It’s been virtually ten years since Alienware launched their final headset, however now Dell’s gaming division are diving again into the heady world of RGB lights, chunky microphones and outsized audio drivers with their very first wi-fi gaming headset, the appropriately named Alienware Wireless Gaming Headset. Or the AW988 for brief.
Oh, they usually’ve additionally launched a brand new mouse to go along with it that has interchangeable facet ;plates in case you wish to swap up the variety of buttons you will have for FPS video games and MMOs. Let’s have a look.
The AW988’s 40mm Neodymium drivers are a bit of smaller than a lot of immediately’s best gaming headsets (most appear to go for 50mm drivers lately), but it surely nonetheless appears very very similar to a premium headset – and I’d hope so when it’s going to price round £175 / $229 when it launches on June 11.
Naturally, you’ve bought a compulsory sprint of RGB LEDs mendacity throughout every rotating ear cup, however in any other case you’re a light-weight, versatile headband and what Dell are calling ‘sports mesh’ ear cushions. I think its angular design shall be a bit too sci-fi for some, however hey, it wouldn’t be Alienware with out an Area 51 vibe about it, would it not?
Don’t do that at house.
Like most wi-fi headsets, the AW988 delivers its audio over 2.4GHz, but it surely additionally comes with a 3.5mm audio connection so you possibly can keep on utilizing it when the battery runs out – or, you recognize, in case you simply wish to use it as an everyday wired headset. You additionally get digital 7.1 encompass sound help and a noise-cancelling microphone with a sport/chat quantity mixer that tucks itself neatly into the underside of the left ear cup when not in use.
How often you’ll have to cost the AW988 depends upon whether or not you want utilizing its AlienFX lighting system, as Dell reckons you’ll be capable to squeeze out round 15 hours of play time with it turned on, however solely (an oddly-specific) 8.7 hours when you’ve got it turned on. That’s nonetheless lengthy sufficient for a good stretch of gaming over the weekend, after all, however when the relatively beautiful, RGB-less and significantly cheaper Corsair HS70 affords a pleasant 16 hours of continuous wi-fi audio, the AW988 begins to look quite a bit much less handy.
Over within the peripherals division, Dell are giving their gaming mouse a refresh, as soon as once more utilizing a extremely authentic and distinctive moniker of the 2nd Gen Elite Gaming Mouse – or AW959. The trick behind this one is that comes with two interchangeable facet plates – one with two buttons for all of your FPS video games (different sport genres can be found) and one other with 4 buttons to your MMOs and so on, bringing its whole variety of customisable buttons to between 9 and 11 – plus a three-position palm relaxation to accommodate virtually any model of grip or hand dimension.
Looks extra just like the Batplane in case you ask me…
Following in the footsteps of each the Steelseries Rival 600 and Acer’s upcoming Cestus 510, the Alienware Elite Gaming Mouse can even include 4 5g weights you should utilize to regulate the mouse’s total heft. These slot into either side of the mouse, beneath your chosen facet plate. The central DPI button can retailer as much as 5 totally different DPI settings as properly, and you may program every of its 9-11 buttons to carry out all kinds of totally different capabilities due to its 512ok of onboard reminiscence.
Alienware’s Elite Gaming Mouse is anticipated to launch within the US on July 31 for a large $90, or £80 within the UK when it arrives in August. Can it unseat Steelseries’ Rival 800? Only time will inform.
