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Since TL.net has been going crazy for mechanical keyboards lately - basically draining keyboardco.com´s entire stock of Filcos after it was revealed that the GSL1 winner Fruitdealer was using one - i figured we might as well keep feeding the hype.
I got a Filco with Cherry browns a while back, but for those still on the fence, there's a new (mechanical) competitor:
![[image loading]](http://zowiegear.com/images/stories/flash_key.jpg)
"The keyboard is a vital piece of equipment, especially for Starcraft. It needs to be very durable and responsive, as you need to reach a higher APM in this type of game than any other games", says Young Ho 'Flash' Lee and continues, "I have been using the ZOWIE CELERITAS for about 4 months and the RTR technology has allowed me to improve my APM. I suggested to make the left windows key function as ctrl and I am happy to see that ZOWIE has listened. This will help many gamers to avoid annoying mistakes."
Read more about RTR technology (which is only usable through the PS/2 interface, so forget about getting used to it if you ever want to bring it to a LAN like MLG) and all its other features and find some more pics over at the official announcement page.
Edit: to add some opinion - i think it's looking like a solid keyboard. The mirror finish on the Black Widow was what made me decide against it (gets dirty very fast) and this keyboard still has the added functionality of media keys etc. It also has Cherry Browns which i prefer to blues for gaming, but this is of course purely personal preference. Full NKRO is, although never actually utilized, also a good mark of quality i was missing from the Widow. I bought my Filco a couple of months back now but if i was to decide today, this would probably be an option i'd strongly consider. It's cheaper than a Majestouch with more functionality. The RTR is imo just a gimmick which has been included for "duck jumping" in CS but i suppose it might help some Zergs make drones faster. The ability to make the left windows key an extra Ctrl key without macroing it a decent 'extra' though, i can see that potentially being useful.
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sounds hella cool, unfortunately, the keyboards aren't for sale till december; however, will be a decent christmas gift i suppose.
I would assume when talking to my friends about gifts we got it would go some like this:
Person A: what did u get for christmas?
Me: a baller keyboard made by [the company mentioned above] it has all these cool technologies etc. How about you?
Person A: wow a keyboard, that sux bro. I got a sweater, at least i'll use it.
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With an actual response-time of only 0,2 seconds, the ZOWIE CELERITAS has the fastest response-time of any mechanical keyboard currently on the market...For your information, the definition of a "normal response-time" for a keyboard is 0,5 seconds.
0.2 and 0.5 seconds? That can't possibly be right. That would limit typing speed to 50 WPM or 20 WPM respectively.
Ability to change the "Windows"-key to "Ctrl"
Cool feature, but being able to remap caps-lock would be even cooler.
RTR seems to just increase the keyboard repeat rate...? Which you could just turn up in software anyway?
Full Anti-Ghosting
They mean NKRO and anti-blocking (ghosting is something different), but good nonetheless and is better than the Black Widow in this regard.
18K Gold Plated mechanical switches
I hear it's Cherry MX. Not sure which ones.
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On November 15 2010 11:08 CaptainFwiffo wrote:
18K Gold Plated mechanical switches
I hear it's Cherry MX. Not sure which ones.
According to this post:
http://www.overclock.net/keyboards/491752-mechanical-keyboard-guide-666.html#post10524192
I got some more information on the Zowie Celeritas.
* Cherry MX Brown switches
* Keycaps are made out of ABS
* it has 2 modes Normal Mode (Zowie logo turns Blue) and Game Mode (Zowie Logo turns Red).
* Full NKRO (PS/2)
- it's supposedly browns.
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In the first thread they said they were Cherry MX Brown's. I was looking at this, but I don't know if it would just be better to get a cheaper Majestouch with Brown switches. The Zowie gear board has some nice extra features, but I don't know how many of them are actually useful as far as starcraft goes.
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Ugh I hate keyboards with those extra large enter keys. Still it looks like a decent keyboard but I'll stick with my Das until I see actual reviews from people who aren't sponsored by the company 
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@Fwiffo I think they're actually talking about the time it takes for the key to "repeat" -- so the time it takes when you're holding the key down until it starts to register it as extra presses (e.g., you hold down "g" and get "g" and then, after a second or so, you get "ggggggggg").
I have to admit, Moon looks freaking hilarious in those pictures. You have the SpawN guy who just looks like your stereotypical cool dude, Flash who looks like a pretty normal guy and then Moon. Moon, just standing there looking ridiculous. XD
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I bet i'd see my apm increase with a paycheck too.
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Looks nice! But I rather buy a different keyboard that works the same but looks worst and cost less !
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United States4126 Posts
Until I see Flash actually using it in a live game, not going to buy into this advertising :/
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by the way an anoither mechanical one witch brown and an another over 115€ 
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On November 15 2010 11:52 motus wrote:Ugh I hate keyboards with those extra large enter keys. Still it looks like a decent keyboard but I'll stick with my Das until I see actual reviews from people who aren't sponsored by the company
Me too, but some people like the large enter because it's harder to miss. It seems they made the right shift smaller to make room for the backslash; a lot of keyboards with the large enter make the backspace smaller which is a mortal sin.
It looks like one of the players is holding a version with some sort of euro layout with a vertical enter too.
On November 15 2010 11:57 Char711 wrote:
@Fwiffo I think they're actually talking about the time it takes for the key to "repeat" -- so the time it takes when you're holding the key down until it starts to register it as extra presses (e.g., you hold down "g" and get "g" and then, after a second or so, you get "ggggggggg").
Again, that's something configurable in software/OS. It's not something the keyboard controller normally even does. The keyboard just transmits which keys are down, the repeat and delay until repeat is entirely done by the OS.
If it's just a "built-in" repeat rate, like you'd have in an NES advantage or some other old-skool third-party console controller, it's a pretty lame feature. I expect it's actually just some kind of snake oil
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@Fwiffo I agree, definitely a snake oil type of thing. That's just, honestly, the only possible thing I could think of. And really the only one that I could think of being even semi-useful.
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Will wait for geekhack reviews... my Cherry Blue board is actually pretty fine, although a tad noisy. So I wanna also check out browns :-)
Typing feel is great btw once you have gotten rid of the heavy keypress habit.
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You can't bring a ps/2 to USB converter to events?
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If flash says it's good ... then I'll most definately buy it :p
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On November 15 2010 23:34 Blimp wrote:
You can't bring a ps/2 to USB converter to events?
this doesnt work for things that need ps2 to function- i.e. n-key rollover
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On November 16 2010 00:34 vicariouscheese wrote:Show nested quote +On November 15 2010 23:34 Blimp wrote:
You can't bring a ps/2 to USB converter to events? this doesnt work for things that need ps2 to function- i.e. n-key rollover
It's just as well that a Starcraft keyboard doesn't need n-key rollover to function!
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i thought button changing is not allowed by kespa. two control buttons would give a small advantage to the player.
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![[image loading]](http://zowiegear.com/images/stories/pr_004.jpg)
My favorite thing, ever
On topic though, I might have to take a look at these vs the Filco I planned on getting for Christmas 
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I'm pretty skeptical about this review from the gamers. People always should be skeptical if the reviews are based directly out of the company's website. Pretty sure these pros were paid for their testimonials.
Regardless, it looks nice, still more expensive than a Filco at that price.
In my opinion, it just seems like a keyboard with a lot of unnecessary stuff tacked on.
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whats up with the guy on the left in the green? what does he play?
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does the guy on the right play madden 2010?
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On November 15 2010 11:08 CaptainFwiffo wrote:Show nested quote +With an actual response-time of only 0,2 seconds, the ZOWIE CELERITAS has the fastest response-time of any mechanical keyboard currently on the market...For your information, the definition of a "normal response-time" for a keyboard is 0,5 seconds. 0.2 and 0.5 seconds? That can't possibly be right. That would limit typing speed to 50 WPM or 20 WPM respectively.
No, because you aren't spamming the same button when you're writing words
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the guy on the left is ho-jun some kart rider player, and the guy on the right is spawn, famous cs player
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On November 16 2010 14:30 [Fin]Vittu wrote:
does the guy on the right play madden 2010?
nawh thats a pro cs player hahaha
Beats me who the guy on the left is
And yeah, the fact that they got a pro cs player to also give some BS testimonial piques my sketch detector
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On November 16 2010 17:13 haduken wrote:
Who's the black guy?
Spawn (from SK gaming? I think he quit or isn't on SK anymore) He's was, at one point, one of the best CS 1.6 players of all time.
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you don't fuckin get it
you are talking about keyboard response time, finish which gets dirty fast, gold plated plugs
IT'S FLASH
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That small right-side shift doesn't seem like a good idea for SC. Also I'd bet Flash will still be using DT-35 anyway.
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120€.
i would really like to buy it, but since i go to school there are zero chances of me buying that...
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On November 16 2010 14:14 M0nsterChef wrote:
whats up with the guy on the left in the green? what does he play?
Kartrider :D
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They are not paid for writing their thoughts more paid to help ZOWIE develop products for them as far as I know..... not like some other companies anyway....
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On November 15 2010 23:34 Blimp wrote:
You can't bring a ps/2 to USB converter to events?
You won't need to, i'm guessing it's USB native with the possibility of using an included PS/2 converter, just as with my Majestouch.
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Can't really believe that people are going for some keyboards that cost EUR 120 and hope that they will play like Flash after they buy them.
That is a total nonsense. IMO the keyboard can change no more than 3-5% of your performance and in the beginning it will even result in a drop due to the fact that you need to get used to it.
The hype over mice and keyboards is so exagerated that I can't even describe it. Check some of the earliest Pimpest plays (2001 or 2002) and ask yourself 1 question - "Did those guys play on mice and keyboards exceeding $10?" And then the follow up - are you able to pull off what they did with your mouse and keyboard for over a $100 each?
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On November 18 2010 02:16 FreeUrMind wrote:
Can't really believe that people are going for some keyboards that cost EUR 120 and hope that they will play like Flash after they buy them.
That is a total nonsense. IMO the keyboard can change no more than 3-5% of your performance and in the beginning it will even result in a drop due to the fact that you need to get used to it.
The hype over mice and keyboards is so exagerated that I can't even describe it. Check some of the earliest Pimpest plays (2001 or 2002) and ask yourself 1 question - "Did those guys play on mice and keyboards exceeding $10?" And then the follow up - are you able to pull off what they did with your mouse and keyboard for over a $100 each?
I'm wondering what point you're trying to make by posting that. You really think that your post is going to make a difference in the choices people make on whether they get a mechanical keyboard? If you're expressing your views about the fact that you don't like such keyboards at their current price point, I think that would make a fine blog topic. Your post has no place in this specific forum.
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On November 18 2010 02:16 FreeUrMind wrote:
Can't really believe that people are going for some keyboards that cost EUR 120 and hope that they will play like Flash after they buy them.
That is a total nonsense. IMO the keyboard can change no more than 3-5% of your performance and in the beginning it will even result in a drop due to the fact that you need to get used to it.
The hype over mice and keyboards is so exagerated that I can't even describe it. Check some of the earliest Pimpest plays (2001 or 2002) and ask yourself 1 question - "Did those guys play on mice and keyboards exceeding $10?" And then the follow up - are you able to pull off what they did with your mouse and keyboard for over a $100 each?
just because youre not willing to pay that much for a keyboard doesnt mean its not worth it.
its just like running shoes... you wont become a better runner by buying them, but they will be more comfortable and help your body by absorbing shock better than cheap shoes.
that being said, there are many good mechanical keyboards already on the market for less (and are already proven, while this board could be complete crap), so i wouldnt recommend the zowie to anyone. it does seem that they are trying to lure people who dont know anything with the flash and spawn endorsements.
also your argument does hold for the majority of "gaming" peripherals - until the blackwidow, all logitech and razer keyboards were of $5 quality, but because of brandname, aesthetics, and ignorance they run you $100+. hence professional gamers use the cheap dt35, because it feels superior and is cheap (or they use what their sponsors give them, obviously).
the money i spent on my daskeyboard is totally worth it, feels superior to any keyboard ive tried and itll last forever
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On November 18 2010 03:36 vicariouscheese wrote:Show nested quote +On November 18 2010 02:16 FreeUrMind wrote:
Can't really believe that people are going for some keyboards that cost EUR 120 and hope that they will play like Flash after they buy them.
That is a total nonsense. IMO the keyboard can change no more than 3-5% of your performance and in the beginning it will even result in a drop due to the fact that you need to get used to it.
The hype over mice and keyboards is so exagerated that I can't even describe it. Check some of the earliest Pimpest plays (2001 or 2002) and ask yourself 1 question - "Did those guys play on mice and keyboards exceeding $10?" And then the follow up - are you able to pull off what they did with your mouse and keyboard for over a $100 each? just because youre not willing to pay that much for a keyboard doesnt mean its not worth it. its just like running shoes... you wont become a better runner by buying them, but they will be more comfortable and help your body by absorbing shock better than cheap shoes. that being said, there are many good mechanical keyboards already on the market for less (and are already proven, while this board could be complete crap), so i wouldnt recommend the zowie to anyone. it does seem that they are trying to lure people who dont know anything with the flash and spawn endorsements. also your argument does hold for the majority of "gaming" peripherals - until the blackwidow, all logitech and razer keyboards were of $5 quality, but because of brandname, aesthetics, and ignorance they run you $100+. hence professional gamers use the cheap dt35, because it feels superior and is cheap (or they use what their sponsors give them, obviously). the money i spent on my daskeyboard is totally worth it, feels superior to any keyboard ive tried and itll last forever
Lol mention running shoes, the cheap shoes tend to be better for you because they don't coddle your feet, so they become strong.
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On November 18 2010 02:16 FreeUrMind wrote:
Can't really believe that people are going for some keyboards that cost EUR 120 and hope that they will play like Flash after they buy them.
That is a total nonsense. IMO the keyboard can change no more than 3-5% of your performance and in the beginning it will even result in a drop due to the fact that you need to get used to it.
No one buys those keyboards because they think they'll play like flash ffs. Keyboard is just very smart investment. All of us spend so much time typing on keyboards that it's just worth it. Gaming and typing becomes more comfortable and that's most important thing.
So yea, good keyboard/mice/pad/headset is really worth it because it is used so much so it's worth buying. It's not 100EUR OMGWTF PRICE. It's more like 1 cent per hour of more comfortable time in front of your PC. Or not to mention once if you get wrist problems like many people you'll see a difference between cheap shit and higher quality stuff.
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On November 18 2010 04:51 bLah. wrote:Show nested quote +On November 18 2010 02:16 FreeUrMind wrote:
Can't really believe that people are going for some keyboards that cost EUR 120 and hope that they will play like Flash after they buy them.
That is a total nonsense. IMO the keyboard can change no more than 3-5% of your performance and in the beginning it will even result in a drop due to the fact that you need to get used to it. No one buys those keyboards because they think they'll play like flash ffs. Keyboard is just very smart investment. All of us spend so much time typing on keyboards that it's just worth it. Gaming and typing becomes more comfortable and that's most important thing. So yea, good keyboard/mice/pad/headset is really worth it because it is used so much so it's worth buying. It's not 100EUR OMGWTF PRICE. It's more like 1 cent per hour of more comfortable time in front of your PC. Or not to mention once if you get wrist problems like many people you'll see a difference between cheap shit and higher quality stuff.
keyboard and wrist problems have little to do with what kind of switch it has more to do with the layout and wrist rest =p Ergonomics lay strongly with position of body not if the key has tactile feedback. I've never heard of anyone breaking their fingers on cheap keyboards
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btw, where u saw mechanical keyboard under 100$ with cherry brown? filco are at 150 this one is at 120€ ,and the other keyboard are with blue switches ..
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On November 15 2010 11:08 CaptainFwiffo wrote:Show nested quote +With an actual response-time of only 0,2 seconds, the ZOWIE CELERITAS has the fastest response-time of any mechanical keyboard currently on the market...For your information, the definition of a "normal response-time" for a keyboard is 0,5 seconds. 0.2 and 0.5 seconds? That can't possibly be right. That would limit typing speed to 50 WPM or 20 WPM respectively.
Actually, it would limit typing speed to 600 WPM or 120 WPM respectively. Dont correct people with incorrect information.
I dont believe his numbers are correct either... but im not ranting retarded information.
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On November 18 2010 05:01 MyLife wrote:Show nested quote +On November 15 2010 11:08 CaptainFwiffo wrote:With an actual response-time of only 0,2 seconds, the ZOWIE CELERITAS has the fastest response-time of any mechanical keyboard currently on the market...For your information, the definition of a "normal response-time" for a keyboard is 0,5 seconds. 0.2 and 0.5 seconds? That can't possibly be right. That would limit typing speed to 50 WPM or 20 WPM respectively. Actually, it would limit typing speed to 600 WPM or 120 WPM respectively. Dont correct people with incorrect information. I dont believe his numbers are correct either... but im not ranting retarded information.
WPM stands for words per minute, not characters per minute. A "word" is defined as 5 characters (including or not including an additional space depending on who you ask). And I was quoting the marketing site, not a previous poster. You can check it yourself.
Even if we were talking characters per second, 0.2 second response times would translate to 300, not 600.
All keyboards obviously have a response time much shorter than 0.5 seconds.
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just found that my 6.50€ keyboard got the repeat to 7x too ...
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the i-rocks 6230 costs like 100$, uses cherry browns, has just a big crtl key instead of the windows one and has a smaller layout. I dont know about the build quality though. I also wonder if the RTR technology on the zowie will help.
Please if anyone sees a new video of flash, tell us what keyboard he uses right now. Because there are people who say the only reason sc pros didnt use mechanicals earlier was cuz of ignorance.
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holy shit!!! theyre sponsering SK|SpawN too!??! from cs 1.6?!?!?! :0000000
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for 160$ I'd rather wait for a keyboard with Cherry MX Reds to show up on ebay.
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player "feedbacks" sound so fake :/ ill wait for sc2 keyboard in feb 2011
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On November 25 2010 10:47 itzzspencer wrote:
holy shit!!! theyre sponsering SK|SpawN too!??! from cs 1.6?!?!?! :0000000
SpawN and HeatoN has been developing gaming products together with Zowie Gear for a while now and their products have gotten pretty good reviews,
Its the fact that some kart? gamer and flash advertising for this that makes me skeptical.
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On November 25 2010 12:34 mdF wrote:Show nested quote +On November 25 2010 10:47 itzzspencer wrote:
holy shit!!! theyre sponsering SK|SpawN too!??! from cs 1.6?!?!?! :0000000 SpawN and HeatoN has been developing gaming products together with Zowie Gear for a while now and their products have gotten pretty good reviews, Its the fact that some kart? gamer and flash advertising for this that makes me skeptical.
damn spawn is my hero! now im convinced xD... yeah i noticed the kart guy too... i was like.. really? lol
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by looking on Flash face it must be shit though
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I can't stand how the 7g's feel :/
Tried it at a store and expected a lot more, keys feel soft or something to me.
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This keyboard was supposed to be released the 10th... It's not out yet though, I wonder how long it will take....
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i asked them for french layout , and they told me that :
Hello,
Because of problems with the logistics the release date for the ZOWIE CELERITAS (with French layout) has been postponed to the 20th of December.
Best regards,
so it's mb the 20th for all i guess ...
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120 € ? Gaming is getting more expensive than golf .... I think there's quite a lot of bullshit going on when it comes to all this "super uber top pro elite gaming gear".
I don't know if you noticed but Foxer (MarineKing) still uses a logitech mini (400dpi) and he has arguably the best micro in all SC2.
I think gaming gear has little impact on a player's performace, at leat much less than most of us tend to think.
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holy shit it does look like a keyboard!
There are even f1-f12 keys on top!
Quick someone call steelseries, tell em to launch a lawsuit asap
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On December 12 2010 08:18 ChApFoU wrote:
120 € ? Gaming is getting more expensive than golf .... I think there's quite a lot of bullshit going on when it comes to all this "super uber top pro elite gaming gear".
I don't know if you noticed but Foxer (MarineKing) still uses a logitech mini (400dpi) and he has arguably the best micro in all SC2.
I think gaming gear has little impact on a player's performace, at leat much less than most of us tend to think.
while the obsession with precise technology comes from FPS market, where that does make a huge difference, it does make an impact.
Comfort is very important. And it just happens that more expensive mice are more comfortable. They have more variety to them which allows everyone to find the right slip, the right weight and the right shape.
Also the keyboards are quiet more complicated then mice. Paying more should generally mean that the keyboard should lack the issues that plague most cheap mechanical alternatives- different register time on different key keystrokes.
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Oh man, I wish Flash could be a spokesman for some product I made.
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On December 12 2010 08:18 ChApFoU wrote:
120 € ? Gaming is getting more expensive than golf .... I think there's quite a lot of bullshit going on when it comes to all this "super uber top pro elite gaming gear".
I don't know if you noticed but Foxer (MarineKing) still uses a logitech mini (400dpi) and he has arguably the best micro in all SC2.
I think gaming gear has little impact on a player's performace, at leat much less than most of us tend to think.
I think I Saw MarineKing using Logitech g9x (5700 dpi) in his last few GSL matches actually, but yeah, he was using a logitech mini before. I agree with others that were saying that comfort is really the most important thing though.
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I've preordered one of these, hopefully it will arrive before Christmas! If this keyboard can satisfy my needs, my goal is to keep it for at least 10 years before I change it for something else. This is the only keyboard with Cherry MX Brown switches, as far as I know, available in Sweden. Can't really find the strength to order something from over seas.
My previous choice was the Das Keyboard with Cherry MX Blue switches, but since they're mostly for typing and not so much gaming, the choice is obvious.
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On December 12 2010 08:18 ChApFoU wrote:
120 € ? Gaming is getting more expensive than golf .... I think there's quite a lot of bullshit going on when it comes to all this "super uber top pro elite gaming gear".
I don't know if you noticed but Foxer (MarineKing) still uses a logitech mini (400dpi) and he has arguably the best micro in all SC2.
I think gaming gear has little impact on a player's performace, at leat much less than most of us tend to think.
I'm not sure how 120 euros makes gaming more expensive than golf. I assure you that 120 euros wouldn't be more than one or two irons if you are looking get good brands.
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EPT
