Hardware Logitech G19 Review

I have a Gen1 G15 and am personally starting to hate it. I used to love it but the only reason I brought it was for the backlit keys and the LCD. Yes I find the LCD useful as an FPS monitor and to monitor CPU and RAM usage but it is hardly necessary. I only use the G keys out of games to launch applications and such, never use them in game. Personally I see the use of macros in game as hacking/cheating. It is very evident in BF2 when players bind the "dolphin dive" technique (jump, dive on ground, aim down sights, unload), you even have the ability to tweak the macros out of game and make the action quicker than humanly possible. Games weren't meant to be played with macros, they are meant to be played with the skill of the player, not doing the action once, recording it , tweaking it and then just hitting a single button to repeat it as many times as they want. I can see its use in MMOs but it has no place in FPS games.

After using my laptop for the past few months I find using the G15 itself very painful. The keys have way to much "give", they are very clacky and I find this down right annoying. I am going to sell my G15 and get the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard, same layout as a laptop keyboard and with backlit keys which is the only feature I really use in my G15.

Personally I would not purchase the G19 purely because the cost is insanely high ($400AUD, that's a whole $80 more than I spent on my Q6600) and hardly worth it, that and the fact that I hardly "love" my G15.

 

You like it so much you're putting it out to stud??

I own the original G15, and found most applets for it useless. But I love it for clock (late night gaming), system resources (fun to see 2G of ram and both cores at/near max. Time to upgrade?) and in-game info. Mail and RSS? Pah!

The G19 is just too much money, and the bigger, colour screen is of no real benefit to me.

 

$200 for a keyboard? what's the point at that rate I can buy a cheapy 15 dollar keyboard and shell out for a 17" flat screen to use as a second monitor. or spend the money on a decent keyboard and get a 16" monitor or an older used monitor.

I already dual monitor so the thought of a dinky screen on my keyboard seems totally impractical for the price. much easier to just scroll over to a full sized winamp, AIM, vent and other misc stuff running on my second monitor than to use a tiny screen. am I alone in these sentiments?

 

No your not. I duel screen with a 19" and a 15" (non widescreen) monitor. I use the the 19" as my main screen and have apps such as TS, Vent, Xfire etc running on my 15". However I only really use my G15 screen as an FPS counter, I hate having the FRAPS overlay on the screen.

 

Definitely not! I have a 20" and two 22" screens hooked up. Way too handy.

 

A keyboard that needs its own power supply? No thanks. I have enough cables and never enough sockets already. If it cant run off USB power i dont care for it.

 

How's the key rollover? 3-key? 6-key?

 

I looked at the G15 and ended up surprising myself when I purchasing an Unicomp keyboard (buckling-spring, very loud). It works well enough and doesn't require the sacrifice of any children/body-parts to own.

As for gaming, I use the n52 Tournament Edition for my 'keypad' and macros and leave the keyboard out of the equation as much as possible. That, and I find it hard to justify that much money when my entire mouse/keyboard/keypad cost less overall.

 

My thoughts exactly.

I have been holding off buying a new Keyboard for a while when I heard this was coming out but the extra power cable has killed it.

Think im gonna go for a G15 now.

 

Go for the Razer Lycosa, if I had to get any "gaming" keyboard I would get that, the standard edition though, not the dodgy mirror one. If I was going to buy a different keyboard though I would buy the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard.

 

Amen

btw, Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Desktop Keyboard 8000 [that's a load], best keyboard I've ever used.

 

Doesn't look like it offers anything over the g15 v1 i have in a practical sense, and that cost less than half the price. Seems like they have got a bit too popular with their "gamer" series gear and have decided to start profiting off those who like to spend big money on the "uber rig".
Not that I am in any position to be smug, I went through that phase myself

 

<sarcasm>But the lights...the lights, they call for me and I must heed it...</sarcasm>

I prefer my keyboards that (a) can kill someone by bludgeoning them with it, and (b) not require yet another cable to supply it with power. That and I prefer my monitors separate from my keyboard (imagine having it plugged into an UPS)...

 

The opening piece in the article about "feel/use" and how previous Logitech G users will not have to adapt to a new Keyboard layout is a really good point. Keeping that aspect of the board is important.

When I shop for a keyboard, there is one feature check box, that has to get passed first. It is a very easy check box for me and truly narrows down my options. It's a simple thing called,

"U.S." IBM Standard keyboard layout. If your keyboard doesn't have it --I am not willing to change. Don't play with my enter buttons, don't give me F-Lock, don't change the arrow keys. Between work and home I want the same layout. I am still on the original Enermax aurora keyboard because of this. The only upgrade in my mind is to the DAS Keyboard 'elite' model.