Nowadays, everyone plays video games. Whether you admit it proudly and proclaim it to the world or stay silent as you bang away on your keyboard in your computer generated fantasy, we all love a solid game.
Now, we’re not throwing shade or dissing on console or mobile games but there is a significant portion of fans that much prefer the PC for their gaming fix.
But when it comes to playing on a PC, be it desktop or laptop, PCs offer an interesting problem that most console and mobile players don’t really need to consider: the mode of input.
Hardcore fans of PC laud the prowess of keyboard and mouse input but of course, it’s not the mere concept of keyboard or mouse that’s “better” but the actual hardware that you spend (or splurge) on.
Logitech is known for producing solid gaming paraphernalia that match the “gaming” brands that exist in the market. People love the relatively low wallet damage Logitech offers with their very acceptable gear at the cost of most of their gear having odd angular and pointy surfaces (their mice are huge culprits of this).
But today we talk about keyboards – the more contentious of the two-part PC input duo. Gamers and enthusiasts religiously defend their choice of keyboard, on what colour of Cherry MX they individually perceive as the best, on which brand produces the best keyboard etc.
We’ll not dispute your personal choice – but we’ll just talk a little about what we enjoyed in Logitech’s new G910 Orion Spark.
As a disclaimer, this writer loves smaller keyboards. I’m very much used to smaller laptop keyboards as they were what I used for the majority of my life until I saved up enough moolah to drop on getting my gaming rig. Even then, I was frugal at best with my choice of keyboard. But I have tried many keyboards in my effort to get the best bang for my very meagre bucks.
First up, the G910 is a huge keyboard. We’ll clarify: it’s a full keyboard, a numpad is included and its width is further enhanced with the macro buttons added onto the sides. At 24.3 cm, it’s on the bigger end of the keyboard size scale which might pose an issue when trying to fit it on the table alongside your preferred size of mousepad. On the other hand, it gives ample space for the hands, especially if you’re endowed with wider hands. No more cramped mis-typing for you!
Now to the contentious bit: the Romer-G mechanical switches. It’s understandable that people might be cautious about other mechanical keyboard switches when Cherry MX is the most well-known around. Even Razer razed raised eyebrows with their own switches. But we thoroughly enjoy the Romer-G switches on the G910. It’s a bit stiffer than the Cherry MX Brown switches that we’re used to but the resistance does offer more accuracy. They’re highly responsive and pop back with haste.
Plus the 910 has excellent anti-ghosting at 113 simultaneous keypresses to further add on to the accuracy. Ok, the writer can’t move his fingers nearly fast enough to hit 113 times to fully test this but it’s pretty good when spamming buttons in game (like Starcraft II) so it’ll keep up with your APM. They do lack the signature clacking of their equivalent Cherry MX Brown though. It’s a personal choice; the writer just finds the clacking very soothing.
The macro keys we weren’t so sure about. We understand that not everyone will find use in macro keys; mostly it would be MMORPGs that require massive amount of varied keyboard inputs. BUT you can use the macros to help to give some convenience with simpler inputs (we used it to macro a log-out function in “Path of Exile” and on hardcore mode, even. No more dying to shenanigans for this writer). They’re intuitive to program with 27 different commands across 3 profiles. And like all the other keys, they can light up in pretty colours. The media functions keys above the numpad are very useful and conveniently located, if you use your mouse right-handed.
When it comes to lighting, gamers and PC users all have their own preferences. Some like simple, diffused backlighting to help see their keys in lower light, while some enjoy the gratuitous flashiness of an orgy of colours. Sadly, if you’re looking for between-the-keys lighting, the G910 features only individual key lighting. Thankfully, they’re highly programmable with Logitech’s Gaming Software and you can opt to do some simple, subtle lighting or incredibly ostentatious sensory overloads of shades: it’s your choice.
But of course, there are the negative bits. The matte plastic surface of the G910 (it feels kind of rubbery) attracts an abysmal amount of dust that just sticks on and refuses to be wiped off. The wrist rest isn’t particularly comfortable over extended use but for short stints, it’s alright.
However, our greatest annoyance is with the shape of the individual keys surface. They’re “curved” in a Logitech-esque angular way to better mould around the finger, but when moving from key to key, you’ll accidentally depress some keys due to how far the angular bits stick up. They’re supremely comfortable at a moderate pace of typing but at higher speeds, they can irritate, especially as the Romer-G’s actuate near the top of each depression, which means they will be randomly adding characters here and there. Even with familiarity to the keyboard, this issue still arises.
Overall, we enjoyed using Logitech’s G910 Spark. It’s a solid, durable gaming keyboard that can be augmented to fit different kinds of games or all at once if you spend the time to set up the macro profiles and lighting profiles in their Gaming Software. If you’re a neat-freak, you’ll have to spend more time on care but hey, that’s not going to be an issue if you’re already obsessed with tidiness right. It’s a high performance piece at comparatively high price ($269) but you will get what you paid for and maybe even a bit more if you invest the time to get yourself attuned to it.
