PCR talks peripherals with SteelSeries
UK sales manager Chris Elt reveals all about the popular brand and tells Helen French why its peripherals have such a loyal following...
Can you give us a brief history of the brand?
SteelSeries was founded by Jacob Wolff-Petersen in 2001. As an avid gamer himself he came up with the ‘Icemat’, the world’s first gaming mouse mat made from glass.
One of the gaming world’s most iconic headset design then followed, the Icemat headset, which after many revisions still lives on as the famous SteelSeries Siberia V2.
SteelSeries is now proud to be one of the world’s leading suppliers of gaming peripherals to all levels of gaming on PC and console.
What products are SteelSeries’ biggest sellers in the UK?
The biggest sellers are currently headsets and mice, with the recent launch of the SteelSeries Sensei – the world’s most ‘powerful’ mouse. With hundreds of customisations and configurations, it’s capable of emulating any other mouse. So far it’s won over ten awards in review within its first month.
Gaming eyewear is a new trend we’ve seen more of recently. Can you tell us more about the SteelSeries Desmo?
SteelSeries has partnered with eyewear manufacturer Gunnar Optiks which specialises in optical sight improvement, not just for sight correction (prescription). They are designed to minimise eye fatigue and visual stress, while improving contrast, comfort and focus.
Are there any other product highlights in the current line-up?
We’re extremely excited about the Diablo III lineup of products, including official mouse, headset and mouse pads.
Why should retailers and distributors choose SteelSeries over other brands?
SteelSeries prides itself on innovation, quality and performance; we dub our peripherals as sports equipment for gamers. SteelSeries also reaches a wide range of gamers, from enthusiasts and professionals right through to mainstream console gamers.
SteelSeries has partnered with a number of licences (Diablo, Medal of Honour, WoW, Valve) – what do they bring to the products?
Some titles come with a massive fan base of fanatical gamers who really appreciate the affiliation to branded merchandise and peripherals. It’s similar to fans owning a pair of David Beckham football boots.
The peripherals are also optimised for the particular game or genre, which gives the gamers a competitive advantage over competition.
How important is sponsoring gamers and teams for the brand’s visibility?
This is an extremely important part of SteelSeries’ strategy to enforce our dedication to the professional gaming community. Players often play an important role in the R&D process of developing new products to ensure they are up to standard for other pro- gamers. It just goes to show when we last calculated that around 80 per cent of professional gamers owned some sort of SteelSeries equipment.
How do you plan to grow the business going forward?
While focusing on gaming, SteelSeries is introducing a wider range of price points to lower the barrier of entry so that more people can take advantage of gaming with SteelSeries peripherals.
Also, more developments are emerging on the wireless front featuring yet more innovation and exciting new features and designs.
How should retailers and other interested partners get in touch?
Simply contact UK sales manager Chris Elt (ce@steelseries.com), or one of our distributors: EntaTech, Gem Distribution and Interactive Ideas.
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