Corsair is set to acquire high-end controller manufacturer, SCUF Gaming, bringing it into the ever-expanding Corsair family of companies. It will continue to exist as a separate entity, operating out of its own HQ, much in the same was as other recent acquiree Origin PC.
So yeah, if you want to get into the controller market, but don’t really want to go through all the hassle of making your own DualShock or Xbox pad clone, then you just buy up a company that is already doing that. Though, to be fair to SCUF, it does more than create clones of the Sony and Microsoft pads, it’s been producing customisable and colourful controllers that are sometimes a powerful mixture of both. The SCUF Gaming Impact still sits as one of the best game controllers around today.
Whether it’s a plethora of paddle switches, adjustable triggers, interchangeable thumbsticks, or some downright bizarre aesthetic design choices, SCUF pads will see you right. And now they’re going to be backed by the might of Corsair.
Quite what exactly that’s going to mean to either brand is still a little unclear. SCUF will continue to exist as its own thing and Duncan Ironmonger, the company’s founder and CEO, has referenced the acquisition more as joining forces rather than Corsair running things.
“We are delighted to join forces with CORSAIR,” says Ironmonger, “who share similar DNA to SCUF with regards to innovation and design in the gaming market. CORSAIR has the operational scale and network to help us bring our innovation to even more gamers.”
So for SCUF then, it’s the reach that Corsair’s wider infrastructure can offer that is going to benefit the company, but for Corsair? Well, it means that it’s got seriously high-quality products at every point in the peripheral market. It’s now got some great controllers in the family, some of the best gaming headsets, the best gaming mice, and in the K70 the absolute best gaming keyboard.
“We are thrilled to greatly expand our portfolio of industry-leading peripherals,” says Corsair founder and CEO, Andy Paul, “and enter the gaming controller space to help gamers play at their best.”
From humble beginnings as a memory maker, Corsair has rapidly expanded to cover a huge swathe of PC gaming tech. And aside from its own-brand PCs, it also went and acquired boutique builder, Origin PC, back in the summer, and streaming supremo Elgato before. Where next for Corsair? I’m betting on a component manufacturer next, like Biostar or ASRock…