Logitech has unveiled the G Pro X 60, its newest mechanical gaming keyboard. Much like the peripheral maker’s G Pro X TKL from final 12 months, this can be a wi-fi mannequin aimed toward competitive-minded avid gamers at the beginning. In contrast to that gadget, it has a smaller 60 percent layout, which implies it lacks a devoted operate row, quantity pad, arrow keys and nav cluster however takes up a lot much less area on a desk. This is usually a boon for video games as a result of it leaves extra room to flick a mouse round whereas retaining the most typical motion keys. Naturally, it’s additionally extra moveable.
The G Professional X 60 is up for pre-order right now for $179 within the US or €229 in Europe. It’s accessible in three colours (black, white or pink) with both the linear or tactile model of Logitech’s GX Optical switches. The corporate says it’ll be accessible at main retailers in “late April.”
I’ve had the keyboard available for a couple of days previous to right now’s announcement and have principally been impressed, although I’d have a tough time calling it an amazing worth.
Let’s begin with the nice: This factor is well-built. Its aluminum prime plate is surrounded by a plastic body, but it surely all feels sturdy, with no actual flex or give whenever you press down. Its doubleshot PBT keycaps are pleasingly crisp and will keep away from any of the shininess that’d develop with cheaper ABS plastic over time. The legends on the keycaps are neatly printed and clear, so any RGB backlight results you set will come by means of cleanly. All of the keys are angled comfortably, and there’s a set of flip-out ft on the again.
I’m not loopy concerning the side-mounted quantity curler — when you’ve blessed your keyboard with a full-on rotary knob, it’s exhausting to surrender — but it surely’s simple to achieve together with your pinky, so you’ll be able to modify quantity with out having to carry your different fingers through the warmth of a sport. There’s additionally a devoted change for flipping on Logitech’s “sport mode,” which deactivates keys you may in any other case hit accidentally; these embody the Home windows and Fn keys by default, however you’ll be able to add others by means of Logitech’s G Hub software program.
The keyboard can join over a removable USB-C cable, Bluetooth or a 2.4GHz wi-fi dongle. Per normal with Logitech gear, the latter’s connection is rock strong; I’ve had not one of the hiccups or stuttering I’ve seen with some wi-fi keyboards from much less established manufacturers, notably when waking the gadget from sleep. There are buttons to swap between Bluetooth or the two.4GHz connection constructed into the board, in addition to a helpful compartment for stashing the adapter itself. You can even join the G Professional X 60 and sure Logitech mice concurrently utilizing one dongle. Logitech charges the battery life at as much as 65 hours; that sounds about proper primarily based on my testing up to now, however the actual quantity will fluctuate primarily based on how vivid you set the RGB backlight.
The very best factor concerning the G Professional X 60 might need nothing to do with the keyboard in any respect — it’s the truth that Logitech features a exhausting carrying case within the field. Extra corporations ought to do that! It makes the gadget a lot simpler to move.
Alas, this in all probability is not a keyboard you’d wish to take to the workplace. The linear GX Optical switches in my check unit really feel completely nice: They’re quick sufficient for gaming, they usually come pre-lubricated, so every press goes down easily. Since they’re optical, and thus not reliant on any bodily contact factors, they need to additionally show sturdy over time.
However they aren’t precisely quiet. Logitech has match a pair layers of silicone rubber contained in the board, however there isn’t the wealth of sound-dampening foam you’d discover in another choices on this value vary. To peel again the curtain a bit: I acquired the G Professional X 60 simply after testing a bunch of mechanical keyboards for an upcoming shopping for information, so I’m a bit of spoiled on this level. Some individuals might like the apparent clack of every press right here, too. I can’t think about their coworkers or roommates being as thrilled, although, and a few modifier and nav keys like Alt, Ctrl and Tab sound hollower than others.
In addition to that, my points with the G Professional X 60 are extra about what’s lacking than something the keyboard does fallacious. For one, its switches aren’t hot-swappable, so you’ll be able to’t simply take away and change them with out desoldering. Sure, this can be a area of interest factor, however so are $180 gaming keyboards as a complete. Having the ability to pop in new switches isn’t only a plus for long-term repairability; it’s half the enjoyable for some keyboard fanatics within the first place. Swapping keycaps is simple, although.
Taking a step again, a rising variety of the G Professional X 60’s friends have some kind of analog performance, which implies they’ll reply to various ranges of stress. The highest decide in our gaming keyboard buyer’s guide, the Wooting 60HE+, is an effective instance: Its magnetic Hall effect sensors allow you to set customized actuation factors, so you may make every key further delicate whereas taking part in a quick FPS, then make them really feel heavier and extra deliberate whereas typing. Additionally they allow a “rapid trigger” characteristic that permits you to repeat inputs sooner, which will be useful for, say, strafing backwards and forwards throughout an in-game shootout. Different fashions from Razer and SteelSeries present comparable performance. However the G Professional X 60 lacks any kind of adjustable actuation or fast set off mode. That’s in all probability not a dealbreaker for most individuals, however the individuals who would use these options are the sort of hardcore avid gamers Logitech is concentrating on with this gadget.
What’s here’s a new remapping system referred to as “Keycontrol.” By way of G Hub, this lets you assign a number of completely different instructions or macros to every key, with three separate management layers. It is a handy solution to get round a few of the design’s lacking keys: I made it so holding Alt quickly turns WASD into arrow keys, for instance. But it surely additionally permits you to base completely different actions on whether or not you press, maintain or launch a key, so you can tie complementary actions in a sport — casting a few buffs in an RPG, maybe — to at least one press. A few of the analog keyboards famous above can work like this, too, and it is advisable to have G Hub open for some bindings to remain energetic. Nonetheless, it’s higher to have this kind of flexibility than not. Logitech says extra of its keyboards will obtain Keycontrol assist sooner or later however declined to present extra particular particulars.
All of this makes for a keyboard that’s strong in a vacuum however faces some stiff competitors. Rival gaming keyboards just like the Wooting 60HE+ and SteelSeries Apex Professional Mini Wi-fi are a bit of richer with performance-focused options, whereas a barely bigger choice just like the ASUS ROG Azoth sounds higher and affords extra customizable {hardware} for keyboard geeks. There are many nice non-gaming keyboards that value a lot much less, too. However the G Professional X 60 isn’t a nasty alternative if you’d like one thing compact and wi-fi, so it may be worthwhile throughout a sale.
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