Skip to main content

Cougar goes back to basics with stripped-down 600K mechanical gaming keyboard

cougar unveils simple yet productive mechanical keyboard 600k
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Cougar’s award-winning 700K is one of the most impressive mechanical gaming keyboards around, no question about it. But it goes a little overboard with optimization and customization features, complicating even the simplest tasks.

Enter the 600K, a bare-bones 700K sibling. Following the same design language as the flagship model, this one is aimed at “purists” who, in Cougar’s own words, aren’t “interested in the plethora of functions offered by high end keyboards but at the same time don’t want to settle for a lower end one.”

So, don’t think of the 600K as a poor man’s 700K. It’s not a lowly take on the latter, it’s just different and has a separate target audience. Besides, a few “essential” features are preserved to boost your gaming skills and achievements in a “strictly non-intrusive way.”

For instance, the 600K, like the 700K, comes with a bunch of extra, non-standard keys that are neatly organized so as to not mess up your typing habits. As such, you’ll find multimedia buttons, LED lighting control for the WASD keys and easy Windows key activation and deactivation methods on top of your otherwise typically arranged keyboard.

The USB pass-through port of the 700K is also kept in place. And last but not least, you get a gold-plated USB connector for smooth, lag-free PC hookup. And bragging rights. The latter, mostly.

From an aesthetic standpoint I applaud the near-perfect mix of style and simplicity. The mechanical keys are as large and, presumably, deliciously noisy as you’d expect.

The Cougar 600K is almost ready to go on sale with a range of four Cherry MX Switch options, though the press release did not say which. No official word on pricing yet, but with the 700K going for $150 on Newegg, a price close to $100 seems likely.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Adrian Diaconescu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Adrian is a mobile aficionado since the days of the Nokia 3310, and a PC enthusiast since Windows 98. Later, he discovered…
I built my own gaming keyboard for the price of buying one — and it’s so much better
A custom keyboard sitting among keycaps and switches.

I'm fed up with mainstream gaming keyboards. They're just too expensive for what you get. My frustration to find something I really loved led me to finally bite the bullet and build my own. It's a hobby that's billed as niche and prohibitively expensive, but that's not the case. You can build a keyboard for the same price as buying one from a mainstream brand, and you'll come out with a much better result.

Keyboards are complex beasts, despite how simple they appear. Once you open the can of worms that is custom mechanical keyboards, you'll quickly become an expert in minor differences between keycaps, switches, and everything in between. If you want a keyboard that can put even the best mechanical keyboards to shame, you need to build your own.
Building your own keyboard isn't that expensive

Read more
Why I refuse to buy another full-sized gaming keyboard
SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini and Pro Mini Wireless together.

I switch keyboards constantly, but after years of buying something new every few months to give it a try, I have a new rule: I'm never buying another full-sized gaming keyboard. I'm a changed man, free of the shackles of a number pad and media buttons, and I'm finally ready to go all-in on small form factors.

The best gaming keyboards have been dominated by full-sized options for years, but that's starting to change. More mainstream keyboard builders are releasing TKL, 65%, and sometimes even 60% keyboards, so now is the time to jump on the small form factor train and give it a try.
Hello, desk space

Read more
The best PC gaming peripherals of CES 2022: Mice, keyboards, headsets, and more
Asus ROG Chakram X mouse on a blue background.

CES 2022 has brought a wide variety of peripheral announcements from brands like Corsair, HyperX, and Asus. While some of the new keyboards, mice, and headsets keep with the designs from years past, others have pushed ahead with innovative features -- and those are products are center stage for this roundup of the best PC gaming peripherals at CES 2022.

Top Tech of CES 2022 Editors' Choice

Read more