Peripherals News - Page 1

ASUS announced the ROG Falchion RX Low Profile 65% compact (and wireless) gaming keyboard at CES 2024, and it immediately grabbed our attention based on its sleek and stylish design. Also, it's not every day that you see a low-profile keyboard designed for gaming - with the ROG Falchion RX Low Profile using ASUS's new pre-lubed RX Low-Profile switches.

The Red Linear version features a 1.0 mm actuation point for fast input, with a feel and rebound designed to provide the feedback you're after in a keystroke and paired with two layers of dampening foam, a touch panel, and tri-mode connectivity (wired, Bluetooth, and ROG SpeedNova wireless), the hardware here sounds impressive. Of course, a big part of the appeal here is the look.

With a white, grey, and reflective surface appearance, the ROG Falchion RX Low Profile looks futuristic, sleek, and stunning. Somehow, ASUS managed to fit the 65% form factor and key layout in a 60% frame, so there's not a millimeter of wasted space.

The new BOOG75 from BOOM+GAME is a new enthusiast gaming keyboard for those looking to bring cutting-edge design and tech to their PC gaming. It certainly ticks many of the right boxes with fully adjustable magnetic switches with rapid trigger functionality, gasket mounting, sound-dampening foam, and low-power LED lighting.

The BOOG75, per the name, is a 75% keyboard, one of the most popular form factors for gaming keyboards. Although compact compared to a full-sized board, the 323.6 x 145.78 x 34.73 mm dimensions, 5-degree typing angle, and around 3kg weight make it a robust and solid unit.

The design here is premium through and through, with an aluminum case with an anodized finish (that extends to the backplate) and Gateron KS37B switches with a magnetic hall sensor. Magnetic switches work because actuation points are determined by distance that you can adjust - and here, you can do so on a per-key basis ranging from 0.1mm to 4.0mm.

Ever wondered if you could use your mouse as a webcam? Of course you haven't - probably not, anyway - but someone did, and went ahead to complete a project that made this a reality (to an extent, we should add as a caveat).

As depicted on YouTube, Doctor Volt took an optical mouse and turned its sensor into a camera with a bit of high-tech tinkering (as flagged up by Hackaday, via Tom's Hardware).

The sensor was augmented with a wide-angle lens (made for a Raspberry Pi camera), and Doctor Volt used a third-party microcontroller (ESP32-S3 chip) in conjunction with the mouse sensor. Some 3D printing was required to make parts to hold the lens in place, too.

AVerMedia has launched two new capture cards aimed at PC games, streamers, and content creators with the arrival of the Live Gamer 4K 2.1 and Live Streamer ULTRA HD. The Live Game 4K 2.1 is the PCIe version of the excellent Live Gamer ULTRA 2.1 (GC553G2) capture card we reviewed late last year.

The Live Gamer 4K 2.1 (GC575) is a premium HDMI 2.1 PCIe capture card created to take full advantage of HDMI 2.1 - including 4K144 passthrough with HDR and VRR support. This allows for high-quality 4K 60fps capture while enjoying the full benefits of HDMI 2.1 on a modern display. And it looks slick with added RGB lighting that can sync with your setup. For those with PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X consoles of a new GeForce RTX or Radeon RX GPU - HDMI 2.1 on a capture card like this is a game changer for not compromising visuals while streaming or capturing footage.

The Live Gamer 4K 2.1 is joined by the new Live Streamer ULTRA HD (GC571), it is aimed at those looking for high-quality streaming and capture with entry-level pricing. It offers 4K60 passthrough with VRR support and can capture 1080p120 or up to 4K30.

Last year, I reviewed the 'Elvish' version of the DROP + The Lord of the Rings mechanical keyboard collaboration. As far as keyboards go, they were a little limited without software support or much customization, but that's not what I wanted to check it out for - the attention to detail and little touches make it an awesome piece to put on display. As a Lord of the Rings fan who adores the books and films, I'll cherish it for years.

This is a roundabout way of saying that I'm now keen to pick up the latest DROP + The Lord of the Rings Rohan keyboard - which is inspired by the Rohirrim, the 'kingdom of horsemasters.' Like previous Lord of the Rings keyboards from DROP, this new collab is chock full of awesome little details from OSHETART, including galloping horses, authentic helms, and beacons of Minas Tirith.

This time, the keycap fonts are in English, too, so it'll be more usable, with a design inspired by Ye Olde English. Performance-wise, you've got Holy Panda X Switches, DCD-profile keycaps, and silent Phantom Stabilizers. Plus, it's available in green or brown.

The Corsair K70 CORE RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is a great keyboard with switches that have a great feel - and the special edition model with retro grey and yellow keycaps we reviewed looks fantastic, too.

Over the holiday break, our friends at Corsair sent a White Cherry Blossom keycap and MM350 PRO mouse pad set (currently on sale for $79.99 USD) as a nice little gift - so I thought I'd see what sort of transformation it would bring to the Corsair K70 SE CORE RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. As you can see, it looks completely different.

Replacing keycaps is becoming common in mechanical keyboards, as is having the ability to hot-swap switches. The Corsair K70 CORE doesn't have hot-swappable switches (Corsair's higher-end boards have this feature), but you can easily swap out the keycaps. It's not that I'd want to swap the switches; the pre-lubed Corsair MLX Red Linear switches are the star of the show.

MSI was showing quite a bit off at CES 2024 here in Las Vegas. The image above shows a wired gaming mouse, Xbox controller, and wireless headset. The star of the show was the Xbox controller, which, by normal appearance, looked just like any other Xbox controller, but this one was a little different. There is a plate between the joysticks; once removed, the sticks can be easily removed just by lifting them up. Just imagine if you have stick drift and swapped in a new stick in seconds.

Next up, we have three wireless mice, dubbed Versa Pro Wireless 8K, Clutch GM51 Lightweight Wireless, and the Clutch GM41 Lightweight Wireless. The Vera Pro Wireless 8K states it has a top-notch PixArt PAW-3395 Optical sensor with optical switches. The 8K part comes with a true 8,000 polling rate, 8 times more data per second for smoother sensor tracking. The Clutch GM51 Lightweight Wireless follows the trend with lightweight mice, weighing only 85 grams.

The Clutch GM51 has the same PAW-3395 optical sensor found in the 8K. The Clutch GM41 Lightweight wireless has the PixArt PAW3370 Optical sensor and just weighs just 74 grams. Lastly, the Clutch GM31 Lightweight Wireless is a 73-gram gaming mouse with the PixArt PAW33 optical sensor. Every MSI mouse also has Tri-Mode connectivity, which will connect up to 3 devices.

Ducky keyboards are some of the most sought-after in the world, sporting excellent features, high-end components, and a type feel that is next level. Ducky's latest creation sees the keyboard maker collaborating with Bethesda to create a custom DOOM-themed keyboard based on the 60% form-factor One 3 SF design.

The Ducky One 3 SF DOOM Edition is a Limited Edition keyboard with only 666 ANSI layout and 666 ISO layout being produced. The perfect amount for anything limited edition DOOM-related. As for the physical design and look, it opts for something we rarely see in the keyboard-space artwork, in this case, the iconic key art for DOOM Eternal, stretched across all of the PBT keycaps.

This means all keycap lettering is printed on the sides (facing the user). Functionality-wise, there might be a more user-friendly design, but it looks special as a limited edition collectible.

HYTE makes some pretty funk PC cases and components, and with CES 2024 underway, it's releasing two new firsts - a keyboard and an AIO liquid cooler. Now, you might think that you've seen it all when it comes to mechanical keyboards and coolers, especially when it comes to RGB lighting, but HYTE is here to prove you wrong.

The HYTE Keeb TKL is the company's first mechanical keyboard, and if you think per-key lighting is impressive, the entire Keeb TKL lights up. With double-shot PBT keycaps, gasket-mounted hardware, and an aluminum plate on the bottom, the polycarbonate case is a full RGB array.

It even sports modern features like hot-swappable switches, with the Keeb TKL packed with HYTE's in-house pre-lubed Fluffy Lavender switches designed for fast linear performance. Sporting an actuation distance of 1.5mm and force of 40 grams, they sound tailor-made for PC gaming.

ASUS Republic of Gamers, better known as ROG, is the company's premium gaming brand. At CES 2024, ASUS announced a new range of ROG gaming peripherals covering keyboards, mice, wireless earbuds, a professional-grade USB microphone, and a mobile controller.

Plus, the ROG Archer ErgoAir Gaming Backpack which includes an "innovative airflow tunnel back-rest design." It's a cool-looking laptop bag and backpack, but what immediately grabbed my attention was the new ROG Falchion RX Low Profile keyboard. A compact 65% keyboard that features all-new pre-lubed ROG RX Low-Profile optical switches that the company claims offer near-zero debounce delay and less wobble than any other low-profile switch on the market.

It looks awesome, too, with a minimal, futuristic design. The new ROG Keris II Ace ultralight gaming mouse sits next to the keyboard, with wired and wireless support and an overall weight of just 54 grams.