| I owned the older version of this key board for a couple years (it still works by the way I just like new keyboards every couple years). The main difference between this one and the old one, is that this one has lighted keys. I gotta say, I am really glad I upgraded to the lighted model. I write at night, and sometimes I just hate turning on the room lights. The lighted keys are especially useful for web browsing or some other mouse-heavy activity that requires you to re-orient yourself to type... typically my eyes are adjusted to the bright screen and I can't really see the key board at night. The illuminated keys allow me to re-orient to the keyboard with a glance.
The keyboard is solid, tight, and nice to write on. It is evenly lit and has that nice new keyboard sound. :)
Also, the keyboard has two USB ports, as well as microphone /headphone jacks. These are conveniently located on the back of the unit so the cables are easy to reach, but won't interfere with the operation of the keyboard. The USB ports work great. My headset uses the USB ports so I cannot address the utility of the mic/headphone jacks, but it should keep many people from stringing headset wires all over--especially if you do not have easily accessible jacks on your computer.
It is easy to switch key-illumination colors/intensity with a small button near the F1-F2 keys.
One reviewer mentioned that this keyboard's keys must be closer together than others because he found it awkward to type. I found that the width of the keyboard is (backspace to ~) is the same width as the one that originally came with my PC from Dell. However, I also noticed a slight awkwardness when I first started using this type of keyboard several years ago... I suspect it comes from positioning myself in the middle of the keyboard--which is not the middle of the typing keys. The functional gaming keys on the left side cause you to be a little off center from your usual typing orientation if you center the whole system to your body. You will get used to this over time, or you can take care to orient yourself to the typing keys. If you write much, you will find you naturally adapt to this keyboard rapidly.
There is one more thing: the keyboard is wider than a standard keyboard. This was necessary to add the functional keys on the left side while keeping everything else standard-sized. This could affect how you store your keyboard if you have a slide-out keyboard drawer on your desk. I have a standard-sized keyboard drawer and it works great for typing--the size is fine for supporting the over-sized keyboard and typing. But the keyboard is too wide to just slide into the desk. You will need to rotate the keyboard about 45 degrees to stow it in the desk's keyboard drawer. For many of us this is no big deal, but some people may want to know this ahead of time.
I am very please with this keyboard.
| | Excellent High End Gaming Keyboard |
| Ideazon's Merc Stealth shares the same keyboard layout as earlier iterations of the MERCs. The primary draw to the Merc Stealth is the back-lit keyboard which displays 3 colors, blue, red and purple. The lights have three brightness levels which compliments most LED-lit gaming towers will impress any hard-core gaming geeks and office onlookers alike. Even if the lights become offensive or distracting, you can opt to turn them off, which is a handy feature (sleep? who needs sleep).
The keyboard contains a standard QWERTY arrangement with normal sized, easily readable letters(even in the dark with illumination on). The keys have a soft-cushion feel with adequate tactile feedback. I'm not sure if this is the same with the other MERC keyboards but I've traditionally used harder responding keys. Note the home/end and arrow keys are combined with the numpad, which is a bit disorientating at first. You need to remove the num-lock to activate these keys.
The gaming keys are large and have great spacing, though smaller hands may get strained reaching for the outer keys. In general, the gaming keys are arranged and designed in such a way (some are concaved or convexed, rubberized) so you can locate them without having to look down. Overall the gaming keys are excellent for almost any games, though most would agree that it's built for a first person shooter.
The build of the keyboard is of excellent quality. The keyboard is made of plastic but is has a heft and a firm heavier-than-average feel. Rubberized feet prevent crazy keyboard sliding from hardcore gaming sessions. A note to make is that it is longer than an old standard keyboard (around 22 inches in length).
Other notables:
-Connected via USB (contains two USB slots on the topside north of the F10 and F11 keys)
-The standard multimedia keys do the job, no shortcomings but nothing special worth noting.
-There are three angles you can set the keyboard, flat and two angled orientations
-You'd want to download the latest drivers and especially the software called Z-Engine for different game profiles for different genres (FPS, RTS, RPG etc) and macros. The Z-Engine software provides extensive functionality to the keyboard.
All and all, this keyboard comes highly recommended for gamers willing to put some money down on a premium keyboard. Some key placement may take a bit of getting used to, but the solid build, sexy illumination, great gaming key arrangement and a huge amount of customizability stemming from Z-Engine software makes this Ideazon keyboard a definite winner.
| | My thoughts on the keyboard.
First, the negatives:
1) It doesn't have a standard number pad. Instead of finding 0 on the bottom you find the direction keys.
2) The Home End Del block is not located at the normal same place; it actually took me a bit to find them.
3) The tactile feedback is only so so, and the side pad could use a couple marks like the F and J keys have, to allow for better on the fly finger position adjustments. (I would have to say one on the 3 key would be great)
Now the positives:
1) The backlight has 3 separate colors. (My girlfriend loves this)
2) You can turn OFF the back light. (My girlfriend loves this even more, since a super intense keyboard light, aka my Saitek Eclipse Keyboard, is no longer keeping her awake.)
3) The offset Control pad is really awesome for FPS style games. The amount of control gained through extra hotkeys is significant, and bestow a slight advantage.
4) In the same vein, the chance of fat fingering a key is significantly reduced because all of the meta-keys are separated.
4) All the hot keys work without having drivers installed.
5) All keys are fully customizable, including multi key presses or combinations. E.G. you can make it so whenever you press a certain key, it will type E, G, Shift-A, pause for a period of time, G. (oh the possibilities, imagine the trash talk macros in a typical FPS, or the wow macros.)
And a review:
I, personally, am an ESDF gamer, not a WASD gamer. this puts me into a bit of a hard spot when trying to use this type of keyboard, mainly because all of the default hotkeys are shifted over one when I go to use them on the normal portion of the keyboard.
Luckily this is easily remedied by installing the included software. (I actually just downloaded it, since I was lazy to run downstairs and get the box) Once installed, you can setup the default key layout however you like; you can actually adjust any key, not just the side pad. For example you could completely change the layout of the keys to match a Dvorák keyboard instead of being the standard QWERTY.
As for actual gaming, it was the most convenient setup I had ever used. Typically I can only go up to about 4 or 5 without having to look down, with this layout I can actually press any number key without looking down, and with improved accuracy. (This is great for games like WOW where you have the entire number row assigned to useful abilities)
Overall I would give the keyboard an A- for usability and functionality and a B- on looks and feel. (It would gain a couple points in both areas if the num pad was actually normal but I imagine the extra space required for the arrows would make the keyboard just a bit too long)
| | The best illuminated keyboard for gaming AND work |
| I am a programmer by profession and I need a standard keyboard. By night I am hardcore gamer, and I need a keyboard that will perform and give me an edge. My previous keyboard was the Ideazon MERC. The thing I liked about the MERC was that it operated well as a standard keyboard, but was still advantageous as a gaming keyboard. Most gaming keyboards are either just regular keyboards with useless bling, or so strange and game-centered that they aren't useful for everyday use. The MERC keyboard layout is well suited for gaming and everyday use.
While I found the standard MERC to be a good keyboard for gaming, I found it to be lacking in feel and illuminated keys.... I set out to find I new illuminated keyboard and I discovered the MERC Stealth.
I was hesitant to purchase the MERC Stealth because I was concerned that the touch/feel of the keys would be similar to the standard MERC - I greatly disliked the feel of the standard MERC because it felt the same as a super-discount $4.95 keyboard from the mega-computer-store. Upon removing the MERC Stealth from the box, all my fears were put to rest. This keyboard is heavy and feels of quality. The cable to the computer feels much more heavy-duty than the original MERC.
The MERC Stealth is everything I wished the MERC keyboard was and more: Responsive keys, illuminated keys, and as a bonus: 2 addition USB ports and microphone/headphone jacks.
The keyboard has 3 colors: blue, red, and purple. And it has 3 backlight levels, in addition to OFF!! which seems to be lacking from many lighted keyboards. While I prefer blue color aesthetically, red seems to be the most useful in low-light situations. My wife loves the purple color... I only wish the color could be changed automatically upon login to Windows.
My only complaint about this keyboard is about the onboard USB ports. These ports are next to useless for most USB flash drives as they do not provide enough power for any of my flash drives >1GB. They don't even supply enough power to run my high resolution laser optical mouse. They do, however, work with my Forcefeedback 2 controller which supplies it's own power... but big deal, more cord to coil up from the controller. It would be nice if these ports could be used for anything other than USB devices that supply their own power.
If you liked the MERC, you will love the MERC Stealth. This is quite possibly the BEST gaming keyboard that is on the market today.
| | The Merc Stealth is a pretty good keyboard so long as you only use it for gaming. The combination Numberpad/Insert/Home/Delete keyset really makes using many other applications a royal pain.
Be warned: If you're a longtime gamer you WILL have to spend some time re-training your fingers to use this keyboard. It's a WASD setup sure, but you'll find everything just a little "off".
The illuminated keys are great, would be better if it would remember which color it was set to last whenever you turn the PC back on.
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