Genius, located in Taiwan, is a leading international brand when it comes to computer peripherals and have a variety of products including mice, keyboards, web and security cameras, speakers, headphones, and more.
The company expanded in 2011 and created the GX Gaming series to develop peripherals specialized for professional gamers and have since have made a strong lineup of gaming peripherals. The Imperator Pro keyboard, an update to the base Imperator model, is just one example.
Specifications
Interface: USB Type: Gaming Compatibility: Windows 7/Vista/XP Dimensions (L x W x H): 55cm x 20.45cm x 3.35cm Palm Rest: Fixed Ports: 2 x USB 2.0 Macro Keys: 6 Media Keys: 6
The Imperator Pro comes in a box featuring the usual hardcore gamer-marketed design, flames and steel and all. There is a lot of information printed all over the box in multiple languages, and two large images of the keyboard itself on each side.
Inside is the keyboard itself, wrapped in plastic, with a packet underneath featuring a small user manual and the driver CD. The drivers are up to date on the disc (latest update: June 18, 2006, v. 1.3.0), but you can download them directly from their website as well.
The Imperator Pro visually looks the same as their previous Imperator keyboard right out of the box, outside of the dedicated LED button replacing the mute button and the mute button replacing the stop button on the multimedia row of keys. Visually, the normal keys are a font unique to the GX Gaming peripherals, but they do not match the multimedia keys very well, and the lack of LEDs behind the top buttons make them stick out even more.
The keyboard setup should be familiar to gamers, with the six programmable G-keys in a column on the very left of the keyboard, the multimedia keys in a row above the first four function keys, the profile-changing M-keys right in the center top of the keyboard, and the LED on/off key above the Print Screen button on the right. The volume controls are in the form of buttons, so it does take quite a lot of pushes to get from the highest volume back down to the lowest. It comes down to personal preference whether this is a pro or a con for the keyboard.
It is worth noting that Genius has designed the Enter button larger than the average American keyboard, making it take up two rows pushing the bracket keys over to the left and crunching the Backspace key into a small square key the same size as the average A-Z keys. This is more commonly seen in international keyboards, and is something that users may have to get used to.
In the back of the keyboard there are two USB 2.0 ports. The back is thick, so most USB accessories can be plugged in here with no trouble. There is also a nice amount of spacing between the two ports that you can easily plug something into both ports at the same time, again with no trouble. Their cable is also notably top notch, with a braided material leading to the gold-plated USB connectors.
Performance-wise, the GX Gaming Imperator Pro keyboard isn’t the worst you could do. The palm rest is not detachable, and is not the most comfortable palm rest wither. The keys are close to the surface so they are responsive making it great for gaming, however it does cause a plastic on plastic feel that is a little uncomfortable. They designed it to be more compact than a typing keyboard, but not as compact as the SteelSeries Apex. As a gaming keyboard, it does perform well with some flaws, but as a straight typing keyboard this isn’t the best.
The software included, called the Scorpion Gaming UI on their website, is a little slow but functionality-wise is fine. It isn’t as good as Razer software, but it is a huge step up from Corsair’s keyboard software.
There are four tabs at the top, Assign Buttons, Manage Macro, Advanced Setting, and Light Options. There is a pre-defined set of macro functions as usual, including the multimedia keys lack of press-and-hold that was noted above. Making changes to any section takes a few seconds to register, which can get tiresome but it does work once it’s done.
Certain games, such as Starcraft II, work better than others as far as the macro keys go and the software works very well in utilizing the potential. The Advanced Setting tab is where users can bind macro profiles to certain applications so they automatically switch on launch.
The Light Options tab is straightforward, and allows users to change the color of the LED lights behind the keyboard keys as well as enabling their pulsation. You can only choose one color at a time, which makes the pictures of it with multiple colors at one time a little misleading. The lighting itself is also not up to par with other gaming keyboards with the same feature.
The Genius GX Gaming Imperator Pro keyboard is a good product maybe just not the best for the price. It is good for gaming with its responsive keys and decent for typing, but is designed for gaming so if you’re looking for a keyboard that will deliver well on both ends this is not the one for you. Their software is solid, even better than well-known brands such as Corsair, and the included two USB ports are a nice extra. The flaws are almost all superficial, such as the dim LED backlighting and the odd font on the keys, but there is also the switches underneath feeling like plastic. Overall, it delivers the features needed on a gaming keyboard, just not as well as seasoned gaming peripheral companies.
Check out www.gx-gaming.com for more information on Genius GX Gaming products.
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via Examiner National Edition Gadgets & Tech Channel Articles http://www.examiner.com/review/genius-gx-gaming-imperator-pro-keyboard-review?cid=roadrunner