SteelSeries is upgrading its widespread Apex Professional Mini gaming keyboard to carry all of the Gen 3 goodness, together with speedy faucet and speedy set off, whereas additionally introducing a safety mode to cut back the danger of unintended inputs in clutch moments.
In my Gen 2 SteelSeries Apex Professional Mini evaluation, I hailed the 60% design as uncompromising due to the extent of customization doable by way of accompanying software program. It has since fallen behind the opposite finest gaming keyboards largely on account of new options dominating the market, just like the aforementioned speedy faucet and speedy set off, however now this new Gen 3 spec is right here to make a splash.
Whereas this Gen 3 replace will introduce key options like speedy faucet and speedy set off, my eye is instantly pulled towards the addition of safety mode. This SteelSeries-exclusive function dampens the sensitivity of chosen keys, that means the possibilities of unintended activations on account of slips or “fat-fingering,” as SteelSeries calls it in a press launch, are closely decreased.
It does come throughout as considerably contradictory, nevertheless, as responsiveness in gaming keyboards is essential, so actively decreasing sensitivity is the polar reverse, so I’m eager to see how this performs out throughout gameplay.
Extra excellent news is that the Apex Professional Mini will nonetheless use Omnipoint Corridor Impact switches, which SteelSeries claims have a 20x sooner activation time and 11x faster response time in comparison with a conventional mechanical change. Every key additionally has an adjustable actuation level of between 0.01mm and 4mm, which may be edited within the GG Quickset software program.
In the event you’re involved about dropping from a TKL or full-size keyboard to a 60% possibility on account of dropping inputs, it’s value noting that the Apex Professional Mini handles this fairly effectively. Utilizing the SteelSeries key, you’ll be able to unlock secondary inputs for many keys on the keyboard. For example, whereas 60% gaming keyboards don’t have arrow keys, hitting the SteelSeries key + W, A, S, or D acts as arrow keys as an alternative.
Alongside this Gen 3 replace for the Apex Professional Mini, SteelSeries can also be releasing a white model of the Apex Professional TKL, which has a $219.99 / £209.99 MSRP. Lastly, speedy faucet can also be being rolled out to SteelSeries Apex 7 and Apex 9 keyboards immediately by way of a firmware replace.
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