7G Gaming Keyboard Reverts to Switches

SteelSeries' latest gaming keyboard uses gold-plated mechanical switches under its skin, in place of the soggy-feeling rubbery domes normally used.

We’ve seen plenty of gaming-themed computer peripherals with futuristic shapes, dark colors, and some really slick marketing, but the new 7G gaming keyboard from SteelSeries, announced Monday, opts for a much more reserved styling, putting all of its game-optimized features on the inside. The unassuming black keyboard uses mechanical switches for every key, improving feedback quality and durability over more common place and less expensive technology.

Pulling apart the average consumer keyboard would reveal a flexible rubber-like mat, with domes where every key goes. This design works because each key press squashes a dome, connecting a conductive surface in its peak with a conductive surface below and completing a circuit. The SteelSeries 7G discards this technology for individual 18k-gold-plated mechanical switches, which are rated for a lifetime 10 times as long as the membrane design: 50 million operations.

The 7G also uses a PS/2 buffer system built especially for gaming, allowing as many simultaneous key presses as there are keys on the keyboards. This might allow a first-person-shooter player to, for instance, walk, crouch, aim, fire and check the scoreboard simultaneously, a feat that isn’t always possible with conventional keyboards. It also eliminates the “ghosting” issue found in older keyboards, in which pressing three or more keys could cause a phantom fourth key to register.

The SteelSeries 7G gaming keyboard is on sale now for $149.99 through many major online retailers and a handful of North American retail chains.