Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2014/08/26/top_ten_gaming_keyboard_and_mouse_combos/

Six of the best gaming keyboard and mouse combos

Fingers on buttons, teams

By Lucy Orr

Posted in Personal Tech, 26th August 2014 08:35 GMT

Product round-up I would like to think my gaming skills make me invincible but if I ever do get pwned it’s always easiest to blame the hardware.

In the case of the keyboards and mice I’m reviewing, it might be difficult to put forward a convincing argument that they are to blame, as they are all developed to make the very best of my gaming talents, but often this comes at a preposterous price.

Successful gaming keyboards and mice should assist fluidity of movement and pack an arsenal of formidable macro tools while ensuring that every keystroke registers. During that four-hour stretch in the dungeon, it’s essential my keyboard can map dozens of macro keys to simplify complicated key combinations down to one keystroke or button press, and at this point I could write a PhD thesis on back-lighting and applets.

Mechanical key switches are the industry standard for gaming keyboards, however, it seems like a lot of money is being spent to prove this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. Non-mechanical feature-rich keyboards such as Steelseries Apex, the Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E.7 and Logitech G19s push the boat out with LCD screens and customisation instead of relying on mechanical keys.

Whether or not you enjoy the clickety clack of a Cherry MX blue, there are four essential categories to assess to make the right choice for your gaming peripherals: customisation, support, special features and aesthetics. I have endeavoured to take all of these into account when assessing the amount of gaming edge you get for your hard earned cash.

Corsair Vengeance K70

RH Numbers

After getting to grips with the whopping size of the Roccat Ryos MK Pro and swapping it out for the Corsair Vengeance K70, there was room for at least an extra two ferrets on my desk.

Corsair seems to have designed the Vengeance with restraint; this blood red glowing keyboard gives me all the basic gaming necessities in an impressively neat but robust package. The device relies on surprisingly flat mechanical keys, and you get the choice of Cherry MX Red Cherry MX Brown and Cherry MX Blue. I opted for the blue for decent resistance and a satisfying clickety clack.

The Vengeance K70’s most useful feature is its replacement of the the W, A, S, D, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 keys with red textured keys with deep depressions in the middle that are obviously created specifically for gaming purposes. That said, the Vengeance K70 is not going to cut it if you're going on a raid three times a week in an MMO. Also, it has no extra keys or software to program it with lovely hunter pet macros or any macros at all in fact. I could be pulling a Leeroy Jenkins given half a chance.

The keys were extremely impressive though. They were quick and responsive in FPS Titanfall and MOBA Heroes of the Storm, and the textured gaming key kept my cider-sweat-slickened digits in place. All in all, Corsair has impressed me with the K70’s simple elegant functionality.

Corsair Vengeance K70 gaming keyboard

Price £130
More info Corsair

Corsair Vengeance M65

The new Corsair Vengeance M65 is a brilliant but heavy claw / fingertip grip mouse. More durable than any Titanfall mech, this is a tank of a mouse. Sturdy build quality and soft texture make it ideal for lengthy gameplay if you are a fan of the claw grip.

Compared with the Vengeance M60, the M65 uses better core switches, a supposedly higher durability scroll wheel, and an unwieldy “blink at you’ll miss it“ 8200DPI Avago sensor. The snipe button was awesome, allowing me to make sensitive precise movements. Vents underneath the body are supposed to reduce any sweaty palm situations and a cool blue beam emits from beneath the wheel like something out of TRON. This is a great mouse but it’s not perfect, certainly the software that reprograms the DPI settings could be more intuitive.

These two updates to Corsair’s Gaming peripherals range may not be visibly different from their predecessors, but I can guarantee there are subtle and impressive changes. They do come at a cost, though.

Corsair Vengeance M65 gaming mouse

Price £58
More info Corsair

Logitech G19s

RH Numbers

For a gamer, one of the joys of mechanical keyboards is their lack of rigidity, but the G19’s membrane made the keys far too stiff for my liking. Typically, Logitech products exude quality but for such a hefty price tag, I expect the kind of flexible feeling from keystrokes that the Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E 7 manages.

The unbelievably huge cord and need for mains power means this keyboard could be quite inconvenient if I want to show it off at a LAN party. Once plugged in though, the LCD screen, internal memory and customisable backlight are bound to impress and provoke envy all round.

Evidently Logitech still has what it takes to astonish. Who would have thought I could monitor my in-game stats and even watch a movie on a keyboard? Easy to use software, six-key rollover, backlighting and multi-media keys make this a top of the range gaming keyboard that just needs more development to truly come close to replicating the feeling of mechanical keys.

Logitech G19s gaming keyboard

Price £179
More info Logitech

Logitech G502

Logitech products last forever and that’s why I’m a diehard fan because it makes them worth the substantial asking price. There may be more innovative and visually exciting options out there, but if I want to be sure I’m not going to have to replace my mouse for the next five years, I find Logitech is a safe bet.

I was surprised how small this mouse was, but due to ridges on the sides it is extremely easy to grip. The G502’s sensor is impressively exact, there's no hardware acceleration across all DPI settings and the braided cable is light, smooth and remarkably flexible. The large scroll wheel feels great and has a dual mode – the middle click is much more defined as are each of the side scroll buttons.

All the other buttons give great tactile feedback and seem to require the perfect amount of pressure to operate. The super simple artisan Logitech Gaming Software configures most aspects of the mouse and DPI/Profile lights automatically turn off unless I am adjusting the settings. Adjustable weights are now accessed from a nifty new magnetic door.

Logitech G502 gaming mouse

Price £69
More info Logitech

Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E 7

RH Numbers

The nifty scorpion background image on the STRIKE 7’s screen makes me come over all Transformers: Age of Extinction. What a beast and definitely the Grimlock of this round-up. The STRIKE 7 was surprisingly easy to set up – even the firmware update only took a second to install. Possibly the greatest strength of any gaming keyboard is the ability to customise. The STRIKE 7 wins hands down at this, as it is completely modular and I have total control over its layout.

There are five hardware components: the main keyboard, an LCD touchscreen, a number pad, a function strip with programmable keys and various palm and wrist supports. The components look and feel very spaced out but this doesn’t stop the STRIKE 7 being easy to use and sufficiently sturdy and ergonomic. The touchscreen interface is extremely handy – not just for gaming but for changing music, controlling volume levels and opening applications very quickly.

This being a non-mechanical keyboard, I was impressed by the fact that Mad Catz appears to have managed the near-impossible by making a membrane layer that's astoundingly thin but imposingly robust and still somehow gives the keys a close to mechanical feel. It also comes with a unique screwdriver for the keyboard and a key removal tool, a nice little extra feature for OCD key-cleaning types. Extra macro keys are a big bonus for those who like to program commands to a single button.

This isn’t a cheap keyboard but out of all the keyboards reviewed using the S.T.R.I.K.E 7, it seemed most obvious where my money was going and this keyboard made itself a permanent home on my desk. All hail the rubber dome!

Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E 7 gaming keyboard

Price £249.99
More info Mad Catz

Mad Catz R.A.T TE

So my faithful R.A.T. 7 has gone a bit grey round the edges from my grubby paws and looking for a replacement I am reminded how much of a sucker I am for Mad Catz's unique aesthetic. The R.A.T. TE, the latest progeny of the RAT series, comes sporting lightweight material construction and an 8200 DPI laser sensor, and what a whippersnapper it is.

The R.A.T. TE is very lightweight compared to the Logitech G502 and its hollow ergonomic design is perfect for claw grip gaming. This is also complemented by its low height and boxy shape. I’m still not used to the lack of palm support when using my R.A.T. 7, but I do enjoy the relative freedom it gives my fingers.

The thumb buttons are particularly useful for macro customisation and paired with the intuitive A.P.P. mouse customisation software interface, it’s a cinch to modify settings. If you’re a fan of Mad Catz, the unique blue and black identity for the R.A.T. TE and its relatively sensible pricing makes this new edition a must-have.

Mad Catz R.A.T TE gaming mouse

Price £89.99
More info Mad Catz

Razer Black Widow Ultimate Stealth

RH Numbers

In this Black Widow update, the stealth in the title refers to Razer’s decision to replace Cherry MX Blue “clicky” key switches with the lighter and quieter Cherry MX Brown key switches to reduce the clatter of the keys, but unfortunately this seems to have made them slightly more resistant and stiffer as a trade-off.

Still, if you’re a Razer fan and you don’t mind sounding like someone playing StarCraft on crystal meth, then save yourself the cash and opt for the slightly cheaper Razer Black Widow, which is a decent mechanical gaming keyboard.

The new improved matte finish stops any jammy fingerprint issues and individual backlit keys are a nod to Razer’s commitment to functionality – they also complement the cray cray futuristic design. The addition of five customisable keys with on-the-fly macro editing to assign a string of commands to one key, gold-plated connectors and luxury braided cables make this a contender in the high end gaming keyboard field. For some Razer owners, though, buying into Stealth mode may well prove an unnecessary upgrade.

Razer Black Widow Ultimate Stealth gaming keyboard

Price £125
More info Razer

Razer Ouroboros

Razer’s tagline for the Ouroboros is “Hold infinity in your hand”, and as you can imagine that’s quite uncomfortable. Six hours on the technical Alpha of Warlords of Dreanor has left me with hand cramp and that’s something I would never get from a Logitech G502. This is probably to do with the gap in the palm rest.

That said, the Razer Ouroboros looks like some kind of Batmobile and has exceptional customisation features. Two tiny screws allow me to adjust the length of the mouse and the height of the palm rest as well as swap out various finger pads. An impressive DPI range that reaches dizzy resolution of 8200 is adjustable on the fly, which is great for FPS gaming.

There are also 12 programmable buttons that were super useful for grappling and jumping in The Amazing Spiderman 2. So don’t get me wrong, this is an impressive ambidextrous mouse that performs with outstanding precision and accuracy, but it’s not my mouse of choice for comfort reasons and price.

Razer Ouroboros gaming mouse

Price £130
More info Razer

Roccat Ryos MK Pro

RH Numbers

Managing to develop a mechanical keyboard that is comfortable and has enough customisation for the most discerning of gamers is no small feat. Roccat’s first venture into mechanical keyboards functions flawlessly and with four key switch styles available and individually back lit keys, it manages to be flexible enough to almost but not completely justify the lofty price.

A healthy blue glow gives the Ryos a Sci-Fi aesthetic, as does the big and hefty and slightly boxy Volvo-like casing, but it comes across as sturdy rather than nasty. Just like the Razer Black Widow stealth, the MX Brown switches feel great and have me skeptical about the historical superiority of MX Black keys for gaming keyboards. My only quibble was being unable to configure on the fly, instead having to implement configuration functions from the setup utility.

EasyShift[+] and ROCCAT Talk are nice additions and integrated USB and Audio ports mean connecting my other peripherals is a cinch. I’m impressed by Roccat's commitment to developing and innovating gaming peripherals and have to admit I can’t wait to have a play with the keyboard/mouse pad combo that is the Roccat Sova.

Roccat Ryos MK Pro gaming keyboard

Price £150
More info Roccat

Roccat Kone XTD

So the Tyon wasn’t available for me to review at time of writing, which is a shame because it looks like an awesome mouse. Still, the Roccat Kone XTD with an 8200 DPI laser sensor has enough customisation on board to keep me busy in the meantime.

Becoming accustomed to the layout and using the Easy-Shift[+] button and software takes some commitment, but all the programming and fiddling is ultimately worth the edge it gives me. The soft plastic coating that gives it an awesome texture and super comfy full hand support is embedded with a striking array of multicolour LEDS that change with whichever profile is active.

It’s good stuff but bear in mind this mouse is for right-handers only, with no south paw support. For the hefty price tag there’s also space for four five gram weights in the undercarriage this is a solid gaming mouse but just like the Razer Blackwidow Stealth keyboard, it’s a questionable upgrade.

Roccat Kone XTD gaming mouse

Price £60
More info Roccat

SteelSeries Apex

RH Numbers

SteelSeries has a subtle but impressive design style and the non-mechanical Apex looks very alluring with its super bling strip lighting around its exterior. There are 20 programmable keys for skills and utilities and valuable raised dots on the W key, which are particularly are very convenient as they prevent my finger from straying during a 3am session.

It’s a super quick and very responsive keyboard. The keys feel secure and well made and the key colour isn’t purely for decorative purposes either. The keys are split into five independent zones and each zone’s colouring can be configured using the Apex software.

This enormous keyboard has a monster space bar to suit gaming that works out quite well, as do the additional arrow keys (and strangely diagonal keys), helpfully included. At half the price of most of the keyboards reviewed, I’m definitely impressed.

SteelSeries Apex gaming keyboard

Price £80
More info Steelseries

SteelSeries Sensei Wireless

I really like this wireless ambidextrous symmetrical mouse but when folks moan and groan about laying down £70 for the all important rodent, I have to take stock and ponder whether the Sensei can justify being over twice that price tag. Having an LCD screen on the base to access saved profiles is impressive, as is the notable polling rate of 1000Hz which helps to reduce input lag – but it's not £150 impressive. Also, the inability to adjust the shape or weight of this wireless symmetrical mouse raises questions too.

That said, it is astonishingly comfortable and beautifully designed. This mouse glides across any surface and during my tests put in a battery life of around 17 hours before a recharge, although the maker claims 20 hours – close enough.

The software displays a lot of information but manages to be clear and concise with actions of the buttons and choice of colours along with a host of other settings. If you’re keen on customisation, the following should keep you busy: CPI programming, battery saver settings, sleep timer, acceleration and deceleration sensitivity, lift distance, angle snapping and, finally, the polling rate.

The solid charging dock weighs a ton and acts as the wireless receiver. This combination seems like it could have been better thought out, as it makes the unit as whole quite hard to lug about. A strangely compelling gaming mouse but ludicrous in price and portability. ®

SteelSeries Sensei Wireless gaming mouse

Price £150
More info SteelSeries