Personal experience: gaming peripherals
Hi GT! Recently, I have accumulated enough pieces of iron, about which to write a separate article somehow ... the info directory is too small, but to tell about them all in one small piece of material is the very thing.
Today we will talk about headphones-headsets (SteelSeries and Creative) and gamepads (Xbox One and Mad Catz LYNX9). Go?
It already happened that I have been using Creative products for a long time and more or less acquired them with gadgets. The speakers are both portable (like Roar'a of the first generation, which I still use) and stationary T4 WIreless, countless different headphones and headsets that went through my hands, devices and ears, sound cards and other near-sonic gadgets.
')
The Sound BlasterX series of headsets somehow passed me by, but I am well acquainted with the new Draco line. If in the “older” Tactic 3D models the emphasis is on the virtual surround sound system (which does a good job!), The ability to connect via USB / wirelessly / through the classic 3.5 mm analog jacks, then Draco is a product oriented primarily on “ take with you".
Detachable microphone, classic design, steel bracket inside the headband, quite strong swivel mount cups (this time really successful, and not the horror that is installed on premium ZxR) ... In general, the headphones can not only work as a standard gaming headset, forever tied to a fixed desktop, but also quite to be a daily decision. The adapter to the classic 3.5 mm jack (with a four-pin pin!) - and the gaming headset can be safely stuck into the smartphone, and working with modern gaming laptops, which increasingly get the combined connector instead of the two "normal" will not cause any problems.
Headphone cups are rotated without problems, so carelessly thrown into a ryuzkak (along with a laptop, aha) “ears” will not turn into a set of high-tech trash after two stops in the Moscow metro. For half a year with a headset, nothing at all happened, despite regular trips in a backpack and bag: I, of course, try to treat the equipment with care, but put the headphones in a separate hard case before transporting ... well, it smells slightly in senility, considering their price.
As for sound quality, a typical gaming model with a “faceless” sound: up to the soft and enveloping sound of Aurvana Live! 2, which equally well deals with HiFi-class sources and “smartphone” audio chips thanks to its well-designed and well-designed stuffing, of course long away.
At the same time, there is nothing criminal in the sound: you want low frequencies - you take them and wind them up in the equalizer. Love ringing top - not a question. Just make a correction for the dollar rate and the total price of the device (and also for basic use cases): you shouldn’t expect from the headphones of the audio theater of the Bolshoi Theater.
The microphone is narrowly targeted, analog, without any sort of multi-channel digital noise reduction and LEDs. It just works, it does not cause complaints, because of its narrow focus it does not suck in external sounds, it transmits the voice normally. In general, this statement can be extended to the entire headset: it works, it does not cause any complaints. It is not bad assembled, it looks good (a game line, after all), and even in the conditions of not the most favorable exchange rate for buying electronics, the price can be called reasonable.
The younger brother of the headset, HS-850, in my opinion, looks even more interesting in terms of design (especially in the promotional pictures), but it is even more utilitarian product than the HS-880.
If the older model can be used as ... everyday headphones, listening to music and playing toys, the younger one sounds absolutely inexpressive, but it is not expensive and is perfect for some kind of team shooters. The sound source reveals the in-game events, and, most importantly, with voice communication problems 0 as many as 0 tenths, and more, often from such models is not required.
JAM is a super-lightweight headset for morning runs, chatting in skype and using ... and here is a snag. This is where you would use a headset, whose main advantages are weightlessness (it’s really half a day to wear it on your head and not think about being in headphones), an opportunity to hear the world around you, without removing / shifting it from your ears, but working without wires? After all, all of her bonuses end there. The sound quality is exactly that for morning runs or listening to podcasts / calls on Skype: there are no low frequencies, there is no sound clarity, almost no sound insulation: you will hear a bicycle bell at the back, and a puff of a bull-catching chase, and office colleagues.
In general, a product with an incomprehensible for me personally, but quite a good one from the point of view of “headset for transmitting sounds” and “wear all day”. It is really possible to run in it, and it does not fall down from the head. You can really spend the whole day in it, and in the evening, when the headset goes to recharge, your skull will not say to you, “thank you for removing this vice.” On this, perhaps, that's all.
In the market of "gaming" peripherals, all kinds of mastodons that came from the times of the "classic" technology sooner or later have to face the fact that manufacturers of mice and keyboards are also not averse to expanding their audience. Razer, SteelSeries, Mad Catz and other large companies are waging a fierce struggle for theminds of the wallets of video game lovers, sponsoring cybersport events and teams, so every Creative and other Sennheiser somehow have to clash with those who came to the “game sound” from another entrance : from gaming mice, keyboards, carpets and all that.
SS Siberia is a famous line-up, and one of the latest incarnations of the Elite version has drawn together the best SteelSeries developments in this area. First, the headset is “modular”: one cable can be connected either with two 3.5 mm jacks, or with one, or you can plug into a small external USB sound card. Solid profit Another would be a Type-C connector - and there would be a complete set of interfaces. True, stick this white beauty in the smartphone - the pleasure is something else. The headset can hardly be called weightless: 400 grams is 400 grams, but due to the competent design of the metal self-adjusting headband, and the successful shape of the ear cushions (the foam material inside, according to the manufacturer, should provide a memory effect and eventually heal over your unique ears). Specifically, I have a version of PRISM, with customizable backlight. Overpaying the same specifically for this feature I see absolutely no sense.
A retractable microphone is hidden in the left cup. On it, the turning segment determines whether it is on or off. In the right cup, a similar “twist” adjusts the volume. Simple, convenient, works with any wire. Unobtrusive backlighting in USB mode looks gorgeous (though not really needed as a whole), and in general it’s difficult to find a headset’s appearance, except that the white color can always change with proper luck: I try to treat the technology carefully and do not smoke, but This is what will happen with the headset for those who like to put cigarettes on the whole apartment, sitting at the monitor - an open question. And regular carriages in a backpack or in some other bag will obviously not make the headset cleaner. But there are no questions to the strength: the headset will endure all the “hiking” life without problems, unless, of course, I try to use it as a stool or throwing object.
As for sound, everything is ambiguous. In games and movies, no complaints. Special effects juicy, party members heard perfectly, all zashib. In music, however, you will have to compensate for the specific tuning by the equalizer. The headset is not enough midrange, you can listen to rock on a “flat” profile, for jazz and classics you will need minimal adjustments, more or less nothing sounds. But the lighter genres and any electronic field can be completely unpredictable, so that only selection of characteristics that suit you experimentally will help. However, the headset was conceived primarily as a “game” and, perhaps, “cinema”, to take it in order to mainly listen to music and use it occasionally for its intended purpose - a dubious pleasure (especially if you go to Yandex.Market and look at the price), It is easier to take something originally intended for this.
Well, since this is a gaming peripherals from SS, one can not fail to mention the software. All the major players in this field seek to make a universal control panel. It turns out differently. Razer was one of the first to make their Synapse and added any cloudiness to it, but their software works for me personally through the stump-deck. Not always, not everywhere, not 100% - in general, the feeling is that this is an early beta version of a bundle of software and hardware, and not a serial product with serial software. I have no such complaints about the software from SteelSeries: even from the design point of view, it has some ... mess, but everything works as it should. Put the SS engine, connected the mouse - started up. I stuck the divine Apex M800 - everything is as it should. Added a headset - well, you understand, no problem.
A lot of things can be said about this thing, but 90% of words can be replaced by the expression “Mad Catz in her repertoire: excellent hardware and raw software.” The LYNX series is a universal mobile gamepad for working with a computer and Android-based smartphones, the figure distinguishes the level of bundling and capabilities for customizing the device, and in the flagship “nine” in this regard, everything is just perfect!
The delivery package is the same as in the best times of the PC era: do not buy anything for 9.99, 19.99 and other .99 evergreens. You buy everything at once. Included are: a base controller module, a keyboard, a tablet module, additional panels to improve the controller's grip, a smartphone mount and a bag for transportation.
The number and location of the controllers is the same as on the classic sixaxis or the PS4 controller (the latter, perhaps, even closer), corrected for the absence of accelerometers: they are in the smartphone itself. But in the gamepad itself is a microphone. What for? Oh, don't ask. I dont know.
The modularity is amazing: the device can be disassembled in a natural way into parts. And then install them on the tablet frame. I have not had tablets in my home for a year, so the photo with the most shoveling device found in the bins of the motherland.
According to the documentation, anything with a diagonal of up to 7-8 inches will fit here. Smartphone "handle" can easily cope with the mainstream 5 and 5.5 inch gadgets, but its form gives me questions. Guys, do you even know that there are buttons on the side of the phone, and they often get exactly to the place where your clamp presses? : D
There is a way out, of course - either to mount the phone with an offset, or to change the device. But this is not serious, with all the breadth of the “base” supply you could count on various “rubber bands” or “spacers” for the crab pinching the gadget.
The smartphone application allows you to very flexibly adjust the sensitivity and behavior of the sticks, layout, operation mode of the touch trackpad. The desktop application, in theory, is no worse, but to connect the device to the PC, and to make it work properly is another quest. First of all, in XInput, the device can be (judging by the item in the settings), but at the same time it can also NOT, if you check the support documentation on the site. Of course, there is always an option to use the X360CE wrapper from the directinput mode, but these are crutches again. May be added in the next firmware, as it was with the previous product - CTRLR
Okay, back to the gland. It is simply superb. Everything is collected perfectly, nothing crunches and does not creak, all the details are fitted and de al-no, this high-tech lego-sandwich for the players is assembled and assembled is simply amazing.
The accuracy of sticks and triggers easily competes with one of the best gamepads in the industry (that comes with the PS4). Perhaps I would call LYNX9 the best game controller out of all that I had if it were not for its price. $ 250 for the ability to turn any smartphone into Nvidia Shield? Unfortunately, the Shield itself is cheaper. And PS4 gamepad + mount to it (and it connects through the usual, his mother, Bluetooth, just like Lynx) will also be cheaper. And in connecting it to a PC there is about the same amount of hemorrhoids: it works similarly through dinput and will have to set up the wrapper library.
The only non-alternative mode - tablet. Here there are simply no competitors like “assemble yourself from what is at home”, but are there so many Android games that can fully unlock the potential of this amazing piece of hardware? LYNX9 ahead of his time, is difficult to connect to a PC and stands like a wing from the "Boeing". It is unlikely that he will have a dizzying success in the market, but Mad Catz has much more budget models of the same controller. With not so rich complete set, with simple materials of the case, but absolutely reasonable price. In general, an excellent product, pleasing and complete delivery, and workmanship, and scope of the idea, which is unlikely to expect success due to the economic crisis: and we are not talking only about the exchange rate of the ruble. It is unlikely that players in other countries will be happy to buy a piece of iron for $ 240, whose wealth of possibilities rests on rather modest spaces for use.
Honorary medal for quality and idea, respect for the developers from Mad Catz, who were able to bring the modular device to mass production, and I’m right or wrong in terms of popularity - let the market judge.
On GT, I already had a glimpse of the basic version of the gamepad from the Xbox One , and in general I have rather negative impressions of communication with the “regular” version. The build quality and the fun of the game were about the same. Well, Microsoft decided to do work on the bugs by releasing IT :
Perfectly assembled. Excellent in the hand. Excellent matrials. Customizable sticks, replaceable cross, additional 4 buttons "at the bottom" of the device.
Plus, the ability to switch the hammers from the "analog" to the short-stroke "digital" mode and back, which allows you to "shoot" from semi-automatic weapons in toys at a breakneck speed. I had this thing only a couple of nights, but for now this is the best gamepad I've ever had in my hands. True, there is one small problem.He also costs 250 bucks . As Kutensky correctly noted, the price is now only $ 150. At the same time, it does not connect to phones, does not disassemble into parts, and in general it is just a Xinput-gamepad, the user of which in the network shooters will still push the user of the mouse and keyboard.
If you are a fan of the game lying on the couch with a gamepad, you have an Xbox One or PC, and you have nowhere to go for 150-200 dollars - just a piece of musthave. He, like any Bugatti Chiron - the best in everything. Luxurious, comfortable, accurate and fast. And it costs about the same. : D
That's all for today. Next week I will tell you about, perhaps, the most useless of computer hardware, which I generally had, and how this completely useless idea surprisingly turned out to be a completely working version.
Today we will talk about headphones-headsets (SteelSeries and Creative) and gamepads (Xbox One and Mad Catz LYNX9). Go?
Headphones and Headsets
It already happened that I have been using Creative products for a long time and more or less acquired them with gadgets. The speakers are both portable (like Roar'a of the first generation, which I still use) and stationary T4 WIreless, countless different headphones and headsets that went through my hands, devices and ears, sound cards and other near-sonic gadgets.
')
Draco HS-880 and Draco HS-850
The Sound BlasterX series of headsets somehow passed me by, but I am well acquainted with the new Draco line. If in the “older” Tactic 3D models the emphasis is on the virtual surround sound system (which does a good job!), The ability to connect via USB / wirelessly / through the classic 3.5 mm analog jacks, then Draco is a product oriented primarily on “ take with you".
Detachable microphone, classic design, steel bracket inside the headband, quite strong swivel mount cups (this time really successful, and not the horror that is installed on premium ZxR) ... In general, the headphones can not only work as a standard gaming headset, forever tied to a fixed desktop, but also quite to be a daily decision. The adapter to the classic 3.5 mm jack (with a four-pin pin!) - and the gaming headset can be safely stuck into the smartphone, and working with modern gaming laptops, which increasingly get the combined connector instead of the two "normal" will not cause any problems.
Headphone cups are rotated without problems, so carelessly thrown into a ryuzkak (along with a laptop, aha) “ears” will not turn into a set of high-tech trash after two stops in the Moscow metro. For half a year with a headset, nothing at all happened, despite regular trips in a backpack and bag: I, of course, try to treat the equipment with care, but put the headphones in a separate hard case before transporting ... well, it smells slightly in senility, considering their price.
As for sound quality, a typical gaming model with a “faceless” sound: up to the soft and enveloping sound of Aurvana Live! 2, which equally well deals with HiFi-class sources and “smartphone” audio chips thanks to its well-designed and well-designed stuffing, of course long away.
At the same time, there is nothing criminal in the sound: you want low frequencies - you take them and wind them up in the equalizer. Love ringing top - not a question. Just make a correction for the dollar rate and the total price of the device (and also for basic use cases): you shouldn’t expect from the headphones of the audio theater of the Bolshoi Theater.
The microphone is narrowly targeted, analog, without any sort of multi-channel digital noise reduction and LEDs. It just works, it does not cause complaints, because of its narrow focus it does not suck in external sounds, it transmits the voice normally. In general, this statement can be extended to the entire headset: it works, it does not cause any complaints. It is not bad assembled, it looks good (a game line, after all), and even in the conditions of not the most favorable exchange rate for buying electronics, the price can be called reasonable.
The younger brother of the headset, HS-850, in my opinion, looks even more interesting in terms of design (especially in the promotional pictures), but it is even more utilitarian product than the HS-880.
If the older model can be used as ... everyday headphones, listening to music and playing toys, the younger one sounds absolutely inexpressive, but it is not expensive and is perfect for some kind of team shooters. The sound source reveals the in-game events, and, most importantly, with voice communication problems 0 as many as 0 tenths, and more, often from such models is not required.
Creative sb jam
JAM is a super-lightweight headset for morning runs, chatting in skype and using ... and here is a snag. This is where you would use a headset, whose main advantages are weightlessness (it’s really half a day to wear it on your head and not think about being in headphones), an opportunity to hear the world around you, without removing / shifting it from your ears, but working without wires? After all, all of her bonuses end there. The sound quality is exactly that for morning runs or listening to podcasts / calls on Skype: there are no low frequencies, there is no sound clarity, almost no sound insulation: you will hear a bicycle bell at the back, and a puff of a bull-catching chase, and office colleagues.
In general, a product with an incomprehensible for me personally, but quite a good one from the point of view of “headset for transmitting sounds” and “wear all day”. It is really possible to run in it, and it does not fall down from the head. You can really spend the whole day in it, and in the evening, when the headset goes to recharge, your skull will not say to you, “thank you for removing this vice.” On this, perhaps, that's all.
SteelSeries Siberia Elite V2 (PRISM)
In the market of "gaming" peripherals, all kinds of mastodons that came from the times of the "classic" technology sooner or later have to face the fact that manufacturers of mice and keyboards are also not averse to expanding their audience. Razer, SteelSeries, Mad Catz and other large companies are waging a fierce struggle for the
SS Siberia is a famous line-up, and one of the latest incarnations of the Elite version has drawn together the best SteelSeries developments in this area. First, the headset is “modular”: one cable can be connected either with two 3.5 mm jacks, or with one, or you can plug into a small external USB sound card. Solid profit Another would be a Type-C connector - and there would be a complete set of interfaces. True, stick this white beauty in the smartphone - the pleasure is something else. The headset can hardly be called weightless: 400 grams is 400 grams, but due to the competent design of the metal self-adjusting headband, and the successful shape of the ear cushions (the foam material inside, according to the manufacturer, should provide a memory effect and eventually heal over your unique ears). Specifically, I have a version of PRISM, with customizable backlight. Overpaying the same specifically for this feature I see absolutely no sense.
A retractable microphone is hidden in the left cup. On it, the turning segment determines whether it is on or off. In the right cup, a similar “twist” adjusts the volume. Simple, convenient, works with any wire. Unobtrusive backlighting in USB mode looks gorgeous (though not really needed as a whole), and in general it’s difficult to find a headset’s appearance, except that the white color can always change with proper luck: I try to treat the technology carefully and do not smoke, but This is what will happen with the headset for those who like to put cigarettes on the whole apartment, sitting at the monitor - an open question. And regular carriages in a backpack or in some other bag will obviously not make the headset cleaner. But there are no questions to the strength: the headset will endure all the “hiking” life without problems, unless, of course, I try to use it as a stool or throwing object.
As for sound, everything is ambiguous. In games and movies, no complaints. Special effects juicy, party members heard perfectly, all zashib. In music, however, you will have to compensate for the specific tuning by the equalizer. The headset is not enough midrange, you can listen to rock on a “flat” profile, for jazz and classics you will need minimal adjustments, more or less nothing sounds. But the lighter genres and any electronic field can be completely unpredictable, so that only selection of characteristics that suit you experimentally will help. However, the headset was conceived primarily as a “game” and, perhaps, “cinema”, to take it in order to mainly listen to music and use it occasionally for its intended purpose - a dubious pleasure (especially if you go to Yandex.Market and look at the price), It is easier to take something originally intended for this.
Well, since this is a gaming peripherals from SS, one can not fail to mention the software. All the major players in this field seek to make a universal control panel. It turns out differently. Razer was one of the first to make their Synapse and added any cloudiness to it, but their software works for me personally through the stump-deck. Not always, not everywhere, not 100% - in general, the feeling is that this is an early beta version of a bundle of software and hardware, and not a serial product with serial software. I have no such complaints about the software from SteelSeries: even from the design point of view, it has some ... mess, but everything works as it should. Put the SS engine, connected the mouse - started up. I stuck the divine Apex M800 - everything is as it should. Added a headset - well, you understand, no problem.
Game Controllers
Mad Catz LYNX9
A lot of things can be said about this thing, but 90% of words can be replaced by the expression “Mad Catz in her repertoire: excellent hardware and raw software.” The LYNX series is a universal mobile gamepad for working with a computer and Android-based smartphones, the figure distinguishes the level of bundling and capabilities for customizing the device, and in the flagship “nine” in this regard, everything is just perfect!
The delivery package is the same as in the best times of the PC era: do not buy anything for 9.99, 19.99 and other .99 evergreens. You buy everything at once. Included are: a base controller module, a keyboard, a tablet module, additional panels to improve the controller's grip, a smartphone mount and a bag for transportation.
The number and location of the controllers is the same as on the classic sixaxis or the PS4 controller (the latter, perhaps, even closer), corrected for the absence of accelerometers: they are in the smartphone itself. But in the gamepad itself is a microphone. What for? Oh, don't ask. I dont know.
The modularity is amazing: the device can be disassembled in a natural way into parts. And then install them on the tablet frame. I have not had tablets in my home for a year, so the photo with the most shoveling device found in the bins of the motherland.
According to the documentation, anything with a diagonal of up to 7-8 inches will fit here. Smartphone "handle" can easily cope with the mainstream 5 and 5.5 inch gadgets, but its form gives me questions. Guys, do you even know that there are buttons on the side of the phone, and they often get exactly to the place where your clamp presses? : D
There is a way out, of course - either to mount the phone with an offset, or to change the device. But this is not serious, with all the breadth of the “base” supply you could count on various “rubber bands” or “spacers” for the crab pinching the gadget.
The smartphone application allows you to very flexibly adjust the sensitivity and behavior of the sticks, layout, operation mode of the touch trackpad. The desktop application, in theory, is no worse, but to connect the device to the PC, and to make it work properly is another quest. First of all, in XInput, the device can be (judging by the item in the settings), but at the same time it can also NOT, if you check the support documentation on the site. Of course, there is always an option to use the X360CE wrapper from the directinput mode, but these are crutches again. May be added in the next firmware, as it was with the previous product - CTRLR
Okay, back to the gland. It is simply superb. Everything is collected perfectly, nothing crunches and does not creak, all the details are fitted and de al-no, this high-tech lego-sandwich for the players is assembled and assembled is simply amazing.
The accuracy of sticks and triggers easily competes with one of the best gamepads in the industry (that comes with the PS4). Perhaps I would call LYNX9 the best game controller out of all that I had if it were not for its price. $ 250 for the ability to turn any smartphone into Nvidia Shield? Unfortunately, the Shield itself is cheaper. And PS4 gamepad + mount to it (and it connects through the usual, his mother, Bluetooth, just like Lynx) will also be cheaper. And in connecting it to a PC there is about the same amount of hemorrhoids: it works similarly through dinput and will have to set up the wrapper library.
The only non-alternative mode - tablet. Here there are simply no competitors like “assemble yourself from what is at home”, but are there so many Android games that can fully unlock the potential of this amazing piece of hardware? LYNX9 ahead of his time, is difficult to connect to a PC and stands like a wing from the "Boeing". It is unlikely that he will have a dizzying success in the market, but Mad Catz has much more budget models of the same controller. With not so rich complete set, with simple materials of the case, but absolutely reasonable price. In general, an excellent product, pleasing and complete delivery, and workmanship, and scope of the idea, which is unlikely to expect success due to the economic crisis: and we are not talking only about the exchange rate of the ruble. It is unlikely that players in other countries will be happy to buy a piece of iron for $ 240, whose wealth of possibilities rests on rather modest spaces for use.
Honorary medal for quality and idea, respect for the developers from Mad Catz, who were able to bring the modular device to mass production, and I’m right or wrong in terms of popularity - let the market judge.
Xbox one elite controller
On GT, I already had a glimpse of the basic version of the gamepad from the Xbox One , and in general I have rather negative impressions of communication with the “regular” version. The build quality and the fun of the game were about the same. Well, Microsoft decided to do work on the bugs by releasing IT :
Perfectly assembled. Excellent in the hand. Excellent matrials. Customizable sticks, replaceable cross, additional 4 buttons "at the bottom" of the device.
Plus, the ability to switch the hammers from the "analog" to the short-stroke "digital" mode and back, which allows you to "shoot" from semi-automatic weapons in toys at a breakneck speed. I had this thing only a couple of nights, but for now this is the best gamepad I've ever had in my hands. True, there is one small problem.
If you are a fan of the game lying on the couch with a gamepad, you have an Xbox One or PC, and you have nowhere to go for 150-200 dollars - just a piece of musthave. He, like any Bugatti Chiron - the best in everything. Luxurious, comfortable, accurate and fast. And it costs about the same. : D
That's all for today. Next week I will tell you about, perhaps, the most useless of computer hardware, which I generally had, and how this completely useless idea surprisingly turned out to be a completely working version.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/391375/
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