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I was already sold on Atelier Yumia as an RPG, but I wasn’t expecting it to have my favorite crafting system in all of gaming
4:00 pm | March 14, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming | Tags: , | Comments: Off

I’ll be the first to admit games that heavily feature crafting as a key component are typically a huge turn-off for me, so I was initially wary of Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land’s focus on it. Be it in survival games like Minecraft or Sons of the Forest, or even other RPGs like Final Fantasy 14 Online, I usually find it hard to engage with crafting systems; the tedium of it all quickly sets in, making me very eager to get back to gameplay that’s just a bit more exciting.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PC (Steam)
Available on:
PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
Release date:
March 21, 2025

This, surprisingly, has not been the case with developer Gust’s Atelier Yumia. From equipment and accessories to helpful items and placeable furniture, so much of this RPG’s (role-playing game) gameplay revolves around its alchemical crafting system.

But that became the exact reason why I grew to love the game. In Atelier Yumia, you’re not just crafting things for small, temporarily helpful gains. Each item you synthesize provides meaningful game and character progression. Whether that’s increasing the potency of a healing item by using higher-quality gatherables or creating a version of a weapon that lets you slot in extra traits, there are always multiple avenues of customization and outfitting your party members with tools that suit your playstyle.

Pair this with an incredibly slick and stylish battle system and an open world that greatly incentivizes exploration, and in Atelier Yumia, you have a game that can easily be considered one of the best RPGs of 2025. Barring some presentational issues and the occasional bit of obtuse map design, the game is simply a near-constant joy to play.

Atelier Yumia

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

The not-so-wicked witch

While not an exclusively dark narrative by any means, Atelier Yumia grounds things in a world where alchemy is greatly feared and shunned, having been responsible for a great many accidents throughout history.

Our titular protagonist, Yumia, is one such alchemist and, despite only wanting the best for the world and its people, is typically met with distrust. Even when she uses alchemy for the benefit of others.

Thus, Yumia sets out on a journey of truth and discovery with a party of trusted comrades. With the goal of discovering the secrets of the fallen land that once thrived beforehand, Yumia aims to prove that alchemy can be used for good and doesn’t have to be something that’s inherently destructive.

From start to finish, Atelier Yumia’s story is a pretty straightforward ride, but one that’s nonetheless enjoyable. Elements of maturity are present, especially when exploring Yumia’s past. But the game often keeps the tone light-hearted and there’s plenty of bubbly dialogue and humor to enjoy. Overall, it’s an easygoing, often cozy tale, but one that isn’t afraid to get serious as the situation demands.

Atelier Yumia

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

A walk in the park

What Atelier Yumia gets right for the majority of its runtime is pacing - something that’s usually pretty rare in the open-world space. The game’s story rarely drags its heels, allowing players to truly take things at their own pace.

That pace, between all the game’s systems and mechanics, is usually very brisk. That’s especially true of exploration in Atelier Yumia. While you might initially balk at the abundance of Ubisoft-style question marks dotting the map, in reality, these are almost all extremely quick diversions. Optional points of interest like this include small ruins to explore, monster breeding grounds or hubs for particular materials, caves containing treasures, and boxes you can quickly nab skill points from.

While there’s certainly much to do in each of Yumia’s four main regions, you’re able to explore it at a relatively quick pace. Darting between undiscovered points of interest on the way to the next story objective always felt natural, and never like I had to seriously go out of my way unless I expressly wanted to.

Best bit

Atelier Yumia

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

Atelier Yumia’s take on the series’ alchemy system is arguably its best yet. While certainly very deep and boasting an amalgamation of its own mechanics, it’s nonetheless incredibly straightforward. Crafting high-quality items like weapons, accessories, restoratives and more is a moreish endeavor, especially as you continue to refine and make them more effective as you progress through the game.

That same snappiness applies to Atelier Yumia’s battle system. Like alchemy, there’s a lot to the battle system, but it’s all very easy to pick up and learn. The basics are that your party of three can engage enemies with combo attacks, set to each of the four face buttons. These combos can be used to put enemies in a weakened state, at which point you can use battle items and partner attacks to exploit elemental weaknesses for massive damage.

Battle items are also a much more integral part of the experience, and have been streamlined to a degree. They can become permanent additions to your combat loadout, only limited by a cooldown timer between uses. You’ll only need to replace them if you wish to craft better versions of them with more properties and more damage or healing potency.

As a result, while party members have their own weapons and base stats, how you can set them up is impressively flexible. For example, kitting Yumia out with elemental battle items can turn her into a robust mage, while the shield-bearing Viktor might hold a variety of stat-boosting items, essentially making him a stalwart support unit. It’s a bit Xenoblade-esque in that regard, giving you the tools necessary to build and equip characters in a way that works for you.

Atelier Yumia

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

I require your strongest potions

As I mentioned at the top, alchemy is the system that ties everything together in Atelier Yumia. While at your atelier - or within a designated building zone in the world - you’re free to perform synthesis to create anything from battle items to benches. You will of course need materials to craft these items, but you’ll find plentiful gathering spots throughout the world and you’ll naturally collect an abundance of ingredients by simply exploring.

All synthesis projects begin by selecting an Alchemy Core as your base item, of which there are various types - including one that provides an overall quality boost or another that lets you slot in traits for additional modifiers. You’ll then add materials to help expand the core’s resonance area. The larger this area, the more drifting mana will be captured within its influence. The more mana you collect, the greater the item’s quality, thus boosting its overall potency. Plus, using materials of a higher grade will extend the ceiling of any given item’s potential power.

What makes alchemy so great is that it really is up to you in regards to how you shape these items. Materials have their own unique properties, and using specific ones can provide secondary or tertiary bonuses. A hard-hitting battle item may provide other bonuses this way, such as healing or providing various buffs. Or, you can just go all-in on power, making items that hit as hard as possible.

Atelier Yumia

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

As you progress through the game, you’ll gradually unlock new recipes for synthesizing entirely new items. These ‘recall recipes’ can be created and upgraded at your atelier using different types of Memory Vials you can find in the world. Upgrading recipes can make them even more powerful, such as increasing their number of uses before going on cooldown, or increasing their base quality.

As I said, you’re not just limited to battle-oriented items. Synthesis can be done to create potions, armor, accessories, and more. And if you don’t want to get too lost in the weeds, handy quick synthesis options exist where the game will smartly assign materials automatically based on your preferences - whether that be the bare minimum, or going for as much quality as possible.

Synthesis doesn’t stop there, either. Workbenches will allow you to create housing items like benches, plants, or archways. These can then be freely placed as designated building spots throughout the world, letting you create your own bases or homesteads. There are so many options here, and it feels great being able to leave your own marks on the world to a greatly personal degree. Sure, it’s not quite Minecraft levels of freedom, but there’s plenty here that’ll allow you to get lost in hours of creativity.

A brave new frontier

In my Atelier Yumia playthrough, really the only thing that bugged me was the game’s overall visuals and presentation. They’re by no means bad, but I do feel like developer Gust often went a touch overboard when it comes to post-processing effects. Bloom during sunrise and sunset can be eye-searingly bright, washing out the world to an occasionally uncomfortable degree. Weather effects also aren’t particularly convincing, with an example being rainfall immediately coating the world in an overly wet and shiny look.

In better news, performance in Atelier Yumia is fantastic. On PC, I was able to maintain a rock-solid 60fps (frames per second), and load times are phenomenally fast - even when fast traveling from one end of the map to another. I found this to be crucial given the relatively fast-paced nature of the game, and I’m glad that Gust really took the time to optimize its world with this in mind.

Should you play Atelier Yumia?

Play it if...

You want an intricate and moreish crafting system
Synthesizing items in Atelier Yumia is extremely enjoyable, and there are so many ways to create items for any playstyle and occasion.

You love a game that respects your time
It may be a lengthy RPG, but Atelier Yumia doesn’t bog you down with an hours-long intro. Meanwhile, battle and exploration are both remarkably brisk, making for an experience that’s easy and fulfilling to play if you don’t have a ton of free time to spare.

Don't play it if...

You’re averse to poorly implemented post-processing
Atelier Yumia’s biggest issue is its reliance on intrusive effects like overdone bloom and unconvincing weather effects. While not enough to be a deal breaker for me personally, such effects can be quite distracting during exploration.

Accessibility

There’s a decent amount of accessibility features found within Atelier Yumia’s options menu. Text size and background opacity can be adjusted, as well as have three colorblind settings (deuteranopia, tritanopia, and protanopia) applied to them.

Various battle options exist that can make hitting certain commands easier, too. These include an auto-guard function for incoming attacks and an ‘easy precision counter’ that swaps you to a random character after successfully guarding or evading at the right time.

Atelier Yumia

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

How I reviewed Atelier Yumia

My playthrough of Atelier Yumia lasted around 35 hours, taking me through the main quest line, a ton of optional map exploration, and a handful of side quests.

I spent much of that time getting absorbed by item synthesis, finding it to be the game’s crowning achievement and something I was willing to put much time into in order to craft high-quality battle items and gear. I played the game on PC via Steam with an Nvidia RTX GeForce 3060 Ti graphics card, an AOC Gaming 24G2SP monitor, and the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro controller.

First reviewed March 2025

I spent more than two weeks testing the AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Pro and found it to be exceptionally comfortable and stylish, though not revolutionary
6:00 pm | March 9, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming | Comments: Off

AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Pro: One-minute review

Effectively an updated re-release of the initial AndaSeat Kaiser 3, despite the glamorous naming glow-up, the Pro line practically changes nothing compared to its predecessor. The only significant difference now comes in the form of the inclusion of AndaSeat's 5D armrests. These are the same controversial rests found in the Kaiser 4 line and the X-Air Pro as well. In fact, it seems the AndaSeat's pivoting that ‘Pro’ branding to be exactly that, an indication that the chair in question comes with those 5D beasties.

That said, it's not by any means a bad chair. The Kaiser 3 proved to be an exceptionally comfortable gaming throne, and the 3 Pro is no different (likely because it's identical). There's some fantastic comfort from the cold-foam padding, the leather is suitably soft (although it does lack some breathability), and the ergonomic support, including the magnetic headrest, is solid and dependable without being all-encompassing. If you're not a fan of the Kaiser 4's weird and wonderful pop-out backrest but want something a little more traditional than the X-Air series but are still curious about those wide-angled armrests, then the 3 Pro offers a good compromise between the lot of them, satisfying a hole within AndaSeat's own product lines.

Still, I've got some serious questions about just how many of these AndaSeat are shifting with the 5D option. The armrests just don't feel like quite the unique selling point that I imagine the company's hoping they'd become. Being able to flip up half the rest vertically, even at a variety of different angles, feels like a solution to a problem that we don't have. It's still one of the more comfortable gaming chairs out there today, mind you, and for the larger individual, the XL series is pretty top-tier in that regard; the bolsters aren't going to trap you in place like in some other offerings.

It's not all armrests and daisies, however. The build experience was a challenge. I had a few broken parts on my unit once it had finally shipped (although it did come to me directly from China to the UK), and a few bolt threads were seriously difficult to get secured, but that's not a huge deal, and once you've got it built, you're pretty much set. It's still far easier to piece together than the likes of the X-Air Pro.

Is it a contender for our best gaming chairs list? Perhaps, perhaps not. Yet, if you're interested in those funky armrests and don't want the pop-out lumbar that seems all the rage these days, it could still be a solid pick for your posterior to call home.

The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Pro viewed from the front. The headrest and armrests are visible.

(Image credit: Future)

AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Pro: Price and Availability

  • List price: $550 / around £436 / around AU$866
  • Available on Amazon US
  • Leatherette and cloth versions

While the Kaiser 3 Pro is available in the US, unfortunately, the old Achilles heel of Andaseat strikes again in one region: availability in the UK. At the time of writing, you can only find the Andaseat Kaiser 3 Pro stateside. There's no UK availability sadly; although you can still purchase the standard Kaiser 3 and the XL version of that, you'll just be devoid of those 5D armrests (which might be a blessing depending on your perspective).

There's one major hiccup on the pricing of this thing though, particularly in the states, where the Kaiser 3 XL exists. That might sound a little ridiculous, but unfortunately, the price difference between the two is a staggering $100. That's quite a lot, for what effectively amounts to a different set of armrests.

On top of that, you can currently only get the 3 Pro in three different colorways: black, pink, or black fabric, and that's it. The standard 3 XL, with far better availability, has six leather options and one fabric option at your disposal. At least on Amazon, there is far better availability on AndaSeat's webstore directly, and even the option for an anti-stain PU leather variant too.

It's also quite a tricky one to place as the Kaiser 4 line also comes in at $570, just $20 more for arguably a more feature-rich chair with better build quality.

AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Pro: Specs

AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Pro: Design and Aesthetics

  • Classic bucket seat style
  • Great material use
  • Not particularly dramatic

Once you've finished building this thing, honestly, the Kaiser 3 Pro really does look the part. Certainly in its PVC leather edition that I have on test. I've been using, building, and reviewing chairs for longer than I care to admit, and honestly, the styling on the AndaSeats always impresses me.

It's not just following industry trends like some of the other offerings and brands do out there. Right now it feels like everyone either opts for weird and wonderful gaming-esque solutions that are overly ergonomic to the point of ridiculousness, or that old "it'll look nice in your CEO's office" vibe, or the holey grail super mesh, breathable air-fabric solutions (although AndaSeat does have one of those).

No, the Kaiser 3 Pro is just exactly that. It's a bucket seat design; it's got a touch of light orange thread running around it. It has a matte leather finish running through most of it, a pseudo carbon fiber-esque pattern leather in the bolsters, and everything just works. It's not gauche; it's not in your face; it's just a good chair like that. Odd to be complimented in such a way, good job AndaSeat the Kaiser 3 Pro is bang average (you can quote me on that), but honestly, in a world of gaming insanity, that needs praising.

The bucket-shaped seat of the AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Pro.

(Image credit: Future)

AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Pro: Comfort and adjustability

  • 5D armrests are still so diabolical
  • Lumbar adjustment is subtle
  • Foam padding is luxurious but probably not good for you

I once had a long chat with Noblechairs' PR rep many years ago about why their chairs were so hard and so stiff compared to the competition. Their response was that, actually, it's better for your ergonomics to have a stiff-based chair so that your muscles don't atrophy and waste away. You feel more comfortable with stronger back muscles, and so forth. My argument, as a man who'd spent much of his youth gaming on a hard wooden chair, was fairly simple: "But it's not comfortable though." And it's true, it wasn't. The thing is, I do still have that Noblechair, and even after all these years, it's still remarkably good.

That said, the Kaiser 3 Pro, on the other hand, very much embraces that alternative way of thinking. Comfort is first and foremost a critical thing here, and you can tell that in the design and in the way AndaSeat advertises it. The soft padding, the seating, the bolsters, the plush, fluffy magnetic headrest—it's all designed to boost comfort above all else, and it works exceptionally well. There's just a real satisfaction about being sat in this thing for any length of time; you almost don't notice you're in it. Whether that's good for you long-term, it's hard to say, but for the moment it feels darn good.

A close-up view of the headrest on the AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Pro.

(Image credit: Future)

AndaSeat's kitted out this particular model with its DuraXtra synthetic leather, which is apparently more abrasion-resistant, even more so than that found on the Kaiser 4. In fact, it's been tested for 5,000 abrasion cycles without breaking. An abrasion cycle simply takes a piece of material and rubs it repeatedly against an abrasive surface. Each cycle is marked as one, and the manufacturer measures how long that material will last. Interestingly, the leather on the Kaiser 4, it's a more premium option, is only rated for 2,000 cycles.

On top of that, you get a strong, sturdy steel base, solid castor wheels, plus built-in lumbar support for when you need it. It even comes with a fairly robust backrest recline and a rocking mode as well, for those who like the terror of tilting back.

Of course, I can't leave this review without discussing the wildly debatable 5D armrests on the Pro line. The entire premise of this model, in fact. In short, it can move up, down, right, left, backward, and forwards, rotate up to 70 degrees, and then split in half and fold upwards by 40 degrees if you'd like it to. That's a lot of movement, and yes, technically, that does help you get them exactly where you want them for everyone's weird and wonderful body shapes.

The problem, though? They're huge, seriously wide. The back part alone is 5.5 inches wide, tapering off to a 4-inch front, and they're 13 inches long, and honestly, it's just too much. It's incredibly difficult to get comfortable on them, particularly if you're on the shorter side of AndaSeat's recommended height range, and that's a problem, a big one because it makes it entirely difficult to recommend them for everyone.

AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Pro: Assembly

On to construction then, and honestly, it's a very simple process; there's little to write home about. Pop the castor wheels into the steel frame, insert the gas piston, attach the tilt mechanism to the base of the chair, pop on the plastic handles, slide it onto the gas lift, remove the bolts from the chair back, slide it carefully onto the brackets, and secure it in place with those same bolts. AndaSeat's tensioned backrest tilt arm even has a nifty bracket to help you slot it into place, which is a nice touch too.

The problem I had, however, was with the bolt threads themselves. Two of them in particular were incredibly difficult to secure, try as I might. I slackened them all off, tightened them all, and tried securing just the topmost bolt first, but nothing would do the job. In the end, I had to resort to pushing the entire chair base aggressively into the wall and leaning into the bolt with the included Allen key with no small amount of force to finally get it to purchase. Less than ideal, and hopefully a one-off, but a frustrating one nonetheless. Adding to my woes, the security bolt that's usually secured to the chair to stop the retention arm from snapping or moving during assembly had also come loose, so just something to watch out for if you do decide to take the plunge. Shipping can be a harsh mistress at times.

The bolts on the side of the AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Pro.

(Image credit: Future)

Should You Buy The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Pro?

Buy it if...

You want to dabble in weirdly big armrests
They're long, proud, can move in every way under the sun, and might be perfect for the taller human.

You just want a classic gaming chair
All bucket seat, all the time. It's a classic design, and it looks great in any gaming setup, no weird and wonderful shapes or ergonomic surprises here.

Don't buy it if...

If you're on the shorter side
Those weird and wonderful armrests are just too long to easily get comfortable on, you're going to have better luck with the standard Kaiser 3 or 3 XL.

You're after the best value from your chair
$100 for an upgraded set of divisive armrests is a difficult pill to swallow.

Also consider...

Not your style? Just want something without fancy frills, or looking for something that's refined the design beyond all expectations? Then try out these alternatives.

Secretlab Titan Evo 2022
It's still our number one gaming chair of choice. It's even the same price as the Kaiser 3 Pro XL, remarkably, and has similar dimensions too, without being an XL design. If you fit in the weight and height categories, it could be a good pick. With top-tier quality, materials, and features, it's one of the comfiest chairs on the market and our favorite of the lot, with good reason.

For more information, check out our full Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 review

AndaSeat Kaiser 3 XL
No seriously, if you just can't get past those armrests or you don't want to take the risk, then the Kaiser 3 XL is the next best thing. $100 cheaper, it's equally one of our favorite gaming chairs of all time, making the top list for its comfort, quality, and generally cheaper price tag than similar alternatives.

For more information, check out our full AndaSeat Kaiser 3 XL review

How I tested the AndaSeat Kaiser 3 Pro

  • Sat in it for more than two weeks in total
  • Tested in multiple positions and compared to other chairs
  • Used through all manner of tasks

I spent over two weeks working with the Kaiser 3 Pro using it as my regular office chair while analyzing its performance. I kept a detailed document open when using it, noticing any bugbears, and kept detailed records of my time building it, along with first impressions and more.

Similarly, I've had a lot of experience with both AndaSeat's 4D and 5D armrest systems and tested the Kaiser 3 XL as well, giving me particularly good insight into this lineup.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed February 2025

I’ve spent a week taking on fighting game competitors with the Turtle Beach Victrix Pro KO and it’s the game-changer that might finally convert me from a fight stick
5:00 pm | March 8, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming Gaming Accessories | Tags: | Comments: Off

Turtle Beach Victrix Pro KO: Two-minute review

The Turtle Beach Victrix Pro KO is the latest premium take on the leverless all-button controllers that have been transforming the fighting game community's meta in recent years, built for the current generation of consoles while still backwards compatible with last-gen consoles at the click of a switch (while the controllers are also compatible with PC, you will need to buy separate controllers for PlayStation and Xbox consoles).

It's a much sleeker build than Victrix's previous attempt at a leverless controller while retaining similar features, such as customizable LED lights, a three-meter braided USB-C cable, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a comfortable ergonomic 6.28-degree wrist slope on its surface to prevent fatigue. It also includes L3 and R3 buttons that the Pro FS models lacked, while naturally including a tournament lock switch to disable all the other buttons on the top bar.

Where the Pro KO really stands out from the other contenders vying to be one of the best fight sticks is just how customizable its buttons are, with the space for 16 mappable and movable buttons compared to the default 12 of other leverless controllers. With spare buttons provided within the shell of the controller, an easy-to-pop-open cover, and tweezers that make changing buttons accessible straight out of the box, it's an easily customizable controller where you can add and program new buttons that are most comfortable to reach for your play style. Being available at a better comparable price to similar options at launch makes it an excellent choice for players looking to convert to a leverless control style.

While fighting pros will praise leverless controllers as more precise and immediate compared to a traditional arcade stick, it's still not the superior option without retraining muscle memory and getting used to the layout, even if being able to add a different place for the up / jump button can help with the adjustment. But for those prepared to put in the work and make the transition, the Pro KO is the best leverless controller to make that move.

A close-up image of the Victrix Pro KO leverless fight stick's wrist slope

(Image credit: Future/Alan Wen)

Turtle Beach Victrix Pro KO: Price and availability

  • List price of $249.99 / £229.99 / AU$399.95
  • Comparably priced to other leverless controllers
  • Limited availability for PlayStation variant compared to Xbox

Launching in December 2024, the price point of the Victrix Pro KO is about right for other leverless controllers right now. It's much cheaper than the Victrix Pro FS-12 and better priced than its closest competitor the Razer Kitsune, which launched at $299, making it a relative bargain considering the wealth of additional customization offered out of the box.

For pad players looking to take their fighting game prowess to the next level, the Victrix Pro KO is definitely a better price choice than shelling out for its premium arcade stick equivalent the Victrix Pro FS, which is among the most expensive fight sticks at the moment (it is however still my stick of choice).

Stock is unfortunately in short supply for the PlayStation model currently, with Amazon taking orders but warning that shipping can take anywhere from three to six months. It's likely because PS5 consoles have largely been the preferred platform for tournaments, but if you're predominantly playing on PC then you might be better off going for the Xbox version, which is more widely available.

Turtle Beach Victrix Pro KO: Specs

A top-down image of the Victrix Pro KO leverless fight stick's buttons and lighting

(Image credit: Future/Alan Wen)

Turtle Beach Victrix Pro KO: Design and features

  • Easily customizable and movable buttons right out of the box
  • Sleek design with ergonomic wrist slope
  • Tactile Cherry switches and button rings with customizable RGB lighting

Compared to Victrix's previous attempt at a leverless controller with the Pro FS-12, which essentially kept the same bulk and weight of its Pro FS arcade stick, the Pro KO is a substantial improvement, leveraging the leverless controller's strength as a lighter and more compact option. While its dimensions are still larger than competitors like the Razer Kitsune, it's still a comfortable size for taking to tournaments, slipping neatly into my laptop bag, or the strap bars on the side give you the option to add shoulder straps.

The extra real estate is important for your hands though, as the surface incorporates a 6.28° wrist slope just like with Victrix's Pro FS models, which does wonders for preventing fatigue when playing for lengthy sessions. There are also more buttons on the top including dedicated L3 and R3 buttons while the PlayStation version includes the DualSense touchpad on the top left corner, all of which can be disabled with a tournament lock switch on the top-right corner to prevent accidentally pressing them during a heated tournament match.

The 24-millimeter buttons are smaller than typical arcade sticks but the same size as other leverless designs, along with the single 30-millimeter button for the up / jump button that's designed to be within reach of your thumb, similar to a space bar. It's not the only comparison to a keyboard as the buttons are also comprised of Cherry MX Speed Silver RGB switches used in mechanical keyboards, making these buttons just as tactile and responsive as Sanwa Denshi buttons favored by professional fighting game players.

A top-down image of the Victrix Pro KO leverless fight stick's buttons being taken apart

(Image credit: Future/Alan Wen)

While the controller has 12 buttons by default, what you'll notice are four other indents (one to the left of the directional buttons, two below the usual command buttons, and one to the left of the up/jump button) where other buttons can be added. These aren't optional extras, for when you pop out the top cover, by flicking the four switches beneath the controller base, you'll find that it snugly fits four spare buttons and switches, as well as a pair of tweezers that make it easy to remove the round caps and then add new buttons, or even replace a faulty button.

Once added, you simply need to hold the function button on the top bar and then choose the button you want to map the new button to. It's just as easy to customize the color lighting for the button rings, while also adjusting the mode from static to breathing, prismatic, or you can simply turn them off if you prefer.

A close-up image of the Victrix Pro KO leverless fight stick's buttons

(Image credit: Future/Alan Wen)

Turtle Beach Victrix Pro KO: Performance

  • Tactile and responsive buttons, but will need acclimating to if new to leverless controls
  • More comfortable advantage with customizable button layout
  • Good for playing on your lap or on a desk

When it comes down to it, the reason to own the Victrix Pro KO is because of how much more responsive and reliable just tapping directional inputs is than with a stick. In Street Fighter 6, instead of fumbling two-quarter circles to perform a super, I just need to tap down, forward, down forward, while a charge attack is more immediate if you're just tapping the button instead of moving the stick and back and forth, which may all seem like tiny fractions of milliseconds of a difference, but in any competitive environment, those all count.

Arcade purists may sniff at these controllers, which had also caught controversy for being potentially too advantageous, leading to a few instances of leverless controllers being banned at some tournaments, not to mention that the Victrix Pro KO lacks Sanwa Denshi parts that the Pro FS-12 has. Yet in terms of tactility, the Cherry switches were every bit as clickable and responsive in my testing.

If you're very new to leverless controllers, however, you shouldn't take them as an immediately superior controller compared to other existing options. Using buttons for directions intrinsically requires different muscle memory from using a stick - it's about the placement of your fingers and thumb over all the directional inputs rather than your thumb on a pad or your whole arm when using a stick. Personally, I still find it difficult to adjust to having the up / jump button located at the bottom, even though it's actually where you would expect a space bar to be, and so I found myself less capable of utilizing aerial moves.

A top-down image of the Victrix Pro KO leverless fight stick from the side

(Image credit: Future/Alan Wen)

While there is arguably more precision in button inputs, that's only without factoring in pressure during an actual match. It's one thing to flawlessly execute supers in training mode but against an online opponent, I would still find myself tapping the inputs too fast incorrectly in the same way I can fluff the same inputs with a joystick.

Nonetheless, as far as it goes to learning leverless controls, I found the Victrix Pro KO's button layout better than when I had previously tried the Razer Kitsune, which was a little more spread out and caused my left hand to cramp when trying to keep each digit over a respective directional button. The customizable button placements also greatly help with the adjustment. In my case, adding another jump button further to the left felt more reachable for my thumb, while adding another button just under the other attack buttons meant I could program a one-button parry that's far easier to reach.

Ultimately, while I see myself improving in leverless controls the more I'm using the Victrix Pro KO, I'm still not confident in having it replace my Victrix Pro FS stick as my controller of choice at the next local tournament. After swapping back to a stick, I was simply more comfortable with a mix of air-to-air follow-ups that my brain had been struggling to compute with buttons- alone. If you however don't already have decades of arcade fighting game experience lodged in your brain and are also used to playing games with a keyboard, then going leverless is likely going to feel like a natural progression.

Should I buy the Turtle Beach Victrix Pro KO?

Buy it if...

You want one of the most customizable leverless controllers around
Leverless controllers are already touted for their more responsive performance you have an even greater advantage by being able to easily add and program more buttons right out of the box.

You want the same features as the Victrix sticks but with a lighter form factor
The Victrix Pro KO has a lighter and sleeker form factor comparable to other leverless controllers but still has the same great features as its fellow Victrix sticks such as the ergonomic wrist slope and the option to add a shoulder strap for carrying it around.

Don't buy it if...

You're expecting a superior controller overnight
Leverless controllers may offer more precise and responsive inputs in theory but it also requires a lot of practice and mental rewiring if you've been used to arcade sticks or gamepads for many years. But much like with fighting games, it's all about practice.

Also consider...

If you’re still not entirely sold on the Turtle Beach Victrix Pro KO then check out these two excellent similar products for comparison and consideration.

Victrix Pro FS
If you prefer to stick with traditional arcade sticks, this is easily the best one there is despite its very premium price. Not only does it use Sanwa parts, but its ergonomic wrist slope also makes it very comfortable to play for long sessions. It's also available in many different stylish designs based on some of the biggest fighting game series.

For more information, check out our full Victrix Pro FS review

Octopus Arcade Stick
If you want a fight stick that's compatible with generations of platforms with a rich history of arcade fighting games and beat-em-ups, then the Octopus Arcade stick is the one for you, even more so if you happen to be a Dreamcast owner. Just be warned of its weight, size, and the need to spend more on extra compatible cables.

For more information, check out our full Octopus Arcade Stick review

A top-down image of the Victrix Pro KO leverless fight stick's buttons

(Image credit: Future/Alan Wen)

How I tested the Turtle Beach Victrix Pro KO

  • Tested for a week on PS5 and PC
  • Used for Street Fighter 6 and Virtua Fighter 5 REVO offline and online
  • Compared to the Victrix Pro FS for reference

With Street Fighter 6 being my regular fighting game fixture on the PS5, I swapped out my dependable Victrix Pro FS for the Victrix Pro KO for a week, though occasionally swapping back to get a comparison on the different feel of each controller. Firstly practicing offline with the newly added character Mai I gradually took the courage to adapt to leverless controls against other online opponents, getting my fair share of wins but also plenty of defeats, and making note of where I felt an improvement in using this controller and what felt like new limitations. I also played some matches while using the controller's audio jack with my Corsair Virtuoso Pro wired headset.

On my gaming PC, I was able to test it out on the newly released Virtua Fighter 5 REVO, where I also started with some practice in arcade mode before attempting to take it online and making some progress in ranked matches. This was however an easier adjustment from Street Fighter 6 owing to fewer inputs while the up button is used less for jumping and more for side-stepping. Overall, I played around 8-10 hours with the Victrix Pro KO between both games, though arguably more so on Street Fighter 6 because it really is the best.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed February 2025

I’ve spent hours honing my swing in PGA Tour 2K25, and while its shot craft remains excellent, familiar frustrations can’t keep it totally out of the rough
8:35 pm | March 5, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming | Comments: Off

The shot craft in PGA Tour 2K25 is exquisite and remains the best feature of the golf sports game from 2K in a series that has excelled in that area. The multi-layered parts of creating a shot, shaping it, thinking about contact and spin, and potentially utilizing specialist shots make the gameplay of 2K25 extremely enjoyable.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on:
PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date:
February 28, 2025

However, the game is not as strong in other areas, and still remains firmly in the shadow of its competition, namely EA Sports PGA Tour. There are some familiar frustrations when it comes to repetitive, underwhelming commentary and strange animation execution. There are also new annoyances like an abundance of obnoxious transition screens, but also oddities in things such as bag building and skill acquisition, while the absence of some major competitions and the most famous courses is still hard to ignore.

Having said that, 2K25 still represents a closing of the gap between it and its main rival a little bit, and the games may be even closer in years to come, especially if 2K25 can continue to build around its awesome shot craft and golf play.

The UI from PGA Tour 2K25 showing the shot and evoswing

(Image credit: 2K)

The shot craft is strong in this one

Shot craft is at the very core of what makes PGA Tour 2K25 fun and kept me devouring hole after hole, and tournament week after tournament week.

The series’ TrueSwing and EvoSwing features are quality and offer a high level of shot planning, execution, and feedback. In short, you can tailor your shots to conditions nicely and factor in strike, spin, and shaping, while EvoSwing’s feedback meter provides you with results in an instant covering contact, rhythm, transition, and swing path.

Throw in the fact that your golfer can smash 300-yard bombs off the tee right from the beginning, and you have the tools necessary to take on all the courses the game has to offer immediately. What helps this are the intuitive controls too: the analog sticks on the controller provide an intuitive way to swing your club, and the three-click method is present once again allowing for users to use one button and timing through visual prompts to nail their shots.

It’s worth mentioning here that although bombing drives for miles straight away is fun, the default difficulty of the game does make it easy to succeed at first: in my second round I shot a 58, 14 under par score. As a result, it’s definitely worth tinkering with the settings to find the right level of challenge; there’s plenty of customization here and it’s worth getting stuck into such as overall swing difficulty, swing bias settings, and even how many times you can use the putt preview line.

A close up of the EvoSwing meter from PGA Tour 2K25

(Image credit: 2K)

Career steps - and missteps

The career mode in 2K25 offers more than its predecessor and begins with the option to choose from five different archetypes that will govern what kind of player you are. These are pretty broad brush stroke types like ‘magician’ for those good at recovery and ‘big hitters’ for those who crush the ball. There’s a good level of character customization on offer too so you should be able to bring your ideal golfing avatar to life.

The overall means to get into the MyCareer mode is straightforward, and you’ll soon be choosing where to start - in the amateur championships, or diving straight into the PGA Tour for example. Your player is pretty competent from the off and you’ll be competing in no time which is a real plus point of the game and its career mode if you value getting stuck into competitions with real players fast.

Player rivalries make a return but also in message form with other pros dropping you a line offering to create a friendly rivalry. This can add a bit of extra fun to succeeding rounds of golf, and you’ll get a reward for engaging them and winning - often a cosmetic. You’ll also get more social media followers too - though I am still to determine what the benefit of more followers actually is apart from it being a general measure of progression.

PGA Tour 2K25’s personality system is an interesting extra addition and your choices in conversations or interviews allow you to be more confident, bordering arrogant, about your game, or allow you to be a more humble or reserved person. From my time with the game, I haven’t seen any huge tangible benefit to either yet. Feeding into that are the aforementioned rivalries, but also sponsorships, and the game’s interview system.

This - along with the new chats with your agent - is another largely welcome one, but again, something that has its own oddities to raise an eyebrow. In one sense it’s great to see an expansion of the career to include media duties and make choices on how you want your avatar to behave and act in the world. On the other, it is strange to get asked questions about being the best of all time after three tournament wins, and, once again, see the same questions repeat quite often.

Best bit

Nailing a perfectly struck shot is incredibly satisfying in PGA Tour 2K25, and getting every single element of it right is as good as it gets. When you hit your first well-planned and thought-out shot to approach a tricky green by also hitting all of the sweet spots in contact, clubface, tempo, and wing path, the feeling is immensely satisfying.

Sponsorship agreements share this kind of double-edgedness too: it’s welcome to see your player get wooed and approached by big-name brands, but it’s also very jarring to get strange offers such as noted footwear and apparel brand FootJoy offering to provide my clubs. It might not mean much to most casual players, but those who will recognize brands and maybe even want their avatar to use them, are the same ones who will find it offputting.

These additions also give way to one of my particular gripes with PGA Tour 2K25: the sheer number of transition and loading screens. After every single action - be that a round, a chat with your agent, or an interview - you’ll have a transition screen pop up for a few seconds. The frequency is incredibly annoying, and having them pop up so regularly - especially when you’re in the groove of moving swiftly between tournament weeks because you want to play the golf part of the golf game - is incredibly disappointing.

The week of a tournament consists of a practice session and pre-tournament events which help to make each week feel more fulsome. Practice sessions can be used to hone specific skills in the week of the tournament if you wish, and pre-tournament events like practice rounds can familiarize you with some of the tournament's holes before the event. Sponsor events can then boost your progression with those sponsoring your apparel, clubs, and balls too. As a result, every week in the career mode is full of stuff to do which is excellent - especially as much of it is the wonderful shot-to-shot gameplay.

A close up of equipment progression from PGA Tour 2K25

(Image credit: 2K)

What's in the bag?

There’s plenty of customization and development to get into in the area of skills and equipment. As you play you’ll acquire experience and skill points which you can use to unlock skills in broad-brush parts of your game such as shots from the tee, recovery play, and more. A lot of these skills are more about increasing forgiveness than anything but the ability to progress that they represent is welcome and satisfying.

Some attributes will be maxed out in line with your archetype which is broadly agreeable, but some skills and shots seem to be totally blocked off by that same choice. This also undermines the role-playing aspect of the game a little. You can bomb 300-yard drives straight away, but a power drive or shot has to be learned - or is unlearnable because I’m not the right archetype. My wedges are as effective as the tour professionals, but my player has to learn a choke down shot (gripping the club a little lower down the shaft). I chose ‘technician’ as my archetype and that meant a power shot or knockdown shot was just flat-out off the table for my player which seems like needless gatekeeping.

In terms of equipment, you can build several bags (like loadouts in shooters, for example) and simply playing with your clubs more and more leads to an increase in proficiency in them. The maximum for each skill is limited by your archetype, which is an interesting way of making you stick to a set of clubs to get more out of them. You can upgrade clubs and balls with bolt-on fittings to upgrade them and their qualities, and also evolve them into clubs of a new level over time too.

The level of flexibility in building your bag is good, though doesn't allow for complete and absolute choice. For example, I couldn’t pick a 58-degree wedge for my bag or even see any driving irons to pick. Spending a practice session on a driving skill can boost all of your clubs which is strange and negates the choice to focus on a single club a little - but I do wish my proficiency with one club making the rest of them better is something that would translate to my real-world game.

My experience with the amount of branded clubs to choose from has been disappointing as the range of club types is pretty small. In 2K23 I could recreate my own golf bag with all the 2022 clubs which allowed me to make my avatar more like myself. I can’t do that in 2K25.

A close up of the skill tree from PGA Tour 2K25

(Image credit: 2K)

One stroke forward, two strokes back

Sadly, the largely improved career mode and the moreishness of the gameplay and shot craft is held back by some familiar - and new - frustrations.

The commentary is still odd, repetitive, and underwhelming. I even had one time where the commentators were talking about a replay of a highlight clip over an entire hole that I subsequently played which had the commentary totally out of sync. It’s boring, low-energy, and - the cardinal sin in sports games - often repeats itself to the point of annoyance.

While pre-tournament practice sessions are welcome and the boosts to attributes offer something more, they’re subject to awkwardness; your character will do the same animations like they’ve just won a championship when saving par on a practice round hole, for example. On this note, I find that a golfer’s wrist on the trailing arm looks quite odd at address, as well, almost appearing as if it bulges forward strangely and is overpronounced.

The appearance of microtransactions isn’t too egregious or aggressive but it’s a shame they are deemed necessary in a golf game in which its other elements promote you and your player improving and getting better by simply playing.

For casual golf game fans, PGA Tour 2K25 still scratches many an itch, and the jump-in-and-play aspect is excellent, especially given the satisfaction of crafting great shots. Throw in some fun multiplayer modes like TopGolf, ongoing daily, weekly, and seasonal challenges and quests, and course design modes may well keep committed fans and players may well keep coming back for me with 2K25. For golf game fans like me who grew up with EA’s Tiger Woods series, however, 2K25 is better, but still not quite the right fit for those wanting a full role-playing experience.

As a result, the game still feels firmly in the shadow of its competitor, EA Sports PGA Tour. But, this isn’t a terminal comparison: there is much fun to be had with PGA Tour 2K25, and if you’re after an accessible, pick-up-and-play golf game for the current generation then this is it.

Should you play PGA Tour 2K25?

Play it if...

You want the best version of a great pick-up-and-play golf game
The fact that you can take on pretty much any golf course in PGA Tour 2K25 straight after booting is one of PGA Tour 2K25’s most compelling qualities; you can be crafting shots and winning tournaments minutes after starting the game.

You want excellent shot craft
The shot craft in PGA Tour 2K25 is its best and most polished quality. With a more restrained UI this time around, there’s still plenty to get into to prepare the best shot in your armory for each and every situation - and the payoff is oh-so-sweet when it goes well.

You want to tailor and customize your golf experience
While it lacks in some areas, the tinkering you can do in PGA Tour 2K25’s settings to find the right level of challenge is very welcome and will help committed players get more out of the game as the hours pile up.

You want some fun online golf multiplayer modes
Going online and competing against other real-life players in PGA Tour 2K25 is both exceptionally fun and easy to do; you can find some neat games to play against others efficiently.

Don't play it if...

You want to fully role-play as a golfer from hack to pro
You can boot up PGA Tour 2K25 and hit 300+ yard drives from the off, and some skills are totally locked depending on your archetype, so if you’re looking at something where you go on a full journey as a golfer, then you’re better off looking at EA Sports PGA Tour to scratch that itch.

You hate abundant transition and loading screens
The amount of transition screens in between, well, everything in PGA Tour 2K25 is frankly infuriating. Especially when one of the game’s strengths is how enjoyable the core golf play is once you’re in it, this really detracts from the experience.

You want to play all of the best courses and biggest tournaments
Once again PGA Tour 2K25 falls short here compared to its competition and if playing the likes of the Masters and all the other most famous courses are a priority for you then PGA Tour 2K25 won’t offer you that.

You can’t stand bad commentary
While the graphics are improved in PGA Tour 2K25 the commentating is (once again) repetitive, lacking enthusiasm, often badly timed, and seriously underwhelming.

Accessibility

PGA Tour 2K25’s main suite of accessibility features lies in its extensive difficulty options that can be tinkered with. There’s also the ability to choose between holding or toggling buttons for the swing mechanic and a host of display and HUD, camera, and audio options to choose from. Sadly there doesn’t seem to be a setting to change the text size on screen or any colorblind options.

A player playing a bunker shot in PGA Tour 2K25

(Image credit: 2K)

How I reviewed PGA Tour 2K25

I played PGA Tour 2K25 for nearly 15 hours for this review, taking my created golfer deep into a second PGA tour season having started in the Korn Ferry Championship. While playing through the seasons, I toyed with all the possible ways to play a tournament’s game week and also dipped into several of the online multiplayer modes.

I tried both Performance and and Quality graphics modes - performance was my preference for the smoothness of swings and shots - tinkered with the difficulty settings to tailor my experience, snooped about the shop and store, and interrogated the skill trees and equipment options, while also going out of my way to compare it to EA Sports PGA Tour which I still dip into every now and then.

I reviewed the game on my two PlayStation 5 setups: a PS5 Slim with an Acer X32QFS gaming monitor and Yamaha SR-C20A soundbar; and a PS5 Pro with a Samsung Q6F 55-inch 4K QLED TV and Samsung soundbar. When needing to play with a headset, I played with a SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 on the PS5 Slim and a SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless with my PS5 Pro (there are no special settings for the Pro). I used a regular DualSense Wireless controller on both machines.

First reviewed March 2025

I rode a dragon, sizzled as a sausage, and won a dance-off with a monkey in Split Fiction, and that’s not even the half of it
7:02 pm | March 4, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming | Tags: | Comments: Off

Split Fiction is an explosive co-op game with a kaleidoscope of mechanics. If you’ve played either of Hazelight Studios’ previous multiplayer masterpieces, then you’ll know what I mean by this – there’s a level where you literally have to navigate your way through one of those colorful rotating toys, but for those of you who have not (go play them now) I'm more so referring to the various game types it has managed to pack into it, from platforming and puzzling to action-adventure role-playing game and racing (and that’s only a small flavor of what you’ll find).

Indeed, the studio is waving the co-op flag high and I’m all for it as it’s great to see such an under-served area of gaming getting the attention it deserves.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date: March 6, 2025

Stepping into the incredibly imaginative minds of two writers who get trapped in a simulation of their own fictionalized sci-fi and fantasy worlds is an ingenious premise for a multiplayer, multi-genre game. It’s a lot different to two criminals trying to escape a prison like in A Way Out or a married couple that gets turned into their child’s toys in It Takes Two, making it feel like a completely fresh take on the co-op adventure gaming genre that Hazelight is repping.

A screengrab from the game Split Fiction

I could’ve easily spent more hours wandering around the virtual imaginations of the game’s two main characters (Image credit: Hazelight Studios)

In Split Fiction, you can choose to play as either a decisive sci-fi lover called Mio Hudson (voiced by Kaja Chan) or an emphatic fantasy fan known as Zoe Foster (voiced by Elsie Bennett). Each character has unique abilities – for example, Mio gets to use her dragon to glide in one level as Zoe uses her dragon’s tail to climb up obstacles.

While I played as Mio, who I think has the more exciting abilities, a lot of care has been taken to make sure whichever character you play as you get a chance to experience a new mechanic that’s introduced throughout the gameplay – whether that’s being the one to tilt the screen to help your partner navigate across a series of obstacles or move objects to create new pathways.

A screengrab from the game Split Fiction showing a cyberpunk city

(Image credit: Hazelight Studios )

The game's nemesis is the CEO of Radar Publishing, who Mio and Zoe discover is trying to steal their ideas without their consent. However, before you get to inevitably challenge him, you and your co-op partner will have to face a series of bosses, including a rogue AI robot, an evil cat, and a Hydra of Lerna-type mythical dragon beast, just to name a few, as you move through glitches to escape the idea stealing machine. Each battle is different and requires a combination of maneuvers to get past, which you’re introduced to as you proceed through each level, such as timed jumps, shapeshifting, dodges, target shooting, and more.

A screengrab from the game Split Fiction

Any gamers recognize this sword?! (Image credit: Hazelight Studios)

A multiverse game

Despite the back and forth between different sci-fi and fantasy styles, neither style suffers from a dev overload with each level being crafted in absolutely stunning detail. Sure, Hazelight has clearly invested more time and resources into Split Fiction this time as it’s noticeably more polished, but that also means it has less of that rustic indie dev charm that you might find with their previous two games or from titles like Campo Santo’s Firewatch or Moon Studio’s Ori and the Blind Forest.

I'd say it's almost certainly needed for a game with this much ambition, though, and you’ll see why when you get to the final chapter. It’s a AAA game from a passionate indie studio, what more could we ask for?

Best bit

A screengrab from the game Split Fiction

(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)

Split Fiction has taken the best bits of It Takes Two and A Way Out, and made a varied co-op adventure with a dynamic storyline. The final level ties into the title in a way that made for a crescendo of a finale that will forever stay with me.

One aspect I love is how Hazelight's passion for playing games is beautifully integrated into its homages to the mechanics that make great games alongside a huge amount of pop culture references and easter eggs. For example, throughout the game you’ll wallrun and grapple in a similar fashion to Star Wars: Jedi Survivor.

Other times you’ll find yourself in a side-scroller with a simple black and white colorway that’s reminiscent of Limbo or a 2D platformer that will give you those nostalgic Mega Man and Sonic vibes or a dance battle with a monkey that has a section where you play the retro mobile game Snake – there’s even a level where you have to use portals, which is absolutely a nod to the best co-op game ever made: Portal.

A screengrab from the game Split Fiction

Split Fiction is already a co-op icon (Image credit: Hazelight Studios)

This additional consideration becomes a fun activity to spot in itself and provides some of the most enjoyable moments in the game. I loved guessing which movies a section of the game was referencing. Some are more obvious than others, like the cutscene that sees you change into your next character style in true Sailor Moon fashion or the bit of dialogue where one of the bosses says something about, “You think darkness is your ally?”, which felt like a nod to The Dark Knight Rises, while others are less subtle like the level where you’re lowered by your teammate down an air vent having to dodge lasers that had me feeling like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible. It feels like the developers had a lot of fun weaving these references into the game and they sure make for brilliant sections.

Side note: keep your eye out for the fun little things the devs have had fun including, my personal fav was the revolving doors that would stop if you rushed and tried to push them a nice touch that anyone who’s ever been inpatient in one would have experienced.

My favorite part of the game, though, is the chaotic multiverse final level. This completely blew my mind and is a testament to the creative genius of Hazelight Studios. It’s like nothing I’ve ever played before, mixing different level’s skins with gaming elements in a way I’ve never seen done before.

A screengrab from the game Split Fiction

Is that tree Groot? (Image credit: Hazelight Studios )

Bringing new players together

What I love most about this is that a game like this has really wide appeal – I’m not just talking about veteran gamers who will get a kick out of all the old game references but also those that the closest they’ve ever gotten to a game is something like Tetris. When It Takes Two came out, I noticed people that I never would have thought to play video games, raving about the experience they’d just had, and to me that’s what makes this even more special.

You don’t have to be a serious gamer to enjoy this entertaining adventure. It’s so varied and mixed that I don’t doubt it will be played many times again and again. Split Fiction is another great success in a co-op arena Hazelight is beginning to dominate.

Should you play Split Fiction?

A screengrab from the game Split Fiction

Well, this was unexpected... (Image credit: Hazelight Studios)

Play it if…

You love gaming with a buddy
It's an easy one but an important one: Split Fiction is best enjoyed with a pal. However, don’t worry if you don’t have someone in your household, because you can play Split Fiction both locally and online with Friends Pass. Hazelight Studios has also added crossplay options for even more frictionless pairing.

You want a genre-bending game
You’ll go from platforming and puzzles to top-down RPG, racing, rhythm battles, and more. This is primarily an action-adventure platformer, but there are so many mini-games within it that it’ll keep you on your toes. Split Fiction manages to incorporate all this while still following a linear storyline.

You enjoy high-quality graphics
Split Fiction is truly gorgeous. Given that the two main styles are fantasy and sci-fi, it’s mesmerizing to navigate through each level but the mini-games are even more different as some completely abandon the two main styles to bring you a new whacky, weird, and wonderful game look.

Don’t play it if…

You’re looking for challenging puzzles

Compared to It Takes Two, the puzzles weren’t as challenging in Split Fiction. This does mean that you and your buddy will likely not get stuck on any level, so don’t expect anything like the Water Temple conundrum in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to keep you scratching your head.

You’re not an adaptive gamer
The camera perspectives change at the drop of a hat in Split Fiction as you enter new mini-games and levels, making some of the transitions a bit jarring. If you’re familiar with the game references, you’ll likely intuitively know what to do but if you’re not familiar with these then I expect there will be a sight learning curve for some.

A screengrab from the game Split Fiction

Who else loved SSX 3? (Image credit: Hazelight Studios )

Accessibility features

Hazelight Studios has added plenty of features to make Split Fiction a very frictionless experience. The checkpointing is generous, with an option to jump between saved points. There are plenty of settings to modify the buttons, including key binding, camera rotation assistance, and reducing enemy damage. Unfortunately, you can't change the size of subtitles but you do get the option to add solid backgrounds to the text to boost its visibility.

Meanwhile, the voiceovers of the characters in Split Fiction have been recorded in seven different languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese (simplified) and Japanese. There are also nine different language subtitles – German, French, Spanish, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, Japanese, Chinese (traditional and simplified), and Korean. Like It Takes Two, the game has an ESRB rating of teen for 13-year-olds and upwards, which makes it more widely accessible for different ages (unlike A Way Out, which has a mature rating due to its subject matter).

A screengrab from the game Split Fiction

Tron anyone? (Image credit: Hazelight Studios )

How we reviewed

I played Split Fiction for around 19 hours on a PS5 Pro and still didn’t earn every trophy. Out of the 21 available, I only got three for completing all side stories, finishing the game, and feeding a dragon (although this was purely accidental as I had not seen all the trophies until after I finished). I don’t doubt that anyone taking more time could clock up even more hours on this game, making it great value for the completionists out there.

The graphics looked incredible on a Sky Glass TV and the audio was fully immersive on a Sonos surround sound setup made up of the Beam (Gen 2), two Era 100s, and the Sub Mini.

A Way Out is a gritty co-op game that challenged me to make the right choice in a world full of bad ones
4:36 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming | Comments: Off

Early in co-op game A Way Out, my partner and I found ourselves starving in a forest after a taxing escape from the police. While a burger was definitely out of the question, we came across a riverside camp with fish rushing in its shallow waters. To catch our lunch, one of us needed to splash the water and funnel the fish into a tight spot, while the other used a wooden spear to finish the job. It was an archaic process that made for a thoughtful moment in a game occupied by chaos, and put into focus the clarifying themes of teamwork and survival that define Hazelight’s prison-breaking adventure game.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PS5 (PS4 via backward compatibility)
Available on:
PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date:
March 23, 2018

In A Way Out, you and a partner play as the criminals Leo Carusa and Vincent Moretti as they seek to escape their incarceration after being led astray by the same rotten apple. Landing somewhere between a playable film and an action-packed adventure game, A Way Out’s opening act sets the tone for its silver-screen story. Introduced in tandem, Leo’s character is confident despite being locked in a corrupt system and surrounded by danger. He wanders the halls, chatting and nearly getting into fights as if it’s nothing new.

In contrast, Vincent is just learning about the starkness of his new home, as he is hosed down and marched through the concrete trappings, talking to other new prisoners who have abandoned all hope. The difference in their personalities becomes a central theme throughout the prison-breaking plot, despite their shared goal of escape and ultimate freedom.

A split-screen screenshot of co-op game A Way Out and the characters in the prison

(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)

Wrong place, wrong time

Across A Way Out’s mayhem-tinged levels, you’ll choose dialogue threads to follow and perform an array of actions like stealthily taking down cops or commandeering getaway cars. Most tasks require the other player to create a distraction or assemble to lift doors and clear obstacles, though there are many pursuits that can be enjoyed on your own. The shared workload works well for the most part, but on a few occasions, one character's exploits can be cut off by the other if they accidentally trigger a key cutscene or interaction, which can be frustrating if you want to immerse yourself in A Way Out’s detailed environment.

Additional quick-time events also crop up in moments of heightened tension and require precision to succeed, like tapping the right button to avoid taking a punch or holding down a trigger to catch yourself before falling from a great height. To account for the shifting attention between the pair, A Way Out trades between a classic 50/50 screen split and a flexible one that offers more display real estate to the player performing a key action. This dynamic blend of perspectives meant that my partner and I both had a chance to feel like the central anti-hero. Occasionally, other characters can also claim a space on the screen for themselves, which adds palpable tension to your actions. Seeing this pressure manifest as a gun-wielding menace pervades the screen is an electric feeling and enough to get you sweating as you force solutions and desperately try to proceed.

Levels are broken up by story events that require you and your co-op buddy to vote and follow a particular narrative path – Leo’s or Vincent’s. Your choices shape the story and give each playthrough a more bespoke feel, even if the overarching narrative remains largely the same. Many of the differences in their personality can feel intangible. However, these impactful decisions help to give them depth by weaving those differences into the gameplay. In my playthrough, I was confident in my choice to play as Vincent, as I thought his analytical mind was more reasonable than Leo’s brash one. However, as the story played out and I became acquainted with them, I began questioning Vincent's motives. A Way Out is keen to keep you in the dark just enough to make you unsure what to choose without making you feel disconnected from the characters or the decision – an aspect I thoroughly enjoyed.

A split-screen screenshot of co-op game A Way Out and the characters escaping an enemy

(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)

Brains or brawn

A Way Out’s world is a harsh and unforgiving one. The prison is cement and grey, with sparse spotlighting offering little escape from the oppressive mood. Metal bars and staircases shine between tarnish, with matte posters hanging from walls, faded with age. Outside, the surrounding farmland and rural areas feel hazy and vulnerable. Throughout A Way Out, you dance between these cold and warm spaces, with each location thoughtfully dressed with accessories like leaking aircon vents and playable mahogany pianos. Moreover, while many objects are just there to gawk at, some kick-off competitive games like wheelchair balancing or horseshoe pitching. While unnecessary to the story, these optional side objectives do well to offset A Way Out’s heavier themes with some lighthearted fun.

Best bit

A split-screen screenshot of co-op game A Way Out and the characters in the prison yard

(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)

On the surface, Vincent and Leo are two protagonists who could not be more different. Leo’s short-tempered sharpness rubs against Vincent’s careful eye, resulting in tense moments as well as warm ones. As you learn more about them and watch their relationship unfold, it’s hard not to be drawn into their strange chemistry.

Whether you’re mainlining the plot or goofing off in a minigame, A Way Out is made all the better courtesy of Vincent and Leo’s voice actors, Fares Fares and Eric Krogh, who deliver their lines with attitude and grit. And despite solid writing throughout, some of my favorite deliveries came from the casual one-liners rather than the more significant and plot-relevant cutscenes. During the initial prison break, you can find an antique globe in one of the rooms. While interacting with it doesn’t offer anything substantial to the plot, if you spin it enough, Leo dreamily mutters, “Ah, the Pacific Ocean… that sounds nice.” Later, in the hospital, Vincent encounters an old couple bickering about a car accident. After asking their age, the old man makes a poor guess and quickly admits fault. Instead of showing empathy, Vincent sarcastically agrees that he is actually too old to drive. These small, punchy moments offer comic relief to A Way Out’s otherwise heady story and champion the protagonist’s humanity, despite the game’s often unforgiving setting.

A Way Out feels like playing through all the twists and turns of a high-end HBO show – emotionally taxing but very hard to put down. The game’s simple prison break premise quickly gives way to a complicated story about family and friendship, and I thoroughly enjoyed struggling through its immersive set pieces with the help of a friend.

Should you play A Way Out?

Play it if...

You like classic dramas
A Way Out
strikes a careful balance between dramatic storytelling and game mechanics, putting players in pole position to not only impact the story but also sit back and enjoy their choices in intense and rewarding ways.

You want to stress test your friendship
It turns out escaping prison takes a lot more than just blind belief, and you’ll need to think your way through many complex situations, often deliberating with your co-op partner about which path to take. Due to the high-stakes nature of the story, disagreements are likely to come up, giving you a measure of how close you and your co-conspirator are under pressure.

Don't play it if...

You want a lighthearted co-op game
A Way Out
is packed with emotive themes, violence, and plenty of swearing. While it features Hazelight’s well-curated cooperative gameplay, the story leans much darker than the likes of It Takes Two.

Accessibility

When it comes to controls in A Way Out, many settings can be toggled per character, so one player can play with different preferences. Inversion horizontal and vertical) and aim/focus sensitivity can be toggled individually. Vibration can be toggled on and off from the settings menu as well. Where audio is concerned, players can toggle on and off subtitles, as well as choose their audio preset (TV, Headphones, and Home Theatre).

A split-screen screenshot of co-op game A Way Out and the characters escaping on bikes

(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)

How I reviewed A Way Out

I reviewed A Way Out in a local co-op on a PlayStation 5 playing the PlayStation 4 release via backward compatibility and did so alongside It Takes Two, in the run-up to Hazelight's latest game, Split Fiction.

I teamed my PS5 with an AOC CQ27G2 27-inch QHD VA 144Hz gaming monitor and external Creative Pebble V2 computer speakers.

First reviewed February-March 2025

It Takes Two pushed me to the limit with clever platforming puzzles and moreish co-op challenges
4:35 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming | Comments: Off

A couples counselling puzzle platformer might sound like a strange elevator pitch. Yet, this quizzical pairing is the backbone of Hazelight Studios' co-op game. Following the studio's success with its prison-breaking simulator A Way Out, It Takes Two inspects a new kind of high-stakes relationship… marriage.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PlayStation 5
Available on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch
Release date: March 25, 2021

Here, you play as a separated couple, Cody and May, whose consciousness is magically transported into doll versions of themselves after their daughter makes an unorthodox wish to a secret magic romance book. From this sudden transformation, the duo are forced to navigate a jumbo-sized version of their home, where inanimate objects and carelessly tossed junk have gained sassy omnipotence. As they determine bric-a-brac friend from foe, their issues frequently rear their head, giving you an impression of how their marriage slid towards breakdown not by one incident but rather a series of slow nudges.

In co-op, players split control, working through the couple's issues in a literal and metaphorical sense by communicating their way across increasingly complex platforming levels. To navigate this danger-filled toy box, you can sprint, jump, dash and equip yourself with level-contextual tools that complement each other. Platforming across the game has a fluid and floaty feel, hammering home the plaything nature of the pair’s new doll bodies.

What’s your love language?

Both characters use firey weapons in It Takes Two.

(Image credit: Electronic Arts)

Despite levels being so full of detail, Hazelight manages a sense of progression and flow well. Points of interest like breakable glass bottles draw your attention, naturally calling you towards the next checkpoint. While it's not always the case, the obstacles often require you to use your special attack to interact with them, which also helps set the tone for future boss battles and teases puzzle solutions within the level.

Bouts of platforming are bookended with multi-stage boss battles based on the surrounding clutter of the area. The connection between each particular boss and the level made the world feel cohesive and thoughtful and helped to immerse me in Cody and May’s tragic love story. The grumbling, rusted toolbox that marks the end of the first zone requires players to work together using their respective hammer and nail tools to deal damage as it cuts away at your fragile metal stage one attack at a time.

This casually instructive style is especially noticeable as puzzles grew in complexity. Despite stopping and starting play sessions, my partner and I maintained solid momentum throughout It Takes Two. That’s not to say we were without arguments or mistakes when navigating the levels, though.

Best bit

It Takes Two

(Image credit: Electronic Arts)

There’s nothing more hilariously frustrating than trying to time and execute a specific move with your co-op partner, especially when it keeps going wrong. It Takes Two frequently requires you to synchronise carefully, whether it be one player throwing a nail for another to swing on or grinding across electrical wires to turn off switches. No matter how often my co-op partner and I prepared for a sequence, we always fell into the same disorganised traps, laughing or accosting each other as we hit the reset button.

What did cause irreparable damage to my co-op relationship, however, were the PVP minigames that allow you and your partner to take on challenges head-to-head. Found across the map, the parlour games allow you to vent frustrations and brutally thwart your bestie.

Early in the campaign, my partner and I happened upon a game called ‘Flip the Switch’, which involved one player hammering buttons while the other shoots them with nails from an aerial perspective. The player who shoots the most within the timer wins – simple, right? Wrong. What ensued was a series of upsets that ended in a solemn vow not to engage with these distractions ever again — until the next one arrived, and it was just as challenging and interesting. Toys-out-of-the-pram moment aside, It Takes Two does well to surprise you with these unique offshoots throughout its story.

Trust fall

A snowy environment in It Takes Two.

(Image credit: Electronic Arts)

The thoughtful set dressing and character designs are a standout feature across It Takes Two, with precious tidbits of lore hidden throughout the levels. For example, if you turn up a pathway in their daughter's room, you can find action figures that pay homage to the protagonists of Hazelight’s previous co-op prison-breaking game, A Way Out. Other hidden areas reveal more tender references to games from the past, such as Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda. As I explored each micro world, I was often reminded of The Borrowers or Stuart Little, gawking at how everyday objects could be repurposed as obstacles or idiosyncratic decor.

The care for world-building applies to Cody and May’s doll designs, too, which were clearly handmade by their creative daughter, Rose. May’s fuzzy wooden tendrils and Cody’s rope belt feel haphazardly crafty in a way that represents Rose’s endearing affection for them. The softened, comforting nature of the dolls also feels like a sharp contrast to the couple’s real-world attitude, which is often barbed and biting. The longer they spend outside their bitter, bickering bodies and in their patchwork personas, the more they resemble Rose’s view of them, which feels like a warm visual metaphor for the overarching themes.

Hazelight has built its newest puzzler with plenty of care, allowing you to immerse yourselves in gorgeous fantasy worlds with considerable depth. In exploring Cody and May’s family home and interpersonal trouble, It Takes Two is a surprisingly grounded game, and I adored flipping and dashing through the family's tricky lives.

Should I play It Takes Two?

A cutscene still from It Takes Two.

(Image credit: Electronic Arts)

Play it if…

You want a challenging co-op adventure
From a surprisingly violent vacuum cleaner with a vengeance to a sequence of agility testing time-sensitive platforming puzzles, It Takes Two doesn’t pull punches when testing your dexterity

You want a co-op game that mixes up its gameplay
As you progress through It Takes Two’s shifting levels, Cody and May are awarded new weapons that diversify how you can solve puzzles, keeping the gameplay fresh across the familiar base platforming elements.

Don’t play it if…

You aren’t a forgiving person
No matter how much you care for your co-op partner, It Takes Two will inevitably lead to moments of anger as either of you make a mistake. No matter how often you become mulch, you’ll need to swallow pride and forgive each other to survive the ordeal.

Accessibility

In the accessibility menu, you can adjust both the contrast and brightness. From here, there are also three color blindness options to choose between (Tritanopia-Blue Weak, Protanopia-Red Weak, and Deuteranopia-Green Weak). You can toggle on Text-To-Speech and toggle the option to convert voice chat to text. Subtitles and vibrations can additionally be toggled on for either May or Cody.

Where camera settings are concerned, you can toggle settings per character. You can invert the vertical and horizontal cameras and choose how strong the automatic camera rotation is (None, Weak, or Strong). You can also adjust the camera and aim sensitivity for both the horizontal and vertical camera from 1 to 100.

How I reviewed It Takes Two

In anticipation of the launch of Spit Fiction, I played through the entirety of It Takes Two in local co-op on a PlayStation 5 and also replayed A Way Out for comparison.

I used an AOC CQ27G2 27-inch QHD VA 144Hz gaming monitor with my PS5, and for audio, I used my external Creative Pebble V2 computer speakers.

First reviewed February-March 2025

Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR finally let me perform a leap of faith in virtual reality and I didn’t even throw up
2:31 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming | Tags: | Comments: Off

The biggest problem with Assassin's Creed Nexus VR, a VR (virtual reality) entry on the long-running stealth action series exclusively for Meta Quest headsets, is that it feels more supplemental than any fully-fledged Assassin’s Creed installment. All the franchise’s key mechanics are well represented, be that the trademark parkour, delightfully slick hidden blades, or those iconic leaps of faith from high vantage points into nearby piles of hay, but the focus on existing protagonists and familiar settings holds it back.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Meta Quest 2
Available on: Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest Pro
Release date: November 16, 2023

This is a game that doesn’t really have its own distinct identity, seeming more like a ‘best of’ compilation geared towards existing fans rather than something that, like many of the best VR games, newcomers might be incentivized to pick up a new VR headset in order to play. It’s a shame as, otherwise, this is a remarkably solid VR experience elevated by some seriously impressive elements like its massive maps, formidable length, and abundance of side content, and only a handful of frustrations to overcome.

Clip compilation

Tailing a target in Italy in Assassin's Creed Nexus VR.

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Unlike a traditional Assassin’s Creed experience, Nexus VR is divided into distinct episodes that alternate between protagonists from some of the best Assassin’s Creed games.

You begin in 1500s Italy, catching up with fan-favorite Ezio Auditore years after the events of Assassin’s Creed 2. Your home has been infiltrated by bandits and your first task is to navigate through its hidden passages and retrieve your stolen gear. These early segments are very linear, introducing you to the parkour systems (the most impressive part of which sees you able to grab onto practically any surface and hoist yourself along like some kind of spider monkey) and outlining the combat mechanics in some encounters with basic armed goons.

The parkour works fantastically, channeling that simulated physicality that makes VR climbing experiences like Horizon Call of the Mountain so satisfying, but the combat never felt quite right to me. It’s fine on paper, at its most basic level it challenges you to hold your sword in the correct direction of an incoming hit to block it or swing as an enemy strikes for a parry.

Unfortunately, the collision detection seems off and no matter how hard I focus on holding my sword in the right places, it always seems like a fifty percent chance that it would actually register properly. This was despite multiple attempts to recalibrate the game to my height and position in the settings menu.

There’s a chance that this was due to the fact that I was playing on the slightly older Meta Quest 2 headset, which doesn’t have as advanced tracking capabilities as the Meta Quest 3, but it’s not something that I’ve experienced while trying any other VR game thus far.

Lots to do

Exploring colonial America in Assassin's Creed Nexus VR.

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Mercifully, you’re not expected to fight your way through every single encounter and you’re soon thrust into the ancient sandals of Kassandra - the protagonist from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Exploring the Greek island of Delos in about 400 BC, her sections are easily the best of the bunch and impressively open despite their small size. While you always have an objective on screen to pursue, there are loads of optional side activities that mean that you can easily squeeze much more out of the already meaty 13 or so-hour runtime.

There are fantastic parkour challenges which have you racing through a series of checkpoints on tight time limits, collectibles that unlock interesting historical facts to browse, and plenty of hidden relics to track down in secret chests. Even if you only focus on the main tasks, you’re completely free to approach objectives as you wish which is where the stealth really starts to shine. It’s nothing hugely complex, but crouching behind boxes and throwing distractions to lure nearby guards over for a one-hit hidden blade takedown was never not satisfying, and truly felt like I was embodying an assassin.

There’s a lot of mileage in experimenting with your arsenal of useful tools like smoke bombs, throwing knives, or your bow too, and I’m still keen to dive back in for more sneaking action even now that the credits have rolled. On top of Ezio and Kassandra’s stories, there are a handful of missions where you play as Ratonhnhaké:ton, or Connor, in the build-up to the American Revolution.

Connor was always my least favorite Assassin’s Creed protagonist and, unfortunately, he is still just as unappealing in Assassin's Creed Nexus VR. His monotone voice lines are faithful to his original characterization in Assassin’s Creed 3 but are glaringly uncharismatic when presented between the amusing innuendos dispensed by Ezio and the brash confidence of Kassandra. His aggressive, edgy attitude to even the most inoffensive non-playable characters (NPCs) often made me cringe too - this is one hero probably best left in 2012.

Best bit

Assassin's Creed Nexus VR.

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

When playing as Connor you have access to his tomahawk rather than your usual sword. This opens up some great new gameplay possibilities, like throwing it in the middle of a fight to stun your opponent or tossing it at unsuspecting guard patrols from a hidden location for long-range stealth takedowns.

These three plotlines are all brought together by an overarching storyline set in the real world that’s centered around the futuristic Animus (the device that lets you look into the past) and the seemingly endless battle between the ancient order of Assassins and the evil Templars. It’s a thread that has run through the series since the beginning and, while it starts engaging enough in Nexus (and makes interesting use of your headset’s front camera for a novel augmented reality effect), it soon devolves into characters standing in practically blank environments lecturing you on the conflict for extended periods of time when you’d much rather be doing literally anything else.

I often resorted to sitting on the floor of my living room while these played out and would have likely skipped them entirely were I not evaluating the game for the purpose of this review. The real-world storyline has always been a sticking point in Assassin’s Creed games, so much so that the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows has simply opted to relegate it entirely to a separate menu, but it’s still a big shame that it’s just so uninteresting here.

Ancient Greece in Assassin's Creed Nexus VR.

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

As I’ve previously mentioned, I experienced the whole of Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR on the Meta Quest 2 headset. This is far from the company’s latest offering (the flagship Meta Quest 3 or even more budget-oriented Meta Quest 3S), but the visuals still manage to be a highlight.

It's not perfect, with a few cutbacks to overall image quality and the resolution of textures, but the bright sunny streets of Italy or Greece and the moody fog of colonial America oozes with atmosphere. This would, however, seem even more impressive if these weren’t well-worn settings that we have seen represented in even more life-like detail by other games in the series.

This all raises the question, is Assassin's Creed Nexus VR worth playing? The great graphics and stellar stealth would definitely suggest so in spite of the wonky combat, especially given the relatively low $39.99 / £34.99 price of admission. If you’re an existing fan of Assassin’s Creed like me, there’s also some extra enjoyment in revisiting familiar characters from games gone by (yes, even Connor) - though an original setting and cast would undeniably be much more appealing and approachable to newcomers.

Should I play Assassin's Creed Nexus VR?

Receiving the crossbow in Assassin's Creed Nexus VR.

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Play it if…

You love all things Assassin’s Creed
Assassin's Creed Nexus VR is a solid VR take on the Assassin’s Creed series, letting you live out your assassin fantasy with first-person leaps of faith, lots of sneaking around, and historical settings to explore.

You’ve played the old games
With protagonists returning from Assassin’s Creed 2, 3, and Odyssey, Assassin's Creed Nexus VR is a treat for long-time series fans.

You want a lengthy VR experience
Many VR games tend to be on the shorter side, so the 13+ hour length of Assassin's Creed Nexus VR helps it stand out from the crowd. It’s brimming with side content to help get that number up even further too.

Don’t play it if…

You down yet own a Meta Quest 2 or 3
Is it worth running out to buy a Meta Quest 2 or 3 to play Assassin's Creed Nexus VR? Definitely not. This is very much an optional spinoff, not a system-selling must-play VR installment à la Half-Life: Alyx over on PC.

Accessibility

Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR has lots of accessibility features designed to improve your comfort in VR. There is a dedicated accessibility menu with features such as hand stabilization, multiple control layouts, and more. The game has four different comfort presets to choose from, with the option for continuous motion or teleportation movement. The game also offers a fear of heights mode, which adds a visible floor beneath your character when you’re high up in the virtual world. On top of this, the entire game can be played while seated.

You also have the option of turning on a vignette or virtual nose, which can help prevent motion sickness. There is a dedicated crouch button and the game can also be played either seated or standing. There are also multiple difficulty levels to choose from. As far as VR games go, these are some of the most fully-featured and comprehensive accessibility options that I’ve ever seen - so props to Ubisoft here.

How I reviewed Assassin's Creed Nexus VR

I played Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR for over 13 hours using a Meta Quest 2 headset. During that time I completed the missions of the main story and also spent a bit of extra time exploring the more open areas of the world to track down collectibles.

My playthrough mainly focused on stealth, though I was also careful to evaluate the quality of the combat by engaging in a few head-on fights.

First reviewed March 2025

I found the SteelSeries Stratus Duo a bit too small for my hands, but it’s still a competent performer
4:00 pm | March 3, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming | Tags: | Comments: Off

SteelSeries Stratus Duo: one-minute review

The SteelSeries Stratus Duo is a compact wireless controller compatible with PC, Android, Chromebook and some VR headsets, thanks to its multiple connectivity modes.

It adopts a rather classic design, reminiscent of Xbox and PlayStation controllers, although it has a smaller, thinner form factor. The total black colorway is rather austere, and the lack of any RGB lighting is a departure from many gaming peripherals.

Compared to many of the best PC controllers around, the layout itself feels quite small in the hand. This makes all buttons easy to reach, especially the shoulder buttons, which are also favorably angled to decrease the amount of finger flexing required.

The build quality feels high all round, with the buttons satisfyingly damped, especially the bumpers, which are perhaps the standout in this regard. However, the LED light bar is roughly finished around the edges, which is a surprise given SteelSeries usual attention to detail.

The Stratus Duo feels great to game with. Its buttons are snappy and responsive, and the triggers and joysticks are precise with plenty of feel. Additionally, the D-pad is accurate and easy to use, although its proximity to the left joystick and sharp edges may prove irksome for some. However, these are minor gripes with what is otherwise a high-performing controller.

Connecting the Stratus Duo to a PC wirelessly was easy, requiring no setup other than plugging in the 2.4GHz USB dongle. It was just as responsive as when connecting using the included USB cable (which, amazingly, uses the micro USB standard, rather than USB-C). Bluetooth connection to Android devices also proved easy, stable and lag-free.

Battery life on the Stratus Duo is also good, in line with the 20-hour claim SteelSeries makes. However, its charging time of about two and a half hours is less than impressive.

The Stratus Duo competes with other popular controllers in terms of price. It has the edge over those controllers thanks to its multiple connectivity and compatibility options, although the lack of customization is a drawback. Ultimately, it may come down to hand size, as the compact layout may exclude those with larger hands, who will likely be better off with the Xbox Wireless Controller, for instance. For everyone else, though, the Stratus Duo is a competent controller with great performance.

Close-up of d-pad on SteelSeries Stratus Duo leaning on plinth on table

(Image credit: Future)

SteelSeries Stratus Duo review: price and availability

  • $59 / £64 / AU$105
  • Available now
  • Black colorway only

The Stratus Duo costs $59 / £64 / AU$105 and is available now in one colorway: black. The SteelSeries SmartGrip, an attachment for holding an Android smartphone, is sold separately and costs £9.99.

At this price, it’s up against the Xbox Wireless Controller, one of the best PC controllers and best Xbox controllers around. It does have more connectivity options than the Xbox controller, though, as well as a rechargeable battery as standard.

Although it’s compatible with various platforms, it doesn’t officially work with PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch consoles. If you’re after one of the best PS5 controllers, then the PlayStation DualSense controller is top of the class, and the 8BitDo Ultimate is one of the best Nintendo Switch controllers in our view. Both of these aren’t much more expensive than the Stratus Pro.

SteelSeries Stratus Duo review: specs

Close-up of shoulder buttons on SteelSeries Stratus Duo leaning on plinth with background

(Image credit: Future)

SteelSeries Stratus Duo review: design and features

  • Compact form factor
  • Finely damped buttons
  • No software

The Stratus Duo sports an all-black color scheme with an angular design that looks somewhere between an Xbox controller and a PlayStation DualSense, although it’s thinner and lighter than either of those.

It’s also more compact in its layout, with all its buttons relatively close together. The grips are more prominent too, meaning you can really wrap your fingers around them.

The shoulder buttons angle downwards more than on other controllers, which is a welcome feature and makes reaching for them much more comfortable, as well as being easier to press, as less finger bending is required.

Adopting the same schema as the Xbox, the Stratus Duo's buttons position Y and A top and bottom respectively, and X and B on the left and right. Although the buttons themselves are black like the rest of the Stratus Duo, there is a handy color key between the buttons – again mimicking the Xbox standard – although this is quite small and hard to parse in the heat of the moment if you need to look down to check.

The construction feels solid, with nicely damped buttons that are satisfying to press, especially the bumpers, which are far better to use than those on the Xbox controller. All buttons are also tightly fitted with very little play. One strange area where SteelSeries seems to have dropped the ball, though, is the plastic around the LED bars, as my unit appeared to show signs of fraying, which is not what you’d expect from a SteelSeries product.

Another baffling design choice is the fact that the Stratus Duo uses a micro USB port rather than the now ubiquitous USB-C. Thankfully, a cable is included, but considering most of the world has left the micro USB standard behind, it’s a bizarre decision.

What’s more, the Stratus Duo can’t be customized or tinkered with using SteelSeries’ GG software, which does feel like a missed opportunity, even at this price point. Even the Xbox Wireless Controller allows for some degree of remapping, but there’s none of that here with the Stratus Duo.

Side view of SteelSeries Stratus Duo leaning on plinth on table with pink wall and plant in background

(Image credit: Future)

SteelSeries Stratus Duo review: performance

  • Responsive buttons
  • Precise joysticks and triggers
  • Easy connectivity

Gaming with the Stratus Duo is a mostly positive experience. It feels comfortable in the hands, largely thanks to the ergonomic grip design, and the aforementioned compact layout makes every button easy to reach.

The joysticks are precise and offer enough grip without getting sticky to the touch, as those on other controllers are prone to. And while both sticks are relatively close together, I didn’t experience any issue with my two thumbs clashing.

The triggers are also great to use, offering plenty of control and feedback without being too weighty. This allows for precise inputs, very useful in racing games for subtle throttle control, despite not having as much travel as other controller triggers, such as those on the Xbox controller and the DualSense.

The D-pad is quick and easy to use, amenable to rolling in multiple directions, which is largely thanks to the long four-way prongs. Despite all directions being housed within a single unit – as opposed to having entirely separate buttons for each direction – I didn’t experience any mispresses.

However, the edges of the D-pad are quite sharp, which can be irritating after long sessions, and the aforementioned compact layout also meant that I sometimes knocked the left analog stick when making fast and frantic presses.

The inputs themselves are very responsive when using wirelessly with the included 2.4GHz dongle. Connecting via this method was a simple case of plug and play, and I experienced no issues with lag or stability.

The same is true when connecting via Bluetooth to Android devices. There’s a simple toggle switch on top for Bluetooth and 2.4GHz modes, and a pairing button should you need it. I also didn’t notice any discernable difference in lag between using Bluetooth and the 2.4GHz dongle.

SteelSeries claims a battery life of over 20 hours for the Stratus Duo. Although I wasn’t able to reach its limits during my time with it, I can say that it barely dipped after several days of use. It took around two and a half hours to charge from empty to full, which isn’t a stellar performance; thankfully, you can charge and play at the same time.

Close-up of face buttons on SteelSeries Stratus Duo, leaning on plinth with background

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the SteelSeries Stratus Duo?

Buy it if...

You want to connect to other devices
As well as PC, the Stratus Duo is compatible with Android devices, thanks to its Bluetooth capability. It’s also compatible with Chromebooks and certain VR headsets.

You want a compact controller
The Stratus Pro is smaller than other popular controllers, with a more compressed layout, so its great for those who really want to get a handle on their pad.

Don't buy it if...

You want to play on console
Despite strong compatibility for some devices, it misses out on console play, with Xbox, PlayStation and Switch all excluded.

You have large hands
That reduced form factor may be a problem for those with larger hands, and I did experience some clashing between the D-pad and left stick in use.

Also consider...

SteelSeries Stratus Duo review: also consider

Microsoft Xbox Wireless Controller
The standard bearer and our pick as the best controller for PC, The Xbox Wireless Controller does most things well. It connects to many devices, thanks to its Bluetooth and wired capabilities. However, there are few missteps, such as the lack of a rechargeable battery as standard, and customization is limited.

Read our Microsoft Xbox Wireless Controller review

PlayStation DualSense Wireless Controller
If you’re in the market for a controller to use on PlayStation, then the DualSense Wireless Controller is certainly one of the best PS5 controllers in our view. It also works with many PC games, and can connect wired or wirelessly. The only real drawbacks are its weak battery life and mic quality.

Read our DualSense Wireless Controller review

How I tested the SteelSeries Stratus Duo

  • Tested for several days
  • Played various titles on PC and Android
  • Over 25 years of gaming experience

I tested the Stratus Duo for several days and used it to play games on PC and on Android.

I played a variety of titles, designed to test each aspect of the Stratus Duo: I played Tekken 8 to test its responsiveness and D-pad ability, Assetto Corsa to test the precision of the triggers and analog sticks, and Call of Duty: Mobile to see how well the Stratus Duo handles Android games over Bluetooth.

In over 25 years of gaming I have used a large number of first- and third-party controllers for PC, Xbox, Nintendo and PlayStation. I have also reviewed many gaming peripherals, including other controllers, mice, and keyboards.

The Thrustmaster AVA F/A-18 Super Hornet is a fantastic flight stick that took my setup to new heights
5:00 pm | March 2, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming Gaming Accessories | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet: One-minute review

If you’ve read our Thrustmaster Viper TQS Mission Pack review, you’ll know that flight sim tech is getting closer than ever to turning your setup into something plucked right from a fighter jet.

The Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet follows on that same line of thinking, dovetailing beautifully with its sister product while offering a fantastic flight stick in its own right, packed with input options and plenty of settings to tweak the game feel to your liking.

It’s ludicrously expensive, though. The review unit we’re testing is formed of multiple modular sections, with the company’s AVA base, a flight stick, and a base plate. These all combine in a nifty bundle for $579 / £450 (cheaper than buying them piecemeal) but it’s definitely an investment for a flight enthusiast.

It’s still hard not to be impressed. It’s a hefty stick, one that would feel right at home doing loop-de-loops in the sky, and it’s absolutely packed with inputs with switches, buttons, and triggers all over it.

If you’re looking to take your flight sim experience to new heights, it’s hard to look past, but don’t forget that the HOTAS X is a much more affordable, entry-level model that comes with a throttle – something the F/A-18 Super Hornet doesn’t have in the box.

Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet

(Image credit: Future)

Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet: Price and availability

  • List price: $579 / £450
  • Available worldwide
  • Offered in parts but this bundle is much cheaper

If you do want to pick up each part of the setup we’re testing here for the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet, you can expect to spend a fair amount more, with just the baseplate alone coming in at $25 / £25.

That makes the bundle the way to go, and thankfully it’s easy to put together. It took me around five minutes to get everything hooked up, and the weight is a dead giveaway that it’s built to last, weighing in at 7.6lbs / 3.5kg once it’s put together.

The bundle includes the offset adapter, too, letting you tweak the angle at which the stick rests, either for realism or just for comfort.

Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet: Specs

Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet: Design and features

  • The base plate could do with better feet
  • Feels great to use
  • Satisfying inputs

As with the Viper TQS Mission Pack, it’s hard not to be in awe of the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet once you unbox it.

It’s easy to put together, with a few screws attaching the AVA base to the base plate, and the stick basically screws on without any strenuous effort. It’s really easy to get started, too, since you just need to plug in your USB-C cable (included in the box) and you’re away.

Compared to the T Flight HOTAS I’ve been using for years, there’s a real weight to any movement on the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet, and it makes flying feel more authentic as a result.

Button-wise, there’s a trio of hat switches. Two are at the top, while one rests under your thumb, and if the game you’re playing supports all of them you’ll have more buttons than you know what to do with. Two are four-way, while another is eight-way, and combined with physical buttons you have a whopping 19 on a stick that really doesn’t waste any space at all.

Everything feels great to press, and there’s enough effort needed to hit things like the rear buttons so that you won’t find yourself accidentally hitting them too often.

Special props should be given to the trigger, too, which registers full pulls and half pulls if your game supports that, and always feels great to pull whether you’re playing something more grounded or more fantastical.

Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet

(Image credit: Future)

Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet: Performance

  • Plug and play
  • Customizable innards
  • T.A.R.G.E.T. software is basically just for drivers

As with the Viper, Thrustmaster recommends using its T.A.R.G.E.T. software, but you can really just use it for the drivers and little else. I found everything was detected nicely in Windows’ own control panel for input devices, and that was a better spot for quick testing of deadzones and the like.

Flight sim fans may lean on it for preloading layouts built to approximate real flight controls, but as I’ve mentioned before, I fancy myself more of a Han Solo than an airline pilot, and the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet helps fulfill those dogfighting dreams wonderfully - once you map controls.

If you’re using this and the Viper, games should switch to make the latter the secondary input, but it’s worth noting I ran into some bother as certain games mapped functions to the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet that it doesn’t have access to, leading to a bizarre endless spin in the likes of Elite Dangerous and Star Wars: Squadrons. Remapping buttons did the trick, but if you’re worried you’ve got a dodgy unit, rest assured it’s a minor issue.

That aside, both games feel great when using the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet. (Intentional) barrel rolls and locking onto TIE Fighters became second nature, even without using the Viper, and I found myself tinkering with the inner chassis just to get things dialed in.

The AVA base can be opened up with ease, letting discerning pilots adjust resistance, travel, and more. It’s easily done and adds a level beyond simple button remapping that experts will no doubt have an awful lot of fun with.

In fact, the only real complaint is that in the heat of the moment, as I pulled back on the stick, I found the feet on the baseplate didn’t give quite as much resistance as I had hoped. That could be down to me and having a relatively smooth-feeling desk, but it’s something to consider.

Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet?

Buy it if...

You’re a flying enthusiast
The price of admission is high, but this weighty stick has everything you could need for just about any flying title.

You’re a tinkerer
Digital aviation experts will no doubt delight in customizing the inner workings of the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a budget
Sadly, it’s not the cheapest stick around, making it likely to be out of the reach for more casual flying fans.

Also consider...

Still not sold on the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet? Here’s how it compares to two similar products.

Turtle Beach VelocityOne
As we mentioned in our Viper review, Turtle Beach’s VelocityOne is a slick stick (say that ten times, quickly), with an OLED display and a comfortable stick with plenty of inputs. It’s not as weighty, though, which makes it feel less premium.

For more information, check out our full Turtle Beach VelocityOne review

Logitech T Flight Hotas One
Our trusty fallback, the T Flight HOTAS remains a very comfortable stick with a throttle included, all for less than half the price of the F/A-18 Super Hornet. It works on Xbox One and Series X|S consoles as well.

For more information, check out our full T Flight Hotas One review

Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet

(Image credit: Future)

How I tested the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet

  • Tested over a period of months
  • Used on a gaming PC with an RTX 4070 Ti
  • Tested with Elite Dangerous, Star Wars Squadrons, and Microsoft Flight Simulator

I’ve been testing the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Super Hornet for a couple of months, but the aforementioned remapping issues meant things took a little longer to settle than I’d care to admit.

Once that was sorted, though, it was off to the races (or airport?). I tested it with Microsoft Flight Simulator for some trans-Atlantic trips, but as I mentioned above, I mostly used it for dogfighting in Star Wars Squadrons or hauling space cargo in Elite Dangerous.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed February 2025

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