Putting the Logitech G19 through its paces.
Logitech has a well-deserved reputation for making some of the best gaming peripherals around. So over the weekend I had the opportunity to play some games on one of the hottest gaming keyboards on the market to date, the Logitech G19. My weekend started off with Warcraft 3, DOTA, and Call of Duty World at War (the zombie mod) and ended off with some fast paced Quake 3 action. Yes I know I said I was going to revive the old World of Warcraft account, but let’s be honest… That is one addiction best left not revived.
So let’s get onto why you’re here, what makes this keyboard so cool?
Revamped LCD GamePannel
Well first of all, what has changed? The design of the G19 is much more streamlined. Your gaming and multimedia keys have been shifted around. There are 12 programmable G-Keys, with three memory slots totalling thirty six programmable keys. The backlighting has been reworked with RGB-LEDS instead of the monotone LEDS. Meaning you can change the backlight of your keys to any color you desire, or to match the rest of your gaming rig. And best upgrade for last, is a color GamePanel LCD screen with a resolution of 320×240 pixels.
In terms of looks the G19 is stunning. The keyboard has a nice black finish to match the rest of Logitech’s G-series peripherals perfectly. Your “M” keys for storing your different programmable buttons/macro’s and scripts as well as the LCD controls are all located at the top left hand side of the keyboard. The colors of these keys cannot be changed and they are defaulted to orange. On the right hand side of the LCD display you will find a key to turn off the backlight as well as all your multimedia keys and volume control.
New Multimedia Keys
The G19’s volume control has been changed from a flat wheel like with the G11/G15 to a volume roller with a rubbery finish. The game switch (which toggles the Windows key on or off) has also been redesigned to be easier to move, and it now lights up when in ‘gaming’ mode. I love this feature, as most of my keyboards I end up pulling the windows key off the keyboard.
At the top of the keyboard you’ll find two powered USB 2.0 ports, which is a big upgrade from the G15 where the USB ports were only USB 1.1. Underneath the keyboard you’ll find channels for routing extra cables, either to the front or to the side.
The color LCD display is definitely an industry first, as unlike its simplistic two-tone predecessors it’s actually powered by an embedded version of Linux. This allows more applications than ever before to be programmed for it and it’s backwards compatible with most of the ones developed for the G15′s GamePanel. The only downside with the new LCD display, is that it is rather power hungry and thus comes with an extra power plug. Although it is optional to plug it in, the keyboard will act as a standard keyboard if the extra power is not plugged in.
Conclusion
Very well rounded keyboard. You’ve got your programmable keys on the left. A color LCD display in the middle of the keyboard, which can be used for system or in-game information. Multicolored backlighting which can be saved to your “M” keys, so each profile can have a different color. Definitely a high-end gaming keyboard. It will come with a huge price tag though.
This was posted by stephan who has posted 69 items.
