Peripherals

8BitDo's new Xbox Edition Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard and Retro R8 Mouse feature a design inspired by the original Xbox console, specifically the Transparent Green Edition. The custom Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard's arrow keys also adopt the red, blue, green, and yellow of the Xbox controller's ABXY buttons.

Throw in a dedicated Xbox Button that brings up the Windows Game Bar, and it's a pretty incredible-looking keyboard - especially for longtime Xbox fans. Unlike other retro keyboards from 8BitDo, the Xbox Edition includes per-key RGB lighting to complement the transparent design. The Xbox Edition supports Bluetooth and low-latency 2.4 GHz wireless and ships with those large programmable buttons that debuted with the standard Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard.

The custom Retro R8 Mouse is also a looker, with a similar Transparent Green design. It ships with a charging dock and customizable side buttons on the left and right that look like the Xbox controller's ABXY buttons. Hardware-wise, it includes the high-performance PAW 3395 26K sensor that supports an 8K polling rate.

If you own a Belkin BoostCharge Pro Fast Wireless Charger power bank, you need to immediately stop using it, as there's a potential fire risk with this accessory.

Belkin issued a notice of a voluntary recall of all these power banks, the full name of which is the 'Belkin BoostCharge Pro Fast Wireless Charger for Apple Watch + Power Bank 10K' (and the model number is BPD005).

There's a manufacturing defect, we're told, which could lead to the lithium battery overheating and a resulting fire hazard.

Apple's official Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard accessories and peripherals for Mac are sleek, modern, stylish, and feature-packed. However, they lack the performance, hardware, and premium mechanical feel of other options. Good news: Corsair's award-winning K65 PLUS WIRELESS keyboard and the M75 WIRELESS mouse are now available via the Apple Store Online and U.S. Apple Store locations.

They've arrived in exclusive Glacier Blue and Frost colors for the Mac, which look stunning. We reviewed the Corsair K65 PLUS WIRELESS keyboard earlier this year, and it earned an Editor's Choice Award due to its performance, acoustics, and versatility.

"The Corsair K65 PLUS WIRELESS 75% RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is one of the most impressive compact keyboard releases in recent times," we wrote. "The enthusiast-grade entry offers excellent levels of customization - right down to hot-swappable switches - with excellent software support, stylish aesthetics, and robust wireless connectivity."

The Razer USB 4 Dock takes full advantage of the new standard's 40Gb/second transfer speeds, with up to 100W of power delivery over the dock's USB-C upstream port. But there's much more to the Razer USB 4 Dock than speed and power, as Razer's '14-Port Design' includes all the device connectivity, video, storage, and data capabilities you'll ever need. There's even a Gigabit Ethernet port.

On the display front, you've got dual-monitor support with up to 4K 120 Hz on your primary display over HDMI 2.1 or up to 4K 240 Hz over DisplayPort 1.4. For those with laptops and a display powering multiple devices, the Razer USB 4 Dock is an excellent option, as it comes with a 180W adapter to power all connected devices while charging a laptop simultaneously.

Compatible with Windows and Mac systems, the Razer USB 4 Dock is a sleek, minimal aluminum alloy device available in Black or Mercury. It feels like one of the company's most productivity-focused releases in a long time.

A major new study on standing desks appears to indicate that they are pretty much a waste of time, and essentially miss the point in terms of health benefits.

We're all familiar with the idea of the standing desk, hopefully, which allows for its height to be adjusted.

The basic concept is that sitting all day is very bad for you, and that mixing in some standing time - we should note, the idea is to mix sitting and standing, not do the latter all the time - is good for you.

Lian Li has just launched its new DK07 motorized standing desk, that has been designed to handle a single powerful PC or even dual E-ATX setups. Check it out:

The new Lian Li DK07 features more than enough space for systems as well as efficient cable management, with built-in cable clips, a large underbelly cable tray, and not one, but two organizer drawers that will make for the best clutter-free gaming and workspace you can imagine. Lian Li goes as far as featuring convenient features like a wireless charging pad with built-in USB ports, too.

Lian Li has built the new DK07 desk for power users that want a single super-beast system or dual-system configurations to fit inside of the desk, with a modular bracket design at the rear of the DK07 that enhances compatibility and simplifies the installation process when switching behind the systems.

Corsair's latest keyboard, the new K70 PRO TKL, is one for competitive gamers. It introduces the highly sought-after Rapid Trigger feature alongside FlahsTap, which aims to "revolutionize in-game movement."

The new Corsair K70 PRO TKL ships with the company's brand-new Corsair MGX Hyperdrive magnetic switches, which incorporate Hall-effect sensors for fast magnetic activation. This is excellent for the keyboard's Rapid Trigger support, which allows key presses and de-presses to be registered instantly. Corsair notes that its new switches outpace "even the best mechanical switches."

Being magnetic, you can customize the actuation distance per key between 0.1mm and 4.0mm. With this, it's not just a keyboard for competitive shooters like Valorant, Apex Legends, Counter-Strike 2, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - but one suitable for all games.

The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot is a brand-new premium wireless and wired controller for Xbox consoles, Windows PCs, and Bluetooth devices. Its unique design includes "rotating thumbstick and button control modules," so you can switch between a traditional stick and button layout and one optimized for fighting games and other 2D titles.

Turtle Beach notes that "modules can be easily rotated and locked back into place," giving the Stealth Pivot controller seamless 2-in-1 functionality and control over the layout. As a premium controller, the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot's $129.99 MSRP is higher than that of standard pads; it includes things like built-in Hall Effect sensors and AntiDrift thumbsticks for optimal performance and a 'Connected Command Display' that offers access to onboard customization options without the need for software.

Of course, in-depth customization is also available via the Turtle Beach Control Center 2 app for Xbox, PC, iOS, and Android. "Turtle Beach's Stealth Pivot delivers a new level of innovation in controllers by giving gamers the ability to play more of their favorite games using one controller," said Cris Keirn, CEO, Turtle Beach Corporation.

Apple has missed its opportunity to improve upon the critically flawed design of the second-generation Magic Mouse, as the third generation has been unveiled, and it has the exact same issues.

The Magic Mouse has been one of Apple's more controversial product releases, as it has been widely criticized for two main reasons: having no ergonomics whatsoever and the location of its charging port. Both of these critiques are justified as the Magic Mouse design isn't ergonomic at all, as there is hardly any mouse for it to be ergonomic. The flat design makes it so a user doesn't have anything to rest their hand on, causing some strain over longer periods of use. I own a Magic Mouse, and I can speak to this last point from experience.

The second fatal flaw of the Magic Mouse is the location of the charging port. Someone needs to notify Apple that if they put the charging port on the bottom of the Magic Mouse, it means a user is unable to charge and use the mouse at the same time. There isn't any practical reason or utility to have the charging port located on the bottom of the mouse, and given the second generation Magic Mouse was released 9 years ago in 2015, one would think it would be about time to move it to the top of the mouse for improved functionality.

Apple just announced a new Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard, plus a Magic Trackpad, alongside the new iMac 24-inch for 2024 which is its first M4-toting Mac - and there's some good news here, but also a very annoying development.

The positive news is that the new magic peripherals - which come bundled with the iMac M4, or the mouse and keyboard do - now have USB-C charging ports, as opposed to Lightning connectors.

So, we can all breathe easy on the charging front, as the proprietary nonsense gets shoved thankfully to one side, and you can use any old USB-C cable to juice up the new Apple peripherals.