SteelSeries today announced a co-branding partnership with Blizzard Entertainment. The result is the SteelSeries Diablo III family of products: the Diablo III Mouse ($70.00 or €70.00), the Diablo III Headset ($120.00 / €120.00), and two Diablo III QcK mousepads ($15.00 / €15.00). All of them were co-designed with technology, hardware, and illumination features that support the look and feel of the third installment of the game. They will be available at game launch, both online and in select retail locations.
The SteelSeries Diablo III Mouse features a laser sensor with up to 5,000CPI, seven ergonomically positioned buttons (all can be remapped) with a guaranteed lifespan of 10 million clicks (more than three times the click lifespan of an average mouse), and an ambidextrous shape with a matte grip coating. In true Diablo III style, the SteelSeries mouse is enhanced with "demon red" illumination in three areas on the mouse: the scroll wheel, CPI Indicator, and Diablo III logo. You can also customize the logo with ON/OFF illumination and three levels of pulsation.
The SteelSeries Diablo III Headset has an over-the-head suspension design that provides players with leather earcups that comfortably surround the ear and reproduce an optimized soundscape through 50mm driver units. The matte-black finish and the "demon red" illumination are meant to match the aforementioned mouse. SteelSeries' first illuminated headset will also offer players ON/OFF illumination and three levels of pulsation options. Coming from a total of 18 LED lights throughout the headset, the red glow is seen in two places each on the right and left side - surrounding the edge of each ear cup, and the three Diablo slashes. The headset will also include SteelSeries' signature: uni-directional retractable microphone-system for clear voice communication through Battle.net. Its in-line volume and mute controls are on the double-braided nylon cord with a USB connector.
Last and probably least, the SteelSeries Diablo III mousepads come in two high-quality cloth designs: Barbarian (deep reds and earthy tones) and Witch Doctor (cooler green and purple tones). The SteelSeries award-winning QcK mousepads have a non-slip rubber base to keep the mousepad from moving and an optimized texture surface featuring Diablo III artwork.
"The level of excitement for the Diablo III release is massive," Kim Rom, SteelSeries CMO, said in a statement. "When the opportunity was presented to partner up with Blizzard for a new family of co-branded peripherals, we knew that they had to be engineered for this particular type of gameplay by being both durable and able to bring out the Diablo III theme onto a player's desktop. The mouse offers both simplicity for new players and unprecedented durability that will support the series' distinctive mouse-driven gameplay, while the headset optimizes the high, spine-chilling snarls of otherworldly creatures and the booming lows of a barbarian battle cry. Together, the headset and mouse will help immerse players into the game through their extended comfort, compelling designs and high performance."