Gaming Keyboards

Have you seen those huge colorfully lighted keyboards that go with gaming computers?

Why are they designed this way? Do they really improve gaming performance?

What's the difference between a gaming keyboard vs a regular keyboard?

Let's find out.

Gaming Keyboard vs Normal Keyboard

Here's a list of what gaming keyboards have that standard keyboards don't.

LED lights with changing colors
Sometimes a display screen
Extra keys above the F keys
They feel lighter to press
Anti-ghosting
N-key rollover (NKRO)

Is anti-ghosting the same as NKRO?

A note about N-key Rollover. With a USB connector, the most keys you can press simultaneously is six. With a PS/2 connector, there is no limitation.

Mechanical Keyboard vs Tactile Keyboard vs Membrane Keyboard for gaming

Membrane Keyboard

Pros: Cheap, easily available in computer stores, sufficient for general usage
Cons: Flimsy, reduces productivity, takes a lot more force for one keypress because it feels mushy, soft and pulpy.
Consist of three layers of plastic membranes under the keys. When the top and bottom layers connect, they close an electrical circuit that causes the keyboard to send information to the computer. The middle membrane keeps the two layers separate, but it has holes where the various keys are positioned. When you press a key all the way down, you push a dome-shaped piece of rubber or silicone through the holes in the middle membrane to connect the top and bottom membranes, creating the circuit that causes the keyboard to send the corresponding input.
Also what we call the normal/regular/standard keyboard

Mechanical Keyboard

Pros: Excellent typing and keypress, with tactile feel and feedback, improves efficiency in gaming and office typing, takes less force for a keypress, customizable keycaps, heavy duty, made for lifetime usage
Cons: Pricey, average US$120, sold in specialty computer shops
Considered as top-notch high-end keyboards of keyboards.
Uses a physical switch under each key to determine when a key has been pressed. Press the key, and you press the switch down which sends a signal to the computer telling it that the key is pressed.
Makes clicking noises for better feedback that you have pressed the key
Favorite type of keyboard among gamers
Also, this is how keyboards were made in the old days but with the keycap stuck to the keyswitch

A good mechanical keyboard for gamers encourages you to press the key all the way down to keep you from accidentally pressing the wrong key.

Tactile Keyboard

Pros: Similar feel to a mechanical keyboard, a balance between quality and price, average US$50, a mix between mechanical and membrane keyboard, improves efficiency in typing, sounds similar to a mechanical keyboard, heavy duty built, customizable keycaps
It is not a mechanical keyboard but has a rubber surface under the keycaps.

Chiclet Keyboard? It's a membrane keyboard with flat keycaps usually found in laptops.

NOTE! Having a mechanical keyboard does not make one a better gamer.

Types of Keyswitches

Most keyboard switches come from ZF Electronics (formerly Cherry Corporation).

They make what's called the Cherry MX keyswitch.

Different switches have different feedback (feel and hear).

Each type is identified with a color code.

The choice is all up to the individual gamer preference.

Cherry MX Blue: When pressed, you will feel a bump and hear a high pitch clicking sound. Gives a lighter feel. Great for intensive typing. The loud clicking noise may annoy other people though.

Cherry MX Brown: You can feel the bump but cannot hear the click unless it's pushed all the way down. Again it gives a lighter feel and is great for typing. It won't annoy other people.

Cherry MX Black: No bump. No sound. Feels the same all the way down (also known as linear). Requires more force than the blue and the brown. Common among high-end PC gamers.

Cherry MX Red: A lighter variation of Black with less resistance when pressing a key.

Note: If you wory about disturbing nearby colleagues or sleeping children, you may want to get the quieter keyboard.

It's all about the force - Actuation Force

Actuation force is how hard you have to press the key for it to be recognized.

Does the LED RGB lighting help?

Gaming keyboards support LED RGB lighting where you can customize every button's color. Customizing every button's color helps the player because they can highlight the buttons they need to press while they are on a gaming session.

Brands

Logitech
Razor
Corsair K55 RGB

More about gaming keyboards

What's the point of a gaming keyboard?
Are Gaming Keyboards good for typing?
How to use a gaming keyboard?
Best Cheap Budget
How about Gaming Keyboard and Mouse Combo?

Next post topic: Gaming Mouse

What is the difference between a gaming mouse and a regular mouse?

Video review coming soon:

Show switch under keycaps
Show clicking sounds
Show light patterns

Are you a Gamer or Pro Gamer or Hard Core Gamer?

Which is the best gaming keyboard for you?

It's all about personal preference, try before you buy.

Thanks for peeking at my personal journal

Adrian Lee
https://adriansjournal.blogspot.com

Definitions:

MMORPGs - Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are a combination of role-playing video games and massively multiplayer online games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual world.
Keycap - A keycap is a small plastic cover placed over the keyswitch of a computer keyboard.
Keyswitch - A keyswitch is a type of small switch used for keys on keyboards.
Tactile - A sense of touch. If something is tactile, it has a surface that is pleasant or attractive to touch.
N-key Rollover (NKRO) - N-key rollover indicates the number of keys that can be pressed down at once, while still being registered by the computer (6-key rollover, for example, can register 6 keys at once).
Anti-ghosting - Anti-ghosting allows you to press a lot of keys simultaneously. A regular keyboard usually allows you to press down a maximum of three keys at the same moment. One more key and the computer will beep like an error occurred
Bottoming out - Bottoming out is pushing a key all the way down.

Sources:

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