CM Storm team forms new company, BitFenix

Launching today is a new company by the name of BitFenix, a venture formed by a significant proportion of the team which launched the Cooler Master Storm series, including the HAF and Scout cases, as well as a few ex-Abit people too.

We dropped into BitFenix's very new and as yet unfinished office in Taipei last Friday to have a chat to some of our old friends about their new roles. The BitFenix team has been feverishly designing three new cases to launch in the next few months, and they will make their public debut during Computex this June. However, bit-tech will get an exclusive first look as soon as the first samples are available - so be sure to keep an eye on our news page.

During our chat, the BitFenix team explained that focussing on detail and design is absolutely paramount for them, while the ultimate aim is to do something different to create their market niche. As with any business, limited startup capital means the first cases will be relatively modest in design, however once cashflow starts and they have more time to develop, new features will make their way to in future designs.

The three cases are aimed at the High-End, Mainstream and Budget ranges, and every case will have USB 3 ports in the front as standard (which are obviously backward compatible to USB 2 as well). The first three cases will be steel and plastic construction, however the team were very keen to point out that this means no flimsy steel and no shiny, "crappy" plastic. An example given was the Lenovo-notebook-esq matt plastics that feel and look good, and are used as style features to the main steel construction.

The company is rooted firmly in the gaming industry - as is evident by its association with the KODE5 pro-gaming circuit - as the team predominantly has experience designing kit for this area. One of its designs will feature a Scout-esq carry handle and possibly 'extra rubber detailing on the exposed edges to protect it in transit'.

Of the three cases in the launch line up, the first will be the ‘High-End’ model named the Colossus, which will be a full tower design available in black, both inside and out. BitFenix likes the idea of white version too (again, inside and out), but it depends on demand – it could end up as a limited edition.

The company's aims for the future are to expand into peripherals, too: mice, keyboards, headsets, mousepads, notebook cooling and even console accessories. It claims other ideas for products to enhance a ‘digital lifestyle’ but did not elaborate.

No pictures were allowed of the upcoming products since nothing is yet final – the initial Colossus tooling sample has yet to even come back from the factory, so there’s nothing yet to show apart from some pre-renders the company was unwilling to publically release.

After spending a few hours with the BitFenix team we’re convinced this venture is one to watch, however the proof of the pudding will ultimately be the product quality, if it can hit the prices it has aimed for and how potential buyers receive the products. The pre-renderings are NOT boring black boxes that’s for sure, and we know they will polarize our readership.

Are you interested in a case upgrade in a few months? Are you interested in an all-white chassis? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.