Microsoft Sidewinder X4 keyboard

Microsoft Sidewinder X4 keyboard
05:55 AM Sep 02, 2010

PRICE $59 (usual price: $89)

Most gamers would be familiar with the term "ghosting" when applied in the realm of computer displays and HDTVs - it refers to a streak of motion blur that happens when there is fast movement (like an object flying across the screen) on a display with a slow response time - but what about keyboard ghosting?

This refers to the phenomenon in keyboards where certain keys may not be registered when you press several of them simultaneously, which can be crucial in attaining victory in a real-time strategy title or nailing the perfect score in a music simulation game.

Developed by Microsoft's Applied Sciences Group, an interdisciplinary research and development team, the Sidewinder X4 keyboard lets gamers press up to 26 keys simultaneously - up to any combination of 17 Qwerty keys, seven modifier keys, one hot key and one macro key.

This effectively eliminates any ghosting problems. Microsoft claims this to be an improvement over other "anti-ghosting" keyboards, which may only let specific subsets of keys be pressed at the same time.

Macro recording, which lets gamers string together multiple manoeuvres with a single button press, is also supported, along with an automatic macro repetition feature that repeats the string when necessary.

Gamers who play several titles at once will find the mode and profile switching features here handy - these let you customise and store different sets of keyboard macros and options, manually toggle from standard mode to one of two gaming modes and store up to 18 macros per profile.

Media playback buttons like Play/Pause, Previous Track, Next Track, and Mute buttons are mounted onboard for quick access, and adjustable backlighting (three illumination levels plus "off") means you'll always hit the right keys - even in the dark.

http://www.todayonline.com/Tech/EDC100902-0000037/Microsoft-Sidewinder-X4-keyboard