|
But
wait, there's more! There is a keypad that accompanies the Gamers
Keyboard that most gamers are sure to love. It connects to the Gamers
Keyboard by way of a cord that is almost 2 feet in length with an RJ-45
plug. It may have numbers on it, but this is no calculator. When coupled with the Saitek Smart
Technology (SST) software, this small add-on keypad can become a lethal
weapon -- storing either a single keyboard command or a combination of
keyboard commands and mouse clicks.
The
Mode A and Mode B buttons (which the SST refers to as shift states) can
be thought of as banks with each bank holding 9 commands. My only
real complaint here is that there is no indicator on the pad itself to
show you which bank is active. The above picture shows the SST software
in the programming mode with button #3 in the Mode A shift state
presently being defined. The example in Button #1 is simply a string
of single key strokes that will be typed when button #1 is
pressed. Button #2 is a combination of a down cursor, two left clicks,
and then a Control+A. Button #3 has a Macro stored on it which differs
from keyboard commands in that the amount of time between each key press
is also recorded. In my example of button #3 I have the number 2 being
pressed, then a left click, then a number 1 being pressed and finally
F9. Battlefield Vietnam players will probably recognize this pretty fast
as a means to Seat Jack a Cobra helicopter and fire off a heat seeker
and then jump back in the pilots seat. As a final note: I was not able
to get the STT software to recognize joystick button presses as a
recordable function. Oh well.......
Connecting to the PC with USB may not be everyone's favorite, but that's
just the way things are going to be. In fact, Saitek does not even
supply a USB to PS/2 adapter with this product so if you don't have a
free USB port it will be time to buy a USB hub. The driver CD installs
the SST software and then you're ready to start programming. Of course
you can save your definitions once you've made them and then recall them
before you start gaming.
Typing day to day with the Gamers Keyboard is
simply terrific! The keys have what I would consider to have a
relatively short throw distance before the key is registered and the
keys are physically spaced far enough apart to prevent all but the most
flagrant fat
fingering. For those that have a high typing speed, you will
appreciate how quiet the keyboard can be. Striking the keys does not
product that annoying hollow clicking sound.
All
in all I call the Saitek Gamer's keyboard a must have. The price seems
to be pretty level both on the retail shelf and with the E-tailers at
around $49.99 plus tax/shipping. The Gamer's Keyboard made its debut
early enough that it could easily make its way under The Tree for that
special gamer in your life.
|
Club
Overclocker Rating |
|
Innovation: |
9.0
out of 10 |
|
Performance: |
10 out of 10 |
|
Quality: |
10 out of 10 |
|
Stability: |
N/A |
|
Overclocking: |
N/A |
|
Software Pack: |
N/A |
|
Value: |
9.0 out of 10 |
|
Overall Rating 9.5 |
|
 |
 |
|
Skill Level |
|
Project Skill Level
(10 being hardest) |
2
out of 10 |
|
