Swedish furniture maker IKEA is the next company to take on the lucrative gamer market-- specifically through a range of personalised 3D-printed accessories dubbed "Uppkoppla." That's right-- gamers will have to have an initial 3D body scan and then IKEA gaming accessories will be created especially to fit each player.
Created in collaboration with medical wearables maker Unyq and eSports company Area Academy, the Uppkoppla range promises to do nothing less than "change gaming experience and the surrounding life at home."
So far the line offers a selection of three products, namely a wrist brace, textured key caps (for improved grip) and a mouse "bungee" to keep cords in order during gameplay.
The retail location covers 2037 square metres over three floors, and will allow customers to check out the latest technology, products and services from Microsoft and partners. Immersive video walls form zones where customers can get hands-on with products such as Surface, Windows Office, Xbox and PC gaming, HoloLens mixed-reality and more, while an Answer Desk provides tech support. Interestingly, Microsoft insists it will offer repair services for any PC product, regardless of brand, OS or retailer.
The X-Series AVRs also feature eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel) to deliver uncompressed and object-based audio from the TV to the receiver via single HDMI cable and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) for lag-free gaming. With eARC passthrough, 4K UHD HDMI and full HDCP 2.3 support on all ports the AVRs provide seamless connections with the 4K and upcoming 8K TVs, as well as streaming devices, gaming consoles and other source players.
The second display is set directly above the keyboard, and is the same width and half the width as the main display. In other words it is something of an overpowered MacBook Pro Touch Bar, since it is touch-enabled and allows for dedicated shortcuts and function buttons for specific apps. It also doubles as either a regular display or even two, since users can split it into two small 16:9 windows.
The Iris comes in separately sold keyboard and numpad units designed to stand next to each other on the desk. Both feature CherryMX switches and RGB lighting underneath the deck, and connect to PCs using either an included wireless USB dongle or Bluetooth. The small knob on the top left allows one to choose between the choice of wireless connectivity, while a USB-C port takes care of charging duties.
