We first saw the Roccat Sova – a device that provides a fixed keyboard, spacious mouse pad, and a cushioned base – back at E3 2014. It was only a concept at that stage, but now the device is nearly ready for action, providing gamers with what the company promises to be a true bridging of PC gaming and the living room.
If you're looking to use a mouse and keyboard in the living room, then your best option is usually to use some sort of TV tray, balancing your chosen peripherals upon it. That solution can get the job done, but it's far from elegant.
Roccat's Sova gaming board looks to shake things up by providing a sizable surface for gaming, complete with a baked-in backlit keyboard, available in both membrane and mechanical flavors. Anchoring the keys straight into the body of the tray is designed to make the whole accessory feel sturdy. There's a spacious palm rest below the keyboard as well, with a 27.5 x 24 cm (11 x 9.5 in) mouse pad to the right, providing plenty of room to line up your next head-shot.
The Sova includes two USB 2.0 ports, a channel for your wired mouse cable, and the base of the accessory is substantially padded, which should help keep it from uncomfortably digging into your knees during extended gaming sessions.
The gaming board connects to your gaming PC via a 4 m (13 ft) cable that's designed to easily disconnect should someone trip over it. Roccat includes its own "Swarm" software in the package, adding quick-access shortcuts to system commands and game functions. There's even an optional smartphone holder, which you can use to display shortcuts and vital system info.
If you pre-order either the membrane or mechanical version of the Sova, Roccat will throw in one of its new Kova gaming mice at no additional cost. The membrane keyboard version is priced at US$150, while the higher-end mechanical-keyed variant comes in at $200. Both versions are scheduled to ship in October.
Source: Roccat
