NKRO: Pressing the limits of human-to-computer interaction
When you think about the primary interface between a human and a computer, a keyboard is probably the first thing that comes to mind. A mouse, game controller, or speech recognition can help with plenty of tasks but nothing matches the accuracy of a keyboard for recording your thoughts into a computer. Elon Musk’s Neuralink appears set to create a functional brain-to-computer interface but, to put it mildly, the implications of surgical probe insertion limit the potential audience considerably. Since that shortcut is out of consideration for most of us and stenography is limited in scope, the better option is to improve the efficiency of the keyboard designs we already have, which is where n-key rollover comes into play.
Simply put, n-key rollover (or NKRO) is the term used to describe how many keys can be pressed simultaneously. The “n” used in the term is a mathematical symbol used to define “natural numbers”, which are positive integers from 1 to infinity. If you have a 6-key rollover keyboard, you can press 6 keys at the same time, if you have a full n-key rollover keyboard, you can press all of the keys at the same time. Mechanical keyboards are famous for having n-key rollover, vs membrane keyboards which don’t due to limitations in the way they are manufactured. Das Keyboard has always sold keyboards with NKRO which is part of their popularity with typists and gamers.
How many fingers am I holding (down)?
Every normal keyboard method involves pressing and releasing a button, but there are a wide variety of ways that can happen. If you think of your common mobile phone soft keyboard on a capacitive touchscreen display, you’re likely using two thumbs to press and release one letter or function at a time. If you’re quick you might find that your left thumb is coming off of pressing one letter while your right thumb has already started pressing the next. This is the simplest example of a common situation every keyboard needs to contend with – humans often press more than one key at once even in non-gaming contexts.
Your phone will probably max out at two simultaneous presses given you’re likely using your thumbs, but with 10 fingers on a full keyboard things get a lot more interesting… and a lot more broken.
On a typical keyboard, various shortcuts are used to cut down manufacturing costs. One of these cost-cutting measures involves using a matrix technique also found on pinball machines where the switches for each key are connected with a grid of intersecting wires logically arranged in rows and columns. In this design, the matrix controller constantly “scans” the columns of wires for any presses, then when one is detected scans the rows and identifies where that row and column intersect to map which key has been pressed. One limitation of this technique is that pressing multiple keys can result in ghosting or phantom presses. Simultaneously pressing the letters “the” might cause an unexpected j to be received as well, which is undesirable. To combat the issue while still keeping costs down, keyboard manufacturers add diodes and additional matrix circuitry to prevent ghosting by jamming any further input from being registered, typically after three keys are pressed simultaneously.
The result is your typical keyboard is only moderately better than your thumbs, although you’re likely to notice it less due to the preferential treatment is given to commonly held down keys such as Ctrl and Shift.
How many fingers do I really need to be holding down right now?
You might be asking why any of this matters, and in reality, it often won’t. In normal typing circumstances it might not be noticeable; if you’re a fast typist hitting a burst and a keypress is dropped due to jamming you might assume that you made a typo. There are also some contexts where you really do need to hold down unusual button combinations simultaneously. Some are niche needs, such as braille input that might require up to 6 keys at once. Others are gaming-focused and come up more often for southpaws such as myself that don’t use WASD controls. With that said, the best example I can come up with is the world of Tool-Assisted Speedrun creation.
What is Tool-Assisted Speedrun creation?
A speedrun is a human completing a video game as fast as possible.
A Tool-Assisted Speedrun, or TAS, is a speedrun without human limitations. As you’ll see below, making a TAS is a keyboard-heavy process where the need for NKRO becomes apparent.
Running right for great justice is harder if you can’t jump
Video game console emulators often map Up, Down, Left, and Right to WASD but the other buttons are often less defined. Perhaps you plan to make room for a friend on the right and set the A and B buttons to the C and V keys. You’ll quickly discover this arrangement has a problem – on many keyboards, you can move Mario right (the D key), and you can make him run (the C key), but the moment you try to jump over the first Goomba (the V key) you’ll discover your keyboard has decided to ignore you. You’re probably going to die and might decide not to run right for great justice after all.
You can remap keys to work around most jamming problems, but things are going to get a lot harder when you try to do a two-player game or if you need more simultaneous button presses for more glitchy reasons such as making a TAS.
If you put a video game in an emulator, you can control every aspect of the game and console. You can create a savestate and restore it later, or you can create a movie file of every button press in order so you can rewatch your progress. Taking it a step further, you can map a key to pause the game and advance one frame at a time every time you tap it, resulting in an interesting phenomenon best described as chorded keyboarding.
Chords on a keyboard, but not the musical kind
A stenotype or chorded keyboard typically uses combinations of keys held down simultaneously to create characters or words depending on the design. Many designs work by holding down a series of keys and releasing them all to produce a result. In creating a TAS you’re using a similar process that involves pressing the frame advance key. Let’s assume the game is paused and you’re preparing to have Mario run and jump over the first Goomba which means you’ll need to hold down three keys simultaneously for right, run, and jump.
While holding those three keys down you’ll tap and release the key you’ve mapped to frame advance after which you’ll see the result.
You can keep tapping frame advance while adjusting whether you’re holding right or continuing to jump until you’re satisfied and make a savestate or go back with a load state and try again. The result is a kind of keyboard dance where you’re alternating between chords of keys, tapping the game forward one frame at a time. With careful mapping, you can successfully create a TAS on a normal keyboard, but some glitches require holding down a lot of keys at once. Sooner or later you’re going to encounter a situation you can’t remap your way out of without NKRO.
Ask yourself if NKRO is for you
Fortunately, you’ll be able to tell fairly quickly if NKRO will matter to you without having to consult an expert (or a doctor, for that matter). Want to play a two-player fighting game on a single keyboard? No problem. You’re an exceptionally fast typist that notices high bursts sometimes lose button presses? Fixed.
You’re extremely efficient at typing important budget numbers into a spreadsheet and you can’t risk being off a digit due to lost input? NKRO has you covered. Most people looking to pick up a new keyboard are likely to be more concerned with physical form, but it’s worth considering if it has NKRO support.
* This guest post has been provided by Allan Cecil, better known as dwangoAC, keeper of TASBot. He is President of the North Bay Linux Users’ Group, a senior staff member of TASVideos.org, and a mechanical keyboard enthusiast.
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keyboard — Is there a reason to disable N-Key Rollover?
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Reading over the features of a Das Keyboard, I see the following:
Gamers and fast typists will love to hear that Das Keyboard 4 supports
full n-key rollover (NKRO) over USB.No need to use a PS2 adapter
anymore. Just press shift + mute to toggle NKRO.
Why does the keyboard have the ability to toggle NKRO? Is there any reason why you would not want NKRO?
- keyboard
The reason appears to be for older motherboard support.
I contacted Das Keyboard, and this was the response they gave:
Thanks for taking the time to contact us.
The reason for NKRO toggling is because some older motherboards don’t «understand»
or «get» NKRO over USB. It’s a bit more complicated than that, but
that’s the simplest way to put it — so that users with older
motherboards can use the keyboard over USB without issues. Of course,
they could use a PS/2 adapter to achieve NKRO, but since the world is
all about USB nowadays, not everyone would have access to a PS/2 port
on their machine.
Aside from old motherboards, most KVM switches won’t work with NKRO keyboards.
There’s a long discussion at https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=37567.0 about the technical reasons why NKRO sometimes causes problems. The TLDR of this discussion is:
- NKRO is most likely to cause problems with BIOSes and KVM switches. These problems are caused by cost-cutting measures rather than being inherent to NKRO.
- 6KRO is fine for any ordinary use, including most gaming.
The most illuminating comment in that discussion thread is the following:
The USB standards don’t say anything specific at all about keyboards
or mice etc., in any version.It’s the HID standard that does. The 6-key plus modifiers report
structure was only really intended to make life easy for BIOS (so they
didn’t have to parse report descriptors), but became a de-facto
‘standard’ for keyboards regardless. However, the HID standard allows
for all sorts of different reports, and all major OS support it fully,
so there’s no need for extra drivers.
The other limitation is that a low-speed USB data packet can only be a
maximum of 8 bytes. A report can be larger, but that starts taking a
significant amount of time to send. The USB standard only allows a
low-speed device to send one packet every 10ms (per endpoint). OS
typically nudges that up to 8ms, i.e. 125Hz (without hacks). Taking up
to 16ms to get a keypress to the host would be crap! So we’ve had a
phase of makers trying to get more out of low-speed chips than they
can really handle, with tricks like multiple endpoints etc. 🙁Full-speed USB frees up those limitations. Each packet can be 64
bytes, and can be sent every 1ms (again, per endpoint). This allows
the HID standard to be used to its full effect.Finally, NKRO isn’t done just for the sake of it. Doing full NKRO
requires only one bit per key, rather than one byte, and doesn’t have
to treat modifiers as a special case. So a keyboard can send e.g. 104
keys in a mere 13 bytes — using the other scheme 13 bytes would only
manage 11KRO (11 keys + modifiers + one reserved byte).Sure, that’s
still plenty of keys, but it’s far less elegant a method (and still
‘not-6KRO’, so could still be incompatible with dumb hosts).
NKRO prevents ubuntu working with «linux» key modifiers correctly too in some cases. (not all, but some)
So the ability to toggle is invaluable for daily drivers of linux.
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Overview and analysis of the Das Keyboard 4 Professional Clicky keyboard / Sudo Null IT News
I want to share with you my impressions of testing the Das Keyboard 4 Professional Clicky mechanical keyboard.
I will say right away that the keyboard showed itself from very different angles. On the one hand, the materials used, the look and the details speak of a high quality product. On the other hand, their implementation hints at the internal problems of the organization and tightening the screws in the budgets. The keyboard did not live up to my expectations.
Packaging and contents
It all started with the fact that the courier handed me a huge (in relation to the keyboard) cardboard box measuring 60x40x20 centimeters. Inside was a small white and blue cardboard keyboard box, wrapped in bubble wrap to protect it during shipping.
The keyboard itself was inside a cushioning polyethylene film, in the form of a kind of cover. The laid cable was brought out into a separate compartment. There was also a stand designed to raise the keyboard, which, in combination, is — what would you think? Ruler! There is also a brief instruction manual included.
I would even say very short.
Housing
When I removed the keyboard, it seemed very cold to me, even though it was only -5°C outside. Based on this, I assumed that the keyboard is all made of metal, but until I took it apart, there were still doubts. Part of my guess was correct: the top cover of the keyboard is made of aluminum, the top of which appears to have been sandblasted and then anodized. The solution is very practical: the surface has become matte and rough to the touch, it will not leave prints and dust will not be noticeable. Now the coating is more like plastic than metal, but it is more durable. If small abrasions appear on it during operation, they will not be so noticeable. It remains a mystery why the manufacturer did not treat all sides of the upper metal panel in this way.
Also glued to the top of the case is a not-so-soft pad, which is placed above and below the entire row of function (F#) keys and in the area between the navigation keys.
It serves to ensure that the metal does not bend if someone presses from above, because it is quite thin. If you remove all the keys, you will see the voids between the key blocks. Together with the lack of walls around these blocks, this will allow dirt to freely enter the keyboard case.
The lower part of the case is made of plastic: it is rougher on the bottom and smooth on the sides. But it is on the sides that all kinds of scratches will be most noticeable. In theory, of course, this part should be protected by the metal edge of the upper part of the case, but I still do not understand what was the problem in making this part as rough?
A stand/ruler is attached to the bottom of the case with two round small magnets. This method of fastening seems doubtful to me for three reasons:
- The magnets do not attract the ruler tightly enough and from the edges it seems to move away from the case.
- Due to the fact that the first pair of magnets is on the ruler, and the second pair is on the inside of the bottom of the case, scuffs form at the points of contact between the magnets.
- And the very fact of the presence of magnets next to the electronics causes me concern.
The magnets in this part of the body are glued very carelessly, and you can see the remains of glue on them
Ruler base
The ruler itself is made of plastic: its outer part is rough and more or less pleasant to the touch, but the inside looks quite rough and unfinished. Circles familiar to us with burrs stick out on it, which remain from the mold in which this part was cast. I sincerely do not understand why the manufacturer is so proud of this line, but did not bother to bring it into proper form. The ruler also has magnets that are glued into the corresponding grooves, and again unevenly.
The markings on the ruler are made in two versions: the upper one is in inches, the lower one is in centimeters. Numerical values and their risks can hardly be seen — they are only slightly convex and still the same red color. It will also be difficult to use the ruler because, by turning it upside down, all the numbers will be turned upside down. In addition to this, the lower part of the ruler is not processed, and, accordingly, the sides with which they will draw have burrs. As the manufacturer mentioned on their website: “ Footbar to raise keyboard also functions as a ruler (you’ll thank us later). ” Well, thank you…
The rubber bands on the bottom of the case are made from a very soft grade of rubber. To the touch, they seem to me not only soft, but I would even say gentle. This means that reliable contact with the table can be expected even on very smooth surfaces. The lower elastic bands are standard rectangular, small in size, but the upper ones are of a bizarre shape.
They seem to take the ruler / stand in brackets so that it does not hang out. But on the line itself there are no rubber inserts, which over time will affect not only its appearance, but also the stability of the keyboard itself.
Internal construction / assembly
The bottom of the case is attached to the top with 13 black hex screws. In this version, they are not covered by anything, so it would seem that cleaning the keyboard is not difficult. But that was not the case — pay attention to the location of the thin cable:
It will not allow you to move the upper part of the case so easily — you will have to unscrew all the screws holding the board, which does not release the cable.
Under the cover there are two boards connected by a thin cable: a printed circuit board for mounting switches and a board with control elements.
The switch board has a painted metal mounting plate on top of the PCB.
The entire board, together with the plate, is attached to the bottom of the case using 9 black Phillips screws. Under one of the screws passes the aforementioned short wiring with a washer from another board with all the control elements. Obviously, this is done for the purpose of grounding.
Switches and stabilizers
The switches in this version of the keyboard are Cherry MX Blue. In all slots, they are fixed with diodes down, and there is not a single indicator for LOCK keys on them, since they are located on the control board. Costar stabilizers are used on all large keys, except for the SPACE key, which has Cherry-like stabilizers. This surprised me a little: usually manufacturers make the same grooves on a metal plate for adherents of a certain type of stabilizers. To the delight of Costar fans, it is possible to replace Cherry-like stabilizers. But lovers of Cherry-like stabilizers will not be happy that in all places where Costars are located, it is impossible to insert another type of stabilizers.
And again, a reasonable question arises, why the manufacturer, who has worked for so many years in this industry, could not take care of his customers? What prevented you from making grooves for both types of stabilizers, as enthusiasts do for their keyboards? It’s not that difficult after all. Riddles, riddles…
Main PCB
The circuit board on which the switches are located is single sided with a standard green solder mask on the underside and brown unmasked on the metal plate side. The board is homogeneous, delamination can be seen at the edges, but I did not notice anything similar to fabric. This means that the board is made of anything, but definitely not of textolite. I’m afraid to assume that this is a getinax, because in this case the keyboard becomes very fragile and a fall from even a small height can cause irreparable damage. The switches do not have a single identification mark on the underside (there are some marks on the side of the metal mounting plate).
But in previous versions, the manufacturer was not too lazy to do this. Moreover, all electronic components are under a metal plate, which is why it will not be possible to make minor repairs on your own without completely disassembling the entire keyboard. For this reason, keyboard repair becomes catastrophically costly both in terms of repair time and finances. After all, if the user does not have soldering skills, he will give it to someone who has, and in this case, Time = Money. What did not allow the manufacturer to think about users this time remains a mystery.
Control board
On a small board are all the controls. It connects to the keyboard board using a thin cable (you could see similar ones in laptops or phones). Of course, modularity is very good, but why was it necessary to solder the cable and where to find it in case of a breakdown? By the way, the reviewed keyboard just had a factory defect in this cable — 2 tracks broke, and therefore the ESC, TAB, ~, 1, Q, A, Z keys stopped working.
In previous versions of Das Keyboard, this cable was used:
It was easy to find and replace, and the control board could be safely disconnected / connected without the danger of bending the wires. Now bending the cable is not difficult due to the fact that this panel is attached to the top cover of the case with 3 gray cross-head screws, and the cable is located in the case almost bent in half.
Between the board and the top cover is a small plastic part with multimedia keys.
The board has two USB 3.0 Type A connectors for connecting peripherals and one USB 3.0 Type B connector for connecting a keyboard cable. The LED indicators use three bright blue LEDs, but they shine through very small holes in the metal part of the case. This is absolutely not annoying, except that there will be blue stains on the ceiling at night.
On the same board there are 5 tactile switches (tactile switch) responsible for turning on the sleep mode, turning the sound on / off, pause, switching tracks forward and backward.
There is also a volume control wheel, which deserves special attention. It makes quiet but distinct clicks and has tactile feedback. It is very pleasant and convenient to use it, but there are several interesting points. First, it does not spin very smoothly relative to the center. And secondly, for a mysterious reason, this wheel lacks the ribs that are present in the images from the official site. Take a look:
I remember a similar solution for volume control in a fairly cheap membrane keyboard. There I liked that the sound can be turned off by pressing from above directly on the wheel itself. Obviously, in this case, such an undertaking was abandoned for the sake of greater reliability, because the wheel is located on the edge of the board and, if you press on it from above, you can damage something. Unfortunately, this roller cannot be used for other tasks (like a mouse wheel, for example).
Thus, they completely abandoned various keyboard shortcuts and brought everything to a separate panel.
This is very convenient: you don’t have to terribly twist your fingers, trying to press one or another key combination, and also remember these same key combinations.
Cable
The cable at the keyboard turned out to be thick and not very soft. It looks more like a power cable than a USB cable. However, this is a standard thickness for a USB 3.0 cable, especially since there are two USB 3.0 connectors at once. Inside, the cable is connected to the control board using micro USB 3.0 Type B. Then it is routed to the hole in the bottom of the case, where it is inserted into a special groove for fixing a hard protective tip. After that, about 2 meters of cable remain. This should be enough to make it reach a far-standing computer.
The cable exits from the center of the keyboard and has a protective lug that is hard enough to prevent the cable from being kinked. Plus, in the form of protection, there is a part of the case sticking out on the right side with the inscription Das Keyboard.
Buried into the wall, she will be able to withstand a certain distance so that the cable can go in one direction and not bend over. But the manufacturer did not think about a more convenient cable outlet: such a thick cable is difficult to bend, and its laying under the keyboard will increase its height, which will not allow the manufacturer to be proud that their keyboard is the thinnest among mechanical ones …
Keys
The keys are made of dark gray ABS plastic. The surface is matte, it does not leave fingerprints, and it only slightly reflects light. I was struck by how uneven the row of QWERTY keys is: the first half is simply rotated a few degrees. I could not expect this from a well-known brand. The problem is in the keys, since the switches themselves are soldered evenly. On the back of the keys, you can see burrs and chips at the point of separation from the mold. On the inner surface you can see the markings of the number and size.
The keys are securely held by the cross of the switch — they will not fall out even with strong and fast clatters. The sound during printing is quite loud and sonorous. I would even say strumming. Obviously, this is due to the abundance of metal and the lack of sound-absorbing and vibration-absorbing surfaces between the keyboard board and the bottom case cover. By the way, there is a trend among manufacturers of mechanical keyboards to install such surfaces. But why Das Keyboard is not ahead of the rest this time, as always, is a mystery.
The inscriptions on the keys are printed in white and in a rather thin font. The type of application is similar to laser foaming. I can’t say exactly. If this is the case, they will be fairly easy to get dirty over time. There is no Cyrillic alphabet in the provided copy, and Latin characters are located in the upper left corner. It looks strange that on some number keys the characters are located in the center. To be precise, then on 1, 5, 8, 9, 0, — and =.
On the Russian layout, there are just no symbols. Personally, it seems to me that such a position of theirs will stand out from the general view, but, as they say, the taste and color …
N-Key Rollover
When a keyboard is connected, the “Full N-Key Rollover” mode is disabled, which means that you can only hold down 6 keys + a few modifiers. You can enable the mode by pressing the SHIFT + MUTE key combination. Indicators at this moment blink three single times. And you can turn off the mode with the same key combination, only the indicators blink three times. “Full N-Key Rollover” works great with both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 connections. But when you turn it off, the keyboard does not remember which mode was last used, and you have to turn it on yourself, which again is not encouraging.
Trip delays
When measuring the minimum delays between pressing and releasing a key, we managed to fix a difference of 10 ms.
The vast majority of values were 11ms regardless of USB version or N-Key Rollover mode. But when checking the delay on the volume wheel, we managed to repeatedly fix values \u200b\u200bof 1 ms, although the most common value was 8 ms. This may indicate that the keyboard has a fairly fast controller, and rather high values on the switches are associated only with the design of the Cherry MX Blue switches themselves. The fact is that the mechanisms that are responsible for tactile sensations are subject to the phenomenon of inertia in the forward stroke of the key and the resistance force in the reverse stroke. Because of this, they need more time to return to their original position. See for yourself:
If this keyboard had linear switches, it might be possible to get lower values. But the company is not releasing the latest version of keyboards with Cherry MX Black or MX Red linear switches.
Output
The keyboard turned out to be extremely mysterious, but this does not speak in its favor at all — the manufacturer paid too little attention to the interests of users.
During the review, I managed to find silly, and sometimes even ridiculous problems. Also, it was not possible to find anything new and really worthy of attention. And this despite the fact that the company itself repeatedly mentions the following theses on its website:
- “An Experience Like No Other…”
- “From the initial idea to every fine detail when crafting this machine…”
Well, except that the rubber legs they turned out to be just excellent. I wish all keyboard manufacturers to have such soft and delicate legs!
In conclusion, I would like to note that lovers of mechanical keyboards are a special people. They are accustomed to receiving a quality product that is not just a keyboard, but a well-thought-out tool for work and creativity. It should not only be reliable, but also strive for perfection in every detail, whether it be circuitry or aesthetic aspects. This is what the user expects to get for their money, and, in my opinion, Das Keyboard did not cope with this task.
PS: I would like to thank Roman Guliev, Nikita Golubov, as well as fake and .lex for their help in writing this review.
Best Mechanical Keyboards for Windows 10 PC [2020 Guide]
Your keyboard is one of the most important input devices you use every day. Standard keyboards use dome switching technology to register keystrokes, and certain keys may stop working over time.
If you’re looking for a more robust solution that provides tactile and auditory feedback with every keystroke, you might consider purchasing a mechanical keyboard. There are many high quality mechanical keyboards on the market and today we will help you choose the best mechanical keyboard for your Windows 10 PC.
Corsair K95 RGB
This keyboard features Cherry MX Red key switches for linear key response and wide actuation. There is no audible click on the keys, so they do not make any noise. The keyboard is made from aircraft grade black anodized polished aluminum and looks amazing.
In addition to its great design, the Corsair K95 RGB is also lightweight and durable.
The keyboard has 18 G-keys and you can assign up to 108 macros. It should also be noted that this keyboard is 100% anti-ghosting, so every key you press will be registered. The keyboard comes with a soft-touch wrist rest, but you can remove it if you want. If you want to assign additional macros, you can assign them to any key on your keyboard thanks to the included software. The keyboard also comes with a Panasonic display controller so you can easily control the lighting. Corsair K95 RGB also has built-in memory and you can save your settings and use them on another keyboard if you like. Like many other keyboards, this one comes with multimedia controls so you can easily control playback.
Corsair K95 RGB comes with CUE software that allows you to assign a unique backlight color to individual keys. You can change the backlight of any key on the keyboard and save multiple backlight color profiles.
If you want, you can set the color to auto cycle, and you can even select a color cycle for individual keys. You can also adjust the speed, direction, and duration of the color cycle. The keyboard also supports reactive typing and you can customize the color every time you press a specific key.
- READ ALSO: Fix: Windows 10 Mouse and Keyboard Issues KB3201845
The keyboard comes with a 32-bit ARM processor, a Panasonic display controller, and USB data rates up to 1000Hz. The keyboard also has 8ms, 4ms, 2ms, 1ms selectable mode and BIOS mode. The Corsair K95 RGB is a gaming keyboard that offers amazing design and amazing levels of customization.
Das Keyboard 4 Professional
Das Keyboard 4 Professional comes with an elegant design and is available in two models. Both models offer the same features and the only difference is the type of switches. Depending on your preference, you can choose between Cherry MX Brown or Cherry MX Blue switches. In addition, the key switches come with gold contacts, which increases the life of the switches.
The keyboard comes with a large volume knob so you can easily adjust the volume at any time. In addition, the keyboard also has playback controls right next to it. There is also a dedicated «sleep» button so you can put your computer to sleep with a single button. Another interesting feature of this keyboard is the USB 3.0 hub. The keyboard has two USB 3.0 ports, so you can connect any storage device for fast file transfers.
Das Keyboard 4 Professional supports the N-Key Switching feature and this feature works fully with computers running Windows, Linux or Mac OS X. Unlike conventional keyboards, this one comes with a modern and sleek font for your keys. The keyboard also comes with a magnetically removable footrest that elevates the keyboard to an optimal 4 degrees. Das Keyboard 4 Professional comes with a 6.5 foot long cable so you can easily connect it to your computer.
In terms of design, the keyboard comes with a smooth anodized aluminum top plate, a non-resonant bottom housing and an aluminum engraved aluminum bottom label. Das Keyboard 4 Professional is an amazing keyboard, great design and even some useful features like a USB hub.
- See also: physical keyboard for Windows 10 mobile phones in development
Cherry MX Board 3.0 G80-3850
This is a simple mechanical keyboard and four different models are available. All models are exactly the same, and the only difference is the type of key switches. As for the key switches, you can choose from blue, red, brown and black MX switches. Cherry MX-Board 3.0 G80-3850 is a full QWERTY keyboard with 104 keys. The keyboard uses a USB 2.0 interface and supports the N-Key Rollover function. As a result, you can press up to 14 keys and all keys will be registered.
Another interesting feature of this keyboard is Win Keylock. This feature allows you to disable the Windows keys on your keyboard, which can be useful during gaming sessions.
The keyboard comes with a detachable USB cable so you can easily transport it.
This is a solid mechanical keyboard and does not offer any extra features or outstanding design. The Cherry MX-Board 3.0 G80-3850 is a simple mechanical keyboard and you can get it from Amazon.
Division Zero X40 Pro
Division Zero X40 Pro is a gaming mechanical keyboard from Das Keyboard. The keyboard uses new Alpha-Zulu gaming switches with gold contacts for durability and speed. Unlike other keyboards on our list, this one comes with an interchangeable aluminum top plate so you can customize the keyboard the way you like.
Each switch has a 1.7 mm actuation point for fast keystrokes. With Alpha-Zulu switches, each key can last up to 60 million keystrokes. We should also mention that this keyboard comes with either Alpha-Zulu Tactile or Alpha-Zulu linear switches. The keyboard also has 5 programmable macro keys. To record a macro, just press the Fn and F12 keys on your keyboard.
Additional features include full N-Key Rollover so you can press multiple keys at the same time and each keystroke will be recognized. The Division Zero X40 Pro keyboard also features a red LED backlight that will improve your vision when using the keyboard in low light conditions. As for the backlight, you can choose from five levels of brightness.
- READ ALSO: 7 best keyboard layout software for Windows 10
The keyboard also supports USB 2.0 pass-through, so you can connect your favorite peripherals such as a USB mouse or headphones directly to the keyboard. Since this is a gaming keyboard, it fully supports gaming mode. Pressing Fn + F3 will disable the Windows keys on your keyboard, which ensures you don’t accidentally interrupt your gaming sessions. This keyboard also provides quick access to media controls, so you can easily mute, pause, or switch to another track. In terms of cable, this keyboard comes with a 6.5-foot braided cable.
The cable has two Type A male connectors and two separate cables with mini-jacks for microphone and headset.
Logitech G610 Orion Brown
This is another gaming keyboard, but unlike other gaming keyboards, it has a simple design. The keyboard uses Cherry MX Brown mechanical switches, which produce less noise than other mechanical switches. The keyboard comes with white backlighting and you can customize it with Logitech gaming software. With the software, you can select and personalize individual keys. Media keys are also available so you can easily control playback. Unlike other keyboards on our list, it uses a roller to control the volume.
This keyboard supports macros and you can assign them to any F key. We should also mention that this keyboard supports Gaming Mode which disables the Windows key. If you wish, you can even customize which keys will be disabled when you start the game mode. This keyboard supports 26 keys rollover so it will recognize your input every time.
Finally, the Logitech G610 Orion Brown has adjustable feet so you can choose between 0, 4 or 8 degrees.
- See also: How to disable certain keys on the keyboard in Windows 10
The Logitech G610 Orion Brown has a rugged and simple design. Even though it is a gaming keyboard, it does not look like other gaming keyboards due to its low profile design.
Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum
The Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum, like the previous entry on our list, is a gaming keyboard. The keyboard comes with Romer-G mechanical switches that are 25 percent more responsive. This is a backlit keyboard that supports up to 16.8 million colors. This keyboard also works with the Arx Control app which allows you to see game info or system stats on your phone. There are also dedicated media control buttons so you can easily control playback or adjust the volume.
The keyboard has 9 customizable G-keys that allow you to assign macros to them.
