For middle-aged gamers in Singapore like me, Tec-Drome wasn’t just another video game shop. It was an institution, a place for gamers to gather, and check out the latest video games and gaming peripherals. I remember the cluttered shelves of game boxes towering over the teenaged me inside the store, with mice and gaming headphones demo stations on the outside.
But I haven’t visited Tec-Drome in years. And the 32-year store will be closed next week, according to owner Woo Liah Meng, with the business shifting online. The older, cynical me is actually surprised that Tec-Drome has stayed open for as long as it did, even surviving the Covid-19 pandemic. But the writing has been on the wall for a while now.
Physical games make up just 5% of video games revenues globally last year, according to research firm Newzoo. For PC games, the physical-digital divide was even more stark with 99% digital. I last bought a physical video game in 2019 (Kingdom Hearts III). It probably doesn’t help that I have both PlayStation Plus Deluxe and Xbox Game Pass game subscription services, which meant that I didn’t buy that many games in the first place.
Even the upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro won’t come with a physical disc drive — it’s a separate, optional purchase. Meanwhile Microsoft, too, will add a disc-less version of its higher-end Xbox Series X later this year. In other words, console makers expect the share of boxed console games (17% in 2023) to dip even further. Now, I’m totally in favour of the convenience, not to mention the more sustainable nature, of digital games. But I feel sad about the potential loss of human connection when another physical store, especially one run by passionate folks, and just not another chain store, bites the dust.
This week, we tested Vivo’s latest mid-range phone that features Zeiss-branded cameras, a bladeless air fryer from local brand Europace, and Sony’s new studio monitor headphones.
The Vivo V40 5G focuses on the photography angle with its Zeiss-branded cameras. This mid-range phone is also snappy, and offers good battery life. But the Zeiss collaboration is the main thing here, and you can find Zeiss’ influence in the camera app and its settings. The V40 was especially impressive for portrait shots, and did well even in low-light conditions.
The first thing you’ll notice about the Europace 6-in-1 Lumi Bladeless Air Fryer is its large window that lets you see your food being cooked. But more importantly, this air fryer is easy to use, and easy to clean with a removable container. It’s also relatively affordable at S$199.
The Sony MDR-M1 closed monitor headphones are the long-awaited sequel to the iconic Sony MDR-7506. It has a new, more modern design, as well as new drivers that offers ultra-wideband playback that can reproduce frequencies from 5Hz to 80,000Hz. Meant for professionals, these headphones offer the clarity and faithful reproduction that you’ll want for studio monitors.