Best gaming keyboard

samduhman said:
First night of using Steelseries 6gv2...I hope it gets better. While it feels nice typing this comment when playing games its not as..(how do I describe it)..easy as the Microsoft Sidewinder X6 it replaced. It takes more pressure to control the game using the 6gv2 which has so far caused me to die more in FPS games.

Also my man cave is dark. I miss my backlit keys. After one night this keyboard is on the chopping block. I'm sure I can like mechanical keyboards but this one may not be the one for me.
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yeah I had the same problem with the 7g which uses the same black switches. Though the keys on the one on display at frys were much easier to press. I think they take a while to break in.
 
Cabbs said:
Just a FYI, but no USB keyboard has more than 6-key rollover. It's a USB limitation, no keyboard manufacturer can get around it. That said, I've had no problems running my Filco hooked up via USB while gaming. As long as it has full 6-key rollover across the whole keyboard everyone should be happy.
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NOT true.
Microsoft sidewinder X4 allows up to 26 buttons simultaneously.
Also, various other USB keyboard encoders have bypassed the USB limitation in the past. The ipac encoder (for arcade game controllers) bypasses it. Andy built me a custom firmware for the ipac2 that allowed either 18 or 20 buttons to be pressed simultaneously through the USB connection (PS/2 is unlimited). Original firmware was causing stuck inputs if more than 12 were pressed.

I think it has something to do with "Endpoint interrupts" or something...

*Edit*:
Sidewinder X4 has the same problem with more than 11 simultaneous keys as the I-pac2 did befroe Andy (of Ultimarc) coded a fix. More than 11 keys are possible, but then you get stuck inputs and some drops...so only 11 (basically, two endpoint interrupts) work properly.

I forgot the fix though...has something to do with coding a value for a buffer higher...(a certain formula has to be sent for each successive key to work simultaneously, and the number gets higher logarithmically...)

But, find me someone who needs to press more than 11 simultaneous keys in a FPS, and I'll eat a frog..
 
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Falkentyne said:
NOT true.
Microsoft sidewinder X4 allows up to 26 buttons simultaneously.
Also, various other USB keyboard encoders have bypassed the USB limitation in the past. The ipac encoder (for arcade game controllers) bypasses it. Andy built me a custom firmware for the ipac2 that allowed either 18 or 20 buttons to be pressed simultaneously through the USB connection (PS/2 is unlimited). Original firmware was causing stuck inputs if more than 12 were pressed.

I think it has something to do with "Endpoint interrupts" or something...
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Interesting. I wonder how much more it costs to implement this.
 
Few lines of code.

Keyboard firmware engineers are kinda at the bottom of the totem pole of Software Design. And Product Managers are loathe to spend the $1 on Diodes. Witness Razer Black Widow Ultimate. $130 for a 2KRO keyboard!
 
Ripster55 said:
Few lines of code.

Keyboard firmware engineers are kinda at the bottom of the totem pole of Software Design. And Product Managers are loathe to spend the $1 on Diodes. Witness Razer Black Widow Ultimate. $130 for a 2KRO keyboard!
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That code isn't the problem at all.
Even if the keyboard has a diode on each circuit and can send all 26 inputs properly, a bug in the windows keyboard driver prevents it from properly accepting that many inputs. You have to code some sort of buffer or packet size so the keyboard driver can accept it.

It's the USB keyboard driver (NOT the USB port) that has the problem, not the ps/2 keyboard driver (they use different drivers).

So basically you have to get both past the 6+4 (modifier) keys of the USB port (endpoint interrupts can handle that) and then past the bug in the USB keyboard driver itself, by changing the packet size or somethiing (or you will get strange stuff happening when you go above 11 or 12 simultaneous inputs).
 
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I have settled on the logitech K300 for now. I have never found any keyboard that makes me happy yet but this one is the one I hate the least currently. I have returned alot of keyboards to stores. Check this keyboard out if you like something that is not to big but still has all the keys you need. It has a short fast key press. $13 at TD.
 
For me it had to be the Logitech G110 (hear me out). It's probably the only keyboard under £60 that i found comfortable. I like the key placement and used the G11 for YEARS so I guess i'm just used to it. If i moved away now, it'd be too late and i'll start miss hitting keys and have to spend a while changing posture probably.
 
The Razer Blackwidow Ultimate and Steelseries 6gv2 were reviewed in MaximumPC magazine.

Razer: 9 out of 10
Overall pretty happy with it. I'm going to get one now. :cool:

6gv2: 7 out of 10
Score lower due to missing features some come to expect on keyboards such as USB and some key placement....

Sorry don't have the mag with me now so if your that interested in more details I suggest you pick up the mag. Think its the December issue but can't swear to it. Maximum PC is IMHO one of the few rags still worth subscribing to.
 
samduhman said:
The Razer Blackwidow Ultimate and Steelseries 6gv2 were reviewed in MaximumPC magazine.

Razer: 9 out of 10
Overall pretty happy with it. I'm going to get one now. :cool:

6gv2: 7 out of 10
Score lower due to missing features some come to expect on keyboards such as USB and some key placement....

Sorry don't have the mag with me now so if your that interested in more details I suggest you pick up the mag. Think its the December issue but can't swear to it. Maximum PC is IMHO one of the few rags still worth subscribing to.
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Yea I was reading it at Barnes the other day. I just really like the backlight. It helps so much.
 
Got my Razer Black Widow Ultimate today and I am typing this on it. I've never used a mechanical keyboard before this so I'm definitely in the adjustment phase but so far I love it. As other reviews have stated it's got a clean design look, a really nice fully programmable software interface and the feel of actually typing on it is top-notch. Oh and the backlighting is really well implemented and looks great sitting next to my Death Adder! :cool:

I'm going to be putting this baby through the paces in the next couple of days doing as much typing and game playing as I can to get myself acclimated to the feel and to really test it out. I keep hitting the caps lock key when typing because the spacing is just a little bit different from the Logitech I am replacing but other than that I already feel like a faster typist with this keyboard. The Cherry Blue switches really do give a very fast and precise feel to this keyboard so I would definitely encourage anyone who's curious or on the fence about the product to give it a try. I'm very impressed so far and I can see Razer selling alot of these if the build quality holds up over the long term.
 
matmanx1 said:
Got my Razer Black Widow Ultimate today and I am typing this on it. I've never used a mechanical keyboard before this so I'm definitely in the adjustment phase but so far I love it. As other reviews have stated it's got a clean design look, a really nice fully programmable software interface and the feel of actually typing on it is top-notch. Oh and the backlighting is really well implemented and looks great sitting next to my Death Adder! :cool:

I'm going to be putting this baby through the paces in the next couple of days doing as much typing and game playing as I can to get myself acclimated to the feel and to really test it out. I keep hitting the caps lock key when typing because the spacing is just a little bit different from the Logitech I am replacing but other than that I already feel like a faster typist with this keyboard. The Cherry Blue switches really do give a very fast and precise feel to this keyboard so I would definitely encourage anyone who's curious or on the fence about the product to give it a try. I'm very impressed so far and I can see Razer selling alot of these if the build quality holds up over the long term.
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Its been sold out everywhere.
 
Steelseries 6gv2 is NKRO, Razer is not, be very careful if you will be using this for gaming.
 
I think NKRO is overhyped. I've encountered a few keyboards that have issues with common gaming combos like Shift+Space+W but the vast majority of keyboards have no issues unless you have some crazy key combinations or 8 fingers per hand.
 
Bankie said:
I think NKRO is overhyped. I've encountered a few keyboards that have issues with common gaming combos like Shift+Space+W but the vast majority of keyboards have no issues unless you have some crazy key combinations or 8 fingers per hand.
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That's quite a statement to make.

The Razer is 2KRO, so certain combinations of 3 simultaneous key presses will fail. That is definitely something people looking to purchase a "gaming" keyboard should be aware of. Trust me I am talking from experience.
 
You are missing my point I believe. I am not saying this will effect every game, just that potential buyers need to go in with their eyes open.

Key Roll Over or the lack of it most definitely will impact on the playability of certain games.

You stated "the vast majority of keyboards have no issues" and "most gaming keyboards are going to allow the most common keypresses".

Those statements are too generalised and hence simply not good enough in my opinion, sadly this is the kind of thing I listened to before buying a Lycosa but hey we live and learn.

It was unusable to me as there were multiple 3 key presses it would not recognise when playing BF2.

Personally I would never buy another gaming keyboard without it being NKRO, or 6KRO via usb. Who knows what games are already out there or will come on the market over the next few years that use specific keypresses that fail on a 2KRO board. If I am going to pay £70 - £100+ I would like to be pretty damn sure my keyboard can at the very minimum handle this.
 
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AznAnarchy99 said:
Its been sold out everywhere.
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Newegg has had them in stock every time I've checked for over a week. I got mine for $119 with free shipping and unfortunately it's gone back up to the MSRP since then but they definitely have them in stock.

And it's always a good idea to know exactly what you are getting in to when making a purchase of this importance. Lack of more than 2KRO is not an issue for me but I did my homework and I knew about it while I was making my decision. I wouldn't fault anyone who passed over the Razer Black Widow Ultimate because some people absolutely need more than that.
 
Why not macro key combinations? Its what I have set up on my G15. Makes prep for Counter Strike really easy.
 
ShadowStriker said:
Why not macro key combinations? Its what I have set up on my G15. Makes prep for Counter Strike really easy.
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its a sad trade off between macros and mechanical addictive clicky.

Though for counterstrike, as long as you get your b43, b82, b6, b7, b84, you're usually pretty good to go ;).
 
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