Peripherals News - Page 20

Computex 2016 - GIGABYTE is focusing on gamers with a new line of peripherals and accesories that includes a mechanical keyboard, a mouse, and a mousepad.

First up is the XK700 keyboard, which features Cherry MX switches, 16.8M RGB lighting that's customizable per key, and full N-key rollover functionality (so simultaneous keystrokes always register as you'd expect them to). The design looks to be simplistic with a clean silver and black colour scheme -- just the way we like it.

Then there's the XM300 gaming mouse, which houses the Pixart 3988 optical sensor and the "ultra durable" Omron Switch (said to be good for 20 million clicks). Like the XK700, it also features customizable 16.8M RGB lighting.

Computex 2016 - Tesoro teases a brand new mechanical keyboard powered by IR key switches for "extreme durability and breakneck response times."

Although Tesoro has recently unveiled the Gram Spectrum RGB mechanical keyboards outfitted with Kailh's custom 3.5mm travel distance Agile switches, the company plans to push the bar with new IR key switches. The optical-based infrared key switches should be a big jump in speed over the low-profile Agile switches, offering faster response by "eliminating metal bounce."

Here's what Tesoro said in their official press release: "The new switches use infrared technology to register keystrokes eliminating metal bounce and oxidation meaning extreme durability and breakneck response times. The new switches will reportedly offer advanced anti-particle and spill-resistant abilities and allow users to customize key switches on the keyboard."

Remember that sweet mechanical keyboard with pressure-sensitive keys I told you about a few months ago? The one with the weird name? It's hit Kickstarter.

The Wooting one, as it's known, has already surpassed its €30,000 funding goal, sitting at €46,915 as of the time of writing and just two days in. The company behind it says the keyboard is nearly finished and a manufacturer is lined up; they just needed a bit extra to finalize the firmware, so now it's off to the races.

Since we last saw it, the Wooting one's switches have been detailed. They are indeed custom: dubbed Flaretech optical switches, they come in Red ("Linear silent" for gaming) and Blue ("Non-linear clicky") and are described as "modular" and "fast as light."

Logitech's "Great Wall of G810s" goes down as one of the most ingenious and impressive spectacles in PAX East history.

At this year's PAX East show, Logitech built a massive colorful wall of out of 18,400 keyboard LEDs to simulate old-school arcade games. The wall used 160 of Logitech's new G810 RGB mechanical keyboards, and was made possible thanks to custom laser-etched keycaps to make every key simulate a colored pixel. The huge LED wall drew lots of attention at the show, and reportedly took six months of planning to orchestrate.

"I'm a dork, I'm a nerd, I grew up playing Pac Man, Space Invaders, Asteroids...so I thought 'how cool would it be if we built a huge wall out of our keyboards and we programmed a video game on it," Logitech's Vice President and General Manager Ujesh Desai told Gamers Nexus.

PC gaming peripheral maker Tesoro today announced two new low-profile GRAM Spectrum mechanical keyboards optimized for performance gaming.

Tesoro's new GRAM Spectrum mechanical keyboards sport the company's low-profile AGILE mechanical switches with a shorter 3.5 mm travel distance, and are available in red and blue AGILE switch flavors. The GRAM Spectrum also feature double-injection keycaps for optimum durability.

The GRAM Spectrum fluxes with over 16.8 million color combinations with fully customized RGB lighting, and every single key can be custom-programmed. With a 32bit ARM processor and 512KB onboard memory, users can save and execute macro settings on-the-fly. Tesoro's new mechanical keyboards offer an ultra-polling rate of 1000Hz, and Full N-Key/G-key rollover options.

SteelSeries is not to be outdone by their competitors with their new eSports focused minimalist keyboard; the Apex M500. They want to bring the cost of entry into the mechanical world down so that anyone can enjoy the stability and typing superiority that comes from real mechanical switches.

Don't be fooled by the lower price, however, because this exudes all the quality you'd expect from a SteelSeries keyboard. The comfortable, durable injection-molded keys in an attractive yet understated casing. The branding is also very low-key, simply the logo on the top right. Being a bit more minimalist and low-cost, it only comes in Cherry MX Red flavors with blue LED backlighting. You can still customize the lighting to light up on specific zones with the SteelSeries Engine. Nonetheless, a good quality keyboard with great switches at what might be seen as a bargain price for what it is. These things are expensive, costs more to make those switches, so anything approaching below $99 is fantastical. It's good to see SteelSeries taking up that segment, driving things down where possible without compromising quality.

"The APEX M500 is my new keyboard of choice. It's a tank and lives up to the quality of the 6Gv2, the mechanical keyboard that I've been using for a year now," says Kurtis "Aui_2000" Ling, Carry for Evil Geniuses Dota 2. "This keyboard is everything I think a majority of players look for when it comes to quality and feel, it's going to be a product that will be used at the pro level for a long, long time."

Corsair has just unveiled its new M65 PRO RGB gaming mouse, which is a competition-grade FPS gaming mouse that is infused with technology that pushes you further towards your goal of winning. It features a huge 12,000 DPI optical sensor that provides "pixel-precise tracking and the advanced surface calibration support offers supreme responsiveness for your playing surface".

The new M65 PRO RGB has an advanced weight tuning system that lets gamers tune their mouse's center of gravity to better match their play style, as some gamers want super-quick precision so they make it lighter - while heavier weights are used for decisive movements. Corsair has tapped high-capacity Omron switches that are good for 20 million clicks, alongside low friction PTFE glide pads that will provide reliable performance throughout your gaming sessions with the Corsair M65 PRO RGB. Here are the full specs:

The new Corsair M65 PRO RGB is available right now from most places, while the M65 PRO RGB White will be available next month.

Last week it was a smart frying pan; this week it's a smart rice cooker. Chinese company Xiaomi, which already has several smart appliance products, is launching the $150 Mi Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker in collaboration with partner Chun Mi, which aims to improve on the traditional rice cooker with added features.

Firstly, the app will let you scan your bag of rice so the cooker knows exactly what to do based on the type of rice you're using as well as its brand and origin. 200 brands are supported, with more to come. Second, it employs pressure control, induction heating, and a grey cast iron lining as highly regarded Japanese rice cookers do, all with the aim of creating tastier rice. And finally, it can make rice cakes as well as other dishes.

The price may seem steep, but Xiaomi says its cooker is comparable to the aforementioned Japanese rice cookers, which go for about $600. If you're a rice nerd (if there ever was such a thing), it could be well worth it.

Razer is going back to the basics with their newest line of keyboards, taking away the bells and whistles that drive up the cost of their normal Blackwidow line with the new Blackwidow X. Simplicity doesn't mean cheap, just less expensive with the same (improved) manufacturing techniques.

The new keyboards are part of a whole new line that's attempting to break into all manner of price points for mechanical keyboards by stripping away the top-plate and the accessory buttons that come with it. The exposed metal plate underneath is actually quite attractive, with a similar look to Corsair's keyboards. This new line is focusing on bringing the cost of Razer's keyboards, with their own designed switch, down to more reasonable levels. This one is full-sized, with numpad, and has Razer's Green switch, with a 50g actuation force requirement and a shorter breaking point. They're durable to up to 80 million clicks and each individual key is individually programmable to show 16.8 million different colors. You can find it for $159.99.

There's always some question of quality surrounding Razer. I myself have had bad luck in regards to Razer products failing, however, they're very adamant about increasing their quality control and making sure their manufacturing processes are far better than they were in the past. They're recognizing the shortcomings from the past. At E3 last year, I was able to see some of the different mechanisms they use to test their new switches, and they certainly put them through a torture test to ensure they work far more reliably than in the past. I'm currently investigating the durability of the Razer Blackwidow Chroma Tournament (tenkeyless) edition by not holding back on my clicking.

Valve has just unleashed the CAD files for its Steam Controller, allowing games to design their own modifications to the controller, which works with specific games, and already offers custom configurations.

Valve encourages gamers who want to design unique modifications for the Steam Controller, but Valve's approval is needed in order to sell them. Erik Johnson, a designer at Valve said that the version of the Steam Controller available at retail wasn't meant to be the final form.

The company hoped that gamers around the world would customize the hardware to their unique needs, with Johnson telling Polygon back in October 2015: "We want to release the CAD files for how these controllers are put together".