Bray, Ireland and Andover, Massachusetts, USA
The Schneider Electric Gaming UPS by Philip Nilsson, Cormac Ó Conaire, Jimmy Rennick, Marija Cosic, design partners for Schneider Electric is designed with all game-specific features and a completely unique, patented user experience.
APC’s Gaming UPS was awarded a 2021 Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Whether you game on PC or console, nothing is more frustrating than getting knocked out of your game by an electrical blackout.
At best, you’ll get penalized for leaving a multiplayer game.
At worst, you’ll see smoke rising from your gear, destroyed from the power surge when the electricity came back on.
APC’s Gaming UPS is the first ‘Uninterruptible Power Supply’ built for gaming.
It solves this problem, giving gamers peace of mind that they won’t get kicked out of a match, lose hours of progress, or get in-game penalties because of a millisecond power surge.
Serious gamers seek to be the best, and they deserve the best protection for their equipment.
Its quietly iconic design has an appropriate presence in any gaming setup.
Tens of millions of gamers are disconnected unexpectedly due to power outages per year.
Extensive research with gamers across the USA & Europe revealed a series of insights that directly influenced the design strategy.
It confirmed power interruption is a serious issue for gamers who need a solution that solves their primary concerns: 1. Protects their gear, 2. Keeps them connected with friends, 3. Allows them to remain in the game.
Schneider has a reputation for being a master of power and wanted to deliver the same excellence to the gaming market.
The insights also revealed that gamers wanted this product to fit into their ‘battle station’ but the design team was conscious that a UPS was not the hero of a gamer’s setup, so the aesthetics were carefully tuned to fit into the environment but only stand out when it needs to.
Gamers want to be made quickly aware of any issues with power but not let it distract from gameplay unless urgent.
The solution was to design a plug-and-forget product with a clean interface that could be understood at-a-glance.
Only when the gamer needs to be alerted, the distinctive circular display lights up and acts as a visual guide, utilizing a traffic light system of colors, as well as a visual countdown of power status.
The UPS typically lives on or under a desk, so the display is angled for optimal viewing.
The rear light allows changing of inputs in the dark and an integrated handle for setup or positioning.
The lighting is also customizable to match their lighting setup, a feature that gamers love.
The product has been designed with sustainability considerations to allow user access for upgrading or changing parts, as well as design for disassembly.
It also keeps people connected in disaster zones when electricity is lost completely, allowing contact with loved ones or emergency services.
This is the World’s 1st gaming-built UPS and a new entry for Schneider into the gaming market.
Project: Schneider Electric Gaming UPS
Designers: Design Partners
Lead Designers: Philip Nilsson, Cormac Ó Conaire, Jimmy Rennick, and Marija Cosic
Manufacturer: Schneider Electric
