Steelseries keyboard, read before you buy

[karlito]

What else can we see out of SteelSeries in the next calendar year?

In the next calendar year, 12 months from now you will see a gaming headset designed for FPS gaming that will completely redefine how we view audio products for gaming. You will see a new mousepad made in cooperation with one of the leading counter-strike players in Sweden. You will see a new keyboard coming out which in my opinion will be THE keyboard. And you will see approximately six or seven hardware products being released in 08.

http://www.fpslabs.com/features/interviews/kim-rom-on-the-steelseries-ikari/page-4

THE keyboard hmmmm sounds pretty interesting since they currently use cherry switches in one of their keyboards.  Might want to wait on getting one of their current keyboards

[iMav]

I don't think they will ever make their gaming keyboards "clicky" (which is what I'd want).

[xsphat]

It'll be a membrane with lights and crap I'm sure.

[iMav]

It'll be a membrane with lights and crap I'm sure.

Nah.  I think Steelseries makes some good keyboards...but they are geared to gaming.  Low force, linear keyswitches is what they use most of the time I think.

[karlito]

i dont know but I know what im dreaming of... no numpad and light force linear cherries .

I mean they already have a full sized keyboard w/ black cherries so here's to hoping they chop off that numpad and use extra light force black cherries or browns even.

[Whiskey in the Jar-o]

i dont know but I know what im dreaming of... no numpad and light force linear cherries .

I mean they already have a full sized keyboard w/ black cherries so here's to hoping they chop off that numpad and use extra light force black cherries or browns even.

I thought that Cherry ML is basically your light force black (MX Linear)?

[karlito]

i thought ML were those tiny little switches http://www.cherrycorp.com/english/switches/key/ml.htm

[xsphat]

They are, but they don't feel anything like the black MXs. They are true linear switches and they're pretty nice.

[Whiskey in the Jar-o]

i thought ML were those tiny little switches http://www.cherrycorp.com/english/switches/key/ml.htm

BTW, if you just want an uber-cheap ML board, look here: http://plum.bz/index.html
Nevermind the layout, the keycaps are easy to move around. Too easy in fact, as the keycap wobble is worse than on my Alps board.  It's fugly, but functional.

[xsphat]

No offense, but yuck!

[Whiskey in the Jar-o]

No offense, but yuck!

It has that authentic thrift-store yellowed look so desired by collectors. It's practically a vintage keyboard before its time!  A certifiable bargain! (I have 2, BTW)

[karlito]

Hmm that's interesting.  I'm pretty happy though w/ my SMk-88 for gaming and my g15 for typing.  I wont be buying anything unless it has a good chance of replacing both boards.

[citsacras]

THE keyboard hmmmm sounds pretty interesting since they currently use cherry switches in one of their keyboards.  Might want to wait on getting one of their current keyboards

I just received a Steelseries 7G keyboard. I prefer a bit more tactile feedback but this is a well made keyboard which I will probably use for my gaming system.

A few thoughts:
- It feels like high quality. Taking it out of the box it felt heavy like an old IBM Model M. It's probably not *that* well made, but the weight is reassuring.
- The keyboard uses the PS2 connector (or USB with a converter) and supports N-Key rollover.
- It's advertised as being quiet, but at least with my typing style, it's fairly loud. I'm bit of a banger. Personally I appreciate having a satisfying almost organic sounding audio feedback.
- I also have a Das Keyboard II and the Das has slightly better tactile feedback, in my opinion. Still, the linear switches are better than I expected.
- The cable is attached, very thick, and coated in a nice flexible cloth cover. The USB plugs are gold-plated, and the keyboard includes a USB hub and a headphone/mic pass through.
- The indicator LEDs are bright. I can't stare directly at them a well lit room in the daytime without burning my retinas.  My eyes are probably more senstive than most, but these suckers are BRIGHT!
- I also got the SteelSeries Ikari laser mouse, and it is very nice as well. At first I thought they must have sent me a left-handed version by accident, but when I put my hand on it I find it more comfortable than a Logitech or Microsoft mouse. The mouse clicks make a more satisfying sound than most, which I think some here might appreciate.
- Some people have said they can't find the SteelSeries 7G in stock anywhere - I got mine from buy.com.

I would give this keyboard a high recommendation. I considered a Filco keyboard but I didn't want to wait 3 weeks to get it shipped. Also, I have had bad experiences with Paypal and it was easier to just pay a US merchant with a credit card. So, at least without that to compare it to, I am very happy with the SteelSeries 7G.

[Ulysses31]

I gave up on the 7G after it became apparent that it is for all intents and purposes unavailable in the UK.  Sure there are one or two places that sell it now finally (I just checked) but the price is so high it looks like vendors can't even be bothered to stock it since it's unlikely anyone would blow $200 on a keyboard with black cherries.  Furthermore the lack of vendors means there's no pricing competition meaning the price is unlikely to drop.  Honestly I am getting tired of companies printing "Gamer" on the box and charging 50% more than what something is worth.  If you disregard aesthetics and N-Key rollover, you could get a Cherry keyboard with black switches for about $60 in the UK.  

I've recently been in touch with Mr. Shikano of Diatec and I am guessing he could probably send me a Filco with brown switches for less than $200.  Sorry if this sounded a bit like a rant, it's just frustrating >_<.

[Ulysses31]

Ah, he got back to me a few days ago and apparently can ship me a wired FKB104M/EB for around $130.  I asked about the bluetooth version as well because it seems tempting but i'm wondering if I wouldn't be setting myself up for woes when it came to getting drivers for XP64 and messing around in DOS or the BIOS.  That and it's a lot more than a wired of course.  If I can figure out how to transfer the money I might finally be able to retire my venerable old Logitech Deluxe.

[xsphat]

I wish they sold Topre

[Korbin]

I also have the steelseries 7G.

At first, I have to admit that I did not like the feel of the keys (particularly due to the lack of tactile feel to them).

Then, I fell in love with them. Especially, when it came to gaming. It's pretty common to constantly hold down several keys constantly (while running in games) and this is where I noticed the biggest difference in comfort compared to the board I have been using for the last year that has laptop style keys. I also noticed that once I got use to the keystrokes that I started typing faster than i normally do on membrane or scissor-switch style boards (combination of the long key travel and springiness, maybe?).

Even with the cost I'm glad I took the chance to see how nice the mechanical key switches are (even though they are linear switches).