Cyborg V.5 Keyboard

The Cyborg V.5 Keyboard is one of those ‘under the radar’ jobs. Presented as a gaming keyboard, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.

First, the illumination. Comes in red, with 2 levels of brightness, and ‘off’. The brightness seems more than sufficient. As a matter of fact, some people actually find the brightest setting too bright. The keys are laser cut, so the light shines through the letters. Plus there’s some edge overflow, so the light not only shows the letter itself, it also highlights where the entire key is. Makes the whole keyboard clear and well-defined when typing in the dark.

As far as gaming goes, it comes with a limited anti-ghosting feature, which is a cool way of saying “We won’t jam up when you hit multiple keys at once.” It also has mappable function keys, if you install Cyborg’s software. The software is available on their website. Audio control keys allow you to adjust volume up, down, or mute. If you’re a casual gamer, that’s probably plenty. If you’re a hardcore gamer, you’ll probably want a keyboard with dedicated macro keys and gaming functions.

But where this keyboard doesn’t get nearly enough credit is the typing aspect. For an actual speed typist, the keys are an excellent balance between too soft and too hard, with a very comfortable strike depth. Very quiet, as well. While these features are very subject to each person’s preferences, they provide a superb quality of use to a fast typist.

The detachable wrist rest is only so-so. Maybe useful for gamers hitting a limited set of buttons, it provides uneven support for serious typing. (As reported by user reviews.) Of 85 user reviews, the huge majority gave it 4 or 5 stars, with 3, 2, and 1 stars recieving a minor smattering.

Final thoughts: For a mid-priced illuminated keyboard, the Cyborg V.5 is brilliant, and well worth the effort if you’re actually typing, or a casual gamer. If you’re a sophisticated gamer, you might need a gamer-specific keyboard.

Overall Rating:

Sale Price: $45.49

Upgrade to night vision for those late night fragging sessions. Illumination through the keys ensures you can always see the controls you need to beat your enemies.