[-Vulture-]

Yeah, to me too. Those display-keys are a very nice idea, but the keyboard lacks other special features.

[Descenterace]

The G15 also features a switch that turns off the 'Windows' key, so hitting that button accidentally won't end your game.

I've got a means of turning off the Windows key too.

It's called 'levering it off with a screwdriver'.

Behold the Winkey-less budget keyboard of silvery coolness, which has lasted three and a half years without a glitch despite having Cola spilt on it four times (three of which involved Vodka too):


Only £10 in PC World, and roughly £2 if you buy online!

OK, so it's not ergonomic and it's not wireless, but it's very robust. And it now has three spare keysprings.

[CP5670]

That always works, but I actually use those keys in a few games that work correctly with them. I want to be able to turn them on and off quickly.

[MicroPsycho]

I have an Elitech Z2555 keyboard IIRC, has most if not all the bells and whistles of a M$ or Loitech Multimedia keyboard including 13 hotkeys + 8 media keys media player/volume and it cost me $15 CDN. I'd provide a link but I havn't been able to find one.

[Sandwich]

Originally posted by -Vulture-
Yeah, to me too. Those display-keys are a very nice idea, but the keyboard lacks other special features.

What in the world are you talking about, "lacks other special features"?? You could hack it to display an ongoing chat on the spacebar, your stock tracking all over the numberpad, and the rear-view mirror on the enter key!

[BlackDove]

The only thing that a gamer should look in a keyboard, is the ability to press as many as possible simultanious keyes without the crap locking up.

That's rather it.

If you can't find a way to accomodate a game to the already existing 101-104 keyes on a regular keyboard, you need to go out and buy a brain that can handle logical placement, rather than a keyboard.

[-Vulture-]

Originally posted by Sandwich


What in the world are you talking about, "lacks other special features"?? You could hack it to display an ongoing chat on the spacebar, your stock tracking all over the numberpad, and the rear-view mirror on the enter key!

Are you serious?
Those displays are for small symbols, not for bigger things like the display from the G15. With special features i mean an outstanding design, a big display, macro-keys and so on...

[Sandwich]

They're supplying an open-source SDK from what I understand - that means that the possiblities are literally endless.

[Descenterace]

Originally posted by BlackDove
The only thing that a gamer should look in a keyboard, is the ability to press as many as possible simultanious keyes without the crap locking up.

That's also limited by the design of the computer's keyboard controller chip. The bus is only about 9 bits wide and putting even three keypresses on that at a time is pretty good going.

My 'budget' keyboard can usually manage three keys from each row quite happily, though. They might not all be detected, but they don't produce weird effects.

[Sandwich]

So that would be a deficiency addressed by having a USB keyboard, right?

EDIT: Lookie what I found! http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/785b/

[Martinus]

[color=66ff00]Thinkgeek: Unnecessary items, extortionate prices.
[/color]

[BlackDove]

This contortion of your fingers is one of the main reasons people end up with repetitive stress injuries (RSI).

Aka - another reason we have pulled out of ass just to make this product more appealing to the regular tard.

[mikhael]

The Maltron is overpriced no matter where you buy it. Its always been marketted primarily toward RSI sufferers. The reasoning behind it is not "pulled out" of nowhere. There's good science behind it. It is, however, hand made in small lots. They are of generally exceptional quality.

Of course, I dropped $300 for a Thrustmaster HOTAS/Cougar. I believe in paying for a quality piece of hardware.

[BlackDove]

Hardly a keyboard replacement will help in that department, no matter how ugly or complex the keyboard is. If you have any complex that is fueled by a keyboard, step away from keyboards.

Again, ass.

Also, there are so many fundamentally wrong things about owning such a keyboard. The first one in line, is that you're getting used to something that isn't default, and guess what, all other keyboards are rather the same. It'd be a ***** from hell for me to get used to that, and then have to switch to normal, and go back and forth. I'd either be

a) pissed out of my mind
b) dual wringer, master of none

[mikhael]

Actually, from experience, I'd have to say you're wrong on the first count. Switching to an ergonomic keyboard really does help RSI, a huge amount. Medical science is behind me on this one too: doctors recommend ergo keyboards for RSI sufferers to lessen the stress on the tendons that pass through the carpal tunnel.

As for switching back and forth, its rather like driving in Japan and driving in the US: we drive on opposite sides of the road, but anyone who learned to do both can switch rather easily. I go from split ergo keyboards to vanilla keyboards to rack mounted non-qwerty keygrids. So can pretty much all the tech people I work with.

[Sandwich]

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2162,CONTENTID=10710

And no, nobody is paying attention to your not-wireless specification.

[IceFire]

Bastards  Can I say that?

Anyways...yeah I just have no real reason for a wireless keyboard.  I just have a MS Ergonomic Keyboard that is 8 years old and is dying.  I think its time for a new keyboard...and one that plugs in and does its thing is just fine.

I have a lovely MX500 mouse from Logitech so a matching keyboard would be nice...but I want it to be quiet and comfortable and I don't really want to worry so much about batteries...although I guess if I HAVE TO I will...but if I don't...

I also tend to pinch nerves in my neck and get cramped fingers due to typing.  Having a solid keyboard that reduces strain is key.

[BlackDove]

Originally posted by mikhael
Actually, from experience, I'd have to say you're wrong on the first count. Switching to an ergonomic keyboard really does help RSI, a huge amount. Medical science is behind me on this one too: doctors recommend ergo keyboards for RSI sufferers to lessen the stress on the tendons that pass through the carpal tunnel.

As for switching back and forth, its rather like driving in Japan and driving in the US: we drive on opposite sides of the road, but anyone who learned to do both can switch rather easily. I go from split ergo keyboards to vanilla keyboards to rack mounted non-qwerty keygrids. So can pretty much all the tech people I work with.

Doctors reccomend anything as long as they're paid to do so. But I'm not going to say you're wrong, I'm sure it does help. However, what helps it more is knocking off the keyboard completely, not spending XXX amount of exessive $ to get something that'll "help" while you're purposely HURTING yourself.

As for switching back and forth, keyboard isn't my life, nor am I a "techie". I'm sure I'd be able to multitask between different keyboards, I hope I'm not that much of a retard to switch between different designs, but again, going back and forth

Originally posted by BlackDove
I'd either be

a) pissed out of my mind
b) dual wringer, master of none

Both negative as far as I go.

[Kamikaze]

If I were getting a keyboard I'd get...

http://www.pckeyboard.com/customizer.html <-- Copy of the IBM Model M keyboards. Good tactile feedback. Not sure it'd be good for quietness though.

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/pfuca-store/haphackeylit1.html <-- Happy Hacking Lite 2 keyboard. Useful for a programmer, especially one who uses *nix.

Yeah, I'm a minimalist when it comes to keyboards.

[CP5670]

The only thing that a gamer should look in a keyboard, is the ability to press as many as possible simultanious keyes without the crap locking up.

This is the main reason I need a new keyboard. I was going to buy one this weekend, but after seeing that G15 I'm going to wait a while. I used to have a USB keyboard for a few years, but the spacebar spring mechanism broke a few months ago so I had to dump it and go back to an older PS2 keyboard. It works okay, but I really hate its multiple key limitations with the numpad. I basically can't do diagonal jumps in FPS games at the moment with my preferred key bindings. Very annoying.

I have a lovely MX500 mouse from Logitech so a matching keyboard would be nice...

I have an MX510 and I think it's still the best mouse in some ways. They have some newer stuff out now but I prefer the MX510 to newer designs for the number of extra buttons it has. The MX518 has the two cruise buttons effectively removed since you use them for switching the DPI and the new G5 and G7 have one of the side buttons removed as well. The MX1000 effectively has more buttons due to the tilt wheel but is heavy and has lag problems due to its wireless nature.

And no, nobody is paying attention to your not-wireless specification.

What's the point of a wireless keyboard anyway? I mean, it just sits in the same place on your desk all the time. I can see the convenience of a wireless mouse or wireless headphones (if you didn't have to compromise on other things for the wireless feature), but a wireless keyboard makes about as much sense as having a wireless monitor or wireless printer.