Dark Sector

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Ever since I saw the trailer for this game I knew I just had to have it. I'm not a fan of first person shooters so I was pleased when I saw this was a third person.

The overall idea of the game is a good one. No intro scene showing you how Hayden mutated into the hero he is, instead you play out the transformation. Level one being your training ground and introduction to the system, the black and white look was a great idea from the designers. Level two sees the start of the transformation and the game switches to color.

When you get to use the Glaive for the first time, it feels a little weak but soon you will earn new skills in using the weapon. Later on, you will get the ability to control the Glaive in flight and this is when it becomes valuable. The best way I found to get to grips with its controls was to clear an area of enemies and then spend some time throwing it around. Controlling the Glaive using the motion sensor was cumbersome so I switched that off and used the right stick. I found I was more accurate using this method.

Graphically, the game is awesome and a welcome addition to my game collection. My only complaint (and the reason for only four stars) is the annoying camera angle. When a number of enemies attack you from multiple directions, it can be hard to move the camera around to get a good shot. I had to redo some sections due to a soldier shooting me from behind and struggling to get the camera to swing around so I could take a shot. Camera angles can be an issue for some third person games but this one was particularly frustrating.

That aside, Dark Sector is a wonderful game to look at and fun to play. Trust me, when you start throwing the Glaive around and controlling its flight, you can't help but smile at the slow motion carnage.

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I'm pretty sure I'm near the end of Dark Sector. Overall it's a real fun game, but it could use some work. I agree with another review I read where they said the glaive is too weak at times. Sometimes you'll toss the glaive right into a biohazardous creatures face and it will still be alive. Another thing they could work on is the close combat. There isn't enough variation in the melee "finisher" kills. Also, when your fighting an enemy at close range, hand to hand, the sense of impact and variety of moves seems limited. One other thing is the cover system, there are a lot of items that you just can't take cover behind or vault over, and it can be kind of annoying. All of that aside it's a fun game with some new elements of gameplay. The elemental charge for your glaive is very cool and unique. The aftertouch, although very similar to heavenly sword is very cool too, the elemental explosion is very cool too. The game also has a lot of boss battles that are very fun. Overall Dark Sector is a good game, it just could use some tweaking. If they took a little more time and refined it a little more a sequel could be amazing.

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I really liked it. Lots of shooting, the glaive is really cool to use, and the storyline is pretty good. Graphics are great.

Here is what kept if from being 5 star:

Only one difficulty level

The story is hard to get into because you never really figure out what things are about

Not nearly enough ammo

Strange save points

I would definitely recommend, especially now that the price has dropped.

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This is a subpar shooter. So many little problems create a very frustrating experience. Dark Sector is not difficult. The AI on enemies is actually really dumb. For example, they'll walk up to the same spot where their buddy just died one after another so you can shoot them.

But for some reason bad guys take a ton of shots to kill, even though there's not much ammo in the game. After the prologue mission, all the enemies drop guns that are trapped. So if you pick them up, they self destruct after a few seconds. You are forced to use the glaive to kill everything simply because there's hardly any bullets available. Oh, and even the glaive takes 2 hits to kill everything once you get it. Why?

Most of the game, you're hiding behind cover and leaning out to shoot or glaive enemies. This is very familiar from other games. But in dark sector, if you move into this position it will leave your character's head sticking out just enough from cover that enemies will shoot you. You can back him up a little manually and then start shooting, but it's annoying to have to do this constantly through the whole game.

Even marked way down, this game is not worth buying. Or playing.

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This game is way better than the 7ish scores it's been getting by pro reviewers. It plays like a mashup of Resident Evil 4/COD4/Resistance: Fall of Man(horror elements, shooter, Eastern European locale), Gears of War/Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (use of cover), and Heavenly Sword (use of sixaxis aftertouch). If you love those games, like I do, then you'll love this. The game looks amazingpeople who came over to my apt. were greatly impressed with its look. I couldn't put it down once I started playing. I'm 6 levels in and can't wait to finish it and try online play. Absolutely no regrets about the purchase.

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Sony PlayStation 3 Slim Skin (PS3 Slim) - NEW - GOLD CHROME MIRROR

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Looks and works great! You should not worry about it wearing off after a while, you can always polish it up and it will look new.

People are amazed when they come over and see my ps3 slim! Highly recommended!

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I Found This Item, Abslutley Amazing, Made My Ps3 Look Totally Different With That Bling Look :) Very Good Quality And Precisely cut :)

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It is definately a cool piece of material to put on ur ps3. However, for $20 you only get the specified color that you searched. In their description, it seems that you recieve 30 different colored skins. It is a rip off for only one color of skin for $20 in my opinion. It was also hard to slide on and hard to dry. after 10 minutes of blowdrying it, it still would slide off. The great part about it is how cool it looks.

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25$ down the drain. don't your waste time and money. just a sticker and if you don't have patience like me you will mess it up. one little mistake and it looks horrible. i had to just take it off and throw it away.

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Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

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List Price: $29.99
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With the recent announcement of the PS4, you might think that the era of the PS3 is over. But it isn't yet. I hadn't owned a gaming console for several years when I found out about Ni no Kuni. Now, I played my fair share of games back in the day, but the video game market in recent years has just seemed... dull. In large part that's because I don't care for first-person shooters or fantasy sports games. I don't begrudge anyone who does, but I play games for the same reason I read books: to escape into a story. Online shootouts with trigger-happy 14-year olds just doesn't do it for me.

Of course, the gaming studios mainly make games for those 14-year olds, not me. So instead of original content and new stories, we get Call of Duty sequels. So when I found out Studio Ghibli was involved in production of a video game, I was only cautiously optimistic. It seemed too good to be true, and it was hard to imagine that their first video game collaboration would be a resounding success. Then I saw the screenshots... and that was when I started poking around eBay for a second-hand PS3.

Because, you see, the game art is astounding. It's really a step above any video game world you've ever seen. Ni no Kuni is simply a Studio Ghibli anime rendered as an entire walk-through world. As you play, you'll come across a scene and think it's the best-looking shot in the game. And then, a few minutes later, you'll come across something better. One of my favorite visuals comes late in the game: a character's backstory told with haunting, comic book-style sketches. It should go without saying that this isn't a game you want to play on an old CRT TV: an HD screen is the way to go, the larger the better (mine is a 100-inch projection system I was worried about quality, but the game looks great.) Also, turn up the volume: I'd be denying the skill of Joe Hisaishi if I didn't mention the music. In my opinion, it's the best score he's done since Spirited Away.

Now, if the game just looked and sounded great, it would still be worth playing. But the other half of the game's development was done by Level 5. Level 5 has been building critically-acclaimed JRPG's for over a decade. And they've been getting better at it. The story builds throughout the game, is clever and amusing, and seems to make an effort to avoid cliches while also making fun of them (your first major objective in the game is to find the king's red herring). As a resident of southeast Michigan, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that this is certainly the first time Detroit (or a throwback to a 50's era Detroit suburb, rather) has been featured in a JRPG! There's even a "To I-75 North" sign on one of the streets in the neighborhood.

The battle system in Ni no Kuni is the best and most fun I've ever used a clever hybrid of live-action and turn-based attacks. Basically, most actions have a time-out period after you use them, but you're still free to move around the arena, or cancel an in-progress attack if you suddenly need to cast a spell instead. But that's not all like most games involving physical battle, there are defensive moves (usually overlooked in favor of repeatedly pressing the attack button!) In Ni no Kuni, you must learn when to defend, when to attack, and when to use provisions/spells if you're going to beat the game.

I played the game all the way through and completed all the side-quests. In the end, it took me just over 100 hours spread across January to April, but you could certainly do it in less, and I could have easily spent more. A big factor in this game is how many familiars you want to collect and battle with I only had about 30 total. There's also an entire in-game book (the Wizard's Companion), of which I've read only bits-and-pieces. If you think the game is expensive, think of it this way: if you buy the game at full price and a used PS3 for, say, $200 total, you're paying $2/hour for entertainment for a few months. My only real complaints are the click-through dialog text, which gets to be repetitive, and that most of the side-quests weren't very hard. But really, these are small complaints in a masterpiece game. Quite frankly, if you're on the edge about playing the game, you should go do it. You won't regret it.

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I am a fan of Studio Ghibli. More of a fan of Hayao Miyazaki (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Howl's Moving Castle) but he has had a hand in selecting animators for Studio Ghibli over the years and is himself an exceptional animator. So for that reason alone I have been anxiously awaiting to see the great animation cut scenes for this game. Not to mention music by Joe Hisaishi, composer for Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo.

I am by no means a fan of RPG's or JRPG's. I am just a fan of art and video games are one medium I really enjoy. Mainly because a big team of people make an entire world for us to explore and play in. LEVEL 5 is a master at this. This is the closest I have seen a game come to looking like an animated film. Although I do have to note that the Namco's game Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm blew my mind with its cell shading and anime look, as well as Rayman Origins with it's wonderful 2D side scrolling animations. This LEVEL 5 production takes playing in the world of animation to a whole other level. Side note, like Naruto you can choose to have the English dubbed track or the Japanese audio with English subtitles which I think is great.

I am not very far into this game and will update as I venture further into it. As of now, I have had no glitches or problems, load times are as expected. The controls are tight and responsive, the visuals are stunning of course.

The inner kid in me wishes that they had released a game this massive and epic and cartoony when I was a kid. The main character Oliver and his guide Mr. Drippy are very classic Studio Ghibli styled characters and the animation cut scenes have been most impressive so far. The learning curve is pretty nice for this style of RPG. As my only familiarity with RPG's are Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VII, and Eternal Sonata, and in that order, I can't really compare this to many other RPG's. I have read some things online comparing this game to Pokemon for the Gameboy (mainly because you capture creatures or "familiars" who help you in your battles), I can't speak to that. What I really like about the battle system is that it is not just button mashing or the regular RPG style pick and choose how to attack and then watch it happen, but being in real time and an open battleground, it is to your advantage to stay moving when attacking the enemy. So far I haven't found the errands (side quests) to be repetitive. Compared to the aforementioned games however, this will undoubtedly go down as a classic among them. I have heard this game can be beaten in about 40 hours if you don't do any errands and just stick to the story. Something tells me you can squeeze a good 65 hours out of this at least.

Any fan of Studio Ghibli films, classic RPG's like Chrono Trigger and any fan of solid game design need to get this. Highly Recommended. If you are a huge nerd like me, you should try and get your hands on the Wizard Edition, it comes with a physical copy of the Wizard's companion that you use in the game.

*UPDATE*

I am a big fan of what they have done with the familiars in this game. There are a lot, 14 different genuses and each genuses (Arcana, Dracones, and Vermes to name a few) has countless different familiars within their respective class. Each with their own unique abilites which makes gameplay very deep when doing battle with enemies who's weakness may be exploited with a particular familiar.

Like other reviewers have said, the world map is stellar and detailed and harkens back to old school RPG's. This game does take a while to get going, but if you played Assassins Creed III, then this game in comparison seems like it gets going immediately. So far I have not had to use the Prima Guide I ordered for this game. The in game Wizard companion book is very helpful. I can't wait to get my Wizard Edition to have the physical copy that will make it much easier to reference. The more I play the more I love this game. Unfortunately I am stuck at work, otherwise I probably would have played all night and would still be playing now.

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Ever since I saw My Neighbor Totoro as a kid back in the early 1990's, I had wanted to see what would happen when Studio Ghibli combines their efforts with another developer to create a video game. Now that we have the end result, I couldn't be more satisfied. P.S., this is going to be one heck of a bias review.

Ni No Kuni is one of the best JRPG'S I have ever played. Combining Studio Ghibli's incredible imagination with Level 5's polished and fun gameplay mechanics, Ni No Kuni feels like the JRPG'S of old while revitalizing a dying genre. It feels like Dragon Quest VIII (a personal favorite), mixing elements of Tales, Star Ocean, and Pokemon into one pot of pure bliss. And man, how I've missed an overworld!

The story and world sucks you in right quick, creating a sense of charm and wonder right from the get go. The opening is a tear-jerker, creating a sense of desperation and sympathy for our hero, Oliver. More than anything, Studio Ghibli's incredible ability to create such unique and real emotion in such with their animation is one of their strengths, and combining that with Level 5's sincere approach to the story, it works like magic. Right away, you meet Drippy, one of the most incredibly charismatic and lovable characters to ever grace a video game. The writing and script is top notch, filled with hilarious dialogue and wonderful characters (that feature some of the best English Dubs of any JRPG translation that I've played).

Battles play out like a synthesis of Tales meets Pokemon. You gain control of familiars, small creates that have attributes (sword and shield, tank, fire, etc.) that do your fighting in battles. You can also take control of Oliver to command him to use various tools such as the ability to use items, heal, and run. Battles begin fairly simple with you fighting one to two monsters, but the progression exponentially increases and by no time battles become chaotic affairs that will test your wit and reflexes. The combat is incredibly addicting, rewarding constant interaction and movement on the battlefield. One of the best features is the real time aspect of the battle system. If you command your familiars to attack, defend, and use tricks (or special abilities) at the right time HP and MP orbs fall from your enemies, offering a quick heal. It sounds like a simple mechanic, but it keeps you constantly engaged while in combat, offering a fun, fast paced and exciting tug of war against your enemies.

Story telling is, to put it simply, reminiscent of Studio Ghibli. A hero going on an epic adventure to save his kingdom, healing the people of the land of their broken-heartedness, all while trying to save your mother sounds, walks, and talks just a Ghibli presentation shoud. NNK can be enjoyed by a younger audience, but the elements here are consistently dark and mature, which comes as a major relief. Keeping it spoiler free, the game engages you quite well. It's a simple yet emotionally effective story that grabs you right away.

Also of note is Joe Hisaishi's majestic, sweeping, and beautiful original score. Frequent collaborator with Studio Ghibli, Joe was (gladly) offered to compose the score, and man is it incredible. The overworld theme is still reverberating in my head as I write this. It captures the moods with gorgeous melodies and memorable themes. It allows you to explore and enjoy an already tremendous achievement all the more. They seriously need to release the PS3 soundtrack, because this is as good as JRPG and video game scores get.

And speaking of outside influence, Studio Ghibli made a significant contribution in the art department. There are original animated cut scenes produced by Ghibli themselves (namely Momose)which are wonderful (especially in HD!), the monsters are original and cute, and the gorgeous colors used in the backdrops provoke the imagination. Everything is here, and it feels like Ghibli production combined with Level 5's JRPG mastery in full force.

If there are any complaints (and these are minor grievances) it's that the draw distance is nothing to write home about. On the world map you'll see mountains "peel" in in the distance, and foliage in more graphically intensive areas obviously pops in as you walk through the areas. This is such a minor complaint though, honestly, as it comes from years of playing games and eventually noticing technical "tricks" that developers use to cut corners.

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is sincere, wholesome, and most importantly FUN entertainment that might just be the last push the JRPG genre needs to get its legs again in a predominantly "bald-space-dude-marine-bro" controlled market. Some may ask "why is the title stupid?" or say "it looks like a game for ten year olds!," which at that point I would say that Ni No Kuni game isn't appropriate for them. If you aren't willing to give the game a shot, you'll be missing out. Ni No Kuni takes skill, dedication, and maturity to play and enjoy this long and challenging adventure; it dares to be different from just about every JRPG out there, straying from the spiky-hair-big-sword cliches that have plagued the genre for years, and succeeds so incredibly well at doing so.

And in case you just looked to the end to see the score or closing comments, here they are: Ni No Kuni Wrath of the White Witch is one of the best JRPG's ever made, and it rightfully deserves the praise it is receiving. Part homage to JRPG's and part fan service for Studio Ghibli lovers, it's hard not to like Ni No Kuni. If you love RPG's/JRPG's, this is a no brainer. If you love Studio Ghibli, this is a no brainer. If you've been looking to jump into the genre, you won't get a better chance. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a steroid shot to the imagination, giving players freedom to explore one of the best adventures this console generation. It's a masterpiece that won't soon be forgotten.

It's not every day we are given such an incredible gem. Just leaving here with one comment: Thank you Level-5 for the incredible adventure and Studio Ghibli for continuing to create entertainment that is both wholesome and enjoyable.

So what are you waiting for? Go play Ni No Kuni for flippen sake!

Afterthoughts: Just completed the game! My opinions from the beginning couple hours have not changed. I love Ni No Kuni even more now. The ending tied up and explained all of the mysteries and loose ends (without being stupid, farfetched, or cliche), the characters came full circle and were developed so well, and Oliver really grows up into a hero, and a quite likable one at that. There seems to be plenty of post game challenges left, so consider me excited to continue exploring this world.

Total play time for story run: 51:14:06.

Final score: 10/10

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I have not had this much fun playing a game since I first bought the original Playstation and Final Fantasy VII and hooked it up.The game looks like it was made for kids when you first see the animation but don't let that fool you. This game is deep. The story line is inviting and the battle system is challenging and down right fun!! I have to drag myself away from it to do important life things like work! I am a fifty something old man who has been playing video games since Pong. And this game may just very well be the best I have ever played. To me it is that good !!

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I am not an RPG fan like most reviewers here. I was drawn in by my love for Studio Gibli, and the breathless universal enthusiasm for the game. Indeed the game looks like a Studio Gibli epic, and everything about it is top-notch in terms or quality. The art is stunning. The story tugs at heart strings (even if having mom keel over and die is a little un-subtle way to tug them).

However several hours in and I am struggling to maintain interest. The battle system may be great for this type of game, but I find it tedious and repetitive. Walk walk walk, fight, walk walk walk, fight, walk, fight, die, back up and repeat. The enemies are cute, but repetitive and flat. Fighting involves a ton of selecting this character and that spell that takes a while to deal with, pulling me out if the action. I'm sure this gets more intuitive after a while, but often I wish I could just slash away and be done with it.

It is like playing a movie, except for the fact that most of the dialog is just subtitles, and there are boring stretches of Pokemon style battles every 30 seconds as you go on some errand to find some thing to enable some other thing. I do love the fact that the gameplay is indistinguishable (almost) from the cut scenes. But the fact is the characters are 2D cartoons, so that shouldn't be such a feat. Having just played Skyrim for a million hours, I am no stranger to walking and fighting and running errands, but this feels more like a chore. I felt much more immersed in Skyrim. In Ni No Kuni I feel much more bogged down by menus and stuck on the tracks of the story.

That said, the more interactive story engagement sections of the game are wonderful, if a little corny and childlike.

I have a feeling if I were 14 this would have me riveted for weeks. But as a an adult non RPG gamer, I'm struggling to get into this. I realize I may not be the target audience, but for others who were attracted by the Studio Gibli association, I think an outsider perspective may be useful to temper the hype surrounding this game.

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PS2/PS3 Rock Band 2 Standalone Guitar

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I have been a long time Guitar Hero (GH) player. And after playing Rock Band 1 a few months ago, I found it fun but hard to strum the notes as easily as I can with GH.

Recently I was playing the new Rock Band 2 (RB2) guitar at my local electronics store and fell in love with the wood burst body and wood paneled neck. So I placed my pre-order and received it today....

I am in love. I love the sturdy and non-clicky strum bar (I HATED the "click-click" sound of the GH strum). The frets give off some noise but not that bad. They feel good but are harder to keep your place as easily as GH. The feel of the guitar is nice and feels like quality in your lap or hanging from your shoulder. The nice sleek lines of the guitar is even nicer to look at when you're not playing. The whammy is nearly identical to the whammy bar of GH but a bit longer. The start button is nicely recessed and the PS3 button and connect button are nicely designed.

I was really relieved to see that the standalone RB2 guitar is in fact the wood burst body design and NOT the black RB2 guitar that is included in the RB2 bundle. I am extremely pleased and I have officially crossed over from GH to RB. The guitar looks like a real Fender Strat and after owning this guitar, GH guitars look like cheap 5-year old toys.

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I wrote a review of the last generation Strat controller that you can find with the original product: Playstation 3 Rock Band Wireless Guitar

This review will address, primarily, the modifications Harmonix made.

As I said in the title, if you didn't like the last one--that is, if you HATED it, as many people do--you're not going to like this one, either.

Harmonix mostly tweaked the things that most people complained about and added a couple plush features, as well.

First, the strumbar: it's still a Strat strumbar, but it has a much better defined range of motion and comes to a complete and definite stop going in each direction. It is still "soft" and noiseless, but it should appease people who found the original to be "mushy."

Second, the fret buttons: still a bit clicky, though much quieter. You don't really get that loud "snap-back" clack when you release the buttons the way you sometimes did with the guitar from the original game.

Third: you can use this for either game, so if you just want an upgrade to your RB guitar for now, this will do it for you. I really recommend jumping up to RB2, though.

Now, the extra features:

The wireless dongle has a little something extra about it this time: two USB ports so that it can function as a hub as well as a dongle. Makes it possible to hook up four instruments on a two-USB-port system without the use of an external hub.

Auto-calibrate (RB2 only) is wonderful feature: select it from the menu, hold the guitar up to your speaker, then hold it up to your TV and you're calibrated. It has worked absolutely perfectly for me and I'm actually playing and scoring better because of it.

The rest of the changes are pretty much cosmetic and very minor. I do think this controller looks nicer than the original, but the one I got (which came with the special edition) isn't a flameburst design but just the usual black.

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No question, obviously this is the guitar you should spend money on. I've played with other guitars, and they just don't respond the same way, nor are built with any durability in mind. If you own, or have owned, the original Rock Band Fender Strat, you know it was not a good guitar. Harmonix really did a great job in retooling the guitar. The strum bar is sturdier, the neck action is smoother, the clicking sound from the frets is quieter, and overall is a great plastic instrument! The guitar is really made for authenticity, unlike GH guitars, which to me seem very toy-like, and thick. With this upgrade, Harmonix really hit one out of the park.

DO NOT BUY AN IMITATION GUITAR! YOU WILL REGRET THE MONEY YOU WILL SINK INTO IT!

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Too bad the game "kit" only comes with one guitar when you'll obviously need 2! I tried another budget guitar and ended up buying this one when the feel of the other one proved unpleasant and difficult. Save your money and buy this one from the start.

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I enthusiastically welcomed the design changes in the RB2 guitar, including self-calibration, more tactile strum bar, and quieter fret buttons.

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Radioactive Colors Skin by WraptorSkinz fits Guitar Hero 4 World Tour Drum Set

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the skins don't stick which is a good thing if you plan to remove them yet they don't have a good grip. The only complaint is that when I play on a few weekends the skins began to rip and tear and chip off.

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Super Street Fighter IV Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition S - Black

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This is my first fight stick purchase. I have been playing fighting games for years and I finally decided to shell out the money and get one. I have visited many message boards figuring out which fighting sticks were the best and most affordable. I discovered that this one( Mad Catz) and the Hori fighting sticks were the best for affordability and performance. I picked the Mad Catz one because it has a storage device for the 12ft wire right in the back of the base, and also the nice art work on it.

The performance is spectacular. I have always used the d-pad on a controller for fighting games so i was skeptical switching to a analog stick and 2 rows of 8 buttons, plus the fact that I would have to spend $130 to find out if i liked it or not. It did take time getting used to. I spent a good 2 days getting used to the button layout.Other than adapting to the button layout I am not disappointed at all. This stick is worth all $130.

The cable length is perfect and more than enough. The fight stick itself is light and I usually just place it on my lap. The buttons are really responsive. I mean I barely touch the buttons and I can perform a move. The analog stick is great. The stick is really responsive as well. All I can say is that the fight stick screams precision. Every move, combo, can be pulled off with precision with little to no error. I play Street Fighter for ours and my hands dont get tired or start hurting. When using the PS3 controller my hands would get cramped. No cramping has occurred when using the fight stick, and I have had it since March 12.Arcade sticks can be fully customized and Mad Catz Fight sticks are one of the most fully customizable when it comes to replacing parts and the artwork.

I fully recommend this Fight Stick for first time buyers like me who are looking into buying one. Put all worries aside. This stick is great for upping your game. This Fight stick will make you play better period. Its so much more responsive than a normal controller and now I can see this is how fighting games were meant to be played. Worth every penny.

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This new Super Street Fighter IV Fight Stick TE is really nice. Same as the previous TE sticks with some tweaks to the exterior and interior as well. Supposedly there is an update to the PCB board, but I'm not sure if it actually improves over the last stick, since there were no complaints.

You get full Sanwa (Joystick & Buttons) and the cover art is slick! The actual footprint isn't as large as I thought it would be, but it is just right. It also has a good weight and doesn't move around, even when on your lap. I can pull off moves that I was not able to do with the SE stick. These TE sticks, new and old, are the best sticks available in my opinion.

Cons:

The bezel from the previous generation sticks is absent in this one, leaving a hard edge corner that gets irritating after a while. It looks a little cheap since the corners are exposed and you can lift it up just with a finger. My hands rest right on this corner, which makes me wonder if the 1st gen stick would have been a better choice. Other wise, I would have gave it 5 stars.

Overall:

The current price for this is a little more than the 1st gen TE sticks. If that is still the case when you buy, I'd suggest going with the 1st gen.

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All Sanwa parts (lever & buttons) so it's insanely sensitive (a good thing for fighting games). Heavy enough so it won't move around (I prefer to use it on a flat surface rather then in my lap). Cable compartment's a bit tight (just like the previous TE's) but no issues. This is hands the best mass produced joystick (as well as the previous TE's) on the market & yes, I've tried/owned quite a few of them including the HRAP 3 SA (surface area's too small for my big hands) & also less hollow.

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If you've never played on a stick before, this stick is as good an intro to one as you'll get. Its very responsive, and the moves come out easily. Offline, the pad can't beat it for sensitivity and response in my opinion.Overall it does what its suppose to, plus to boot the artwork is great.

However, since you've probably been playing on a pad for most of your life, and special moves on the pad are second nature, you're probably going to get a little frustrated playing with the stick against live opponents due to the fact that you will likely find yourself consciously thinking about how to execute moves on the stick during the game. This leaves less brain power for strategy, which means more losses.

In fact, you will almost definitely lose games that you would otherwise have won hands down with the pad, but due to a missed move, or a missed combo while using the stick, you lose an opportunity and then things go wrong. So again, definitely expect to lose a little bit more than usual, especially against a similar level of competition as yourself. Much lesser competition you'll probably still win against with the stick

However, when you do get good with it, you'll realize that some moves are easier and more reliably executed, especially ultras and DP motions. Having all 6 buttons laid out is also very nice. It makes it much easier to press two buttons at a time for EX moves, throws etc.

My only problem with the stick is its ease of modding. I switched the ball top out for a bat top, because my fingers are long and the ball top made the stick too short. The bat top is much nicer for people with larger hands. Anyways, opening the top panel in order to do the mod requires much more effort that it should be necessary. After undoing the 6 hex screws on the top, you will find that the panel is glued extremely tightly to the base. I literally cut myself on the edge of the faceplate trying to lift it up. It really is stuck down tightly. On the other hand, the original TE had a faceplate surrounded by a bezel. Unscrew faceplate and lift. No glue. For this reason only, the previous TE's are the better sticks because the internal parts and overall quality of those sticks are identical to this new one.

I also tried the octagonal restrictor plate, but honestly, the square gate, at least for me is better. I main Ryu and have no problems with fireballs whatsoever. Overall, an excellent stick, and if you don't have to mod it, will suit a beginner or professional quite fine.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EDIT

Recently got my hands on the discontinued Hori Real Arcade Pro 3-SA. The Hori is the better stick.

1)More finger friendly button placement

2)Face is slanted towards you (arcade style) instead of flat.

3)Shaft of these particular Sanwa joysticks is longer. Not by much but noticeable for people with longer fingers

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I recently had an issue with a Hori Fighting Stick 3 I had purchased almost 2 months ago and I was initially looking to order a Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 Premium VLX at the $300 price tag. On shopping around, I found this stick for $130 and for a nice stick with full Sanwa parts, it was quite a good deal for me as I had a fighting game party the day after ordering it. This and a savings of $170 from skipping the Hori Real Arcade Pro Premium VLX was quite a bargain.

The stick is great for my needs for a few reasons:

1) The use of the Taito Vewlix button layout has helped me play a little more consistently. This is due to the fact that with my former Hori stick, the former stock Hori layout would cramp up my fingers pretty badly. The transition to this new layout has allowed me to play for longer without pain. The Vewlix position for the buttons is much more natural to the angle of the hands.

2) The Sanwa parts are really nice and just have so much precision versus how the Hori stick was. For purist of the arcade experience, it's perfect as it's almost exactly like having pieces of the Japanese Taito Vewlix cabinet in your home.

3) For a little less than the new "mid-range" Hori Vewlix stick (Real Arcade Pro v3 SA) or less than half (Real Arcade Pro 3 Premium VLX), it's a great "upgrade") if you like arcade games from fighting games to scrolling shooters.

Either during the processing at Amazon or the shipping though Fed Ex that disconnected a wire on one of the buttons. I hope that in the future Amazon could flag arcade sticks as fragile as a casual consumer would have thought the stick was defective. It was easy to fix the problem, so I am still very happy with my purchase.

For those who have concerns over the sharp edge of the plastic art sheet on the arcade stick... Art Hong of the Shoryuken community has found out that under the plastic overlay, the stick is just like a standard Mad Catz tournament edition stick just without the rounded bezel. This gives you all 3 choices: You could take take the plastic sheet, paint the metal plate, and call it done. You can buy a Mad Catz colored bezel for $15 and either paint the metal plate or get a custom cut plexiglass sheet (from Art for example) to put on top of the metal plate. The other choice is a full plexiglass replacement from Art's website () that looks like it will fit flush with the arcade stick and replace the metal plate. This gives you plenty of options for making the stick comfortable for your uses.

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Guitar Hero World Tour Replacement Cymbal Wire Cable Left and Right

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Our cymbal cable was accidentally broken when a guest accidentally turned the cymbal too far and the cord ripped. We called the manufacturer and they were extremely UN-helful. They said there was nothing they could do to fix the cymbal and told us we'd have to buy a whole new drum set! Seriously, whoever we spoke to either didn't know what they were talking about, or was just trying to make another sale.

We looked on Amazon and found the replacement cable within a couple minutes. It arrived very quickly and was a snap to install! It works perfectly and solved our problem for a fraction of the price a whole new drum set would have cost us! I highly recommend this if you've run into the same problem as we did.

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We were in desperate need of these cables. Our 5 years old ripped the connector off one and some how pinched the other so it couldn't respond(don't ask I have no idea how). We almost got another drum set but I searched Amazon and there they were exactly what we needed. Now we're rocking out again thanks to these cables.

P.S. He also broke one of the drum sticks and they have those on here too. Might get those too.

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this was so much easier then other ways I have heard about. My daughter tore the wire from the cymbal and this was by far the easiest way to fix it. Only thing was you had to take out a lot of small screws from under, but replacing the wire was easy. I would recommend this to anyone that has had this happen to. Dont mess with sodering together wires just replace it.

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While searching for a replacment kit for my 4 boys, I came across this product instead. Our 3 year old thought it would be fun to tear the wires out of the cymbals and even though I was able to reapir one of them by splicing a new plug on, it never worked as well. Thought I'd give the repair kit a try and I am glad I did. It takes a little long to unscrew all the screws and remove and replace the wires, about 1.5 hours, and even though there are no directions, it is easy to figure out. Just be carefull when removing the wire plug from the unit not to put to much pressure on the mother board. Worked like a charm. the kids are back drumming like Tommy Lee and I have electrical taped the wires down with minimal slack so he does not tear them out again. Give this a try before you spend over a $100 on a new drum kit.

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These cables were FAR BETTER than the ones that the GH World Tour drum kit was built with. They are much thicker (about twice as thick) and seem much more able to withstand a family with 4 kids. No instructions, but taking the kit apart and connecting the new cables was very easy to do and requires no real skill. Great product at a great price.

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PlayStation 3 G-pak Console Organizer Case (Colors May Vary)

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When making a custom case like this, some consideration should be made for what will likely be stored in it apart from the main unit. This case is great for holding a PS3, but it's missing a way to really organize the accessories, which cost it a star.

First, the way the PS3 fits in: you lay the case flat and strap in the PS3 to the bottom panel with two elastic/velcro straps. As many have suggested, it's best to put a shop towel or t-shirt between your machine and the straps to prevent scratching.

The base of the unit is attached with velcro, which allows you to plug in the power cord, video/audio cables, and access the master switch. As a result, you can play games while the console is still in the case. While this seems a dodgy proposition, at best, the case is designed with vents in its side panels to allow air flow, and can even be unzipped fully so that the machine is exposed to air on all sides.

So, yeah, there was some great thinking and engineering going into the PS3 aspects of the case.

The rest, however, comes up a little short. There should be several velcro straps or winding pegs in the accessory pocket to allow you to neatly store cords instead of having to either wind or tuck them in carefully, or even have to rubber-band or tie them yourself. There is room for a couple of controllers and maybe a third if you arrange carefully (or two controllers and the BD remote...you could even get a PSP in there), but, again, they're not secured in any way.

The accessory pouch is fastened closed using velcro, and the panel that peels away allows you to access the entire pouch at once, making it easy to load and unload only the items you want.

I don't mind the slide pockets for the games and BDs, it's not my favorite feature about the unit, but I guess I can't see any other way to do it. It also includes multiple pockets for game manuals. The case has three sets of slide-in disc pockets, two of which are on a single panel velcroed to the lid of the case, and the third of which is behind that panel. It allows for about 30 games/BDs, and you can probably fit somewhere between six and ten manuals in the pockets. Again, it's serviceable, but not spectacular.

The nicest thing about the whole case is you really can carry everything you need to fully deploy the PS3 wherever you go...except a HD home theatre system. For me, it's great because I split time between two cities, and it makes it trivially easy to pull the whole kit together and move the unit from one apartment to the other: Takes about five mintues to load, then you just grab it and go. It even comes with a nice shoulder strap to make it easier to carry along with whatever other bags you may have.

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I've been watching the price fluctuate on this item for a few weeks, and when it went to $29.99 on Amazon, I bought it. I notice today that it is up to $35. I have no idea how Amazon prices these things.

This is a very sturdy case. The material feels like a tough vinyl. The zipper seems substantial and unlikely to break. The pockets for the games are soft material, and are not likely to scratch Blu-Ray discs (which are also covered with a stronger protective coat than regular DVDs). There is a front pocket which easily holds two controllers and a bunch of cables. There are rings to hook a shoulder strap, but you'll have to buy that separately.

Overall, the case is tough enough to protect your PS3 from scratches (though the straps that hold the PS3 into the case will cause some scratches of their own), and makes the device very easy to carry and connect to different televisions.

I do not believe this case would give very much protection at all if the PS3 was dropped, knocked from a chair, or otherwise sustained any significant impact.

My opinion is that this item is ideal for you if you are seeking a moderately protective but exceptionally convenient case.

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It seemed as though they thought of everything, e.g., a place for the controllers, cables, games and their manuals. Unfortunately, after the first time I used it I realized what they hadn't thought of. The placement of the CD holder sleeve on the panel that sits above the PS3 without enough spacing between them led to the surface of the PS3 to get scratched up. Not good! I recommend you place a towel or pad on the PS3 before you close the case to avoid this.

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Have taken my PS3 on an overseas deployment and carried it everywhere with me, and it has stood up to everything and everywhere without scuffs on the outside or any sort of damage OR shifting inside. I did take another reviewer's advice and put a clean shop towel on top of the PS3, secured with the velcro straps. Great, compact way to transport everything. Add this to the relatively cheap price and you won't be disappointed.

My one minor qualm with it is that the sleeves to hold games are a little on the loose side unless you fill them up guess I'll have to buy more games.

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I purchased this for my son and he likes the fact that you can play the system while it is still inside the bag. Everything fits inside the bag, all controllers, games and cords. All he does is unzips the sides to set up the system. No need to take it out the bag unless he wants to. Great for those on the move.

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PS3 - Blu-Mote

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I just got the Blu-Mote for use with my PS3 as I was tired of trying to use the game controller to watch discs/blu-rays. Setup with the unit could not have been easier turned on the PS3 and held down the Start and Select buttons on the remote until the PS3 recognized it. 5 seconds! And it works great! Much easier than the game controller.

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I bought this as a replacement to a broken SONY remote that I had bought at Gamestop. For some odd reason, the snakebyte remote when my PS3 is on, causes right to left scrolling. I cannot get it to stop. So I ended up going back to GS and buying another used SONY remote.

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PlayStation 3 Monster GameLink Fiber Optic Digital Audio Cable

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List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $6.99
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The product packaging clearly states "Delivers explosive 5.1 and 7.1 digital surround sound." Problem is, TOSlink optical transport systems by design only allows for transmission of 1.5Mbits/s thereby limiting channel capability to 5.1 Core channels. Anyone care to chime in on this?

Doesn't this constitute false advertising?

3 stars because this isn't a game and it's just a cable, not to mention the misleading specsmanship.

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Does what is needed and provides a nice length in getting from device to device.

I personally didn't use with PS3, but used with my xbox 360 and PC for my Astro A50 headset.

Clean, Crisp and clear audio.

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Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3: Collector's Will of Fire Edition PS3

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I'm completely satisfied with this purchase. It was a great price when I bought it, especially for everything that is included. An amazing game definitely! The graphics are amazing, the way they did the story so far in this game is close to perfect. The boss battles are epic. I recommend this to any video game fan who likes/loves adventure games. Great game!

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Logitech PS3/PS2 Wireless Guitar Controller Premiere Edition

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Having used a number of different guitar controllers with both Guitar Hero and Rock Band games, I have to say that the Logitech Wireless Guitar Controller Premier Edition has a lot going for it.

The guitar is, as advertised, solid wood with a beautiful wooden neck and fingerboard. The buttons on the neck are responsive and quiet. The strum bar works well. It is "squishier" (and quieter) than a standard Guitar Hero strum bar, but not nearly as "squishy" as the strum bar on a standard Rock Band guitar controller.

I think I like the strum bar on the Guitar Hero World Tour guitar slightly better, but the strum bar on Logitech's premier edition controller is still very good, and it is certainly much quieter. By comparison, I absolutely hate the strum bar on the standard Rock Band controller.

The "whammy" bar on the premier controller also works well, but it is mounted on a cheap, fake-looking, plastic bridge. This plastic bridge really cheapens the look of an otherwise beautiful piece of equipment. Shame on Logitech.

One reason I was willing to spend $250 on the Logitech's premier edition controller was my expectation that mechanical pieces would be well-built and reliable. I have always been pleased with the quality of Logitech products.

When you press the "whammy" bar, you can see underneath it, and there looks to be some plastic connected to the spring that provides the "whammy" bar with its springiness. I can't tell whether this will pose a reliability problem with prolonged use, but I am a little concerned.

Time will tell whether the mechanical parts of this controller were designed and built with reliability in mind. For $250, I sure hope so.

Games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band certainly feel different when played with a solid wood guitar, rather than the cheap (looking) plastic controllers I've used previously. The difference is difficult to put into words.

Is the difference in the gameplay experience worth the extra money? Probably not. Do I want to go back to my old guitar controllers? Not a chance.

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***UPDATE***

I've bought three of these now. All three had cracks where the body attaches to the neck. And, the third also had a missing yellow fret button! I cannot believe that the quality on a so-called premium guitar is so poor.

***ORIGINAL REVIEW***

I normally skip this kind of review. The, wa-wa, it was broken when I got it kind. However, given that this guitar cost so much, I think that is a good place to start and it is worth noting.

The body of the guitar was splitting where the neck attaches. This is simply unacceptable in a premium product. Quality assurance should have caught this.

Otherwise, it is a great guitar. I might even buy another and hope for an intact one.

Pros:

Real feel, real look

Perfect buttons, quiet strum

Worked perfectly with RB2

Improved my scores a lot over stock guitar

Nice accessories, included strap and bag

Cons:

Heavy, wears on your shoulder after a few songs (not for kids, a big detractor)

No lower frets (though the use of these is questionable on the stock anyway)

Mine came broken out of the box, QA may be poor

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While brand new, the controller would not sync with the receiver. Upon calling Logitech support, they said it was faulty and that I should return it to where I bought it as they no longer offer support for this product as it is discontinued. Based on other reviews I have read, there seems to be a problem with quality control on this which is really surprising considering the cost of this controller. And the fact that they have discontinued this item only 6 months after its initial release is not a very good sign. They are pushing their new black guitar controller but I am going to stay away from it based on their support for such a high end product. It says it has a one year warranty, but it is already discontinued... be wary.

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PlayStation 3 Skin (PS3) - NEW

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I really liked quality of gold finish. Application was straight forward. Delivery was timely. I was happy with purchase and my son liked it.

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It doesn't describe what Playstation 3 version it is. I have a Playstation 3 Slim, but this is for the original one.

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Pulse Elite Edition Wireless Stereo Headset

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List Price: $149.99
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program These are really incredibly nice headphones. They have a feeling of quality that reflects their price.

I take off part of a start however for two things:

1) It's not possible to charge the headphones out of the box as a mini-USB cable is required and none is included. Grated, these are sold primarily as a PS3 peripheral and so you should be able to use the same cables you charge the regular controllers with, but as the headphones are advertised as working with Windows and Vita platforms, it is very disappointing to find that, for the price, they can't actually include the cable you need to charge them up and use them.

2) Documentation is terrible. It's a typical folded up sheet of cheap paper with tiny type that gives only a vague description of how all the controls work. Yes, this is on par for other game console accessories, but these headphones have so many controls and so many usage scenarios, that a little more in-box description would actually be useful here.

Ok, with those minor things out of the way, let's talk about what's great about these things.

Wireless. It's not standard Bluetooth unfortunately but it works well and is bi-directional. The headset DOES include a mic (something not obvious from the photos since it's built into one of the ear cups and there is no "boom" etc.

Can be used wired as well. A 3.5mm standard mini four-conductor cable (straight plug on one end, right angle on the other) is included which will plug into an iPhone or similar device and into a similar jack on the headphones. The headphones will work passively without power in this mode (in case the batteries are flat), but power is required to get the rest of the features to work (volume control, impact etc.)

There's interesting stuff going on with an iPhone in wired-mode. When you power them on, the iPhone changes to a different volume level (which seems to be remembered), and then goes back when you power them off. I'm not sure if this is the headphones or the iPhone being clever. The headphones seem to want the phone to be putting out full volume which can then be attenuated using the volume control on the headphones (and they seem to work best this way).

Note that while there is a mini-USB jack, it is only used for charging as far as I can tell (the documentation of course says nothing).

They feel good on my head. They fit reasonably tightly providing pretty good isolation from the surrounding environment, and while definitely not light, they have good balance and comfort (no goofy suspension system for the headband etc. like some). In warm environments over the course of a few hours they can get a bit sweaty though.

There are controls for everything. You have three large sliders for Volume, Bass Impact, and a fader for Sound to Voice balance (PS3 only). Slide switch for power (with a blue led on indicator) and momentary push-buttons for Mic Mute, Mode, VSS On/Off (PS3 only).

The ear-cups pivot a bit to fit your head, and the headband has a conventional pull-out size adjustment. They do not otherwise fold, rotate, etc.

The audio sounds first-rate, and even when used for music with an iPod, the Bass Impact slider lets you adjust from no effect to full cranium-thumping impacts. Will add a whole new dimension to gaming experiences (at the possible risk of your hearing and/or sanity.

They're fully closed ear cups which, again, provide pretty good isolation between the listener and the surrounding environment (in both directions). Don't expect to hear the phone, your parents/kids, the dog, or that oncoming train while wearing them. But on the other hand they probably won't be able to hear your tunes (or nuclear explosions) either.

The Mode button cycles through the following sequence, each of which is announced by a female voice: Game, Music, Movie, Shooter, Fighting, Racing. While listening to music I can't tell the difference between the different modes, so there's a chance this is also PS3 only, but of course the documentation is silent on what the MODE button does.

For wireless use, either with the PS3 or Windows, a two inch long USB dongle is included. It worked on Windows without any drivers. The dongle has a mini-plug input to allow TV audio to be fed in allowing you to listen to other (non-PS3) audio (so, TV audio out / headphone mini jack -> cable -> jack on wireless adapter which is itself plugged into the PS3 (or maybe Windows, haven't tested it).

My main Windows system has a USB Wireless Lan adapter which prevents me from using any USB audio devices (constant dropouts of audio) and these headphones are no different. On another Windows system they worked great, and the experience is wonderful.

So the overall experience is really five-stars, but the terrible documentation and the lack of a cable to charge them means I can only justify giving them four on this review.

The fact that they can be used in so many ways with so many different devices, ranging from quality music listening to full-impact enhanced skull-shaking gaming is going to make these hugely popular I think.

Recommended.

UPDATES: per one of the commenter's suggestions, I tested and discovered that you can use the wireless dongle as a standalone wireless transmitter to use the headphones without a computer. THIS IS VERY COOL!

As long as the wireless adapter has power, it will link to the headphones and you can plug a cable into the audio jack on the adapter and it will broadcast that to the headphones. I just plugged the adapter into a USB power outlet that's part of a wall-mount power strip, and used the included mini-plug cable to go from my iPhone to the wireless adapter, and the iPod signal from the phone was broadcast to the headphones and sounded great! The range was excellent, working 40' away through walls, etc.

So that's yet another cool way to use these anywhere you have USB power available.

BATTERY LIFE IS TERRIBLE

I'm getting approximately 4-5 hours on a charge, which means they frequently bit the dust in the middle of a gaming session. You get five loud beeps as a low battery warning, and then only a couple minutes later five beeps followed by a long beep and they flat power off and will not come back on until you plug in the mini-USB cable with power.

This isn't the end of the world on a PC, where you can easily have a cable long enough to reach from the computer to the headpnones (though now the "wireless" advantage is out the window), but with the PS3 you may have a harder time arranging for power on the couch. If you do have power to plug in you can immediately turn them on and continue using them. I think they're charging while in use, but have not confirmed that yet.

The sudden (announced) power cut out suggests the headphones have a fairly active and conservative battery management controller which is probably good for long term reliability of the batteries, but the around four hours between charges is pretty annoying.

G.

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Let me start off by saying if you're planning on buying these to listen to music with or not use with a PlayStation 3. Then you might want to reconsider your purchase. However, if you bought these to have the best experience with your PS3, then by all means add to your cart and buy. I'll break down what each button/slider does and my personal experience with this headset. And before anyone goes off, i'm not a Sony rep or anything. Just a fan of PlayStation. (not a fanboy)

*Left Earcup*

Volume: On the backside there's a volume slider. These things can get pretty loud. When used with the PS3, and the proper settings applied, all the sound comes straight through to the headphones. Perfect for late night gaming with other people in the house, or simply gaming in silence to block out all other sound.

Mic Mute: Located on the back lower end. This is self explanatory. Toggle's your mic on/off. When the mic is toggled off, the LED on the front end turns purple. Nice little indication, even if you can't see the LED.

On/Off: Located just opposite of the Mic Mute. Simple slider to turn the headphones On/Off. I recommend having your PS3 on first. Also gives a reaffirming beep when there on, and when they connect.

Voice Chat/Game Sound: Located on the front of this earcup, oppsite the Volume slider. Sliding it down fades In-Game voice chat to the dominant sound. Sliding it up makes the game volume dominant. Very useful when trying to coordinate attacks in BF3 or Ghost Recon: FS.

*Right Earcup*

BassImpact (BI): At first you may think, "That's just a gimmick. Vibrating headset? Pssh!" But let me clarify. They don't vibrate as the Dualshock 3, they Pulse. Hence the name. When I played Battlefield 3, each gunshot sent a slight pulse through the headset. This is adjustable via the slider on the rear side. I recommend keeping it pretty low, as a high setting gets a bit ridiculous. Especially when a tank is creeping up alongside and you `feel' the rumble of the tracks along the pavement. Or a helicopter hovers above and you can `feel' the thunder of its propeller's tearing the air.

Mode Select: This isn't advertised much. Located on the lower backend. Pressing the button toggle's 6 different modes that optimizes BassImpact depending on your media choice. The modes are: Game, Movie, Music, Shooter, Fighting, and Racing. I tested each one of these extensively. For Game i played Uncharted 3, Batman Arkham City, and Assassin's Creed Revelation. The 7.1 surround sound emulation is amazing. Of course it doesn't beat a real home audio system. For a $150 headset, it exceeds expectations. For Movie i watched Transformers 3. As you can imagine Michael Bay's explosions in every corner came through without flaw. And i could tell where each explosion was. For Music i listened to some Dub-step and Hip-Hop. It does well at translating the low frequencies into "Pulse's". I wouldn't recommend these for audiophile's when it comes to music. However, they fare better than your average headset. Shooter i played Battlefield 3, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, and Modern Warfare 3. Gameplay was exceptional. Every explosion was heard exactly in relation to my soldier. Even hearing the footsteps from an enemy about to knife me has saved me numerous times. For Fighter i played Tekken Tag 2. I "felt" every blow and quick combo around my head. Turning the BI all the way was a bit too intense though. And for Racing i played Need for Speed Shift and Burnout Paradise. The roaring of every car as i passed by, or took me down was incredible. I'm not exaggerating either. Sony did a great job at Pulsing for every crash, punch, and explosion.

Virtual Surround Sound (VSS): Opposite of the Mode select. Holding this button toggles 7.1 VSS on/off. As i stated before, it won't beat a true 7.1 home audio system. But as most of those range in the thousands of dollars. A $150 headset does an excellent job and providing that sense of immersion. This is something you can't really experience through my review. You have to hear it to believe it.

That's basically it for the hardware tour. Now here's my two cents.

These headsets work with pretty much anything with a USB port or a 3.5mm headphone jack. I don't have my Xbox at the moment so i can't really say if it works with that or not. But i've read that if your TV has a USB port, you can plug the adapter in there and all the sound going through the TV will go to the headset wirelessly. If you plan on using these portably. An auxiliary cable comes bundled to use with an iPod, PS Vita, or smartphone. Note that none of the features work when the aux cable is plugged it. So using it you have standard, less than average, headphones. However, using these headsets with the adapter in your PC provides a great experience. The only thing i've been able to find out that doesn't work with the PC is the VSS. However, they still sound great listening to music and watching movies. I don't game on my PC so i can't really speculate there. Best of all it's wireless. Yup. Wherever you plug in the USB adapter makes these wireless. I no longer have my Android Tablet so i can't say if it'll work with that. However i'm going to try with my Galaxy Nexus and a USB adapter. Not an ideal setup but i'll update if it works.

Where this product really shines is when used with a PlayStation 3 system. After all, that's what it's designed for. With the BassImpact exceeding expectations, 7.1 VSS sounding incredible, the mode select enhancing the BassImpact experience, the crystal clear mic and sound fading ability, and the added on-screen information about battery, VSS, and mic mute. There really is no alternative for a PS3 gamer.

My only gripe, is comfortability. I have regular 4-6 hour gaming sessions with a variety of games. Around-the-ear they're exceptional. But the top piece, over-the-head, gives an uncomfortable pressing on the top of my head after about an hour or two. I plan on putting a memory foam pad on them, but in the meantime, I'm forced to use a washcloth. It looks a bit ridiculous but it works.

Verdict: If you've read this far I'm sure you've already made your decision. But if you just scrolled down looking for the conclusion. Scroll no further. These headphones perfect for any PS3 gamer. Even a PC gamer can find everything they need here. I don't recommend using with, say, an iPod or a PS Vita. Yes it works, but the sound quality is lackluster at best. BassImpact isn't a gimmick, and the VSS works very well. All in all i'd give these a 9/10. Losing 1 point just for the over-the-head piece being slightly uncomfortable. For $150 these are a steal. Even if you're not a hardcore gamer like myself, if you use the PS3 as your primary entertainment/gaming center. These are a must buy.

Hope this, lengthy, review helped and gave you all the info you needed.

Buy Pulse Elite Edition Wireless Stereo Headset Now

This is my little review of the Pulse Wireless Headset. This comes straight from my channel called UrAvgConsumer on youtube. If you like this vid, be sure to subscribe to the channel for more videos like it and let me know you saw my review here!

Read Best Reviews of Pulse Elite Edition Wireless Stereo Headset Here

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program All I can say is WOW! I am not going to reiterate ALL of the 'technical' specifications since the product page does a great job of that. I am just going to explain why I was completely and totally impressed from the minute I put The PULSE headset on!

The BassImpact technology is stellar because it is noise-cancelling. While watching a Blu-ray, the Pulse produced sounds that were not even audible while wearing my previous headset. What is most impressive is the hi-fidelity virtual surround sound and BassImpact noise-cancelling technology is all packed into a wireless headset weighing only 11-ounces. I never even had the urge to remove the headphones. Additionally, there is no intrusive or protruding microphone. Sony has tucked the microphone away inside the headset. Amazingly, the 'invisible' microphone produces crystal clear voice chat with your on-line gaming friends.

Gamers will enjoy the 'preset modes' for customization. You can choose from modes such as "game, music, shooter, fighting and racing." The modes provide optimal sound levels for each genre and are still customizable for your personal listening preference.

The PULSE is perfect for use with PlayStation Vita or almost any other mobile device using the 3 foot included 3.5mm audio cable. It can also be used with certain television sets, as long as they have a 3.5mm audio output jack.

You are able to stay informed using on-screen headset status updates. The only real complaint I have is that the controls are housed on the ear pads themselves which makes it hard to adjust the settings while in the middle of a game. This is a minor concern once you get used to your preferred settings and learn to have them adjusted accordingly before beginning a game.

In summary, on a scale from 1 to 10, I give the PULSE a 9.75. Way to go, Sony! Nice engineering! :)

Want Pulse Elite Edition Wireless Stereo Headset Discount?

Well, we've tried Turtle Beach PX5, Astro A30, and we decided to keep the Sony Pulse Elite. We use the headset to mostly play FPS. We use headsets for the times when we don't want to disturbe others with full surround system with speakers. We're used to high-end systems (Krell amps, Lexicon processor, electrostats, 90" screen each component is around or over $10K) for gaming, so we are kind of picky looking for headsets, and we already have realistic expectations of limitations with headphones. We didn't want to piece together Dolby Headphone processor and separate headsets), so we were looking for something that's off-the-shelf and ready-to-use.

Audio quality from out of the box are all comparable amongst the headsets at default basic settings. Virtual surrounds are about the same for all of them, so, don't expect to really discern directions. None of them will give you the open-air sound, especially when compared to electro-stats speakers. Here is a breakdown of what we thought (mostly focused on Sony, since we like it the most) :

Sony Pulse Elite :

easiest to connect and use. Most user friendly. Switch it on and go, unlike the competitors.

on-screen status display (battery charge, mic status, surround on/off)

no bluetooth to sync. Pretty stable wireless connection at 20ft

charge the headphone by connecting to PS3 via USB (which is the same as the PS3 remote). There are online reviews that complained about a lack of USB cable in the box but that's nit-picking. For the price/cost savings you can buy plenty of USB cables if you need to. But, since you already have a PS3 and charging the controller with a USB cable, that shouldn't be an issue at all.

best product quality (it definitely looks and feels like a headset that's much more expensive)

lowest price compared to TB PX5 and Astro A30

easy access to controls

built-in bass-shaker had to put it on low setting, and it's definitely a plus to have, if you use on the lower settings. Too much pounding if you set it to high (you'll get pounded with every step you take in the game). The PX5 and A30 don't have this.

very easy control to balance game sounds vs voice.

good confirmation of settings when used

Astro A30 :

wired connection that's annoying to use compared to wireless. The PS3 is not by the player, so the wire had to be streched to use. If you have the PS3 by you when you play, then this will be less of an issue for you.

slightly better sound quality compared to PX5. Not enough to sway us from PX5. Less controls compared to PX5

lower product fit/finish compared to Sony. Better product fit/finish compared to TB PX5

if we had kept this unit, we would most likely replace the headset with a better headset, and just keep the MixAmp.

Turtle Beach PX5 :

nice headset, but we like the Sony Pulse Elite more

connection is not as easy to use as the Sony Pulse Elite

ability to tweak but that wasn't something that we wanted to play around with. This may be a pro for some people

needs batteries

We had all 3 headphones side-by-side, and we found ourselves spending the most time with the Sony Pulse Elite, and the least of time with the A30. We are buying several of these to give away as christmas gifts

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