Razer zVault doles out free goodies for playing video games
Earn a wireless mouse just by playing Overwatch, Dota 2, League of Legends or CS:Go while logged into Razer's network.
Razer's Mamba wireless gaming mouse is one of the items you can earn.
You've put hundreds, maybe thousands of hours into your favorite PC games. What if a company offered free goodies if you simply do more of the same?
The company is Razer, game hardware maker extraordinaire; the program is called zVault, and the rewards are reasonably generous: high-end wireless mice, keyboards and headsets are among the items you can claim. And all you've got to do is install Razer's software, use it to launch Overwatch, Dota 2, League of Legends, CS:Go or Paladins, then keep on keeping on with your favorite games.
Just know the time investment won't be cheap: Since you earn 180 "zSilver" an hour and max out at 900 zSilver a day, it sounds like you'd need to play five hours a day for four weeks straight just to earn a $20 mouse bungee.
(You can earn additional credit for buying games through zVault, too: 100 zSilver per US dollar you spend -- as long as you convert your money to Razer's "zGold" currency first.)
I did a little quick math and here are some other rough conversions which might put the offer in perspective, assuming you aren't using zGold:
- 25 hours for a $5 discount (converts to about £4 or AU$7)
- 500 hours for a $70 backpack (converts to about £55 or AU$90)
- 1,083 hours for $150 Razer Mamba mouse (converts to about £120 or AU$195)
- 555 hours for Razer's light-up mug holder (no joke), a zSilver exclusive item
Yeah... that's a lot of gaming. Here's what Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan had to say about that on a Facebook Livestream, though: "Dude, we're the only fricking brand in the world that pays you to play video games."
What a quote.
Besides, Razer tells CNET the currency doesn't expire (unless you leave your account inactive for two years), so perhaps it can't hurt to try racking up the points?
Mind you, the software *will* track which games you play and when, but Razer says it won't share your data with third parties unless you explicitly consent.
Personally, I'm going to skip this one: After Razer's Synapse software crippled my wireless mouse last year -- with no way to fix it and no help from customer support -- I've been a bit distrustful of the company's software.
But that's just me. I certainly won't blame you for trying for these neat freebies.