QPAD is a name that might ring a distant bell for anyone who lived through the early days of LAN parties, cloth mousepads and the wild west of pre-esports PC gaming. In the 1990s and early 2000s, QPAD was the European gaming gear company. And now, after years of near-silence, they’re officially back.
The company announced today that it’s returning to the gaming market with a freshly rebuilt hardware lineup and an exclusive UK retail partnership with Currys. It’s a full relaunch rather than a simple product refresh, spearheaded by two major industry veterans, including Baron Lee, CPO, former HyperX product architect. According to Lee, the goal is: “…bringing cutting-edge technologies and design trends to market ahead of the curve. We deliver technology that excites, meaningful innovation that makes a real difference to how people play and create, and performance that lasts.”
For anyone unfamiliar with the name, QPAD’s legacy is surprisingly weighty. Founded in the early 90s by Christer Körnbäck, the brand grew from a hobbyist effort into one of Europe’s first specialised gaming gear companies. They were ahead of the curve on multiple fronts: the world’s first pro-grade laser gaming mouse (the 5K) in 2009, the world’s first USB mechanical keyboard with full N-Key Rollover (the MK-85) in 2011, and a headset – the QH-90 – whose design would later evolve into the massively popular HyperX Cloud. Not a bad track record, eh?
Then things went quiet. Not dead – just quiet enough that the world of peripherals more or less moved on without them. Through the mid-2010s and early 2020s they continued to put out gear. These were solid, well-made devices, but they didn’t break ground in the way the brand once had. In a market dominated by Razer, Logitech G, SteelSeries and later HyperX, QPAD simply faded into the background.
The hardware they’re relaunching with includes the essentials: keyboards, mice, microphones and mousepads. The pitch is very clear—Nordic minimalism, high-performance internals, lifestyle-friendly designs and pricing that isn’t trying to compete with the likes of £200 flagship boards or £150 wireless mice.
Here’s a few of what this relaunch lineup includes:
“QPAD Loop TKL Model 3 Gasket Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – Compact mechanical keyboard with wireless connectivity and precision-engineered switches for effortless performance.
QPAD Omnibeam Stream RGB Pro Microphone – Studio-grade condenser microphone with dynamic RGB lighting, ideal for streaming, podcasting, and gaming.
QPAD Mark Model 5 Wireless Optical Gaming Mouse – Ultralight 55g wireless mouse featuring a high-performance sensor, display screen, and USB dongle connectivity.
QPAD Glass Superglide Mouse Mat – a sleek, durable surface designed for speed, precision, and aesthetics that complement any setup.”
QPAD says the relaunch is just the beginning, with more products planned as the brand expands globally throughout 2026. Whether they can regain the reputation they once held is something time—and reviews—will decide. But it’s nice to see them trying to make a comeback. If the new hardware delivers on the mix of innovation, value and clean Scandinavian styling that QPAD is promising, they might just carve themselves a fresh spot in a very crowded market.
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