SteelSeries Xai High Performance Laser Gaming Mouse (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I am a big fan of ambidextrous mouse, and Xai is a great replacement for the Logitech G3 that I've used for a long time.
Pluses:
- very smooth tracking and movement
- mouse settings mostly configurable thru the LCD and without driver
- 4 side buttons that are customizable, including macros (using driver software)
- customization is stored on-board, up to 5 profiles, so no need to have driver software on all your computers
- Can be comfortably used for both claw/palm grip
- Has rubber coating that feels very nice and comfortable to the touch
- Buttons are well built and nice clicks with good feedbacks yet not too firm
- Good quality teflon feet for gliding
Possible cons that I don't mind:
- some may say the middle wheel is too stiff to scroll
- some may get annoyed by the placement of side buttons, though I find them well placed and un-obtrusive.
Cons:
- Slightly buggy on firmware upgrade**
**When I ran the firmware upgrade, it returned an error message warning that the firmware has NOT been upgraded. After which, the mouse becomes irresponsive. Un-plugging and re-plugging in the mouse makes it work again and the software says the firmware is up-to-date. Weird. It did scare me that I may have "bricked" the mouse for a moment. Knock off one star.

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The technology, shape, size, weight and surface of the SteelSeries Xai were designed with one purpose: to enhance the users performance. The sensor offers huge improvement over current laser mice, processing 12,000 Frames Per Second at movement speeds of 150 Inches Per Second. SteelSeries Xai can be fully configured via a LCD menu system on the back of the mouse, while supporting advanced macro capabilities of up to 200 strokes per button. Advanced software allows configuration of SteelSeries FreeMove, SteelSeries ExactSens, SteelSeries ExactAim, SteelSeries ExactRate, plus automatic lift distance calibration. SteelSeries Xai is a tool - not a gadget.

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SteelSeries 7G Keyboard (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)For three years I'm looking for the perfect keyboard. Finally I found it. It was a long way beginning with the IBM PS/2 Keyboard, Cherry G80, Logitech G15 and Razer Tarantula. To make a long story short:
IBM and Cherry weren't gaming keyboards. Both are only Alpha N-key rollover. That means you cannot press the 'W' + 'D' and the 'E' key at once. In the gaming scene it's called "Ghost Key Effect". Edit a file and press and hold the 'W' key, then add the 'D' until 'd' is repeated. If you then add the 'E' key, the repetition stops. The keyboard is not able to solve this problem as these keys - among others - are on the same cluster (on some Keyboards there are other combinations like W+S+D).
The Logitech was even worse! It's only called a gaming keyboard but it's only alpha N-Key rollover, needs driver to work properly and finally it has membrane Switches.
The Razer Tarantula was the first real gaming keyboard allowing full N-Key rollover. For the first time I got rid of the ghost key effect. Here you can press any key combination. But: you cannot press 10 Keys at the same time like Razer said! As it is an USB keyboard and the USB limit is 6 Keys. Ergo: only 6 Keys at the same time. But it was a huge leap from a G15 to the Tarantula. The biggest problem was that the Tarantula needed also drivers to work properly.
Finally the optimum keyboard: Steelseries 7G!
Put all you need together you get the 7G!!
The best key switches (Cherry linear MX-series switch) and a real FULL N-Key rollover! Press ALL keys at the same time ... surprise: it's there!!! NO DRIVER!! Great!!! Just plug in - and it works. No updates, no bug fixes, no incompatibility problems - just: rock solid! And it saves memory and CPU time.
The arm rest is perfectly build and the keyboard of state of the art quality.
No bling, no extras just: pure performance!
About the price:
I spent more money on the Tarantula and I regret it. This keyboard is worth its money.

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SteelSeries 7G sets new industry standards for gaming keyboards by allowing users to perform the most detailed and advanced key combinations to date. By utilizing the most powerful PS/2 buffer-system ever created for a gaming keyboard, SteelSeries 7G redefines ¿anti-ghosting" by supporting as many simultaneous key presses as there are keys on the keyboard. The keyboard features both PS/2 and USB connectors. The use of PS/2 combined with a gold-plated USB connector and 18K gold-plated mechanical switches, means that SteelSeries 7G improves your ability to obtain more Actions Per Minute than any other keyboard in the world. It features gaming grade response times and more than 6 times the durability of a traditional keyboard. SteelSeries 7G is equipped with audio ports for headphone-in and microphone-out and features two USB 1.1 ports. The keyboard furthermore features SteelSeries Media Controls essential for gaming, allowing the user quick access to volume, mute and other audio controls. To put it simple; If you need the fastest reaction time, highest reliability and the ability to perform very complex keyboard combinations, then the SteelSeries 7G is your choice.

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