Riotoro first showed its innovative shape-changing Morpheus case last year at Computex 2018. But now the chassis has recently been released worldwide with an MSRP of $190, and we had the chance to take a detailed look at it during CES 2019.
The Morpheus is a chassis with two form factor configurations; it can be transformed either to a mid- or a mini-tower case. It's designed with perforated mesh on all sides, offering increased airflow--although that doesn't help keep the noise output low. The top I/O panel includes two USB 3.0 and two Type-C ports. Inside the Morpheus are two compartments which, according to Riotoro, help in isolating heat and increasing airflow.
The supported mainboards vary from EATX to mini-ITX, and up to three 240mm radiators can be mounted. The number of supported SSD and HDD drives is four and two, respectively. Finally, the height of the Morpheus can be either 385mm or 445mm, while its width is 276mm with the depth set at 465.2mm. This is a wide case with plenty of room for cable routing.
Riotoro wants to carry over the Morpheus' convertible design to other product categories as well, including mice and headsets. So the company had two corresponding products to show: an upcoming modular version of its Bison mouse and the Aviator wired headset (with a wireless version coming soon). The Bison uses a 12k DPI optical sensor (PixArt 3325) with on-the-fly DPI adjustment. It also features customizable 16.8m RGB lighting, and its "stampede" coating offers increased durability. It has six programmable buttons, and its Omron switches are rated to 10 million clicks.
The Aviator gaming headphones are over-ear and have 7.1 channels. The mic is flexible and detachable, while the cable is 2.2m long and can be detached as well. There is a multi-platform adapter (including USB, separate headphone and mic plugs, and a single audio plug for phones or media devices. And the driver diameter is 50mm, delivering surprisingly good sound in our brief ears-on time with them. There will be two Aviator models available, classic and RGB, both of which will be supported by a 2-year warranty.
Riotoro wishes to expand into other categories. And given the passion and fresh ideas that its people have, we believe that soon enough it will be a considerable force. The Morpheus case already gathered much attention and managed to get an innovation award from us, during Computex 2018. RGB lighting, which is omnipresent nowadays to almost any product category, is not a panacea. Fresh and unique designs are needed as well, to offer something that truly stands out from the crowd.
