A gadget is a small mechanical or electronic device that performs specific tasks or functions to improve convenience and efficiency. It may also refer to a software application or utility. For example, software gadgets are mini-applications displayed on desktop monitors to offer functionality such as weather or news updates. In a more general sense, the term may also be used to refer to a computer widget, a piece of hardware that performs a specific function or is added to a computing platform (for example, an X11 window) in order to reduce its memory load.
In the cartoon series, Inspector Gadget is a bumbling crime-fighting agent who carries various electronic devices within his body. Despite his arsenal of gadgets and his personal vehicle that morphs between a family minivan and a compact police car, Gadget is often absent-minded and clueless, frequently bungling his investigations and getting himself into danger. He is aided by his niece Penny, who has a gifted sleuthing mind and operates behind the scenes to thwart M.A.D.’s schemes and keep her uncle out of harm’s way.
Gadgets have an incredible synergy with Sam’s playstyle, require skill to master their use and are powerful tools for counterplay and winning fights against high-level opponents. However, the rework completely removes a major element of gadgets that is important to their feel and gameplay: their cooldown. Now that gadgets can be spammed the second their cooldown finishes, they become a much less interesting and effective tool to use.