You can never have too much RGB. Long a leader in RGB-enabled gear, Thermaltake took the wraps off several new and attractive peripherals at CES, including an RGB desk, a sleek aluminum keyboard and a mouse with a pair of buttons on both of its sides.
Though the company showed off some new peripherals from its TT eSports brand, the coolest new gear is part of its premium Level 20 line.
Level 20 RGB Gaming Keyboard
The Level 20 RGB Gaming Keyboard may be the most intriguing. It has a very classy-looking aluminum top surface that comes in black or titanium gray shades and a sleek, slightly-rounded shape. As you might expect, it supports a slew of dynamic lighting effects and works with Thermaltake’s control software or even Amazon Alexa.
An app will allow users to customize the keyboard controls from their mobile devices, using either touch or voice commands. The app will also provide a virtual keyboard and game controller that allow you to control PC games from your phone.
What you don’t see everywhere else, is the extra lighting the Level 20 keyboard brings. There’s a light strip that rings around the top and side surfaces and an RGB line that artfully separates the numpad keys from the rest of the keyboard.
The bottom of he keyboard features not one but two different sets of flip out feet that raise it to two different heights. This is a really key feature we’d like to see on more keyboards, because it allows you to have more control over the typing experience and your ergonomic setup. There are also passthroughs for a second USB port and 3.5mm audio.
Shipping this month, the Level 20 RGB Gaming Keyboard will come with a choice of Cherry MX Silver, Cherry MX Blue or Razer Green switches. So, if you like the clicky feel of Razer’s switches, but want a different aesthetic and feature set than you find on Razer keyboards, you’re in luck. The model with the Razer Green switches will cost $129 in the U.S. while the blue and silver switch models will go for $139 and $149.
Level 20 RGB Gaming Mouse
One of the most intriguing new peripherals, the Level 20 RGB RGB Gaming Mouse seems to be flying under the radar, because the company did not even mention it in press materials and reps were unable to provide exact specs or availability info.
However, this vibrant wired mouse has a couple of truly standout features. Where most gaming mice have a pair of thumb buttons on the left side, the Level 20 has a second pair on the right side. Reps told me that having these extra buttons makes the mouse friendly to left-handed users,, but as a righty, I was more intrigued by the possibility of having two more buttons to program.
The Level 20 RGB Gaming Mouse also has more bling than most, with RGB light strips on the top surface, sides, under the scroll wheel and in a TT logo on the base. The side buttons themselves are RGB so you can not only watch the rainbow, but also click it.
There’s no word on the DPI range for this mouse and it appeared not to have a way to add or remove weight. It’s fairly light, but felt really good in my hand. A company rep told me the mouse will end up costing around $60 whenever it comes out.
RGB Desk
We first saw Thermaltake’s RGB desk back at Computex in June 2018. Back then, it was a prototype with no name, price or release date. Now it’s called the Level 20 RGB BattleStation and it will carry a price of $1,099 in the U.S. when it ships this month.
While $1,100 is a lot of money for a desk, the Level 20 RGB Battlestation could be worth it. Yes, there’s a thick RGB border that frames the top of the desk, but bright lights and rainbow animations are just the beginning. The desk also has hydraulic height adjustment which lets you use it while either standing or sitting. It has built-in cable management in the back and a soft mouse pad that covers the entire desktop.
This is also a huge desk, measuring 64.9 x 29.5 x 27.5 inches (164.8 x 74.9 x 69.8 cm). That leaves you plenty of room for a large tower case and all of your peripherals.
If you can live without the RGB lights and hydraulic motors, the Level 20 BattleStation GT desk goes for only $399. However, it measures a much smaller 59 x 27.5 x 28.9 (149.6 x 69.7 x 73.4 cm).
Odds and Ends
At its booth Thermaltake also showed off a new RGB headset stand, a soft fabric mouse pad with RGB edges and Water RAM RGB, a set of two or four DIMMs that comes with its own RGB waterblock. There were also new radiators some new RGB cases and some improved case fans. However, the keyboard, desk and mouse were the real stars of the show.
