Yes, you can use whatever stock keyboard they have at the event during an e-sports tournament you’re playing in. Serious gamers, though, bring their own gear to ensure everything works exactly as they expect. As far as keyboards go, the SteelSeries Apex M500 just might be the best set of keys to have in your pack.
No, it doesn’t look like an alien spaceship like many gaming keyboards. In fact, it’s minimalist, with just the necessary elements to keep you competitive without bogging you down with frivolous fare. Measuring 17.3 x 5.4 x 1.6 inches and weighing 2.74 pounds, it’s the kind of rig you shouldn’t have a problem lugging around, whether you’re hitting a tournament at the mall, practicing at a shop with friends, or plotting at home over an online connection with your crew.
The SteelSeries Apex M500 is a mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Red switches to ensure maximum gaming responsiveness. Being minimalist, it ditches all the media and macro keys usually found in other full-sized keyboards, keeping just the elements you’re actually going to be using in actual games in a standard key layout. It comes with SteelSeries’ Engine Software, which lets you not just remap each key, but program it for unique combinations, advanced macros, and more.
Features include blue LED backlighting (with three breathe settings and four brightness levels), anti-ghosting technology (104-key rollover), adjustable height, and, according to the outfit, tank-like durability. It even comes with a unique cable management system that lets you choose where the cables come out of the keyboard by adding pathways on the underside.
Available now, the SteelSeries Apex M500 is priced at $99.99.