Those living under a rock may have missed the watershed moment that resulted in the global eSports industry definitively breaking through into the mainstream.
While many analysts reasonably highlight the events of 2020 as the tipping point that caused competitive gaming to cross into popular awareness, the story is naturally more nuanced.
A new generation of working professionals raised on the 90s console wars has come of age and are more inclined to spend their hard-earned money on a new Call of Duty title than a Blu-Ray box set.
What’s more, the market for gaming laptops grew from $1 billion in 2013 to $12 billion by 2018, as these devices became more affordable and accessible for the average gamer.
Meanwhile, Amazon’s acquisition of Twitch in 2014 gave the platform a huge cash injection that stabilized it as the de-facto HQ for eSports content on the internet.
However you look at it, eSports has been on the cusp of arrival for a number of years. Now it sits at the big table, with free bets from leading comparison platforms like OddsChecker just as likely to be employed to back teams in a CS: GO tournament as on the FIFA World Cup.
Now, dedicated gaming brands are scrambling to meet the surge in demand for tech and peripherals that will give budding eSports hopefuls the competitive edge they seek.
Growing Import of Console eSports
Razer’s latest foray into the world of console gaming peripherals, the Wolverine V2 Pro, has emerged. There’s no denying the majority of leading titles on the global eSports circuit are PC-centric, the scene’s desire to connect with mainstream audiences represents a push towards greater inclusion and a growing focus on console gaming.
Microsoft has been pushing Halo: Infinite and the Halo World Championship as its definitive answer to the eSports question. Meanwhile, Sony is also establishing a foothold in the console sports game space, with both the NBA 2K League and FIFA’s various eSports concerns now available on the PS5.
And while the default PlayStation 5 DualSense controller is an impressive bit of kit, until now, the manufacturer hasn’t had a definitive answer to the Xbox Elite Series 2 game-pad, Microsoft’s premium, remappable competitive game-pad.
Razer Teaming Up with Sony
That’s what makes the Wolverine V2 Pro so exciting. Razer, the unchallenged king of eSports peripherals from mice to mechanical keyboards, has collaborated with Sony to create an officially licensed, eSports-optimized controller for the PS5.
If that sounds expensive to you, you’d be right. While the Xbox Elite’s asking price is not to be sniffed at, coming in at an RRP of $130, this looks like a budget offering compared to the Wolverine’s $249.99 launch price.
Costing half the RRP of the console itself, this is one peripheral that only the committed can justify investing in – but at least the Razer badge guarantees you’ll be getting something worthwhile for your cash.
Brimming With Features
The Wolverine V2 Pro comes with Razer’s patented ‘mecha-tactile’ buttons that feature a shorter actuation distance than the default controller – 35% shorter, to be exact.
The triggers have borrowed some tech from Razer’s leading gaming mice and offer users the ability to switch between standard full-range pulls and near-instantaneous click actuation. It gives greater flexibility and options, both in-game and with respect to mapping.
The buttons and trigger are rounded out by innovative slide-locks that decrease the actuation distance of the triggers, effectively converting them into more short-travel buttons.
The overall form factor of the controller looks much more akin to something produced by Sony’s rivals than anything we’ve seen from the PlayStation stable, with the left thumbstick and d-pad swapping places for greater ergonomics. Those thumbsticks also ship with interchangeable caps that customize the controller for greater accuracy or speed when aiming.
The Wolverine V2 comes with four extra triggers and two bumpers, all of which can be remapped to your heart’s content. It’s finished off with Razer’s iconic chroma RGB lighting, creating a formidable package that is a must-have for any serious PS5 eSports gamer.
