Saitek
Company type | PC gaming peripherals |
---|---|
Founded | 1979 |
Products | PC Games Controllers, Mice & Keyboards |
Number of employees | 2,500+ |
Website | www.saitek.com |
Saitek is a designer and manufacturer of consumer electronics. Its products are noted for their aesthetic and functional design, features, and product quality. They are best known for their PC Games Controllers, mice & keyboards, especially the Eclipse series of back-lit computer keyboards, targeted for gamers.[citation needed]
History
Saitek was founded in 1979 as a manufacturer of electronic chess games. By the 1990s the company had distribution and design offices in the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, as well as a factory in China. Saitek diversified into PC peripherals, focusing on game controllers for flight simulation, driving and first-person gaming. Saitek has also expanded into PC peripherals, with an emphasis on input, connectivity and multimedia. In 2005, Saitek launched a high fidelity audio product line for PC & iPod. Retail audit data shows Saitek to be the 2nd largest brand in PC games controllers and one of the fastest growing brands in mice & keyboards.
In 1997 the group began Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS), designing and building electronic products for OEM customers world-wide from its facility in China. Now under separate private ownership, it employs some two and a half thousand people, including one hundred technologists in design and development, and is punctilious in complying with international employment and environmental standards.