Gaming keyboards - I don't think I get it?

[isiolia]

Interestingly, while I have a gaming mouse, I'm happy with my cheap keyboard.

Have you used a good keyboard for a while? It's...hard to go back.

[fastbilly1]

Ive never had the desire for a gaming keyboard. I play with a standard Dell 108 key - mostly because I have a stack of them.

[Jmustang1968]

The biggest impact for me is when playing MMOs and the amount of hot keys needed. The side button mouse was also nice for Diablo 3 and SC 2.

[Hobie-wan]

I don't use a 'gaming' keyboard, but I do swear by my old battleship mechanical one. It is like the difference between a mushy rubber dome joystick and one with microswitches. Sometimes a cheap one is ok depending on what you're playing, but one with real switches always feels better to use, especially for long sessions.

[BoneSnapDeez]

What games function best with one of these gaming keyboards?

I play mostly WRPGs on the PC and have always been fine with the standard keyboard (and mouse for that matter).

To me these keyboards are in the same category as arcade sticks and specialty controllers. They look really cool and might function somewhat better than what I already have, but I'm not willing to shell out $50-$100 for one.

[Luke]

Noise,

Did you ever find out if you think you get it or not?

[noiseredux]

Noise,

Did you ever find out if you think you get it or not?

turns out I get it, but I probably wouldn't get it.

[Jmustang1968]

What games function best with one of these gaming keyboards?

I play mostly WRPGs on the PC and have always been fine with the standard keyboard (and mouse for that matter).

To me these keyboards are in the same category as arcade sticks and specialty controllers. They look really cool and might function somewhat better than what I already have, but I'm not willing to shell out $50-$100 for one.

I would say MMOs and FPS/TPS. Anything where you move with wasd and/or use a bunch of hotkeys.

[Hobie-wan]

What games function best with one of these gaming keyboards?

FPS and games that have a ton of functions you might need quickly. Some cheap keyboards will only take input from a few keys simultaneously which can be an issue if you're playing an FPS and holding W and D to move diagonally while holding CTRL to crouch then try to his space to jump or E to lean to the right. Ones with special layouts can help with things like having easy to reach keys for activating abilities in a game like WoW or doing functions in an RTS where it will give you an advantage over having to move your hand further away from the movement keys.

[Jmustang1968]

Yeah if you look at link I posted, the gamepad to the left has hotkeys surrounding the movement keys. On traditional keyboards, only keys 1-4 or 5 are easily accessible. So for mmos, this allows for much easier access to all of your hotkeys.