Tag: 2023 Gaming Haul

Tetris Effect: Connected on PSVR2 Is the Best Reason to Own the Headset

Games · Purchased February 23, 2023 · $13.49 via PSN

Tetris Effect: Connected
Photo: Enhance Games / Steam

The Setup

Second purchase after the headset itself, and it wasn’t close. Tetris Effect: Connected wraps classic Tetris mechanics in synesthetic audiovisual presentation — music, lighting, and particle effects all sync to your play — and the PSVR2 version adds native VR, layered haptics, and eye tracking on top.

The Review

This is the game I hand the headset to skeptical friends for. It’s meditative, stunning, and the "Zone" mechanic (freezing time to clear lines) adds real strategic depth to something as simple as Tetris. There’s a huge amount of content here across 30+ stages plus robust cross-play multiplayer.

What I Liked

  • Stunning, meditative audiovisual design
  • The Zone mechanic adds real strategic depth
  • Huge amount of content and modes
  • PSVR2’s haptics and eye tracking genuinely add something

What I Didn’t

  • Pricey re-buy if you already own the PS4 version
  • Pacing can feel slow until you learn the Zone/Journey modes

The Verdict

Rating: 5/5

Where to Buy

Sony’s PSVR2: A Genuinely Great Headset Tethered to a Genuinely Annoying Cable

Hardware · Purchased February 22, 2023 · $918.27 via EbGames

Sony PlayStation VR2
Photo: GameStop

The Setup

Launch day. I lined up a PSVR2 the moment EbGames opened on February 22nd, and immediately followed it with a small pile of launch titles (more on those in separate posts). The headset has dual OLED panels, eye tracking, inside-out tracking with no external cameras needed, and the Sense controllers with adaptive triggers and haptics.

The Review

The display is sharp enough that I stopped noticing the screen-door effect within an hour, and the eye tracking genuinely changes how some games render and play. The Sense controllers with their adaptive triggers are the best VR controllers I’ve used. The single tether cable, though, is a constant low-grade annoyance — there’s no wireless option, and I’ve caught it on my chair more than once mid-session.

What I Liked

  • Sharp OLED panels with strong HDR
  • No external tracking cameras to set up
  • Eye tracking enables genuinely novel gameplay
  • Sense controllers feel excellent

What I Didn’t

  • Wired only — no wireless option
  • Can feel front-heavy on long sessions
  • Smaller launch library than I’d like

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Where to Buy

An Xbox Rechargeable Battery Pack, Finally Ditching AAs

Hardware · Purchased January 20, 2023 · $32.47 via Amazon

PowerA Rechargeable Battery Pack for Xbox
Photo: PowerA

The Setup

An officially licensed rechargeable battery solution that replaces AA batteries in an Xbox Series X controller via a swappable battery door, charged over USB-C. I’d been burning through AAs for long enough that this felt overdue.

The Review

Simple drop-in swap for the AA door and decent battery life for casual play, at a more affordable price than some third-party charging-dock bundles. Capacity is noticeably lower than higher-end rechargeable packs, and you do have to pop the controller open to swap the door and battery — a charging cable/dock is sold separately from the bare pack, which feels like a minor cash grab.

What I Liked

  • Officially licensed, simple drop-in swap
  • Decent battery life for casual play
  • Affordable, convenient USB-C charging

What I Didn’t

  • Lower capacity than higher-end third-party packs
  • Requires opening the controller to swap the door/battery
  • Charging dock/cable often sold separately

The Verdict

Rating: 3/5

Where to Buy

TP-Link’s AX3000 Range Extender, Fixing My Wi-Fi Dead Zone for Under $120

Hardware · Purchased January 15, 2023 · $119.86 via Amazon

TP-Link AX3000 WiFi 6 Range Extender (RE700X)
Photo: TP-Link

The Setup

A plug-in dual-band Wi-Fi 6 range extender (the RE700X) with a Gigabit Ethernet port, OFDMA, beamforming, and OneMesh compatibility for extending my existing TP-Link router’s network into the one corner of the house that always struggled for signal.

The Review

It solved the dead zone immediately, and setup through the TP-Link Tether app was painless. OneMesh support means devices roam between the router and extender without me thinking about it most of the time. Like any extender it roughly halves throughput on the extended segment, and placement took a bit of trial and error to find the sweet spot.

What I Liked

  • Solid Wi-Fi 6 speed/range boost for the price
  • Easy app-based setup
  • OneMesh gives near-seamless roaming
  • Compact plug-in design

What I Didn’t

  • Roughly halves throughput on the extended segment
  • Placement is finicky — needs a decent signal from the router first
  • Some devices need to manually reconnect when moving between zones

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Where to Buy