Razer Artemis is a custom keypad/joystick/tablet peripheral for MechWarrior Online

Jumping joysticks! Hardware-maker Razer and MechWarrior Online developer Piranha Games are collaborating on a peripheral called the Razer Artemis . The prototype doesn't have a listed price or ship date, but this may be the first time a (what's likely to be) hundreds-of-dollars device will be sold for a free-to-play game.

Details on the prototype are sparse; Razer isn't even ready to show a real image of it yet. But the Artemis features a force-feedback joystick, what looks like a 13-button keypad (with throttle slider), centered by a display. At first glance, the middle section seems like it's designed to house a tablet, but the prototype image says this is an “integrated screen.” If I were making it, I'd want to be able to change the screen to show heat and damage, not just the in-game map.

I'll be seeing MechWarrior Online on the E3 show floor later today. I'll report back with anything I find out about the timing, pricing, or existence of this hardware.

Evan's a hardcore FPS enthusiast who joined PC Gamer way back in 2008. After an era spent publishing reviews, news, and cover features, he now oversees editorial operations for PC Gamer worldwide, including setting policy, training, and editing stories written by the wider team. His most-played FPSes are Hunt: Showdown, Team Fortress 2, Team Fortress Classic, Rainbow Six Siege, and Counter-Strike. His first multiplayer FPS was Quake 2, played on serial LAN in his uncle's basement, the ideal conditions for instilling a lifelong fondness for fragging.