STACK February 2017 Issue 148

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There’s no off-season in
esports, but the “transfer
market” has been very active over
the break – and none moreso than
the movers, shakers, and combo
breakers at team Echo Fox. The
esports organisation’s massive
swoop on the fighting game
community poached Street Fighter
stars Justin Wong, ChocoBlanka,
Tokido, as well as Mortal Kombat
players SonicFox and Scar. Echo
Fox is rumoured to have silly
amounts of money -- enough
for top tier players like Justin
Wong to finally consider playing
Street Fighter full time. These
legends are being consolidated
at a tumultuous time for the
sport, as a mere three frames
of invincibility being taken away
from the Shoryuken in Street
Fighter V is causing quite the
controversy.
2016 was the year mainstream
sporting brands staked their claims
in esports, and the trend has
now kicked into high gear. FIFA
players are being signed to top tier
football clubs such as Manchester
City, Valencia, Schalke, and more.
Interestingly, these deals don’t
require the player to actually play
with the club they’re representing.
NBA teams seem particularly
interested, with the
76ers, Miami Heat,
and Boston Celtics'
player Jonas Jerebko
picking up esports
teams -- the latter’s acquisition
being Renegades, also known
as the Aussie team who had
to move to California just to
find decent competition. The
aforementioned Echo Fox’s “silly
money” comes from another
NBA player, Rick Fox, and even
Shaq is getting in on the act
after buying NRG eSports.
It makes business sense
to make these moves in the
esports space now. The industry
moved $900 million in 2016, and
is projected to grow for many
years to come. But with shorter-
term contracts and higher player
turnover than traditional sports,
these multiplayer moguls might
take care not to invest in a brand
only to have five flaky millennials
leave and start another.
Each month, STACK takes a brief look at what’s
happening in esports, both locally and overseas.
esports Round-Up
Junglist
with
Corsair's K55 RGB gaming keyboard is a solid bet for
anyone looking for an entry-level model.
The K55 RGB is one of your more
user-friendly, won’t-scare-you-with-too-
many-buttons Corsair keyboards. Boasting
fully customisable RGB lighting and quiet,
responsive keys, it’s a great buy for anyone
looking to ease themselves into the market –
perhaps for a console gaming extraordinaire
looking to make the jump to PC?
Street Fighter V
Mortal Kombat X
for a surprisingly sharp duo for the price.
However, it would be more logical for
the wrist rest to be integrated into the
keyboard, as we don’t see anyone opting
to go without it. It’s also covered in a
smooth rubbery surface that guarantees
comfort.
If that wasn't enough, Corsair's K55
boasts six customisable macro keys for
you to set up your own combinations.
Whether you opt for super complex key
bindings or the more simple one-key
configurations, the macros make life
a lot easier. It's even got its own set
of multimedia controls that eliminates
fumbling around with your headset in-line
controls.
All up, with its sophisticated design and
no bells and whistles set-up, the K55 is a
great gaming keyboard for those looking
for an entry level model. Add the macro
keys on the side and the multimedia
controls for your music, and there’s not
much better bang for your buck.
58 FEBRUARY 2017
visit GAMES FEATURE
One of the first things that
hits you when you unbox
one of the K55s is the
sleek and sophisticated
design. It’s not over-
the-top, but it
doesn’t look like
a budget option
either; it fits
somewhere
in between.
Then you plug it in. Corsair’s
K55 features impressive, backlit RGB
lighting, offering 16.8 million colour
combinations for you to customise to your
requirements, with three individual zones for
maximum personalisation.
The keys themselves are anti-ghosting,
and are supremely quiet – none of that
annoying clicking you'll find in a mechanical
keyboard.
The legs beneath the keyboard provide
a more stable platform for you to kick butt,
and there's a detachable wrist rest, making
Corsair
K55 RGB