Gaming - Engadget

Who knew UWB connectivity on a mouse could be so useful?
Nacon's new controller aims to rival Sony’s own DualSense Edge.
EasySMX is using Elizabeth Holmes levels of pedantry with this faceplate situation.
A protective case and an accessory box make it easy to travel with the TT Pro.
This is the Switch 2 gamepad for big hands.
Everything is within reach on 8BitDo’s Ultimate 2, even for small hands.
Batomon Showdown is like Pokémon meets Super Auto Pets.
This is for the gamer who wants RGB everything.
Official Nintendo designs and RGB lighting give the Rematch an adorable edge.
The Steam Frame is a pretty great standalone VR headset, it's just too bad it costs over $1,000.
If you want to be the very best, Pokémon Champions is your new arena.
Finally, a large ultrawide monitor with tons of vertical screen space.
Alienware’s latest 34-inch ultrawide gaming monitor is far brighter than before, and it can finally handle text without fringing.
The Steam Machine isn't worth the price that Valve is asking.
Intel and MSI have teamed up to create what might be the most powerful handheld gaming PC on the market.
Of course the Hitman devs made a great James Bond game.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo is a gamer’s dream machine, but its price is a nightmare.
While Colin gets the delightful task of reviewing Warhawk (9.0), I'm left with the arduous burden of reviewing Lair, one of PS3's most hyped and anticipated games. What could possibly go wrong with a game where dragons fly around, killing each other? With stunning graphics, incredible production values, and dragons, Lair easily had a ton of potential. However, it all goes to waste through unresponsive controls and flawed level design.As any Gamecube owner knows, Factor 5 is a team comprised of technical wizards. Their previous Rogue Squadron games pulled off graphical techniques on Nintendo's last generation machine that most Wii games still don't take advantage of. Factor 5 managed to rip out the most celebrated moments of the Star Wars films and make a captivating series that delivered action faithful to its inspiration. So, why does Lair feel like a retread from Factor 5's previous games?%Gallery-3198%
Warhawk has gone through a rather bumpy development cycle. Originally slated to be an epic single player game with a strong multiplayer component, rumors started circulating earlier this year that Incognito was experiencing development problems and were unhappy with the single player portion of the game. The murmurings turned out to be true, with Sony confirming just a couple of weeks later that Warhawk had officially become a multiplayer-only PlayStation Store title and that the single player portion of the game had been dropped.Though a lot of people took this announcement as a portent of doom for Warhawk (dropping half your game so late in development is never a good sign), a highly successful beta during the summer was able to garner a quite a bit of positive press for the game. This combined with some glowing previews made the public suddenly a lot more interested in Incognito's foray into online warfare. So did they pull it off?
So we snagged ourselves an Xbox 360 Messenger Kit (aka Chatpad + Chatpad headset), unboxed the hell out of it, and here's what we think: Blister packs suck. Microsoft, we're sick of 'em. The Chatpad is a little difficult to get on and off, but once engaged it fits perfectly on the controller (duh), and feels like a seamless extension. Unfortunately there are two awkwardly placed screw holes on the underside, but you'll learn to ignore 'em. Players with longer fingers may be annoyed, this thing kind of prevents finger-wraparound. The keys are nice and tactile. And with the keyboard sounds the 360 makes in text entry you can be sure your typing is getting through. Still, thumb touch-typing on this is going to be almost out of the question for most, the thing is basically a straight up button grid. The shift / caps / alt green and amber buttons were kind of wonky and took some getting used to. No big deal though. It feels light at first, but after not too long it really starts to affect the balance of the controller, and could weigh you down a little. We suggest removing it when you don't need it. The headset now has an inline mute / volume switch (with clip), so now you have move your hand off the controller mid-play to adjust the audio. Super lame. The Chatpad headset can be used on the controller without the Chatpad, but why would you want to? The old style headset is more efficient (see above) and sounds just as good. In fact, while we're on the topic, the original headset doesn't use those two data paddles either -- so we have no idea why the Chatpad didn't just skip bundling a second headset and instead include a port that could accept the original kind. We suspect this was to raise the consumer price of the package without raising Microsoft's cost much more. Either way, it's sucky. Should you buy one? Well, $30 isn't really too crazy of a price for this thing, but we'd say if Microsoft releases a $20 version that doesn't come bundled with the new headset (and can use the old headset kind), yeah, plunk down. Otherwise, we have a feeling only completionists and heavy message senders will really need this thing.%Gallery-6830%
On paper, Factor 5's Lair does so many things right: Beautiful graphics and sound making full use of all the blue rays, cells and bumpy maps the PlayStation 3 has to offer. Majestic dragons flapping their leathery wings, swooping down on hapless soldiers and occasionally fighting other, similarly majestic dragons. Unfortunately, this enticing list was apparently jotted down with a pen the size of a tree stump. Awkward to maneuver and clumsy to clutch, Lair's mandatory motion-control scheme seems to have sent it into a quality nosedive. IGN (49/100) laments the "horribly unresponsive" controls and "god-awful lock-on system," quickly labeling the whole affair as "a mission worthy of swallowing the busi