On Friday, Asus updated its line of Strix gaming peripherals with a new headset, mechanical keyboard, optical mouse and mousepad. They follow the Strix Pro gaming headset and the Strix R9 280 and GTX 780 graphic cards that were launched just recently.
“Taken from the ancient Roman and Greek word for owl, Strix is the brand name for the stunning new Asus gaming-gear series,” the press release stated. “Strix means the keenest hearing, the sharpest eyesight and the ability to feel the environment, enabling the player to detect and react to even the slightest movement. Strix means survival on the very edge of instinct. Strix is in gamers’ blood, just as it is in ours.”
First up is the Strix DSP gaming headset, which features 60 mm neodymium-magnet drivers, and full-size hexagonal ear cushions that measure 130 mm across at the widest point. This headset also includes a “driver-free” plug-and-play audio station that processes native 7.1-channel surround-sound audio. A foldable design makes this peripheral travel-friendly.
The headset has a unique 5-pole zero-crosstalk 3.5 mm connector, a 3.5 mm combined audio/mic connector for smart devices and the PlayStation 4, and a USB connector for PCs and Macs. The microphone is detachable and unidirectional.
Next we have the Strix Claw, which is an optical mouse built for first-person shooters. This mouse has an optical sensor capable of 5000 dpi and true 1:1 tracking, up to 130 inches per second. Accuracy is adjustable by 50 dpi increments, which can be adjusted on the fly by merely pressing a button. There are a total of eight buttons; three of these are independently programmable.
“Asus engineers built Strix Claw with high-quality Japanese-made Omron D2F-01F switches for full-comfort gameplay, no matter how long the session,” the press release stated. “The design of D2F-01F is adored by the gaming community because it offers more travel than many other switches for smoother clicking actions and great responsiveness, reducing muscle-strain and tingling fingers.”
Next is the Strix Tactic Pro, a mechanical keyboard that provides gamers with a choice of Cherry MX switch types. These include Black, Blue, Brown or Red, and can endure 50 million keystrokes before failing. This keyboard also employs N-Key Rollover (NKRO) technology over USB, which makes sure all keys are registered no matter how many are pressed simultaneously.
This keyboard includes 13 dedicated macro keys, and the ability to reassign F1 to F8 as macro keys, meaning gamers could have up to 21 touch-based commands. There is also a macro-recording key so that keystroke sequences can be captured without interrupting the game. Other specs include individually backlit orange keys with four level settings, hardware and software modes, and a gaming mode that turns off the Windows key.
Finally, there are the Strix Glide Control and the Strix Glide Speed gaming mousepads. The Glide Control features a premium heavy-weave fabric for gamers who need absolute precision. The Glide Speed has a fine-weave finish, built for those who need lots of space to move the mouse quickly across the tabletop.
Asus talks more about each new Strix entry here. Pricing and availability was not provided.
