I’ve gone through dozens of gaming keyboards during my decades of PC gaming, from generic off-white Wal-Mart specials to elaborate, fully-programmable, back-lit monstrosities. The Cyborg S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 from Mad Catz is the first gaming keyboard I’ve had to screw together before using.
For the $US300 asking price, one would think things like using a tiny screwdriver to connect all the bits together would have been handled by the manufacturer, but the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 is a special sort of keyboard. Completely modular, its various sections are held together by screws and pieces of wire.
The centrepiece of this beast is the V.E.N.O.M. touch screen interface, which gives users easy access to various tools — timers, clocks, volume controls and macro keys in addition to those situated on the keyboard proper. I’ve seen other keyboards employ a similar sort of screen as a readout, but nothing quite this elaborate.
So there it is, sitting on my desk, waiting to be poked at, so poke at it I shall. I’ll let you all know how that goes.
Music: Trash80 — “Icarus”
What he hell? How much is it?
"For the $US300 asking price"
In Australia...
probably $200 from Umart or MSY
jeebus - $300 for THAT? more money than sense, anybody who buys that!
I hope to christ those are mechanical keys
Why the need for old chunky style keys? I mean what the hell? Apple makes brilliant thin keyboard & yet this $300 windows keyboard still uses keys from a 1960s electric typewriter, in one of the chunkiest keyboards i have ever seen. It's so dated for something so new.
Its a gaming keyboard! its meant to have mechanical keys, not to be thin and "elegant"
Yeah, you're not their audience, dude.
Funny thing is, I didn't bat an eyelid at the price. Took me a moment to realise keyboard prices have fallen that low over the past two decades. My old mechanical served me right up until gaming laptops dropped in price.
This thing looks huge! How long is it? Apart from the price though, I really like this keyboard. One thing that bugs me though, why go to so much trouble putting USB ports on it and only use USB2?
Hope you don't get gamer rage!!! That's one expensive delicate-looking piece of kit to trash!
Given that you can get an AZIO Levetron that does the exact same thing (Pretty much) for A$130, I don't see the point. Sure no LCD, who cares, who wants to break an LCD by smashing it every time you need to press a macro in a hurry.
I have a "MS Side Winder X6" which is similar too, however it's that programmable touch screen that wins it for me. I'll see what the price comes down to in a year and maybe grab one then. :)
I guess it comes down to personal preference (and money).
Slow much?
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/09/assembling-the-most-insane-gaming-keyboard-ive-ever-typed-on/
At the start i was scoffing at the price and thought it looked like mad catz geeked out too much with it. Sorta like that logiteh on but on steroids but when he started showing pieces and the final product at the end. Im convinced that it looks comfy, its usable, it grew on me.. i cant believe im now considering it.