Input Devices
Written by Lersar Tuesday, 16 March 2010 00:00
Microsoft's Sidewinder line, specialized gaming peripherals for the PC, is starting to see quite a few pieces in it's roster. You may recall the Sidewinder X6, their first keyboard made entirely themselves, with several great features that appeal to gamers. This month will see the launch of the new Sidewinder X4, and Microsoft has sent a sample to check out.
Written by garfi3ld Wednesday, 10 February 2010 00:00
For most PC gamers, the best part about playing on a PC over console is the added control and flexibility of using a mouse and keyboard. More specifically the mouse gives you the amazing control that just can't be found with a gamepad. The keyboard, although flexible, has always been used for typing first and gaming second. A few companies have brought out gameboards that replace the keyboard all together giving you access to all of the buttons needed without any of the extras. Logitech's G13 is their first attempt at a gamepad and with all of their experience with gaming accessories, I have high hopes.
Written by garfi3ld Thursday, 07 January 2010 00:00
In the past, I have compared some of the best mice in the industry to Razer's DeathAdder. No matter the competition, the DeathAdder always holds its own. Recently Razer decided to give the DeathAdder a slight renovation with a 3500DPI sensor update. Considering how much I've loved my DeathAdder let's hope they didn't mess with the winning formula!
Written by garfi3ld Friday, 11 December 2009 00:00
Everyone's idea of a high-end gaming keyboard is different. Logitech has taken the LCD route for some time with their G15. The ability to have extra information showing while in a game can be helpful. Of course to follow up the G15 they had to really up their game, and because of that we have the G19. The smaller LCD screen of the G15 was given an upgrade to a larger full color screen and the ability to change the lighting to any color. Today I'll be taking a closer look at the G19: is it really the gaming monster Logitech makes it out to be?
Written by garfi3ld Thursday, 24 September 2009 03:08
When Cooler Master introduced their Storm product line at the start of this year they came out swinging with products designed specifically for gamers and LAN-goers. The one two punch they call the Sniper and Scout got everyone's attention and they are now backing them up with their first venture into the peripheral market; the Storm Sentinel. The secret behind the Sniper and Scout was Cooler Master working close with pro and enthusiast gamers to fine tune and tweak them until they were perfect. If that same process went into the Sentinel Razer and Logitech may want to listen.
Written by garfi3ld Friday, 04 September 2009 05:01
When it comes to mice and keyboards gaming or otherwise there is one company everyone recognizes. Logitech is by far the largest peripheral manufacture in the world. In fact December of last year they produced their Billionth mouse, that's a lot of mice! They have also made a name for themselves with the G series of gaming peripherals including the popular g15 and g5. Today I have the chance to take a look at the G9x, Logitech's most recently released gaming mouse. I should have high hopes considering its family, but I can't help to be a little unsure. I was a big fan of the g5's shape and the G9x doesn't resemble the g5 at all, so who knows.
Written by garfi3ld Thursday, 06 August 2009 00:55
![RGTFFBclutchProduct800x600 [lr] [lrsm]](http://lanoc.org/reviews/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/RGTFFBclutchProduct800x600-lr-lrsm.jpg "RGTFFBclutchProduct800x600 [lr] [lrsm]")
A few weeks ago when I was getting ready to review the Evolution from Playseats I was on the hunt to find a Steering wheel to test with it. Thrustmaster was kind enough to send their RGT Force Feedback Clutch out to use with it. After a few weeks of pretending I'm the Stig I was finally able to pull myself away long enough to do some work. After all they didn't just send it to me for me to have fun.
Written by garfi3ld Thursday, 18 June 2009 01:12
![IMG_4700 [lr] [lrsm]](http://lanoc.org/reviews/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/IMG_4700-lr-lrsm.JPG "IMG_4700 [lr] [lrsm]")
In the past I have reviewed multiple Microsoft Sidewinder products including the X5 and X8 mice. I was impressed with the performance and features of both specifically with the wireless X8. The only problem is not everyone can afford to throw down the money for the gaming mice that are coming out. Prices for some high end gaming mice are over $100 now, add that to the other costs of a gaming rig and you are talking to much money for most gamers. Microsoft recognized this with the x5 making a mouse with all of the great features and a better price. Of course to some the x5 is still out of range, this is where the new x3 comes in. Price a little higher than a basic mouse, but with almost all of the same features found on the x5 and x8 at a regular mouse price the x3 promises to be a great value for budget minded gamers.
Written by garfi3ld Thursday, 11 June 2009 06:36
Not long ago I had the chance to take a close look at Microsoft's Sidewinder X8. One of the X8's main features was the BlueTrack Technology used with its optical sensor that boasts the ability to work on virtually any surface. In my testing I found this to be true, but not really needed in a gaming mouse. BlueTrack Technology would be perfect for portable use in a laptop mouse where you never know what surface you will be using as a mouse pad. Today I have the chance to test out this theory because Microsoft's new Explorer Mini mouse using BlueTrack and I will be putting it to the test.
Written by garfi3ld Friday, 29 May 2009 05:55
After living with an HTPC as a main source of television for months now I quickly learned that a wired mouse and keyboard just weren't going to cut it. In the world of wireless keyboards and mice there is an almost endless selection, a quick search on Newegg turned up round 100 keyboards alone. Of those 100 most of them have limited or no media center controls that are key features for an HTPC. One of setups that stood out was Microsoft's Entertainment Desktop 7000 with Bluetooth, a wireless mouse included, and media center controls. Today I will talk about my experience spending time with this setup, did it live up to my expectations?
Written by garfi3ld Monday, 11 May 2009 05:01
Alright, it's time to come clean. You can't deny harboring some inner desire to fly. Unfortunately for humans as a species, we have all the the aerodynamics of a rock covered in silly string. We are resilient, however, determined if you will, to dominate the skies. Thus we fashioned great metal birds in order to pioneer yet another glorious frontier. This innate desire to fly, and by proxy, pilot aircraft has translated into our entertainment with the Flight Simulator franchise and games like Tom Clancy's HawX. Of course, on terms of reality, navigating a plane with any stock system controller is bunk. Real cockpits are a literal slew of devices and mechanism all used to prevent the craft from going nose down. So for a more interesting and realistic flight experience, manufacturers have been developing special controllers for quite some time, in an effort to simulate as true of a flight experience as best as possible. Thrustmaster, ever adept as they are at creating desirable peripherals, have a few such products and were kind enough to send us their T.Flight Hotas X to take for a spin.
Written by garfi3ld Tuesday, 14 April 2009 04:44
Last week I looked at both Microsoft's Sidewinder X5 mouse and Sidewinder X6 keyboard. Both surprised me with their near perfect windows integration along with quality construction. To cap off our coverage of the current sidewinder lineup Microsoft provided us with their most recent mouse the X8. The Sidewinder X8 is Microsoft's first attempt at a wireless gaming mouse available just in time to battle it out with the Razer Mamba that is also wireless. With their new blue optical technology first seen in the new explorer mouse called BlueTrack along with learning from feedback from the X5 they hope to turn a lot of heads and finally garner attention from gamers the way Logitech, Steel Series, and Razer have been able too.
Written by garfi3ld Thursday, 09 April 2009 11:51
Earlier this week I looked at Microsoft's Sidewinder X5 Gaming Mouse, as it turns out they make more than just mice with the Sidewinder name. The Sidewinder X6 is the first gaming keyboard created from the ground up by Microsoft, there previous keyboard the Reclusa was a collaboration with our friends at Razer similar to what they did with the Habu mouse. Of course I'm always excided to take a look at new keyboards, I don't think I've ever found the perfect keyboard for me. With Microsoft's experience and quality, who knows this could be the one for me.
Written by garfi3ld Monday, 06 April 2009 13:30
For years before I got into gaming I used my trusty ol mouse and keyboard, both being Microsoft products. The Intellimouse itself held up to multiple beatings without a hiccup. I know a lot of people who have stood by their Microsoft peripherals for everyday computing. It's no shock that with the gaming market growing that Microsoft followed suit with their Sidewinder Series. With their original sidewinder mouse it was always a love or hate reaction. Personally, I was never a fan, but keeping an open mind today I will be taking a closer look at their Sidewinder X5 mouse. Who knows they may win me over!
Written by garfi3ld Monday, 16 March 2009 05:36
Last July i had the chance to take a look at Kensington's Si670m bluetooth mouse. I have been using that same mouse up until now, our friends over at Kensington sent me their Slim Blade Presenter Mouse to take a look at. A drastically different design than the Si670m that I enjoyed. How will it compare? Will this become my new laptop mouse?
Written by garfi3ld Friday, 27 February 2009 06:15
Steelseries is well known for being a quality gaming peripheral company. Their headsets and mouse pads are seen all over any just about any lanpartys or tournament that you go to. Up until last year their mouse line was basically a Microsoft mouse with a paint job. Designing a mouse takes time, and designing a mouse of the caliber of their other products takes a lot of time, fifteen months in fact. A year later we finally have a chance to take a look at the Ikari Laser to see if the time they invested was worth it.
Written by garfi3ld Monday, 26 January 2009 08:51
As much of a fan of Razer products that I have been I have yet to own one of their keyboards. When they brought out the Tarantula keyboard I seriously considered picking one up. But after testing one out I decided to go with the 2nd generation G15 that I still use. Because of this I was really excited when our friends at Razer asked if we wanted to take a look at their new keyboard (ok so I may have begged a little). Today I am going to tell you my experiences with this new keyboard, will it live up to the hype of all of the other Razer products?
Written by garfi3ld Tuesday, 02 December 2008 00:40
When gamers are looking for mice there are only a few company's you think of. One of the big names in gaming mice is Razer. Razer made a name for themselves by making high DPI mice at a time that 400dpi was main stream. Razer's latest high DPI mouse is the Lachesis (‘lak- -s s), with 4000 Dpi it's a far cry from the old days. Today we are going to test out the Lachesis and find out how it performs.
Written by garfi3ld Monday, 17 November 2008 07:20
Most people would be amazed at the difference in performance that a good mouse and mouse pad can give you. It might seem like something stupid, and I understand why you would feel that way. You have been using that same basic mouse for years without any issues. When you finally decide to step up to a gaming mouse normally your options are limited to Logitech and Razer, they are both great options. Recently Silverstone has brought out a mouse of their own call the Raven. With a long list of features along with the eye-catching blue thumb scroll wheel and the carbon fiber, it's sure to get your attention. We spent a few weeks living with the mouse to see how it compares to some of its competitors.
Written by garfi3ld Tuesday, 28 October 2008 05:07
Considering how everyone has a different idea of what is perfect for keyboards its really not a surprise that so many companies claim to sell the ultimate keyboard. Of all of those keyboards there is only one that is rumored to improve your typing ability. All at the same time using some of the best possible components to give you the durability any hard core computer geek will need. Das Keyboard have been around, they have recently released their third design on the Das Keyboard. They now sell two different models. One standard Das Keyboard without key letters; this is what put them on the map. The other keyboard is of the same construction, but with letters on the keys incase you aren't into the idea of touch typing. Ether way you are going to get a keyboard that is known for its quality mechanical keys. If you are a fan of laptop keyboards, or have a S/O that you might keep up with clicking keys this may not be the "ultimate" keyboard for you. I myself love to drive my wife nuts and have been known to wear the letters off of keyboards in the past; we are going to find out if the Das Keyboard is the one for me.
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