Gaming keyboards in the fantasies of marketers and reality

A good keyboard like the Grail doesn’t have to shine. A frame from the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"

I think most of us do not even think about how many operations they perform every day using the keyboard. PC operating systems are still designed in such a way that a sufficiently experienced user could have access to absolutely all the functionality without using a mouse at all. The same applies to the overwhelming majority of software, with the exception, perhaps, of only graphic editors (if there are craftsmen for photoshop only on the keyboard, please respond in the comments) and some highly specialized software.

PC games were long before the appearance of sane computer mice and, I think, many played DOOM, Wolfenstein or Heretic on the keyboard. Over time, a certain status quo formed: developers continue to experiment with input methods, create virtual reality helmets and goggles, manipulators of a new type and so on, but the keyboard is still on the pedestal - in the vast majority of games without it.
')
Last time we casually talked about gaming mice , and now I invite you to consider gaming keyboards.

At the time of experiments with ergonomics, Microsoft released its famous “broken down” keyboard into two parts, which requires skill, but when working with text or code it becomes indispensable for the owner:


She is the Microsoft Natural MultiMedia Keyboard

By the way, the author sat behind a couple of times and would say that he has his own magic with a ten-finger set.

And it would seem, what could be more outlandish? But some manufacturers went further and made a willful decision: “100+ keys are not enough for a gamer! They need more! ”Perhaps these experiments were related to the dawn of the MMO, which fell on the zero years of the 21st century, but they never became gaming.

If you drive into the search engine "buy a gaming keyboard", it will give thousands of results. However, only a few of the products presented are worth attention.

A man in the street sees the gaming keyboard as something “fancy”, more like a spaceship. For example, like this:



It seems that everything is obvious, everything should be convenient, but, as in the cases with computer mice, a marketer, not a gamer, took part in creating “this”.

Or, for example, A4tech once offered such a solution for shooter fans:


When the question “do you play on a calculator?” Is closer to reality

Logitech, by the way, has not abandoned its attempts so far. For example, not the oldest G19 keyboard with an extra block of keys:



Or their own extra macro block G13:



But above Logitech products can not be called a failure, it has its own, even a niche audience. Someone may be useful macros in a particular software, someone - just when working on a PC. And maybe in the MMO, someone found use for them ...

But here's what guided the developers of the product “Warrior” personally to me until the end is not clear:


Spherical "gaming" keyboard in vacuum

The product positions itself as “gaming”, but neither ergonomics, nor, as I suspect, he is unable to boast of quality performance.

Welcome to the real world

In fact, the main difference between modern gaming keyboards is not a cool futuristic design and not a lot of additional and often unnecessary macro buttons. A distinctive feature of any professional gaming keyboard is wear resistance and ergonomics.

Today, by leaps and bounds on the planet goes eSports and it's silly to think that people acting on the stage for the multi-million prize will use the bad and inconvenient "equipment" in the face of the keyboard.

Here is the device of one of the top players in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Get_Right:


SteelSeries 6Gv2

Almost all of the EG American team in the Dota 2 discipline used a SteelSeries APEX (RAW) keyboard or a variation:


SteelSeries Apex (RAW)

At a minimum, one of the youngest players of the pro-scene SumaiL was seen with her at the time of her “ascent”. It is likely that now they have switched to a newer model, most likely on the M800.

Of course, it can be argued that the use of such devices, specifically from SS, was paid for by the manufacturer and each pro-player has a lifetime supply of mouse-keyboard headsets from team partners in the storeroom. But do not forget that the players need to show the result, that is, on the wrong equipment, they simply can not act 100% efficiently. And for the brand "underdogs" few people want.

Here is another example of a completely Tesoro gaming keyboard:



Or this is very popular among Razer Blackwidow amateur players:



If you still do not understand what I am getting at, then here: almost all professional or near-professional gaming keyboards, if you turn off a cheerful (or even acid-aggressive) backlight in them, look a bit more refined than a brick.

What causes the counter question: how do they differ from Uncle Liao's Chinese keyboard for 600-800 rubles from the nearest stall?

Difference number 1: software.

Almost all gaming keyboards have their own, although at times extremely curved, software, thanks to which you can program / reassign any key as your heart desires. Some craftsmen use simple macros for repetitive actions, but here it is a question of taste and habit.

Difference number 2: the quality of performance.

Comparing the quality of production of state employees with gaming keyboards is the same as comparing the “six” with a foreign car of a representative class: both cars drive, both cars accelerate to the desired city speed and can take you from point A to point B. The question is comfort and reliability .

Gaming, depending on the discipline, implies a titanic load on certain keys. And even the cheap mechanics “beat it up” much faster than the device used by the professionals. The membrane keyboards, to which 100% of all budget proposals of the market belong, are not even worth mentioning, although the above-mentioned APEX RAW is from membrane banks, but this is rather an exception to the rules.

In addition to the working part, manufacturers of truly gaming keyboards also do not forget about ergonomics: there are “straight as a brick” models, but there is also a solution with a “ramp” for wrists, different key sizes and a stroke. Softer, harder, higher, lower, with a distinct click or completely silent - you can choose what your heart desires. And no, these are not marketing chants, this is the reality of the market.

But for all this honey there is also a fly in the ointment: electronics .

Many of us use the same conventional keyboards for years, and if they order to live a long time, it's not scary, because you can buy exactly the same for a couple of thousand rubles in many stores. Even if they died not for natural reasons, but, say, because of moisture ingress. With hop content, for example.

To shed a glass of foam on the device from the category I described above - to destroy from 10 to 15 thousand rubles, literally, with one stroke of the hand.

But even if you do not drink beer, then the soul can be sharpened by a worm of doubt, "but what if after the end of the warranty the board just dies?" This is sad.

Conclusion

The gaming keyboard is no longer a set of unnecessary functions and a bunch of flashing indicators, although manufacturers are still actively using the highlight of all colors of the rainbow (which is very easily and simply turned off). Some brands are worse, others are slightly better, but the general direction is this: a real gaming keyboard is a durable tool that fits perfectly with the right choice and assessment of their needs, under the hands of the owner. And when choosing a balanced model, it will be possible to use such a keyboard both for games and for work.