still really easy to use and pretty easy to make your way around content, and whether you’re using the Wii-like pointer, or just standard buttons, it’s hard to go wrong.

All-in-all, the LG C3 is going to be the TV that most people go for, just because it improves on a TV that has been a really easy recommendation to any movie lover or gamer over the last 3-4 years. Looking at current pricing though, the Samsung S95C is already on sale at $3,140 which is $500 cheaper than a C3, so for me with the S95C being significantly brighter, having a much better design with the One Connect box and the ability to reach 144hz, that would be an easy recommendation for me. Similarly, the LG CS can be had for well under $2,000 and for the everyday person, you’re not going to see a huge difference between these two TVs, so it does make the C3 a harder sell.

The post LG C3 OLED TV + SC9S Soundbar Review – A Perfect Match appeared first on Press Start.

AYANEO has been pumping out devices in the last year or so and yet somehow, they’re still finding new product markets that hit a new demographic and totally change the feel of the device. Enter, the AYANEO Air Plus which has the same 6800U processor (at least in the version I tested) as the AYANEO 2, but a form factor that isn’t too dissimilar to that of the AYANEO Air Pro, but with a slightly larger display and high-end performance, it feels like the sweet spot between all of the devices that came before it.

The AYANEO Air Plus has a 6-inch 1080p touchscreen IPS display, so it’s a touch bigger than the 5.5-inch found in the Air Pro, and it also loses that gorgeous OLED display, but it’s still a fantastic looking display with decent brightness and great colour vibrance.

The larger display means that it’s slightly bigger than the Air Pro as well, but I think it feels really good in the hands, not quite as big as the AYANEO 2, and also coming in at 130 grams less in weight, making it more comfortable for long term sessions. Really, it’s just impressive that this type of performance can come out of a handheld of this size.

The Air Plus features hall sensing mini joysticks, which aren’t as good as the AYANEO 2 joysticks, but super comfortable to use for the size, it has hall trigger triggers which feel great to use, and face buttons which feel a little bit smaller and more cramped than I’d like but again, they provided great responsiveness and still felt good in the hands.

In terms of inputs, it’s pretty standard among AYANEO devices now. You’ve got a full function USB4 USB-C port on the top and bottom which is fantastic for charging or connecting to an external GPU, you’ve got your MicroSD card slot, a fingerprint reader on the top as well as some extra macro buttons on either side of the top can be customised with actions like bringing up your keyboard or task manager.

Just in case you haven’t heard about AYANEO devices before, they run Windows, with this particular model running Windows 11, so absolutely any game that can be played on a PC can be played on this device. This isn’t limited to just Steam, but any launcher including Xbox Game Pass, Epic Games Store, Rockstar, Ubisoft etc.

There’s a big range of AYANEO Air Plus devices. All can be found on the Indiegogo site HERE. The 6800U model that I tested is aimed at high-end AAA gaming, and is priced appropriately at $1,205 AUD, but it goes as low as $412 AUD for the Ryzen 3 7320U or Intel Adler Lake i3 1215U which are great for lower demanding games on the indie side or maybe some basic emulation.

This is a very capable gaming device. Whilst playing games such as Returnal, Cyberpunk 2077 and The Last Of Us Part 1 at 25w with high settings at 1080p (with AMD FSR set to balanced), I was able to get near enough to 30FPS for all of them, with games such as Red Dead Redemption 2, Horizon Zero Dawn and Forza Horizon 5 all pushing closer to 60 FPS, but you can expect to get even better performance if you’re happy to drop this down to 720p.

AYANEO AIR PLUS 6800U PERFORMANCE

1080 / High / AMD FSR: Balanced / 25w

• The Last Of Us Part 1 – 30 FPS
• Returnal: 27 FPS
• Horizon Zero Dawn 42 FPS
• Cyberpunk 2077: 27 FPS
• F1: 57 FPS
• Forza Horizon 5 – 51 FPS
• Red Dead Redemption 2 – 44 FPS

Battery life has been the big issue with any high-end Windows gaming device, and it’s not the worst that I’ve experienced with the AIR Plus. It has a larger 46.2Wh battery which lasted me about an hour playing at the 25w required to get a decent 1080p gaming experience, but when dropping to 20 watts I was able to push that to 90 minutes and you’d be looking at 2-3 hours when dropping this even further for indie games.

Whilst the AYANEO 2 got fairly hot when it launched (a heat dissipation kit has now been released), this isn’t really the case with the AIR Plus. The fans definitely ramp up which can get in the way of the speakers a little bit, but I’d rather that if it means keeping the actual unit cool in the hands.

As mentioned, the AYANEO Air Plus runs Windows 11 which is a huge positive for playing absolutely any game that you already own (and not just on Steam) as well as emulation, which obviously this machine excels at, but it’s also still a bit of a negative in the sense that Windows wasn’t really designed to be used with a touch screen. It’s absolutely fine if you’re just booting a game, and not an issue once you’re in, but it can still have its quirks if needing to navigate around, with it often being much easier to just pair a keyboard and mouse (which is super easy to do with Bluetooth or with a dongle).

AyaSpace is the device’s front-end loader, and it does a great job at providing an overlay with quick access to changing brightness and how much power you’re using, as well as sorting your games from all of your launchers and displaying them. There were still a few bugs, particularly when changing resolution or not loading games in, but it’s constantly being updated and worked on. As cool as a design feature that it is, I still found inconsistencies with the lighting up of the analogue sticks as well, particularly when having the device next to me and trying to sleep.

Ayaneo has launched a new multi docking station alongside this device, which is great for connecting the AYANEO Air Plus up to a monitor and playing games on the big screen or just using it for productivity. It can work with any of its products, but I can’t tell you how much this improved the experience. Not only did it mean that I could easily charge the device at all times, it also made connecting a monitor via HDMI as well as keyboards/mice a breeze. As I mentioned earlier, you could now literally use this as your daily driver without any issues, then pick it up to take it to bed and game.

This is just such an exciting space to watch and nobody is innovating faster than AYANEO who just keeps utilising the latest tech available in a number of form factors. It’ll be interesting to see how the soon to be released ASUS ROG Ally shakes up this market even further.

The AYANEO Air Plus is available on Indiegogo with early bird prices HERE. 

The post AYANEO Air Plus Review – Mighty Performance In A Great Form Factor appeared first on Press Start.

Valve introduced the Steam Deck 18 months ago and there has since been a sea of handheld PC devices that have arrived in all shapes and sizes. With the Steam Deck still not making its way to Australia, companies like AYANEO were left to bring their devices down under with the likes of the incredible AYANEO 2, but ASUS is the first company to truly tackle the worldwide market with its ASUS ROG Ally which will release in Australia on June 13th.

There was an immediate excitement when ASUS announced its new handheld just a few months ago, but it was met with reservation over what would presumably be an insanely high price. This didn’t eventuate with the unit coming in at $1,299 in Australia, which is very reasonable given the specs inside this handheld.

The ROG Ally has a 7-inch touchscreen screen with a 1080p/120hz refresh rate which is a big improvement on the competition. Whilst there are other 1080p handhelds, to my knowledge this is the first 120hz display in a Windows handheld, which is absolutely glorious for zipping around the screen, indie games or games such as COD: Modern Warfare 2 that can take advantage of frame rates beyond 60 FPS.

It also allows the ROG Ally to have VRR which is an absolute godsend in smoothing out frame rates which is a big deal in a device like this. The display is bright and vibrant, but maybe a touch less so than the AYANEO 2 when I compared them side-by-side. The speakers in this device are absolutely phenomenal as well, with the loudness being much more than necessary and it having a great amount of clarity and bass.

Another big difference is the weight of the device. In comparison to the Steam Deck’s 669 grams and the AYANEO 2’s 680 grams, the ROG ALLY comes in at 608 grams. This doesn’t sound like a big difference but at 10% lighter, and given the size of these devices, the Ally honestly feels super light in comparison to the AYANEO 2, and really makes for more comfortable sessions whilst holding the screen up in front of you in bed, or for longer periods of time. It was a huge point that ASUS wanted to drive home about the design of the Ally and it’s really worked out for the device.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $1,299 AUD FROM JB HI-FI

Otherwise, the Ally’s controls are as expected. The Ally closely mimics that of an Xbox controller which is a good thing as that’s mostly what Windows 11 recognises any connected controller as and displays on-screen controls accordingly. The only slight worry I have is the face buttons which actually feel quite good in the hands, but are quite low to the device, so I could see them potentially getting stuck.

The ASUS ROG Ally runs Windows 11 which is the biggest positive but also the most problematic part of the device. On one hand, it’s fantastic because you can play any game from any launcher, including Xbox Game Pass. If it plays on a Windows 11 laptop, more likely than not, it’ll play on the ROG Ally. The flip side of this is that it comes with the many quirks of Windows 11, which definitely was not built with a smaller touch-screen in mind, but you can connect a keyboard/mouse quite easily, and I’d definitely recommend doing that whilst you login to all of your launchers initially.

I had a few issues during my week with the device, which included losing display drivers and also the controller drivers, but these were swiftly fixed by either restarting the device or disabling and re-enabling the drivers. It’s also worth mentioning that this device is still in pre-release and has been receiving updates all week that have made the experience smoother. I only mention these problems because it is worth mentioning that this isn’t a Nintendo Switch-like experience where it’s pickup and play.

Just like any PC, there will be tinkering involved. Because this is literally a Windows 11 device, you can plug it into any monitor and it essentially becomes a PC. I was able to do this just using a USB-C cord to my monitor which was able to charge it and pass through 4K/60 video all with one cord.

Thankfully, your time spent in actual Windows 11 land will be minimal. ASUS has shipped the device with its own Armoury Crate SE software. This boots upon launch, and basically automatically loads in games as you download them from the variety of launchers that you install. It’s not without its glitches as well, but again, it has gotten a lot better even in the 10 days or so that I’ve had the device, so I have no doubt ASUS will continue to improve it.

Another great feature is Command Centre which basically is a quick menu that will overlay your game. You can use it to change brightness and sound as well as the resolution and frame rate and also do other more advanced things such as limit the frame rate or turn on AMD FSR to smooth frame rates further. You can also really handily turn on a real-time monitor to keep tabs on frame rate, temperature etc.

The actual gameplay experience with the ASUS ROG Ally is fairly phenomenal. I’ve reviewed a few AYANEO devices now, and have been blown away with how quickly these PC handhelds have come in just a year or so, but the ROG Ally is definitely the most solid experience that I’ve had so far. There are three (or technically four) power settings that can be used when computing or playing games. Silent (9w), Performance (15w) or Turbo (25w) which goes up to 30w when plugged into power.

I tested every AAA game that I played at 1080p with high settings with AMD FSR 2 set to balanced (where possible). I was utilising the 25w Turbo setting, which is pretty much essential when playing AAA games such as Returnal, Cyberpunk 2077 or Red Dead Redemption 2. When benchmarking, I was able to achieve frame rates of more than 30 FPS with every game that I tested, even hitting near 60 FPS with a few of the games. Again, this is running at high at 1080p, so if you want to push closer to the 60 and beyond, it’s absolutely achievable.

ASUS ROG ALLY BENCHMARKS:

1080p / high settings / balanced FSR / turbo (25w) mode

• Returnal – 30 FPS
• Cyberpunk 2077 – 32 FPS
• Horizon Zero Dawn – 50 FPS
• Forza Horizon 5 – 57 FPS
• Spider-Man Miles Morales – 47 FPS
• Red Dead Redemption 2 – 39 FPS
• F1 2022 – 69 FPS
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla- 56 FPS

I spent a lot of time playing Red Dead Redemption 2 and was just in constant amazement of how good the game looked and ran on a device that was not much bigger than a Nintendo Switch. I’d say the Ally really clicked for me though when playing Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 online. I was able to get 80 FPS+ on Turbo mode, fully taking advantage of that 120Hz display.

It ran without a hitch, and besides a slight downgrade in visuals from my PS5, it didn’t feel like a hampered experience in any way, so whilst I might not see myself playing a lot of high-end AAA games right through on the smaller screen, it’s absolutely a game-changer for games like Call of Duty or FIFA.

@shannongrixti

The ASUS ROG Ally is a super powerful Windows gaming handheld and it’s launching in Australia on June 13th for $1,299 AUD #ASUS #ASUSROGally #ROGally #steamdeck #windows11 #gaming #techtok

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

What is really impressive as well is how well ASUS has done to distribute heat so that it comes out of the top and you don’t feel it in your hands at all, which is wildly different from the AYANEO 2. The fans are also super quiet to the point that you barely even hear them with the sound on.

Of course, this performance does come with a downside though and that is the battery life. Whilst the ROG Ally is a lot more powerful than the Steam Deck, because it’s a lot more locked down, Valve has been able to work some absolute sorcery in getting decent frame rates at lower power modes to last a good amount of hours whilst playing these games, which isn’t the case for the ROG Ally.

Whilst playing in the Turbo mode (25w), at the time of writing, you can expect to get about 45-50 minutes of battery life, which obviously isn’t ideal for use outside of the house, but it is fairly comparable with other Windows 11 devices such as the AYANEO 2 which lasts a bit longer at about 1 hour 10 minutes. Moving to performance mode, you’re able to push this to about 1 and a half hours and pushing to silent mode, you’re able to push it even further to 2.5 hours. These were all tested at about 80-90% brightness

ASUS ROG ALLY BATTERY LIFE:

Tested at 80% brightness

• Turbo Mode (25w): 45-55 minutes
• Performance Mode (15w): 1.5 hours
• Silent Mode (9w): 2.5 hours

This wasn’t at all surprising to me, but I’m sure these amounts will be surprising to a lot of you reading this. It’s just the price that has to be paid for such great performance. If you’re playing indie games, can definitely drop to those lower game modes, but at that point, I just worry that the experience is getting too close to the Nintendo Switch to justify the price tag. I played a good chunk of Planet of Lana in performance mode (15w) and was still able to get 60FPS, and dropping it to silent (9w) was still playable, so it absolutely is possible for these indie games to run incredibly well, if you’re wanting to extend battery life.

All-in-all, the release of the ASUS ROG Ally feels like a significant step forward in this category. It’s the second major company to join the space, and provides something totally different to that of the Steam Deck. It’ll be exciting to see where this space goes in the coming months and years, and I really hope ASUS continue to tinker with things and improve this device, as I feel like there is so much potential to still be realised, even beyond the fantastic experience that it is whilst gaming.

The ASUS ROG Ally is set to launch in Australia for $1,299 AUD on June 13th.

The post ASUS ROG Ally Review – A Big Leap Forward appeared first on Press Start.

For as long as I can reasonably remember (since 2015, a quick search has told me) there’s been one headset among many that’s commanded a great deal of respect and recommendation in the sub-$200 gaming headset space, and that’s the HyperX Cloud II. Since its original iteration and through various tweaks and new SKUs in the eight years following, it’s remained a staple in its weight class, and for good reason. Pairing better-than-average sound with good long-term comfort at a very reasonable price point has kept this thing in the mix for longer than most tech products could ever hope to stay on shelves. 

Nothing lasts forever though, and the reign of the HyperX Cloud II might finally be over, succeeded by the brand-spanking-new HyperX Cloud III.

The king is dead, long live the king.

Yes, HyperX has done the thing that I wasn’t sure they’d ever do and outright replaced their standard-bearing headset with a new iteration. More than just a change in connectivity or colour, it’s a shift in design alongside a hardware upgrade that brings the ageing Cloud II into a new generation. Importantly, it’s a successful venture. HyperX has managed to give their golden child the coming-of-age story it deserves in the Cloud III, with smart revisions that haven’t undermined what made its predecessor special.

Unboxing the HyperX Cloud III reveals a fairly stock-standard offering, with the headset itself along with the detachable microphone, small printed start guide and a 3.5mm AUX-to-USB-C adapter with an optional USB-A converter. The headset runs out to a fixed 3.5mm AUX cable so it can be plugged into the vast majority of PC/console/mobile devices either with an analog connection or with the USB adapter.

Design-wise, the Cloud III takes the same basic look of the Cloud II and gives it a bit of a modern refresh. Using similar materials throughout, it retains the rough size and construction of the previous model and its red, metallic arms but with slightly more rounded and sleek lines. The band and ear cushions are still using memory foam and leatherette material and while leatherette isn’t my first choice for these things it’s in keeping with tradition and noticeably softer than before. The microphone no longer wears a foam hat, but instead has a built-in mesh filter and comes with a handy LED mute indicator. A very basic combo of a volume scroll and a quick mute button embellish the cups on either side. 

All told, it’s a great little modernisation of the Cloud II’s look without completely sacrificing the existing visual identity. Importantly, it’s also still incredibly comfortable – much more so than the vast majority of other gaming headsets in its price class or even above. I’m someone whose ears heat up quite quickly, and I’ve always appreciated a good breathable fabric in that regard, but in terms of pure on-the-head fit and the comfort of the big, plush cups these are so good that the material feels like a non-issue. At just under 300g it’s a pretty standard weight, but never felt overbearing or tight on my unremarkably-sized noggin.

But while design and comfort are undeniably important in a headset, the true test is in the audio. The HyperX Cloud III has both the fortunate and unenviable position of following a headset that offered incredibly decent sound for its price point, with great balance and accuracy backed up by a better-than-average soundstage. Thankfully the Cloud III carries the torch superbly, once again building on the foundation laid without radically changing what people expect from it. With bigger, angled 53mm drivers and the introduction of DTS Headphone: X Spatial Audio the in-game experience is a whole level better while retaining the balance and positional chops that made the Cloud II so good for competitive PC gaming.

If you’re looking for a headset to really wow you in single-player blockbusters or the occasional movie, the Cloud III isn’t really working any harder than its predecessor, which is to say it’s probably not the best-geared for the task. This really is something for the competitive shooter crowd, offering a precise and clear auditory window into everything your opponents are doing. Footsteps, gunshots and everything in-between are clear-cut and easy to pick when it comes to direction and distance, proving why the Cloud II was an immediate go-to among the eSports elite.

Even if you’re not using the headset with a PC and getting DTS:X Spatial Audio there’s a very nice width and depth from the Cloud III that makes it a great wired option for something like a console, but it’s definitely good to have the option to further tweak the audio experience on Windows with the (admittedly fairly basic) HyperX NGENUITY software. NGENUITY doesn’t really stand up to some of the fancier software solutions from brands like SteelSeries or Razer, but luckily the headset sounds fantastic out-of-the-box which makes it a great multiplatform option.

The Cloud III’s microphone is an improvement on paper, going from a 6mm diameter to 10mm and offering “improved clarity” according to HyperX, and so far that seems to be a fair claim. It’s still a pretty standard headset mic among other pretty standard headset mics, but for the average person speaking with an inside voice it comes through nice and clear and actually does a pretty decent job of not picking up a lot of background noise. I was able to chat with friends with a TV going right near me and none of it bled into my comms, which is good. I tried shouting for a bit (sorry, pals) and it seems to blow out pretty easily at a raised volume but your mileage there will vary depending on how obnoxious you are.

At $159 AUD when it launches in Australia on May 31st, the HyperX Cloud III keeps confidently in step with the headset it’s replacing when it comes to bang-for-buck. There was little that could beat out the Cloud II in its price bracket, and that’s just as true here. That said, if you have a Cloud II that’s still going strong it probably doesn’t change the game enough to justify upgrading, but if you’re newly in the market for a sub-$200 gaming headset that works with a variety of devices and offers a genuine competitive edge with long-term comfort – don’t hesitate for a second.

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There was a time where I might have claimed that I “don’t need” PC speakers at my desk, that I “prefer” just to use headphones. And, at that time, I’d have meant it. More recently though, after having dabbled in external sound with Razer’s Leviathan V2 X PC soundbar, and especially now after spending some time with its flagship Razer Nommo V2 Pro speakers, I think I’ve become a convert. With this new set, I’m finally experiencing the kind of high-quality audio and gaming immersion that I usually get from my over-ear cans without having to sacrifice comfort over long periods – though at a cost I’m not sure everyone will be prepared to pay.

Unpacking the sizeable box that the Razer Nommo V2 Pro comes nestled in (and protected by a whole heap of cardboard and foam), first impressions are great. The two speakers are solid, with a good amount of heft and a matte black finish that seems to barely attract fingerprints. Like the older Razer Nommo speakers, they’re a unique cylindrical design, sitting on a fixed stand with a slightly-upturned angle. The included wireless subwoofer is similarly finished by a very nice matte black coat and feels a lot lighter than expected, though as you’ll read further down that bears no indication of its capabilities.

Design-wise, it’s a much more subtle look than the previous Nommo Pro, which featured a tall, cylindrical sub and speakers that sat on fairly high stalks with an extra cylinder on top for the tweeters. The new set definitely isn’t small by any measure, but it’s a more desk-friendly design overall than its predecessor. I’m really glad that a lot of Razer’s recent products have started to take a more understated and sleek design philosophy than its history of honestly garish, very gamer-y gear. The brand has really put a foot forward in making its products attractive to high-end users and then backing that up with high-end features and quality.

That is exactly the case here as well, as the Nommo V2 Pro’s two speakers deliver markedly excellent audio with crisp highs, a warm and detailed middle and rumbling bass with plenty of nuance (once you tone it down a little from the out-of-the-box setting) making for a fantastic experience. On paper, these have a very slightly less wide frequency response and are naturally missing the dedicated tweeters of the previous model, but they’re also around $200 cheaper and while I’ve never listened to the original Nommo Pro first-hand I can’t imagine there being a huge difference.

The first thing I did after setting these up was hit play on Sleep Token’s new record, Take Me Back To Eden, an album that swims through genres at an olympic pace, and it sounded every bit as gorgeous as I could’ve hoped. Even throwing something like the harsh tones and bold mix of 100 gecs’ Dumbest Girl Alive at the Nommo V2 Pro brought out sounds in the track I’d never noticed before, which is always a great sign. 

Music is likely just a small slice of the equation for a gaming audio solution though, and thanks to the THX Spatial Audio capabilities, the Razer Nommo V2 Pro delivers a definitively superb soundscape for games and movies, far better than I expected from two forward-firing speakers. This is absolutely a set of speakers designed for solo gaming/movie watching at a desk and not something that I’d recommend using to replace a proper soundbar/home theatre setup in the lounge room, but for the intended purpose they’re glorious. Doubly so in anything that benefits having preset THX Game Profiles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

It really is uncanny just how well these speakers can reproduce an incredibly accurate sense of 360° direction and subtle differences in distance when playing both certified and even non-certified games. They can also get loud at up to +99db, which is less a critique and more a warning to anyone with neighbours/cohabitants.

A lot of what makes the Nommo V2 Pro (and the rest of the Nommo V2 range) compelling in comparison to other alternatives is the simple integration with the Razer Synapse software. After I’d set them up, they instantly popped up in the Synapse suite and I was able to tweak things like the RGB lighting, power saving settings, full audio EQ as well as features like THX Spatial Audio and a neat but slightly underwhelming audio-monitoring lighting effect. I could also easily find all of my installed games and applications and give them individual audio presets to load whenever they were booted up.

As far as the RGB lighting goes (this being a Razer product, after all), I really dig the rear-projected ambient light from these. If you’re into expressing yourself through a desk full of different hues they do a great job of tying everything together with a bit of a fill of the back of your desk/wall without being obnoxious. At this higher end of the product line it would’ve been cool to maybe get multiple lighting zones per speaker but what’s here is great.

Pulling a lot of this together is the Razer Wireless Control Pod, a black disc-like device that looks a bit like a robot macaron and acts as the sole physical means of controller the Nommo V2 Pro and comes included in the box (or will soon be sold separately for anyone with the stripped-back Nommo V2 and Nommo V2 X). Featuring a textured, metallic metal top wheel that can be turned and clicked, as well as a single button on the base, this little gadget is actually surprisingly useful. With just the three inputs you’re able to control power, volume and mute, media playback, switch profiles and toggle between PC/bluetooth connection on a completely wireless little puck that’s lightweight, sits on a rubber pad so as not to slip with use and features a supposedly 8-month battery life off of the two included AA batteries.

The Razer Nommo V2 Pro is also compatible with PlayStation consoles via USB and mobile devices/Switch consoles via Bluetooth 5.3, meaning if you’re someone who has a console at their desk alongside a gaming PC you could feasibly switch with either a button press or quick cable swap – though when not connected to a PC with USB you’ll lose access to THX Spatial Audio which relies on the Razer Synapse software. That’s a pretty big compromise, and I definitely wouldn’t suggest picking these up solely for use with a console, but options are always welcome.

All told, the Razer Nommo V2 Pro has absolutely exceeded my expectations of what a set of desktop 2.1 PC gaming speakers could achieve in terms of both sound quality and immersion, but they come with a $699.95 price tag to match. It’s a clear drop from the previous Nommo Pro which went for upwards of $900, but it’s still a steep enough investment that it might give some people pause. If you’re rocking a gaming PC setup that cost more than a small car to put together and a set of fantastic-sounding speakers with impressive 360° spatial audio is the last piece of the puzzle though? Look absolutely no further.

The post Razer Nommo V2 Pro Review – Powerful And Immersive Desktop Sound appeared first on Press Start.

It’s absolutely no secret that LG has dominated the OLED space over the last half a decade or so in the TV space.

Without many OLED gaming monitor options, gamers opted to use the 55″ OLED TV as a monitor before LG released the 48″ and subsequent 42″ iterations, but they’ve now taken it one step further, releasing a 48″ OLED gaming monitor in its UltraGear line.

When talking pure visuals, you’d be hard pressed to tell the 48″ UltraGear OLED gaming monitor from the 48″ C2 OLED TV, but this is really the greatest compliment that I can give this monitor from a display point of view.  The blacks are still incredibly inky, colours are vibrant and with HDR10, you can expect similar levels of brightness in HDR.

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The two main differences between the 48GQ900-B UltraGear Monitor and LG’s C2 TV is the fact that the monitor has a matte, anti-glare screen, which some people might have an issue with and also the fact that unlike Samsung’s latest drop of monitors, there is no smart TV functionality out of the box, so you won’t be able to use it as a makeshift TV if you’re using it in a bedroom.

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There’s a couple of other features that are totally unique to the UltraGear 48″ monitor. First is the inclusion of an UltraGear Remote, which if I’m being honest, looks like something out of the 70s in terms of size, but it’s actually quite useful. Instead of reaching around and fiddling with buttons/a finicky knob on the monitor, you can use the remote to change things such as input, volume, change between game modes and such. It’s a really welcomed addition.

The other is what you’d expect to see in a gaming monitor, in the fact that there’s some serious RGBs on the chunkier bottom portion of the side profile. This can be customised between static colours or the usual RGB profiles.

When it comes to inputs, there’s 1 x HDMI 2.1 port and 2 HDMI 2.0 ports, as well as a Display Port and some USB up and down ports. With the PS5 connected, I was able to take advantage of 4K at 120Hz seamlessly, and it looked absolutely gorgeous.

The monitor has speakers which is really useful for those that might not have external speakers on their desk, and they’re really quite good too. I was getting a good amount of bass coming through whilst taking down infected in Resident Evil 4.

Whilst there are familiar features from LG’s OLED TV such as Game Bar which is still really useful here to quickly check that frame rate and VRR are enabled, there are more features that you’d expect to see in a gaming monitor such as an FPS counter, crosshair, and a black stabiliser, so if you’re wanting more of those settings that are more often on monitors, you should lean towards this over the 48″ C2. It also has NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium. You’re getting an 120Hz refresh rate (which can be overclocked to 138Hz) as well as a 0.1ms response time too.

I assume that a lot of people will be wondering whether to go for the 48″ C2 or 48″ 48GQ900 monitor, and that’s a hard one to answer, but I think the simple answer would be to go for whatever is cheaper. If you’re after a display that also acts as a TV, I feel like the C2 is the more obvious choice, but if you’re after more traditional monitor features, then this might be the way to go.

Regardless though, it’s just another way to buy what is one of the best displays both for general moving/tv show watching and also gaming, so you can’t go wrong either way.

The post LG 48″ UltraGear OLED Gaming Monitor Review – LG’s OLED Goodness In Monitor Form appeared first on Press Start.

Given the exploding popularity of “pro” PC gaming peripherals, ubiquitous PC accessories turned into ultra-engineered light shows with more features than a DJ Khaled album, more and more manufacturers seem to be coming to market with all manner of purposefully-designed gaming keyboards. With so much choice on shelves, it can be overwhelming trying to find the one bit of kit that suits all of a person’s needs. 

For that reason, there’s also a massive community of enthusiasts going the custom route, building mechanical keyboards from pre-fabricated parts. While building something yourself is immensely satisfying, the keyboard scene can be overwhelming and also doesn’t leave a lot of room for some of the features that the big manufacturers have run wild with like fancy lighting and displays. That’s where the latest from ASUS, the ROG Azoth, comes in – offering a top-notch keyboard with a full suite of features that also works as a great entry point to mechanical keyboard maintenance.

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Right from the outset, it’s clear that what you’re getting with the Azoth is a premium product. Opening the box reveals a content offering typical of ASUS, all-inclusive and well packaged with the keyboard itself draped in a protective cloth and a veritable toolkit of extra bits hidden underneath. I don’t know about you, but I’m always incredibly happy to open a new, expensive purchase and be greeted with carefully-designed and well-appointed packaging that has everything I could possibly need included and that first impression went swimmingly here.

One of the first things you’ll notice about the Azoth when taking it out of the box and setting it down for the first time is that it’s hefty. There’s a good amount of weight to it, owing to a metal top frame alongside everything packed into it. It means it’s not the most portable keyboard despite the 75% form factor, but it’s incredibly stable and sturdy on a desk and isn’t likely to budge an inch even during the most intense gaming sessions. There are two sets of feet on the bottom of the ROG Azoth, allowing for three different typing angles depending on your flavour of comfort.

When it comes to the actual typing experience this is easily one of the most tactile and satisfying I’ve had with a retail gaming keyboard. Thanks to the combination of the pre-lubed ROG NX mechanical switches that feel incredibly smooth and consistent in both the initial press and springback, plus multiple layers of silicon gaskets, pads and foam supporting them all, there’s both an effortlessness and an assuredness to every keystroke. 

I’m not going to pretend to understand all the science and engineering of it all, but the result is it feels just right with a ton of give and tactile response but almost nothing in the way of excessive noise or rattling. Whether I was typing up a lengthy keyboard review (guess which one??), fervently slinging out barbs in heated group chat debates or smashing the ever-loving shit out of it during some particularly brutal games of Stepmania, not only did every keystroke register without skipping a beat but the thing didn’t budge an inch on my desk. It’s a tiny tank.

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The keycaps and switches included with the ROG Azoth are great – ours came with red switches, which I’m a big fan of, and the keycaps are PBT doubleshot caps that feel nice and premium and should be plenty durable. Of course, one of the great features of this keyboard is how much freedom there is to change anything you don’t like, with hot-swappable switches and the included DIY kit that contains a switch opener, keycap puller, switch puller, lube station, brush, and lubricant making it simple (well, more simple than usual) to get into its guts and make it your own.

Of course, buying a $400 gaming keyboard only to rip out the included switches and buy more is an expensive proposition, and what’s already there will be great for most, but having the option and the tools right out of the gate is very novel.

By far my favourite feature of the ROG Azoth though, is the 2-inch grayscale OLED panel adorning the top-right of the keyboard, offering a window into a number of things from quick access to settings like RGB brightness, onboard profiles and media playback to system monitoring information, music visualisers or just whatever image or GIF you want to load in – like a looping animation of the mum from The Incredibles.

Next to the display is a super handy three-way control knob that can be used contextually to do things like scroll up/down and select items, control volume and mute, increase or decrease brightness and so on, while one more button on the side switches between the different sets of options. It works pretty well and comes in incredibly handy, though I did find myself accidentally pressing the control knob when I meant to push it up or down as those functions are quite stiff.

Tying all of this together is the ASUS ROG Armoury Crate software, which is about as good as most other hardware vendors’ proprietary software. It’s a bit bloated, both with how many fairly useless menus and features it throws at you as well as how system-intensive it can be, but it’s pretty intuitive when it comes to the features most people would use like RGB/display customisation, macros and individual profiles. I just wish there was a “lite” version that did away with all the game launcher and news type stuff to make it a bit more lean and zippy.

Back to better news though, and the final piece of the puzzle in the ROG Azoth’s connectivity options, which are excellent. There’s a wired USB option, Bluetooth with support for up to three devices at a time, and ASUS’ own “SpeedNova” wireless option which it says offers ultra-low latency and optimised power efficiency. 

ASUS reckons you’ll get over 2000 hours of use out of the keyboard in 2.4GHz wireless mode with the RGB and OLED display turned off. I haven’t been able to verify that number because I love RGBs and OLED displays, but in the few weeks I’ve been using it there hasn’t been a need to charge it, so that’s a great sign.

Header image: ASUS ROG UK.

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I’m just gonna come out and say it – I have a very discerning bum when it comes to just about anything. Cushions, benches, toilet paper, whatever it is, my caboose is anything but loose. That’s probably why I’ve gone through as many office/gaming chair options as I have in the years that I’ve been at a desk on the regular, and why I’ll probably continue to do so. The good news is though, I think I’m going to be quite content for the foreseeable future with the Razer Iskur Fabric.

It’s that last word that stuck out to me right away when looking at this newer iteration of Razer’s foray into gaming furniture, because I can say with no hesitation that I’m not a fan of the synthetic leather upholstering of most other gaming chairs. Sure, fabric might not be as easy to keep clean (though Razer says this one’s spill-resistant), but it feels a heck of a lot nicer, it’s more temperate, and it looks far better. 

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A lot of that is going to come down to personal preference, of course, but with my gushing over fabric out of the way the rest of this review will focus on features that exist in Razer’s synthetic leather seats as well.

The most immediate realisation when the Iskur Fabric was dropped off at my door, is that it comes in a big ol’ box. Not unusual for a gaming chair, but definitely one of the more sizeable examples I’ve come across. Once I opened it up it was easy to see how it became so thicc, too, with a pretty astonishing amount of packaging material inside keeping everything well protected. 

You’ll be able to see in the below photo just how much leftover stuff there was for me to (responsibly) dispose of once I was done. If you’re someone with an aversion to waste, you might want to prepare yourself:

Setting the chair up was about as simple as most. It took myself and my partner maybe 20-25 minutes to put it all together, including unpacking and cleaning up the enormous amount of cardboard, foam and plastic. The hardest part was lining up the two main body pieces to then bolt them together, but everything else was as easy as sliding things into other things and securing them with the included tools. 

By far my favourite part of the entire experience was the comically-large instruction sheet, which could have easily just been a double-sided A4 but instead could double as a sun shade for your car’s windshield.

Once the thing was together and I was able to get buns-on with it, I realised just how much I’ve needed a much firmer cush’ for my tush. Like the fabric aspect, the relative hardness of the Iskur isn’t going to be for everyone, but it’s been great for me. There’s an XL version of the chair out there on the market, but even the standard one has a ton of room for booties and the racing seat-style design that’s ubiquitous with gaming chairs is incredibly comfortable in a multitude of sitting styles for long periods.

I’m especially impressed by how premium a lot of the Iskur Fabric looks and feels, though you’d hope so for an asking price of $799. The dark gray of the fabric and the understated embellishing (especially for Razer) make it come across as something you wouldn’t look twice at in a professional setting, and the metal accents on things like the excellent 4D armrest controls help sell that even further. 

The chair also comes with an optional memory foam head cushion at retail, though I can’t speak to its quality as my review unit was sadly sans cushion.

Adding to the list of premium features on the Iskur Fabric is an excellent lumbar support system, eschewing the stop-gap solutions of other chairs like attachable cushions or fixed supports for an adjustable system that can properly align to your spine. It’s as easy to adjust as anything else on the chair and I very quickly found the sweet spot for me and my poor, rarely cared-for back bones.

With a plethora of “gaming” chair options on the market with all manner of outrageous designs and questionable orthopedic support, it’s both welcome and mildly surprising that Razer has such an understated, premium and fully-featured seat on the market. The Razer Iskur Fabric isn’t cheap, or for everyone, but it’s been something of a holy grail in my search for a genuinely comfortable sitting situation that doesn’t look like it’s sponsored by G FUEL.

The post Razer Iskur Fabric Review – A High (Lum)bar For Gaming Chairs appeared first on Press Start.

SteelSeries announced its first speaker line last year, with the Arena 3 being a basic 2.0 setup, the Arena 9 being a complete 5.1 surround sound experience and the Arena 7 sitting in the middle with a great sound and some innovative features to boot.

The Arena 7 setup comes with two speakers (each with its own driver and tweeter) and a rather large subwoofer. The design of both are quite sleek and understated, which I rather like, but as soon as you turn them on, you realise that they’re not just an average set of speakers design-wise.

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The Arena 7s both have a 4-zone RGB lighting on the back of them, that you’re able to customise anywhere from just a basic standard colour, to cycling through the rainbow to reacting with a keyboard press. The speakers also tilt quite easily, so that you can get that perfect reflection off your wall.

Compared to something like the Philips Hue Play Bar, it’s offers roughly the same brightness, and exactly like the Play Bar, you’re able to use the SteelSeries GG app to replicate what is happening on your screen (PC only) for a pretty immersive experience. There are a few issues with the software though when it comes to the lighting portion, and I hope that this does improve with time given this a new market for SteelSeries.

As far as connectivity goes, you can connect the SteelSeries Arena 7 to your Windows or Apple PC as well as your PlayStation device via USB C or the optical/3.5mm ports. There’s also Bluetooth connectivity that is super easy to setup and you’re able to play music through Bluetooth whilst also using one of the other inputs. The speakers are controlled by the knob on the right speaker, with the bass amount being controlled on the subwoofer.

SteelSeries make some of the best headsets on the market, with the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless still being my favourite headset to ever release, and I was really hopeful that this would translate to its line of speakers and it most certainly does.

The speakers provide a good amount of crispness and volume when listening to music, and the 6.5″ down-firing subwoofer provides a huge amount of bass that is absolutely satisfying no matter what’s blasting through the speakers.

Its obviously worth mentioning that it is quite sizeable, so you will want to make sure you’ve got space under the desk or a place to put in, but thankfully, it is really understated with its all-black design, so it doesn’t stand out at all.

Really, if you’re already in the SteelSeries eco system and want a pair of speakers, it’s a no-brainer to buy into the Arena line, even if it’s starting with the Arena 3s, but the subwoofer in the 7s really are worth the jump in my opinion.

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The idea of a “pro” gaming controller might still be alien to some, but with the advent of big-name entries into the market like the Xbox Elite Series 2 and the PlayStation DualSense Edge controller, it’s certainly feeling like a growing sector. Razer’s no stranger to the concept, having released more than a few pro-level controllers in the past, but the Wolverine V2 Pro – an officially licenced, wireless premium controller for the PS5 – might just be its boldest yet. And at an RRP of $475.95, it’s most expensive.

I’ve been putting the Razer Wolverine V2 Pro through its paces recently, in an effort to try to decipher whether or not that’s an appropriate amount of money to pay for this thing.

I’m hesitant to start making direct comparisons to PS5’s DualSense Edge controller this soon, but right off the bat the unboxing experience of the Razer Wolverine V2 Pro felt a little flat in comparison to Sony’s $150-cheaper alternative. Where that pad came packed inside an attractive and sturdy carrying case, complete with a 2.8m braided cable, a cable lock, four thumbstick caps and removable back paddles, Razer’s new controller sits in some protective foam with a 1.4m cable, the required wireless receiver and just two thumbstick caps.

Luckily once you’ve got the controller in-hand it’s clear that this is a well-made bit of kit. It’s surprisingly light for its size, especially compared to the rather dense Edge, but it feels sturdy and nicely finished with a matte body and textured grips that seem like they’ll hold up well to long-term use. I did notice that a couple of the rear switches on my review unit were loose enough that there was a consistent, audible ‘shake’ to them that occasionally wormed its way into my ear holes but hopefully that’s an exception rather than the norm. Asymmetrical thumbsticks are definitely a personal preference that may make or break the decision for some, but it’s definitely nice to have an option like this on the market.

Crucially, the buttons on the Wolverine V2 Pro feel fantastic to play with. The mechanical “Mecha-Tactile” face, shoulder and d-pad buttons have a wonderful, clicky press that not only actuates at lightning speeds but is genuinely addictive to use, basically emulating the responsive, tactile mouse clicks that PC players enjoy. The 8-way microswitch d-pad’s delightful clickiness makes it feel far more accurate and responsive than what just about any other controller offers. The triggers and analogue sticks are maybe a little less exciting to use, but both at least offer some degree of customisation with short-distance trigger stops that you can change individually on each and the aforementioned interchangeable thumbstick caps.

It’s hard to really gauge whether or not Razer’s Wolverine V2 Pro made me a better player while I was using it (the bar is so low that the science is just too unclear), I definitely felt like it could help me get better by pushing up the ceiling of performance. I’m not entirely convinced of the positioning of its two added shoulder buttons and four, neatly arranged back buttons for someone with small hands like myself but it’s more extra buttons than most. I do think that Hall Effect sensors in the thumbsticks would have been a superior inclusion and helped to justify the asking price, but they’re sadly not here.

And while most veteran players would argue that wired play is still the way to go, Razer’s argument in its HyperSpeed wireless connection is definitely a feasible alternative and it’s as easy as plugging the included USB receiver into the front or back ports on your PS5 and turning the controller on. Something the Wolverine V2 Pro can boast as a massive advantage over the DualSense family of controllers, including the Edge, is a battery that’ll last you more than one Destiny 2 raid. Battery life is rated at 10 hours with Chroma lighting on or a huge 28 hours with it off, and in my use I can corroborate that as being fairly spot-on. If your controller’s stamina is of any concern, this is a marked improvement and a major selling point in my eyes.

One big, on-the-box feature that can comfortably account for a portion of the asking price of the Wolverine V2 Pro is the official PlayStation licensing. Though, in practice this means far less than I was hoping. For a controller built in collaboration with PlayStation it’s disappointing that there’s no haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, built-in speaker or gyroscope – nothing that the competitive market it caters to would or should care about but all features the DualSense Edge still possesses. More annoyingly, the controller can’t be used to turn the PS5 console on – you’ll have to do that manually or through a HDMI-CEC compatible TV.

Since I’ve amassed a glut of PS5 controllers, I inevitably decided that I’d enjoy using the Wolverine V2 Pro with my PC – something that can easily be done by popping the HyperSpeed USB receiver into a free port and toggling the controller to “PC” mode on the back. After Windows recognised it, I jumped into the same Razer Synapse software I use to customise all of the other Razer peripherals plugged into my PC to start setting it up and customising it… only to find out I couldn’t do that.

Instead, any tweaks you want to make to the controller’s mappable buttons, performance or Chroma RGB lighting need to be done by syncing it up to the Razer Controller app on iOS or Android. Having to download an entirely separate app just to tweak a few settings felt like a step too far when Razer has an integrated ecosystem already, but I can definitely appreciate being able to do it from my phone if I’m, say, gaming in my lounge room or bringing the controller to a local tournament. So more choices would be nice, but the one available method is a good one.

In the Razer Controller app, you’re able to set up to four customisable profiles that can then be saved to the Wolverine V2 Pro itself and switched on the fly using a multifunction key underneath the PlayStation/power button. These profiles can contain settings for basic thumbstick sensitivity, the mapping of the two extra shoulder buttons and four back buttons and a single zone of Chroma RGB lighting. It’s a pretty barebones setup and definitely falls far short of competing controllers, plus it’s kind of a kick in the teeth that the example image of a Wolverine V2 Pro with Chroma RGB used right within the app suggests multi-zone lighting is a thing when it definitely is not.

And that’s the overall experience with Razer’s new PS5-licenced pro controller in a nutshell, really. What’s here is good, even great, with a premium build and comfort, good connectivity and some incredibly satisfying and responsive button switches making it a controller aimed squarely at pro players and absolutely nailing those fundamentals. At just shy of $500 though, it’s missing far too many features to recommend it over something like the DualSense Edge for those just wanting a flashier pad with all the bells and whistles.

The Razer Wolverine Pro V2 is available in Australian retailers now. Amazon currently has it at a discounted price of $449 with free shipping.

The post Razer Wolverine V2 Pro Review – A Solid But Compromised Pro Controller appeared first on Press Start.

When the original PlayStation VR arrived back in 2016, it shot into the then-burgeoning virtual reality market with hardware that was comfortable, accessible and – most importantly – affordable in comparison to its peers. That turned out to be the right move at the time, with the headset carving out a decent little piece of the VR market pie and commanding a decent amount of staying power in the years to come.

Fast forward almost seven years and the landscape is a little different for virtual reality tech. With high-end VR maturing and entry-level headsets like the Meta Quest 2 offering compelling, completely untethered VR experiences at a relatively modest price point there’s a lot more for PlayStation to prove with its follow-up effort. Dropping a little earlier into the life of the hardware it’s tied to and at a higher price point, the PlayStation VR2 feels like serious business in comparison to its predecessor. Sony successfully dipped its toes into the virtual waters and now it wants to swim with the sharks. It’s a good thing then, that the PS VR2’s teeth are as razor sharp as its visuals.

I went over a lot of this in my initial unboxing impressions (which you can read here) but it bears repeating – this is easily the most attractive, comfortable and well-constructed VR headsets I’ve used to date.

To begin with the headset itself is around 50g lighter than the first PS VR, but it’s also unburdened by the mess of cables and breakout boxes that made the previous iteration feel far bulkier than it actually was. This time around, there’s no extra box or HDMI passthrough or any of that junk. It’s just a single USB-C cable for the front of your PS5. A very, very long 4.5m USB-C cable that’s also surprisingly light and definitely will have enough give for most people to unknowingly wrap themselves in it a few times during play without any disaster striking.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $878 AT AMAZON WITH FREE SHIPPING.

Compared to the original PS VR’s IKEA-like setup, being able to simply take the thing out of the box, pop the cable into the front of the console and get playing is remarkable. I was worried that, having also used a Quest 2 quite a bit, the added cable would become an annoyance but I can’t say that I’ve even registered its existence more than once or twice during the time I’ve been playing.

Putting the headset on is a breeze, as well. Not a whole lot has changed from the last one, which is absolutely a good thing when that design was already fantastic. The headset is incredibly adjustable so once you slip it over your head by holding the button at the back and stretching it to accommodate your noggin, you simply spin a dial to tighten it up and then manoeuvre the front visor until it’s sitting comfortably in front of your eyes. Even with my fairly large glasses on I never once felt they were being pushed up against my face, with plenty of wiggle room. Crucially, the design of the rubber blinders around the lenses blocks out a ridiculous amount of ambient light.

Setting up the PS VR2 on the software side of things is also refreshingly easy and intuitive, with the headset’s mounted cameras and eye tracking technology doing a ton of the legwork. You’ll configure your play space simply by looking around you while it intelligently maps out walls, floors and any objects in the vicinity and creates a virtual boundary to keep you from punching nearby furniture in the heat of the moment. It’s in this step that you’ll also find out whether you’ve got the minimum required 2m x 2m clearance for “room scale” VR gameplay (essentially being able to physically move around a virtual space) or, if you live in an inner-city single bedroom apartment like me, are restricted to just the stationary standing/sitting experience.

One of the PlayStation VR2’s most interesting tricks, its eye tracking tech, also helps immensely with the initial setup by giving you an on-screen guide to how well-positioned the lenses are in relation to your pupils. With a combination of adjusting the position of the visor and turning the super-handy lens distance dial on the top of the visor you can very quickly get things looking just right for your eyes. Having eye tracking also enables the headset’s “foveated rendering” tech, which essentially allows games to render better detail in areas where you’re actively looking and dynamically scale back detail in areas you’re not – lending to better perceived visual quality and performance overall.

I can’t overstate how great the PlayStation VR2’s configuration and calibration process is in comparison to pretty well every other VR headset I’ve used. With just about any guesswork eliminated by the intelligent combination of hardware and software working together, I never once had to wonder whether I was getting the optimal experience.

Something I’ve been incredibly grateful for in my time with the PS VR2 is the ability to use its front-facing cameras as a window to the world outside of the headset. The surprisingly clear, black-and-white view is easily accessible just by pushing the Function button on the underside of the front visor which makes it easy to quickly reassess where you’re physically positioned in the room and if you’ve begun edging too close to a wall or bit of furniture, locate any controllers or people around you or even quickly jot down PlayStation VR2 review notes in your phone without having to remove the headset at all.

With the headset on and configured, one of the most immediately noticeable upgrades here is the pair of super-sharp 4K (2000 x 2040 per-eye) HDR OLED displays that represent a massive jump from the first PS VR and up there with some of the best resolutions that VR headsets have to offer. Aside from raw pixel count, the displays in the VR2 offer a fairly substantial 110 degree field of view and very decent brightness and colours. I’ve been particularly impressed with how little interference there is from the typical VR display issues like distortion and glare, with minimal god rays or “screen door” effect. It’s not completely without fault, there’s still a degree of softness to fine details like text and a bit of motion blur but overall it’s far superior to the likes of the Quest 2.

In the cinematic view, where the headset shows the regular PS5 home menu or any “flat” games or movies you might want to check out, is where I’m probably least inclined to choose the PS VR2’s display over simply using my OLED telly. The novelty of a floating cinema-esque screen in a virtual void that only you can see is novel enough if it’s your first time trying it out, but as sharp as the displays are for VR gaming they’re not quite fit for lengthy play sessions of regular titles.

RELATED: OUR HORIZON CALL OF THE MOUNTAIN REVIEW

One of my favourite inclusions, somewhat surprisingly to me, is the little in-ear headphones that come with the PS VR2. I’ll always opt for over-ear cans where possible, and fully expected to be opting for a slightly-awkward combo with my usual gaming headset, but I’m glad I gave these a go. For starters, they come attached to a little plastic bar that sits snugly into the back band to allow the buds to hang in just the right spot for the ears with no extra slack, and the headset even has a mounting port on each side to pop them into when you’re not using it.

They also sound great for an in-ear solution, with my playthrough of Horizon Call of the Mountain coming through with a good amount of crisp detail and juicy bass. Combined with the 3D audio processing and minimal physical interference it makes for a genuinely immersive audio experience out of the box – far and away more than I expected from some packed-in earphones.

The next piece of the hardware puzzle comes from the included Sense controllers. It’s hard to believe we ever made do with Sony’s decision to repurpose the godawful PS3 Move controllers for the original PlayStation VR, much less that they saw fit to sell them separately to the headset itself. Sure, it made the starter kit cheaper but having to tack on an extra $200ish to get a pair of Moves and the required camera on top sucked the joy out of that value proposition. We’re off to a much better start this time around with the controllers included in the box and no extra camera bits needed.

The Sense controllers a far more logical and comfortable design this time around, their hollow orb-like design ergonomically tailored to each hand to ensure every button is within reach and easy to read without the benefit of being able to see them, with your fingers naturally positioning around the analogue sticks, L1/R1 bumpers and L2/R2 triggers. It’s kind of like wearing a pair of sci-fi gloves with their stark black and white, orb-like design and I’m here for it. If you’ve used the Quest controllers in the past, the idea is similar here but a definite improvement again.

The Senses also pack in some especially neat features to bring a new level of immersion (and hopefully some neat future gameplay possibilities) to the table. Much like the PS5’s standard DualSense controller, they boast detailed haptic feedback along with adaptive triggers to simulate the feelings of your actions in games, something that Horizon Call of the Mountain uses to great effect. Being able to feel the difference between grabbing onto a rope and a stone ledge, or the tension of a bowstring that I’m pulling in real time adds a ton of immersion and really helps to remove the disconnect in your brain when grabbing or touching things in the virtual world isn’t mirrored in the physical realm. There are even haptics in the headset itself which are used to pretty good effect in games like Horizon and Thumper so I’m keen to see and feel more of that.

Something I’m hoping developers latch onto early and often is the finger tracking, which senses whether each of your fingers are gripping the controller to somewhat represent any in-game hands as close to your actual hands as possible. It’s fairly simplistic in what it understands about the positions of your fingers but being able to wave or throw up peace signs in something like Call of the Mountain is fun nonetheless. I’d be keen to see Sony work in some full hand-tracking ala the Quest 2 with potential software updates but for now what’s here could be used to decent effect.

With the cameras mounted into the front of the PS VR2’s visor, inside-out tracking means that not only is the whole thing a lot more simple to set up and use, it’s freakishly accurate and truly feels 1:1 at all times. Having spent a ton of time with the original PS VR I can’t overstate how wonderful it is to have motion controllers that are genuinely responsive and reliable, though that’s not to say the Senses are totally infallible. Lighting and environment are still crucial to getting the best experience, with everything performing its best in a well-lit space with as few errant lights and reflections as possible. 

While the overwhelming majority of my PS VR2 gameplay has been smooth sailing, I did notice that the reflection of my overhead lights on wooden floors or even the video output on my TV could often throw the cameras in my headset off. There’s an option in the settings to add a distinct border to the social screen so that the headset knows it’s looking at a TV which pretty much sorted that issue, but if you were hoping to get in some VR action with the Sense controllers in a dim or busy room you might have less luck – the system flat-out told me to go somewhere brighter when I tried to play at night with my lights off.

The other slight issue that was a constant in my PS VR2 experience was the 4-5 hour battery life of the Sense controllers. Granted, not many people are going to be playing VR titles for that long at a time, but it means that forgetting to charge them between sessions will very quickly kill the joy – especially considering that you only get one charging cable in the box. I’m sure most people will have at least one spare USB-C cable around the house but when the low battery notification specifically advises I charge both controllers together I can’t help but wonder if Sony’s hoping to subtly push people towards the $80 dual charger.

Of course, the thing that so many new gaming devices will live or die by is the quality of the available software, and the launch line-up is of particular importance when considering whether to drop north of $800 on an add-on to an already-expensive console. In this regard, the PS VR2 is doing just fine with a number of big ticket inclusions like Horizon Call of the Mountain, which is bloody excellent (you can read our review here), as well as free VR updates for games like Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil Village (which we haven’t been able to try just yet). Those three not only represent the “AAA” shelf in the PS VR2’s virtual suite, but they’re titles you won’t find on any other VR platform.

The rest of the VR2’s day one catalogue consists largely of games that have already graced the original PlayStation VR or other platforms like the Quest, meaning there’s maybe a little less excitement in the mix for VR veterans, but the upside is that it’s largely all top-notch stuff. The opportunity to play the likes of Moss/Moss Book II, Tetris Effect: Connected, Pistol Whip, After The Fall and other essential VR reading with the class-leading experience offered by the PS VR2 and the power of the PS5 is certainly not without merit.

The real test will be the long term, and how well the system is supported by exclusive titles and experiences not available on other, cheaper headsets. The hardware is exemplary, but if Sony wants players to hand over their credit cards past the initial period of launch excitement they need to compel them with equally exciting software.

The PlayStation VR2 releases on February 22nd, 2023.

PLAYSTATION VR2 PRE-ORDER LINKS:

• PlayStation VR2 Standard Kit – $878 with free shipping
• PlayStation VR2 Horizon Call of the Mountain Bundle – $958 with free shipping
• PlayStation VR2 Charging Station – $79 with free shipping

Lastly, if you’re looking for some quick recommendations for launch titles, we’ll have a more comprehensive rundown of our favourites over the coming days, but for now the standouts in the 15-ish games out of the launch line-up that I’ve had the time to play are:

The Best PlayStation VR Launch Games (So Far)

• Horizon Call of the Mountain
• Moss/Moss Book II
• Thumper
• Kayak VR: Mirage
• Cosmonious High
• Tentacular
• Song in the Smoke Rekindled
• Pistol Whip
• Tetris Effect: Connected
• Rez Infinite

The post PlayStation VR2 Review – Next-Gen VR Hardware Brimming With Potential appeared first on Press Start.

Not wanting to be complacent, Ayaneo has dropped its third handheld in the last 12 months. This began with with the Ayaneo Next, then the smaller Ayaneo Air Pro and now the company is taking things to the next level with the newly released Ayaneo 2 which has just hit Australian stores.

The Ayaneo 2 differs from its former two releases in the sense that it’s much more powerful than the Steam Deck and actually feels quite future proof in a lot of its features. The biggest barrier of entry is still the price at $2,099 AUD (grab it here), but at least as far as performance goes, it’s pushed ahead of what the Steam Deck offers.

In case you haven’t read one of my Ayaneo reviews before, these are Windows devices (in this case it comes pre-loaded with Windows 11) that can play games from any launcher, so you’re able to boot up the Xbox Game Pass app, or Steam, or Epic, or any emulator that you like.

The Ayaneo 2 has a 7-inch 1200p display that literally has no bezel, so as far as design goes, not only does the Ayaneo 2 feel great in the hands, it’s a much better looking device than the Ayaneo Next or other handhelds in this space. The biggest compliment that I can offer it is that it feels like the PlayStation Vita re-born.

Whilst other Ayaneo devices have been criticised for being behind or on par with the Steam Deck performance-wise, The Ayaneo 2 sports a Zen3+ 6800U chip which delivers much better raw power compared to the Steam Deck’s custom Zen2 chip, often offering a 15-25% increase in gaming performance.

This is evident when booting up the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 or Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales, I was able to get a lot closer to 60FPS at 800p than I ever have been with the other Ayaneo devices. It felt like a much smoother experience than I’ve had on these handhelds previously, and honestly just impressed with every game that I booted up.

Cranking it beyond what the Steam Deck is capable of to a resolution of 1200p to make full use of the display and this still kept most AAA games at around the 30FPS mark, which was still more than respectable. With AMD FSR getting more advanced and better utilised, this should only get better and better.

Since I got the device, I’ve played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in bed most nights, and it just runs flawlessly without ever feeling like I’m dying due to performance issues. This is absolutely the first time I’ve used one of these devices and not felt like I’ve had to dial down settings or look to get that extra bit of performance, with the device being more than capable with anything that I threw at it.

With 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSD, it’s just crazy to me how close these are getting to proper computers, with the specs honestly outperforming a lot of what most everyday people would use as their daily driver. Whilst I’ll talk about the multi docking station a little bit later, this was the first time I actually connected one of these devices to a display and used it for a few days as a computer, and it just worked flawlessly, which goes a bit further in terms of bang for buck.

BUY IT FROM AMAZON FOR $2,099 AUD

As far as inputs go on the device, there’s three USB-C ports, two which can be used for charging and one for data. There’s also a MicroSD slot to easily expand storage and a fingerprint sensor on the power button. You also get two USB-A to USB-C adaptors in the box for connecting keyboards, mice or other accessories that might not have USB-C ports. Pretty much everything that you’d ever need both for gaming or computing is included.

Where this device feels better than the Steam Deck or previous Ayaneo products is that not only does it perform really, really well with AAA games, but it also feels future proof. You can connect an external GPU enclosure to the unit, to beef it up at your desk, and the SSD can be replaced with another standard SSD, if you’re wanting to increase storage. Neither of these things are necessary out of the box, but knowing it can be upgraded goes a long way to knowing you’re going to get long-term value.

It’s no secret that battery life is an issue with any portable device, and once again, it was on the shorter side here. You’re looking at 1.5-2 hours with a AAA game pushing at a 1200p resolution with the grunt required for the performance that I’ve spoken about, with this being a lot longer for indie games. Ayaneo is making some good progress towards getting this higher with a new app called SmartTDP which really cleverly uses only the exact amount of power required to push the desired frame rates, resulting in a longer battery life, but don’t expect to use it on long haul flights and such without a power bank.

As mentioned, the Ayaneo 2 runs Windows 11 which is a huge positive for playing absolutely any game that you already own (and not just on Steam) as well as emulation, which obviously this machine excels at, but it’s also still a bit of a negative in the sense that Windows wasn’t really designed to be used with a touch screen. It’s absolutely fine if you’re just booting a game, and not an issue once you’re in, but it can still have its quirks if needing to navigate around, with it often being much easier to just pair a keyboard and mouse (which is super easy to do with Bluetooth or with a dongle).

AyaSpace is the device’s front-end loader, and it does a great job at providing an overlay with quick access to changing brightness and how much power you’re using, as well as sorting your games from all of your launchers and displaying them. There were still a few bugs, particularly when changing resolution or not loading games in, but it’s constantly being updated and worked on. As cool as a design feature that it is, I still found inconsistencies with the lighting up of the analogue sticks as well, particularly when having the device next to me and trying to sleep.

Ayaneo has launched a new multi docking station alongside this device. It can work with any of its products, but I can’t tell you how much this improved the experience. Not only did it mean that I could easily charge the device at all times, it also made connecting a monitor via HDMI as well as keyboards/mice a breeze. As I mentioned earlier, you could now literally use this as your daily driver without any issues, then pick it up to take it to bed and game.

Really though, this is a versatile portable Windows device, whether you’re playing the latest AAA games, doing some Photoshop work at your desk or wanting a really good emulation device, despite the fact that it’s expensive, it does feel great from a performance point of view, and a lot closer to the uncompromised handheld dream I’ve always had.

The post Ayaneo 2 Review – The Handheld Dream appeared first on Press Start.

The Elgato Stream Deck has quickly become synonymous with easy, customisable control solutions for streamers and content creators working from a desk at home. Simple interfaces tied to great software make them a natural fit into any workspace or flow and intuitive to use for live casts, but if the increasing popularity of products like the Razer Stream Controller (or the Loupedeck Live device it’s based on) is any indication, the people are ready for more. More, in this case, being dials and touchscreens. Enter the Elgato Stream Deck +.

The Stream Deck + is, in essence, Elgato’s answer to something like the Loupedeck, swapping out some of the buttons on the regular Stream Deck for four knobs and a four-panel touchscreen display to go with them. In the box, you get the Deck + itself (naturally) as well as the detachable stand and USB-C to USB-A cable. Nice and simple. Much like the Mk2 version of the standard Stream Deck, this one is fixed at a 45-degree angle and can technically be removed but you’ll have to break out a screwdriver to do it.

In what I assume was the desire to keep the whole front panel looking uniform and sensical, the width of buttons has been reduced from five on the standard Stream Deck to four on the Stream Deck + which means with only two rows there’s a total of eight customisable keys here versus 15. That’s a pretty significant reduction and probably the only real issue I have with this new take on the Deck. That said, they’re a bit bigger than the others which is nice, and depending on what you’re doing with them the dials and touchscreen can easily replace multiple keys, particularly through Elgato’s Dial Stacks.

GET YOURS: ELGATO STREAM DECK + AT AMAZON – $326 WITH FREE SHIPPING

Dial Stacks allow you to assign multiple functions to a single dial, switching between them by pressing it in which also changes to the display on the touchscreen above it to reflect what setting you’re manipulating. It makes it super easy to, say, cycle through volume settings on multiple audio sources, change multiple values in an Adobe project or even set up your home smart lighting – I set each of the four dials to a different room in my apartment and switch between individual lights with a press which is honestly pretty neat and almost makes me want a second Stream Deck + just for home control stuff.

The dials themselves are great to use as well, with small but tactile ‘steps’ to each turn and a nice click to each press giving the brushed-metal knobs a very sleek and professional feel. Elgato has a handy page built into its Stream Deck Store that covers off a lot of the plugins that already support the dial/touchscreen combo, like a Discord Volume Mixer that can dynamically show you call participants and allow you to easily mix their levels on your end, or the Philips Hue plugin to easily switch and control lights, using the dials to adjust things like brightness and colour temperature.

The touchscreen bar on the Stream Deck + is fairly bright and sharp, much the same as what you get with the displays on the buttons above, although with the wider real estate there’s a lot of fun to be had coming up with attractive images and ways to display everything on it. You’re also saving more keys again here by being able to swipe the screen to change pages on the entire Deck, which would usually have taken up a precious slot on one of the buttons and feels natural to perform as an action. Having used the Razer Stream Controller previously I do miss the haptic feedback of the touch panels a little, but I’d absolutely cop that loss for the rest of what the Deck + has to offer.

On the software side of things, nothing much has changed. If you’ve used a Stream Deck before it’s all run through the exact same software suite, allowing users to drag and drop functions onto each key (and now the Dials as well), customise the keys with images and labels, download free plug-ins to add new functions and set up extra profiles/pages for different situations. The list of plug-ins available for the unique functions of the Deck + already seems to be growing nicely, but the longevity of it will heavily depend on that support.

I’ve been using the Stream Deck + in conjunction with Elgato’s Wave DX dynamic microphone and Wave XLR interface and there’s absolutely something to be said about the synergy of devices within the family. The company’s Wave Link audio solution is already great, and combined with the easy controls and integration of the Deck it’s made sitting down to record the Press Start Podcast every week or quickly and easily control OBS software with multiple sources an absolute breeze.

At the end of the day, whether or not the Stream Deck + is right for you will largely hinge on your need for the Dials and the incremental adjustment opportunities they provide. If your uses are more “binary” like activating transitions, switching things on/off or just hitting shortcuts then a standard Stream Deck should mostly suffice. If you’d like to instantly scale up your production potential and get something approaching your own mixing board without taking up a premium of space on your desk though, this is a very compelling option.

The post Elgato Stream Deck + Review – Dialled Up A Notch appeared first on Press Start.

As someone who wouldn’t remotely label themselves a “pro” gamer, the market of premium controllers like Xbox’s official Elite controllers or aftermarket pads from companies like SCUF has typically always eluded me. I love the feeling and construction of my Elite Series 2, but I can’t say that I’ve ever had the desire to mess with any of the added features that make its biggest selling points.

With PlayStation entering the fray with its own pro controller solution in the DualSense Edge though, I decided that maybe it was time to see just how much I could get out of a controller that costs about half as much as the console it’s designed for. After a good week of thorough use, I’m already struggling to go back to the regular DualSense – except for when the battery in my Edge dies and I have no other choice.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $339 AT AMAZON WITH FREE SHIPPING.

The very first thing I noticed on PlayStation kindly sending me out a DualSense Edge for review is that the box it comes pack in is hefty. It’s markedly bigger than the normal DualSense box and significantly heavier, making it feel every bit imposing and important right from the moment you start to unbox it. Inside, everything is already neatly packed into the included carry case, a stark white and black number that exudes the PS5 aesthetic and will probably get very dirty very quickly if you’re frequently using it to cart the Edge around.

What you’re getting for your eye-watering $340 investment is the DualSense Edge controller itself (naturally), said carry case, a very nice 2.8m braided USB-C cable with an optional lock attachment, two extra pairs of analogue stick caps in the old PS3-style convex shape with high and low variants and two sets of optional back button attachments – one “paddle” style set and a smaller, half-dome set. It’s a decent amount of kit and somewhat in line with what you’d expect from the full Elite Series 2 package, although there are a couple of odd or disappointing choices in what’s included, but we’ll get to those a bit further down.

Picking up the DualSense Edge for the first time, it’s clear that all the heft isn’t just in the goodie bag of extras inside the box – the controller itself is quite weighty and solid. I wouldn’t call it heavy, but it’s definitely a discernible difference from the normie DualSense. It feels decidedly “premium”, like it’s made out of better stuff than most and built ready to tackle anything you throw at it. It definitely comes across in the hand as an expensive bit of gear, and it’s thoughtfully designed with flourishes like a textured grip at the back of the handles and on the L2/R2 triggers, shiny black finishes on the front face and buttons and a very handsome touch pad that’s a bit more angular and textured with little PlayStation icons.

Aside from aesthetic differences, the overall shape and fit of the Edge is pretty well on par with the existing DualSense which is a pretty commendable feat considering the amount of extra stuff packed into it. In additional to the usual fixtures this new take on Sony’s iconic controller includes two function (FN) buttons underneath the analogue sticks, trigger length sliders next to each set of shoulder buttons, and two slots to fit in either of the back button attachments that come with it.

Anyone who’s used a controller of this ilk will have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the lever-style back buttons, which are similar to what you’d find on the Elite controllers. More interesting are the half-dome variety which are smaller and seem to work better for people with a higher grip on the controller, for me these were definitely the preferred option but it’s great that there’s an alternative included. I very quickly found myself making use of the back buttons in Dead Space, where I mapped them to give me instant access to health and Isaac’s Stasis ability without having to take my fingers off the shoulder buttons. I also made use of being able to shorten the travel on the L2/R2 triggers to give my fingers a bit of reprieve when slinging spells in Forspoken, a nice little added comfort option that I hadn’t anticipated.

As far as the DualSense Edge’s analogue sticks go, it’s mostly good stuff. The sticks themselves are pretty well what you’d expect from the DualSense controller, of course with the point of difference that the tops can be swapped out with the PS3-esque convex ones included in the box. These come in standard and taller lengths for people that like to add some extra travel distance for games that beg extra nuance, but I’m a bit confused as to why we only get the taller option in the convex style caps. Surely it wouldn’t have taken much more effort to include a fourth set and give people taller versions of the default caps.

The biggest plus here though, is the user-serviceability of the DualSense Edge’s analogue stick modules, which can be entirely removed with a just a couple quick switch flips and replaced with brand new ones should your sticks succumb to the dreaded drift. Given the price point of the controller I almost would’ve expected PlayStation to opt for hall effect sensors over the drift-prone analogue equivalent, but at least it’s easy enough to pick up a $35 official replacement module and pop it in if you find yourself out of warranty and unwilling to shell out another $340.

Something I didn’t clock initially was the tiny release switch tucked away on the underside of the Edge to make the front faceplate pop off for getting at the modules. I’d gotten used to just (carefully) pulling the plates off of my standard PS5 controllers to swap them for aftermarket ones and automatically started doing the same here. Thankfully it doesn’t seem like it’s done any harm, but keep that in mind and learn from my mistake.

Aside from the impressive physical additions in the DualSense Edge, the software component is also largely a success. The FN buttons at the bottom of the pad are your gateway to a handful of shortcuts that help to tie the whole experience together alongside the UI integration on the PS5. The dedicated DualSense Edge settings menu on the PS5 allows users to adjust a heap of settings from completely reassigning buttons to adjusting deadzones for the triggers and sticks as well as sensitivity. All of these tweaks can be saved into custom profiles which can then be assigned to different combinations of the FN and face buttons to make quickly swapping between them a breeze. Combining the FN and d-pad buttons on the other hand makes it easy to quickly control PS5 audio settings when using an official headset, which I found immediately useful jumping into a party with some friends.

It does feel a little odd that both FN buttons have identical function. It makes sense from a comfort perspective when using them in combination with buttons on each end of the controller, but they still feel a touch redundant as two additional buttons that don’t actually add any new in-game functionality. Overall though, the software experience and ease of customisation and quick-switching is very impressive and a major selling point for picking up one of these official pro-style pads over a third-party offering. Hopefully down the line with firmware updates we’ll see the potential unlocked even further.

One thing that can’t easily be fixed or updated and stands out as one of the few sore points on the DualSense Edge is the little ol’ issue of battery life. The standard flavour of DualSense was already trailing behind just about every other controller when it came to its stamina, usually tapping out before hitting double digits in hours played. The Edge is no better in this regard, and if anything is slightly worse (as evidenced by the fact it’s physically smaller and holds less actual charge). I’ve found I get around 4-5 hours on a charge in games that utilise the full spectrum of haptic feedback/adaptive trigger features, though that can obviously be increased by switching those and other features off. For all the good that the Edge does, its poor battery life is a big detractor and could (and should) give many potential punters pause to pick one up.

Given the nice, long USB-C cable included it’s clear that there’s an expectation for users to opt for playing with the DualSense Edge plugged directly into the PS5 console, and that’s honestly a fine way to use it. I’m convinced that wireless latency isn’t that big an issue for 90% of players, even at higher skill levels, but the kinds of people investing in a controller like this would naturally gravitate towards a perceivably more reliable wired connection anyway. The included locking mechanism that you can attach to ensure the cable can’t accidentally be tugged out of your Edge is a nice inclusion, though the implication seems to be that people would rather risk their $800 console falling onto the floor than their controller skip a few beats if a pet or unruly housemate trips the cord.

The post PS5 DualSense Edge Review – A Feature-Packed Pro Controller That Nearly Nails It appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve gone through a few different streaming/podcast-focussed desktop microphones in recent years, like the original HyperX QuadCast and most recently the Elgato Wave:3, but since getting a dedicated audio mixer for my desk I’ve been keen to step away from USB-based condenser microphones to a dynamic solution that runs through XLR.

Enter: The Elgato Wave DX.

Unboxing this new microphone, Elgato’s first XLR-based and dynamic solution, was definitely in stark contrast to when I first opened up my Wave:3. It’s a comparatively humble offering – the simplistic and cylindrical block of the microphone itself, devoid of any buttons or dials, and the lack of any cables or a stand serving as an early reminder that this isn’t a standalone device.

Rather, the Wave DX is designed to fit nicely into a complete audio setup with a dedicated interface and mounting solution (more on that in a bit), and its understated design speaks volumes to this. If it weren’t for the logo on the side, which you can actually remove in order to switch which direction you’re mounting the microphone from, you’d be hard pressed to guess its brand of origin at all. If a clean desk aesthetic is your thing, and it’s certainly becoming mine, this is an attractive little number.

I’ll admit I was hesitant to make the change from a condenser microphone to a dynamic one, particularly given I use my mic primarily for recording the Press Start podcast, as the generally accepted rule is that condenser mics have an edge when it comes to picking up more nuanced sound and from wider angles. Given that I only ever record right in front of my mic though, and using the excellent low-profile Elgato Wave arm, I was keen to see how the dynamic Wave DX helped with eliminating background noise and allowing me to get a little louder and more excitable without worrying about the sensitive pickup.

The extra durability and light weight are a boon as well, and Elgato has very thoughtfully designed the microphone’s internals to negate the need for any extra, external pop filter or shock mount.

The Cheapest Elgato Wave DX Price: $159 at Amazon.

The result of all this is that the audio picked up by the Wave DX sounds brilliant. Everything I’ve recorded with it so far has sounded crisp, clear and often surprisingly rich for what I was expecting from a dynamic pickup. There’s some serious magic coming from the dynamic capsule that Elgato has used here (in collaboration with Lewitt Audio) to produce sound that’s very comparable to what I expect from my more expensive condenser microphone.

It’s really a best-of-both-worlds scenario which is a surprising and exciting thing to discover, and means I’m easily happy to make this my permanent desktop mic going forward. Very particular users might still want to look into an added pop filter/shock mount of some kind as I did find the internal solution wasn’t quite as effective especially given the encouragement to speak very loudly and closely into it, but overall it’s performed well above my expectations.

Another motivator for my trying out an XLR-based microphone solution has been the increased flexibility when it comes to my hardware and software setup. There’s definitely a case to be made for the convenience of a USB microphone like the Wave:3 with all of its onboard controls and plug-and-play nature, but the simplicity and connectivity of the Wave DX means it’s a lot easier to fit into a more complex configuration.

While Elgato obviously sells its own XLR interface (aptly name the Elgato Wave XLR) and offers an excellent audio software suite, I’m currently using a Razer Audio Mixer – a device that I love but haven’t been able to use to its full potential with a USB microphone. With the Wave DX, I was able to just plug straight into my mixer via XLR and immediately start using it and customising the sound through Razer’s mixing software.

Therein lies the crux of it though – if you’re considering a Wave DX, or any XLR mic, you’re gonna need some extra bits and pieces. Chances are if you’re specifically looking for an XLR mic it’s because you already have something going on but if you’re jumping in fresh then expect to spend a lot more than the $169 asking price for the Wave DX itself. You’re going to need some kind of interface, first and foremost, to plug the thing into and control it.

Again, Elgato sells its own solution with the Wave XLR which goes for $239, already costing more than the microphone itself but cheaper solutions exist and this mic doesn’t require any phantom power. You’ll also need to buy an XLR cable as there isn’t one provided, nor is there any kind of stand so you’ll also have to source a stand or arm of some kind. I attached mine to the same low-profile Elgato Wave Arm that I was using with my previous microphone, but like the interface you can absolutely source something cheaper.

What this means in all is that the Elgato Wave DX is an incredibly capable microphone with fantastic audio and an attractive design that, on its own, is also quite affordable. It’s the bits around it that’ll truly determine if this is the solution for you.

If you’ve got an XLR-ready setup or you’re keen to use a dedicated hardware interface/mixer and have the extras factored into your budget, I’d happily recommend the Wave DX as a worthy bit of gear, but if you’re just starting out in streaming or podcasting or desk space is at a premium then an all-inclusive solution like the similarly-excellent Wave:3 might be the way to go.

The post Elgato Wave DX Review – Simple But Powerful appeared first on Press Start.

Foldable displays felt like a dream just 3-4 years ago, but after Samsung dropped the first actual consumer foldables in the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip, it feels like the floodgates have well and truly opened in terms of what’s possible in the bendable space, and that’s never felt truer than my time with the Corsair Xeneon Flex OLED monitor.

Let’s get the fun part out of the way. The Corsair Xeneon Flex contains a 45-inch LG OLED monitor that (you might have already guessed it), can bend. Using a handle on each side, each side of the monitor can freely go from flat, to an 800R curve. Honestly, I can’t tell you how many times I flipped back and forth, just in pure disbelief that not only did it work as expected, I started to see the benefit of both modes.

Now, obviously I was pretty cautious even after dozens of times flipping back and forth, just purely because I’ve always been taught to show extra care with OLED displays. As far as the actual bending mechanic goes, the monitor will make an audible click when it’s reached that 800R curve, or back in its flat position, and to be honest, I definitely took a bit of extra care, just because this is the only prototype unit in Australia, but I really didn’t ever feel like the monitor was going to break.

Whilst the bending mechanic felt surprisingly durable, the only small criticism is in the fact that obviously bending a 45-inch monitor comes with a certain amount of weight, which often either made the monitor tilt down or up, or just provided a bit more of movement on the stand than I would have liked, but honestly, unless you’re literally bending back and forth several times an hour, it’s totally fine.

@shannongrixti

The Corsair Xeneon Flex is a fully bendable monitor. #tech #monitor #gamingmonitor #techtok #foldable #xeneonflex

? SZA BIG BOYS – MexiKen

Behind the features that I’m sure some might see as a gimmick, is not only a really good monitor, but honestly probably my favourite ultra-wide monitor that I’ve ever used. Let’s talk about inputs because not only is there a great amount here, but I really like what Corsair has done with placement.

On the back, there’s 2x HDMI 2.1 ports, 1x DP 1.4 port, 1 x USB-C DP port (that was able to charge my MacBook Air M2 using 30w of charge as well as provide full 1440p signal), as well as 2 x USB type-A). What Corsair have also cleverly done is put some of the USB hub ports on the front, so you’ve got 2 x USB type-A ports as well as easy access to the input button, power button and controller. I’ve always hated monitors with hard to reach buttons on the back of the display, and this cleverly builds them into the front of the stand.

Now, I know that a lot of people are going to struggle to see past the bendable element of this monitor, but whether you’re wanting to use the monitor in flat, curved or both, this is just a really damn good monitor. I’ve always loved ultrawide monitors for gaming, but those such as the Alienware 34″ QD-OLED monitor were just a little bit too small for my liking when it comes to productivity, and the Xeneon Flex felt absolutely perfect. When in its 800R curved position, it fit my field of vision perfectly, letting me have a huge amount of windows on screen (which I often do) without feeling cramped or like I needed a second monitor. When it the flat position, it did tend to feel a little on the wide side, but that’s why the bending element is so great.

This is a 1440P OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate. It features an anti-reflective LG OLED panel, so it’s absolutely gorgeous in terms of vibrancy and blacks appearing inky, and the 240Hz refresh rate also means that you’ll be zipping around the screen (even if you’ll likely need an RTX 4080 to take advantage of it). I did notice when on whiter screens (likely due to brightness limited tech in OLEDs), that the brightness did leave a little bit desired, but this was less of a case with gaming.

Coming from a 4K monitor, the pixel density at this size at 3440 x 1440, did leave a little bit to be desired, especially in this price range, and if I could choose between being able to flex the display or that increase in pixel density, I think I would choose the latter. It wasn’t unusable by any stretch, but it was at the point where it was noticeable when I first started using it.

Honestly though, when reviewing tech, I always tend to think about how I can see something fitting into my everyday lifestyle, and given I spend a lot of time behind a computer, I’m generally fairly good at working out very quickly whether I like something or not, and as I write this review on this very monitor, I feel like it’s actually made me more productive and I’m dreading going back to my regular setup, so that’s saying something.

Obviously playing games such as Forza Horizon 5 or Marvel’s Spider-Man are just an absolute joy on this display too. Again, I felt I needed to play in curved to really make the most of it, but I can totally see how if somebody has this monitor in their bedroom, and want to watch a movie in bed, then flexing either one side to angle towards you or having it in flat would be something you’d want to consider.

The Corsair Xeneon Flex is set to launch in Australia in February with an RRP of $3,799 AUD. 

The post Corsair Xeneon Flex 45″ OLED Review – A Fantastic Ultrawide That’s Got Serious Flex appeared first on Press Start.

Earlier this year I reviewed the Ayaneo Next which was Ayaneo’s second portable console (first to make it to Australia), and definitely more of a Steam Deck competitor with its $2,000 price tag. The latest Ayaneo handheld to launch in Australia this week is the Ayaneo Air Pro, which comes with a much cheaper price tag, and a host of new features that make it much more compelling for the average gamer.

The biggest difference between units is the size. The Ayaneo Air Pro comes in at 224mm (w) x 89mm (h) x 29mm (d) and weighs 450g which puts it a very similar size to that of the Nintendo Switch Lite, which is extremely impressive given the technology inside this little console and the type of games it can run. In reality, size and weight are the only comparisons that can be made between the Nintendo Switch and Air Pro’s capabilities.

As soon as you boot the device, one of the standouts of the Air Pro is the display. It’s a 1080p 5.5″ AMOLED touchscreen display that is absolutely gorgeous. The blacks are extremely black, the colours are very vivid and everything just pops and looks that much better than the Ayaneo Next and other gaming devices. It really took me back to the days of the PlayStation Vita, which is the greatest compliment that I could give any handheld device.

It’s really just a gorgeous piece of tech, especially in the black variant that we’re getting in Australia, with customisable LED rings around the analogue sticks adding an extra bit of pop. These can be fully customised in terms of colours, effect and obviously turned off if you find them distracting.

When it comes to ergonomics, it really feels like Ayaneo has nailed that too with the Air Pro. You’ve obviously got your analogue sticks, D-Pad, four face buttons, two shoulder buttons and two triggers which all feel really within reach and not cramped at all. You’ve also got four customiseable face buttons that are mapped to things such as getting to Aya Space (the handheld’s custom game launcher) as well as start and select. Just like with the Next, there’s a fingerprint sensor in the power button which is used to get into Windows.

Something that’s really clever though is the fact that Ayaneo has added two very slim buttons that run along the top between the shoulder buttons that you can customise to things such as showing all your windows or getting to task manager.

In terms of connectivity, there’s a MicroSD port which is great for expanding beyond the 512GB SSD that is inside the Air Pro. You’ve got two USB-C ports (one top and bottom for each charging) and a 3.5mm headphone jack, although there’s Bluetooth built in to connect headphones wirelessly.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $1,249 FROM AMAZON

As I established in my Ayaneo Next review, whilst these devices might appear similar to the likes of the Nintendo Switch on the surface, they’re much more akin to portable PCs in the sense that there’s more traditional PC components inside as well as fans and such to facilitate a more hardcore gaming experience.

In the case of the Air Pro, the device is running Windows 11 out of the box, and obviously, Windows wasn’t really designed for this type of portable experience, and as much as you’re able to use the touchscreen (which is very responsive), or connect a mouse/keyboard, you’ll want to be using Aya Aya Space or a custom launcher that has controller support to get around.

The Ayaneo Air Pro running Windows is still it’s biggest positive however, because unlike the Steam Deck which is primarily tied to Steam, the Air Pro  can not only run games from Steam, but it can also run games from Xbox Game Pass, Epic Games Store, EA, Ubisoft Connect, Rockstar Launcher, Battlenet or literally any other client that exists on Windows. That might sound small, but once you wrap your head around the fact that this device can seamlessly run literally any game that you could play on a PC without any limitations (or any that I could discover), it’s a pretty big deal, and completely changes your way of thinking in regards to portable gaming.

Aya Space acts a clever way to load all of your games into so that you can launch them right from the app and not having to rely on the Windows OS at all. You can also setup shortcuts, change inputs, look at how your CPU/GPU are running as well as install launchers right from the app. There’s also a really neat overlay that you can easily pull up over your game to quickly change power modes, change the brightness or launch into other apps. It’s still in beta, so it does have its fair share of bugs, but I was also able to load in other launchers such as Playnite which even allow you to create the Switch or PS5 theme with some lovely results. Just like everything else, the device running Windows 11 means that your options are literally endless.

As far as performance goes, the Ayaneo Air Pro has 5560U AMD Ryzen 5 graphics with 16gGB of ram. When it comes to indie games such as Cuphead, Hades or Dead Cells, you can expect to get 60FPS at 1080 whilst on the lower power modes, and even when compared to the Switch, it feels much more capable of an indie gaming device, but obviously you’re probably spending $1,200 to play AAA games on the go and thankfully, the Air Pro mostly delivers in this area too.

When you try to play AAA games such as Forza Horizon 5, Horizon Zero Dawn, God Of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man or the like, which are all games that I played on the Air Pro, you’ll want to be dropping your resolution to 720p and graphics to low, which will result in a performance of about 30-40 FPS, which is a little less than the numbers that I saw with the Next, but still really damn impressive given the size of this device and what we’re working with. AMD FSR 2 (AMD’s DLSS) is really helping do some of the heavy lifting here and will only improve performance with AI processing.

I will say that I’ve been using the Air Pro to play a lot of Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer, and it runs really smoothly and plays incredibly well on this smaller device. There we still moments where I was just in disbelief that I was able to play a game like that on a handheld that is as small as the Switch Lite. I’ll come back to it again, but unlike the Switch and even the Steam Deck, the greatest benefit of having an Ayaneo is the fact that you really don’t have to ever think about whether a game is on a certain store or compatible launcher. If it’s on PC, it’ll likely run to varying degrees and the freedom of that really can’t be overstated.

This is where battery life comes into it and is obviously one of the shortcomings for a device like this, where performance is more than acceptable but obviously running PC quality games will take its toll. Whilst you can expect to get a few hours of battery life for indie games at a lower TDP, once you crank that up to get AAA games running at an acceptable level, your battery life will deplete quickly where you can expect it to last about an hour and a half at most.

This is where the appeal does start to dwindle a little bit, as impressive as it is that these AAA games are able to run on a device like this, it does take the shine away a little bit knowing you’re only getting 60-90 minutes of game time without connecting to a power bank or being near a wall outlet. In saying that, if you’re someone who just travels a lot (and are going to be in hotel rooms away from your console) or wants to be able to play COD or FIFA comfortably in bed, this is where something like this might be worth it.

Another area where the Air Pro feels like a match made in heaven is for emulation. Again performance is just a bit below the Next (which is almost double the price), but it’s a really solid emulation machine across a wide variety of consoles.

The reality of all of this though is that the Ayaneo Air Pro is a really solid gaming device. It’s well-designed, games run well and the launcher is getting to a place where it feels quite stable and really improves the portable Windows experience. The future in this space is incredibly bright and this is absolutely another win for Ayaneo.

The Ayaneo Air Pro launches in Australia on December 20th. You can grab it on Amazon for $1,249 HERE.

The post Ayaneo Air Pro Review – OLED Portable PC Greatness appeared first on Press Start.

Without fail, every time I decide I’m ready to upgrade my desktop PC or laptop and go through the list of must-haves before I go shopping, I forget about sound. As a heavy Discord/Zoom user I’m more than often rocking a gaming headset, but it’s the times between those that I forget about. 

Whether it’s chilling out to some indie video games or travelling down a YouTube rabbit hole, there are plenty of reasons why I’d want external speakers hooked up to my computer over spending hours upon hours wearing my headset. Problem is, I like to keep a tidy and compact working space and most decent PC speaker offerings command a bit of space and a fair amount of cabling to be effective.d

When I first started shopping around for an audio solution for my desk, the Razer Leviathan V2 was definitely the leading choice. The “soundbar” form factor would fit in much better with my desk arrangement for starters, plus it could be connected via Bluetooth to make for less cable clutter. The only downside was that it came with a separate subwoofer that I just don’t have room for.

Enter: The Razer Leviathan V2 X. A more affordable version of the Leviathan V2 that removes the external sub and is more compact overall. Now we’re talking! Of course, you don’t get a smaller, cheaper version of something without making some sacrifices along the way and the Leviathan V2 X definitely doesn’t have the same audio chops as its big brother but after a couple of weeks of use I have to admit I’m impressed by what this little thing is capable of – and it looks great to boot.

Unboxing the Leviathan V2 X is a typically-Razer experience with the compact outer packaging revealing the bare essentials inside – a small instruction booklet, a USB-C cable and the soundbar itself. Frustratingly, discovering that the cable inside was USB-C on both ends meant I had to run down to my local JB Hi-Fi and pick up an adapter for my PC’s USB-A ports. 

If you’ve got an extra C-to-A cable lying around you could feasibly use that too, but the one Razer supplies has a handy 90-degree bend to fit flush into the back of the soundbar so I wanted to stick with that. An adapter or alternate cable packed-in would have been super handy, but this is the budget version of the Leviathan V2 after all, so a pared-back experience is somewhat expected.

Thankfully that single USB-C cable acts as both a data connection and power delivery to the Leviathan V2 X, which makes it a breeze to situate on a desk without cable mess. It’s got Bluetooth 5.0 capabilities too, meaning you can slam that USB-C cable into a nearby wall adapter and use it as a speaker for your mobile devices, if that’s your schtick. If you’re not going for a super-immersive, cinematic audio experience at your computer desk, then simple is good and simple is exactly what this soundbar delivers.

Outside of the Razer logo on the front and buttons on top for input switching, volume and power, the Leviathan V2 X is a svelte little number. It’s a Razer product so naturally it’s got Chroma RGB lighting, which you can control through the Razer Synapse PC suite or the Razer Audio App.

The Razer Audio App on mobile devices is quite handy, allowing you to customise the RGB lighting, including switching on a toggle that makes it somewhat reactive to the audio coming through, and also includes a graphic equaliser with a few useful presets. The Synapse software on PC is a bit more comprehensive, giving you these same features plus handy extra toggles like the ability to turn off the lighting when your PC’s display is turned off or to set a secondary audio output device to one of the soundbar’s physical buttons to make switching to something like a headset easy and painless. Both of those features have absolutely come in handy while I’ve been using the V2 X so they’re a nice, surprising boon to owning the device.

Of course the real question is how the Leviathan V2 X performs as a soundbar, especially given the small form factor, low power draw and affordable price point. Inside the Razer Leviathan V2 X are two full-range drivers and two passive radiators that Razer reckons can reach up to 90dB when at a 1m range, which is probably more than anyone would want in front of them at a desk. 

It lacks the sub and THX Spatial Audio capabilities of its bigger brother, but I was genuinely pleased with the sound it pumps out in spite of all of the above. It’s not a particularly rich or powerful audio experience but it sounds great in most games I played with plenty of clarity and decent performance at higher volumes. I maybe wouldn’t go using it as a main driver for listening to music but as a dedicated PC gaming speaker it’s perfectly decent.

All told, for less than $200 the Razer Leviathan V2 X represents decent value, especially if what you’re looking for is a half-decent audio experience without adding too much extra clutter and cables to your desk. You can definitely go bigger and better with something like the Leviathan V2 but this one’s small, simple and packs in some great features while punching above its weight class in sound. For someone like me, that’s about the best I can ask for.

Get yours here.

The post Razer Leviathan V2 X Review – Big Gaming Sound That’s Small In Size And Price appeared first on Press Start.

It’s been a good few years since I’ve tried to use an iPad for productivity/work purposes, with my iPad Mini (2021) being largely used for media viewing, light browsing and travel, but I was really impressed to see just how far the Apple iPad Pro has come with this year’s iteration.

The last time I tried to properly use an iPad Pro would have been 2-3 years ago, and whilst it was an extremely impressive device, I remember having to defer to my MacBook for certain things, whether it be Photoshop or having to upload anything, but now, due to advances with iPad tech and also iPadOS 16 as well as apps like Photoshop being available on the iPad Pro, I was able to pretty much work solely off my iPad Pro without it feeling weird or like I had to come up with workarounds to make it happen.

Whilst I didn’t spend a lot of time with the last model, I know that not a lot has changed when it comes to form-factor. The iPad Pro (2022) still has a gorgeous 12.9″ Liquid Retina XDR display (on the model I’m using) that is powered by over 10,000 Mini-LEDs and is capable of 120Hz refresh rates and 1,000 nits of brightness (1,600 peak). It goes without saying that this is still one of the best screens that you’ll find on any device. Any content or photos looks absolutely gorgeous and it’s just a genuine joy to use. The same goes for four speakers on the device, where even if you’re not using AirPods or other headphones, you’re still going to have a fantastic listening experience.

Not much has changed with the cameras either, with the 2022 model having a 12MP front facing TrueDepth camera that can be used for Centre Stage with FaceTime, and is also used for FaceID unlocking. On the back, there’s a 12MP wide camera and a 10MP ultra wide camera on the back. Something that is new to the 2022 model is ProRes video capture, and the power provided by the M2 chip is enough to edit it as well.

Speaking of that M2 chip, it’s crazy to think that the chip that is in this device is technically more powerful than what it is in my 14″ MacBook Pro. I’m not the biggest user of labour-intensive programs of DaVinci Resolve or Ocane X, but everything from exporting photos or videos to zipping around apps was just incredibly smooth. Obviously, if you’re not using this device for labour-intensive tasks, then it might be a little bit overkill, but it’s hard not to be impressed by what else is there.

THE MAGIC KEYBOARD + APPLE PENCIL (2ND GEN)

The iPad Pro (2022) is still compatible with the same 2nd Gen Apple Pencil, but it’s an even better experience now. Thanks to that M2 Chip, the iPad Pro can now detect when the Apple Pencil (2nd gen) is 12mm (or less) away from the screen. This allows you to see exactly where your stroke or cursor will tap on before you make the connection with the screen.

For instance, in drawing apps, you’ll be able to see exactly where you’ll make your mark. When just zipping around the regular Apple UI, your app icons will wiggle as you move around the screen. It’s not something most people will need to run out to upgrade for, but it does make that Apple Pencil experience even better.

This was also my first experience with the Magic Keyboard, and despite it’s hefty price tag, it really does take the iPad Pro from being just a powerful table to a 2-in-1 computing experience. The way that it seamlessly connects to your iPad Pro magnetically and pops the screen up to a viewable level, just makes it a joy to use the iPad more productively. The fact that it’s charged by the iPad Pro is obviously still genius as well.

The keyboard is great to type on, and the trackpad, whilst on the smaller side, is a great experience and reflected really well on-screen with a little cursor. I always dreamed of having a MacBook with a touch screen, but I feel like this mostly delivers on this dream, and truly does provide the best of both worlds. The only thing worth mentioning is that obviously, unlike a laptop, because all the internals are in the iPad, it does make the experience top-heavy, meaning it’s a lot harder to use in bed or on your lap.

All-in-all, though, the Magic Keyboard is a really fantastic accessory and of such a high-quality. Apple really thought of everything, even allowing you to charge your iPad (and keyboard) through a secondary USB-C port that is in the actual keyboard itself.

IPADOS 16

The iPad has always been a phenomenal experience since the first iteration, but it’s no secret that it’s really been held back on the software side, but that’s finally been turning in the last few years, and iPadOS 16 really pushes this forward even further.

There’s a lot of the same improvements that are featured in both iOS16 and MacOS Ventura, such as an improved photo experience, improvements to iMessage such as un-sending and editing messages and also improvements to Mail such as undoing a send and scheduling emails, but the real hero is Stage Manager.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Stage Manager in MacOS Ventura as I feel that the Mac multitasking experience is fine, but on iPad, with a screen this big, I actually feel like it does enhance the experience. basically, Stage Manager allows you to have multiple workspaces on the go at once, which are reflected on the left side of the screen, from there, you can have multiple apps in each stage and easily re-size them and even overlap them, which to my knowledge is the first time you’ve been able to do this on iPad.

You can even connect your iPad Pro to an external display to allow even more stages that can display independently on your external monitor, which adds even more to the productivity piece, and that M2 chip really allows you to do all of this without a huge fuss. I wouldn’t say that Stage Manager is a perfect experience, and I think we’ll see changes and improvements over the coming years, but I do think like the multi-tasking, computing experience is really getting better on iPad.

GAMING ON IPAD PRO

Obviously, thanks to that gorgeous display and great speakers that I touched on earlier, gaming on the iPad Pro is a fantastic experience, especially when paired with a controller (which can be any of the PlayStation/Xbox/Nintendo variety).

Playing games using the touch screen can be a little bit awkward given the size of the screen, but it’s not a heavy device and obviously you’ll feel extremely immersed given how large and vibrant the screen is.

Surprisingly, Stage Manager also works with most games, so you can quickly flick to another app to answer an email or a message, then flip straight back without any issue.

As I’ve touched on so many times before Apple Arcade is well worth the price of omission with a wealth of fantastic indie games or more well-known franchises such as the NBA 2K franchise or the several household names such as Sonic or Pac-Man in Apple Arcade exclusive adventures.

All-in-all, picking an iPad has never been a harder decision, because they all really feel like they’ve been moved into this next generation of iPad, in which all of these devices are great for productivity and leisure. What I can say for sure though is that if you’re somebody who is doing a lot of 3D modelling, or working with ProRes video, then the iPad Pro (2022) is going to be more than capable.

The post Apple iPad Pro (2022) Review – Fast & Functional appeared first on Press Start.

I was a huge PC gamer back in my early teen years, but as life got busy, I pivoted to consoles, turning a bit of a blind eye to the PC space, but the start of 2020 and working from home brought me back to the PC side with the RTX 2080 Super. I was impressed at the time given we were at the end of a console generation with the PS4 and Xbox One, but honestly, to think about how far we’ve come since then in the PC tech in just a few shorts years with the newly launched RTX 4080 blows my mind, especially when comparing to what current-gen consoles offer.

This isn’t going to be the most technical RTX 4080 review that you read, but it is going to be an honest comparison by an average gamer who spends quite a bit of time in the PC space, but still spends most nights primarily gaming on the PS5 and Xbox Series. One thing is for certain now is that’s more likely to change than ever before with the RTX 4080 as the sheer power on offer here and just ease of use that comes with plugging this big boy in, is something I’ve never experienced in the PC space. The results were instantly impressive and continued to blow me away as I kept loading up each game, particularly with the advancements made by DLSS 3.

THE DESIGN

The RTX 4080 Founders Edition follows in the footsteps of the RTX 3000 series and is quite frankly still one of the sexiest pieces of tech I’ve ever come acros. Everything from the unboxing experience, to seeing the premium feeling metal materials on the actual card itself is just a really high-end experience that you don’t get elsewhere.

The RTX 4080 FE still has its two blower fan type design, although the fans are much, much bigger, which results in some extremely impressive thermals, but also a much, much bigger physical foot print. In comparison to the RTX 3080 FE, the 4080 FE is 20mm longer, 25mm wider and a whopping 23mm thicker, which doesn’t sound like lot but results in a thickness that is 50% more than the RTX 3080. This is absolutely a 3-slot GPU that is going to require a larger case to slot it into, which isn’t a bad thing, but just something to be aware of as it’s definitely noticeably larger than the 3080 FE, and your current setup will need to be taken into consideration. This is likely to be a little bit more of a non-issue with aftermarket cards.

Thankfully, Mwave were able to come to my rescue by providing a case that the RTX 4080 FE could slot into with the Cooler Master Cosmos C700 which had the below specs:

• Intel Core i9-12900K
• 32GB DDR5 RAM
• Gigabyte Z690 AERO D
• CM Cosmos C700M EATX
• CM V Platinum Series 1300W
• Seagate FireCuda 530 1TB

Just like last year’s 3000 FE cards, NVIDIA has stuck with the tidy singular power cable that converts to 3x PCIe 8-pin cables to plug into your power supply. It now points upwards, which is a little better, but just like last year, does definitely take away from the really simplistic design of the card. I understand it’s not possible, but obviously I’d love the cords to be coming out the right side of the case to not take away from the design.

As far as ports go, it’s a very similar offering to last year’s models with three DP ports as well as one HDMI 2.1 port, so there’s really not shortage no matter how many devices you’re looking to plug into it.

DLSS 3 PERFORMANCE

If you’ve listened to my talking about tech on our podcast or read any other hardware reviews I’ve written, I couldn’t be a bigger fan of DLSS and what it has done for PC gaming. I want it everywhere as it just takes the stress out of worrying about frame rates and getting a smooth performance and that’s never been truer than what’s on offer with DLSS 3.

I’m not even going to try and pretend that I understand the full extent of the magic involved with DLSS 3, but basically, the 3 stands for three things: The brand new Frame Generation technology, Super Resolution (DLSS 2) as well as NVIDIA reflex. DLSS 3 is only available on the 4000 series cards thanks to the new ADA Lovelace architecture and the performance increase is instantly noticeable.

I don’t think it’d be unfair to say that the 3080 was a great entry point to 4K gaming, but it still felt like it wasn’t the fully realised experience in the sense that you couldn’t comfortably reach 4K 60FPS with absolutely every AAA game without having to compromise in certain areas, but with the 4080 and DLSS 3, not only is this a reality, but it goes far beyond that.

The greatest compliment that I can give the RTX 4080 is that it makes playing games on PC effortless. There wasn’t a single time during any of my testing where I felt like a game was stuttering, or that I needed to lower my settings, or turn off ray-tracing. It just worked, each and every time and felt like the ultimate 4K gaming experience.

Cyberpunk 2077 is still one of the great examples of stunning graphics within an open world and DLSS 3 allows you to stroll through the world in the way it was intended in full 4K with Psycho Ray-Tracing on. With DLSS 3, it runs at an extremely acceptable 92 FPS (with DLSS 3 set to balanced). Without DLSS 3, you’d be looking 29 FPS which means that DLSS 3 is providing more than 3x the performance, and that’s only going to improve with further improvements. With Cyberpunk 2077 running on the same settings on a 3080 using DLSS 2, we were able to achieve roughly 45 FPS, so it’s double the performance on a 4080 with DLSS 3.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is another great example. The game looks phenomenal and was able to run at 120FPS in 4K utilising DLSS 3 in our testing, which was over 2x the performance that we saw without DLSS 3, which ran at 58 FPS. The performance is buttery smooth and almost unbelievable. Coming from the PS5 version, the different is honestly night and day.

Microsoft Flight Simulator was yet another fantastic example, which has been plagued with performance issues even with the 3090, but I was now able to soar through the sky at 143 FPS at 4K with DLSS 3, which was again almost 2.5x the performance that I saw with DLSS 3 turned off at 60 FPS.

Another game worth calling out is F1 2022 which saw more than a 2x increase at 153 FPS with DLSS 3 turned on which dropped to a still acceptable 70 FPS without it. Taking every corner felt very smooth without a single bit of slowdown.

Other games tested such as Bright Memory Infinite, Destroy All Humans 2, F.I.S.T and Loopmancer all saw similar improvements of 2-3x with DLSS 3 turned on and all comfortable saw frame rates of beyond 144FPS in 4K. NVIDIA has said that there are over 35 DLSS 3 games in development and I can only hope that’s just the beginning.

Even with these insane results, the RTX 4080 FE was always running smoothly quiet and barely broke out of the mid 50s temperature wise, only cracking 60 degrees twice in well over 50 tests ran. Comparing power usage to that of the 3080, its significant less too, which is impressive given the results.

DLSS 2 PERFORMANCE & AV1 ENCODING

Even games that haven’t yet been optimised for DLSS 3 still ran incredibly well with almost all of the game that I tested still almost achieving 144 FPS.

Modern Warfare 2 was one worth calling out with the campaign achieving 157 FPS with DLSS turned on and 108 FPS without. This is almost double that of the 3080 performance which sits at around 80 FPS.

This was similar for PlayStation’s first-party offering on PC with Death Stranding, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn all sitting around the 144 FPS mark or beyond in some cases.

Games such as Gears 5 and Gears Tactics both reached 134 FPS and 114 FPS respectively, which is roughly a 1.5-1.8x increase on what we saw with 3080 performance, but I suspect that once more games get the DLSS 3 treatment, the performance boosts will be less what we’re seeing here.

As far as the 4080 goes for creative individuals, I’ve got no doubt that if you’re rendering 3D models or 4K video, you’re going to have a fantastic time with this GPU. There’s also now dual AV1 video encoders on board which means that you can stream at higher resolutions with the likes of Discord.

IS THE 4080 WORTH THE PRICE OF ADMISSION?

There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that the RTX 4080 is going to provide the 4K experience that we’ve been waiting for over the last few years, but you’re definitely going to be paying a premium for it. Given the RTX 4080 FE is going to be $2,200 AUD (but won’t be available here), it’s only reasonable to expect that third-party cards will start at $2,400 AUD and beyond. This is double what you can currently get a 3080 for, so the question remains is the 4080 worth the price of admission?

That’s a tricky question to answer. The easy answer is that you won’t be disappointed for even a single moment with the RTX 4080, but If you’ve already got a 3080, this will be dependant on how you feel your performance has been this far. If you’ve got a 4K/144hz monitor, you’ll absolutely be taking advantage of those extra frames with an RTX 4080, but if you’ve only got a 4K/60Hz monitor, then you might be content with what you have, and the extra frames (and money) might be lost on you.

If you’re in the market for a new GPU and you’re tossing up between the two, that’s going to be a much harder decision. 3080 prices have gone down quite a lot, and aren’t fetching anywhere near the insane prices that we saw during the middle of covid, but then again, with the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 getting an RTX Overdrive mode, and there clearly being more boundaries that can be pushed, if you’re all-in on PC gaming, you might be better off future proofing with an RTX 4080 or waiting for the inevitable 4070/4070 Ti.

The post NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition Review – 4K Gaming Without Compromise appeared first on Press Start.

This year has been an interesting one for headsets, with the likes of SteelSeries, Sony and Razer all dropping new flagship models. This time, Turtle Beach has dropped its new flagship headset, the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max.

Whilst the headset has opted to stick with the more traditional gaming headset style and features, not opting to incorporate new features such as active noise cancellation, it’s a really solid gaming headset that has great versatility.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $299 WITH FREE SHIPPING FROM AMAZON

Without doubt the best thing about the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max is that the Xbox version is compatible with both the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC/Mac as well as smart phones and other devices through bluetooth connectivity. This huge range of compatibility is so rare in this day and age, so it’s great to see Turtle Beach accomplishing that.

This is done through a USB dongle that can flick between Xbox mode and a standard USB transmitting mode (for everything else). It’s an extremely pain free setup and connection for any of the consoles listed above. Obviously, Xbox is where you’re going to get the most feature-complete experience with the likes of game/chat balance (something still limited to PlayStation official headsets on the PlayStation side) as well surround sound on Xbox.

To be totally honest, from a design point of view, I wouldn’t say the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max has quite evolved into an everyday headsets as much as some of the other high-end alternatives on the market, but I also don’t think this was the intention with Turtle Beach clearly targeting the hardcore gamers, and that’s probably a smart move. The navy with gold detailing isn’t particularly a combo I’d have put together, but it’s a bold move and I kind of appreciate that.

The frame and ear-cups feel incredibly premium and although I was sceptical of the “glasses friendly” marketing, I was surprised how weightless the headset felt on my head thanks to the fact that the company has cleverly put softer foam in the section of ear cups that sit where your glasses do on your head. The actual headband itself is a little bit stiffer than what I’m used to, but it didn’t feel anywhere near as uncomfortable as I might have thought on first glance.

One of the things I loved most about this particular headset is how much customisation you have over controls. On the left hand size, you can turn the headset on/off, control the volume, you have a secondary volume slider that isn’t wasted solely on game/chat (if you’re off Xbox), but can also be used to control Bluetooth audio, mic monitoring or even Superhuman hearing. My only complaint was that absolutely every button and volume dial is smacked up against each other super closely on one side of the headset, which does make the ease of use a little bit worse when you have to double check which you’re using.

You can make a tonne of these adjustments using the companion smartphone app, which I absolutely adored, and wish that every high-end headset had. Not only can you easily check the likes of battery percentage, you can make many of the previously mentioned customisations and even more adjustments such as mic monitoring levels and the adjustment of EQ and Super Human volume.

Speaking of Super Human, it’s been a trait of Turtle Beach headsets for years, and I’d forgotten how good it is for the likes of Call Of Duty, where hearing the most faintest of noises is the difference between getting the kill or be killed.

Sound in general in the headset was crisp with clear bass. I went back and forth between God of War Ragnarok and listening to music on the headset, and felt really satisfied with the sound coming through them. Even though there’s no active noise cancelling, the cups do a great job of blocking out any outside noise.

Bluetooth in a headset is a necessity for me these days and whilst there’s been some hit and miss integrations this year, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 allows you to hear both your game and Bluetooth device at the same time which is great for listening to a quick voice memo or making a call whilst gaming. The flip microphone also means that you can hide it away neatly or whip it out on the fly.

Battery life was marketed at 40+ hours and I’d say that the headset meets this target. Like most these days, there’s USB-C so the option for fast-charging is there as well, which is most welcomed.

If you’re a fan of Turtle Beach and looking for an upgrade, you won’t be disappointed with the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max which pushes things forward nicely, but still feeling firmly in the Turtle Beach family.

The post Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX Headset Review – Maximum Compatibility appeared first on Press Start.

The Apple TV has been around since before smart TVs were in every household, and whilst a lot of functionality within this magical little box now exists in most TVs, there’s something really special about everything it has to offer in its new form.

It’s very rare that Apple products come down in price (especially in this economy), but that’s exactly what’s happened with the Apple TV 4K (2022) model. The 64GB (Wi-Fi) is now double the storage of last year’s model at $219 (down from $249 for 32GB last year) whilst the brand new 128GB model (Wi-Fi + Ethernet) will set you back $249 ($279 for 64GB last year).

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $219 (WI-FI 64GB) / $249 (WIFI & ETHERNET/128GB)

I can’t think of a time where the value of Apple TV has ever been better at launch, especially if you’re all-in on the Apple ecosystem. I feel relatively confident that this will be the box that Apple stick with for at least a few years, as it feels feature complete and in-line with the rest of the current product lineup.

Not only has the price of the new Apple TV dropped, it also now comes in a brand new 20% smaller, fanless design which results in 30% less power usage. It also incorporates the new A15 Bionic chip which is what powers the brand new iPhone 14 and last years iPhone 13 line, which is great for gaming (we’ll talk about that more later).

Last year’s Apple TV model brought with it a brand new Siri Remote which was miles better than the one from a few iterations ago. It not only feels a lot more solid in the hand, but it now allows you to use either tactile buttons or glide your thumb across the touchpad in order to browse content. It also features a Siri button on the side for easy access. This year, it now also features USB-C charging instead of lighting, which is great news as we’re that little bit closer to the entire line of Apple products being USB-C.

This was my first time setting up a new Apple TV out of the box in at least 2-3 years, and I was more than pleasantly surprised just how easy it was to get going. I simply had to bring my iPhone close to the Apple TV and there wasn’t much else before my iCloud account was connected and everything was ready to go. I do wish that it had pulled across signed in experiences for streaming apps (outside of Apple TV+), but I assume there’d be some privacy issue for why this isn’t the case, and thankfully most easily allow you to enter a code from your phone app for easy integration.

I was quickly able to use the colour balance feature which basically uses the light sensor in your iPhone to adjust the colour of your image to provide a more accurate picture. I was really pleasantly surprised with the before and after results as someone who loves a great image, but isn’t too clued into accurate colours and how to achieve them, so taking the guess work out of it in this magical Apple way is perfect.

What is abundantly clear immediately after launching into the new Apple TV 4K (2022) home screen with tvOS 16.1 is just how much the entire Apple experience is unified across the entire ecosystem. Whether it be wanting to view your photos, do a work-out, listen to music, the experience is largely the same across iPad, iPhone, Mac and now the Apple TV, with nothing feeling as though it’s missing or wildly different to how it works on those other platforms.

This is also evident with the implementation of Siri in tvOS 16.1 which is not only more helpful than ever, but also shows information such as the weather or takes you directly to certain shows in a much more easy to digest pop-up, and also feels more in-line with the improved Siri experienced we’ve come to know on other Apple devices.

I’m a big, big smart home person. Every single light in our house is smart controlled, as are other everyday items such as our air conditioner and driveway gate, and we’ve also got a number of smart home enabled cameras, which I was pleasantly surprised to see are easily accessible on the Apple TV, with picture-in-picture mode or notifications able to be accessed as well. Being able to quickly use the Siri button on the remote, rather than open my phone was also super handy. The brand new Matter smart home standard is also supported in the new Apple TV 4K (2022), although I haven’t converted my system over yet, but adding another Home hub to the mix, is never a bad thing.

Whilst last year’s Apple TV 4K had Dolby Vision support, as a Samsung QLED owner, that didn’t do much for me, but they’ve now added HDR10+ with the new model, which is super helpful for those of us whose TV manufacturers aren’t utilising Dolby Vision standards.

I spoke about how I feel that Apple Arcade gets glossed over when it comes to discussing games in my recent iPhone 14 Plus review, but it’d be really hard for anyone to gloss over Apple’s efforts into the gaming space on the Apple TV 4K (2022) model.

Firstly, you can now sync up to four PS4/PS5 controllers, Xbox Series X controllers, your Nintendo Switch Pro/Joy-Con controllers as well as classic Nintendo 64/SNES/NES Nintendo Switch controllers. Not only can you sync any of these controllers, but you can use any combination of them together, to play the great array of games on offer both on Apple Arcade and the App Store.

Now, even with the A15 Bionic chip, which does provide really solid performance, you’re still not getting a full AAA console experience, but if you’re somebody who wants to experience a wealth of fantastic indie games or more well-known franchises such as the NBA 2K franchise or the several household names such as Sonic or Pac-Man in Apple Arcade exclusive adventures, there’s more than enough here, and everything on offer runs really, really well.

The beauty of Apple Arcade is that there are no in-app purchases, so you can trust your kids in front of the TV, without them hitting any paywalls or making accidental purchases. There’s a load of great games on there, and even if you’re a seasoned console or PC gamer, I can guarantee there’s still more than a handful of titles that you’ll get a kick out of, with more being added weekly.

Something that Apple is doing better than any of the big three as well is cloud saves. Being able to literally put down a controller (or the remote) with my Apple TV and jump back into a game on my iPhone or iPad and have the progress there is even better than what I’ve found on Xbox.

I think it’s a fair criticism to say that the Apple TV wasn’t being realised to its full potential for a few of the earlier iterations, but it feels like it’s firing on all cylinders now and fits perfectly into Apple’s suite of products. If you’re in the ecosystem and want a much better way to explore the digital age of TV, it’s really hard to go past the Apple TV, especially at this new, lower price point.

The post Apple TV 4K (2022) Review – Better Value And Performance appeared first on Press Start.

Apple has this year done away with the iPhone Mini, instead returning to a large max size in its standard iPhone 14 line, dubbed the iPhone 14 Plus. Whilst it’s missing some of the newer, more innovative features of the iPhone 14 Pro line such as the Dynamic Island and Always-On display, the iPhone 14 Plus is an extremely capable device and one of the most polished iPhone releases to date.

Coming from an iPhone 13 Pro Max, I actually really like the glossy back design of the iPhone 14 Plus. I’ve been using the purple model, and I really love how understated it is, and also the fact that it carries the colour around to the sides of the device for a really well-thought out finish. The front glass now features a tough ceramic shield with the actual case made of aluminium which feels premium.

The display on the iPhone 14 Plus is absolutely stunning. It’s a 6.7″ Super Retina XDR OLED display with a peak brightness of 800 nits (1200 when viewing HDR content). It’s not quite as bright as the new 14 Pro, but if you’re just an everyday iPhone user, you’ll be more than thrilled with this display. The notch that that was featured on the iPhone 13 is still there on the 14 Plus with the new dynamic island and always-on display being reserved for the Pro line.

The massive display really brings iOS 16 to life with the plethora of new wallpaper options and widget functionality finally coming to iPhone really shining on that gorgeous new display.

When it comes to battery life, Apple says that this is the best battery life for an iPhone to date, and that was my experience too. Apple says that you can expect up to 26 hours of video playback with the iPhone 14 Plus, and I definitely noticed getting a full day (and a few more extra hours) to that of the iPhone 13 Plus. I can say without doubt that when it comes to battery life, you won’t be disappointed.

The other area where there’s still a big difference between the standard 14 line and the 14 Pro range are the cameras. There’s still two lenses in a diagonal formation, meaning that you get one rear 12MP main camera as well as an 12MP ultra-wide lens, but there’s some big improvement from last year’s model.

Whilst it’s not quite the 48MP lens of the 14 Pro, a new main camera sensor will let in 49 percent more light according to Apple resulting in up to 2.5x better low-light photos on the main camera and up to 2x better low-light photos on the ultra wide camera. There’s also a brighter True Tone flash lets in more consistent lighting.

Just like other iPhones in recent times, it’s really hard to take a bad photo with the iPhone 14 Plus due to just how well Apple brings hardware and software together to allow you to take gorgeous photos with ease. Whilst I’d maybe like to see a few more of advancements brought over from the Pro line, it’s still hard to fault the cameras in this iPhone.

Apple has gone big on safety innovations this year, and they’ve been rolled out to the iPhone 14 Plus as well. Features such Crash Detection which can tell when you’ve been in a car crash and automatically call emergency services as Emergency SOS (launching only in US at the moment) which lets you text with emergency services through satellite connection are just a few ways that Apple is looking to help you if you’re stranded in an unfortunate event.

The iPhone 14 Plus features the same A15 Bionic chip that was in the iPhone 13 last year, and whilst that feels like a bit of an odd decision considering this is somewhere we normally see parity across the entire line, it’s still an extremely capable chip, especially for gaming.

I know that Xbox Game Pass gets a great wrap, but Apple Acrade is just as good (from a mobile point of view), with a growing number of premium games both from recognisable franchises as well as new ones. Exclusive titles such as Shovel Knight Dig, NBa 2K23 Arcade Edition, Jetpack Joyride 2, Sonic Dash, Amazing Bomberman, Cooking Mama: Cuisine and Crossy Road Castle to name a few, but there’s honestly dozens if not hundreds of games that are worth playing that rival what’s on the Switch from a third-party/indie perspective.

There’s also a number of other free-to-play titles such as Genshin Impact, Apex Legends and Call Of Duty: Mobile which play fantastic on the iPhone 14 Plus thanks to the big display. Whether, you’re an hardcore gamer that just wants a quick fix on the go, or whether you’re playing exclusive on mobile devices, you’re really sorted across both Apple Arcade and the general App store.

All-in-all, the iPhone 14 Plus doesn’t hugely reinvent the wheel from what we saw last year, but  improvements to battery life and cameras as well as some other iterative improvements really make for a great phone that will suit all iPhone users, both casual users and the high-end.

The post iPhone 14 Plus Review – Big And Beautiful appeared first on Press Start.

As gaming headsets get flashier, and exponentially more expensive, it’s easy to forget that there’s also some serious competition in the budget and entry-level space. Chances are that if you’ve got less than $100 to spend on your first serious gaming headset or as a gift for a loved one, the sheer number of options on the market can be just as headache-inducing as deciding exactly how much RGB is enough to justify dropping a week’s pay. Allow me to make the choice that little bit easier, then, because the HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 is the best headset I’ve used in its class.

The original Cloud Stinger was something of a hit for its incredibly affordable asking price and more-than-decent sound, essentially bringing one of gaming tech’s most revered headset brands to even more ears in the process. The Cloud Stinger 2 takes that success and runs with it, updating everything from the build to the speaker performance to wring every last bit of audio joy out of the deal. Much like its predecessor, initial unboxed impressions are that of a cheap headset. The all-plastic construction and barebones design might be initially off-putting but let me tell you a thing – this is a comfortable bloody headset.

While plenty of budget-friendly gaming headsets try to stretch themselves thin and sacrifice comfort for flashier aesthetics or premium features, the Cloud Stinger 2 keeps things simple. The band? Just some chunky plastic with a little flex to it. The cups? Classic design with simple rotation. The pads? Chuck some memory foam and pleather on those bad boys and call it a day. It’s the headset equivalent of an IKEA couch – cheap and indistinguishable but just lovely to slip into for a few hours of gaming. The smooth-sliding steel band of the old Cloud Stinger has been ditched in favour of more plastic, but the notched size adjustment complete with etched measurements to get both sides just right is a great trade-off in my eyes.

On the headset itself you’ll find scant few flourishes.  There’s the 2m non-detachable 3.5mm audio cable, a boom mic on a swivel (with an automatic mute), a single volume dial and… well, that’s it. HyperX has opted to keep things as simple as humanly possible and for good reason – nearly every cent of the meagre amount you’ve paid to put the the Cloud Stinger 2 on your head has gone to its audio performance above all else.

In The Box: Along with the headset, HyperX provides a 15cm analogue splitter cable for those who can’t use the single, TRRS connection, an optional windsock for the headset’s boom mic and a code to activate 2 years worth of DTS Headphone:X spatial audio for use on a PC (though you can obviously use any other compatible virtual surround solution).

There’s no denying that this isn’t a premium, $600+ headset pumping Dolby Atmos audio through highly-tuned audio where you’ll hear the sweat squelching between your enemies’ inner thighs as they approach, but for the gap in price they’re damned well close enough. HyperX has been giving consumers an auditory experience far better than what they paid for since the first Cloud headset and they haven’t given up on this notion even at the low end of the scale. It’s definitely less dynamic and experiential as what I’m used to but for the no-frills use and comfort I’ve genuinely chucked them on from time to time even with a better alternative sitting on the same desk.

As far as the microphone and chat experience goes, it’s… good enough? In this category it’s hard to ask for too much, so your online friends will just have to accept that you’ll sound a touch muffled and with just a little persistent white noise, but again you could do far, far worse for similar money. This truly is a headset marketed at parents with younger kids or teens and gamers on a budget that just want some throw-around cans for the odd game of COD or FIFA, not pro players or streamers, and the chat experience reflects that.

And that’s it, really. Being a headset with a single, 3.5mm audio connection there really isn’t much else here in the way of customisation or buzzword features but that suits the HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 just fine. Barring some modern phones and tablets, you can slam this thing into whatever your heart desires and get a comfortable, decent-sounding experience out of the gate. There’s something simple and comforting about that, especially when the outlay is so small for the privilege.

I’m loath to keep suggesting that the Cloud Stinger 2 is great “for the price” but it’s the simple truth – you could pay the same for a competing headset and get less, or even pay more and still get less in some key areas. If you’re after flashy lighting effects, wireless connectivity, noise-cancelling microphones or built-in cup holders you won’t find any of that here, but if it’s simplicity, comfort and more-than-decent sound that you desire you’ll get all of that without breaking the bank.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 is out now with an RRP of $89. Head here to the official website to find out where to pick one up for yourself!

The post HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 Review – Competitive Sound And Comfort For Less appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve always been a big smart watch user, even before the days of the Apple Watch, previously owning a Pebble watch, which was more about style than function but ushered in a wave of smart watches that quickly went from a niche tech product to something that exists on the wrists of hundreds of millions of people around the world.

Enter the Google Pixel Watch, Google’s new smart watch that changes things up with a circular design (that I actually really love) and pairs perfectly with its new Pixel resurgence that we’ve seen over the last few years.

A lot of what we see with the Pixel Watch is super familiar to those that have used the Apple Watch, and this starts with the pairing process that is extremely easy to get going. Bringing the Pixel Watch to a Pixel device (I used the new 7 Pro) quickly brought up a prompt to pair the devices. This was as simple as getting a prompt to download the Pixel Watch app, selecting the apps that you’d like to go across, turning on Google Assistant and checking for any updates.

Then, depending on whether you chose the LTE version or Wi-Fi, you’ll be prompted to set up your carrier for use away from your phone, and then you’ll connect your Fitbit account (which we’ll talk about later).

You’re then quickly taught a few simple tips about the Watch, starting with how to attach and detach bands, and this also felt familiar, but more seamless than what we’ve seen with the Apple Watch. You simply push the band against the edge of the device, lining it up with a little button that presses in and pull it to the side and it seamlessly lines up with no visible edges.

Right from announce, I absolutely adored the circular design, which mimics the design of a classic watch rather than a screen on the wrist, and after a week or so of using the device I’m still a big fan, but can definitely understand the limitations.

The screen is a 1.2″ AMOLED always-on display, and if you’re displaying more of the basic watch faces the fairly large bezel isn’t at all visible and looks like it’s an edge-to-edge display, that quite frankly, looks gorgeous. It’s when you want to display either a photo or when you’re browsing through the UI that the the circular display becomes a bit distracting. I can deal with it as a first iteration product, but I hope this does get better as the years go on.

There’s a really good amount of watch faces at launch and obviously you can take advantage of third-party watch faces from the Play Store too. Google has clearly sussed the competition and learned what works and rolled that out here, with a number of faces ranging from incredibly simple to those with a huge amount of complications, and there weren’t too many I couldn’t see myself using.

My absolute favourite feature on the Google Pixel Watch was the Tiles feature. Whilst swiping left and right on the Apple Watch display just takes you between watch faces, Google has cleverly made it so swiping left and right from the watch face on the Pixel Watch takes you between tiles that are basically full screen glances on things such as weather, Google Maps (with favourite destinations), your Google Home app, FitBit sleep/fitness measurements, calendar appointments and a timer to name a few. Whilst I’ve been guilty of not using my Watch for a whole lot other than exercise and checking the time in the past, the way that Tiles displays information/glances of apps in a very easy to access way is a game changer for me.

Pulling down from the top of the screen gives you a bunch of quick setting icons such as a flash light, the ability to active your Google Wallet, find your phone, adjust brightness or turn bedtime mode on. Everything is labelled very clearly, and I can’t think of anything else from a settings point of view that I didn’t know how to access.

Otherwise, receiving notifications and getting your way around the watch felt like a really familiar experience, with the scroll wheel on the side serving as a tactile way to scroll through your app list. I will say it has quite a bit more resistance and spring back than the Watch one, which I quite liked. The other button on the side is used to activate Google Assistant (which you can also do using your voice).

Google says that the battery life of the Pixel Watch is roughly 24 hours, and that’s pretty much exactly what I got with my device, even after turning the display to Always On, doing a few work-outs and replying to messages and such with the Watch too, so I was pleasantly surprised on this front. Charging is done utilising a magnetised charger that comes in the box, and whilst I was actually able to get the device to recognise a QI charger and even my Apple Watch charger, it charged to varying degrees.

The benefit of Google owning Fitbit is that whilst this very much feels like a Pixel watch, it instantly has all of the features that we’ve seen other watches take years to get, and does it a lot better than those watches too.

Tracking steps is much better on this watch than other devices, with steps literally increasing in real time with each step that you take, which I found to be much more motivating than with the Apple Watch. Your heart rate is also measured at all times, rather than at certain times of the day, which you might not need, but if you are needing to monitor your heart rate it’s certainly nice to have, and obviously sleep tracking works brilliantly and all synced up nicely to the Fitbit app.

The best compliment that I can give this watch from a health and fitness point of view is that it just works, and presents information really well in a way that’s not only easy to understand, but also wants to make me focus more on my health and fitness in a positive way.

All-in-all, the Google Pixel Watch is a really solid first attempt at a smart watch by Google. Outside of a few instances where the UI was a bit laggy, it was a relatively pain free experience that I think a lot of Pixel users will enjoy and see as a great extension of the Google ecosystem.

The Google Pixel Watch is out today and will set you back $549 for the Wi-Fi version or $649 for the LTE version. 

The post Google Pixel Watch Review – A Solid Foundation appeared first on Press Start.

I was a massive fan of the Google Pixel 6 Pro last year, and after a week with both the Google Pixel 7 Pro and Google Pixel 7, it’s very clear that Google hasn’t reinvented the wheel here, but instead make a number of iterative improvements that come together to make already fantastic phones that little bit better.

The one thing that was up for contention last year was the two tone design of both phones, which I actually loved from an aesthetics point of view, but can totally see how it wasn’t for everyone. Whilst the camera bar/bump is definitely still there on the 7 and 7 Pro, it’s much more sophisticated this time around.

Whilst I really like the fact that the phone is now the same colour above and below the camera bump, I actually think I preferred the design of the old bump, which was glass before, but is now a metallic polished aluminium on the 7 Pro and a silky matte finish on the 7. I don’t think it looks bad (and definitely prefer the 7’s matte finish over the glossy aluminium), but I just think there was a certain futuristic look of the glass design, which I assume it was changed due to scratching or lens flare complaints which aren’t existent with the new design. I did notice a definitive smudginess on the camera bump that was I don’t recall facing last year.

From the front, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between the 7/7 Pro and last year’s models, except for the fact that Google has gone with a much more muted colour palette this year in Obsidian and Snow (White/Black) as well as Lemongrass and Hazel shades that are exclusively to the 7 and 7 Pro respectively.

As far as displays go, the Pixel 7 sports a 6.3″ Full HD+ 90Hz display that is capable of 1,400 nits of peak brightness whilst the Pixel 7 Pro has a 6.7″ Quad HD+ LTPO OLED 120hz display with a higher peak brightness of 1,500 hits. I didn’t notice the 6 Pro being not bright enough last year, but that extra 25% of brightness definitely comes in handy when out in the sun, even more so for the Pixel 7 Pro. The 7 Pro still has it’s slightly curved screen that is a little less pronounced this year, but it’s definitely more than noticeable when compared to the flat screen of the 7.

The front also features the same hole punch camera design, which to a lot of people’s happiness also adds Face Unlock in addition to the same under-screen fingerprint sensor that we saw in last year’s models. It’s really easy to setup, and I found that it works most of the time, but you’ll definitely want both forms of unlocking setup, as there were times in darker environments or when I was laying on a bad angle, that the face unlock didn’t work first time around, but I very quickly got in the habit of still picking my phone up with the thumb over the fingerprint sensor.

Just like last year, the camera systems in these two phones are where there really starts to be a great deal of difference, so if you’re somebody who likes to take a lot of photos, you should definitely be looking at the 7 Pro. Whilst we applauded the Pixel 6 Pro last year for its fantastic photo taking abilities coupled with great features such as Face Unblur, Magic Eraser and Night Sight (which now works a lot better and faster with the Tensor G2 chip), the whole system has been taken even further with the 7 Pro.

There’s still three lenses, a 50 MP main lens, a 48 MP telephoto lens as well as a 12 MP ultrawide lens. Whilst on paper, it sounds like a familiar story, there have been improvements made under the hood, which just make this phone an absolute joy to take photos on.

You’re now getting 5x optical zoom (4x on the 6 Pro) and a 30x high resolution zoom (20x on the 6 Pro). There’s also a new 2x optical zoom which cleverly crops 5x zoomed in image back to 2x (similar to what we’ve seen on this year’s iPhones).

Also exclusive to the 7 Pro camera system is a new Macro Focus mode which automatically turns on when you get close enough to the subject. It’s probably not something you’ll be using every day, but it’s great to have and means that with the 7 Pro you can feel confident in going anywhere from an insane ultrawide photo where you need to fit in as much as possible into the shot and then get as close as possible to another subject (such as a plant or animal), and have the confidence to both of these things and everything in between.

When looking at the Pixel 7’s camera system, there’s not a whole lot different to the Pixel 6. Just like last year, you’re missing out on the must-have 48 MP telephoto lens which means no optical 5x zoom or 30x super zoom, and you’re not getting Macro photography either.

You’re still getting a 50 MP main lens as well as a 12 MP ultrawide lens, and technically, photos should look better with the Tensor G2 chip. You’re also getting the aforementioned new Photo Unblur feature, and existing features such as Magic Eraser and Night Sight. The fact of the matter is, the camera system in the Pixel 7 is still fantastic if you’re upgrading from a 5 and below or other Android phones, but don’t expect to be blown away if you’re upgrading from a Pixel 6.

Whilst the front camera hasn’t seen a huge improvement on the Pixel 7 Pro, this is one area that has been improved on the Pixel 7. It’s now jumped from 8 MP to 10.8 MP which is a decent jump and will no doubt make these photos look even sharper.

Another big area of improvement on both the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro is its video taking capability. Both are now compatible of shooting in 10-Bit HDR and both have a new feature called Cinematic Blur, which is very similar to that of the iPhone 13/14. Basically, it will dynamically focus as you shoot content in order to blur the background of what’s not in focus, meaning you can from say, shooting your dog, to your partner and it will auto adjust the focus the entire way to give it a more cinematic feel. It’s just another feather in Google’s photography cap.

Traditionally, I’m not an Android user in my day-to-day life, but the Pixel 6 Pro did a lot to change that way of thinking and the Pixel 7/7 Pro really did even more to change that. The Google Tensor G2 chip made everything juts that little bit more snappier and the improved battery life of the Pixel 7 Pro in particular really impressed me, lasting an entire day without any issues.

I knew it was going to a big ask for Google to blow me away with the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro like they did last year with the Pixel 6 Pro, but that speaks more to just how good last year’s phones were, more-so than what’s on offer this year. This year’s lineup when paired with the Google Pixel Watch feels like it further cements Google’s second wind in this space, and the future is incredibly bright for Google’s entire ecosystem of products.

The Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 7 Pro are out today and start at $999 and $1,299 respectively. You can grab them HERE.

The post Google Pixel 7/7 Pro Review – Improving On An Already Great Product appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve been using the AirPods since they first came out and have never looked back. They’re perfect for any situation, whether that be on a work call, walking the dogs or laying in bed to watch something on my iPad as I try to sleep. This went a step further with the first-gen AirPods Pro which replaced my noise cancelling headset on any flight or environment where I’d want to cancel out noise and quickly became my all-purpose headset.

Unlike most tech products, there was nothing that glaringly stood out as something that I desperately wanted improved with a new gen of AirPods Pro, but Apple has managed to deliver a 2nd gen product that does the unthinkable and improves on a bunch of areas, that I honestly never knew that I wanted, but could never live without now.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $369 AT AMAZON

Firstly, let’s talk about the noise cancelling, which was fantastic on the original set, but is even better now thanks to the H2 chip. Just by chance I had two flights to Sydney days apart, one before I had the 2nd gen set, which served as a great test between how the two fared in an area where everybody wants noise cancelling, in an airplane. I was honestly super impressed with how much better the 2nd gen AirPod Pros did at blocking out the idle noise of the plane engine, not that I’d ever had a huge issue with the performance of the original set, but this was miles ahead in terms of just totally drowning it out and letting me enjoy what I was watching on my phone.

Apple didn’t stop there though. The 2nd gen set also improves transparency with a new Adaptive Transparency mode, which basically means that the AirPod Pros can now drown out loud noises such as a car horn or sirens, whilst still letting through noises such as voices or maybe an announcement on a train. Even more importantly though, transparency mode now feels more natural, rather than voices being beamed very loudly into your ears, it feels just like it would without wearing any headphones.

By all means, unless you’re someone who flies often or feels like the original AirPod Pros just aren’t cutting it in the noise cancelling department, there’s no need to run out today to buy a 2nd gen pair, but know that if and when you do, you’ll be getting a much superior set of headphones in the noise cancelling department.

Looking at the actual AirPods Pro 2nd gen design, you’d be hard pressed to find a difference aesthetically, but there’s a few key differences. You can now use touch controls by either swiping up or down on the actual stem of the AirPods Pro to turn the volume up or down, which is great for when you don’t have your phone on you. There’s also a new XS tip in the box for those that had maybe tried the AirPods Pros previously and had an issue with the fit.

Battery life is another one that I’ve never really had a problem with on the original AirPod Pros, but Apple has increased the battery life in the AirPods Pro 2nd gen. You now get up to six hours of listening time with noise cancelling on and up to 30 hours of listening taking the charging case into account. This is a six hour increase over the original pair, and I definitely noticed getting a few extra days out of my AirPods Pro without needing to charge them.

The case is now a MagSafe charging case which can also be charged by your Apple Watch charger. Something that is extremely clever is a new built-in speaker in the actual case itself, so not only do you get an audible ding when you place your AirPods Pro 2nd gen charging case on a charger (which I really love), you can obviously now find your actual case using Find My with the speaker playing a surprisingly loud noise and also flashing in darkness.  You can also locate its exact location in the same way you can an Air Tag, with your iPhone guiding you directly to the case.

The charging case also now incorporates a lanyard loop so that you can attach your case to a bag or just have something tangible to hold onto. Unfortunately, no actual strap is included in the box, and surprisingly, Apple hasn’t made one, but there’s already a few options available and obviously it’s a fairly standard loop.

When it comes to actual sound quality, I never had a huge issue with how the original set sounded, although everything feels that little bit richer and clearer with the AirPods 2 and obviously, takes advantage of Personalised Spatial Audio which uses your iPhone to take capture the shape of your ears to deliver an even more immersive experience.

All-in-all, the AirPods Pro 2nd gen incorporates a bunch of really clever features that all work together to further Apple’s lead in having one of the best noise-cancelling headphones on the market. They’re incredibly easy to use, perform great under noise environments and also sound fantastic.

The post Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) Review – An Even Better Experience appeared first on Press Start.

When I reviewed the Google Pixel 6 Pro almost a year ago, I was blown away by just how good hardware and software came together to create one of the best phones that I’ve ever used. Google has now followed it up with the cheaper Pixel 6a that retains many of the same features as a much more affordable price point.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $646 FROM AMAZON

Whilst the Google Pixel 6 Pro has a 6.7″ 120Hz Quad HD+ display and the 6 a 6.4″ Full HD 90Hz display, the Pixel 6a has a smaller 6.1 full HD/60HZ display that honestly is more than fine for the average consumer. It has a very similar pixel density and HDR support, but obviously without that 90/120Hz support, you should expect that scrolling will probably feel just as smooth as the phone that you’re upgrading from.

It also has the same great features such as high brightness mode as well as an always-on display, which means you won’t miss anything important with now playing and at a glance visible as soon as you touch the phone. Unlike the 6 Pro, the 6a has a completely flat screen which a lot of people actually prefer.

The design of all three phones is similar with the 6a coming in Black/White/Green and coming in at a slightly smaller size than the 6 due to its smaller display. The display of the 6a takes up majority of the screen with the same hole punch front camera design and the other cameras sit on a bar that sticks out on the back of the display. Whilst the back of the 6/6 Pro was glass, the back of the of the 6a is composite, which is no doubt a cost saver, but not a massive deal to most. Whilst the 6 Pro had a curved design, the 6a follows the 6 with a flat front screen.

Obviously, just like the 6 and 6 Pro there’s no facial recognition on the camera, but you still have the same under display finger print sensor which I really like. It’s extremely accurate and I never had any issues with the phone unlocking.

When it comes to battery life, the 6a actually fares better than the 6 and 6 Pro with 72 hours of battery life in extreme battery saver life (48 hours on the 6/6Pro). This is likely due to its smaller display and likely due to the lower refresh rate of the screen. There is no fast charing here though and also no wireless charging or battery share which is featured on both the 6/6 Pro. The wireless charging in particular would have been nice to see as it’s become so common with devices now.

I absolutely loved both the cameras and the camera features on the 6 Pro and whilst taking photos on the 6a is still a great experience, this is where things start to differ quite dramatically (more-so when compared to the 6 Pro). The 6a has dual cameras, a 12.2 mega pixel main camera and a 12 mega pixel ultrawide camera. This is quite a big difference to the Pixel 6 which also has dual cameras, but one is a 50 mega pixel main camera and a 12 mega pixel ultra wide camera. Obviously, the 6 Pro blows both out of the water with three cameras (the third being a 48 mega pixel telephoto lense with 4x optical zoom and 20x digital zoom).

Thankfully, many of the same features such as Magic Eraser, Real Tone, Night Sight, Face Unblur, Cinematic Pan and Portrait Mode are all here and still really easy to use and all produce really good results for the casual photo taker. The only one missing is Motion Blur, which to be honest, is the one I probably used least when using the 6 Pro.

When it comes to the front camera, the 6a has the same as the 6 which is an 8 mega pixel camera which honestly produces really nice results, particularly when in good sun light.

The Pixel 6a uses the same Google Tensor chip that was found in the 6 and 6 Pro with the only other differences being ram and storage. The 6a comes with 6GB of ram which is a drop from 8GB/12GB (6/6Pro), but honestly you won’t notice a major difference doing most everyday tasks. The 6a is also locked at 128GB storage whilst the 6 and 6 Pro provided more options, so that might be a dealbreaker, although with Google’s great Cloud functionality, hopefully less so than other phones.

Google pushed security in a big way when the 6 and 6 Pro launched and it’s still the same case here. The Privacy Dashboard will tell you which apps have been using key device functionality such as location, camera and microphone in the last 24 hours whilst the Security Hub will tell you of any password breaches and the like. A new Personal Safety feature lets you tell Google to check in with you after a set amount of time (such as walking late at night) and will call emergency services if you don’t respond to the alert. For those that are not wanting their mics and cameras to be live at all times, Google has added tiles to the quick settings so that you can quickly enable or disable too.

All-in-all, I’m still a massive fan of this phone for $749 (can currently be had for $640 from Amazon) which is $250+ cheaper than the 6 and a whopping $550+ cheaper than the 6 Pro. I can see it being a massive upgrade from most other Android phones both in terms of hardware and software. The only thing that could lower its value proposition is the drop in price of the 6 and 6 Pro when the 7 and 7 Pro release, but as of right now, you can’t really go wrong as phone that is great for all users at a great price point.

The post Google Pixel 6a Review – Greatness On A Budget appeared first on Press Start.

We’ve covered Samsung’s Odyssey monitors quite extensively over the years and whilst I’ve always marvelled at the size of them, I’ve always wondered how practical they are in most every day setups due to their ultra-wide nature. Straight away this was what interested me about Samsung’s newly announced 55″ Odyssey Ark. The fact that it is now a 16:9 display and also the fact that it’s just as much of a TV as well as a monitor.

I obviously had seen pictures of this monitor as well as videos of it in action when it was announced, but I hadn’t appreciated just how much of a hybrid display this is, combining the best parts of the Samsung Odyssey monitors with Samsung’s very good QLED Mini LED TVs.

The TV utilises the One Connect box which provides it with four HDMI 2.1 ports, two USB ports, ethernet and optical. There’s no DisplayPort if that’s of interest to you. It also runs Samsungs Tizen TV operating system which means you can literally access the likes of Netflix, Disney+, Binge as well as the Xbox Cloud Gaming app right from the TV without needing an Xbox.

For me, the fact that this doubles as a TV as well as an insanely good gaming monitor puts it above the other Odyssey monitor and actually makes it a viable purchase for someone who wants a really great TV/monitor that will work in a bedroom, smaller apartment or an office that doubles as a gaming cave.

Speaking about that ginormous 55″ display, I was expecting to be overwhelmed by it, but the fact that it is has an 1000R curve partnered with the fact that it’s a 16:9 display means that you really do feel immersed in what you’re seeing on screen. It’s perfect for being able to sit back with a controller or a mouse or keyboard, but obviously you want to make sure you’ve got enough room on your desk as you want to make sure you’re not sitting right up against the display.

The Ark uses a 4K Mini LED display, which we’ve seen on the Neo QLED TVs and thanks to the 1,056 dimming zones, the blacks were deep with the picture being absolutely vibrant and full of colour no matter if I was playing a game or watching something on Netflix. It is capable of 165Hz refresh rates too, so you’re sorted for gaming.

It’s the type of thing that you have to see in person and use yourself to understand, because photos simply won’t do it justice, but the huge size of this TV, coupled with the curve and then coupled with the fact that it’s 16:9 instead of 32:9 like the other popular Odyssey monitors means that you really feel immersed on what you’re seeing on screen. If you sit at the right distance, you really feel like your entire line of sight and peripheral vision is covered by screen real estate. I’d liken it to feeling like you’re wearing a virtual reality headset, without obviously being able to physically move to change what you’re seeing on screen.

This worked really well for games such as Microsoft Flight Simulator, Far Cry New Dawn and Destiny 2, which all felt really immersive, visually gorgeous and honestly just popped on the screen. I’ve got one of the high-end Mini LED NEO QLED TVs in my house and as far as picture quality goes, this matches it easily.

The display takes advantage of Samsung’s matte displays which is utilised in their latest Frame TVs which means there’s no reflections. The room I was using the display in was fully surrounded by windows and even when I opened the shades, there wasn’t a hint of glare from any angle, although due to the large curve, you will want to be sitting in front of it.

If you’re wanting to use the monitor in portrait mode, you’re able to literally lift it and spin it, and Samsung’s auto rotation software will spin the entire screen, regardless of whether you’re playing a PC game or watching a TV show. I would love to have seen the auto rotating technology that was used in Samsung’s Sero TV, but maybe we’ll see that down the line with future models.

Rotating the monitor into portrait mode feels like a totally different experience. When you’re using it in portrait, Samsung call this Cockpit mode, because it literally feels like you’re in a cockpit with the huge curve of the monitor that’s even more pronounced in portrait mode. You can utilise the Multi View technology that we’ve seen on Samsung TVs in the last 3-4 years in portrait mode (landscape too).

You can then stack three displays using the Multi View function, so for instance you might have your PC connected, be watching YouTube and Samsung Smart TV+. It was a very innovative idea, and one that felt like it could be useful but I’d love to see Multi View fleshed out more, maybe with the addition of some other native apps or the ability to use more than one actual input.

It’s probably no surprise but the Odyssey Ark had probably the best speakers that I’ve heard in a gaming monitor (and probably TVs too). Utilising four corner speakers and two central wolfers as well as Dolby Atmos, the sound not only felt like it was around you due to the curve of the monitor, but it was also just super loud and full of bass. You’d absolutely be happy with the sound quality out of these without needing a soundbar or external speaker setup.

One of my favourite parts of the Samsung Odyssey Ark is the innovative new Ark Dial controller. Whilst you can also use the included regular TV remote to control your display, if you’re at your desk, you’d be using the Ark Dial which lets you quickly use the buttons to access Multi View, bring up the Game Bar, get to settings quickly, change the volume, but the most important new feature is one called Flex Move Screen.

This allows you to quickly change the screen size anywhere from the full-size 55″ to 27″ as well as move the screen around the display. This might be for when you’re not gaming and want to use the screen for productivity but feeling overwhelmed by the 55″ display.

You can also change the aspect ratio to 21:9 or 32:9 making it a similar experience to that of the Super Ultrawide Odyssey monitors. Thanks to the MiniLED display, the deep blacks do a great job of making the rest of the display fade into the shadows, and honestly, I think it’s much better starting with a 16:9 display and having the ability to go to 21:9 or 32:9 rather than being stuck at these ultrawide resolutions.

When you make the picture smaller than 55″ or rotate into portrait mode, you can use something Samsung called Active Ambient. This basically turns the TV into a Philips Hue Sync type situation where Samsung will take the colours on whatever you’re watching and project them around the image to make it feel more immersive. I did find it bit distracting at times, but it’s nice to have for certain viewing environments.

Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect going into my time with the Odyssey Ark, but I came out of it being really excited about this new display category that blends the best of gaming monitors and TVs to create one display that seamlessly goes between productivity and a really high quality gaming/monitor display.

55″ might be a little too big for most people, but I really hope Samsung stick with this concept and maybe roll it out to some smaller options, as whilst I can see the huge display being a drawcard initially, I actually think a lot of the functionality such as the Ark Dial, Cockpit mode as well as the beautiful Matte MiniLED display being really appealing in general to a lot of people.

The Samsung Odyssey Ark Gaming will be available in Australia on October 24, 2022 at an RRP of $4499. It’s available for pre-order now with some great pre-order offers. Harvey Norman is a bonus giving $1000 gift card and Samsung is giving a special edition Secretlab gaming chart and a Samsung 980 Pro NVME SSD.

The post We Went Hands-On With Samsung’s New 55″ Odyssey Ark Gaming Monitor And Here’s Our Thoughts appeared first on Press Start.

Sony’s premium InZONE gaming line has now launched in Australia and after a few solid weeks of use, I’m ready to talk about my experience with the inZONE H9. It’s been a great year for headsets with the likes of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless and Razer Barracuda Pro both dropping, but if you’re a PS5 owner (and I suspect most of you reading this review will be), it’s pretty hard to go past the Sony InZONE H9 which offers many of the same features of the two aforementioned headsets but just pairs with the PS5 in ways that those other headsets can’t.

Whilst I went on the record saying that the Arctis Nova Pro was my favourite headset to ever release and I still think that’s definitely the case, at absolutely no fault of SteelSeries, it lacks the ability to control game/chat audio on the actual headset as well as show things such as battery life and volume on-screen whilst using it with a PS5.

Because the InZONE H9 is an official Sony product, it allows you to not only adjust game/chat audio on the headset (and have it show it on-screen), but it also gives visual indicators on screen that show you whether your headset is muted, or if you’ve got low battery or just how high or low your volume is. They’re not must-have features, but they’re really nice to have and would probably push me into wanting to use the H9 over the Arctis Nova Pro as my daily driver on the PS5.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $348 WITH FREE DELIVERY FROM AMAZON

When it comes to the design, it’s a bit hit and miss in my opinion. The headset is super light and extremely comfortable utilising the Sony XM5’s soft leather earcups/band and even with glasses never felt like a burden to wear. Whilst I appreciate that the design does tie into that of the PS5s, the sheer size of them means that whilst it’s a great sounding headset with bluetooth connectivity and noise cancelling, I don’t feel like you’d ever wear them out of the house, which is a shame given the price point and the fact that they very much could double as an every day headset as well as a dedicated gaming headset.

I really liked how easy to access all the controls are on the actual headset as well, with noise cancelling having its own button, an easy to reach volume wheel, game/chat balance buttons as well as a dedicated power button and Bluetooth buttons. They’re all a really good distance apart too, so that even after a few minutes with the headset, I wasn’t second guessing myself. The microphone can’t be detached, but it does mute when flipped up, which is handy.

It’s probably no surprise given the Sony XM3-5s have some of the best noise cancelling in consumer headphones and that the insides of the inZONE H9 have similar insides to that of the XM3s, but noise cancelling was really great on this particular headset and probably better than the others that I’ve mentioned in this review. Whilst the sounds of your game are likely to drown out a fair amount of noise, the active noise cancelling went the extra mile to drown my sausage dogs barking out or my husband scrolling through TikToks on the couch to me. All the same, being able to quickly switch to transparency mode to have a quick conversation was also really appreciated, and worked well.

I was even more impressed when I went over to the InZONE Hub PC software which had more customisation than any headset software I’ve ever used presented in a really consumer friendly way. Initially when using the headset with the PS5, I was annoyed that the noise cancelling button flicked between on, off or ambient (letting noise in), because for me, I only would ever want noise cancelling on, or people’s voices heightened through ambient mode when somebody in my house is trying to talk to me, and low and behold, I was able to customise it using the software it so that this button would make it flick between noise cancelling on or ambient only.

I was also able to customise things such as what would happened when the headset first turned on, which is minor, but totally allows for people to customise exactly how they want to use their headset, and I appreciate that.

The post Sony INZONE H9 Wireless Gaming Headset Review – The Perfect PS5 Companion appeared first on Press Start.

I’m mainly a console gamer these days. My daily computer is a light, speedy little MacBook Air. It can’t do much gaming, but it doesn’t really need to. As far as portable computers go, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is about as far as you can get from my little daily machine. It’s hefty, it’s got a stonking great battery and a powerful gaming-centric CPU and graphics combo that eats most games I throw at it for breakfast. At the same time it’s high refresh rate, high resolution screen combined with a pleasant keyboard and great trackpad make it a nice machine for productivity and time wasting as well. It’s a machine focused on gaming that won’t get in your way when you need it for other things.

This Legion is smartly designed, with just a little bit of the aggressive gamer-aesthetic you might expect from a gaming laptop. When it’s closed you could be forgiven for thinking it’s a much more boring machine. The lid has little ornamentation aside from a big LEGION logo at the top, however looking closer you’ll see the industrial looking exhaust vents that hint at the gamer focus of this machine. Open it up and turn it on, and you’ll know this is no business machine. An RGB backlit keyboard shimmers in a rainbow pattern, and a high refresh rate screen just begs to be gamed on. It’s a very attractive design, just enough notes to let you know it’s a gaming laptop without going over the top.

That screen though is quite a thing to behold. The 2560 x 1600 resolution 16-inch screen makes text and game elements look razor sharp. It’s not quite a 4K resolution, but I think this is a great middle ground where you get markedly better performance from the hardware than you would if it had a 4K screen. It’s a high refresh rate display as well, topping out at 165Hz. Everything is just *nicer* with this fast display. Playing games at high frame rates makes things just feel ultra responsive, and even just doing basic Windows things like using the Start menu and scrolling in a web browser feel ridiculously smooth. It even supports HDR400 and Dolby Vision so watching shows and movies in supported apps like Netflix looks fantastic. The speakers on the computer make for an adequate, if not spectacular experience. They’re a little thin sounding without a huge deal of presence – somehow the speakers in my ultrathin Mac sound deeper and fuller. They will do the job for Netflix in bed, but I definitely preferred a set of headphones when I could.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: STARTING AT $2,899 AUD

Powering all these sights and sounds is a pretty capable set of hardware. The model I tested had a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 paired with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070Ti graphics chip – and it blew me away with how well it played games I threw at it. Maxed out Forza Horizon 5 and I was getting 80-90fps, between 110-190 in Deep Rock Galactic, 60fps with Fortnite maxed out and an easy 100-130fps with a couple of tweaks. The high refresh rate screen is well paired with this graphics chip since it can push frame rates well in excess of the standard 60 without sacrificing visuals in many games. While you’re doing all this gaming the fans will spin up to be audible. I’ve heard much more jarring fans in other gaming laptops for sure, this one isn’t an annoying kind of fan noise – just loud enough to be noticeable. While doing less intensive tasks like web browsing or watching videos I found the fans barely audible.

As a tool for getting things done, the Legion is pretty great in most areas. The keyboard is a pleasant kind of spongey with a pleasing amount of key travel and a nice tactile feel. The trackpad is large and feels great to use. My fingers would glide over it’s surface with just the right amount of friction, and it’s among the nicest trackpads I’ve used with Windows’ multi-finger gestures. It’s got about every port you could reasonably expect on a portable machine including a full Thunderbolt 4/USB4 port which is fantastic for docking stations, some USB C ports, USB A ports, a full-sized HDMI 2.1 for connecting to the latest TVs, an ethernet jack for wired networking and a headphone/mic combo jack. It’s even equipped with Wifi 6E radios so if you have the absolute latest in Wifi you can make full use of it here. As far as equipment goes, it has about everything you could want and then some.

About the only downside I found with the machine was its battery life. It has a whopper-sized 80 watt hour battery, but with the power demands of the Intel and Nvidia chips on board even it can’t keep them fed for all that long. Doing regular non-gaming tasks like web browsing, watching video on YouTube and playing music over Spotify drained the battery in a little over 3 hours – though using Microsoft Edge rather than Chrome or Firefox helped eke a little more time from the battery. Coming from a laptop that I can do the same things with and not need to find a charger all day, the difference was noticeable.

While gaming the system has a host of features designed to limit performance and get some more life from the battery, but having games limited to 30fps or less felt like a last resort, definitely not the way I’d like to play if I had any other choice. Thankfully the machine charges quickly with the supplied (absolutely huge) AC adapter. Lenovo claims 80% charge in 30 minutes and I found my experience to be pretty close. With the performance on battery being severly limited I consider this a laptop that is easy to move between different desks but not one I’d regularly use for gaming on battery. Even doing pretty tame tasks you’ll be looking for a power outlet by lunch time.

The battery life is really my only frustration with this otherwise fantastic machine. It’s conservatively styled but can be customised to be a bit wild with it’s lighting if you want that. The keyboard and trackpad are delightful to use for productivity and general use and the screen is fantastic. The high resolution and refresh rate elevate everything you do from high-intensity gaming to moving windows around on the desktop. It’s a damn good display. The amount of game-focused hardware Lenovo have crammed in here makes for a wonderfully capable gaming machine as well, showing no signs of struggling under any game I threw at it.

The post Lenovo Legion 5i Pro (Gen 7) Review – Take Power With You appeared first on Press Start.

TCL has surprised me with its C835 Mini LED TV. Alongside the likes of Samsung, Sony and LG, I’d always associated TCL with more reserved, budget-friendly specifications and quality. However, with features that felt prohibitively expensive just a couple of years ago, the TCL Mini LED C835 ushers in next-gen TV tech with a favourable price tag, giving other major manufacturers a run for their money.

The Cheapest TCL C835 Mini LED TV Prices: 55″ – $1,595 / 65″ – $2,395 / 75″ – $3,195

The Display

Rattling off the specs makes for impressive reading: a Quantum Dot Mini LED display, full array local dimming, a 144Hz refresh rate, HDMI 2.1 ports, VRR and ALLM support, ONKYO speakers with an in-built subwoofer, support for Dolby Vision IQ, Dolby Atmos and IMAX Enhanced content, and Google TV. 

But it’s first and foremost the display where the TCL C835 Mini LED shines. 

And ‘shines’ is right; this thing is bright! The 4K Quantum Dot Mini LED screen works wonders for brightness and colours in both well-lit and dim environments, so much so that I needed to crank the brightness way down with the lights off.

Firing up IMAX Enhanced content such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on Disney+ looks incredible once you navigate through the picture settings to disable motion smoothing. HDR10+ and Dolby Vision certification, which settings that automatically adjust to the displayed content, ensure you’re getting the best picture without messing around with options too much. The glossy finish is a touch reflective but allows the colours to pop.  

Full array local dimming with hundreds of zones results in decent blacks that aren’t OLED-level inky but more than sufficient for a fantastic movie-watching experience. If you’re concerned about burn-in or an OLED holding up in a sun-soaked living space, a screen such as this would be worth considering.

Gaming Features

Of course, the gaming experience on the TCL C835 Mini LED is excellent.

The Quantum Dot Mini LED tech and HDR mean colour-rich games such as Horizon Forbidden West look stunning. Full array local dimming also ups the scare factor of horror games like The Quarry. The contrast looked amazing and greatly improved the experience compared to the similarly priced gaming monitor on which I’d previously been playing the game.

Support of 4K 120 frames per second gaming, with automatic low latency support (ALLM) and a variable refresh rate (VRR), mean your not skimping out on all the next-gen features of your latest console via one of the two included HDMI 2.1 ports. 144Hz is possible through one of the ports with HDMI 2.1 compatibly gaming PC too

TCL’s game bar allows you to tweak some settings on the fly, display a stat bar and access an in-built aiming aid that adds crosshairs to your screen. However, I largely left the gaming settings alone; messing with the picture settings and disabling ALLM resulted in too big an increase in response time it immediately had me switching back. 

The Design

Whilst the specs of the TCL C835 Mini LED feel premium, it’s perhaps the design of the TV where the comparatively low price point is a bit more noticeable.

Alongside the competition, the C835 is a touch on the thicker side. Although the bezel is nice and thin, if you’re looking for something to wall mount and sit flush against the wall, this likely isn’t a candidate. Resting it on an entertainment unit is no problem; the included stand is nice and minimal, but mine, unfortunately, came with a couple of dints and the white rubber feet that are visible from the front otherwise break the clean metallic grey finish.

The in-built ONKYO speaker system complete with subwoofer is commendable for this price point — and will get you buy should you be putting off a soundbar purchase — but paled in comparison to the entry-level hi-fi system I coupled with the screen. 

My only other complaint with regard to the design is the location of the ports which are mostly all aligned on the right edge of the screen whilst facing it. The power connector is the only exception, stretching to the opposite side of the screen. Althought they’re easy enough to stretch across the back and route down through the stand, doing so means you lose a good half a metre or so of cable length.

Streaming & Smart Capabilities

Google TV makes for a solid experience navigating the TCL C835 Mini LED’s menus. Content and settings are easily accessible, even if it wasn’t always clear looking through the options what picture settings the automatic adjustments to displayed content were locking off and altering.

Although it shouldn’t come as a shock given how well it handles the picture, I was also pleasantly surprised by how decent the processor was for the price. Scrolling through the menus feels snappy and apps open and load content sharply.

I was a big fan of the remote control too. Devoid of any motion tracking or any gimmicks like that, the simple remote includes all the keys you need, including dedicated streaming buttons for Netflix, Stan, Prime Video, Disney+ and YouTube. The only hindrance is the button for the TCL Channel I never touched.

Setup was effortless, and connecting the TV to my Google Home was easy. Support for Alexa and Apple HomeKit is also a welcome addition. Almost all the apps I required game pre-installed, but thanks to the broad compatibility Google TV offers, everything else you may need is only a button press or two away. 

The post TCL C835 Mini LED TV Review – All You Need Without Breaking The Budget appeared first on Press Start.

It feels like everybody is going through a complete refresh of its headset range at the moment with the likes of SteelSeries and Sony both introducing high-end models with noise cancelling. It’s now Razer’s turn to do the same with the brand new high-end Razer Barracuda Pro.

Much like the SteelSeries Arcos Nova Pro Wireless, Razer’s very clear objective with with the design of this headset both aesthetically and feature-wise was to make it so that it was a great gaming headset, but also one that would double as the perfect headset for work, play or travel.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $439 FROM MWAVE.

The design of the headset is all black and quite sleek looking, although quite a bit chunkier and heavier than a few of the counterparts that I’ve used, but I actually dig the design. The stainless steel headband is able to be expanded out to fit a wide variety of head sizes, the headband has a good amount of cushioning and the memory foam cushions are not only comfortable but do a great job or blocking noise out (even without nose cancelling). It felt big on my head, but not necessarily in an uncomfortable way.

The Barracuda Pro come with a USB-C dongle and is compatible with your PC, PS5/PS4 and Nintendo Switch. Just like both Sony/SteelSeries headsets, it can also connect to a Bluetooth device, but it’s handled a little bit differently to these two devices. Razer has opted to make it so that whilst you can connect to both your gaming console and a Bluetooth device (such as your phone) at the same time, you have to swap between them and can’t listen to both at the same time. You can also set it so that a call can automatically switch, which you might either love or hate.

Whilst it sounds like a minor thing, I actually really would have liked the ability to have audio sources coming through Bluetooth and dongle at once. With other headsets that have dual simultaneous connection, I like to be able to watch a few Tiktoks between round of games, listens to quick audio memos or listen to music without having to take my headset off. It’s quite clear that the technology is there given the headset can do both connections at once, and thankfully it is really easy to swap between them (with a button on the headset), but it feels like a missed opportunity to me.

I really love having active noise cancelling on a gaming headset, and the Barracuda Pro actually does a pretty good job with its noise cancelling. Whilst it’s still not at the level of a good Bose headset or the Sony XM range, I actually think it did a slightly better job at blocking out certain noises than the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless did (unsure if this is due to better isolation of noise from the cups or noise cancelling tech), but I also really enjoyed the ease of use when swapping between modes. Unlike the Arctis Nova Pro, which I found finnicky, there is a very clear audible voice to tell you which mode you’re swapping to, and also a dedicated button to do so. Outside noise cancelling, there’s also ambient mode which lets sounds in from the outside and amplifies them using the headsets microphones.

Another thing I really loved about this headset over the others is that Razer’s companion smartphone app which lets you quickly change between noise cancelling modes, equalisation modes, the ability to turn off incoming calls swapping the headset to Bluetooth modes as well as update the headset. Another small thing  thatI found weird though is that even when you’re connected via Bluetooth, you actually need to be on that headset mode to control the headset, which isn’t so useful if you’re using your PS5.

When it comes to the microphone, the Barracuda Pro does not have a boom mic, instead opting to use beamforming noise-cancelling microphones. To be honest, I was surprised how good the microphones sound and how good of a job they do with cutting out the outside noise. I don’t think it quite rivals other high-end headsets that have a boom mic, but it does a really good job for what’s in the cans, and I can totally understand how the design was more what they were going for with this headset.

Battery life on the Barracuda Pro is advertised as about 40 hours and that was about my experience (maybe a few hours less). Something I did find odd is that the headset will start audibly warning you about the battery being low hours and hours before they actually die, which is super annoying, given it interrupts whatever you’re listening to. It’s worth mentioning that there is no 3.5mm jack, so there is no option to use this headset in wired mode, so once you’re out of battery, that’s it. If you’re also wanting to use these in an Airplane, you’d be flat out of luck without some kind of Bluetooth attachment.

The headset can’t be folded down at all, but included in the box is a sturdy case for your Barracuda Pro, which is definitely appreciated as this headset is definitely designed to be taken out of the house and used on your commute so to keep your investment protected is a great inclusion. It even have has a place for your cables which is appreciated.

Both when gaming and listening to music the Barracuda Pro sounded crisp in the right places with a good amount of bass, but I couldn’t help but feel like there was a little bit of a lack of punch especially when compared to the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, although this is a $250 cheaper headset, so that needs to be taken into consideration.

All-in-All, the Barracuda Pro Wireless gaming headset feels like a solid step for Razer. It doesn’t quite reach the heights of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless which can simultaneously connect to two devices, has dual batteries and can also connect to both consoles, but it does do a lot right and comes in at a decent amount below price-wise.

The post Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Gaming Headset Review – Another High End Contender appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve always been a bit torn on ultrawide monitors. On one hand, they create an immersive gaming experience like no other, but for productivity, I’d always prefer two screens. The Dell Alienware 34″ QD-OLED is definitely the most tempted that I’ve been to rock an ultrawide full time, due to its QD-OLED display and great HDR performance.

When it comes to the design, it almost looks like this monitor takes design cues from the PS5 with its mix of white and blacks to really look futuristic. It’s got a 1800R curve which is pretty standard for ultrawide gaming and probably just the right amount of curve without it feeling like the monitor is taking up too much desk space. There’s RGB lights on the back, power button, logo and other parts of the monitor which can all be changed or turned off completely using the OSD.

WHERE TO BUY: DEALL FOR $2,299 AUD (GOES AS LOW AS $1600 OCCASIONALLY)

As far as ports go, there is one DisplayPort, two HDMI ports and a four port USB hub. It’s worth mentioning that the ports aren’t HDMI 2.1, which will mean there will be limitations if using a HDMI cord. You’ve got a power button on the right and an easily controlled OSD by use of a little joystick thats in the centre of the screen at the bottom and provides an easy way to adjust all the settings that you need.

The setup of this monitor is insanely easy, with you simply needing to click it into a stand and twist a little screw with your fingers, you’re able to swivel the monitor from left to right and also put it higher or lower on the stand easily.

If you’re an avid gamer, it’s absolutely no secret at this point that OLEDs are the best for gaming, but we just haven’t seen them in monitors (outside of the LG C1 OLED), but not only has Alienware gone and put an OLED display in this monitor, but it has gone a step further and put a QD-OLED in its display, so not only do you get the perfect blacks, you’ll also theoretically get a brighter display. We’ve only seen this tech in the new Samsung QD-OLED that has launched in America, and I believe this is the first and only monitor to use the tech so far.

Straight away when booting up the monitor, and going straight to a YouTube video, I’m amazed with how inky the blacks are you. You always realise just how grey blacks can look once you look at an OLED display, so from that point of view, if you’re somebody who owns an OLED TV and want that same experience for gaming, then this makes sense as an upgrade. One of the first things I watched on this monitor was the new God of War Ragnarok trailer and as soon as I saw that PlayStation Studios logo which is about as harsh as a test as they come (with a white logo on a pitch black screen), I was reminded just how impressive an OLED is.

The Alienware 34″ QD-OLED can reach a peak brightness of 1000 nits which whilst is still on the entry level side in TV land, is incredibly high compared to almost all monitors on the market, and right where you’d want to be to even bother with HDR in a PC space. Really this is the point at which you’re really being able to take advantage of HDR, and then once you pair that with the inky blacks of an OLED, it is a premium PC gaming experience. This is without doubt the best HDR experience I’ve had with a monitor, and I hope it’s the beginning of brighter panels across the board.

Playing games such as God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn or Resident Evil 3 felt like a brand new experience whilst playing them using this monitor. Not only did I feel that the QD-OLED display provided better blacks and brighter/more vivid colours than what I’m used to, this paired with the ultrawide 3440×1440/175Hz display took it to the next level. Obviously, the one downside to spending over $2,000 on a monitor like this is that it’s not going to be great for your PS5/Xbox Series X if you’re wanting to use it for console gaming. These consoles can’t take of the ultrawide display and it’s not a 4K monitor, so you’re missing out on that aspect too.

Obviously, whilst Windows is still making good strides in terms of HDR implementation, it’s still not great when using it outside of gaming, but this is a Windows problem and not on this fantastic performing monitor at all. The monitor has smart HDR built in meaning it can detect when HDR input is being received and turn it on and off accordingly.

It’s worth mentioning that given this is an OLED monitor, and the fact that you’re using it with PC elements that will remain on screen there is a pixel refresh feature that will slightly move all the elements on screen to ensure you don’t get burn-in. This feature pops up automatically every so often and I’d recommend using it. Another thing that I noticed (and has been a gripe with other OLEDs that I’ve used) is that the screen is quite reflective, especially when using it in a bright room with dark scenes.

The post Dell Alienware AW3423DW 34″ QD-OLED Monitor Review – Big And Bright With Perfect Blacks appeared first on Press Start.

I don’t know about you, but throughout the different stages of my life so far, all I have ever wanted is a portable gaming device that can play anything current that I’m able to play on consoles or PC. It feels like we’ve been so close so many times with the likes of the PlayStation Vita bringing graphical fidelity unlike anything we had seen before it, or the more obvious one being the Nintendo Switch which started out with some really great AAA support but now could only dream of playing the latest third party games. Enter, the Aya Neo Next which despite its hefty price tag, has been able to handle absolutely any game I’ve thrown at it with flying colours and has quickly changed the way that I game in the space of a few short weeks.

I’m going to preface this review by saying that I haven’t been able to use a Steam Deck at this point due to obvious reasons, but I feel like I’ve read enough about it at this point to be able to compare the experience well enough for the purpose of evaluating the Aya Neo Next with the Steam Deck’s existence in mind.

Out of the box, the Aya Neo Next is a solid device in the hands. It’s obviously thicker than a Nintendo Switch but not quite as hefty as a Steam Deck (going off specs). It feels heavy in the hands, but nowhere near to the point as what I was expecting given there’s literally a mini PC inside of this thing. It feels more like a portable PC gaming experience than the Switch given the fact that there’s very obviously fans spinning and a decent amount of heat, but neither ever got in the way of my experience.

As far as controls go there’s two analogue sticks, a D-pad, four face buttons, two triggers and bumpers, start/select buttons and two custom buttons (one which takes you to the custom Aya Neo OS) and another which you can customise to literally anything (task manager/show desktop, on-screen keyboard etc). There’s also volume buttons on top as well as a power button that also has a built-in finger print reader, so you can literally place your finger on top to get straight into the device from sleep. Aya Neo has been big on the fact that this device uses hall effect sensor joysticks/triggers which is supposed to prevent the stick drift we see on other devices. It’s too soon for me to comment but I will say that the overall experience is probably better than that of the Switch in terms of responsiveness. There’s also a good vibration motor and a built in gyroscope, which I’d say are similar experiences to that of the Switch.

BUY IT FROM: $2,089 FROM AMAZON

The Next features a 7.0″ 1280×800 5 point IPS display which is a tad sharper than the Nintendo Switch and brighter on paper. The touch screen is extremely responsive, but obviously, due to the fact that this device uses Windows can be a little finnicky at times given Windows was created primarily for a mouse/keyboard, but when you’re selecting a game or using it to choose a menu item, it was always accurate and nice to have.

As far as ports go, theres a USB-C port on the top and bottom, so that if you’re charging and want to be sending a signal to an external display, or have a mouse/keyboard dongle connected, you can still do that whilst charging. Or maybe you just want to be using either the top of bottom port for charging depending on the position that you’re sitting/laying in. Regardless, the versatility is welcome. There’s also Bluetooth 5.2 and WiFi 6 capability, so again, given this is a Windows device, you’re able to connect any Bluetooth controller or mouse/keyboard and it’ll work exactly as you’d expect.

THE SPECS:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5825U – ZEN 3, 7nm, 8-core, 16-thread – Base 2.0 GHz, Max 4.5 GHz
• GPU: AMD Radeon Vega 8 2000MHz
• MEMORY: 16GB LPDDR4x 4266MHz
• STORAGE: 1TB / 2TB M.2 (NVMe) 2280
• DISPLAY: 1280 X 800, 5-Point Capacitive Touch 7.0 Inch LCD IPs
• DIMENSIONS: 267 x 112 x 30 mm, 720g
• PORTS: Full Function Type C x 2 / Audio jack / finger print scanner
• BATTERY: 3.85V 4100mAh
• CONNECTIVITY: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2

The biggest difference between the Steam Deck and Aya Neo Next is that the Aya Neo Next runs Windows 10 out of the box meaning it can not only run games from Steam, but it can also run games from Xbox Game Pass, Epic Games Store, EA, Ubisoft Connect, Rockstar Launcher, Battlenet or literally any other client that exists on Windows. That might sound small, but once you wrap your head around the fact that this device can seamlessly run literally any game that you could play on a PC without any limitations (or any that I could discover), it’s a pretty big deal, and completely changes your way of thinking in regards to portable gaming.

This is evident in the fact that I was able to go from playing God of War to Forza Horizon 5, to a little bit of emulation to some Fall Guys all whilst downloading other games that I was eager to try in between. The best way I’d describe the experience is that you literally don’t have to think about “can I do this?” or “is this game on this console”. Literally anything you can think of will play on this device if it runs on a PC.

Whilst Windows runs totally fine on the Aya Neo Next, the company has also created a front loader called Aya Space. This acts a clever way to load all of your games into so that you can launch them right from the app and not having to rely on the Windows OS at all. You can also setup shortcuts, change inputs, look at how your CPU/GPU are running as well as install launchers right from the app. There’s also a really neat overlay that you can easily pull up over your game to quickly change power modes, change the brightness or launch into other apps. It’s still in beta, so it does have its fair share of bugs, but I was also able to load in other launchers such as Playnite which even allow you to create the Switch or PS5 theme with some lovely results. Just like everything else, the device running Windows 10 means that your options are literally endless.

As far as performance goes, I’d probably put the device at somewhere between a PS4 and PS4 Pro. I’ve seen a lot of people comparing it to the Nintendo Switch, but let me make this clear, it isn’t even in the same league. Even games such as Fall Guys, Doom Eternal and The Witcher 3 that can run on the Nintendo Switch are totally different experiences to what you’re getting here, which particularly in the way of Fall Guys, which I’ve been spending a lot of time with is a solid 60FPS experience playing at the full resolution on the Aya Neo Next, and definitely not the case on the Switch.

As far as my testing goes, games such as God of War will get roughly 35FPS on low, whilst Cyberpunk 2077 will get 38-45 FPS on medium but games such as Forza Horizon 5 and Doom Eternal are able to get a solid 60FPS on low/medium respectively, and you’re able to crank this up to medium and still maintain above 30 FPS. Whilst AMD’s FidelityFX isn’t quite up to the standards of NVIDIA DLSS yet, obviously games that support it natively will go a long way to getting even better performance. Aya Neo Space has also got a feature where FSR can be toggled on and off with any game, although there were times where this either would or wouldn’t work, but I expect this to get better with time.

Two of the biggest wow moments I had with this console were Grand Theft Auto V, which obviously is an old game at this point, but runs flawlessly at 60FPS without even breaking a sweat, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which was the one game I expected to not be playable, being able to run at a comfortable 30 FPS without either feeling like watered down experiences.

Are you going to be using this device to play AAA games 100% of the time? Probably not, but the fact that you can make more progress in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla or Forza Horizon 5 in bed, play a couple of rounds of Fall Guys or replay titles such as God of War does make for a great experience and I can actually see it changing the way a lot of people game. With the way that cloud saves are absolutely seamless now with the likes of Steam and Xbox, it really does make gaming away from your main screen incredibly easy, and with the more than capable performance of this device, feels like you’re not getting a diminished experience.

GAMES TESTED:

All games tested using Game Mode (22w) and using AMD FSR where possible

• God Of War – 35 FPS – Low – Balanced
• Overwatch 2 – 55-60 FPS – Medium
• Fall Guys – 60FPS – High
• Cyberpunk 2077 – 38-43 FPS – Medium
• GTA V – 60 FPS – Normal
• Doom Eternal – 60 FPS- Medium
• Halo Infinite – 40 FPS
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla – 35 FPS – Medium
• Resident Evil 2 – 60 FPS – High
• Dying Light 2 – 35 FPS – Low
• Death Stranding – 35 FPS

Again, I haven’t used a Steam Deck, but I believe as far as GPU performance goes, this will come out a few frames below it in most instances, due to a slightly lower powered GPU, but if you’re into emulation the Aya Neo Next has a superior CPU which makes for a better emulation experience. Whether you’re into emulating Wii/Gamecube games with Dolphin or wanting to even try emulate more powerful systems such as the PS3/360 or even the Nintendo Switch, the Aya Neo Next does a really great job at whatever you want to throw at it. I’m not sure a better emulation device on the market exists in this form factor.

There are four power modes on the Aya Neo Next which you can easily change via the overlay when playing a game. These all change the amount of wattage that the system is drawing on which means you’ll get increased performance but obviously your battery will drain faster. It’s great to have this feature as you can easily ramp it up or down if you feel like you’re easily hitting 60FPS or want to try and get a little bit more out of the system.

If there was one area I’d like to see improved its battery life, but I understand why it is how it is. If you’re playing a AAA game such as God of War or Grand Theft Auto V, you can expect two hours or so before you need to charge up. Playing a game such as Fall Guys, will get you about three hours and playing indie games such as Hades will get you upwards of four to five hours. Obviously, this is all dependant on things such as brightness and which power mode you’re on, and it being a Windows device, there’s a lot you can play around with to increase your mileage.

The biggest barrier of entry is without doubt the price, and without knowing when the Steam Deck is releasing here or what the price tag will be makes assessing this product that little bit harder. At the $2,000 price point for the Next (the Air which is releasing later this year is going to be cheaper), I fully understand that it isn’t for everyone, but I can also appreciate that making a product like this isn’t cheap, especially when you’re not getting any kickback from being able to sell games on your own storefront.

If you could buy a Steam Deck in Australia right now and it was significantly cheaper, obviously the value proposition of this device would decrease, but there’s no sign of the Steam Deck releasing in Australia the moment, and it’s hard for me to believe that we won’t see it here with a significant mark-up at retail. It also can’t be understated that as much as this device Windows 10 does have the same niggling issues as it does on a PC, it allows you to play absolutely anything you want from any launcher including Xbox Game Pass which means that whilst you might be paying above, you’re going to save that money with the likes of Xbox Game Pass.

Whilst the Aya Neo Next is more than competent as a portable PC gaming device that offers the ability to play literally anything, I’m more excited about what’s to come in the future in the portable space. It’s great to see companies like this really pushing the portable space into areas that I honestly never thought would have been possible even a few years ago. Whilst the Nintendo Switch opened the door on this type of portable experience, it’s definitely left a lot to desire in the years following, and I’m so glad to see that potential being fulfilled by other manufacturers. Aya Neo isn’t resting on its laurels. It’s already got the cheaper Aya Neo 2 coming later this year with a more powerful GPU and it’s recently announced the Aya Neo Next 2 which will seemingly take things even further in the way of providing an even more powerful system that works great away from home but then can also connect to a display for a great PC gaming experience.

The Aya Neo Next launches in Australia in late August for $2,089. It will be available at the likes of Amazon, Big W, EB Games, JB HI-Fi, Harvey Norman and The Gamesmen. 

The post Aya Neo Next Review – A Powerful And Versatile Portable PC Gaming Experience appeared first on Press Start.

It’s no secret at this point that if you’re after a new TV that will provide the inkiest blacks, natural colours, great connectivity and a stunning design that an LG OLED will be the first cab off the rank. Our review of last year’s LG C1 OLED confirmed as much, and not much has changed this time around. People are generally looking for major improvements or cutting edge technology when shopping for a new TV, but much like last year the biggest praise we can heap on LG’s OLED offering is that what came before was already so close to perfect that there’s very little they could do better this time around.

And yet, with the new C2 OLED they’ve gone and outdone themselves again.

This year, the LG C2 OLED range comes in six sizes with a 42″, 48″, 55″, 65″, 77″ and 83″. The stand design on the 65″ model has been streamlined significantly from the CX/C1, it’s now a lot narrower and less deep at the back, but also sits a bit higher which is sure to be a huge relief for those of us who sit a soundbar in front of the TV. The back of the panel itself is still incredibly thin at the top while the chunky part of the chassis containing the electronics sits at the bottom half. This time around, all of the ports have been moved to the side of the TV which makes cable management and wall mounting much easier. From the front, this is an incredibly attractive TV with virtually no borders. This is definitely one of the most premium-looking TVs I’ve laid eyes on, and the whole thing is freakishly light as well.

NEXT-GEN COMPATIBILITY AND GAME OPTIMISER

Just like last year’s C1 model, you’ll get four HDMI 2.1 ports with the LG C2, which means if you’ve got a PS5, Xbox Series X and a 3000 series GPU, you’re sorted. Whilst some manufacturers are still catching up with their HDMI port compatibility, LG has made it so that you can plug any HDMI 2.1 compatible device into any of its full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports and get an equally great result. This means that with a PS5 or Xbox Series X, you can access 4K at 120FPS with HDR enabled whilst taking advantage of Variable Refresh Rates and Auto Low Latency Modes. The TV supports both NVIDIA G-Sync as well as AMD FreeSync Premium so every base is covered when it comes to playing games on this display.

Last year’s Game Optimiser menu makes a return and functions largely the same, with some slight tweaks. Like before, when you press on the settings menu whilst there’s a console connected, instead of getting the generic settings popup, you’ll get one dedicated to gaming. This means that you can check out your frame rate on the fly, adjust the black stabilizer, turn on G-Sync and low latency modes or quickly go to the broader Game Optimiser menu which allows you to adjust things such as your HDR settings and the like. It’s a small thing in the grand scheme, but being able to quickly see how your TV is performing with your consoles or PC at a glance and quickly find your preferred settings is very welcome.

THE IMAGE QUALITY

If you’re looking for true-to-life picture that’s almost perfect out of the box, there are few consumer-level sets on the market as impressive as this (bar LG’s own top-of-the-line G2). With the C2 being an OLED TV, it means that every pixel is self-lit which means you’re going to have the inkiest, deepest blacks and truly vibrant colours. Every year we see more and more innovations from other display technologies that bring them closer to the dream of infinite contrast that OLED offers, but nothing beats the real thing.

That’s especially true when you consider that LG is making huge strides to bridge the one gap between its OLED technology and other solutions on the market – brightness. Because of the limitations of power and thermals, OLED panels have traditionally been significantly dimmer at peak brightness compared to the various takes on LCD panels out there, making them perfectly suitable for dark theatre room environments but a hassle in brightly-lit areas. That’s far less of a concern now though, with the “evo” panel in the C2 offering further improved brightness over the C1. Looking at the plethora of side-by-side comparisons and benchmarks available elsewhere it’s not a huge margin over the previous model but as someone coming off of an older LG B8 OLED the difference in brightness here is astronomical and easily makes this TV viable for viewing in just about any environment.

Whilst gaming or watching HDR movie content, the picture here is a genuine marvel. The blacks are cosmically deep, HDR really pops, with the TVs implementation of HGiG being excellent and perfectly lining up with the PS5 and Xbox Series X’s in-built calibrations. The greatest compliment we can give this TV when gaming or doing just about anything is that everything just works how it’s supposed to out of the box. It’s really fool proof, down to the TV literally recognising that you’re plugging in a console and automatically setting up everything how it needs to be.

Usually when I get a new TV I spend literal hours setting up and tweaking everything to suit the viewing environment and what I’m playing through it, but with my C2 I’ve barely scratched the surface of all the picture settings because I’m incredibly happy with how it all looks from the outset. I used to hate booting up a new HDR-ready video game and having to guess my way through those brightness calibration screens, but so far none of them have given me any grief since.

Something I was keen to check out for myself is the C2’s compatibility with new gaming-focussed technologies like Variable Rate Refresh, 120Hz refresh rates and pushes towards low input latency. The great news is the TV does all of this stuff excellently. Both my PS5 and Xbox Series X instantly detected that the display was capable and adjusted their output settings to match, meaning I could get right to firing up games like Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart to marvel at their 120Hz/40FPS output options as well as performance modes that look impossibly smooth with VRR enabled. Input latency across the board is incredibly good as well, with multiple step settings in the Game Optimiser to push it right down.

As usual, burn-in is always something OLED owners are going to have in the back of their minds as a possibility when gaming, but I can personally say after using my previous LG OLED for years and now the C2 I’ve only ever noticed a minimal amount of very temporary image retention and no actual burn-in. There are a bunch of technologies and settings on the TV to ensure the odds are negligible at best so it’s nothing I’d worry about unless you somehow planned on using it as your main monitor for everyday PC use.

What I’m still not quite a fan of is the LG’s aggressive backlight control, which can occasionally look funky on scenes with very bright screen coverage as it dims in and out to match the displays overall peak brightness. It’s far less noticeable here than the older models though, especially when there’s as much brightness overhead as you get here.

THE USER INTERFACE

The LG C2 carries across the newer iteration of LG’s WebOS Smart TV interface from last year’s models – you’ve got one home screen that not only has all of your apps and HDMI sources on it, but it’ll also cleverly show you top picks from the variety of streaming services, and allow you to continue watching programs without even jumping into those apps. It’s slightly disappointing to see there’s still no dedicated Google Cast capabilities, but all the apps you’d want are here from Netflix to Disney+, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Kayo, Binge and Apple TV+. If you’re an Apple user, you’ve still got the option of easily casting content with AirPlay as well.

My only real gripe with the UI on the C2 is that I couldn’t find a way to have the TV boot straight into the excellent Home Dashboard, which lets you see all your inputs as well as access content directly from your phone and control all your home’s smart lighting and devices from one sexy-looking screen. It’s a minor complaint and only comes down to how much I love the Home Dashboard as an all-in-one home control solution right there on the big screen in my lounge.

The staple LG Magic Remote is largely unchanged from last year and still one of the best proprietary TV remotes around, and I’ve grown to love it even more since discovering that I can use it as a mouse pointer with the TV’s native GeForce Now app to quite literally use it as a pointer for games that I’m streaming. Pointer controls for strategy or point-and-click games? Wiimote-style controls for FPSes?? Count me in!

What this all amounts to at the end of the day is the C2 quite deftly carries on the already-stellar legacy of the C1 as a consumer-level OLED TV that possesses unbeatable image quality and great gaming features. It might not be a huge step-up from its predecessor – I certainly wouldn’t go upgrading if you’ve got last year’s model – but coming from an older LG OLED or another display technology you’re going to be wowed. When it comes to gaming, there’s no other TV I’d sooner recommend.

The post LG OLED evo C2 65″ TV Review – A Brighter Future For An Already Excellent TV appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve been using the SteelSeries Aerox 3 wireless as my main driver in the office for roughly a year and haven’t had too many complaints with its ultralight and futuristic design, but if you told me that another wireless mouse would come out, weighing even less whilst retaining a more traditional design, I wouldn’t have believed you, but that’s exactly what Razer has don with the Viper V2 Pro.

The Razer Viper V2 Pro follows in the footsteps of the original, which was regarded as one of the best lightweight mice, but Razer has somehow managed to strip off 20% of the weight. This has been done through design choices such as the removal of right side buttons, RGB, built-in grips and a number of other component changes. Now, if you looked at any of these in isolation, you probably wouldn’t feel a difference in weight, but all of these minor changes result in a mouse that’s lighter than I ever thought possible.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $259 FROM RAZER.COM

Razer has been using a tennis ball in its marketing of the new Viper V2 Pro, simply due to the fact that this mouse comes in at around the same weight, which is very, very impressive. My first reaction when pulling the mouse out of the box was that there was absolutely no way that a battery could be inside, yet somehow Razer has packed a battery that lasts roughly 80 hours. Design-wise, the materials used don’t feel overly premium, but the build quality is still fantastic.

I was then quite sceptical for house a mouse without much weight to it would feel, and my concerns were quickly eased after a few hours. The mouse glides across my desk, and I’m able to get from one side of my 32″ monitor all the way to the other side my second screen in seconds. This is also thanks to the Razer Focus Pro 30K optical sensor, which Razer has touted as the world’s most precise optical sensor, and honestly, I wouldn’t normally pay too much attention to this, but even at higher sensitivity, I never found myself overshooting or undershooting, instead always landing exactly where intended.

Similarly, whilst I’m no pro, booting up games such as Apex Legends had me feeling like I was more in control of my reticule, rather than just flailing all over the place. I can really see how if you’re a fan of a light mouse that this would benefit both gaming performance and productivity. The clickyness of the left and right buttons, whilst on the noisier side also definitely feel really responsive.

As far as buttons go, there’s two on the left-hand side, your left and right mouse button as well as a scroll real that has a good amount of tactility to it and works well. There’s also a very small power button on the bottom that also acts as a way of changing the DPI. When compared to Razer’s other mice and other lightweight mice on the market such as the mentioned Aerox 3, it is a largely no frills mouse, but I actually like that Razer has leaned into this for pure performance.

When it comes to software, the mouse has onboard memory so that it’ll remember your settings from PC to PC, and obviously it can be connected to Razer Synapse to customise everything from what each button does, to sensitivity and polling rate, as well as changing how quickly it goes into standby or lower power mode.

THE SPECS

SENSOR	Focus Pro 30K Optical Sensor
MAX SENSITIVITY (DPI)	30000
MAX SPEED (IPS)	750
MAX ACCELERATION (G)	70
PROGRAMMABLE BUTTONS	5
SWITCH TYPE	Optical Mouse Switches Gen-3
SWITCH LIFECYCLE	90-million Clicks
ON-BOARD MEMORY PROFILES	1
MOUSE FEET	100% PTFE
CABLE	Razer Speedflex Cable USB Type-C
TILT SCROLL WHEEL	None
SIZES	Length: 126.7 mm / 4.99″ Grip Width: 57.6 mm / 2.27″ Height: 37.8 mm / 1.49″
WEIGHT	58 g

The post Razer Viper V2 Pro Wireless Gaming Mouse Review – Light And Responsive appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve been a big fan of Sonos products for many, many years. You’ll find a Sonos product in most rooms of my house just because of how easy their products are to use, how seamless they sync together and how good their speakers sound, but it’s true that they’re pricier than most. This is what excites me most about the Sonos Ray, which is Sonos’ most affordable soundbar yet and a product that I can see a lot of people looking at as their first potential Sonos product.

At roughly 55cm in width, it comes in at half the size of the Sonos Arc, so just from a size point of view, this is going to fit on a lot more entertainment units, and also can be hidden away much more easily thanks to all of the speakers being front firing. Thankfully, the design (available in both black and white) has a metal grille on the front similar to the Beam V2 and the Arc, which means that it’s not a cloth design and won’t catch all that dust.

When it comes to connections, Sonos has opted to take away the HDMI port from the Sonos Ray and instead just featuring an Optical port. Obviously, this might be a nuisance for some but fact of the matter is, most TVs have an optical port that can connect to the soundbar, and it’s just as seamless as using HDMI for the most part.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $399 FROM THE SONOS WEBSITE.

The Sonos Ray is literally perfect for a smaller living area or a bedroom. I opted to test it in my bedroom connected to a 43″ Samsung Frame and the difference was immense. I was able to hear voices with a lot more clarity, the bass from the speakers was evident and obviously, I was then able to seamlessly connected my Ray my Sonos system and play audio through the soundbar over both Apple Airplay and through the Sonos Wi-Fi system.

When it comes to sound, I’d put this somewhere between the Sonos One and the Beam V2. You’re going to get a much more rounded sound than that of the Sonos One, but then you’re missing newer features such as Dolby Atmos and an amp and a midwoofer in the Beam V2. Honestly though, for most people, you’ll struggle to tell the difference between the Beam V2 and the Ray in most instances, especially at a $200 price difference.

Another feature that you’re missing out on is a microphone which means you’re not able to make use of Google Home, Amazon Alexa or Sonos’ upcoming voice assistant. That might be an issue if you’re looking to use these features in the room that this soundbar is in, but the omission isn’t a huge surprise given the price cut.

The biggest and best thing about getting into the Sonos ecosystem is how easy everything is to setup and use and then keep adding to. You can easily add two Sonos Ones to the Sonos Ray to create surrounds, add a sub for even more base or just add other speakers in other rooms to have music seamlessly blaring through the whole house.

The setup of this device is just ridiculously easy too. You simply just need to grab the Sonos app, and the Ray will instantly show up, before you can control things such as TV volume as well as play music from the likes of TuneIn Radio, Spotify and Apple Music. If you’re purely wanting to control your TV, most TV remotes will control the soundbar directly too.

A couple of other features I want to call out are Night Sound which will reduce loud effects and enhance the quieter ones and Speech Enhancement which can amplify voices. I know these sound like features that you won’t use, but when they’re so easily accessible in the app, you’ll find yourself more likely to use them than with other soundbars.

All-in-all, it’d be hard not to recommend the Sonos Ray for $399 if the $599 price tag of the Sonos Beam is too steep, or if you simply don’t have the room for the larger soundbar. I haven’t heard of anybody regretting getting into the Sonos ecosystem and I don’t see this changing with the Sonos Ray.

The Sonos Ray launches on June 7th. You can grab it for $399 from the Sonos website. 

The post Sonos Ray Soundbar Review – Big Sound At A Smaller Cost appeared first on Press Start.

Finding a headset with absolutely every feature that you need feels like a near impossible task these days, with certain products having some features, but sacrificing on audio quality or battery life or visa versa. The brand new SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless gaming headset has pretty much every feature you can think of, and some that you won’t have known that you needed until now.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $513 FOR PRO WIRELESS (USE CODE DUKE) / $389 FOR PRO (USE CODE DUKE)

The Arctis Nova Pro Wireless comes in a wireless and a wired variant, and then there’s two versions of each: an Xbox specific version and a standard version. If you’ve got both a PS5/PS4 as well as an Xbox Series X, you’ll want the Xbox branded version as only this model can be used with both the Xbox and PlayStation at once, whilst the standard one can be connected to the PS5/PS4/Switch/PC, but not an Xbox. It’s very hard to find a headset that works with literally any and every console in your cabinet, let alone one that lets you connect two at once and easily go between the two, but this does it and does it well.

Firstly, I want to talk about the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless which is the most feature rich gaming headset that I’ve used, and in particular, if you’ve got an Xbox Series X and a PS5, the ability to connect the two and switch on the fly via the included DAC is a gamechanger. It’s worth noticing that there’s two USB-C ports, once that specifically allows you to connect an Xbox console and the other which allows connection of a PS5/PS4/Switch/PC. If you don’t own an Xbox, but want to connect at least two of the other platforms mentioned, you should stick with the non-Xbox version as that allows you to connect any two at once (but no Xbox). There’s also line in for connecting the headset to improve audio quality again, and line out to connect an external set of speakers to, so that you can control them with a DAC.

The DAC also acts as a battery charger for your backup battery. If you’ve had a SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless, you’d be familiar with SteelSeries’ infinite battery system. Unlike other headsets, the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless includes two physical batteries, so that you can always be charging a backup battery in the DAC for endless battery life. Each battery lasts roughly 22 hours, and the headset battery can also be charged in the headset with a USB-C port cleverly hidden under the other ear plate.

The other huge new addition to this headset, which hasn’t been in any other gaming headset that I’ve used is Active Noise Cancelling. If you’ve used a high-end Bose or Sony headset, you would know that ANC is a huge positive for these headsets, and thankfully, you get the whole shebang on this headset. You can go between noise cancelling on, off and even transparency which lets you let in sound from the outside world, that is amplified using the microphones in the headsets. The noise cancelling is strengthened by four microphones on and around the headset that allow the outside noises to be cancelled out.

In terms of how much it blocks out, it’s probably ever so slightly behind the Bose QuietComfort, but it was more than good enough with music playing or gunshots blaring from your preferred console. I was able to be in the office with 10-12 people around as well as music blaring through the office speakers and completely drown this out with my own music. Similarly, I have two sausage dogs whose bark often interrupt my sessions, but the ANC did a great job of removing the bass from their bark, so it was barely an issue. Another very minor gripe is that I wish that switching between each of the modes were a little bit clearer, but once you get used to the audio cues, you’re good to go, and obviously the DAC shows you what you have turned off and on and you’re able to make adjustments easily enough if you’ve got that near you too.

I’ll be honest in saying that I’m not the biggest audiophile, but as far as audio quality goes, I can’t recall another gaming headset that has provided such good bass and clarity when it comes to listening to music and gaming audio. Paired with ANC and the SteelSeries GG software that we’ll talk about a bit later, it’s an experience that’s hard to fault, and one that I imagine anyone will be happy with.

Another feature that has been more common on recent SteelSeries headsets is Bluetooth, and that’s here too. Being able to play your PS5 or Xbox Series X, with your mobile connected, so that you can take calls, or watch a quick TikTok whilst waiting for your party to join is a genuine gamechanger and a feature that I could never live without.

The design of the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless takes things beyond what we’ve seen in a SteelSeries headset before as well. As with previous models, you’re able to adjust the tension on the band between three different sizes (this is done by holes rather than velcro now) and the actual earcups are finally height adjustable now, with you having free range of the height of both sides of your headset.

The design of most gaming headsets mean that you’d know want to wear them on a work Zoom call let alone out of the house, but SteelSeries have known that if someone is spending $600 and above on a headset, then you’ll want to use it in all aspects of life, especially due to the fact that you have noise cancelling and such. This is why they’ve made the decision to make this headset all black, and even the Xbox version forgoes the inclusion of any green elements, opting to go for a sleek black. Whilst it’s still a bit bulkier than other non-gaming headsets, it’s still probably the nicest premium gaming headset that I can think of. The boom microphone also retracts perfectly back into the headset, giving the illusion that this is a lifestyle headset first, and a gaming headset second, from the design point of view.

As far as connectivity goes, this headset really shines when connected to an Xbox Series X/S or PC. Don’t get me wrong, they work fine when connected to a PS5, but PlayStation has still restricted any headset other than its own from using a chatmix dial, where connecting on Xbox brings it straight up on the DAC and allows you to adjust the chatmix by pressing in the volume dial.

PC is where this headset really goes to another level, particularly when they’re wired, which makes the audio quality even better. A new piece of software called Sonar which is built into SteelSeries GG really takes the audio game to the next level. Not only do you get 360 degree spatial audio (similar to that of PS5 3D audio), but there’s also a number of EQ presets for a number of AAA games that really change the way that you hear things, with more seemingly on the way. Using GG, you’re also able to enable AI Noise cancelling which takes away the background noise of keyboard clocks and such.

All-in-all, outside of a few very minor picky issues with this headset, I can’t think of another headset that does anywhere near as much as it does, and extremely well at that. The fact that it is compatible with PlayStation, Nintendo, Xbox, PC, has two batteries that both give you 22 hours of game time, has Active Noise Cancelling that almost rivals the best, Bluetooth compatibility as well as really good sound to boot makes it extremely compelling. The only barrier of entry is the $650 price point for the wireless version (or $513 using code DUKE here), but I feel really, really confident in saying that this will be the last headset that you will need for some time.

THE ARCTIS NOVA PRO (WIRED VERSION)

I also got to spend some time with the Arctis Nova Pro Xbox Edition which is the wired version of this headset. It has the exact same drivers, meaning it has fantastic sound, and also has a smaller DAC with many of the same features. Because it’s wired, obviously there’s no batteries or Bluetooth and there’s also no Active Noise Cancelling, so if you’re a PC user, or have a PS5/Xbox Series X at your desk, I’d recommend it, but honestly for the extra $100-200, I’d recommend just optiong for the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless if the budget allows ($389 for Arctis Nova Pro using code DUKE).

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro and Arctis Nova Pro Wireless are available now from SteelSeries.com. You can expect to pay$513 for Pro Wireless (USE CODE DUKE) and $389 for the Pro (USE CODE DUKE). They will launch in Australia in mid-July for $499.95 and $649.95 respectively.

The post SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Gaming Headset Review – The Most Feature Packed Headset On The Market appeared first on Press Start.