Peripherals News - Page 24

BenQ has been all over the competitive gaming scene in the last five years, sponsoring most of the biggest gaming organisations, gaming events and tournaments alike. This strong commitment to the eSports scene has been further extended, seeing this Taiwanese company announce that it has "strengthened holdings in the research and manufacture of gaming equipment by investing in the player trusted brand ZOWIE."

Further stating that BenQ and ZOWIE's passion and mission for business both strongly align with its own, this fact makes this renewed collaboration being only logical. Back in 2010 these two companies co-branded a professional gaming monitor, with this partnership to extend now into 2015, seeing BenQ help out ZOWIE in peripheral research and development.

Said to be further making products for casuals and professionals alike, there is no saying just yet exactly what products these two companies will make together, however the press release does mention First Person Shooter games being a particular focus.

G.SKILL has just released two new Cherry MX mechanical gaming keyboards in the RIPJAWS brand: the mesmerizing muti-color KM780 RGB and the crimson-red backlit KM780 MX.

Both models are ultra-durable and designed specifically for performance gaming, featuring five-level contour keys and raised keycaps that are optimized for ASWD movement schemes. Apart from the color schemes the models are identical in form and function. The keys on G.SKILL's new offerings can all be turned into macros on-the-fly, and sport dedicated macro control keys as well as six extra macro buttons fora huge level of flexibility for optimum gaming.

To help minimize mouse cable interference and keep things tidy while gaming, users can thread mouse cords through the onboard foldable holder clasped to the front end of the keyboard. Plus the models act as a hub for devices thanks to a USB 2.0 pass-through and an audio line-in and mic-out jack.

If you're a hardcore gamer on the go, Razer has a solution that it believes will suit you perfectly. Enter the Razer Orochi, a notebook gaming mouse which features 8,200 DPI through the help of a 4G laser sensor, Razer Chroma RGB lighting and 60 hours of non-stop battery life.

With added Windows 10 support, this mouse is being released with double the battery life of its predecessor and it has Bluetooth 4.0 partly to thank for this. If you're looking to use it wired or need a charge, there is also an included 3.28 foot braided USB cable on offer.

The mouse measures up at only 3.9(L) x 2.64(W) x 1.38(H) inches in stature and requires two AA batteries to operate.

Razer has just announced its latest peripheral, a customizable controller for the Xbox One known as Wildcat. Razer says that it built the Wildcat as a controller for competitive Xbox One gamers, reducing the weight of the original Xbox One controller by 25%.

Wildcat features four additional buttons that can be remapped to whatever you want, as well as a "quick control" panel at the bottom of the controller which lets gamers quickly switch between profiles, adjust chat volume, or mute their audio. The new Razer Wildcat also features rubber palm rests, an analog stuck that is covered in a green grip, and something that Razer calls "aircraft-grade" aluminum triggers.

Razer will be offering the new Wildcat controller for the Xbox One in October for $150.

Corsair launched the Corsair Gaming Sabre Laser gaming mouse, a new product made in collaboration with the Team Dignitas eSports team.

The Sabre Laser RGB gaming mouse weighs around 100 grams, and features an 8,200 DPI laser sensor, 1,000Hz USB refresh rate, 16.8M color backlighting, and eight programmable buttons. It is compatible with the Corsair Utility Engine (CUE) software.

The mouse is available now, and has a $54.99 MSRP.

Cloud Imperium Games has just announced it has partnered up with peripherals maker Saitek on some exclusive products for Star Citizen, including joysticks, keyboards and headsets.

In order to help with the huge immersion in Star Citizen already, specifically made peripherals are only going to add to that. Saitek partnered up with CIG on the peripherals to not just being 'stylized' but they will be uniquely designed to the look and feel of the hardware used in Star Citizen.

There will be a 'connected theme' of keyboards and joysticks so that there's an entire control solution for the hardcore Star Citizen fans. The keyboards and mice that Saitek are working on won't be reskinned peripherals, they will be an entire system of peripherals that can be used in a modular way, which has me excited just typing it in for you to read, let alone using them myself.

Gamescom 2015 - Razer has just announced two new gaming peripherals at Gamescom, a new gaming keyboard and gaming keypad. The new DeathStalker Chroma keyboard and Orbweaver Chroma keypad are powered by RGB LEDs, so they also look awesome.

Starting with the DeathStalker Chroma, which is a slightly modified DeathStalker keyboard featuring laptop-style chiclet keys for silent typing, and the usual gaming use. The new DeathStalker Chroma features RGB LED backlit keys supporting up to 16.8 million colors, with Razer's Chroma software that lets users enjoy multiple lighting zones and color modes.

The new Razer Orbweaver Chroma keypad is for the hardcore gamers as it's a one-handed pad with 20 programmable mechanical keys, it features an eight-way direction pad, two additional buttons, and an adjustable spot for your thumb, wrist and palm. Razer has splashed the usual RGB LEDs within the mechanical keys, making it light up beautifully during those hardcore gaming sessions.

Gamescom 2015 - ROCCAT has debuted its new Nyth gaming mouse at Gamescom, with the Nyth being a new MMO-hybrid gaming mouse with a "completely hot-swappable side button grid" that is sure to have MMO gamers foaming at the mouth.

The new ROCCAT Nyth has huge out-of-the-box customization, with a massive 36,738 different combinations thanks to its 33 different buttons. ROCCAT founder and CEO, René Korte, explains: "We've loved cracking the challenge of the Nyth. Making a mouse so deeply customizable was a great test for our creative and design teams. What we ended up with was not only a one of a kind MMO-centric piece of gaming equipment, but a mouse that is a chameleon. Turn it into a MOBA mouse, an FPS weapon, and more; any gaming configuration for any genre you can think of. That's what the Nyth brings to the table".

But the more exciting product that ROCCAT was showing off, at least to me, was the Sova prototype. ROCCAT showed off the Sova prototype at E3 2015 earlier this year, with the modular gaming board wanting to see you gaming in the living room. ROCCAT has announced that there will be more than one model of the Sova, with Korte saying: "After the great reception at E3 for our Sova prototype, we were given so much feedback, and pursued that further with surveys and more testing. Gamers want a PC gaming living room solution that's affordable, effective, and meets their spec priorities".

Corsair has just unveiled a bunch of new gaming peripherals during Gamescom 2015, with new STRAFE RGB mechanical gaming keyboards, Scimitar RGB MMO/MOBA mouse, and new flagship VOID gaming headsets.

One of the jewels in Corsair's new gaming peripherals is the ultra-quiet STRAFE RGB Silent, which is the world's first keyboard with Cherry MX RGB Silent gaming switches, which will "deliver the speed and precision of linear mechanical switches with significantly quieter actuation". Corsair adds that the STRAFE RGB Silent has "new switches combined with the noise-suppressing architecture of the keyboard chassis", that makes the "pro-level STRAFE RGB Silent 30% quieter than other mechanical gaming keyboards".

Corsair's new VOID headsets come in three flavors: wireless, USB or analog stereo. The VOID gaming headset earcups are "shaped to fit the human ear, providing the utmost comfort while delivering spectacular audio fidelity". The USB and wireless VOID headsets feature innovative features like InfoMic status LEDs, and a CUE Control dial that lets gamers control their gaming soundscape without pausing their game.

Satechi has announced the launch of its BT Cortana Button, a custom solution as Microsoft rolls out Windows 10 to millions of users.

The BT Cortana Button is designed so users are able to quickly access Cortana on a Windows smartphone or computer remotely. It can be easily stored on key chains, steering wheels or anywhere that is convenient for the owner - and provides access to the virtual personal assistant in a safe manner.

Satechi promises up to two years battery life and Bluetooth wireless range up to 40 feet with the BT Cortana Button. It is expected to launch in late August with a $22.99 MSRP.