You can find this review in full at GBAtemp.net:
https://gbatemp.net/review/lucidsound-ls15x-wireless-gaming-headset.1942/

I’ve only had one chance to try a LucidSound headset before and I had a great time. A flexible and premium product packed with a plethora of features, it did a good job in justifying its high price as an Xbox and Bluetooth headset. Looking now to the more affordable side of their offerings, I was eager to look at the LS15X to see how it stands up considering the price difference of $150.

Though my experience with LucidSound only goes as far as the LS50X, it is worth saying that as a site, we have previously covered the PlayStation counterpart to this headset, the LS15P. If you’re interested in another set of thoughts, you can check out the review here. Be aware the formatting is a little messed up due to the site’s recent update though! Looking at the headset on review there, it’s hard to believe it’s largely the same product. What makes the headset I’m holding stand out above all is the colour; it’s a perfect match with the official Xbox ‘Shock Blue’ design, and it really is stunning to look at.

Taking it out of the box for the first time I was a little conflicted. Compared to the more premium model I still have handy, there are some positive and negative changes. As a whole it feels cheaper. The entire build is plastic and while it appears to have all the same earcup dials and buttons, they don’t feel quite as satisfying to use. The quality matches the price, and retailing at $99, it’s not to say they feel cheap or flimsy, but there’s certainly a disparity to be noted. From a design standpoint, there is one improvement worth mentioning however in the headband padding. It’s really quite comfortable, and the additional cushioning is perfectly positioned to alleviate stress over longer sessions. This was something the LS50X couldn’t quite do for me. Though I have already mentioned the colour, I feel it necessary to reiterate just how well they’ve colour matched the Shock Blue Xbox controller. They were apparently so confident in this colour matching that they sent along a headphone stand and official controller as a part of the press pack for me to see for myself. I can’t fault it, and it goes a surprising way in giving the headset a sense of credibility to back up its officially licenced moniker.

So while it’s really quite similar to the LS50X, sans its high-end finish, you’re probably wondering what separates them. $150 would be a significant difference if that were all there were to it. The most significant omission for me is the lack of multi-device connectivity. As one of my favourite aspects of the LS50X, it’s a shame not to see it on this cheaper variant, but not too surprising given the price difference. What is a bit of a surprise however is the complete lack of Bluetooth connectivity; if you want to use the LS15X wirelessly, you’re stuck with its dongle, and that dongle will only work on a PC or Xbox. Such limitations in connectivity hold back the headset drastically, but there is a question to be asked. Would they have been a good generalist headset anyway?

Thanks to the detachable microphone, they certainly look the part of a normal set of headphones. I’d go as far as to say they look great, avoiding the gaming aesthetic that perhaps doesn’t belong in the world beyond your gaming setup. When it comes to audio quality though, there’s a lot to be desired. Having originally used he headset with my Series X, I really had no complaints. When playing Dark Souls Remastered, everything sounded as it should. The bonfires crackled, the boss music roared. Where I noticed something was off was when connecting them to my PC and putting some music through them. For the lack of a better term, lyrical music sounded muddy. The voices blurred with the backing track and no single part manages to stand out. It just didn’t sound good. It’s possible some of this could be resolved if you’re willing to mess with an EQ on whatever device you’re connected to, but for a more casual consumer it’s hard to recommend for anything outside of gaming.

Also of note is the 3.5mm jack present on the left earcup, something that was surprisingly absent from the LS50X. Though I still wouldn’t recommend it for generalist use, it is worth noting this enables compatibility beyond the Xbox and PC, albeit with limited functionality. When using the 3.5mm jack, you basically miss out on any of the features you get from the device being powered on. This means the earcup no longer works to control volume and the few EQ options available on the headset itself are out of reach. It’s not that much to lose if you do find yourself needing to use them in a pinch, or just want to use them on a wider variety of devices.

All in all, the LS15X are a hard sell for me. The audio quality should be at the heart of any headset, but I’ve found myself entirely underwhelmed on this occasion. They’re comfortable and they’re designed magnificently as to look and feel official, but only being able to enjoy using them for games is a killer, even for a gaming headset. At $99 I expect something more versatile, even if much of that cost comes from the premium of being a licenced Xbox headset. I’d be happy if I got these as a gift, and I might even recommend them as a gift for somebody you know who owns a matching Shock Blue Xbox controller. Really though, there are better products at a similar price.

You can find this review in full at GBAtemp.net:
https://gbatemp.net/review/super-monkey-ball-banana-mania.1936/

Originally created by Amusement Vision in 2001, Super Monkey Ball is a long-running series with a simple to grasp concept. Get your ball-encased monkey to the goal, and do it quickly. Against the clock and your only form of control being rotating the world itself, the original games gained a reputation for themselves in their deceptively-gruelling difficulty. As an anthology of the first Super Monkey Ball, Super Monkey Ball 2, and the additional stages of Super Monkey Ball Deluxe, as well as a colossal collection of series minigames and bonus modes, Banana Mania serves as an accessible way to jump into some classic levels. Just how do they hold up 20 years later?

To cut to the chase, the levels themselves are just as good as they always were, and boy do you have a lot of them to get through. It’s a mammoth task getting through two story modes, and ten challenge modes of varying difficulty. If you’re a fan of the old games but haven’t played in a while you’ll feel right at home, and be able to recognise all your favourites on show. With the game now running in Unity though, it should be noted there are some differences from the original outings. For my casual eye it feels just as good as it always did, but for series veterans who have perhaps revisited the original titles more frequently, you should expect your muscle memory to be a little off. Weirdly, the part that took the most adjustment for me was trying out the non-monkey characters. My mind just couldn’t rationalise rings, apples, or random pill bottles where bananas should be. 

There’s more to the game than just the levels though, with missions being a surprising breath of fresh air to areas of the game I’ve otherwise become really quite familiar with. In the story modes you have three or four additional challenges to attempt on top of the usual monkey into goal tape objective. Each level usually having missions to beat it in a set amount of time, collect a certain number of bananas, and beating it without any helper functions, you’re also tasked with finding hidden goals from time to time. Where in the original games’ story modes these green goals would serve no purpose, their actual use being skipping levels in the challenge mode, you’re incentivised to try out new things you may have previously overlooked. The banana objectives in particular stand out for this. There are a good number of levels across both games that are simple to rush through, but for those stopping to smell the bananas, things get complicated. The earliest example of this I could find is on 1-5 of Super Monkey Ball’s story, Conveyers. Where you can beat the stage incredibly easily by holding up on your analogue stick and using the starting momentum to pass straight over the titular conveyer belts, you soon find how powerful they are after you lose speed to collect bananas. The more I play, the more I discover small pieces and gems nestled within levels I had once zoomed through. It’s really refreshing and adds a layer of replayability to a previously once-and-done mode.

The challenge modes have these missions too, but they’re a little more rigid in how they test you. For each difficulty level, you have three missions: beat the difficulty, beat it without using any helper functions, and beat it within a set number of lives. On top of this, your time in beating the challenge mode is recorded for you to try to beat in future. It’s nice and it’s presented well, but for the challenge modes I can’t help but feel a large part of the challenge has been removed from the game with disappearance of lives. In the original titles these modes were a huge challenge, particularly on higher difficulties, due to the limitations on how many attempts you could have before having to start over. It was tough, terribly so, but it made the completion all that much sweeter. I can’t think of a better example of this than watching Twitch streamer Atrioc spend more than an hour on the 30 stage advanced course of the first game. It took several attempts, but with dedication and passion, you could see the pride and unbridled joy that came with beating it. It’s not to say there’s no satisfaction to be found now, and you can still have that same challenge and progression as you replay the mode and see your lives used go down and down, but I would’ve loved for there to be an option or an additional mode where you’re fighting against a life counter. A part of me wants to relive the frustration of falling within reach of the end, and the satisfaction of later overcoming that frustration. It’s a shame players new to the series won’t get to go through this.

On top of the standard content from the first two games, Banana Mania rolls the extra mile by offering a nice variety of additional modes, each with a small assortment of levels. In large, these function in the same way the missions do in providing a new way to play existing levels, as well as giving you access to a few levels you can’t find elsewhere. You have a mode where you need to collect every banana, you have a mode where you need to avoid bananas, and by far the most interesting to me, you have a mode where you can play a handful of levels in reverse. Each of these modes are stellar in shaking up the formula and they leave me wanting more. If DLC were put out with level packs for these modes, I’d definitely check them out.

But wait, there’s more! Rounding off this spherical package is a collection of minigames you know and love. From Monkey Bowling to Monkey Billiards to Monkey Golf, you have a set of 12 fantastic and varied games to play alongside the main event. I’ve found these a little hit and miss, with some games not quite meeting the expectations of my nostalgia-fuelled memories. Monkey Baseball feels unnecessarily precise, and Monkey Target just doesn’t feel like it used to. I imagine it’s just a case of adapting to new changes and a slightly different feel for these otherwise familiar games, but it’s certainly a culture shock to my aged system. Regardless, I’m happy to see so many of them available in one place, and all available for multiplayer action.

Having received a copy of the game on Switch to review and buying the game on the Series X myself, I’ve had a good opportunity to see how it plays on both ends of the console spectrum. In large the game runs fine on the Switch, and it’s a great option for those wanting the best portable Monkey Ball experience. I did notice the game feel choppy in a select few levels that featured rain and fire effects, but outside of those it’s hard to pick it apart. Running on the Xbox the graphics look a fair bit cleaner, but when you’re focused on your simian sphere they’re hardly what you’re paying attention to. If I had to pick a version to recommend though, it’d probably be the PC release. For some reason it’s £10 cheaper than its console counterparts, making an already compelling package that much more so at just £25. However you choose to play, I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

All in all though, Banana Mania is a great game that brings the golden era of Super Monkey Ball right back into the spotlight. It’s an fantastic package full of classic content to be enjoyed by all at a more than reasonable price. Whether you want to kill 30 minutes or 30 hours, these balls are worth taking for a spin.

You can find this review in full at GBAtemp.net:
https://gbatemp.net/review/powera-spectra-enhanced-wired-switch-controller.1929/

When it comes to unnecessary features on a controller, lights would be the top of my list. Lighting just isn’t necessary on something that by design shouldn’t be the centre of your attention, but there was something so enchanting about the Xbox Spectra controller we’ve previously covered. When I was offered the chance to look at its Switch counterpart, I wasn’t going to pass up the chance.

Taking the controller out of the box it’s nothing special. It has a fairly standard Switch Pro Controller design, featuring all the buttons you’d need to enjoy games on the system. It’s satisfying to hold and has a pleasant soft-matte finish that prevents fingerprints from lingering. On top of the usual buttons, you have PowerA’s staple remappable buttons hiding on the grips. They’re something I really do hope take off since I find them far more comfortable than the more premium-seeming paddles you see in a fair number of high end controllers. Grip buttons by contrast are something I’ve only really come across with PowerA, though that’s not to say other companies I’m unaware of haven’t been experimenting.

As with their previous products, no software is required to use these with mapping and remapping done using a button on the back of the controller. They’re simple to use and you can swap them out on the fly to suit whichever game you’re playing; they were a lifesaver when trying to adjust to the awkward control scheme of Girls und Panzer Dream Tank Match DX.

Right next to the remapping button is another extra to manage the controller’s signature feature: the lighting. My first impressions were incredibly mixed. Having seen the Spectra Infinity reviewed previously, I had expectations and some excitement for a full and brazen rainbow aesthetic; I wanted something entirely unnecessary and over the top. What I hadn’t realised is that having multiple colours going at once was a feature exclusive to the Infinity variant, with this model not existing for the Switch. It’s a shame to see what feels like a lesser product being put out when PowerA have shown they’re capable of more, but I plugged it in anyway, and frankly it looked great. You can still set this controller to cycle through colours though if that’s something you’d want. 

The bars of colour wrapping around the controller and its key buttons are incredibly vivid without having a degree of brightness that could negatively pull your attention away from the screen. It’s more a feeling of “wow that’s neat” than anything else. The lighting isn’t enough to make you think the controller is something ridiculously premium, but it does almost seem too good for what the controller costs, coming in at £29.99.

I can carry this sentiment through to the rest of the controller really. PowerA make some genuinely great controllers, and the quality on show here more than reflects that. Buttons have a satisfying press with no overwhelming mushiness or clickiness. They feel like they need just a but more force to activate than an official Pro Controller, which will be to the taste of some and distaste of others. The D-Pad is pleasant to use, though still falls short of the Pokken Pro pad, which is my personal gold standard of D-Pads. Each direction feels defined enough for general menuing in a pinch, but I wouldn’t trust it to get me through a tight level in Mario Maker 2 without being caught out by a phantom up input. It’s functional, but by no means exceptional.

Something I’ve pointed out in my other PowerA controller reviews, the analogue sticks stick out (if you’ll pardon the pun) as something really quite special. Of every controller I’ve tried, official or otherwise, they have the smoothest movement when rotated against the casing. This is something that most people won’t think they care about, and really most people probably don’t. Having said that, it’s just one factor that builds up to a fantastic user experience.

With the Spectra, you really only have a few negative points to pick out. First, it’s exclusively wired. It’s not something I really hold against the controller, since it’s exactly what it’s advertised as, but the lack of a wireless alternative may come as a disappointment to some. With it being wired, it also means you’re missing a few crucial Pro Controller features in NFC, and more importantly, gyro. What really hurts me though isn’t its wired limitations, it’s the wire they chose to limit it to. Micro USB. In 2021. It hurts me to type it, and I was disappointed to see it. To give due credit, it’s a great braided cable with a nice locking design to keep it tightly connected to the controller in use. If you leave it in the controller, you might not notice it, but it’s still something I’m not overly fond of.

All in all though, the Spectra is a fantastic controller that only goes to reiterate what we’ve said in our previous reviews. PowerA has consistently delivered on quality third party offerings at a price that’s reasonable, and the Switch Spectra controller is no different. If you’re wanting something for your player two, or just want something handy you won’t have to worry about charging, it’s an incredibly compelling device.