Corsair buys controller manufacturer, SCUF Gaming

Corsair has announced it has purchased high-performance controller manufacturer, SCUF Gaming, with a view to expanding its esports reach.

The move is expected to complete by the end of December 2019 with Corsair presumably capitalising on its acquisition in the coming year. SCUF has been around since 2011. It develops third-party controllers for Xbox, PlayStation and PC with a difference. 

While usually third-party controllers mean they're inferior in quality to the real deal, SCUF controllers are modular by feature and design. It's possible to tailor them extensively, via a vast range of configurable components. These include tweaking the paddle control system, removing back paddles, implementing a quick-access remapping switch, and changing around how hair triggers and trigger stops react. We won't blame anyone for still preferring the good old keyboard and mouse combo, but for those times when a controller is necessary, SCUF actually makes some pretty decent quality alternatives to official solutions. Think of something like the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller, only with more options. 

In a statement, Andy Paul, founder and CEO of Corsair, announced "SCUF leads the market for performance controllers and are a key ingredient to the success of countless esports professionals. SCUF will make an excellent and winning addition to the vast lineup of award-winning CORSAIR and Elgato products."

That's a fair point - Corsair's gaming focused lineup has continued to expand in recent times, from gaming chairs to headsets, so we're guessing a further move into esports in general is pretty likely for the firm. 

SCUF already has an extensive affiliate network, with it being the official controller partner of many gaming leagues including the NBA 2K League and eMLS in the USA. It's also a licensed partner of Activision for Call of Duty. For avid gamers, the firm is often the first stop after official solutions that rarely offer many customisation options.

SCUF will remain a separate brand within Corsair, much like Elgato before it, so for the consumer, not much should change just yet. Expect it to mean some greater expansion for the firm in future though. It seems likely that SCUF won't be going anywhere any time soon.