As the Indian gaming market is expected to touch the $425-million mark by the year-end, hardware peripheral giant Logitech will roll out performance gaming products in India says Subrotah Biswas, country manager of the firm for India and SAARC region, in an interview with FE?s S Saroj Kumar. Console-based gaming devices like PlayStation could be introduced in the domestic market when casual gaming habit shifts from mobile to console through a computer. With breakthrough technologies in hardware peripheral products like mouse, key board, webcams and note book accessories, the company plans to ride the market recovery wave, he highlights. Excerpts:

How was the year gone by and how do you see the year ahead for Logitech?

We faired fairly well in 2009 compared to our own expectations and general market sentiment. The year was actually good for Logitech and we surpassed our targets in every quarter. However, this year we saw that the source of demand was relatively unpredictable. A range of products available at every price point was our key to success last year. Our culture of continuous innovation and focus on customer needs held us in good stead. We launched extremely feature-rich products in the under-Rs 500 bracket. We announced breakthrough technologies like mice that works on glass, too. Also, we revolutionised the wireless desktop segment with the launch of sub-Rs 2,000 keyboard mouse combination (MK250) with 2.4 GHz. We certainly see this year shaping up much better than last year and will introduce many more interesting products for the Indian consumer. We hope to end the year (March ending) with a single digit growth over previous year.

There is a spurt in launch of wireless peripheral devices like mouse and keyboard. When do you see rebound in sales?

We are having concentrated marketing campaigns to drive the growth currently. We see this off take in all segments. Logitech has taken care of three major worries of consumer?recurring costs have been reduced by the high battery life of up to 3 years, connectivity has been improved with 2.4 GHz at affordable price point and complete convenience has been guaranteed by the replacement warranty policy. With products offering a 3-year battery life, 3-year OTC replacement warranty, wireless peripheral devices are pretty much an obvious choice for consumers.

How is the game controller device market in India? What would drive growth in this segment?

The market is growing steadily. Most of the games are still on casual devices, maximum on a mobile. As gamers become more serious and move from mobile to console via PC, it will drive the growth of performance gaming products. Other factors that will drive the growth will be affordable games and local content. Logitech has much to offer in this segment globally and as this market matures in India, we will bring out more gaming products here.

How is Logitech competing against cheap electronics peripheral imports from countries like China?

We have a legacy of more than 20 years of bringing new breakthrough products. We offer tremendous value on our products. Replacement warranty of 3 years, bluetooth/2.4 Ghz wireless capability and various other features are available even in our basic products. We have something for everyone. Our products are available at various price/performance options.

The company has its origins in Switzerland?a country known for its attention to quality and detail. Many consumers don?t upgrade their PCs regularly but do upgrade accessories. They prefer buying a premium product rather than buy a cheap one. This works in our favour.

Finally, being the leading brand in all its categories, Logitech has one of the best economies of scale and best capacity utilisation statistics. This enables us to have best price to value ratio in the market.