Wireless Logitech Illuminated for gaming?

S

shawnoen

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Apr 21, 2009
Messages
1,565
Been using my regular Logitech Illuminated for everything including gaming and love it. I see they are releasing a wireless/wired one soon.

Been thinking about getting a wireless Razer Mamba to replace my Death Adder and this would go nicely with it to clean up my desk a bit.

Bad idea?
 
Commander FAT said:
I don't trust wireless mice for gaming.
Click to expand...

the mamba and one of these M$ mice are great. i hear the new logitech g700 is great too. there is no difference between wired/unwired mode. i would doubt a wireless keyboard LONG before i doubted a wireless mouse.
 
I wouldn't go wireless anything when it comes to gaming. Unless your into RPG's then I guess it wouldn't mater as much?
 
not this argument again :rolleyes:

I game fine on wireless gear, I game the same exact way on wired.

OP go for it, only you can decide if theres any difference
 
I'm going to make an educated guess that you can run it in wired mode with the mini usb cable, just like the g700 mouse, so it may be feasible for gaming in terms of it being wireless.

Hoping they fixed the common complaints from the first gen, including illuminating the fkeys (looks fixed), strange layout including del key (looks fixed), flimsy feel (looks more solid).

concave keys look interesting and hope they fixed the keypress problem.
 
Just ordered it from someone with confirmed inventory who can send immediately, found via Amazon. Should receive in 5 biz days or so. I don't see any other retailers with it yet, but I've seen a few for sale on craigslist too, so some are slipping out to shelves somewhere. We'll see. It uses the same tech as the G700 mouse, so I hope its at least somewhat good reliable in wireless.
 
sippm said:
Just ordered it from someone with confirmed inventory who can send immediately, found via Amazon. Should receive in 5 biz days or so. I don't see any other retailers with it yet, but I've seen a few for sale on craigslist too, so some are slipping out to shelves somewhere. We'll see. It uses the same tech as the G700 mouse, so I hope its at least somewhat good reliable in wireless.
Click to expand...

Got a link? Been waiting forever with my preorder. Last I heard from logitech, they would be shipping in late October.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wire...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1284242992&sr=8-1

I looked earlier today, and there was a non-amazon seller listing as having stock. I emailed them today, they replied confirming, I bought, I got a personal email back confirming it was shipped USPS priority and will arrive Monday. Probably a little grey market but if its new in box I'm fine with that. I paid a premium for it at 129. I dont see it listed anymore. Like I said, I've also seen some on craigs list (probably also grey market).
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
That does sound kind of sketchy. I'm willing to bet there won't be any manuf. warranty on it either since they're not probably not an authorized reseller.
 
Ya, I'm rolling the dice on this one. One thing tho is I've had excellent CS from Logitech and they have whole-sale just sent a replacement mouse once (that notorious wireless gaming g5 mouse). They ask for receipts but if there's an issue there are workarounds and nuff said on that.
 
Hmmm... I'm puzzled that you have not heard of the key blocking issue with the Logitech illuminated keyboard that makes it terrible for game or fast typers. on the other hand for wireless mice they seem rather well made... Personally I've used the G-9 wireless for gaming and it's better than alot of corded mice... moving up the Logitech performance mouse is even better... All the issues with response rate, polling, ect have been addressed. There is a new mouse logitech released that is top notch for gaming and just about everything else called the G-700, I suggest you give it a whirl, with the cable gone it really makes life nice. One small thing I've done is bought a enloop AA battery charger/4 battery pack and just plugged into an outlet nearbye under my desk... so instead of pluging in the cable I just swap the battery out.
 
Last edited:
Received it, new in box. Will post compare pics & thoughts tonight or tomorrow.

Ya, I'm aware of the keyblocking issue. I also own a Filco w/browns, a Deck Ice, and the logitech illuminated cordless. The filco my fav mechanical kb and is great but I have never had major issues with the logitech personally. I type 100+wpm, but only play RPGs.

Initial thoughts at unboxing are very favorable - the keypress is much diff from the wired version and doesn't have the bottom out feel the wired logitech has. I find the wired version has flatter keys and they are glossier - this is more of a matte color. I'm very happy they addressed the overly large space bar row. It is not elevated over the other keys.

I think for the mouse you meant the G700. I have one of those two, and look forward to trying out the "unified receiver". Will report on that too.

More later w/compare pics.
 
OK, so I played with the KB so far and I pretty much like it, although there are a few negatives. Its roughly the same size as the original wired version, which you can see in the compare pics I uploaded. I'll bullet point my comments for those interested in data:

- The original wired kb version had raised spacebar, shift, alt & fn keys. The wireless version does not. This is actually to my preference. The pics should show this.

- The keypress is much easier on the hands. On the wired version, I tended to bottom out on my press and it caused finger strain. The wireless version keys are bouncier and easier to press and I can feel a bit more actuation on the scissor key switch. It actually has a cheap-build feel to it, but it is more comfy in reality.

- The keys are not as spaced as far apart as the wired version. Although Logitech touts the concave keys, they feel very flat and at times its hard for my fingers to discern the center location of a key when searching and pressing as I touch type. This will take time to get used to, but overall it is again easier I think to type on than the wired version, but inferior to my mechanical kbs.

- You will see they adopted a normal key layout and abandoned the extra large Del key. Fkeys are now lit as well, not just the media-yellow labels. There is a dedicated Calculator key, which I LOVE! This is a big plus to me but most I'm sure wont care =) I use calc.exe all the time.

- The keys are not glossy like the wired version and do look like they are more cheaply made. I'm not sure how well pics will show that, but overall it does feel like a step back in build quality. Unlike the glossy wired version keys, these are more of a rough plastic feel.

- The base area around the keys is GLOSSY, which smudges easily. This is a negative. The bezel is not glossy.

- The charging cable is a USB-to-proprietary end cable and is NOT a USB-to-mini-usb cable. Therefore, you can ONLY run in wireless mode as the charging cable will only charge the unit. I had hoped it would run like a mini-usb as my G700 does, so i have the option of wired or wireless. This is wireless ONLY. So far, however, it seems fine and no keyblocking issues (which I notice in the wired version but it never really bothered me). I gamed a little bit and it seemed fine, but I can't speak to this much since its a very personal thing. I'm pretty upset they used a proprietary charging cable. Given the G700's great implementation of the mini-USB charger/wired cord, I thought they would do the same here. They didn't.

- You can put in the wireless receiver dongle and keep the charging cable attached at all times and its like a wired keyboard, but I opted out of that and am trying to just run on batteries. So far so good. If you leave it plugged in, the light does not turn off when not in us. I guess that's cool as sometimes i like to look in my office and just see backlights on my kb from a distance.

- The G700 does not have a unifying receiver as I thought, so in the end I have to use two wireless dongles, AND the charging cables are different, so that's a minus to have all these cables being stored in places.

- The backlighting on the wireless model is about 2x brighter at max settings for each. Unlike the wired version, which only shows lighting through the key letters, you see backlighting bleed through between the keys quite a bit. I will have to take pics at night to do a final compare.

- The wireless version rests higher and is not as flat. If you put down the feet you can get a much higher angle than the wired version.

Otherwise I enjoy the keyboard and will use it on a regular basis. I think its worth the purchase and I enjoy not having any wires on my desk anymore. I'm not sure if this is for a FPS gamer, though.

Below is a link to pics. Sorry about the large file size. I really need to dust my workstation.

http://img841.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=dsc00208b.jpg
 
Last edited:
How is the ghosting? I've read that the Wired version doesn't let you hit W+Space+Shift at the same time. That would be a deal breaker in games for me.
 
I was able to replicate the W-space-shift issue on the wired version. It seems fixed on wireless. I can press Shift-W and then press space, and it properly spaces. Can't do that on the wired.
 
They really blew it not letting you use the keyboard plugged in. Charging ONLY? WTF?

Forget it!
 
mobbmann said:
One small thing I've done is bought a enloop AA battery charger/4 battery pack and just plugged into an outlet nearbye under my desk... so instead of pluging in the cable I just swap the battery out.
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with having spares, but it takes less time to connect the cable. I guess your batteries will have longer lives by rotating them out, though. :)

XSNiper said:
I've read that the Wired version doesn't let you hit W+Space+Shift at the same time. That would be a deal breaker in games for me.
Click to expand...

In another thread, there were people unaffected by that issue. I'll have to dig mine out, but I'm 99% sure that my version does not suffer from that problem.
 
Just adding an addendum here - the G700 charger and the charger for this kb are indeed compatable. In fact, I'm using my G700 in wired mode with the KB charger. I'm not sure why the KB will not work unless the wireless dongle is plugged in. What a shame. I think my drivers are wonky and I'm planning on redoing a build anyhow, maybe its a sw issue.
 
Thank u sippm for confirmation that the keyblocking issue has been addressed in this keyboard. I asked customer support a few questions about the keyboard in regards to the key blocking and signal over wire as a back up to wireless.

Let's start with the good news. Logitech custommer support tested the key blocking issues upon my request and confirms they are not present in the wireless version...yay :) secondly the keyboard only communicates wirelessly but and a big but here, the signal s supposedly on par with the g700 as far as being robust so it's a non issue.

I already have my keyboard on the way and will also ost any new info I find. As for those still reluctant to go wireless let me start by saying it is not the same wireless gaming even 1 year ago. There are absolutely no latency issues and the g700 is by far a superior solution to ANY corded solution. I suggest u at least try it before u judge it, the lack of cable snags is heavenly. As for the keyboard I'm mainly getting it because I like the looks of the illuminated but could not have keyblocking since I like gaming but hate the adolescent look of all the gaming keyboards out there. So my board will probably stay plugged in anyway since I don't move my keyboard like I do a mouse. An extra twenty bucks for no key blocking... I'll bite
 
I just wanted to bump and say that I really enjoy this keyboard. I just leave the charge plugged in and use it as if it were wired. No problems and I really adapted nicely to the keys, layout, etc. Obviously this isn't a mechanical or gaming specific kb, but no issues here and enjoy it quite a bit.
 
I use only the wired version of these keyboards in my house... (4 of them)

I guess I'm going to have to try out the wireless version! :)
 
sippm said:
I just wanted to bump and say that I really enjoy this keyboard. I just leave the charge plugged in and use it as if it were wired. No problems and I really adapted nicely to the keys, layout, etc. Obviously this isn't a mechanical or gaming specific kb, but no issues here and enjoy it quite a bit.
Click to expand...

In that case, wouldn't you rather just go with the wired version? It's fairly similar from what I can tell. The changes seem relatively minor, yet this thing costs twice as much.
 
Read my original post. They are actually quite different in feel.

Keypress is much different. Layout is different in terms of keys and the super-annoying raise of the space row in the wired version. In short, there is a completely different feel and its basically like a totally diff kb.

The new rev is much more ergonomic in my opinion.

I guess the real question is why not try diff brands of illuminated wired kbs, but its also nice to just know you can unplug it and move it around w/out disconnecting, too, although I can't imagine why I'd do that.

EDIT: I forgot to mention there is a really nice thing where if you have a G700, and operate the mouse in wireless mode, when the battery gets low you can unplug the charging cable to the KB and plug it into the mouse. You then run off KB battery when the mouse recharges and operate the mouse in cable-mode, then switch the cable back once the mouse charges. Its very seemless and a nice plus and saves a lot of battery/wire swap hassle.
 
Last edited:
I have had the K800 logitech wirleless illuminated keyboard now for over 4 days and here are the main differences I've found from the wired other than the obvious that it is wireless (duh).

- The keyblocking issue with the " ' n t " combination is fixed, also fixed is the "w shift spacebar" which was a terminal defect that made it unacceptable for gaming of anykind... this is also fixed.

- all the keys illuminate unlike the wired version where the f keys were not illuminated.

- Full keyboard layout in the wireless. the wired version had that stupid extra long delete key whereas the wireless has the full insert, home pageup delete end and pagedown cluster.

- Keys are much more silent on the wireless than they are on the wired.

- Keypresses seem shorter and just feel better to me but this is very subjective. I game alot and I like the short keypresses and it just feels like a quality keyboard when you type on it... inmho.

conclusion: I'm very happy with this keyboard, so far it's been used for 4 days and I have the keyboard staying illuminated on the lowest setting and I've used it for about 12 hours total in that time and the battery meter hasnt even moved. I'll follow up with a total of battery life of time and usage on the low light setting being set to when you touch the keyboard it stays on for 10 minutes before turning off without a keystroke. as far as opinion goes, I think I'm very picky with keyboards, I need it for gaming and multimedia, I also have to type and dabble with photoshop, emails. this keyboard is sleek and looks good on your desktop... amazingly good. This is the best keyboard I've ever used and I've never been entirely happy with any keyboard in this past decade. I do suggest you give yourself some time to adjust to the short keystrokes but I've deffinitly noticed that typing is faster and requires less work for my hands to move typing simple documents... I honestly dont have a single gripe about this keyboard.

FYI: if your thinking about just swapping out the batteries every 10 days with rechargeables it is entirely possible. it has a small plate that is screwed in holding the batteries but it stays in place fine with out the screw since it snaps into place. after you pop out the plate there is two AA batteries (enitime or eneloop) I prefer this method to the cable charging and I have a G700 mouse I do this for also.
 
Any problems similar to what they are discussing on the Logictech forum about the wired Logictech Illuminated Keyboard not functioning before a full normal boot had occurred, rendering the BIOS settings unavailable? It is also causing a slower boot-up for some.

Gary
 
shawnoen said:
Been using my regular Logitech Illuminated for everything including gaming and love it. I see they are releasing a wireless/wired one soon.

Been thinking about getting a wireless Razer Mamba to replace my Death Adder and this would go nicely with it to clean up my desk a bit.

Bad idea?
Click to expand...

batteries = lame

I had a competitive tournament match restarted because a kid on the other team ran out of batteries.

Suffice it to say - if YOU have to influence a game because your batteries ran out - you can f yourself.

if its for home and your not a competitive gamer - then go for it :)
 
kinein said:
batteries = lame

I had a competitive tournament match restarted because a kid on the other team ran out of batteries.

Suffice it to say - if YOU have to influence a game because your batteries ran out - you can f yourself.

if its for home and your not a competitive gamer - then go for it :)
Click to expand...

I lover my Razer Orochi and Mamba. If you need power, you just plug in the mouse and it's just as fantastic as any other mouse they make. If you want to pull the cord... you pull the cord. This is the only way wireless gaming mice should be sold.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top