Munich/Taipei. Totally focused and oblivious to his surroundings, the young man speaks urgently but quietly into his headset. One hand hovers above the keyboard, the other on the computer mouse. On the monitor screen in front of him a virtual figure is chasing through a labyrinth of alleys and dead-ends, veering off, flattening itself against walls, reacting to opponents – all this happening at split-second commands. The speed with which these cyber scenes unfold is breathtaking. It’s like being taking along for a spin with a Formula One pilot. This is Kai “Kaii” Schäfer, one of the best German professional gamers, at work. Together with Thermaltake, renowned provider for electronic gaming accessories and based in Taiwan, BMW Group´s think tank of creative specialists, DesignworksUSA, has developed a high-end computer mouse specifically for tech pros like Schäfer and all those dedicated amateurs hoping to match their wits against the lightning-fast best. You need a speedy mouse for this.
Support from the Gaming Pro.
This piece of technology, resembling a tiny racecar, has about as much to with those grey plastic shells scooting over mouse pads like a family van does with a high performance supercar. Niko von Saurma, the director of the Munich studioof DesignworksUSA, takes up one of the three prototypes and handles it with the care afforded a rare artifact. And that is what this sleek concoction, outfitted for the rigors of professional computer sports, is set to become. Officially, this latest innovative example of industrial design is called Pro-Gaming Computer Mouse Level 10 M. Anyone who’s ever tried their hand at a computer game knows that Level 10 is reserved for the very, very good. Someone like the pro-gamer “White Ra”, who shared his first-hand experience during the developing process. Level 10 M has the potential to become a “game changer”, says Tony Liu. For the director of T t esports, the gaming division of Thermaltake, “the mouse is an extension of the player´s soul”. It is no less than the conduit into the game. Just like a basketball shoe, a golf club or a cockpit, a professional´s mouse needs to be customized to meet the competition needs of tech’s best athletes. (more…)
