Hasta La Gadget!

Gamers can be quite a picky lot when it comes to the kind of hardware that they use to dispatch off their opponents in the game genre of their choice, and this time around, we have the QuickFire Rapid-i mechanical gaming keyboard with ActivLite Technology from the folks over at Cooler Master. I know, right? Cooler Master is more often than not associated with desktop components and mobile accessories, and their range of gaming peripherals aren’t all that pervasive as opposed to the likes of Razer or even Logitech. Still, the QuickFire Rapid-i that happens to be a fully featured and backlit mechanical keyboard will deliver full keyboard illumination and unique lighting effects to wow onlookers, not to mention letting you play with all the lights off without having to miss a single keystroke.

The QuickFire Rapid-i’s ActivLite Technology is powered by a 32-bit ARM processor, where it will be able to deliver 5 lighting modes with 5 brightness levels. With ActivLite Technology, users will be able to enjoy a richer aesthetic to their space, and one of such modes happen to enable the backlight in order to brightly illuminate upon each key press, before it fades softly away as your fingers dance on to the next key. This is one deeply satisfying visual trail effect, and I am sure that watching operate it in the dark can be mesmerizing to some, too. In addition, the ActivLite Technology would also enable users to be able to individually program keys for unique game and application uses, as the onboard memory makes it possible to save profiles that store up to four different presets.

The QuickFire Rapid-i will also come with laser-marked keycaps and a non-glossy matte finish over tactile and quiet mechanical switches, sporting a response time of 1ms. Gaming on your travels is a snap, where you can easily remove the included braided USB cable and stash it away, while the super-slim body makes of an easy traveling companion.

Product Page
[ Cooler Master QuickFire Rapid-i mechanical gaming keyboard works even in dark environments copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Gamers take their gaming sessions very seriously, and there are different kinds of gaming companies that offer various hardware configurations to cater for the vast diversity among humankind. After all, one man’s meat has been known to be another man’s poison, and this time around, we have Genius announcing what they call the Ultimate Gaming Combo, delivering the complete suite of gear required (at least, in Genius’ eyes) for smooth h PC gaming in a single package, and it comprises of the Genius GX Gaming Series Mouse, Keyboard and Headset.

This ”ideal toolset”, so to speak, is now available in the US and Canada. The 3 in 1 GX Gaming Series combo will merge together what Genius has classified as the elite products of the GX Gaming Series, where among them include the Maurus Black gaming mouse, Imperator gaming keyboard and Lychas gaming headset.

First of all, the Maurus Black Gaming Mouse will come with a bunch of customizable features, which has been touted to deliver a personalized experience. The Scorpion UI (User Interface) will enable you to save up to 21 macros, delivering a competitive edge even in the midst of a battle, while Maurus’ buttons, complete with default settings of left, right, middle with scroll, next page, and last page, can be programmed to offer gamers an even greater degree of customizable control. Apart from that, you can over-clock the SG Core engine, so that you can adjust the dpi to four different levels (450/900/1800/3500) directly from the mouse.

As for the Imperator Gaming Keyboard, it sports half a dozen programmable keys under 3 game profiles, letting you assign up to 18 macros. As for the included UI, it is a snap to manage and customize your macros. The Lychas Gaming Headset is perfect for LAN parties and competitions, thanks to its individual ear cup volume control. The asking price for this “combo”? $129.99 a pop, which is pretty decent actually.

Press Release (PDF Link)
[ Genius Ultimate Gaming Combo Introduced copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Gamers are extremely particular about the kind of hardware that they use. You could say that there is even a sense of loyalty attached to it, although when it comes to sponsored pro-gamers, I do wonder whether they secretly feel that the company paying their monthly checks are the ones that they truly support deep down inside. Well, Logitech has long been known to come up with a fair range of gaming peripherals, and one of the their latest “wonders” would be the Logitech G710+ Mechanical Gaming Keyboard that sports high-speed, low noise mechanical keys as well as an adjustable dual-zone backlighting in order to deliver lightning fast and whisper quiet gaming – letting you frag your opponents while the missus is soundly sleeping beside you. Best to make sure you have a silent mouse at your disposal, too.

Specially designed to help you focus on the game itself instead of being bogged down by making sure the keyboard responds to your commands and fingers, the Logitech G710+ Mechanical Gaming Keyboard has been tested with professional gamers, partners, publishers, and everyday gamers, with the final result being what you get for this $149.99 keyboard.

Thanks to the keyboard’s mechanical keys, they are able to deliver gaming-grade responsiveness, while boasting of an actuation force of 45 grams as well as a distance of 4mm. Not only that, they are specially optimized for rapid command entry. In addition, the non-clicking key switches come with a built-in dampening ring underneath each keycap in order to have a significant reduction in the distracting noise that comes out from your key presses without having to sacrifice on responsiveness. It is said to boast of a cycle life of at least a 50 million keystrokes, now how about that?

The whole keyboard comes backlit in white LED light, and can be adjusted to one of four brightness levels, where it can then be turned completely off if you feel that you do not want to be that “flashy”. In order to achieve better visibility of the WASD and arrow keys, their brightness levels can be adjusted independently of the rest of the keyboard, making it a truly tour de force of gaming.

Product Page
[ Logitech G710+ Mechanical Gaming Keyboard copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we’ll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You’ll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won’t stick around long.

If Monday’s round of links didn’t meet your gadget needs, perhaps today’s lineup of discounts will be a bit more enticing. More components make the list this time around as well as a set of gaming keys and a price cut on in-ear Skullcandy headphones. We won’t hold you up any longer, so head on past the break to take a gander at the goods. There are a few rebates today, though, so mind the extra links should you need ’em.

Continue reading Slickdeals’ best in tech for September 26th: HIS IceQ Radeon HD 7870, SSDs and Skullcandy earbuds

Filed under: Misc, Peripherals, Portable Audio/Video, Storage

Slickdeals’ best in tech for September 26th: HIS IceQ Radeon HD 7870, SSDs and Skullcandy earbuds originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I have mentioned many times in the past before, concerning gamers who are extremely particular with their gaming peripherals. For those who are looking for a decent gaming keyboard to help them frag their way to the top, then I am quite sure that you cannot go wrong with the Razer DeathStalker Ultimate, where it is touted to come with the all new Switchblade user interface.

The Switchblade user interface found on the Razer DeathStalker Ultimate is similar to the acclaimed, customizable LCD trackpad and LED keypad combo which was first introduced on the Razer Switchblade concept a couple of years ago. Apart from that, it can currently be found in production on the Razer Blade gaming laptop, in addition to the Star Wars: The Old Republic gaming keyboard, so this is not exactly new. Let us take a closer look at the Razer DeathStalker Ultimate gaming keyboard right after the jump.

This particular interface will be able to turn gaming keyboard functionality into a customizable control panel that is accompanied by 10 dynamic, adaptive tactile keys which you are able to bind commands, macros, skills and spells in order to experience an unparalleled in-game competitive advantage. Individual keys are able to display any image thanks to Razer’s Synapse 2.0 software, allowing you to enjoy what Razer deems to be the “smartest keyboard on the market”.

As for the LCD panel that is located right below the keys, it can play nice in a couple of modes – the first setting will show off critical in-game information, ranging from damage dealt and heals-per-second on the new Star Wars: The Old Republic Battle Logger application, or countdown timers that are able to keep track of in-game events with the Razer Gamer Timer application.

As for the second mode of the panel, it will be able to function as a highly sensitive, multi-touch trackpad with intuitive gestures built-in, delivering an alternative method of navigating games or PC desktops. The list of Razer apps include Trackpad, Numpad, Macro Recorder, Gaming Mode, Browser, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Clock, Screenshot, and Game Timer amongst others. It will retail for $79.99 a pop, while those living across the pond will have to pay €79.99.

Press Release

[ Razer DeathStalker Ultimate comes with all-new Switchblade user interface copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]