I remember in the fall they gave me a gaming keyboard. I was incredibly happy.

Folk wisdom says: Wolf - legs feed.

In World of Warcraft (as in any similar game) from keyboards victory in a fight often depends.

One can argue about "Straight arms" And brain. I do not argue. Important. But hands and brains can be trained, and with keyboard the number will not work.

In general, I connected this square with keys. I assigned them actions and spells... I'm playing! The feeling is great.

All the actions are close, at hand... and then I needed to unsubscribe from the chat.

Chat is incredibly important. Without it, the game is not a game. It’s like going numb and losing telepathy...

I connected a second (regular) keyboard... glitches began. Maybe the food wasn’t shared...

In general, the game room had to be ceremonially put away in the box.
The regular keyboard turned out to be more versatile...

Software solution

Time passed and while re-reading another guide I came across macros (also news to me).

I've been using macros for a long time, but these were with modifier. Frankly, I despised such people.

We managed to make do with the available keys. Fortunately, the function keys (F1, F2, F3, etc.) were close to digital ones.
And even in a PvE game, the priest clicked some of the spells with the mouse.

It was a long time ago. On the current keyboard F1, F2, etc. located across a row and it is not convenient to reach for them.

In addition, the warlock knows so many necessary spells that placing them near the “running buttons” (W, S, A, D) is not realistic.

Here the macros with the modifier turned out to be “just what the doctor ordered.”

A macro with modifiers allows you to assign 4 actions to one button. One - if you simply pressed it, the second - if together with Shift, the third - with Ctrl, and the fourth (usually rarely used) with Alt.

Set it up and it became more enjoyable to play.

As I leveled up, there were more and more spells, but now everything fits.

Does it mean that a standard keyboard is better than a gaming keyboard?

Not really!

The point is the “extra buttons” that just get under your fingers.

Key Tab, it would seem a trifle. Well, I made a mistake and poked her. Missed a spell or failed to block an attack. It's unpleasant, but you can live.
Deadly when you poke her with Alt. Immediately the window with the game is minimized. By the time you turn around, you manage to find yourself in the cemetery.

Caps, it is unpleasant. Will try to turn up instead Shift.
And if after that you urgently shout something into the chat... Immediately dissatisfied screams “Tear out the Caps!!!”. You can also get a “silence” from the GM.

But the most harmful key Win(the one with the checkbox). Once you click on it, the window will collapse and the start menu will open. The problem is that this key is located
exactly between ctrl, Alt and under Shift, i.e. close to 3 constantly used. It is very difficult not to get hit during a fight.

However, training does its job.

Incident at home trash

The other day I started sorting out some old junk. Among ancient floppy drives, processors, ISA cards and other rarities I found a PS/2 keyboard. The same one that at one time replaced the gaming room.

She ended up in the trash “due to disability.” The gap began to disappear. You can play without it, but it’s easier to splurge on a new keyboard, which is what I did.

Our current meeting immediately inspired a thirst for experimentation.

Hastily leaving the hardware back into the box, I dragged the keyboard into my home laboratory... into the kitchen.

She had the opportunity to become the first in history the perfect keyboard for World of Warcraft.

To the bathhouse!

Dirty perfect gaming keyboard for World of Warcraft there shouldn't be. The copy that came into my hands turned out to be overworked, having experienced coffee, tea, sandwiches, hair and other pollutants that have no place on the desktop.

How to wash your keyboard without killing it?

Armed with a time-tested tool, I methodically picked out all the keys, dividing them into two groups. The first is all the left keys that go up to the “arrows”, the second is all the rest.

The large keys had some sort of spring-like brackets attached to them. Apparently preventing sinking. I spat on them... They still won’t get back up.

Then, using a sponge and dishwashing detergent, I washed off the mess.

I laid it out to dry and, using a screwdriver, carefully disassembled the case.

Having separated the mechanics from the electronics, I found another key that infuriates me. A crescent moon is drawn on it. This is a terrorist key!

Children constantly try to poke at it, after which the computer tries to “fall asleep”, gets upset and goes into a protracted reboot.
Of course, in Windows you can configure it so that it is not used at all, but it’s easier to tear off the rubber band (which is inside the case) and throw it away.

In general, the body also underwent a bath procedure.

After drying, the reassembly process began.

First I inserted the keys. The activity is comparable to putting together a puzzle. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND to take a photo before washing, otherwise you may not be able to assemble it))

Then I turned the cover with the keys over and hung it on two objects so that the keys were pressed down. I laid out the rubber bands.

Here a physical phenomenon called “lever” was waiting for me. When tightening the corner screw, the keyboard moved in the direction of rotation of the screwdriver, sweeping screwdrivers and other small things off the table.

Have you picked berries and mushrooms in the forest?

Assembling small parts under the table is not so fun. Rule: The testing site must be clean (so that nothing falls from it).

Let's add a hardware solution

The keyboard is assembled.

There are no keys Tab, left win, Caps, Insert, A "terrorist button" no longer pressed.

I deleted the spacebar and replaced it with a vacated key. Now it won't sink.

This is what the first non-serial one looks like sample of the ideal keyboard for World of Warcraft.

The proximity of the function keys to the running keys is also a big plus.

By the way, the torn out keys can be pressed, for example, with a pencil.

It’s absolutely ideal if these buttons are small and hard to press, if there is a separate backlight, if W, A, S, D are tinted... but it will work for me anyway))) There are no limits to perfection))

It remains to carry out field tests. But more about that some other time.

PS Yes! If you decide to repeat the experiment, then responsibility for the consequences is yours.))

Fans of World of Warcraft now have a great way to prove their devotion to this type of “sport.” Ideazon has released a set of keys tailored for WoW for its Zboard gaming keyboard. With this set, the keyboard will take on the appearance of a nuclear power plant control panel, but perhaps make life easier for any gnome, night elf, or even tauren.

The Zboard keyboard itself has nothing to do with Warcraft and can be used with any application. The keyboard is equipped with programmable keys and a pair of USB ports for connecting a mouse or joystick. But the most interesting thing is the possibility of modification using completely replaceable key sets, and their installation does not even require additional software.

The standard gaming set includes large buttons for controlling the character's movement, as well as many keys for frequently used operations. This means (at least in theory) that jumping, reloading weapons, running, or picking up things will be much easier with such a keyboard.

Keyboarding for WoW is much more complex. Each button is labeled with the name of the corresponding Warcraft action: attack, move, view the contents of bags, open the world map, and more. Under the function key panel there is a memo with lists of effects that these keys cause. All function keys are programmable, and they are convenient for setting macros that are created in the game.

The layout of the right side of the keyboard is nothing like the usual one. Against the background of images of WoW heroes, there are buttons for accessing frequently used actions in the game. You can switch text input options - guild chat, whisper or group chat. Eight buttons provide access to view quests, talents, abilities, reputations, friends list and character information. There are also additional motion control keys there.

Fans of the famous World of Warcraft trilogy received from SteelSeries a new gaming set consisting of a keyboard (SteelSeries zBoard Warth of the Lich King Exclusive), a mouse (SteelSeries World of WarCraft MMO Gaming Mouse) and a mouse pad (SteelSeries QcK Frost Wyrm Exclusive). This article is dedicated to reviewing this set.

If desired, you can purchase any product from the set separately. To become the owner of these gadgets, fans of the game will have to shell out a lot of money. The average cost of a SteelSeries World of WarCraft MMO Gaming Mouse on the electronic markets of our country is 100 USD. The keyboard will cost $115, and the gaming mat will cost $20. It is easy to calculate that the total cost of the set is about 235 USD. This article will describe all the components of the World of Warcraft set, so that each user can choose the most necessary device or the entire set (if finances allow).

The Warcraft strategy is already almost 17 years old (the first part was released back in 1994) and it has always been one of Blizzard’s most successful products. In those distant times, very few residents of our country were happy owners of a PC, so most domestic gamers began their acquaintance with the strategy from the second version. Warcraft 2 was an order of magnitude larger than its predecessor and was distributed on 12 floppy disks (there was no CD drive).

In the fall of 2004, an online version of the Warcraft game was released. At first, it was available only to American users, and only 4 years later (in 2008) domestic gamers had the opportunity to fight with each other. Now the Warcraft strategy is one of the most popular in the world and has more than 15 million players, which means that the World of Warcraft gaming set from SteelSeries is simply doomed to success.
Let's start our review with the most expensive part of the set - the gaming keyboard with the long name SteelSeries zBoard Warth of the Lich King Exclusive.

Unfortunately, we were not pleased with it. Perhaps the whole point is that we were not able to fully explore the capabilities of the keyboard, since playing and working on it turned out to be not very comfortable. The packaging, of course, is impressive with the huge size of the box and a vivid image of one of the game's heroes. The manufacturer already on the packaging (on the back of the box) emphasizes that this product was made with the blessing of Blizzard. In addition, numerous advantages of the keyboard are listed. Moreover, what’s nice is that all the comments on the box are translated into the “language of native aspens.” The keyboard comes with instructions, drivers and an additional panel.

At first glance at the SteelSeries zBoard Warth of the Lich King Exclusive, disappointment sets in - it is no different from the usual “China”. The same standard layout, regular keys with a fairly large travel and a standard distance between them. Everything is very ordinary, and therefore let’s turn our attention to the gaming panel, specially tailored for Warcraft. The number pad on it was replaced with a set of keys designed to call about 30 game commands. And again, we note that the inscriptions on the keyboard have been translated into Russian, which is good news (the same applies to the main part of the keyboard). The game panel is decorated with the image of one of the Warcraft heroes. I liked that the panel has a separate set of keys responsible for the character’s facial expressions and emotions.

Many people have encountered the problem of a limited number of USB ports on a laptop. The creators of the keyboard took this point into account and equipped it with a hub for 2 USB ports. It is possible to write your own macros, both for the keys of the main part of the keyboard and for the additional game panel. To do this, you should use the software that comes with the kit. The programming process is very simple: “doubleclick” or press a key, and then you just need to read the prompts. The profile changes automatically depending on the layout (there is a special driver for this).

Perhaps most of all, I liked the SteelSeries World of WarCraft MMO Gaming Mouse. The design of the box is very solid: it is large in size and opens like a box. The inscriptions on the box eloquently indicate that the device is intended for fans of the game Warcraft. The Blizzard and SteelSeries logos indicate that this gaming mouse is a collaboration between the companies. Having opened the box, we did not find a disk with drivers, but they can be freely downloaded on the company’s official website. Instructions are available in multiple languages.

You are not buying a “pig in a poke” or, more precisely, a “pig in a box”. The mouse is packaged in such a way that the product is completely visible thanks to the round window and transparent plastic cover. The main advantages of the mouse are indicated directly on the packaging. Among them: programmable buttons, updating the operating frequency of the USB port to 1 GHz, sensor resolution up to 3200 DPI. The mouse looks harmonious in the hands of a large man - it is quite large. However, the lovely ladies had no problems using the manipulator.

The design of SteelSeries World of WarCraft MMO Gaming Mouse is very original and even brutal. At first glance, it is made of metal, however, this is not so - the mouse is completely plastic, with the necessary number of rubberized inserts (for example, the scroll wheel is rubberized, which is very convenient). The only drawback of the scroll wheel is that it rotates in one plane. The main buttons are not programmable, but there are 4 programmable keys on either side of the scroll wheel.
The mouse fits comfortably in your hand thanks to its ergonomic shape and rubberized side surfaces (soft touch material). The mouse backlight can be changed programmatically by choosing a color to suit your taste. The manipulator cord is soft, but at the same time quite flexible and durable. We liked it.

Let's return to programmable buttons. The SteelSeries World of WarCraft MMO Gaming Mouse has another additional set of programmable keys located on the left side panel. It consists of a four-way joystick and two buttons above it (by default they are for forward and backward movement). Another two-position additional key is located on the right side panel of the manipulator. Naturally, all keys can be programmed only after installing special software.
As noted above, you can download the software on the official SteelSeries website. It installs and functions without problems if one of the older versions of Windows is installed on your PC. The software is easy to learn - even a schoolchild can handle it. Programmatically, you can assign actions to additional keys, not necessarily from the WarCraft game, but by listing any set of buttons or functions. In addition, it is possible to “play” with the backlight (you can change the color, intensity) and assign a key to change the sensor resolution. A little advice: save the necessary settings in your profile, and you will not have any problems with the mouse at all.

And finally, the most budget-friendly part of the set is a mouse pad called SteelSeries QcK Frost Wyrm Exclusive (also available in Lich King color, like the keyboard). Its quality gave us only positive emotions. However, it cannot be said that it in any way improves the performance of the mouse, which functions perfectly on any surface. The material used to make the SteelSeries QcK Frost Wyrm Exclusive is a combination of rubber and plastic, which gives the mat flexibility. Its dimensions are slightly larger than standard ones and are 30x27 cm, which is very convenient for playing. And, of course, the rug is decorated with the image of one of the game’s heroes.

Let's summarize. Perhaps what impressed us most about the World of Warcraft set was the mouse. In addition to a sensitive, adjustable sensor, it is equipped with a sufficient set of programmable keys. At the same time, the process of programming them is not difficult thanks to high-quality software. In addition, the mouse looks expensive and fits perfectly in the hand. Her design was liked by both men and ladies who are not involved in the game. There were also no complaints about the play mat. However, to be fair, it should be noted that it is not absolutely necessary for a gamer, because... The mouse works great without it. The SteelSeries zBoard Warth of the Lich King Exclusive keyboard was a bit of a disappointment. Beginner players who have not yet mastered the game may find this set of signed keys useful, but for devices in its price range the keyboard looks clearly poor. The additional panel is poorly attached, the keys move at random. There is a strong association with cheap Chinese products.

We chose, the turn came and the holy of holies - the controllers. Today we'll talk about the keyboard.

Are you still sure that peripherals do not affect your skill in playing World of Warcraft? Then read on and you will realize that you were wrong.

Unlike previous reviews, I will not list specific keyboards, but after reading the review you will understand what you need. And you will even be able to justify your purchase, why exactly what you chose and not what the “authorities” advise.

Not everyone needs extra keys

Here's my Logitech G15, it's old and covered in dust (it looks cooler in the first picture, doesn't it?). My hand too.

Standard ASDW grip. It is convenient to reach keys 1-4 and surrounding buttons. Is it convenient for me to press G1? No, I can press G5 and G6 with my little finger, which is a weak finger.

My point is that using additional buttons as hot keys in battle is not convenient, not at all convenient, they are for sophisticated macros that are rarely pressed.

It’s easier for me to reassign macros to the surrounding buttons or, like many pros, wean myself off ASDW and move the “grip” closer to the center of the keyboard. The second option is very professional, but only one and a half players in the world use it.

Keyboard screen

NOT NEEDED!

Although no, I lied to you. It is needed in games that do not have a clock on the main screen, just so as not to get lost in time. It is needed if you use the keyboard to automate grinding (shows which macro is being executed). Otherwise, not really.

Oh yes, I almost forgot. In broom and teamspeak (the third) it shows who is in the chat and who is speaking now. It's really convenient.

And so more show-off.

The same Logitech G15 does not support ruvs, standard HP bars, mana and other information are not displayed. Logitech support looks down on Blizzard, Bliz is silent.

Mechanical keyboard or not?

Now for health, stop being sad. I just could not resist describing the extra chips. Here we delve into the theory, but it is important. In general, for the general development. It's almost impossible to find a mechanical keyboard these days.

Initially, all keyboards were mechanical, and therefore expensive.

Now almost all keyboards (expensive too) are membrane type. Their essence is this.

There are two layers of film with contacts, between them there is a film with holes in place of the contacts. The buttons are spring-loaded with rubber pads that press on the film to connect the contacts. Those. There is a button move, but the action occurs when the button is pressed "all the way". Here is a modern keyboard disassembled (sorry for the quality of the photo, I took it with my phone at work):

Some of the rubber pimples immediately scattered to the sides; putting them back together is problematic.

In this situation, a couple of misses are enough to start hitting the buttons like hell. This happens reflexively and tires the fingers.

In a mechanical keyboard, of which there are many types, the action occurs when the keyboard is pressed partially. It is not necessary to hammer all the way, it tires the fingers less, but it is very expensive. There are not rubber pimples, but a spring mechanism, not membranes, but a contact system (based on reed switches or another type). One of the disadvantages of the mechanics is that they are noisy.

There are pseudo-mechanical keyboards. There are the same membranes, but keys with a spring mechanism. It feels “like a mechanical one”, but you have to press the buttons all the way.

But let's come down to earth.

Pressing the buttons should be sensitive. You must feel that you have pressed a button and you must be sure that there will be action. This is at the level of sensations, it cannot be put into words and cannot be described with a wall of text.

Headset cable management thanks to the keyboard

It’s a mystery to me why all keyboard manufacturers don’t do this! There is a great option to remove the cable, just a niche in the stand. Here's an example of the Logitech G15 keyboard.

Yes, a regular palm rest, but it has a niche for entry and exit cords:

Attachable palm rests have been around for a long time, but only a few manufacturers have thought about gamers. We thought that a hand rest is more convenient than holding your hand up. We thought that it would be convenient to fix the headset cable under this stand and it would not dangle or get under your hand.

From experience. Not all coasters are equally useful. Logitech G15 itself is quite heavy. The stand is fixed very firmly, it does not fall off or dangle even if you nervously kick the keyboard, it does not make an unpleasant squeak when you push the keyboard on the table (the plastic is thick and of high quality). Thanks to this, once you fix the cord there at the required length, it will stay there all evening.

I'm sure there are a lot of inexpensive keyboards that also consider this point. I know for sure that there are very expensive keyboards in which this detail is not thought out.

They hinted to me that there are keyboards with jacks for headphones and a microphone. This is better than just a dangling cable, but worse than a cable fixed in a stand. The connector on the keyboard exactly solves the problem of short headphone and headset cords.

Wireless keyboard

The same goes for a wireless headset. The problems are the same, only plus a barely noticeable signal delay. How many models, expensive and cheap, I have tried, everything is not the same.

Special keyboards

Those who use it say that it is incredibly convenient, you just need to get used to it. The meaning is something like this: all the keys are located near the main grip. The keys are quite enough for basic binds. There's no need for a screen, but you have to justify the $80 price. If anyone knows analogs but at a more reasonable price, write in the comments.

I consider this kind of garbage ridiculous and inconvenient, just an opportunity to get more money out of players:

Even at first glance, the additional key block cannot be used normally. Why are the keys so sparsely scattered throughout the additional keyboard? How to find them by touch? IMHO this is a mockery of the players.

Little things in choosing a keyboard for World of Warcraft

The backlit keyboard is good, even if you don't play in the dark. Another small bonus is that the keys are not erasable. The main thing is that the backlight does not irritate you at night. Avoid blue backlight, it eats away your eyes. It’s good if the backlight can be turned off.

A hardware button lock button will come in handy. I mean the WIN button, which is to blame for a number of wipes (not only in WoW).

If right next to Del, End, Page Dn there are sleep buttons or some other buttons, don’t even look in the direction of this keyboard. I wasn’t joking, there are such keyboards and people even buy them...

Remember that relearning a new keyboard is not so quick. This will easily force you to make mistakes by missing the keys. Be careful.

In any case, I do not recommend changing the keyboard while mastering new content. There is slack time between patches, that's when it's just right.

It takes at least 1-3 days to partially master a new keyboard. The slightest discrepancy in the size or location of the buttons will cause discomfort. Even too soft/hard buttons will cause trouble. Many aspects are learned at the level of reflexes and habits; they are difficult to break. At first there will be discomfort, a desire to throw out the new device and take the old one out of the closet. This must be experienced.

Additional buttons for controlling the player are still useful)

That's it, no specific models. Everyone has their own model, everyone has their own preferences.

So what do you use? What keyboard do you have? What kind of “grip”? ASDW, arrows, non-standard something, non-standard keyboard? Why did you buy this keyboard model? How long did it take you to get used to it?

Let's share our experience, flood, celebrate!

On one of the beautiful warm evenings of this rainy summer, my eye was attracted by three black boxes that hid nothing more than a gaming kit, a set of image products from SteelSeries, aimed at fans of the notorious online game World of Warcraft from an equally famous company Blizzard Entertainment, which presented this sensational project to millions of people of all ages, for which we thank them very much.

As you might have guessed, behind each of the boxes were hidden products of the “mouse”, “keyboard” and “mat” class, kindly provided to us by the manufacturing company, which does not yet have the same fame and prevalence in the market of gaming products in the Russian Federation and CIS countries as , for example, the same Razer.

It doesn’t matter, this review will dispel many doubts that may creep into the hearts of our readers, which I am undoubtedly happy about. Well, I present to your attention three lots: a keyboard, a mouse and a rug, which can be yours, provided that your wallet is not so empty that you cannot pay their cost.

SteelSeries and Blizzard Entertainment

First, to warm you up properly, let’s get a little history and some information about these companies, just in case, let me remind you that we are talking about steel series And .

By turning to the resource and looking at the “About Us” section, you will find out that SteelSeries not only simply develops gaming equipment, but at the same time, which is no longer surprising, but still pleasing, collaborates with many of the most famous players on three continents: Europe , North America and Asia. The company's headquarters is located in Europe (Copenhagen, Denmark), and this section also contains information about representative offices and supplies.

I will also note that the range of products presented on the company’s Russian-language website is somewhat inferior to the similar range of the official English-language resource, which, again, confirms my words about the low prevalence of SteelSeries solutions in our country and the CIS countries.

It is much more interesting to turn to the story, which is very brilliant - just the standard of a company developing in the field of computer entertainment, Blizzard Entertainment.

Even before the distant 1991 (the year the company was founded), Blizzard existed only in the dreams of a student Alena Edhema, which, thank God, he did not refuse, and, moreover, its implementation became one of the turning points in the gaming industry, since many players in this market look at Blizzard’s back with such wild envy that their cheekbones ache just at the thought about her.

In the 80s Alan worked for Interplay tester, where he gained invaluable experience and skills, after which he persuaded his college friend Mike Morhaime engage in game design, and they founded the company with a starting capital of $10,000 Silicon & Synapse with another employee Frank Pierce. At first, the young company worked for Interplay - they developed game design and code for the game RPM Racing. The company was under someone else's wing for about two years, after which they debuted their projects Rock'n'Roll Racing And Lost Vikings.

The first game released under the logo was in December 1994. Although Blizzard made its name with this toy, no one dares not admit that the turning point that decided the outcome of the company’s fate, I note that at that time it was not so simple, was the exit WarCraft II, which sold 3 million copies worldwide, with the first million being sold within the first year. It was a sensation, there are no other words, the extravaganza that these talented people rightfully deserved.

In 1995, the union of the two companies Blizzard and Condor, which was later renamed Bizzard North, heralded the release of the iconic game and its concept, respectively. On December 27, 1996, this game was released, repeating its success WarCraft II. Soon work began on the sequel to Diablo - Diablo II, which turned out to be an instant hit - about 3 million copies were sold in the first three weeks, which secured the title of the best-selling game to this day for this project.

Next comes the time of space exploration, namely ’a, which in 1998, like previous projects, was at the top of the charts. But the most successful and popular project is, although you cannot say about it that it is history, but still, it is not only worthy of mention, it screams and demands it, because. this is not just an online RPG - this is a toy that will go down in history for many, many years, and, moreover, its history has not even been written, but is only being written today, at this very moment and many subsequent ones.

Keyboard SteelSeries zBoard Warth of the Lich King Exclusive

It's time to move from words to action. The keyboard will be the first to fall under your storyteller's knife. SteelSeries zBoard Warth of the Lich King Exclusive, but don’t be nervous, nothing bad will happen to it, I’ll just open the packaging box and take a look at it with one eye.

What immediately catches your eye, besides the game logo and the ominous knight clutching the hilt of a sword in his palm, are the seams that divide the space bar in two. Just don’t think that the SteelSeries design team has gone crazy, there is a simple and reasonable explanation for all this - the keyboard panel is replaceable, there is no doubt about it, since right under the keyboard there is another panel, the most ordinary one, without all these gaming gadgets that The first of them is famous.

SteelSeries zBoard keyboard design and ergonomics

The keyboard is made of black plastic, which in appearance is unremarkable - an ordinary and moderately inexpensive material. The design is aggressive, to say the least, this feeling is largely due to the removable panel, which has the ability to fold in three, which is why it has two seams visible to the naked eye. One of these seams reveals to our eyes the entire mechanism for fastening the moving parts, namely: hinges and metal closures that connect the entire structure together. It also divides the space bar in half, which also makes this keyboard stand out among thousands of others. I don’t know how convenient this is, but it in no way prevented me from typing this text, so don’t worry about this technical solution.

It’s sad to say, but all the images on the panel are stickers and nothing more, which, coupled with the above comments, makes the keyboard even more like a children’s construction set. On this sticker, in addition to the ominous image of a gloomy guy named Arthas, there are writings, not elven, of course, but this does not lose their meaning, which is nothing more than a description of the function keys of the World of WarCraft game. Similar descriptions are found on the keys themselves, which should make gameplay even easier.

The arrows and additional numeric keypad have been completely redesigned for the same purposes - convenience when spending free time playing your favorite game.

The keys are round, the appearance of which is childishly cute, but too cheap.

Besides all these goodies SteelSeries zBoard Warth of the Lich King Exclusive is not deprived of additional functional keys: multimedia and not only, made of transparent plastic.

Many people are interested in the issue of typing and the associated conveniences or inconveniences. This keyboard uses high-profile keys, which tend to make a little noise when pressed, which personally doesn’t bother me; you know, I love the sound, but it can scare off ardent fans of peace and quiet. I can’t call this a minus, again, because of my subjective opinion, but I can’t count it as a plus either.

I would also like to note some ergonomic oversights that engineers and/or designers overlooked - the key input is individual for many of them: for most it is soft, but, for example, the “J/o” key on my copy can only be on my and A similar problem will not affect you; it is quite possible that even the most ordinary reinstallation of the socket can cure such an ailment; it only worked when the pressure was too strong, which very often led to it sticking and not working. This is caused by the same originality of the design.

In my opinion, it would be much better to make the removable panel one-piece, because personally I have no idea how such “mobility” can help me, since the keyboard body itself with all its technological contents is made in the form factor " in one piece", so even if you want to take SteelSeries zBoard Warth of the Lich King Exclusive with you, folding the keyboard will never work.

The contact of the keyboard base with the surface is very good, thanks to the rubber pads on the legs. A USB hub with two ports easily reveals itself above the numeric keypad, which is almost a standard for solutions of this class.

I was also disappointed by the lack of ports for headphones and a microphone, which are sometimes so necessary, especially if such inputs are located at the back of the system unit.

I will draw a small conclusion to all of the above, a purely personal one - the design is not up to par, too “childish”, ergonomics are not for everyone. This may be rude, but it is honest, although somewhat subjective.

Of course, you can also watch a short video review.

I think that it would be logical to add to all of the above to offer you a description of the delivery kit, technical characteristics and system requirements of the keyboard.

SteelSeries zBoard Warth of the Lich King Exclusive contents:

• Base for removable panels.
• Removable panel for World of Warcraft.
• Standard removable panel.
• CD with zEngine software.

SteelSeries zBoard Warth of the Lich King Exclusive specifications:

• Built-in USB hub for 2 ports.
• Cable: 2 meters.
• 1xUSB plug.
• Dimensions: 225x467x38 mm.

SteelSeries zBoard Warth of the Lich King Exclusive system requirements:

• PC with USB port.
• World of WarCraft game.

SteelSeries zBoard Keyboard Software

Software was found on the software disk IdeaZon under code name zEngine. After the first launch of this utility, a dialog box will pop up, which will inform you that the zEngine program has detected a new keyboard, and that for its normal operation it will require an Internet connection and the necessary update, otherwise the program will refuse to function normally with SteelSeries zBoard Warth of the Lich King Exclusive. You will also be given the opportunity to register your product, allowing you to receive the latest information about updates and new products from SteelSeries.

I had to obey and let this program update. Only after this did it become possible to touch upon the programming of keys and the creation of a wide variety of user profiles. All this is implemented in a special window, where an almost exact copy of the keyboard is found.

In order to assign any functional value to the selected key, just double-click, after which a menu will appear with the corresponding options, including simply a combination of symbols, macros, and certain actions directly implemented in World of Warcraft, such as, for example, Special Actions, Toggle World Map Pane and so on.

But don’t think that the keyboard’s capabilities are limited by this, I declare categorically "No, it's not like that!" because the world is full of more than just WarCraft. This utility, paired with the device under test, is capable of creating profiles for a wide variety of other games, which will definitely appeal to any gamer, and even moreover, the software stores more than 150 different profiles for a wide variety of toys. Bravo!

SteelSeries World of WarCraft MMO Gaming Mouse

Let's move on to the second position of this article, namely the mouse SteelSeries World of WarCraft MMO Gaming Mouse.

This device, which you simply cannot do without in these difficult times of high technology, is hidden behind a cardboard box that resembles a small chest, on which you can find the logos of the manufacturing company SteelSeries and a license for the right to use the name of its brainchild from Blizzard.

Mouse design and ergonomics SteelSeries World of WarCraft MMO Gaming Mouse

Having opened this very package, my delight knew no bounds, the design really won my heart, there are no words, only emotions! The mouse itself is made of plastic in two colors: its back is made of metal, and the sides and belly are made of black plastic.

On its upper surface you can see the logo of the game World Of WarCraft; in addition to this feature, it would be foolish not to note the presence of elven patterns, which go so well with a rather aggressive design, pretending to be like an armored armed car for racing to the death!

Despite the quite large number of buttons (together with the wheel there are 15, each of which is programmable), there is absolutely no effect of the bulkiness and absurdity of this design solution.

For reliability, the mouse cord connected to the USB port is covered with a rag material - bound, which eliminates any possibility of pinching it or even accidentally breaking it, but at the same time it is flexible enough (although its thickness leaves much to be desired) so as not to interfere with the comfortable use of this device .

After connecting the mouse to the USB port, its blue backlight immediately catches your eye, which is replaced after installing and activating the software with a golden glow, so pleasantly pleasing to the eye.

The mouse glides surprisingly well, every move you make will be as accurate as you want it to be. Clicking the buttons is a pleasure, you don’t have to wait for any random unwanted clicks - responsiveness is at the level at which it should correspond to a gaming product.

By the way, the SteelSeries World of WarCraft MMO Gaming Mouse comes with a quick start guide.

Mouse Software SteelSeries World of WarCraft MMO Gaming Mouse

The software behind this cutting-edge SteelSeries World of WarCraft MMO Gaming Mouse product has a simple name. I want to please you, dear readers, it, just like the mouse itself, did not disappoint, everything is in the best possible way, from design to functionality. The interface is visually pleasant and intuitive at first glance, and you can write whole ballads about its convenience, because... It is almost impossible to come up with anything more reasonable and suitable.

For each of the buttons, including the wheel, you will be free to choose any of the actions - more than 130 game command presets implemented in World of Warcraft, also, in addition to this, for convenience, you will have access to several profiles for a variety of scenarios, for example, for PVP, PVE, in general, to your choice and taste, which you can also easily program.

Of the specific features World Of WarCraft MMO Gaming Mouse Software It is impossible not to note the possibility of changing the backlight color of this peripheral device to all shades of the rainbow, 16 million colors, as stated on the manufacturer’s website, which, it seems to me, will satisfy even the most demanding users, in addition, you can select light intensity modes and flicker modes, high or Medium for each of these two settings. Also, what may not have any particular benefit, but will serve as a nice addition, is the ability to display the nickname, level, class and server of your character.

Just in case, here are the technical specifications of the mouse: SteelSeries World of WarCraft MMO Gaming Mouse, its software specifications and system requirements.

• Windows Vista, Windows XP or Windows 2000.
• 100 MB of free hard disk space.
• 128 MB RAM.
• Free USB port.

Mat SteelSeries QcK Lich King Exclusive

Rug SteelSeries QcK Lich King Exclusive Quite cute in appearance, decorated in cool colors - to match his name. Packed in a separate cardboard and plastic box.

On the mat SteelSeries QcK Lich King Exclusive The image of the same sinister knight Arthas is still present. The contact between the surface of its contact with the computer desk is good, largely due to the ability of the mat to stick to it with its base. And this is what the base of the rug looks like.

The mouse feels more than excellent when working with it, which only adds to its advantages. One of the downsides is that the rug requires careful handling, which, in principle, should not become a problem that cannot be solved.

Conclusions on the SteelSeries WoW kit as a whole

I won’t fuss and beat around the bush: I liked everything in every way. For fans World of Warcraft this investment will certainly not be superfluous, since in addition to the keyboard, mouse and pad itself, they will be able to get very smart and advanced software, and the appearance of these products will not make them sad either, reminding them of their favorite toy every time. I would also note the high technology of these solutions, which, if not ahead of their time, are almost on its heels.

I will note some pros and cons of the kit as a whole.

Pros of the SteelSeries WoW kit:

• Ease of use.
• Advanced and very smart software.
• Not a bad design.
• Good functionality.

Cons of the SteelSeries WoW kit:

• The ergonomics of the keyboard keys are not up to par.
• The keyboard design is too childish.
• The durability of the rug does not inspire confidence.