This won’t kick up a stink as much as Warner Bros’ decision to shut out other retailers, but it does beg the question: who exactly goes to EB Games for PC pro-gaming peripherals anyway?
Apparently, quite a few. That’s the logic behind today’s announcement from Ozone Gaming, which has exclusively partnered with EB Games to provide the brick-and-mortar retailer with their “premium gaming accessories”.
If the brand doesn’t ring a bell, it’s probably because you’re not much of a League of Legends fan. Ozone Gaming has been building up recognition on the European LCS circuit as a sponsor for Origen and Giants teams, and Ozone’s Australian country manager is hoping to have similar success down under.
“We are very excited to start working in Oceania,” Ozone’s Adrian Alarcon said in a release. “We want to contribute to the growth of the gaming scene in the region. We are here to stay and we are looking forward to establishing a strong community and making connections with Aussie gamers at upcoming events.”
That’s perhaps the most intriguing element of all this — the entry of another sponsor into the Australian competitive market. In the meantime though, you’ll be able to pick up a range of pro-gaming focused mice and mechanical keyboards from EB Games starting June 20. (The release says June 23, but EB’s online store says it’s available from June 20, so go figure.)
As for the mechanical keyboards, the first two available will be the the Strike Battle and Strike Pro keyboards, both with Cherry Black, Brown, Blue and Red switches. They don’t come cheap though: the Strike Battle is the most affordable of the two at $229.95, while the Strike Pro will set you back a hefty $289.95.
Features are largely the same across the two, although the Strike Battle is a 10-keyless offering. The interesting part will be how much choice in switches you’ll actually have though. Gamers are pretty picky when it comes to their mechanical switches, and it’s unlikely that most EB stores would have the full suite of keyboards available — after all, they barely have the full suite of PC games, let alone peripherals.
In the mice department, EB will be stocking Ozone’s Neon 3K and the M50. The Neon 3K is a bit of a strange sell: it’s sporting the low actuation OMRON switches and a Pixart 3320, 3500 DPI optical sensor. The Pixart 3320 is an entry-level sensor and not something natively accustomed to 400/450 DPI. It’s also $119.95, which is a fair mark-up against Razer, Logitech, Zowie or Steelseries mice that have gained a following in the competitive community.
The M50 seems more attuned to the pro-gaming market, although it too is coming in at a hefty price: $149.95. It’s an ergonomic (read: sorry lefties) 6 button-mice with the PMW 3310 sensor, which sports a DPI toggle going from 250 to 5000 DPI. It’s also an optical sensor, paramount if you’re serious about your headshots. Like the Neon 3K, it’s also got 128KB of onboard memory for profile storage and an RGB LED system that you can customise with Ozone’s on-board software.
That price is a major stumbling point, however. And as a long-term LAN gamer, I’m loathe to trust anything that heavily promotes its software suite (since tournament admins often frown upon anyone wanting to install third-party drivers or software suites at non-BYOC events).
But each to their own. If EB’s offerings take your fancy, you’ll be able to pick them up this time next month. Alternatively, you could just run a StaticICE search for other, more appropriately priced offerings.
Comments
25 responses to “EB Games Is Getting Exclusives On Mechanical Keyboards And Gaming Mice Too”
I always found Logitech mouse/keyboard work fine for me. Although every time I buy fancy looking keyboards or wireless mouse I seem to break it 6-12 months later.
Just don’t buy the Logitech G710+ Mechnical. The key tops are all made of soft plastic with bad glue and either break off or fall off. The G910 on the other hand is amazing quality.
Saw some keyboard there recently for 350 dollars…
Walked out, bought a logitech keyboard from target for 25 bucks.
I guess I’m too old for spending stupid amounts of money on things that don’t need it. I mean damn, 350 on a keyboard. That’s insane.
But… light up keyboards make your apm faster.
lol I touch type, I can’t say I’ve looked at my keyboard as I use it in…. a bloody long time :O
Man, you should see my keyboard, IT HAS ALL THE LIGHTS AND LOOKS LIKE A SPACESHIP.
side note, mechanical keyboards are much more annoying to type on.
Lol. If you want one that does that, pay less than half the price for a Logitech.
Annoying to type on?
What switches has your keyboard got?
Mine has cherry mx browns and is amazing to type on.
Dunno, its a g910, so whatever logitech puts in there stuff.
(I actually do play games, just noting on the side it isnt as easy to type on as a low profile like generic keyboard)
$350 is a bit crazy for a keyboard Imo, but I definitely will pay an extra $50 to have customisable keys, as well as buttons on a mouse. who has time for ctrl short cuts? not me! lights on the other hand? let me game in darkness please
Guessing you’ve never had mechanical keyboard. I recommend it since you “touch type” the tactical feedback is great. You can get silent ones too if you don’t like the clicky noises. but seriously for 150 you can get a pretty decent mechanical keyboard. it will change your life
I’ve used them, they’re ok but to me a keyboard is just a keyboard. At the end of the day it’s one of those things where I have had all sorts. I’ve had expensive logitech keyboards, I’ve had cheap ones, I’ve had gaming keyboards, I’ve had throwaway ones, I’ve had a gaming mouse, I’ve had a simple two button mouse and I’ve had a mechanical keyboard too, the IBM Model M keyboard, the grandaddy of them all. I’ve used my friends mechanical keyboards, it’s not life changing, it’s just a keyboard. I’ve gone from style to function. If it functions properly, if it works ok, I don’t need tons of bells and whistles attached. I’ve got a decent mouse (my guilty pleasure for the pc, an inferno mouse with a few extra buttons) but the keyboard itself is simple, doesn’t need to do much extra and does what it needs to do 🙂
Did you just compare a 90’s keyboard to modern day mechanical gaming keyboards? it’s all well and good to “try your mates keyboard” but unless you use it daily you can’t really compare. Comparing a fancy logitech keyboard, ie one with a little screen that you don’t really use (i’ve had one too) to a mechanical keyboard doesn’t seem right. I think a keyboard is one of those things that’s worth investing in long term. If you buy a decent one it will last you years. The keys can be removed and the entire board cleaned. If a switch breaks you can simply replace it. Same with a good mouse or set of speakrs (have had my 5.1 logitech for 8 years) wheres buying the cheapos you get what you pay for and we just end up have to buy yet another cheapo. I get what you’re saying i was exactly the same for so long!
Im good dude, this 20 buck keyboard will do. The last one lasted two years, this one if it lasts 12 months? Awesome. Another 20 bucks then. In 10 years time, maybe I’ll buy 5 of them. Maybe 6. Sometimes I pay 15, sometimes I pay 20. At the end of the day its just a keyboard to me and I cant justify paying that sort of money when there’s far more important things to me to spend money on 🙂
Cheap keyboards suffer from key ghosting, meaning you can’t circle strafe jump and reload at the same time because you’re limited to like 3 key presses at once. Cheap keyboards have gotten me killed plenty of times.
I’m wondering what their keyboards offer that’s worth $100 over other mechanical keyboards – which seem to cost around $150. (Or at least mine was that much and it’s great)
I think I’ll stick with my Corsair M&K, thank you very much. Cheaper and more features too.
I brought a mouse mat at EB since it was convenient at the time and I got a great deal on a wireless 360 pad with dongle for the PC another time, those are all the PC hardware I have ever brought from EB.
EB Keeps all my purchases on file which is great because when my Logitech G710 failed I’d lost my receipt. They also had no problem with me swapping it twice before finally ditching the useless thing and getting the Logitech G910.
Still wouldn’t be enough to convince me to buy PC stuff from EB with their exorbitant peripheral prices. They look nice though.
$20 Logitech keyboard from OfficeWorks has served me just fine so far.
So eb is continuing to sell overpriced junk? How is this news?
I bought a mechanical keyboard a few years ago. Yeah, I’m happy with it, it feels solid, doesn’t have fancy customizable LEDs (gaudy crap that I feel it is), and has done me well.
It also cost me $150 or so which in hindsight is waaay too much for a keyboard unless I’m using it 10-16hrs a day. Which I’m not. I was happy with the purchase at the time, I’m still happy with the product, though if I were in the market for a keyboard today I wouldn’t be going near that price range again, hindsight being what it is. Prohibitive pricing, and (again) unless using it in lieu of a membrane style keyboard for extended periods of time (WASD use doesn’t qualify personally) it’s just an unnecessary expense.
The right tool for the job etc, but damn if the marketing wank hasn’t skewed our view of what are necessary features for a particular product.
pfft, i use a Dell business keyboard and business mouse with adjustable sensitivity for my gaming. im no competitive gamer though. but does me well.
Wow, seriously pricey stuff. I’ll stick with my Kogan keyboard at less than half the price thanks. If the appearance of your gaming keyboard matters while you’re using it then you’re not actually a gamer.
My biggest problem is finding a mouse big enough for my hand without me having to curl my fingers like an arthritic retired bricklayer. When will someone make a midrange mouse with the palm dome adjustable?
I went to EB to buy a gaming mouse today. My last one is dying but i had a problem where i could bot easily reach one of the side buttons. I asked if i could get a feel for if any fit and you are not allowed to handle them in any way due to “hygene reasons”. No way am i about to buy a $100 mouse that may or may not fit my hand!