APC_Australia_Issue_442_June_2017

thelab » lateste reviews
GAMING HEADSET
$75 | COOLERMASTER.COM
Cooler Master
Masterpulse
Comfy convertible cans.
GAMING MOUSE
$150 | WWW.ASUS.COM/AU
ASUS RoG
Gladius II
Completely customisable clicker
with a bright upside.
The Masterpulse
gaming headset’s
prime gimmick, a
set of neodymiummagnet
mounted plates
which click onto the
outside of each ear cup, is a
new experience. Properly
installed, the plates infer
a closed back design;
removed, the headset
converts to a semi-open
config and activates Cooler
Master’s ‘Bass FX’ tech for a
far-fatter sound — two
distinct sounds in one
headset, with a completely
analogue way of converting
from one to the other.
Getting the Masterpulse
nestled on your skull is a
highly pleasant experience.
The ear pads are generous,
soft and easily encompass
the biggest ears and the
oddest-shaped skulls,
despite the stiff, fixed
construction of the
headband. The lightweight
aluminum construction
only helps long wearing.
The length of the cable is a
little disappointing. At
about 120cm — or slightly
more if you use the included
4-pole to 2x 3-pole adapter
— just isn’t enough for most
desktop PC configurations.
It’s barely enough, even, to
use this headset hooked up
to a phone in your pocket.
There’s not a massive
difference between the two
configurations part from a
slightly more hollow sound
with the Bass FX tech
deactivated. At first listen,
everything is a little muddy,
there’s no remarkable high
point to the sound stage.
Long-term listening isn’t
offensive, it’s almost fun.
It’s rich enough in bass to
suit gaming very well, if not
flat enough for audiophile
music listeners, and goes
plenty loud without any
noticeable distortion.
Get these for a good price
and you’re going to have a
lot of fun. Alex Cox
Verdict
Comfortable construction,
customiseable sound, but with a
muddy soundstage and short cable.
Mice have been
objects of scant
innovation.
Mainly because,
really, where is there to go?
Well, if you’re ASUS, you’ll
find at least some of that
innovation inspiration in
the current trend of adding
RGB LED lighting to
absolutely everything.
As much as we’d like to
dismiss it, the LEDs — which
hook up to ASUS’s Aura Sync
lighting protocol — look
brilliant, the underlights
projecting a halo on to your
mousing surface in
whatever colour (or colors)
you choose.
There’s also a new thumbseated
resolution button
which, if you’re running in
high DPI mode, drops the res
(slowing your mouse and
increasing your accuracy).
But this is easy to activate
by accident, and not useful
for non-gamers. Above is a
pair of additional action
buttons, quickly activated
by sliding your thumb
upward. Waggle your middle
finger sufficiently, and
you’ll find a comfortably
notched and rubberised
wheel, behind which is a DPI
toggle. Reasonably standard
mouse stuff. The sensor, at
12,000dpi, is ridiculously
sensitive, as are the left and
right buttons by default.
Included in the package is a
pair of easily swappable
stiffer replacement Omron
microswitches.
Nothing here is actually
brand new, so we need to
assess this based on the
whole package, rather than
any one of its individual
features. And as a whole,
the Gladius II is pretty damn
awesome. It’s comfortable to
hold in both palm and claw
grips, aided by the pleasant
textured rubberised edges.
The locking detachable cable
system works well, too. Its
only downside, really, is the
price. Alex Cox
Verdict
Great feel, awesome lighting,
switchable switches, but for righthanders
only and a bit pricey.
34 www.apcmag.com