Mustafa Mahmoud 2 days ago Console, Featured Tech News, Software & Gaming
Last year, PlayStation offered a couple games for free to all users as part of its Stay at Home initiative. This year, the console manufacturer is continuing the initiative, but upping the free items. While they have already given away Ratchet & Clank for free, PlayStation users will be able to get their hands on 10 other free games, including Horizon Zero Dawn.
Making the announcement on its blog, PlayStation said “PlayStation and some of our favorite indie partners are collaborating to provide more free games to explore while you’re staying safe and staying home”. The games in question, which will be made available for free from the 25th of March, are:
Rez Infinite (PSVR optional)
Abzu
Enter the Gungeon
Subnautica
The Witness
Moss (PSVR)
Astrobot: Rescue Mission (PSVR)
Thumper (PSVR optional)
Paper Beast (PSVR)
On top of all of these great games, starting on the 19th of April, Horizon Zero Dawn will be made available for free to all players. This version is the ‘Complete Edition’ which includes the Frozen Wilds expansion, giving players the full Horizon Zero Dawn experience entirely for free.
Sony’s Play at Home initiative was a welcome surprise when it was introduced last year. This is doubly the case with this year, as the console manufacturer has upped the value even further in a move that is nothing if not purely consumer friendly.
KitGuru says: What do you think of the Play at Home initiative? Will you pick up these games? Which title are you looking forward to the most? Let us know down below.
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Mustafa Mahmoud 2 days ago Console, Featured Tech News, Software & Gaming, Virtual Reality
Sony recently confirmed that it was working on a next-generation version of its popular PlayStation VR headset. At the time, the console manufacturer confirmed that not only would the headset get upgraded, but the controllers too. Now, Sony has revealed these controllers, and they appear to be a major leap in almost every way.
Making the announcement on its blog, PlayStation revealed that “Our new VR controller speaks to our mission of achieving a much deeper sense of presence and stronger feeling of immersion in VR experiences. It will build upon the innovation we introduced with the DualSense wireless controller, which changed how games ‘feel’ on PS5 by unlocking a new way to tap into the sense of touch. Now we’re bringing that innovation to VR gaming.”
These innovations include a new design, which “takes on an ‘orb’ shape that allows you to hold the controller naturally, while playing with a high degree of freedom”. The controllers will also utilise adaptive triggers, just like the Dualsense, which “when you take that kind of mechanic and apply it to VR, the experience is amplified to the next level”. For VR shooters in particular, this feature will likely prove to be very immersive.
Likewise, the controller will feature new haptics similar to that of the Dualsense, but will be “optimized for its form factor, making every sensation in the game world more impactful, textured and nuanced”. The controllers will also feature finger touch detection which “enables you to make more natural gestures with your hands during gameplay.”
Unlike the first PSVR, these controllers will be “tracked by the new VR headset through a tracking ring across the bottom of the controller” which should help with accuracy and maintaining their position within the virtual space.
Last but not least, both controllers will feature analogue sticks, something which the original controllers sorely lacked. The PSVR 2 controllers look to be a massive leap over the original in every single way. Hopefully this will serve to further the immersion that can be achieved from VR.
KitGuru says: Are you excited for PSVR 2? Will you buy it? What do you think of the controllers? Let us know down below.
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Microsoft’s Xbox Series X consoles launched a few months ago, but if you have been keeping up with the news, you know that these consoles are some of the hardest products to buy right now. Those looking for another shot at the $500 Series X can try their luck right now at Best Buy. You will have the option to pay for either console in full or through Xbox All Access, which would allow you to get the console with no upfront cost.
Due to the high demand, the retailer is releasing small waves of inventory for the console every few minutes.
Xbox Series X
$500
Prices taken at time of publishing.
The Xbox Series X is Microsoft’s flagship console, serving as its most powerful (and biggest) option that costs $499.99. While the $299.99 Series S is aimed at smooth 1440p performance, the Series X is focused on fast 4K gameplay.
$500
at Best Buy (Series X)
Once you’ve secured your next-gen Xbox, you might want to buy some additional items, such as games to play on your new console. Several of the most popular games to play on these consoles include third-party titles like Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Additionally, some popular Xbox One titles, such as Forza Horizon 4 and Gears 5, received graphical updates that take advantage of the next-gen hardware.
Of course, if you are unsure what games to buy, you could always subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which gives you access to a slew of first- and third-party titles from various developers and publishers.
A must-have accessory I think is worth buying is an additional Xbox controller if you plan to play couch co-op games with family or friends.
Update March 19th, 2021 1:06 PM ET: Best Buy is not out of stock of the PS5.
If you have been keeping up with PS5 news, you will know that it is nearly impossible to find this console right now because of the short supply and mostly online-only sales. If you want another shot at trying to buy Sony’s next-gen console, you can buy the PS5 with the disc drive right now for $500, while supplies last.
It is important to note that Best Buy is releasing small waves of stock every few minutes to maintain the high demand for this console.
Sony PlayStation 5
$500
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Sony’s flagship next-gen console, starting at $399.99. The biggest difference between both models is the Digital Edition can only play digital games, while the $500 PS5 includes a disc drive, allowing you to play both digital and physical games.
$500
at Best Buy (PS5)
If you are one of the lucky ones to secure your unit in the latest restocks, I have a few suggestions on some additional items you may want to buy. You’ll likely want to buy some games for your new console. The PS5 is home to some of the most popular titles right now, such as Assassin’s Creed Valhallaand the 2020 remake of Demon’s Souls, as well as some other fun games like Spider-Man: Miles Moralesand Sackboy: A Big Adventure.
If you plan to share this console with family and want to play local co-op games, an extra controller is a must-buy.
Some games require an online subscription to play, so a subscription to PlayStation Plus is a good purchase. But you’re not just paying to play most games (excluding free-to-play titles) online, as PS5 users with an active PS Plus subscription also have access to a digital library of PS4 classics thanks to the PlayStation Plus Collection.
OtterBox, the company best known for its ruggedized cases, has developed a $30 clip that can attach your phone to an Xbox controller for playing games. Called the Mobile Gaming Clip, it’s part of a growing trend of accessories for playing cloud-based console games right on your phone. What makes OtterBox’s clip different is it can also work as a phone stand, separate from the controller — although the phone stand feature isn’t quite as robust as what I was hoping for.
OtterBox’s clip is designed specifically for Xbox controllers, and it works with controllers made for the Xbox One, Series X / S, or the Elite Series 2 controller. There’s also a little cutout for the charging port, meaning if you need to connect your Xbox controller to a USB cable, you will not need to remove the clip from the controller. You can also detach the arm from the clip itself and use it as a stand to prop up your smartphone for tabletop gaming, watching movies, or video calls.
With Microsoft rolling out xCloud, it’s partnering with multiple manufacturers to make a variety of mobile gaming accessory companies, including OtterBox, Razer’s Kishi, and 8BitDo’s SN30 Pro for Android, provide different experiences. Microsoft is aiming to ensure there is a big ecosystem of gaming peripherals once its cloud gaming service becomes more widely available.
Setup for the OtterBox Mobile Gaming Clip is straightforward: connect your Xbox controller to your phone, attach the clip to your controller, mount the phone, and start playing. It does require more force than other gaming clips to attach it to the controller. Once you have it properly installed, the clip tightly clasps across the controller, so you don’t have to worry about it getting loose and falling off.
Some mobile gaming clips, like PowerA’s MOGA Mobile Gaming Clip, tend to feel unbalanced, particularly with a big or heavy phone or a phone with a bulkier case. OtterBox’s Mobile Gaming Clip has a better distribution of weight, which made the controller feel a bit more balanced.
One reason for that is OtterBox’s Mobile Gaming Clip has a “rapid adjust feature,” which means you can adjust the angle of your phone when using the clip. The clip’s arm can extend a bit, allowing you to experiment with the angles you prefer. There’s also a latch located on the arm of the Mobile Gaming Clip that allows you to lock it in place so it doesn’t shift around while in use.
There are three claws to keep your phone in place. The bottom claw extends, allowing bigger phones to fit into the accessory by extending a few centimeters. This makes it easy to fit bigger phones into the gaming clip. The claws don’t block me from reaching the volume or power buttons on my iPhone XR, though it is a bit cumbersome to have to unlock my phone while using the mount because it’s sideways in the mount. The design also makes it easy to use a pair of wired earbuds or connect a charger to charge my phone while I continue gaming.
I had to remove a case I was using that had a PopSocket attached in order to securely get my phone in place.
I did have some issues when I tried to mount my phone; the phone case I use primarily has a PopSocket attached in the center, and it added too much thickness and made my phone less secure in the clip, even popping out when I moved the clip even slightly. I ended up having to remove the case from my phone every time I wanted to use the clip. If you don’t have an accessory like a PopSocket on your phone, the clip should work with almost any standard case.
The most interesting feature for OtterBox’s Mobile Gaming Clip is tabletop mode. You can switch from the controller to tabletop mode by detaching the arm to the clip portion of the accessory, allowing you to use the gaming clip as a viewing stand for gaming or even watching movies and TV shows. The tabletop feature is an ambitious idea, but it ends up being more of a kickstand than an actual stand. You have limited ability to adjust the angle of the phone in this mode, and you can’t raise the phone up off the table in any way.
Yet, the option for a tabletop mode does address one of the biggest problems with mobile gaming clips: hand fatigue from the weight of a controller, phone, and clip combined. OtterBox helps solve this problem by allowing you the ability to take a break from the gaming clip but still giving you that freedom to continue gaming on your phone.
Tabletop mode is a great idea that can reduce hand fatigue, but the feature feels mostly like an afterthought.
In the last few years, the cloud and mobile gaming market has become a more exciting space in the industry, with successful free-to-play titles like Call of Duty Mobile and Microsoft truly beginning its push into cloud gaming. As cloud gaming continues to grow, there’s likely going to be a big expansion in the availability and variety of gaming clips like this one. This means if you do not like the current options available on the market, there is a high probability that similar products will be released in the coming months and years.
OtterBox’s Mobile Gaming Clip is not the perfect mobile gaming accessory, but it is one of the better mobile gaming accessories available now. It allows me the option to use a controller I own and not one designed for a specific product (aside from the fact that it has to be an Xbox controller). It’s also a bit more flexible in how to use it when compared to other mobile gaming accessories such as the Razer Kishi, which encloses your phone in a pair of controllers.
At $30, OtterBox’s clip is less expensive than those solutions, but there are still cheaper options if you want to clip your phone to an existing controller. I like how the clip does not feel unbalanced when attached to the controller, and the tabletop mode is interesting. But it ends up feeling like more of an afterthought because of how limited the clip ends up being when used on a table. Yet, the things OtterBox’s Mobile Gaming Clip does right are enough to justify the $5 to $10 price premium compared to other options available on the market.
(Pocket-lint) – The HP Spectre x360 13 is a bit of a dream convertible laptop. Not much has changed in this 2020-2021 version apart from a shift to Intel’s 11th Gen processors. But these bring a significant jump in performance, especially for gaming, with no downsides.
You have plenty of laptops to choose from with this much cash to spend. You could get a (admittedly non-convertible) MacBook Air, a Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, or a Lenovo Yoga 9i (although the Shadow Black model we saw we can’t recommend).
Particular benefits of the HP Spectre x360 13 include an ultra-small footprint, a near-perfect hinge design that’s far more sturdy than most, and a great keyboard. This is a style laptop that doesn’t compromise on the basics, and that matters because no matter how expensive a laptop looks or feels, you always take the outer gloss for granted quickly enough.
Design
Dimensions: 16.9 x 194.5 x 306mm
Weight: 1.3kg (1.28kg measured)
Unibody aluminium shell
HP Spectre laptops are some of the most striking, and perhaps contentious, slim-and-light models we review all year. The HP Spectre x360 13’s look hasn’t changed much in this latest generation, but is still worth a mention.
Pocket-lint
It has a thing for angles – like the 45-degree cut-outs in the corners, and peaked contoured edges. It all gives the Spectre x360 a distinct and angular appearance – but not one that all will instantly like. However, HP tempers the look by keeping everything bar the screen border a sedate silver. A couple more striking two-tone finishes are available if you want to fully embrace the Spectre’s provocative style.
All the HP Spectre x360 13’s panels are aluminium, rather than magnesium. HP could have used the latter to bring the weight below its currently perfectly respectable ~1.3kg. But then you’d lose some of the cool, metallic feel that works hand-in-hand with the laptop’s severe look.
The Spectre x360 13’s build is exceptional too. There is zero keyboard flex, real Apple-grade rigidity, and the integrity of the flippy hinge is best-in-class stuff.
Pocket-lint
Use the rival Samsung Galaxy Book Flex 2 on your knees and you’ll notice the screen actually wobbles slightly from the motion. There’s almost none of that in the Spectre x360.
However, the HP’s footprint is actually one of the most notable things here. The Spectre x360 is tiny for a 13-inch machine, shaving off a significant amount of depth. Some of you won’t appreciate this as much as the sub-1kg weight of lighter alternatives. But it helps this laptop fit in smaller bags or onto cramped tables.
Screen
13-inch IPS LCD touchscreen with stylus support
Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels)
100% sRGB colour, 460-nit brightness
Part of this footprint is down to HP’s cutting down of the screen border at the bottom edge. And, of course, because the HP Spectre x360 13 has a widescreen display rather than the 3:2 aspect ratio some prefer for productivity apps.
Pocket-lint
Are you in that crowd? HP caters for you too, now. Hunt down the 14-inch version of the HP Spectre x360 13, which trades the small footprint for more screen space and a larger touchpad. Yes, a “14 13”, weird naming, isn’t it?
HP sent us the “entry-level” screen version of the HP Spectre x360 13. It has a Full HD IPS LCD screen, rather than the 4K OLED you can get if you’re willing to spend more (and probably sacrifice battery life as a result)
This LCD isn’t a true wide colour gamut screen – but we still think it is great. It delivers very high contrast for this style of display, making blacks look rich and deep even when the brightness is maxed. And that top brightness is high enough to work outdoors comfortably enough.
Resolution is the one obvious shortfall. While 1080p lets you see slight pixellation in text – which is why you might choose to buy a MacBook Air instead – it’s still not a low resolution per se. Where almost all Windows laptops of this type offer 1080p as a starting resolution, and an ultra-high res one as a pricey upgrade, all MacBook Air models have 1600p screens, which wipe out that slight pixellation.
Pocket-lint
The HP Spectre x360 13 also supports a digitiser stylus, with pressure sensitivity. Looking online, it seems you may get one in the box with some packages, but ours didn’t include the stylus (based in the UK, so it may be a regional thing). This doesn’t seem as essential an accessory as it does in the Lenovo Yoga 9i, though, as there’s nowhere to store then pen in the laptop itself.
Keyboard and Touchpad
2-level backlight
Textured glass touchpad
The HP Spectre x360 13 is at heart a pretty straightforward laptop. It’s a good job, then, that HP has the basics aced.
Pocket-lint
For one, it has a very good keyboard. There’s plenty of key travel, zero flex to the keyboard plate, and meaty-but-quiet feedback when you press the keys. This is not necessarily what you’d expect from a style-driven portable laptop in 2021. But HP has not forgotten this element is pretty important for those who actually work eight hours a day in front of the thing.
There’s a two-level backlight for confidence when typing in darker rooms. And the only concession to the Spectre’s low-depth case design is that a row of function buttons are shifted to the right of the keyboard. We guarantee you’ll press Page Up/Down accidentally a hundred times, but you’ll get used to the layout in the end.
The touchpad is trimmed down more substantially to fit the Spectre x360 13’s shape, but is still very good. It has a smooth textured glass surface, and a confident clicker that isn’t affected by pressure places around the pad itself.
Pocket-lint
There’s a hint of pre-click float, which is usually something to complain about. But here it actually seems deliberate, to lend the pad a greater sense of click depth.
The HP Spectre x360 13 also has a little fingerprint scanner, below the arrow keys. It is not as subtle as a pad built into a keyboard key or a power button, but then HP doesn’t exactly have much space to work with here and its responsiveness is sound enough. Plus, as you can see, subtlety isn’t the name of the game when it comes to design.
There’s also, sadly, no room for a good webcam. A 720p camera sits in the screen surround, and it doles out a soft, noisy image like the vast majority of laptops in this class. Puts it on par with a MacBook then, but that’s another way of saying it’s not nearly good enough for this day and age.
Performance
Intel Core i7-1165g7 CPU
16GB DDR4 RAM
512GB Intel Optane SSD
The HP Spectre x360 13 is an Intel Evo laptop. This is a new quality seal from Intel that ensures you get quick-resume from sleep, a Thunderbolt 4 port, fairly fast charging, and good battery life too. And it all revolves around Intel’s 11th Gen processors.
Pocket-lint
Our HP Spectre x360 13 has an Intel Core i7-1165g7 processor with 16GB RAM and a 512GB Intel Optane SSD. This makes Windows 10 fly. And while it doesn’t quite have the raw power of the MacBook Pro’s M1 processor, there are not going to be any compatibility headaches – as this is a more conventional CPU.
Gaming is the most noticeable performance improvement you’ll see in this generation. Laptops like this traditionally use the graphics chipset baked into the main processor, and Intel’s traditionally are not all that good. But the HP Spectre x360 13 has the Intel Xe chipset, which brings performance up to that of an entry-level Nvidia dedicated graphics card.
We’ve tested a bunch of laptops with Xe graphics recently. They let you play Skyrim at Ultra graphics settings, Subnautica at a fairly pretty Medium, Euro Truck Simulator 2 with everything turned on, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance at 900p with good results.
How about GTA V? That runs just fine too, delivering frame rates in the 40s at the default graphics settings. Intel has finally caught up with AMD, delivering results similar to what you’d see in a Ryzen 7 4700U laptop – like the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 – or a last-gen Intel one with a dedicated Nvidia MX350 graphics card.
Pocket-lint
We’ve been waiting for this moment for ages: you can treat a laptop like the HP Spectre x360 13 a bit like a last-gen games console, even though it is not remotely made for the purpose.
The HP Spectre x360 13 is also silent when you do light work that doesn’t tax the processor, causing the fans to start spinning. These latest-generation chipsets seem to have a better handle on heat than their predecessors. It’s not silent when you run GTA V, of course, but avoids the annoying high-pitch whirr you sometimes get with small laptops.
The HP Spectre x360 13’s speakers are reasonable, but not quite as the same level as those of a MacBook Pro or Lenovo Yoga 9i. There’s the small portion of bass that largely separates good speakers from poor ones and the tone is even enough, but maximum volume doesn’t break out of the so-so laptop mould.
Battery Life
60Wh battery
65W charger
USB-C charging
The HP Spectre x360 13 has a 60Wh battery – the same size this series has used for a few generations now. It’s a mid-size battery – which is no surprise given the laptop’s footprint – but lasts very well considering the laptop uses an Intel CPU, which aren’t quite as frugal on power as the latest AMD Ryzen models.
Best laptop 2021: Top general and premium notebooks for working from home and more
By Dan Grabham
·
Pocket-lint
In our hands it lasted 12 hours 15 minutes when streaming video over Wi-Fi at the sort of brightness level you might use indoors. Not bad, right? The Intel Evo mark guarantees nine hours of general use, so the HP Spectre x360 13 is a good way ahead of that.
Its charger is a 65W brick – uh oh, it’s not exactly in keeping with the laptop’s elegant style – but at least it’ll bring the charge to around 50 per cent in a mere half-hour.
Verdict
The HP Spectre x360 13 is a laptop focused on quality. Its build is exceptional. You get the cool and hard feel of aluminium, very low-flex panels and a non-wobbly convertible display hinge. Its keyboard is far better than the thin, clicky designs used in plenty of slim laptops. And while the weight isn’t dramatically low, this laptop’s footprint is among the smallest in its class.
Sure, you don’t get a slot-in stylus and for the deepest display colour you’ll need to upgrade to the 4K OLED version, but HP has aced the parts that affect your day-to-day experience using this machine. Don’t be confused by the funky angular design, HP knows the importance of getting the basics right. Oh, and it costs less than the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, which is an added bonus. It’s top marks all round.
View offer on HP Store (sponsored link)
Also consider
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
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It’s pricier for the same spec, but you have to pay big to get the comparable Dell XPS convertible. It also has a shallower keyboard and a larger footprint, although the touchpad is a lot bigger too, which may appeal.
Read our review
MacBook Air
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Apple doesn’t make a convertible laptop – but the Air is probably the laptop you might consider in this HP’s stead. It has a sharper display and doesn’t use a fan at all, so stays silent 24/7. However, the keyboard is shallower, which may be an issue for those who spend a lot of typing tapping out emails and docs.
If you want another shot at trying to buy either an Xbox Series X or a PlayStation 5, you’re in luck. A Walmart spokesperson told The Verge that the retailer will be restocking the consoles online today, March 18th.
Walmart plans to have inventory for the PS5, the PS5 Digital Edition, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S gaming consoles, with prices ranging from $300 to $500 depending on the model you purchase. The retailer told me that restocks for Xbox Series X / S will begin at 2:30PM ET, while PS5s will be up for purchase beginning at 3PM ET.
For those looking to buy a next-gen Xbox console, you may want to consider picking up some other accessories to get the most out of your console. An additional controller is likely a good purchase. And unlike the PS5, you can purchase a 1TB SSD expansion to add to the Xbox’s base storage (512GB on the Series S, 1TB on the X), though it is not cheap. If you are having trouble deciding on what games to buy, you can always buy a subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which gives you access to a slew of digital games and access to Xbox Live Gold.
Sony PlayStation 5
$400
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Sony’s flagship next-gen console, starting at $399.99. The biggest difference between both models is the Digital Edition can only play digital games, while the $500 PS5 includes a disc drive, allowing you to play both digital and physical games.
$400
at Walmart (Digital Edition)
$500
at Walmart (PS5)
If you plan to buy a PS5 console, there are a few additional items you should pick up to get the most out of your new console. I recommend picking up a second DualSense controller, which is necessary for any in-person multiplayer action. I suggest that early adopters also subscribe to PlayStation Plus, which gives you a few perks, such as free games every month.
Motorola is expanding its Edge Plus flagship phone with a new, desktop computer interface called Ready For. Similar to Samsung’s DeX, Ready For allows users to plug their smartphone into a larger screen (using either a USB-C to USB-C or USB-C to HDMI cable), allowing the Edge Plus (and presumably, future Motorola phones) to be used as a computer or even a set-top box alternative.
The company actually envisions four different use cases for Ready For. On the most basic level, users can convert the Edge Plus into a mobile desktop computer setup, complete with a Bluetooth mouse or keyboard — similar to DeX.
But Motorola also has more interesting ideas for how to use the Edge Plus. One more, for instance, turns the Edge Plus into a videoconference station, using the superior cameras on the smartphone (either the 108-megapixel main lens or the 16-megapixel ultrawide lens) for a better video chat experience.
There are also entertainment options. Players can pair a controller and use the Edge Plus as a makeshift console, either for native mobile games like Fortnite or with game-streaming services like xCloud. Users can also hook up their phone as an easily portable set-top box — Motorola envisions plugging the Edge Plus into a hotel room TV, for instance, giving you access to all your already logged-in streaming apps when you’re traveling without having to worry about your room’s Wi-Fi setup.
Ready For (or DeX) isn’t the first attempt to turn a smartphone into a computer. Mobile phone history is littered with past attempts, like the aborted Palm Foleo or Motorola’s own Atrix 4G’s LapDock accessory. And while Motorola’s use cases here are a little ambitious (and, perhaps, a little optimistic about the number of users who routinely keep HDMI to USB-C cables around), there are certainly more creative ideas for converting a phone to a larger screen beyond a half-baked desktop computer experience.
Motorola’s Ready For experience is set to roll out to Edge Plus users on Verizon starting today.
XFX Radeon RX 6700 XT Speedster Merc 319 is the company’s premium custom-design Radeon RX 6700 XT card debuting today. With this, AMD intends to dominate the performance segment, taking the fight to popular NVIDIA Ampere SKUs such as the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and even RTX 3070. The card is targeted at serious gamers seeking maxed out 1440p gaming, and also supports real-time raytracing, as it supports the full DirectX 12 Ultimate feature-set. It’s based on the same RDNA2 graphics architecture as the RX 6900 XT “Big Navi.”
The latest RDNA2 graphics architecture debuted with next-generation consoles, making its way to the PC with the Radeon RX 6000 series. This gives AMD a unique advantage as game developers optimizing for console also end up doing so for Radeon. AMD’s raytracing architecture involves specialized hardware called Ray Accelerators, which compute ray intersection; while much else of it is handled by the enormous compute muscle of these cards. This also means increased performance in non-raytraced games, as these programmable shaders can be made to do anything.
The Radeon RX 6700 XT is based on the new 7 nm Navi 22 silicon, and maxes it out. The chip is equipped with 40 RDNA2 compute units, which means 2,560 stream processors, 40 Ray Accelerators, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The company has also generationally increased the memory amount to 12 GB, which is certainly welcome, however, the memory bus is narrower at 192-bit. The company worked to overcome this bandwidth deficit by using the fastest 16 Gbps JEDEC-standard GDDR6 memory chips, and deploying its Infinity Cache technology, a fast on-die 96 MB cache located in the GPU, which operates at much higher bandwidths and lower latencies, cushioning data-transfers between the GPU and memory.
The XFX RX 6700 XT Speedster Merc 319 features a large triple-slot, cooling solution with a heatsink that outgrows the PCB not just lengthwise, but also in height, which means a significant amount of airflow from the three fans flows right through, resulting in much better ventilation. The design has certainly come a long way from the THICC series. XFX is giving the card its highest factory OC, running it at 2.65 GHz max boost, up from 2.58 GHz reference. The company is pricing the card at $570 USD, a $90 premium over AMD’s reference price. Both these prices are fantasy in today’s market situation, and one can expect to pick this up closer to $750. In this review, we take the card for a spin across our brand new test bench.
Our Radeon RX 6700 XT launch-day coverage includes six articles including this one. Do check them out! AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (reference) | MSI Radeon RX 6700 XT Gaming X | ASUS ROG Strix Radeon RX 6700 XT OC | Sapphire Radeon RX 6700 XT NITRO+ | PowerColor Radeon RX 6700 XT Red Devil
Sony has announced that the PlayStation 5 will get DVR functionality in Japan by way of a new app that’ll work with its Nasne tuners. The app will be called Torne (pronounced to-ru-ne) and should be available later this year.
Torne was originally a TV tuner add-on for the PS3 that was released in 2010 and allowed you to save broadcast shows to your console’s hard drive and transfer them to a PSP or PS Vita. It was followed by Nasne, which added its own storage and worked more like a NAS drive, with the recordings available through a mobile app.
Sony stopped selling Nasne in 2019, but last year Japanese peripheral manufacturer Buffalo announced that it’d take over the product and release Buffalo-branded versions, with the first models set to ship this spring. The new Nasne still looks like a PS3, just with a Buffalo logo on it; Buffalo is doubling the internal storage to 2TB, however, and tripling external storage capability to 6TB. It’ll go on sale later this month for 29,800 yen (~$270).
Microsoft has once again reiterated that VR support for Xbox was not a focus for the company, following reports earlier today that hinted it was working on a VR headset compatible with the Xbox Series X / S.
The rumor first surfaced after IGN Italy reported that some Italian Xbox users received messages, which translated to “[a]n update for the VR headset is available” and “[u]pdate VR headset,” when connecting the recently released Xbox Wireless Headset to their Xbox Series X or Series S consoles. My colleague, Cameron Faulkner, reviewed the Xbox Wireless headset and did not encounter this pop-up message while using the headset on an Xbox Series X console in the US.
A Microsoft representative told The Verge that “the copy in this error message is inaccurate due to a localization bug,” while again reiterating that “VR for console is not a focus for us at this time.”
Microsoft has yet to explore the VR space for its Xbox consoles. In 2018, the company pulled back on plans to support virtual reality headsets for Xbox in 2018, explaining that it wanted to focus “primarily on experiences you would play on your TV.” In late 2019, Xbox boss Phil Spencer tweeted out that although he played “some great VR games” such as Half-Life: Alyx, console VR was not Xbox’s focus ahead of the Xbox Series X / S release.
Xbox is announcing the next round of games coming to Game Pass, and it’s a pretty stacked deck with games like Undertale and Octopath Traveler, both of which are coming to Xbox for the first time.
Coming to all the Game Pass platforms (cloud, console, and PC) are:
Undertale (available today)
Empire of Sin (Available March 18th)
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (March 25th)
Narita Boy (March 30th)
Coming to just cloud and console is Outriders (April 1st), and coming to just console and PC are Octopath Traveler and Genesis Noir, both on March 25th.
The PC is also getting some love, with a few of games being added to the platform that were previously not available to PC Game Pass subscribers:
Nier: Automata (March 18th)
Torchlight III (March 18th)
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire – Ultimate Edition (March 25th)
Supraland (March 25th)
And finally, as if there weren’t enough games, Star Wars: Squadrons will be available on EA Play for console players starting on March 18th. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will have access to the game through the included EA Play subscription.
Overall, there are some great games in here if you’re a Game Pass subscriber, whether you stream your games, play them on console or PC, or some of each. Undertale coming to the service (and platform) feels like a finally, given the game’s incredible popularity and the fact that it’s been available on most platforms for a while now (it was released on the PlayStation Vita almost three years ago). The game was first released in 2015.
Of course, many of these games are also becoming available for purchase on the Xbox as well, for those who prefer owning their games. And, as always, there must be some sort of balance in the universe, so three games will be leaving Game Pass on March 31st: HyperDot, Journey to the Savage Planet, and Machinarium. If you’ve been meaning to play any of those titles, it’s probably time to hop on it!
Tightly curved monitors like the MSI MPG Artymis 343CQR can really enhance gameplay, especially in first-person environments. With class-leading contrast, accurate out-of-box color and superb HDR, the 343CQR should be on everyone’s curved screen short list.
For
High contrast
Accurate out-of-box color
Solid gaming performance
1000R curve
Against
Slightly light gamma
Blur reduction feature makes the screen too bright
Higher input lag than some 144 Hz screens
Features and Specifications
In the world of curved monitors, there are more things to consider than just screen size. Not only are there three different aspect ratios, 16:9, 21:9 and 32:9, they also come in a wide variety of curve radii. This number is expressed in millimeters like 1500R or 1800R. Larger numbers indicate less curvature. When you see 1000R, you know the curve is as extreme as it gets
MSI has jumped on the 1000R train with its MPG Artymis 343CQR. In addition to that tight curve, it sports a high-contrast VA panel running at 3440×1440 resolution with USB-C, HDR support, Adaptive-Sync and an impressive 165 Hz refresh rate worthy of competing with the best gaming monitors. Selling for a premium price ($900 as of writing), the 343CQR is a sharply focused display that is at its best when gaming — going even as far as to include an aim magnifier for shooters.
MSI MPG Artymis 343CQR Specs
Panel Type / Backlight
VA / W-LED, edge array
Screen Size, Aspect Ratio & Curve
34 inches / 21:9
Curve radius: 1000mm
Max Resolution & Refresh
3440×1440 @ 165 Hz
FreeSync: 48-165 Hz
Native Color Depth & Gamut
10-bit (8-bit+FRC) / DCI-P3
DisplayHDR 400, HDR10
Response Time (MPRT)
1ms
Brightness (mfr)
SDR: 350 nits
HDR: 550 nits
Contrast (mfr)
3,000:1
Speakers
None
Video Inputs
1x DisplayPort 1.4
2x HDMI 2.0
1x USB-C
Audio
3.5mm headphone output
USB 3.2
1x up, 2x down
Power Consumption
32.6w, brightness @ 200 nits
Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base
31.3 x 16.5-20.5 x 12.4 inches (795 x 419-521 x 315mm)
Panel Thickness
6.5 inches (165mm)
Bezel Width
Top/sides: 0.4 inch (9mm)
Bottom: 0.9 inch (22mm)
Weight
20.2 pounds (9.2kg)
Warranty
3 years
The 343CQR is all about gaming with support for AMD FreeSync from 48-165 Hz. It’s not G-Sync Compatible-certified, but we still got Nvidia G-Sync to work (see our How to Run G-Sync on a FreeSync Monitor article for instructions).
MSI’s specs sheet includes nearly 85% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut. You’ll be using that gamut for all content, SDR and HDR alike, because there is no sRGB mode available.
MSI designed the 343CQR with consoles in mind too. It will accept 4K resolution signals and down-convert them to 3440 x 1440 resolution. The 343CQR is also the first monitor we’ve seen with HDMI CEC (Consumer Electronics Control). Originally developed to support universal remotes, the CEC implementation in this monitor is designed to sense whether the incoming signal is coming from a PC or a console and adjust its picture mode based on designated profiles. The feature supports both PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.
Assembly and Accessories of MSI MPG Artymis 343CQR
To assemble the MSI MPG Artymis 343CQR, the panel and upright are mated with four fasteners, so you’ll need to have a Phillip’s head screwdriver handy. Next, you attach the base with a captive bolt. The resulting package is rock-solid and shows impressive build quality. It certainly meets the standard one expects for the price.
Bundled cables include IEC for the internal power supply, DisplayPort, HDMI and USB. A small snap-on cover hides the panel’s mounting hardware. And if you’d rather use a monitor arm, the bolt holes are in a 100mm VESA pattern with large-head bolts included. In a nice touch, a small hook snaps onto the bottom of the panel to help manage your best gaming mouse’s cable.
MSI MPG Artymis Product 360
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(Image credit: MSI)
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(Image credit: MSI)
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(Image credit: MSI)
From the front, the MSI MPG Artymis 343CQR is all business with a thin flush bezel around the top and sides and a molded strip across the bottom adorned only with a small MSI logo. A tiny LED appears red in standby mode and white when the power’s on. Around the back right is a joystick and two buttons. One activates the Gaming OSD (on-screen display) app, and the other toggles power.
The upright is very solid with a stiff-moving 4-inch height adjustment. You also get 30 degrees swivel to both sides and 5/20 degrees tilt. There isn’t even a hint of slop or wobble. A small hole helps tidy up cables. The base is solid metal with thin legs that go more than 1 foot deep. That, combined with the fact that the panel’s 6.5-inch thick means you’ll need a bit of extra desktop space to accommodate the 343CQR.
From the top, you can see the 1000R curvature clearly. That radius means that if you made a circle from 343CQRs, it would be just two meters in diameter. If you have the room for three of them, they’ll wrap around almost 180 degrees. They would make a great flight simulator or, perhaps, a solid solution for a Zwift (cycling virtual training app) setup.
The back of the MSI MPG Artymis 343CQR is styled nicely with a variety of different textures and an RGB effect that shows as a strip and MSI shield graphic with a dragon. The color breaths gently through different shades. You can turn it on and off in the OSD and control it ever further with the Gaming OSD app. You can also sync up the lighting effect with that of other MSI products that support the vendor’s Mystic Light-branded RGB. That way, you can create a custom light show with everything working in concert.
The input panel includes two HDMI 2.0 ports that support refresh rates up to 100 Hz with Adaptive-Sync and HDR. Meanwhile, the DisplayPort 1.4 and USB-C inputs accept 165 Hz signals, also with HDR and Adaptive-Sync. There are no built-in speakers, but you get a 3.5mm audio port for headphones.
OSD Features of MSI MPG Artymis
Pressing the joystick brings up the MSI MPG Artymis 343CQR’s OSD,which is divided into seven sub-menus. There are plenty of gaming features as well as most of what you’ll need for calibration.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The Gaming menu offers five picture modes. Four are game genre-specific, and there’s also the default mode, User. User’s the mode to pick because it delivers solid accuracy with no need for calibration. There are a few minor flaws, but the 343CQR definitely makes our Calibration Not Required list.
The Night Vision option is a shadow detail enhancer. We didn’t need it because the monitor’s black levels are both deep and richly detailed. Response Time is a three-level overdrive. Fast, the middle setting, is best. Next, MPRT is a backlight strobe that reduces motion blur and cancels out Adaptive-Sync.
It also pegs the brightness at over 860 nits, which is unusual. You can reduce this with the contrast control, but that removes much of the picture’s depth and quality. We recommend sticking with Adaptive-Sync and leaving MPRT off. Finally, Zero Latency should always be turned on for the lowest possible input lag.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Additional features include a frame rate indicator, alarm clock, aiming points and an Optix Scope feature. This is geared at fans of first-person shooters and lets you magnify the area underneath your crosshair in multiple levels using hot keys. As this will take some finessing to execute smoothly and without slowing down your gameplay, it won’t be for everyone.
The OSD will always show you the MSI MPG Artymis 343CQR’s signal status at the top with resolution, refresh rate, HDR status, FreeSync status and the active video input.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The Image menu offers three color temperature presets, plus a User mode. Normal is the default and best choice. We were unable to make a visual improvement to the color temp with calibration. The test numbers show a tiny gain but not one that can be seen with the naked eye. The only thing we wished for was a gamma control. The default luminance curve is a tad light, though that’s somewhat mitigated by the 343CQR’s extremely high contrast.
Calibration Settings of MSI MPG Artymis 343CQR
You can simply unpack the MSI MPG Artymis 343CQR, plug it in and enjoy. The image is very accurate by default — even the brightness is already set close to 200 nits in the User picture mode. We attempted a calibration and made no visible improvement.
Our settings are below if you want to try them. Note that in the User color temp, the RGB sliders start at 50%, which reduces brightness by roughly that amount. We turned them all up to 100%, then adjusted from there to achieve maximum dynamic range.
Picture Mode
User
Brightness 200 nits
49
Brightness 120 nits
6 (min. 109 nits)
Contrast
70
Color Temp User
Red 100, Green 93, Blue 93
HDR signals lock out all picture controls. You can still access the modes, but changing them does not affect the image. HDR grayscale runs a tad red, but the EOTF is spot-on, as is the color tracking. The 343CQR also uses dynamic contrast to achieve tremendous contrast for HDR content.
Gaming and Hands-on with MSI MPG Artymis 343CQR
At 1000R, the MSI MPG Artymis 343CQR is as curvy as a gaming monitor gets today. At first, we noticed a little image distortion when working in productivity apps, like word processors and spreadsheets. However, we got used to the look after a short time.
When browsing the web, that distortion became unnoticeable. The monitor’s image is sharp and contrast-y enough to overshadow any horizontal line curvature. It’s best to set the panel exactly vertical with no back or forward tilt. By adjusting the height so our eyes were centered, it made all parts of the screen equidistant from the body. The 343CQR is perfectly usable for workday tasks.
Color was nicely balanced with slightly more than sRGB saturation but not so much that it looked unnatural. MSI has tuned the gamut so it renders SDR content more accurately without the need to switch color spaces, a capability the MSI MPG Artymis 343CQR lacks. When HDR was on, color looked far more vibrant, as it should. This is one of the few monitors that you could leave in HDR mode all the time for Windows apps. Brightness is reasonable with the highest levels reserved only for small highlights.
The monitor also supports 10-bit color, though the panel uses Frame Rate Conversion to achieve this. Despite the internal upconversion, we didn’t see any banding artifacts.
Gaming tests started with our usual trip through Tomb Raider, which clipped along at a sprightly 165 fps on a Radeon RX 5700 XT and GeForce RTX 3090. Both FreeSync and G-Sync worked without a hitch. The MSI MPG Artymis 343CQR’s middle overdrive setting, Fast, struck the best balance between ghosting and blur reduction. The MPRT backlight strobe feature also worked well at reducing blur without artifacts but at the cost of a very bright and overly harsh image. Playing games at over 800 nits peak grew tiring after a short time.
Engaging HDR for a few hours of Call of Duty: WWII proved to be a singular experience. The MSI MPG Artymis 343CQR nears equalling a FALD display when it comes to HDR contrast and color. Every hue, down to the murkiest greens and browns, leapt from the screen. Black levels seemed almost OLED-like in their depth and detail, offset by perfectly balanced highlight areas. Color accuracy was also top-notch. Though we noted a slight red tint during the grayscale tests, it did not affect games or movies we played. This is one of the best HDR monitors we’ve seen in a while.
If you download MSI’s Dragon Center software, you can also use the 343CQR’s Sound Tune feature which uses “AI calculations” to block out background noise coming through a plugged in headset. Since it requires software and many of the best gaming headsets include similar tech on their own, its usefulness will vary depending on the gamer.
Another unique feature comes in what MSI calls Mobile Projector. It lets you display your phone’s screen in a 5:9 column on the side of the monitor. Although having your phone on your computer screen could generally be distracting, if you have a specific task that requires using both your smartphone and PC, this could come in handy.
Chances are that there are planes flying over your house right now. Using a Raspberry Pi, a device known as an ADS-B receiver, and a standard projector, we can create our very own “radar” that shows the real time location of these aircraft and, if we have a projector, we can project it on the ceiling. Otherwise, we can track it on a regular screen.
About ADS-B Technology
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Lots of aircraft are outfitted with a device known as an ADS-B. Standing for “Automatic Dependant Surveillance-Broadcast”, it’s a technology that allows aircraft to transmit positional information about themselves to other aircraft, ground-based stations, and even satellite-based stations. For smaller planes where it isn’t feasible to install more complicated collision-avoidance technologies, an ADS-B transmitter and receiver can do a lot to increase flight safety.
Aircraft outfitted with ADS-B transmitters (which is becoming law in more and more countries), transmit a variety of positional data like altitude, GPS coordinates, and ground speed data. Fortunately for us, all the data is transmitted on a standard frequency and it’s unencrypted. This means with a small USB dongle and a Raspberry Pi, we can listen in to the positional information of aircraft nearby
What You’ll Need For This Project
Raspberry Pi 4 or Raspberry Pi 3 with power adapter
8 GB (or larger) microSD card withRaspberry Pi OS. See our list of best microSD cards for Raspberry Pi.
ADS-B Receiver Kit (Antenna and USB dongle) like this one.
Monitor or Projector with HDMI and power cables. If you want to project on the ceiling, you’ll need a projector.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
How to Track Local Airplanes with Raspberry Pi
Before you get started, make sure that you have your Raspberry Pi OS set up. If you haven’t done this before see our article on how to set up a Raspberry Pi for the first time or how to do a headless Raspberry Pi install (without the keyboard and screen).
1. Update Raspberry Pi OS by entering the commands below at the command prompt. This almost goes without saying, but is a good practice.
sudo apt-get update -y
sudo apt-get upgrade -y
2. Install the base components we’ll need to communicate with the ADS-B receiver and display aircraft positions using Python.
3. Clone the dump1090 repository into your home directory. Dump1090 is a decoder that will let us decode ADS-B messages into readable JSON.
cd ~/
git clone https://github.com/flightaware/dump1090.git
4. Build dump1090. This may take a bit of time depending on your type of raspberry pi.
cd dump1090
make
5. Connect your ADS-B receiver to the Raspberry Pi’s USB port.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
6. Run dump1090 from within its directory.
./dump1090 --interactive
You should see a table appear in your console with various rows filled with data for overhead airplanes, including their altitude and flight number.
Now that we’ve got our ADS-B decoder installed, we can download the projection code. I wrote a simple program using python and the pygame library that displays the real-time location of aircraft, as well as their flight number and altitude (all from dump1090) on your display. You’re more than welcome to modify it or build your own.
7. Clone the Raspberry Pi Flight Tracker git.
cd ~/
git clone https://github.com/rydercalmdown/raspberry_pi_flight_tracker.git
8. Set up a virtual environment with python3 for the flight tracker.
cd raspberry_pi_flight_tracker
virtualenv -p python3 env
9. Activate the virtual environment, and install python requirements.
10. Rename the environment.sample.sh to environment.sh and open the new file for editing.
mv environment.sample.sh environment.sh
# edit the file with nano
nano environment.sh
11. Edit the file to set the values for your current latitude and longitude, along with maximum latitude and longitude. The maximums will determine how much of the area around your location to display. An easy way to get your latitude and longitude values is to use Google Maps. First, find your location and right click it to display a menu – click the latitude and longitude values to copy them to your clipboard.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Next, zoom out from your current location. Pick a spot north of your current location and copy the value to your clipboard. Then copy the first value (latitude) into your environment.sh file as LAT_MAX (shown below as 43.680222). Do the same with a spot south of your current location, and fill in the first value in your environment.sh file as LAT_MIN. These values represent how far tracking extends north and south of your location.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Next, pick a spot west of your current location, and copy the coordinates to the clipboard. Use the second value (viewed above as -79.49174) to fill in the LON_MAX value. Do the same with a spot east of your location, and LON_MIN. These values represent how far tracking extends east-west from your current location.
When completed, your environment.sh file should look something like this (with your coordinates).
12. Start the dump1090 server and the projection code using the same command:
bash entrypoint.sh
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
If all goes well, after a moment you’ll be greeted with a blank screen with a dot in the center indicating your current position, and aircraft around you will show up as moving dots across the screen as their signal appears.
If you’re having trouble getting a signal, try moving your antenna to where it has a clear view of the sky, like an upstairs window.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
13. If you’re using a projector, point it at the ceiling and line up the top of the screen with your magnetic north.
And there you have it. Your own personal aircraft “radar” system.
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Microsoft’s new $99 Xbox Wireless headset isn’t perfect, but it’s the best attempt at being an Xbox gaming headset and an everyday set of wireless headphones I’ve tried yet. It’s compatible with the Xbox Wireless protocol, making it easy to pair with any Xbox One or Xbox Series X / S console. It’s also compatible with Bluetooth (version 4.2, SBC codec), and better yet, it can connect through both protocols simultaneously. So you can take a call or have audio from any app come through from a phone, tablet, or a PC mixed in with the sound coming from your Xbox console.
This is far from the first gaming headset to do this, or even do it well. Microsoft’s latest headset just stands out as being particularly impressive for the number of things it gets right for $99. Its design is stellar, a logical fit in the company’s headphone lineup. Next to the Series X, it looks the part with a touch of glossy green detailing around the ear cup dials, covered in matte black plastic. The little holes in the recessed areas between the faux leather ear pads and the dials seem to be there just for cosmetic reasons, but it looks fantastic nevertheless.
Crucially, these are comfortable, even though my head size nearly pushes them to their size limits. The sidearms require two hands to make adjustments, which I like. There’s no worry that they’ll resize just from being moved around. And while I wish this model had a bungee-style headband and swiveling ear cups like most SteelSeries headsets, not having these features didn’t equate to comfort issues here.
In addition to how the headset looks, its functionality is similar to the Surface Headphones, with twistable dials on the outside of each ear cup for adjusting elements of the audio. Unlike the company’s more premium headphones, there’s no active noise cancellation here (I’d complain, but they’re $99), though the passive noise isolation is better than average for this price. The left dial acts as a chat and game audio mixer, so you can tune your playmates down a bit during a dialogue-heavy cutscene or vice versa. I appreciate that Microsoft put it front and center. On the other dial is the volume control. Twist to increase or decrease, nice and simple — no buttons necessary.
Over on the right ear cup, there’s a USB-C port for charging. Microsoft includes a USB-C to USB Type-A cable to charge it, but you’ll get all of the same headset features if you plug into a Windows 10 machine with your own USB-C to USB-C cable. That’s not the case when plugged into a MacBook Pro, which won’t work over a wired connection with the headset. You can still connect to a macOS device and use the headset over Bluetooth, though.
There are only two buttons on the headset: one to manually mute the bendable microphone (an LED on the inner section of the boom microphone angled toward your face is illuminated when the mic is hot), and another that serves as the all-in-one pairing and power button, both of which reside on the left ear cup. Most gaming headsets require days of continued use to fully learn their respective button layouts, but this one’s dead simple. I would have taken one more button if it served as a multifunction button to control my device over Bluetooth, but Microsoft has limited the headset to just two buttons. There’s no way to independently control, say, a phone outside of just adjusting the volume.
The sound performance from this headset is better than I expected. During my tests, I listened to Spotify, and the music sounded good enough to stick with this headset instead of automatically reaching for my Sony 1000XM3s. People with a knack for stellar audio quality will find quibbles, like that the sound can come off as muddled at times, and the soundstage isn’t as expansive as you’d find in a more expensive set of headphones. But again, these are $99 and meant for gaming first. And for that price, I’m pleased.
Hopping over to gaming, I instantly booted up Doom (2016) on the Series X. The soundtrack and all of the various hellish sound effects have an adequate amount of crunch and punch, and I was head-banging to the music while I played. It sounded as it was intended to sound, though, again, the same nitpicks apply here as they do for music. When there’s a lot happening in the mid and high frequencies, the sound can lack clarity if you’re listening closely. I didn’t notice that as much in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, for instance. This headset works with the Dolby Atmos (Microsoft is giving buyers a trial of Dolby Atmos with purchase that will last until the end of September) and DTS: X paid apps available for Xbox and PC, which might enhance the sound. But for the purposes of this review, I tested just the out-of-the-box experience.
The battery life and range are competitive with other gaming headsets I’ve tested in this price range. Microsoft claims 15 hours per charge, and both times I ran the non-replaceable battery down during testing, it lasted for about that long. I was able to roam about my studio apartment, straying about 25 feet or so from the Xbox without experiencing any drop-outs. It started cutting out when the signal had to go through multiple walls, but that’s to be expected. As for charge speeds, Microsoft says it can gain four hours of use out of a 30-minute charge, or a full charge in three hours. In case you were wondering, you can use the Xbox Wireless headset while it’s being charged, but obviously, it’ll then take longer to recharge.
To give you a sense of how this headset handles connections, I first paired the Xbox Wireless headset to my PC with Microsoft’s USB Wireless Adapter (not included with this headset, but it operates on the same Xbox Wireless protocol as the consoles) for music and to take some video calls. Pairing the headset required pressing and holding the pair button for four seconds and doing the same to the Wireless Adapter. To use them on the Xbox Series X, I had to run through the same process. Frustratingly, the headset can’t handle juggling between two previously paired devices that use the Xbox Wireless protocol, so I had to manually re-pair it when I wanted to hop between my PC and the Xbox. I don’t want to overblow this issue, though. Microsoft’s pairing process for Xbox accessories is very simple. This won’t be a problem at all if you connect to your PC via Bluetooth (as I imagine most people will) since the headset can connect to both concurrently.
If you’re someone who’s likely to lean heavily on the concurrent wireless connection feature, I like that this headset automatically lowers the audio streaming from the Xbox Wireless protocol device when a call is incoming so you can hear it. You can adjust the volume of just your Bluetooth device with its own controls, but not from the headset itself. Cranking the volume with the dial makes it louder for both devices you’re connected to.
The Xbox Accessories app on PC and Xbox lets you fine-tune adjustments.
The level of customization this headset allows is also impressive for the price. Through the Xbox Accessories app for Windows 10 or Xbox, you can adjust the equalizer (movie, music, game, heavy bass, and speech are the presets, or make your own) and boost the bass. Additionally, there’s an auto-mute feature that can mute noises happening in your surroundings. There are three levels (low, medium, and high), and Microsoft says each step up will increase how aggressively the mic mutes things that aren’t your voice. During a video call, it seemed to work as intended, if not better than I expected. The person on the other end said that my speech wasn’t getting cut off, which is something that can happen with these kinds of features, and that happenings in the background weren’t noticeable. Of course, the effectiveness of this auto-mute feature can vary depending on your household situation. If you’re skeptical, it’s easy enough to just tap the mute button to avoid potential embarrassment.
Two other small but cool features in the Xbox Accessories app let you tweak how bright the mute light is, making it easier to see in your peripheral vision. You can also customize the level of mic monitoring or how much outside sound is fed through the mics and then funneled into your ears.
Up until now, the $150 Razer Kaira Pro was the Xbox-specific headset I told people to get because it’s comfortable, and it supports Bluetooth in addition to the Xbox Wireless protocol. Microsoft’s new Xbox Wireless headset is well ahead of that model in terms of design, ease of use, and functionality — all in a more affordable package.
If it fits my head and can also fit around the Series X, it should fit you fine.
If Microsoft is to be judged compared to Sony on how well it designed a headset to accompany its latest consoles — as it inevitably will be — this one handily edges out the Pulse 3D even though they’re the same price. Sony’s model is comfortable and looks equally dashing next to the console it was made for, and it has a 3.5mm headphone jack and 3D Audio support in its court. But it’s tough to compete with the Bluetooth support and button-lite design built into Microsoft’s model. I would have loved it if a USB dongle was included for more support with devices, like the Nintendo Switch. But by design, it can’t connect to other gaming consoles. Microsoft is keeping this one in the family. If you’re in the family, though, you’re in for a treat.
Photography by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge
Correction: The Xbox Wireless headset can get four hours of use from a 30-minute charge. This review incorrectly stated that a 15-minute charge could get you three hours of use. We regret this error.
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