Introduction
These days, lots of gaming companies release special collaboration versions of their existing products. We’ve seen collabs with games, esports teams, and even professional players. SteelSeries is no stranger to these types of releases, either. The latest collection might be one of the most impressive ones, however. The SteelSeries Fortnite collection not only offers Fortnite-themed peripherals; it also gives players in-game items with each product they purchase. We got our hands on most of the collection, so in this article we’ll give you an overview of what to expect.
First Impressions
Personally, I am a fan of special editions of existing gear, as long as they don’t come with exclusive gameplay features that the regular version doesn’t have.
I think they’rea fun way to celebrate a brand’s connection to a certain game or team, or simply let designers flex their skills with products that can be more ‘out of the box’ than your usual black/white colorways.
So when I heard that SteelSeries was doing a collab with Fortnite, my interest was immediately piqued. Not because I am a big Fortnite player (far from it) but because there are tons of ways to make cool gear using elements and characters from the game. With that much material to work with, I hoped that this collab would go a bit further than releasing some keyboard with purple keycaps and a Fortnite logo on it and calling it a day.
And boy, did SteelSeries deliver. When I first saw these items in real life (I had not seen any promotional materials), I immediately started smiling.
What struck me was just how over-the-top (in a good way) the collection is. Even the earbud case has a smiley face on it. It all feels perfectly suited to Fortnite, and I like that SteelSeries has leaned into that goofier/more colorful side of the game so enthusiastically.
Headset – Arctis Nova 3(X) Wireless
The Arctis Nova 3 Wireless is a great mid-tier gaming headset that’s available for PC/XBOX and PC/PS5. It also comes with 2.4GHz Wireless and Bluetooth connections, meaning that this could very well be a ‘one-and-done’ headset for a lot of people.
This light and comfy headset was inspired by the Water Sprite, and I think the design suits it perfectly. The semi-transparent ear cup housing combined with that light blue color really makes it look like the in-game Sprite, and the sharply applied face finishes off the whole thing.
The remaining details have a ‘Fortnite purple’ finish to them, which I think combines nicely with the blue. All in all, this is a fun and playful headset that anyone who is into Fortnite will immediately recognize, so job well done.
You get the Cold Hearted Pickaxe as a virtual bonus item with this product.
Earbuds – Arctis GameBuds
The Arctis GameBuds are possibly my favorite. They’re inspired by Peely, an iconic character within the realm of Fortnite. Even if you’ve never played the game, you’ll probably have seen this banana somewhere.
The case comes with a silicone cover that has the Peely face on it, and I love this. The cover is really well-made, with rich colors and nicely textured details in the eyes and mouth. The actual case is grey, but it still has cool details on it, like the Nana Nana spray from within the game and Peely ribs.
The inside of the case reveals pink intestines and the two banana yellow earbuds, one of which also has the Nana Nana ‘sticker’ on it.
I like that the earbuds look subtle enough to use while out and about. Sure, they’re yellow, but they don’t have ostentatious designs on them or anything. Most of the ‘wow factor’ comes from the case and case cover.
The earbuds themselves pleasantly surprised me. They’re extremely comfy, for starters (there are multiple ear tips included), and they allow for a 2.4GHz connection as well as a Bluetooth connection, making it so that these can be used all day long. The sound quality is also very decent, and there’s even ANC included. These will definitely stay on my desk for when I want to game without a headset.
With the Earbuds, you get the Oro Outfit as a virtual bonus item.
Mouse – Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2
The mouse is probably my least favorite item in the collection. Granted, there’s not much you can do in terms of cool designs here since most of the shell has holes in it, but you’re basically getting a purple/blue mouse with RGB and a Fortnite logo on it. It’s inspired by the Storm in the game itself.
The mouse itself is also not a groundbreaking product. It’s a good gaming mouse, but it’s not completely up to modern specs, as it comes with mechanical switches, has a max polling rate of 4000Hz, and weighs around 68 grams even with the honeycomb design.
Obviously, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I think this mouse looks way better in the renders than it does in real life.
With the Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2, you get the Frozen Beak Pickaxe as a virtual bonus item.
Keycaps
I love the keycaps. It would’ve been so easy for SteelSeries to only release the Supply Llama edition, which is basically a bunch of different-colored caps with a logo here and there, but they also went ahead and released the Fishstick edition and the Guff edition.
The Supply Llama edition is, in terms of design, kind of ‘meh’ for me, but I really like the other two. The Fishstick version is silly to the point it made me laugh out loud once I had it fitted to one of my keyboards, and the Guff edition has a lot of fun colors and interesting little details that make it very interesting to look at.
I was also impressed by the overall quality of the caps. Often, keycap sets can have a muted and desaturated look compared to renders and product shots, but that’s not the case here. The printing is also very sharp, which is something that’s especially noticeable on the more detailed sets. The caps also feel decently thick and manufactured well; they fit SteelSeries as well as third-party keyboards without issue.
I’m not a Fortnite player, but I did put the Fishstick set on my main gaming keyboard that I use when going to LANs etc. because it just looks so fun and unique.
There is also an Artisan keycap available, but I did not get a chance to try that out.
With the keycap sets and the artisan keycap, you get the Statuesque emote as the virtual bonus item.
Mousepads – QcK XXL and L
Continuing with the Fishstick and Guff theme are the mousepads. The QcK line of mousepads is iconic in both pro and casual gaming, so it’s cool to see that these legendary pads are also included in the lineup.
The Fishstick pad is, to me, perhaps a little bit boring, but the Guff pad features a very fun and detailed design that I do appreciate. It’s quite busy, so it’s not something I would put on my work and gaming desk, but it does match the Guff keycap set really well. So if you’re looking for a cohesive Fortnite-themed setup, this is the set I’d recommend, as the Fishstick pad’s design doesn’t match with the keycaps quite as well (though it does match) as the Guff set does.
There’s also an extended QcK XXL available, which has blueprints of the world-famous Battle Bus on it. This would be my pick of the bunch, as it’s a little bit more understated than the other two pads while still being explicitly Fortnite-themed.
In terms of finish, all three pads look good. The colors are a little bit less saturated than they are in the renders, but not distractingly so. More importantly, the printing is quite sharp, so the designs come through like they’re supposed to.
With the L pads, you get the Fossil Flyer Glider, and with the XXL version, you get the Rimshot Emote.
Thumb Grips
The collection also includes various thumb grips, though I did not get to test these. They include Fishstick-themed thumbgrips, as well as Durr Burger and Llama-themed thumb grips.
Particularly the Durr Burger thumb grips are cool to me, as they come in a Durr Burger box, giving the whole set an extra finishing touch.
Aside from that, there’s not a ton to say about the thumb grips, as there’s simply not much you can do with these. They’re meant to enhance and personalize your grip on the controller, so there’s not a ton of material to work with.
With the Durr Burger grips, you get a Gum Drop Glider, and with the Fishstick grips, you get the Lemon Zest Wrap.
Design and Collection Impressions
From a design perspective, I really love this collab. Fortnite isn’t my favorite game at all, and I’m usually not for the cartoony art style that it uses, but there’s no denying that SteelSeries has managed to lovingly translate that virtual world into our real world with these designs. Some designs are quite clearly better than others (the mouse, for example, is quite underwhelming if you ask me) but that doesn’t take anything away from the collection as a whole.
To me, this is exactly how collabs like these should look. You take an existing, well-performing product, and you give it a makeover that makes it pop in a way that fans will immediately recognize.
A lot of brands simply put a new color and a logo on collab products, but the designers at SteelSeries went the extra mile here, and that’s something that I very much appreciate.
Price
One of the downsides of collab collections is that they pretty much always cost more. There’s an extra party involved that needs to be paid, after all: the person or organization that the manufacturer is collaborating with.
So, the same is true here. The headset, for example, goes for $129.99, while the plain-colored version will set you back $109.99. That same $20 price difference is present with the GameBuds. With the mouse, there’s a $30 difference.
So yes, you’re paying extra. But that’s to be expected. Whether the premium is worth it is for each person to decide for themselves, but I think this is one of the highest-quality collab collections I’ve seen so far, so I think that the price is justified.
What’s also nice is that there’s no performance difference. These Fortnite editions do not introduce new features or upgrades, for example. As such, if you’re not interested in the whole Fortnite-themed aspect, you can go for a regular version and have the same product. These are really just themed SteelSeries products meant for fans of the game or the designs in general. Exactly as it should be.
Conclusion and More Photos
The people at SteelSeries have knocked it out of the park with this collab collection. The products look great, everything is nicely finished, and there’s always a clear and identifiable link to the game and elements from within the game they’re referencing. More importantly, this whole collection feels like a passion project rather than a quick recolor designed to cash in on a collab.
Despite the fact that it’s not exactly my style, I can really appreciate how the Fortnite world is brought to life with these products, and how they’re more than just a simple ‘take the official color scheme and slap a logo on it’ kind of release.
As a Fortnite fan, you should definitely check this out. And even if you’re not a Fortnite player, some of these designs are fun enough to stand on their own as quirky pieces of gear.
You can learn more about the SteelSeries Fortnite collection on SteelSeries’ website.
