Gaming Keyboard Roundup: Logitech, OCZ, and Razer

Matt Jancaitis 23 Aug, 2008 at 1:00am ET Article published in Tech

As far as the mechanics, all the boards have roughly the same spring responsiveness. The G15 has the most travel and may be considered “mushy” by some. The Elixir and Lycosa have less travel, while the Lycosa has the sharpest return after a key press.

All the boards function well as gaming slabs, recording at least six simultaneous keystrokes. The G15 edges slightly ahead as the macro keys seem to be on a different lane, and thus can handle six standard keystrokes while still registering macros. While all three can control a media player, the Razer’s unnecessary and peculiar media player focus could annoy many users.

The OCZ and Logitech offerings feature dedicated macro keys, while the Razer does not. The Razer allows every key to be customized, while the G15 is limited to the dedicated keys. The Alchemy Elixir is limited to remapping regular keys to single keystrokes.

In regards to recording macros, the OCZ board will let you record eight keystrokes and no mouse events, the Lycosa records sixteen with mousing, and the G15 offers seemingly unlimited strokes and mouse events.

Even though the Lycosa’s macro editor is slightly unintuitive, I’d rate it as amongst the best. During testing, I managed to crash the Lycosa’s editor just by recording (an admittedly profuse amount of) mouse clicks. Compared to the decks themselves, the software for any of these boards is clearly not the selling point.

The G15 boasts the one-of-a-kind LCD GamePanel, a neat addition that offers many useful and informative features.

The Lycosa and G15 have game mode options that will disable the Windows keys, while the Alchemy Elixir opted to remove the key entirely and devote the game mode key to turning off the macro keys.

Lastly, the Alchemy Elixir isn’t backlit, but that contributes to the greatest win for the keyboard: it’s less than half the price of the G15 and Lycosa.

	Alchemy Elixir	Lycosa	G15
Standard key customization	Remap to any single key press	Remap to macro, key press, exe, anything	Unmappable
Macro length	8 key presses, no mouse events	16 key presses, mouse events	Unlimited key presses, mouse events
Profiles	Three profiles, or modes	10 profiles, can auto-launch with program	Unlimited profiles, can auto-launch with program
Lighting	None	WASD and full	Full, two levels
Cable management extras	Management tracks	Management tracks, downstream USB and headphone/mic	Management tracks, double downstream USB
Unique features	Set of replacement game keys in box	Incredible customization on every key	GamePanel LCD screen
Detriments	Software, removal of left Windows key	Smudge magnet, lack of dedicated macro keys, WMP focus issue	Can’t customize main keys, small GamePanel community
Price (as of 8/08) on Icrontic Marketplace	$25	$82	$80

All the keyboards have their ups and downs, but all three are certainly worthy of your consideration. If you absolutely need to go all-out, the Lycosa and G15 definitely seem to be the top dogs in the market today. As for myself, I need to give the top marks to the Logitech G15. The unlimited macro length, unlimited portable profiles, macro keys, and GamePanel drive home a great value.

While the Razer Lycosa’s superb configuration versatility and clever WASD lighting option overshadows its flaky touch-panel by a wide margin, there might be no better value in the gaming board market than the OCZ Alchemy Elixir. The only thing holding this keyboard back, in my opinion, is the software. If OCZ could manage to work in mouse events with the macros and beef up the maximum keystrokes, it would make it an unbeatable value.

Discuss this review in our forums.

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Comments

29 Aug 2008 ~ 1:16am Winfrey Shiny keyboards!
30 Aug 2008 ~ 6:34am rolleggroll Snarky your write-up has gotten me all hyped up to buy an Alchemy Elixir. If this thing sucks after I buy it...its on your head.
31 Aug 2008 ~ 3:36pm PurplezArctic Hmm.. got me thinking about getting a new board.

I like the OCZ macro buttons are arranged vertically as to cut the length down.
31 Aug 2008 ~ 6:41pm Snarkasm (So are the G15's)
2 Sep 2008 ~ 5:42pm PurplezArctic Hmm. Why didn't I remember that ...

How about,

I like the OCZ macro buttons are arranged in such a way to cut down length. As in one column on each end of the board.
2 Sep 2008 ~ 6:37pm Snarkasm (The G15 only has one column of keys)

Perhaps this is where I mention that the G15 is smaller in width than the Alchemy Elixir. It IS, however, taller, thanks to the GamePanel.
2 Sep 2008 ~ 7:08pm PurplezArctic Ah, I still have the image of the earlier generation G15 in my head, where it has the 3 clusters of 6 buttons (right?) on one side.

I suppose it's quite obvious I didn't read the reviews thoroughly.
2 Sep 2008 ~ 7:18pm Snarkasm

Yes indeed, the former iteration had quite the load of keys. There are pictures of the board in the review and here.
7 Sep 2008 ~ 10:19pm TurboPenguin I'm surprised that Saitek's Cyborg Keyboard wasn't included in this...
7 Sep 2008 ~ 10:21pm Thrax Saitek didn't send us a review sample.
7 Sep 2008 ~ 10:34pm Winfrey Their loss imho.
8 Sep 2008 ~ 12:04am Snarkasm I would be glad to write something up if they'd send one, though!
8 Sep 2008 ~ 12:19am troll I have one of the 1st gen G15's with the 18 macro keys...
The LCD is excellent, many games will load custom stuff on the panel, also nice to have FRAPS running on the LCD instead of flickering on the monitor.
You really get used to the backlit keys, I'll always have a keyboard with it.
Good review, I like the look of the 2nd gen G15.
8 Sep 2008 ~ 2:47am primesuspect I too have the 1st-gen G15, and I love it. best keyboard I ever owned.
8 Sep 2008 ~ 8:09am Thrax

primesuspect wrote:

I too have the 1st-gen G15, and I love it. best keyboard I ever owned.
16 Sep 2008 ~ 10:18pm GnomeWizardd maybe should throw in the G11 since it is only 50 bucks now nad still one of the best in my opinion
28 Nov 2008 ~ 12:53pm UPSWeezer Are the keys on the OCZ Elixer quiet?

I might get one.
28 Nov 2008 ~ 2:50pm Snarkasm Not terribly quiet, no.
28 Nov 2008 ~ 5:55pm UPSWeezer I'm liking this one as well.

Spectre Gamer Keyboard KUT2
28 Nov 2008 ~ 6:08pm Snarkasm Just a heads up: you can get the G15, whose recommendation I stand by, for $62 today. Just a small premium over your current choice for a lot of added value.

Note: I missed that that was a refurb, but there are similar deals for new ones here and here.
28 Nov 2008 ~ 7:29pm UPSWeezer

Snarkasm wrote:

Just a heads up: you can get the G15, whose recommendation I stand by, for $62 today. Just a small premium over your current choice for a lot of added value.

Note: I missed that that was a refurb, but there are similar deals for new ones here and here.

Oh thanks. Very nice.
2 Jul 2009 ~ 6:30am paul I like the sound of this, the Alchemy Elixir keyboard could be exactly what I have been looking for.
13 Oct 2009 ~ 5:08pm djmeph The Razer Lycosa is the biggest piece of shit I've ever owned. I think I bought this very close to around the time this article was published. It worked well for a few months, but has given me nothing but problems ever since. I tried to contact Razer's tech support about the issues I was having when it was still under warranty, but they were of little to no help.

The problem is that when then the "touch interface" gets anything on it, it starts to act up. This could be caused just by normal sweat and dirt from your hands, dust or moisture. The keyboard will be working fine one minute, then next thing you know there's a key stuck, or some adverse affect from the touch interface fucking up. It's not always easy to fix either. One would think that wiping off the touch interface with a dust-free cloth would work, but it doesn't. Sometimes you have to reset the keyboard by unplugging it and plugging it back in, but even that doesn't always work. Sometimes a complete reboot is what it takes and I swear to God, sometimes you just have to shelf the bitch for a while and deal with it later. Another problem I have is the keyboard lights won't stay on. They'll either go out on their own, or when it gets real bad, the keys start flickering like christmas tree lights. Sometimes when this happens, they keyboard will hesitate and screw up whatever you were typing.

It has been a nightmare. An $80 nightmare. Tech support won't do anything about it, because the keyboard isn't technically broken just because the touch interface is dirty. Also, what are they going to do? Replace it with another crappy keyboard?

While it may be a little too late, I don't recommend anyone ever buy this keyboard. EVER. I'm wondering though if any of you have had similar problems. To me it just seems like it was poorly designed. I would rather have normal buttons than the touch interface for media and volume controls.
13 Oct 2009 ~ 5:28pm Cliff_Forster

djmeph wrote:

The Razer Lycosa is the biggest piece of shit I've ever owned. I think I bought this very close to around the time this article was published. It worked well for a few months, but has given me nothing but problems ever since. I tried to contact Razer's tech support about the issues I was having when it was still under warranty, but they were of little to no help.

The problem is that when then the "touch interface" gets anything on it, it starts to act up. This could be caused just by normal sweat and dirt from your hands, dust or moisture. The keyboard will be working fine one minute, then next thing you know there's a key stuck, or some adverse affect from the touch interface fucking up. It's not always easy to fix either. One would think that wiping off the touch interface with a dust-free cloth would work, but it doesn't. Sometimes you have to reset the keyboard by unplugging it and plugging it back in, but even that doesn't always work. Sometimes a complete reboot is what it takes and I swear to God, sometimes you just have to shelf the bitch for a while and deal with it later. Another problem I have is the keyboard lights won't stay on. They'll either go out on their own, or when it gets real bad, the keys start flickering like christmas tree lights. Sometimes when this happens, they keyboard will hesitate and screw up whatever you were typing.

It has been a nightmare. An $80 nightmare. Tech support won't do anything about it, because the keyboard isn't technically broken just because the touch interface is dirty. Also, what are they going to do? Replace it with another crappy keyboard?

While it may be a little too late, I don't recommend anyone ever buy this keyboard. EVER. I'm wondering though if any of you have had similar problems. To me it just seems like it was poorly designed. I would rather have normal buttons than the touch interface for media and volume controls.

I had a shopping dilemma a few months back, considering what I should do, buy an expensive keyboard laden with features I would never use, or buy an old school heavy duty mechanical keyset.

I went old school, and I am thrilled with my purchase. I'm not knocking gaming keyboards with extra features for macros and custom programs for different games and such, but honestly, I just don't use them. If I want to reprogram controls, I just do it in that particular games control panel. Keys that glow in the dark, not for $100+. I just wanted a keyset that would handle my constant abuses. Only problem is its loud when you type on it, which I love to be honest, but my wife can't stand it when she and I are in the same room together.
13 Oct 2009 ~ 5:56pm djmeph I enjoy using the low-profile keys, they are even more comfortable than my laptop keys. My main reason buying the keyboard wasn't for the extra features, but for the light-up low-profile keys. Honestly this would have been a great keyboard if not for the poorly designed touch interface. I don't use the macros and I don't program keys, I'm not even much of a gamer. As I said, my main beef is with the touch interface and how it interferes with normal operation.

That being said, I'm in the market for a new keyboard. Based on my criteria, anyone have any suggestions?
13 Oct 2009 ~ 6:04pm chizow

djmeph wrote:

I enjoy using the low-profile keys, they are even more comfortable than my laptop keys. My main reason buying the keyboard wasn't for the extra features, but for the light-up low-profile keys. Honestly this would have been a great keyboard if not for the poorly designed touch interface. I don't use the macros and I don't program keys, I'm not even much of a gamer. As I said, my main beef is with the touch interface and how it interferes with normal operation.

That being said, I'm in the market for a new keyboard. Based on my criteria, anyone have any suggestions?

For a solid, functional, good looking KB, you can check this offering out:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126043&Tpk=logitech%20illuminated

It goes on sale quite often with an additiona $15-20 promo code, so keep an eye out and subscribe to Newegg if that price bothers you. I got mine for $40, its been as low as $35 in recent weeks AR. Rebate was pretty fast for me, came in about 6 weeks which is good for Logitech.

As for the KB, its tiny, low profile but very sturdy and deceptively heavy given its sleek appearance and tiny footprint. Has laser etched LED illuminated keys that aren't overly gaudy or flashy. Keys use those precision scissor mechanisms and low keystroke travel common in laptop keyboards, very similar to their Logitech DiNovo offerings.

Some problems I've read about include certain key blocking combos (very hit or miss, some claim problems with fast apostrophe combos, I had ctrl-A combo problems, some claim no problems at all. Could be a QA or firmware issue not sure. Also no USB ports on the KB itself, some also have complained about serious power draw on this KB to the point its not compatible with certain mobo.

As for gaming vs. non-gaming keyboards, my take on it is if you use the programmable functionality in games, they're great. If not, they're mostly overkill.
13 Oct 2009 ~ 6:07pm Thrax All I know is that when my Logitech G15 v1 dies, I'm going to ebay to buy another.
13 Oct 2009 ~ 6:10pm primesuspect Yeah that's kinda how I feel too. Old school G1 all the way.
13 Oct 2009 ~ 6:14pm djmeph

Thrax wrote:

All I know is that when my Logitech G15 v1 dies, I'm going to ebay to buy another.

For me, the keys are too big. It looks really cool, and probably functions very well for a gamer, but I just like the way the keys on my laptop work and just want an extended version of that for when I'm hooked up to my docking station.
13 Oct 2009 ~ 7:37pm UPSWeezer This Logitech G15 is great. Thanks for the awesome review which helped made my choice.
14 Oct 2009 ~ 7:25am Snarkasm I want my next keyboard to be the G19, but I don't know if my wallet will allow that.

I'm happy with my MS Ergonomic Natural 4000 for work and my G15 V2 for play. Much prefer the screen on the V2 to the V1, but it's all subjective.

And Meph, I think I mentioned a little bit about the wonky touch controls and my general dislike of them, but I never experienced full-on errors like you're reporting during my use. That's tough to deal with, for sure. Apologies for your experience.
14 Oct 2009 ~ 12:06pm QCH I would add that OCZ's keyboard should also include backlighting. I SOOOO want a keyboard that I can play on in almost total darkness and not have to crank up the LCD brightness to illuminate the keyboard.
14 Oct 2009 ~ 12:12pm Snarkasm Should? Perhaps, but then it wouldn't be less than half the price of its competitors.
14 Oct 2009 ~ 12:18pm djmeph In general I like to be able to do anything in the dark. Fortunately my Thinkpad has the trusty LED that lights up the keyboard, but I'd prefer light-up keys.
15 Oct 2009 ~ 7:21am chizow New G110 from Logitech

http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,697389/Logitech-G110-New-Gaming-Keyboard-introduced/News/

Looks like a solid offering to replace the G11, taking the best of the new from the G19 and G15 Rev2. No LCD, but it has the 12 G-keys similar to the G19, which is definitely a welcome upgrade from the six on the G15 Rev2 with an overall smaller footprint and streamlined design. The keys look to have a really deep profile though....kinda reminds me of the old school mechanical kbs that seem to be making a comeback.

May have to check this out, I never really used the LCD on my G15 (use a 2nd display for those functions) and the newer G15 and G19 address the biggest problems I had with my G15 Rev1, the loose keys, stripped paint, and overall poor build quality. No LCD should also price it reasonably, hopefully in the $50-70 range.
15 Oct 2009 ~ 7:30am Obsidian Any word on when the G110 is coming out? Is it immediate and we'll be seeing it at e-tailers in the next few days or will we have to wait a few weeks? I've been looking at different keyboards recently and was thinking about the G15 and Sidewinder X6. This could fit the bill if Logitech isn't jacking up the price of the keyboard on their site like they usually do and I can pick one up for $50-60.
15 Oct 2009 ~ 7:31am Zuntar

Thrax wrote:

All I know is that when my Logitech G15 v1 dies, I'm going to ebay to buy another.

^^this
15 Oct 2009 ~ 8:38am chizow

Obsidian wrote:

Any word on when the G110 is coming out? Is it immediate and we'll be seeing it at e-tailers in the next few days or will we have to wait a few weeks? I've been looking at different keyboards recently and was thinking about the G15 and Sidewinder X6. This could fit the bill if Logitech isn't jacking up the price of the keyboard on their site like they usually do and I can pick one up for $50-60.

Not sure when its expected to release, but the Logitech site and Amazon are listing it for pre-order for $79.99.

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/gaming/mice_keyboard_combos/devices/5902&cl=US,EN?section=overview
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-920-002232-Gaming-Keyboard-G110/dp/B002RRLQIO/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1255609269&sr=8-7

From recent product launches like the G13, G19 and G9x it sometimes takes awhile for Logitech to get announced products to channel. With the G9x especially as they waited to clear most of the existing G9 stock before launching it.

Looked over the Logitech site and blog and there's some pretty cool features I don't think I've seen before on a KB. Maybe on the G19 but I haven't really looked into it in any detail with the hefty price tag.

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/gaming/mice_keyboard_combos/devices/5902&cl=US,EN?section=overview
http://blog.logitech.com/2009/10/15/new-logitech-gaming-keyboard-g110/

G110 has a built-in USB audio device, which is pretty convenient for gamers as it will limit wires to your main box and keep voice mic and headset local. Just a few 3.5mm miniplugs to the KB for voicecoms.

It also sports customizable LED backlights similar to the G9 mouse and G19 keyboard. Seems like the G110 will allow you to set different backlight keys on a per key basis via software. That'd be pretty sweet if you can do different patterns, like lighting up ASDW, or certain G-keys for those that may do better with visual abstraction using colors rather than numbers.

Some other convenience features seen on other G-series keyboards of old, like wrist rest, cable routing traces make it onto the G110. There is also a single Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port, which is new compared to the G11/G15 rev1. Another welcome feature for connecting your mouse in an effort to limit wires running to your main box.
19 Oct 2009 ~ 9:00am Obsidian Logitech is getting its first shipments of the G110 in mid-late November =/
19 Oct 2009 ~ 9:10am Snarkasm lol, Chizow:

Chiz on pcgameshardware wrote:

The only company that does a GOOD job of keepin game profiles updated in a timely manner is Nvidia with their video drivers. So good in fact they usually have functional game profiles in advance of a game's launch...

That horse has to be all bones by this point.
19 Oct 2009 ~ 5:54pm chizow

Snarkasm wrote:

lol, Chizow:

That horse has to be all bones by this point.

Uh, ya I would think people who buy this hardware for the intended purpose of gaming would find automatic profile detection, functionality and support important, especially if its being touted as a major feature. Its probably the biggest reason the XBox 360 Controller is infinitely better than the Logitech Rumblepad 2. Like I said, the only company that does a good job of keeping these profiles updated in a timely manner is Nvidia.

This isn't a dig on ATI if that's what you're insinuating, because their equivalent of game specific profiles are invisible to the end-user so its not actually a feature of their drivers. You can manually set profiles for particular games, but you have to create them from scratch and you still can't expose compatibility flags that aren't exposed normally through their CP like you can with Nvidia's profiles through the NVCP or nHancer (particularly useful for AA and CF/SLI flags).

Its a feature they've promised months ago...but we'll probably see a blog post by Ian McNaughton in the next month or two explaining how its somehow Nvidia's fault they haven't delivered this feature yet (and yes, that is a dig at ATI). In the meantime, I've just downloaded another update from Nvidia that fully supports Dragon Age Origins, TWIMTBP, no doubt.
19 Oct 2009 ~ 6:19pm Cliff_Forster How hard is it to go into a game menu and manually set your preferences? Seriously? That's what I do on a title by title basis, takes me a few minutes, its not that big of a time suck, and most games defaults are pretty logical to begin with, I normally only adjust a couple minor preferences, for example I like to crouch using the back button on my mouse, and I like to melee by flicking my mouse wheel up. Takes me all of three minutes to get these things set and saved myself. I don't see what the big deal is on gaming specific keyboards.
19 Oct 2009 ~ 7:15pm chizow

Cliff_Forster wrote:

How hard is it to go into a game menu and manually set your preferences? Seriously? That's what I do on a title by title basis, takes me a few minutes, its not that big of a time suck, and most games defaults are pretty logical to begin with, I normally only adjust a couple minor preferences, for example I like to crouch using the back button on my mouse, and I like to melee by flicking my mouse wheel up. Takes me all of three minutes to get these things set and saved myself. I don't see what the big deal is on gaming specific keyboards.

Well for one, its harder than not having to do anything manually at all. Also, I'm not referring to changing simple control maps for any particular game that any standard keyboard would also benefit from, I'm talking about profiles that would specifically take advantage of the added capabilities of an actual gaming keyboard.

For example, if you wanted to set up a profile with your G15 and there wasn't a default profile (as there isn't for 99% of games out there), you have to create it, search for and designate the game's .exe, then start mapping out your functions to G-keys.

With proper support and a functional profile, you wouldn't have to set anything up, the profile would exist and would already point to the proper .exe(s). While many of the pre-made set macros might not be useful to you, some might be great the way they are. Some might need slight modification. Some might expose functionality you would've never thought about that some dev support guy did.

Obviously MMOs make some of the best use of gaming keyboards as you're able to map complex macros to a single function key, so pre-set macros might not be that useful. But at the very least, they could pre-map Ctrl/Shift/Alt and numeric #1 to 6 for each cluster of 6 G keys on the G15 which would at least offer some basic functionality to nearly every MMO out there.

Another example would be many FPS games. Most FPS have in-game communication commands that combine canned voice acting with visual avatar actions, like hitting "T" or "V" might bring up a menu of common FPS-type commands listed 1-0. With good support and a pre-made profile, you might have T+1 mapped to G1 titled "Follow Me", G+2 mapped to G2 titled "All Clear" etc. etc.

Simply put, if you had the choice of a program that offered useful templates vs. one that didn't, which would you prefer?

So again, back to the original point Snarkasm linked out of context, I said:

me wrote:

Its a very powerful tool actually, the only major negative I found is lack of useful profiles per game so it takes some time to set up and the G keys themselves are a bit far off compared to Home Key position your hand would normally rest in.

some other guy wrote:

Well this new Logitech keyboard will solve that problem for you

me wrote:

No that's the problem, they've claimed support for game profiles since the original G15 but they are so few and never ever updated. Its the same for their game pads or Creative's ALchemy, they work good but you gotta set up the profiles yourself. The only company that does a GOOD job of keepin game profiles updated in a timely manner is Nvidia with their video drivers. So good in fact they usually have functional game profiles in advance of a game's launch thanks to the TWIMTBP devrel program.

So no, pre-made profiles may not be a big deal to some people, but I think it would be for anyone who sees this as a major feature especially given its so prominently advertised and touted as a feature. The keyboard example isn't the worst offender by a long-shot, like I said earlier the Logitech Rumblepad 2 seems completely unusable compared alongside the seamless support offered by the XBox 360 controller.