With Townfall, we’re headed to nineties Scotland, but that’s not the only change: we also get a new perspective — in more ways than one.

Not only is the game in first-person, rather than third-person, but it's developed by a series newcomer, Screen Burn Interactive, formerly known as No Code. This small Scottish outfit doesn’t exactly have a long resume, but it's already proved itself with its two previous outings. 2017’s Stories Untold was an interesting, modern take on the text adventure, while 2019’s Observation, another first-person horror, won the Bafta for Best British Game in 2020.

Now the team brings its Caledonian spirit to bear on Konami’s flagship horror franchise, but does the new locale and camera angle represent another step in the right direction for a series keen on extending its recent purple patch?

Everybody’s aff to the rapture

We open in typical horror story fashion: a man crawls out of the water onto a dock, not knowing where he is or where he came from.

This man is Simon Ordell, wearing an outfit almost identical to Travis Grady’s from 2007’s Silent Hill: Origins, and denoting his everyman-ness. As you make your way up from the harbour, a cutscene plays, and a tarp blows away from a sign, revealing the town’s name: St. Amelia

And so the game proper begins, as you make your way through the seemingly abandoned town to find out what’s going on. Along the way, you’ll take control of two additional characters besides Simon — Zoe and Richard — and the plot unfolds gradually to reveal the trio’s connection to one another.

The first thing that struck me as I paced through the streets was the fantastic art direction. As expected from a Scottish team, Screen Burn has nailed the feel of a small Scottish town.

St. Amelia is lovingly crafted and perfectly captures its mid-nineties period, containing plenty of features recognizable to those this side of the pond, from period-correct storefronts and pebble-dashed houses to public telephone booths and post boxes.

Virtually every frame looks cinematic (there’s even a letterbox mode enabled by default). The perennial fog is, of course, present and correct here, and looks better and moodier than ever. Hues of white, red, and blue are prominent throughout as well, and look eerily beautiful as they shine through the mist and are backlit by streetlamps. This is a game made for screenshotting, although unfortunately it doesn’t have a native photo mode.

I played through the game in Performance mode, as is often my preference, and I couldn’t discern any visual downgrade from Quality mode. Naturally, though, Performance mode offered a much better frame rate, and I only encountered one section where things got a little choppy, but this was brief and far from ruinous.

Complementing the visuals is the score, another feature that’s always stood out in Silent Hill titles. Here, though, regular series composer and sound designer Akira Yamaoka is, for once, not involved. Instead, the honors go to Pilotpriest, who’s done a fantastic job of replicating the off-kilter sounds and melancholic melodies fans have come to know and love, while adding a modern twist.

Pieces are more sparse and muted than before, often with heavy doses of reverb. They match the tone of the gameplay brilliantly, and compositions open up during cutscenes when some emotional weight needs carrying.

Unfortunately, the characters’ facial animations are less capable at this. They’re often stilted, which can work when they seem detached and dejected, but they fail to sell terror or emotional breakdowns when required.

This is doubly a shame since it lets down the largely great performances of the voice actors, of which Kezia Burrows’ Zoe is worthy of highlighting. She has a greater range of traits and emotions to convey than the other two, and she does so with aplomb.

Another disappointing aspect of the game’s design is the monsters — this for a series renowned for its strikingly original creations. Virtually every one is some kind of faceless alabaster humanoid with no details of note, and some are mere rehashes of past favorites, such as the fleshy straight-jacketed figure, although this time it has a plank driven through its head.

Less attention has been paid to their symbolism, too: there are suggestions that they reflect aspects of the inner turmoil of the main characters, à la most Silent Hill monsters, but there's little about their design that shows this in an interesting way.

Monster hunting

Looks aside, though, the monsters are more dangerous than ever. There are a handful of basic pawns, such as those that wander around slowly, and the aforementioned straight-jacketed plank heads that move much faster and more erratically and are equally troublesome.

If either catches you, you’ll have a basic button-mashing QTE to avoid them if you have enough health, but if not, it’ll be instant death. In certain sections, a larger monster appears with blobs on its back, which is unkillable as far as I could tell. There's no chance to QTE your way out of its grip if it catches you, either.

Sneaking around enemies, therefore, can be a tense and terrifying experience, accompanied by a huge sense of relief when you succeed. Often, the environmental design expertly facilitates this stealth gameplay. The outside sections in particular are laden with cut-throughs and hiding places, and more impressive is the fact that this design is so firmly planted in the real world.

You’ll be sneaking around abandoned cars and peeking out over low walls, scooting down narrow back alleys and distracting enemies with bottles or radios. There’s a surprising degree of player freedom that makes these sections more satisfying to play through than your typical survival horror fare.

What also helps is the excellent player movement. All three move in the same way, which is to say they’re responsive and agile, as well as being reasonably fast when sprinting, although this is no arena shooter — but then again, I wouldn’t want it any other way in a horror game. There’s also an option to use motion controls for aiming, with fast and precise movements, and it is my preferred method.

There’s a peek mechanic, too, which again is very useful. It may be lifted straight from classic first-person horror games, most notably Alien: Isolation, but it gives you a great deal of freedom to not just strafe laterally, but also to peer up over barriers or down over ledges, whether standing or crouched.

To detect threats more easily, Simon picks up a handheld TV (or CRTV) early on that can tune into enemy locations. They’re rendered in silhouette against a red background, serving as the game’s ‘detective mode’. This gives you a real advantage, but its screen is just obscure enough to avoid you using it the whole time.

You also lose focus on your surroundings while equipped, again preventing you from relying on it wholesale. Keeping track of multiple enemies can be hard as well, since you have to toggle between them one at a time, and those long passed or on a different level remain in the CRTV’s memory.

Zoe, on the other hand, is saddled with a pager, a far less effective item since it doesn’t directly reveal enemy movements. Instead, bars around the sides fill up to show their approximate direction and proximity. Both gadgets, though, are effective at grounding Townfall in the real world. At certain points, the CRTV can be tuned to show recorded messages that help develop the story or provide hints. The pager, meanwhile, receives mission- and story-related communication.

This grounding is something the game as a whole does well. From the environments and puzzles, right down to the save system, which has always been a quirky thing in Silent Hill games. Usually, it’s something obscure and surreal, such as interacting with a well or a red square on a wall, but here you use landlines (no mobile phones in St. Amelia 1996) and dial 100 — the in-game number for the coastguard.

The map screen is as helpful and skeuomorphic as ever. Scrawls in red marker pen appear to show rooms you’ve entered, locked doors, and story clues. You can also zoom and pan around it with ease.

When the sneaking goes wrong, you aren’t completely defenceless. You don’t exactly have a military arsenal at your disposal, but some humble series staples are here, including wooden planks and metal pipes. They degrade this time, though, so they won’t last long. Firepower comes later, but ammo is scarce, making the game’s intentions for a stealthy play style clear.

All this isn’t to say the weapons are useless. On the contrary, they’re very effective, and just the right amount of difficult to use. Melee combat is a basic affair, with one button for attack and one for block, but a lot of enemies can be disposed of quite quickly. The revolver and shotgun are even more effective, as you would imagine, but reload times are slow. All weapons feel impactful and satisfying to use, too, and the controls aren’t awkward.

Healing items are more generously distributed. There’s gauze for minor wounds and first aid kits for major ones. You can also combine alcohol with the former for a larger heal, while empty IV bags can be combined with IV fluids to automatically revive you if you die.

Aside from combat and sneaking, you’ll of course be solving puzzles. These are more ingenious than past efforts, and expertly combine that aforementioned verisimilitude with the series’ penchant for the weird.

One of my favorites had me reading out patient charts as Zoe to an aggressively condescending doctor, chastising her and me if I gave the wrong information. I then needed to find medicines dotted around the medical center, beginning yet another monster-avoidance section, which was as tense and as exciting as those in the streets of St. Amelia.

There are plenty of documents and computer emails to read and collect, providing clues to puzzles. There’s also a handy mechanic where you can hold a button to bring up the relevant clue while interacting with a puzzle, although, bizarrely, this is limited to only a few occasions.

Nothing personal

While I certainly had a good time with Townfall, certain sections drag on a little too long. But on the whole, the game does well to vary the environments and puzzles (the enemies less so) throughout to keep you hooked.

I didn’t find normal difficulty too troubling: the puzzles are pitched just right, and those I spent a long time figuring out weren’t frustrating or unfair; in fact, they’re proved more satisfying to solve than the series’ typical offerings.

Sneaking and combat, on the other hand, are more challenging. Enemies can come upon you quickly, and since there can be long stretches before you reach a save point, you can find yourself trudging back through the same section if you perish. But mostly, their presence adds real stakes and rewards you with a sense of achievement once you make it past them.

It took me just over 20 hours to complete a single playthrough, and that was at a gentle pace. There’s little beyond the main objectives at hand to seek out, aside from some mysterious coded postcards that’ll have fans scrabbling to decipher, as well as hidden phone numbers to find. There are also unlockable outfits and weapons, and five different endings to get.

Townfall isn’t particularly scary. There’s the occasional jump scare, but it doesn’t rely on them for cheap thrills. The game is a slow burn, with plenty of quiet, contemplative moments as you explore your surroundings. As with many Silent Hill games, the horror is more psychological.

But herein lies a problem. While the story is commendable for sustaining the mystery for as long as possible, there’s a lack of character exploration, contrary to many other stories in the franchise.

The characters’ dialogue is mostly cryptic, so you never get much of a grasp on their thoughts and feelings until the end — and even then, there are still plenty of questions left unanswered, as they should be. But the three of them are by turns confused and forlorn throughout.

This mixture works to conjure that strange, uncanny tone the series is known for, but it also means the trio fails to elicit the same level of emotional investment garnered by past protagonists, such as Harry and Heather Mason, James Sunderland, and Mary.

Social commentary seems to be Townfall’s primary concern: the main theme is one of corporate negligence and its devastating impact on a community, which is certainly relevant in today’s world. And it’s true that once the three collide and everything comes to a head, it starts to resonate emotionally. But this is a long time coming, and Zoe ultimately feels underserved by the story’s conclusion, a shame given the aforementioned excellence of her actor’s performance.

It’s entirely possible, though, that other endings will give her a larger role than the one I reached, although I have no idea how these are achieved yet.

Ultimately, I found Townfall less impactful than Silent Hill 2 or Shattered Memories. It won't haunt me for as long as those entries, but it’s an intriguing journey nonetheless, with mysteries that remain after completion to keep fans busy with their theories.

No doubt some will also see Townfall as departing too far from the Silent Hill formula, a debate that’s already begun. But to my mind, the new setting and perspective fit the mold perfectly, so despite a few reservations, it still marks another triumphant reimagining of the series.

Should you play Silent Hill: Townfall?

Play it if…

Don't play it if…

Accessibility features

Compared to other modern releases, Townfall’s accessibility features are a little lacking. There are no content filters for blood and gore, and visual assists for color and contrast, and the like, are also missing. You can toggle subtitles and closed captions separately, though, and you can adjust the opacity of their backgrounds.

There are three difficulty modes to choose from: Story, which reduces the threat posed by enemies; Normal, which is how the developers intend the game to be played; and Nightmare, which increases enemy power and makes your flashlight detectable by them.

Puzzle difficulty is handled separately, although there are only two modes for this, with the only difference being red highlights of salient text clues.

How I reviewed Silent Hill: Townfall

I played Townfall for just over 20 hours, completing the game once through on normal difficulty. I also toggled the puzzle difficulty between Normal and Hinted modes at various points.

I played the game on a standard PS5, largely in Performance mode, although I also tested Quality mode for a time, too. I used a Lenovo Legion R27qe monitor and the Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720 headset for audio.

I’m a long-time fan of the Silent Hill series and have played many games in the series, including the recent Silent Hill f and the 2024 remake of Silent Hill 2. The original Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories rank among the best horror games of all time, in my mind.

First reviewed September 2026

Instead of an open-zone map like the first game, Resonant goes full open-world. You play as Dylan Faden, old protagonist Jesse’s brother, who was (mostly) freed from the Hiss’s evil influence towards the end of the last adventure.

Now, Jesse has disappeared somewhere in an otherworldly Manhattan, and it’s his job to find her.

Like brother, like sister

Control Resonant’s story is markedly improved over its predecessor. The sibling bond between Dylan and Jesse provides an emotional anchor to latch onto. Learning about their childhoods through the main missions was engaging enough and made it much easier to follow this time around. It kept my attention in ways that Control didn’t.

The small cast of support characters also smartly keeps the character development focused mainly on Dylan. Zoe De Vera is assigned as Dylan’s handler, and I like how their relationship starts off rocky with her viewing him as just a tool to fight the Hiss. But as the story progresses, Zoe starts considering Dylan as more than that, asking him personal questions about his favorite music.

Emily Pope returns from the first game and acts as an important linchpin for Dylan to discuss Jesse. As Emily helped Jesse throughout the entirety of Control, Dylan can confide in Emily, giving him hope he’ll eventually find his sister. These powerful relationships make Resonant a less lonely trip.

As someone who’s fascinated with sci-fi and the occult, Resonant plays around with common tropes to great effect. In one particularly memorable main quest, Dylan is tasked with figuring out what happened to a missing crew, and its implementation of time dilation and alternate timelines really had a grip on my attention. It’s moments like these that make Resonant’s story emotionally satisfying, but narratively absorbing too.

Go big or go home

Going from Control to Control Resonant feels similar to how Final Fantasy 7 Remake transitioned to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. It’s a high-risk endeavor, as creating an open world can add a lot of unnecessary bloat compared to a more streamlined experience.

Thankfully, Resonant’s exemplary art direction and traversal mechanics make its distorted version of Manhattan a treat to run around in. Rather than the brutalist architecture of the first game that took place entirely indoors within the Oldest House, Resonant doubles down on the more kaleidoscopic and parallactic aspects in the open world.

As part of the main quests, you’ll also be given objectives to find “Faults,” which are areas where remnants of Jesse could be residing. While they’re not very combat-heavy, they offer a lot of story exposition exploring Dylan and Jesse’s background. At the very end, you’ll be awarded a new way for Dylan to move around.

These include being able to shift his gravitational orientation around so the wall next to him becomes the floor, or the intriguing take on the traditional grappling hook, which looks more like an invisible magnet pulling Dylan by the waist.

Control Resonant is also reminiscent of Elden Ring, in that you’re able to tackle tough side bosses called Resonants all across the Big Apple. By defeating them, Dylan is able to unlock more of his offensive move kit. You’re incentivized to go for it, as it’ll give you more options to fight against the Hiss and other enemies.

You only need to take out a few to advance the story, but afterwards you can actually complete it without taking the rest of them on if you want. This open-endedness comes in handy if you get stuck on a certain story boss. You can explore more, get stronger, and return later.

There are also plenty of other interesting activities to tackle, and these often bring a more down-to-earth tone to Resonant’s paranormal twists. In a multi-part side quest, Dylan is trying to help a girl find her way home from an alternate dimension. And he has to play “spot the difference” with different taxi cabs to take the right one back. There’s another side quest where Dylan helps a colleague find their invisible cat, which ends up in the cat actually helping out against a mini-boss fight in a humorous conclusion.

These side quests reflect Dylan’s altruism and the guilt he harbors for his actions from the first game, allowing him to redeem himself in small, yet meaningful ways. They also reward massive amounts of EXP and useful ingredients to unlock new skills and abilities.

Close quarters combat

As opposed to the first game’s third-person shooter gameplay, Control Resonant is a melee-focused action game. It’s an interesting switch-up that certainly helps this sequel differentiate itself.

The basic gameplay loop you’re going for is to stagger enemies and then perform an execution. Doing that causes Dylan to temporarily enter Dominance, which astronomically ups his attack power and allows him to kill enemies quicker. It’s a gratifying process that’s just as exciting as it looks cool.

The big issue here is that it’s incredibly difficult to falter enemies when you first start out. Dylan’s weapon, the Aberrant, can morph into different forms for both his light and heavy attacks. At the beginning, you can pick one form, and the rest you can create later on with the proper drops and materials.

If you’re like me and picked a heavy weapon choice that didn’t fit your particular playstyle, then you’re going to have a tough time. You can use limited reset points to rechoose your points and abilities, but the fact that it’s not free feels like it’s discouraging experimentation, especially at the start before eventually unlocking everything.

After initially selecting the spear as my heavy weapon and being disappointed, I reset my build and opted for the slow but powerful hammer instead. I found that it fit my approach much better, and suddenly I was enjoying it more. Beforehand, combat felt like a slog as enemies seemed to just be damage sponges, as it took forever to falter them.

A little later on, after defeating the giant fire Resonant, I unlocked the ability to cloak my weapons in flame, increasing both the damage and falter output. Now even my light weapon attacks with the multi-target scythe-like glaive inflicted a decent amount of stagger. I was able to enter Dominance faster, and the combat became more frenetic, explosive, and most importantly, fun.

It just takes a while to get to.

Should I play Control Resonant?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

Control Resonant has an impressive suite of accessibility features. These options include text, subtitles, colorblindness adjustments, and toggles.

It also has an Assist mode, which lets you change gameplay parameters to your liking. For example, you can change how fast Dylan’s Power meter replenishes, which lets him fire off special abilities. You can also make him invincible.

There’s even an option to OHKO enemies with just one attack, and it works on bosses too. None of the options disable Achievements either.

How I reviewed Control Resonant

I played 25 hours of Control Resonant on Xbox Series X with the standard Xbox Wireless Controller on my 1080p LG Sharp TV, finishing up the main campaign while completing some side quests.

After witnessing the ending, you can go back into the open world once again to mop up any remaining collectibles and quests.

First reviewed September 2026

It's the natural-looking rain streaming down a window that initially catches my attention. But beyond the pelting precipitation, I also spy equally impressive smoke, flames, and burning embers spewing from a fiery explosion – the apparent fallout of Wolverine's enemy-eviscerating entrance.

The destruction below is contrasted by beautiful moonlight above, which is occasionally punctuated by eye-pleasing flashes of lightning.

Production values as sharp as Wolverine's claws

Of course, if you've played any recent first-party PlayStation game, these realism-rivaling effects probably won't come as a huge surprise. As expected, Insomniac Games' latest superhero romp is obscenely pretty, polished, and packing the sort of production values that've come to define Sony's single-player, story-driven output.

This level of quality extends to Wolverine's characters and storytelling as well. Supported by incredibly layered, emotional performances (Liam McIntyre and Troy Baker especially stand out as Logan and Nathaniel Essex, respectively), the former features unmatched facial details and visual fidelity.

And while the game's narrative doesn't quite achieve the extreme highs of its technical and artistic excellence, it works surprisingly well, spinning an engaging tale that'll please Marvel enthusiasts while also welcoming complete newcomers into this potentially complex universe.

There are a ton of familiar characters, both friends and foes, that fans will love spending time with. But the game's pre-X-Men tale also does a great job introducing these favorites without boring the established audience or relying on exposition dumps.

In Wolverine's universe, for example, Logan and Jean Grey meet for the first time, challenging its writers to not only introduce these well-known characters to each other, but also to a potential new audience. The task is handled elegantly, however, in an early mission at Team X's HQ that sees the pair naturally sharing personal details while searching for drawings a mischievous mutant child has hidden for them.

Slice and dice with cinematic style to spare

This is a single instance, but the lengthy story often leverages these quieter, absorbing – and interactive – scenes to flesh out its nuanced characters and connect the larger story to the obscenely over-the-top bloodbaths that fill the rest of the campaign. While storytelling and characterizations certainly have their place in Wolverine, the game is, first and foremost, a visceral, action-packed power fantasy focused on showing fans what it feels like to get behind the titular mutant's adamantium death-dealers.

Of course, considering Logan is virtually indestructible and his signature retractable claws are capable of turning even a tank to ribbons, the developers also faced the daunting task of balancing the combat difficulty. How exactly do you ensure encounters are challenging and consequential when you're playing as someone who can return from the brink of death and cut through steel like it's warm butter?

Using a variety of creative systems and mechanics, Insomniac has mostly found a nice balance between allowing the beast-like protagonist to be the absolute badass you'd expect, without being ridiculously overpowered. At its core, the combat is an absolute button-mashing blast. Complemented by intuitive, snappy inputs, immersion-ratcheting DualSense effects, and environments filled with destructible items, simply shredding through hordes of enemies feels fantastic.

Reducing goons to piles of lopped limbs and red plasma is also as easy on the eyes as it is on the thumbs. Slick animations, cinematic finishing moves, and more blood and gore than you'll find on the floor of a slaughterhouse ensure every kill is as fun to watch as it is to execute.

The visual abuse Logan suffers is also a surprising highlight, as he too becomes soaked in viscera. But it goes deeper than that, literally, as his clothes become increasingly tattered, exposing ugly wounds and the highest fidelity sweat and body hair I've ever seen – enter photo mode at your own risk.

Whether you're taking on Bolivar Trask's cybernetic soldiers, chipping away at a towering Sentinel, or sinking your claws into any number of baddies and bosses we won't spoil here, slicing and dicing from behind Wolverine's shiny skewers is endlessly entertaining. But the game's attempts to deepen the combat beyond the animalistic amnesiac's rage-fueled hacking-and-slashing are a bit hit or miss.

As Logan levels up, you can invest points to unlock new moves and special abilities, dubbed "Techniques." The former are primarily flashy skills and combos that build on the character's base attacks, parries, kicks, staggers, jumps, dodges, and other core skills. Adding these to your already considerable arsenal definitely has benefits, from delivering more damage and disarming enemies to recovering some health and even flinging foes into each other.

Most of all, these moves – which require specific button inputs to pull off – inject a ton of cinematic style into your kill sprees. But more often than not, that's exactly why I used them, as their offensive and defensive benefits alone didn't feel impactful enough, especially when I could achieve similar results by spamming basic "barrage" attacks, dodging from danger, and unleashing specials as they cued up.

Those latter attacks, however, do make a huge difference. Working off cooldown timers, these devastating moves put you a button-press away from barreling through targets like a human drill, spinning through hordes with the force of a tornado, and performing other table-turning abilities.

These special attacks can be upgraded and also include a nice healing option when you're at death's door. Speaking of Logan's regenerative superpower, he also has access to "Rage," a resource he builds during combat that supports a second wind-like mechanic and – as advertised – allows him to go full-on feral, ventilating targets even more viciously than usual.

When combined with the specials – and some other late-game enhancements I won't spoil here – both the basic and rage-fueled skills make for unquestionably thrilling encounters, albeit battles that aren't as deep as their designers intended.

Snikt!-fueled style over substance

Similar sentiments can be applied to Wolverine's non-combat content as well. You'll spend most of your time in this globetrotting adventure painting cities and towns – across Canada, Japan, Madripoor, and more – plasma-red, but when not shish kebab-ing baddies, you'll retract your claws for some less violent activities.

In addition to the excellent story interludes, Logan does some investigating, chases fleeing enemies – on foot and while straddling a motorcycle – and a surprising amount of platforming.

None of these tasks are optional, and while they don't offer anything particularly special, they do deliver the occasional fun distraction. The bike chases, for example, are practically on rails, but it still never gets old slashing a pursuing vehicle's tires with your claws.

The platforming sections, meanwhile, generally get the job done, but sometimes kill the immersion when the mutant – who can often scurry up trees like a cat – suddenly can't scale a fence, crate, or wall.

Wolverine makes no apologies for being a linear, scripted action-adventure, a quality that often works to its benefit. But it can also be a detriment, like during those fickle platforming moments. This heavily directed approach does afford players some freedom, encouraging them to sniff out collectible bottles of whiskey and timed challenges accessed in Logan's creepy "Nightmare Cabin." These mini-games, unfolding in his haunted memories, also shed a bit of light on his dark, foggy past.

Whether hunting for booze or conquering these timed tasks, you'll collect DNA strand-altering "Adaptation" points, a currency that feeds another character progression path. But these passive perks don't feel all that meaningful among Logan's already considerable arsenal. Toss in the fact that these cabin-diving diversions have you partaking in the same gameplay you're already doing on the critical path – only against a clock – and they feel like an undercooked attempt at optional content.

Suit crafting feels similarly half-baked. The game contains 30-plus costumes and accompanying claws, a fantastic, fan-pleasing inclusion. But the suits are purely cosmetic, and accessed by investing the same "materials" hidden around the world.

Donning Logan with a cowboy hat or dropping him in this hyper-realistic world as his anime-inspired Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls persona is awesome, as is the permanent health bump you receive as you buy more suits. But with just the same single resource used and no gameplay effects added, calling it "crafting" is a stretch.

As a linear, single-player action-adventure, Wolverine works brilliantly, delivering a visually striking, cinematic blockbuster supported by engaging characters and emotional storytelling. It's also brimming with stylish, blood-soaked combat that kept a smile stretched across my face until the credits rolled.

When it strays from its heavily scripted path, however, attempting to layer strategic depth into its arcade-y encounters – as well as engaging, optional activities into its carefully crafted world – it does reveal some undeniable cracks in its adamantium armor.

Should you play Marvel's Wolverine?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

Marvel's Wolverine includes an impressive suite of accessibility assists, beginning with plenty of options to tailor the blood, gore, violence, and profanity to any player's comfort level.

Beyond that, there are various difficulty settings, as well as ample gameplay assists to further tweak and tailor the challenge within those defaults. In addition to the expected inclusions for customizing subtitles, UI, and HUD elements, a huge selection of audio and visual assists are also available.

While a variety of high-contrast modes and color customizations are included, dedicated protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia selections seem to be absent.

How I reviewed Marvel's Wolverine

I spent just over 25 hours with Wolverine, completing its campaign before replaying many missions to seek out collectibles and attempt optional time trial challenges.

I played the game on my PS5 Pro using my budget TCL 4K 65" TV, with HDR enabled. For audio, I tested with both the display's onboard stereo speakers and Sony's PlayStation Pulse Elite headset.

First reviewed September 2026

As an audio journalist, I’ve covered FiiO plenty of times; the brand is known for beloved digital audio players like the JM21 and digital-audio converters like the FA15. But I was surprised to see the brand enter a totally different market, trying its hand at a gaming headset.

The FiiO FG3 is the resulting device, and it clearly bears some of the audiophile DNA that FiiO is known for. It offers a coaxial dual-driver set-up, which is uncommon in games-focused headphones, and also totes a lightweight DAC control module to jump between audio presets.

So it should be a gaming gem, right? Right? Well, I think something was lost in translation.

FiiO’s hardware is fantastic for music, and the FG3 is the same, with the dual-driver set-up and handy EQ modes working well. However, it’s not quite as good for gaming, which isn’t ideal for a 'gaming' headset.

Audio is often too muddy and rumbly to do justice to the layered sound design of an immersive environment or frantic battlefield. It’s largely the low-end which lets the side down, with higher-pitched sounds cutting through pretty effectively. This won’t affect all games, and dialogue-heavy or rhythm ones will benefit massively from the tuning.

The fit of the headphones isn’t perfect either. While the cups are incredibly soft, the headphones squeeze and the headband is too firm. I had to take breaks from long gaming sessions to avoid my head hurting.

That all may sound like a series of criticisms, but there’s a lot to like here too. The cans are easily portable, and the control app being online-only is a breath of fresh air in this bloatware-riddled world (even if it rules out EQ control when you’ve got no internet).

The FG3 is also, crucially, pretty affordable, and I can see a discount or two making it an absolute bargain. If you’re reading this when they’re even $10 / £10 off, they’ll be an absolute bargain.

So it’s easy to look past some of the more annoying elements, or rougher edges, of FiiO’s sound tuning and design. But I can’t help but hope that the brand’s second foray into gaming headsets makes some improvements on what we’ve currently got.

FiiO FG3: Price and availability

• List price: $69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$140)
• Available in the US, UK and Europe
• Matches RIG R5 Spear Pro HS, undercuts other rivals

The FiiO FG3 sells for $69.99 / £69.99 (about AU$140, though at the time of writing, it’s not on sale in Australia), and was unveiled in June, 2026.

At that price, it undercuts many of the best wired gaming headsets, though it matches our top-rated pick: the catchily-titled RIG R5 Spear Pro HS. That makes it fairly good value for a gaming headset, with many alternatives going for three-figure sums.

For your money, you get the headset as well as a removable microphone, control cable and USB adaptor (which lets you plug the USB-C control cable into a USB-A port, if that’s what you have available).

FiiO FG3: specs

FiiO FG3: design and features

The FiiO FG3 comes with a non-removable cable, which connects into a 3.5mm jack. It’s not long, but it’ll reach a hand-held controller. However, it’s best to connect it to a control module which comes in the box; this offers you the ability to mute, change EQ or modify volume, and has a much longer cable which connects to a device via USB-C (or USB-A, thanks to an included adaptor).

These cans aren’t particularly unique-looking, although the cups are slightly canted, which helps them fit a head shape better. They rotate a little horizontally and vertically, which also helps with the fit, though some other elements like the thin metal headband or certain cheap-feeling plastic elements discourage any notion of these being premium headphones. There are no on-cup controls either.

While the ear pads are soft and comfortable, I did find that the padded headband wasn’t padded enough. Longer gaming stints ended in growing aches; the FG3 fit isn’t as comfortable as other gaming headsets I’ve used. A slight squeeze offered by the cans didn’t help either.

You can fold the cups in on each other, and remove the microphone, transforming the headset into a compact unit which is easy to transport (though it doesn’t come with any kind of carry case). Combined with a feature we’ll get to later, it’s a great headset for people who game in different venues.

Now onto the feature set. A potentially-divisive feature of the FiiO FG3 is that you don’t need to download a control app to clutter up your PC. Instead, FiiO’s website offers the ability to change EQ and flick between presets.

I loved the fact I didn’t need to download more bloating software onto my rig, and that I could tote the FG3 between different systems and locations and still customize them, but it does mean that you get no control while offline.

The control site lets you choose three presets, which the control module lets you change between: a gaming mode, a cinema one, and a music one. The latter list, which includes the custom mode, is the one I found myself using most.

This module also means you can still jump between your EQ presets when you're on a console or handheld, so your decision to play on a Switch, PlayStation or Xbox doesn't mean you're banned from customizable sound.

Don’t expect any Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) here. I found that the Passive Noise Cancellation (PNC) or natural ear cup blocking, managed to cut out annoying background sounds from my street, as did the closed-back design. But it won’t save you from louder interruptions.

FiiO FG3: performance

True to its audiophile heritage, FiiO has packed the FG3 with two drivers per cup: one 50mm dynamic driver designed to handle mid- and low-end, and a smaller 16mm dynamic driver for higher-end sounds. The benefit of dual drivers, rather than the sole unit found in most gaming headsets, is twofold: firstly, each being dedicated to different frequencies means that they can be better catered to them. Secondly, simultaneous sounds can be delivered with better clarity.

This latter is certainly true of the FiiO FG3, which has a distinct V-shaped sound profile; that means that bass and treble are well-defined and clear, though mids are a little lost. This isn’t a huge issue for gaming, as most sound effects are low or high ones, but it’s audible in music (including game scores).

It’s also clear that the high-end dynamic driver does its job well. Dialogue is easy to make out, even in frantic battles, including in-game audio and friends’ voice chats during gameplay. It’s also easy to make out nearby footsteps or the twinkle of a distant collectible.

However, I’m not as sold on the bass capabilities of the larger driver. In music it’s scooping and well-defined, but while gaming it lacks the power or ‘oomph’ of some other headsets I’ve tested. This means the chatter of your gunfire sounds a little dulled, nearby explosions lose a visceral edge, and roaring monsters sound like they have a sore throat.

Perhaps most importantly, the background rumble of a city or busy landscape which so often defines an alive-feeling open world felt a little too ‘rumbly’ for me. Some of FiiO’s equalization modes go some way to fix its issues, but not the whole way; I never found a way to stop the sound feeling a little muddy, and sometimes even made it worse.

A much-touted selling point of the FG3 is the use of Virtual 7.1, an algorithm which spreads sound to give a feeling of surround sound, without using 8 speakers (which would simply be 7.1 sound). It helps a little in spreading environmental and atmospheric sounds about you, though you’ll never forget that you’re simply getting spread-out headphone sound.

The removable microphone is… fine for purpose, but won’t deliver especially crystalline audio. Even recording onto my PC’s own voice recorder app, speech is a little crackly. However, I appreciate how dexterous the strut holding the microphone is: you can move it to different angles or heights, and there’s far more versatility than in many other headsets I’ve used.

Should I buy the FiiO FG3?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

FiiO FG3: Also consider

Here are two more gaming headsets that we've given positive reviews to, if you're not sold on the FiiO FG3.

How I tested the FiiO FG3

• Used for three weeks
• Tested for gaming and other tasks
• Mainly connected to gaming PC

I tested the FiiO FG3 for roughly three weeks in order to write the review. Through this time, I used the headset while connected to my gaming PC; I tried to plug it into my Android phone, but the connection was stuttery.

The majority of the testing was done gaming; predominantly Nioh 3 and Total War: Pharaoh, but with time also spent on Old School Runescape, Isonzo, Slay The Spire, Crying Suns and the Mortal Shell 2 beta. I also used the headset to stream music while at work, and watch YouTube videos and TV shows.

Since I review audio products for a living, I have plenty of experience testing gaming headsets (and using other headphones for gaming purposes). I've also tested other FiiO products.

First reviewed August 2026

Read more about how we test

Preview events allowed journalists to play a horribly compromised game with a flipbook framerate, then tellingly wouldn’t let them share any footage of it. This seemed destined to be an embarrassment of a port that would have Mario hanging his head in shame, if not outright giving up.

I don’t know what deal with the Devil the developers made to get this port in its current state, but it’s made a Satanist out of me. Elden Ring on Switch 2 is a revelation, the new gold standard that third-party ports should be judged by. It’s perfectly playable and smooth in handheld mode, with only the most minimal and unobstructive pop-in.

Even the included Shadow of the Eldtree expansion, with its increased level of visual detail and colossal wicker men enemies stomping about, runs like a dream. It’s the kind of port that restores your faith in the Switch 2. Perhaps anything really is possible on this little machine.

Arise now, ye tarnished

For the uninitiated, Elden Ring is essentially open-world Dark Souls, the brutal action-RPG that every other action-RPG has annoyingly been ripping off ever since.

So combat rewards perseverance while also punishing even the slightest mistake. Every time you die, you lose all your levelling-up currency and have just one chance to get it back. And it’s all set in a dark medieval fantasy world that’s so grim it makes House of the Dragon look like an episode of Peppa Pig.

Elden Ring takes that winning formula and blows up the scale dramatically. It’s the most confident and successful leap a series has taken to going open-world since Nintendo’s own The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This is a game all about charging through gorgeous fields on horseback, because a) you’ve spotted an epic castle on the horizon you want to explore, and b) a giant is shooting arrows at you, and you desperately need to find some cover.

The Lands Between, Elden Ring’s absurdly large setting, is beautiful and deadly in equal measure. And it’s really deadly. Birds with swords strapped to their legs swoop in for the kill. Knights on horseback roar to the Heavens and are rewarded with lightning storms cascading down upon you.

Even a lowly zombie tossing a rock at you can be lethal if you’re not paying attention. Few games demand you lock in to succeed like this and fewer still reward you so immensely if you do.

Slice, spell, scream or smack?

You’re spoilt for choice on how you take it on, too. There are swords, axes, hammers, magic, curses, hand-to-hand combat (surprisingly effective, that), roaring (ditto), horseback jousting, and far more to be covered here. Stick with one weapon, and you’ll still have fun, but keep swapping out your loadout for new toys and you might just find your favourite gaming weapon ever.

The variety here is ridiculous, every dud weapon offset by another dozen inspired ones. Impressed with the last attack the latest boss fight used on you? Chances are, you can find the weapon they used on you and learn how to execute its special attack yourself.

Its world starts with traditional green fields and foreboding castles designed by architects who clearly never visited a cosy cafe once in their horrible lives. Gradually it gets more delightfully surreal, like a golden city drenched in ashes where the music is actually being performed by the enemies you’re fighting. Or a village full of dancing, giggly oddballs who’ve watched Midsommar a few too many times.

The city hidden beneath the map is easily one of the most incredible-looking environments I’ve ever visited in a videogame. Oh, and died in. Repeatedly.

Every inch of The Lands Between is occupied by monsters, warriors, dragons, and enemies who really look like giant sentient sperm, and all of them want to say a very violent hello. It should get repetitive.

Outside of the occasional puzzle, this game is basically all-combat all the time. But the sheer variety and depth to its combat system practically dares you to get bored. Each enemy is almost a puzzle in itself, as you slowly learn their attack patterns, weaknesses, and how effective they are at outrunning a horse. Not at all? Perfect, bye then!

That open-world structure helps stave off repetition too. There’s plenty of brick wall boss fights that you’ll spend hours bashing your head against. But whenever you’re stuck, you can just hop aboard your magical double-jumping horse and gallop somewhere else. It means you can be swordfighting with poison-spitting bug men one moment, and then in an epic joust with a dragon barely ten minutes later.

Barbie’s Horse Adventure 2?

You can also find alternate outfits for your horse now, presumably to finally get the My Little Pony crowd aboard the Soulslike train.

Gameplay benefits? None whatsoever, but it’s a cute novelty. I liked being able to dress Torrent up as the golden steed of one of the more irritating enemies, even if it does make them a little noisier. So if you’ve been on the fence about Elden Ring because you worried the horse wasn’t noisy enough, this is definitely the time to jump in.

The story? At first it’s about as impenetrable as Xbox’s gaming strategy. Your only hope of figuring out its mysteries is to examine every item you find, most of which contain a line of lore. There’s now a ‘recent items’ tab that shows everything you’ve recently picked up, which makes this far easier. This is my third time playing Elden Ring, and I believe I understood a whole 23% of the plot this time - a new personal best.

Two new starter classes have also been added. Heavy Knight, who’s a thickly-armored chunky boy who can tank a fair few hits. Obviously incredibly useful, but I opted for the other new starter, Idus Knight, who wields a sword that delivers a superbly satisfying double-strike.

There’s some new armor sets and weapons out there, too. These are nice touches for returning players, but hardly a reason to buy the game again if you already own it on another format.

No, the justification for that double dip has to go to handheld mode. I played this port for a solid week in handheld before remembering that I should probably see how it looks on my TV for this review. That’s how impressive it is, even if not every area is an unequivocal success. Liurnia of the Lakes probably takes the biggest hit, with a lot of foliage and scenery constantly fading in.

But vitally, none of the monsters suffer from any of that pop-in nonsense. It’s a smart trade-off to ensure that, even when the game is mildly struggling, it never puts you at a gameplay disadvantage. The fade-in is lessened docked, but naturally a little more noticeable on the bigger screen. Very occasionally when a lot of enemies are on-screen - a dragon and its dozen skeleton minions, for instance - some of the monster animation gets a little jerky. But it’s minor, rare, and even then has a certain Ray Harryhausen stop-motion charm.

I got two and a half hours of battery life out of my Switch 2 consistently while playing it, making it ideal for short flights or long train journeys (don’t start fighting a boss if your stop is coming up).

I can’t wait to stop typing these words so I can sink more hours into it. This is a major technical achievement on basically every level, resulting in an outstanding port of one of the best games ever. Essential.

Should you play Elden Ring Tarnished Edition?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

Controls can be remapped, and gestures are tied to motion controls (this can be switched off).

Subtitles are on by default, and the image quality can be adjusted when HDR is enabled, which is only available when docked, naturally.

The tutorial is still laughably bad, but help screens can at least be reviewed at any time.

How I reviewed Elden Ring Tarnished Edition

I played about sixty hours, mainly in handheld mode. Not enough time to defeat every optional boss - yikes - but I made sure to explore all the major areas, Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, and anywhere I suspected might suffer from a performance dip. I was constantly pleasantly surprised.

First reviewed August 2026

I love fighting games, but I'm not usually one for tag fighters — often because I find learning more than one character intimidating and time-consuming. So, when Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls was first revealed last year as a 4v4 tag fighter, I'd already resigned myself to thinking: 'well, that's probably not for me.'

Not two, not three, but four? You're having a laugh.

I needn't have worried so much. Arc System Works has designed Fighting Souls such that learning a quartet of fighters inside and out is absolutely not necessary. It's possible to play that way at a higher level, of course. But as your team only has a single health bar, you can rock one character as your main, while relying on the remaining three as assist moves to help you out in a pinch.

It helps, too, that Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls has a fantastic onboarding process for new players. The game's story mode is broken into five episodes — each focused on a group of heroes (the Avengers, X-Men, etc.) or the villainous Knights of Doom. Episode chapters are structured to introduce you to fighters and their strengths, or otherwise various important system mechanics. Training tools are similarly great, with a fully-featured training mode, combo trials, and an ingenious 'level-up missions' category that tasks you with creating your own combos to reach a damage threshold.

All good so far, but I unfortunately have to stress that Tokon's immediate future looks perilous. The PC version of the game is currently facing myriad issues, many of which seem to be a direct result of corporate interference.

At the time of writing, Arc System Works is hard at work deploying patches to improve PC matchmaking and performance, but I'm not sure there's a fix for intrusive anti-cheat bloatware and forcing PlayStation Network account creation to access its online features.

Absolutely champion

Enough doom and gloom for now. I'd rather chat about all the elements that I feel make Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls such a wonderful game for a bit. For me, it started with its single-player story mode.

Titled 'Episodes', Tokon's story is broken into five distinct, well, episodes. Each is centered around one of the game's five main teams. The Fighting Avengers, for example, are your stalwart heroes like Captain America and Black Panther.

The Samurai Outriders are made up of anti-heroes and tricksters like Deadpool and Loki. Meanwhile, the Knights of Doom bring a more villainous flavor, stacked with evildoers like Doctor Doom, Green Goblin, and Carnage.

The premise is simple. An intergalactic fighter called the Champion is holding Earth hostage, and the aforementioned five teams have been selected to participate in a tournament to decide the planet's future. Each episode culminates in a fight with the Champion, and individual chapters are bookended with stunning comic book cutscenes, with each episode even featuring a unique artist and colorist.

This lends all of them a unique sense of identity, and helps to keep things feeling fresh as you progress. Each episode is about an hour long, and all are worth playing through as you'll not only get a feel for each individual character, you will also unlock colors for a bit of added flair for your faves. Oh, and as a bonus, you'll also unlock the Champion as a playable character upon clearing your first episode.

There are a lot of fun character moments, too. Ms. Marvel is often adorably starstruck by the heroes she encounters. The X-Men are flabberghasted that Magneto would team up with an egotistical maniac like Doctor Doom. There's a cute running gag between episodes where everyone gives Loki the side eye, despite a seeming earnestness from the God of Lies to genuinely turn over a new leaf in the search for his brother Thor (who is currently mysteriously absent from the game's playable roster).

Overall, Episodes are a great way to kick off your Tokon journey. It'll help you find characters you enjoy playing, and present a charming story that's well worth playing through just to experience its wonderful artwork and voiced performances.

Assist me

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is remarkably easy to just pick up and play, and I reckon you'll have a blast in local play with friends for casual couch bouts. Movement, special moves, assists, and supers are all straightforward to execute. For specials in particular, you have options for simple or motion inputs with the d-pad. Motion-inputted special moves (such as quarter-circle-forward) do around 10% more damage on average, so you'll have a bit of an edge if you can master weaving them into your gameplan.

The 4v4 setup can be wonderfully chaotic; there's no limit to the number of characters that can appear on-screen, so it's very possible to spam the assist button to throw the kitchen sink at your opponent in a pinch.

Characters you place in your assist slots are highly versatile, and can be individually called upon by pressing the assist button and the corresponding direction on the d-pad. One assist slot is for projectile, for example, while another is a vertical for anti-airs. This is universal across the cast, so you don't have to be precious about which characters you choose if you're only planning on maining one or two.

Elsewhere, you can perform an assist counter while guarding to get your opponent off of you, or even swap to one of your assists to directly control them. There's a ton you can do with assists, and learning to incorporate them in your playstyle is a huge part of the learning process. It sounds like a lot, and it is, and there's much more assists can do, like extending your combos and taking part in a massively damaging last round super. It might take a bit to wrap your head around, but thankfully, the tools are there to help you get to grips with assists and more besides.

Trained to perfection

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls has some of the best tutorialization I've ever seen in a fighting game. You of course have a fully fleshed out training mode, where you can freely practice combos and setups against a dummy. There is also a comprehensive tutorial section known as the Battle Guide, that'll walk you through basics like movement all the way to advanced techniques like wakeup options and blocking cross-ups.

Of particular note is Character Lessons, which includes primers on every character playable in the game. These start off with basic move introductions, as well as the properties of each characters' unique button. For example, Storm's Tempest unique lets her control the wind to push herself and her opponent around. Magik's unique has her placing a portal that she can instantly warp to and perform attack out of to surprise the opponent.

Lessons then offer a selection of combos for you to try out for each character, many weaving in assists, special moves, and supers. Finally, the highlight of Character Lessons for me are the Level-Up Missions, which task you with performing a combo to meet a certain amount of damage. These don't hold your hand much, with little guidance outside of telling you which button to start your combo with, or to include a special move at some point. They're great fun to experiment with, and even unlock colors for your characters, too.

Once you feel sufficiently warmed up, I highly recommend jumping into Arena mode for some offline quickplay. This is essentially the game's Arcade mode, in which you play through a series of five matches. You'll get to choose your route as you go through, unlocking some lovely concept art for your efforts.

There's also Survival mode; a 100-match gauntlet with some light roguelite elements. Between matches in Survival mode, you'll get to choose and upgrade Support Souls — cards that offer various benefits like increased movement speed or attack power. Getting through all 100 is no easy task, though, with several significant difficulty spikes on your way to the top. But again, your efforts will be rewarded with unique character colors if you make it to the end.

True believers

If you're familiar with Arc System Works' back catalog, it should come as no surprise that Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is a mind-bendingly gorgeous fighting game.

The developer is the master of modern cel-shading, and the roster of Marvel icons look even sharper here than characters do in Guilty Gear Strive and Dragonball FighterZ. Not that those games are slouches at all in the visual department, but Tokon by comparison looks impressively pristine at all times.

There aren't a ton of characters or stages at launch (I personally think 21 characters is a bit slim given the 4v4 setup), but when they look and animate as well as they do, I can forgive the base roster being as svelte as it is by tag fighter standards.

Every character is brimming with personality and charming little touches. Doom's cartoonish aptitude for evil is perfectly captured in his intimidating slow walk and thousand-yard stare. Ms. Marvel's attacks feel peppy, snappy, and excitable. And Deadpool? Well, almost every move in his arsenal is a loving reference to other iconic fighting games, and there are some impressively deep cuts therein.

The game's background stages are a real draw, too. The New York City stage is teeming with detail and references to the wider world of Marvel. The X-Mansion tends to populate the further a match progresses, with iconic X-Men like Psylocke, Colossus, and Gambit appearing in the background. If you're a Marvel head, you'll likely love the amount of respect and admiration Arc System Works has for the brand.

Pride before a fall

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is another slam-dunk for Arc System Works, then. With it and the recent Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics compilation, I'm ecstatic to see Marvel active again in the realm of fighting games. But every story has its villain, and for Tokon, it's not the Champion. It's Sony.

I hate to admit that I'm concerned for Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls' future. On PC, the game's anti-cheat DRM worsens performance. Furthermore, Linux and mod support are non-starters, and because online play requires a PlayStation Network account, countries where the service isn't supported (there are well over 100 of them) can't access network features at all. Throw in lopsided netcode that discourages crossplay between PS5 and PC, and you have a recipe for an exceptionally messy launch month largely thanks to publisher meddling.

For these reasons, I can't give Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls a glowing recommendation, as much as I would like to. At least if you were planning to pick up the game on PC. I want Tokon to have a long, bright future, but I worry that too much damage has already been done. Now, the state of the game has improved since launch in regards to performance and matchmaking quality, thanks to a small handful of fixes deployed by Arc System Works.

I just can't help but feel anxious about this rocky PC launch. Especially with the recent news that Riot Games is shuttering development on its League of Legends fighting game, 2XKO. It shows that huge companies absolutely aren't afraid to completely tear down a good thing if it isn't generating satisfactory revenue or player count. If folks walk away from Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls because of the issues it's facing on PC, then what's stopping Sony from doing the same?

I hope I'm just overthinking it. Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is one of the most fun and unique fighting games I've played in some time, and I hope its candle won't be snuffed out before it truly gets the chance to shine its brightest.

Should I play Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

At launch, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls has a small handful of accessibility features, largely utilizing text-to-speech options.

You can enable text-to-speech and adjust its volume and speed. You can also choose to enable or disable subtitles that display during battle entrances and conclusions.

How I reviewed Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls

I played Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls on PC for approximately 15 hours for this review. I completed the episodic story mode in its entirety, cleared most Arcade mode routes, and put a good chunk of hours into training mode, character lesson guides, and casual online play.

I tested the game with the GameSir G7 Pro controller, as well as the leverless Razer Kitsune. I also hooked up my RIG 900 Max HS gaming headset to experience the game's excellent audio and wonderfully upbeat soundtrack.

First reviewed August 2026

I've reviewed a lot of gaming chairs, sat my butt on plenty of seats promising the best of the best comfort, or ergonomic longevity (I'm convinced noblechairs wants my posture to last me until I'm 126 years old), and I've got to say, aside from possibly the AndaSeat Novis, this might be the most comfortable chair I've ever sat in.

At least, part of it is. The seat base. The fabric, the material, lovely; the base width, great. The backrest? Right up my street. But the Soma is a bit of an odd one when it comes to everything else it's trying to do. And an even bigger issue is its launch day price tag.

It's $500/£500 (about $954 AUD), which is a lot, and yes, there's RGB lighting in this, but Razer doesn't include an integrated battery (or even an optional one at checkout), doesn't pack a long enough cable, and doesn't include an adapter. The brand doesn't even include a cushioned headrest (you have to buy that separately). For 500 bones, frankly, that's utter madness.

The RGB itself (two diffused strips that run alongside the upper part of the backrest) is forward-facing only, and you can't really see it when you're sat down. It's not like a keyboard or a mouse, which is at least in your periphery, and needing your machine on with the cable hooked up separately if you opt to go without a battery bank means you'll probably spend about 5-10 seconds every session watching it just light up.

It's great for a streamer, sure, but even then it does feel more like an advert rather than something classy.

I had the lighting on for a day when I first got it for testing, then promptly unhooked the USB cable Razer graciously provided me with and never touched it again. Best gaming chair? Well, it won't be because of its RGB; that's for sure.

Razer Soma Chroma: Price and Availability

• Costs $500/£500 (about $954 AUD)
• Remarkably expensive given what it lacks
• Single colorway and fabric option

Right, now you can grab the Razer Soma Chroma for $500 USD and £500 GBP (about $954 AUD). It sits roughly between the Razer Iskur V2 X (at about $350) and the standard V2 (that's $600 or so).

You can pick one of these up today, although there's little in the way of choice. No different color options, no different materials, you get what you get.

Sold separately, of course, you can also get a male-to-female USB-C extension cable, headrest, and power source (you'll have to source your own on the latter).

On the warranty front, Razer's got you somewhat covered with a 14-day returns policy via the RazerStore, and as standard it comes with a 3-year warranty, which upgrades to 5 if purchased direct and registered.

Razer Soma Chroma: Specs

AndaSeat Phantom 4 Pro: Design and Aesthetics

• Bold gamer style
• Perforated channels for air (read: debris)
• Green logo on an RGB product

The Soma Chroma is unabashedly gamer. There's just no two ways about it: the sharp lines, jagged polygonal design, the channelling, the RGB, the stitching — it doesn't exactly give off this allure of premium professionalism. That's to say I'm sure 16-year-old Zak would've loved it, but me, sat here in my ‘rustic’ office, dealing with media, clients, and more on the daily, yeah it kinda sticks out like a sore thumb.

Particularly with the striking green Razer logo etched in the backrest right behind my head, in a not-so-obscure glossy green plastic. Which again I have to question. This is an RGB product, right? That means you can set that lighting (hypothetically, if you use it) to any color you like.

That's great, but certain colors clash with green quite aggressively. Bright reds, neon blue, pinks, high-saturation yellows. Basically all off limits, all because the logo's bright neon green. It's 2026, guys; we've had RGB products for a seriously long time now. I thought it was common knowledge that you don't stick colored accents on them.

The lighting is also awkwardly placed. You can't actually see it from the back of the chair, and it's solely positioned behind your head, facing forward, so you literally never see it, outside of the five to ten seconds you go to the toilet and sit back down again. It's diffused, it looks good when you do manage to catch a glimpse of the stuff, and you can easily configure it in Synapse, but honestly it just feels like a bit of a swing and a miss.

How'd you connect all that? Well, there's a short USB-C cable located in the back of the chair that hooks up to your battery bank, which you can then stow away in a small zip pocket in the seat base. But it's really short; that cable. If you're imagining some retractable 6-foot thing you can pull out when you need it, no, it's not that.

You're not connecting this thing to a wall plug, or anything of the sort. Razer provided me with a seriously long extension cable (two in fact) for it, but that doesn't come by default, annoyingly. And of course, there's no built-in battery, or included power bank, or the option to add one to your order. I used the extension cable to effectively run the entire chair to the back of my PC, and it does run off USB power. That said, you don't have to go that route; you can just use a USB plug, and then let the included wireless dongle handle the RGB side of things.

Now I'm done wailing on the lighting; the good news is the finish is genuinely lush, it's like a neoprene-feel soft-touch fabric, and it's a delight to sit on. I'm writing this review in the midst of yet another heat wave in the UK, and skin-on-chair contact has been genuinely lovely. Compare that to the number of AndaSeat's chairs I've reviewed recently that leave me begging for AC, and well, it's a nice change that's for sure.

Ok, we've had bad, we've had good, now it's back to bad. There are channels in the chair base, and I get the concept. The idea is that it helps air circulate your, well, back passage, to stop you heating up so quickly, and it kind of works. But it comes with a major caveat, and that's that it also holds onto all manner of dust and debris.

If you own a dog, or cat, or have a habit of sitting at your desk eating from time to time, you're cooked. You'll be getting the blow duster out you use for your PC on the chair base at least once a week.

Razer Soma Chroma: Comfort and adjustability

• Super comfortable, wide seat base
• Generous lumbar support
• Armrests and the castors are letdowns

Fortunately for the Soma, sitting on it is a treat. The cold-foam base is comfortable as all hell, and the seat base is wide enough for the weirdos like me who sit cross-legged to do so in absolute bliss.

The armrests, however, are more basic, two-dimensional affairs. There's no four- or even three-directional setup here like you'd find on almost all of its modern counterparts from competitors at this price.

You can raise them up and down and swivel them, and that's it. They're padded and modestly squishy, but if you'd put them on an Ikea chair, I wouldn't be able to tell that they were Razer-designed and made.

Oh, and it doesn't roll. Well, it does, but it's just so frustratingly stiff it beggars belief. I wrote about this in the AndaSeat Phantom 4 Pro review earlier this year. It's basically, I think, a result of overcompliance with the EU's EN 1335-2 safety measure, which means that in an emergency any unmanned chair shouldn't move easily. I don't quite understand the logic behind that, but here we are.

And it frustrates me because I can't roll up and down my desk, or if I need to lightly move it to put my shoes on, or I just want to get more comfortable at my setup, it's a minor struggle. And yes, I know that's a first-world problem, but it's $500/£500 for this thing, from a seriously reputable brand.

One final flag from me before I move on. There's no headrest cushion included either. Razer will sell you a headrest, but it's at additional cost. Eugh. No magnetic freebie for you, no sir. Not even a strapped one.

Razer Soma Chroma: Assembly

• Seamless, standard build
• Missing shear bolt on recline
• Massive manual

As far as building the thing goes, the Soma Chroma is genuinely smooth. If you've built one gaming chair before, you'll get along with this one just fine. It's a bit heavy; Razer recommends you'll need two people to build it, but it's more than easy enough to do solo.

Plus the manual is massive, and printed onto a giant sheet of card, which feels a bit overkill (a book would've been fine; I'm not that old, I can read).

The only cause for concern is that you do need to be a touch careful installing the backrest, as there's no safety bolt sitting between you and the tilt angle arm. So if you do hit that lever too aggressively, there's a chance the bracket can snap forward. So do bear that in mind.

Should You Buy The Razer Soma Chroma?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

Make sure to consider these alternatives as well.

How I tested the Razer Soma Chroma

• Used for over a month
• Fully built by hand solo
• Set up in all manner of configurations

I spent well over a month with the Razer Soma Chroma, testing the ins and outs of how it held up under serious usage. Working from home, it endured the hardships of a constant 9-5 "office" job, along with late evening gaming sessions, through normal operating conditions and heatwaves abound.

I've spent years testing gaming chairs from all manner of manufacturers, and I compared this one directly to a slew of products from AndaSeat, Noblechairs, and Secretlab as well. I also fully tested the Synapse and WiFi dongle, and tracked the real-world usage and feel of it throughout the month, documenting any moment where I thought "ahh this is good" or "ahh not so good".

I also got my five-foot-five partner to sit in and provide me with her direct feedback as well, along with a few close friends to get their thoughts and feelings on it, which directly feeds the opinions you see here as well. I questioned them intensely on the comfort, the feel, and the build quality of the Soma Chroma to get a broad picture of opinions on it.

Read more about how we test.

First reviewed August 2026

Finally, the port once thought impossible has returned in the new Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol.2. The first collection packaged the classic stealth trilogy with the MSX and NES games that preceded it, and this time around the package is headlined by the return of Metal Gear Solid 4 and the duo of the PlayStation Portable’s excellent Peace Walker and underrated Game Boy Color spinoff Ghost Babel.

Off the bat, it may seem like a bit of a raw deal for the second to only feature one bonus title compared to the first collection, which offers three of the greatest games ever made along with four bonus titles and two graphic novels.

However, the work done on Metal Gear Solid 4 is far more than the bare-bones re-releases of the first game and Bluepoint's 2011 HD Collection versions of Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 found in its predecessor, while Peace Walker is a phenomenal mainline entry and Ghost Babel ranks among the series' greatest spinoffs (and is better than the NES games at least).

It's a fairer trade than the numbers suggest.

War has changed

Metal Gear Solid 4 is the crown jewel of this collection, and unlike the first – which had some major issues at launch – I'm happy to report that this is a phenomenal port. Running at 4K and a solid 60 frames per second (fps) throughout with massively improved loading times between areas, it's hard to see any flaws in this version of the stealth classic… well, aside from those that were already there.

Long thought unportable due to being made specifically for the esoteric PS3 system architecture and a hefty number of licensed products appearing in-game, Metal Gear Solid 4 remains mostly intact.

You still have the iPod; you still see the PS3 console in your plane. However, Konami has gone back and remixed some elements to make sense on modern consoles, with the famous "we're on PS3" scene changed to your platform of choice – even if the almost 20-year difference in Christopher Randolph's voice is pretty obvious.

In fact, the only thing I noticed that was missing was the now-redundant installation menu featuring Snake smoking between chapters.

Despite its notoriety, Metal Gear Solid 4 is a strange game. I'd even argue it's the worst of the six main games in the series, even if it is still a great time.

It gets off to a really strong start with chapters set in the Middle East and South America, featuring some incredible stealth gameplay with a unique battlefield stealth mechanic which allows you to manipulate the ongoing war between rebel militia and PMC groups.

It's a genius bit of game design, and it’s a shame that it's abandoned by the end of the second chapter.

After an Act 3, which boils down to a not-so-great tailing mission, Metal Gear Solid 4 goes off the rails with its plot, lengthy cutscenes, and gameplay segments.

Some of these are highlights of the game, such as the entirety of Act 4 or the final boss fight that ranks among the best in the series. However, some plot decisions and retcons make for the messiest story in the franchise's history – I won't go into detail, but a particular retcon about Metal Gear Solid 3's Para-Medic is a terrible choice that I'm still bugged by years later.

What's there is still a great game I'd recommend to anyone, though it's a shame some of the most interesting gameplay elements are abandoned almost entirely, even if the rollercoaster ride of set-piece and fan-service moments is a joy to play through.

The opening to Act 4 in particular is one of my favorite gaming moments ever and still gives me chills to this day.

We're nomads, and we always will be

Peace Walker, on the other hand, is an unsung part of the saga. Originally released on the PSP, it was somewhat overlooked, but this game is Metal Gear Solid 5 in all but name.

Taking place between Snake Eater and The Phantom Pain, Peace Walker is Metal Gear crossed with Monster Hunter, with a mission-based design that allows for short bursts of play. It introduced base management, weapon development, and nicking soldiers via balloon aspects that The Phantom Pain would later expand upon.

While not quite on the level of the original trilogy, Peace Walker has a great story, which helps show how Big Boss eventually became the person we saw as a villain in the original MSX games – arguably better than The Phantom Pain did. It also features one of the best supporting casts in the series, with Kazuhira Miller returning from Metal Gear Solid and being fleshed out into one of the series' best, while the likes of Amanda, Paz, and Professor Galvez are memorable additions to the series canon.

I say Metal Gear crossed with Monster Hunter, but nowhere is that more felt than in the bossfights, which have you take on massive mecha over a prolonged period. While I like this in theory, these bosses are unfortunately the worst the series has to offer – and aside from the titular Peace Walker and true final boss – are not memorable in the slightest.

Peace Walker also features co-op and versus multiplayer modes, which are present in this new collection, though I wasn’t able to test them over the review period. From my experiences with the HD Collection version, Peace Walker multiplayer is a blast.

This port is a bit rougher than Metal Gear Solid 4, mostly because there isn't too much you can do to make PSP assets shine in 4K. However, the addition of new higher-quality versions of the comic-book-like cutscenes by Ashley Wood is a welcome bonus

It's not over yet

If you played Master Collection Vol 1, you will have a good idea of what to expect this time around. Both main games come with a Screenplay Book and Master Book, which features rundowns of the story, background info on characters, and strategy-guide-esque details to let you find secrets in-game.

There are also soundtrack selections and the ability to download other language versions of the games if you please. The Metal Gear Solid 4 edition also features the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database app, which was released on PS3 around the launch of the original game, although sadly its version of Metal Gear Online is not present.

And while the bonus titles included the original MSX2 version of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 – which I wrote about how good they are a few years back – and the less-good NES versions of them, this time around the only additional title is Metal Gear: Ghost Babel for the Game Boy Color.

Ghost Babel takes gameplay akin to Metal Gear 2, but fuses it with some elements of the PS1 classic while adapting it to a stage-based formula for handheld. While it doesn't quite match the main series, Ghost Babel should not be slept on, as it's one of the best spinoff titles the franchise has to offer.

Sadly, that's it though. It's a shame, as the likes of Metal Gear Acid or Metal Gear Rising would've been much appreciated additions.

Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol.2 is another package of two fantastic games, with some great bonuses included. While it's mostly a vehicle to get Metal Gear Solid 4 out of PS3 jail, Peace Walker and Ghost Babel are two brilliant additions that you might have missed the first time around.

Should you play Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol.2?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

Both Metal Gear Solid 4 and Peace Walker have subtitles and controller remapping features, but otherwise the accessibility features included in this collection are the same as they were back in the original releases.

This means no color blind support, audio description, or gameplay tweaks are available – which could cause issues during moments in both games when tons of button mashing is required.

How I reviewed Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol.2

I played 12 hours of Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol.2 on PS5 Pro using a DualSense Wireless Controller, on an LG C5 OLED TV with an LG-US70TY soundbar.

During this time, I played a full run of Metal Gear Solid 4 while skipping most cutscenes (as I had replayed the game very recently for comparison) through to the end of Act 4. I played through to the end of Chapter 1 of Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker, and roughly half of Metal Gear: Ghost Babel. I have played all of these games multiple times before this review, and was able to compare to other versions where applicable.

First reviewed August 2026

Changes it made to the series' formula, including a clear distinction between Samurai and Ninja styles, as well as a shift to vast explorable open maps, really helped it to stand out from the pack.

Now the game's first of two major expansions, Hell Rising, has arrived. It's not as expansive as Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree or Lies of P: Overture (it took me around 8-10 hours to complete all main missions and a handful of side quests), but it is more Nioh 3 in the best way possible.

Long story short, if you enjoyed Nioh 3 and played it all the way to completion, you'll find a lot more to love about Hell Rising. You can expect all-new enemy types, challenging boss encounters, a new weapon archetype, as well as a sprinkling of added skills, ninjutsu, and onmyo magic.

You will need to be caught up in order to properly access the DLC, though. Hell Rising requires you to have beaten the base game, and you'll want to be rocking a competent endgame build to face its higher difficulty and level recommendations. Enemies hit harder than ever, and bosses are among the toughest in Nioh 3 as a whole. So be sure to kit yourself in Divine tier gear (ideally with your preferred set bonuses) before jumping in.

Beyond the grave

Nioh 3: Hell Rising takes place in 1651 during Japan's short-lived Keian era.

After being appointed Shogun at the end of the base game, protagonist Takechiyo learns of a resurgence of the Crucible and the demonic forces brought on by it. So, they travel to the Keian era with their spirit allies in order to quell the threat for good.

It's a simple setup, but I enjoyed Hell Rising's narrative. New allies join the fight alongside Takechiyo, including Yagyu Jubei and Rodrigo—a swordsman and politician hailing from Spain. New cutscenes typically bookend major boss fights, and I must say a late-game twist has beautifully set up the upcoming second expansion (a release date for which has yet to be revealed).

You do have kind of a test to pass in order to access the DLC proper, and that comes in the form of Yagyu Jubei.

He's essentially the gatekeeper boss for Hell Rising; the game's way of checking if you're truly ready for the challenges ahead. I actually found him to be among the hardest of the new bosses. He's fast, and commands wind and water elemental attacks. Oh, he's also really good at dodging through your ninjutsu techniques, so building up status effects on him is a challenge in and of itself.

Before the fight, though, the DLC almost immediately introduces you to the new Hoko and Shield weapon archetype. I think they're a fantastic addition to Nioh 3's roster of armaments, and there are versions for both Samurai and Ninja styles.

Your gameplan with the Hoko and Shield is to time your strong attacks (and certain Martial Art skills) to negate incoming enemy attacks. They're a more defensive weapon by nature, and its skill tree includes abilities to both engage and disengage enemies at a distance, as well as ranged attacks such as tossing the shield in various ways. It's a high-risk, high-reward weapon type that I ended up using for a decent chunk of the DLC's runtime.

I loved my time with Nioh 3: Hell Rising, and I'm now eagerly anticipating the second expansion and all the additions and new bosses that brings. I do have a couple of issues with Hell Rising, though, that I hope get addressed in future content.

For one, bosses from the base game get reused quite frequently. You'll see many of the base game's yokai bosses at least once in Hell Rising (one particularly annoying one actually appeared twice).

I found it a shame because the DLC's new bosses are all wonderful, engaging challenges. Recycling these older bosses with no noticeable changes felt like padding, and weren't much of a challenge beyond their larger health pools and higher attack power.

There were also some particularly mean enemy ambushes late on in the DLC, particularly in the Crucible zone that acts as its capstone. You'll be shoved into tight corridors and tiny rooms fairly frequently here, as mobs of yokai swarm in. It was the only time during the DLC that I felt the game was being just a touch unfair.

Should I play Nioh 3: Hell Rising?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

Nioh 3: Hell Rising's accessibility features remain the same as they were in the base game. For more information, check out our full Nioh 3 review in order to get a brief overview of what's on offer.

How I reviewed Nioh 3: Hell Rising

Nioh 3: Hell Rising took me approximately 8-10 hours to finish on my first playthrough of it. That included all main missions and bosses, exploring most of the new map, and completing a handful of side quests.

I played the expansion on PC, carrying my base game character from my original Nioh 3 review into the DLC. I played through Hell Rising with the Valve Steam Controller (2026), and used my RIG 900 Max HS gaming headset for more immersive audio.

First reviewed August 2026

As I'm writing this review, I'm surrounded by an abundance of glowing red stars decorated all over my desk. It's hard not to feel relaxed here, thanks to the beautiful desktop, which can be activated in specific areas by your touch, or turned onto a setting that allows them to twinkle manually all across the glass panel.

When it comes to the best gaming desks or best standing desks, the Eureka Ergonomic Wonder Glowing Glass Desk is suitable for both categories. This makes it a good all-rounder for those wanting to effortlessly move between office work and gaming.

This is my first time using one of Eureka Ergonomic's desks, and I am impressed. The Wonder Glowing Glass Desk has been my daily companion for the past two months as I've written reviews, played games, and completed life admin. It's survived all of this effortlessly, with enough space for me to have both my work laptop and my gaming laptop side by side for those days when I need to switch between the two.

It also has enough room for me to decorate it with personal items to make it look more like "me". I hate having a boring workspace, after all. So aesthetically and functionally, it does tick a lot of boxes.

My main problem is that the desk does feel quite high, even when it's on the lowest setting. This isn't necessarily a fault of Eureka's, but it's a word of warning if you are short and you're looking for a desk to suit your needs. I'm 5ft 4in, and I think anyone under that would struggle with this desk.

I tested the desk with my partner, who is taller than me at around 6ft 3in, and he was able to comfortably use the desk at its lowest setting. If you are on the shorter side, it's worth choosing your chair well to make sure you can work comfortably based on this.

Eureka Ergonomic Wonder Glowing Glass Desk: Price and availability

• Prices start at $899 (around £665)
• Only available in the US, but does ship to the UK
• Available in one size with a black, oak, or black walnut finish

Eureka Ergonomic's Wonder Glowing Glass Desk only comes in one size, but there are price differences when it comes to the materials used on it. The black one (pictured throughout this review) is priced at $899, whereas the oak or black walnut versions are $999.

It's a very well-made and sturdy desk, and has a classic design which means it's right at home in most office spaces. It's also not as large and imposing as other desks of its kind, so it's a good choice if you want a smaller desk that's also under $1,000.

However, it's important to note that the Eureka Ergonomic Wonder Glowing Glass Desk's price tag puts it at the premium end of the market. This pricing is in line with the $949 / £829 Secretlab Magnus Pro XL, depending on which material you choose.

The Wonder Glowing Glass Desk's finish makes it ~$50 more expensive if you go for oak or black walnut, but it works out ~$50 cheaper than Secretlab if you opt for the standard black model.

Ultimately, you are paying for the unique and responsive lighting design across the desk, as well as the materials used. So if you're not really bothered by the glowing features of the desk, you might want to choose a cheaper option. I think this is worth the price given its unique selling point and overall quality.

The Eureka Ergonomic GTG Wave has a similar RGB vibe at a much smaller price of $599.99, without the touch-sensitivity that the Wonder Glowing Glass Desk has. It is also not a standing desk, so it does not boast that additional feature.

If both Eureka Ergonomic and Secretlab are out of budget, however, we recommend the $340 / £360 / AU$420 Flexispot E7, a 5-star rated standing desk which is budget-friendly but does not skimp on the quality.

Eureka Ergonomic primarily sells to the United States, though they do have retail partners in the UK and select European countries; however, our Aussie readers won't be able to get their hands on any of Eureka's products right now, as they currently don't ship to Australia.

Eureka Ergonomic Wonder Glowing Glass Desk: Specs

Eureka Ergonomic Wonder Glowing Glass Desk: Design and features

• Remote control allows you to adjust the light color and patterns
• Dual-motor frame that adjusts from 29.5'' to 47.2'', great for converting to a standing desk
• Beautiful star-like lighting covers the entire desk

By far the biggest selling point of the Eureka Ergonomic Wonder Glowing Desk is the starry lighting across the entire thing. It makes it a unique choice and really pretty to look at.

Eureka describes the desk as being an "industry-first luminous desktop that reacts to your touch", and it is seriously cool. It feels more special than your standard RGB setup as it covers the entirety of the desktop and responds to your touch instantly, without any delay. You can draw patterns, drum on the desk, and do other wonderfully distracting things whilst you're meant to be working.

The lighting setup is a fun addition which livens up your workspace whilst still keeping a sleek and polished aesthetic, and you can easily turn the desk lights off to switch between fun and serious. The touch-activated lighting does not make it any less of a professional standing desk; it merely adds to it.

You do need to plug the desk into a socket, of course, but as long as you have one nearby, you can play around with the lights til your heart's content.

If you like, you can also choose to have twinkling lights on the desk without you needing to touch the material. This is a good option if you want to get on with things whilst being surrounded by a starry backdrop that manually moves without needing your input.

It's easy to cycle between the different colors and light patterns thanks to an included remote control, which I'll demonstrate below.

Eureka Ergonomic Wonder Glowing Glass Desk: Performance

• Fits both big and small setups
• Small amount of cable management
• Sturdy, but also very heavy

I have been using the desk for both everyday work and gaming. Even though it is a fairly compact desk and fits nicely into my attic, I should warn you that it is a heavy and also very fragile desk with glass elements. I would strongly suggest you ask someone to help you if you want to take the boxes upstairs, as even before assembly they are cumbersome.

The same can be said for building the desk. This is very much a two-person job, and you need to be extremely careful not to shatter the glass panel on the desktop. Once it is built, however, it is very robust, and I am confident that it will stay stable due to weeks of regular use. It is also easy to build thanks to printed instructions that clearly outline what you need to do.

If you have a bigger setup than me and require cable management, the desk does feature some. Underneath the desk are five slots for you to organize your cables, securely fastened in when you assemble the desk. It's hidden away. Due to my minimal setup, I only have one cable running through this, the one that's connected to the desk itself, but it can handle the wiring associated with a more complex PC setup.

The desk also easily converts to a standing one thanks to a touchscreen console on the front of the desk. It is easy to use, and there wasn't any stiffness or delay in converting the desk between the seated and standing positions.

I really can't fault the performance, and in my experience, this is a solid desk that's very nice to use every day. It feels professional and well put together, and everything operates as it should.

Should I buy the Eureka Ergonomic Wonder Glowing Glass Desk?

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

Also consider

Not keen on the Eureka Ergonomic Wonder Glowing Glass Desk? Here’s one cheaper gaming desk (without standing conversion) to consider and a much more budget-friendly standing desk.

How I tested the Eureka Ergonomic Wonder Glowing Glass Desk

• Used as my main desk
• Tested over multiple weeks
• Extensive work and play

I used the Eureka Ergonomic Wonder Glowing Glass Desk as my main desk for two months for this review. In that time, I played a huge variety of games on my gaming laptop, and I also did everyday work on my MacBook Air while sitting adn standing at it.

I spent a lot of time playing around with the lights and trying out the different settings, as well as testing it out in both its seated and standing modes.

First reviewed June-August 2026.

Read more about how we test

I’ve been testing it for the past couple of months, and this frankly giant station has all the space you could need. My previous gaming desk always felt too cramped, whereas now I have more freedom than I know what to do with. To this end, while the Aero Pro is just fine as a desk only one person will use, it feels especially good for a shared space — I have enough room for all my gear, and whenever I’m not working from home, my partner has been able to easily set up her laptop to work without needing to shove my gear out the way.

Despite its size, this desk feels supremely stable, even at its max height. I’ve gone as far as to shake the desk a fair amount, and I never had any fear it would collapse and destroy my home setup.

Adjusting the desk’s height is as easy as pushing a button to control the electric motors, and with memory presets it’s no trouble at all to adjust the desk between your preferred settings.

My only gripes are that the lighting it boasts is a tad lackluster and that the price, while more than reasonable for what you get, pushes this desk firmly out of the affordable tier. The size is also something of a double-edged sword — the Aero Pro can consume a more compact room.

That said, if you're looking to pick up a standing desk that’s spacious enough for pretty much any setup, and will encourage you to not stay seated all day, then the Eureka Ergonomic Aero Pro is one to keep your eyes on.

Eureka Ergonomic Aero Pro: Price and Availability

• Prices start at $619 (around £460 / AU$865)
• Only available in the US, but does ship to the UK
• Multiple sizes and material choices available

Premium gaming desks, especially standing desks, don’t come cheap, but the Eureka Ergonomic Aero Pro comes in at a decidedly mid-range price point despite its impressive size and useful features.

The more affordable 63"x23" size option will set you back $619 (around £460 / AU$865), while the larger 72"x23" model I’ve been testing starts at $799 (around £595 / AU$1,115) — with solid wood designs costing more than the MDF alternatives if you’re after something with a little extra style and durability.

The larger size doesn’t just boast more main desk space; it comes with a pull-out under-shelf for your keyboard and mouse, which offers added ergonomic comfort — otherwise both designs are identical in terms of their shape.

As for availability, Eureka Ergonomics primarily sells to the United States, though they do have retail partners in the UK and select European companies — unfortunately, they don’t sell their desks in Australia, so you’re out of luck there for the Aero Pro and the company’s other designs.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Eureka Ergonomic Aero Pro: Specs

Eureka Ergonomic Aero Pro: Design

• Lots of usable space across multiple levels
• Shelves for up to a three monitor setup
• Lighting is a let down

The wing-shaped Aero Pro from Eureka Ergonomics feels at times less like a standing desk and more like a standing station — especially if you opt for the larger 72x23 inch model I’ve been testing. The huge size is more than you could ever need for gaming, working, or streaming, and the winged shape’s slight curve immerses you in your chosen setup (though it’s in an approachable way, rather than seeming like your desk might swallow you whole).

What compounds the sense of spaciousness this desk provides is that not only are you treated to a massive main desk space — which offers plenty of room for a laptop, a desktop music setup, your notebooks, or a playmat for an online TCG match — but you also have a trio of monitor shelves at your disposal.

These are ideal for, well, monitors but also your PC speakers, or something like a streaming setup. I have a dual-monitor setup across two, with my mic, prompter and light attached to the third shelf. On smaller desks this practical but busy setup has felt crowded, but with the Aero Pro I have it all set up neatly with plenty of room left over — my desk feels usable, not cluttered.

This spaciousness also means the desk can easily serve as a shared space. I don’t mean two people using it at once, but when I’ve not been working from home, my partner has found she can come and use this standing desk with no trouble; there’s all the room she could need to set up her laptop without needing to disassemble or move my gear. When I come home, I can just close the laptop lid and get back to using my PC.

Part of this lack of clutter is helped by the larger Aero Pro model’s other upgrade: its fourth shelf. This adjustable one slides out from underneath the desk and is ideal for your keyboard and mouse. I’ve found it helps me find the comfort sweet spot for my PC peripherals, and again keeps the main desk clutter-free.

Whichever size you choose, the Aero Pro comes with a couple of extra design features that range from just fine to very useful. Under the desk you’ll find a hanging controller station on the left which supports a pair of handsets, a cupholder on the right for which I have yet to find a cup/mug/glass that it isn’t an ideal size for, and a pair of brackets which are a massive help for cable management — I use them to support my monitor’s power cable bricks.

Speaking of, I appreciated the various cable management solutions the desk comes with. My current setup isn’t perfect, but I have plenty of tools to make it better, and the only part I feel I’m missing is a bracket to hang my desktop from the desk so that the changing height doesn’t put as much strain on my HDMI cables.

On the desk itself are a pair of small troughs which are perfect for propping up a phone or tablet. Plus, with the small holes in the bottom to run a USB-C cable through, you can charge your gadget up while it’s docked in the desk.

Lastly, there’s under-shelf lighting, though it’s nothing to write home about. It’s a tad annoying to turn/off or change, and even when you do get it working, the lighting isn’t all that bright — limiting their usefulness and aesthetic appeal.

When it comes to assembling this desk, the instructions are easy enough to follow, but I’d highly recommend building this desk in as clear a space as possible, and with a second pair of hands.

I did successfully build this desk entirely on my own without the need for any additional equipment — all of the tools you’ll need come in the Aero Pro’s box. However, I wish I’d given myself more space to assemble this beast and had an extra hand for a couple of portions of the build. (especially when flipping the desk over).

• Design score: 5/5

Eureka Ergonomic Aero Pro: Features

• Adjustable height between 29.5 and 48-inches
• Quiet yet speedy electric motor
• Three memory options you can set to your preferred heights

Of course, the core feature of a standing desk is that it can be raised or lowered so you can use it sitting in a gaming chair or while standing upright. For the Eureka Ergonomic Aero Pro, its lowest height is 29.5 inches, while the max height is 48 inches.

To change the height, there’s an electric motor that is controlled with a simple panel. The Plus and Minus buttons raise or lower the desk height gradually between its extremes, and there’s a trio of memory options which can be set to three preferred heights — and pressing one of these options after it's set will see the Aero Pro automatically adjust itself to the current position.

If you’re worried about squashing anything under your desk, there’s a built-in safety sensor that, based on my testing, works effectively at detecting any obstructions. If the Aero Pro does bump into anything, it will retreat to a safe height so you can make necessary adjustments before telling it to descend again.

Plus the motor is fairly quiet. There's a noticeable whir when it goes, but it’s not especially loud or grating. Though if anyone does find it annoying, the desk’s adjustments are at least fairly speedy.

• Feature score: 4/5

Should I buy the Eureka Ergonomic Aero Pro?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider…

How I tested the Eureka Ergonomic Aero Pro Standing Desk

I used this desk in my home office over a couple of months, relying on it every day for my work, PC gaming, and other desk needs. My partner also shares this office with her own desk, and so I got a sense of how it fits into a more compact space — which is to say, it can take over a room.

As I mentioned earlier in my review, I made sure to assemble this desk entirely on my own to get a sense of how easy/difficult the task is: it’s doable, but getting your partner/housemate/a buddy to lend a hand will make the process a lot smoother.

First reviewed May 2026

Read more about how we test

The Corsair HS35 v3 wireless gaming headset is an underdog in the mid-range category. It doesn't feature a huge number of flourishes to help set it above its competitors, but instead hones in on what really matters: audio quality and microphone performance.

It delivers crystal clear audio no matter what you're using it for, whether that's gaming, calls, or getting some tunes in while you work. There's no software to fiddle around with, and barely any buttons to get used to. If you need something that's good to go as soon as it's out of the box, this headset definitely suits.

Comfort is also clearly key with the Corsair HS35 v3. Between the floating headband design, the soft, cushioned earcups, and the lightweight design, at no point did I have to readjust the headset, my glasses, or take a break from wearing it. Again, for a mid-range headset, it feels surprisingly high-quality.

Although I appreciate its simplicity, there are definitely a few things that are bound to put a competitive gamer off, and most of that comes through its lack of customisation. It's great that the headset is good to go as soon as it's out of the box, rather than having to worry about downloading any more software, but if you want to make the most of its full audio capabilities, the lack of these features might be make-or-break.

Corsair HS35 v3: Price and Availability

• Priced at $79.99/£69.99/$124.99AU
• Available via Corsair and major retailers
• White and black versions available

The Corsair HS35 v3 will set you back a reasonable $79.99 / £69.99 / AU$124.99, so it's by no means a premium headset. But it's certainly not a budget pick either. Fortunately, it manages to justify its price through the quality of its audio and microphone, making it a worthy option for anyone looking to upgrade their current setup, or looking to stray from the typical features of a wireless gaming headset.

In fact, the only reason the headset isn't more expensive is probably due to its lack of additional software, and the fact that there are no typical flourishes you'd usually find on a gaming headset like an input switch button, a microphone that tucks away on the headset itself, or a separate mic mute button. Despite these "missing" features, though, the core expectation of the headset, providing high-quality sound during gaming, is definitely met.

Corsair HS35 v3: Specs

Corsair HS35 v3: Design and features

• Incredibly lightweight design
• Doesn't look as bulky as other gaming headsets
• Sleek, all-black design

Straight out of the box, the Corsair HS35 v3 doesn't look too dissimilar to the vast majority of wireless gaming headsets available. Its entirely black design is sleek, with subtle Corsair logos in a black gloss on each ear cup, alongside branding in white across the top of the headband. This is definitely my preferred style, rather than having any RGB flair for the sake of it, just because it feels like something you can use for everything, rather than having to swap out your rather garish gaming headset when you want to listen to music or attend a meeting.

In fact, there aren't any flourishes at all on the Corsair HS35 v3. Aside from the incredibly subtle branding, the only thing that offers a pop of colour is two yellow bands that connect the ear cups to the headband. The rest of the headset maintains the stylish black appearance, and it's certainly better for it. If I didn't spend so much time tethered to my PC or console, I'd definitely be content in taking this headset out on a commute rather than a pair of earphones. It's definitely one of the simpler headsets I've ever used. Not only in terms of design, but also how simple its layout is.

One thing that immediately stood out was the lack of wheels or dials to control your volume. I didn't realise how much of a make-or-break this was to me, but as it turns out, I actually like being able to tune my audio volume to the decibel. The Corsair HS35 v3 exchanges the wheel I know and love in favour of a little toggle/lever which takes your audio up or down two at a time. It's such a small frustration, but it definitely felt like I had less control over exactly how I wanted my audio to be. Especially after using the Razer Blackshark V3 for so long, alongside other similarly priced headsets such as the JBL Quantum 360X wireless.

In fact, the ear cups are surprisingly bare. Alongside the aforementioned toggle, you've got the power button, alongside the USB-C port on the left ear cup. On the right, you've got absolutely nothing. There's not even a separate mic mute button; you just push in the volume toggle. It's great for someone like me who always takes an embarrassingly long time to get used to the layout of a new headset; this definitely felt like a blessing in disguise. As a result, the headset feels incredibly straightforward to set up and use. Though this does feel like you're sacrificing some of the customisation you'd usually get.

Additional software which helps you to customise your listening profiles, like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro, definitely feels like a more premium add-on. Since the Corsair HS35 v3 is a mid-range headset, it's not surprising that it doesn't boast the same features. But if you're looking to replace your headset for a slightly cheaper model, this lack of complete control and customisation definitely might put buyers off.

Corsair HS35 v3: Performance

• 30-hour battery life
• Comfortable for long sessions due to floating headband
• Fantastic audio quality

I've been using the Razer Blackshark V3 for well over a year now, so "downgrading" to a more reasonably priced headset definitely raised some concerns about overall audio quality. However, the Corsair HS35 v3 delivers clear audio with no issues, and even though it's by no means a premium headset, it still boasts impressive audio quality. When gaming, you can pick up on all the more subtle sound effects, be that enemy footsteps or audio cues in horror games like The Outlast Trials.

The only time the audio feels low quality is when you switch the headset on, and the muffled, not-quite-human "power on, toggle connected" line plays. Aside from that, it's really easy to block out external noise to focus on your game, which is especially impressive given the headset isn't noise-cancelling in any way. Which, is actually a feature I found with the JBL Quantum 360X too, the design itself feels noise cancelling rather than the actual hardware.

This is massively helped by the 30-hour battery life of the set, which I pushed to its absolute limit in my testing. For several weeks, I used this headset for everything in my daily life: meetings, gaming, and listening to music in between. And it's safe to say that the 30-hour battery life really does help to keep you immersed in whatever you're playing, or locked in on whatever you're working on.

It also only takes three hours to fully charge. Sure, that's not the rapid 15-minute charge for two hours of play that the Razer Blackshark V3 offers, but for the price you're paying, it's definitely worth it. Plus, the cable provided with the headset is long enough for you to still be able to continue playing without feeling constrained by the cable. A nice design touch is that the interior of the USB and USB-C is the same yellow colour as the bands linking the earcups to the headband too, but that'll probably go unnoticed to the average gamer.

It's also an incredibly comfortable headset to wear for long sessions. The lightweight frame and cushioned earcups feel much looser without ever feeling like it'll slip off your head, rather than the usual firm padding and pleather-esque material we're used to seeing in slightly cheaper headsets like the Turtle Beach Stealth 500.

The microphone quality is where this headset really shines, though. Nothing about the mic when you pull it out of the box screams premium quality. It's got no foam muffler or pop filter, so I expected the audio quality to be pretty lackluster. But when testing across Google Meet and Discord, the audio is genuinely astounding for a mid-range headset. It's crystal clear and picks up incredibly quiet talking without any of the annoying background noises like chewing, breathing, or keyboard clicks. It never peaks when speaking loudly either, which is a huge plus.

Should you buy the Corsair HS35 v3?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

Still not sold on the Corsair HS35 v3 Wireless headset? Here's how it compares to two similar wireless gaming headsets.

How I tested the Corsair HS35 v3

• Tested across six weeks
• Used for PC and PlayStation gaming
• Used for Discord and Google Meet calls

I tested the Corsair HS35 v3 wireless headset across the course of six weeks, abandoning my beloved Razer Blackshark V3. Throughout that time, I used the HS35 v3 for all my daily duties, whether that was jumping in and out of meetings, listening to music throughout the day, or hopping on Discord with my friends in the evening. The long battery life meant I never had to worry about my headset switching off mid-session, and the mic quality guaranteed my audio would never cut out.

When gaming, I also made sure to test the headset in games where in-game chat is essential, like Big Walk and Content Warning. I also played several hours of The Outlast Trials with friends to test the full depth of the headset's capabilities, and even the quietest footsteps and audio cues came through clearly.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed August 2026.

The GuliKit KK3 Max might look like a standard controller, but it has plenty of extras and features on board.

Adopting the familiar form of the Xbox’s gamepad, the KK3 Max doesn’t exactly push the boundaries in terms of design. But given how comfortable and convenient the shape and layout are, it’s hard to complain about its lack of originality.

There are also a few extra flourishes that add some interest. The matte white finish of my review unit was rather fetching, while the front panel is incredibly smooth, smoother than any other I’ve felt before. Its construction also feels quite solid, rivaling the builds of the best PC controllers.

This premium feel extends to the buttons, since there’s very little wobble to any of them. The same can be said of the various sets of levers for the four back buttons, although a fair amount of force is required to insert them.

Despite the lack of software, there are still plenty of input-related customizations and settings available via various button combinations. These range from basic adjustments, such as the vibration intensity and stick sensitivity, to more advanced features, such as motion control and macro recording.

The overall performance of the KK3 Max is pretty good. Most of the buttons are responsive and satisfying to press. The triggers offer a fair amount of control, although I found their travel distance a little too short for my preferences. The sticks also lack the precision of the best, although they move easily and quickly. Motion controls are also inconsistent: I found they performed well with Nintendo Switch games, but were less effective on PC and mobile titles.

I’m happy to report that I had no issues with connectivity on any system I tried the KK3 Max with. Whether it was to my PC via the USB dongle or to my Switch and Android tablet via Bluetooth, the KK3 Max connected quickly to them all and I didn’t experience any dropouts or lag. Hotswitching between devices is also easy thanks to the dedicated button for this purpose, although it can take several presses for the button to respond.

The current multiplatform controller market is certainly a competitive one, with an increasing number of entrants offering increasingly better value. At $79.99 / £65.99 / AU$113.95, the KK3 Max is dangerously close in price to some real standouts, such as the Steam Controller and the GameSir G7 Pro 8K, and more expensive than the 8BitDo Pro 3, another highly capable controller. It mightn’t quite match up to its cohort, but the KK3 Max is still a gamepad to consider if you prefer onboard adjustments and like to have plenty of back buttons.

Gulikit KK3 Max review: Price & availability

• $79.99 / £65.99 / AU$113.95
• Available now in various colorways
• Premium pricing puts it against big hitters

The GuliKit KK3 Max costs $79.99 / £65.99 / AU$113.95 and is available now from Amazon. Three colorways are available: black, white, and grey.

This pricing places the KK3 Max at the premium end of the market. It comes close to some big names in this space, such as the new Steam Controller. This has the advantage of touchpads for controlling the mouse cursor, and we found its gyroscope controls performed very well, unlike the KK3 Max’s. It isn’t compatible with the Switch or Switch 2, though.

The KK3 Max is also more expensive than the 8BitDo Pro 3, which has class-leading performance. We particularly loved its smooth analog sticks and triggers, as well as its phenomenal D-pad. It’s very customizable, too, thanks to its accompanying software — something the KK3 Max lacks.

Gulikit KK3 Max review: Specs

Gulikit KK3 Max review: Design and features

• Super smooth surface
• No extra D-pad hats or stick caps
• No software

The KK3 Max has a simple and conventional design, replicating the form and layout of the best Xbox controllers. This is no bad thing, though, since such gamepads are among the most ergonomic and comfortable out there. Along with many others, I’m also particularly fond of the asymmetric analog sticks, since this moves the D-pad to a position that makes it easier to use with either thumb.

What may prove more divisive, however, is the relatively small size of the entire unit. I don’t have particularly large hands, but both my thumbs and forefingers tended to overhang the sticks and triggers respectively. I was able to adjust my grip to compensate without sacrificing comfort or security, but others might find this more of a problem.

There are some extra touches to the KK3 Max’s design that set it apart from the crowd. The brilliant white matte finish of my review unit is quite eye-catching, as is the subtle yet effective RGB lighting around the sticks, which also has a practical function that I’ll come to later.

The front plate is incredibly smooth to the touch, smoother than any other controller I’ve experienced. However, this plate isn’t magnetically attached as it is on other gamepads, allowing for easy removal for the sake of customization and reordering or replacing buttons.

You can still remove the KK3 Max’s face buttons — you’ll just need to use the included puller to do so, which is thankfully easy to use. You can’t directly swap the X with the Y button or the A with the B, though, since they have different depths and curvatures. Rather, duplicates of each button are included in the box with the appropriate depth and curvature for swapping their position. This seems like a rather inefficient solution to me, and just means you have more bits of plastic in your life than you otherwise would.

I can’t complain about their quality, though. They’re pleasantly smooth and stable, with only a marginal amount of play, while their transparent design is quite fetching. The D-pad also feels stable, although it’s a shame you can't replace the hat, as different designs can make a real difference to feel and performance, and would cater to more preferences. Fortunately, I found it quite ergonomic; even though it adopts the traditional four-point shape, its rounded edges make it better for rolling between directions.

The triggers are also comfortable. They have rounded outside edges, which makes them soft on the finger, as well as a dotted texture to provide grip. The analog stick caps are reasonably small but have an ergonomic shape and a soft finish. Their edges are slightly textured, although this is less prominent than other examples, so those with sweaty thumbs might slip off them. They are removable, but GuliKit doesn’t provide any extra sets in the box, which is a shame. The sticks themselves are quite tall and suitably planted, with a negligible amount of play.

More solid are the back button levers. Despite how they look, they’re not made from metal, but they are reassuringly sturdy. They actually require a fair amount of force to insert in their slots, but once in place, I felt pretty confident that they weren’t going to come loose. They come in different shapes, with two sets of paddle-like levers and a set that looks more like bumpers.

There’s no software for customizing the inputs of the KK3 Max, which is a shame. However, there are still plenty of adjustments you can make and features to enable using various button combinations. You can alter the sensitivity of the analog sticks, with three levels to choose from, as well as toggle Dead Zone mode for them. You can also enable the Motion Aim Assist mode, letting you assign gyroscopic controls when either the left stick or the left trigger is held. Again, there are three levels of sensitivity to choose from here.

Other settings include a toggle for the D-pad between four- and eight-direction modes, A and B and X and Y swaps, and a Rapid Trigger function with two modes to choose from: one where the chosen input triggers repeatedly when held, and the other when it’s merely pressed. An autopilot mode and a macro recorder are available, too.

All these adjustments are quite easy to make, and there are some useful indicators that let you know what settings have been selected. For instance, the sticks light different colors depending on which of the three sensitivity levels is set, and the pad rumbles once, twice, or thrice depending on which of the three sensitivities of the Motion Aim Assist is set. However, I still would’ve preferred software for convenience's sake; it’s always nice to see your settings represented graphically, and having to remember all the button combinations is a hassle I could do without.

Gulikit KK3 Max review: Performance

• Solid button feel
• Slightly imprecise sticks
• Motion controls are mixed

In action, the KK3 Max acquits itself rather well. The face buttons are tactile and well-damped, and only require a light touch to press, which makes them feel snappy. However, they don’t provide the best feedback, and there are times when it can be difficult to feel them actually being pressed. Thankfully, however, this didn’t result in presses failing to register, in my experience.

The bumpers are more clicky, but still have enough dampening to make presses satisfying. However, I found their position a little too high, which can make reaching them a little difficult. I should say that I encounter this problem on quite a few gamepads, but here it’s particularly acute.

In fact, I found the back buttons more usable than the bumpers, which isn’t something I can say about a lot of other controllers with back buttons. Their travel might be shallow, no matter which lever you decide to attach, but there’s enough dampening and feedback to make them viable as replacements for other inputs. I didn’t accidentally trigger them when gripping the KK3 Max tightly, either. The shapes of the various levers are easy to use, although I did find that the lower paddles were best used with two fingers rather than one.

The triggers are resistant enough to provide adequate control when performing graduated presses, something I especially appreciate when playing racing games such as Assetto Corsa that require precise acceleration and braking inputs. Their relatively shallow travel does negate this aspect somewhat, but I still found them just about up to the task. They’re also light enough to perform rapid inputs when needed, and to prevent fatigue from setting in during prolonged holds.

The sticks move freely and quickly, with a fast rebound that makes them feel snappy. Aiming was quite accurate when I played 007 First Light, although they don’t offer the smoothest motion, with small but frequent jumps and unexpected accelerations affecting my accuracy. Thankfully, their aforementioned height didn’t pose a problem when moving them around, although it did cause some instability when pressing in the L3 and R3 buttons, with accidental directional movements often accompanying them.

The gyroscopic motion controls are mixed in terms of their performance. When I played The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on my Switch, they were smooth when aiming the bow, and on a par with the best Nintendo Switch controllers. However, with games on other platforms, such as First Light on PC and Hitman Blood Money — Reprisal on Android, they were jerky and restrictive in terms of movement. No matter how many times I recalibrated them using the onboard function to do this, they didn’t improve on these systems.

I had no issues connecting the KK3 Max to my Windows 11 PC, Switch, or Android tablet via Bluetooth or the USB dongle. The handy button for hot-switching between devices is also useful, and hot-switching itself proved quick in my experience. However, the button doesn’t operate that well, taking a few too many presses to actually respond.

Should I buy the Gulikit KK3 Max?

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

Gulikit KK3 Max review: Also consider

How I tested the Gulikit KK3 Max

• Tested consistently for a few days
• Played a variety of games on multiple devices
• Plenty of controller experience

I tested the Gulikit KK3 Max for a few days, during which time I played a number of games on most of the platforms the controller is compatible with. I used it on my Windows 11 PC via the 2.4GHz wireless USB dongle, and on my Switch and Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 tablet via Bluetooth.

I made sure to play a variety of games across these platforms to test every facet of the controller’s performance. I played 007 First Light on PC, which is a good test for the accuracy and precision of analog sticks, as well as Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal on my tablet for the same purpose. I also played Assetto Corsa, which is not only a good test for the sticks but also for the control offered by the triggers. I also played The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Switch, primarily to test the motion controls, as the game and console handle such controls very well.

I’ve been gaming for decades, and have used numerous gamepads with numerous systems in that time. I’ve also reviewed a number of other controllers, from budget offerings to high-performing premium models.

• Read more about how we test
• First reviewed: July 2026

The Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline is the best-looking Xbox controller that I’ve ever tested. The face plate, complete with its illustration of a San Diego skyline dripping with inviting tropical vibes, is gorgeous and pairs wonderfully with the contrasting baby blue buttons and bright pink thumbstick caps.

The Pacific Skyline has a hidden trick up its sleeve as well — stunning RGB lighting that illuminates the city’s major buildings when the controller is turned on and can be customized with a variety of colours and presets without the need for any companion software. It’s genuinely a beautiful bit of hardware, and there’s nothing else quite like it on the market.

I’m sure the look was also closely inspired by Grand Theft Auto 6 as it’s very reminiscent of the game’s bright promotional art, and I already know that this will be my go-to gamepad when I venture into the neon-soaked streets of Vice City on Xbox Series X.

The aesthetics are great, but the controller also performs well overall — even if it’s not particularly feature-rich. The TMR thumbsticks are responsive and smooth, the rear buttons are easy to remap on the fly, and the built-in audio controls are genuinely useful and effective, giving you some compelling reasons to choose it over the stock Xbox Wireless Controller aside from just the look.

Yes, there are some controllers with even more features available for around the same price, just look at the GameSir G7 Pro, but you simply won’t find anything that’s this visually appealing elsewhere.

Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: Price and availability

• Available in the US and UK
• Costs $89.99 / £79.99 / around AU$150
• You’re paying a premium for the design

The Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller is readily available in the US and UK exclusively via the Turtle Beach website, where it costs $89.99 / £79.99 (that’s roughly AU$150). This model does not seem to have made its way to Australia yet.

It’s a solid price given the feature set, but you’re definitely paying a bit of a premium for the design, and alternatives like the GameSir G7 Pro deliver more features for the same cost.

Still, it’s worth it if you're considering the likes of the standard Xbox Wireless Controller but are willing to splash out for a nicer and more unique design.

Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: Specs

Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: Design and features

• Stunning tropical aesthetic
• Standard Xbox controller form factor
• Rear inputs and on-board controls

Out of the box, the first thing you’re going to notice about the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller is its beautiful design. Turtle Beach says that the pink and baby blue look was inspired by the ‘Xbox pastel project’ — which saw a selection of third-party gamepads with pastel aesthetics hit the market a few years ago.

I think there’s another clear inspiration, though: GTA 6. Covered in palm trees, with views of a beach and a city skyline (in this case, San Diego, the home of Turtle Beach), it’s a perfect match for the highly anticipated upcoming open-world game.

I imagine this pad is Turtle Beach’s way of getting in on the GTA 6 hype, but that’s certainly not a complaint as I think the result is stunning. The bright colors really pop, and the design is detailed enough to pore over without being too distracting.

There is also some brilliant RGB lighting when you turn on the pad, which lights up to reveal an otherwise hidden skyline. It looks truly brilliant and surprisingly tasteful, especially if you set it to a static illumination in a custom color.

In terms of layout, the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller is very close to the standard Xbox gamepad.

The overall shapes are extremely similar, though side by side you will notice that the Pacific Skyline has slightly softer corners and fatter grips. The Turtle Beach pad does have three extra buttons: a microphone mute button (which can also be pressed to access on-board functions) and two customizable rear paddles.

If you look at the D-pad, you will notice a few small markings. Hold the microphone mute button and tap up or down to raise or lower the volume of your connected headphones, while left and right adjust game chat balance. The controls are intuitive and easy to remember, and genuinely quite useful as it means that you don’t have to fiddle around with system menus to adjust game volume if you’re playing with wired headphones connected via the controller's 3.5mm jack.

The controller doesn't feature any removable batteries, and is instead charged via a USB Type-C cable. A generous roughly 10ft / 300cm one is included in the box along with a USB dongle. Sadly, neither the cable nor the dongle are pink or blue to match the controller — a missed opportunity to make them stand out against those of other pads.

Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: Performance

• Delivers well-rounded performance
• Basic but functional software
• Very lightweight

The Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller delivers basically everything you could want from a basic Xbox Wireless Controller alternative. The thumbsticks are smooth and responsive, the buttons are satisfying to press and well-sized, and additional features like the volume mixing and rear inputs work just as you would expect.

It certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel in any respect, but the performance is exactly what you would want and expect at this price. There are more versatile options out there, though I think this is reasonable when, realistically, you’re mainly buying this particular controller for its looks.

The controller is compatible with two pieces of companion software: the Swarm II mobile app and the Turtle Beach - PDP Control Hub. Both offer similar options and are rather basic, mainly there for adjusting vibration strength, remapping buttons, and tweaking thumbstick dead zones.

My only real complaint using the controller is that the materials simply don’t feel as premium as the Xbox Wireless Controller. I think a lot of that comes down to the weight: the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller is very light, making it comfortable in the hands but meaning it lacks that reassuring heftiness. The back of the grips is also completely smooth, and I found myself missing the more grippy texture of the original pad.

The Pacific Skyline controller gains back the upper hand with its built-in battery. It lasts for about 20 hours per charge — roughly on par with Microsoft’s pad, all without the need to fiddle with pricey AAs every time you need to top it up.

Should I buy the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider...

Not keen on the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller? Here are two alternatives to weigh up.

How I tested the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller

• Tested for multiple weeks
• Used as primary controller for Xbox and PC
• Compared to other gamepads

I tested the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller for more than two weeks, using it as my primary gamepad for both Xbox and PC play.

During that time, I experienced a wide range of games with it, including driving titles such as Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Forza Horizon 3, and Forza Horizon 6, plus shooters like Gears of War Reloaded.

Throughout my time with the controller, I compared it to my hands-on testing of other Xbox controllers, including the standard model and those by competitors like GameSir and PowerA.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed August 2026

There’s something deeply satisfying about the way Glorious goes about speccing its gaming peripherals. The company has a sharp eye for nonsense, and ruthlessly strips it out of the mice and, now, the headset that it brings to the gaming market. Behold, then, the GHS Wireless InfinitePlay, a wireless gaming headset featuring precisely zero RGB, built around normal-sized 40mm drivers, just quietly getting on with giving you multiplatform audio with infinite battery life and two mic options for $230.

With one swappable battery pack placed in the base station, it’s charging ready for use while you have the other one of the pair in your headset. Each one offers 85 hours of use from a full charge, and in case that wasn’t enough, a ‘guardian’ 45mAh built-in battery handles the changeover so you don’t need to turn the headset back on again after you swap. Handy.

That same ‘you won’t need it, but just in case…’ ethos is evident in the mic spec. You’ve got a detachable 70Hz-10KHz noise-cancelling mic for when you’re seated, locked in and ready to absolutely bellow at your team-mates away from prying eyes, and a built-in mic to use when you’re out and about using the Bluetooth connection to a mobile device or Nintendo Switch, and don’t fancy looking like an air traffic controller. Yes, it has 2.4GHz and Bluetooth 5.4 connections, swappable with one button press.

And that’s a very impressive feature set at any price, but especially for $229.99 / £199.99 / AU$239.99. It’s not even super clear where the concessions have been made to hit the price point. The audio quality is simply good rather than audiophile-grade, but that’s totally in line with what this headset is for: gaming. It’s trying to articulate useful audio cues, not trick your ears into thinking they’re in the expensive seats at an IMAX cinema.

Similarly, the construction materials are almost exclusively lightweight, brushed black plastic rather than anything showier, but that serves the sprightly 360g headset weight.

One area of that headset build and design I did run into issues with is the headband. Your experience will vary depending on your head size, but I found a degree of pressure that becomes slightly uncomfortable during longer sessions. This being an elasticated suspended band design, it’s possible that this may ease as the band slackens over time, but during the month I’ve been using my unit I do still notice discomfort.

Besides that, there’s very little to grumble about. The power button isn’t clearly labelled, and the Bluetooth button can easily be confused for it, but this is a one-time issue. Once you know what’s what, that moment of unintuitive design becomes moot and you can enjoy the fantastic feature set of these cans.

Glorious GHS Wireless InfinitePlay: Price and availability

• List price: $229.99 / £199.99 / AU$239.99
• Swappable batteries like the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, for less
• Packed with useful extras

The extremely competitive pricing of this package is certainly one of its biggest assets. Packing a dual swappable battery design for less than Steelseries’ Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is a great way to announce one’s presence in the headset market, and Glorious backs that head-turning spec up with a number of handy additions that justify the price point.

Namely, a choice of mics (detachable or built-in) and a ‘guardian’ built-in battery that kicks in when you swap between the rechargeable packs, along with some serious configuration flexibility offered by the base station and dongle.

In this challenging economy, to put it mildly, you’d simply expect to see this package priced higher. The construction materials aren’t comparable with ultra-high-end models like the Audeze Maxwell 2 or the Logitech Astro A50 X, but they’re sturdy and finished to a high standard.

Glorious GHS Wireless InfinitePlay: Specs

Glorious GHS Wireless InfinitePlay: Design and features

• Black and orange design is Valve-esque
• Prioritises light weight over looks
• Battery packs look like retro FPS keycards

There’s a duality here to Glorious’ headset stylings. On the one hand, it's extremely restrained with the brushed black plastic on the base station and headset, an elegant amount of orange contrast trim on the whole package, and battery packs that look like they’d unlock a door in a ‘90’s shooter.

On the other hand, the company’s fundamental branding is based on a joke that got old quite a while ago. The brand's name references the glorious PC gaming master race meme and subreddit, which worked as a self-aware joke about PC gaming elitism in 2008 and 2011, but in 2026 works… less so. Look, this could just be an age thing, but to me the GabeN-like brand logo and ‘GGWP’ text on the lower-left earcup feel just a few steps away from a ‘Keep out mom, I’m gaming!’ poster. Given that this headset works with PS5, PS4, Switch and mobile devices (there’s no Xbox version), it’s also just confusing branding at this point.

With that chiding out of the way, I do like the look of this headset. The orange trim feels Valve-esque in the right way, like someone very clever sat and thought about this for a long time. The base station is compact and smart, with indicator lights to show when it’s connected to your headset and the charge status of the battery pack slotted into it. Two USB-C ports to the rear connect to a wireless dongle which sits flush with the base station when connected, and a USB-C-to-USB-C cable to connect to your PC or console. A USB-C to A adapter is also provided.

The base station, dongle, cables, and Bluetooth connection create tons of setup configurations. You can ditch the base station and just use the dongle if you like, although that does mean you don’t have a spare battery charging while you use it. You can even ditch the dongle too and connect the headset with the USB-C cable, although I haven’t found a use case yet where that makes sense, since the built-in battery has a few hours of life even when both swappable packs are depleted.

The headset itself is pretty lightweight for a wireless model with a battery pack, eschewing flashy finishes for an all-plastic body with a fabric headband on suspended elastic, and breathable fabric earcups covering reasonably plush memory foam cushions. If you love that pulsing, sealed-in feeling of closed-back headphones like the HyperX Cloud, these aren’t your cans. They’re certainly closed-back, but the fabric around the earcups does affect the way you experience the audio from its 40mm drivers, producing a flat, detailed but not very low-end heavy response that’s reminiscent of Steelseries’ excellent Arctis Nova 7 and upwards.

I don’t get on with the physical control layout here, though. The location of the (unmarked) power button on the upper-left earcup threw me initially, and I think this control and its right-hand earcup mate are trying to do too much. Both are rotary dials as well as buttons, and while the left controls chat mix, profile swapping and battery status, the right controls volume and media controls. I’m all for minimalist design, but try navigating that while you’re concentrating on something in-game. It took me a couple of weeks to memorise how to perform all those actions.

Just one more gripe – the battery status readout would be much better if it gave you a percentage rather than simply an ‘ok’ or ‘charge now’. Maybe one for a future firmware update.

Glorious GHS Wireless InfinitePlay: Performance

• Tuned for gaming performance
• Good suite of software tweaks
• Battery life true to claims

We all know by now that buying a mouse, keyboard, or headset doesn’t turn you into a Faze Clan member, and the gaming performance gains in the headset vertical are especially marginal. That said, if you’re listening out for footsteps in PUBG Battlegrounds and your 2014 cans with their 60mm grotesquely tuned drivers are too busy making a far-off gunfight sound like a drum and bass gig, you might notice a bit of an advantage when you update your audio hardware.

That’s why it’s important that these drivers are tuned with a nice flat EQ response. That means that they don’t strongly emphasise one particular area of the EQ spectrum, unlike the aforementioned early 2010s models with their ‘scooped’ profiles that boosted the lows and highs like a sound engineer at a Metallica gig.

Sticking with a roughly even volume distribution along the spectrum means that the GHS Wireless InfinitePlay gives all frequencies space to voice and be heard. It might not sound mind-blowing like Audio-Technica or Audeze drivers, but it’s well-suited to games that reward a keen ear, from competitive shooters to singleplayer titles.

I find headsets tuned this way really useful in racing sims too, where I need to hear brake lockups and tire squeals as early as possible, and as prominently in the mix as I can.

Over in Glorious Core, the accompanying software, there’s a welcome and well-judged suite of options including a sidetone toggle, EQ tuning including some basic provided profiles, mic settings like noise cancellation toggling, and several options to tweak the headset behaviour, like when it auto-powers down and whether it gives you voice prompts. I don’t love that it’s taking up 0.99GB of my SSD space to do that, though, and would much prefer a browser-based tuning app.

The battery life really is as long per pack as Glorious states, and swapping them out is easy while you’re mid-session. Just take the spent one out, let the ‘guardian’ battery take over until the end of the round or the next quiet moment, then swap in the other pack.

I didn’t run into any setup issues when I used this with PC, PS5 or Switch, and found that the dual-wireless is pretty rock solid. It’s less suited as a console headset, particularly the Switch, since it really needs the base station to be connected in order to keep a battery pack charged and ready. But as a multiplatform solution (marketing types like to call these ‘battle station’ setups), it offers a no-fuss means to switch between devices.

Should you buy the Glorious GHS Wireless InfinitePlay?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Glorious GHS Wireless InfinitePlay: Also consider

Not feeling like swapping in this wireless headset? Consider these premium wireless alternatives.

How I tested the Glorious GHS Wireless InfinitePlay

• One month of use on PC, PS5, Switch and mobile.
• All configurations tested
• Tested with shooters, battle royales, racing games and more

Something about the black and orange design of this headset and base station gave me an overwhelming urge to replay Half-Life 2 episodes 1 and 2, so that is where I began. Hearing those familiar audio files through new drivers is a good reference point, actually, which helps to suss out how good the GHS Wireless InfinitePlay is at positional audio.

I’ve also been playing PUBG Battlegrounds, Counter-Strike 2 and F1 25 with this headset, and putting the mic through its paces with amateur found footage horror simulator, Content Warning.

Since it offers an array of connection types – with or without the base station, wired connection – I’ve spent some time playing on all of them, across my PC, Switch, and PS5.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed April 2026.

The most succinct way to describe the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni gaming headset is that it feels like a 2026-ified version of its excellent predecessor, the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless — one of my favorite gaming headsets ever.

The Omni is a fantastic wireless gaming headset and offers a whole heap of improvements and enhancements over its older brethren, and in its own right, will tick every box most gamers can think of. Each feature that’s been tweaked or upgraded might not be huge in isolation, but every single one adds up, and it absolutely is greater than the sum of its parts when everything’s considered.

The design and build will be very familiar to anyone who’s used any of the Nova line, as it shares identical design language and aesthetics, while retaining a robust build quality you can have confidence in. The GameHub dongle is also identical in form to the one found on the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite and the Nova Pro Wireless, but is boosted to offer an upgraded level of connectivity: you can connect and mix up to four different inputs on the Omni, which is somewhat ludicrous but offers excellent versatility.

The audio quality, microphone, and overall performance of the Omni is spectacular, and can’t really be faulted. I think I might just prefer the bottom-end audio of my Audeze Maxwell 2 over the Omni, but that’s nitpicking as the overall audio experience is fantastic, no matter which platform you're connected to. Being able to change EQ on the fly with the Arctis Companion App is a great boost over the Nova Pro Wireless and an excellent feature of modern Nova headsets.

It’s an excellent headset, no doubt, but its pricing and the fact that Nova Pro Wireless will still be available mean the Omni’s place in the lineup is a little muddy for me. It performs fantastically, offers the full set of gaming headset features you could ask for, but I’m just not totally convinced it’s a great value option right now.

In isolation, however, this is a fantastic multiplatform wireless gaming headset and probably the one to go for if you really want the maximum flexibility and versatility.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni: Price and availability

• List price: $399.99 / £349.99 / AU$799
• Closely priced to the Nova Pro Wireless, which will inevitably be cheaper
• Way under the Nova Elite, but in direct competition to headsets like the Audeze Maxwell 2

In isolation, the Arctis Nova Pro Omni is pretty well placed price-wise at $399.99 / £349.99. However, its position alongside the rest of the Nova lineup raises an eyebrow.

A large part of this is because of the continued availability of the headset that the Omni feels like it was made to replace: the Nova Pro Wireless. With the latter now readily available for far less than the Omni’s list price, I think — as a fan of both — that the value proposition of the Omni is lessened.

Unless you really really want the four-device connectivity (as opposed to two), and really want the latest and greatest in a SteelSeries headset without going for the much more premium Nova Elite, then I still think the Nova Pro Wireless is going to be a better value purchase for you. Especially if you’re on just one platform.

The Omni is also up against formidable competition outside of its own brethren at this price point. My absolute favorite headset right now, and my top pick ever in terms of pure audio quality, the Audeze Maxwell 2 is in the same price territory and would be my recommendation for someone prioritizing that.

Then there’s also the likes of the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2, and the Sony Inzone H9 2 in the $300-ish zone, along with the likes of the Fractal Scape and the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro that come in slightly cheaper and all offer incredible wireless gaming headset experiences with a host of features.

Having said all that, the Omni does do a lot in and of itself to justify its price tag as a high-end, brilliantly flexible and top-performing wireless headset. It will definitely be the best wireless option in this part of the Nova lineup when or if the Nova Pro Wireless ceases to be made, but until then it’s not a slam dunk for me.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni: Specs

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni: Design & features

• Class-leading set of features and connectivity options
• Reliable and fantastic build quality and battery solution
• Very much from the Nova line of SteelSeries headsets

Straight out of the box, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Omni really is a Nova Pro Wireless in disguise, as all the parts are there. That isn’t a criticism, as the Omni is simply another SteelSeries headset cut from the Arctis Nova cloth.

It’s a familiar design to anyone who’s seen or held a Nova headset, but it does have a tangible level of robustness and solidity that instils confidence — I’ve already dropped my unit a few times, but you wouldn’t be able to tell. The ear cushions are incredibly comfortable too, and I’ve been able to wear this headset for full work days without ever fully realising it too.

The GameHub is basically the same as on other Nova headsets that use it, but there are a few more options within the OLED display, and the addition of a texture to the navigation wheel is a welcome touch.

It’s this kind of small design change that’s present in a few areas across the Nova Pro Omni too: the multi-function volume wheel on the left cup has a new texture to it, the ear cushions are thicker and more padded compared to the Nova Pro Wireless, the mic is new and improved, and so on.

On top of intuitive controls, Arctis Companion App integration, boosted connectivity (Bluetooth 5.3 features here), greater battery life, and quicker fast charge, and more, all the Omni’s improvements over the Nova Pro Wireless do stand on their own feet, and, importantly, add up to a wonderfully designed and feature-filled wireless gaming headset that will offer everything even those with three consoles and a PC could ever want.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni: Performance

• Fantastic SteelSeries audio quality out of the box
• Every upgrade feels worthwhile
• Audio quality and overall performance still close to its predecessor

In terms of performance, the audio is the least difficult thing to cast an opinion on: it’s fantastic. Once again, this is from the SteelSeries Arctis Nova line so shares in all the excellent out-of-the-box audio quality the series is known for and does not disappoint in any way.

What’s more, the audio is now Hi-Res certified, and on PC you’ll be getting 96kHz/24bit, which is a sheer, immersive joy to behold in games like Cyberpunk 2077, and even the atmospheric noises in Frostpunk 2 are detailed and clear. But even away from that, on PS5 Pro (Sony’s console can’t take advantage of 96kHz audio), the gaming audio delivered by the Omni is, predictably, a treat.

Sea shanties, explosive ship combat, and swashbuckling sword action in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced are fantastically vivid and rich; the audio in 007 First Light is even more cinematic and bombastic; and even audio in older online games like my go-to, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, is elevated excellently, with enemy audio presented accurately, and the action and soundtrack mixed perfectly.

The ability to change EQ presets for individual games and preferences via the Arctis Companion App remains a brilliant feature too, expanding the Omni’s already excellent versatility.

On top of that, being wireless but plugged into a host of different devices as well as Bluetooth on my phone was very handy — in my particular setup. If you do have a multi-device setup and are looking for one headset that can be used on all of them with ease, even if not simultaneously, then this is a quality feature. For others on single-device setups, this is a bit overkill.

Away from games, music and entertainment is superb on the Omni, and using it for work calls - and multiplayer gaming sessions — with its new (compared with the Nova Pro Wireless) omnidirectional ClearCast Pro mic is brilliant. I found the overall quality of the mic to be excellent, though its omnidirectional design did mean a little more background noise escaped to my friends down the line at times, and it’s certainly a big step up over the Nova Pro Wireless’ microphone.

The way the headset feels to use is also a notable step up over the Nova Pro Wireless, and thus feels closer to the Nova Elite too. The wheel on the left ear cup is incredibly pleasing to use, the GameHub that offers more options is intuitive and easy to use, the new ear cushions are thicker and more comfy than the Pro Wireless (but only just), and there’s also improved ANC which I found worked well, as well as a hoist of boosts to Bluetooth (up to 5.3), longer battery life on the batteries and faster quick charge, and a few more to boot.

Each of the improvements over the Nova Pro Wireless do add up to something much greater than each in isolation.

Should I buy the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

If the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni might seem overkill in some departments, then check out these two fine offerings as alternatives.

How I tested the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni

• Used as a daily driver for a few months
• Tested on PC, PS5, and mobile
• Deployed across a host of games, as well as daily work calls and more

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni headset has been my sole unit for gaming on PS5 and PC, as well as work tasks and calls, for the best part of three months.

I have used it to play a bunch of 007 First Light, a full review playthrough and subsequent platinum playthrough of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, and a whole host of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 on PS5, and also dived into Cyberpunk 2077, Frostpunk 2, and Crusader Kings 3 on Acer Predator Orion 5000 gaming PC (supplied by Acer) teamed with a productivity monitor and an Acer Predator X32QFS gaming monitor (also supplied by Acer).

For a lot of that game-time testing, the Omni was connected to my PC and PS5 simultaneously on one setup, deploying its multi-connectivity. I was then also able to use it for all my work calls, and listening to music.

During this time, I was able to directly compare the Omni with some other gaming headsets I had to hand, such as the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless and Nova Elite, as well as the Audeze Maxwell 2 and Maxwell 2 ANC.

First reviewed May-August 2026

Read more about how we test

Throughout the journey, you'll encounter formidable foes, from basic enemies to mini and major bosses, in combat encounters with an excellent feel of ebb and flow. Game Freak has nailed the concept of traversing a rundown yet beautiful post-apocalyptic Japan, with abilities that let players explore multiple regions and uncover a plethora of secrets.

I didn't expect Beast of Reincarnation to deliver an immersive and engaging experience to this degree; certainly not within the story, combat, and atmospheric aspects of the experience.

While it's far from perfect, due to some quality-of-life issues, a slightly overstayed welcome, and effectively little to no cosmetic customization, it's still a game I expect to keep playing long after rolling the credits.

What it means to be human

In Beast of Reincarnation, a post-apocalyptic Japan set in the year 4026 is center stage. The parasitic entity or force known as the blight has taken over the world, corrupting animals, humans, and just about every living creature there is.

You play as Emma, a blight-stained young girl alongside her blighted wolf-dog companion, Koo. As a purifier, Emma is humanity's last hope to defeat the beast of reincarnation and restore the world from blight. She will need to absorb Nushi, the corrupt (or blight-stained) monsters that come in all different shapes, species, and sizes.

During the journey, Emma will discover what it's like to be human and consider a very specific aspect of her nature — avoiding spoilers, you'll slowly unravel what that means for Emma, those closest to her, and, frankly, humanity's fate.

While Beast of Reincarnation is focused on the restoration of the world, one of its central themes is love and what one will do to embrace it. It's very much an emotional rollercoaster, full of surprises that I genuinely couldn't see coming, and by the time the credits rolled, I was clapping and tearing up just a little.

Beast of Reincarnation also features a rapport system, specifically with Koo and other supporting characters like Kagura. Essentially, the more interactions you have with these characters, such as feeding Koo when hungry, can increase the rapport, resulting in benefits such as extra skill or equipment slots.

The rapport with these characters directly ties into the story, specifically with how they respond to Emma or help. Fortunately, it doesn't take too much effort to increase rapport, and with the emotional weight of Emma's story arc, you'll want to interact with other characters as much as possible.

Aside from being incredibly adorable, Koo is easily one of the best companions in gaming, providing support in and out of intense combat sequences. (Video Credit: Game Freak)

Game Freak's inspirations for Beast of Reincarnation are clear as day. It almost certainly draws from PlatinumGames' Nier: Automata and Shift Up's Stellar Blade, and Square Enix's Final Fantasy 16.

Again, without spoiling story details, Emma will often encounter human non-player characters (NPCs) or even Golems (who were once human) that will label her 'stained' and act disgusted. It's very reminiscent of how Final Fantasy 16's Clive Rosfield was treated early on in the story, often labelled 'branded'.

That alone creates an interesting predicament; Emma is humanity's only hope, yet humans essentially despise her due to her blight-stained nature. It dives into some of the story's darker and more lonely aspects, especially when acknowledging Emma's emotional vulnerability.

While the narrative kept me invested, wanting to find out what happens next, I feel the game's runtime could've been shorter. There are constant cliffhangers at the end of each chapter, where answers to questions about Emma, the post-apocalyptic world, and the beast of reincarnation itself are unnecessarily withheld.

Ultimately, many of the cliffhangers and small-scale cutscenes feel like padding, rather than ones to help progress the story. I appreciated some of those 'padded' dialogue moments, giving Emma and other characters a little more depth — so it's not all bad, but it's worth noting if you hate long-winded cutscenes.

Outside of the story, Beast of Reincarnation's soundtrack is undoubtedly one of its strongest assets, and I couldn't stop thinking about Nier Automata's orchestral, melancholic, yet magnificent soundtrack. While traversing many of Game Freak's incredible in-game regions, I was accompanied by amazing vocals, which manage to fit each scenario perfectly.

The only frustration I had with Beast of Reincarnation's original soundtrack is that it can get repetitive as you progress. Sometimes, the same soundtrack from a previous chapter would play again in a new environment, and unless you're in combat or watching a cutscene, the music never stops — and it's one of the only complaints I had for Stellar Blade too.

Nonetheless, it's still a fantastic listen, especially in the final chapters, where I was particularly blown away by the soundtrack playing during the final boss battle — and I'm already itching to start my second playthrough just to experience it again.

Spectacular Sekiro-like combat

Just imagine those satisfying sword-clashing sounds from Sekiro, but then dial it up to 11. That's exactly what you get in Beast of Reincarnation during combat. (Video Credit: Game Freak)

Simply put, Game Freak absolutely nailed the combat. Much like traditional Final Fantasy games (i.e., Final Fantasy 7 Remake), Beast of Reincarnation features a blend of real-time action and turn-based combat, where players control Emma engaging in fierce sword battles while also turning to Koo for blight attacks.

The more you pull off successful parries, the more Florescence Points (FP) you gain for Koo to select and pull off special attacks. At the same time, the more you parry, the more an enemy's stun gauge increases, causing a stagger and an opening for a finishing blow.

In this manner, Beast of Reincarnation's combat is what I would describe as Sekiro-like, with From Software's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice featuring some of the best sword combat in games.

Parrying is key for Emma in almost all combat encounters. Players do have the option to dodge attacks, and need to for unbloackables. However, parrying will allow you to overcome all foes once they're stunned, and will also help you maximize the efficacy of Koo.

Also, if you thought Sekiro's sword clashing sound effects were great, Beast of Reincarnation gives it a run for its money. Game Freak's sound design for combat encounters single-handedly elevates enemy and boss encounters to another level; one duo boss encounter in particular left me hyped on the edge of my seat, in what was a challenging but extremely immersive back-and-forth clash.

One annoying issue, though, is one supporting character with Emma, who constantly says, "Remember to use Koo's skills too." This happens in every single combat encounter whenever Koo's FP meter is full, and it drove me wild on more than a few occasions.

Emma herself does the same when finding a new campsite or spotting an enemy, and it's one of those minor quality-of-life aspects that can very quickly become a major one, since it's bothersome after playing for hours.

There were many times I could choose to be stealthy, but decided against it. Why? The back-and-forth sword clashes are incredible! (Video Credit: Game Freak)

Throughout the game, you'll find different armor and swords to use, each with unique properties like elemental effects for the latter that will come in handy against enemies with different weaknesses.

There are two skill trees, one dedicated to Emma and another for Koo, and there are plenty of abilities to unlock. I finished the game at the 20-hour mark, and I only had around half the skills in both trees unlocked, which should give you an idea of just how much there is to add to Emma and Koo's skill set.

Fortunately, that will aid a second playthrough perfectly; and yes, Beast of Reincarnation has a New Game Plus run ready to go as soon as you finish the game, with a new difficulty (which I won't name... it's a potential spoiler). There's a fair amount of replay value, since almost all regions are explorable, with side content like mini bosses waiting to be found.

The latter makes traversal very important, and fortunately, it's a very strong highlight. Emma's hair allows her to reach high terrain and find loot that is pivotal to weapon progression, and finding new ingredients for Kagura to use for cooking.

I was quite disappointed to see that the new armor found for Emma has absolutely no cosmetic changes. It feels like a massive missed opportunity for Game Freak to give players a deeper layer of customization, besides equipping gear simply for better stat boosts.

But how does it perform?

4026 post-apocalyptic Japan is really a beautiful place to explore, but does Game Freak's ambitious action-adventure RPG run well enough to enjoy the landscape? (Video Credit: Game Freak)

I played Beast of Reincarnation on my main rig, using an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super, at 4K and 1440p. Instead of the 3440x1440 ultrawide display resolution, I was limited to 2560x1440, as the game doesn't have any 21:9 aspect ratio support — in 2026, this is unacceptable and, frankly, a massive disappointment for PC players.

At 4K, using DLSS (unclear which model it's using) quality, I was able to stay above 60 frames per second (fps), often between the 75 to 90fps range. I did have occasional frame rate dips, typically when there were numerous enemies on screen, but for Unreal Engine standards, it's not horrible performance.

At 1440p, it consistently stayed above the 90fps mark, and again, aside from odd moments of frame rate dips, performance wasn't a major concern for me.

Performance on the Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme was a little rougher than I expected. I could barely reach a stable 60fps even with the lowest graphics preset and FSR 3 performance enabled. What's worse is that the upscaler is constantly reset every time you restart the game.

Hopefully, Game Freak will include ultrawide support and FSR 4 in a future update, as only FSR 3.1 games can use FSR 4 via AMD's Adrenalin software.

Should you play Beast of Reincarnation?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

Beast of Reincarnation allows players to adjust controller button configurations and key bindings. Only English and Japanese are available as voice-over languages — I tested both throughout my playthrough.

There are no field-of-view options, which it desperately needs. The camera angle during some boss fights can easily be the cause of defeat, as sometimes enemies are too big, and you can't see Emma while they're still attacking you.

There are options to show speaker names via subtitles, but there isn't an option to make subtitles bigger. It's a little problematic as subtitles are small, and sometimes bright scenery in games can make it difficult to read.

Menu navigation with a mouse also isn't very good, as it requires the right mouse button to exit each section, instead of simply selecting another on the fly.

How I reviewed Beast of Reincarnation

I tested Beast of Reincarnation on my main RTX 4080 Super rig, my second SteamOS AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB powered PC, and the Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme. With the RX 9060 XT 16GB, it was a struggle to hit 60fps at 4K without using FSR 3 and lowering some graphics settings.

I used my TCL QM8 55-inch mini-LED 4K TV and my LG UltraGear 45GS95QE ultrawide OLED, despite the lack of ultrawide support from Game Freak.

Game Freak notes that while Beast of Reincarnation is on Steam, it's working on optimizing the game for the Steam Deck, so expect potential performance improvements at launch or in the future.

First reviewed July 2026.

It's very much the same game that fans have loved since its 2023 release. However, Lies of P: Complete Edition also bundles in the phenomenal Overture expansion and all previously released cosmetic downloadable content (DLC).

As a result, this review will broadly focus on the game's performance on Nintendo Switch 2 and its overall value for money of Lies of P: Complete Edition. Be sure to read our original Lies of P review for a more complete rundown of the game itself, as well as our Lies of P: Overture review if you're curious about the unmissable massive expansion that released last year.

If you own a Nintendo Switch 2 and you've been waiting for a chance to play Lies of P, then you'll be well-served with Lies of P: Complete Edition. Not only does it bundle the base game and the expansion at a reasonable asking price, but it's also a winner in the performance department with robust graphics options and speedy load times. I really can't recommend it enough, especially after completing my third playthrough of the game via this Complete Edition.

It's not a perfect package; the more quality-centric graphics options are perhaps a tad too ambitious, leading to a very noticeable performance compromise. Plus, the inability to disable motion blur means you'll probably get sick of the smeary image created whenever you adjust the in-game camera.

But if you stick to the performance- or balance-oriented graphics modes in either docked or handheld play, you'll find that Lies of P mostly plays like a dream on Nintendo Switch 2.

Arms' length

As a quick catch-up (though once again I'll direct you to the review links above if you want to really learn more about the game before making a purchasing decision), Lies of P is a soulslike action game in the vein of FromSoftware-developed titles like Elden Ring and the Dark Souls trilogy.

That means you can expect a high level of difficulty, with tough boss encounters and tricky enemies. You can also expect intricate level design with plenty to explore off the beaten path, and robust build variety that lets you craft a playstyle that suits your preferences.

Where Lies of P sets itself apart is in its gameplay particulars. The player character, as a puppet, can equip a variety of Legion Arms, which offer effects like applying harmful status elements, pulling enemies toward you, or laying down proximity mines for crowd control.

You can also mix and match the blade and hilt of most of the game's weapons, with different combinations changing how you swing the weapon, as well as the special moves it has access to. Finally, exploring is greatly incentivized by Quartz - a rare item that lets you unlock strong passive abilities via your P-Organ setup at the homebase of Hotel Krat. Such passives include more healing item uses, more amulet slots for applying strong combat effects, and greater effectiveness of your dodge roll.

Lies of P can be an extremely tough game, but there are two easier difficulty options if you'd prefer a more casual experience. These can be changed at any time, so feel free to switch them around if you find you're having too hard (or too easy) of a time; the game does not punish you or lock away any content on those easier difficulties.

P for Performance

So let's break down how Lies of P: Complete Edition runs on Nintendo Switch 2, specifically. In docked mode, on TV, you have three settings. The performance-centered option lets you play at a full 60fps, and it's tremendously smooth with little in the way of hiccups. The downside here is you lose quite a bit of graphical detail, with greatly simplified environmental detail and particle effects.

The quality-centered option swings a bit too far in the opposite direction, and while it does offer some nice-looking ray-tracing, the Switch 2 isn't quite able to keep up the pace and performance really suffers as a result. This setting also makes the camera-based motion blur very apparent, creating a Vaseline-like smear whenever you shift the camera in-game. There's no option to turn off the motion blur, either, so I would recommend avoiding this setting in both docked and handheld modes.

I personally found that the 'Balanced' setting offered the best results. This had the best balance between frame rate (a stable 30fps) and graphical detail. If you're going to play on TV, this is the graphics option I would strongly recommend.

There are still some caveats that are apparent across all graphics modes, though. There's very noticeable object pop-in for distant objects, especially in the game's denser areas like the Lorenzini Arcade or Overture's Krat Zoo. It's not game-breaking by any means, but it shows that some compromises had to be made for more stable performance on Switch 2.

Another annoying thing about this Switch 2 version is that you can only change graphics options from the title screen menu. That means you'll have to back out from the game to the menu every single time you want to change things up. This is another reason why I recommend just setting the game to Balanced mode from the jump. It offers the best visual quality to performance balance, and I would only suggest swapping to the performance-centered mode if you're desperate for 60fps gameplay.

On that note, a 60fps graphics option is coming to handheld mode via a day-one patch, so I was unable to test that during the review period.

Should I play Lies of P: Complete Edition?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

Lies of P: Complete Edition has a basic set of accessibility options. There are three colorblind modes (protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia), as well as the option to adjust subtitle display and size. Full button rebinding is also supported, and as mentioned in the review, there are two easier difficulty options if the going gets a bit too tough.

How I reviewed Lies of P: Complete Edition

I played Lies of P: Complete Edition for 20 hours for this review. That playtime included most of the base game and the first handful of areas within the Overture DLC. I tested all graphics modes available during the review period, including quality, performance, and balanced options.

I played Lies of P: Complete Edition primarily in docked mode on an LG CX OLED TV with a Switch 2 Pro Controller, swapping over to handheld mode every so often to get a feel for overall performance there, too. I also hooked up my RIG R5 Spear Pro HS gaming headset for more immersive audio while playing in handheld mode.

First reviewed July-August 2026

It launched back in 2022 at $59.99 / £64.99, but has since tumbled to sale prices around $25 / £25. It’s a welcome price drop because it’s about the only thing that keeps it in with a shot of being worth picking up, and on the periphery of the best mobile controller conversation — but only just.

SteelSeries positions the Stratus+ as delivering a console-quality mobile experience, and in theory, it has most of the ingredients to do that. A traditional shape that blends Xbox and PlayStation design elements with a removable phone mount, Hall Effect triggers, and a claimed 90-hour battery life via Bluetooth LE. In practice, however, the phone mount that should be the controller's defining feature ends up being its biggest weakness. It’s tricky to install, and once it’s in, it wobbles, spoils the balance, and worst of all, it has a habit of turning your phone off altogether.

Once you have found the sweet spot to mount your phone, game compatibility is then a mixed bag. Fortnite on mobile is often kind on controller compatibility and worked well here, but more finicky titles like Call of Duty Mobile and Need for Speed didn't work at all. Xbox Cloud Gaming fared better, performing well enough with Forza Horizon 6, though compounding Bluetooth latency with remote gaming meant noticeable enough input lag that it forced me into pre-empting inputs rather than driving naturally.

For a mobile controller, the Stratus+ actually performs best as a wired PC controller. Plug it in via USB-C, and it's instantly recognized as an XInput device, fully mapped in Steam, and perfectly functional as a basic controller. The problem is that it's a particularly competitive market, and it does very little to stand out. You could pick up an actual Xbox Wireless Controller for not much more and get a better, more comfortable pad that still pairs to your Android phone.

SteelSeries Stratus+ review: Price and availability

• List price: $59.99 / £64.99 / AU$159.99
• Now often found as low as $25 / £25 from third parties
• Available from SteelSeries and retailers

The SteelSeries Stratus+ has been around a little while now, first launching in May 2022 at $59.99, though fast-forward to 2026 and that list price isn’t holding up. It’s now often available much cheaper from retailers, and I saw it selling for less than half its list price while pulling together this review.

At full price, the Stratus+ is stuck trying to compete with options like the first-party Xbox Wireless Controller and sits uncomfortably close to the excellent GameSir G8 Galileo mobile grip or the GameSir G8+ Bluetooth controller, all of which offer better experiences in their own way.

At its current discounted price, however, it’s cheap enough to be worth a look as a budget PC gamepad.

SteelSeries Stratus+ review: Specs

SteelSeries Stratus+ review: Design and features

• Blends elements from Xbox and PlayStation controllers into a familiar shape
• Included phone mount isn’t really fit for purpose
• Solid D-pad and Hall Effect triggers are the highlight

Before you start messing around with the phone mount, the SteelSeries Stratus+ looks like a perfectly generic controller. The sort of thing you’d see in a film to avoid giving brand recognition to either side of the console war. It borrows PlayStation’s symmetrical thumbstick layout and pairs it with Xbox-style ABXY buttons and a black shell. It's inoffensive, generic, and unexciting.

Holding it, though, something feels off. Despite being almost identical in width to an Xbox Series X controller and actually a touch taller, the Stratus+ somehow feels cramped. Part of that is down to the symmetrical stick placement, I’m sure, as it naturally sits lower on the body and makes the whole controller feel shorter than it physically is. I have reasonably large hands and am very used to an offset stick layout, so it never quite settled. Some of this is obviously personal preference, and if you’re coming from a DualSense Wireless Controller, I’m sure you’ll adapt quicker, though I doubt you’ll escape that sense of being on top of yourself.

The phone mount is where things stray from the norm and, unfortunately, not particularly successfully. SteelSeries includes a detachable clip that slots into the top of the Stratus+ via two metal bars to turn this from a controller into a mobile controller. It doesn’t work well, though, and almost feels like a third-party modkit for a controller, rather than a first-party USP. It’s fiddly to install, and even with the bars fully inserted, there's noticeable wobble before you've even added a phone.

Once you do seat a device, the controller becomes top-heavy and unbalanced, constantly wanting to tip backward when placed on a surface and feeling like it’s trying to spill forward out of your hands. The mount clamps your phone from the sides rather than end-to-end, which helps with universality, but means it's also constantly trying to press your phone's power and volume buttons. During testing with a POCO X5 Pro, I had to significantly offset the phone to the right of the cradle to avoid it turning my phone off.

The D-pad is probably the highlight of the entire controller, not something I’ve often said, so it’s nice to see it get its moment to shine. It's firm with a satisfyingly soft press and rock solid with zero wiggle. The ABXY face buttons are generic but functional, and the bumpers are quiet, soft, and responsive.

There are Hall Effect sensors in the triggers with a mid-length travel and linear mapping, though there’s no hair trigger mode and no companion app to set dead zones. The ALPS thumbsticks offer fairly high resistance and felt fine during testing with no drift out of the box, though it's worth noting that these sticks don't carry the same drift-resistance guarantees as Hall Effect alternatives.

SteelSeries Stratus+ review: Performance

• Bluetooth latency is noticeable at times
• Mobile game compatibility is inconsistent
• Wired PC performance is where it’s at its best

The SteelSeries Stratus+ is trying to be two controllers in one, and in testing, the experience was certainly a tale of two halves.

Connected to my Windows gaming PC via USB-C, the Stratus+ was instantly recognized as an XInput controller and fully mapped as a generic gamepad in Steam. You’d think that’d be the bare minimum experience, but it’s actually refreshing to see it just work, as that isn’t always the case, I’ve found.

I jumped across a few titles in both Steam and Xbox Cloud Gaming, and there's nothing here that would give you reason to reach for a different controller. It’s perfectly fine but equally, there’s nothing worth shouting about, or that would make you recommend this one specifically. It looks like a generic game controller, and it plays like one, but most importantly these days it’s priced like one too, so that’s not a bad thing.

Sticking that weird phone mount into the top and heading to mobile, the experience is considerably less convincing. The SteelSeries Stratus+ connected to my POCO X5 Pro without issue, but game support is a guessing game. Fortnite recognized the controller and played well overall, but displayed PlayStation button prompts on screen despite the Stratus+ using an ABXY layout.

The firm resistance of the sticks offered me plenty of fine control, and any input lag was small enough to be below my skill cap. Call of Duty Mobile and NFS No Limits simply didn't work at all, with no controller recognition and no hardware mapping workaround available.

Again, this isn’t a SteelSeries-specific issue, but competitors like GameSir have built compatibility solutions via their companion apps, so while those games don’t have great native controller support, it’s possible with a little effort by brands.

Xbox Cloud Gaming fared better, recognizing the controller natively and without any button mapping issues. Forza Horizon 6 played OK, but this is where the Bluetooth latency became most apparent when stacked on top of the small amount of remote gaming input lag. Racing games demand reactive inputs and a feeling of being connected to your car, and with the Stratus+, there was enough delay to force me into adapting my play style.

Rather than reacting naturally to what was happening on screen as I would normally, I found myself having to preempt my next movement while still executing the last one, building in a mental delay to compensate. It's not catastrophic, and it's less noticeable in games that don't demand constant precision, like the charming Sledding Game or Stardew Valley, which both played fine.

SteelSeries claims 90+ hours of battery life, and while I unfortunately couldn’t devote nearly four straight days to gaming, I can see those numbers being true enough. Despite regular use over a week of testing, the battery percentage reported by Android barely seemed to drop, and any time I was gaming on PC was passively juicing it up again anyway. Curiously, when charging, I noticed there was often quite a discrepancy between what the controller's own LED indicators showed versus what my phone reported.

At one point, I had three solid lights and one flashing during charging, suggesting it should be 75%, yet my phone's Bluetooth settings reported just 47% battery. There’s fast charging available here, so ultimately it isn’t a dealbreaker, as I doubt you’ll be plugged in often, but I’d be inclined to trust the more pessimistic software number over the lights.

Should I buy the SteelSeries Stratus+ review?

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How I tested the SteelSeries Stratus+

• I spent a week gaming with the Stratus+ across a POCO X5 Pro (Android) and a Windows PC
• I tested native Android games like Fortnite and Call of Duty Mobile, Forza Horizon 6 and Sledding Game via Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Steam titles via wired USB-C
• I paid particular attention to things like Bluetooth latency, game compatibility, and phone mount stability

I approached testing the Stratus+ independently as both a mobile controller and a PC gamepad over the course of a week, along with considering whether it successfully comes together as one hybrid unit. On Android, I tested both local titles and cloud gaming, while on PC, I tested through Steam's controller interface and games, along with Xbox Cloud Gaming, to evaluate its viability as a wired desktop pad.

I used a POCO X5 Pro in the included phone mount, paying particular attention to stability, balance, and how comfortable the overall experience was in this arrangement. I played both at home on the couch and at a desk, as well as taking the controller out and about to see how it fared on the move.

First reviewed May-July 2026

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