Hardware CM Storm Quick Fire XTi Review

This ticks every box i am looking for in a keyboard... that price though

 

How much?

They're having a laugh.

 

Very cool but really, is this where mech keyboards are headed? It's one thing to have a nice backlit keyboard, but to be paying all that extra money for a fancy light show is a little ridiculous. Are CoolerMaster really that brazen?

Edit:

Me too, after seeing that price. LOL.

 

To be honest, Matt, I can't see me ever paying more than £100 for a keyboard. Given the explosion in the market over the last few years, component costs must have dropped considerably for the manufacturers, whilst dev costs really can't have increased that much - the same board as a couple of years ago but with coloured back lighting isn't going to be a significant outlay on R&D, yet the price has more than doubled?

Is CM just expecting us to grease up and bend over?

 

They've already done the legwork on the lighting pattern storage and macros on other boards. i.e. The Rapid-i. Adding colour to that doesn't strike me as a great deal of work.

I hadn't heard about a shortage in standard Cherry switches but when Corsair are churning out aluminium framed boards with all the bells and whistles and include RGB switches for around the same price (which is still hideous IMO), the XTi price looks like a huge rip off.

 

Snake Oil.

 

The design also means you can access and change every setting on the fly and never have to worry about your customisations being blocked in games, especially tournaments, that don't allow software-based macros.

Isn't that to allow "cheats" in games?

 

I find myself agreeing with everything Spreadie says. He must be such a swell guy.

I'd consider even £100 to be a lot to spend on a mech keyboard (the most I've ever spent is £80), but the way I see it, there are really only two different markets here: real mech keyboards (like rare/vintage or custom models, and Topre etc.) which have a cult following, and then all the niche "gamer" stuff that glows in the dark.

There was a point in time when mech keyboards were marketed for typists, and whilst that's no longer the case they still hold great appeal for those who couldn't care less what the "top" models have to offer gamers, so yeah, a great many people will be happy paying £60 for a good Cherry G80 or a little more for something more compact.

 

Yep, bit pricey. Otherwise looks good, nice to see CM listens to the enthusiasts regarding style and layout.

 

TKL format, ditch the macros and make it a wee bit cheaper then I'm interested.