Name: GoFlex Slim (Seagate)

Type: 320GB ultra-portable external hard drive

Specs: Click here for full specs

Price: £73.20 from Span

Image Gallery: Click here

Who said computer storage devices couldn't be sexy? Seagate's latest portable external storage drive, the GoFlex Slim is so svelte and small it may well replace your USB flash stick as your pocketable drive of choice. But does its performance match its good looks?

There's no denying that Seagate have managed something quite remarkable with the GoFlex Slim drive. At 9mm thick, it's roughly the same thickness as your average Bic pen, and thinner even than the slinky iPhone 4 smartphone. What's even crazier is that it manages to be .5mm thinner than your average 9.5mm standard SATA internal drive. It's still fairly wide and long at 4.1 inches by 3.2 inches, but there is only so small you can make a 2.5 inch drive chassis, and Seagate are definitely pushing the envelope here.

The drive's small size of course leads to at least one concession, and that here lies with overall storage capacity. 320GB is hardly anything to write home about in the external drive stakes these days, and the overall cost-to-capacity ratio is quite expensive, with the average price for the drive around the £80 mark. If large capacity is a necessity for you, look elsewhere, but again for a drive this size 320GB remains impressive.

The drive supports both USB 2.0 and the much faster USB 3.0 connections, and comes packaged with a USB 3.0 backwards-compatible cable. The actual drive itself is comprised of two parts which snap together; the main drive unit with a standard SATA female connector at one end, and an adapter part with a male SATA connector and a Mini-USB 3.0 port for attaching the supplied cable. This flexible design allows for pretty much any connection to be supported providing you snap in a sold-separately GoFlex adaptor. With USB 3.0 currently the fastest peripheral connection available (at least until Thunderbolt drives become the norm) the need for other adapters are unlikely to be much of an issue however. Of course, the SATA connections also mean you'll be able to hook the drive up with a SATA internal drive, no matter what the manufacturer, which is a great addition by Seagate.

Flexibility is extended by the drive's built in software. Though available in two pre-formatted styles (a black chassis with NTFS file system for Windows and white chassis with HSF+ formatting for Macs) pre-installed software drivers give full read/write access across both platforms anyway. It's a thankful addition, and much better than having to use the FAT32 universal standard which frustratingly caps file sizes at 4GB.

All this good work would be for naught however were the GoFlex Slim a sluggish performer when it comes to transfer rates. The drive, with its 7200 RPM speed, has so far proved a consistent joy to use. Testing USB 2.0 transfer speeds, we saw an average of 27.6MBps and 37.5MBps for writing and reading speeds respectively. As you'd expect, USB 3.0 speeds were significantly better at 82.3MBps for writing and 102MBps for reading. They're not category topping speeds, but are very nippy nonetheless, and again particularly impressive given the drive's size. Even during prolonged use the drive stayed quite cool too, despite the lack of any visible ventilation slots.

Capping off an impressive package is the Seagate Dashboard software suite. It bloats the drive by some 195MB with mostly unnecessary software, but don't turn down the optional installation of the Memeo Backup Premium application. It's a simple-but-excellent tool for backing up important files or entire drives, with clever visual representations of the volume of specific file types, as well as customisable backup schedules that should ensure your data is never lost.

Verdict:

You could argue that the GoFlex Slim's relatively small capacity makes it poor value for money, and in that stake alone you'd be right; there are plenty of drives that offer more space for your buck than the 320GB on offer here. However, few drives can balance portability and performance as deftly as this catwalk-ready little number, and the inclusion of very good back-up software more than makes up for any storage shortcomings. Slip this into your jacket pocket and you'll unlikely go back to your USB flash drive ever again.

I've been looking to "redifine my PC audio" for quite a while now. I tried giving my speakers a polka-dot makeover with some tip-ex and a sharpie pen, even went as far as ringing up the OED HQ to see if I could get the definition of "PC Audio" changed in the dictionary. All to no avail. Imagine my delight then when the release for the Teufel Concept D 500 THX PC speakers hit my desk this morning, with the claim that the set "redefines PC audio". I wept small glittery tears of joy akin to that of a baby unicorn's.

All-rather-tenuous jokes aside, the Concept D 500 THX PC speakers look pretty impressive to be fair. A 2.1 set, they have a 300 watt Class D subwoofer that's nearly half a metre tall and contains two 165mm bass drivers.

Two 2-way satellite speakers with 100mm mid-to-low-range drivers and 19mm waveguide tweeters sit either side and are wall mountable.

Looking and (presumably) sounding very neat, they'll set you back £449 from www.teufelaudio.co.uk.

Click below for some more shots of the Teufel Concept D 500 THX PC speakers.

If ever there was a movie that was crying out for a load of tie-in PC/gaming accessories, that movie would be Tron Legacy. The whole thing is about being sucked into a video game, and which manufacturer wouldn't want to be associated with an experience as immersive as that??

Not Razer anyway, as they've just launched the official Tron gaming mouse. Not merely a fancy shell around a mediocre pointer, with a 5600dpi 3.5g laser sensor the Tron gaming mouse could up your game considerably over standard kit. You also get seven "Hyperesponse" buttons and an ambidextrous design, which should please those lefties out there.

Priced at 100 bucks, there is also a keyboard and mousemat in the works too.

Light cycles and neon jumpsuits sold seperately...

Name: DR-GA500 (Sony)
Type: 7.1 surround sound gaming headset
Specs: (Click here for full specs)
Price: £139 direct from Sony

Sony enter the crowded PC gaming headset market with their 7.1 surround DR-G500's. With the Sennheiser and Astro brands setting the benchmark with their PC350 and A40 headsets respectively, how do Sony's similarly priced units fare?

Depending on your fashion preferences you're either going to love or hate the DR-G500's. Chunky and angular with a triple-enfolding design, the cans look a bit like a Transformer midway through an...erm...transformation. Personally I think they look great even if some of my office-mates disagree, with a slight silver trim breaking up the black gloss plastic finish in places and a fold away mic on the left side. The design leaves plenty of room for air to get to your ears, preventing the dreaded "Sweaty-Ear Syndrome" some headsets cause, with an in-line volume control and mic-mute about 12 inches down the 1.5m cord. The cans are also nice and light, hugging the head well and nicely padded, though I'd take extra special care of them, as the plastic build seemed quite fragile. I don't think it'd take much to snap the thin headband.

The DR-G500's ship with a black external signal processing box, roughly the size of two DVD cases stacked on top of each other. A little chunk is knocked off the corner, and it lights up when on and powered by the supplied plug. On the back is a master volume dial, and connections for 7.1 analogue audio, as well as USB input. The front has switches for input control (2.1, 5.1, 7.1 and USB), effects (Surround, FPS and off) and a compression on/off switch.

The box pumps your gaming session through a Dolby Pro Logic IIx decoder to give a pseudo-7.1 surround sound effect when gaming. In terms of clarity, the headset has very well defined (if a little harsh) mid and high tones, but felt a little weak on bass. Sony put the 40mm drivers to good use, with a frequency response range of 14 - 22,000 Hz, but the headset isn't without its problems.

Firstly, with no effects applied to the audio signal, sound can be a little clinical, particularly so when not using compression, and most noticeable when listening to music. Switch over to Surround settings and, while warmth is applied to the audio, there's no true discernible sense of 7.1 movement in the headset when gaming. More annoyingly for a headset primarily aimed at shooting fans, the FPS setting had no real differences to note against the Surround setting, appearing to just ramp up the reverb a little. We played through a good few sessions of Borderlands with the headset on across all combinations of effects and compression settings, but found that the sound was just a little too prickly overall, and not terribly great at giving a 3D spatial sound effect when the settings were applied.

The fold away microphone is a nice touch, and works well. There was no noticeable distortion when using the omni-directional mic, and it did a good job of avoiding picking up ambient noise in the room. While the mic-mute button works fine on the in-line controls, there's been a bit of an oversight when it comes to the cord-mounted volume dial. You can lower the volume, but never kill it completely from the in-line control, which means you're going to have to use software controls or dig around behind the processing box to mute the sound , which could become a pain if you're desk is as cluttered as mine.

Though niftily designed, and a definite sonic improvement over low and mid priced headsets, Sony's DR-GA500s just don't do enough to justify their £139 price tag. Your frag sessions may sound crisp, but just don't expect this headset to give you any particular edge over the competition.

3/5

Click here to buy the Sony DR-GA500 gaming headset for £139

Name: MK4 DJ Console (Hercules)
Type: All-in-one digital DJ station
Specs: (Click here for full specs/minimum requirements)
Price: £173.37 from Amazon

Whether you're a vinyl junkie or a tech whizz-kid, there's no denying that it's becoming more and more common to see DJs these days rocking an MP3 compatible digital deck rather than an analogue one. Leading the digital charge is French-based manufacturers Hercules. They have become for digital turntables what Technics are to old-school vinyl set ups, with their 2002 HDJC model setting the standard for all consoles to follow. Two hardware generations on and we now have the MK4, and again it's a beauty.

The MK4 is a highly portable bit of kit. At 7.36″ x 10.4″ x 2.5″ and weighing just 1.55kgs, it's about as compact as a console like this can get before becoming so small and fiddly to make it all but unusable. Shipping with a clear-plastic protective casing and shoulder strap, it's obviously been built with the travelling mix-master in mind, and though made almost entirely from plastic, looks sturdy enough to take an in-transit hammering.

Despite its digital nature, the MK4's hardware controls will feel instantly familiar to traditionalists. There are 36 blue LED backlit buttons in all, perfect for use in dark clubs (or even darker bedrooms), as well as 3 sliders, 8 knobs and the all important pair of jog wheels for scratching and adjusting track position/playback speed. Everything feels just about right to the touch too; Cue and Play/Pause buttons give a satisfying click when pressed and the sliders have just the right amount of resistance. With a unit this small however, some concessions have had to be made; it can all feel a little bit too cramped at times, and I'd have happily sacrificed a little portability for an extra centimetre or so in the jog wheels' diameters.

Plenty of input/output connection options are available on the MK4 too. First, and probably most importantly, is the USB socket for linking up to your desktop PC or laptop and nabbing MP3s with the bundled software (more on that in a little bit). In the centre of the front edge you'll find two 6.5 jack sockets for mics and headphones, complete with dedicated volume and preview mix knobs. On the back you can connect to an external stereo speaker output (channels 1-2: 2 RCA), as well as parallel output (channels 1-2: 3.5 mm mini-jack) for multimedia speakers. Two stereo inputs (channels 1-2/3-4: 2 x 2 RCA) are also available for hooking up CD or MP3 players.

As this is a digital deck after all, housed within the plastic casing is an integrated soundcard. The MK4 uses an integrated Wolfson 8770 digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) for audio output, and a Wolfson 8775 digitizer for input. They both perform admirably, offering quality that seems to meet the reported 06dB SNR, 'A' weighted at 48kHz.

Though we tested the unit with a Windows PC, the MK4 has drivers and software for Macs too. The driver panel itself is nicely presented, and offers important controls to manage latency, the sensitivity of the hardware dials and jog wheels and number of MIDI channels amongst other things. Hercules have left no-stone unturned, and I experienced no issues with my computer recognising the gear, despite running the dreaded Vista OS.

The MK4 DJ Console also ships with a "Lite" edition of the Virtual DJ software, again compatible with both Mac and PC, which is where the real mixing-magic happens. You can use it to sync up your audio files, add all manner of weird effects and set automatic loops from 1, 2, 4 or 8 beats. The software, which can also be controlled with a mouse and keyboard, is very intuitive, and made all the more tactile and fun with the addition of the MK4. I've mucked around with and enjoyed the stand-alone Virtual DJ software in the past, but having a hardware console controller paired up with it really brings it into its own. Confident DJs may want to upgrade to a more fully-featured edition than the one that ships with the MK4, but it's more than enough for amateurs to get their teeth stuck into. You'll also want to make sure you've got a fairly zippy computer running the show, as such intensive audio processing can be a real drain on system resources.

Apart from some inevitable hardware real-estate issues when it comes to the small spacings between the knobs and the buttons, it's quite hard to find fault with the MK4 DJ console. If digital DJ-ing is the inevitable future we've to look forward to down in Clubland, at least we can rest safe in the knowledge that Hercules will be providing great gear that wont hinder the hands on decks.

5/5

Scroll down for more pics of the Hercules MK4 DJ Console

Click here to buy the Hercules MK4 DJ Console for £173.37 from Amazon

Logitech have just released a brand new wireless headset. The H760s will let you go for a wander around your office or home without interrupting any music or VOIP and Skype conversations you may be having.

As it uses a USB dongle as opposed to a Bluetooth connection to connect to your computer, you'll be able to go as far as 40 feet away from your machine before losing the signal. As Logitech enthusiastically put it, you'll be able to "jam to your favourite tunes and shimmy to the next room without missing a beat".

The H760s have a 6 hour battery life and a built in equalizer for fiddling about with your tunes, as well as controls for navigating media apps like iTunes and Windows Media Player. Noise cancelling tech also makes an appearance.

Though we haven't tested the headset yet, if the audio quality is up to scratch they sound like a steal at £89.99. Pick them up here.

If your FPS frag-to-fragged ratio has you chalked up as an easy target on multiplayer battlefields, you'll likely be after any little help you can get to turn the tides of video-gaming warfare in your favour. Sony's DR-GA500 gaming headset for the PC might be just what you're looking for then, offering the "ideal feature set for the most demanding of gamers".

Combining a "triple-enfolding" headset design with an external signal processing unit, the DR-GA500s use a Dolby Pro Logic IIx decoder with Sony's Virtual Phones tech to create a 7.1 surround sound effect. Sony promise that the added spatial detail the headset offers will ensure that you're always one step ahead of the competition, hearing any foes creeping up on you long before they can get a fatal shot off.

And while they're designed primarily for gaming, the 40mm drive units the DR-GA500s employ should provide pretty decent sound quality whilst watching movies or listening to music too, not to mention using the built in mic for Skype conversations or other VOIP services.

We've reached out to Sony for any news on pricing or availability, and will post up any updates here when we hear word back.

Update: The headset will retail for around £150, and due in stores by mid-September.

Asus are launching a new gaming headset. Called the CineVibe, they quite literally pack a punch, rumbling your head in time to the action screen thanks to built in force feedback tech.

"The inclusion of moving bass, force feedback reactive vibration and superior audio quality put the all-new ASUS CineVibe miles ahead of other headphones, providing an entirely upgraded personal audio experience," says the press release. "CineVibe headphones use advanced audio rendering to provide impressive bass as well as precision mid and high range output, making them ideal for exciting gaming and movie watching.

"Better yet, the biggest attraction with CineVibe headphones is the addition of reactive force feedback that vibrates in tandem with the action on screen, creating a gripping experience. Unlike the forgettable sound of most headphones, CineVibe headphones evoke great wonder and amazement, injecting a whole new dimension of audio to personal, undisruptive gaming and movie watching."

Got to question that "undisruptive" part really; I'm all for superior sound quality, but I get the feeling a gamer's competitive edge in multiplayer matches may suffer a bit if their head is bobbing around like one of those nodding dogs when they play.

They do like the part though. Available in black or white, the headband Is made from a comfortable Styrofoam build with the ear cups cushioned with anti-botic leather which is breathable, keeping your ears cool over long play sessions. 30mm sound drivers provide the audio power, with an in-line remote, microphone and USB connection for plug-andplay.

The Asus CineVibe headphones are available now, priced £58.99. It's definitely an intriguing concept, but probably not the best gift idea for migraine sufferers, or so we'd imagine.

Anna from Shiny Shiny recently got to have a play around with Wacom's brand new Bamboo Fun Pen and Touch Tablet.

Combining a USB touch pad with a stylus, it lets you draw and write directly into applications such as Photoshop without the need for a mouse.

Available on Amazon in medium (£170) and small (£90) sizes, hit the video above to find out if it's actually worth your hard earned cash.

Like every good magician, Apple have been pretty cagey their tricks of the trade when it comes to the inner workings of their Magic Trackpad device. But that hasn't stopped the plucky tinkerers at iFixit pulling the gadget apart and filiming it all for your vieiwng pleasure. Hit the video above to have a look.

Sadly, there's very little magic involved it would appear.

"We didn't find any magical unicorns inside, but we did uncover a plethora of components inside the Trackpad's *very* thin profile," said iFixit.

"Even though repairing the components might be infeasible, we're still impressed by everything Apple's engineers managed to stuff into the Trackpad."

Using Broadcom chips similar to those found in the iPad and iPhone, iFixit found the mechanism for the button press most ingenious:

"The Magic Trackpad has a unique way of triggering the mouse button As you press down on the top surface of the pad, the two rubber feet near its front edge push on a plate attached to the chassis. The plate squeezes the electronic mouse button switch, producing the characteristic 'click'."

Via: iFixit

Nvidia are today launching the GeForce GTX 460 GPU. Costing just $199 (£135) for the 768MB version or $229 (£150) for the 1GB card, it boasts mid-range specs at low-end pricing, which should make it a very enticing offer for PC builders looking to do some serious gaming on a low budget.

According to the Nvidia release, the card has been "built from the ground up for DirectX 11 tessellation" and features "up to 4x tessellation performance(i) over competing GPUs,"

"The GTX 460 brings the ultimate next-generation DX11 gaming experience to a new price segment, enabling more gamers than ever to experience incredibly detailed characters, terrain and game environments with blazing fast performance and awesome visuals" the release continues.

"With full support for Nvidia 3D Vision technology, the GeForce GTX 460 provides the graphics horsepower and video bandwidth needed to experience games and high definition Blu-ray movies in eye-popping stereoscopic 3D."

If you're looking to make the jump to Direct X 11 with your next GPU upgrade, you could do a lot worse than this bit of kit, and pay a lot more for it too. Hit the video above for the full low-down from Nvidia's GeForce marketing manager Justin Walker.

The first wave of 3D TVs may now be hitting UK shores and grabbing all the limelight, but there's every bit as exciting a revolution beginning to flourish on PCs. NVIDIA are so sure of the potential of their 3D Vision kit, which can make compatible PCs and monitors 3D-ready, that they now believe a "new category" exists for so-called "3D PCs".

It's partly due to the relative ease with which a PC can be made 3D-ready. A 120Hz monitor paired with 3D active-shutter glasses and a 3D-ready graphics processor as found with the NVIDIA 3D Vision kit can have you up and running for a fraction of the cost of a 3D TV.

"We're just in the early phase of 3D adoption, but the market is likely to grow dramatically over the next five years. Although in 2010, only about 1 million 3D PCs will ship, by 2014 that number will rise to more than 30 million. TVs will experience a similar curve, rising from a 2-3 million in 2010 to more than 50 million in 2014," said Roger L Kay, founder and president of Endpoint Technologies Associates.

"During that time, the price premium for a 3D PC will drop from $300 to nearly nothing, and while 30 million sounds like a lot of 3D PCs, that figure must be understood in the context of the overall PC market, which will ship around 350 million units in 2010 and rise to almost double that by 2014."

Compared to 3D TVs there is also masses of 3D content available to PC users. From live sports streams including Tiger Wood's recent return to PGA golf, to 5000+ 3D videos available on YouTube or hundreds of classic PC games that are fully compatible with 3D tech, there is plenty for early adopters of 3D on PC to already sink their teeth into.

NVIDIA are not alone in this 3D PC push - Alienware, Dell, ASUS, Toshiba, Microsoft and Acer all share the same level of confidence.

Whether it warrants classification as a whole new form of computing remains to be seen, but the signs are good, and the technology is convincing and engaging. One thing is for certain though, 3D technology looks set to grow and grow, in whatever shape or form it presents itself.

Lag making your frag-count sag? Getting over-run by Left 4 Dead 2's zombie-horde time and again due to stuttering connection issues. Then take a look at Bigfoot Networks' latest gaming network card, the Killer 2100.

Tailored specifically to the needs of online gamers, the Killer 2100 comes from a long line of top-of-the-range network cards from Bigfoot Networks, including the Xeno Killer Pro and Xeno Killer Ultra.

The Killer 2100 however is their most advanced card yet, claiming to be the worlds fastest for online gaming. It uses Game Networking DNA technology which includes a processor dedicated to networking, Advanced Game Detect options, Windows stack bypass, and a bandwidth visualiser to help you pinpoint what programs may be hogging your internet connection.

The Killer 2100 can operate on 10/100/1000 Ethernet networks and uses the PCIe x1 slot. The network processor is 400MHz and the card has 128MB of RAM built-in.

Compatible with Windows 7, Vista, and XP SP2, stuttering and game freezes should be a thing of the past with this bit of kit.

The Eye-Fi X2 range of wireless memory cards, first seen at this year's CES, will now be available to purchase in the UK from April. Each memory card can remotely upload your files over a wireless connection and remove uploaded files once safely stored, meaning that you should never run out of space for a few more snaps.

Three different models make up the X2 range. The Eye-Fi Connect X2 is the cheapest of the bunch at £50. For that, you're getting a 4GB SDHC with a 802.11n Wi-Fi connection built-in to automatically upload snaps and videos to Flickr, Facebook, Youtube, Picasa or one of 25 other options.

Next up is the Eye-Fi Explore X2 card, which has all the same Wi-Fi and upload features as the Connect. It also adds GPS geotagging to keep a track of where each photo was taken and doubles the storage space to 8GB for £100.

The Eye-Fi Pro X2 completes the range. It has all the same Wi-Fi, uploading and GPS tricks seen in the Connect and Explore models, but can also handle RAW files and create ad-hoc PC connections if you're too far from a wireless router. The Pro X2 card costs £120.

Nanopoint have today unveiled their new mini qwerty keyboard, the KSK-3200RF. Billed as the "perfect conference" companion, the wireless keyboard also features a built in trackball for navigating PCs and browsers without a mouse.

Measuring just 29cm x 20cm and weighing just 245g, it's small and light enough to carry in one hand. The inbuilt wireless gear can work from ranges up to ten metres, while the keyboard's batteries can be recharged via USB with the included cable.

It may be a little on the titchy side for any lenghty word processing, but the KSK-3200RF is perfect for a spot of big screen web browsing on your TV with either a PS3 or a netbook hooked up.

The new KeySonic range is available now from Amazon, ebuyer, Scan, CCL and ARIA PC. The KSK-3200RF costs £34.99, and you can grab some more details by heading over to the keyboard's web page at www.nanopoint.co.uk.

I love Skype, but my friends often complain that the quality of my mic makes some conversations sound like they are being made privy to an exorcism. Blue Microphones Eyeball 2.0 webcam and mic combo looks to sort out any demonic audio woes by offering HD quality sound and video capture.

The mic uses blue Microphones' cardoid capture technology, Blue's trademark professional level condenser capsule, to deliver more audio clarity than any webcam-mic on the market.

The portable webcam also offers HD quality video too, as well as a two megapixel still camera function. USB and driverless, the plug-and-play device is compatible with both Macs and PCs.

Available from Apple retail stores and select specialist shops, the Eyeball 2.0 costs £74.95.

Visit Blue Microphones' homepage at www.bluemic.com for more info.

IRIS are set to launch the Mobile NoteTaker. Clipping a receiver to the top of a blank sheet of paper, the battery powered pen converts your hand movements into a text file that can be edited on both PCs and MACs.

If you've spent years perfecting your cursive scrawl, you'll be happy to hear the software also archives handwritten versions of your notes too.

The USB receiver can store up to 100 pages of handwritten text, and can recognise 26 different languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Arabic and Russian. With the receiver plugged into your PC, the IRIS Mobile NoteTaker can then also be used as a mouse alternative.

Click here for more info.

These days you can hook a keyboard and mouse up to anything from a games console to even a few hacked smartphones. Still, it's a chore fumbling around behind your desktop PC for a tangle of mouse and keyboard wires, so wireless gear is essential for a mobile set-up.

But boy, do they drain batteries. Logitech seem to have answered that bugbear with their MK710 Desktop keyboard and mouse bundle. They claim their gear can run for THREE YEARS without changing the batteries.

Connecting to a Unifying Receiver dongle, the mouse and keyboard aren't without their fair share of features either. There's a status-displaying LCD on the keyboard, which also sports comfortable Incurve keys and a squishy palm rest. The mouse itself has a frictionless scroll wheel, numerous side buttons and side-to-side navigation.

The Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710 is available now, priced $99.99.

Via: Logitech Blog

You can shove your PS3s and Xbox 360s; put yourself in front of a classic Galaxian arcade cabinet and watch as it devourers all the silver in your pockets with old-school gaming joy. Emulators like MAME may keep your piggybank full, but modern controllers don't feel right in the 8 -bit world.

Thankfully, Retro Thing have been quietly working away on their Clear Classic USB Joystick, modelled after controllers familiar to any gamers from the 70's and 80's.

Retro Thing worked closely with Legacy Engineering ( the team behind the Atari Flashback 2 retro console) to get the iconic feel just right, but added their own blue LED light into the mix to give it a Tron-like glow.

The controller, compatible with both PCs and Macs, comes complete with an Atari 2600 emulator and 80 homebrew games to get you started.

The limited edition joystick costs $29.95, and Retro Thing stockists Reflex Audio happily ship to the UK.

Buy one here.

Blue Microphones have today announced the release of their Snowball USB mic. Ideal for podcasts, Skype conversations or home recording, the microphone costs £89.95, available from Solutions-Inc.

Thanks to a dual capsule design and three-pattern switch (cardioid, cardioid with -10db pad and omnidirectional), the Snowball should be able to pick up the most raucous heavy metal band or the smoothest songstress with equal clarity.

It's not a bad looking bit of kit either, reminiscent of the radio mics of the 1950's, albeit with an anachronistic USB plug on the end.

For more info, check out www.bluemic.com