Review: Steel Series Steelkeys 6G gaming keyboard

Steel Series isn’t a mainstream peripheral manufacturer. Instead, it makes hardware for those who are really serious about their computer gaming.

The Steelkeys 6G, its gaming keyboard, has a clean and uncluttered look and feel. The keys have a little more kick than usual and don’t have to be fully depressed to register a keystroke.

For those who spend significant periods of time typing and need a responsive keyboard, this is great. Some keys, such as Ctrl and Alt, are wider than usual but, rather annoyingly, there’s a reduced-size backspace key.

Steel Series tells us that durability was a, ahem.., key concern in the manufacture of the Steelkeys 6G, given that the keyboard often bears the brunt of a gamer’s frustration.

When not being battered, the Steelkeys 6G is designed for a lifecycle of 60 million keystrokes. This is about two or three times more than regular keyboards can withstand.

To ensure reliability when combining multiple keystrokes, the connections between keys and keyboard are gold plated. A second set of light-grey keys is supplied. It’s simple to interchange them, and using different coloured keys can aid learning the commands of a new game.

Alternatively, you can use the keychanger to rearrange your keyboard to use the Dvorak layout, which is supported natively by Windows XP.

While we understand that Steel Series has avoided overloading the Steelkeys 6G with lots of media, the lack of even basic shortcut buttons is a little disappointing.

Some nice extras come with the Steelkeys 6G, such as the detachable wrist rest. The cord has a protective metallic mesh to guard against fraying and some highly effective pads underneath the keyboard to prevent slipping. It also comes with a carry sleeve for transporting to and from Lan parties.

You can connect it to your PC via PS2 or USB using the supplied adaptor. When connected via PS2, it uses a specially designed buffer system to enable up to eight keys to be pressed simultaneously.

This is a no-nonsense gaming keyboard and, in comparison with flashier models from Logitech and Saitek, it looks fairly plain. Hardcore gaming enthusiasts will appreciate it, but the minimalist design is unlikely to impress younger gamers.

Also consider:
Enermax Aurora aluminium keyboard
If style is everything to you, this keyboard will definitely appeal

All keyboard and mice reviews

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