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Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack leaning on plinth, on desk with pink background
Product Reviews

Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack review: a sleek and capable power bank, but it might not offer the best value

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Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack: review

The Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack is a power bank designed for charging Galaxy and other small devices.

It has quite a sleek design with an organic-looking finish, emphasized by the beige colorway of my unit, which is mottled for a pebble-like appearance. It also feels quite solid, although there is some flexing to the panels, so it isn’t the most rugged power bank around.

However, it’s pleasingly thin and light, and combined with the rounded edges at one end, this makes the Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack relatively easy to carry around. However, it’s quite long, even for a wireless power bank, and many of the best power banks with similar power and capacity specs are smaller than this.


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What also mars its seamless design is the hump of the wireless charging pad, although its soft material offers extra cushioning and grip for your device, and seems quite resistant to tears and scratches.

There’s no real interface to speak of on the Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack. It features a single power button and five LED dots: one indicating charging activity and the other four representing battery life. These are placed at the end of the unit, next to the USB ports, and are large and bright enough to be seen clearly.

The wireless charging feature is capable of outputting 7.5W of power. It also features two USB-C ports, both of which serve as inputs and outputs. These offer Super Fast Charging, providing 25W of output power each when charging a single device.

Three-way charging is also supported when using both ports and the wireless pad, although the power output drops to 7.5W for all outputs in such cases. It’s also a shame that while charging, the battery life indicators don’t remain lit, so you can’t tell how much battery the Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack has left without pressing the power button first, which is somewhat inconvenient.

It managed to wirelessly charge a Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus, which has a 4,755mAh battery, from empty to full in about three and a half hours, which is quite a good performance. In the process, the Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack lost all but one of its LED dots, indicating that it had between 5-20% left in reserve.

This is somewhat disappointing, since it means you’ll only get one full wireless charge out of it. What’s more, charging the bank itself from empty to full took over three hours, which isn’t particularly fast; other 10K power banks are faster at charging themselves than this.

The Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack is reasonably priced considering its wireless charging capability and the inclusion of two USB-C ports for additional charging. However, there are other wireless chargers out there with smaller form factors that perform just as well, such as the Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K), which even includes a handy flip stand for propping up your phone.

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack review: price & specs

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Price

$44.99 / £44 / AU$79

Capacity

10,000mAh

Total wattage

25W

Number of ports

2

USB-C

2

Wireless charging

Yes

Weight

7.8oz / 222g

Power-to-weight

45mAh/g

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack Battery Pack?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack review: Also consider

Samsung 25W 10000mAh Wireless Battery Pack EB-U2510 : Price Comparison



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JDM: Japanese Drift Master review
Game Reviews

JDM: Japanese Drift Master review

by admin


JDM: Japanese Drift Master review

A tough but strong contender in a growing niche of racing games focused on skidding round corners – but this time with some light sushi delivery.

  • Developer: Gaming Factory
  • Publisher: Gaming Factory, 4Divinity
  • Release: May 21st, 2025
  • On: Windows
  • From: Steam, Epic Games
  • Price: £29/$35/€35
  • Reviewed on: Intel Core-i7-11700F, 16GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, Windows 10

I have spun out on wet tarmac again and I am furious with myself. JDM: Japanese Drift Master requires a different mentality to most other racing games. Drifting around a corner is not the side gimmick that you’ll do a few times during races. Drifting is the race. In this self-described “simcade” game, you’ve got to slide around the bendy roads of sunny (and rainy) Japan while delivering sushi and chasing boy racers for style points. It all adds up to some remarkably weighty speedfreakery that is bitingly frustrating when I’m bad at it, and rumblingly compelling when I’m good at it.

First, let’s get some housekeeping out of the way. JDM stands for “Japanese Domestic Market” referring to vehicles built and sold in Japan, but the same acronym has also come to be used as a shorthand for cars made in Japan and sold overseas. Search “JDM” on used car websites and you’ll likely spot some handsomely boxy beasts. Of course, this means that the full title of the racing game in question is technically: “Japanese Domestic Market: Japanese Drift Master”. This is stupid. But then, a few things about the game are.

Watch on YouTube

The story, for one, is a dopey fish-out-of-water tale about a European fella called Tomasz, who has revved his way to Japan and begins to compete in the local drifting scene. It’s delivered via the flippable pages of a manga, to be read in traditional right-to-left format. It’s a clumsy story, shoe-hornedly delivered in the exact way racing game stories often are. Imagine reading a black-and-white comic version of Fast And Furious: Tokyo Drift but without the Marshall Mathers lookalike. The women boob along boobily and the rival hits his girlfriend, just so you know he’s a bad’un.

You can turn on a “assistance mode” for reading the manga, which labels what panel to read next. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / Gaming Factory

But put down these pages and you’re faced with an ambitious little driveabout. There’s an open world map that slowly fills with events and challenges as you dither through the story. Some are straightforward “grip” races, in which drifting isn’t actually a big part. Others want you to hold a drift for as long as possible to accrue thousands of points for a bronze, silver, or gold ranking. Other missions include delivering sushi “in style” which means flying down the rural roads of a fictional Japanese prefecture while not crashing and wrecking all the perfectly arranged nigiri. There are drag races, where you’ll warm up your tires beforehand by spinning them, and roadside speed cameras that snap your highest speed – setting a record while getting a record.

So there’s variety, but the most eye-catching are races in which you’ve got to beat other computer-controlled opponents while at the same time gathering an admirable amount of style points by drifting. You need to finish first and take every corner like angry Bowser in Mario Kart. Drifting is so core to the game, that you are basically forced to do it at every single corner. As an arcade racer rube, this can cause some initial hand-to-eye reluctance. My thumbs want to just brake and slow for a bend, but do that and you’ll find the cars here steer at low speeds with agonising stiffness. The game is not for turning. You learn to drift, or you lose.

There are hardcore modes for players with a wheel, gearbox, and clutch accessories. But also an arcade mode for simpler knuckleheads like me. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / Gaming Factory

The game tries to help you out. There’s an on-screen diagram that appears on your HUD while drifting, to show the balance of your car. A needle swings left or right into a green zone to show the perfect drifting position. If it veers into the red zone you’ll spin out. Wet weather makes this more likely, and in the rain your car can feel completely different. I struggled a lot while trying to perfect my turns and obey the whims of the guiding needle. I drifted into barriers. I ruined stacks of maki rolls. I suffered flashbacks of trying to clear the training car park in Driver for PS1.

But I eventually learned when to ignore the on-screen guide. It feels easier to attune yourself to drifting when you simply look at your car’s movements directly and learn to intuit the pressure of your thumbs. UI can do a lot, but sometimes it can’t beat balls-basic hand-to-eye intuition.

Spinning out loses your multiplier completely, making rainy weather feel like an actual threat. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / Gaming Factory

Once you start to get a feel for how the game really wants you to drive, the tire-smoking flow can be mildly intoxicating. Nailing bend after bend the whole way across the map to the next objective is satisfying in the same way as managing to go a whole race in Burnout without once hitting a wall and turning your hatchback into minced metal. On the other hand, messing up a turn towards the end of a race can be a hellish frustration. And that’s mostly down to the game’s unforgiving approach to rewarding points.

Getting a good score relies on you maintaining a drift for as long as possible – in this way, you build a big multiplier. The game’s tutorials do not make a big deal of this fact, but it is a huge reason you will fail any given challenge. It’s at the core of the game. Spinning out cuts your multiplier off completely, and ending too early loses out on big points. So you’ve got to stretch those drifts to breaking point, then level out sensibly once you’re satisfied. If you can’t manage that, gathering the requisite points to beat opponents is an uphill battle. It’s kinda the same principle as landing “perfect” after a huge combo in OlliOlli games. You only get a fraction of the points if you don’t nail that final moment. But unlike those skating games, restarts in JDM are not frictionless and quick. Restarting an event when you’ve messed up includes a loading screen by necessity, and that makes resentment curdle when you’re trying to perform a perfect run.

There’s a surprising array of licensed cars, including Hondas, Subarus, Nissans, and Mazdas. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / Gaming Factory

Oh, the cars. Damn, that’s what a bunch of you probably care about. Yes, there are a neat range of fully licensed Japanese cars from the past few decades, including a 1988 Honda Civic, a Nissan Skyline from 1971, and an early 2000s Subaru Impreza. Basically any car you could feasibly see Paul Walker looking focused in. The devs have also promised new cars with every update, the first of which is planned for three months from now.

The parts shop too lets you fiddle with a surprising amount of motorbits. Lower the suspension, upgrade the brake pads, swap out the gearbox for a gearbox with a cooler name and an accompanying stats boost. Loads of stuff. There’s also a tuning screen where you can get disgustingly precise with tire pressure, wheel alignment, and adjustable gearbox ratios. Don’t look at me, I don’t know what any of the accompanying numbers mean. They probably make you go zoom-zoom.

The manga pages used to explain suspension geometry are not what I’d call elucidating | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / Gaming Factory

Cosmetically, you can make your car look as hideously Fast and/or Furious as you like, with bumpers, spoilers, wheel rims, and wing mirrors. The paint shop lets you attach strobing multicoloured lights to the underside of your ride (what is a car if not a kind of RGB-decorated PC case?) And you can alter the interior with new steering wheels, gear sticks, and seats. A lot of these parts are locked behind getting a better “reputation level”, which basically means completing chapters and side quests to boost XP. I didn’t reach the end of what was available in my playtime, and there’s more coming in future updates.

There are some potholes, sure. That story is borderline insufferable, tutorials don’t do a great job of explaining things, and there’s some bugginess. I only got a fraction of the cash I was supposed to earn from some missions, for example, which made it difficult to progress up that ladder of nice vehicles. But even so, I’m left with the impression of a racing game punching far above its weight and landing an impressive number of blows. If I knew more about drifting as a motorhobby, I might say something big and powerful like “this is the definitive game of a racing subculture!” But I’ll let some other bumpernerd put that label on it. I wouldn’t want to upset all the fans of Night-Runners or Togue Shakai. Regardless of where it fits in its racing niche, JDM may not yet be fully tuned, but it has rolled out of the garage in fine form.



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Split image showing Ring Outdoor Camera Plus and footage recorded on the device
Product Reviews

Ring Outdoor Camera Plus review: tough and versatile, but its most advanced features cost extra

by admin



Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Ring Outdoor Camera Plus: two-minute review

Keeping an eye on your property remotely has become an obsession for many of us. No matter where you are in the world you can see exactly who is in your house and who has come to the front door. You can even use your camera to monitor the miserable weather back home while you are abroad enjoying sunshine.

Now owned by retailing behemoth Amazon, Ring was originally set up by US entrepreneur Jamie Siminoff as ‘Doorbot’ in 2013, but has since gone on to become one of the biggest names in the home security industry. As the name suggests, the Outdoor Cameras (previously known as Stick-Up Cameras) are designed for outdoor use, though there is no reason why you couldn’t use it indoors too – it can be just as easily placed on a table or desk as on the wall outside.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

The Outdoor Camera Plus is certainly a versatile model with several mounting options, including a wall bracket (with wall plugs) as well as a rechargeable battery pack if a power cable isn’t feasible (this wasn’t provided). Plastic covers stop water getting into the USB-C power port and the model is ‘weather-resistant’, not waterproof, so shouldn’t be submerged in water!


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As with most home security cameras, set up is straightforward. Simply download the Ring app and scan the QR code with your phone’s camera to add the device to the app (several Ring devices can be viewed within the app, including cameras, video doorbells, chimes and alarms). You will then be taken through a set of voice-based instructions for syncing the camera to your home’s Wi-Fi, naming the device and updating its firmware. Usefully this new model features dual-band support so you can add it to either your 2.4GHz or 5GHz network as well as Amazon Alexa compatibility. For added security, two-factor authentication is also now provided.

When it comes to features, the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus doesn’t disappoint. You can set motion detection zones to avoid the camera capturing footage from, say, the swaying of tree branches. And it’s also possible to set up privacy zones that allow you to block out certain areas of the frame, even in ‘live view’. Instead, all you see on the screen is a black rectangle. It’s an unusual feature but one which is quite useful if you have neighbours concerned your camera can view/capture recordings from their property.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

Another unusual feature in the menu is Smart Responses. This enables you to send out a warning message to people to tell them they are being recorded. However, it isn’t live on this device – at least yet. Other more conventional features include motion sensitivity for adjusting the amount of footage you capture (useful if you want to preserve battery life) and motion schedules for setting the times of day you want to record movement.

But that’s not all. For those who subscribe to Ring’s monthly subscription plans, other functions are available too. These include ‘smart alerts’ which filter different types of motion into categories – ie parcel, person and vehicles. Providing you pay for the £15.99 per month Ring Premium service, there’s also an AI-driven smart video search tool that can identify certain objects in your device’s recorded motion events.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

For example, just enter ‘dog’ into the search bar you can see all the times your dog has been captured by the camera while ‘red top’ will bring up footage of anyone wearing a red top in the recorded events. Particularly useful is that you can log into your Ring account on the web so you can view footage of all your cameras while working on your laptop, something which isn’t possible with more basic models.

Ring Outdoor Camera Plus: price and availability

  • Prices start at $69 / £69 / AU$179
  • Additional solar panel costs extra
  • Launched March 2025

Ring security cameras certainly aren’t expensive to buy compared to some of the best home security cameras. At the time of writing, you can pick up the Ring Outdoor Cam Plus for £69 / $69 / $179 (considerably cheaper than the launch price). However, just like printer companies make their money from selling expensive printer cartridges, home security companies make theirs from selling costly subscriptions.

Ring’s Home Basic plan is $4.99 / £4.99 / AU$4.95 per month, but if you want all the bells and whistles, such as the Smart Video Search outlined earlier, it will set you back a hefty $19.99 / £15.99 per month (and this top-tier subscription isn’t available in Australia).

In my opinion that’s simply far too much money, unless you are using the Ring for professional purposes such as monitoring, say, high street shops (in which case there are more advanced video surveillance systems available). Far better if you need to keep the recordings is to choose a security camera which provides the option of recording footage locally on a USB stick or MicroSD card.

Ring Outdoor Camera Plus: subscription options

Ring Home Basic:

$4.99 / £4.99 / AU$4.95 per month

$49.99 / £49.99 / AU$49.95 per year

Subscription for a single device. Includes up to 180 days of video event history, person and package alerts, video preview alerts, and 10% off Ring.com purchases.

Ring Home Standard:

$9.99 / £7.99 / AU$14.95 per month

$99.99 / £79.99 / AU$149.95 per year

Includes everything in Basic, plus all devices at one location, doorbell calls, extended live view, alarm cellular backup, and daily event summary.

Ring Premium:

$19.99 / £15.99 per month

$199.99 / £159.99 per year

Not currently available in Australia. Includes everything in Standard, plus 24/7 recording, continuous live view, and smart video search.

Ring Outdoor Camera Plus: design

  • Upgraded from Ring Stick Up Camera
  • Versatile mounting
  • Flexible power options

With the Outdoor Camera Plus, Ring has made a few improvements over its predecessor, the third generation Ring Stick Up Camera (now called the Outdoor Camera). Most notable is its improved design, particularly the versatile mounting options. The Ring Outdoor Cam Plus can be mounted on a desktop/table, on a wall or roof eave using the screws and wall plugs provided. It can be mounted on the ceiling with an additional accessory (not provided as standard) and easily angled for optimum use.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

Power is provided via the USB-C connector in the middle of the camera (a power cable wasn’t provided with our sample). Alternatively, you can take the Lithium-Ion battery out by swivelling the base to the unlock icon and removing it (ensuring you remove the card covering the charging points). You can then charge it via the orange Micro-USB cable provided until it’s ready for installation. Spare batteries are also available to buy online at Amazon of course.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

Available in black or white, the Outdoor Cam Plus features a lens on the front which provides a 160-degree diagonal, 140-degree horizontal, and 80-degree vertical field of view. Underneath is a speaker while above there’s a small microphone for two-way conversations with visitors. When movement is recorded a solid blue light is displayed at the top of the unit while during set up this flashes blue.

Ring Outdoor Camera Plus: performance

  • 2K image quality
  • Stable video connection
  • Overly sensitive camera

Ring claims the Outdoor Camera Plus offers ‘brilliant 2K video quality’ but in all honesty there’s not a massive leap in quality between this model and its predecessor, the Ring Stick Up Camera. Whereas the previous model offered 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, this one boasts 2,560 x 1,440 (2K). In other words, an increase of 360 horizontal pixels and 640 vertical pixels – enough to see the difference when you zoom in to an image, but probably not otherwise.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

That said, I didn’t have any complaints about picture quality at all. Images are sharp even at night thanks to the ‘low-light sight’ feature (although colour is limited in low light) and the field of vision is also quite wide: 140-degree horizontal compared to 115 degrees on the Ring Stick Up Camera.

Another benefit is having dual-band Wi-Fi support (2.4GHz and 5GHz) which ensured images recorded on the camera and viewed in Live View were extremely stable even though the camera was mostly located in the back garden, a significant distance from my broadband router.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

One thing worth noting is that the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus isn’t as sensitive as some models which record every bit of motion detected, even moving branches. Instead, you will probably need to turn the motion sensitivity option up a little bit just to capture all the footage you want. This will in turn use up more battery power so it’s worth considering either using the mains or a solar panel as a power supplement.

After nearly two weeks our sample model was already down to 50% so you will probably have to take the battery pack out for charging once a month – not the worst we’ve ever tested, but not the best either.

Should you buy the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus?

Swipe to scroll horizontallyRing Outdoor Camera Plus score card

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

While the actual camera itself is relatively cheap, the subscription which gives you most of the added functionality is very expensive.

3/5

Design

Available in black or white, the Ring Outdoor Cam Plus looks OK and is both compact and reasonably well designed. Suitable for a number of locations (indoors or outdoors) it can be powered by mains, battery or even solar power.

4/5

Performance

Offering 2K video quality, the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus provides stable, good quality, images in record mode and live view. However, battery life isn’t the best and the motion sensor isn’t particularly sensitive.

4/5

Overall

A decent home security camera, but the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus loses points for its expensive subscription packages and so-so battery life. Performance isn’t that much better than its predecessor, the Ring Stick Up Cam

3.5/5

Buy it if

Don’t buy it if

How I tested the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus

  • I used the camera both indoors and outdoors
  • I installed it myself
  • The camera was integrated into my home system with other Ring cameras

Like most manufacturers, Ring makes adding new cameras to its app very simple indeed. Because I already had several Ring security cameras and doorbells connected to my existing app, I simply added another using the QR code at the back of the device. However, starting from scratch would have been just as straightforward.

I started off using the device mostly indoors to get the feel of it and then moved it to my garden where I mounted it on top of the shed focused on the back door. There it has remained ever since (about 12 days at the time of writing), capturing people and pets who go out into the garden. Ring provides a 30-day trial for all the advanced features, such as smart video search and person/package/video alerts, but after this runs out you will need to subscribe online at Ring.com (you can’t do this via the app).

First reviewed May 2025



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SteelSeries Rival 3 Gen 2 Wireless gaming mouse
Product Reviews

SteelSeries Rival 3 Gen 2 Wireless review

by admin



Today’s best SteelSeries Rival 3 Gen 2 Wireless deals

I really wanted to love the SteelSeries Rival 3 Gen 2 Wireless, and in some ways, I do. It’s very versatile, sturdy, and has reminded me of the very real benefits of removable batteries in gaming mice. It’s also pretty well priced. Because of all this, I reckon it’s ideal for some select use cases.

However, I can’t recommend it for use as a primary gaming mouse, not when there are cheaper options that do similar, such as the Logitech G305 Lightspeed, or better options for a little more cash, such as the Turtle Beach Burst II Air or even the Logitech G Pro X Superlight.

But let’s start off with the good. The SteelSeries Rival 3 Gen 2 Wireless shares many of the benefits of the original Rival 3, and the main allure—apart from its striking ‘Aqua’ and ‘Lavender’ colour options that you can choose instead of plain black or white—is that it has dual wireless connectivity and removable batteries. This makes for an incredibly versatile mouse that’s a great Jack of all trades.


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It has some other upgrades compared to the first edition—better battery life, PTFE feet, and click latency—but the main one is that it now supports rechargeable batteries.

Rival 3 Gen 2 Wireless specs

(Image credit: Future)

Buttons: 6
Connectivity: 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth
Sensor: TrueMove Air Optical
Max DPI: 18,000
Weight: 106 g (2 x batteries), 95 g (1 x battery), 83.5 g (no batteries)
Max acceleration: 40 G
Max speed: 400 IPS
Polling rate: Up to 1,000 Hz
Battery life: Up to 200 hours (2.4 GHz) / 450 hours (Bluetooth)
RGB lighting: No (except on scroll wheel to highlight DPI/connection changes)
Price: $60 / £55

I’ve been a massive defender of wireless mice over the last few years, but I’ve always gone for the baked-in type. Now, after using the Rival 3 Gen 2 Wireless for a while, I must say I see the appeal. That’s not only because you get some fantastic battery life out of removable batteries (up to 200 hours at 1,000 Hz polling with 2x AAA batteries, here), but also because you never have to plug your mouse in again if they’re also rechargeable.

The main benefit of removable, rechargeable batteries in your gaming peripherals is one we discovered with the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro headset: It allows you to keep one set of batteries charging while the other one’s in use, then swap them over when the battery gets low. This means you can essentially have infinite battery life, without ever having to plug in your mouse. Of course, you’ll have to have your batteries plugged in and charging somewhere, but that’s more convenient.

That kind of setup is possible with the SteelSeries Rival 3 Gen 2 Wireless, but only if you sort out your own rechargeable batteries and charging station. The mouse itself only comes with two single-use AAA batteries. Which means, of course, that if you want one of the main benefits of this mouse, you have to spend a bit extra.

(Image credit: Future)

In practice, I found battery life to match up to what’s claimed on the spec sheet. I used just one battery at a time to keep the mouse weight a little lighter at 95 g, and I found that to last me just over a week of daily use for work and gaming. Then I just popped off the top and swapped in the new AAA battery.

The main downside to this setup is that 95 g weight. Stacked against some current competition, such as the aforementioned Turtle Beach Burst II Air or Razer DeathAdder V3 HyperSpeed, it’s just far too heavy. It’s par for the course for removable battery mice, sure—just ask the G305 Lightspeed—but it’s a drawback nonetheless, unless you’re one of the few to prefer a heavier rodent.

(Image credit: Future)

It’s not just the weight itself, either; it’s the distribution. Because the batteries sit more towards the back of the mouse, there’s a definite drag at the rear end. I found this very noticeable, and while I’ve become familiar with it over the last couple of weeks of use, I still notice it.

It’s not an uncomfortable mouse to use, mind. Far from it. The textured plastic surface feels very nice under my fingertips, and it feels incredibly comfy under my hybrid palm-claw grip. It’s pretty shallow, though, so don’t expect the pinnacle of hand support for all you palm grippers.

It’s sturdy, too, and certainly feels worth its $60 MSRP price tag on the build quality front. That is, in all but one area, this being the scroll wheel.

(Image credit: Future)

Unfortunately, this mouse’s wheel suffers (although not quite as badly) from what I distinctly remember my very first Razer DeathAdder mouse suffering many, many years ago: It’s got a distinctive kind of mushiness to it that makes it feel a little… unsettled on its notches. As if it could slip into that no-go ‘between the notches’ zone at any moment. It’s a difficult sensation to describe, but it suffices to say that it’s not the best scroll wheel I’ve used.

And I’m glad I didn’t get around to writing this review until a few weeks in with the mouse, because until now, that was the only complaint I had about the mouse wheel, but as of today, it’s started occasionally squeaking, too. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s a particularly grating sound to my ears, and it’s not a good sign that this has started after just a couple of weeks of use.

The other thing that bugs me about the Rival 3 Gen 2 Wireless is its bottom switch that allows you to toggle between Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, and Off. It’s pretty difficult to switch between 2.4 and Bluetooth, and God help you if you want to switch it to the middle Off position. To get enough pressure on the tucked-in little bugger to get it to actually move, that’s then so much pressure that it overshoots the middle.

(Image credit: Future)

It’s a good job the sleep functionality works a charm for that reason, because otherwise this thing’s battery would drain a whole lot quicker. This can be toggled in the app settings, and I don’t have any complaints on this front, really. You get plenty to fiddle with: polling, DPI, wireless stability enhancement (at the cost of battery life), and so on.

When it comes to gaming, I had no issues with the mouse other than occasionally being a little bothered by its rear weighting. I’m used to lightweight mice like the Logitech G Pro X Superlight, though, and not everyone might find that as big of a deal.

If maximising competitive performance is what you’re going for, though, you’re probably better off looking elsewhere. This mouse is still using the same TrueMove Air 18K sensor that the original used, and while 18,000 DPI and 400 IPS should be plenty for most people, it’s often more about what those low numbers say about the sensor quality in general than the actual numbers they reach.

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Future)

Tested at 1,000 Hz and 800 DPI — The closer the dots are together, the more consistent a mouse is reporting movement. More variation or stray dots makes for a less accurate sensor.

(Image credit: Future)

Tested at 1,000 Hz and 800 DPI — The spikes represent an increase in velocity, with more erratic spikes showing tracking going haywire.

(Image credit: Future)

Tested at 1,000 Hz and 800 DPI — Each dot represents an update, which corresponds to the polling rate. Every 1 ms should mark a single update on a 1,000 Hz mouse.

In the case of the SteelSeries Rival 3 Gen 2, my testing showed the sensor to be a little below average compared to some other gaming mice on the market right now. This primarily shows in the MouseTester sensor consistency results—there’s a higher amount of tracking deviation than what you might want out of a sensor for, say, high-level gaming in pro shooters.

Buy if…

✅ You want dual 2.4 and Bluetooth connection: This is a pretty well-priced gaming mouse to have such a feature. It’s great if you switch between devices a lot.

Don’t buy if…

❌ You want the best gaming performance: The Rival 3 Gen 2’s sensor isn’t as good as what you can get in some other gaming mice today, and the mouse weighs more than many, too.

I didn’t run into any problems clicking heads in Counter-Strike 2 or tracking enemy Pharahs with Soldier’s rifle in Overwatch 2 (well, no more problems than usual, anyway), but better-performing hands and eyes than mine might be able to notice the difference between this and a top-tier sensor.

So, with all this being said and done, why would one pick up a Rival 3 Gen 2 Wireless? Well, as I said at the start, I think this mouse is great as a Jack of all trades kind of deal—perhaps if you want to use it not primarily for gaming but for work and travel, too.

Its ability to run off rechargeable, removable batteries makes it attractive on the battery life front, and its dual 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth modes make it very versatile. Apart from the slight fiddliness of actually flicking the switch, swapping between the two connections is a breeze, and it allows me to go back and forth between using it with my gaming PC and my laptop at will, instantly.

If all of that is specifically your jam, then have at it. Just remember that you have to spend extra for rechargeable batteries and a battery charger if you want one of this mouse’s main benefits.

For me, the weightiness, the mediocre sensor, and most importantly, the squeaky and slightly mushy scroll wheel make it a no-go, considering there are other great options on the market for a similar price. It’s a shame, because it’d have been nice to keep on the rechargeable, reusable battery bandwagon more permanently, but the drawbacks aren’t worth it here.

SteelSeries Rival 3 Gen 2 Wireless: Price Comparison



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Fur Trim System Review: Simple, Pain-Free Body Hair Removal
Gaming Gear

Fur Trim System Review: Simple, Pain-Free Body Hair Removal

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My relationship with my body hair remains, as it has always been, complicated. The first time I ever shaved was when I was 12, and since then, I’ve run the gamut from regular waxes every six weeks to going months without removing a single hair. I’m all for the full bush in a bikini movement, but each person has their own routines and feelings about their body hair, and getting rid of it can be downright painful. And time-consuming. And expensive!

Anybody who’s done maintenance in their nether regions knows what I’m talking about. I’ve used razors, sugaring, waxing, and tweezing, but I’m relatively new to using trimmers. I’m working on a buying guide of the best options, and so far, the Fur Trim System has made my whole-body grooming routine a breeze.

The Fur Trim System includes the trimmer itself, an adjustable guide, a razor cartridge, a razor refill, a charging pedestal, and a USB-A to USB-C charging cable that plugs into the included pedestal stand. It doesn’t come with a wall adapter.

It takes four hours to fully charge, which will get you 60 minutes of use. Upon the little blinking light turning solid, indicating a full charge, I decided to test the waters. I used this on my toes, my legs, my underarms, and my bikini area, and I was thoroughly impressed with the results.

Trimming the Hedges

The Fur Trim System is ridiculously easy to use. The handle has grooves and ridges that make it effortless to get a good grip, even under running water. The device has a built-in LED spotlight—press the button once for the light, and again to turn on the motor. I really liked this feature, since it made it way easier to see what the heck I was doing (and to spot any spots or stray hairs I’d missed).

You can choose to use the trimmer with the guide off, which results in hairs around 1 mm long. There’s also a guide that has 2-mm or 3.5-mm lengths—simply pop it on top of the trimmer and slide it until it clicks once or twice to select your setting. If you want to shave completely bare, you can swap the trimmer head for the razor blade head. You can use the razor with the light and/or vibration, or leave those settings off.

The device is water-resistant and pretty easy to clean—just pop off whatever attachment you’ve got on and rinse them both. One minor quirk is that the trimmer’s scooped underside can lead to water splashing everywhere if you’re not careful (I learned this the hard way). But pay attention and it’ll be fine, and your bathroom countertops will remain nice and dry. The device might need frequent rinsing if you haven’t groomed in a while, but that’s the case with any hair-removal gadget.

Photograph: Louryn Strampe

When I tested this trimmer, I hadn’t shaved in six months. (Don’t judge me!) I tested all three modes—the razor head, the trimmer, and the trimmer with the guard. The trimmer made short work of my underarms and legs, and it was easy to use in my bikini area too. I was nervous at first, but despite intentionally trying to cut myself, I didn’t manage to. (Don’t say I don’t thoroughly test my gear, either!) I did snag a couple of hairs and catch my skin once or twice, but nothing resulted in blood or pain. As a relative beginner to using gadgets like this, I was pleasantly surprised, and I’m sure anyone with more experience would find that it works smoothly as well. My shower didn’t look like that scene from Carrie, a fear that was thankfully short-lived.



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Elden Ring Nightreign
Product Reviews

Elden Ring Nightreign review: FromSoftware’s world-class combat outshines an outdated multiplayer framework

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We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

With Elden Ring Nightreign, FromSoftware has created the definitive blueprint of how to use the parts of an existing game to craft an entirely different experience. In doing so, the developer has built a refreshingly freeing and flexible co-op experience that draws upon Elden Ring’s best bits while continuing to innovate and push FromSoftware into new territory, even if the matchmaking and co-op still feel partially stuck in the past.

Review information

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date: May 30, 2025

FromSoftware has always reused aspects of its previous games for new IPs or titles. For example, Bloodborne and Dark Souls animations can be found in Elden Ring, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice bosses like the Blazing Bull were given a new paint job in Elden Ring to create the Fallingstar Beast. It’s a smart, efficient way to constantly generate new content and worlds without having to redo a bunch of work.

But here, the studio goes one step further and uses Elden Ring’s bones to craft a game in an entirely new genre, resulting in a clever roguelike with a lot more going on than first meets the eye. On top of that, unsurprisingly, Elden Ring Nightreign is an incredibly fun and addictive combat experience on par with FromSoftware’s other work.


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A convergence of worlds

(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

Set in an alternate timeline from the main lore of Elden Ring, in Nightreign, you play as one of eight Nightfarers. These are mysterious characters with their own combat specialisms that act as classes. They have been summoned to the land of Limveld and the Roundtable Hold. Upon meeting a mysterious hooded maiden, you are urged to survive three days in Limveld and defeat the Nightlord who appears on the third day. Fail and you begin your journey in Limveld again from the beginning of your first day.

During each day, you will drop into a random spot in Limveld and explore the map, gearing up as a ring of rain called The Night’s Tide closes in on you from all directions. Upon exploring during a 45-minute run, you will come across an assortment of castles, outposts, camps, and landmarks from Elden Ring that are filled with randomized enemies, loot, items, consumables, and, most importantly, bosses from the base game and even some of the older Dark Souls titles.

You can also find nods to other FromSoftware games, whether it be a character’s ability that resembles a Bloodborne weapon or reference to a beloved Souls NPC.

Despite seeing bosses and references from old games pop up, they never felt like eye-rolling fan-service moments. It was actually fascinating to see how these challenges from older games have been updated to keep up with Elden Ring’s combat, and there are compelling lore tidbits hidden away in the game that hint at what has caused these many worlds to collide and why these Nightfarers have been brought together.

Learning the lay of the land

(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

While it takes a few runs through Limveld to attune to the game’s faster pace and freeform structure, by the time I tackled my first Nightlord, I was already addicted to the captivating concoction FromSoftware had cooked up.

Instead of a guiding path pulling you and your friends from location to location, Nightreign is all about learning how to make the most of each day in Limveld. Whether that is running from boss to boss at each landmark to stock up on Runes and upgrades to obtain new weapons or level up, exploring caves to find smithing stones to enhance your armaments, or traversing the map to find extra healing flasks to improve your survivability.

Best bit

(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

Finally defeating the Darkdrift Knight after several attempts, only succeeding because my rapier dealt rot damage and slowly ticked down his health as we all dodged attacks with low health and no healing flasks left. The Darkdrift Knight is the hardest fight in the game, I think, and the satisfaction, rush, and relief at finally beating it was immense.

It is very easy to think Nightreign is a brainless boss rush, combat sandbox at first glance, but it is actually a considered roguelite that focuses on map knowledge, where to find the best loot, and when it is best to adjust strategies in a similar way to a battle royale or extraction game. The satisfaction of doing this also reminds me a lot of the best puzzle games like Return of the Obra Dinn or Blue Prince, where you finally decipher how a mechanic works or uncover a clue.

Learning the map and how to optimize my runs through Limveld was one of the most satisfying parts of Nightreign. It is not something I expected to be as vital as it is, but through talking with others in voice chat, sharing findings from our own individual runs, and combining ideas, we eventually found buried strategies.

Examples include figuring out how to max out our level or discovering how to obtain the most legendary weapons in a run to increase our chances of defeating the Nightlords. This sense of player discovery and word-of-mouth knowledge that was rife throughout Elden Ring’s launch is just as potent here in Nightreign, and it’s part of the magic that makes it work, especially if you are able to play with a large group of friends or Discord server.

The same goes for the game’s overarching progression, which revolves around randomized relics you unlock at the end of runs through Limveld. Three of these can be equipped before each run on each character in the Roundtable Hold and unlock small buffs like extra elemental damage, or bigger Nightfarer bonuses like enhancing Nightfarer abilities or allowing you to share the healing from your healing flasks with your co-op partners – giving you triple the healing if standing near each other.

I heard about abilities on these that I never saw from other people while playing during the review period, and the flexibility of Elden Ring’s many levelling systems, elemental damage types, weapons, and the Nightfarers themselves open up the possibility for hundreds, if not thousands, of build combinations and optimizations.

Play your way

(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

Nightreign is about doing as much as you can with the little time you have, rewarding players who stick together and melt bosses in seconds. It encourages teams to combine abilities and attacks to stun foes quickly, while communicating to ensure they are all on the same page.

This makes it an incredibly hard game to play alone (which is an option that is available). While it can be done, the game’s enemy scaling and progression rewards teams that can complete as many objectives as possible, which just isn’t easy to do on your own.

I could spend ages talking at length about the Nightlords themselves, but in reality, fans already know what to expect, and the actual structure and systems in Nightreign are far more innovative. Even still, these Nightfarer fights are incredible spectacles, and some of the best FromSoftware has made. They are brimming with difficult moves to master and a combination of abilities and forms to learn, all set against an impressive, bombastic orchestral soundtrack for each one. FromSoftware simply doesn’t miss when it comes to combat and enemy design, and Nightreign is no different.

One area FromSoftware could have fumbled is the Nightfarers. While they could have felt like cheap forced classes, they are actually really flexible and well-rounded archetypes, with abilities that have a variety of uses. For starters, every Nightfarer can use any weapon or item. If you want to play the katana-wielding, parry-centric Executor with a dagger, you can, even though you won’t be as effective as you would be with a katana.

(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

This means you can craft your build on the fly and you never feel locked into a certain playstyle, allowing you to adapt during your run through Limveld. Bows don’t have ammo, and weight isn’t factored in either, which gives the game’s combat a brisk speed and pace that isn’t found in Elden Ring. It also removes a lot of the barriers to enjoying the game’s wide variety of weapon types, as you can basically pick up anything and begin using it right away. Yes, they actually made ranged combat and magic fun here.

On top of that, the ability kits for each Nightfarer are multi-faceted with several uses that aren’t immediately obvious. For example, Ironeye, the archer, can use his Single Shot ultimate ability to fire a huge supersonic arrow. That arrow can be used to stun larger bosses, wipe out hordes of mobs, and also revive teammates instantly if they are downed. Not only can it do those things individually, but you can also do all three at once with a well-placed shot, and it has saved my team’s run many times.

Each character and their abilities can be used in many ways to deal damage and also support your party and discovering how to utilise them in new ways is just as satisfying as discovering Limveld itself. You can also easily use three of one Nightfarer or any combination and succeed, removing even more barriers, as you don’t need any particular Nightfarer to come out victorious (even if some of them have stronger abilities than others).

(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

Some major barriers to Nightreign, however, do emerge after a few hours. Because so much of Nightreign comes from Elden Ring, it is imperative that you have that existing knowledge to enjoy what Nightreign is offering. You can’t sit and try to fight the Golden Hippopotamus again and again to learn its attacks, because the next time you run through Limveld, it could be in a different location or not spawn at all.

The same goes for the Nightlords. You can’t just skip to the third day and practice them over and over, you need to complete a full 45-minute run through Limveld to reach them again, which is taxing. So, you need to be familiar with Elden Ring’s combat and have completed both the base game and the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion because of the difficulty of some of those Nightlords.

While returning players will be able to pick things up after a few runs, it feels like Nightreign is built for the hardcore Soulslike players and addicts who have memorised every attack pattern in Elden Ring and across FromSoftware’s pantheon of titles.

Another key issue at the time of this review is the matchmaking and lack of crossplay. During the pre-release period, we had issues creating lobbies using passwords where matchmaking would fail or simply not put players together when we all tried to matchmake with the same password set. Nightreign definitely retains some of the dated multiplayer quirks of FromSoftware’s other games.

It is also unforgivable in my eye that in the year 2025 Nightreign doesn’t have crossplay, and because of the demanding nature of the game and the reliance on communication, I simply do not see how you can complete any of the Nightlord bosses reliably, especially the tougher ones, without friends whom you know and people you can talk to. I don’t necessarily think this is a straight-up weakness of the game, but it’s a huge condition attached to the game that will prevent a lot of people from seeing everything it has to offer.

Should I play Elden Ring Nightreign?

(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

Play it if…

Don’t play it if…

Accessibility

Elden Ring Nightreign offers limited accessibility options. There are basic speed adjustments for the camera and aiming with ranged weapons. There are no difficulty settings, and the game is best played in a co-op party of three, where you can communicate, which may not be possible for everyone.

There is also no subtitle customization or HUD alteration options, and there are no specialist options for those with eyesight or hearing issues. While you can rebind some controls on console, you cannot rebind every button, potentially preventing some people from playing on custom controllers.

How I reviewed Elden Ring Nightreign

I played Elden Ring Nightreign for 30 hours, completing all of the game’s Nightlord bosses and experiencing most of the world and map events available. I played the game entirely in performance mode on PS5 with a DualSense Edge controller on a Gigabyte M28U gaming monitor and using SteelSeries Arena 3 computer speakers.

This review was conducted in an environment where I was able to team up with other creators and journalists reviewing the game to play with them and complete the game’s various challenges.

First reviewed May 2025



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With the Illuminate now on the verge of defeat, Helldivers 2 was just hit with a fresh barrage of Steam review bombing apparently rooted in a Galactic War comms mix-up
Game Reviews

With the Illuminate now on the verge of defeat, Helldivers 2 was just hit with a fresh barrage of Steam review bombing apparently rooted in a Galactic War comms mix-up

by admin


Helldivers 2 has been hit with a fresh burst of negative reviews on Steam over the past couple of days, and it looks like the reason for this uptick is rooted in an alleged Galactic War messaging mix-up involving Chinese players keen to defeat the Illuminate.

The good news is that the squids may soon suffer that exact fate, with the battle for Super Earth now in the final stage of its final stage. Though, it has taken Super Earth’s president getting killed in action to get us to that point.

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Taking a look at Steam, HD2 has clocked up just under 3500 negative reviews across May 29 and May 30 so far, as opposed to 1514 positive ones. It’s a tiny drop in the bucket compared to the mass of over 220,000 negative reviews that came with last May’s PSN account linking controversy, but still noticeable.

A glance through these recent thumbs downs reveals that a good portion of them are rooted in unhappiness about recent bugs like the stratagem input one. Though, there are also a bunch that cite the percentage “99.9783%” and express frustration at Arrowhead over a recent development in the the Galactic War.

What’s happened looks to be this: with only two mega cities left to defend from the Illuminate invasion – Equality-On-Sea (located in China on Helldivers 2’s in-game map) and Prosperity City (Super Earth’s capital, placed in Sweden, home of developer Arrowhead) – there was a big effort put in by players, especially those in China, to hold on to the former.

Image credit: VG247

Their efforts meant the Helldivers’ hold on the city got to 99.9783%, but because the Illuminate are still invading en-masse in a manner the divers couldn’t put a full stop to at that point because the current order was still ongoing, there was nothing they could do to make Equality-On-Sea 100% theirs.

According to an alleged “level 150 Chinese Helldiver veteran” with the Reddit username Valkyrie_Yukikaze (thanks, GamesRadar), this lead to frustration among Chinese players, which they claim to have not been helped by the game’s Chinese translation apparently explaining defense percentages in a way that “makes it [seem] like that the city can be completely taken back from the invasion”.

Cue anger, coupled with conspiracy theories about Arrowhead and its game master J.O.E.L railroading players into specific outcomes or plot twists in the war, rather than rewarding them for their efforts and reacting dynamically to them. How you feel about that comes down to what you think the job of a D&D-style dungeon master is, but there are plenty of examples of Arrowhead embracing stuff players have done out of the blue in the past – hello mines people decided to save children over.

Anyway, here’s hoping everyone can chill out and come together for the climax of this pivotal major order. While Super Earth’s president has been killed in action overnight, Arrowhead’s latest news briefing says that the squids are “taking heavy losses” that could soon result in them being “forced to abandon the assault” of Super Earth. That’s assuming the divers can keep on holding out, so here’s hoping they stay strong.



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Many Nights A Whisper review
Game Reviews

Many Nights A Whisper review

by admin


Many Nights A Whisper review

A lovely, lighthearted game about longing and mastery that encourages just as much soul searching as it does archery training.

  • Developer: Selkie Harbour, Deconstructeam
  • Publisher: Deconstructeam
  • Release: Out now
  • On: Windows
  • From: Itch/Steam
  • Price: £2.50/€3/$3
  • Reviewed on: Intel Core i5-12600K, 32GB RAM, Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti, Windows 11

Although you won’t see everything, you can finish Many Nights A Whisper in under an hour. Each day you’ll train with your fiery sling, lighting braziers and honing your aim for a looming ceremony where you’ll try to hit a distant ritual chalice with a single shot. At night, you’ll sit at a confession wall. People will tell you their wishes, and you’ll decide which will ones be granted if the ceremony is a success.

The whole game takes place on a single large balcony, overlooking the sea. Tradition forbids you from speaking back to the wishful folk that come at night, feeding their braids through a statue for you to cut in acceptance, or else ignore. The only other person you’ll actually see is your mentor, a likeable septuagenarian who’s presided over these rituals for decades. You train, eat, listen to wishes, and sleep. After a few days of this, it’s time for the ceremony. As I say, takes about an hour.

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You’d be forgiven for worrying, then, that any review that talked about the game in any real detail would risk spoiling the whole thing. But Many Nights A Whisper isn’t really about revelations as much as it is contemplation; a game that encouraged me to spend as much time in my head as I spent on that balcony. Basically, I can’t spoil it for you, because I can’t play it for you.

Still, it’s the price of a coffee at Actually Very Reasonably Priced Coffee & Sons. It made me cry a bit and laugh a bit and think quite a bit in the space of that hour. So perhaps you’d like to pick it up anyway, if that sounds appealing and you don’t want to know anything else. Fair warning, because I’d like to talk about it in some detail.

So – some of these wishes are difficult, which meant I spent a lot of time contemplating how I am actually a very inconsistent human, full of contradictions and strange reasonings. That I’d probably feel more settled in myself if I had any sort of fixed, coherent system of values, even if that system proved inflexible and stifling. The world keeps doing weird new stuff and I keep learning things. Am I supposed to decide how I’m going to feel about these things before they happen? Does sound nice though. Gods. It is 11am, game. Here are some nice descriptions of your evenings in Many Nights A Whisper.

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Selkie Harbour

The second person to come to me with a wish wants to bring back a beautiful, extinct flower. I think about the importance of accepting impermanence, and then worry if maybe there’s a specific genus of squirrel liable to give themselves the death shits by gorging on strange new flowers unceremoniously reintroduced into the ecosystem, get a bit stressed about the lack of information (this happens more than once), then opt for cowardice and ignore the wish.

There’s a poem that each person recites after they’ve made their request, and if you want to deny their wish you just don’t cut their braid by the time they finish. In terms of gamefeel, there’s a tangible, electric current of import to the act of holding down a button to ready your blade, then releasing it to cut. Destruction as hopeful creation. They grow these braids for years, then come to you wishing you’ll sever them in seconds.

The next person to visit is losing their hair. They could barely grow a braid to offer, they tell me. They were going to ask for beautiful hair, but they’ve changed their mind. “We’ve heard too many tales about beautiful long hair. Let’s give this world a legend about a spectacular cranium”. They want artists to stop in the street to paint them. My Dorian Gray senses start tingling and I get nervous, but this is soon replaced by an uglier conviction, apparent common sense about the value of humility that starts to feel more patriarchal and sneering the more I examine it.

I’ll have similar thoughts later. When asked to make someone immune to heartbreak, I’m reminded of the received wisdom about the character-building value of suffering. It’s the kind of thinking that can get you through hell but also serves power that demands you stay gracious as you wipe spit from your eye. Don’t have the grit to reframe your exploitation as self-mythology? Sounds like a you problem. Structural inequality? No! It’s a personal growth journey. And surely living in bliss and beauty would get tiresome. Wouldn’t I be denying them that ecstatic sense of triumph that only really comes from having well and truly made it through the shit? It’s always felt a little grim to me to consider joy as desirable only because it signals a cessation of pain, but there’s something in that, still. And what about self-acceptance?

It is 11:15am, game. Can’t say no to beautiful shining dome, though. G’wan then.

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Selkie Harbour

There is no crosshair, only crossed hairs. Ahem. Aiming your sling takes a lot of practise. No help from any sort of UI element, the drop-off is considerable, and it feels counterintuitive and actually just not right at first. But you get used to it. Then you get good at it. And it takes me a couple of days to notice (maybe I zoned out an earlier explanation) but to reach the distant braziers and eventually the ritual chalice, you’ll need to grant enough wishes to make your sling powerful. There’s no upgrade system – this happens automatically – but the idea is that the braids from the wishes you do grant get tied to your sling.

And it’s somewhere between the person who wishes to become a rockstar and the person who wants me to remove the souls from animals so they don’t have to feel guilty about eating bacon that I realise the game isn’t going to let up. The wishes are going to keep getting weirder and harder. Someone else just asked me to cure their cancer so they can get healthy enough to murder the bastard who stole their life’s work. If I don’t grant some of these wishes I feel strange about, I’m not going to have the strength to make the shot anyway. Every wish will go unanswered.

A small child wants a pink cat but the cat also has to be invisible to everyone else because her parents won’t let her have one. Again, I need information! I imagine two allergic parents sneezing themselves into an early grave. I can’t do it.

I let a child become a hero. He wants to help people wherever he goes. More good sounds good I think, cutting the braid. He promises he’ll finish school first but I’m half convinced I’ve unleashed an eight year old Don Quixote on the world.

I agree to make two parents stop arguing. I initially evoke the Robin Williams’ Genie defence. I can’t make anyone fall in love, nor back in love. But the way it’s phrased, “make them coexist in harmony, focus on the things they love about each other”, feels hard to say no to. I agree. I don’t feel entirely good about it. My mentor asks me to think about changing free will, but it’s a nudge, not a lecture. The music sounds a bit like Hateno Village from Breath Of The Wild, so that chills me out a bit.

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Selkie Harbour

Things get a bit murky later. There is one revelation, casually dropped by your mentor about two third of the way through, about the state of the world and the people in it after the wishes are granted, that removes some tension and significance from what you’ve been doing the whole time, and I think I could have done without it. It’s a real “well, you could have told me that from the start” moment, and while it encourages you to replay the game with fresh eyes, I think it undermines some of its power. Still, only some.

Make tobacco cheap and healthy? Fuck, go on then. Although, absent its miniature act of self-destruction, smoking won’t be as cool any more. No easy answers. None at all.

There is a theme running through the game, besides the wishes, of the value of mastery. Even the tutorials take on a tense significance, knowing how important it is to make that final chalice shot with only a single chance. The day before the ceremony, I practise hitting the chalice. When I find the correct angle, I take a screenshot so I can recreate the position when needed. When the time comes, I nail the shot. I am elated, though not surprised. After all, I’d removed the guesswork. You’ll learn to listen to what your body is telling you, said my mentor. Thing is, right, I’ve got this screenshot button.

Of every choice I made in Many Nights A Whisper, I am open to learning what this says about me the least. I really wanted to nail that shot, and what kind of selfish fool ignores such an obvious advantage with so much riding on success? This isn’t about me, I reason. Of course, it’s actually been about me the whole time.

This review is based on a review key provided the publisher. Jay Castello, who freelances for RPS, worked on Many Nights A Whisper as a text editor. Brendy has also worked with developers Deconstructeam



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Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 open on desk with pink background
Product Reviews

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: a small and expertly crafted Chromebook, but it lacks the grunt of more powerful machines

by admin



Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360: Two-minute review

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is a 2-in-1 Chromebook with a small form factor for easy portability. It’s this miniature size that first strikes the eye, followed by the sleek and minimal design. It also has a sturdy construction, although it’s thicker and heavier than you might expect. Regardless, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is still easy to carry around.

Opening up the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 further reveals its high level of engineering. The hinge mechanism, for instance, is silky smooth to operate yet provides plenty of stability.

Of course, as you may have guessed from its name, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is convertible, so you can flip the screen all the way back and use it as a tablet. However, this isn’t ideal, as the aforementioned heft prevents this from being practical for extended periods. It does much better, though, when tented upside down on a desk, as you can still operate it via the touchscreen, but without being burdened by the weight.


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When it comes to performance, there are some disappointments. The specs of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 are rather middling compared to the best Chromebooks, which means that multitasking and even moderate gaming can be a stretch for it. Thankfully, it does much better at light productivity and playing back video content.

The 12.4 inch display I had in my review unit was glorious, rendering images and scenes vividly and with plenty of brightness. The 2560 x 1600 resolution also provides stunning clarity, as does the high gloss finish.

However, the latter aspect can cause prominent reflections, and the contrast can be too high. However, these drawbacks aren’t persistent or egregious, and they didn’t ruin the overall experience for me.

The touchscreen is very responsive and easy to use, as is the trackpad and keyboard. I could type accurately thanks to the generous spacing of the keys, which is impressive when you consider the small form factor of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360. They’re also very tactile for Chromebook keys.

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 sits at the mid-to-high end of the market in terms of pricing, which may seem unjustified given its performance is lacking in certain departments, especially when compared to Windows or Mac laptops. However, that small and sublime build, combined with the exquisite display, might just be enough to win you over.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

  • $429.99 / £419 / AU$707
  • Available now
  • Higher end of the market

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 costs $429.99 / £419 / AU$707 and is available now. However, we have seen it on sale for considerably less. It can be configured with either 32GB or 64GB of storage, and various screen sizes are available, although only one colorway is offered.

This is a good price for a convertible and expertly crafted Chromebook. However, the CPU and RAM it’s equipped with are on the weaker side, but the performance is still capable enough.

It’s still quite a lot more expensive than the Acer Spin 314 Chromebook, though, which is one of our favorite models. This has more storage and a much better battery life than the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360, although its resolution isn’t as high, and we found it can get quite hot when processing strenuous workloads – but these were about the only drawbacks we could find with it.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Specs

My Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review unit was configured with a 12.4-inch display and 64GB of storage.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Price

$429.99 / £419 / AU$707

CPU

Intel Celeron N4500 1.10GHz (2 threads, 2.80GHz)

Graphics

Integrated, Intel UHD Graphics

RAM

4GB LPDDR4x

Screen

12.4-inch WQXGA LED Display (2560 x 1600), Touch

Storage

64GB e.MMC

Ports

1x USB-A, 2x USB-C, 1x microSD, 1x 3.5mm audio

Wireless

Wi-Fi 6, LTE (Option), Bluetooth v5.1

Camera

HD 720p / 8MP

Weight

2.82lbs (1.28kg)

Dimensions

11.3 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches (28.8 x 20.7 x 1.7cm)

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

  • Looks premium
  • Heavier than expected
  • Great hinge mechanism

The design of the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is a notable step up from the usual budget fare of many Chromebooks. It looks very sleek, especially in the light grey colorway, and its metal-looking imparts a premium appearance that rivals even some of the best laptops around.

Every dimension is almost completely flat, save from the most minimal of protrusions of the power and volume buttons on either side. Even the underside is free from unsightly vents or etchings, and the four rubber feet are very small and thin, which also makes it easier to slide the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 into your bag.

Despite appearances, however, the unit is made from plastic, not metal, and as a result the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 doesn’t feel quite as premium as it looks. It’s still well-made, and Samsung even markets the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 as a tough device, with its spill-resistant keyboard and ability to withstand light drops.

The downside is that it’s thicker and heavier than its small form factor might lead you to believe. This is a minor disappointment from a portability perspective, although it’s still easy to carry around.

Flipping open the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 and positioning the screen at different angles is easy, thanks to the silky smooth hinge mechanism. There’s a small amount of wobble after making adjustments, but this isn’t concerning and it remains perfectly stable in use.

The screen can also rotate all the back to 360 degrees, letting you use the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 as a tablet. This works well to an extent, although the aforementioned thickness and weight means this mode isn’t practical for long periods, and isn’t a match for the best tablets in this regard. However, it works much better when you rotate the screen by about 315 degrees instead, flip it upside down, and tent it on a desk.

The keyboard is also well made, although it feels less premium than the rest of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360, since the keys have a scratchy texture that doesn’t feel the most pleasant to touch. However, they operate very well, and despite the small layout, they’re generously spaced apart. There’s also a good selection of keys available, including various ChromeOS shortcuts on the top row, arrow keys and a long enter key.

The trackpad falls more in line with the overall standard of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360. It’s quite small but reasonably wide and feels very smooth to the touch, making it easy to operate.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

  • Unimpressive specs
  • Some stuttering
  • Excellent display

Benchmarks

These are the results of our benchmarking tests for the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360:

TechRadar Battery Life Test: 6 hours and 30 minutes
Jetstream2 Benchmark: 108.216
Kraken Benchmark: 1298.6ms
Speedometer 3.0: 4.79 (±0.23)

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 features an Intel Celeron N4500 1.10GHz CPU and 4GB RAM, neither of which are particularly promising in terms of performance, even by Chromebook standards.

It can handle light tasks, from entertainment to general productivity, but it can come somewhat unstuck even when reasonable demands are made of it. For instance, switching between various windows isn’t always the smoothest experience, and I did experience some stuttering when loading pages and navigating between multiple tabs in Chrome, despite not having an excessive amount open.

Light productivity work is also subject to small amounts of lag on occasion, although for word processing and spreadsheet editing, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is still capable enough to be usable without frustration.

When it comes to gaming, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is even less impressive. Playing Asphalt Legends Units was a slow and stutter-ridden experience, even on moderate graphical settings.

However, it was much more competent when streaming video content, with 4K videos loading quickly and playing without buffering midway. The viewing experience is further enhanced by the excellent display of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360.

The WQXGA resolution is very welcome on a Chromebook device, and even more so on a display this small, since the crispness and sharpness is more apparent. This benefits not just video content, but also general navigation and productivity, since the whole UI is rendered with brilliant clarity.

Colors are vivid and there’s plenty of brightness on offer too, both of which mean the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is immune to the washed-out look that some Chromebook displays suffer from.

(Image credit: Future)

However, the contrast can be a little too strong, which creates a more garish image at times. What’s more, the screen is very glossy, which, while radiant, is prone to heavy reflections. This is more noticeable at lower brightness settings, but thankfully it didn’t ruin my viewing experiences completely – although there were certainly occasions when it was less than ideal.

This high shine also means that finger marks are highlighted more than I would’ve liked, so you’ll likely want to have a cloth to hand if you’re using the touchscreen frequently.

Thankfully, the touchscreen performs excellently: it’s responsive and smooth, which makes navigation and gesturing easy. It’s also great for doodling and creating signatures, although it’s a shame no stylus is included to unleash its full potential in this regard.

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is a joy to type on, with the aforementioned spacing of the keys helping me to achieve greater accuracy. They also have a surprising amount of depth to their travel, which makes them feel more tactile.

The trackpad is pleasant to use as well, despite its relatively small size. Cursor movements are incredibly smooth, and, as with the touchscreen, it’s responsive to the various gestures you can perform.

As for audio, the integrated speakers on the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 are sufficient for clear, distortion-free listening; however, as you might expect, they lack low-end depth. I wouldn’t recommend them for listening to music, but for the odd podcast or YouTube video, they fit the bill.

  • Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Battery life

(Image credit: Future)

The battery life of the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 isn’t terribly impressive. During our TechRadar test, where we play a video on a continuous loop, it managed to last six and a half hours. This is considerably down on the Acer Chromebook Spin 314 (2023), our current pick as the best Chromebook overall, which managed over ten hours.

Still, it did better than the Acer Chromebook Plus 515, which we rate as the best student Chromebook, as this managed just over five hours. What’s more, charging the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is reassuringly quick, as it took just just over two hours to fully replenish from empty.

Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360?

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 verges towards the higher end of the Chromebook market, but its design and screen are class-leading.

4 / 5

Design

Small, good-looking, and well-made, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 puts many other Chromebooks to shame.

4.5 / 5

Performance

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is capable enough, but serious multitasking and gaming are beyond its means. The display is excellent, though.

3.5 / 5

Battery life

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is on the lower end of the longevity spectrum, and didn’t perform terribly well in our battery test.

3 / 5

Total Score

The excellent design and display of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 are great, but don’t expect blistering multitasking or gaming performance. If you want a small device to do some light work and watch content, it could be the ideal choice.

4 / 5

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Also consider

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360

Acer Chromebook Spin 314

Acer Chromebook Plus 515

Price

$429.99 / £419 / AU$707

$380 / £329 (around AU$661)

$399.99 / £399.99 (around AU$633)

CPU

Intel Celeron N4500 1.10GHz (2 threads, 2.80GHz)

Intel Pentium N6000 Processor

Intel Core i3-1215U

Graphics

Integrated, Intel UHD Graphics

Intel shared graphics

Intel UHD Graphics

RAM

4GB LPDDR4x

4GB DDR4

8GB

Screen

12.4-inch WQXGA LED Display (2560 x 1600), Touch

14-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080p

15.6-inch full HD (1920×1080) display with IPS, 16:9 aspect ratio

Storage

64GB e.MMC

128GB eMMC

128GB

Ports

1x USB-A, 2x USB-C, 1x microSD, 1x 3.5mm audio

USB Type-C x 2, USB 3.1 x 1 , HDMI x 1

1x Type-A USB port, 2x Type-C ports, 1x HDMI port, and 1x headset jack

Wireless

Wi-Fi 6, LTE (Option), Bluetooth v5.1

Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0

Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 6E AX211, Bluetooth 5.1

Camera

HD 720p / 8MP

720p webcam

1080p HD video at 60 fps

Weight

2.82lbs (1.28kg)

3.42lbs (1.55kg)

3.7lbs (1.68 kg)

Dimensions

11.3 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches (28.8 x 20.7 x 1.7cm)

26.5 x 326 x 227mm

14.2 x 9.39 x 0.79 inches (360.6 x 238.5 x 19.99 mm; W x D x H)

If the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 doesn’t seem right for you, here are some alternatives:

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360

  • Tested for full day
  • Ran benchmark tests
  • Experienced Chromebook reviewer

I tested the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 for a full day, during which time I used it for general browsing, working, and gaming.

I also put it through TechRadar’s battery test for laptops and Chromebooks, which involves playing back a 1080p movie on a continuous loop. I also ran various benchmark tests to further assess its performance.

I have reviewed numerous laptops and Chromebooks in the past, including other Samsung models. These have ranged in price, form factors, and specs, so I am well versed in the wider portable computer market and know how the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 stacks up to the competition.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360: Price Comparison



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To A T Review - A Sweet-Natured Fable Without Much To Do
Game Reviews

To A T Review – A Sweet-Natured Fable Without Much To Do

by admin



It’s a universal truth that crosses cultural boundaries: Middle school is hard. The awkward early teenage years makes everyone feel self-conscious, like an outsider, whether it’s an embarrassing pimple or your arms being permanently locked in a stiff T-pose. To A T, a narrative adventure from Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi, is a sweet-natured fable about growing up and accepting yourself. But while the narrative and world you occupy are cute and quirky, the act of playing never feels as playful as it should.

You play as a created character accompanied by your faithful canine companion, both of whom you grant personalized names at the start. Your arms are permanently stretched outward, stiff as a board, for reasons that you don’t fully understand. But you’ve made the best of it, learning to adapt with special tools like an extra-long spoon to eat your breakfast cereal. You can turn sideways to shimmy your way through doors. And your dog is apparently well-trained enough to help you change clothes or use the bathroom.

Naturally, this quality makes you an outsider. Everything you do is just slightly awkward and harder than it should be, and you’re bullied relentlessly by the other kids at your school. The writing is very sharp in capturing both the inherent silliness of schoolyard teasing and the way it can have a real impact on your mental health, making you preoccupied with the taunting even when the bullies aren’t around. Your avatar is just a happy, friendly kid who loves his favorite cereal mascot, tries to do well in school and at sports, and just wants to fit in.

Talking with Giraffe the sandwich shop owner in To A T

While it explores grounded themes, the setting is a fantastical version of a Japanese village. It’s occupied by anthropomorphic animals, most centrally a chipper giraffe who makes your sandwiches for lunch. In addition, this town is unmistakably inspired by the Japanese school experience, including the fashion of school uniforms and the requirement to change from your street shoes into school shoes when you arrive. But that also helps illustrate the universality of the theme–these feelings are something that any American, Japanese, or fantasy 13-year-old kid can relate to.

All of this is rendered in a cute, bright visual style reminiscent of Saturday-morning cartoons, right down to having a constantly reiterated theme song centered around the on-the-nose lyric, “You are the perfect shape.” The characters themselves are composed of simple shapes with doodled faces like a Peanuts cartoon, and the world is vibrant and clean. There are even little humorous touches in the art style, like how your dog has an X on its butt, to help complement the humorous writing. It’s a gentle style of humor: more of a warm chuckle than a belly-laugh, but I smiled often.

But while the themes and story are on point and the visual presentation is endearing, the act of playing To A T is much less engaging. For the most part you spend your time running from place to place to activate story points, which are told through speech bubbles with Simlish-style speech. It’s a surprising turn from the creator of Katamari Damacy, which was so centralized around the intuitive act of play.

There is no specific thing you’re doing in To A T, which leaves the experience feeling a bit disjointed and bare-bones. You can collect coins around the world to spend in shops for additional outfits, almost every morning starts with an opportunity to eat cereal and brush your teeth, you choose your outfit, and sometimes you’ll take part in a brief minigame. Eventually you gain the ability to fly short distances, which can help you reach new spots for coins. But it never really coheres into something that feels very compelling to play. In fact, my favorite episode was the one that put me into the role of another character entirely, because the story of that chapter revolved around a central mystery and had a series of simple puzzles to solve.

Then there are the ways that To A T just feels unintentionally awkward and frustrating. I say unintentionally because your T-pose lock is obviously meant to make everything a little more cumbersome, but other elements of the game feel like they aren’t intended to drive that point home. It can be difficult to find your way around town, especially since there are strict rules about only using sidewalks. The camera is fixed, but its position shifts itself while you round a turn, which can be disorienting. The game seems to know this and has your dog act as a wayfinder to your next objective, but even then I would frequently get turned around and have to check my map to reorient myself.

And while the story is charming, there isn’t much to it. The major conflict resolves itself around the halfway point of the eight-episode series, after which it starts to feel a bit aimless before coming back to hammer home its message even more pointedly. The final conflict and ultimate resolution help bring the message home and tie all of the previous chapters into a tidy bow, but it’s not saying anything that most players wouldn’t have already taken from the previous chapters.

All of this left me lukewarm on To A T, and wanting to like it more than I did. It’s a cute and charming visual metaphor, with some insightful and funny writing, and it’s a lovely parable about the struggles of growing up and feeling different. It’s a very gentle, likable story about a topic that games don’t often explore. But the story doesn’t have quite enough heft to last through even the relatively short playtime, and the act of playing it often feels tedious. There are individual things to like about To A T, but like its protagonist, it has some room to grow.



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