RPGs are all about player choice and customization, but some games take that concept a step further. In some games, the addition of moral choices turned the common decision of “Do I want this sword” into the more complex dilemma of “Do I want this sword enough to sacrifice my in-game sister and be condemned by everyone.” It IS a cool sword, though.

[Warning, this article contains minor spoilers for the following games: Fable, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 3 and Telltale’s Walking Dead.]

Fable

The Fable series (specifically looking at the first) laid out the player’s choices in a very black and white fashion. Boiled down to the basics, most choices ended up in mercy or death, righteous or greedy. Based on your decisions your appearance changed to reflect the choice, which resulted in the varying degrees of public worship or fear. Fable’s binary “choice” system was overly simplified, but created a lot of replay value and was one of the first instances of moral dilemmas for gamers.

(Art by Brussman)

Fallout

The wasteland in the Fallout series has always been a place where the player was presented with many crossroads where they could make a quick buck, but often at the expense of the more naive NPCs. Megaton’s fate was like a rite of passage for Fallout 3 but New Vegas explored the ability to join a cause the player thought was right, or at least the one that annoyed you the least. Many choices in these games were fueled by cold, hard caps, but those attempting to role play their very own “White Knight” character had quite a few positive outcomes to fight for.

(Video credit: James Osborn)

Mass Effect

Carrying the weight of past decisions into sequels was one of Mass Effect’s crowning achievements. Gamers either celebrated their wise decision to rescue Ashley back on Virmire or instantly regretted choosing Kaiden. The addition of “Interrupt” moments in conversations added an extra dimension of player choice and more often than not the more radical Renegade options were much more fun than the pacifying Paragon moments. RIP Mordin Solus.

(Video credit: Buttwind)

Telltale’s Walking Dead

Telltale took the binary choices from games like Fable and maniacally laughed. Rather than leave hints that indicate one decision is “good” or “evil,” Telltale litters their games with choices that leave the players wondering if they made the right choice, no matter which path they took. Even one of the writers went on the record saying that ultimately “all choices are equally wrong.”

(Photo credit: Gameinformer)

Presenting the player with choice is a great way that games like Fable and Mass Effect pushed their players to emotionally invest in the world. Others like some of the Far Cry series, Life is Strange and Witcher 3 contain certain quests that push the player to genuinely think about what's right and wrong, or at least an outlet for wanton destruction. What games presented you with an impossible choice that left you lying awake at night wondering what could have been? Which side did you choose?

From open world to first person shooter to real-time strategy, we all started gaming somewhere, and our first choice of games often influenced our taste in games to this day. Quite a few of us at CORSAIR regularly play games (some at more appropriate times of the day than others) on our own or together, and sharing fond memories of games is one of the easiest things that all of us can relate to. Here's a few of our best memories!

Robert W.

TES III: Morrowind

I spent so many hours running around, using the physical map to explore new towns or regions, but funnily enough never actually beat the game. As a kid the quest system was a little difficult to understand, so I would use console commands to gear up in toddtest and then teleport to new places I’d never been until I’d explored every inch of the island. I’m playing through it right now to try and fulfill a mini bucket list goal of completing the main quests!

Blake A.

Ultima Online

I started my journey back in 2001 when I was given an Ultima Online CD and started playing on a private server. This is what started my addiction to online gaming and MMOs in general. I put hundreds and hundreds of hours into Ultima Online talking to friends and building communities, it’s a wonder how I even managed to graduate high school. This then passed on to World of Warcraft where I spent even more time due to not having any school and having only a part time job.

I got heavily into PC gaming and always wanted to play the newest games, so I needed the right hardware. This lead into a mild obsession of building one of the best rigs one could buy at the time. It opened up a whole world of PC customization for me, like sleeving cables or painting my case. Thanks to PC gaming, it’s one of the main reasons I ended up here at CORSAIR. 

Justice D.

Mario Party

My favorite nostalgic gaming memory comes from the ‘Ghost vs Bicycle’ minigame in Mario Party 1. No, not the entire game. What a waste of time. I’m talking about that one mini-game where your character had to power a light bulb by peddling a bicycle… so that, uh, the ghost wouldn’t get you, or whatever. The one that came out when we were like 12 years old.

The one where you had to rotate the N64 thumbstick faster than the other three players. The one where, if you were at all competent, you palmed the stick and used your entire arm to motor a clockwise rotation. The faster you spun, the greater chance of victory. But also: open wounds, blood, destroyed controllers, and tears. Literal tears. Oh man, it was great.

This was the first ever time I’d seen physical torture being a part of a game. I wish more of today’s video games implemented this sort of immersion. No simulated world, character story, or VR experience will ever be as stimulating as an open blister on your dominant hand for a week. Thanks, Mario Party.

(Art by ChrisMMiller)

Scott E.

Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance

XWA was the first time I really got deep into a multiplayer game. It was also the first PC game that inspired me to start upgrading my components for better performance. I have such fond memories of flying 2 vs 2 X-Wing or Z-95 Headhunter matches. The tournament matches were timed with an infinite respawn. It was so harrowing to be the lone survivor of a ‘furball’ (dogfight) and desperately trying to juke your damaged ship back to your wingman’s jump point. This all happened at a time when leaderboards weren’t automatically updated. You had to fill out an online form and submit screenshots to make progress. I haven’t checked in years, but I believe I’m still one of the top 20 pilots for X-Wing Alliance. 

Justin G.

Super Mario Bros.

For me, it has to be Super Mario Bros. on the NES. I must admit (however embarrassing) that I had never gotten past the first dungeon level (World 1-2) in my younger years. But what made this extremely fun were the countless hours spent with my family, especially my little brother watching me play it - actually jumping when Mario jumped or moving left and right when Mario moved in game. Yeah, they laughed when I did that but look at where we are now - motion-sensitive controls, VR experience. I’d like to think that I helped pioneer these gaming experiences. Up to this day, I have yet to get past World 1-2. I’m just horrible with platform games.

Chris L.

Final Fantasy VIII

FFVIII was the first game that I got to experience without my two older brothers being involved. We were always a Nintendo/PC household, and I was usually left waiting for the second controller as my two brothers raced through Star Fox, Super Punch Out, Super Mario World and others. One holiday season we got the original PlayStation, and I was given Final Fantasy VIII. Being able to game by myself in my own fantasy world was a dream come true. I got lost in the world of chocobos and magic, and realized for the first time that video games could have complex plots with deep character motivations. It changed my perspective on video games and I've been hooked on JRPGs ever since.

Adam J.

Age of Empires

This was my first ever true gaming experience on a PC. I fell in love with the city building aspect of it and for being able to create a massive army to take out my enemies. I played hour after hour of this game. Of course every once in a while I'd have some fun with cheats. If you've played the game then you're familiar with the phrase "big daddy". Nothing like driving a missile launcher loaded black car into the medieval era! ;)

(Art by Trebuxet)

Tracie H.

StarCraft: Brood War

My favorite ‘old’ game is StarCraft: Brood War. Not only is it the most iconic RTS game of all time, but it is a game that helped drive my passion for video games and eSports to a point where I still follow the StarCraft scene to this day. One of my favorite aspects about Brood War was the unique units for each race, and their incredibly memorable voice lines. I still find myself quoting “Battlecruiser Operational!” and feeling a sense of nostalgia for the great memories that Brood War brought me. The game made such an impact on me that I am still playing StarCraft to this day – I consistently play the current SC2 expansion, Legacy of the Void, on a regular basis and am constantly reminded of the “good old Brood War days.” I am so excited that Blizzard is releasing a remastered version of StarCraft – I know that myself and many other gamers will be happy to re-live those classic StarCraft moments in this newly remastered version.

What game brings back fond memories? Let us know in the comments!

From open world to first person shooter to real-time strategy, we all started gaming somewhere, and our first choice of games often influenced our taste in games to this day. Quite a few of us at CORSAIR regularly play games (some at more appropriate times of the day than others) on our own or together, and sharing fond memories of games is one of the easiest things that all of us can relate to. Here's a few of our best memories!

Robert W.

TES III: Morrowind

I spent so many hours running around, using the physical map to explore new towns or regions, but funnily enough never actually beat the game. As a kid the quest system was a little difficult to understand, so I would use console commands to gear up in toddtest and then teleport to new places I’d never been until I’d explored every inch of the island. I’m playing through it right now to try and fulfill a mini bucket list goal of completing the main quests!

Blake A.

Ultima Online

I started my journey back in 2001 when I was given an Ultima Online CD and started playing on a private server. This is what started my addiction to online gaming and MMOs in general. I put hundreds and hundreds of hours into Ultima Online talking to friends and building communities, it’s a wonder how I even managed to graduate high school. This then passed on to World of Warcraft where I spent even more time due to not having any school and having only a part time job.

I got heavily into PC gaming and always wanted to play the newest games, so I needed the right hardware. This lead into a mild obsession of building one of the best rigs one could buy at the time. It opened up a whole world of PC customization for me, like sleeving cables or painting my case. Thanks to PC gaming, it’s one of the main reasons I ended up here at CORSAIR. 

Justice D.

Mario Party

My favorite nostalgic gaming memory comes from the ‘Ghost vs Bicycle’ minigame in Mario Party 1. No, not the entire game. What a waste of time. I’m talking about that one mini-game where your character had to power a light bulb by peddling a bicycle… so that, uh, the ghost wouldn’t get you, or whatever. The one that came out when we were like 12 years old.

The one where you had to rotate the N64 thumbstick faster than the other three players. The one where, if you were at all competent, you palmed the stick and used your entire arm to motor a clockwise rotation. The faster you spun, the greater chance of victory. But also: open wounds, blood, destroyed controllers, and tears. Literal tears. Oh man, it was great.

This was the first ever time I’d seen physical torture being a part of a game. I wish more of today’s video games implemented this sort of immersion. No simulated world, character story, or VR experience will ever be as stimulating as an open blister on your dominant hand for a week. Thanks, Mario Party.

(Art by ChrisMMiller)

Scott E.

Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance

XWA was the first time I really got deep into a multiplayer game. It was also the first PC game that inspired me to start upgrading my components for better performance. I have such fond memories of flying 2 vs 2 X-Wing or Z-95 Headhunter matches. The tournament matches were timed with an infinite respawn. It was so harrowing to be the lone survivor of a ‘furball’ (dogfight) and desperately trying to juke your damaged ship back to your wingman’s jump point. This all happened at a time when leaderboards weren’t automatically updated. You had to fill out an online form and submit screenshots to make progress. I haven’t checked in years, but I believe I’m still one of the top 20 pilots for X-Wing Alliance. 

Justin G.

Super Mario Bros.

For me, it has to be Super Mario Bros. on the NES. I must admit (however embarrassing) that I had never gotten past the first dungeon level (World 1-2) in my younger years. But what made this extremely fun were the countless hours spent with my family, especially my little brother watching me play it - actually jumping when Mario jumped or moving left and right when Mario moved in game. Yeah, they laughed when I did that but look at where we are now - motion-sensitive controls, VR experience. I’d like to think that I helped pioneer these gaming experiences. Up to this day, I have yet to get past World 1-2. I’m just horrible with platform games.

Chris L.

Final Fantasy VIII

FFVIII was the first game that I got to experience without my two older brothers being involved. We were always a Nintendo/PC household, and I was usually left waiting for the second controller as my two brothers raced through Star Fox, Super Punch Out, Super Mario World and others. One holiday season we got the original PlayStation, and I was given Final Fantasy VIII. Being able to game by myself in my own fantasy world was a dream come true. I got lost in the world of chocobos and magic, and realized for the first time that video games could have complex plots with deep character motivations. It changed my perspective on video games and I've been hooked on JRPGs ever since.

Adam J.

Age of Empires

This was my first ever true gaming experience on a PC. I fell in love with the city building aspect of it and for being able to create a massive army to take out my enemies. I played hour after hour of this game. Of course every once in a while I'd have some fun with cheats. If you've played the game then you're familiar with the phrase "big daddy". Nothing like driving a missile launcher loaded black car into the medieval era! ;)

(Art by Trebuxet)

Tracie H.

StarCraft: Brood War

My favorite ‘old’ game is StarCraft: Brood War. Not only is it the most iconic RTS game of all time, but it is a game that helped drive my passion for video games and eSports to a point where I still follow the StarCraft scene to this day. One of my favorite aspects about Brood War was the unique units for each race, and their incredibly memorable voice lines. I still find myself quoting “Battlecruiser Operational!” and feeling a sense of nostalgia for the great memories that Brood War brought me. The game made such an impact on me that I am still playing StarCraft to this day – I consistently play the current SC2 expansion, Legacy of the Void, on a regular basis and am constantly reminded of the “good old Brood War days.” I am so excited that Blizzard is releasing a remastered version of StarCraft – I know that myself and many other gamers will be happy to re-live those classic StarCraft moments in this newly remastered version.

What game brings back fond memories? Let us know in the comments!

From open world to first person shooter to real-time strategy, we all started gaming somewhere, and our first choice of games often influenced our taste in games to this day. Quite a few of us at CORSAIR regularly play games (some at more appropriate times of the day than others) on our own or together, and sharing fond memories of games is one of the easiest things that all of us can relate to. Here's a few of our best memories!

Robert W.

TES III: Morrowind

I spent so many hours running around, using the physical map to explore new towns or regions, but funnily enough never actually beat the game. As a kid the quest system was a little difficult to understand, so I would use console commands to gear up in toddtest and then teleport to new places I’d never been until I’d explored every inch of the island. I’m playing through it right now to try and fulfill a mini bucket list goal of completing the main quests!

Blake A.

Ultima Online

I started my journey back in 2001 when I was given an Ultima Online CD and started playing on a private server. This is what started my addiction to online gaming and MMOs in general. I put hundreds and hundreds of hours into Ultima Online talking to friends and building communities, it’s a wonder how I even managed to graduate high school. This then passed on to World of Warcraft where I spent even more time due to not having any school and having only a part time job.

I got heavily into PC gaming and always wanted to play the newest games, so I needed the right hardware. This lead into a mild obsession of building one of the best rigs one could buy at the time. It opened up a whole world of PC customization for me, like sleeving cables or painting my case. Thanks to PC gaming, it’s one of the main reasons I ended up here at CORSAIR. 

Justice D.

Mario Party

My favorite nostalgic gaming memory comes from the ‘Ghost vs Bicycle’ minigame in Mario Party 1. No, not the entire game. What a waste of time. I’m talking about that one mini-game where your character had to power a light bulb by peddling a bicycle… so that, uh, the ghost wouldn’t get you, or whatever. The one that came out when we were like 12 years old.

The one where you had to rotate the N64 thumbstick faster than the other three players. The one where, if you were at all competent, you palmed the stick and used your entire arm to motor a clockwise rotation. The faster you spun, the greater chance of victory. But also: open wounds, blood, destroyed controllers, and tears. Literal tears. Oh man, it was great.

This was the first ever time I’d seen physical torture being a part of a game. I wish more of today’s video games implemented this sort of immersion. No simulated world, character story, or VR experience will ever be as stimulating as an open blister on your dominant hand for a week. Thanks, Mario Party.

(Art by ChrisMMiller)

Scott E.

Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance

XWA was the first time I really got deep into a multiplayer game. It was also the first PC game that inspired me to start upgrading my components for better performance. I have such fond memories of flying 2 vs 2 X-Wing or Z-95 Headhunter matches. The tournament matches were timed with an infinite respawn. It was so harrowing to be the lone survivor of a ‘furball’ (dogfight) and desperately trying to juke your damaged ship back to your wingman’s jump point. This all happened at a time when leaderboards weren’t automatically updated. You had to fill out an online form and submit screenshots to make progress. I haven’t checked in years, but I believe I’m still one of the top 20 pilots for X-Wing Alliance. 

Justin G.

Super Mario Bros.

For me, it has to be Super Mario Bros. on the NES. I must admit (however embarrassing) that I had never gotten past the first dungeon level (World 1-2) in my younger years. But what made this extremely fun were the countless hours spent with my family, especially my little brother watching me play it - actually jumping when Mario jumped or moving left and right when Mario moved in game. Yeah, they laughed when I did that but look at where we are now - motion-sensitive controls, VR experience. I’d like to think that I helped pioneer these gaming experiences. Up to this day, I have yet to get past World 1-2. I’m just horrible with platform games.

Chris L.

Final Fantasy VIII

FFVIII was the first game that I got to experience without my two older brothers being involved. We were always a Nintendo/PC household, and I was usually left waiting for the second controller as my two brothers raced through Star Fox, Super Punch Out, Super Mario World and others. One holiday season we got the original PlayStation, and I was given Final Fantasy VIII. Being able to game by myself in my own fantasy world was a dream come true. I got lost in the world of chocobos and magic, and realized for the first time that video games could have complex plots with deep character motivations. It changed my perspective on video games and I've been hooked on JRPGs ever since.

Adam J.

Age of Empires

This was my first ever true gaming experience on a PC. I fell in love with the city building aspect of it and for being able to create a massive army to take out my enemies. I played hour after hour of this game. Of course every once in a while I'd have some fun with cheats. If you've played the game then you're familiar with the phrase "big daddy". Nothing like driving a missile launcher loaded black car into the medieval era! ;)

(Art by Trebuxet)

Tracie H.

StarCraft: Brood War

My favorite ‘old’ game is StarCraft: Brood War. Not only is it the most iconic RTS game of all time, but it is a game that helped drive my passion for video games and eSports to a point where I still follow the StarCraft scene to this day. One of my favorite aspects about Brood War was the unique units for each race, and their incredibly memorable voice lines. I still find myself quoting “Battlecruiser Operational!” and feeling a sense of nostalgia for the great memories that Brood War brought me. The game made such an impact on me that I am still playing StarCraft to this day – I consistently play the current SC2 expansion, Legacy of the Void, on a regular basis and am constantly reminded of the “good old Brood War days.” I am so excited that Blizzard is releasing a remastered version of StarCraft – I know that myself and many other gamers will be happy to re-live those classic StarCraft moments in this newly remastered version.

What game brings back fond memories? Let us know in the comments!

The Windows 10 Creators Update is here and with it are a few awesome new features that make it even easier to create and share. Let’s take a look at a few of the new features that stand out.

GAME MODE

Game Mode is a new feature in the Creators Update that allows users to prioritize games over other processes when it comes to CPU & GPU resources, allowing for a smoother experience in most cases.

Here’s how to enable it:

1.Go to Settings and click on the new Gaming category

2.To the right you’ll see an option for Game Mode

3.Click on Game Mode and make sure it is toggled on

4.Launch a game and press Win + G to bring up the Game Bar

5.Click Settings on the Game Bar and check the box next to Game Mode

Games must have Game Mode explicitly enabled in the Game Bar settings to take advantage of the feature. Game Mode functions much like other game boosting software, so your mileage may vary depending on the title and how lean you run your system.

BROADCASTING

The Windows 10 Creators Update now includes integrated streaming via Beam so that you can easily broadcast your gameplay for your friends and family to see.

Here’s how to broadcast:

1.Launch a game and press Win + G to bring up the Game Bar

2.Click on the Broadcast button on the Game Bar

3.Adjust your settings as desired, then click Start Broadcast when you’re ready

4.You can monitor and control the broadcast via the icons on top of the preview window, allowing you to quickly see if you’re live, how many viewers are watching, how long you’ve been broadcasting for, pause the stream, stop the broadcast, mute the mic, disable the camera, toggle between the stream preview and chat view, and move the preview window

5.Broadcasting also has a dedicated section in the settings panel where you can change the bitrate and default behaviors of the broadcast feature

PAINT 3D

The Paint application gets an update that includes 3D capabilities.

Your 3D creations can be uploaded to the Remix 3D community as a 3D model when you're done or saved as a traditional 2D image.

MIXED REALITY

The Creators Update also paves the way for future support of upcoming virtual reality headsets from a variety of vendors, allowing for new mixed reality experiences once they launch near the end of the year.

The Windows 10 Creators Update enables new ways to create and share your digital life with your friends and family while also providing a peak into the future of Windows. Are you ready?

Hey everyone, we at CORSAIR are proud to introduce to you our brand new premium gaming PC, CORSAIR ONE! CORSAIR ONE is the culmination of 22 years of CORSAIR innovation into one compact package. Set to fulfill three aspects: Performance, Acoustics, and Form. CORSAIR ONE is aimed to be your ultimate desktop and living room PC. Whether you want fire up your VR games in your living room or you just simply want a small and quiet machine for your office. CORSAIR ONE can be your weapon of choice to Battle, Create, and Explore. 

IS IT SMALL?

CORSAIR ONE’s chassis is a tiny 12L in volume. Here are the size dimensions:

Height – 380mm or 14.9 inches

Width – 176mm or 6.9 inches

Depth – 200mm or 7.8 inches

To help put it to scale:

HOW DOES IT COOL?

CORSAIR ONE uses a single 140mm ML to assist the heat convection in the ONE. Cool air is intake from the side of the chassis through the perforation on the side panels. The air is then fed through the radiators for both CPU and GPU sides. From there the 140mm fan pulls the hot air out through the top as heat naturally rises. Pretty cool huh? By cooling the system through this method, we were able to achieve the near silent 20dBa at idle temperatures.

THE POWER OF ONE

CORSAIR ONE at its Pro trim will come equipped with a liquid cooled NVidia GTX 1080. We were able to achieve the following in our tests:

Benchmark aside, CORSAIR ONE is capable of tackling the latest games on the market with high frame rates and details.

FOR THE CREATIVE AND THE GAMER

CORSAIR ONE is not only for gaming, by utilizing Intel’s latest 7^th generation Core series desktop processors, CORSAIR ONE is a powerful desktop for editing as well. Video rendering is heavily reliant on the CPU rather than the GPU in comparison to gaming. Larger cache and hyper threading from Intel’s Core i7-7700K will certainly help in video editing as well.

The OS Experience
CORSAIR ONE was designed around the user in mind, with a minimalist approach to pre-installed desktop applications. CORSAIR ONE aims to have little to no bloatware for your desktop experience. Being a gaming desktop, CORSAIR ONE includes some of the most popular game clients conveniently all in one folder for you to decide which to install.

Marked with this icon on your desktop:

The shortcut will open a preset folder with game client installers:

CORSAIR ONE DIAGNOSTICS
In the case of any issues our CORSAIR ONE DIAGNOSTICS program can help aid our customers with any troubles that may occur with their system. By checking if your system has any updates needed for it to be in tip top shape.

CORSAIR LINK + CUE

CORSAIR ONE comes ready with CORSAIR LINK and CUE to help monitor the important vitals and temps of your system. From LINK, users can monitor their fan speeds and temperatures of their system. If the static LED lighting on the front of the ONE is too bland, you can either turn off the lighting or change the brightness and pattern. CUE is there to support any of our latest CORSAIR gaming peripherals.

MSI Live Update
MSI Live Update comes installed to help notify you of the latest updates for your motherboard.

CORSAIR ONE comes in four different models for North America, with two configurations exclusive to our webstore.

CORSAIR ONE PRO (WEBSTORE EXCLUSIVE)

The difference between this webstore exclusive Pro model and the standard Pro model is the storage options. Instead of a 480GB SSD and 2TB HDD, the webstore exclusive model comes equipped with a single 960GB SSD. Leaving users the option for an additional 2.5” drive slot.

CORSAIR ONE Ti (WEBSTORE EXCLUSIVE)

This model is our crème of the crop, featuring Nvidia’s most powerful gaming card to date, the GTX 1080Ti. The card will be liquid cooled and will receive the same performance benefits as the GTX 1080 from our Pro models.

CORSAIR ONE is a fantastic small form factor PC that accomplishes performance without sacrifice being quiet and form factor.

CORSAIR ONE is available for pre-order right now on our webstore. 

Recently, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), we announced an update to our BULLDOG Barebones PC Kit for 2017! Curious to know what's different in BULLDOG 2.0? Here’s a quick overview!

What’s different on the outside?
Not much, the external chassis has been left largely the same compared to last year’s model. The one exception being the bottom of the chassis, in which we added a magnetic dust cover and filter.   

It’s what’s inside that counts!
BULLDOG 2.0 has 3 major changes over the 2016 model. We've updated BULLDOG with a new custom MSI Z270I BULLDOG mini-ITX motherboard with full support for Intel 7^th Gen Core Series processors.   

The CPU cooler in the BULLDOG has been changed to a more traditional design and mounting method. The new H6SF is a low noise 92mm miniature version of one of our Hydro Series coolers built just for BULLDOG. With this new design, users are no longer restricted to using low profile memory modules and can opt for higher performance DRAM such as our Dominator Platinum series if desired. The cooler is mounted right next to the motherboard and acts as an exhaust in its default configuration.

We also updated the chassis fans from 3-pin DC voltage-controlled to 4-pin PWM fans. These fans use the same magnetic levitation bearings as our ML Pro series and are intended to be directly connected to the BULLDOG's motherboard.

BULLDOG 2.0 utilizes the same SF600 SFX power supply and features custom length cables to make cable routing easier!

Graphics card support remains the same as the previous BULLDOG, with support for our liquid cooled HYDRO GFX 1080 as well as most air-cooled cards (we recommend using a card with a blower-style cooler if you plan to use an air-cooled solution).

BULLDOG 2.0 is available now and can be order through our webstore.

(This post is for the open beta of CUE2, check out our latest blog post for up-to-date information). 

The CUE2 open beta is here and brings with it a gigantic overhaul of the Corsair Utility Engine. We’ve listened to your feedback and set out to make CUE2 easier to use so anybody can quickly tweak performance settings, create custom actions, and configure amazing lighting effects.

So What’s New?
CUE2 has a revamped home screen that puts your devices and profiles front and center. Click on any of the new ultra hi-resolution images for your respective device to quickly configure lighting, actions, and performance. The profile bar on the top left lets you quickly glance to see what profile is currently enabled as well as manage your profile library. Speaking of profiles, you can now assign a custom icon and background image for each individual profile, adding a touch of personality to your CUE experience as well as providing a big visual aid for you to easily identify which of your profiles is active.

If we stopped at a new home screen and custom icons/backgrounds, this wouldn’t be much of an update… thankfully, we dug even deeper and overhauled the UI for lighting effects, actions, and audio EQ while we were at it.

Lighting effects are now layered with priority placed on the top most effect. You can execute simultaneous standard effects by assigning them to multiple layers and put them in the priority you want with a simple click and drag. Effect timing, triggers, and colors can be readily customized at the bottom of the screen.

Actions work similarly to lighting, with all active actions listed on the sidebar and relevant settings on the bottom of the screen. Actions are now easily assigned to a key by selecting the appropriate key on the preview. Some bonus tweaks have been made to actions, such as the ability to imitate holding a key with the remap action, a new option to disable a key if the lock button is on, and new mouse angles to make it easier for you to see where your actions are being mapped onscreen.

On the audio side, EQ presets are displayed on the sidebar and can be easily adjusted with the sliders at the bottom of the screen. Sidetone and microphone volumes are also readily available in addition to the virtual surround sound toggle.

Take it for a Test Drive!
Don’t have a Corsair device, but want to try out CUE2 for yourself? Awesome! CUE2 has a demo mode so that you can take it for a test drive with a selection of devices available for you to virtually customize. If you’ve already got one of our CUE enabled peripherals, you can disable demo mode in the settings menu by checking the option to “show only connected devices.” Try out the future of CUE by joining the open beta and letting us know what you think in the Corsair Forums.

Note: Lighting profiles and actions from previous versions of CUE are currently incompatible with CUE2 and will require modification in "advanced" mode to work within CUE2. It is recommended that users remain on the latest version of CUE 1.X if they wish to keep their current lighting profiles and actions.

Many of us know already know that Cherry makes quality mechanical switches for keyboards.  Over the years, mechanical keyboards have blown up and has now become the norm for gaming communities. Whether it’s Red, Blue or brown switches, there is a switch for everyone out there. The Red switches is by far the most popular amongst gamers, so we wanted to improve on it. We sat down with Cherry and brainstormed on what people liked most about the red switches and what can we do to improve the already bestselling switch. Well, Cherry did a phenomenal job in creating something that is completely unexpected and made it exclusive to Corsair (Thank you Cherry)

Let me introduce to you our newest gaming peripheral, STRAFE RGB MX Silent keyboard! Believe it or not, the composition of the switch is very similar to the red switch. What makes the MX Silent switch, Silent, is a small piece of material that absorbs the top out impact and the bottom out impact making it 30% quieter than a red switch. The good news? Now you can type away and mash keys without your significant other looking at you like you are crazy. Needless to say, this is a win-win situation. So why wait? Go out and pick up a STRAFE RGB MX Silent and game away…

Here is an exploded view of the Cherry MX Silent Switch:

The Corsair Gaming VOID gaming headsets is the newest addition to our gaming headset peripherals. When paired with CUE – you can craft your own dynamic lighting configurations as well as create and program EQ settings. VOID is designed for gamers with game-enhancing sound, a modern ultra-comfortable design, and on-headset-controls that provide instant one-hand adjustment to key audio settings. 

Features

Dolby 7.1

Dolby Pro Logic llx will enable multi-channel surround for accurate positional audio.

RGB Lighting

Each ear cup is equipped with RGB LEDs for individual customization or synchronization with other Corsair RGB devices using CUE LINK.

CUE Control 
There was a conscious effort to bring controls up to the left side of the headset, enabling quick changes without having to find a cord-based volume/mute control or button, so players could keep their finger on the trigger – or their mouse in most cases.

InfoMic

InfoMic is a new feature for our headsets, it provides a visual indicator providing mic status, Dolby status, battery levels, and connectivity status.

Unidirectional noise-cancelling microphone makes gamers’ voices loud and clear.

Microfiber-wrapped memory foam ear pads 
VOID was intended for long gaming sessions and the memory foam ear pads add extra comfort.

2.4 GHz wireless and battery 
We have improved our wireless chipset which uses less power (up to a battery life of 16 hours) and still provides cordless freedom up to 40 feet.

Efficient 50mm neodymium drivers

VOID is using new custom 50mm neodymium drivers to deliver immersive audio.

USB extension dock for wireless receiver 
VOID Yellowjacket comes with a USB extension dock and could be used as a phone cradle as well.

Corsair Utility Engine

The VOID gaming headset can be programmed and controlled with CUE (Corsair Utility Engine), the same software used for Corsair’s RGB keyboards and mice. CUE allows users to configure the ear cup lighting, InfoMic LED notifications for mic status and battery status, and create up to 5 different EQ profiles. Gamers can also use our newest feature “CUE Link” which allows lighting effects to synchronize over all Corsair RGB devices.

CUE customization will be available meaning you’ll be able to adjust the RGB back-lighting on the ear cups to Solid, Pulses, Flashing, and color shifts similar to our mice. When you first install CUE, you’ll be able to select pre-set lighting patterns such as Rainbow Pulse (ear cups will “breathe” different colors of the rainbow). Users will also be able to adjust the speeds and color of each lighting effects.

In addition to lighting, Void uses CUE or Corsair Utility Engine to adjust mic levels, Dolby on/off, sidetone on/off, and EQ. CUE comes 5 EQ profiles (Pure Direct, Bass Boost, FPS Competition Mode, Clear Chat, Movie Theater). Advance Users can customize their own EQ profile and set up to 5 on the fly profiles that can be controlled through CUE control.

CUE Control functions

CUE Control allows users to make adjustments to CUE without having to leave the game and enter the software.

• Adjust Volume - Turn dial upwards to increase volume. Turn dial downward to decrease volume.
• Change EQ Profile - A quick press will cycle through 5 EQ profiles. EQ profiles can be changed in the CUE software.
• Toggle Dolby 7.1 - Pressing and holding the dial will toggle Dolby on and off.

We’re very excited to add VOID to the RGB family. VOID represents our attempts to create the most advanced gaming headset with a focus on sound, comfort, and ease-of-use. We are constantly improving CUE, and there may be additional features that were not covered in this guide. We encourage all of our reviewers to spend some time using the various headset settings, especially the lighting and EQ profiles, to get a thorough sense of the near-limitless capabilities of this product. Also, try to get familiar with our CUE ecosystem since this version of the software will allow profiles and lighting options across all platforms (headset, mouse, and keyboard).

Specifications:

With Windows 10 rolling out to everyone, some users may be concerned that their peripherals or hardware won’t work with Microsoft’s latest and greatest. The overwhelming majority of your Corsair kit should be just fine, though. If it’s not, or if you’re curious about whether or not your hardware will work in Windows 10, please read on.

Corsair Link

The most recent version of Corsair Link, always available here, is fully compatible with Windows 10. Many of us here have it running just fine on our home systems, and there are many users on our forums who are enjoying it without issue. All Corsair Link-enabled hardware should work with Link in Windows 10, except the following:

• Corsair Link Commander (non-Mini)
• AirFlow Pro

The old Commander unit is unfortunately limited to Link version 2.7 at present, but a fix is being validated and is impending.

We’ve also seen mixed reports of the AirFlow Pro having problems with Link in Windows 10. If you’re affected, please contact customer service.

Finally, there have been a few reports of .NET errors when trying to run Corsair Link in Windows 10. The only surefire solution to this that we’ve found is a reformat; this issue crops up on in-place upgrades from Windows 7 or 8.1 to Windows 10, and it’s honestly best practice to run a clean install instead of an in-place upgrade anyhow.

Corsair Utility Engine

Happily, CUE has been working fantastically on Windows 10 for a while now. Peripherals supported by CUE should continue to have no issues. As always, contact customer service if you have problems with your CUE-powered keyboards, mice, and headsets.

Non-CUE Headsets

The following headsets have been verified to work in Windows 10: H2100, H1500, Vengeance 2100, Vengeance 2000, and Vengeance 1500. That said, we have sporadically seen issues with these headsets resulting from an in-place upgrade from Windows 7 or 8.1 to Windows 10. As I mentioned before, best practice in general continues to be to do a clean install of Windows 10.

Unfortunately, users with our Raptor HS40 headsets are likely to have issues with the HS40 in Windows 10. We continue to support this headset, and a fix is on the roadmap.

Raptor HS40 is now validated and working in Windows 10.

Non-CUE Keyboards and Mice

The following keyboards and mice have been verified to work in Windows 10 with their existing legacy software: M40, MM45, M60, M65, M90, M95, K30, K40, K50, K90, K95.

Conclusion

Ultimately the majority of users should be in fine shape for Windows 10. As always, if you do have problems with your hardware or software, please contact our tech support and we’ll assist you as best we can.

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably noticed our new logo!

Corsair has been at the forefront of PC hardware for more than 20 years, and we’re proud to have the largest, most dedicated community of DIY PC enthusiasts and gamers. Last year, we started our Corsair Gaming division, and we were blown away by your love for our growing family of gaming products.

Thanks to our customers, Corsair Gaming is now one of the top three gaming peripheral brands in the world. To complement our newfound leadership in the gaming space, we’re uniting Corsair Gaming into a new modernized Corsair brand. This new branding will represent all of our divisions going forward, starting with the products we announced today at Computex.

Your enthusiasm for Corsair Gaming is only trumped by your love for our Sails logo. Having spanned three decades as the global face of our company, we are introducing a new Sails logo, one that’s sharper, faster, and more representative of the modern age, while still being grounded in our rich past.

What does this mean for the current Corsair sail logo and crossed swords Corsair Gaming logo?

All new DIY and Corsair Gaming products will be introduced with our new logo. Existing products may or may not get rolled to new logo depending on popularity.

Which products will get the new logo first?

Everything we’ve announced at Computex 2015 will ship with the new logo, including the Strafe keyboard, and our powerful Bulldog 4K living room PC. For more information on new products, please check our website.

We’re looking forward to leading the charge in the DIY hardware and PC gaming spaces for years to come, and our new logo represents a renewed commitment to our hardware and gaming fans around the world.

It’s important to note that Bulldog is still in active development, and everything in it is being refined and optimized.

So what is Bulldog? Bulldog is a DIY kit that will include the following components:

Bulldog Chassis

The Bulldog chassis is designed to support essentially two liquid coolers working in parallel, based around a mini-ITX motherboard and an SFX12V form factor power supply. Though the copious ventilation in the design might suggest a case that would suffer from noise problems, the opposite is true: healthy airflow keeps the fans inside Bulldog from having to spin up, resulting in a system that’s actually quieter than a fully loaded console.

Hydro Series H5SF Small Form Factor Liquid CPU Cooler

We’ve developed a small form factor liquid CPU cooler designed specifically for Bulldog but that can also fit our Carbide Series Air 240 and Obsidian Series 250D cases. It utilizes a small radiator and a blower fan to pull ambient air from inside the chassis and cool the CPU. Under the Hydro Series H5SF, a mainstream K-series Intel CPU can be overclocked while still maintaining both low thermals and low noise.

SF600 600-Watt SFX12V Form Factor Power Supply

To ensure the high performance components that you install in Bulldog receive a steady stream of clean power while helping get case dimensions down, we’ve engineered a power supply in the industry standard SFX12V form factor. Our SF600 power supply is designed to achieve gold-level efficiency. It employs a 92mm fan that is larger than the 80mm fans used in completing SFX power supplies, letting the SF600 stay quiet and cool even under extreme loads. It’s also fully modular, making installation as easy as possible.

Mini-ITX Motherboard with Next-Generation Intel Chipset

While Bulldog is being demoed at Computex with a current-generation Z97 motherboard, we’ll be bundling a mini-ITX motherboard from a reputable brand that supports Intel’s next generation processors and chipsets by the time Bulldog goes to market.

Note that Bulldog was designed specifically to take advantage of HG10-cooled graphics cards, but HG10 kits will be sold separately.

For additional details on Bulldog, we’ve reproduced our forum FAQ below:

What is Bulldog?
Bulldog is a DIY kit that leverages Corsair's expertise in case, cooling, and power supply design to lay the foundation for a system that can handle 4K gaming quietly and efficiently in the living room or other spaces where a small form factor gaming machine would be desirable.

What's in Bulldog?
Bulldog kits will include the Bulldog chassis, the Hydro Series H5SF liquid CPU cooler, an SF600 600-watt SFX12V-form factor power supply, and a next-generation motherboard utilizing an Intel chipset.

How much will Bulldog cost?
We're targeting an MSRP of $399 for the whole bundle, but this will depend on a number of factors and is subject to change.

Where will I be able to get one?
Corsair.com's web store is your best bet, but we expect Bulldog to see etail and retail availability.

When will it be available?
We're targeting Q4 of 2015.

Do any of the parts come separately?
Yes! While you have to buy the Bulldog kit to get the Bulldog chassis, the Hydro Series H5SF cooler and SF600 power supply will both be available separately.

What kind of connectivity and features will Bulldog have?
Bulldog will sport two USB 3.0 ports on the front along with headphone and microphone jacks, all hidden behind a fold down door. Bulldog will not have a fan controller; I personally hate hearing a device's fans spin up under load, so Bulldog is engineered to be extremely quiet and cool, and our choice of high pressure, low noise 92mm fans on the chassis reflects that.

What kind of material will Bulldog be made out of?
Bulldog's internal structure will be built from steel, while we're going to use a stylized brushed plastic for the fascia and sides with a metal mesh. Our initial prototypes used a full aluminum outer body (the internal chassis was steel), but we found the aluminum impractical from both a cost and weight perspective.

Isn't the HG10 a major part of Bulldog?
Yes it is! An HG10-equipped graphics card completes the Bulldog experience. Bulldog was designed to incorporate a CPU cooled by a Hydro Series H5SF and a graphics card cooled by an HG10 bracket and Hydro Series H55 liquid cooler. While you can certainly use an air-cooled graphics card in Bulldog (and we've made allowances to ensure it will run well), an HG10-equipped graphics card is the ideal way to get the most performance with the least noise.

How do I get an HG10-equipped graphics card for Bulldog?
There are a few ways. One is to buy one of our HG10 brackets and attach it to your graphics card with an H55 or H75 (single fan only) liquid cooler. Another is to buy an HG10 bundled with an H55 and, again, install it on your graphics card. Additionally, MSI will be offering graphics cards shipping with HG10s and H55s pre-installed for a small premium.

Why wasn't the HG10 included with Bulldog?
Because of the nature of HG10, specifically that brackets have to be customized for different reference cards, there's no one-size-fits-all bracket that we can bundle. It made more sense to us to make HG10 bundles available separately and offer customers options. Users who aren't comfortable liquid cooling their graphics cards or have non-reference cards that are incompatible with HG10 will still get a good experience with Bulldog.

What is the Hydro Series H5SF?
The Hydro Series H5SF is a unique closed loop liquid cooler for your CPU that was engineered specifically to fit in Bulldog, but is also compatible with the Carbide Series Air 240 and the Obsidian Series 250D. It employs a small radiator - smaller than even the H55 - and powerful blower fan. The blower fan has had a fan curve programmed to ensure it stays quiet while being able to cool even a modestly overclocked Intel Core i7. If you want to overclock further, the H5SF has that capacity, but the blower fan may have to ramp up to compensate. As an ancillary benefit, the H5SF's design allows it to pull ambient hot air into the blower and expel it out of the case, ensuring Bulldog stays exceptionally cool. The H5SF's smaller radiator results in its rated 150-watt cooling capacity, which is plenty for an overclocked Intel CPU, but it may still underperform the standard 120mm H55.

What is the SF600?
The SF600 is a power supply designed to meet the SFX12V standard. It has a capacity of 600 watts - more than enough for even the fastest single-GPU cards and mainstream Intel CPUs - and is targeting 80 Plus Gold level efficiency. The combination of high efficiency and a 92mm fan in such an impressively small power supply ensures the SF600 is able to deliver the power a Bulldog system needs without the PSU itself being a major source of heat or noise.

What kinds of graphics cards are supported by Bulldog?
Bulldog will support standard dual-slot graphics cards connected internally through a PCIe extension cable. Estimated maximum card length is 300mm.

We are sad to inform you that our very own Mike Clements, aka “Yellowbeard,” passed away in his sleep Wednesday, December 10th, 2014, during the late evening.

Mike has been with Corsair’s Technical Marketing since 2006.  As a long time PC enthusiast, he was the backbone of our forums and social media, providing support to our end users and enthusiastically sharing the efforts of the DIY community. When “Corsair” replied to your comments here on Facebook, there’s a very good chance it was him.

Mike at the Corsair 20th Anniversary Party with his wife, Beverly.

Mike was a great friend to so many of us and will be deeply missed.  He had so many hobbies and interests, I cannot think of anyone sitting with Mike and not finding a common ground to talk about… in most cases over a cold beer.  His stories were always entertaining, his advice always wise and his compassion always deep from his heart.

Mike is survived by his wife Beverly and daughter Payton. Donations can be made to the Mike Clements Memorial Fund here.

Corsair recently held its annual sales conference, bringing together Corsair representatives from all across the globe in sunny California. One of those representatives is Ronaldo Buassali, a virtual overclocking legend in Brazil. He took the time to sit down and interview our own Jon Gerow, aka JonnyGuru, about power supplies for a video to be published on his YouTube and across Brazilian publications, and we have that interview for you here.

What is the Corsair Gaming K70 RGB?

For those of you who don’t know, The Corsair Gaming K70 RGB is the next evolutionary addition to our line of 100% fully mechanical gaming keyboards. Featuring the world’s first German-engineered Cherry MX RGB key switches as part of a limited-time Corsair exclusive, the  K70 RGB allows for 16.8 million per-key color animated back-lighting by utilizing an on-board ARM processor and a powerful lighting controller that uses new software to display fully customizable lighting effects such as gradient and ripple patterns.  The software will also allow for powerful key sequencing actions across multiple modes and profiles in conjunction with the lighting. Furthermore, all standard keys on the K70 are remappable, replacing the need for dedicated macro keys. The K70 RGB also features all of the hallmark attributes of the original award-winning Vengeance K70 such as aircraft grade black anodized brush aluminum, 100% anti-ghosting technology with full 104-key rollover, dedicated media control keys, adjustable dimming, removable perforated wrist-rest and adjustable polling rate.

Specifications:

• 100% Cherry MX Red RGB mechanical key switches for ultimate performance
• Multicolor per-key backlighting for virtually unlimited game customization
• Display controller driven fast and fluid 16.8M multicolor animation
• Aircraft-grade anodized brushed aluminum for superior rigidity
• Entire keyboard is programmable to assign a macro to any key
• 100% anti-ghosting with full 104-key rollover on USB
• Onboard memory to take performance and lighting settings with you
• 36KB of on-board memory to store performance and lighting settings use on other PCs
• RGB LED backlighting with key-by-key programmability to light up individual keys
• Aluminum unibody construction for increased strength, durability and rigidity
• Six dedicated multimedia keys
• Windows Lock key for uninterrupted game play

Cherry MX Key Switches – Current K70

Cherry MX switches are the most popular mechanical switches found on today’s keyboards, due in part to the brand’s industry-renowned variety of key choices (MX Red, MX Blue, MX Brown, etc.) to fit different preferences, as well as their durable design, proven with over 5 billion switches used in keybaords around the world. Made in Germany with precision engineering, Cherry MX switches can withstand over 50 million key presses. Each key switch is mounted directly onto a top metal (aluminum) plate that ensures structual rigidity, topped with a translucent ABS laser-etched keycap to enable backlighting. Backlighting on a Cherry MX switch is much sharper than that of  a membrane keyboard because each key is lit by an individual LED and not in an array. This means that if the user removes the keycap, he or she should see an LED directly under it that maximizes the lighting effect.

To solve the single LED limitation and provide a keyboard that could meet everyone’s specific preferences for LED backlighting, Corsair approached Cherry, one of the world leaders in product innovation. They took our request and  by working together, the two companies designed an entirely new switch while retaining the definitive characteristics of a Cherry key switch. The requirements—the feel, reliability, and range of switches—could not be compromised. It was important that the characteristics of the switch did not change simply because of RGB. The RGB would have to be a feature on top of a switching retaining its Cherry identity. In order to meet these standards, Cherry made adjustments to how the LED lighting was mounted.

Rather than adding the LED directly onto the key switch, Cherry used a precise, computer- calculated lens in place of where the LED used to be. The RGB LED would then be surface mounted (SMD-LED) directly onto the keyboard’s PCB. The two benefits of this new design were apparent:

1.)    RGB is now possible since the light emitted by the diode shines through the lens and emits a similar effect to the previous 3mm single-color LED model.

2.)    With the RGB LED directly mounted onto the PCB, reliability is also gained by reducing the chances of ESD (electric static discharge) occuring, the leading cause of LED failure on keyboards.

All of the lighting in the key switches connects to a custom lighting controller and a powerful ARM processor to control both the lighting and the keyboard 104-key rollover matrix.

The Software - Corsair Utility Engine

The K70 RGB keyboard will be the first Corsair peripheral to use the newly designed software, the Corsair Utility Engine. This software is our most powerful and versatile version yet with options to configure both the lighting portions of the keyboard as well as create powerful actions such as double macros, remappable key assignments, timer countdowns, dpi adjustments, and more.

Every standard key on the Corsair Gaming K70 RGB is configurable with both actions and lighting that work in conjunction.

This means that not only can users perform a combination of key sequence actions with the press of a button, but can also incorporate a lighting profile on the keyboard to reflect the actions being initiated.

The software will also allow gamers to create multiple color profiles as well as different modes that will enable separate lighting and action configurations based on the game or application with an adjustable OSD (on-screen display).

With RGB backlighting available on a per-key basis, the software allows each  K70 RGB to be customized in  myriad ways. Each key can be customized to display any of the 16.8 million colors available. This color option is hence referred to as “the background.” In the image above, for example, Corsair has set the most popular keys for FPS to red while all the other keys are teal. The background refers to the colors that will remain static on the keyboard much like back-lighting. As one of its many features, Corsair incorporated groups of keys into the software. It can often be a tedious and mundane task to assign the same color to all 104 keys individually. In lieu of that,  the new Corsair Gaming Software can create and assign groups of keys to one lighting preference or action in their entirety.

In the example above, we configured the group ALL to include all of the keys on the keyboard except for WASD keys, the Arrow Keys, and Keys one - six. The company then assigned the color “teal” to ALL, and then assigned Red to the other three groups of keys.

There is no limit to the number of groups a user can create nor is there a limit to the color combinations . If our desire to set all 104 keys to a one unique color per individual key, they can do so without encountering any hardware restrictions.

The options for customization are endless and only scratches the surface. There are many more options for the keyboard including advance macros, timer sequences, full keyboard remapping, and double macros that we will explore more in the future.

A law was recently passed in the European Union that requires system integrators to use power supplies with efficiencies of at least 82% at 20% load, 85% at 50% load, and 82% at 100% load. This actually lines up with the rated efficiencies required to achieve 80 Plus Bronze certification in the United States. In the United States, Corsair doesn’t sell any power supplies that don’t meet that certification, but the United States also has a different voltage specification than the European Union. We run at 115VAC, but the EU runs at 230VAC.

Because of the differences in regions, our entry-level VS Series power supplies require 230VAC and were released only in the EU. The new law required us to have those power supplies certified, and we happily complied. The table below lists all four VS power supplies and their rated efficiencies as tested by Ecova, the governing body of the 80 Plus specification.

As you can see, all four VS units happily clear the required efficiency specification and all four have been 80 Plus certified in the EU.