In what might be one of the strangest peripheral announcements that I can remember, Ubisoft has chosen to partner with Lexip for its Assassin’s Creed Shadows range of PC gaming gear. This isn’t the first time that Ubisoft has opted to avoid huge names in the peripheral world to produce licensed gear, and the designs from Lexip are certainly striking, but the gear itself is incredibly disappointing when compared to modern alternatives.
While Lexip isn’t a name many will associate with the best gaming headset, mouse, controller, or any peripheral, really, credit has to be given to the effort that has gone into the design of the peripherals revealed so far. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is due out next month, and now you can prepare for it with these branded PC gaming peripherals, and even bag a copy of the game in one of the bundles, all of which are available on Amazon.
The full range of Lexip x Assassin’s Creed Shadows gear includes:
- Engraved Wireless Headset (PS5, PS4, Switch, PC, Mac, Android, and iOS compatible)
- Ergonomic Controller (PS4, Switch, PC, Mac, Android, and iOS compatible)
- Programmable mouse with thumb joystick
- Mechanical Keyboard
- Rigid mouse pad
- XXL flexible mouse pad
- Headset stand (sometimes listed as Helmet Holder)
The bundles that contain products from this lineup, as well as a copy of Assassin’s Creed Shadows for PC, range from $139.99 up to $339.99 on Amazon.
The visual design of each product has to be applauded, with a real effort being made to have each peripheral feel at home in a feudal Japanese setting. The downfall, however, comes when we take a closer look at the features of the products.
While the gaming mouse is unique thanks to its thumb joystick, a concept which once raised almost $450,000 on Kickstarter, it only has a 12,000 DPI optical sensor and 500Hz polling rate, well behind the expectations of modern gaming mice, such as the Razer Viper V3 Pro or Glorious Series 2 Pro.
The keyboard features “independent red mechanical switches” of an unspecified brand and some anti-slip pads, but there’s no mention of customization, layout profiles, actuation points, or even key rollover, a basic feature that even the cheapest gaming keyboards tend to shout about.
This basic level of detail and lack of features are prevalent across all of the peripherals. While this may be great for younger gamers or anyone who places a greater emphasis on design rather than performance, I can’t help but feel like there is just no depth to this partnership.
I would much rather have seen branded versions of established peripherals, akin to how SteelSeries handles its branded collaborations, rather than a left-field deal like this.
If you want to take a look at some gaming peripheral collaborations done right, check out this SteelSeries World of Warcraft and Destiny 2 gear from last year.
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