Whether you’re a bedroom-based gamer, or a pro player hot-footing it between major events in multiple cities, gaming-gear company KontrolFreek wants you to strip off your regular apparel and replace it with a few carefully designed items you didn’t know you needed.
The Atlanta-based outfit has just unveiled some specialist gaming wear “specifically designed for gamers and esports professionals” to ensure your playing sessions are as comfy – and impressive – as they can possibly be.
First up are the beautifully named Icon Performance Gaming Shorts (check them out in the gallery above), retail price $36. No, these are most definitely not your everyday sports shorts. Not quite, anyway. When the designers sat down to create this particular piece of clothing, they evidently brainstormed about what might appeal to a dedicated gamer whose hands have a tendency to get a bit sweaty during prolonged and intense sessions with the controller.
The team’s big idea? To incorporate absorbent panels into the side of the shorts, strategically positioned for an easy rub during gameplay so you can quickly return to the important task in hand.
There’s also a $66 gamer-focused hoodie featuring an extra-large hood so you can play with your cans on “while still giving players a sense of enclosure, increasing their ability to focus.” The hoodie also incorporates those moisture-absorbing panels, ensuring that even the sweatiest of gamers can “easily dry their palms and fingers, mitigating thumb slippage to increase control and accuracy.”
“Just like traditional athletes, esports players want to maximize their competitive advantage with the gear they use; this includes what they’re wearing in practice or during competition,” said co-founder of Call of Duty team Rise Nation and NFL player Rodger Saffold.
Saffold added that success in esports “is driven by precision and speed,” explaining that “a fraction of a second can be the difference between winning a championship or going home empty handed.”
So, how about KontrolFreek’s shorts and hoodie? Might they give you the edge?
