Nerd Techy

Where’s the realism in playing flight-simulators with a D-pad? What about leaping through space while using a keyboard? In the world of simulators and gaming, tools for immersion have been used for decades. From the earliest game controllers that would rumble and shake, to gamepads that you could strap to your hand, the push for immersion has always been there. And when flight sims and …

Portable devices are great. But they become far less portable when you’ve got to start carrying a bunch of cables in-tow. Sometimes, manufacturers will take the time to build-in necessary cables so you can draw them out of your devices. But sometimes that’s just not a practical solution. Until the day all of our devices can all be powered wirelessly, we’re going to need USB …

What’s the difference between one USB cable and another? More often than not, quite a bit. Adapters, extenders, and similar cable equipment can wreak havoc on your signal. We all wish these things were as simple as “does it work”, but in practice, things are usually a bit more complicated. Luckily, they’re getting simpler. USB-C is becoming a new dominant standard. It can move video, …

What uses USB-A? What doesn’t. It’s on wall chargers, car chargers, phone chargers, laptops, desktops, and about ten thousand other places. But the USB format is always improving. The release of USB-C is a big deal, to put it lightly. But the end of a USB-C connection isn’t quite as bulky as older USB-A adapters. In the long term, people will definitely develop a preference …

Choosing headphones is a multiple choice test. Do you want to listen inside, or outside? Do you want noise isolation features, or do you want more open-sounding audio? These questions are a matter of striking a balance between sound quality, comfort, and listening location. That’s because the best pair of sports headphones aren’t necessarily going to be good for watching TV on the couch, and …