Be Excellent To Each Other

Does that involve some jiggery-pokery, though?

Hold on, £50?

I could buy two quality bottles of Bordeaux for that. Or three rather fine pinot noirs. Or two bottles of Isle of Jura.

It is expensive. But then it is good. I suppose if you are perfectly happy with what you have and it works really well for you then it's £50 too much.

As gaming keyboards go that's about entry level and it does a lot more than the entry level boards. My Saitek was £38+ VAT and £5 or so shipping which was the cheapest one I could find that lit up. That was important to me because sometimes a game (in training) will say "Press G for melee attack" or something and because I'm not used to using that key in a gaming situation (with my left hand over WASD) I end up stabbing away at keys panicking.

What really sold it for me was this -



And this



I tried to solve that issue (knowing when I had gotten an email during gaming or watching a DVD for examples) with my Silverstone front panel. And whilst it does inform you that you have an email it's to the left of me and slightly behind my line of vision, and that's with the door wide open. So usually unless I stare at it and notice the email notification I miss it. If the entire keyboard went from yellow to red it would be a lot more noticable

Problem is when I'm working with my pal accross the net and I get carried away I can miss emails completely, so it saves just sitting here waiting.

Not in my experience.

Indeed, shift/alt/ctrl/cursors were default keys in Doom.

I guess it's dependant on the game. Some games allow hotkeys to contain a modifier, so the modifier key on its own won't be allowed unless you find the hardware code for it, or whatever that nonsense is called.

I do remember having Shift as Sprint in the likes of Counter Strike, but I don't suppose those games would then allow Shift + R to reload, for example.

As a layman type, what exactly does the keyboard do to do this? Does the electricity travel faster along the more expensive cables? Or does it re-write the I/O interface in the operating system? Or does the keyboard simply make the game you are playing run faster? Or is it just a placebo effect of a person who's spent lots of money on a keyboard and is trying to justify it with claims of magick?

I would hazard a guess that it's down to response times. Possibly other things (I'm reading the fine points as I type this btw so consider this very much on the fly..)



Does make sense....



I mean if you think about it even the length of travel a key needs to be pushed down would change response times. Personally until about three years ago I would always use either Logitech or Microsoft. I would never quite put my finger on why technically, but they just felt better and tended to be better suited to gaming. It's only really over the past couple of years that 'true' high performance gaming keyboards and mice have become mainframe. Before that you just got a good quality keyboard that was good for gaming but it wasn't specifically designed for gaming, just suited it well. First real pimped gaming mouse I can recall was the original Razer Boomslang.

I'm still happy with my homeopathic keyboard. every time I press a key it transmits happy waves across the world, making it a better place.

Dim, to try and descramble it more.. Here is an excerpt taken from a gaming keyboard roundup in one of my mags recently...

Everytime I press the T key a magic beanstalk is planted in Imagination Land, helping to tackle climate change.

"Drastically", eh? Adjusts cynical hat, clears throat, affects bemused expression.

I'll tell you what the most major problem in response times is. It's that grey/pink lump that sits behind your eye sockets.

Well what you have is already GEEX. I wouldn't have changed if it wasn't for the fact that it's been brought for me.

The Saitek is a fine board

But the all out iness of being able to switch my PC to colours other than red blue and purple does appeal to me. I don't like red because it's angry and blue is cold. Purple is a nice colour but I would like to be able to go all green again without the keyboard looking really daft sat next to it. Also, the top lights never change from blue. Silly minor points I know but the ability to even have the keyboard and PC lit in white sounds good to me

You can improve the latency on that by flashing the bios though. You'll need a 4mm masonry drill and a straightened coathanger for this mod.

I have the Saitek keyboard simply so that I can type in the dark. That quote regarding Tomb Raider is the biggest load of fucking shit I've read today.

Yeah I hear ya. It is exaggerated.

That's why I got the Saitek, because at that time it was the only keyboard on the market that backlit but also changed colours. The keys on it are rather small and I tend to type and 3000 miles an hour and having to keep whacking at the backspace key and retyping things because I accidentally pressed two keys at once. Had I learned to touch type on a normal keyboard I would be fine, but for about 4 years I used one of those twirly great Microsoft natural ones with the huge keys. It broke and at the time I couldn't find another one I could afford (got the first for $18 on a bankrupt website place) because they were about $70 back then. So I got a Logitech on account of it having bigger keys.. The Saiteks keys are kinda small. Definitely way smaller than the Microsoft/Alienware keyboard I used for two years before. Which as I say wouldn't be a problem but here I am after all these months still whacking the wrong keys. I just can't get used to it without attempting to change my typing style which after all these years isn't really an option.

THey're generally excellent. I wouldn't use anything else for any realistic amount of typing. For smaller things, the laptop keyboard is fine.

I loved mine tbh. At first it was sooo hella weird that I didn't think I would get used to it. This was 2001ish IIRC when they were horridly expensive.. Saw it and the bargain freak inside me got the better of me. Cue lots of cursing for a few days because at that time I hadn't yet bothered to learn to touch type. just used to poke away. On those if you do anything but touch type they are bloody useless lol. So I guess it definitely gave me the kick in the pants I needed because within a year I was hammering away on it.

That's the only problems with getting things you wouldn't normally budget for on the cheap.. If they break you're all spoiled

But yes, I can absolutely see why they were charging $70 for it because it kicked ass.

You guys are typing looking at your keys?

He is a PC tart.

Anything that claims to be better or more advanced and he is there at the front of the queue bashing others aside with his Alienware handbag of doom.

Expect a post in two weeks saying "Actually, it was pretty crap and I have gone back to my Saitek because it has more pretty colours.

You know who makes them, right?

And oi. Weren't you the one telling me Saiteks were absolute curry pumps?

It's absolutely none of my business what anyone decides to spend their money on, but when I see utter fucking arse gravy being blasted out of orifices as fact I feel it needs to addressed.

WTF are they doing? making it? Collecting plastic bottles to recycle?

Fuck sake

Oh well, it was for Christmas I suppose

ROFLMFAO they are



Mind you I had heard all about this phasing process when you order an Alienware. So I suppose it's a cheap way of getting all the excitement and buildup lol.

2009-12-18? Format your dates properly!

Tell that to Dell.

Well dell produce in america or poland now... so date format could be correct..

I said they weren't worth the premium they charge as they tend to fall apart.

I know people who have been through several replacement keys and keyboards.

I am just saying I know you well and after the initial WOWWOWOWOW there is often a muted grumble.

I don't give a shit where they're made. If you're speaking to a customer, format your dates, units and currency in the right way. Especially with dates where they're incredibly confusing the wrong way around.

it is not confusing. In fact if i have to put a date in a file name, i use year month day. So that the files appear in date order

Which makes sense, but would you use the same date format in an email to a customer? Wonky date formats get really confusing at the start of each month: is 2009-09-08 August or September? Not so simple when your order can take over a month, as in JC's case. Of course, if people used a string version of the month when talking to others through the medium of text, we probably wouldn't have this problem: there's little chance of confusing 2009-March-12 anywhere in the world.

true. But as long as you stick to the standard. Year month day or day month year. There is little confusion. Also i would doubt a company would change each email to suit each country. Also is the word for a month the same in every language?

Aldi Are punting out desktop PCs next week. Looks pretty good for a bit over a monkey:

But the standard isn't really a standard if it confuses people.

Here's another example. Your bank send you a new PIN of 3582. You go to a cash machine and enter it: denied. You enquire with the bank, only to be told the PIN is 2853; the bank are based in the middle east where they read from right to left.

Through the company, if you want to format your dates etc. to a standard, go for it: I really wouldn't suggest you generate confusion there. If, however, you're talking to a customer not involved in your company in any way, expecting them to understand your formats over the national custom is daft.

With formats of day/month/year, month/day/year and year/month/day floating around, it's not so easy to understand which you're dealing with at all times. It's just confusing.

fair enough. I am just used to the format that was in jc's email. As it is a format used outside the uk alot

Heh, that's the point, though: he's a UK customer You're a corporate person who's used to these things.

Yes but Dell is not a UK company, so it is used to dealing with the world. From what I can gather (maybe wrong it has been known before ) the date standard is year-month-day, so is less confusing rather than local quirks.

Also knowing JC he prob has an american account

Right. So basically in JC terms that means curry pumps.




Hmm. Well the only thing I remember complaining about recently was Scan not flashing bioses like they promised to (and it turns out they hadn't done this one after all) and Razer's shitty squeaking mouse buttons

Obviously my ravings are going to turn muted, because I can't go on forever about how amazing I find things because it would become boring and annoying for people reading it. Trust me though, if I could find an audience that would like to listen to me talk about Alienware all day I would have no problem with that

BTW. I have toned down my Alienware approvals. Simply because you had a somewhat point before you got spiteful.. I do love Alienware. I wouldn't say I am a snob because for example the last thing I have brought myself in the last month was MW2 and that meant going without any treats for a fortnight. Sure, I do like to come and tell people what I am up to and what I am buying but it's not showing off. You'll note me congratulating people on their purchases as much as I go on about my own.

I got very lucky with my Alienware in the same way you did. Since then I've spent a total of about £750 but you couldn't even go out today and buy what I have for anywhere close to that. So maybe I am guilty of being 'product spoiled'* but I can't help that.

*basically where you end up with a product you would normally not be able to afford or justify. It would be kinda hard to go back now. See my point about the natural keyboard. Kinda like if you ate steaks and truffles and so on for a month and then someone put a bowl of cornflakes in front of you you would probably turn your nose up. I'm spoiled I would say, but not through being loaded. Just through luck

I'm a bit late to this party, but gaming keyboards? Lolz. Usually a waste of money. They have some useful features like macros etc, but construction wise they're identical, they can't make Lara jump more or any of that shit. (Even if they're using fancy cherrygold keys or have a very fancy processors onboard dealing with all the input, rather than the cheap ones)

1920x1080 monitor is on it's way. HAPPY FACE LOTS OF PIXELS

From what I can gather the polling rate works in the same way that a mouse's polling rate does. And, with a mouse it makes a hell of a difference. My Razer mouse is set to 1000hz and if I lower it (via a switch on the bottom) it becomes less accurate. Specifically noticable when using Photoshop. It's far less accurate and less responsive.

Infact I just found this -



From here.

http://www.avforums.com/forums/windows- ... -rate.html

on your mouse it will be the dpi that changes when you tap the button. Nothing to do with poll rates.

Switch on the left DPI switch. Switch on the right polling rates in HZ.

you sure it is not just the freq of the optical device not polling?

Nah, it's USB polling.

Some guy in that thread on AV forums was asking how to switch it (force switch I would guess) and why (gaming, basically).

The Alienware kb will come with software or will have a hardware chip on it to do all of that. I know the Razer does.

As I say, if I lower it and trace an outline for example in Photoshop I notice its far less responsive and accurate.

maybe you are right but it does not sound it. I do not know enough about usb polling to suggest you are wrong.

Well in fairness dude if these companies made false games and 'gaming keyboards' really were just normal keyboards then they would likely get into hot water with trading standards.

As I have said before, PC gaming might not float everyone's boat. And some may not notice the difference between a regular keyboard or a gaming keyboard, and that's also fine. But it's kinda like saying that B&W loudspeakers are no better than Jamos.

I mean, there's a difference between a nice joypad for a console and a cack one right? For example the SNES because that's the last console I owned that I really got into. The SNPRO pads (clear ones) were fuckin rubbish. Infact, no 3rd party pad on the SNES even compared with the quality of the Nintendo ones. But, the Nintendo ones were expensive. Same thing with the 360 really. Microsofts pads are fucking ace. They're also expensive.

how would they get in bother with trading standards. Gaming is just a term, as is multimedia. The functions might be different with programmable keys, but will function as a keyboard thus allow the playing of games.

Because if a gaming keyboard is listed as a gaming keyboard and promises to do things other keyboards can't and fails to deliver then trading standards would definitely step in.

what promises? Programmable keys are one thing they have or a slightly differenet layout. Back lit, etc etc