Gaming mice are pretty common these days. Many try to set themselves apart by offering extra buttons, high DPI, or lots of customization. Well today Tt eSPORTS has announced a mouse with something that no other has brought before. A detachable fan.

Building off of the previous generation of Black mice, the new Cyclone features a 6500 DPI laser sensor, OMRON switches and 9 fully customizable macro keys. Of course, the biggest feature is the fan. It attaches to a miniUSB port located on the front of the mouse. Plug it in, and you’ll get a nice breeze over your fingers.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen airflow as a selling point for a Thermaltake peripheral. When we looked at the Challenger Pro last year, it too had a small removable fan. While it did work, it just felt a bit gimmicky. Then again, I usually don’t have issues with sweaty hands. If you do, then maybe these two devices are exactly what you need.

As mice have evolved, especially those designed for gaming, manufacturers have been finding new ways to ensure that the shape of the mouse fits your hand perfectly. Specifically, your right hand. Companies like Steelseries go out of their way to make ambidextrous mice that are still ergonomic, but don’t leave southpaws out in the cold. So what about the other mice that are clearly designed for righties? Well, last month Razer issued a challenge: Find 10,000 people that support a left-handed Naga, and they’ll make it.

Yesterday the image they posted surpassed the necessary “likes”, and currently has over 11,500. The challenge was set to last for an entire month, but the gaming community needed less than two weeks to tell the company that they want another southpaw mouse.

Don’t expect to head to the Razer site and order your very own left-handed Naga today. In fact, the company has stated that it will likely take more than a year to get the new mouse into the (left) hands of customers. Regardless, it’s great to see a company that’s willing to listen to the needs of gamers, and design a product especially for a minority. What makes it even more amazing is that Razer actually loses money on each left-handed DeathAdder that they sell, and they’re still willing to commit their resources to this.

When it comes to console games, you don’t usually need a special controller to enjoy the game. Just grab the official one that came with it, and you’re good. However, if you’re playing a racing game, you can’t get the same immersive feeling with an analog stick. What you need is a wheel with a shifter, and a set of pedals. Mad Catz has you covered with their officially licensed Wireless Force Feedback Wheel for the Xbox 360, which we’re taking a look at today.

First Look

We’ll start with the wheel itself, which looks beautiful. While it is mostly plastic, the hand grips on the wheel are textured rubber to help you get a better hold. The inner part of the wheel is solid metal, as are both paddle shifters and the top of the shifter knob. The shifter can be positioned on either the left or right, to accommodate your preferred location. On the rear you will find a sync button, DC jack (for the included power cable) RJ-45 jack and a spot to plug in your 360 headset.

One of the things you’ll notice about this wheel is that it is heavy. You could actually play with this sitting on your desk or table, without the need for a clamp. The only downside is that most of the weight is in the wheel, which means it would have a tendency to lean forward. The clamp is pretty basic, and keeps it locked firmly in place.

If you don’t have room for a table in front of your TV, you do have the option of leg supports. These attach to the bottom with four screws (they don’t come all the way out, so you won’t ever lose them) and have a rubber coating. This layer of rubber provides a bit of padding, and helps keep the wheel from moving around.

Remember how I said that I loved how heavy the wheel was? This is most definitely not the case with the pedal unit. It is very light, and almost cheap feeling. There are rubber feet on the bottom, which are there to keep it from sliding around. The design of the pedals is nice, as they are suspended. This should give a more realistic feel than other pedals which are mounted at the base. The only other thing you’ll find on the pedal unit is a single cable, with plugs into the RJ-45 connector on the wheel.

Setup

Just as with their Primer headset we reviewed yesterday, this wireless racing wheel is a breeze to setup. All you need to do is attach either the leg rests or clamp to the wheel, set your pedals in place and connect the two cables (one for the pedals, and one for the power). You’ll need to press the sync button on the wheel and the 360 the first time you connect it, just as you would with a regular 360 controller. Once that’s done, you’re ready to go.

Comfort

I talked a lot about the solid construction of the wheel earlier, and it makes a difference. When you sit down with this for the first time, you’ll think you’re holding something that’s worthy of being in a car. I think my favorite part is the metal paddle shifters, which are leaps and bounds above any plastic ones I’ve used.

I was most surprised by how well this particular wheel worked in my lap. The sheer weight of the unit was enough to keep it in place, but at the same time wasn’t so heavy that it hurt my legs. Of course, I still preferred using it with a table, and the simple clamp was extremely effective.

Just like the weight and construction made the wheel a superior product, the cheap feel of the pedals left me wanting. Since they pedal unit weighs so little, I found that on a hardwood or tile surface, it is virtually impossible to keep the pedals in one spot. You’ll need to have something heavy sitting behind them to keep them in place.

Performance

The main draw to this particular wheel, (aside from the wireless capabilities) is the force feedback. Let me tell you, it works, and it works well. Nothing adds to a racing game like struggling against the wheel when you’re trying to make it through a tight curve. Overall, the wheel handles like a dream. The paddle shifters are quick and responsive, though the stick shifter felt a little more gummy than I would like when shifting.

While I hate how light and cheap the pedals feel, they still work quite well (if you can keep them in place). The suspended placement of the pedals does provide a more realistic-feeling experience, and I had no issues with the responsiveness. I think if Mad Catz had given them the same metallic treatment that they gave the wheel, they’d have solved both of these issues at the same time.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to racing wheels, this Wireless Force Feedback one from MadCatz is difficult to top. Its quality and performance is marred only by the light and cheap pedals that come with it. My only other complaint is that you’re forced to plug the wheel into the wall, which defeats the purpose of making it wireless in the first place. I would say that overall, it’s worth the $250 price tag, but only for enthusiasts.

With everything going wireless these days, being tied to your console via a headset is not the most pleasant of experiences. There’s nothing quite like a cord draped over the coffee table and onto your couch. Tritton is the first company that Microsoft has partnered with to produce Xbox 360 branded headsets. The first one we’ve gotten to test is the Primer, which is on the lower end of their product line. But does being on the lower end of the spectrum meant that it’s not worth your time? Let’s take a look.

First Look

The Primer consists of two parts: The headset and the base station. The base station is pretty basic. It is a glossy black box with a single LED on the front, which lets you know whether the headset is connected. On the back you’ll find a sync button, a stereo audio jack and a mini USB port for power.

The headset has a matte black finish, except for the ear cups, which are glossy black on the outside and orange on the inside. You’ll find padding on the headband and ear cups, which is made of a leather-like material. The right ear houses a pair of AA batteries, while the left has your controls. The left ear has a button for syncing, and another that will mute your mic. There are two volume sliders, one for game volume, and the other for chat. You’ll also see an audio port to connect to your controller, and a mic. The mic is not removable, but it is flexible, and pivots up to sit out of the way when you’re not using it.

Setup

If you’re a fan of no-hassle setups, then you’re going to love the Primer. The audio cable needs a pair of RCA inputs, which can be a hassle. If you’re using HDMI on an older console, then you’ll know that the component cables don’t fit in with the HDMI cable plugged in. (Well, it can, if you remove the casing for the component cable connector, but that’s another story.) Tritton worked around this by including a special connector that is thin enough to sit comfortably next to your HDMI cable. This connector only gives you the red and white connections, which means not having to deal with several feet of cable that you don’t need.

The downside to this is that there is no optical output on the connector, like you would find on the official one from Microsoft. If you’re using optical to output to a surround sound system, you’re going to be stuck using the OEM cable.

Once you’ve plugged in the audio and USB cable, you’ll need to install batteries in the headset. Just pop off the cover (which is held in place by magnets) and put them in. As with other wireless devices, you’ll sync them together by pressing the button on the receiver, then on the headset. The only other thing you’ll need to do is run the cord from your headset to the controller for the mic. In the span of just a couple of minutes, you’re up and running.

Comfort

When you first put the Primer on, you’ll notice that it feels really snug against your head. While you can adjust how high they sit, the width of the headset does not change. If you don’t like a lot of pressure on your ears, you aren’t going to find these very comfortable. The ear cups also shallow enough that it presses my ears against my head. This is the sort of thing that makes my ears hurt after long gaming sessions.

Aside from the pressure on my ears, I found the headset to be comfortable. It has just enough weight to make you think that it can take a bit of a beating, but not enough to weigh down on your head. The adjustable mic takes only a flick to get into place, and all of the controls are easy to find. With them being out of sight on an earcup, I was worried that I might have difficulty finding the right button or slider. However, that was definitely not the case. One good look at them before you put it on for the first time, and you’ll be able to feel exactly where everything is.

Performance

The 40mm speakers in each ear provided good overall sound. Most sounds were crisp, and I never had any issues making out sounds or dialogue within the game. They do promise “rich bass”, which I would call an overstatement. The bass gets a little muddy, and isn’t nearly as loud as I’d like. It’s not enough to ruin the experience, but it did leave me wanting in that department.

I experienced no issues with the mic. My friends were always able to hear me loud and clear. My only complaint would be with the rather short cable that tethered me to my controller. Adding a few inches to that wouldn’t hurt.

While I normally only sit about six or seven feet away from my TV, I was sure to test the range on the 5.8ghz wireless connection. I was pleased to find that I could hear clear audio, even when on another floor, on the opposite side of the house. You’ll have issues seeing the TV long before your audio cuts out.

Final Thoughts

My two biggest issues with the Primer are in the comfort department. They sit a little too tight for my tastes, and the ear cups aren’t deep enough. Despite this, I was still able to play for several hours in a row, without issue. My ears would be a bit sore for a few minutes after I took off the headset, but I didn’t really notice the discomfort during play.

I said before that the speakers delivered good sound, and I meant it. The sound is good, but not what I’d call great. Normally, I’d expect great sound from a $100 headset, however, you’re getting wireless functions instead. Do I think that it’s worth the trade-off? I do, though I wish they would have made them a bit more comfortable.

Of all the mice I’ve ever used, there is one that has gotten more attention from other people than the rest. That would be my Cyborg R.A.T. 7. Rather than having a smooth, sleek curve like many mice out there, it has a lot of angles and pieces that fit together to look like something out of Transformers. In fact, in a way, it does transform to fit your hand. I gave it high praises when it first came out for its ability to customize its shape. Well now Mad Catz is back with their latest in the Cyborg line, and this time they’re aiming specifically at MMO players.

First Look

In many ways, the Cyborg M.M.O. 7 is almost identical to its R.A.T. brother. Ignoring for a moment the buttons, lighting and paint job, the mouse has the exact same shape and dimensions as the R.A.T. 7. The one exception is the thumb rest, which cannot be rotated outward.

Despite their similar build, these do look like two very different mice. There are two new LEDs shining, one on each of the primary buttons. These can be customized, and even be used to let you know which profile you’re using, and whether or not you’re using ActionLock. Each of the 10 extra buttons, (not including the DPI switch) as well as the underside of the mouse and the scrollwheel are all a shiny orange color, which helps make them stand out against the rest of the black body.

There are once again two additional palm rests and two extra pinkie grips that allow you to customize the feel of the mouse. You’ll still be able to move both the thumb rest and palm rest back and forth to fit your hand, which was one of my favorite features about the previous mouse. You’ll also find the same set of removable weights to further tune the feel of the mouse.

Software

When you load up the Cyborg software, you’ll have four tabs to choose from: Product, Settings, Programming, and Support. You probably won’t use the first or last one, as they don’t have any real function, other than to take you to the Cyborg website.

The first tab you see under Settings is for DPI Settings. Here you can select four different settings ranging from 25-6400DPI. Each one is accompanied by a set of up to four lights, which correspond to ones seen on the side of the mouse. If you wish, you can adjust the X and Y axis separately, to get the exact feel that you want. In the next tab, you can adjust the settings for the Precision Aim button, which allows you to temporarily decrease the DPI of your mouse while the button is pressed.

Finally, in the Lighting tab, you can adjust the colors of the two LEDs on your primary mouse buttons. There are three settings for each button: Default, ActionLock On, and ActionLock Off. You can select your colors either in a swatch, or by using RGB sliders. This is actually something that annoys me, just a bit. I prefer to have my mouse buttons to be the same color. The only way to do this is to go into the RGB sliders and memorize the percentages of each. There should be a simple way to re-use the same color. Also, there is no way to adjust the brightness of the lights.

I’ll break from the actual software for just a moment to explain ActionLock. This is something I haven’t seen in a mouse before. On the left and right primary mouse buttons, there is a smaller, extra button. Pressing this will enable ActionLock for the button it is associated with. When enabled, a single click will actually register as if you’re holding down on the button. Another click will tell the computer that you’ve let off the button.

Let’s say that you’re playing a game, and you want to perform an action that requires you to hold down the left mouse button for an extended period of time. Instead of keeping your finger on the button, you can turn on ActionLock, then click the button once. When you’re ready to finish that action, simply click the left mouse button again, and it will stop. This can be useful for walking, clicking on a summoning stone, and other tasks.

Back in the software, you’ll find the Programming tab to be full of features. In fact, without reading through the manual, you might be a tad overwhelmed. However, after a bit of experimenting, you shouldn’t have any problems setting it up. With all of the buttons on this mouse, you can spend a long while setting up actions and macros to your heart’s content. However, just being able to program each button once isn’t enough. Rather, there are three modes that you can cycle through, and a “MMO Shift” button that, when pressed, can alter what each of the buttons do, depending on which mode you’re on. In all, you can have 78 different commands assigned to the mouse.

Everyone knows that World of Warcraft is the reigning champion when it comes to MMO’s. So it’s not surprising to see a special plugin for this mouse designed specifically for the game. Rather than going through and assigning commands in the Programming section of your software, you’ll use a brand new interface that allows you to drag and drop spells and commands to your keys. This is really handy, and I’m hoping that we’ll see more of these for other games.

Comfort And Performance

Even without the ability to pivot the thumb rest, I still rank this mouse as one of the most comfortable around. With swapable and movable parts, you should be able to mold it to your hand. Just bear in mind that it does take a little while to get everything set just right.

As a regular gaming mouse, it works just as well as its R.A.T. brother. It glides smoothly over just about any surface that you’d imagine. However, there is one change that was not for the better. I’m rather disappointed to find that Mad Catz decided to change the DPI switch from a rocker to a single button. Depending on what game I’m playing, (and sometimes what I’m doing within the game), I will quickly switch back and forth between DPI settings. With only a single button, I’m forced to cycle through the settings, rather than simply moving back and forth between the ones I want.

With all of the extra buttons on this mouse, you can imagine that it is a bit difficult to find a place for all of your fingers. What’s nice is that once you have the mouse tweaked to your hand, you shouldn’t have too much of an issue with this. I find that my thumb naturally rests between the forward-most button, and the Precision Aim 5D button. And from that position, I can reach most of the buttons on that side of the mouse. A couple of them are a bit of a stretch for me, and honestly don’t get used.

One button that surprised me was the Precision Aim 5D. Since this has five different ways to be pressed, I figured that it would be easy to accidentally press it one way or another. However, I did not find this to be the case. It needs too much pressure to activate in any direction to be triggered accidentally, but not so much that it is difficult to use. Even still, I didn’t find myself wanting to use more than three of the directions (back, down, and in, if you’re curious), as the others took more movement than I’d like.

My biggest annoyance with this mouse comes from the ActionLock buttons. These are positioned within the normal area of your left and right mouse buttons. They’re barely recessed, so that they almost feel flush. Now, depending on how you grip your mouse, you might find yourself hitting these on accident more often than you like. It only took hitting them a couple of times to adjust my grip, but it was still annoying to deal with when it happened. Thankfully, with a mouse that’s built around customization, you can turn them off, right? Wrong. Even if you have no use for these buttons, you cannot disable them in any way. Accidentally clicking one of these in the middle of a game can be very frustrating. I can only hope that this is something that might get fixed in a software update.

Conclusion

Like its predecessor, this customizable mouse has a lot going for it. Where the R.A.T. 7 only had the bare minimum amount of extra buttons, which makes it more suitable for FPS games and the like, the M.M.O. 7 is named after its target audience. With the ability to activate up to 78 different commands, it’s almost difficult to use this device to its fullest. However, I know a few players who could do just that.

My two biggest complaints are regarding the downgrade of the DPI switch to a single button, and the inability to deactivate the ActionLock buttons. If you can’t find a grip that keeps your fingers away from these buttons, you’re not going to get frustrated very quickly.

Overall, if you’re the type to assign a lot of macros and keyboard shortcuts to your mouse, then the M.M.O. 7 will more than accommodate. Just be sure to take the time to properly adjust the mouse to your hand, and you’ll be golden.

Last week, we had our hopes and dreams stomped on when the National Entertainment Collectibles Association, better known as NECA, told us that the portal gun replicas were being shelved indefinitely. Needless to say, this riled a lot of gamers who were drooling with anticipation. It seems as though the “issues”, whatever they may have been, have been fixed.

ThinkGeek has posted a listing for a “Limited Edition Portal Gun Replica” that will be due out this Spring. The estimated date is on May 18^th, which will give you a little bit of time to set your funds in order. Seeing as the words “limited edition” are in there, it’s safe to say that there is only going to be a certain amount of these made.

Priced at $139.99, it’s likely going to be something that sells like hotcakes as it is expensive, but still within a somewhat affordable range if you know how to save up some money. They do have an “email me” button that will notify you as soon as the product goes live, so I would hit that up immediately. This 1:1 replica will be an excellent as part of a cosplay, a decorative mantle piece, or for running around and pretending you’re walking through walls.

When you sit down at your computer to play a game, you probably have your hands on your keyboard/mouse, and your eyes on your monitor. You don’t really need anything else, do you? The people over at Roccat think you might.

You might already be familiar with Roccat, as they’ve broken into the gaming peripheral market here in the US this year. Now they want to do more than just control your gaming input. The company has announced their Power-Grid app for mobile devices, and it’s probably not what  you think.

This app, which is currently designed for iOS devices, has a variety of functions. First, it can route all communications from places like Skype, Facebook, and TeamSpeak to your phone. This allows you to keep in contact with friends, without having to leave your game.

The second “grid” will show you the vital stats for your PC. Things like CPU usage, temps, hard drive space and network traffic will be right on your phone’s screen. Finally, the third grid will give you the ability to control the audio on your PC. If you need to turn up Skype, or turn down the game’s volume, you can do that right from the phone. No need to hop out and use the volume mixer in Windows. Just a few taps and you’re done.

What’s probably most exciting about this is that the company intends to release this software for free. You’ll even be able to customize it and make your own grids, with a variety of other tools. We should see this debuting sometime next month, along with other accessories, such as the Project Phobo keyboard, which has a dedicated space for your smartphone.

We all wish that our lives could be like that of a video game. While that isn’t quite a possibility just yet, we can surround ourselves with things that make us think as though we are. Take for instance, the Mario Question Block Lamp.

Well, its actual name is the Interactive Super Mario Coin Block Pendant Lamp, but that’s a bit of a mouthful. You can literally, “punch its lights out” as it has a touch sensitive bottom. Although, I don’t really recommend punching this thing, as there is a light bulb inside that can shatter. A light tap is likely the better option.

It is made of laser-cut plexiglass and is lit with LEDs. The lamp is super light, and can be suspended with its 11-foot long cable. If you would rather have this as a bedside lamp, you can get the custom acrylic stand, although that will likely cost you more than its $74.99 price tag. If you’re wanting one of these for your very own, make sure you order it about two or three weeks ahead of time. Check out the video below to see how it works!

We were all in awe when the iCade came out for your iPad, but few of us managed to snag one as it was a bit pricey at $100 a pop. That’s why I was quite pleased to see that ThinkGeek has supplied us with something that is a little bit more feasible for our wallets. Coming at a quarter of the price at $24.99, the iCade 8-bitty is something you are going to want if you have an iPhone, iPad, or Android device.

This is a retro wireless game controller that is reminiscent of an NES controller. The only differences being the two extra buttons, no wire, and a change of colors. This will give you access to Atari Classics collection, Pan-Man, Super Mega Worm and more. The controller contains the four face buttons, start, select, two shoulder buttons, and a D-Pad.

This thing is fully compatible with all of the iCade games, however, the Atari Greatest Hits will only run on the iPad. To make it work, you’ll need two AAA batteries which are not included, and you’ll have to buy the games separately. All 100 classic Atari games are $14.99, but there are other bundles and apps to choose from if those don’t tickle your fancy.

It’s always really fun to dangle a string in front of a cat and whisk it away just as they’re trying to pounce on it. Companies seem to like to do that to consumers, as they will make products that are absolutely tantalizing, such as replicas from games that we love. Of course once we receive it, it is oftentimes a fraction of the size that we were expecting.

From the looks of things, that is not going to be the case with this life-size Portal Gun. This is coming from the National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA), who are known for their amazing replicas and props. It is officially named the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, but it will always be a Portal Gun in our hearts.

It seems as though pre-orders have started online this week for Japan, and will release sometime in April. It’s priced at about $208, and rightfully so as it looks as if no small details were left out. Just don’t be too sad when you get it and find out you don’t actually have the ability to travel via portal.