Mionix Zibal 60 / Z60 gaming keyboard with backlit keys

[BucklingSpring]

Is there really no light leakage around the keys on this board or are these pics 'shopped?

It's because they use translucent plastic instead of stickers like Deck.

[Mionix]

Is there really no light leakage around the keys on this board or are these pics 'shopped?

The images are real photographs touched up slighty, light leakage is very very low.... wait for the reviews then you will see

[BucklingSpring]

Chunk from the presskit

[BucklingSpring]

The images are real photographs touched up slighty, light leakage is very very low.... wait for the reviews then you will see

Send a sample to Ripster for review. He already said he likes yours better then XArmor and Deck.

[.XL]

Send a sample to Ripster for review. He already said he likes yours better then XArmor and Deck.

Or sixty. He's in Germany..

PS - Mionix, are you guys hiring?! I live in the US but have EU citizenship so no need to sponsor for a work visa

[noodles256]

that is a cool keyboard, sad i missed the drop to 0

[.XL]

that is a cool keyboard, sad i missed the drop to 0

We didn't invite you to the party

[noodles256]

We didn't invite you to the party

=0

[arc2]

Yeah, but I tell the truth.

Not the best Keyboard Blogger reviewer.

Well there you go, if they are as confident about the reviews as they are saying you would be the perfect reviewer for them

[BucklingSpring]

Still we don't have the answer to the question if it's a full Mionix developped product or a rebranded and repacked generic...

+Bump

The pressrelease
"unveiled the Mionix™ Zibal 60, a mechanical keyboard developed for the gamer that deserves the best.

"I believe it is an artform to building keyboards, that are not just for gaming but also compromise free and simple in design. The high attention to detail and subtle features are going to be loved by our loyal users”, says Calle Conradsson, Mionix.

@Mionix - Once again is the Zibal designed/developed by Mionix or is it an existing product with a Mionix shell?

[Mimic]

Im from Germany too and can review too

[noodles256]

I really like the feature to light only the WASD keys. Wonder if they will include a program to do pick any keys we want backlit.

That would be totally tubular

[BucklingSpring]

Why do you give a f*** who manufactured it?  I don't think you guys understand how products are made.

Easy baby, I want to know if it's designed by them. I don't care if it's built in Mexico or China...

I'm welling to pay less money for a clone where the Brand didn't spend a dime in R&D.

Show me the sticker under the Zibal...

[alaricljs]

I really like the feature to light only the WASD keys. Wonder if they will include a program to do pick any keys we want backlit.

That would be totally tubular

Not likely.  That's a whole lot more complicated than 2 strings of leds and some logic to turn them on together or separately.

[noodles256]

Not likely.  That's a whole lot more complicated than 2 strings of leds and some logic to turn them on together or separately.

you mean gates?

[Mionix]

+Bump

The pressrelease
"unveiled the Mionix™ Zibal 60, a mechanical keyboard developed for the gamer that deserves the best.

"I believe it is an artform to building keyboards, that are not just for gaming but also compromise free and simple in design. The high attention to detail and subtle features are going to be loved by our loyal users”, says Calle Conradsson, Mionix.

@Mionix - Once again is the Zibal designed/developed by Mionix or is it an existing product with a Mionix shell?

We develop what needs to be developed and not try reinvent the wheel. We put our efforts and resources into building the best mechanical keyboard for the price.

[vun]

We develop what needs to be developed and not try reinvent the wheel. We put our efforts and resources into building the best mechanical keyboard for the price.

So in other words; it's a rebrand?

[noodles256]

So in other words; it's a rebrand?

If I had to guess, it would be that the case design is taken from the Zowie celeritas, but that is the only assumption I can make at this point

[alaricljs]

you mean gates?

I mean exactly what I say.  You'll note that gates lie within the definition of logic.

[The Solutor]

What layout are you looking for? What switch do you prefer?

Definitely clears, also blues (blues usually are not meant for gamers, but a backlit keyboard is very useful for a lot of not gamer/light gamer people).


About the layout, the ISO layout is already an huge step for all the mankind, and UK is nice for me, but Italy lacks of mechs with the Italian layout, so wold be nice to have it.

Made a Clear switches keyboard, ISO, UK or IT and I'll order it tonight. :smile:

[noodles256]

You know a LOT of keyboards start to look alike.

Have you thought of the idea that they may have an inhouse design team?

Why the fascination with the idea of who makes it?

I rarely see this level of discussion about which manufacturer made the ASUS P8P67 Rev3 motherboard.

yes, i agree

[alaricljs]

Why the fascination with the idea of who makes it?

I rarely see this level of discussion about which manufacturer made the ASUS P8P67 Rev3 motherboard.

What would be relevant to me is not the esthetic design, but who designed the PCB and controller.  If it's just a rebadge then we already have reviews covering the non-esthetic parts to reference.

[Mimic]

Well why dot all refer to the zowie i think it looks almost the same like the TT Meka G1 just with backlit. Thats not bad i really like this design over any other minimal Filco or overdone like the Qpad!

[Mionix]

So in other words; it's a rebrand?

No not a rebrand at all.... We have developed many of the technologies of this keyboard ourselves but we do have very few shared components. We did not choose this keyboard on a shelf and slap a sticker on it.... we have been developing this for nearly a year.

Developing a keyboard is a little special... the only good example is that  its similar to how VW Golf and the Audi A3 are built.

[noodles256]

No not a rebrand at all.... We have developed many of the technologies of this keyboard ourselves but we do have very few shared components. We did not choose this keyboard on a shelf and slap a sticker on it.... we have been developing this for nearly a year.

Developing a keyboard is a little special... the only good example is that  its similar to how VW Golf and the Audi A3 are built.

Thank you for clarifying, I think this should ease my fascination for a moment.

[vun]

Thank you for clarifying, I think this should ease my fascination for a moment.

Ditto.

[IanM]

Like the sticker under the iPad?

but Apple are in a whole different ball park, it's not even the same game...

• astoundingly cash rich, able to pay for any specialised tooling they want, created from scratch to make whatever they want the final product to be.
• 100% control of the design from start to finish.
• Extremely strict control of the manufacture.
• selling 100,000s & 1,000,000s of units.

The product is always 100% Apple. By comparison these peripheral manufacturers are insignificant fleas, designing products by selecting off the shelf components, nor do they have anywhere near Apple level of of control over the final quality. If they're cash rich enough they may be able to buy some exclusive moulds from a selection offered by the ODM, and a few more may be able to hire industrial designers to make something genuinely unique to the brand.

Knowing the ODM can give a strong indication of what to expect in terms of quality and feel. So in the case of Qpad we already know absolutely everything to expect. Mionix appear to have gone the extra mile, and commissioned something more, how much of it is Calle Conradsson / Mionix and how much of it is from the ODM parts catalogue? It's a keyboard so I doubt we should care too much in this case, the end result is what matters.  

However if this is from an ODM/factory with a reputation for producing poor quality products then I don't blame people for wanting to know. N.B. I don't expect any problems with the quality of Zibal, I'm just commenting on why I think some people are keen to know exactly what/where they're buying from.

[popol]

No not a rebrand at all.... We have developed many of the technologies of this keyboard ourselves but we do have very few shared components. We did not choose this keyboard on a shelf and slap a sticker on it.... we have been developing this for nearly a year.

Developing a keyboard is a little special... the only good example is that  its similar to how VW Golf and the Audi A3 are built.

that answers my question. It's a real Mionix Keyboard, just like the Zowie or the Razer ones, and unlike QPAD and XArmor.

Thus that's becoming interesting. Too bad it's about black switches. Black switches are only for fps usage, so why not developping only a tenkeyless as these numpads useless for that gaming usage ? Moreover it would have been a bit more compact and better looking IMHO.

[Mionix]

You know a LOT of keyboards start to look alike.

Have you thought of the idea that they may have an inhouse design team?

Why the fascination with the idea of who makes it?

I rarely see this level of discussion about which manufacturer made the ASUS P8P67 Rev3 motherboard.

Ripster people want to know that its not some business guys with fat wallets and big sticker transfers to slap on cheap products with 1000% mark up.....

 That is not the Mionix way....

[alaricljs]

You spelled aesthetic wrong btw.  Usually I don't point out typos but aesthetic ones bug me.

So you'd not rather have æsthetic ?  Either way it looks silly with that a in front, and without it's still a valid spelling.

[noodles256]

Ripster people want to know that its not some business guys with fat wallets and big sticker transfers to slap on cheap products with 1000% mark up.....

 That is not the Mionix way....

I really like you Mionix. Not as much as I like Tejbz but close. It's good to see manufacturer be active with the community. The only other time I saw this was on Head-fi.

Kudos to you. Makes me feel very good about your products and I will definately be purchasing one of these when they are released.

[vun]

that answers my question. It's a real Mionix Keyboard, just like the Zowie or the Razer ones, and unlike QPAD and XArmor.

Thus that's becoming interesting. Too bad it's about black switches. Black switches are only for fps usage, so why not developping only a tenkeyless as these numpads useless for that gaming usage ? Moreover it would have been a bit more compact and better looking IMHO.

I agree on the black switches. I'd like a board with blacks to pull out for FPS gaming, but for that use this is just too expensive. Which is a shame, because from what I've seen it looks smooth. A tenkeyless without the USB and audio jacks would be just perfect, especially if they'd come in several switch flavour

Edit: After reading the post above mine I'd like to chime in; it's really nice to see Mionix actually communicating properly with the community.

[noodles256]

I agree on the black switches. I'd like a board with blacks to pull out for FPS gaming, but for that use this is just too expensive. Which is a shame, because from what I've seen it looks smooth. A tenkeyless without the USB and audio jacks would be just perfect, especially if they'd come in several switch flavours.

Wait till you try Cherry MX Red keys. Then you will be craving Blacks, at least you will if the Reds are too light for you. Or you may not crave them at all.

It could be just my case because I consider myself flaggelum

[vun]

Wait till you try Cherry MX Red keys. Then you will be craving Blacks, at least you will if the Reds are too light for you. Or you may not crave them at all.

It could be just my case because I consider myself flaggelum

I have a board with blacks here, can't use it though as it's quite old and I'd have to build a converter from scratch. But when trying to type on it they feel just so heavy. I can't imagine using them for anything other than FPS gaming. Even my blues feel light compared to them.

[Mimic]

that answers my question. It's a real Mionix Keyboard, just like the Zowie or the Razer ones, and unlike QPAD and XArmor.

well thats not right the razer isnt a real board from razer its from Ione so the Xarmor is the real product like the Mionix and the others are rebrands! just to clarifying.

[noodles256]

I have a board with blacks here, can't use it though as it's quite old and I'd have to build a converter from scratch. But when trying to type on it they feel just so heavy. I can't imagine using them for anything other than FPS gaming. Even my blues feel light compared to them.

If I am not mistaken, blues should definitely be lighter than the Blacks.

It's a good work out, my first board was a Cherry MX black one. I'll see if I have the finger strength to go back.

[BucklingSpring]

I rarely see this level of discussion about which manufacturer made the ASUS P8P67 Rev3 motherboard.

Maybe because the level of details provided by Asus answers most of the questions and Asus designs their own boards?

• SpecificationsCPU   Intel® Socket 1155 for Intel® 2nd Generation Core™ i7 Processor/Core™ i5 Processor/Core™ i3 Processor/
• Support Intel® 32nm CPU
• Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
• * The Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 support depends on the CPU types.
• * Refer to www.asus.com for Intel CPU support list
• Chipset   Intel® P67(B3) Express Chipset
  
• Memory    4 x DIMM, Max. 32 GB, DDR3 2200(O.C.)*/2133(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066 Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory
• Dual Channel memory architecture
• Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
• * According to Intel® SPEC, the Max. 32GB memory capacity can be supported with DIMMs of 8GB (or above). ASUS will update QVL once the DIMMs are available on the market.
• * Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs. Some hyper DIMMs only support one DIMM per channel. Please refer to Memory QVL for details.
• * Due to CPU behavior, DDR3 2200/2000/1800 MHz memory module will run at DDR3 2133/1866/1600 MHz frequency as default.
• * Please refer to www.asus.com or user manual for Memory QVL.
• Expansion Slots    2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (single at x16 or dual at x8/x8 mode)
• 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (at x4 mode, compatible with PCIe x1 and x4 devices)
• 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1
• 2 x PCI
• Multi-GPU Support   Supports NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI™ Technology
• Supports ATI® Quad-GPU CrossFireX™ Technology
• Storage   Intel® P67(B3) Express Chipset
• 2 xSATA 6.0 Gb/s ports (gray)
• 4 xSATA 3.0 Gb/s ports (blue)
• Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Support RAID 0,1,5,10
• Marvell® PCIe 9128 SATA 6Gb/s controller with HyperDuo function*
  
• 2 xSATA 6.0 Gb/s ports (navy blue)
• JMicron® JMB362 SATA controller*
  
• 2 xExternal SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports (1 x Power eSATA)
• * These SATA ports are for data hard drives only. ATAPI devices are not supported.
• LAN    Dual Gigabit LAN controllers- 802.3az Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) appliance
• Intel® 82579 Gigabit LAN- Dual interconnect between the Integrated LAN controller and Physical Layer (PHY)
  [*]Realtek® 8111E Gigabit LAN controller
  
• Bluetooth   Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR
• ASUS BT GO! Utility
• Audio    Realtek® ALC889 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
  
• - Absolute Pitch 192khz/24bit True BD Lossless Sound
• - BD Audio Layer Content Protection
• - DTS Surround Sensation UltraPC
• - Supports Jack-Detection, Multi-streaming and Front Panel Jack-Retasking
• - Coaxial / Optical S/PDIF out ports at back I/O
• IEEE 1394    VIA® 6315N controller supports 2 x 1394a port(s) (one at mid-board; one at back panel)
• USB   NEC USB 3.0 controllers
• - 4 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports (2 ports at mid-board for front panel support, 2 ports at back panel )
• Intel® P67(B3) Express Chipset
  
• - 12 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (4 ports at mid-board, 8 ports at back panel)
• ASUS Unique Features   ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 2 with DIGI+ VRM:
• ASUS EPU
• - EPU, EPU switch
• ASUS TPU
• - Auto Tuning, TurboV, TPU switch
• ASUS Digital Power Design
• - Industry leading Digital 16+2 Phase Power Design
• - ASUS DIGI+ VRM Utility
• ASUS BT GO! (Bluetooth)
• - Folder Sync, BT Transfer, Shot & Send, BT to Net, Music Player, Personal Manager, BT Turbo Remote
• ASUS Exclusive Features
• - MemOK!
• - AI Suite II
• - AI Charger
• - Anti Surge
• - ASUS EFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface
• ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution
• - ASUS Fanless Design: Heat-pipe solution
• - ASUS Fan Xpert
• ASUS EZ DIY
• - ASUS Q-Shield
• - ASUS Q-Connector
• - ASUS O.C. Tuner
• - ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
• - ASUS EZ Flash 2
• ASUS Q-Design
• - ASUS Q-Code
• - ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)
• - ASUS Q-Slot
• - ASUS Q-DIMM
• Overclocking Features   Precision Tweaker 2
• - vCore: Adjustable CPU voltage at 0.005V increment
• - vCCIO: Adjustable I/O voltage at 0.00625V increment
• - vCCSA: 144-step system agent voltage control
• - vDRAM Bus: 160-step Memory voltage control
• - vPCH: 90-step Chipset voltage control
• - vCPU_PLL: 160-step CPU & PCH PLL voltage control
• SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection)
• - BCLK/PEG frequency tuning from 80MHz up to 300MHz at 0.1MHz increment
• Overclocking Protection
• - ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)
• Back Panel I/O Ports    1 x PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Combo port
• 1 x Bluetooth module
• 2 x External SATA (1 x Power eSATA)
• 1 x IEEE 1394a
• 2 x LAN(RJ45) port(s) (1 x Intel® LAN)
• 2 x USB 3.0/2.0 (blue)
• 8 x USB 2.0/1.1
• 2 x S/PDIF Out (1 for Coaxial, 1 for Optical)
• 8 -Channel Audio I/O
• 1 x Clr CMOS switch
• Internal I/O Connectors    1 x USB 3.0/2.0 connector(s) supports additional 2 USB ports (19-pin)
• 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 connector(s) support additional 4 USB ports
• 1 x MemOK! Button
• 4 x SATA 6.0Gb/s connectors (2 x gray; 2 x navy blue)
• 4 x SATA 3.0Gb/s connectors (blue)
• 1 x IEEE 1394a connector
• 1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (4-pin)
• 2 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (1 x 4-pin; 1 x 3-pin)
• 2 x Power Fan connector(s) (2 x 3-pin)
• 1 x TPU switch
• 1 x EPU switch
• 1 x Power-on switch
• 1 x Reset switch
• 1 x S/PDIF Out connector
• 24-pin EATX Power connector
• 8-pin EATX 12V Power connector
• Front panel audio connector
• System Panel (Q-Connector)
• BIOS    32 Mb Flash ROM , EFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.5, ACPI 2.0a, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
• Manageability   WfM 2.0,DMI 2.0,WOL by PME,WOR by PME,PXE
• Accessories   User's manual
• 2 x SATA 3.0Gb/s cables
• 4 x SATA 6.0Gb/s cables
• 2 in 1 Q-connector
• ASUS Q-Shield
• 1 x ASUS Front Panel USB 3.0 Box
• 1 x ASUS SLI bridge connector
• Support Disc   Drivers
• Anti-virus software (OEM version)
• ASUS Update
• ASUS Utilities
• Form Factor    ATX Form Factor
• 12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm )

[noodles256]

What is your source of the Ione info?  Citation please.

+1, I prefer Chicago style.

I remember reading a while back something like this, but not 100% sure about it.

[vun]

If I am not mistaken, blues should definitely be lighter than the Blacks.

It's a good work out, my first board was a Cherry MX black one. I'll see if I have the finger strength to go back.

Aren't the blues 55cN while the blacks are 60? that's not really much we're talking about. I'd say the browns are perfect for me, though I do like blues because they're extremely fun to type on due to the sound and tactility, which also makes it great for RTS games.
Only problem with browns is that they feel too light in FPS games, not a problem for gameplay but I feel that I'm pressing them too hard all the time, so heavy blacks would be great.

[mtl]

Looks like they're mounting the shift, enter, and backspace key switches upside down to illuminate legends on the bottom half of the key. Also it looks like the left Windows key has been replaced with FN (Mionix logo), though it's not clear if that's configurable or what the actual behavior is.

I like the keyboard so far, but need to see unretouched photos. Hopefully if this sells well someone will come along with a 10-keyless or F-keyless (Poker style) LED backlit keyboard.

[BucklingSpring]

__________________
 In rehab for threadcrapping

Do you have a business card or something. I think I need to pay them a visit.

[noodles256]

Aren't the blues 55cN while the blacks are 60? that's not really much we're talking about. I'd say the browns are perfect for me, though I do like blues because they're extremely fun to type on due to the sound and tactility, which also makes it great for RTS games.
Only problem with browns is that they feel too light in FPS games, not a problem for gameplay but I feel that I'm pressing them too hard all the time, so heavy blacks would be great.

I thought the force difference was greater, but you may be right.

Blues are definitely my favorite, but no one elses. That click is like a crack. I just love hearing/snorting it.

[Mimic]

What is your source of the Ione info?  Citation please.

i read it here on the forum, razers black widow is made by IOne ... and the Xarmor were there before the black widow and me and some on this forum say razer just rebranded it

[popol]

What is your source of the Ione info?  Citation please.

+1 I'm not a Razer fan but I doubt they are just puting a sticker on some other stuff.

[BucklingSpring]

Anyway. The Zebal starts shipping in June. I wonder when the so called "reviewers" will start getting their hands on it.

[noodles256]

I would like to review the Mionix Girls. you can either send them here or I can go there, either will be sufficient.

[Mionix]

Anyway. The Zebal starts shipping in June. I wonder when the so called "reviewers" will start getting their hands on it.

.... Sorry no exact dates to give right now but mid to end of May they should be popping up

[The Solutor]

Definitely clears, also blues (blues usually are not meant for gamers, but a backlit keyboard is very useful for a lot of not gamer/light gamer people).


About the layout, the ISO layout is already an huge step for all the mankind, and UK is nice for me, but Italy lacks of mechs with the Italian layout, so wold be nice to have it.

Made a Clear switches keyboard, ISO, UK or IT and I'll order it tonight. :smile:

bump

[Mionix]

Geekhack thankyou  .... I hope we managed to answer some of your questions, I will keep my eye on this thread but for now we need beer and were off to the sauna

[vun]

Geekhack thankyou  .... I hope we managed to answer some of your questions, I will keep my eye on this thread but for now we need beer and were off to the sauna

And I would like to thank you for taking the time to communicate with the community so actively. It's something I think we see way too little of these days. Most attempts at it are just generic questions posted on Facebook at semi-regular intervals with no real follow-up.