Tactical Fanboy
Tactical Tailor
Home Categories TacticalFanboy Archives Email

Archive for the ‘Peripherals’ Category

Chromecast

Saturday, September 7th, 2013

811nvG+LgML._SL1500_

Chromecast is an inexpensive device that allow you to stream from your computer directly to your television over your Wi-Fi connection. Actually, while that’s true, there are some restrictions. Specifically, Chromecast is designed to work best with certain devices and certain services/programs: if you want to stream YouTube, Google Play videos, or Netflix from your iOS, android, or computer you’re completely covered. Also, true to its name, it’s specific to the Chrome browser, so if your running it from your computer you’ll have to do all your surfing using Chrome for the device to work.

In my experience, you could project virtually any website to your tv if you wanted, although the stream to screen ratio was far from 1:1; lowering the stream quality from 720p to 480p helped a bit. You can almost get away with running ‘third party media players’ like Vimeo for a few seconds to a few minutes, until the stream decides to crash on you and you have to restart it. Overall, if you’re a Netflix or YouTube junkie without a game console or blu-ray player capable of streaming these services to your television, this might be the solution you’re looking for.

www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/chromecast/

CODENAME: DELTA SiX FPS Controlller on Kickstarter

Friday, October 26th, 2012

The DELTA SiX is an attempt to make the perfect FPS game controller. Designed to closely mimic an actual firearm, it features an accelerometer and kickback to simulate aiming movement and firing while a removable magazine simulates actual reloading. An ergonomic design places the face buttons along the grip for easy access, and a chin activation placed on top of the controller, behind the optional scope attachment, activates the in-game ADS (aim down sight). Other optional attachments include a grenade launcher and suppressor. The controller will be compatible with Xbox 360, PS3, PC, and Wii U, with plans to produce models for any next gen game consoles.

Kickstarter- CODNAME: DELTA SiX

‘Ghost Recon: Future Soldier’ Xbox 360 Pro Gamepad Review

Tuesday, April 17th, 2012

Mad Catz has created another excellent third-party controller in the ‘Ghost Recon: Future Soldier’ PrecisionAIM Pro Gamepad. Decked out in ‘Future Soldier’ imagery with backlit analogue stick modules and “non slip pistol grips”, the Pro Gamepad is as great looking as it is functional. The quick fire triggers are very responsive, as is the d-pad and face buttons, while the sticks offer a degree of accuracy not found in the standard 360 pad. This can be further assisted by activating the PrecisionAIM feature, which slows down on-screen movement for more precise shots.

XL combat buttons on the rear of the pad can be programmed via selector switches (found above the buttons) to function as either face buttons (right combat button) or directions on the d-pad (left combat button). This feature was developed in conjunction with the Ghost Recon development team to best work for use with Future Soldier, although it’s more than useful enough for a wide variety of games. Finally, it features a 3ft braided cable, so no batteries required.

Pricing is in the $40-50 range, so it’s around the same cost as a wireless 1st party controller. Despite this, the controller is a worthy edition to any gamer’s collection of peripherals, if only because it boast a number of noticeable improvements over the vanilla 360 pad. Plus, it just looks pretty damn cool.

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier drops May 22, 2012 (June 12, 2012 for PC)

CES 2012 – CTA Digital Inc. – U.S. Army Licensed Products

Friday, January 13th, 2012

CTA Digital Inc. has released a line of officially licensed U.S. Army video game peripherals. Seen above is the Elite Force Assault Rifle (US-EFR). Modeled after an M4 Carbine with an EOTech holographic sight (“modeled after actual military equipment”), the Elite Force controller has every button featured on a standard DualShock 3, including the rumble effect, and connects to the PS3 using Bluetooth. The ‘barrel’ can also be removed from the Elite Force and replaced with a Move controller, turning it into a navigation controller. The controller is powered by two (2) AA batteries. Available in digital camouflage and in Olive Drab with green-grey furniture as the ‘Commando Assault Rifle’ (not pictured).

Also available is the U.S. Army Universal Gaming Headset With 3D Effect (US-UGH). The Universal Gaming Headset connects to a monitor or sound system via RCA stereo jacks (red and white cables) and directly to your console or PC via USB. This allows you to independently adjust in-game and chat volume using the in-line controller. A ‘3D Sound’ button takes advantage of the triple drivers in each ear cup to deliver realistic sound based on volume and location in-game. Other features include a 14ft cable, removable microphone, and padded ear cups.

http://www.ctadigital.com/

CES 2012 – Mighty Dwarf Speaker

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

20120111-151627.jpg

Mighty Dwarf Speakers are a series of devices that turn any surface into a speaker. This model features a 5-watt resonating downward-facing driver and plays .mp3 files by using any MicroSD card up to 16GB. It can also connect to any electronics that support a standard 3.5mm earphone jack. Mighty Dwarfs feature a built-in lithium-ion battery that charges via USB and will last up to 12 hours, depending on the volume and base of the sound playing.

New this year at CES is the BlueII Bluetooth model. Like the standard Mighty Dwarf, the BlueII accepts MicroSD cards up to 16GB, but it also can connect to any Bluetooth-enabled device for instant streaming. This model features a 10-watt resonating downward-facing driver along with a skyward-directed tweeter that projects a ‘dome’ of sound around the device. It also has a lithium-ion battery with a maximum life of 12 hours.

http://www.lavaimports.com/

Tactical Fanboy Gift Idea: Razer Onza Tournament Edition Controller

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

The Razer Onza Tournament Edition controller was designed to be an improvement over the standard Xbox 360 pad. It features a rubberized surface for increased grip and adjustable resistance analog sticks. The “hyperresponse action” face buttons take much less pressure to activate, which is noticeable when you’re, say, playing a fighting game or chainsaw dueling someone in Gears of War, and every press counts. One of the bigger strengths of the Onza is the 15ft braided cable, since Microsoft doesn’t offer their own official wired controller anymore (no more batteries, or optional charge kit). The only flaw, a fairly small one at that, with the Onza is the “Multi-Function Buttons”. These are two programmable bumpers that share real estate with the standard 360 bumpers. At first, it’s quite easy to accidentally press one of the programmable bumpers instead, but a bit of time spent with the pad will adjust muscle memory accordingly. With better designed ergonomics and a lower price point, the Onza TE is a great choice for any 360 gamers our there, professional or not.

Razer Onza Tournament Edition Controller

CoD Tritton Headset

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

When Black Ops first came out, there was a glaring problem with the sound mixing in the game: your own footsteps were highly audible while you couldn’t hear any other player’s movement. However, recent patching has virtually fixed this problem (Ninja Pro helps) and the practice of ‘soundwhoring’, or using a headset to locate your enemies based on the noise they make, is once again possible. There are many models of headsets up to the task, but in particular, I’m reviewing the Tritton – Call of Duty: Black Ops Dolby Digital True 5.1 Gaming Headset for Xbox and PS3.

The headset is decked out in Black Ops emblems and has interchangeable leather or terrycloth ear pads. A Dolby Digital decoder box converts the standard in-game sound into surround sound. All cabling is braided and all connectors are gold plated and are of a high quality. An in-line control allows you to adjust either in-game or chat volume and you can independently mute either. You can also attach a flexible microphone to the headset to allow for in-game communication and chat. The whole thing requires its own power supply via an AC adapter and along with the relatively short cable, you’ll most likely have to be close to your television. This, along with the multitude of required cables, made installation a bit of a pain in the ass, but it’s not a huge problem. The whole set can be stored in a hard carrying case, also decked out with Black Ops graphics. Still, components mean squat if the headset doesn’t perform well.

I am happy to say that the headset does run as good as it looks, but to be honest I found it to be a little disorienting at first. The size and weight of the headset coupled with having surround sound right next to my ear caused me to take them off more than once. However, this quickly passed and now I find it somewhat difficult to play online without them. There’s plenty of satisfaction in hearing that one guy (or guys, as is common) running Ghost with a suppressed weapon, stomping after you just for you to hear them coming and headshot them. They also work great with other games, and not having to rely on your television’s sound system for in-game audio is a nice bonus if being quiet while you game is preferred.

Only one question remains: To buy or not to buy? It’s a really good, solidly built headset, but at $250 this honestly boils down to a fanboy product. For a similar headset at a cheaper price, go for the Tritton AX Pro. It’s almost the same headset without the Black Ops graphics, and as a result, you save about $100. If you like the CoD license but still want to save some cash, there’s also the Black Ops Dolby Digital Surround Sound Gaming Headset. It’s virtual 5.1 instead of true 5.1, not too much of a difference honestly. It’s also $50 cheaper.