[Hardware] The features that every gaming keyboard should have

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There are a lot of considerations that users have to take into account when buying a new PC or creating a perfect desktop configuration for our needs, but one that we should never overlook is the keyboard, especially since a cheap or poorly designed can cause you many problems. So, in this article we are going to discuss the features that cannot be missing from a keyboard, especially if it is one designed for gaming.

The keyboard is one of the two main ways we interact with the PC, and for this reason investing in a good one with advanced features is always a good idea. However, not all the functions of a keyboard are essential, since it depends largely on the personal taste of each user: tenkeyless (TKL) or complete design, wireless or wired, etc ...

The features that every gaming keyboard should have
There are a number of features that, in our point of view, cannot be lacking in a gaming keyboard as they can make a big difference in terms of the user experience. So, next we are going to tell you our recommendations for features that you should never overlook when buying a gaming keyboard.

Mechanical switches
Stop using that cheap keyboard with soft dome switches that you got for free with the PC. It does not matter if you choose original Cherry MX, OUTEMU, Kailth or any other type of switches: our recommendation is that if you intend to use the keyboard mainly for games, having mechanical switches is imperative.

Corsair Cherry Viola

The leading brand for mechanical switches is Cherry, a company based in Germany; Their switches are called Cherry MX and they are color coded like Brown, Red or Blue but they also have some special models like the Cherry MX Speed. You also have custom options by manufacturers like Logitech or Razer that work in a similar way, but the fact is that all of them, choose a mechanical keyboard.

USB Passthrough connection
Another feature that we consider essential in a gaming keyboard is the USB Passthrough, since it will make your life much easier when connecting other peripherals or devices to the PC because you will always have this port at hand. You can use it to connect, for example, the receiver of a wireless headset, a USB-powered external hard drive, or even the mouse, eliminating the need for more cables hanging around the desk.

USB Passthrough keyboard

You should bear in mind that the fact that a keyboard has a USB port does not necessarily mean that it supports Passthrough functionality through it, since some USB ports only serve to charge the battery of other devices. You will easily identify if the additional port of the keyboard is Passthrough or not because the keyboard has two USB connectors to connect to the PC, one for the keyboard itself and another precisely to service this additional port.

Independent lighting per key
Nowadays there is no gaming keyboard worth its salt that does not have RGB lighting. Gone are the days of keyboards without lighting or those that only had one color, but even today there are models that have a fairly poor lighting layer and that do not support configuration beyond some predefined effects or zone lighting.

mechanical keyboard

Per-key backlighting is very useful especially if you use your PC in a dark place, For example, you can create color-coded lighting zones to make it easier for you to find a specific set of keys (for example the WASD zone) when playing games, or for virtually any other productivity use that requires the keyboard. Being able to configure each key independently will not only be useful for this, but will also give a touch of distinction and especially customization to the keyboard.

Multimedia keys and especially for the volume

When you use the gaming keyboard it is always good to always have dedicated multimedia keys at hand, but above all to be able to have a volume control that is directly accessible. In other words, although almost any keyboard allows you to modify the volume of the system with a combination of keys, having a dedicated volume wheel will save you from having to think or search for the keys when you want to lower or increase the volume, as well as completely mute the team.

Actually, almost any high-end keyboard on the market, at least those of the renowned brands, incorporates all these characteristics that we have talked about, but it does not hurt to make sure you have them because once you test them, When you don't have them, you will miss them a lot.