First-hand: Razer's Star Wars: The Old Republic gaming gear
updated 08:20 am EDT, Thu June 9, 2011
We look at Razer gaming hardware live
Razer has used E3 to unveil a new set of Star Wars: The Old Republic peripherals that we got a look at on the show floor through a glass csae. The Gaming Keyboard is by far the highlight of the group: it uses an Art Lebedev-inspired set of adaptive keys that change their context depending on the circumstances in a game, such as for calling up specific Force powers in SWTOR. A touchscreen, however, is genuinely new: the LCD resembles a large trackpad and supports multi-touch, and should potentially be very good for games that can use it, presumably including BioWare's online RPG.
The overall look was definitely distinct from most gaming keyboards and looked to work well even if you don't touch the LCD. All the keys are the more recent 'chiclet' design, so they're built to be fast and most likely quiet.
Also impressive to look at is the Gaming Mouse. At first, it looks like a typical high-end, wireless Razer mouse with a nice two-tone look and either a Republic or Sith logo. A close glance, though, reveals a 12-button thumb array. Razer is clearly intending it to be used for online RPGs, where having a large number of shortcuts can be vital.
Two other extras are coming along: a Gaming Headset will give 5.1-channel audio and a boom mic in a very Star Wars-looking shape, and a Gaming Mouse Mat has the choice of two different surfaces with different friction along with different logos.
Razer didn't give out prices or shipping details for the new peripherals, but we expect both the new keyboard and mouse to carry a premium over Razer's regular models.
