Hardware & Tech

17Oct

By StuartNo Comments

Edifier HECATE G5BT Headset Review

First released in 2022, the Edifier HECATE G5BT wireless gaming headset are still some of the best selling Edifier gaming headsets available. The Thumb Culture team are no strangers to reviewing Edifier products, just check out this list, and so when Edifier once again landed in our inbox offering another headset to check out, of course the answer was yes. With a price point of £120 I was most intrigued to find if this gaming headset stood the test of time. Edifier HECATE G5BT - Gotta Get Yourself Connected! And what better way to get connected than with a headset so you can chat to your friends and game? Design and Control Opening up the box the Edifier HECATE G5BT are made up of a matte black band connected to two leather-effect plush-padded ear cups. To break up the matte look a...

Fantech World Shooter 3 & Nova Pro Controller Review

9Oct

By Alex Crooks2 Comments

Hardware & Tech

Fantech World Shooter 3 & Nova Pro Controller Review

Who doesn't love fancy new controllers when they're playing games? We got our hands on two new Fantech World multi-platform controllers and have been trying them out for the past few weeks. With a simple set up, the Nova Pro and the Shooter 3 controllers were easy to use straight out of the box - a perfect plug and play pairing that works for any type of gamer. After testing them out, there are pros and cons for both controllers so let's get into it! New additions to the Fantech Catalogue Design The Nova Pro The Nova Pro features a standard PlayStation controller layout with a responsive touchpad. Despite it's relatively low price point in comparison to a standard PS controller, it feels like a high quality piece of equipment. I received the Polaris variant of it and I have to...

Razer Wolverine V3 Pro Controller Review

18Sep

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Razer Wolverine V3 Pro Controller Review

It's Razer time again, this time we have the Wolverine V3 Pro controller. On paper this controller sounds incredible, but does it actually live up to it's own hype? We were lucky enough to get hold of one of the controllers on release and have been playing with it for the last couple of weeks. This Wolverine Shows Its Claws So come with us as we dive into the specs that make this controller worth every penny of it's £199.99 price tag. Design Straight out of the box, you can tell that the Wolverine V3 Pro is made of premium materials. Unzipping the included carry case you are greeted with the controller, a USB cable, 2 spare thumbsticks and the USB Bluetooth Dongle. Weighing a generous 304g, the controller let's you know that it's there without causing any strain. Being posed as a co...

4Sep

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Razer Kraken V4 Headset Review

It's been a full-on Razer few weeks here at TC HQ. Firstly we have my recent review of the Razer Blackshark V2 Pro Headset and now the Razer Kraken V4. We may just have something else from Razer coming soon too. But that's not what we're here for today! I really like that Razer level up their hardware with an extra version number. Rather than giving it a whole new name. It just makes sense. So with the fourth iteration of the Razer Kraken range, let's take a dive into the hardware and see what we find. Release the Kraken! If you are a fan of the Razer hardware then get in touch, we love to hear from like-minded gamers, all our social links are at the bottom of the article. Design The Razer Kraken V4 has a lot of typical Razer design nods. The headset is sturdy, it feels solid both w...

Edifier W830NB Wireless Headphones – Review

2Sep

By Kyle McGrathNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Edifier W830NB Wireless Headphones – Review

Edifier is making another appearance here at Thumb Culture, this time with the Edifier W830NB Wireless Headphones. Featuring Bluetooth connectivity, noise cancellation, and various audio controls via the side of the headphones, I’m excited to jump in and test these headphones out! Sleek Design In true edifier fashion, the Edifier W830NB Wireless Headphones design is sleek and minimalist. Maintaining a stylish yet classy look. The Edifier logo is on both outward sides of the headphones in gold, contrasting well against the black colouring. Despite the gold logo, it doesn’t look garish and is quite subtle. The headphones are currently available in black, grey or sand white. In terms of comfort, the headphone’s headband is adjustable to suit the wearer as standard. The padding on t...

The Latest Streamplify Products Are Here! – Mega Review

30Aug

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

The Latest Streamplify Products Are Here! – Mega Review

Here at Thumb Culture we absolutely love products that are budget-friendly as well as functional. That is exactly what the Streamplify products aim to achieve. Achieve they do! Keep it Streamplify Have you checked out the Steamplify range? If so what's your favourite? Don't forget to let us know at the bottom of the review. Streamplify have recently released a few new products, and they reached out and asked if we wanted to check them out. Obviously being the intrepid reporters that we are, we wanted to see whether these products were up to Streamplify code. Now if you weren't aware who Streamplify were, they are part of the Pro Gamers Group. Their brands include noblechairs, Ducky and Nitro Concepts to name a few. The Streamplify brand came about from a mission to inspire young indiv...

9Aug

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Razer Blackshark V2 Pro Headset Review

Razer, Razer, Razer, what are you doing to our bank accounts? If you could stop releasing awesome pieces of hardware that would be excellent. What's that? No?! Fine! If you wondered what they've done this time, all I will say is Blackshark V2 Pro. Gimme an R, Gimme an A...You Know The Rest Razer has added to the Blackshark V2 line, and the addition is glorious! So let's dive in and find out if the new Blackshark V2 Pro is the headset for you! Headset First up, let's talk about the rest of the V2 lineup of headsets and just why you should save your pennies up and get the Pro. Starting at the low end of the line, and low by no means that it isn't worth a purchase. You have the V2 X, with a fixed microphone and TriForce 50mm Driver. It gives a decent performance for its £59.99 price tag. ...

Nacon Revolution 5 Pro Controller Review

7Aug

By StuartNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Nacon Revolution 5 Pro Controller Review

By now everyone has heard of Nacon, right? Just in case you haven't let me give you the 411. They create some great pieces of hardware, including the Daija Arcade Stick, the Revolution X Pro and the RIG 500 Pro headset to name a few. And they've done it again! Nacon have hit us with the Revolution 5 Pro controller and we were lucky enough to get some time with one of the limited samples. Let's Get To Grips With so many 'Pro' controllers out there, what makes this one stand out above the rest? Let's unbox and find out! In The Box When you open up your box you are greeted with a nice fabric case that helps keep your controller secure. Open this up and you get your first glimpse at the Revolution 5 Pro controller in all its glory. This controller has a 3m long braided cable, to allow you ...

1Aug

By JasonNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

be quiet! Dark Power 13 PSU Review

Power supplies for PCs continue to evolve, as does their efficiency. Did you know be quiet! who are renowned for their fans and water coolers, also make PSUs? They kindly sent across one of their units from the Dark Power range for me to try out. be quiet! Got the Power! The Dark Power fully modular ATX 3.0 range, backed by a 10-year warranty and housing many onboard protective circuits, starts at 750W and climbs to 850W and 1000W before going Pro at 1300W and 1600W respectively. Whatever your power demand, either now, or in the future, one of these 5 PSUs will suit you. Unboxing be quiet! sent me the 1000W version, however, it is worth noting that all of the range has 80+ Titanium certification when it comes up to 95.8% power efficiency. In a nutshell, this means that the PSU is more ...

7Jul

By JasonNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Zotac GeForce RTX 4080 Super GPU Review

When it comes to PC gaming, every component and peripheral brings something different to the party. Each ultimately affects your gaming experience. From the speed of the SSD. Clock of the RAM. To the processing power of the CPU. The ability to quickly load into a game and play smoothly on the best graphics settings aids your gameplay and immersion. I decided to take the plunge with building my own PC 4 years ago. It was great fun and very rewarding. I started with a Ryzen 5 3600, 16Gb of RAM and a Palit 1660 Super GPU. It was all I needed to start playing alongside my friends as well as sometimes using it for work. I upgraded to an Nvidia 3070 GPU after a couple of years. Then upgraded the RAM to 32GB as I was running a lot of applications at the same time. For me, winding down for the ...