NZXT. was at COMPUTEX 2008 in Taipei and had a lot of really interesting things to show us this year. It was at COMPUTEX 2006 that we originally ran into this promising young company and it doesn’t look like they are showing any signs of slowing down. In our original interview with Johnny Hou, NZXT.’s head product honcho, he eluded to a few things that the company was looking at in the future. It appears that the future is rolling out here at COMPUTEX 2008.
With a Dash of Cologne You Get NZXT.’s Whisper
Last year at COMPUTEX 2007, NZXT. released the HUSH which is now known as the HU001Classic Series case. This year, their product, codenamed “Cologne” becomes their next quiet gaming case called the “Whisper”. While the first case looked like the eye of a Transformer, this case’s design inspiration was derived from the look of massive buildings and skyscrapers. The design is well executed, producing a timeless looking design that would look great on top or below any desk.
The Whisper features a massive drive bay array in the bottom of the case that holds up to ten 3.5 inch hard drives. All of the drives are isolated with vibration dampening material and all the drive trays are isolated from the case at the interface point with additional rubber grommets. Although I would never load up all those drive bays, you can if you want.
In addition to that, you can toss in up to seven 5.25 inch devices, all fitted with quick release mechanisms, allowing easy installation. The 3.5 inch devices are also quick release, but require them to be mounted into the removable trays first. If NZXT. can bring this case inline with the pricing of an ANTEC SONATA III for instance, it will be a real killer, provided the noise levels are as good as its namesake…or they can just make it smell really good like their project name.
The case also features liberal use of sound dampening foam on both side panels and the top of the case. Ventilation is provided by the use of a 120mm fan front and another one exhausting in the back. In order to maintain a clean front panel, inputs like audio, USB, Firewire, and eSATA have been moved to the top of the case, covered by a door. We should be seeing this case sometime this fall or sooner. No word on pricing.
Real-Time Price and Stock Check – Check More Products
The NZXT. Adamas’ Big Brother Arrives and KHAOS Ensues!
NZXT’s Adamas will finally have the follow up that people were looking for. The NZXT. KHAOS shares many of the unique features that made the Adamas unique while addressing the issues that kept the first case from being perfect. Most of the complaints about the Adamas involved the spacing of the drive bays and the amount of room to work with inside the chassis. Rest assured, the NZXT. design team took these criticisms to heart and have built one heckuva case.
The KHAOS still uses heavy duty aluminum construction like the original Adamas, but I wouldn’t stand on top of it and jump up and down. The front panel input also gets moved to the top of the case which cleans up the front of the chassis and allows the ports to be more easily accessed, especially when placed under a desk. The case also features 11 drive bays, two of which are for optical drives. A specially machines panel is provided for them which allows the case to maintain its clean look.
Originally first seen at CES 2008 during the CES 2008 Kick Off Party, the case will feature superior ventilation with liberal use of 120mm and 120mm case fans with two in the front, one in the back, and one exhausting straight up on top. It also features an interior with a shielded power supply compartment which supports dual power supplies and plenty of room for many larger ATX motherboards. Because of the heavy duty/weight heritage, the new case will feature wheels on the front and a handle on the rear to allow it to be easily transported.
The NZXT. KHAOS is already on schedule to release later this month and will retail for a premium gaming chassis price of $399. After feeling up this case for myself, I’d have to say that if you spent the cash, you will feel like you got something for it.
The NZXT Super Gaming Mouse
Johnny mentioned that they have always received all sorts of offers to have them design new products that were outside the realm of your standard gaming case. Although he could jump in at anytime, he was adamant about not just rushing into things and finding the right combination of design and manufacturing to do it right. This year, NZXT. took that first step with the launch of their new AVATAR gaming mouse!
Real-Time Price and Stock Check – Check More Products
The new AVATAR mouse took a very long time to get right according to Johnny. Instead of just taking an off the shelf OEM design and slapping a logo on it, they really put a lot of effort into it, creating a gaming mouse that is distinctly different than anything on the market to date. Since Johnny is also a gamer, he made sure that it could put up and not be shut up. The mouse features a design that resembles an F22 Raptor, but is remarkably comfortable despite the somewhat skinny profile. I did spend about 15 minutes playing with it and all seemed well on the ergonomic side, but I wouldn’t mind seeing what happens after an hour or two before passing judgement.
The AVATAR uses an optical sensor that boasts a 2800 dpi resolution. NZXT. chose the optical sensor versus a laser due to the slightly better gaming performance. The mouse does share a lot of similarities to the award winning RAZER gaming mice, but other than what we see on the underbelly, the design is distinctly NZXT. The AVATAR will ship with a software utility that will allow you to customize it to your needs, though you can get most of the performance with just plug and play.
The mouse should be hitting the shelves this August or sooner. We hope to have an advanced sample to test as soon as possible. Hopefully we can get a price closer to launch.
Coming Full Circle with the Return of the Guardian
This year at COMPUTEX 2008, NZXT. announces the return of the case that started it all: The Guardian.
The new Guardian still maintains the 3D front panel, but loses some of what made the first Guardian special which was the robot head. However, the new Guardian is definitely a more refined case with sleeker lines and a better finish quality. It’s like a Guardian for grown ups if you will. Due later this year, the case is definitely sharp looking and should look great under any gamer’s desk.
What Does The Future Hold For NZXT?
Although I couldn’t take any pictures of some of the other items in the room, I can tell you what I remember. NZXT. will be returning to its “Gundam” roots with a case that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before, making liberal use of coloured plastics to produce a case that will make his manufacturers go “Oh Crap! What has Johnny gone and done again?” The lines of the case totally had me thinking of a high end street bike. Code named “Aero”, this is the case to make you associate the name NZXT. with crazy gaming cases again. There was no ETA on this case, but maybe we’ll see it ready for production next year and hopefully some sneak peeks once the unit is more ready for production.
The other case that was in the room that I was banned from snapping shots of was a short stocky looking mid-tower case that was much wider than normal. It had a large 200mm fan in the front and a unique sideways mounted power supply that sat at the bottom beside the motherboard. Johnny told me that the case was one of the original candidates for the NZXT. Rogue concept, but they decided to go with the current design instead because he was hoping that motherboard manufacturers would have come up with a decent dual card capable mATX form factor board by now. That still hasn’t happened yet, but at least NZXT. has a case waiting.
This new case will feature support for full sized ATX motherboards and a slide out motherboard tray that allows you to pull it straight out without having to remove any of the components, including large aftermarket heatsinks. The case was also finished with a metal mesh, covering the front and then continuing in one piece to the top of the case. Code named “SUMO”, there was no ETA on when this one will hit the market but I was impressed with what I saw.
With a hot new gaming mouse and some cool new products on the horizon, the future definitely looks bright for NZXT. here at COMPUTEX 2008.
Discuss This Article in the Futurelooks Community Forums
Real-Time Price and Stock Check – Check More Products