General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Func MS-3 (Revision 2) Mouse Review

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 02:49 PM PDT

A solid mouse that's a little too smooth

For a gaming mouse, the Func MS-3 (revision 2) looks rather unassuming and unpretentious. It is pretty big as mice go, but that doesn't get in the way of its performance too much. The MS-3 also brings features that you'd see in more expensive mice.

Measuring nearly 5 inches long and almost 4 inches wide, the MS-3 doesn't fit in your hand. Instead, your hand rides on top of it, filling your palm. For those who use a high finger arch (claw posture), your metacarpophalangeal joints (the joints at the base of the fingers) won't touch the surface, placing your hand weight on the ball of your hand. The mouse is really built to suit those who prefer a flatter hand posture; there's no adjustments here. Southpaws need not apply; this mouse is clearly designed for righties.

Func MS-3 sizing

The MS-3 has a sizable footprint, which may put off some.

The right ring and pinky fingers get their own rests, which can feel a little awkward if you are used to holding the side of the mouse with those fingers. Again, these rests are built for a flatter posture, so a claw handed grip won't take advantage of the molding, and it will feel a bit out of place for the two fingers. The mouse's silky, yet slightly rubbery texture feels great on your hand. When you place your two fingers in the rests, you get the feeling that they're being hugged. Who doesn't like hugs? Crotchety old curmudegons sitting on the porch in a rocking chair with a shotgun, that's who.

What we didn't like about the mouse's flatter profile and smoothness is that it feels like the mouse will slip out of your grip when you try to pick it up. This is only really an issue when you deliberately try to lift the mouse, as the low slope of the right side of the mouse results in reduced lateral grip. If you try to apply that lateral pressure with your little fingers, the fingers tend to want to slip out of the molded grooves. In the gaming situations that we tested, it wasn't really an issue, but if you lift up your mouse constantly, it will be something you notice.

Func MS-3 finger grooves

Those finger grooves both provide comfort and keep you from picking up the mouse easily.

The mouse is also a bit on the heavy side, but not as heavy as other mice we've used. We weighed it while holding up the cable, and found that it is 4.2 ounces. That's a full 1.3 ounces more than a stock Dell M056UO laser mouse (2.9 ounces) we weighed using the same method. That means it will take a bit more force to flick the mouse around for quick movements, but the MS-3's high sensitivity of 5,670 DPI compensates for that. Response felt snappy and accurate while moving on a bare black IKEA desk.

A gaming or high-end mouse wouldn't be complete without good configuration software, and Func did a solid job here. The driver software lets you set three profiles, each with its own macros, colors, and DPI settings. Each profile has three DPI settings that you can cycle through, with a fourth "Instant Aim" mode that is by default activated by pressing the illuminated thumb button. This is great for gamers who prefer a high DPI setting for most situations, but need to dial in the accuracy for some situations. FPS players who play as snipers will really appreciate this. Of course, you could also set the DPI higher to get an inverse effect. Each DPI setting can be set anywhere from 90 to 5,670 with 10 DPI increments. You can also separate DPI settings for the X and Y axes, so traverse and elevation for vehicle guns in games like Battlefield and Arma can function at different rates.

Func MS-3 software

The MS-3's software offers a lot of configuration options, but is missing game detection and is only available for Windows.

The software can "backup" (export) settings to and "restore" (import) settings from a file on the hard drive. There's also a tool to install new firmware, which will also perform a checksum on the firmware file to ensure you've got the official, intact file. It's also great for security since the MS-3 stores its profiles and settings in the mouse's memory. The onboard memeory allows you to configure the mouse on one machine, plug it into another, and everything will work as you'd expect. Want to reinstall Windows or use the mouse in Linux? No problem. Want to use it with a gaming laptop when you travel? Go right ahead, globetrotter.

We would've liked to see a per-game settings detection and import tool. Sure, you can effectively get the same result by restoring from a file, but an option to autodetect games and save or load profiles accordingly (like we see in Logitech Gaming Software) would be nice. Since this is a software-side issue, it would make a great addition in an update.

 The thumb rest on the left side of the mouse provides access to four buttons, all of which are well spaced to prevent accidental clicks. The round center button lights up, and defaults to "Instant Aim," which will be described a bit later. The two upper thumb buttons default to the usual forward and back in Windows, while the button at the base of the thumb rest defaults to an audio mute button. The top of the mouse has six buttons, including the standard left and right buttons and clickable scroll wheel. The two buttons behind the scroll wheel default to change DPI presets, while the button to the front-right will switch profiles. All of the buttons on the MS-3 are highly configurable, and can be set to keys, macros, or OS functions, depending on user preference.

We also liked that the mouse's subtle, yet effective LED lighting illuminates the scroll wheel and side button. The LEDs are bright enough to be effective accents, but won't signal aircraft or keep you awake in a dark bedroom. The lighting is fully customizable in Func's software, including saturation and brightness, not just color. There are also three orange LEDs on the top left of the mouse that indicate which profile is being used. They're pretty small and understated, but viewable between the thumb and index finger.

Func MS-3 rev. 2 with hand

Thumb buttons on the MS-3 are accessible and uncluttered. Orange LEDs in between the thumb and index finger indicate which profile is active, and are visible while using the mouse.

The scroll wheel itself makes it very clear that this is a gaming mouse. Each click with a wheel turn feels deliberate, and won't have you switching weapons by mistake. Clicking the mouse wheel button doesn't make you feel like you're going to move the wheel mid-click. Sometimes, we can be hesitant to bind actions to MOUSE 3 in games because of unintended wheel scroll; that's not a problem with the MS-3. Clicks feel solid and stable, without unintended weapon or spell switch.

The price point is what really sells us on this mouse. For under $60, you get a top-tier gaming mouse that delivers on looks and response, even if it is on the big side. We definitely recommend this gaming mouse for righties who don't mind a few minor shortcomings and don't violently lift up their mice like a crane operator with a coke habit.

Newegg Daily Deals: LG 24-inch Gaming Monitor, Grand Theft Auto V, and More!

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 01:33 PM PDT

 

LG MonitorNewegg

Top Deal:

Skipping the 4K hoopla for this round? Hey, we don't blame you -- the technology is still maturing, and you need some serious GPU horsepower to game at 4K. That said, if you're in the market for a new monitor, check out today's top deal for an LG 24-inch 24GM77 Gaming Monitor for $250 with free shipping (normally $300 - use coupon code: [EMCARKR45]). It's a Full HD 1080p panel with a 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, black stabilizer, and more.

Other Deals:

Mortal Kombat X (Standard Edition, Online Game Code) for $60 with free shipping (normally $60; $10 promotional gift card w/ purchase, limited offer)

Grand Theft Auto V (PC Download) for $60 with free shipping (normally $60; $10 promotional gift card w/ purchase, limited offer)

Corsair Carbide Series LED Black ATX Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case for $45 with free shipping (normally $50; additional $10 Mail-in rebate)

Asus Z97-A LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard for $130 with free shipping (normally $140 - use coupon code: [EMCARKR44])

XFX TS Series 550W Power Supply for $52 with free shipping (normally $62 - use coupon code: [EMCARKR34]; additional $25 Mail-in rebate)

Logitech G930 USB Connector Circumaural Wireless Gaming Headset for $90 with free shipping (normally $100)

Intel Gushes Over the Latest Thunderbolt 2 Products at NAB 2015

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 01:22 PM PDT

LG MonitorLG is first to release a Thunderbolt 2 compatible 4K monitor

Intel is currently at NAB 2015 talking up the latest products that are compatible with Thunderbolt 2, including the first 4K display with Thunderbolt 2 ports. LG earns honors for that one by introducing the 31MU97Z, a 4K display that boasts two Thunderbolt 2 ports. However, only one is needed to display 4K content, whereas previously you'd need to connect a Thunderbolt cable through an adapter or Thunderbolt 2 dock with a DisplayPort or HDMI connection to achieve 4K.

"For LG Electronics, Thunderbolt is a key feature across many of our display products, especially those targeted at the content creation industry," said In-kyu Lee, Sr. Vice President and head of the TV and Monitor Division at LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company. "With the 31MU97Z, we are pleased to introduce the first 4K display with Thunderbolt 2. The 31MU97 is a truly a no-compromise display that offers the best viewing and performance for any 4K video workflow environment."

Thunderbolt 2 isn't just about 4k displays. QNAP brought along its first Thunderbolt 2 Network Attached Storage (NAS) appliance, also with dual Thunderbolt 2 ports, while companies like LaCie are showing off external storage solutions, including a Rugged 1TB SSD backup device.

The neat thing about Thunderbolt 2 is that it enables channel aggregation, meaning two separate 10Gbit/s channels can combine for a single 20Gbit/s channel. This makes it possible to transfer/write 4K video while looking at the content on a discrete monitor at the same time.

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Corsair Adds 960GB and 480GB Capacity Options to Force LS SSD Family

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 10:50 AM PDT

Corsair Force LSBig capacity without the ginormous price tag

Small capacity solid state drives are becoming a thing of the past, and we couldn't be happier about it. It's high time SSD makers started focusing on big capacities, which should in turn drive prices down while making more room for programs and games on primary storage drives. Credit Corsair for receiving the memo -- Corsair just added 480GB and 960GB capacity drives to its Force LS line.

They join existing 60GB, 120GB, and 240GB drives, and like those drives, the new capacities come in 7mm high enclosures that can be installed into pretty much any desktop or notebook PC with a standard 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch drive bay (an adapter is needed for the latter).

Performance specs are the same for both new capacities:

  • Up to 560MB/s sequential read
  • Up to 540MB/s sequential write
  • Up to 84,000 random read IOPS
  • Up to 88,000 random write IOPS

The Force Series LS 960GB and 480GB SSDs should be available soon and priced at $380 and $190, respectively.

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Kingston Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Business Users, Announces 960GB Enterprise SSD

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 10:22 AM PDT

Kingston KC310Getting down to business

Kingston this week announced its largest business-class solid state drive to date, the 960GB KC310. Billed as a true hard drive replacement, the capacious KC310 is powered by a Phison S10 quad-core, eight-channel controller and features a SATA 6Gbps interface. It also comes with firmware-based power loss protection to help maintain data integrity, one of several traits that make it suitable for entry-level servers and datacenter deployments.

The drive offers end-to-end data protection via flash error correction and Advanced SmartECC, the latter of which reconstructs defective pages when they're found to be faulty and flash ECC protection fails to recover the uncorrectable errors.

As to performance, the KC310 is no slouch -- Kingston rates its sequential read and write transfers at up to 550MB/s and 520MB/s, respectively, along with up to 99,000/96,000 maximum/random 4K read IOPS and up to 89,000/88,000 maximum/random 4K read IOPS. The takeaway from those figures is that Kingston isn't trading performance for enterprise-grade reliability, and claims to offer the best of both worlds.

No word yet on when the KC310 will be available or for how much.

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Grand Theft Auto V Joins AMD's Gaming Evolved Program, Realistic Shadows Ensue

Posted: 15 Apr 2015 08:46 AM PDT

GTA V ScreenSay hello to Contact Hardening Shadows

So what's the verdict, was Grand Theft Auto V for the PC worth the wait? It's a question that can spark a debate, and if you're in the "Yes!" camp, one piece of evidence to support your claim is GTA V's inclusion into AMD's Gaming Evolved program. As part of that, GTA V supports a feature that's called Contact Hardening Shadows (CHS) for rendering more realistic soft shadows.

You'll find the feature by heading into the Settings menu and selecting Graphics > Soft Shadows. One of the options is "AMD CHS," and what it does is either harden or soften a shadow depending on the distance of the shadow from the light source. It also takes into consideration the object casting the shadow.

"This means softer shadows that diffuse more realistically," AMD says.

If you're rocking a GeForce graphics card, fear not, similar effects are provided by what Nvidia calls "Percentage Closer Soft Shadows" (PCSS).

"PCSS, if you're unaware, introduces shadows that progressively and smoothly soften as the distance from the casting object increases, as in real life," Nvidia explains in a blog post. "For example, the shadow from the trunk of a tree will be sharp, and the shadows on the leaves seen some distance away will be soft."

Drivers

We already told you about Nvidia's Game Ready 350.12 WHQL driver for GTA V. What about AMD? While the Omega 14.12 is still the most recent stable release (12/9/2014), AMD does have available a beta driver, version 15.4, that's been optimized for GTA V. It also includes Crossfire profiles for GTA V, Dying Light, Galactic Civilization III, Meta Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Mortal Combat X, and Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition, along with updated Crossfire profiles for Battlefield Hardline, Far Cry 4, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, and Sniper Elite 3.

You can read the release notes here and download the beta driver here.

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Posted by Shri Krishna

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