Logitech G15 keyboard

Logitech’s G15 Keyboard, with 54 on-the-fly macro-programmable keys and illuminated keys, is a gamer’s delight

In the land that PC time forgot, back in the good ole days, there were manual typewriters, and in order to get that metal key to strike the paper, one had to apply decent pressure. 

Yep, it does sound barbaric, but then along came the electric typewriter and suddenly everything changed. To strike the keys “firmly” often meant getting several unwanttted letters (like the three ‘t’s’ in unwanted). It sped up typing and made the whole process a lot more enjoyable. The first PC keyboards were basically patterned after those electric typewriter keyboards, and while functional were still primitive by today’s standards.

And speaking of today’s standards, enter the world of the Logitech G15 keyboard, a gamer’s dream machine if ever there was one. Why? Well, the cursory answer lays with the 18 keys on the left side of the keyboard, three banks of six keys that are macro-programmable. But if you think 18 macros is simply not enough, never fear because Logitech apparently agreed and made button triggers for three tiers of those key sets, plus a simple MR (recording) button that streamlines the whole process of creating macros.

The keyboard will recognize games on your PC – well, games that are currently in the software to be recognized – and will allow players to set up gaming profiles for each game. The interface is very easy to use.

Now if the keyboard stopped there, that would still be a dandy piece of peripheral hardware to have … but it doesn’t.

The keyboard also comes with an LCD display called the GamePanel, which displays system information – such as time, CPU usage and how many calories in that slice of pizza you just had … well, maybe not the latter. There are three brightness settings that not only control the LCD panel but illuminate the keys as well.

Two USB connections flank the LCD panel as well for easy connectivity of other peripherals.

The keystrokes are smooth and responsive and the whole keyboard is rather sturdy. This is a USB device as well. The inset below the LCD panel comes with a volume mute button and controls for playback.

There are times when a piece of hardware comes through the door that, once installed and used, becomes essential – whether to gaming goodness or just in general terms. Logitech, an innovative leader in peripherals, has proved its standing yet again with the G15 Gaming Keyboard. Once you use this keyboard, even nice little wireless Logitech keyboards seem to pale in comparison.

Pros:
The programmable macro keys are a dream. The key pressure is also excellent and the LCD display give quick essential updates at a glance. 

Cons:
The software still has to pick up on more titles loaded on the machine. Of the seven games – including some massively multiplayer that have been in release for better than a year, the auto recognition only picked up on three games and created soft profiles for them.

Verdict: 9.0
Responsive, a great layout, illumination – it really is a joy to use this keyboard. The 54 macros available with excellent no-muss, no-fuss recording make this keyboard a gamer’s delight.