Hardware & Tech

13Aug

By StuartNo Comments

SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 Review

What's that I hear you exclaim? More SteelSeries hardware on the site! It sure is! This time is the turn of the Apex Pro Gen 3 Keyboard. Retailing at around £225 on the SteelSeries website, the keyboard certainly isn't cheap. However, it does constantly remind you that it is a quality product. Is This The New Apex Predator? Just what does this new keyboard have under the hood? Let's check it out! Design Features Let's start with just how much has gone into the build quality of the Apex Pro Gen 3. With so many layers, you could mistake it for an opera cake. Well, not quite, but there is still a fair amount to go through. With a triple-layer sound-dampening foam, designed to keep the typing experience nice and crisp. Alongside per-key lubrication, which means that each key feels smooth a...

SteelSeries QCK Performance Series Review

13Aug

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

SteelSeries QCK Performance Series Review

One part of a gaming setup that often gets overlooked is the mousepad. Now SteelSeries sent us a lovely little package that contained an Aerox 3 mouse, as well as the QcK Performance Series of mousepads. The Aerox 3 mouse was purely to show off the different qualities of each of the three mousepads included in the bundle. Also included was a little tripod for connecting your phone. Something that I will definitely make use of, however, not for this review. Slide To The Left! Retailing for £39.99, you can pick from three different options. Speed, Control or Balance. Each with its own positives and negatives. All three come in either a large (490 x 420mm) or Extra Large (900 x 400mm); you can make your choice depending on your desk size. I know what you're thinking, aren't all mousepads cr...

12Aug

By MichaelNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Maecker Quest Charging Dock Review

Our friends over at Maecker offered to send Thumb Culture their Charging Dock for Quest to review. As this is an accessory I was already wanting to add to my personal collection, I was more than happy to offer to test and review this device. Currently on sale direct at Maeckers website for £51, let's see how this unit holds up. What's in the box Inside the box we get a nice little collection of assortments. There is obviously the charging dock unit itself, which is where the headset and controllers will rest. We get 2 USB-C cables. One to supply power to the dock and one to charge a additional battery pack. The dock is powered by the included 3 pin 20w plug. The Maecker website has the option of 4 different plug types based on region. We also get 2 rechargeable batteries. One for each co...

Razer Blackshark V3 Pro – Headset Review

12Aug

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Razer Blackshark V3 Pro – Headset Review

The Razer Blackshark range has gone through a bunch of iterations since its first release back in 2021. The Blackshark V2 was released in 2020, and now there is another new version. I present to you the Razer Blackshark V3 Pro headset! Starting from £249.99, this headset promises some great things, along with some familiar features. Does it offer enough for you to stump up an extra £50 from your hardware budget? I will aim to help you work that out. Now I hold my hands up, I have had this headset since a few days before it's launch on 29th July. The reason it's taken until now to actually put this review live? I wanted to ensure that I put it through some very rigorous testing, despite it being the school summer holidays! Design Features As with all Razer headsets, you are greeted wit...

CRKD NEO S Linkin Park Edition Controller Review

12Aug

By CharlotteNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

CRKD NEO S Linkin Park Edition Controller Review

Cast your mind all the way back to January and you may remember I reviewed the Purple Wave Edition of the NEO S controller. Well, now I'm back with the CRKD NEO S Linkin Park Edition Controller. That was a mouthful. Good Things Go There was a time when Guitar Hero and Rock Band dominated the rhythm game field. Along with them came the peripherals of course. Those fret based controllers we all knew and loved. Maybe even sometimes loathed when we heard those notes clunk away. With the launch of Fortnite Festival came cries for the return of such controllers. Which is where CRKD stepped in. Available on their website for £59.99, the NEO S Linkin Park Edition Controller is first and foremost a rhythm game controller. So for this review I'm focussing purely on that. Let's take a look. ...

8Aug

By NathanNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Sony WH-1000XM6 Headphone Review

Sony have very kindly sent us out their latest premium Bluetooth ANC headphone. Owning and testing quite an array of ANC headphones already myself. I can’t wait to see how the Sony’s compare. Come and join me as we review the highly anticipated Sony WH-1000XM6. The true ANC king The Sony WH-1000XM6 are available today and cost £399/€449/$449/A$699 from their official website. A tad more than the previous XM5, but still rivalling other premium ANC headphones from companies like Bose, Bowers & Wilkins and Sennheiser. Whilst sitting pretty close to offerings from Apple, Dali and Focal if your budget can stretch that little bit further. So, let’s find out if it needs to. Design Upon unboxing, it is clear Sony hasn’t strayed too far from previous iterations. They don’t push the...

7Aug

By CharlieNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

TOZO Crystal Pods Review

The TOZO Crystal Pods are a pair of Hybrid Active Noise-Cancelling wireless earbuds that are offered at a very competitive price of just £35.99. With a long battery life and immersive stereo sound, these earbuds seem to check all the right boxes, but can they live up to our expectations? Great Price, Great Quality? As someone with tiny ears, I've had the misfortune of trying out many different earbuds that, sadly, become rather painful after just a few minutes of wearing them. Up until now, my go-to pair has been an older TOZO model, so I was excited to see what else the company has to offer. My main hope is that these earbuds will offer a nice and pain-free listening experience, and, of course, if the sound is up to par! Now then, let's have a look. Design The design of the TOZO Cryst...

5Aug

By JasonNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Swiftpoint Z2 Mouse Review

In a world of minimal mice and slick RGB clones, the New Zealand-based Swiftpoint's Z2 charges in like a Transformer. With 13 buttons, haptic feedback, gyroscopic controls, pressure-sensitive clicks, swappable parts, oh, and a tiny OLED screen, this is less of a “mouse” and more of a full-blown command centre for your desk. The Shape-Shifting Mouse Whether you're gaming, editing, 3D modelling, or automating complex workflows, the Kickstarter-funded Z2 aims to be your one-device-to-rule-them-all. So, is it a revolution or just a really expensive gadget? Let’s dig in. Design Right out of the box, the 65-gram Z2 feels like something out of a sci-fi prop room. Its angular chassis and layered surface elements make it look busy, because it is. This is not your everyday plug-and-play mous...

31Jul

By MichaelNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Maecker Quest Controller Grips Review

Since I've been playing more VR titles for review purposes lately, I figured it was time to invest in some new accessories. And so when I was asked by Thumb Culture management if I wanted the opportunity to review the Quest Controller Grips from Maecker, of course I said yes! If you want to get your hands on a pair they are available to buy now direct from Maeckers website. At the time of writing they are on sale for £31 with discounts available if you by multiple accessories at the same time. What's in the Box The box includes two rubber controller grips designed to fit your Quest controllers, two rechargeable batteries for each controller, a USB-C to twin USB-C cable, and a small instruction manual with installation instructions. As the Quest 3 and 3S use the exact same controllers, th...

30Jul

By CharlotteNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Sonic Mini Cable Guys Holdem Review

In a change from our review of the Squid Game version, we have something a little faster. That's right we're back with the speedy hedgehog himself, Sonic. In plastic form. So let's take a look at the Sonic Mini Cable Guys Holdem shall we? Slide To The Left Just as with other products within the Holdem range the Sonic Mini Cable Guys Holdem stand at approximately 4" tall, meaning they can easily fit on a shelf or your desk. Whilst marketed as holders for earbuds, phones or other small gadgets, I still am very much of the viewpoint that these are more like collectible figures with the bonus of being able to hold things. Rather then that being their primary function. And for retailing around £18 on the EGX Pro website, they're not going to break the bank either. Looking at the packaging ...