Tt eSports at CES 2013

Binh Nguyen 11 Jan, 2013 at 2:29am ET Article published in Gaming

ThermalTake’s eSport division continues to grow not only in the United States but all over the world, even as eSports are gaining increasingly popularity as an internet spectator sport. We caught up with Shannon Robb, Technical Marketing Manager for ThermalTake, as he showed us what’s new for their 2013 lineup.

Console One Gaming Headset

The Console One is ThermalTake’s first cross-platform headset, designed to work on your PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The design of the headset is similar to ThermalTake’s flagship headset, The Shock, but with the additional features on the external in-line volume control where there is a 3mm phone jack for you to connect the headset to the Xbox 360 controller. The microphone us a noise-canceling bi-directional boom, which is nice when you need to mic away from your face to talk to your significant other.

I got to try out the Console One on the Xbox 360 while playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Zombie Mode, and it reminded me of using The Shock on the PC. The audio quality is similar to The Shock and features stereo surround sound, which made it easier to locate enemies. My only complaint about the headset is the material for the ear cup is that plastic rubber material, which I am not a fan of—the area gets all sweaty because there is no air circulation. What Tt did to help mitigate this is make the ear cup replaceable—you can switch them out for a fabric material, similar to the material used in The Shock.

Specs:

Headphones:

Drivers Unit: 40mm
Sensitivity: 114 dB +/- 3dBMax. Input: 100 mW
Frequency Response: 20 Hz- 20k Khz
Headphone Cable length: 3m
RCA cable length: 2m

Microphone Spec:

Directivity: Bi-directional
Frequency:100 Hz~ 10k Khz
Sensitivity: -54 +/- 3dB
Dimension: 6 X 2.7mm
2.5 connector cable: 1m

MEKA G1 Prime Edition Mechanical Keyboard

This sweet piece of hardware that is used by StarCraft II player MarineKing and the rest of the Prime Team is a mechanical keyboard that can do 50 million keystrokes, custom-picked keycaps, and Cherry Brown switches. Yes, some of the buttons are pink, but that was the Prime Team choice. I know having this keyboard will not make me a better StarCraft 2 player but it will get me to learn the keys a bit better and faster.

“Key” Features (get it?)

1000Hz (lms) polling rate performance an in-time gaming response
Full speed USB design; never lag for input signals
Anti-Ghost key design; PS2 adapter incuded for N key rollover function
2 additional built-in USB ports for other gaming devices
Build-in with audio jacks for Mic. In and SP out jack

Volos Gaming Mouse

This is a brand-new product that they debuted at CES. Not much information is available on the mouse yet, but right now we know that it’s an MMO-focused unit. There are four colored buttons in the thumb area that look eerily similar to a famous console controller. What I liked about the mouse is how the buttons are laid out. The ergonomics of the mouse made it easier for my thumbs to get to the buttons. For those with smaller hands, however, it might be a challenge to get to the thumb buttons.

Key Features:

Customized laser gaming mouse for MMO/MOBA game type
Multiple colors to match your gaming atmosphere
On-board memory, plug and play while switching to different PC
Function-lock button to disable the function of side-button

Theron Gaming Mouse

This simple-looking mouse is no joke. The focus for this product is RTS gaming. When I first held the mouse, it felt strikingly natural and comfortable. It comes with 128k onboard memory along with a function lock button to disable the side buttons. The lights under the mouse chang colors depending on how frequently you click.

Key Features:

Customized laser gaming mouse for RTS game type
Multiple colors to match your gaming atmosphere
On-board memory plug-and-play while switching to different PC
Beneath side light changed by clicking frequency in Battle Mode
7 Individual colors

They have also expanded their clothing brand by opening up two locations in Taiwan. What I saw makes me wish I had the body to wear some of their gear.

After spending the day with Thermaltake it is safe to say that the future for Tt eSports is looking bright.

Comments

11 Jan 2013 ~ 3:37am shwaip don't know about the colors on that kbd :/. rather just get a das, I think
11 Jan 2013 ~ 8:23am mertesn Volos was too big for my hands... I could only get to one of the side buttons. Theron was a perfect fit. Very comfortable mouse. Almost as nice as the Level 10 mouse.
11 Jan 2013 ~ 10:55am Annes Does the new Meka G1 have a left Windows key? I tried to check the pic but clicking the pic brings up an error page.
11 Jan 2013 ~ 12:25pm RootWyrm New Das is atrocious quality, to put it mildly.

The new Meka G1 is from the same manufacturer as the original Meka G1 (hooray, I really did love the construction!) Just hopeful they switched keycap sources - the stock ones wear out in a matter of weeks. (Just check the reviews. It really is that bad. Very disappointing on what is an otherwise solid board.)

The Meka G1 Prime has the following left modifier layout for the demo boards (which are non-US):
Ctrl(1.5) Function(1.5) Alt(1.5) Hangol? Modifier(1) Spacebar(Tiny!)
11 Jan 2013 ~ 1:31pm primesuspect Hangul modifier is a Korean keyswitch to go back and forth between QWERTY and Korean characters.
11 Jan 2013 ~ 2:01pm RootWyrm
Hangul modifier is a Korean keyswitch to go back and forth between QWERTY and Korean characters.
Yus, I'm aware. It's not clear if that's a Hangol modifier or a Hanzi or a Macro key from the photos I've seen though. I'm presuming it's Hangol mod since PRIME is a Korean team.

... oh dear, I just realized that many lulz are possible from the naming of this keyboard.
11 Jan 2013 ~ 7:07pm mertesn
Does the new Meka G1 have a left Windows key? I tried to check the pic but clicking the pic brings up an error page.
Brian fixed the image links. And no, there is no left Windows key.
11 Jan 2013 ~ 7:19pm Thrax No left Windows key is a hate crime.