Peripherals - Page 24

CES 2015 - We've seen things like Logitech's keyboard with a smartphone dock , but nothing quite like what ROCCAT has just launched as part of their CES 2015 promotions.

Featuring RGB LEDs and smartphone integration, the ROCCAT Ryos Pobo is aimed at the gamer, giving up Cherry MX Switch Mechanical Keys, two USB ports and a tenkeyless design. Roccat have now bolstered their range as of recent, seeing extra features added into the mid.

This keyboard is quoted to be made as part of ROCCAT's "Future Ready philosophy", with their CEO and Founder, Rene Korte explaining in their recent press release that "when concepting Phobo, we knew we had a strong vision. Still, we brought it back to the drawing board to expand and perfect the design."

Quite often overlooked, mousepads are essential to any gamers setup. Not only do they provide you with a steady surface to help keep (and build) your muscle memory as time goes by, they'll also prevent your mouse feet from wearing out quickly. As they're generally priced between $15-$40 and will last you around 18 months, there's no real excuse not to pick yourself one up.

Turtle Beach are throwing themselves into the PC market, with their last products announced being their new TRACTION and DRIFT mousepads. The TRACTION offering features a textured weave surface, an anti-slip rubber base and comes in various sizes - including Medium (270x220mm), Large (350x250mm), X-Large (450x350mm) and Wide (900x300mm). Expect this mousepad to set you back between $14.95 to $34.95 on their release later this year.

Secondly, Turtle Beach have announced their DRIFT surface. Described as using microfiber technology suitable for PC and MAC - because MAC customers apparently need to be told what they can and can't use. This mousepad has anti-fraying stitched edges and also comes in a range off sizes, including Medium (270x220mm), Large (350x250mm), X-Large (450x350mm) and Wide (900x300mm). This product range will also cost users between $14.95 to $34.95, depending on what size option you're interested in.

In yet another announcement, Turtle Beach are furthering their charge into the PC peripheral market - offering up two new GRIP mice for different styles of gaming. We've seen plenty of companies do this before and Turtle Beach are following suit - releasing one higher graded feature packed Laser mouse and its little brother optical offering.

For some reason Turtle Beach are really about the capital letters this coming spring. We've already written about their new IMPACT keyboard range, but what good it a mechanical keyboard without a top mouse to sit at its side?

Starting off with the big brother, Turtle Beach have released information on their new GRIP 500 mouse. Providing an Avago 9800 laser sensor and Omron switches, the 500 offers various illumination settings, seven programmable buttons and the ability to create up to 50 macros with up to 100 commands each. With all five profiles having the ability to be set to various color settings, this mouse stores all of the information on its on-board memory. Set for release later this year, the mouse will set you back $69.95.

Yep, you read it right. The brand famous for console headsets is now delving into the PC market - providing consumers with a Cherry MX Brown IMPACT 700 as their champion, among other gaming keyboards.

Featuring laser engraved key caps and adjustable red-only LED backlighting, this keyboard also has multiple illumination modes. As for more features, you can expect a six-key rollover, full anti-ghosting capabilities, a 3.5mm mic jack, an audio jack and two USB 2.0 ports that are said to support direct audio pass-through. This whole package will be listed for a MSRP of $195.95 when it comes out this spring.

They're also releasing an IMPACT 500 model, compatible with both PC and MAC. This tenkeyless keyboard features Cherry MX Blue switches, a metal reinforced chassis and a rather simplistic feel. This is the baby brother of the IMPACT 700 and will be released for $125.95 this spring.

CES 2015 - Mad Catz Interactive are once again providing the goods for the competitive gaming and eSports realms, putting up their new G.L.I.D.E mousepad for scrutiny.

Said to be optimized for both optical and laser mice, this surface is designed with FPS gamers in mind. By providing an extended surface size, those using low sensitivity can take refuge in the fact that they'll never slip off the end and miss their crucial headshots.

The G.L.I.D.E mousepad claims to use a new production method, seeing the contact surface being bonded directly to the silicone base and therefore creating an edgeless surface, helping reduce the all-too-common mousepad frayed edge issue. Mad Catz also claims this surface is immune to permanent curling, commenting that it is perfect to take to LAN events as the shape will remain unchanged, even when rolled and unrolled regularly.

CES 2015 - SteelSeries will be showcasing their new Sentry eye tracker at CES 2015 in Las Vegas and streaming the action live via Twitch TV. This new technology sets out to improve a users game play in any popular competitive or eSports title, helping them track their eye movements and analyze the results or see through the eyes of their favorite professional gamer.

SteelSeries' CEO, Ehtisham Rabbani, commented in their recently issued press release, saying that "today, with our Sentry Eye Tracker, we are announcing an entirely new way for streamers and viewers to see the game. This is just the tip of the innovation iceberg for Sentry, and we could not be more excited to realize all the possibilities that emerge when your game knows where your eyes are looking." This eye tracking technology has been made in partnership with Tobii Technology. Their president, Oscar Werner is reportedly quite excited about the project, stating that "eye tracking also provides an entirely new way for streamers and eSports competitors to entertain their audiences and use their eye tracking data to train and enhance their gaming strategy/ We are thrilled to partner with SteelSeries to realize the impact our eye tracking technology can have across different audiences throughout the video game industry."

Claimed as "the future of streaming", the Sentry will enable viewers to view the game through the eyes of the streamer, giving the fans an insight into the gamers though process, map awareness and other extremely important aspects when learning to master a game. The Sentry will also enable for out-of-game analysis of results, pointing out different screen fixation points and how often they complete crucial tasks like glancing at the mini-map.

If you're still on the hunt for Christmas presents, ASTRO have just issued a newsletter email that will get the young console or PC player in your family extremely excited. They're offering up to 25% off some gaming bundles, tailored towards Xbox One, PS4 and PC platforms.

The ASTRO Xbox One: Legendary pack comes with their Xbox One edition A50 headset, an accompanying headset case, a scout backpack and a 5 panel hat. Their PS4 offering comes with all of the same goodies, but an ASTRO edition A50 is supplied, followed up by their PC: Legendary pack which comes with an ASTRO edition A50, a BETA USB Tx (transmitter), a headset case, mission bag and 5 panel hat.

To ensure that you receive your deals in time, they suggest that you order before the 18th if you're wanting to ship via ground, by the 19th if UPS 2nd day service is what you're after, or the 21st if UPS next day air tickles your fancy.

In regular fashion, Razer have announced yet another product that we can barely pronounce - a professional grade microphone named the Seirēn. As just published on CEO Min-Liang Tan's Facebook page, this product is quoted to have been designed by working "closely with some of the top streamers and Youtubers".

This news comes linked with Razer's announcement of sponsorship for upcoming streamers and YouTube personalities in a bid to add to their already large list including hits such as PewDiePie and Swifty.

If you're a regular watcher of Razer sponsored streamers, it's likely you've already heard the Seirēn. It's claimed that this device has been used by sponsored streamers over the past few months - reportedly being hid behind a black card to hide it's identity.

If you're looking for something a little more stylish for the office, Rapoo have set out to provide you with a solution. Their new 8000 mouse and keyboard set are designed as a minimalist peripheral solution, seeing simple and effective styling all wrapped up in their low $19.99 retail price.

Coffee drinkers rejoice - the keyboard on offer is spill-resistant alongside running on a 2.4 GHz wireless connection, this board can be used up to a length of 10 meters away from the source device. Also providing 360 degree coverage, the keyboard offers customizable media keys, making it a possibility for your home entertainment system also.

The mouse gives you a handy 1000 DPI and is available in this set across different color options, including black/blue, black/green, black/gray and white/pink. This kit is available now from Walmart for the previously-quoted cheap retail price of $19.99 and sets out to offer you a home or office solution that's a little more stylish than the rest.

Mionix has taken to Kickstarter to fund its new gaming mouse, the NAOS QG, or the new NAOS Quantified Gaming mouse. Mionix's new NAOS QG is the first mouse of its kind to track all sorts of information on you, as it has built-in sensors that are always keeping a track on your movements, on the mouse pad, and off of it.

The NAOS QG "tracks your heart rate, galvanic skin response and actions per minute" the company explains on its Kickstarter page, with the information being displayed on your screen through a transparent overlay. Gamers can then use the "NAOS QG can even share and compare their QG stats with teammates, friends and the community. This opens a new dimension to how games are played, shared and professionally broadcasted".

You can track your stress levels in real-time, measure your body reaction times, and keep track of your changes, and goals all within the software that Mionix has created for the new NAOS QG. You can pledge $79 for the NAOS QG, which is $50 off of the RRP of $129. At the time of writing, Mionix had secured itself $12,046 of the required $100,000 funding goal.

SteelSeries has teamed up with eSports team Fnatic, launching a new range of gaming peripherals. The Fnatic Edition peripheral lineup includes the eSports' teams orange and black signature coloring, and logo.

The range includes a new special edition 9H Gaming Headset, Rival Optical Mouse, and Apex Keyboard. The owner of Fnatic, Sam Matthews, said: "The new Fnatic Edition products are something we're excited to be using in tournaments ourselves as well as bring to our fans; by purchasing these products they will directly support the team". SteelSeries' CEO, Ehtisham Rabbani, added: that the "talent, ambition and professionalism," of team Fnatic was a key to their success and that their branded products should reflect that".

Now, let's get to the hardware. The APEX Fnatic Edition Keyboard features customizable 16-million color illumination, and low profile keys. Anti-ghosting makes the cut, and is present on the "20 most commonly used keys", with an additional six multimedia keys and a possible 88 (four layers) programmable keys. It also features an integrated USB hub, with a 2m long braided USB cable.

Last year it was revealed that Microsoft spent some $100 million designing the Xbox One controller, but it's only now that we're finding out that the company went through 200 prototypes before landing on the final design.

During an interview with MCV, Design Lead Carl Ledbetter talked about the work that went into the final Xbox One and controller design, which took over three years. He said that Microsoft spent over 500 hours testing the controller, with over 1,100 different consumers. He said: "Nobody says anything about the little things on the hardware. If somebody is using the controller and after 30 minutes is saying 'my hands are starting to hurt.' then that's a fail. But if after 30 minutes all they're thinking about is the game, then we're doing OK".

Ledbetter compared the work on the controller and console itself, to the design of an expensive sports car "and then you opened the door and the handle felt a little strange". He continued, adding that Microsoft had learned from previous mistakes, adding "An example of something we got wrong was the first Xbox controller. It worked, but it wasn't the right size for people".

PAX AU 2014 - After falling in love with the Kuven Devil A1 headset, I had to stop by and say hello to the good people at Tesoro while I was at PAX Australia 2014 to check out the rest of their gear.

They had quite a spacious place on the show floor, showing off their range of gaming peripherals, ranging from gaming keyboards, to mice and headsets. We took a walk around the place checking it all out in the video above, while we have individual pictures available below.

Here we have the Durandal Ultimate keyboard, with 'G mode' or 5 instant profile keys, full Cherry MX Key Switches, 128KB of on-board memory, and a detachable comfortable palm rest.

PAX AU 2014 - I'm used to seeing Corsair at events like Computex, but with the company spinning off its gaming division into its own entity, known as Corsair Gaming, the company can now better show off its gaming products at events such as PAX Australia.

Corsair Gaming had a great section to its self at PAX AU, showing off its new gaming mouse, its various keyboards, headsets and more. The star of the show has to be the new Corsair Gaming Sabre RGB Mouse, which is a new super-light, great-looking gaming mouse.

Picking it up in person makes you really appreciate the weight of it, where it would be great for those massive gaming sessions. The Sabre RGB supports the Corsair Utility Engine (CUE) which allows gamers to change up the DPI on the mouse, acceleration and tune the button assignments.

Peripheral and audio maker Rapoo has launched the wireless KX Mechanical Keyboard, providing vibration feedback so users have a better typing experience. The keyboard uses a 5GHz connection and has a range up to 32 feet, with a standby time of 40 hours. Rapoo also included a Dual-Mode so a micro-USB cable can be plugged into the keyboard - making it possible to recharge the keyboard while it's still in use.

The KX includes three different lighting levels, allowing an enhanced computing typing experience depending on time of day and ambient light. The Rapoo KX Mechanical Keyboard is available now in black and white for $79.99 MSRP, with red, yellow and blue versions of the keyboard available in 2015.

Mechanical keyboards have become increasingly popular among PC gamers, but have migrated to traditional keyboards for regular PC users.

Corsair, mostly known for its rock solid power supplies, RAM and coolers, has announced a new division of the company: Corsair Gaming. Corsair Gaming has one goal in mind: "the elevation of PC gaming and the development of high-performance PC peripherals".

Andy Paul, President and CEO of Corsair explains it best: "For 20 years, Corsair has equipped gamers with high performance, precision hardware to build their dream PCs. Corsair Gaming now introduces new ways for PC gamers to optimize how they play. We've brought together our engineering expertise and our passion for gaming to build a line of products that delivers performance, customized for however you play". But what's the good of a new division, without a slew of new products?

Starting with the new Gaming RGB Keyboards, Corsair has three new button-mashing devices ready for disposal. The K95 RGB, K70 RGB and K65 RGB. The new RGB Gaming Keyboards all feature color-customizable designs, with 16.8 million color backlighting, are the "headliners of the Corsair Gaming brand". All three of the new keyboards feature German-made Cherry MX RGB mechanical keys, which is an exclusive-to-launch partnership with Cherry.

Logitech has just unveiled something it is calling the 'most advanced mechanical gaming keyboard in the world' with its new G910 Orion Spark RGB Mechanical Keyboard. This new keyboard features Logitech's exclusive new Romer-G mechanical switches, something that offers "25 percent faster actuation than any other mechanical switch, improved durability and intelligent Illumination".

The new Orion Spark features the Romer-G mechanical switches, something that can't be found on any other keyboard, with an actuation point of 1.5mm, the "Romer-G switches register your key presses up to 25 percent faster than competing mechanical switches". Logitech has improved the durability of these keys, too, which are capable of up to 70 million keystrokes, which is around 40% longer than competing keyboards. This allows gamers to bash down on those keys millions of times, without worrying about wearing them down quick.

Logitech has built-in some nifty lighting into each and every key on the G910 Orion Spark, with every key capable of being individually customized from a palette of 16.8 million colors. The lighting "is centrally located within each switch and is directed by precision optics, to ensure that the lettering on each key is evenly illuminated". There's a new application available from Logitech G, something that works with LGS to "enable delivery of a wide range of information on your mobile device including anything from in-game intelligence, to vital system performance stats, to media controls". Not only that, but there are also nine programmable buttons, which can be used for anything from easy access to certain applications, or complex commands.

For what has felt like forever, gamers have wanted the Xbox controller made available for Windows, and now that day has come. Microsoft has unveiled an Xbox controller made specifically for Windows, as well as a few other peripherals, with a new mouse and keyboard that will work on virtually any tablet on the market, including an iPad.

The new Xbox controller for Windows is different to the one console gamers know and love, with a USB cable tethering it to your PC. The new Xbox controller, while made for Windows, still works on the Xbox. The new controller sports infrared LEDs that can be picked up by the Kinect, working with other Xbox hardware such as the Charge Kit and Chat Headset.

Microsoft has made its new Xbox controller for Windows compatible with Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, requires a single USB port, and is priced at $59.95. Microsoft will make the new Xbox controller available to all in November.

Logitech has announced something that it is calling the 'fastest gaming mouse ever made' in its new G402 Hyperion Fury Ultra-Fast FPS gaming mouse. A new gaming moue that has tracking speeds of an insane 500 inches per second.

The company spent three years in research and development, according to Ehtisham Rabbani, who is the General Manager of the Logitech Gaming Business. Logitech's new G402 Hyperion Fury has an on-board 32-bit ARM-based processor, and Delta Zero sensor technology that helps it drive toward this new title. It also sports eight fully programmable buttons with 1ms report rates, and on-the-fly DPI switching between four different settings.

Each and every button supports a single keystroke or complex macros using Logitech's gaming software, with configurations saved to the mouse itself, meaning that you can bring your configurations with you to a new system. Logitech is expected to launch the mouse sometime in August across the US and Europe for $59.99.

Computex 2014 - Cementing themselves in the video card market and creating a name for themselves in the power supply market; EVGA now have their eye on the gaming peripheral market with the release of a mouse.

The Torq X10 Carbon was initially shown off at CES and it's taken almost 6 months for EVGA to finally bring the product to market. With a sleek software suite, though, and a great look and feel there's no denying that EVGA are ready to enter the gaming peripheral market with force. The new Torq X10 Carbon is a serious looking mouse with all buttons being customizable and LED lighting that can change color.

Along with the Torq X10 Carbon, though, we got a chance to check out a very early version of a full mechanical keyboard the company is working on. Sporting media keys, macros and an LCD screen across the top; the yet to be named keyboard is still a while away. It's clear that EVGA want to shake up the peripheral market; and with these products it's more then possible.