Hackjob

Here we go again.

Logitech has a very long and storied history of producing top shelf gaming mice, with the G502 lineage arguably being their most famed. Yet, that line wasn't always Logitech's flagship full-featured ergo mouse - it was actually once second tier to a mouse that was even better in a lot of ways that mattered: the G700s. Logitech forgot all about it. You shouldn't.

Ever look at your keyboard and wished that it looked it would eat your face off? No? Well, apparently GravaStar thinks you should - and they designed probably the most aesthetically insane keyboard I've ever laid hands on: the Mercury K1 Pro. But is this keyboard just all bark and no bite?

This one was a very long time coming. A mouse that I've wanted to try since I was a kid, and now I've finally got my hands on one. This is the Razer Boomslang 2007 - a collector focused revival of what is widely regarded as the first purpose-built gaming mouse. Does it live up to the legacy?

The HHKB is easily one of the most divisive keyboards on the planet. It's held up as anything from the greatest typing implement ever built, to overhyped hipster garbage and everything in between. Apparently PFU saw that division, and decided it wasn't divided enough.

If you read my M.M.O. 7+ review and wondered how well it actually compares to the original - you're now in luck. Is the new mouse actually worth dropping some serious change on over the decade-plus old classic? Or is the OG still good enough to negate it?

I've been using the Mad Catz R.A.T. 8+ ADV at my desk for far longer than I ever thought I would - but the only thing that stopped me short of outright recommending it at MSRP was the lack of a wireless option. Well, Mad Catz finally did it - and now gracing my desk is the new M.M.O. 7+. Let's see if it clicks.

It's been a while since I've reviewed a normal mouse, though normal mice by my definition are usually button and RGB festooned monstrosities that weigh as much as a brick. This one however, takes that to a whole new extreme. This is the R.A.T. 8+ ADV. It's definitely not from this timeline.

Not too long ago, I settled on Microsoft's old Trackball Explorer as trackball nirvana. Unfortunately, it's been out of production for well over a decade and the MTE's closest modern equivalents don't really hit all the same notes... except for one. Enter the Sanwa Gravi, a trackball you've almost definitely been sleeping on.

I had no real intentions on getting another buckling spring keyboard following the sublime Model F Labs Classic F104, but this was just too good of deal to pass up, and I figured it'd be fun to compare the two side by side. What I have here is an actual IBM Model F 'AT'; widely considered to be the best of the original Model F designs. Does it hold up today?

Up next is another once highly regarded Logitech trackball that has also been absent from their lineup for a little over a decade at this point: the Cordless Optical Trackman. Despite it's chops, and some promising features, you probably shouldn't buy one. Here's why.

It would be a disservice - me doing a trackball extravaganza, and not trying what's widely regarded as the greatest one ever made: the Microsoft Trackball Explorer. But despite this thing's glowing reputation, it's still a two-decade old peripheral. Is it still deserving of all the praise, or did time finally catch up? Let's find out.

Up next in my little trackball deep dive is an offering from Logitech that's held in very high esteem by the community thanks to it's radical shape, but it also has been absent from the market for roughly two decades at this point. What the hell happened to it? And is it even any good? Let's take a look.

Just on a whim, I decided to hook myself up with some computer trackballs so I could see if this long overshadowed alternative to desktop rodents was ever worthwhile. I'll be doing a few reviews of these in the coming days, and first up we have the hilariously christened Elecom Huge. It certainly lives up to it's name - for better or worse.

Anybody who has some knowledge of vintage computer hardware is probably familiar with IBM's Model M and it's novel buckling spring switch. Despite it's ubiquity, it's not actually the only keyboard to use the switch, nor is it the first - and some may argue it certainly wasn't even the best. That distinction would go to the IBM Model F, and thanks to the efforts of a crowdfunded project; you can buy a brand-spanking-new one. Right now. But should you?

Vintage keyboards are a fun rabbit hole to dive into. They all tend to come from an era where there were no widely accepted standards like today, and many companies came out out of the woodwork seemed to have their own wildly differing ideas on how to best engineer these things. One such less known company was Datacomp, and among their sizable lineup of IBM PC peripherals, they put out this ugly monstrosity called the DFK515. Color me surprised - it's actually really, really good.

It's been a good seven years since I last upgraded my mouse and I finally decided it was time to try something a bit different. Enter the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro, Razer's most feature packed - and unintentionally productivity geared mouse to date. Is it worth the staggeringly high premium? Let's find out.

As a longtime writer, I've always appreciated the feel of a good keyboard, yet I've never actually used one that's has that kind of a reputation. I've been in squishy dome hell for damn near two decades and only fairly recently got a proper mechanical keyboard - but even that still didn't feel quite right. Ever dissatisfied, my keyboard search finally led me to this: the legendary Model M.

  Transparent electronics seem to be all the rage again and having lived through the twilight years of things like candy colored transparent Game Boys and PlayStation 2s, I'm welcoming this revival with open arms. What better way to hop back onto the bandwagon by giving my handheld gaming weapon of choice; the Steam Deck a 90s and early-2000s inspired makeover?

  Well I've gone and done it. It hasn't been that long since I finished installing new fans in my Area 51 R2, and while they did resolve the cooling issues I was experiencing prior, it didn't help me reach my goal of a 4.0+ GHz overclock on my i7-5960X: a problem whose fault I've attributed to the factory motherboard. Rather than continue trying and failing to make it work, I decided it was time to get drastic, and completely rebuild the beast from the ground up. Time for a long one.