The average person probably thinks a keyboard is just a keyboard and there’s really no difference between the cheap keyboards you get for free when you buy a new computer and the ones you buy at the store. What they don’t know is that while those cheap keyboards are mainly good for just regular inputs, they aren’t very good for gaming and they also usually don’t look very good either. Your best bet is to grab yourself a gaming keyboard because not only are these made for exceptional feel and response, but they also look darn good with any setup. Take for instance Kaliber Gaming’s HVER PRO RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. It’s made of rugged aircraft aluminum chassis, has per-key RGB backlighting, and a slew of gaming features all for an affordable price.
Design
For the most part, the Kaliber Gaming HVER PRO RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard isn’t overly designed like other gaming keyboards. In fact, it’s pretty low key for the most part. The body itself is just basic black aluminum, the keys are black, and the only real clue you have this that might be something special is the Kaliber Gaming logos. It isn’t really until you plug it in that you start to see how special this is.
Basically when plugged in, all the keys light up and not just the numbers and letters. Each individual key is actually lit up from below. This is because each key sits slightly higher than the base allowing the lighting effects to shine through. It’s a really neat effect and seems to be quite bright.
Another really good thing I like about this keyboard is the weight. It’s nice and heavy so during heavy usage, you don’t have to worry about the keyboard sliding around your table.
On a side note, there are two versions of this keyboard. One comes with brown switches while the other one comes with red switches. I had to ask my friend exactly which he thought was better, and it really comes down to what you need. Brown switches are the number one most popular mechanical switch type among gamers. They provide a less pronounced tactile bump and a slightly less audible click when pressed making them both quieter and requiring less actuation force. Red switches on the other hand are rapidly growing in popularity thanks to their lack of an actuation click. Red switches are even quieter than brown switches and feature a linear design that provides the same smooth, solid feel throughout the full travel of the keystroke. The one I got is the one with red switches.
Software
You don’t really need to install special software to use the keyboard itself, but you won’t get the most out of it unless you do. You’ll need to download the free Kaliber Gaming HVER PRO software if you want to do things like change the lighting patterns, colors, and intensity as well as programming the keys for specific gaming commands. Outside of gaming, you can also use the software to program simple text shortcuts or executing multi-key commands.
The software is pretty straightforward and pretty darn fast. Changing colors on the keyboard is near instantaneous as well as any of the settings in the app. I’ve used some where it takes several seconds to load the changes, but this one doesn’t do that. It just does it.
Usage
The one thing you’ll really notice about mechanical keyboards is how clicky and loud they are. Even though this one uses red switches which are supposed to be quieter, it’s still sounds pretty loud. It’s loud compared to non-mechanical keyboards. However, despite the noise, mechanical keyboards just feel better when pressing down on them. Also, due to the nature of mechanical switches, you’ll be more accurate too because you do not need to depress the button fully for them to fully register a button press. That’s makes these more accurate.
The HVER PRO also features a complete Anti-Ghosting design which is also referred to as N-Key Full Rollover (NKRO). This makes sure that every key combination is registered properly.
All this is supposed to make gaming more accurate, faster, and less frustrating.
Of course for normal users, that just means more accurate typing, more accurate launching of shortcuts, and also a keyboard that probably looks better than whatever you were using before.
I myself game occasionally on the PC so it’s not like I really need a gaming keyboard, but I use one anyways because I just really love how awesome it makes your desk setup look. I normally just keep this keyboard on the rotating rainbow colors and while it might seem distracting for some, I just love the attention it gets.
Final Thoughts
Gaming keyboards might not be for everyone, but there’s no denying how cool they can look, especially the ones that come with built in lighting. While you can turn the lights off, why would you? In my opinion, lit of keys look so much better and can turn any boring desk setup into something a lot more exciting and flashy. Not only that, it makes the keys a lot easier to see in the dark.
Let’s not forget that the mechanical keys themselves make any task more accurate and responsive and the added bonus of being able to record your own macros and store them is a big bonus.
With that said, the Kaliber Gaming HVER PRO RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard by IOGEAR is a very nice gaming keyboard that doesn’t break the bank.
