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[Michael Armbrust]

kapoi

_{Edited by the bot}

[Michael Armbrust]

Pre-order God of War III Remastered, Get Dynamic Theme & PS Now Rentals
+ Posted by Ariel Lawrence on May 19, 2015 // Producer, Santa Monica Studio


God of War III Remastered is available for pre-order worldwide! It will be available in stores and digitally on July 14, 2015. If you pre-order now, you'll get the brand new God of War - Fall of Olympus Dynamic Theme at the game's worldwide launch. North American players that pre-order through PSN will receive the theme next week on May 26th, along with free 90-day rentals for God of War I & God of War II through PlayStation Now.

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To whet your appetite for the epicness ahead, we have a sneak peek at the iron spike and chain hook-filled face off against Hades, the Lord of the Underworld. The video, like the gameplay, is full 1080p running at 60fps. Kratos' legendary battles against the gods of Greek mythology are smoother and more satisfying than ever on PS4.


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In addition to offering PS4 players a chance to rip apart the Olympic pantheon in stunning detail, the Remaster also includes Photo Mode. Now players can freeze the brutal action mid-swing, play with a ton of creative camera and lighting options, and share that with fellow God of War fans.

[/font][/size][/color]

[color][size][font]
It's been ten years since Kratos took the throne as the God of War. With the God of War III Remaster on the horizon, we are eagerly looking forward to reliving the legend and we hope you are too. For those PS4 players new to Kratos' epic tale of betrayal and revenge, welcome. You're in for one hell of a ride.[/font][/size][/color]

_{Edited by the bot}

[Michael Armbrust]

Pre-order God of War III Remastered, Get Dynamic Theme & PS Now Rentals
+ Posted by Ariel Lawrence on May 19, 2015 // Producer, Santa Monica Studio


God of War III Remastered is available for pre-order worldwide! It will be available in stores and digitally on July 14, 2015. If you pre-order now, you'll get the brand new God of War - Fall of Olympus Dynamic Theme at the game's worldwide launch. North American players that pre-order through PSN will receive the theme next week on May 26th, along with free 90-day rentals for God of War I & God of War II through PlayStation Now.

[size={defaultattr}][font={defaultattr}]
To whet your appetite for the epicness ahead, we have a sneak peek at the iron spike and chain hook-filled face off against Hades, the Lord of the Underworld. The video, like the gameplay, is full 1080p running at 60fps. Kratos' legendary battles against the gods of Greek mythology are smoother and more satisfying than ever on PS4.

[/font][/size]

Please enter your date of birth below:
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303120152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915

[size={defaultattr}][font={defaultattr}]

In addition to offering PS4 players a chance to rip apart the Olympic pantheon in stunning detail, the Remaster also includes Photo Mode. Now players can freeze the brutal action mid-swing, play with a ton of creative camera and lighting options, and share that with fellow God of War fans.
[/font][/size]

[size={defaultattr}][font={defaultattr}]
It's been ten years since Kratos took the throne as the God of War. With the God of War III Remaster on the horizon, we are eagerly looking forward to reliving the legend and we hope you are too. For those PS4 players new to Kratos' epic tale of betrayal and revenge, welcome. You're in for one hell of a ride.[/font][/size]

_{Edited by the bot}

[Michael Armbrust]

[font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif]Pre-order God of War III Remastered, Get Dynamic Theme & PS Now Rentals
+ Posted by Ariel Lawrence on May 19, 2015 // Producer, Santa Monica Studio
[/font][/size]

God of War III Remastered is available for pre-order worldwide! It will be available in stores and digitally on July 14, 2015. If you pre-order now, you'll get the brand new God of War - Fall of Olympus Dynamic Theme at the game's worldwide launch. North American players that pre-order through PSN will receive the theme next week on May 26th, along with free 90-day rentals for God of War I & God of War II through PlayStation Now.

[size={defaultattr}][font={defaultattr}]
To whet your appetite for the epicness ahead, we have a sneak peek at the iron spike and chain hook-filled face off against Hades, the Lord of the Underworld. The video, like the gameplay, is full 1080p running at 60fps. Kratos' legendary battles against the gods of Greek mythology are smoother and more satisfying than ever on PS4.

[/font][/size]

Please enter your date of birth below:
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303120152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915

[size={defaultattr}][font={defaultattr}]

In addition to offering PS4 players a chance to rip apart the Olympic pantheon in stunning detail, the Remaster also includes Photo Mode. Now players can freeze the brutal action mid-swing, play with a ton of creative camera and lighting options, and share that with fellow God of War fans.
[/font][/size]

[size={defaultattr}][font={defaultattr}]
It's been ten years since Kratos took the throne as the God of War. With the God of War III Remaster on the horizon, we are eagerly looking forward to reliving the legend and we hope you are too. For those PS4 players new to Kratos' epic tale of betrayal and revenge, welcome. You're in for one hell of a ride.[/font][/size]

_{Edited by the bot}

[Michael Armbrust]

Pre-order God of War III Remastered, Get Dynamic Theme & PS Now Rentals - PlayStation.Blog

_{Edited by the bot}

[Michael Armbrust]

Pre-order God of War III Remastered, Get Dynamic Theme & PS Now Rentals - PlayStation.Blog

_{Edited by the bot}

[Michael Armbrust]

Pre-order God of War III Remastered, Get Dynamic Theme & PS Now Rentals - PlayStation.Blog

God of War III Remastered is available for pre-order worldwide! It will be available in stores and digitally on July 14, 2015. If you pre-order now, you'll get the brand new God of War - Fall of Olympus Dynamic Theme at the game's worldwide launch. North American players that pre-order through PSN will receive the theme next week on May 26th, along with free 90-day rentals for God of War I & God of War II through PlayStation Now.
[img width=640 height=360 alt=God of War III Remastered on PS4/]https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5468/17827496792_6173b53abf_b.jpg[/img]
[img width=312 height=175 alt=God of War III Remastered on PS4/]https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7706/17642693060_6dc3385498_b.jpg[/img][img width=312 height=175 alt=God of War III Remastered on PS4/]https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8876/17830159815_192330c9ec_b.jpg[/img]
To whet your appetite for the epicness ahead, we have a sneak peek at the iron spike and chain hook-filled face off against Hades, the Lord of the Underworld. The video, like the gameplay, is full 1080p running at 60fps. Kratos' legendary battles against the gods of Greek mythology are smoother and more satisfying than ever on PS4.  In addition to offering PS4 players a chance to rip apart the Olympic pantheon in stunning detail, the Remaster also includes Photo Mode. Now players can freeze the brutal action mid-swing, play with a ton of creative camera and lighting options, and share that with fellow God of War fans.
[img width=640 height=360 alt=God of War III Remastered: Photo Mode/]https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8808/17210109014_65241310c5_b.jpg[/img]
[img width=312 height=175 alt=God of War III Remastered: Photo Mode/]https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8871/17829764762_746195460a_b.jpg[/img][img width=312 height=175 alt=God of War III Remastered: Photo Mode/]https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5441/17645072780_810639146b_b.jpg[/img]
It's been ten years since Kratos took the throne as the God of War. With the God of War III Remaster on the horizon, we are eagerly looking forward to reliving the legend and we hope you are too. For those PS4 players new to Kratos' epic tale of betrayal and revenge, welcome. You're in for one hell of a ride.
 
 

_{Edited by the bot}

[Michael Armbrust]

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt |OT| Gwent Player, Monster Slayer, EVEN RACISM - NeoGAF

Welcome to the NEOGAF The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt OFFICIAL THREAD. The Witcher is a fantasy game adapted from a series of novels by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, yet there is no direct connection between the worlds.  Andrzej Sapkowski has stated that the games have no significance on the story that takes place during the books.  However, the games are in a way a direct sequel to the events of the books.  Hopefully that makes sense.   I have tried to make an OT that lives up to the effort the dev's have put into the game and as a big thank you to CDPR for being my favorite developer, they just seem to do everything right by my standards. I did as much as I could to not go over one post, but alas, it's been impossible to keep it under the one post guideline.  I didn't just include bunches of stuff in the OT just to fill it, everything I have included I believe to be completely relevant for newcomers and veterans and I believe an OT should be the one stop shop for all relevant game info for GAF users at launch.   So please enjoy the thread and hopefully it will go down in GAF OT history because I've worked pretty hard and I think it's come out well.  Ahhhh basking in modesty.  Then this one will be gone in the flash of an eye and Coreda's OT2 will blow you all away a second time.  It's clear there is a lot of love out there for this game. Credit goes to anyone's images or videos I have linked or used in the thread and Coreda who has an especially keen designers eye and for making the gif's a more manageable size. NuclearGen for the gif's in the first place. EvilLore for grudgingly giving me permission to use two posts instead of one and thanks to Lukas Japonicus for the thread title.  I don't know if any of the stuff came from GAF members - I have a distinct feeling the EatChildren (if I'm wrong please let me know) made those awesome Witcher 1 and Witcher 2 retrospectives I have linked to - I would say these two videos are a MUST WATCH for new and old players alike.   The Witcher is not your average fantasy setting thanks to its mature approach to storytelling and it's morally ambiguous cause and effect choice system. There are really no true good guys or bad guys every choice you make will have positive and negative consequences and it is never possible to please everyone. There are no color coded responses like Mass Effect and other of its ilk it is all up to you to decide which option suits the Geralt you are trying to be.  Let it be known that non-bearded Geralt is a big No-No.   I have however heard that there is a bit more of a Good vs Evil vibe to the third game considering the Wild Hunt appears to be directly involved.  But CDPR have been quite close lipped about the true contents of story prior to launch and I believe the trailers are deliberately meant to be a little misleading especially the "I shall give her what she deserves" comment that The Emperor makes, but who knows really.   "The Witcher" is Geralt of Rivia, who specializes in slaying monsters and solving human problems. Geralt is a Witcher, an off breed of human mutants who are specially trained to protect others from monsters, for a small fee of course. Witchers are often reviled by common people, being seen as unnatural or dangerous due to their superhuman abilities and unusual appearance, but they are the unsung heroes that common people often turn to when they need to get something done.    But we must all remember that usually humans make the worst monsters of all, so Geralt is indeed proficient at killing men as well - it is basically the reason he carries two swords. I know I know, this is part of every OT but it's important none the less, especially for a game like The Wild Hunt.  Even the smallest details can be spoilers so please if you're going to post something that even MIGHT be considered a spoiler take care.  We've all been tempted by those innocuous black boxes that could contain anything. There is already a Spoilers Thread and this may continue to be the place to go for major plot points and spoilers.  There might be a new thread after release. For this thread, the correct Spoiler Criteria is this, you must be absolutely specific. These are spoiler tags: Wrap spoiler text in these tags to black them out and require a highlight to view. This is a Spoiler about a late game decision.There is not real spoiler here about Triss or Yennefer. NOT Oh my god Triss does something when you choose Yennefer. Please, ensure that you CLEARLY outline what is contained within the blacked out spoiler before using the spoiler tags, it is common sense not to put spoilers in the spoiler description.  This is the type of thing that could cause this thread to be destroyed by arguments.  In the interest of keeping this thread as focused on how awesome The Witcher 3 is please be considerate of your fellow GAF members.There is to be NO downgrade discussion in the OFFICIAL THREAD, there is a place for that already and turning the OT into a piss and shit throwing contest WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.  Downgrade discussion thread is here. The world is in chaos. The air is thick with tension and the smoke of burnt villages. The fearsome Empire of Nilfgaard has struck again, ravaging the hapless Northern Kingdoms. The once mighty northern monarchs who tried to use Geralt and his friends for their own gain are now mostly gone. In these uncertain times, no one can say what fortune holds in store, who will bring peace to the world and who will cause it only misery. But a force darker and deadlier emerges. The petty men and women commanding tin-plated armies fail to understand that their conflict is child's play compared to the Wild Hunt, the otherworldly threat which now looms. These ghastly spectral riders have for ages plagued humankind, bringing misery to the world.  Yet this time the Wild Hunt seeks one person in particular: the one individual Destiny itself bestowed upon Geralt, the one soul Geralt considers kin and would do anything to protect. - Wild Hunt is the finale to the Geralt of Rivia game Trilogy. - Three different endings with a total of 36 different variations of the main end theme. - A vast open world with 3 distinct main areas - 35 times larger than that in The Witcher 2. - Meaningful choices with consequences that change the story and the game world. - No Loading screens when visiting new areas. - Dynamic Weather and realistic Day and Night Cycle. - A living economy: :The new in-game economy system varies the price of goods based on surrounding conditions or their place of origin relative to Geralt's  current whereabouts in the world. - Combat complexity based on a variety of actions at the player's disposal, not on correct attack sequencing. - Monsters, each with their own lore, posing unique hunting challenges and responding to changes in the environment. - An expanded Sign casting system: each of the 5 Signs has two different modes of use, creating even more possibilities in combat and challenging players to use magic in creative ways.  There was only 1 mode in Witcher 2 so I'm excited about this. - Fully integrated UI Customization. - 36 Different Endings depending on the choices you make during the course of the game. - Geralt can JUMP this time Booyah. - Import your Witcher 2 save file or make your choices during an introduction sequence before the game begins. WARNING.  Some of the information in the character biographies may be considered spoilers for people who have not played either the Witcher 1 and 2 or read the books.  I have included only information I believe to be relevant for first time players to know before they dive in.  Possible major spoilers have been tagged. Geralt of Rivia is a Witcher and our hero for this game. Witchers are monster hunters for hire. They possess superhuman abilities and are expert swordsmen having been trained since childhood. Geralt is known also as Gwynbleidd (Elder Speech meaning "The White Wolf", a name which was given to him by the dryads), as well as the Butcher of Blaviken. Despite his name, Geralt does not come from Rivia: he grew up in the Witchers' keep of Kaer Morhen.  In the interest of appearing more trustworthy to potential clients, young Witchers were encouraged to make up surnames for themselves by master Vesemir.  As his first choice, Geralt chose "Geralt Roger Eric du Haute-Bellegarde", but this choice was dismissed by Vesemir as silly and pretentious, so "Geralt" was all that remained.  "Of Rivia" was a more practical alternative, and Geralt even went so far as to adopt a Rivian accent to appear more authentic. Later, Queen Meve of Lyria knighted him for his valour in the Battle for the Bridge on the Yaruga conferring on him the formal title "of Rivia", which very much amused him.  He is, therefore, a knight of Lyria, and not a commoner. Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon (known as Ciri or the Lion Cub of Cintra), born in 1251, is the princess of Cintra, daughter of Pavetta and Duny (Urcheon of Erlenwald) and granddaughter of queen Calanthe.There are possible book spoilers here, which could possibly be spoilers for game players only so read only if you want to know what happened in the books, if you want a fresh perspective - ie; continuing Geralts lost memory story then don't read.After Geralt lifted the curse from her father, he demanded from Duny what he had but didn't know he did which is the same Law of Surprise "trick" that Duny used to "take" Pavetta as his wife.  This turned out to be Ciri as Pavetta her mother was already pregnant with the child. Ciri's story is a focal point of the books and it is very difficult to quickly summarize those events, however I will give a few points that might help flesh out your understanding of the books without going into every detail. - Ciri was trained as a Witcher for a time at Kaer Morhen and thus she is very skilled with a sword, much better than your average soldier. - Ciri was trained as an enchantress by both Triss and Yennefer before they became separated however during a sequence of events she renounced her powers and lost the ability to perform magic. - As the true and correct heiress to Cintra, a country that was previously one of the Northern realms and has been since conquered by Nilfgaard she was highly sought by many different parties during her youth for various reasons beyond politics (Elder Blood, Source Power's etc) - Eventually Ciri ends up being transported to a foreign world and unfortunately this part of the story hasn't been translated into English yet so I don't really understand what happens but I believe it has something to do with the Wild Hunt. If you would like to read her full story click here to check out the Witcher Wiki. Yennefer of Vengerberg -- a sorceress who lived in the capital city of Aedirn -- Vengerberg. She was the youngest member of the Council of Sorcerers and later the Lodge of Sorceresses attempted to recruit her.  She is the love of witcher Geralt of Rivia and a mother figure to Ciri. The lady of Vengerberg is famous for her beauty. She is always wearing black and white clothing, and uses lilac and gooseberry perfumes.  She has remarkable violet eyes and raven black hair. She is a quadroon (meaning she has ¼ of elven blood). As most sorceresses, she is sterile. She secretly sought a way of restoring her fertility. She gave her motherly love to Ciri -- the child destined for Geralt by the Law of Surprise.  Geralt and Yennefer first met in a city called Rinde and didn't hit it off so well at first, however in order to save Yennefer from an extremely powerful Djinn (or Genie) which she was trying to capture unsuccessfully. It turns out that Geralt is tied to the Djinn by three wishes, two of which have already been used.  Geralt uses his last wish to entwine his fate with Yennefer which saves her from the Djinn's wrath. Geralt and Yennefer are truly in love, however they have an interesting relationship of a very on and off again nature, when it's on this is something Triss was very jealous about. Triss Merigold of Maribor is a sorceress. She is called the "Fourteenth of the Hill" because she was believed to have been killed during the Battle of Sodden Hill.  She is best friend's with Yennefer while also being unhappily in love with Geralt who cares for her deeply but can never truly love her back because of his bond with Yennefer. Triss took care of Ciri at Kaer Morhen for some time and is like an older sister to her. It was through her intervention that Ciri was not inadvertently given harmful hormones which might have negatively impacted her "womanly assets".  She was a member of King Foltest's royal council, as well as a founding member of the Lodge of Sorceresses. She has been a main character in both of the Witcher games and the primary love interest in both. Triss is a very skilled healer and carries with her many magical potions, yet she can never use them on herself as she is allergic to magic. She is also quite a powerful mage, certainly when it counts most. Dandelion (supposed real name: Julian Alfred Pankratz viscount de Lettenhove, the title is probably a false brag which the poet is known to do) is everyone's favorite poet, minstrel, bard and the closest friend of Witcher Geralt of Rivia.  He studied poetry and music for four years at the Academy of Oxenfurt (he achieved the reputation of a sloth, drunkard and idiot).  He later becoming a professor after passing the exams with exceptional results and much to the surprise and chagrin of his teachers. Dandelion taught students for a year, and then left the academy to travel the world. He still visits Oxenfurt from time to time to give guest lectures. In very few years he gained worldwide fame and became known as one of the best minstrels in the Northern Kingdoms, and his best known song is the Ballad of the Lion Cub of Cintra.  He also gained the reputation of the biggest womaniser in the world -- he even managed to conquer the heart of Anna Henrietta, the ruler of Toussaint.  He is very handsome and sometimes is mistaken for an elf or half-elf. During his travels with Geralt, Dandelion started to write his memoirs, entitled "Half a Century of Poetry"; twice, in fact. His first attempt was lost in the bottom of the duchess of Toussaint's closet after the poet was banished from her duchy.  But rather than bemoaning that loss, the poet decided to rewrite his memoirs from scratch. His poems were later bound in two collections: The Adversities of Loving and Time of the Moon. In many way's Geralt is Dandelion's Muse, often placing himself into the story as the hero with Geralt appearing as his sidekick. Vesemir is the oldest and most experienced Witcher at Kaer Morhen. He is a father figure to Geralt and the other Witchers. He spends each winter in the fortress and sets off on the road when spring comes.  He is an excellent fencer and has great knowledge of monsters. He is one of the old Witchers to survive the assault on Kaer Morhen during the first game. Despite his age, Vesemir is robust and lively. Emhyr var Emreis, Deithwen Addan yn Carn aep Morvudd (In the Elder Speech - the White Flame Dancing on the Barrows of his Enemies). He is the current Emperor of Nilfgaard in the novels, tv series, movie and the games.  He is publicly favorable towards the Elder Races (Elves and Dwarves), generally this is in stark contrast to the Northern Monarchs.   The Emperor of Nilfgaard is the one who had been silently (but not so secretly) funding the Scoia'tael and was the one who hired Letho to Assassinate the Kings as way to cause chaos prior to the Nilfgaard invasion of the northern kingdoms. His rule of Nilfgaard is highly aggressive, similar to his predecessors; always backing large expansionist policies. This led to the two wars against the North described in the novels.  Emhyr var Emreis is an intelligent and brilliant ruler. He picked his people well and crushed all plots against him. He was ruthless toward traitors and moved towards his goals with determination.Potential major spoiler about a detail from the books that may come as a surprise for some people playing the games.  Do not click if you don't want to know about things that happened in the books.  You have been warned.He is the father of Ciri and husband of the late Pavetta, having gone by the alias of Duny before assuming his rightful place as emperor. The Wild Hunt is a group of specters, led by the King of the Wild Hunt, which is considered to be an omen of misfortune, death and war. It is said to appear mainly, but not exclusively during the winter. Some believe it to be simply a magical phenomenon and not a horde of specters. Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri have all come into close contact with the King and his specters, either directly or through dreams. In the The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt it is speculated that the Wild Hunt will return in an attempt to find and capture Ciri. Above is a very (and I mean VERY) small selection of the wild and wonderful types of monsters that will appear during your quest through the worlds of the Wild Hunt. Monsters are distinguished from other creatures using two primary criteria: dissimilarity to humans and lack of sentience or obvious intelligence.  Because of this, some sentient races are considered monsters because they are not humanoid and some decidedly non-humanoid creatures are considered sentient races. Geralt has his own set of guidelines for judging what constitutes a monster. One of his tests is their reaction to silver. Most magical beasts cannot bear it. Other metrics he uses include intent and circumstance.  Overall, the witcher is far more fair in his classification of creatures into monsters and non-monsters and just because a beast looks big, scary and like a "monster" doesn't mean it is one and we all know that the worst monster is the human. On April 7th, 2015, CDPR announced two major expansions for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, entitled Heart and Stone and Blood and Wine.  CDPR says that both expansion packs will include:  New enemies, Characters, and gear. Players will also be reunited with some "Dearly missed" characters from both the games and books.   You can purchase these extras the Expansion Pass right now either with the game or separately if you are purchasing a physical copy - this is DLC the way it is supposed to be.Heart of Stone is scheduled for release October 2015 Heart of Stone will be a major expansion that will total at over 10 hours of additional content.  Geralt will adventure into the wilds of No Man's Land and the nooks and alleys of Oxenfurt, where he will try to complete a contract from the mysterious Man of Glass.  Caught in a thick tangle of deceit, Geralt will need all his cunning and strength to solve the mystery and emerge unscathed.Blood and Wine is scheduled for release first quarter 2016 Blood and Wine is a major expansion that will total at over 20 hours of additional content.  A tale that will introduce the all-new in-game region of Toussaint, will take Geralt to a land untainted by war, where an atmosphere of carefree indulgence and knightly ritual masks an ancient, bloody secret.

_{Edited by the bot}

[Michael Armbrust]

1
Everyone knows gaming mice and keyboards can make you barrel through fast-paced games with peak efficiency. But with all those buttons and macros, they can actually help you work smarter, too. Here's why I swear by them.
Why Use Gaming Peripherals?

We've recommended a number of ways to automate tasks over the years. AutoHotkey is excellent for mapping your own hotkeys. With TextExpander, you can automatically fill in blocks of text with just a few keys. On their own, these tools are incredibly useful--but with a gaming keyboard and mouse, they become even more powerful. Why? Because these peripherals were made to automate tasks. Sure, they were designed for games, but they work just as well with normal work, too.
Here are some of the key advantages I've discovered:

There are tons of gaming mice and keyboards out there, but I'll focus on Logitech and Razer, since they're the most popular (and their software is pretty killer). Logitech's Gaming Softwarehas many features Razer's Synapse doesn't, but they're both worthwhile outside of video games. If you've picked up peripherals from one of these companies, be sure to install the accompanying software to follow along.
Test Case: Switch Between Browser Tabs with Your Extra Mouse Buttons

I use both a gaming keyboard and mouse, but the latter is easily my favorite. Most mice have two, maybe three buttons that are all programmed for something. Mine has twelve extra buttons that I can map to anything. This is handy for commonly used shortcuts, or just for making complicated shortcuts easier to access. One of my favorites is mapping the shortcut to switch between tabs (Ctrl+Tab, and Ctrl+Alt+Tab) to the buttons on the side of my mouse.
Here's how to do it on Logitech's software:

If you're using Razer's software, here's how to do it:

Now you can change tabs with just your mouse hand. This works with nearly any keyboard shortcut, which makes it perfect for complex shortcuts that defy ergonomics (looking at you, Alt+F4), or mapping your mouse buttons to apps that only support keyboard shortcuts (likeSwitcher's Exposé-like window overview). I actually still press Ctrl+Tab the normal way to move between tabs when both hands are on the keyboard, but when my hand is on the mouse, this method is much easier. Of course, you could always map these shortcuts to your extra buttons on the keyboard as well. Choose whatever works best for you!
Test Case: Empty the Recycle Bin with a Single Button

AutoHotkey isn't just for remapping keyboard shortcuts. You can automate all kinds of taskswith simple scripts. Pair that with a gaming peripheral and you can create your own custom buttons that perform any action your heart desires. For example, I've created a button thatempties the Recycle Bin. To get started, create and run the following script in AutoHotkey (if you've never used it before, check out our beginner's guide):

^!#q::
FileRecycleEmpty
return

This script will automatically empty your Recycle Bin when you press Ctrl+Alt+Win+Q. You could use a simpler shortcut if you wanted, but we've made this deliberately difficult so it doesn't conflict with anything. And, it doesn't matter how difficult the shortcut is, since you're going to trigger it with one of the gaming keys anyway.
Once this script is running, use the same steps in the previous section to map Ctrl+Alt+Win+Q to one of the keys on your gaming keyboard. Now, instead of having to open the bin itself, or pressing a complex shortcut, you have one dedicated button for the task on the side of your device. Anything you can do with AutoHotkey, you can now do with one of these buttons.
Test Case: Launch and Close Apps with the Mouse

Every once in a while, I have to do some quick math--just not enough to keep a calculator app open all the time. Keeping it in the taskbar seemed like a bit of wasted space, so I decided to add it to my extra buttons. I already use my right hand on the numpad when doing quick calculations, so I chose to launch it with a mouse button, but you could use one of the keyboard buttons as well. Here's how to set it up in Logitech's software:

You can also use the Function pane to assign common functions like opening a web browser, launching a media player, or opening My Computer. Of course, if you wanted to launch a different application with one of the buttons, you could choose Shortcut instead of Function in the steps above. Then, browse to find the executable file you want to launch.
Here's how to do the same thing in Razer's software:

Razer doesn't have a method of selecting commonly used apps like Logitech does. However, you do also have the option in this menu to launch a web site in your default instead of running an application. Both are handy options.
To make my math smoother, I also map Alt+F4 to one of the buttons on my mouse, like I mentioned in the first section. With one hand, I can launch the calculator app, tap out some math, and close the application. For my use, it's extremely quick. Of course, if you choose to make Alt+F4 a shortcut, make sure it's not somewhere you can easily accidentally press it. While inconvenient, Alt+F4 is hard to press on purpose.
Test Case: Record Complicated Macros on the Fly

I have a confession: I don't use macros--or recordings of frequently repeated actions--as often as I should. It's not that I don't have repetitive tasks I could automate. It's just that by the time I figure how much time I'll actually save by re-learning AutoHotkey all over again and building the task, I've lost interest and need to get back to work.
The Logitech software makes it stupid easy to record repetitive actions. There's a dedicated button on most keyboard models to record actions. You can also do it in the Gaming Software app, where you can see modify each action individually to tweak it until it works exactly the way you need. To start recording on the keyboard follow these steps:

Razer keyboards have similar functionality, though without the dedicated macro recording button. Instead, you can initiate on-the-fly recording by pressing Fn+F9. To do this, follow these steps:

It couldn't get much simpler. I use this method for a lot of simple formatting tasks. For example, on many Lifehacker articles, we have photo credits at the bottom. I've programmed my keyboard to automatically type "Photo by [name].", select the entire line, and send Ctrl+I to italicize the line. The only thing I need to do then is change the name. If I tried to program that task in AutoHotkey, it might not even be worth my time, but since I can record it while I'm already doing it, it's super easy.
Test Case: Simplify Repetitive Emails with Quick Blocks of Text

Replying to emails is tedious enough without having to repeat yourself a hundred times. You don't need to custom tailor your "Thank you, but our company is not interested" or "I need to have those TPS reports on my desk by Friday" responses to every recipient. It would be easier to just press one button and past the whole thing.
Fortunately, Logitech's app has the ability to paste text blocks. While this method does involve taking your hand off their position while typing, I've personally found that having dedicated buttons for text blocks helps me mentally organize my shortcuts better than a text expanderdoes. You can even enable Unicode mode if you want to have quick access to some of the more eclectic emoticons.
Here's how it works:

After you've created your text block, open up Notepad and give it a try. In my experience, text blocks longer than a sentence or two do better if you enable "Use Delays Between Characters" and set the delay to about 3 milliseconds. Unfortunately, Razer doesn't have the ability to save entire blocks of text. However, text expanders are always an option.

_{Edited by the bot}

[Michael Armbrust]

Why I Started Using a Gaming Mouse and Keyboard to Get Real Work Done

Everyone knows gaming mice and keyboards can make you barrel through fast-paced games with peak efficiency. But with all those buttons and macros, they can actually help you work smarter, too. Here's why I swear by them.   Why Use Gaming Peripherals?
We've recommended a number of ways to automate tasks over the years. AutoHotkey is excellent for mapping your own hotkeys. With TextExpander, you can automatically fill in blocks of text with just a few keys. On their own, these tools are incredibly useful--but with a gaming keyboard and mouse, they become even more powerful. Why? Because these peripherals were made to automate tasks. Sure, they were designed for games, but they work just as well with normal work, too.
Here are some of the key advantages I've discovered:
 

• Dedicated buttons means less finger gymnastics: One of the most annoying things about making custom keyboard shortcuts is finding a shortcut that another program isn't already using. With a gaming keyboard, I've got twelve new buttons that can do whatever I want. Even if I need AutoHotkey, I can map them to a shortcut I'd never be able to pull off with my fingers.
• Mouse buttons are a revelation: I feel this needs its own bullet point because I never realized how lazy my right-hand's thumb is. With the G600 I got another twelve buttons I could press without moving taking my hands off the mouse. It's a little disorienting at first, but once you get used to it, you'll wonder how you can live without it.
• The software is stupid easy: AutoHotkey and TextExpander are already pretty easy to use once you learn the basics. When it comes to basic automation, however, Logitech's mouse and keyboard software is even easier. You can set custom shortcuts, record macros, launch applications, or paste entire blocks of common text with a simple interface. The keyboard even includes an on-the-fly macro recording button, so you can create a shortcut for some repeated actions with just a couple button presses.

There are tons of gaming mice and keyboards out there, but I'll focus on Logitech and Razer, since they're the most popular (and their software is pretty killer). Logitech's Gaming Software has many features Razer's Synapse doesn't, but they're both worthwhile outside of video games. If you've picked up peripherals from one of these companies, be sure to install the accompanying software to follow along.
 Test Case: Switch Between Browser Tabs with Your Extra Mouse Buttons
I use both a gaming keyboard and mouse, but the latter is easily my favorite. Most mice have two, maybe three buttons that are all programmed for something. Mine has twelve extra buttons that I can map to anything. This is handy for commonly used shortcuts, or just for making complicated shortcuts easier to access. One of my favorites is mapping the shortcut to switch between tabs (Ctrl+Tab, and Ctrl+Alt+Tab) to the buttons on the side of my mouse.
Here's how to do it on Logitech's software:
 

• Open the Logitech Gaming Software app.
• Choose the device you want to program and select the set of buttons.
• Hover over the button you want to program, click the dropdown menu and select Edit.
• In the left-side pane, choose Keystroke (this may already be selected).
• With your cursor in the first box, press Ctrl+Tab. Note: any key you press in this box will be interpreted as part of the keyboard shortcut you want to use, so click outside the box when you're done.
• Under name, type "Right tab" and click OK.
• Repeat steps 3-6 on a different button, with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Tab and the name "Left tab."

If you're using Razer's software, here's how to do it:
 

• Open the Synapse software.
• Click the tab for the device you want to modify (in this case, "Mouse").
• Select the button you want to program. For some buttons, you may need to select left or right side view.
• Choose "Keyboard Function" from the dropdown menu.
• Press Ctrl+Tab to bind the shortcut to your mouse button and click Save.
• Repeat steps 3-5 for Ctrl+Shift+Tab.

Now you can change tabs with just your mouse hand. This works with nearly any keyboard shortcut, which makes it perfect for complex shortcuts that defy ergonomics (looking at you, Alt+F4), or mapping your mouse buttons to apps that only support keyboard shortcuts (like Switcher's Exposé-like window overview). I actually still press Ctrl+Tab the normal way to move between tabs when both hands are on the keyboard, but when my hand is on the mouse, this method is much easier. Of course, you could always map these shortcuts to your extra buttons on the keyboard as well. Choose whatever works best for you!
 Test Case: Empty the Recycle Bin with a Single Button
AutoHotkey isn't just for remapping keyboard shortcuts. You can automate all kinds of tasks with simple scripts. Pair that with a gaming peripheral and you can create your own custom buttons that perform any action your heart desires. For example, I've created a button that empties the Recycle Bin. To get started, create and run the following script in AutoHotkey (if you've never used it before, check out our beginner's guide):

^!#q::FileRecycleEmptyreturn

This script will automatically empty your Recycle Bin when you press Ctrl+Alt+Win+Q. You could use a simpler shortcut if you wanted, but we've made this deliberately difficult so it doesn't conflict with anything. And, it doesn't matter how difficult the shortcut is, since you're going to trigger it with one of the gaming keys anyway.
Once this script is running, use the same steps in the previous section to map Ctrl+Alt+Win+Q to one of the keys on your gaming keyboard. Now, instead of having to open the bin itself, or pressing a complex shortcut, you have one dedicated button for the task on the side of your device. Anything you can do with AutoHotkey, you can now do with one of these buttons.
 Test Case: Launch and Close Apps with the Mouse
Every once in a while, I have to do some quick math--just not enough to keep a calculator app open all the time. Keeping it in the taskbar seemed like a bit of wasted space, so I decided to add it to my extra buttons. I already use my right hand on the numpad when doing quick calculations, so I chose to launch it with a mouse button, but you could use one of the keyboard buttons as well. Here's how to set it up in Logitech's software:
 

• Open the Logitech Gaming Software app
• Choose the device you want to program and select the set of buttons.
• Hover over the button you want to program, click the dropdown menu and choose Edit.
• In the left-side pane, choose Function.
• Choose Calculator from the list and click OK.

You can also use the Function pane to assign common functions like opening a web browser, launching a media player, or opening My Computer. Of course, if you wanted to launch a different application with one of the buttons, you could choose Shortcut instead of Function in the steps above. Then, browse to find the executable file you want to launch.
Here's how to do the same thing in Razer's software:
 

• Open the Synapse app.
• Click the tab for the device you want to modify.
• Select the button you want to program.
• From the dropdown menu, select Launch Program.
• Click the folder icon under "Launch Program" and navigate to the executable you want to run (the Windows calculator app can be found in C:\Windows\System32).
• Click Save.

Razer doesn't have a method of selecting commonly used apps like Logitech does. However, you do also have the option in this menu to launch a web site in your default instead of running an application. Both are handy options.
To make my math smoother, I also map Alt+F4 to one of the buttons on my mouse, like I mentioned in the first section. With one hand, I can launch the calculator app, tap out some math, and close the application. For my use, it's extremely quick. Of course, if you choose to make Alt+F4 a shortcut, make sure it's not somewhere you can easily accidentally press it. While inconvenient, Alt+F4 is hard to press on purpose.
 Test Case: Record Complicated Macros on the Fly
I have a confession: I don't use macros--or recordings of frequently repeated actions--as often as I should. It's not that I don't have repetitive tasks I could automate. It's just that by the time I figure how much time I'll actually save by re-learning AutoHotkey all over again and building the task, I've lost interest and need to get back to work.
The Logitech software makes it stupid easy to record repetitive actions. There's a dedicated button on most keyboard models to record actions. You can also do it in the Gaming Software app, where you can see modify each action individually to tweak it until it works exactly the way you need. To start recording on the keyboard follow these steps:
 

• On the Logitech keyboard, press MR.
• Press one of the programmable buttons you want to record your action to.
• Perform the action you want to record as you normally would. The keyboard can't record mouse clicks, but it can record pauses between keystrokes, if you find the software is playing back the actions too quickly for your computer to keep up.
• Press MR again to save the macro.

Razer keyboards have similar functionality, though without the dedicated macro recording button. Instead, you can initiate on-the-fly recording by pressing Fn+F9. To do this, follow these steps:
 

• On the Razer keyboard, press Fn+F9.
• Perform the action you want to record as you normally would.
• Press Fn+F9 again to save the macro.
• Press the programmable key you want to save the macro to.

It couldn't get much simpler. I use this method for a lot of simple formatting tasks. For example, on many Lifehacker articles, we have photo credits at the bottom. I've programmed my keyboard to automatically type "Photo by [name].", select the entire line, and send Ctrl+I to italicize the line. The only thing I need to do then is change the name. If I tried to program that task in AutoHotkey, it might not even be worth my time, but since I can record it while I'm already doing it, it's super easy.
 Test Case: Simplify Repetitive Emails with Quick Blocks of Text
Replying to emails is tedious enough without having to repeat yourself a hundred times. You don't need to custom tailor your "Thank you, but our company is not interested" or "I need to have those TPS reports on my desk by Friday" responses to every recipient. It would be easier to just press one button and past the whole thing.
Fortunately, Logitech's app has the ability to paste text blocks. While this method does involve taking your hand off their position while typing, I've personally found that having dedicated buttons for text blocks helps me mentally organize my shortcuts better than a text expander does. You can even enable Unicode mode if you want to have quick access to some of the more eclectic emoticons.
Here's how it works:
 

• Launch the Logitech Gaming Software.
• Select the device you want to program and click on set of buttons.
• Hover over the button you want to program, click the dropdown menu and select Edit.
• In the left-side pane, choose Text Block.
• Write or paste the text you want to assign to the button under "Enter your text."
• Give this shortcut a name under "Name."
• Optional: Enable "Use Unicode playback" for any special characters. Normal text shouldn't have a problem either way, but if you want special characters like these, you'll need to turn it on.

After you've created your text block, open up Notepad and give it a try. In my experience, text blocks longer than a sentence or two do better if you enable "Use Delays Between Characters" and set the delay to about 3 milliseconds. Unfortunately, Razer doesn't have the ability to save entire blocks of text. However, text expanders are always an option.
Photo by Michael Aulia.

_{Edited by the bot}