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Corsair One i500 review: can a gaming PC evolve gamer culture by embracing old, forgotten ways?

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Corsair One i500: Two-minute review

The Corsair One i500 isn’t necessarily the most powerful gaming PC out there, it’s not very upgradeable, and in terms of style, it’s the kind of product that will inspire some very strong opinions — including my own.

Its specs are such that it is an easy contender for the best gaming PC of 2024 just in terms of performance, and its price is absolutely in line with the kinds of gaming rigs I’ve seen running Core i9-14900K and RTX 4080 Super or RTX 4090 GPUs. 

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This sinister Omen gaming PC build just might keep you up at night

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PC building is more than just a means to an end. For some, it’s a bonafide hobby, and no more is that evident than when PC builders get creative, with truly chilling results. 

As highlighted by PCGamesN, one user from its PC-building social media page has taken an Omen build to the next level featuring the newly released PowerColor Red Devil RX 7800 XT graphics card to great effect. 



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MSI Titan 18 HX review: a gaming colossus

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MSI Titan 18 HX: Two minute review

The MSI Titan 18 HX returns in 2024, reclaiming its title as the best gaming laptop for those looking to splurge on the most over-the-top desktop replacement money can buy.

The Titan 18 HX, like its 2023 predecessor, the MSI GT77 Titan HX, is a $5,000 desktop PC masquerading as a gaming laptop. Clocking in at just under 8 lbs/4kg, you’re going to feel this one if you ever have to actually carry it anywhere, and most backpacks out there won’t even fit it. This laptop, then, will be relegated to your desk with the occasional trip to another room at most.

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Level up your mobile gaming experience with this esports-ready smartphone

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Mobile gaming has come a long way to a point where you can play some of the best games in the palm of your hand – but only if you’ve got a phone that can handle the pressure. 

That’s where powerful gaming phones like the dual-chip Infinix GT 20 Pro come in to save the day. Offering both a Dedicated Gaming Display Chip and a high-performance processor, gamers everywhere can experience new esports-level gaming experience at a fraction of the price of other gaming phones.

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Computers

Dell Alienware m16 R2 Review: Gaming Power in a Business Suit

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The Alienware m16 R2 uses a 2,560 X 1,600-pixel resolution IPS display that’s decent for its price but not particularly remarkable. The display lacks HDR support, instead opting for a basic sRGB color gamut. This isn’t a huge deal, but when similarly priced laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 pack vibrant OLED panels, it’s hard to ignore.

It peaks at 300 nits of brightness, which is slightly lower than some gaming laptops I’ve recently tested. Sitting next to a window during the day, I could still easily make out what was on the screen, but I started to struggle while outdoors in broad daylight.

The m16 R2’s display does have one advantage: It has a 240-Hz refresh rate, which is especially welcome in fast-paced games that can take advantage of it. While playing Doom Eternal on medium settings, I got an excess of 200 frames per second, which made jumping around and shooting demons a buttery-smooth experience.

Many other gaming laptops at this price (like the Zephyrus G14) are limited to 120 Hz, so that makes the m16 R2 an attractive alternative if you’re looking for extra-smooth gameplay. It’s worth noting that the refresh rate is useful only if games can take advantage of it, which means you’ll need to consider your spec options carefully.

For Work and Play

The base model of the Alienware m16 R2 comes with an Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, but it can be upgraded to an RTX 4070, which was in the model I tested. With the RTX 4070, I played Overwatch 2 on medium settings while hitting well over 200 fps. In a competitive game where split-second decisionmaking matters, this is a huge benefit.

In more modern, graphics-intensive single-player games like Starfield, I reliably got 50 to 60 fps in crowded areas like New Atlantis, with higher frame rates in less-demanding areas of the game. Cyberpunk 2077 fared similarly, regularly maintaining 70 to 80 fps during combat, dipping to 50 to 60 fps while driving through crowded parts of the city.

Black laptop opened and sitting on wooden surface with screen showing game characters

Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft

All of these tests were done while plugged in, but it’s important to remember that if you plan to play on battery, more frames means more power drain. The m16 R2 has a substantial 90-watt-hour battery, which is among the largest you’ll find in a laptop. But cranking graphics settings to their maximum will burn through that fast. Performing normal tasks on the m16 R2, I achieved roughly nine to 10 hours of battery life on a single charge. Gaming dropped that number substantially, but I was able to get an hour and a half to two hours of continuous gaming if I was careful to optimize my graphics settings and not push the machine too hard.

Overall, the Alienware m16 R2 balances power with everyday needs. You can use this laptop as your daily driver for work and get a full day of battery life out of it, then plug it into a dock at the end of the day to do some pretty robust gaming.

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Entertainment

The best gaming gear for graduates

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Another school year over, and another batch of high school and college grads let loose in the world. They’ve worked hard for years to get to this point, so why not reward them with the tools to play well? We’ve assembled a list of favorites that will improve your grad’s game, with a few gadgets that can pull double-duty at their new jobs, too.

Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

Whatever career your grad chooses to pursue, chances are they may spend a lot of time in front of a camera in our new hybrid work world. You can help them look their best with this easy-to-use and affordable USB light from Logitech. The flattering soft light will impress co-workers and livestream audiences alike, while its small size means they can take it anywhere. And your grad will appreciate its ease-of-use and variety of customization options available in its app, ensuring they’ll always look their best on camera.

$58 at Amazon

8Bitdo

No matter if they have a console, PC or mobile device, one thing the gamer in your life can always use is a good gamepad. And, no matter what device they play on, 8BitDo has them covered with its Pro 2 controller. It works with Windows and PC, iOS and Android and even the Nintendo Switch. And, thanks to its plethora of buttons, can handle all manner of games, from old school classics to the latest AAA titles.

$50 at Amazon

Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

With exams and papers all wrapped up and now behind them, your grad probably has a lot more time on their hands. If you’re trying their hand at game streaming, you can start them off right with this fully-featured control panel from Elgato that makes it easy to adjust audio and video settings, control their lighting rig and trigger on-screen graphics. Its buttons can also be repurposed for things like video editing and calls, so it has its place in their work setup as well.

$130 at Amazon

SteelSeries

Your grad will never have to worry about whether they’re muted during their next video call with the SteelSeries Alias, as it displays a very noticeable red “X” on its front on those cases. But that’s not the only cool feature that this mic has to boast – it’s also easy to set up for programs like Discord and Zoom, and it sounds fantastic. This is one “gaming” accessory that’ll get a lot of use during both playthroughs and work conference calls

$150 at Amazon

Razer

A dock isn’t the most exciting gift, but this model from Razer will be great for the gamer in your life, and it’ll grab their attention with its RGB lighting. Your grad will appreciate how practical it is, too, thanks to its three USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, four Thunderbolt 4 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, a 3.5 mm audio combo jack and a UHS-II SD card slot. It’s a Swiss-Army-knife accessory that will help them efficiently use all their computer accessories in the most stylish way possible.

$330 at Razer

SteelSeries

Sure, your grad’s laptop comes with a trackpad or maybe even a touchscreen, but even in the year 2024, it’s best to use a mouse when it’s time to focus and get things done. They’ll appreciate the Aerox 3 Wireless’ light weight when competing in tough gaming matches, as well as the mouse’s ability to use 2.4GHz for the fastest connection. It uses Bluetooth, too, making it a great option for gaming laptops and other devices as well. And those holes? Don’t worry, they won’t interfere with the Aerox 3’s IP54 water resistance rating.

$75 at Amazon

Razer

If your gamer is always on the move or often switches between devices like consoles, PC and mobile, then a good wireless headset is the way to go. Razer’s Barracuda is perfect for the task thanks to its choices of Bluetooth and 2.4GHz connectivity, and its simple design and variety of colors means it can complement most outfits or gaming setups, too. All this adds up to a headset that is built to be taken anywhere and everywhere, and don’t worry – it sounds and feels amazing too.

$80 at Amazon

Square Enix

The last few months of school can be a real grind, between homework and papers and exams. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel – not just a diploma, but also some free time to finally kick back and relax. And what better way to settle down and reconnect with pop culture than to kick back with one of the year’s hottest games? Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on the PlayStation 5 is a remake of a cherished classic, so your grad might find it a welcome throwback to a childhood memory or an exciting introduction to a monumental chapter of video game history.

$70 at Amazon

Capcom

If your new grad is planning to study law, then they’ll certainly find the adventures of rookie attorney Apollo Justice to be a blast on their Nintendo Switch. Sure, the real legal system is nothing like the one in the game – you don’t get the benefit of psychic powers to interrogate witnesses, for example – but the investigation and cross-examination mechanics will keep gamers riveted, even if they’re not planning to be a lawyer. And with three complete games included in the package, there’s plenty of content to keep grads busy while they’re looking for work.

$50 at Amazon

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NVIDIA’s AI takes gaming to new heights with DLSS 3.5 and Ray Reconstruction

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If you’re a frequent gamer, by now you’ll have heard of ray tracing and NVIDIA’s DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), two powerful tools that combine to boost performance in games and provide stunning visual fidelity by replicating realistic lighting and reflections. NVIDIA pioneered these technologies in gaming with the introduction of its RTX 20-Series graphics cards, and in the two hardware generations since then, the techniques and AI hardware behind them have improved considerably. With DLSS 3.5 and a new Ray Reconstruction system working hand-in-hand, ray-traced games can look all the more lifelike and run significantly smoother at the same time. So how do these technologies work?

DLSS has been an evolving technology. At its start, its focus was on rendering games at lower, easier-to-process resolution and then increasing the output resolution by filling in the gaps between pixels , giving gamers the benefit of sharper visuals with increased frame rates in lower resolution. NVIDIA managed this by training its AI model on high-quality game visuals so that it could understand what they should look like and know how to fill in the gaps when stretching a game’s lower resolution frames to higher resolutions. This process could also flipped somewhat with DLAA (Deep Learning Anti-aliasing), which can render at a display’s native resolution but use the same AI logic to figure out what an even higher-resolution frame would look like and then down-sample that to output an effectively anti-aliased image.

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Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Review: A Gaming Laptop Perfect for Both Work and Play

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A beefy graphics card paired with the lovely 14-inch screen size at an affordable price? That’s the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, and when you add extras like an OLED display and battery life impressive for a gaming laptop, it’s hard for me to not fall in love with this thing.

The G14 is the smallest model in the Zephyrus line, so it’s extremely portable. You can outfit it with an Nvidia RTX 4060 or 4070 graphics card, depending on whether you want to save some cash or max it out. It feels as comfortable to use as the Macbook Air M1 (2020) that I use for work, but it comes with luxury features that make playing games—and even watching movies—a top-tier experience.

Work-Life Balance

The Zephyrus G14 isn’t built to be a powerhouse—consider a laptop like the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 for that—but what power it does have is well allocated. The Zephyrus is powered by AMD’s Ryzen R9 8945HS, a powerful processor, paired with the RTX 4060 laptop graphics card—it tackles most games with ease and can even run some of the heaviest AAA titles reasonably well.

Both Starfield and Cyberpunk 2077 managed to maintain a respectable 50 to 60 frames per second on medium graphics settings at the laptop’s full 2,880 X 1,800 resolution. Starfield dipped to around 40 fps in areas like New Atlantis that have famously struggled to get very high frame rates. But this is still reasonably high given that Starfield is capped at 30 fps on the Xbox.

The back of a laptop lid white with a silver diagonal line sitting on a picnic table outdoors

Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft

When adjusting the display to 1,080p, I could crank the graphics settings in Cyberpunk and Starfield up to high while maintaining roughly the same 50 to 60 fps. By staying on medium, I got over 60 fps in both games. I prefer the latter approach since smoother gameplay feels better for me than extra foliage detail, but there’s flexibility here to tailor the experience to your desires.

Like most gaming laptops, you won’t spend much time playing on this machine away from a charger. However, the G14 still impressed by getting nearly two hours of gameplay while running games like Cyberpunk. Overwatch 2 lasted closer to an hour and a half, which makes sense, given that in faster-paced competitive games, I tend to lean on getting at least 90 fps for a smooth experience.

When using the laptop for more typical work or casual use, I got closer to 11 hours of battery life, impressive among any Windows laptop. I could easily use the Zephyrus G14 as my daily driver and feel comfortable getting an entire day’s worth of work done on a single charge.

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Nobody needs to spend $160 on a gaming mouse, but Razer’s new Viper V3 Pro is excellent anyway

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Razer has rolled out the Viper V3 Pro, its latest high-end wireless gaming mouse. What makes a gaming mouse “high-end,” you might ask? Mainly, it’s super lightweight and packed with impressive wireless and sensor tech, all of which makes it extremely responsive in competitive games. I’ve had one on hand for about two weeks now and have felt next to zero delay flicking through rounds of Halo Infinite and Apex Legends.

The other thing is the price: The Viper V3 Pro is available today for $160 in the US or €180 in Europe. That isn’t unheard of — Razer’s own DeathAdder V3 Pro, the top wireless pick in our gaming mouse buying guide, costs the same — but it’s certainly not cheap.

If you keep up with the gaming mouse market, here’s the short version: The Viper V3 Pro has virtually the same shape and soft-touch coating as last year’s midrange Viper V3 HyperSpeed, but it’s far lighter at 54 grams, plus it has optical switches, a technically superior sensor and a few small design tweaks. It’s the follow-up to the popular Viper V2 Pro from 2022 and the ambidextrous complement to the aforementioned DeathAdder V3 Pro, which has a more dramatically contoured ergonomic shape.

A black Razer Viper V3 Pro gaming mouse and a white Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 gaming mouse rest side-by-side on top of a brown wooden table.A black Razer Viper V3 Pro gaming mouse and a white Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 gaming mouse rest side-by-side on top of a brown wooden table.

The Razer Viper V3 Pro (left) and Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 (right), another high-end wireless gaming mouse with a symmetrical shape. (Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget)

For everyone else, the main thing to know about mice like this is that they’re built for competitive gaming above all else. As such, the Viper V3 Pro deliberately excludes features that’d make it more convenient for day-to-day use: There’s no Bluetooth and only two side buttons, while the DPI switch is located on the bottom of the mouse. The scroll wheel can’t tilt left or right, and there’s no lighting, either. But these omissions make sense if you view the mouse as a tool for esports: They keep the weight down and make it harder to hit buttons by accident.

The most important thing with any gaming mouse is its shape, and the Viper V3 Pro’s should fit most hand sizes well. It’s highly similar to Logitech’s G Pro X Superlight 2, its chief competitor, but slightly longer and flatter. A modest but noticeable hump in the center rests naturally in your palm, while the sides are gently contoured in then out to welcome the tops of your thumb and ring finger (or pinkie). The main click buttons are grooved, slightly flared and amply sized. None of the angles are aggressive. Razer says it works best with a fingertip or claw grip; I have few issues as someone who uses the latter. But the design isn’t so short or flat that it’s horrible for palm grips. In total, it measures 5.0 x 2.51 x 1.57 inches.

The mouse’s coating is pleasingly soft and smooth. It’ll pick up fingerprint smudges over time, but it should be grippy enough for most people out of the gate. (Razer includes some pre-cut grip tape in the box if it still feels too slippery.) The device as a whole is sturdily built, with no sign of flex or creaking in my two weeks of daily use.

The underside of the Razer Viper V3 Pro is exposed on top of a brown wooden table.The underside of the Razer Viper V3 Pro is exposed on top of a brown wooden table.

Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

The Viper V3 Pro isn’t the absolute lightest gaming mouse, but calling a 54g device too heavy to move around would be splitting hairs. Notably, it achieves this weight without any cutouts in its top or bottom shell. Rival gaming mice like the Pwnage Stormbreaker or Pulsar X2V2 are similarly light but leave their interiors more open to dust and detritus.

The mouse’s main click buttons are fast, not sticky and on the softer side for a device that uses optical switches. They aren’t as loud as the clicks on the G Pro X Superlight 2, though the right-click panel on my test unit sounds a little less full than the left-click one. (That’s more of a nitpick than a dealbreaker.) As with most optical mice, the main buttons may not be as satisfying to press as good mechanical switches, but they’re more likely to avoid durability issues over time. I’d also give the Viper V3 Pro the edge over Logitech’s mouse when it comes to the side buttons and scroll wheel. The Viper’s wheel is tighter, quieter and has grippier ridges on its exterior, while its side buttons are a bit less mushy by comparison.

In terms of performance, the Viper V3 Pro uses Razer’s new “Focus Pro 35K Optical Sensor Gen-2.” It can reach a maximum of 35,000 DPI, and you can adjust that sensitivity in 1 DPI increments. A max speed of 750 IPS and max acceleration of 70 G accompany that. Per usual with gaming mice, these higher figures are partly marketing fluff: Many older gaming mice have few issues when it comes to sensor accuracy and consistency.

A white Razer Viper V3 Pro gaming mouse is held on top of a white mouse mat on a black desk, with a white keyboard glowing with green lighting situated off to its side.A white Razer Viper V3 Pro gaming mouse is held on top of a white mouse mat on a black desk, with a white keyboard glowing with green lighting situated off to its side.

The mouse is available in black or white, though Razer says the white model weighs a gram more. (Razer)

Along those lines, the mouse comes with Razer’s HyperPolling Wireless Dongle, which costs $30 on its own. It advertises a maximum polling rate of 8,000Hz, which technically allows for more precise movements but has a negligible effect on real-world performance. Mostly, it saps battery life: Razer says the Viper V3 Pro can last up to 95 hours at a 1,000Hz polling rate, which is fine, but that dips to just 17 hours at 8,000Hz.

Still, while I am far from an pro-level player, I can’t foresee many complaints about the Viper V3 Pro’s responsiveness or connection quality. The shape, weight and sensor all play a role in that — as do the large PTFE feet, which let the mouse glide smoothly across surfaces. Somewhat less agreeable is the included cable, which is cleverly angled to reduce drag but isn’t the thinnest or most flexible cord I’ve seen. The dongle still requires running the cable from a PC to a desk, too.

Nevertheless, the Viper V3 Pro is well worth a look if you take competitive gaming seriously, prefer an ambidextrous shape and have money to burn. To be clear, there are still several gaming mice that’ll feel comfortable and perform well for less cash, especially if you’re OK with a wired model. And if you own an older Viper you’re still happy with today, there’s no pressing need to upgrade. A mouse like this is closer to a Ferrari, when most people can live just fine with a Subaru. That said, Ferraris are pretty nice, right?

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JBL Quantum 910X review: great gaming audio, but some rough edges

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One-minute review

A high-end wireless gaming headset designed for Xbox, the JBL Quantum 910X falls just short of earning a place among the best Xbox Series X headsets. That’s not to say that it isn’t still a formidable option, however, as it offers an excellent level of comfort that’s backed up by rich audio; it’s absolutely perfect for many of the best Xbox Series X games. In addition to Xbox, it’s also fully compatible with PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC, making it a strong multi-platform choice.

Unfortunately, the flagship feature of the JBL Quantum 910X, its head-tracking 360 degree spatial audio, is a mixed bag. The head-tracking itself is exceptional, simulating your head motion perfectly, but the audio quality takes a substantial hit whenever the feature is enabled. The bass becomes almost non-existent, completely ruining the punchy action of first-person shooter (FPS) titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, while the high end frequencies sound sharp and unpleasant. If your number one concern is high-quality spatial sound, no shortage of cheaper headsets like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X, offer far superior spatial audio.

The microphone is the only other major area where the JBL Quantum 910X falls behind the competition. It lacks adjustability and leaves your voice sounding grainy and quiet. It’s by no means unusable, but this is nowhere near the level of performance that you would reasonably expect for this price. Whether this is the headset for you is therefore going to depend on whether these two shortcomings are a total deal breaker but, if they’re not, there’s still an awful lot to like here.

The JBL Quantum 910X resting on a wooden table.

(Image credit: Dashiell Wood / Future)

Price and availability

  • $299.95 / £219.99 
  • Available in the US and UK
  • Better value in the UK 

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