Any advantage of using gaming keyboard

[Sleepwalker.1398]

Hi, been thinking for a while but just not fully sure if i should get one.Anyone that used to use a regular keyboard before for this game and then changed to a gaming keyboard, could you let me know if there are any advantages please?Mainly trying to find out if keystrokes are faster or delayed etc.

[Dawdler.8521]

Whats a gaming keyboard? There are gaming keyboards thats complete crap and there are great gaming keyboards. In fact you could just ignore the gaming part, its all the same. The speed is the same.

What you want to look at is the switches used and cherry mx reign totally supreme. You could buy a wooden plank with cherry switches and its still better than rubber dome. My keyboard the last years has been a Corsair K90 with cherry red (linear/silent). Used to have Steelseries 6Gv2 but I found the key plastics used on the Corsair to be vastly superior, dont wear down the top anywhere near as fast.

[SlippyCheeze.5483]

@"Sleepwalker.1398" said:Hi, been thinking for a while but just not fully sure if i should get one.Anyone that used to use a regular keyboard before for this game and then changed to a gaming keyboard, could you let me know if there are any advantages please?Mainly trying to find out if keystrokes are faster or delayed etc.

There is no advantage worth the money. If you do not already know why you want one, you will absolutely, without question, not gain anything of note from the change.

Also keep this in mind: using the "hardware" macros that some of them support to do anything more than send a single keystroke (or whatever) is just as bannable, etc, as any other way of building macros. So, don't think this a cunning way around the restrictions on automating actions.

[mauried.5608]

Except that its impossible to detect a macro thats generated by a gaming keyboard as NO 3rd party software is needed to run them.Theres a lot of benefits , for example if you are having problems with your glider opening when you hit the space bar for too long, you can reprogram the space bar to simulate a keypress of any specific duration.Same deal if you are having trouble in a JP because you are jumping too far you can do the same .Im using an old Logitech G105 , but there are better ones now.Also having a decent gaming mouse like a Logitech G700 helps .

[Sleepwalker.1398]

@"SlippyCheeze.5483" said:There is no advantage worth the money. If you do not already know why you want one, you will absolutely, without question, not gain anything of note from the change.

Also keep this in mind: using the "hardware" macros that some of them support to do anything more than send a single keystroke (or whatever) is just as bannable, etc, as any other way of building macros. So, don't think this a cunning way around the restrictions on automating actions.

Not interested in macros. Im interested in anti ghosting feature.I recent tested this after looking for ways to find if there could be an issue and found recommended to try this:

1. Hold both shift buttons (left and right).
2. Type in the following sentence.. "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"

and this is what i got:QUIC BRO FOX UD OVR LAZY DOG

[SlippyCheeze.5483]

@Sleepwalker.1398 said:

@"SlippyCheeze.5483" said:There is no advantage worth the money. If you do not already know why you want one, you will absolutely, without question, not gain anything of note from the change.

Also keep this in mind: using the "hardware" macros that some of them support to do anything more than send a single keystroke (or whatever) is just as bannable, etc, as any other way of building macros. So, don't think this a cunning way around the restrictions on automating actions.

Not interested in macros. Im interested in anti ghosting feature.I recent tested this after looking for ways to find if there could be an issue and found recommended to try this:

1. Hold both shift buttons (left and right).
2. Type in the following sentence.. "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"

and this is what i got:QUIC BRO FOX UD OVR LAZY DOG

OK. I tried it on my Logitech Pro keyboard, and got the full text. So, this keyboard definitely resolves that specific issue. I'd be, like, 99 percent confident of any other Logitech gaming keyboard doing the same. IDK about the consumer ones.

If that is the specific thing you want, then yes, that expensive keyboard will work. It is

, though. Not quite typewriter level, but enough that you can definitely hear each distinct keystroke.

I chose it specifically for the lack of number pad, and for the specific keyswitches involved. Those fit into the "if you don't yet know, you don't care" bucket, I think, but you may find it worthwhile seeing if you can find somewhere to try them, or buying through eg Amazon, where you can return or swap them if you find the experience unpleasant.

The different trigger weights, sounds, and key feel can definitely be something you rapidly come to have strong feelings about.

[BRNBRITO.9624]

Macro and extra keys can be great if you actually use them and they're not weird placed, i've been using my keyboard for roughly 3 years and absolutely love it, doesn't have anti-ghosting but never felt the need for it playing MMORPG's, and there 15~ extra keys on some really convenient and easy spots (to me at least).Image:

Pinky finger for G1/G2/G3/G4.Thumb for G5/G6/G7/G9/G10/G12/G13.Plus configurable macros though i don't use any for GW2.

[Danikat.8537]

I'd love to get a gaming keyboard, specifically one of the ones with programmable lights so I can colour code the keys to remind me what I've got bound and what it's for and as a quick check of which profile is actually active, but at the moment I can't justify buying one just for that. In theory the keyboard I've got now is a gaming one, it's an old Razer something or other (Acosta?) but I've never been able to get the software working so for all practical purposes it's just a normal keyboard.

I agree with @SlippyCheeze.5483 - there's no point just buying a gaming one for the sake of it, but if you have a specific purpose in mind then it might well be worth the money. But do your research to make sure the one you choose will do what you want and don't restrict yourself to ones labelled as gaming keyboards.

A lot of stuff labelled as 'gaming' hardware is exactly same as a normal one but with some extra lights or chunkier casing and 50% added to the price. And a lot of the others has a cheaply done version of some extra functionality, extra lights and casing and 100% added to the price. In amongst all that noise there are also items which are genuinely good quality with extra features that are useful and reasonably(ish) priced for what you get, but they're hard to find.

@mauried.5608 said:Except that its impossible to detect a macro thats generated by a gaming keyboard as NO 3rd party software is needed to run them.Theres a lot of benefits , for example if you are having problems with your glider opening when you hit the space bar for too long, you can reprogram the space bar to simulate a keypress of any specific duration.Same deal if you are having trouble in a JP because you are jumping too far you can do the same .Im using an old Logitech G105 , but there are better ones now.Also having a decent gaming mouse like a Logitech G700 helps .

It might be impossible to detect how they're running a macro, but apparently the end result can be identified. I'll have to see if I can find the article but there was a blog Anet put out back in the GW1 days where they explained that one of the big things that gave away botters was the consistency of their actions. For example the delay between key presses was always exactly 1.5 seconds. Whereas with a real person doing it it'd vary between about 0.5s - 2s. Even when they thought they were being clever by programming in 'mistakes' it still gave them away - they'd run into the same corner for exactly the same amount of time every single time they went past.

[Dawdler.8521]

@Sleepwalker.1398 said:

@"SlippyCheeze.5483" said:There is no advantage worth the money. If you do not already know why you want one, you will absolutely, without question, not gain anything of note from the change.

Also keep this in mind: using the "hardware" macros that some of them support to do anything more than send a single keystroke (or whatever) is just as bannable, etc, as any other way of building macros. So, don't think this a cunning way around the restrictions on automating actions.

Not interested in macros. Im interested in anti ghosting feature.I recent tested this after looking for ways to find if there could be an issue and found recommended to try this:

1. Hold both shift buttons (left and right).
2. Type in the following sentence.. "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"

and this is what i got:QUIC BRO FOX UD OVR LAZY DOG

That's called n-key rollover and one of the very reasons mechanical keyboards (like the ones with cherry switches) have gained so much popularity the last decade. Well they've always been good, just not mainstream. You dont need to get a ~$120-180 board either, there are decent enough quality boards at ~$80. Below that... mjeh you're gonna get cheap stuff. Well maybe you can reach ~$60 if you find a good deal.

As per above, the way each switch behave is very different. My preference is mx red because they are lighter to press than mx black (had black before this, its not bad I just like the red more), they dont have that freaking annoying tactile click like the mx blue (some people love this click because it's so "clicky" like a keyboard should be... some people that obviously dont have to listen to other people typing on them while trying to hear people talking on discord/ts) and they are completely linear (lacks a "bump" when they trigger a keypress like the mx brown or mx blue, it's all feel). I suggest going to a store and testing them. It's easy to see what keyboard has which - just remove a key :)

Sidenote: Be sure to read up on the keyboard before buying btw, especially if you look at cheaper stuff. Just check reviews. Some companies go real cheap and say its mechanical... only to have the WASD mechanical and the others shitty rubber domes, or something like that.

Edit: If you really want "speed" there is a special mx speed variant too - it's exactly like the mx red, except it activates earlier on the press. It was a while since I checked what keyboards use this though. Last I remember was the Corsair K65/70, maybe that's still actual. More expensive though.

[SlippyCheeze.5483]

@"Danikat.8537" said:I'd love to get a gaming keyboard, specifically one of the ones with programmable lights so I can colour code the keys to remind me what I've got bound and what it's for and as a quick check of which profile is actually active

FWIW, the Logitech software is pretty much just plain ol' kitten, and has lost my "don't be shiny" profile several times. I did find it was vaguely nice to highlight the home keys, but otherwise games that use the lights were mostly distracting (because the keyboard isn't a place you normally want to be looking) rather than helpful. YMMV, of course, different people like different things. One of my coworkers uses the color waterfall mode at work, and I would just .... die. Honestly.

I agree with @"SlippyCheeze.5483" - there's no point just buying a gaming one for the sake of it, but if you have a specific purpose in mind then it might well be worth the money. But do your research to make sure the one you choose will do what you want and don't restrict yourself to ones labelled as gaming keyboards.

A lot of stuff labelled as 'gaming' hardware is exactly same as a normal one but with some extra lights or chunkier casing and 50% added to the price. And a lot of the others has a cheaply done version of some extra functionality, extra lights and casing and 100% added to the price. In amongst all that noise there are also items which are genuinely good quality with extra features that are useful and reasonably(ish) priced for what you get, but they're hard to find.

This is very true. Prior to the current keyboard -- which I got specifically for the switches beneath the keys, and the lack of a number pad, and no other feature -- I used regular Logitech hardware because, as a rule, it was "OK". Like, I'd never say it was the best possible thing, but you know the worst thing I could say about it? Nothing. Literally nothing to complain about, and nothing to get excited about.

It was like the toaster of keyboards and mice: you never think "will this work", it just does. That is what I call a desirable feature in a keyboard. ;)

@"mauried.5608" said:Except that its impossible to detect a macro thats generated by a gaming keyboard as NO 3rd party software is needed to run them.Theres a lot of benefits , for example if you are having problems with your glider opening when you hit the space bar for too long, you can reprogram the space bar to simulate a keypress of any specific duration.Same deal if you are having trouble in a JP because you are jumping too far you can do the same .Im using an old Logitech G105 , but there are better ones now.Also having a decent gaming mouse like a Logitech G700 helps .

It might be impossible to detect how they're running a macro, but apparently the end result can be identified. I'll have to see if I can find the article but there was a blog Anet put out back in the GW1 days where they explained that one of the big things that gave away botters was the consistency of their actions. For example the delay between key presses was always

exactly

1.5 seconds. Whereas with a real person doing it it'd vary between about 0.5s - 2s. Even when they thought they were being clever by programming in 'mistakes' it still gave them away - they'd run into the same corner for exactly the same amount of time every single time they went past.

Yah, behavioral analysis was wildly better than attempts to simulate past it before "big data" became a thing, and "deep learning" got good enough to beat humans in a variety of tasks. Given the nature of deep learning systems, which are all about bringing together a ridiculously vast array of signals (like, say, your full record of actions in game) and extracting the salient features....

Coincidentally, AWS offers extremely affordable and effective tooling for that sort of analysis, just like every other big cloud does these days.

[SlippyCheeze.5483]

@Dawdler.8521 said:

@Sleepwalker.1398 said:

@"SlippyCheeze.5483" said:There is no advantage worth the money. If you do not already know why you want one, you will absolutely, without question, not gain anything of note from the change.

Also keep this in mind: using the "hardware" macros that some of them support to do anything more than send a single keystroke (or whatever) is just as bannable, etc, as any other way of building macros. So, don't think this a cunning way around the restrictions on automating actions.

Not interested in macros. Im interested in anti ghosting feature.I recent tested this after looking for ways to find if there could be an issue and found recommended to try this:

1. Hold both shift buttons (left and right).
2. Type in the following sentence.. "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"

and this is what i got:QUIC BRO FOX UD OVR LAZY DOG

That's called n-key rollover and one of the very reasons mechanical keyboards (like the ones with cherry switches) have gained so much popularity the last decade. Well they've always been good, just not mainstream. You dont need to get a ~$120-180 board either, there are decent enough quality boards at ~$80. Below that... mjeh you're gonna get cheap stuff. Well maybe you can reach ~$60 if you find a good deal.

As per above, the way each switch behave is very different. My preference is mx red because they are lighter to press than mx black (had black before this, its not bad I just like the red more), they dont have that freaking annoying tactile click like the mx blue (some people

love

this click because it's so "clicky" like a keyboard should be... some people that obviously dont have to listen to other people typing on them while trying to hear people talking on discord/ts) and they are completely linear (lacks a "bump" when they trigger a keypress like the mx brown or mx blue, it's all feel). I suggest going to a store and testing them. It's easy to see what keyboard has which - just remove a key :)

Sidenote: Be sure to read up on the keyboard before buying btw, especially if you look at cheaper stuff. Just check reviews. Some companies go real cheap and say its mechanical... only to have the WASD mechanical and the others kitten rubber domes, or something like that.

Edit: If you really want "speed" there is a special mx speed variant too - it's exactly like the mx red, except it activates earlier on the press. It was a while since I checked what keyboards use this though. Last I remember was the Corsair K65/70, maybe that's still actual. More expensive though.

That'd be Cherry MX Speed Silver, which is also what the Razer switches target. It is silent, tactile, and very short throw. You don't care too much about any of that unless you play twitch games... and believe me, GW2 is really a long way from a twitch game in that meaning. :)

The Razer ones actually came first, Speed Silver are effectively a functionality clone -- they didn't copy the switch, as such, but given there are like three variables in the whole design space, it is basically identical. IIRC there was a third group who moved on them, possibly Logitech even, with their own brand switches.

Anyway, uh, this is like an area that people really geek out about. So if you really want to know more, it isn't that hard to find wildly over-detailed information about the differences. Practical testing, I suggest, is the best way to turn that theory into useful knowledge. I thought I would like several style Cherry MX switches that, in fact, a minute typing on told me I loathed.

[Zushada.6108]

I love mine. I had an ASUS ROG gaming laptop for a couple of years and when I built my tower recently, I couldn't get used to the height of the keys on the keyboard. I went out and bought the Deathstalker Chroma with Chicklet keys. Not super expensive when you consider there are some gaming keyboards that are over 250 CDN. But for me, worth every penny. I found I got a faster response time but other than the fancy lights and colours, a keyboard is just a keyboard. That is unless you are playing some of the other more intense games.

[windbliss.3158]

What you really want to look at is not just anti-ghosting but keyboards that support NKRO (n-Key Rollover) as well, which means you can press more keys before the system stops detecting extra presses. If you want something cheap, the G213 Prodigy has no macros (theoretically) but has 10-key rollover and anti-ghosting, as well as via the Logitech G software you can alter some of the keyboard's colors, but if you want function over form but as well a pretty durable keyboard, this might be of use to you. The only downside is the rather un-necessary, undetachable palmrest.