Now that I’ve officially begun the exit stage of being a parent of an infant and am now dealing with toddler issues, I get asked often what single baby product I have not been able to live without during that whirlwind first year as a parent. While there is a surprising amount of baby tech out there that I wasn’t aware of until I entered the space as a Dad, there really was one product that we’ve used multiple times a day to this day– and that product is the Baby Brezza Baby Bottle Washer Pro. On the surface this item isn’t anything revolutionary, but let me tell you how much you should not underestimate an item that can clean an essential cog in your newborn’s life deeper than just the surface.

Purchase Price: $299.99

What Does It Clean

This is a bottle washer and dryer combo that also can sterilize the baby bottles your little one uses religiously in the early days of their lives. Considering infants feed literally every two hours–that’s 12 bottles of milk that need to be cleaned. While we did a mixture of pumped breast milk and formula due to our son’s need for extra calories from the circumstances of his NICU stay, the Baby Brezza can be used to even clean pumping pieces. Those parts are so tedious to meticulously clean over and over in the span of a day, but it's also vital that they remain clean for the health of the mother and the child. You may be thinking this is such an extra thing as you can hand wash everything yourself. That is true and I previously also went into parenthood with that frugal mentality in mind. Most parents know where I’m going with this as within a few days of the energy-sucking routine known as parenting, the Baby Brezza’s simple implementation of dropping the items in and having a chore operate without occupying your precious time seemed like a god-send. 

It works like a dishwasher would. The Washer Pro has a capacity for up to four bottles as itemized by a plastic holder that segments where each bottle should be placed. It’s neatly organized into two levels with the bigger items having more height space on the lower rack, and smaller items like bottle nipples and pacifiers. While the capacity does suffice, it would have been nice to be able to load a few more items in here. With that said, while the Washer Pro isn’t small by any means, it’s still what I’d consider storable in its current build and that’s a pro for me.

I’ve loaded a bevy of different bottle brands from Dr. Brown’s, NUK, and Phillips Avent, to lesser known brands like Pigeon. They’ve all been able to be thoroughly cleaned by the Baby Brezza Baby Bottle Washer Pro. Once you stack the parts into the loader, it’s as simple as filling the tank with clean water, dropping in a detergent tablet, covering the load, and pressing the start button. Baby Brezza gives users a choice of 6 different cleaning modes: Wash-Sterilize-Dry, Wash-Dry, Wash only, Sterilize-Dry, Sterilize only & Dry only.

99.9% Germ Killer

The operation time will vary depending on which mode you choose– with the full service obviously requiring the most time. I’ve always run the washer to operate in its full capacity with washing, sterilizing, and drying the bottles as it’s merely an extra 10 minutes or so of extra time. In total, a full run of the functions takes 88 minutes. If you run it before bed time, it'll be clean and ready to go for storing in the morning. During the earlier days of our son’s life, we did run the Brezza a couple of times a day. In our case, we had an inventory of about 8 bottles that got cycled through the Brezza in a 24 hour period.

It takes 19 minutes for washing, 10 minutes to sterilize, and 60 minutes to dry the items. After the cycle has completed, the dirty water tank needs to be emptied out and the clean water tank needs to be refilled up to the line for the next batch of bottles. The entire machine doesn’t need to be near a sink, nor does it need to be hooked up to a hose. It only takes a single power cord to a wall outlet and it's off to the cleaners with those baby bottles. This makes the Brezza surprisingly mobile as it has little built-in wheels on the bottom to swivel and roll across a counter top easily. 

Not Just Bottles

The Washer Pro can also clean pumping parts, teething toys, utensils, and many more items

Speaking of the actual cleaning process, when you set the bottles into the slots facing downwards, the Washer Pro shoots up 20 precision spray jets through those slots to effectively rinse and remove dried milk from the insides of the bottles. As someone who is a bit of a clean freak when cleaning dishes, I actually found myself quite satisfied with how clean the Brezza actually washes the bottles. Watching the Brezza at work is like getting a close up show of how geysers work. Through different projection angles I found that the Brezza hits items on both racks quite effectively. On occasion the force of water does dislodge the items from their seated position and they do fall out of the rack when I’d open the lid.

Likewise, I’d see a little bit of white residue dissolve left over from the detergent tablet, but that’s easily wipeable and something I’ve been accustomed to seeing from our dishwasher too. Not only does the Brezza use water streams to spray the bottles clean, it also utilizes natural steam to supposedly kill 99.9% of germs. I don’t have the means to test that claim, but Baby Brezza claims it's clinically proven.

It would have been nice if this could wash more than four bottles at a time, but that would likely make the product bigger. While the Washer Pro isn’t a compact appliance, I’d still say that it’s easily storable inside a cabinet or tucked away in the corner of the counter space.

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Added Costs

One additional cost that essentially becomes a recurring purchase akin to a subscription of sorts is the reliance on detergent tablets. Like a full-sized dishwasher or a laundry washing machine, this bottle washer does require the aid of a tablet to clean the bottles. The tablets themselves are really tiny and Baby Brezza provides 60 tablets for free with the original purchase of the Washer Pro. After you run through those (one tablet each cycle), you’ll need to purchase additional packets to continue using it. I do recommend buying the proprietary tablets from Baby Brezza to use in unison with the machine as stated to prevent any potential issues with the rinse, especially since the items do end up in the mouths of our children at the end of the day. I’d estimate about a bag a month and the current price of 120 tablets is about $20 on Amazon as of the publishing of this review. On top of that, there’s also another tablet that you’ll need to purchase to maintain and clean the unit itself. These descaling tablets don’t need to be used everyday, but it’s recommended to throw one in every 20 wash cycles to combat mineral buildup to extend the life of the bottle washer. While these things aren’t costly in price, they are additional funds that should be considered when purchasing this product as they’re essential to providing the functionality the Washer Pro provides.

final thoughts

There’s a timeless saying that “Time is precious” or “Time is money” and a product like this perfectly exemplifies that mentality. As a new parent (which is when you likely will be using this), there’s so much attention that needs to be given on a daily basis. It literally never stops in the newborn stage as an infant needs attending to effectively nonstop. Your time becomes so valuable that saving even 10 minutes every couple of hours is worth a certain price. Those early days after my son came home were days where I struggled to even get 30 minutes of uninterrupted sleep. Any parent will back me up when I say people don’t realize how much stuff requires cleaning by a sink when you have a kid. Even with something like the Baby Brezza Baby Bottle Washer Pro taking care of four bottles at a time for you, you’ll still be hand washing a bunch of other things in your kitchen. That’s why I found this to be worth every penny as it takes a load off of my to-do list and I could confidently rely on the efficacy of the cleaning it does.  

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Recently, my Redragon speakers have been having some issues. It was time for a new pair of speakers, and I decided to go for the Pebble V3 as they had good reviews and are pretty affordable, especially when they go on sale. I was also intrigued by the Bluetooth capabilities these speakers have. Though I was surprised (and disappointed) by some features the Pebble V3s offer, I think they’re overall a great pair of affordable speakers. 

Purchase Price: $39.99

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A Big Fam

The pebble lineup consists of the Creative Pebble, the Pro, the X, the X Plus, and the V3

Connectivity

Unlike the speakers I’ve used in the past, these connect via USB only rather than using audio jacks. They also have Bluetooth capabilities, which is a nice feature, but it wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for. It’s my fault for not reading the product listing closely, but I had assumed that these speakers could be used both wired and wirelessly, but that is not the case. These speakers do not have any internal battery and must be powered via the USB cable. So, while you can still connect another device, like your smartphone, to these speakers, they still have to be plugged into a power source. Because these speakers don’t work wirelessly as I had thought, I don’t find the Bluetooth feature that useful, but I could see others enjoying it. If I weren’t too lazy to pull these out from the back of my PC, I could see myself plugging them in in the kitchen and streaming music to them through my phone while I mop the floor or wash the dishes. 

I’m not sure if this is because these speakers are USB, but they do take a moment to turn on. Like most other speakers, you simply turn the nob on the front to turn them on and off. After turning the nob to turn them on, it takes a good 30 seconds for my computer to recognize these speakers and for them to play sound, despite the fact that they’re always plugged into the back of my PC. It’s not the end of the world, but I do find it a bit strange and inconvenient since I’ve never had to wait for my PC to register any other speakers or headphones that I have plugged in. 

Volume

When I first got these speakers, I was a little worried about whether or not the volume would get loud enough. I felt like my old Reddragon speakers were louder. While that may be true, the Pebble V3 speakers are still plenty loud for my needs. I usually turn the volume nob to max on the speakers and then adjust my PC’s volume separately using the volume wheel on my keyboard. Though you can of course adjust the volume directly using the nob, I just find that this works the best for me. These speakers also have a gain switch on the back, so if you feel like they’re not loud enough and could use a boost, you can flip that switch over. I’ve been using them without the gain boost, though, and I’ve never particularly felt like I needed it. 

Sound Quality

For how cheap these are, the sound quality is surprisingly good. I’ll admit that I am no audiophile, but when I compare these to my old Redragon speakers, they honestly blow them out of the water, especially for music. They produce a crisp, clear sound, and they even have a little bit of bass. In fact, when I first got them, I was actually a little annoyed by it because if I turned my music too loud, I could feel the bass vibrating through my desk. I’ve since gotten used to them, and I don’t at all feel like the bass is too intense. I also don’t listen to a lot of music that has a lot of bass in it, so this simply isn’t an issue for me. If you like loud music and songs with heavy bass, though, be aware that you’re probably going to feel it with these, at least a little. They’re small speakers, so it’s not like they can set your entire room abuzz with bass, but you’ll at least feel it in your desk. Overall, I really like how these speakers sound, and I think they’re a fantastic option for someone who wants affordable speakers that don’t sound like crap. 

final thoughts

If you’re in the market for a new pair of speakers and you want something compact and affordable, I think the Pebble V3 speakers are worth a try. They offer solid sound quality for the price, they’re easy to set up, and you can connect other devices to them via Bluetooth. They don’t have any fancy bells and whistles like RGB, and they honestly aren’t that aesthetically pleasing, but they get the job done, and they do it well. 

Disclaimer: Epomaker sent us a unit free of charge to review, but all thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are our own and were not discussed with the company prior to publishing.

Retail Price: $109.99

My first thought when I unboxed the Epomaker Galaxy100 Lite mechanical keyboard was classic. And heavy. Definitely heavy. In fact, I’m not sure why they added the term “lite” into its product name, despite this being version two of the original Galaxy100. Let’s take a closer look and see what it’s all about.

Build Quality

This 96% keyboard looks unassuming on any desk and would do well for someone who would make good use of a number pad or other function keys. But let’s start with the frame. The Galaxy100 Lite features an aluminum base making it look high quality, modern and functional. The color scheme on this black variant has a classic look to it, but inside the keyboard and above the aluminum, are many other layers that noticeably give stability to the keyboard and make the typing sounds enjoyable. There’s multiple foam layers, hot swappable PCB, lubed linear switches and PBT keycaps that all contribute to what makes the Galaxy100 Lite look and feel great.

While the keyboard is indeed “thocky”, it’s somehow muffled in sound to not be annoying or loud to type. The variant that I received uses Marble White Switches and Epomaker advertises that they sound “akin to rolling marbles.” I’m not sure if that’s the same comparison that I’d use but I do like how pleasant they sound to type on. I’m pretty self-conscious about how loud my keyboard is, especially because I’m a fast typist and my microphone placement is not too far from my keyboard. When taking notes while on Zoom, others on calls I’m in can hear me typing at the same time. In this case, typing on the Galaxy100 was a very pleasant experience and satisfying to hear. In terms of comfort, it’s not adjustable but if you have a wrist rest I found it to be the perfect height for someone who wants a little support. The keys also feel very well spaced out and easy to navigate.

While I typically prefer my keyboards to have screens to convey the minor information you’d need on a device like this, the Galaxy100 Lite doesn’t have one. Instead, it simply has just one volume knob in the top right occupying that space. It’s convenient, easy to use and straightforward. There’s no gimmicks on this keyboard and you get a solid user experience that can be used for a student or office worker. You can also remap keys and set macros if you’re using this for gaming although the Galaxy100 Lite is not advertised as a gaming keyboard. You can also set these functionalities across Windows, Mac and Android. 

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South-Facing RGB

Since the Galaxy100 Lite isn’t trying to compete with flashier keyboards, its dynamic RGB backlighting is also fairly muted. It is noticeable thanks to its south-facing LEDs but it’s not obnoxious or trying to be too eye-catching. Nevertheless, I found the RGB to be bright enough to notice even during the daytime in a sunny home office and colors still being vivid enough to discern. Users do have the option to change RGB settings thanks to the VIA software and can  personalize brightness, colors and lighting. 

Slow to Wake

While everything on paper sounds great about the Galaxy100 Lite, I had one major gripe that ultimately made my experience with this keyboard very unenjoyable– and that was disappointing because everything else about the keyboard was seemingly perfect. That issue was the connectivity, specifically the extremely slow wake time. Like many other keyboards, there’s multiple ways to connect to the Galaxy100 Lite. You can choose to connect via cabled wire to USB-C port, 2.4GHz receiver, or Bluetooth 5.0. The absolutely disappointing part of the keyboard was the Bluetooth connectivity. I’m not quite sure why it was so slow, but in every instance of Bluetooth connectivity that I used this keyboard, it felt as though it took at least 10 seconds for the keyboard to wake up and respond to input. This was frustrating on multiple levels especially during work if my keyboard went to sleep and I was trying to type a response or email while thinking quickly. In this day and age, keyboards should not take this long to reconnect to devices. This was the case on both my MacBook Air and Dell laptops. For this reason alone, I have a hard time recommending this keyboard.

Battery Life

Despite very shoddy connectivity, the Galaxy100 Lite has a fantastic 8,000 mAh battery that really does last. After using this keyboard for over a month, I have only had to charge it a handful of times despite using it everyday for multiple hours a day with the RGB lights on. Without the lights, the keyboard can allegedly go for up to 512 hours which is absolutely bonkers to me. Charging the keyboard is fast and easy with a USB-C cable and the keyboard notifies its users when the battery needs to be charged thanks to its red indicator light that flashes when low battery. It’s little things like this that remind me how much thought Epomaker has put into putting functionality first into its keyboards.

Final Thoughts

For a price of about $120, the Galaxy100 Lite is sturdy, well built and designed for users. Despite having all the features and technology most people would want in a keyboard, this was not my preferred Epomaker keyboard thanks to its shoddy connectivity. If this issue were fixed or if you’re alright using an always it as a wired keyboard (which in that case why not just buy a wired mechanical board?) then I can definitely see the value in it for you.

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If you’re looking for a compact and minimalistic urban backpack, look no further than the ALPAKA Metro Backpack. Marketed as a commuter-oriented bag for minimalists, I bought into the clean aesthetics the Australian bagmaker was selling and daily carried the 12L version of their bag for nearly 5 months now. For a backpack that has a vibe that fits perfectly with the overpriced social media-driven marketing of many products nowadays, I surprisingly found the Metro to be great value. With that said, would I buy this bag all over again knowing what I know now carrying it for almost half a year?

12L Capacity

Let’s get this out of the way, the 12L of this backpack is really tight. Measuring at 16.5”x9.8”x6.1” the pebble-like oval shape of the form factor really limits the things you can squeeze into the bag. Part of what makes this bag look so attractive on the outside is due to the round shape it’s constructed in though so I can’t complain too much about this. While the company says you can fit a 14-inch MacBook Pro into the laptop slot (which you absolutely can), it’s essentially a perfect fit with a thin laptop sleeve wrapped around it that doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room. Speaking of the laptop slot, it’s located inside the main zippered compartment of the bag. There’s no concealed back zipper slot or any special storage space dedicated to a laptop on this design. Compact bags usually are designed this way and that means the laptop will take a decent chunk of the interior storage that the Metro offers. Fortunately it does a great job of tucking it away using a terrifically stitched honeycomb mesh pocket that has the inner lined with a soft touch material to protect the computing device.

Build Quality

I’m very pleased with all of the interior materials used by ALPAKA for the Metro. Everything is just well put together and exudes a high level of quality even if the materials themselves don’t always feel premium. For example, the brand ALPAKA uses a recycled fabric they call AXOFLUX that is weatherproof and PFAS-free. No chemicals that risk human and environmental health. That sounds great on paper, but the 300D level of AXOFLUX used on the Metro actually does a pretty decent job of enduring the elements. Water isn’t absorbed onto the outer material and is easily able to be wiped off the exterior surface. It also has held up rather well from scratches that you may encounter scraping against a door or shelf while out somewhere. While the black colorway I sport does pick up white markings during everyday use, it does clean off pretty easily. I’d say the durability of the Metro is on par with some of the more premium popular backpack brands on the market.

Storage Zones

For storage in the main compartment, Alpaka has a grand total of 6 pockets to organize all of your goods. There are pouches sized for laptop power bricks, as well as small notebooks and water bottles. A zippered mesh compartment is also located in the main area that can comfortably house headphones and smaller objects in place. All in all I did find the compartments to be adequate in housing modern tech accessories while keeping everything neat and organized. 

Aside from the main storage, there’s one more storage area that’s accessible for users to quickly pull items they may use more frequently. This vertical access pocket has two pouches that’s wide enough to house a couple of small gaming handhelds. It’s an interesting proportion because it’s too narrow for a tablet, but a little too much space for a smartphone to slot in here. I bring this up because gravity will come into play with these pouches as since they are vertical access oriented, that means the items will shift to the down and right towards the zipper when in transit. I haven’t had anything fall out when unzipping the bag in its normal position thanks to a slight additional residue material past the receiving zipper line that acts as a buffer or lip for items. Still, items that don’t occupy all of the real estate on these pouches will move around when worn. The Metro really wants you to open this storage area slung sideways over your shoulder.

A Much Bigger Brother

ALPAKA sells a Metro Pro version that has a 24L capacity

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ALPAKA also slots in two pen holders in between the pouches in this vertical access pocket. They are really deep. A regular pen without a pocket clip will sink past the surface and you’ll have to push it out through the material on the bottom side. This makes carrying EDC compact pens a bit troublesome to pull out quickly at times. It’s not a big deal, but it is kind of interesting to consider why they would have such deep pen slots. 

This wouldn’t be an EDC urban bag if it didn’t have a key clip somewhere on the bag. This is also located in the vertical access pocket and while the strap isn’t retractable, it gives wearer’s a decent amount of length when pulling this out. The strap is sewn near the bottom of the bag and requires the zipper to be fully open to access this. I would have preferred it to be at the top part of this compartment as people pulling their keys out to either unlock a car, or tap their badge onto a scanner usually want to push this action through quickly and move on. If the strap is near the top of the bag, the wearer won’t need to open the zipper all the way down and risk items stored in this area dislodging and falling out of the bag. With that said, I really like the magnet mechanism ALPAKA chose to implement for this key clip. The actual clip itself is capable of magnetically disconnecting from the strap. That means it's basically a key chain that you can keep in your pocket if needed and magnetically clip back onto the backpack for safekeeping after. It’s a strong connection that just works well. I just wish I could slip it out without needing to unzip the entire pocket to pull it out.

Almost Perfect

My other pet peeve is the absence of a bottle pocket on the outside of the bag. I get that it’s a compact design and that one of the pouches inside the main compartment can technically hold the bottle, but I surmise a lot of people have similar daily uses like me where it's a slight nuisance to have to pull the backpack around your body and open it up to take a sip of water before resealing the zipper to encase the bottle back in. A little thing like that even comes up when I get out of my car and I pause to open the backpack up to throw the bottle inside before getting out. On bags with a pouch that’s instantly accessible, storing the bottle becomes a second nature motion that can be accomplished seamlessly.  

Finally, let’s talk about comfort. No matter how good a bag is, you won’t wear it if it isn’t comfortable that you can lug around all day. The straps are pretty comfortable on my shoulders. The padding isn’t overly padded, but it does have enough cushioning to ease off some of the carrying weight especially around the upper part. The same can be said about the back support of the Metro as the backpack gives enough hard padding to support my back. Since the bag is so compact, it’s inevitable that the weight will centralize around a certain part of the wearer’s back depending on how they adjust their straps. It certainly isn’t an uncomfortable carry, but I’ve worn bags that made me feel less strained after a long day.

The ALPAKA Metro Backpack is a really strong contender in the compact bag space. This thing is built with quality behind it and everything from the handle to the stitching of every compartment feels like it was worth the money I paid for it. It doesn’t truly have any shortcomings of notability– just operational efficiency choices that could have been better suited for wearers. Still, if you’re looking for a bag with a small footprint, that also looks as nice as it was put together, the ALPAKA Metro is a terrific option.

WARNING: THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN DISCUSSIONS involving SPOILERS FROM Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. CONSIDER WHEN AND WHERE IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO READ THIS PIECE.  

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Platforms

We Reviewed our copy of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on PC via Steam.

It is currently also available now on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC via Epic Games.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is not a brand-new game, but it is the most important game released in 2025 and perfectly recaps gaming in 2025. I began playing this game in December 2025 ahead of The Game Awards, as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (abbreviated to E33) was the favorite to win. After exploring this game extensively and completing the game twice, it was abundantly clear why E33 was named the best game of the year in 2025. In fact, I would go a step further – E33 is the single best, most incredible video game I have ever played, and I have played many great games in my day. From graphics and soundtrack to gameplay and story/character design, every aspect of E33 is nearly perfect. E33 is so incredible that this review cannot do it justice, though I will try.

Before I get into the specifics about why E33 is so incredible, I want to tell you about the genius behind this game’s creation. The studio that created E33, Sandfall Interactive, was founded by a veteran game developer who quit his job at a large video game publishing company because he could not be as creative as he wanted with his work. He then went on to hire a team of 30-ish people, many of whom had never worked in the video game industry. For a little perspective, his lead narrative designer and voice actors were hired from Reddit, and the composer for all the game’s music was found on SoundCloud. Together with a budget of less than 10 million dollars, they created E33. 

Released on April 24, 2025, no one expected anything from this game but Sandfall Interactive knew what they created would turn the gaming industry upside down. Exactly 33 weeks later on December 11, 2025, an event known as “The Game Awards” took place with over 150 million viewers worldwide. E33 was nominated for 12 awards, the most in Game Awards history, and won Game of the Year plus eight other awards, again the most in Game Awards history. From an outside perspective, one might think that no other good games came out in 2025 so E33 won by default, but that person would be very wrong. The year 2025 was the best for game releases in recent memory, dozens of great games from well-known studios/publishers were released but E33 was far and away the best. Many of these other games had much larger budgets and many more people working on them but still could not hope to compete with E33. That is a taste of the impact E33 had on the gaming industry, and the game I will be reviewing here.

Storytelling Masterclass

At its core, E33 is a story-driven role-playing game (aka a JRPG), and it has one of the best-told stories in all of gaming, if not all entertainment mediums. With a heavy influence from French art, culture, and folklore, E33 creatively balanced character design, plot, and world-building to create a game that completely hooks players into the game within the first 15 minutes of playtime. What I think this game does perfectly is create a history - a story that happened before the plot of the game - and it draws upon this history within the playable story often to create levels of depth that are exceedingly rare in modern storytelling. For this reason and more, it won Best Narrative, Best Game Direction, Best Role-Playing Game, and Best Performance.

Normally I would summarize the setting and the plot of the game’s story at this point, but I cannot do that for E33. There are a couple of reasons for this; one is that I know I could never summarize E33’s story well enough to do it the justice I think it deserves; and two, you can only play through this game for the first time once - I refuse to spoil more than I think I must just to convince you to play E33. This game is too special for any sort of spoiler. Every player’s experience through this game is unique and unforgettable, and I don’t want to ruin that for anyone. Instead, I will give you a quick overview of the history and world-building that I already mentioned E33 does perfectly.

Set in Lumière, a Meca for music, art, and culture, humans have lived peacefully for many years within the city and surrounding continent. Their creative pursuits are aided by a magical essence known as Chroma, which is basically raw creative power. Channeling chroma allows people to create Pictos, or manifestations of creativity like instruments, paint and paint brushes, etc. 

A sudden cataclysmic event known as “The Fracture” plunged the land into chaos – it broke Lumière and scattered the pieces across the continent. Along with the Fracture came a massive figure known as the Paintress and her Monolith, as well as grotesque monstrosities created from Chroma called “Nevrons” that hunt all living things. Upon her Monolith, the Paintress painted the number “100,” which signifies maximum age any human can live to. Every year, the Paintress decreases this number by one. All the humans survived the Fracture and Nevrons regrouped on the piece of Lumière furthest from the Paintress and her monolith, only to be “Gommaged” (erased from existence) as their age becomes the same as the monolith year. In hopes of stopping the Paintress and her Gommage, humans began putting together expeditions. This happened 67 years before the events of Expedition 33. At the beginning of E33, the population of Lumière is dwindling, and monolith year is about to drop to 33.

Graphical and Musical Masterpiece

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Just from the pictures attached to this review, it should be very clear to everyone that this game looks absolutely amazing. That’s why this game won Best Art Direction – it’s literally one of the best-looking video games ever and years ahead of its time. While great graphics do not automatically make a game great, the graphics in E33 certainly enhance every other element of the game to the point of near perfection. So, how did the developers make this game look so good? Two main reasons: First, Sandfall Interactive used Unreal Engine 5 by Epic Games, which is known for having the best graphics quality in game development. The downside Unreal 5 is that it generally is really demanding on the player’s PC or console, but E33 somehow got around most of that issue. Second, the character movements were made with motion-capture technology, meaning real actors/actresses acted out every single movement of the characters down to the lip movements when speaking. This technique is usually skipped in video games because it is too expensive, but Sandfall cut no corners even with a limited budget.

Something that you cannot see in the pictures is the sound effects and original soundtrack (OST), but this aspect of the game also won a Game Award – Best Score and Music. I will keep this brief because you have to listen to it to believe it, but these songs have no business being as spectacular as they are. The OST has a heavy emphasis on French Orchestral and Opera-style singing, with elements of modern Rock and Jazz mixed into some songs. I don’t understand most of the lyrics because they are sung in French, but that has not stopped me loving the creativity and effort that was obviously poured into every sound and song in E33. Live performances of the E33 OST have already sold-out concert halls across Europe, enough said.

Turn-Based Combat Mastery

Combat is the main gameplay of E33, and it is also where the most criticism can be levied. However, E33 did not win Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game for nothing. At a baseline, the combat is turn-based which can be a no-go for many gamers, but it is far from standard turn-based combat that has been done to death in the past decade of gaming. Inspired by new and old games, E33 adopts mechanics introduced from early 2000’s turn-based Mario and Final Fantasy fights; meshes it with modern turn-based combat; sprinkles in elements of precise souls-like gameplay; and finally adds new twists to create a combat system that could very well define the turn-based genre for the next decade. 

Now, an in-depth breakdown - combat is initiated after encountering an enemy, taking the player into a combat sequence. Either the enemy or player’s characters go first based on the speed stat, whoever has the highest speed stat at the start of combat; the speed stat and other stats can be increased and augmented outside of combat, but more on that later. During the player’s characters turns, attacks, abilities, items, and more can be used under the umbrella of the AP system - AP dictates how powerful of an ability a character can use. Once an ability and target are chosen the character’s ability animation begins, during which the player must perform up to three precise key inputs that will cause the ability to do more damage based on how close to perfect the input was performed. On the enemy’s turn, the player must follow enemy attack animations to perform real-time key inputs to avoid taking damage and even counterattack. 

Combat sequences can last a few seconds to over an hour, and how long it takes basically all depends on the player’s skill and preparation outside of combat. Through combat and world exploration, players level up to gain more stats, find weapons, discover pictos, and unlock lumina (a picto that is mastered through combat). Putting together good combinations of pictos and lumina, plus equipping an ideal weapon and correctly allocating stats before combat, can make even the most difficult fights easy. Regarding difficulty, E33’s combat can get extremely difficult especially after the free DLC that was dropped on the night of The Game Awards.

Here are my final thoughts. Even if you consider yourself the most casual of gamers or story enjoys, I do not recommend this game – I mandate that you must play Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. This includes people that may not enjoy turn-based and/or difficult gameplay, both of these things can become non-factors via game settings. Yes, E33 is THAT incredible! That said, there is no timeline on which you should play it – this game is evergreen, meaning it will be just as good as today a year from now, or decades down the line. A few things I would recommend for playing E33: 1) Play it on the best system available to you because higher graphics quality makes a difference; 2) Play it on the biggest screen and sounds system available to you; and 3) Make sure you have the time to “binge” it. Finally, a warning - E33 is so incredible that it may ruin all other games for you for a while.

Retail Price: $59.99

Disclaimer: Rapoo sent us a unit free of charge to review, but all thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are our own and were not discussed with the company prior to publishing.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees and support our channel by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

This is the most lightweight mouse I’ve used thus far— and I’m not even kidding about that. When I first unboxed the Rapoo VT7 Max Gen-2 I thought this was a toy. Weighing a mere 53 grams, can this mouse really perform as good as it feels? Let’s take a closer look.

Very Unassuming

The Rapoo VT7 Max Gen-2 comes off as a very unassuming mouse. The white variant I received is simple in look and feel. It’s 5-inches long and about 2.5 inches in width. It fits my palm comfortably and has supposedly been designed with esport pros to be optimized for claw and fingertip grip styles. There are 10 programmable buttons that can be macro recorded to streamline efficiency. However, I was unable to actually try programming them due to the software being in Chinese. For a mouse sold to a western audience, this is a major deterrence as it doesn’t seem to be much of an effort put into supporting a global release. However, it is comfortable, can be used for both left or right handed, and has more features than the generic look it has may give off.

Connectivity

I’ll preface the rest of this review saying that I did not game much with this mouse (what new mother has time for that right?). I did, however, use it everyday as an office mouse on both Windows and MacOS. The VT7 Max Gen 2 can be used both wired and wirelessly via 2.4 Ghz connection. I typically used it wirelessly and was impressed at how quickly it reconnected with my device even after going idle for a bit of time. It was seamless to use and quick to respond. I wasn’t surprised, given its features as a gaming mouse, but it made my usage that much more effortless to tackle the everyday tasks and worksheets I would use it for. I also appreciated the 800 mAh battery life. Despite over a month of regular use now, the battery is still going strong (although for the sake of this review I did try charging it). Rapoo advertises up to 750 hours of battery life on a single charge— which is quite impressive.

For those who are interested in its gaming features, Rapoo lists a 30K optical sensor, 120M optical switch, and true 8K wireless polling on the VT7 Max Gen 2. In practice, this mouse should perform well for those looking for no lag and fast reaction during gameplay. There’s also additional features like mouse rotation adjustments and on-board memory for supporting multi-profiles. There’s not a lot this mouse can’t do when it comes to features and functions. So what is it missing?

Mixed Emotions

To me, Rapoo sacrificed a bit in its design language to dial in and focus creating such a lightweight mouse. And by that I mean, if you’re looking to purchase something that adds some wow factor to your desk, the VT7 Max Gen 2 is not it. There’s no fancy RGB lights that are staples for gaming peripherals, there’s no pop of color, there’s nothing except for the Rapoo logo that even then you will need to look closely to identify. It’s completely muted in the best way possible though as it has a minimalistic vibe to it. If the look of your accessories doesn’t matter to you— that’s totally fine, but traditionally that’s what distinguishes a “gaming” accessory from a regular office mice. And I think in part, the reason why Rapoo didn’t add any bells and whistles to the look other than from a weight standpoint, was to keep its price fairly low. At about $60, this is what I’d consider a mid-tier mouse, but when pitted against competitors with some of these selling points, it has potentially some better value than other brands which do contain RGBs. Personally, looking at the mouse doesn’t make me happy or excited to use it, but the VT7 Max Gen 2 has been a workhorse when it comes to being comfortable enough to use daily for me. 

So should you buy this mouse? I guess it depends. I was unable to program any keys as a test due to the software language barrier and on their site. That might not matter to you if you are able to read Chinese. Again, if you’re looking for something that looks exciting or different, this is not at all what you may be interested in. If you want a non-intrusive design that is simple, then this mouse fits that to a tee. Selfishly, I think I’m willing to sacrifice some of this ultra lightweight functionality for a little more trendy design language, but the Rapoo VT7 Max Gen 2 does make up for it with a fantastic battery life.

Disclaimer: AULA sent us a unit free of charge to review, but all thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are our own and were not discussed with the company prior to publishing.

Retail Price: $94.90

The basics

The AULA F75 Pro wireless mechanical keyboard is the perfect example of the current landscape of the mechanical keyboard industry right now. It emits a creamy thocky sound, it’s wireless and compact, it has a cool color scheme, and best of all it costs less than $100. There’s a lot of value going for the F75 Pro, but as is with a lot of mass produced keyboards, the biggest concern keeping these things from sustaining success might just be on the production side.

Let's get some basic stuff out of the way. As a 75% compact keyboard, this tenkeyless layout has 81 keys and a volume knob. The additional column on this design is flush with the main layout as are the directional keys. There’s no separation here. I personally like to have a little bit of wiggle room between the column and the main layout, but I also didn’t run into many typing errors with this setup either.

There’s a two-stage kickstand that props the typing angle of the F75 Pro up quite high. This is a rare case where I found the flat typing position to be perfectly adequate for my tastes due to the sloped incline design that is much thicker on the backend. With that said, I have left it on the first propped up position during my review period with this mechanical keyboard and it's a comfortable position to be at. 

Keys

Another thing that is extremely comfortable to touch are the PBT keycaps here. AULA implemented a gradient color scheme for this model that I was sent. It centers around the core colors of black and pink. If you’re a fan of the K-pop group Blackpink, this keyboard should probably be in your desk area. think it looks quite neat and reminds me of a paint catalog you’d see at a Home Depot or Lowes. I love how much of an anti-fingerprint magnet these caps are. The symbology is side-printed which leaves the topside fully clean. It has kind of a matte finish to it and the oils from my fingertips don’t reside on them. It just looks and feels good even after a long session of usage. 

Speaking of that side-engraved symbology, it’s a pretty common trend in mechanical gaming keyboards at the moment and I think it works pretty well with this elevated angle. It’s not too difficult to read the letters on the caps and they are RGB passthrough so they illuminate in a dark setting. It’s an even better combination when you add in the fact that the RGB lights are south-facing which shine directly where the symbology is located on the keycap.

The RGB lighting on the F75 gets pretty bright while certain patterns and color schemes match these gradient keycaps nicely. There are 16 pre-set lighting effects to choose from to be exact. I personally find a simple clean white light illuminating the pink and grays to be the perfect combination to make this board sparkling clean to look at. You can customize the lighting colors and also program macros using AULA’s custom software. I don’t personally find the appeal with this control program, but like a lot of them in this price category, it just does the job needed to offer a little bit of extra control over the keyboard. Don’t expect top tier keyboard software that goes above and beyond here.

What does sound and feel great are the pre-lubed LEOBOG Reaper switches. I’d disagree with the marketing material that these are quiet switches, but that honestly doesn’t really matter because it sounds great. This is a hot swappable 3-pin/5-pin board so you can customize the switches however you want it to be. The default linear switch typing experience is smooth and AULA provides a good amount of padding in the structure. That is if I’m able to actually type with this keyboard.

Almost immediately out of the box, I began seeing double letters, space bar issues, and an abundance of other misfiring issues. It’s almost impossible to type out a full sentence without something going haywire. I think what I’m seeing is a mixture of key chatter, sticking, and maybe even stabilizer mechanism issues. Keep in mind that this is a brand new board out of the box from the manufacturer that I have been testing wirelessly through a 2.4 GHZ USB connector, Bluetooth 5.0, and a direct USB-C connection to the computer. I can visibly also see some of the keycaps getting caught on its way up with another key. This is extremely obvious with the space bar as the volume of the keycap must have been produced too wide. It’s clipping the keycap of the M key enough where I can see whitening and chipping on the edge of the keycaps. Whatever the actual diagnosis is that’s causing this to happen, there are clear quality control issues with the board I received.

Build Quality

With a 4,000 mAh battery powering this AULA, expect to see about a week or so of battery life off the plug with the RGB lights turned on. I didn’t get a chance to consistently use this board as a solo board due to it being impossible to legitimately type or game on with all its issues, but even then it won’t survive on standby while powered on for too much longer than that stated amount of time. 

I did try running some games with the F75 Pro, and it was impossible with the space bar issues I faced. Ironically the space bar is like a universal jump control for basically every PC game, so my characters just looked silly hopping up and down nonstop like a bunny. If it did work right where I wasn’t pulling my hair out in frustration, this mechanical gaming keyboard does have N key rollover.

6 F75 Pro’s

AULA sells 6 color variants of the F75 Pro

While the F75 Pro isn’t metal or made from traditional premium materials, the plastic shell and frame are all perfectly suitable for a keyboard in this price range. When I first pulled it out of the box I did in all honesty feel a bit disappointed after reviewing a string of metal boards, but after a little bit of time with the board, I found it to be well constructed. It doesn’t creak when flexed. It doesn’t retain much dust and debris thanks to a well designed structure. I also liked the placement of the USB receiver slot on the top left of the frame as its neatly sorted with the wireless control toggle and the Type-C plug.

The volume knob is a little loose for my liking, but it does look and operate fine. This is also the only metal material on the face of the board. If the board had operated flawlessly out of the box like it was supposed to, I would have been perfectly satisfied with the actual build quality of the keyboard.

Should you Buy?

From a design standpoint, I do like the F75 Pro a lot. It’s exactly what a modern mechanical keyboard should be at this point. It doesn’t cost much and it offers that popular thocky sound profile that many people are seeking right now from their keyboards. It doesn’t necessarily stand out in any single way, but the F75 Pro is also not a board that won’t fit with any specific type of desk. Whether it's at an office space or as part of a gaming setup, the board does seem versatile enough to handle those environments.

Unfortunately, I can’t overlook the quality issues I faced with my switches and keycaps to the point where I feasibly couldn’t use this keyboard to even type out a sentence when writing up this review. It’s the first time I’ve ever had to pop out a different keyboard to finish up writing a review for keyboard. That’s absolutely not a good look and it’s an inexcusable performance for a keyboard out of the box. 

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees and support our channel by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

WARNING: THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN DISCUSSIONS involving SPOILERS FROM Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive and content from other forms of the franchise. It also contains discussions about violence. CONSIDER WHEN AND WHERE IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO READ THIS PIECE. 

Platforms

We Reviewed our copy of Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive on PC via Steam.

It is currently only available now on PC.

With over 14 billion streams worldwide, Solo Leveling is one of the most successful Anime series ever. Since its release in early 2024, two seasons have been released, and season one was awarded Anime of the Year in that same year. However, not everything in the Solo Leveling franchise has been met with success. A failed mobile gacha game, Solo Leveling: Arise released around the same time in 2024 and was dead on arrival - failing to meet any of expectations set by the Anime. This is where Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive comes into the picture. Effectively, Arise Overdrive is the Arise video game without any of the microtransactions associated with the gacha version of this game.

I never played the gacha version of this game and I did not realize that Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive was the recycled version going into this review. Unfortunately, after only a few hours of playing, it was obvious why this game failed as a gacha game. Nevertheless, I continued playing the game so I could give it an honest review. After over 40 hours of gameplay, I can confidently say that Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive is not good, but also not bad, it is just a decently average game. There are some fun aspects of the game that draw players in, but also some really annoying aspects push players away.

Lazy Level Design

In a game with leveling in the name, of course levels will play a huge part. In this instance, the word “level” has multiple levels of meaning. The first is the levels (i.e. maps) in which the game is played, and the second is the leveling up of your character to get stronger as the game progresses. Starting with level/map design, there are only a handful of maps in which the entire game is played in with dozens of levels played within this handful of maps. Not to mention that all the enemies are all effectively the same just with different designs. This makes the game feel really stale after going through the same map and same enemy for the tenth time. It is like the developers only made this game for the money and put no creativity into creating it.

Regarding about the game’s namesake, leveling in Arise Overdrive is tedious and unintuitive. Leveling your main character is standard, just like any other video game, but time-consuming. The tedious and unintuitive part is everything else you need to level up to progress into harder content. Literally everything in the game needs to be leveled up, and players spend more time and effort leveling everything else up rather than the main character. Weapons, equipment, non-main characters (plus their weapons and equipment), shadow summons, hunter guild, each instanced dungeon in the game, and the list goes on for everything that needs to be leveled. It is all just a massive amount of unnecessary bloat that makes the game longer than it really needs to be.

In both uses of the word, this lazy level design is by far the worst part of the game. In my view, it is probably the reason why the gacha version of this game failed. Between making each level/enemy feel the same and the massive amount of unnecessary leveling mechanics, it feels like the developer made this game to intentionally try to waste the player’s time. On the bright side, at least Arise Overdrive does not waste your money as well with predatory gacha microtransactions.

Comic book Story

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It only makes sense that story is good because it is based on the hit anime: Solo Leveling. Arise Overdrive sticks to the story of the anime very closely (as it should) because it is the main draw to the game. However, there are some large shortcuts taken so that players aren’t rewatching the entire anime throughout the game, which makes the story in the game notably worse, but still good enough to make players continue playing. Unfortunately, the story in the game only goes through the first season and half of the second season, so there is basically nothing new story-wise that the game adds the anime plot

Solo Leveling was originally a manhwa – a Korean comic series. One really cool thing that the game does is that it incorporates the comic style cells from the manhwa into the storytelling. This gives a really unique feel to the story and does a great job of honoring the origin of Solo Leveling. Speaking of the story, here is a quick summarization of the plot for people who have not seen the anime or played Solo Level: Arise Overdrive.

Portals to other dimensions called “Gates” began appearing across the world. These gates lead to dangerous dungeons where monsters reside, as well as vast amounts of valuable raw materials and treasures. With the first appearance of gates, special powers began to awaken in humans. People who get these powers are known as Hunters and are ranked from S (the best) to E (the worst).

Our main character, Sung Jinwoo, begins as the weakest E rank but still decides to pursue a career as a hunter. In one of these dungeons he participates in, his party encounters a rare double dungeon. Unknown by his party, the second dungeon in this double dungeon is extremely dangerous and Sung Jinwoo is left behind to fend for himself while all the stronger hunters leave him behind to save themselves. At the brink of death, he clears the double dungeon and undergoes a reawakening.

With this reawakening, Sung Jinwoo becomes the only known hunter to be able to infinitely level up and become stronger, along with gaining other unique powers and abilities very similar to ones that can be found in a video game. He begins to clear these dungeon solo and level up, thus the name Solo Leveling. Quickly becoming the most powerful S-rank hunter ever, Sung Jinwoo gains the attention of the world and other worldly powers.

Leveled Up Combat

While story is the main draw to game, the playable combat in Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive is what keeps players playing. The combat gameplay is cool, customizable, and addicting. There are four classes to choose from, and each have their own style and specialties. It also has dozens of active and passive abilities, status effects, ways to immobilize enemies, parrying, dodging, and ultimate abilities.

The “Shadow Monarch” form that every class has is very thematic and really lives up the power fantasy set in the anime, not to mention the shadow summons you can earn and command throughout the game. Some levels make you play as non-Sung Jinwoo characters, which does not really fit the solo leveling aesthetic but does mix up the gameplay in a good way. Lastly, each level ends with a combat rating that tells you how well you did combat-wise within that level. All of this makes for some fun gameplay interactions.

Unfortunately, the combat is really dragged down by the level design issues mentioned above, making it feel repetitive and even un-fun at times. Luckily, combat is slightly better than the level design is bad. If not for that, I probably would not have been able to make it through to the end of this game.

Overall, this dichotomy between good combat and bad level design puts this game into a decently average spot for me– not good and not bad. If more content does get released, I may revisit this world, but until then, I am completely over this game. In terms of recommending this game, I cannot recommend this game to anyone other than people who are already fans of the Solo Leveling manhwa and/or anime. Even then, it is extremely repetitive and grindy so it takes a certain type of player to get into this game. If you do not fall into these categories, you should not even think about buying this $40 game.

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Retail Price: $159.99

Use code ‘2SZR8OU3’ for 40% off through 1-31-26

Disclaimer: JOYROOM sent us a unit free of charge to review, but all thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are our own and were not discussed with the company prior to publishing.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees and support our channel by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

My home workstation has quite a few different devices plugged in. From a separate webcam, speakers, microphone, keyboard and more, the list goes on and on. I also have two laptops that I use virtually everyday. That’s a lot of cables and products that need charging. For a while, I just gave in to having one USB-C cable permanently live on top of my desk for easy access to charging. But when JOYROOM reached out and gave us the chance to check out their new product: the PODIX Charger, I was pretty excited to learn more. Can this be the perfectly solution for desk cable clutter?

How It Works

The PODIX is a 140 watt 5-port charger that conveniently sits on top of any desk and functions as a built-in cable charging system. It connects via a single power cord that’s 59” long. The square size takes up minimal space on a desk and can easily be packed up and transported if needed. There’s quite a few unique features to the PODIX that make it enjoyable to use everyday. First, there’s a 1.54” full color display that turns on when you plug in a device. The display cycles through cute emojis and various animations. The display is also a touch screen, so you can also cycle through different views of what’s currently being charged on various port outputs. It’s a fun and effectively engaging way to charge your devices. 

Secondly, there are two dual retractable type-c cables (31.5” long) on the north side of the device. These power cords are incredibly convenient and I no longer need to keep an extra cable on my desk that further clutters my space. The cables auto-retract with magnetic connectors and are incredibly easy to use, are space saving, and function exactly as advertised. And on top of that, there’s even more ports for users who need to plug in more devices simultaneously - there’s an additional two USB-A ports and an additional USB-C port.

Fast Charging for the Everyday

As a desktop charger, the PODIX can also charge up to 140 watts fast charging. My MacBook Air charges to about 50% in half an hour easily while being used at the same time. You can also charge simultaneous devices at fast charging speeds while also charging other accessories. And for those who like to plug and play, the PODIX uses its own power distribution to detect and balance power across all ports in use so there’s no need to swap cables or ports around. There’s also a built-in safety sensor to prevent overheating.

On a day to day basis, I’ll typically have a laptop plugged in for part of the day and then swap between keeping my phone charged, plugging in my keyboard to charge as needed, and then any other devices I need to power up like my baby monitor, or travel devices. It truly is seamless to use, and plugs into my everyday needs. Thanks to the PODIX, I’ve been able to effectively stop using my Qi charging stand and other ports on my dock. While I work from home full-time, I can see the PODIX being used in offices as well, specifically in conference rooms where plenty of collaboration or meetings happen and multiple people can sit at a desk around this little device and be plugged in simultaneously without having tangled cables. I also plan on traveling with this as well so that I can charge all my devices from one place without needing to pack two extra type-C cables with me.

Worth it? Absolutely.

The JOYROOM PODIX is absolutely worth it and functions exactly as advertised. I love having this on my desk and my only qualm would be that I wish there were additional ports or other functions on the other sides of its cube design. I’m also slightly concerned about the longevity and durability of the retractable cord. As it doesn’t unplug, if it dies then it’s dead weight from then on. That being said, 5 ports is plenty generous for the portability and functionality of this device at such a small form factor. The smart charging is true to its word, the retractable Type-C cables are a game changer, and the touch screen display makes an otherwise non-unique device fun and interesting to look at. It’s clear that there’s thoughtfulness and functionality in each part of the PODIX and I’m here for it. 

Disclaimer: PunCube sent us a unit free of charge to review, but all thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are our own and were not discussed with the company prior to publishing.

Retail Price: $99.00

I’ve owned my share of Magsafe wallets that streamline what it means to carry payment methods in a growing mobile payment world. When I first switched over to these kinds of wallets, one of the requirements I needed was the ability to carry a few bills of cash. I no longer carry a single bill nor do I carry any physical change. I really only carry identification and cards now. Even the amount of cards I bring with me as an everyday carry has significantly reduced thanks to mobile wallet apps on my phone. So when PunCube sent us their Mech Wallet to review, I was intrigued and excited to see if this could be my new daily carry. While it’s a nifty and extremely satisfying to use wallet, it’s likely not a great holder for valuable cards and I’ll let you know why.

Choose Your Design

First off, the Mech Wallet has two variants that are made of different materials. The one I have is the Aluminum 6063 which as its namesake would suggest is made out of an aluminum metal. It’s a premium aerospace-grade metal at that with 0.02mm CNC precision. It definitely looks sleek with an industrial look to add to its charm. The other material choice you can buy the Mech Wallet in is a grade 4 titanium, which as you would guess is significantly more expensive than the aluminum version. 

Anyway, back to the version I have– the Aluminum 6063 model has three additional styles you can make a choice between: Wasteland, Horizon, and Ripple. This is essentially just an option to choose the accent look of the wallet. I have the Wasteland style which is a series of slanted indented lines with a PunCube logo boxed in a small rectangle. It’s clean, and once again, industrial looking, which I do like very much. The Horizon style is just a plain clean slate of metal, while the Ripple model has lines that resemble a shell. They all look pretty good in my opinion. To further add decision making into the buyer’s hands, PunCube also lets you choose between four color options for the Wasteland style I have. 

Fundamentally, the Mech Wallet doesn’t need or have a lot of unique specifications to it. After all, it is a wallet and there’s only a handful of things a wallet really needs to protect your sources of payment. One of the most important specifications wallets and bags utilize in the 21st century is RFID blocking and the Mech Wallet has this. It’s a true 100% RFID blocking that metal wallets block out nearly all signals. That means people can’t scan your pocket that houses this wallet and trigger your NFC or bluetooth components on your cards. With the rapid worldwide adoption of mobile payments as a standard, it’s safer to use a carrier that has reliable RFID blocking than not. 

Great for Fidgeters

So how does the Mech Wallet feel when pushing cards out? That’s an interesting question to ask right? In many ways PunCube designed this particular version of wallet to function as a fidgeting toy just as much as it is a functioning wallet. They even market it as that on their website. From my understanding, depending on the style of Aluminum 6063 you choose, the mechanical action that pops the cards out will feel differently. I can’t speak for Horizon or Ripples as I haven’t used them myself, but the Wasteland mechanism is so damn satisfying to pop out. It uses a Pinball mechanical ratchet that smoothly pushes out up to 6 flat cards stored inside of it. There’s a soothing click behind each portion of the movement and it really does remind me of those fidget toys that were popular a handful of years ago. I’ve found myself pulling this thing out of my pocket just to mess with it in my hands as a way to relieve stress.

Now while it definitely fulfills that stress relief role well as PunCube suggests it can, I don’t actually think it's a good idea to use it as a toy. The reason for this is that the mechanical ratchet swings loose from movement. The cards stored here are popping out loose from swings left and right. I don’t recall it doing this during the early day of testing, but it has been loose like this for longer than it hasn’t been. At first I thought I was using it incorrectly and missing the use of a button to lock the cards in, but as far as I can find from the instructions and the webpage, there’s no need for a locking mechanism of this design. The cards are supposed to stay lodged in its closed position. It shouldn’t be sliding open from a wave of my hand. This is a problem because included in the purchase of the wallet are two mounting items to transform this wallet to be used on a belt clip or slapped onto the back of a phone. 

PunCube provides buyers with a belt clip that has a reusable nano-gel adhesive to stick onto the back of the wallet. There’s also the option to use one with a magnetic platform to attach to Magsafe or magnetic compatible smartphones. I’ve been personally using this planted on the back of my Google Pixel 10 Pro and I’m extremely impressed with the magnetic connection strength from the accessory attachment. It’s steady and won’t come off without purposely added strength. However, I’ve noticed that the wallet pops slightly open when I pull it out of my pocket, especially while it is attached to my phone. Even when I pull the phone down from my ear, the motion is enough to slightly trigger the mechanism to open. It’s shockingly loose. I don’t know if this is a mechanical failure from endurance use or if it's a mechanical design flaw, but I do know it’s not fully safe for my cards. I’ve attempted to dislodge the cards without intending to open up the wallet and have unfortunately succeeded with this test.  

Limited Carry

The other slight annoyance is the limited storage space for cards. The Mech Wallet is an extremely minimalistic and simple storage space for your carry. You can’t store cash in this which I’m perfectly fine with. The company says you can hold 6 flat cards or 5 embossed cards. This is not a suggestion. It’s basically a scientific fact. I’ve tested it. The cards will jam and be lodged into the wallet without the ability to load out if it exceeds those stated numbers. So while 6 cards sounds like a lot, it quickly fills up when you transition over to a truly smart home oriented lifestyle. For example, I carry two car card keys (One for Tesla and one for Kia). A drivers license, a couple of credit cards, and an ATM card and the wallet is at its capacity. You won’t be able to bring along a health insurance card, a car insurance card, a AAA card or whatever other identification you need. There’s no back slot pouch or any additional hidden slot to slide an extra card into. The sleek minimal design is beautiful to look at and fun to pop out, but it’s truly for the barebones minimum necessity users. 

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FINAL THOUGHTS

I really wanted to use the Mech Wallet as my daily driver long after my review period with it ended, but I’m leaning more towards moving on from it. I might purchase another version of the Mech Wallet to see if the other mechanical mechanisms strain loose over time like the Wasteland one I have did. This is an extremely satisfying to use wallet. It really is. I’ve had sliders and poppers as daily drivers for years now, but I can’t say any of my previous wallets have felt this soothing and satisfying to use. Unfortunately, the most vital aspect of a wallet is to protect and house the cards that it holds and at least my unit of the Mech Wallet just isn’t reliable in handling this responsibility.

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Purchase Price: $54.99

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees and support our channel by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Functional Meets Design

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While Tomtoc as a brand has typically been known for their technologically friendly carriers, I would argue that this puffer sling is more fashion than tech. My favorite part about this bag is the amount of storage and compartments it has. At a size of 15.35” x 9.65” x 4.72” and weighing only 0.84 lbs, there’s room for your everyday needs and more. The T34 is sold in a variety of colors but I found the white variant to be most versatile. The shape also has a lot of dimension - living up to its name, it is puffy in look but not in an uncomfortable or bulky manner. It’s soft to touch and easy to maneuver around. Tomtoc touts that the puffer sling is made with renewable materials and is GRS-certified in design. 

In terms of storage, there’s plenty of it. There’s a back pocket that I will typically use to keep easy access items like my car keys, hand sanitizer, and anything that I may use or grab frequently. On the inside, there’s even more storage. There’s two more inner YKK zippered pockets large enough for tablets or water bottles, sunglasses, and more. There’s also comfortably sized pockets for extra storage and organization. You can literally fit everything you need in here for a day trip and have room for extra goodies. The adjustable strap also makes it incredibly easy to wear this bag over the shoulder or lengthen it to become a crossbody sling. I’ve used this both ways and the T34 is comfortable and easy to access in both scenarios.

Versatile Wear for a Medium Size

Given its earthy and puffy look, I found the T34 to sit best in casual environments. A trip to the grocery store, lunch with a friend or even while traveling. It’s not the type of bag I’d wear to a wedding or formal function. The white color that I have has lived up to being dragged around town and easily wiped down when looking a little worse for wear. Keep in mind though that given the fabric and material, it probably isn’t too waterproof. I have also noticed that the elastic straps, while durable and comfortable, seem to typically discolor more quickly in white than the rest of the puffer material. Nevertheless, I’m still a big fan of this color and how easily it can be paired with different outfits.

At 9 liters, the T34 is advertised as a medium sized bag. Tomtoc says it can fit up to an 11-inch iPad Air inside in addition to headphones, a water bottle, notepad, and more. I would agree and I can’t seem to say enough about how versatile this bag is for storing stuff. I’ve used it as a multi-faceted diaper bag for my baby while also carrying own my belongings in it. There’s enough zippers and pockets for both our things here making everything easy to grab when trying to find things in a hurry. 

Should You Buy It?

I can honestly say there isn’t anything I dislike about the Tomtoc Terra-T34 crossbody bag. It’s lightweight, ample in size without bulk, and has practical storage compartments for multi-use purposes. It’s my favorite everyday bag right now and I’ll be continuing to wear it for a long time to come. Once again, Tomtoc’s quality and design has really stood out and is expected to last the test of time. For a bag in the $50 price range, you simply can’t go wrong. 

Womier has created a name for itself in the budget to midrange keyboard space. The last keyboard I tried from this brand was aesthetically pleasing, but it was nothing special. Trying out the ERA75, I feel like I’m having the opposite experience. I really like the performance of this board, but I’m not a fan of how it looks. As the saying goes, we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover because there’s more to this keyboard than meets the eye. 

Retail Price: $129.99

Disclaimer: Womier sent us a unit free of charge to review, but all thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are our own and were not discussed with the company prior to publishing.

• Notable Features

  • Wired and wireless connectivity (Bluetooth and 2.4Ghz)

  • 1000Hz wired polling rate

  • Full aluminum case

  • Pom Ice Linear Switches

  • 8000 mAh battery

  • South facing RGB lights

  • Hot-swappable 

Aesthetic

These days, how our tech looks is nearly as important as how it performs. The Womier ERA75 comes in a variety of different color options, and you can even choose matching keycaps as an add-on. We simply got the base keyboard in “ice” without any extra keycaps. All of the keycaps are black, but there were three extra stylized keys in the box, which you’ll see in our photos. 

Silky Finish

The ERA75 is made out of a full aluminum casing with a powder-coated finish.

Even though I was able to choose which color I wanted to review, I have to be honest: I didn’t really like the look of any of the options for the ERA75. I don’t like the thick look the board has, and while the base blue color is pretty, the overall shape and engraved details just aren’t my style. Similarly, I’m not really a fan of the penguins and icebergs on the keycaps, but I picked the “Ice” color because I found it to be the one I disliked the least. 

The keycaps also disappointed me since the legends are not transparent, so the RGB light does not shine through them. I did initially like the slightly textured feeling of the keycaps quite a bit, but despite these being PBT keycaps, they’ve already become smooth to the touch after about a month and a half of daily use. I use my keyboards quite a bit, so that’s not too surprising, but I was hoping they’d last a bit longer since they’re PBT.

Overall Experience

Though the look of this board doesn’t appeal to me at all, the overall experience of using it was so good that it has actually become one of my favorite keyboards I’ve tried. Looks aside, this keyboard is almost everything I’ve been wanting in a keyboard. I have a small desk, so I appreciate compact boards, but I often prefer the 98% form factors more because I tend to miss some of the keys. Though I do like a numberpad, I feel like I haven’t missed it that much with this keyboard. The ERA75 still has all of the keys I need. I love that it retains the F keys, and even has a few extra keys on the right-hand side (del, pg up, pg dn, end). On top of that, it has a volume wheel! Finally! I’ve tried a fair handful of these compact boards, and they either don’t have a volume wheel or they’re lacking something else (like the F keys), so even if I like them, they’re not quite perfect for my needs. The ERA75 having both is a real win for me.

As you can see, I’m happy with the general layout of this keyboard, but that’s not the only reason I love it. It also just feels and sounds great to type on. Though I do wish the texture on the keycaps would have lasted longer, I feel like the force needed to fire the keys is perfect for me. Some keyboards are too “soft,” if you will; basically, it takes the lightest of touches to press the keys straight into the board. It’s like putting your head on a pillow and sinking straight to the mattress. That’s how those boards feel to me. Other boards have almost too much resistance, where it feels like you have to press too hard to get the key to fire. The ERA75, however, feels just right to me. There's just enough resistance in the keys without it being too much. 

Finally, we have to talk about the sound. To me, the way this board sounds is definitely in line with some of those viral keyboard typing videos. It’s a bit deeper and more muted than some of the other thocky boards I’ve had; it’s less clacky. That said, I do really enjoy the way these keys sound. It’s always difficult for me to describe sound, so I will once again direct you to the sound byte we’ve included in this review so that you can hear it for yourself! 

Other Notable Features

I love the ERA75 for being compact and having a volume wheel, but it actually has a ton of great features. For example, you can use it wired or wirelessly via Bluetooth or 2.4GHz connection. It also has three Bluetooth profiles, so you can easily switch between connected devices using simple hotkeys. I tested the battery life of this board, and I only got about three days of use before it needed to be recharged, which is just okay. Some of the wireless boards I have reviewed in the past have lasted closer to a week, so I personally wasn’t very impressed with this. However, the ERA75 certainly has enough battery if you’re just planning to use it around the house with different devices. That said, I wouldn’t exactly call this board portable as it’s quite heavy at roughly 4.5lbs. According to the product page, it’s compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android operating systems. It has N-key rollover and is fully hot-swappable. 

Like most keyboards these days, you can set up macros and remap keys. Rather than having dedicated software for you to download to do this, Womier has opted to send users to a website called Via, where you can edit key functions, make macros, etc. Personally, I have mixed feelings about this. The Via website works well enough and is not difficult to use, but you still need to download a JSON file from the Womier website to even get the board configured with it, and you have to use it in wired mode, so it’s not like having a browser version of this app makes it possible to adjust the keyboard using your smartphone, for example. The bigger issue is that Via is not compatible with all browsers; you have to be using a browser that has something called WebHID enabled. Apparently, the browsers that support WebHID are Google Chrome, Opera, and Microsoft Edge. Firefox and Safari do not support WebHID. I guess I just don't understand why Womier doesn’t make its own software that is compatible with all of its products. 

RGB Customization

According to the product listing for the ERA75, this board is supposed to have “full support for real-time customization via VIA’s web-based configurator. From subtle ambient glow to vibrant full-spectrum animations, you can fine-tune colors, brightness, and modes to match your mood and setup.” I was disappointed to find that there wasn’t any real customization for the RGB. Almost everything you can do on Via you can do using hotkeys on the keyboard itself. There’s not much customization here beyond picking a preset and picking a color you like. That said, using Via does allow you far more options for colors than using the preset hotkeys, but you can’t select specific keys to add colors to. Though it’s disappointing that this board has such lackluster RGB customization, I will say that it does have a lot of nice presets. Using Via, you can change the color of these presets, and it won’t just default to a solid color like most keyboards. It’ll change to various shades; I’d like to say it depends on what color you choose, but honestly, it feels like no matter which color I pick, so long as it isn’t the default (which is red), the colors it cycles through instead look pretty much the same. If you’re not super into RGB customization and just want a board that has some cool lighting presets, then I think you’d be fine with this. However, if you live for RGB customization, then the ERA75 is definitely not for you.

final thoughts

The ERA75 is a keyboard I never would’ve chosen based on looks alone. That said, I was actually really impressed with the overall performance of this board. It has a lot of great features, such as a volume wheel, wireless connectivity, multi-platform compatibility, and hot-swappable switches. It feels and sounds great to type on, and it’s the perfect form factor if you’re looking for something compact but not too compact. Unfortunately, the RGB customization isn’t great, but there are a lot of nice preset lighting effects. Overall, I think this is a solid keyboard for the price, and I’ll definitely be keeping it in my rotation. 

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I’m someone who likes trying mice that are a bit funky. Whether it’s a trackball, trackpad, or just an oddly shaped ergo mouse, I’m always looking for someone to revolutionize the tool in which we use to navigate our computers. Razer’s Pro Click V2 line is the company’s attempt to reintroduce a more streamlined professional working approach to their predominantly gaming oriented product lineup. Razer’s pushed out a couple of items over the last few years aimed at working professionals, but I think they really hit it out of the park with the Pro Click V2 here. Not only is this a serviceable work place mouse, it’s also a high performing gaming mouse that just happens to also be a standing vertical orientation aimed at ergonomic support. I’ve been not only video editing, but also gaming at a high rate using only this mouse for a few months now. It has some minor quirks, but I haven’t found a vertical mouse this smooth yet comfortable to use before.

Purchase Price: $119.99

Vertical Edition

• Product Specs

  • 6 Buttons

  • AI Prompt Master Shortcut

  • Connects Up To 5 Devices

  • 18 Zone RGB

  • Focus Pro 30K Optical Sensor (60 million click lifecycle)

  • 1000hz Polling Rate

So what exactly is the Pro Click V2 in regards to the Razer brand? Well a while back, the gaming company teamed up with an ergonomic office furniture brand called Humanscale to design a nifty little mouse called the Razer Pro Click. In some ways this was aimed at competing with Logitech’s dominance within the office space setting as MX Masters have eaten a huge chunk of that market. This time around, not only did Razer embark on a V2 all by themselves– they also made a variant that’s a full on vertical mouse. It’s chunky and looks like a bloated blob, but on paper it should perform similarly to the vanilla version of the Pro Click V2. That piqued my interest as there aren’t too many people I personally know who use a vertical mouse for both work and play. If this sufficed, it would be a game changer– literally.

So what makes a vertical ergonomic design supposedly more supportive for users than a basic mouse form factor? I’ve always found that while there may be a scientific approach that answers this, the true answer is idealistic and subjective from person to person. I think the Pro Click V2 in its vertical form is extremely comfortable to grip. Razer said it's designed to feel as if you were grabbing for a natural handshake grip and I actually agree with that description. Unlike a generic mouse where you claw the item, the Pro Click V2 has my hand standing almost upright as if I was holding a mug on the table. To me, there’s much less strain on my wrist when it's angled in its natural position off my arm instead of forced twisted over a surface. 

If you look at the mouse from a distance you might mistake it for a 90° angle. Upon closer inspection, you can see that it is slanted off slightly to accommodate the inputs of the right and left clicks on one side. Officially listed as an angle of 71.7°, there’s a similar ergonomic dynamic to the curvature of the mouse to other standard work mice I’ve used like the Logitech MX Master.

The mouse is designed for a right hand oriented user as the right and left clicks, as well as a resting place for the middle finger, occupy more of the real estate on the outer side. A scroll wheel is positioned further to the left click instead of where you’d see it on a traditional mouse layout scheming towards the center split. This makes a lot of sense when you’re actually using the mouse as the natural position the hand stays at has the index finger floating higher up. If the position of the scroll wheel is lowered to the center of this area it would be incredibly straining to continuously move your index finger lower to use it. 

Work and play

We’ll talk about the switches and the smoothness of the motion later. The inside grip where the thumb rests will be loaded with sensory as Razer added a lot of texture to that side. It feels kind of like a football texture which helps a little bit with the grip. My fingers get really sweaty when playing games so I did find it helpful to have a non-smooth surface for my thumb to pull into.

Razer says the V2 can last up to 6 months off of one charge. I think that’s a little bit too much of an optimistic estimate, but if you leave the RGB running and you’re unplugged, it's realistic to see around 3-4 months which is still really good. I’ve charged the mouse fully only once in my half-year with it and also one short burst charge which Razer says can get back 3 working days in just 5 minutes on the cable. I can say that estimate is pretty close as I experienced that during my real life usage.

As far as actual performance goes, Razer uses a Focus Pro 30K optical sensor that’s 99.8% resolution accurate. I’m using this on a glass pad and that combination has been buttery smooth. For a wireless mouse, I haven’t seen any latency issues at all. The 1000hz polling rate is plenty enough to pull this mouse through into the gaming territory. In fact, I feel extremely comfortable trusting this mouse with my gaming sessions. It’s nice not needing to swap between a work mouse and a gaming mouse in my setup. 

Base Model

The Regular Pro Click V2 model only has a 14 zone RGB underglow compared to the Vert’s 18 zone

Yes it has “AI”

There are a few things that can be customized through Synapse, which is Razer’s peripheral software. The main use for Synapse is to control the RGB offerings of Razer products. Yes, Razer is known for their flashing lights and their software is rather decent at giving operators the ability to customize their products. The RGB on the Vert is subtle as it only occupies a sliver of the bottom side of this bulky mouse. I actually like the minimal application of RGB here as the full black aesthetic of the topside makes the mouse appear a lot more professional. If that was the main aim and focus of this product, then the implementation of the RGB as a mere accent that bounces off the surface was a good move. 

The other main use of Synapse for this particular mouse lies with that single DPI button on the top side of the mouse. Once you program it with Razer’s software, you can long press it to enable an AI prompt summarizer. It can summarize texts and compose emails and Razer says it “unlocks powerful shortcuts…and streamline workflows instantly for AI tools” whatever that means. It’s basically a desktop widget for ChatGPT if I’m being blunt.

I’m not a big proponent of AI, especially for this particular use case. I do surmise that most people looking to buy this mouse have absolutely no purchasing motivation from this feature. If you’re looking at the Pro Click V2 Vertical, it’s likely because you want a work and gaming ergonomic mouse made by a gaming peripherals company you’re familiar with and not because it’s AI related.

Final Thoughts

My only real complaint is that after months of using this daily, the paint on the bottom of the mouse as well as the skates have begun shedding– leaving black marks all over my glass mouse pad. Other than that, I find this particular vertical mouse to be my current favorite for both work and gaming.

It just covers a lot of bases for what I’m looking for in a mouse for both comfort and performance. Once again, these types of mice are subjective in terms of comfort and affordability, but I personally found the Pro Click V2 to be a terrific offering for my usage.   

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When I think of the brand Womier, I don’t normally think of the word premium to describe their products. Womier had always been a maker of inexpensive but good valued mechanical keyboards so I was a bit surprised when I received the SK75 TMR to review. Immediately, the box was already heavier than I had expected and everything about the SK75 TMR elevated my perception of the veteran keyboard maker brand.

From outside appearances I assumed the board was the basic SK75 model as it looks identical in design. Some issues with the switches on the board didn’t help with my misidentification as it wasn’t performing properly. While I initially published the article describing the unit as the SK75, I have since retracted that article and revised it with the correct specification as a hall effect variant. The experience portions of that original article are still valid and have been kept in this new review.

Disclaimer: Womier sent us a unit free of charge to review, but all thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are our own and were not discussed with the company prior to publishing.

Retail Price: $149.99

Up A Class

As is with many keyboard names nowadays, the SK75 TMR model name represents the size of the mechanical keyboard and the HE added to listings identifies the Hall Effect nature of the unit. As a 75% board, the SK75 TMR has 81 keys that include a column on the right side for Home, End, PgUp, and PgDown. There isn’t a gap between those additional keys and the main layout, but I do find this compact keyboard to be well spaced out and evenly sorted. 

Assembled around a powder coated aluminum material, this particular Womier keyboard has a sturdy feel behind it. It’s a heavy item when you consider all of the layers of padding and metal materials ingrained into the construct. A plate foam, IXPE switch pad, acoustic pad, case foam, and insulation film are just a few components inside the keyboard to help it deliver a pretty comfortable and dampened typing experience.

The keys don’t bounce up super smoothly, but some people may like the recoil springy-ness here from these Outemu Tea Magnetic Switches. This translates over to the typing sound of the board as you can hear the springing sound as your finger releases off of the key. It isn’t a noisy typing sound, and it is pretty easy to transition. Still, if you’re not a fan, as with basically all keyboards nowadays, this is easily modifiable as the PCB supports both magnetic and standard mechanical switches. You can mix and match to create a hybrid setup based on your own preference if so desired.

Womier says they use a next-generation magnetic switch powered by Tunneling Magnetoresistance hence the TMR addition to the name. I’m not going to pretend I fully understand the science here, but from my understanding, the electrical resistance for the switch changes based on the alignment of magnets over two layers. Womier says this type of magnetic switch tech is more stable and has zero dead zone. With a full 8000Hz in both wireless and wired mode, an actuation range of 0.1mm-3.5mm, and a 0.125ms reaction time, it’s on par with competitors, at least on the spec sheet front.

With an HE board, magnetic benefits like Rapid Trigger, Multi-Trigger, and Snap Key are all prominent and a main reason why you would consider transitioning over to a board like this. You can literally customize the keys to be so sensitive that just a slight tap on the tip of the keycap is enough to register a click. If low latency is of high importance to you, the SK75 TMR is terrific at it.

To customize these options, Womier has a keyboard software that directs you to their DropBox account. I highly dislike downloading software in this manner. The software is self-explanatory enough for users to modify what they’re looking for– that is if it connects. I’ve found myself needing to unplug and replug the keyboard’s connection to the PC a few times while having the program open for it to see the device. It’s a bit frustrating and inconsistent.

As for the feel of the double shot keycaps, the PBT cherry profile set here isn’t bad for an included choice. I have the black offering with turquoise colored symbology, and like the rest of the keyboard, they’re just straight up a black color with no deviations. It’s a little plain, but there are fans of a minimalistic clean look like this and I’m all for it. While the symbology of the keycaps aren’t pass-through, the south-facing RGB has a nice diffused look seeking around the keycaps. I do think it looks nice and while the preset RGB backlight modes are basic in nature, it works well for this keyboard’s aesthetics. 

Aesthetics

Speaking of aesthetics, there are some white speckles on the black frame of the keyboard purely for a little bit of color contrast. It’s as if there’s noticeable dust particles that can’t be dusted off…ever. I don’t mind the accent to what otherwise is a rather bland look, but it technically isn’t a pure black option for those who were expecting it to be from distant marketing pictures online. 

There’s literally nothing on the entire frame of the board. No ports, no switches, and no toggles. It’s a uniform look on all four sides of the rectangle. The flipside to this clean look is that there also isn’t a slot to store the USB dongle which most modern wireless keyboards provide now somewhere on the body so you don’t lose that little but important piece. Womier accomplishes this hole-less look by applying two somewhat unique alterations to the standard keyboard design. The first one is pulling the USB-C port below the frame and onto a sub layer beneath the frame. As there’s no adjustable legs on this keyboard, this layer acts as a leveling base to designate the typing angle for the SK75 TMR. You can’t adjust the angle of the keyboard so you’ll be stuck with this one preset no matter what. I found it to be comfortable and angled at a pretty good height to comfortably type on.

This is also where the unique identifier of this keyboard’s design lies too. This layer contains this odd mirror design made out of tempered glass. It’s what Womier calls a decorative piece, but it’s located on the underside of the board which is firmly planted down on the desk when you’re operating the keyboard. So even if it does look different or unique, you’re not seeing it when using the keyboard at all. I applaud Womier for trying something eye catching for marketing purposes as mechanical keyboards have been a bit stale and replicated across the market, but I’m not sure how this gimmick sets this specific keyboard apart when you can’t see it while using it and what you do see is a generic black layout anyway.

The second change– and one I found to be intrusive– is how Womier hid the connection switch under the Caps Lock keycap in a tiny little switcher. This is a wireless board so you technically can switch between three modes: Bluetooth 5.0, a USB-C wired connection, and a 2.4 Ghz receiver. Technically it’s simply an “ON” battery switch that you likely will leave in that position permanently. Still, it’s extremely inconvenient to have to take off a keycap to toggle the keyboard off to save battery life at night if you’re the type to do that. The switch is also incredibly tiny and needs to be flicked with a fingernail. This is not a user-friendly design at all.

Performance

As far as battery life goes, this heavy board houses a 8,000 mAh battery that survives a bit more than a week off a charge with the RGB lights enabled. It’s not great or class leading, but it’s enough to get by. Since it’s such a minimalistic board, it’s difficult to identify when the battery life is low as it doesn’t have a specific indicator to how much juice (percentage-wise) is specifically left on the charge. Fortunately, Womier has programmed a key combination that actually uses the RGB on multiple keys to highlight the battery level. I don’t know how I missed this in the manual my first time around, but it’s actually a really nice way to keep an important notification on a minimalistic board.

The biggest issue I faced with the SK75 TMR was the lack of reliability. It’s a gaming keyboard, and I legitimately lost matches in a game because of this keyboard. We review keyboards for at least 30 days of consecutive usage for these reasons as issues don’t often arise in the first couple of weeks. Out of the box, the SK75 TMR felt flawless to operate, but it quickly came crashing down after an Amazon return period (30 days). It started with a single key demonstrating what I assumed was key chattering. I would apply a single input and it would register a handful of inputs. I opened it up and cleaned the board. It didn’t go away. Replacing the switch helped ease the issue for that specific switch, but soon after the space bar began acting up followed by more keys as if a plague was spreading throughout the SK75 TMR.

It soon became impossible to type on the board as it felt like it was sentient and had a mind of its own. I’ve seen quality control issues on keyboards before, but not usually on boards in the triple digit price range. However, after I realized the board needed a factory reset on the software and programming, I popped the original switches back in and gave it a test. It’s been a few days after and I haven’t had an issue since. I’ve come across HE keyboards that OEM’s have instructed me to always factory reset (Womier did not tell us to do this) before using which I’ve found to be counterproductive to a plug and play experience. I don’t know if every SK75 TMR goes haywire without first syncing with the Womier software, but I highly recommend that to the first course of action when you unbox the unit.

Color coded

Womier provides complimentary colored keycaps for the W,A,S,D and additional caps for Mac functions.

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While the mirror inclusion will get your attention online, it’s basically irrelevant to the aesthetics and performance of the board. So what it comes down to is the full aluminum offering of a pretty convincingly valuable hall effect experience. You’ll feel like this is an expensive board when it really doesn’t cost a whole lot more than it’s mechanical sibling. For $150, it performs at a high level that is extremely competitive to other hall effect gaming keyboards I’ve reviewed this year. It’s a respectable semi-premium keyboard at what I would still find as an acceptable price point for an impulsive purchase.

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I absolutely adore sleeping. I know this may seem dramatic, but my favorite part of the day is when I am rolling into my bed after a long day and ready to relax and fall asleep. After nearly 10 years with our former mattress, the ReST bed, we had decided it was time for an upgrade and a little bit of change. This is the Helix Midnight Luxe mattress. Let’s take a closer look.

Purchase Price for Twin XL With Adjustable Base: $2,215

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A Plush Cloud With the Right Support

There’s a few different ways to configure a Helix mattress but in our setup here, we have two twin XLs pushed together that essentially combines to be the same size as a king bed. The configuration on the mattress includes the GlacioTex Cooling Cover + CoolForce Layer for the pillow top fabric and the extra ErgoAlign layer for added back support. We also purchased the adjustable base as well which we’ll talk about more later. The Helix Midnight Luxe is advertised as a medium firm mattress and I would say that’s pretty accurate. I’m a very consistent side sleeper, 5’7 in height and about 160 lbs and I love how comfortable this mattress is. It’s soft to touch and embraces your body when you lie in it but also maintains enough structure to keep you supported through the night. There’s not a whole ton of bounce in it– which I prefer– so when you toss and turn in bed, there doesn’t feel like a whole ton of rebound.

While Helix advertises this mattress for side sleepers, Alex is primarily a back sleeper and seems to really enjoy the same configuration. As someone who typically runs hot at night, I appreciate the noticeable added layer of GlacioTex that helps to keep my body cool. Helix uses their SupremeSupport 4.0 Memory Foam which is supposed to be 4x more dense than typical mattresses to give additional support. I noticed that my lumbar feels especially supported when sleeping in this bed no matter what position I’m sleeping in. Keep in mind that the mattress feels a little on the taller side with a 13.5” profile thanks to its many layers of foam and various support. I personally don’t have an issue with this but this may make your bedside tables or bed frame look a little different. 

Other Contenders

On our journey to purchasing the Midnight Luxe, we had gone window shopping at many other mattress shops prior. Other contenders that we liked included the Casper Snow Max, which was slightly softer in firmness compared to the Midnight Luxe. This was a close runner up for us but given the lower price point and what I felt was slightly more curved support in the Helix, we ended up going with that. We had also tried the Purple Restore Hybrid but were not a fan of the grid feel. Along the route, we also visited an Avocado showroom and tried the Luxury Organic with Topper but the price point was much higher than we wanted to spend. We’d even went to a Sit ‘n Sleep shop and comparably liked one of the King Koil mattresses but couldn’t seem to find reviews for it to compare it with. Our last shop was a small vendor that specifically carried the Helix line and it felt like instant comfort when we lied down. For comparison, we bought our Midnight Luxe mattresses in twin size XLs for $1,548 each and the adjustable base for an additional $667 each. 

The Configuration

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Our purchase included the white glove delivery experience where they removed our old mattress and set up this current configuration for us. What I did like about this was that the Midnight Luxe was close to being ready to sleep on almost immediately. It did take a few hours to fully inflate but was ready to sleep in from the first night it was delivered. I’m also using the Helix Cooling Memory Foam Pillow, which I’ll share my thoughts on in a separate review.

While I really love sleeping on the Midnight Luxe, what really makes the setup even better is the adjustable base. If you’ve never had an adjustable base before and you enjoy reading in bed, or watching tv in bed, or even have back pain or snore regularly, I would highly recommend an adjustable base. The version that’s sold with the Helix mattress includes a remote that allows you to go into zero gravity mode, and make customizable settings from head to toe. There’s also a light mode you can use to turn on lights under the bed when using the bathroom late at night or turn on a massage mode that vibrates you to sleep. Yes, it’s a premium add-on feature that may be nice to have but this base has even helped comfort me when I was sick as it allowed me to sleep slightly elevated and have less postnasal drip. The adjustable base connects to power through a wall outlet and is made from steel and has stackable legs to make the bed either shorter or taller. With the base, there’s no need for an additional foundation or frame.

Honestly, the only negative I’ve experienced from this configuration is that I really wish Helix made a split King option. This would’ve been ideal as even though we have two Twin XLs that make up a King, you still feel the gap between the two mattresses. With a split King, each user can just adjust the head portion of their side conveniently while still technically sharing a bed.

Worth It?

There’s a lot to like about the Helix Midnight Luxe. It looks and feels like a premium mattress while not being overly expensive. It’s versatile enough for back sleepers and side sleepers and has some layers of customization for those who run hot. If you share the bed with a partner, there’s no split option but you can add an adjustable base for added comfort and convenience. The medium firm level of the mattress is chef’s kiss for me and when added with Helix’s 100-day trial and free returns, there’s no reason not to try a Helix.

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WARNING: THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN DISCUSSIONS involving SPOILERS FROM The Witcher Seasons 1 through 4. It also contains discussions about violence. CONSIDER WHEN AND WHERE IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO READ THIS PIECE. 

Streaming Now

All four seasons of The Witcher Are Now Available to Stream on Netflix

The story of The Witcher has captured large audiences across multiple mediums of entertainment. From the humble beginnings of a book series to multiple video games, the storytelling and creative vision of this fantasy has always been immaculate. Two of the books in The Witcher achieved New York Times Best Seller status, and the game – The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt – earned the highest honor in gaming, Game of the Year, an award given to only one game per year. For me, The Witcher 3 is one of the greatest games I have ever played. Now, season 4 of The Witcher live action TV show has been released on Netflix. While it is a tough ask, The Witcher on Netflix is expected to live up to the benchmark of excellence that the books and games have set.

The Witcher season 1 lived up to these high expectations. It was quite honestly awesome – great fight scenes, unreal CGI, and near-perfect character casting. However, season 2 and 3 both failed to meet expectations, each worse than the last and large steps away from the expected quality from The Witcher franchise. Coming into season 4 of The Witcher, many fans including myself had one question: Will The Witcher Season 4 recover and live up to benchmark of excellence? This answer came before the season even released – absolutely NOT!

Steeped in controversy, The Witcher season 4 was dead on arrival when it was released on October 30, 2025. Yes, fans still watched it with the hope that it would get better, but those hopes were quickly dashed. The actor for THE Witcher was replaced coming into season 4. It was also well known that story of the show has been straying further away from the source materials in the books and games. All of this could have been forgiven if the story that season 4 told was actually good, but unfortunately it was even worse than season 2 and 3. Put lightly, The Witcher season 4 was mediocre at best.

The Witcher Controversy

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There are two massive controversies that overshadowed the release of season 4 of the Witcher. The biggest was Henry Cavill, the actor for the show’s namesake - Geralt of Rivia, being replaced after season 3. Cavill had cemented himself as Geralt since season 1; he had the build, the look, the voice, and the acting that made him one with Geralt. On top of that, he had a deep respect and passion for the source material, having read all the books and even played the games. However, his passion was a doubled-edged sword. As each season strayed further from the source material, Cavil became increasingly critical of the TV show he played the lead role in. This reached a boiling point by the end of season 3, when the production team and Henry Cavill mutually agreed that he should step down from his role as the Witcher.

Cavill was replaced by Liam Hemsworth, who is a great actor in his own right, but he is not the Geralt fans came to know and love. Hemsworth does not have the build, the look, the voice, the acting, or the passion for the series that Cavill brought to the table. In all fairness, Hemsworth is not the reason season 4 is mediocre but he does not make it better either. The lead actor being replaced could kill any other show, but Netflix decided to try and keep The Witcher alive.

The second controversy was what pushed season 4 to mediocrity. Mentioned a couple times above, it is no secret that the Netflix show was straying further from the source materials. Season 4 felt like a betrayal of the books and games. Not only did this issue cause the replacement of the lead actor, but it is also the reason for why the story continued to get worse. My knowledge of the source material is limited to The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt game, but even I can see the massive differences between the show and the source materials. For example, the events of The Witcher 3 have not yet begun in the show, but multiple side characters in The Witcher 3 game that are important to its story are already dead in the show. I will not spoil who is dead, but this shows just how much the production team is straying from and betraying the source materials.

Season 4’s Story

Season 4 of The Witcher picks up right after the events of season 3. At the end of season 3, the two main antagonists, Vilgefortz – a powerful rogue mage – and Emhyr – the Emperor of Nilfgaard, teamed up capture Princess Cirilla, aka Ciri, who is currently under the guidance and protection of Geralt – THE Witcher – and Yennifer – a non-rogue mage. Vilgefortz baits Geralt and Yennifer into a fight by creating the illusion that he has already captured and delivered Ciri to Emhyr. The outcome of this fight is that Geralt and Yennifer are separated and Vilgefortz is able to monopolize the use of portal magic through ancient forbidden magic. This makes it so Yennifer cannot use her magic to reunite with Geralt and Ciri, which is where season 4 begins.

This is where things get weird. The entire story of season 4 is technically told 100 years in the future, being read from a book of poems written by Jaskier, a bard and friend to Geralt that has travelled with him throughout all his adventures since season 1. No other season was told this way. From that standpoint, season 4 follows the separate stories of three of our main characters, Geralt, Yennifer, and Ciri, as well as the stories of Vilgefortz and Emhyr to an extent. Due to this, none of the stories are very well fleshed because all five stories are fighting for screen time. Nonetheless, I’ll summarize each story.

Geralt is trying to recover from his injury while also travelling toward Nilfgaard, where he believes Ciri is being held. He is accompanied by Jaskier and Milva, both former allies to him. He is later joined by a gnome – Percival; two dwarves – Zoltan and Yarpen; a vampire – Regis; and a former Nilfgaardian enemy – Cahir. All of them share stories and fight off enemies with the goal of reaching Nilfgaard and finding Ciri.

Yennifer is trying to find Ciri as well, but in a different way. She is trying to unite all the other mages she knows against Vilgefortz and retake the use of portal magic. Then, by using portal magic she will reunite with Geralt and portal them into Nilfgaard castle, rescue Ciri, and portal out all with very little conflict.

Emperor Emhyr believes he has Ciri, who is also his daughter by blood that he has not seen since she was a baby. He intends on marrying her to fulfill the prophecy and conquer all the northern kingdoms. However, Emhyr soon realizes that the Ciri that Vilgefortz brought him is an imposter. His alliance with Vilgefortz begins to crumble, so he also begins frantically scouring the continent for Ciri.

Vilgefortz is building an army for rogue mages to use for his ambitions to become more powerful and permanently monopolize portal magic. The final piece he needs is someone powerful enough to power his monolith, and the only person with that power is Ciri. The problem is that Vilgefortz never actually captured Ciri and does not know where she is. Despite having the use of portal magic, he is also trying to find Ciri.

Literally everyone is trying to find Ciri. For her story, Ciri was randomly portaled into the arms of a group of young thieves called “The Rats.” She joins them in their heists while also trying to grapple with the crimes they commit. Effectively, Ciri is ALSO trying to find herself and decide whether she should run from her destiny forever or embrace it. By the end of the season, no body finds Ciri, including herself. This is a large part of why season 4 is mediocre.

Season 5 and Beyond

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Season 4 is basically one big set up for season 5 of The Witcher on Netflix. Due to the bad storytelling for season 4, nothing really happens and the story is not progressed. Therefore, season 5 needs to have a lot happen for the story to start being good. Unfortunately, the departure of Henry Cavill caused Netflix to reduce the total number of planned seasons from 7 to 5, so season 5 will be the final season. This could indicate that season 5 does not only have to complete all the set-up storylines from season 4, but it also must include some of what would have been in seasons 6 and 7. Fitting all of this into one 8-episode season and doing it well is a very tough ask for even the best shows. Given the track record of The Witcher getting progressively worse and season 4 being the worst of all so far, there is little hope for season 5. In good faith, I cannot recommend watching season 4 of The Witcher on Netflix to anyone.

On a positive note, the newest game in the series – The Witcher 4 – will like release in 2026 or 2027. I’m very hopeful that this game will be great, just like The Witcher 3, and will cover up the blemish on the benchmark of excellence that the TV show will likely leave behind.

Choices for affordable sling bags are abundant on Amazon, but not all of them are worth hauling. An Everyday Carry (EDC) demands gear that is both functional and compact, and few bags strike this balance as effectively—and affordably—as the Tomtoc Compact EDC Sling Bag (often branded as the Explorer-T21). Entering a market dominated by high-end, high-priced competitors, Tomtoc delivers a surprisingly valuable minimalist experience without the maximalist price tag.

For this review, I purchased the 3L capacity sling which is also classified as the small size in the lineup. Interestingly enough, their sizing names also refer to the differing models of iPads as a reference point to add context to the name. My sling is the small (Fits iPad Mini) variant.

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Build Quality

Despite a modest price tag, Tomtoc was able to utilize a nylon fabric as the base material for the shell of the bag. I don’t personally see this touch and feel as a premium experience, but I do find it to be constructed with precision and quality. The weaving of the nylon gives off the impression that the bag is resistant to water– which it is to a certain extent as it is rated for spill-resistance. I’m a fan of the dual-tone color schemes and while my choice of the orange and blue combination is a little glaring, the light cyan, space gray, and olive green options all have more subtle coordination between their two colors. Whether you like sporting something eye catching or keeping your bag low-key, Tomtoc seems to have an option for everyone’s preference. I like the color offerings a lot here.

Speaking of water, this sling bag uses YKK waterproof zippers that operate smoothly and reliably. There’s a total of three  zippered compartments on the entire bag with the main pocket occupying a majority of the real estate, the front pocket providing a key ring, and the back pocket fulfilling the role of the anti-theft item lodging. The material on the inside is where I’d say the bag shows why it’s only sold at an MSRP of under $50 as it certainly doesn’t feel premium at all. Some of the pouch sleeves are thinner than I’d like to touch from a pouch that goes through the motion of plugging and pulling items in and out. I don’t think it’ll rip anytime soon, but the outside of the bag does outscore the inside in terms of its material and looks. 

The shoulder strap is adjustable from 29.54 to 45.28 inches. It’s a pretty standard layout that has a minimalist heritage behind the design and look. I do think that the design is sleek, structured, and decidedly efficient in how it houses items. Unlike many overly tactical bags, the Tomtoc sling maintains a clean, modern profile that transitions easily from a city commute to a casual hike. It just has a modern aesthetic to it that makes it stand out much better than generic sling bags in this price range.

Size For Everything

Tomtoc sells this bag in 3 sizes: 3L, 7L, and 10L

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Carry Experience

While the bag doesn’t look too big on the outside– thanks to a well organized compartment layout– the Compact EDC holds a bevy of daily items. The main compartment is tailored to house a smaller tablet like the aforementioned iPad Mini. I’ve also seen people specifically purchase this bag to use as a carrier for the Nintendo Switch. This holds both of those things in place quite nicely.

The quick access front pocket is convenient to pull car keys to pop the trunk, while the back body hugging pocket is perfect to hide away a small wallet. It’s just deceptively large with an abundance of pockets and pouches to stash things into that you would not expect to see. There’s at least 5 to 6 segregated spaces for items to be organized neatly in this 3L capacity. That’s quite a lot compared to other slings of this size. Only the main compartment pouch has some padding to it, albeit not soft padding. This is where you should keep the small camera if you’re carrying one. My only little complaint is that I found the elastic mesh to be too loose fitting that small items like a chapstick dislodges from the pocket that I left it in.

I typically wear the bag on my back, but it can be worn slung over your shoulders, and across your chest as well. All of these positions are relatively comfortable on the body, but it does seem to want you to wear it towards one direction of your body. The straps aren’t symmetrically attached at the same anchor points as the left strap facing the body is sewn onto the inside– facing body of the bag– while the right strap holds onto the rim of the right frame.   

This is interesting because if you’re wearing it front facing, I feel like the bag wants to be worn off the right shoulder and not the left. If you’re slinging it over the right shoulder, this sling seems to wrap into the body firmer than it does over the other shoulder due to the placement of the straps. It isn’t a significant difference in comfort, but it is an interesting design cue that I noticed.

Everyday This?

I will say that I went through an initial wave where I didn’t find the T21 to be that endearing during my first run with the bag. After leaving it for a long period of time for other slings, I found myself realizing I had underappreciated the versatile design of this Tomtoc bag when I returned to it a year later. The bag provides ample amounts of organized space in a frame that’s as its namesake would suggest– compact. I also found myself liking how durable the ballistic nylon material is on this Tomtoc as it simply doesn’t wear down. Water rolls off without lodging wet spots on the material. I don’t see any stains after nearly two years of using this bag out in the world on and off. It’s quite a reliable bag and that’s extremely important for an everyday carry. Tomtoc did great with this one.

This really is a nifty little sling from Tomtoc. I can see why it's been such a popular seller on Amazon the last couple of years. Where it lacks in the premium materials on the inside, it provides with the form and function all-around. I think this is an extremely undervalued offering from Tomtoc and absolutely should be near the top of anyone’s shopping list for an urban sling bag companion. 

Disclaimer: Tecware sent us a unit free of charge to review, but all thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are our own and were not discussed with the company prior to publishing.

Retail Price: $49.99

The basics

Budget mechanical keyboards have absolutely plummeted in price in recent years. It’s becoming difficult to argue purchasing keyboards in triple-digit price ranges when one half the price can function and perform nearly as well. Known in the PC industry for their reliable budget offerings, Tecware’s Phantom S mechanical keyboard embodies a lot of the company’s core competencies through its no-nonsense offering here. 

As a 75% layout, the Phantom S has 80 keys alongside a tiny square digital screen, and a volume knob. This is a plastic case and it certainly feels that way upon touch. I will say though that there wasn’t a whole lot of creaking while I tried to flex the board so it’s put together quite well for such an inexpensive piece. There’s also quite a lot of layered damping here that I’m happy to see on a cheap priced gasket mount design.

The most premium feeling item on the entire board is the volume knob– which Tecware has planted unique textures all around its metal material. The volume knob rotates extremely smoothly and emits a satisfying click. On the other hand, the digital display screen directly under the volume knob is a bit underwhelming. It functions as an indicator for connection type, battery life, and a clock. You can customize the display to push a GIF, but I personally don’t find that to be too beneficial. It’s just too small to have any meaningful customization flare behind it. I would have rather the Tecware just not have this as the board layout would look even cleaner and more minimalistic than it already is without it. 

Customizibility

This board comes with Red Linear Switches that are complimented by double-shot ABS keycaps. They sound about as you’d expect from red linear switches. There’s a bit of hollow-ness behind the clanking and it's slightly too stiff for maxim fluid typing, but it’s a mechanical keyboard that sounds like what many think a basic mechanical keyboard should sound like. I also did a little bit of MMORPG gaming on here and the Phantom S was perfectly fine for that. It’s a 3 or 5-pin universal hot-swappable so if you want to change it up after a while, you certainly can do that. 

I do like how the RGB looks on the Phantom S. The keycaps shine-through the symbology which makes it not only much easier to see in darker rooms, but it also looks a lot cleaner. The symbology contains the concentration of RGB colors and it just looks refined here. The three-tone color scheme is rather generic, yet then again, the combination of black, white and gray does have a Phantom-vibe behind it thus matching the namesake.  

Connections

Force of Red

The actuation Force of these switches are 45 ± 8gf

There are three connectivity modes to choose from when using this wireless keyboard: pure Bluetooth 5.0, a 2.5Ghz receiver, and through the USB-C port. Tecware tacked on an interestingly shaped slider on the left frame wrapping over the board to control which mode the keyboard is in. It’s a little extra and doesn’t slide cleanly, but when you add a little extra leverage to the switch it does the job it's intended to do. The frame on the opposite side houses a USB receiver slot to store inside the body of the keyboard. I don’t recall reviewing another keyboard with a slot in this position, but it does look a little strange to look at located there.

One of my main annoyances with this keyboard is that it misses my first key press when waking up from sleep. It’s a wireless keyboard headache that I see on lower priced products and it rears its head on the Phantom S. After a while I got into the habit of pressing what I call a “phantom press” (pun intended) before I hit the actual first letter key I want to type on. It isn’t ideal, but it's just something you have to live with on this keyboard. 

Since this is a wireless keyboard, it will need to be charged through the USB-C port on the top of the frame. A major disappointment for me was how often I ended up needing to charge the board. I wasn’t able to get even a solid full work week out of one charge from this 4000 mAh battery. While I liked the north-facing LEDs, I don’t think keeping the RGB settings on as well as connecting through Bluetooth should have that significant of a drain on the longevity of the mechanical keyboard. I think it's well within reason to expect at least more than 4 days of battery life on a keyboard nowadays. In fact, wireless keyboards should at a bare minimum survive 7 days with its RGB flare running.

Should you Buy?

To be frank, even for the low MSRP that the Phantom S sells at, I’m not sure if it is worth the tradeoff for the lackluster battery life and the slow wakeup times. It’s a decent mechanical keyboard in typing experience and for basic gaming purposes, but yet the market for mechanical keyboards is extremely competitive and there are lots of terrific options currently available, some even from Tecware’s own library.  

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees and support our channel by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

WARNING: THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN DISCUSSIONS involving SPOILERS FROM Battlefield 6 and previous games in the Battlefield series. It also contains discussions about violence. CONSIDER WHEN AND WHERE IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO READ THIS PIECE. 

WE ARE A PARTICIPANT IN THE AMAZON SERVICES LLC ASSOCIATES PROGRAM, AN AFFILIATE ADVERTISING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A MEANS FOR US TO EARN FEES AND SUPPORT OUR CHANNEL BY LINKING TO AMAZON.COM AND AFFILIATED SITES.

Platforms

We Reviewed our copy of Battlefield 6 on PC via Steam.

It is currently also available now on PlayStation and Xbox.

Battlefield is one of the longest standing first-person shooters (FPS) series in gaming. From its iconic massive multiplayer maps to its hyper-customized roles and weapons, the Battlefield franchise cemented its place in the FPS genre long ago. However, recent Battlefield games have been underwhelming, grindy, and unoptimized for the average gamer. Battlefield 6 looks to remedy all these issues, as well as improve on well-known Battlefield staple gameplay mechanics, all within one game release. This release is bigger than the game though, as this is the last game that EA published before it was acquired. Not only does this game have to be great for the sake of the Battlefield franchise, but it could very well jeopardize or secure the jobs of hundreds of game developers that worked on this game.

Now that the battlefield outside of the game has been set, it is time to get into the Battlefield 6 game. Over the past two decades, dozens of Battlefield games have been released. Some of them were great, and some of them were not – or so I have heard. Personally, I have only played two Battlefield games, so my knowledge of the series is limited but nonetheless, I am a fan. The first one I played was Battlefield Bad Company 2, released in 2010, and was an awesome game for something that came out back then. Second is Battlefield 6, released on October 10, 2025, and the game I will be reviewing here.

As someone who is getting back into these games for the first time in a while, Battlefield 6 is a breath of fresh air. It is similar gameplay loop to what I remember is greatly enhanced by better graphics, faster-paced gameplay, and more customization options than ever before. While this new Battlefield does not do anything new or innovative, it improves everything that has ever made the Battlefield franchise great. To me, Battlefield 6 is truly great and a spectacularly fun game.

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Massive Multiplayer Battles

Battlefield is best known for its seamless 32 verse 32 multiplayer battles on massive maps, and Battlefield 6 does this better than before. All gameplay styles are supported. Players who want to fight up close and beam down enemies can play the Assault role, while players who want to sit back and fight from long range can play Recon. The Medic is a mid-range supportive role that can re-supply and revive allies, and the final role, Engineer, specializes in repairing allied vehicles and taking out enemy vehicles. Of course, this would not be a Battlefield game if infantry was the only option. Various ground vehicles, tanks, helicopters, fighter jets can be piloted by players, depending on the map and game mode.

That whole gameplay loop is standard for a Battlefield game though. Here is what Battlefield 6 does better than past Battlefield games.

1. There are a variety of small, mid-sized, and large-scale game modes, as well as custom game modes that allow users to create their own modes within Battlefield 6.

2. All game modes are seamless, meaning there is very few optimization, game performance, or other gameplay issues that are somewhat standard in massive multiplayer scenario games.

3. Playing with friends is easier than ever. Simply joining a party together, which can hold up to four players, and queueing for the game mode of choice is super intuitive. If you are playing with more than four players, the additional players can join another party together and join the game of the first squad of four. From personal experience, playing with friends makes Battlefield 6 much more fun!

While these things seem obvious to have in a game like this, they are features that other Battlefield games have apparently really struggled to implement.

customizable Gameplay

No matter what game mode you are playing, customizing your weapons to your liking is easy. The points earned within the game contribute toward levels outside of the game. These levels unlock more weapons and profile customizations. Each new weapon that is unlocked also has its own levels, and getting kills, assists, and other points while using the weapon. Weapon levels unlock weapon attachments and customizations, which can make a weapon more powerful, easier to use, and more. For perspective, there are dozens of weapons to unlock, and each weapon has dozens of attachments to unlock as well. While this already seems like a lot, this is where the customization ends in most Battlefield games, but not in Battlefield 6.

Each role - Assault, Engineer, Medic, and Recon – is also highly customizable. Unlike other Battlefield games, Battlefield 6 allows players to use whatever weapon they want in any class. They also have a variety of utility tools to choose from. However, there are trade-offs for customizing too much within these roles. The roles have a “recommended” weapon and utility type, which gives them certain passive buffs that other roles cannot get. Customizing away from the “recommended” comes at the cost of losing those passive buffs, making for some very interesting choices depending on how the player wants to play. The unfortunate part about all this customization is that it takes dozens of hours of gameplay to unlock everything and reach the perfectly customized role and weaponry a player might want.

Campaign and Challenges

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If I am being honest, most players are not playing Battlefield 6 for the campaign – it is for everything else mentioned above. I only played the first mission before wanting to go back to multiplayer. That is not to say it is bad, but the main draw to the game is the multiplayer. This is the quick breakdown of the campaign story:

Pax Armata, private security company, has accumulated enough power to rival NATO and some NATO aligned countries decided to leave the alliance to hire Pax Armata. As NATO forces are moving out of these countries, Pax Armata springs unprovoked attacks on already retreating NATO forces. It is up to you, the player, to figure out why Pax Armata is doing this and put a stop to it.

On the other hand, challenges are all the rage. These are basically missions that reward level experience, new weapons, and profile cosmetics. Every part of the game has associated challenges. For example, each mission in the campaign has an associated challenge that rewards cosmetics. Other challenges ranged from getting eliminations with a certain weapon type and earning points on a certain role, to getting around the map in a vehicle and capturing points in specific game modes. There are some even tougher challenges that take many hours to completely but reward the best weapons in the game. Effectively, challenges are great way for players to change how they usually play the game and reward them for it. Some challenges reset daily and weekly, adding to the replay-ability of the game.

Is Battlefield 6 Worth It?

To reiterate what I said above, Battlefield 6 does not do anything new or innovative within the scope of Battlefield game – it just does everything players have liked in past Battlefield games better. If you have enjoyed Battlefield games before, you will probably like this game. As someone who is not an FPS gamer and has only played one other Battlefield before this, I have thoroughly enjoyed Battlefield 6 and plan on playing more - mainly with friends.

That being said, it might not be worth the $70 price point for everyone. The gameplay loop, like all other Battlefield games and most other FPS games, is repetitive. The only real way to change the gameplay is by trying new weapons, roles, and using vehicles. If that is something you would not like, you should probably wait for Battlefield 6 to go on sale or not buy the game at all.

Lastly, regarding what I brought up at the beginning of this review, Battlefield 6 is performing extremely well with hundreds of thousands of players at any given time. Given this, Battlefield developers have likely secured their jobs after making Battlefield 6 into one of the best FPS games of this decade. While it may be a few years away, it would be nice to see another game added to this series in the future.

It’s been years since I could recall a phone made by Google being relatively competitive in the spec sheet realm. The brand new Google Pixel 10 Pro does not break that mold. However, what I have come to accept and even expect from the search giant is a specific way of life. While reviewing phones that are not Pixels, I quickly find myself feeling out of place even though they’re all Android devices. As soon as I got back onto the new 2025 Pixel model, I knew exactly the direction this review would be directed towards. The Pixel 10 Pro is an ecosystem phone first and foremost. It isn’t an Android ecosystem that I’m talking about either. I’m stuck in a Google ecosystem that only a Pixel branded phone can solve. 

Purchase Price: $999

Leave An Arm Behind

Let’s start off with the same ordeal people debate about every single year– the Pixel 10 Pro uses Google’s Tensor G5 processor and our model– as well as all other models– has 16 GB of ram supporting it. This base model only has 128 GB of storage and like previous years there’s no microSD card slot nor is there a sim tray anymore. This is a fully eSIM operating phone. I’d rather use my physical Nano-SIM, but that’s the way the market has moved towards and it does make for an extremely clean frame layout as there’s only three buttons, a USB-C port, and two speaker grills on the entire frame. 

The Tensor SoC remains a controversial topic for many internet forums, and while this isn’t the fastest phone I’ve reviewed, I do think it does fine as a flagship level option. There’s a sense of a fluid operation through Android 16 on this Pixel 10 Pro that I don’t necessarily feel on other flagship Android phones. The subtle haptic feedback when pulling down menus in unison with the ascending gaussian blurring of the home menu just makes the user operating experience feel like a premium show. I didn’t notice any particular slowdown points during my review period with the Pixel 10 Pro, but I did see a couple lockdown scenarios where the phone would prevent any further interaction with it until I cleared all the background apps. They’re minor annoyances that happen here and there that aren’t ideal, but it wasn’t close to a breaking point for me in regards to complaining about the G5. 

The Pixel 10 Pro doesn’t handle mobile gaming like a flagship phone should though. The highly publicized switch from ARM to Imagination Technologies’ PowerVR DXT-48-1536 GPU isn’t as rough as many online would have you think. Yes, you can run every mobile game on the Play Store about as smoothly as one can hope for on medium settings. There’s no real performance or graphical issues that I could see playing through various games. Most importantly, the frame rates were plenty playable for graphically intensive games and they stayed consistently smooth throughout my time playing. The Pixel runs warm relatively quickly while gaming though. It’s sometimes unacceptably warm. Here is the main issue plaguing the Pixel 10 Pro’s reputation– while it’s sufficient enough to run things, it's obviously lagging behind other competitors in this price tag. Nobody likes to feel like they're getting the wrong end of the stick on expensive purchases. I think it's fair to say that if getting the best gaming performance out of a smartphone is your priority– the Pixel 10 Pro isn’t the optimal choice.

• Product Specs

  • 6.3-inch 1280 × 2856p

  • OLED display

  • 120 Hz Refresh Rate

  • Android 16/ 7 Updates

  • Tensor G5 CPU

  • 16GB ram

  • 128 GB of storage

  • 4,870 mAh battery

  • In-Display fingerprint sensor

Pixel Exclusivity

So then you may be asking if pure operational performance isn’t the selling point of a piece of technology like this, then what makes me crave going back onto a Pixel? That’s what I had to really ask myself when I couldn’t wait to get the Moto Razr Ultra (2025) out of my hands for this new Google phone. 

The first thing I really missed was just how advanced Google’s call receiving structure was. Every phone maker is taunting AI down consumers' throats to make it seem like you have a personal assistant in your pocket ready to take down notes and answer calls for you. No one does it as well as Google. From the auto spam declines, the pre-screening, and the question conversing it does with unwanted callers– all of these functions are bar none in the smartphone industry right now. I’m not even exaggerating slightly right now. As a smartphone reviewer for nearly a decade, I’ve reviewed so many phones from essentially every single brand. Google Pixel’s spam screening is light years more intuitive and effective than its closest competitors. While you technically could emulate something similar using apps or other OEM’s equivalent, the Pixel’s spam screening is effortless. It doesn’t require any setup. It’s just there and it just works immediately when the phone boots. I can’t stress just how big of an everyday game changer this feature has been over the years– especially for younger and older consumers. That’s one of the reasons I recommend Pixel phones to those demographics of people when they ask me what phone works best for them. 

The other no setup required feature I keep going back to on a Pixel is a VPN. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still absolutely disgusted with Google for shamelessly dropping the One VPN service that used to come with a One subscription, but Pixel owners do have a built-in Pixel VPN service that is handy to have. It’s not great, nor does it give you flexibility and versatility to do certain things you may want a VPN to do for you, but once again– it’s no nonsense and ready to go immediately. The VPN service I’ve been running for years now has had significant issues on phones like the Razr Ultra to the point where I had to simply stop using it for a while. It’s been a relief just not having to worry about a basic IP protection route being consistent.

On the photo taking front, a lot of the specialties that make a Pixel camera so great carry over to the Pixel 10 Pro. The Gemini AI assisted editing, the Video Boost feature, Magic Audio Eraser, Night Sight– these aren’t specifically unique to the 10 Pro, but are bound to the Pixel ecosystem. They’re experiences that I don’t realize are so vital to my everyday operation of a smartphone until I’m not holding a Pixel in my hand.

The Pixel 10 Pro is a refinement of exclusivity because that’s where the world of technology is right now. Physical hardware changes are no longer evolving like they were when the first Pixel was released. The software experience is the vital cog in selling modern phones and Gemini AI plays a pivotal part to everything Google does going forward now. No one currently has AI implemented as well as Google does right now. Take this Magic Cue feature that pulls up information from your email right into the phone app during a call the Pixel recognizes is related to the substance you’re about to discuss. Instead of physically opening up your email to grab booking information during your call, the phone truly acts as an assistant and presents you the information you needed without you actually needing to tell it to. That’s beneficial AI right there. I often complain about AI on phones that really don’t contribute much of anything to improve a user’s operating experience.

Google just gets AI… for now.

Added Benefits

Pixel owners get free access to VPN by Google

Other Pixel Staples

I’ve also come to expect just about the same exact viewing experience on my high-end Pixel phones. To my eyes, the 6.3-inch, 1280 x 2856p OLED display gives off about the same vibrant viewing experience as previous years. On paper the OLED panel is brighter than ever– hitting a peak number of 3300 nits. With a refresh rate of 120Hz and nearly 500 ppi (495ppi), I’d say many people will be quite happy with watching stuff on here. Viewing angles are terrific all-around, and the sharpness of text is phenomenal for my eyes. It’s a great display.

The under display fingerprint scanner is about as good as it’ll get for a scanner under glass. It’s quite reliably accurate and I don’t have anything to complain about here. Same goes for the face unlock. They’ve pretty much reached the peak of what this kind of tech will be in recent years and it’s more of the same on the 10 Pro.

Speaking of Pixel staples, the 10 Pro and the 9 Pro share identical hardware. Yes, the same 50 MP, f/1.7 wide camera, the same 48 MP, f/2.8 periscope telephoto, and the same 48 MP, f/1.7 ultrawide sensor. Google has definitely done this rinse and repeat before while touting any improvements to be software based. This year, the Pixel 10 Pro’s AI-driven processing is the main marketing material for Google to tout onto the general public. It’s a good camera once again, but I don’t see any generational leaps that have me jumping out of my seat. The phone does a great job at doing everything automatically. It auto-exposes for the right subjects 8 out of 10 times. It auto-focuses to the target 9 out of 10 times. Even the artificial blur is almost flawless at a glance. Where AI kicks in is helping the picture essentially process the mid-tones, the shadows, and things a person normally would edit on Lightroom. It doesn’t always hit right, but it does way more frequently than it doesn’t. Pictures are often “post-ready” for your social media accounts right off the camera app.

The Pixel cameras have been an amazing companion for the general consumer. Taking pleasing photos of your loved ones, your pets, your vacation spots, and of yourself– should not be restricted to an enshrined sense of a learned skillset. Photography is an artform, but phototaking should be accessible to everyone. That’s what Google does with Pixel cameras. Aside from Apple and maybe Samsung– and I’ve used so many smartphone cameras– I don’t really know of another OEM that can say this so effortlessly.    

Charging Issues

Powering through with a 4870 mAh battery, the Pixel 10 Pro doesn’t have class-leading longevity or anything close to that. I find the battery life to be average and just barely acceptable. I’m looking at a consistent 13-15 hours off a charge with moderate adult work use. Lots of emails, article reading, video streaming, smart home controlling, phone calls, and text messages. Mind you this is also without any type of heavy gaming involved in the data. I’ve cut out all those gacha farming sessions I used to run in my daily routines for battery life checks. That should give you a good idea of the limited daily longevity the Pixel 10 Pro can potentially provide your own lifestyle with. 

The experience is saved with fast 30W wired charging through the USB-C port. You can get 55% in around 30 minutes on the cable. Wired charging has been the only means available to me to get the phone charged fully. While the 10 Pro supports 15W wireless Qi charging, I’ve been running into a lot of charging issues through the wireless route. Even using Google’s own Pixel Stand, the phone refuses to keep charging up. This has nothing to do with adaptive charging routines, or the setting to limit a charge up to 80% as I’ve evaluated all combinations of these settings both on and off. I’ve even tested out multiple charging bricks with varying power capacities to eliminate any potential logistical compatibilities. I’ve charged with and without cases too.

The Pixel 10 Pro just decides to stop charging wirelessly in unpredictable patterns. One day it will stop charging at 60%, another attempt it will be at 48%. I would then run another day with the same parameters and it would charge to 92%. Soft resets don’t remedy the phone’s refusal to charge consistently either. I believe the phone is charging to a certain percentage and then discharging while still connected to the wireless peripheral.

Google put a lot of stock in marketing their Magsafe competition that they so adequately named Pixel Snap. Essentially what we’ve come to know as Magsafe from Apple, the magnetic connection is directly on the rear of the phone. Unfortunately, the same thing is happening with a direct magnetic connected charge. The Pixel 10 Pro just cannot charge up to 100% without the cable. From my limited knowledge of the 10 Pro’s internals, I do surmise this is more of a software hiccup than a hardware limitation. 

Final Thoughts

From a hardware perspective, I find the look and feel of the 10 Pro to be rather courtly. The phone just has a mature vibe behind it that oddly enough discarded the playfulness that previous editions of the Pixel lineup exuded.

Made with a glossy aluminum frame sandwiching Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both the front and back, I do like the overall design of the phone. I have the Moonstone color that completely eliminates the flamboyant touch of brighter colors (remember orange?) that Google previously associated with their products. The entire vibe of the 10-lineup has matured and the build quality and presentation attributes to all of it. Speaking of maturity, there have been lots of vertical camera bars out there recently, but Google has been refining their camera bar for a few generations now. It still protrudes a bit more off the glass back than I would like to see, but it’s not too bad with a slightly thicker case evening things out so that it can lay flat on its back. 

With Pixel phones, everything harkens back to Google. From software support to new Android implementations– your experience solely lies in Google’s hands. As quickly as the Android-maker can tout a newest and greatest feature to be a massive leap forward in technology, they can equally quickly pull off a staple of your daily operation from your phone. In this current era of smartphones, Google has found themselves at an advantage thanks to their immense database of searching power while prioritizing beneficial AI implementation into their ecosystem that actually helps people in their daily lives. That’s really the main reason why someone would be willing to pay what Google asks every single year for their flagship priced phones.

Performance is of monumental importance when it comes to phones– I won’t deny that– but the intangibles are often underrated by people solely focusing on spec sheet numbers. The Pixel 10 Pro does the intangibles quite well and I never feel as if I’m not using a premium smartphone offering when I have this phone in my hand. So what it comes down to is if you’re considering moving to a Pixel 10 Pro, ask yourself if you’re fully committed to the Google ecosystem– not the Android ecosystem. Do you have to live with the Pixel way of life because you answer twice as many unwanted calls on Motorola's Hello UI or Samsung’s OneUI? If you do find yourself in that mold, then there’s no better option than Google’s highest offerings for 2025. 

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