Gaming-themed peripherals have become more commonplace in recent years, giving dedicated fans the opportunity to further express themselves in the form of hardware themed around their favorite games. With Fortnite‘s seemingly neverending success, I was shocked to discover that developer Epic had yet to partner with a hardware company on official Fortnite-themed gear. All of that has changed, however, with the new Razer x Fortnite “Defy the Storm” collection that adds some clean Fortnite-themed visuals to some of the most popular Razer hardware, alongside a bonus in-game item for each peripheral.
The Headset
First up in the collection is the Razer Kraken V3 X – Fortnite Edition headset. New headsets are usually the biggest hurdle for me personally because I have sensitive ears in terms of comfort. I’m admittedly probably more picky than most people even if a headset has the best audio quality in the world, if the headset is just a tad too tight or loose I can’t tolerate it at all. The Razer Kraken V3 X features hybrid fabric and memory foam ear cushions which I’m happy to report are very comfortable. If you’re the kind of person who prefers to wear headsets that you don’t feel at all, that’s what this headset offers.
Design-wise, the headset features Fortnite’s favorite deep blue ear covers, with a black headband including the yellow construction-style striping and of course the Fortnite logo. Each of the ears features the face of the Fortnite Loot Llama that has full RGB functionality. By default, it will cycle through a full range of colors that light up the Loot Llama, but you can customize this in the Razer Chroma settings to fit your RGB needs.
From a technical standpoint, the headset utilizes the Razer HyperClean Cardioid Mic, which through recording tests and feedback from friends and colleagues sounds like your standard-quality microphone. Nothing special, but nothing bad either. Just a solid all-around microphone. People won’t have trouble hearing you but don’t use this microphone to record studio-quality recordings or anything like that.
The same can be said for the audio quality as well. If you’re on Windows 10 64-bit (which I am), there is Virtual Surround Sound encoding available which actually worked better than I expected. Overall it sounds like natural surround sound, picking up omnidirectional sounds which is important when playing Fortnite itself, so it is certainly great that it is an added feature.
The Razer Kraken V3 X is also compatible on both PC and PlayStation 4 via USB Type-A connection.
Headset: Razer Kraken V3 X – Fortnite Edition
Price: $99.99
Bonus Item: Raptor Glider
The Keyboard
Some would argue that of all of the peripherals, the keyboard is the most important. For the most part, I’d agree, which is why I was happy to discover the Razer BlackWidow V4 X – Fortnite Edition is the keyboard in this collection. I’ve actually used the non-Fortnite version of this keyboard and think it’s one of the most bang-for-your-buck keyboards currently on the market.
The BlackWidow V4 X is a full-size keyboard featuring the Razer Chroma RGB lighting. This means you can go into the Razer Chroma software and customize the lighting to fit whatever style you are going for. In terms of customization, there are 6 dedicated macro keys located on the left side of the keyboard, as well as up to five slots for hybrid onboard memory profiles.
My favorite thing about this keyboard is how quiet it is. Most modern-day keyboards fail to get that nice hybrid of responsive keys without making too much of a clickety clackety with each key press, but the BlackWidow V4 X seems to meet that happy medium. The Doubleshot ABS keycaps are my favorite texture for keycaps, which is what this keyboard uses.
The Fortnite edition features a deep blue color scheme with the spray-painted yellow Loot Llama in the bottom right, just above the directional keys, and to the left of the keypad. The chroma lighting of this keyboard is strong and can result in some pretty slick-looking lighting when matched with the deep blue of the keyboard. There is also the Battle Bus logo in the top left above the M6 macro and Escape key.
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow V4 X – Fortnite Edition
Price: $169.99
Bonus Item: Demon Skull Pickaxe
The Mouse and Mousepad
Rounding out the collection is the Fortnite-themed mouse and mousepad. I’m a huge fan of giant mousepads, especially as a fan of shooter games, and the Razer Goliathus Extended Chroma – Fortnite Edition mousepad does not disappoint. Fully extended, the mousepad stretches out just over 3 feet wide with a total length of 36.22″ and a height/width of 11.57″. This will cover as much mouse real estate as you will possibly need regardless of mouse sensitivity and is honestly one of the bigger mousepads I’ve ever used.
This is an RGB mousepad that looks great with the Fortnite-branded mousepad. The bulk of the pad is the same deep blue with the yellow spray-painted-looking Loot Llama on the right side. On the left side where the cable connects to the mousepad, we have the yellow construction-style concrete with a Battle Bus logo.
The surface of the mousepad is a micro-textured cloth that is 3mm (0.11″) thick and claims to be optimized for any sensitivity or sensor mouse you throw at it. I tried it out with the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro – Fortnite Edition as well as a Logitech G502 Lightspeed I had and both worked wonderfully without any issues.
Speaking of the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro, let’s talk about the mouse itself al little bit. It’s a hybrid wireless/wired mouse that boasts up to 90 hours of battery life at 1000 Hz and a still-impressive 17 hours at 8000 Hz. When you’re trying to give that battery some juice, you do so via the Speedflex USB Type C charging cable. This mouse features a max sensitivity of 30,000 DPI which let’s be real, is so high you’ll never realistically need anything more.
The DeathAdder V3 Pro is a very ergonomic and solid albeit somewhat safe mouse. There are no modern special features to the mouse like on-board memory profiles, and it only has 6 programmable buttons which while plenty for most games, can be problematic for MMORPGs or playing build-mode Fortnite. It’s an ultra-lightweight mouse, weighing in at just 63 grams.
In terms of design, the base of the mouse is the same deep blue coloring with the yellow Fortnite Loot Llama where the palm of your hand rests on the mouse. The buttons themselves are a metal-looking gray with the yellow construction-paint style where the buttons reach the yellow and black mouse wheel. Located on the left mouse button is the white Battle Bus logo that is also visible on the other peripherals.
Oddly, the DeathAdder V3 Pro does not have RGB support.
Mousepad: Razer Goliathus Extended Chroma – Fortnite Edition
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro – Fortnite Edition
Price: Mousepad: $99.99, Mouse: $169.99
Bonus Items: Mousepad: Dauntless Dragon Glider, Mouse: Cliffhanger Pickaxe
The Verdict
Overall, the entire collection is a solid mostly RGB peripheral set, obviously intended for Fortnite fans. The actual Fortnite branding on all of these designs is simple yet clean and sleek looking. The deep blue color of all of the hardware fits with most PC setups, and the consistently placed yellow spray-painted Loot Llama is subtle enough to not take away from the rest of the design while still asserting “Hey, I like Fortnite, ok?”
There are a couple of important elements to the collection that I feel need to be mentioned. First off, you’re obviously paying a premium for the Fortnite branding, which is to be expected. In most cases, you’re paying $30-$40 more than the original base hardware in this collection for having the Fortnite branding, which is honestly a pretty fair price.
However, the added premium does put both the mousepad and the mouse in a bit of a weird spot. $99.99 feels very expensive for a mousepad, even though it is a more premium mousepad with RGB lighting and is about as big as they get. I personally try to spend no more than $50 on a mousepad, so with a price that’s double that, I can certainly be a bit of a tougher ask. But, the bonus in-game item for the mousepad, the Dauntless Dragon Glider, is probably the coolest one, which can make up for it.
I also feel like the same can be said for the mouse. While it’s a solid and clean-looking mouse, $169.99 is a bit more on the pricey end when the mouse doesn’t have any special features, no on-board memory profiles, and only 6 programmable buttons. Also, the mouse not having RGB when all of the other peripherals in the collection do feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.
Even still, the headset and keyboard are both great value for solid pieces of hardware that also have some cool Fortnite designs on them. If you opt to go for the entire collection, you’re not paying too much of a premium overall to get all four peripherals. If you’re trying to drop tilted in style with durable hardware at a mostly reasonable price, you’ll definitely want to check out this Razer x Fortnite collab. The only actual problem I had with this collection was convincing my five-year-old he couldn’t wear the headset around the house for fun.
Published: Jun 30, 2024 06:16 pm