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  • The End of an Era: Our Spoiler-Free Avengers Endgame Review

    The End of an Era: Our Spoiler-Free Avengers Endgame Review

    When Robert Downey Jr. first took on the role of Iron Man back in the halcyon days of 2008, there were questions. Could this former addict really be the figurehead for a media franchise? Could Iron Man, a D-List hero at best, carry the weight of his own movie? And, importantly, could Marvel craft a compelling cinematic universe without access to the X-Men or Spider-Man, their A-List characters?

    The short answers to these questions are clear when you look at just how massive Avengers Endgame is. Scale, alone, should indicate that these movies have become a big deal. Just look at the hype surrounding this movie to see how much audiences have connected with Marvel’s ragtag bunch of superheroes.

    Super Characters

    At the end of the day, the Marvel films have always been about characters. The action setpieces are wonderful, but they aren’t what gets you in the door. Captain America’s super strength is awesome, but its his big heart and clear leadership that make him such an endearing character. Thor is mighty, but its his humor that makes him super. Iron Man is a genius, but his quick wit and big heart make him a star.

    Endgame has these character-driven moments that make the MCU tick in droves. Screenwriters Markus and McFeely know what makes these characters endearing, and the Russos direct the actors to some of the best performances of their careers.

    Poetry in Motion

    One of the most surprising things about Endgame is just how final it all feels. Of course, there will be more Marvel films. However, this film wraps up some of the major characters of the MCU in a way that is poetic and fitting. For fans that have been following these films for more than a decade, it’s quite moving to see things come to such a clean conclusion.

    In fact, the film is stuffed to the gills with subtle callbacks and in-jokes for long-time fans. The three-hour runtime moves by at a fast clip, easily earning its stay. Only a few scenes feel like they could have been trimmed off of the theatrical cut, and even then, it’s easy to see why the directors chose to keep them in.

    Bottom Line

    If you’ve got even a passing interest in the Avengers or the fate of the MCU post-Thanos Snap, you owe it to yourself to see this movie. It’s a truly baffling achievement, bigger than anything that’s come before it, and sure to blow everyone away. In short, this is a marvel of a film, and a touching capstone to a huge franchise.

  • Too Old For Tinder? Try These Adult Dating Apps

    Too Old For Tinder? Try These Adult Dating Apps

    If you’re an older person trying to find a decent dating app, you might have noticed that there aren’t too many great options. It seems like the apps are mostly geared towards young adults trying to just hook up. Where are the apps for adults who are actually trying to date? Well, we have good news. We’ve got a roundup of the best dating apps for older folks! 

    Stitch 

    Photo Credit: iTunes 

    Do you like to meet people based on what you have in common? Are you a fan of dates that involve activities like going to a coffee shop or going to a concert? You might like to try Stitch. The best part is, Stitch is a great place to find anything from a new friend to a new relationship!

    Stitch is an app that focuses on connecting users over 50 based on their shared interests. Travel is a big one, and the app even helps find discounted rates on rooms! You can connect with people over any interest, though, including music, movies, and taste in food. There is a free version of the app, but you can also opt for a premium paid membership. The paid version costs $80 per month, but gives you access to calling other members, direct messaging and community features. If you’re looking to connect with someone over mutual interests and shared activities, try Stitch! 

    OurTime.com 

    Photo Credit: Ask Men 

    Our Time is a great site for those over 50 looking for a relationship. The site actually boasts a higher ratio of women than men, which is a welcome change from most dating sites. The site also has an iPhone and Android app that offer Tinder-like swiping!  

    You can get a paid subscription, but the free version allows for viewing profiles and matches. You also can see who views your profile for free! The paid subscription allows for seeing when your messages are read and highlighting your profile in searches. You can even see who’s interested in you! Our Time is worth checking out if you’re looking for a relationship. 

    Plenty of Fish 

    Photo Credit: YouTube 

    Popular dating app Plenty of Fish gets a nod for just how many people use it. The name of the site is actually quite accurate! If you don’t mind filtering through a large number of people to try to find good matches, Plenty of Fish can be great. The best part is, the wide user base means you’re bound to find someone you connect with!  

    The site does a good job matching you with people you’re looking for thanks to its algorithms. If you tell it you want to meet people your own age, it can filter for that! That way you’re sure to meet people who are at the same place in life as you, leading to more genuine connections. 

    Senior People Meet 

    Photo Credit: iTunes 

    This popular app has a very large user base and intuitive interface. If you’ve used Tinder, you know what to expect! You swipe left or right on profiles based on whether or not you’re attracted to the person based on their profile. The focus, however, is on senior people, as the name suggests. With this app, you can be certain that your matches will be people your own age, not kids! This makes it an excellent alternative dating app to Tinder for older users.  

    That said, it does hide a number of features behind a paywall. Seeing who is interested in you, who has read your messages, and being able to send and receive email is all behind a monthly subscription. That said, messaging and viewing profiles is free, as is seeing who likes your profile. If you’re in for a Tinder-like experience with mature adults, check out this app! 

    Our Favorite Dating App: OK Cupid 

    Photo Credit: PC Mag 

    You’ve likely heard of OK Cupid. It has millions of users and an in-depth question and answer section. The questions help to filter your matches to people who have compatible personalities and values, which is great! The site also has some great features for paid subscribers, like seeing who likes your profile, disabling ads and using advanced search functions.  

    OK Cupid is great because it focuses on who you are, not just how you look. Other dating apps can be quite superficial, but OK Cupid is not that way at all! It’s an excellent choice for older people looking for a more thoughtful dating app. The iPhone and Android apps both have great ratings for their usefulness and design. OK Cupid comes highly recommended! 

  • Interested in a New Soundbar? Find Out Which One is the Best!

    Interested in a New Soundbar? Find Out Which One is the Best!

    As TV panels get more impressive and their cases get ever thinner, their speakers become less and less impressive. Most new 4K TV panels have pretty laughable sound quality. To remedy this, many turn to soundbars in order to help their shows and movies sound more impressive! If you’re looking to upgrade your living room sound experiences, look no further! We’ll tell you which soundbar is our favorite! 

    Philips Fidelio B5 

    If you really like the idea of having a surround sound system but really hate the idea of installing a surround sound system, this is the soundbar for you. The Fidelio B5 has detachable satellite speakers that can be pulled free of the main bar to quickly set up a surround sound experience. This combination of convenience and sound quality is the entire point of soundbars, so the Fidelio certainly gets its niche right. 

    This one will set you back about $700, though, so it’s definitely a consideration for audiophiles and movie buffs more than casual viewers. If you’re looking for great surround sound and convenient set up, though, you can’t go wrong with the Fidelio B5. 

    Sony HT-ST5000 Soundbar 

    Sony’s entry on this list is definitely priced and marketed as a premium product. One solid indicator of that is its support for Dolby Atmos, giving this soundbar way bigger sound that it looks like it could put out. This soundbar puts out some incredible spatial sound, consistently impressing in everything from movie audio to Spotify playlists over Chromecast.  

    The only thing holding this entry back from being our pick for favorite is its steep price. This one retails for around $1500 dollars, setting it firmly in the “premium item” price range. However, if that price isn’t an issue for you, this is absolutely the best soundbar on the market, no questions asked. 

    Our Favorite Soundbar: Samsung HW-MS650 Soundbar 

    While the Sony HT-ST5000 is the most impressive soundbar out there, it’s also impressively expensive. If you’re looking for audio that is nearly as good (and I mean nearly) for a third of the price, this one is for you. Samsung’s entry on this list is jaw-dropping. The balance and bass are also absolutely stunning considering how small the bar is.  

    This one is a steal: $500 gets you one of the very best soundbars out there. It also supports a ton of inputs and is super easy to set up. If you’re looking for a great soundbar and don’t want to break the bank with Sony, this Samsung is the right one for you. 

  • Which is the Best Gaming Headset? Let’s Find Out!

    Which is the Best Gaming Headset? Let’s Find Out!

    Whether you’re looking to tackle a huge, single-player adventure or help your teammates secure victory in a team-based game, you’re going to want a good sound experience. Some people want headsets for their promise of great, surround-quality sound. Others want them so they can communicate with teammates. In either event, we’ve got a gaming headset list right here to help you pick which one is right for you. 

    Razor ManO‘War 7.1 

    This gaming headset doesn’t disappoint. Retailing for $120, this oversized monster delivers huge sound. The massive size of the earcups is really the only drawback, unless you dislike wired headsets. The ManO’War  sports a sleek microphone that is easy to slide back into the headset and has great sound quality. This is an overall fantastic headset, if a little lacking in portability. 

    Astro Gaming A50 

    The Astro A50 is pretty expensive, retailing for $300. That price tag comes with a bevy of great features, though! Representing a tremendous step up over the A40, the A50 is the new (now wireless!) flagship gaming headset for Astro. The A50 has fantastic surround sound and sports a handful of equalizer modes to help maximize your sound experience. 

    The A50 also boasts a unidirectional mic, ideal for picking out your voice from background noise. This helps alleviate a problem many have to turn to push-to-talk self-muting to fix. The headset also has great battery life, and a battery-saving auto-off function! 

    HyperX Cloud Revolver X 

    The Revolver X is a great choice based on versatility alone. With great sound performance out of the box and fantastic equalizer levels, the Revolver X is a great pick for users who plan to jump between consoles, PC and whatever else. This headset supports USB, 3.5mm and dual 3.5mm, making it incredibly easy to plug into any device.  

    The Revolver X is also a beast of a headset, boasting 7.1 surround sound and great mic quality. All of this is a great deal, too, as you can usually snag this headset for $100.  

    Our Favorite Gaming Headset: SteelSeries Arctis Pro 

    SteelSeries continues to impress time and again with the Arctis Pro. This headset boasts a killer design, mimicking headphone like Sony or Bose might make, making them a great choice aesthetically. They also sport both wireless USB and 3.5mm wired connection, allowing them to be used on both PC and console.  

    Whether you meant to use the Arctis Pro for console or PC, though, it sports fantastic sound quality. On PC, you can use SteelSeries proprietary sound control panels to fine-tune your listening experience. Even better, the Arctis Pro is plug-and-play, ready to be used on just about any device right out of the box. This one is easily our favorite gaming headset! 

  • Restaurant Review App Roundup: Let’s Eat!

    Restaurant Review App Roundup: Let’s Eat!

    Are you looking for a great new place to grab a bite? Look no further than a good restaurant review app! Which review app is the best to use though? We’re getting meta, today, and reviewing the reviewers! 

    Zagat 

    The well-respected Zagat name is also attached to a fine restaurant review app. This app is pretty no-nonsense, getting right into the reviews in a way that is almost too abrupt. However, if you just want the highlights and don’t have time to go in much deeper, this app is great. Zagat has separate scores for décor, service and food, allowing you to see the different aspects of reviewed restaurants. 

    Uniquely, Zagat sports a selection of professionally-reviewed and expertly recommended restaurants. If you want to spend less time browsing and more time fine dining, look no further than Zagat. 

    Urbanspoon 

    Urbanspoon is a slick, stylish and polished app. Made with urban explorers in mind, it lets you browse restaurants by a number of criteria. You can compare restaurants by popularity, cuisine, overall rating and more! If you’re in a new city and looking for something to eat, this is a good app for you. 

    Urbanspoon even has some practical functionality. You can make reservations from the app, saving time when you’re getting ready to go get dinner! 

    Foursquare 

    Featuring some really cool social functions, Foursquare is a popular app for circles of friends. Foursquare allows you to share your favorite places with your friends, and you can see your friends’ recommendations too! Your friends can suggest menu items at their favorite restaurants and you can tell the app which friends’ tastes you trust.  

    Foursquare also lets you tailor your own results by telling it what kinds of things you like. This helps you exert tighter control over search results and make sure you can find great new places that you like. Foursquare is a great pick if you like to see what your friends are eating! 

    Our Favorite Restaurant Review App: Yelp 

    While Yelp has grown to encompass much more than just restaurant reviews, it’s still the best app for searching for new places to eat. With tons and tons of reviews submitted by users and professionals alike, it’s hard to go wrong with Yelp. Easy to use and full of tons of great search functionality, we can’t recommend this one enough. 

    Notable features for Yelp include the option to search for local deals, find great little hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and tons of pictures of every restaurant reviewed. You always know what you’re getting into with a new place when you check it out on Yelp first! 

  • The Best Gaming Mouse for Your Buck

    The Best Gaming Mouse for Your Buck

    When it comes to PC gaming, picking the right mouse is important! It’s the way you aim, point, select, and shoot! Finding a mouse with all the right features and at the right price point can be difficult, and with that in mind we’ve compiled a round-up of our four favorite gaming mice. Let’s get right to it!

    Corsair Dark Core RGB SE

    If you’re looking for a wireless gaming mouse with tons of versatility and customizability, look no further! Corsair’s name is synonymous with quality in PC enthusiast circles, and for good reason! Their Dark Core RGB is no exception. With only one millisecond of latency and sporting a fantastic 16,000 max DPI, the Dark Core is the rare wireless mouse made with gaming in mind. The Dark Core is on the high end, price-wise, retailing for $80, but it comes with fully programmable, customizable buttons and bright, elegant RGB LEDs. Even cooler, the Dark Core makes use of wireless Qi charging, so if you pick up the Corsair MM1000 Qi Mousepad you can wirelessly charge your mouse after every gaming session.

    Logitech G903

    For those Logitech faithful, the G903 is a solid wireless mouse. A slight iteration on the older G900 model wireless gaming mouse, the G903 boasts a respectable 12,000 DPI and low latency. The mouse can also be wirelessly charged from Logitech’s own PowerPlay mousepad. The finish and feel of the G903 are both high-quality, as is expected of Logitech. It is worth noting that the G903 is somewhat overshadowed by the Corsair Dark Core, as all of the G903’s key features (wireless mouse with wireless charging, high DPI, low latency, etc.) are all replicated with aplomb by the Dark Core, all for a lower MSRP. The G903 is surprisingly expensive, at around $115 on Amazon, while the Dark Core is only $80.

    SteelSeries Sensei 310

    Affordable and reliable, the Sensei is one of two SteelSeries products on this list. The Sensei sports a TrueMove 3 optical sensor, offering nearly unmatched tracking and responsiveness. With a sleek metallic finish and superior make, and going for around $55 on Amazon, the Sensei is a stellar choice for gaming enthusiasts looking to not spend an arm and leg on a gaming mouse but still desiring a precise and accurate mouse.

    Our Favorite Gaming Mouse: SteelSeries Rival 600

    In our opinion, this is the absolute best gaming mouse in the world right now. Sporting a rock-solid 12,000 DPI and a revolutionary depth-sensor, the Rival has loads of bells and whistles for its price. It features customizable weight and full-spectrum RGB LED support, and also bears satisfyingly-clicky mechanical switches on the side. The Rival can be snagged from Amazon for right around $80. This putsit in the same price range as the also-excellent Dark Core. With its superb build quality, customizable buttons, RGB support and precise optical performance, there is really no better wired gaming mouse for the price. If you’re remotely serious about gaming and have $80 to spend on a peripheral, this is an auto-purchase.

    What Next?

    Now that you’ve got your pick for gaming mouse, it’s time to check out gaming keyboards! Check out our roundup of the best gaming keyboards to pair with your new mouse!

  • Our Favorite Smart Watches

    Our Favorite Smart Watches

    Whether you like the style or the function, smart watches are a must-have piece of tech for those with a busy lifestyle. Functioning as watch, notification alert, fitness tracker and more, smart watches make a natural addition to the lifestyle of a busy professional, a fast-paced mom, and everyone in between! Read on to find out which smart watches we love.

    Samsung Gear S3

    A very stylish and stealth-style smart watch, the Gear S3 runs on Samsung’s Tizen OS, unline most Adroid Wear-powered watches on the market. With a circular front-face and a premium make, the Gear S3 resembles a more traditional luxury timepiece, but also sports a robust suite of fitness tracking software and excellent internal infrastructure.

    As expected of a premium smart watch, the S3 alerts you of calls and texts, and has 4GB of internal storage for things such as Spotify playlists and apps. Tizen is still a new OS, however, and is somewhat lacking in apps and support. These minor gripes aside, the Gear S3 is a very high-quality smart watch and well worth the price.

    Asus ZenWatch 3

    Comfortable and extremely well-made, the ZenWatch 3 is a beautiful and sleek device. With an ultra-bright AMOLED display and a comfortable, minimalist design, the ZenWatch 3 is an elegant piece of technology. While it doesn’t sport robust fitness tracking, and has a somewhat cheap-feeling charging port, the ZenWatch 3 excels at providing a top-notch user experience.

    With a scratch-resistant screen and jewelry-quality steel construction, the ZenWatch 3 is as much a luxury watch as it is a piece of technology. Asus is known for their high build quality and durable technology, and the ZenWatch 3 continues this trend.

    Apple Watch Series 3

    Apple is well-known for their luxury products and high-quality user interface, and the Series 3 Apple Watch doesn’t disappoint. Apple diehards will be pleased with the OS, as it is as stylish and user-friendly as users would expect, and the interface is fast and responsive. The OLED display is bright and gorgeous, and the watch does a great job making itself discreet when not in use.

    Battery life is middling, lasting around 18 hours, but the watch is running a dizzying array of sensors and trackers, so this makes sense. Loaded with fitness tracking features and with no lack of app support, the Apple Watch remains a fantastic pick for smart watch.

    Garmin Fenix 3

    Our favorite overall smart watch, the Garmin Fenix 3 might seem like an odd pick. Garmin, known for their GPS products primarily, has a real winner on their hands with the Fenix 3. Boasting incredible battery life and exemplary durability, the Fenix 3 is great for athletes and outdoors-y people. Made from premium materials and clearly designed to operate in its own space apart from Samsung and Apple, what the Fenix lacks in style it makes up in droves with functionality.

    While the watch doesn’t support on-watch maps for GPS, it does provide superb GPS tracking when paired with a phone and keeps great track of where you’ve been and your fitness. For users who have no desire to carry a recognizable brand name, or aren’t looking for a piece of fashion, but instead a piece of tech, the Fenix 3 is an excellent choice.

  • The Best Gaming Keyboards

    The Best Gaming Keyboards

    For most, a keyboard is simply a keyboard. For a gamer, a gaming keyboard is a cross between a controller and a statement of purpose. A good gaming keyboard is an extension of oneself, the physical bridge to the digital world. Choosing the keyboard that works for you and the genres you play can be difficult. Making a wrong choice is expensive and frustrating. With that in mind, here is our round up of our four favorite gaming keyboards.

    SteelSeries Apex M750

    A somewhat minimal choice, the SteelSeries Apex features highly customizable keys and key colors, and is marketed primarily at professional gamers and aspiring professionals. The keyboard has a very standard layout, with no media keys or specialized buttons, and boasts an impressive array of backlighting options, including notifications for chat and an audio visualizer.

    The SteelSeries doesn’t have a USB pass-through and doesn’t have a terribly thick connecting cable, making it a very stripped-down keyboard. The SteelSeries doesn’t have adjustable feet, but this is a small gripe. For those seeking a simple, customizable keyboard with no frills and great linear, click-free key action, seek no more: the SteelSeries is for you.

    Logitech G610 Orion Brown

    For fans of the Cherry-MX brand of switches who don’t want to spend a fortune on a keyboard, the Logitech Orion Brown, retailing for $120, offers a great gaming keyboard on a budget. The G610 sports customization support through Logitech’s gaming software suite, making it a great choice for those who wish to customize the LEDs or disable certain keys during gameplay.

    Unlike the linear and click-less key switches found in the SteelSeries Apex, the Orion Brown features the titular Cherry-MX Browns, which are soundless but have a slight click at the end of their action. This allows a great tactile feedback for a user who wishes to use the keyboard for both gaming and typical typing.

    Razer Ornata Chroma

    Razer’s Ornata Chroma is our favorite keyboard under $100, sporting a unique switch feel and gorgeous RGB chroma LEDs. The Ornata Chroma sports “Mecha-Membrane” key switches. They are hybrid of the traditional gaming mechanical switches and the more general silicone dome switch style. This “Mecha-Membrane” has the click of MX Blue or Brown switches but a bit of the smoothness (or stickiness, depending on your perspective) of membrane-style keyboards.

    While the hybrid-style switches require a bit of acclimation, they provide an excellent experience for both typing and gaming, making the Ornata Chroma a fantastic choice for those who need to use the same keyboard for both gaming and normal typing tasks like work or writing.

    Corsair K95 RGB Platinum

    Our favorite gaming keyboard and Corsair’s current flagship gaming keyboard. Corsair is known for their exemplary computer components and peripherals, and the K95 Platinum upholds that sterling pedigree. Speaking of Sterling, the K95 uses the new Cherry MX Silver switches. These are a new take on the straight, linear action of the Cherry MX Reds. They sport a shorter travel time and smoother performance.

    These Silver switches are ideal for fast-paced games like Overwatch or similar first person shooting experiences. The Silvers feel like a slightly higher quality version of the Razer Ornata Chroma’s “Mecha-Membrane” style switches. They are much cleaner and with less “stickiness” in their action.

    The K95 is a somewhat larger keyboard, with wide key caps and tall keys. This makes it easy to tell which key your finger you’re on without having to look down to the keyboard. As expected of a premium RGB keyboard, the K95 offers a full suite of RGB customization and backlighting options. Using the Corsair Utility Engine, you can customize everything from RGB to macros. This makes it a fantastic choice for hardcore gamers. If you’re looking for the very best and not afraid to spend some money, look no further.

    What’s Next?

    You’ve checked out some of the best gaming keyboards around! Now it’s time to check out every keyboard’s closest friend: mice! Our roundup of our favorite gaming mice  can be found here!

  • Best Wireless Headphones on a Budget

    Best Wireless Headphones on a Budget

    Whether you’re at the gym, work, traveling, or just relaxing at home, wireless headphones make life easier. These Bluetooth-enabled devices pair with your phone or computer, allowing you to listen to your favorite tunes—or watch a late-night horror movie without disturbing the rest of your household—free from the tangled tether of traditional wired headphones.

    While top brands such as Bose and Beats offer incredible sound quality in their wireless headphones, they also come with a hefty price tag. For the budget conscious consumer, here are 5 of our favorite wireless headphones under $50.

    Skullcandy Uproar

    These headphones combine the classic over-the-ears styling with Bluetooth connectivity and a built-in microphone so you can answer calls. They also come packaged with a remote to control volume and playback. The online reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with 93% of Best Buy customers stating that they would recommend the headphones to a friend.

    JBL T450BT

    Larger than the Skullcandy Uproar, these headphones have a more old-school look. However, they’re foldable for portability. They boast an 11-hour battery life and feature controls on the earcup for volume, playback, and phone calls. For listeners who are all about that bass, JBL delivers! They promise big, booming sound from these lightweight headphones.

    Samsung Level U

    These in-ear headphones are comfortable, lightweight, and last 11 hours on a single charge. The intuitive design has easy-access control buttons and a neck strap that manages not to look too ridiculous when you’re working out at the gym. One word of caution, however; the Level U is not sweatproof, so dedicated exercisers and serious athletes may want to choose a different option.

    Sound Blaster JAM

    These on-ear headphones are easy to use, thanks to the one-click feature that lets you switch between a phone call and your music with a single tap. You can also pump up your jams with the built-in bass-boosting option. The 12-hour battery life and ultralightweight design make these headphones ideal for travel or a long day at the office.

    Anker SoundBuds Slim

    The least expensive headphones on the list are also the best value. With a comfortable in-ear design, carrying pouch, and nifty magnetic earbuds that allow you to wear them like a necklace while not in use, these headphones are fantastic for tossing in your gym bag or purse. They are sweat resistant, but be aware that you’ll only get about 7 hours of use from a single charge.

  • Intel’s Hades Canyon NUC Packs a Powerful Punch

    Intel’s Hades Canyon NUC Packs a Powerful Punch

    Intel promised to deliver the “next unit of computing” with their NUC small form-factor desktop personal computers. Eight generations out, the Hades Canyon NUC is a big step forward in mini-desktop computing.

    Meet the Next Generation

    Although it’s small, the Hades Canyon NUC is mighty. With the iconic skull logo displayed on the top of the box, the machine is a sleek, matte black powerhouse. Similar in price to other mini-desktops, the $999 price tag may be a turnoff to more casual consumers. Tech-heads and tinkerers, however, will love the flexibility, portability, and power of this little machine.

    Under the Hood

    Like other small form-factor, the Hades Canyon NUC is a bare-bones machine, so consumers will need to provide their own RAM, storage, and OS. Because of the easy-access design of the box, it’s relatively simple to access the internal ports. With the Core i7 processor and AMD’s RX Vega M GPU, it has more than enough graphics power to run the latest games or a VR headset with no evident lag. The closed-loop liquid cooling system keeps things running smoothly and reduces fan noise—an improvement over previous generations.

    Ports and Portability

    Considering its size, the Hades Canyon NUC offers a huge number of ports, including an SD card slot, six USB 3.0 ports, two HDMI ports, and two headphone jacks. The machine is VR-friendly, with the Oculus Rift’s headset and sensors easily connecting with plenty of room to spare.

    Although Intel claims this is the smallest VR-capable machine on the market, the box is double the size of the previous generation. The size of the power supply is also an issue; nearly the same size and weight as the box itself, the bulky power supply limits the portability of the device.

    Ideal for use as a gaming computer or home entertainment system, Intel’s latest machine proves that good things come in small packages.