Patriot is well-known for making memory-related products, such as RAM and USB memory sticks, along with a lineup of mobile accessories that includes battery banks. Today the company announced that it is moving into the peripherals market under its familiar Viper branding.
The first Patriot Viper-branded peripherals will include the V760 Viper mechanical keyboard, the V360 Viper headset, and two different mice -- the V560 Viper laser mouse and V530 Viper optical mouse.
The V760 mechanical keyboard features anti-ghosting technology and full spectrum LED lighting with 16.8 million colors that are completely customizable. Patriot included six programmable macro keys that are also LED backlit, so different colors can be set for different games. The keyboard also includes a magnetic palm rest for ergonomic support.
Patriot's new V360 Viper headset features 7.1 virtual surround sound, with ergonomic ear cups. Unlike most headsets, the V360's volume controls are not located on the cord, but rather can be found right on the ear cup. Patriot claimed this helps with evening out the weight distribution of the headset.
V530 Viper optical mouse
V560 Viper laser mouse
Both the V560 Viper and the V530 Viper are fairly distinct from each other. The higher-end V560 features a laser lens capable of up to 8200 DPI, which suggests adjustability (as does the side of the mouse in the picture). Patriot has installed ceramic foot pads and used a weighted design, which the company claimed helps the new mouse easily glide on all surfaces to eliminate wear and tear. The V530 Viper is an entry-level mouse with a lower 5000 DPI optical lens.
There was no word yet on pricing or availability.
Update, 6/3/15, 10:25am PST: We reached out to Patriot for more details on each product before the announcement. Unfortunately, the Patriot team was busy with Computex and was only able to reply the following day, but now we have a few extra details. Full specifications of each device have yet to be released, though.
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We were told the keyboard will support Cherry key caps, but the type of switches was not disclosed. Both mice will have nine programmable buttons, with five individual profiles. Each mouse has adjustable DPI settings, but only the V560 has a dedicated DPI selector. The V530 offers the ability to program any of its nine buttons to perform that task.
Kevin Carbotte is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware who primarily covers VR and AR hardware. He has been writing for us for more than four years.
