About Darren
![Darren Price mugshot photo](../../../../../uploads/pages/team/darren.webp)
Darren Price
Consumer & Gaming Writer - Australia
Darren 'VicBStard' Price has been playing video-games for nearly 40 years and writing about them for the last ten. Darren hates sport, but loves sports video games - which he puts down to a mixture of being annoyingly contrary and extremely lazy. While he is completely tone deaf, he considers Rock Band and Guitar Hero to be his guilty pleasures. A geek from way back, Darren builds his own computers, collects comic books, owns several lightsabers and is a sucker for video-gaming merchandise. Since 2012 he has lived in Sydney where he writes reviews and reports back on the local gaming scene.
Stories by Darren
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/06/25/preview_Still_Wakes_the_Deep_01.webp)
Game review: Still Wakes the Deep (Xbox Series X)
5 days ago
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gaming
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reviews
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technology gifts
Still Wakes the Deep offers a riveting yet short-lived horror experience on an oil rig, best enjoyed via Xbox Game Pass. Fans of The Chinese Room will find it compelling. 8/10.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/06/11/preview_SteelSeries_Arctis_Nova_5_00.webp)
Hands-on review: SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless
This month
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gaming
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digital music
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reviews
SteelSeries’ Arctis Nova 5 Wireless offers versatility across devices, exceptional sound, and comfort with its robust design and user-friendly features.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/06/04/preview_Ghost_of_Tsushima_PC_00.webp)
Game review: Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut (PC)
This month
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gaming
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reviews
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technology gifts
PC gamers rejoice! Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut arrives, packing both stunning visuals and rich content, stripped from PlayStation exclusivity.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/05/28/preview_Aspera_nitro_2_00.webp)
Hands-on review: Aspera Nitro 2 smartphone
Last month
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smartphones
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surveillance
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reviews
Australia budget mobile phone manufacturer, Aspera Mobile, has released its Nitro 2 Android Go smartphone. Techday’s Darren Price takes a look at the pearl version of the phone sent over for review.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/05/10/preview_Apex_9_Mini_00.webp)
Hands-on review: SteelSeries Apex 9 Mini keyboard
Last month
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gaming
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reviews
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technology gifts
SteelSeries debuts the Apex 9 Mini, a compact keyboard that sacrifices size but not functionality, offering an optical gaming experience optimal for limited desk space.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/04/30/preview_Backbone_One_04.webp)
Hands-on review: Backbone One USB-C phone controller (2nd Generation)
Tue, 30th Apr 2024
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gaming
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reviews
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technology gifts
The 2nd generation Backbone One USB-C transforms Android phones into portable gaming consoles with a new design, improved stability, and low latency.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/04/17/preview_Children_of_the_Sun_07.webp)
Game review: Children of the Sun (PC)
Wed, 17th Apr 2024
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gaming
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reviews
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technology gifts
Children of the Sun, a surreal single-player puzzle shooter by Rene Rother, follows a lone sniper's revenge against a cult, with precise, strategic gameplay and an unusual art style.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/04/11/preview_Asus_RT_AXE7800__13.webp)
Hands-on review: Asus RT-AXE7800 Wi-Fi 6e router
Thu, 11th Apr 2024
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gaming
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broadband
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reviews
The Asus RT-AXE7800 Wi-Fi 6e router offers optimal functionality for households and high performance gaming, boasting an easy-to-use setup and impressive wireless speed capabilities.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/04/10/preview_ESO_Gold_Road_01.webp)
The Elder Scrolls Online marks its 10th Anniversary with the Gold Road expansion
Wed, 10th Apr 2024
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gaming
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apple
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technology gifts
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Bethesda's 'The Elder Scrolls Online' introduces the 'Gold Road' expansion, allowing exploration of the new, exciting zone of West Weald from June 3rd.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/04/08/preview_Horizon_FW_PC_03.webp)
Game review: Horizon: Forbidden West Complete Edition (PC)
Mon, 8th Apr 2024
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gaming
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reviews
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technology gifts
Horizon: Forbidden West, the stellar sequel to Horizon: Zero Dawn, hits PC, offering enhanced visuals, pleasing refinements from the original, and an engaging storyline set in a visually stunning post-post-apocalyptic world.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/04/02/preview_ROG_Ally_12.webp)
Hands-on review: Asus ROG Ally handheld gaming PC
Tue, 2nd Apr 2024
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gaming
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reviews
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technology gifts
Asus's ROG Ally is a PC-based Windows 11 handheld gaming console. Techday's Darren Price has been testing the tiny gaming PC.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/03/26/preview_WD_Black_SN770M_02.webp)
Hands-on review: 2TB WD_Black SN770M NVMe M.2 2230 SSD
Tue, 26th Mar 2024
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pc hardware
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storage
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reviews
Tiny yet mighty, the WD_Black SN770M SSD redefines portable gaming with unparalleled speed and capacity.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/03/21/preview_Crucial_T500_00(2).webp)
Hands-on review: Crucial T500 Gen4 NVMe 2280 M.2 SSD
Thu, 21st Mar 2024
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pc hardware
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reviews
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technology gifts
Crucial's T500 Gen4 NVMe solid-state drive promises data transfer speeds of up to 7400MB/s. Techday's Darren Price looks at the 2TB version of the drive that comes complete with a factory-fitted heatsink.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/03/07/preview_Asus_Zenbook_14_OLED_00.webp)
Hands-on review: Asus Zenbook 14 OLED UX3405
Thu, 7th Mar 2024
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tablets & laptops
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mobility
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reviews
The new Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is one of the first of a new generation of notebooks sporting an Intel Meteor Lake Core Ultra processor.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/02/23/preview_Intel_Core_Ultra_7_01__1_.webp)
Hands-on review: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H AI-enabled notebook processor
Fri, 23rd Feb 2024
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mobility
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tablets & laptops
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reviews
At CES 2024, Intel allowed Techday to test the AI capabilities of its new Core Ultra notebook processors.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/02/14/preview_Aquila_Pro_01.webp)
Hands-on review: D-Link Aquila Pro AI AX3000 Wi-Fi 6 Smart Mesh System
Wed, 14th Feb 2024
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cloud services
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reviews
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technology gifts
The M30 routers have a clean aesthetic design and easy-to-use set-up, but underneath, they have all the advanced features that enthusiasts expect.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/02/12/preview_Nitro_Deck_00.webp)
Hands-on review: CRKD Nitro Deck for Nintendo Switch
Mon, 12th Feb 2024
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gaming
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reviews
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monitors
With the eye-catching Game Boy Advance/Game Cube looks, the Nitro Deck fits nicely in your hand, giving players a great new way to play their Switch games.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/02/06/preview_Mokibo_Fusion_Keyboard_00.webp)
Hands-on review: Mokibo Fusion MKB420 Bluetooth keyboard
Tue, 6th Feb 2024
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reviews
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technology gifts
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bluetooth
The Mokibo’s Fusion MKB420 keyboard is really easy to use and, apart from a few of the more advanced functions, pretty intuitive.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/01/31/preview_Tekken_8_00.webp)
Game review: Tekken 8 (PC)
Wed, 31st Jan 2024
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gaming
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reviews
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technology gifts
Tekken 8 introduces new aggressive fight mechanics, with characters being able to unload “Heat” moves and devastating “Rage Art” attacks.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/01/24/preview_ASRock_Phantom_Gaming_Z790_Nova_WiFi_00__1_.webp)
Hands-on review: ASRock Phantom Gaming Z790 Nova WiFi motherboard
Wed, 24th Jan 2024
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gaming
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endpoint protection
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reviews
ASRock's Phantom Gaming Z790 Nova WiFi is one of the new "refresh" LGA 1700 motherboards released in time for the launch of Intel's 14th-gen CPUs, themselves a refresh of last year's Raptor Lake processors. .
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/01/16/preview_CES24_Intel_Open_House_00.webp)
AI: The focus of Intel and its partners at CES 24 Intel Client Open House
Tue, 16th Jan 2024
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cloud services
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endpoint protection
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edr
Intel, its partners and rivals are all investing in AI technology that will change the way we work, play and get around, likely sooner rather than later.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2024/01/15/preview_Meta_Quest_3_01.webp)
Hands-on review: Meta Quest 3 VR headset
Mon, 15th Jan 2024
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gaming
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reviews
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technology gifts
With the addition of mixed reality via the device's colour pass-through cameras, could this be the next generation of consumer VR headsets?.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2023/12/22/preview_Jackery_Explorer_300_Plus_SolarSaga_80W_18.webp)
Hands-on review: Jackery Explorer 300 Plus portable power station and SolarSaga 80W solar panel
Fri, 22nd Dec 2023
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sustainability
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reviews
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power / energy
The Jackery Explorer 300 Plus portable power station and SolarSaga 80W solar panel is a great combo for anyone camping in an isolated place or just wanting to get into powering their camp in an environmentally friendly way.
![Story image](../../../../../uploads/story/2023/12/19/preview_Meta_Quest_Xbox_Cloud_Gaming_02.webp)
Xbox Cloud Gaming comes to Meta Quest headsets
Tue, 19th Dec 2023
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gaming
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microsoft
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technology gifts
Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available for Meta Quest 2, 3, and Pro headsets.