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Channel: TrulyGaming

SteelSeries APEX M800 Keyboard: Customize Every Click

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If you were lucky enough to receive a new desktop computer this holiday season, chances are that you’re using a ‘stock’ keyboard- the sort of inexpensive, basic model that comes with your HP or Dell PC. And if you’re a gamer, then you probably are already feeling the strain of fingers, or being annoyed at the finnicky, unreliable taps, the loose buttons and accidental, error-prone presses. One of the fastest ways to boost your performance is to upgrade your gear- no matter whether you’re hoping to better aid your clan in World of Warcraft or to improve your Call of Duty killstreak record.

The SteelSeries APEX M800 Keyboard is what they claim to be “the world’s fastest and most programmable mechanical keyboard”. You’ll immediately notice a few things about it that stand out- like the giant spacebar, a handy innovation. What you can’t see are the sophisticated internals- dual processors and a new type of switch in each key, the QS1- built to offer 25% faster actuation than your basic, traditional mechanical switches. It’s a full-size, gamer-focused keyboard, so it takes up some space on your desk but is well worth it if you’re a serious gamer. We’ve seen other SteelSeries products in the past, and they’ve always held up well.

The keys are also some of the brightest on the market, helpful in dark rooms, and they are individually color-programmable. That was maybe the coolest extra, so you can make some keys light up green, others blue, and others red for easy identification. And there are modes that make for a lovely sort of lightshow too. The default angle takes just a bit of getting used to but is pretty comfortable after a few days and the rubber feet are swappable so you can adjust it. The keys are slightly indented for a smooth centering of your fingers- they thought of everything. And while some keyboards have issues when you press more than a couple of keys at once, the APEX M800 can handle up to 256 keys simultaneously (and there aren’t even that many keys). The left side features six macro buttons as well, which you can use for a wide range of functions.

The large size of the keyboard is a bit of a downside for some everyday tasks though, as is the extreme sensitivity. You can brush a key and set it off pretty easily. The built-in USB 2.0 hub allows you to easily plug-in other accessories or thumb drives, and the fabric cables is durable enough for travel if you want to take the M800 to LAN parties. Bottom line: the SteelSeries APEX M800 is beautiful, big, and a fairly expensive gamer’s companion- available now, online and in stores, expect to spend around $180.

 


Mad Catz R.A.T. Pro X: Future Proof Your Mouse

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You’ve probably seen the deluge of news coming out of Las Vegas and the annual CES convention- gear galore, in every shape and size and in every category. New computers and tablets and smartphones and headphones- but much of it yet unavailable, shipping “soon”, or scheduled for later quarters of the year. Why not focus on the products that are available now, like the latest gaming peripheral from one of our favorite companies.

Hot off their hard work on Rock Band 4, Mad Catz is still in the business of creating some of the most customizable mice around, like their new R.A.T. Pro X, the top of their line. Yesterday, we checked out a serious gaming keyboard, and today’s mouse might not light up quite the same way, but it undoubtedly lit up our gaming sessions. We”ve seen a few others bearing the R.A.T. name, including their mobile version, but this new version definitely raises the bar. It’s configurable like the predecessors but adds a unique capability- you can now change your sensors, swapping the very core of your mouse for a new set of internals. And hydrophobic coatings keep your hand in place even when your fingers sweat.

Why would you do that? Good question! The basic idea is two-fold, ensuring that you can keep your mouse even as technology advances, simply purchasing a new sensor and popping it in. It also means you can choose from your favorite type, and while most folks might not have a preference, you’ll certainly develop one once you have a chance to try a few out. Both optical and laser sensors are available and we’ve been primarily testing the PixArt PMW3310, which offers 5000 dpi and won’t be too sensitive for regular, daily use. Lasers can be finicky, picking up the smallest motions, but are often preferred by serious gamers. No matter which component you choose, you can adjust your “lift-off”, which helps raise your mouse.

And as with the rest of the line, it’s incredibly configurable in every way. There are a couple of glide options (ceramic or Teflon), for those who like a little friction or those who prefer none. There are three included palm rests and the dual thumb rest panels, even three scroll wheels. They also included a small tool to help with your modifications, and even a little brush and a bag for carrying it around. Machined from magnesium, it’s a divisive industrial design, with a somewhat skeletal appearance that looks serious and definitely aggressive. The R.A.T. Pro X isn’t ideal for lefties, and there are options out there for MMORPG gamers with more macro buttons, but FPS and RTS gamers will be well-served by Mad Catz’ latest and it’s seven buttons. It’s a premium product with a price tag to match, and perfect for the hardcore gamer who wants to squeeze every last bit of performance out of their setup. Available now for around $199, shortly, online and in stores.

Legends of Andor: A Challenging Co-Op Adventure

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ANDOR needs you! The box warns anyone looking that danger is coming out of the forest and mountains, orcs, gors, wardraks and even a dragon are attacking the castle of King Brandur. You play a small group of heroes- with another friend or three- trying to prevent Andor from being overwhelmed by the dark enemies.

That all sounds very dramatic and thrilling and I can promise you: indeed, Legends of Andor is very dramatic and thrilling for a board game! The detailed and fanciful artwork the game creates a fantastic atmosphere, and not without a reason: the author of the game is one of the most famous artwork designers for Eurogames like Stone Age, Pillars of the Earth and even the newest re-design of Settlers of Catan. After doing the artwork for almost a decade, working on more than 40 other games, he decided to create (and illustrate) his own title.

It is a cooperative game, so the players have to team up for victory and work together, perfect if your friends and family are tired of you beating them in games. But Andor is not all puppies and kittens; there will be plenty of combat and fighting during your adventure. Each player chooses a character (all of which are available in a female or male version) and board for keeping track of the player’s attributes, equipment, and goods. The characters differ slightly regarding their special abilities in battles. And each turn is fairly simple: you can either walk or fight – that’s all! But the complexity evolves as the team tries to stem the tide against the constant forces.

Even the smallest enemy is hard to beat alone. You’ll roll a dice, boosted by force and willpower, but frequently fall short of being able to defeat the bad guys without help- and the clock is always ticking, with a strict time limit and plenty of tension behind every move! The team has to communicate a lot and discuss every move and the strategy to beat the game. One of your main goals is to always keep the castle free of enemies. Thanks to a unique board design, with arrows connecting every territory, you can predict how the enemies will move. But the unpredictable part is a random adventure card and occasional events, stepping through a story as you play.

The storyteller role and mechanic is pretty nifty. Sometimes, he brings new enemies into the game, but he can also initiate rather helpful events and sometimes new goals, which creates the feeling of reading a book as you do not know what may happen once you reach a new phase. There can be really surprising changes to your goals, switching everything around suddenly and forcing your plans to adapt. Pure strategy gamers may not like these changes of the goals because they are so unpredictable. But the game is well-balanced and it’s likely that if you play carefully you’ll have a good shot at winning, though it’s certainly never guaranteed.

One of the biggest advantages of the game is the quick start- there are just a couple of pages of rules to kick things off. While playing, you’ll organically learn more rules. The downside of this nice idea is that you probably won’t play the first legend again and if you want to introduce new people to the game, you will have to explain all the rules you learned at once, which may seem a bit daunting to some novice players. However, since it’s a cooperative game, it doesn’t really leave anyone behind..

There’s plenty to like about the Legends of Andor. If you haven’t played a cooperative game yet, this is a perfect start to try this new sort of game. Depending on the group’s discussions, one game takes approximately 90 minutes and some drops of sweat. You can play the legends multiple times, since there are enough elements for randomization, but there are also expansions that add characters, additional players (up to 6), and more legends. Legends of Andor costs around $47.99 online and in stores, and comes with six legends.

Two From Western Digital: Xbox One Storage With My Passport X

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If you’re a console gamer with an Xbox One, you’ve probably fallen in love with the updated processing power: high-resolution textures and graphics, HD sound effects, bigger worlds, and better framerates. But all of those advances come with a heavy cost, as your onboard hard drive, no matter the capacity, fills up quite quickly with saved games, downloaded files, your RockBand music library, and everything else. Especially when you’re downloading complete games via Xbox Live rather than using disks. So what is a gamer to do?

The answer: grab a Western Digital WD My Passport X, available in two or three terabyte models, and custom built for use with your video gaming console. With room for up to 50 Xbox One games (they average out at about 36 GB each) or five times that many Xbox 360 games, you’ll be able to grab a ton of indie and arcade favorites or download every expansion pack and DLC for your RPGs, MMOs, and FPS titles. As you might expect, you can also use this portable drive with your Xbox 360, or your PC computer, laptop or desktop, though only one system as a time as they all use slightly different formatting.

It’s a USB 3.0 5400RPM drive, so can transfer data fairly quickly- faster, in some cases, than even the internal disk in our tests. A fair question: what sets this one apart from similar models from WD or other companies? For starters, it’s missing the backup software that is often pre-installed on portable drives, but you probably won’t even notice. They also claim that it’s been “performance-tweaked to meet the desires of serious gamers”. You don’t need to worry about a separate power cable as the My Passport X is USB bus-powered for simplicity. Installation and setup are easy too- just plug and play and follow the quick instructions (or go Settings and your Manage Storage options then select the drive and”Format for Games and Apps”).

The color scheme and body match your console (at least, they match the basic Xbox One model). It’s quiet enough that you won’t notice, and although there is a fairly bright light, it’s easily blocked if LEDs aren’t your thing. Available now online and in stores, expect to spend around $100 for the Western Digital My Passport X 2TB, and a bit more for the larger version. It’s the perfect companion for any gamer who relies on their Xbox One.

Turtle Beach Elite Pro Headset & TAC: A Gamer’s Companion

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Multi-platform support is a tough nut to crack- it’s hard enough for a manufacturer to get a single platform handled well, much less try to deal with multiple different companies and their various rules, regulations, specifications, and processes. That’s why some devices focus on a specific console (Xbox One or PS4) and some work with both of those but not so well with your PC computer. This is true for controllers, and it’s also true for today’s focus: headsets. Your video game system may come with a headset, and you may have tried using others, but serious gamers know that there is a wide world of possibilities and some confer a competitive advantage.

Take the Turtle Beach Elite Pro Tournament Gaming Headset. It’s a wired model, which is usually preferred for stability and performance, and they’ve designed it from the ground up to be one of the most eSports-focused headsets on the market. Aesthetically, it screams ‘gamer’ and it works quite well across the various platforms. We tested it on all three systems, in a variety of games including the recent FPS Overwatch (and plenty of other titles as well). Inside each earcup, you’ll find their touted new 50mm ‘NanoClear Speaker’ drivers, which they claim were created specifically for eSports. And on the side, you’ll find a removable boom microphone, which was bendable and baffled for better acoustics.

But it’s some of the other parts that were more interesting: like the headband adjustment system, with nicely tactile knobs for fine-tuning your fit. The ear cushions, as well, deserve some attention: made from spandex fabric with gel-infused foam, the walls are real leather. They were comfortable indeed, the perfect balance of firmness and pliability, but the really nifty part for some staff was the glasses relief system, which creates a narrow channel for your frames to fit within, the better to avoid stress on your temples (which can create headaches quickly, as any gamer with glasses can attest). A noise-cancelling microphone is available separately, and wasn’t tested.

But we did get a chance to use the Turtle Beach Elite Pro Tactical Audio Controller, or TAC, which serves as a surround sound mixer and amplifier. You can use it with other headphones, but it’s designed to work best with theirs. And though it doesn’t offer true channel controls or serve as an equalizer, you can easily adjust your microphone or game volume, or even adjust the background noise settings so your teammates won’t get distracted by the movie playing in the next room. Easy muting and presets are nice, and the various pieces felt solid. Our favorite part was definitely support for DTS Headphone:X 7.1 Surround Sound, which allows unparalleled directional audio and pinpoint accurate reproduction, allowing to track enemies easily. We did face some issues with the TAC- low-level noise that wasn’t present without it, a relative lack of power for an amp in this price range and thus a fairly low volume ceiling. During movies and television shows, audio could sound distorted, but this is definitely aimed at gamers.

Which leaves only cost as a factor- at $200, online and in stores, the Turtle Beach Elite Pro TAC didn’t quite feel worth it. The Turtle Beach Elite Pro Gaming Headset was certainly worth the pricetag though, and competitive at $200- it might just launch your eSports career, or at least help you up the ladder a bit.

Sennheiser PC 373D: A Solid 7.1 PC Gaming Headset

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A top-of-the-line gaming headset needs to accomplish several feats- most importantly, offer pinpoint sound acoustic accuracy to help you figure out there enemy fire is coming from, as well as appreciate music, explosions, and basically enhance immersion. It should also be incredibly comfortable, since a typically gaming session can last hours. Some other typical audio functions- portability for instance- are less critical for gamers, and the aesthetics are certainly different from street headphones as well.

The Sennheiser PC 373D Gaming Headset, then, is built to meet the demanding standards of professional FPS players and Twitch streamers. It’s designed for use with the PC, with a USB dongle that serves as a soundcard and provides true Dolby 7.1 surround sound straight to your ears. There’s a noise-canceling boom microphone that can tilt up and out of the way when it’s not needed, and automatically mutes when you do so. Earpads and headbands are padded with velour, which feels soft and velvety on your ears, and they’re thickly cushioned and large enough to fit most heads and ears.

No matter what your game, better sound can help and Sennheiser knows how to deliver- helping to identify snipers in Overwatch or Call of Duty thanks to the three-dimensional sound field, or to enjoy the roaring effects of Battlefront. You’ll want to download the latest drivers for the 373D first, which offer some extras like EQ modes for music, e-sports, and general gaming as well as noise reduction options. In games like No Man’s Sky, we enjoyed the math-rock and cool tones, and it handled bass with aplomb in the new version of Doom. Now, this is a wired pair, and some may miss wireless features- and others might wish it was fully compatible with consoles like the Xbox One or the PS4. Mobile device cables or regular 3.5mm minijack plugs, as we’ve seen from some other gaming headsets in the past, would also have been a nice addition. There aren’t funky lights either, but volume controls are handily placed on the side of set.

We’ve seen plenty of Sennheiser gear in the past, including some of our favorite portable headphones. We appreciated the two-year warranty, and the flagship PC 373Ds are incredibly sturdy, reinforced in all the right places with hefty hinges and a body that reduces unwanted vibrations. A single button lets you switch between surround and stereo modes too. Voice communications were crystal clear thanks to the excellent mic, one of the best we’ve tried. Available only in black, they do have some nice red accents inside each cup. The Sennheiser PC 373D is available now online and in stores for around $249.95.

Turtle Beach Stealth 420X+: Hear It All With This Xbox Headset

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No matter what your game is, chances are that the Xbox One offers it- and if you already have one, you probably have tried out a basic headset for use with Xbox Live and online gaming. But that’s similar to the difference between an old rotary phone and a newer smartphone- the functionality might be similar but that’s about it. For any serious gamer, it’s well worth gifting or picking up a newer headset like the one we’re looking at today.

One of the latest models from Turtle Beach is their Stealth 420X+, now with the addition of their SuperHuman hearing feature. It’s a fully wireless headset boasting an impressive 15 hours of battery life, and has nice sizable ear cushions as well as a detachable bendable boom microphone. Four separate presets give you instant bass boost or vocal boost, and setup is simple as with most any USB headset. Turtle Beach included a mobile-capable cable though, a nice touch that allows you to take these out for use on the go.

The 420X+ is quite a bit less expensive, but also less impressive, than the Elite Pro model we checked out over the summer. It’s more similar to their Force XO Seven Pros, but wireless instead of wired and with a bit better comfort, though we liked the aesthetics of the Force XOs slightly more. As we mentioned in the previous review, chat quality was top-notch, with crystal clear voices and no distortion. Speaking of clarity, the 420X+ offered pinpoint accuracy for shots, allowing you to easily identify where snipers were firing from and hear the steps of enemies and the clicks of reloading weapons in first person shooters.

About the only thing that we missed was cross-platform compatibility. Otherwise, these were durable, solid, and pretty comfortable too, thanks to ventilation and decent adjustability. Available now, online and in stores, expect to spend around $150 or so for the Turtle Beach Stealth 420X+.

Creative’s Katana Gaming Soundbar: A New Category?

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It’s a great time to be a gamer- a brand new console, the Nintendo Switch, is coming out this week- and with it, a new generation of games. Traditionally, this time of year can be a bit slow, but we’ve had AAA releases across multiple platforms like a new Resident Evil and For Honor, plus Playstation exclusive Horizon Zero Dawn. A new season of Overwatch began today for FPS fans, a new Halo strategy game is out, and there’s something for just about everyone on every system to enjoy. All the more reason to add some gear to your setup, and improve your sound- and with today’s product, especially if you are a PC gamer.

The new Creative Katana Gaming Soundbar is an unusual gaming-focused twist on a classic item, bringing multiple speakers into a compact form factor, adding a separate subwoofer component for bass response, and designing the entire unit to be loud and bold. Inside, you’ll find dual 1.3″ tweeters, two 2.5″ up-firing midbass drivers, a 5.25″ center driver and three amps as well- all totaling up to 150 watts of peak power. They call it ‘the wold’s first true Under Monitor Audio System’, and it aims to solve the twin issues of monitors lacking decent built-in speakers and most computer speakers being pretty underwhelming (often 2.1 systems with little range).

It looks little like a traditional soundbar, which is definitely the point. For starters, Creative added 49 individual programmable colored LEDs, in what they call the Aurora lighting system. And you could use it with a TV or larger A/V system, but it’s built for use with a monitor on your desk. We have a 24-inch monitor and it fit perfectly underneath, but there is certainly plenty of flexibility- and speaking of which, there are plenty of connectivity options from optical to micro-USB, regular USB, 3.5mm, though notably missing is HDMI. There’s even Bluetooth, should you want to connect your laptop or mobile device. We liked the included remote control, the variety of EQ presets for you to play around with, and a software program with even more configurability should you connect to your PC. Virtual 7.1 sound (via the Ultra Wide immersion setting) is especially nifty.

We’ve seen and loved plenty of Creative products in the past, from sound systems to bookshelf speakers to waterproof Bluetooth models. This one is unique, taking up less space than bulky desktop speakers and able to put out plenty of volume with solid spatial dynamics to help you in-game and good separation to make music and movie richer. And while we would have loved to see a way to sync music to the lights, the Katana certainly packs a punch, and is quite sharp looking (pun intended). Available now, online and in stores, expect to spend around $299 for the Creative Katana, the easiest way to improve your PC gaming experience in one box.


Creative Sound BlasterX Kratos S5: Good Sound, Great Looks

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No matter whether you’re a Windows or PC user, rely on a desktop or a stationary laptop, the fact is that you probably use your ‘work station’ for way more than work. For most of us, Netflix and Hulu have made the computer a centerpiece of our entertainment center, while the computer will always be superior for many types of games. And even if you’re the sort who has a big television and mostly uses a console, you could probably use a decent set of speakers just for streaming music the many on-demand services out there like Spotify and Pandora.

The Creative Sound BlasterX Kratos S5 isn’t just another speaker system though- it’s a 2.1 desktop setup with built-in customizable lighting, called the ‘Aurora Reactive lighting system’. We’ve seen plenty of other computer accessories add color-changing LEDs, from keyboard to mice, but this is one of the first of its kind. In the box, you get dual four-inch satellite drivers and a separate 6.5-inch subwoofer. For full support, you’ll want to connect using the USB cable, compatible with both PC and Macs, delivering 24-bit/96KHz digital audio.

There’s no optical cable input, but you probably won’t miss it. We liked the volume control pod with it’s headphone connector; at this price point, it’s rare to get such a hefty knob with a solid tactile feel. You will need to install some software to really take control- their BlasterX program offers complete command over the lighting (with presets or the ability to choose your own glow) plus EQ settings that let you adjust various sound options like simulated surround, bass level, and even enhance dialogue.

You might know Creative best for their long-running line of sound cards, but it’s nice to see them entering new categories, as with their Katana gaming soundbar that we checked out a couple of months ago or their Bluetooth wireless family. It’s even better to see them improve on existing and long-time categories, adding a nifty feature that some gamers will certainly appreciate. Available online and in stores for around $$119-129, the Creative Sound BlasterX Kratos S5 is an incredible bargain- well worth the price tag even if you don’t need the special effects, but a great bonus for anyone who enjoys some flair with their sound.

SteelSeries Arctis 7: A Gaming Headset For Everyone

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The school year is about to begin- or has just started for some- and that means the time has come to return to the classrooms and the books and to put down the controllers… Or not. Because the summer is often a gaming drought, with many of the hit titles being released closer to the holidays. The XCOM expansion just came out, the new Total Warhammer game is not far, and Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds is gaining steam fast. It might just be time to find some friends and start up a LAN party in the dorm (or stay up late with new pals at home). Either way, you’ll want a headset, and today we’re looking at one of the most flexible, reasonably-priced options out there.

The SteelSeries Arctis 7 is part of the family of triplets, which includes the less expensive Arctis 3 and Arctis 5 models. But the top-of-the-line is still affordable, and boasts true multi-platform compatibility for everything from PC and Mac (and mobile of course) to PS4 and even Xbox One support as well. The company’s S1 4omm drivers in each ear pop out plenty of volume, and even offer three-dimensional DTS:X 7.1 surround sound. Wireless means not worrying about tangled cords, and the company brags about “lag-free wireless audio”, claiming that continuous frequency-hopping technology helps prevent issues. A retractable pop-out boom microphone stays out of the way when you need it gone, but is nicely flexible so you can find the sweet spot- and it uses a proprietary bidirectional design to help eliminate background noise.

We loved the adjustable band- it uses velcro straps so you can really fine tune it, and it felt a little bouncy. The trade-off, perhaps, is in the appearance- they look a little odd at a glance, with a wider band than many competitors. They call it a ‘ski goggle’ band, and it’s a key addition. But they aren’t bulky or heavy, despite the aesthetics or connection to winter sports, and the cups can flip/tilt to lie flat for easy storage and travel. 15 hours of battery life is enough for even the longest gaming sessions, and they charge up fast over USB. Detachable cables allow the various connections necessary, and the onboard controls are decent. Ear cups were a bit more of a mixed bag; some folks reported they couldn’t get them comfortable as they were too firm (leather versions are available at an extra charge).

Available in black or white editions, the Arctis 7 continue the SteelSeries tradition of solid gaming gear- like our long-time favorite headsets, the Siberia Elite Prism and even some solid keyboards. For those who want more configurable lights, or that offers a more lot more audio adjustments, other gaming audio solutions may be more to your taste- but they tend to cost quite a bit more. Surround sound here is only decent; for movies it was quite good but for first-person shooters, we couldn’t quite get the positioning perfect in most titles (though we learned to adjust pretty quickly) and for consoles you will lose the capability. Still, bulletproof wireless and a great pricetag mean this is our pick to beat for this class of gaming headsets- the Arctis 7 can be purchased now, online and in stores, for around $149.99.





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