Author Topic: Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features  (Read 2785 times)

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Offline arplod

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 08:56:08 »
Use is more for general-purpose than gaming, so nothing over the top. e.g. major NKRO not necessary for example. Backlight preferred, volume control mandatory.

I'm finding it harder and harder to track down the Relusa which I'm a fan of. X4 is an option I guess but I prefer the Reclusa's travel feel more than the X6, another board I have (and assume the X4 must be more similar to). Logitech G's are out - I just can't understand why they can't get the action right so that the keys don't start binding on a slightly off-axis press after even a bit of wear.

Any Reclusa-like options you'd recommend?

Offline nrd

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« Reply #1 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 09:25:50 »
If (the lack of) N-key-rollover is not an issue and you like the feel of the Reclusa, you might want to check out the Razer Lycosa. I've used mine for a little more than 3 years before switching to a mechanical keyboard and compared to many other rubberdomes it can take a lot more abuse before feeling mushy. If if wasn't for the keycaps (the WASD keys started to wear off and looked ugly as hell) I'd still use it - the feeling of the keys is still nice and "crisp", while the keyboards of my friends (who didn't use theirs nearly as much and long as I used mine) feel mushy up to the point that you can't even tell if you've pressed a certain key or not and whether you're still holding it down or not.

The backlighting is a very nice, calm shade of blue, it comes with a software to set up macros and stuff like that (never used it, so can't tell you much about it), multimedia functions and lighting can be controlled via the touchpad in the top right corner of the board (a feature I absolutely loved, much more convenient than binding the media keys to the function keys and it looks good, too), it comes with a detachable wristrest (nothing special but gets the job done) and offers USB and audio ports at the back of the keyboard. If you liked the Reclusa I'm sure you'll like the feel of the Lycosa keys as well (after all they do feel very nice with their rubber coating or whatever it is Razer puts on there).

There are a few drawbacks however: It's pricier than the Reclusa (might or might not be an issue for you), only has 2KRO (but with an optimized matrix around the WASD cluster - not exactly the holy grail of gaming keyboards, but in 3 years I never encountered any problems in any game) and once the keycaps start wearing off (which does take a long time and lots of use, but it will happen at some point) it starts looking really, really ugly because the backlighting breaks through the keycaps and the legends become totally unreadable... But like I said, that really takes a long time and if you don't game for hours a day, you should be fine. I've never really used the USB / audio ports, but I did test them once and they're practically useless. It's a USB 1.1 port, so you get slow transfer rates and it also doesn't offer enough power for some especially hungry peripherals and the audio ports give you some very crappy quality (and with the cables getting in the way of your hands, there really isn't any point in using them). But if none of that concerns you, it's a really nice and goodlooking keyboard that won't wear down as quickly as other boards.

(And before someone complains about the glossy finish of the case: I've used it 3 years and never had any problems with dirt/dust/whatever. Additionally, just wiping it with a damp cloth will make it look good as new, so cleaning is very easy.)
« Last Edit: Mon, 08 August 2011, 09:31:15 by nrd »

Offline peda

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« Reply #2 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 10:10:39 »
I can't really give you any other recommendations but i would have a lycosa for sale.

It is about 3 month old but only about 1 in use. It is in perfect condition but my wife has thrown away the package. If you are interested in buying it, please PM me and we can work something out.



Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

Offline foliolio

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« Reply #3 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 10:34:09 »
I-Rocks 6820e should be the best option with those criteria.

Offline killerfrenzi

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« Reply #4 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 11:40:18 »
Some guy is selling a g15 for 35 in the classifieds
Cheap ass gamer with a cheap ass keytronic

Offline arplod

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« Reply #5 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 12:19:38 »
Quote from: foliolio;395134
I-Rocks 6820e should be the best option with those criteria.

Isn't that a scissor-action?

Offline TheProfosist

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« Reply #6 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 14:07:07 »
the lycosa i had was nice but i wouldnt go back to a rubberdome after using a mechanical

and macros/media keys/additional function keys are of no concern to me as you can easily use AutoHotkey to setup any keyboard to do those functions

Offline The Solutor

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« Reply #7 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 14:18:18 »
Quote from: arpod;395083

Any Reclusa-like options you'd recommend?


Get another reclusa or go mechanical with an Xarmor or Qpad.

I sold mine because the form factor/features of the X6 and was the most idiotic move is did in 30 years of IT

Now I'm more than happy with an Xarmor and a Qpad, i found Volumouse which is a good replacement for the volume knobs the reclusa and the x6 had.
The problem with quotes on the Internet is you never know if they are true  (Abraham Lincoln)

Offline arplod

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« Reply #8 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 14:49:56 »
I thought I'd put my keyboards in my sig so that it's clearer where I'm coming from. All of my Reclusas still in use move reasonably smoothly but the e.g. the keys are being worn off for starters so I'm looking at testing some candidates for replacement.

I prefer a decent rubber dome for everyday-duties to be honest over the Cherry's. Intensive typing / entry - sure, but the use these replacements will be put to doesn't justify it. Topre - another story, and I do wish I'd come across them before I got a whole bunch of the Filcos - but I'm not buying Topres for anything and everything.

Am I mistaken in that the Lycosa looks like the key action is closer to the SWX6 than the Reclusa?
« Last Edit: Mon, 08 August 2011, 14:55:05 by arplod »

Offline TheProfosist

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« Reply #9 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 15:20:55 »
I just drag my HHKB Pro 2 everywhere with me.

I have never used a Reclusa but the Lycosa is sorta low profile and it took a bit of getting use to when i used it.

Offline Merlin

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« Reply #10 on: Mon, 08 August 2011, 21:31:30 »
Quote from: arpod;395303


Am I mistaken in that the Lycosa looks like the key action is closer to the SWX6 than the Reclusa?


Here's mine. Looking at youtube vids of the sidewinder X6, yes, it seems to be the same. Low profile keys, but perfect for WASD gaming, the keys have short travel which equals fast movement.

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/192/desk5.jpg

Offline arplod

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« Reply #11 on: Tue, 09 August 2011, 04:53:20 »
Yeah - it looks even more that way. Well, I don't have a huge beef with the X6 but I don't think it's all that.

Offline agor

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« Reply #12 on: Tue, 09 August 2011, 08:46:17 »
What exactly are gaming features in keyboards?
KBD8X II - MX 5000 - Realforce 88UB - Phantom - GH60

Offline Merlin

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« Reply #13 on: Tue, 09 August 2011, 13:41:31 »
Quote from: agor;395777
What exactly are gaming features in keyboards?

Macro keys to customise key functions (I've never used mine).
Ability to swap to WASD backlighting only instead of full backlighting,which is completely gimmicky nonsense.
I'm a rubbish touch typist but even I know where WASD keys are without looking.
Ability to disable the windows key so it's not accidentally pressed sending you back to windows when you're trying to pummel the **** out of your enemies face.

I think that's about all there is to a gaming keyboard. Oh and polling rate, whatever that is.

Offline nrd

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« Reply #14 on: Tue, 09 August 2011, 14:29:16 »
Quote from: Merlin;395946
Ability to swap to WASD backlighting only instead of full backlighting,which is completely gimmicky nonsense.
I'm a rubbish touch typist but even I know where WASD keys are without looking.
Meh, I can at least theoretically understand the logic of highlighting single keys to allow you to find them quicker in the dark - but what I've always wondered: what kind of game uses ONLY the WASD keys? Apart from Pacman and Frogger, there aren't many games you could play with that setup... Gimmicky nonsense indeed. I wonder who invented that and thought of it as a good way to market a gaming keyboard...
« Last Edit: Tue, 09 August 2011, 14:32:26 by nrd »

Offline Merlin

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« Reply #15 on: Tue, 09 August 2011, 14:58:37 »
Quote from: nrd;395969
Meh, I can at least theoretically understand the logic of highlighting single keys to allow you to find them quicker in the dark - but what I've always wondered: what kind of game uses ONLY the WASD keys? Apart from Pacman and Frogger, there aren't many games you could play with that setup... Gimmicky nonsense indeed. I wonder who invented that and thought of it as a good way to market a gaming keyboard...


Probably Razer since they're geared towards producing gaming products. I can see the marketing benefit for increased Razer sales though. 'WASD' has become a more popular way to play games instead of the arrow keys.  
I guess they thought it would appeal to gamers already using WASD for the cool factor. And/or perhaps to make gamers who never used WASD before think it's a good idea to change to it because it'll give them an advantage.

Offline TheProfosist

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Just a decent rubber dome with some gaming/media features
« Reply #16 on: Tue, 09 August 2011, 16:00:01 »
Quote from: nrd;395969
Meh, I can at least theoretically understand the logic of highlighting single keys to allow you to find them quicker in the dark - but what I've always wondered: what kind of game uses ONLY the WASD keys? Apart from Pacman and Frogger, there aren't many games you could play with that setup... Gimmicky nonsense indeed. I wonder who invented that and thought of it as a good way to market a gaming keyboard...

yes i to thought that the opposite would work much better higlight everything but the WASD keys.