Longtime BaseLAN and AYB Online sponsor Patriot announced their launch into gaming peripherals yesterday at Computex 2015. I have been a big fan of the quality of Patriot products since I started using their mobile power banks (FUEL+) to keep my phone charged at conventions and when I am out and about with people.
The Viper series includes a Keyboard (V760), Headset (V360), and 2 different mice tailored to the entry-level and high-end markets (V530, V560 respectively).
The V760 is a mechanical keyboard with a 16.8 million color rate and complete customization for each user. This means you can make your desk glow like a portal if you want it to! The keyboard houses a magnetically attached ergonomic palm rest (no more nasty clips), 12 multi-media keys and 6 programmable macro keys. All of the specialized keys are uniquely programmable to illuminate according to user preference. I’ve personally been putting off buying a mechanical keyboard, because none of them have had that… je ne sais quoi. This one is standing out for me right now, I’ll have to consider it and see how it feels when it’s in my hands.
The V360 is described as providing 7.1 virtual surround sound. When playing FPS games, I know that sounds and directional hearing are something that I rely on heavily. Proper surround and not just left/right are a big helper to that. Patriot has done something new here (at least, new to me) and placed their control system (independent headset volume and mic control) on the ear cup and not on a cord mounted control bar. I know that I have personally accidentally muted myself and turned down my speaker volume on the control bars over many a headset.
On to the mice. Both promise to be high-performance mice with a few different options. The high-end V560 offers a weighted feel, rubberized grips and ceramic foot pads to provide a smooth glide on all gaming surfaces and to reduce the wear and tear on your mouse. It also houses a precision laser lens offering up to 8200 DPI, which is adjustable. It looks like the option to change the DPI output is the button on the thumb side of the mouse which I believe is labelled DPI.
The V530 is slightly less high-end, offering gamers a mid-range mouse without compromising on performance. Most of the features of the V530 have not been released, but we do know it will have a scalable optical sensor, up to 5000 DPI.
Nothing has been released regarding pricing or availability of these new pieces. The Viper collection promises to be both a functional and eye catching addition to any battle station.
Patriot is a sponsor of aybonline.com.
David Alberto is a Contributing Editor for aybonline.com. You can often find him making people cry in Counter-Strike. Roll percentile dice to see if his opinions change, your chances are slim.
