New Gaming Keypads and Keyboards From Logitech and UnitedKeys

PC and Mac gamers are serious about button pushing. As far as they are concerned you can pretty much forget about game controllers. And standard 103-button keyboards? They are for lightweights. Well okay, maybe they will always keep one or two of these old stand-bys around, since you never know when you might need a backup, or something that was actually made for typing instead of blowing things up, equiping characters and casting spells. But if you are spending hours a day sitting there a-tap-tap-tapping away in the dark wouldn't you want the most customizable, self-illuminating gizmo you can get? Uh, yeah. This is something both Swiss peripheral king Logitech and Silicon Valley whippersnapper UnitedKeys know all too well, and correspondingly they both have new offerings.

Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard

           

General Specs:        Compatible with Windows XP and Vista; Mac OSX 10.4 or later; USB 2.0. Naturally contoured design, with large concave buttons. 25 programmable keys and a programmable mini-joystick. Backlit keys customizable to any color and 20MB onboard memory. Gamepanel LCD for displaying stats, system info and in-game communications. Software dev kit for uploading open source community enhancements. MRSP: $79.99.

The G13 has three game modes, which multiplied by its 25 buttons equals a lot of programmable strokes. Also, according to the product press release, its 20MB of onboard memory should be sufficient to configure five games, though it comes pre-configured for play with World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It's dual PC and Mac compatibility is a plus, but unfortunately it's singular mini-joystick placement leave lefties in the lurch yet again. Also a word to the wise who prefer a full-sized gaming keyboard. It is rumored that the Logitech G18 Gaming Keyboard will be releasing early next year. So if size matters and you are in the market, you might want to hold out for that.

UnitedKeys OLED Keyboard or Keypad

                       

	General Specs:        Compatible with Windows XP, Vista. 9 yellow monochrome OLED keys / 103 standard keys. 3 LEDs (num, caps and scroll lock); blue accent light panels (left and right sides). Interface USB 2.0 connector type A. Storage - 128MB flash memory. MRSP: $259.99.
	General Specs:        Compatible with Windows XP, Vista. 9 yellow monochrome OLED keys. Blue accent light panels (left and right sides). Interface USB 2.0 connector type A. Storage - 128MB flash memory. MRSP: $199.99.

Somehow the UnitedKeys offerings come off looking a whole lot less sexy than the Logitech gameboard, but that could have an awful lot to do with the price and an old gamer's habit to save a buck where you can.

--Tom Milnes

Comments

[USB Flash Drive on December 12, 2008 at 01:55 AM]

Logitech has rolled out yet another gaming keyboard this time round it comes in a hybrid format that will complement your Logitech keyboard and mouse to offer game-changing comfort and control on a Mac computer or a PC with its Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard

[taksin on December 19, 2008 at 03:35 AM]

It's very good Compatible with Windows XP, Vista.