A Look Back at 2024 (Year of the Clones)

In my opinion, 2024 was one of the best years so far when it came to peripherals.

There were so many great releases and then also some trends that, in my opinion, were questionable to say the least.

2024 has seen significant advancements in budget gaming mice, particularly from Chinese brands like Zaopin, Waizowl, and more. These mice, priced between $50 and $100, now offer specs and build quality that rival more expensive models. Tons of shapes to choose from, perform well, and push big brands to provide better value. Gamers are pleased because you no longer need to spend a lot to get a quality gaming mouse.

This was also the year of hyper-light mice becoming more and more normalized. Mice under 35-40 grams or falling in between that range were something a lot of brands wanted to do.

A good example is the Hitscan Hyperlight; while it is a smaller mouse, it comes in at 39 grams while having no cutouts at all on the top shell. Some might think that a lighter mouse equates to worse quality, but magically, a lot of these hyper-light plastic mice are built like tanks.

In general, artificial intelligence in 2024 was all over the place in different forms of media and was being pushed onto us pretty hard. Over the past year, that has also started seeping into the peripheral world, especially when it comes to designs on mousepads.

While it's not a really common issue, as most brands are realizing that people prefer to purchase a mousepad that has a hand-drawn design rather than something that was created by a machine.

In my opinion, the thing that was worse and pretty much spread around like a virus were the anime-focused designs on mousepads, especially the ones with the more provocative designs.

While there were many anime mousepads that I really enjoyed, like a lot of the GLSSWRKS releases, there were also many others that made me question who those types of pads are being marketed towards.

Thanks to brands like GLSSWRKS and Wallhack (formerly Skypad), this year was definitely a big one for glass mousepads.

Mentioning these two brands is justified because of the presence they have when you talk about glass pads. They are the first brands you think of.

Releases like the Kazemi and the Hana from GLSSWRKS have been absolute hits due to their quality and performance surfaces while having some of the best designs I have seen on glass mousepads, in my opinion.

Then, of course, you have Wallhack (formerly Skypad), which has been a pretty prominent name when it comes to glass mousepads for a couple of years now, almost creating a cult-like following. You can't forget them when talking about 2024 mousepad releases, as they launched the SP-004, a newer version of the popular Skypad 3.0 but now with better quality and an improved surface.

2024 felt like a year of sameness in the budget mouse market, more affectionately known as the "year of the clones." So many mice coming out were virtually indistinguishable from each other, with brands seemingly just reskinning popular designs with their own logo and color. This was most rampant among the budget brands where the cost to design something new is way higher compared to just copying an existing design.

You would find several brands releasing mice of practically the same shape, size, and ergonomics. For instance, one single hot-selling model of an ergonomic mouse would be emulated by a slew of budget brands, each changing just a few minor things: a different texture on the buttons, slight tweaks to the grip, etc. Innovation was rare, and instead, companies focused more on branding than trying to differentiate themselves with features or enhancements specific to particular gaming needs.

This focus on branding rather than differentiation resulted in a saturated market with similar products, which made it rather difficult for consumers to find that special something. Gamers looking for something tailored toward their specific grip or gaming style found themselves sifting through a sea of virtually identical products, leading to consumer fatigue. Even price differences might not justify the purchase if the product felt like a mere rebrand.

The market became saturated with those clones, diluting the appeal of budget mice and making the market feel stale. It became a race to the bottom in terms of price, with little incentive for brands to innovate since the existing designs were already popular and easy to replicate. In other words, while variety may be the spice of life, the samey-sameness of these 2024 budget mice left much to be desired and made the market for those looking for something different or innovative pretty dull.

In the end, 2024 has been an amazing year for growth and innovation in gaming peripherals; some clear winners, but also areas where the industry could improve. Glass mousepads and budget gaming mice have seen some incredible advancements, with brands such as GLSSWRKS and Wallhack, respectively, leading the charge.

On the other hand, the stagnation of innovation in the budget mouse sector and the proliferation of AI-designed products are some points where the gaming hardware community might want to effect change. Moving forward, it is a balancing act for brands on cost, innovation, and consumer wants that keeps the market fresh and exciting.

POTENT | SNEKXS