Bill Loguidice's Blog, page 92

Alien Downpour for the Apple II nearing release!

Although there are a few high profile RPGs in development for the Apple II, and some relatively recent releases of a handful of quality action games, there really hasn’t been a new, high quality arcade shooter available for quite some time. Now, with Alien Downpour getting close to release and already available for pre-order, that’s going to change.

While you can visit the official Website, the game’s author, Michael Packard, has been posting regular updates, including videos of the final levels, on Facebook, via the Apple Graphics and Arcade Game Design Enthusiasts Public Group.

Just one of many levels. It really looks great. Be sure to check out the videos on the Website and Facebook as well.

Although I admit I wasn’t terribly impressed with the game’s early development, I’ve since become a believer. The level and enemy variety, as well as increased smoothness of play, have definitely won me over. The game is available on 5.25 disk ($20), cassette ($20), or a combo package ($25) from the official Website.

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Review: Nucharger QC31 All-in-one International Travel Charger

If you’re looking for a versatile USB charger, the Nucharger QC31 All-in-one International Travel Charger delivers. It provides inputs for one USB Type-C DC5V3A Max port, two USB QC2.0 5V 2.4A Max ports, and one USB QC3.0 5V2.4A 3.6V~12V (18W) port. All four ports can be in use at the same time.

The box.

Inside the box.

The compact size makes this charger travel friendly, but, further supporting that, it also comes with four different plug types, which are easy to slide in and out of the secure adapter slot. You get US/Japan, EU/Korea, AU/NZ/China, and UK/HK plug adapters, which support outlets in over 150 countries. Similarly, its voltage capacity should handle nearly any power standard, with its AC 90-240V 50/50HZ 0.2A input range.

With the US adapter, it’s quite compact.

With all of the plug options.

I really like this adapter. It’s solidly built and provides a lot of versatility, even if you aren’t taking it on an international trip. As for me, mine will be going with me on an upcoming Nordic excursion.

Pluses:

– Well-built

– Multiple USB types supported

– Great for international travel

– Includes a carrying case with clip

Minuses:

– Price is a bit high

– Only the US adapter pins retract

Summary:

If you’re looking for a compact, versatile USB travel adapter, the Nucharger makes for a compelling value proposition.

Thanks to Nucharger for the review unit.

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Review: Taotuo Mini Foldable RC Quadcopter Drone

It goes without saying that drones are a big business. They can be both practical and just fun to fly. Because of this popularity, there have been some interesting design variations, including this pocket-friendly drone, the Taotuo Mini Foldable RC Quadcopter Drone with 2.4G 4 Channel 6-Axis Gyro Headless System. The drone measures just 3.9 x 2.6 x 1.1 in (10 x 6 x 2.9 cm) and stores comfortably inside its 2.4Ghz remote, which itself measures just 5.9 x 3.3 x 1.6 in (15 x 8 x 4 cm).

The box.

Opening the box.

In the package you get the drone, remote control, USB cable, four extra blades (two black and two yellow), four propeller guards (although you can’t store these inside the controller), one screwdriver, and a user manual. You charge the drone’s 3.7v 220mAh Lithium Battery over USB for about 40 – 50 minutes for 7 – 10 minutes of sustained flight time. The remote requires four AAA batteries, which are not included. You can also charge the drone from the remote if you’re in the field.

A breakdown of the functions.

The list of features of the Taotuo are not particularly extensive, but the ones that are present thankfully err on the side of making flying easier. While there’s no camera, which makes sense for a drone with a range of 20 – 50 meters, it can easily perform 360 degree flips and rolls, has a one key return function, and includes a Headless Mode. This mode makes flying easier by not forcing you to worry about the drone’s orientation. The only requirement is that you make sure the drone is positioned in such a way that its front, indicated by a red LED light, and the remote control transmitter, both face forward.

The drone stored in the remote.

In terms of setup and flying, I found the whole process straightforward, although not entirely intuitive. While it is indeed a small drone, its small size makes it easy to take along, which is something I can’t say for other drones that I’ve tried. As you can see from the video, this drone delivers both fun and performance.

As with any drone, though, it can be a challenge to fly at times. You’ll definitely need time to master the remote’s four trimmers to really stay in control. Because of the drone’s tiny size and minimal weight, you’ll want to fly it on calm, non-windy days, or keep it to indoor flight. Nevertheless, as-is, it’s a great value and a good performer for a pocket-sized drone.

Pluses:

– Pocket-sized

– Good price

– Performs well

Minuses:

– No camera (not necessarily expected, though)

– Propeller guards are not portable (they don’t store in the remote)

– Getting a hang of the trimmers to maximize flight precision can be a bit challenging

Summary:

If you’re looking for a portable, relatively easy-to-fly drone for very little money, the Taotuo delivers.

Thanks to Taotuo for the review unit.

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Review: SainSonic Wireless Backlit Mechanical Keyboard

I’ve complained before about the lack of wireless mechanical keyboards with backlighting. With advances in Bluetooth technology, we’re finally starting to see some options. One such option is the SainSonic Wireless Backlit Mechanical Keyboard.

A detailed look at the keyboard via SainSonic.

Eschewing the usual 104+ keys, the SainSonic chooses a more compact 61. Besides losing a ten-key (number pad), you also lose dedicated cursor keys, function keys, and secondary keys like DEL (delete) and END. Of course, outside of the ten-key configuration, all of those other functions can still be accessed with a function (Fn) key combination, e.g., Fn+I, J, K, or L for the cursor keys, or Fn+?/ for DEL.

Dimensions and main hotkey functions.

The Fn key also controls the RGB lighting, with Fn+U to change the light mode, Fn+Y for brightness, Fn+T for light speed, and Fn+R for On/Off. The different type of lighting effects include Snake Marquee, Ripple Mode, Wave Mode, Breathing Mode, and Reactive Mode. Personally, I prefer the standard lighting with my keyboards, but it’s nice to have options. Using the official iPhone or Android app, you can further customize the individual key colors to anything you want.

In terms of battery life, for a 5 hour charge, you can get 5 hours of operation at level 5 brightness or 2 hours at level 10 brightness. With the RGB lighting off, you can expect 1 month of operating time. As such, if you want bright lighting, you’re probably better off using this mostly as a wired keyboard.

In the box you get the keyboard, a key puller, a flat microUSB cable, and a USB Bluetooth 4.0 adapter. The latter inclusion is a nice touch, but unnecessary if your device already supports Bluetooth 4.0.

The keyboard comes with a choice of Blue, Brown, or Red switches, which you choose at time of purchase. Blue keys are clicky and loud with a solid feel. Brown keys are quieter and have a slightly lighter feel. Red keys are also quieter and have a very light feel. Since I type a lot, I chose my usual Blue. While not Cherry brand switches, they’re a good approximation and feel and sound the part.

Physically, the keyboard, while small, is solid and dense. Despite the more compact keyboard, typing is still as comfortable as a full-sized model. While there are no rear feet to help prop the keyboard up, it has a natural angle that performs the same function. Key response and sound was quite good, although the non letter and number keys, like SHIFT, ENTER, and BACKSPACE, felt and sounded a bit hollow.

Unfortunately, when I tried to connect via Bluetooth on both my Windows 10 desktop and my Surface Pro 3 laptop (both of which support Bluetooth 4.0), neither saw the keyboard unless I physically connected it via the USB cable. With a physical connection, it worked great, but then that’s not the real point of this keyboard. The included Bluetooth dongle didn’t help either, even after disabling my onboard Bluetooth.

I had better luck on my Apple iPad Pro 9.7 and iPhone 7 Plus. While neither saw the keyboard right away, I was eventually able to get both devices to recognize the keyboard on separate attempts. By searching for “Obins” on the app store, I was able to download that app, which allowed me to take full control of the keyboard’s lighting effects, macros, and more. Although the English translation wasn’t the best, the app is intuitive enough to be workable.

If you’re looking for a compact, wireless mechanical keyboard with backlighting and don’t mind missing out on certain dedicated keys, then the SainSonic makes for an solid choice if you can make it work wirelessly with your system. If forced to use it in its wired mode, there are definitely better wired choices out there.

Pluses:

– Mechanical, backlit, and wireless (a rare combination)

– Good build quality

– Decent price

– Includes an optional USB Bluetooth 4.0 adapter

– Has a wired option

– Choice of switch types

Minuses:

– No English instructions

– Bluetooth pairing can be problematic

– No dedicated cursor keys

– Limited battery life when using backlighting

– Can only pair to one Bluetooth device at a time

– Keyboard control app is only available on iOS and Android

Summary:

If you can do without dedicated cursor and other keys, don’t mind missing out on a ten-key (number pad), and can make the wireless connection work with your hardware, the SainSonic delivers on the promise of a quality mechanical, backlit, wireless keyboard.

Thanks to SainSonic for the review unit.

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Review: AIRWALKS Hand Spinner EDC Fidget Toy

With tons of spinners available at every conceivable price point, it’s tough to stand out. The AIRWALKS Hand Spinner EDC Fidget Toy tries to stand out with style. In that regard, the AIRWALKS spinner succeeds, but the proof is in the performance. In that area, it’s a let-down.

The package/case.

The spinner.

Available in metallic Black, Blue, and Rose Gold colors, the latter of which I’m reviewing, the AIRWALKS spinner complements its bold color choices with a unique design. While most spinners have a central pivot point and then three counter balances, the AIRWALKS leaves its three “wings” solid. This allows the AIRWALKS to be much smaller than other spinners at only 2.48 inches long at each extremity, and a weight of about 30 grams.

 

A post shared by Bill Loguidice (@bill_loguidice) on May 4, 2017 at 3:00pm PDT

 

Unfortunately, while AIRWALKS claims a spin time of over 3 minutes, in my testing, we barely got a minute. The spin action didn’t feel particularly balanced or smooth, nor was it silent. In fact, it was quite noisy. While it’s easy to remove the concave finger grips, I could see no obvious signs of obstruction to account for the poor performance. Given the price point and the variety of other options available, the unique design and complementary storage case don’t make up for its shortcomings.

Pluses:

– Unique design

Minuses:

– Noisy

– Not as smooth as other spinners

– Relatively high price

Summary:

Although offering a unique look, the AIRWALKS spinner’s performance is a let-down.

Thanks to AIRWALKS for the review unit.

The post Review: AIRWALKS Hand Spinner EDC Fidget Toy appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Play Classic Monochrome Macintosh Games in Your Browser or Just Look at the Lovely Screenshots

The Internet Archive recently updated the screenshots for their browser-based classic Macintosh software collection. Like many of the other platforms the Internet Archive plays host to, you can run this software via a clever emulation layer directly in your Web browser.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.02

While the Macintosh never was (and arguably still isn’t) a premiere gaming platform, it nevertheless played host to a nice selection of titles. Although the early Macintosh platform was strictly monochrome – which even at the time of its 1984 unveiling was an outlier – the relatively high resolution created some beautiful, distinctive imagery. While you miss out on the vaguely blue-ish sheen of a real vintage Macintosh CRT, even if you don’t want to use the emulation functionality, the still images on the Internet Archive do a good job of demonstrating just what a good artist could do at the time within the platform’s relative strengths and limitations.

Dark Castle

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ZX Spectrum Next: An Updated ZX Spectrum Done Right?

Although little known outside the UK, where it was a blockbuster success, the ZX Spectrum is nevertheless a fascinating computer. Although audio-visually modest, the ZX Spectrum series was home to a quite a few legendary games, and it helped kickstart the British game development industry. Appropriately enough, I suppose, now there’s a Kickstarter to bring a heavily updated, yet fully backwards compatible ZX Spectrum computer, to market, the ZX Spectrum Next.

Although I already have an excellent selection of ZX Spectrum computers in my collection, I’m definitely onboard with this update. While not only maintaining full backwards compatibility, right down to being able to utilize original expansions, there are also plenty of modern conveniences like HDMI and an SD card slot. This is definitely the kind of recreation we need for our other beloved vintage computers. The only catch? It looks like it won’t start full delivery until January 2018, which is rather a long way off. Still, it seems like it will be well worth the wait to take this 1980s computer platform into the late 2010s and beyond.

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Review: FIDOLI Fidget Spinner Toy

While I previously reviewed a high-end fidget spinner that I really loved, in a house with three girls, the youngest being 2, it was probably inevitable that it would eventually get lost. And it did. As such, I thought I would try a less expensive, lower end model and see how it compares.

The packaging.

The FIDOLI Fidget Spinner Toy is available in three colors: Black, Blue, and Red. I’m reviewing the Blue. Compared to that aforementioned high-end spinner, I can detect a definite downgrade in materials and overall balance. Fortunately, it still spins well thanks to its ceramic bearing, and obviously offers the same basic benefits and functionality as that higher-priced spinner.

The back of the box.

The coloring is nice.

If you’re looking for a lower cost alternative to higher priced and heavier (thanks to their materials) spinners, then the FIDOLI makes for a fine, compact choice.

 

A post shared by Bill Loguidice (@bill_loguidice) on Apr 20, 2017 at 3:18pm PDT

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Review: MoYu YJ Stickerless Yulong Plus 3x3x3 Speed Cube Puzzle

The venerable Rubik’s Cube dates back to 40 years ago. In that time, its popularity has risen and fallen multiple times. Although nowhere near it’s heights, the 3x3x3 puzzle cube and its variations, are definitely popular again.

Although everything is in Chinese, there’s really no language issue with this type of puzzle game.

While the current version of the Rubik’s Cube is just over $7, the MoYu YJ Stickerless Yulong Plus 3x3x3 Speed Cube Puzzle is just under $5. The MoYu gets you smoother, creak-free action, and real colors instead of just stickers.

The manual is in Chinese, but any standard guide will obviously work with this.

Considering the price, unique colors, and overall quality and performance, this is definitely one alternative to the name brand worth checking out.

 

A post shared by Bill Loguidice (@bill_loguidice) on Apr 20, 2017 at 3:13pm PDT

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The Disney Afternoon Collection now available – Six classic NES games on modern systems

As an homage to the classic block of cartoons that made up The Disney Afternoon, Capcom has released a collection of six Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games for Windows (Steam), PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The six games are: DuckTales, DuckTales 2, Darkwing Duck, TaleSpin, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers 2. You can also get the PS4 and Xbox One versions digitally via Amazon.

 

While not every game is a winner, as both an original fan of The Disney Afternoon and of themed compilations like this, I find it pretty hard to resist. The added rewind functionality and save slot for each game makes these sometimes overly hard games (particularly for my middle-aged reflexes) even better.

I’m also a bit ambivalent about this not being on the Nintendo Switch. Even though that system lacks a proper d-pad in its default configuration (making games like Puyo Puyo Tetris a bit frustrating for me), it still seems like it would be a great way to play this particular collection. Maybe in the future.

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