WoodTV and Elite Bastards published each of their SteelSeries product reviews today, which both turned out to be too good not to mention. Check below for a few snippets of the reviews and direct links. :)

/Casper

Feeling sort of an awesome feeling of rendezvous creeping in, I’m happy to let you guys know that PC Gamer has awarded the SteelSeries Xai Laser Mouse with an Editor’s Choice award and a 95% score - as it happened with the SteelSeries Ikari Laser back in 2008 (97%, though).

PC Gamer wrote:

“The Xai is in every way equal to the SteelSeries Ikari - the hands-down best gaming mouse of all time that received a whooping 97% in October 2008 - except for one thing: It’s ambidextrous, with two thumb buttons on each side.

Oh, and there’s the extra-fancy 32×128 display tucked underneath the mouse, which allows you to swap profiles and save settings without ever having to use the included software (which is exceptionally well-designed - simple, minimal, effective). So take notice, right-handers: the lefties just leveled the playing field.”

VERDICT: 95% - Editor’s Choice Award.

US residents, make sure to pick up this months issue as it, besides the SteelSeries Xai review, also has a SteelSeries Kinzu feature.

Have a great weekend. :-)

/Casper

Quick heads up on a few recently released reviews for the SteelSeries Kinzu. I’ve been screaming quite a lot about the Xai lately, but the Kinzu is definitely getting quite the attention from reviewers as well.

This time around, Hardwareheaven and Vortez Hardware took a closer look - check the reviews on the links below. :)

Hardwareheaven - verdict: 9/10, Value Award
Vortez Hardware - verdict: Gold Award

/Casper

Quick heads-up on the two recent SteelSeries Xai reviews from CrunchGear and TechPowerUp, who published their take on the laser mouse in the past week.

CrunchGear found the performance of the Xai to be “beyond reproach” and the design came across as “refreshing”. Finishing quote form reviewer Devin Coldewey: “… the Xai is really an excellent choice for almost anybody.”

TechPowerUp also took on the Xai, stating that we have “definitely pulled it off again” and thinks that the Xai “beats many of the seemingly better equipped mice from rivaling brands”.

Check out the reviews below:

SteelSeries Xai review on CrunchGear
SteelSeries Xai review on TechPowerUp

Watch out for news from the SteelSeries camp in the following days. ;-)

/Casper

“… possibly the best ambidextrous gaming mouse I’ve ever used.” Matt Buchanan does not go easy when kicking off his SteelSeries Xai review over on Gizmodo.

Especially the ambidextrous form factor, LCD screen and menu as well as the profile system are very well received.

Check out the complete review on Gizmodo.

/Casper

Honestly, let’s just kick of this post with a quote from the conclusion of the review: “All told, the SteelSeries Xai is the most impressive gaming mouse I have ever tested in our labs.”

<

With the overall 10/10 score and a DriverHeaven Gold Award, Henry Butt really goes in-depth on all the Xai’s features with a result that we are incredibly proud of!

Check out the complete review on DriverHeaven. :)

/Casper

To end the working week in a proper manner, I thought I’d give you guys an overview of the review coverage we’ve been getting on the Siberia v2 since its launch.

Check below for links to the sites that have put the headset through testing since our last posting where HLTV and XplayN.com had published the Worlds’ first Siberia v2 reviews.

1. XSReviews - verdict: 10/10

“So you’re looking to buy a new headset? Look no further; the SteelSeries Siberia V2 is almost perfect and definitely as good as it gets – great job SteelSeries.”

2. Driverheaven - verdict: 9.4/10

“All-in-all the Siberia V2 is a brilliant all-round headset and should be considered when looking for a decent pair of headphones for any purpose, not just gaming. Its sleek design and high quality finish combined with its superb sound quality mean I would personally recommend it to anyone.”

3. GotGames - verdict: None

“While listing all these specific improvements, it’s worth noting that I was constantly in awe of the build quality of these headphones. Sometimes I purchase and pick up a product and think it’s going to last me a lifetime. These headphones didn’t quite inspire that level of assurance (see the upcoming 7g review for something much closer) but they certainly had me feeling confident that they’d last a long time. They don’t feel anywhere near as fragile as the old Siberias and I’m sure this will be music to the ears of many.”

4. Catch-Gamer.no - verdict: 6/6 (Norwegian)

“Med de nye oppdateringene stiller Steelseries Siberia v2 sterkt og viser seg å være et av de beste headsettene for gaming på markedet på dette tidspunktet. Siberia v2 får full pott fordi det har utrolig komfort, leverer fantastisk lyd til gaming, er funksjonelt og best av alt koster under 600 kroner.”

(more…)

XtremeComputing put the Ikari Laser under the loop which resulted in a quite marvelous review. I think the Pros/Cons segment explains it all:

Pros

- Need I say? Really?
- A brilliant gaming mouse
- On the fly DPI setting
- Every button is programmable
- Instant on the fly DPI toggle
- Gaming profiles (for Macros, DPI, etc)
- Bragging Rights!
- It looks awesome
- Brilliant software package

Cons

- You may lose friends
- You may end up hungry
- Your accountant may not like you
- You’ll officially be a geek.

Check out the complete review over at XtremeComputing. :)

/Casper

The first two Siberia v2 reviews ticked in this week, where XplayN.com and HLTV.org went ahead and awarded the headset absolute top scores. A few select quotes:

XplayN.com review (score: 6/6)

“… SteelSeries Siberia v2 actually is the best gaming headset I have used to date…”

HLTV.org review (score: 10/10)

“SteelSeries have clearly listened to the professional gamers who helped build the headset, but also the average user. The changes compared to the first version of Siberia are enormous, even if it does not seem so. They took a popular product and made it even better. “

/Casper

The first review of SteelSeries Xai was released today in PC Games Hardware - Germany’s finest PC hardware print magazine with an estimated monthly readership of about 351.000.

With the remark: “SteelSeries Xai combines good ergonomic aspects, useful features and next-generation technology”, Xai received the best score and took home the TOP-PRODUKT award leaving a total of 9 other, competing gaming mice behind.

As mentioned earlier, Xai is shipping on October 30th. :)

/Casper