First day of travel update:
I brought my Roccat Nyth, but I didn't bring a mousepad and this hotel's desk has a marble desktop. RIP. I also decided to give the Logitech MX Anywhere (original, the 2 only seems to offer new colors and their software), and it's getting the job done. My hands are long and spidery and the mouse isn't comfortable to rest my palm on but I can use it okay in a claw grip. I brought my Teamwolf "CIY" tenkeyless keyboard with hot-swappable mechanical switches and one of them popped off in my checked luggage, but ` still works fine. My Steelseries Wireless H headphones also survived checked luggage. The MSI GS63VR's brick is pretty cumbersome but it was never an issue, just a hassle to take out and put up. I really wish there was an alternative with a retractable cord or something to help with the cable clutter.
The MX Anywhere seems pretty nice and at ~$50 I doubt there is much genuine competition. I don't like that clicking the scroll wheel isn't "middle mouse button", rather there's a button under the mousewheel that gives that function. Personally not a fan of the free-spinning scroll wheel, but most people seem to like it. YMMV. I haven't played with Logitech's software (it doesn't look like Windows 10 has installed it automatically) to see if I can make the buttons/macros to my liking so that could be a saving grace. But the device itself is built nicely, Bluetooth pairing was super easy and the mouse works fine from across my hotel room, probably ~12 feet. I'm having a bit of a hard time dialing in my mouse sensitivity for playing League of Legends comfortably, but I also think this hotel's desk and chair are making it hard for me to get comfortable so I don't want to come down too hard on the mouse just yet. The tracking does feel responsive and nice, I suspect any non-competitive gamer would be fine using the mouse as long as they were comfortable with the size. Being a non-competitive gamer I can't really comment on just how precise or responsive the mouse is, though. I don't notice any lag.
The PS4 controller has been GREAT so far. Given the good experience with the mouse (and the headset, actually), I'm inclined to think this might have something to do with my laptop's Bluetooth controller being nice, but the controller has worked flawlessly. The touchpad obviously wasn't made to be used as a mouse in Windows, and it's so sensitive that when trying to click the pad I move the mouse far from whatever I was trying to click on--good luck double clicking... There are some solutions I am considering but I haven't fooled with trying any of them. I could either play with DS4's sensitivity settings (and maybe there's an option to make it 'predict' clicking to make that easier) or map a button on the controller to "left mouse button." But, the controller lasted through about two hours of gameplay so far no problem and even when DS4 told me it was experiencing latency, I didn't really feel it, granted I was playing Dungeon of the Endless which is pretty much a turn based game. I've tested the controller in Skyrim prior to leaving for the trip and it controls exactly as I'd expect. The build quality of the controller is nice enough that I'm not super worried about having the controller (and the mouse) in my bag's front pocket for easy access. That said, I do take care when setting my bag down.
I have mixed feelings about the Roost laptop stand. It's a good design, but it feels really cheap for the ~$80 pricepoint. It's, like, basically four pieces of plastic. That's oversimplifying it, but honestly it feels cheap for how expensive it is. It gets the job done and is sturdy, though I feel like the angles it offers are very "steep" and I don't think any of them would be especially comfortable for using the laptop's keyboard. Definitely, though, the portability is great and you do save a lot of desk space by using the stand's footprint rather than the laptop's. I wonder if a larger laptop would be unstable on the stand (mine's in the 15.6" category), but my laptop is comfortable up there. The height of the stand is good, I was very comfortable playing an hour of Dungeon of the Endless (with my PS4 controller) while waiting at the airport.
I also got a ~$15 pair of Bluetooth earbuds off of amazon that were rated highly. The brand is Tair Accessory, I used the headset yesterday while I was getting packed and it worked excellently, I made a call while I was getting my paperwork and things sorted out for my flights and the person on the other end said they couldn't tell I was on a headset. This was while literally bustling around my workplace and moving things around, so I thought that was a pretty good sign. The headset stayed in no problem! Today, however, the earbuds won't stay in at all, and I'm not sure what's changed. But they're a real hassle, unfortunately. I'm also not sure what I did wrong (and the manual leaves a lot to be desired), but now the headset talks to me in Chinese. Haha. I probably used the headset from what should have been a full charge, and after probably ~4-6 hours of on-time mostly listening to music I got a beeping which I'm pretty sure indicates low battery, I'm not too impressed with that. That said, the sound quality (and apparently the microphone) are definitely adequate, it should come as no surprise that the bass leaves a lot to be desired. Listening to more "poppy" music and vocal-based music was enjoyable, but listening to songs that had quieter sections with a bass part were pretty silent. I'm kind of taking for granted this is the experience I'll have to settle for unless I want to invest in something like the Sony or Shure IEMs mentioned by some of the folks in here, or just break down and get a pair of proper Bluetooth headphones.
