Poll: Lets have a frendly chat about keyboards.

[RevRaptor]

Title says it all, tell me about your keyboard and why you like it.

Are Mechanical switches something you care about, I know some people really hate the feel of Dome-switch keyboards but lets not get into an argument about that yea.
what about programmable macro keys and back lighting are these a must have for you or do you like to keep things simple?

I have a Logitech G110 and while I'm quite happy to concede that that there are better keyboards to be had for the money, I fell in love with it as soon as I took it out of the box. I find it really nice to play games with and the keys have a really nice feel to them.

For me programmable keys are a must have, if I'm not playing with my trackball and speed pad then I'm using my gamepad. I find it a lot easier and quicker to use the programmable keys on the side of the G110 when using a gamepad plus I find it easier to remember what does what that way, not really sure why that is, I just do.

So yea tell me about your tappy thingy you use to make the computer do computery things and lets try to keep the friendly shall we

 

[Barbas]

Mine is a fairly standard SteelSeries USB keyboard. Nice and robust, with only three little white lights for the Num, Caps and Scroll lock indicators. The only drawback to it is the small left-hand Shift key. I don't think there's any software that came with it.[footnote]If there is, I've already lost it.[/footnote]

 

[CannibalCorpses]

Bog standard keyboard for me...nothing fancy and just as practical as any other keyboard i've used. It's not the tools that make the gamer!!

 

[OneCatch]

I have a CM Storm Trigger[footnote]What is it with the 'exciting and manly' naming of gaming hardware? It's a bloody keyboard, not a rifle![/footnote], which is a Brownswitch mechanical keyboard.
It's light on other functions (just a handful of macro keys), because I don't really use them but it's backlit, which is a major advantage.

I really like it - my previous one was some cheapy wireless thing with tiny keys, so this is a massive improvement!

 

[SillySam]

Still using my Logitech ultra-flat keyboard
It served me well, apart from the problem with the 'q' key

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

I got myself a Logitech K200! Big fucking leagues right here, man!

In truth, I don't really see the need for fancy keyboards and mice. The standard ones work just fine for me, and are cheap enough to replace. They may be simple, but as long as you don't act like a retard with them, then they last a fair time as well.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

I'm not a huge fan of the fancy gimmicks you find on most gaming keyboards, which are generally pretty damn overpriced. I use a Ducky Shine with Cherry Red switches which I'm loving, it has backlighting for the keys, is of great build quality and was cheap as far as mechanical keyboards go. As far as I'm concerned the switches are all that matters, there isn't much point in paying a ridiculous price for gimmicky crap, unless you genuinely need the extra keys for macros etc.

 

[Padwolf]

I use a Razer Blackwidow and it is a beauty. I love it so much. I never had a mechanical keyboard before, and I do feel a difference. The keys feel incredibly responsive and the keyboard as a whole feels really nice and sturdy. It is a bit noisy at night though, it's the one downfall of it, but I love that I can plug my headset into it and it has an extra USB slot. It also has a few macro keys. At the moment since it's still fairly new to me I don't have them bound to anything, but I'm sure once I get back into league of legends I might bind them to items or something. Before I always had just a cheap, always under a tenner, keyboard, so for me having a mechanical one is a really nice change Mine isn't backlit, and that isn't something that's important to me.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

REgular keyboard for me, nice and cheap and does it's job since I don't really need anything fancy to play games and type with these days.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Built-in laptop keyboard all the way, baby! It is pretty much the only option that works with the space of my current "gaming station", also known as my dinner table.

 

[teqrevisited]

Mine's a labtec "ultra flat" keyboard with media keys that I got about 10 years ago for £12. It's even been shot by an airsoft gun once and still works perfectly. It took me 2 days to find out where the insert, delete and backspace keys had pinged off to though.

 

[antidonkey]

I use a slightly fancy cheap-o keyboard. It has a dedicated section for gaming but I hardly ever use that part anymore. It's been perfectly fine and I've had no issues with it. I keep hearing about how great mechanical keyboards are but I can't bring myself to pay that much for one. The only thing I ask of a keyboard is that it works without sticking and has multimedia controls. Everything beyond that is fluff.

 

[Raikas]

Cheap and functional here.

In my case, "cheap" means "free" - when they upgraded the keyboards at work we were free to take the old ones home, so I did, and I'm still using it 5 years later.

 

[Laughing Man]

Okay time to roll one of the big boys.

Corsair K90

Uses mechanical cherry red switches and is quite frankly one ofd the best keyboards I have ever used. Blue adjustable back lighting, every key press feels and sounds awesome and the keyboard itself looks bad ass as well.

 

[The Lunatic]

Mechanical master race, reporting in.

They're very much more enjoyable to use over rubber-dome keyboards.

Seem a lot more durable too.

 

[omega 616]

I would like a nice small keyboard, you know the ones without a keypad on the right? Thing is my desk isn't wide and those buttons kind of useless ... everything over that side can be found somewhere else on the board.

At the moment I am borrowing some logitech ergonomic thing, since my one threw a bit of a hissy fit. Like I need an ergonomic keyboard, I don't even use all my fingers to type!

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

Most keyboards don't really seem to make a difference. Movement is always using WASD or arrow keys. Don't really need anything fancy for that.
Would I take a gaming keyboard if I had the opportunity? Of course I would. But I'll settle with what I have.

Now mice, that makes a difference for me. If I try playing with a crappy mouse, I'm almost guaranteed to lose. It needs to fit in the palm of my hand perfectly, and have a few extra buttons. Otherwise, I just won't do well.

 

[Weaver]

I always go for mechanical switches. I have a keybaord with Cherry Blues for work (which are loud, but typing on them is really satisfying and the feedback leads to less typos). At home I have Cherry Browns (on a Logitech 710+). They're very quiet, feel nice, and is good for when I record game footage as the typing is (mostly) inaudible.

I've fallen in love with the Browns, I really think they're the switch for me going forward. I really don't like linear switches like Reds and Blacks.

 

[Lord Doomhammer]

Okay time to roll one of the big boys.

Corsair K90

Spoiler

Uses mechanical cherry red switches and is quite frankly one ofd the best keyboards I have ever used. Blue adjustable back lighting, every key press feels and sounds awesome and the keyboard itself looks bad ass as well.

PREACH THE TRUTH BROTHER!
For the glory of the PC gaming master race!

But yeah, I have a Corsair K95 with cherry Reds. Mine is black on black on black, with white lights. Typing this on said keyboard is great. Because when you get rolling on the keys it sounds great and you get that super satisfying *KA-KLACK* when you end your sentence.

I feel like typing more here just because I want the satisfaction of waking away on these keys. Although at night I have the sneaking suspicion that I keep people awake with my typing.

But more to the point about the keyboard, the thing itself is really well made. It has weight to it and really feels like a quality product. They are expensive (for normal people, I got a discount on mine through work), but considering it's something really well made and really nice to use, I think it's worth it. Honestly, I don't think I'll be able to go back to my laptop for typing in the future.