Built on the proven success of the SteelSeries 7G, the new 6Gv2 utilizes gold-plated mechanical no-click switches and a powerful buffer-system to provide gamers with advanced key combinations and increased Actions-Per-Minute (APM). The extreme “anti-ghosting” feature allows as many simultaneous key presses as there are keys on the keyboard: Move, crouch, aim, fire and even check the scoreboard, all simultaneously in first person shooter games. SteelSeries’ Media Controls offer quick access to volume, mute and other audio controls. The mechanical tactile system is ergonomically designed to ensure ease-of-use, while the no-click switches and iron-infused plastic makes the 6Gv2 both comfortable and durable, with an unrivaled lifecycle of 50 million keystrokes. Like a tank, this “heavyweight gaming keyboard” is not the prettiest chick in the beauty pageant. It doesn’t glow or pulse. But it packs a punch. A serious one.
Mechanical SwitchesSteelSeries 6Gv2 is built with mechanical no-click switches, which provides a highly different users experience compared to using the “soft feel” keys found on conventional keyboards or even laptops: low latency and fast response.
50 Million Key Presses, and it’s heavyThe 6Gv2 offers a lifecycle of 50 million key presses per key, which is more than 10 times of the amount than conventional keyboards. The 6Gv2 is also physically heavy. All keys are mounted on a metal plate within the keyboard to ensure durability. The plastic material used to create the keyboard has metal elements, also to help to improve durability.
Consistent Tactile FeedbackThe 6Gv2 offers more than just a long lifecycle. The rubber domes on a conventional keyboard will, over time, lose their tactile feeling due to rubber flexing. The keys you use the most will start to feel different. The physical construction of the mechanical switches used in the 6Gv2, and the strict tolerance levels in which the switches are manufactured, is what allows the key presses on this keyboard to always feel consistent.
Travel Distance - Increased APMWith the 6Gv2 you don’t have to press the keys all the way down for them to register. The mechanical switches will register key presses fast; the travel distance will be roughly 50% shorter than a conventional keyboard. You will type faster, with a consistent tactile feeling. Your Actions Per Minute (APM) can reach new heights with the 6Gv2 thanks to this feature.
Redefining “Anti-ghosting”When using the PS/2 connection on the 6Gv2, you can press as many keys as you want at the same time, all of the key presses will go through and be registered by your computer. When using USB, you can use up to 6 keys plus modifiers at the same time, which is the highest spec limit a USB connection can accommodate.
Media Controls, No Windows KeyThe Windows key has been replaced with a SteelSeries Key that won’t wreak havoc during a gaming by minimizing your game or by opening a menu. The SteelSeries Key serves a different purpose: it’s a function key for the Media Controls found on the 6Gv2. Press the SteelSeries key and access the Media Controls via the first six F-keys on the keyboard. No additional rows of space consuming keys translate to a compact and easy to transport keyboard.
Excellent Except the Glaring Cost-Cutting Flaws7/20/2012 11:31:50 PM
Pros: "Built like a tank" is one feature every Mechanical Keyboard Manufacturer Promises you. Very few can hold that claim. This is my fifth Cherry Switch Keyboard and can tell you they are not all built the same. The 6Gv2 actually lives up to the claim. It is built to last. Finally a Mechanical that lives up to the Manufacturer Hype.
* Cherry MX BLack Switches. Everyone has a different preference, but honestly say they are the best for gaming. Red's are far too sensitive, Brown's travel distance seem a bit too long, and Blue's are just noise makers.
* Amazing Chassis Quality. Made to get your money's worth.
* Fairly Long Cord.
* Heavy-Stays where you place it.
* Attachable Cable. I can't tell you how many Mechanicals are flawed with a detachable one. That Long Key Life is only as good as the keyboard works.
Broken Mini-USB Connector=Expensive Noise Making Paperweight. (Search RK-9000BL if interested).
Cons: The Key Print does Fade. Some try downplaying the Fading or pretend it doesn't happen, but it does. This is caused by one of the glaring cost-cutting flaws. Steelseries could easily knock ten dollars off the price for a non-Print version, if you don't look at your keys while gaming. No use paying for features you don't need.
- Cheap KeyCaps. This is what cause the Markings to Fade. Easily tell it was a cost cutting "design."
- The PS/2 Connector is nothing special. They put in zero effort to make it unique. Bet you already have a few laying around the house-and they look exactly the same.
- Wish the Arch down the Middle had rubber feet on it.
- Neither the USB nor the PS/2 connector is Gold Platted-unlike the 7G or the Merc Stealth. Another Cost cutting design.
- Non Braided Cable. Thought this was the Defacto standard in Mechanical Keyboards.
-Oversize Enter Key. Makes the Right Shift unbearbly small. A pain when typing reports.
Overall Review: All these "Used-Car Salesmen" on here are getting incredibly annoying. Telling us to "Buy buy BUY" or "Add to your cart NOW" without any good reasons why makes it sound like a bad Commerical. That does absolutely nothing for a Review. Least tell us why you think it's good. And not just a "It's Great!" Tony the Tiger Cereal ad.
Exactly what I was looking for5/4/2012 12:57:56 AM
Pros: I wanted a good keyboard to use for games (I mainly play Starcraft 2 and Battlefield 3). I'm very picky about my keyboard, and I was looking for something different.
As financially frugal as I am, I laugh at how many keyboards I've gone through in the last two years, namely the Razer BlackWidow, the Logitech G510, and some cheap rubber domes. I finally came across this one. I am completely satisfied with my purchase. I don't know if it's the Cherry Black MX switches or the board itself, but I finally found the keyboard my gaming fingers love.
The actuation force is higher than a lot of keyboards (requires slightly more pressure per key,) but don't let that fool you - the amount of distance the key has to travel to register is extremely small. I'm getting used to only pressing the keys half way down to type anything. It feels weird at first, but the response time is great for gaming and well worth it. Unlike a previous review, my fingers do not get tired while playing any games.
Cons: The layout of the backslash key is hard to get used to. But I'm willing to change the way I type in order to use this keyboard because I love everything else about it. This "con" will go away once I use the keyboard more.
Overall Review: Let's face it - it all comes down to preference. I hear a lot of people like mechanical keyboards with the "clicky" sounds - so do I, but just for typing, not gaming.
Do your research. There are different types of mechanical switches. This keyboard uses the Cherry MX Black. I prefer the Cherry MX Blue for typing long paragraphs, but I definately prefer the Cherry MX Black for games.
I took a risk buying this keyboard not knowing if I was going to like it or not, but this turned out to be a great purchase.
Anonymous
Ownership: 1 day to 1 week
Verified Owner
Love it.3/3/2011 8:29:34 PM
Pros: Feels great to type on. Uses linear Cherry MX Black switches which are the best for first person shooters.
Features no-key rollover (NKRO) when plugged into the PS/2 port. Meaning you can press all the keys on the board simultaneously and they will all register.
Board is very sturdy and feels well built. Media keys take up no extra space, they're an alternative function to the F keys. No left Windows key, which is a good thing as some games are very unforgiving online when accidentally launching the start menu. (Happens to the best of us.)
Cons: I could probably scratch the lettering on the keycaps off if I wanted to. Positioning of keys by the "Enter" key can be troublesome for some people, particularly the small right "Shift" key. After owning the keyboard for two days however I'm already used to it.
Overall Review: The keyboard is probably a bit louder than your average membrane keyboard but much more quiet than other mechanical keyboards such as the Razer BlackWidow that use the Cherry MX Blue switches.
Many people say the MX Blacks are harder to type on as they're more stiff. As someone who types only using their index fingers, I use more force than the average person so I do not personally notice this. With that said, I really can't comment on how much more stiff they are than other switches.
Review was typed using this keyboard.
Pros: Cherry MX Black switches. The key is activated before it bottoms out so it's instantly superior to every regular keyboard you've ever touched. No flashy LEDs. No unnecessary macro keys. Keyboard has some weight to it, will not float around on your desk.
Cons: Takes getting used to in a couple of ways. Cherry MX Blacks are harder to bottom out than regular keyboard keys. You might find yourself having a hard time with the keyboard at first because you think you have to press harder to activate the key.
The right shift key is smaller to make the enter key bigger. I don't really see the point of this, but it took me a week to get over this. When I'm not gaming I use the right shift while typing (my bros thought this was blasphemy), and because of this change I had to adapt. It's 100% fine now though.
No programmable key software. There's 3rd party stuff for that. Though it would take some effort and a little learning.
Overall Review: WASD is fading, but it's not like I look down anyway. I prefer the media keys to be on the right side of the board, so I used a program called Sharpkeys to change some keys on the right side of the board into media keys.
You may want to pick up a decent wrist rest if you really need one of those. I did at first, however after putting off buying one I no longer feel the need to get one at all. I also feel like my wrist is getting less stress because of it.
Pros: This keyboard feels pretty beastly, having some nice heft to it. The rubber feet keep the thing in place during even the most frantic typing and gaming sessions. The switches, as always, are going to be subjective, but as someone who's more used to MX Blues, I found the switch to the MX Black keys to be far easier than expected. They have a nice stiff feel to them and with some practice you can type rapidly without bottoming out too hard.
The left Windows key was replaced by a SteelSeries button, ostensibly to prevent users from accidentally pressing it in the heat of the action. This is a nice feature to prevent you from accidentally pressing the key while gaming.
Cons: Despite this keyboard's hefty appearance and feel, mine developed major issues soon after the manufacturer warranty expired. If I move the keyboard too much, it will repeatedly disconnect. Additionally, I find that it repeats letters on certain keys fairly often, particularly "U" and "L." I've never had a keyboard that started showing major issues this early in its life.
The keyboard layout is going to throw off many people who are used to the modern US layout, as the backslash is to the left of the right-shift key. Certainly an ill-advised design decision on SteelSeries' part, and something that continues to throw me off after a year of fairly regular use.
The left Windows key was replaced by a SteelSeries button, ostensibly to prevent users from accidentally pressing it in the heat of the action. Yes, this also a con. If you are used to using the left Windows key for OS shortcuts you'll have to get used to using the right key, as there is no way to switch the behavior of this key (unlike Logitech's gaming keyboards, which offer a convenient switch). This issue also makes this keyboard all but unusable for daily use on a Mac as well.
Finally--and this is a fairly minor point--the print on the key caps comes off very easily. It doesn't seem to rub off completely, but it definitely turns from a nice white to a dull grey.
Overall Review: I did really like this keyboard when it was functioning normally, but I would have to advise against it simply because of the reliability issues that I'm having. Even if I were eligible for a replacement or repair at this time I wouldn't recommend it due to the particular way that this keyboard failed.
+very low latency -squeeky -paint wears off easy1/4/2012 1:38:30 PM
Pros: The keys register virtually instantly/ There is a noticeable difference in response time from pressing a key and registering an action, which is a huge plus for gaming.
Cons: Some of the keys are a little bit 'squeeky', and the paint has worn off quite a bit already with barely any use. The keys also feel slightly 'loose' in their positions, like they are not completely solid.
Overall Review: If you don't mind the paint wearing off and some squeeky keys, it's a great keyboard with very low response time.
Pros: I have had this keyboard for 2 years now and it's still a responsive as the day I got it. I have taken this keyboard to many LAN parties and event to Vegas to play in a tournament finals. It has never given me any issues in 2 years of heavy use gaming and typing. My most heavily used key wasd are only showing slight wear after all this time.
Cons: I use the PS/2 port to connect the keyboard and it has fallen out once or twice which is more of a problem with the PS/2 port than the keyboard.
Overall Review: Still going strong after 2 years, none of the other gaming keyboards I have used have lasted this long. Couldn't be happier with my purchase.
Pros: Mechanical keys are awesome! This was my first mechanical keyboard, and I'm glad I made the change.
It's not to noisy like other mechanical KB are.
Cons: Not backlit
The price is a little high for very little features.
Overall Review: If your wondering about making the change to normal keys to mechanical, DO IT!
Pros: "Built like a tank" is one feature every Mechanical Keyboard Manufacturer Promises you. Very few can hold that claim. This is my fifth Cherry Switch Keyboard and can tell you they are not all built the same. The 6Gv2 actually lives up to the claim. It is built to last. Finally a Mechanical that lives up to the Manufacturer Hype. * Cherry MX BLack Switches. Everyone has a different preference, but honestly say they are the best for gaming. Red's are far too sensitive, Brown's travel distance seem a bit too long, and Blue's are just noise makers. * Amazing Chassis Quality. Made to get your money's worth. * Fairly Long Cord. * Heavy-Stays where you place it. * Attachable Cable. I can't tell you how many Mechanicals are flawed with a detachable one. That Long Key Life is only as good as the keyboard works. Broken Mini-USB Connector=Expensive Noise Making Paperweight. (Search RK-9000BL if interested).
Cons: The Key Print does Fade. Some try downplaying the Fading or pretend it doesn't happen, but it does. This is caused by one of the glaring cost-cutting flaws. Steelseries could easily knock ten dollars off the price for a non-Print version, if you don't look at your keys while gaming. No use paying for features you don't need. - Cheap KeyCaps. This is what cause the Markings to Fade. Easily tell it was a cost cutting "design." - The PS/2 Connector is nothing special. They put in zero effort to make it unique. Bet you already have a few laying around the house-and they look exactly the same. - Wish the Arch down the Middle had rubber feet on it. - Neither the USB nor the PS/2 connector is Gold Platted-unlike the 7G or the Merc Stealth. Another Cost cutting design. - Non Braided Cable. Thought this was the Defacto standard in Mechanical Keyboards. -Oversize Enter Key. Makes the Right Shift unbearbly small. A pain when typing reports.
Overall Review: All these "Used-Car Salesmen" on here are getting incredibly annoying. Telling us to "Buy buy BUY" or "Add to your cart NOW" without any good reasons why makes it sound like a bad Commerical. That does absolutely nothing for a Review. Least tell us why you think it's good. And not just a "It's Great!" Tony the Tiger Cereal ad.