HP amplifies its audio game with new accessories

HP released a flock of new sub-$100 gaming accessories, including its first 2.1-channel speaker system and wireless headset for gamers, as well as a couple of mice. Joining the budget crew is a curved 24-inch gaming monitor, which isn't quite budget-range for its feature set.

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The new audio products round out the Omen options. The HP X1000 Wireless Gaming Headset joins the family in August for $100. It looks like a wireless offshoot of the HP Pavilion Gaming Headset 600, offering 7.1 virtual surround and 50mm drivers, a suspension headband and a flexible (not retractable) boom mic. 

A garage in the left earcup for the wireless USB dongle gives you a place to stash it when not in use. You'll also find controls for volume, power, and mic muting on that cup. HP rates the headphones at up to 20 hours of battery life.

After HP made a big deal about rolling out a newly design Omen brand identity just a month ago, the X1000s use the stodgier corporate logo. This places them more under the mainstream Pavilion umbrella than Omen despite the lack of an explicit "Pavilion" in the name.

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They're accompanied by the HP Gaming Speakers X1000, a set of 6-watt desktop satellites plus subwoofer, which are also slated to ship in August for $100. Small and angular, they're designed to fit underneath a monitor and feature selectable-color underglow lighting. Other specs include 50mm drivers in the satellites and a 100mm driver in the subwoofer. The sub's got a 20Hz to 10kHz response and 70dB signal-to-noise ratio.

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A couple of new wired Omen mice for right-handed palm or claw grippers debut under a new Vector line. There's the Omen Vector Mouse and the Vector Essential Mouse. As you'd expect, the Essential model is the less expensive one, $30, while the non-Essential unit runs $50. Both are shipping this month.

Both mice use new sensors codeveloped with Pixart. The Vector's is dubbed the Radar 3, a custom version of the 16,000 dpi PixArt PMW3389 with a tracking rate of 400 inches per second. It's a relatively lightweight mouse at 50 grams, and it comes with 25g worth of 5g weights so you can adjust it to your liking. Omron left and right buttons rated at 20 million clicks differentiate it from the Essential, which uses more generic 20m-rated-click buttons.

The Essential also uses a lower-resolution sensor based on the 7,200-dpi PixArt PAW3327 with a tracking rate of 220ips. It's heavier at a fixed 88g. 

Both have six programmable buttons and braided cables.

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Rounding out the group is a new 24-inch gaming monitor shipping in August, the HP X24c. It's not cheap for its class -- $250 for a 144Hz VA 1080p panel with narrow-gamut panel and 300-nit brightness. The stand allows for height adjustment in addition to tilt, which is less common in its price segment. It also supports FreeSync Premium adaptive refresh thanks to the higher refresh rate and 4ms pixel response (gray to gray) in overdrive.

And it's curved, which makes it prettier if not better. Curved monitors make no visual sense if, like this one, they're smaller than about 32 inches unless you're planning to create a multimonitor setup.