Category: Gaming

Over the years I have owned and used almost every type of headset out there. I started with the basic 3.5mm jack in sets that came with the Walkman. Then, when the original Xbox came out I got my first wireless set. I’ve had Bose, Apple, Samsung, Turtle Beach, Lenovo, Sony, Corsair, and everything in between since.

Recently I bought my son the Razer USB headset for $60.00 at Best Buy. We picked them because they had 7.1 surround sound, worked with both the PC and PS4, and felt pretty comfortable at the store. For the price they seemed like the best bang for my buck. 40mm drivers, a boom mike, and nice ear pads made them an upgrade over the iPhone ear buds he had been using with the PS4 and he was just starting to get into PC gaming so being able to plug into both devices was a nice feature.

We got them home, downloaded the newest Razer Synapse software (required for the surround sound to work) and went through the simple setup process. I appreciate the way the software allows you to adjust the angle of each directional sound. It allows for some incredibly accurate sound only shots in games like TitanFall and Overwatch. Nothing lets you dodge Diva’s rocket attack like hearing where its coming from.

 The EQ lets you tune the sound of your game until it’s just right and you can easily create profiles (saved settings) for each game that you play. I have one for games and another for music.

The only negative thing we experienced was something my son noticed. There is a slight feedback tone when there’s no audio signal being played. It’s a common issue with USB headsets and is more related to the PC’s internal cable shielding than the headset itself, but it is annoying when you’re in between games or songs.

I liked the Krakens so much that I decided it was time for me to replace my trusty Turtle Beach XP400s. The Turtle Beach cans were just fine but I have so much wireless equipment in my house that they were occasionally dropping out from interference and I’ve worn them so much the ear pads were getting threadbare. I opted for the Kraken 7.1 v2 model, at $90.00 (on sale) they were a little more expensive but have some nice upgraded features for the extra thirty bucks.

The 7.1 v2 Krakens have 50 mm drivers, the base will shake your skull. Seriously, I have to turn it down on games because the explosions can hurt at high volume. The mic retracts all the way into the headset when you’re not using it and has a mute button embedded in it. When you mute the mic the tip glows red. The have the same surround sound features as the Kraken USB but add active noise cancelling for both ambient noise and your voice in the game. Most importantly they add mic monitoring; the ability to hear yourself in the headset when you talk. My wife thinks this is the most important feature in all headsets because it keeps me from talking quite so loud.

The 7.1 set is also Chroma enabled which lets me match the color to my PC and other accessories. For me this is feature is important; my whole PC case, motherboard, keyboard, mouse and even my desk are all RGB LED and the ability to have my headset match the color of my mood is nice. The headband is wider, the ear pads are thicker, and they’re overall more comfortable.

The Kraken USB set sounds great, they are some of the best sounding headphones I’ve used, but the 7.1 edition takes the cake. They are flat-out the best sounding earphones I’ve owned so far. I think they sound better than my Bose Soundlink set that I use at work. The base is thumping, the highs are clear, and they filter out any feedback. You’ll be happy with whichever pair fits your budget but if you can afford them opt for the 7.1 v2, the extra $30 ($40 when they’re not on sale) is well worth it. No matter which set or brand of USB headset you buy, always check the manufactures site to see if there is related software. You don’t get the full set of features without it.

I’ve had the Gameboy (all of them), 3DS (both), GameGear, the PSP (both), and the Vita (both). I used mobile games to quit smoking. Instead of taking a smoke break, I’d go for a walk and play a game for 10 minutes. Instead of smoking after a meal, I took Mario or Sonic out of my pocket and played until the urge passed. It worked, gave my hands something to do and my anxiety somewhere to go.  For better or worse, I traded a smoking addiction for a mobile gaming habit. Almost any day on my lunch break you can still find me in the break room playing a game. One could say mobile gaming is important to me.

My family and I got the chance to see the Nintendo Switch at Pax South before it launched. I could already tell it was going to be a hit. A full power console that could go with you was something I’d been dreaming of since I was a kid. So had everyone else apparently, the line for the demo was 3-4 hours. Nintendo’s claim looked legit, so we pre-ordered one.

Amazon dropped off our new console March 3rd and we immediately set it up and my wife started playing Breath of the Wild. We were stunned, the game looked gorgeous and played perfectly while the switch was in the dock.  Now for the moment of truth. I pulled it out of the dock, slipped the joycons into their channels and handed it back to her. The game didn’t glitch a single bit, it just kept playing as if nothing had happened.  The holy grail of gaming had been delivered. Who would have thought Nintendo, the “games don’t need power” people would beat the likes of Sony to the punch?

Don’t get me wrong, the Vita and 3DS are great portable systems and there are several games I will be playing on them in the future. I still haven’t played Majora’s Mask and I want to complete all the tracks on Wipeout but as for a comparison between the portable systems, the clear winner is the Switch. I can only play on the smaller portables for about 45 minutes to an hour before my hands cramp and my eyes burn. The controls and screens are just too small. The Switch hits the sweet spot for me. I’ve played several multi-hour sessions on it with no adverse effects. The device is still small enough to fit in my jacket pocket if I detach the joycons (a simple process).

The newest update for the Switch system adds some much-needed features. The most important to me is the ability to transfer save games to external storage. Nothing is more frustrating to a gamer than loosing a save game they’ve spent 50+ hours on. It also adds a 30-second screen clip recording (it always had screenshots) and the ablity to save those to a card as well.

Anytime a new system launches there’s always the question of developer support. Who will make games for it and how many? It’s a deciding factor in a system’s success. One of the major downfalls for the Wii U was a very limited catalog of 3rd party games. The switch has been popular enough to get attention from the likes of Bethesda who will be releasing Skyrim and Doom on the device by the end of the year. Several other big name studios have also pledged support, Sony and EA have both released games and there’s a rumor that even Microsoft might port some titles to it. The Shop app was pretty barren on day one but now there are a decent number of titles available. Rocket League and Skyrim are the two my family are most looking forward to.

Speaking of family, my kids and wife hogged the Switch so much that I decided to plunk down the cash to get one of my very own. I opted for the Splatoon 2 Edition with its neon pink and green controllers. It isn’t out of the ordinary for my tribe to have more than one of a console. To a lot of people this will sound ridiculous but it’s how my family spends time together. We don’t go to professional sports games and don’t have motorcycles or jet skis, gaming is our hobby.

My wife and I just had an excellent date night and when we got home we busted out the Switches and fired up Splatoon 2. We had a blast playing together. She’s a better player at this particular game than I am but we frequently came in the top two spots on the winning team. If you’ve never played, Splatoon is a unique game. It’s a shooter that doesn’t require spectacular reflexes and precision aiming. Anyone can play it and feel successful. You play as a Squid that shoots ink from various weapons to cover as much of the world’s surface as possible in your color. It’s one of the best times a couple can have together; take my word for it. The game has the right balance of putting your loved one on a team with you and then putting them on the opposition team, just to keep it interesting.

Lots of people complain about the battery life, but lets face it, battery technology is what it is. If they put a much larger battery in the system it would be too big and heavy. With the plethora of charging options in the world it really isn’t a big deal. I haven’t killed it yet and I play more than your average kid. I always have a portable external battery on me. What tech geek doesn’t? I get around 2.5 hours of Mario Kart or Splatoon 2 before the battery needs a recharge.

If your gaming hobby isn’t allowed to consume all of your fun budget and you need to pick just one console to purchase. I’d say get the Switch and this is advise from a person that owns and plays every console and portable since the Atari 2600. You really can’t beat it. I imagine it will go on to be one of the best-selling systems of all time.

 

 

My Son and I are both PC gamers . Almost any night after our chores are done you can find us racing, shooting, flying, or exploring in some on-line world or another. When you spend that kind of time on a keyboard, your equipment choice matters. I type all day in my day job, my side job, and my hobby. I’ve racked up some serious keyboard XP.

I was willing to spend up to $200.00 for a great keyboard. That’s a lot of my total fun money budget so it has to be awesome to be worth the capital. The problem is, my kid needs a new board too. I need two new gaming boards for $200.00. I want real mechanical keys, multi-color backlights, comfort, and proven performance. For both. I need to feel a keyboard not just look at. I have done my homework; my short list:

• Corsair’s K series
• Razer’s Blackwidow
• Logitech’s G series

So we hop in the car and head off to the local tech stores. I lured my teenage, been a gamer his whole life, son to go on the trip with me because his expertise on the subject surpasses my own.

I am standing in the keyboard isle running my fingers over the keys of a Logitech when my son tells me I need to ” try this one, Dad!”.  It looks menacing and aggressive sitting on the shelf. An expansive hunk of black. I’m in love as soon as I push down the first key. I heard my son mumble something about “Green Switches” and was instantly looking for this thing’s price tag.  Razer BlackWidow Chroma V.2, $179.99!!!  Ouch, almost my entire budget; there’s no way I’m getting two of them.

Unfortunately for my son, I am already planning my excuses for getting this awesome piece of tech and stiffing him until next time. Just as I am about to let fly with my pathetic reasoning for selfishness. My angelic son pipes up saying that I am “such a good dad “, I deserve to have the keyboard and he will be happy to wait. A quick price check from my mobile shows I can get it a few bucks cheaper on-line but this store does price matching and that means I can “HAVE IT NOW!” I can deal with the inner guilt later. I make my purchase and we head home.

While I am clearing out the old gear to make room for the new hotness my son mentions there’s another keyboard he’s been scoping out that we might still be able to swing. “You found a mechanical gaming keyboard for $30.00 ?”, I’m mentally picturing a POS. He spins his screen around and shows me an Amazon page listing Red Dragon keyboards. They look great. He proceeds to tell me that he researched this brand after hearing how good they are supposed be on Youtube.  Their Amazon reviews are very positive and I can get both of the keyboards I wanted; I order the RGB Kumara.

Now that we know why I have two mechanical gaming keyboards, we can get on with the reviews and comparison.

Razer BlackWidow Chroma V.2

For me, what matters most are the feelings of each key click and a layout that fits my hands. You would be hard pressed if forced to argue there’s a better key click out there than Razer’s Green Switches. The precision of the key travel, punctuated by a perfectly satisfying click is extremely gratifying.  The keys are spaced perfectly and the slightly indented caps conform to my finger tips like they were custom fit. They fit so well I became suscpitious that people with large hands might experience issues. I had my 6’4″ buddy try them out. He thought the fit was great too.

We’ve all seen backlit keyboards by now. Even multi-color RGB units are common place in any store that caters to the gamer crowd. Razer is taking lighting to the next level. Their Chroma system treats each of the keys as a pixel in active graphic displays that are impressive in a dark room. Furthermore the keyboard can become an output accessory in several games. While playing Overwatch my keys will match my character’s color scheme and my ability keys will highlight when they can be fire in the game.

Watch whatdouknow’s game editor put the BWCv2 through its paces in the short video clip below.

Redragon K552-RGB KUMARA RGB

Redragon (no, I didn’t spell it wrong) claims their switches are just like Green Switches and you know what? I have to give it to them. They have a great mechanical feel, good sound, and look good too. The keyboard is stout, it feels well made. Overall I’m impressed; there are plenty of built-in lighting effects, the Winlock function is nice, and it plays well.

Is is as good as the Razer? In a word, No. The Razer feels just a little better, its clicks are more confidence endusing, the application and integration with games are superb and its fit and finish is a step above the competition.

Watch our gameing editior take the Redragon through its paces.

The Redragon is no slouch; if I were on a tighter budget or just played causually I would get it in a heartbeat and be very happy with it. Razer just edges them out in the end but like the title of the article says “Its closer than it should be”.