Netgear launches Nighthawk S8000 switch for gamers
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One of the questions gamers always ask is if it’s necessary to purchase gaming routers like the Netgear Nighthawk X10 and other advanced wireless modems. Do they really make a difference? While there are many products out there on the market, there needs to be a conversation between companies like Netgear who make these devices and consumers. Believe it or not, the average gamer doesn’t know about switches and advanced gaming routers. Consumers need to be educated about the benefits and then they will probably choose them. If companies just keep on pumping out products without discussing them with their target audience, it’s somewhat of a wasted effort.
Netgear Nighthawk S8000 Switch
Networking often gets an unfair rap amongst gaming enthusiasts. The thankless workhorse of any gaming rig, the humble hardware used to connect us to billions of gamers around the globe typically spends its existence hidden away behind the living room console, or buried in some other unloved corner of the house. According to Netgear, the fightback starts today!
The company, somewhat the long-term kings of connectivity, have unleashed their Nighthawk range of products to an unsuspecting consumer market, redefining power, innovation, simplicity and sleek aesthetics. Working with the elite of the eSports community, Netgear have been able to deliver a new generation of networking hardware that delivers the power needed to deliver the winning edge.
The same business grade technology used to keep the country’s largest businesses running smoothly is used in the range of Nighthawk products. We’re talking series power, designed for ultimate reliability and now available in consumer gaming products!
Ease of Use
The Nighthawk S8000 switch may feature business grade hardware, but make no mistake, the user experience is designed to strip away the complexity and deliver fuss free gaming with remarkably little stress. Netgear know that gaming should be fun, and with this in mind the dark night of networking features one of the simplest user interfaces of any networking product, pre-configured out of the box to give priority to gaming use.
Whilst there are a host of advanced options allowing users to combine port bandwidth to create a really robust data pipe, prioritise data to a NAS drive, or simply limit the bandwidth that other ports can access, the Nighthawk S8000 in its simplest form is the perfect plug-and-play router, already optimised for the most demanding of gaming uses.
Design
Netgear believe that it’s time to liberate the network from the confines of the broom cupboard or from being sandwiched behind the desk of a gaming room. Network switches are typically hidden away with good reason, they frankly look awful and no one wants blinking light and faceless black boxes to serve as a centrepiece. It’s a shame, as very often, hiding the hardware is hard work, causing major headaches and leading to a spaghetti junction of cables that’s as ugly as it is dangerous.
The Nighthawk S8000 switch is a disruptive product, standing apart in a sea of networking mediocrity. Designed to sit proudly in the gamer’s rig, the S8000 impresses with stealth bomber aesthetics, serving as a visual deterrent to all those who dare question its power, and what power it wields! Gone are the flaky connections and unreliable drop out associated with lesser hardware, the S8000 means business, stuffed to the gills with state-of-the-art tech and almost over powered for domestic use. Gamers who play to win can be safe in the knowledge that their connection will remain rock solid at all times and never let them down during even the most demanding of usage periods.
The Nighthawk S8000 series isn’t content with reliable power however, it comes with teeth to bare and armed with a few tricks up its sleeves. The informatively titled Cylon mode can be accessed through the simple menu interface, so in the heat of a LAN party with your buddies, the S8000 can become quite the hardware centerpiece!
The only drawback between having a setup like this is that the Nighthawk S8000 costs around $80 and the Nighthawk X10 goes past $400. These devices seemed to be geared towards the eSports community given the way they were developed. Will the average consumer really benefit from these changes? From what we’ve seen, it does seem so but the cost is definitely a very high barrier to entry. These products are designed for the most demanding gamers out there who can spare this much.
