SteelSeries ups your PC gaming experience for just over 100 dollars

SteelSeries has provided us with a couple products from their lineup, which includes the Siberia 200, a headset for the PC and PS4, and the Rival 100, a mouse loaded with options that supports both PC and Mac. While I have not had any hands on experience with SteelSeries’ products, I was looking forward to seeing how they compare to the likes of Roccat or Razer, especially being a more affordable option. With headphones and mouse unboxed, drivers downloaded, and configured for specific games, it’s time to see how the hold up.

I will begin with the Rival 100, a wired optical gaming mouse with six programmable buttons and a user friendly. The setup was easy, I just downloaded SteelSeries Engine 3 and I was ready to setup individual profiles for my preferred game or application. There is a unique feature called GameSense which provides different illumination for in game actions, the downside was that only three games support this feature, none of which I play. This mouse has smooth movement and easy to locate buttons, my only complaint is with the weight, being lighter than I prefer, and the side grips really didn’t provide much if any grip, but the performance customization is where it really shined.

Next up is the Siberia 200 headset, which is based on their best selling Siberia V2 with updates. This headset on top of providing great sound quality and voice chat was very comfortable to wear for long periods of time. This comfort comes not only from the over the ear design, but the suspension headband that eliminates the pressure found wearing other headsets.  Another unique feature is the mic as it retracts and extends from the earcup for those times using just to listen to music. I mentioned the sound quality and it provided a great range of sound in explosions and motor noises in games and much easier to hear teammates at high volume during online play, which is my biggest issue with most of the headsets I have used on the PS4. Once again, like my complaint with the mouse is with the build quality and while they performed well, better than expected, they just didn’t provide a sturdy feel when handling.

I was pleasantly surprised with the time spent with my first SteelSeries products. The features and performance compare to those that are found in similar products at higher price points and come in a seven different color options. SteelSeries makes it easier to get more from the gaming experience after the large amounts of money spent building a gaming PC or PS4. Siberia 200 is the entry level to the Siberia lineup and is available for $69.99, while the Rival 100 is available for $39.99. Check them out and while you are at it, there are various options in each of the Siberia and Rival lineups. 

Roccat latest gaming accessories, the Hiro and Kone XTD

It is time for some hands on time with the latest PC gaming accessories from Roccat’s lineup and this there is big news, because finally, the driver for the mouse now has Mac driver support. I will rejoice about that later, right now we are talking about Roccat’s Kone XTD gaming mouse and the Hiro mouse pad. I will briefly touch on the mouse pad because, well, its a mouse pad, and the Hiro is 350 x 250 mm’s, has a non slip rubber base, and vulcanized silicone surface. The Kone XTD is the more technical item in this review with 8200 DPI Pro-Aim laser sensor, 32-bit Turbo Core V2 processor, and the ability to add up to 20g in weight to the mouse by way of 5g easy-to-clip-in weights.

It is time to see how the mouse and mousepad perform under pressure, starting with the Hiro and boy this is one large mouse pad. Luckily, I have a lot of real estate on my desktop and Hiro fit nicely, the non slip rubber bottom worked and did it’s job rather well. The surface is not like your typical surface, as the vulcanized silicone surface is much different than the fabric I am used to, and would best compare it to a truck spray-in bedliner. I initially used it with my apple mouse and thought it slid across with more friction than on fabric, but when I put the Kone XTD to the Hiro, it was like butter. This desktop and gaming companion is also easy to clean, I would just take a clorox wipe to it once a week and that’s it, also since the Hiro uses a silicon surface, no fraying.

Now on to the big boy, Roccat’s Kone XTD, a gaming mouse with some incredible customization abilities. While Mac owners do not have the selection that PC owners get, but the community is growing and Roccat is listening because the Kone XTD has Driver support for Mac gamers, greatly improving my League of Legends and Diablo 3 experiences when I have just about everything mapped to the palm of my hand. I also immediately loaded all 20g of weights into the mouse for that heavier feel and the feet slide so smoothly, not only on the Hiro but on multiple mouse pads. Lastly, and as always, the driver is great and user friendly, sure it takes some time for initial setup and additional profile setup but well worth it as I can load controls on the fly based on the profile.

Alone or together the Kone XTD mouse and Hiro mousepad are superior products and will likely be the last ones you would need to buy for a long time due the superior build quality. If in the market for the Hiro, take measurements of your open desk space as it is larger than most i have seen or owned. Huge kudos goes to the Roccat team for listening to their fans and releasing a driver for additional operating systems outside of the previous “only” windows option. Both products are available now, the Hiro has a pricetag of $49.99 and the Kone XTD is priced at $89.99.

Bloody's latest Gun3 V7 is a mouse tailored to FPS

We have another PC gaming accessory and this time around is a wired gaming mouse from A4Tech’s Bloody gaming series, the Gun3 Multi-Core Gaming Mouse V7. If you are like myself and unfamiliar with A4Tech, they are a Taiwan company that has 25 years of experience in research and development with 9 years behind the various Gun3 mice. With more than a handful of incorporated innovations, various shooting modes, auto recoil suppression, and concentrated trajectory make up just a few of them to help win more and improve gameplay stats. Along with the internal innovations, the Gun3 V7 is equipped with seven buttons,  one way directions scroll wheel, optical tracking capable of 200 to 3200 Dpi and a 1.8 meter braided USB cable.

This is one sleek gaming mouse, give it 7 buttons and now you have a mouse that is ready for anything. The Gun3 V7 is best for shooters with the ability to go from single shot to two user defined profiles for up to five different weapons. This does take a bit of time to set up, but oh so sweet. This is made capable by way of multiple cores, not one, not two, but three cores with different capabilities all at the touch of finger. Another nice feature that I find weird that I particularly like is the Holeless HD Engine. Where most mice have a cavity which houses a laser, or mouse balls for IE users, the V7 has a lens where the hole would usually be, which is easy to clean by just wiping to insure precision.

On the downside, I felt that the Bloody driver was a bit complicated. In comparison to Roccat or Razer's drivers, it was more complicated and lacked some of the same capabilities. This is mostly in part to the V7’s focus on providing accuracy in shooters. The other issue I had was with accessing the Core3, as it is a feature in which you must pay for. At the price of twenty additional dollars, you get trajectory adjustment and recoil suppression to get your target on point. Luckily, I was able to test strafe mode for 1,000 times, but was not able to experience Macro Editor or Gun Adjustment modes.

That aside, it is a nice mouse for most any PC shooter and fits comfortably in my right hand for longer periods of use. The even better part is the price tag, as it is sold on Amazon at $39.99 and even without the Core3 features it is a mouse that fits well, has practically no play in the click, and thumb buttons at a lower price than most other gaming mice in it’s class. Visually it is nice, with a stealthy look, braided cable that was long enough at 6 feet, and red illumination along the top. The Bloody Series Gun3 V7 is a nice mouse with additional buttons and standout design, but in order to start upping leaderboard rankings, you need to pay an additional twenty spot for the goods.