Peripherals - Page 8

We got our first look at Corsair Custom Lab at Computex 2024, an online service that allows PC gamers, creators, and enthusiasts to customize the look and feel of Corsair hardware to create a more personalized piece of gear. So far, Corsair Custom Lab includes the award-winning K65 Plus Wireless Gaming Keyboard, M75 Air Wireless Gaming Mouse, MM300 Mouse Pad, and Katana DDR5 Memory.

"CORSAIR understands the high standards and expectations our community has, and they deserve peripherals that deliver elite level performance, while also matching their style," said Tobias Brinkmann, Vice President and General Manager of Gaming Peripherals. "CORSAIR Custom Lab is our solution, allowing gamers to show off their unique style without sacrificing performance. It has already been a huge success in North America, so we're thrilled to let our European fans into the Lab."

This week, the company announced that Corsair Custom Lab has arrived in Europe. This will allow gamers across the region to create custom Corsair gear with support for NA, UK, DE, and FR keyboard layouts.

ASUS has produced some office new monitors with a clever and innovative trick up their sleeves - or perhaps a gimmick, depending on how you look at this development - namely an integrated air purification system.

Yes, we're betting you didn't see that one coming (we certainly didn't), and the claim from ASUS is that the VU Air Ionizer range of monitors is capable of filtering "up to 90% of airborne dust within three hours."

The air ionizer hardware is built into the rear of the monitor, on top of the protruding section of the back panel that houses the ports.

Dell's Alienware brand is ushering in a new twist on the QD-OLED formula with the revelation of a more affordable gaming monitor using this tech.

The relatively wallet-friendly model in question is the incoming Alienware AW2725D, a 27-inch monitor that sports a QD-OLED panel with a 1440p resolution and is set to retail at $549.

It comes with a 280Hz refresh rate, and is apparently very similar to the existing AW2725Q, the primary difference being the inbound panel drops the resolution from 4K to 1440p in order to trim pricing down by $350 - a big drop.

The ASUS Fragrance Mouse is a new ergonomic productivity mouse for laptops and PCs. Thanks to its "power-saving technology," it offers a year's worth of control from a single AA battery. This is an impressive feature, but the mouse's Fragrance side makes it stand out. It features an "internal fragrance compartment."

This refillable and removable vial holds aromatic oils, giving the mouse a personalized scent that can be swapped out for different fragrances. An aromatherapy mouse was not something we expected to see from ASUS this week (or any other week), and this isn't an early April Fools.

Outside of the pleasant-smelling features, the ASUS Fragrance Mouse's ergonomic shape includes a comfortable grip, "gently-curved thumb rest," and PTFE feet for a smooth glide. The switches feature a low-noise design and boast a 10-million-click lifespan, and the ASUS Fragrance Mouse supports both 2.4 GHz wireless and Bluetooth.

Every now and again, a product comes to market that makes you ask the question - who is for exactly? And who has been asking for it? ASUS unveiled that product and it's a combination of a standard PC mouse and fragrances.

Introducing ASUS' new "Fragrance Mouse MD101," and at first, I thought this was an extremely early April Fool's joke, but no, this is real, with ASUS explaining its new mouse in a new website listing that states the company's first mouse that "boasts an internal fragrance compartment with a refillable vial for aromatic oils and scents." Yes, you read that correctly. A mouse that has a compartment and a refillable vial for "aromatic oils and scents". According to the website, buyers are able to personalize their workspace with a specific scent thanks to the Frangrance Mouse.

I'm not exactly sure who has been asking for a mouse with a compartment for their fragrance oils, but I'm morbidly curious about its effectiveness. As for its other features, ASUS has packed the Fragrance Mouse with a 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth technology for robust connectivity, along with an assurance of a 10-million-click lifespan. Moreover, ASUS claims the power saving technology within the mouse enables an entire year of use off a single battery.

AVerMedia has announced and released its latest capture card, the new Live Gamer ULTRA S GC553Pro. This one is designed for those who want the best in-game capture, as it supports 4K 60 FPS with HDR and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) passthrough with 4K 60 FPS SDR recording. In addition, it includes true-color RGB24 capture with 5.1-channel surround sound, making it stand out from the pack.

The new Live Gamer ULTRA S GC553Pro's capture capabilities are 4K60, 1440p144, and 1080p240, with HDR capture up to 1440p30. It also supports ultra-wide aspect ratios, which is fantastic.

The true-color RGB24 capture with 5.1 audio is available through AVerMedia's Streaming Center software, which includes Streaming Center Plug (OBS plugin). Software support and easy configuration are a big part of the Live Gamer ULTRA S GC553Pro, and the AVerMedia Assist Central Pro is a central hub for keeping the device and software up to date.

Lemokey is the gaming-focused brand of Keychron, one of the most popular and respected makers of mechanical keyboards in recent years. Today, Lemokey has launched a Kickstarter campaign (already funded) for its new creation, the Lemokey L5 HE 8K Magnetic Gaming Keyboard, which is positioned as the ultimate board for PC gamers.

It also supports Rapid Trigger functionality, with magnetic Lemokey Ultra-Fast Lime MHall Effect magnetic switches that can be adjusted with an actuation point between 0.01 and 3.35mm and an insane microscopic sensitivity adjustment increment of just 0.01mm. The interface is also ultra-low-latency with an 8K or 8,000 Hz polling and scan rate for "immediate keystroke registration."

The Lemokey L5 HE 8K ships with a high-end keyboard processor and even supports a custom 'Analog Mode' for keypresses that replicates the triggers on modern gaming controllers as the keyboard can detect how far down you press. Lemokey hints that this feature would be great for racing games like Forza Horizon 5.

AVerMedia has just launched a pair of new products for its new GO Series, a line-up all about portability and performance. So far, the GO Series has seen the release of the excellent portable gaming handheld dock and external capture card with the X'TRA GO GC515 and the impressive VERSATI go USB Microphone with FELXI go Arm. Check out our full reviews.

Kicking off 2025 with two product launches, the new AVerMedia ELITE GO GC313Pro and CORE GO GC313 offer much more than meets the eye. At a glance, the ELITE GO GC313Pro looks like a portable charger and travel companion. Plug it in to charge everything from a Steam Deck to a laptop or smartphone. The 100W GaN charger is impressive for fast charging. It can charge the new iPhone 16 Pro Max from 0 to 50% battery in 30 minutes.

However, adding USB-C, USB-A, and HDMI opens the door to video capture and passthrough. Yes, inside the new AVerMedia ELITE GO GC313Pro ($129.99 USD via

Although performance is always at the top of what determines good products from ones that aren't worth your time, there are certain bits of gear where style and looks also play a vital role in deciding whether or not it's something for you. One of these is your everyday mechanical keyboard, where everything from keycaps to lighting to colorways can be that thing that makes you go, "Ooh, I want that."

At CES 2025, while taking a tour of Corsair's impressive line-up of 2025 gear, this custom Starfield keyboard - a collaboration between DROP and Bethesda Game Studios - immediately caught our attention. As a game, Starfield has received a mixed response from RPG and sci-fi fans alike; there's no denying that its realistic depiction of spaceships and interiors, inspired by NASA and retro-futurism, looks very cool.

And that style has been transposed onto what looks like DROP's impressive CSTM80 Mechanical Keyboard design. The white look, retro terminal-style fonts, and spaceship functionality come together beautifully here.

Razer always brings something interesting and a little out there to CES 2025, and this year was no different. The company showcased Project Arielle, a mesh gaming chair with integrated heating and cooling. The overall shape and design are based on its flagship Razer Fujin Pro mesh gaming chair.

At CES, we went hands-on (or is that butts-on) with Project Arielle, and outside of its heating and cooling capabilities, the overall comfort and build quality are up there. Even though mesh chairs are designed for breathability, Project Arielle Razer believes that slightly additional cooling (or heating) can go a long way when gaming.

The bladeless fan system pumps hot or cold air across the entire chair, which is impressive because it doesn't feel like Razer simply took a gaming chair and slapped on a few fans.

Compact TKL keyboards in 60%, 65%, or 70% sized form factors are everywhere these days, which means gamers are increasingly using smaller keyboards to game with. Most of the keyboards we've reviewed at TweakTown in the past year or so have been TKL, and the new ENDORFY Celeris 1800 is no different.

With the European maker of everything from cases to cooling bringing its PC gaming hardware to the US market, there's more to the ENDORFY Celeris 1800 than meets the eye. This is one of those compact boards with no room for additional buttons or things like control knobs.

Compact keyboards have always looked clean, minimal, and stylish. Even though you lose out on dedicated media controls and extra keys, this functionality is often assigned as secondary key functions. In a simple and brilliant move, ENDORFY has added volume and mute buttons to the left side of the Celeris 1800 and mode/wireless controls on the right.

Keyboards and mice weren't on the top of our list when it came to checking out MSI products at CES 2025. Like many others - we couldn't wait to see the company's new GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs, laptops, and gaming displays. However, the company's affordable (it's set to debut for around $80) MSI FORCE GK600 TKL Wireless gaming keyboard caught our attention.

Available in multiple color styles, the FORCE GK600 TKL sports hot-swappable linear switches and premium features like a gasket mount design, multiple layers of sound-dampening, and dye-sublimated PBT keycaps. It's a modern keyboard that looks and feels impressive for its price.

Throw in tri-mode connectivity for wired, low-latency wireless, Bluetooth, and a high-capacity 4000mAh battery, and you might be wondering how MSI managed to pack all of this for around $80. Well, the answer to that arrives via the keyboard's plastic outer shell, but even so, this felt robust when we went hands-on with it at CES 2025.

Recently, Alienware launched a new line of Pro peripherals for PC gamers, designed in collaboration with and for pro gamers and enthusiasts. The recent launch of the Alienware Pro Wireless Headset Review blew us away with its comfort and audio tuning, primarily when used for PC gaming.

It's also versatile, with Bluetooth support and ANC, making it a great travel companion for long flights or a short commute to work or school. "With premium comfort and sound quality to match, it's easy to recommend the Alienware Pro Headset for gaming - this is the sort of high-quality sound you expect from a premium brand," our review says. "With decent ANC, you'd gladly take it on the road or your daily commute connected to a smartphone or portable gaming handheld like the Steam Deck."

Is it perfect? Well, no product is, and here, the lack of a dedicated mobile app is disappointing but not a deal breaker. Recently, we sat down with Brian Wong from Alienware, who was instrumental in designing the Alienware Pro Wireless Headset, to discuss what went into the design, how the headset was created in collaboration with Team Liquid, and how he wants to change the public's perception of the brand when compared to peripheral heavy hitters like Logitech and Razer.

Apple's Magic Mouse is one of the most confusing products the company has ever released, with it being received at the time as a questionable Apple-esc take on a mouse that totally missed the mark.

Despite having some impressive gesture features, Apple's Magic Mouse was mostly poorly received by fans of the company, with many criticizing its odd design that Apple touted as ergonomic - yet these ergonomics were hard to grasp as there wasn't much mouse to hold onto. The strange design of the mouse meant users didn't have any mouse to rest the middle of their hands on, which could lead to discomfort over longer sessions.

The second fatal flaw of the Magic Mouse was the charging port, which is located on the flat underside of the mouse, meaning it is impossible to use the mouse while charging it. These two fatal flaws were fixed in the second-generation Magic Mouse, or even in the third-generation Magic Mouse, which was a refresh of the second-generation model, but instead came with a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port like its predecessors.

8BitDo's new Xbox Edition Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard and Retro R8 Mouse feature a design inspired by the original Xbox console, specifically the Transparent Green Edition. The custom Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard's arrow keys also adopt the red, blue, green, and yellow of the Xbox controller's ABXY buttons.

Throw in a dedicated Xbox Button that brings up the Windows Game Bar, and it's a pretty incredible-looking keyboard - especially for longtime Xbox fans. Unlike other retro keyboards from 8BitDo, the Xbox Edition includes per-key RGB lighting to complement the transparent design. The Xbox Edition supports Bluetooth and low-latency 2.4 GHz wireless and ships with those large programmable buttons that debuted with the standard Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard.

The custom Retro R8 Mouse is also a looker, with a similar Transparent Green design. It ships with a charging dock and customizable side buttons on the left and right that look like the Xbox controller's ABXY buttons. Hardware-wise, it includes the high-performance PAW 3395 26K sensor that supports an 8K polling rate.

If you own a Belkin BoostCharge Pro Fast Wireless Charger power bank, you need to immediately stop using it, as there's a potential fire risk with this accessory.

Belkin issued a notice of a voluntary recall of all these power banks, the full name of which is the 'Belkin BoostCharge Pro Fast Wireless Charger for Apple Watch + Power Bank 10K' (and the model number is BPD005).

There's a manufacturing defect, we're told, which could lead to the lithium battery overheating and a resulting fire hazard.

Apple's official Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard accessories and peripherals for Mac are sleek, modern, stylish, and feature-packed. However, they lack the performance, hardware, and premium mechanical feel of other options. Good news: Corsair's award-winning K65 PLUS WIRELESS keyboard and the M75 WIRELESS mouse are now available via the Apple Store Online and U.S. Apple Store locations.

They've arrived in exclusive Glacier Blue and Frost colors for the Mac, which look stunning. We reviewed the Corsair K65 PLUS WIRELESS keyboard earlier this year, and it earned an Editor's Choice Award due to its performance, acoustics, and versatility.

"The Corsair K65 PLUS WIRELESS 75% RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is one of the most impressive compact keyboard releases in recent times," we wrote. "The enthusiast-grade entry offers excellent levels of customization - right down to hot-swappable switches - with excellent software support, stylish aesthetics, and robust wireless connectivity."

The Razer USB 4 Dock takes full advantage of the new standard's 40Gb/second transfer speeds, with up to 100W of power delivery over the dock's USB-C upstream port. But there's much more to the Razer USB 4 Dock than speed and power, as Razer's '14-Port Design' includes all the device connectivity, video, storage, and data capabilities you'll ever need. There's even a Gigabit Ethernet port.

On the display front, you've got dual-monitor support with up to 4K 120 Hz on your primary display over HDMI 2.1 or up to 4K 240 Hz over DisplayPort 1.4. For those with laptops and a display powering multiple devices, the Razer USB 4 Dock is an excellent option, as it comes with a 180W adapter to power all connected devices while charging a laptop simultaneously.

Compatible with Windows and Mac systems, the Razer USB 4 Dock is a sleek, minimal aluminum alloy device available in Black or Mercury. It feels like one of the company's most productivity-focused releases in a long time.

A major new study on standing desks appears to indicate that they are pretty much a waste of time, and essentially miss the point in terms of health benefits.

We're all familiar with the idea of the standing desk, hopefully, which allows for its height to be adjusted.

The basic concept is that sitting all day is very bad for you, and that mixing in some standing time - we should note, the idea is to mix sitting and standing, not do the latter all the time - is good for you.

Lian Li has just launched its new DK07 motorized standing desk, that has been designed to handle a single powerful PC or even dual E-ATX setups. Check it out:

The new Lian Li DK07 features more than enough space for systems as well as efficient cable management, with built-in cable clips, a large underbelly cable tray, and not one, but two organizer drawers that will make for the best clutter-free gaming and workspace you can imagine. Lian Li goes as far as featuring convenient features like a wireless charging pad with built-in USB ports, too.

Lian Li has built the new DK07 desk for power users that want a single super-beast system or dual-system configurations to fit inside of the desk, with a modular bracket design at the rear of the DK07 that enhances compatibility and simplifies the installation process when switching behind the systems.