7g-keyboard posts

The SteelSeries 7G Keyboard is designed from the ground up for professional gamers. Its heavy metal chasses offers great durability and each key has gold plated contacts for ultra-fast response. The 7G is designed for major "anti-ghosting" and supports a huge number of simultaneous key presses (all of them at once). This is a PS2 keyboard, but it comes with a USB adapter. The keyboard also features audio/mic jacks along with two USB 1.1 connectors.



Bottom Line: The SteelSeries 7G is great for the pro-gaming scene, but it's not exactly consumer friendly. SteelSeries prides itself on offering no-nonsense products that offer performance without any bells and whistles. An extra bell or whistle couldn't have hurt in this case, especially given its price and what other hardware companies offer. If aesthetics don't mean much to you, then it's hard to find a keyboard with the same weight, durability and response as the 7G. The oversized wrist rest that frames the entire keyboard can be annoying and having the F-keys double as media keys takes some getting used to. We also prefer large backspace keys, but all that won't mean much to those who value performance over all else. We feel that the 7G is best left to the pro-gamers while general hardcore gamers could be just as happy with something a little less expensive.

SteelSeries made a name for itself in Europe as a specialized maker of high-performance pro-gamer gear. The company uses a minimalist, no-nonsense, design philosophy that puts function and performance above all else. That means there are no extraneous lights or functions on their gear that don't directly relate to competitive gaming. In an effort to make its presence better known in the U.S. market, SteelSeries is paying a little more attention to aesthetics in addition to high-performance and quality, as evident with its Siberia Neckband Headset. Its recent acquisition of another specialized gaming peripheral company, Ideazon, marks the company's intention to bring pro-gaming quality gear to home gaming enthusiasts.

We test out SteelSeries' top current top offerings, the 7G Gaming Keyboard, Ikari Laser Mouse, 5H v2 Headset and the Siberia Neckband Headset to see how performance and price balances out between the pro and hardcore gamer.

Hot on the heels of the upcoming release of the Phantom gaming PC keyboard, another company called SteelSeries has announced that it has launched its own gaming oriented keyboard in the US. The 7G keyboard is now freely available at online retailers as well as PC makers like Dell and Alienware.

The press release describes the 7G keyboard as something akin to what you might see on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (and if you don't know what I am talking about...well, we just got really old). The keyboard has mechanical switches that are 18-karat gold and supports "anti-ghosting" features. No proton packs needed; this basically means you can press as many keys on the keyboard simultaneously. The keyboard reportedly lasts about 10 times as long as a standard keyboard for a total of 50 million keystrokes. Headphone and microphone ports as well as two USB ports are also included. Of course, all of this comes as a price. SteelSeries is asking for a whopping $149.99 for this puppy.