Game and hardware build news round-up, April 2023

There have been a number of interesting things in terms of gaming and entertainment hardware. There are new controllers, a new gaming handheld, and more. I know I missed a few things below, so let me know in the comments which hardware news you’ve been most excited about recently.

XGIMI projector for sale

For one thing, there’s an ongoing sale for XGIMI projectors on Amazon. We recommend you hurry as deals end late April 9 (11:45 PM PT) but you can save 25% on the Horizon Pro projector and 40% on the MoGo Pro. I was lucky enough to play the Horizon Pro and it was a solid projector with loads of great features like auto keystone correction to adjust the screen size to avoid anything on the wall and to make it flat even when projected at an angle. At $1275, this is definitely something worth considering in my opinion. If you’re on a tighter budget, the MoGo Pro is just $299 with this sale, its lowest price yet.

Xbox Wireless Controller – Remix Special Edition

Meanwhile, Xbox has announced the new Remix Special Edition of the Xbox Wireless Controller. This is to help promote Earth Day and sustainability projects. It looks just like an Xbox Series X | controller It’s in fun green and blue colors that I absolutely adore, and it even comes with an Xbox rechargeable battery pack (which really should come standard at this point) for $84.99. What makes it extra special is that it’s made from recycled materials. A third of the controller is made from shredded, recycled materials, and add-ons include leftover Xbox One controllers and post-consumer recycled resins like CDs, plastic water jugs, and more. Due to the way the controllers are made, each one will be slightly unique “with subtle variations, swirls, markings and textures”. Honestly, I think it’s really cool and I just wish the buttons had the colored letters on the buttons. You can pre-order one (affiliate link) for yourself now with a release date of April 18th.

ROG ally

ASUS recently revealed that they are entering the portable gaming market. The launch of the Nintendo Switch has really kickstarted something with more and more handheld devices becoming more mainstream. Then, Steam Deck launched and proved that you could play at least a few PC games on the go. Since then, several competitors have sprung up with mixed results, but ASUS is hoping to take the upper hand with their next ROG Ally. We don’t know the full specs of this device yet, but we do know a few things thanks to some YouTube channels like Linus Tech Tips. It has a custom AMD APU, a 1080p display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and is meant to be fast. It is also designed to have better cooling than most other devices like Steam Deck. I recommend checking out the LTT video here for any info we may have. If this excites you, you’ll want to head to Best Buy to make sure you’re getting the latest information.

Kingston FURY Beast and FURY Renegade DDR5 RAM

If you’re looking to upgrade your PC, Kingston just announced that its FURY Beast and Renegade DDR5 memory modules now have a version with white heat spreaders. I feel that more and more gamers and creators are leaning towards lighter PC parts and this should help them match their RAM to everything else a little easier. RGB variants are also available with 18 built-in lighting effects that you can customize to match everything else in your rig. You can get your new RAM from Kingston today!

Dark Matter Sentry streaming microphone

Monoprice is looking to help creators on a budget get good audio quality on their projects with the Dark Matter Sentry streaming microphone. Monoprice is specifically looking for the Blue Yeti Mic with this one. The Sentry is like the Yeti in that it is a condenser microphone with four polar patterns (cardioid, stereo, bidirectional and omnidirectional) and a universal ⅝” threaded mounting point. However, the Sentry is only $69.99 instead of $129.99. The Sentry has a black metal housing with customizable LED accent light to make it stand out or blend in depending on your rig. Sadly, the Sentry offers a USB 2.0 connection over USB-C which honestly isn’t particularly impressive, but it’s adequate for power and recording, but the Yeti does support USB 3.0. I think the Sentry could be a great entry point and really the only thing the Yeti has going for it is USB 3.0 support. On paper, the Sentry is identical to everything else as far as I can find save for the price, the addition of customizable LEDs, and the shape of the included stand.

Release the Togekey keyboard

Drop also launched a new keyboard aimed at Pokémon fans. The new Togekey keyboard is white with a touch of the iconic red and blue geometric shapes that Togepi and its evolutions are known for around the arrow keys. It’s very subtle, but I think that makes it look very chic. Enthusiasts will notice that the case is a special aluminum ENTR and is paired with the White Skylight Keycap set, Phantom stabilizers and Gateron Yellow KS3 switches. Preorders are now open for $129.

The last board

If you’re a tabletop gamer with around $800 to lose, you might be interested in The Last Gameboard. This is essentially a fancy tablet designed to let you play your favorite board games with friends in person and remotely, allowing for the use of physical pieces. It recently left beta and is now available for purchase online and from select GameStop locations (Affiliate Links). It looks nice, but unfortunately I’m not convinced it will last. Priced at $799, this is for the pretty hardcore enthusiast only and currently the game library is very small with the main attraction being a virtual tabletop to play your favorite TTRPGs remotely with minis. Sounds cool, and I want something like this to catch on, but trying to get everyone in your gaming group to fork over $800 seems impossible. Let me know if I’m wrong and you think this will revolutionize board games.