Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Keyboard

[Poyzon]

Ran across this today. Amazon's got it available for pre-order for $49.99 + free Super Saver Shipping.

I think by now, just about every hardware manufacturer has a gaming keyboard with all these features.

Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Keyboard



Features

• Advanced anti-ghosting capability : Press up to 26 keys simultaneously without ghosting—what you press is what you get!
  
• Mode switching : Manually toggle the keyboard from standard mode to either of two gaming modes. LEDs show the selected mode.
  
• Automatic profile switching : When a game or application profile is assigned using the software, the keyboard detects the game or application you are running and applies your custom profile to the application.
  
• Programmable macro keys : Switch among three banks of six programmable macro keys to assign up to 18 macros per profile.
  
• In-game Macro Record button : Record any sequence of keystrokes—even standard chat messages. Macros are stored on your hard drive and can be easily shared.
  
• Automatic macro repetition : Set your macros to repeat.
  
• Backlit keys : Adjust key-legend backlighting with three illumination levels plus “off.”
  
• Media keys : Play/Pause, Previous Track, Next Track, and Mute.
  
• 3-Year Limited Warranty
  
• Dimensions : 19.6 x 2.4 x 8.6 inches

1. Advanced anti-ghosting capability : Press up to 26 keys simultaneously without ghosting—what you press is what you get!
2. Mode switching : Manually toggle the keyboard from standard mode to either of two gaming modes. LEDs show the selected mode.
3. Automatic profile switching : When a game or application profile is assigned using the software, the keyboard detects the game or application you are running and applies your custom profile to the application.
4. Programmable macro keys : Switch among three banks of six programmable macro keys to assign up to 18 macros per profile.

[Tim]

What is this "ghosting" that they speak of, I'm a bit confused?

[TheMuffinMan]

Keyboard blocking - A technique used by keyboard manufacturers to prevent ghosting problems. After a certain number of keys are pressed at the same time, further keypresses are blocked.

Keyboard ghosting - A problem that occurs in older keyboards that do not feature keyboard blocking in which phantom keystrokes are generated when too many keys are pressed at the same time. For instance, pressing "A" and "C" and "E" at the same time may generate a fourth phantom "T" keystroke.

[Tim]

Wait wait... so you are saying a company uses a marketing term that simply states that their keyboard doesn't product bugs when pressing multiple keys?

That seems really off, by a ton.

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[PaulHDietz]

Hi! I am the researcher behind the anti-ghosting technology in SideWinder X4. There seems to be some confusion over anti-ghosting. We put together some pages that explain the problem in some detail. There is also a web browser-based keyboard tester, so you can see how bad the ghosting problem is on your particular keyboard.

Keyboard Ghosting And The SideWinder X4

Most people don't realize that the grand majority of keyboards have serious limitations when it comes to pressing multiple keys at the same time. To test your keyboard, I would suggest pressing ASDW, and while holding those keys, try all the other ones. Odds are high you will find some that don't work. When you find combinations that don't work, try removing some of the ASDW keys. This will let you quickly find combinations of three keys that don't work involving the ASDW keys. If you keep hunting, you will probably find many more combinations that don't work. This is true even on some "gaming" keyboards, including some that advertise "anti-ghosting" features!

Anyhow, I hope this is useful!

[TheMuffinMan]

Originally Posted by PaulHDietz

Hi! I am the researcher behind the anti-ghosting technology in SideWinder X4. There seems to be some confusion over anti-ghosting. We put together some pages that explain the problem in some detail. There is also a web browser-based keyboard tester, so you can see how bad the ghosting problem is on your particular keyboard.

Keyboard Ghosting And The SideWinder X4

Most people don't realize that the grand majority of keyboards have serious limitations when it comes to pressing multiple keys at the same time. To test your keyboard, I would suggest pressing ASDW, and while holding those keys, try all the other ones. Odds are high you will find some that don't work. When you find combinations that don't work, try removing some of the ASDW keys. This will let you quickly find combinations of three keys that don't work involving the ASDW keys. If you keep hunting, you will probably find many more combinations that don't work. This is true even on some "gaming" keyboards, including some that advertise "anti-ghosting" features!

Anyhow, I hope this is useful!

Thank you for gracing our forums here! We appreciate the insight and info into what "ghosting" is as far as keyboards are concerned.

My 2 cents on the matter is this... I look at your keyboard and I don't see a gaming keyboard at all. I see a keyboard, with a couple columns of extra keys on the left, with some beefier technology underneath to handle things like the "ghosting" issue discussed above.

I would like to see MS come out with a keyboard to directly compete with this type of gaming keyboard:
http://www.steelseries.com/us/produc...th/information

This is what I use and after trying several MS sidewinder and logictech GXX keyboards, I always come back to that one. Using one of the sidewinders/GXX keyboards causes me to have to move my hand around MUCH more than with the SteelSeries Merc, thus causing more time in between my actions.

[PaulHDietz]

Originally Posted by TheMuffinMan

Thank you for gracing our forums here! We appreciate the insight and info into what "ghosting" is as far as keyboards are concerned.

My 2 cents on the matter is this... I look at your keyboard and I don't see a gaming keyboard at all. I see a keyboard, with a couple columns of extra keys on the left, with some beefier technology underneath to handle things like the "ghosting" issue discussed above.

I would like to see MS come out with a keyboard to directly compete with this type of gaming keyboard:
Information - SteelSeries

This is what I use and after trying several MS sidewinder and logictech GXX keyboards, I always come back to that one. Using one of the sidewinders/GXX keyboards causes me to have to move my hand around MUCH more than with the SteelSeries Merc, thus causing more time in between my actions.

Thanks for the feedback. I did those "beefier" guts - not the general layout. But I'll pass along your comments.

I may be a purist, but for me, job one is for the keyboard to accurately report all the keys that are pressed. Have you tried what I suggested with your particular keyboard of choice? I've noticed that gamers tend to be in denial over how bad the ghosting problem is. I've brought in a number of hard core gamers with their favorite keyboards, and watched their horrified faces as they found lots of important key combinations that they thought worked, but that actually failed. What confuses people is that when they see that some large combinations work, they presume that they all do.

Anyhow, I'd love to hear how your keyboard makes out...

[TheMuffinMan]

Originally Posted by PaulHDietz

Thanks for the feedback. I did those "beefier" guts - not the general layout. But I'll pass along your comments.

I may be a purist, but for me, job one is for the keyboard to accurately report all the keys that are pressed. Have you tried what I suggested with your particular keyboard of choice? I've noticed that gamers tend to be in denial over how bad the ghosting problem is. I've brought in a number of hard core gamers with their favorite keyboards, and watched their horrified faces as they found lots of important key combinations that they thought worked, but that actually failed. What confuses people is that when they see that some large combinations work, they presume that they all do.

Anyhow, I'd love to hear how your keyboard makes out...

Sorry I should have commented on that...

While mine doesn't have the "press as many as you want" functionality of the lastest sidwinder, it doesn't have a problem with ghosting until I press more than 7 keys (just re-tested that using your example to be sure). Most of my keys are setup to broadcast no more than 3 keystrokes at a time (none more than that, i.e. I have one key on my extended portion on the left that when pressed resolves as CTRL+SHIFT+6). This is setup using the included software with the keyboard. The most keys I every physically press at a single time while gaming is 2.

Kudos to you for building some definitely impressive "guts" on a new keyboard! I am sure eliminating the ghosting issue all together was no small undertaking.

[PaulHDietz]

Originally Posted by TheMuffinMan

While mine doesn't have the "press as many as you want" functionality of the lastest sidwinder, it doesn't have a problem with ghosting until I press more than 7 keys (just re-tested that using your example to be sure).

I find this result surprising. Unless you have a high-end, fully anti-ghosted keyboard, you should be able to find many 3-key combinations that don't work.

Just for kicks, try pressing the following combinations:

AW1 (that's the 1 above the Q)
WD3 (that's the 3 above the E)

I've heard those can be problematic, and it's not a very unusual set to want to press...

[TheMuffinMan]

Nope my keyboard doesn't seem to have an issue with those key combos.

I dont know if my keyboard is what you would consider "high end" but I linked it above in my 1st reply to you. It is 40$ more than the Sidewinder but that probably doesn't mean much.

If you read the description of my keyboard (SteelSeries Merc Stealth) these are its features (it does go on in further detail, this was just a main overview):
- SteelSeries Z Engine enables programmability of all keys
- Pre-defined profiles for more than 150 games
- 3 color illumination options: blue, purple and red
- Internal hub with 2 USB ports
- Anti-ghosting capability: Up to 7 simultaneous keystrokes
- Special gaming key area
- Rubberized movement keys for enhanced tactile feedback