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<p align="center"></p><p><p> Corsair had plenty to show at their suite, but I’ll be honest: the RGB LED backlit Cherry MX switch mechanical keyboard was by far the coolest looking thing I saw. Press release photos simply don't do the thing justice, as it looks spectacular in person. Ian already covered most of what Corsair announced, but I had the chance to go hands on with the products.</p> <p> The idea is pretty simple: build a mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX switches, but instead of single color LEDs, put an RGB LED array on each key. What’s more, each key can be controlled <em>individually</em>, so you can literally program anything you want for the keyboard backlighting. The backlighting provides a full range of 16+ million colors on each key, so in that sense it’s just like a 24-bit display, but the complexity requires an additional microchip controller.</p> <p> Corsair had a demo running that cycled through all sorts of color options, and there’s likely an API in development to let modders/hackers get the most out of their new toy/keyboard. The as yet unnamed keyboard should be available with your choice of Cherry MX Blue, Brown, or Red switches. Pricing isn’t yet determined, but I suspect it will be pretty steep, given the n-key rollover and the need for four extra wires to each switch just for the RGB LEDs! My guess would put the price between $200 and $250, so we’ll see if that ends up being accurate in the next few months when the keyboard actually launches (though there’s no firm release date yet); the promo video can also be viewed on YouTube.</p> <p> Of course there were other keyboards and mice on display, some old and some new. For those that prefer the feel – and cost – of membrane keyboards, Corsair also launched the Raptor K40 keyboard that also features RGB backlighting with 16.8 million color possibilities, but it doesn’t have per-key backlighting. It does have 18 programmable macro keys with three keybanks (54 total macros), n-key rollover, and dedicated multimedia keys, and it will be priced far more affordably at $80 MSRP. The other keyboards (pictured in the gallery) have already launched, so I won’t spend time on those.</p> <p> Moving over to the mouse side of things, I think the only new offering is the Raptor M45 gaming mouse. It offers a suite of high-end features, including adjustable weight, a 5000 DPI Pixart PMW3310 optical sensor, large glide pads, a textured surface, and seven programmable buttons with macro support. Mice are such highly subjective things that I hesitate to say much, other than they felt good in hand. I like lighter mice personally, so I haven't really figured out the need for added weight, but to each his own. There are also DPI switches to quickly adjust your DPI on the fly. Pricing is $60 MSRP with availability expected later this month.</p> <p> <div>Gallery: Corsair’s RGB LED Backlit Cherry MX Keyboard and More<div></div></div></p> </p>
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Source: AnandTech
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