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Keyboard

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Revision as of 17:37, 23 February 2012 by Newmansan (talk | contribs) (first draft)
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The keyboard is a primary method on input for PC gaming, and computing in general. Keyboards can some with a PS/2 connector or a USB 2.0 connector, but only USB are widespread use today. Keyboards provide numerous buttons for the gamer to use, where each button is given a separate function based on the game being played. It is also used for text chat in games that support it. All keyboards come with a minimum ~104 keys, with gaming keyboards providing more.

Common Shortcuts

There are several keyboard shortcuts/combinations that all PC gamers should know.

Alt+F4 Pressing Alt+F4 is used to close the open game or active window. Most games will respond to this shortcut and close the game, but some games may disregard this shortcut.

Ctrl+Alt+Del On windows computers, this combo will bring up the Windows Security Menu. From there, you can then choose from several choices including Task Manager, Log Off, Change Password, etc. Games that may have stopped responding will respond to this combo, allowing you to access the Task Manager to kill it off. Games that do not allow you to Alt+F4 out of them will respond to this combo, allowing you to exit the game this way.

Ctrl+Shift+Esc On windows computers, this combo will open up the Task Manager, bypassing the need to Ctrl+Alt+Del. Like Ctrl+Alt+Del, most programs will allow you to open the task manager in this manner, even if the program has stopped responding.

Ctrl+F Although not particularly useful in game, Ctrl+F opens up the search function for whatever window you have open. For example, in most modern browsers, pressing this shortcut will bring up the search box, and any words you type in the box will be searched for on that web page. This can be very handy for finding something in long documents, like a game walkthrough.

Additional Buttons

Most gaming keyboards feature additional buttons beyond the standard number. Depending on the included software, these buttons can serve as additional buttons to be mapped to or as a Macro.

Anti-Ghosting

One feature of most modern gaming keyboards is anti-ghosting. Ghosting is when you press multiple keys at the same time but some of those keys do not register. For example, in the PC version of GTA: San Andreas one of the driving school missions required you to press 5 different buttons simultaneously to perform a task. On all nongaming keyboards, one of the key presses would not register, preventing 100% completion.

All gaming keyboards have some form of anti-ghosting.

Misc. Features

There are some other features that manufacturers will add to gaming keyboards. LED backlights can illuminate each key, and in some cases change the color of the backlight.

Some manufacturers have added a small lone screen to their keyboards, allowing you to show system info or game info(depending on the software). Some high end and concept keyboards can even feature additional buttons with built in LCD screens, allowing you to set the icon that each button displays.

Some keyboards feature a USB plug or the mic and headset ports. These can allow for faster setup, or better accessibility.


Well Known Makers

Razer is well known as a producer of gaming keyboards, in addition to many other gaming accessories.

Logitech makes keyboards, both gaming and non gaming focused.

Saitek sells gaming keyboards and other specialty input devices.

Corsair, Mad Catz, and Thermaltake all have their own lines of gaming keyboards.