Best PC Gaming Keyboards
Aircraft-grade anodized brushed aluminum frame for superior durability / Advanced lighting control and large font keycaps deliver dynamic, vibrant backlighting.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"When people tried to spread the gospel that is mechanical keyboards I use to think "this person is just trying to explain away throwing away +$100 on a keyboard.""
":D. I have owned in the past. -Corsair K70 RGB [Cherry MX Brown]. -Corsair K65 RGB [Cherry MX Red]. -Razer Black Widow Ultimate [Razer Greens]. -Logitech G910 Orion Spark [Romer-G]. -Logitech G810 Orion Spectrum [Romer-G]. Corsair took their K70 and turned it into something that people like me would love, without the hassle of buying things like "o-ring switch dampeners" to lessen noise and reach the lowest possible actuation point. I was looking at getting Cherry MX Browns and new several companies used those switches, but Corsair was my answer when I found out how fantastically built their keyboards were compared to the competition. Even if you're unable to comprehend what on Earth you're supposed to do to make the sickest lighting possible for your set up, there are always downloadables from the Corsair Forums that people have shared. It looks sharp, has smooth transitions between colors, and the letters on the keys are actually larger than on Corsair's original K70 and K65 RGB. I play a lot of Counter Strike Global Offensive and want equipment that just feels right for me when I'm trying to, very quickly, strafe left to right between shots. The Rapid Fire Switches are very comparable to Cherry MX Reds or Blacks, but with a much shorter actuation. When I owned my Cherry MX Reds and Browns I took time to install those darn o-rings that took forever to put on. Building a keyboard with a shortened actuation without the need of o-rings really solved my own personal issues I've had with other companies products. Recap. - High quality build. - Brushed aluminum body. - Enlarged letter sizes to enhance lighting effects. - Easy to clean. - Corsair's sail logo. - Comes with wrist rest [rubberized plastic]. - Media Keys are always helpful to have on these keyboards. - Switches feel smooth and are pleasant to type with. I will update as needed if something breaks, stops working, etc."
"I'm reviewing the Corsair Gaming K70 LUX RGB (MX Cherry Brown). I bought this keyboard because I wanted a few things; full size, RGB backlighting, dedicated media controls, MX Cherry Brown. This is entirely preference, and my advice is to test them out in person, either on a display model or a sample switch pad. RGB Backlighting - This is a great feature, although its often sold for gaming purposes, I generally use my keyboard for work. One useful utility I found for the RGB control is to make the Caps Lock key change to red if I hit it. Another thing is if I ever catch myself in the middle of a pride parade, my keyboard can double as a virtual rainbow flag. Additionally, the 5 dedicated controls (Mute - Stop - Back - Pause/Play - Next) have RGB lighting in them. It makes sense, and works well with the number row on the top of the keyboard, but personally, I don't like how it looks on the punctuation keys. Wishlist (cons): Non-Standard Bottom Row - This is the major complaint I see from "keyboard enthusiasts" online. Anytime a company doesn't adopt an industry universal or standard, it should raise some red flags. Again, this is no fault of Corsair, but part a problem in the Cherry switches and "plate mounting"."
The Razer BlackWidow Chroma V2 features individually programmable backlit keys with 16.8 million color options, all easily set through Razer Synapse.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I've owned the original Razer BlackWidow (with Cherry MX Blue switches), as well as a Das Keyboard Professional (with Cherry MX Brown switches). The Das Keyboard Professional with its Cherry MX Brown switches was much quieter, however the keystroke with those Cherry MX switches was so long that I often didn't press the keys down hard enough to activate them, and that was obnoxious when typing. I was having trouble with accidentally pressing the Caps Lock key while typing, and then I added the purple color and made the Caps Lock light blue so that it was easy to see it, and so far I haven't accidentally hit the Caps Lock key while typing again. The keys are very thin on top (presumably to allow as much light to pass between the keys as possible) which makes them feel a little odd, and since the size and shape of the keys is different than what I'm used to I often find myself pressing the wrong key."
"I had a REALLY hard time deciding between this and the nice Corsair... I thought it was kinda funny) but it definitely is differently shaped (see photo 1). I told them it seemed like a great keyboard but I wanted the correct key.... They replied with "Here is a link to our store, we sell all sorts of extra parts there." And then you have the nerve to tell me to go to your store and give you more money for the parts that I assumed would COME WITH THE KEYBOARD! I very rarely give companies poor reviews as I am a small business owner myself and I know how difficult it can be to please everyone, but Razer obviously doesn't care. I'll be returning my wife's Razer keyboard we bought a few weeks ago too. It puts your hands up so high you have to drop your fingers down in an awkward position. Hitting keys close to the rest is awkward (like space, alt, or ctrl...... a key I have 1 too many of thanks to Razer...) so I wouldn't buy it just because the arm rest unless you like it awkward like that. That is my honest review of the keyboard despite the crap quality control and even worse customer service."
"It does bother me though that a product ordered as new with a price as high as this was clearly opened, used, and resealed then sold as new."
CUE support enables advanced macro and lighting programming for virtually unlimited game customization / 100% Cherry MX RGB Red key switches with gold contacts for fast, precise key presses.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"When people tried to spread the gospel that is mechanical keyboards I use to think "this person is just trying to explain away throwing away +$100 on a keyboard.""
":D. I have owned in the past. -Corsair K70 RGB [Cherry MX Brown]. -Corsair K65 RGB [Cherry MX Red]. -Razer Black Widow Ultimate [Razer Greens]. -Logitech G910 Orion Spark [Romer-G]. -Logitech G810 Orion Spectrum [Romer-G]. Corsair took their K70 and turned it into something that people like me would love, without the hassle of buying things like "o-ring switch dampeners" to lessen noise and reach the lowest possible actuation point. I was looking at getting Cherry MX Browns and new several companies used those switches, but Corsair was my answer when I found out how fantastically built their keyboards were compared to the competition. Even if you're unable to comprehend what on Earth you're supposed to do to make the sickest lighting possible for your set up, there are always downloadables from the Corsair Forums that people have shared. It looks sharp, has smooth transitions between colors, and the letters on the keys are actually larger than on Corsair's original K70 and K65 RGB. I play a lot of Counter Strike Global Offensive and want equipment that just feels right for me when I'm trying to, very quickly, strafe left to right between shots. The Rapid Fire Switches are very comparable to Cherry MX Reds or Blacks, but with a much shorter actuation. When I owned my Cherry MX Reds and Browns I took time to install those darn o-rings that took forever to put on. Building a keyboard with a shortened actuation without the need of o-rings really solved my own personal issues I've had with other companies products. Recap. - High quality build. - Brushed aluminum body. - Enlarged letter sizes to enhance lighting effects. - Easy to clean. - Corsair's sail logo. - Comes with wrist rest [rubberized plastic]. - Media Keys are always helpful to have on these keyboards. - Switches feel smooth and are pleasant to type with. I will update as needed if something breaks, stops working, etc."
"I'm reviewing the Corsair Gaming K70 LUX RGB (MX Cherry Brown). I bought this keyboard because I wanted a few things; full size, RGB backlighting, dedicated media controls, MX Cherry Brown. This is entirely preference, and my advice is to test them out in person, either on a display model or a sample switch pad. RGB Backlighting - This is a great feature, although its often sold for gaming purposes, I generally use my keyboard for work. One useful utility I found for the RGB control is to make the Caps Lock key change to red if I hit it. Another thing is if I ever catch myself in the middle of a pride parade, my keyboard can double as a virtual rainbow flag. Additionally, the 5 dedicated controls (Mute - Stop - Back - Pause/Play - Next) have RGB lighting in them. It makes sense, and works well with the number row on the top of the keyboard, but personally, I don't like how it looks on the punctuation keys. Wishlist (cons): Non-Standard Bottom Row - This is the major complaint I see from "keyboard enthusiasts" online. Anytime a company doesn't adopt an industry universal or standard, it should raise some red flags. Again, this is no fault of Corsair, but part a problem in the Cherry switches and "plate mounting"."
Best PC Gaming Mice
5 programmable buttons with 5 memory profiles, an 8-piece weight tuning set (2.4g x 8) and LED color options.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I bought a new gaming Laptop decided to get a gaming mouse to go with it."
"The 2 screws holding the mouse together are under the two larger nylon pads the mouse slides on. Then pry with a fingernail on the seam of the mouse near the screws to separate the halves. You have to slide one half of the mouse forward and the other back to completely separate the mouse halves at the point where the USB cord goes in."
"The mouse is very "grippy" in my hands and this is very important, for instance, when you are zoomed in with a sniper rifle awaiting an enemy coming into your view from around a door or corner. Using more of a claw grip in these instances allows me a ridiculous amount of control over my crosshair movement (in other words, I can accurately move the mouse just a sliver in any given direction). The rubber "tire" like covering on it works great and the down-click motion is direct and not sloppy. Whenever I put my computer to sleep and then wake it back up, I have to unplug and then re-plug the mouse to get Windows to recognize it. During a match in CS:GO, you could imagine how this could really mess things up (sniping, defusing a bomb, maintaining stealth, having a grenade out). It has a very aggressive look, and the pairing of a red and black color scheme is a nice touch. The color LEDs appear on the back of the mouse and both sides which add a very coll effect. The mouse, overall, feels like it will hold up structurally for some time, and all of the pieces look well-finished and put together. The braided cable tells me they went the extra mile to make sure this mouse delivers. It feels light enough that I almost wish it were just a tad bit heavier, but this could merely be just personal preference. My gripe is that it would be nice to have something a little "grippier" or "rubbery" there to make my thumb feel a little more like part of the mouse. The low weight, however, makes it every easy to move the mouse a tiny distance on screen. I paid 17.00 with overnight Prime shipping for a 6-button, braided cable, laser mouse with adjustable sensitivity and awesome button switches. Some mice are good for certain things, so if you find that you don't need your ultra-hyped, overrated $75 mouse, give this one a try."
"This Mouse works perfectly with Xubuntu 16.10 probably because no Software is required -- all the controlling is done via the Mouse itself. The Mouse feels nice in my smallish hands and the two side buttons will function as Back and Forward in a Web Browser, among many other functions you could program it for. Below the middle Scroll Wheel is a button to adjust the DPI, I keep mine on the Green Light as it feels right for me, the speed of the Mouse also changes with this function."
"Only had this mouse about a week so I will update if there are any changes. Like I said above he has only been using this mouse about a week but he was very surprised by how good this mouse is for the price."
Best PC Game Headsets
HyperX Cloud II features a newly designed USB sound card audio control box that amplifies audio and voice for an optimal Hi-Fi gaming experience, so you can hear what you’ve been missing. Open up a world of detail other gamers will never know — the rustle of a camper’s boot, the scuttle in a distant vent. This next-generation headset generates virtual 7.1 surround sound with distance and depth to enhance your gaming, movie or music experience. Repeat the same steps for the microphone portion of the headset, located under the “Recording” tab (also found in the Sound program in Control Panel.). Noise Cancelling Microphone via Inline Sound Card. Memory foam ear pads with extra set of Velour ear pads and Detachable Microphone.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I didn't hear a thing, thanks to my amazing HyperX Cloud 2 headphones."
"The leather pads are soft and conform around your ears well including isolating you from any ambient sounds in your home. Generally, they (feel) very light on your head, and after three or four hours of gaming, your ears are not all sweaty and hot. For you dudes that have large ears or wear earrings, especially those big suckers, you may be out of luck. If there were a lot of problems with this product they’d lose money on a two year warranty. Packaging is top notch, beautiful, well designed and is another clue that you are getting something pretty good. The box is built like Fort Knox and all the doo-dads are packed firmly away in foam. You get a ditty bag for traveling, and adaptors for PC, Mac, and gaming consoles, including controllers. The cord is plenty long enough and the volume control for the mic and headphones is handy."
"it is comfortable for hours at a time which is how long i wear it. it was raining in a game i was playing and had to take of headset to look out the window and see if it was raining."
"Over the years I gone through a headset every 1-2 years and it always came down to the construction as the reason I had to buy a new one. I have the previous version of these and they have lasted through regular use and plenty of road trips over the last year."
"There is only one thing i do not like and out of all the Problems a mic can give you this is pretty much nothing because most mic are this way now. I use this mic for my ps4 and it is convenient to plug the mic directly into the controller but with doing that there is no mute function so if you do decide to use the controller jack instead of the USB you will not be able to mute the mic.. Other than that little thing these are 100% perfect."
Best PC Game Controllers
Buffalo super Nintendo famicom snes, USB gamepad for pc. Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"== 2017 Update ===================================================. I originally wrote this review two years ago. RetroPie is now smarter and doesn't require any monkeying with configuration files. == 2014 Original Review =============================================. Although you can use this in Mac, Windows, or Linux, I bough this for my Raspberry Pi loaded with RetroPie. This (and all) controllers require TWO configurations: one for EmualtionStation (the menu system), and one for playing games. So to fix BOTH these issues, do the following: (1) Exit EmulationStation to the console, and optionally start LX (startx). (2) Append the following to: /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch.cfg. # Start. input_joypad_driver = linuxraw. input_player1_joypad_index = "0". input_player1_up_axis = "-1". input_player1_down_axis = "+1". input_player1_left_axis = "-0". input_player1_right_axis = "+0". input_player1_a_btn = "0". input_player1_b_btn = "1". input_player1_x_btn = "2". input_player1_y_btn = "3". input_player1_select_btn = "6". input_player1_start_btn = "7". input_exit_emulator_btn = "4". input_menu_toggle_btn = "5". # End. (3) Reboot the Pi and you're good to go. You can either comment out the linuxraw line, or use a keyboard to move through that in-game menu. This took me many hours to sort through, so I hope this saves others lots of time!"
"Side by side comparisons vs the original Japan controller (as most likely noted by numerous reviewers here) are that the buffalo controller is slightly lighter, slightly thinner and vs the original famicom pad, the dpad is slightly elevated on the buffalo controller. I've attached numerous photos comparing the weight of the 2 game pads and thickness at various parts of the controller. Yes there are minor differences but the price gap between a real one and this one is FAR beyond the point of diminishing returns in my opinion unless you're a collector, which in that case, you most likely already have one or more of the original game pads anyways."
"I actually prefer it to my authentic SNES controllers."