<p>Features, features, and more features</p>

- Alex Cox

LET’S START WITH a question: Are analog keyboards an intrinsically dumb idea? The answer could depend on how well trained your left hand has become at smashing WASD as hard as it can. Most of us have developed those fine motor skills in our thumbs, not our fingers, so approaching something like the Cooler Master MK850—which marks the commercial debut of Aimpad’s long-gestating optical analog tech—might require a significant period of refactoring and readjustment. And not just when using the analog keys, because CM’s decision to put modetriggering M-keys up the left edge of the keyboard, just asking to be triggered by an errant pinkie or a mis-angled palm, is initially infuriating.

This isn’t the first analog keyboard to arrive. We’ve done our share of gushing about the excellent Wooting One, and its full-sized sequel is due any minute. The MK850 is also not fully analog, saving its optical sensors for a patch of eight keys between Q and F. That’s actually not a bad thing. While Wooting’s whole board actuation height adjustment isn’t present here, there’s really no reason beyond that to have every key analog-enabled, and Aimpad’s radical mix-up tech means Cooler Master has been able to use proper mechanical switches.

You don’t get a choice of switch—it’s Cherry MX Reds or the highway, son— but again, that’s a logical move. The smooth travel, reasonable resistance, and high digital actuation point of the linear MX Red switches make them great f

Dit verhaal komt uit de July 2019-editie van Maximum PC.

Abonneer u op Magzter GOLD voor toegang tot duizenden zorgvuldig samengestelde premiumverhalen en meer dan 9000 tijdschriften en kranten.

ABONNEER NU

Bent u al abonnee? Aanmelden