I generally prefer wireless controllers for my everyday gaming experiences. I like the mobility and freedom that a wireless controller provides, especially since I fidget and move around quite a lot when sitting down. I can definitely understand, however, the functional benefits of a wired controller, like the Mad Catz Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Pro GamePad. So while I may prefer a wireless controller for the sake of convenience and comfort, a wired controller is almost always a better choice when you’re getting serious about your game and quick reactions are vital to your success. Read the full story

Last year, I had the pleasure of reviewing the TRITTON Detonator headset for the Xbox 360. Though it was, for the most part, a great entry-level headset, long-term use has uncovered an unfortunate structural weakness: it doesn’t maintain integrity when used by someone with a big head. Now, I have what I feel is a larger than average sized head (I need to store all of this incredible brainpower somewhere). This has caused two problems with the old Detonator. First, it has become, as my wife so delicately put it when she tried to use it last week, “stretched out by your massive head.” Second, it has caused the headband to snap. Luckily, the rubber casing around the plastic headband is keeping the unit together, so it is still functional. This year, I have the pleasure of reviewing another TRITTON headset; this time, the Ghost Recon: Future Soldier 7.1 Surround Sound headset, branded (obviously) for use with Ubisoft’s upcoming title. Read the full story

With each passing day, it seems that George Orwell’s vision for the future becomes more and more a reality. 1984? 2012. Monitoring systems are everywhere, and in certain cases they are celebrated. We are digitally connected in a way that is absolutely unprecedented, which provides us with the benefit of instant information retrieval and communication anywhere, any time, but also ties us into a massive network of personal information and data that can be mined for less than altruistic purposes. Read the full story

The most recent entertainment buzzword has been “3D.” From the movie theater to the home, 3D has become more and more prevalent, with major marketing pushes across multiple demographics. Sony’s big push at last year’s E3 was 3D, introducing an entire 3D hardware package including glasses, a screen, and more. Games and movies have been pushing 3D more and more. 3D is now available on 2D screens using INFICOLOR technology, which is essentially classic red/blue (or in this case, red/green) depth 3D. TriOviz has introduced their INFICOLOR 3D glasses for bringing 3D to 2D screens for compatible games. Read the full story

Reviewing a cup set is actually much harder than you would think. It’s a fairly basic item, after all. You could quite easily get away with saying something like, “It contains liquid successfully, which makes it the perfect example of what a cup should be.” One sentence does not a review make, however, and there are more factors that you would take into consideration while deliberating over which set of cups you should buy for your home. So, what makes the Ctrl-Alt-Del cup set from ThinkGeek so worthy? Read the full story

Let’s just assume that you’re social enough to have people visit your home on a semi-regular basis. With that assumption firmly in place, surely you want some way to protect your kickass giant Nintendo controller table from the vile and destructive forces of condensation? Let ThinkGeek take care of you with their Portal 2 Warning Sign coasters. Eight coasters in all, each one depicts a different warning sign from the game. The most important warning they provide, though, is to your guest: Don’t go condensating on my table, or I’ll drop a Companion Cube on your head. Read the full story

I love technology. I am a man of gadgets and gizmos, of thingamabob’s and doohickeys. I buy gadgets I don’t need simply because of the technological impressiveness of the gadget. Sometimes that works out great, and sometimes I end up with an expensive piece of decoration. If I had purchased the MicroVision SHOWWX+ laser pico projector currently being sold at ThinkGeek, I think I’d be somewhere in the middle of ecstatic at the technology, and unable/unwilling to use it often enough to get a return on the cost. Read the full story

You know, for the most part, I’m a modifier kind of guy. When I had my 5th Gen Honda Prelude, I upgraded the intake, the springs, the ECU, the sound system, and more. When I got my first iPhone, it was jailbroken post haste, and each iteration has been ever since (going on four years, now). When I buy a computer, it comes in individual pieces that I put together to my heart’s content. I generally don’t go for the out-of-the-box experience, and recently that’s started being the case for consoles as well. Our 250GB hard drive for the Xbox 360S in the other room is third party, and was a third of the price, and I’ve had my eye on a few other third-party peripherals and accessories for quite some time. One thing that came to my attention recently was the Subsonic Pro Controller Fluo for PS3 and PC. Read the full story

Ever since I was a human child, playing a racing game of any sort would see my dramatically tilting, angling, and swinging my controller around as I leaned into turns and weaved around obstacles and competitors. Now, even as a human spawn, I knew that my wild undulations and swaying had no actual effect…but it totally did, so sod off. There were racing wheels, sure, but they weren’t always that great. On occasion, a racing wheel would come out that did a fantastic job at translating my actions onto the screen as accurately as an actual controller. The release of the Subsonic Racin’ Pro PS3/PC steering wheel and chair combo…is not one of those occasions. Read the full story

I am the kind of person who appreciates a good headset, especially during the peak of my work year. During the busiest time of the year for my job, I generally have to be out of bed by 5:30 in the morning so that I can get to work by 6:30. I must be quiet as a doormouse to keep from waking my wife, who generally tends to wake up grumpy (sorry, love). On occasion, I get “sick,” and have to work from home. I’ll sleep in until 6:00, then get cleaned up and head into the living room to remotely access my work computer and run my morning analyses. When I’m done, the Xbox comes on, and the gaming begins…on mute. The Tritton Detonator, an officially licensed Xbox 360 headset from MadCatz, lets me play at any volume I like without waking she-who-must-not-be-awakened. Read the full story