Ad some Bling Bling to your gaming gear. by Vaughn Smith

June 26, 2006 - Having developed enough gaming mice, Logitech's R&D dept. has turned their attentions on the left hand for the moment and created the G15 Gaming Keyboard. With LAN parties becoming more and more common, walking into the line of fire with some cool new head-turning gear is what it's all about, especially if you can't really play very well.

The G15 is an impressive monster of a board due to the bank of 18 G keys located on the left hand side of the deck. The 18 G keys are provided for programming macros and as long as you're right handed, you'll enjoy the placement of them on the left side of the board. Each key has 3 available states, providing 54 possible macros in a given profile. These macros can be used in gaming and software programs. The size of the keyboard might limit its usage if you're planning on using it for everyday PC functions, as there is a good chance it will crowd out your mouse on your retractable keyboard shelf. If you have enough space on your desk it will fit, but at 21.5 inches in length and 10.5 inches wide, it's most likely the biggest keyboard you've seen. The 2 USB 1.1 ports on the board are defintely handy, especially if your free ones are located at the back of your PC.

The size of the deck might be a serious issue for those with little to no desk space with a regular keyboard. I found that the extra girth of the G15 made things a little less manageable in my workspace which hindered my mouse movement quite a bit - which could mean certain death in a heated FPS match. You'll definitely want to make sure you've got the optimum desk space both at home and at your LAN party location before you walk in with this bad boy.

The blue backlit keys are great for typing or gaming in the dark and the GamePanel LCD display is used for displaying health, ammo etc. in games that support the feature. Unfortunately support from the PC development community seems to be rather slow going, but there are four applets that can be used outside of gaming such as an LCD clock, CPU / Ram usage gauge, Media display for iTunes, WinAmp etc. At this point, it's more gimmicky than functional.

As a functioning keyboard for day to day usage, the G15 is extremely quiet and comfortable. I really dug the backlit keys and the Mac-like feel of the keyboard. Since I do a lot of typing late at night, my keyboard "clacking" illicits raucous complaints from the rest of my family who are trying to "sleep" (whatever that is...). Where I had once considered just leaving them all behind and starting a new life where upon I could "clack" all night long to my heart's content in some dingy motel somewhere, the G15 is a much more economic solution if you take into account what I'll save on legal fees, a nasty divorce settlement and child support. It's win win! Well, maybe it's just 'win' as I definitely would have had some fun at the dingy motel.

Overall the G15 keyboard is solid, features comfortable keys, ergo wrist-rest and numerous bells and whistles that will mostly only appeal to the tech-head gamer, especially after you factor in the $80 price tag. But when you waltz into that LAN party with this deck, heads are going to turn and this time it won't be because you didn't bother to shower.

By Vaughn Smith
CCC Site Director