Rolling balls and lots of wires - a decade summary in peripherals

There are those who believe that in recent years we have even gone back a little, in some cases. On the other hand, there is no doubt that the few innovations that have actually come to the subject of peripheral equipment are not necessarily innovations, but rather a growing trend of innovations that we have already known. There is no doubt that the biggest emphasis on peripheral equipment in the last decade is on exterior design and building materials, as can be found in many other areas, but mainly here.

Let's take a closer look at the evolution of peripheral equipment since HWzone's birth to date.

They swim on keyboards and mice

We’ll start exploring the decade from the side of control accessories, the same name synonymous with keyboards, mice and game accessories. While there is talk of developing technologies that allow for control through slightly fictional means such as brainwave-guided imagery, hand movements and their peers, we still find ourselves “satisfied” with a set of mouse and keyboard.

At the beginning of the decade, we were experimenting with the less innovative kind of keyboards and mice: those ball-hanging mice, none of us who remember at least once of chasing the ball that escaped from the mouse straight to the sofa, and those simple white (or black) keyboards, There are (although they are not mechanical).

At that time actually appeared Technologies that are familiar to us today, And spread slowly throughout the decade. Already in the middle of this period we found ourselves preferring keyboards and mice that connect through USB And not in the traditional PS2 - a milestone in the journey of keyboards and mice with improved response time and high resolution.

Move on with the ball

The mice of the new decade disappeared The use of ball for input, and optical motion sensors have taken its place, whether they are based on surface photography or based on laser technology. This change brought with it the free movement we are familiar with today, which raised the need for (in many cases) a mouse pad and the need to clean the ball and roller skates.

These mice have become standard over the decade, so if you still use a ball-based mouse you are actually at the extreme end of the scale.

Meet the pulley

Another standard, which was considered a luxury somewhere at the end of the previous decade, is Use more buttons On the mouse. At the beginning of the decade we found ourselves preferring to buy a mouse with a scroll button compared to a mouse with only two buttons (or one if you are an Apple user), and over the decade the pulley has become an important standard. Over time, we have seen that the pulley button is not the limit, and in the past the use of side buttons is considered even rare In the gaming districts, Can now be found in almost every mouse.

The keyboards have been renewed even less over the past decade, and at the beginning we could find quite a few keyboards that were not only ops but also beautiful. We started with keyboards Relatively simple And quite square, and today you can find designed keyboards In various forms. Over the course of the decade, we have come to know more and more keyboards based on features previously considered luxury and included in more expensive keyboards, such as multimedia keyboards, which in recent years have become something that can be found in every other home. Additional keys for user programming, beyond the basic keys, have also become the property of keyboards today.

Wires are fuss

Without a doubt, the biggest change is the use of wireless keyboards and mice. At the beginning of the decade we knew the same mice and keyboards, but these belonged to the high market and were considered to belong to the top decile, and now you can put your hand on a wireless mouse or keyboard for less than 100 shekels. In the beginning, the range, resolution and response time of wireless keyboards and mice have not completely aligned with wired keyboards and mice, and the only advantage we have gained when purchasing a wireless keyboard or mouse is to hide the cables from the table.

To this day, objects in fast reaction time still use mice and wired keyboards. Although wireless mice and keyboards are already in line with cable-based products in terms of resolution and response times, cables are refusing to die, and their end is not even in sight.

Branding presents us with gaming products

Another change that has dominated the field of keyboards and mice over the past decade (and not only) is branding. Over the decade, the consciousness of gamers and end users has risen to quality, creating the name "Gaming Products". Brands have become synonymous with use Technologies designed for gamers And an audience looking for peripherals that will help improve their gaming experience.

In the keyboards and mice market Designed for gamers Over the decade, we have seen a growing trend of using more advanced features, more programmable buttons, and moreImproved control, Through colorful lighting up to LCD Monitors Tiny built-in that give information about the system and the product itself - the same features that are the biggest change in the peripherals market in the last decade compared to the previous decade.

"Gaming" Is not the only branding Which we have seen in the past decade. In fact, the market places additional treasures in all its branches. The miniaturization phenomenon that we know from other markets (such as the gadgets and cellular market) has not bypassed the peripheral equipment market, and users who want tiny and thin keyboards and mice will find what they are looking for today. At the beginning of the previous decade, Especially economic.

Sound and personal computer

In the field of sound for the personal computer, we have hardly seen a change, except for more special and loud designs. Ten years ago we could have put our hands on it Magnificent 5.1 system To the computer, though we had to reach deep into the pocket. There is no doubt that over time, the quality of the sound has become the domain of the masses, and it is now possible to obtain multi-channel systems or of relatively high quality at reasonable prices.

The bigger changes actually come from the market of sound accessories that are not computer speaker systems: the gaming headset, a set of headphones and a microphone that is not cheap at all for gamers. Most of them boast an interesting design and a microphone with noise cancellation, and we also got to know the 7.1 channel headphones - which are not Headphones surround sound.

Surround headphones

The surround speakers for gamers have taught us that if we want a peripheral effect, you do not have to stick your hand deep in your pocket to purchase an expensive speaker set, and you can get a similar experience with headphones. In theory, it sounds like a good product. in real, We did not receive a quality alternative Really a set speakers Peripherals. But hey, it does not bother the market headphones Gaming is thriving.

The gaming headset market consists of two types of headphones: those based on five Drivers Physical in the body of the headphones, and those based on only two channels but with surround sound simulation. The second type brings with it an interesting innovation: the virtual surround sound - a stereo that disguises itself as a surround sound. headphones Stereo has begun to offer a surround effect and to do so convincingly thanks to the virtual surround technology, which divides each side into a front, back and back (front and back) sound source and gives the sound of the surround sound.

A good replacement for mouse and keyboard, when?

There is no doubt that the changes we have seen in the past decade in the peripheral equipment market are nothing more than the expansion of technologies that we have already known, with the addition of sophisticated designs. The future of the peripheral equipment to the computer does not contain many more changes, at least not based on how it looks from here, and it is reasonable to assume that the conclusion of the next decade will also tell about Minor changes וMore sophisticated designs. It is reasonable to think that the use of touch screens and the like will increase during the current decade to the end, but will not kill Accessories for control Which we know today. Admit it, there's still no good substitute for mouse and keyboard.