14 DAY TRIAL // Motherboard manufacturer Gigabyte is reported to enter the high-end PC accessory market later this month. The company aims at delivering professional keyboard and mice peripherals for the high-end gaming niche.
According to some sources inside the company, Gigabyte will initially start a promotion campaign aimed at raising the consumers' awareness towards its brand, followed immediately by the launch of its first gaming keyboard designed by Gigabyte engineers, the GK-K8000. The GK-K8000 is expected to offer a balance between aesthetics, high-end features and cost, and will hit the market this spring.
At the moment, it is not know whether the keyboard's name is a codename or the final product name, but it has been reported to hit the market at a final price tag of $113, which is way below Razer's current offering.
According to the keyboard's technical specifications, the keycaps used for the new GK-K8000 model are are based on the Cherry MX series keyswitch, rated for about 60 million keypresses. The keyboard will also come with USB Digital Audio, a feature implemented via the C-Media 6300 chip codec with Vista support.
One of the most important features of the GK-K8000 is the built-in GHOST engine, that allows gamers to switch profiles using the row of orange buttons placed on top of the keyboard. The GHOST can store up to 13 profiles directly on the keyboard, which eliminates the need of installing additional software or drivers. Switching between profiles can be done at run-time, with a single press of a button.
Despite the fact that Gigabyte is a large conglomerate with plenty of resources and a vast experience in designing computer components, its success on the gaming market is still questionable. At the moment, Logitech and Razer are storming the professional gaming niche, and they managed to build a solid customer base around their brands.
Moreover, Razer has important investments in the gaming industry, and headed important gaming competitions, which dramatically contributed to its fan base. Gigabyte's attempt at dethroning one of the most important kings in the industry might be regarded as a personal offense addressed to gamers, which is likely to stain the Gigabyte brand from the very beginning.
