Author Archives: Gaurav Sood

Ultra-modular Pathfinder gaming mouse has 2,500+ configurations to satisfy every gamer out there

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Finding a gaming mouse that can satisfy your every need is pretty hard. It all boils down to modularity and the level of customization the device offers. The best option that pros vouch for is the Mad Catz’s R.A.T. gaming mouse which comes with tons of options when it comes to customizability.

Orbital Works might have just come close to or even bettered this cult-favorite gaming peripheral. The budding startup founded by a group of engineers has developed the Pathfinder mouse that had arrived with the motive to satisfy every gamer out there. This high-performance gaming mouse comes with loads of options, so that every user is comfortable using it for extended periods.

Designer: Orbital Works

Pathfinder mouse is developed based on hundreds of hand scans and match analysis to make it feel like a second skin, sans any discomfort even after hours of use. According to the makers, this unleashes the true gaming potential and is a breath of fresh air in the peripheral space. The team invested two years in researching the best shape for a FPS mouse and three major grip points were identified when it comes to finger placement. These being the front, center and back along the length of the mouse. That’s why some gamers prefer the sculpted surface for precise control while others go for one having a flat surface for freedom of hand, wrist and finger movement.

The next step in development was to identify the areas where modularity would yield the best results. For this, the team worked with top FPS gamers and aimers. All this while maintaining lightweight aesthetics and design quality. The result is a mouse with over 2,500 possibilities of configuration. The main configurable elements of the device include a spacer to toggle the width and length, a hump adjustment element for comfortable palm contact and finger placement elements on both the left and right side.

For example, the hump-shaped attachments can have a low, medium, or high hump level. These can further be customized with the use of spacers. Makers claim that the modular mouse is rated for 20,000 cycles of changing shapes which is almost three years, 20 times a day. Practically that would make the mouse last for more than five years even with moderate and low cycle of changes every day. Of course, gamers are intrigued by the hardware prowess of any peripheral, hence, Pathfinder comes with Omron optical switches, a 4000Hz wireless receiver, and PixArt’s PAW3395 sensor.

Orbit Works Pathfinder modular mouse is currently in the prototype stage with parts developed using the 3D-printing technique. We can expect the final product to also come with high-grade 3D-printed parts that last for long. According to the pre-order portal, it will weigh just 53-59 grams +2 grams depending on the configuration chosen. Priced at $189, the modular mouse is the next big evolution in your gaming arsenal and we can’t wait to get hands on one. The Pathfinder mouse is slated to ship in late March 2025, and if you already like the idea, now is the time to get one as the pre-order window closes on 15 October.

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This beautiful medieval chess set has a cute story to go with – deserves LEGO Ideas official set status

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Why buy a chess set that looks like any other on the market shelves when you can carve them yourselves? That kind of inspiration you are bound to derive when your little daughter picks up the game so well at a very early age. LEGO Ideas user [JonnyBrickz1820] has one of the cutest stories behind this inspiring medieval chess set design proposed to become a LEGO set.

The idea is to LEGO’fy a chess set with a medieval theme while maintaining its aesthetics to accommodate the pieces when not in use. As a novice chess player I have to say the design looks amazing, and one that’ll lure me into playing a game with my best buddies. The project has already been backed by 1,400 users and I hope this one becomes an official LEGO set one day.

Designer: [JonnyBrickz1820]

It all started when Jonny noticed his 5-year-old daughter playing chess on his phone and castling against him. A few months later, she came up and asked him, if she could get her own chess set. Then came the inspiration to design one, instead of buying one since she had a keen interest in the game. After a lot of thinking and trials, he started off the crafting process for each of the pieces. Some pieces like the rook and pawns took less time while the knight was a bit of a grind for him. The major challenge was to craft them in a medieval theme while ensuring they fitted snug inside the box at the bottom when now in use.

Once the basic design was sorted, it was time to embellish the chess set in gold accents to make it pop. To maintain continuity of the design, he located weapons or items in similar pearl gold finish, or ones that could be assembled using smaller pearl gold pieces. Thereafter, it was time to design the board which derives inspiration from other LEGO creations. After much brainstorming, he decided to use a single drawer design with two separate sections for stashing the color pieces.

The interesting thing is this build is crafted without using any computer-aided design and purely on trial and error. In the end, it turned out better than any other chess set on the market!

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This Optimus Prime inspired smartwatch borrows its body frame design from the Cybertruck

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The market for smartwatches is flush open with brands and fresh designs giving users plenty of options. While all of them stay within the practical boundaries to appeal to a larger set of audience, there’s always scope for something extravagant that Gen-Z prefers.

This is the A_001 PowerWatch concept inspired by the action Japanese metal heroes like Jaspion, Jiban, and Winspector. The wearable concept challenges the mainstream smartwatch designs, both in form and function with its radical shape and operation. All these prime-time series back in the 80s and bleeding into the early 90s have gripped the Japanese audience. Later on, the craze spread worldwide and inspired other similar adaptations.

Designer: Braz de Pina

The color theme of this smartwatch is heavily influenced by the tokusatsu and Winspector, in the red, silver and blue hues. Those who are not very much familiar with these predated action heroes will gravitate towards comparing the watch’s design to the Transformers. I had a flash of the Optimus Prime when I first laid my eyes on this wearable. There are big knobs on either side of the A_001 PowerWatch to actuate inputs for menu controls and app functions. To read on the big screen that attains a Tesla Cybertruck form cannot be ignored. Yes, now you see that familiar CyberTruck body in this wearable!

The smartwatch has a dedicated scroll button on one side to go through the content and make the desired selections. In the AOD the information displayed includes current temperature, date and time. Speakers on the sides make sure you don’t have to reach out for your portable speakers when listening to music or even taking calls in noisy environments. The watch is built like a tank and is not for weak or small wrists, no puns intended!

The metal body of the beefy yet edgy smartwatch is secured by the Velcro strap that indicates its rough use. Carrying such a big watch is not going to be everybody’s privilege and if it ever makes it to the real world, Elon Musk will fancy wearing this.

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LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog sets traverse the console gaming fun into weekend building activity

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Sonic games have seen the faithful appearance of the Dr. Eggman Drillster for three decades now. Making its first appearance in the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 this intimidating vehicle has appeared in many titles that fans have loved all these years. However, the vehicle had never happened to make it through in the LEGO world, that is until now.

Finally, the LEGO Sonic set dubbed – Super Sonic vs. Egg Drillster is now official on the portal. The 590-piece build is pretty easy to assemble compared to the other intricate LEGO builds we’ve seen. That doesn’t make it any less interesting though. The set comes with Super Sonic, Shadow the Hedgehog, Dr Robotnik and the Egg Drillster vehicle The Egg Drillster comes from the Mega Drive games. Additionally, this LEGO buildable comes with a Gun Wing from Sinc Adventure 2 and Egg Pawn Bandnik.

Designer: LEGO Group

Along with this the Sonic’s Campfire Clash (77001) and Super Shadow vs. Biolizard (77003) sets have been announced as a part of the annual Sonic Central Livestream. The LEGO Super Shadow vs. Biolizard set is based on the main boss fight of the game and this one is slightly smaller consisting of 419 pieces. The scene is set to defend the Space Colony ARK from the daunting Biolizard. Fans can use the Super Sonic, Super Shadow, and Speed Sphere launcher to expose the villain’s weak spot and retrieve the Chaos Emerald. The set comes with the Super Sonic and Super Shadow minifigures to make things lively.

The 177-piece Campfire Clash LEGO set has the Sonic minifigure around the campfire. To make things more fun, kids can engage in rescuing Tocky by launching the minifigure through the speed sphere at the enemy robots G.U.N. Beetle and G.U.N. Hunter. According to Frédéric Roland Andre, Designer at the LEGO Group, “We’re delighted to introduce Sonic and LEGO fans to our latest ranges, bringing to life beloved heroes like Super Sonic and Shadow, as well as iconic villains like Biolizard, allowing them to bring to life their favorite characters and moments from the screen into the physical world of play.”

 

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Scaled-up version of LEGO Technic 8810 café racer set by Matt Denton is a rideable electric monkey bike

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The LEGO Technic 8810 Café Racer traces its roots back to the early 90s when it was first released. The 80-piece set was a childhood buddy for kids of all ages and even adults into LEGO brick building on leisurely weekends. Also known as the Technic Alpha Racer, the model gains an average 3% yearly rise in value.

Going by its collectible worth, the LEGO café racer is a valid inspiration for animatronics creator Matt Denton who has developed a rideable LEGO Technic 8810 café racer made from 3D printed parts to preserve the attachable and detachable essence of the LEGO brick influence. Each of the individual parts is created from PolyLite and polycarbonate materials to emulate the snappable plastic blocks.

Designer: Matt Denton

Matt is known for his creations culminating from exposure to the engineering and design domain. The Star Wars BB-8 is one of them. Now the 33-year-old crafter has brought the LEGO café racer into a functional electric bike which is a monkey bike in its DNA. The two-wheeler can take the weight of an adult and like all monkey bikes is a handful when it comes to steering in tight spaces at low speeds. The specialist in Animatronics Control Systems had a different kind of challenge at hand in building this ride. So, he decided to use an e-bike kit that had a motor controller, screen, disc brakes, tires, and brake levers. Putting together the custom-built parts that resemble a LEGO brick and the kit’s components required more than a snap of two individual parts since the thing produced vibrations from the movement and engine noise.

To maintain visual aesthetics, Matt only used parts from the kit that were needed without breaking the LEGO-themed look. The 3D-printed handlebar and the position of the front wheel is determined to then move on to the headlights section. Then only he went on to finalize the frame and thereafter the foot pegs, suspension, axle and wiring were done. The final components on this LEGO monkey bike were the forks, seat, battery, water bottle and a bottle holder frame.

The only thing he then tests is the rideability and the ability to reverse. After making the final adjustments to the power, steering and brake balance, the LEGO Technic café racer is ready for the streets.

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Xbox introduces appealing transparent controller and stunning customization options for Elite Series 2

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Microsoft has always believed in giving gamers more options when we talk of accessories. This is true for the gaming controllers under the Xbox line, and we’ve seen plenty in the past. These include the Dune: Part Two, Deadpool Edition and the Remix Special Edition controller. Other unofficial options like the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla-themed controller and Do3D’s limited edition gamepads.

A more recent themed controller from Microsoft’s dedicated portal for experimentation, the Xbox Design Lab, really caught our attention for its translucent cool blue theme. Yes, I’m talking about the Xbox Wireless Controller – Sky Cipher Special Edition. On the same lines, Microsoft has not revealed the Ghost Cipher Special Edition Xbox Wireless Controller.

Designer: Microsoft

The gamepad has a transparent outer shell to expose all the innards in their bare form and working dynamics. The craze for transparent and semi-transparent gadgets is slowly taking over the tech community and I love it to the core. The Ghost Cipher Special Edition gamepad contrasts the see-through aesthetics with, a silver interior, grey joystick, and bronze accents on the triggers and D-pad for a very futuristic appeal. The buttons and the Xbox logo in white add a sophisticated charm to the mix.

This clear design will lure millennials who’ve seen the era of translucent iMacs, as well as Gen-Z who are accustomed to Nothing’s transparent design language. Coming at $70, the special edition controller is up for pre-order with a release slated for October 8. Expanding the Cipher Series are two new chromatic D-pad and paddle metallic designs called Energy Chroma and Sunset Chroma which create a hypnotic gradient that shifts colors based on the angle of viewing.

That’s not it as Xbox Design Lab has crafted shells for Elite Series 2 as well. Carrying translucent aesthetics these faceplates – Ghost Cipher colorless, Velocity Cipher green, Candy Cipher pink, Pulse Cipher red, Astral Cipher purple and Surf Cipher teal contrast with black handles to pep up your controller’s look. You can mix and match the color of the buttons and triggers for complete freedom of customization.

According to the Design Lab, these controller mod kits draw inspiration from the “90s and early 2000s, the Cipher Series brings six stunning transparent top case designs. These vibrant, candy-colored top cases encapsulate the controller’s metallic frame, showcasing both its external beauty and the advanced engineering within the Elite Series 2 controller. These customizations for the Elite 2 controller start at $150 and give you complete freedom to facelift your controller.

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THOR x Harbinger test world’s first hybrid Class A RV with 500 miles range, fulltimers take note

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THOR Industries – the parent company of Airstream – has been at the forefront of plug-in-hybrid motorhomes, which could soon be on the verge of a new electric journey. In collaboration with electric vehicle company Harbinger, THOR has unveiled what it touts as the world’s first hybrid class A RV electrified for the future of RVing.

Range anxiety and long charging times have been deterrents in the acceptance of electric vehicles and electric RVs as a choice of living and traveling. With the hybrid motorhome chassis, built for THOR by Harbinger, the two are addressing the range requirements that have pestered the EV industry.

Designer: THOR Industries

The THOR test vehicle, built on this special plug-in hybrid electric chassis that mimics a truck or bus chassis, is tailor-made for the unique range requirements of the RV industry. The hybrid option could give RV owners that ultimate freedom each fulltimer desires from his Class A. This platform for RVs manufactured by Harbinger trades the usual gasoline and electric powertrain hybrid option with a low-emissions gas generator and electric option.

This range extender system allows the gas generator to power onboard a 140kWh battery, which means the RV users can get additional range in their trip and camp without the need of an EV charger at the campsite. The battery is also hooked to the rooftop solar panel, which also adds to the electric prowess of the powertrain. In collaboration, the entire unit can deliver up to 500 miles of range.

According to evidence from the test vehicle built on this new chassis, the electric powertrain not only offers unbelievable mileage but also delivers acceleration and torque almost twice that of a diesel engine. This means RVs based on this new system should be able to compete with the best in the market in power and performance, and outsmart them by miles in the range department. In addition to the range extender and solar power, the 800-volt electrical system of the Harbinger platform can be charged via a DC Fast Charger at traditional charging points. This option for quick charge means you will spend less time at the charger and more time on the road and camping in peace off-the-grid.

“Electrification will play a central role in the future of mobility, including RVing,” said THOR Industries President and CEO Bob Martin. Since, THOR Industries wants to be ready for the future well in advance, it is likely to show up RVs with this hybrid platform in 2025.

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FIIO K15 DAC’s nostalgic cassette tape charm complements the modern aesthetics

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FIIO has a peculiar knack for reinventing audio accessories with a modern twist. The CP13 cassette player released at the beginning of 2024 is one of them. That’s probably inspired FIIO to design a DAC and headphone amplifier that’s modern on the inside but carries a distinct retro appeal on the outside. Yes, a classic tape recorder on the outside spices up the otherwise contemporary Digital-to-Analog Converter players.

The portable DAC amps up your audiophile-grade music listening experience if analog is your thing – both audio-wise and visually. The FIIO K15 DAC has an inch-wide LCD that emulates the look of a cassette player, replicating the spinning six-toothed spools and music information.

Designer: FIIO

Unlike your high-end phone, the audio accessory has two Cirrus Logic chips and dual op-amps with support for 32-bit/768-kHz and DSD256 decoding. This results in crystal clear sound reproduction even with high-impedance headphones. The companion app lets you toggle the high-precision 10-band parametric equalizer (found mostly on affordable digital audio devices) to fine-tune the listening experience. Since we are talking about audiophile-grade audio accessories, connectivity with your smartphones, PC, handheld gaming device or gaming console is possible with a USB-C jack. Those who use high-end wired headphones get the option to plug in the amplifier via a 3.5mm jack or the balanced 4.4mm jack.

The pocketable audio accessory stands out from its competitors with the unique display interface, while other features are more or less similar to current generation DACs. These include options like real-time voltage and current monitoring to make any dynamic power adjustments. An inline mic also gives you the liberty to take calls or attend Zoom meetings when connected to a phone or laptop. For a price tag of $109, the K15 portable DAC by FIIO is the perfect accessory to own if you’ve got bored with the usual stuff.

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Apple Clear Series reimagines AirPods Max, AirPods Pro and Watch Ultra in transparent skin

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Nothing brought a new dimension to the world of gadgets with their Nothing Ear (1) TWS earbuds. This gave young listeners a reason to show off their audio accessory having see-through aesthetics. The visible hardware of the earbuds and then later on the Phone (1) smartphone created quite a buzz before launch for the invisible aesthetics.

Beats got hooked on the idea and released their version of transparent Studio Buds + TWS. The craze for gadgets with visible innards is obvious as they look cool, and I believe, it’s not just another fad. The Apple subsidiary owned by the Cupertino giant since 2014 might give the big daddy some inspiration for a transparent series of gadgets fit for Gen-Z. Yes, of course, we are in the concept realm on this one!

Designer: Vadzim Sadouski

Dubbed the Apple Clear Series, this concept design reimagines the suite of Apple products with see-through aesthetics. Got bored with your AirPods Max in Blue color? The AirPods Max Clear are meant for you, with the dope transparent cans that expose the rear portion of the earcups. Here we are not talking about Open-Back headphones, but rather ones with the cups covered in a thick layer of acrylic fiber for structural strength. The see-through design continues to the headband with cushioning at the bottom for comfort.

Then there is the AirPods Pro Clear which more or less looks inspired by the sister brand Beats. Of course, we would have loved more renders to let loose our imagination but the designer has created just the frontal view of the earbuds. Just like the transparent headphones, the third proposed gadget is the Apple Watch Ultra Clear with a transparent shell encapsulating the watch. Interestingly the rubber strap is also wrapped in the see-through material.

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Red Bull Racing’s RB19 Motion Simulator brings authentic motorsports action to your gaming den

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Oracle Red Bull Racing dominated the last season with RB19, and through halfway this season they were looking the dominant force until after the summer break when McLaren put more than a foot in the door for claiming this year’s championship. While the battle on the track is going to be more intense than ever until the final race off the track fans can revel in the experience of sim driving in the Red Bull’s untouchable (in fact F1’s most successful car) RB19.

The dominant F1 racing team has revealed their first-ever motion simulators based on the RB19 that became one the most dominant car during the 2023 championship. Red Bull has collaborated with Memento Exclusives who have tons of experience in motorsports to craft the limited-edition simulators. To keep everything authentic to the last detail, they’ve used the same materials and processed as done on the actual racing cars.

Designer: Oracle Red Bull Racing and Memento Exclusives

This results in the exact same experience while driving the real Red Bull F1 car on the daunting circuits of motorsports. Of course, you’ll have the opportunity to navigate those chicanes or brake late like Max if you’ve somehow got his reflexes and skills. The sim comes complete with state-of-the-art technology like haptic actuators and rumble feedback courtesy of the D-Box haptic motion system to make everything feel as authentic as in real life. There are adjustable Heusinkveld gaming pedals, a custom Rexing Mayaris steering wheel, AOC 49” curved gaming monitor and high-end speakers for audio realism. So, these sims are it for Red Bull Racing and hardcore gaming fans.

The Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 Racing Simulator can be bought right away for a mind-numbing price of $136,668 through F1Authetics. Along with these racing sims, they’ve also revealed the limited-edition RB18 and RB19 show cars which are available for purchase. Motorsports lovers bit fat bank accounts can own either the RB18 or RB19 cars featuring Max Verstappen or Sergio Pérez liveries. In addition, fans will get a 1:8 scale model and the special edition liveries from the Miami and Las Vegas races. For those who cannot fathom the thick prices of these show cars, there are memorabilia in the form of replica car parts and bodywork.

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