Brown vs black (gaming)

[Cyanide]

hey everyone i'm still debating between brown and black switches for a gaming keyboard, the only game i play is sc2, but i do play a lot. it seems like everyone is getting the filco with brown's, but then i hear that blacks are the best for gaming, are browns actually better than blacks for sc2? any insight on this would be great, thanks ^_^

[darkblader]

MX Blacks for FPS

For SC2 i would go with Browns.

[Nadger]

For SC2 you will want a tactile feedback so that removes blacks.  You want to feel that your key was registered.  Blacks wont do that for you.  Even rubber domes have tactile feedback.

The whole blacks = best for gaming thing is stupid.  And it assumes gaming = FPS.  It also assumes you will be paying enough attention to your fingers ands keys to double tap by riding the actuation point in the linear switch.  It also assumes you are retarded and cant rest your fingers on keys without pressing them down.

Blues or Browns will do great for you in Starcraft 2, just decide if you want the Clicky noise + tactile bump or just the tactile bump.  Blues are also a bit stiffer than browns, so if you are heavy handed blues may be the better option.

[stuiees]

MX Blacks for FPS

For SC2 i would go with Browns.

+1

[Cyanide]

thanks everyone, this makes my choice a lot easier, im going for the browns then. ^_^

[NamelessPFG]

I'd personally vouch for Clears (because I can actually feel the actuation point on those compared to the Browns), but good luck finding them. The Browns are probably your next best option.

You want to feel that your key was registered.  Blacks wont do that for you.  Even rubber domes have tactile feedback.

The whole blacks = best for gaming thing is stupid.  And it assumes gaming = FPS.  It also assumes you will be paying enough attention to your fingers ands keys to double tap by riding the actuation point in the linear switch.  It also assumes you are retarded and cant rest your fingers on keys without pressing them down.

Even when playing FPSs, I like having keys where I can easily feel that they actuated and I feel confident enough that they sent the signal at that moment. That's why I can't stand linear switches.

Besides, up until a week ago, I was gaming on buckling springs and doing fine for myself. (Now I'm gaming on MX Blues instead, though if I can get some Clears...)

[BlueRain]

Can't you just get the Deck tactile? Those are clear switches I thought.

[NamelessPFG]

The Deck boards are the only ones I know of that use them, and they're also insanely expensive. (Yes, even coming from someone who already dropped $80 on a board with Blues before it went up to $100.)

I don't need the backlighting-I just need the keys.

[CeeSA]

brown and blues are both ok for me playing BFBC2.

i dont understand these "SC2=browns and FPS=blacks" thing.

[Cyanide]

brown and blues are both ok for me playing BFBC2.

i dont understand these "SC2=browns and FPS=blacks" thing.

well i think its because in sc2 you spam a lot, and in cs you want every key you hit to be correct.

[stuiees]

brown and blues are both ok for me playing BFBC2.

i dont understand these "SC2=browns and FPS=blacks" thing.

I think it is based of their inherent designs of each switch and what is the most common types of key presses in each genre of game (push and hold, double tap, quick release, release then press before letting the key come to rest, etc.).  Some switches are better suited for different types of key pressing.

Mostly I think it comes down to personal preference and what you are comfortable with TBH though.

[NewbieOneKenobi]

I've spent some time playing Starcraft 2 on blacks... not ideal (as much as I love typing on blacks). Though probably comparatively good for the Lost Viking minigame (where you also want anti-ghosting and flawless rollover among the arrow keys and the spacebar, which is the reason why I pulled out a black Cherry in the first place). For the rest, I somehow feel better on a tactile board, though maybe not necessarily a buckling spring. Blue is kinda good. I imagine brown would be even better. (I suppose Model F would be better still. )

Oh, and you might just swap keyboards for when you decide to squeeze the juice out of the Lost Viking achievements. I can't imagine doing Gold (500K points) with arrow keys getting ghosted by the spacebar, which is what happens to me... haven't tried on my new Filco Tenkeyless blue, though.

I think it is based of their inherent designs of each switch and what is the most common types of key presses in each genre of game (push and hold, double tap, quick release, release then press before letting the key come to rest, etc.).  Some switches are better suited for different types of key pressing.

Mostly I think it comes down to personal preference and what you are comfortable with TBH though.

There are differences between players and player skill levels in those areas, as far as RTS goes, actually. The typical player will mostly want to be sure he registers the keys but those 200 APM kids could probably appreciate fast reset and resistance tweaks and could perhaps possibly feel the difference in response times to some extent. Many players will want to be sure they hit the right key without activating a different one by accident, e.g. by a not so finely targeted hand or finger move, where actually low-profile scissors keys could be the best, plus they do provide some feedback and they aren't that bad for tapping, either. Chances are the scissors could inflict noticeably less fatigue on the fingers over several hours of high-APM-style intense use of shortcuts, but I'm speculating.

[BlueRain]

Funny you mentioned Lost Viking in SC2. I was so frustrated with the keyboard that I plugged in my wired Xbox360 controller and use Joy2Key to get the achievements (with relative ease, obviously).

[stuiees]

There are differences between players and player skill levels in those areas, as far as RTS goes, actually. The typical player will mostly want to be sure he registers the keys but those 200 APM kids could probably appreciate fast reset and resistance tweaks and could perhaps possibly feel the difference in response times to some extent. Many players will want to be sure they hit the right key without activating a different one by accident, e.g. by a not so finely targeted hand or finger move, where actually low-profile scissors keys could be the best, plus they do provide some feedback and they aren't that bad for tapping, either. Chances are the scissors could inflict noticeably less fatigue on the fingers over several hours of high-APM-style intense use of shortcuts, but I'm speculating.

Yes, I totally agree.  If your not at the upper echelon of your specific type of game you play, you most likly will not gain or suffer either way.  I have played cs at the highest levels and can say I have been successful on multiple keyboards.  As long as the gamer can get used their gear and it doesnt have some major design flaw, they should be able to compete (granted your playing with players of comparable skill).  But if you’re getting a new keyboard to use primarily for gaming, there are some SLIGHT advantages and disadvantages to each switch type.  I think it is up to each person to figure out what would best suite their particular play style.  You can't ask someone what would be best for me, because each person is different.  However you can ask which would be best for XXXX game or XXXX style of game.  Each genre of game will require different types of key presses.  

As far as scissors go, I used to game on a laptop and was able to get used to it.  The biggest problem with them is sometimes if your fingers get lost, it is harder for them to reset back to where they need to be.  I think this can mainly be attributed of the lack of space between keys.  Sometimes it can feel too flat.

[NewbieOneKenobi]

Funny you mentioned Lost Viking in SC2. I was so frustrated with the keyboard that I plugged in my wired Xbox360 controller and use Joy2Key to get the achievements (with relative ease, obviously).

Hehe, I was thinking about something like that too. I still have a joystick somewhere.

Yes, I totally agree.  If your not at the upper echelon of your specific type of game you play, you most likly will not gain or suffer either way.  I have played cs at the highest levels and can say I have been successful on multiple keyboards.  As long as the gamer can get used their gear and it doesnt have some major design flaw, they should be able to compete (granted your playing with players of comparable skill).  But if you’re getting a new keyboard to use primarily for gaming, there are some SLIGHT advantages and disadvantages to each switch type.  I think it is up to each person to figure out what would best suite their particular play style.  You can't ask someone what would be best for me, because each person is different.  However you can ask which would be best for XXXX game or XXXX style of game.  Each genre of game will require different types of key presses.  

As far as scissors go, I used to game on a laptop and was able to get used to it.  The biggest problem with them is sometimes if your fingers get lost, it is harder for them to reset back to where they need to be.  I think this can mainly be attributed of the lack of space between keys.  Sometimes it can feel too flat.

Yeah, you're correct. Incidentally, I think few pros actually use pricy gear unless they advertise it.

As for scissors, there are some specific moves you can develop that won't work on tall keys, except maybe blacks, which has to do with rolling your fingers around. It takes some using to when you switch back to a normal keyboard. I still have problems after several months, even though I had used scissors for little more than a year, ending late summer.

[Cyanide]

Hehe, I was thinking about something like that too. I still have a joystick somewhere.



Yeah, you're correct. Incidentally, I think few pros actually use pricy gear unless they advertise it.

As for scissors, there are some specific moves you can develop that won't work on tall keys, except maybe blacks, which has to do with rolling your fingers around. It takes some using to when you switch back to a normal keyboard. I still have problems after several months, even though I had used scissors for little more than a year, ending late summer.

ha yeah, your right about pros not using expensive gear, i always find it funny when you see players with steelseries,razer, other gaming brand logos all over their clothing, and they dont use the product, so many pros still use the qsenn dt-35, and its a cheap keyboard.