It is only 4 days until Father’s Day and given the last fortnight it is totally reasonable if you forgot. But it isn’t too late to get that present shipped directly to Dad or the father figure in your life. If you aren’t confident in the couriers due to their increased workload then maybe some […]
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It is only 4 days until Father’s Day and given the last fortnight it is totally reasonable if you forgot.
But it isn’t too late to get that present shipped directly to Dad or the father figure in your life.
If you aren’t confident in the couriers due to their increased workload then maybe some of the digital goodies or subs at the bottom may cut the mustard.
Or just make them a card or give them a call. It is the thought that counts.
A new phone for you beloved Dad
Brian reviewed the Oppo Find X3 Lite and determined “Overall, the Oppo Find X3 Lite is a $1200 phone in a $799 package”.
If $800 isn’t too steep for Fathers Day and Dad needs a new phone then we have an answer. This glorious beast.
A smart watch for the father that needs to run or relax
When Blair reviewed the Fitbit Sense he was blown away at how much of a premium bit of technology this was. It was definitely not just a fitness tracker, but a means to get some relaxation and a great bit of tech. If your father figure likes tech then you can’t go wrong with the Sense.
On the flip side if you father figure likes tech but wants to look a little fancier, then how about a look at the Fitbit Luxe? Hannah reviewed it and found that while it doesn’t have all the tech and gadgets, it is a great fitness tracker that looks amazing too.
No matter what your Dad likes, Fitbit wants an option available.
A headsets for Dad’s new console
Maybe your Dad needs a new headset.
Well Blair checked out the Astro A50 Wireless Headset on Xbox Series X and the cheaper HyperX Cloud Stinger Core Wireless Gaming Headset For PlayStation.
Both he deemed were great headsets for the price.
The Astro A50 Wireless Headset is available for PlayStation as well and it blew Blair away. The quality of the sound, battery life, and comfort were all excellent. They of course come with a $500 price tag, so you really get what you pay for here.
For a lot of people $500 is way too much for a headset. Hell for some people $500 is too much for rent, but we won’t go down that rabbit hole here. I am trying to convince you buying stuff is cool.
So for the more budget conscious gamer a cheaper headset might be needed. If your Dad has a PS5 then the $170 HyperX Cloud Stinger Core Wireless Gaming Headset For PlayStation may be what the doctor ordered.
Blair reviewed and was blown away at the quality and comfort given the price. It also looks pretty cool next to the PS5 and DualSense.
A mouse to make working from home more awesome
Does your father figure work from home? Maybe he is just a PC gamer with an old mouse? Either way we checked out a couple of amazing mice this year.
For the all frills approach there is the Steelseries Prime Wireless Mouse. Blair reviewed this and couldn’t believe how well this mouse performed. That and a rechargeable battery with a long battery life makes it a banger. But it does rock a $250 price tag.
If that is too high of a price tag, then the HyperX Pulsefire Haste cabled mouse might be what the doctor ordered. With its hex design it is super light and can look super colorful. Blair was very impressed given its under $100 price tag.
A TV Sub for the exhausted father
There is a bunch of subscription services with a wide selection of TV shows and Movies. But what if your father or father figure has a very specific taste.
Well if they like British mystery, drama and comedy then Acorn TV might make them very happy. If Horror is their jam then Shudder could be exactly what the doctor ordered.
These have monthly and annual pricing depending on your budget. Monthly subscriptions are $7.99/month or take the annual membership option of $79.99.
If my son or wife are reading this, no thanks to Shudder. The logo scares this wuss enough…
How about some games?
If your Dad is a Switch gamer then Bronwyn was impressed with Mario Golf: Super Rush. This would allow playing with the whole family, or on his own in the basement. Whatever your father needs this fathers day this should do it.
If you are after an anime style action title then Blair was blown away by Scarlet Nexus. This one you could get your dad on PC, Xbox, or PlayStation.
This would be the perfect game for your father figure to melt into on the couch while you make them their breakfast, lunch, and tea. Or maybe just the game and they cook. Your call.
If Dad is gaming on a Xbox but for some reason doesn’t have Game Pass, then this is a no brainer. An absurd number of games available to play on the fly with titles changing on the regular.
And if he is just a PC gamer you can pick up Xbox Game Pass for PC. Or Game Pass Ultimate covers him on both machines.
Pre-order a new game for dad
What do you get a dad with all the latest games and toys? How about a new game so he can have it day one.
Is Dad into sports games? Well NBA 2K22 will be releasing on September 10 so only a few days after Fathers Day. If you nab some awesome pre-order bonuses he might be extra excited.
Maybe an adventure is what he needs he wants to put his PS5 to full use. Then maybe Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a nagical world he can escape to.
Kena Bridge of Spirits launches on the 21st to PS5 so a slightly longer wait for Dad. It does like it is worth waiting for.
Obviously with pre-orders you are taking the gamble as you don’t know their quality yet. But maybe something nice shiny and new is what Dad needs. And he can’t tell you the game sucks if it is a gift anyway.
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When it comes to peripherals generally corded is best. There are a slew of reasons for this but one of them is an issue like battery life. You don’t want to get your arse whooped in a game because your mouse runs out of juice and you don’t have any AA batteries lying around. Well […]
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When it comes to peripherals generally corded is best. There are a slew of reasons for this but one of them is an issue like battery life. You don’t want to get your arse whooped in a game because your mouse runs out of juice and you don’t have any AA batteries lying around. Well the Steelseries Prime Wireless mouse has decided to try changing your mind.
No more batteries
Every wireless mouse I have used to date has required batteries. That might be one of the reasons I have been put off by them in the past which is a bit odd. The Steelseries Prime Wireless mouse is rechargeable using a nice little USB-C port in the front that you can plug in to charge it and if you have the other end plugged into the PC, can use it as a wired mouse as it charges.
So if the thing runs out of juice you can charge and keep playing, so win win.
Fortunately it is also equipped with an excellent battery so that requirement for plugging in is needed less often. I left the mouse unplugged for a week and didn’t switch it off. With a little bit of gaming and a lot of general PC use, I got a week out of it. If you leave it idle it goes into power saving mode so it takes half a second to react when you move the mouse for the first time, but I was impressed by this.
A lot of bits for a mouse
The package was unexpected to say the least. The mouse plugs in using a USB-C cable as I mentioned, but the dongle also uses USB-C. This is sorted thanks to a USB-A to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-C adapter for the dongle.
So basically you use the mouse plugged directly in using the cable when charging which is fine. Then if you need to switch it to wireless you move the cable from the mouse to the USB-C adapter which has the dongle connected. I tried some other USB-A to USB-C cables and heaps didn’t work for the dongle.
It’s a little bit of faf, but it is what it is. Given USB-C is becoming such a standard it probably won’t be long before a bunch of those USB-A ports become USB-C ones and then you’ll be glad this mouse was forward thinking.
Simple yet satisfying
If you look at this mouse it isn’t the most overdesigned mouse. The simple black style and shape looks like it would fit in any ergonomic office setup. What this means is this unassuming design can hide a heap of awesome and that is what it does.
The scroll button has grooves for comfort, and hosts the light so there is a little bit of fanciness. The CPI button is on the bottom of the mouse and depending on what setting it is on can change the colour of the light in the wheel. For people unfamiliar, this button changes how fast the cursor moves on the screen. For me I find a speed I am comfortable with and stick to it, but some gamers that change the sensitivity mid game might find that a little annoying.
The mouse is quite big but not massive and surprisingly light based on its size. This meant I found it super comfortable with my monster hands, and so did my wife with her smaller hands. Again this is a little simple in many ways, but with that it winds up being a lot easier to adapt to lots of different users. Perfect for a shared computer.
The software that comes with the mouse is super easy to use if you want to get into the nitty-gritty and customisation of the mouse. When using the mouse in games I found the reaction time shockingly good for a wireless mouse. I’m not a PC enthusiast so the difference between excellent and exceptional doesn’t register to me, but I was happy as a casual PC gamer with how it performed.
The verdict
The Steelseries Prime Wireless mouse is an excellent choice if you want a premium wireless gaming mouse. For around the $250 mark it is a premium ass mouse, but you get what you pay for here. Thanks to the unassuming design I didn’t expect a wireless mouse to wow me like this one did, but wow.
A Steelseries Prime Wireless Mouse was provided for review
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It can be weird thinking about the start for the brands that have been around forever. SteelSeries is celebrating their 20 years in the industry this year and kicked it off with 6 short videos to celebrate. We have reviewed SteelSeries products and loved them so it is no surprise they have been around as […]
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It can be weird thinking about the start for the brands that have been around forever.
SteelSeries is celebrating their 20 years in the industry this year and kicked it off with 6 short videos to celebrate.
We have reviewed SteelSeries products and loved them so it is no surprise they have been around as long as they have.
Check the videos out below:
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]]>SteelSeries has announced their new Neon Rider collection, inspired by Red Moon Workshop’s beloved CS:GO skin. This exclusive collaboration combines the popular Neon Rider skin and SteelSeries’ award-winning peripherals to create an exciting collection specifically made for CS:GO enthusiasts around the world. The collection includes a Neon Rider designed Sensei Ten, and Qck L and […]
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]]>SteelSeries has announced their new Neon Rider collection, inspired by Red Moon Workshop’s beloved CS:GO skin. This exclusive collaboration combines the popular Neon Rider skin and SteelSeries’ award-winning peripherals to create an exciting collection specifically made for CS:GO enthusiasts around the world.
The collection includes a Neon Rider designed Sensei Ten, and Qck L and QcK Prism XL mousepads.
These products are vailable exclusively through Mighty Ape & Playtech in New Zealand.
Check out the NEON RIDER trailer here.
The Sensei Ten Neon Rider Edition uses SteelSeries’ flagship sensor, the TrueMove Pro. This sensor, designed by SteelSeries and PixArt, is the highest rated SteelSeries sensor with true 1-to-1 tracking, 18,000 CPI and 450 inches per second (IPS) tracking speed. The TrueMove Pro also provides advanced tilt tracking to stabilize the mouse’s tracking during abrupt or angled movements like angled drops, tilt slams and quick flicks.
The Sensei Ten Neon Rider retails at $169 NZD
Meanwhile, the QcK L Neon Rider Edition is a 450mm x 400mm x 2mm mousepad decorated with the distinctive flair of the Neon Rider skin. The QcK L Neon Rider Edition uses the exclusive QcK micro-woven cloth for maximum control and optimized for both low and high CPI tracking movements.
The QcK Large Neon Rider retails at $39 NZD
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Do you hate touch screen versions of physical buttons like I do in mobile games? They are horrible, annoying, and not remotely comfortable when playing a game for a long stretch. So SteelSeries has brought out the Stratus Duo to make playing games on your Android phone more comfortable, with some sweet PC functionality to […]
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Do you hate touch screen versions of physical buttons like I do in mobile games? They are horrible, annoying, and not remotely comfortable when playing a game for a long stretch. So SteelSeries has brought out the Stratus Duo to make playing games on your Android phone more comfortable, with some sweet PC functionality to justify the cost of a premium controller.
Off the bat, if you want to do some Android gaming with a controller you absolutely need the Smartgrip. It’s an attachment that clips on the back of your controller and holds the phone above it. Fortunately I was sent both so I didn’t have to juggle my phone on my knees while I controlled it on a controller.
The Smartgrip felt super clunky the first time I put it together which took a good 10 minutes, but fortunately that is the only time it felt that way. The second time it took seconds and I haven’t struggled since. The way in which the clips and tabs work allows it to mount tightly on the controller which combined with a great phone grip removes fear of dropping your expensive phone.
My only problem with the clip is that it didn’t fit my XB1 or PS4 controller as it is purpose built for SteelSeries controllers. This only became an issue when I tried using PlayStation remote play on my phone, and that app only accepts PlayStation controllers. It’s a very specific use case, but I was hoping an Android would accept any controller, or the Smartgrip would work on my PS4 controller. Alas, I will have to keep using a Switch for mobile console gaming.
Annoyingly even using the Smartgrip on the Stratus Duo you can’t position it so it doesn’t cover a couple of the buttons on the back of the controller for power and/or connection options. If you have turned on the controller, and remembered to put it on bluetooth before you mount it then there is no issue, though I forgot to hit the switch before mounting it more than once. Given it takes seconds to put on and take off it isn’t a deal breaker, but it is a design oversight.
On to the controller. The Stratus Duo is a super comfortable controller that uses the general shape of an Xbox/Switch controller, with the joysticks at the bottom. The controller feels sturdy in the hands and not at all light like a cheapie. The D-pad isn’t perfect and doesn’t have a satisfying click to it, but given we live on joysticks these days that is minor. The triggers also don’t pull as far in as I would have expected, but again, not that much of a major issue.
What I adored was how easy it is to put the titular ‘duo’ to use. Once you pair the controller to your phone, and plug the USB dongle into your PC, switching between the uses takes all of the flick of a button. This simple transition between Android phone gaming, and a wireless easy to use PC controller is where the value of the Straus Duo is.
One other annoyance is the power cable. It is fine that it uses micro-USB, but it should be a USB-C charger which in a couple years will have been a little more future proofed. Unfortunately this is another thing hidden when the smart grip is attached so it has to be removed for charging. Fortunately, it touts a 20 hour battery life and I didn’t come close to using it up in a week. Another minor thing, but a thing.
Given one of the pushes in the marketing is how you can use it for Fortnite I figured I would give it a crack. The controller worked perfectly in the game, and I had no issues with the tech. I didn’t survive one Deathwatch as all I heard from some kid was “f**k you” before we even landed on the ground until I realised I am too old for this and bailed.
But the controller was good.
At the end of the day if you are looking for a controller for your Android phone, I doubt you could do better than the Stratus Duo and the Smartgrip. If you are looking for a dedicated PC controller there are better ones out there, but for dual use the SteelSeries Stratus Duo is pretty damn awesome.
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