Articles about Gaming

Plugable is a company that I respect very much. I have been buying its products for many years from Amazon. Historically, its offerings have been reliable, affordable, and extremely useful. Whether it be USB hubs, dongles, adapters, or docking stations, you can typically rely on receiving a quality product. I'm sure many computer nerds like myself have purchased a Plugable product at some point in their lifetime.

Today, Plugable announces a new product that falls outside its usual focus -- a gaming headset. Called "HS53 Performance Onyx Gaming Headset," the over-ear headset has a brushed aluminum frame and features a beautiful textured black design. Despite the use of memory foam for both the headband and sealed earcups, the company claims your ears and head should both remain cool -- not hot and sweaty.

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Navigating media and playing PC games from your couch, bed, or reclining chair can be quite tedious. When searching for a movie on Netflix, for example, it is very annoying to enter text with a remote control. Sure, there are voice search options, but it would be much nicer to use a keyboard. If you want to a play a PC game in your living room or bedroom because your computer is hooked up to a TV, using a keyboard and mouse on your lap is damn-near impossible. Instead, you have to pull out a table or something similar. Ugh. What a clunky experience!

Today, CORSAIR launches a new product that should make it much more comfortable to both play PC games and search for media while in front of your TV. Called "K83 Wireless Entertainment Keyboard," it also includes a touchpad, meaning there is no need for a mouse. It even includes an analog joystick! This one device can be used for both gaming and media. Best of all, it is reasonably priced too.

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Nostalgia is a tricky thing. Often, it is a means for people to relive their childhood or remember what they think were better days. Our minds have a way of sometimes making us remember something as being better than it actually was. For instance, you may recall a film from your childhood as being hilarious, but when watching it again in the present day, it simply doesn't measure up to your memory.

When it comes to computer hardware, however, sometimes your memory of something being fantastic is quite accurate. Over the years, the keyboards and mice provided by PC manufacturers, for instance, have gotten much worse -- often being trash. Gamers in particular will want to replace these input devices. One such mouse that many gamers were apparently gaga over was the Logitech G MX518. After it was discontinued, Logitech was bombarded with calls to bring it back to market. Well, for those people, their wish is coming true. Not only is the company re-releasing the MX518, but it is making the device's internals better too.

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Like PUBG, Fortnite has proved to be a phenomenally successful game, attracting millions of players around the world. With battle royale games faring so well, EA decided to take a slice of the pie, and released Apex Legends, its own free-to-play take on the genre.

In the space of just 72 hours, the game reached a major milestone -- 10 million players. It took Fortnite two weeks to pull in the same number of players.

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If you have played Fortnite on different consoles, you've very probably asked how you go about merging accounts so you can access all of your Vbucks and collectibles in one place.

Fortnite's initially messy approach to cross-platform gaming meant that many people ended up creating two (or more) accounts in order to be able to play with their friends. Epic Games dramatically improved cross-platform compatibility, but gamers who created multiple accounts were not able to share all of the weapons, currency and other goods collected between these accounts. Now this has changed.

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Special edition video game controllers aren't very special anymore. Look, they are still cool, but there are so many different styles and colors being released, it can be hard to get excited each time one is announced. Microsoft even offers the ability to create a custom controller with its neat Xbox Design Lab.

With all of that said, I find myself smitten with a new Xbox One controller. Called "Sport Red Special Edition," it should not surprise you to know it is red. It isn't merely a red paint job, however -- it has different shades of red for the thumb sticks and buttons. The D-pad is a metallic red, and the face features a beautiful design of black crossing lines that create a series of triangles. It's definitely a stunner.

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Microsoft's in-house game development division has undergone a rebranding. Previously known as Microsoft Studios, the division's new moniker is Xbox Game Studios.

Made up of a total of 13 game studios purchased by Microsoft over the years, and the division's corporate vice president, Matt Booty, promises that they are all "working hard to deliver incredible exclusives, original IP and all-new chapters from your favorite franchises".

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There are many companies making PC accessories and peripherals these days, and yeah, many of them are quite good. With that said, the market is flooded with low-quality Chinese offerings too -- it is easy to be attracted to the low cost of some no-name company's mouse or keyboard, for instance, but you will likely regret your purchase quickly when buttons malfunction or it stops functioning entirely. This is why I recommend sticking to a reputable and proven brand like Logitech.

Logitech G is that company's gaming brand, and today, it announces four new gaming headsets. Yes, four! Is that mad? No, because there is a very specific reason to have so many new models -- it can meet the needs of all gamers regardless of budget. In other words, they all come in at various price points -- with differing features, of course. The G332 is a basic stereo model, while the other three offer 7.1 surround sound.

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Fans of Nintendo's Italian plumber and his racing antics have been keenly waiting for the launch of Mario Kart Tour, the mobile version of Mario Kart. There's some bad news though: you're going to have to wait a little longer than expected.

The game was previously planned for a March launch, but things have been very quiet from Nintendo. In its Q3 earnings report, the company revealed that the game has been pushed back to summer.

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Mobile gaming is all the rage these days, with gamers playing titles like Fortnite and Minecraft on their smartphones. Want to know a secret, though? Touchscreen gaming largely sucks. Pardon my crass language, but it is true. Using a virtual thumb-stick and on-screen buttons simply isn't fun. The truth is, to really enjoy a game on mobile -- other than casual time-wasters actually designed for touch -- a controller is an absolute must (when compatible).

If you are both a PC and Android gamer, and you want a great controller for both platforms, SteelSeries has a new product that could be perfect for you. Called "Stratus Duo," it can connect to a PC wirelessly using a USB dongle, or to Android with Bluetooth. Then, by flipping a switch, you can go back and forth between each. In other words, there is no need to re-pair each time you switch, as is typical with a Bluetooth-only controller. And yes, if you prefer, you can connect it to a PC using a cable (micro USB and not USB-C, sadly).

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Epic Games has released an update to the mobile version of Fortnite which will help to level the playing field between iOS, Android, console and desktop gamers.

If you've struggled to battle with the game's on-screen controls, Fortnite patch 7.30 could be just what you have been waiting for. In addition to other new features and bug fixes, the update adds support for Bluetooth controllers in iOS and Android -- and a new weapon!

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Nowadays, when you say "AOC," many people will probably think of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez -- the groundbreaking congresswoman from the great state of New York. With that said, others -- like me -- know AOC as the monitor-maker known for quality products at affordable prices. I swear by its displays -- if you are on a budget, you should definitely give its offerings a look.

AOC doesn't just focus on budget-friendly monitors these days. Actually, with its AGON gaming brand, it is targeting gamers and enthusiasts too. Today, AOC unveils a pair of new monitors as part of its AGON 3 Series. Both displays are 27-inch and feature 2560 x 1440 resolution, but there are some significant differences. Appearances aside, the AG273QCX (seen above) uses AMD's FreeSync and offers a 144Hz refresh rate, while the AG273QCG (seen below) features NVIDIA G-SYNC and has 165Hz.

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While I appreciate hardware makers and game developers pushing the boundaries of what gaming can be, it is important to remember one important fact -- fun trumps all. In other words, it doesn't matter how much processing power a computer or console has, or how beautiful a game's graphics are, if it isn't fun to play! That's probably a big reason why retro-gaming is so popular these days.

For Linux users, gaming is getting much better these days, especially with Steam support. One game in particular, however, has brought much joy to Linux users without the need for high-end graphics cards. Called "SuperTuxKart," it is essentially an open source clone of Mario Kart, that is simply fun to play. While the title character is the Linux mascot, there are Windows and macOS versions too. Thankfully, the game is about to get even better, as networking is being added -- allowing you to play against others over LAN or the internet. Today, following an alpha period, that feature finally becomes available in beta, with version 0.10-beta1.

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Thunderbolt 3 is great for many reasons -- it is fast, uses the USB-C connector, and allows you to expand the capability of your laptop. It used to be notebook owners were very limited for gaming, for instance, as you couldn't upgrade the graphics. Even if you opted for a quality mobile GPU from, say, AMD or NVIDIA, it still wouldn't compare to a high-end desktop graphics card. With Thunderbolt 3, however, you can easily add a top-tier desktop GPU to your laptop by leveraging an enclosure.

Today, VisionTek launches a new such enclosure, and it looks amazing. I tried -- and loved -- the company's previous model, but it was rather large. This new model, called "Thunderbolt 3 Mini eGFX," is smaller, and believe it or not, is less expensive too -- all while retaining the same functionality. Not only does it allow the user to add a desktop GPU to their laptop, but it introduces USB-A ports, Ethernet, and SATA 3. And yes, it will charge the laptop while connected too.

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When playing video games online, a headset can really enhance the experience. True, a lot of it is unfortunately having trolls insult you while using foul language, but overall, voice communication is a positive experience that can make online gaming more fun. Not to mention, the headset allows you to hear in-game audio without annoying other members of your home. Hell, wearing headphones can arguably give you an edge over speakers, as you should be able to better hear enemy movements, for instance.

Today, HyperX announces a pair of new premium headsets -- the Cloud Orbit and the Cloud Orbit S. Both are quite similar, except the latter utilizes Waves Nx technology, which tracks the gamer's head movements for a more immersive audio experience. With that exception, the hardware and specs are identical.

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