If playing racing games with a controller feels unnatural to you, you’re not alone. Purely from a driving perspective, a console controller looks nothing like the a steering wheel, and if you’re looking to inject a modicum of realism into your driving experience you’ll need to pick up a racing wheel.
With that in mind, Logitech sent GGL its new Driving Force Wireless wheel for the PlayStation 3 to put through the paces.
Is it at a high level? Let’s find out.
What’s in the box
The Driving Force Wireless is a one-piece setup with no pedals. That’s right, no pedals. Included in the box is the wheel, power adapter (yes, there’s one cord) and a 2.4Ghz wireless USB receiver that plugs into the PS3.
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In December, Razer will release their newest entry into the gaming headphone market: the Razer Moray. Instead of a gigantic headset with an attached microphone and integrated bread slicer, the Morays are a pair of isolating in-ear headphones.
They will retail at $39.99, slightly more than your average pair of in-ear phones, and feature three interchangeable sets of differently sized ear buds. Also included are a soft carrying case and airplane adapter.
To find out of the Moray is worth your time, Razer sent GGL a sample to test out. Here are my (admittedly unscientific) findings.
Design and Fitting
GGL’s Moray sample came in a fashionable iPod-esque white; all the better to fit in with the rest of the iPod-carrying crowd. The phones are also available in a flat black coloration.
Whether or not the Moray fit your ears properly will depend on the size and shape of your ear canal. In testing, I found no problems with any of the three earbud sizes (small, medium, or large), but the feel was different between sets. None of them were uncomfortable, but it will just depend on how snug of a fit you like.
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The situation: I’m owning Slasher at Quake 3 while he’s mooching off me during his stay at E For All.
Me: “Dude, why aren’t you timing the red armor? Did you honestly think I wouldn’t be there?”
Slasher was shafted by mood
Slasher: “What? I can’t hear you!”
He keeps blaming his space bar and broken laptop, but my only regret is that he can’t hear me talking smack while slapping him silly.
Enter the Audio Bone headphones, a pair of miniature cans that promise to leave your ear canals open so you can hear all the smack talk there is. They accomplish this by means of bone conduction, an age-old method of hearing that bypasses the ear drum. Apparently Beethoven used it to continue his work long after he lost his hearing. Read more »
Can you take features away from a product and make it better? That’s the central question if you are interested in the Microsoft Sidewinder X5 gaming mouse, which is an iteration of last year’s Sidewinder gaming mouse.
Unlike the regular Sidewinder, which GGL reviewed almost a year ago, the Sidewinder X5 does not come with replaceable mouse feet, customizable weights and its own personalized mouse cord trap. However, it does feature a new laser sensor capable of 2000 DPI. It’s $20 less than the Sidewinder at $59.95 MSRP.
Is it worth it? In order to find out, the nice Microsoft representatives sent GGL a review sample so we could put it through its paces.
The Shape and Feel
Like its predecessor, the X5 is very wide with a prominent hump toward the back, encouraging a palm grip. This is a make or break feature depending on how you want to hold the mouse.
With that said, the mouse is comfortable and without any complications when it comes to grip. Your thumb will naturally rest in the vicinity of the vertical side buttons, and your pinky (or ring) finger will be nicely accommodated on the right side groove of the mouse. It’s meant to fit like a glove. Read more »
Razer’s latest entry into the crowded mouse mat field comes with the Goliathus series, a set of multi-sized pads that come in two textures: The Goliathus Speed and Goliathus Control.
The Speed and Control naming conventions for the Goliathus mirror the naming conventions for another line of Razer accessories: The Mantis mouse mats. GGL reviewed them back in 2006.
 Goliathus Control Edition overhead shot |
 Goliathus Speed Edition overhead shot |
 Goliathus Control surface macro shot |
 Goliathus Speed surface macro shot |
Named after the Goliath beetle, the mouse mats can’t lift 300 times their weight or fly, but alas, there are a finite number of snakes in the world to name your products after. To find out if the Goliathus is on par with its precessors, Razer sent GGL two Goliathusα mats (the largest of three types).
The Goliathusα measures up at 444mm x 355mm x 4.3mm, identical to the size of the Mantis, which is in turn slightly larger than an Allsop XL pad. The smaller Goliathus pads, the Goliathus and GoliathusΩ, measure in at 355mm X 254mm X 4mm and 270mm x 215mm x 4mm, respectively.
Most importantly, however, is the weave of the fabric on the Speed and Control versions of the mouse mat. The Speed Edition features a tightly woven fabric that is (allegedly) supposed to enhance the speed of your mouse across its surface. The Control Edition features a pitted fabric weave that is (again, allegedly) supposed to add friction to your mouse feet.
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Razer’s newest mouse, the Salmosa, has received much fanfare in the gaming community for its old-school approach. The mouse is billed as a light, small alternative to the gigantic spaceship mice of recent years, and reaches 1800 DPI at a polling rate of 1000Hz. It boasts a 3G infrared sensor that is one step above previous optical mice, and promises not to skip like laser mice.
One of the biggest selling points of the Salmosa is the ability to switch DPI and USB polling rate via switches on the underside of the mouse. This doesn’t require any drivers.
These features are great as long as they work properly, but I’ve always felt that the shape of the mouse is the determining factor in whether or not I’ll use it. With that in mind, Razer sent GGL a Salmosa to put through my (admittedly subjective) tests, which consist of headshotting people in Call of Duty 4.
The test system
AMD 64 4000+
Asus A8N-E Motherboard
GEForce 7800GT
2GB RAM
Windows XP SP2
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It’s been some time since we reviewed a keyboard here at GGL, and to be honest, quite some time since any “gaming keyboards” have been released. The nice guys at Steelseries have aimed to rectify this problem with the $149.99 USD Steelseries 7G keyboard. Featuring no-click keyswitches, 18K gold plated connectors and a projected lifetime of 50 million keystrokes, the 7G definitely talks the talk.
Does it walk the walk? In order to find out, Steelseries sent us a review sample of the 7G.
I was amused to hear a couple of loose keys rattling around in the box when I was opening it, though this probably says more about DHL’s shipping practices than Steelseries’ QA. Regardless, the loose keys popped back on easily and I continued on my way.
The Shape and Feel
My initial impression of the keyboard: Heavy and quite large (18.9 x 9.8 in) with the optional wrist rest attached. The solidly-manufactured feel is commendable, but (with the wrist rest) the keyboard was almost too long to fit on my desk. It’s not a wrist rest as much as it is an arm rest, and I recommend not attaching it to the keyboard for ergonomic reasons.
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GGL received the Steelseries Ikari laser mouse many moons ago, but due to a review backlog, we were only able to open it up recently. Heidi Klum helped me with the review, and pardon the bad lighting, eh?
Marcus “djWHEAT” Graham recently got a chance to use the DKTBoard keyboard, made by Everglide with input from pro gamer Brian “DKT” Flander. DKT is also the general manager of the Championship Gaming Series’ Chicago Chimera.
Here’s djWHEAT’s opinion on the keyboard.
Epileptic Gaming’s own djWHEAT reviewed Unreal Tournament 3 for the PlayStation 3 yesterday, showing the keyboard and mouse controls, mod installation, and much more. We’ve culled the tutorials from the show, so check out these clips and stay tuned for more like them in the very near future.
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Steven Palmer tested the new Aegia PhysX mod for Unreal Tournament 3 and brought us his findings. He did not, however, test a PhysX card.
Ageia has released its new physics mod for Unreal Tournament 3, including their PhysX physics system with two maps specifically designed to take advantage of it. The two new maps, Lighthouse and Tornado (yes, it includes a real tornado), offer destructible walls, floors, walkways and rooftops. The mod offers full multiplayer capabilities and includes tools to develop PhysX maps.
Here’s a preview video of UT3 using PhysX.
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When it was first announced, the Razer Lachesis turned heads in the gaming mouse enthusiast community — but was met with significant skepticism on many e-Sports boards.
Razer mice, lately, have tended toward the ultra-sensitive, with large buttons and extremely high DPI. The Lachesis is no exception; it sports a max DPI of 4000, with a 1000Hz refresh rate and super-slick mouse feet. I spent quite some time playing first person shooter games with the Lachesis, so let’s dig in to see what I found out.
Laptop specs:
Intel Core2Duo 2.16Ghz
1GB RAM
ATI Radeon X1600 mobile
Razer Mantis Speed mouse mat (re-branded Everglide Giganta)
My test system is a decently powerful Macbook Pro laptop running Boot Camp and Windows XP. I’m happy to report no problems whatsoever with this unconventional setup and the Lachesis, which is a testament to the Boot Camp drivers and setup more than anything else. Read more »
If playing racing games with a controller feels unnatural to you, you’re not alone. Purely from a driving perspective, a console controller looks nothing like the a steering wheel, and if you’re looking to inject a modicum of realism into your driving experience you’ll need to pick up a racing wheel.
