Every now and then I notice a change in the market or something new in a given space; however, I rarely see advances in a given field such as peripherals that are as dramatic as the Logitech G910 Orion Spark RGB Mechanical Keyboard. To help get all of the cool facts about this product I had a chat with one of Logitech’s Global Product Managers, Doug Sharp. He focuses primarily on Gaming Audio and Keyboards at Logitech, and is the Subject Matter Expert on the G910.
Doug informed me that the G910 is Logitech’s new mechanical keyboard, designed for intense use, more intuitive visual feedback, deeper customization options, and finally a longer lifespan of the keys themselves. Logitech claims to now have the fastest gaming keyboard. How, through their newly designed features that have been years in the planning. Doug made all of the technical aspect of this new keyboard make sense in a very short and simple manner. He further explained the value proposition of the G910 in terms of Speed, Longevity, Data Visualization, Standardization, and BYOS. Here are the specifics on what I learned from Doug.
SPEED and LONGEVITY
This is achieved through their newly designed Romer-G Mechanical Switches; it offers a 25% shorter travel time and an actuation point of 1.5 mm. The G910 registers your key presses, button actuation and key resets up to 25% faster than competing technologies.
The G910 keys are designed to take 70 million keystrokes, which is up to 40% longer than other keyboards on the market today. This is achieved by having dual contact points instead the standard single.
DATA VISUALIZATION
They have designed the G910’s light-pipe in the middle of the keys, for individual RGB lighting and the lighting software (Intelligent Illumination) allows for each key to be color customized up to 16.8 million colors (it is now acceptable to get your “Geek On”).
STANDARDS
Keeping with Logitech familiarity, there are programmable keys, nine G-keys to be exact. It supports up to 27 commands across three profiles for maximum convenience; and yes, you can copy over profiles from previously owned Logitech devices (clearly, exact mappings will be dependent on the existence of similar keys).
BYOS: Bring Your Own Screen
As a Logitech user myself, I am and will always be a little biased as there are things I am accustom to such as the little screen on my G19 and G15 keyboards. I use this for quick visualization of who is talking in my guild’s TeamSpeak channel among other things. At first glance, this feature is missing – not so. There is a USB 2.0 port where the G19’s screen is located. Thus, with the G910 you can USB-connect to a smartphone or a smaller tablet to provide your own bring-your-own-screen (BYOS; I’m trademarking this, by the way). This capability is provided through another software integration known as ARX Control Integration. This is an open source app, which allow coders to integrate the BYOS of choice such as an iPhone or a Nexus-7 tablet.
Ok, But What Do I Think?
At this point I need to come clean. I’ve stated a ton of technical specs on the G910, detailing the finer points of this mechanical keyboard; however, I was spoon fed the knowledge from Doug. Through this deep yet simple block of education, I am now a mechanical keyboard aficionado with the chops or the attitude to keep moving down this line of hardware in the days and games to come.
This keyboard is rated pretty high as it raises the bar within the field of judgment. Please remember this is a mechanical keyboard that it is for serious power users and gamers, explaining the price tag of $179.99. Currently, the G910 works with Windows: 7, Vista, and 8; requires 70 MB of Disk storage space, and an internet connection for optional software downloads. The production specs are:
- Dimensions (L x W x D): 210 mm x 505 mm x 35.5 mm
- Weight: 1.5 KG
- Cable length: 6 ft
- Warranty: 2-year limited hardware warranty
I rated the G910 Orion Spark a 9 out of 10, because of a few key things. First, this keyboard is built for battle – it is of solid construction. I don’t get the feeling that if I dropped it off my desk that it would break. Secondly, it has a simple layout – which apparently I need to not get overwhelmed with all of the buttons, the colors, and the tactile feedback. Third, anything that improves the field by 25% is a game changer. It is normal to hear about a 5 to 10% increase in X – a quarter increase is insanely good. Fourth, the ease of use and simple process to get things customized.
I’ve had many keyboards and have returned keyboards for serious violations of the previously mentioned areas. I’ve returned keyboards that have key that got stuck in the depressed stated within five minutes of use; thus, I am serious about what I expect from a keyboard.
