Computex 2016 - Day 3

Computex 2016 - Fnatic Gear

Any esports fans are likely to be well aware of Fnatic, an esports team founded in 2004 and now a truly international group of esports professionals. Those who keep up with their hardware releases may also remember Func, the relaunched peripherals brand that didn't do so well commercially. Towards the end of 2015, Fnatic acquired Func, and Fnatic Gear was born with the aim of delivering peripherals that are focused on quality and game-playing rather than on needless features. The company sees this as the perfect merger between those who, from personal experience, know exactly what esports players want from their hardware, and those who have the technical knowledge and know-how necessary to bring these requirements to life.

At its Computex suite, Fnatic Gear was showing off its Rush G1 backlit mechanical keyboard, essentially a relaunched version of Func's KB-460. Highlights include dual USB pass-through ports, Cherry MX switches, key customisation and a removable wrist rest. It also uses keycaps coated with a material to aid grip and matt, non-reflective surfaces to avoid distractions.


It also had two mice on show: the Clutch G1 and the Flick G1. The two are similar in many ways, but we were told that the Clutch came about as a result of certain Fnatic players finding the Flick to be too light or small for them. Fnatic Gear made it clear that it doesn't force any of the Fnatic players to use its products; instead, they are free to choose their peripherals, and Fnatic uses their choices to help decide product strategies – it aims to have every player using the gear out of personal choice rather than just through sponsorship or partnership.