Peripherals News - Page 1

Mechanical keyboards come in all shapes and sizes with different switches and levels of customization to suit any need. For those who love retro PC hardware from the 1990s, where grey and beige hardware was the order of the day, the new LOFREE BLOCK 98 wireless mechanical keyboard might be the keyboard you've been looking for.

Right off the bat, the minimal grey and beige aesthetics of this look awesome (yeah, count me as a fan of retro PC hardware) thanks to the touches of orange found on two knobs in the top right-hand corner. By default, one controls volume with a press-to-mute function, while the other switches between wired, wireless, and off. Having an off switch on a keyboard feels old-school.

Of course, the real kicker is the fact that it's a 98% form-factor keyboard with some impressive specs - from a custom stabilizer to multiple layers of padding to PBT keycaps and a hot-swappable self-lubricating Full POM Switch design. Quadruple sound dampening here results in a satisfyingly quiet and smooth type.

Wrapped in gold foil, the latest custom Xbox controller from Microsoft is an edible block of chocolate - with the company calling it the "first-ever official edible Xbox Controller made of 100% pure chocolate." The reason why there's a chocolate Xbox controller is to celebrate the release of the new Warner Bros. "Wonka" film hitting cinemas this December. The promotion also extends to a custom Wonka-Inspired Xbox Series X.

The good news is that the Xbox Series X that looks like a giant chocolate bar isn't edible; it's a fully functioning console with Wonka aesthetics. The custom console is bundled with a console display stand modeled after Willy Wonka's chocolate store. "While the console may look like one of Wonka's famous chocolate bars, the Wonka-inspired Xbox Series X is not edible," the announcement writes.

Best of all, Microsoft, Warner Bros., and the Xbox team are giving away these one-of-a-kind creations via X (formerly Twitter) as part of the latest Xbox sweepstakes competition open to all Xbox regions and markets around the globe.

CORSAIR is expanding its keyboard line-up with a new special edition version of the K70 CORE - with the new CORSAIR K70 CORE SE giving the keyboard a style makeover thanks to the excellent use of white, silver, and yellow flourishes. The combination gives the overall look of the mechanical keyboard a retro meets modern feel that, for me, easily trumps the standard all-black edition.

Hardware-wise, it's no slouch, with pre-lubricated CORSAIR MLX Red linear mechanical switches for smooth performance over the 70 million keystroke lifespan. Throw in two layers of sound-dampening foam, and the CORSAIR K70 CORE SE aims to deliver on acoustics, type-feel and looks.

A nice 'green' touch comes from the keyboard's bottom case, constructed with 85% post-consumer recycled materials, making it the most eco-friendly gaming keyboard CORSAIR has ever produced.

Razer is rolling out one of its more advanced gaming mouse features to several products in its lineup with 8000 Hz Razer HyperPolling Wireless technology coming to Razer's Viper V2 Pro, DeathAdder V3 Pro, Cobra Pro, Basilisk V3 Pro, and Viper V3 HyperSpeed gaming mice.

It's an impressive upgrade when stacked against the industry standard 1000 Hz polling because it means that instead of an input delay of 1 ms, you're getting an input delay of only 0.125 ms. An 8X increase that Razer believes creates "smoother cursor movements, impeccable accuracy, and the elimination of any micro-stutters."

The update arrives via new firmware currently being rolled out via the latest version of the Razer Synapse software.

Alienware has taken two of its peripherals, the Alienware AW420K mechanical keyboard and AW720M gaming mouse, and faithfully re-created them both at 14 times their original size. And with that, you've got the world's largest mechanical keyboard that's over 5 meters long (or 16 feet) with a spacebar the size of a person.

The space apparently took three days to 3D print, and each mechanical switch had to be custom-made because there's no reason for an existing keyboard switch to require over 4 inches of travel distance. Alienware partnered with Team Liquid on the project and even got them to play a round of DOTA using the oversized equipment - naturally, it took the whole team to control a single character.

The mouse, too, is fully functional, with giant mechanical switches and a scroll wheel - though it requires a lot of effort to move around.

Things are taking an interesting turn in the world of Xbox accessories with a new policy uncovered by Windows Report noting that as of November 12, 2023, Microsoft will no longer allow unauthorized third-party accessories to be used on consoles like the Xbox Series X|S - specifically wireless controllers.

The revelation came after players were prompted by a new mysterious error code, "error 0x82d60002," when using certain third-party controllers, letting them know that after November 12, it would be blocked from use. It sounds like a pretty drastic move on behalf of Microsoft and something that will hurt the makers of third-party accessories like controllers long-term.

However, in an update to the news citing sources aware of Microsoft's plans, the company will expand its program for approving third-party wireless controllers.

Apple's move away from Lightning and towards USB-C is set to continue next week, with arguably the company's worst product getting a refresh.

That product is the much-maligned Magic Mouse, with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reporting that the upcoming 'Scary Fast' event that takes place on Monday will see the unveiling of updated accessories to go with whatever Macs are announced. One of those accessories is of course the Magic Mouse, with Gurman claiming that the updated model will ditch Lightning for good, replacing it with the USB-C port that now also adorns the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro products.

The $79 Magic Mouse currently comes in two colors and there is no suggestion that more will be added with this update. There is also no suggestion that Apple is getting ready to fix the mouse's main problem - the fact that its Lightning port is on the bottom of the device. That means that the mouse cannot be used while it's plugged in, a fact that continues to make it the laughingstock of the accessory world.

The evolution of the discrete graphics card for PC gaming has been fascinating to watch over the years, with massive performance leaps and breakthroughs arriving at a steady clip. The ancient days of early 3D gaming have paved the way for realistic physics, lighting, animation, texture detail, ray-tracing, and so much more.

However, as GPUs have become more powerful, they've begun to require more sophisticated cooling - often with large fans and lots of fins, copper, and heat pipes.

On the high-end, the overall size of flagship GPUs like the GeForce GTX 980 through to the GeForce RTX 4090 (or the Radeon RX 7900XTX compared to an older Polaris-era card) has increased substantially to the point where mid-range GPUs are now a lot larger than what they used to be. And with that, GPU sag is a real problem - so having a GPU brace or bracket is a must if you plan on installing one in the traditional horizontal configuration.

Acquiring a dedicated PC gaming chair as part of a build is becoming increasingly common, and the overall sports or racing car shape has become synonymous with gamers. And much like with anything PC hardware-related, there are differences between brands, models, features, and the quality you can expect regarding the MSRP.

This is all a long-winded way of saying that Cougar has put a 200mm RGB fan on its new NxSys Aero gaming chair launching this month in the US and Europe. Cougar, a brand known for creating high-performance peripherals, explains in its press release that the fan circulates air around the chair and directs the "airflow towards your back."

Naturally, the idea is that the cooler you are, the better you'll perform in a competitive title. Per the images supplied, the fan sits right in the middle of the backrest between some mesh, and it looks like a sub-woofer from a distance.

CORSAIR has launched its latest wireless mouse, the CORSAIR M75 AIR WIRELESS - an ultra-lightweight wireless mouse designed for gamers who love playing FPS titles. Weighing in at 60 grams, it's among the lightest and most agile offerings.

It comes equipped with the company's powerful CORSAIR MARKSMAN 26K DPI optical sensor, too, to ensure precise and accurate movement and tracking no matter if you're lining up a headshot or on the other end scrambling to run and strafe to find cover. This is backed up by pro-grade 650 IPS tracking and up to 50g acceleration.

Sporting a symmetrical shape, the 2023 wireless M75 AIR from CORSAIR features a meticulous redesign involving "every contour, outline, and button placement" being reworked and fine-tuned to reach the "optimal state." This is a bold claim, but based on the company's track record, it's enough to get super excited about going hands-on with the CORSAIR M75 AIR WIRELESS.