peripherals
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Samsung's 32-inch Space Gaming Monitor makes room for your PC
Giant gaming monitors have a conspicuous problem: all that visual real estate usually swallows up desk space, leaving limited room for your speakers, elaborate peripherals or the PC itself. Samsung might have a simple fix. Its newly unveiled Space Gaming Monitor (aka SR75Q) adopts the small-footprint formula of the Space Monitor, but tunes it for a crowd more interested in frame rates and tear-free visuals than resolution. It touts the same 32-inch design that pushes flat against the wall when you need room, but ditches 4K in favor of a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution with a speedy 144Hz refresh rate and support for AMD's FreeSync.
Sony says its USB hub is the world's fastest SD card reader
It's hard to spice up USB hubs when they're practically ubiquitous. Sony's solution? Make it indispensable to pro photographers. The company's newly announced MRW-W3 hub is billed as the "world's fastest" UHS-II SD (and microSD) card reader, supporting read rates up to 300MB/s. Whether or not it lives up to the boasts, it should easily transfer your camera's giant RAW photos and 4K videos. This isn't a one-trick brick, either -- it's meant to handle many of your laptop's other needs while you're on the road.
NVIDIA 'Super' GPU leaks hint at not-so-super speed boosts
There might not be much mystery left to NVIDIA's "Super" launch. VideoCardz claims to have detailed specs and release details for the company's GeForce RTX Super lineup, and they appear to be what you'd expect: souped-up versions of existing RTX chipsets to compete with AMD's Radeon RX 5000 series. The first ones out of the gate would be the RTX 2060 Super and RTX 2070 Super, both of which would have more cores than their 'standard' equivalents without shaking up the basic formula. They'd be roughly 15 to 16 percent faster than their predecessors.
Corsair gaming mouse detects its center of gravity for better tuning
Gaming mice have long had adjustable weights to offer your ideal balance between speed and heft, but you're frequently asked to determine that balance on your own. You won't have to put in quite so much guesswork with Corsair's Nightsword. The peripheral includes a "smart" system that automatically identifies the mouse's center of gravity in real time, helping you load weights in a way that matches your mousing style. It should be a capable rodent beyond this, too, with an 18,000DPI optical sensor, ten programmable buttons and (since it's 2019) four-zone RGB lighting.
Logitech updates a trio of gaming mice with high-precision sensors
Logitech is contributing to the flood of gaming peripherals at E3 with three of its own. It's updating its G903 Lightspeed, G703 Lightspeed and G403 gaming mice with the same high-precision 16,000DPI HERO sensor you see in a number of its higher-end models, plus a few other useful tweaks. The refreshed G903 (above) shares the familiar low-lag wireless design and plethora of buttons, but the sensor's improved efficiency gives it a much longer 140 hours of claimed battery life versus its predecessor's 32. You shouldn't have to charge it nearly so often, then.
Microsoft's latest IntelliMouse revival is a pro model for gamers
If you pine for the nostalgia of Microsoft's revived IntelliMouse but want the performance of a thoroughly modern gaming mouse, you're in luck. After months of availability in China, Microsoft has released the gaming-oriented Pro IntelliMouse in the US. It's mostly similar on the outside (more on that in a bit) but touts a much more powerful 16,000DPI sensor with a 12,000FPS refresh rate. You should have more precise aiming than with its 3,200DPI predecessor, then. You can also customize three of the five buttons, although no one's going to mistake this for an esports-ready mouse with loads of options.
Turtle Beach buys Roccat to create a gaming accessory empire
Competition in the gaming gear space might just heat up -- Turtle Beach, best known for its gaming headsets, is buying game accessory maker Roccat for $14.8 million. The company isn't shy about its plans. It's snapping up Roccat to add keyboards, mice and other gaming peripherals to its catalog in a bid to create a "$100 million PC gaming accessories business." Both sides are betting this will help them expand into regions where they're historically weak. You'll be more likely to see Roccat gear in North America, for example.
Logitech resurrects its classic MX518 gaming mouse
Long-time PC gamers have fond memories of the MX518 for a reason: the 2005-era mouse combined a comfortable shape, convenient buttons and brisk performance at a fairly reasonable price. Even its 2011 replacement was ultimately a spin on a successful formula. If you miss that original design, though, you'll be glad to hear that it's coming back. Logitech has revived the mouse as the G MX518, preserving that egg-like body while giving it 2019-era innards built for modern gamers.
Seagate slapped a PlayStation logo on a hard drive to match your PS4
You've had the option of attaching external storage to the PS4 for a while. If you find the existing options just too gauche, though, you're in luck. Seagate is releasing an officially licensed Game Drive that brings 2TB of additional space to your PS4 while matching the aesthetics of the console. It's ultimately a standard portable USB drive with a PlayStation logo on top, but that's not necessarily a bad thing -- it's still an easy way to add extra room for games (roughly 50 more, Seagate said) or cart your library to a friend's place.
Razer integrates Alexa with its color-changing PC hardware
Razer is about to make it considerably easier to control your RGB-lit gaming rig. The company has unveiled plans to introduce Amazon Alexa control through its Synapse 3 software, letting you voice control devices that support its Chroma Connected Devices Program through Razer headsets and microphones. That includes legions of Razer's own mice, keyboards and audio devices, but it also includes PC cases, cooling fans, motherboards and other peripherals. Want to turn your setup blood red for a round of Doom? You'd just have to ask Alexa to change your lighting profile.
Corsair made its own lag-free wireless gaming mouse
You don't have to shop Logitech if you want a lag-free gaming mouse. Corsair is launching its own take on the concept, the Harpoon RGB Wireless, at CES. The peripheral gives you the option of ditching USB (which remains an option here) for a 2.4GHz Slipstream Wireless connection that promises less than 1ms of latency. If you miss a shot, it probably won't be due to the delay. There's also Bluetooth in case you'd like to quickly switch the Harpoon to your laptop.
Razer unveils the first keyboard and mouse combo for Xbox One
Razer has finally shown off the first wireless keyboard-and-mouse combo for the Xbox One, and... it's exactly what you'd expect. The company has unveiled an Xbox One version of its Turret bundle that mates a mechanical, RGB-lit keyboard with a seven-button, 16,000DPI mouse that sits on a retractable pad inside its fellow peripheral. You can play games like Fortnite or Warframe much as you would on a home theater PC, including (for some titles) Chroma and Xbox Dynamic Lighting effects.
How to buy a gaming keyboard
When you build a gaming rig, you're going to find yourself talking a lot about numbers. Higher and bigger are generally better, especially when it comes to stuff like processor speed, amount of RAM and the size of your hard drive. But when it comes to finding the perfect keyboard, you'll be confronted with a whole new set of metrics, along with shapes and colors that won't initially make much sense. What the hell is a dome switch? And why are we talking about green cherries?
8BitDo’s Bluetooth mod kits put retired controllers back to work
The mini-console trend isn't just a case of repackaging classic, beloved games and cashing in on our shared retrophilia. There's also a practical reason for their existence: Most old consoles are incompatible with today's TVs. Unless you've held on to a CRT, you've got no choice but to seek out special signal converters or, more likely, let your best childhood friend gather dust in a closet. But there is a middle ground. With 8BitDo's $20 mod kits, you can, at least, give those classic controllers a new lease on life by repurposing them for the Bluetooth era.
Apple's new Pencil charges wirelessly
At its Mac event on Tuesday, Apple revealed a redesigned Pencil. It attaches magnetically to the iPad Pro and can charge wirelessly, which is far better (at least aesthetically) than the old method of inserting it into the iPad's Lightning port. Tapping the screen with Pencil unlocks the iPad and launches the Notes app. Double tapping while you're in certain apps lets you switch to the tool or brush you need.
Logitech's latest media keyboard is designed for your smart TV
There aren't many media keyboards devoted to smart TVs (they tend to be built for home theater PCs), but Logitech might have just given you another viable option. Its new K600 offers a compact keyboard-and-trackpad combo designed for modern smart TVs. You won't have to laboriously enter web addresses or search queries using just your remote. The K600 won't work with every model, but it covers popular LG, Samsung and Sony 4K sets from 2016 onward.
Philips' extra-bright 4K HDR monitor is now available for $1,000
If you've been salivating at the thought of Philips' (technically, EPI's) ultra-bright HDR monitor, you can now do more than clean up the mess you've left on the floor. The Momentum 43" 4K HDR Quantum Dot Monitor is now available from Amazon and Best Buy for a cool $1,000. That's a lot to pay for a computer screen, but it's also charting new ground -- this is the first PC monitor to support the DisplayHDR 1000 spec, promising 1,000cd/m2 brightness in scenes that call for it (say, staring at a bright sky) without crushing low-light detail. EPI also touts a wide, accurate color gamut that's particularly good at tackling dark reds and greens.
Make your classic gamepads wireless with 8BitDo's DIY kits
8BitDo will happily sell you wireless controllers that are vaguely similar to classic gamepads of yore, but it clearly can't sell you the real deal without invoking massive copyright battles. It can, however, offer you the next best thing. The company is now selling mod kits that add Bluetooth wireless to original NES, SNES, Super Famicom and Mega Drive controllers. You don't need a soldering iron or a toolbox -- so long as you're comfortable opening a vintage gamepad in the first place, you'll have everything you need (including a lithium-ion battery) to avoid stringing cords across the room.
Logitech's G305 is an affordable, no-lag wireless gaming mouse
Logitech's extremely-low-latency Lightspeed technology was largely reserved for well-heeled gamers when it first hit the scene last June, but it's a much different story a year later. The peripheral maker has unveiled the G305, a Lightspeed-equipped mouse that costs $60 -- much more justifiable than the pricier G703 and G603. You won't get a particularly exotic design (this is a standard six-button mouse), but you also won't have to compromise on lag just because you're using a mid-tier mouse. It uses Logitech's newer 12,000DPI HERO sensor, too, so it promises to be as responsive as its more expensive counterparts.
Microsoft may launch an accessibility-focused Xbox One controller
Microsoft has a long-running history of courting gamers with accessibility needs, and it now looks like that might include a gamepad built with those players in mind. Well-known leaker WalkingCat has obtained an image of what looks to be an Xbox One controller designed with accessibility in mind. The peripheral appears to revolve around two giant buttons that would be easy to use without the precise finger dexterity you usually need. There's also a row of grooved icons (potentially touch-sensitive buttons) that reflect common Xbox functions, suggesting that gamers won't have to wade through menus that might be difficult to navigate.
