Logitech G15 Keyboard Preview

It appears that all the manufacturer attention lavished upon gaming mice has finally started to trickle down to the little rodent's faithful companion, the keyboard. While we don't have laser-equipped keyboards just yet, recent innovations have made keyboards much more exciting than back in the day when manufacturers would proudly tout media control buttons as a product-defining feature. Logitech's new G15 Keyboard offers a collection of advanced features any gamer will love, including programmable macros, illuminated keys, and a backlit LCD display.

The keyboard itself has a larger than average footprint and resembles a small command center with all the extra buttons and the LCD display. The 160x43 LCD can be used to display system information like time and date or even CPU utilization and MP3 playback information. Software applications like games and Web browsers can send information to the display, but the user will be able to set software permissions in the configuration menu.

Fans of soft keys will love the G15's quiet, velvety keystrokes. The soft action reminded us of the great-feeling keys on the Saitek Eclipse and Gamers keyboards--but the similarity doesn't stop there. Like the Eclipse, the G15 keys also have transparent lettering and blue backlighting that keep the keys visible when it's time to turn off the lights.

The most useful new feature has to be the programmable macro support. The keyboard has a set of keys on the left side of the keyboard that can be programmed with macros. You can record a series of keystrokes and assign it to one of the programmable keys. Then you'll be able to replay the entire key sequence each time you activate the macro. Macros are extremely useful for creating shortcuts that help automate repetitive actions in games and in desktop applications. You could create a macro in Counter-Strike: Source that automatically buys weapons, ammo, and armor for you (or one that only buys grenades if you're fond of spamming). There are 18 macro keys total, but you can save up to 54 settings, because the keys have three different "shift states."

If that wasn't enough, the board also has a special "game mode" switch that you can toggle to disable the Windows key that has been responsible for prematurely ending its fair share of gaming sessions. While not quite as satisfying as prying off a key and tossing it into the trash, the "game mode" switch does offer a more peaceful solution to the Windows key menace.

The Logitech G15 Keyboard has an $80 MSRP and will be available in October 2005.