Capsule Review: Corsair's Vengeance K60 and K90 Keyboards
by Dustin Sklavos on February 18, 2012 9:22 PM EST- Posted in
- Keyboard
- Peripherals
- Corsair
- Cherry MX
- Input Devices
Conclusion: Strong Out of the Gate
I'll come right out and say that I've been looking for a new keyboard to replace my aging and decrepit Microsoft Reclusa for a long time, and for me, the Corsair Vengeance K90 is it. The backlighting, the wrist rest, the mechanical switches, the recessed configurable keys, the USB 2.0 port built into the top using a passthrough...the K90 is definitely an excellent piece of kit, and it feels like it was designed by people who used other gaming keyboards and felt like those products just weren't cutting the mustard. With all that in mind, I think there are still some reservations.
I have concerns about the paint and treatment used for the keycaps on the K90 being able to hold up over time, and I feel like the software definitely does need a little bit more work and fine tuning. The USB passthrough is appreciated, but with a dedicated connection wouldn't it have been just as easy to offer more than one USB port on the keyboard itself? Right now I'm using the single port for the Vengeance mice I'm testing, but it would be nice to have a second port: one for the mouse, and one for flash drive and other USB peripherals.
The price difference between the K90 and K60 is also a little too small; in my opinion the K90 is just more preferable to the K60 and absolutely worth the extra $20 for the substantially improved functionality, comfort, and aesthetics. If anything the K60 just seems to exist to make the K90 look like a better deal, which is impressive when you're talking about keyboards that cost north of $100.
With all that in mind, it's pretty clear that despite these nitpicks Corsair has once again entered a brand new market with some very strong products. For first attempts, the Vengeance K60 and K90 both get an awful lot right, and the typing and user experiences on both of these keyboards are definitely a step above what you'll get from a garden variety membrane keyboard.
It's up to you to decide if they're worth the investment; I think the $109 and $129 price tags are both a little too steep and the keyboards would both be more compelling at $89 and $119 respectively, if not $79 and $109. If you're willing to shell out for one, the K90 is pretty much directly superior to its less expensive sibling and worth the extra $20. But really, I wouldn't fault anyone for buying either one despite the prices: these are excellent keyboards and, in my opinion, a cut above any gaming keyboards anyone else is producing.
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Azethoth - Sunday, February 19, 2012 - link
1) ESDF support in addition to the noob WASD keys.2) The K90 needs replaceable keys as well.
3) A Mac driver would be nice. Right now typing on my Macbook Pro sucks compared to the PC with K90
Amen to the WTF state of the software. I am a programmer and I find it unusable. The direct key recording is the only thing that can be said to actually work.
damianrobertjones - Sunday, February 19, 2012 - link
I've never understood the WASD keys when the arrow keys make more senseTraciatim - Sunday, February 19, 2012 - link
Arrow keys don't have a bunch of other keys that you can bind around them and also you don't have easy access to your number row (usually for switching weapons, or different abilities depending on the game).Arrow keys are essentially useless unless you're playing pac-man.
hechacker1 - Sunday, February 19, 2012 - link
In addition, I use WASD even though ESDF is somewhat superior in the number of extra keys surrounding it for binds.I use it because I don't have to fiddle with bindings and can use the defaults. My brother uses the arrow keys, and I see him doing keyboard gymnastics just to crouch or jump in FPS games because of the lack of easy to bind nearby keys.
In a lot of games, developers never think to show alternatives to WASD, so often the instructions and tutorials will only have those in mind. It can make it confusion.
I use to use alternative binds for the longest time, but eventually I just went with WASD and dealt with it. Now I can't imagine using anything else for simplicity's sake.
Omega215D - Sunday, February 19, 2012 - link
For me, my left hand falls naturally on the WASD area compared to ESDF. Also, as I am still using the Sidewinder X6 and X4 (some keys are beginning to malfunction on the X6) the WASD keys contain 4 illuminated dots and physical bumps on the W key to let me know where I am.Azethoth - Monday, February 20, 2012 - link
Yes but for typing it is on esdf. Generally the index finger key (F) will have a bump on it etc. WASD is strictly a gaming thing. But yeah, dunno why the default layout is always inferior. Habits I guess.DanNeely - Monday, February 20, 2012 - link
I'm mouse as a lefty and since I almost never play FPS type games using the arrows and binding extra functions to buttons 3-5 is almost never a problem. I suppose I could retrain myself to either use IJKL, or the numberpad; but since I almost never play games where I need that many buttons it's never been worth the effort.Sabresiberian - Monday, February 20, 2012 - link
My thought here is - mouse in right hand, WASD in left. Using the left hand for arrow keys is a bit awkward, and moving your hand off the mouse means you can't use it for looking around and whatever else you use a mouse for.In Borderlands, you need to use both the keyboard and the mouse when in a vehicle - and it works great, one of the best vehicle control systems I've used in a PC game.
;)
Southernsharky - Sunday, February 19, 2012 - link
I like the fact that the K60 has no tray that stuff can get into. For me that is a big reason to buy it. But is the K90 the same way?I had mechanical keyboards back in the 80s and miss them and would like to buy a new one.
JohnMD1022 - Sunday, February 19, 2012 - link
I have a few refurbished IBM Model M keyboards, full size, available.JohnMD1022@yahoo.com