Accessory manufacturer, Razer, is known for offering officially licensed products for the release of major gaming titles. Last year, the company offered a line of products to tie-in with the release of the heavily anticipated StarCraft II. This year (or possibly early next year) Razer is set to release a new line of branded products that are specifically designed for BioWare's upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic.The buzz for BioWare's first foray into the MMO market has been strong. In fact, our recent hands-on preview of SWTOR impressed us so much that we awarded it with a Best MMO of E3 nomination. Acknowledging the strong interest in the title, Razer has joined up with both BioWare and LucasArts to develop its Star Wars: The Old Republic product line, which includes an innovative gaming keyboard, a wireless gaming mouse with a twelve button thumb-grid, and a 5.1 surround sound headset.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Gaming Keyboard

Star Wars Old Republic Keyboard Razer BioWare MMO

Razer's SWTOR keyboard is a very intriguing piece of technology as it contains two rather unique features. On the right side of the keyboard, Razer has included a full-color sensitive multi-touch LCD panel, which should allow players to monitor in-game data from SWTOR. Directly above the LCD, there are ten adaptive tactile keys which can be customized for hotkeys with in-game icons and/or macros. Razer is looking to offer functionality for these new additions with other PC titles as well.

The backlit faction symbols can be set to either the Galactic Republic or the Sith Empire. And for the extreme fans, the keyboard can be converted from alpha-numeric characters to Aurebesh, the written language of the Star Wars universe. The keyboard connects with a braided 7-foot USB cable, which is great for those who play in their living room, but unfortunately it does not have a USB or mic-in pass-through connection. It does have fully programmable keys and on-the-fly macro recording, which are essential to the hardcore MMO player. Razer promises a 1000Hz Ultrapolling/1ms response time. You'll need to pay $199.99 to become the envy of Star Wars fans everywhere.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Gaming Mouse

Star Wars Old Republic Razer Mouse BioWare MMO

A keyboard is nothing without a quality mouse, and Razer's offering looks to fit the bill. The SWTOR Gaming mouse can be used wirelessly and features a 5600 dpi Razer precision 3.5G laser sensor with a 1000Hz Ultrapolling/1ms response time. The thumb area features a 12-button grid that can be customized for your favorite macros or hotkeys. Similar to the SWTOR Gaming Keyboard, the mouse comes with interchangeable faction symbols and multi-color lighting. The SWTOR Mouse will be available for $129.99. A SWTOR-branded mousepad can also be purchased for $49.99.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Gaming Headset

Star Wars Old Republic Razer BioWare MMO

Last, but not least, you'll need an efficient way to coordinate your attacks with your fellow space explorers. Razer's SWTOR Gaming Headset provides 5.1 surround sound and a flexible boom microphone. As with the other accessories, the device will have interchangeable faction symbols and multi-color lighting. The SWTOR headset will be available for $129.99.

While we did have an opportunity to see Razer's newest peripherals, we couldn't give them a test run with SWTOR at E3. Nonetheless, the new technology present in the SWTOR keyboard definitely has us curious as it could change the way we play MMO's. If successfully integrated, Razer's inclusion of a touchpad and adaptive keys could become a staple of future gaming keyboards.

What do you think of the Razer's SWTOR product line?

Razer’s officially-sanctioned Star Wars: The Old Republic PC peripherals will be available at the launch of the game at Razerzone.com.