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Print 31 comment(s) - last by Zaphod Beebleb.. on Jun 26 at 3:04 PM
Nine OLED keys can be completely programmed with customizable icons

Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) technology might be the next big thing for televisions and monitors, but the earliest (and cheapest) applications are in small form factors. The thin size of an OLED screen means that it can be laid on top of a single keyboard key, such as in the Optimus Maximus keyboard. Each of its 103 keys served had its own OLED display, but that meant a hefty price of over $1500.

OCZ Technology has been introducing a lot of new products over the last six months, and has now expanded into the premium keyboard market currently dominated by Logitech and its G series of gamer-targeted keyboards. OCZ's Sabre keyboard features nine OLED hotkeys that can convert any digital image or text into distinctive icons, thus reminding the user of the personalized shortcut.

The Sabre has its own proprietary software to allow the user to map sets of simple or complex command tiers to each OLED. The nine OLED display keys change their icons and command tiers as the user jumps from one application to the next. Loading a First Person Shooter or application triggers a programmed sub-grid of weapons and tool commands to instantly appear. The Sabre has 128MB of onboard flash in order to store all of this data.

Regular keys have amber backlighting, while blue LED sidelighting completes the effect.

“The OCZ Sabre Keyboard offers the best of both worlds when it comes to OLED technology and a truly functional yet affordable gaming keyboard,” commented Eugene Chang, VP of Product Management at the OCZ Technology Group. “With nine dedicated OLED keys, the Sabre is able to leverage both the infinite customization benefits of the technology with the reliability and feel of a high-quality gaming keyboard, making for the ultimate all-in-one solution.”

OCZ's MSRP is $199, and should be available at retail next week. Logitech will have some competition to its G19 gamer keyboard, which features a color LCD display and runs Linux.

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Wired or Wireless?
By TomZ on 6/24/2009 8:48:01 AM , Rating: 2
I assume wired, but I hope wireless. Anybody know?




RE: Wired or Wireless?
By Boze on 6/24/2009 8:53:58 AM , Rating: 4
TomZ, I don't know any serious gamer that uses wireless hardware. The potential for battery outages at the most inopportune times is simply too great, and its the main reason that I moved my MX1000 over to my Internet browsing machine versus my actual gaming machine.


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By ice456789 on 6/24/2009 9:04:56 AM , Rating: 2
To be fair, I use wireless hardware and do a fair bit of gaming. The only time the batteries have died on me mid-game is when I ignored the battery warnings for an entire week prior. I assume it's pretty standard for any wireless keyboard to issue those warnings because my LX710 sure isn't a luxury item.

And before anyone asks, no I don't see any lag time or difference in gaming between using a wired/wireless keyboard. I suck equally either way.


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By Boze on 6/24/2009 9:07:08 AM , Rating: 2
Now there is one thing I can agree with; I never saw any performance difference in my G5 and MX1000; I simply recall a few years back during a critical WOW raid when my MX1000 died and my guild wiped on some important-at-the-time raid.

I always feel bad when my own error wastes 24 to 39 other people's valuable time, and as such I've been a wired person ever since.


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By ice456789 on 6/24/2009 9:27:10 AM , Rating: 2
At least you didn't do this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkCNJRfSZBU

LEEROY JENKINS!!!!


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By schrodog on 6/24/2009 10:20:40 AM , Rating: 2
This just shows you which people take this game way to seriously and which ones play it for fun.


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By Boze on 6/24/2009 12:25:06 PM , Rating: 2
That's the problem... how do you define 'fun'? Is it doing a 5 person dungeon with real life friends? Is it playing only with your guild in dungeons and raids? Is it playing with people you've never met before in pick up groups and raids? Is it only playing PVE? Is it only playing PVP? Is it playing PVE mostly and doing some PVP when you're bored? Is it mostly doing PVP and then doing some PVE when you're bored? Is it being the very best guild in the world like Ensidia? Or is it being a family-based guild that started with real life immediate and extended family members that rarely ever does raids? Is it being in a casual guild that raids 4 or 5 times a week? Or is it being in a tremendously hardcore guild that raids 2 nights a week for 3 hours each night and demands absolute perfection?

How do you define fun? More specifically and to the point, where do you get off telling other people what is and is not fun? Maybe fun to one guy is killing you on a PVP server until you get so frustrated you want to quit the game? Maybe fun to another guy is killing that guy until he wants to quit playing, thereby defending you?

'Fun' isn't something that can be defined exclusively for all people in a single way.


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By Murloc on 6/24/2009 2:03:28 PM , Rating: 2
fun means something that has no stress and requires no prestations from you.
It means that you do something because you like it and that you don't worry about your skill.
If it's different, then it's a hobby, and it's silly to pay for a pointless hobby like WoW.


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By Boze on 6/24/2009 4:07:22 PM , Rating: 2
That's your definition of fun, although Merriam-Webster begs to disagree with you...

Main Entry: 1fun Listen to the pronunciation of 1fun
Pronunciation:
\'f?n\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
English dialect fun to hoax, perhaps alteration of Middle English fonnen, from fonne dupe
Date:
1727

1: what provides amusement or enjoyment ; specifically : playful often boisterous action or speech <full of fun>2: a mood for finding or making amusement <all in fun>3 a: amusement, enjoyment <sickness takes all the fun out of life> b: derisive jest : sport, ridicule <a figure of fun>4: violent or excited activity or argument <let a snake loose in the classroom; then the fun began>

Pay close attention to the first definition, as its the most pertinent when talking about any game (and I do mean any game, from Checkers to Call of Duty 4).

Your entire post really makes no sense. I know a lot of people who play chess, quite seriously, and still have 'fun' doing it. They read books, magazine articles, forum posts, do research on the game and its theories, and its still 'fun' to them. That doesn't mean it doesn't occasionally cause them stress. In fact, I've seen quite a few stressful games played out.

Its a good thing most of the rest of the world doesn't agree with your viewpoint, otherwise there's quite a lot of good things in the world that wouldn't exist. Amusement parks wouldn't exist, no games at all would exist, in fact, the more I think about what you're saying, the more I find it nearly impossible to even make a list, since I've seen people derive fun from such a wide range of activities.

My father started a geological survey company back in the 80s, when I was just a baby, and he said it was some of the most 'fun' he had; doesn't mean it didn't cause him stress.

Might want to think carefully before you post next time.


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By ice456789 on 6/24/2009 10:30:36 PM , Rating: 3
Fun is the exact opposite of what this thread has turned into.


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By Zaphod Beeblebrox on 6/26/2009 3:04:11 PM , Rating: 2
Bullseye.


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By bhieb on 6/24/2009 10:07:07 AM , Rating: 5
quote:
I always feel bad when my own error wastes 24 to 39 other people's valuable time


Even as an avid WOW player I found that funny. Valuable time :)


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By Boze on 6/24/2009 12:16:21 PM , Rating: 2
It depends on what you expect out of the game. In reality, I no longer "play" day to day or even week to week. I act mostly as a strategy consultant to my guild or to review combat log reports for optimizing players who might be lagging behind what the theoretical and practical maximums of their class and talent spec are.

If you're using the game as a time filler, you probably don't care if you spend four hours of dying to other people's stupidity 4 or 5 days a week.

If you're playing the game to be the best on your server - or beyond; to claim firsts, shortest kills, fastest runs, etc., and your guild is stocked mostly with adults with professional jobs who can't devote a 20-hour waiting for the slackers to finally figure things out, then you need to cut the slack and find people who actually want to be there, who want to be the best, and who are going to get it right the first or second time.

That's the kind of guild I'm in. Judging by your comment, you wouldn't find 'our' fun to be fun. Our 'fun' is being the best we can be, and doing so in as little time as possible so we can go do other things besides play WOW. If we spend more than 8 hours a week raiding, leadership gets cranky, and so do I.


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By Chaser on 6/24/2009 12:27:19 PM , Rating: 1
I'm a strategy consultant for my 09 Kawasaki ZX14 and my girlfriend. We're both too busy to play MMOs.


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By Samus on 6/25/2009 5:39:31 AM , Rating: 2
I don't understand the point of a wireless keyboard, except to cost you more money and inconvenience the hell out of you :)


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By Cheesew1z69 on 6/24/2009 8:54:27 AM , Rating: 3
Wired it seems, stating it's USB 2.0 on OCZ website.

http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/ocz_peripher...


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By nafhan on 6/24/2009 9:57:35 AM , Rating: 2
I've never really understood the appeal of wireless mice/keyboards for use with a normal desktop.
Wireless certainly makes sense for a laptop or an HTPC. However, for something staying in a fixed location, I'd rather not deal with batteries at all.


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By TomZ on 6/24/2009 10:04:59 AM , Rating: 2
I like wireless because it frees my desk of the clutter of the cord and it lets me move my mouse and keyboard anywhere on my desk without the constraint of a cord. And I'm not a gamer, so I don't care if there is any real/perceived lag.

After switching to wireless, I am sure I would never have a wired mouse or keyboard again.


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By bigboxes on 6/24/2009 11:35:10 AM , Rating: 2
I use a wireless mouse because I dislike having the cord drag on the mouse as it's something I move around a lot. The keyboard rarely moves from it's spot. I have a slide-out keyboard tray that is home to the keyboard and mouse. No cords running over my desktop!


RE: Wired or Wireless?
By TomZ on 6/24/2009 10:06:28 AM , Rating: 2
Sorry forgot to mention - I use my keyboard and mouse daily for work, and I maybe change the batteries two times in a year. That's easy to live with.


I don't mean to be a negative nancy...
By Boze on 6/24/2009 8:52:54 AM , Rating: 3
...but I find it hard to see a realistic demand for this product. Its main advantage are nine buttons which I can create custom icons for, that appear, to me anyway, to be far enough out of the way to prevent me from ever seriously using them in a game-related setting.

I currently use a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 and a Logitech G9 Laser Mouse. Between those two pieces of user interface hardware, I have more than enough programmable buttons that are comfortably placed near me for easy access.

I really can't see using any of those keys in the middle of a hectic Team Fortress 2 match, and I certainly couldn't imagine reaching my left hand over and away from my movement keys in an intense setting like the current raids available in World of Warcraft (I am, of course, referring to hard mode encounters), or PVP in Age of Conan / Warhammer Online.

I guess I could see some usage here for common tasks done in some programs, like Adobe Photoshop perhaps, but its intended market of gamers? I really can't imagine a serious gamer, the kind that would plunk down $199 for a keyboard, actually using those keys on a day-to-day basis.




By Ebbyman on 6/24/2009 10:10:52 AM , Rating: 2
I agree with you totally, since I usually fall into the trap of thinking I will use all those functions. I currently use the Razer Tarantula, mainly because of key layout around the num-pad. I have been a num-pad user since the days of the first Thief game and the Tarantula layout gives me easy access to more keys. At first, I was happy to see a similar layout with this keyboard, but I would have been happier if they just released a version without the expensive stuff I won't use (since I am on the other side of the map). With the Tarantula, I only use one macro key at the bottom right that I can reliably hit in combat.


By Blight AC on 6/24/2009 10:18:37 AM , Rating: 2
I have the old G15 Gaming Keyboard with the 18 G keys, actually 2, since Logitech shipped me a free one to replace my first one which had a paint issue that wore off paint on the keys (yay Logitech Customer Service)...

I find the G keys most useful in WoW for healing applications, but mainly for 5 man groups since 18 keys doesn't cover an entire raid group. I use 1 column (6 keys per column) for one type of direct heal (Flash Heal for instance), another for a different one (Greater Heal), etc and then use the rows for each group member, Row one being myself (F1), row two being the 2nd group member (F2) etc.

However, that's the best use I've found for the G keys in WoW, well that and using it to macro emotes.

One of the things that's missing from the OCZ product though is it doesn't act as a USB Hub. The G15 keyboard, while not that great because of the limited use of the G15 keys does do two things that make it worth it for me, display a clock on the LCD (and CPU and RAM usage, very useful with fullscreen apps) and acts as a USB hub. It looks like the G19 will work as a USB 2.0 Hub, so it would be my preferred upgrade between the OCZ and Logitech keyboards.


By Ryanman on 6/24/2009 2:33:15 PM , Rating: 2
If they allow you to assign macros, it might be more useful. For instance in TF2 (which I play religiously) you could put an icon of each class in the buttons, and set up a macro to switch to that class quickly.
In CS I can set up buy keys will icons of the weapon packages I'm about to buy, and in RTS games I can use macros for various purposes. And since I don't play them religiously, unlike shooters, it'd be nice having a pictorial reference as to a button's function. It's more of a menu navigation optimizer than anything else.

Not really too much of a time saver, and not worth 200 bucks, especially when I have a g15 already. But a Macro function is a key to making that setup useful for gamers too.


Done before... but better.
By KillerInTheRye on 6/24/2009 9:29:50 AM , Rating: 2
...and slightly more expensive I'm sure.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/keyboards-mice/...




RE: Done before... but better.
By Devo2007 on 6/24/2009 9:41:36 AM , Rating: 2
...except the OCZ model might actually be reasonable to type on (something the Optimus fails miserably at based on the reviews I had seen of it).


Hope it's nearly as bad as the illuminati
By SPARTAN VI on 6/24/2009 12:20:00 PM , Rating: 2
I recently had the displeasure of purchasing then promptly returning one OCZ Illuminati keyboard. Sexy all around, colored LED backlighting that you can change (red, blue, or green), black, shallow laptop-like keys, it looked perfect. The actual product was sticky unresponsive keys, and a busted backspace key.

It would take a lot to get me to stray away from Logitech ever again.




By SPARTAN VI on 6/24/2009 12:24:57 PM , Rating: 2
Meant "not nearly as bad"


Typo
By geokilla on 6/24/2009 2:57:44 PM , Rating: 2
I skimmed through this and saw this line.

quote:
The Sabre has 128MB of onboard flash in order to sore all of this data.




blue lights
By melgross on 6/24/2009 6:37:35 PM , Rating: 2
Now if they would just drop those stupid sidelights.




ya but ...
By Finnkc on 6/25/09, Rating: -1
"It's okay. The scenarios aren't that clear. But it's good looking. [Steve Jobs] does good design, and [the iPad] is absolutely a good example of that." -- Bill Gates on the Apple iPad











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